EASY: a simple tool for simultaneously removing background, deadtime and acoustic ringing in quantitative NMR spectroscopy--part I: basic principle and applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Jaeger, Christian; Hemmann, Felix

2014-01-01

Elimination of Artifacts in NMR SpectroscopY (EASY) is a simple but very effective tool to remove simultaneously any real NMR probe background signal, any spectral distortions due to deadtime ringdown effects and -specifically- severe acoustic ringing artifacts in NMR spectra of low-gamma nuclei. EASY enables and maintains quantitative NMR (qNMR) as only a single pulse (preferably 90°) is used for data acquisition. After the acquisition of the first scan (it contains the wanted NMR signal and the background/deadtime/ringing artifacts) the same experiment is repeated immediately afterwards before the T1 waiting delay. This second scan contains only the background/deadtime/ringing parts. Hence, the simple difference of both yields clean NMR line shapes free of artefacts. In this Part I various examples for complete (1)H, (11)B, (13)C, (19)F probe background removal due to construction parts of the NMR probes are presented. Furthermore, (25)Mg EASY of Mg(OH)2 is presented and this example shows how extremely strong acoustic ringing can be suppressed (more than a factor of 200) such that phase and baseline correction for spectra acquired with a single pulse is no longer a problem. EASY is also a step towards deadtime-free data acquisition as these effects are also canceled completely. EASY can be combined with any other NMR experiment, including 2D NMR, if baseline distortions are a big problem. © 2013 Published by Elsevier Inc.

Development of background reduced Fresnel phase zone plate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tamari, Yohei; Azechi, Hiroshi

2004-01-01

In study of hot and dense plasma, a high spatial resolution (a few microns) x-ray imaging is very important to observe these plasmas. The Fresnel phase zone plate (FPZP) consists of alternately material and transparent circular annuli placed concentrically, which image x rays using diffraction x rays from all annuli. FPZP have imaged 4.7-4.77 keV x rays with 2.2 μm spatial resolution. However FPZP has a problem that background level is comparable to signal level. In subtraction of background, the error of 10% is caused. For the accurate background subtraction, we designed new FPZP, which consist of three β layers of a transparent zone and two material zones. The new design FPZP parameters (thickness of material zones, each zone width) have been optimized, and in that optimum design signal-to-background ratio is 4 times better than conventional two layers FPZP

Pairing versus phase coherence of doped holes in distinct quantum spin backgrounds

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Zheng; Sheng, D. N.; Weng, Zheng-Yu

2018-03-01

We examine the pairing structure of holes injected into two distinct spin backgrounds: a short-range antiferromagnetic phase versus a symmetry protected topological phase. Based on density matrix renormalization group (DMRG) simulation, we find that although there is a strong binding between two holes in both phases, phase fluctuations can significantly influence the pair-pair correlation depending on the spin-spin correlation in the background. Here the phase fluctuation is identified as an intrinsic string operator nonlocally controlled by the spins. We show that while the pairing amplitude is generally large, the coherent Cooper pairing can be substantially weakened by the phase fluctuation in the symmetry-protected topological phase, in contrast to the short-range antiferromagnetic phase. It provides an example of a non-BCS mechanism for pairing, in which the paring phase coherence is determined by the underlying spin state self-consistently, bearing an interesting resemblance to the pseudogap physics in the cuprate.

BOA: Asbestos pipe insulation removal robot system. Phase 1

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schempf, H.; Bares, J.E.

1995-02-01

The project described in this report targets the development of a mechanized system for safe, cost-efficient and automated abatement of asbestos containing materials used as pipe insulation. Based on several key design criteria and site visits, a proof-of-concept prototype robot system, dubbed BOA, was designed and built, which automatically strips the lagging and insulation from the pipes, and encapsulates them under complete vacuum operation. The system can operate on straight runs of piping in horizontal or vertical orientations. Currently we are limited to four-inch diameter piping without obstacles as well as a somewhat laborious emplacement and removal procedure -- restrictions to be alleviated through continued development. BOA removed asbestos at a rate of 4-5 ft./h compared to 3 ft./h for manual removal of asbestos with a 3-person crew. The containment and vacuum system on BOA was able to achieve the regulatory requirement for airborne fiber emissions of 0.01 fibers/ccm/ 8-hr. shift. This program consists of two phases. The first phase was completed and a demonstration was given to a review panel, consisting of DOE headquarters and site representatives as well as commercial abatement industry representatives. Based on the technical and programmatic recommendations drafted, presented and discussed during the review meeting, a new plan for the Phase II effort of this project was developed. Phase 11 will consist of a 26-month effort, with an up-front 4-month site-, market-, cost/benefit and regulatory study before the next BOA robot (14 months) is built, and then deployed and demonstrated (3 months) at a DOE site (such as Fernald or Oak Ridge) by the beginning of FY`97.

Analysis of an automated background correction method for cardiovascular MR phase contrast imaging in children and young adults

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rigsby, Cynthia K.; Hilpipre, Nicholas; Boylan, Emma E.; Popescu, Andrada R.; Deng, Jie [Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children' s Hospital of Chicago, Department of Medical Imaging, Chicago, IL (United States); McNeal, Gary R. [Siemens Medical Solutions USA Inc., Customer Solutions Group, Cardiovascular MR R and D, Chicago, IL (United States); Zhang, Gang [Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children' s Hospital of Chicago Research Center, Biostatistics Research Core, Chicago, IL (United States); Choi, Grace [Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children' s Hospital of Chicago, Department of Pediatrics, Chicago, IL (United States); Greiser, Andreas [Siemens AG Healthcare Sector, Erlangen (Germany)

2014-03-15

Phase contrast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a powerful tool for evaluating vessel blood flow. Inherent errors in acquisition, such as phase offset, eddy currents and gradient field effects, can cause significant inaccuracies in flow parameters. These errors can be rectified with the use of background correction software. To evaluate the performance of an automated phase contrast MRI background phase correction method in children and young adults undergoing cardiac MR imaging. We conducted a retrospective review of patients undergoing routine clinical cardiac MRI including phase contrast MRI for flow quantification in the aorta (Ao) and main pulmonary artery (MPA). When phase contrast MRI of the right and left pulmonary arteries was also performed, these data were included. We excluded patients with known shunts and metallic implants causing visible MRI artifact and those with more than mild to moderate aortic or pulmonary stenosis. Phase contrast MRI of the Ao, mid MPA, proximal right pulmonary artery (RPA) and left pulmonary artery (LPA) using 2-D gradient echo Fast Low Angle SHot (FLASH) imaging was acquired during normal respiration with retrospective cardiac gating. Standard phase image reconstruction and the automatic spatially dependent background-phase-corrected reconstruction were performed on each phase contrast MRI dataset. Non-background-corrected and background-phase-corrected net flow, forward flow, regurgitant volume, regurgitant fraction, and vessel cardiac output were recorded for each vessel. We compared standard non-background-corrected and background-phase-corrected mean flow values for the Ao and MPA. The ratio of pulmonary to systemic blood flow (Qp:Qs) was calculated for the standard non-background and background-phase-corrected data and these values were compared to each other and for proximity to 1. In a subset of patients who also underwent phase contrast MRI of the MPA, RPA, and LPA a comparison was made between standard non-background

Background velocity inversion by phase along reflection wave paths

KAUST Repository

Yu, Han; Guo, Bowen; Schuster, Gerard T.

2014-01-01

A background velocity model containing the correct lowwavenumber information is desired for both the quality of the migration image and the success of waveform inversion. We propose to invert for the low-wavenumber part of the velocity model by minimizing the phase difference between predicted and observed reflections. The velocity update is exclusively along the reflection wavepaths and, unlike conventional FWI, not along the reflection ellipses. This allows for reconstructing the smoothly varying parts of the background velocity model. Tests with synthetic data show both the benefits and limitations of this method.

Background velocity inversion by phase along reflection wave paths

KAUST Repository

Yu, Han

2014-08-05

A background velocity model containing the correct lowwavenumber information is desired for both the quality of the migration image and the success of waveform inversion. We propose to invert for the low-wavenumber part of the velocity model by minimizing the phase difference between predicted and observed reflections. The velocity update is exclusively along the reflection wavepaths and, unlike conventional FWI, not along the reflection ellipses. This allows for reconstructing the smoothly varying parts of the background velocity model. Tests with synthetic data show both the benefits and limitations of this method.

Background species effect on aqueous arsenic removal by nano zero-valent iron using fractional factorial design.

Science.gov (United States)

Tanboonchuy, Visanu; Grisdanurak, Nurak; Liao, Chih-Hsiang

2012-02-29

This study describes the removal of arsenic species in groundwater by nano zero-valent iron process, including As(III) and As(V). Since the background species may inhibit or promote arsenic removal. The influence of several common ions such as phosphate (PO4(3-)), bicarbonate (HCO3-)), sulfate (SO4(2-)), calcium (Ca2+), chloride (Cl-), and humic acid (HA) were selected to evaluate their effects on arsenic removal. In particular, a 2(6-2) fractional factorial design (FFD) was employed to identify major or interacting factors, which affect arsenic removal in a significant way. As a result of FFD evaluation, PO4(3-) and HA play the role of inhibiting arsenic removal, while Ca2+ was observed to play the promoting one. As for HCO3- and Cl-, the former one inhibits As(III) removal, whereas the later one enhances its removal; on the other hand, As(V) removal was affected only slightly in the presence of HCO3- or Cl-. Hence, it was suggested that the arsenic removal by the nanoiron process can be improved through pretreatment of PO4(3-) and HA. In addition, for the groundwater with high hardness, the nanoiron process can be an advantageous option because of enhancing characteristics of Ca2+. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Removal of radiation damage by subpopulations of plateau-phase Chinese hamster ovary cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nelson, J.M.; Metting, N.F.; Braby, L.A.; Roesch, W.C.

1987-01-01

Specific cellular radiobiology studies are often required to test aspects of the mathematical models developed in the Radiation Dosimetry program. These studies are designed to determine whether specific mathematical expressions, which characterize the expected effect of biochemical mechanisms on observable biological responses, are consistent with the behavior of selected cell lines. Since these tests place stringent requirements on the cellular system, special techniques and culture conditions are required to minimize biological variability. The use of specialized cell populations is providing data on the extent of repair following low doses, and on the changes in the types of damage that can be repaired as the cell progresses toward mitosis. The stationary-phase Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells are composed primarily of G(1)-phase cells (83%), with the remainder comprising both G(2) and S phases. Removal of radiation damage by cells was studied in split-dose experiments. To date, we have observed no significant differences in cellular repair rate. This suggests, therefore, that each of the repair processes found in stationary-phase cells is cell-age independent. However, cellular radiation sensitivity does change rapidly and considerably as the cells progress from one phase to the next through the cell cycle. Since the rate of damage removal appears invariant, the change in survival must reflect the efficiency of producing that damage. The experimental data suggest that production of one or another sort of damage probably dominates during specific phases of the cell cycle, while the capacity for removal of all types of damage remains relatively constant

Device to remove hydrogen isotopes from a gas phase

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morlock, G.; Wiesemes, J.; Bachner, D.

1977-01-01

The device described here guarantees the selective removal of hydrogen isotopes from gas phases in order to prevent the occurence of explosive H 2 gas mixtures, or to separate off radioactive tritium in nuclear plants from the gas phase. It consists of a closed container whose walls are selectively penetrable by hydrogen isotopes. It is simultaneously filled compactly and presssure-resistant with a metal bulk (e.g. powder, sponges or the like of titanium or other hydrogen isotope binding metal). Walling and bulk are maintained at suitable working temperatures by means of a system according to the Peltier effect. The whole thing is safeguarded by protective walling. (RB) [de

Biological nitrate removal from water and wastewater by solid-phase denitrification process.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Jianlong; Chu, Libing

2016-11-01

Nitrate pollution in receiving waters has become a serious issue worldwide. Solid-phase denitrification process is an emerging technology, which has received increasing attention in recent years. It uses biodegradable polymers as both the carbon source and biofilm carrier for denitrifying microorganisms. A vast array of natural and synthetic biopolymers, including woodchips, sawdust, straw, cotton, maize cobs, seaweed, bark, polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA), polycaprolactone (PCL), polybutylene succinate (PBS) and polylactic acid (PLA), have been widely used for denitrification due to their good performance, low cost and large available quantities. This paper presents an overview on the application of solid-phase denitrification in nitrate removal from drinking water, groundwater, aquaculture wastewater, the secondary effluent and wastewater with low C/N ratio. The types of solid carbon source, the influencing factors, the microbial community of biofilm attached on the biodegradable carriers, the potential adverse effect, and the cost of denitrification process are introduced and evaluated. Woodchips and polycaprolactone are the popular and competitive natural plant-like and synthetic biodegradable polymers used for denitrification, respectively. Most of the denitrifiers reported in solid-phase denitrification affiliated to the family Comamonadaceae in the class Betaproteobacteria. The members of genera Diaphorobacter, Acidovorax and Simplicispira were mostly reported. In future study, more attention should be paid to the simultaneous removal of nitrate and toxic organic contaminants such as pesticide and PPCPs by solid-phase denitrification, to the elucidation of the metabolic and regulatory relationship between decomposition of solid carbon source and denitrification, and to the post-treatment of the municipal secondary effluent. Solid-phase denitrification process is a promising technology for the removal of nitrate from water and wastewater. Copyright © 2016

PROJECT-SPECIFIC TYPE A VERIFICATION FOR THE HIGH FLUX BEAM REACTOR UNDERGROUND UTILITIES REMOVAL PHASE 2 D/F WASTE LINE REMOVAL, BROOKHAVEN NATIONAL LABORATORY UPTON, NEW YORK

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weaver, P.C.

2010-01-01

Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) has reviewed the project documentation and data for the High Flux Beam Reactor (HFBR) Underground Utilities removal Phase 2; the D/F Waste Line removal at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) in Upton, New York. The Brookhaven Survey Group (BSG) has completed removal and performed the final status survey (FSS) of the D/F Waste Line that provided the conduit for pumping waste from Building 750 to Building 801. Sample results have been submitted as required to demonstrate that the cleanup goals of 15 mrem/yr above background to a resident in 50 years have been met. Four rounds of sampling, from pre-excavation to final status survey (FSS), were performed as specified in the Field Sampling Plan (FSP) (BNL 2010a). It is the policy of the US Departmental of Energy (DOE) to perform independent verifications of decontamination and decomissioning activities conducted at DOE facilities. ORISE has been designated as the organization responsible for this task at the HFBR. ORISE together with DOE determined that a Type A verification of the D/F Waste Line was appropriate based on its method of construction and upon the minimal potential for residual radioactivity in the area. The removal of underground utilities is being performed in three stages in the process to decommission the HFBR facility and support structures. Phase 2 of this project included the grouting and removal of 1100 feet of 2-inch pipe and 640 feet of 4-inch pipe that served as the D/F Waste Line. Based on the pre-excavation sample results of the soil overburden, the potential for contamination of the soil surrounding the pipe is minimal (BNL 2010a). ORISE reviewed the BNL FSP and identified comments for consideration (ORISE 2010). BNL prepared a revised FSP that addressed each ORISE comment adequately (BNL 2010a). ORISE referred to the revised Phase 2 D/F Waste Line removal FSP FSS data to conduct the Type A verification and determine whether the intent odf

Active background suppression with the liquid argon scintillation veto of GERDA Phase II

Science.gov (United States)

Agostini, M.; Allardt, M.; Bakalyarov, A. M.; Balata, M.; Barabanov, I.; Baudis, L.; Bauer, C.; Bellotti, E.; Belogurov, S.; Belyaev, S. T.; Benato, G.; Bettini, A.; Bezrukov, L.; Bode, T.; Borowicz, D.; Brudanin, V.; Brugnera, R.; Caldwell, A.; Cattadori, C.; Chernogorov, A.; D'Andrea, V.; Demidova, E. V.; Di Marco, N.; Domula, A.; Doroshkevich, E.; Egorov, V.; Falkenstein, R.; Frodyma, N.; Gangapshev, A.; Garfagnini, A.; Gooch, C.; Grabmayr, P.; Gurentsov, V.; Gusev, K.; Hakenmüller, J.; Hegai, A.; Heisel, M.; Hemmer, S.; Hofmann, W.; Hult, M.; Inzhechik, L. V.; Janicskó Csáthy, J.; Jochum, J.; Junker, M.; Kazalov, V.; Kihm, T.; Kirpichnikov, I. V.; Kirsch, A.; Kish, A.; Klimenko, A.; Kneißl, R.; Knöpfle, K. T.; Kochetov, O.; Kornoukhov, V. N.; Kuzminov, V. V.; Laubenstein, M.; Lazzaro, A.; Lebedev, V. I.; Lehnert, B.; Liao, H. Y.; Lindner, M.; Lippi, I.; Lubashevskiy, A.; Lubsandorzhiev, B.; Lutter, G.; Macolino, C.; Majorovits, B.; Maneschg, W.; Medinaceli, E.; Miloradovic, M.; Mingazheva, R.; Misiaszek, M.; Moseev, P.; Nemchenok, I.; Palioselitis, D.; Panas, K.; Pandola, L.; Pelczar, K.; Pullia, A.; Riboldi, S.; Rumyantseva, N.; Sada, C.; Salamida, F.; Salathe, M.; Schmitt, C.; Schneider, B.; Schönert, S.; Schreiner, J.; Schulz, O.; Schütz, A.-K.; Schwingenheuer, B.; Selivanenko, O.; Shevzik, E.; Shirchenko, M.; Simgen, H.; Smolnikov, A.; Stanco, L.; Vanhoefer, L.; Vasenko, A. A.; Veresnikova, A.; von Sturm, K.; Wagner, V.; Wegmann, A.; Wester, T.; Wiesinger, C.; Wojcik, M.; Yanovich, E.; Zhitnikov, I.; Zhukov, S. V.; Zinatulina, D.; Zuber, K.; Zuzel, G.

2017-09-01

The observation of neutrinoless double beta decay would allow to shed light onto the particle nature of neutrinos. Gerda is aiming to perform a background-free search for this process using high purity germanium detectors enriched in 76Ge operated in liquid argon. This goal relies on the application of active background suppression techniques. A low background light instrumentation has been installed for Phase II to detect events with coincident energy deposition in the nearby liquid argon. The intended background index of ˜10-3 cts/(keV·ky·yr) has been confirmed.

A Pipelining Implementation for Parsing X-ray Diffraction Source Data and Removing the Background Noise

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bauer, Michael A; Biem, Alain; McIntyre, Stewart; Xie Yuzhen

2010-01-01

Synchrotrons can be used to generate X-rays in order to probe materials at the atomic level. One approach is to use X-ray diffraction (XRD) to do this. The data from an XRD experiment consists of a sequence of digital image files which for a single scan could consist of hundreds or even thousands of digital images. Existing analysis software processes these images individually sequentially and is usually used after the experiment is completed. The results from an XRD detector can be thought of as a sequence of images, generated during the scan by the X-ray beam. If these images could be analyzed in near real-time, the results could be sent to the researcher running the experiment and used to improve the overall experimental process and results. In this paper, we report on a stream processing application to remove background from XRD images using a pipelining implementation. We describe our implementation techniques of using IBM Infosphere Streams for parsing XRD source data and removing the background. We present experimental results showing the super-linear speedup attained over a purely sequential version of the algorithm on a quad-core machine. These results demonstrate the potential of making good use of multi-cores for high-performance stream processing of XRD images.

Removal of contaminated concrete surfaces by microwave heating: Phase 1 results

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

White, T.L.; Grubb, R.G.; Pugh, L.P.; Foster, D. Jr.; Box, W.D.

1992-01-01

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is developing a microwave heating process to remove radiologically contaminated surface layers from concrete. The microwave energy is directed at the concrete surface and heats the concrete and free water present in the concrete matrix. Continued heating produces steam-pressure-induced mechanical stresses that cause the concrete surface to burst. The concrete particles from this steam explosion are small enough to be removed by a vacuum system, yet less than 1% of the debris is small enough to pose an airborne contamination hazard. The first phase of this program has demonstrated reliable removal of noncontaminated concrete surfaces at frequencies of 2.45 GHz and 10.6 GHz. Continuous concrete removal rates of 1.07 cm 3 /s with 5.2 kW of 2.45.-GHz power and 2.11 cm 3 /s with 3.6 kW of 10.6-GHz power have been demonstrated. Figures-of-merit for microwave removal of concrete have been calculated to be 0.21 cm 3 /s/kW at 2.45 GHz and 0.59 cm 3 /s/kW at 10.6 GHz. The amount of concrete removed in a single pass can be controlled by choosing the frequency and power of the microwave system

Mitigation of ^{42}Ar/^{42}K background for the GERDA Phase II experiment

Science.gov (United States)

Lubashevskiy, A.; Agostini, M.; Budjáš, D.; Gangapshev, A.; Gusev, K.; Heisel, M.; Klimenko, A.; Lazzaro, A.; Lehnert, B.; Pelczar, K.; Schönert, S.; Smolnikov, A.; Walter, M.; Zuzel, G.

2018-01-01

Background coming from the ^{42}Ar decay chain is considered to be one of the most relevant for the Gerda experiment, which searches for the neutrinoless double beta decay of ^{76}Ge. The sensitivity strongly relies on the absence of background around the Q-value of the decay. Background coming from ^{42}K, a progeny of ^{42}Ar, can contribute to that background via electrons from the continuous spectrum with an endpoint at 3.5 MeV. Research and development on the suppression methods targeting this source of background were performed at the low-background test facility LArGe . It was demonstrated that by reducing ^{42}K ion collection on the surfaces of the broad energy germanium detectors in combination with pulse shape discrimination techniques and an argon scintillation veto, it is possible to suppress ^{42}K background by three orders of magnitude. This is sufficient for Phase II of the Gerda experiment.

BOA: Asbestos pipe-insulation removal robot system, Phase 2. Topical report, January--June 1995

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schempf, H.; Bares, J.E.

1995-06-01

This report explored the regulatory impact and cost-benefit of a robotic thermal asbestos pipe-insulation removal system over the current manual abatement work practice. The authors are currently in the second phase of a two-phase program to develop a robotic asbestos abatement system, comprised of a ground-based support system (including vacuum, fluid delivery, computing/electronics/power, and other subsystems) and several on-pipe removal units, each sized to handle pipes within a given diameter range. The intent of this study was to (i) aid in developing design and operational criteria for the overall system to maximize cost-efficiency, and (ii) to determine the commercial potential of a robotic pipe-insulation abatement system.

Nutrient removal and energy production from aqueous phase of bio-oil generated via hydrothermal liquefaction of algae.

Science.gov (United States)

Shanmugam, Saravanan R; Adhikari, Sushil; Shakya, Rajdeep

2017-04-01

Removal of nutrients (phosphorus and nitrogen) as struvite from bio-oil aqueous phase generated via hydrothermal liquefaction of algae was evaluated in this study. Effect of process parameters such as pH, temperature and reaction time on struvite formation was studied. More than 99% of phosphorus and 40-100% ammonium nitrogen were removed under all experimental conditions. X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed the formation of struvite, and the struvite recovered from bio-oil aqueous phase can be used as a slow-release fertilizer. Biogas production from struvite recovered bio-oil aqueous phase showed 3.5 times higher CH 4 yield (182±39mL/g COD) as compared to non-struvite recovered aqueous phase. The results from this study indicate that both struvite and methane can be produced from bio-oil aqueous phase. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automatic phase aberration compensation for digital holographic microscopy based on deep learning background detection.

Science.gov (United States)

Nguyen, Thanh; Bui, Vy; Lam, Van; Raub, Christopher B; Chang, Lin-Ching; Nehmetallah, George

2017-06-26

We propose a fully automatic technique to obtain aberration free quantitative phase imaging in digital holographic microscopy (DHM) based on deep learning. The traditional DHM solves the phase aberration compensation problem by manually detecting the background for quantitative measurement. This would be a drawback in real time implementation and for dynamic processes such as cell migration phenomena. A recent automatic aberration compensation approach using principle component analysis (PCA) in DHM avoids human intervention regardless of the cells' motion. However, it corrects spherical/elliptical aberration only and disregards the higher order aberrations. Traditional image segmentation techniques can be employed to spatially detect cell locations. Ideally, automatic image segmentation techniques make real time measurement possible. However, existing automatic unsupervised segmentation techniques have poor performance when applied to DHM phase images because of aberrations and speckle noise. In this paper, we propose a novel method that combines a supervised deep learning technique with convolutional neural network (CNN) and Zernike polynomial fitting (ZPF). The deep learning CNN is implemented to perform automatic background region detection that allows for ZPF to compute the self-conjugated phase to compensate for most aberrations.

Removal of Cyclohexane from a Contaminated Air Stream Using a Dense Phase Membrane Bioreactor

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Roberts, Michael G

2005-01-01

The purpose of this research was to determine the ability of a dense phase membrane bioreactor to remove cyclohexane, a volatile organic compound in JP-8 jet fuel, from a contaminated air stream using...

Phase I Final Report: Ultra-Low Background Alpha Activity Counter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Warburton, W.K.

2005-01-01

processor we easily distinguish between these two risetimes and thereby count only alpha particles emitted by the sample. Alpha particles emitted from the sample tray are absorbed in the rear of the sample, so the tray's emissivity does not contribute to the background either. Extensions of the method to the counter's sidewalls similarly allow us to reject alpha particles emitted from the sidewalls. We can thus able obtain background rates over a factor of 1000 lower than in conventional instruments without active background rejection. Extending this principle to count at the 0.00001 alpha/cm 2 /hour, level encounters difficulties because there will typically be only 2.4 alpha particles per square meter per day. Since about 6 counts are required to measure activity at the 95% confidence level, large sample areas are required to make measurements in reasonable times. Unfortunately, increasing the counter's anode area to a square meter raises its capacitance so much that the preamplifier noise levels swamp the alpha particle signals and make counting impossible. In this SBIR we worked to solve this dilemma by segmenting the single large area electrode into several smaller, lower capacitance electrodes that could still detect the alpha particles reliably. Each electrode would have its own electronic and we would capture signals from all of them in coincidence (since an alpha track might well deposit charge on more than one electrode), a technique in which XIA is experienced. Therefore, in Phase I we worked to show proof of principle by subdividing our original 1,800 cm 2 electrode into 4 square segments, each 625 cm 2 and demonstrating that signal noise on individual channels reduced as expected. Because the Phase II counter with a 1 m 2 segmented anode would require 16 segments plus a segmented guard as well, we also designed low cost signal processing electronics to instrument it in Phase II. Our Phase I effort met our major proof of principle goals. In particular, reducing

Far-field detection of sub-wavelength Tetris without extra near-field metal parts based on phase prints of time-reversed fields with intensive background interference.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Yingming; Wang, Bing-Zhong

2014-07-14

Time-reversal (TR) phase prints are first used in far-field (FF) detection of sub-wavelength (SW) deformable scatterers without any extra metal structure positioned in the vicinity of the target. The 2D prints derive from discrete short-time Fourier transform of 1D TR electromagnetic (EM) signals. Because the time-invariant intensive background interference is effectively centralized by TR technique, the time-variant weak indication from FF SW scatterers can be highlighted. This method shows a different use of TR technique in which the focus peak of TR EM waves is unusually removed and the most useful information is conveyed by the other part.

Background rejection of n+ surface events in GERDA Phase II

Science.gov (United States)

Lehnert, Björn

2016-05-01

The GERDA experiment searches for neutrinoless double beta (0vββ) decay in 76Ge using an array of high purity germanium (HPGe) detectors immersed in liquid argon (LAr). Phase II of the experiment uses 30 new broad energy germanium (BEGe) detectors with superior pulse shape discrimination capabilities compared to the previously used semi-coaxial detector design. By far the largest background component for BEGe detectors in GERDA are n+-surface events from 42K β decays which are intrinsic in LAr. The β particles with up to 3.5 MeV can traverse the 0.5 to 0.9 mm thick electrode and deposit energy within the region of interest for the 0vββ decay. However, those events have particular pulse shape features allowing for a strong discrimination. The understanding and simulation of this background, showing a reduction by up to a factor 145 with pulse shape discrimination alone, is presented in this work.

Phase unwrapping algorithm based on multi-frequency fringe projection and fringe background for fringe projection profilometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Chunwei; Zhao, Hong; Gu, Feifei; Ma, Yueyang

2015-01-01

A phase unwrapping algorithm specially designed for the phase-shifting fringe projection profilometry (FPP) is proposed. It combines a revised dual-frequency fringe projectionalgorithm and a proposed fringe background based quality guided phase unwrapping algorithm (FB-QGPUA). Phase demodulated from the high-frequency fringe patterns is partially unwrapped by that demodulated from the low-frequency ones. Then FB-QGPUA is adopted to further unwrap the partially unwrapped phase. Influences of the phase error on the measurement are researched. Strategy to select the fringe pitch is given. Experiments demonstrate that the proposed method is very robust and efficient. (paper)

Mitigation of {sup 42}Ar/{sup 42}K background for the GERDA Phase II experiment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lubashevskiy, A.; Klimenko, A.; Smolnikov, A. [Max Planck Institut fuer Kernphysik, Heidelberg (Germany); Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, Dubna (Russian Federation); Agostini, M. [Gran Sasso Science Institute, L' Aquila (Italy); Budjas, D.; Lazzaro, A.; Schoenert, S. [Technische Universitaet Muenchen, Physik Department E15, Munich (Germany); Gangapshev, A. [Max Planck Institut fuer Kernphysik, Heidelberg (Germany); Institute for Nuclear Research, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow (Russian Federation); Gusev, K. [Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, Dubna (Russian Federation); Technische Universitaet Muenchen, Physik Department E15, Munich (Germany); Russian Research Center Kurchatov Institute, Moscow (Russian Federation); Heisel, M. [Max Planck Institut fuer Kernphysik, Heidelberg (Germany); Lehnert, B. [Institut fuer Kern- und Teilchenphysik Technische Universitaet Dresden, Dresden (Germany); Carleton University, Physics Department, Ottawa (Canada); Pelczar, K. [Jagellonian University, Institute of Physics, Cracow (Poland); INFN Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso, LNGS, Assergi (Italy); Walter, M. [Physik Institut der Universitaet Zuerich, Zurich (Switzerland); Zuzel, G. [Jagellonian University, Institute of Physics, Cracow (Poland)

2018-01-15

Background coming from the {sup 42}Ar decay chain is considered to be one of the most relevant for the Gerda experiment, which searches for the neutrinoless double beta decay of {sup 76}Ge. The sensitivity strongly relies on the absence of background around the Q-value of the decay. Background coming from {sup 42}K, a progeny of {sup 42}Ar, can contribute to that background via electrons from the continuous spectrum with an endpoint at 3.5 MeV. Research and development on the suppression methods targeting this source of background were performed at the low-background test facility LArGe. It was demonstrated that by reducing {sup 42}K ion collection on the surfaces of the broad energy germanium detectors in combination with pulse shape discrimination techniques and an argon scintillation veto, it is possible to suppress {sup 42}K background by three orders of magnitude. This is sufficient for Phase II of the Gerda experiment. (orig.)

Laboratory studies on the removal of radon-born lead from KamLAND's organic liquid scintillator

Science.gov (United States)

Keefer, G.; Grant, C.; Piepke, A.; Ebihara, T.; Ikeda, H.; Kishimoto, Y.; Kibe, Y.; Koseki, Y.; Ogawa, M.; Shirai, J.; Takeuchi, S.; Mauger, C.; Zhang, C.; Schweitzer, G.; Berger, B. E.; Dazeley, S.; Decowski, M. P.; Detwiler, J. A.; Djurcic, Z.; Dwyer, D. A.; Efremenko, Y.; Enomoto, S.; Freedman, S. J.; Fujikawa, B. K.; Furuno, K.; Gando, A.; Gando, Y.; Gratta, G.; Hatakeyama, S.; Heeger, K. M.; Hsu, L.; Ichimura, K.; Inoue, K.; Iwamoto, T.; Kamyshkov, Y.; Karwowski, H. J.; Koga, M.; Kozlov, A.; Lane, C. E.; Learned, J. G.; Maricic, J.; Markoff, D. M.; Matsuno, S.; McKee, D.; McKeown, R. D.; Miletic, T.; Mitsui, T.; Motoki, M.; Nakajima, Kyo; Nakajima, Kyohei; Nakamura, K.; O`Donnell, T.; Ogawa, H.; Piquemal, F.; Ricol, J.-S.; Shimizu, I.; Suekane, F.; Suzuki, A.; Svoboda, R.; Tajima, O.; Takemoto, Y.; Tamae, K.; Tolich, K.; Tornow, W.; Watanabe, Hideki; Watanabe, Hiroko; Winslow, L. A.; Yoshida, S.

2015-01-01

The removal of radioactivity from liquid scintillator has been studied in preparation of a low background phase of KamLAND. This paper describes the methods and techniques developed to measure and efficiently extract radon decay products from liquid scintillator. We report the radio-isotope reduction factors obtained when applying various extraction methods. During this study, distillation was identified as the most efficient method for removing radon-born lead from liquid scintillator.

Advanced Background Subtraction Applied to Aeroacoustic Wind Tunnel Testing

Science.gov (United States)

Bahr, Christopher J.; Horne, William C.

2015-01-01

An advanced form of background subtraction is presented and applied to aeroacoustic wind tunnel data. A variant of this method has seen use in other fields such as climatology and medical imaging. The technique, based on an eigenvalue decomposition of the background noise cross-spectral matrix, is robust against situations where isolated background auto-spectral levels are measured to be higher than levels of combined source and background signals. It also provides an alternate estimate of the cross-spectrum, which previously might have poor definition for low signal-to-noise ratio measurements. Simulated results indicate similar performance to conventional background subtraction when the subtracted spectra are weaker than the true contaminating background levels. Superior performance is observed when the subtracted spectra are stronger than the true contaminating background levels. Experimental results show limited success in recovering signal behavior for data where conventional background subtraction fails. They also demonstrate the new subtraction technique's ability to maintain a proper coherence relationship in the modified cross-spectral matrix. Beam-forming and de-convolution results indicate the method can successfully separate sources. Results also show a reduced need for the use of diagonal removal in phased array processing, at least for the limited data sets considered.

Methods for sulfate removal in liquid-phase catalytic hydrothermal gasification of biomass

Science.gov (United States)

Elliott, Douglas C; Oyler, James

2013-12-17

Processing of wet biomass feedstock by liquid-phase catalytic hydrothermal gasification must address catalyst fouling and poisoning. One solution can involve heating the wet biomass with a heating unit to a pre-treatment temperature sufficient for organic constituents in the feedstock to decompose, for precipitates of inorganic wastes to form, for preheating the wet feedstock in preparation for subsequent removal of soluble sulfate contaminants, or combinations thereof. Processing further includes reacting the soluble sulfate contaminants with cations present in the feedstock material to yield a sulfate-containing precipitate and separating the inorganic precipitates and/or the sulfate-containing precipitates out of the wet feedstock. Having removed much of the inorganic wastes and the sulfate contaminants that can cause poisoning and fouling, the wet biomass feedstock can be exposed to the heterogenous catalyst for gasification.

A statistical background noise correction sensitive to the steadiness of background noise.

Science.gov (United States)

Oppenheimer, Charles H

2016-10-01

A statistical background noise correction is developed for removing background noise contributions from measured source levels, producing a background noise-corrected source level. Like the standard background noise corrections of ISO 3741, ISO 3744, ISO 3745, and ISO 11201, the statistical background correction increases as the background level approaches the measured source level, decreasing the background noise-corrected source level. Unlike the standard corrections, the statistical background correction increases with steadiness of the background and is excluded from use when background fluctuation could be responsible for measured differences between the source and background noise levels. The statistical background noise correction has several advantages over the standard correction: (1) enveloping the true source with known confidence, (2) assuring physical source descriptions when measuring sources in fluctuating backgrounds, (3) reducing background corrected source descriptions by 1 to 8 dB for sources in steady backgrounds, and (4) providing a means to replace standardized background correction caps that incentivize against high precision grade methods.

Steady-state heat and particle removal with the actively cooled Phase III outboard pump limiter in Tore Supra

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nygren, R.; Koski, J.; Lutz, T.; McGrath; Miller, J.; Watkins, J.; Guilhem, D.; Chappuis, P.; Cordier, J.; Loarer, T.

1995-01-01

Tore Supra's Phase III outboard pump limiter (OPL) is a modular actively-cooled mid-plane limiter, designed for heat and particle removal during long pulse operation. During its initial operation in 1993, the OPL successfully removed about 1 MW of power during ohmicly heated shots of up to 10 s duration and reached (steady state) thermal equilibrium. The particle pumping of the Phase III OPL was found to be about 50% greater than the Phase II OPL which had a radial distance between the last closed flux surface and the entrance of the pumping throat of 3.5 cm compared with only 2.5 cm for the Phase III OPL. This paper gives examples of power distribution over the limiter from IR measurements of surface temperature and from extensively calorimetry (34 thermocouples and 10 flow meters) and compares the distributions with values predicted by a 3D model (HF3D) with a detailed magnetic configuration (e.g., includes field ripple). ((orig.))

Laboratory studies on the removal of radon-born lead from KamLAND's organic liquid scintillator

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Keefer, G., E-mail: gregkeefer@llnl.gov [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487 (United States); Grant, C. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487 (United States); Piepke, A. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487 (United States); Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe (WPI), University of Tokyo, Kashiwa 277-8583 (Japan); Ebihara, T.; Ikeda, H. [Research Center for Neutrino Science, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8578 (Japan); Kishimoto, Y. [Research Center for Neutrino Science, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8578 (Japan); Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe (WPI), University of Tokyo, Kashiwa 277-8583 (Japan); Kibe, Y.; Koseki, Y.; Ogawa, M.; Shirai, J.; Takeuchi, S. [Research Center for Neutrino Science, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8578 (Japan); Mauger, C.; Zhang, C. [W.K. Kellogg Radiation Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Schweitzer, G. [Department of Chemistry, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996 (United States); Berger, B.E. [Department of Physics, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523 (United States); Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe (WPI), University of Tokyo, Kashiwa 277-8583 (Japan); Dazeley, S. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803 (United States); Decowski, M.P. [Physics Department, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720 (United States); Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe (WPI), University of Tokyo, Kashiwa 277-8583 (Japan); Detwiler, J.A. [Physics Department, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720 (United States); Djurcic, Z. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487 (United States); and others

2015-01-01

The removal of radioactivity from liquid scintillator has been studied in preparation of a low background phase of KamLAND. This paper describes the methods and techniques developed to measure and efficiently extract radon decay products from liquid scintillator. We report the radio-isotope reduction factors obtained when applying various extraction methods. During this study, distillation was identified as the most efficient method for removing radon-born lead from liquid scintillator.

Statistical removal of background signals from high-throughput 1H NMR line-broadening ligand-affinity screens

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Worley, Bradley; Sisco, Nicholas J.; Powers, Robert

2015-01-01

NMR ligand-affinity screens are vital to drug discovery, are routinely used to screen fragment-based libraries, and used to verify chemical leads from high-throughput assays and virtual screens. NMR ligand-affinity screens are also a highly informative first step towards identifying functional epitopes of unknown proteins, as well as elucidating the biochemical functions of protein–ligand interaction at their binding interfaces. While simple one-dimensional 1 H NMR experiments are capable of indicating binding through a change in ligand line shape, they are plagued by broad, ill-defined background signals from protein 1 H resonances. We present an uncomplicated method for subtraction of protein background in high-throughput ligand-based affinity screens, and show that its performance is maximized when phase-scatter correction is applied prior to subtraction

Method of removing alkyl iodides or mixtures of iodine and alkyl iodides from a gas phase and an aqueous solution phase by utilizing ion exchange resins

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shimizu, Hiroshi; Mizuuchi, Noboru; Yokoyama, Fumio.

1967-01-01

Alkyl iodides and mixtures of iodine and alkyl iodides are removed from a gas phase and an aquous solution phase by using solely an anion exchange resin containing a tertiary amine or together with an anion exchange resin containing quarternary ammonium compound. The resin containing the quarternary ammonium compound is employed mainly to remove iodine, and the resin containing the tertiary amine serves mainly to remove alkyl iodides. The method can be applied to collecting a majority of the methyl iodide as well as the radioactive iodine produced in the atmosphere of a reactor in case of a fuel accident. In embodiments, it is desirable to maintain the sufficient moisture content of the anion exchange resins at a sufficient moisture level so as not to reduce the migration speed of the iodine and alkyl iodides. The iodine and alkyl iodide can be produced with high efficiency and stability independently of the relative humidity of the gas phase. In examples, a solution which consists of 20.5 mg/l of iodine and 42.2mg/l of methyl iodide flew through a column of Amberite IRA-93 alone or blended with IRA-900 at a speed of 15 /hr. respectively. The resins were able to treat 400 times their equivalent in water. (Iwakiri, K.)

Improved background suppression in 1H MAS NMR using composite pulses

Science.gov (United States)

Odedra, Smita; Wimperis, Stephen

2012-08-01

A well known feature of 1H MAS NMR spectroscopy, particularly of solids where the concentration of 1H nuclei is low, is the presence in the spectrum of a significant broad "background" signal arising from 1H nuclei that are outside the MAS rotor and radiofrequency coil, probably located on the surfaces of the static components of the probehead. A popular method of suppressing this unwanted signal is the "depth pulse" method, consisting of a 90° pulse followed by one or two 180° pulses that are phase cycled according to the "Exorcycle" scheme, which removes signal associated with imperfect 180° pulses. Consequently, only spins in the centre of the radiofrequency coil contribute to the 1H MAS spectrum, while those experiencing a low B1 field outside the coil are suppressed. Although very effective at removing background signal from the spectrum, one drawback with this approach is that significant loss of the desired signal from the sample also occurs. Here we investigate the 1H background suppression problem and, in particular, the use of novel antisymmetric passband composite pulses to replace the simple pulses in a depth pulse experiment. We show that it is possible to improve the intensity of the 1H signals of interest while still maintaining effective background suppression. We expect that these results will be relevant to 1H MAS NMR studies of, for example, nominally perdeuterated biological samples or nominally anhydrous inorganic materials.

High efficient removal of molybdenum from water by Fe{sub 2}(SO{sub 4}){sub 3}: Effects of pH and affecting factors in the presence of co-existing background constituents

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, Xiang; Ma, Jun, E-mail: majunhit@126.com; Lu, Xixin; Huangfu, Xiaoliu; Zou, Jing

2015-12-30

Highlights: • Proposed high efficient Mo (VI) removal with Fe{sub 2}(SO{sub 4}){sub 3} coagulation-filtration. • Studied different effects of Fe{sub 2}(SO{sub 4}){sub 3} and FeCl{sub 3} due to different anionic portions. • Reported the adverse effect of calcium on the removal of Mo (VI). • Proposed factors affecting Mo (VI) removal: intercepted Fe and adsorption affinity. - Abstract: Comparatively investigated the different effects of Fe{sub 2}(SO{sub 4}){sub 3} coagulation-filtration and FeCl{sub 3} coagulation-filtration on the removal of Mo (VI). And the influence of calcium, sulfate, silicate, phosphate and humic acid (HA) were also studied. The following conclusions can be obtained: (1) compared with the case of FeCl{sub 3}, Fe{sub 2}(SO{sub 4}){sub 3} showed a higher Mo (VI) removal efficiency at pH 4.00–5.00, but an equal removal efficiency at pH 6.00–9.00. (2) The optimum Mo (VI) removal by Fe{sub 2}(SO{sub 4}){sub 3} was achieved at pH 5.00–6.00; (3) The presence of calcium can reduce the removal of Mo (VI) over the entire pH range in the present study; (4) The effect of co-existing background anions (including HA) was dominated by three factors: Firstly the influence of co-existing background anions on the content of Fe intercepted from water (intercepted Fe). Secondly the competition of co-existing anions with Mo (VI) for adsorption sites. Thirdly the influence of co-existing background anions on the Zeta potential of the iron flocs.

Should breast MRI be performed with adjustment for the phase in patients’ menstrual cycle? Correlation between mammographic density, age, and background enhancement on breast MRI without adjusting for the phase in patients’ menstrual cycle

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Uematsu, Takayoshi; Kasami, Masako; Watanabe, Junichiro

2012-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess the correlation between mammographic density, age, and background enhancement on breast MRI without adjusting for the phase in patients’ menstrual cycle. Material and methods: The background enhancement of bilateral breast MRI and the breast density of mammography in 146 consecutive women without adjusting for the phase in patients’ menstrual cycle were reviewed. The breast density was classified into four categories according to the American College of Radiology the Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System lexicon. The background enhancement was classified into four categories: minimal, mild, moderate, and marked. The correlations of mammographic breast density as well as age with background enhancement on breast MRI were examined. Results: There was a significant correlation between mammographic breast density and background enhancement (p = 0.011). All nine cases with almost completely fat mammographic breast density showed minimal (78%) or mild (12%) background enhancement on breast MRI. There was a significant inverse correlation between age and background enhancement (p < 0.0001). Younger patients with dense breasts were more likely to demonstrate moderate/marked background enhancement. Conclusion: When no adjusting for the phase in patients’ menstrual cycle, a significant correlation was observed between background enhancement and mammographic density. A significant inverse correlation was also observed between age and background enhancement.

THE EFFECT OF WATER (VAPOR-PHASE) AND CARBON ON ELEMENTAL MERCURY REMOVAL IN A FLOW REACTOR

Science.gov (United States)

The paper gives results of studying the effect of vapor-phase moisture on elemental mercury (Hgo) removal by activated carbon (AC) in a flow reactor. tests involved injecting AC into both a dry and a 4% moisture nitrogen (N2) /Hgo gas stream. A bituminous-coal-based AC (Calgon WP...

Improved background suppression in ¹H MAS NMR using composite pulses.

Science.gov (United States)

Odedra, Smita; Wimperis, Stephen

2012-08-01

A well known feature of ¹H MAS NMR spectroscopy, particularly of solids where the concentration of ¹H nuclei is low, is the presence in the spectrum of a significant broad "background" signal arising from ¹H nuclei that are outside the MAS rotor and radiofrequency coil, probably located on the surfaces of the static components of the probehead. A popular method of suppressing this unwanted signal is the "depth pulse" method, consisting of a 90° pulse followed by one or two 180° pulses that are phase cycled according to the "Exorcycle" scheme, which removes signal associated with imperfect 180° pulses. Consequently, only spins in the centre of the radiofrequency coil contribute to the ¹H MAS spectrum, while those experiencing a low B₁ field outside the coil are suppressed. Although very effective at removing background signal from the spectrum, one drawback with this approach is that significant loss of the desired signal from the sample also occurs. Here we investigate the ¹H background suppression problem and, in particular, the use of novel antisymmetric passband composite pulses to replace the simple pulses in a depth pulse experiment. We show that it is possible to improve the intensity of the ¹H signals of interest while still maintaining effective background suppression. We expect that these results will be relevant to ¹H MAS NMR studies of, for example, nominally perdeuterated biological samples or nominally anhydrous inorganic materials. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Optical image encryption with silhouette removal based on interference and phase blend processing

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Qu

2012-10-01

To completely eliminate the silhouette problem that inherently exists in the earlier interference-based encryption scheme with two phase-only masks (POMs), we propose a simple new encryption method based on optical interference of one random POM and two analytically obtained POMs. Different from the previous methods which require time-consuming iterative computation or postprocessing of the POMs for silhouette removal, our method can resolve the problem during the production of the POMs based on interference principle. Information associated with the original image is smoothed away by modulation of the random POM. Illegal deciphers cannot retrieve the primitive image using only one or two of the POMs. Incorporated with the linear phase blend operation, our method can provide higher robustness against brute force attacks. Simulation results are presented to support the validity and feasibility of our method.

Precision Foreground Removal in Cosmic Microwave Background Polarization Maps

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The most promising method for detecting primordial gravitational waves lies in the B-mode polarization of the cosmic microwave background, or CMB. A measurement of...

Rate and extent of aqueous perchlorate removal by iron surfaces.

Science.gov (United States)

Moore, Angela M; De Leon, Corinne H; Young, Thomas M

2003-07-15

The rate and extent of perchlorate reduction on several types of iron metal was studied in batch and column reactors. Mass balances performed on the batch experiments indicate that perchlorate is initially sorbed to the iron surface, followed by a reduction to chloride. Perchlorate removal was proportional to the iron dosage in the batch reactors, with up to 66% removal in 336 h in the highest dosage system (1.25 g mL(-1)). Surface-normalized reaction rates among three commercial sources of iron filings were similar for acid-washed samples. The most significant perchlorate removal occurred in solutions with slightly acidic or near-neutral initial pH values. Surface mediation of the reaction is supported by the absence of reduction in batch experiments with soluble Fe2+ and also by the similarity in specific reaction rate constants (kSA) determined for three different iron types. Elevated soluble chloride concentrations significantly inhibited perchlorate reduction, and lower removal rates were observed for iron samples with higher amounts of background chloride contamination. Perchlorate reduction was not observed on electrolytic sources of iron or on a mixed-phase oxide (Fe3O4), suggesting that the reactive iron phase is neither pure zerovalent iron nor the mixed oxide alone. A mixed valence iron hydr(oxide) coating or a sorbed Fe2+ surface complex represent the most likely sites for the reaction. The observed reaction rates are too slow for immediate use in remediation system design, but the findings may provide a basis for future development of cost-effective abiotic perchlorate removal techniques.

Synthesis of polymer membranes of different porosity and their application for phenol removal from liquid phase

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hofman-Bieniek, Magdalena; Jasiewicz, Katarzyna; Pietrzak, Robert [Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan, Poznan (Poland)

2014-02-15

Preparation of polymeric membranes based on polyethersulfone (PES) modified by adding different amounts of a pore-forming agent (PVP) is presented, and potential application of the membranes obtained for removal of phenol from the liquid phase is examined. The addition of various amounts of PVP has been shown to bring about changes in the content of the surface oxygen groups, but has no significant effect on the chemical character of the groups and acidic groups dominate. Filtration by phenol solution leads to significant changes in the total content of surface oxides; however, the acidic groups remain dominant. Membranes characterized by higher porosity exhibited more stable and higher rejection ratio for phenol removal. Although all the membranes were characterized by similar rejection ratios for phenol removal, the cake resistance (Rc) and pore resistance (Rp) values were found to depend significantly on the structure and porosity of the membrane applied for filtration.

Synthesis of polymer membranes of different porosity and their application for phenol removal from liquid phase

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hofman-Bieniek, Magdalena; Jasiewicz, Katarzyna; Pietrzak, Robert

2014-01-01

Preparation of polymeric membranes based on polyethersulfone (PES) modified by adding different amounts of a pore-forming agent (PVP) is presented, and potential application of the membranes obtained for removal of phenol from the liquid phase is examined. The addition of various amounts of PVP has been shown to bring about changes in the content of the surface oxygen groups, but has no significant effect on the chemical character of the groups and acidic groups dominate. Filtration by phenol solution leads to significant changes in the total content of surface oxides; however, the acidic groups remain dominant. Membranes characterized by higher porosity exhibited more stable and higher rejection ratio for phenol removal. Although all the membranes were characterized by similar rejection ratios for phenol removal, the cake resistance (Rc) and pore resistance (Rp) values were found to depend significantly on the structure and porosity of the membrane applied for filtration

An improved ring removal procedure for in-line x-ray phase contrast tomography

Science.gov (United States)

Massimi, Lorenzo; Brun, Francesco; Fratini, Michela; Bukreeva, Inna; Cedola, Alessia

2018-02-01

The suppression of ring artifacts in x-ray computed tomography (CT) is a required step in practical applications; it can be addressed by introducing refined digital low pass filters within the reconstruction process. However, these filters may introduce additional ringing artifacts when simultaneously imaging pure phase objects and elements having a non-negligible absorption coefficient. Ringing originates at sharp interfaces, due to the truncation of spatial high frequencies, and severely affects qualitative and quantitative analysis of the reconstructed slices. In this work, we discuss the causes of ringing artifacts, and present a general compensation procedure to account for it. The proposed procedure has been tested with CT datasets of the mouse central nervous system acquired at different synchrotron radiation facilities. The results demonstrate that the proposed method compensates for ringing artifacts induced by low pass ring removal filters. The effectiveness of the ring suppression filters is not altered; the proposed method can thus be considered as a framework to improve the ring removal step, regardless of the specific filter adopted or the imaged sample.

Analysis of local-scale background concentrations of methane and other gas-phase species in the Marcellus Shale

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. Douglas Goetz

2017-02-01

Full Text Available The Marcellus Shale is a rapidly developing unconventional natural gas resource found in part of the Appalachian region. Air quality and climate concerns have been raised regarding development of unconventional natural gas resources. Two ground-based mobile measurement campaigns were conducted to assess the impact of Marcellus Shale natural gas development on local scale atmospheric background concentrations of air pollution and climate relevant pollutants in Pennsylvania. The first campaign took place in Northeastern and Southwestern PA in the summer of 2012. Compounds monitored included methane (CH4, ethane, carbon monoxide (CO, nitrogen dioxide, and Proton Transfer Reaction Mass Spectrometer (PTR-MS measured volatile organic compounds (VOC including oxygenated and aromatic VOC. The second campaign took place in Northeastern PA in the summer of 2015. The mobile monitoring data were analyzed using interval percentile smoothing to remove bias from local unmixed emissions to isolate local-scale background concentrations. Comparisons were made to other ambient monitoring in the Marcellus region including a NOAA SENEX flight in 2013. Local background CH4 mole fractions were 140 ppbv greater in Southwestern PA compared to Northeastern PA in 2012 and background CH4 increased 100 ppbv from 2012 to 2015. CH4 local background mole fractions were not found to have a detectable relationship between well density or production rates in either region. In Northeastern PA, CO was observed to decrease 75 ppbv over the three year period. Toluene to benzene ratios in both study regions were found to be most similar to aged rural air masses indicating that the emission of aromatic VOC from Marcellus Shale activity may not be significantly impacting local background concentrations. In addition to understanding local background concentrations the ground-based mobile measurements were useful for investigating the composition of natural gas emissions in the region.

Complications of syndesmotic screw removal

NARCIS (Netherlands)

T. Schepers (Tim); E.M.M. van Lieshout (Esther); M.R. de Vries (Mark); M. van der Elst (Maarten)

2011-01-01

textabstractBackground: Currently, the metallic syndesmotic screw is the gold standard in the treatment of syndesmotic disruption. Whether or not this screw needs to be removed remains debatable. The aim of the current study was to determine the complications which occur following routine removal of

Critical point in the QCD phase diagram for extremely strong background magnetic fields

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Endrödi, Gergely

2015-01-01

Lattice simulations have demonstrated that a background (electro)magnetic field reduces the chiral/deconfinement transition temperature of quantum chromodynamics for eB<1 GeV 2 . On the level of observables, this reduction manifests itself in an enhancement of the Polyakov loop and in a suppression of the light quark condensates (inverse magnetic catalysis) in the transition region. In this paper, we report on lattice simulations of 1+1+1-flavor QCD at an unprecedentedly high value of the magnetic field eB=3.25 GeV 2 . Based on the behavior of various observables, it is shown that even at this extremely strong field, inverse magnetic catalysis prevails and the transition, albeit becoming sharper, remains an analytic crossover. In addition, we develop an algorithm to directly simulate the asymptotically strong magnetic field limit of QCD. We find strong evidence for a first-order deconfinement phase transition in this limiting theory, implying the presence of a critical point in the QCD phase diagram. Based on the available lattice data, we estimate the location of the critical point.

Background Characterization and Discrimination in the Final Analysis of the CDMS II Phase of the Cryogenic Dark Matter Search

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fritts, Matthew C. [Univ. of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN (United States)

2011-02-01

The Cryogenic Dark Matter Search (CDMS) is designed to detectWeakly-Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs) in the Milky Way halo. The phase known as CDMS II was performed in the Soudan Underground Laboratory. The final set of CDMS II data, collected in 2007-8 and referred to as Runs 125-8, represents the largest exposure to date for the experiment. We seek collisions between WIMPs and atomic nuclei in disk-shaped germanium and silicon detectors. A key design feature is to keep the rate of collisions from known particles producing WIMP-like signals very small. The largest category of such background is interactions with electrons in the detectors that occur very close to one of the faces of the detector. The next largest category is collisions between energetic neutrons that bypass the experimental shielding and nuclei in the detectors. Analytical efforts to discriminate these backgrounds and to estimate the rate at which such discrimination fails have been refined and improved throughout each phase of CDMS. Next-generation detectors for future phases of CDMS require testing at cryogenic test facilities. One such facility was developed at the University of Minnesota in 2007 and has been used continuously since then to test detectors for the next phase of the experiment, known as SuperCDMS.

PROJECT-SPECIFIC TYPE A VERIFICATION FOR THE HIGH FLUX BEAM REACTOR UNDERGROUND UTILITIES REMOVAL PHASE 3 TRENCH 5, BROOKHAVEN NATIONAL LABORATORY UPTON, NEW YORK

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weaver, P.C.

2010-01-01

The Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) has reviewed the project documentation and data for the High Flux Beam Reactor (HFBR) Underground Utilities removal Phase 3; Trench 5 at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) in Upton, New York. The Brookhaven Survey Group (BSG) has completed removal and performed Final Status Survey (FSS) of the concrete duct from Trench 5 from Building 801 to the Stack. Sample results have been submitted as required to demonstrate that the cleanup goal of (le)15 mrem/yr above background to a resident in 50 years has been met. Four rounds of sampling, from pre-excavation to FSS, were performed as specified in the Field Sampling Plan (FSP) (BNL 2010a). It is the policy of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to perform independent verifications of decontamination and decommissioning activities conducted at DOE facilities. ORISE has been designated as the organization responsible for this task for the HFBR Underground Utilities. ORISE, together with DOE, determined that a Type A verification of Trench 5 was appropriate based on recent verification results from Trenches 2, 3, and 4, and the minimal potential for residual radioactivity in the area. The removal of underground utilities is being performed in three stages to decommission the HFBR facility and support structures. Phase 3 of this project included the removal of at least 200 feet of 36-inch to 42-inch pipe from the west side to the south side of Building 801, and the 14-inch diameter Acid Waste Line that spanned from 801 to the Stack within Trench 5. Based on the pre-excavation sample results of the soil overburden the potential for contamination of the soil surrounding the pipe is minimal (BNL 2010a). ORISE reviewed the BNL FSP and identified comments for consideration (ORISE 2010). BNL prepared a revised FSP that resolved each ORISE comment adequately (BNL 2010a). ORISE referred to the revised HFBR Underground Utilities FSP FSS data to conduct the Type A verification

Effects of oxygen supply condition and specific biofilm interfacial area on phenol removal rate in a three-phase fluidized bed reactor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hirata, A.; Meutia, A. A.; Osawa, M.; Arai, M.; Tsuneda, S. [Waseda Univ., Dept. of Chemical Engineering, Tokyo (Japan)

2000-02-01

A theoretical and experimental evaluation of the effects of superficial gas velocity, oxygen concentration in the gas phase, and specific biofilm interfacial area on the volumetric removal rate of phenol is described. The reaction rate was found to follow first order reaction kinetics with respect to oxygen, and zero-order reaction kinetics with respect to phenol. A semi-theoretical equation was developed which is capable of predicting the volumetric removal rate and is used to explain the overall removal rate of phenol. Biological reaction as the rate-controlling step and oxygen absorption are both explicable by this equation. 14 refs., 5 figs.

Effects of background noise on inter-trial phase coherence and auditory N1-P2 responses to speech stimuli.

Science.gov (United States)

Koerner, Tess K; Zhang, Yang

2015-10-01

This study investigated the effects of a speech-babble background noise on inter-trial phase coherence (ITPC, also referred to as phase locking value (PLV)) and auditory event-related responses (AERP) to speech sounds. Specifically, we analyzed EEG data from 11 normal hearing subjects to examine whether ITPC can predict noise-induced variations in the obligatory N1-P2 complex response. N1-P2 amplitude and latency data were obtained for the /bu/syllable in quiet and noise listening conditions. ITPC data in delta, theta, and alpha frequency bands were calculated for the N1-P2 responses in the two passive listening conditions. Consistent with previous studies, background noise produced significant amplitude reduction and latency increase in N1 and P2, which were accompanied by significant ITPC decreases in all the three frequency bands. Correlation analyses further revealed that variations in ITPC were able to predict the amplitude and latency variations in N1-P2. The results suggest that trial-by-trial analysis of cortical neural synchrony is a valuable tool in understanding the modulatory effects of background noise on AERP measures. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Background characterization for the GERDA experiment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Becerici-Schmidt, Neslihan [Max-Planck-Institut fuer Physik, Muenchen (Germany); Collaboration: GERDA-Collaboration

2013-07-01

The GERmanium Detector Array (Gerda) experiment at the LNGS laboratory of INFN searches for the neutrinoless double beta (0νββ) decay of {sup 76}Ge. A discovery of this decay can greatly advance our knowledge on the nature and properties of neutrinos. The current best limit on the half-life of {sup 76}Ge 0νββ decay is 1.9 . 10{sup 25} years (90% C.L.). In order to increase the sensitivity on the half-life with respect to past experiments, the background rate in the energy region of interest (ROI) around Q{sub ββ} = 2039 keV has been reduced by a factor 10. Gerda started data-taking with the full set of Phase I detectors in November 2011. Identification of the background in the first phase of the experiment is of major importance to further mitigate the background for Gerda Phase II. An analysis of the Phase I data resulted in a good understanding of the individual components in the Gerda background spectrum. The background components in the ROI have been identified to be mainly due to β- and γ-induced events originating from {sup 214}Bi ({sup 238}U-series), {sup 208}Tl ({sup 232}Th-series), {sup 42}K (progeny of {sup 42}Ar) and α-induced events coming from isotopes in the {sup 226}Ra decay chain. A background decomposition in the ROI will be presented, with a special emphasis on the contribution from α-induced events.

Single shot fringe pattern phase demodulation using Hilbert-Huang transform aided by the principal component analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Trusiak, Maciej; Służewski, Łukasz; Patorski, Krzysztof

2016-02-22

Hybrid single shot algorithm for accurate phase demodulation of complex fringe patterns is proposed. It employs empirical mode decomposition based adaptive fringe pattern enhancement (i.e., denoising, background removal and amplitude normalization) and subsequent boosted phase demodulation using 2D Hilbert spiral transform aided by the Principal Component Analysis method for novel, correct and accurate local fringe direction map calculation. Robustness to fringe pattern significant noise, uneven background and amplitude modulation as well as local fringe period and shape variations is corroborated by numerical simulations and experiments. Proposed automatic, adaptive, fast and comprehensive fringe analysis solution compares favorably with other previously reported techniques.

Adsorptive removal of phthalate ester (Di-ethyl phthalate) from aqueous phase by activated carbon: a kinetic study.

Science.gov (United States)

Venkata Mohan, S; Shailaja, S; Rama Krishna, M; Sarma, P N

2007-07-19

Adsorptive studies were carried out on Di-ethyl phthalate (DEP) removal from aqueous phase onto activated carbon. Batch sorption studies were performed and the results revealed that activated carbon demonstrated ability to adsorb DEP. Influence of varying experimental conditions such as DEP concentration, pH of aqueous solution, and dosage of adsorbent were investigated on the adsorption process. Sorption interaction of DEP onto activated carbon obeyed the pseudo second order rate equation. Experimental data showed good fit with both the Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption isotherm models. DEP sorption was found to be dependent on the aqueous phase pH and the uptake was observed to be greater at acidic pH.

GERDA phase II detectors: Behind the production and characterisation at low background conditions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Maneschg, Werner [Max-Planck-Institut für Kernphysik, Saupfercheckweg 1, 69117 Heidelberg (Germany); Collaboration: GERDA Collaboration; and others

2013-08-08

The low background GERmanium Detector Array (GERDA) at Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (LNGS) is designed to search for the rare neutrinoless double beta decay (0νββ) in {sup 76}Ge. Bare germanium diodes are operated in liquid argon which is used as coolant, as passive and soon active as well shield against external radiation. Currently, Phase I of the experiment is running using ∼15 kg of co-axial High Purity Germanium diodes. In order to increase the sensitivity of the experiment 30 Broad Energy Germanium (BEGe) diodes will be added within 2013. This presentation reviews the production chain of the new BEGe detectors from isotopic enrichment to diode production and testing. As demonstrated all steps were carefully planned in order to minimize the exposure of the enriched germanium to cosmic radiation. Following this premise, acceptance and characterisation measurement of the newly produced diodes have been performed within the HEROICA project in the Belgian underground laboratory HADES close to the diode manufacturer. The test program and the results from a subset of the recently terminated GERDA Phase II BEGe survey will be presented.

Reduction of combinatorical background in the mass spectrum of electron pairs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tonse, S.

1992-01-01

Among the aims of the PHENIX experiment are the identification and measurement of the properties of the ρ, ω, φ and J/ψ vector mesons that have decayed through the e + e - channel. The main obstacle to identifying vector mesons (VM) using the e + e - invariant mass, is the significant number of e + and e - from other sources, which causes a large combinatorical background in the invariant mass spectrum. The work we have done aims to reduce this background by identifying background sources through kinematical cuts and removing them along with their combinatorical effects, while at the same time preserving as much as possible of the signal, i.e. the electrons from VM decay. A measurement of electron pairs (e + and e - ) from π-π and q bar q thermal sources is also a possibility, and a clear identification of the ''easier'' vector mesons (ω, φ) will be an indication of how well the thermal measurement can be done. To determine the nature and values of the kinematical cuts we have used a computer simulation to generate particles according to predetermined phase-space (rapidity and P T ) and multiplicity distributions

Gas phase chemistry and removal of CH3I during a severe accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Karhu, A.

2001-01-01

The purpose of this literature review was to gather valuable information on the behavior of methyl iodide on the gas phase during a severe accident. The potential of transition metals, especially silver and copper, to remove organic iodides from the gas streams was also studied. Transition metals are one of the most interesting groups in the context of iodine mitigation. For example silver is known to react intensively with iodine compounds. Silver is also relatively inert material and it is thermally stable. Copper is known to react with some radioiodine species. However, it is not reactive toward methyl iodide. In addition, it is oxidized to copper oxide under atmospheric conditions. This may limit the industrial use of copper.(au)

Application of Electrocoagulation Process for Reactive Red 198 Dye Removal from the Aqueous Solution

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mansooreh Dehghani

2014-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background and purpose:The main objectives of this research were to evaluating the application of electrocoagulation process for 198 dye from the aqueous phase and determining the optimum operating conditions to the dye removal using aluminum and iron electrodes. Materials and Methods:The present study was conducted in bench-scale. The spectrophotometer DR 5000 was used to determine the dye concentration. The effects of pH, retention time, voltage, dye concentration on the efficiency of electrocoagulation process were investigated. Data were analyzed in SPSS for Windows 16.0 using Pearson’scorrelation coefficient to analyze the relationship between these parameters. Results:The results showed that the optimal conditions for reactive red 198 (RR-198 dye removal from the aqueous solution are pH of 11, the voltage of 32 V, the initial dye concentration of 10 ppm, and the reaction time of 40 min. Pearson correlation analysis showed that there is a significant relationship between voltage and the reaction time with the removal efficiencies (P< 0.01. Conclusion:It was revealed that the removal efficiency of dye was directly proportional to the voltage and reaction time, but inversely proportional to the initial dye concentration. In conclusion, electrocoagulation process using two-fold iron and aluminum electrodes is an appropriate method for reducing the RR-198 dye in the aqueous phase.

Developing a software for removable partial denture design: Part II: Introduction of RPD graph software

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nejatidanesh F

2007-06-01

Full Text Available Background and Aim: Designing removable partial dentures is one of the most important phases of prosthetic treatments. Computer can be used to facilitate and increase accuracy of removable partial denture design. The aim of this study was to develop a software for removable partial denture design.Materials and Methods: A questionnaire (discussed in part I and major textbooks, were used to determine the design rules.  The software (RPD Graph was developed using Visual C++ and Maryam program. The RPD Graph can determine the classification of partial edentulous arch. With defining the missing teeth and providing data about prognosis and conditions of abutment teeth, the removable partial design will be developed by RPD Graph. This software is a knowledge-based system which has specific characteristics. It can be used as an educational tool for teaching RPD design and as a clinical tool for supporting clinician's decision. In addition it can be developed to more complete softwares.

Addition of iron for the removal of the {beta}-AlFeSi intermetallic by refining of {alpha}-AlFeSi phase in an Al-7.5Si-3.6Cu alloy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Belmares-Perales, S. [Facultad de Ingenieria Mecanica y Electrica, Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon (Mexico); Zaldivar-Cadena, A.A., E-mail: azaldiva70@hotmail.com [Facultad de Ingenieria Civil, Departamento de Ecomateriales y Energia, Instituto de Ingenieria Civil, Av. Fidel Velasquez and Av. Universidad S/N, Cd. Universitaria, San Nicolas de los Garza, N.L. 66450 (Mexico)

2010-10-25

Addition of iron into the molten metal for the removal of the {beta}-AlFeSi intermetallic by refining of {alpha}-AlFeSi phase has been studied. Solidification conditions and composition determine the final microstructure and mechanical properties of a casting piece. It is known that increasing the iron content will produce an increasing of the {alpha}-AlFeSi and {beta}-AlFeSi phases. This phenomenon was confirmed with calculations made by Thermo-Calc{sup TM} software and validated with experimental results, however, the technique of iron addition in this study plays an important role on the solidification kinetics of these iron phases because the refining of {alpha}-AlFeSi and removal of {beta}-AlFeSi phases can be improved. Final results showed an improvement in mechanical properties by removal and refining of {beta}-AlFeSi and {alpha}-AlFeSi phases, respectively. This study shows a new method of removal of {beta}-AlFeSi that could be adopted in the aluminum smelting industry in aluminum alloys with a low cooling rate with a secondary dendritic spacing of about 37 {mu}m.

Addition of iron for the removal of the β-AlFeSi intermetallic by refining of α-AlFeSi phase in an Al-7.5Si-3.6Cu alloy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Belmares-Perales, S.; Zaldivar-Cadena, A.A.

2010-01-01

Addition of iron into the molten metal for the removal of the β-AlFeSi intermetallic by refining of α-AlFeSi phase has been studied. Solidification conditions and composition determine the final microstructure and mechanical properties of a casting piece. It is known that increasing the iron content will produce an increasing of the α-AlFeSi and β-AlFeSi phases. This phenomenon was confirmed with calculations made by Thermo-Calc TM software and validated with experimental results, however, the technique of iron addition in this study plays an important role on the solidification kinetics of these iron phases because the refining of α-AlFeSi and removal of β-AlFeSi phases can be improved. Final results showed an improvement in mechanical properties by removal and refining of β-AlFeSi and α-AlFeSi phases, respectively. This study shows a new method of removal of β-AlFeSi that could be adopted in the aluminum smelting industry in aluminum alloys with a low cooling rate with a secondary dendritic spacing of about 37 μm.

Improved Background Removal in Sounding Rocket Neutral Atom Imaging Data

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, M. R.; Rowland, D. E.

2017-12-01

The VISIONS sounding rocket, launched into a substorm on Feb 7, 2013 from Poker Flat, Alaska had a novel miniaturized energetic neutral atom (ENA) imager onboard. We present further analysis of the ENA data from this rocket flight, including improved removal of ultraviolet and electron contamination. In particular, the relative error source contributions due to geocoronal, auroral, and airglow UV, as well as energetic electrons from 10 eV to 3 keV were assessed. The resulting data provide a more clear understanding of the spatial and temporal variations of the ion populations that are energized to tens or hundreds of eV.

ALFA detector, Background removal and analysis for elastic events

CERN Document Server

Belaloui, Nazim

2017-01-01

I worked on the ALFA project, which has the aim to measure the total cross section in PP collisions as a function of t, the momentum transfer by measuring the scattering angle of the protons. This measurement is done for all available energies; so far 7, 8 and 13 TeV. There are many analysis steps and we have focused on enhancing the signal-to-noise ratio. First of all I tried to be more familiar with ROOT, worked on understanding the code used to access to the data, plotting histograms, then cutting-off background.

Hydroxyapatite-based sorbents: elaboration, characterization and application for the removal of catechol from the aqueous phase.

Science.gov (United States)

Sebei, Haroun; Pham Minh, Doan; Lyczko, Nathalie; Sharrock, Patrick; Nzihou, Ange

2017-10-01

Hydroxyapatite (HAP) is highly considered as good sorbent for the removal of metals from the aqueous phase. However, soluble metals co-exist with organic pollutants in wastewaters. But little work has been devoted to investigate the reactivity of HAP for the removal of organic compounds. The main objective of this work is to study the reactivity of HAP-based sorbents for the removal of catechol as a model organic pollutant from an aqueous solution. Thus, HAP sorbents were firstly synthesized using calcium carbonate and potassium dihydrogen phosphate under moderate conditions (25-80°C, atmospheric pressure). A zinc-doped HAP was also used as sorbent, which was obtained from the contact of HAP with an aqueous solution of zinc nitrate. All the sorbents were characterized by different standard physico-chemical techniques. The sorption of catechol was carried out in a batch reactor under stirring at room temperature and pressure. Zinc-doped HAP sorbent was found to be more reactive than non-doped HAP sorbents for the fixation of catechol. The highest sorption capacity was of 15 mg of C per gram of zinc-doped HAP sorbent. The results obtained suggest the reaction scheme of HAP sorbents with metals and organic pollutants when HAP sorbents were used for the treatment of complex wastewaters.

Hydrodynamic behaviour and comparison of technologies for the removal of excess biomass in gas-phase biofilters.

Science.gov (United States)

Mendoza, J A; Prado, O J; Veiga, M C; Kennes, C

2004-01-01

The hydrodynamic behaviour of a biofilter fed toluene and packed with an inert carrier was evaluated on start-up and after long-term operation, using both methane and styrene as tracers in Residence Time Distribution experiments. Results indicated some deviation from ideal plug flow behaviour after 2-year operation. It was also observed that the retention time of VOCs gradually increased with time and was significantly longer than the average residence time of the bulk gas phase. Non-ideal hydrodynamic behaviour in packed beds may be due to excess biomass accumulation and affects both reactor modeling and performance. Therefore, several methods were studied for the removal of biomass after long-term biofilter operation: filling with water and draining, backwashing, and air sparging. Several flow rates and temperatures (20-60 degrees C) were applied using either water or different chemicals (NaOH, NaOCl, HTAB) in aqueous solution. Usually, higher flow rates and higher temperatures allowed the removal of more biomass, but the efficiency of biomass removal was highly dependent on the pressure drop reached before the treatment. The filling/draining method was the least efficient for biomass removal, although the treatment did basically not generate any biological inhibition. The efficiency of backwashing and air sparging was relatively similar and was more effective when adding chemicals. However, treatments with chemicals resulted in a significant decrease of the biofilter's performance immediately after applying the treatment, needing periods of several days to recover the original performance. The effect of manually mixing the packing material was also evaluated in duplicate experiments. Quite large amounts of biomass were removed but disruption of the filter bed was observed. Batch assays were performed simultaneously in order to support and quantify the observed inhibitory effects of the different chemicals and temperatures used during the treatments.

BOA: Asbestos pipe-insulation removal robot system. Phase I. Topical report, November 1993--December 1994

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schempf, H.; Bares, J.E.

1995-01-01

Based on several key design criteria and site visits, we developed a Robot design and built a system which automatically strips the lagging and insulation from the pipes, and encapsulates them under complete vacuum operation. The system can operate on straight runs of piping in horizontal or vertical orientations. Currently we are limited to four-inch diameter piping without obstacles as well as a somewhat laborious emplacement and removal procedure. Experimental results indicated that the current robotic abatement process is sound yet needs to be further expanded and modified. One of the main discoveries was that a longitudinal cut to fully allow the paddles to dig in and compress the insulation off the pipe is essential. Furthermore, a different cutting method might be explored to alleviate the need for a deeper cut and to enable a combination of certain functions such as compression and cutting. Unfortunately due to a damaged mechanism caused by extensive testing, we were unable to perform vertical piping abatement experiments, but foresee no trouble in implementing them in the next proposed Phase. Other encouraging results have BOA removing asbestos at a rate of 4-5 ft./h compared to 3 ft./h for manual removal of asbestos with a 3-person crew. However, we feel confident that we can double the asbestos removal rate by improving cutting speed, and increasing the length of the BOA robot. The containment and vacuum system on BOA is able to achieve the regulatory requirement for airborne fiber emissions of 0.01 fibers/ccm/8-hr. shift. Currently, BOA weighs about 117 pounds which is more than a human is permitted to lift overhead under OSHA requirements (i.e., 25 pounds). We are considering designing the robot into two components (i.e., locomotor section and cutter/removal section) to aid human installation as well as incorporating composite materials. A more detailed list of all the technical modifications is given in this topical report

BOA: Asbestos pipe-insulation removal robot system. Phase I. Topical report, November 1993--December 1994

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schempf, H.; Bares, J.E.

1995-01-01

Based on several key design criteria and site visits, we developed a Robot design and built a system which automatically strips the lagging and insulation from the pipes, and encapsulates them under complete vacuum operation. The system can operate on straight runs of piping in horizontal or vertical orientations. Currently we are limited to four-inch diameter piping without obstacles as well as a somewhat laborious emplacement and removal procedure. Experimental results indicated that the current robotic abatement process is sound yet needs to be further expanded and modified. One of the main discoveries was that a longitudinal cut to fully allow the paddles to dig in and compress the insulation off the pipe is essential. Furthermore, a different cutting method might be explored to alleviate the need for a deeper cut and to enable a combination of certain functions such as compression and cutting. Unfortunately due to a damaged mechanism caused by extensive testing, we were unable to perform vertical piping abatement experiments, but foresee no trouble in implementing them in the next proposed Phase. Other encouraging results have BOA removing asbestos at a rate of 4-5 ft./h compared to 3 ft./h for manual removal of asbestos with a 3-person crew. However, we feel confident that we can double the asbestos removal rate by improving cutting speed, and increasing the length of the BOA robot. The containment and vacuum system on BOA is able to achieve the regulatory requirement for airborne fiber emissions of 0.01 fibers/ccm/8-hr. shift. Currently, BOA weighs about 117 pounds which is more than a human is permitted to lift overhead under OSHA requirements (i.e., 25 pounds). We are considering designing the robot into two components (i.e., locomotor section and cutter/removal section) to aid human installation as well as incorporating composite materials. A more detailed list of all the technical modifications is given in this topical report.

Gas phase chemistry and removal of CH{sub 3}I during a severe accident

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Karhu, A. [VTT. Energy, Esbo (Finland)

2001-01-01

The purpose of this literature review was to gather valuable information on the behavior of methyl iodide on the gas phase during a severe accident. The potential of transition metals, especially silver and copper, to remove organic iodides from the gas streams was also studied. Transition metals are one of the most interesting groups in the context of iodine mitigation. For example silver is known to react intensively with iodine compounds. Silver is also relatively inert material and it is thermally stable. Copper is known to react with some radioiodine species. However, it is not reactive toward methyl iodide. In addition, it is oxidized to copper oxide under atmospheric conditions. This may limit the industrial use of copper.(au)

Annual report on the Background Soil Characterization Project on the Oak Ridge Reservation, Oak Ridge, Tennessee: Results of Phase 1 investigation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Watkins, D.R.; Goddard, P.L.; Hatmaker, T.L.; Hook, L.A.; Jackson, B.L.; Kimbrough, C.W.; Lee, S.Y.; Lietzke, D.A.; McGin, C.W.; Nourse, B.D.; Schmoyer, R.L.; Shaw, R.A.; Stinnette, S.E.; Switek, J.; Wright, J.C.; Ammons, J.T.; Branson, J.L.; Burgoa, B.B.

1993-05-01

Many constituents of potential concern for human health occur naturally at low concentrations in undisturbed soils. The Background soil Characterization Project (BSCP) was undertaken to provide background concentration data on potential contaminants in natural soils on the Oak Ridge Reservation (ORR). The objectives of the BSCP are to provide baseline data for contaminated site assessment and estimates of potential human health risk associated with background concentrations of hazardous and other constituents in native soils. This report presents, evaluates, and documents data and results obtained in Phase I of the project. It is intended to be a stand-alone document for application and use in structuring and conducting remedial investigation and remedial action projects in the Environmental Restoration (ER) Program

Annual report on the Background Soil Characterization Project on the Oak Ridge Reservation, Oak Ridge, Tennessee: Results of Phase 1 investigation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Watkins, D.R.; Goddard, P.L.; Hatmaker, T.L.; Hook, L.A.; Jackson, B.L.; Kimbrough, C.W.; Lee, S.Y.; Lietzke, D.A.; McGin, C.W.; Nourse, B.D.; Schmoyer, R.L.; Shaw, R.A.; Stinnette, S.E.; Switek, J.; Wright, J.C. [Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (United States); Ammons, J.T.; Branson, J.L.; Burgoa, B.B. [Tennessee Univ., Knoxville, TN (United States). Dept. of Plant and Soil Science; Lietzke, D.A. [Lietzke (David A.), Rutledge, TN (United States)

1993-05-01

Many constituents of potential concern for human health occur naturally at low concentrations in undisturbed soils. The Background soil Characterization Project (BSCP) was undertaken to provide background concentration data on potential contaminants in natural soils on the Oak Ridge Reservation (ORR). The objectives of the BSCP are to provide baseline data for contaminated site assessment and estimates of potential human health risk associated with background concentrations of hazardous and other constituents in native soils. This report presents, evaluates, and documents data and results obtained in Phase I of the project. It is intended to be a stand-alone document for application and use in structuring and conducting remedial investigation and remedial action projects in the Environmental Restoration (ER) Program.

Simultaneous Extraction, Enrichment and Removal of Dyes from Aqueous Solutions Using a Magnetic Aqueous Micellar Two-Phase System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shuanggen Wu

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The magnetic aqueous micellar two-phase system (MAMTPS has the advantages combined of magnetic solid phase extraction (MSPE and aqueous micellar two-phase system (AMTPS. Thus, MAMTPS based on Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs and a nonionic surfactant Triton X-114 (TX-114 was developed for the extraction, enrichment and removal of three dyes (Congo red, methyl blue, and methyl violet from aqueous solutions in this study. The MNPs Fe3O4@NH2 was screened as the optimal MNPs benefiting the extraction. Then, the influencing factors of MNPs amount, TX-114 concentration, vibration time, and extraction temperature were investigated in detail. The results showed that the extraction efficiencies of three dyes almost reached 100% using MAMTPS under the optimal conditions; MAMTPS had higher extraction ability than the individual MSPE or AMTPS. Thus, MAMTPS had the advantages of simple operation, high extraction ability, easy recycling of MNPs, and short phase-separation time, which showspotential for use in the extraction and analysis of contaminants from water samples.

Looking for Cosmic Neutrino Background

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chiaki eYanagisawa

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Since the discovery of neutrino oscillation in atmospheric neutrinos by the Super-Kamiokande experiment in 1998, study of neutrinos has been one of exciting fields in high-energy physics. All the mixing angles were measured. Quests for 1 measurements of the remaining parameters, the lightest neutrino mass, the CP violating phase(s, and the sign of mass splitting between the mass eigenstates m3 and m1, and 2 better measurements to determine whether the mixing angle theta23 is less than pi/4, are in progress in a well-controlled manner. Determining the nature of neutrinos, whether they are Dirac or Majorana particles is also in progress with continuous improvement. On the other hand, although the ideas of detecting cosmic neutrino background have been discussed since 1960s, there has not been a serious concerted effort to achieve this goal. One of the reasons is that it is extremely difficult to detect such low energy neutrinos from the Big Bang. While there has been tremendous accumulation of information on Cosmic Microwave Background since its discovery in 1965, there is no direct evidence for Cosmic Neutrino Background. The importance of detecting Cosmic Neutrino Background is that, although detailed studies of Big Bang Nucleosynthesis and Cosmic Microwave Background give information of the early Universe at ~a few minutes old and ~300 k years old, respectively, observation of Cosmic Neutrino Background allows us to study the early Universe at $sim$ 1 sec old. This article reviews progress made in the past 50 years on detection methods of Cosmic Neutrino Background.

Adsorptive removal of phenol from aqueous phase by using a porous acrylic ester polymer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pan Bingjun; Pan Bingcai; Zhang Weiming; Zhang Qingrui; Zhang Quanxing; Zheng Shourong

2008-01-01

The removal of phenol from aqueous solution was examined by using a porous acrylic ester polymer (Amberlite XAD-7) as an adsorbent. Favorable phenol adsorption was observed at acidic solution pH and further increase of solution pH results in a marked decrease of adsorption capacity, and the coexisting inorganic salt NaCl exerts positive effect on the adsorption process. Adsorption isotherms of phenol were linearly correlated and found to be well represented by either the Langmuir or Freundlich isotherm model. Thermodynamic parameters such as changes in the enthalpy (ΔH), entropy (ΔS) and free energy (ΔG) indicate that phenol adsorption onto XAD-7 is an exothermic and spontaneous process in nature, and lower ambient temperature results in more favorable adsorption. Kinetic experiments at different initial solute concentrations were investigated and the pseudo-second-order kinetic model was successfully represented the kinetic data. Additionally, the column adsorption result showed that a complete removal of phenol from aqueous phase can be achieved by XAD-7 beads and the exhausted adsorbent was amenable to an entire regeneration by using ethanol as the regenerant. More interestingly, relatively more volume of hot water in place of ethanol can also achieve a similar result for repeated use of the adsorbent

Background free CARS imaging by phase sensitive heterodyne CARS

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jurna, M.; Korterik, Jeroen P.; Otto, Cornelis; Herek, Jennifer Lynn; Offerhaus, Herman L.

2008-01-01

In this article we show that heterodyne CARS, based on a controlled and stable phase-preserving chain, can be used to measure amplitude and phase information of molecular vibration modes. The technique is validated by a comparison of the imaginary part of the heterodyne CARS spectrum to the

Conserved quantities in background independent theories

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Markopoulou, Fotini [Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, 35 King Street North, Waterloo, Ontario N2J 2W9 (Canada); Department of Physics, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1 (Canada)

2007-05-15

We discuss the difficulties that background independent theories based on quantum geometry encounter in deriving general relativity as the low energy limit. We follow a geometrogenesis scenario of a phase transition from a pre-geometric theory to a geometric phase which suggests that a first step towards the low energy limit is searching for the effective collective excitations that will characterize it. Using the correspondence between the pre-geometric background independent theory and a quantum information processor, we are able to use the method of noiseless subsystems to extract such coherent collective excitations. We illustrate this in the case of locally evolving graphs.

Background reduction in the SNO+ experiment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Segui, L. [University of Oxford, Denys Wilkinson Building, Keble Road, OX1 Oxford (United Kingdom)

2015-08-17

SNO+ is a large multi-purpose liquid scintillator experiment, which first aim is to detect the neutrinoless double beta decay of {sup 130}Te. It is placed at SNOLAB, at 6000 m.w.e. and it is based on the SNO infrastructure. SNO+ will contain approximately 780 tonnes of liquid scintillator, loaded with {sup 130}Te inside an acrylic vessel (AV) with an external volume of ultra pure water to reduce the external backgrounds. Light produced in the scintillator by the interaction of particles will be detected with about 9,000 photomultiplier’s. For the neutrinoless double beta decay phase, due to its the extremely low rate expected, the control, knowledge and reduction of the background is essential. Moreover, it will also benefit other phases of the experiment focused on the study of solar neutrinos, nucleon decay, geoneutrinos and supernovae. In order to reduce the internal background level, a novel purification technique for tellurium loaded scintillators has been developed by the collaboration that reduces the U/Th concentration and several cosmic-activated isotopes by at least a factor 10{sup 2} -10{sup 3} in a single pass. In addition, different rejection techniques have been developed for the remaining internal backgrounds based on Monte-Carlo simulations. In this work, the scintillator purification technique and the levels obtained with it will be discussed. Furthermore, an overview of the different backgrounds for the double-beta phase will be presented, highlighting some of the techniques developed to reject the remained decays based on their expected timing differences.

PROJECT-SPECIFIC TYPE A VERIFICATION FOR THE HIGH FLUX BEAM REACTOR UNDERGROUND UTILITIES REMOVAL PHASE 3 TRENCH 1, BROOKHAVEN NATIONAL LABORATORY UPTON, NEW YORK

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harpenau, E.M.

2010-01-01

The Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) has reviewed the project documentation and data for the High Flux Beam Reactor (HFBR) Underground Utilities removal Phase 3; Trench 1 at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) in Upton, New York. The Brookhaven Survey Group (BSG) has completed removal and performed Final Status Survey (FSS) of the 42-inch duct and 14-inch line in Trench 1 from Building 801 to the Stack. Sample results have been submitted as required to demonstrate that the cleanup goal of (le)15 mrem/yr above background to a resident in 50 years has been met. Four rounds of sampling, from pre-excavation to FSS, were performed as specified in the Field Sampling Plan (FSP) (BNL 2010a). It is the policy of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to perform independent verifications of decontamination and decommissioning activities conducted at DOE facilities. ORISE has been designated as the organization responsible for this task for the HFBR Underground Utilities. ORISE, together with DOE, determined that a Type A verification of Trench 1 was appropriate based on recent verification results from Trenches 2, 3, 4, and 5, and the minimal potential for residual radioactivity in the area. The removal of underground utilities has been performed in three stages to decommission the HFBR facility and support structures. Phase 3 of this project included the removal of at least 200 feet of 36-inch to 42-inch duct from the west side to the south side of Building 801, and the 14-inch diameter Acid Waste Line that spanned from 801 to the Stack within Trench 1. Based on the pre-excavation sample results of the soil overburden, the potential for contamination of the soil surrounding the pipe is minimal (BNL 2010a). ORISE reviewed the gamma spectroscopy results for 14 FSS soil samples, four core samples, and one duplicate sample collected from Trench 1. Sample results for the radionuclides of concern were below the established cleanup goals. However, in sample PH-3

Removal of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus from the separated liquid phase of hog manure by the multi-zone BioCAST technology.

Science.gov (United States)

Yerushalmi, Laleh; Alimahmoodi, Mahmood; Afroze, Niema; Godbout, Stephane; Mulligan, Catherine N

2013-06-15

The removal of chemical oxygen demand (COD), total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) at concentrations of 960 ± 38 to 2400 ± 96 mg/L, 143 ± 9 to 235 ± 15 mg/L and 25 ± 2 to 57 ± 4 mg/L, respectively, from the separated liquid phase of hog manure by the multi-zone BioCAST technology is discussed. Despite the inhibitory effect of hog waste toward microbial activities, removal efficiencies up to 89.2% for COD, 69.2% for TN and 47.6% for TP were obtained during 185 d of continuous operation. The free ammonia inhibition was postulated to be responsible for the steady reduction of COD and TP removal with the increase of TN/TP ratio from 3.6 to 5.8. On the contrary, the increase of COD/TN ratio from 4.8 to 14.1 improved the removal of all contaminants. Nitrogen removal did not show any dependence on the COD/TP ratio, despite the steady increase of COD and TP removal with this ratio in the range of 19.3-50.6. The removal efficiencies of organic and inorganic contaminants increased progressively owing to the adaptation of microbial biomass, resulting from the presence of suspended biomass in the mixed liquor that circulated continuously between the three zones of aerobic, microaerophilic and anoxic, as well as the attached biomass immobilized inside the aerobic zone. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Massive graviton on arbitrary background: derivation, syzygies, applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bernard, Laura; Deffayet, Cédric; Strauss, Mikael von

2015-01-01

We give the detailed derivation of the fully covariant form of the quadratic action and the derived linear equations of motion for a massive graviton in an arbitrary background metric (which were presented in arXiv:1410.8302 [hep-th]). Our starting point is the de Rham-Gabadadze-Tolley (dRGT) family of ghost free massive gravities and using a simple model of this family, we are able to express this action and these equations of motion in terms of a single metric in which the graviton propagates, hence removing in particular the need for a ''reference metric' which is present in the non perturbative formulation. We show further how 5 covariant constraints can be obtained including one which leads to the tracelessness of the graviton on flat space-time and removes the Boulware-Deser ghost. This last constraint involves powers and combinations of the curvature of the background metric. The 5 constraints are obtained for a background metric which is unconstrained, i.e. which does not have to obey the background field equations. We then apply these results to the case of Einstein space-times, where we show that the 5 constraints become trivial, and Friedmann-Lemaître-Robertson-Walker space-times, for which we correct in particular some results that appeared elsewhere. To reach our results, we derive several non trivial identities, syzygies, involving the graviton fields, its derivatives and the background metric curvature. These identities have their own interest. We also discover that there exist backgrounds for which the dRGT equations cannot be unambiguously linearized

Spray removal of fission products in PWR containments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grist, D.R.

1982-11-01

Models and parameters for assessing the rate and extent of removal of various fission product species are described. A range of droplet sizes and of spray additive options is considered and removal of vapour phase inorganic iodine species, of organic iodides and of aerosols containing fission products is discussed. Aerosol removal is assessed in terms of contributing removal mechanisms and the removal rate modelled as a function of the radius of the aerosol particulate species. (author)

A model independent safeguard against background mismodeling for statistical inference

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Priel, Nadav; Landsman, Hagar; Manfredini, Alessandro; Budnik, Ranny [Department of Particle Physics and Astrophysics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Herzl St. 234, Rehovot (Israel); Rauch, Ludwig, E-mail: nadav.priel@weizmann.ac.il, E-mail: rauch@mpi-hd.mpg.de, E-mail: hagar.landsman@weizmann.ac.il, E-mail: alessandro.manfredini@weizmann.ac.il, E-mail: ran.budnik@weizmann.ac.il [Teilchen- und Astroteilchenphysik, Max-Planck-Institut für Kernphysik, Saupfercheckweg 1, 69117 Heidelberg (Germany)

2017-05-01

We propose a safeguard procedure for statistical inference that provides universal protection against mismodeling of the background. The method quantifies and incorporates the signal-like residuals of the background model into the likelihood function, using information available in a calibration dataset. This prevents possible false discovery claims that may arise through unknown mismodeling, and corrects the bias in limit setting created by overestimated or underestimated background. We demonstrate how the method removes the bias created by an incomplete background model using three realistic case studies.

Demonstration of Cosmic Microwave Background Delensing Using the Cosmic Infrared Background.

Science.gov (United States)

Larsen, Patricia; Challinor, Anthony; Sherwin, Blake D; Mak, Daisy

2016-10-07

Delensing is an increasingly important technique to reverse the gravitational lensing of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) and thus reveal primordial signals the lensing may obscure. We present a first demonstration of delensing on Planck temperature maps using the cosmic infrared background (CIB). Reversing the lensing deflections in Planck CMB temperature maps using a linear combination of the 545 and 857 GHz maps as a lensing tracer, we find that the lensing effects in the temperature power spectrum are reduced in a manner consistent with theoretical expectations. In particular, the characteristic sharpening of the acoustic peaks of the temperature power spectrum resulting from successful delensing is detected at a significance of 16σ, with an amplitude of A_{delens}=1.12±0.07 relative to the expected value of unity. This first demonstration on data of CIB delensing, and of delensing techniques in general, is significant because lensing removal will soon be essential for achieving high-precision constraints on inflationary B-mode polarization.

Removal of Pyrimethanil and Fenhexamid from Saccharomyces cerevisiae Liquid Cultures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Etjen Bizaj

2011-01-01

Full Text Available The capacity for the removal of pyrimethanil and fenhexamid, two fungicides commonly used for the control of Botrytis cinerea in vineyards, has been evaluated during an alcoholic fermentation process in batch system. Commercial and wild strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae were used. Batch fermentations were carried out in yeast extract-malt extract medium (YM with 18.0 % (by mass glucose, and the fungicides were added separately at three concentrations: 0.1, 1.0 and 10.0 mg/L. The removal capacity of yeast strains was also examined in stationary phase cultures of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Stationary assays were performed with yeast biomass harvested from the stationary phase of an anaerobic fermentation process, with separate additions of 0.1, 1.0 and 10.0 mg/L of both fungicides. Removal studies with stationary phase cells were performed with viable and non-viable cells inactivated with sodium azide. This study clearly shows that both Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains were able to remove fenhexamid and pyrimethanil in stationary and fermentative assays. The removal potential is shown to be strain dependent in stationary but not in fermentative assays. However, the removal potential is dependent on the type of fungicide in both stationary and fermentative assays. In stationary phase cultures no significant difference in fungicide removal potential between viable and non-viable cells was observed, indicating that both pesticides were not degraded by metabolically active cells. However, the presence of both pesticides influenced fermentation kinetics and only pyrimethanil at 10.0 mg/L increased the production of volatile acidity of both strains.

The cosmic microwave background

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Silk, J.

1991-01-01

Recent limits on spectral distortions and angular anisotropies in the cosmic microwave background are reviewed. The various backgrounds are described, and the theoretical implications are assessed. Constraints on inflationary cosmology dominated by cold dark matter (CDM) and on open cosmological models dominated by baryonic dark matter (BDM), with, respectively, primordial random phase scale-invariant curvature fluctuations or non-gaussian isocurvature fluctuations are described. More exotic theories are addressed, and I conclude with the 'bottom line': what theories expect experimentalists to be measuring within the next two to three years without having to abandon their most cherished theorists. (orig.)

Egypt: Background and U.S. Relations

Science.gov (United States)

2009-05-12

contributions from Germany , Japan, and Switzerland. For more information on the MFO, see http://www.mfo.org/Default.asp?bhcp=1. Egypt: Background and...2008 Report, Egypt’s pace of business reforms and deregulation between 2006 and 2007 ranked first worldwide. In recent years, the state has...reinvigorated its privatization program by divesting shares in the state-dominated banking and insurance sectors. Additionally, the government removed import

Self-correction of projector nonlinearity in phase-shifting fringe projection profilometry.

Science.gov (United States)

Lü, Fuxing; Xing, Shuo; Guo, Hongwei

2017-09-01

In phase-shifting fringe projection profilometry, the luminance nonlinearity of the used projector has been recognized as one of the most crucial factors decreasing the measurement accuracy. To solve this problem, this paper presents a self-correcting technique that allows us to suppress the effect of the projector nonlinearity in the absence of any calibration data regarding the projector intensities or regarding the phase errors. In its first step, the standard phase-shifting algorithm is used to recover the phases, as well as the background intensities and the modulations. Using these results enables normalizing the fringe patterns, for ridding them of the effects of the background and modulations. Second, we smooth the calculated phase map by use of a low-pass filter in order to remove the ripple-like phase errors induced by the projector nonlinearity. Third, we determine a polynomial representing the projector nonlinearity by fitting the curve of the normalized fringe intensities against the cosine values of the smoothed phases. Finally, we correct the phase errors using the curve just obtained. Doing these steps in an iterative way eventually results in a phase map and, further, a 3D shape with their artifacts induced by the projector nonlinearity suppressed significantly. Experimental results demonstrate that this technique offers some advantages over others. It does not require a prior calibration of the projector, thus being suitable for dealing with a time-variant nonlinearity; its pointwise operation protects the edges and details of the measurement results from being blurred; and it works well with very few fringe patterns and is efficient in image capturing.

Surgical removal of eyes in a tertiary institution in North eastern ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Background Surgical eye removal is performed for various end-stage eye diseases to provide adequate comfort, replace volume and give good functional and cosmetic appearance. The pattern of eye removal is unknown for North Eastern Nigeria. Objective To determine the indications for eye removal in the study ...

Phase 2 microwave concrete decontamination results

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

White, T.L.; Foster, D. Jr.; Wilson, C.T.; Schaich, C.R.

1995-01-01

The authors report on the results of the second phase of a four-phase program at Oak Ridge National Laboratory to develop a system to decontaminate concrete using microwave energy. The microwave energy is directed at the concrete surface through the use of an optimized wave guide antenna, or applicator, and this energy rapidly heats the free water present in the interstitial spaces of the concrete matrix. The resulting steam pressure causes the surface to burst in much the same way popcorn pops in a home microwave oven. Each steam explosion removes several square centimeters of concrete surface that are collected by a highly integrated wave guide and vacuum system. The authors call this process the microwave concrete decontamination, or MCD, process. In the first phase of the program the principle of microwaves concrete removal concrete surfaces was demonstrated. In these experiments, concrete slabs were placed on a translator and moved beneath a stationary microwave system. The second phase demonstrated the ability to mobilize the technology to remove the surfaces from concrete floors. Area and volume concrete removal rates of 10.4 cm 2 /s and 4.9 cm 3 /S, respectively, at 18 GHz were demonstrated. These rates are more than double those obtained in Phase 1 of the program. Deeper contamination can be removed by using a longer residence time under the applicator to create multiple explosions in the same area or by taking multiple passes over previously removed areas. Both techniques have been successfully demonstrated. Small test sections of painted and oil-soaked concrete have also been removed in a single pass. Concrete with embedded metal anchors on the surface has also been removed, although with some increased variability of removal depth. Microwave leakage should not pose any operational hazard to personnel, since the observed leakage was much less than the regulatory standard

Cosmological Backgrounds of Gravitational Waves and eLISA

OpenAIRE

Dufaux, Jean-Francois

2012-01-01

We review cosmological backgrounds of gravitational waves with a particular attention to the scientific potential of the eLISA/NGO mission. After an overview of cosmological backgrounds and detectors, we consider different cosmological sources that could lead to an observable signal. We then study the backgrounds produced by first-order phase transitions and networks of cosmic strings, assessing the prospects for their detection.

Process for removing a mixture containing iodine and alkyl iodine compounds from a gas phase or aqueous solution with ion-exchange resins

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shimizu, H; Mizuuchi, A; Yokoyama, F

1968-10-04

Iodine and alkyl iodine compounds are removed from a gas phase or aqueous solution containing salts, iodine and iodine compounds, such as the ambient gas in a reactor, if an accident should occur. The process comprises contacting the phase or solution: (a) with a hydrogen type strongly acidic cationic exchange resin, (b) with an anionic exchange resin containing quarternary ammonium and (c) with an anionic exchange resin containing free basic type tertiary amine, in this order or by reversing the order of the two anionic exchange resins. Although no problems arise in the liquid phase reaction, the ion-exchange resins in the gas phase reaction are desired in the moist state in order to stable maintain the migration speed of the materials to be removed regardless of the relative humidity of the amibent gas. In example I, Amberlite IRA-900 of 200 mm thickness as the lowermost bed, Amberlite IRA93 of 200 mm thickness as the middle bed and Amberlite 200 of 200 mm thickness as the uppermost bed were filled respectively, in a methacrylate resin cylinder with an inner diameter of 25 mm. A solution containing 15.9 mg/1 of iodine, 41.2 mg/1 of methyl iodide and 550 mg/1 of sodium carbonate flows at a rate of 15 liter/hr downward through the beds. As a result of testing, no iodine, iodine ions, iodic acid ions and methyl iodine were detected. The amount of water the beds could treat was 60 times the total quantity of the filled resins.

Background of SAM atom-fraction profiles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ernst, Frank

2017-01-01

Atom-fraction profiles acquired by SAM (scanning Auger microprobe) have important applications, e.g. in the context of alloy surface engineering by infusion of carbon or nitrogen through the alloy surface. However, such profiles often exhibit an artifact in form of a background with a level that anti-correlates with the local atom fraction. This article presents a theory explaining this phenomenon as a consequence of the way in which random noise in the spectrum propagates into the discretized differentiated spectrum that is used for quantification. The resulting model of “energy channel statistics” leads to a useful semi-quantitative background reduction procedure, which is validated by applying it to simulated data. Subsequently, the procedure is applied to an example of experimental SAM data. The analysis leads to conclusions regarding optimum experimental acquisition conditions. The proposed method of background reduction is based on general principles and should be useful for a broad variety of applications. - Highlights: • Atom-fraction–depth profiles of carbon measured by scanning Auger microprobe • Strong background, varies with local carbon concentration. • Needs correction e.g. for quantitative comparison with simulations • Quantitative theory explains background. • Provides background removal strategy and practical advice for acquisition

Background of SAM atom-fraction profiles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ernst, Frank

2017-03-15

Atom-fraction profiles acquired by SAM (scanning Auger microprobe) have important applications, e.g. in the context of alloy surface engineering by infusion of carbon or nitrogen through the alloy surface. However, such profiles often exhibit an artifact in form of a background with a level that anti-correlates with the local atom fraction. This article presents a theory explaining this phenomenon as a consequence of the way in which random noise in the spectrum propagates into the discretized differentiated spectrum that is used for quantification. The resulting model of “energy channel statistics” leads to a useful semi-quantitative background reduction procedure, which is validated by applying it to simulated data. Subsequently, the procedure is applied to an example of experimental SAM data. The analysis leads to conclusions regarding optimum experimental acquisition conditions. The proposed method of background reduction is based on general principles and should be useful for a broad variety of applications. - Highlights: • Atom-fraction–depth profiles of carbon measured by scanning Auger microprobe • Strong background, varies with local carbon concentration. • Needs correction e.g. for quantitative comparison with simulations • Quantitative theory explains background. • Provides background removal strategy and practical advice for acquisition.

Adsorption Removal of 17β-Estradiol from Water by Rice Straw-Derived Biochar with Special Attention to Pyrolysis Temperature and Background Chemistry.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Xiaohua; Liu, Ni; Liu, Yunguo; Jiang, Luhua; Zeng, Guangming; Tan, Xiaofei; Liu, Shaobo; Yin, Zhihong; Tian, Sirong; Li, Jiang

2017-10-11

Rice straw biochar that produced at three pyrolysis temperatures (400, 500 and 600 °C) were used to investigate the adsorption properties of 17β-estradiol (E2). The biochar samples were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), elemental analysis and BET surface area measurements. The influences of pyrolysis temperature, E2 concentration, pH, ionic strength, background electrolyte and humic acid were studied. Kinetic and isotherm results illustrated that the adsorption process could be well described by pseudo-second-order and Freundlich models. Experimental results showed that ionic strength had less influence on the adsorption of E2 by 500 and 600 °C rice straw biochar. Further, multivalent ions had positive impact on E2 removal than monovalent ions and the influence of the pyrolysis temperature was unremarkable when background electrolyte existed in solutions. The adsorption capacity of E2 decreased with the pH ranged from 3.0 to 12.0 and the humic acid concentration from 2 to 10 mg L -1 . Electrostatic attractions and π-π interaction were involved in the adsorption mechanisms. Compared to low-temperature biochar, high-temperature biochar exhibited a better adsorption capacity for E2 in aqueous solution, indicated it had a greater potential for E2 pollution control.

Process for removing sulfate anions from waste water

Science.gov (United States)

Nilsen, David N.; Galvan, Gloria J.; Hundley, Gary L.; Wright, John B.

1997-01-01

A liquid emulsion membrane process for removing sulfate anions from waste water is disclosed. The liquid emulsion membrane process includes the steps of: (a) providing a liquid emulsion formed from an aqueous strip solution and an organic phase that contains an extractant capable of removing sulfate anions from waste water; (b) dispersing the liquid emulsion in globule form into a quantity of waste water containing sulfate anions to allow the organic phase in each globule of the emulsion to extract and absorb sulfate anions from the waste water and (c) separating the emulsion including its organic phase and absorbed sulfate anions from the waste water to provide waste water containing substantially no sulfate anions.

PCA-based approach for subtracting thermal background emission in high-contrast imaging data

Science.gov (United States)

Hunziker, S.; Quanz, S. P.; Amara, A.; Meyer, M. R.

2018-03-01

Aims.Ground-based observations at thermal infrared wavelengths suffer from large background radiation due to the sky, telescope and warm surfaces in the instrument. This significantly limits the sensitivity of ground-based observations at wavelengths longer than 3 μm. The main purpose of this work is to analyse this background emission in infrared high-contrast imaging data as illustrative of the problem, show how it can be modelled and subtracted and demonstrate that it can improve the detection of faint sources, such as exoplanets. Methods: We used principal component analysis (PCA) to model and subtract the thermal background emission in three archival high-contrast angular differential imaging datasets in the M' and L' filter. We used an M' dataset of β Pic to describe in detail how the algorithm works and explain how it can be applied. The results of the background subtraction are compared to the results from a conventional mean background subtraction scheme applied to the same dataset. Finally, both methods for background subtraction are compared by performing complete data reductions. We analysed the results from the M' dataset of HD 100546 only qualitatively. For the M' band dataset of β Pic and the L' band dataset of HD 169142, which was obtained with an angular groove phase mask vortex vector coronagraph, we also calculated and analysed the achieved signal-to-noise ratio (S/N). Results: We show that applying PCA is an effective way to remove spatially and temporarily varying thermal background emission down to close to the background limit. The procedure also proves to be very successful at reconstructing the background that is hidden behind the point spread function. In the complete data reductions, we find at least qualitative improvements for HD 100546 and HD 169142, however, we fail to find a significant increase in S/N of β Pic b. We discuss these findings and argue that in particular datasets with strongly varying observing conditions or

Carrier and aberrations removal in interferometric fringe projection profilometry

Science.gov (United States)

Blain, P.; Michel, F.; Renotte, Y.; Habraken, S.

2012-04-01

A profilometer which takes advantage of polarization states splitting technique and monochromatic light projection method as a way to overcome ambient lighting for in-situ measurement is under development [1, 2]. Because of the Savart plate which refracts two out of axis beams, the device suffers from aberrations (mostly coma and astigmatism). These aberrations affect the quality of the sinusoidal fringe pattern. In fringe projection profilometry, the unwrapped phase distribution map contains the sum of the object's shape-related phase and carrier-fringe-related phase. In order to extract the 3D shape of the object, the carrier phase has to be removed [3, 4]. An easy way to remove both the fringe carrier and the aberrations of the optical system is to measure the phases of the test object and to measure the phase of a reference plane with the same set up and to subtract both phase maps. This time consuming technique is suitable for laboratory but not for industry. We propose a method to numerically remove both the fringe carrier and the aberrations. A first reference phase of a calibration plane is evaluated knowing the position of the different elements in the set up and the orientation of the fringes. Then a fitting of the phase map by Zernike polynomials is computed [5]. As the triangulation parameters are known during the calibration, the computation of Zernike coefficients has only to be made once. The wavefront error can be adjusted by a scale factor which depends on the position of the test object.

An investigation into the rapid removal of tetracycline using multilayered graphene-phase biochar derived from waste chicken feather.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Huiqin; Hu, Jingtao; Meng, Yue; Su, Jinhua; Wang, Xiaojing

2017-12-15

This study investigated the removal of tetracycline (TC) using multilayered graphene-phase biochar (MGB) derived from waste chicken feather. MGB was produced through a two-stage carbonization and KOH-activation method. MGB was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), Raman spectra, Zeta potential and elemental analysis. Various chemical functional groups were demonstrated on the surface of MGB. MGB was featured by a very large BET surface area of 1838m 2 /g. A rapid equilibrium (within 30s) and an ultrahigh removal efficiency (up to 99.65%) were obtained when MGB was used in the adsorption of TCs. The adsorption processes were temperature-dependent and the maximum adsorption capacity of MGB was 388.33mg/g at 30°C. The data of adsorption isotherms and kinetics were represented well by the Langmuir and Elovich models, respectively. The chemical monolayer adsorption could play an important role in this process. Furthermore, the adsorption of MGB was tolerant with wide pH, high ionic strength and even co-existing anions. Regeneration experiments indicated the removal efficiency was still satisfied (96.61%) even after four cycles. These results have important implications for the future application of animal waste-derived adsorbents in the treatment of wastewater containing antibiotic residues. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Removal of toxic Cr(VI) ions from tannery industrial wastewater using a newly designed three-phase three-dimensional electrode reactor

Science.gov (United States)

Grace Pavithra, K.; Senthil Kumar, P.; Carolin Christopher, Femina; Saravanan, A.

2017-11-01

In this research, the wastewater samples were collected from leather tanning industry at different time intervals. The parameters like pH, electrical conductivity, temperature, turbidity, chromium and chemical oxygen demand (COD) of the samples were analyzed. A three-phase three-dimensional fluidized type electrode reactor (FTER) was newly designed for the effective removal of toxic pollutants from wastewater. The influencing parameters were optimized for the maximum removal of toxic pollutants from wastewater. The optimum condition for the present system was calculated as: contact time of 30 min, applied voltage of 3 V and the particle electrodes of 15 g. The particle electrode was characterized by using FT-IR analysis. Langmuir-Hinshelwood and pseudo-second order kinetic models were fits well with the experimental data. The results showed that the FTER can be successfully employed for the treatment of industrial wastewater.

Peach Bottom HTGR decommissioning and component removal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kohler, E.J.; Steward, K.P.; Iacono, J.V.

1977-07-01

The prime objective of the Peach Bottom End-of-Life Program was to validate specific HTGR design codes and predictions by comparison of actual and predicted physics, thermal, fission product, and materials behavior in Peach Bottom. Three consecutive phases of the program provide input to the HTGR design methods verifications: (1) Nondestructive fuel and circuit gamma scanning; (2) removal of steam generator and primary circuit components; and (3) Laboratory examinations of removed components. Component removal site work commenced with establishment of restricted access areas and installation of controlled atmosphere tents to retain relative humidity at <30%. A mock-up room was established to test and develop the tooling and to train operators under simulated working conditions. Primary circuit ducting samples were removed by trepanning, and steam generator access was achieved by a combination of arc gouging and grinding. Tubing samples were removed using internal cutters and external grinding. Throughout the component removal phase, strict health physics, safety, and quality assurance programs were implemented. A total of 148 samples of primary circuit ducting and steam generator tubing were removed with no significant health physics or safety incidents. Additionally, component removal served to provide access fordetermination of cesium plateout distribution by gamma scanning inside the ducts and for macroexamination of the steam generator from both the water and helium sides. Evaluations are continuing and indicate excellent performance of the steam generator and other materials, together with close correlation of observed and predicted fission product plateout distributions. It is concluded that such a program of end-of-life research, when appropriately coordinated with decommissioning activities, can significantly advance nuclear plant and fuel technology development

Optimizing The Efficiency of a Dielectric Barrier Discharge Reactor for Removal of Nitric Oxides in Gas Phase

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Siti Aiasah Hashim; Wong, C.S.; Abas, M.R.

2016-01-01

A dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) reactor was built and used to remove nitric oxides in gas phase. In the preliminary work, it was found that the DBD reactor can used for direct processing of contaminated air stream. It was observed that if the applied energy is sufficiently high, reduction can overcome the oxidation process. The other characteristics that can affect the efficiency of the reactor are the processing flow rate, number of DBD tubes used and how the tubes are connected. The composition of the feed gas also plays important role. To improve the efficiency, more tubes were added and configured in combination of serial and parallel connections to achieve the best result. The reactor was found to be most efficient when using 6 tubes configured to have 2 sets of 3 tubes in series connected in parallel. The maximum flow rate that can be treated is 5 scfh. When operated with the optimum input voltage of 32 kV, the reactor can remove up to 80 % nitric oxide in the reduction mode. This means that the energy is sufficiently high to sustain the reduction mode and prevent further oxidation. (author)

Tattoo removal by Q-switched yttrium aluminium garnet laser

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hutton Carlsen, K; Esmann, J; Serup, J

2017-01-01

BACKGROUND: Tattoo removal by Q-switched yttrium aluminium garnet (YAG) lasers is golden standard; however, clients' satisfaction with treatment is little known. OBJECTIVE: To determine clients' satisfaction with tattoo removal. METHODS: One hundred and fifty-four tattoo removal clients who had...... relative to colour of tattoo on a scale from 0 (no effect) to 10 (complete removal) scored a mean of blue 9.5, black 9.4, yellow 8.9, red 8.8 and green 6.5. Clients were dissatisfied with green pigment remnants, which could mimic bruising. One hundred and twenty-nine clients (84%) experienced moderate...

Hg⁰ removal from flue gas by ionic liquid/H₂O₂.

Science.gov (United States)

Cheng, Guangwen; Bai, Bofeng; Zhang, Qiang; Cai, Ming

2014-09-15

1-Alkyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ionic liquids ([Cnmim] Cl, n=4, 6, 8) were prepared. The ionic liquid was then mixed with hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) to form an absorbent. The Hg(0) removal performance of the absorbent was investigated in a gas/liquid scrubber using simulated flue gas. It was found that the ionic liquid/H2O2 mixture was an excellent absorbent and could be used to remove Hg(0) from flue gas. When the mass ratio of H2O2 to ionic liquid was 0.5, the absorbent showed high Hg(0) removal efficiency (up to 98%). The Hg(0) removal efficiency usually increased with the absorption temperature, while decreased with the increase of alkyl chain length in ionic liquid molecule. The Hg(0) removal mechanism involved with Hg(0) oxidation by H2O2 and Hg(2+) transfer from aqueous phase to ionic liquid phase. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The background in the experiment Gerda

Science.gov (United States)

Agostini, M.; Allardt, M.; Andreotti, E.; Bakalyarov, A. M.; Balata, M.; Barabanov, I.; Barnabé Heider, M.; Barros, N.; Baudis, L.; Bauer, C.; Becerici-Schmidt, N.; Bellotti, E.; Belogurov, S.; Belyaev, S. T.; Benato, G.; Bettini, A.; Bezrukov, L.; Bode, T.; Brudanin, V.; Brugnera, R.; Budjáš, D.; Caldwell, A.; Cattadori, C.; Chernogorov, A.; Cossavella, F.; Demidova, E. V.; Domula, A.; Egorov, V.; Falkenstein, R.; Ferella, A.; Freund, K.; Frodyma, N.; Gangapshev, A.; Garfagnini, A.; Gotti, C.; Grabmayr, P.; Gurentsov, V.; Gusev, K.; Guthikonda, K. K.; Hampel, W.; Hegai, A.; Heisel, M.; Hemmer, S.; Heusser, G.; Hofmann, W.; Hult, M.; Inzhechik, L. V.; Ioannucci, L.; Csáthy, J. Janicskó; Jochum, J.; Junker, M.; Kihm, T.; Kirpichnikov, I. V.; Kirsch, A.; Klimenko, A.; Knöpfle, K. T.; Kochetov, O.; Kornoukhov, V. N.; Kuzminov, V. V.; Laubenstein, M.; Lazzaro, A.; Lebedev, V. I.; Lehnert, B.; Liao, H. Y.; Lindner, M.; Lippi, I.; Liu, X.; Lubashevskiy, A.; Lubsandorzhiev, B.; Lutter, G.; Macolino, C.; Machado, A. A.; Majorovits, B.; Maneschg, W.; Nemchenok, I.; Nisi, S.; O'Shaughnessy, C.; Palioselitis, D.; Pandola, L.; Pelczar, K.; Pessina, G.; Pullia, A.; Riboldi, S.; Sada, C.; Salathe, M.; Schmitt, C.; Schreiner, J.; Schulz, O.; Schwingenheuer, B.; Schönert, S.; Shevchik, E.; Shirchenko, M.; Simgen, H.; Smolnikov, A.; Stanco, L.; Strecker, H.; Tarka, M.; Ur, C. A.; Vasenko, A. A.; Volynets, O.; von Sturm, K.; Wagner, V.; Walter, M.; Wegmann, A.; Wester, T.; Wojcik, M.; Yanovich, E.; Zavarise, P.; Zhitnikov, I.; Zhukov, S. V.; Zinatulina, D.; Zuber, K.; Zuzel, G.

2014-04-01

The GERmanium Detector Array ( Gerda) experiment at the Gran Sasso underground laboratory (LNGS) of INFN is searching for neutrinoless double beta () decay of Ge. The signature of the signal is a monoenergetic peak at 2039 keV, the value of the decay. To avoid bias in the signal search, the present analysis does not consider all those events, that fall in a 40 keV wide region centered around . The main parameters needed for the analysis are described. A background model was developed to describe the observed energy spectrum. The model contains several contributions, that are expected on the basis of material screening or that are established by the observation of characteristic structures in the energy spectrum. The model predicts a flat energy spectrum for the blinding window around with a background index ranging from 17.6 to 23.8 cts/(keV kg yr). A part of the data not considered before has been used to test if the predictions of the background model are consistent. The observed number of events in this energy region is consistent with the background model. The background at is dominated by close sources, mainly due to K, Bi, Th, Co and emitting isotopes from the Ra decay chain. The individual fractions depend on the assumed locations of the contaminants. It is shown, that after removal of the known peaks, the energy spectrum can be fitted in an energy range of 200 keV around with a constant background. This gives a background index consistent with the full model and uncertainties of the same size.

Multiple pollutant removal using the condensing heat exchanger

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jankura, B. J. [McDermott Technology Inc., Alliance, OH (United States); Kudlac, G. A. [McDermott Technology Inc., Alliance, OH (United States); Bailey, R. T. [McDermott Technology Inc., Alliance, OH (United States)

1998-06-01

The Integrated Flue Gas Treatment (IFGT) system is a new concept whereby a Teflon ® covered condensing heat exchanger is adapted to remove certain flue gas constituents, both particulate and gaseous, while recovering low level heat. The pollutant removal performance and durability of this device is the subject of a USDOE sponsored program to develop this technology. The program was conducted under contract to the United States Department of Energy's Fossil Energy Technology Center (DOE-FETC) and was supported by the Ohio Coal Development Office (OCDO) within the Ohio Department of Development, the Electric Power Research Institute's Environmental Control Technology Center (EPRI-ECTC) and Babcock and Wilcox - a McDermott Company (B&W). This report covers the results of the first phase of this program. This Phase I project has been a two year effort. Phase I includes two experimental tasks. One task dealt principally with the pollutant removal capabilities of the IFGT at a scale of about 1.2MW_t. The other task studied the durability of the Teflon ® covering to withstand the rigors of abrasive wear by fly ash emitted as a result of coal combustion. The pollutant removal characteristics of the IFGT system were measured over a wide range of operating conditions. The coals tested included high, medium and low-sulfur coals. The flue gas pollutants studied included ammonia, hydrogen chloride, hydrogen fluoride, particulate, sulfur dioxide, gas phase and particle phase mercury and gas phase and particle phase trace elements. The particulate removal efficiency and size distribution was investigated. These test results demonstrated that the IFGT system is an effective device for both acid gas absorption and fine particulate collection. Although soda ash was shown to be the most effective reagent for acid gas absorption, comparative cost analyses suggested that magnesium enhanced lime was the most promising avenue for future study. The durability of the

Reversed-phase liquid chromatography coupled on-line with capillary gas chromatography use of an anion-exchange membrane to remove an ion-pair reagent from the eluent.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Brinkman, U.A.T.; Goosens, E.C.; de Jong, D.; de Jong, G.J.; Beerthuizen, I.M.

1995-01-01

In order to enable the coupling of reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RPLC) with capillary gas chromatography (GC), the performance of an anion-exchange micromembrane device has been studied to remove the ion-pair reagent methanesulphonic acid from an acetonitrile/water LC eluent. The regenerant

Removal of 2,4-Dichlorophenolyxacetic acid (2,4-D) herbicide in the aqueous phase using modified granular activated carbon.

Science.gov (United States)

Dehghani, Mansooreh; Nasseri, Simin; Karamimanesh, Mojtaba

2014-01-10

Low cost 2,4-Dichlorophenolyxacetic acid (2,4-D) widely used in controlling broad-leafed weeds is frequently detected in water resources. The main objectives of this research were focused on evaluating the feasibility of using granular activated carbon modified with acid to remove 2,4-D from aqueous phase, determining its removal efficiency and assessing the adsorption kinetics. The present study was conducted at bench-scale method. The influence of different pH (3-9), the effect of contact time (3-90 min), the amount of adsorbent (0.1-0.4 g), and herbicide initial concentration (0.5-3 ppm) on 2,4-D removal efficiency by the granular activated carbon were investigated. Based on the data obtained in the present study, pH of 3 and contact time of 60 min is optimal for 2,4-D removal. 2,4-D reduction rate increased rapidly by the addition of the adsorbent and decreased by herbicide initial concentration (63%). The percent of 2,4-D reduction were significantly enhanced by decreasing pH and increasing the contact time. The adsorption of 2,4-D onto the granular activated carbon conformed to Langmuir and Freundlich models, but was best fitted to type II Langmuir model (R2 = 0.999). The second order kinetics was the best for the adsorption of 2,4-D by modified granular activated carbon with R2 > 0.99. Regression analysis showed that all of the variables in the process have been statistically significant effect (p granular activated carbon modified with acid is an appropriate method for reducing the herbicide in the polluted water resources.

Q-switched laser tattoo removal

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Viljem H. topčič

2013-10-01

Full Text Available Background: Decorative tattooing gained popularity in many western countries throughout the 1990s. Some estimates show that approximately 10 % of men in the United States already have tattoos. However, tattoos often become a personal regret. As recent surveys suggest, 17 % of people that have obtained a tattoo and more than 50 % of adults over the age of 40 in the United States of America consider having them removed. The same trend can be observed in our country as well. Laser therapy is the gold standard for tattoo removal. In Slovenia, laser tattoo removal therapy is available and widely accessible. There is a wide range of facilities offering laser tattoo removal, ranging from different private clinics to beauty salons. Different facilities use different lasers, but not all lasers, however, are optimal for successful and complete tattoo removal, as inappropriate use can cause many unwanted side effects.Methods: Eleven (11 patients (2 men and 9 women requesting tattoo removal were treated in our department. When treating our patients, we used Fotona’s QX MAX quality-switched Nd:YAG laser which offers four different wavelengths in a single system; 1064 nm Nd:YAG was used to treat and remove dark pigments, 532 nm KTP for red, tan-colored, purple and orange tattoo inks, 650 nm dye for green tattoo inks and 585 nm dye for sky-blue colored inks.Results: Satisfactory tattoo removal was achieved in all patients treated. Patients were very satisfied with the success and the number of treatments needed for tattoo removal. There were mild unwanted side effects and the pain was moderate. The average number of treatments required for complete tattoo removal was less than 7, ranging from 3 to 21 treatments. Patients’ satisfaction with tattoo removal was estimated at 5.2 (on a scale from 1 to 6.Conclusions: Our study showed that Q-switched lasers successfully remove tattoo ink, however several treatments are required for satisfactory tattoo removal

Activity patterns in networks stabilized by background oscillations.

Science.gov (United States)

Hoppensteadt, Frank

2009-07-01

The brain operates in a highly oscillatory environment. We investigate here how such an oscillating background can create stable organized behavior in an array of neuro-oscillators that is not observable in the absence of oscillation, much like oscillating the support point of an inverted pendulum can stabilize its up position, which is unstable without the oscillation. We test this idea in an array of electronic circuits coming from neuroengineering: we show how the frequencies of the background oscillation create a partition of the state space into distinct basins of attraction. Thus, background signals can stabilize persistent activity that is otherwise not observable. This suggests that an image, represented as a stable firing pattern which is triggered by a voltage pulse and is sustained in synchrony or resonance with the background oscillation, can persist as a stable behavior long after the initial stimulus is removed. The background oscillations provide energy for organized behavior in the array, and these behaviors are categorized by the basins of attraction determined by the oscillation frequencies.

Experience on sodium removal from FBTR components in its operating phase

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jambunathan, D.; Rao, M.S.; Krishnamachari, V.S.; Kasiviswanathan, K.V.; Rajan, M.

1997-01-01

FBTR is a 40 MWt/13 MWe loop type, sodium cooled mixed carbide fuelled reactor. There are two primary loops, two secondary loops and a common steam-water circuit. Criticality was achieved in 1985 and during the course of the 10 years of operation phase experience has been gained on the decontamination of certain core components, primary sodium pumps, CRDM parts, handling components and cold traps. This paper deals with the decontamination aspects of these components in detail. For core subassemblies a remote sodium cleaning system was provided in the hot cell. The unique feature of this system is that it pumps alcohol into wash chamber using compressed nitrogen. During cleaning, the sub assembly is loaded into the system using master slave manipulator and compressed nitrogen gas is used to pump alcohol into the system for cleaning the outer and inner surfaces of the sub assembly in cycles. Each cycle takes about 15 minutes and around 5 to 6 cycles of cleaning were employed to remove 100 g of sodium. The level of alcohol in the tank is measured by ultrasonic level probes. The used alcohol is pumped to medium active waste storage tank. Primary and secondary sodium pumps are the large components which were cleaned off sodium using steam and water in decontamination pit. Lower part of CRDM with a failed bellow was another component cleaned in decontamination pit. An electro decontamination technique was successfully developed to remove coloration on the lower part of CRDM for reuse. A stainless steel carrier with antimony capsule was the first radio active component to undergo sodium cleaning operation in decontamination pit meant for large primary sodium circuit components after making necessary modifications. Decontamination of other components such as fingers of grippers and scrapper rings of charging and discharging flasks was carried out with alcohol under inert atmosphere. The secondary loop cold trap was successfully cleaned by hydride decomposition and vacuum

Two-stage gas-phase bioreactor for the combined removal of hydrogen sulphide, methanol and alpha-pinene.

Science.gov (United States)

Rene, Eldon R; Jin, Yaomin; Veiga, María C; Kennes, Christian

2009-11-01

Biological treatment systems have emerged as cost-effective and eco-friendly techniques for treating waste gases from process industries at moderately high gas flow rates and low pollutant concentrations. In this study, we have assessed the performance of a two-stage bioreactor, namely a biotrickling filter packed with pall rings (BTF, 1st stage) and a perlite + pall ring mixed biofilter (BF, 2nd stage) operated in series, for handling a complex mixture of hydrogen sulphide (H2S), methanol (CH3OH) and alpha-pinene (C10H16). It has been reported that the presence of H2S can reduce the biofiltration efficiency of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) when both are present in the gas mixture. Hydrogen sulphide and methanol were removed in the first stage BTF, previously inoculated with H2S-adapted populations and a culture containing Candida boidinii, an acid-tolerant yeast, whereas, in the second stage, alpha-pinene was removed predominantly by the fungus Ophiostoma stenoceras. Experiments were conducted in five different phases, corresponding to inlet loading rates varying between 2.1 and 93.5 g m(-3) h(-1) for H2S, 55.3 and 1260.2 g m(-3) h(-1) for methanol, and 2.8 and 161.1 g m(-3) h(-1) for alpha-pinene. Empty bed residence times were varied between 83.4 and 10 s in the first stage and 146.4 and 17.6 s in the second stage. The BTF, working at a pH as low as 2.7 as a result of H2S degradation, removed most of the H2S and methanol but only very little alpha-pinene. On the other hand, the BF, at a pH around 6.0, removed the rest of the H2S, the non-degraded methanol and most of the alpha-pinene vapours. Attempts were originally made to remove the three pollutants in a single acidophilic bioreactor, but the Ophiostoma strain was hardly active at pH elimination capacities (ECs) reached by the two-stage bioreactor for individual pollutants were 894.4 g m(-3) h(-1) for methanol, 45.1 g m(-3) h(-1) for H2S and 138.1 g m(-3) h(-1) for alpha-pinene. The results from this

[CLINICAL BACKGROUND ANALYSIS ABOUT TRANSURETHRAL ELECTROCOAGULATION].

Science.gov (United States)

Katsui, Masahiro; Kikuchi, Eiji; Yazawa, Satoshi; Hagiwara, Masayuki; Morita, Shinya; Shinoda, Kazunobu; Kosaka, Takeo; Mizuno, Ryuichi; Shinojima, Toshiaki; Asanuma, Hiroshi; Miyajima, Akira; Oya, Mototsugu

2015-10-01

Transurethral electrocoagulation (TUC) is a rare event but occurs in a constant manner with various causes or disorders and reduces patient quality of life. So far there have been no reports focusing on the details of TUC. We focused on the clinical background and related causes in cases of TUC in our institution. We identified 76 cases (65 patients) who underwent TUC at Keio University Hospital between April 2001 and March 2011. We focused on patient background, especially with respect to the primary disease, treatment modality, use of antiplatelet or anticoagulant agent, timing of TUC, type of electrosurgical device, and the incidence of transfusion. The primary disease for TUC included bladder tumor (BT) in 31 cases, benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) in 13, prostate cancer (PCa) in 13, idiopathic bladder bleeding in 4, periarteritis nodosa in 3, uterine cervical cancer in 3, and others in 9. TUC after transurethral resection (TUR) was found in 38 cases, including transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TURBT) in 26 of 31 BT cases and transurethral resection of prostate (TURP) in 12 of 13 BPH cases. After TURBT, TUC was performed before removal of a urethral catheter in 7 cases, and after removal of a urethral catheter in 19 cases. With regard to TUC associated with TURP, the average estimated prostate volume in TUC cases before removal of the urethral catheter was 66.2 ml, which was significantly larger than that in TUC cases after removal of the urethral catheter (46.1 ml, p = 0.045). TUC after the radiation therapy was observed in 21 cases, and the average time from the radiation therapy to TUC was 3.4 years (7 months-10 years). TUC was caused by multiple causes or disorders, and 75% of our TUC was associated with BT, BPH or PCa. TUC associated with TURBT frequently occurred within 1 week after TURBT but was still observed after 1 month following the operation. All TUC associated with TURP occurred within 3 weeks after operation. The average period from

Micropatch Antenna Phase Shifting

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Thursby, Michael

2000-01-01

.... We have been looking at the ability of embedded element to adjust the phase shift seen by the element with the goal of being able to remove the phase shifting devices from the antenna and replace...

Micropatch Antenna Phase Shifting

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Thursby, Michael

1999-01-01

.... We have been looking at the ability of embedded element to adjust the phase shift seen by the element wit the goal of being able to remove the phase shifting devices from the antenna and replace...

Speckle evolution with multiple steps of least-squares phase removal

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Chen, M

2011-08-01

Full Text Available vortex density and scintillation index. Statistical results show that almost all the optical vortices can be removed from a speckle field, which finally decays into a quasiplane wave after such an iterative process....

Membranes as separators of dispersed emulsion phases

OpenAIRE

Lefferts, A.G.

1997-01-01

The reuse or discharge of industrial waste waters, containing small fractions of dispersed oil, requires a purification treatment for which membranes can be used. If only little oil is present, removal of the dispersed phase might be preferable to the more commonly applied removal of the continuous phase. For this purpose dispersed phase separators can be applied, which combine the features of conventional coalescers and membrane filtration. The membrane surface promotes coalescence ...

Antipollution system to remove nitrogen dioxide gas

Science.gov (United States)

Metzler, A. J.; Slough, J. W.

1971-01-01

Gas phase reaction system using anhydrous ammonia removes nitrogen dioxide. System consists of ammonia injection and mixing section, reaction section /reactor/, and scrubber section. All sections are contained in system ducting.

Mercury removal from natural gas and associated condensates

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hennico, A.; Barthel, Y.; Courty, P. (Institut Francais du Petrole, 31 - Rueil-Malmaison (France). Direction Industrielle)

1990-01-01

IFP mercury trapping systems are based on CMG 273, the recently developed Procatalyse product which is the heart of IFP's gas phase and liquid phase mercury removal technology. This material, made of highly macroporous alumina supporting a metal sulfide, presents a very high reactivity towards mecury within a broad range of operating conditions, including those operating in the liquid phase. Characteristics of CMG 273 are presented. (orig.).

Laparoscopic Removal of a Large Ovarian Mass Utilizing Planned Trocar Puncture

Science.gov (United States)

2012-01-01

Background: Large cystic ovarian masses pose technical challenges to the laparoscopic surgeon. Removing large, potentially malignant specimens must be done with care to avoid the leakage of cyst fluid into the abdominal cavity. Case: We present the case of a large ovarian cystic mass treated laparoscopically with intentional trocar puncture of the mass to drain and remove the mass. Discussion: Large cystic ovarian masses can be removed laparoscopically with intentional trocar puncture of the mass to facilitate removal without leakage of cyst fluid. PMID:22906344

Frequency-dependent effects of background noise on subcortical response timing.

Science.gov (United States)

Tierney, A; Parbery-Clark, A; Skoe, E; Kraus, N

2011-12-01

The addition of background noise to an auditory signal delays brainstem response timing. This effect has been extensively documented using manual peak selection. Peak picking, however, is impractical for large-scale studies of spectrotemporally complex stimuli, and leaves open the question of whether noise-induced delays are frequency-dependent or occur across the frequency spectrum. Here we use an automated, objective method to examine phase shifts between auditory brainstem responses to a speech sound (/da/) presented with and without background noise. We predicted that shifts in neural response timing would also be reflected in frequency-specific phase shifts. Our results indicate that the addition of background noise causes phase shifts across the subcortical response spectrum (70-1000 Hz). However, this noise-induced delay is not uniform such that some frequency bands show greater shifts than others: low-frequency phase shifts (300-500 Hz) are largest during the response to the consonant-vowel formant transition (/d/), while high-frequency shifts (720-1000 Hz) predominate during the response to the steady-state vowel (/a/). Most importantly, phase shifts occurring in specific frequency bands correlate strongly with shifts in the latencies of the predominant peaks in the auditory brainstem response, while phase shifts in other frequency bands do not. This finding confirms the validity of phase shift detection as an objective measure of timing differences and reveals that this method detects noise-induced shifts in timing that may not be captured by traditional peak latency measurements. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Analytical study on holographic superfluid in AdS soliton background

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lai, Chuyu; Pan, Qiyuan; Jing, Jiliang; Wang, Yongjiu

2016-01-01

We analytically study the holographic superfluid phase transition in the AdS soliton background by using the variational method for the Sturm–Liouville eigenvalue problem. By investigating the holographic s-wave and p-wave superfluid models in the probe limit, we observe that the spatial component of the gauge field will hinder the phase transition. Moreover, we note that, different from the AdS black hole spacetime, in the AdS soliton background the holographic superfluid phase transition always belongs to the second order and the critical exponent of the system takes the mean-field value in both s-wave and p-wave models. Our analytical results are found to be in good agreement with the numerical findings.

Process for removing polychlorinated biphenyls from soil

Science.gov (United States)

Hancher, C.W.; Saunders, M.B.; Googin, J.M.

1984-11-16

The present invention relates to a method of removing polychlorinated biphenyls from soil. The polychlorinated biphenyls are extracted from the soil by employing a liquid organic solvent dispersed in water in the ratio of about 1:3 to 3:1. The organic solvent includes such materials as short-chain hydrocarbons including kerosene or gasoline which are immiscible with water and are nonpolar. The organic solvent has a greater affinity for the PCB's than the soil so as to extract the PCB's from the soil upon contact. The organic solvent phase is separated from the suspended soil and water phase and distilled for permitting the recycle of the organic solvent phase and the concentration of the PCB's in the remaining organic phase. The present process can be satisfactorily practiced with soil containing 10 to 20% petroleum-based oils and organic fluids such as used in transformers and cutting fluids, coolants and the like which contain PCB's. The subject method provides for the removal of a sufficient concentration of PCB's from the soil to provide the soil with a level of PCB's within the guidelines of the Environmental Protection Agency.

Laparoscopic Removal of a Large Ovarian Mass Utilizing Planned Trocar Puncture

OpenAIRE

Stitely, Michael L.

2012-01-01

Background: Large cystic ovarian masses pose technical challenges to the laparoscopic surgeon. Removing large, potentially malignant specimens must be done with care to avoid the leakage of cyst fluid into the abdominal cavity. Case: We present the case of a large ovarian cystic mass treated laparoscopically with intentional trocar puncture of the mass to drain and remove the mass. Discussion: Large cystic ovarian masses can be removed laparoscopically with intentional trocar puncture of the ...

NOTES AND CORRESPONDENCE Evaluation of Tidal Removal Method Using Phase Average Technique from ADCP Surveys along the Peng-Hu Channel in the Taiwan Strait

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yu-Chia Chang

2008-01-01

Full Text Available Three cruises with shipboard Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP were performed along a transect across the Peng-hu Channel (PHC in the Taiwan Strait during 2003 - 2004 in order to investigate the feasibility and accuracy of the phase-averaging method to eliminate tidal components from shipboard ADCP measurement of currents. In each cruise measurement was repeated a number of times along the transect with a specified time lag of either 5, 6.21, or 8 hr, and the repeated data at the same location were averaged to eliminate the tidal currents; this is the so-called ¡§phase-averaging method¡¨. We employed 5-phase-averaging, 4-phase-averaging, 3-phase-averaging, and 2-phase-averaging methods in this study. The residual currents and volume transport of the PHC derived from various phase-averaging methods were intercompared and were also compared with results of the least-square harmonic reduction method proposed by Simpson et al. (1990 and the least-square interpolation method using Gaussian function (Wang et al. 2004. The estimated uncertainty of the residual flow through the PHC derived from the 5-phase-averaging, 4-phase-averaging, 3-phase-averaging, and 2-phase-averaging methods is 0.3, 0.3, 1.3, and 4.6 cm s-1, respectively. Procedures for choosing a best phase average method to remove tidal currents in any particular region are also suggested.

Removal of uranium from uranium-contaminated soils -- Phase 1: Bench-scale testing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Francis, C.W.

1993-09-01

To address the management of uranium-contaminated soils at Fernald and other DOE sites, the DOE Office of Technology Development formed the Uranium in Soils Integrated Demonstration (USID) program. The USID has five major tasks. These include the development and demonstration of technologies that are able to (1) characterize the uranium in soil, (2) decontaminate or remove uranium from the soil, (3) treat the soil and dispose of any waste, (4) establish performance assessments, and (5) meet necessary state and federal regulations. This report deals with soil decontamination or removal of uranium from contaminated soils. The report was compiled by the USID task group that addresses soil decontamination; includes data from projects under the management of four DOE facilities [Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), and the Savannah River Plant (SRP)]; and consists of four separate reports written by staff at these facilities. The fundamental goal of the soil decontamination task group has been the selective extraction/leaching or removal of uranium from soil faster, cheaper, and safer than current conventional technologies. The objective is to selectively remove uranium from soil without seriously degrading the soil's physicochemical characteristics or generating waste forms that are difficult to manage and/or dispose of. Emphasis in research was placed more strongly on chemical extraction techniques than physical extraction techniques

Radon removal from gaseous xenon with activated charcoal

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Abe, K.; Hieda, K.; Hiraide, K.; Hirano, S.; Kishimoto, Y.; Kobayashi, K.; Koshio, Y. [Kamioka Observatory, Institute for Cosmic Ray Research, University of Tokyo, Kamioka, Hida, Gifu 506-1205 (Japan); Liu, J.; Martens, K. [Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe, University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8582 (Japan); Moriyama, S. [Kamioka Observatory, Institute for Cosmic Ray Research, University of Tokyo, Kamioka, Hida, Gifu 506-1205 (Japan); Nakahata, M. [Kamioka Observatory, Institute for Cosmic Ray Research, University of Tokyo, Kamioka, Hida, Gifu 506-1205 (Japan); Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe, University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8582 (Japan); Nishiie, H.; Ogawa, H.; Sekiya, H.; Shinozaki, A. [Kamioka Observatory, Institute for Cosmic Ray Research, University of Tokyo, Kamioka, Hida, Gifu 506-1205 (Japan); Suzuki, Y. [Kamioka Observatory, Institute for Cosmic Ray Research, University of Tokyo, Kamioka, Hida, Gifu 506-1205 (Japan); Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe, University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8582 (Japan); Takachio, O.; Takeda, A.; Ueshima, K.; Umemoto, D. [Kamioka Observatory, Institute for Cosmic Ray Research, University of Tokyo, Kamioka, Hida, Gifu 506-1205 (Japan); and others

2012-01-01

Many low background experiments using xenon need to remove radioactive radon to improve their sensitivities. However, no method of continually removing radon from xenon has been described in the literature. We studied a method to remove radon from xenon gas through an activated charcoal trap. From our measurements we infer a linear relationship between the mean propagation velocity v{sub Rn} of radon and v{sub Xe} of xenon in the trap with v{sub Rn}/v{sub Xe}=(0.96{+-}0.10) Multiplication-Sign 10{sup -3} at -85 Degree-Sign C. As the mechanism for radon removal in this charcoal trap is its decay, knowledge of this parameter allows us to design an efficient radon removal system for the XMASS experiment. The verification of this system found that it reduces radon by a factor of 0.07, which is in line with its expected average retention time of 14.8 days for radon.

Magnetic Solid Phase Extraction and Removal of Five Cationic Dyes from Aqueous Solution Using Magnetite Nanoparticle Loaded Platanusorientalis Waste Leaves

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elaheh Madrakian

2016-12-01

Full Text Available This paper reports on synthesis of a magnetic adsorbent for wastewater treatment purposes. In this regard, platanus orientalis waste leaves were chosen as a cheap material for preparing the magnetic adsorbent by loading magnetite nanoparticles on it. The synthesized adsorbent was characterized using scanning electron microscope and X-ray diffractometer. Then, it was used for magnetic solid phase extraction and removal of five cationic dyes including methyl violet (MV, methylene blue (MB, malachite green (MG, crystal violet (CV, and neutral red (NR from aqueous solution as a model application. Different important factors affecting the adsorption process were optimized, and the results showed that under the optimized conditions (pH 10 for CV, MV, MB, and MG; pH 6 for NR; adsorbent dosage, 20 mg; agitation time, 25 min efficient removal of the investigated dyes (adsorption capacities between of 89-133 mg g-1 is achievable using the synthesized adsorbent. Furthermore, the reusability experiments showed that the adsorbent could be reused at least ten cycles without any significant loss in its sorption behavior.

Enhanced adsorbability and photocatalytic activity of TiO2-graphene composite for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons removal in aqueous phase.

Science.gov (United States)

Bai, Hongzhen; Zhou, Jun; Zhang, Hongjian; Tang, Guping

2017-02-01

Photodegradation via titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ) has been used to remove polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from environmental media broadly. In this study, a series of TiO 2 -graphene composites (P25-GR) with different GR weight ratios were synthesized via hydrothermal reaction of graphene oxide (GO) and P25. Their structures were characterized and the proprieties were tested in aqueous phase. Phenanthrene (PHE), fluoranthene (FLAN), and benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) were selected as models of PAHs. The experiment indicated that P25-2.5%GR exhibited enhancement in both adsorption and photodegradation, ∼80% of PAHs were removed after 2h photocatalysis. The influence of photodegradation rate was studied, including PAHs initial concentration and pH. Aromatic intermediates were identified during the reaction process and the degradation pathways were portrayed. This work explored the enhanced photocatalysis performance was attributed to the PAH-selective adsorbability and the strong electron transfer ability of the composite. The analysis of the degradation intermediates confirmed that the reaction proceeded with the formation of free radicals, leading to the gradual PAH mineralization. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Theta frequency background tunes transmission but not summation of spiking responses.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dhanya Parameshwaran

Full Text Available Hippocampal neurons are known to fire as a function of frequency and phase of spontaneous network rhythms, associated with the animal's behaviour. This dependence is believed to give rise to precise rate and temporal codes. However, it is not well understood how these periodic membrane potential fluctuations affect the integration of synaptic inputs. Here we used sinusoidal current injection to the soma of CA1 pyramidal neurons in the rat brain slice to simulate background oscillations in the physiologically relevant theta and gamma frequency range. We used a detailed compartmental model to show that somatic current injection gave comparable results to more physiological synaptically driven theta rhythms incorporating excitatory input in the dendrites, and inhibitory input near the soma. We systematically varied the phase of synaptic inputs with respect to this background, and recorded changes in response and summation properties of CA1 neurons using whole-cell patch recordings. The response of the cell was dependent on both the phase of synaptic inputs and frequency of the background input. The probability of the cell spiking for a given synaptic input was up to 40% greater during the depolarized phases between 30-135 degrees of theta frequency current injection. Summation gain on the other hand, was not affected either by the background frequency or the phasic afferent inputs. This flat summation gain, coupled with the enhanced spiking probability during depolarized phases of the theta cycle, resulted in enhanced transmission of summed inputs during the same phase window of 30-135 degrees. Overall, our study suggests that although oscillations provide windows of opportunity to selectively boost transmission and EPSP size, summation of synaptic inputs remains unaffected during membrane oscillations.

An Evaluation of the Vapor Phase Catalytic Ammonia Removal Process for Use in a Mars Transit Vehicle

Science.gov (United States)

Flynn, Michael; Borchers, Bruce

1998-01-01

An experimental program has been developed to evaluate the potential of the Vapor Phase Catalytic Ammonia Reduction (VPCAR) technology for use as a Mars Transit Vehicle water purification system. Design modifications which will be required to ensure proper operation of the VPCAR system in reduced gravity are also evaluated. The VPCAR system is an integrated wastewater treatment technology that combines a distillation process with high temperature catalytic oxidation. The distillation portion of the system utilizes a vapor compression distillation process to provide an energy efficient phase change separation. This portion of the system removes any inorganic salts and large molecular weight, organic contaminates, i.e., non-volatile, from the product water stream and concentrates these contaminates into a byproduct stream. To oxidize the volatile organic compounds and ammonia, a vapor phase, high temperature catalytic oxidizer is used. This catalytic system converts these compounds along with the aqueous product into CO2, H2O, and N2O. A secondary catalytic bed can then be used to reduce the N2O to nitrogen and oxygen (although not evaluated in this study). This paper describes the design specification of the VPCAR process, the relative benefits of its utilization in a Mars Transit Vehicle, and the design modification which will be required to ensure its proper operation in reduced gravity. In addition, the results of an experimental evaluation of the processors is presented. This evaluation presents the processors performance based upon product water purity, water recovery rates, and power.

Limits of Astrophysics with Gravitational-Wave Backgrounds

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thomas Callister

2016-08-01

Full Text Available The recent Advanced LIGO detection of gravitational waves from the binary black hole GW150914 suggests there exists a large population of merging binary black holes in the Universe. Although most are too distant to be individually resolved by advanced detectors, the superposition of gravitational waves from many unresolvable binaries is expected to create an astrophysical stochastic background. Recent results from the LIGO and Virgo Collaborations show that this astrophysical background is within reach of Advanced LIGO. In principle, the binary black hole background encodes interesting astrophysical properties, such as the mass distribution and redshift distribution of distant binaries. However, we show that this information will be difficult to extract with the current configuration of advanced detectors (and using current data analysis tools. Additionally, the binary black hole background also constitutes a foreground that limits the ability of advanced detectors to observe other interesting stochastic background signals, for example, from cosmic strings or phase transitions in the early Universe. We quantify this effect.

Arsenic removal by magnetic nanocrystalline barium hexaferrite

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Patel, Hasmukh A.; Byun, Jeehye; Yavuz, Cafer T.

2012-01-01

Nanoscale magnetite (Fe 3 O 4 ) ( 12 O 19 , BHF) is a well-known permanent magnet (i.e., fridge magnets) and attractive due to its low cost in making large quantities. BHF offers a viable alternative to magnetite nanocrystals for arsenic removal since it features surfaces similar to iron oxides but with much enhanced magnetism. Herein, we employ BHF nanocrystalline materials for the first time in arsenic removal from wastewater. Our results show better (75 %) arsenic removal than magnetite of the similar sizes. The BHF nanoparticles, 6.06 ± 0.52 nm synthesized by thermolysis method at 320 °C do not show hexagonal phase, however, subsequent annealing at 750 °C produced pure hexagonal BHF in >200 nm assemblies. By using BHF, we demonstrate that nanoparticle removal is more efficient and fixed bed type cartridge applications are more possible.

Eriochrome Blue Black modified activated carbon as solid phase extractor for removal of Pb(II ions from water samples

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hassan M. Albishri

2017-05-01

Full Text Available In the current study, a sensitive and simple method for the removal of lead Pb(II, from water samples prior to its determination by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES, was investigated. The method utilized activated carbon (AC physically modified with Eriochrome Blue Black (EBB as a solid-phase extractant. Surface properties of the AC-EBB phase were characterized by FT-IR and SEM. The separation parameters for effective adsorption of lead Pb(II, including effects of pH, initial concentration of Pb(II, coexisting ions and shaking time using batch method were studied. The optimum pH value for the separation of Pb(II on the new sorbent was 7.0, and the maximum static adsorption capacity of Pb(II onto the AC-EBB was 127.896 mg/g at this pH and after 1 h contact time. The Pb(II adsorption data were modeled using Langmuir adsorption isotherms. Results demonstrated that the adsorption of Pb(II onto activated carbon followed pseudo second-order kinetic model.

Phases of Holographic QCD

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lippert, Matthew

2009-01-01

We investigated the Sakai-Sugimoto model of large N QCD at nonzero temperature and baryon chemical potential and in the presence of background electric and magnetic fields. We studied the holographic representation of baryons and the deconfinement, chiral-symmetry breaking, and nuclear matter phase transitions. In a background electric field, chiral-symmetry breaking corresponds to an insulator-conductor transition. A magnetic field both catalyzes chiral-symmetry breaking and generates, in the confined phase, a pseudo-scalar gradient or, in the deconfined phase, an axial current. The resulting phase diagram is in qualitative agreement with studies of hot, dense QCD.

Tritium removal using vanadium hydride

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hill, F.B.; Wong, Y.W.; Chan, Y.N.

1978-01-01

The results of an initial examination of the feasibility of separation of tritium from gaseous protium-tritium mixtures using vanadium hydride in cyclic processes is reported. Interest was drawn to the vanadium-hydrogen system because of the so-called inverse isotope effect exhibited by this system. Thus the tritide is more stable than the protide, a fact which makes the system attractive for removal of tritium from a mixture in which the light isotope predominates. The initial results of three phases of the research program are reported, dealing with studies of the equilibrium and kinetics properties of isotope exchange, development of an equilibrium theory of isotope separation via heatless adsorption, and experiments on the performance of a single heatless adsorption stage. In the equilibrium and kinetics studies, measurements were made of pressure-composition isotherms, the HT--H 2 separation factors and rates of HT--H 2 exchange. This information was used to evaluate constants in the theory and to understand the performance of the heatless adsorption experiments. A recently developed equilibrium theory of heatless adsorption was applied to the HT--H 2 separation using vanadium hydride. Using the theory it was predicted that no separation would occur by pressure cycling wholly within the β phase but that separation would occur by cycling between the β and γ phases and using high purge-to-feed ratios. Heatless adsorption experiments conducted within the β phase led to inverse separations rather than no separation. A kinetic isotope effect may be responsible. Cycling between the β and γ phases led to separation but not to the predicted complete removal of HT from the product stream, possibly because of finite rates of exchange. Further experimental and theoretical work is suggested which may ultimately make possible assessment of the feasibility and practicability of hydrogen isotope separation by this approach

Background Noise Reduction Using Adaptive Noise Cancellation Determined by the Cross-Correlation

Science.gov (United States)

Spalt, Taylor B.; Brooks, Thomas F.; Fuller, Christopher R.

2012-01-01

Background noise due to flow in wind tunnels contaminates desired data by decreasing the Signal-to-Noise Ratio. The use of Adaptive Noise Cancellation to remove background noise at measurement microphones is compromised when the reference sensor measures both background and desired noise. The technique proposed modifies the classical processing configuration based on the cross-correlation between the reference and primary microphone. Background noise attenuation is achieved using a cross-correlation sample width that encompasses only the background noise and a matched delay for the adaptive processing. A present limitation of the method is that a minimum time delay between the background noise and desired signal must exist in order for the correlated parts of the desired signal to be separated from the background noise in the crosscorrelation. A simulation yields primary signal recovery which can be predicted from the coherence of the background noise between the channels. Results are compared with two existing methods.

Measurements of the cosmic background radiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weiss, R.

1980-01-01

Measurements of the attributes of the 2.7-K microwave background radiation (CBR) are reviewed, with emphasis on the analytic phase of CBR studies. Methods for the direct measurement of the CBR spectrum are discussed. Attention is given to receivers, antennas, absolute receiver calibration, atmospheric emission and absorption, the galactic background contribution, the analysis of LF measurements, and recent HF observations of the CBR spectrum. Measurements of the large-angular-scale intensity distribution of the CBR (the most convincing evidence that the radiation is of cosmological origin) are examined, along with limits on the linear polarization of the CBR. A description is given of the NASA-sponsored Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) satellite mission. The results of the COBE mission will be a set of sky maps showing, in the wave number range from 1 to 10,000 kaysers, the galactic background radiation due to synchrotron emission from galactic cosmic rays, to diffuse thermal emission from H II regions, and to diffuse thermal emission from interstellar and interplanetary dust, as well as a residue consisting of the CBR and whatever other cosmological background might exist

Statistical Removal of Shadow for Applications to Gait Recognition

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Hockersmith, Brian

2008-01-01

.... The thesis begins with the analysis of videos of solid colored backgrounds. A formulation of the effect of shadow on specified colors will aid in the derivation of a hypothesis test to remove an individual's shadow...

Neutron studies of nanostructured CuO-Al2O3 NOx removal catalysts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ozawa, Masakuni; Loong Chun-Keung

1997-01-01

Nanostructured powders of automotive catalytic system CuO0Al 2 O 3 , targeted for nitrogen oxides (NOx) removal under lean-burn engine conditions, were investigated using neutron diffraction and small-angle neutron scattering. The crystal phases, structural transformations and microstructure of 10 mol% Cu-Al 2 O 3 powders are characterized according to the heat-treatment conditions. These properties are correlated with the pore structure and NOx removal efficiency determined by nitrogen adsorption isotherm, electron spin resonance, and temperature programmed reaction measurements. The γ-(Cu, Al) 2 O 3 phase and the mass-fractal-like aggregate of particles (size ∼ 26 nm) at annealing temperatures below 900 degrees C were found to be crucial to the high NOx removal performance. The transformation to bulk crystalline phases of α-Al 2 O 3 + CuAl 2 O 4 spinel above ∼1050 degrees C corresponds to a drastic drop of Nox removal efficiency. The usefulness of neutron-scattering techniques as well as their complementarity with other traditional methods of catalytic research are discussed

Which trees should be removed in thinning?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Timo Pukkala

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Background: In economically optimal management, trees that are removed in a thinning treatment should be selected on the basis of their value, relative value increment and the effect of removal on the growth of remaining trees. Large valuable trees with decreased value increment should be removed, especially when they overtop smaller trees. Methods: This study optimized the tree selection rule in the thinning treatments of continuous cover management when the aim is to maximize the profitability of forest management. The weights of three criteria (stem value, relative value increment and effect of removal on the competition of remaining trees were optimized together with thinning intervals. Results and conclusions: The results confirmed the hypothesis that optimal thinning involves removing predominantly large trees. Increasing stumpage value, decreasing relative value increment, and increasing competitive influence increased the likelihood that removal is optimal decision. However, if the spatial distribution of trees is irregular, it is optimal to leave large trees in sparse places and remove somewhat smaller trees from dense places. However, the benefit of optimal thinning, as compared to diameter limit cutting is not usually large in pure one-species stands. On the contrary, removing the smallest trees from the stand may lead to significant (30–40 % reductions in the net present value of harvest incomes. Keywords: Continuous cover forestry, Tree selection, High thinning, Optimal management, Spatial distribution, Spatial growth model

Self-Esteem and Institutionalized Delinquent Offenders: The Role of Background Characteristics.

Science.gov (United States)

Fischer, B. Jerome; Bersani, Carl A.

1979-01-01

The hypothesis studied was derived from the work of control theorists: that self-esteem would be higher for offenders "removed" from conventional ties, lower for those maintaining conventional attachments. Family background and self-esteem scores of 75 male delinquents strongly supported this hypothesis. Implications for incarceration are drawn.…

An Assessment of the Technical Readiness of the Vapor Phase Catalytic Ammonia Removal Process (VPCAR) Technology

Science.gov (United States)

Flynn, Michael

2000-01-01

This poster provides an assessment of the technical readiness of the Vapor Phase Catalytic Ammonia Removal Process (VPCAR). The VPCAR technology is a fully regenerative water recycling technology designed specifically for applications such as a near term Mars exploration mission. The VPCAR technology is a highly integrated distillation/catalytic oxidation based water processor. It is designed to accept a combined wastewater stream (urine, condensate, and hygiene) and produces potable water in a single process step which requires -no regularly scheduled re-supply or maintenance for a 3 year mission. The technology is designed to be modular and to fit into a volume comparable to a single International Space Station Rack (when sized for a crew of 6). This poster provides a description of the VPCAR technology and a summary of the current performance of the technology. Also provided are the results of two separate NASA sponsored system trade studies which investigated the potential payback of further development of the VPCAR technology.

Indications for surgical removal of the eye in adults: a five-year review

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Background: To determine the indications and procedures used for removing the eye in adults in our environment. Method: A retrospective study of destructive ocular surgeries carried out between January 1999 and December 2003. Theatre and case records of adult patients that underwent surgical removal of the eye over ...

Removal of Separable Organic From Tank 241-C-103 Scoping Study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

KOCH, M.R.

2000-05-16

This study is based on previous evaluations/proposals for removing the floating organic layer in C-103. A practical method is described with assumptions, cost and schedule estimates, and risks. Proposed operational steps include bulk organic removal, phase separation, organic washing and offsite disposal, followed by an in-situ polishing process.

Removal of Separable Organic From Tank 241-C-103 Scoping Study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

KOCH, M.R.

2000-01-01

This study is based on previous evaluations/proposals for removing the floating organic layer in C-103. A practical method is described with assumptions, cost and schedule estimates, and risks. Proposed operational steps include bulk organic removal, phase separation, organic washing and offsite disposal, followed by an in-situ polishing process

Arsenic removal by magnetic nanocrystalline barium hexaferrite

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Patel, Hasmukh A.; Byun, Jeehye; Yavuz, Cafer T., E-mail: yavuz@kaist.ac.kr [Graduate School of EEWS, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) (Korea, Republic of)

2012-07-15

Nanoscale magnetite (Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4}) (<15 nm) is known to remove arsenic efficiently but is very difficult to separate or require high magnetic fields to separate out from the waste water after treatment. Anisotropic hexagonal ferrite (BaFe{sub 12}O{sub 19}, BHF) is a well-known permanent magnet (i.e., fridge magnets) and attractive due to its low cost in making large quantities. BHF offers a viable alternative to magnetite nanocrystals for arsenic removal since it features surfaces similar to iron oxides but with much enhanced magnetism. Herein, we employ BHF nanocrystalline materials for the first time in arsenic removal from wastewater. Our results show better (75 %) arsenic removal than magnetite of the similar sizes. The BHF nanoparticles, 6.06 {+-} 0.52 nm synthesized by thermolysis method at 320 Degree-Sign C do not show hexagonal phase, however, subsequent annealing at 750 Degree-Sign C produced pure hexagonal BHF in >200 nm assemblies. By using BHF, we demonstrate that nanoparticle removal is more efficient and fixed bed type cartridge applications are more possible.

Background-free search for neutrinoless double-β decay of 76Ge with GERDA

Science.gov (United States)

Agostini, M.; Allardt, M.; Bakalyarov, A. M.; Balata, M.; Barabanov, I.; Baudis, L.; Bauer, C.; Bellotti, E.; Belogurov, S.; Belyaev, S. T.; Benato, G.; Bettini, A.; Bezrukov, L.; Bode, T.; Borowicz, D.; Brudanin, V.; Brugnera, R.; Caldwell, A.; Cattadori, C.; Chernogorov, A.; D'Andrea, V.; Demidova, E. V.; di Marco, N.; di Vacri, A.; Domula, A.; Doroshkevich, E.; Egorov, V.; Falkenstein, R.; Fedorova, O.; Freund, K.; Frodyma, N.; Gangapshev, A.; Garfagnini, A.; Gooch, C.; Grabmayr, P.; Gurentsov, V.; Gusev, K.; Hakenmüller, J.; Hegai, A.; Heisel, M.; Hemmer, S.; Hofmann, W.; Hult, M.; Inzhechik, L. V.; Janicskó Csáthy, J.; Jochum, J.; Junker, M.; Kazalov, V.; Kihm, T.; Kirpichnikov, I. V.; Kirsch, A.; Kish, A.; Klimenko, A.; Kneißl, R.; Knöpfle, K. T.; Kochetov, O.; Kornoukhov, V. N.; Kuzminov, V. V.; Laubenstein, M.; Lazzaro, A.; Lebedev, V. I.; Lehnert, B.; Liao, H. Y.; Lindner, M.; Lippi, I.; Lubashevskiy, A.; Lubsandorzhiev, B.; Lutter, G.; Macolino, C.; Majorovits, B.; Maneschg, W.; Medinaceli, E.; Miloradovic, M.; Mingazheva, R.; Misiaszek, M.; Moseev, P.; Nemchenok, I.; Palioselitis, D.; Panas, K.; Pandola, L.; Pelczar, K.; Pullia, A.; Riboldi, S.; Rumyantseva, N.; Sada, C.; Salamida, F.; Salathe, M.; Schmitt, C.; Schneider, B.; Schönert, S.; Schreiner, J.; Schulz, O.; Schütz, A.-K.; Schwingenheuer, B.; Selivanenko, O.; Shevchik, E.; Shirchenko, M.; Simgen, H.; Smolnikov, A.; Stanco, L.; Vanhoefer, L.; Vasenko, A. A.; Veresnikova, A.; von Sturm, K.; Wagner, V.; Walter, M.; Wegmann, A.; Wester, T.; Wiesinger, C.; Wojcik, M.; Yanovich, E.; Zhitnikov, I.; Zhukov, S. V.; Zinatulina, D.; Zuber, K.; Zuzel, G.; GERDA Collaboration

2017-04-01

Many extensions of the Standard Model of particle physics explain the dominance of matter over antimatter in our Universe by neutrinos being their own antiparticles. This would imply the existence of neutrinoless double-β decay, which is an extremely rare lepton-number-violating radioactive decay process whose detection requires the utmost background suppression. Among the programmes that aim to detect this decay, the GERDA Collaboration is searching for neutrinoless double-β decay of 76Ge by operating bare detectors, made of germanium with an enriched 76Ge fraction, in liquid argon. After having completed Phase I of data taking, we have recently launched Phase II. Here we report that in GERDA Phase II we have achieved a background level of approximately 10-3 counts keV-1 kg-1 yr-1. This implies that the experiment is background-free, even when increasing the exposure up to design level. This is achieved by use of an active veto system, superior germanium detector energy resolution and improved background recognition of our new detectors. No signal of neutrinoless double-β decay was found when Phase I and Phase II data were combined, and we deduce a lower-limit half-life of 5.3 × 1025 years at the 90 per cent confidence level. Our half-life sensitivity of 4.0 × 1025 years is competitive with the best experiments that use a substantially larger isotope mass. The potential of an essentially background-free search for neutrinoless double-β decay will facilitate a larger germanium experiment with sensitivity levels that will bring us closer to clarifying whether neutrinos are their own antiparticles.

Efficient bounding schemes for the two-center hybrid flow shop scheduling problem with removal times.

Science.gov (United States)

Hidri, Lotfi; Gharbi, Anis; Louly, Mohamed Aly

2014-01-01

We focus on the two-center hybrid flow shop scheduling problem with identical parallel machines and removal times. The job removal time is the required duration to remove it from a machine after its processing. The objective is to minimize the maximum completion time (makespan). A heuristic and a lower bound are proposed for this NP-Hard problem. These procedures are based on the optimal solution of the parallel machine scheduling problem with release dates and delivery times. The heuristic is composed of two phases. The first one is a constructive phase in which an initial feasible solution is provided, while the second phase is an improvement one. Intensive computational experiments have been conducted to confirm the good performance of the proposed procedures.

Synthesis and characterization of conditioned carbon with iron nanoparticles for the arsenic removal in aqueous phase

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Flores C, D. O.

2012-01-01

Using pineapple husks conditioned with carboxymethylcellulose, hexamine and ferric nitrate, a carbonaceous material was obtained with nanoparticles of Fe (C Fe), which was characterized and tested for arsenic removal in the aqueous phase. The microscopic study showed spheres 4 microns and filaments 100 nm wide, so as iron particles whose diameter decreases to an average of 38.81 nm, when pyrolysis time was increased to 180 min. their distribution in the carbonaceous matrix is homogeneous. According to energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, C Fe contains C (82.29%), O (7.23%), K (0.68%), Ca (3.77%) and Fe (6.25%) and its diffraction pattern shows the characteristic peak of Fe (0), which is not observed in the coal without iron. By neutron activation analysis were quantified Al, Br, Ce, Co, Cr, Cs, Eu, Hf, K, Mg, Mn, Na, Rb, Sb, Sc and Zn, they can be involved in the process of sorption of As (v) forming surface active sites. For C Fe and C B characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectrometry, groups C-H, C=O, C=C, -Nh, NH 2 , isocyanate and isonitrile were found, the last two were formed by the present hexamine. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy showed energy states of C 1 and O 1 in pineapple shell washed, shell conditioned with iron, C Fe at different times and the pyrolysis coal without iron (C B). The material C Fe 180 presented a specific area of 167 m 2 /g and 7.12 ± 1 sites/nm 2 isoelectric point while pH i = 11.1 C B is 98.80 m 2 /g specific area and 1.5 ± 1 sites/nm 2 and pH i = 10.6, being favorable to the sorption process. The highest removal of As(v) for both materials was at ph = 2, fitting the kinetic data to pseudo-second order model. The isotherms as a function of concentration were adjusted to Freundlich model indicating multilayer chemisorption at specific sites of a heterogeneous medium. Characterization by scanning electron microscopy after the sample sorption Fe nanoparticles remain in the carbonaceous matrix being not affected by the

The Effects of Background Noise on the Performance of an Automatic Speech Recogniser

Science.gov (United States)

Littlefield, Jason; HashemiSakhtsari, Ahmad

2002-11-01

Ambient or environmental noise is a major factor that affects the performance of an automatic speech recognizer. Large vocabulary, speaker-dependent, continuous speech recognizers are commercially available. Speech recognizers, perform well in a quiet environment, but poorly in a noisy environment. Speaker-dependent speech recognizers require training prior to them being tested, where the level of background noise in both phases affects the performance of the recognizer. This study aims to determine whether the best performance of a speech recognizer occurs when the levels of background noise during the training and test phases are the same, and how the performance is affected when the levels of background noise during the training and test phases are different. The relationship between the performance of the speech recognizer and upgrading the computer speed and amount of memory as well as software version was also investigated.

Surgical removal versus retention for the management of asymptomatic disease-free impacted wisdom teeth

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ghaeminia, H.; Perry, J.; Nienhuijs, M.E.L.; Toedtling, V.; Tummers, M.J.; Hoppenreijs, T.J.; Sanden, W.J.M. van der; Mettes, T.G.P.H.

2016-01-01

BACKGROUND: Prophylactic removal of asymptomatic disease-free impacted wisdom teeth is surgical removal of wisdom teeth in the absence of symptoms and with no evidence of local disease. Impacted wisdom teeth may be associated with pathological changes, such as pericoronitis, root resorption, gum and

Decision Document for Heat Removal from High-Level Waste Tanks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

WILLIS, W.L.

2000-01-01

This document establishes the combination of design and operational configurations that will be used to provide heat removal from high-level waste tanks during Phase 1 waste feed delivery to prevent the waste temperature from exceeding tank safety requirement limits. The chosen method--to use the primary and annulus ventilation systems to remove heat from the high-level waste tanks--is documented herein

Myocardial imaging with thallium-201: an experimental model for analysis of the true myocardial and background image components

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Narahara, K.A.; Hamilton, G.W.; Williams, D.L.; Gould, K.L.

1977-01-01

The true myocardial and background components of a resting thallium-201 myocardial image were determined in an experimental dog model. True background was determined by imaging after the heart had been removed and replaced with a water-filled balloon of equal size and shape. In all studies, the background estimated from the region surrounding the heart exceeded true background activity. Furthermore, the relationship between true myocardial background and that estimated from the pericardiac region was inconsistent. Background estimates based on the activity surrounding the heart were not accurate predictors of true background activity

Arsenic removal by manganese greensand filters

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Phommavong, T. [Saskatchewan Environment, Regina (Canada); Viraraghavan, T. [Univ. of Regina, Saskatchewan (Canada). Faculty of Engineering

1994-12-31

Some of the small communities in Saskatchewan are expected to have difficulty complying with the new maximum acceptable concentration (MAC) of 25 {micro}g/L for arsenic. A test column was set up in the laboratory to study the removal of arsenic from the potable water using oxidation with KMnO{sub 4}, followed by manganese greensand filtration. Tests were run using water from the tap having a background arsenic concentration of <0.5 {micro}g/L and iron concentration in the range of 0.02 to 0.77 mg/L. The test water was spiked with arsenic and iron. Results showed that 61 % to 98% of arsenic can be removed from the potable water by oxidation with KMnO{sub 4} followed by manganese greensand filtration.

First Measurements of Beam Backgrounds at SuperKEKB

CERN Document Server

Vahsen, S.E.; Jaegle, I.; Nakayama, H.; Aloisio, A.; Ameli, F.; Barrett, M.; Beaulieu, A.; Bosisio, L.; Branchini, P.; Browder, T.E.; Budano, A.; Cautero, G.; Cecchi, C.; Chen, Y.-T.; Chu, K.-N.; Cinabro, D.; Cristaudo, P.; de Jong, S.; de Sangro, R.; Finocchiaro, G.; Flanagan, J.; Funakoshi, Y.; Gabriel, M.; Giordano, R.; Giuressi, D.; Hedges, M. T.; Honkanen, N.; Ikeda, H.; Ishibashi, T.; Kaji, H.; Kanazawa, K.; Kiesling, C.; Koirala, S.; Križan, P.; La Licata, C.; Lanceri, L.; Liau, J.-J.; Lin, F.-H.; Lin, J.-C.; Liptak, Z.; Longo, S.; Manoni, E.; Marinas, C.; Miyabayashi, K.; Mulyani, E.; Morita, A.; Nakao, M.; Nayak, M.; Ohnishi, Y.; Passeri, A.; Poffenberger, P.; Ritzert, M.; Roney, J M.; Rossi, A.; Röder, T.; Seddon, R.M.; Seong, I.S.; Shiu, J.-G.; Simon, F.; Soloviev, Y.; Suetsugu, Y.; Szalay, M.; Terui, S.; Tortone, G.; van der Kolk, N.; Vitale, L.; Wang, M.Z.; Windel, H.; Yokoyama, S.

2018-01-01

The high design luminosity of the SuperKEKB electron-positron collider is expected to result in challenging levels of beam-induced backgrounds in the interaction region. Properly simulating and mitigating these backgrounds is critical to the success of the Belle~II experiment. We report on measurements performed with a suite of dedicated beam background detectors, collectively known as BEAST II, during the so-called Phase 1 commissioning run of SuperKEKB in 2016, which involved operation of both the high energy ring (HER) of 7 GeV electrons as well as the low energy ring (LER) of 4 GeV positrons. We describe the BEAST II detector systems, the simulation of beam backgrounds, and the measurements performed. The measurements include standard ones of dose rates versus accelerator conditions, and more novel investigations, such as bunch-by-bunch measurements of injection backgrounds and measurements sensitive to the energy spectrum and angular distribution of fast neutrons. We observe beam-gas, Touschek, beam-dust...

Dim point target detection against bright background

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Yao; Zhang, Qiheng; Xu, Zhiyong; Xu, Junping

2010-05-01

For target detection within a large-field cluttered background from a long distance, several difficulties, involving low contrast between target and background, little occupancy, illumination ununiformity caused by vignetting of lens, and system noise, make it a challenging problem. The existing approaches to dim target detection can be roughly divided into two categories: detection before tracking (DBT) and tracking before detection (TBD). The DBT-based scheme has been widely used in practical applications due to its simplicity, but it often requires working in the situation with a higher signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). In contrast, the TBD-based methods can provide impressive detection results even in the cases of very low SNR; unfortunately, the large memory requirement and high computational load prevents these methods from real-time tasks. In this paper, we propose a new method for dim target detection. We address this problem by combining the advantages of the DBT-based scheme in computational efficiency and of the TBD-based in detection capability. Our method first predicts the local background, and then employs the energy accumulation and median filter to remove background clutter. The dim target is finally located by double window filtering together with an improved high order correlation which speeds up the convergence. The proposed method is implemented on a hardware platform and performs suitably in outside experiments.

Improvements in iodine and ruthenium removal from advanced liquid processing system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Skibo, A. [Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States). Savannah River National Lab. (SRNL)

2017-09-27

SRNL has considerable experience in designing, engineering, and operating systems for removing iodine-129 (I-129) and ruthenium-106 (Ru-106) from waste streams that are directly analogous to the Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS) waste streams. SRNL proposes to provide the technical background and design and engineering support for an improved I-129 and Ru-106 removal system for application to ALPS on the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (NPS).

Fiber-Based Adsorbents Tailored for PLSS Ammonia and Formaldehyde Removal, Phase II

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Development of advanced lightweight Trace Contaminant Control (TCC) filters plays an important role in removing ammonia and formaldehyde contaminants?both those...

Advanced Product Water Removal and Management (APWR) Fuel Cell System, Phase II

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The proposed innovation is a passive, self-regulating, gravity-independent Advanced Product Water Removal (APWR) system for Polymer Electrolyte Membrane (PEM)...

Investigation of Removal Efficiency of Nano Sized Alumina for Removal of Acid Red 18 from Aqueous Solutions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M.H. Dehghani

2014-08-01

Full Text Available Background and Objectives: Acid Red 18 dye was one of the Azo colors that are used in textile and dyeing industries. These dyes are often toxic and carcinogenic to humans and the environment as pollution. This study was conducted with the aim of investigating on nano alumina efficiency for removal of Acid Red 18 dye from aqueous solutions. Materials and Methods: This study was carried out in the laboratory scales and effect of The initial concentration of dye (25 to 100 mg/l, pH solution (3, 7, 11, nano alumina concentration (0.1, 0.4, 1, 1.5 g/l and contact time in range 5 to 240 min on dye removal efficiency were evaluated. Also kinetic and isotherm models of adsorption process were evaluated. Results: The high removal efficiency was observed in pH=3, contact time=60 min and Adsorbent concentration of 0.4 g/L. The rate of color removal were 63/24, 50/84 and 20 percent respectively at pH of 3, 7 and 11 for the initial dye concentration of 25 mg/l and 0.4 g/l mass absorbent that showing with increasing pH removal efficiency is reduced. the studied dye absorption isotherm was fitted Langmuir model (R2=0.994 which was 83.33 mg/g for maximum adsorption. The results from kinetic studies showed that removal of the studied dye was best described by pseudo-second order kinetic model (r2=0.999. Conclusion: The present study shows nano alumina powder is promising adsorbent for removal of Acid Red 18 from aqueous solution.

Measuring background by the DIN-1M spectrometer using the oscillating absorbing screen method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Glazkov, Yu.Yu.; Liforov, V.G.; Novikov, A.G.; Parfenov, V.A.; Semenov, V.A.

1982-01-01

Technique for measuring background by a double pulse slow neutron spectrometer is described. To measure the background on oscillating absorbing screen (OAS) periodically overlapping primary neutron beam at the input of a mechanical interrupter was used. During the overlapping monochromatic neutrons conditioned the effect are removed out of the beam and general background conditions are not practically applied. Screen oscillation permits to realize the condition of simultaneous measurement of effect and background neutrons. The optimal period of oscillations amounts to approximately 3 min. Analysis of neutron spectra scattered with different materials and corresponding background curves measured by means of the OAS technique shows that the share of monochromatic neutrons passing through the screen constitutes less than 1% of elastic peak and relative decrease of the total background level doesn't exceed 1.5-2%

Advanced Product Water Removal and Management (APWR) Fuel Cell System, Phase I

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The proposed innovation is a passive, self-regulating, gravity-independent Advanced Product Water Removal and management (APWR) system for incorporation into Polymer...

Dust removal system for fusion experimental reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Onozuka, M.; Ueda, Y.; Takahashi, K.; Oda, Y.; Seki, Y.; Ueda, S.; Aoki, I.

1995-01-01

Development of a dust removal system using static electricity has been conducted. It is envisioned that the system can collect and transport dust under vacuum. In the system, the dust is charged by dielectric polarization and floated by an electrostatic attraction force that is generated by the DC electric field. The dust is then transported by the electric curtain formed by the three-phase AC electric field. Experimental investigation has been conducted to examine the characteristics of the system. Current research results indicate that the dust removal system using static electricity can be used for fusion experimental reactors

Dust removal system for fusion experimental reactors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Onozuka, M.; Ueda, Y.; Takahashi, K.; Oda, Y. [Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd., Yokohama (Japan); Seki, Y.; Ueda, S.; Aoki, I. [Japan Atomic Energy Research Inst., Naka, Ibaraki (Japan)

1995-12-31

Development of a dust removal system using static electricity has been conducted. It is envisioned that the system can collect and transport dust under vacuum. In the system, the dust is charged by dielectric polarization and floated by an electrostatic attraction force that is generated by the DC electric field. The dust is then transported by the electric curtain formed by the three-phase AC electric field. Experimental investigation has been conducted to examine the characteristics of the system. Current research results indicate that the dust removal system using static electricity can be used for fusion experimental reactors.

Hand Gesture Recognition Using Modified 1$ and Background Subtraction Algorithms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hazem Khaled

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Computers and computerized machines have tremendously penetrated all aspects of our lives. This raises the importance of Human-Computer Interface (HCI. The common HCI techniques still rely on simple devices such as keyboard, mice, and joysticks, which are not enough to convoy the latest technology. Hand gesture has become one of the most important attractive alternatives to existing traditional HCI techniques. This paper proposes a new hand gesture detection system for Human-Computer Interaction using real-time video streaming. This is achieved by removing the background using average background algorithm and the 1$ algorithm for hand’s template matching. Then every hand gesture is translated to commands that can be used to control robot movements. The simulation results show that the proposed algorithm can achieve high detection rate and small recognition time under different light changes, scales, rotation, and background.

Two-step phase retrieval algorithm based on the quotient of inner products of phase-shifting interferograms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Niu, Wenhu; Zhong, Liyun; Sun, Peng; Zhang, Wangping; Lu, Xiaoxu

2015-01-01

Based on the quotient of inner products, a simple and rapid algorithm is proposed to retrieve the measured phase from two-frame phase-shifting interferograms with unknown phase shifts. Firstly, we filtered the background of interferograms by a Gaussian high-pass filter. Secondly, we calculated the inner products of the background-filtered interferograms. Thirdly, we extracted the phase shifts by the quotient of the inner products then calculated the measured phase by an arctangent function. Finally, we tested the performance of the proposed algorithm by the simulation calculation and the experimental research for a vortex phase plate. Both the simulation calculation and the experimental result showed that the phase shifts and the measured phase with high accuracy can be obtained by the proposed algorithm rapidly and conveniently. (paper)

Phase 1 remediation of jet fuel contaminated soil and groundwater at JFK International Airport using dual phase extraction and bioventing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roth, R.; Bianco, P. Rizzo, M.

1995-01-01

Soil and groundwater contaminated with jet fuel at Terminal One of the JFK International Airport in New York have been remediated using dual phase extraction (DPE) and bioventing. Two areas were remediated using 51 DPE wells and 20 air sparging/air injection wells. The total area remediated by the DPE wells is estimated to be 4.8 acres. Groundwater was extracted to recover nonaqueous phase and aqueous phase jet fuel from the shallow aquifer and treated above ground by the following processes; oil/water separation, iron-oxidation, flocculation, sedimentation, filtration, air stripping and liquid-phase granular activated carbon (LPGAC) adsorption. The extracted vapors were treated by vapor-phase granular activated carbon (VPGAC) adsorption in one area, and catalytic oxidation and VPGAC adsorption in another area. After 6 months of remediation, approximately 5,490 lbs. of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were removed by soil vapor extraction (SVE), 109,650 lbs. of petroleum hydrocarbons were removed from the extracted groundwater, and 60,550 lbs. of petroleum hydrocarbons were biologically oxidized by subsurface microorganisms. Of these three mechanisms, the rate of petroleum hydrocarbon removal was the highest for biological oxidation in one area and by groundwater extraction in another area

Product removal and solids transport from fluidized-bed calciners

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grimmett, E.S.; Munger, D.H.

1978-09-01

Methods of removing the solid product from pilot-plant and production fluidized-bed calciners, and transporting product to underground storage vaults are reported here. Testing of dense-phase solids transport systems in test loops during development of a 15-cm-diam. and 30-cm-diam. calciner are described. A lean-phase solid transport system is used with the Waste Calcining Facility. The results of some recent tests done in a lean-phase transport system connected to the 30-cm-diam. calciner are included in this report

Nest sanitation as the evolutionary background for egg ejection behaviour and the role of motivation for object removal.

Science.gov (United States)

Poláček, Miroslav; Griggio, Matteo; Bartíková, Michaela; Hoi, Herbert

2013-01-01

Higher interclutch colour variation can evolve under the pressure of brood parasitism to increase the detection of parasitic eggs. Nest sanitation could be a prerequisite for the evolution of anti-parasite defence in terms of egg ejection. In this respect, we used nest sanitation behaviour as a tool to identify: i) motivation and its underlying function and, ii) which features provoke ejection behaviour. Therefore, we experimentally tested whether size, colour or shape may influence ejection behaviour using artificial flat objects. We found a high interclutch variation in egg colouration and egg size in our tree sparrow (Passer montanus) population. Using colour and size we were in fact able to predict clutch affiliation for each egg. Our experiments further revealed the existence of direct anti-parasite behaviours and birds are able to recognise conspecific eggs, since only experimentally-deposited eggs have been removed. Moreover, experiments with different objects revealed that the motivation of tree sparrows to remove experimental objects from their nests was highest during egg laying for objects of varying size, most likely because of parasitism risk at this breeding stage. In contrary, motivation to remove white objects and objects with edges was higher during incubation stage as behavioural patterns connected to hatching started to emerge. The fact that rejection rate of our flat objects was higher than real egg ejection, suggests that egg ejection in tree sparrows and probably more general in small passerines, to be limited by elevated costs to eject eggs with their beaks. The presence of anti-parasite behaviour supports our suggestion that brood parasitism causes variation in egg features, as we have found that tree sparrows can recognise and reject conspecific eggs in their clutch. In conclusion, in tree sparrows it seems that nest sanitation plays a key role in the evolution of the removal of parasitic eggs.

Nest sanitation as the evolutionary background for egg ejection behaviour and the role of motivation for object removal.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Miroslav Poláček

Full Text Available Higher interclutch colour variation can evolve under the pressure of brood parasitism to increase the detection of parasitic eggs. Nest sanitation could be a prerequisite for the evolution of anti-parasite defence in terms of egg ejection. In this respect, we used nest sanitation behaviour as a tool to identify: i motivation and its underlying function and, ii which features provoke ejection behaviour. Therefore, we experimentally tested whether size, colour or shape may influence ejection behaviour using artificial flat objects. We found a high interclutch variation in egg colouration and egg size in our tree sparrow (Passer montanus population. Using colour and size we were in fact able to predict clutch affiliation for each egg. Our experiments further revealed the existence of direct anti-parasite behaviours and birds are able to recognise conspecific eggs, since only experimentally-deposited eggs have been removed. Moreover, experiments with different objects revealed that the motivation of tree sparrows to remove experimental objects from their nests was highest during egg laying for objects of varying size, most likely because of parasitism risk at this breeding stage. In contrary, motivation to remove white objects and objects with edges was higher during incubation stage as behavioural patterns connected to hatching started to emerge. The fact that rejection rate of our flat objects was higher than real egg ejection, suggests that egg ejection in tree sparrows and probably more general in small passerines, to be limited by elevated costs to eject eggs with their beaks. The presence of anti-parasite behaviour supports our suggestion that brood parasitism causes variation in egg features, as we have found that tree sparrows can recognise and reject conspecific eggs in their clutch. In conclusion, in tree sparrows it seems that nest sanitation plays a key role in the evolution of the removal of parasitic eggs.

Enhanced mass removal due to phase explosion during high irradiance nanosecond laser ablation of silicon

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yoo, Jong Hyun [Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States)

2000-05-01

The morphology of craters resulting from high irradiance laser ablation of silicon was measured using a white light interferometry microscope. The craters show a dramatic increase in their depth and volume at a certain irradiance, indicating a change in the primary mechanism for mass removal. Laser shadowgraph imaging was used to characterize and differentiate the mass ejection processes for laser irradiances above and below the threshold value. Time-resolved images show distinct features of the mass ejected at irradiances above the threshold value including the presence of micron-sized particulates; this begins at approximately 300 ~ 400 ns after the start of laser heating. The analysis of the phenomena was carried out by using two models: a thermal evaporation model and a phase explosion model. Estimation of the crater depth due to the thermally evaporated mass led to a large underestimation of the crater depth for irradiances above the threshold. Above the threshold irradiance, the possibility of phase explosion was analyzed. Two important results are the thickness of the superheated liquid layer that is close to the critical temperature and the time for vapor bubbles that are generated in the superheated liquid to achieve a critical size. After reaching the critical size, vapor bubbles can grow spontaneously resulting in a violent ejection of liquid droplets from the superheated volume. The effects of an induced transparency, i.e. of liquid silicon turning into an optically transparent liquid dielectric medium, are also introduced. The estimated time for a bubble to reach the critical size is in agreement with the delay time measured for the initiation of large mass ejection. Also, the thickness of the superheated liquid layer that is close to the critical temperature at the time of the beginning of the large mass ejection is representative of the crater depth at the threshold irradiance. These results suggest that phase explosion is a plausible thermal

Method for removing heavy metal and nitrogen oxides from flue gas, device for removing heavy metal and nitrogen oxides from flue gas

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Huang, Hann-Sheng; Livengood, Charles David

1997-12-01

A method for the simultaneous removal of oxides and heavy metals from a fluid is provided comprising combining the fluid with compounds containing alkali and sulfur to create a mixture; spray drying the mixture to create a vapor phase and a solid phase; and isolating the vapor phase from the solid phase. A device is also provided comprising a means for spray-drying flue gas with alkali-sulfide containing liquor at a temperature sufficient to cause the flue gas to react with the compounds so as to create a gaseous fraction and a solid fraction and a means for directing the gaseous fraction to a fabric filter.

Identification of backgrounds in the EDELWEISS-I dark matter search experiment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fiorucci, S. [CEA, Centre d' Etudes Nucleaires de Saclay, DSM/DAPNIA, 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette Cedex (France); Benoit, A. [Centre de Recherche sur les Tres Basses Temperatures, SPM-CNRS, BP 166, 38042 Grenoble (France); Berge, L. [Centre de Spectroscopie Nucleaire et de Spectroscopie de Masse, UMR8609 IN2P3-CNRS, Univ. Paris Sud, bat 108, 91405 Orsay Campus (France)] (and others)

2007-05-15

This paper presents our interpretation and understanding of the different backgrounds in the EDELWEISS-I data sets. We analyze in detail the several populations observed, which include gammas, alphas, neutrons, thermal sensor events and surface events, and try to combine all data sets to provide a coherent picture of the nature and localization of the background sources. In light of this interpretation, we draw conclusions regarding the background suppression scheme for the EDELWEISS-II phase. (authors)

Identification of backgrounds in the EDELWEISS-I dark matter search experiment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fiorucci, S. [CEA, Centre d' Etudes Nucleaires de Saclay, DSM/DAPNIA, 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette Cedex (France); Benoit, A. [Centre de Recherche sur les Tres Basses Temperatures, SPM-CNRS, BP 166, 38042 Grenoble (France); Berge, L. [Centre de Spectroscopie Nucleaire et de Spectroscopie de Masse, UMR 8609 IN2P3-CNRS, Univ. Paris Sud, bat 108, 91405 Orsay Campus (France)] (and others)

2006-10-15

This paper presents our interpretation and understanding of the different backgrounds in the EDELWEISS-I data sets. We analyze in detail the several populations observed, which include gammas, alphas, neutrons, thermal sensor events and surface events, and try to combine all data sets to provide a coherent picture of the nature and localisation of the background sources. In light of this interpretation, we draw conclusions regarding the background suppression scheme for the EDELWEISS-II phase. (authors)

AMMONIA REMOVAL AND NITROUS OXIDE PRODUCTION IN GAS-PHASE COMPOST BIOFILTERS

Science.gov (United States)

Biofiltration technology is widely utilized for treating ammonia gas (NH3), with one of its potential detrimental by-products being nitrous oxide (N2O), a greenhouse gas approximately 300 times more reactive to infrared than CO2. The present work intends to provide the relation between NH3 removal d...

Influence of dissolved organic matter concentration and composition on the removal efficiency of perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) during drinking water treatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Kothawala, Dolly N; Köhler, Stephan J; Östlund, Anna; Wiberg, Karin; Ahrens, Lutz

2017-09-15

Drinking water treatment plants (DWTPs) are constantly adapting to a host of emerging threats including the removal of micro-pollutants like perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), while concurrently considering how background levels of dissolved organic matter (DOM) influences their removal efficiency. Two adsorbents, namely anion exchange (AE) and granulated active carbon (GAC) have shown particular promise for PFAS removal, yet the influence of background levels of DOM remains poorly explored. Here we considered how the removal efficiency of 13 PFASs are influenced by two contrasting types of DOM at four concentrations, using both AE (Purolite A-600 ® ) and GAC (Filtrasorb 400 ® ). We placed emphasis on the pre-equilibrium conditions to gain better mechanistic insight into the dynamics between DOM, PFASs and adsorbents. We found AE to be very effective at removing both PFASs and DOM, while largely remaining resistant to even high levels of background DOM (8 mg carbon L -1 ) and surprisingly found that smaller PFASs were removed slightly more efficiently than longer chained counterparts, In contrast, PFAS removal efficiency with GAC was highly variable with PFAS chain length, often improving in the presence of DOM, but with variable response based on the type of DOM and PFAS chain length. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Tattoo removal in the typical adolescent

Science.gov (United States)

2011-01-01

Background Although popular tattoos are often regretted later on for different reasons. Nevertheless, tattoo removal is a complicated and costly procedure seldom providing satisfactory results. The aim of this study was to investigate the awareness of the implications of tattoo removal among a substantial sample of Italian secondary school adolescents. Findings Students were recruited by a stratified convenience sample and surveyed by a self administered questionnaire. Logistic regression analysis was performed, reporting adjusted Odds Ratios (OR), with 95% Confidence Interval (CI). 4,277 pupils returned a usable questionnaire. Piercings were more frequently undertaken than tattoos. Only 40% of the respondents were aware of the issues related to tattoo removal. Males and pupils with younger fathers were less likely to be aware, whereas students satisfied with their physical appearance and those with a positive attitude towards body art were more likely to be aware. Conclusions Male adolescents with younger fathers can be regarded as the ideal target of corporate health education programs driven by school counsellors and primary care physicians. PMID:21693015

Tattoo removal in the typical adolescent

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mazzoleni Francesco F

2011-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Although popular tattoos are often regretted later on for different reasons. Nevertheless, tattoo removal is a complicated and costly procedure seldom providing satisfactory results. The aim of this study was to investigate the awareness of the implications of tattoo removal among a substantial sample of Italian secondary school adolescents. Findings Students were recruited by a stratified convenience sample and surveyed by a self administered questionnaire. Logistic regression analysis was performed, reporting adjusted Odds Ratios (OR, with 95% Confidence Interval (CI. 4,277 pupils returned a usable questionnaire. Piercings were more frequently undertaken than tattoos. Only 40% of the respondents were aware of the issues related to tattoo removal. Males and pupils with younger fathers were less likely to be aware, whereas students satisfied with their physical appearance and those with a positive attitude towards body art were more likely to be aware. Conclusions Male adolescents with younger fathers can be regarded as the ideal target of corporate health education programs driven by school counsellors and primary care physicians.

A low background pulsed neutron polyenergetic beam

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Adib, M.; Abdelkawy, A.; Habib, N.; abuelela, M.; Wahba, M.; kilany, M.; Kalebebin, S.M.

1992-01-01

A low background pulsed neutron polyenergetic thermal beam at ET-R R-1 is produced by a rotor and rotating collimator suspended in magnetic fields. Each of them is mounted on its mobile platform and whose centres are 66 cm apart, rotating synchronously at speeds up to 16000 rpm. It was found that the neutron burst produced by the rotor with almost 100% transmission passes through the collimator, when the rotation phase between them is 28.8 degree Moreover the background level achieved at the detector position is low, constant and free from peaks due to gamma rays and fast neutrons accompanying the reactor thermal beam.3 fig

Biofouling Removal and Protein Detection Using a Hypersonic Resonator.

Science.gov (United States)

Pan, Shuting; Zhang, Hongxiang; Liu, Wenpeng; Wang, Yanyan; Pang, Wei; Duan, Xuexin

2017-08-25

Nonspecific binding (NSB) is a general issue for surface based biosensors. Various approaches have been developed to prevent or remove the NSBs. However, these approaches either increased the background signals of the sensors or limited to specific transducers interface. In this work, we developed a hydrodynamic approach to selectively remove the NSBs using a microfabricated hypersonic resonator with 2.5 gigahertz (GHz) resonant frequency. The high frequency device facilitates generation of multiple controlled microvortexes which then create cleaning forces at the solid-liquid interfaces. The competitive adhesive and cleaning forces have been investigated using the finite element method (FEM) simulation, identifying the feasibility of the vortex-induced NSB removal. NSB proteins have been selectively removed experimentally both on the surface of the resonator and on other substrates which contact the vortexes. Thus, the developed hydrodynamic approach is believed to be a simple and versatile tool for NSB removal and compatible to many sensor systems. The unique feature of the hypersonic resonator is that it can be used as a gravimetric sensor as well; thus a combined NSB removal and protein detection dual functional biosensor system is developed.

Neutron stimulated emission computed tomography: Background corrections

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Floyd, Carey E.; Sharma, Amy C.; Bender, Janelle E.; Kapadia, Anuj J.; Xia, Jessie Q.; Harrawood, Brian P.; Tourassi, Georgia D.; Lo, Joseph Y.; Kiser, Matthew R.; Crowell, Alexander S.; Pedroni, Ronald S.; Macri, Robert A.; Tajima, Shigeyuki; Howell, Calvin R.

2007-01-01

Neutron stimulated emission computed tomography (NSECT) is an imaging technique that provides an in-vivo tomographic spectroscopic image of the distribution of elements in a body. To achieve this, a neutron beam illuminates the body. Nuclei in the body along the path of the beam are stimulated by inelastic scattering of the neutrons in the beam and emit characteristic gamma photons whose unique energy identifies the element. The emitted gammas are collected in a spectrometer and form a projection intensity for each spectral line at the projection orientation of the neutron beam. Rotating and translating either the body or the beam will allow a tomographic projection set to be acquired. Images are reconstructed to represent the spatial distribution of elements in the body. Critical to this process is the appropriate removal of background gamma events from the spectrum. Here we demonstrate the equivalence of two background correction techniques and discuss the appropriate application of each

Scholastic Ability vs. Family Background in Educational Success

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

McIntosh, James; D. Munk, Martin

This research examines the role of scholastic ability and family background variables in the determination of educational attainment in Denmark. A categorical representation of the highest level of education attained by the individual is the dependent variable. It is analyzed by procedures which...... take account of the presence of unobservable factors. Parent's education and occupation along with an indicator of scholastic ability which is represented by a set of aptitude tests explain a small but significant portion of the variation in their children's educational success. Women are shown...... to respond differently to their environments than men and including these test scores does not remove the need to deal with unmeasured attributes. On the basis of the available data, family background variables as a group contribute more to the explained variation in the data than the test scores. Finally...

Mitigation of {sup 222}Rn induced background in the XENON1T dark matter experiment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bruenner, Stefan A.

2017-07-05

{sup 222}Rn is a major source of background in many rare-event experiments such as the XENON1T dark matter search. The noble gas radon is created by radioactive decay inside all detector materials and emanates into the sensitive liquid xenon target disabling any detector shielding. Subsequent beta-decays of radon progenies are the dominant source of background in the XENON1T experiment. In order to mitigate radon induced background the detector's construction materials have been selected according to dedicated {sup 222}Rn emanation measurements. In the first part of this thesis, we summarize the results of the XENON1T radon screening campaign and present the measurement of the integral radon emanation rate of the fully assembled detector. The development of a radon removal system which continuously purifies the liquid xenon target from the emanated radon is the topic of the second part of this thesis. In order to demonstrate the suitability of cryogenic distillation as a technique to separate radon from xenon, we developed an experimental setup to measure the depletion of radon in xenon boil-off gas after a single distillation step. In the last part of the thesis, we demonstrate the operation of a radon removal system for the XENON100 experiment. For this first test employing a running dark matter detector, we integrated a multiple stage, cryogenic distillation column in the XENON100 gas purification loop. From the evolution of the radon concentration in XENON100, we investigate the distillation column's radon removal capability and discuss the design and application of a radon removal system for XENON1T and the upcoming XENONnT experiment.

Evaluation of Shifted Excitation Raman Difference Spectroscopy and Comparison to Computational Background Correction Methods Applied to Biochemical Raman Spectra.

Science.gov (United States)

Cordero, Eliana; Korinth, Florian; Stiebing, Clara; Krafft, Christoph; Schie, Iwan W; Popp, Jürgen

2017-07-27

Raman spectroscopy provides label-free biochemical information from tissue samples without complicated sample preparation. The clinical capability of Raman spectroscopy has been demonstrated in a wide range of in vitro and in vivo applications. However, a challenge for in vivo applications is the simultaneous excitation of auto-fluorescence in the majority of tissues of interest, such as liver, bladder, brain, and others. Raman bands are then superimposed on a fluorescence background, which can be several orders of magnitude larger than the Raman signal. To eliminate the disturbing fluorescence background, several approaches are available. Among instrumentational methods shifted excitation Raman difference spectroscopy (SERDS) has been widely applied and studied. Similarly, computational techniques, for instance extended multiplicative scatter correction (EMSC), have also been employed to remove undesired background contributions. Here, we present a theoretical and experimental evaluation and comparison of fluorescence background removal approaches for Raman spectra based on SERDS and EMSC.

Status of Gerda Phase II

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wagner, Victoria [Max-Planck-Institut fuer Kernphysik, Heidelberg (Germany); Collaboration: GERDA-Collaboration

2016-07-01

The GERDA experiment is designed to search for neutrinoless double beta (0νββ) decay of {sup 76}Ge. In Phase I of the experiment a background index (BI) of 10{sup -2} cts/(keV.kg.yr) was reached. No signal has been found and a lower limit on the half-life of 2.1.10{sup 25} yr (at 90% C.L.) is extracted. The aim of Phase II is to double the Ge mass and further reduce the BI by an order of magnitude to explore half-lives of about 10{sup 26} yr. Thirty new Broad Energy Germanium (BEGe) detectors have been produced. These detectors are distinct for their improved energy resolution and enhanced pulse shape discrimination of signal from background events. Further background reduction will be reached by an active veto to read out argon scintillation light. The Phase II commissioning showed that two of the major background components, external γ-rays from {sup 214}Bi and {sup 208}Tl decays, can be suppressed up to two orders of magnitude. This talk presents the current status of the GERDA Phase II upgrade.

Nitrate removal properties of solid-phase denitrification processes using acid-blended poly(L-lactic acid) as the sole substrate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamada, T; Matsuoka, H; Sun, J; Tsuji, H; Hiraishi, A; Yoshikawa, S

2013-01-01

The large amount of waste that is discharged along with the diffusion of poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) articles in use is persistent concern. Previously, we studied solid-phase denitrification (SPD) processes using PLLA to establish an effective re-use of PLLA waste. We found that PLLA with a weight-average molecular weight (M w ) of approximately 10,000 was suitable for SPD processes; however, the recycling of PLLA waste consumes a high energy. A new PLLA plastic including 5% poly(ethylene oxalate) (PEOxPLLA) as a blend material has attracted attention because recycling of PEOxPLLA consumes less electricity than that of PLLA. In this study, our main objectives were to evaluate whether PEOxPLLA can be used for SPD processes by changing its M w and to investigate the bioavailability for denitrification of hydrolysates released from PEOxPLLA. The predicted hydrolysates, including oxalic acid, ethylene glycol, and lactate, are abiotically released, leading to different biological nitrate removal rates. Consequently, the nitrate removal rate of PEOxPLLA ranged from 0.9–4.1 mg-NO 3 − -N·g-MLSS·h −1 by changing the M w in the range of 8,500–238,000. In culture-dependent approaches, denitrifying bacteria using each substrate as an electron donor are found in activated sludge, suggesting that all hydrolysates functioned in the SPD processes using PEOxPLLA.

Operational strategies for nitrogen removal in granular sequencing batch reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, Fang-yuan; Liu, Yong-Qiang; Tay, Joo-Hwa; Ning, Ping

2011-01-01

This study investigated the effects of different operational strategies for nitrogen removal by aerobic granules with mean granule sizes of 1.5 mm and 0.7 mm in a sequencing batch reactor (SBR). With an alternating anoxic/oxic (AO) operation mode without control of dissolve oxygen (DO), the granular sludge with different size achieved the total inorganic nitrogen (TIN) removal efficiencies of 67.8-71.5%. While under the AO condition with DO controlled at 2 mg/l at the oxic phase, the TIN removal efficiency was improved up to 75.0-80.4%. A novel operational strategy of alternating anoxic/oxic combined with the step-feeding mode was developed for nitrogen removal by aerobic granules. It was found that nitrogen removal efficiencies could be further improved to 93.0-95.9% with the novel strategy. Obviously, the alternating anoxic/oxic strategy combined with step-feeding is the optimal way for TIN removal by granular sludge, which is independent of granule size.

Research on Extraction of Ship Target in Complex Sea-sky Background

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kang, W J; Ding, X M; Cui, J W; Ao, L

2006-01-01

Research on the extraction of ship target in complex sea-sky background has important value to improve the capability of imaging-typed sea navigation and nautical traffic control systems. According to the imaging property of complex sea-sky background, a reliable ship target extraction method is proposed in this paper. The general guide line is that getting the sea-sky division line as a priori knowledge and then the target potential area is determined through discontinuous region of the sea-sky division line. Firstly, a local selective window filter is adopted to filter the image; secondly, eight directions Sobel operator edge detection method and gradient Hough transform are combined to extract sea-sky division line in the image; then a multi-histogram matching technique is adopted to remove the sea and sky background and thus ship target is extracted from complex background. The experiments show that our method has the merits of robustness to noise, small computational complexity and stability

A Fast, Background-Independent Retrieval Strategy for Color Image Databases

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Das, M; Draper, B. A; Lim, W. J; Manmatha, R; Riseman, E. M

1996-01-01

We describe an interactive, multi-phase color-based image retrieval system which is capable of identifying query objects specified by the user in an image in the presence of significant, interfering backgrounds...

Status Report on Phase Identification in Hanford Tank Sludges

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rapko, B.M.; Lumetta, G.J.

2000-01-01

The US Department of Energy plans to vitrify Hanford's tank wastes. The vitrified wastes will be divided into low-activity and high-level fractions. There is an effort to reduce the quantity of high-activity wastes by removing nonradioactive components because of the high costs involved in treating high-level waste. Pretreatment options, such as caustic leaching, to selectively remove nonradioactive components are being investigated. The effectiveness of these proposed processes for removing nonradioactive components depends on the chemical phases in the tank sludges. This review summarizes the chemical phases identified to date in Hanford tank sludges

Occurrence of pharmaceuticals in a municipal wastewater treatment plant: mass balance and removal processes.

Science.gov (United States)

Gao, Pin; Ding, Yunjie; Li, Hui; Xagoraraki, Irene

2012-06-01

Occurrence and removal efficiencies of fifteen pharmaceuticals were investigated in a conventional municipal wastewater treatment plant in Michigan. Concentrations of these pharmaceuticals were determined in both wastewater and sludge phases by a high-performance liquid chromatograph coupled to a tandem mass spectrometer. Detailed mass balance analysis was conducted during the whole treatment process to evaluate the contributing processes for pharmaceutical removal. Among the pharmaceuticals studied, demeclocycline, sulfamerazine, erythromycin and tylosin were not detected in the wastewater treatment plant influent. Other target pharmaceuticals detected in wastewater were also found in the corresponding sludge phase. The removal efficiencies of chlortetracycline, tetracycline, sulfamerazine, acetaminophen and caffeine were >99%, while doxycycline, oxytetracycline, sulfadiazine and lincomycin exhibited relatively lower removal efficiencies (e.g., <50%). For sulfamethoxazole, the removal efficiency was approximately 90%. Carbamazepine manifested a net increase of mass, i.e. 41% more than the input from the influent. Based on the mass balance analysis, biotransformation is believed to be the predominant process responsible for the removal of pharmaceuticals (22% to 99%), whereas contribution of sorption to sludge was relatively insignificant (7%) for the investigated pharmaceuticals. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

High pH mobile phase effects on silica-based reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic columns

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kirkland, J.J.; Straten, van M.A.; Claessens, H.A.

1995-01-01

Aqueous mobile phases above pH 8 often cause premature column failure, limiting the utility of silica-based columns for applications requiring high pH. Previous studies suggest that covalently bound silane ligands are hydrolyzed and removed by high-pH mobile phases. However, we found that the

Membranes as separators of dispersed emulsion phases

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lefferts, A.G.

1997-01-01

The reuse or discharge of industrial waste waters, containing small fractions of dispersed oil, requires a purification treatment for which membranes can be used. If only little oil is present, removal of the dispersed phase might be preferable to the more commonly applied removal of the

Removal of trace metal contaminants from potable water by electrocoagulation

Science.gov (United States)

Heffron, Joe; Marhefke, Matt; Mayer, Brooke K.

2016-06-01

This study investigated the effects of four operational and environmental variables on the removal of trace metal contaminants from drinking water by electrocoagulation (EC). Removal efficiencies for five metals (arsenic, cadmium, chromium, lead and nickel) were compared under varying combinations of electrode material, post-treatment, water composition and pH. Iron electrodes out-performed aluminum electrodes in removing chromium and arsenic. At pH 6.5, aluminum electrodes were slightly more effective at removing nickel and cadmium, while at pH 8.5, iron electrodes were more effective for these metals. Regardless of electrode, cadmium and nickel removal efficiencies were higher at pH 8.5 than at pH 6.5. Post-EC treatment using membrane filtration (0.45 μm) enhanced contaminant removal for all metals but nickel. With the exception of lead, all metals exhibited poorer removal efficiencies as the ionic strength of the background electrolyte increased, particularly in the very high-solids synthetic groundwaters. Residual aluminum concentrations were lowest at pH 6.5, while iron residuals were lowest in low ionic strength waters. Both aluminum and iron residuals required post-treatment filtration to meet drinking water standards. EC with post-treatment filtration appears to effectively remove trace metal contaminants to potable water standards, but both reactor and source water parameters critically impact removal efficiency.

Mercury removal at Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory's New Waste Calciner Facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ashworth, S.C.

2000-01-01

Technologies were investigated to determine viable processes for removing mercury from the calciner (NWCF) offgas system at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory. Technologies for gas phase and aqueous phase treatment were evaluated. The technologies determined are intended to meet EPA Maximum Achievable Control Technology (MACT) requirements under the Clean Air Act and Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). Currently, mercury accumulation in the calciner off-gas scrubbing system is transferred to the tank farm. These transfers lead to accumulation in the liquid heels of the tanks. The principal objective for aqueous phase mercury removal is heel mercury reduction. The system presents a challenge to traditional methods because of the presence of nitrogen oxides in the gas phase and high nitric acid in the aqueous scrubbing solution. Many old and new technologies were evaluated including sorbents and absorption in the gas phase and ion exchange, membranes/sorption, galvanic methods, and UV reduction in the aqueous phase. Process modifications and feed pre-treatment were also evaluated. Various properties of mercury and its compounds were summarized and speciation was predicted based on thermodynamics. Three systems (process modification, NOxidizer combustor, and electrochemical aqueous phase treatment) and additional technology testing were recommended

Removal of ammonia from gas streams with dielectric barrier discharge plasmas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xia Lanyan; Huang Li; Shu Xiaohong; Zhang Renxi; Dong Wenbo; Hou Huiqi

2008-01-01

We reported on the experimental study of gas-phase removal of ammonia (NH 3 ) via dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) at atmospheric pressure, in which we mainly concentrated on three aspects-influence of initial NH 3 concentration, peak voltage, and gas residence time on NH 3 removal efficiency. Effectiveness, e.g. the removal efficiency, specific energy density, absolute removal amount and energy yield, of the self-made DBD reactor had also been studied. Basic analysis on DBD physical parameters and its performance was made in comparison with previous investigation. Moreover, products were detected via ion exchange chromatography (IEC). Experimental results demonstrated the application potential of DBD as an alternative technology for odor-causing gases elimination from gas streams

Remediation of explosive-polluted soil in slurry phase by aerobic biostimulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xin, Baoping; Shen, Mengyue; Aslam, Hina; Wu, Feng

2013-01-01

There is a great volume of polluted soil by 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) manufacturing wastewater containing dozen of nitrocompounds in China. In this study, biostimulation was used for remediating the explosive-polluted soil in aerobic bioslurry by monitoring the removal of total organic carbon (TOC). The results showed that the pulp density had almost no effect on TOC removal; whereas the acetone addition evidently improved remediation efficiency of the polluted soil by intrinsic microorganism, and the TOC removal increased from 25% to 38.4% when dose of acetone increased from 0% to 4% (v/v). The maximum TOC removal of 49.1% was achieved through further adjusting pH at 9.0 and temperature at 30 °C. The second order reaction fits well removal dynamics of TOC under the optimum conditions. With the average conditions, liquid phase TOC decreased from 3404 to 3144 mg/L and solid phase TOC dropped from 1022 to 104 mg/L, leading to toxicity decline by 35%; the optimum condition witnessed 48.9% of TOC removal from 4500 to 2300 mg/L in liquid phase, causing toxicity drop by 62%.

Background approximation in automatic qualitative X-ray-fluorescent analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jordanov, J.; Tsanov, T.; Stefanov, R.; Jordanov, N.; Paunov, M.

1982-01-01

An empirical method of finding the dependence of the background intensity (Isub(bg) on the wavelength is proposed, based on the approximation of the experimentally found values for the background in the course of an automatic qualitative X-ray fluorescent analysis with pre-set curve. It is assumed that the dependence I(lambda) will be well approximated by a curve of the type Isub(bg)=(lambda-lambda sub(o)sup(fsub(1)(lambda))exp[fsub(2)(lambda)] where fsub(1) (lambda) and f 2 (lambda) are linear functions with respect to the sought parameters. This assumption was checked out on a ''pure'' starch background, in which it is not known beforehand which points belong to the background. It was assumed that the dependence I(lambda) can be found from all minima in the spectrum. Three types of minima has been distinguished: 1. the lowest point between two well-solved X-ray lines; 2. a minimum obtained as a result of statistical fluctuations of the measured signal; 3. the lowest point between two overlapped lines. The minima strongly deviating from the background are removed from the obtained set. The sum-total of the remaining minima serves as a base for the approximation of the dependence I(lambda). The unknown parameters are determined by means of the LSM. The approximated curve obtained by this method is closer to the real background than the background determined by the method described by Kigaki Denki, as the effect of all recorded minima is taken into account. As an example the PbTe spectrum recorded with crystal LiF 220 is shown graphically. The curve well describes the background of the spectrum even in the regions in which there are no minima belonging to the background. (authors)

Effect of feed strategy and cod/sulfate ratio on the removal of sulfate in an AnSBBR with recirculation of the liquid phase

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Archilha, N. C.; Canto, C. S. A.; Ratusznei, S. M.; Rodrigues, J. A.D.; Zaiat, M.; Foresti, E.

2009-01-01

The objective of this work was to analyze the effect of the interaction between feed strategy and COD/[SO 4 2 ] ratio on the efficiency of sulfate removal from a synthetic wastewater. To this end, an anaerobic sequencing batch reactor, with recirculation of the liquid phase, containing immobilized biomass on polyurethane foam (AnSBBR) was used. The reactor, with a working volume of 2.7 L, treated 2.0 L synthetic wastewater in 8-h cycles. The system was inoculated with anaerobic biomass from a UASB reactor and was maintained at 30± 1 degree centigrade in a chamber with temperature control. (Author)

The characterization and removal of Chernobyl debris in garden soils

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andersson, K.G.

1991-01-01

Severe nuclear accidents such as the one in Chernobyl in 1986 may give unacceptably high external radiation levels, which even in the late phase may make a resettlement of an evacuated population impossible unless action is taken to decrease the exposure. As the urban land areas to be reclaimed may be very large the cost of the dose reducing countermeasure to be used may be an important factor. In the Chernobyl debris the most important radionuclides concerning the long term external radiation were found to be Cs-137, Cs-134, and Ru-106. Therefore, the aim of this work is to investigate the behaviour of these radionuclides in garden soils, and on this background to examine cost-effective methods by which a reduction of the dose from such areas to people living in urban or sub-urban environments can be achieved. The fixation of the radioactive cations in soil was investigated by means of soil profile sampling, soil texture analysis, and speciation experiments. It was found that most of the Chernobyl fallout caesium was extremely firmly fixed. Much of the ruthenium was more loosely bound, to organic material. The cost-effectiveness of some dose reducing countermeasures was examined on the background of small scale tests. Here it was found that about 95% of the activity could be removed with peelable fixatives based on PVA or lignin. (author) 1 tab., 7 ills., 25 refs

Solid-phase peptide synthesis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Knud Jørgen

2013-01-01

This chapter provides an introduction to and overview of peptide chemistry with a focus on solid-phase peptide synthesis. The background, the most common reagents, and some mechanisms are presented. This chapter also points to the different chapters and puts them into perspective.......This chapter provides an introduction to and overview of peptide chemistry with a focus on solid-phase peptide synthesis. The background, the most common reagents, and some mechanisms are presented. This chapter also points to the different chapters and puts them into perspective....

Qubit rotation and Berry phase

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Banerjee, D.; Bandyopadhyay, P.

2005-11-01

A quantized fermion is represented by a scalar particle encircling a magnetic flux line. It has the spinor structure which can be constructed from quantum gates and qubits. We have studied here the role of Berry phase in removing dynamical phase during one qubit rotation of a quantized fermion. The entanglement of two qubits inserting spin-echo to one of them results the trapped Berry phase to measure entanglement. Some effort is given to study the effect of noise on the Berry phase of spinors and their entangled states. (author)

Qubit rotation and Berry phase

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Banerjee, Dipti; Bandyopadhyay, Pratul

2006-01-01

A quantized fermion is represented by a scalar particle encircling a magnetic flux line. It has a spinor structure which can be constructed from quantum gates and qubits. We have studied here the role of Berry phase in removing dynamical phase during one qubit rotation of a quantized fermion. The entanglement of two qubits inserting spin-echo to one of them allows the trapped Berry phase to measure entanglement. Some effort is given to study the effect of noise on the Berry phase of spinors and their entangled states

Spatial-frequency spectrum of patterns changes the visibility of spatial-phase differences

Science.gov (United States)

Lawton, T. B.

1985-01-01

It is shown that spatial-frequency components over a 4-octave range affected the visibility of spatial-phase differences. Contrast thresholds were measured for discrimination between two (+45- and -45-deg) spatial phases of a sinusoidal test grating added to a background grating. The background could contain one or several sinusoidal components, all in 0-deg phase. Phase differences between the test and the background were visible at lower contrasts when test and background frequencies were harmonically related than when they were not, when test and background frequencies were within 1 octave than when they were farther apart, when the fundamental frequency of the background was low than when it was high, and for some discriminations more than for others, after practice. The visibility of phase differences was not affected by additional components in the background if the fundamental and difference frequencies of the background remained unchanged. Observers' reports of their strategies gave information about the types of attentive processing that were used to discriminate phase differences. Attentive processing facilitated phase discrimination for multifrequency gratings spanning a much wider range of spatial frequencies than would be possible by using only local preattentive processing. These results were consistent with the visibility of phase differences being processed by some combination of even- and odd-symmetric simple cells tuned to a wide range of different spatial frequencies.

Cosmological evolution of a brane Universe in a type 0 string background

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Papantonopoulos, E.; Pappa, I.

2002-01-01

We study the cosmological evolution of a D3-brane Universe in a type 0 string background. We follow the brane universe along the radial coordinate of the background and we calculate the energy density which is induced on the brane because of its motion in the bulk. For constant values of tachyon and dilaton an inflationary phase is appearing. For non constant values of tachyon and dilaton and for a particular range of values of the scale factor of the brane-universe, the effective energy density is dominated by a term proportional to 1/(log α) 4 indicating a slowly varying inflationary phase

Removal of basic dye methylene blue by using bioabsorbents Ulva ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

STORAGESEVER

2008-08-04

Aug 4, 2008 ... after adsorption. The removal data were fitted into the Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption isotherm .... solid phases at various equilibrium concentrations. The ... dye required to form monolayer over the surface of adsorbent ...

A novel pre-oxidation method for elemental mercury removal utilizing a complex vaporized absorbent

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhao, Yi; Hao, Runlong; Guo, Qing

2014-01-01

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • An innovative liquid-phase complex absorbent (LCA) for Hg 0 removal was prepared. • A novel integrative process for Hg 0 removal was proposed. • The simultaneous removal efficiencies of SO 2 , NO and Hg 0 were 100%, 79.5% and 80.4%, respectively. • The reaction mechanism of simultaneous removal of SO 2 , NO and Hg 0 was proposed. - Abstract: A novel semi-dry integrative method for elemental mercury (Hg 0 ) removal has been proposed in this paper, in which Hg 0 was initially pre-oxidized by a vaporized liquid-phase complex absorbent (LCA) composed of a Fenton reagent, peracetic acid (CH 3 COOOH) and sodium chloride (NaCl), after which Hg 2+ was absorbed by the resultant Ca(OH) 2 . The experimental results indicated that CH 3 COOOH and NaCl were the best additives for Hg 0 oxidation. Among the influencing factors, the pH of the LCA and the adding rate of the LCA significantly affected the Hg 0 removal. The coexisting gases, SO 2 and NO, were characterized as either increasing or inhibiting in the removal process, depending on their concentrations. Under optimal reaction conditions, the efficiency for the single removal of Hg 0 was 91%. Under identical conditions, the efficiencies of the simultaneous removal of SO 2 , NO and Hg 0 were 100%, 79.5% and 80.4%, respectively. Finally, the reaction mechanism for the simultaneous removal of SO 2 , NO and Hg 0 was proposed based on the characteristics of the removal products as determined by X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic fluorescence spectrometry (AFS), the analysis of the electrode potentials, and through data from related research references

Alternatives Generation and Analysis for Heat Removal from High Level Waste Tanks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

WILLIS, W.L.

2000-01-01

This document addresses the preferred combination of design and operational configurations to provide heat removal from high-level waste tanks during Phase 1 waste feed delivery to prevent the waste temperature from exceeding tank safety requirement limits. An interim decision for the preferred method to remove the heat from the high-level waste tanks during waste feed delivery operations is presented herein

Alternatives Generation and Analysis for Heat Removal from High Level Waste Tanks

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

WILLIS, W.L.

2000-06-15

This document addresses the preferred combination of design and operational configurations to provide heat removal from high-level waste tanks during Phase 1 waste feed delivery to prevent the waste temperature from exceeding tank safety requirement limits. An interim decision for the preferred method to remove the heat from the high-level waste tanks during waste feed delivery operations is presented herein.

Nutrient Removal of Grey Water from Wet Market Using Sequencing Batch Reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Omar Danial; Mohd Razman Salim; Salmiati

2016-01-01

Fresh water scarcity has become an important issue in this world today. Water reuse is known as one of the strategies to overcome this problem. Grey water is one of the sources of reused water. Several researches were carried out on water reuse, but limited attention was focused on reusing grey water from wet market, which contains high nutrient and organic matters. This study was carried out on nutrient removal from grey water using sequencing batch reactor (SBR). The grey water sample was taken from a wet market (Pasar Peladang, Skudai). About 1L of grey water was fed into the reactor with a total volume of 4L. Anoxic-aerobic phase were divided with a ratio of 30 % - 70 % of total time respectively. Mixing was maintained at 30 rpm during the start of each cycle until settling phase to achieve uniform condition. Influent and effluent were set for 30 minutes. The SBR was operated with 3 cycles/ day, temperature 30 degree Celsius, cycle time 8 hours and hydraulic retention time (HRT) 1.2 days. Aeration at 35 L/ min was induced for ammonia conversion and assisting nitrification.. The results show that the bacteria growing in alternating anoxic/ aerobic systems could remove organic substrates and nutrient. The COD, Total Nitrogen and Total Phosphorus removal efficiencies were maximum at the levels of 94 %, 88 % and 70 % respectively. Anaerobic-Aerobic-Anoxic phase was proposed to increase the removal percentage. (author)

Performance Evaluation of Bulk Liquid Membrane Technique on p-Nitrophenol Removal from Aqueous Solution

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

K. Pourkhanali

2018-03-01

Full Text Available The transport of p-nitrophenol (PNP through a bulk liquid membrane (BLM was investigated to evaluate the effect of different experimental conditions on PNP partitioning behavior. The influence of solvent type, different salts in feed phase, the feed phase pH and PNP concentration in feed phase on transport efficiency of PNP through the BLM were studied. The results indicated that the highest removal efficiency of PNP was observed for 80 % xylene + 20 % toluene as liquid membrane, Na2SO4 as salt in feed phase, in the acidic feed phase and in 150 min. The effect of initial concentration of PNP on the efficiency of the separation PNP showed that the increase in initial concentration up to 350 ppm had positive effect, and more than 350 ppm had negative effect on the PNP removal behavior. Also, pertraction in BLM systems were described by a kinetic model of two consecutive irreversible first order chemical reactions.

Mercury removal sorbents

Science.gov (United States)

Alptekin, Gokhan

2016-03-29

Sorbents and methods of using them for removing mercury from flue gases over a wide range of temperatures are disclosed. Sorbent materials of this invention comprise oxy- or hydroxyl-halogen (chlorides and bromides) of manganese, copper and calcium as the active phase for Hg.sup.0 oxidation, and are dispersed on a high surface porous supports. In addition to the powder activated carbons (PACs), this support material can be comprised of commercial ceramic supports such as silica (SiO.sub.2), alumina (Al.sub.2O.sub.3), zeolites and clays. The support material may also comprise of oxides of various metals such as iron, manganese, and calcium. The non-carbon sorbents of the invention can be easily injected into the flue gas and recovered in the Particulate Control Device (PCD) along with the fly ash without altering the properties of the by-product fly ash enabling its use as a cement additive. Sorbent materials of this invention effectively remove both elemental and oxidized forms of mercury from flue gases and can be used at elevated temperatures. The sorbent combines an oxidation catalyst and a sorbent in the same particle to both oxidize the mercury and then immobilize it.

Removal properties of human enteric viruses in a pilot-scale membrane bioreactor (MBR) process.

Science.gov (United States)

Miura, Takayuki; Okabe, Satoshi; Nakahara, Yoshihito; Sano, Daisuke

2015-05-15

In order to evaluate removal properties of human enteric viruses from wastewater by a membrane bioreactor (MBR), influent, anoxic and oxic mixed liquor, and membrane effluent samples were collected in a pilot-scale anoxic-oxic MBR process for 16 months, and concentrations of enteroviruses, norovirus GII, and sapoviruses were determined by real-time PCR using murine norovirus as a process control. Mixed liquor samples were separated into liquid and solid phases by centrifugation, and viruses in the bulk solution and those associated with mixed liquor suspended solids (MLSS) were quantified. Enteroviruses, norovirus GII, and sapoviruses were detected in the influent throughout the sampling period (geometrical mean, 4.0, 3.1, and 4.4 log copies/mL, respectively). Enterovirus concentrations in the solid phase of mixed liquor were generally lower than those in the liquid phase, and the mean log reduction value between influent and anoxic mixed liquor was 0.40 log units. In contrast, norovirus GII and sapovirus concentrations in the solid phase were equal to or higher than those in the liquid phase, and higher log reduction values (1.3 and 1.1 log units, respectively) were observed between influent and anoxic mixed liquor. This suggested that enteroviruses were less associated with MLSS than norovirus GII and sapoviruses, resulting in lower enterovirus removal in the activated sludge process. Enteroviruses and norovirus GII were detected in the MBR effluent but sapoviruses were not in any effluent samples. When MLSS concentration was reduced to 50-60% of a normal operation level, passages of enteroviruses and norovirus GII through a PVDF microfiltration membrane were observed. Since rejection of viruses by the membrane was not related to trans-membrane pressure which was monitored as a parameter of membrane fouling, the results indicated that adsorption to MLSS plays an important role in virus removal by an MBR, and removal properties vary by viruses reflecting different

Low background aspects of GERDA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Simgen, Hardy

2011-01-01

The GERDA experiment operates bare Germanium diodes enriched in 76 Ge in an environment of pure liquid argon to search for neutrinoless double beta decay. A very low radioactive background is essential for the success of the experiment. We present here the research done in order to remove radio-impurities coming from the liquid argon, the stainless steel cryostat and the front-end electronics. We found that liquid argon can be purified efficiently from 222 Rn. The main source of 222 Rn in GERDA is the cryostat which emanates about 55 mBq. A thin copper shroud in the center of the cryostat was implemented to prevent radon from approaching the diodes. Gamma ray screening of radio-pure components for front-end electronics resulted in the development of a pre-amplifier with a total activity of less than 1 mBq 228 Th.

Effect of operational cycle time length on nitrogen removal in an alternating oxidation ditch system.

Science.gov (United States)

Mantziaras, I D; Stamou, A; Katsiri, A

2011-06-01

This paper refers to nitrogen removal optimization of an alternating oxidation ditch system through the use of a mathematical model and pilot testing. The pilot system where measurements have been made has a total volume of 120 m(3) and consists of two ditches operating in four phases during one cycle and performs carbon oxidation, nitrification, denitrification and settling. The mathematical model consists of one-dimensional mass balance (convection-dispersion) equations based on the IAWPRC ASM 1 model. After the calibration and verification of the model, simulation system performance was made. Optimization is achieved by testing operational cycles and phases with different time lengths. The limits of EU directive 91/271 for nitrogen removal have been used for comparison. The findings show that operational cycles with smaller time lengths can achieve higher nitrogen removals and that an "equilibrium" between phase time percentages in the whole cycle, for a given inflow, must be achieved.

Optical phase conjugation for time-domain undoing of dispersive self-phase-modulation effects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fisher, R.A.; Suydam, B.R.; Yevick, D.

1983-01-01

We show that the temporal distortion and spectral broadening of a pulse generated by the combined effects of group-velocity dispersion and self-phase modulation is removed by reflection of a cw-pumped, broadband, unity-reflecting Kerr-like optical phase conjugator followed by retraversal of the nonlinear medium. We also examine numerically the effects of finite linear loss in the material, of nonunity conjugate reflectivity, and of finite conjugator thickness

Organically modified clay removes oil from water

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alther, G.R.

1995-01-01

When bentonite or other clays and zeolites are modified with quaternary amines, they become organophilic. Such modified bentonites are used to remove mechanically emulsified oil and grease, and other sparingly soluble organics. If the organoclay is granulated, it is placed into a liquid phase carbon filter vessel to remove FOG's and chlorinated hydrocarbons. In this application the clay is mixed with anthrazite to prevent early plugging of the filter by oil or grease droplets. In batch systems a powered organoclay is employed. Types of oil found in water can include fats, lubricants, cutting fluids, heavy hydrocarbons such as tars, grease, crude oil, diesel oils; and light hydrocarbons such as kerosene, jet fuel, and gasoline

Removal of Stationary Sinusoidal Noise from Random Vibration Signals.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Johnson, Brian; Cap, Jerome S.

2018-02-01

In random vibration environments, sinusoidal line noise may appear in the vibration signal and can affect analysis of the resulting data. We studied two methods which remove stationary sine tones from random noise: a matrix inversion algorithm and a chirp-z transform algorithm. In addition, we developed new methods to determine the frequency of the tonal noise. The results show that both of the removal methods can eliminate sine tones in prefabricated random vibration data when the sine-to-random ratio is at least 0.25. For smaller ratios down to 0.02 only the matrix inversion technique can remove the tones, but the metrics to evaluate its effectiveness also degrade. We also found that using fast Fourier transforms best identified the tonal noise, and determined that band-pass-filtering the signals prior to the process improved sine removal. When applied to actual vibration test data, the methods were not as effective at removing harmonic tones, which we believe to be a result of mixed-phase sinusoidal noise.

[Effects of exposure frequency and background information on preferences for photographs of cars in different locations].

Science.gov (United States)

Matsuda, Ken; Kusumi, Takashi; Hosomi, Naohiro; Osa, Atsushi; Miike, Hidetoshi

2014-08-01

This study examined the influence of familiarity and novelty on the mere exposure effect while manipulating the presentation of background information. We selected presentation stimuli that integrated cars and backgrounds based on the results of pilot studies. During the exposure phase, we displayed the stimuli successively for 3 seconds, manipulating the background information (same or different backgrounds with each presentation) and exposure frequency (3, 6, and 9 times). In the judgment phase, 18 participants judged the cars in terms of preference, familiarity, and novelty on a 7-point scale. As the number of stimulus presentations increased, the preference for the cars increased during the different background condition and decreased during the same background condition. This increased preference may be due to the increase in familiarity caused by the higher exposure frequency and novelty resulting from the background changes per exposure session. The rise in preference judgments was not seen when cars and backgrounds were presented independently. Therefore, the addition of novel features to each exposure session facilitated the mere exposure effect.

A Computer Model for Analyzing Volatile Removal Assembly

Science.gov (United States)

Guo, Boyun

2010-01-01

A computer model simulates reactional gas/liquid two-phase flow processes in porous media. A typical process is the oxygen/wastewater flow in the Volatile Removal Assembly (VRA) in the Closed Environment Life Support System (CELSS) installed in the International Space Station (ISS). The volatile organics in the wastewater are combusted by oxygen gas to form clean water and carbon dioxide, which is solved in the water phase. The model predicts the oxygen gas concentration profile in the reactor, which is an indicator of reactor performance. In this innovation, a mathematical model is included in the computer model for calculating the mass transfer from the gas phase to the liquid phase. The amount of mass transfer depends on several factors, including gas-phase concentration, distribution, and reaction rate. For a given reactor dimension, these factors depend on pressure and temperature in the reactor and composition and flow rate of the influent.

Adaptive cancellation of geomagnetic background noise for magnetic anomaly detection using coherence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, Dunge; Xu, Xin; Huang, Chao; Zhu, Wanhua; Liu, Xiaojun; Fang, Guangyou; Yu, Gang

2015-01-01

Magnetic anomaly detection (MAD) is an effective method for the detection of ferromagnetic targets against background magnetic fields. Currently, the performance of MAD systems is mainly limited by the background geomagnetic noise. Several techniques have been developed to detect target signatures, such as the synchronous reference subtraction (SRS) method. In this paper, we propose an adaptive coherent noise suppression (ACNS) method. The proposed method is capable of evaluating and detecting weak anomaly signals buried in background geomagnetic noise. Tests with real-world recorded magnetic signals show that the ACNS method can excellently remove the background geomagnetic noise by about 21 dB or more in high background geomagnetic field environments. Additionally, as a general form of the SRS method, the ACNS method offers appreciable advantages over the existing algorithms. Compared to the SRS method, the ACNS algorithm can eliminate the false target signals and represents a noise suppressing capability improvement of 6.4 dB. The positive outcomes in terms of intelligibility make this method a potential candidate for application in MAD systems. (paper)

Effect on Cs removal of solid-phase metal oxidation in metal ferrocyanides

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Keun-Young; Kim, Jimin; Oh, Maengkyo; Lee, Eil-Hee; Kim, Kwang-Wook; Chung, Dong-Yong; Moon, Jei-Kwon [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI), Daejeon (Korea, Republic of).

2017-07-01

Metal ferrocyanides (MFCs) have been studied for many years and are regarded as efficient adsorbents for the selective removal of radioactive cesium (Cs) from contaminated aqueous solutions. Although their efficiency has been demonstrated, various investigations on the physicochemical, thermal, and radiological stability of the solids of MFCs are required to enhance the applicability of MFCs in the treatment process. We observed that the Cs adsorption efficiencies of cobalt and nickel ferrocyanides decreased as their aging period increased, while the Cs adsorption efficiencies of copper and zinc ferrocyanides did not decrease. The tendencies of these ferrocyanides were accelerated by exposure of the solids at a higher temperature for a longer time. Our comprehensive analyses demonstrated that only the oxidizable metals in the MFCs can be oxidized by aging time and increasing temperature; also, this affects the Cs removal efficiency by decreasing the exchangeable sites in the solids. The chemical stability of MFCs is very important for the optimization of the synthesis and storage conditions.

Cumulative-Phase-Alteration of Galactic-Light Passing Through the Cosmic-Microwave-Background: A New Mechanism for Some Observed Spectral-Shifts

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tank H. K.

2012-07-01

Full Text Available Currently, whole of the measured “cosmological-red-shift ” is interpreted as due to the “metric-expansion-of-space”; so for the required “closer -density” of the universe, we need twenty times more mass-energy than the visible baryonic-matter contained in the universe. This paper proposes a new mechanism, which can account for good per- centage of the red-shift in the extra-galactic-light, greatly reducing the requirement of dark matter-energy. Also, this mechanism can cause a new kin d of blue-shift reported here, and their observational evidences. These spectral-s hifts are proposed to result due to cumulative phase-alteration of extra-galactic-light b ecause of vector-addition of: (i electric-field of extra-galactic-light and (ii that of the cosmic-microwave-background (CMB. Since the center-frequency of CMB is much lower than extra-galactic-light, the cumulative-phase-alteration results in red -shift, observed as an additional contribu- tor to the measured “cosmological red-shift”; and since the center-frequency of CMB is higher than the radio-frequency-signals used to measure velocity of space-probes like: Pioneer-10, Pioneer-11, Galileo and Ulysses, the cum ulative-phase-alteration re- sulted in blue-shift, leading to the interpretation of deceleration of these space-probes. While the galactic-light experiences the red-shift, and th e ranging-signals of the space- probes experience blue -shift, they are comparable in magnitude, providing a supportive- evidence for the new mechanism proposed here. More confirmative-experiments for this new mechanism are also proposed.

Development of CANDLES low background HPGe detector and half-life measurement of 180Tam

Science.gov (United States)

Chan, W. M.; Kishimoto, T.; Umehara, S.; Matsuoka, K.; Suzuki, K.; Yoshida, S.; Nakajima, K.; Iida, T.; Fushimi, K.; Nomachi, M.; Ogawa, I.; Tamagawa, Y.; Hazama, R.; Takemoto, Y.; Nakatani, N.; Takihira, Y.; Tozawa, M.; Kakubata, H.; Trang, V. T. T.; Ohata, T.; Tetsuno, K.; Maeda, T.; Khai, B. T.; Li, X. L.; Batpurev, T.

2018-01-01

A low background HPGe detector system was developed at CANDLES Experimental Hall for multipurpose use. Various low background techniques were employed, including hermatic shield design, radon gas suppression, and background reduction analysis. A new pulse shape discrimination (PSD) method was specially created for coaxial Ge detector. Using this PSD method, microphonics noise and background event at low energy region less than 200 keV can be rejected effectively. Monte Carlo simulation by GEANT4 was performed to acquire the detection efficiency and study the interaction of gamma-rays with detector system. For rare decay measurement, the detector was utilized to detect the nature's most stable isomer tantalum-180m (180Tam) decay. Two phases of tantalum physics run were completed with total livetime of 358.2 days, which Phase II has upgraded shield configuration. The world most stringent half-life limit of 180Tam has been successfully achieved.

Diode laser hair removal around ileo-colo ostomys is safe, effective and beneficial: a pilot study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van der Ploeg-Westerveld, Jos; Wagter, Jacqueline; van Gemert, Martin J. C.; Neumann, H. A. M.; Bour, H.; Zwart, A.

2007-01-01

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Hair removal around an ileo-colo ostomy can cause a number of problems. We compared laser hair removal with mechanical shaving around the ostomy. METHOD: Eleven patients were selected with hairy skin around the ostomy for therapy with an AlGaAs diode laser at 800 nm. Three

Study on removal of cadmium from wastewater by emulsion liquid membrane

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mortaheb, Hamid R.; Kosuge, Hitoshi; Mokhtarani, Babak; Amini, Mohammad H.; Banihashemi, Hamid R.

2009-01-01

Removal of cadmium from wastewater using emulsion liquid membrane (ELM) is studied in the present study. A polyamine-type surfactant was used for stabilizing the emulsion phase. Tri-iso-octyl amine (TIOA) has been used as a carrier for transferring of cadmium through the membrane. The results show good performance in the separation process. To determine the optimum operation conditions, the effect of several parameters such as surfactant concentration, carrier concentration, pH of external and internal phases, oil to internal phase volume ratio, emulsion to external phase volume ratio, solvent type, solute concentration, presence of iodide and chloride in external phase, and mixing conditions have been investigated.

Pigs in Toxicology: Breed Differences in Metabolism and Background Findings.

Science.gov (United States)

Helke, Kristi L; Nelson, Keith N; Sargeant, Aaron M; Jacob, Binod; McKeag, Sean; Haruna, Julius; Vemireddi, Vimala; Greeley, Melanie; Brocksmith, Derek; Navratil, Nicole; Stricker-Krongrad, Alain; Hollinger, Charlotte

2016-06-01

Both a rodent and a nonrodent species are required for evaluation in nonclinical safety studies conducted to support human clinical trials. Historically, dogs and nonhuman primates have been the nonrodent species of choice. Swine, especially the miniature swine or minipigs, are increasingly being used in preclinical safety as an alternate nonrodent species. The pig is an appropriate option for these toxicology studies based on metabolic pathways utilized in xenobiotic biotransformation. Both similarities and differences exist in phase I and phase II biotransformation pathways between humans and pigs. There are numerous breeds of pigs, yet only a few of these breeds are characterized with regard to both xenobiotic-metabolizing enzymes and background pathology findings. Some specific differences in these enzymes based on breed and sex are known. Although swine have been used extensively in biomedical research, there is also a paucity of information in the current literature detailing the incidence of background lesions and differences between commonly used breeds. Here, the xenobiotic-metabolizing enzymes are compared between humans and pigs, and minipig background pathology changes are reviewed with emphasis on breed differences. © The Author(s) 2016.

Human Detection Based on the Generation of a Background Image by Using a Far-Infrared Light Camera

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eun Som Jeon

2015-03-01

Full Text Available The need for computer vision-based human detection has increased in fields, such as security, intelligent surveillance and monitoring systems. However, performance enhancement of human detection based on visible light cameras is limited, because of factors, such as nonuniform illumination, shadows and low external light in the evening and night. Consequently, human detection based on thermal (far-infrared light cameras has been considered as an alternative. However, its performance is influenced by the factors, such as low image resolution, low contrast and the large noises of thermal images. It is also affected by the high temperature of backgrounds during the day. To solve these problems, we propose a new method for detecting human areas in thermal camera images. Compared to previous works, the proposed research is novel in the following four aspects. One background image is generated by median and average filtering. Additional filtering procedures based on maximum gray level, size filtering and region erasing are applied to remove the human areas from the background image. Secondly, candidate human regions in the input image are located by combining the pixel and edge difference images between the input and background images. The thresholds for the difference images are adaptively determined based on the brightness of the generated background image. Noise components are removed by component labeling, a morphological operation and size filtering. Third, detected areas that may have more than two human regions are merged or separated based on the information in the horizontal and vertical histograms of the detected area. This procedure is adaptively operated based on the brightness of the generated background image. Fourth, a further procedure for the separation and removal of the candidate human regions is performed based on the size and ratio of the height to width information of the candidate regions considering the camera viewing direction

A novel pre-oxidation method for elemental mercury removal utilizing a complex vaporized absorbent

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhao, Yi, E-mail: zhaoyi9515@163.com; Hao, Runlong; Guo, Qing

2014-09-15

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • An innovative liquid-phase complex absorbent (LCA) for Hg{sup 0} removal was prepared. • A novel integrative process for Hg{sup 0} removal was proposed. • The simultaneous removal efficiencies of SO{sub 2}, NO and Hg{sup 0} were 100%, 79.5% and 80.4%, respectively. • The reaction mechanism of simultaneous removal of SO{sub 2}, NO and Hg{sup 0} was proposed. - Abstract: A novel semi-dry integrative method for elemental mercury (Hg{sup 0}) removal has been proposed in this paper, in which Hg{sup 0} was initially pre-oxidized by a vaporized liquid-phase complex absorbent (LCA) composed of a Fenton reagent, peracetic acid (CH{sub 3}COOOH) and sodium chloride (NaCl), after which Hg{sup 2+} was absorbed by the resultant Ca(OH){sub 2}. The experimental results indicated that CH{sub 3}COOOH and NaCl were the best additives for Hg{sup 0} oxidation. Among the influencing factors, the pH of the LCA and the adding rate of the LCA significantly affected the Hg{sup 0} removal. The coexisting gases, SO{sub 2} and NO, were characterized as either increasing or inhibiting in the removal process, depending on their concentrations. Under optimal reaction conditions, the efficiency for the single removal of Hg{sup 0} was 91%. Under identical conditions, the efficiencies of the simultaneous removal of SO{sub 2}, NO and Hg{sup 0} were 100%, 79.5% and 80.4%, respectively. Finally, the reaction mechanism for the simultaneous removal of SO{sub 2}, NO and Hg{sup 0} was proposed based on the characteristics of the removal products as determined by X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic fluorescence spectrometry (AFS), the analysis of the electrode potentials, and through data from related research references.

Microcellular foams via phase separation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Young, A.T.

1985-01-01

A study of wide variety of processes for making plastic foams shows that phase separation processes for polymers from solutions offers the most viable methods for obtaining rigid plastic foams which met the physical requirements for fusion target designs. Four general phase separation methods have been shown to give polymer foams with densities less than 0.1 g/cm 3 and cell sizes of 30μm or less. These methods involve the utilization of non-solvent, chemical or thermal cooling processes to achieve a controlled phase separation wherein either two distinct phases are obtained where the polymer phase is a continuous phase or two bicontinuous phases are obtained where both the polymer and solvent are interpenetrating, continuous, labyrinthine phases. Subsequent removal of the solvent gives the final foam structure

Effect of feed strategy and cod/sulfate ratio on the removal of sulfate in an AnSBBR with recirculation of the liquid phase

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Archilha, N. C.; Canto, C. S. A.; Ratusznei, S. M.; Rodrigues, J. A.D.; Zaiat, M.; Foresti, E.

2009-07-01

The objective of this work was to analyze the effect of the interaction between feed strategy and COD/[SO{sub 4}{sup 2}] ratio on the efficiency of sulfate removal from a synthetic wastewater. To this end, an anaerobic sequencing batch reactor, with recirculation of the liquid phase, containing immobilized biomass on polyurethane foam (AnSBBR) was used. The reactor, with a working volume of 2.7 L, treated 2.0 L synthetic wastewater in 8-h cycles. The system was inoculated with anaerobic biomass from a UASB reactor and was maintained at 30{+-} 1 degree centigrade in a chamber with temperature control. (Author)

Reducing radon daughter background in alpha continuous air monitors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rodgers, J.C.; McFarland, A.R.

1991-01-01

Alpha continuous air monitors are instruments designed to sample aerosols which may contain alpha-emitting radionuclides and, in near-real time, to monitor the sample for alpha emissions. This process is subject to interference from radon decay products. The usual method for overcoming this interference is by signal processing or data processing in such a manner as to accurately subtract a portion of the background from the transuranic count. An innovative alternative approach has been jointly developed in a collaboration between Los Alamos National Laboratory and Texas A ampersand M University. The concept is to attempt to physically remove a portion of the interfering radon daughters from the incoming sample by a diffusion screen before the sample is collected. The results of laboratory tests indicate that a very high removal efficiency for unattached radon progeny can be obtained without excessive loss of efficiency for collection of the contaminant aerosols of concern. 15 refs., 4 figs., 1 tab

Measurements of liquid-phase turbulence in gas–liquid two-phase flows using particle image velocimetry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhou, Xinquan; Doup, Benjamin; Sun, Xiaodong

2013-01-01

Liquid-phase turbulence measurements were performed in an air–water two-phase flow loop with a circular test section of 50 mm inner diameter using a particle image velocimetry (PIV) system. An optical phase separation method-–planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) technique—which uses fluorescent particles and an optical filtration technique, was employed to separate the signals of the fluorescent seeding particles from those due to bubbles and other noises. An image pre-processing scheme was applied to the raw PIV images to remove the noise residuals that are not removed by the PLIF technique. In addition, four-sensor conductivity probes were adopted to measure the radial distribution of the void fraction. Two benchmark tests were performed: the first was a comparison of the PIV measurement results with those of similar flow conditions using thermal anemometry from previous studies; the second quantitatively compared the superficial liquid velocities calculated from the local liquid velocity and void fraction measurements with the global liquid flow rate measurements. The differences of the superficial liquid velocity obtained from the two measurements were bounded within ±7% for single-phase flows and two-phase bubbly flows with the area-average void fraction up to 18%. Furthermore, a preliminary uncertainty analysis was conducted to investigate the accuracy of the two-phase PIV measurements. The systematic uncertainties due to the circular pipe curvature effects, bubble surface reflection effects and other potential uncertainty sources of the PIV measurements were discussed. The purpose of this work is to facilitate the development of a measurement technique (PIV-PLIF) combined with image pre-processing for the liquid-phase turbulence in gas–liquid two-phase flows of relatively high void fractions. The high-resolution data set can be used to more thoroughly understand two-phase flow behavior, develop liquid-phase turbulence models, and assess high

Catheter Removal versus Retention in the Management of Catheter-Associated Enterococcal Bloodstream Infections

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jonas Marschall

2013-01-01

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Enterococci are an important cause of central venous catheter (CVC-associated bloodstream infections (CA-BSI. It is unclear whether CVC removal is necessary to successfully manage enterococcal CA-BSI.

RAMBO-K: Rapid and Sensitive Removal of Background Sequences from Next Generation Sequencing Data.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Simon H Tausch

Full Text Available The assembly of viral or endosymbiont genomes from Next Generation Sequencing (NGS data is often hampered by the predominant abundance of reads originating from the host organism. These reads increase the memory and CPU time usage of the assembler and can lead to misassemblies.We developed RAMBO-K (Read Assignment Method Based On K-mers, a tool which allows rapid and sensitive removal of unwanted host sequences from NGS datasets. Reaching a speed of 10 Megabases/s on 4 CPU cores and a standard hard drive, RAMBO-K is faster than any tool we tested, while showing a consistently high sensitivity and specificity across different datasets.RAMBO-K rapidly and reliably separates reads from different species without data preprocessing. It is suitable as a straightforward standard solution for workflows dealing with mixed datasets. Binaries and source code (java and python are available from http://sourceforge.net/projects/rambok/.

Phytoremediation removal rates of benzene, toluene, and chlorobenzene.

Science.gov (United States)

Limmer, Matt A; Wilson, Jordan; Westenberg, David; Lee, Amy; Siegman, Mark; Burken, Joel G

2018-06-07

Phytoremediation is a sustainable remedial approach, although performance efficacy is rarely reported. In this study, we assessed a phytoremediation plot treating benzene, toluene, and chlorobenzene. A comparison of the calculated phytoremediation removal rate with estimates of onsite contaminant mass was used to forecast cleanup periods. The investigation demonstrated that substantial microbial degradation was occurring in the subsurface. Estimates of transpiration indicated that the trees planted were removing approximately 240,000 L of water per year. This large quantity of water removal implies substantial removal of contaminant due to large amounts of contaminants in the groundwater; however, these contaminants extensively sorb to the soil, resulting in large quantities of contaminant mass in the subsurface. The total estimate of subsurface contaminant mass was also complicated by the presence of non-aqueous phase liquids (NAPL), additional contaminant masses that were difficult to quantify. These uncertainties of initial contaminant mass at the site result in large uncertainty in the cleanup period, although mean estimates are on the order of decades. Collectively, the model indicates contaminant removal rates on the order of 10 -2 -10 0 kg/tree/year. The benefit of the phytoremediation system is relatively sustainable cleanup over the long periods necessary due to the presence of NAPL.

Removal of contaminated asphalt layers by using heat generating powder metallic systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barinov, A.S.; Karlina, O.K.; Ojovan, M.I.

1996-01-01

Heat generating systems on the base of powder metallic fuel were used for the removal of contaminated asphalt layers. Decontamination of spots which had complex geometric form was performed. Asphalt layers with deep contamination were removed essentially all radionuclides being retained in asphalt residue. Only a small part (1 - 2 %) of radionuclides could pass to combustion slag. No radionuclides were detected in aerosol-gas phase during decontamination process

Interactive QR code beautification with full background image embedding

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Lijian; Wu, Song; Liu, Sijiang; Jiang, Bo

2017-06-01

QR (Quick Response) code is a kind of two dimensional barcode that was first developed in automotive industry. Nowadays, QR code has been widely used in commercial applications like product promotion, mobile payment, product information management, etc. Traditional QR codes in accordance with the international standard are reliable and fast to decode, but are lack of aesthetic appearance to demonstrate visual information to customers. In this work, we present a novel interactive method to generate aesthetic QR code. By given information to be encoded and an image to be decorated as full QR code background, our method accepts interactive user's strokes as hints to remove undesired parts of QR code modules based on the support of QR code error correction mechanism and background color thresholds. Compared to previous approaches, our method follows the intention of the QR code designer, thus can achieve more user pleasant result, while keeping high machine readability.

First results from GERDA Phase II

Science.gov (United States)

Agostini, M.; Allardt, M.; Bakalyarov, A. M.; Balata, M.; Barabanov, I.; Baudis, L.; Bauer, C.; Bellotti, E.; Belogurov, S.; Belyaev, S. T.; Benato, G.; Bettini, A.; Bezrukov, L.; Bode, T.; Borowicz, D.; Brudanin, V.; Brugnera, R.; Caldwell, A.; Cattadori, C.; Chernogorov, A.; D'Andrea, V.; Demidova, E. V.; Di Marco, N.; Domula, A.; Doroshkevich, E.; Egorov, V.; Falkenstein, R.; Frodyma, N.; Gangapshev, A.; Garfagnini, A.; Gooch, C.; Grabmayr, P.; Gurentsov, V.; Gusev, K.; Hakenmüller, J.; Hegai, A.; Heisel, M.; Hemmer, S.; Hofmann, W.; Hult, M.; Inzhechik, L. V.; Janicskó Csáthy, J.; Jochum, J.; Junker, M.; Kazalov, V.; Kihm, T.; Kirpichnikov, I. V.; Kirsch, A.; Kish, A.; Klimenko, A.; Kneißl, R.; Knöpfle, K. T.; Kochetov, O.; Kornoukhov, V. N.; Kuzminov, V. V.; Laubenstein, M.; Lazzaro, A.; Lebedev, V. I.; Lehnert, B.; Liao, H. Y.; Lindner, M.; Lippi, I.; Lubashevskiy, A.; Lubsandorzhiev, B.; Lutter, G.; Macolino, C.; Majorovits, B.; Maneschg, W.; Medinaceli, E.; Miloradovic, M.; Mingazheva, R.; Misiaszek, M.; Moseev, P.; Nemchenok, I.; Palioselitis, D.; Panas, K.; Pandola, L.; Pelczar, K.; Pullia, A.; Riboldi, S.; Rumyantseva, N.; Sada, C.; Salamida, F.; Salathe, M.; Schmitt, C.; Schneider, B.; Schönert, S.; Schreiner, J.; Schulz, O.; Schütz, A.-K.; Schwingenheuer, B.; Selivanenko, O.; Shevchik, E.; Shirchenko, M.; Simgen, H.; Smolnikov, A.; Stanco, L.; Vanhoefer, L.; Vasenko, A. A.; Veresnikova, A.; von Sturm, K.; Wagner, V.; Wegmann, A.; Wester, T.; Wiesinger, C.; Wojcik, M.; Yanovich, E.; Zhitnikov, I.; Zhukov, S. V.; Zinatulina, D.; Zuber, K.; Zuzel, G.

2017-09-01

Gerda is designed for a background-free search of 76Ge neutrinoless double-β decay, using bare Ge detectors in liquid Ar. The experiment was upgraded after the successful completion of Phase I to double the target mass and further reduce the background. Newly-designed Ge detectors were installed along with LAr scintillation sensors. Phase II of data-taking started in Dec 2015 with approximately 36 kg of Ge detectors and is currently ongoing. The first results based on 10.8 kg· yr of exposure are presented. The background goal of 10-3 cts/(keV· kg· yr) is achieved and a search for neutrinoless double-β decay is performed by combining Phase I and II data. No signal is found and a new limit is set at T1/20ν > 5.3 \\cdot {1025} yr (90% C.L.).

Advanced biological activated carbon filter for removing pharmaceutically active compounds from treated wastewater.

Science.gov (United States)

Sbardella, Luca; Comas, Joaquim; Fenu, Alessio; Rodriguez-Roda, Ignasi; Weemaes, Marjoleine

2018-04-28

Through their release of effluents, conventional wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) represent a major pollution point sources for pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs) in water bodies. The combination of a biological activated carbon (BAC) filter coupled with an ultrafiltration (UF) unit was evaluated as an advanced treatment for PhACs removal at pilot scale. The BAC-UF pilot plant was monitored for one year. The biological activity of the biofilm that developed on the granular activated carbon (GAC) particles and the contribution of this biofilm to the overall removal of PhACs were evaluated. Two different phases were observed during the long-term monitoring of PhACs removal. During the first 9200 bed volumes (BV; i.e., before GAC saturation), 89, 78, 83 and 79% of beta-blockers, psychiatric drugs, antibiotics and a mix of other therapeutic groups were removed, respectively. The second phase was characterized by deterioration of the overall performances during the period between 9200 and 13,800 BV. To quantify the respective contribution of adsorption and biodegradation, a lab-scale setup was operated for four months and highlighted the essential role played by GAC in biofiltration units. Physical adsorption was indeed the main removal mechanism. Nevertheless, a significant contribution due to biological activity was detected for some PhACs. The biofilm contributed to the removal of 22, 25, 30, 32 and 35% of ciprofloxacin, bezafibrate, ofloxacin, azithromycin and sulfamethoxazole, respectively. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Experimental analysis on removal factor of smear method in measurement of surface contamination

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sugiura, Nobuyuki; Taira, Junichi; Takenaka, Keisuke; Yamanaka, Kazuo; Sugai, Kenji; Kosako, Toshiso

2007-01-01

The smear test is one of the important ways to measure surface contamination. The loose contamination under the high background radiation, which is more significant in handling non-sealed radioisotopes, can be evaluated by this method. The removal factor is defined as the ratio of the activity removed from the surface by one smear to the whole activity of the removable surface contamination. The removal factor is greatly changed by the quality and condition of surface materials. In this study, the values of removal factor at several typical surface conditions were evaluated experimentally and the practical application of those values was considered. It is required the smear should be pressed by moderate pressure when wiping the surface. The pressure from 1.0 kg to 1.5 kg per filter paper was recommended. The removal factor showed lower value in wiping by the pressure below 1.0 kg. The value of 0.5 for the removal factor could be applied to the smooth surface of linoleum, concrete coated with paint or epoxy resin, stainless steel and glass with the statistical allowance. (author)

Effect of acid leaching conditions on impurity removal from silicon doped by magnesium

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stine Espelien

2017-07-01

Full Text Available The effect of magnesium addition into a commercial silicon and its leaching refining behavior is studied for producing solar grade silicon feedstock. Two different levels of Mg is added into a commercial silicon and the leaching of the produced alloys by 10% HCl solution at 60 ℃ for different durations is performed. It is shown that the microstructure of the alloy and in particular the distribution of eutectic phases is dependent on the amount of the added Mg. Moreover, the metallic impurities in silicon such as Fe, Al, Ca and Ti are mainly forming silicide particles with different compositions. These silicides are physically more detached from the primary silicon grains and their removal through chemical and physical separation in leaching is better for higher Mg additions. It is observed that the leaching is more effective for the purification of smaller silicon particles produced from each Mg-doped silicon alloy. It is shown that acid leaching by the applied method is effective to reach more than 70% of phosphorous removal. It is also shown that the purity of silicon is dependent on the total Mg removal and effectiveness of leaching on removing the Mg2Si phase.

Removal of pyridine from liquid and gas phase by copper forms of natural and synthetic zeolites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rehakova, Maria; Fortunova, Lubica; Bastl, Zdenek; Nagyova, Stanislava; Dolinska, Silvia; Jorik, Vladimir; Jona, Eugen

2011-01-01

Zeoadsorbents on the basis of copper forms of synthetic zeolite ZSM5 and natural zeolite of the clinoptilolite type (CT) have been studied taking into account their environmental application in removing harmful pyridine (py) from liquid and gas phase. Sorption of pyridine by copper forms of zeolites (Cu-ZSM5 and Cu-CT) has been studied by CHN, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray powder diffractometry, FTIR spectroscopy, thermal analysis (TG, DTA and DTG) and analysis of the surface areas and the pore volumes by low-temperature adsorption of nitrogen. The results of thermal analyses of Cu-ZSM5, Cu-(py) x ZSM5, Cu-CT and Cu-(py) x CT zeolitic products with different composition (x depends on the experimental conditions of sorption of pyridine) clearly confirmed their different thermal properties as well as the sorption of pyridine. In the zeolitic pyridine containing samples the main part of the pyridine release process occurs at considerably higher temperatures than is the boiling point of pyridine, which proves strong bond and irreversibility of py-zeolite interaction. FTIR spectra of Cu-(py) x zeolite samples showed well resolved bands of pyridine. The results of thermal analysis and FTIR spectroscopy are in a good agreement with the results of other used methods.

Beam-gas background calculation for DEAR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guiducci, S.

1997-01-01

The present paper describes the results obtained from a Monte Carlo simulation of the particles lost in the DAY-ONE Interaction Region (IR) of the DAFNE machine. Coulomb scattering on the nuclei of residual gas and beam-gas Bremsstrahlung, which are the main sources of background in the initial phase of machine operation, were considered. A ray-tracking program (TURTLE) was used to follow the trajectories of the particles in the rings and to evaluate the number of particles that hit the vacuum chamber in the interaction region

Phosphonate removal from discharged circulating cooling water using iron-carbon micro-electrolysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Zhen; Qiao, Weimin; Lin, Yangbo; Shen, Xuelian; Hu, Dalong; Zhang, Jianqiao; Jiang, Lu-Man; Wang, Luochun

2014-01-01

Phosphonate is a commonly used corrosion and scale inhibitor for a circulating cooling water (CCW) system. Its discharge could cause eutrophication of receiving waters. The iron-carbon (Fe/C) micro-electrolysis technology was used to degrade and remove phosphonate from discharged CCW. The influences of initial pH, Fe/C ratio (FCR) and temperature on phosphonate removal were investigated in a series of batch tests and optimized by response surface methodology. The quadratic model of phosphonate removal was obtained with satisfactory degrees of fitness. The optimum conditions with total phosphorus removal efficiency of 95% were obtained at pH 7.0, FCR of 1.25, and temperature of 45 °C. The phosphonate removal mechanisms were also studied. Phosphonate removal occurred predominantly via two consecutive reactive phases: the degradation of phosphonate complexes (Ca-phosphonate) and the precipitation of Fe/C micro-electrolysis products (PO₄(3-), Ca²⁺ and Fe³⁺).

Organo-clay/anthracite filtration for oil removal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moazed, H.; Viragahavan, T.

1999-01-01

An advantage of organo-clay compared to other sorbents is that it can selectively remove organic pollutants from contaminated waters. An investigation was conducted to determine the potential of an organo-clay/anthracite mixture as a filter media for the removal of oil from synthetic and real oily waters. Also included in the study were column filtration studies using synthetic and real waste waters to determine the sorptive capacity of the material. In general, oil removal efficiencies in a 300 mm organo-clay/anthracite bed decreased with an increase in flow rates. Results of eight hour studies indicated that the depth of an organo-clay/anthracite bed has a direct effect on oil removal efficiency. The Thomas equation provides a reasonable fit of the data based on breakthrough studies. The model can be used to determine the parameters needed to design full-scale filtration columns. The uptake of oil by an organo-clay/anthracite mixture is well described by an equation including time such as the Weber or Moris model. The maximum solid-phase concentration of the solute values obtained from the Thomas equation were comparable to the values found by a mass balance approach. 12 refs., 8 figs., 4 tabs

Anaerobic/oxic/anoxic granular sludge process as an effective nutrient removal process utilizing denitrifying polyphosphate-accumulating organisms.

Science.gov (United States)

Kishida, Naohiro; Kim, Juhyun; Tsuneda, Satoshi; Sudo, Ryuichi

2006-07-01

In a biological nutrient removal (BNR) process, the utilization of denitrifying polyphosphate-accumulating organisms (DNPAOs) has many advantages such as effective use of organic carbon substrates and low sludge production. As a suitable process for the utilization of DNPAOs in BNR, an anaerobic/oxic/anoxic granular sludge (AOAGS) process was proposed in this study. In spite of performing aeration for nitrifying bacteria, the AOAGS process can create anaerobic/anoxic conditions suitable for the cultivation of DNPAOs because anoxic zones exist inside the granular sludge in the oxic phase. Thus, DNPAOs can coexist with nitrifying bacteria in a single reactor. In addition, the usability of DNPAOs in the reactor can be improved by adding the anoxic phase after the oxic phase. These characteristics enable the AOAGS process to attain effective removal of both nitrogen and phosphorus. When acetate-based synthetic wastewater (COD: 600 mg/L, NH4-N: 60 mg/L, PO(4)-P: 10 mg/L) was supplied to a laboratory-scale sequencing batch reactor under the operation of anaerobic/oxic/anoxic cycles, granular sludge with a diameter of 500 microm was successfully formed within 1 month. Although the removal of both nitrogen and phosphorus was almost complete at the end of the oxic phase, a short anoxic period subsequent to the oxic phase was necessary for further removal of nitrogen and phosphorus. As a result, effluent concentrations of NH(4)-N, NO(x)-N and PO(4)-P were always lower than 1 mg/L. It was found that penetration depth of oxygen inside the granular sludge was approximately 100 microm by microsensor measurements. In addition, from the microbiological analysis by fluorescence in situ hybridization, existence depth of polyphosphate-accumulating organisms was further than the maximum oxygen penetration depth. The water quality data, oxygen profiles and microbial community structure demonstrated that DNPAOs inside the granular sludge may be responsible for denitrification in the

Mercury removal at Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory's New Waste Calcining Facility

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

S. C. Ashworth

2000-02-27

Technologies were investigated to determine viable processes for removing mercury from the calciner (NWCF) offgas system at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory. Technologies for gas phase and aqueous phase treatment were evaluated. The technologies determined are intended to meet EPA Maximum Achievable Control Technology (MACT) requirements under the Clean Air Act and Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). Currently, mercury accumulation in the calciner off-gas scrubbing system is transferred to the tank farm. These transfers lead to accumulation in the liquid heels of the tanks. The principal objective for aqueous phase mercury removal is heel mercury reduction. The system presents a challenge to traditional methods because of the presence of nitrogen oxides in the gas phase and high nitric acid in the aqueous scrubbing solution. Many old and new technologies were evaluated including sorbents and absorption in the gas phase and ion exchange, membranes/sorption, galvanic methods, and UV reduction in the aqueous phase. Process modifications and feed pre-treatment were also evaluated. Various properties of mercury and its compounds were summarized and speciation was predicted based on thermodynamics. Three systems (process modification, NOxidizer combustor, and electrochemical aqueous phase treatment) and additional technology testing were recommended.

Mercury Removal at Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory's New Waste Calcining Facility

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ashworth, Samuel Clay; Wood, R. A.; Taylor, D. D.; Sieme, D. D.

2000-03-01

Technologies were investigated to determine viable processes for removing mercury from the calciner (NWCF) offgas system at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory. Technologies for gas phase and aqueous phase treatment were evaluated. The technologies determined are intended to meet EPA Maximum Achievable Control Technology (MACT) requirements under the Clean Air Act and Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). Currently, mercury accumulation in the calciner off-gas scrubbing system is transferred to the tank farm. These transfers lead to accumulation in the liquid heels of the tanks. The principal objective for aqueous phase mercury removal is heel mercury reduction. The system presents a challenge to traditional methods because of the presence of nitrogen oxides in the gas phase and high nitric acid in the aqueous scrubbing solution. Many old and new technologies were evaluated including sorbents and absorption in the gas phase and ion exchange, membranes/sorption, galvanic methods, and UV reduction in the aqueous phase. Process modifications and feed pre-treatment were also evaluated. Various properties of mercury and its compounds were summarized and speciation was predicted based on thermodynamics. Three systems (process modification, NOxidizer combustor, and electrochemical aqueous phase treatment) and additional technology testing were recommended.

Humic acid removal from aqueous solutions by peroxielectrocoagulation process

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ahmad Reza Yazdanbakhsh

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Background: Natural organic matter is the cause of many problems associated with water treatment such as the presence of disinfection by-products (DBPs and membrane fouling during water filtration. In this study, the performance of the peroxi-electrocoagulation process (PEP was investigated for the removal of humic acids (HAs from aqueous solutions. Methods: PEP was carried out for the removal of HA using a plexiglas reactor with a volume of 2 L and fitted with iron electrodes and a direct current supply (DC. Samples were taken at various amounts of pH (2-4, current density (1 and 2A/cm2, hydrogen peroxide (50-150 mg/L and reaction time (5-20 minutes and then filtered to remove sludge formed during reaction. Finally, the HA concentration was measured by UV absorbance at 254 nm (UV254. Results: Results indicated that increasing the concentration of H2O2 from 50 to 150 mg/L increased HA removal efficiency from 83% to 94.5%. The highest removal efficiency was observed at pH 3.0; by increasing the pH to the alkaline range, the efficiency of the process was reduced. It was found that HA removal efficiency was high in current density 1A/cm2. Increasing current density up to 1 A cm-2 caused a decrease in removal efficiency. Results of this study showed that under the optimum operating range for the process ([current density] = 1A/cm2, [hydrogen peroxide concentration] = 150 mg/L, [reaction time]= 20 minutes and [pH]= 3.0, HA removal efficiency reached 98%. Conclusion: It can be concluded that PEP has the potential to be utilized for cost-effective removal of HA from aqueous solutions.

Development of a model describing virus removal process in an activated sludge basin

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, T.; Shiragami, N. Unno, H. [Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo (Japan)

1995-06-20

The virus removal process from the liquid phase in an activated sludge basin possibly consists of physicochemical processes, such as adsorption onto sludge flocs, biological processes such as microbial predating and inactivation by virucidal components excreted by microbes. To describe properly the virus behavior in an activated sludge basin, a simple model is proposed based on the experimental data obtained using a poliovirus type 1. A three-compartments model, which include the virus in the liquid phase and in the peripheral and inner regions of sludge flocs is employed. By using the model, the Virus removal process was successfully simulated to highlight the implication of its distribution in the activated sludge basin. 17 refs., 8 figs.

Drag force in a D-instanton background

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Zi-qiang; Luo, Zhong-jie; Hou, De-fu

2018-06-01

We study the drag force and diffusion coefficient with respect to a moving heavy quark in a D-instanton background, which corresponds to the Yang-Mills theory in the deconfining, high-temperature phase. It is shown that the presence of the D-instanton density tends to increase the drag force and decrease the diffusion coefficient, reverse to the effects of the velocity and the temperature. Moreover, the inclusion of the D-instanton density makes the medium less viscous.

Biological treatment of soils contaminated with hydrophobic organics using slurry- and solid-phase techniques

Science.gov (United States)

Cassidy, Daniel H.; Irvine, Robert L.

1995-10-01

Both slurry-phase and solid-phase bioremediation are effective ex situ soil decontamination methods. Slurrying is energy intensive relative to solid-phase treatment, but provides homogenization and uniform nutrient distribution. Limited contaminant bioavailability at concentrations above the required cleanup level reduces biodegradation rates and renders solid phase bioremediation more cost effective than complete treatment in a bio-slurry reactor. Slurrying followed by solid-phase bioremediation combines the advantages and minimizes the weaknesses of each treatment method when used alone. A biological treatment system consisting of slurrying followed by aeration in solid phase bioreactors was developed and tested in the laboratory using a silty clay loam contaminated with diesel fuel. The first set of experiments was designed to determine the impact of the water content and mixing time during slurrying on the rate an extent of contaminant removal in continuously aerated solid phase bioreactors. The second set of experiments compared the volatile and total diesel fuel removal in solid phase bioreactors using periodic and continuous aeration strategies. Results showed that slurrying for 1.5 hours at a water content less than saturation markedly increased the rate and extent of contaminant biodegradation in the solid phase bioreactors compared with soil having no slurry pretreatment. Slurrying the soil at or above its saturation moisture content resulted in lengthy dewatering times which prohibited aeration, thereby delaying the onset of biological treatment in the solid phase bioreactors. Results also showed that properly operated periodic aeration can provide less volatile contaminant removal and a grater fraction of biological contaminant removal than continuous aeration.

Biochemical Removal of HAP Precursors from Coal

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Olson, Gregory J

1997-05-12

Column biooxidation tests with Kentucky coal confirmed results of earlier shake flask tests showing significant removal from the coal of arsenic, selenium, cobalt, manganese, nickel and cadmium. Rates of pyrite biooxidation in Kentucky coal were only slightly more than half the rates found previously for Indiana and Pittsburgh coals. Removal of pyrite from Pittsburgh coal by ferric ion oxidation slows markedly as ferrous ions accumulate in solution, requiring maintenance of high redox potentials in processes designed for removal of pyrite and hazardous air pollutant (HAP) precursors by circulation of ferric solutions through coal. The pyrite oxidation rates obtained in these tests were used by Unifield Engineering to support the conceptual designs for alternative pyrite and HAP precursor bioleaching processes for the phase 2 pilot plant. Thermophilic microorganisms were tested to determine if mercury could be mobilized from coal under elevated growth temperatures. There was no evidence for mercury removal from coal under these conditions. However, the activity of the organisms may have liberated mercury physically. It is also possible that the organisms dissolved mercury and it readsorbed to the clay preferentially. Both of these possibilities are undergoing further testing. The Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory's (INEEL) slurry column reactor was operated and several batches of feed coal, product coal, waste solids and leach solutions were submitted to LBL for HAP precursor analysis. Results to date indicate significant removal of mercury, arsenic and other HAP precursors in the combined physical-biological process.

Effect of scleral buckle removal on strabismus surgery outcomes after retinal detachment repair

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Jee Ho; Hutchinson, Amy; Zhang, Monica; Lambert, Scott R.

2015-01-01

Background/Aims To investigate the effect of scleral buckle removal on the outcomes of strabismus surgery in patients with a prior history of retinal detachment surgery. Methods We reviewed the medical records of 18 patients who underwent strabismus surgery following a scleral buckling procedure at one institution. We investigated the effect of multiple variables on outcome, including: gender, age, surgeon, number of strabismus surgeries, adjustable suture use, previous pars plana vitrectomy, preoperative best-corrected visual acuity and time of surgery. Outcomes were considered successful if there was ≤ 10 prism diopter (PD) residual horizontal and/or ≤ 4 PD residual vertical deviation. Outcomes were analyzed statistically using Fisher's exact test and Mann-Whitney test. Results Strabismus surgery coupled with scleral buckle removal was associated with a higher rate of success (success with buckle removal, 62.5%; success without buckle removal, 10.0%; p=0.04). There were no significant difference in preoperative findings between the scleral buckle removal and non- removal groups. No retinal redetachments occurred after scleral buckle removal. Conclusion In our series, scleral buckle removal was associated with improved surgical outcome in patients with strabismus following a scleral buckling procedure. PMID:24299332

URANIUM REMOVAL FROM DRINKING WATER USING A SMALL FULL-SCALE SYSTEM

Science.gov (United States)

This report presents background and history of water quality, the basis for design and nine months of actual operating data for a small, full-scale strong-base ion exchange system that is used to remove uranium from a water supply serving a school in Jefferson County, CO. Informa...

Extracting Optical Fiber Background from Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy Spectra Based on Bi-Objective Optimization Modeling.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Jie; Shi, Tielin; Tang, Zirong; Zhu, Wei; Liao, Guanglan; Li, Xiaoping; Gong, Bo; Zhou, Tengyuan

2017-08-01

We propose a bi-objective optimization model for extracting optical fiber background from the measured surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) spectrum of the target sample in the application of fiber optic SERS. The model is built using curve fitting to resolve the SERS spectrum into several individual bands, and simultaneously matching some resolved bands with the measured background spectrum. The Pearson correlation coefficient is selected as the similarity index and its maximum value is pursued during the spectral matching process. An algorithm is proposed, programmed, and demonstrated successfully in extracting optical fiber background or fluorescence background from the measured SERS spectra of rhodamine 6G (R6G) and crystal violet (CV). The proposed model not only can be applied to remove optical fiber background or fluorescence background for SERS spectra, but also can be transferred to conventional Raman spectra recorded using fiber optic instrumentation.

Comparison of residual NAPL source removal techniques in 3D metric scale experiments

Science.gov (United States)

Atteia, O.; Jousse, F.; Cohen, G.; Höhener, P.

2017-07-01

This study compared four treatment techniques for the removal of a toluene/n-decane as NAPL (Non Aqueous Phase Liquid) phase mixture in identical 1 cubic meter tanks filled with different kind of sand. These four treatment techniques were: oxidation with persulfate, surfactant washing with Tween80®, sparging with air followed by ozone, and thermal treatment at 80 °C. The sources were made with three lenses of 26 × 26 × 6.5 cm, one having a hydraulic conductivity similar to the whole tank and the two others a value 10 times smaller. The four techniques were studied after conditioning the tanks with tap water during approximately 80 days. The persulfate treatment tests showed average removal of the contaminants but significant flux decrease if density effects are considered. Surfactant flushing did not show a highly significant increase of the flux of toluene but allowed an increased removal rate that could lead to an almost complete removal with longer treatment time. Sparging removed a significant amount but suggests that air was passing through localized gas channels and that the removal was stagnating after removing half of the contamination. Thermal treatment reached 100% removal after the target temperature of 80 °C was kept during more than 10 d. The experiments emphasized the generation of a high-spatial heterogeneity in NAPL content. For all the treatments the overall removal was similar for both n-decane and toluene, suggesting that toluene was removed rapidly and n-decane more slowly in some zones, while no removal existed in other zones. The oxidation and surfactant results were also analyzed for the relation between contaminant fluxes at the outlet and mass removal. For the first time, this approach clearly allowed the differentiation of the treatments. As a conclusion, experiments showed that the most important differences between the tested treatment techniques were not the global mass removal rates but the time required to reach 99% decrease in

Chlorinated organic compound removal by gas phase pulsed streamer corona electrical discharge with reticulated vitreous carbon electrodes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kirkpatrick, M.J.; Finney, W.C.; Locke, B. R.

2002-01-01

Trichloroethylene (TCE) and vinyl chloride removal by pulsed corona discharge was investigated with attention to energy efficiency and byproduct identification. Approximately, 50 to 95 percent removal of TCE and vinyl chloride was observed depending on the energy density applied to the gas. Water vapor had no significant effect on TCE removal. Evidence was found for post-corona reactions leading to removal of vinyl chloride downstream of the plasma discharge. Energy efficiencies of 100-900 g/kw-hr in the case of 1000 ppm feed of TCE and efficiencies of 2-24 g/kw-hr for a 100 ppm feed of vinyl chloride were found. In TCE experiments, the formation of dichloroacetyl chloride was observed, while chloro-ethane formation was found for vinyl chloride. In both cases, Cl- was measured downstream of the pulsed corona reactor in a water trap using an ion-selective electrode, although measured amounts varied widely due to condensation in the gas lines between the reactor and the water trap. The addition of a platinum-rhodium coated electrode was found only to reduce the downstream removal of vinyl chloride at low energy density. (author)

Quantification of susceptibility change at high-concentrated SPIO-labeled target by characteristic phase gradient recognition.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Haitao; Nie, Binbin; Liu, Hua; Guo, Hua; Demachi, Kazuyuki; Sekino, Masaki; Shan, Baoci

2016-05-01

Phase map cross-correlation detection and quantification may produce highlighted signal at superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles, and distinguish them from other hypointensities. The method may quantify susceptibility change by performing least squares analysis between a theoretically generated magnetic field template and an experimentally scanned phase image. Because characteristic phase recognition requires the removal of phase wrap and phase background, additional steps of phase unwrapping and filtering may increase the chance of computing error and enlarge the inconsistence among algorithms. To solve problem, phase gradient cross-correlation and quantification method is developed by recognizing characteristic phase gradient pattern instead of phase image because phase gradient operation inherently includes unwrapping and filtering functions. However, few studies have mentioned the detectable limit of currently used phase gradient calculation algorithms. The limit may lead to an underestimation of large magnetic susceptibility change caused by high-concentrated iron accumulation. In this study, mathematical derivation points out the value of maximum detectable phase gradient calculated by differential chain algorithm in both spatial and Fourier domain. To break through the limit, a modified quantification method is proposed by using unwrapped forward differentiation for phase gradient generation. The method enlarges the detectable range of phase gradient measurement and avoids the underestimation of magnetic susceptibility. Simulation and phantom experiments were used to quantitatively compare different methods. In vivo application performs MRI scanning on nude mice implanted by iron-labeled human cancer cells. Results validate the limit of detectable phase gradient and the consequent susceptibility underestimation. Results also demonstrate the advantage of unwrapped forward differentiation compared with differential chain algorithms for susceptibility

Production of biochar from olive mill solid waste for heavy metal removal.

Science.gov (United States)

Abdelhadi, Samya O; Dosoretz, Carlos G; Rytwo, Giora; Gerchman, Yoram; Azaizeh, Hassan

2017-11-01

Commercial activated carbon (CAC) and biochar are useful adsorbents for removing heavy metals (HM) from water, but their production is costly. Biochar production from olive solid waste from two olive cultivars (Picual and Souri) and two oil production process (two- or three-phase) and two temperatures (350 and 450°C) was tested. The biochar yield was 24-35% of the biomass, with a surface area of 1.65-8.12m 2 g -1 , as compared to 1100m 2 g -1 for CAC. Picual residue from the two-phase milling technique, pyrolysed at 350°C, had the best cumulative removal capacity for Cu +2 , Pb +2 , Cd +2 , Ni +2 and Zn +2 with more than 85% compared to other biochar types and CAC. These results suggest that surface area cannot be used as a sole predictor of HM removal capacity. FTIR analysis revealed the presence of different functional groups in the different biochar types, which may be related to the differences in absorbing capacities. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Phase correction for a Michelson interferometer with misaligned mirrors

Science.gov (United States)

Goorvitch, D.

1975-01-01

The phase correction for a Michelson interferometer with misaligned mirrors in converging light is shown to give rise to a quadratic phase shift. In general, the calculation of a spectrum from the measured interferogram needs phase correction. Phase corrections have been well worked out for the cases of a linear phase shift and a phase that is slowly varying. The standard procedures for correcting calculated spectra need to be modified, however, to remove any phase errors resulting from misaligned mirrors.

Removal of Nitrate From Aqueous Solution Using Rice Chaff

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dehghani

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Background Nitrate is largely dissolved in the surface and ground water, due to its high solubility. Continual uptake of nitrite through drinking water can lead to problems and diseases (such as blue baby for humans, especially children. Objectives The aim of this study was to develop a new and inexpensive method for the removal of nitrate from water. In this regard, the possibility of using chaff for removal of nitrate from aqueous solutions was studied and the optimum operating conditions of nitrate removal was determined. Materials and Methods This is a cross-sectional study conducted in laboratory scale. The UV spectrophotometer at a wavelength of maximum absorbance (220 nm was used to determine the nitrate concentration. The effect of pH, amount of chaff, temperature, and contact time were investigated. Results The result of this study revealed that chaff as an absorbent could remove nitrate from solutions, and the efficiency of adsorption increased as contact time increased from 5 to 30 minutes, amount of chaff increased from 1 to 3 g, temperature increased in a range of 300 - 400°C and the amount of pH decreased from 10 to 3. The maximum adsorption rate was around pH 3 (53.14%. Conclusions It was shown that the removal efficiency of nitrate was directly proportional to the amount of chaff, temperature, and contact time but inversely to the pH. This study showed that nitrate removal by chaff is a promising technique.

The UO2 pellets plant experimental background of the established process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aparicio Arroyo, E.; Alonso Folgueras, J. A.

1969-01-01

An account of the UO 2 research and development carried out at the JEN is first given. This includes a 10 tons/year pellet Plant construction. Experimental background of the process is established, pointing out both milling advantages and risks, granulation devices, automatic press selection, binder removing and sintering furnaces. Origin, surface area, grain size and 0/U rate are considered as raw material reception parameters, although this process shows a wide scope. (Author) 13 refs

Hydrocarbon removal from bilgewater by a combination of air-stripping and photocatalysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cazoir, D., E-mail: david.cazoir@ircelyon.univ-lyon1.fr [University Lyon 1, Lyon, F-69626, France, CNRS, UMR5256, IRCELYON, Institut de Recherches sur la Catalyse et l' Environnement de Lyon, Villeurbanne, F-69626 (France); Fine, L.; Ferronato, C.; Chovelon, J.-M. [University Lyon 1, Lyon, F-69626, France, CNRS, UMR5256, IRCELYON, Institut de Recherches sur la Catalyse et l' Environnement de Lyon, Villeurbanne, F-69626 (France)

2012-10-15

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Bilge water is an oily effluent that contaminates oceans and seas (MARPOL73/78). Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Hydrocarbon removal was studied by photocatalysis and air-stripping, together used. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Both aqueous and gaseous phases were monitored by GC-MS during the process. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The combined process showed a better efficiency and a synergistic effect. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer N-Alkanes (N{sub C} > 15) appeared as being the most refractory compounds. - Abstract: In order to prevent hydrocarbon discharge at sea from the bilge of ships, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) enacted the MARPOL 73/78 convention in which effluents are now limited to those with maximum oil content of 15 ppmv. Thus, photocatalysis and air-stripping were combined for the hydrocarbon removal from a real oily bilgewater sample and an original monitoring of both aqueous and gaseous phases was performed by GC/MS to better understand the process. Our results show that the hydrocarbon oil index [HC] can be reduced to its maximum permissible value of 15 ppmv (MARPOL) in only 8.5 h when photocatalysis and air-stripping are used together in a synergistic way, as against 17 h when photocatalysis is used alone. However, this air-assisted photocatalytic process emits a large quantity of volatile organic compounds (VOC) and, within the first four hours, ca. 10% of the hydrocarbon removal in the aqueous phase is actually just transferred into the gaseous one. Finally, we highlight that the n-alkanes with a number of carbon atoms higher than 15 (N{sub C} > 15) are those which most decrease the rate of [HC] removal.

The removal of fatty acids from edible oil : removal of the dispersed phase of a water-in-oil dispersion by a hydrophilic membrane

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Keurentjes, J.T.F.; Doornbusch, G.I.; Riet, van 't K.

1991-01-01

Fatty acids can be extracted from an oil phase by forming a dispersed phase of saponified fatty acids/water/isopropanol in oil. This dispersion can be separated in the two phases by two membranes of opposite polarity in series. In this study the separation of the water phase from the dispersion by a

Removal of geosmin and 2-methylisorboneol (2-MIB) in water from ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Geosmin and 2-methylisorboneol (2-MIB) are major organic pollutants ... The use of granular activated carbon (GAC) in the removal of geosmin and 2-MIB is ... were extracted from water samples by solid phase micro-extraction (SPME) and ...

Nonrelativistic fluids on scale covariant Newton-Cartan backgrounds

Science.gov (United States)

Mitra, Arpita

2017-12-01

The nonrelativistic covariant framework for fields is extended to investigate fields and fluids on scale covariant curved backgrounds. The scale covariant Newton-Cartan background is constructed using the localization of space-time symmetries of nonrelativistic fields in flat space. Following this, we provide a Weyl covariant formalism which can be used to study scale invariant fluids. By considering ideal fluids as an example, we describe its thermodynamic and hydrodynamic properties and explicitly demonstrate that it satisfies the local second law of thermodynamics. As a further application, we consider the low energy description of Hall fluids. Specifically, we find that the gauge fields for scale transformations lead to corrections of the Wen-Zee and Berry phase terms contained in the effective action.

Suppression of the background coming from {sup 42}Ar in the GERDA experiment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lubashevskiy, Alexey [Max-Planck-Institut fuer Kernphysik, Saupfercheckweg 1, D-69117 Heidelberg (Germany); Collaboration: GERDA-Collaboration

2016-07-01

The GERDA experiment aims at the 0νββ search in {sup 76}Ge. The search is performed with high purity germanium detectors operated in liquid argon. One of the most dangerous backgrounds in GERDA is the background from {sup 42}K which is a daughter isotope of cosmogenically produced {sup 42}Ar, presented in natural argon. {sup 42}K ions collect on the surface of the detector and increase its background level. Several ways to suppress such background has been investigated. The tests were performed at LArGe low-background test facility, which gives a possibility to operate bare detectors in about 1m{sup 3} of LAr. It is equipped with a scintillation veto, so particles which deposit part of their energy in LAr can be detected by PMTs. The experimental setup is located at LNGS underground laboratory close to GERDA experiment location. Different experimental techniques were tested together with pulse shape discrimination (PSD) method in order to suppress {sup 42}K background. The chosen solution for GERDA Phase II is so called ''nylon mini-shroud'' (NMS). It is made from nylon foil and covered with wavelength shifter from both sides. NMS allows to suppress collection of {sup 42}K ions towards to the surface significantly. It was demonstrated in LArGe that together with PSD and scintillation veto the {sup 42}K background can be suppressed in more than 1000 times. The results obtained during commissioning runs in GERDA Phase II are also presented.

Evaluation of the Efficiency and Effectiveness of Three Minimally Invasive Methods of Caries Removal: An in vitro Study

OpenAIRE

Boob, Ankush Ramnarayan; Manjula, M; Reddy, E Rajendra; Srilaxmi, N; Rani, Tabitha

2014-01-01

ABSTRACT Background: Many chemomechanical caries removal (CMCR) agents have been introduced and marketed since 1970s, with each new one being better and effective than the previously introduced. Papacarie and Carisolv are new systems in the field of CMCR techniques. These are reportedly minimally invasive methods of removing carious dentin while preserving sound dentin. Aim: To compare the Efficiency (time taken for caries removal) and effectiveness (Knoop hardness number of the remaining den...

Efficiency of lead removal from drinking water using cationic resin Purolite

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ashour Mohammad Merganpour

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Today, issues such as water shortage, difficulties and costs related to supplying safe water, and anomalous concentrations of heavy metals in groundwater and surface water resources, doubled the necessity of access to technical methods on removing these pollutants from water resources. Methods: In this lab study, cationic resin Purolite S-930 (with co-polymer styrene di-vinyl benzene structure was used for lead removal from drinking water containing up to 22 μg/L. Using statistical analysis and designing a full factorial experiment are the most important effective parameters on lead removal obtained through ion exchange process. Results: Analysis of response and interaction parameters of ion exchange showed that the resin column height has maximum and pH value has minimum effect on the efficiency of lead removal from aquatic environment. Trinary interaction of “effective size, flow rate, resin column high” has the most important for lead removal efficiency in this system. So the maximum efficiency was obtained at the mesh = 40, bed height =1.6 meter, and pH= 6.5. At the best operation conditions, ability to remove 95.42% of lead concentration can be achieved. Conclusion: Using the resin Purolite S-930 during 21-day service with 91.12% of mean lead removal ratio from drinking water is an economic and technical feasibility.

Removal of radioactive waste waters by calcium phosphate precipitation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Raicevic, S.; Vukovic, Z.; Mandic, M.

1997-01-01

The kinetics of removal of radioactive strontium by coprecipitation and sorption with amorphous calcium phosphate (ACP) which transformed into stable crystalline hydroxyapatite (HA) were investigated. The advantage of phosphate precipitation is a possibility not only for removal of radioactive strontium but also for incorporation of a strontium ion into stable structure of HA. calcium phosphate was precipitated from highly saturated solution by fast reagent mixing. Kinetic experiments were performed using strontium nitrate solution labeled with 8 5 Sr. The amount of radionuclide uptake by the solid phase was determined radiometrically at different time intervals. It was found that ACP phase firmly retains coprecipitated impurities up to 150 min, of reaction time when partial rejection of strontium into the solution occurred. In sorption experiments after prolonged time of equilibrium the firm incorporation of 8 5 Sr stable crystalline structure of HA was detected. The incorporation of 8 5 Sr into crystalline HA was analysed in detail in the paper /S. Raicevic, et. al., J. Radioanal. Nucl. Chem., Articles, Vol. 204, No 2, 1996/ (author)

Removing Phosphorus from Aqueous Solutions Using Lanthanum Modified Pine Needles.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xianze Wang

Full Text Available The renewable pine needles was used as an adsorbent to remove phosphorus from aqueous solutions. Using batch experiments, pine needles pretreated with alkali-isopropanol (AI failed to effectively remove phosphorus, while pine needles modified with lanthanum hydroxide (LH showed relatively high removal efficiency. LH pine needles were effective at a wide pH ranges, with the highest removal efficiency reaching approximately 85% at a pH of 3. The removal efficiency was kept above 65% using 10 mg/L phosphorus solutions at desired pH values. There was no apparent significant competitive behavior between co-existing anions of sulfate, nitrate, and chloride (SO4(2-, NO3(- and Cl(-; however, CO3(2- exhibited increased interfering behavior as concentrations increased. An intraparticle diffusion model showed that the adsorption process occurred in three phases, suggesting that a boundary layer adsorption phenomena slightly affected the adsorption process, and that intraparticle diffusion was dominant. The adsorption process was thermodynamically unfavorable and non-spontaneous; temperature increases improved phosphorus removal. Total organic carbon (TOC assays indicated that chemical modification reduced the release of soluble organic compounds from 135.6 mg/L to 7.76 mg/L. This new information about adsorption performances provides valuable information, and can inform future technological applications designed to remove phosphorus from aqueous solutions.

Determining estrogenic steroids in Taipei waters and removal in drinking water treatment using high-flow solid-phase extraction and liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chen, C.-Y. [Institute of Environmental Health, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, 17 Hsu-Chou Road, Taipei (10055), Taiwan (China)]. E-mail: dbms@ntu.edu.tw; Wen, T.-Y. [Institute of Environmental Health, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, 17 Hsu-Chou Road, Taipei (10055), Taiwan (China); Wang, G.-S. [Institute of Environmental Health, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, 17 Hsu-Chou Road, Taipei (10055), Taiwan (China); Department of Public Health, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, 17 Hsu-Chou Road, Taipei (10055), Taiwan (China); Cheng, H.-W. [Institute of Environmental Health, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, 17 Hsu-Chou Road, Taipei (10055), Taiwan (China); Lin, Y.-H. [Institute of Environmental Health, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, 17 Hsu-Chou Road, Taipei (10055), Taiwan (China); Lien, G.-W. [Institute of Environmental Health, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, 17 Hsu-Chou Road, Taipei (10055), Taiwan (China)

2007-06-01

River water and wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluents from metropolitan Taipei, Taiwan were tested for the presence of the pollutants estrone (E{sub 1}), estriol (E{sub 3}), 17{beta}-estradiol (E{sub 2}), and 17{alpha}-ethinylestradiol (EE{sub 2}) using a new methodology that involves high-flow solid-phase extraction and liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry. The method was also used to investigate the removal of the analytes by conventional drinking water treatment processes. Without adjusting the pH, we extracted 1-L samples with PolarPlus C{sub 18} Speedisks under a flow rate exceeding 100 mL/min, in which six samples could be done simultaneously using an extraction station. The adsorbent was washed with 40% methanol/60% water and then eluted by 50% methanol/50% dichloromethane. The eluate was concentrated until almost dry and was reconstituted by 20 {mu}L of methanol. Quantitation was done by LC-MS/MS-negative electrospray ionization in the selected reaction monitoring mode with isotope-dilution techniques. The mobile phase was 10 mM N-methylmorpholine aqueous solution/acetonitrile with gradient elution. Mean recoveries of spiked Milli-Q water were 65-79% and precisions were within 2-20% of the tested concentrations (5.0-200 ng/L). The method was validated with spiked upstream river water; precisions were most within 10% of the tested concentrations (10-100 ng/L) with most RSDs < 10%. LODs of the environmental matrixes were 0.78-7.65 ng/L. A pre-filtration step before solid-phase extraction may significantly influence the measurement of E{sub 1} and EE{sub 2} concentrations; disk overloading by water matrix may also impact analyte recoveries along with ion suppression. In the Taipei water study, the four steroid estrogens were detected in river samples (ca. 15 ng/L for E{sub 2} and EE{sub 2} and 35-45 ng/L for E{sub 1} and E{sub 3}). Average levels of 19-26 ng/L for E{sub 1}, E{sub 2}, and EE{sub 2} were detected in most wastewater effluents

LArGe: active background suppression using argon scintillation for the GERDA 0νββ-experiment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Agostini, M.; Budjas, D.; Schoenert, S.; Barnabe-Heider, M.; Cattadori, C.; Gangapshev, A.; Gusev, K.; Heisel, M.; Smolnikov, A.; Junker, M.; Klimenko, A.; Lubashevskiy, A.; Pelczar, K.; Zuzel, G.

2015-01-01

LArGe is a GERDA low-background test facility to study novel background suppression methods in a low-background environment, for future application in the GERDA experiment. Similar to GERDA, LArGe operates bare germanium detectors submersed into liquid argon (1 m 3 , 1.4tons), which in addition is instrumented with photomultipliers to detect argon scintillation light. The scintillation signals are used in anti-coincidence with the germanium detectors to effectively suppress background events that deposit energy in the liquid argon. The background suppression efficiency was studied in combination with a pulse shape discrimination (PSD) technique using a BEGe detector for various sources, which represent characteristic backgrounds to GERDA. Suppression factors of a few times 10 3 have been achieved. First background data of LArGe with a coaxial HPGe detector (without PSD) yield a background index of (0.12 - 4.6) x 10 -2 cts/(keV kg year) (90 % C.L.), which is at the level of GERDA Phase I. Furthermore, for the first time we monitor the natural 42 Ar abundance (parallel to GERDA), and have indication for the 2νββ-decay in natural germanium. These results show the effectivity of an active liquid argon veto in an ultra-low background environment. As a consequence, the implementation of a liquid argon veto in GERDA Phase II is pursued. (orig.)

LArGe: active background suppression using argon scintillation for the Gerda 0ν β β -experiment

Science.gov (United States)

Agostini, M.; Barnabé-Heider, M.; Budjáš, D.; Cattadori, C.; Gangapshev, A.; Gusev, K.; Heisel, M.; Junker, M.; Klimenko, A.; Lubashevskiy, A.; Pelczar, K.; Schönert, S.; Smolnikov, A.; Zuzel, G.

2015-10-01

LArGe is a Gerda low-background test facility to study novel background suppression methods in a low-background environment, for future application in the Gerda experiment. Similar to Gerda, LArGe operates bare germanium detectors submersed into liquid argon (1 m^3, 1.4 tons), which in addition is instrumented with photomultipliers to detect argon scintillation light. The scintillation signals are used in anti-coincidence with the germanium detectors to effectively suppress background events that deposit energy in the liquid argon. The background suppression efficiency was studied in combination with a pulse shape discrimination (PSD) technique using a BEGe detector for various sources, which represent characteristic backgrounds to Gerda. Suppression factors of a few times 10^3 have been achieved. First background data of LArGe with a coaxial HPGe detector (without PSD) yield a background index of (0.12-4.6)× 10^{-2} cts/(keV kg year) (90 % C.L.), which is at the level of Gerda Phase I. Furthermore, for the first time we monitor the natural ^{42}Ar abundance (parallel to Gerda), and have indication for the 2ν β β -decay in natural germanium. These results show the effectivity of an active liquid argon veto in an ultra-low background environment. As a consequence, the implementation of a liquid argon veto in Gerda Phase II is pursued.

LArGe: active background suppression using argon scintillation for the GERDA 0νββ-experiment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Agostini, M.; Budjas, D.; Schoenert, S. [Technische Universitaet Muenchen, Munich (Germany); Barnabe-Heider, M. [Technische Universitaet Muenchen, Munich (Germany); Max-Planck-Institut fuer Kernphysik, Heidelberg (Germany); Cattadori, C. [Universita degli Studi di Milano, Milan (Italy); INFN, Milan (Italy); Gangapshev, A. [Max-Planck-Institut fuer Kernphysik, Heidelberg (Germany); Institut for Nuclear Research, Moscow (Russian Federation); Gusev, K. [Technische Universitaet Muenchen, Munich (Germany); Joint Institut for Nuclear Research, Dubna (Russian Federation); National Research Center Kurchatov Institut, Moscow (Russian Federation); Heisel, M.; Smolnikov, A. [Max-Planck-Institut fuer Kernphysik, Heidelberg (Germany); Junker, M. [Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso, Assergi (Italy); Klimenko, A.; Lubashevskiy, A. [Max-Planck-Institut fuer Kernphysik, Heidelberg (Germany); Joint Institut for Nuclear Research, Dubna (Russian Federation); Pelczar, K. [Jagellonian University, Cracow (Poland); Zuzel, G. [Max-Planck-Institut fuer Kernphysik, Heidelberg (Germany); Jagellonian University, Cracow (Poland)

2015-10-15

LArGe is a GERDA low-background test facility to study novel background suppression methods in a low-background environment, for future application in the GERDA experiment. Similar to GERDA, LArGe operates bare germanium detectors submersed into liquid argon (1 m{sup 3}, 1.4tons), which in addition is instrumented with photomultipliers to detect argon scintillation light. The scintillation signals are used in anti-coincidence with the germanium detectors to effectively suppress background events that deposit energy in the liquid argon. The background suppression efficiency was studied in combination with a pulse shape discrimination (PSD) technique using a BEGe detector for various sources, which represent characteristic backgrounds to GERDA. Suppression factors of a few times 10{sup 3} have been achieved. First background data of LArGe with a coaxial HPGe detector (without PSD) yield a background index of (0.12 - 4.6) x 10{sup -2} cts/(keV kg year) (90 % C.L.), which is at the level of GERDA Phase I. Furthermore, for the first time we monitor the natural {sup 42}Ar abundance (parallel to GERDA), and have indication for the 2νββ-decay in natural germanium. These results show the effectivity of an active liquid argon veto in an ultra-low background environment. As a consequence, the implementation of a liquid argon veto in GERDA Phase II is pursued. (orig.)

LAr instrumentation for Gerda phase II

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wegmann, Anne [Max-Planck-Institut fuer Kernphysik, Heidelberg (Germany); Collaboration: GERDA-Collaboration

2015-07-01

Gerda is an experiment to search for the neutrinoless double beta decay of {sup 76}Ge. Results of Phase I have been published in summer 2013. Currently the commissioning of Gerda Phase II is ongoing. To reach the aspired background index of ≤10{sup -3} cts/(keV.kg.yr) active background-suppression techniques will be applied, including an active liquid argon veto (LAr veto). It has been demonstrated by the LArGe test facility that the detection of argon scintillation light can be used to effectively suppress background events in the germanium, which simultaneously deposit energy in LAr. The light instrumentation consisting of photomultiplier tubes (PMT) and wavelength-shifting fibers connected to silicon multipliers (SiPM) has been installed in Gerda. In this talk the low background design of the LAr veto and its performance during the commissioning runs are reported.

Performance of the LAr scintillation veto of Gerda Phase II

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wiesinger, Christoph [Physik-Department and Excellence Cluster Universe, Technische Universitaet Muenchen, James-Franck-Strasse, 85748 Garching (Germany); Collaboration: GERDA-Collaboration

2016-07-01

Gerda is an experiment to search for the neutrinoless double beta decay in {sup 76}Ge. Results of Phase I have been published in summer 2013 and Gerda has been upgraded to Phase II. To reach the aspired background index of ∝10{sup -3} cts/(keV.kg.yr) for Phase II active background-suppression techniques are applied, including an active liquid argon (LAr) veto. It has been demonstrated with the LArGe test facility that the detection of argon scintillation light can be used to effectively suppress background events in the germanium detectors, which simultaneously deposit energy in the LAr. The light instrumentation consisting of photomultiplier tubes (PMT) and wavelength-shifting fibers connected to silicon photomultipliers (SiPM) has been installed in Gerda. In this talk the low background design of the LAr veto and its performance during Phase II start-up is reported.

Using environmental chemistry technologies for the removal of arsenic from drinking water, and fat and oil based phase change materials for thermal energy storage

Science.gov (United States)

Sutterlin, William R.

The first four chapters of this dissertation involve the removal of arsenic from drinking water. Various forms of a macroporous char prepared by partial gasification of subbituminous coal were studied for removal of arsenic(V) and arsenic(III) from water. In increasing order of effectiveness for arsenic(V) removal were untreated char water containing 500 micrograms/L of arsenic to levels below 10 micrograms/L. The capacity of the solid to remove arsenic was significantly diminished in water containing 4 mg/L of phosphate. An electrical current passed over 4 g of iron(III) oxide char in a column enabled removal of arsenic(III) from 14,000 mL of 500 micrograms/L arsenic(III) to below 10 micrograms/liter and at significantly higher flow rates than could be employed without electrolysis. The fifth chapter in this dissertation focused on the retention of organics onto a char/concrete pellet. A mixture of naphthalene, pentachlorophenol, biphenyl, toluene, tetrachloroethane, and chlorobenzene were impregnated into a loose granular char, a char/concrete pellet and a sand/concrete pellet. The results showed that the char/concrete pellet had significant advantages over the other forms. Chapters 6--9 focus on phase change materials (PCMs). These PCMs are made from fats and oils. PCMs are perhaps the only proven method that can provide near 100% thermal energy storage. In chapter 7 a novel HPLC method was developed that could provide quantification and qualification of the resulting products formed after PCM synthesis. In chapter 8 thermal cycling studies were conducted on the fat and oil based PCMs. These thermal cycle demonstrated that these PCMs were capable of going through a multitude of freeze and melt processes with little to no degradation if the appropriate preservative is used. Finally in chapter 9 the PCM is incorporated into a simulated 100 th scale house. A traditional freon based evaporator is used to freeze the PCM at night during electrical-off-peak hours

Thermophilic two-phase anaerobic digestion using an innovative fixed-bed reactor for enhanced organic matter removal and bioenergy recovery from sugarcane vinasse

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fuess, Lucas Tadeu; Kiyuna, Luma Sayuri Mazine; Ferraz, Antônio Djalma Nunes; Persinoti, Gabriela Felix

2017-01-01

Highlights: • An innovative fixed-film anaerobic reactor was applied to sugarcane vinasse. • Stable operation was observed for OLRs as high as 30 kg COD m"−"3 day"−"1. • Propionate buildup did not impact the stability of the structured-bed reactor. • Enhanced bioenergy recovery was estimated from biodigestion with phase separation. • Energy extraction was over 20% higher compared to single-phase systems. - Abstract: This study considered the application of anaerobic digestion (AD) with phase separation combined with the use of an anaerobic structured-bed reactor (ASTBR) as the methanogenic phase for the treatment of sugarcane vinasse, a high-strength wastewater resulting from ethanol production. Two combined thermophilic acidogenic-methanogenic systems formed by one single acidogenic reactor followed by two methanogenic reactors operated in parallel were compared, namely, a conventional UASB reactor and an upflow ASTBR reactor. Increasing organic loading rate (OLR) conditions (15–30 kg COD m"−"3 d"−"1) were applied to the methanogenic reactors. The results highlighted the feasibility of applying the ASTBR to vinasse, indicating a global COD removal higher than 80%. The ASTBR exhibited a stable long-term operation (240 days), even for OLR values as high as 30 kg COD m"−"3 d"−"1. The application of similar conditions to the UASB reactor indicated severe performance losses, leading to the accumulation of acids for every increase in the OLR. An energetic potential of 181.5 MJ for each cubic meter of vinasse was estimated from both hydrogen and methane. The provision of bicarbonate alkalinity proved to be a key factor in obtaining stable performance, offsetting the limitations of relatively low hydraulic retention times (<24 h).

An improved algorithm of laser spot center detection in strong noise background

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Le; Wang, Qianqian; Cui, Xutai; Zhao, Yu; Peng, Zhong

2018-01-01

Laser spot center detection is demanded in many applications. The common algorithms for laser spot center detection such as centroid and Hough transform method have poor anti-interference ability and low detection accuracy in the condition of strong background noise. In this paper, firstly, the median filtering was used to remove the noise while preserving the edge details of the image. Secondly, the binarization of the laser facula image was carried out to extract target image from background. Then the morphological filtering was performed to eliminate the noise points inside and outside the spot. At last, the edge of pretreated facula image was extracted and the laser spot center was obtained by using the circle fitting method. In the foundation of the circle fitting algorithm, the improved algorithm added median filtering, morphological filtering and other processing methods. This method could effectively filter background noise through theoretical analysis and experimental verification, which enhanced the anti-interference ability of laser spot center detection and also improved the detection accuracy.

Removal and recovery of gas-phase element mercury by metal oxide-loaded activated carbon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mei Zhijian; Shen Zhemin; Zhao Qingjie; Wang Wenhua; Zhang Yejian

2008-01-01

The reusability of Co 3 O 4 (AC-Co), MnO 2 (AC-Mn) and CuCoO 4 (AC-CC) loaded activated carbon (AC) and their element mercury removal efficiency had been studied using a laboratory-scale fixed-bed reactor under simulated flue gas conditions. Tests showed that spent AC-Co could be regenerated through heating at 673 K under N 2 atmosphere and the enrichment regenerated Hg 0 could be collected to eliminate the secondary pollution. Regenerated AC-Mn and AC-CC's Hg 0 removal efficiency decreased greatly due to AC's decomposition and MnO 2 's crystal structure variation. Compared with AC and metal oxides, metal oxide-loaded AC had higher Hg 0 capture ability and capacity due to AC huge surface areas and lots of function groups. TGA analysis results showed that AC-Co and AC-Mn's HgO adsorptive capacity at 523 K reached 19.8 mg g -1 and 5.21 mg g -1 , respectively. High loading values and adsorption temperatures were beneficial to AC-Co's Hg 0 removal efficiency. However, CuCoO 4 and MnO 2 's AC decomposition ability had negative effect on AC-CC and AC-Mn's performance, respectively, especially at high adsorption temperatures and loading values. SO 2 tests showed that AC-CC had higher anti SO 2 -poisoning ability than AC-Co and AC-Mn

Selective sodium removal from lithium chloride brine with novel ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Natrium superionic conductor (NASICON) ceramics present interesting sensitive and selective properties against alkaline cations due to their structure. The powder of Li1.4La0.4Zr1.6(PO4)3 has been synthesized by a solid phase reaction. The removal of sodium was studied in an extensive series of tests involving different ...

Characterization of a supported ionic liquid membrane used for the removal of cyanide from wastewater.

Science.gov (United States)

Xue, Juan Qin; Liu, Ni Na; Li, Guo Ping; Dang, Long Tao

2017-12-01

This work evaluated the performance of ionic liquids (ILs) in supported liquid membranes in the removal of total cyanide from wastewater. Membranes were characterized by scanning electron microscopy and contact angle measurements to study the membrane morphology and wetting ability. In particular, the effects of operational parameters such as membrane immersion time, feed-phase concentration, and pH on cyanide removal were investigated. ILs are organic salts that are entirely composed of organic cations and either organic or inorganic anions. Since their vapor pressure is negligible, they can be handled easily; this characteristic gives rise to their 'green' nature. In this study, a hydrophobic IL, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate ([Bmim]PF 6 ), was immobilized in the pores of a solid polymeric support made of polyvinylidene fluoride. The optimal conditions were as follows: 1 hour membrane immersion time, 312.24 mg/L feed-phase concentration, a feed-phase pH of 4, 3% NaOH solution, and 1 hour stirring time. The cyanide removal was 95.31%. The treatment of cyanide using supported ionic liquid membrane (SILM) technology is a method with potential applications in industry.

Highly Efficient Closed-Loop CO2 Removal System for Deep-Space ECLSS, Phase I

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — TDA Research Inc.(TDA) in collaboration with University of Puerto Rico ? Mayaguez (UPRM is proposing to develop a highly efficient CO2 removal system based on UPRM...

Solar light-facilitated oxytetracycline removal from the aqueous phase utilizing a H2O2/ZnWO4/CaO catalytic system

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pankaj Raizada

2017-09-01

Full Text Available A CaO-supported ZnWO4 nanocomposite (ZnWO4/CaO was successfully synthesized using a novel hydrothermal method and was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM, tunnelling electron microscopy (TEM, X-ray diffraction (XRD, electron diffraction X-ray (EDX, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR and UV–visible (UV–vis spectral analysis. The ZnWO4/CaO composites exhibited rod-like morphologies with variable lengths from 45 nm to 147 nm and diameters from 26 nm to 36 nm. The catalytic efficiency of the synthesized ZnWO4/CaO composites was displayed for the photodegradation of oxytetracycline (OTC antibiotic from the aqueous phase. The synergistic degradation of OTC was investigated in the presence of H2O2 and ZnWO4/CaO. The rate of photodegradation followed pseudo-first-order kinetics. The antibiotic removal was strongly influenced by the catalyst loading, H2O2 concentration, pH and OTC concentration. Using a solar/H2O2/ZnWO4/CaO catalytic system, 85% COD removal was attained for OTC degradation in 210 min. The oxidative degradation occurred through hydroxyl radicals. The prepared nanocomposites possessed high recyclability and were easily separated from the aqueous solution by a simple sedimentation process.

The background in the 0νββ experiment GERDA

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Agostini, M.; Bode, T.; Budjas, D.; Csathy, J.J.; Lazzaro, A.; Schoenert, S. [Technische Universitaet Muenchen, Physik Department and Excellence Cluster Universe, Muenchen (Germany); Allardt, M.; Barros, N.; Domula, A.; Lehnert, B.; Wester, T.; Zuber, K. [Technische Universitaet Dresden, Institut fuer Kern- und Teilchenphysik, Dresden (Germany); Andreotti, E. [Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements, Geel (Belgium); Eberhard Karls Universitaet Tuebingen, Physikalisches Institut, Tuebingen (Germany); Bakalyarov, A.M.; Belyaev, S.T.; Lebedev, V.I.; Zhukov, S.V. [National Research Centre ' ' Kurchatov Institute' ' , Moscow (Russian Federation); Balata, M.; Ioannucci, L.; Junker, M.; Laubenstein, M.; Macolino, C.; Nisi, S.; Pandola, L.; Zavarise, P. [INFN Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso, LNGS, Assergi (Italy); Barabanov, I.; Bezrukov, L.; Gurentsov, V.; Inzhechik, L.V.; Kuzminov, V.V.; Lubsandorzhiev, B.; Yanovich, E. [Institute for Nuclear Research of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow (Russian Federation); Barnabe Heider, M. [Max Planck Institut fuer Kernphysik, Heidelberg (Germany); Technische Universitaet Muenchen, Physik Department and Excellence Cluster Universe, Muenchen (Germany); Baudis, L.; Benato, G.; Ferella, A.; Guthikonda, K.K.; Tarka, M.; Walter, M. [Physik Institut der Universitaet Zuerich, Zurich (Switzerland); Bauer, C.; Hampel, W.; Heisel, M.; Heusser, G.; Hofmann, W.; Kihm, T.; Kirsch, A.; Knoepfle, K.T.; Lindner, M.; Lubashevskiy, A.; Machado, A.A.; Maneschg, W.; Salathe, M.; Schreiner, J.; Schwingenheuer, B.; Simgen, H.; Smolnikov, A.; Strecker, H.; Wagner, V.; Wegmann, A. [Max Planck Institut fuer Kernphysik, Heidelberg (Germany); Becerici-Schmidt, N.; Caldwell, A.; Cossavella, F.; Liao, H.Y.; Liu, X.; Majorovits, B.; O' Shaughnessy, C.; Palioselitis, D.; Schulz, O.; Volynets, O. [Max-Planck-Institut fuer Physik, Muenchen (Germany); Bellotti, E.; Pessina, G. [Universita Milano Bicocca, Dipartimento di Fisica, Milan (Italy); INFN Milano Bicocca, Milan (Italy); Belogurov, S.; Kornoukhov, V.N. [Institute for Nuclear Research of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow (Russian Federation); Institute for Theoretical and Experimental Physics, Moscow (Russian Federation); Bettini, A.; Brugnera, R.; Garfagnini, A.; Hemmer, S.; Sada, C. [Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia dell' Universita di Padova, Padua (Italy); INFN Padova, Padua (Italy); Brudanin, V.; Egorov, V.; Kochetov, O.; Nemchenok, I.; Shevchik, E.; Zhitnikov, I.; Zinatulina, D. [Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, Dubna (Russian Federation); Cattadori, C.; Gotti, C. [INFN Milano Bicocca, Milan (Italy); Chernogorov, A.; Demidova, E.V.; Kirpichnikov, I.V.; Vasenko, A.A. [Institute for Theoretical and Experimental Physics, Moscow (Russian Federation); Falkenstein, R.; Freund, K.; Grabmayr, P.; Hegai, A.; Jochum, J.; Schmitt, C. [Eberhard Karls Universitaet Tuebingen, Physikalisches Institut, Tuebingen (Germany); Frodyma, N.; Pelczar, K.; Wojcik, M.; Zuzel, G. [Jagiellonian University, Institute of Physics, Cracow (Poland); Gangapshev, A. [Max Planck Institut fuer Kernphysik, Heidelberg (Germany); Institute for Nuclear Research of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow (Russian Federation); Gusev, K. [Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, Dubna (Russian Federation); National Research Centre ' ' Kurchatov Institute' ' , Moscow (Russian Federation); Technische Universitaet Muenchen, Physik Department and Excellence Cluster Universe, Muenchen (Germany); Hult, M.; Lutter, G. [Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements, Geel (Belgium); Klimenko, A. [Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, Dubna (Russian Federation); Max Planck Institut fuer Kernphysik, Heidelberg (Germany); Lippi, I.; Stanco, L.; Ur, C.A. [INFN Padova, Padua (Italy); Pullia, A.; Riboldi, S. [Universita degli Studi di Milano (IT); INFN Milano, Dipartimento di Fisica, Milan (IT); Shirchenko, M. [Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, Dubna (RU); National Research Centre ' ' Kurchatov Institute' ' , Moscow (RU); Sturm, K. von [Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia dell' Universita di Padova, Padua (IT); INFN Padova, Padua (IT); Eberhard Karls Universitaet Tuebingen, Physikalisches Institut, Tuebingen (DE)

2014-04-15

The GERmanium Detector Array (GERDA) experiment at the Gran Sasso underground laboratory (LNGS) of INFN is searching for neutrinoless double beta (0νββ) decay of {sup 76}Ge. The signature of the signal is a monoenergetic peak at 2039 keV, the Q{sub ββ} value of the decay. To avoid bias in the signal search, the present analysis does not consider all those events, that fall in a 40 keV wide region centered around Q{sub ββ}. The main parameters needed for the 0νββ analysis are described. A background model was developed to describe the observed energy spectrum. The model contains several contributions, that are expected on the basis of material screening or that are established by the observation of characteristic structures in the energy spectrum. The model predicts a flat energy spectrum for the blinding window around Q{sub ββ} with a background index ranging from 17.6 to 23.8 x 10{sup -3} cts/(keV kg yr). A part of the data not considered before has been used to test if the predictions of the background model are consistent. The observed number of events in this energy region is consistent with the background model. The background at Q{sub ββ} is dominated by close sources,mainly due to {sup 42}K, {sup 214}Bi, {sup 228}Th, {sup 60}Co and α emitting isotopes from the {sup 226}Ra decay chain. The individual fractions depend on the assumed locations of the contaminants. It is shown, that after removal of the known γ peaks, the energy spectrum can be fitted in an energy range of 200 keV around Q{sub ββ} with a constant background. This gives a background index consistent with the full model and uncertainties of the same size. (orig.)

Masticatory Muscle Sleep Background EMG Activity is Elevated in Myofascial TMD Patients

Science.gov (United States)

Raphael, Karen G.; Janal, Malvin N.; Sirois, David A.; Dubrovsky, Boris; Wigren, Pia E.; Klausner, Jack J.; Krieger, Ana C.; Lavigne, Gilles J.

2013-01-01

Despite theoretical speculation and strong clinical belief, recent research using laboratory polysomnographic (PSG) recording has provided new evidence that frequency of sleep bruxism (SB) masseter muscle events, including grinding or clenching of the teeth during sleep, is not increased for women with chronic myofascial temporomandibular disorder (TMD). The current case-control study compares a large sample of women suffering from chronic myofascial TMD (n=124) with a demographically matched control group without TMD (n=46) on sleep background electromyography (EMG) during a laboratory PSG study. Background EMG activity was measured as EMG root mean square (RMS) from the right masseter muscle after lights out. Sleep background EMG activity was defined as EMG RMS remaining after activity attributable to SB, other orofacial activity, other oromotor activity and movement artifacts were removed. Results indicated that median background EMG during these non SB-event periods was significantly higher (pcases exceeding control activity. Moreover, for TMD cases, background EMG was positively associated and SB event-related EMG was negatively associated with pain intensity ratings (0–10 numerical scale) on post sleep waking. These data provide the foundation for a new focus on small, but persistent, elevations in sleep EMG activity over the course of the night as a mechanism of pain induction or maintenance. PMID:24237356

Annihilation gamma ray background characterization and rejection for a positron camera

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Levin, C.S.; Tornai, M.P.; MacDonald, L.R.

1996-01-01

We have developed a miniature (1.2 cm 2 ) beta-ray camera prototype to assist a surgeon in locating and removing the margins of a resected tumor. When imaging positron emitting radiopharmaceuticals, annihilation gamma ray interactions in the detector can mimic those of the betas. The extent of the background contamination depends on the detector, geometry and tumor specificity of the radiopharmaceutical. We have characterized the effects that annihilation gamma rays have on positron imaging with the camera. We studied beta and gamma ray detection rates and imaging using small positron or electron sources directly exposed to the detector to simulate hot tumor remnants and a cylinder filled with 18 F to simulate annihilation background from the brain. For various ratios of phantom brain/tumor activity, a annihilation gamma rate of 1.8 cts/sec/gCi was measured in the CaF 2 (Eu) detector. We present two gamma-ray background rejection schemes that use a β-γ coincidence. Results show that the coincidence methods works with ∼99% gamma ray rejection efficiency

Reduced Graphene Oxide-Hybridized Polymeric High-Internal Phase Emulsions for Highly Efficient Removal of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons from Water Matrix.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Yipeng; Zhang, Wenjuan; Ruan, Guihua; Li, Xianxian; Cong, Yongzheng; Du, Fuyou; Li, Jianping

2018-03-27

Reduced graphene oxide (RGO)-hybridized polymeric high-internal phase emulsions (RGO/polyHIPEs) with an open-cell structure and hydrophobicity have been successfully prepared using 2-ethylhexyl acrylate and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as the monomer and the cross-linker, respectively. The adsorption mechanism and performance of this RGO/polyHIPEs to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were investigated. Adsorption isotherms of PAHs on RGO/polyHIPEs show that the saturated adsorption capacity is 47.5 mg/g and the equilibrium time is 8 h. Cycling tests show that the adsorption capacity of RGO/polyHIPEs remains stable in 10 adsorption-desorption cycles without observable structure change in RGO/polyHIPEs. Moreover, the PAH residues in water samples after being purified by RGO/polyHIPEs are lower than the limit values in drinking water set by the European Food Safety Authority. These results demonstrate that the RGO/polyHIPEs have great potentiality in PAH removal and water purification.

Unconventional transformation of spin Dirac phase across a topological quantum phase transition

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Su-Yang; Neupane, Madhab; Belopolski, Ilya; Liu, Chang; Alidoust, Nasser; Bian, Guang; Jia, Shuang; Landolt, Gabriel; Slomski, Batosz; Dil, J. Hugo; Shibayev, Pavel P.; Basak, Susmita; Chang, Tay-Rong; Jeng, Horng-Tay; Cava, Robert J.; Lin, Hsin; Bansil, Arun; Hasan, M. Zahid

2015-01-01

The topology of a topological material can be encoded in its surface states. These surface states can only be removed by a bulk topological quantum phase transition into a trivial phase. Here we use photoemission spectroscopy to image the formation of protected surface states in a topological insulator as we chemically tune the system through a topological transition. Surprisingly, we discover an exotic spin-momentum locked, gapped surface state in the trivial phase that shares many important properties with the actual topological surface state in anticipation of the change of topology. Using a spin-resolved measurement, we show that apart from a surface bandgap these states develop spin textures similar to the topological surface states well before the transition. Our results offer a general paradigm for understanding how surface states in topological phases arise from a quantum phase transition and are suggestive for the future realization of Weyl arcs, condensed matter supersymmetry and other fascinating phenomena in the vicinity of a quantum criticality. PMID:25882717

Keeping the Background Low: Production and Testing of the GERDA Phase II Detectors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hemmer, Sabine

2013-06-01

The Germanium Detector Array (GERDA) experiment at the INFN Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso searches for neutrinoless double beta decay of 76 Ge. The first phase using ∼15 kg of coaxial germanium detectors is ongoing. In a second phase, additional ∼20 kg of newly produced Broad Energy Germanium (BEGe) detectors will be deployed. To limit the generation of cosmogenically induced radioisotopes, the exposure of the germanium to cosmic radiation during the detector production and testing was minimized. An acceptance and characterization campaign of the newly produced detectors was carried out at the HEROICA facility in the HADES underground laboratory in Mol, Belgium. An overview over the complete production process, from isotopic enrichment of the material to the detector testing protocol, is given. (authors)

An Improved Mixture-of-Gaussians Background Model with Frame Difference and Blob Tracking in Video Stream

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Li Yao

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Modeling background and segmenting moving objects are significant techniques for computer vision applications. Mixture-of-Gaussians (MoG background model is commonly used in foreground extraction in video steam. However considering the case that the objects enter the scenery and stay for a while, the foreground extraction would fail as the objects stay still and gradually merge into the background. In this paper, we adopt a blob tracking method to cope with this situation. To construct the MoG model more quickly, we add frame difference method to the foreground extracted from MoG for very crowded situations. What is more, a new shadow removal method based on RGB color space is proposed.

Characterisation and mitigation of beam-induced backgrounds observed in the ATLAS detector during the 2011 proton-proton run

CERN Document Server

Aad, Georges; Abbott, Brad; Abdallah, Jalal; Abdel Khalek, Samah; Abdelalim, Ahmed Ali; Abdinov, Ovsat; Aben, Rosemarie; Abi, Babak; Abolins, Maris; AbouZeid, Ossama; Abramowicz, Halina; Abreu, Henso; Acharya, Bobby Samir; Adamczyk, Leszek; Adams, David; Addy, Tetteh; Adelman, Jahred; Adomeit, Stefanie; Adragna, Paolo; Adye, Tim; Aefsky, Scott; Aguilar-Saavedra, Juan Antonio; Agustoni, Marco; Aharrouche, Mohamed; Ahlen, Steven; Ahles, Florian; Ahmad, Ashfaq; Ahsan, Mahsana; Aielli, Giulio; Akdogan, Taylan; Åkesson, Torsten Paul Ake; Akimoto, Ginga; Akimov, Andrei; Alam, Mohammad; Alam, Muhammad Aftab; Albert, Justin; Albrand, Solveig; Aleksa, Martin; Aleksandrov, Igor; Alessandria, Franco; Alexa, Calin; Alexander, Gideon; Alexandre, Gauthier; Alexopoulos, Theodoros; Alhroob, Muhammad; Aliev, Malik; Alimonti, Gianluca; Alison, John; Allbrooke, Benedict; Allport, Phillip; Allwood-Spiers, Sarah; Almond, John; Aloisio, Alberto; Alon, Raz; Alonso, Alejandro; Alonso, Francisco; Altheimer, Andrew David; Alvarez Gonzalez, Barbara; Alviggi, Mariagrazia; Amako, Katsuya; Amelung, Christoph; Ammosov, Vladimir; Amor Dos Santos, Susana Patricia; Amorim, Antonio; Amram, Nir; Anastopoulos, Christos; Ancu, Lucian Stefan; Andari, Nansi; Andeen, Timothy; Anders, Christoph Falk; Anders, Gabriel; Anderson, Kelby; Andreazza, Attilio; Andrei, George Victor; Andrieux, Marie-Laure; Anduaga, Xabier; Angelidakis, Stylianos; Anger, Philipp; Angerami, Aaron; Anghinolfi, Francis; Anisenkov, Alexey; Anjos, Nuno; Annovi, Alberto; Antonaki, Ariadni; Antonelli, Mario; Antonov, Alexey; Antos, Jaroslav; Anulli, Fabio; Aoki, Masato; Aoun, Sahar; Aperio Bella, Ludovica; Apolle, Rudi; Arabidze, Giorgi; Aracena, Ignacio; Arai, Yasuo; Arce, Ayana; Arfaoui, Samir; Arguin, Jean-Francois; Argyropoulos, Spyridon; Arik, Engin; Arik, Metin; Armbruster, Aaron James; Arnaez, Olivier; Arnal, Vanessa; Arnault, Christian; Artamonov, Andrei; Artoni, Giacomo; Arutinov, David; Asai, Shoji; Ask, Stefan; Åsman, Barbro; Asquith, Lily; Assamagan, Ketevi; Astbury, Alan; Atkinson, Markus; Aubert, Bernard; Auge, Etienne; Augsten, Kamil; Aurousseau, Mathieu; Avolio, Giuseppe; Avramidou, Rachel Maria; Axen, David; Azuelos, Georges; Azuma, Yuya; Baak, Max; Baccaglioni, Giuseppe; Bacci, Cesare; Bach, Andre; Bachacou, Henri; Bachas, Konstantinos; Backes, Moritz; Backhaus, Malte; Backus Mayes, John; Badescu, Elisabeta; Bagnaia, Paolo; Bahinipati, Seema; Bai, Yu; Bailey, David; Bain, Travis; Baines, John; Baker, Oliver Keith; Baker, Mark; Baker, Sarah; Balek, Petr; Banas, Elzbieta; Banerjee, Piyali; Banerjee, Swagato; Banfi, Danilo; Bangert, Andrea Michelle; Bansal, Vikas; Bansil, Hardeep Singh; Barak, Liron; Baranov, Sergei; Barbaro Galtieri, Angela; Barber, Tom; Barberio, Elisabetta Luigia; Barberis, Dario; Barbero, Marlon; Bardin, Dmitri; Barillari, Teresa; Barisonzi, Marcello; Barklow, Timothy; Barlow, Nick; Barnett, Bruce; Barnett, Michael; Baroncelli, Antonio; Barone, Gaetano; Barr, Alan; Barreiro, Fernando; Barreiro Guimarães da Costa, João; Barrillon, Pierre; Bartoldus, Rainer; Barton, Adam Edward; Bartsch, Valeria; Basye, Austin; Bates, Richard; Batkova, Lucia; Batley, Richard; Battaglia, Andreas; Battistin, Michele; Bauer, Florian; Bawa, Harinder Singh; Beale, Steven; Beau, Tristan; Beauchemin, Pierre-Hugues; Beccherle, Roberto; Bechtle, Philip; Beck, Hans Peter; Becker, Anne Kathrin; Becker, Sebastian; Beckingham, Matthew; Becks, Karl-Heinz; Beddall, Andrew; Beddall, Ayda; Bedikian, Sourpouhi; Bednyakov, Vadim; Bee, Christopher; Beemster, Lars; Begel, Michael; Behar Harpaz, Silvia; Behera, Prafulla; Beimforde, Michael; Belanger-Champagne, Camille; Bell, Paul; Bell, William; Bella, Gideon; Bellagamba, Lorenzo; Bellomo, Massimiliano; Belloni, Alberto; Beloborodova, Olga; Belotskiy, Konstantin; Beltramello, Olga; Benary, Odette; Benchekroun, Driss; Bendtz, Katarina; Benekos, Nektarios; Benhammou, Yan; Benhar Noccioli, Eleonora; Benitez Garcia, Jorge-Armando; Benjamin, Douglas; Benoit, Mathieu; Bensinger, James; Benslama, Kamal; Bentvelsen, Stan; Berge, David; Bergeaas Kuutmann, Elin; Berger, Nicolas; Berghaus, Frank; Berglund, Elina; Beringer, Jürg; Bernat, Pauline; Bernhard, Ralf; Bernius, Catrin; Berry, Tracey; Bertella, Claudia; Bertin, Antonio; Bertolucci, Federico; Besana, Maria Ilaria; Besjes, Geert-Jan; Besson, Nathalie; Bethke, Siegfried; Bhimji, Wahid; Bianchi, Riccardo-Maria; Bianchini, Louis; Bianco, Michele; Biebel, Otmar; Bieniek, Stephen Paul; Bierwagen, Katharina; Biesiada, Jed; Biglietti, Michela; Bilokon, Halina; Bindi, Marcello; Binet, Sebastien; Bingul, Ahmet; Bini, Cesare; Biscarat, Catherine; Bittner, Bernhard; Black, Kevin; Blair, Robert; Blanchard, Jean-Baptiste; Blanchot, Georges; Blazek, Tomas; Bloch, Ingo; Blocker, Craig; Blocki, Jacek; Blondel, Alain; Blum, Walter; Blumenschein, Ulrike; Bobbink, Gerjan; Bobrovnikov, Victor; Bocchetta, Simona Serena; Bocci, Andrea; Boddy, Christopher Richard; Boehler, Michael; Boek, Jennifer; Boek, Thorsten Tobias; Boelaert, Nele; Bogaerts, Joannes Andreas; Bogdanchikov, Alexander; Bogouch, Andrei; Bohm, Christian; Bohm, Jan; Boisvert, Veronique; Bold, Tomasz; Boldea, Venera; Bolnet, Nayanka Myriam; Bomben, Marco; Bona, Marcella; Boonekamp, Maarten; Bordoni, Stefania; Borer, Claudia; Borisov, Anatoly; Borissov, Guennadi; Borjanovic, Iris; Borri, Marcello; Borroni, Sara; Bortfeldt, Jonathan; Bortolotto, Valerio; Bos, Kors; Boscherini, Davide; Bosman, Martine; Boterenbrood, Hendrik; Bouchami, Jihene; Boudreau, Joseph; Bouhova-Thacker, Evelina Vassileva; Boumediene, Djamel Eddine; Bourdarios, Claire; Bousson, Nicolas; Boveia, Antonio; Boyd, James; Boyko, Igor; Bozovic-Jelisavcic, Ivanka; Bracinik, Juraj; Branchini, Paolo; Brandt, Andrew; Brandt, Gerhard; Brandt, Oleg; Bratzler, Uwe; Brau, Benjamin; Brau, James; Braun, Helmut; Brazzale, Simone Federico; Brelier, Bertrand; Bremer, Johan; Brendlinger, Kurt; Brenner, Richard; Bressler, Shikma; Britton, Dave; Brochu, Frederic; Brock, Ian; Brock, Raymond; Broggi, Francesco; Bromberg, Carl; Bronner, Johanna; Brooijmans, Gustaaf; Brooks, Timothy; Brooks, William; Brown, Gareth; Brown, Heather; Bruce, Roderik; Bruckman de Renstrom, Pawel; Bruncko, Dusan; Bruneliere, Renaud; Brunet, Sylvie; Bruni, Alessia; Bruni, Graziano; Bruschi, Marco; Buanes, Trygve; Buat, Quentin; Bucci, Francesca; Buchanan, James; Buchholz, Peter; Buckingham, Ryan; Buckley, Andrew; Buda, Stelian Ioan; Budagov, Ioulian; Budick, Burton; Büscher, Volker; Bugge, Lars; Bulekov, Oleg; Bundock, Aaron Colin; Bunse, Moritz; Buran, Torleiv; Burckhart, Helfried; Burdin, Sergey; Burgess, Thomas; Burke, Stephen; Busato, Emmanuel; Bussey, Peter; Buszello, Claus-Peter; Butler, Bart; Butler, John; Buttar, Craig; Butterworth, Jonathan; Buttinger, William; Byszewski, Marcin; Cabrera Urbán, Susana; Caforio, Davide; Cakir, Orhan; Calafiura, Paolo; Calderini, Giovanni; Calfayan, Philippe; Calkins, Robert; Caloba, Luiz; Caloi, Rita; Calvet, David; Calvet, Samuel; Camacho Toro, Reina; Camarri, Paolo; Cameron, David; Caminada, Lea Michaela; Caminal Armadans, Roger; Campana, Simone; Campanelli, Mario; Canale, Vincenzo; Canelli, Florencia; Canepa, Anadi; Cantero, Josu; Cantrill, Robert; Capasso, Luciano; Capeans Garrido, Maria Del Mar; Caprini, Irinel; Caprini, Mihai; Capriotti, Daniele; Capua, Marcella; Caputo, Regina; Cardarelli, Roberto; Carli, Tancredi; Carlino, Gianpaolo; Carminati, Leonardo; Caron, Bryan; Caron, Sascha; Carquin, Edson; Carrillo-Montoya, German D; Carter, Antony; Carter, Janet; Carvalho, João; Casadei, Diego; Casado, Maria Pilar; Cascella, Michele; Caso, Carlo; Castaneda Hernandez, Alfredo Martin; Castaneda-Miranda, Elizabeth; Castillo Gimenez, Victoria; Castro, Nuno Filipe; Cataldi, Gabriella; Catastini, Pierluigi; Catinaccio, Andrea; Catmore, James; Cattai, Ariella; Cattani, Giordano; Caughron, Seth; Cavaliere, Viviana; Cavalleri, Pietro; Cavalli, Donatella; Cavalli-Sforza, Matteo; Cavasinni, Vincenzo; Ceradini, Filippo; Santiago Cerqueira, Augusto; Cerri, Alessandro; Cerrito, Lucio; Cerutti, Fabio; Cetin, Serkant Ali; Chafaq, Aziz; Chakraborty, Dhiman; Chalupkova, Ina; Chan, Kevin; Chang, Philip; Chapleau, Bertrand; Chapman, John Derek; Chapman, John Wehrley; Chareyre, Eve; Charlton, Dave; Chavda, Vikash; Chavez Barajas, Carlos Alberto; Cheatham, Susan; Chekanov, Sergei; Chekulaev, Sergey; Chelkov, Gueorgui; Chelstowska, Magda Anna; Chen, Chunhui; Chen, Hucheng; Chen, Shenjian; Chen, Xin; Chen, Yujiao; Cheng, Yangyang; Cheplakov, Alexander; Cherkaoui El Moursli, Rajaa; Chernyatin, Valeriy; Cheu, Elliott; Cheung, Sing-Leung; Chevalier, Laurent; Chiefari, Giovanni; Chikovani, Leila; Childers, John Taylor; Chilingarov, Alexandre; Chiodini, Gabriele; Chisholm, Andrew; Chislett, Rebecca Thalatta; Chitan, Adrian; Chizhov, Mihail; Choudalakis, Georgios; Chouridou, Sofia; Christidi, Ilektra-Athanasia; Christov, Asen; Chromek-Burckhart, Doris; Chu, Ming-Lee; Chudoba, Jiri; Ciapetti, Guido; Ciftci, Abbas Kenan; Ciftci, Rena; Cinca, Diane; Cindro, Vladimir; Ciocca, Claudia; Ciocio, Alessandra; Cirilli, Manuela; Cirkovic, Predrag; Citron, Zvi Hirsh; Citterio, Mauro; Ciubancan, Mihai; Clark, Allan G; Clark, Philip James; Clarke, Robert; Cleland, Bill; Clemens, Jean-Claude; Clement, Benoit; Clement, Christophe; Coadou, Yann; Cobal, Marina; Coccaro, Andrea; Cochran, James H; Coffey, Laurel; Cogan, Joshua Godfrey; Coggeshall, James; Cogneras, Eric; Colas, Jacques; Cole, Stephen; Colijn, Auke-Pieter; Collins, Neil; Collins-Tooth, Christopher; Collot, Johann; Colombo, Tommaso; Colon, German; Compostella, Gabriele; Conde Muiño, Patricia; Coniavitis, Elias; Conidi, Maria Chiara; Consonni, Sofia Maria; Consorti, Valerio; Constantinescu, Serban; Conta, Claudio; Conti, Geraldine; Conventi, Francesco; Cooke, Mark; Cooper, Ben; Cooper-Sarkar, Amanda; Copic, Katherine; Cornelissen, Thijs; Corradi, Massimo; Corriveau, Francois; Cortes-Gonzalez, Arely; Cortiana, Giorgio; Costa, Giuseppe; Costa, María José; Costanzo, Davide; Côté, David; Courneyea, Lorraine; Cowan, Glen; Cowden, Christopher; Cox, Brian; Cranmer, Kyle; Crescioli, Francesco; Cristinziani, Markus; Crosetti, Giovanni; Crépé-Renaudin, Sabine; Cuciuc, Constantin-Mihai; Cuenca Almenar, Cristóbal; Cuhadar Donszelmann, Tulay; Cummings, Jane; Curatolo, Maria; Curtis, Chris; Cuthbert, Cameron; Cwetanski, Peter; Czirr, Hendrik; Czodrowski, Patrick; Czyczula, Zofia; D'Auria, Saverio; D'Onofrio, Monica; D'Orazio, Alessia; Da Cunha Sargedas De Sousa, Mario Jose; Da Via, Cinzia; Dabrowski, Wladyslaw; Dafinca, Alexandru; Dai, Tiesheng; Dallapiccola, Carlo; Dam, Mogens; Dameri, Mauro; Damiani, Daniel; Danielsson, Hans Olof; Dao, Valerio; Darbo, Giovanni; Darlea, Georgiana Lavinia; Dassoulas, James; Davey, Will; Davidek, Tomas; Davidson, Nadia; Davidson, Ruth; Davies, Eleanor; Davies, Merlin; Davignon, Olivier; Davison, Adam; Davygora, Yuriy; Dawe, Edmund; Dawson, Ian; Daya-Ishmukhametova, Rozmin; De, Kaushik; de Asmundis, Riccardo; De Castro, Stefano; De Cecco, Sandro; de Graat, Julien; De Groot, Nicolo; de Jong, Paul; De La Taille, Christophe; De la Torre, Hector; De Lorenzi, Francesco; de Mora, Lee; De Nooij, Lucie; De Pedis, Daniele; De Salvo, Alessandro; De Sanctis, Umberto; De Santo, Antonella; De Vivie De Regie, Jean-Baptiste; De Zorzi, Guido; Dearnaley, William James; Debbe, Ramiro; Debenedetti, Chiara; Dechenaux, Benjamin; Dedovich, Dmitri; Degenhardt, James; Del Peso, Jose; Del Prete, Tarcisio; Delemontex, Thomas; Deliyergiyev, Maksym; Dell'Acqua, Andrea; Dell'Asta, Lidia; Della Pietra, Massimo; della Volpe, Domenico; Delmastro, Marco; Delsart, Pierre-Antoine; Deluca, Carolina; Demers, Sarah; Demichev, Mikhail; Demirkoz, Bilge; Denisov, Sergey; Derendarz, Dominik; Derkaoui, Jamal Eddine; Derue, Frederic; Dervan, Paul; Desch, Klaus Kurt; Devetak, Erik; Deviveiros, Pier-Olivier; Dewhurst, Alastair; DeWilde, Burton; Dhaliwal, Saminder; Dhullipudi, Ramasudhakar; Di Ciaccio, Anna; Di Ciaccio, Lucia; Di Donato, Camilla; Di Girolamo, Alessandro; Di Girolamo, Beniamino; Di Luise, Silvestro; Di Mattia, Alessandro; Di Micco, Biagio; Di Nardo, Roberto; Di Simone, Andrea; Di Sipio, Riccardo; Diaz, Marco Aurelio; Diehl, Edward; Dietrich, Janet; Dietzsch, Thorsten; Diglio, Sara; Dindar Yagci, Kamile; Dingfelder, Jochen; Dinut, Florin; Dionisi, Carlo; Dita, Petre; Dita, Sanda; Dittus, Fridolin; Djama, Fares; Djobava, Tamar; Barros do Vale, Maria Aline; Do Valle Wemans, André; Doan, Thi Kieu Oanh; Dobbs, Matt; Dobos, Daniel; Dobson, Ellie; Dodd, Jeremy; Doglioni, Caterina; Doherty, Tom; Doi, Yoshikuni; Dolejsi, Jiri; Dolenc, Irena; Dolezal, Zdenek; Dolgoshein, Boris; Dohmae, Takeshi; Donadelli, Marisilvia; Donini, Julien; Dopke, Jens; Doria, Alessandra; Dos Anjos, Andre; Dotti, Andrea; Dova, Maria-Teresa; Doxiadis, Alexander; Doyle, Tony; Dressnandt, Nandor; Dris, Manolis; Dubbert, Jörg; Dube, Sourabh; Duchovni, Ehud; Duckeck, Guenter; Duda, Dominik; Dudarev, Alexey; Dudziak, Fanny; Dührssen, Michael; Duerdoth, Ian; Duflot, Laurent; Dufour, Marc-Andre; Duguid, Liam; Dunford, Monica; Duran Yildiz, Hatice; Duxfield, Robert; Dwuznik, Michal; Dydak, Friedrich; Düren, Michael; Ebenstein, William; Ebke, Johannes; Eckweiler, Sebastian; Edmonds, Keith; Edson, William; Edwards, Clive; Edwards, Nicholas Charles; Ehrenfeld, Wolfgang; Eifert, Till; Eigen, Gerald; Einsweiler, Kevin; Eisenhandler, Eric; Ekelof, Tord; El Kacimi, Mohamed; Ellert, Mattias; Elles, Sabine; Ellinghaus, Frank; Ellis, Katherine; Ellis, Nicolas; Elmsheuser, Johannes; Elsing, Markus; Emeliyanov, Dmitry; Engelmann, Roderich; Engl, Albert; Epp, Brigitte; Erdmann, Johannes; Ereditato, Antonio; Eriksson, Daniel; Ernst, Jesse; Ernst, Michael; Ernwein, Jean; Errede, Deborah; Errede, Steven; Ertel, Eugen; Escalier, Marc; Esch, Hendrik; Escobar, Carlos; Espinal Curull, Xavier; Esposito, Bellisario; Etienne, Francois; Etienvre, Anne-Isabelle; Etzion, Erez; Evangelakou, Despoina; Evans, Hal; Fabbri, Laura; Fabre, Caroline; Fakhrutdinov, Rinat; Falciano, Speranza; Fang, Yaquan; Fanti, Marcello; Farbin, Amir; Farilla, Addolorata; Farley, Jason; Farooque, Trisha; Farrell, Steven; Farrington, Sinead; Farthouat, Philippe; Fassi, Farida; Fassnacht, Patrick; Fassouliotis, Dimitrios; Fatholahzadeh, Baharak; Favareto, Andrea; Fayard, Louis; Fazio, Salvatore; Febbraro, Renato; Federic, Pavol; Fedin, Oleg; Fedorko, Wojciech; Fehling-Kaschek, Mirjam; Feligioni, Lorenzo; Feng, Cunfeng; Feng, Eric; Fenyuk, Alexander; Ferencei, Jozef; Fernando, Waruna; Ferrag, Samir; Ferrando, James; Ferrara, Valentina; Ferrari, Arnaud; Ferrari, Pamela; Ferrari, Roberto; Ferreira de Lima, Danilo Enoque; Ferrer, Antonio; Ferrere, Didier; Ferretti, Claudio; Ferretto Parodi, Andrea; Fiascaris, Maria; Fiedler, Frank; Filipčič, Andrej; Filthaut, Frank; Fincke-Keeler, Margret; Fiolhais, Miguel; Fiorini, Luca; Firan, Ana; Fischer, Gordon; Fisher, Matthew; Flechl, Martin; Fleck, Ivor; Fleckner, Johanna; Fleischmann, Philipp; Fleischmann, Sebastian; Flick, Tobias; Floderus, Anders; Flores Castillo, Luis; Flowerdew, Michael; Fonseca Martin, Teresa; Formica, Andrea; Forti, Alessandra; Fortin, Dominique; Fournier, Daniel; Fowler, Andrew; Fox, Harald; Francavilla, Paolo; Franchini, Matteo; Franchino, Silvia; Francis, David; Frank, Tal; Franklin, Melissa; Franz, Sebastien; Fraternali, Marco; Fratina, Sasa; French, Sky; Friedrich, Conrad; Friedrich, Felix; Froeschl, Robert; Froidevaux, Daniel; Frost, James; Fukunaga, Chikara; Fullana Torregrosa, Esteban; Fulsom, Bryan Gregory; Fuster, Juan; Gabaldon, Carolina; Gabizon, Ofir; Gadfort, Thomas; Gadomski, Szymon; Gagliardi, Guido; Gagnon, Pauline; Galea, Cristina; Galhardo, Bruno; Gallas, Elizabeth; Gallo, Valentina Santina; Gallop, Bruce; Gallus, Petr; Gan, KK; Gao, Yongsheng; Gaponenko, Andrei; Garberson, Ford; Garcia-Sciveres, Maurice; García, Carmen; García Navarro, José Enrique; Gardner, Robert; Garelli, Nicoletta; Garitaonandia, Hegoi; Garonne, Vincent; Gatti, Claudio; Gaudio, Gabriella; Gaur, Bakul; Gauthier, Lea; Gauzzi, Paolo; Gavrilenko, Igor; Gay, Colin; Gaycken, Goetz; Gazis, Evangelos; Ge, Peng; Gecse, Zoltan; Gee, Norman; Geerts, Daniël Alphonsus Adrianus; Geich-Gimbel, Christoph; Gellerstedt, Karl; Gemme, Claudia; Gemmell, Alistair; Genest, Marie-Hélène; Gentile, Simonetta; George, Matthias; George, Simon; Gerlach, Peter; Gershon, Avi; Geweniger, Christoph; Ghazlane, Hamid; Ghodbane, Nabil; Giacobbe, Benedetto; Giagu, Stefano; Giakoumopoulou, Victoria; Giangiobbe, Vincent; Gianotti, Fabiola; Gibbard, Bruce; Gibson, Adam; Gibson, Stephen; Gilchriese, Murdock; Gillberg, Dag; Gillman, Tony; Gingrich, Douglas; Ginzburg, Jonatan; Giokaris, Nikos; Giordani, MarioPaolo; Giordano, Raffaele; Giorgi, Francesco Michelangelo; Giovannini, Paola; Giraud, Pierre-Francois; Giugni, Danilo; Giunta, Michele; Gjelsten, Børge Kile; Gladilin, Leonid; Glasman, Claudia; Glatzer, Julian; Glazov, Alexandre; Glitza, Karl-Walter; Glonti, George; Goddard, Jack Robert; Godfrey, Jennifer; Godlewski, Jan; Goebel, Martin; Göpfert, Thomas; Goeringer, Christian; Gössling, Claus; Goldfarb, Steven; Golling, Tobias; Gomes, Agostinho; Gomez Fajardo, Luz Stella; Gonçalo, Ricardo; Goncalves Pinto Firmino Da Costa, Joao; Gonella, Laura; González de la Hoz, Santiago; Gonzalez Parra, Garoe; Gonzalez Silva, Laura; Gonzalez-Sevilla, Sergio; Goodson, Jeremiah Jet; Goossens, Luc; Gorbounov, Petr Andreevich; Gordon, Howard; Gorelov, Igor; Gorfine, Grant; Gorini, Benedetto; Gorini, Edoardo; Gorišek, Andrej; Gornicki, Edward; Goshaw, Alfred; Gosselink, Martijn; Gostkin, Mikhail Ivanovitch; Gough Eschrich, Ivo; Gouighri, Mohamed; Goujdami, Driss; Goulette, Marc Phillippe; Goussiou, Anna; Goy, Corinne; Gozpinar, Serdar; Grabowska-Bold, Iwona; Grafström, Per; Grahn, Karl-Johan; Gramstad, Eirik; Grancagnolo, Francesco; Grancagnolo, Sergio; Grassi, Valerio; Gratchev, Vadim; Grau, Nathan; Gray, Heather; Gray, Julia Ann; Graziani, Enrico; Grebenyuk, Oleg; Greenshaw, Timothy; Greenwood, Zeno Dixon; Gregersen, Kristian; Gregor, Ingrid-Maria; Grenier, Philippe; Griffiths, Justin; Grigalashvili, Nugzar; Grillo, Alexander; Grinstein, Sebastian; Gris, Philippe Luc Yves; Grishkevich, Yaroslav; Grivaz, Jean-Francois; Gross, Eilam; Grosse-Knetter, Joern; Groth-Jensen, Jacob; Grybel, Kai; Guest, Daniel; Guicheney, Christophe; Guido, Elisa; Guindon, Stefan; Gul, Umar; Gunther, Jaroslav; Guo, Bin; Guo, Jun; Gutierrez, Phillip; Guttman, Nir; Gutzwiller, Olivier; Guyot, Claude; Gwenlan, Claire; Gwilliam, Carl; Haas, Andy; Haas, Stefan; Haber, Carl; Hadavand, Haleh Khani; Hadley, David; Haefner, Petra; Hahn, Ferdinand; Hajduk, Zbigniew; Hakobyan, Hrachya; Hall, David; Hamacher, Klaus; Hamal, Petr; Hamano, Kenji; Hamer, Matthias; Hamilton, Andrew; Hamilton, Samuel; Han, Liang; Hanagaki, Kazunori; Hanawa, Keita; Hance, Michael; Handel, Carsten; Hanke, Paul; Hansen, John Renner; Hansen, Jørgen Beck; Hansen, Jorn Dines; Hansen, Peter Henrik; Hansson, Per; Hara, Kazuhiko; Harenberg, Torsten; Harkusha, Siarhei; Harper, Devin; Harrington, Robert; Harris, Orin; Hartert, Jochen; Hartjes, Fred; Haruyama, Tomiyoshi; Harvey, Alex; Hasegawa, Satoshi; Hasegawa, Yoji; Hassani, Samira; Haug, Sigve; Hauschild, Michael; Hauser, Reiner; Havranek, Miroslav; Hawkes, Christopher; Hawkings, Richard John; Hawkins, Anthony David; Hayakawa, Takashi; Hayashi, Takayasu; Hayden, Daniel; Hays, Chris; Hayward, Helen; Haywood, Stephen; Head, Simon; Hedberg, Vincent; Heelan, Louise; Heim, Sarah; Heinemann, Beate; Heisterkamp, Simon; Helary, Louis; Heller, Claudio; Heller, Matthieu; Hellman, Sten; Hellmich, Dennis; Helsens, Clement; Henderson, Robert; Henke, Michael; Henrichs, Anna; Henriques Correia, Ana Maria; Henrot-Versille, Sophie; Hensel, Carsten; Henß, Tobias; Medina Hernandez, Carlos; Hernández Jiménez, Yesenia; Herrberg, Ruth; Herten, Gregor; Hertenberger, Ralf; Hervas, Luis; Hesketh, Gavin Grant; Hessey, Nigel; Higón-Rodriguez, Emilio; Hill, John; Hiller, Karl Heinz; Hillert, Sonja; Hillier, Stephen; Hinchliffe, Ian; Hines, Elizabeth; Hirose, Minoru; Hirsch, Florian; Hirschbuehl, Dominic; Hobbs, John; Hod, Noam; Hodgkinson, Mark; Hodgson, Paul; Hoecker, Andreas; Hoeferkamp, Martin; Hoffman, Julia; Hoffmann, Dirk; Hohlfeld, Marc; Holder, Martin; Holmgren, Sven-Olof; Holy, Tomas; Holzbauer, Jenny; Hong, Tae Min; Hooft van Huysduynen, Loek; Horner, Stephan; Hostachy, Jean-Yves; Hou, Suen; Hoummada, Abdeslam; Howard, Jacob; Howarth, James; Hristova, Ivana; Hrivnac, Julius; Hryn'ova, Tetiana; Hsu, Pai-hsien Jennifer; Hsu, Shih-Chieh; Hu, Diedi; Hubacek, Zdenek; Hubaut, Fabrice; Huegging, Fabian; Huettmann, Antje; Huffman, Todd Brian; Hughes, Emlyn; Hughes, Gareth; Huhtinen, Mika; Hurwitz, Martina; Huseynov, Nazim; Huston, Joey; Huth, John; Iacobucci, Giuseppe; Iakovidis, Georgios; Ibbotson, Michael; Ibragimov, Iskander; Iconomidou-Fayard, Lydia; Idarraga, John; Iengo, Paolo; Igonkina, Olga; Ikegami, Yoichi; Ikeno, Masahiro; Iliadis, Dimitrios; Ilic, Nikolina; Ince, Tayfun; Inigo-Golfin, Joaquin; Ioannou, Pavlos; Iodice, Mauro; Iordanidou, Kalliopi; Ippolito, Valerio; Irles Quiles, Adrian; Isaksson, Charlie; Ishino, Masaya; Ishitsuka, Masaki; Ishmukhametov, Renat; Issever, Cigdem; Istin, Serhat; Ivashin, Anton; Iwanski, Wieslaw; Iwasaki, Hiroyuki; Izen, Joseph; Izzo, Vincenzo; Jackson, Brett; Jackson, John; Jackson, Paul; Jaekel, Martin; Jain, Vivek; Jakobs, Karl; Jakobsen, Sune; Jakoubek, Tomas; Jakubek, Jan; Jamin, David Olivier; Jana, Dilip; Jansen, Eric; Jansen, Hendrik; Janssen, Jens; Jantsch, Andreas; Janus, Michel; Jared, Richard; Jarlskog, Göran; Jeanty, Laura; Jen-La Plante, Imai; Jennens, David; Jenni, Peter; Loevschall-Jensen, Ask Emil; Jež, Pavel; Jézéquel, Stéphane; Jha, Manoj Kumar; Ji, Haoshuang; Ji, Weina; Jia, Jiangyong; Jiang, Yi; Jimenez Belenguer, Marcos; Jin, Shan; Jinnouchi, Osamu; Joergensen, Morten Dam; Joffe, David; Johansen, Marianne; Johansson, Erik; Johansson, Per; Johnert, Sebastian; Johns, Kenneth; Jon-And, Kerstin; Jones, Graham; Jones, Roger; Jones, Tim; Joram, Christian; Jorge, Pedro; Joshi, Kiran Daniel; Jovicevic, Jelena; Jovin, Tatjana; Ju, Xiangyang; Jung, Christian; Jungst, Ralph Markus; Juranek, Vojtech; Jussel, Patrick; Juste Rozas, Aurelio; Kabana, Sonja; Kaci, Mohammed; Kaczmarska, Anna; Kadlecik, Peter; Kado, Marumi; Kagan, Harris; Kagan, Michael; Kajomovitz, Enrique; Kalinin, Sergey; Kalinovskaya, Lidia; Kama, Sami; Kanaya, Naoko; Kaneda, Michiru; Kaneti, Steven; Kanno, Takayuki; Kantserov, Vadim; Kanzaki, Junichi; Kaplan, Benjamin; Kapliy, Anton; Kaplon, Jan; Kar, Deepak; Karagounis, Michael; Karakostas, Konstantinos; Karnevskiy, Mikhail; Kartvelishvili, Vakhtang; Karyukhin, Andrey; Kashif, Lashkar; Kasieczka, Gregor; Kass, Richard; Kastanas, Alex; Kataoka, Mayuko; Kataoka, Yousuke; Katsoufis, Elias; Katzy, Judith; Kaushik, Venkatesh; Kawagoe, Kiyotomo; Kawamoto, Tatsuo; Kawamura, Gen; Kayl, Manuel; Kazama, Shingo; Kazanin, Vassili; Kazarinov, Makhail; Keeler, Richard; Keener, Paul; Kehoe, Robert; Keil, Markus; Kekelidze, George; Keller, John; Kenyon, Mike; Kepka, Oldrich; Kerschen, Nicolas; Kerševan, Borut Paul; Kersten, Susanne; Kessoku, Kohei; Keung, Justin; Khalil-zada, Farkhad; Khandanyan, Hovhannes; Khanov, Alexander; Kharchenko, Dmitri; Khodinov, Alexander; Khomich, Andrei; Khoo, Teng Jian; Khoriauli, Gia; Khoroshilov, Andrey; Khovanskiy, Valery; Khramov, Evgeniy; Khubua, Jemal; Kim, Hyeon Jin; Kim, Shinhong; Kimura, Naoki; Kind, Oliver; King, Barry; King, Matthew; King, Robert Steven Beaufoy; Kirk, Julie; Kiryunin, Andrey; Kishimoto, Tomoe; Kisielewska, Danuta; Kitamura, Takumi; Kittelmann, Thomas; Kiuchi, Kenji; Kladiva, Eduard; Klein, Max; Klein, Uta; Kleinknecht, Konrad; Klemetti, Miika; Klier, Amit; Klimek, Pawel; Klimentov, Alexei; Klingenberg, Reiner; Klinger, Joel Alexander; Klinkby, Esben; Klioutchnikova, Tatiana; Klok, Peter; Klous, Sander; Kluge, Eike-Erik; Kluge, Thomas; Kluit, Peter; Kluth, Stefan; Kneringer, Emmerich; Knoops, Edith; Knue, Andrea; Ko, Byeong Rok; Kobayashi, Tomio; Kobel, Michael; Kocian, Martin; Kodys, Peter; Köneke, Karsten; König, Adriaan; Koenig, Sebastian; Köpke, Lutz; Koetsveld, Folkert; Koevesarki, Peter; Koffas, Thomas; Koffeman, Els; Kogan, Lucy Anne; Kohlmann, Simon; Kohn, Fabian; Kohout, Zdenek; Kohriki, Takashi; Koi, Tatsumi; Kolachev, Guennady; Kolanoski, Hermann; Kolesnikov, Vladimir; Koletsou, Iro; Koll, James; Komar, Aston; Komori, Yuto; Kondo, Takahiko; Kono, Takanori; Kononov, Anatoly; Konoplich, Rostislav; Konstantinidis, Nikolaos; Kopeliansky, Revital; Koperny, Stefan; Korcyl, Krzysztof; Kordas, Kostantinos; Korn, Andreas; Korol, Aleksandr; Korolkov, Ilya; Korolkova, Elena; Korotkov, Vladislav; Kortner, Oliver; Kortner, Sandra; Kostyukhin, Vadim; Kotov, Sergey; Kotov, Vladislav; Kotwal, Ashutosh; Kourkoumelis, Christine; Kouskoura, Vasiliki; Koutsman, Alex; Kowalewski, Robert Victor; Kowalski, Tadeusz; Kozanecki, Witold; Kozhin, Anatoly; Kral, Vlastimil; Kramarenko, Viktor; Kramberger, Gregor; Krasny, Mieczyslaw Witold; Krasznahorkay, Attila; Kraus, Jana; Kreiss, Sven; Krejci, Frantisek; Kretzschmar, Jan; Krieger, Nina; Krieger, Peter; Kroeninger, Kevin; Kroha, Hubert; Kroll, Joe; Kroseberg, Juergen; Krstic, Jelena; Kruchonak, Uladzimir; Krüger, Hans; Kruker, Tobias; Krumnack, Nils; Krumshteyn, Zinovii; Kruse, Mark; Kubota, Takashi; Kuday, Sinan; Kuehn, Susanne; Kugel, Andreas; Kuhl, Thorsten; Kuhn, Dietmar; Kukhtin, Victor; Kulchitsky, Yuri; Kuleshov, Sergey; Kummer, Christian; Kuna, Marine; Kunkle, Joshua; Kupco, Alexander; Kurashige, Hisaya; Kurata, Masakazu; Kurochkin, Yurii; Kus, Vlastimil; Kuwertz, Emma Sian; Kuze, Masahiro; Kvita, Jiri; Kwee, Regina; La Rosa, Alessandro; La Rotonda, Laura; Labarga, Luis; Labbe, Julien; Lablak, Said; Lacasta, Carlos; Lacava, Francesco; Lacey, James; Lacker, Heiko; Lacour, Didier; Lacuesta, Vicente Ramón; Ladygin, Evgueni; Lafaye, Remi; Laforge, Bertrand; Lagouri, Theodota; Lai, Stanley; Laisne, Emmanuel; Lambourne, Luke; Lampen, Caleb; Lampl, Walter; Lancon, Eric; Landgraf, Ulrich; Landon, Murrough; Lang, Valerie Susanne; Lange, Clemens; Lankford, Andrew; Lanni, Francesco; Lantzsch, Kerstin; Lanza, Agostino; Laplace, Sandrine; Lapoire, Cecile; Laporte, Jean-Francois; Lari, Tommaso; Larner, Aimee; Lassnig, Mario; Laurelli, Paolo; Lavorini, Vincenzo; Lavrijsen, Wim; Laycock, Paul; Le Dortz, Olivier; Le Guirriec, Emmanuel; Le Menedeu, Eve; LeCompte, Thomas; Ledroit-Guillon, Fabienne Agnes Marie; Lee, Hurng-Chun; Lee, Jason; Lee, Shih-Chang; Lee, Lawrence; Lefebvre, Michel; Legendre, Marie; Legger, Federica; Leggett, Charles; Lehmacher, Marc; Lehmann Miotto, Giovanna; Leister, Andrew Gerard; Leite, Marco Aurelio Lisboa; Leitner, Rupert; Lellouch, Daniel; Lemmer, Boris; Lendermann, Victor; Leney, Katharine; Lenz, Tatiana; Lenzen, Georg; Lenzi, Bruno; Leonhardt, Kathrin; Leontsinis, Stefanos; Lepold, Florian; Leroy, Claude; Lessard, Jean-Raphael; Lester, Christopher; Lester, Christopher Michael; Levêque, Jessica; Levin, Daniel; Levinson, Lorne; Lewis, Adrian; Lewis, George; Leyko, Agnieszka; Leyton, Michael; Li, Bo; Li, Haifeng; Li, Ho Ling; Li, Shu; Li, Xuefei; Liang, Zhijun; Liao, Hongbo; Liberti, Barbara; Lichard, Peter; Lichtnecker, Markus; Lie, Ki; Liebig, Wolfgang; Limbach, Christian; Limosani, Antonio; Limper, Maaike; Lin, Simon; Linde, Frank; Linnemann, James; Lipeles, Elliot; Lipniacka, Anna; Liss, Tony; Lissauer, David; Lister, Alison; Litke, Alan; Liu, Chuanlei; Liu, Dong; Liu, Hao; Liu, Jianbei; Liu, Lulu; Liu, Minghui; Liu, Yanwen; Livan, Michele; Livermore, Sarah; Lleres, Annick; Llorente Merino, Javier; Lloyd, Stephen; Lobodzinska, Ewelina; Loch, Peter; Lockman, William; Loddenkoetter, Thomas; Loebinger, Fred; Loginov, Andrey; Loh, Chang Wei; Lohse, Thomas; Lohwasser, Kristin; Lokajicek, Milos; Lombardo, Vincenzo Paolo; Long, Robin Eamonn; Lopes, Lourenco; Lopez Mateos, David; Lorenz, Jeanette; Lorenzo Martinez, Narei; Losada, Marta; Loscutoff, Peter; Lo Sterzo, Francesco; Losty, Michael; Lou, XinChou; Lounis, Abdenour; Loureiro, Karina; Love, Jeremy; Love, Peter; Lowe, Andrew; Lu, Feng; Lubatti, Henry; Luci, Claudio; Lucotte, Arnaud; Ludwig, Andreas; Ludwig, Dörthe; Ludwig, Inga; Ludwig, Jens; Luehring, Frederick; Luijckx, Guy; Lukas, Wolfgang; Luminari, Lamberto; Lund, Esben; Lund-Jensen, Bengt; Lundberg, Björn; Lundberg, Johan; Lundberg, Olof; Lundquist, Johan; Lungwitz, Matthias; Lynn, David; Lytken, Else; Ma, Hong; Ma, Lian Liang; Maccarrone, Giovanni; Macchiolo, Anna; Maček, Boštjan; Machado Miguens, Joana; Macina, Daniela; Mackeprang, Rasmus; Madaras, Ronald; Maddocks, Harvey Jonathan; Mader, Wolfgang; Maenner, Reinhard; Maeno, Tadashi; Mättig, Peter; Mättig, Stefan; Magnoni, Luca; Magradze, Erekle; Mahboubi, Kambiz; Mahlstedt, Joern; Mahmoud, Sara; Mahout, Gilles; Maiani, Camilla; Maidantchik, Carmen; Maio, Amélia; Majewski, Stephanie; Makida, Yasuhiro; Makovec, Nikola; Mal, Prolay; Malaescu, Bogdan; Malecki, Pawel; Malecki, Piotr; Maleev, Victor; Malek, Fairouz; Mallik, Usha; Malon, David; Malone, Caitlin; Maltezos, Stavros; Malyshev, Vladimir; Malyukov, Sergei; Mameghani, Raphael; Mamuzic, Judita; Manabe, Atsushi; Mandelli, Luciano; Mandić, Igor; Mandrysch, Rocco; Maneira, José; Manfredini, Alessandro; Manhaes de Andrade Filho, Luciano; Manjarres Ramos, Joany Andreina; Mann, Alexander; Manning, Peter; Manousakis-Katsikakis, Arkadios; Mansoulie, Bruno; Mapelli, Alessandro; Mapelli, Livio; March, Luis; Marchand, Jean-Francois; Marchese, Fabrizio; Marchiori, Giovanni; Marcisovsky, Michal; Marino, Christopher; Marroquim, Fernando; Marshall, Zach; Martens, Kalen; Marti, Lukas Fritz; Marti-Garcia, Salvador; Martin, Brian; Martin, Brian Thomas; Martin, Jean-Pierre; Martin, Tim; Martin, Victoria Jane; Martin dit Latour, Bertrand; Martin-Haugh, Stewart; Martinez, Mario; Martinez Outschoorn, Verena; Martyniuk, Alex; Marx, Marilyn; Marzano, Francesco; Marzin, Antoine; Masetti, Lucia; Mashimo, Tetsuro; Mashinistov, Ruslan; Masik, Jiri; Maslennikov, Alexey; Massa, Ignazio; Massaro, Graziano; Massol, Nicolas; Mastrandrea, Paolo; Mastroberardino, Anna; Masubuchi, Tatsuya; Matricon, Pierre; Matsunaga, Hiroyuki; Matsushita, Takashi; Mattravers, Carly; Maurer, Julien; Maxfield, Stephen; Maximov, Dmitriy; Mayne, Anna; Mazini, Rachid; Mazur, Michael; Mazzaferro, Luca; Mazzanti, Marcello; Mc Donald, Jeffrey; Mc Kee, Shawn Patrick; McCarn, Allison; McCarthy, Robert; McCarthy, Tom; McCubbin, Norman; McFarlane, Kenneth; Mcfayden, Josh; Mchedlidze, Gvantsa; Mclaughlan, Tom; McMahon, Steve; McPherson, Robert; Meade, Andrew; Mechnich, Joerg; Mechtel, Markus; Medinnis, Mike; Meehan, Samuel; Meera-Lebbai, Razzak; Meguro, Tatsuma; Mehlhase, Sascha; Mehta, Andrew; Meier, Karlheinz; Meirose, Bernhard; Melachrinos, Constantinos; Mellado Garcia, Bruce Rafael; Meloni, Federico; Mendoza Navas, Luis; Meng, Zhaoxia; Mengarelli, Alberto; Menke, Sven; Meoni, Evelin; Mercurio, Kevin Michael; Mermod, Philippe; Merola, Leonardo; Meroni, Chiara; Merritt, Frank; Merritt, Hayes; Messina, Andrea; Metcalfe, Jessica; Mete, Alaettin Serhan; Meyer, Carsten; Meyer, Christopher; Meyer, Jean-Pierre; Meyer, Jochen; Meyer, Joerg; Michal, Sebastien; Micu, Liliana; Middleton, Robin; Migas, Sylwia; Mijović, Liza; Mikenberg, Giora; Mikestikova, Marcela; Mikuž, Marko; Miller, David; Miller, Robert; Mills, Bill; Mills, Corrinne; Milov, Alexander; Milstead, David; Milstein, Dmitry; Minaenko, Andrey; Miñano Moya, Mercedes; Minashvili, Irakli; Mincer, Allen; Mindur, Bartosz; Mineev, Mikhail; Ming, Yao; Mir, Lluisa-Maria; Mirabelli, Giovanni; Mitrevski, Jovan; Mitsou, Vasiliki A; Mitsui, Shingo; Miyagawa, Paul; Mjörnmark, Jan-Ulf; Moa, Torbjoern; Moeller, Victoria; Mönig, Klaus; Möser, Nicolas; Mohapatra, Soumya; Mohr, Wolfgang; Moles-Valls, Regina; Molfetas, Angelos; Monk, James; Monnier, Emmanuel; Montejo Berlingen, Javier; Monticelli, Fernando; Monzani, Simone; Moore, Roger; Moorhead, Gareth; Mora Herrera, Clemencia; Moraes, Arthur; Morange, Nicolas; Morel, Julien; Morello, Gianfranco; Moreno, Deywis; Moreno Llácer, María; Morettini, Paolo; Morgenstern, Marcus; Morii, Masahiro; Morley, Anthony Keith; Mornacchi, Giuseppe; Morris, John; Morvaj, Ljiljana; Moser, Hans-Guenther; Mosidze, Maia; Moss, Josh; Mount, Richard; Mountricha, Eleni; Mouraviev, Sergei; Moyse, Edward; Mueller, Felix; Mueller, James; Mueller, Klemens; Müller, Thomas; Mueller, Timo; Muenstermann, Daniel; Munwes, Yonathan; Murray, Bill; Mussche, Ido; Musto, Elisa; Myagkov, Alexey; Myska, Miroslav; Nackenhorst, Olaf; Nadal, Jordi; Nagai, Koichi; Nagai, Ryo; Nagano, Kunihiro; Nagarkar, Advait; Nagasaka, Yasushi; Nagel, Martin; Nairz, Armin Michael; Nakahama, Yu; Nakamura, Koji; Nakamura, Tomoaki; Nakano, Itsuo; Nanava, Gizo; Napier, Austin; Narayan, Rohin; Nash, Michael; Nattermann, Till; Naumann, Thomas; Navarro, Gabriela; Neal, Homer; Nechaeva, Polina; Neep, Thomas James; Negri, Andrea; Negri, Guido; Negrini, Matteo; Nektarijevic, Snezana; Nelson, Andrew; Nelson, Timothy Knight; Nemecek, Stanislav; Nemethy, Peter; Nepomuceno, Andre Asevedo; Nessi, Marzio; Neubauer, Mark; Neumann, Manuel; Neusiedl, Andrea; Neves, Ricardo; Nevski, Pavel; Newcomer, Mitchel; Newman, Paul; Nguyen Thi Hong, Van; Nickerson, Richard; Nicolaidou, Rosy; Nicquevert, Bertrand; Niedercorn, Francois; Nielsen, Jason; Nikiforou, Nikiforos; Nikiforov, Andriy; Nikolaenko, Vladimir; Nikolic-Audit, Irena; Nikolics, Katalin; Nikolopoulos, Konstantinos; Nilsen, Henrik; Nilsson, Paul; Ninomiya, Yoichi; Nisati, Aleandro; Nisius, Richard; Nobe, Takuya; Nodulman, Lawrence; Nomachi, Masaharu; Nomidis, Ioannis; Norberg, Scarlet; Nordberg, Markus; Norton, Peter; Novakova, Jana; Nozaki, Mitsuaki; Nozka, Libor; Nugent, Ian Michael; Nuncio-Quiroz, Adriana-Elizabeth; Nunes Hanninger, Guilherme; Nunnemann, Thomas; Nurse, Emily; O'Brien, Brendan Joseph; O'Neil, Dugan; O'Shea, Val; Oakes, Louise Beth; Oakham, Gerald; Oberlack, Horst; Ocariz, Jose; Ochi, Atsuhiko; Oda, Susumu; Odaka, Shigeru; Odier, Jerome; Ogren, Harold; Oh, Alexander; Oh, Seog; Ohm, Christian; Ohshima, Takayoshi; Okamura, Wataru; Okawa, Hideki; Okumura, Yasuyuki; Okuyama, Toyonobu; Olariu, Albert; Olchevski, Alexander; Olivares Pino, Sebastian Andres; Oliveira, Miguel Alfonso; Oliveira Damazio, Denis; Oliver Garcia, Elena; Olivito, Dominick; Olszewski, Andrzej; Olszowska, Jolanta; Onofre, António; Onyisi, Peter; Oram, Christopher; Oreglia, Mark; Oren, Yona; Orestano, Domizia; Orlando, Nicola; Orlov, Iliya; Oropeza Barrera, Cristina; Orr, Robert; Osculati, Bianca; Ospanov, Rustem; Osuna, Carlos; Otero y Garzon, Gustavo; Ottersbach, John; Ouchrif, Mohamed; Ouellette, Eric; Ould-Saada, Farid; Ouraou, Ahmimed; Ouyang, Qun; Ovcharova, Ana; Owen, Mark; Owen, Simon; Ozcan, Veysi Erkcan; Ozturk, Nurcan; Pacheco Pages, Andres; Padilla Aranda, Cristobal; Pagan Griso, Simone; Paganis, Efstathios; Pahl, Christoph; Paige, Frank; Pais, Preema; Pajchel, Katarina; Palacino, Gabriel; Paleari, Chiara; Palestini, Sandro; Pallin, Dominique; Palma, Alberto; Palmer, Jody; Pan, Yibin; Panagiotopoulou, Evgenia; Panduro Vazquez, William; Pani, Priscilla; Panikashvili, Natalia; Panitkin, Sergey; Pantea, Dan; Papadelis, Aras; Papadopoulou, Theodora; Paramonov, Alexander; Paredes Hernandez, Daniela; Park, Woochun; Parker, Michael Andrew; Parodi, Fabrizio; Parsons, John; Parzefall, Ulrich; Pashapour, Shabnaz; Pasqualucci, Enrico; Passaggio, Stefano; Passeri, Antonio; Pastore, Fernanda; Pastore, Francesca; Pásztor, Gabriella; Pataraia, Sophio; Patel, Nikhul; Pater, Joleen; Patricelli, Sergio; Pauly, Thilo; Pecsy, Martin; Pedraza Lopez, Sebastian; Pedraza Morales, Maria Isabel; Peleganchuk, Sergey; Pelikan, Daniel; Peng, Haiping; Penning, Bjoern; Penson, Alexander; Penwell, John; Perantoni, Marcelo; Perez, Kerstin; Perez Cavalcanti, Tiago; Perez Codina, Estel; Pérez García-Estañ, María Teresa; Perez Reale, Valeria; Perini, Laura; Pernegger, Heinz; Perrino, Roberto; Perrodo, Pascal; Peshekhonov, Vladimir; Peters, Krisztian; Petersen, Brian; Petersen, Jorgen; Petersen, Troels; Petit, Elisabeth; Petridis, Andreas; Petridou, Chariclia; Petrolo, Emilio; Petrucci, Fabrizio; Petschull, Dennis; Petteni, Michele; Pezoa, Raquel; Phan, Anna; Phillips, Peter William; Piacquadio, Giacinto; Picazio, Attilio; Piccaro, Elisa; Piccinini, Maurizio; Piec, Sebastian Marcin; Piegaia, Ricardo; Pignotti, David; Pilcher, James; Pilkington, Andrew; Pina, João Antonio; Pinamonti, Michele; Pinder, Alex; Pinfold, James; Pinto, Belmiro; Pizio, Caterina; Plamondon, Mathieu; Pleier, Marc-Andre; Plotnikova, Elena; Poblaguev, Andrei; Poddar, Sahill; Podlyski, Fabrice; Poggioli, Luc; Pohl, David-leon; Pohl, Martin; Polesello, Giacomo; Policicchio, Antonio; Polini, Alessandro; Poll, James; Polychronakos, Venetios; Pomeroy, Daniel; Pommès, Kathy; Pontecorvo, Ludovico; Pope, Bernard; Popeneciu, Gabriel Alexandru; Popovic, Dragan; Poppleton, Alan; Portell Bueso, Xavier; Pospelov, Guennady; Pospisil, Stanislav; Potrap, Igor; Potter, Christina; Potter, Christopher; Poulard, Gilbert; Poveda, Joaquin; Pozdnyakov, Valery; Prabhu, Robindra; Pralavorio, Pascal; Pranko, Aliaksandr; Prasad, Srivas; Pravahan, Rishiraj; Prell, Soeren; Pretzl, Klaus Peter; Price, Darren; Price, Joe; Price, Lawrence; Prieur, Damien; Primavera, Margherita; Prokofiev, Kirill; Prokoshin, Fedor; Protopopescu, Serban; Proudfoot, James; Prudent, Xavier; Przybycien, Mariusz; Przysiezniak, Helenka; Psoroulas, Serena; Ptacek, Elizabeth; Pueschel, Elisa; Purdham, John; Purohit, Milind; Puzo, Patrick; Pylypchenko, Yuriy; Qian, Jianming; Quadt, Arnulf; Quarrie, David; Quayle, William; Quinonez, Fernando; Raas, Marcel; Radeka, Veljko; Radescu, Voica; Radloff, Peter; Rador, Tonguc; Ragusa, Francesco; Rahal, Ghita; Rahimi, Amir; Rahm, David; Rajagopalan, Srinivasan; Rammensee, Michael; Rammes, Marcus; Randle-Conde, Aidan Sean; Randrianarivony, Koloina; Rauscher, Felix; Rave, Tobias Christian; Raymond, Michel; Read, Alexander Lincoln; Rebuzzi, Daniela; Redelbach, Andreas; Redlinger, George; Reece, Ryan; Reeves, Kendall; Reinsch, Andreas; Reisinger, Ingo; Rembser, Christoph; Ren, Zhongliang; Renaud, Adrien; Rescigno, Marco; Resconi, Silvia; Resende, Bernardo; Reznicek, Pavel; Rezvani, Reyhaneh; Richter, Robert; Richter-Was, Elzbieta; Ridel, Melissa; Rijpstra, Manouk; Rijssenbeek, Michael; Rimoldi, Adele; Rinaldi, Lorenzo; 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Dean; Schamov, Andrey; Scharf, Veit; Schegelsky, Valery; Scheirich, Daniel; Schernau, Michael; Scherzer, Max; Schiavi, Carlo; Schieck, Jochen; Schioppa, Marco; Schlenker, Stefan; Schmidt, Evelyn; Schmieden, Kristof; Schmitt, Christian; Schmitt, Sebastian; Schneider, Basil; Schnoor, Ulrike; Schoeffel, Laurent; Schoening, Andre; Schorlemmer, Andre Lukas; Schott, Matthias; Schouten, Doug; Schovancova, Jaroslava; Schram, Malachi; Schroeder, Christian; Schroer, Nicolai; Schultens, Martin Johannes; Schultes, Joachim; Schultz-Coulon, Hans-Christian; Schulz, Holger; Schumacher, Markus; Schumm, Bruce; Schune, Philippe; Schwanenberger, Christian; Schwartzman, Ariel; Schwegler, Philipp; Schwemling, Philippe; Schwienhorst, Reinhard; Schwierz, Rainer; Schwindling, Jerome; Schwindt, Thomas; Schwoerer, Maud; Sciacca, Gianfranco; Sciolla, Gabriella; Scott, Bill; Searcy, Jacob; Sedov, George; Sedykh, Evgeny; Seidel, Sally; Seiden, Abraham; Seifert, Frank; Seixas, José; Sekhniaidze, Givi; Sekula, Stephen; Selbach, Karoline Elfriede; Seliverstov, Dmitry; Sellden, Bjoern; Sellers, Graham; Seman, Michal; Semprini-Cesari, Nicola; Serfon, Cedric; Serin, Laurent; Serkin, Leonid; Seuster, Rolf; Severini, Horst; Sfyrla, Anna; Shabalina, Elizaveta; Shamim, Mansoora; Shan, Lianyou; Shank, James; Shao, Qi Tao; Shapiro, Marjorie; Shatalov, Pavel; Shaw, Kate; Sherman, Daniel; Sherwood, Peter; Shimizu, Shima; Shimojima, Makoto; Shin, Taeksu; Shiyakova, Mariya; Shmeleva, Alevtina; Shochet, Mel; Short, Daniel; Shrestha, Suyog; Shulga, Evgeny; Shupe, Michael; Sicho, Petr; Sidoti, Antonio; Siegert, Frank; Sijacki, Djordje; Silbert, Ohad; Silva, José; Silver, Yiftah; Silverstein, Daniel; Silverstein, Samuel; Simak, Vladislav; Simard, Olivier; Simic, Ljiljana; Simion, Stefan; Simioni, Eduard; Simmons, Brinick; Simoniello, Rosa; Simonyan, Margar; Sinervo, Pekka; Sinev, Nikolai; Sipica, Valentin; Siragusa, Giovanni; Sircar, Anirvan; Sisakyan, Alexei; Sivoklokov, Serguei; Sjölin, Jörgen; Sjursen, Therese; Skinnari, Louise Anastasia; 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2013-07-17

This paper presents a summary of beam-induced backgrounds observed in the ATLAS detector and discusses methods to tag and remove background contaminated events in data. Trigger-rate based monitoring of beam-related backgrounds is presented. The correlations of backgrounds with machine conditions, such as residual pressure in the beam-pipe, are discussed. Results from dedicated beam-background simulations are shown, and their qualitative agreement with data is evaluated. Data taken during the passage of unpaired, i.e. non-colliding, proton bunches is used to obtain background-enriched data samples. These are used to identify characteristic features of beam-induced backgrounds, which then are exploited to develop dedicated background tagging tools. These tools, based on observables in the Pixel detector, the muon spectrometer and the calorimeters, are described in detail and their efficiencies are evaluated. Finally an example of an application of these techniques to a monojet analysis is given, which demonstra...

Efficiency of Electrocoagulation for Removal of Reactive Yellow 14 from Aqueous Environments

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ahmad Reza Yaria

2013-09-01

Full Text Available Background & Aims of the Study: Discharge of textile industry colored wastewater without enough treatment into natural water resources cause serious pollution. Most of the conventional wastewater treatment methods are not effective enough to remove these dyes from wastewater. In this study, efficiency of electrocoagulation process with iron electrodes for treatment of Reactive Yellow 14 dye from synthetic solution has been studied and concluded. Materials & Methods: This experiment was conducted in a batch system with a volume of 2 L that had been equipped with 4 iron electrodes. The effect of operating parameters, such as voltage, time of reaction, initial dye concentration, and interelectrode distance on the dye removal efficiency was investigated. Results: In optimum condition (pH 2, voltage 40 V, electrolysis time 25 min, and interelectrode distance 1 cm, electrocoagulation method was able to remove 99.27% of Reactive Yellow 14 from synthetic solution. Conclusions: Electrocoagulation process by iron electrode is an efficient method for removal of reactive dyes from colored solution.

The joint effects of background selection and genetic recombination on local gene genealogies.

Science.gov (United States)

Zeng, Kai; Charlesworth, Brian

2011-09-01

Background selection, the effects of the continual removal of deleterious mutations by natural selection on variability at linked sites, is potentially a major determinant of DNA sequence variability. However, the joint effects of background selection and genetic recombination on the shape of the neutral gene genealogy have proved hard to study analytically. The only existing formula concerns the mean coalescent time for a pair of alleles, making it difficult to assess the importance of background selection from genome-wide data on sequence polymorphism. Here we develop a structured coalescent model of background selection with recombination and implement it in a computer program that efficiently generates neutral gene genealogies for an arbitrary sample size. We check the validity of the structured coalescent model against forward-in-time simulations and show that it accurately captures the effects of background selection. The model produces more accurate predictions of the mean coalescent time than the existing formula and supports the conclusion that the effect of background selection is greater in the interior of a deleterious region than at its boundaries. The level of linkage disequilibrium between sites is elevated by background selection, to an extent that is well summarized by a change in effective population size. The structured coalescent model is readily extendable to more realistic situations and should prove useful for analyzing genome-wide polymorphism data.

Dimerization Products of Chloroprene are Background Contaminants Emitted from ALTEF (Polyvinylidene Difluoride) Gas Sampling Bags.

Science.gov (United States)

Kwak, Jae; Fan, Maomian; Martin, Jennifer A; Ott, Darrin K; Grigsby, Claude C

2017-01-01

Gas sampling bags have been used for collecting air samples. Tedlar bags are most commonly used, but bleed background chemicals such as N,N-dimethylacetamide and phenol. It is often necessary to remove the contaminant by flushing the bags with pure nitrogen or air. In this study, we identified four chloroprene dimerization products as background contaminants emitted from ALTEF bags that are made of a proprietary polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF). No monomer chloroprene was detected in the bags analyzed. All of the dimers gradually increased once bags were filled with nitrogen due to diffusion from the bag surface. Flushing the bags with nitrogen reduced their concentrations, but was not effective for removing the contaminants. When the bags that had been flushed with nitrogen 5 times were left for 24 h, they increased again, indicating that the dimers were constantly emitted from the ALTEF bag surface. To our knowledge, these compounds have never been demonstrated in ALTEF or other PVDF bags. Our finding indicates that ALTEF might be incorporated with Neoprene (chloroprene-based polymer) during its manufacturing process.

A study of nuclear recoil backgrounds in dark matter detectors

Science.gov (United States)

Westerdale, Shawn S.

Despite the great success of the Standard Model of particle physics, a preponderance of astrophysical evidence suggests that it cannot explain most of the matter in the universe. This so-called dark matter has eluded direct detection, though many theoretical extensions to the Standard Model predict the existence of particles with a mass on the 1-1000 GeV scale that interact only via the weak nuclear force. Particles in this class are referred to as Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs), and their high masses and low scattering cross sections make them viable dark matter candidates. The rarity of WIMP-nucleus interactions makes them challenging to detect: any background can mask the signal they produce. Background rejection is therefore a major problem in dark matter detection. Many experiments greatly reduce their backgrounds by employing techniques to reject electron recoils. However, nuclear recoil backgrounds, which produce signals similar to what we expect from WIMPs, remain problematic. There are two primary sources of such backgrounds: surface backgrounds and neutron recoils. Surface backgrounds result from radioactivity on the inner surfaces of the detector sending recoiling nuclei into the detector. These backgrounds can be removed with fiducial cuts, at some cost to the experiment's exposure. In this dissertation we briefly discuss a novel technique for rejecting these events based on signals they make in the wavelength shifter coating on the inner surfaces of some detectors. Neutron recoils result from neutrons scattering off of nuclei in the detector. These backgrounds may produce a signal identical to what we expect from WIMPs and are extensively discussed here. We additionally present a new tool for calculating (alpha, n) yields in various materials. We introduce the concept of a neutron veto system designed to shield against, measure, and provide an anti-coincidence veto signal for background neutrons. We discuss the research and development

A Study of Nuclear Recoil Backgrounds in Dark Matter Detectors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Westerdale, Shawn S. [Princeton Univ., NJ (United States)

2016-01-01

Despite the great success of the Standard Model of particle physics, a preponderance of astrophysical evidence suggests that it cannot explain most of the matter in the universe. This so-called dark matter has eluded direct detection, though many theoretical extensions to the Standard Model predict the existence of particles with a mass on the $1-1000$ GeV scale that interact only via the weak nuclear force. Particles in this class are referred to as Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs), and their high masses and low scattering cross sections make them viable dark matter candidates. The rarity of WIMP-nucleus interactions makes them challenging to detect: any background can mask the signal they produce. Background rejection is therefore a major problem in dark matter detection. Many experiments greatly reduce their backgrounds by employing techniques to reject electron recoils. However, nuclear recoil backgrounds, which produce signals similar to what we expect from WIMPs, remain problematic. There are two primary sources of such backgrounds: surface backgrounds and neutron recoils. Surface backgrounds result from radioactivity on the inner surfaces of the detector sending recoiling nuclei into the detector. These backgrounds can be removed with fiducial cuts, at some cost to the experiment's exposure. In this dissertation we briefly discuss a novel technique for rejecting these events based on signals they make in the wavelength shifter coating on the inner surfaces of some detectors. Neutron recoils result from neutrons scattering from nuclei in the detector. These backgrounds may produce a signal identical to what we expect from WIMPs and are extensively discussed here. We additionally present a new tool for calculating ($\\alpha$, n)yields in various materials. We introduce the concept of a neutron veto system designed to shield against, measure, and provide an anti-coincidence veto signal for background neutrons. We discuss the research and

Removing grain boundaries from three-dimensional colloidal crystals using active dopants

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van der Meer, B.; Dijkstra, M.; Filion, L.C.

2016-01-01

Using computer simulations we explore how grain boundaries can be removed from three-dimensional colloidal crystals by doping with a small fraction of active colloids. We show that for sufficient selfpropulsion, the system is driven into a crystal-fluid coexistence. In this phase separated regime,

ARSENIC REMOVAL BY IRON REMOVAL PROCESSES

Science.gov (United States)

Presentation will discuss the removal of arsenic from drinking water using iron removal processes that include oxidation/filtration and the manganese greensand processes. Presentation includes results of U.S. EPA field studies conducted in Michigan and Ohio on existing iron remo...

Organically modified clay removes oil from water

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alther, G.R.

1995-01-01

When bentonite or other clays and zeolite are modified with quaternary amines, they become organophilic. Such modified bentonites are used to remove mechanically emulsified oil and grease, and other sparingly soluble organics. Types of oil found in water can include fats, lubricants, cutting fluids, heavy hydrocarbons such as tars, grease, crude oil, diesel oils; and light hydrocarbons such as kerosene, jet fuel, and gasoline. If the organoclay is granulated, it is placed into a liquid phase carbon filter vessel to remove FOGs (Free Oil and Grease) and chlorinated hydrocarbons. In this application the clay is mixed with anthrazite to prevent early plugging of the filter by oil or grease droplets. In batch systems a powdered organoclay is employed. Organoclay removes mechanically emulsified oil and grease at 5--7 times the rate of activated carbon, or 50% of its dry weight. Oil and grease and other large sparingly soluble chlorinated hydrocarbons and NOMs (Natural Organic Matter) blind the pores of activated carbon (and ion-exchange resins), reducing its effectiveness significantly. It is therefore economically advantageous for the end user to prepolish the water before it enters carbon vessels. Operating costs can often be reduced by 50% or more

Status of the GERDA Phase II upgrade

Science.gov (United States)

Wagner, Victoria

2016-06-01

The GERDA experiment is designed to search for neutrinoless double beta (0νββ) decay of 76Ge. In Phase I of the experiment a background index of 10-2 cts/(keV.kg.yr) was reached. A lower limit on the half-life of the 0νββ decay of 76Ge was set to 2.1.1025 yr (at 90% C.L.). The aim of Phase II is to reach a sensitivity of the half-life of about 1026 yr. To increase the exposure thirty new Broad Energy Germanium (BEGe) detectors have been produced. These detectors are distinct for their improved energy resolution and enhanced pulse shape discrimination of signal from background events. Further background reduction will be reached by a light instrumentation to read out argon scintillation light. In April 2015 the light instrumentation together with eight BEGe detectors has been successfully deployed in the GERDA cryostat. In a commissioning run it was shown that two of the major background components, external γ-rays from 214Bi and 208Tl decays, were suppressed up to two orders of magnitude. We are confident to reach a background index of 10-3 cts/(keV.kg.yr) which is the design goal for GERDA Phase II.

Cosmic 21 cm delensing of microwave background polarization and the minimum detectable energy scale of inflation.

Science.gov (United States)

Sigurdson, Kris; Cooray, Asantha

2005-11-18

We propose a new method for removing gravitational lensing from maps of cosmic microwave background (CMB) polarization anisotropies. Using observations of anisotropies or structures in the cosmic 21 cm radiation, emitted or absorbed by neutral hydrogen atoms at redshifts 10 to 200, the CMB can be delensed. We find this method could allow CMB experiments to have increased sensitivity to a background of inflationary gravitational waves (IGWs) compared to methods relying on the CMB alone and may constrain models of inflation which were heretofore considered to have undetectable IGW amplitudes.

Relation between distribution coefficient of radioactive strontium and solid-liquid distribution ratio of background stable strontium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Igarashi, Toshifumi; Mahara, Yasunori; Okamura, Masaki; Ashikawa, Nobuo.

1992-01-01

Distribution coefficients (K d ) of nuclides, which are defined as the ratio of the adsorbed concentration to the solution concentration, are important in predicting nuclide migration in the subsurface environment. This study was undertaken to contrust an effective method of determining the most pertinent K d value for simulating in situ distribution phenomena between the solid and liquid phases, by using background stable isotopes. This paper describes the applicability of this method to Sr by carrying out a batch Sr adsorption experiment where stable Sr coexisted with the radioactive isotope, 85 Sr, and by comparing the concentration distribution ratio of the background stable Sr with the K d value obtained by the batch experiment. The results showed that the K d of 85 Sr (K d85 ) agreed well with the K d of the coexisting stable Sr (K ds ) and that the two values decreased with an increase in the concentration of the stable Sr, when sand was used as an adsorbent. In addition, the K d85 corresponded to the ratio of the exchangeable solid-phase concentration of background stable Sr to the concentration of the background stable Sr in groundwater when the concentration of the coexisting stable Sr approached the background level. On the other hand, when powdered rock samples were used, the K d85 did not agree with the K ds , and the concentration distribution ratio of the background stable Sr was greater than the K d85 . This discrepancy might be due to the disequilibrium resulting from grinding the rock matrices. This suggests that measurement of the background stable Sr distribution ratio between the solid and liquid phases can be an effective method of estimating the K d of radioactive Sr when the groundwater is in satisfactory contact with the adsorption medium. (author)

Global profiling of DNA replication timing and efficiency reveals that efficient replication/firing occurs late during S-phase in S. pombe.

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Majid Eshaghi

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: During S. pombe S-phase, initiation of DNA replication occurs at multiple sites (origins that are enriched with AT-rich sequences, at various times. Current studies of genome-wide DNA replication profiles have focused on the DNA replication timing and origin location. However, the replication and/or firing efficiency of the individual origins on the genomic scale remain unclear. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Using the genome-wide ORF-specific DNA microarray analysis, we show that in S. pombe, individual origins fire with varying efficiencies and at different times during S-phase. The increase in DNA copy number plotted as a function of time is approximated to the near-sigmoidal model, when considering the replication start and end timings at individual loci in cells released from HU-arrest. Replication efficiencies differ from origin to origin, depending on the origin's firing efficiency. We have found that DNA replication is inefficient early in S-phase, due to inefficient firing at origins. Efficient replication occurs later, attributed to efficient but late-firing origins. Furthermore, profiles of replication timing in cds1Delta cells are abnormal, due to the failure in resuming replication at the collapsed forks. The majority of the inefficient origins, but not the efficient ones, are found to fire in cds1Delta cells after HU removal, owing to the firing at the remaining unused (inefficient origins during HU treatment. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Taken together, our results indicate that efficient DNA replication/firing occurs late in S-phase progression in cells after HU removal, due to efficient late-firing origins. Additionally, checkpoint kinase Cds1p is required for maintaining the efficient replication/firing late in S-phase. We further propose that efficient late-firing origins are essential for ensuring completion of DNA duplication by the end of S-phase.

Tar Removal from Biomass Producer Gas by Using Biochar

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ravenni, Giulia; Henriksen, Ulrik Birk; Ahrenfeldt, Jesper

2017-01-01

The biomass-derived char (biochar) produced in the gasifier as a residue, is a potential solution for removing tars from producer gas. This work investigates the interaction between tar compounds and biochar. Residual biochar from a TwoStage gasifier was tested as bed material in a laboratory setup....... Phenol and naphthalene were chosen as model tars, and entrained in a nitrogen flow. The gaseous stream was sampled before and after the biochar bed to evaluate the extent of conversion. The biochar bed (30g) was tested at 250°C, 500°C and 600°C, with for 3 consecutive hours. The compounds concentration...... in the gas phase was quantified by stable isotope dilution analysis, using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS). Results showed a significant effect of biochar on the removal of phenol, at all temperatures. Naphthalene was removed less efficiently at higher temperature, and this trend was even more...

Enhanced removal of radioactive particles by fluorocarbon surfactant solutions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kaiser, R.; Harling, O.K.

1993-08-01

The proposed research addressed the application of ESI's particle removal process to the non-destructive decontamination of nuclear equipment. The cleaning medium used in this process is a solution of a high molecular weight fluorocarbon surfactant in an inert perfluorinated liquid which results in enhanced particle removal. The perfluorinated liquids of interest, which are recycled in the process, are nontoxic, nonflammable, and environmentally compatible, and do not present a hazard to the ozone layer. The information obtained in the Phase 1 program indicated that the proposed ESI process is technically effective and economically attractive. The fluorocarbon surfactant solutions used as working media in the ESI process survived exposure of up to 10 Mrad doses of gamma rays, and are considered sufficiently radiation resistant for the proposed process. Ultrasonic cleaning in perfluorinated surfactant solutions was found to be an effective method of removing radioactive iron (Fe 59) oxide particles from contaminated test pieces. Radioactive particles suspended in the process liquids could be quantitatively removed by filtration through a 0.1 um membrane filter. Projected economics indicate a pre-tax pay back time of 1 month for a commercial scale system

From Foreground to Background: How Task-Neutral Context Influences Contextual Cueing of Visual Search.

Science.gov (United States)

Zang, Xuelian; Geyer, Thomas; Assumpção, Leonardo; Müller, Hermann J; Shi, Zhuanghua

2016-01-01

Selective attention determines the effectiveness of implicit contextual learning (e.g., Jiang and Leung, 2005). Visual foreground-background segmentation, on the other hand, is a key process in the guidance of attention (Wolfe, 2003). In the present study, we examined the impact of foreground-background segmentation on contextual cueing of visual search in three experiments. A visual search display, consisting of distractor 'L's and a target 'T', was overlaid on a task-neutral cuboid on the same depth plane (Experiment 1), on stereoscopically separated depth planes (Experiment 2), or spread over the entire display on the same depth plane (Experiment 3). Half of the search displays contained repeated target-distractor arrangements, whereas the other half was always newly generated. The task-neutral cuboid was constant during an initial training session, but was either rotated by 90° or entirely removed in the subsequent test sessions. We found that the gains resulting from repeated presentation of display arrangements during training (i.e., contextual-cueing effects) were diminished when the cuboid was changed or removed in Experiment 1, but remained intact in Experiments 2 and 3 when the cuboid was placed in a different depth plane, or when the items were randomly spread over the whole display but not on the edges of the cuboid. These findings suggest that foreground-background segmentation occurs prior to contextual learning, and only objects/arrangements that are grouped as foreground are learned over the course of repeated visual search.

Optimizing Electrocoagulation Process for the Removal of Nitrate From Aqueous Solution

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dehghani

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Background High levels of nitrate anion are frequently detected in many groundwater resources in Fars province. Objectives The present study aimed to determine the removal efficiency of nitrate from aqueous solutions by electrocoagulation process using aluminum and iron electrodes. Materials and Methods A laboratory-scale batch reactor was conducted to determine nitrate removal efficiency using the electrocoagulation method. The removal of nitrate was determined at pH levels of 3, 7, and 11, different voltages (15, 20, and 30 V, and operation times of 30, 60, and 75 min, respectively. Data were analyzed using the SPSS software version 16 (Chicago, Illinois, USA and Pearson’s correlation coefficient was used to analyze the relationship between the parameters. Results Results of the present study showed that the removal efficiency was increased from 27% to 86% as pH increased from 3 to 11 at the optimal condition of 30 V and 75 min operation time. Moreover, by increasing the reaction time from 30 V to 75 min the removal efficiency was increased from 63% to 86%, respectively (30 V and pH = 11. Pearson’s correlation analysis showed that there was a significant relationship between removal efficiency and voltage and reaction time as well (P < 0.01. Conclusions In conclusion, the electrocoagulation process can be used for removing nitrate from water resources because of high efficiency, simplicity, and relatively low cost.

Hanford Site background: Part 1, Soil background for nonradioactive analytes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-04-01

Volume two contains the following appendices: Description of soil sampling sites; sampling narrative; raw data soil background; background data analysis; sitewide background soil sampling plan; and use of soil background data for the detection of contamination at waste management unit on the Hanford Site

Heat removal capability of core-catcher with inclined cooling channels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suzuki, Y.; Tahara, M.; Kurita, T.; Hamazaki, R.; Morooka, S.

2009-01-01

A core-catcher is one of the mitigation systems that provide functions of molten corium cooling and stabilization during a severe accident. Toshiba has been developing a compact core-catcher to be placed at the lower drywell floor in the containment vessel for the next generation BWR as well as near term ABWR. This paper presents the evaluation of heat removal capability of the core-catcher with inclined cooling channels, our verification status and plan. The heat removal capability of the core-catcher is analyzed by using the newly developed two-phase flow analysis code which incorporates drift flux parameters for inclined channels and the CHF correlation obtained from SULTAN tests. Effects of geometrical parameters such as the inclination and the gap size of the cooling channel on the heat removal capability are also evaluated. These results show that the core-catcher has sufficient capability to cool the molten corium during a severe accident. Based on the analysis, it has been shown that the core-catcher has an efficient capability of heat removal to cool the molten corium. (author)

Optimization of a horizontal-flow biofilm reactor for the removal of methane at low temperatures.

Science.gov (United States)

Clifford, E; Kennelly, C; Walsh, R; Gerrity, S; Reilly, E O; Collins, G

2012-10-01

Three pilot-scale, horizontal-flow biofilm reactors (HFBRs 1-3) were used to treat methane (CH4)-contaminated air to assess the potential of this technology to manage emissions from agricultural activities, waste and wastewater treatment facilities, and landfills. The study was conducted over two phases (Phase 1, lasting 90 days and Phase 2, lasting 45 days). The reactors were operated at 10 degrees C (typical of ambient air and wastewater temperatures in northern Europe), and were simultaneously dosed with CH4-contaminated air and a synthetic wastewater (SWW). The influent loading rates to the reactors were 8.6 g CH4/m3/hr (4.3 g CH4/m2 TPSA/hr; where TPSA is top plan surface area). Despite the low operating temperatures, an overall average removal of 4.63 g CH4/m3/day was observed during Phase 2. The maximum removal efficiency (RE) for the trial was 88%. Potential (maximum) rates of methane oxidation were measured and indicated that biofilm samples taken from various regions in the HFBRs had mostly equal CH4 removal potential. In situ activity rates were dependent on which part of the reactor samples were obtained. The results indicate the potential of the HFBR, a simple and robust technology, to biologically treat CH4 emissions. The results of this study indicate that the HFBR technology could be effectively applied to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from wastewater treatment plants and agricultural facilities at lower temperatures common to northern Europe. This could reduce the carbon footprint of waste treatment and agricultural livestock facilities. Activity tests indicate that methanotrophic communities can be supported at these temperatures. Furthermore, these data can lead to improved reactor design and optimization by allowing conditions to be engineered to allow for improved removal rates, particularly at lower temperatures. The technology is simple to construct and operate, and with some optimization of the liquid phase to improve mass

Removal of antibiotics in wastewater: Effect of hydraulic and solid retention times on the fate of tetracycline in the activated sludge process.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Sungpyo; Eichhorn, Peter; Jensen, James N; Weber, A Scott; Aga, Diana S

2005-08-01

A study was conducted to examine the influence of hydraulic retention time (HRT) and solid retention time (SRT) on the removal of tetracycline in the activated sludge processes. Two lab-scale sequencing batch reactors (SBRs) were operated to simulate the activated sludge process. One SBR was spiked with 250 microg/L tetracycline, while the other SBR was evaluated at tetracycline concentrations found in the influent of the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) where the activated sludge was obtained. The concentrations of tetracyclines in the influent of the WWTP ranged from 0.1 to 0.6 microg/L. Three different operating conditions were applied during the study (phase 1-HRT: 24 h and SRT: 10 days; phase 2-HRT: 7.4 h and SRT: 10 days; and phase 3-HRT: 7.4 h and SRT: 3 days). The removal efficiency of tetracycline in phase 3 (78.4 +/- 7.1%) was significantly lower than that observed in phase 1 (86.4 +/- 8.7%) and phase 2 (85.1 +/- 5.4%) at the 95% confidence level. The reduction of SRT in phase 3 while maintaining a constant HRT decreased tetracycline removal efficiency. Sorption kinetics reached equilibrium within 24 h. Batch equilibrium experiments yielded an adsorption coefficient (Kads) of 8400 +/- 500 mL/g and a desorption coefficient (Kdes) of 22 600 +/- 2200 mL/g. No evidence of biodegradation for tetracycline was observed during the biodegradability test, and sorption was found to be the principal removal mechanism of tetracycline in activated sludge.

Experimental investigation on passive heat transfer by long closed two-phase thermosiphons

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Grass, Claudia; Kulenovic, Rudi; Starflinger, Joerg [Stuttgart Univ. (Germany). Inst. fuer Kernenergetik und Energiesysteme (IKE)

2017-07-15

The removal of decay heat from spent fuel pools is presently realized by active cooling systems. In case of a station black out, a passive heat removal based on closed two-phase thermosiphons can contribute to the power plant safety. In this paper, the basic laboratory setup for closed two-phase thermosiphons and first experimental results are presented. Depending on the driving temperature difference and the heat input, steady-state and pulsating operation of the thermosiphons are investigated.

Application of edible paraffin oil for cationic dye removal from water using emulsion liquid membrane.

Science.gov (United States)

Zereshki, Sina; Daraei, Parisa; Shokri, Amin

2018-05-18

Using an emulsion liquid membrane based on edible oils is investigated for removing cationic dyes from aqueous solutions. There is a great potential for using edible oils in food industry extraction processes. The parameters affecting the stability of the emulsion and the extraction rate were studied. These parameters were the emulsification time, the stirring speed, the surfactant concentration, the internal phase concentration, the feed phase concentration, the volume ratio of internal phase to organic phase and the treat ratio. In order to stabilize the emulsion without using a carrier, edible paraffin oil and heptane are used at an 80:20 ratio. The optimum conditions for the extraction of methylene blue (MB), crystal violet and methyl violet (CV and MV) cationic dyes using edible paraffin oil as an environment friendly solvent are represented. A removal percentage of 95% was achieved for a mixture of dyes. The optimum concentration of sodium hydroxide in the internal phase, which results a stabile emulsion with a high stripping efficiency of 96%, was 0.04 M. An excellent membrane recovery was observed and the extraction of dyes did not decrease up to seven run cycles. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Pyrene removal from contaminated soil using electrokinetic process combined with surfactant

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Seyed Enayat Hashemi

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Background: Pyrene is one of the stable polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons that is considered as an important pollutants, because of extensive distribution in the environment and carcinogenic and mutagenic properties. Among the various treatment techniques, electrokinetic method is an environmental- friendly process for organic and mineral pollutants adsorbed to soil with fine pore size the same as clay and low hydraulic conductivity soils. For improving the efficiency of pyrene removal from soil, soulobilization of pyrene from soil could be used by surfactants. Materials and Methods : In this study, clay soil was selected as model because of the specific properties. Combined method using surfactant and electrokinetic was applied for pyrene removal from soil. Experiments were designed using response surface methodology (RSM, and effect of three variables includes surfactant concentration, voltage and surfactant type were evaluated for pyrene removal from contaminated soil. Results: Pyrene removal using anionic surfactants(SDS and nonionic surfactants(TX100 as a solubilizing agents has high removal efficiency. In the optimum condition with 95% confidence coefficient, utilizing mixed surfactants of sodium dodecyl sulfate and triton X-100 with the same volume, induced of 18.54 volt and 6.53 percent surfactant concentration have 94.6% pyrene removal efficiency. Conclusion:: Results of this study shows that electrokinetic process combined with surfactant as solubilizing agent could be applied as an efficient method for treating the pyrene-contaminated soils.

Effects of QCD equation of state on the stochastic gravitational wave background

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Anand, Sampurn; Mohanty, Subhendra [Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad 380009 (India); Dey, Ujjal Kumar, E-mail: sampurn@prl.res.in, E-mail: ujjal@cts.iitkgp.ernet.in, E-mail: mohanty@prl.res.in [Centre for Theoretical Studies, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur 721302 (India)

2017-03-01

Cosmological phase transitions can be a source of Stochastic Gravitational Wave (SGW) background. Apart from the dynamics of the phase transition, the characteristic frequency and the fractional energy density Ω{sub gw} of the SGW depends upon the temperature of the transition. In this article, we compute the SGW spectrum in the light of QCD equation of state provided by the lattice results. We find that the inclusion of trace anomaly from lattice QCD, enhances the SGW signal generated during QCD phase transition by ∼ 50% and the peak frequency of the QCD era SGW are shifted higher by ∼ 25% as compared to the earlier estimates without trace anomaly. This result is extremely significant for testing the phase transition dynamics near QCD epoch.

Upgrade for Phase II of the Gerda experiment

Science.gov (United States)

Agostini, M.; Bakalyarov, A. M.; Balata, M.; Barabanov, I.; Baudis, L.; Bauer, C.; Bellotti, E.; Belogurov, S.; Belyaev, S. T.; Benato, G.; Bettini, A.; Bezrukov, L.; Bode, T.; Borowicz, D.; Brudanin, V.; Brugnera, R.; Caldwell, A.; Cattadori, C.; Chernogorov, A.; D'Andrea, V.; Demidova, E. V.; Di Marco, N.; Domula, A.; Doroshkevich, E.; Egorov, V.; Falkenstein, R.; Frodyma, N.; Gangapshev, A.; Garfagnini, A.; Grabmayr, P.; Gurentsov, V.; Gusev, K.; Hakenmüller, J.; Hegai, A.; Heisel, M.; Hemmer, S.; Hiller, R.; Hofmann, W.; Hult, M.; Inzhechik, L. V.; Ioannucci, L.; Janicskó Csáthy, J.; Jochum, J.; Junker, M.; Kazalov, V.; Kermaïdic, Y.; Kihm, T.; Kirpichnikov, I. V.; Kirsch, A.; Kish, A.; Klimenko, A.; Kneißl, R.; Knöpfle, K. T.; Kochetov, O.; Kornoukhov, V. N.; Kuzminov, V. V.; Laubenstein, M.; Lazzaro, A.; Lebedev, V. I.; Lehnert, B.; Lindner, M.; Lippi, I.; Lubashevskiy, A.; Lubsandorzhiev, B.; Lutter, G.; Macolino, C.; Majorovits, B.; Maneschg, W.; Medinaceli, E.; Miloradovic, M.; Mingazheva, R.; Misiaszek, M.; Moseev, P.; Nemchenok, I.; Nisi, S.; Panas, K.; Pandola, L.; Pelczar, K.; Pullia, A.; Ransom, C.; Riboldi, S.; Rumyantseva, N.; Sada, C.; Salamida, F.; Salathe, M.; Schmitt, C.; Schneider, B.; Schönert, S.; Schreiner, J.; Schütz, A.-K.; Schulz, O.; Schwingenheuer, B.; Selivanenko, O.; Shevchik, E.; Shirchenko, M.; Simgen, H.; Smolnikov, A.; Stanco, L.; Vanhoefer, L.; Vasenko, A. A.; Veresnikova, A.; von Sturm, K.; Wagner, V.; Wegmann, A.; Wester, T.; Wiesinger, C.; Wojcik, M.; Yanovich, E.; Zhitnikov, I.; Zhukov, S. V.; Zinatulina, D.; Zsigmond, A. J.; Zuber, K.; Zuzel, G.

2018-05-01

The Gerda collaboration is performing a sensitive search for neutrinoless double beta decay of ^{76}Ge at the INFN Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso, Italy. The upgrade of the Gerda experiment from Phase I to Phase II has been concluded in December 2015. The first Phase II data release shows that the goal to suppress the background by one order of magnitude compared to Phase I has been achieved. Gerda is thus the first experiment that will remain "background-free" up to its design exposure (100 kg year). It will reach thereby a half-life sensitivity of more than 10^{26} year within 3 years of data collection. This paper describes in detail the modifications and improvements of the experimental setup for Phase II and discusses the performance of individual detector components.

Hair Removal

Science.gov (United States)

... Staying Safe Videos for Educators Search English Español Hair Removal KidsHealth / For Teens / Hair Removal What's in ... you need any of them? Different Types of Hair Before removing hair, it helps to know about ...

Investigation of Phenol Removal by Proxy-Electrocoagulation Process with Iron Electrodes from Aqueous Solutions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ali Assadi

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Background: Phenol as an aromatic hydroxyl compound are considered as a priority pollutant. Because of their stability, solubility in water and high toxicity had health important. Methods: In the present experimental study, electrocoagulation reactor by iron electrodes are used in the presence of hydrogen peroxide to phenol removing from aqueous solutions. Effects of variables including H2O2 dosage, reaction time, pH, current density and initial phenol concentration were evaluated to estimate the efficiency of the process. Results: The results showed that pH and H2O2 have the most important role in the removal of phenol. Increasing of H2O2 concentrations from 0.0125 to 0.025 M increased removal efficiency from 74% to 100%. Maximum removal was achieved at pH=3. However, increasing the pH to 9 lead to reducing removal efficiency to 9.8%. Also, by increasing of current density removal efficiency was increased. But with increasing initial concentration of phenol removal efficiency was reduced. Conclusion: Proxy-electrocoagulation process as an effective and robust process can be used for handling of phenol containing wastewater.

Investigation of Pb(II Removal from Synthetic Wastewater by Using Azolla Filiculoides Biomass

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Davoud Balarak

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Background and Aim: Discharge of industrial wastewater containing Pb into the environment can have harmful effects in the live organisms. Therefore, Pb must be removed from polluted water using an effective method before being discharged into the environment. The purpose of the present study was to examine Pb removal using alga Azolla biomass. Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, removal of Pb(II was performed using Azolla biomass considering changes in time, pH, adsorbent dose, initial concentration of Pb and mixing speed. Experiments were performed in batch reactor in flasks on Shaker. , Atomic absorption spectrophotometry was used for Pb determination. All experiments were conducted in triplicate and the mean removal percent was reported. Finally, biosorption kinetic and equilibrium isotherms of adsorbent was investigated. Results: It was found that the higher removal efficiency of Pb occurred in pH 6 and aoptimum dsorbent dose 7 g/L. With increase in the initial concentration of Pb, removal efficincy decreased and with increasing of contact time and mixing speed,efficincy increased. Data also showed that the Langmuir isotherm and pseudo second-order kinetic are compliance. Conclusion: Azolla biomass is an efficient and low-cost adsorbent for removing of Pb (II from water and wastewater.

Application of Azolla for 2-Chlorophenol and 4-Chrorophenol Removal from Aqueous Solutions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohammad Ali Zazouli

2013-09-01

Full Text Available Background and purpose: The 2-chlorophenol (2-CP and 4-chlorophenol (4-CP are phenolic compounds which may have adverse effects on human and environment. Therefore, removing these compounds from water and wastewater is necessary. This study aims to analyze 2-CP and 4-CP removal by using Azolla filiculoides biomass. Materials & Methods: Azolla biomass was sun dried, crushed and sieved to particle sizes ranging 1-2 mm. Then it was treated with 0.1M HCl for 5h followed by washing with distilled water and it was used as adsorbent. The residues concentration of 2-CP and 4-CP was measured by spectrophotometer in λmax of 274 and 280 nm, respectively. Results: The solute removed increases as contact time rises. The equilibrium time for 2-CP and 4-CP is 90 and 75, respectively. The removal efficiency of 4-CP is more than 2-CP. An increase in initial concentration of both compounds can lead to decrease of their removal efficiency. The optimum pH to remove both compounds is 5. The equilibrium data matched best on Freundlich isotherm and the adsorption kinetic model follows pseudo-second model. Conclusion: The results indicated that Azolla is an effective adsorbent for removing 2-CP and 4-CP from water and wastewater.

Differences in pyrimidine dimer removal between rat skin cells in vitro and in vivo

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mullaart, E.; Lohman, P.H.; Vijg, J.

1988-01-01

Pyrimidine dimers, the most abundant type of DNA lesions induced by ultraviolet light (UV), are rapidly repaired in human skin fibroblasts in vitro. In the same cell type from rats, however, there is hardly any removal of such dimers. To investigate whether this low capacity of rat skin cells to repair lesions in their DNA is an inherent characteristic of this species or an artifact due to cell culturing, we measured the removal of UV-induced pyrimidine dimers from rat epidermal keratinocytes both in vitro and in vivo. Epidermal keratinocytes in vitro were unable to remove any dimers over the first 3 h after UV-irradiation, while only about 20% was removed during a repair period of 24 h. In this respect, these cells were not different from cultured rat fibroblasts. In contrast to the results obtained with keratinocytes in vitro, we observed a rapid repair of pyrimidine dimers in UV-irradiated keratinocytes in vivo over the first 3 h; this rapid repair phase was followed by a much slower repair phase between 3 and 24 h. These results are discussed in terms of the possibility that mammalian cells are able to switch from one DNA repair pathway to another

Lingual nerve injury following surgical removal of mandibular third molar

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Abduljaleel Azad Samad

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Background and objective: The close proximity of lingual nerve in relation to the lingual cortical bone of the posterior mandibular third molar is clinically important because lingual nerve may be subjected to trauma during surgical removal of the impacted lower third molar. This prospective study aimed to evaluate the incidence of lingual nerve paresthesia following surgical removal of mandibular third molar in College of Dentistry, Hawler Medical University. Methods: A total of 116 third molars surgery were carried out under local anesthesia for 116 patients for removal of lower mandibular teeth Using Terence Ward's incision made in all cases, and after that, the buccal flap was reflected, lingual tissues had been retracted during bone removal with a periosteal elevator. The sensory disturbance was evaluated on the 7th postoperative day by standard questioning the patients: “Do you have any unusual feeling in your tongue, lingual gingiva and mucosa of the floor of the mouth?" Results: One patient experienced sensory disturbance, the lingual nerve paresthesia incidence was 0.9% as a transient sensory disturbance, while no patient of permanent sensory disturbance. Conclusion: The incidence of injury to the lingual nerve can be minimized by careful clinical evaluation, surgeon’s experience, surgical approach and knowledge about anatomical landmarks during surgical removal of an impacted lower third molar tooth.

Study of the background in the measuring station at the n_TOF facility at CERN: sources and solutions

CERN Document Server

Zanini, L; Aerts, G; Andriamonje, Samuel A; Andrzejewski, J; Angelopoulous, A; Assimakopoulos, Panayiotis; Bacri, C-O; Badurek, G; Berthoumieux, E; Baumann, P; Beer, H; Benlliure, J; Berthier, B; Bondarenko, I; Borcea, C; Bos, A J J; Boscolo-Marchi, E; Bustreo, N; Calviño, F; Cano-Ott, D; Capote, R; Carlson, P; Charpak, Georges; Chauvin, N; Cennini, P; Chepel, V; Colonna, N; Cortés, G; Cortina-Gil, D; Corvi, F; Cusmano, A; Dababneh, S; Dahlfors, M; Damianoglou, D; David, S; Dimovasili, E; Domingo, C; Doroshenko, A; Duran-Escribano, I; Eleftheriadis, C; Embid, M; Ferrant, L; Ferrari, A; Ferreira-Marques, R; Frais-Kölbl, H; Furman, W; Fursov, B; Garzón, J A; Giomataris, Ioanis; Gledenov, Y; Gonzalez-Romero, E; Goverdovski, A; Gramegna, F; Griesmayer, E; Gunsing, F; Haefner, P; Haight, R; Heil, M; Herrera-martinez, A; Hollander, P; Ioannou, P; Isaev, S; Jericha, E; Kadi, Y; Kappeler, F; Karadimos, D; Karamanis, D; Kayukova, A; Kazakov, L; Kelic, A; Ketlerov, V; Kitis, G; Köhler, P E; Kopach, Y; Kossionides, E; Kroshkina, I; Lacoste, V; Lamboudis, C; Leeb, H; Leprêtre, A; Lopes, M; Lozano, M; Marrone, S; Martínez-Val, J M; Mastinu, P; Mengoni, A; Meunier, R; Mezentsev, A J; Milazzo, P; Minguez, E; Mitrofanov, V; Moreau, C; Müller, A; Nicolis, N; Nikolenkov, V; Oberhummer, Heinz; Pakou, A; Pancin, J; Papadopoulous, K; Papaevangelou, T; Paradela, C; Paradelis, T; Pavlik, A; Pavlopoulos, P; Perrez-Parra, A; Perriale, L; Perlado, J M; Peskov, Vladimir; Piksaikin, V; Plag, R; Plompen, A; Plukis, A; Poch, A; Policarpo, Armando; Popov, A; Popov, Y P; Pretel, C; Quesada, J M; Radermacher, E; Rapp, W; Rauscher, T; Reifarth, R; Rejmund, F; Rubbia, Carlo; Rudolf, G; Rullhusen, P; Sakelliou, L; Saldaña, F; Samylin, B; Savvidis, I; Savvidis, S; Sedyshev, P; Stéphan, C; Szalanski, P; Tagliente, G; Taín, J L; Tapia, C; Tassan-Got, L; Terchychnyi, R; Tsabaris, C; Tsangas, N; van Eijk, C W E; Vannini, G; Ventura, A; Villamarin, A; Vlachoudis, V; Vlastou, R; Voinov, A; Voss, F; Wendler, H; Wiescher, M; Wisshak, K; Zanini, L; Zeinalov, S; Zhuravlev, B; CERN. Geneva. SPS and LHC Division

2001-01-01

A background roughly two orders of magnitude higher than tolerable was found in the n_TOF facility at CERN during the first measurements [1]. This note describes a series of additional measurements performed in the n_TOF experimental area to study the origin and the characteristics of the background. The program of these measurements was determined taking into account the results from the simulations carried out by the EET group [2]. A first phase of measurements confirmed what was expected from the simulations, namely that the dominant source of background was due to neutrons generated by negative muon capture. Actions to reduce the background were taken according to the results from both measurements and simulations. An iron shielding wall 3.2 m thick was then placed in between the sweeping magnet and the second collimator, with the purpose of stopping most of the muons. In a second phase of measurements, results showed that the additional shielding reduced the main component of the background by about a fa...

Phase Clustering Based Modulation Classification Algorithm for PSK Signal over Wireless Environment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Qi An

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Promptitude and accuracy of signals’ non-data-aided (NDA identification is one of the key technology demands in noncooperative wireless communication network, especially in information monitoring and other electronic warfare. Based on this background, this paper proposes a new signal classifier for phase shift keying (PSK signals. The periodicity of signal’s phase is utilized as the assorted character, with which a fractional function is constituted for phase clustering. Classification and the modulation order of intercepted signals can be achieved through its Fast Fourier Transform (FFT of the phase clustering function. Frequency offset is also considered for practical conditions. The accuracy of frequency offset estimation has a direct impact on its correction. Thus, a feasible solution is supplied. In this paper, an advanced estimator is proposed for estimating the frequency offset and balancing estimation accuracy and range under low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR conditions. The influence on estimation range brought by the maximum correlation interval is removed through the differential operation of the autocorrelation of the normalized baseband signal raised to the power of Q. Then, a weighted summation is adopted for an effective frequency estimation. Details of equations and relevant simulations are subsequently presented. The estimator proposed can reach an estimation accuracy of 10-4 even when the SNR is as low as -15 dB. Analytical formulas are expressed, and the corresponding simulations illustrate that the classifier proposed is more efficient than its counterparts even at low SNRs.

Clean Transfer of Wafer-Scale Graphene via Liquid Phase Removal of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Hyun Ho; Kang, Boseok; Suk, Ji Won; Li, Nannan; Kim, Kwang S; Ruoff, Rodney S; Lee, Wi Hyoung; Cho, Kilwon

2015-05-26

Pentacene (C22H14), a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, was used as both supporting and sacrificing layers for the clean and doping-free graphene transfer. After successful transfer of graphene to a target substrate, the pentacene layer was physically removed from the graphene surface by using intercalating organic solvent. This solvent-mediated removal of pentacene from graphene surface was investigated by both theoretical calculation and experimental studies with various solvents. The uses of pentacene and appropriate intercalation solvent enabled graphene transfer without forming a residue from the supporting layer. Such residues tend to cause charged impurity scattering and unintentional graphene doping effects. As a result, this clean graphene exhibited extremely homogeneous surface potential profiles over a large area. A field-effect transistor fabricated using this graphene displayed a high hole (electron) mobility of 8050 cm(2)/V·s (9940 cm(2)/V·s) with a nearly zero Dirac point voltage.

Structure modification of natural zeolite for waste removal application

Science.gov (United States)

Widayatno, W. B.

2018-03-01

Tremendous industrialization in the last century has led to the generation of huge amount of waste. One of the recent hot research topics is utilizing any advance materials and methods for waste removal. Natural zeolite as an inexpensive porous material with a high abundance holds a key for efficient waste removal owing to its high surface area. However, the microporous structure of natural zeolite hinders the adsorption of waste with a bigger molecular size. In addition, the recovery of natural zeolite after waste adsorption into its pores should also be considered for continuous utilization of this material. In this study, the porosity of natural zeolite from Tasikmalaya, Indonesia, was hydrothermally-modified in a Teflon-lined autoclave filled with certain pore directing agent such as distilled water, KOH, and NH4OH to obtain hierarchical pore structure. After proper drying process, the as-treated natural zeolite is impregnated with iron cation and heat-treated at specified temperature to get Fe-embedded zeolite structure. XRD observation is carried out to ensure the formation of magnetic phase within the zeolite pores. The analysis results show the formation of maghemite phase (γ-Fe2O3) within the zeolite pore structure.

Organic Removal Efficiency of the Nanofiltration and Adsorption Hybrid System in High Strength Wastewater

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amir Hessam Hassani

2011-03-01

Full Text Available Surface and groundwater resources are increasingly jeopardized by discharges from pharmaceutical, chemical, and detergent plants. The high pollutant load of the effluents from these industries requires specific treatments. The objective of this research was to study and compare the nanofiltration and adsorption hybrid system with the plain nanofiltration system in wastewater treatment.For this purpose, a pilot nanofiltration system with a capacity of 7.6 m3/d using 1 and 5 micron filters and a FILMTEC NF90-4040 membrane was used in the first phase of the study. In the second phase, granular activated carbon cartridges were used. Inluent and effluent discharges as well as the COD removal were measured in both systems under variable times and organic load conditions. The results showed that COD removal efficiency was higher in the hybrid system than in the plain naonofiltration one. In the hybrid system, the Maximum in the hybrid system, the COD removal efficiencies achieved for organic loads of 1000, 2000, and 3000 mg/L were 99%, 95.86%, and 92.93%, respectively. The same values for the plain nanofiltration system were 87.34%, 50%, and 29.41%, respectively. It was found that polarization and membrane fouling decreased both the effluent flow and the COD removal efficiency with time. Fouling of the membrane was, however, lower in the hybrid system compared to the plain nanofiltration; thus, the hybrid system was associated with higher values of COD removal and delayed membrane fouling.

Removal and recovery of gas-phase element mercury by metal oxide-loaded activated carbon

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mei Zhijian [School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dong Chuan Road, Shanghai 200240 (China); Shen Zhemin [School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dong Chuan Road, Shanghai 200240 (China)], E-mail: pnyql520@hotmail.com; Zhao Qingjie [Shanghai Academy of Environmental Science, 508 Qin-Zhou Road, Shanghai 200233 (China); Wang Wenhua; Zhang Yejian [School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dong Chuan Road, Shanghai 200240 (China)

2008-04-01

The reusability of Co{sub 3}O{sub 4} (AC-Co), MnO{sub 2} (AC-Mn) and CuCoO{sub 4} (AC-CC) loaded activated carbon (AC) and their element mercury removal efficiency had been studied using a laboratory-scale fixed-bed reactor under simulated flue gas conditions. Tests showed that spent AC-Co could be regenerated through heating at 673 K under N{sub 2} atmosphere and the enrichment regenerated Hg{sup 0} could be collected to eliminate the secondary pollution. Regenerated AC-Mn and AC-CC's Hg{sup 0} removal efficiency decreased greatly due to AC's decomposition and MnO{sub 2}'s crystal structure variation. Compared with AC and metal oxides, metal oxide-loaded AC had higher Hg{sup 0} capture ability and capacity due to AC huge surface areas and lots of function groups. TGA analysis results showed that AC-Co and AC-Mn's HgO adsorptive capacity at 523 K reached 19.8 mg g{sup -1} and 5.21 mg g{sup -1}, respectively. High loading values and adsorption temperatures were beneficial to AC-Co's Hg{sup 0} removal efficiency. However, CuCoO{sub 4} and MnO{sub 2}'s AC decomposition ability had negative effect on AC-CC and AC-Mn's performance, respectively, especially at high adsorption temperatures and loading values. SO{sub 2} tests showed that AC-CC had higher anti SO{sub 2}-poisoning ability than AC-Co and AC-Mn.

Red lesion detection using background estimation and lesions characteristics in diabetic retinal image

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Dongbo; Peng, Yinghui; Yi, Yao; Shang, Xingyu

2013-10-01

Detection of red lesions [hemorrhages (HRs) and microaneurysms (MAs)] is crucial for the diagnosis of early diabetic retinopathy. A method based on background estimation and adapted to specific characteristics of HRs and MAs is proposed. Candidate red lesions are located by background estimation and Mahalanobis distance measure and then some adaptive postprocessing techniques, which include vessel detection, nonvessel exclusion based on shape analysis, and noise points exclusion by double-ring filter (only used for MAs detection), are conducted to remove nonlesion pixels. The method is evaluated on our collected image dataset, and experimental results show that it is better than or approximate to other previous approaches. It is effective to reduce the false-positive and false-negative results that arise from incomplete and inaccurate vessel structure.

Performance of GERDA phase II BEGe detectors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wagner, Victoria [Max-Planck Institut fuer Kernphysik (Germany); Collaboration: GERDA-Collaboration

2015-07-01

The GERDA experiment searches for the lepton number violating neutrinoless double beta (0νββ) decay of {sup 76}Ge. GERDA uses HPGe detectors enriched in {sup 76}Ge as source and detection material. The experiment proceeds in two phases. In Phase I a background index of 10{sup -2} cts/(keV.kg.yr) was reached and a new lower limit on the half-life of the 0νββ decay of {sup 76}Ge was set to 2.1.10{sup 25} yr (at 95% C.L.). In Phase II the background index will be lowered by an order of magnitude and a sensitivity of 10{sup 26} yr will be reached. In order to achieve this goal 30 new custom-made broad energy germanium (BEGe) detectors and a liquid argon scintillation light veto will be deployed. Five BEGe detectors have been operated successfully in Phase I and demonstrated their improved energy resolution and enhanced pulse shape discrimination (PSD) against background events. Special designed electronics will further improve energy resolution and PSD performance. The first results from commissioning of the new BEGe detectors are presented in this talk.

Removal of organic carbon and sulphur compounds from process and fugitive emissions. Phase 1: Results from laboratory studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Coleman, R.N.

1994-01-01

Lab-scale biofilters were constructed from black polypropylene plastic tubing with internal dimensions of 5 by 100 cm. A biofilter matrix was provided using coarse sphagnum peat which was washed with water and inoculated with enriched cultures of appropriate microorganisms. Compressed air was applied to the biofilters and various compounds were added to the air stream at appropriate concentrations. These compounds included hydrogen sulfide, n-hexane, cyclohexane, propionic acid, and butyric acid. Removal efficiency was evaluated for each compound. Over 99% of the hydrogen sulfide was removed, at concentrations of up to 125 ppM by volume. Removal levels of n-hexane, cyclohexane, and the organic acids were lower. Thiophene was not demonstrated as being removed. Numbers of microorganisms were assessed and their identity determined throughout the biofilter matrix. A mass balance for sulfur was determined throughout the biofilter system and showed 3.5% of sulfur unaccounted for. 9 refs., 9 figs., 7 tabs

Performance of the LAr scintillation veto of GERDA Phase II

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wiesinger, Christoph [Technische Universitaet Muenchen, Physik Dept. E15, James-Franck-Strasse, 85748 Garching (Germany); Collaboration: GERDA-Collaboration

2015-07-01

Gerda is an experiment to search for the neutrinoless double beta decay in {sup 76}Ge. Results of Phase I have been published in summer 2013 and Gerda is upgraded to Phase II. To reach the aspired background index of ≤ 10{sup -3} cts/(keV.kg.yr) for Phase II active background-suppression techniques are applied, including an active liquid argon (LAr) veto. It has been demonstrated with the LArGe test facility that the detection of argon scintillation light can be used to effectively suppress background events in the germanium, which simultaneously deposit energy in the LAr. The light instrumentation consisting of photomultiplier tubes (PMT) and wavelength-shifting fibers connected to silicon multipliers (SiPM) has been installed in Gerda. In this talk the low background design of the LAr veto and its performance during the commissioning runs are reported.

Status of the GERDA Phase II upgrade

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wagner, Victoria [Max-Planck-Insitut für Kernphysik, Heidelberg (Germany)

2016-06-21

The GERDA experiment is designed to search for neutrinoless double beta (0νββ) decay of {sup 76}Ge. In Phase I of the experiment a background index of 10{sup −2} cts/(keV·kg·yr) was reached. A lower limit on the half-life of the 0νββ decay of {sup 76}Ge was set to 2.1·10{sup 25} yr (at 90% C.L.). The aim of Phase II is to reach a sensitivity of the half-life of about 10{sup 26} yr. To increase the exposure thirty new Broad Energy Germanium (BEGe) detectors have been produced. These detectors are distinct for their improved energy resolution and enhanced pulse shape discrimination of signal from background events. Further background reduction will be reached by a light instrumentation to read out argon scintillation light. In April 2015 the light instrumentation together with eight BEGe detectors has been successfully deployed in the GERDA cryostat. In a commissioning run it was shown that two of the major background components, external γ-rays from {sup 214}Bi and {sup 208}Tl decays, were suppressed up to two orders of magnitude. We are confident to reach a background index of 10{sup −3} cts/(keV·kg·yr) which is the design goal for GERDA Phase II.

Status of the GERDA Phase II upgrade

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wagner, Victoria

2016-01-01

The GERDA experiment is designed to search for neutrinoless double beta (0νββ) decay of "7"6Ge. In Phase I of the experiment a background index of 10"−"2 cts/(keV·kg·yr) was reached. A lower limit on the half-life of the 0νββ decay of "7"6Ge was set to 2.1·10"2"5 yr (at 90% C.L.). The aim of Phase II is to reach a sensitivity of the half-life of about 10"2"6 yr. To increase the exposure thirty new Broad Energy Germanium (BEGe) detectors have been produced. These detectors are distinct for their improved energy resolution and enhanced pulse shape discrimination of signal from background events. Further background reduction will be reached by a light instrumentation to read out argon scintillation light. In April 2015 the light instrumentation together with eight BEGe detectors has been successfully deployed in the GERDA cryostat. In a commissioning run it was shown that two of the major background components, external γ-rays from "2"1"4Bi and "2"0"8Tl decays, were suppressed up to two orders of magnitude. We are confident to reach a background index of 10"−"3 cts/(keV·kg·yr) which is the design goal for GERDA Phase II.

Memory for facial expression is influenced by the background music playing during study

OpenAIRE

Woloszyn, Michael R.; Ewert, Laura

2012-01-01

The effect of the emotional quality of study-phase background music on subsequent recall for happy and sad facial expressions was investigated. Undergraduates (N = 48) viewed a series of line drawings depicting a happy or sad child in a variety of environments that were each accompanied by happy or sad music. Although memory for faces was very accurate, emotionally incongruent background music biased subsequent memory for facial expressions, increasing the likelihood that happy faces were rec...

THE COSMIC INFRARED BACKGROUND EXPERIMENT (CIBER): THE WIDE-FIELD IMAGERS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bock, J.; Battle, J. [Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Pasadena, CA 91109 (United States); Sullivan, I. [Department of Physics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195 (United States); Arai, T.; Matsumoto, T.; Matsuura, S.; Tsumura, K. [Department of Space Astronomy and Astrophysics, Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS), Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Sagamihara, Kanagawa 252-5210 (Japan); Cooray, A.; Mitchell-Wynne, K.; Smidt, J. [Center for Cosmology, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697 (United States); Hristov, V.; Lam, A. C.; Levenson, L. R.; Mason, P. [Department of Physics, Mathematics and Astronomy, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Keating, B.; Renbarger, T. [Department of Physics, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA 92093 (United States); Kim, M. G. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-742 (Korea, Republic of); Lee, D. H. [Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Academia Sinica, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan (China); Nam, U. W. [Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI), Daejeon 305-348 (Korea, Republic of); Suzuki, K. [Instrument Development Group of Technical Center, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi 464-8602 (Japan); and others

2013-08-15

We have developed and characterized an imaging instrument to measure the spatial properties of the diffuse near-infrared extragalactic background light (EBL) in a search for fluctuations from z > 6 galaxies during the epoch of reionization. The instrument is part of the Cosmic Infrared Background Experiment (CIBER), designed to observe the EBL above Earth's atmosphere during a suborbital sounding rocket flight. The imaging instrument incorporates a 2 Degree-Sign Multiplication-Sign 2 Degree-Sign field of view to measure fluctuations over the predicted peak of the spatial power spectrum at 10 arcmin, and 7'' Multiplication-Sign 7'' pixels, to remove lower redshift galaxies to a depth sufficient to reduce the low-redshift galaxy clustering foreground below instrumental sensitivity. The imaging instrument employs two cameras with {Delta}{lambda}/{lambda} {approx} 0.5 bandpasses centered at 1.1 {mu}m and 1.6 {mu}m to spectrally discriminate reionization extragalactic background fluctuations from local foreground fluctuations. CIBER operates at wavelengths where the electromagnetic spectrum of the reionization extragalactic background is thought to peak, and complements fluctuation measurements by AKARI and Spitzer at longer wavelengths. We have characterized the instrument in the laboratory, including measurements of the sensitivity, flat-field response, stray light performance, and noise properties. Several modifications were made to the instrument following a first flight in 2009 February. The instrument performed to specifications in three subsequent flights, and the scientific data are now being analyzed.

Fluoride Removal From Drinking Water by Electrocoagulation Using Iron and Aluminum Electrodes

OpenAIRE

Takdastan; Emami Tabar; Neisi; Eslami

2014-01-01

Background Existence of fluoride in drinking water above the permissible level causes human skeletal fluorosis. Objectives Electrocoagulation by iron and aluminum electrodes was proposed for removing fluoride from drinking water. Materials and Methods Effects of different operating conditions such as treatment time, initial pH, applied voltage, type and number of electrodes, the sp...

Removal of phenol from aqueous solution using polymer inclusion membrane based on mixture of CTA and CA

Science.gov (United States)

Benosmane, Nadjib; Boutemeur, Baya; Hamdi, Safouane M.; Hamdi, Maamar

2018-03-01

Nowadays, there are increasingly stringent regulations requiring more and more treatment of industrial effluents to generate product waters which could be easily reused or disposed of to the environment without any harmful effects. In the present work, the removal of phenol from aqueous solution across polymer inclusion membrane (PIM), based on mixture of cellulose triacetate and cellulose acetate as support (75/25%), calix[4]resorcinarene derivative as a carrier and 2-nitrophenyl octyl ether (2-NPOE) as plasticizer was investigated. The experimental part of this investigation involved the influence of carrier nature, plasticizer concentration, pH phases, and phenol initial concentration on the removal efficiency of phenol from synthetic wastewater. A PIM containing 0.1 g (of mixture polymer), (0.15 g/g mixture of polymer) of carrier and (0.03 ml/g mixture of polymer) of 2-NPOE provided the highest percentage of phenol removal efficiency over a 6-day transport; the removal was found to be about 95%, indeed the removal was found to be highly dependent of pH phases. The feed solution in these transport experiments was at pH 2, while the stripping solution contained 0.20 M NaOH. This study claims that the PIM with a mixture of cellulose derivatives can be used effectively to remove phenols from wastewaters.

Treatment of Produced Waters Using a Surfactant Modified Zeolite/Vapor Phase Bioreactor System

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lynn E. Katz; Kerry A. Kinney; R. S. Bowman; E. J. Sullivan

2004-09-11

This report summarizes work performed on this project from April 2004 through September 2004. Our previous work demonstrated that a polyurethane foam biofilter could successfully biodegrade the BTEX contaminants found in the SMZ regeneration waste gas stream. However, establishing the biomass on the polyurethane foam packing was relatively time consuming and daily recirculation of a concentrated nutrient solution was required for efficient operation of the foam biofilter. To simplify the start up and operating requirements of the biofilter system, a simple, compost-based biofilter was investigated for its ability to treat the BTEX contaminants generated during the SMZ regeneration process. The investigation of the compost biofilter was divided into three experimental phases that spanned 180 days of biofilter operation. During Phase 1, the biofilter was continuously supplied a BTEX-contaminated waste gas stream. During Phase 2, a series of periodic shutdown tests were conducted to assess how the biofilter responded when the BTEX feed was discontinued for periods ranging from 1 day to 2.8 days. The Phase 3 experiments focused on determining how the biofilter would handle periodic spikes in inlet BTEX concentration as would be expected when it is coupled with an SMZ column. Results from the continuous feed (Phase 1) experiments demonstrated that the compost biofilter could maintain BTEX removals of greater than 98% within two weeks of startup. Results of the shutdown experiments indicated that benzene removal was the most sensitive to interruptions in the BTEX feed. Nevertheless, the BTEX removal efficiency exceeded 95% within 6 hours of reestablishing the BTEX feed to the biofilter. When the biofilter was subjected to periodic spikes in BTEX concentration (Phase 3), it was found that the total BTEX removal efficiency stabilized at approximately 75% despite the fact that the biofilter was only fed BTEX contaminants 8 hours per day. Finally, the effects of nutrient

Optimizing signal recycling for detecting a stochastic gravitational-wave background

Science.gov (United States)

Tao, Duo; Christensen, Nelson

2018-06-01

Signal recycling is applied in laser interferometers such as the Advanced Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (aLIGO) to increase their sensitivity to gravitational waves. In this study, signal recycling configurations for detecting a stochastic gravitational wave background are optimized based on aLIGO parameters. Optimal transmission of the signal recycling mirror (SRM) and detuning phase of the signal recycling cavity under a fixed laser power and low-frequency cutoff are calculated. Based on the optimal configurations, the compatibility with a binary neutron star (BNS) search is discussed. Then, different laser powers and low-frequency cutoffs are considered. Two models for the dimensionless energy density of gravitational waves , the flat model and the model, are studied. For a stochastic background search, it is found that an interferometer using signal recycling has a better sensitivity than an interferometer not using it. The optimal stochastic search configurations are typically found when both the SRM transmission and the signal recycling detuning phase are low. In this region, the BNS range mostly lies between 160 and 180 Mpc. When a lower laser power is used the optimal signal recycling detuning phase increases, the optimal SRM transmission increases and the optimal sensitivity improves. A reduced low-frequency cutoff gives a better sensitivity limit. For both models of , a typical optimal sensitivity limit on the order of 10‑10 is achieved at a reference frequency of Hz.

Fabrication of the tea saponin functionalized reduced graphene oxide for fast adsorptive removal of Cd(II) from water

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Zhigang; Liu, Zhifeng; Wu, Zhibin; Zeng, Guangming; Shao, Binbin; Liu, Yujie; Jiang, Yilin; Zhong, Hua; Liu, Yang

2018-05-01

A novel graphene-based material of tea saponin functionalized reduced graphene oxide (TS-RGO) was synthesized via a facil thermal method, and it was characterized as the absorbent for Cd(II) removal from aqueous solutions. The factors on adsorption process including solution pH, contact time, initial concentration of Cd(II) and background electrolyte cations were studied to optimize the conditions for maximum adsorption at room temperature. The results indicated that Cd(II) adsorption was strongly dependent on pH and could be strongly affected by background electrolytes and ionic strength. The optimal pH and required equilibrium time was 6.0 and 10 min, respectively. The Cd(II) removal decreased with the presence of background electrolyte cations (Na+ < Ca2+ < Al3+). The adsorption kinetics of Cd(II) followed well with the pseudo-second-order model. The adsorption isotherm fitted well to the Langmuir model, indicating that the adsorption was a monolayer adsorption process occurred on the homogeneous surfaces of TS-RGO. The maximum monolayer adsorption capacity was 127 mg/g at 313 K and pH 6.0. Therefore, the TS-RGO was considered to be a cost-effective and promising material for the removal of Cd(II) from wastewater.

Deep desulfurization of diesel via peroxide oxidation using phosphotungstic acid as phase transfer catalyst

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sachdeva, T.O.; Pant, K.K. [Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, New Delhi, 110016 (India)

2010-09-15

High sulfur level in diesel fuel has been identified as a major contributor to air pollutant in term of sulfur dioxide (SO{sub x}) through diesel fueled vehicles. The main aim of the present work is to develop a promising methodology for ultra deep desulfurization of diesel fuel using oxidation followed by phase transfer of oxidized sulfur. Experiments were carried out in a batch reactor using n-decane as the model diesel compound and also using commercial diesel feedstock. To remove sulfur tetraoctylammonium bromide, phosphotungstic acid, and hydrogen peroxide were used as phase transfer agent, catalyst and oxidant respectively. The percent sulfur removal increases with increasing the initial concentration of sulfur in fuel and with increasing the reaction temperature. Similar trends were observed when commercial diesel was used to carry out desulfurization studies. The amphiphilic catalyst serves as a catalyst and also as an emulsifying agent to stabilize the emulsion droplets. The effects of temperature, agitation speed, quantity of catalyst and the phase transfer agent were studied to estimate the optimal conditions for the reactions. The sulfur removal from a commercial diesel by phase transfer catalysis has been found effective and removal efficiency was more than 98%. Kinetic experiments carried out for the desulfurization revealed that the sulfur removal results are best fitted to a pseudo first order kinetics and the apparent activation energy of desulfurization was 30.6 kJ/mol. (author)

Deep desulfurization of diesel via peroxide oxidation using phosphotungstic acid as phase transfer catalyst

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sachdeva, T.O.; Pant, K.K.

2010-01-01

High sulfur level in diesel fuel has been identified as a major contributor to air pollutant in term of sulfur dioxide (SO x ) through diesel fueled vehicles. The main aim of the present work is to develop a promising methodology for ultra deep desulfurization of diesel fuel using oxidation followed by phase transfer of oxidized sulfur. Experiments were carried out in a batch reactor using n-decane as the model diesel compound and also using commercial diesel feedstock. To remove sulfur tetraoctylammonium bromide, phosphotungstic acid, and hydrogen peroxide were used as phase transfer agent, catalyst and oxidant respectively. The percent sulfur removal increases with increasing the initial concentration of sulfur in fuel and with increasing the reaction temperature. Similar trends were observed when commercial diesel was used to carry out desulfurization studies. The amphiphilic catalyst serves as a catalyst and also as an emulsifying agent to stabilize the emulsion droplets. The effects of temperature, agitation speed, quantity of catalyst and the phase transfer agent were studied to estimate the optimal conditions for the reactions. The sulfur removal from a commercial diesel by phase transfer catalysis has been found effective and removal efficiency was more than 98%. Kinetic experiments carried out for the desulfurization revealed that the sulfur removal results are best fitted to a pseudo first order kinetics and the apparent activation energy of desulfurization was 30.6 kJ/mol. (author)

Comparison of Electrocoagulation and Chemical Coagulation Processes in Removing Reactive red 196 from Aqueous Solution

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ali Assadi

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Background: Conventional chemical coagulation is considered as an old method to dye and COD removal in textile effluent. Electrocoagulation (EC process is a robust method to achieve maximum removal. Methods: This study was designed to compare the result of operational parameters including optimum pH and coagulant concentration for chemical coagulation with ferric chloride and alum also, voltage, electrolysis time, initial pH, and conductivity for EC with iron electrodes to remove reactive red 196 (RR 196. Results: The outcomes show that ferric chloride and alum at optimum concentration were capable of removing dye and COD by 79.63 % and 84.83% and 53% and 55%, respectively. In contrast, EC process removed the dye and COD by 99.98% and 90.4%, respectively. Conclusion: The highest treatment efficiency was obtained by increasing the voltage, electrolysis time, pH and conductivity. Increase initial dye concentration reduces removal efficiency. Ultimately, it could be concluded that EC technology is an efficient procedure for handling of colored industrial wastewaters.

Biological treatment of soils contaminated with hydrophobic organics using slurry and solid phase techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cassidy, D.P.; Irvine, R.L.

1995-01-01

Both slurry-phase and solid-phase bioremediation are effective ex situ soil decontamination methods. Slurry is energy intensive relative to solid-phase treatment, but provides homogenization and uniform nutrient distribution. Limited contaminant bioavailability at concentrations above the required cleanup level reduces biodegradation rates and renders solid phase bioremediation more cost effective than complete treatment in a bioslurry reactor. Slurrying followed by solid-phase bioremediation combines the advantages and minimizes the weaknesses of each treatment method when used alone. A biological treatment system consisting of slurrying followed by aeration in solid phase bioreactors was developed and tested in the laboratory using a silty clay load contaminated with diesel fuel. The first set of experiments was designed to determine the impact of the water content and mixing time during slurrying on the ate and extent of contaminant removal in continuously aerated solid phase bioreactors. The second set of experiments compared the volatile and total diesel fuel removal in solid phase bioreactors using periodic and continuous aeration strategies

INVESTIGATION OF DENTURE REMOVAL PROCESS BY MEANS OF DESTRUCTION OF FIXING CEMENT BY ULTRASOUND ACTION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. G. Kiselev

2007-01-01

Full Text Available The paper contains results of experimental investigations in respect of denture removal processes using as models so natural teeth as well and this removal process presupposes destruction of fixing cement by ultrasound action. It has been established that the best conditions for separation of a denture from a tooth body are ensured while ultrasound is acting on non-removable denture structure in liquid phase (water. At the expense of sound-capillary effect water fills in porous structure of fixing cement at high speed and a cavitation that appears in it leads to intensive cement destruction (dispersion.

Effect of two heavy metals, cadmium and nickel, on the organic load removal efficiency in a laboratory UASB reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Forero, Luis Eduardo; Sierra, Jorge Humberto

2004-01-01

Experiments were carried out in three up flow anaerobic sludge blanket, UASB, reactors each with 3 L capacity, four hours of hydraulic retention time, (HRT) and volumetric organic load of 4,8 g/L/d. After the initial start phase, which was of 4.000 hours for the three reactors, they were affected in the following way: the first reactor was continuously feed with 5 mg/L of cadmium chloride, the second one was continuously feed with 10 mg/L of nickel chloride and the last one was not affected and served as reference. Efficiency in organic load removal was measured as oxygen chemical demand (OCD), the first reactor changed from 60% in the start phase (phase one) to 18% in the cadmium-affected phase (phase two), efficiency in removal (OCI) in reactor two varied from 60 to 24% and the last one did not change in a noticeable manner. Reactor one accumulated cadmium in the mud, whereas reactor two did not do that with nickel

The Anisotropy of the Microwave Background to l=3500: Mosaic Observations with the Cosmic Background Imager

Science.gov (United States)

Pearson, T. J.; Mason, B. S.; Readhead, A. C. S.; Shepherd, M. C.; Sievers, J. L.; Udomprasert, P. S.; Cartwright, J. K.; Farmer, A. J.; Padin, S.; Myers, S. T.;

From foreground to background: how task-neutral context influences contextual cueing of visual search

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xuelian eZang

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Selective attention determines the effectiveness of implicit contextual learning (e.g., Jiang & Leung, 2005. Visual foreground-background segmentation, on the other hand, is a key process in the guidance of attention (Wolfe, 2003. In the present study, we examined the impact of foreground-background segmentation on contextual cueing of visual search in three experiments. A visual search display, consisting of distractor ‘L’s and a target ‘T’, was overlaid on a task-neutral cuboid on the same depth plane (Experiment 1, on stereoscopically separated depth planes (Experiment 2, or spread over the entire display on the same depth plane (Experiment 3. Half of the search displays contained repeated target-distractor arrangements, whereas the other half was always newly generated. The task-neutral cuboid was constant during an initial training session, but was either rotated by 90º or entirely removed in the subsequent test sessions. We found that the gains resulting from repeated presentation of display arrangements during training (i.e., contextual-cueing effects were diminished when the cuboid was changed or removed in Experiment 1, but remained intact in Experiments 2 and 3 when the cuboid was placed in a different depth plane, or when the items were randomly spread over the whole display but not on the edges of the cuboid. These findings suggest that foreground-background segmentation occurs prior to contextual learning, and only objects/arrangements that are grouped as foreground are learned over the course of repeated visual search.

From Foreground to Background: How Task-Neutral Context Influences Contextual Cueing of Visual Search

Science.gov (United States)

Zang, Xuelian; Geyer, Thomas; Assumpção, Leonardo; Müller, Hermann J.; Shi, Zhuanghua

2016-01-01

Selective attention determines the effectiveness of implicit contextual learning (e.g., Jiang and Leung, 2005). Visual foreground-background segmentation, on the other hand, is a key process in the guidance of attention (Wolfe, 2003). In the present study, we examined the impact of foreground-background segmentation on contextual cueing of visual search in three experiments. A visual search display, consisting of distractor ‘L’s and a target ‘T’, was overlaid on a task-neutral cuboid on the same depth plane (Experiment 1), on stereoscopically separated depth planes (Experiment 2), or spread over the entire display on the same depth plane (Experiment 3). Half of the search displays contained repeated target-distractor arrangements, whereas the other half was always newly generated. The task-neutral cuboid was constant during an initial training session, but was either rotated by 90° or entirely removed in the subsequent test sessions. We found that the gains resulting from repeated presentation of display arrangements during training (i.e., contextual-cueing effects) were diminished when the cuboid was changed or removed in Experiment 1, but remained intact in Experiments 2 and 3 when the cuboid was placed in a different depth plane, or when the items were randomly spread over the whole display but not on the edges of the cuboid. These findings suggest that foreground-background segmentation occurs prior to contextual learning, and only objects/arrangements that are grouped as foreground are learned over the course of repeated visual search. PMID:27375530

Using Eggshell in Acid Orange 2 Dye Removal from Aqueous Solution

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ahmad Reza Yari

2015-05-01

Full Text Available Background and purpose: Generated dye wastewater by the textile industry is usually toxic, non-biodegradable and resistant in the environment. Eggshell is one of the inexpensive material and for the reason the vesicular structures can be used as a proper adsorbent for pollutants removal. The aim of this study is to investigate the efficiency of eggshell for removal of acid orange 2 dye from aqueous solution. Materials and Methods: In the experimental study was determined the efficacy of variant variables such as contact time (15, 30, 60, 90 and 120 min, pH (3, 7 and 11, adsorbent dose (10, 25, 50 and 75 g/L, and initial dye concentration (25, 50 and 100 mg/L. The concentration of dye by spectrophotometer ultraviolet/visible in the wavelength 483 nm was examined. Results: The results showed that with increasing contact time and adsorbent dose, the dye removal efficiency was increased, but with increasing pH and initial dye concentration the removal efficiency was decreased. The maximum of removal efficiency of acid orange 2 dye got in the optimum pH: 3, contact time: 90 min, adsorbent dose: 50 g/L and initial dye concentration: 25 mg/L. Adsorption of acid orange 2 dye (R2 = 0.87 follow the Freundlich isotherm. Conclusion: Eggshells can be used as an inexpensive and effective adsorbent for the removal of acid orange 2 dye.

Lateralization of noise bursts in interaurally correlated or uncorrelated background noise using interaural level differences.

Science.gov (United States)

Reed, Darrin K; van de Par, Steven

2015-10-01

The interaural level difference (ILD) of a lateralized target source may be effectively reduced when the target is presented together with background noise containing zero ILD. It is not certain whether listeners perceive a position congruent with the reduced ILD or the actual target ILD in a lateralization task. Two sets of behavioral experiments revealed that many listeners perceived a position at or even larger than that corresponding to the presented target ILD when a temporal onset/offset asynchrony between the broadband target and the broadband background noise was present. When no temporal asynchrony was present, however, the perceived lateral position indicated a dependency on the coherence of the background noise for several listeners. With interaurally correlated background noise, listeners reported a reduced ILD resulting from the combined target and background noise stimulus. In contrast, several of the listeners made a reasonable estimate of the position corresponding to the target ILD for interaurally uncorrelated, broadband, background noise. No obvious difference in performance was seen between low- or high-frequency stimuli. Extension of a weighting template to the output of a standard equalization-cancellation model was shown to remove a lateral bias on the predicted target ILD resulting from the presence of background noise. Provided that an appropriate weighting template is applied based on knowledge of the background noise coherence, good prediction of the behavioral data is possible.

Pressurized fluidized bed combustion second-generation system research and development. Technical progress for Phase 2 and Phase 3, October 1, 1997--September 30, 1998

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Robertson, A.; Horazak, D.; Newby, R.; Rehmat, A.; White, J.

1998-10-01

When DOE funds were exhausted in March 1995, all Phase 2 activities were placed on hold. In February 1996 a detailed cost estimate was submitted to the DOE for completing the two remaining Phase 2 Multi Annular Swirl Burner (MASB) topping combustor test burns; in August 1996 release was received from METC to proceed with these tests. The first test (Test Campaign No.3) will be conducted to: (1) test the MASB at proposed demonstration plant full to minimum loading operating conditions; (2) identify the lower oxygen limit of the MASB; and (3) demonstrate natural gas to carbonizer fuel gas switching. The Livingston Phase 3 Pilot Plant was last operated under contract DE-AC21-86MC21023 in September 1995 for seven days in an integrated carbonizer-CPFBC configuration. In May, 1996, the pilot plant was transferred to Contract DE-AC22-95PC95143 to allow testing in support of the High Performance Power Systems (HIPPS) Program. The HIPPS Program required modifications to the pilot plant and the following changes were incorporated: (1) installation of a dense phase transport system for loading pulverized coal into the feed system lock hopper directly from a pneumatic transport truck; (2) removal of the char transfer pipe between the char collecting hopper and the CPFBC to allow carbonizer only operation; (3) installation of a lock hopper directly under the char collecting hopper to facilitate char removal from the process, the hopper vent gases exhaust to the carbonizer baghouse filter and the depressured char is transferred via nitrogen to the CPFBC baghouse for dumping into drums; (4) removal of the carbonizer cyclone and top of bed overflow drain line; all material elutriated from the carbonizer bed will thus be removed by the 22-element Westinghouse ceramic candle filter; (5) replacement of the carbonizer continuous bottom bed drain (screw feeder) with a batch-type drain removal system; and (6) installation of a mass spectrometer that draws sample gas via a steam jacketed

A retention-time-shift-tolerant background subtraction and noise reduction algorithm (BgS-NoRA) for extraction of drug metabolites in liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry data from biological matrices.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Peijuan; Ding, Wei; Tong, Wei; Ghosal, Anima; Alton, Kevin; Chowdhury, Swapan

2009-06-01

A retention-time-shift-tolerant background subtraction and noise reduction algorithm (BgS-NoRA) is implemented using the statistical programming language R to remove non-drug-related ion signals from accurate mass liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) data. The background-subtraction part of the algorithm is similar to a previously published procedure (Zhang H and Yang Y. J. Mass Spectrom. 2008, 43: 1181-1190). The noise reduction algorithm (NoRA) is an add-on feature to help further clean up the residual matrix ion noises after background subtraction. It functions by removing ion signals that are not consistent across many adjacent scans. The effectiveness of BgS-NoRA was examined in biological matrices by spiking blank plasma extract, bile and urine with diclofenac and ibuprofen that have been pre-metabolized by microsomal incubation. Efficient removal of background ions permitted the detection of drug-related ions in in vivo samples (plasma, bile, urine and feces) obtained from rats orally dosed with (14)C-loratadine with minimal interference. Results from these experiments demonstrate that BgS-NoRA is more effective in removing analyte-unrelated ions than background subtraction alone. NoRA is shown to be particularly effective in the early retention region for urine samples and middle retention region for bile samples, where the matrix ion signals still dominate the total ion chromatograms (TICs) after background subtraction. In most cases, the TICs after BgS-NoRA are in excellent qualitative correlation to the radiochromatograms. BgS-NoRA will be a very useful tool in metabolite detection and identification work, especially in first-in-human (FIH) studies and multiple dose toxicology studies where non-radio-labeled drugs are administered. Data from these types of studies are critical to meet the latest FDA guidance on Metabolite in Safety Testing (MIST). Copyright (c) 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Diffuse material, background radiation and the early universe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rees, M.J.

1980-01-01

Observations that relate to a qualitative picture of how galaxies formed, and what the Universe was really like at still earlier times, are presented. Some lines of evidence on the universe at redshifts out to z approximately equal to 5 are discussed, concentrating on the evidence which suggests that intergalactic medium has evolved in a 'multi phase' fashion. Some aspects of the less recent history of the Universe (i.e z approximately greater than 100) are considered, particularly the microwave background and the spectrum of inhomogeneities. (Auth.)

Monoclonal antibody fragment removal mediated by mixed mode resins.

Science.gov (United States)

O'Connor, Ellen; Aspelund, Matthew; Bartnik, Frank; Berge, Mark; Coughlin, Kelly; Kambarami, Mutsa; Spencer, David; Yan, Huiming; Wang, William

2017-05-26

Efforts to increase monoclonal antibody expression in cell culture can result in the presence of fragmented species requiring removal in downstream processing. Capto adhere, HEA Hypercel, and PPA Hypercel anion exchange/hydrophobic interaction mixed mode resins were evaluated for their fragment removal capabilities and found to separate large hinge IgG1 antibody fragment (LHF) from monomer. Removal of greater than 75% of LHF population occurred at pH 8 and low conductivity. The mechanism of fragment removal was investigated in two series of experiments. The first experimental series consisted of comparison to chromatographic behavior on corresponding single mode resins. Both single mode anion exchange and hydrophobic interaction resins failed to separate LHF. The second experimental series studied the impact of phase modifiers, ethylene glycol, urea, and arginine on the mixed mode mediated removal. The addition of ethylene glycol decreased LHF removal by half. Further decreases in LHF separation were seen upon incubation with urea and arginine. Therefore, it was discovered that the purification is the result of a mixed mode phenomena dominated by hydrophobic interaction and hydrogen bonding effects. The site of interaction between the LHF and mixed mode resin was determined by chemical labeling of lysine residues with sulfo-NHS acetate. The labeling identified the antibody hinge and light chain regions as mediating the fragment separation. Sequence analysis showed that under separation conditions, a hydrophobic proline patch and hydrogen bonding serine and threonine residues mediate the hinge interaction with the Capto adhere ligand. Additionally, a case study is presented detailing the optimization of fragment removal using Capto adhere resin to achieve purity and yield targets in a manufacturing facility. This study demonstrated that mixed mode resins can be readily integrated into commercial antibody platform processes when additional chromatographic abilities

Limited emission reductions from fuel subsidy removal except in energy-exporting regions

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jewell, Jessica; McCollum, David; Emmerling, Johannes; Bertram, Christoph; Gernaat, David E. H. J.; Krey, Volker; Paroussos, Leonidas; Berger, Loïc; Fragkiadakis, Kostas; Keppo, Ilkka; Saadi, Nawfal; Tavoni, Massimo; Van Vuuren, Detlef; Vinichenko, Vadim; Riahi, Keywan

2018-01-01

Hopes are high that removing fossil fuel subsidies could help to mitigate climate change by discouraging inefficient energy consumption and levelling the playing field for renewable energy. In September 2016, the G20 countries re-affirmed their 2009 commitment (at the G20 Leaders' Summit) to phase

Comparison of magnesium sulfate and sodium sulfate for removal of water from pesticide extracts of foods.

Science.gov (United States)

Schenck, Frank J; Callery, Patrick; Gannett, Peter M; Daft, Jonathan R; Lehotay, Steven J

2002-01-01

Water-miscible solvents, such as acetone and acetonitrile, effectively extract both polar and nonpolar pesticide residues from nonfatty foods. The addition of sodium chloride to the resulting acetonitrile-water or acetone-water extract (salting out) results in the separation of the water from the organic solvent. However, the organic solvent layer (pesticide extract) still contains some residual water, which can adversely affect separation procedures that follow, such as solid-phase extraction and/or gas chromatography. Drying agents, such as sodium sulfate or magnesium sulfate, are used to remove the water from the organic extracts. In the present study, we used nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy to study the composition of the phases resulting from salting out and to compare the effectiveness of sodium sulfate and magnesium sulfate as drying agents. The study showed that considerable amounts of water remained in the organic phase after phase separation. Sodium sulfate was a relatively ineffective drying agent, removing little or no residual water from the organic solvent. Magnesium sulfate proved to be a much more effective drying agent.

Design of Passive Decay Heat Removal System using Mercury Thermosyphon for SFR

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

You, Byung Hyun; Jeong, Yong Hoon [Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2013-10-15

In this study, thermosyphon application is suggested to accomplish the fully passive safety grade system and compactness of components via enhance the heat removal performance. A two-phase evaporating thermosyphon operates when the evaporator is heated, the working fluid start boiling, the vapor that is formed moves to the condenser, where it is condensed on the walls, giving up the heat of phase change to the cooling fluid. Gravity forces cause the condensate to condensed liquid flow to the evaporator again. These processes occur continuously, which causes transfer of heat from evaporator to condenser vice versa. After the thermal design and performance evaluation, the results were compared with the performance of conventional DRACS system. For the same amount of decay heat removal performance of PDRC system of KALIMER-600 mercury thermosyphon system can archive around 30∼50% of compactness. For the detailed design, improved analytical model and experimental data for the validation will be required to specify the new DHR system.

Removal of H2S and volatile organic sulfur compounds by silicone membrane extraction

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Manconi, I.; Lens, P.N.L.

2009-01-01

BACKGROUND: This study explores an alternative process for the abatement and/or desulfurization of H2S and volatile organic sulfur compounds (VOSC) containing waste streams, which employs a silicone-based membrane to simultaneously remove H2S and VOSC. An extractive membrane reactor allows the

Mercury Oxidation via Catalytic Barrier Filters Phase II

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wayne Seames; Michael Mann; Darrin Muggli; Jason Hrdlicka; Carol Horabik

2007-09-30

In 2004, the Department of Energy National Energy Technology Laboratory awarded the University of North Dakota a Phase II University Coal Research grant to explore the feasibility of using barrier filters coated with a catalyst to oxidize elemental mercury in coal combustion flue gas streams. Oxidized mercury is substantially easier to remove than elemental mercury. If successful, this technique has the potential to substantially reduce mercury control costs for those installations that already utilize baghouse barrier filters for particulate removal. Completed in 2004, Phase I of this project successfully met its objectives of screening and assessing the possible feasibility of using catalyst coated barrier filters for the oxidation of vapor phase elemental mercury in coal combustion generated flue gas streams. Completed in September 2007, Phase II of this project successfully met its three objectives. First, an effective coating method for a catalytic barrier filter was found. Second, the effects of a simulated flue gas on the catalysts in a bench-scale reactor were determined. Finally, the performance of the best catalyst was assessed using real flue gas generated by a 19 kW research combustor firing each of three separate coal types.

Children's memories of removal: a test of attachment theory.

Science.gov (United States)

Melinder, Annika; Baugerud, Gunn Astrid; Ovenstad, Kristianne Stigsdatter; Goodman, Gail S

2013-02-01

We report a study of parents' attachment orientations and children's autobiographical memory for an experience that according to Bowlby's (1982) attachment theory should be particularly threatening-children's forced separation from their parents. It was hypothesized that individual differences in parents' attachment orientations would be associated with children's distress and memory for this highly traumatic event. Children (n = 28) were observed during forced removal from home or school by Child Protective Services due to allegations of child maltreatment. Children's memory for the removal was tested 1 week later, and biological parents (n = 28) completed an adult attachment measure. Parental attachment anxiety significantly predicted children's distress during less stressful phases of the removal, R(2) = .25, and parents' attachment-related avoidance predicted fewer correct memory reports from the children (i.e., fewer hits to open-ended questions, R(2) = .16, and fewer hits to direct questions, R(2) = .27). The findings indicate that attachment theory provides important guidance for understanding children's autobiographical memory for traumatic events. Copyright © 2013 International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies.

Kinetics and the mass transfer mechanism of hydrogen sulfide removal by biochar derived from rice hull.

Science.gov (United States)

Shang, Guofeng; Liu, Liang; Chen, Ping; Shen, Guoqing; Li, Qiwu

2016-05-01

The biochar derived from rice hull was evaluated for its abilities to remove hydrogen sulfide (H2S) from gas phase. The surface area and pH of the biochar were compared. The biochar derived from rice hull was evaluated for its abilities to remove hydrogen sulfide (H2S) from gas phase. The surface area and pH of the biochar were compared. The different pyrolysis temperature has great influence on the adsorption of H2S. At the different pyrolysis temperature, the H2S removal efficiency of rice hull-derived biochar was different. The adsorption capacities of biochar were 2.09 mg·g(-1), 2.65 mg·g(-1), 16.30 mg·g(-1), 20.80 mg·g(-1), and 382.70 mg·g(-1), which their pyrolysis temperatures were 100 °C, 200 °C, 300 °C, 400 °C and 500 °C respectively. Based on the Yoon-Nelson model, it analyzed the mass transfer mechanism of hydrogen sulfide adsorption by biochar. The paper focuses on the biochar derived from rice hull-removed hydrogen sulfide (H2S) from gas phase. The surface area and pH of the biochar were compared. The different pyrolysis temperatures have great influence on the adsorption of H2S. At the different pyrolysis temperatures, the H2S removal efficiency of rice hull-derived biohar was different. The adsorption capacities of biochar were 2.09, 2.65, 16.30, 20.80, and 382.70 mg·g(-1), and their pyrolysis temperatures were 100, 200, 300, 400, and 500 °C, respectively. Based on the Yoon-Nelson model, the mass transfer mechanism of hydrogen sulfide adsorption by biochar was analyzed.

CLAWS. Beam background monitoring in the commissioning of SuperKEKB

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gabriel, Miroslav; Windel, Hendrik; Kolk, Naomi van der; Simon, Frank [Max Planck Institute for Physics (Germany)

2016-07-01

The background levels, in particular those originating from the continuous injection to maximize luminosity, are a concern for the inner vertex detector of Belle-II at the SuperKEKB accelerator. To better understand this background, and in particular its time dependence, dedicated measurements will be made during the commissioning phase of the accelerator, scheduled to begin in February 2016. One of the detectors for these measurements, CLAWS, is based on scintillators coupled to SiPMs which were originally developed for timing measurements of hadronic showers in the CALICE calorimeters. The data acquisition is based on digitizers with very deep buffers allowing the continuous recording of more than 1000 revolutions of the accelerator to provide a detailed analysis of the evolution of the background levels after injection. In this contribution, we present the overall CLAWS setup, the technical solutions adopted for the data acquisition and analysis, and discuss the performance of the detector elements.

Study on the background information for the geological disposal concept

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matsui, Kazuaki; Murano, Tohru; Hirusawa, Shigenobu; Komoto, Harumi

2000-03-01

Japan Nuclear Cycle Development Institute (JNC) has published first R and D report in 1992, in which the fruits of the R and D work were compiled. Since then, JNC, has been promoting the second R and D progress report until before 2000, in which the background information on the geological disposal of high level radioactive waste (HLW) was to be presented as well as the technical basis. Recognizing the importance of the social consensus to the geological disposal, understanding and consensus by the society are essential to the development and realization of the geological disposal of HLW. In this fiscal year, studies were divided into 2 phases, considering the time schedule of the second R and D progress report. 1. Phase 1: Analysis of the background information on the geological disposal concept. Based on the recent informations and the research works of last 2 years, final version of the study was made to contribute to the background informations for the second R and D progress report. (This was published in Nov. 1999 as the intermediate report: JNC TJ 1420 2000-006). 2. Phase 2: Following 2 specific items were selected for the candidate issues which need to be studied, considering the present circumstances around the R and D of geological disposal. (1) Educational materials and strategies related to nuclear energy and nuclear waste. Specific strategies and approaches in the area of nuclear energy and nuclear waste educational outreach and curriculum activities by the nuclear industry, government and other entities in 6 countries were surveyed and summarized. (2) Alternatives to geological disposal of HLW: Past national/international consideration and current status. The alternatives for the disposal of HLW have been discussed in the past and the major waste-producing countries have almost all chosen deep geological disposal as preferred method. Here past histories and recent discussions on the variations to geological disposal were studied. (author)

Removal of uranium from uranium-contaminated soils -- Phase 1: Bench-scale testing. Uranium in Soils Integrated Demonstration

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Francis, C. W.

1993-09-01

To address the management of uranium-contaminated soils at Fernald and other DOE sites, the DOE Office of Technology Development formed the Uranium in Soils Integrated Demonstration (USID) program. The USID has five major tasks. These include the development and demonstration of technologies that are able to (1) characterize the uranium in soil, (2) decontaminate or remove uranium from the soil, (3) treat the soil and dispose of any waste, (4) establish performance assessments, and (5) meet necessary state and federal regulations. This report deals with soil decontamination or removal of uranium from contaminated soils. The report was compiled by the USID task group that addresses soil decontamination; includes data from projects under the management of four DOE facilities [Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), and the Savannah River Plant (SRP)]; and consists of four separate reports written by staff at these facilities. The fundamental goal of the soil decontamination task group has been the selective extraction/leaching or removal of uranium from soil faster, cheaper, and safer than current conventional technologies. The objective is to selectively remove uranium from soil without seriously degrading the soil`s physicochemical characteristics or generating waste forms that are difficult to manage and/or dispose of. Emphasis in research was placed more strongly on chemical extraction techniques than physical extraction techniques.

Factors affecting radium removal using mixed iron-manganese oxides

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mott, H.V. Singh, S.; Kondapally, V.R.

1993-01-01

Batch experiments confirmed that sorption of radium by a mixed iron-manganese oxide solid phase shows promise for treating radium-contaminated water. The capacities of these mixed oxides for sorption of radium depend on the composition of the solid phase, the pH of the aqueous solution, and the presence of competing cations. The removal of the oxide-radium complexes from aqueous suspension by manganese greensand filtration was also investigated. It was found that influent radium concentrations of 100 pCi/L were reduced to 2--9 pCi/L by this process. Additional study of the fate of radium in manganese greensand filters is recommended before this procedure is used for drinking water treatment

Factors affecting radium removal using mixed iron-manganese oxides

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mott, H.V. Singh, S.; Kondapally, V.R. (South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, Rapid City, SD (United States))

1993-10-01

Batch experiments confirmed that sorption of radium by a mixed iron-manganese oxide solid phase shows promise for treating radium-contaminated water. The capacities of these mixed oxides for sorption of radium depend on the composition of the solid phase, the pH of the aqueous solution, and the presence of competing cations. The removal of the oxide-radium complexes from aqueous suspension by manganese greensand filtration was also investigated. It was found that influent radium concentrations of 100 pCi/L were reduced to 2--9 pCi/L by this process. Additional study of the fate of radium in manganese greensand filters is recommended before this procedure is used for drinking water treatment.

Compressive Phase Contrast Tomography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maia, Filipe; MacDowell, Alastair; Marchesini, Stefano; Padmore, Howard A.; Parkinson, Dula Y.; Pien, Jack; Schirotzek, Andre; Yang, Chao

2010-01-01

When x-rays penetrate soft matter, their phase changes more rapidly than their amplitude. Interference effects visible with high brightness sources creates higher contrast, edge enhanced images. When the object is piecewise smooth (made of big blocks of a few components), such higher contrast datasets have a sparse solution. We apply basis pursuit solvers to improve SNR, remove ring artifacts, reduce the number of views and radiation dose from phase contrast datasets collected at the Hard X-Ray Micro Tomography Beamline at the Advanced Light Source. We report a GPU code for the most computationally intensive task, the gridding and inverse gridding algorithm (non uniform sampled Fourier transform).

[Steam and air co-injection in removing TCE in 2D-sand box].

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Ning; Peng, Sheng; Chen, Jia-Jun

2014-07-01

Steam and air co-injection is a newly developed and promising soil remediation technique for non-aqueous phase liquids (NAPLs) in vadose zone. In this study, in order to investigate the mechanism of the remediation process, trichloroethylene (TCE) removal using steam and air co-injection was carried out in a 2-dimensional sandbox with different layered sand structures. The results showed that co-injection perfectly improved the "tailing" effect compared to soil vapor extraction (SVE), and the remediation process of steam and air co-injection could be divided into SVE stage, steam strengthening stage and heat penetration stage. Removal ratio of the experiment with scattered contaminant area was higher and removal speed was faster. The removal ratios from the two experiments were 93.5% and 88.2%, and the removal periods were 83.9 min and 90.6 min, respectively. Steam strengthened the heat penetration stage. The temperature transition region was wider in the scattered NAPLs distribution experiment, which reduced the accumulation of TCE. Slight downward movement of TCE was observed in the experiment with TCE initially distributed in a fine sand zone. And such downward movement of TCE reduced the TCE removal ratio.

Adsorptive removal of Methylene blue and Methyl orange from aqueous media by carboxylated diaminoethane sporopollenin: On the usability of an aminocarboxilic acid functionality-bearing solid-stationary phase in column techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ayar, Ahmet; Gezici, Orhan; Kuecuekosmanoglu, Muhittin

2007-01-01

The adsorption phenomena of Methylene blue (MB) and Methyl orange (MO) on a carboxylated diaminoethane sporopollenin (CDAE-S) solid phase were investigated in a column arrangement by using breakthrough technique. The adsorption phenomena were evaluated using some common adsorption isotherm models and Scatchard plot analysis, and obtained results were interpreted for evaluating the usability of CDAE-S for removal, recovery and preconcentration of the studied dyes both at the laboratory and industrial scales. On the basis of Scatchard plot analysis, the interaction types between the CDAE-S and the studied dyes were criticized in terms of affinity phenomena. Thus, the usability of a biomacromolecule-derived material, CDAE-S, as a cheap, environmentally-friendly and effective solid-stationary phase exhibiting both cation-exchange and anion-exchange characteristics at the same time, is discussed through the present study. Besides, from the obtained results, the protonated CDAE-S, which functionally resembles an amino acid structure, are presented as a two-in-one solid-stationary phase, and its adaptability to common processes performed under column conditions is also drawn in detail

Fault diagnosis for non-minimum phase systems using ℋ∞ optimization

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Niemann, Hans Henrik; Stoustrup, Jakob

2001-01-01

The analysis and design algorithms for residual generators for nonminimum phase systems are given. It is shown that the ℋ∞ optimization of residual generators applied directly to systems including nonminimum phase zeros can be very conservative. To remove this conservatism in the &Hscr...

Holographic (de)confinement transitions in cosmological backgrounds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Erdmenger, Johanna; Ghoroku, Kazuo; Meyer, Rene

2011-01-01

For type IIB supergravity with a running axio-dilaton, we construct bulk solutions which admit a cosmological background metric of Friedmann-Robertson-Walker type. These solutions include both a dark radiation term in the bulk as well as a four-dimensional (boundary) cosmological constant, while gravity at the boundary remains nondynamical. We holographically calculate the stress-energy tensor, showing that it consists of two contributions: The first one, generated by the dark radiation term, leads to the thermal fluid of N=4 SYM theory, while the second, the conformal anomaly, originates from the boundary cosmological constant. Conservation of the boundary stress-tensor implies that the boundary cosmological constant is time-independent, such that there is no exchange between the two stress-tensor contributions. We then study (de)confinement by evaluating the Wilson loop in these backgrounds. While the dark radiation term favors deconfinement, a negative cosmological constant drives the system into a confined phase. When both contributions are present, we find an oscillating universe with negative cosmological constant which undergoes periodic (de)confinement transitions as the scale of three-space expands and recontracts.

A Heuristic Approach to Remove the Background Intensity on White-light Solar Images. I. STEREO /HI-1 Heliospheric Images

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stenborg, Guillermo; Howard, Russell A. [Space Science Division, U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC 20375 (United States)

2017-04-10

White-light coronal and heliospheric imagers observe scattering of photospheric light from both dust particles (the F-Corona) and free electrons in the corona (the K-corona). The separation of the two coronae is thus vitally important to reveal the faint K-coronal structures (e.g., streamers, co-rotating interaction regions, coronal mass ejections, etc.). However, the separation of the two coronae is very difficult, so we are content in defining a background corona that contains the F- and as little K- as possible. For both the LASCO-C2 and LASCO-C3 coronagraphs aboard the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory ( SOHO ) and the white-light imagers of the SECCHI suite aboard the Solar Terrestrial Relationships Observatory ( STEREO ), a time-dependent model of the background corona is generated from about a month of similar images. The creation of such models is possible because the missions carrying these instruments are orbiting the Sun at about 1 au. However, the orbit profiles for the upcoming Solar Orbiter and Solar Probe Plus missions are very different. These missions will have elliptic orbits with a rapidly changing radial distance, hence invalidating the techniques in use for the SOHO /LASCO and STEREO /SECCHI instruments. We have been investigating techniques to generate background models out of just single images that could be used for the Solar Orbiter Heliospheric Imager and the Wide-field Imager for the Solar Probe Plus packages on board the respective spacecraft. In this paper, we introduce a state-of-the-art, heuristic technique to create the background intensity models of STEREO /HI-1 data based solely on individual images, report on new results derived from its application, and discuss its relevance to instrumental and operational issues.

Background study for the pn-CCD detector of CERN Axion Solar Telescope

CERN Document Server

Cebrián, S; Kuster, M.; Beltran, B.; Gomez, H.; Hartmann, R.; Irastorza, I. G.; Kotthaus, R.; Luzon, G.; Morales, J.; Ruz, J.; Struder, L.; Villar, J. A.

2007-01-01

The CERN Axion Solar Telescope (CAST) experiment searches for axions from the Sun converted into photons with energies up to around 10 keV via the inverse Primakoff effect in the high magnetic field of a superconducting Large Hadron Collider (LHC) prototype magnet. A backside illuminated pn-CCD detector in conjunction with an X-ray mirror optics is one of the three detectors used in CAST to register the expected photon signal. Since this signal is very rare and different background components (environmental gamma radiation, cosmic rays, intrinsic radioactive impurities in the set-up, ...) entangle it, a detailed study of the detector background has been undertaken with the aim to understand and further reduce the background level of the detector. The analysis is based on measured data taken during the Phase I of CAST and on Monte Carlo simulations of different background components. This study will show that the observed background level (at a rate of (8.00+-0.07)10^-5 counts/cm^2/s/keV between 1 and 7 keV) s...

Hanford Site background: Part 1, Soil background for nonradioactive analytes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-04-01

The determination of soil background is one of the most important activities supporting environmental restoration and waste management on the Hanford Site. Background compositions serve as the basis for identifying soil contamination, and also as a baseline in risk assessment processes used to determine soil cleanup and treatment levels. These uses of soil background require an understanding of the extent to which analytes of concern occur naturally in the soils. This report documents the results of sampling and analysis activities designed to characterize the composition of soil background at the Hanford Site, and to evaluate the feasibility for use as Sitewide background. The compositions of naturally occurring soils in the vadose Zone have been-determined for-nonradioactive inorganic and organic analytes and related physical properties. These results confirm that a Sitewide approach to the characterization of soil background is technically sound and is a viable alternative to the determination and use of numerous local or area backgrounds that yield inconsistent definitions of contamination. Sitewide soil background consists of several types of data and is appropriate for use in identifying contamination in all soils in the vadose zone on the Hanford Site. The natural concentrations of nearly every inorganic analyte extend to levels that exceed calculated health-based cleanup limits. The levels of most inorganic analytes, however, are well below these health-based limits. The highest measured background concentrations occur in three volumetrically minor soil types, the most important of which are topsoils adjacent to the Columbia River that are rich in organic carbon. No organic analyte levels above detection were found in any of the soil samples

Mechanism of SO2 removal by carbon

Science.gov (United States)

Lizzio, Anthony A.; DeBarr, Joseph A.

1997-01-01

The reaction of SO2 with carbon (C) in the presence of O2 and H2O involves a series of reactions that leads to the formation of sulfuric acid as the final product. The rate-determining step in the overall process is the oxidation of SO2 to SO3. Three SO2 oxidation reactions are possible. Adsorbed SO2 (C−SO2) can react either with gas phase O2 or with adsorbed oxygen (C−O complex) to form sulfur trioxide (SO3), or gas phase SO2 can react directly with the C−O complex. In optimizing the SO2 removal capabilities of carbon, most studies only assume a given mechanism for SO2 adsorption and conversion to H2SO4 to be operable. The appropriate SO2 oxidation step and role of the C−O complex in this mechanism remain to be determined. The ultimate goal of this study was to prepare activated char from Illinois coal with optimal properties for low-temperature (80−150°C) removal of sulfur dioxide from coal combustion flue gas. The SO2 adsorption capacity of activated char was found to be inversely proportional to the amount of oxygen adsorbed on its surface. A temperature-programmed desorption technique was developed to titrate those sites responsible for adsorption of SO2 and conversion to H2SO4. On the basis of these results, a mechanism for SO2 removal by carbon was proposed. The derived rate expression showed SO2 adsorption to be dependent only on the fundamental rate constant and concentration of carbon atoms designated as free sites. Recent studies indicate a similar relationship exists between the rate of carbon gasification (in CO2 or H2O) and the number of reactive sites as determined by transient kinetics experiments. Utilizing the concept of active or free sites, it was possible to produce a char from Illinois coal having an SO2 adsorption capacity surpassing that of a commercial catalytic activated carbon.

Removal of Acid Red 18 dye from Aqueous Solutions Using Nanoscale Zero-Valent Iron

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ahmad Reza Yari

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Background and Purpose:Organic dyes with a complex structure are often toxic, carcinogenic, mutagenic, non-biodegradation and stable in the environment and if released to the environment without treatment can endanger the environment and human health. The aim was to evaluate the performance nanoscalezero-valent iron (NZVI in the removal of dye acid red 18 (AR18 from aqueous solutions. Materials and Methods:This study was conducted at the laboratory scale. In this study, the removal efficiency of AR18 from a synthetic solution by NZVI was investigated. As well as the effect of solution pH, dye concentration, the concentration of NZVI and contact time in decolorization efficiency was investigated. Results:The results show that in pH = 3, contact time of 80 minutes, dye concentration of 25 mg/l and concentration of NZVI of 2 g/l, the removal efficiency was about 94%. Conclusion:According to the results of experiments, NZVI has high efficiency in removal of AR18 from aqueous solution.

Rapid removal of bisphenol A on highly ordered mesoporous carbon.

Science.gov (United States)

Sui, Qian; Huang, Jun; Liu, Yousong; Chang, Xiaofeng; Ji, Guangbin; Deng, Shubo; Xie, Tao; Yu, Gang

2011-01-01

Bisphenol A (BPA) is of global concern due to its disruption of endocrine systems and ubiquity in the aquatic environment. It is important, therefore, that efforts are made to remove it from the aqueous phase. A novel adsorbent, mesoporous carbon CMK-3, prepared from hexagonal SBA-15 mesoporous silica was studied for BPA removal from aqueous phase, and compared with conventional powdered activated carbon (PAC). Characterization of CMK-3 by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction, and nitrogen adsorption indicated that prepared CMK-3 had an ordered mesoporous structure with a high specific surface area of 920 m2/g and a pore-size of about 4.9 nm. The adsorption of BPA on CMK-3 followed a pseudo second-order kinetic model. The kinetic constant was 0.00049 g/(mg x min), much higher than the adsorption of BPA on PAC. The adsorption isotherm fitted slightly better with the Freundlich model than the Langmuir model, and adsorption capacity decreased as temperature increased from 10 to 40 degrees C. No significant influence of pH on adsorption was observed at pH 3 to 9; however, adsorption capacity decreased dramatically from pH 9 to 13.

PES-Kaolin Mixed Matrix Membranes for Arsenic Removal from Water.

Science.gov (United States)

Marino, Tiziana; Russo, Francesca; Rezzouk, Lina; Bouzid, Abderrazak; Figoli, Alberto

2017-09-30

The aim of this work was the fabrication and the characterization of mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) for arsenic (As) removal from water. Membrane separation was combined with an adsorption process by incorporating the kaolin (KT2) Algerian natural clay in polymeric membranes. The effects of casting solution composition was explored using different amounts of polyethersufone (PES) as a polymer, polyvinyl-pyrrolidone (PVP K17) and polyethylene glycol (PEG 200) as pore former agents, N -methyl pyrrolidone (NMP) as a solvent, and kaolin. Membranes were prepared by coupling Non-solvent Induced Phase Separation and Vapour Induced Phase Separation (NIPS and VIPS, respectively). The influence of the exposure time to controlled humid air and temperature was also investigated. The MMMs obtained were characterized in terms of morphology, pore size, porosity, thickness, contact angle and pure water permeability. Adsorption membrane-based tests were carried out in order to assess the applicability of the membranes produced for As removal from contaminated water. Among the investigated kaolin concentrations (ranging from 0 wt % to 5 wt %), a content of 1.25 wt % led to the MMM with the most promising performance.

Nanotoxicity modelling and removal efficiencies of ZnONP.

Science.gov (United States)

Fikirdeşici Ergen, Şeyda; Üçüncü Tunca, Esra

2018-01-02

In this paper the aim is to investigate the toxic effect of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnONPs) and is to analyze the removal of ZnONP in aqueous medium by the consortium consisted of Daphnia magna and Lemna minor. Three separate test groups are formed: L. minor ([Formula: see text]), D. magna ([Formula: see text]), and L. minor + D. magna ([Formula: see text]) and all these test groups are exposed to three different nanoparticle concentrations ([Formula: see text]). Time-dependent, concentration-dependent, and group-dependent removal efficiencies are statistically compared by non-parametric Mann-Whitney U test and statistically significant differences are observed. The optimum removal values are observed at the highest concentration [Formula: see text] for [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text] for [Formula: see text]and [Formula: see text] for [Formula: see text] and realized at [Formula: see text] for all test groups [Formula: see text]. There is no statistically significant differences in removal at low concentrations [Formula: see text] in terms of groups but [Formula: see text] test groups are more efficient than [Formula: see text] test groups in removal of ZnONP, at [Formula: see text] concentration. Regression analysis is also performed for all prediction models. Different models are tested and it is seen that cubic models show the highest predicted values (R 2 ). In toxicity models, R 2 values are obtained at (0.892, 0.997) interval. A simple solution-phase method is used to synthesize ZnO nanoparticles. Dynamic Light Scattering and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) are used to detect the particle size of synthesized ZnO nanoparticles.

Investigation of n{sup +} surface events in HPGe detectors for liquid argon background rejection in GERDA

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lehnert, Bjoern [TU-Dresden, Dresden (Germany); Collaboration: GERDA-Collaboration

2015-07-01

The GERDA experiment is searching for neutrinoless double beta decay (0νββ) in {sup 76}Ge using an array of germanium detectors immersed in liquid argon (LAr). Phase II of the experiment aims to improve the background level by a factor 10 in order to reach 10{sup -3} counts / (kg.keV.yr). A strong suppression technique is required to suppress the intrinsic LAr background of {sup 42}Ar/{sup 42}K. 30 newly produced p-type Broad Energy Germanium (BEGe) detectors will be deployed in Phase II. The n{sup +} electrode of the GERDA BEGe detectors is covering 96-98 % of the surface and is between 0.5 and 1.2 mm thick. Betas from the {sup 42}K decay can penetrated the detector surface and deposit energies within the 0νββ region. Experiences from GERDA Phase I show that these surface events are the dominate background component without suppression. Energy depositions inside the n{sup +} layer create pulse shapes that are slower than those from interactions in the bulk. This talk presents a rejection technique for those events. The signal development inside the n{sup +} layer is modeled and applied in Geant4 Monte Carlo simulations. The simulations are compared with data for {sup 241}Am and {sup 90}Sr calibration source measurements. The suppression capabilities are extrapolated for {sup 42}K in GERDA Phase II.

Non-associativity in non-geometric string and M-theory backgrounds, the algebra of octonions, and missing momentum modes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Günaydin, Murat [Institute for Gravitation and the Cosmos, Physics Department,Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802 (United States); Lüst, Dieter [Arnold Sommerfeld Center for Theoretical Physics, Department für Physik, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Theresienstraße 37, 80333 München (Germany); Max-Planck-Institut für Physik, Werner-Heisenberg-Institut, Föhringer Ring 6, 80805 München (Germany); Malek, Emanuel [Arnold Sommerfeld Center for Theoretical Physics, Department für Physik, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Theresienstraße 37, 80333 München (Germany)

2016-11-07

We propose a non-associative phase space algebra for M-theory backgrounds with locally non-geometric fluxes based on the non-associative algebra of octonions. Our proposal is based on the observation that the non-associative algebra of the non-geometric R-flux background in string theory can be obtained by a proper contraction of the simple Malcev algebra generated by imaginary octonions. Furthermore, by studying a toy model of a four-dimensional locally non-geometric M-theory background which is dual to a twisted torus, we show that the non-geometric background is “missing” a momentum mode. The resulting seven-dimensional phase space can thus be naturally identified with the imaginary octonions. This allows us to interpret the full uncontracted algebra of imaginary octonions as the uplift of the string theory R-flux algebra to M-theory, with the contraction parameter playing the role of the string coupling constant g{sub s}.

Late time neutrino masses, the LSND experiment, and the cosmic microwave background.

Science.gov (United States)

Chacko, Z; Hall, Lawrence J; Oliver, Steven J; Perelstein, Maxim

2005-03-25

Models with low-scale breaking of global symmetries in the neutrino sector provide an alternative to the seesaw mechanism for understanding why neutrinos are light. Such models can easily incorporate light sterile neutrinos required by the Liquid Scintillator Neutrino Detector experiment. Furthermore, the constraints on the sterile neutrino properties from nucleosynthesis and large-scale structure can be removed due to the nonconventional cosmological evolution of neutrino masses and densities. We present explicit, fully realistic supersymmetric models, and discuss the characteristic signatures predicted in the angular distributions of the cosmic microwave background.

Masticatory muscle sleep background electromyographic activity is elevated in myofascial temporomandibular disorder patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Raphael, K G; Janal, M N; Sirois, D A; Dubrovsky, B; Wigren, P E; Klausner, J J; Krieger, A C; Lavigne, G J

2013-12-01

Despite theoretical speculation and strong clinical belief, recent research using laboratory polysomnographic (PSG) recording has provided new evidence that frequency of sleep bruxism (SB) masseter muscle events, including grinding or clenching of the teeth during sleep, is not increased for women with chronic myofascial temporomandibular disorder (TMD). The current case-control study compares a large sample of women suffering from chronic myofascial TMD (n = 124) with a demographically matched control group without TMD (n = 46) on sleep background electromyography (EMG) during a laboratory PSG study. Background EMG activity was measured as EMG root mean square (RMS) from the right masseter muscle after lights out. Sleep background EMG activity was defined as EMG RMS remaining after activity attributable to SB, other orofacial activity, other oromotor activity and movement artefacts were removed. Results indicated that median background EMG during these non-SB event periods was significantly higher (P cases exceeding control activity. Moreover, for TMD cases, background EMG was positively associated and SB event-related EMG was negatively associated with pain intensity ratings (0-10 numerical scale) on post-sleep waking. These data provide the foundation for a new focus on small, but persistent, elevations in sleep EMG activity over the course of the night as a mechanism of pain induction or maintenance. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

An algorithm to remove fringe jumps and its application to microwave reflectometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ejiri, A.; Kawahata, K.; Shinohara, K.

1997-01-01

In some plasma discharges, the phase measured by microwave reflectometry has many fringe (2π radians) jumps. A new algorithm to detect and remove fringe jumps has been developed, and applied to the data in the JIPP TII-U tokamak. Using this algorithm, quantitative properties of fringe jumps, and their effects on the analysis of phase fluctuations are investigated. It was found that the occurrence of fringe jumps obeys a Poisson process, and the time scale of jumps is distributed over a wide range. Fringe jumps affect mainly the low-frequency components of phase fluctuations. Comparison of the phase corrected by the algorithm and the phase calculated from the time smoothed signals indicates that time smoothing (or frequency filtering) is an effective way to obtain information concerning the macroscopic density profile. Fringe jump and phase runaway can be phenomenologically explained by the distribution of the complex amplitude of the reflected wave. (author)

Childhood cancers in the UK and their relation to background radiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kneale, G.W.; Stewart, A.M.

1987-01-01

This chapter shows the results of including two independent data sets in a study of several factors with cancer associations including background radiation. One data set came from the Oxford Survey of Childhood Cancers (OSCC); the other from the National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB) and findings are compatible with background radiation being the single most important cause of juvenile neoplasms. It also emerged that these neoplasms have a strongly clustered distribution. No obvious cause of clusters was found, but they had associations with prenatal and postnatal illnesses as well as background radiation. Therefore, since there is mounting sensitivity to infections during the latent phase of leukaemia, cancer clusters might be the result of competing causes of death having an epidemic distribution. The findings as a whole are compatible with all man-made additions to background (including leakages of radioactivity from a reprocessing plant) adding to risk of an early cancer death. Proof that certain leukaemia clusters in the vicinity of two reprocessing plants were caused in this way must await collection of data. (author)

Nitrogen removal in a SBR operated with and without pre-denitrification: effect of the carbon:nitrogen ratio and the cycle time.

Science.gov (United States)

Mees, Juliana Bortoli Rodrigues; Gomes, Simone Damasceno; Hasan, Salah Din Mahmud; Gomes, Benedito Martins; Boas, Márcio Antonio Vilas

2014-01-01

The effects of cycle time (CT) (8, 12 and 16h) and C/N ratio (3, 6 and 9) on nitrogen removal efficiencies in a bench top sequencing batch reactor treating slaughterhouse wastewater were investigated under different operating conditions: in condition 1, the reaction comprises an aerobic/anoxic phase and in condition II, the reaction comprises anoxic I/aerobic/anoxic II phases (with pre-denitrification). The greatest percentages of nitrogen removal were obtained in the CT range from 12 to 16 h and C/N ratios from 3 to 6, with mean efficiency values of 80.76% and 85.57% in condition I and 90.99% and 91.09% in condition II. Although condition II gave a higher removal of total inorganic nitrogen (NH4+ - N + NO2- - N + NO3- - N) than condition I, only condition I showed statistically significant and predictive regression for all the steps of nitrogen removal.

Higgs boson events and background lep. A Monte Carlo study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ekspong, G.; Hultqvist, K.

1982-06-01

Higgs boson production at LEP using e+ e- to Z 0 to H 0 + e+ e- has been studied by Monte Carlo generation of events with realistic errors of measurement added. The results show the recoil mass (Higgs boson mass) resolution to be reasonably good for boson masses bigger than 5 Ge V. The events are found to populate a phase space region free of physical background for all boson masses below about 35 GeV. For masses above 40 GeV the Higgs boson signal merges with the physical background produced by semileptonic decays of heavy flavour quarks while diminishing in strength to low levels. The geometrical acceptance of a detector like DELPHI is about 80 per cent for Higgs boson events. (Author)

Removal of corallivorous snails as a proactive tool for the conservation of acroporid corals.

Science.gov (United States)

Williams, Dana E; Miller, Margaret W; Bright, Allan J; Cameron, Caitlin M

2014-01-01

Corallivorous snail feeding is a common source of tissue loss for the threatened coral, Acropora palmata, accounting for roughly one-quarter of tissue loss in monitored study plots over seven years. In contrast with larger threats such as bleaching, disease, or storms, corallivory by Coralliophila abbreviata is one of the few direct sources of partial mortality that may be locally managed. We conducted a field experiment to explore the effectiveness and feasibility of snail removal. Long-term monitoring plots on six reefs in the upper Florida Keys were assigned to one of three removal treatments: (1) removal from A. palmata only, (2) removal from all host coral species, or (3) no-removal controls. During the initial removal in June 2011, 436 snails were removed from twelve 150 m(2) plots. Snails were removed three additional times during a seven month "removal phase", then counted at five surveys over the next 19 months to track recolonization. At the conclusion, snails were collected, measured and sexed. Before-After-Control-Impact analysis revealed that both snail abundance and feeding scar prevalence were reduced in removal treatments compared to the control, but there was no difference between removal treatments. Recolonization by snails to baseline abundance is estimated to be 3.7 years and did not differ between removal treatments. Recolonization rate was significantly correlated with baseline snail abundance. Maximum snail size decreased from 47.0 mm to 34.6 mm in the removal treatments. The effort required to remove snails from A. palmata was 30 diver minutes per 150 m(2) plot, compared with 51 min to remove snails from all host corals. Since there was no additional benefit observed with removing snails from all host species, removals can be more efficiently focused on only A. palmata colonies and in areas where C. abbreviata abundance is high, to effectively conserve A. palmata in targeted areas.

Probing pre-inflationary anisotropy with directional variations in the gravitational wave background

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Furuya, Yu; Niiyama, Yuki; Sendouda, Yuuiti, E-mail: furuya@tap.st.hirosaki-u.ac.jp, E-mail: niiyama@tap.st.hirosaki-u.ac.jp, E-mail: sendouda@hirosaki-u.ac.jp [Graduate School of Science and Technology, Hirosaki University, 3 Bunkyocho, Hirosaki, Aomori 036-8561 (Japan)

2017-01-01

We perform a detailed analysis on a primordial gravitational-wave background amplified during a Kasner-like pre-inflationary phase allowing for general triaxial anisotropies. It is found that the predicted angular distribution map of gravitational-wave intensity on large scales exhibits topologically distinctive patterns according to the degree of the pre-inflationary anisotropy, thereby serving as a potential probe for the pre-inflationary early universe with future all-sky observations of gravitational waves. We also derive an observational limit on the amplitude of such anisotropic gravitational waves from the B -mode polarisation of the cosmic microwave background.

Effect of weak magnetic field on arsenate and arsenite removal from water by zerovalent iron: an XAFS investigation.

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Yuankui; Guan, Xiaohong; Wang, Jianmin; Meng, Xiaoguang; Xu, Chunhua; Zhou, Gongming

2014-06-17

In this study, a weak magnetic field (WMF), superimposed with a permanent magnet, was utilized to improve ZVI corrosion and thereby enhance As(V)/As(III) removal by ZVI at pHini 3.0-9.0. The experiment with real arsenic-bearing groundwater revealed that WMF could greatly improve arsenic removal by ZVI even in the presence of various cations and anions. The WMF-induced improvement in As(V)/As(III) removal by ZVI should be primarily associated with accelerated ZVI corrosion, as evidenced by the pH variation, Fe(2+) release, and the formation of corrosion products as characterized with X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy. The arsenic species analysis in solution/solid phases at pHini 3.0 revealed that As(III) oxidation to As(V) in aqueous phase preceded its subsequent sequestration by the newly formed iron (hydr)oxides. However, both As(V) adsorption following As(III) oxidation to As(V) in solution and As(III) adsorption preceding its conversion to As(V) in solid phase were observed at pHini 5.0-9.0. The application of WMF accelerated the transformation of As(III) to As(V) in both aqueous and solid phases at pHini 5.0-9.0 and enhanced the oxidation of As(III) to As(V) in solution at pHini 3.0.

The Limiting background in a dark matter search at shallow depth

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Perera, Thushara A. [Case Western Reserve U.

2002-01-01

A convincing body of evidence from observational and theoretical astrophysics suggests that matter in the universe is dominated by a non-luminous, non-baryonic, non-relativistic component. Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs) are a proposed particle candidate that satisfy all of the above criteria. They are a front-runner among dark matter candidates because their predicted contribution to matter in the universe is cosmologically signicant and because they may arise naturally from supersymmetric (SUSY) models of particle physics. The Cryogenic Dark Matter Search (CDMS) employs advanced detectors sensitive to nuclear recoils caused by WIMP scatters and capable of rejecting ionizing backgrounds. The rst phase of the experiment, conducted at a shallow site, is limited by a background of neutrons which are indistinguishable from WIMPs in terms of the acquired data. By accounting for and statistically subtracting these neutrons, CDMS I provides the best dark matter limits to date over a wide range of WIMP masses above 10 GeV/c2 . These results also exclude the signal region claimed by the DAMA annual modulation search at a >71% condence level. The second phase of the experiment, located at a deep site, is scheduled to begin data acquisition in 2002. Due to longer exposures, larger detector mass, and low background rates at this site, data from CDMS II are expected to improve on present WIMP sensitivity by about two orders of magnitude. Emphasized in this work are the research topics in which I have been directly involved. These include the work described in Chapters 3 and 5 with regard to the development and use of simulation tools, detailed studies into the limiting neutron background, and the present understanding of this background in relation to CDMS I and CDMS II. I was also involved in several detector development projects in preparation for CDMS II. Analysis of test data from a ZIP detector, planned for use in CDMS II, is presented in Chapter 6.

Anandan quantum phase for a neutral particle with Fermi-Walker reference frame in the cosmic string background

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bakke, Knut; Furtado, C.

2010-01-01

We study geometric quantum phases in the relativistic and non-relativistic quantum dynamics of a neutral particle with a permanent magnetic dipole moment interacting with two distinct field configurations in a cosmic string spacetime. We consider the local reference frames of the observers are transported via Fermi-Walker transport and study the influence of the non-inertial effects on the phase shift of the wave function of the neutral particle due to the choice of this local frame. We show that the wave function of the neutral particle acquires non-dispersive relativistic and non-relativistic quantum geometric phases due to the topology of the spacetime, the interaction between the magnetic dipole moment with external fields and the spin-rotation coupling. However, due to the Fermi-Walker reference frame, no phase shift associated to the Sagnac effect appears in the quantum dynamics of a neutral particle. We show that in the absence of topological defect, the contribution to the quantum phase due to the spin-rotation coupling is equivalent to the Mashhoon effect in non-relativistic dynamics. (orig.)

Removal of pesticides from white and red wines by microfiltration

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Doulia, Danae S., E-mail: ntoulia@mail.ntua.gr [Laboratory of Organic Chemical Technology, School of Chemical Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, Zografou Campus, 9 Iroon Politechniou, GR-15780 Athens (Greece); Anagnos, Efstathios K. [Laboratory of Organic Chemical Technology, School of Chemical Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, Zografou Campus, 9 Iroon Politechniou, GR-15780 Athens (Greece); Liapis, Konstantinos S. [Pesticide Residue Laboratory, Benaki Phytopathological Institute, 7 Ekalis Str., Kiphissia, Athens GR-14561 (Greece); Klimentzos, Demetrios A. [Laboratory of Organic Chemical Technology, School of Chemical Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, Zografou Campus, 9 Iroon Politechniou, GR-15780 Athens (Greece)

2016-11-05

Highlights: • Various mixtures of 23 pesticides were determined by SPE and GC-ECD in wine. • The removal of pesticides is affected by the type of membrane and wine. • The higher the pesticide’s hydrophobicity, the higher its removal. • Antagonistic and synergistic effects of pesticides in wines were estimated. - Abstract: The aim of this work is the investigation of microfiltration in removing pesticides from a white and a red Greek wine. Six membranes with pore size 0.45 μm were investigated. Two mixtures of 23 and 9 pesticides, and single pesticide solutions were added in the wine. The pesticides tested belong to 11 chemical groups. Solid phase extraction (SPE) followed by gas chromatography (GC) with electron capture detector (ECD) were performed to analyze pesticide residues of the filtered fortified wine. Distinct behavior was exhibited by each membrane. Cellulose acetate and cellulose nitrate showed higher mean pesticide removal for both wines, followed by polyethersulfone, regenerated cellulose, and polyamides. The filtration effectiveness was correlated to the membrane type and to the pesticide chemical structure and properties (octanol-water partition coefficient, water solubility) and compared for the wines tested. In most cases, the more hydrophobic pesticides (pyrethroids and aldrin) showed higher removal from red wine than white wine. Adsorption on membranes was increased by increasing hydrophobicity and decreasing hydrophilicity of organic pesticide molecule. The removal of each pesticide from its single solution was generally higher than that from its mixtures, allowing the estimation of the antagonistic and synergistic effects of pesticides in the mixtures.

Removal of pesticides from white and red wines by microfiltration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Doulia, Danae S.; Anagnos, Efstathios K.; Liapis, Konstantinos S.; Klimentzos, Demetrios A.

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Various mixtures of 23 pesticides were determined by SPE and GC-ECD in wine. • The removal of pesticides is affected by the type of membrane and wine. • The higher the pesticide’s hydrophobicity, the higher its removal. • Antagonistic and synergistic effects of pesticides in wines were estimated. - Abstract: The aim of this work is the investigation of microfiltration in removing pesticides from a white and a red Greek wine. Six membranes with pore size 0.45 μm were investigated. Two mixtures of 23 and 9 pesticides, and single pesticide solutions were added in the wine. The pesticides tested belong to 11 chemical groups. Solid phase extraction (SPE) followed by gas chromatography (GC) with electron capture detector (ECD) were performed to analyze pesticide residues of the filtered fortified wine. Distinct behavior was exhibited by each membrane. Cellulose acetate and cellulose nitrate showed higher mean pesticide removal for both wines, followed by polyethersulfone, regenerated cellulose, and polyamides. The filtration effectiveness was correlated to the membrane type and to the pesticide chemical structure and properties (octanol-water partition coefficient, water solubility) and compared for the wines tested. In most cases, the more hydrophobic pesticides (pyrethroids and aldrin) showed higher removal from red wine than white wine. Adsorption on membranes was increased by increasing hydrophobicity and decreasing hydrophilicity of organic pesticide molecule. The removal of each pesticide from its single solution was generally higher than that from its mixtures, allowing the estimation of the antagonistic and synergistic effects of pesticides in the mixtures.

Nitrate Removal from Aqueous Solutions Using Almond Charcoal Activated with Zinc Chloride

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohsen Arbabi

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Background & Aims of the Study: Nitrate is one of the most important contaminants in aquatic environments that can leached to water resources from various sources such as sewage, fertilizers and decomposition of organic waste. Reduction of nitrate to nitrite in infant’s blood stream can cause “blue baby” disease in infants. The aim of this study was to evaluate the nitrate removal from aqueous solutions using modified almond charcoal with zinc chloride. Materials &Methods: This study is an experimental survey. At the first charcoal almond skins were prepared in 5500C and then modified with ZnCl2. Morphologies and characterization of almond shell charcoal were evaluated by using FTIR, EDX, BET and FESEM. Adsorption experiments were conducted with 500 ml sample in Becker. The nitrate concentration removal, contact time, pH and charcoal dosage were investigated. The central composite design method was used to optimizing the nitrate removal process. The results analyzed with ANOVA test. Results: The best condition founded in 48 min, 1250 ppm, 125 mg/l and 3 for retention time, primary nitrate concentration, charcoal dosage and pH respectively. The results showed that the nitrate removal decreases with increasing pH. Modification of skin charcoal is show increasing of nitrate removal from aquatic solution. Conclusion: In this study, the maximum nitrate removal efficiency for raw charcoal and modified charcoal was determined 15.47% and 62.78%, respectively. The results showed that this method can be used as an effective method for removing nitrate from aqueous solutions.

A Study of Background Conditions for Sphinx—The Satellite-Borne Gamma-Ray Burst Polarimeter

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fei Xie

2018-04-01

Full Text Available SPHiNX is a proposed satellite-borne gamma-ray burst polarimeter operating in the energy range 50–500 keV. The mission aims to probe the fundamental mechanism responsible for gamma-ray burst prompt emission through polarisation measurements. Optimising the signal-to-background ratio for SPHiNX is an important task during the design phase. The Geant4 Monte Carlo toolkit is used in this work. From the simulation, the total background outside the South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA is about 323 counts/s, which is dominated by the cosmic X-ray background and albedo gamma rays, which contribute ∼60% and ∼35% of the total background, respectively. The background from albedo neutrons and primary and secondary cosmic rays is negligible. The delayed background induced by the SAA-trapped protons is about 190 counts/s when SPHiNX operates in orbit for one year. The resulting total background level of ∼513 counts/s allows the polarisation of ∼50 GRBs with minimum detectable polarisation less than 30% to be determined during the two-year mission lifetime.

In-vessel inspection before head removal: TMI II: Phase I. (Conceptual development)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Calloway, N.E.; Greenlee, D.W.; Lawrence, G.R.; Paglia, A.L.; Piatt, T.D.; Tucker, B.A.

1981-08-01

The objective of the task is to provide for an internal inspection of the reactor vessel and the fuel assemblies prior to reactor vessel head removal. Because the degree of damage to equipment and fuel in the TMI-II reactor is not precisely known, it is important that as much information as possible be obtained on present conditions inside the reactor. This information will serve to benchmark the various analyses already completed or underway and will also guide the development of programs to obtain more information on the TMI-II core damage. In addition, the early look will provide data for planning the reactor disassembly program

Removal of radium-226 from radium-contaminated soil using humic acid by column leaching method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Esther Phillip; Muhamad Samudi Yasir

2012-01-01

In this study, evaluation of radium-226 removal from radium-contaminated soil using humic acid extracted from peat soil by column leaching method was carried out. Humic acid of concentration 100 ppm and pH 7 was leached through a column packed with radium-contaminated soil and leachates collected were analysed with gamma spectrometer to determine the leached radium-226. Results obtained indicated low removal of radium-226 between 1 - 4 %. Meanwhile, leaching profile revealed that radium-226 was bound to soil components with three different strength, thus resulting in three phases of radium-226 removal. It was estimated that the total removal of radium-226 from 10 g radium-contaminated soil sample studied could be achieved using approximately 31500 - 31850 ml HA solutions with leaching rate of 1 ml/ min. (author)

Removal of 125I from radioactive experimental waste with an anion exchange paper membrane

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Inoue, Hiroyoshi; Kagoshima, Mayumi

2000-01-01

The behavior of radioactive iodide and chloride ions through an anion exchange paper membrane to remove 125 I from radioactive experimental waste has been studied with nonequilibrium thermodynamic analyses. Anion exchange paper membrane was found to be electroconductively more permeable to iodide ion than to chloride ion. The iodide ion bound more strongly to the anion exchange site within a membrane phase than the chloride ion by more than twice. The results suggested that an anion exchange paper membrane was appropriate for the filtration removal system

A new approach to calculating the Berry phase

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu Lianao; Sun Jing; Zhong Jiyu

1993-01-01

It is proved that any time-dependent problem can be transformed into a time-independent one by a unitary transformation. The general equation satisfied by the transformation is given. For some time-dependent Hamiltonians the transformation can be found easily. More importantly, if the initial states are just eigenstates of the transformed Hamiltonians, the dynamical phase can be conveniently removed and the Berry phase can be found directly. (orig.)

Potential of Brass to Remove Inorganic Hg(II) from Aqueous Solution through Amalgamation.

Science.gov (United States)

Wenke, Axel; Bollen, Anne; Richard, Jan-Helge; Biester, Harald

2016-06-01

Brass shavings (CuZn45) were tested for their efficiency to remove Hg(II) from contaminated groundwater through amalgamation. The study was focused on long-term retention efficiency, the understanding of the amalgamation process and kinetics, and influences of filter surface alteration. Column tests were performed with brass filters (thickness 3 to 9 cm) flushed with 1000 μg/L Hg solution for 8 hours under different flow rates (300 to 600 mL/h). Brass filters consistently removed >98% of Hg from solution independent of filter thickness and flow rate. In a long-term experiment (filter thickness 2 cm), Hg retention decreased from 96 to 92% within 2000 hours. Batch and column experiments for studying kinetics of Hg removal indicate ~100% Hg removal from solution within only 2 hours. Solid-phase mercury thermo-desorption analysis revealed that Hg(0) diffusion into the brass surface controls kinetics of mercury retention. Brass surface alteration could be observed, but did not influence Hg retention.

Textile wastewater treatment: colour and COD removal of reactive black-5 by ozonation

Science.gov (United States)

Suryawan, I. W. K.; Helmy, Q.; Notodarmojo, S.

2018-01-01

Textile industries produced a large amount of highly coloured wastewater containing variety of dyes in different concentrations. Due to the high concentration of organics in the effluents and the higher stability of modern synthetic dyes, the conventional biological treatment methods are ineffective for the complete colour removal and degradation of organics and dyes. On the other hand, physical-chemical treatment are not destructive, mainly just concentrate and separate the pollutants phases. This research paper investigates the removal of colour and chemical oxygen demand/COD from textile wastewater using ozone treatment. Varied ozone dosages of 1.16; 3.81; 18.79; and 40.88 mg/minute were used in the experiment. Varied wastewater containing Reactive Black 5 (RB-5) concentrations of 40 mg/L, 100 mg/L were also applied. Research result showed the highest colour removal efficiency of 96.9 % was achieved after 5 hours incubation time, while the highest COD removal efficiency of 77.5% was achieved after 2 hours incubation time.

Removing Hair Safely

Science.gov (United States)

... For Consumers Home For Consumers Consumer Updates Removing Hair Safely Share Tweet Linkedin Pin it More sharing ... related to common methods of hair removal. Laser Hair Removal In this method, a laser destroys hair ...

Estrogenic and AhR activities in dissolved phase and suspended solids from wastewater treatment plants.

Science.gov (United States)

Dagnino, Sonia; Gomez, Elena; Picot, Bernadette; Cavaillès, Vincent; Casellas, Claude; Balaguer, Patrick; Fenet, Hélène

2010-05-15

The distribution of estrogen receptor (ERalpha) and Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor (AhR) activities between the dissolved phase and suspended solids were investigated during wastewater treatment. Three wastewater treatment plants with different treatment technologies (waste stabilization ponds (WSPs), trickling filters (TFs) and activated sludge supplemented with a biofilter system (ASB)) were sampled. Estrogenic and AhR activities were detected in both phases in influents and effluents. Estrogenic and AhR activities in wastewater influents ranged from 41.8 to 79 ng/L E(2) Eq. and from 37.9 to 115.5 ng/L TCDD Eq. in the dissolved phase and from 5.5 to 88.6 ng/g E(2) Eq. and from 15 to 700 ng/g TCDD Eq. in the suspended solids. For both activities, WSP showed greater or similar removal efficiency than ASB and both were much more efficient than TF which had the lowest removal efficiency. Moreover, our data indicate that the efficiency of removal of ER and AhR activities from the suspended solid phase was mainly due to removal of suspended solids. Indeed, ER and AhR activities were detected in the effluent suspended solid phase indicating that suspended solids, which are usually not considered in these types of studies, contribute to environmental contamination by endocrine disrupting compounds and should therefore be routinely assessed for a better estimation of the ER and AhR activities released in the environment. Copyright 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Photodynamic therapy for hair removal

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohamed H. M. Ali

2013-05-01

Full Text Available Background: Unwanted hair is one of the most common medical problems affecting women of reproductive age inducing a lot of psychological stress and threatening their femininity and self-esteem. Old methods of removing unwanted hair include shaving, waxing, chemical depilation, and electrolysis, all of which have temporary results. However laser-assisted hair removal is the most efficient method of long-term hair removal currently available. It is desirable to develop a reduced cost photodynamic therapy (PDT system whose properties should include high efficiency and low side-effects. Method: Mice skin tissues were used in this study and divided into six groups such as controls, free methylene blue (MB incubation, liposome methylene blue (MB incubation, laser without methylene blue (MB, free methylene blue (MB for 3 and 4 hrs and laser, liposome methylene blue (MB for 3 hrs and laser. Methylene blue (MBwas applied to wax epilated areas. The areas were irradiated with CW He-Ne laser system that emits orange-red light with wavelength 632.8 nm and 10 mW at energy density of 5 J/ cm2 for 10 minutes. The UV-visible absorption spectrum was collected by Cary spectrophotometer. Results: Methylene blue (MB is selectively absorbed by actively growing hair follicles due to its cationic property. Methylene blue (MBuntreated sections showed that hair follicle and sebaceous gland are intact and there is no change due to the laser exposure. Free methylene blue (MB sections incubated for 3 hrs showed that He:Ne laser induced destruction in hair follicles, leaving an intact epidermis. Treated section with free methylene blue (MB for 4 hrs showed degeneration and necrosis in hair follicle, leaving an intact epidermis. Liposomal methylene blue (MB sections incubated for 3 hrs showed He:Ne laser induced destruction in hair follicles with intradermal leucocytic infiltration. Conclusions: Low power CW He:Ne laser and methylene blue (MB offered a successful PDT system

Ibuprofen and/or paracetamol (acetaminophen) for pain relief after surgical removal of lower wisdom teeth

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bailey, E.; Worthington, H.V.; van Wijk, A.; Yates, J.M.; Coulthard, P.; Afzal, Z.

2013-01-01

Background Both paracetamol and ibuprofen are commonly used analgesics for the relief of pain following the surgical removal of lower wisdom teeth (third molars). In 2010, a novel analgesic (marketed as Nuromol) containing both paracetamol and ibuprofen in the same tablet was launched in the United

Nodule detection in digital chest radiography: Part of image background acting as pure noise

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baath, M.; Haakansson, M.; Boerjesson, S.; Kheddache, S.; Grahn, A.; Bochud, F. O.; Verdun, F. R.; Maansson, L. G.

2005-01-01

There are several factors that influence the radiologist's ability to detect a specific structure/lesion in a radiograph. Three factors that are commonly known to be of major importance are the signal itself, the system noise and the projected anatomy. The aim of this study was to determine to what extent the image background acts as pure noise for the detection of subtle lung nodules in five different regions of the chest. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) study with five observers was conducted on two different sets of images, clinical chest X-ray images and images with a similar power spectrum as the clinical images but with a random phase spectrum, resulting in an image background containing pure noise. Simulated designer nodules with a full-width-at-fifth-maximum of 10 mm but with varying contrasts were added to the images. As a measure of the part of the image background that acts as pure noise, the ratio between the contrast needed to obtain an area under the ROC curve of 0.80 in the clinical images to that in the random-phase images was used. The ratio ranged from 0.40 (in the lateral pulmonary regions) to 0.83 (in the hilar regions) indicating that there was a large difference between different regions regarding to what extent the image background acted as pure noise; and that in the hilar regions the image background almost completely acted as pure noise for the detection of 10 mm nodules. (authors)

Removal of uranium(VI) from the aqueous phase by iron(II) minerals in presence of bicarbonate

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Regenspurg, Simona, E-mail: regens@gfz-potsdam.de [Industrial Ecology, Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), SE 10044 Stockholm (Sweden); Schild, Dieter; Schaefer, Thorsten; Huber, Florian [Institut fuer Nukleare Entsorgung (INE), Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen (Germany); Malmstroem, Maria E. [Industrial Ecology, Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), SE 10044 Stockholm (Sweden)

2009-09-15

Uranium(VI) mobility in groundwater is strongly affected by sorption of mobile U(VI) species (e.g. uranyl, UO{sub 2}{sup 2+}) to mineral surfaces, precipitation of U(VI) compounds, such as schoepite (UO{sub 2}){sub 4}O(OH){sub 6}.6H{sub 2}O), and by reduction to U(IV), forming sparingly soluble phases (uraninite; UO{sub 2}). The latter pathway, in particular, would be very efficient for long-term immobilization of U. In nature, Fe(II) is an important reducing agent for U(VI) because it frequently occurs either dissolved in natural waters, sorbed to matrix minerals, or structurally bound in many minerals. Redox reactions between U(VI) and Fe(II) depend not only on the availability of Fe(II) in the environment, but also on the chemical conditions in the aqueous solution. Under natural groundwater condition U(VI) forms complexes with many anionic ligands, which strongly affect its speciation. Carbonate, in particular, is known to form stable complexes with U, raising the question, if U(VI), when complexed by carbonate, can be reduced to UO{sub 2}. The goal of this study was to find out if Fe(II) when structurally bound in a mineral (as magnetite, Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4}) or sorbed to a mineral surface (as corundum, Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}) can reduce U(VI) to U(IV) in the presence of HCO{sub 3}{sup -}. Batch experiments were conducted under anaerobic conditions to observe U removal from the aqueous phase by the two minerals depending on HCO{sub 3}{sup -} addition (1 mM), U concentration (0.01-30 {mu}M) and pH value (6-10). Immediately after the experiments, the mineral surfaces were analyzed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) to obtain information on the redox state of U bound to the solid surfaces. XPS results gave evidence that U(VI) can be reduced both by magnetite and by corundum amended with Fe(II). In the presence of HCO{sub 3}{sup -} the amount of reduced U on the mineral surfaces increased compared to carbonate-free solutions. This can be explained by the formation

Removal of PAH using electrokinetic transport of biosurfactants in clayey soil

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Maria, E.; Lin, J. [Dept. of Building Civil and Environmental Engineering, Concordia Univ., Montreal (Canada)

2001-07-01

The electrokinetic introduction of non-toxic, biodegradable surfactants (produced ex-situ) to remediate PAH-contaminated soil was investigated. The lab tests demonstrated the possibility of removal of organic contaminants from clayey soil without hazardous impact to the environment. The rhamnolipids (biosurfactants), produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa to increase the solubility of PAHs into the aqueous phase, were used in the enhancement of electrokinetic remediation. This study determined the potential on-site production of biosurfactants that was directly introduced to soil by means of electrokinetics. The average removal of phenanthrene achieved 74% in the presence of biosurfactants above CMC. The remaining compounds are left for biodegradation. These results contribute to the development of a new remediation technology - bioelectrokinetics. (orig.)

Cadmium Tolerance and Removal from Cunninghamella elegans Related to the Polyphosphate Metabolism

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hercília M. L. Rolim

2013-03-01

Full Text Available The aim of the present work was to study the cadmium effects on growth, ultrastructure and polyphosphate metabolism, as well as to evaluate the metal removal and accumulation by Cunninghamella elegans (IFM 46109 growing in culture medium. The presence of cadmium reduced growth, and a longer lag phase was observed. However, the phosphate uptake from the culture medium increased 15% when compared to the control. Moreover, C. elegans removed 70%–81% of the cadmium added to the culture medium during its growth. The C. elegans mycelia showed a removal efficiency of 280 mg/g at a cadmium concentration of 22.10 mg/L, and the removal velocity of cadmium was 0.107 mg/h. Additionally, it was observed that cadmium induced vacuolization, the presence of electron dense deposits in vacuoles, cytoplasm and cell membranes, as well as the distinct behavior of polyphosphate fractions. The results obtained with C. elegans suggest that precipitation, vacuolization and polyphosphate fractions were associated to cadmium tolerance, and this species demonstrated a higher potential for bioremediation of heavy metals.

Research And Investigation To Establish The Database Of Environment Radiation Background For Vietnam (Phase 2009 -2011)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Trinh Van Giap; Nguyen Huu Quyet; Nguyen Quang Long; Bui Dac Dung; Vuong Thu Bac; Le Dinh Cuong; Chu Vu Long; Le Ngoc Thiem; Truong Y; Nguyen Van Mai; Nguyen Ba Tien

2013-01-01

Setting up data base of natural radiation background serves for planning socio-economics development in a province as well as the whole country and estimating annual effective dose of population. Beside external irradiation dose caused by the natural radioisotopes in the series 238 U, 232 Th and 40 K in soil, population has been received internal dose caused by the above radioisotopes taken in the body from several ways. In order to complete the database of national radiation background and go to estimate annual effective radiation dose of population in the whole country, this project focus to carry out the works as following: (i) Setting up database of radiation background in the whole country: 150 soil samples that collected in the districts of 46 provinces have been analyzed. The average activity concentration of 238 U, 232 Th and 40 K are 37.86 Bq/kg, 58.88 Bq/kg and 462.78 Bq/kg, respectively. The outdoor, indoor and total annual effective doses are calculated: 0.087±0.036 mSv; 0.488±0.202 mSv and 0.576± 0.240 mSv, respectively. (ii) Setting up database of radiation background of province Ninh Thuan and Quang Nam: The detailed database of radiation background of all villages in Ninh Thuan and Quang Nam has been established. 84 soil samples in Ninh Thuan and 311 in Quang Nam were collected for analyze. The indoor and outdoor radon concentration at sampling positions has been measured. The average activities of 238 U, 232 Th, 40 K, and 222 Rn isotopes in Ninh Thuan are reported: 33.50 Bq/kg, 55.43 Bq/kg, 701.12 Bq/kg and 12.1 Bq/m 3 , 9.5 Bq/m 3 , respectively. The outdoor, indoor and total annual effective doses in Ninh Thuan are calculated: 0.095±0.029 mSv; 0.529±0.162 mSv and 0.624± 0.382 mSv, respectively. The average activities of 238 U, 232 Th, 40 K, and 222 Rn isotopes in Quang Nam are reported: 44.47 Bq/kg, 52.68 Bq/kg, 459.33 Bq/kg, 18.0 Bq/m 3 . The outdoor, indoor and total annual effective doses are calculated: 0.086±0.039 mSv; 0.482±0.216 m

An enquiry on appropriate selection of polymers for preparation of polymeric nanosorbents and nanofiltration/ultrafiltration membranes for hormone micropollutants removal from water effluents.

Science.gov (United States)

Khansary, Milad Asgarpour; Mellat, Mostafa; Saadat, Seyed Hassan; Fasihi-Ramandi, Mahdi; Kamali, Mehdi; Taheri, Ramezan Ali

2017-02-01

To analyze polymeric nanosorbents and nanofiltration/ultrafiltration membranes for hormone micropollutants removal from water effluents, here an in-through investigation on the suitability and compatibility of various polymers has been carried out. For this work, estradiol, estrone, testosterone, progesterone, estriol, mestranol, and ethinylestradiol were considered. A total number of 452 polymers were analyzed and initially screened using Hansen solubility parameters. The identified good pairs of hormones and polymers then were examined to obtain the equilibrium capacity of hormones removal from water effluents using a modified Flory-Huggins model. A distribution coefficient was defined as the ratio of hormones in water effluent phase and polymer phase. For removal of mestranol, estradiol and ethinylestradiol, no compatible polymer was identified based on initial screening of collected database. Three compatible polymers were identified for estriol. For progesterone, a wide variety of polymers was identified as good matching of polar, dispersion and hydrogen forces contributions can be observed for these pairs. For estrone, only two polymers can be proposed due to the mismatch observed between polar, dispersion and hydrogen forces contributions of other polymers and this hormone. The phase calculations showed that not all the identified good pairs could be used for practical separation applications. The domain of applicability of each good pair was investigated and potential polymers for practical micropollutants removal together with their removal capacity were represented in terms of phase envelops. The theoretical approach follows fundamental chemical thermodynamic equations and then can be simply applied for any system of interest. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Treatment of reduced sulphur compounds and SO2 by Gas Phase Advanced Oxidation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Meusinger, Carl; Bluhme, Anders Brostrøm; Ingemar, Jonas L.

2017-01-01

Reduced sulphur compounds (RSCs) emitted from pig farms are a major problem for agriculture, due to their health and environmental impacts and foul odour. This study investigates the removal of RSCs, including H2S, and their oxidation product SO2 using Gas Phase Advanced Oxidation (GPAO). GPAO...... is a novel air cleaning technique which utilises accelerated atmospheric chemistry to oxidise pollutants before removing their oxidation products as particles. Removal efficiencies of 24.5% and 3.9% were found for 461 ppb of H2S and 714 ppb of SO2 in a laboratory system (volumetric flow Q = 75 m3/h......). A numerical model of the reactor system was developed to explore the basic features of the system; its output was in fair agreement with the experiment. The model verified the role of OH radicals in initiating the oxidation chemistry. All sulphur removed from the gas phase was detected as particulate matter...

Possible complication regarding phosphorus removal with a continuous flow biofilm system: Diffusion limitation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Falkentoft, C.M.; Arnz, P.; Henze, Mogens

2001-01-01

Diffusion limitation of phosphate possibly constitutes a serious problem regarding the use of a biofilm reactor for enhanced biological phosphorus removal. A lab-scale reactor for simultaneous removal of phosphorus and nitrate was operated in a continuous alternating mode of operation. For a steady.......4 ± 0.4% (equal to 24 ± 4 mg P/g TS). A simplified computer model indicated the reason to be phosphate diffusion limitation and the model revealed a delicate balance between the obtainable phosphorus contents of the biomass and operating parameters, such as backwash interval, biofilm thickness after...... backwash, and phase lengths. The aspect of diffusion is considered of crucial importance when evaluating the performance of a biofilter for phosphate removal. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Biotechnol Bioeng 76: 77–85, 2001....

Effect of microbial treatment on the prevention and removal of paraffin deposits on stainless steel surfaces.

Science.gov (United States)

Xiao, Meng; Li, Wen-Hong; Lu, Mang; Zhang, Zhong-Zhi; Luo, Yi-Jing; Qiao, Wei; Sun, Shan-Shan; Zhong, Wei-Zhang; Zhang, Min

2012-11-01

In this study, biosurfactant-producing strain N2 and non-biosurfactant producing stain KB18 were used to investigate the effects of microbial treatment on the prevention and removal of paraffin deposits on stainless steel surfaces. Strain N2, with a biosurfactant production capacity, reduced the contact angle of stainless steel to 40.04°, and the corresponding adhesion work of aqueous phase was decreased by 26.5 mJ/m(2). By contrast, KB18 could only reduce the contact angle to 50.83°, with a corresponding 7.6 mJ/m(2) decrease in the aqueous phase work adhesion. The paraffin removal test showed that the paraffin removal efficiencies of strain N2 and KB18 were 79.0% and 61.2%, respectively. Interestingly, the N2 cells could attach on the surface of the oil droplets to inhibit droplets coalescence. These results indicate that biosurfactant-producing strains can alter the wettability of stainless steel and thus eliminate paraffin deposition. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

X-ray differential phase-contrast tomographic reconstruction with a phase line integral retrieval filter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fu, Jian; Hu, Xinhua; Li, Chen

2015-01-01

We report an alternative reconstruction technique for x-ray differential phase-contrast computed tomography (DPC-CT). This approach is based on a new phase line integral projection retrieval filter, which is rooted in the derivative property of the Fourier transform and counteracts the differential nature of the DPC-CT projections. It first retrieves the phase line integral from the DPC-CT projections. Then the standard filtered back-projection (FBP) algorithms popular in x-ray absorption-contrast CT are directly applied to the retrieved phase line integrals to reconstruct the DPC-CT images. Compared with the conventional DPC-CT reconstruction algorithms, the proposed method removes the Hilbert imaginary filter and allows for the direct use of absorption-contrast FBP algorithms. Consequently, FBP-oriented image processing techniques and reconstruction acceleration softwares that have already been successfully used in absorption-contrast CT can be directly adopted to improve the DPC-CT image quality and speed up the reconstruction