Anatomical and diffusion MRI of deep gray matter in pediatric spina bifida

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ashley L. Ware

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Individuals with spina bifida myelomeningocele (SBM exhibit brain abnormalities in cortical thickness, white matter integrity, and cerebellar structure. Little is known about deep gray matter macro- and microstructure in this population. The current study utilized volumetric and diffusion-weighted MRI techniques to examine gray matter volume and microstructure in several subcortical structures: basal ganglia nuclei, thalamus, hippocampus, and amygdala. Sixty-six children and adolescents (ages 8–18; M = 12.0, SD = 2.73 with SBM and typically developing (TD controls underwent T1- and diffusion-weighted neuroimaging. Microstructural results indicated that hippocampal volume was disproportionately reduced, whereas the putamen volume was enlarged in the group with SBM. Microstructural analyses indicated increased mean diffusivity (MD and fractional anisotropy (FA in the gray matter of most examined structures (i.e., thalamus, caudate, hippocampus, with the putamen exhibiting a unique pattern of decreased MD and increased FA. These results provide further support that SBM differentially disrupts brain regions whereby some structures are volumetrically normal whereas others are reduced or enlarged. In the hippocampus, volumetric reduction coupled with increased MD may imply reduced cellular density and aberrant organization. Alternatively, the enlarged volume and significantly reduced MD in the putamen suggest increased density.

Diffusion barrier coatings for high temperature corrosion resistance of advanced carbon/carbon composites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Singh Raman, K.S.

2000-01-01

Carbon possesses an excellent combination of mechanical and thermal properties, viz., excellent creep resistance at temperatures up to 2400 deg C in non-oxidizing environment and a low thermal expansion coefficient. These properties make carbon a potential material for very high temperature applications. However, the use of carbon materials at high temperatures is considerably restricted due to their extremely poor oxidation resistance at temperatures above 400 deg C. The obvious choice for improving high temperature oxidation resistance of such materials is a suitable diffusion barrier coating. This paper presents an overview of recent developments in advanced diffusion- and thermal-barrier coatings for ceramic composites, with particular reference to C/C composites. The paper discusses the development of multiphase and multi-component ceramic coatings, and recent investigations on the oxidation resistance of the coated C/C composites. The paper also discusses the cases of innovative engineering solutions for traditional problems with the ceramic coatings, and the scope of intelligent processing in developing coatings for the C/C composites. Copyright (2000) AD-TECH - International Foundation for the Advancement of Technology Ltd

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

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

2004-01-01

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

Universal linear-temperature resistivity: possible quantum diffusion transport in strongly correlated superconductors.

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Tao; Liu, Yinshang; Xiao, Hong; Mu, Gang; Yang, Yi-Feng

2017-08-25

The strongly correlated electron fluids in high temperature cuprate superconductors demonstrate an anomalous linear temperature (T) dependent resistivity behavior, which persists to a wide temperature range without exhibiting saturation. As cooling down, those electron fluids lose the resistivity and condense into the superfluid. However, the origin of the linear-T resistivity behavior and its relationship to the strongly correlated superconductivity remain a mystery. Here we report a universal relation [Formula: see text], which bridges the slope of the linear-T-dependent resistivity (dρ/dT) to the London penetration depth λ L at zero temperature among cuprate superconductor Bi 2 Sr 2 CaCu 2 O 8+δ and heavy fermion superconductors CeCoIn 5 , where μ 0 is vacuum permeability, k B is the Boltzmann constant and ħ is the reduced Planck constant. We extend this scaling relation to different systems and found that it holds for other cuprate, pnictide and heavy fermion superconductors as well, regardless of the significant differences in the strength of electronic correlations, transport directions, and doping levels. Our analysis suggests that the scaling relation in strongly correlated superconductors could be described as a hydrodynamic diffusive transport, with the diffusion coefficient (D) approaching the quantum limit D ~ ħ/m*, where m* is the quasi-particle effective mass.

Training Deep Convolutional Neural Networks with Resistive Cross-Point Devices.

Science.gov (United States)

Gokmen, Tayfun; Onen, Murat; Haensch, Wilfried

2017-01-01

In a previous work we have detailed the requirements for obtaining maximal deep learning performance benefit by implementing fully connected deep neural networks (DNN) in the form of arrays of resistive devices. Here we extend the concept of Resistive Processing Unit (RPU) devices to convolutional neural networks (CNNs). We show how to map the convolutional layers to fully connected RPU arrays such that the parallelism of the hardware can be fully utilized in all three cycles of the backpropagation algorithm. We find that the noise and bound limitations imposed by the analog nature of the computations performed on the arrays significantly affect the training accuracy of the CNNs. Noise and bound management techniques are presented that mitigate these problems without introducing any additional complexity in the analog circuits and that can be addressed by the digital circuits. In addition, we discuss digitally programmable update management and device variability reduction techniques that can be used selectively for some of the layers in a CNN. We show that a combination of all those techniques enables a successful application of the RPU concept for training CNNs. The techniques discussed here are more general and can be applied beyond CNN architectures and therefore enables applicability of the RPU approach to a large class of neural network architectures.

Training Deep Convolutional Neural Networks with Resistive Cross-Point Devices

Science.gov (United States)

Gokmen, Tayfun; Onen, Murat; Haensch, Wilfried

2017-01-01

In a previous work we have detailed the requirements for obtaining maximal deep learning performance benefit by implementing fully connected deep neural networks (DNN) in the form of arrays of resistive devices. Here we extend the concept of Resistive Processing Unit (RPU) devices to convolutional neural networks (CNNs). We show how to map the convolutional layers to fully connected RPU arrays such that the parallelism of the hardware can be fully utilized in all three cycles of the backpropagation algorithm. We find that the noise and bound limitations imposed by the analog nature of the computations performed on the arrays significantly affect the training accuracy of the CNNs. Noise and bound management techniques are presented that mitigate these problems without introducing any additional complexity in the analog circuits and that can be addressed by the digital circuits. In addition, we discuss digitally programmable update management and device variability reduction techniques that can be used selectively for some of the layers in a CNN. We show that a combination of all those techniques enables a successful application of the RPU concept for training CNNs. The techniques discussed here are more general and can be applied beyond CNN architectures and therefore enables applicability of the RPU approach to a large class of neural network architectures. PMID:29066942

Enhanced oxygen vacancy diffusion in Ta2O5 resistive memory devices due to infinitely adaptive crystal structure

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Hao; Stewart, Derek A.

2016-04-01

Metal oxide resistive memory devices based on Ta2O5 have demonstrated high switching speed, long endurance, and low set voltage. However, the physical origin of this improved performance is still unclear. Ta2O5 is an important archetype of a class of materials that possess an adaptive crystal structure that can respond easily to the presence of defects. Using first principles nudged elastic band calculations, we show that this adaptive crystal structure leads to low energy barriers for in-plane diffusion of oxygen vacancies in λ phase Ta2O5. Identified diffusion paths are associated with collective motion of neighboring atoms. The overall vacancy diffusion is anisotropic with higher diffusion barriers found for oxygen vacancy movement between Ta-O planes. Coupled with the fact that oxygen vacancy formation energy in Ta2O5 is relatively small, our calculated low diffusion barriers can help explain the low set voltage in Ta2O5 based resistive memory devices. Our work shows that other oxides with adaptive crystal structures could serve as potential candidates for resistive random access memory devices. We also discuss some general characteristics for ideal resistive RAM oxides that could be used in future computational material searches.

Second generation diffusion model of interacting gravity waves on the surface of deep fluid

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A. Pushkarev

2004-01-01

Full Text Available We propose a second generation phenomenological model for nonlinear interaction of gravity waves on the surface of deep water. This model takes into account the effects of non-locality of the original Hasselmann diffusion equation still preserving important properties of the first generation model: physically consistent scaling, adherence to conservation laws and the existence of Kolmogorov-Zakharov solutions. Numerical comparison of both models with the original Hasselmann equation shows that the second generation models improves the angular distribution in the evolving wave energy spectrum.

Training Deep Convolutional Neural Networks with Resistive Cross-Point Devices

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tayfun Gokmen

2017-10-01

Full Text Available In a previous work we have detailed the requirements for obtaining maximal deep learning performance benefit by implementing fully connected deep neural networks (DNN in the form of arrays of resistive devices. Here we extend the concept of Resistive Processing Unit (RPU devices to convolutional neural networks (CNNs. We show how to map the convolutional layers to fully connected RPU arrays such that the parallelism of the hardware can be fully utilized in all three cycles of the backpropagation algorithm. We find that the noise and bound limitations imposed by the analog nature of the computations performed on the arrays significantly affect the training accuracy of the CNNs. Noise and bound management techniques are presented that mitigate these problems without introducing any additional complexity in the analog circuits and that can be addressed by the digital circuits. In addition, we discuss digitally programmable update management and device variability reduction techniques that can be used selectively for some of the layers in a CNN. We show that a combination of all those techniques enables a successful application of the RPU concept for training CNNs. The techniques discussed here are more general and can be applied beyond CNN architectures and therefore enables applicability of the RPU approach to a large class of neural network architectures.

Diffusion of condenser water discharge

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Iwakiri, Toshio

1977-01-01

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

Electro-thermo-mechanical coupling analysis of deep drawing with resistance heating for aluminum matrix composites sheet

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Kaifeng; Zhang, Tuoda; Wang, Bo

2013-05-01

Recently, electro-plastic forming to be a focus of attention in materials hot processing research area, because it is a sort of energy-saving, high efficient and green manufacturing technology. An electro-thermo-mechanical model can be adopted to carry out the sequence simulation of aluminum matrix composites sheet deep drawing via electro-thermal coupling and thermal-mechanical coupling method. The first step of process is resistance heating of sheet, then turn off the power, and the second step is deep drawing. Temperature distribution of SiCp/2024Al composite sheet by resistance heating and sheet deep drawing deformation were analyzed. During the simulation, effect of contact resistances, temperature coefficient of resistance for electrode material and SiCp/2024Al composite on temperature distribution were integrally considered. The simulation results demonstrate that Sicp/2024Al composite sheet can be rapidly heated to 400° in 30s using resistances heating and the sheet temperature can be controlled by adjusting the current density. Physical properties of the electrode materials can significantly affect the composite sheet temperature distribution. The temperature difference between the center and the side of the sheet is proportional to the thermal conductivity of the electrode, the principal cause of which is that the heat transfers from the sheet to the electrode. SiCp/2024Al thin-wall part can be intactly manufactured at strain rate of 0.08s-1 and the sheet thickness thinning rate is limited within 20%, which corresponds well to the experimental result.

Comparison of deep and superficial abdominal muscle activity between experienced Pilates and resistance exercise instructors and controls during stabilization exercise.

Science.gov (United States)

Moon, Ji-Hyun; Hong, Sang-Min; Kim, Chang-Won; Shin, Yun-A

2015-06-01

Pilates and resistance exercises are used for lumbar stabilization training. However, it is unclear which exercise is more effective for lumbar stabilization. In our study, we aimed to compare surface muscle activity and deep muscle thickness during relaxation and spinal stabilization exercise in experienced Pilates and resistance exercise instructors. This study is a retrospective case control study set in the Exercise Prescription Laboratory and Sports Medicine Center. The participants included Pilates instructors (mean years of experience, 3.20±1.76; n=10), resistance exercise instructors (mean years of experience, 2.53±0.63; n=10), and controls (n=10). The participants performed 4 different stabilization exercises: abdominal drawing-in maneuver, bridging, roll-up, and one-leg raise. During the stabilization exercises, surface muscle activity was measured with electromyography, whereas deep muscle thickness was measured by ultrasound imaging. During the 4 stabilization exercises, the thickness of the transverse abdominis (TrA) was significantly greater in the Pilates-trained group than the other 2 other groups. The internal oblique (IO) thickness was significantly greater in the Pilates- and resistance-trained group than the control group, during the 4 exercises. However, the surface muscle activities were similar between the groups. Both Pilates and resistance exercise instructors had greater activation of deep muscles, such as the TrA and IO, than the control subjects. Pilates and resistance exercise are both effective for increasing abdominal deep muscle thickness.

Hybrid diffusive/PVD treatments to improve the tribological resistance of Ti-6Al-4V.

Science.gov (United States)

Marin, E; Offoiach, R; Lanzutti, A; Regis, M; Fusi, S; Fedrizzi, L

2014-01-01

Titanium alloys are nowadays used for a wide range of biomedical applications thanks to their combination of high mechanical resistance, high corrosion resistance and biocompatibility. Nevertheless, the applicability of titanium alloys is sometimes limited due to their low microhardness and tribological resistance. Thus the titanium alloys cannot be successfully applied to prosthetic joint couplings. A wide range of surface treatments, in particular PVD coatings such as CrN and TiN, have been used in order to improve the tribological behaviour of titanium alloys. However, the low microhardness of the titanium substrate often results in coating failure due to cracks and delamination. For this reason, hybrid technologies based on diffusive treatments and subsequent PVD coatings may improve the overall coating resistance. In this work, conventional PVD coatings of CrN or TiCN, deposited on Titanium Grade 5, were characterized and then combined with a standard thermal diffusive nitriding treatment in order to improve the tribological resistance of the titanium alloys and avoid coating delamination. The different treatments were studied by means of scanning electron microscopy both on the sample surface and in cross-section. In-depth composition profiles were obtained using glow discharge optical emission spectrometry (GDOES) and localized energy dispersive X-ray diffraction on linear scan-lines. The microhardness and adhesion properties of the different treatments were evaluated using Vickers microhardness tests at different load conditions. The indentations were observed by means of SEM in order to evaluate delaminated areas and the crack's shape and density. The tribological behaviour of the different treatments was tested in dry conditions and in solution, in alternate pin-on-flat configuration, with a frequency of 0.5 Hz. After testing, the surface was investigated by means of stylus profilometry and SEM both on the surface and in cross-section. The standalone PVD

Bulk and contact resistances of gas diffusion layers in proton exchange membrane fuel cells

Science.gov (United States)

Ye, Donghao; Gauthier, Eric; Benziger, Jay B.; Pan, Mu

2014-06-01

A multi-electrode probe is employed to distinguish the bulk and contact resistances of the catalyst layer (CL) and the gas diffusion layer (GDL) with the bipolar plate (BPP). Resistances are compared for Vulcan carbon catalyst layers (CL), carbon paper and carbon cloth GDL materials, and GDLs with microporous layers (MPL). The Vulcan carbon catalyst layer bulk resistance is 100 times greater than the bulk resistance of carbon paper GDL (Toray TG-H-120). Carbon cloth (CCWP) has bulk and contact resistances twice those of carbon paper. Compression of the GDL decreases the GDL contact resistance, but has little effect on the bulk resistance. Treatment of the GDL with polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) increases the contact resistance, but has little effect on the bulk resistance. A microporous layer (MPL) added to the GDL decreases the contact resistance, but has little effect on the bulk resistance. An equivalent circuit model shows that for channels less than 1 mm wide the contact resistance is the major source of electronic resistance and is about 10% of the total ohmic resistance associated with the membrane electrode assembly.

Evolution of simeprevir-resistant variants over time by ultra-deep sequencing in HCV genotype 1b.

Science.gov (United States)

Akuta, Norio; Suzuki, Fumitaka; Sezaki, Hitomi; Suzuki, Yoshiyuki; Hosaka, Tetsuya; Kobayashi, Masahiro; Kobayashi, Mariko; Saitoh, Satoshi; Ikeda, Kenji; Kumada, Hiromitsu

2014-08-01

Using ultra-deep sequencing technology, the present study was designed to investigate the evolution of simeprevir-resistant variants (amino acid substitutions of aa80, aa155, aa156, and aa168 positions in HCV NS3 region) over time. In Toranomon Hospital, 18 Japanese patients infected with HCV genotype 1b, received triple therapy of simeprevir/PEG-IFN/ribavirin (DRAGON or CONCERT study). Sustained virological response rate was 67%, and that was significantly higher in patients with IL28B rs8099917 TT than in those with non-TT. Six patients, who did not achieve sustained virological response, were tested for resistant variants by ultra-deep sequencing, at the baseline, at the time of re-elevation of viral loads, and at 96 weeks after the completion of treatment. Twelve of 18 resistant variants, detected at re-elevation of viral load, were de novo resistant variants. Ten of 12 de novo resistant variants become undetectable over time, and that five of seven resistant variants, detected at baseline, persisted over time. In one patient, variants of Q80R at baseline (0.3%) increased at 96-week after the cessation of treatment (10.2%), and de novo resistant variants of D168E (0.3%) also increased at 96-week after the cessation of treatment (9.7%). In conclusion, the present study indicates that the emergence of simeprevir-resistant variants after the start of treatment could not be predicted at baseline, and the majority of de novo resistant variants become undetectable over time. Further large-scale prospective studies should be performed to investigate the clinical utility in detecting simeprevir-resistant variants. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Electric fields, weighting fields, signals and charge diffusion in detectors including resistive materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Riegler, W.

2016-01-01

In this report we discuss static and time dependent electric fields in detector geometries with an arbitrary number of parallel layers of a given permittivity and weak conductivity. We derive the Green's functions i.e. the field of a point charge, as well as the weighting fields for readout pads and readout strips in these geometries. The effect of 'bulk' resistivity on electric fields and signals is investigated. The spreading of charge on thin resistive layers is also discussed in detail, and the conditions for allowing the effect to be described by the diffusion equation is discussed. We apply the results to derive fields and induced signals in Resistive Plate Chambers, MICROMEGAS detectors including resistive layers for charge spreading and discharge protection as well as detectors using resistive charge division readout like the MicroCAT detector. We also discuss in detail how resistive layers affect signal shapes and increase crosstalk between readout electrodes.

Electric fields, weighting fields, signals and charge diffusion in detectors including resistive materials

CERN Document Server

Riegler, Werner

2016-11-07

In this report we discuss static and time dependent electric fields in detector geometries with an arbitrary number of parallel layers of a given permittivity and weak conductivity. We derive the Green's functions i.e. the field of a point charge, as well as the weighting fields for readout pads and readout strips in these geometries. The effect of 'bulk' resistivity on electric fields and signals is investigated. The spreading of charge on thin resistive layers is also discussed in detail, and the conditions for allowing the effect to be described by the diffusion equation is discussed. We apply the results to derive fields and induced signals in Resistive Plate Chambers, Micromega detectors including resistive layers for charge spreading and discharge protection as well as detectors using resistive charge division readout like the MicroCAT detector. We also discuss in detail how resistive layers affect signal shapes and increase crosstalk between readout electrodes.

On axisymmetric resistive magnetohydrodynamic equilibria with flow free of Pfirsch-Schlueter diffusion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Throumoulopoulos, G.N.; Tasso, H.

2003-01-01

The equilibrium of an axisymmetric magnetically confined plasma with anisotropic resistivity and incompressible flows parallel to the magnetic field is investigated within the framework of the magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) theory by keeping the convective flow term in the momentum equation. It turns out that the stationary states are determined by a second-order elliptic partial differential equation for the poloidal magnetic flux function ψ along with a decoupled Bernoulli equation for the pressure identical in form with the respective ideal MHD equations; equilibrium consistent expressions for the resistivities η (parallel) and η (perpendicular) parallel and perpendicular to the magnetic field are also derived from Ohm's and Faraday's laws. Unlike in the case of stationary states with isotropic resistivity and parallel flows [G. N. Throumoulopoulos and H. Tasso, J. Plasma Phys. 64, 601 (2000)] the equilibrium is compatible with nonvanishing poloidal current densities. Also, although exactly Spitzer resistivities either η (parallel) (ψ) or η (perpendicular) (ψ) are not allowed, exact solutions with vanishing poloidal electric fields can be constructed with η (parallel) and η (perpendicular) profiles compatible with roughly collisional resistivity profiles, i.e., profiles having a minimum close to the magnetic axis, taking very large values on the boundary and such that η (perpendicular) >η (parallel) . For equilibria with vanishing flows satisfying the relation (dP/dψ)(dI 2 /dψ)>0, where P and I are the pressure and the poloidal current functions, the difference η (perpendicular) -η (parallel) for the reversed-field pinch scaling, B p ≅B t , is nearly two times larger than that for the tokamak scaling, B p ≅0.1B t (B p and B t are the poloidal and toroidal magnetic-field components). The particular resistive equilibrium solutions obtained in the present work, inherently free of - but not inconsistent with - Pfirsch-Schlueter diffusion, indicate that

Evaluation of persistence of resistant variants with ultra-deep pyrosequencing in chronic hepatitis C patients treated with telaprevir.

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Xiomara V Thomas

Full Text Available BACKGROUND & AIMS: Telaprevir, a hepatitis C virus NS3/4A protease inhibitor has significantly improved sustained viral response rates when given in combination with pegylated interferon alfa-2a and ribavirin, compared with current standard of care in hepatitis C virus genotype 1 infected patients. In patients with a failed sustained response, the emergence of drug-resistant variants during treatment has been reported. It is unclear to what extent these variants persist in untreated patients. The aim of this study was to assess using ultra-deep pyrosequencing, whether after 4 years follow-up, the frequency of resistant variants is increased compared to pre-treatment frequencies following 14 days of telaprevir treatment. METHODS: Fifteen patients from 2 previous telaprevir phase 1 clinical studies (VX04-950-101 and VX05-950-103 were included. These patients all received telaprevir monotherapy for 14 days, and 2 patients subsequently received standard of care. Variants at previously well-characterized NS3 protease positions V36, T54, R155 and A156 were assessed at baseline and after a follow-up of 4±1.2 years by ultra-deep pyrosequencing. The prevalence of resistant variants at follow-up was compared to baseline. RESULTS: Resistance associated mutations were detectable at low frequency at baseline. In general, prevalence of resistance mutations at follow-up was not increased compared to baseline. Only one patient had a small, but statistically significant, increase in the number of V36M and T54S variants 4 years after telaprevir-dosing. CONCLUSION: In patients treated for 14 days with telaprevir monotherapy, ultra-deep pyrosequencing indicates that long-term persistence of resistant variants is rare.

Effect of deep cryogenic treatment and tempering on microstructure and mechanical behaviors of a wear-resistant austempered alloyed bainitic ductile iron

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Chen Liqing

2015-01-01

Full Text Available In this paper, the effect of deep cryogenic treatment in combination with conven- tional heat treatment process was investigated on microstructure and mechanical behaviors of alloyed bainitic ductile iron. Three processing schedules were employed to treat this alloyed ductile iron including direct tempering treatment, tempering.+deep cryogenic treatment and deep cryogenic treatment.+tempering treatments. The microstructure and mechanical behavior, especially the wear resistance, have been evaluated after treated by these three schedules. The results show that martensite microstructure can be obviously refined and the precipitation of dispersed carbides is promoted by deep cryogenic treatment at .−196 ∘C for 3 h after tempered at 450 ∘C for 2 h. In this case, the alloyed bainitic ductile iron possesses rather high hardness and wear-resistance than those processed by other two schedules. The main wear mechanism of the austempered alloyed ductile iron with deep cryogenic treatment and tempering is micro-cutting wear in association with plastic deformation wear.

Deep-tissue temperature mapping by multi-illumination photoacoustic tomography aided by a diffusion optical model: a numerical study

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Yuan; Tang, Eric; Luo, Jianwen; Yao, Junjie

2018-01-01

Temperature mapping during thermotherapy can help precisely control the heating process, both temporally and spatially, to efficiently kill the tumor cells and prevent the healthy tissues from heating damage. Photoacoustic tomography (PAT) has been used for noninvasive temperature mapping with high sensitivity, based on the linear correlation between the tissue's Grüneisen parameter and temperature. However, limited by the tissue's unknown optical properties and thus the optical fluence at depths beyond the optical diffusion limit, the reported PAT thermometry usually takes a ratiometric measurement at different temperatures and thus cannot provide absolute measurements. Moreover, ratiometric measurement over time at different temperatures has to assume that the tissue's optical properties do not change with temperatures, which is usually not valid due to the temperature-induced hemodynamic changes. We propose an optical-diffusion-model-enhanced PAT temperature mapping that can obtain the absolute temperature distribution in deep tissue, without the need of multiple measurements at different temperatures. Based on the initial acoustic pressure reconstructed from multi-illumination photoacoustic signals, both the local optical fluence and the optical parameters including absorption and scattering coefficients are first estimated by the optical-diffusion model, then the temperature distribution is obtained from the reconstructed Grüneisen parameters. We have developed a mathematic model for the multi-illumination PAT of absolute temperatures, and our two-dimensional numerical simulations have shown the feasibility of this new method. The proposed absolute temperature mapping method may set the technical foundation for better temperature control in deep tissue in thermotherapy.

Ion Permeability of Artificial Membranes Evaluated by Diffusion Potential and Electrical Resistance Measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Shlyonsky, Vadim

2013-01-01

In the present article, a novel model of artificial membranes that provides efficient assistance in teaching the origins of diffusion potentials is proposed. These membranes are made of polycarbonate filters fixed to 12-mm plastic rings and then saturated with a mixture of creosol and "n"-decane. The electrical resistance and potential…

Antibiotic- and heavy-metal resistance in bacteria isolated from deep subsurface in El Callao region, Venezuela

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maura Lina Rojas Pirela

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Título en ingles: Antibiotic- and heavy-metal resistance in bacteria isolated from deep subsurface in El Callao region, Venezuela Título corto: Antibiotic and metal resistance in bacteria from deep subsurface Título en español: Resistencia a antibioticos y metals pesados en bacterias aisladas de subsuelo en la región El Callao, Venezuela Resumen:  Se investigó el efecto de la contaminación con mercurio (Hg en las comunidades bacterianas del subsuelo profundo en la región de El Callao (Estado Bolívar, Venezuela. Se estudiaron comunidades bacterianas de dos niveles de profundidad (-288 m y -388 m en una mina de oro con el propósito de describir las características más relevantes de las bacterias indígenas cultivables que colonizaban esta mina. Se evaluaron los patrones de resistencia a antibióticos y metales pesados, presencia del gen merA y plásmidos en aislados resistentes. Se encontró una elevada frecuencia de bacterias indígenas resistentes al Hg y otros metales pesados. De 76 aislados Hg-resistentes probados 73.7 % fueron adicionalmente resistentes a ampicilina; 86.8 % a cloranfenicol; 67.1 % a tetraciclina; 56.6 % a estreptomicina y 51.3 % a kanamicina. Además, se encontró que 40.74 % (-328 m y 26.53 % (-388 m de las bacterias Hg-resistentes fueron simultáneamente resistentes tanto a cuatro como a cinco de estos antibióticos. Se detectó la presencia de plásmidos de alto y bajo peso molecular y, a pesar de que los aislados mostraban resistencia a compuestos mercuriales, la presencia del gen merA fue detectada solo en 71.05 % de los cepas. Estos resultados sugieren que la exposición a Hg podría ser una presión selectiva en la proliferación de bacterias resistentes a antibióticos y promover el mantenimiento y propagación de estos genes de resistencia. Sin embargo, la existencia de tales resistencias a estas profundidades podría también apoyar la idea de que la resistencia a antibióticos en estas bacterias es

Thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity of cores from a 26 meter deep borehole drilled in Livingston Island, Maritime Antarctic

Science.gov (United States)

Correia, A.; Vieira, G.; Ramos, M.

2012-06-01

During the month of January of 2008 a borehole (Permamodel-Gulbenkian 1 — PG1) 26 m deep was drilled on the top of Mount Reina Sofia (275 m a.s.l.) near the Spanish Antarctic Station of Livingston Island, South Shetland Islands. Cores from 1.5 m to about 26 m deep were collected for measuring several physical properties. The objective of the present work is to report the values of the thermal conductivity and the thermal diffusivity that were measured in the cores from the borehole and the heat production that was estimated for the geological formations intercepted by it. Seven cores were selected to measure the thermal conductivity and the thermal diffusivity. The measured values for the thermal conductivity vary from 2.6 W/mK to 3.3 W/mK while the measured values for the thermal diffusivity vary from 1.1 × 10- 6 m2/s to 1.6 × 10- 6 m2/s. Both thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity, on average, show a slight increase with depth. Average heat production was also estimated for two portions of the borehole: one from 2 to 12 m and the other from 12 to 25 m. A gamma-ray spectrometer was used to estimate the concentrations of uranium, thorium, and potassium of the cores, from which the heat production per unit volume was calculated. The estimated heat production for the first half of the borehole is 2.218 μW/m3 while for the second half it is 2.173 μW/m3; these heat production values are compatible with acidic rock types. Porosity and density were also estimated for the same cores.

IP and resistivity survey at the INEL cold test pit

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Frangos, W.

1997-01-01

Induced polarization (IP) is a technique for detection of diffuse occurrences of metallic material. The Idaho National Laboratory (INEL) Cold Test Pit (CTP) has been carefully constructed to simulate stored hazardous waste occurrences. IP and resistivity surveys of the CTP show a very strong IP response and a modest resistivity response associated with the simulated waste. Several false positive resistivity anomalies are noted. 2-D inversion of the data accurately determine the lateral limits of the waste zone. The depth of burial indicated is deeper than reported by the construction engineers. Limited depth extent is recognized, in distinction to results from other, resistivity-based, methods, but it also appears too deep. IP holds promise as a method for locating buried waste

Evolution of resistance to a multiple-herbivore community: genetic correlations, diffuse coevolution, and constraints on the plant's response to selection.

Science.gov (United States)

Wise, Michael J; Rausher, Mark D

2013-06-01

Although plants are generally attacked by a community of several species of herbivores, relatively little is known about the strength of natural selection for resistance in multiple-herbivore communities-particularly how the strength of selection differs among herbivores that feed on different plant organs or how strongly genetic correlations in resistance affect the evolutionary responses of the plant. Here, we report on a field study measuring natural selection for resistance in a diverse community of herbivores of Solanum carolinense. Using linear phenotypic-selection analyses, we found that directional selection acted to increase resistance to seven species. Selection was strongest to increase resistance to fruit feeders, followed by flower feeders, then leaf feeders. Selection favored a decrease in resistance to a stem borer. Bootstrapping analyses showed that the plant population contained significant genetic variation for each of 14 measured resistance traits and significant covariances in one-third of the pairwise combinations of resistance traits. These genetic covariances reduced the plant's overall predicted evolutionary response for resistance against the herbivore community by about 60%. Diffuse (co)evolution was widespread in this community, and the diffuse interactions had an overwhelmingly constraining (rather than facilitative) effect on the plant's evolution of resistance. © 2013 The Author(s). Evolution © 2013 The Society for the Study of Evolution.

Influence of Cu diffusion conditions on the switching of Cu-SiO2-based resistive memory devices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thermadam, S. Puthen; Bhagat, S.K.; Alford, T.L.; Sakaguchi, Y.; Kozicki, M.N.; Mitkova, M.

2010-01-01

This paper presents a study of Cu diffusion at various temperatures in thin SiO 2 films and the influence of diffusion conditions on the switching of Programmable Metallization Cell (PMC) devices formed from such Cu-doped films. Film composition and diffusion products were analyzed using secondary ion mass spectroscopy, Rutherford backscattering spectrometry, X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy methods. We found a strong dependence of the diffused Cu concentration, which varied between 0.8 at.% and 10 -3 at.%, on the annealing temperature. X-ray diffraction and Raman studies revealed that Cu does not react with the SiO 2 network and remains in elemental form after diffusion for the annealing conditions used. PMC resistive memory cells were fabricated with such Cu-diffused SiO 2 films and device performance, including the stability of the switching voltage, is discussed in the context of the material characteristics.

Profiling of barrier capacitance and spreading resistance using a transient linearly increasing voltage technique.

Science.gov (United States)

Gaubas, E; Ceponis, T; Kusakovskij, J

2011-08-01

A technique for the combined measurement of barrier capacitance and spreading resistance profiles using a linearly increasing voltage pulse is presented. The technique is based on the measurement and analysis of current transients, due to the barrier and diffusion capacitance, and the spreading resistance, between a needle probe and sample. To control the impact of deep traps in the barrier capacitance, a steady state bias illumination with infrared light was employed. Measurements of the spreading resistance and barrier capacitance profiles using a stepwise positioned probe on cross sectioned silicon pin diodes and pnp structures are presented.

Diffusive Transport of Sulphide through an Engineering Barrier System in a Deep Geological Repository

Science.gov (United States)

Briggs, S. A.; Sleep, B. E.; McKelvie, J. R. M.; Krol, M.

2015-12-01

Bentonite is a naturally occurring clay-rich sediment containing montmorillonite, a smectitic clay mineral that has a high cation exchange capacity and swells upon contact with water. Owing to these characteristics, highly compacted bentonite (HCB) is an often included component of engineered barrier systems (EBS) designed to protect used fuel containers (UFCs) in deep geological repositories (DGR) for high-level nuclear waste. The low water activity and high swelling pressure of HCB suppresses microbial activity and the related production of sulphide that could cause microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC) of UFCs The Canadian Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) has chosen a UFC that consists of an inner steel core and outer copper coating which is resistant to corrosion. However, under anaerobic conditions, MIC can still contribute to UFC corrosion if sulphides are present in the groundwater. Therefore the EBS consisting of bentonite blocks and pellets has been designed to impede the movement of sulphides to the UFC. In order to examine the effectiveness of the EBS, a 3D numerical model was developed capable of simulating the diffusive transport of sulphide within the NWMO EBS. The model was developed using COMSOL Multiphysics, a finite element software package and is parametric which allows the impact of different repository layouts to be assessed. The developed model was of the entire NWMO placement room, as well as, a stand-alone UFC and included conservative assumptions such as a fully saturated system and a constant concentration boundary condition. The results showed that the highest sulphide flux occurred at the semi-spherical end caps of the UFC. Further studies examined the effect of sulphide hotspots and fractures, representing possible EBS failure mechanisms. The model results highlight that even with conservative assumptions the chosen EBS will effectively protect the UFC from microbiologically influenced corrosion.

Effects of applying an external magnetic field during the deep cryogenic heat treatment on the corrosion resistance and wear behavior of 1.2080 tool steel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Akhbarizadeh, Amin; Amini, Kamran; Javadpour, Sirus

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► Deep cryogenic increases the carbide percentage and make a more homogenous distribution. ► Deep cryogenic improve the wear resistance and corrosion behavior of 1.2080 tool steel. ► Applying the magnetic field weaker the carbide distribution and decreases the carbides percentage. ► Magnetized samples showed weaker corrosion and wear behavior. -- Abstract: This work concerns with the effect of applying an external magnetic field on the corrosion behavior, wear resistance and microstructure of 1.2080 (D2) tool steel during the deep cryogenic heat treatment. These analyses were performed via scanning electron microscope (SEM), optical microscope (OM), transmission electron microscope (TEM) and X-ay diffraction (XRD) to study the microstructure, a pin-on-disk wear testing machine to study the wear behavior, and linear sweep voltammetry to study the corrosion behavior of the samples. It was shown that the deep cryogenic heat treatment eliminates retained austenite and makes a more uniform carbide distribution with higher percentage. It was also observed that the deep cryogenic heat treatment improves the wear behavior and corrosion resistance of 1.2080 tool steel. In comparison between the magnetized and non-magnetized samples, the carbide percentage decreases and the carbide distribution weakened in the magnetized samples; subsequently, the wear behavior and corrosion resistance attenuated compared in the magnetized samples.

Sensitivity enhancement of polysilicon piezo-resistive pressure sensors with phosphorous diffused resistors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sivakumar, K; Dasgupta, N; Bhat, K N; Natarajan, K

2006-01-01

It is generally accepted that the piezo-resistive coefficient in single crystal silicon is higher when P-type impurities such as boron are used for doping the resistors. In this paper we demonstrate that the sensitivity of polycrystalline silicon piezo-resistive pressure sensors can be enhanced considerably when phosphorus diffusion source is used instead of boron dopant for realizing the piezo-resistors. Pressure sensors have been designed and fabricated with the polycrystalline piezo-resistors connected in the form of a Wheatstone bridge and laid out on thermal oxide grown on membranes obtained with a Silicon On Insulator (SOI) approach. The SOI wafers required for this purpose have been realized in-house by Silicon Fusion Bonding (SFB) and etch back technique in our laboratory. This approach provides excellent isolation between the resistors and enables zero temperature coefficient of the polysilicon resistor. The results obtained in our laboratory have clearly demonstrated that by optimizing the phosphorus diffusion temperature and duration, it is possible to achieve sensitivities in excess of 20mV /Bar for bridge input voltage of 10V, with linearity within 1% over a differential pressure range up to 10Bar (10 6 Pascal), and burst pressure in excess of 50 Bar as compared to the 10mV /Bar sensitivity obtained with boron doped polysilicon piezo-resistors. This enhancement is attributed to grain boundary passivation by phosphorous atoms

On axisymmetric resistive magnetohydrodynamic equilibria with flow free of Pfirsch-Schlüter diffusion

Science.gov (United States)

Throumoulopoulos, G. N.; Tasso, H.

2003-06-01

The equilibrium of an axisymmetric magnetically confined plasma with anisotropic resistivity and incompressible flows parallel to the magnetic field is investigated within the framework of the magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) theory by keeping the convective flow term in the momentum equation. It turns out that the stationary states are determined by a second-order elliptic partial differential equation for the poloidal magnetic flux function ψ along with a decoupled Bernoulli equation for the pressure identical in form with the respective ideal MHD equations; equilibrium consistent expressions for the resistivities η∥ and η⊥ parallel and perpendicular to the magnetic field are also derived from Ohm's and Faraday's laws. Unlike in the case of stationary states with isotropic resistivity and parallel flows [G. N. Throumoulopoulos and H. Tasso, J. Plasma Phys. 64, 601 (2000)] the equilibrium is compatible with nonvanishing poloidal current densities. Also, although exactly Spitzer resistivities either η∥(ψ) or η⊥(ψ) are not allowed, exact solutions with vanishing poloidal electric fields can be constructed with η∥ and η⊥ profiles compatible with roughly collisional resistivity profiles, i.e., profiles having a minimum close to the magnetic axis, taking very large values on the boundary and such that η⊥>η∥. For equilibria with vanishing flows satisfying the relation (dP/dψ)(dI2/dψ)>0, where P and I are the pressure and the poloidal current functions, the difference η⊥-η∥ for the reversed-field pinch scaling, Bp≈Bt, is nearly two times larger than that for the tokamak scaling, Bp≈0.1Bt (Bp and Bt are the poloidal and toroidal magnetic-field components). The particular resistive equilibrium solutions obtained in the present work, inherently free of—but not inconsistent with—Pfirsch-Schlüter diffusion, indicate that parallel flows might result in a reduction of the diffusion observed in magnetically confined plasmas.

p-type doping by platinum diffusion in low phosphorus doped silicon

Science.gov (United States)

Ventura, L.; Pichaud, B.; Vervisch, W.; Lanois, F.

2003-07-01

In this work we show that the cooling rate following a platinum diffusion strongly influences the electrical conductivity in weakly phosphorus doped silicon. Diffusions were performed at the temperature of 910 °C in the range of 8 32 hours in 0.6, 30, and 60 Ωrm cm phosphorus doped silicon samples. Spreading resistance profile analyses clearly show an n-type to p-type conversion under the surface when samples are cooled slowly. On the other hand, a compensation of the phosphorus donors can only be observed when samples are quenched. One Pt related acceptor deep level at 0.43 eV from the valence band is assumed to be at the origin of the type conversion mechanism. Its concentration increases by lowering the applied cooling rate. A complex formation with fast species such as interstitial Pt atoms or intrinsic point defects is expected. In 0.6 Ωrm cm phosphorus doped silicon, no acceptor deep level in the lower band gap is detected by DLTS measurement. This removes the opportunity of a pairing between phosphorus and platinum and suggests the possibility of a Fermi level controlled complex formation.

Multiple-height microstructure fabricated by deep reactive ion etching and soft resist masks combined with UV curing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sato, R; Sawada, T; Kumagai, S; Sasaki, M

2014-01-01

Multiple-height microstructures are realized by deep reactive ion etching and UV-cured photoresist used in the embedded mask process. Although the UV-cured photoresist is a soft mask, its material property becomes stable against resist thinner and UV exposure. A layered resist pattern can be realized by stacking normal photoresist on the UV-cured photoresist. The normal photoresist can be selectively removed by the flush exposure and developing after the first Si etching. This technique is applied to two MEMS devices

How diffusivity, thermocline and incident light intensity modulate the dynamics of deep chlorophyll maximum in Tyrrhenian Sea.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Davide Valenti

Full Text Available During the last few years theoretical works have shed new light and proposed new hypotheses on the mechanisms which regulate the spatio-temporal behaviour of phytoplankton communities in marine pelagic ecosystems. Despite this, relevant physical and biological issues, such as effects of the time-dependent mixing in the upper layer, competition between groups, and dynamics of non-stationary deep chlorophyll maxima, are still open questions. In this work, we analyze the spatio-temporal behaviour of five phytoplankton populations in a real marine ecosystem by using a one-dimensional reaction-diffusion-taxis model. The study is performed, taking into account the seasonal variations of environmental variables, such as light intensity, thickness of upper mixed layer and profiles of vertical turbulent diffusivity, obtained starting from experimental findings. Theoretical distributions of phytoplankton cell concentration was converted in chlorophyll concentration, and compared with the experimental profiles measured in a site of the Tyrrhenian Sea at four different times (seasons of the year, during four different oceanographic cruises. As a result we find a good agreement between theoretical and experimental distributions of chlorophyll concentration. In particular, theoretical results reveal that the seasonal changes of environmental variables play a key role in the phytoplankton distribution and determine the properties of the deep chlorophyll maximum. This study could be extended to other marine ecosystems to predict future changes in the phytoplankton biomass due to global warming, in view of devising strategies to prevent the decline of the primary production and the consequent decrease of fish species.

Constant-resistance deep-level transient spectroscopy in Si and Ge JFET's

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kolev, P.V.; Deen, J.

1999-01-01

The recently introduced constant-resistance deep-level transient spectroscopy (CR-DLTS) was successfully applied to study virgin and radiation-damaged junction field-effect transistors (JFET's). The authors have studied three groups of devices: commercially available-discrete silicon JFET's; virgin and exposed to high-level neutron radiation silicon JFET's, custom-made by using a monolithic technology; and commercially available discrete germanium p-channel JFET's. CR-DLTS is similar to both the conductance DLTs and to the constant-capacitance variation (CC-DLTS). Unlike the conductance and current DLTS, it is independent of the transistor size and does not require simultaneous measurement of the transconductance or the free-carrier mobility for calculation of the trap concentration. Compared to the CC-DLTS, it measures only the traps inside the gate-controlled part of the space charge region. Comparisons have also been made with the CC-DLTS and standard capacitance DLTS. In addition, possibilities for defect profiling in the channel have been demonstrated. CR-DLTS was found to be a simple, very sensitive, and device area-independent technique which is well suited for measurement of a wide range of deep level concentrations in transistors

Deep TMS in a resistant major depressive disorder: a brief report.

Science.gov (United States)

Rosenberg, O; Shoenfeld, N; Zangen, A; Kotler, M; Dannon, P N

2010-05-01

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has proven effective. Recently, a greater intracranial penetration coil has been developed. We tested the efficacy of the coil in the treatment of resistant major depression. Our sample included seven patients suffering from major depression who were treated using Brainsway's H1-coil connected to a Magstim rapid 2 stimulator. Deep TMS treatment was given to each patient in five sessions per week over a period of 4 weeks. Patients were treated with 120% intensity of the motor threshold and a frequency of 20 HZ with a total of 1,680 pulses per session. Five patients completed 20 sessions: one attained remission (Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS)=9); three patients reached a reduction of more than 50% in their pre-treatment HDRS; and one patient achieved a partial response (i.e., the HDRS score dropped from 21 to 12). Average HDRS score dropped to 12.6 and average Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale score dropped to 9.Two patients dropped out: one due to insomnia and the second due to a lack of response. Compared to the pooled response and remission rates when treating major depression with rTMS, deep TMS as used in this study is at least similarly effective. Still, a severe limitation of this study is its small sample size, which makes the comparison of the two methods in terms of their effectiveness or side effects impossible. Greater numbers of subjects should be studied to achieve this aim. An H1 deep TMS coil could be used as an alternative treatment for major depressive disorder.

Coaxial nuclear radiation detector with deep junction and radial field gradient

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hall, R.N.

1979-01-01

Germanium radiation detectors are manufactured by diffusion lithium into high purity p-type germanium. The diffusion is most readily accomplished from a lithium-lead-bismuth alloy at approximately 430 0 and is monitored by a quartz half cell containing a standard composition of this alloy. Detectors having n-type cores may be constructed by converting high purity p-type germanium to n-type by a lithium diffusion and subsequently diffusing some of the lithium back out through the surface to create a deep p-n junction. Coaxial germanium detectors comprising deep p-n junctions are produced by the lithium diffusion process

Low-level quinolone-resistance in multi-drug resistant typhoid

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mirza, S H; Khan, M A [Armed Forces Inst. of Pathology, Rawalpindi (Pakistan). Dept. of Microbiolgy

2008-01-15

To find out the frequency of low-level quinolone-resistance in Multi-Drug Resistant (MDR) typhoid using nalidixic acid screening disc. Blood was obtained from suspected cases of typhoid fever and cultured in to BacT/ALERT. The positive blood cultures bottles were subcultured. The isolates were identified by colony morphology and biochemical tests using API-20E galleries. Susceptibility testing of isolates was done by modified Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method on Muellar Hinton Agar. For the isolates, which were resistant to nalidixic acid by disc diffusion method, Minimal Inhibitory Concentrations (MICs) of ciprofloxacin and nalidixic acid were determined by using the E-test strips. Disc diffusion susceptibility tests and MICs were interpreted according to the guidelines provided by National Committee for Control Laboratory Standard (NCCLS). A total of 21(65.5%) out of 32 isolates of Salmonellae were nalidixic acid-resistant by disk diffusion method. All the nalidixic acid-resistant isolates by disc diffusion method were confirmed by MICs for both ciprofloxacin and nalidixic acid. All the nalidixic acid-resistant isolates had a ciprofloxacin MIC of 0.25-1 microg/ml (reduced susceptibility) and nalidixic acid MICs > 32 microg (resistant). Out of all Salmonella isolates, 24 (75%) were found to be MDR, and all were S. typbi. Low-level quinolone-resistance in typhoid was high in this small series. Screening for nalidixic acid resistance with a 30 microg nalidixic acid disk is a reliable and cost-effective method to detect low-level fluoroquinolone resistance, especially in the developing countries. (author)

Low-level quinolone-resistance in multi-drug resistant typhoid

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mirza, S.H.; Khan, M.A.

2008-01-01

To find out the frequency of low-level quinolone-resistance in Multi-Drug Resistant (MDR) typhoid using nalidixic acid screening disc. Blood was obtained from suspected cases of typhoid fever and cultured in to BacT/ALERT. The positive blood cultures bottles were subcultured. The isolates were identified by colony morphology and biochemical tests using API-20E galleries. Susceptibility testing of isolates was done by modified Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method on Muellar Hinton Agar. For the isolates, which were resistant to nalidixic acid by disc diffusion method, Minimal Inhibitory Concentrations (MICs) of ciprofloxacin and nalidixic acid were determined by using the E-test strips. Disc diffusion susceptibility tests and MICs were interpreted according to the guidelines provided by National Committee for Control Laboratory Standard (NCCLS). A total of 21(65.5%) out of 32 isolates of Salmonellae were nalidixic acid-resistant by disk diffusion method. All the nalidixic acid-resistant isolates by disc diffusion method were confirmed by MICs for both ciprofloxacin and nalidixic acid. All the nalidixic acid-resistant isolates had a ciprofloxacin MIC of 0.25-1 microg/ml (reduced susceptibility) and nalidixic acid MICs > 32 microg (resistant). Out of all Salmonella isolates, 24 (75%) were found to be MDR, and all were S. typbi. Low-level quinolone-resistance in typhoid was high in this small series. Screening for nalidixic acid resistance with a 30 microg nalidixic acid disk is a reliable and cost-effective method to detect low-level fluoroquinolone resistance, especially in the developing countries. (author)

Antibiotic susceptibility of methicillin-resistant staphylococci (MRS) of food origin: A comparison of agar disc diffusion method and a commercially available miniaturized test.

Science.gov (United States)

Buzón-Durán, Laura; Capita, Rosa; Alonso-Calleja, Carlos

2018-06-01

Methicillin-resistant staphylococci (MRS) are a major concern to public and animal health. Thirty MRS (Staphylococcus aureus, S. cohnii, S. epidermidis, S. haemolyticus, S. hominis, S. lentus, S. lugdunensis, S. sciuri, and S. xylosus) isolates from meat and poultry preparations were tested for antimicrobial susceptibility to 11 antimicrobials (belonging to seven different categories) of clinical significance using both the standard agar disc diffusion method and a commercially available miniaturized system (Sensi Test Gram-positive). It is worth stressing that 16 isolates (53.33%) exhibited an extensively drug-resistant phenotype (XDR). The average number of resistances per strain was 4.67. These results suggest that retail meat and poultry preparations are a likely vehicle for the transmission of multi-drug resistant MRS. Resistance to erythromycin was the commonest finding (76.67% of strains), followed by tobramycin, ceftazidime (66.67%), ciprofloxacin (56.67%) and fosfomycin (53.33%). An agreement (kappa coefficient) of 0.64 was found between the two testing methods. Using the agar disc diffusion as the reference method, the sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of the miniaturized test were 98.44%, 69.44% and 83.33%, respectively. Most discrepancies between the two methods were due to isolates that were susceptible according to the disc diffusion method but resistant according to the miniaturized test (false positives). Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Chloride Diffusion and Acid Resistance of Concrete Containing Zeolite and Tuff as Partial Replacements of Cement and Sand.

Science.gov (United States)

Mohseni, Ehsan; Tang, Waiching; Cui, Hongzhi

2017-03-31

In this paper, the properties of concrete containing zeolite and tuff as partial replacements of cement and sand were studied. The compressive strength, water absorption, chloride ion diffusion and resistance to acid environments of concretes made with zeolite at proportions of 10% and 15% of binder and tuff at ratios of 5%, 10% and 15% of fine aggregate were investigated. The results showed that the compressive strength of samples with zeolite and tuff increased considerably. In general, the concrete strength increased with increasing tuff content, and the strength was further improved when cement was replaced by zeolite. According to the water absorption results, specimens with zeolite showed the lowest water absorption values. With the incorporation of tuff and zeolite, the chloride resistance of specimens was enhanced significantly. In terms of the water absorption and chloride diffusion results, the most favorable replacement of cement and sand was 10% zeolite and 15% tuff, respectively. However, the resistance to acid attack reduced due to the absorbing characteristic and calcareous nature of the tuff.

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

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grandjean, A.

1996-01-01

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

Time-dependent free boundary equilibrium and resistive diffusion in a tokamak plasma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Selig, G.

2012-12-01

In a Tokamak, in order to create the necessary conditions for nuclear fusion to occur, a plasma is maintained by applying magnetic fields. Under the hypothesis of an axial symmetry of the tokamak, the study of the magnetic configuration at equilibrium is done in two dimensions, and is deduced from the poloidal flux function. This function is solution of a non linear partial differential equation system, known as equilibrium problem. This thesis presents the time dependent free boundary equilibrium problem, where the circuit equations in the tokamak coils and passive conductors are solved together with the Grad-Shafranov equation to produce a dynamic simulation of the plasma. In this framework, the Finite Element equilibrium code CEDRES has been improved in order to solve the aforementioned dynamic problem. Consistency tests and comparisons with the DINA-CH code on an ITER vertical instability case have validated the results. Then, the resistive diffusion of the plasma current density has been simulated using a coupling between CEDRES and the averaged one-dimensional diffusion equation, and it has been successfully compared with the integrated modeling code CRONOS. (author)

Diffusion tensor imaging and neuromodulation: DTI as key technology for deep brain stimulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Coenen, Volker Arnd; Schlaepfer, Thomas E; Allert, Niels; Mädler, Burkhard

2012-01-01

Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is more than just a useful adjunct to invasive techniques like optogenetics which recently have tremendously influenced our understanding of the mechanisms of deep brain stimulation (DBS). In combination with other technologies, DTI helps us to understand which parts of the brain tissue are connected to others and which ones are truly influenced with neuromodulation. The complex interaction of DBS with the surrounding tissues-scrutinized with DTI-allows to create testable hypotheses that can explain network interactions. Those interactions are vital for our understanding of the net effects of neuromodulation. This work naturally was first done in the field of movement disorder surgery, where a lot of experience regarding therapeutic effects and only a short latency between initiation of neuromodulation and alleviation of symptoms exist. This chapter shows the journey over the past 10 years with first applications in DBS toward current research in affect regulating network balances and their therapeutic alterations with the neuromodulation technology. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Influence of deep cryogenic treatment on structure and wear resistance of materials of hydraulic breaker chisels

Science.gov (United States)

Bolobov, V. I.; BinhLe, Thanh

2018-03-01

It is shown that shallow cryogenic treatment at -75°C (SCT) of the materials of hydraulic breaker chisels - P20, 1080 and D2 steels leads to a decrease (44 ÷ 82%) in the amount of retained austenite and an increase (26 ÷ 99%) in the amount of carbides in the structure of hardened steel, which is accompanied by an increase in its hardness (1.4 ÷ 2.1%) and abrasive wear resistance (10 ÷ 31%) with a simultaneous decrease in impact toughness (19 ÷ 24%). Deep cryogenic treatment at -196°C (DCT) and subsequent low-temperature tempering of D2 steel leads to a significant increase in its wear resistance (98%) and impact toughness (32%).

Oxidation resistant peroxide cross-linked UHMWPE produced by blending and surface diffusion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gul, Rizwan M; Oral, Ebru; Muratoglu, Orhun K

2014-01-01

Ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) has been widely used as acetabular cup in total hip replacement (THR) and tibial component in total knee replacement (TKR). Crosslinking of UHMWPE has been successful used to improve its wear performance leading to longer life of orthopedic implants. Crosslinking can be performed by radiation or organic peroxides. Peroxide crosslinking is a convenient process as it does not require specialized equipment and the level of crosslinking can be manipulated by changing the amount of peroxide added. However, there is concern about the long-term stability of these materials due to possible presence of by-products. Vitamin E has been successfully used to promote long-term oxidative stability of UHMWPE. In this study, UHMWPE has been crosslinked using organic peroxide in the presence of Vitamin E to produce an oxidation resistant peroxide crosslinked material. Crosslinking was performed both in bulk by mixing peroxide and resin, and only on the surface using diffusion of peroxides.The results show that UHMWPE can be crosslinked using organic peroxides in the presence of vitamin E by both methods. However, the level of crosslinking decreases with the increase in vitamin E content. The wear resistance increases with the increase in crosslink density, and oxidation resistance significantly increases due to the presence of vitamin E

Oxidation resistant peroxide cross-linked UHMWPE produced by blending and surface diffusion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gul, R. M.; Oral, E.; Muratoglu, O. K.

2013-01-01

Ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) has been widely used as acetabular cup in total hip replacement (THR) and tibial component in total knee replacement (TKR). Crosslinking of UHMWPE has been successful used to improve its wear performance leading to longer life of orthopedic implants. Crosslinking can be performed by radiation or organic peroxides. Peroxide crosslinking is a convenient process as it does not require specialized equipment and the level of crosslinking can be manipulated by changing the amount of peroxide added. However, there is concern about the long-term stability of these materials due to possible presence of by-products. Vitamin E has been successfully used to promote long-term oxidative stability of UHMWPE. In this study, UHMWPE has been crosslinked using organic peroxide in the presence of Vitamin E to produce an oxidation resistant peroxide crosslinked material. Crosslinking was performed both in bulk by mixing peroxide and resin, and only on the surface using diffusion of peroxides.The results show that UHMWPE can be crosslinked using organic peroxides in the presence of vitamin E by both methods. However, the level of crosslinking decreases with the increase in vitamin E content. The wear resistance increases with the increase in crosslink density, and oxidation resistance significantly increases due to the presence of vitamin E. (author)

Hydrogen diffusion and effect on degradation in welded microstructures of creep-resistant low-alloyed steels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rhode, Michael

2016-01-01

The main challenge for the future is to further increase the power plant thermal efficiency independent of the type of power plant concept, i.e. fossil-fired or nuclear power plant, where the material selection can directly affect reduction of CO 2 emissions. In power plant design, welding is the most applied manufacturing technique in component construction. The necessary weld heat input causes metallurgical changes and phase transitions in the heat affected zone (HAZ) of the base materials and in the deposited weld metal. The weld joint can absorb hydrogen during welding or in later service - This absorption can cause degradation of mechanical properties of the materials, and in certain loading conditions, hydrogen-assisted cold cracks can occur. This cracking phenomenon can appear time delayed due to the temperature dependency of the hydrogen diffusion and the presence of a ''critical'' hydrogen concentration. Additionally, each specific weld microstructure shows a certain hydrogen diffusion and solubility that contribute to susceptibility of the cracking phenomenon. Therefore hydrogen cannot be neglected as possible failure effect, which was identified recently in the case of T24 creep-resistant tube-to-tube weld joints. It is necessary to identify and assess the hydrogen effect in weld joints of low-alloyed steel grades for to improve further early detection of possible failures. For each specific weld joint microstructure, it is necessary to separate the interdependencies between mechanical load and the hydrogen concentration. The diffusivity and solubility must be considered to identify hydrogen quantities in the material at any given time. In this case, the effects of mechanical loading were dealt with independently. For the characterization of the mechanical properties, hydrogen charged tensile specimens were investigated for the base materials and thermally simulated HAZ microstructures. The hydrogen diffusion was characterized with

Hydrogen diffusion and effect on degradation in welded microstructures of creep-resistant low-alloyed steels

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rhode, Michael

2016-04-04

The main challenge for the future is to further increase the power plant thermal efficiency independent of the type of power plant concept, i.e. fossil-fired or nuclear power plant, where the material selection can directly affect reduction of CO{sub 2} emissions. In power plant design, welding is the most applied manufacturing technique in component construction. The necessary weld heat input causes metallurgical changes and phase transitions in the heat affected zone (HAZ) of the base materials and in the deposited weld metal. The weld joint can absorb hydrogen during welding or in later service - This absorption can cause degradation of mechanical properties of the materials, and in certain loading conditions, hydrogen-assisted cold cracks can occur. This cracking phenomenon can appear time delayed due to the temperature dependency of the hydrogen diffusion and the presence of a ''critical'' hydrogen concentration. Additionally, each specific weld microstructure shows a certain hydrogen diffusion and solubility that contribute to susceptibility of the cracking phenomenon. Therefore hydrogen cannot be neglected as possible failure effect, which was identified recently in the case of T24 creep-resistant tube-to-tube weld joints. It is necessary to identify and assess the hydrogen effect in weld joints of low-alloyed steel grades for to improve further early detection of possible failures. For each specific weld joint microstructure, it is necessary to separate the interdependencies between mechanical load and the hydrogen concentration. The diffusivity and solubility must be considered to identify hydrogen quantities in the material at any given time. In this case, the effects of mechanical loading were dealt with independently. For the characterization of the mechanical properties, hydrogen charged tensile specimens were investigated for the base materials and thermally simulated HAZ microstructures. The hydrogen diffusion was characterized

Closing the Loop on Deep Brain Stimulation for Treatment-Resistant Depression.

Science.gov (United States)

Widge, Alik S; Malone, Donald A; Dougherty, Darin D

2018-01-01

Major depressive episodes are the largest cause of psychiatric disability, and can often resist treatment with medication and psychotherapy. Advances in the understanding of the neural circuit basis of depression, combined with the success of deep brain stimulation (DBS) in movement disorders, spurred several groups to test DBS for treatment-resistant depression. Multiple brain sites have now been stimulated in open-label and blinded studies. Initial open-label results were dramatic, but follow-on controlled/blinded clinical trials produced inconsistent results, with both successes and failures to meet endpoints. Data from follow-on studies suggest that this is because DBS in these trials was not targeted to achieve physiologic responses. We review these results within a technology-lifecycle framework, in which these early trial "failures" are a natural consequence of over-enthusiasm for an immature technology. That framework predicts that from this "valley of disillusionment," DBS may be nearing a "slope of enlightenment." Specifically, by combining recent mechanistic insights and the maturing technology of brain-computer interfaces (BCI), the next generation of trials will be better able to target pathophysiology. Key to that will be the development of closed-loop systems that semi-autonomously alter stimulation strategies based on a patient's individual phenotype. Such next-generation DBS approaches hold great promise for improving psychiatric care.

A case of acute postoperative keratitis after deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty by multidrug resistant Klebsiella

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Leena Bajracharya

2015-01-01

Full Text Available A healthy lady of 42 years underwent deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty for granular dystrophy. The very next day, it was complicated by development of infectious keratitis. The organism was identified as multidrug resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae. Donor corneal button may be implicated in the transmission of infection in an otherwise uneventful surgery and follow-up. Nosocomial infections are usually severe, rapidly progressive and difficult to treat. Finally, the lady had to undergo therapeutic penetrating keratoplasty for complete resolution of infection.

Anomalous diffusion in chaotic scattering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Srokowski, T.; Ploszajczak, M.

1994-01-01

The anomalous diffusion is found for peripheral collision of atomic nuclei described in the framework of the molecular dynamics. Similarly as for chaotic billiards, the long free paths are the source of the long-time correlations and the anomalous diffusion. Consequences of this finding for the energy dissipation in deep-inelastic collisions and the dynamics of fission in hot nuclei are discussed (authors). 30 refs., 2 figs

Identifying genomic changes associated with insecticide resistance in the dengue mosquito Aedes aegypti by deep targeted sequencing

Science.gov (United States)

Faucon, Frederic; Dusfour, Isabelle; Gaude, Thierry; Navratil, Vincent; Boyer, Frederic; Chandre, Fabrice; Sirisopa, Patcharawan; Thanispong, Kanutcharee; Juntarajumnong, Waraporn; Poupardin, Rodolphe; Chareonviriyaphap, Theeraphap; Girod, Romain; Corbel, Vincent; Reynaud, Stephane; David, Jean-Philippe

2015-01-01

The capacity of mosquitoes to resist insecticides threatens the control of diseases such as dengue and malaria. Until alternative control tools are implemented, characterizing resistance mechanisms is crucial for managing resistance in natural populations. Insecticide biodegradation by detoxification enzymes is a common resistance mechanism; however, the genomic changes underlying this mechanism have rarely been identified, precluding individual resistance genotyping. In particular, the role of copy number variations (CNVs) and polymorphisms of detoxification enzymes have never been investigated at the genome level, although they can represent robust markers of metabolic resistance. In this context, we combined target enrichment with high-throughput sequencing for conducting the first comprehensive screening of gene amplifications and polymorphisms associated with insecticide resistance in mosquitoes. More than 760 candidate genes were captured and deep sequenced in several populations of the dengue mosquito Ae. aegypti displaying distinct genetic backgrounds and contrasted resistance levels to the insecticide deltamethrin. CNV analysis identified 41 gene amplifications associated with resistance, most affecting cytochrome P450s overtranscribed in resistant populations. Polymorphism analysis detected more than 30,000 variants and strong selection footprints in specific genomic regions. Combining Bayesian and allele frequency filtering approaches identified 55 nonsynonymous variants strongly associated with resistance. Both CNVs and polymorphisms were conserved within regions but differed across continents, confirming that genomic changes underlying metabolic resistance to insecticides are not universal. By identifying novel DNA markers of insecticide resistance, this study opens the way for tracking down metabolic changes developed by mosquitoes to resist insecticides within and among populations. PMID:26206155

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

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Grandjean, A.

1996-03-01

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

Low cost fuel cell diffusion layer configured for optimized anode water management

Science.gov (United States)

Owejan, Jon P; Nicotera, Paul D; Mench, Matthew M; Evans, Robert E

2013-08-27

A fuel cell comprises a cathode gas diffusion layer, a cathode catalyst layer, an anode gas diffusion layer, an anode catalyst layer and an electrolyte. The diffusion resistance of the anode gas diffusion layer when operated with anode fuel is higher than the diffusion resistance of the cathode gas diffusion layer. The anode gas diffusion layer may comprise filler particles having in-plane platelet geometries and be made of lower cost materials and manufacturing processes than currently available commercial carbon fiber substrates. The diffusion resistance difference between the anode gas diffusion layer and the cathode gas diffusion layer may allow for passive water balance control.

Sensitivity of on-resistance and threshold voltage to buffer-related deep level defects in AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Armstrong, Andrew M; Allerman, Andrew A; Baca, Albert G; Sanchez, Carlos A

2013-01-01

The influence of deep levels defects located in highly resistive GaN:C buffers on the on-resistance (R ON ) and threshold voltage (V th ) of AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) power devices was studied by a combined photocapacitance deep level optical spectroscopy (C-DLOS) and photoconductance deep level optical spectroscopy (G-DLOS) methodology as a function of electrical stress. Two carbon-related deep levels at 1.8 and 2.85 eV below the conduction band energy minimum were identified from C-DLOS measurements under the gate electrode. It was found that buffer-related defects under the gate shifted V th positively by approximately 10%, corresponding to a net areal density of occupied defects of 8 × 10 12 cm −2 . The effect of on-state drain stress and off-state gate stress on buffer deep level occupancy and R ON was also investigated via G-DLOS. It was found that the same carbon-related deep levels observed under the gate were also active in the access region. Off-state gate stress produced significantly more trapping and degradation of R ON (∼140%) compared to on-state drain stress (∼75%). Greater sensitivity of R ON to gate stress was explained by a more sharply peaked lateral distribution of occupied deep levels between the gate and drain compared to drain stress. The overall greater sensitivity of R ON compared to V th to buffer defects suggests that electron trapping is significantly greater in the access region compared to under the gate, likely due to the larger electric fields in the latter region. (invited paper)

Effects of Deep Cryogenic Treatment on the Wear Resistance and Mechanical Properties of AISI H13 Hot-Work Tool Steel

Science.gov (United States)

Çiçek, Adem; Kara, Fuat; Kıvak, Turgay; Ekici, Ergün; Uygur, İlyas

2015-11-01

In this study, a number of wear and tensile tests were performed to elucidate the effects of deep cryogenic treatment on the wear behavior and mechanical properties (hardness and tensile strength) of AISI H13 tool steel. In accordance with this purpose, three different heat treatments (conventional heat treatment (CHT), deep cryogenic treatment (DCT), and deep cryogenic treatment and tempering (DCTT)) were applied to tool steel samples. DCT and DCTT samples were held in nitrogen gas at -145 °C for 24 h. Wear tests were conducted on a dry pin-on-disk device using two loads of 60 and 80 N, two sliding velocities of 0.8 and 1 m/s, and a wear distance of 1000 m. All test results showed that DCT improved the adhesive wear resistance and mechanical properties of AISI H13 steel. The formation of small-sized and uniformly distributed carbide particles and the transformation of retained austenite to martensite played an important role in the improvements in the wear resistance and mechanical properties. After cleavage fracture, the surfaces of all samples were characterized by the cracking of primary carbides, while the DCT and DCTT samples displayed microvoid formation by decohesion of the fine carbides precipitated during the cryo-tempering process.

A micro-scale model for predicting contact resistance between bipolar plate and gas diffusion layer in PEM fuel cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhou, Y.; Lin, G.; Shih, A.J.; Hu, S.J. [Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2125 (United States)

2007-01-01

Contact resistance between the bipolar plate (BPP) and the gas diffusion layer (GDL) in a proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell constitutes a significant portion of the overall fuel cell electrical resistance under the normal operation conditions. Most current methods for contact resistance estimation are experimental and there is a lack of well developed theoretical methods. A micro-scale numerical model is developed to predict the electrical contact resistance between BPP and GDL by simulating the BPP surface topology and GDL structure and numerically determining the status for each contact spot. The total resistance and pressure are obtained by considering all contact spots as resistances in parallel and summing the results together. This model shows good agreements with experimental results. Influences of BPP surface roughness parameters on contact resistance are also studied. This model is beneficial in understanding the contact behavior between BPP and GDL and can be integrated with other fuel cell simulations to predict the overall performance of PEM fuel cells. (author)

Lathyrus sativus transcriptome resistance response to Ascochyta lathyri investigated by deepSuperSAGE analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Almeida, Nuno F.; Krezdorn, Nicolas; Rotter, Björn; Winter, Peter; Rubiales, Diego; Vaz Patto, Maria C.

2015-01-01

Lathyrus sativus (grass pea) is a temperate grain legume crop with a great potential for expansion in dry areas or zones that are becoming more drought-prone. It is also recognized as a potential source of resistance to several important diseases in legumes, such as ascochyta blight. Nevertheless, the lack of detailed genomic and/or transcriptomic information hampers further exploitation of grass pea resistance-related genes in precision breeding. To elucidate the pathways differentially regulated during ascochyta-grass pea interaction and to identify resistance candidate genes, we compared the early response of the leaf gene expression profile of a resistant L. sativus genotype to Ascochyta lathyri infection with a non-inoculated control sample from the same genotype employing deepSuperSAGE. This analysis generated 14.387 UniTags of which 95.7% mapped to a reference grass pea/rust interaction transcriptome. From the total mapped UniTags, 738 were significantly differentially expressed between control and inoculated leaves. The results indicate that several gene classes acting in different phases of the plant/pathogen interaction are involved in the L. sativus response to A. lathyri infection. Most notably a clear up-regulation of defense-related genes involved in and/or regulated by the ethylene pathway was observed. There was also evidence of alterations in cell wall metabolism indicated by overexpression of cellulose synthase and lignin biosynthesis genes. This first genome-wide overview of the gene expression profile of the L. sativus response to ascochyta infection delivered a valuable set of candidate resistance genes for future use in precision breeding. PMID:25852725

Diffusion in crystalline rocks of some sorbing and nonsorbing species

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Skagius, K.; Neretnieks, I.

1983-01-01

Laboratory experiments to determine the sorption and the rate of diffusion of cesium and strontium in pieces of granite have been performed. The effective diffusivity, D sub (p) x E sub (p) was found to be 1 - 2 x 10 - 12 m 2 /s for both cesium and strontium. The diffusion of non-sorbing species in granites and other rock materials have been studied in laboratory scale. The non-sorbing species were iodide, tritiated water, Cr-EDTA and Uranine. In granites the effective diffusivities were determined to be 0.7-1.3 x 10 - 13 m 2 /s for iodide and 1.3 - 1.8 x 10 - 13 m 2 /s for tritiated water. Electrical resistivity measurements in salt water saturated rock cores have been performed. The resistivity is measured in the saturated core and in the salt solution with which the core has been saturated. The ratio between these two resistivities has a direct relation to the ratio of the effective diffusivity for a component in the rock material and the diffusivity in free water for the same component. The results from the electrical resistivity measurements and the experiments with diffusion of non-sorbing species are in fair agreement. The effective diffusivity for cesium and strontium (sorbing species) are, however, more than ten times higher than expected from the results of diffusion of non-sorbing species and the electrical resistivity measurements. This is interpreted as an effect of surface diffusion. (Authors)

Deep brain stimulation and treatment-resistant obsessive-compulsive disorder: A systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Vázquez-Bourgon, Javier; Martino, Juan; Sierra Peña, María; Infante Ceberio, Jon; Martínez Martínez, M Ángeles; Ocón, Roberto; Menchón, José Manuel; Crespo Facorro, Benedicto; Vázquez-Barquero, Alfonso

2017-07-01

At least 10% of patients with Obsessive-compulsive Disorder (OCD) are refractory to psychopharmacological treatment. The emergence of new technologies for the modulation of altered neuronal activity in Neurosurgery, deep brain stimulation (DBS), has enabled its use in severe and refractory OCD cases. The objective of this article is to review the current scientific evidence on the effectiveness and applicability of this technique to refractory OCD. We systematically reviewed the literature to identify the main characteristics of deep brain stimulation, its use and applicability as treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder. Therefore, we reviewed PubMed/Medline, Embase and PsycINFO databases, combining the key-words 'Deep brain stimulation', 'DBS' and 'Obsessive-compulsive disorder' 'OCS'. The articles were selected by two of the authors independently, based on the abstracts, and if they described any of the main characteristics of the therapy referring to OCD: applicability; mechanism of action; brain therapeutic targets; efficacy; side-effects; co-therapies. All the information was subsequently extracted and analysed. The critical analysis of the evidence shows that the use of DBS in treatment-resistant OCD is providing satisfactory results regarding efficacy, with assumable side-effects. However, there is insufficient evidence to support the use of any single brain target over another. Patient selection has to be done following analyses of risks/benefits, being advisable to individualize the decision of continuing with concomitant psychopharmacological and psychological treatments. The use of DBS is still considered to be in the field of research, although it is increasingly used in refractory-OCD, producing in the majority of studies significant improvements in symptomatology, and in functionality and quality of life. It is essential to implement random and controlled studies regarding its long-term efficacy, cost-risk analyses and cost/benefit. Copyright �

Closing the Loop on Deep Brain Stimulation for Treatment-Resistant Depression

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alik S. Widge

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Major depressive episodes are the largest cause of psychiatric disability, and can often resist treatment with medication and psychotherapy. Advances in the understanding of the neural circuit basis of depression, combined with the success of deep brain stimulation (DBS in movement disorders, spurred several groups to test DBS for treatment-resistant depression. Multiple brain sites have now been stimulated in open-label and blinded studies. Initial open-label results were dramatic, but follow-on controlled/blinded clinical trials produced inconsistent results, with both successes and failures to meet endpoints. Data from follow-on studies suggest that this is because DBS in these trials was not targeted to achieve physiologic responses. We review these results within a technology-lifecycle framework, in which these early trial “failures” are a natural consequence of over-enthusiasm for an immature technology. That framework predicts that from this “valley of disillusionment,” DBS may be nearing a “slope of enlightenment.” Specifically, by combining recent mechanistic insights and the maturing technology of brain-computer interfaces (BCI, the next generation of trials will be better able to target pathophysiology. Key to that will be the development of closed-loop systems that semi-autonomously alter stimulation strategies based on a patient's individual phenotype. Such next-generation DBS approaches hold great promise for improving psychiatric care.

Closing the Loop on Deep Brain Stimulation for Treatment-Resistant Depression

Science.gov (United States)

Widge, Alik S.; Malone, Donald A.; Dougherty, Darin D.

2018-01-01

Major depressive episodes are the largest cause of psychiatric disability, and can often resist treatment with medication and psychotherapy. Advances in the understanding of the neural circuit basis of depression, combined with the success of deep brain stimulation (DBS) in movement disorders, spurred several groups to test DBS for treatment-resistant depression. Multiple brain sites have now been stimulated in open-label and blinded studies. Initial open-label results were dramatic, but follow-on controlled/blinded clinical trials produced inconsistent results, with both successes and failures to meet endpoints. Data from follow-on studies suggest that this is because DBS in these trials was not targeted to achieve physiologic responses. We review these results within a technology-lifecycle framework, in which these early trial “failures” are a natural consequence of over-enthusiasm for an immature technology. That framework predicts that from this “valley of disillusionment,” DBS may be nearing a “slope of enlightenment.” Specifically, by combining recent mechanistic insights and the maturing technology of brain-computer interfaces (BCI), the next generation of trials will be better able to target pathophysiology. Key to that will be the development of closed-loop systems that semi-autonomously alter stimulation strategies based on a patient's individual phenotype. Such next-generation DBS approaches hold great promise for improving psychiatric care. PMID:29618967

SEDS: THE SPITZER EXTENDED DEEP SURVEY. SURVEY DESIGN, PHOTOMETRY, AND DEEP IRAC SOURCE COUNTS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ashby, M. L. N.; Willner, S. P.; Fazio, G. G.; Huang, J.-S.; Hernquist, L.; Hora, J. L.; Arendt, R.; Barmby, P.; Barro, G.; Faber, S.; Guhathakurta, P.; Bell, E. F.; Bouwens, R.; Cattaneo, A.; Croton, D.; Davé, R.; Dunlop, J. S.; Egami, E.; Finlator, K.; Grogin, N. A.

2013-01-01

The Spitzer Extended Deep Survey (SEDS) is a very deep infrared survey within five well-known extragalactic science fields: the UKIDSS Ultra-Deep Survey, the Extended Chandra Deep Field South, COSMOS, the Hubble Deep Field North, and the Extended Groth Strip. SEDS covers a total area of 1.46 deg 2 to a depth of 26 AB mag (3σ) in both of the warm Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) bands at 3.6 and 4.5 μm. Because of its uniform depth of coverage in so many widely-separated fields, SEDS is subject to roughly 25% smaller errors due to cosmic variance than a single-field survey of the same size. SEDS was designed to detect and characterize galaxies from intermediate to high redshifts (z = 2-7) with a built-in means of assessing the impact of cosmic variance on the individual fields. Because the full SEDS depth was accumulated in at least three separate visits to each field, typically with six-month intervals between visits, SEDS also furnishes an opportunity to assess the infrared variability of faint objects. This paper describes the SEDS survey design, processing, and publicly-available data products. Deep IRAC counts for the more than 300,000 galaxies detected by SEDS are consistent with models based on known galaxy populations. Discrete IRAC sources contribute 5.6 ± 1.0 and 4.4 ± 0.8 nW m –2 sr –1 at 3.6 and 4.5 μm to the diffuse cosmic infrared background (CIB). IRAC sources cannot contribute more than half of the total CIB flux estimated from DIRBE data. Barring an unexpected error in the DIRBE flux estimates, half the CIB flux must therefore come from a diffuse component.

The effect of chromium diffusion redistribution on wear resistance of carburized 3Kh13 steel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shcherbedinskij, G.V.; Shumakov, A.I.; Zemskij, S.V.; Pereverzev, V.M.

1977-01-01

The redistribution of chromium in steel 3Kh13 on carburization in a high-activity carburizer and the wear-resistance of the steel have been investigated. Surface layers with an increased chromium concentration show the highest wear-resistance. The chromium content in the surface layer increases due to its diffusion from the interior. The distribution of carbon and chromium in the carburized layers has been studied with the aid of the radioactive isotope 14 C by the method of layer-by-layer spectral analysis on a vacuum quantometer, layer-by-layer chemical and X-ray structure analysis. The composition of the carbides has been determined by physicochemical analysis. It has been established that the carburized layer can be divided into four zones with respect to its phase composition: first zone - hematite and spinal with 0.5-2.0% C; second zone - solid carbides (Fe,Cr) 7 C 3 ; up to 5% C; third zone - globular carbides in a troostite matrix (Cr,Fe) 7 C 3 and Cr 23 C 6 ; up to 3.5% C; fourth, transitional, zone - troostite carbide mixture Cr 23 C 6 ; up to 1% C. The chromium diffusion in the carburized layer is faster than in the initial austenite. The chromium counterdiffusion is due to the development of a zone of solid carbides M 7 C 3

Investigations on diffusion-controlled transformations in creep resistant steels and graded cemented carbides

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Prat Borquez, Orlando

2011-01-01

The objective of this work was to simulate diffusion-controlled transformations on engineering alloys designed by the author and his colleagues. The main challenge of the work is to adapt the existing DICTRA models to the experimental processing and working conditions investigated, as well as to find the adequate boundary conditions for the description of the diffusion-controlled transformations governing the microstructure formation and evolution, in order to obtain reliable simulation results. The simulations were compared with experimental results of the microstructure evolution by scanning electron microscopy and scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM). Two groups of materials were investigated. The first group was 9-12% Cr heat resistant alloys. These alloys are particularly interesting because the microstructure evolves during working conditions. Different compositions were designed in order to form different kinds and amounts of precipitates. For the designed 9-12% Cr creep steels the coarsening of MX and M 23 C 6 particles was modeled by applying the coarsening model implemented in DICTRA. The cell method of DICTRA was applied to investigate the kinetics of the Laves phase growth on 9-12% Cr alloys. The particular objectives of these investigations were: a) to determine the coarsening rate of precipitates, b) to investigate the influence of alloying element on the growth rate of the Laves phase, c) to determine the influence of the M 23 C 6 formation on the growth kinetics of the Laves phase, d) to determine the growth mechanism at the interface of the Laves phase (i.e. up-hill diffusion), e) to investigate the effect of the cell size on the simulation kinetics of Laves phase. The second group of materials was cemented carbides. They are used as cutting tools or wear parts in the automotive, aircraft and mining industry among others. The wear performance of cemented carbides (hardmetals and cermets) can be largely improved by applying wear

Photosynthesis of cotton leaves under a range of environmental conditions in relation to internal and external diffusive resistances

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bierhuizen, J F; Slatyer, R O

1964-01-01

Experiments have been described in which photosynthesis of cotton leaves enclosed in a leaf chamber was measured under various conditions of light intensity (1000-6000 f.c., corresponding to 3 x 8 x 10/sup 4/-22 x 5 10/sup 4/ erg cm/sup -2/ sec/sup -1/), CO/sub 2/ concentration (200-2000 p.p.m.), temperature (30-40/sup 0/C), relative humidity (40-80%), and windspeed (0 x 6-3 x 1) cm sec/sup -1/). The plants were well watered in order to minimize water stress. The experiments conducted so far indicate that, with the conditions employed, CO/sub 2/ and light were the main factors limiting photosynthesis. At all light intensities there was an almost linear response to CO/sub 2/ concentration up to values of 600-800 p.p.m. CO/sub 2/ above which there appeared to be effective CO/sub 2/ saturation. The response to light was of particular interest. It appeared that, under limiting CO/sub 2/ conditions, an increase in light intensity increased photosynthesis not only by decreasing stomatal resistance, hence resulting in increased CO/sub 2/ diffusion through the stomata, but also by increasing the liquid phase permeability of the mesophyll cell walls to CO/sub 2/ transport. Total resistance in the diffusion pathway, the sum of r', averaged 22 sec cm/sup -1/ at 1000 f.c. for a range of windspeed, CO/sub 2/, temperature, and humidity conditions, and declined progressively to about 7 sec cm/sup -1/ at 6000 f.c. The contribution of the gaseous diffusion resistances (r'/sub a/ + r'/sub al/) decreased, at the same time, from about 8 to 4 sec cm/sup -1/. 26 references, 5 figures, 1 table.

Role of deep inelastic processes in nuclear physics: experimental and theoretical aspects of deep inelastic reactions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moretto, L.G.

1979-03-01

The collective modes excited in deep-inelastic reactions and their natural hierarchy provided by their characteristic relaxation times is described. The relaxation of the mass asymmetry mode is discussed in terms of a diffusion process. Charge distributions and angular distributions as a function of Z calculated with this model are in good agreement with experimental data. This diffusion model also treats the transfer of energy and angular momentum in terms of particle transfer, and is successfully compared with experimental γ-ray multiplicities as a function of both Q-value and mass asymmetry. The angular momentum transfer is again considered in connection with the sequential fission of heavy, deep-inelastic fragments and the excitation of collective modes in the exit channel is considered. The role of the giant E1 mode in the equilibration of the neutron-to-proton ratio is discussed. 39 references

Multiple sclerosis deep grey matter: the relation between demyelination, neurodegeneration, inflammation and iron.

Science.gov (United States)

Haider, Lukas; Simeonidou, Constantina; Steinberger, Günther; Hametner, Simon; Grigoriadis, Nikolaos; Deretzi, Georgia; Kovacs, Gabor G; Kutzelnigg, Alexandra; Lassmann, Hans; Frischer, Josa M

2014-12-01

In multiple sclerosis (MS), diffuse degenerative processes in the deep grey matter have been associated with clinical disabilities. We performed a systematic study in MS deep grey matter with a focus on the incidence and topographical distribution of lesions in relation to white matter and cortex in a total sample of 75 MS autopsy patients and 12 controls. In addition, detailed analyses of inflammation, acute axonal injury, iron deposition and oxidative stress were performed. MS deep grey matter was affected by two different processes: the formation of focal demyelinating lesions and diffuse neurodegeneration. Deep grey matter demyelination was most prominent in the caudate nucleus and hypothalamus and could already be seen in early MS stages. Lesions developed on the background of inflammation. Deep grey matter inflammation was intermediate between low inflammatory cortical lesions and active white matter lesions. Demyelination and neurodegeneration were associated with oxidative injury. Iron was stored primarily within oligodendrocytes and myelin fibres and released upon demyelination. In addition to focal demyelinated plaques, the MS deep grey matter also showed diffuse and global neurodegeneration. This was reflected by a global reduction of neuronal density, the presence of acutely injured axons, and the accumulation of oxidised phospholipids and DNA in neurons, oligodendrocytes and axons. Neurodegeneration was associated with T cell infiltration, expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase in microglia and profound accumulation of iron. Thus, both focal lesions as well as diffuse neurodegeneration in the deep grey matter appeared to contribute to the neurological disabilities of MS patients. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Evidence of preferential diffusion and segregation of impurities at grain boundaries in very pure niobium used for radiofrequency cavities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Antoine, C.; Bonin, B.; Safa, H.; Berthier, B.; Tessier, E.; Trocelier, P.; Chevarier, A.; Chevarier, N.; Roux, B.

1996-01-01

Complete text of publication follows. Grain boundaries (GB) of titanified, heat treated and then etched niobium have been observed by the mean of the nuclear microprobe from the Laboratoire Pierre Sue at Saclay. The very small area of the probe allows to measure by PIXE 1 quantities of titanium as low as one monolayer at the GB. Indeed concentrations of titanium as high as some atomic percent were found on 6 μm etched samples, giving indication of a preferential diffusion and/or segregation at GB. Titanium was detectable also on 15 μm etched samples but was bellow the sensitivity of the microprobe for 35 μm etched samples. Moreover it was shown that not all boundaries were polluted with titanium, and that their behaviour was correlated with orientation. A discussion of the literature shows that all these facts are consistent with the behaviour of very pure metals. Segregation at GB is also known to influence dramatically the GB resistivity in metals and superconductors. For the latter, it has been shown that the GB resistivity can be responsible of occurrence of granular superconductivity phenomena. The presence of Ti deep into the Nb GB explains why a strong etching is needed after a purification heat treatment. Moreover, it has been shown that a heat treatment at lower temperature, although much longer in time, allows less deep diffusion of Ti and then needs a lighter etch. (author)

Interpretation of deep directional resistivity measurements acquired in high-angle and horizontal wells using 3-D inversion

Science.gov (United States)

Puzyrev, Vladimir; Torres-Verdín, Carlos; Calo, Victor

2018-05-01

The interpretation of resistivity measurements acquired in high-angle and horizontal wells is a critical technical problem in formation evaluation. We develop an efficient parallel 3-D inversion method to estimate the spatial distribution of electrical resistivity in the neighbourhood of a well from deep directional electromagnetic induction measurements. The methodology places no restriction on the spatial distribution of the electrical resistivity around arbitrary well trajectories. The fast forward modelling of triaxial induction measurements performed with multiple transmitter-receiver configurations employs a parallel direct solver. The inversion uses a pre-conditioned gradient-based method whose accuracy is improved using the Wolfe conditions to estimate optimal step lengths at each iteration. The large transmitter-receiver offsets, used in the latest generation of commercial directional resistivity tools, improve the depth of investigation to over 30 m from the wellbore. Several challenging synthetic examples confirm the feasibility of the full 3-D inversion-based interpretations for these distances, hence enabling the integration of resistivity measurements with seismic amplitude data to improve the forecast of the petrophysical and fluid properties. Employing parallel direct solvers for the triaxial induction problems allows for large reductions in computational effort, thereby opening the possibility to invert multiposition 3-D data in practical CPU times.

Dual-wavelength photo-Hall effect spectroscopy of deep levels in high resistive CdZnTe with negative differential photoconductivity

Science.gov (United States)

Musiienko, A.; Grill, R.; Moravec, P.; Korcsmáros, G.; Rejhon, M.; Pekárek, J.; Elhadidy, H.; Šedivý, L.; Vasylchenko, I.

2018-04-01

Photo-Hall effect spectroscopy was used in the study of deep levels in high resistive CdZnTe. The monochromator excitation in the photon energy range 0.65-1.77 eV was complemented by a laser diode high-intensity excitation at selected photon energies. A single sample characterized by multiple unusual features like negative differential photoconductivity and anomalous depression of electron mobility was chosen for the detailed study involving measurements at both the steady and dynamic regimes. We revealed that the Hall mobility and photoconductivity can be both enhanced and suppressed by an additional illumination at certain photon energies. The anomalous mobility decrease was explained by an excitation of the inhomogeneously distributed deep level at the energy Ev + 1.0 eV, thus enhancing potential non-uniformities. The appearance of negative differential photoconductivity was interpreted by an intensified electron occupancy of that level by a direct valence band-to-level excitation. Modified Shockley-Read-Hall theory was used for fitting experimental results by a model comprising five deep levels. Properties of the deep levels and their impact on the device performance were deduced.

Determination of diffusion coefficients and diffusion characteristics for chlorferon and diethylthiophosphate in Ca-alginate gel beads.

Science.gov (United States)

Ha, Jiyeon; Engler, Cady R; Lee, Seung Jae

2008-07-01

Diffusion characteristics of chlorferon and diethylthiophosphate (DETP) in Ca-alginate gel beads were studied to assist in designing and operating bioreactor systems. Diffusion coefficients for chlorferon and DETP in Ca-alginate gel beads determined at conditions suitable for biodegradation studies were 2.70 x 10(-11) m(2)/s and 4.28 x 10(-11) m(2)/s, respectively. Diffusivities of chlorferon and DETP were influenced by several factors, including viscosity of the bulk solution, agitation speed, and the concentrations of diffusing substrate and immobilized cells. Diffusion coefficients increased with increasing agitation speed, probably due to poor mixing at low speed and some attrition of beads at high speeds. Diffusion coefficients also increased with decreasing substrate concentration. Increased cell concentration in the gel beads caused lower diffusivity. Theoretical models to predict diffusivities as a function of cell weight fraction overestimated the effective diffusivities for both chlorferon and DETP, but linear relations between effective diffusivity and cell weight fraction were derived from experimental data. Calcium-alginate gel beads with radii of 1.65-1.70 mm used in this study were not subject to diffusional limitations: external mass transfer resistances were negligible based on Biot number calculations and effectiveness factors indicated that internal mass transfer resistance was negligible. Therefore, the degradation rates of chlorferon and DETP inside Ca-alginate gel beads were reaction-limited. (c) 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Lathyrus sativus transcriptome resistance response to Ascochyta lathyri as reviewed by deepSuperSAGE analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nuno Felipe Almeida

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Lathyrus sativus (grass pea is a temperate grain legume crop with a great potential for expansion in dry areas or zones that are becoming more drought-prone. It is also recognized as a potential source of resistance to several important diseases in legumes, such as ascochyta blight. Nevertheless, the lack of detailed genomic and/or transcriptomic information hampers further exploitation of grass pea resistance-related genes in precision breeding. To elucidate the pathways differentially regulated during ascochyta-grass pea interaction and to identify resistance candidate genes, we compared the early response of the leaf gene expression profile of a resistant L. sativus genotype to Ascochyta lathyri infection with a non-inoculated control sample from the same genotype employing deepSuperSAGE. This analysis generated 14.387 UniTags of which 95.7% mapped to a reference grass pea/rust interaction transcriptome. From the total mapped UniTags, 738 were significantly differentially expressed between control and inoculated leaves. The results indicate that several gene classes acting in different phases of the plant/pathogen interaction are involved in the L. sativus response to A. lathyri infection. Most notably a clear up-regulation of defense-related genes involved in and/or regulated by the ethylene pathway was observed. There was also evidence of alterations in cell wall metabolism indicated by overexpression of cellulose synthase and lignin biosynthesis genes. This first genome-wide overview of the gene expression profile of the L. sativus response to ascochyta infection delivered a valuable set of candidate resistance genes for future use in precision breeding.

Identification of deep trap energies and influences of oxygen plasma ashing on semiconductor carrier lifetime

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koprowski, A; Humbel, O; Plappert, M; Krenn, H

2015-01-01

We have performed an analytical study of the effects of oxygen plasma ashing processes in semiconductor device fabrication and its impact on minority carrier lifetime in high voltage semiconductor devices. Our work includes a critical background study of life time killing mechanisms by deep traps imparted into the semiconductor by barrel plasma ashing. The Elymat technique provides the opportunity to measure lifetime and diffusion length of minority carriers and surface photo voltage (SPV) measurement was used to analyse influences of process parameters such as photoresist, time budget and positioning in the process chamber. It was shown that in microwave plasma processes the diffusion length changes severely with tempering at 200 °C, whereas RF-plasma processes show a significant process time-dependence. Batch tools in general suffer from a strong first wafer effect which could be correlated with the static electrical parameters of the semiconductor devices. The trap identities were detected by using deep level transient spectroscopy and the chemical species of the traps has been proven by inductive coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The deep-bandgap trap energies are reliable fingerprints of the chosen process parameters such as process time and of resist-influences. By microwave plasma processes intrinsic Fe and FeB-complex levels were identified and a good agreement with the SPV-measurement and electrical device characteristic was shown. RF-plasma processes impart levels attributed to Pt levels and an additional level, which could be identified as a trap level probably forming a complex of Pt and H. (paper)

Structure evolution of multilayer materials of heat-resistant intermetallic compounds under the influence of temperature in the process of diffusion welding under pressure and their mechanical properties

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Korzhov, Valeriy P.; Karpov, Michael I.; Prokhorov, Dmitriy V. [Institute of Solid State Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Chernogolovka (Russian Federation)

2013-07-01

Multilayer materials of high-resistant intermetallic compounds of some transition metals with aluminum and silicon were obtained by diffusion welding of packages, collected from a large number of the respective foils, such as niobium and aluminum. Materials of intermetallics with silicon were obtained by the welding of packages built from metal foils with Si-coating. The change in the structure according to the temperature of the welding was studied, and the high-temperature bending strength was determined. Key words: multilayer composite, high-resistant material, intermetallic compound, diffusion welding, package rolling, layered structure, bending strength.

Rapid diffusion of molybdenum trace contamination in silicon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tobin, S.P.; Greenwald, A.C.; Wolfson, R.G.; Meier, D.L.; Drevinsky, P.J.

1985-01-01

Molybdenum contamination has been detected in silicon epitaxial layers and substrate wafers after processing in any one of several epitaxial silicon reactors. Greatly reduced minority carrier diffusion lengths and lifetimes are consistent with Mo concentrations measured by DLTS in the 10 12 and 10 13 cm -3 ranges. Depth profiling of diffusion length and the Mo deep level show much greater penetration than expected from previous reports of Mo as a slow diffuser. The data indicate a lower limit of 10 -8 cm 2 /sec for the diffusion coefficient of Mo in silicon at 1200 0 C, consistent with high diffusivities measured for other transition metals

Influence of Drought on Mesophyll Resistance to CO2 Diffusion and its Impact on Water-Use Efficiency in Trees

Science.gov (United States)

Guo, J.; Beverly, D.; Cook, C.; Ewers, B. E.; Williams, D. G.

2015-12-01

The resistance to CO2 diffusion inside leaves (mesophyll resistance; rm) during photosynthesis is often comparable in magnitude to stomatal diffusion resistance, and varies among species and across environmental conditions. Consequently, photosynthesis is strongly limited by rm at low internal CO2 partial pressures, such that its variation may determine patterns of leaf water-use efficiency (WUE). Reduction in stomatal conductance with drought typically increases WUE, but also decreases photosynthesis. In theory, the decrease in photosynthesis could be countered by reduction in rm while maintaining high WUE. It is still uncertain how drought-related changes in rm affect short- and long-term WUE strategies of different tree species. We conducted field observations of instantaneous WUE and 13C discrimination in two dominant conifer species (Pinus contorta and Picea engelmannii) in SE Wyoming over the seasonal dry-down period in the summer of 2015. rm was examined by on-line 13C discrimination using isotope laser spectroscopy. Controlled environment studies on three conifer species (P. contorta, P. engelmannii, and Abies lasiocarpa) and one angiosperm (Populus tremuloides) are in progress. We hypothesize that the plasticity of rm in response to drought accounts for significant adjustments in photosynthetic capacity and WUE. Needle leaf conifers are known to have relatively high rm, and we expect them to show greater improvements in photosynthesis and WUE when rm is decreased compared to angiosperm tree species.

Microbially-mediated fluorescent organic matter transformations in the deep ocean

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Aparicio, Fran L.; Nieto-Cid, Mar; Borrull, Encarna

2015-01-01

The refractory nature of marine dissolved organic matter (DOM) increases while it travels from surface waters to the deep ocean. This resistant fraction is in part composed of fluorescent humic-like material, which is relatively difficult to metabolize by deep water prokaryotes, and it can also b....... These findings contribute to the understanding of FDOM variability in deep waters and provide valuable information for studies where fluorescent compounds are used in order to track water masses and/or microbial processes.......The refractory nature of marine dissolved organic matter (DOM) increases while it travels from surface waters to the deep ocean. This resistant fraction is in part composed of fluorescent humic-like material, which is relatively difficult to metabolize by deep water prokaryotes, and it can also...

Fracture resistance of the VNC-2USh steel with different content of diffusion-mobile hydrogen at low temperature

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yablonskij, I.S.; Sankho, K.

1979-01-01

Presented are the investigation results for the diffusible hydrogen (DH) content effect on cracking resistance and mechanical properties of the VNC-2USh steel in the temperature range from -75-100 deg C. In this range σsub(B), σsub(0.2) and σ are not practically sensitive to the DH content change from 0.27 to 3 cm 3 /100g. At room temperature the increase of DH content in the above concentration range results in 45 % decrease of cracking resistance under static loading. At -75 deg C the cracking resistance does not depend on DH content. Within the temperature range from -40-75 deg C placed is a temperature boundary, separating the regions of predominant effects of hydrogen and low temperature embrittlement on repture strength of the VNC-2 steel at moderated rates of deformation

Modulating affect, cognition and behavior – prospects of deep brain stimulation for treatment resistant psychiatric disorders

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thomas E. Schlaepfer

2011-06-01

Full Text Available Most patients suffering from psychiatric disorders respond to combina-tions of psycho- and psychopharmacotherapy, however there are patients who profit little if anything even after many years of treatment. Since about a decade different modalities of targeted neuromodulation – among them most prominently – Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS - are being actively researched as putative approaches to very treatment resistant forms of those disorders. Recently, promising pilot data have been re-ported both for Major Depression (MD and Obsessive-Compulsive Disor-der (OCD. Given the fact that patients studied had been treated unsuc-cessfully for many years renders these findings remarkable. Remarkable is the fact, that in case of the long-term studies underway for MD, patients show a stable response. This gives hope to a substantial percentage of therapy-resistant psychiatric patients requiring new therapy approaches. There are no fundamental ethic objections to its use in psychiatric disor-ders, but until substantial clinical data is available, mandatory standards are needed. DBS is a unique and very promising method for the treat-ment of therapy-resistant psychiatric patients. The method allows ma-nipulating pathological neuronal networks in a very precise way.

Metagenomic profiles of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) between human impacted estuary and deep ocean sediments.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Baowei; Yang, Ying; Liang, Ximei; Yu, Ke; Zhang, Tong; Li, Xiangdong

2013-11-19

Knowledge of the origins and dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) is essential for understanding modern resistomes in the environment. The mechanisms of the dissemination of ARGs can be revealed through comparative studies on the metagenomic profiling of ARGs between relatively pristine and human-impacted environments. The deep ocean bed of the South China Sea (SCS) is considered to be largely devoid of anthropogenic impacts, while the Pearl River Estuary (PRE) in south China has been highly impacted by intensive human activities. Commonly used antibiotics (sulfamethazine, norfloxacin, ofloxacin, tetracycline, and erythromycin) have been detected through chemical analysis in the PRE sediments, but not in the SCS sediments. In the relatively pristine SCS sediments, the most prevalent and abundant ARGs are those related to resistance to macrolides and polypeptides, with efflux pumps as the predominant mechanism. In the contaminated PRE sediments, the typical ARG profiles suggest a prevailing resistance to antibiotics commonly used in human health and animal farming (including sulfonamides, fluoroquinolones, and aminoglycosides), and higher diversity in both genotype and resistance mechanism than those in the SCS. In particular, antibiotic inactivation significantly contributed to the resistance to aminoglycosides, β-lactams, and macrolides observed in the PRE sediments. There was a significant correlation in the levels of abundance of ARGs and those of mobile genetic elements (including integrons and plasmids), which serve as carriers in the dissemination of ARGs in the aquatic environment. The metagenomic results from the current study support the view that ARGs naturally originate in pristine environments, while human activities accelerate the dissemination of ARGs so that microbes would be able to tolerate selective environmental stress in response to anthropogenic impacts.

How Stressful Is "Deep Bubbling"?

Science.gov (United States)

Tyrmi, Jaana; Laukkanen, Anne-Maria

2017-03-01

Water resistance therapy by phonating through a tube into the water is used to treat dysphonia. Deep submersion (≥10 cm in water, "deep bubbling") is used for hypofunctional voice disorders. Using it with caution is recommended to avoid vocal overloading. This experimental study aimed to investigate how strenuous "deep bubbling" is. Fourteen subjects, half of them with voice training, repeated the syllable [pa:] in comfortable speaking pitch and loudness, loudly, and in strained voice. Thereafter, they phonated a vowel-like sound both in comfortable loudness and loudly into a glass resonance tube immersed 10 cm into the water. Oral pressure, contact quotient (CQ, calculated from electroglottographic signal), and sound pressure level were studied. The peak oral pressure P(oral) during [p] and shuttering of the outer end of the tube was measured to estimate the subglottic pressure P(sub) and the mean P(oral) during vowel portions to enable calculation of transglottic pressure P(trans). Sensations during phonation were reported with an open-ended interview. P(sub) and P(oral) were higher in "deep bubbling" and P(trans) lower than in loud syllable phonation, but the CQ did not differ significantly. Similar results were obtained for the comparison between loud "deep bubbling" and strained phonation, although P(sub) did not differ significantly. Most of the subjects reported "deep bubbling" to be stressful only for respiratory and lip muscles. No big differences were found between trained and untrained subjects. The CQ values suggest that "deep bubbling" may increase vocal fold loading. Further studies should address impact stress during water resistance exercises. Copyright © 2017 The Voice Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Deep neural network convolution (NNC) for three-class classification of diffuse lung disease opacities in high-resolution CT (HRCT): consolidation, ground-glass opacity (GGO), and normal opacity

Science.gov (United States)

Hashimoto, Noriaki; Suzuki, Kenji; Liu, Junchi; Hirano, Yasushi; MacMahon, Heber; Kido, Shoji

2018-02-01

Consolidation and ground-glass opacity (GGO) are two major types of opacities associated with diffuse lung diseases. Accurate detection and classification of such opacities are crucially important in the diagnosis of lung diseases, but the process is subjective, and suffers from interobserver variability. Our study purpose was to develop a deep neural network convolution (NNC) system for distinguishing among consolidation, GGO, and normal lung tissue in high-resolution CT (HRCT). We developed ensemble of two deep NNC models, each of which was composed of neural network regression (NNR) with an input layer, a convolution layer, a fully-connected hidden layer, and a fully-connected output layer followed by a thresholding layer. The output layer of each NNC provided a map for the likelihood of being each corresponding lung opacity of interest. The two NNC models in the ensemble were connected in a class-selection layer. We trained our NNC ensemble with pairs of input 2D axial slices and "teaching" probability maps for the corresponding lung opacity, which were obtained by combining three radiologists' annotations. We randomly selected 10 and 40 slices from HRCT scans of 172 patients for each class as a training and test set, respectively. Our NNC ensemble achieved an area under the receiver-operating-characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC) of 0.981 and 0.958 in distinction of consolidation and GGO, respectively, from normal opacity, yielding a classification accuracy of 93.3% among 3 classes. Thus, our deep-NNC-based system for classifying diffuse lung diseases achieved high accuracies for classification of consolidation, GGO, and normal opacity.

Electrodeposition of Zn and Cu–Zn alloy from ZnO/CuO precursors in deep eutectic solvent

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Xie, Xueliang [State Key Laboratory of Advanced Special Steel & Shanghai Key Laboratory of Advanced Ferrometallurgy & School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200072 (China); Zou, Xingli, E-mail: xinglizou@shu.edu.cn [State Key Laboratory of Advanced Special Steel & Shanghai Key Laboratory of Advanced Ferrometallurgy & School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200072 (China); Lu, Xionggang, E-mail: luxg@shu.edu.cn [State Key Laboratory of Advanced Special Steel & Shanghai Key Laboratory of Advanced Ferrometallurgy & School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200072 (China); Lu, Changyuan; Cheng, Hongwei; Xu, Qian [State Key Laboratory of Advanced Special Steel & Shanghai Key Laboratory of Advanced Ferrometallurgy & School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200072 (China); Zhou, Zhongfu [State Key Laboratory of Advanced Special Steel & Shanghai Key Laboratory of Advanced Ferrometallurgy & School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200072 (China); Institute of Mathematics and Physics, Aberystwyth University, Aberystwyth SY23 3BZ (United Kingdom)

2016-11-01

Graphical abstract: Micro/nanostructured Zn and Cu–Zn alloy films have been electrodeposited directly from ZnO/CuO precursors in ChCl/urea-based DES, the typical nucleation-growth mechanism and the micro/nanostructures-formation process are determined. Display Omitted - Highlights: • Micro/nanostructured Zn films have been electrodeposited directly from ZnO precursor in deep eutectic solvent (DES). • The morphology of the Zn electrodeposits depends on the cathodic potential and temperature. • The electrodeposited Zn films exhibit homogeneous morphologies with controllable particle sizes and improved corrosion resistance. • Cu–Zn alloy films have also been electrodeposited directly from their metal oxides precursors in DES. - Abstract: The electrodeposition of Zn and Cu–Zn alloy has been investigated in choline chloride (ChCl)/urea (1:2 molar ratio) based deep eutectic solvent (DES). Cyclic voltammetry study demonstrates that the reduction of Zn(II) to Zn is a diffusion-controlled quasi-reversible, one-step, two electrons transfer process. Chronoamperometric investigation indicates that the electrodeposition of Zn on a Cu electrode typically involves three-dimensional instantaneous nucleation with diffusion-controlled growth process. Micro/nanostructured Zn films can be obtained by controlling the electrodeposition potential and temperature. The electrodeposited Zn crystals preferentially orient parallel to the (101) plane. The Zn films electrodeposited under more positive potentials and low temperatures exhibit improved corrosion resistance in 3 wt% NaCl solution. In addition, Cu–Zn alloy films have also been electrodeposited directly from CuO–ZnO precursors in ChCl/urea-based DES. The XRD analysis indicates that the phase composition of the electrodeposited Cu–Zn alloy depends on the electrodeposition potential.

Age-dependent mixing of deep-sea sediments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, C.R.; Maggaard, L.; Pope, R.H.; DeMaster, D.J.

1993-01-01

Rates of bioturbation measured in deep-sea sediments commonly are tracer dependent; in particular, shorter lived radiotracers (such as 234 Th) often yield markedly higher diffusive mixing coefficients than their longer-lived counterparts (e.g., 210 Pb). At a single station in the 1,240-m deep Santa Catalina Basin, the authors document a strong negative correlation between bioturbation rate and tracer half-life. Sediment profiles of 234 Th (half-life = 24 days) yield an average mixing coefficient (60 cm 2 y -1 ) two orders of magnitude greater than that for 210 Pb (half-life = 22 y, mean mixing coefficient = 0.4 cm 2 y -1 ). A similar negative relationship between mixing rate and tracer time scale is observed at thirteen other deep-sea sites in which multiple radiotracers have been used to assess diffusive mixing rates. This relationship holds across a variety of radiotracer types and time scales. The authors hypothesize that this negative relationship results from age-dependent mixing, a process in which recently sedimented, food-rich particles are ingested and mixed at higher rates by deposit feeders than are older, food-poor particles. Results from an age-dependent mixing model demonstrate that this process indeed can yield the bioturbation-rate vs. tracer-time-scale correlations observed in deep-sea sediments. Field data on mixing rates of recently sedimented particles, as well as the radiotracer activity of deep-sea deposit feeders, provide strong support for the age-dependent mixing model. The presence of age-dependent mixing in deep-sea sediments may have major implications for diagenetic modeling, requiring a match between the characteristic time scales of mixing tracers and modeled reactants. 102 refs., 6 figs., 5 tabs

A translational study of resistance emergence using sequential direct-acting antiviral agents for hepatitis C using ultra-deep sequencing.

Science.gov (United States)

Abe, Hiromi; Hayes, C Nelson; Hiraga, Nobuhiko; Imamura, Michio; Tsuge, Masataka; Miki, Daiki; Takahashi, Shoichi; Ochi, Hidenori; Chayama, Kazuaki

2013-09-01

Direct-acting antiviral agents (DAAs) against hepatitis C virus (HCV) have recently been developed and are ultimately hoped to replace interferon-based therapy. However, DAA monotherapy results in rapid emergence of resistant strains and DAAs must be used in combinations that present a high genetic barrier to resistance, although viral kinetics of multidrug-resistant strains remain poorly characterized. The aim of this study is to track the emergence and fitness of resistance using combinations of telaprevir and NS5A or NS5B inhibitors with genotype 1b clones. HCV-infected chimeric mice were treated with DAAs, and resistance was monitored using direct and ultra-deep sequencing. Combination therapy with telaprevir and BMS-788329 (NS5A inhibitor) reduced serum HCV RNA to undetectable levels. The presence of an NS3-V36A telaprevir resistance mutation resulted in poor response to telaprevir monotherapy but showed significant HCV reduction when telaprevir was combined with BMS-788329. However, a BMS-788329-resistant strain emerged at low frequency. Infection with a BMS-788329-resistant NS5A-L31V mutation rapidly resulted in gain of an additional NS5A-Y93A mutation that conferred telaprevir resistance during combination therapy. Infection with dual NS5AL31V/NS5AY93H mutations resulted in poor response to combination therapy and development of telaprevir resistance. Although HCV RNA became undetectable soon after the beginning of combination therapy with BMS-788329 and BMS-821095 (NS5B inhibitor), rebound with emergence of resistance against all three drugs occurred. Triple resistance also occurred following infection with the NS3V36A/NS5AL31V/NS5AY93H triple mutation. Resistant strains easily develop from cloned virus strains. Sequential use of DAAs should be avoided to prevent emergence of multidrug-resistant strains.

Resist materials for proton micromachining

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kan, J.A. van; Sanchez, J.L.; Xu, B.; Osipowicz, T.; Watt, F.

1999-01-01

The production of high aspect ratio microstructures is a potential growth area. The combination of deep X-ray lithography with electroforming and micromolding (i.e. LIGA) is one of the main techniques used to produce 3D microstructures. The new technique of proton micromachining employs focused MeV protons in a direct write process which is complementary to LIGA, e.g. micromachining with 2 MeV protons results in microstructures with a height of 63 μm and lateral sub-micrometer resolution in PMMA resist. The aim of this paper is to investigate the capabilities of proton micromachining as a lithographic technique. This involves the study of different types of resists. The dose distribution of high molecular weight PMMA is compared with three other types of resist: First the positive photo resist AZ P4620 will be discussed and then PMGI SF 23, which can be used as a deep UV, e-beam or X-ray resist. Finally SU-8, a new deep UV negative type of chemically amplified resist will be discussed. All these polymers are applied using the spin coating technique at thicknesses of between 1 and 36 μm

Effect of deep stripping massage alone or with eccentric resistance on hamstring length and strength.

Science.gov (United States)

Forman, Jeffrey; Geertsen, Lisbeth; Rogers, Michael E

2014-01-01

Many studies have evaluated the effects of different interventions on hamstring length. However, little research has been conducted on the effects of deep stripping massage strokes (DSMS) alone, or combined with eccentric resistance, on hamstring length and strength. To determine: 1) if DSMS have an effect on hamstring length and strength and 2) if the effects on hamstring length and strength are any different when DSMS are combined with eccentric exercise. 89 Community College students and community members between the ages of 18 and 62 volunteered for the study. Of these, 64 demonstrated tight hamstrings on either one or both sides as defined by supine, passive terminal knee extension of ≤75° and participated in the study. Strength was assessed by pressing the posterior calcaneus into a strain gauge for approximately 5 s while seated with the knee flexed to 90°. On their tighter side, participants were administered longitudinal DSMS during 15, 10-s bouts of eccentric resistance with an elastic resistance band. On their other hamstring, participants were administered 15, 10-s longitudinal DSMS while lying passive. All massage strokes were performed at a depth of 7 out of 10 on a verbal pressure scale index. Afterwards, the hamstring flexibility and strength tests were repeated. Both DSMS with eccentric resistance (10.7%) and DSMS alone (6.3%) resulted in improved (p alone. Strength was not significantly affected by either treatment. These results suggest that DSMS increases hamstring length in less than 3 min but has no affect on strength. Furthermore, combining DSMS with eccentric resistance produces more hamstring flexibility gains than DSMS alone and does not affect strength. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Mechanisms Of The Dissolution Inhibition Effect And Their Application To Designing Novel Deep-UV Resists

Science.gov (United States)

Murata, Makoto; Koshiba, Mitsunobu; Harita, Yoshiyuki

1989-08-01

The dissolution inhibition effect and alkaline solubility were investigated for naphthoquinone diazides like 1,2-naphthoquinone diazide (NQD), its 5-sulfonylchloride (NQD-C) and 5-sulfonyloxybenzene (DAM), and for other compounds like sulfonylchlorides, sulfonyl esters, sulfones and a ketone which do not contain a naphthoquinone diazide moiety. As a result, it has turned out that the dissolution inhibition effect does not depend on the specific structure; namely, the naphthoquinone diazide moiety itself, but largely on the alkaline solubility of the compounds added to a novolak resin. An XPS study for the films consisting of a novolak resin and a dissolution inhibitor indicates a formation of an inhibitor-rich protective thin layer on the film surface after immersion of the film in an alkaline developer. In this paper is proposed a new third dissolution inhibition mechanism in addition to the previously reported chemical crosslinking and dipolar interaction; i.e., the alkaline insoluble protective layer inhibits the dissolution of novolak resin at the interface between the film and the developer. A new three-component type deep-UV resist has been also developed as an application of the new mechanism. The resist consists of a novolak resin, 5-diazo Meldrum's acid and a new dissolution inhibitors like phenyltosylate and p-phenylene ditosylate, which successfully improve the residual resist thickness.

Development of lithium diffused radiation resistant solar cells, part 2

Science.gov (United States)

Payne, P. R.; Somberg, H.

1971-01-01

The work performed to investigate the effect of various process parameters on the performance of lithium doped P/N solar cells is described. Effort was concentrated in four main areas: (1) the starting material, (2) the boron diffusion, (3) the lithium diffusion, and (4) the contact system. Investigation of starting material primarily involved comparison of crucible grown silicon (high oxygen content) and Lopex silicon (low oxygen content). In addition, the effect of varying growing parameters of crucible grown silicon on lithium cell output was also examined. The objective of the boron diffusion studies was to obtain a diffusion process which produced high efficiency cells with minimal silicon stressing and could be scaled up to process 100 or more cells per diffusion. Contact studies included investigating sintering of the TiAg contacts and evaluation of the contact integrity.

Suppression of Lateral Diffusion and Surface Leakage Currents in nBn Photodetectors Using an Inverted Design

Science.gov (United States)

Du, X.; Savich, G. R.; Marozas, B. T.; Wicks, G. W.

2018-02-01

Surface leakage and lateral diffusion currents in InAs-based nBn photodetectors have been investigated. Devices fabricated using a shallow etch processing scheme that etches through the top contact and stops at the barrier exhibited large lateral diffusion current but undetectably low surface leakage. Such large lateral diffusion current significantly increased the dark current, especially in small devices, and causes pixel-to-pixel crosstalk in detector arrays. To eliminate the lateral diffusion current, two different approaches were examined. The conventional solution utilized a deep etch process, which etches through the top contact, barrier, and absorber. This deep etch processing scheme eliminated lateral diffusion, but introduced high surface current along the device mesa sidewalls, increasing the dark current. High device failure rate was also observed in deep-etched nBn structures. An alternative approach to limit lateral diffusion used an inverted nBn structure that has its absorber grown above the barrier. Like the shallow etch process on conventional nBn structures, the inverted nBn devices were fabricated with a processing scheme that only etches the top layer (the absorber, in this case) but avoids etching through the barrier. The results show that inverted nBn devices have the advantage of eliminating the lateral diffusion current without introducing elevated surface current.

The effects of deep level traps on the electrical properties of semi-insulating CdZnTe

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zha, Gangqiang; Yang, Jian; Xu, Lingyan; Feng, Tao; Wang, Ning; Jie, Wanqi [State Key Laboratory of Solidification Processing, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi' an (China)

2014-01-28

Deep level traps have considerable effects on the electrical properties and radiation detection performance of high resistivity CdZnTe. A deep-trap model for high resistivity CdZnTe was proposed in this paper. The high resistivity mechanism and the electrical properties were analyzed based on this model. High resistivity CdZnTe with high trap ionization energy E{sub t} can withstand high bias voltages. The leakage current is dependent on both the deep traps and the shallow impurities. The performance of a CdZnTe radiation detector will deteriorate at low temperatures, and the way in which sub-bandgap light excitation could improve the low temperature performance can be explained using the deep trap model.

Electro-codeposition of Ni-SiO2 nanocomposite coatings from deep eutectic solvent with improved corrosion resistance

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Ruiqian; Hou, Yuanyuan; Liang, Jun

2016-03-01

Electro-codeposition of nano-sized SiO2 particles into the metal matrix in aqueous solution is generally difficult. In this paper, the nano-sized SiO2 particles were successfully codeposited in the Ni matrix from a choline chloride (ChCl)/ethylene glycol (EG) based deep eutectic solvent (DES) by pulse electro-codeposition. The effects of nano-sized SiO2 particles on electrochemical behaviour of Ni(II) were investigated. The microstructure, composition and corrosion resistance of pure Ni and Ni-SiO2 nanocomposite coatings were explored. Results showed that the SiO2 nanoparticles exhibited excellent dispersion stability in ChCl:2EG DES without any stabilizing additives and the presence of SiO2 nanoparticles have significant effects on the nucleation mechanism of Ni. The maximum content of SiO2 nanoparticles in composite coatings can achieve 4.69 wt.%, which closes to the level of co-deposition micro-sized SiO2 particles from aqueous solution. The Ni-SiO2 nanocomposite coatings exhibit much better corrosion resistance than pure Ni coating, and the corrosion resistance performance increases with increasing SiO2 content in the composite coatings.

Combination Treatment of Deep Sea Water and Fucoidan Attenuates High Glucose-Induced Insulin-Resistance in HepG2 Hepatocytes

OpenAIRE

Shan He; Wei-Bing Peng; Hong-Lei Zhou

2018-01-01

Insulin resistance (IR) plays a central role in the development of several metabolic diseases, which leads to increased morbidity and mortality rates, in addition to soaring health-care costs. Deep sea water (DSW) and fucoidans (FPS) have drawn much attention in recent years because of their potential medical and pharmaceutical applications. This study investigated the effects and mechanisms of combination treatment of DSW and FPS in improving IR in HepG2 hepatocytes induced by a high glucose...

Hydrogen diffusion at moderate temperatures in p-type Czochralski silicon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huang, Y.L.; Ma, Y.; Job, R.; Ulyashin, A.G.

2004-01-01

In plasma-hydrogenated p-type Czochralski silicon, rapid thermal donor (TD) formation is achieved, resulting from the catalytic support of hydrogen. The n-type counter doping by TD leads to a p-n junction formation. A simple method for the indirect determination of the diffusivity of hydrogen via applying the spreading resistance probe measurements is presented. Hydrogen diffusion in silicon during both plasma hydrogenation and post-hydrogenation annealing is investigated. The impact of the hydrogenation duration, annealing temperature, and resistivity of the silicon wafers on the hydrogen diffusion is discussed. Diffusivities of hydrogen are determined in the temperature range 270-450 deg. C. The activation energy for the hydrogen diffusion is deduced to be 1.23 eV. The diffusion of hydrogen is interpreted within the framework of a trap-limited diffusion mechanism. Oxygen and hydrogen are found to be the main traps

Ion permeability of artificial membranes evaluated by diffusion potential and electrical resistance measurements.

Science.gov (United States)

Shlyonsky, Vadim

2013-12-01

In the present article, a novel model of artificial membranes that provides efficient assistance in teaching the origins of diffusion potentials is proposed. These membranes are made of polycarbonate filters fixed to 12-mm plastic rings and then saturated with a mixture of creosol and n-decane. The electrical resistance and potential difference across these membranes can be easily measured using a low-cost volt-ohm meter and home-made Ag/AgCl electrodes. The advantage of the model is the lack of ionic selectivity of the membrane, which can be modified by the introduction of different ionophores to the organic liquid mixture. A membrane treated with the mixture containing valinomycin generates voltages from -53 to -25 mV in the presence of a 10-fold KCl gradient (in to out) and from -79 to -53 mV in the presence of a bi-ionic KCl/NaCl gradient (in to out). This latter bi-ionic gradient potential reverses to a value from +9 to +20 mV when monensin is present in the organic liquid mixture. Thus, the model can be build stepwise, i.e., all factors leading to the development of diffusion potentials can be introduced sequentially, helping students to understand the quantitative relationships of ionic gradients and differential membrane permeability in the generation of cell electrical signals.

Diffusive boundary layers over varying topography

KAUST Repository

Dell, R. W.

2015-03-25

Diffusive bottom boundary layers can produce upslope flows in a stratified fluid. Accumulating observations suggest that these boundary layers may drive upwelling and mixing in mid-ocean ridge flank canyons. However, most studies of diffusive bottom boundary layers to date have concentrated on constant bottom slopes. We present a study of how diffusive boundary layers interact with various idealized topography, such as changes in bottom slope, slopes with corrugations and isolated sills. We use linear theory and numerical simulations in the regional ocean modeling system (ROMS) model to show changes in bottom slope can cause convergences and divergences within the boundary layer, in turn causing fluid exchanges that reach far into the overlying fluid and alter stratification far from the bottom. We also identify several different regimes of boundary-layer behaviour for topography with oceanographically relevant size and shape, including reversing flows and overflows, and we develop a simple theory that predicts the regime boundaries, including what topographies will generate overflows. As observations also suggest there may be overflows in deep canyons where the flow passes over isolated bumps and sills, this parameter range may be particularly significant for understanding the role of boundary layers in the deep ocean.

MR imaging evidence of anisotropic diffusion in the cat brain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moseley, M.E.; Mintorovich, J.; Cohen, Y.; Chilevitt, L.; Tsuruda, J.; Norman, D.; Weinstein, P.

1989-01-01

This paper discusses a study of diffusion behavior of brain water in the cat. Diffusion-weighted images, acquired with large gradient b values of 1,000-2,000 sec/mm 2 , showed no clear evidence of anisotropic water diffusion in either gray matter or basal ganglia. Large directional differences in image intensities and diffusion values were observed in cortical and deep white matter. Faster diffusion was sen when the direction of the applied diffusion gradient was parallel to the orientation of the white matter. Diffusion perpendicular to the gradient direction was significantly lower. This effect was proportional to gradient duration and strength and was seen in both pre- and immediate post-mortem images in all axial, sagittal, and coronal images

Fiber Orientation Estimation Guided by a Deep Network.

Science.gov (United States)

Ye, Chuyang; Prince, Jerry L

2017-09-01

Diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI) is currently the only tool for noninvasively imaging the brain's white matter tracts. The fiber orientation (FO) is a key feature computed from dMRI for tract reconstruction. Because the number of FOs in a voxel is usually small, dictionary-based sparse reconstruction has been used to estimate FOs. However, accurate estimation of complex FO configurations in the presence of noise can still be challenging. In this work we explore the use of a deep network for FO estimation in a dictionary-based framework and propose an algorithm named Fiber Orientation Reconstruction guided by a Deep Network (FORDN). FORDN consists of two steps. First, we use a smaller dictionary encoding coarse basis FOs to represent diffusion signals. To estimate the mixture fractions of the dictionary atoms, a deep network is designed to solve the sparse reconstruction problem. Second, the coarse FOs inform the final FO estimation, where a larger dictionary encoding a dense basis of FOs is used and a weighted ℓ 1 -norm regularized least squares problem is solved to encourage FOs that are consistent with the network output. FORDN was evaluated and compared with state-of-the-art algorithms that estimate FOs using sparse reconstruction on simulated and typical clinical dMRI data. The results demonstrate the benefit of using a deep network for FO estimation.

Direct observation and measurements of neutron induced deep levels responsible for N{sub eff} changes in high resistivity silicon detectors using TCT

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, Z.; Li, C.J. [Brookhaven National Lab., Upton, NY (United States); Eremin, V.; Verbitskaya, E. [AN SSSR, Leningrad (Russian Federation). Fiziko-Tekhnicheskij Inst.

1996-03-01

Neutron induced deep levels responsible for changes of space charge concentration {ital N{sub eff}} in high resistivity silicon detectors have been observed directly using the transient current technique (TCT). It has been observed by TCT that the absolute value and sign of {ital N{sub eff}} experience changes due to the trapping of non- equilibrium free carriers generated near the surface (about 5 micrometers depth into the silicon) by short wavelength laser pulses in fully depleted detectors. Electron trapping causes {ital N{sub eff}} to change toward negative direction (or more acceptor-like space charges) and hole trapping causes {ital N{sub eff}} to change toward positive direction (or more donor-like space charges). The specific temperature associated with these {ital N{sub eff}} changes are those of the frozen-up temperatures for carrier emission of the corresponding deep levels. The carrier capture cross sections of various deep levels have been measured directly using different free carrier injection schemes. 10 refs., 12 figs., 3 tabs.

Now consider diffusion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dungey, J.W.

1984-01-01

The authors want to talk about future work, but first he will reply to Stan Cowley's comment on his naivety in believing in the whole story to 99% confidence in '65, when he knew about Fairfield's results. Does it matter whether you make the right judgment about theories? Yes, it does, particularly for experimentalists perhaps, but also for theorists. The work you do later depends on the judgment you've made on previous work. People have wasted a lot of time developing on insecure or even wrong foundations. Now for future work. One mild surprise the authors have had is that they haven't heard more about diffusion, in two contexts. Gordon Rostoker is yet to come and he may talk about particles getting into the magnetosphere by diffusion. Lots of noise is observed and so diffusion must happen. If time had not been short, the authors were planning to discuss in a handwaving way what sort of diffusion mechanisms one might consider. The other aspect of diffusion he was going to talk about is at the other end of things and is velocity diffusion, which is involved in anomalous resistivity

Unicompartmental muscle edema: an early sign of deep venous thrombosis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liu, Patrick T. [Mayo Clinic Scottsdale, Department of Diagnostic Radiology, 13400 E. Shea Boulevard, Scottsdale, AZ 85259 (United States); Ilaslan, Hakan [Mayo Clinic Rochester, Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Rochester, Minnesota (United States)

2003-01-01

The finding of muscle edema restricted to a single muscle compartment on MRI usually indicates a diagnosis of traumatic injury, myositis, denervation or neoplasm. This case demonstrates that deep venous thrombosis can also be the cause of isolated deep posterior compartment muscle edema in the calf and should be considered in the differential diagnosis even in the absence of diffuse soft tissue or subcutaneous edema. (orig.)

Characterization of irradiation induced deep and shallow impurities

Science.gov (United States)

Treberspurg, Wolfgang; Bergauer, Thomas; Dragicevic, Marko; Krammer, Manfred; Valentan, Manfred

2013-12-01

Silicon Detectors close to the interaction point of the High Luminosity Large Hardron Collider (HL-LHC) have to withstand a harsh irradiation environment. In order to evaluate the behaviour of shallow and deep defects, induced by neutron irradiation, spreading resistance resistivity measurements and capacitance voltage measurements have been performed. These measurements, deliver information about the profile of shallow impurities after irradiation as well as indications of deep defects in the Space Charge Region (SCR) and the Electrical Neutral Bulk (ENB). By considering the theoretical background of the measurement both kinds of defects can be investigated independently from each other.

Characterization of irradiation induced deep and shallow impurities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Treberspurg, Wolfgang, E-mail: wolfgang.treberspurg@oeaw.ac.at; Bergauer, Thomas; Dragicevic, Marko; Krammer, Manfred; Valentan, Manfred

2013-12-21

Silicon Detectors close to the interaction point of the High Luminosity Large Hardron Collider (HL-LHC) have to withstand a harsh irradiation environment. In order to evaluate the behaviour of shallow and deep defects, induced by neutron irradiation, spreading resistance resistivity measurements and capacitance voltage measurements have been performed. These measurements, deliver information about the profile of shallow impurities after irradiation as well as indications of deep defects in the Space Charge Region (SCR) and the Electrical Neutral Bulk (ENB). By considering the theoretical background of the measurement both kinds of defects can be investigated independently from each other.

Characterization of irradiation induced deep and shallow impurities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Treberspurg, Wolfgang; Bergauer, Thomas; Dragicevic, Marko; Krammer, Manfred; Valentan, Manfred

2013-01-01

Silicon Detectors close to the interaction point of the High Luminosity Large Hardron Collider (HL-LHC) have to withstand a harsh irradiation environment. In order to evaluate the behaviour of shallow and deep defects, induced by neutron irradiation, spreading resistance resistivity measurements and capacitance voltage measurements have been performed. These measurements, deliver information about the profile of shallow impurities after irradiation as well as indications of deep defects in the Space Charge Region (SCR) and the Electrical Neutral Bulk (ENB). By considering the theoretical background of the measurement both kinds of defects can be investigated independently from each other

Failure mechanism and supporting measures for large deformation of Tertiary deep soft rock

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Guo Zhibiao; Wang Jiong; Zhang Yuelin

2015-01-01

The Shenbei mining area in China contains typical soft rock from the Tertiary Period. As mining depths increase, deep soft rock roadways are damaged by large deformations and constantly need to be repaired to meet safety requirements, which is a great security risk. In this study, the characteristics of deformation and failure of typical roadway were analyzed, and the fundamental reason for the roadway deformation was that traditional support methods and materials cannot control the large deformation of deep soft rock. Deep soft rock support technology was developed based on constant resistance energy absorption using constant resistance large deformation bolts. The correlative deformation mechanisms of surrounding rock and bolt were analyzed to understand the principle of constant resistance energy absorption. The new technology works well on-site and provides a new method for the excavation of roadways in Tertiary deep soft rock.

Ion-plasma diffusion aluminide coatings for gas turbine blades (structure and properties)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Muboyadzhyan, S.A.; Budinovskij, S.A.; Terekhova, V.V.

2003-01-01

A consideration is given to the ion-plasma method of heart resisting alloy diffusion coating with alloyed aluminides offering some advantages over routine techniques. Specific features of ion-plasma diffusion coatings production at the surface of heart resisting alloys using one- and multistage techniques are studied. The process of formation of coatings (Al-Si-Y, Al-Si-Ni-B, Al-Si-Cr-Y) along with coating effects on long-term heat resistance of nickel base alloys (ZhS6U, VZhL12U, ZhS26VNK) is investigated. The advantages of the new method of diffusion aluminide coatings are reported [ru

Diffusive retention of atmospheric gases in chert

Science.gov (United States)

Pettitt, E.; Cherniak, D. J.; Watson, E. B.; Schaller, M. F.

2016-12-01

Throughout Earth's history, the volatile contents (N2, CO2, Ar) of both deep and shallow terrestrial reservoirs has been dynamic. Volatiles are important chemical constituents because they play a significant role in regulating Earth's climate, mediating the evolution of complex life, and controlling the properties of minerals and rocks. Estimating levels of atmospheric volatiles in the deep geological past requires interrogation of materials that have acquired and retained a chemical memory from that time. Cherts have the potential to trap atmospheric components during formation and later release those gases for analysis in the laboratory. However, cherts have been underexploited in this regard, partly because their ability to retain a record of volatile components has not been adequately evaluated. Before cherts can be reliably used as indicators of past levels of major atmospheric gases, it is crucial that we understand the diffusive retentiveness of these cryptocrystalline silica phases. As the first step toward quantifying the diffusivity and solubility of carbon dioxide and nitrogen in chert, we have performed 1-atmosphere diffusive-uptake experiments at temperatures up to 450°C. Depth profiles of in-diffusing gases are measured by nuclear reaction analysis (NRA) to help us understand the molecular-scale transport of volatiles and thus the validity of using chert-bound volatiles to record information about Earth history. Data collected to date suggest that at least some cherts are ideal storage containers and can retain volatiles for a geologically long time. In addition to these diffusion experiments, preliminary online-crush fast-scan measurements using a quadrupole mass spectrometer indicate that atmospheric volatiles are released upon crushing various chert samples. By coupling such volatile-release measurements made by mass spectrometry with diffusion experiments, we are uniquely able to address the storage and fidelity of volatiles bound in crustal

Diffusion-weighted imaging for the follow-up of patients after matrix-associated autologous chondrocyte transplantation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Friedrich, Klaus M.; Mamisch, Tallal C.; Plank, Christina; Langs, Georg; Marlovits, Stefan; Salomonowitz, Erich; Trattnig, Siegfried; Welsch, Goetz

2010-01-01

Objective: To evaluate the use of diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) for the assessment of cartilage maturation in patients after matrix-associated autologous chondrocyte transplantation (MACT). Materials and methods: Fifteen patients after MACT were examined by 3.0-T magnetic-resonance-tomography; the examination was up to 13 month after surgery in group 1, and later than 13 month after surgery in group 2. Both groups had a follow-up one-year later. DWI was acquired using a steady-state gradient-echo sequence. Mean values of the diffusion quotients of regions of interest within cartilage repair tissue and of reference regions were assessed. Each region-of-interest was subdivided into a deep, and a superficial area. Results: Mean diffusion quotients of cartilage repair tissues were 1.44 (baseline), and 1.44 (follow-up). Mean diffusion quotients of reference tissues were 1.29 (baseline) and 1.28 (follow-up). At the follow-up diffusion quotients of cartilage repair tissue were significantly higher than those of reference cartilage. In group 1 the diffusion quotients were significantly lower at the follow-up (1.45 versus 1.65); in group 2 no statistically significant differences between follow-up (1.39) and baseline (1.41) were found. Reference cartilages and cartilage repair tissues of group 2 showed a decrease of diffusion quotients from the deep to the superficial area being stable at the follow-up. In group 1 initially a significant increase (1.49 versus 1.78) of the diffusion quotients from deep to superficial area of the cartilage repair tissue was found changing into a decrease (1.65 versus 1.52) at the follow-up. Conclusions: DWI detected changes of diffusion within cartilage repair tissue that may reflect cartilage maturation. Changes in diffusity occurred up to two years after surgery and were stable later. Zonal variations within cartilage could be measured.

Deep electrical resistivity tomography and geothermal analysis of Bradano foredeep deposits in Venosa area (Southern Italy: preliminary results

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V. Lapenna

2008-06-01

Full Text Available Geophysical surveys have been carried out to characterize the stratigraphical and structural setting and to better understand the deep water circulation system in the Venosa area (Southern Italy located in the frontal portion of the southern Appenninic Subduction. In this area there are some deep water wells from which a water conductivity of about 3 mS/cm and a temperature of about 35°C was measured. A deep geoelectrical tomography with dipole-dipole array has been carried out along a profile of 10000 m and an investigation depth of about 900 m. Furthermore a broad band magnetotelluric profile consisting of six stations was performed to infer the resistivity distribution up to some kilometres of depth. The MT profile was almost coincident with the geoelectrical outline. The applied methods allow us to obtain a mutual control and integrated interpretation of the data. The high resolution of the data was the key to reconstruct the structural asset of buried carbonatic horst whose top is located at about 600 m depth. The final results coming from data wells, geothermal analysis and geophysical data, highlighted a horst saturated with salted water and an anomalous local gradient of 60°C/km. The proposed mechanism is that of a mixing of fossil and fresh water circulation system.

Sacrificial wafer bonding for planarization after very deep etching

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Spiering, V.L.; Spiering, Vincent L.; Berenschot, Johan W.; Elwenspoek, Michael Curt; Fluitman, J.H.J.

A new technique is presented that provides planarization after a very deep etching step in silicon. This offers the possibility for as well resist spinning and layer patterning as realization of bridges or cantilevers across deep holes or grooves. The sacrificial wafer bonding technique contains a

Construction of System for Seismic Observation in Deep Borehole (SODB) - Development of Multi-depth, High-temperature/pressure resistance seismometer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mamada, Yutaka

2014-01-01

The development of a high quality system for seismic observation in deep boreholes, the installation process at the NIIT site, and the data sharing plan for this observation were explained. The key points of the development were high temperature resistance (150 degrees Celsius), high pressure resistance (30 MPa), and a high dynamic/wide frequency range seismometer which allows for observation of micro-tremor to strong motions as well as a cascade-connection-type borehole seismometer, which allows multiple probes to be set at several depths in a single borehole. The developed system consists of broadband (0.1-50 Hz) and high dynamic range (up to 1000 gal) seismometer with electronic parts on the ground and only the pendulum part in the borehole (it became a servo-type seismometer). Durability and maintenance may be issues in the future. (author)

High-level radioactive waste disposal in the deep ocean

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hill, H.W.

1977-01-01

A joint programme has begun between the Fisheries Laboratory, Lowestoft and the Institute of Oceanographic Sciences, Wormley to study the dispersion of radioactivity in the deep ocean arising from the possible dumping of high level waste on the sea bed in vitrified-glass form which would permit slow leakage over a long term scale. The programme consists firstly of the development of a simple diffusion/advection model for the dispersion of radioactivity in a closed and finite ocean, which overcomes many of the criticisms of the earlier model proposed by Webb and Morley. Preliminary results from this new model are comparable to those of the Webb-Morley model for radio isotopes with half-lives of 10-300 years but are considerably more restrictive outside this range, particularly for those which are much longer-lived. The second part of the programme, towards which the emphasis is directed, concerns the field programme planned to measure the advection and diffusion parameters in the deeper layers of the ocean to provide realistic input parameters to the model and increase our fundamental understanding of the environment in which the radioactive materials may be released. The first cruises of the programme will take place in late 1976 and involve deep current meter deployments and float dispersion experiments around the present NEA dump site with some sediment sampling, so that adsorption experiments can be started on typical deep sea sediments. The programme will expand the number of long-term deep moored stations over the next five years and include further float experiments, CTD profiling, and other physical oceanography. In the second half of the 5-year programme, attempts will be made to measure diffusion parameters in the deeper layers of the ocean using radioactive tracers

Effects of resistive bodies on DC electrical soundings

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

L. Alfano

1996-06-01

Full Text Available Some deep DC electrical soundings, performed in alpine and apenninic areas with the continuous polar dipole-dipole spread, show apparent resistivity curves with positive slopes. Measured values of apparent resistivity reach 30000 Wm. Applying the "surface charges" method we developed three dimensional mathematical models, by means of which we can state simple rules for determining the minimum extensions of the deep resistive bodies, fundamental information for a more precise interpretation of the field results.

Current limiting capability of diffused resistors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shedd, W.; Cappelli, J.

1979-01-01

An experimental evaluation of the current limiting capability of dielectrically isolated diffused resistors at transient ionizing dose rates up to 6*10 12 rads(Si)/sec is presented. Existing theoretical predictions of the transient response of diffused resistors are summarized and compared to the experimentally measured values. The test resistors used allow the effects of sheet resistance and geometry on the transient response to be determined. The experimental results show that typical dielectrically isolated diffused resistors maintain adequate current limiting capability for use in radiation hardened integrated circuits

Beta limit of resistive plasma in Torsatron / Heliotron

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Itoh, K.; Ichiguchi, K.; Itoh, S.I.

1992-02-01

Stability against the interchange mode in the Torsatron / Heliotron device is investigated, taking into account the effects of the resistivity, current diffusivity, ion viscosity and thermal diffusivity. Critical beta for the low-mode-number stability is found at the finite beta value. For the range of plasma parameters of the present experiments, the resistive mode and current diffusive mode set comparable critical beta values, which are consistent with experimental observations. In future high temperature plasmas, the current diffusive mode determines the stability limit for the global mode. (author)

Research on deep electromagnetic induction methods (Fy 1985)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Murakami, Hiroshi; Uchida, Toshihiro; Tanaka, Shin' ichi

1987-06-01

Geological Survey of Japan started from FY 1984 a research of deep electomagnetic induction methods as a part of the research on deep geothermal resources prospecting technology, the Sunshine Project. This article is the report of its second fiscal year. These methods are a generic term of the methods to survey specific resistance structure in the deep part of the earth by utilizing the technique of the electromagnetic induction method and the time domain CSMT method aiming to survey about estimated depth of 5Km as well as the CA method to estimate the general structure of the earth of the depth of 5Km or more are now being developed. This article reports the respective methods separately. Concerning the former, the reception of useful signals were successfully made during the FY 1984 field experiment and based on this, field experiments in a geothermal area were conducted in FY 1985 verifying its effectivenss. With regard to the latter, following FY 1984, CA observations were conducted in the northern part of Tohoku Region and the deep specific resistance structure in a wide area was surveyed. (43 figs, 1 tab, 11 refs)

Opacity annotation of diffuse lung diseases using deep convolutional neural network with multi-channel information

Science.gov (United States)

Mabu, Shingo; Kido, Shoji; Hashimoto, Noriaki; Hirano, Yasushi; Kuremoto, Takashi

2018-02-01

This research proposes a multi-channel deep convolutional neural network (DCNN) for computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) that classifies normal and abnormal opacities of diffuse lung diseases in Computed Tomography (CT) images. Because CT images are gray scale, DCNN usually uses one channel for inputting image data. On the other hand, this research uses multi-channel DCNN where each channel corresponds to the original raw image or the images transformed by some preprocessing techniques. In fact, the information obtained only from raw images is limited and some conventional research suggested that preprocessing of images contributes to improving the classification accuracy. Thus, the combination of the original and preprocessed images is expected to show higher accuracy. The proposed method realizes region of interest (ROI)-based opacity annotation. We used lung CT images taken in Yamaguchi University Hospital, Japan, and they are divided into 32 × 32 ROI images. The ROIs contain six kinds of opacities: consolidation, ground-glass opacity (GGO), emphysema, honeycombing, nodular, and normal. The aim of the proposed method is to classify each ROI into one of the six opacities (classes). The DCNN structure is based on VGG network that secured the first and second places in ImageNet ILSVRC-2014. From the experimental results, the classification accuracy of the proposed method was better than the conventional method with single channel, and there was a significant difference between them.

Diffused zircaloy 2/stainless steel junctions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jacques, F.

1964-01-01

The diffusion permits to realize joints between two different materials, in fact of the formation of a liquid phase at the contact face. The study of the tensile properties allowed the determination of the ideal conditions for the diffusion treatment which are, within 2 and 3 minutes for a temperature within 1020 C and 1030 C. The characteristics of the so obtained joints were, studied: mechanical properties, tightness, resistance to thermal cycling. Analysis of the thermal stress, owing to the differential dilatation of the two materials mode the object of a particular study. The investigation on the diffusion zone, includes specially, an analysis of the constituents distribution formed during the diffusion treatment. (author) [fr

PI3Kδ inhibitor idelalisib in combination with BTK inhibitor ONO/GS-4059 in diffuse large B cell lymphoma with acquired resistance to PI3Kδ and BTK inhibitors.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anella Yahiaoui

Full Text Available Activated B-cell-like diffuse large B-cell lymphoma relies on B-cell receptor signaling to drive proliferation and survival. Downstream of the B-cell receptor, the key signaling kinases Bruton's tyrosine kinase and phosphoinositide 3-kinase δ offer opportunities for therapeutic intervention by agents such as ibrutinib, ONO/GS-4059, and idelalisib. Combination therapy with such targeted agents could provide enhanced efficacy due to complimentary mechanisms of action. In this study, we describe both the additive interaction of and resistance mechanisms to idelalisib and ONO/GS-4059 in a model of activated B-cell-like diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. Significant tumor regression was observed with a combination of PI3Kδ and Bruton's tyrosine kinase inhibitors in the mouse TMD8 xenograft. Acquired resistance to idelalisib in the TMD8 cell line occurred by loss of phosphatase and tensin homolog and phosphoinositide 3-kinase pathway upregulation, but not by mutation of PIK3CD. Sensitivity to idelalisib could be restored by combining idelalisib and ONO/GS-4059. Further evaluation of targeted inhibitors revealed that the combination of idelalisib and the phosphoinositide-dependent kinase-1 inhibitor GSK2334470 or the AKT inhibitor MK-2206 could partially overcome resistance. Characterization of acquired Bruton's tyrosine kinase inhibitor resistance revealed a novel tumor necrosis factor alpha induced protein 3 mutation (TNFAIP3 Q143*, which led to a loss of A20 protein, and increased p-IκBα. The combination of idelalisib and ONO/GS-4059 partially restored sensitivity in this resistant line. Additionally, a mutation in Bruton's tyrosine kinase at C481F was identified as a mechanism of resistance. The combination activity observed with idelalisib and ONO/GS-4059, taken together with the ability to overcome resistance, could lead to a new therapeutic option in activated B-cell-like diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. A clinical trial is currently underway to

The Effect of Temperature on Kinetics and Diffusion Coefficients of Metallocene Derivatives in Polyol-Based Deep Eutectic Solvents.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Laleh Bahadori

Full Text Available The temperature dependence of the density, dynamic viscosity and ionic conductivity of several deep eutectic solvents (DESs containing ammonium-based salts and hydrogen bond donvnors (polyol type are investigated. The temperature-dependent electrolyte viscosity as a function of molar conductivity is correlated by means of Walden's rule. The oxidation of ferrocene (Fc/Fc+ and reduction of cobaltocenium (Cc+/Cc at different temperatures are studied by cyclic voltammetry and potential-step chronoamperometry in DESs. For most DESs, chronoamperometric transients are demonstrated to fit an Arrhenius-type relation to give activation energies for the diffusion of redox couples at different temperatures. The temperature dependence of the measured conductivities of DES1 and DES2 are better correlated with the Vogel-Tamman-Fulcher equation. The kinetics of the Fc/Fc+ and Cc+/Cc electrochemical systems have been investigated over a temperature range from 298 to 338 K. The heterogeneous electron transfer rate constant is then calculated at different temperatures by means of a logarithmic analysis. The glycerol-based DES (DES5 appears suitable for further testing in electrochemical energy storage devices.

Electrical resistivity testing for as-built concrete performance assessment of chloride penetration resistance

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Polder, R.B.; Peelen, W.H.A.

2014-01-01

The electrical resistivity of concrete can provide information about its transport properties, which is relevant for durability performance. For example, resistivity is inversely proportional to chloride diffusion, at least within similar concrete compositions. A methodology is proposed for on-site

Evaluation of static resistance of deep foundation [project summary].

Science.gov (United States)

2017-06-01

Various types of deep foundations were investigated including steel H-piles, pre-stressed concrete piles, open cylindrical steel and concrete piles with diameters greater than 36 inches, and drilled shafts with partial length permanent casing. : The ...

The influence of deep cryogenic treatment on the properties of high-vanadium alloy steel

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, Haizhi [Key Laboratory of Electromagnetic Processing of Materials (Ministry of Education), Northeastern University, Shenyang 110819 (China); Tong, Weiping, E-mail: wptong@mail.neu.edu.cn [Key Laboratory of Electromagnetic Processing of Materials (Ministry of Education), Northeastern University, Shenyang 110819 (China); Cui, Junjun [State Key Laboratory of Rolling and Automation, Northeastern University, Shenyang 110819 (China); Zhang, Hui [Key Laboratory of Electromagnetic Processing of Materials (Ministry of Education), Northeastern University, Shenyang 110819 (China); Chen, Liqing [State Key Laboratory of Rolling and Automation, Northeastern University, Shenyang 110819 (China); Zuo, Liang [Key Laboratory for Anisotropy and Texture of Materials (Ministry of Education), School of Materials and Metallurgy, Northeastern University, Shenyang 110819 (China)

2016-04-26

Deep cryogenic treatment can improve the mechanical properties of many metallic materials, but there are few reports of the effect of deep cryogenic treatment on high-vanadium alloy steel. The main objective of this work is to investigate the effect of deep cryogenic treatment on the microstructure, hardness, impact toughness and abrasive wear resistance of high-vanadium alloy steel. The results show that large amounts of small secondary carbide precipitation after deep cryogenic treatment and microcracks were detected and occurred preferentially at carbide/matrix interfaces; except for the hardness, the mechanical properties increased compared to those of the conventional treatment sample. By increasing the deep cryogenic processing time and cycle number, impact toughness and abrasive wear resistance can be further improved, the carbide contents continuously increase, and the hardness decreases.

Comparison of real-time PCR with disk diffusion, agar screen and E-test methods for detection of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

Science.gov (United States)

Shariati, Laleh; Validi, Majid; Tabatabaiefar, Mohammad Amin; Karimi, Ali; Nafisi, Mohammad Reza

2010-12-01

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a nosocomial pathogen. Our main objective was to compare oxacillin disk test, oxacillin E-test, and oxacillin agar screen for detection of methicillin resistance in S. aureus, using real-time PCR for mecA as the "gold standard" comparison assay. 196 S. aureus isolates were identified out of 284 Staphylococcus isolates. These isolates were screened for MRSA with several methods: disk diffusion, agar screen (6.0 μg/ml), oxacillin E-test, and real-time PCR for detection of mecA gene. Of the 196 S. aureus isolates tested, 96 isolates (49%) were mecA-positive and 100 isolates (51%) mecA-negative. All methods tested had a statistically significant agreement with real-time PCR. E-test was 100% sensitive and specific for mecA presence. The sensitivity and specificity of oxacillin agar screen method were 98 and 99%, respectively and sensitivity and specificity of oxacillin disk diffusion method were 95 and 93%, respectively. In the present study, oxacillin E-test is proposed as the best phenotypic method. For economic reasons, the oxacillin agar screen method (6.0 μg/ml), which is suitable for the detection of MRSA, is recommended due to its accuracy and low cost.

Modeling of Antenna for Deep Target Hydrocarbon Exploration

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nadeem Nasir

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Nowadays control source electromagnetic method is used for offshore hydrocarbon exploration. Hydrocarbon detection in sea bed logging (SBL is a very challenging task for deep target hydrocarbon reservoir. Response of electromagnetic (EM field from marine environment is very low and it is very difficult to predict deep target reservoir below 2km from the sea floor. This work premise deals with modeling of new antenna for deep water deep target hydrocarbon exploration. Conventional and new EM antennas at 0.125Hz frequency are used in modeling for the detection of deep target hydrocarbon  reservoir.  The  proposed  area  of  the  seabed model   (40km ´ 40km   was   simulated   by using CST (computer simulation technology EM studio based on Finite Integration Method (FIM. Electromagnetic field components were compared at 500m target depth and it was concluded that Ex and Hz components shows better resistivity contrast. Comparison of conventional and new antenna for different target  depths  was  done in  our  proposed  model.  From  the results, it was observed that conventional antenna at 0.125Hz shows 70% ,86% resistivity contrast at target depth of 1000m where   as   new   antenna   showed   329%, 355%   resistivity contrast at the same target depth for Ex and Hz field respectively.  It  was  also  investigated  that  at  frequency of0.125Hz, new antenna gave 46% better delineation of hydrocarbon at 4000m target depth. This is due to focusing of electromagnetic waves by using new antenna. New antenna design gave 125% more extra depth than straight antenna for deep target hydrocarbon detection. Numerical modeling for straight  and  new antenna  was also done to know general equation for electromagnetic field behavior with target depth. From this numerical model it was speculated that this new antenna can detect up to 4.5 km target depth. This new EM antenna may open new frontiers for oil and gas

Effects of Sheet Resistance on mc-Si Selective Emitter Solar Cells Using Laser Opening and One-Step Diffusion

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sheng-Shih Wang

2015-01-01

Full Text Available In order to simplify process procedure and improve conversion efficiency (η, we present new steps of laser opening and one-step POCl3 diffusion to fabricate selective emitter (SE solar cells, in which heavily doped regions (HDR and lightly doped regions (LDR were formed simultaneously. For HDR, we divided six cells into two groups for POCl3 diffusion with sheet resistance (RS of 40 Ω/sq (for group A and 50 Ω/sq (for group B. The dry oxidation duration at a temperature of 850°C was 18, 25, and 35 min for the 3 different cells in each group. This created six SE samples with different RS pairings for the HDR and LDR. The optimal cell (sample SE2 with RS values of 40/81 Ω/Sq in HDR/LDR showed the best η of 16.20%, open circuit voltage (VOC of 612.52 mV, and fill factor (FF of 75.83%. The improvement ratios are 1.57% for η and 14.32% for external quantum efficiency (EQE as compared with those of the two-step diffusion process of our previous study. Moreover, the one-step laser opening process and omitting the step of removing the damage caused by laser ablation especially reduce chemistry pollution, thus showing ecofriendly process for use in industrial-scale production.

Diffused Religion and Prayer

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Roberto Cipriani

2011-06-01

Full Text Available It is quite likely that the origins of prayer are to be found in ancient mourning and bereavement rites. Primeval ritual prayer was codified and handed down socially to become a deep-rooted feature of people’s cultural behavior, so much so, that it may surface again several years later, in the face of death, danger, need, even in the case of relapse from faith and religious practice. Modes of prayer depend on religious experience, on relations between personal prayer and political action, between prayer and forgiveness, and between prayer and approaches to religions. Various forms of prayer exist, from the covert-hidden to the overt-manifest kind. How can they be investigated? How can one, for instance, explore mental prayer? These issues regard the canon of diffused religion and, therefore, of diffused prayer.

Strength and behavior in shear of reinforced concrete deep beams under dynamic loading conditions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Adhikary, Satadru Das [School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 639798 (Singapore); Li, Bing, E-mail: cbli@ntu.edu.sg [School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 639798 (Singapore); Fujikake, Kazunori [Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, National Defense Academy, Yokosuka 239 8686 (Japan)

2013-06-15

Highlights: ► Effects of wider range of loading rates on dynamic shear behavior of RC deep beams. ► Experimental investigation of RC deep beam with and without shear reinforcements. ► Verification of experimental results with truss model and FE simulation results. ► Empirical equations are proposed to predict the dynamic increase factor of maximum resistance. -- Abstract: Research on reinforced concrete (RC) deep beams has seen considerable headway over the past three decades; however, information on the dynamic shear strength and behavior of RC deep beams under varying rates of loads remains limited. This paper describes the experimental results of 24 RC deep beams with and without shear reinforcements under varying rates of concentrated loading. Results obtained serve as useful data on shear resistance, failure patterns and strain rates corresponding to varying loading rates. An analytical truss model approach proves its efficacy in predicting the dynamic shear resistance under varying loading rates. Furthermore, three-dimensional nonlinear finite element (FE) model is described and the simulation results are verified with the experimental results. A parametric study is then conducted to investigate the influence of longitudinal reinforcement ratio, transverse reinforcement ratio and shear span to effective depth ratio on shear behavior. Subsequently, two empirical equations were proposed by integrating the various parameters to assess the dynamic increase factor (DIF) of maximum resistance under varying rates of concentrated loading.

Towards the improvement of the oxidation resistance of Nb-silicides in situ composites: A solid state diffusion approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mathieu, S.; Knittel, S.; François, M.; Portebois, L.; Mathieu, S.; Vilasi, M.

2014-01-01

Highlights: •Local equilibrium is attained during oxidation at phase boundaries (steady state conditions). •A solid state diffusion model explains the oxidation mechanism of Nb-silicides composites. •The Nb ss fraction is not the only parameters governing the oxidation rate of Nb-silicides. •Aluminium increases the thermodynamic activity of Si in the Nb-silicides composites. •The results indicate the need to develop a Nb–Ti–Hf–Al–Cr–Si thermodynamic database. -- Abstract: The present study focuses on the oxidation mechanism of Nb-silicide composites and on the effect of the composition on the oxidation rate at 1100 °C. A theoretical approach is proposed based on experimental results and used to optimise the oxidation resistance. The growth model based on multiphase diffusion was experimentally tested and confirmed by manufacturing seven composites with different compositions. It was also found that the effect of the composition has to be evaluated at 1100 °C within a short time duration (50 h), where the oxide scale and the internal oxidation zone both grow according to parabolic kinetics

Purulent meningitis with unusual diffusion-weighted MRI findings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abe, M.; Takayama, Y.; Yamashita, H.; Noguchi, M.; Sagoh, T.

2002-01-01

We describe unusual findings obtained by diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in a patient with acute purulent meningitis caused by penicillin-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae. Along cerebral convexities and the Sylvian fissure, multiple small intense lesions showed high signal intensity in these sequences. This may be the first report of diffusion-weighted in purulent meningitis

The arbitrary order mimetic finite difference method for a diffusion equation with a non-symmetric diffusion tensor

Science.gov (United States)

Gyrya, V.; Lipnikov, K.

2017-11-01

We present the arbitrary order mimetic finite difference (MFD) discretization for the diffusion equation with non-symmetric tensorial diffusion coefficient in a mixed formulation on general polygonal meshes. The diffusion tensor is assumed to be positive definite. The asymmetry of the diffusion tensor requires changes to the standard MFD construction. We present new approach for the construction that guarantees positive definiteness of the non-symmetric mass matrix in the space of discrete velocities. The numerically observed convergence rate for the scalar quantity matches the predicted one in the case of the lowest order mimetic scheme. For higher orders schemes, we observed super-convergence by one order for the scalar variable which is consistent with the previously published result for a symmetric diffusion tensor. The new scheme was also tested on a time-dependent problem modeling the Hall effect in the resistive magnetohydrodynamics.

Investigation of microstructure and properties of ultrathin graded ZrNx self-assembled diffusion barrier in deep nano-vias prepared by plasma ion immersion implantation

Science.gov (United States)

Zou, Jianxiong; Liu, Bo; Lin, Liwei; Lu, Yuanfu; Dong, Yuming; Jiao, Guohua; Ma, Fei; Li, Qiran

2018-01-01

Ultrathin graded ZrNx self-assembled diffusion barriers with controllable stoichiometry was prepared in Cu/p-SiOC:H interfaces by plasma immersion ion implantation (PIII) with dynamic regulation of implantation fluence. The fundamental relationship between the implantation fluence of N+ and the stoichiometry and thereby the electrical properties of the ZrNx barrier was established. The optimized fluence of a graded ZrN thin film with gradually decreased Zr valence was obtained with the best electrical performance as well. The Cu/p-SiOC:H integration is thermally stable up to 500 °C due to the synergistic effect of Cu3Ge and ZrNx layers. Accordingly, the PIII process was verified in a 100-nm-thick Cu dual-damascene interconnect, in which the ZrNx diffusion barrier of 1 nm thick was successfully self-assembled on the sidewall without barrier layer on the via bottom. In this case, the via resistance was reduced by approximately 50% in comparison with Ta/TaN barrier. Considering the results in this study, ultrathin ZrNx conformal diffusion barrier can be adopted in the sub-14 nm technology node.

An improved model for predicting electrical contact resistance between bipolar plate and gas diffusion layer in proton exchange membrane fuel cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wu, Zhiliang; Wang, Shuxin [School of Mechanical Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072 (China); Zhou, Yuanyuan; Lin, Guosong; Hu, S. Jack [Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2125 (United States)

2008-07-15

Electrical contact resistance between bipolar plates (BPPs) and gas diffusion layers (GDLs) in PEM fuel cells has attracted much attention since it is one significant part of the total contact resistance which plays an important role in fuel cell performance. This paper extends a previous model by Zhou et al. [Y. Zhou, G. Lin, A.J. Shih, S.J. Hu, J. Power Sources 163 (2007) 777-783] on the prediction of electrical contact resistance within PEM fuel cells. The original microscale numerical model was based on the Hertz solution for individual elastic contacts, assuming that contact bodies, GDL carbon fibers and BPP asperities are isotropic elastic half-spaces. The new model features a more practical contact by taking into account the bending behavior of carbon fibers as well as their anisotropic properties. The microscale single contact process is solved numerically using the finite element method (FEM). The relationship between the contact pressure and the electrical resistance at the GDL/BPP interface is derived by multiple regression models. Comparisons of the original model by Zhou et al. and the new model with experimental data show that the original model slightly overestimates the electrical contact resistance, whereas a better agreement with experimental data is observed using the new model. (author)

Low temperature sacrificial wafer bonding for planarization after very deep etching

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Spiering, V.L.; Spiering, V.L.; Berenschot, Johan W.; Elwenspoek, Michael Curt; Fluitman, J.H.J.

1994-01-01

A new technique, at temperatures of 150°C or 450°C, that provides planarization after a very deep etching step in silicon is presented. Resist spinning and layer patterning as well as realization of bridges or cantilevers across deep holes becomes possible. The sacrificial wafer bonding technique

Experimental study of the possibility of reducing the resistance and unevenness of output field of velocities in flat diffuser channels with large opening angles

Science.gov (United States)

Dmitriev, S. S.; Vasil'ev, K. E.; Mokhamed, S. M. S. O.; Gusev, A. A.; Barbashin, A. V.

2017-11-01

In modern combined cycle gas turbines (CCGT), when designing the reducers from the output diffuser of a gas turbine to a boiler-utilizer, wide-angle diffusers are used, in which practically from the input a flow separation and transition to jet stream regime occurs. In such channels, the energy loss in the field of velocities sharply rise and the field of velocities in the output from them is characterized by considerable unevenness that worsens the heat transfer process in the first by motion tube bundles of the boiler-utilizer. The results of experimental research of the method for reducing the energy loss and alignment of the field of velocities at the output from a flat asymmetrical diffuser channel with one deflecting wall with the opening angle of 40° by means of placing inside the channel the flat plate parallel to the deflecting wall are presented in the paper. It is revealed that, at this placement of the plate in the channel, it has a chance to reduce the energy loss by 20%, considerably align the output field of velocities, and decrease the dynamic loads on the walls in the output cross-section. The studied method of resistance reduction and alignment of the fields of velocities in the flat diffuser channels was used for optimization of the reducer from the output diffuser of the gas turbine to the boiler-utilizer of CCGT of PGU-450T type of Kaliningrad Thermal Power Plant-2. The obtained results are evidence that the configuration of the reducer installed in the PGU-450T of Kaliningrad Thermal Power Plant-2 is not optimal. It follows also from the obtained data that working-off the reducer should be necessarily conducted by the test results of the channel consisting of the model of reducer with the model of boiler-utilizer installed behind it. Application of the method of alignment of output field of velocities and reducing the resistance in the wide-angle diffusers investigated in the work made it possible—when using the known model of diffusion

Preliminary study on hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy in neonates with diffusion-weighted MR imaging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Xiaoming; Chen Liying; Lin Nan; Guo Qiyong

2005-01-01

Objective: To evaluate hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) in neonates with diffusion-weighted MR imaging, and to explore the value and limitation of diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) compared with conventional magnetic resonance imaging. Methods: Conventional magnetic resonance T 1 -weighted imaging (T 1 WI) and DWI (b=700 s/mm 2 ) were performed in 36 neonates with HIE (average age, 8.44 days; range, 3 hours to 22 days), and the cortex and subcortical white matter, deep white matter, basal ganglia and thalamus, cerebral ventricle, and extra-cerebral interspace etc were observed. Results: Signal abnormalities were shown on DWI with hypoxic-ischemic insults, which included diffuse brain damage (19.4%, 7/36): extensive high signals in the regional cortex, subcortical and deep white matter; localized brain damage: high signals along lateral ventricular wall and triangular part (27.8%, 10/36 ), and punctate high signals in the frontal deep white matter (5.6%, 2/36). On T 1 WI, the incidence of the corresponding changes were 16.7% (6/36), 36.1% (13/36), and 30.6%(11/36), respectively. Hemorrhagic lesions demonstrated high signals on T 1 WI and no signals on DWI. Conclusion: DWI was applicable for acute HIE, and T 1 WI was suitable for subacute and chronic HIE. (authors)

Deep ocean model penetrator experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Freeman, T.J.; Burdett, J.R.F.

1986-01-01

Preliminary trials of experimental model penetrators in the deep ocean have been conducted as an international collaborative exercise by participating members (national bodies and the CEC) of the Engineering Studies Task Group of the Nuclear Energy Agency's Seabed Working Group. This report describes and gives the results of these experiments, which were conducted at two deep ocean study areas in the Atlantic: Great Meteor East and the Nares Abyssal Plain. Velocity profiles of penetrators of differing dimensions and weights have been determined as they free-fell through the water column and impacted the sediment. These velocity profiles are used to determine the final embedment depth of the penetrators and the resistance to penetration offered by the sediment. The results are compared with predictions of embedment depth derived from elementary models of a penetrator impacting with a sediment. It is tentatively concluded that once the resistance to penetration offered by a sediment at a particular site has been determined, this quantity can be used to sucessfully predict the embedment that penetrators of differing sizes and weights would achieve at the same site

Distribution of antibiotic resistance in urban watershed in Japan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ham, Young-Sik; Kobori, Hiromi; Kang, Joo-Hyon; Matsuzaki, Takayuki; Iino, Michiyo; Nomura, Hayashi

2012-01-01

Antibiotic-resistant E. coli concentrations showed large spatial and temporal variations, with greater concentrations observed in tributaries and downstream than in the upstream and midstream. Twenty percent of the geometric mean concentrations of antibiotic-resistant E. coli in the Tama River basin (Japan) exceeded the maximum acceptable concentration of indicator E. coli established by the USEPA. The indicator E. coli concentrations were positively correlated with those of antibiotic-resistant E. coli and multiple-antibiotic-resistant E. coli (resistance to more than two kinds of antibiotics), respectively, but not the detection rate of antibiotic-resistant E. coli, implying that use of antibiotic-resistant E. coli concentration rather than the detection rate can be a better approach for water quality assessment. Multiple-antibiotic-resistant E. coli is a useful indicator for estimating the resistance diffusion, water quality degradation and public health risk potential. This assessment provides beneficial information for setting national regulatory or environmental standards and managing integrated watershed areas. - Highlights: ► We extensively observed antibiotic-resistant E. coli (AREc) in Tama River (Japan). ► AREc count rather than the detection rate is better approach for water quality test. ► Multiple-AREc is resistant to the antibiotic to which single-AREc has no resistance. ► Multiple-AREc increase will accelerate the diffusion of antibiotic resistance. - Multiple-antibiotic-resistant E. coli in the watershed can cause the diffusion of conventionally rare antibiotic resistance.

Concrete decontamination: two innovative processes in response to surface or deep contamination

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

CUER, F.; Nadai, A. de; Faure, S.

2008-01-01

To meet the future needs in the nuclear industry as regards dismantling and decommissioning, the LPAD (Laboratoire des Procedes Avances de Decontamination) develops new specific techniques to decontaminate concretes: the drying gel process adapted to surface contamination and the electrokinetics process to treat deep contamination. Indeed, because the concrete constitute a porous medium, two types of contamination can be met according to the environment to which is subjected the material. In the case of an accidental or dry contamination, radio elements do not penetrate beyond the first millimeters of the material. The contamination is then considered as surface. On the contrary, the contamination is considered as 'deep' when radioactive ions have diffused deeply under the effects of the natural diffusion. This is the case in fuel storage pond or other many nuclear infrastructures. (authors)

Investigation of deep levels in GaInNAs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abulfotuh, F.; Balcioglu, A.; Friedman, D.; Geisz, J.; Kurtz, S.

1999-01-01

This paper presents and discusses the first Deep-Level transient spectroscopy (DLTS) data obtained from measurements carried out on both Schottky barriers and homojunction devices of GaInNAs. The effect of N and In doping on the electrical properties of the GaNInAs devices, which results in structural defects and interface states, has been investigated. Moreover, the location and densities of deep levels related to the presence of N, In, and N+In are identified and correlated with the device performance. The data confirmed that the presence of N alone creates a high density of shallow hole traps related to the N atom and structural defects in the device. Doping by In, if present alone, also creates low-density deep traps (related to the In atom and structural defects) and extremely deep interface states. On the other hand, the co-presence of In and N eliminates both the interface states and levels related to structural defects. However, the device still has a high density of the shallow and deep traps that are responsible for the photocurrent loss in the GaNInAs device, together with the possible short diffusion length. copyright 1999 American Institute of Physics

Investigation of Deep Levels in GaInNas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Balcioglu, A.; Friedman, D.; Abulfotuh, F.; Geisz, J.; Kurtz, S.

1998-01-01

This paper presents and discusses the first Deep-Level transient spectroscopy (DLTS) data obtained from measurements carried out on both Schottky barriers and homojunction devices of GaInNAs. The effect of N and In doping on the electrical properties of the GaNInAs devices, which results in structural defects and interface states, has been investigated. Moreover, the location and densities of deep levels related to the presence of N, In, and N+In are identified and correlated with the device performance. The data confirmed that the presence of N alone creates a high density of shallow hole traps related to the N atom and structural defects in the device. Doping by In, if present alone, also creates low-density deep traps (related to the In atom and structural defects) and extremely deep interface states. On the other hand, the co-presence of In and N eliminates both the interface states and levels related to structural defects. However, the device still has a high density of the shallow and deep traps that are responsible for the photocurrent loss in the GaNInAs device, together with the possible short diffusion length

Diffused zircaloy 2/stainless steel junctions; Jonctions diffusees zircaloy 2 - acier inoxydable

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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

1964-07-01

The diffusion permits to realize joints between two different materials, in fact of the formation of a liquid phase at the contact face. The study of the tensile properties allowed the determination of the ideal conditions for the diffusion treatment which are, within 2 and 3 minutes for a temperature within 1020 C and 1030 C. The characteristics of the so obtained joints were, studied: mechanical properties, tightness, resistance to thermal cycling. Analysis of the thermal stress, owing to the differential dilatation of the two materials mode the object of a particular study. The investigation on the diffusion zone, includes specially, an analysis of the constituents distribution formed during the diffusion treatment. (author) [French] La diffusion permet de realiser des joints entre deux materiaux differents, du fait de la formation d'une phase liquide a l'interface de contact. L'etude de la resistance a la traction a permis de determiner les conditions optimum du traitement de diffusion: une duree de 2 a 3 minutes pour une temperature comprise entre 1020 C et 1030 C. Les caracteristiques des jonctions ainsi obtenues ont ete etudiees: proprietes mecaniques, etancheite, resistance au cyclage thermique. L'analyse des contraintes thermiques dues a la difference de dilatation des deux materiaux, a fait l'objet d'une etude particuliere. L'etude metallurgique de la zone diffusee comporte en particulier une analyse de la repartition des constituants formes lors du traitement de diffusion. (auteur)

PREVALENCE AND ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE OF ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

9 mars 2015 ... strategy to prevent the spread of this resistance. Keywords: Staphylococci; Staphylococcus aureus; Oxacillin; Antibiotic resistance; Disc diffusion. Author Correspondence, e-mail: mn.boukhatem@yahoo.fr. ICID: 1142924. Journal of Fundamental and Applied Sciences. ISSN 1112-9867. Available online at.

Transport theory of deep-inelastic collisions between heavy nuclei

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ayik, S.; Noerenberg, W.; Schuermann, B.

1975-01-01

In collisions between heavy nuclei, the major part of the total cross-section is due to deep-inelastic processes. These processes have been studied within a quantum-statistical approach leading to transport equations of the Fokker-Planck type (generalized diffusion equation). Transport coefficients have been studied within a model. (orig./WL) [de

Topological Hall effect in diffusive ferromagnetic thin films with spin-flip scattering

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Steven S.-L.; Heinonen, Olle

2018-04-01

We study the topological Hall (TH) effect in a diffusive ferromagnetic metal thin film by solving a Boltzmann transport equation in the presence of spin-flip scattering. A generalized spin-diffusion equation is derived which contains an additional source term associated with the gradient of the emergent magnetic field that arises from skyrmions. Because of the source term, spin accumulation may build up in the vicinity of the skyrmions. This gives rise to a spin-polarized diffusion current that in general suppresses the bulk TH current. Only when the spin-diffusion length is much smaller than the skyrmion size does the TH resistivity approach the value derived by Bruno et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 93, 096806 (2004), 10.1103/PhysRevLett.93.096806]. We derive a general expression of the TH resistivity that applies to thin-film geometries with spin-flip scattering, and show that the corrections to the TH resistivity become large when the size of room temperature skyrmions is further reduced to tens of nanometers.

Determination of withdrawal resistance of staple joints constructed with various members of upholstered furniture

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

saeid Kazemi Najafi

2017-05-01

Full Text Available The goal of this study was to investigate the effects of joints members type (oriented strand lumber, plywood and poplar wood (Populusdeltoides, penetration deeps of staple (12 and 17mm and adhesives (with and without adhesive on face and edge withdrawal resistance of joints fabricated with staple. Experimental specimens under withdrawal load test of face and edge consisted of two principal structural members, main member and a secondary member which were joined together by one staple. The results showed that joint member, penetration deeps and adhesive significantly influence on the withdrawal resistance. Staple withdrawal resistance in the face was higher than that in the edge. Staple holding resistance increased with the increase of penetration deep and the withdrawal resistance of joints fabricated by adhesive was higher than those without adhesive. The joints made by oriented strand lumber exhibited better performance than other two members and joints made with poplar wood had higher resistance than plywood joints. The highest face (2326N and edge (1265N withdrawal resistances were obtained from joints prepared from oriented strand lumber with adhesive and17mm penetration deeps.

A Microfabricated Transduction Coil for Inductive Deep Brain Stimulation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jie (Jayne WU

2006-07-01

Full Text Available "Inductively Coupled Deep Brain Stimulator" describes a chip/system design to inductively couple arbitrary waveforms to electrodes embedded in the brain for deep brain stimulation or other neurostimulation. This approach moves the conventionally implanted signal generator outside the body and provides flexibility in adjusting waveforms to investigate optimum stimulation waveforms. An "inlaid electroplating" process with through-wafer plating is used to reduce microcoil resistance and integrate microstructures and electronics. Utilizing inductive link resonance specific to microcoils, waveforms are selectively transmitted to microcoils, which further produces biphasic waveforms that are suitable for deep brain stimulation.

Copper diffusion in Ti-Si-N layers formed by inductively coupled plasma implantation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ee, Y.C.; Chen, Z.; Law, S.B.; Xu, S.; Yakovlev, N.L.; Lai, M.Y.

2006-01-01

Ternary Ti-Si-N refractory barrier films of 15 nm thick was prepared by low frequency, high density, inductively coupled plasma implantation of N into Ti x Si y substrate. This leads to the formation of Ti-N and Si-N compounds in the ternary film. Diffusion of copper in the barrier layer after annealing treatment at various temperatures was investigated using time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometer (ToF-SIMS) depth profiling, X-ray diffractometer (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) and sheet resistance measurement. The current study found that barrier failure did not occur until 650 deg. C annealing for 30 min. The failure occurs by the diffusion of copper into the Ti-Si-N film to form Cu-Ti and Cu-N compounds. FESEM surface morphology and EDX show that copper compounds were formed on the ridge areas of the Ti-Si-N film. The sheet resistance verifies the diffusion of Cu into the Ti-Si-N film; there is a sudden drop in the resistance with Cu compound formation. This finding provides a simple and effective method of monitoring Cu diffusion in TiN-based diffusion barriers

Silicide-to-silicon specific contact resistance characterization

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Stavitski, N.

2009-01-01

The performance of Si integrated circuits depends on the transistor drive current. The drive current of a MOS transistor is determined by the total device resistance, which consists of the channel resistance and the parasitic resistances associated with dopant diffusion areas and contacts. It is

Multilayer TiC/TiN diffusion barrier films for copper

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoganand, S.N.; Raghuveer, M.S.; Jagannadham, K.; Wu, L.; Karoui, A.; Rozgonyi, G.

2002-01-01

TiC/TiN thin films deposited by reactive magnetron sputtering on Si (100) substrates were investigated by transmission electron microscopy for microstructure and by deep level transient spectroscopy (DLTS) for diffusion barrier against copper. TiN thin films deposited on Si substrates at a substrate temperature of 600 deg. C were textured, and TiC thin films deposited at the same temperature were polycrystalline. TiC/TiN multilayer films also showed the same characteristics with the formation of an additional interaction layer. The diffusion barrier characteristics of the TiC/TiN/Si were determined by DLTS and the results showed that the films completely prevented diffusion of copper into Si

Multicomponent diffusion in two-temperature magnetohydrodynamics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ramshaw, J.D.; Chang, C.H.

1996-01-01

A recent hydrodynamic theory of multicomponent diffusion in multitemperature gas mixtures [J. D. Ramshaw, J. Non-Equilib. Thermodyn. 18, 121 (1993)] is generalized to include the velocity-dependent Lorentz force on charged species in a magnetic field B. This generalization is used to extend a previous treatment of ambipolar diffusion in two-temperature multicomponent plasmas [J. D. Ramshaw and C. H. Chang, Plasma Chem. Plasma Process. 13, 489 (1993)] to situations in which B and the electrical current density are nonzero. General expressions are thereby derived for the species diffusion fluxes, including thermal diffusion, in both single- and two-temperature multicomponent magnetohydrodynamics (MHD). It is shown that the usual zero-field form of the Stefan-Maxwell equations can be preserved in the presence of B by introducing generalized binary diffusion tensors dependent on B. A self-consistent effective binary diffusion approximation is presented that provides explicit approximate expressions for the diffusion fluxes. Simplifications due to the small electron mass are exploited to obtain an ideal MHD description in which the electron diffusion coefficients drop out, resistive effects vanish, and the electric field reduces to a particularly simple form. This description should be well suited for numerical calculations. copyright 1996 The American Physical Society

Measurement of chemical diffusion coefficients in liquid binary alloys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

1976-01-01

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

A global ocean climatological atlas of the Turner angle: implications for double-diffusion and water-mass structure

Science.gov (United States)

You, Yuzhu

2002-11-01

The 1994 Levitus climatological atlas is used to calculate the Turner angle (named after J. Stewart Turner) to examine which oceanic water masses are favorable for double-diffusion in the form of diffusive convection or salt-fingering and which are doubly stable. This atlas complements the Levitus climatology. It reveals the major double-diffusive signals associated with large-scale water-mass structure. In total, about 44% of the oceans display double-diffusion, of which 30% is salt-fingering and 14% is diffusive double-diffusion. Results show that various central and deep waters are favorable for salt-fingering. The former is due to positive evaporation minus precipitation, and the latter is due to thermohaline circulation, i.e. the southward spreading of relatively warm, salty North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW) overlying cold, fresh Antarctic Bottom Water. In the northern Indian Ocean and eastern North Atlantic, favorable conditions for salt-fingering are found throughout the water column. The Red Sea (including the Persian Gulf) and Mediterranean Sea are the sources of warm, salty water for the ocean. As consequence, temperature and salinity in these outflow regions both decrease from the sea surface to the bottom. On the other hand, ocean currents are in general sluggish in these regions. In the polar and subpolar regions of Arctic and Antarctic, Okhotsk Sea, Gulf of Alaska, the subpolar gyre of the North Pacific, the Labrador Sea, and the Norwegian Sea, the upper layer water is favorable for diffusive convection because of high latitude surface cooling and ice melting. Weak and shallow diffusive convection is also found throughout tropical regions and the Bay of Bengal. The former is due to excessive precipitation over evaporation and rain cooling, and the latter is due to both precipitation and river runoff. Diffusive convection in the ocean's interior is unique to the South Atlantic between Antarctic Intermediate Water and upper NADW (uNADW). It is the

The passive diffusion of Leptospira interrogans

Science.gov (United States)

Koens, Lyndon; Lauga, Eric

2014-12-01

Motivated by recent experimental measurements, the passive diffusion of the bacterium Leptospira interrogans is investigated theoretically. By approximating the cell shape as a straight helix and using the slender-body-theory approximation of Stokesian hydrodynamics, the resistance matrix of Leptospira is first determined numerically. The passive diffusion of the helical cell is then obtained computationally using a Langevin formulation which is sampled in time in a manner consistent with the experimental procedure. Our results are in excellent quantitative agreement with the experimental results with no adjustable parameters.

The reduction in fatigue crack growth resistance of dentin with depth.

Science.gov (United States)

Ivancik, J; Neerchal, N K; Romberg, E; Arola, D

2011-08-01

The fatigue crack growth resistance of dentin was characterized as a function of depth from the dentino-enamel junction. Compact tension (CT) specimens were prepared from the crowns of third molars in the deep, middle, and peripheral dentin. The microstructure was quantified in terms of the average tubule dimensions and density. Fatigue cracks were grown in-plane with the tubules and characterized in terms of the initiation and growth responses. Deep dentin exhibited the lowest resistance to the initiation of fatigue crack growth, as indicated by the stress intensity threshold (ΔK(th) ≈ 0.8 MPa•m(0.5)) and the highest incremental fatigue crack growth rate (over 1000 times that in peripheral dentin). Cracks in deep dentin underwent incremental extension under cyclic stresses that were 40% lower than those required in peripheral dentin. The average fatigue crack growth rates increased significantly with tubule density, indicating the importance of microstructure on the potential for tooth fracture. Molars with deep restorations are more likely to suffer from the cracked-tooth syndrome, because of the lower fatigue crack growth resistance of deep dentin.

Molecular characterization of resistance to Rifampicin in an emerging hospital-associated Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus clone ST228, Spain

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Liñares Josefina

2010-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA has been endemic in Hospital Universitari de Bellvitge, Barcelona, since 1990. During the 1990-95 period the Iberian clone (ST-247; SCCmec-I was dominant. Isolates of clonal complex 5 (ST-125; SCCmec-IV gradually replaced the Iberian clone from 1996 to 2003. A new multiresistant MRSA phenotype showing rifampicin resistance emerged in 2004 and rapidly increased from 25% in 2004 to 45% in 2006. The aims of this study were i the molecular characterisation of rifampicin resistant MRSA isolates, ii the study of the rifampicin resistance expression by disk diffusion, microdilution and E-test, and iii the analysis of the rpoB gene mutations involved in rifampicin resistance. Results A sample of representative 108 rifampicin-resistant MRSA isolates belonged to a single PFGE genotype, ST-228, SCCmec type I and spa type t041. Of 108 isolates, 104 (96% had a low-level rifampicin resistance (MICs, 2 to 4 mg/L and 4 a high-level rifampicin resistance (MICs, 128 - ≥ 256 mg/L. Disk diffusion and E-test methods failed to identify a low-level rifampicin resistance in 20 and 12 isolates, respectively. A low-level rifampicin resistance was associated with amino acid substitution 481His/Asn in the beta-subunit of RNA polymerase. Isolates with a high-level rifampicin resistance carried additional mutations in the rpoB gene. Conclusions The emergence of MRSA clone ST228-SCCmecI, related to the Southern Germany clone, involved a therapeutical challenge for treating serious MRSA infections. Decreased susceptibility to rifampicin in MRSA strains of ST228-SCCmecI was associated with one or two specific mutations in the rpoB gene. One fifth of isolates with low-level rifampicin-resistance were missed by the diffusion methods.

Antibiotic Resistance and Antibiotic Resistance Genes in Escherichia coli Isolates from Hospital Wastewater in Vietnam.

Science.gov (United States)

Lien, La Thi Quynh; Lan, Pham Thi; Chuc, Nguyen Thi Kim; Hoa, Nguyen Quynh; Nhung, Pham Hong; Thoa, Nguyen Thi Minh; Diwan, Vishal; Tamhankar, Ashok J; Stålsby Lundborg, Cecilia

2017-06-29

The environmental spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria has been recognised as a growing public health threat for which hospitals play a significant role. The aims of this study were to investigate the prevalence of antibiotic resistance and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in Escherichia coli isolates from hospital wastewater in Vietnam. Wastewater samples before and after treatment were collected using continuous sampling every month over a year. Standard disk diffusion and E-test were used for antibiotic susceptibility testing. Extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) production was tested using combined disk diffusion. ARGs were detected by polymerase chain reactions. Resistance to at least one antibiotic was detected in 83% of isolates; multidrug resistance was found in 32%. The highest resistance prevalence was found for co-trimoxazole (70%) and the lowest for imipenem (1%). Forty-three percent of isolates were ESBL-producing, with the bla TEM gene being more common than bla CTX-M . Co-harbouring of the bla CTX-M , bla TEM and qepA genes was found in 46% of isolates resistant to ciprofloxacin. The large presence of antibiotic-resistant E. coli isolates combined with ARGs in hospital wastewater, even post-treatment, poses a threat to public health. It highlights the need to develop effective processes for hospital wastewater treatment plants to eliminate antibiotic resistant bacteria and ARGs.

Water diffusion in clays with added organic surfactants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pineda-Pinon, J; Mendoza-Lopez, M L; Manzano-RamIrez, A; Perez-Robles, J F; Vega-Duran, J T

2007-01-01

Tensoactive agents may decrease water absorption in clay products like adobes. They modify the characteristics of the surface of clay particles. Characterization of water diffusion through the pores of modified clays is important to apply appropriate surface modifiers and to improve their performance. We established a simple model for water diffusion in test samples of defined dimensions to estimate real physical parameters and their effect on water absorption. Adsorption mechanisms are examined based on experimental results. The fitting of the experimental data to the model provides a deep understanding of water adsorption in chemically modified clays. A better agreement between the model and the experimental data is achieved for complex molecules

Diffusion of radionuclide chains through an adsorbing medium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burkholder, H.C.; DeFigh-Price, C.

1977-01-01

The diffusion of radionuclide chains from an underground nuclear waste disposal site through the surrounding geologic medium to the surface is investigated for impulse and band releases. Numerical calculation of the analytical solutions shows that differences in adsorption characteristics among chain members and radioactive decay during transit reduce radionuclide discharges to the biosphere. Results suggest that molecular diffusion is unlikely to be an important transfer mechanism from geologic isolation, and that disposal of radionuclides in deep geologic formations and in the seabed under conditions of very low or nonexistent water flow is likely to be very effective in preventing radioactivity releases to the biosphere

Comparative Analysis of Three Methods for Determination of Imipenem Resistance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tanaz Zabihi

2016-02-01

Full Text Available "> Background: These days, the antibiotic resistance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates toimipenem has significantly increased. Therefore the study of resistance to imipenem in thisorganism to imipenem in determining the appropriate treatment is crucial and necessary. The goalof this study is to compare three phenotypic methods of E-test, disk diffusion and micro brothdilution in the study of resistance to imipenem in clinical isolates of P. aeruginosa.Methods: Within a 6-month interval, 120 clinical specimens were collected and evaluated. Allisolates were identified as P. aeruginosa by standard biochemical tests and amplification of 16SrRNA gene. Three phenotypic methods of E-test, disk diffusion, and micro broth dilution wereused to determine imipenem resistance in P. aeruginosa isolates.Results: Of the 96 P. aeruginosa isolates studied for their resistance to imipenem by the use ofE-test, disk diffusion and micro broth dilution methods, 38.5% of the strains in micro broth dilutionmethod and 33.3% in the two methods of E-test and disk diffusion were resistant to imipenem. Therate of sensitivity and specificity of disk diffusion and E-test methods were 100%, 90.1%, and theywere 100% and 83.1% for micro broth dilution, respectively.Conclusions: With regard to the results obtained from the comparison of the three methods100% agreement were observed among the antimicrobial susceptibility results obtained by the Etest and disk diffusion methods (P ≥ 0.05. Therefore, the use of disk diffusion method can bean appropriate replacement for E-test method with regard to its being easy and cost-effective.

Investigation of electrically-active deep levels in single-crystalline diamond by particle-induced charge transient spectroscopy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kada, W., E-mail: kada.wataru@gunma-u.ac.jp [Faculty of Science and Technology, Gunma University, Kiryu, Gunma 376-8515 (Japan); Kambayashi, Y.; Ando, Y. [Faculty of Science and Technology, Gunma University, Kiryu, Gunma 376-8515 (Japan); Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Takasaki, Gunma 370-1292 (Japan); Onoda, S. [Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Takasaki, Gunma 370-1292 (Japan); Umezawa, H.; Mokuno, Y. [National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), 1-8-31 Midorigaoka, Ikeda, Osaka 563-8577 (Japan); Shikata, S. [Kwansei Gakuin Univ., 2-1, Gakuen, Mita, Hyogo 669-1337 (Japan); Makino, T.; Koka, M. [Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Takasaki, Gunma 370-1292 (Japan); Hanaizumi, O. [Faculty of Science and Technology, Gunma University, Kiryu, Gunma 376-8515 (Japan); Kamiya, T.; Ohshima, T. [Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Takasaki, Gunma 370-1292 (Japan)

2016-04-01

To investigate electrically-active deep levels in high-resistivity single-crystalline diamond, particle-induced charge transient spectroscopy (QTS) techniques were performed using 5.5 MeV alpha particles and 9 MeV carbon focused microprobes. For unintentionally-doped (UID) chemical vapor deposition (CVD) diamond, deep levels with activation energies of 0.35 eV and 0.43 eV were detected which correspond to the activation energy of boron acceptors in diamond. The results suggested that alpha particle and heavy ion induced QTS techniques are the promising candidate for in-situ investigation of deep levels in high-resistivity semiconductors.

Computed tomography in diagnosis of diffuse axonal injury

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Iwadate, Yasuo; Ono, Juniti; Okimura, Yoshitaka; Suda, Sumio; Isobe, Katsumi; Yamaura, Akira.

1990-01-01

Diffuse axonal injury (DAI) has been described in instances of prolonged traumatic coma on the basis of the neuropathological findings, but the same findings are also found in patients with cerebral concussion. Experimental studies confirm that the quality of survivors following trauma is directly proportional to the amount of primarily injured-axon. When the injured axon lies in a widespread area of the brain, outcome for the patient is always poor. In a series of 260 severely head-injured patients, based on their poor outcome, 69 (27%) were diagnosed as DAI. Because of their relatively good outcome, eighty-two patients (32%) were classified into non-DAI group. The predominant CT finding of DAI patients was intraparenchymal deep-seated hemorrhagic lesion. This was observed in 28 patients (41%). Normal CT was also observed in 11 patients (16%). On the other hand, 8 of the non-DAI group (10%) manifested deep-seated lesions. Diffuse cerebral swelling (DCS) appeared in both groups in the same incidence. Subarachnoid hematoma in the perimesencephalic cistern (SAH (PMC)) and intraventricular hematoma (IVH) were observed in 64% of the DAI group, and in 23% of the non-DAI group. The available evidence indicates that various types of hematoma seen in the deep-seated structures of the brain do not have an absolute diagnostic value, but the frequency of hematoma is thought to increase in proportion to the amount of injured-axon. (author)

Origins of effective resistivity in collisionless magnetic reconnection

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Singh, Nagendra [Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Alabama, Huntsville, Alabama 35899 (United States)

2014-07-15

The mechanisms that provide effective resistivity for supporting collisonless magnetic reconnection have remained unsettled despite numerous studies. Some of these studies demonstrated that the electron pressure nongyrotropy generates the resistivity (η{sub npg}) in the electron diffusion region (EDR). We derive an analytical relation for the effective resistivity (η{sub kin}) by momentum balance in a control volume in the EDR. Both η{sub npg} and η{sub kin} mutually compare well and they also compare well with the resistivity required to support reconnection electric field E{sub rec} in multi-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations as well as in satellite observations when reconnection occurs in an EDR. But they are about an order of magnitude or so smaller than that required when the reconnection occurred in a much wider reconnecting current sheet (RCS) of half width (w) of the order of the ion skin depth (d{sub i}), observed in the Earth magnetosphere. The chaos-induced resistivity reported in the literature is found to be even more deficient. We find that for reconnection in RCS with w ∼ d{sub i}, anomalous diffusion, such as the universal Bhom diffusion and/or that arising from kinetic Alfven waves, could fairly well account for the required resistivity.

The passive diffusion of Leptospira interrogans

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koens, Lyndon; Lauga, Eric

2014-01-01

Motivated by recent experimental measurements, the passive diffusion of the bacterium Leptospira interrogans is investigated theoretically. By approximating the cell shape as a straight helix and using the slender-body-theory approximation of Stokesian hydrodynamics, the resistance matrix of Leptospira is first determined numerically. The passive diffusion of the helical cell is then obtained computationally using a Langevin formulation which is sampled in time in a manner consistent with the experimental procedure. Our results are in excellent quantitative agreement with the experimental results with no adjustable parameters. (paper)

Diffusion tensor imaging, intracranial vascular resistance and cognition in middle-aged asymptomatic subjects.

Science.gov (United States)

López-Olóriz, Jorge; López-Cancio, Elena; Arenillas, Juan F; Hernández, María; Dorado, Laura; Dacosta-Aguayo, Rosalía; Barrios, Maite; Soriano-Raya, Juan José; Miralbell, Júlia; Bargalló, Núria; Cáceres, Cynthia; Torán, Pere; Alzamora, Maite; Dávalos, Antonio; Mataró, Maria

2014-01-01

The contribution of traditional vascular risk factors to cognitive impairment and dementia is well known. However, in order to obtain possible targets for prevention of vascular cognitive impairment (VCI), it may be important to identify other early and noninvasive markers in asymptomatic middle-aged adults. The calculation of middle cerebral artery-pulsatility index (MCA-PI) is an ultrasonologic, noninvasive, validated and easily reproducible technique to assess increased distal resistance to blood flow. This study aims to assess the relationship between MCA-PI, microstructural white matter (WM) integrity and cognition in a middle-aged asymptomatic population. Ninety-five participants from the Barcelona-Asymptomatic Intracranial Atherosclerosis (AsIA) neuropsychology study were included. Subjects were 50-65 years old, free from dementia and without history of vascular disease. Transcranial color-coded duplex ultrasound examination was performed to assess MCA-PI as a measure of vascular resistance. WM integrity was evaluated by fractional anisotropy (FA) measurements of diffusion tensor images (DTI) acquired on a 3T-MRI. The neuropsychological battery was specifically selected to be sensitive to VCI, and included tests that were grouped into six cognitive domains: executive functioning, attention, verbal fluency, memory, visuospatial skills and psychomotor speed. A multivariate linear regression model adjusted for age, gender, years of education, diabetes and hypertension was performed. MCA-PI was significantly associated with WM disintegration in different tracts (fornix, corticospinal and anterior thalamic), all p gender, years of education, and vascular risk factors (all p cognitive domains, except for visuospatial skills. Our data suggest that MCA-PI may be related to WM disintegration and early vascular cognitive impairment in middle-aged subjects. Although further prospective studies are needed to provide evidence for its validity in longitudinal studies, our

Experimental study of chloride diffusivity in unsaturated ordinary Portland cement mortar

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Zhang, Y.; Ye, G.; Santhanam, M.

2017-01-01

Experiments are carried out to investigate the chloride diffusivity in partially saturated ordinary Portland cement mortars with water-to-cement (w/c) ratios of 0.4, 0.5 and 0.6. Based on resistivity measurement and Nernst-Einstein equation, the chloride diffusivities of cement mortars at various

The diffusion of H and D in Nb and Ta at low temperatures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Engelhard, J.

1978-01-01

The mobility of hydrogen and deuterium in niobium and tantalum has been studied by quenching to 4.2 K and annealing between 10 K and 100 K. The concentration of quenched hydrogen has been computed from the resistivity increase after quenching. The decrease of the residual resistivity during annealing is interpreted by the trapping of hydrogen and by the formation of precipitations. By the variation of the hydrogen concentration and the impurity content, the annealing stage corresponding to the intrinsic diffusion of the hydrogen has been identified. Diffusion coefficients and activation energies for H and D diffusion in niobium and tantalum were determined. (orig./GSCH)

A mechanical-electrical finite element method model for predicting contact resistance between bipolar plate and gas diffusion layer in PEM fuel cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lai, Xinmin; Liu, Dong' an; Peng, Linfa [State Key Laboratory of Mechanical System and Vibration, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai 200240 (China); Ni, Jun [Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2125 (United States)

2008-07-15

Contact resistance between the bipolar plate (BPP) and the gas diffusion layer (GDL) plays a significant role on the power loss in a proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell. There are two types of contact behavior at the interface of the BPP and GDL, which are the mechanical one and the electrical one. Furthermore, the electrical contact behavior is dependent on the mechanical one. Thus, prediction of the contact resistance is a coupled mechanical-electrical problem. The current FEM models for contact resistance estimation can only simulate the mechanical contact behavior and moreover they are based on the assumption that the contact surface is equipotential, which is not the case in a real BPP/GDL assembly due to the round corner and margin of the BPP. In this study, a mechanical-electrical FEM model was developed to predict the contact resistance between the BPP and GDL based on the experimental interfacial contact resistivity. At first, the interfacial contact resistivity was obtained by experimentally measuring the contact resistance between the GDL and a flat graphite plate of the same material and processing conditions as the BPP. Then, with the interfacial contact resistivity, the mechanical and electrical contact behaviors were defined and the potential distribution of the BPP/GDL assembly was analyzed using the mechanical-electrical FEM model. At last, the contact resistance was calculated according to the potential drop and the current of the contact surface. The numerical results were validated by comparing with those of the model reported previously. The influence of the round corner of the BPP on the contact resistance was also studied and it is found that there exists an optimal round corner that can minimize the contact resistance. This model is beneficial in understanding the mechanical and electrical contact behaviors between the BPP and GDL, and can be used to predict the contact resistance in a new BPP/GDL assembly. (author)

Diffusive counter dispersion of mass in bubbly media.

Science.gov (United States)

Goldobin, Denis S; Brilliantov, Nikolai V

2011-11-01

We consider a liquid bearing gas bubbles in a porous medium. When gas bubbles are immovably trapped in a porous matrix by surface-tension forces, the dominant mechanism of transfer of gas mass becomes the diffusion of gas molecules through the liquid. Essentially, the gas solution is in local thermodynamic equilibrium with vapor phase all over the system, i.e., the solute concentration equals the solubility. When temperature and/or pressure gradients are applied, diffusion fluxes appear and these fluxes are faithfully determined by the temperature and pressure fields, not by the local solute concentration, which is enslaved by the former. We derive the equations governing such systems, accounting for thermodiffusion and gravitational segregation effects, which are shown not to be neglected for geological systems-marine sediments, terrestrial aquifers, etc. The results are applied for the treatment of non-high-pressure systems and real geological systems bearing methane or carbon dioxide, where we find a potential possibility of the formation of gaseous horizons deep below a porous medium surface. The reported effects are of particular importance for natural methane hydrate deposits and the problem of burial of industrial production of carbon dioxide in deep aquifers.

Restrictive liquid-phase diffusion and reaction in bidispersed catalysts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, S.Y.; Seader, J.D.; Tsai, C.H.; Massoth, F.E.

1991-01-01

In this paper, the effect of bidispersed pore-size distribution on liquid-phase diffusion and reaction in NiMo/Al 2 O 3 catalysts is investigated by applying two bidispersed-pore-structure models, the random-pore model and a globular-structure model, to extensive experimental data, which were obtained from sorptive diffusion measurements at ambient conditions and catalytic reaction rate measurements on nitrogen-containing compounds. Transport of the molecules in the catalysts was found to be controlled by micropore diffusion, in accordance with the random-pore model, rather than macropore diffusion as predicted by the globular-structure model. A qualitative criterion for micropore-diffusion control is proposed: relatively small macroporosity and high catalyst pellet density. Since most hydrotreating catalysts have high density, diffusion in these types of catalysts may be controlled by micropore diffusion. Accordingly, it is believed in this case that increasing the size of micropores may be more effective to reduce intraparticle diffusion resistance than incorporating macropores alone

Performance of deep geothermal energy systems

Science.gov (United States)

Manikonda, Nikhil

Geothermal energy is an important source of clean and renewable energy. This project deals with the study of deep geothermal power plants for the generation of electricity. The design involves the extraction of heat from the Earth and its conversion into electricity. This is performed by allowing fluid deep into the Earth where it gets heated due to the surrounding rock. The fluid gets vaporized and returns to the surface in a heat pipe. Finally, the energy of the fluid is converted into electricity using turbine or organic rankine cycle (ORC). The main feature of the system is the employment of side channels to increase the amount of thermal energy extracted. A finite difference computer model is developed to solve the heat transport equation. The numerical model was employed to evaluate the performance of the design. The major goal was to optimize the output power as a function of parameters such as thermal diffusivity of the rock, depth of the main well, number and length of lateral channels. The sustainable lifetime of the system for a target output power of 2 MW has been calculated for deep geothermal systems with drilling depths of 8000 and 10000 meters, and a financial analysis has been performed to evaluate the economic feasibility of the system for a practical range of geothermal parameters. Results show promising an outlook for deep geothermal systems for practical applications.

Results of testing the E9 multiple probe lateral logging device in deep wells in the eastern Pre-caucasus

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Boyarchuk, A.F.; Kochetkov, V.T.; Kucherov, R.A.

1981-07-01

The integrated lateral logging device E9 developed for investigating deep and extra-deep wells, permitting measurement of apparent resistances by three probes at different depths, is described. It is heat and pressure resistant (up to 200/degree/C, 120 MPa). The tests showed that under certain favorable conditions the device is fairly effective.

Preliminary results from NOAMP deep drifting floats

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ollitrault, M.

1989-01-01

This paper is a very brief and preliminary outline of first results obtained with deep SOFAR floats in the NOAMP area. The work is now going toward more precise statistical estimations of mean and variable currents, together with better tracking to resolve submesoscales and estimate diffusivities due to mesoscale and smaller scale motions. However the preliminary results confirm that the NOAMP region (and surroundings) has a deep mesoscale eddy field that is considerably more energetic that the mean field (r.m.s. velocities are of order 5 cm s -1 ), although both values are diminished compared to the western basin. A data report containing trajectories and statistics is scheduled to be published by IFREMER in the near future. The project main task is to especially study the dispersion of radioactive substances

Mutations Related to Antiretroviral Resistance Identified by Ultra-Deep Sequencing in HIV-1 Infected Children under Structured Interruptions of HAART.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jose Manuel Vazquez-Guillen

Full Text Available Although Structured Treatment Interruptions (STI are currently not considered an alternative strategy for antiretroviral treatment, their true benefits and limitations have not been fully established. Some studies suggest the possibility of improving the quality of life of patients with this strategy; however, the information that has been obtained corresponds mostly to studies conducted in adults, with a lack of knowledge about its impact on children. Furthermore, mutations associated with antiretroviral resistance could be selected due to sub-therapeutic levels of HAART at each interruption period. Genotyping methods to determine the resistance profiles of the infecting viruses have become increasingly important for the management of patients under STI, thus low-abundance antiretroviral drug-resistant mutations (DRM's at levels under limit of detection of conventional genotyping (<20% of quasispecies could increase the risk of virologic failure. In this work, we analyzed the protease and reverse transcriptase regions of the pol gene by ultra-deep sequencing in pediatric patients under STI with the aim of determining the presence of high- and low-abundance DRM's in the viral rebounds generated by the STI. High-abundance mutations in protease and high- and low-abundance mutations in reverse transcriptase were detected but no one of these are directly associated with resistance to antiretroviral drugs. The results could suggest that the evaluated STI program is virologically safe, but strict and carefully planned studies, with greater numbers of patients and interruption/restart cycles, are still needed to evaluate the selection of DRM's during STI.

Collective Landmarks for Deep Time: A New Tool for Evolution Education

Science.gov (United States)

Delgado, Cesar

2014-01-01

Evolution is a fundamental, organising concept in biology, yet there is widespread resistance to evolution among US students and there are rising creationist challenges in Europe. Resistance to evolution is linked to lack of understanding of the age of the Earth. An understanding of deep time is thus essential for effective biology education.…

An innovation resistance factor model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Siti Salwa Mohd Ishak

2016-09-01

Full Text Available The process and implementation strategy of information technology in construction is generally considered through the limiting prism of theoretical contexts generated from innovation diffusion and acceptance. This research argues that more attention should be given to understanding the positive effects of resistance. The study develops a theoretical framing for the Integrated Resistance Factor Model (IRFM. The framing uses a combination of diffusion of innovation theory, technology acceptance model and social network perspective. The model is tested to identify the most significant resistance factors using Partial Least Square (PLS technique. All constructs proposed in the model are found to be significant, valid and consistent with the theoretical framework. IRFM is shown to be an effective and appropriate model of user resistance factors. The most critical factors to influence technology resistance in the online project information management system (OPIMS context are: support from leaders and peers, complexity of the technology, compatibility with key work practices; and pre-trial of the technology before it is actually deployed. The study provides a new model for further research in technology innovation specific to the construction industry.

Y-box-binding protein-1 (YB-1) promotes cell proliferation, adhesion and drug resistance in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Miao, Xiaobing; Wu, Yaxun [Department of Pathology, Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong 226361, Jiangsu (China); Wang, Yuchan [Department of Pathogen, Medical College, Nantong University, Nantong 226001, Jiangsu (China); Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory for Inflammation and Molecular Drug Target, Nantong University, Nantong 226001, Jiangsu (China); Zhu, Xinghua; Yin, Haibing [Department of Pathology, Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong 226361, Jiangsu (China); He, Yunhua [Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory for Inflammation and Molecular Drug Target, Nantong University, Nantong 226001, Jiangsu (China); Li, Chunsun; Liu, Yushan; Lu, Xiaoyun; Chen, Yali; Shen, Rong [Department of Pathology, Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong 226361, Jiangsu (China); Xu, Xiaohong, E-mail: xuxiaohongnantong@126.com [Department of Oncology, Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong 226361, Jiangsu (China); He, Song, E-mail: hesongnt@126.com [Department of Pathology, Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong 226361, Jiangsu (China)

2016-08-15

YB-1 is a multifunctional protein, which has been shown to correlate with resistance to treatment of various tumor types. This study investigated the expression and biologic function of YB-1 in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Immunohistochemical analysis showed that the expression statuses of YB-1 and pYB-1{sup S102} were reversely correlated with the clinical outcomes of DLBCL patients. In addition, we found that YB-1 could promote the proliferation of DLBCL cells by accelerating the G1/S transition. Ectopic expression of YB-1 could markedly increase the expression of cell cycle regulators cyclin D1 and cyclin E. Furthermore, we found that adhesion of DLBCL cells to fibronectin (FN) could increase YB-1 phosphorylation at Ser102 and pYB-1{sup S102} nuclear translocation. In addition, overexpression of YB-1 could increase the adhesion of DLBCL cells to FN. Intriguingly, we found that YB-1 overexpression could confer drug resistance through cell-adhesion dependent and independent mechanisms in DLBCL. Silencing of YB-1 could sensitize DLBCL cells to mitoxantrone and overcome cell adhesion-mediated drug resistance (CAM-DR) phenotype in an AKT-dependent manner. - Highlights: • The expression statuses of YB-1 and pYB-1{sup S102} are reversely correlated with outcomes of DLBCL patients. • YB-1 promotes cell proliferation by accelerating G1/S transition in DLBCL. • YB-1 confers drug resistance to mitoxantrone in DLBCL.

Neoclassical diffusion at low L-shel

Science.gov (United States)

Cunningham, G.; Ripoll, J. F.; Loridan, V.; Schulz, M.

2017-12-01

as a function of pitch-angle, energy and L-shell, and find that we quantitatively reproduce the results in Newkirk and Walt and Imhof et al, conclusively demonstrating that neoclassical diffusion is an important effect for energetic electrons in the deep inner belt.

Detection of low frequency multi-drug resistance and novel putative maribavir resistance in immunocompromised paediatric patients with cytomegalovirus

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Charlotte Jane Houldcroft

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV is a significant pathogen in immunocompromised individuals, with the potential to cause fatal pneumonitis and colitis, as well as increasing the risk of organ rejection in transplant patients. With the advent of new anti-HCMV drugs there is therefore considerable interest in using virus sequence data to monitor emerging resistance to antiviral drugs in HCMV viraemia and disease, including the identification of putative new mutations. We used target-enrichment to deep sequence HCMV DNA from 11 immunosuppressed paediatric patients receiving single or combination anti-HCMV treatment, serially sampled over 1-27 weeks. Changes in consensus sequence and resistance mutations were analysed for three ORFs targeted by anti-HCMV drugs and the frequencies of drug resistance mutations monitored. Targeted-enriched sequencing of clinical material detected mutations occurring at frequencies of 2%. Seven patients showed no evidence of drug resistance mutations. Four patients developed drug resistance mutations a mean of 16 weeks after starting treatment. In two patients, multiple resistance mutations accumulated at frequencies of 20% or less, including putative maribavir and ganciclovir resistance mutations P522Q (UL54 and C480F (UL97. In one patient, resistance was detected 14 days earlier than by PCR. Phylogenetic analysis suggested recombination or superinfection in one patient. Deep sequencing of HCMV enriched from clinical samples excluded resistance in 7 of eleven subjects and identified resistance mutations earlier than conventional PCR-based resistance testing in 2 patients. Detection of multiple low level resistance mutations was associated with poor outcome.

Foam Based Gas Diffusion Electrodes for Reversible Alkaline Electrolysis Cells

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Allebrod, Frank; Chatzichristodoulou, Christodoulos; Mogensen, Mogens Bjerg

2014-01-01

Alkaline electrolysis cells operated at 250 °C and 40 bar have shown to be able to convert electrical energy into hydrogen at very high efficiencies and power densities. Foam based gas diffusion electrodes and an immobilized electrolyte allow for reversible operation as electrolysis cell or fuel...... cell. In the present work we demonstrate the application of hydrophobic, porous, and electro-catalytically active gas diffusion electrodes. PTFE particles and silver nanowires as electro-catalysts were used in the gas diffusion electrodes. Impedance spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry were performed...... to determine the cell characteristics. The thickness of the electrolyte matrix was only 200 µm, thereby achieving a serial resistance and area specific resistance of 60 mΩ cm2 and 150 mΩ cm2, respectively, at 200 °C and 20 bar. A new production method was developed to increase the cell size from lab scale (1...

Diffusion-stress coupling in liquid phase during rapid solidification of binary mixtures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sobolev, S.L.

2014-01-01

An analytical model has been developed to describe the diffusion-viscous stress coupling in the liquid phase during rapid solidification of binary mixtures. The model starts with a set of evolution equations for diffusion flux and viscous pressure tensor, based on extended irreversible thermodynamics. It has been demonstrated that the diffusion-stress coupling leads to non-Fickian diffusion effects in the liquid phase. With only diffusive dynamics, the model results in the nonlocal diffusion equations of parabolic type, which imply the transition to complete solute trapping only asymptotically at an infinite interface velocity. With the wavelike dynamics, the model leads to the nonlocal diffusion equations of hyperbolic type and describes the transition to complete solute trapping and diffusionless solidification at a finite interface velocity in accordance with experimental data and molecular dynamic simulation. -- Highlights: •We propose the diffusion-stress coupling model for binary solidification. •The coupling arises at deep undercooling. •With diffusive dynamics, the models result in parabolic transfer equations. •With the wavelike dynamics, the models lead to hyperbolic transfer equations. •The coupling strongly affects the solute partition coefficient

Exciton diffusion length in some thermocleavable polythiophenes by the surface photovoltage method

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tousek, J.; Touskova, J.; Remes, Z.

2012-01-01

property is that P3MHOCT can serve as a precursor which, after thermal annealing, converts into more rigid and insoluble P3CT and further thermal treatment produces native unsubstituted PT. Ellipsometric measurement yielded data on the thickness of the spin coated layers; absorption coefficients were...... be ascribed to the increase of the crystalline fraction. The highest diffusion length was found in P3CT polymer but its large resistivity represents a disadvantage in application in solar cells. Taking into account just these parameters, relatively low resistivity together with quite high diffusion length (13...

Brain microstructural abnormalities revealed by diffusion tensor images in patients with treatment-resistant depression compared with major depressive disorder before treatment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhou Yan, E-mail: clare1475@hotmail.com [Department of Radiology, Ren-Ji Hospital, Jiao Tong University Medical School, Shanghai 200127 (China); Qin Lingdi, E-mail: flyfool318@hotmail.com [Department of Radiology, Ren-Ji Hospital, Jiao Tong University Medical School, Shanghai 200127 (China); Chen Jun, E-mail: doctor_cj@msn.com [Shanghai Mental Health Center, Jiao Tong University Medical School, Shanghai, 200030 (China); Qian Lijun, E-mail: dearqlj@hotmail.com [Department of Radiology, Ren-Ji Hospital, Jiao Tong University Medical School, Shanghai 200127 (China); Tao Jing, E-mail: jing318@hotmail.com [Department of Radiology, Ren-Ji Hospital, Jiao Tong University Medical School, Shanghai 200127 (China); Fang Yiru, E-mail: fangyr@sina.com [Shanghai Mental Health Center, Jiao Tong University Medical School, Shanghai, 200030 (China); Xu Jianrong, E-mail: xujianr@hotmail.com [Department of Radiology, Ren-Ji Hospital, Jiao Tong University Medical School, Shanghai 200127 (China)

2011-11-15

Treatment-resistant depression (TRD) is a therapeutic challenge for clinicians. Despite a growing interest in this area, an understanding of the pathophysiology of depression, particularly TRD, remains lacking. This study aims to detect the white matter abnormalities of whole brain fractional anisotropy (FA) in patients with TRD compared with major depressive disorder (MDD) before treatment by voxel-based analysis using diffusion tensor imaging. A total of 100 patients first diagnosed with untreated MDD underwent diffusion tensor imaging scans. 8 weeks after the first treatment, 54 patients showed response to the medication, whereas 46 did not. Finally, 20 patients were diagnosed with TRD after undergoing another treatment. A total of 20 patients with TRD and another 20 with MDD before treatment matched in gender, age, and education was enrolled in the research. For every subject, an FA map was generated and analyzed using SPM5. Subsequently, t-test was conducted to compare the FA values voxel to voxel between the two groups (p < 0.001 [FDR corrected], t > 7.57, voxel size > 30). Voxel-based morphometric (VBM) analysis was performed using T1W images. Significant reductions in FA were found in the white matter located in the bilateral of the hippocampus (left hippocampus: t = 7.63, voxel size = 50; right hippocampus: t = 7.82, voxel size = 48). VBM analysis revealed no morphological abnormalities between the two groups. Investigation of brain anisotropy revealed significantly decreased FA in both sides of the hippocampus. Although preliminary, our findings suggest that microstructural abnormalities in the hippocampus indicate vulnerability to treatment resistance.

Brain microstructural abnormalities revealed by diffusion tensor images in patients with treatment-resistant depression compared with major depressive disorder before treatment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhou Yan; Qin Lingdi; Chen Jun; Qian Lijun; Tao Jing; Fang Yiru; Xu Jianrong

2011-01-01

Treatment-resistant depression (TRD) is a therapeutic challenge for clinicians. Despite a growing interest in this area, an understanding of the pathophysiology of depression, particularly TRD, remains lacking. This study aims to detect the white matter abnormalities of whole brain fractional anisotropy (FA) in patients with TRD compared with major depressive disorder (MDD) before treatment by voxel-based analysis using diffusion tensor imaging. A total of 100 patients first diagnosed with untreated MDD underwent diffusion tensor imaging scans. 8 weeks after the first treatment, 54 patients showed response to the medication, whereas 46 did not. Finally, 20 patients were diagnosed with TRD after undergoing another treatment. A total of 20 patients with TRD and another 20 with MDD before treatment matched in gender, age, and education was enrolled in the research. For every subject, an FA map was generated and analyzed using SPM5. Subsequently, t-test was conducted to compare the FA values voxel to voxel between the two groups (p 7.57, voxel size > 30). Voxel-based morphometric (VBM) analysis was performed using T1W images. Significant reductions in FA were found in the white matter located in the bilateral of the hippocampus (left hippocampus: t = 7.63, voxel size = 50; right hippocampus: t = 7.82, voxel size = 48). VBM analysis revealed no morphological abnormalities between the two groups. Investigation of brain anisotropy revealed significantly decreased FA in both sides of the hippocampus. Although preliminary, our findings suggest that microstructural abnormalities in the hippocampus indicate vulnerability to treatment resistance.

Thermal diffusion in dilute nanofluids investigated by photothermal interferometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Philip, J; Nisha, M R

2010-01-01

We have carried out a theoretical analysis of the dependence of the particle mass fraction on the thermal diffusivity of dilute suspensions of nanoparticles in liquids (dilute nanofluids). The analysis takes in to account adsorption of an ordered layer of solvent molecules around the nanoparticles. It is found that thermal diffusivity decreases with mass fraction for sufficiently small particle sizes. Beyond a critical particle size thermal diffusivity begins to increase with mass fraction for the same system. The results have been verified experimentally by measuring the thermal diffusivity of dilute suspensions of TiO 2 nanoparticles dispersed in polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) medium. The effect is attributed to Kapitza resistance of thermal waves in the medium.

Investigation of Linezolid Resistance in Staphylococci and Enterococci

Science.gov (United States)

Gallegos, Michael; Alspaugh, Debbie

2016-01-01

The objective of this study was to investigate an apparent increase in linezolid-nonsusceptible staphylococci and enterococci following a laboratory change in antimicrobial susceptibility testing from disk diffusion to an automated susceptibility testing system. Isolates with nonsusceptible results (n = 27) from Vitek2 were subjected to a battery of confirmatory testing which included disk diffusion, Microscan broth microdilution, Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) reference broth microdilution, gradient diffusion (Etest), 23S rRNA gene sequencing, and cfr PCR. Our results show that there is poor correlation between methods and that only 70 to 75% of isolates were confirmed as linezolid resistant with alternative phenotypic testing methods (disk diffusion, Microscan broth microdilution, CLSI broth microdilution, and Etest). 23S rRNA gene sequencing identified mutations previously associated with linezolid resistance in 16 (59.3%) isolates, and the cfr gene was detected in 3 (11.1%) isolates. Mutations located at positions 2576 and 2534 of the 23S rRNA gene were most common. In addition, two previously undescribed variants (at positions 2083 and 2345 of the 23S rRNA gene) were also identified and may contribute to linezolid resistance. PMID:26935728

Diffuse flow environments within basalt- and sediment-based hydrothermal vent ecosystems harbor specialized microbial communities.

Science.gov (United States)

Campbell, Barbara J; Polson, Shawn W; Zeigler Allen, Lisa; Williamson, Shannon J; Lee, Charles K; Wommack, K Eric; Cary, S Craig

2013-01-01

Hydrothermal vents differ both in surface input and subsurface geochemistry. The effects of these differences on their microbial communities are not clear. Here, we investigated both alpha and beta diversity of diffuse flow-associated microbial communities emanating from vents at a basalt-based hydrothermal system along the East Pacific Rise (EPR) and a sediment-based hydrothermal system, Guaymas Basin. Both Bacteria and Archaea were targeted using high throughput 16S rRNA gene pyrosequencing analyses. A unique aspect of this study was the use of a universal set of 16S rRNA gene primers to characterize total and diffuse flow-specific microbial communities from varied deep-sea hydrothermal environments. Both surrounding seawater and diffuse flow water samples contained large numbers of Marine Group I (MGI) Thaumarchaea and Gammaproteobacteria taxa previously observed in deep-sea systems. However, these taxa were geographically distinct and segregated according to type of spreading center. Diffuse flow microbial community profiles were highly differentiated. In particular, EPR dominant diffuse flow taxa were most closely associated with chemolithoautotrophs, and off axis water was dominated by heterotrophic-related taxa, whereas the opposite was true for Guaymas Basin. The diversity and richness of diffuse flow-specific microbial communities were strongly correlated to the relative abundance of Epsilonproteobacteria, proximity to macrofauna, and hydrothermal system type. Archaeal diversity was higher than or equivalent to bacterial diversity in about one third of the samples. Most diffuse flow-specific communities were dominated by OTUs associated with Epsilonproteobacteria, but many of the Guaymas Basin diffuse flow samples were dominated by either OTUs within the Planctomycetes or hyperthermophilic Archaea. This study emphasizes the unique microbial communities associated with geochemically and geographically distinct hydrothermal diffuse flow environments.

Remote assessment of permeability/thermal diffusivity of consolidated clay sediments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lovell, M.A.; Ogden, P.

1984-02-01

The aim of this project was to examine the feasibility of predicting marine sediment permeability and thermal diffusivity by remote geophysical observations. For this purpose a modified consolidation cell was developed and constructed and tests on deep sea sediment samples carried out. Results and conclusions of a nineteen month programme are presented. (U.K.)

Deep-inelastic processes: a workbench for large scale motion in nuclear matter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moretto, L.G.; Schmitt, R.P.

1978-07-01

The most prominent collective modes excited in deep-inelastic reactions are reviewed, and the natural hierarchy provided by their characteristic relaxation times is described. A model is presented which treats the relaxation of the mass asymmetry mode in terms of a diffusion process. Charge distributions and angular distributions as a function of Z calculated with this model are in good agreement with experimental data. An extension of this diffusion model which treats the transfer of energy and angular momentum in terms of particle transfer is described, and is successfully compared with experimental γ-ray multiplicities as a function of both Q-value and mass asymmetry. The problem of angular momentum transfer is again considered in connection with the sequential fission of heavy, deep-inelastic fragments and the excitation of collective modes in the exit channel is suggested. Lastly, the role of the giant E1 mode in the equilibration of the neutron-to-proton ratio is discussed. 14 figures, 39 references

Deep-inelastic processes: a workbench for large scale motion in nuclear matter

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Moretto, L.G.; Schmitt, R.P.

1978-07-01

The most prominent collective modes excited in deep-inelastic reactions are reviewed, and the natural hierarchy provided by their characteristic relaxation times is described. A model is presented which treats the relaxation of the mass asymmetry mode in terms of a diffusion process. Charge distributions and angular distributions as a function of Z calculated with this model are in good agreement with experimental data. An extension of this diffusion model which treats the transfer of energy and angular momentum in terms of particle transfer is described, and is successfully compared with experimental ..gamma..-ray multiplicities as a function of both Q-value and mass asymmetry. The problem of angular momentum transfer is again considered in connection with the sequential fission of heavy, deep-inelastic fragments and the excitation of collective modes in the exit channel is suggested. Lastly, the role of the giant E1 mode in the equilibration of the neutron-to-proton ratio is discussed. 14 figures, 39 references.

Analysis of hepatitis C NS5A resistance associated polymorphisms using ultra deep single molecule real time (SMRT) sequencing.

Science.gov (United States)

Bergfors, Assar; Leenheer, Daniël; Bergqvist, Anders; Ameur, Adam; Lennerstrand, Johan

2016-02-01

Development of Hepatitis C virus (HCV) resistance against direct-acting antivirals (DAAs), including NS5A inhibitors, is an obstacle to successful treatment of HCV when DAAs are used in sub-optimal combinations. Furthermore, it has been shown that baseline (pre-existing) resistance against DAAs is present in treatment naïve-patients and this will potentially complicate future treatment strategies in different HCV genotypes (GTs). Thus the aim was to detect low levels of NS5A resistant associated variants (RAVs) in a limited sample set of treatment-naïve patients of HCV GT1a and 3a, since such polymorphisms can display in vitro resistance as high as 60000 fold. Ultra-deep single molecule real time (SMRT) sequencing with the Pacific Biosciences (PacBio) RSII instrument was used to detect these RAVs. The SMRT sequencing was conducted on ten samples; three of them positive with Sanger sequencing (GT1a Q30H and Y93N, and GT3a Y93H), five GT1a samples, and two GT3a non-positive samples. The same methods were applied to the HCV GT1a H77-plasmid in a dilution series, in order to determine the error rates of replication, which in turn was used to determine the limit of detection (LOD), as defined by mean + 3SD, of minority variants down to 0.24%. We found important baseline NS5A RAVs at levels between 0.24 and 0.5%, which could potentially have clinical relevance. This new method with low level detection of baseline RAVs could be useful in predicting the most cost-efficient combination of DAA treatment, and reduce the treatment duration for an HCV infected individual. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The contribution of diffusion to methane transport in deep underground gas deposits; Der Beitrag der Diffusion zum Methantransport in tiefliegenden Gas-Lagerstaetten

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sachs, W. [Institut fuer Erdoel- und Erdgasforschung, Clausthal-Zellerfeld (Germany)

1998-12-31

Optimisation of gas production necessitates accurate knowledge of gas transport mechanisms. In view of the extreme temperatures, pressures, and permeability conditions of underground gas deposits, linear transfer of existing knowledge will be inappropriate. The author therefore uses a simple capillary bundle model with exemplary pressures, temperatures and permeabilities in order to assess the contribution of transport by diffusion. The diffusion coefficients, which are required for this and so far could not be measured under pressure, were determined by a new experimental method whose results will permit a better interpretation of the concentration dependence of the diffusion coefficient. The velocity of methane inflow and outflow in the water-filled pore space may provide knowledge on problems of gas storage in the pore space. (orig.) [Deutsch] Fuer den Foerderprozess und insbesondere seine Optimierung ist eine genaue Kenntnis der Transportmechanismen wesentlich. Unter den drastischen Bedingungen fuer Temperatur, Druck und Permeabilitaet tiefliegender Gas-Lagerstaetten mag die Uebertragung der bisherigen Vorstellungen ueber den Transport in der Lagerstaette zu einer unvollstaendigen Beschreibung fuehren. Unter Anwendung eines einfachen Kapillarbuendelmodells wird mit Beispielen fuer Druck, Temperatur und Permeabilitaet der moegliche Beitrag des Transports durch Diffusion abgeschaetzt. Zur Bestimmung der hierfuer notwendigen und bisher unter Druckbeaufschlagung nicht gemessenen Diffusionskoeffizienten wurde eine neue experimentelle Methode angewandt, deren Ergebnisse eine weiterfuehrende Interpretation der Konzentrationsabhaengigkeit des Diffusionskoeffizienten ermoeglichen. Auch fuer Fragestellungen der Speicherung von Gas im Porenraum kann die Geschwindigkeit der Ein- und Ausloesung von Methan im wasserhaltigen Porenraum von Interesse sein. (orig.)

Antibiotic resistant profile of Streptococcus pneumoniae from the ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The isolates were subjected to antimicrobial susceptibility testing using the disc diffusion method. Results: S. pneumoniae was isolated from 37(42.04%) of the 88 samples. Isolates showed the highest resistance of 12 (32.43%) to erythromycin and lowest resistance of 4(10.81%) to ciprofloxacin. The resistance profiles for ...

Vertical eddy diffusion as a key mechanism for removing perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) from the global surface oceans

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lohmann, Rainer; Jurado, Elena; Dijkstra, Henk A.; Dachs, Jordi

2013-01-01

Here we estimate the importance of vertical eddy diffusion in removing perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) from the surface Ocean and assess its importance as a global sink. Measured water column profiles of PFOA were reproduced by assuming that vertical eddy diffusion in a 3-layer ocean model is the sole cause for the transport of PFOA to depth. The global oceanic sink due to eddy diffusion for PFOA is high, with accumulated removal fluxes over the last 40 years of 660 t, with the Atlantic Ocean accounting for 70% of the global oceanic sink. The global oceans have removed 13% of all PFOA produced to a depth greater than 100 m via vertical eddy diffusion; an additional 4% has been removed via deep water formation. The top 100 m of the surface oceans store another 21% of all PFOA produced (∼1100 t). Highlights: •Eddy diffusion has removed ∼660 t of PFOA from surface oceans over the last 40 years. •Atlantic Ocean accounts for 70% of the global oceanic sink of PFOA. •Vertical eddy diffusion has moved ∼13% of PFOA to oceans deeper than 100 m. •Around 4% of PFOA has been removed via deep water formation. •The top 100 m of global oceans contain ∼21% of historical PFOA production. -- Vertical eddy diffusion is an important removal process for hydrophilic organic pollutants such as PFOA from the surface ocean

Application of neutron activation to the characterization of silicon doping technological procedures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jourdain, Daniel.

1976-01-01

Neutron activation techniques (examples of reactions, emission spectra) are recalled. Autoradiography is studied in detail: a theoretical study of the phenomena involved and the parameters that have an effect on the resolution, is made. Concentration profiles of doping impurities are analyzed in the case of ion implantation and deep diffusion. Autoradiography was applied to the study of the following technological problems: phosphorus and gold deep diffusion, phosphorus and arsenic ion implantation, deposition and diffusion of phosphorus-doped oxides. Correlations between doping material concentration and electric parameters such as recovering time and surface resistance were looked for [fr

Neutrons in a highly diffusive medium a new propulsion tool for deep space exploration?

CERN Document Server

Rubbia, Carlo

1998-01-01

The recently completed TARC Experiment at the CERN-PS has shown how it is possible to confine neutrons by diffusion in a limited volume of a highly transparent medium for very long times (tens of milliseconds), with correspondingly very long diffusive paths (> 60 m neutron path ÒwoundÓ within a ~ 60 cm effective radius). Assume an empty cavity is introduced inside the previous volume of diffusing medium. The inner walls of the cavity are covered with a thin layer of highly fissionable material, which acts as a neutron multiplying source. This configuration, called Òn-HohlraumÓ, is reminiscent of a classic black-body radiator, with the exception that now neutrons rather than photons are propagated. The flux can be sufficiently enhanced as to permit to reach criticality with a ~ 1 mm thick Americium deposit, corresponding to a mere 1100 atomic layers. Such a layer is so thin that the Fission Fragments (FF) exit freely into the cavity. The energy carried by FF can be recovered directly, thus making use of th...

Grain boundary engineering for control of tellurium diffusion in GH3535 alloy

Science.gov (United States)

Fu, Cai-Tao; Yinling, Wang; Chu, Xiang-Wei; Jiang, Li; Zhang, Wen-Zhu; Bai, Qin; Xia, Shuang; Leng, Bin; Li, Zhi-Jun; Ye, Xiang-Xi; Liu, Fang

2017-12-01

The effect of grain boundary engineering (GBE) on the Te diffusion along the surface grain boundaries was investigated in GH3535 alloy. It can be found that GBE treatment increases obviously the fraction of low-Σ coincidence site lattice (CSL) boundaries, especially the Σ3 ones, and introduces the large-size grain clusters. When the as-received (AR) and GBE-treated (GBET) specimens were exposed to Te vapor, only Σ3 boundaries were found to be resistant to Te diffusion. From the cross section and the surface, the fewer Te-attacked grain boundaries and the thinner corrosion layer can be observed in the GBET sample. The improvement of resistance to Te diffusion in the GBET sample can be attributed to the large size grain-clusters associated with high proportion of the Σ3n boundaries.

Evaluation of microlithographic performance of 'deep UV' resists ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

demand newer resists for high resolution geometry. A great deal of ... the wavelength of exposure, emissions of high-pressure mercury lamps ... liquid BHMC. 2.70 g of ..... 28 2611. 23. Sebenik A, Lapanje S 1975 J. Chromatography 106 454.

Damage related deep electron levels in ion implanted GaAs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Allsopp, D.W.E.; Peaker, A.R.

1986-01-01

A study has been made of the deep electron levels in semi-insulating GaAs implanted with either 78 Se + or 29 Si + ions and rendered n-type by subsequent annealing without encapsulation in partial pressures of arsenic or arsine. Three implantation related deep states were detected with concentration profiles approximating to the type of Gaussian distributions expected for point defects related to ion implantation damage. Further heat treatment of the samples at 500 0 C in a gas ambient of U 2 /H 2 substantially reduced concentration of these deep levels. Two of these states were thought to be related to displacements of the substrate atoms. The third, at Esubc -0.67 eV, was found in only 78 Se + ion implanted GaAs substrates and was thought to be a defect involving both Se and As atoms, rather than intrinsic lattice disorder. It is proposed that the annealing rate of these implantation related deep levels depends crucially on the in-diffusion of arsenic vacancies during heat treatments. (author)

Process strategies for ultra-deep x-ray lithography at the Advanced Photon Source

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mancini, D.C.; Moldovan, N.; Divan, R.; De Carlo, F.; Yaeger, J.

2001-01-01

For the past five years, we have been investigating and advancing processing capabilities for deep x-ray lithography (DXRL) using synchrotron radiation from a bending magnet at the Advanced Photon Source (APS), with an emphasis on ultra-deep structures (1mm to 1cm thick). The use of higher-energy x-rays has presented many challenges in developing optimal lithographic techniques for high-aspect ratio structures: mask requirements, resist preparation, exposure, development, and post-processing. Many problems are more severe for high-energy exposure of thicker films than for sub-millimeter structures and affect resolution, processing time, adhesion, damage, and residue. A number of strategies have been created to overcome the challenges and limitations of ultra-deep x-ray lithography (UDXRL), that have resulted in the current choices for mask, substrate, and process flow at the APS. We describe our current process strategies for UDXRL, how they address the challenges presented, and their current limitations. We note especially the importance of the process parameters for use of the positive tone resist PMMA for UDXRL, and compare to the use of negative tone resists such as SU-8 regarding throughput, resolution, adhesion, damage, and post-processing.

Two-dimensional magnetotelluric model of deep resistivity structure in the Bodie-Aurora district of California

Science.gov (United States)

Sampson, Jay A.

2006-01-01

Introduction: Magnetotelluric data were acquired during October 2001 by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) as part of a study to examine the structural nature of basins in the transition zone between the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California and the Basin and Range province of Nevada. Magnetotelluric (MT) geophysical studies assist the mapping of geologic structure and the inference of lithologic packages that are concealed beneath the Earth's surface. The Basin and Range province has a complicated geologic history, which includes extension and compression of the Earth's crust to form the basins and ranges that blanket much of Nevada. The basins and ranges in the vicinity of this study trend northeastward and are bounded by steeply dipping strike slip faults. Interestingly, deep east-west magnetic trends occur in the aeromagnetic data of this study area indicating that the northeast-trending basins and ranges represent only thin-skinned deformation at the surface with an underlying east-west structure. To investigate this issue, MT data were acquired at seven stations in eastern California, 20 km east of Mono Lake. The purpose of this report is to present a two-dimensional apparent resistivity model of the MT data acquired for this study.

Characteristics of micro transfer paths and diffusion phenomena in the matrix of deep crystalline rock

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ishibashi, Masayuki; Sasao, Eiji; Hama, Katsuhiro

2016-01-01

Matrix diffusion is one of the important phenomena for evaluating the safety of the geological disposal of high level waste because it has an effect of retarding mass transport in crystalline rocks. Previous studies indicated that the altered granitic rocks have high retardation functions due to the micropore formation associated with hydrothermal alteration; however, there has not been enough knowledge on the matrix diffusion in weakly unaltered rocks (macroscopically unaltered rocks). Since the macroscopically altered granitic rocks in Japan are likely to be affected by deuteric alteration due to hydrothermal flu resulting from crystallization of granitic magma, it is important to understand the effect of deuteric alteration on the matrix diffusion. Therefore, detailed observations were carried out to clarify the effects of deuteric alteration focused on the macroscopically unaltered granite sampled from 300 m and 500 m below ground levels at the Mizunami Underground Research Laboratory, central Japan. The results provide that the micropores are selectively formed in plagioclases due to deuteric alteration and they have the potential of acting as matrix diffusion paths. This is indicating the possibility that deuteric alteration can retard the mass transport in crystalline rocks in Japan. That plays a significant role in enforcing the barrier function of crystalline rocks. (author)

Deep brain stimulation for severe treatment-resistant obsessive-compulsive disorder: An open-label case series.

Science.gov (United States)

Farrand, Sarah; Evans, Andrew H; Mangelsdorf, Simone; Loi, Samantha M; Mocellin, Ramon; Borham, Adam; Bevilacqua, JoAnne; Blair-West, Scott; Walterfang, Mark A; Bittar, Richard G; Velakoulis, Dennis

2017-09-01

Deep brain stimulation can be of benefit in carefully selected patients with severe intractable obsessive-compulsive disorder. The aim of this paper is to describe the outcomes of the first seven deep brain stimulation procedures for obsessive-compulsive disorder undertaken at the Neuropsychiatry Unit, Royal Melbourne Hospital. The primary objective was to assess the response to deep brain stimulation treatment utilising the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale as a measure of symptom severity. Secondary objectives include assessment of depression and anxiety, as well as socio-occupational functioning. Patients with severe obsessive-compulsive disorder were referred by their treating psychiatrist for assessment of their suitability for deep brain stimulation. Following successful application to the Psychosurgery Review Board, patients proceeded to have deep brain stimulation electrodes implanted in either bilateral nucleus accumbens or bed nucleus of stria terminalis. Clinical assessment and symptom rating scales were undertaken pre- and post-operatively at 6- to 8-week intervals. Rating scales used included the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale, Obsessive Compulsive Inventory, Depression Anxiety Stress Scale and Social and Occupational Functioning Assessment Scale. Seven patients referred from four states across Australia underwent deep brain stimulation surgery and were followed for a mean of 31 months (range, 8-54 months). The sample included four females and three males, with a mean age of 46 years (range, 37-59 years) and mean duration of obsessive-compulsive disorder of 25 years (range, 15-38 years) at the time of surgery. The time from first assessment to surgery was on average 18 months. All patients showed improvement on symptom severity rating scales. Three patients showed a full response, defined as greater than 35% improvement in Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale score, with the remaining showing responses between 7% and 20%. Deep

Low-abundance HIV drug-resistant viral variants in treatment-experienced persons correlate with historical antiretroviral use.

Science.gov (United States)

Le, Thuy; Chiarella, Jennifer; Simen, Birgitte B; Hanczaruk, Bozena; Egholm, Michael; Landry, Marie L; Dieckhaus, Kevin; Rosen, Marc I; Kozal, Michael J

2009-06-29

It is largely unknown how frequently low-abundance HIV drug-resistant variants at levels under limit of detection of conventional genotyping (<20% of quasi-species) are present in antiretroviral-experienced persons experiencing virologic failure. Further, the clinical implications of low-abundance drug-resistant variants at time of virologic failure are unknown. Plasma samples from 22 antiretroviral-experienced subjects collected at time of virologic failure (viral load 1380 to 304,000 copies/mL) were obtained from a specimen bank (from 2004-2007). The prevalence and profile of drug-resistant mutations were determined using Sanger sequencing and ultra-deep pyrosequencing. Genotypes were interpreted using Stanford HIV database algorithm. Antiretroviral treatment histories were obtained by chart review and correlated with drug-resistant mutations. Low-abundance drug-resistant mutations were detected in all 22 subjects by deep sequencing and only in 3 subjects by Sanger sequencing. In total they accounted for 90 of 247 mutations (36%) detected by deep sequencing; the majority of these (95%) were not detected by standard genotyping. A mean of 4 additional mutations per subject were detected by deep sequencing (p<0.0001, 95%CI: 2.85-5.53). The additional low-abundance drug-resistant mutations increased a subject's genotypic resistance to one or more antiretrovirals in 17 of 22 subjects (77%). When correlated with subjects' antiretroviral treatment histories, the additional low-abundance drug-resistant mutations correlated with the failing antiretroviral drugs in 21% subjects and correlated with historical antiretroviral use in 79% subjects (OR, 13.73; 95% CI, 2.5-74.3, p = 0.0016). Low-abundance HIV drug-resistant mutations in antiretroviral-experienced subjects at time of virologic failure can increase a subject's overall burden of resistance, yet commonly go unrecognized by conventional genotyping. The majority of unrecognized resistant mutations correlate with

Low-abundance HIV drug-resistant viral variants in treatment-experienced persons correlate with historical antiretroviral use.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thuy Le

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: It is largely unknown how frequently low-abundance HIV drug-resistant variants at levels under limit of detection of conventional genotyping (<20% of quasi-species are present in antiretroviral-experienced persons experiencing virologic failure. Further, the clinical implications of low-abundance drug-resistant variants at time of virologic failure are unknown. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Plasma samples from 22 antiretroviral-experienced subjects collected at time of virologic failure (viral load 1380 to 304,000 copies/mL were obtained from a specimen bank (from 2004-2007. The prevalence and profile of drug-resistant mutations were determined using Sanger sequencing and ultra-deep pyrosequencing. Genotypes were interpreted using Stanford HIV database algorithm. Antiretroviral treatment histories were obtained by chart review and correlated with drug-resistant mutations. Low-abundance drug-resistant mutations were detected in all 22 subjects by deep sequencing and only in 3 subjects by Sanger sequencing. In total they accounted for 90 of 247 mutations (36% detected by deep sequencing; the majority of these (95% were not detected by standard genotyping. A mean of 4 additional mutations per subject were detected by deep sequencing (p<0.0001, 95%CI: 2.85-5.53. The additional low-abundance drug-resistant mutations increased a subject's genotypic resistance to one or more antiretrovirals in 17 of 22 subjects (77%. When correlated with subjects' antiretroviral treatment histories, the additional low-abundance drug-resistant mutations correlated with the failing antiretroviral drugs in 21% subjects and correlated with historical antiretroviral use in 79% subjects (OR, 13.73; 95% CI, 2.5-74.3, p = 0.0016. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Low-abundance HIV drug-resistant mutations in antiretroviral-experienced subjects at time of virologic failure can increase a subject's overall burden of resistance, yet commonly go unrecognized by conventional

A simple model for the dispersion of radioactive wastes dumped on the deep-sea bed

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shepherd, J.G.

1976-01-01

A simple model has been developed for the dispersion of radioactive materials in a closed and finite ocean. It allows for the simultaneous action of both diffusion and horizontal (but not vertical) advection, and thus avoids the major limitations of previous models. It is sufficiently versatile to handle non-Fickian diffusion and radioactive decay, but requires numerical integration using some semi-empirical form for the Green function of diffusion from a point source. The model has been used to estimate equilibrium concentrations of radioactive materials in sea water arising from the continuous release of material from a dump on the bottom of the deep ocean, using parameters appropriate for the North Atlantic. It is found that except under rather extreme conditions the surface concentrations do not exceed the long-term average value which would be established in a perfectly mixed ocean. The concentrations are also rather insensitive to the values of the diffusion and advection parameters used, except for that for vertical diffusion, but depend strongly on the overall removal rate of material from the ocean, including processes other than radioactive decay. It is suggested that safety assessments of deep-sea dumping should utilize estimates of the environmental capacities of the oceans based on the long-term 'well-mixed' average concentrations (which are very easily calculated) using a safety factor of no more than ten to allow for the possible effects of pluming and upwelling. (author)

Diffusion processes in β-Zr(Al) phase: a thermodynamic approach

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Unknown

Keywords. Interdiffusion; diffusion coefficient; activation energy; zirconium; aluminium. 1. Introduction ... red mechanical properties and good corrosion resistance, which make them ..... (14) and imposing the above mentioned conditions, the.

Theory of resistivity-gradient-driven turbulence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garcia, L.; Carreras, B.A.; Diamond, P.H.; Callen, J.D.

1984-10-01

A theory of the nonlinear evolution and saturation of resistivity-driven turbulence, which evolves from linear rippling instabilities, is presented. The nonlinear saturation mechanism is identified both analytically and numerically. Saturation occurs when the turbulent diffusion of the resistivity is large enough so that dissipation due to parallel electron thermal conduction balances the nonlinearly modified resistivity gradient driving term. The levels of potential, resistivity, and density fluctuations at saturation are calculated. A combination of computational modeling and analytic treatment is used in this investigation

An Efficient Diffusion Scheme for Chaos-Based Digital Image Encryption

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jun-xin Chen

2014-01-01

Full Text Available In recent years, amounts of permutation-diffusion architecture-based image cryptosystems have been proposed. However, the key stream elements in the diffusion procedure are merely depending on the secret key that is usually fixed during the whole encryption process. Cryptosystems of this type suffer from unsatisfactory encryption speed and are considered insecure upon known/chosen plaintext attacks. In this paper, an efficient diffusion scheme is proposed. This scheme consists of two diffusion procedures, with a supplementary diffusion procedure padded after the normal diffusion. In the supplementary diffusion module, the control parameter of the selected chaotic map is altered by the resultant image produced after the normal diffusion operation. As a result, a slight difference in the plain image can be transferred to the chaotic iteration and bring about distinct key streams, and hence totally different cipher images will be produced. Therefore, the scheme can remarkably accelerate the diffusion effect of the cryptosystem and will effectively resist known/chosen plaintext attacks. Theoretical analyses and experimental results prove the high security performance and satisfactory operation efficiency of the proposed scheme.

Mass transfer resistance in ASFF reactors for waste water treatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Ettouney, H M; Al-Haddad, A A; Abu-Irhayem, T M

1996-01-01

Analysis of mass transfer resistances was performed for an aerated submerged fixed-film reactor (ASFF) for the treatment of waste water containing a mixture of sucrose and ammonia. Both external and internal mass transfer resistances were considered in the analysis, and characterized as a function of feed flow-rate and concentration. Results show that, over a certain operating regime, external mass transfer resistance in the system was greater for sucrose removal than ammonia. This is because the reaction rates for carbon removal were much larger than those of nitrogen. As a result, existence of any form of mass transfer resistance caused by inadequate mixing or diffusion limitations, strongly affects the overall removal rates of carbon more than nitrogen. Effects of the internal måss transfer resistance were virtually non-existent for ammonia removal. This behaviour was found over two orders of magnitude range for the effective diffusivity for ammonia, and one order of magnitude for the film specific surface area. However, over the same parameters' range, it is found that sucrose removal was strongly affected upon lowering its effective diffusivity and increasing the film specific surface area.

Is there ballistic transport in metallic nano-objects? Ballistic versus diffusive contributions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garcia, N; Bai Ming; Lu Yonghua; Munoz, M; Cheng Hao; Levanyuk, A P

2007-01-01

When discussing the resistance of an atomic-or nanometre-size contact we should consider both its ballistic and its diffusive contributions. But there is a contribution of the leads to the resistance of the contact as well. In this context, the geometry and the roughness of the surfaces limiting the system will contribute to the resistance, and these contributions should be added to the ideal ballistic resistance of the nanocontact. We have calculated, for metallic materials, the serial resistance of the leads arising from the roughness, and our calculations show that the ohmic resistance is as important as the ballistic resistance of the constriction. The classical resistance is a lower limit to the quantum resistance of the leads. Many examples of earlier experiments show that the mean free path of the transport electrons is of the order of the size of the contacts or the leads. This is not compatible with the idea of ballistic transport. This result may put in serious difficulties the current, existing interpretation of experimental data in metals where only small serial resistances compared with the ballistic component of the total resistance have been taken into account. The two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) is also discussed and the serial corrections appear to be smaller than for metals. Experiments with these last systems are proposed that may reveal new interesting aspects in the physics of ballistic and diffusive transport

Species specificity of resistance to oxygen diffusion in thin cuticular membranes from amphibious plants

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Frost-Christensen, Henning; Jørgensen, Lise Bolt; Floto, Franz

2003-01-01

oxygen, diffusion, cuticula, amphibious plants, Hygrophila, Berula, Lobelia, Mentha, Potamogeton, Veronica, aquatic plants, submerged plants......oxygen, diffusion, cuticula, amphibious plants, Hygrophila, Berula, Lobelia, Mentha, Potamogeton, Veronica, aquatic plants, submerged plants...

Dilution limits dissolved organic carbon utilization in the deep ocean

KAUST Repository

Arrieta, Jesus

2015-03-19

Oceanic dissolved organic carbon (DOC) is the second largest reservoir of organic carbon in the biosphere. About 72% of the global DOC inventory is stored in deep oceanic layers for years to centuries, supporting the current view that it consists of materials resistant to microbial degradation. An alternative hypothesis is that deep-water DOC consists of many different, intrinsically labile compounds at concentrations too low to compensate for the metabolic costs associated to their utilization. Here, we present experimental evidence showing that low concentrations rather than recalcitrance preclude consumption of a substantial fraction of DOC, leading to slow microbial growth in the deep ocean. These findings demonstrate an alternative mechanism for the long-term storage of labile DOC in the deep ocean, which has been hitherto largely ignored. © 2015, American Association for the Advancement of Science. All rights reserved.

Dilution limits dissolved organic carbon utilization in the deep ocean

KAUST Repository

Arrieta, J M; Mayol, Eva; Hansman, Roberta L.; Herndl, Gerhard J.; Dittmar, Thorsten; Duarte, Carlos M.

2015-01-01

Oceanic dissolved organic carbon (DOC) is the second largest reservoir of organic carbon in the biosphere. About 72% of the global DOC inventory is stored in deep oceanic layers for years to centuries, supporting the current view that it consists of materials resistant to microbial degradation. An alternative hypothesis is that deep-water DOC consists of many different, intrinsically labile compounds at concentrations too low to compensate for the metabolic costs associated to their utilization. Here, we present experimental evidence showing that low concentrations rather than recalcitrance preclude consumption of a substantial fraction of DOC, leading to slow microbial growth in the deep ocean. These findings demonstrate an alternative mechanism for the long-term storage of labile DOC in the deep ocean, which has been hitherto largely ignored. © 2015, American Association for the Advancement of Science. All rights reserved.

A 19m Deep Well – a Downward Thermal Diffusion Cloud Chamber?

OpenAIRE

Holub, R.F.

2013-01-01

An unusual phenomenon, first observed on a clear summer day after several rainy days, were droplets constantly hitting the water surface in a 19 m deep and 2.4 m diameter water well. This droplet formation was occurring during the night as well. Since the droplet formation was near continuous, we called it “the eternal rain”. The water well is about 230 years old and located in the Benedictine monastery in Broumov, Czech Republic.

Deep brain stimulation as a functional scalpel.

Science.gov (United States)

Broggi, G; Franzini, A; Tringali, G; Ferroli, P; Marras, C; Romito, L; Maccagnano, E

2006-01-01

Since 1995, at the Istituto Nazionale Neurologico "Carlo Besta" in Milan (INNCB,) 401 deep brain electrodes were implanted to treat several drug-resistant neurological syndromes (Fig. 1). More than 200 patients are still available for follow-up and therapeutical considerations. In this paper our experience is reviewed and pioneered fields are highlighted. The reported series of patients extends the use of deep brain stimulation beyond the field of Parkinson's disease to new fields such as cluster headache, disruptive behaviour, SUNCt, epilepsy and tardive dystonia. The low complication rate, the reversibility of the procedure and the available image guided surgery tools will further increase the therapeutic applications of DBS. New therapeutical applications are expected for this functional scalpel.

Diffusion Tensor Imaging of Heterotopia: Changes of Fractional Anisotropy during Radial Migration of Neurons

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Jinna

2010-01-01

Purpose Diffusion tensor imaging provides better understanding of pathophysiology of congenital anomalies, involving central nervous system. This study was aimed to specify the pathogenetic mechanism of heterotopia, proved by diffusion tensor imaging, and establish new findings of heterotopia on fractional anisotropy maps. Materials and Methods Diffusion-weighted imaging data from 11 patients (M : F = 7 : 4, aged from 1 to 22 years, mean = 12.3 years) who visited the epilepsy clinic and received a routine seizure protocol MRI exam were retrospectively analyzed. Fractional anisotropy (FA) maps were generated from diffusion tensor imaging of 11 patients with heterotopia. Regions of interests (ROI) were placed in cerebral cortex, heterotopic gray matter and deep gray matter, including putamen. ANOVA analysis was performed for comparison of different gray matter tissues. Results Heterotopic gray matter showed signal intensities similar to normal gray matter on T1 and T2 weighted MRI. The measured FA of heterotopic gray matter was higher than that of cortical gray matter (0.236 ± 0.011 vs. 0.169 ± 0.015, p < 0.01, one way ANOVA), and slightly lower than that of deep gray matter (0.236 ± 0.011 vs. 0.259 ± 0.016, p < 0.01). Conclusion Increased FA of heterotopic gray matter suggests arrested neuron during radial migration and provides better understanding of neurodevelopment. PMID:20499428

DeepPy: Pythonic deep learning

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Larsen, Anders Boesen Lindbo

This technical report introduces DeepPy – a deep learning framework built on top of NumPy with GPU acceleration. DeepPy bridges the gap between highperformance neural networks and the ease of development from Python/NumPy. Users with a background in scientific computing in Python will quickly...... be able to understand and change the DeepPy codebase as it is mainly implemented using high-level NumPy primitives. Moreover, DeepPy supports complex network architectures by letting the user compose mathematical expressions as directed graphs. The latest version is available at http...

Corrosion resistant coatings suitable for elevated temperature application

Science.gov (United States)

Chan, Kwai S [San Antonio, TX; Cheruvu, Narayana Sastry [San Antonio, TX; Liang, Wuwei [Austin, TX

2012-07-31

The present invention relates to corrosion resistance coatings suitable for elevated temperature applications, which employ compositions of iron (Fe), chromium (Cr), nickel (Ni) and/or aluminum (Al). The compositions may be configured to regulate the diffusion of metals between a coating and a substrate, which may then influence coating performance, via the formation of an inter-diffusion barrier layer. The inter-diffusion barrier layer may comprise a face-centered cubic phase.

40Ar/39Ar studies of deep sea igneous rocks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seidemann, D.

1978-01-01

An attempt to date deep-sea igneous rocks reliably was made using the 40 Ar/ 39 Ar dating technique. It was determined that the 40 Ar/ 39 Ar incremental release technique could not be used to eliminate the effects of excess radiogenic 40 Ar in deep-sea basalts. Excess 40 Ar is released throughout the extraction temperature range and cannot be distinguished from 40 Ar generated by in situ 40 K decay. The problem of the reduction of K-Ar dates associated with sea water alteration of deep-sea igneous rocks could not be resolved using the 40 Ar/ 39 Ar technique. Irradiation induced 39 Ar loss and/or redistribution in fine-grained and altered igneous rocks results in age spectra that are artifacts of the experimental procedure and only partly reflect the geologic history of the sample. Therefore, caution must be used in attributing significance to age spectra of fine grained and altered deep-sea igneous rocks. Effects of 39 Ar recoil are not important for either medium-grained (or coarser) deep-sea rocks or glasses because only a small fraction of the 39 Ar recoils to channels of easy diffusion, such as intergranular boundaries or cracks, during the irradiation. (author)

Statistical model of a gas diffusion electrode. III. Photomicrograph study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Winsel, A W

1965-12-01

A linear section through a gas diffusion electrode produces a certain distribution function of sinews with the pores. From this distribution function some qualities of the pore structure are derived, and an automatic device to determine the distribution function is described. With a statistical model of a gas diffusion electrode the behavior of a DSK electrode is discussed and compared with earlier measurements of the flow resistance of this material.

Deep sedation during pneumatic reduction of intussusception.

Science.gov (United States)

Ilivitzki, Anat; Shtark, Luda Glozman; Arish, Karin; Engel, Ahuva

2012-05-01

Pneumatic reduction of intussusception under fluoroscopic guidance is a routine procedure. The unsedated child may resist the procedure, which may lengthen its duration and increase the radiation dose. We use deep sedation during the procedure to overcome these difficulties. The purpose of this study was to summarize our experience with deep sedation during fluoroscopic reduction of intussusception and assess the added value and complication rate of deep sedation. All children with intussusception who underwent pneumatic reduction in our hospital between January 2004 and June 2011 were included in this retrospective study. Anesthetists sedated the children using propofol. The fluoroscopic studies, ultrasound (US) studies and the childrens' charts were reviewed. One hundred thirty-one attempted reductions were performed in 119 children, of which 121 (92%) were successful and 10 (8%) failed. Two perforations (1.5%) occurred during attempted reduction. Average fluoroscopic time was 1.5 minutes. No complication to sedation was recorded. Deep sedation with propofol did not add any complication to the pneumatic reduction. The fluoroscopic time was short. The success rate of reduction was high,raising the possibility that sedation is beneficial, possibly by smooth muscle relaxation.

Resist Parameter Extraction from Line-and-Space Patterns of Chemically Amplified Resist for Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography

Science.gov (United States)

Kozawa, Takahiro; Oizumi, Hiroaki; Itani, Toshiro; Tagawa, Seiichi

2010-11-01

The development of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography has progressed owing to worldwide effort. As the development status of EUV lithography approaches the requirements for the high-volume production of semiconductor devices with a minimum line width of 22 nm, the extraction of resist parameters becomes increasingly important from the viewpoints of the accurate evaluation of resist materials for resist screening and the accurate process simulation for process and mask designs. In this study, we demonstrated that resist parameters (namely, quencher concentration, acid diffusion constant, proportionality constant of line edge roughness, and dissolution point) can be extracted from the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images of patterned resists without the knowledge on the details of resist contents using two types of latest EUV resist.

Effect of the interface resistance in non-local Hanle measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Villamor, Estitxu; Hueso, Luis E.; Casanova, Fèlix

2015-01-01

We use lateral spin valves with varying interface resistance to measure non-local Hanle effect in order to extract the spin-diffusion length of the non-magnetic channel. A general expression that describes spin injection and transport, taking into account the influence of the interface resistance, is used to fit our results. Whereas the fitted spin-diffusion length value is in agreement with the one obtained from standard non-local measurements in the case of a finite interface resistance, in the case of transparent contacts a clear disagreement is observed. The use of a corrected expression, recently proposed to account for the anisotropy of the spin absorption at the ferromagnetic electrodes, still yields a deviation of the fitted spin-diffusion length which increases for shorter channel distances. This deviation shows how sensitive the non-local Hanle fittings are, evidencing the complexity of obtaining spin transport information from such type of measurements

Investigation of radiation-enhanced oxygen diffusion in Li-Ti ferrites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Surzhikov, A.P.; Pritulov, A.M.; Gyngazov, S.A.; Lysenko, E.N.

1999-01-01

The radiation-enhanced oxygen diffusion in polycrystalline Li-Ti ferrites was investigated. The electron accelerator ELV-6 (Institute of Nuclear Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences) was used to generate the radiothermal annealing. The radiation effects were established by comparison of diffusion profiles of the samples, which were radiothermally treated, and data obtained during the thermal annealing in the resistance furnace. It was discovered that there was an increase of numerical values of Ed (activation diffusion energy) and Do (preexponential factor) during the radiothermal annealing, if compared with the thermal one. The investigations were financed by the Russian Fundamental Research Fund

Temperature dependence of copper diffusion in different thickness amorphous tungsten/tungsten nitride layer

Science.gov (United States)

Asgary, Somayeh; Hantehzadeh, Mohammad Reza; Ghoranneviss, Mahmood

2017-11-01

The amorphous W/WN films with various thickness (10, 30 and 40 nm) and excellent thermal stability were successfully prepared on SiO2/Si substrate with evaporation and reactive evaporation method. The W/WN bilayer has technological importance because of its low resistivity, high melting point, and good diffusion barrier properties between Cu and Si. The thermal stability was evaluated by X-ray diffractometer (XRD) and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). In annealing process, the amorphous W/WN barrier crystallized and this phenomenon is supposed to be the start of Cu atoms diffusion through W/WN barrier into Si. With occurrence of the high-resistive Cu3Si phase, the W/WN loses its function as a diffusion barrier. The primary mode of Cu diffusion is the diffusion through grain boundaries that form during heat treatments. The amorphous structure with optimum thickness is the key factor to achieve a superior diffusion barrier characteristic. The results show that the failure temperature increased by increasing the W/WN film thickness from 10 to 30 nm but it did not change by increasing the W/WN film thickness from 30 to 40 nm. It is found that the 10 and 40 nm W/WN films are good diffusion barriers at least up to 800°C while the 30 nm W/WN film shows superior properties as a diffusion barrier, but loses its function as a diffusion barrier at about 900°C (that is 100°C higher than for 10 and 40 nm W/WN films).

CORROSION RESISTANCE OF DYNAMIC LOADED CAST ALLOY AS12

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. A. Andrushevich

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The assessment of influence of powder particles in the mode of super deep penetration (SDP on change of corrosion resistance of aluminum cast alloy AK12 is executed. The aluminum alloy reinforced by fiber zones with the reconstructed structure has the increased corrosion resistance.

Study of radon diffusion from RHA-modified ordinary Portland cement using SSNTD technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Narula, A.K.; Goyal, S.K.; Chauhan, R.P.; Chakarvarti, S.K.

2013-01-01

The diffusion coefficient of radon is a very important factor in estimating the rate of indoor radon inflow. The aim of this work is to develop and assess the potential of radon resistant construction materials in residential buildings. Of late, rice husk ash (RHA) has been used as a component in cement. The X-ray diffraction of RHA indicates that the RHA contains mainly amorphous materials while the X-ray fluorescence analysis shows that the major percentage of it is composed of silica. The amorphous silica present in the RHA is responsible for the pozzolonic activity of the ash. The results of the present study indicate that the RHA when mixed with cement initially reduces radon diffusion coefficient, followed by enhancement when the percentage of RHA is increased above 30% by weight. - Highlights: ► Radon diffusion coefficient has been measured in Portland cement with different percentage of rice husk ash (RHA). ► The mixing of RHA to cement changes the radon diffusion coefficient. ► The mixture of cement and RHA can be used to make building materials more resistant to radon entry through diffusion

arXiv Radiation resistant LGAD design

CERN Document Server

Ferrero, M.; Boscardin, M.; Cartiglia, N.; Dalla Betta, G.F.; Galloway, Z.; Mandurrino, M.; Mazza, S.; Paternoster, G.; Ficorella, F.; Pancheri, L.; Sadrozinski, H-F W.; Sola, V.; Staiano, A.; Seiden, A.; Zhao, Y.

In this paper, we report on the radiation resistance of 50-micron thick LGAD detectors manufactured at the Fondazione Bruno Kessler employing several different doping combinations of the gain layer. LGAD detectors with gain layer doping of Boron, Boron low-diffusion, Gallium, Carbonated Boron and Carbonated Gallium have been designed and successfully produced. These sensors have been exposed to neutron fluences up to $\\phi_n \\sim 3 \\cdot 10^{16}\\; n/cm^2$ and to proton fluences up to $\\phi_p \\sim 9\\cdot10^{15}\\; p/cm^2$ to test their radiation resistance. The experimental results show that Gallium-doped LGADs are more heavily affected by initial acceptor removal than Boron-doped LGAD, while the presence of Carbon reduces initial acceptor removal both for Gallium and Boron doping. Boron low-diffusion shows a higher radiation resistance than that of standard Boron implant, indicating a dependence of the initial acceptor removal mechanism upon the implant width. This study also demonstrates that proton irradiati...

CT manifestation of diffuse brain injury in cases of serious acute subdural hematoma

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nikaido, Yuji; Shimomura, Takahide; Fujita, Toyohisa; Hirabayashi, Hidehiro; Utsumi, Shozaburo

1987-04-01

Eighty-two adult cases of serious acute subdural hematoma (SDH) of Glasgow Coma Scale 9 or more severe (50 operated-on and 32 non-operated-on cases) were selected in order to study the relation between CT findings at the acute stage and the prognosis of SDH. The CT findings were analyzed in the following respects: size of SDH, midline shift, manifestation of perimesencephalic cisterns, and presence or absence of diffuse hemispheric swelling, diffuse cerebral swelling, subarachnoid hemorrhage, intraventricular hemorrhage, epidural hematoma, hemorrhagic contusion, and dilatation of the contralateral temporal horn. As a result, the most important prognostic signs were found to be: (1) diffuse hemispheric swelling, (2) diffuse cerebral swelling, (3) subarachnoid hemorrhage of the basal-cistern type, (4) intraventricular hemorrhage, (5) deep-seated contusion, (6) complete effacement of the perimesencephalic cisterns, and (7) dilatation of the contralateral temporal horn. These findings, except for the last item, which indicates the final phase of tentorial herniation, were regarded as various patterns of the CT manifestation of diffuse brain injury; the positively associated diffuse brain injury seemed to determine the prognosis of SDH.

Tiny Molybdenites Tell Diffusion Tales

Science.gov (United States)

Stein, H. J.; Hannah, J. L.

2014-12-01

Diffusion invokes micron-scale exchange during crystal growth and dissolution in magma chambers on short time-scales. Fundamental to interpreting such data are assumptions on magma-fluid dynamics at all scales. Nevertheless, elemental diffusion profiles are used to estimate time scales for magma storage, eruption, and recharge. An underutilized timepiece to evaluate diffusion and 3D mobility of magmatic fluids is high-precision Re-Os dating of molybdenite. With spatially unique molybdenite samples from a young ore system (e.g., 1 Ma) and a double Os spike, analytical errors of 1-3 ka unambiguously separate events in time. Re-Os ages show that hydrous shallow magma chambers locally recharge and expel Cu-Mo-Au-silica as superimposed stockwork vein networks at time scales less than a few thousand years [1]. Re-Os ages provide diffusion rates controlled by a dynamic crystal mush, accumulation and expulsion of metalliferous fluid, and magma reorganization after explosive crystallization events. Importantly, this approach has broad application far from ore deposits. Here, we use Re-Os dating of molybdenite to assess time scales for generating and diffusing metals through the deep crust. To maximize opportunity for chemical diffusion, we use a continental-scale Sveconorwegian mylonite zone for the study area. A geologically constrained suite of molybdenite samples was acquired from quarry exposures. Molybdenite, previously unreported, is extremely scarce. Tiny but telling molybdenites include samples from like occurrences to assure geologic accuracy in Re-Os ages. Ages range from mid-Mesoproterozoic to mid-Neoproterozoic, and correspond to early metamorphic dehydration of a regionally widespread biotite-rich gneiss, localized melting of gneiss to form cm-m-scale K-feldspar ± quartz pods, development of vapor-rich, vuggy mm stringers that serve as volatile collection surfaces in felsic leucosomes, and low-angle (relative to foliation) cross-cutting cm-scale quartz veins

A preliminary assessment of gas diffusion and migration

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tanai, Kenji; Sato, Haruo [Waste Isolation Research Division, Tokai Works, Japan Nuclear Cycle Development Inst., Tokai, Ibaraki (Japan); Murakami, Tomohiro [Toyo Engineering Corp., Tokyo (Japan); Inoue, Masahiro [Kyushu Univ., Fukuoka (Japan)

1999-11-01

In the anaerobic environment in the deep underground water, carbon-steel overpack corrodes and generates molecular hydrogen. It is conceivable that this hydrogen either dissolves into the porewater of the buffer and migrates through the buffer. If the rate of aqueous diffusion of hydrogen is too low compared to the rate of hydrogen generation, the concentration of hydrogen at the overpack surface will increase until a solubility limit is attained and a free hydrogen gas phase forms. It is possible that the pressure in this accumulating gas phase will increase, affecting the stability of the buffer or the surrounding rock mass. There is also a concern of possible effects on nuclide migration, as it is also conceivable that the flow of gas could push out radionuclide-bearing porewater in the buffer when it floes through the buffer. As such, experimental and analytical study must be carried out on such phenomenon to evaluate such potential phenomena. (1) Diffusion experiment of dissolved hydrogen. (2) Gas permeability. (3) Evaluation of diffusion of dissolved hydrogen and hydrogen gas migration. (J.P.N.)

Deep subcritical levels measurements dependents upon kinetic distortion factors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pan Shibiao; Li Xiang; Fu Guo'en; Huang Liyuan; Mu Keliang

2013-01-01

The measurement of deep subcritical levels, with the increase of subcriticality, showed that the results impact on the kinetic distortion effect, along with neutron flux strongly deteriorated. Using the diffusion theory, calculations have been carried out to quantify the kinetic distortion correction factors in subcritical systems, and these indicate that epithermal neutron distributions are strongly affected by kinetic distortion. Subcriticality measurements in four different rod-state combination at the zero power device was carried out. The test data analysis shows that, with increasing subcriticality, kinetic distortion effect correction factor gradually increases from 1.052 to 1.065, corresponding reactive correction amount of 0.78β eff ∼ 3.01β eff . Thus, it is necessary to consider the kinetic distortion effect in the deep subcritical reactivity measurements. (authors)

Choreatic Side Effects of Deep Brain Stimulation of the Anteromedial Subthalamic Nucleus for Treatment-Resistant Obsessive-Compulsive disorder.

Science.gov (United States)

Mulders, Anne E P; Leentjens, Albert F G; Schruers, Koen; Duits, Annelien; Ackermans, Linda; Temel, Yasin

2017-08-01

Patients with treatment-resistant obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) are potential candidates for deep brain stimulation (DBS). The anteromedial subthalamic nucleus (STN) is among the most commonly used targets for DBS in OCD. We present a patient with a 30-year history of treatment-resistant OCD who underwent anteromedial STN-DBS. Despite a clear mood-enhancing effect, stimulation caused motor side effects, including bilateral hyperkinesia, dyskinesias, and sudden large amplitude choreatic movements of arms and legs when stimulating at voltages greater than approximately 1.5 V. DBS at lower amplitudes and at other contact points failed to result in a significant reduction of obsessions and compulsions without inducing motor side effects. Because of this limitation in programming options, we decided to reoperate and target the ventral capsule/ventral striatum (VC/VS), which resulted in a substantial reduction in key obsessive and compulsive symptoms without serious side effects. Choreatic movements and hemiballismus have previously been linked to STN dysfunction and have been incidentally reported as side effects of DBS of the dorsolateral STN in Parkinson disease (PD). However, in PD, these side effects were usually transient, and they rarely interfered with DBS programming. In our patient, the motor side effects were persistent, and they made optimal DBS programming impossible. To our knowledge, such severe and persistent motor side effects have not been described previously for anteromedial STN-DBS. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Deep defect levels in standard and oxygen enriched silicon detectors before and after **6**0Co-gamma-irradiation

CERN Document Server

Stahl, J; Lindström, G; Pintilie, I

2003-01-01

Capacitance Deep Level Transient Spectroscopy (C-DLTS) measurements have been performed on standard and oxygen-doped silicon detectors manufactured from high-resistivity n-type float zone material with left angle bracket 111 right angle bracket and left angle bracket 100 right angle bracket orientation. Three different oxygen concentrations were achieved by the so-called diffusion oxygenated float zone (DOFZ) process initiated by the CERN-RD48 (ROSE) collaboration. Before the irradiation a material characterization has been performed. In contrast to radiation damage by neutrons or high- energy charged hadrons, were the bulk damage is dominated by a mixture of clusters and point defects, the bulk damage caused by **6**0Co-gamma-radiation is only due to the introduction of point defects. The dominant electrically active defects which have been detected after **6**0Co-gamma-irradiation by C-DLTS are the electron traps VO//i, C//iC//s, V//2( = /-), V //2(-/0) and the hole trap C//i O//i. The main difference betwe...

Phenotypic and genotypic characterization of antibiotic resistance of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolated from hospital food

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Farhad Safarpoor Dehkordi

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Pathogenic biotypes of the Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA strains are considered to be one of the major cause of food-borne diseases in hospitals. The present investigation was done to study the pattern of antibiotic resistance and prevalence of antibiotic resistance genes of different biotypes of the MRSA strains isolated from various types of hospital food samples. Methods Four-hundred and eighty-five raw and cooked hospital food samples were cultured and MRSA strains were identified using the oxacillin and cefoxitin disk diffusion tests and mecA-based PCR amplification. Isolated strains were subjected to biotyping and their antibiotic resistance patterns were analyzed using the disk diffusion and PCR methods. Results Prevalence of S. aureus and MRSA were 9.69 and 7.62%, respectively. Meat and chicken barbecues had the highest prevalence of MRSA. Prevalence of bovine, ovine, poultry and human-based biotypes in the MRSA strains were 8.10, 8.10, 32.43 and 48.64%, respectively. All of the MRSA strains recovered from soup, salad and rice samples were related to human-based biotypes. MRSA strains harbored the highest prevalence of resistance against penicillin (100%, ceftaroline (100%, tetracycline (100%, erythromycin (89.18% and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (83.78%. TetK (72.97%, ermA (72.97%, msrA (64.86% and aacA-D (62.16% were the most commonly detected antibiotic resistance genes. Conclusions Pattern of antibiotic resistance and also distribution of antibiotic resistance genes were related to the biotype of MRSA strains. Presence of multi-drug resistance and also simultaneous presence of several antibiotic resistance genes in some MRSA isolates showed an important public health issue Further researches are required to found additional epidemiological aspects of the MRSA strains in hospital food samples.

Effect of sodium diffused into Bridgman CuInSe{sub 2+x}

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Park, Sunyoung, E-mail: sunyoung.park@mail.mcgill.ca; Champness, Clifford H.; Shih, Ishiang

2016-10-15

Highlights: For elemental Na diffused into Bridgman CuInSe2 samples: • Diffusion is deep and relatively fast, with a coefficient of 10{sup −10} to 10{sup −8} cm{sup 2}/s at 250 °C. • Creates clear n/p homojunctions in the chalcopyrite. • Creates, after subsequent air annealing, an XPS Se 3d peak at 59 eV for Na{sub 2}SeO{sub 3}. • Increases the XPS-determined [Se]/[Cu] concentration ratio at the sample surface. - Abstract: The study describes diffusion of elemental sodium into p-type samples of Bridgman-grown CuInSe{sub 2+x}, causing a change from p- to n-type behavior at the surface and deep into the material. This resulted in the creation of Na 1s and Se 3d XPS peaks at binding energies of 1071 and 54.5 eV respectively, where the latter has been attributed to CuInSe{sub 2} itself. Subsequent annealing of the samples in air gave rise to a second Se 3d peak at 59 eV, attributed to Na{sub 2}SeO{sub 3} by oxidation of Na{sub 2}Se. However, SeO{sub 2} also gives a peak at about the same binding energy. The presence of the diffused-in Na up to about 10% at the surface appears to promote the creation of a high ratio [Se]/[Cu] compound at the expense of the chalcopyrite at the sample surface. The diffused-in samples showed n/p homojunctions at depths of tens of microns for stoichiometric CuInSe{sub 2} and at smaller depths for CuInSe{sub 2.2}, with excess Se content. Estimates of the diffusion coefficient for Na into the Bridgman samples at 250 °C were in the range of 10{sup −10}–10{sup −8} cm{sup 2}/s.

Large scale laboratory diffusion experiments in clay rocks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garcia-Gutierrez, M.; Missana, T.; Mingarro, M.; Martin, P.L.; Cormenzana, J.L.

2005-01-01

Full text of publication follows: Clay formations are potential host rocks for high-level radioactive waste repositories. In clay materials the radionuclide diffusion is the main transport mechanism. Thus, the understanding of the diffusion processes and the determination of diffusion parameters in conditions as similar as possible to the real ones, are critical for the performance assessment of deep geological repository. Diffusion coefficients are mainly measured in the laboratory using small samples, after a preparation to fit into the diffusion cell. In addition, a few field tests are usually performed for confirming laboratory results, and analyse scale effects. In field or 'in situ' tests the experimental set-up usually includes the injection of a tracer diluted in reconstituted formation water into a packed off section of a borehole. Both experimental systems may produce artefacts in the determination of diffusion coefficients. In laboratory the preparation of the sample can generate structural change mainly if the consolidated clay have a layered fabric, and in field test the introduction of water could modify the properties of the saturated clay in the first few centimeters, just where radionuclide diffusion is expected to take place. In this work, a large scale laboratory diffusion experiment is proposed, using a large cylindrical sample of consolidated clay that can overcome the above mentioned problems. The tracers used were mixed with clay obtained by drilling a central hole, re-compacted into the hole at approximately the same density as the consolidated block and finally sealed. Neither additional treatment of the sample nor external monitoring are needed. After the experimental time needed for diffusion to take place (estimated by scoping calculations) the block was sampled to obtain a 3D distribution of the tracer concentration and the results were modelled. An additional advantage of the proposed configuration is that it could be used in 'in situ

The Emerging Role of Tractography in Deep Brain Stimulation: Basic Principles and Current Applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nelson B. Rodrigues

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI is an MRI-based technique that delineates white matter tracts in the brain by tracking the diffusion of water in neural tissue. This methodology, known as “tractography”, has been extensively applied in clinical neuroscience to explore nervous system architecture and diseases. More recently, tractography has been used to assist with neurosurgical targeting in functional neurosurgery. This review provides an overview of DTI principles, and discusses current applications of tractography for improving and helping develop novel deep brain stimulation (DBS targets.

High temperature diffusion of hafnium in tungsten and a tungsten-hafnium carbide alloy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ozaki, Y.; Zee, R.H.

1994-01-01

Refractory metals and ceramics are used extensively in energy systems due to their high temperature properties. This is particularly important in direct conversion systems where thermal to electric conversion efficiency is a direct function of temperature. Tungsten, which has the highest melting temperature among elemental metals, does not possess sufficient creep resistance at temperature above 1,600 K. Different dispersion strengthened tungsten alloys have been developed to extend the usefulness of tungsten to higher temperatures. One of these alloys, tungsten with 0.4 mole percent of finely dispersed HfC particles (W-HfC), has the optimum properties for high temperature applications. Hafnium carbide is used as the strengthening agent due to its high chemical stability and its compatibility with tungsten. The presence of HfC particles retards the rate of grain growth as well as restricting dislocation motion. Both of which are beneficial for creep resistance. The long term behavior of this alloy depends largely on the evolution of its microstructure which is governed by the diffusion of its constituents. Data on the diffusion of carbon in tungsten and tungsten self-diffusion are available, but no direct measurements have been made on the diffusion of hafnium in tungsten. The only diffusion data available are estimated from a coarsening study and these data are highly unreliable. In this study, the diffusion behavior of hafnium in pure tungsten and in a W-HfC alloy was directly measured by means of Secondary Ion Mass Spectroscopy (SIMS). The selection of the W-HfC alloy is due to its importance in high temperature engineering applications, and its higher recrystallization temperature. The presence of HfC particles in tungsten restricts grain growth resulting in better high temperature creep resistance. The higher recrystallization temperature allows measurements to be made over a wider range of temperatures at a relatively constant grain size

Dilution limits dissolved organic carbon utilization in the deep ocean

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Arrieta, J.M.; Mayol, E.; Hansman, R.L.; Herndl, G.J.; Dittmar, T.; Duarte, C.M.

2015-01-01

Oceanic dissolved organic carbon (DOC) is the second largest reservoir of organic carbon in the biosphere. About 72% of the global DOC inventory is stored in deep oceanic layers for years to centuries, supporting the current view that it consists of materials resistant to microbial degradation. An

Surface electrical resistivity of insulators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Senn, B. C.; Liesegang, J.

1996-01-01

A method is presented here for measuring surface charge decay, and theory has been developed so as to produce determinations of resistivity in the surface region of insulator films or wafers. This method incorporates the use of a coaxial cylindrical capacitor arrangement and an electrometer interfaced to a PC. The charge transport theory given here is based on Mott-Gurney diffusion, and allows easy interpretation of the experimental data, especially for the initial phase of surface charge decay. Resistivity measurements are presented for glass, mica, perspex and polyethylene, covering a range of 10 9 to 10 18 Ωm, as an illustration of the useful range of the instrument for static and antistatic materials, particularly in film or sheet form. Values for the surface charge diffusion constants of the materials are also presented. The charge transport theory has also been extended to allow the experimental and computational theoretical comparison of surface charge decay not only over the initial phase of charge decay, but also over longer times. The theoretical predictions show excellent agreement with experiment using the values for the diffusion constants referred to above

Study and microscopic characterization of the cadmium telluride deep levels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Biglari, B.

1989-05-01

The spectroscopic methods PICTS, QTS and CTS were developed and perfected to investigate deep level analysis of high resistivity CdTe crystals which were either undoped, or doped with chlorine and copper. Crystals which were grown in space were also investigated. The main characterization of defect levels was determined and different correlations were established between the material's resistivity, chemical residues, dopant concentration and the nuclear radiation detector parameters. Using PICTS and CTS techniques, the generation of defects, under strong gamma-ray irradiation and particle bombardment was also studied. The influence of hydrogen on the main electrical characteristics of CdTe, in particular its ability to passivate the electrical activity of many deep defect and impurity states have been demonstrated. The compensation effects of Cl, Cu and H + are interpreted using the qualitative models based on different possibilities of pairing or triplet formation between the ions of these dopants and those of defects [fr

Development of variable LRFD \\0x03C6 factors for deep foundation design due to site variability [summary].

Science.gov (United States)

2012-01-01

Both the Florida Department of Transportation : (FDOT) and the Federal Highway Administration : (FHWA) specify use of fixed resistance factors () : for Load and Resistance Factored Design (LRFD) of : deep foundations, depending on design approach :...

Deep RNA-Seq profile reveals biodiversity, plant-microbe interactions and a large family of NBS-LRR resistance genes in walnut (Juglans regia) tissues.

Science.gov (United States)

Chakraborty, Sandeep; Britton, Monica; Martínez-García, P J; Dandekar, Abhaya M

2016-03-01

Deep RNA-Seq profiling, a revolutionary method used for quantifying transcriptional levels, often includes non-specific transcripts from other co-existing organisms in spite of stringent protocols. Using the recently published walnut genome sequence as a filter, we present a broad analysis of the RNA-Seq derived transcriptome profiles obtained from twenty different tissues to extract the biodiversity and possible plant-microbe interactions in the walnut ecosystem in California. Since the residual nature of the transcripts being analyzed does not provide sufficient information to identify the exact strain, inferences made are constrained to the genus level. The presence of the pathogenic oomycete Phytophthora was detected in the root through the presence of a glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase. Cryptococcus, the causal agent of cryptococcosis, was found in the catkins and vegetative buds, corroborating previous work indicating that the plant surface supported the sexual cycle of this human pathogen. The RNA-Seq profile revealed several species of the endophytic nitrogen fixing Actinobacteria. Another bacterial species implicated in aerobic biodegradation of methyl tert-butyl ether (Methylibium petroleiphilum) is also found in the root. RNA encoding proteins from the pea aphid were found in the leaves and vegetative buds, while a serine protease from mosquito with significant homology to a female reproductive tract protease from Drosophila mojavensis in the vegetative bud suggests egg-laying activities. The comprehensive analysis of RNA-seq data present also unraveled detailed, tissue-specific information of ~400 transcripts encoded by the largest family of resistance (R) genes (NBS-LRR), which possibly rationalizes the resistance of the specific walnut plant to the pathogens detected. Thus, we elucidate the biodiversity and possible plant-microbe interactions in several walnut (Juglans regia) tissues in California using deep RNA-Seq profiling.

Striations, duration, migration and tidal response in deep tremor.

Science.gov (United States)

Ide, Satoshi

2010-07-15

Deep tremor in subduction zones is thought to be caused by small repeating shear slip events on the plate interface with significant slow components. It occurs at a depth of about 30 kilometres and provides valuable information on deep plate motion and shallow stress accumulation on the fault plane of megathrust earthquakes. Tremor has been suggested to repeat at a regular interval, migrate at various velocities and be modulated by tidal stress. Here I show that some time-invariant interface property controls tremor behaviour, using precise location of tremor sources with event duration in western Shikoku in the Nankai subduction zone, Japan. In areas where tremor duration is short, tremor is more strongly affected by tidal stress and migration is inhibited. Where tremor lasts longer, diffusive migration occurs with a constant diffusivity of 10(4) m(2) s(-1). The control property may be the ratio of brittle to ductile areas, perhaps determined by the influence of mantle wedge serpentinization on the plate interface. The spatial variation of the controlling property seems to be characterized by striations in tremor source distribution, which follows either the current or previous plate subduction directions. This suggests that the striations and corresponding interface properties are formed through the subduction of inhomogeneous structure, such as seamounts, for periods as long as ten million years.

THE MECHANISM OF SURFACE DIFFUSION OF H AND D ATOMS ON AMORPHOUS SOLID WATER: EXISTENCE OF VARIOUS POTENTIAL SITES

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hama, Tetsuya; Kuwahata, Kazuaki; Watanabe, Naoki; Kouchi, Akira; Chigai, Takeshi [Institute of Low Temperature Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0819 (Japan); Kimura, Yuki [Department of Earth and Planetary Materials Science, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8578 (Japan); Pirronello, Valerio, E-mail: hama@lowtem.hokudai.ac.jp [Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia, Universita' di Catania, I-95125 Catania, Sicily (Italy)

2012-10-01

To understand elementary processes leading to H{sub 2} formation, and the hydrogenation and deuteration reactions of adsorbed species on dust grains in dense clouds, we experimentally investigated the diffusion of atomic hydrogen and deuterium on amorphous solid water (ASW) at temperatures of 8-15 K. The present study extended our previous study for selective detections of H and D atoms, and of H{sub 2} (J = 0 and 1) and D{sub 2} (J = 0 and 1) molecules adsorbed on ASW using both photo-stimulated desorption and resonance-enhanced multiphoton ionization, to investigate potential sites on ASW for diffusion, recombination dynamics, and the diffusion mechanism of H and D atoms. Our results demonstrate that the ASW surface contains various potential sites that can be categorized into at least three groups: very shallow, middle-, and deep-potential sites, with diffusion activation energies of {<=}18, 22 (23 meV for D atoms), and {>=}30 meV, respectively. The present study pictured the outline of H{sub 2} formation on cosmic ice dust at low temperatures: H atoms landing on the dust will diffuse rapidly at the abundant shallow and middle sites on ASW, and finally become trapped at deep sites. The H atoms that arrive next recombine with such trapped H atoms to yield H{sub 2} molecules. The small isotopic difference between the diffusion of H and D atoms on ASW indicates that the diffusion mechanism can be explained by thermal hopping, at least at middle-potential sites.

A heating and diffusion barrier based on TaSiN x for miniaturized IC devices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cheng, H.-Y.; Chen, Y.-C.; Lee, C.-M.; Wang, S.-H.; Chin, T.-S.

2006-01-01

Highly resistive TaSiN x films investigated as candidates for heating and diffusion-barrier layers for miniaturized IC devices such as a sensor or a phases-change random access memory (PCRAM). The obtained resistivity, between 0.069-1.21 Ω cm, increases with increasing nitrogen content up to 52.83%, and fulfills the requirements as a suitable heating layer. All the as-deposited films were amorphous, and the films with substantial nitrogen content showed excellent thermal stability The amorphous structure had a very smooth surface which was stable at temperatures up to 800 deg. C. In addition to its heating capability, the amorphous structure with no grain boundaries was found to also act as a good diffusion barrier effect in contact with a tungsten electrode as determined by AES an TEM analysis. The barrier effect was evaluated by an annealing at 500 and 600 deg. C in Ar atmosphere for 30 min, respectively. The highly resistive TaSiN x heating layer successfully obstructed the diffusion of tungsten atoms from the W electrodes even when the layer was only 10 nm thick. With increasing N content, the heating and diffusion-barrier layer for PCRAM was proposed as a typical example of many potential applications

The role of oxygen in the deposition of copper–calcium thin film as diffusion barrier for copper metallization

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yu, Zhinong, E-mail: znyu@bit.edu.cn [School of Optoelectronics and Beijing Engineering Research Center of Mixed Reality and Advanced Display, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081 (China); Ren, Ruihuang [School of Optoelectronics and Beijing Engineering Research Center of Mixed Reality and Advanced Display, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081 (China); Xue, Jianshe; Yao, Qi; Li, Zhengliang; Hui, Guanbao [Beijing BOE Optoelectronics Technology Co., Ltd, Beijing 100176 (China); Xue, Wei [School of Optoelectronics and Beijing Engineering Research Center of Mixed Reality and Advanced Display, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081 (China)

2015-02-15

Highlights: • The CuCa film as the diffusion barrier of Cu film improves the adhesion of Cu film. • The introduction of oxygen into the deposition of CuCa film is necessary to improve the adhesion of Cu film. • The CuCa alloy barrier layer deposited at oxygen atmosphere has perfect anti-diffusion between Cu film and substrate. - Abstract: The properties of copper (Cu) metallization based on copper–calcium (CuCa) diffusion barrier as a function of oxygen flux in the CuCa film deposition were investigated in view of adhesion, diffusion and electronic properties. The CuCa film as the diffusion barrier of Cu film improves the adhesion of Cu film, however, and increases the resistance of Cu film. The introduction of oxygen into the deposition of CuCa film induces the improvement of adhesion and crystallinity of Cu film, but produces a slight increase of resistance. The increased resistance results from the partial oxidation of Cu film. The annealing process in vacuum further improves the adhesion, crystallinity and conductivity of Cu film. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) show that the CuCa alloy barrier layer deposited at oxygen atmosphere has perfect anti-diffusion between Cu film and substrate due to the formation of Ca oxide in the interface of CuCa/substrate.

Measurement of diffusion length of thermal neutrons in concrete

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moser, M.

2007-04-01

The diffusion length of neutrons with a medium energy < 0.025 eV in concrete were determined using 4π-β detector and gamma detectors. Then it was possible to determine how deep can neutrons penetrate diverse concrete construction parts in a reactor in operation, with this method the dismantling process of a reactor can be planned in terms of what parts can be removed without danger and what parts can be assumed still are activated. (nevyjel)

Long-term viability of carbon sequestration in deep-sea sediments

Science.gov (United States)

Teng, Y.; Zhang, D.

2017-12-01

Sequestration of carbon dioxide in deep-sea sediments has been proposed for the long-term storage of anthropogenic CO2, due to the negative buoyancy effect and hydrate formation under conditions of high pressure and low temperature. However, the multi-physics process of injection and post-injection fate of CO2 and the feasibility of sub-seabed disposal of CO2 under different geological and operational conditions have not been well studied. On the basis of a detailed study of the coupled processes, we investigate whether storing CO2 into deep-sea sediments is viable, efficient, and secure over the long term. Also studied are the evolution of the multiphase and multicomponent flow and the impact of hydrate formation on storage efficiency during the upward migration of the injected CO2. It is shown that low buoyancy and high viscosity slow down the ascending plume and the forming of the hydrate cap effectively reduces the permeability and finally becomes an impermeable seal, thus limiting the movement of CO2 towards the seafloor. Different flow patterns at varied time scales are identified through analyzing the mass distribution of CO2 in different phases over time. Observed is the formation of a fluid inclusion, which mainly consists of liquid CO2 and is encapsulated by an impermeable hydrate film in the diffusion-dominated stage. The trapped liquid CO2 and CO2 hydrate finally dissolve into the pore water through diffusion of the CO2 component. Sensitivity analyses are performed on storage efficiency under variable geological and operational conditions. It is found that under a deep-sea setting, CO2 sequestration in intact marine sediments is generally safe and permanent.

Boron diffusion in Ge+ premorphized and BF2 implanted Si(001)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zou, L.F.; Acosta-Ortiz, S.E.; Zou, L.X.; Regalado, L.E.; Sun, D.Z.; Wang, Z.G.

1998-01-01

The annealing behavior of Si implanted with Ge and then BF 2 has been characterized by double crystal X-ray diffraction (DCXRD) and secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS). The results show that annealing at 600 Centigrade for 60 minutes can only remove a little damage induced by implantation and nearly no redistribution of Ge and B atoms has occurred during the annealing. The initial crystallinity of Si is fully recovered after annealing at 950 Centigrade for 60 minutes and accompanied by Ge diffusion. Very shallow boron junction depth has been formed. When annealing temperature rises to 1050 Centigrade, B diffusion enhances, which leads to a deep diffusion and good distribution of B atoms into the Si substrate. The X-ray diffraction (004) rocking curves from the samples annealed at 1050 Centigrade for 60 minutes display two Si Ge peaks, which may be related to the B concentration profiles. (Author)

Plasmid Conjugation in E. coli and Drug Resistance | Igwe ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This study aimed at determining the antibiotics susceptibility pattern of E. coli isolates claimed to be multidrug resistance using disc diffusion method. It also determined the presence of transferable resistance plasmids through conjugation and evaluated the medical significance of plasmid encoding E. coli and drug ...

In vitro drug response and efflux transporters associated with drug resistance in pediatric high grade glioma and diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Susanna J E Veringa

Full Text Available Pediatric high-grade gliomas (pHGG, including diffuse intrinsic pontine gliomas (DIPG, are the leading cause of cancer-related death in children. While it is clear that surgery (if possible, and radiotherapy are beneficial for treatment, the role of chemotherapy for these tumors is still unclear. Therefore, we performed an in vitro drug screen on primary glioma cells, including three DIPG cultures, to determine drug sensitivity of these tumours, without the possible confounding effect of insufficient drug delivery. This screen revealed a high in vitro cytotoxicity for melphalan, doxorubicine, mitoxantrone, and BCNU, and for the novel, targeted agents vandetanib and bortezomib in pHGG and DIPG cells. We subsequently determined the expression of the drug efflux transporters P-gp, BCRP1, and MRP1 in glioma cultures and their corresponding tumor tissues. Results indicate the presence of P-gp, MRP1 and BCRP1 in the tumor vasculature, and expression of MRP1 in the glioma cells themselves. Our results show that pediatric glioma and DIPG tumors per se are not resistant to chemotherapy. Treatment failure observed in clinical trials, may rather be contributed to the presence of drug efflux transporters that constitute a first line of drug resistance located at the blood-brain barrier or other resistance mechanism. As such, we suggest that alternative ways of drug delivery may offer new possibilities for the treatment of pediatric high-grade glioma patients, and DIPG in particular.

Deep learning guided stroke management: a review of clinical applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Feng, Rui; Badgeley, Marcus; Mocco, J; Oermann, Eric K

2018-04-01

Stroke is a leading cause of long-term disability, and outcome is directly related to timely intervention. Not all patients benefit from rapid intervention, however. Thus a significant amount of attention has been paid to using neuroimaging to assess potential benefit by identifying areas of ischemia that have not yet experienced cellular death. The perfusion-diffusion mismatch, is used as a simple metric for potential benefit with timely intervention, yet penumbral patterns provide an inaccurate predictor of clinical outcome. Machine learning research in the form of deep learning (artificial intelligence) techniques using deep neural networks (DNNs) excel at working with complex inputs. The key areas where deep learning may be imminently applied to stroke management are image segmentation, automated featurization (radiomics), and multimodal prognostication. The application of convolutional neural networks, the family of DNN architectures designed to work with images, to stroke imaging data is a perfect match between a mature deep learning technique and a data type that is naturally suited to benefit from deep learning's strengths. These powerful tools have opened up exciting opportunities for data-driven stroke management for acute intervention and for guiding prognosis. Deep learning techniques are useful for the speed and power of results they can deliver and will become an increasingly standard tool in the modern stroke specialist's arsenal for delivering personalized medicine to patients with ischemic stroke. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Simulation of anions diffusion in Callovo-Oxfordian argillite by description of the rock microstructure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Diaz, N.

2008-01-01

The Callovo-Oxfordian argillite has been proposed as host rock for deep underground radioactive wastes storage. The aim of this study is to determine the report of effective diffusion coefficients De(anion)/De(water) at the micrometer scale considering the spatial distribution of minerals in the rock. (A.L.B.)

Deep learning predictions of survival based on MRI in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Science.gov (United States)

van der Burgh, Hannelore K; Schmidt, Ruben; Westeneng, Henk-Jan; de Reus, Marcel A; van den Berg, Leonard H; van den Heuvel, Martijn P

2017-01-01

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neuromuscular disease, with large variation in survival between patients. Currently, it remains rather difficult to predict survival based on clinical parameters alone. Here, we set out to use clinical characteristics in combination with MRI data to predict survival of ALS patients using deep learning, a machine learning technique highly effective in a broad range of big-data analyses. A group of 135 ALS patients was included from whom high-resolution diffusion-weighted and T1-weighted images were acquired at the first visit to the outpatient clinic. Next, each of the patients was monitored carefully and survival time to death was recorded. Patients were labeled as short, medium or long survivors, based on their recorded time to death as measured from the time of disease onset. In the deep learning procedure, the total group of 135 patients was split into a training set for deep learning (n = 83 patients), a validation set (n = 20) and an independent evaluation set (n = 32) to evaluate the performance of the obtained deep learning networks. Deep learning based on clinical characteristics predicted survival category correctly in 68.8% of the cases. Deep learning based on MRI predicted 62.5% correctly using structural connectivity and 62.5% using brain morphology data. Notably, when we combined the three sources of information, deep learning prediction accuracy increased to 84.4%. Taken together, our findings show the added value of MRI with respect to predicting survival in ALS, demonstrating the advantage of deep learning in disease prognostication.

Trench angle: a key design factor for a deep trench superjunction MOSFET

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kang, Hyemin; Lee, Jaegil; Lee, Kwangwon; Choi, Youngchul

2015-01-01

Why is the development of a deep trench superjunction (SJ) MOSFET above 600 V and under 8.0 mohm · cm 2 difficult? A deep trench SJ MOSFET is expected to have a low turn-on resistance because the post thermal process after the epitaxial process, which is normally used in a multi-step epitaxy structure, is unnecessary. When designing a deep trench SJ MOSFET, the trench angle is the most important factor because this determines the breakdown voltage (BV) and BV variations. In this paper, we investigated how the trench angle affects the BV and BV window as a condition of the possible thermal process. By employing a physical concept, ΔCharge, we explained why the maximum BV is decreased and the BV window is increased as the trench angle decreases. Also, we systematically scrutinized the transition of the vertical electric field by varying the trench angle. Furthermore, in a real case, the principle of the trench angle which contributes to the deviation of the charge imbalance and specific resistance of SJ is described. Finally, we discuss the challenge of SJ MOSFET development in the industry. (paper)

Effects of synchrotron radiation spectrum energy on polymethyl methacrylate photosensitivity to deep x-ray lithography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mekaru, Harutaka; Utsumi, Yuichi; Hattori, Tadashi

2003-01-01

Since X-ray lithography requires a high photon flux to achieve deep resist exposure, a synchrotron radiation beam, which is not monochromatized, is generally used as a light source. If the synchrotron radiation beam is monochromatized, photon flux will decrease rapidly. Because of this reason, the wavelength dependence of the resist sensitivity has not been investigated for deep X-ray lithography. Measuring the spectrum of a white beam with a Si solid-state detector (SSD) is difficult because a white beam has a high intensity and an SSD has a high sensitivity. We were able to measure the spectrum and the photocurrent of a white beam from a beam line used for deep X-ray lithography by keeping the ring current below 0.05 mA. We evaluated the characteristics of the output beam based on the measured spectrum and photocurrent, and used them to investigate the relationship between the total exposure energy and the dose-processing depth with polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA). We found that it is possible to guess the processing depth of PMMA from the total exposure energy in deep X-ray lithography. (author)

Evaluation of deep gray matter volume, cortical thickness and white matter integrity in patients with typical absence epilepsy: a study using voxelwise-based techniques

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Correa, D.G.; Ventura, N.; Tukamoto, G.; Gasparetto, E.L. [Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Department of Radiology, Hospital Universitario Clementino Fraga Filho, Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil); Clinica de Diagnostico por Imagem (CDPI), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil); Zimmermann, N. [Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Department of Radiology, Hospital Universitario Clementino Fraga Filho, Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil); Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, Department of Psychology, Porto Alegre (Brazil); Doring, T.M. [Clinica de Diagnostico por Imagem (CDPI), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil); Leme, J.; Pereira, M. [Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Department of Radiology, Hospital Universitario Clementino Fraga Filho, Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil); Andrea, I. d' ; Rego, C.; Alves-Leon, S.V. [Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Department of Neurology, Epilepsy Center, Hospital Universitario Clementino Fraga Filho, Rio de Janeiro (Brazil)

2017-03-15

The objective of this study was to evaluate the cortical thickness and the volume of deep gray matter structures, measured from 3D T1-weighted gradient echo imaging, and white matter integrity, by diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) in patients with typical absence epilepsy (AE). Patients (n = 19) with typical childhood AE and juvenile AE, currently taking antiepileptic medication, were compared with control subjects (n = 19), matched for gender and age. 3D T1 magnetization-prepared rapid gradient echo-weighted imaging and DTI along 30 noncolinear directions were performed using a 1.5-T MR scanner. FreeSurfer was used to perform cortical volumetric reconstruction and segmentation of deep gray matter structures. For tract-based spatial statistics analysis of DTI, a white matter skeleton was created, along with a permutation-based inference with 5000 permutations. A threshold of p < 0.05 was used to identify abnormalities in fractional anisotropy (FA). The mean, radial, and axial diffusivities were also projected onto the mean FA skeleton. Patients with AE presented decreased FA and increased mean diffusivity and radial diffusivity values in the genu and the body of the corpus callosum and right anterior corona radiata, as well as decreased axial diffusivity in the left posterior thalamic radiation, inferior cerebellar peduncle, right cerebral peduncle, and right corticospinal tract. However, there were no significant differences in cortical thickness or deep gray matter structure volumes between patients with AE and controls. Abnormalities found in white matter integrity may help to better understand the pathophysiology of AE and optimize diagnosis and treatment strategies. (orig.)

Evaluation of deep gray matter volume, cortical thickness and white matter integrity in patients with typical absence epilepsy: a study using voxelwise-based techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Correa, D.G.; Ventura, N.; Tukamoto, G.; Gasparetto, E.L.; Zimmermann, N.; Doring, T.M.; Leme, J.; Pereira, M.; Andrea, I. d'; Rego, C.; Alves-Leon, S.V.

2017-01-01

The objective of this study was to evaluate the cortical thickness and the volume of deep gray matter structures, measured from 3D T1-weighted gradient echo imaging, and white matter integrity, by diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) in patients with typical absence epilepsy (AE). Patients (n = 19) with typical childhood AE and juvenile AE, currently taking antiepileptic medication, were compared with control subjects (n = 19), matched for gender and age. 3D T1 magnetization-prepared rapid gradient echo-weighted imaging and DTI along 30 noncolinear directions were performed using a 1.5-T MR scanner. FreeSurfer was used to perform cortical volumetric reconstruction and segmentation of deep gray matter structures. For tract-based spatial statistics analysis of DTI, a white matter skeleton was created, along with a permutation-based inference with 5000 permutations. A threshold of p < 0.05 was used to identify abnormalities in fractional anisotropy (FA). The mean, radial, and axial diffusivities were also projected onto the mean FA skeleton. Patients with AE presented decreased FA and increased mean diffusivity and radial diffusivity values in the genu and the body of the corpus callosum and right anterior corona radiata, as well as decreased axial diffusivity in the left posterior thalamic radiation, inferior cerebellar peduncle, right cerebral peduncle, and right corticospinal tract. However, there were no significant differences in cortical thickness or deep gray matter structure volumes between patients with AE and controls. Abnormalities found in white matter integrity may help to better understand the pathophysiology of AE and optimize diagnosis and treatment strategies. (orig.)

Automatic classification of cardioembolic and arteriosclerotic ischemic strokes from apparent diffusion coefficient datasets using texture analysis and deep learning

Science.gov (United States)

Villafruela, Javier; Crites, Sebastian; Cheng, Bastian; Knaack, Christian; Thomalla, Götz; Menon, Bijoy K.; Forkert, Nils D.

2017-03-01

Stroke is a leading cause of death and disability in the western hemisphere. Acute ischemic strokes can be broadly classified based on the underlying cause into atherosclerotic strokes, cardioembolic strokes, small vessels disease, and stroke with other causes. The ability to determine the exact origin of an acute ischemic stroke is highly relevant for optimal treatment decision and preventing recurrent events. However, the differentiation of atherosclerotic and cardioembolic phenotypes can be especially challenging due to similar appearance and symptoms. The aim of this study was to develop and evaluate the feasibility of an image-based machine learning approach for discriminating between arteriosclerotic and cardioembolic acute ischemic strokes using 56 apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) datasets from acute stroke patients. For this purpose, acute infarct lesions were semi-atomically segmented and 30,981 geometric and texture image features were extracted for each stroke volume. To improve the performance and accuracy, categorical Pearson's χ2 test was used to select the most informative features while removing redundant attributes. As a result, only 289 features were finally included for training of a deep multilayer feed-forward neural network without bootstrapping. The proposed method was evaluated using a leave-one-out cross validation scheme. The proposed classification method achieved an average area under receiver operator characteristic curve value of 0.93 and a classification accuracy of 94.64%. These first results suggest that the proposed image-based classification framework can support neurologists in clinical routine differentiating between atherosclerotic and cardioembolic phenotypes.

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

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ohlsson, Y.; Neretnieks, I.

1998-01-01

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

Fractional Diffusion Equations and Anomalous Diffusion

Science.gov (United States)

Evangelista, Luiz Roberto; Kaminski Lenzi, Ervin

2018-01-01

Preface; 1. Mathematical preliminaries; 2. A survey of the fractional calculus; 3. From normal to anomalous diffusion; 4. Fractional diffusion equations: elementary applications; 5. Fractional diffusion equations: surface effects; 6. Fractional nonlinear diffusion equation; 7. Anomalous diffusion: anisotropic case; 8. Fractional Schrödinger equations; 9. Anomalous diffusion and impedance spectroscopy; 10. The Poisson–Nernst–Planck anomalous (PNPA) models; References; Index.

Non-diffusive transport in 3-D pressure driven plasma turbulence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Del-Castillo-Negrete, D.; Carreras, B.A.; Lynch, V.

2005-01-01

Numerical evidence of non-diffusive transport in 3-dimensional, resistive, pressure-gradient-driven plasma turbulence is presented. It is shown that the probability density function (pdf) of tracers is strongly non-Gaussian and exhibits algebraic decaying tails. To describe these results, a transport model using fractional derivative operators in proposed. The model incorporates in a unified way non-locality (i.e., non-Fickian transport), memory effects (i.e., non-Markovian transport), and non-diffusive scaling features known to be present in fusion plasmas. There is quantitative agreement between the model and the turbulent transport numerical calculations. In particular, the model reproduces the shape and space-time scaling of the pdf, and the super-diffusive scaling of the moments. (author)

Frequency domain fluorescence diffuse tomography of small animals

Science.gov (United States)

Orlova, Anna G.; Turchin, Ilya V.; Kamensky, Vladislav A.; Plehanov, Vladimir I.; Balalaeva, Irina V.; Sergeeva, Ekaterina A.; Shirmanova, Marina V.; Kleshnin, Michail S.

2007-05-01

Fluorescent compounds for selective cancer cell marking are used for development of novel medical diagnostic methods, investigation of the influence of external factors on tumor growth, regress and metastasis. Only special tools for turbid media imaging, such as optical diffusion tomography permit noninvasive monitoring of fluorescent-labeled tumor alterations deep in animal tissue. In this work, the results of preliminary experiments utilizing frequency-domain fluorescent diffusion tomography (FD FDT) experimental setup in small animal are presented. Low-frequency modulated light (1 kHz) from Nd:YAG laser with second harmonic generation at the wavelength of 532 nm was used in the setup. The transilluminative planar configuration was used in the setup. A series of model experiments has been conducted and show good agreement between theoretical and experimental fluorescence intensity. Models of deep tumors were created by two methods: (1) glass capsules containing fluorophore solution were inserted into esophagus of small animals to simulate marked tumors; (2) a suspension of transfected HEΚ293-Turbo-RFP cells was subcutaneously injected to small animal. The conducted experiments have shown that FD FDT allows one to detect the presence of labeled tumor cells in small animals, to determine the volume of an experimental tumor, to perform 3D tumor reconstruction, as well as to conduct monitoring investigations. The obtained results demonstrate the potential capability of the FD FDT method for noninvasive whole-body imaging in cancer studies, diagnostics and therapy.

Methodological study of the diffusion of interacting cations through clays. Application: experimental tests and simulation of coupled chemistry-diffusion transport of alkaline ions through a synthetical bentonite; Etude methodologique de la diffusion de cations interagissants dans les argiles. Application: mise en oeuvre experimentale et modelisation du couplage chimie-diffusion d'alcalins dans une bentonite synthetique

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Melkior, Th

2000-07-01

The subject of this work deals with the project of underground disposal of radioactive wastes in deep geological formations. It concerns the study of the migration of radionuclides through clays. In these materials, the main transport mechanism is assumed to be diffusion under natural conditions. Therefore, some diffusion experiments are conducted. With interacting solutes which present a strong affinity for the material, the duration of these tests will be too long, for the range of concentrations of interest. An alternative is to determine on one hand the geochemical retention properties using batch tests and crushed rock samples and, on the other hand, to deduce the transport parameters from diffusion tests realised with a non-interacting tracer, tritiated water. These data are then used to simulate the migration of the reactive elements with a numerical code which can deal with coupled chemistry-diffusion equations. The validity of this approach is tested by comparing the numerical simulations with the results of diffusion experiments of cations through a clay. The subject is investigated in the case of the diffusion of cesium, lithium and sodium through a compacted sodium bentonite. The diffusion tests are realised with the through-diffusion method. The comparison between the experimental results and the simulations shows that the latter tends to under estimate the propagation of the considered species. The differences could be attributed to surface diffusion and to a decrease of the accessibility to the sites of fixation of the bentonite, from the conditions of clay suspensions in batch tests to the situation of compacted samples. The influence of the experimental apparatus used during the diffusion tests on the results of the measurement has also been tested. It showed that these apparatus have to be taken into consideration when the experimental data are interpreted. A specific model has been therefore developed with the numerical code CASTEM 2000. (author)

Flame-Resistant Composite Materials For Structural Members

Science.gov (United States)

Spears, Richard K.

1995-01-01

Matrix-fiber composite materials developed for structural members occasionally exposed to hot, corrosive gases. Integral ceramic fabric surface layer essential for resistance to flames and chemicals. Endures high temperature, impedes flame from penetrating to interior, inhibits diffusion of oxygen to interior where it degrades matrix resin, resists attack by chemicals, helps resist erosion, and provides additional strength. In original intended application, composite members replace steel structural members of rocket-launching structures that deteriorate under combined influences of atmosphere, spilled propellants, and rocket exhaust. Composites also attractive for other applications in which corrosion- and fire-resistant structural members needed.

Oxygen diffusion in Y sub 1 sub - sub x Pr sub x Ba sub 2 Cu sub 3 O sub 7 sub - subdelta observed by resistivity measurements

CERN Document Server

Diosa, J E; Mellander, B E

1997-01-01

In situ resistivity measurements have been used to monitor the oxygen uptake and removal for the ceramic system Y sub 1 sub - sub x Pr sub x Ba sub 2 Cu sub 3 O sub 7 sub - subdelta (YPBCO) in the temperature range 300 - 1000 K. The study of the out-diffusion of oxygen was performed by annealing the oxygenated samples in ambient air at constant heating rates. We found that, independently of x, the oxygen concentration O sub 7 sub - subdelta is preserved up to 600 K, and that oxygen diffuses out of the oxides at temperatures higher than 600 K. However, the rate of oxygen removal from PrBa sub 2 Cu sub 3 O sub 7 sub - subdelta (PBCO) is greatly reduced as compared to the rate for pure YBa sub 2 Cu sub 3 O sub 7 sub - subdelta (YBCO), and decreases with increasing x in YPBCO. The study of the in-diffusion of oxygen was performed by annealing the deoxygenated samples in ambient air at constant heating rates. We found that, independently of x, the oxygen uptake takes place in the temperature range 550 - 750 K, whe...

Correlations for damage in diffused-junction InP solar cells induced by electron and proton irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamaguchi, M.; Takamoto, T.; Taylor, S.J.; Walters, R.J.; Summers, G.P.; Flood, D.J.; Ohmori, M.

1997-01-01

The damage to diffused-junction n + -p InP solar cells induced by electron and proton irradiations over a wide range of energy from 0.5 to 3 MeV and 0.015 to 20 MeV, respectively, has been examined. The experimental electron and proton damage coefficients have been analyzed in terms of displacement damage dose, which is the product of the particle fluence and the calculated nonionizing energy loss [G. P. Summers, E. A. Burke, R. Shapiro, S. R. Messenger, and R. J. Walters, IEEE Trans. Nucl. Sci. 40, 1300 (1993).] Degradation of InP cells due to irradiation with electrons and protons with energies of more than 0.5 MeV show a single curve as a function of displacement damage dose. Based on the deep-level transient spectroscopy analysis, damage equivalence between electron and proton irradiation is discussed. InP solar cells are confirmed to be substantially more radiation resistant than Si and GaAs-on-Ge cells. copyright 1997 American Institute of Physics

Tracing the Ventilation Pathways of the Deep North Pacific Ocean Using Lagrangian Particles and Eulerian Tracers

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Syed, H.A.M.S.; Primeau, F.W.; Deleersnijder, E.L.C.; Heemink, A.W.

2017-01-01

Lagrangian forward and backward models are introduced into a coarse-grid ocean global circulation model to trace the ventilation routes of the deep North Pacific Ocean. The random walk aspect in the Lagrangian model is dictated by a rotated isopycnal diffusivity tensor in the circulation model,

Alkali-developable silicone-based negative photoresist (SNP) for deep UV, electron beam, and X-ray lithographies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ban, Hiroshi; Tanaka, Akinobu; Kawai, Yoshio; Deguchi, Kimiyoshi

1989-01-01

A new silicone-based negative photoresist (SNP) developable with alkaline aqueous solutions is prepared. SNP composed of acetylated phenylsilsesquioxane oligomer and azidopyrene is applied to deep UV, electron beam (EB), and X-ray lithographies. SNP slightly swells in alkaline developers, thus exhibiting exceptionally high resolution characteristics for a negative resist. The resistance of SNP to oxygen reactive ion etching is approximately 30 times greater than that of conventional novolac resists. (author)

Use of a minimally invasive tubular retraction system for deep-seated tumors in pediatric patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Recinos, Pablo F; Raza, Shaan M; Jallo, George I; Recinos, Violette Renard

2011-05-01

Microsurgical removal is the preferred treatment for most deep-seated, intraaxial tumors in the pediatric population. The feasibility of surgery as an option has improved with advances in surgical technology and technique. Tubular retractors disperse retraction forces over a greater surface area than do conventional retractors, which can lower the risk of ischemic complications. The authors describe their experience utilizing a new tubular retractor system specifically designed for cranial applications in conjunction with frameless neuronavigation. The Vycor ViewSite retractor was used in 4 pediatric patients (ages 15 months and 9, 10, and 16 years) with deep-seated intraaxial tumors. The lesions included a papillary tumor of the pineal region, a low-grade astrocytoma in the occipital lobe, a dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumor arising from the basal ganglia, and an intraventricular low-grade glioma. The extent of white matter damage along the surgical trajectory (based on T2 or FLAIR and diffusion restriction/apparent diffusion coefficient signals) and the extent of resection were assessed on postoperative imaging. Satisfactory resection or biopsy was achieved in all patients. A comparison of pre- and postoperative MR imaging studies revealed evidence of white matter damage along the surgical trajectory in 1 patient. None of the patients demonstrated new neurological deficits postoperatively. Obtaining surgical access to deep-seated, intraaxial tumors is challenging. In this small series of pediatric patients, the combination of the ViewSite tubular retractor and frameless neuronavigation facilitated the surgical approach. The combination of these technologies adds to the armamentarium to safely approach tumors in deep locations.

Diffuse fluorescence tomography of exo- and endogenously labeled tumors

Science.gov (United States)

Balalaeva, Irina V.; Turchin, Ilya V.; Orlova, Anna G.; Plekhanov, Vladimir I.; Shirmanova, Marina V.; Kleshnin, Michail S.; Fiks, Ilya I.; Zagainova, Elena V.; Kamensky, Vladislav A.

2007-06-01

Strong light scattering and absorption limit observation of the internal structure of biological tissue. Only special tools for turbid media imaging, such as optical diffuse tomography, enable noninvasive investigation of the internal biological tissues, including visualization and intravital monitoring of deep tumors. In this work the preliminary results of diffuse fluorescence tomography (DFT) of small animals are presented. Usage of exogenous fluorophores, targeted specifically at tumor cells, and fluorescent proteins expressed endogenously can significantly increase the contrast of obtained images. Fluorescent compounds of different nature, such as sulphonated aluminium phthalocyanine (Photosens), red fluorescing proteins and CdTe/CdSe-core/shell nanocrystals (quantum dots) were applied. We tested diffuse fluorescence tomography method at model media, in post mortem and in vivo experiments. The animal was scanned in transilluminative configuration by low-frequency modulated light (1 kHz) from Nd:YAG laser with second harmonic generation at wavelength of 532 nm or semiconductor laser at wavelength of 655 nm. Quantum dots or protein DsRed2 in glass capsules (inner diameter 2-3 mm) were placed post mortem inside the esophagus of 7-day-old hairless rats to simulate marked tumors. Photosens was injected intravenously to linear mice with metastazing Lewis lung carcinoma. The reconstruction algorithm, based on Algebraic Reconstruction Technique, was created and tested numerically in model experiments. High contrast images of tumor simulating capsules with DsRed2 concentrations about 10 -6 M and quantum dots about 5x10 -11 M have been obtained. Organ distribution of Photosens and its accumulation in tumors and surrounding tissues of animals has been examined. We have conducted the monitoring of tumors, exogenously labeled by photosensitizer. This work demonstrates potential capabilities of DFT method for intravital detection and monitoring of deep fluorescent

Theory of deep level trap effects on generation-recombination noise in HgCdTe photoconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Iverson, A.E.; Smith, D.L.

1985-01-01

We present a theory of the effect of deep level centers on the generation-recombination (g-r) noise and responsivity of an intrinsic photoconductor. The deep level centers can influence the g-r noise and responsivity in three main ways: (i) they can shorten the bulk carrier lifetime by Shockley--Read--Hall recombination; (ii) for some values of the capture cross sections, deep level densities, and temperature, the deep levels can trap a significant fraction of the photogenerated minority carriers. This trapping reduces the effective minority carrier mobility and diffusivity and thus reduces the effect of carrier sweep out on both g-r noise and responsivity; (iii) the deep level centers add a new thermal noise source, which results from fluctuations between bound and free carriers. The strength of this new noise source decreases with decreasing temperature at a slower rate than band-to-band thermal g-r noise. Calculations have been performed for a X = 0.21, n-type Hg/sub 1-x/Cd/sub x/Te photoconductor using the parameters of a commonly occurring deep level center in this material. We find that for typical operating conditions photoconductive detector performance begins to degrade as the deep level density begins to exceed 10 16 cm -3

Relative Roles of Gap Junction Channels and Cytoplasm in Cell-to-Cell Diffusion of Fluorescent Tracers

Science.gov (United States)

Safranyos, Richard G. A.; Caveney, Stanley; Miller, James G.; Petersen, Nils O.

1987-04-01

Intercellular (tissue) diffusion of molecules requires cytoplasmic diffusion and diffusion through gap junctional (or cell-to-cell) channels. The rates of tissue and cytoplasmic diffusion of fluorescent tracers, expressed as an effective diffusion coefficient, De, and a cytoplasmic diffusion coefficient, Dcyt, have been measured among the developing epidermal cells of a larval beetle, Tenebrio molitor L., to determine the contribution of the junctional channels to intercellular diffusion. Tracer diffusion was measured by injecting fluorescent tracers into cells and quantitating the rate of subsequent spread into adjacent cells. Cytoplasmic diffusion was determined by fluorescence photobleaching. These experiments show that gap junctional channels constitute approximately 70-80% of the total cell-to-cell resistance to the diffusion of organic tracers at high concentrations in this tissue. At low concentrations, however, the binding of tracer to cytoplasm slows down the cytoplasmic diffusion, which may limit intercellular diffusion.

Mixing and its effects on biogeochemistry in the persistently stratified, deep, tropical Lake Matano, Indonesia

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Katsev, Sergei; Crowe, Sean; Mucci, Alfonso

2010-01-01

In the > 590-m deep, tropical Lake Matano (Indonesia), stratification is characterized by weak thermal gradients (... steady-state conditions, vertical eddy diffusion coefficients (K-z) cannot be estimated by conventional methods that rely on time derivatives of temperature distributions. We use and compare several alternative methods: one-dimensional k-epsilon modeling, three-dimensional hydrodynamic modeling...... composition in the deep waters is close to those of the ground and tributary waters. The vertical distribution of K-z is used in a biogeochemical reaction-transport model. We show that, outside of a narrow thermocline region, the vertical distributions of dissolved oxygen, iron, methane, and phosphorus...

Characterization of cesium diffusion behavior into granite matrix using Rutherford backscattering spectrometry

Science.gov (United States)

Tsai, Shih-Chin; Lee, Chuan-Pin; Tsai, Tsuey-Lin; Yu, Yueh-Chung

2017-10-01

The characterization of radionuclide diffusion behavior is necessary for performance assessment of granite as a geological barrier for high-level radioactive waste disposal. Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS), a novel nuclear ion-beam technique, was selected in this study because it is suitable for analyzing the concentration gradients of heavy elements in a well-defined matrix and allows measuring diffusion coefficients on a micrometer scale. In this study Cs was selected to represent Cs-135 (a key radionuclide in high-level waste) diffusion in granite. The Cs energy spectrum and concentration deep profile were analyzed and the diffusion coefficient of Cs in granite for three different locations were determined, which were 2.06 × 10-19m2 s-1, 3.58 × 10-19m2 s-1, and 7.19 × 10-19m2 s-1-19m2 s-19m2 s-1, respectively, which were of a similiar order of magnitude. Results from other studies are also compared and discussed in this paper.

The analysis of mechanism of rhenium-coated tools' wear-resistance rising

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniel Petrosyan

2017-06-01

Full Text Available It is proposed to obtain wear-resistant layers on the hard-alloy materials by thermochemical treatment. In the different field of production – mechanical engineering, metallurgy and military technologies, with machine parts demanding high wearproof and corrosion-proof machinery parts on the surfaces of syntheses of diamonds, with metal surface thermal-diffusion with rhenium, to receive diffusion wearing layers for the first time. A method for thermochemical treatment of hard alloy plates has been investigated, allowing to raise the wear-resistance of cutting and mining tools.

Charge Diffusion Variations in Pan-STARRS1 CCDs

Science.gov (United States)

Magnier, Eugene A.; Tonry, J. L.; Finkbeiner, D.; Schlafly, E.; Burgett, W. S.; Chambers, K. C.; Flewelling, H. A.; Hodapp, K. W.; Kaiser, N.; Kudritzki, R.-P.; Metcalfe, N.; Wainscoat, R. J.; Waters, C. Z.

2018-06-01

Thick back-illuminated deep-depletion CCDs have superior quantum efficiency over previous generations of thinned and traditional thick CCDs. As a result, they are being used for wide-field imaging cameras in several major projects. We use observations from the Pan-STARRS 3π survey to characterize the behavior of the deep-depletion devices used in the Pan-STARRS 1 Gigapixel Camera. We have identified systematic spatial variations in the photometric measurements and stellar profiles that are similar in pattern to the so-called “tree rings” identified in devices used by other wide-field cameras (e.g., DECam and Hypersuprime Camera). The tree-ring features identified in these other cameras result from lateral electric fields that displace the electrons as they are transported in the silicon to the pixel location. In contrast, we show that the photometric and morphological modifications observed in the GPC1 detectors are caused by variations in the vertical charge transportation rate and resulting charge diffusion variations.

Enhancement Corrosion Resistance of (γ-Glycidyloxypropyl-Silsesquioxane-Titanium Dioxide Films and Its Validation by Gas Molecule Diffusion Coefficients Using Molecular Dynamics (MD Simulation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Haiyan Wang

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Based on silsesquioxanes (SSO derived from the hydrolytic condensation of (γ-glycidyloxypropyltrimethoxysilane (GPMS and titanium tetrabutoxide (TTB, hybrid films on aluminum alloy (AA, film-GPMS-SSO (f-GS and f-GS-TTBi% (f-GSTT5%–25%, i = 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 wt%, were prepared and tested by electrochemical measurements with typical potentiodynamic polarization curves. The Icorr values of the samples were significantly lower, comparing with the Icorr values of the f-GS, AA and f-GS modified tetraethoxysilane (TEOS in the previous study, which implies that the TTB5%–25% (TiO2 additions in the coatings indeed enhance the electrochemical corrosion resistance. Correlations between the film structures and anticorrosion properties were discussed. To validate the corresponding anticorrosion experiment results, different 3D-amorphous cubic unit cells were employed as models to investigate the self-diffusion coefficient (SDC for SO2, NO2 and H2O molecules by molecular dynamics (MD simulation. All of the SDCs calculated for SO2, NO2 and H2O diffusing in f-GSTT5%–25% cells were less than the SDCs in f-GS. These results validated the corresponding anticorrosion experiment results.

Search for and characterization of microorganisms in deep geological compartments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barsotti, Vanessa

2011-01-01

and 260 g.l -1 ) on the metabolic activity of anaerobic prokaryotes. In order to identify effects of parameters on microbial activities, a complete factorial plan was constructed from the metabolic activities measured for eight halophile and thermo-tolerant bacterial strains exposed to 30 distinct temperature, pressure and salinity conditions. All the strains issued from deep environments were at the least piezo-tolerant and capable of maintaining their activity under hydrostatic pressures. The fermenting (Thermovirga lienii and Halothermothrix orenii) and thiosulfate reducing strains (Petrotoga mexicana and Thermiosipho japonicus) were particularly well adapted, from a metabolic point of view, to high pressures; indeed the highest activities were measured under pressure. Also, several strains (such as Petrotoga mexicana) showed an increased resistance to high temperatures under pressure. However, resistance to an increase in salinity was variable for each strain under the different temperature and pressure conditions. This suggests that the resistance mechanisms for osmotic pressure also enable resistance to high temperatures and hydrostatic pressures.This work underlines that the microbiological characterization of deep terrestrial ecosystems must not be limited to the search and analyses of the existing diversity. Moreover, such upstream studies of the metabolic activities of subsurface bacterial strains in deep terrestrial conditions are a necessary beginning towards understanding the role of microbial communities in extreme environments. (author) [fr

A simple model for the dispersion of radioactive wastes dumped on the deep-sea bed

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shepherd, J.G.

1976-01-01

A simple model has been developed for the dispersion of radioactive materials in a closed and finite ocean. It allows for the simultaneous action of both diffusion and horizontal (but not vertical) advection, and thus avoids the major limitations of previous models such as that of Webb and Morley. It is sufficiently versatile to handle non-Fickian diffusion and radioactive decay, but requires numerical integration using some semi-empirical form for the Green's function of diffusion from a point source. The model has been used to estimate equilibrium concentrations of radioactive materials in sea water arising from the continuous release of material from a dump on the bottom of the deep ocean, using parameters appropriate for the North Atlantic. It is found that except under rather extreme conditions the surface concentrations do not exceed the long-term average value which would be established in a perfectly mixed ocean. The concentrations are also rather insensitive to the values of the diffusion and advection parameters used, except for that for vertical diffusion, but depend strongly on the overall removal rate of material from the ocean, including processes other than radioactive decay. It is suggested that safety assessments of deep-sea dumping should utilize estimates of the environmental capacities of the oceans based on the long-term 'well-mixed' average concentrations (which are very easily calculated) using a safety factor of no more than ten to allow for the possible effects of pluming and upwelling. In so far as their results are comparable, the present model yields estimates which are close to those of the Webb-Morley model for overall half-lives between 30 and 3000 years, but which become increasingly more restrictive for longer-lived materials. (author)

Prediction of recovery from a post-traumatic coma state by diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) in patients with diffuse axonal injury

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zheng, W.B.; Liu, G.R.; Wu, R.H.; Li, L.P.

2007-01-01

To determine whether diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance (MR) imaging findings combined with initial clinical factors indicate the depth of shearing lesions in the brain structure and therefore relate to coma duration in diffuse axonal injury (DAI). A total of 74 adult patients (48 male and 26 female) with DAI were examined with conventional MR imaging and diffusion-weighted MR imaging between 2 hours and 20 days after injury. Apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) maps were obtained and the mean ADC values of each region of interest (ROI) were measured using MRI console software. The involvement of the brainstem, deep gray matter, and corpus callosum was determined for each sequence separately as well as for the combination of all sequences. The correlations between MR imaging findings indicating the presence of apparent brain injury combined with initial clinical factors were determined. Clinical characteristics, such as initial score on the Glasgow coma scale (GCS), age and number of all lesions, and ADC scores were predictive of the duration of coma. It was possible to predict post-traumatic coma duration in DAI from cerebral MR imaging findings combined with clinical prognostic factors in the acute to subacute stage after head injury. Age, ADC scores, GCS score and number of lesions were highly significant in predicting coma duration. The technique presented here might provide a tool for in vivo detection of DAI to allow the prediction of the coma duration during the early stages in patients with traumatic brain injury. (orig.)

Spatial Control of Photoacid Diffusion in Chemically Amplified Resist (CAR) via External Electric Field.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Jinok; Yoo, Gwangwe; Park, Jin; Park, Jin-Hong

2018-09-01

We investigated the effect of an electric field-based post exposure bake (EF-PEB) process on photoacid diffusion and pattern formation. To investigate the control of photoacid diffusion experimentally, the EF-PEB processes was performed at various temperatures. Cross sectional images of various EF-PEB processed samples were obtained by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) after ion beam milling. In addition, we conducted a numerical analysis of photoacid distribution and diffusion with following Fick's second law and compared the experimental results with our theoretical model. The drift distance was theoretically predicted by multiplying drift velocity and EF-PEB time, and the experimental values were obtained by finding the difference in pattern depths of PEB/EFPEB samples. Finally, an EF-PEB temperature of 85 °C was confirmed as the optimum condition to maximize photoacid drift distance using the electric field.

Study on micro hydro-mechanical deep drawing using finite element method

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ma Xiaoguang

2016-01-01

Full Text Available A numerical model was established to investigate the micro hydro-mechanical deep drawing process of austenitic stainless steel 304 foil (0.05 mm thickness. Due to the miniaturisation of the specimen size, the effect of grain size, gap distance and radial pressure during drawing process could be prominent. The results indicate that the appropriate radial pressure and gap distance could improve the limit drawing ratio (LDR of manufactured cylindrical cups by reducing the friction resistance. The maximum LDR obtained in the present work reaches 3.2, which is much higher than that obtained by conventional deep drawing process.

Deep-etch x-ray lithography at the ALS: First results

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Malek, C.K.; Jackson, K.H. [Ernest Orlando Lawrence Berkeley National Lab., CA (United States); Brennen, R.A. [Jet Propulsion Lab., Pasadena, CA (United States)] [and others

1997-04-01

The fabrication of high-aspect-ratio and three-dimensional (3D) microstructures is of increasing interest in a multitude of applications in fields such as micromechanics, optics, and interconnect technology. Techniques and processes that enable lithography in thick materials differ from the planar technologies used in standard integrated circuit processing. Deep x-ray lithography permits extremely precise and deep proximity printing of a given pattern from a mask into a very thick resist. It requires a source of hard, intense, and well collimated x-ray radiation, as is provided by a synchrotron radiation source. The thick resist microstructures, so produced can be used as templates from which ultrahigh precision parts with high aspect ratios can be mass-produced out of a large variety of materials (metals, plastics, ceramics). This whole series of techniques and processes has been historically referred to as {open_quotes}LIGA,{close_quotes} from the German acronym for lithography, electroforming (Galvanoformung), and plastic molding (Abformung), the first development of the basic LIGA process having been performed at the Nuclear Research Center at Karlsruhe in Germany.

Memory Effects and Coverage Dependence of Surface Diffusion in a Model Adsorption System

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vattulainen, Ilpo Tapio; Ying, S. C.; Ala-Nissila, T.

1999-01-01

in tracer and collective diffusion. We show that memory effects can be very pronounced deep inside the ordered phases and in regions close to first and second order phase transition boundaries. Particular attention is paid to the details of the time dependence of memory effects. The memory effect in tracer......We study the coverage dependence of surface diffusion coefficients for a strongly interacting adsorption system O/W(110) via Monte Carlo simulations of a lattice-gas model. In particular, we consider the nature and emergence of memory effects as contained in the corresponding correlation factors...... diffusion is found to decay following a power law after an initial transient period. This behavior persists until the hydrodynamic regime is reached, after which the memory effect decays exponentially. The time required to reach the hydrodynamical regime and the related exponential decay is strongly...

A tracer diffusion model derived from microstructure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lehikoinen, Jarmo; Muurinen, Arto; Olin, Markus

2012-01-01

Document available in extended abstract form only. Full text of publication follows: Numerous attempts have been made to explain the tracer diffusion of various solutes in compacted clays. These attempts have commonly suffered from an inability to describe the diffusion of uncharged and charged solutes with a single unified model. Here, an internally consistent approach to describing the diffusion of solutes in a heterogeneous porous medium, such as compacted bentonite, in terms of its microstructure is presented. The microstructure is taken to be represented by a succession of unit cells, which consist of two consecutive regions (Do, 1996). In the first region, the diffusion is viewed to occur in two parallel paths: one through microcrystalline units (micropores) and the other through meso-pores between the microcrystalline units. Solutes exiting these two paths are then joined together to continue diffusing through the second, disordered, region, connecting the two adjacent microcrystalline units. Adsorption (incl. co-ion exclusion) is thought to occur in the micropores, whereas meso-pores and the disordered region accommodate free species alone. Co-ions are also assumed to experience transfer resistance into and out of the micropores, which is characterized in the model by a transmission coefficient. Although the model is not new per se, its application to compacted clays has never been attempted before. It is shown that in the limit of strong adsorption, the effective diffusivity is limited from above only by the microstructural parameters of the model porous medium. As intuitive and logical as this result may appear, it has not been proven before. In the limit of vanishing disordered region, the effective diffusivity is no longer explicitly constrained by any of the model parameters. The tortuosity of the diffusion path, i.e. the quotient of the actual diffusion path length in the porous-medium coordinates and the characteristic length of the laboratory frame

Methodological study of the diffusion of interacting cations through clays. Application: experimental tests and simulation of coupled chemistry-diffusion transport of alkaline ions through a synthetical bentonite

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Melkior, Th.

2000-01-01

The subject of this work deals with the project of underground disposal of radioactive wastes in deep geological formations. It concerns the study of the migration of radionuclides through clays. In these materials, the main transport mechanism is assumed to be diffusion under natural conditions. Therefore, some diffusion experiments are conducted. With interacting solutes which present a strong affinity for the material, the duration of these tests will be too long, for the range of concentrations of interest. An alternative is to determine on one hand the geochemical retention properties using batch tests and crushed rock samples and, on the other hand, to deduce the transport parameters from diffusion tests realised with a non-interacting tracer, tritiated water. These data are then used to simulate the migration of the reactive elements with a numerical code which can deal with coupled chemistry-diffusion equations. The validity of this approach is tested by comparing the numerical simulations with the results of diffusion experiments of cations through a clay. The subject is investigated in the case of the diffusion of cesium, lithium and sodium through a compacted sodium bentonite. The diffusion tests are realised with the through-diffusion method. The comparison between the experimental results and the simulations shows that the latter tends to under estimate the propagation of the considered species. The differences could be attributed to surface diffusion and to a decrease of the accessibility to the sites of fixation of the bentonite, from the conditions of clay suspensions in batch tests to the situation of compacted samples. The influence of the experimental apparatus used during the diffusion tests on the results of the measurement has also been tested. It showed that these apparatus have to be taken into consideration when the experimental data are interpreted. A specific model has been therefore developed with the numerical code CASTEM 2000. (author)

Key Factors to Determine the Borehole Spacing in a Deep Borehole Disposal for HLW

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Jongyoul; Choi, Heuijoo; Lee, Minsoo; Kim, Geonyoung; Kim, Kyeongsoo

2015-01-01

Deep fluids also resist vertical movement because they are density stratified and reducing conditions will sharply limit solubility of most dose critical radionuclides at the depth. Finally, high ionic strengths of deep fluids will prevent colloidal transport. Therefore, as an alternative disposal concept, i.e., deep borehole disposal technology is under consideration in number of countries in terms of its outstanding safety and cost effectiveness. In this paper, the general concept for deep borehole disposal of spent fuels or high level radioactive wastes which has been developed by some countries according to the rapid advance in the development of drilling technology, as an alternative method to the deep geological disposal method, was reviewed. After then an analysis on key factors for the distance between boreholes for the disposal of HLW was carried out. In this paper, the general concept for deep borehole disposal of spent fuels or HLW wastes, as an alternative method to the deep geological disposal method, were reviewed. After then an analysis on key factors for the determining the distance between boreholes for the disposal of HLW was carried out. These results can be used for the development of the HLW deep borehole disposal system

Key Factors to Determine the Borehole Spacing in a Deep Borehole Disposal for HLW

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Jongyoul; Choi, Heuijoo; Lee, Minsoo; Kim, Geonyoung; Kim, Kyeongsoo [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2015-05-15

Deep fluids also resist vertical movement because they are density stratified and reducing conditions will sharply limit solubility of most dose critical radionuclides at the depth. Finally, high ionic strengths of deep fluids will prevent colloidal transport. Therefore, as an alternative disposal concept, i.e., deep borehole disposal technology is under consideration in number of countries in terms of its outstanding safety and cost effectiveness. In this paper, the general concept for deep borehole disposal of spent fuels or high level radioactive wastes which has been developed by some countries according to the rapid advance in the development of drilling technology, as an alternative method to the deep geological disposal method, was reviewed. After then an analysis on key factors for the distance between boreholes for the disposal of HLW was carried out. In this paper, the general concept for deep borehole disposal of spent fuels or HLW wastes, as an alternative method to the deep geological disposal method, were reviewed. After then an analysis on key factors for the determining the distance between boreholes for the disposal of HLW was carried out. These results can be used for the development of the HLW deep borehole disposal system.

Solid solution strengthening and diffusion in nickel- and cobalt-based superalloys

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rehman, Hamad ur

2016-07-01

Nickel and cobalt-based superalloys with a γ-γ{sup '} microstructure are known for their excellent creep resistance at high temperatures. Their microstructure is engineered using different alloying elements, that partition either to the fcc γ matrix or to the ordered γ{sup '} phase. In the present work the effect of alloying elements on their segregation behaviour in nickel-based superalloys, diffusion in cobalt-based superalloys and the temperature dependent solid solution strengthening in nickel-based alloys is investigated. The effect of dendritic segregation on the local mechanical properties of individual phases in the as-cast, heat treated and creep deformed state of a nickel-based superalloy is investigated. The local chemical composition is characterized using Electron Probe Micro Analysis and then correlated with the mechanical properties of individual phases using nanoindentation. Furthermore, the temperature dependant solid solution hardening contribution of Ta, W and Re towards fcc nickel is studied. The room temperature hardening is determined by a diffusion couple approach using nanoindentation and energy dispersive X-ray analysis for relating hardness to the chemical composition. The high temperature properties are determined using compression strain rate jump tests. The results show that at lower temperatures, the solute size is prevalent and the elements with the largest size difference with nickel, induce the greatest hardening consistent with a classical solid solution strengthening theory. At higher temperatures, the solutes interact with the dislocations such that the slowest diffusing solute poses maximal resistance to dislocation glide and climb. Lastly, the diffusion of different technically relevant solutes in fcc cobalt is investigated using diffusion couples. The results show that the large atoms diffuse faster in cobalt-based superalloys similar to their nickel-based counterparts.

Solid solution strengthening and diffusion in nickel- and cobalt-based superalloys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rehman, Hamad ur

2016-01-01

Nickel and cobalt-based superalloys with a γ-γ ' microstructure are known for their excellent creep resistance at high temperatures. Their microstructure is engineered using different alloying elements, that partition either to the fcc γ matrix or to the ordered γ ' phase. In the present work the effect of alloying elements on their segregation behaviour in nickel-based superalloys, diffusion in cobalt-based superalloys and the temperature dependent solid solution strengthening in nickel-based alloys is investigated. The effect of dendritic segregation on the local mechanical properties of individual phases in the as-cast, heat treated and creep deformed state of a nickel-based superalloy is investigated. The local chemical composition is characterized using Electron Probe Micro Analysis and then correlated with the mechanical properties of individual phases using nanoindentation. Furthermore, the temperature dependant solid solution hardening contribution of Ta, W and Re towards fcc nickel is studied. The room temperature hardening is determined by a diffusion couple approach using nanoindentation and energy dispersive X-ray analysis for relating hardness to the chemical composition. The high temperature properties are determined using compression strain rate jump tests. The results show that at lower temperatures, the solute size is prevalent and the elements with the largest size difference with nickel, induce the greatest hardening consistent with a classical solid solution strengthening theory. At higher temperatures, the solutes interact with the dislocations such that the slowest diffusing solute poses maximal resistance to dislocation glide and climb. Lastly, the diffusion of different technically relevant solutes in fcc cobalt is investigated using diffusion couples. The results show that the large atoms diffuse faster in cobalt-based superalloys similar to their nickel-based counterparts.

Diffusion Decay Coefficient for Chloride Ions of Concrete Containing Mineral Admixtures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jae-Im Park

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The diffusion coefficient for chloride ions and the diffusion decay coefficient for chloride ions are essential variables for a service life evaluation of concrete structures. They are influenced by water-binder ratio, exposure condition, curing temperature, cement type, and the type and use of mineral admixture. Mineral admixtures such as ground granulated blast furnace slag, fly ash, and silica fume have been increasingly used to improve resistance against chloride ions penetration in concrete structures built in an offshore environment. However, there is not enough measured data to identify the statistical properties of diffusion decay coefficient for chloride ions in concrete using mineral admixtures. This paper is aimed at evaluating the diffusion decay coefficient for chloride ions of concrete using ordinary Portland cement or blended cement. NT BUILD 492 method, an electrophoresis experiment, was used to measure the diffusion coefficient for chloride ions with ages. It was revealed from the test results that the diffusion decay coefficient for chloride ions was significantly influenced by W/B and the replacement ratio of mineral admixtures.

Antibiotic-resistance of Escherichia coli isolates from stored pig slurry

OpenAIRE

Silva, F.F.P.; Santos, M.; Schmidt, Veronica

2008-01-01

The antimicrobial resistance of 96 Escherichia coli strains isolated from a stabilization pond system on a pig-breeding farm was evaluated. Strains were tested for their resistance against 14 antimicrobial using the agar diffusion method. E. coli strains showed resistance to tetracycline (82.3%), nalidixic acid (64%), ampicilin (41%), sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprin (36%), sulfonamide (34%), cloranphenicol (274%), ciprofloxacin (19%), cefaclor (16%), streptomicyn (7.3%), neomicyn (1%), amoxacil...

Long-term performance of activated carbon air cathodes with different diffusion layer porosities in microbial fuel cells

KAUST Repository

Zhang, Fang; Pant, Deepak; Logan, Bruce E.

2011-01-01

to examine the reasons for the degraded performance. Diffusion resistance in the cathode was found to be the primary component of the internal resistance, and it increased over time. Replacing the cathode after 1 year completely restored the original power

Noncontact 3-D Speckle Contrast Diffuse Correlation Tomography of Tissue Blood Flow Distribution.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Chong; Irwin, Daniel; Zhao, Mingjun; Shang, Yu; Agochukwu, Nneamaka; Wong, Lesley; Yu, Guoqiang

2017-10-01

Recent advancements in near-infrared diffuse correlation techniques and instrumentation have opened the path for versatile deep tissue microvasculature blood flow imaging systems. Despite this progress there remains a need for a completely noncontact, noninvasive device with high translatability from small/testing (animal) to large/target (human) subjects with trivial application on both. Accordingly, we discuss our newly developed setup which meets this demand, termed noncontact speckle contrast diffuse correlation tomography (nc_scDCT). The nc_scDCT provides fast, continuous, portable, noninvasive, and inexpensive acquisition of 3-D tomographic deep (up to 10 mm) tissue blood flow distributions with straightforward design and customization. The features presented include a finite-element-method implementation for incorporating complex tissue boundaries, fully noncontact hardware for avoiding tissue compression and interactions, rapid data collection with a diffuse speckle contrast method, reflectance-based design promoting experimental translation, extensibility to related techniques, and robust adjustable source and detector patterns and density for high resolution measurement with flexible regions of interest enabling unique application-specific setups. Validation is shown in the detection and characterization of both high and low contrasts in flow relative to the background using tissue phantoms with a pump-connected tube (high) and phantom spheres (low). Furthermore, in vivo validation of extracting spatiotemporal 3-D blood flow distributions and hyperemic response during forearm cuff occlusion is demonstrated. Finally, the success of instrument feasibility in clinical use is examined through the intraoperative imaging of mastectomy skin flap.

Diffusion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kubaschewski, O.

1983-01-01

The diffusion rate values of titanium, its compounds and alloys are summarized and tabulated. The individual chemical diffusion coefficients and self-diffusion coefficients of certain isotopes are given. Experimental methods are listed which were used for the determination of diffusion coefficients. Some values have been taken over from other studies. Also given are graphs showing the temperature dependences of diffusion and changes in the diffusion coefficient with concentration changes

Hot Ta filament resistance in-situ monitoring under silane containing atmosphere

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grunsky, D.; Schroeder, B.

2008-01-01

Monitoring of the electrical resistance of the Ta catalyst during the hot wire chemical vapor deposition (HWCVD) of thin silicon films gives information about filament condition. Using Ta filaments for silane decomposition not only the well known strong changes at the cold ends, but also changes of the central part of the filament were observed. Three different phenomena can be distinguished: silicide (stoichiometric Ta X Si Y alloys) growth on the filament surfaces, diffusion of Si into the Ta filament and thick silicon deposits (TSD) formation on the filament surface. The formation of different tantalum silicides on the surface as well as the in-diffusion of silicon increase the filament resistance, while the TSDs form additional electrical current channels and that result in a decrease of the filament resistance. Thus, the filament resistance behaviour during ageing is the result of the competition between these two processes

Determination of resist parameters using the extended Nijboer-Zernike theory

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dirksen, P.; Braat, J.; Janssen, A.J.E.M.; Leeuwestein, A.; Kwinten, H.; Van Steenwinckel, D.

2004-01-01

This study presents an experimental method to determine the resist parameters that are at the origin of a general blurring of the projected aerial image. The resist model includes the effects of diffusion in the horizontal plane and a second cause for image blur that originates from a stochastic

Deep Echo State Network (DeepESN): A Brief Survey

OpenAIRE

Gallicchio, Claudio; Micheli, Alessio

2017-01-01

The study of deep recurrent neural networks (RNNs) and, in particular, of deep Reservoir Computing (RC) is gaining an increasing research attention in the neural networks community. The recently introduced deep Echo State Network (deepESN) model opened the way to an extremely efficient approach for designing deep neural networks for temporal data. At the same time, the study of deepESNs allowed to shed light on the intrinsic properties of state dynamics developed by hierarchical compositions ...

Deep borehole disposal of high-level radioactive waste.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stein, Joshua S.; Freeze, Geoffrey A.; Brady, Patrick Vane; Swift, Peter N.; Rechard, Robert Paul; Arnold, Bill Walter; Kanney, Joseph F.; Bauer, Stephen J.

2009-07-01

Preliminary evaluation of deep borehole disposal of high-level radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel indicates the potential for excellent long-term safety performance at costs competitive with mined repositories. Significant fluid flow through basement rock is prevented, in part, by low permeabilities, poorly connected transport pathways, and overburden self-sealing. Deep fluids also resist vertical movement because they are density stratified. Thermal hydrologic calculations estimate the thermal pulse from emplaced waste to be small (less than 20 C at 10 meters from the borehole, for less than a few hundred years), and to result in maximum total vertical fluid movement of {approx}100 m. Reducing conditions will sharply limit solubilities of most dose-critical radionuclides at depth, and high ionic strengths of deep fluids will prevent colloidal transport. For the bounding analysis of this report, waste is envisioned to be emplaced as fuel assemblies stacked inside drill casing that are lowered, and emplaced using off-the-shelf oilfield and geothermal drilling techniques, into the lower 1-2 km portion of a vertical borehole {approx}45 cm in diameter and 3-5 km deep, followed by borehole sealing. Deep borehole disposal of radioactive waste in the United States would require modifications to the Nuclear Waste Policy Act and to applicable regulatory standards for long-term performance set by the US Environmental Protection Agency (40 CFR part 191) and US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (10 CFR part 60). The performance analysis described here is based on the assumption that long-term standards for deep borehole disposal would be identical in the key regards to those prescribed for existing repositories (40 CFR part 197 and 10 CFR part 63).

Characterization of the Drug Resistance Profiles of Patients Infected with CRF07_BC Using Phenotypic Assay and Ultra-Deep Pyrosequencing.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Szu-Wei Huang

Full Text Available The usefulness of ultra-deep pyrosequencing (UDPS for the diagnosis of HIV-1 drug resistance (DR remains to be determined. Previously, we reported an explosive outbreak of HIV-1 circulating recombinant form (CRF 07_BC among injection drug users (IDUs in Taiwan in 2004. The goal of this study was to characterize the DR of CRF07_BC strains using different assays including UDPS. Seven CRF07_BC isolates including 4 from early epidemic (collected in 2004-2005 and 3 from late epidemic (collected in 2008 were obtained from treatment-naïve patient's peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Viral RNA was extracted directly from patient's plasma or from cultural supernatant and the pol sequences were determined using RT-PCR sequencing or UDPS. For comparison, phenotypic drug susceptibility assay using MAGIC-5 cells (in-house phenotypic assay and Antivirogram were performed. In-house phenotypic assay showed that all the early epidemic and none of the late epidemic CRF07_BC isolates were resistant to most protease inhibitors (PIs (4.4-47.3 fold. Neither genotypic assay nor Antivirogram detected any DR mutations. UDPS showed that early epidemic isolates contained 0.01-0.08% of PI DR major mutations. Furthermore, the combinations of major and accessory PI DR mutations significantly correlated with the phenotypic DR. The in-house phenotypic assay is superior to other conventional phenotypic assays in the detection of DR variants with a frequency as low as 0.01%.

Acceleration of Deep Neural Network Training with Resistive Cross-Point Devices: Design Considerations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tayfun Gokmen

2016-07-01

Full Text Available In recent years, deep neural networks (DNN have demonstrated significant business impact in large scale analysis and classification tasks such as speech recognition, visual object detection, pattern extraction, etc. Training of large DNNs, however, is universally considered as time consuming and computationally intensive task that demands datacenter-scale computational resources recruited for many days. Here we propose a concept of resistive processing unit (RPU devices that can potentially accelerate DNN training by orders of magnitude while using much less power. The proposed RPU device can store and update the weight values locally thus minimizing data movement during training and allowing to fully exploit the locality and the parallelism of the training algorithm. We evaluate the effect of various RPU device features/non-idealities and system parameters on performance in order to derive the device and system level specifications for implementation of an accelerator chip for DNN training in a realistic CMOS-compatible technology. For large DNNs with about 1 billion weights this massively parallel RPU architecture can achieve acceleration factors of 30,000X compared to state-of-the-art microprocessors while providing power efficiency of 84,000 GigaOps/s/W. Problems that currently require days of training on a datacenter-size cluster with thousands of machines can be addressed within hours on a single RPU accelerator. A system consisting of a cluster of RPU accelerators will be able to tackle Big Data problems with trillions of parameters that is impossible to address today like, for example, natural speech recognition and translation between all world languages, real-time analytics on large streams of business and scientific data, integration and analysis of multimodal sensory data flows from a massive number of IoT (Internet of Things sensors.

Acceleration of Deep Neural Network Training with Resistive Cross-Point Devices: Design Considerations.

Science.gov (United States)

Gokmen, Tayfun; Vlasov, Yurii

2016-01-01

In recent years, deep neural networks (DNN) have demonstrated significant business impact in large scale analysis and classification tasks such as speech recognition, visual object detection, pattern extraction, etc. Training of large DNNs, however, is universally considered as time consuming and computationally intensive task that demands datacenter-scale computational resources recruited for many days. Here we propose a concept of resistive processing unit (RPU) devices that can potentially accelerate DNN training by orders of magnitude while using much less power. The proposed RPU device can store and update the weight values locally thus minimizing data movement during training and allowing to fully exploit the locality and the parallelism of the training algorithm. We evaluate the effect of various RPU device features/non-idealities and system parameters on performance in order to derive the device and system level specifications for implementation of an accelerator chip for DNN training in a realistic CMOS-compatible technology. For large DNNs with about 1 billion weights this massively parallel RPU architecture can achieve acceleration factors of 30, 000 × compared to state-of-the-art microprocessors while providing power efficiency of 84, 000 GigaOps∕s∕W. Problems that currently require days of training on a datacenter-size cluster with thousands of machines can be addressed within hours on a single RPU accelerator. A system consisting of a cluster of RPU accelerators will be able to tackle Big Data problems with trillions of parameters that is impossible to address today like, for example, natural speech recognition and translation between all world languages, real-time analytics on large streams of business and scientific data, integration, and analysis of multimodal sensory data flows from a massive number of IoT (Internet of Things) sensors.

Techniques for Ultra-high Magnetic Field Gradient NMR Diffusion Measurements

Science.gov (United States)

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

2001-03-01

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

Foam Based Gas Diffusion Electrodes for Reversible Alkaline Electrolysis Cells

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Allebrod, Frank; Chatzichristodoulou, Christodoulos; Mogensen, Mogens Bjerg

2014-01-01

Alkaline electrolysis cells operated at 250 °C and 40 bar have shown to be able to convert electrical energy into chemical energy in the form of hydrogen at very high efficiencies and power densities. Foam based gas diffusion electrodes and a liquid immobilized electrolyte allow the operation...... of the newly designed electrolysis cell as a fuel cell, but condensation of steam may lead to blocked pores, thereby inhibiting gas diffusion and decreasing the performance of the cell. In the here presented work we present the application of a hydrophobic, porous, and electro-catalytically active layer...... the electrochemical characteristics of the cell. The thickness of the electrolyte matrix was reduced to 200 µm, thereby achieving a serial resistance and area specific resistance as low as 60 mΩ cm2 and 150 mΩ cm2, respectively, at a temperature of 200 °C and 20 bar pressure. A new production method was developed...

Tissue microstructure estimation using a deep network inspired by a dictionary-based framework.

Science.gov (United States)

Ye, Chuyang

2017-12-01

Diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI) captures the anisotropic pattern of water displacement in the neuronal tissue and allows noninvasive investigation of the complex tissue microstructure. A number of biophysical models have been proposed to relate the tissue organization with the observed diffusion signals, so that the tissue microstructure can be inferred. The Neurite Orientation Dispersion and Density Imaging (NODDI) model has been a popular choice and has been widely used for many neuroscientific studies. It models the diffusion signal with three compartments that are characterized by distinct diffusion properties, and the parameters in the model describe tissue microstructure. In NODDI, these parameters are estimated in a maximum likelihood framework, where the nonlinear model fitting is computationally intensive. Therefore, efforts have been made to develop efficient and accurate algorithms for NODDI microstructure estimation, which is still an open problem. In this work, we propose a deep network based approach that performs end-to-end estimation of NODDI microstructure, which is named Microstructure Estimation using a Deep Network (MEDN). MEDN comprises two cascaded stages and is motivated by the AMICO algorithm, where the NODDI microstructure estimation is formulated in a dictionary-based framework. The first stage computes the coefficients of the dictionary. It resembles the solution to a sparse reconstruction problem, where the iterative process in conventional estimation approaches is unfolded and truncated, and the weights are learned instead of predetermined by the dictionary. In the second stage, microstructure properties are computed from the output of the first stage, which resembles the weighted sum of normalized dictionary coefficients in AMICO, and the weights are also learned. Because spatial consistency of diffusion signals can be used to reduce the effect of noise, we also propose MEDN+, which is an extended version of MEDN. MEDN

Current diffusion and flux consumption in Tore Supra

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Van Houtte, D.; Talvard, M.; Agostini, E.; Gil, C.; Hoang, G.T.; Lecoustey, P.; Parlange, F.; Rodriguez, L.; Vallet, J.C.

1991-01-01

TORE SUPRA has been designed to study long pulse plasmas (t > 30 s) at high plasma current (Ip < 2 MA) associated with high additional power (20 MW). Current diffusion studies are essentially based on the analysis of the plasma discharge paths. The current diffusion rate during the current rise phase is analysed with a numerical code using plasma resistivity profiles from Te profiles measured by the ECE diagnostic. Owing to the fact that the quantity of magnetic flux available in a tokamak is limited, perfect knowledge is required of the various components of the flux consumed in order to minimize consumption and to be able to define a suitable transformer size for future high current tokamak projects

Transport of neutral solute across articular cartilage: the role of zonal diffusivities.

Science.gov (United States)

Arbabi, V; Pouran, B; Weinans, H; Zadpoor, A A

2015-07-01

Transport of solutes through diffusion is an important metabolic mechanism for the avascular cartilage tissue. Three types of interconnected physical phenomena, namely mechanical, electrical, and chemical, are all involved in the physics of transport in cartilage. In this study, we use a carefully designed experimental-computational setup to separate the effects of mechanical and chemical factors from those of electrical charges. Axial diffusion of a neutral solute Iodixanol into cartilage was monitored using calibrated microcomputed tomography micro-CT images for up to 48 hr. A biphasic-solute computational model was fitted to the experimental data to determine the diffusion coefficients of cartilage. Cartilage was modeled either using one single diffusion coefficient (single-zone model) or using three diffusion coefficients corresponding to superficial, middle, and deep cartilage zones (multizone model). It was observed that the single-zone model cannot capture the entire concentration-time curve and under-predicts the near-equilibrium concentration values, whereas the multizone model could very well match the experimental data. The diffusion coefficient of the superficial zone was found to be at least one order of magnitude larger than that of the middle zone. Since neutral solutes were used, glycosaminoglycan (GAG) content cannot be the primary reason behind such large differences between the diffusion coefficients of the different cartilage zones. It is therefore concluded that other features of the different cartilage zones such as water content and the organization (orientation) of collagen fibers may be enough to cause large differences in diffusion coefficients through the cartilage thickness.

Effects of Defects on Hydrogen Diffusion in NbC

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Salehinia, Iman, E-mail: isalehinia@niu.edu [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL 60115 (United States); Mastorakos, Ioannis [Department of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering, Clarkson University, Potsdam, NY 13699 (United States); Zbib, Hussein M. [School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164 (United States)

2017-04-15

Highlights: • MD simulations are used to study the effects of defects on the H diffusion in NbC. • Buckingham potential is more accurate for diffusion of H atoms than LJ potential. • H diffusion coefficient (D) increases with carbon vacancy concentration. • H diffusion coefficient for 6 Å pore (radius = 6 Å) is as high as that for 20 Å pore. • For small pores, H diffusion coefficient drops notably at elevated temperatures. - Abstract: Exceptional mechanical and physical properties of transition metal carbides and nitrides make them good coating-material candidates for extreme corrosive environments such as oil and natural gas wells. However, existence of small pores, pinholes and columnar structures of these ceramics significantly affect their resistance to corrosion, as pore sites would accelerate the diffusion of corrosive media into the substrate. In this research, molecular dynamics atomistic simulations are employed to investigate the effects of the isolated vacancies and the columnar structure on the diffusion rate of H atoms in NbC single crystal at various temperatures. Diffusion coefficient (D) of H atoms in NbC increased with C vacancy concentration. At elevated temperatures, the trapping effect of Nb vacancies is less effective when C vacancies are also present, as H atoms gain enough energy to jump back and forth between the C vacancies. Atomistic simulations also showed a jump in diffusion coefficient for cylindrical pore size of larger than 3 Å radius. Furthermore, D increased monotonically with temperature up to 1000 K in the presence of cylindrical pores. Further increase in temperature resulted in a drop in the diffusion coefficient for small pores while the large pores only showed a lower increasing trend in diffusion coefficient with the temperature.

Fluorescence diffuse tomography for tumor detection and monitoring

Science.gov (United States)

Balalaeva, Irina V.; Orlova, Anna G.; Shirmanova, Marina V.; Kibraeva, Elena A.; Zagainova, Elena V.; Turchin, Ilya V.

2007-05-01

Strong light scattering and absorption limit visualization of the internal structure of biological tissue. Only special tools for turbid media imaging, such as optical diffuse tomography, enable noninvasive investigation of the internal biological tissues, including visualization and intravital monitoring of deep tumors. In this work the preliminary results of fluorescence diffuse tomography (FDT) of small animals are presented. Using of exogenous fluorophores, targeted specifically at tumor cells, and fluorescent proteins expressed endogenously can significantly increase the contrast of obtained images. Fluorescent compounds of different nature, such as sulphonated aluminium phthalocyanine (Photosens), red fluorescing proteins and CdTe/CdSe-core/shell nanocrystals (quantum dots) were applied. The animal was scanned in the transilluminative configuration by low-frequency modulated light (1 kHz) from Nd:YAG laser with second harmonic generation at the wavelength of 532 nm or semiconductor laser at the wavelength of 655 nm. Photosens was injected intravenously into linear mice with metastazing Lewis lung carcinoma in dose 4 mg/kg. Quantum dots (5x10 -11 M) or protein DsRed2 (1-5x10 -6 M) in glass capsules (inner diameter 2-3 mm) were placed inside the esophagus of 7-day-old hairless rats (18-20 g) to simulate marked tumors. Cells of HEK-293 Phoenix line, transitory transfected with Turbo-RFP protein gene, were injected hypodermically to immunodeficient mice. This work demonstrates potential capabilities of FDT method for detection and monitoring of deep fluorescent-labeled tumors in animal models. Strong advantages of fluorescent proteins and quantum dots over the traditional photosensitizer for FDT imaging are shown.

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

Science.gov (United States)

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

2000-06-01

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

pathways to deep decarbonization - 2014 report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sachs, Jeffrey; Guerin, Emmanuel; Mas, Carl; Schmidt-Traub, Guido; Tubiana, Laurence; Waisman, Henri; Colombier, Michel; Bulger, Claire; Sulakshana, Elana; Zhang, Kathy; Barthelemy, Pierre; Spinazze, Lena; Pharabod, Ivan

2014-09-01

The Deep Decarbonization Pathways Project (DDPP) is a collaborative initiative to understand and show how individual countries can transition to a low-carbon economy and how the world can meet the internationally agreed target of limiting the increase in global mean surface temperature to less than 2 degrees Celsius (deg. C). Achieving the 2 deg. C limit will require that global net emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) approach zero by the second half of the century. This will require a profound transformation of energy systems by mid-century through steep declines in carbon intensity in all sectors of the economy, a transition we call 'deep decarbonization.' Successfully transition to a low-carbon economy will require unprecedented global cooperation, including a global cooperative effort to accelerate the development and diffusion of some key low carbon technologies. As underscored throughout this report, the results of the DDPP analyses remain preliminary and incomplete. The DDPP proceeds in two phases. This 2014 report describes the DDPP's approach to deep decarbonization at the country level and presents preliminary findings on technically feasible pathways to deep decarbonization, utilizing technology assumptions and timelines provided by the DDPP Secretariat. At this stage we have not yet considered the economic and social costs and benefits of deep decarbonization, which will be the topic for the next report. The DDPP is issuing this 2014 report to the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in support of the Climate Leaders' Summit at the United Nations on September 23, 2014. This 2014 report by the Deep Decarbonization Pathway Project (DDPP) summarizes preliminary findings of the technical pathways developed by the DDPP Country Research Partners with the objective of achieving emission reductions consistent with limiting global warming to less than 2 deg. C., without, at this stage, consideration of economic and social costs and benefits. The DDPP is a knowledge

Resist image quality control via acid diffusion constant and/or photodecomposable quencher concentration in the fabrication of 11 nm half-pitch line-and-space patterns using extreme-ultraviolet lithography

Science.gov (United States)

Kozawa, Takahiro; Santillan, Julius Joseph; Itani, Toshiro

2018-05-01

Extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) lithography will be applied to the high-volume production of semiconductor devices with 16 nm half-pitch resolution and is expected to be extended to that of devices with 11 nm half-pitch resolution. With the reduction in the feature sizes, the control of acid diffusion becomes a significant concern. In this study, the dependence of resist image quality on T PEB D acid and photodecomposable quencher concentration was investigated by the Monte Carlo method on the basis of the sensitization and reaction mechanisms of chemically amplified EUV resists. Here, T PEB and D acid are the postexposure baking (PEB) time and the acid diffusion constant, respectively. The resist image quality of 11 nm line-and-space patterns is discussed in terms of line edge roughness (LER) and stochastic defect generation. For the minimization of LER, it is necessary to design and control not only the photodecomposable quencher concentration but also T PEB D acid. In this case, D acid should be adjusted to be 0.3–1.5 nm2 s‑1 for a PEB time of 60 s with optimization of the balance among LER and stochastic pinching and bridging. Even if it is difficult to decrease D acid to the range of 0.3–1.5 nm2 s‑1, the image quality can still be controlled via only the photodecomposable quencher concentration, although LER and stochastic pinching and bridging are slightly increased. In this case, accurate control of the photodecomposable quencher concentration and the reduction in the initial standard deviation of the number of protected units are required.

The effect of diffusion induced lattice stress on the open-circuit voltage in silicon solar cells

Science.gov (United States)

Weizer, V. G.; Godlewski, M. P.

1984-01-01

It is demonstrated that diffusion induced stresses in low resistivity silicon solar cells can significantly reduce both the open-circuit voltage and collection efficiency. The degradation mechanism involves stress induced changes in both the minority carrier mobility and the diffusion length. Thermal recovery characteristics indicate that the stresses are relieved at higher temperatures by divacancy flow (silicon self diffusion). The level of residual stress in as-fabricated cells was found to be negligible in the cells tested.

SIMS analysis of deuterium absorption and diffusion in austenitic Fe-Mn-C steels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dieudonne, T.; Chene, J.; Marchetti, L.; Jomard, F.; Wery, M.; Allely, C.; Cugy, P.; Scott, C.P.

2012-01-01

Austenitic Fe-Mn-C steels are Ultra High Strength Steels which may be used for the production of deep drawn automotive parts containing extremely high residual stress and strain levels. In consequence, hydrogen absorption occurring during the corrosion process in aqueous environments may enhance the sensitivity of these steels to different kinds of hydrogen-induced damage, in particular Stress Corrosion Cracking (SCC). In order to predict and prevent SCC, it is important to study the behaviour of hydrogen in these austenitic steels exposed to aqueous environments and in particular the dependence on the alloy chemistry and microstructure. SIMS profiles of deuterium introduced by cathodic charging in selected specimens were used to characterize the diffusion of hydrogen in these steels. This allowed to be studied the role of chemical composition and microstructure on the kinetics of H absorption at room temperature. The competition between bulk matrix diffusion and short-circuit diffusion phenomena along grain boundaries was investigated. The results show a strong dependence of H diffusion and distribution on the alloy chemistry and grain size. (authors)

Anti-slamming bulbous bow and tunnel stern applications on a novel Deep-V catamaran for improved performance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mehmet Atlar

2013-06-01

Full Text Available While displacement type Deep-V mono hulls have superior seakeeping behaviour at speed, catamarans typically have modest behaviour in rough seas. It is therefore a logical progression to combine the superior seakeeping performance of a displacement type Deep-V mono-hull with the high-speed benefits of a catamaran to take the advantages of both hull forms. The displacement Deep-V catamaran concept was developed in Newcastle University and Newcastle University's own multi-purpose research vessel, which was launched in 2011, pushed the design envelope still further with the successful adoption of a novel anti-slamming bulbous bow and tunnel stern for improved efficiency. This paper presents the hullform development of this unique vessel to understand the contribution of the novel bow and stern features on the performance of the Deep-V catamaran. The study is also a further validation of the hull resistance by using advanced numerical analysis methods in conjunction with the model test. An assessment of the numerical predictions of the hull resistance is also made against physical model test results and shows a good agreement between them.

Studies of ionic diffusion in crystalline rock

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ohlsson, Yvonne

2001-01-01

Matrix diffusion is of great importance in delaying radionuclides escaping from a deep geologic repository, on their way to the biosphere. There are, however, poorly understood mechanisms related to transport in pores with charged pore surfaces. Ions are affected by this charge and may be repelled or attracted by it. The rate of transport may be reduced, or even enhanced, as a result of this. Transport of ions is studied by traditional diffusion experiments, but mainly by a faster electrical conductivity method. With this method the pore connectivity, the formation factor variability and its relation to the porosity, as well as the surface conductivity are investigated. The method is compared. with traditional diffusion experiments, and an in-situ application is suggested and qualitatively tested. Furthermore, surface diffusion is studied by evaluating literature data and recently developed diffusion models. The pore connectivity reached to a depth of at least 15 cm in the rocks studied. The formation factor did not generally decrease with increasing sample length. It was also found that not only cations in the free pore water add to the electrical conductivity, but also at least part of those sorbed to the pore surfaces of the minerals. This surface conductivity influences the determination of the formation factor in low ionic strength pore waters, and was also found to be a function of the formation factor. It was furthermore dependent on the type of ion at the surface, giving for example a higher conductivity for Na + than for Cs + . It is not fully understood which part of the sorbed ions that are mobile. A simple model was developed assigning the mobile ions to the diffuse layer, and this model explained experimental data for diffusion of Cs + in clay well. This is contradicted by surface conductivity measurements that have shown that most mobile ions are found behind the Stern layer. The in-situ formation factor determination method seems promising. The most

Antimicrobial resistance 1979-2009 at Karolinska hospital, Sweden: normalized resistance interpretation during a 30-year follow-up on Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli resistance development.

Science.gov (United States)

Kronvall, Göran

2010-09-01

To utilize a material of inhibition zone diameter measurements from disc diffusion susceptibility tests between 1979 and 2009, an objective setting of epidemiological breakpoints was necessary because of methodological changes. Normalized resistance interpretation (NRI) met this need and was applied to zone diameter histograms for Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli isolates. The results confirmed a slow resistance development as seen in Northern countries. The S. aureus resistance levels for erythromycin, clindamycin and fusidic acid in 2009 were 3.2%, 1.8% and 1.4% with denominator correction. A rise in resistance to four antimicrobials in 1983 was probably because of a spread of resistant Methicillin Susceptible Staphylococcus Aureus (MSSA). For E. coli, the denominator-corrected resistance levels in 2009 were 27% for ampicillin, around 3% for third-generation cephalosporins, 0.1% for imipenem, 2.5% for gentamicin, 19% for trimethoprim, 4.5% for co-trimoxazole, 1.2% for nitrofurantoin and 9% for ciprofloxacin. The temporal trends showed a rise in fluoroquinolone resistance from 1993, a parallel increase in gentamicin resistance, a substantial increase in trimethoprim and sulphonamide resistance in spite of decreased consumption, and a steady rise in ampicillin resistance from a constant level before 1989. A short review of global resistance surveillance studies is included.

Effect of Deep Cryogenic Treatment on Hardness and Wear Behavior of 5120 AISI Steel

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Torkian

2016-12-01

Full Text Available In this paper the effect of deep cryogenic treatment time on microstructure and tribological behavior of AISI 5120 case hardennig steel is studied. The disk shape samples were carburized at 920 ◦C for 6 hours and air cooled; after austenitizing, the samples were quenched in oil.Then immediately after quenching and sanding, the sample were kept in liquid nitrogen for 1, 24, 30 and 48 h and then tempered at 200 ◦C for 2 hours. The wear test was done by ball on disk method using of WC ball at 80 and 110 N load. For characterization of carbides, the etchant solution of CuCl2 (5 gr+HCl (100 mL + ethanol (100 mL was used. The hardness of samples before and after of tempering was measured by vicers method at 300 N load.. The amount of retained austenite was measured by X Ray Diffraction method. For 1DCT and 24DCT samples it was about 8% and 4%; in the other samples, the retained austenite peal was so decreased that it was not visible. The result showed that the hardness increases by deep cryogenic treatment in all speciments. While wear resistance increases in 1DCT and 24DCT samples, it decreases for 30DCT and 48DCT samples in compare with Conventional heat treatment (CHT sample in both applied loads, such that , 48DCT sample has the least wear resistance. The cause of increament of hardness is due to reduction in amount of retained austenite as a result of deep cryogenic treatment and decreasing in wear resistance after 24 hour, is due to carbide growth and nonhemogenuse distribution in microstructure and then weakening of matrix. So the 24 hour deep cryogenic treatment was the best optimal for AISI 5120 steel.

A novel chaos-based image encryption scheme with an efficient permutation-diffusion mechanism

Science.gov (United States)

Ye, Ruisong

2011-10-01

This paper proposes a novel chaos-based image encryption scheme with an efficient permutation-diffusion mechanism, in which permuting the positions of image pixels incorporates with changing the gray values of image pixels to confuse the relationship between cipher-image and plain-image. In the permutation process, a generalized Arnold map is utilized to generate one chaotic orbit used to get two index order sequences for the permutation of image pixel positions; in the diffusion process, a generalized Arnold map and a generalized Bernoulli shift map are employed to yield two pseudo-random gray value sequences for a two-way diffusion of gray values. The yielded gray value sequences are not only sensitive to the control parameters and initial conditions of the considered chaotic maps, but also strongly depend on the plain-image processed, therefore the proposed scheme can resist statistical attack, differential attack, known-plaintext as well as chosen-plaintext attack. Experimental results are carried out with detailed analysis to demonstrate that the proposed image encryption scheme possesses large key space to resist brute-force attack as well.

Diffusion archeology for diffusion progression history reconstruction.

Science.gov (United States)

Sefer, Emre; Kingsford, Carl

2016-11-01

Diffusion through graphs can be used to model many real-world processes, such as the spread of diseases, social network memes, computer viruses, or water contaminants. Often, a real-world diffusion cannot be directly observed while it is occurring - perhaps it is not noticed until some time has passed, continuous monitoring is too costly, or privacy concerns limit data access. This leads to the need to reconstruct how the present state of the diffusion came to be from partial diffusion data. Here, we tackle the problem of reconstructing a diffusion history from one or more snapshots of the diffusion state. This ability can be invaluable to learn when certain computer nodes are infected or which people are the initial disease spreaders to control future diffusions. We formulate this problem over discrete-time SEIRS-type diffusion models in terms of maximum likelihood. We design methods that are based on submodularity and a novel prize-collecting dominating-set vertex cover (PCDSVC) relaxation that can identify likely diffusion steps with some provable performance guarantees. Our methods are the first to be able to reconstruct complete diffusion histories accurately in real and simulated situations. As a special case, they can also identify the initial spreaders better than the existing methods for that problem. Our results for both meme and contaminant diffusion show that the partial diffusion data problem can be overcome with proper modeling and methods, and that hidden temporal characteristics of diffusion can be predicted from limited data.

A diffusive model for halo width growth during vertical displacement events

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eidietis, N.W.; Humphreys, D.A.

2011-01-01

The electromagnetic loads produced by halo currents during vertical displacement events (VDEs) impose stringent requirements on the strength of ITER in-vessel components. A predictive understanding of halo current evolution is essential for ensuring the robust design of these components. A significant factor determining that evolution is the plasma resistance, which is a function of three quantities: the resistivities of the core and halo regions, and the halo region width. A diffusive model of halo width growth during VDEs has been developed, which provides one part of a physics basis for predictive halo current simulations. The diffusive model was motivated by DIII-D observations that VDEs with cold post-thermal quench plasma and a current decay time much faster than the vertical motion (type I VDE) possess much wider halo region widths than warmer plasma VDEs, where the current decay is much slower than the vertical motion (type II). A 2D finite element code is used to model the diffusion of toroidal halo current during selected type I and type II DIII-D VDEs. The model assumes a core plasma region within the last closed flux surface (LCFS) diffusing current into a halo plasma filling the vessel outside the LCFS. LCFS motion and plasma temperature are prescribed from experimental observations. The halo width evolution produced by this model compares favourably with experimental measurements of type I and type II toroidal halo current width evolution.

Comparative analysis of proliferation resistance assessment methodologies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takaki, Naoyuki; Kikuchi, Masahiro; Inoue, Naoko; Osabe, Takeshi

2005-01-01

Comparative analysis of the methodologies was performed based on the discussions in the international workshop on 'Assessment Methodology of Proliferation Resistance for Future Nuclear Energy Systems' held in Tokyo, on March 2005. Through the workshop and succeeding considerations, it is clarified that the proliferation resistance assessment methodologies are affected by the broader nuclear options being pursued and also by the political situations of the state. Even the definition of proliferation resistance, despite the commonality of fundamental issues, derives from perceived threat and implementation circumstances inherent to the larger programs. Deep recognitions of the 'difference' among communities would help us to make further essential and progressed discussion with harmonization. (author)

Deep brain stimulation for cluster headache

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Grover, Patrick J; Pereira, Erlick A C; Green, Alexander L

2009-01-01

Cluster headache is a severely debilitating disorder that can remain unrelieved by current pharmacotherapy. Alongside ablative neurosurgical procedures, neuromodulatory treatments of deep brain stimulation (DBS) and occipital nerve simulation have emerged in the last few years as effective...... treatments for medically refractory cluster headaches. Pioneers in the field have sought to publish guidelines for neurosurgical treatment; however, only small case series with limited long-term follow-up have been published. Controversy remains over which surgical treatments are best and in which...... circumstances to intervene. Here we review current data on neurosurgical interventions for chronic cluster headache focusing upon DBS and occipital nerve stimulation, and discuss the indications for and putative mechanisms of DBS including translational insights from functional neuroimaging, diffusion weighted...

Metallurgical study of low-temperature plasma carbon diffusion treatments for stainless steels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lewis, D.B.; Leyland, A.; Stevenson, P.R.; Cawley, J.; Matthews, A.

1993-01-01

We recently reported a novel low-temperature carbon diffusion technique for surface hardening of stainless steels. The treatment was shown to provide benefits in terms of abrasive wear resistance. There is also evidence to suggest that by performing diffusion treatments at low temperatures (i.e. below 400 C), these benefits can be achieved without compromising corrosion resistance. Here a variety of surface analysis and depth profiling techniques have been used to determine the physical and mechanical properties of carbon-rich layers produced on a range of stainless steel substrate materials. X-ray diffraction (XRD) was employed to determine the crystallographic structure, whilst wavelength dispersive X-ray analysis (WDX) and glow discharge optical spectroscopy (GDOS) gave information on the concentration and distribution of the diffused species within the treated layers. A variety of carbide-based structures was detected, including the expected M 23 C 6 and, more surprisingly, M 3 C. Optical and electron microscopy techniques were used to provide information on layer morphology. The surfaces produced by the low-temperature carbon-diffusion process generally exhibit a distinct diffusion layer of between 1 and 20 μm, depending on the material and the treatment conditions. Austenitic stainless steels appear to give the best response to treatment, however other types of stainless steel can be treated, particularly if the microstructure contains above 5% retained austenite. Here we discuss the changes in mechanical and metallurgical properties provided by this technique and its potential value for treatment of both austenitic and other stainless steel substrate materials. (orig.)

Evaluation of different methods to detect methicillin resistance in Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).

Science.gov (United States)

Alipour, Farzad; Ahmadi, Malahat; Javadi, Shahram

2014-01-01

The studies suggest that dogs living with human are potential risk of becoming MRSA carrier and increased risk of infections caused by MRSA. Phenotypic methods to detect methicillin resistance in Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) are inadequate. The objective of the present study was to determine methicillin resistance in S. aureus by phenotypic susceptibility test (oxacillin disk diffusion, cefoxitin disk diffusion, oxacillin screen agar) and molecular methods (PCR as a gold standard) and the latex agglutination test for the detection of PBP2a and to evaluate the results of these tests for its sensitivity and specificity. A total of 100 swab samples were taken from muzzle site, in more contact with human, of dogs and MRSA were isolated. Oxacillin (1 μg), cefoxitin (30 μg) disk diffusion and oxacillin screen agar method were used. The isolates were also subjected to latex agglutination test for detection of PBP2a and PCR to detect mecA gene. By PCR 37% of isolates show the presence of mecA. Latex agglutination was found to be the most sensitive (97.29%) and cefoxitin disk diffusion to be the most specific (96.82%) tests for detection of MRSA. Our finding showed that combining oxacillin screen agar or cefoxitin disk diffusion with latex agglutination improves sensitivity and specificity to detect methicillin resistance S. aureus (MRSA) isolates. Copyright © 2014 King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Electrical resistivity tomography investigations in the ufita Valley (southern Italy.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

C. Basso

2008-06-01

Full Text Available Several Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT surveys have been carried out to study the subsurface structural and sedimentary settings of the upper Ufita River valley, and to evaluate their efficiency to distinguish the geological boundary between shallow Quaternary sedimentary deposits and clayey bedrock characterized by moderate resistivity contrast. Five shallow ERTs were carried out across a morphological scarp running at the foot of the northeastern slope of the valley. This valley shoulder is characterized by a set of triangular facets, that some authors associated to the presence of a SW-dipping normal fault. The geological studies allow us to interpret the shallow ERTs results obtaining a resistivity range for each Quaternary sedimentary deposit. The tomographies showed the geometrical relationships of alluvial and slope deposits, having a maximum thickness of 30-40 m, and the morphology of the bedrock. The resistivity range obtained for each sedimentary body has been used for calibrating the tomographic results of one 3560m-long deep ERT carried out across the deeper part of the intramountain depression with an investigation depth of about 170 m. The deep resistivity result highlighted the complex alluvial setting, characterized by alternating fine grained lacustrine deposits and coarser gravelly fluvial sediments.

The Prevalence of Antibiotic Resistant Diarrhogenic Bacterial ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

GB

2017-07-01

Jul 1, 2017 ... Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the ..... (septic tank, diving), pets, and wild birds. Various species of bacteria were isolated, most of them ..... Vakulenko, S. An antibiotic resistance enzyme from a deep-sea bacterium.J. Am. Chem.

Thermal conductivity of a graphite bipolar plate (BPP) and its thermal contact resistance with fuel cell gas diffusion layers: Effect of compression, PTFE, micro porous layer (MPL), BPP out-of-flatness and cyclic load

Science.gov (United States)

Sadeghifar, Hamidreza; Djilali, Ned; Bahrami, Majid

2015-01-01

This paper reports on measurements of thermal conductivity of a graphite bipolar plate (BPP) as a function of temperature and its thermal contact resistance (TCR) with treated and untreated gas diffusion layers (GDLs). The thermal conductivity of the BPP decreases with temperature and its thermal contact resistance with GDLs, which has been overlooked in the literature, is found to be dominant over a relatively wide range of compression. The effects of PTFE loading, micro porous layer (MPL), compression, and BPP out-of-flatness are also investigated experimentally. It is found that high PTFE loadings, MPL and even small BPP out-of-flatness increase the BPP-GDL thermal contact resistance dramatically. The paper also presents the effect of cyclic load on the total resistance of a GDL-BPP assembly, which sheds light on the behavior of these materials under operating conditions in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells.

Activation of dormant secondary metabolite production by introducing neomycin resistance into the deep-sea fungus, Aspergillus versicolor ZBY-3.

Science.gov (United States)

Dong, Yuan; Cui, Cheng-Bin; Li, Chang-Wei; Hua, Wei; Wu, Chang-Jing; Zhu, Tian-Jiao; Gu, Qian-Qun

2014-07-29

A new ultrasound-mediated approach has been developed to introduce neomycin-resistance to activate silent pathways for secondary metabolite production in a bio-inactive, deep-sea fungus, Aspergillus versicolor ZBY-3. Upon treatment of the ZBY-3 spores with a high concentration of neomycin by proper ultrasound irradiation, a total of 30 mutants were obtained by single colony isolation. The acquired resistance of the mutants to neomycin was confirmed by a resistance test. In contrast to the ZBY-3 strain, the EtOAc extracts of 22 of the 30 mutants inhibited the human cancer K562 cells, indicating that these mutants acquired a capability to produce antitumor metabolites. HPLC-photodiode array detector (PDAD)-UV and HPLC-electron spray ionization (ESI)-MS analyses of the EtOAc extracts of seven bioactive mutants and the ZBY-3 strain indicated that diverse secondary metabolites have been newly produced in the mutant extracts in contrast to the ZBY-3 extract. The followed isolation and characterization demonstrated that six metabolites, cyclo(D-Pro-D-Phe) (1), cyclo(D-Tyr-D-Pro) (2), phenethyl 5-oxo-L-prolinate (3), cyclo(L-Ile-L-Pro) (4), cyclo(L-Leu-L-Pro) (5) and 3β,5α,9α-trihydroxy-(22E,24R)-ergosta-7,22-dien-6-one (6), were newly produced by the mutant u2n2h3-3 compared to the parent ZBY-3 strain. Compound 3 was a new compound; 2 was isolated from a natural source for the first time, and all of these compounds were also not yet found in the metabolites of other A. versicolor strains. Compounds 1-6 inhibited the K562 cells, with inhibition rates of 54.6% (1), 72.9% (2), 23.5% (3), 29.6% (4), 30.9% (5) and 51.1% (6) at 100 μg/mL, and inhibited also other human cancer HL-60, BGC-823 and HeLa cells, to some extent. The present study demonstrated the effectiveness of the ultrasound-mediated approach to activate silent metabolite production in fungi by introducing acquired resistance to aminoglycosides and its potential for discovering new compounds from silent fungal

Diffusing diffusivity: Rotational diffusion in two and three dimensions

Science.gov (United States)

Jain, Rohit; Sebastian, K. L.

2017-06-01

We consider the problem of calculating the probability distribution function (pdf) of angular displacement for rotational diffusion in a crowded, rearranging medium. We use the diffusing diffusivity model and following our previous work on translational diffusion [R. Jain and K. L. Sebastian, J. Phys. Chem. B 120, 3988 (2016)], we show that the problem can be reduced to that of calculating the survival probability of a particle undergoing Brownian motion, in the presence of a sink. We use the approach to calculate the pdf for the rotational motion in two and three dimensions. We also propose new dimensionless, time dependent parameters, αr o t ,2 D and αr o t ,3 D, which can be used to analyze the experimental/simulation data to find the extent of deviation from the normal behavior, i.e., constant diffusivity, and obtain explicit analytical expressions for them, within our model.

Clinical analysis of deep neck space infections

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hatano, Atsushi; Ui, Naoya; Shigeta, Yasushi; Iimura, Jiro; Rikitake, Masahiro; Endo, Tomonori; Kimura, Akihiro

2009-01-01

Deep neck space infections, which affect soft tissues and fascial compartments of the head and neck, can lead to lethal complications unless treated carefully and quickly, even with the advanced antibiotics available. We reviewed our seventeen patients with deep neck abscesses, analyzed their location by reviewing CT images, and discussed the treatment. Deep neck space infections were classified according to the degree of diffusion of infection diagnosed by CT images. Neck space infection in two cases was localized to the upper neck space above the hyoid bone (Stage I). Neck space infection in 12 cases extended to the lower neck space (Stage II), and further extended to the mediastinum in one case (Stage III). The two cases of Stage I and the four cases of Stage II were managed with incision and drainage through a submental approach. The seven cases of Stage II were managed with incision and drainage parallel to the anterior border of the sternocleidomastoid muscle, the ''Dean'' approach. The one case of Stage III received treatment through transcervicotomy and anterior mediastinal drainage through a subxiphodal incision. The parapharyngeal space played an important role in that the inflammatory change can spread to the neck space inferiorly. The anterior cervical space in the infrahyoid neck was important for mediastinal extension of parapharyngeal abscesses. It is important to diagnose deep neck space infections promptly and treat them adequately, and contrast-enhanced CT is useful and indispensable for diagnosis. The point is which kind of drainage has to be performed. If the surgical method of drainage is chosen according to the level of involvement in the neck space and mediastinum, excellent results may be obtained in terms of survival and morbidity. (author)

Why & When Deep Learning Works: Looking Inside Deep Learnings

OpenAIRE

Ronen, Ronny

2017-01-01

The Intel Collaborative Research Institute for Computational Intelligence (ICRI-CI) has been heavily supporting Machine Learning and Deep Learning research from its foundation in 2012. We have asked six leading ICRI-CI Deep Learning researchers to address the challenge of "Why & When Deep Learning works", with the goal of looking inside Deep Learning, providing insights on how deep networks function, and uncovering key observations on their expressiveness, limitations, and potential. The outp...

Evaluation of resistivity meters for concrete quality assurance.

Science.gov (United States)

2015-06-01

This research evaluated a series of MoDOT concrete mixtures to verify existing relationships between surface resistivity (SR), rapid : chloride permeability (RCP), chloride ion diffusion, and the AASHTO penetrability classes. The research also perfor...

Tearing mode instability due to anomalous resistivity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Furuya, Atsushi; Itoh, Sanae I.; Yagi, Masatoshi

2000-01-01

Tearing mode instability in the presence of microscopic truculence is investigates. The effects of microscopic turbulence on tearing mode are taken as drags which are calculated by one-point renormalization method and mean-field approximation. These effects are reduced to effective diffusivities in reduced MHD equations. Using these equations, the stability analyses of the tearing mode are performed. It is shown that a finite amplitude of fluctuation enhances the growth rate of tearing mode. For very high values of turbulent diffusivities, marginally stable state exists. The effects of each turbulent diffusivity on mode stability are examined near marginal stability boundary. Parameter dependence of the resistive ballooning mode turbulence on tearing mode is analyzed as an example. (author)

Thermophysical properties of selected wear-resistant alloys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Farwick, D.G.; Johnson, R.N.

1980-06-01

Thermophysical properties of 13 selected wear-resistant materials, including specific heat, thermal conductivity, thermal diffusivity, and thermal expansion (instantaneous, mean, and linear) are provided. The Center for Information and Numerical Data Analysis and Synthesis (CINDAS) at Purdue University supplied properties data

Corrosion resistance of modified layer on uranium formed by plasma immersion ion implantation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Long Zhong; Liu Kezhao; Bai Bin; Yan Dongxu

2010-01-01

Nitrogen ion was implanted into uranium surface using plasma immersion ion implantation, and the corrosion resistance of modified layer was studied by corrosion experiment. SEM was used to observe variety of samples surface. In atmosphere, the sample surface had not changed during five months. In heat-humid environment, there was dot-corrosion appearing after two months, but it did not influence the integrity of the modified layer. AES was used to study the diffusion of oxygen and nitrogen during hot-humid corrosion, in three months, both of two elements diffused to the substrate, but the diffusion was weak. The structure of modified layer was not changed. Experimental results show that the modified layer formed by plasma immersion ion implantation has good corrosion resistance.

Corrosion resistance of modified layer on uranium formed by plasma immersion ion implantation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Long Zhong, E-mail: long2001@163.co [China Academy of Engineering Physics, Mianyang, Sichuan, 621900 (China); Liu Kezhao; Bai Bin; Yan Dongxu [China Academy of Engineering Physics, Mianyang, Sichuan, 621900 (China)

2010-02-18

Nitrogen ion was implanted into uranium surface using plasma immersion ion implantation, and the corrosion resistance of modified layer was studied by corrosion experiment. SEM was used to observe variety of samples surface. In atmosphere, the sample surface had not changed during five months. In heat-humid environment, there was dot-corrosion appearing after two months, but it did not influence the integrity of the modified layer. AES was used to study the diffusion of oxygen and nitrogen during hot-humid corrosion, in three months, both of two elements diffused to the substrate, but the diffusion was weak. The structure of modified layer was not changed. Experimental results show that the modified layer formed by plasma immersion ion implantation has good corrosion resistance.

Measurement of diffusive properties of intact rock

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Harvey, K B

1996-12-01

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

Measurement of diffusive properties of intact rock

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harvey, K.B.

1996-12-01

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

Phonon cross-plane transport and thermal boundary resistance: effect of heat source size and thermal boundary resistance on phonon characteristics

Science.gov (United States)

Ali, H.; Yilbas, B. S.

2016-09-01

Phonon cross-plane transport across silicon and diamond thin films pair is considered, and thermal boundary resistance across the films pair interface is examined incorporating the cut-off mismatch and diffusive mismatch models. In the cut-off mismatch model, phonon frequency mismatch for each acoustic branch is incorporated across the interface of the silicon and diamond films pair in line with the dispersion relations of both films. The frequency-dependent and transient solution of the Boltzmann transport equation is presented, and the equilibrium phonon intensity ratios at the silicon and diamond film edges are predicted across the interface for each phonon acoustic branch. Temperature disturbance across the edges of the films pair is incorporated to assess the phonon transport characteristics due to cut-off and diffusive mismatch models across the interface. The effect of heat source size, which is allocated at high-temperature (301 K) edge of the silicon film, on the phonon transport characteristics at the films pair interface is also investigated. It is found that cut-off mismatch model predicts higher values of the thermal boundary resistance across the films pair interface as compared to that of the diffusive mismatch model. The ratio of equilibrium phonon intensity due to the cut-off mismatch over the diffusive mismatch models remains >1 at the silicon edge, while it becomes <1 at the diamond edge for all acoustic branches.

Intrinsic and extrinsic diffusion of phosphorus, arsenic, and antimony in germanium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brotzmann, Sergej; Bracht, Hartmut

2008-01-01

Diffusion experiments of phosphorus (P), arsenic (As), and antimony (Sb) in high purity germanium (Ge) were performed at temperatures between 600 and 920 deg. C. Secondary ion mass spectrometry and spreading resistance profiling were applied to determine the concentration profiles of the chemically and electrically active dopants. Intrinsic and extrinsic doping conditions result in a complementary error function and box-shaped diffusion profiles, respectively. These profiles demonstrate enhanced dopant diffusion under extrinsic doping. Accurate modeling of dopant diffusion is achieved on the basis of the vacancy mechanism taking into account singly negatively charged dopant-vacancy pairs and doubly negatively charged vacancies. The activation enthalpy and pre-exponential factor for dopant diffusion under intrinsic condition were determined to 2.85 eV and 9.1 cm 2 s -1 for P, 2.71 eV and 32 cm 2 s -1 for As, and 2.55 eV and 16.7 cm 2 s -1 for Sb. With increasing atomic size of the dopants the activation enthalpy decreases. This is attributed to differences in the binding energy of the dopant-vacancy pairs

Diffusion behavior of anion in hardened low-heat portland cement paste containing fly ash. Dependence of effective diffusion coefficient on pore structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chida, Taiji; Yoshida, Takahiro

2012-01-01

In the sub-surface disposal system, the closely packed concrete layer is expected the low diffusivity to retard the migration of radionuclides. Low-heat portland cement containing 30 wt% fly ash (FAC) is a candidate cement material for the construction of sub-surface repository because of its high dense structure and its resistance to cracking. Previously, we reported that FAC has lower diffusivity than Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) for acetic acid and iodine. However, the mechanism for low diffusivity of FAC was not clear. In this study, the diffusion of multiple trace ions (chlorine, bromine and iodine) in hardened cement pastes was examined by through-diffusion experiments. The effective diffusion coefficients, D e , of the trace ions for hardened OPC cement pastes were on the order of 10 -12 m 2 s -1 for trace ions, and D e for hardened FAC cement pastes were on the order of 10 -13 m 2 s -1 for chlorine, 10 -14 m 2 s -1 for bromine and 10 -15 m 2 s -1 for iodine. Additionally, the pore size distribution and porosity of FAC changed to more closely packed structure for 13 months by the pozzolanic reaction, and the pore size distribution of FAC (mainly 3-10 nm) were an order of magnitude smaller than that of OPC. These results suggest that the low diffusivity of FAC is based on the continuous change in the pore structure and the nano-scale pore size retarding the migration of trace ions. (author)

Oxidation behavior of niobium aluminide intermetallics protected by aluminide and silicide diffusion coatings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Y.; Soboyejo, W.; Rapp, R.A.

1999-01-01

The isothermal and cyclic oxidation behavior of a new class of damage-tolerant niobium aluminide (Nb 3 Al-xTi-yCr) intermetallics is studied between 650 C and 850 C. Protective diffusion coatings were deposited by pack cementation to achieve the siliciding or aluminizing of substrates with or without intervening Mo or Ni layers, respectively. The compositions and microstructures of the resulting coatings and oxidized surfaces were characterized. The isothermal and cyclic oxidation kinetics indicate that uncoated Nb-40Ti-15Al-based intermetallics may be used up to ∼750 C. Alloying with Cr improves the isothermal oxidation resistance between 650 C and 850 C. The most significant improvement in oxidation resistance is achieved by the aluminization of electroplated Ni interlayers. The results suggest that the high-temperature limit of niobium aluminide-based alloys may be increased to 800 C to 850 C by aluminide-based diffusion coatings on ductile Ni interlayers. Indentation fracture experiments also indicate that the ductile nickel interlayers are resistant to crack propagation in multilayered aluminide-based coatings

Investigation of colistin sensitivity via three different methods in Acinetobacter baumannii isolates with multiple antibiotic resistance.

Science.gov (United States)

Sinirtaş, Melda; Akalin, Halis; Gedikoğlu, Suna

2009-09-01

In recent years there has been an increase in life-threatening infections caused by Acinetobacter baumannii with multiple antibiotic resistance, which has lead to the use of polymyxins, especially colistin, being reconsidered. The aim of this study was to investigate the colistin sensitivity of A. baumannii isolates with multiple antibiotic resistance via different methods, and to evaluate the disk diffusion method for colistin against multi-resistant Acinetobacter isolates, in comparison to the E-test and Phoenix system. The study was carried out on 100 strains of A. baumannii (colonization or infection) isolated from the microbiological samples of different patients followed in the clinics and intensive care units of Uludağ University Medical School between the years 2004 and 2005. Strains were identified and characterized for their antibiotic sensitivity by Phoenix system (Becton Dickinson, Sparks, MD, USA). In all studied A. baumannii strains, susceptibility to colistin was determined to be 100% with the disk diffusion, E-test, and broth microdilution methods. Results of the E-test and broth microdilution method, which are accepted as reference methods, were found to be 100% consistent with the results of the disk diffusion tests; no very major or major error was identified upon comparison of the tests. The sensitivity and the positive predictive value of the disk diffusion method were found to be 100%. Colistin resistance in A. baumannii was not detected in our region, and disk diffusion method results are in accordance with those of E-test and broth microdilution methods.

Protection of uranium by electrodeposition of nickel and diffusion; Protection de l'uranium par nickelage electrolytique et diffusion

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chauvin, G; Coriou, H; Hure, J [Commissariat a l' Energie Atomique, Saclay (France).Centre d' Etudes Nucleaires

1959-07-01

This work forms part of the overall scheme for investigating uranium canning for nuclear reactors. It is necessary to: - Protect the fuel (uranium) against corrosion by the cooling medium (heavy water, CO{sub 2}, etc.), in the case of a rupture of the can; - Avoid dangerous U-Al diffusion (when it is question of an aluminium can) by using an intermediate layer of a metal whose rate of diffusion in uranium is very much less than that of aluminium under the same conditions. In the present work based on the use of an intermediate layer of nickel the following points are apparent: 1) After having treated the uranium surface it is possible to electroplate nickel on it in such a way that after annealing without the application of any pressure these deposits give a very good intermetallic U-Ni diffusion. Though this diffusion is inferior to that of the UAl system, it enables the protection to be reinforced and thus the corrosion resistance to be increased. 2) When no other factor varies, the experiments show that the quality of the diffusion zones obtained depends on the nature of the electrolytic nickel bath. 3) The classical nickel baths used previously for this type of work contain 20 to 40 g/l of boric acid acting as an electrolytic buffer. As a result of this, the deposits are highly contaminated by boron (400 to 500 ppm of boron). We shall show that with a bath which does not contain nuclear poisons, a very clean U-Ni diffusion zone can be obtained. 4) After annealing for 100 hours at 700 deg. C, microscopic examination of the diffusion front reveals the existence of five layers under bright field illumination and six Layers in polarised light: at least four of these layers are well crystallised. 5) Important irregularities in the interface between uranium and the first intermetallic compound U{sub 6}Ni seem to be result of barriers to the diffusion caused by certain impurities in the uranium. 6) Of the seven definite compounds which can be formed during the

Multidrug-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates from healthy Ghanaian preschool children

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dayie, Nicholas Tete Kwaku Dzifa; Arhin, Reuben E.; Newman, Mercy J.

2015-01-01

in a previous study, to six antimicrobials was determined by disk diffusion test. Overall, 90.4% of isolates were intermediate penicillin resistant, 99.1% were trimethoprim resistant, 73.0% were tetracycline resistant, and 33.9% were sulfamethoxazole resistant. Low resistance was recorded for erythromycin (2...... of this study was to determine the antibiogram of S. pneumoniae recovered from Ghanaian children younger than six years of age and to what extent resistances were due to the spread of certain sero- and multilocus sequence typing (MLST) types. The susceptibility of 115 pneumococcal isolates, recovered...

Behaviour of Steel Fibre Reinforced Rubberized Continuous Deep Beams

Science.gov (United States)

Sandeep, MS; Nagarajan, Praveen; Shashikala, A. P.

2018-03-01

Transfer girders and pier caps, which are in fact deep beams, are critical structural elements present in high-rise buildings and bridges respectively. During an earthquake, failure of lifeline structures like bridges and critical structural members like transfer girders will result in severe catastrophes. Ductility is the key factor that influences the resistance of any structural member against seismic action. Structural members cast using materials having higher ductility will possess higher seismic resistance. Previous research shows that concrete having rubber particles (rubcrete) possess better ductility and low density in comparison to ordinary concrete. The main hindrance to the use of rubcrete is the reduction in compressive and tensile strength of concrete due to the presence of rubber. If these undesirable properties of rubcrete can be controlled, a new cementitious composite with better ductility, seismic performance and economy can be developed. A combination of rubber particles and steel fibre has the potential to reduce the undesirable effect of rubcrete. In this paper, the effect of rubber particles and steel fibre in the behaviour of two-span continuous deep beams is studied experimentally. Based on the results, optimum proportions of steel fibre and rubber particles for getting good ductile behaviour with less reduction in collapse load is found out.

Ultra-low specific on-resistance high-voltage vertical double diffusion metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistor with continuous electron accumulation layer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ma Da; Luo Xiao-Rong; Wei Jie; Tan Qiao; Zhou Kun; Wu Jun-Feng

2016-01-01

A new ultra-low specific on-resistance (R on,sp ) vertical double diffusion metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistor (VDMOS) with continuous electron accumulation (CEA) layer, denoted as CEA-VDMOS, is proposed and its new current transport mechanism is investigated. It features a trench gate directly extended to the drain, which includes two PN junctions. In on-state, the electron accumulation layers are formed along the sides of the extended gate and introduce two continuous low-resistance current paths from the source to the drain in a cell pitch. This mechanism not only dramatically reduces the R on,sp but also makes the R on,sp almost independent of the n-pillar doping concentration (N n ). In off-state, the depletion between the n-pillar and p-pillar within the extended trench gate increases the N n , and further reduces the R on,sp . Especially, the two PN junctions within the trench gate support a high gate–drain voltage in the off-state and on-state, respectively. However, the extended gate increases the gate capacitance and thus weakens the dynamic performance to some extent. Therefore, the CEA-VDMOS is more suitable for low and medium frequencies application. Simulation indicates that the CEA-VDMOS reduces the R on,sp by 80% compared with the conventional super-junction VDMOS (CSJ-VDMOS) at the same high breakdown voltage (BV). (paper)

Microbial gene functions enriched in the Deepwater Horizon deep-sea oil plume

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lu, Z.; Deng, Y.; Nostrand, J.D. Van; He, Z.; Voordeckers, J.; Zhou, A.; Lee, Y.-J.; Mason, O.U.; Dubinsky, E.; Chavarria, K.; Tom, L.; Fortney, J.; Lamendella, R.; Jansson, J.K.; D?haeseleer, P.; Hazen, T.C.; Zhou, J.

2011-06-15

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is the deepest and largest offshore spill in U.S. history and its impacts on marine ecosystems are largely unknown. Here, we showed that the microbial community functional composition and structure were dramatically altered in a deep-sea oil plume resulting from the spill. A variety of metabolic genes involved in both aerobic and anaerobic hydrocarbon degradation were highly enriched in the plume compared to outside the plume, indicating a great potential for intrinsic bioremediation or natural attenuation in the deep-sea. Various other microbial functional genes relevant to carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur and iron cycling, metal resistance, and bacteriophage replication were also enriched in the plume. Together, these results suggest that the indigenous marine microbial communities could play a significant role in biodegradation of oil spills in deep-sea environments.

1/f noise: diffusive systems and music

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Voss, R.F.

1975-11-01

Measurements of the 1/f voltage noise in continuous metal films are reported. At room temperature, samples of pure metals and bismuth (with a carrier density smaller by 10/sup 5/) of similar volume had comparable noise. The results suggest that the noise arises from equilibrium temperature fluctuations modulating the resistance. Spatial correlation of the noise implied that the fluctuations obey a diffusion equation. The empirical inclusion of an explicit 1/f region and appropriate normalization lead to excellent agreement with the measured noise. If the fluctuations are assumed to be spatially correlated, the diffusion equation can yield an extended 1/f region in the power spectrum. The temperature response of a sample to delta and step function power inputs is shown to have the same shape as the autocorrelation function for uncorrelated and correlated temperature fluctuations, respectively. The spectrum obtained from the cosine transform of the measured step function response is in excellent agreement with the measured 1/f voltage noise spectrum. Spatially correlated equilibrium temperature fluctuations are not the dominant source of 1/f noise in semiconductors and metal films. However, the agreement between the low-frequency spectrum of fluctuations in the mean-square Johnson noise voltage and the resistance fluctuation spectrum measured in the presence of a current demonstrates that in these systems the 1/f noise is also due to equilibrium resistance fluctuations. Loudness fluctuations in music and speech and pitch fluctuations in music also show the 1/f behavior. 1/f noise sources, consequently, are demonstrated to be the natural choice for stochastic composition. 26 figures, 1 table. (auth)

Theory of charge transport in diffusive normal metal conventional superconductor point contacts

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Tanaka, Y.; Golubov, Alexandre Avraamovitch; Kashiwaya, S.

2003-01-01

Tunneling conductance in diffusive normal (DN) metal/insulator/s-wave superconductor junctions is calculated for various situations by changing the magnitudes of the resistance and Thouless energy in DN and the transparency of the insulating barrier. The generalized boundary condition introduced by

Efficient and Enhanced Diffusion of Vector Field for Active Contour Model

OpenAIRE

Liu, Guoqi; Sun, Lin; Liu, Shangwang

2015-01-01

Gradient vector flow (GVF) is an important external force field for active contour models. Various vector fields based on GVF have been proposed. However, these vector fields are obtained with many iterations and have difficulty in capturing the whole image area. On the other hand, the ability to converge to deep and complex concavity with these vector fields is also needed to improve. In this paper, by analyzing the diffusion equation of GVF, a normalized set is defined and a dynamically nor...

Oxygen transport in waterlogged soils, Part II. Diffusion coefficients

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Obando Moncayo, F.H.

2004-01-01

Several equations are available for Oxygen Transport in Waterlogged Soils and have been used for soils and plants. All of them are some form of first Fick's law as given by dQ = - DA(dc/dx)/dt. This equation illustrates some important aspects of aeration in waterlogged soils; first, D is a property of the medium and the gas, and is affected by temperature T. Likewise, the amount of diffusing substance dQ in dt is a direct function of the cross sectional area A and inversely proportional to the distance x. In fact, increasing the water content of air-dry soil, drastically decreases A and creates a further resistance for the flow of oxygen through water films around root plants, soil micro organisms and soil aggregates. The solid phase is also limiting the cross-section of surface of the free gaseous diffusion and the length and tortuosity of diffusion path in soil. In most of cases, soil gas porosity and tortuosity of soil voids are expressed in the equations of diffusion as a broad 'diffusion coefficient' (apparent coefficient diffusion). The process of soil respiration is complicated, involves many parameters, and is difficult to realistically quantify. With regard to the oxygen supply, it is convenient to distinguish macro and micro models, and hence, the flux of oxygen is assumed to have two steps. The first step is related to oxygen diffusion from the atmosphere and the air-filled porosity. The second step is related to the oxygen diffusion through water-films in and around plant roots, soil micro organisms and aggregates. Because of these models we obtain coefficients of macro or micro diffusion, rates of macro or micro diffusion, etc. In the macro diffusion process oxygen is transferred in the soil profile, mainly from the soil surface to a certain depth of the root zone, while micro diffusion deals with the flux over very short distances. Both processes, macro and micro diffusion are highly influenced by soil water content. Of course, if water is added to

Nonuniformities of electrical resistivity in undoped 6H-SiC wafers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Q.; Polyakov, A.Y.; Skowronski, M.; Sanchez, E.K.; Loboda, M.J.; Fanton, M.A.; Bogart, T.; Gamble, R.D.

2005-01-01

Chemical elemental analysis, temperature-dependent Hall measurements, deep-level transient spectroscopy, and contactless resistivity mapping were performed on undoped semi-insulating (SI) and lightly nitrogen-doped conducting 6H-SiC crystals grown by physical vapor transport (PVT). Resistivity maps of commercial semi-insulating SiC wafers revealed resistivity variations across the wafers between one and two orders of magnitude. Two major types of variations were identified. First is the U-shape distribution with low resistivity in the center and high in the periphery of the wafer. The second type had an inverted U-shape distribution. Secondary-ion-mass spectrometry measurements of the distribution of nitrogen concentration along the growth axis and across the wafers sliced from different locations of lightly nitrogen-doped 6H-SiC boules were conducted. The measured nitrogen concentration gradually decreased along the growth direction and from the center to the periphery of the wafers. This change gives rise to the U-like distribution of resistivity in wafers of undoped SI-SiC. The concentrations of deep electron traps exhibited similar dependence. Compensation of nitrogen donors by these traps can result in the inverted U-like distribution of resistivity. Possible reasons for the observed nonuniformities include formation of a (0001) facet in PVT growth coupled with orientation-dependent nitrogen incorporation, systematic changes of the gas phase composition, and increase of the deposition temperature during boule growth

Presentación atípica de piomiositis tropical difusa de psoas por Staphylococcus aureus meticilino resistente Atypical presentation of diffuse tropical pyomiositis of the psoas due to methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ray Ticse

2012-03-01

Full Text Available La piomiositis tropical difusa primaria es una enfermedad de presentación infrecuente en nuestro medio, con pocos casos asociados a Staphylococcus aureus meticilino resistente, adquirido en la comunidad (MRSA-AC. Se presenta el caso de un paciente de 70 años, con tratamiento irregular para diabetes mellitus tipo 2, que fue hospitalizado por presentar un cuadro de diez días de evolución, con dolor lumbar irradiado a miembro inferior izquierdo, fiebre y flexión forzada de la cadera derecha por dolor a la movilización. El diagnóstico de piomiositis difusa de ambos psoas se realizó con resonancia magnética. Del cultivo de una colección paravertebral posterior se aisló Staphylococcus aureus resistente a oxacilina, penicilina y dicloxacilina.Diffuse tropical primary pyomyositis is an infrequent entity in our country, with few cases associated to communityacquired Methicillin- resistant Staphylococcus aureus. There are no reported cases of Community-Acquired Methicillin- Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA- MRSA in Peru. We present the case of a 70 year old male with a previous diagnosis of type 2 diabetes mellitus, receiving irregular treatment, who was admitted to the hospital with a history of 10 days of low back pain radiating to the left leg, fever and forced flexion of the right hip due to pain during movement. The diagnosis of diffuse pyomyositis of both psoas muscles was performed with MRI and culture of a posterior paravertebral collection, from which Staphylococcus aureus resistant to oxacillin, penicillin and dicloxacillin was isolated.

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

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

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

2013-01-01

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

Electroless deposition of NiCrB diffusion barrier layer film for ULSI-Cu metallization

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Yuechun [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Yunnan University, Kunming (China); Chen, Xiuhua, E-mail: chenxh@ynu.edu.cn [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Yunnan University, Kunming (China); Ma, Wenhui [National Engineering Laboratory of Vacuum Metallurgy, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming (China); Shang, Yudong; Lei, Zhengtao; Xiang, Fuwei [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Yunnan University, Kunming (China)

2017-02-28

Highlights: • In this paper, the electroless deposited NiCrB thin film was mainly in the form of NiB, CrB{sub 2} compounds and elementary Ni. • The sheet resistance of NiCrB thin film was 3.043 Ω/□, it is smaller than that of the widely used Ta, TaN and TiN diffusion barrier layers. • Annealing experiments showed that the failure temperature of NiCrB thin film regarding Cu diffusion was 900 °C. • NiCrB barrier layer crystallized after 900 °C annealing, Cu grains arrived at Si-substrate through grain boundaries, resulting in the formation of Cu{sub 3}Si. • Eelectroless deposited NiCrB film also had good oxidation resistance, it is expected to become an anti-oxidant layer of copper interconnection. - Abstract: NiCrB films were deposited on Si substrates using electroless deposition as a diffusion barrier layer for Cu interconnections. Samples of the prepared NiCrB/SiO{sub 2}/Si and NiCrB/Cu/NiCrB/SiO{sub 2}/Si were annealed at temperatures ranging from 500 °C to 900 °C. The reaction mechanism of the electroless deposition of the NiCrB film, the failure temperature and the failure mechanism of the NiCrB diffusion barrier layer were investigated. The prepared samples were subjected to XRD, XPS, FPP and AFM to determine the phases, composition, sheet resistance and surface morphology of samples before and after annealing. The results of these analyses indicated that the failure temperature of the NiCrB barrier film was 900 °C and the failure mechanism led to crystallization and grain growth of the NiCrB barrier layer after high temperature annealing. It was found that this process caused Cu grains to reach Si substrate through the grain boundaries, and then the reaction between Cu and Si resulted in the formation of highly resistive Cu{sub 3}Si.

Deep features for efficient multi-biometric recognition with face and ear images

Science.gov (United States)

Omara, Ibrahim; Xiao, Gang; Amrani, Moussa; Yan, Zifei; Zuo, Wangmeng

2017-07-01

Recently, multimodal biometric systems have received considerable research interest in many applications especially in the fields of security. Multimodal systems can increase the resistance to spoof attacks, provide more details and flexibility, and lead to better performance and lower error rate. In this paper, we present a multimodal biometric system based on face and ear, and propose how to exploit the extracted deep features from Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) on the face and ear images to introduce more powerful discriminative features and robust representation ability for them. First, the deep features for face and ear images are extracted based on VGG-M Net. Second, the extracted deep features are fused by using a traditional concatenation and a Discriminant Correlation Analysis (DCA) algorithm. Third, multiclass support vector machine is adopted for matching and classification. The experimental results show that the proposed multimodal system based on deep features is efficient and achieves a promising recognition rate up to 100 % by using face and ear. In addition, the results indicate that the fusion based on DCA is superior to traditional fusion.

Naturally occurring dominant drug resistance mutations occur infrequently in the setting of recently acquired hepatitis C.

Science.gov (United States)

Applegate, Tanya L; Gaudieri, Silvana; Plauzolles, Anne; Chopra, Abha; Grebely, Jason; Lucas, Michaela; Hellard, Margaret; Luciani, Fabio; Dore, Gregory J; Matthews, Gail V

2015-01-01

Direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) are predicted to transform hepatitis C therapy, yet little is known about the prevalence of naturally occurring resistance mutations in recently acquired HCV. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and frequency of drug resistance mutations in the viral quasispecies among HIV-positive and -negative individuals with recent HCV. The NS3 protease, NS5A and NS5B polymerase genes were amplified from 50 genotype 1a participants of the Australian Trial in Acute Hepatitis C. Amino acid variations at sites known to be associated with possible drug resistance were analysed by ultra-deep pyrosequencing. A total of 12% of individuals harboured dominant resistance mutations, while 36% demonstrated non-dominant resistant variants below that detectable by bulk sequencing (that is, Resistance variants (resistance from all classes, with the exception of sofosbuvir. Dominant resistant mutations were uncommonly observed in the setting of recent HCV. However, low-level mutations to all DAA classes were observed by deep sequencing at the majority of sites and in most individuals. The significance of these variants and impact on future treatment options remains to be determined. Clinicaltrials.gov NCT00192569.

Diffuse axonal injury: detection of changes in anisotropy of water diffusion by diffusion-weighted imaging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chan, J.H.M.; Tsui, E.Y.K.; Yuen, M.K.; Peh, W.C.G.; Fong, D.; Fok, K.F.; Leung, K.M.; Fung, K.K.L.

2003-01-01

Myelinated axons of white matter demonstrate prominent directional differences in water diffusion. We performed diffusion-weighted imaging on ten patients with head injury to explore the feasibility of using water diffusion anisotropy for quantitating diffuse axonal injury. We showed significant decrease in diffusion anisotropy indices in areas with or without signal abnormality on T2 and T2*-weighted images. We conclude that the water diffusion anisotropy index a potentially useful, sensitive and quantitative way of diagnosing and assessing patients with diffuse axonal injury. (orig.)

Laser enhanced attachment in diffuse discharges

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Giesselmann, M.; Pashaie, B.; Kristiansen, M.; Schaefer, G.

1987-01-01

Measurements of the effect of laser enhanced attachment on externally sustained diffuse discharges are reported. Optical control of diffuse discharges is a promising way of upgrading the performance of e-beam controlled opening switches for repetitive operation. Ideal gases should exhibit a negligible attachment cross section for low E/N values (switch closed) in the ground state and strong attaching properties upon optical excitation in an E/N range between the conducting state and self breakdown of the switch. The ratio of resistivity change in these experiments is much higher than in previous investigations. In this investigation the attachment rate of an electronegative gas component, representing approximately 1% of the gas in the discharge volume, was increased by means of vibrational excitation with a pulsed IR-laser beam. Molecules exhibiting a strongly increased attachment rate upon IR-excitation are vinyl-chloride, vinyl flouride and trifluoroethylene, which has been verified in preliminary experiments. All experiments reported were performed with vinyl chloride and trifluoroethylene

Diffusion-Weighted MR Imaging of Unusual White Matter Lesion in a Patient with Menkes Disease

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Eun Shin; Ryoo, Jae Wook; Choi, Dae Seob; Cho, Jae Min; Kwon, Soo Hyun; Shin, Hee Suk

2007-01-01

We report here on the diffusion-weighted imaging of unusual white matter lesions in a case of Menkes disease. On the initial MR imaging, the white matter lesions were localized in the deep periventricular white matter in the absence of diffuse cortical atrophy. The lesion showed diffuse high signal on the diffusion weighted images and diffuse progression and persistent hyperintensity on the follow up imaging. Our case suggests that the white matter lesion may precede diffuse cortical atrophy in a patient with Menkes disease. Menkes disease is an X-linked disorder that's caused by impaired intracellular transport of copper. We describe here the DWI findings of unusual and progressive white matter lesions in a case of Menkes disease. Menkes disease is an X-linked recessive disorder, and it is due to an inborn error of copper metabolism. The cause of Menkes disease has been isolated to a genetic defect in copper-transporting adenosine triphosphatase, and this results in low levels of intracellular copper. It is characterized clinically by failure to thrive, retarded mental and motor development, clonic seizure and peculiarly coarse, sparse and colorless scalp hair. These clinical findings can be explained by a dysfunction of the copper-dependent enzymes

Deep-towed CSEM survey of gas hydrates in the Gulf of Mexico

Science.gov (United States)

Kannberg, P.; Constable, S.

2017-12-01

Controlled source electromagnetic (CSEM) surveys are increasingly being used to remotely detect hydrate deposits in seafloor sediments. CSEM methods are sensitive to sediment pore space resistivity, such as when electrically resistive hydrate displaces the electrically conductive pore fluid, increasing the bulk resistivity of the sediment. In July 2017, a two-week research cruise using an upgraded and expanded "Vulcan" towed receiver system collected over 250 line km of data at four sites in the Gulf of Mexico (GoM) thought to have hydrate bearing sediments. Hydrate bearing horizons at the survey sites ranged from 400-700 m below seafloor. Modeling suggested an array with source receiver offsets of up to 1600 m would be needed to properly image the deep hydrate. A deep towed electromagnetic transmitter outputting 270 Amps was towed 100 m above seafloor. Six Vulcan receivers, each recording three-axis electric field data, were towed at 200 m intervals from 600-1600 m behind the transmitter. The four sites surveyed, Walker Ridge 313, Orca Basin, Mad Dog, and Green Canyon 955, are associated with the upcoming GOM^2 coring operation scheduled for 2020. Wells at WR313 and GC955 were logged as part of a joint industry drilling project in 2009 and will be used to ground truth our inversion results. In 2008, WR313 and GC955 were surveyed using traditional CSEM seafloor receivers, accompanied by a single prototype Vulcan towed receiver. This prior survey will allow comparison of results from a seafloor receiver survey with those from a towed receiver survey. Seismic data has been collected at all the sites, which will be used to constrain inversions. In addition to the four hydrate sites surveyed, two lines were towed over Green Knoll, a deep-water salt dome located between Mad Dog and GC955. Presented here are initial results from our recent cruise.

CSA-90 Promotes Bone Formation and Mitigates Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus Infection in a Rat Open Fracture Model.

Science.gov (United States)

Mills, Rebecca; Cheng, Tegan L; Mikulec, Kathy; Peacock, Lauren; Isaacs, David; Genberg, Carl; Savage, Paul B; Little, David G; Schindeler, Aaron

2018-06-01

Infection of open fractures remains a significant cause of morbidity and mortality to patients worldwide. Early administration of prophylactic antibiotics is known to improve outcomes; however, increasing concern regarding antimicrobial resistance makes finding new compounds for use in such cases a pressing area for further research. CSA-90, a synthetic peptidomimetic compound, has previously demonstrated promising antimicrobial action against Staphylococcus aureus in rat open fractures. However, its efficacy against antibiotic-resistant microorganisms, its potential as a therapeutic agent in addition to its prophylactic effects, and its proosteogenic properties all require further investigation. (1) Does prophylactic treatment with CSA-90 reduce infection rates in a rat open fracture model inoculated with S aureus, methicillin-resistant S aureus (MRSA), and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis (MRSE) as measured by survival, radiographic union, and deep tissue swab cultures? (2) Does CSA-90 reduce infection rates when administered later in the management of an open fracture as measured by survival, radiographic union, and deep tissue swab cultures? (3) Does CSA-90 demonstrate a synergistic proosteogenic effect with bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP-2) in a noninfected rat ectopic bone formation assay as assessed by micro-CT bone volume measurement? (4) Can CSA-90 elute and retain its antimicrobial efficacy in vitro when delivered using clinically relevant agents measured using a Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion assay? All in vivo studies were approved by the local animal ethics committee. In the open fracture studies, 12-week-old male Wistar rats underwent open midshaft femoral fractures stabilized with a 1.1-mm Kirschner wire and 10 µg BMP-2 ± 500 µg CSA-90 was applied to the fracture site using a collagen sponge along with 1 x 10 colony-forming units of bacteria (S aureus/MRSA/MRSE; n = 10 per group). In the delayed treatment study, débridement and

Increased radiation resistance in lithium-counterdoped silicon solar cells

Science.gov (United States)

Weinberg, I.; Swartz, C. K.; Mehta, S.

1984-01-01

Lithium-counterdoped n(+)p silicon solar cells are found to exhibit significantly increased radiation resistance to 1-MeV electron irradiation when compared to boron-doped n(+)p silicon solar cells. In addition to improved radiation resistance, considerable damage recovery by annealing is observed in the counterdoped cells at T less than or equal to 100 C. Deep level transient spectroscopy measurements are used to identify the defect whose removal results in the low-temperature aneal. It is suggested that the increased radiation resistance of the counterdoped cells is primarily due to interaction of the lithium with interstitial oxygen.

Characterization of DNA-repair potential in deep subsurface bacteria challenged by UV light, hydrogen peroxide, and gamma radiation

OpenAIRE

Arrage, Andrew Anthony

1991-01-01

Subsurface bacterial isolates obtained through the DOE Subsurface Science Program were tested for resistance to UV light, gamma radiation and H202. Some deep subsurface bacteria were resistant to UV light, demonstrating â ¥1.0% survival at fluences which resulted in a 0.0001% survival level of E. coli B. The percentage of UV resistant aerobic subsurface bacteria and surface soil bacteria were similar; 30.8% and 25.8% respectively. All of the microaerophilic subsurface isolates ...

Application of radiographic images in diagnosis and treatment of deep neck infections with necrotizing fasciitis: a case report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Young Joo; Kim, Ju Dong; Ryu, Hye In; Cho, Yeon Hee; Kong, Jun Ha; Ohe, Joo Young; Kwon, Yong Dae; Choi, Byung Joon; Kim, Gyu Tae [School of Dentistry, Kyung Hee University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2011-12-15

The advent and wide use of antibiotics have decreased the incidence of deep neck infection. When a deep neck infection does occur, however, it can be the cause of significant morbidity and death, resulting in airway obstruction, mediastinitis, pericarditis, epidural abscesses, and major vessel erosion. In our clinic, a patient with diffuse chronic osteomyelitis of mandible and fascial space abscess and necrotic fasciitis due to odontogenic infection at the time of first visit came. We successfully treated the patient by early diagnosis using contrast-enhanced CT and follow up dressing through the appropriate use of radiographic images.

Water Vapor Diffusion and Adsorption of Sandstones: Influence of Rock Texture and Composition

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Martin Keppert

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The term sandstone is used for wide range of rocks containing quartz clasts which can be cemented by secondary precipitated quartz or calcite; moreover the space between clasts can be filled by matrix. These facts result in existence of numerous rocks having highly various properties. Sandstones have been used as construction materials due to their good accessibility and workability. Since most of sandstones are porous, water vapor can penetrate through sandstone constructions. The rate of water vapor diffusion, as well as the vapor sorption isotherm, was determined for range of sandstone types. The diffusion resistance factor was found to be dependent on the total porosity of sandstone but the sorption behavior was strongly influenced by nature of the particular sandstone; the specific surface area of stone and presence of clay matrix are determining its sorption isotherm. The published data enable estimating (i diffusion resistance factor of a sandstone via knowledge of its total porosity and (ii the sorption isotherm via knowledge of the stone’s nature and specific surface area. This approach can significantly reduce the time necessary to acquire vapor-related properties of a sandstone.

Estimating resist parameters in optical lithography using the extended Nijboer-Zernike theory

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dirksen, P.; Braat, J.J.M.; Janssen, A.J.E.M.

2006-01-01

This study presents an experimental method to determine the resist parameters at the origin of a general blurring of a projected aerial image. The resist model includes the effects of diffusion in the horizontal plane and image blur that originates from a stochastic variation of the focus parameter.

Misidentification of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in hospitals in Tripoli, Libya

Science.gov (United States)

Ahmed, Mohamed O.; Abuzweda, Abdulbaset R.; Alghazali, Mohamed H.; Elramalli, Asma K.; Amri, Samira G.; Aghila, Ezzeddin Sh.; Abouzeed, Yousef M.

2010-01-01

Background Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a nosocomial (hospital-acquired) pathogen of exceptional concern. It is responsible for life-threatening infections in both the hospital and the community. Aims To determine the frequency of MRSA misidentification in hospitals in Tripoli, Libya using current testing methods. Methods One hundred and seventy S. aureus isolates previously identified as MRSA were obtained from three hospitals in Tripoli. All isolates were reidentified by culturing on mannitol salt agar, API 20 Staph System and retested for resistance to methicillin using the cefoxitin disk diffusion susceptibility test and PBP2a. D-tests and vancomycin E-tests (Van-E-tests) were also performed for vancomycin-resistant isolates. Results Of the 170 isolates examined, 86 (51%) were confirmed as MRSA (i.e. 49% were misidentified as MRSA). Fifteen (17%) of the confirmed MRSA strains exhibited inducible clindamycin resistance. Of the 86 confirmed MRSA isolates, 13 (15%) were resistant to mupirocin, 53 (62%) were resistant to ciprofloxacin, 41 (48%) were resistant to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, and none were resistant to linezolid. Although disc-diffusion testing indicated that 23 (27%) of the isolates were resistant to vancomycin, none of the isolates were vancomycin-resistant by Van-E-test. Conclusions Misidentification of nosocomial S. aureus as MRSA is a serious problem in Libyan hospitals. There is an urgent need for the proper training of microbiology laboratory technicians in standard antimicrobial susceptibility procedures and the implementation of quality control programs in microbiology laboratories of Libyan hospitals. PMID:21483574

Piriformis muscle syndrome with assessment of sciatic nerve using diffusion tensor imaging and tractography: a case report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wada, Keizo; Goto, Tomohiro; Takasago, Tomoya; Hamada, Daisuke; Sairyo, Koichi [The University of Tokushima Graduate School, Department of Orthopedics, Institute of Health Biosciences, Tokushima (Japan)

2017-10-15

Piriformis muscle syndrome (PMS) is difficult to diagnose by objective evaluation of sciatic nerve injury. Here we report a case of PMS diagnosed by diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and tractography of the sciatic nerve, which can assess and visualize the extent of nerve injury. The patient was a 53-year-old man with a 2-year history of continuous pain and numbness in the left leg. His symptoms worsened when sitting. Physical examination, including sensorimotor neurologic tests, the deep tendon reflex test, and the straight leg raise test, revealed no specific findings. The hip flexion adduction and internal rotation test and resisted contraction maneuvers for the piriformis muscle were positive. There were no abnormal findings on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the lumbar spine. The transverse diameter of piriformis muscle was slightly thicker in affected side on MRI of the pelvis. A single DTI sequence was performed during MRI of the pelvis. Fractional anisotropy (FA) and the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) of the sciatic nerve were quantified at three levels using the fiber-tracking method. FA values were significantly lower and ADC values were significantly higher distal to the piriformis muscle. We performed endoscopic-assisted resection of the piriformis tendon. Intraoperatively, the motor-evoked potentials in the left gastrocnemius were improved by resection of the piriformis tendon. The patient's symptoms improved immediately after surgery. There was no significant difference in FA or ADC at any level between the affected side and the unaffected side 3 months postoperatively. MRI-DTI may aid the diagnosis of PMS. (orig.)

Piriformis muscle syndrome with assessment of sciatic nerve using diffusion tensor imaging and tractography: a case report.

Science.gov (United States)

Wada, Keizo; Goto, Tomohiro; Takasago, Tomoya; Hamada, Daisuke; Sairyo, Koichi

2017-10-01

Piriformis muscle syndrome (PMS) is difficult to diagnose by objective evaluation of sciatic nerve injury. Here we report a case of PMS diagnosed by diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and tractography of the sciatic nerve, which can assess and visualize the extent of nerve injury. The patient was a 53-year-old man with a 2-year history of continuous pain and numbness in the left leg. His symptoms worsened when sitting. Physical examination, including sensorimotor neurologic tests, the deep tendon reflex test, and the straight leg raise test, revealed no specific findings. The hip flexion adduction and internal rotation test and resisted contraction maneuvers for the piriformis muscle were positive. There were no abnormal findings on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the lumbar spine. The transverse diameter of piriformis muscle was slightly thicker in affected side on MRI of the pelvis. A single DTI sequence was performed during MRI of the pelvis. Fractional anisotropy (FA) and the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) of the sciatic nerve were quantified at three levels using the fiber-tracking method. FA values were significantly lower and ADC values were significantly higher distal to the piriformis muscle. We performed endoscopic-assisted resection of the piriformis tendon. Intraoperatively, the motor-evoked potentials in the left gastrocnemius were improved by resection of the piriformis tendon. The patient's symptoms improved immediately after surgery. There was no significant difference in FA or ADC at any level between the affected side and the unaffected side 3 months postoperatively. MRI-DTI may aid the diagnosis of PMS.

Piriformis muscle syndrome with assessment of sciatic nerve using diffusion tensor imaging and tractography: a case report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wada, Keizo; Goto, Tomohiro; Takasago, Tomoya; Hamada, Daisuke; Sairyo, Koichi

2017-01-01

Piriformis muscle syndrome (PMS) is difficult to diagnose by objective evaluation of sciatic nerve injury. Here we report a case of PMS diagnosed by diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and tractography of the sciatic nerve, which can assess and visualize the extent of nerve injury. The patient was a 53-year-old man with a 2-year history of continuous pain and numbness in the left leg. His symptoms worsened when sitting. Physical examination, including sensorimotor neurologic tests, the deep tendon reflex test, and the straight leg raise test, revealed no specific findings. The hip flexion adduction and internal rotation test and resisted contraction maneuvers for the piriformis muscle were positive. There were no abnormal findings on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the lumbar spine. The transverse diameter of piriformis muscle was slightly thicker in affected side on MRI of the pelvis. A single DTI sequence was performed during MRI of the pelvis. Fractional anisotropy (FA) and the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) of the sciatic nerve were quantified at three levels using the fiber-tracking method. FA values were significantly lower and ADC values were significantly higher distal to the piriformis muscle. We performed endoscopic-assisted resection of the piriformis tendon. Intraoperatively, the motor-evoked potentials in the left gastrocnemius were improved by resection of the piriformis tendon. The patient's symptoms improved immediately after surgery. There was no significant difference in FA or ADC at any level between the affected side and the unaffected side 3 months postoperatively. MRI-DTI may aid the diagnosis of PMS. (orig.)

Algorithmic design of a noise-resistant and efficient closed-loop deep brain stimulation system: A computational approach.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sofia D Karamintziou

Full Text Available Advances in the field of closed-loop neuromodulation call for analysis and modeling approaches capable of confronting challenges related to the complex neuronal response to stimulation and the presence of strong internal and measurement noise in neural recordings. Here we elaborate on the algorithmic aspects of a noise-resistant closed-loop subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation system for advanced Parkinson's disease and treatment-refractory obsessive-compulsive disorder, ensuring remarkable performance in terms of both efficiency and selectivity of stimulation, as well as in terms of computational speed. First, we propose an efficient method drawn from dynamical systems theory, for the reliable assessment of significant nonlinear coupling between beta and high-frequency subthalamic neuronal activity, as a biomarker for feedback control. Further, we present a model-based strategy through which optimal parameters of stimulation for minimum energy desynchronizing control of neuronal activity are being identified. The strategy integrates stochastic modeling and derivative-free optimization of neural dynamics based on quadratic modeling. On the basis of numerical simulations, we demonstrate the potential of the presented modeling approach to identify, at a relatively low computational cost, stimulation settings potentially associated with a significantly higher degree of efficiency and selectivity compared with stimulation settings determined post-operatively. Our data reinforce the hypothesis that model-based control strategies are crucial for the design of novel stimulation protocols at the backstage of clinical applications.

Algorithmic design of a noise-resistant and efficient closed-loop deep brain stimulation system: A computational approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Karamintziou, Sofia D; Custódio, Ana Luísa; Piallat, Brigitte; Polosan, Mircea; Chabardès, Stéphan; Stathis, Pantelis G; Tagaris, George A; Sakas, Damianos E; Polychronaki, Georgia E; Tsirogiannis, George L; David, Olivier; Nikita, Konstantina S

2017-01-01

Advances in the field of closed-loop neuromodulation call for analysis and modeling approaches capable of confronting challenges related to the complex neuronal response to stimulation and the presence of strong internal and measurement noise in neural recordings. Here we elaborate on the algorithmic aspects of a noise-resistant closed-loop subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation system for advanced Parkinson's disease and treatment-refractory obsessive-compulsive disorder, ensuring remarkable performance in terms of both efficiency and selectivity of stimulation, as well as in terms of computational speed. First, we propose an efficient method drawn from dynamical systems theory, for the reliable assessment of significant nonlinear coupling between beta and high-frequency subthalamic neuronal activity, as a biomarker for feedback control. Further, we present a model-based strategy through which optimal parameters of stimulation for minimum energy desynchronizing control of neuronal activity are being identified. The strategy integrates stochastic modeling and derivative-free optimization of neural dynamics based on quadratic modeling. On the basis of numerical simulations, we demonstrate the potential of the presented modeling approach to identify, at a relatively low computational cost, stimulation settings potentially associated with a significantly higher degree of efficiency and selectivity compared with stimulation settings determined post-operatively. Our data reinforce the hypothesis that model-based control strategies are crucial for the design of novel stimulation protocols at the backstage of clinical applications.

Deep learning the quantum phase transitions in random two-dimensional electron systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ohtsuki, Tomoki; Ohtsuki, Tomi

2016-01-01

Random electron systems show rich phases such as Anderson insulator, diffusive metal, quantum Hall and quantum anomalous Hall insulators, Weyl semimetal, as well as strong/weak topological insulators. Eigenfunctions of each matter phase have specific features, but owing to the random nature of systems, determining the matter phase from eigenfunctions is difficult. Here, we propose the deep learning algorithm to capture the features of eigenfunctions. Localization-delocalization transition, as well as disordered Chern insulator-Anderson insulator transition, is discussed. (author)

Research surface resistance of copper normal and abnormal skin-effects depending on the frequency of electromagnetic field

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kutovyi, V.A.; Komir, A.I.

2013-01-01

The results of the frequency dependence of surface resistance of copper in diffuse and specular reflection of electrons from the conductive surface of the high-frequency resonance of the system depending on the frequency of the electromagnetic field in the normal and anomalous skin effect. Found, the surface resistance of copper is reduced by more than 10 times at the temperature of liquid helium, as compared with a surface resistivity at room temperature, at frequencies f ≤ 173 MHz, for diffuse reflection of conduction electrons from the surface of the conductive layer, and the specular reflection - at frequencies f ≤ 346 MHz

Spin-diffusions and diffusive molecular dynamics

Science.gov (United States)

Farmer, Brittan; Luskin, Mitchell; Plecháč, Petr; Simpson, Gideon

2017-12-01

Metastable configurations in condensed matter typically fluctuate about local energy minima at the femtosecond time scale before transitioning between local minima after nanoseconds or microseconds. This vast scale separation limits the applicability of classical molecular dynamics (MD) methods and has spurned the development of a host of approximate algorithms. One recently proposed method is diffusive MD which aims at integrating a system of ordinary differential equations describing the likelihood of occupancy by one of two species, in the case of a binary alloy, while quasistatically evolving the locations of the atoms. While diffusive MD has shown itself to be efficient and provide agreement with observations, it is fundamentally a model, with unclear connections to classical MD. In this work, we formulate a spin-diffusion stochastic process and show how it can be connected to diffusive MD. The spin-diffusion model couples a classical overdamped Langevin equation to a kinetic Monte Carlo model for exchange amongst the species of a binary alloy. Under suitable assumptions and approximations, spin-diffusion can be shown to lead to diffusive MD type models. The key assumptions and approximations include a well-defined time scale separation, a choice of spin-exchange rates, a low temperature approximation, and a mean field type approximation. We derive several models from different assumptions and show their relationship to diffusive MD. Differences and similarities amongst the models are explored in a simple test problem.

Radioisotope mobility across the sediment/water interface in the deep sea

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

ten Brink, M.R.B.

1987-01-01

The removal of radiotracers from water to sediments and their partitioning between phases were used to study the rates and mechanisms of transfer for trace elements across the sediment/water interface in the deep sea. The in situ mobility of 22 Na, 134 Cs, 133 Ba, 65 Zn, 125 Sb, 7 Be, 203 Hg, 54 Mn, 60 Co, 59 Fe, 113 Gd, and 141 Ce was measured using MANOP Lander benthic chambers in the N. equatorial Pacific and in San Clemente Basin. The contributions to mobility of diffusion, bioturbation, advection of pore waters, and transport across the diffusive boundary layer was assessed. The penetration of particle reactive tracers in the upper cm suggested a mixing rate of ≤10 -7 cm 2 /s at Sites C and S and ≤10 -5 cm 2 /s at Sites M and H. Greater penetration could be correlated with worm tubes but no evidence of irrigation was found. The presence of nodules did not prevent transport of soluble tracers to the underlying sediment or concentrate tracers. Diffusion was the predominant mode of transport for radiotracers in the short-term in situ experiments

Boron-enhanced diffusion in excimer laser annealed Si

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Monakhov, E.V.; Svensson, B.G.; Linnarsson, M.K.; La Magna, A.; Privitera, V.; Fortunato, G.; Mariucci, L.

2004-01-01

The effect of excimer laser annealing (ELA) and rapid thermal annealing (RTA) on B redistribution in B-implanted Si has been studied by secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) and spreading resistance probe (SRP). B has been implanted with an energy of 1 keV and a dose of 10 16 cm -2 forming a distribution with a width of 20-30 nm and a peak concentration of ∼5 x 10 21 cm -3 . It has been found that ELA with 10 pulses of the energy density of 850 mJ/cm 2 results in a uniform B distribution over the ELA-molten region with an abrupt profile edge. SRP measurements demonstrate good activation of the implanted B after ELA, with the concentration of the activated fraction (∼10 21 cm -3 ) exceeding the solid solubility level. RTA (30 s at 1100 deg. C) of the as-implanted and ELA-treated samples leads to a diffusion of B with diffusivities exceeding the equilibrium one and the enhancement is similar for both of the samples. It is also found that RTA decreases the activated B in the ELA-treated sample to the solid solubility limit (2 x 10 20 cm -3 ). The similarity of the B diffusivity for the as-implanted and ELA-treated samples suggests that the enhancement of the B diffusivity is due to the so-called boron-enhanced diffusion (BED). Possible mechanisms of BED are discussed

Deep sequence analysis reveals the ovine rumen as a reservoir of antibiotic resistance genes.

Science.gov (United States)

Hitch, Thomas C A; Thomas, Ben J; Friedersdorff, Jessica C A; Ougham, Helen; Creevey, Christopher J

2018-04-01

Antibiotic resistance is an increasingly important environmental pollutant with direct consequences for human health. Identification of environmental sources of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) makes it possible to follow their evolution and prevent their entry into the clinical setting. ARGs have been found in environmental sources exogenous to the original source and previous studies have shown that these genes are capable of being transferred from livestock to humans. Due to the nature of farming and the slaughter of ruminants for food, humans interact with these animals in close proximity, and for this reason it is important to consider the risks to human health. In this study, we characterised the ARG populations in the ovine rumen, termed the resistome. This was done using the Comprehensive Antibiotic Resistance Database (CARD) to identify the presence of genes conferring resistance to antibiotics within the rumen. Genes were successfully mapped to those that confer resistance to a total of 30 different antibiotics. Daptomycin was identified as the most common antibiotic for which resistance is present, suggesting that ruminants may be a source of daptomycin ARGs. Colistin resistance, conferred by the gene pmrE, was also found to be present within all samples, with an average abundance of 800 counts. Due to the high abundance of some ARGs (against daptomycin) and the presence of rare ARGs (against colistin), we suggest further study and monitoring of the rumen resistome as a possible source of clinically relevant ARGs. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Resistência a antimicrobianos de Escherichia coli isolada de dejetos suínos em esterqueiras Antibiotic-resistance of Escherichia coli isolates from stored pig slurry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

F.F.P. Silva

2008-06-01

Full Text Available The antimicrobial resistance of 96 Escherichia coli strains isolated from a stabilization pond system on a pig-breeding farm was evaluated. Strains were tested for their resistance against 14 antimicrobial using the agar diffusion method. E. coli strains showed resistance to tetracycline (82.3%, nalidixic acid (64%, ampicilin (41%, sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprin (36%, sulfonamide (34%, cloranphenicol (274%, ciprofloxacin (19%, cefaclor (16%, streptomicyn (7.3%, neomicyn (1%, amoxacilin/ clavulanic acid (1%, and amikacin (1%. No resistance was observed to gentamicin and tobramycin, and 37.5% of E. coli strains were resistant to four or more antimicrobials. The multiresistance pattern was found in strains isolated during all sampled period. Strains showed a high variability in the antimicrobial resistance pattern.

The Effect of Deep Cryogenic Treatment on the Corrosion Behavior of Mg-7Y-1.5Nd Magnesium Alloy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Quantong Jiang

2017-10-01

Full Text Available The effect of quenching on the corrosion resistance of Mg-7Y-1.5Nd alloy was investigated. The as-cast alloy was homogenized at 535 °C for 24 h, followed by quenching in air, water, and liquid nitrogen. Then, all of the samples were peak-aged at 225 °C for 14 h. The microstructures were studied by scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive spectrometry, and X-ray diffraction. Corrosion behavior was analyzed by using weight loss rate and gas collection. Electrochemical characterizations revealed that the T4-deep cryogenic sample displayed the strongest corrosion resistance among all of the samples. A new square phase was discovered in the microstructure of the T6-deep cryogenic sample; this phase was hugely responsible for the corrosion property. Cryogenic treatment significantly improved the corrosion resistance of Mg-7Y-1.5Nd alloy.

Survey of strain distribution and antibiotic resistance pattern of group B streptococci (Streptococcus agalactiae isolated from clinical specimens

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mousavi, Seyed Masoud

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Aim: The aims of the present study were to determine the antibiotic susceptibility profils with particular emphasis on susceptible or resistant strains to macrolides and lincosamids antibiotics and to determine possible antibiotic resistance mechanisms occurring in group B streptococci (GBS strains using PCR assay and disk diffusion method.Methods: A total of 62 clinical GBS strains were investigated. Antibacterial susceptibility testing was performed using the disk diffusion method and inducible resistance test for clindamycin by standard double disk diffusion or D-zone test for all isolates to differentiate macrolide resistance phenotype (M, constitutive macrolide-lincosamide-streptogramin B phenotype (cMLS and induced macrolide-lincosamide-streptogramin B phenotype (iMLS. In addition, minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC of penicillin were determined for all isolates. Finally, possible existence of antibiotic resistance genes for erythromycin , and and for clindamycin were examined among isolates using PCR assay.Results: All 62 isolates were susceptible to penicillin, ampicillin, linezolid, cefazoline and vancomycin. However, 93.5% (n=58 of isolates showed an increased MIC to penicillin. The overall rate of erythromycin resistance was 35.5% (n=22. All erythromycin-resistant isolates displayed the M phenotype (100%, n=22. All three erythromycin resistance genes (i.e. , and were found in erythromycin-resistant isolates.Conclusion: It was concluded that prescribing antibiotic without antibacterial susceptibility tests should be prevented because of the high prevalence of erythromycin-resistant GBS strains and the fact that erythromycin-resistant GBS strains has shown an increased MIC to penicillin, as the drug of choice for treating GBS infections.

Comparison of 454 Ultra-Deep Sequencing and Allele-Specific Real-Time PCR with Regard to the Detection of Emerging Drug-Resistant Minor HIV-1 Variants after Antiretroviral Prophylaxis for Vertical Transmission.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrea Hauser

Full Text Available Pregnant HIV-infected women were screened for the development of HIV-1 drug resistance after implementation of a triple-antiretroviral transmission prophylaxis as recommended by the WHO in 2006. The study offered the opportunity to compare amplicon-based 454 ultra-deep sequencing (UDS and allele-specific real-time PCR (ASPCR for the detection of drug-resistant minor variants in the HIV-1 reverse transcriptase (RT.Plasma samples from 34 Tanzanian women were previously analysed by ASPCR for key resistance mutations in the viral RT selected by AZT, 3TC, and NVP (K70R, K103N, Y181C, M184V, T215Y/F. In this study, the RT region of the same samples was investigated by amplicon-based UDS for resistance mutations using the 454 GS FLX System.Drug-resistant HIV-variants were identified in 69% (20/29 of women by UDS and in 45% (13/29 by ASPCR. The absolute number of resistance mutations identified by UDS was twice that identified by ASPCR (45 vs 24. By UDS 14 of 24 ASPCR-detected resistance mutations were identified at the same position. The overall concordance between UDS and ASPCR was 61.0% (25/41. The proportions of variants quantified by UDS were approximately 2-3 times lower than by ASPCR. Amplicon generation from samples with viral loads below 20,000 copies/ml failed more frequently by UDS compared to ASPCR (limit of detection = 650 copies/ml, resulting in missing or insufficient sequence coverage.Both methods can provide useful information about drug-resistant minor HIV-1 variants. ASPCR has a higher sensitivity than UDS, but is restricted to single resistance mutations. In contrast, UDS is limited by its requirement for high viral loads to achieve sufficient sequence coverage, but the sequence information reveals the complete resistance patterns within the genomic region analysed. Improvements to the UDS limit of detection are in progress, and UDS could then facilitate monitoring of drug-resistant minor variants in the HIV-1 quasispecies.

Diffusion-weighted MRI in acute cerebral stroke

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Takayama, Hideichi; Kobayashi, Masahito; Suga, Sadao; Kawase, Takeshi; Nagasawa, Masakazu; Sadanaga, Humiko; Okamura, Miyuki; Kanai, Yoshihiro; Mihara, Ban [Mihara Memorial Hospital, Isezaki, Gunma (Japan)

1999-03-01

Diffusion-weighted MRI has been demonstrated to be valuable in the assessment of cerebral stroke. Recent advance in MR systems of hardware with larger maximum gradient amplitude and faster imaging strategies, such as EPI, has made it possible to acquire whole brain diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) in less that one minute. The purposes of this study are to evaluate clinical usefulness of DWI and to clarify pitfalls in the diagnosis of acute cerebral stroke. Seventeen patients with 18 ischemic lesions were studied. DWI were taken with 1.5 Tesla MRI (Magnetom Vision, Siemens, Germany) using EPI sequence. Fifteen lesions out of them (3 in cerebral cortex, 9 in basal ganglia/deep white matter and 3 in cerebellum) were studied serially at various times up to 147 days. Acute cerebral infarction was seen clearly as an area of hyperintensity with DWI and as hypointensity in apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) maps which are indicative of decreased diffusion. DWI detected areas of hyperintense acute infarcts, as early as 2.5 hours after onset, which were not visualized on T{sub 2}-weighted image (T2WI). The lesion of cerebral infarction became isointense in ADC maps at 14-28 days after onset, whereas with DWI it became isointense at about 2 months. Because ADC changed earlier than DWI, ADC maps were useful for differentiate acute from nonacute lesion in cases of recurrent stroke within a short period. In a patient with transient global amnesia for 7 hours, DWI did not show any lesion at 8 hours. In terms of cerebral hemorrhage, lesions were seen as area of hyperintensity in DWI at 3 days and were not distinguishable from that of infarct. Despite limitations in the diagnosis of transient ischemia and cerebral hemorrhage, DWI is a useful technique for early detection of cerebral infarction, especially within the first 6 hours after stroke onset. (author)

Diffusion-weighted MRI in acute cerebral stroke

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takayama, Hideichi; Kobayashi, Masahito; Suga, Sadao; Kawase, Takeshi; Nagasawa, Masakazu; Sadanaga, Humiko; Okamura, Miyuki; Kanai, Yoshihiro; Mihara, Ban

1999-01-01

Diffusion-weighted MRI has been demonstrated to be valuable in the assessment of cerebral stroke. Recent advance in MR systems of hardware with larger maximum gradient amplitude and faster imaging strategies, such as EPI, has made it possible to acquire whole brain diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) in less that one minute. The purposes of this study are to evaluate clinical usefulness of DWI and to clarify pitfalls in the diagnosis of acute cerebral stroke. Seventeen patients with 18 ischemic lesions were studied. DWI were taken with 1.5 Tesla MRI (Magnetom Vision, Siemens, Germany) using EPI sequence. Fifteen lesions out of them (3 in cerebral cortex, 9 in basal ganglia/deep white matter and 3 in cerebellum) were studied serially at various times up to 147 days. Acute cerebral infarction was seen clearly as an area of hyperintensity with DWI and as hypointensity in apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) maps which are indicative of decreased diffusion. DWI detected areas of hyperintense acute infarcts, as early as 2.5 hours after onset, which were not visualized on T 2 -weighted image (T2WI). The lesion of cerebral infarction became isointense in ADC maps at 14-28 days after onset, whereas with DWI it became isointense at about 2 months. Because ADC changed earlier than DWI, ADC maps were useful for differentiate acute from nonacute lesion in cases of recurrent stroke within a short period. In a patient with transient global amnesia for 7 hours, DWI did not show any lesion at 8 hours. In terms of cerebral hemorrhage, lesions were seen as area of hyperintensity in DWI at 3 days and were not distinguishable from that of infarct. Despite limitations in the diagnosis of transient ischemia and cerebral hemorrhage, DWI is a useful technique for early detection of cerebral infarction, especially within the first 6 hours after stroke onset. (author)

Beyond emission targets: how to decarbonize the passenger transport sector? Results from the Deep Decarbonization Pathways Project for Transport (DDPP-T)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2017-11-01

Reaching the ambitious climate objective of the Paris Agreement requires decreasing significantly sectoral emissions from the transport sector. However, the ambition pledged for the transport sector under the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) remains very limited. The DDPP-T analyzes Paris-compatible sectoral strategies for the passenger transport that can serve to inform the 2018 Facilitative Dialogue and the preparation of future, more ambitious, NDCs by 2020. In a context of an expected steep increase in global mobility demand, deep decarbonization will require a mix of different 'well-known' options: the rapid diffusion of low-carbon vehicles and low-carbon fuels and the modal shift towards low-carbon modes like public transport and non-motorized transport (cycling and walking). However, while crucial, these options are not 'silver bullets' that on their own meet the decarbonization challenge, given their intrinsic individual limitations. The project adopts an integrated approach of sectoral deep decarbonization strategies articulating the diffusion of low-carbon technologies with the future of mobility and all its drivers, such as the demographic and economic situation, the localization of population centers, the transport and urban planning, the lifestyles and the features of mobility services. The strategies are context-specific in order to capture different country circumstances, and consider a long-term horizon to inform the short-term conditions enabling structural changes of the transport system. Building on four country analyses (France, Japan, Mexico and the United Kingdom), this Issue Brief derives five cross-cutting messages for a deep decarbonization of the passenger transport sector. Key messages: - Deep decarbonization of the passenger transport sector requires strong actions on four pillars of transformation. Only a consistent articulation of these synergistic pillars allows an effective deep decarbonization. - Deep

Deep iCrawl: An Intelligent Vision-Based Deep Web Crawler

OpenAIRE

R.Anita; V.Ganga Bharani; N.Nityanandam; Pradeep Kumar Sahoo

2011-01-01

The explosive growth of World Wide Web has posed a challenging problem in extracting relevant data. Traditional web crawlers focus only on the surface web while the deep web keeps expanding behind the scene. Deep web pages are created dynamically as a result of queries posed to specific web databases. The structure of the deep web pages makes it impossible for traditional web crawlers to access deep web contents. This paper, Deep iCrawl, gives a novel and vision-based app...

Dynamic strain aging of twinning-induced plasticity (TWIP) steel in tensile testing and deep drawing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, J.G.; Hong, S.; Anjabin, N.; Park, B.H.; Kim, S.K.; Chin, K.-G.; Lee, S.; Kim, H.S.

2015-01-01

The dynamic strain aging (DSA) of metallic materials due to solute atom diffusion to mobile dislocations induce deformation instability with load fluctuations and deformation localizations, hence reducing their sheet formability. In this paper, DSA behaviors of twinning induced plasticity (TWIP) steel with and without Al during tensile testing and deep drawing are investigated in terms of strain localization and the Portevin-Le Chatelier (PLC) band. A theoretical DSA model with internal variables of dislocation density and twin volume fraction is presented for an estimation of strain localization and strain hardening behavior of TWIP steels. The simulation results of the load history and PLC bands during tensile testing and deep drawing are in good agreement with the experimental values. A serration behavior is observed in high-Mn TWIP steels and its tensile residual stress is higher than that in the Al-added TWIP steels, which results in a deformation crack or delayed fracture of deep drawn specimens

CO2 diffuse emission from maar lake: An example in Changbai volcanic field, NE China

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Yutao; Guo, Zhengfu; Liu, Jiaqi; Du, Jianguo

2018-01-01

Numerous maars and monogenetic volcanic cones are distributed in northeast China, which are related to westward deep subduction of the Pacific Ocean lithosphere, comprising a significant part of the "Pacific Ring of Fire". It is well known that diffuse CO2 emissions from monogenetic volcanoes, including wet (e.g., maar lake) and dry degassing systems (e.g., soil diffuse emission, fault degassing, etc.), may contribute to budget of globally nature-derived greenhouse gases. However, their relationship between wet (e.g., maar lake) and concomitant dry degassing systems (e.g., soil diffuse emission, fault degassing, etc.) related to monogenetic volcanic field is poorly understood. Yuanchi maar, one of the typical monogenetic volcanic systems, is located on the eastern flank of Tianchi caldera in Changbai volcanic field of northeast China, which displays all of three forms of CO2 degassing including the maar lake, soil micro-seepage and fault degassing. Measurements of efflux of CO2 diffusion from the Yuanchi maar system (YMS) indicate that the average values of CO2 emissions from soil micro-seepage, fault degassing and water-air interface diffusion are 24.3 ± 23.3 g m- 2 d- 1, 39.2 ± 22.4 g m- 2 d- 1 and 2.4 ± 1.1 g m- 2 d- 1, respectively. The minimum output of CO2 diffuse emission from the YMS to the atmosphere is about 176.1 ± 88.3 ton/yr, of which 80.4% results from the dry degassing system. Degassing from the fault contributes to the most of CO2 emissions in all of the three forms of degassing in the YMS. Contributions of mantle, crust, air and organic CO2 to the soil gas are 0.01-0.10%, 10-20%, 32-36% and 48-54%, respectively, which are quantitatively constrained by a He-C isotope coupling calculation model. We propose that CO2 exsolves from the upper mantle melting beneath the Tianchi caldera, which migrates to the crustal magma chamber and further transports to the surface of YMS along the deep fault system. During the transportation processes, the emission

Surface resistivity measurement of plasma treated polymers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Simon, D.; Pigram, P.J.; Liesegang, J.

2000-01-01

Full text: Resistivity of insulators is an important property of materials used within the integrated circuit and packaging industries. The measurement of electrical resistivity of insulator materials in the surface region in this work is interpreted through observations of surface charge decay. A self-field driven and diffusion charge transport theory is used to model the process and resistivity values obtained computationally. Data for the charge decay of surface charged samples are collected by suspending them inside a coaxial cylinder connected to an electrometer. Samples used have been low density polyethylene LDPE sheet, both pristine and surface treated. Some samples have been treated by air plasma at low vacuum pressures for different periods of time; others have been washed in ethyl acetate and then plasma treated before the resistivity measurement. The sets of resistivity measurements form the various treatments are compared below. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) has also been used to investigate and account for the observed variations in surface resistivity

Deep level centers in electron-irradiated silicon crystals doped with copper at different temperatures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yarykin, Nikolai [Institute of Microelectronics Technology, RAS, Chernogolovka (Russian Federation); Weber, Joerg [Technische Universitaet Dresden (Germany)

2017-07-15

The effect of bombardment with energetic particles on the deep-level spectrum of copper-contaminated silicon wafers is studied by space charge spectroscopy methods. The p-type FZ-Si wafers were doped with copper in the temperature range of 645-750 C and then irradiated with the 10{sup 15} cm{sup -2} fluence of 5 MeV electrons at room temperature. Only the mobile Cu{sub i} species and the Cu{sub PL} centers are detected in significant concentrations in the non-irradiated Cu-doped wafers. The properties of the irradiated samples are found to qualitatively depend on the copper in-diffusion temperature T{sub diff}. For T{sub diff} > 700 C, the irradiation partially reduces the Cu{sub i} concentration and introduces additional Cu{sub PL} centers while no standard radiation defects are detected. If T{sub diff} was below ∝700 C, the irradiation totally removes the mobile Cu{sub i} species. Instead, the standard radiation defects and their complexes with copper appear in the deep-level spectrum. A model for the defects reaction scheme during the irradiation is derived and discussed. DLTS spectrum of the Cu-contaminated and then irradiated silicon qualitatively depends on the copper in-diffusion temperature. (copyright 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

The influence of temperature on the diffusion of {sup 125}I{sup -} in Beishan granite

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chen, T.; Sun, M.; Li, C.; Tian, W.; Liu, X.; Wang, L.; Wang, X.; Liu, C. [Beijing National Lab. for Molecular Science, Peking Univ., BJ (China)

2010-07-01

China has planned to deal with the high-level radioactive wastes (HLW) in the middle of this century with deep geologic disposal method. The release of heat from HLW may cause the rise of temperatures in the surrounding backfilling materials or even the host rock of a repository. This brings about the concerns that the temperature elevation in the host rock may change the diffusion characteristics of key radionuclides and have some unpredictable effects in the performance assessment. In this paper, the influence of temperature on the diffusion of {sup 125}I{sup -} in Beishan Granite is studied by through diffusion method. The effective diffusion coefficients (D{sub e}) of {sup 125}I{sup -} in the granite from 27 to 50 C are obtained and analyzed as a function of temperature. Our result indicated that the relationship between D{sub e} and temperature can be described by the modified Nernst equation, and the formation factors (F{sub f}) of the granite from 27 to 50 C is constant with an average value of 1.03 x 10{sup -4}. (orig.)

Formation of metal and dielectric liners using a solution process for deep trench capacitors.

Science.gov (United States)

Ham, Yong-Hyun; Kim, Dong-Pyo; Baek, Kyu-Ha; Park, Kun-Sik; Kim, Moonkeun; Kwon, Kwang-Ho; Shin, Hong-Sik; Lee, Kijun; Do, Lee-Mi

2012-07-01

We demonstrated the feasibility of metal and dielectric liners using a solution process for deep trench capacitor application. The deep Si trench via with size of 10.3 microm and depth of 71 microm were fabricated by Bosch process in deep reactive ion etch (DRIE) system. The aspect ratio was about 7. Then, nano-Ag ink and poly(4-vinylphenol) (PVPh) were used to form metal and dielectric liners, respectively. The thicknesses of the Ag and PVPh liners were about 144 and 830 nm, respectively. When the curing temperature of Ag film increased from 120 to 150 degrees C, the sheet resistance decreased rapidly from 2.47 to 0.72 Omega/sq and then slightly decreased to 0.6 Omega/sq with further increasing the curing temperature beyond 150 degrees C. The proposed liner formation method using solution process is a simple and cost effective process for the high capacity of deep trench capacitor.

Charge dividing mechanism on resistive electrode in position-sensitive detectors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Radeka, V.; Rehak, P.

1978-10-01

A complete charge-division mechanism, including both the diffusion and the electromagnetic wave propagation on resistive electrodes, is presented. The charge injected into such a transmission line divides between the two ends according to the ratio of resistancies and independently of the value of the line resistance, of the propagation mechanism and of the distribution of inductance and capacitance along the line. The shortest charge division time is achieved for Rl = 2π (L/C) 1 / 2 , where R, L, C are resistance, inductance and capacitance per unit length and l is the length of the line

Resistive foil edge grading for accelerator and other high voltage structures

Science.gov (United States)

Caporaso, George J.; Sampayan, Stephen F.; Sanders, David M.

2014-06-10

In a structure or device having a pair of electrical conductors separated by an insulator across which a voltage is placed, resistive layers are formed around the conductors to force the electric potential within the insulator to distribute more uniformly so as to decrease or eliminate electric field enhancement at the conductor edges. This is done by utilizing the properties of resistive layers to allow the voltage on the electrode to diffuse outwards, reducing the field stress at the conductor edge. Preferably, the resistive layer has a tapered resistivity, with a lower resistivity adjacent to the conductor and a higher resistivity away from the conductor. Generally, a resistive path across the insulator is provided, preferably by providing a resistive region in the bulk of the insulator, with the resistive layer extending over the resistive region.

Experimental Investigation of Diffuser Hub Injection to Improve Centrifugal Compressor Stability

Science.gov (United States)

Skoch, Gary J.

2004-01-01

Results from a series of experiments to investigate whether centrifugal compressor stability could be improved by injecting air through the diffuser hub surface are reported. The research was conducted in a 4:1 pressure ratio centrifugal compressor configured with a vane-island diffuser. Injector nozzles were located just upstream of the leading edge of the diffuser vanes. Nozzle orientations were set to produce injected streams angled at 8, 0 and +8 degrees relative to the vane mean camber line. Several injection flow rates were tested using both an external air supply and recirculation from the diffuser exit. Compressor flow range did not improve at any injection flow rate that was tested. Compressor flow range did improve slightly at zero injection due to the flow resistance created by injector openings on the hub surface. Leading edge loading and semi-vaneless space diffusion showed trends similar to those reported earlier from shroud surface experiments that did improve compressor flow range. Opposite trends are seen for hub injection cases where compressor flow range decreased. The hub injection data further explain the range improvement provided by shroud-side injection and suggest that different hub-side techniques may produce range improvement in centrifugal compressors.

Barrier capability of Zr-N films with titanium addition against copper diffusion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Ying; Cao Fei; Yang Xiaodong; Ding Minghui

2009-01-01

Zr-Ti-N film prepared by sputtering deposition has been employed as a potential diffusion barrier for Cu metallization. It is thought that the existing states of Ti and Zr in the films are Ti-N and Zr-N phase in Zr-Ti-N films. Material analysis by XRD, XPS and sheet resistance measurement reveal that the failure of Zr-N film is mainly due to the formation of Cu 3 Si precipitates at the Zr-N/Si interface by Cu diffusion through the grain boundaries or local defects of the Zr-N barrier layer into Si substrate. In conjunction with sheet resistance measurement, XRD and XPS analyses, the Cu/Zr-Ti-N/Si contact system has high thermal stability at least up to 700 deg. C. The incorporation of Ti atoms into Zr-N barrier layer was shown to be beneficial in improving the thermal stability of the Cu/barrier/Si contact system.

Speckle contrast diffuse correlation tomography of complex turbid medium flow

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Huang, Chong; Irwin, Daniel; Lin, Yu; Shang, Yu; He, Lian; Kong, Weikai; Yu, Guoqiang [Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky 40506 (United States); Luo, Jia [Department of Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky 40506 (United States)

2015-07-15

Purpose: Developed herein is a three-dimensional (3D) flow contrast imaging system leveraging advancements in the extension of laser speckle contrast imaging theories to deep tissues along with our recently developed finite-element diffuse correlation tomography (DCT) reconstruction scheme. This technique, termed speckle contrast diffuse correlation tomography (scDCT), enables incorporation of complex optical property heterogeneities and sample boundaries. When combined with a reflectance-based design, this system facilitates a rapid segue into flow contrast imaging of larger, in vivo applications such as humans. Methods: A highly sensitive CCD camera was integrated into a reflectance-based optical system. Four long-coherence laser source positions were coupled to an optical switch for sequencing of tomographic data acquisition providing multiple projections through the sample. This system was investigated through incorporation of liquid and solid tissue-like phantoms exhibiting optical properties and flow characteristics typical of human tissues. Computer simulations were also performed for comparisons. A uniquely encountered smear correction algorithm was employed to correct point-source illumination contributions during image capture with the frame-transfer CCD and reflectance setup. Results: Measurements with scDCT on a homogeneous liquid phantom showed that speckle contrast-based deep flow indices were within 12% of those from standard DCT. Inclusion of a solid phantom submerged below the liquid phantom surface allowed for heterogeneity detection and validation. The heterogeneity was identified successfully by reconstructed 3D flow contrast tomography with scDCT. The heterogeneity center and dimensions and averaged relative flow (within 3%) and localization were in agreement with actuality and computer simulations, respectively. Conclusions: A custom cost-effective CCD-based reflectance 3D flow imaging system demonstrated rapid acquisition of dense boundary

Diffusion in higher dimensional SYK model with complex fermions

Science.gov (United States)

Cai, Wenhe; Ge, Xian-Hui; Yang, Guo-Hong

2018-01-01

We construct a new higher dimensional SYK model with complex fermions on bipartite lattices. As an extension of the original zero-dimensional SYK model, we focus on the one-dimension case, and similar Hamiltonian can be obtained in higher dimensions. This model has a conserved U(1) fermion number Q and a conjugate chemical potential μ. We evaluate the thermal and charge diffusion constants via large q expansion at low temperature limit. The results show that the diffusivity depends on the ratio of free Majorana fermions to Majorana fermions with SYK interactions. The transport properties and the butterfly velocity are accordingly calculated at low temperature. The specific heat and the thermal conductivity are proportional to the temperature. The electrical resistivity also has a linear temperature dependence term.

Resistance patterns of Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Two hundred (200) strains of S. aureus and P. aeruginosa were isolated from clinical samples collected from patients in Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital and Infectious Diseases Hospital, Kano. The confirmed isolates were tested for resistance to quinolones by the agar disk diffusion susceptibility test and the agar ...

Thalamic diffusion differences related to cognitive function in white matter lesions.

Science.gov (United States)

Fernández-Andújar, Marina; Soriano-Raya, Juan José; Miralbell, Júlia; López-Cancio, Elena; Cáceres, Cynthia; Bargalló, Núria; Barrios, Maite; Arenillas, Juan Francisco; Toran, Pere; Alzamora, Maite; Clemente, Imma; Dávalos, Antoni; Mataró, Maria

2014-05-01

Cerebral white matter lesions (WMLs) are related to cognitive deficits, probably due to a disruption of frontal-subcortical circuits. We explored thalamic diffusion differences related to white matter lesions (WMLs) and their association with cognitive function in middle-aged individuals. Ninety-six participants from the Barcelona-AsIA Neuropsychology Study were included. Participants were classified into groups based on low grade and high grade of periventricular hyperintensities (PVHs) and deep white matter hyperintensities (DWMHs). Tract-Based Spatial Statistics was used to study thalamic diffusion differences between groups. Mean fractional anisotropy (FA) values in significant areas were calculated for each subject and correlated with cognitive performance. Participants with high-grade PVHs and DWMHs showed lower FA thalamic values compared to those with low-grade PVHs and DWMHs, respectively. Decreased FA thalamic values in high-grade DWMHs, but not high-grade PVH, were related to lower levels of performance in psychomotor speed, verbal fluency, and visuospatial skills. Thalamic diffusion differences are related to lower cognitive function only in participants with high-grade DWMHs. These results support the hypothesis that fronto-subcortical disruption is associated with cognitive function only in DWMHs. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Growth and decay of surface voltage on silver diffused polyimide exposed to 3-15 keV electrons

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mahapatra, S K; Dhole, S D; Bhoraskar, V N [Department of Physics, University of Pune, Pune-411007 (India)

2007-02-21

During electron irradiation, the growth in the surface voltage on virgin and silver diffused polyimide sample was studied by varying electron energy from 3 to 15 keV and beam diameter from 3 to 15 mm. At a constant beam current, the surface voltage increased nonlinearly with electron energy but decreased slowly with beam diameter at fixed electron energy. At a surface voltage around saturation or beyond 3 kV, the electron beam was switched off and the decay in the surface voltage was studied for a period of 9 x 10{sup 4} s. The surface analysis revealed that the relative concentrations of carbon increased and that of the oxygen and the nitrogen decreased in the electron irradiated virgin and silver diffused polyimide sample, however in different proportions. Under the identical conditions of electron irradiation, the growth rate of the surface voltage, the post irradiated surface resistivity and the voltage decay constant of the silver diffused polyimide were lower than that of the virgin polyimide. The results of the present study reveal that the resistance of the silver diffused polyimide to keV electrons is higher than that of the virgin polyimide.

Closed loop deep brain stimulation: an evolving technology.

Science.gov (United States)

Hosain, Md Kamal; Kouzani, Abbas; Tye, Susannah

2014-12-01

Deep brain stimulation is an effective and safe medical treatment for a variety of neurological and psychiatric disorders including Parkinson's disease, essential tremor, dystonia, and treatment resistant obsessive compulsive disorder. A closed loop deep brain stimulation (CLDBS) system automatically adjusts stimulation parameters by the brain response in real time. The CLDBS continues to evolve due to the advancement in the brain stimulation technologies. This paper provides a study on the existing systems developed for CLDBS. It highlights the issues associated with CLDBS systems including feedback signal recording and processing, stimulation parameters setting, control algorithm, wireless telemetry, size, and power consumption. The benefits and limitations of the existing CLDBS systems are also presented. Whilst robust clinical proof of the benefits of the technology remains to be achieved, it has the potential to offer several advantages over open loop DBS. The CLDBS can improve efficiency and efficacy of therapy, eliminate lengthy start-up period for programming and adjustment, provide a personalized treatment, and make parameters setting automatic and adaptive.

High temperature diffusion induced liquid phase joining of a heat resistant alloy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wikstrom, N.P.; Egbewande, A.T.; Ojo, O.A.

2008-01-01

Transient liquid phase bonding (TLP) of a nickel base superalloy, Waspaloy, was performed to study the influence of holding time and temperature on the joint microstructure. Insufficient holding time for complete isothermal solidification of liquated insert caused formation of eutectic-type microconstituent along the joint centerline region in the alloy. In agreement with prediction by conventional TLP diffusion models, an increase in bonding temperature for a constant gap size, resulted in decrease in the time, t f, required to form a eutectic-free joint by complete isothermal solidification. However, a significant deviation from these models was observed in specimens bonded at and above 1175 deg. C. A reduction in isothermal solidification rate with increased temperature was observed in these specimens, such that a eutectic-free joint could not be achieved by holding for a time period that produced complete isothermal solidification at lower temperatures. Boron-rich particles were observed within the eutectic that formed in the joints prepared at the higher temperatures. An overriding effect of decrease in boron solubility relative to increase in its diffusivity with increase in temperature, is a plausible important factor responsible for the reduction in isothermal solidification rate at the higher bonding temperatures

Antimicrobial Susceptibility/Resistance of Streptococcus Pneumoniae

Science.gov (United States)

Karcic, Emina; Aljicevic, Mufida; Bektas, Sabaheta; Karcic, Bekir

2015-01-01

Introduction: Pneumococcal infections are a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, whose treatment is threatened with an increase in the number of strains resistant to antibiotic therapy. Goal: The main goal of this research was to investigate the presence of antimicrobial susceptibility/resistance of S. pneumoniae. Material and methods: Taken are swabs of the nose and nasopharynx, eye and ear. In vitro tests that were made in order to study the antimicrobial resistance of pneumococci are: disk diffusion method and E-test. Results: The resistance to inhibitors of cell wall synthesis was recorded at 39.17%, protein synthesis inhibitors 19.67%, folate antagonists 47.78% and quinolone in 1.11%. S. pneumoniae has shown drug resistance to erythromycin in 45%, clindamycin in 45%, chloramphenicol–0.56%, rifampicin–6.11%, tetracycline–4.67%, penicillin-G in 4.44%, oxacillin in 73.89%, ciprofloxacin in 1.11% and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole in 5.34% of cases. Conclusion: The highest resistance pneumococcus showed to erythromycin, clindamycin and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole and these should be avoided in the treatment. The least resistance pneumococcus showed to tetracycline, rifampicin, chloramphenicol, penicillin-G and ciprofloxacin. PMID:26236165

Effect of annealing on structural changes and oxygen diffusion in amorphous HfO2 using classical molecular dynamics

Science.gov (United States)

Shen, Wenqing; Kumari, Niru; Gibson, Gary; Jeon, Yoocharn; Henze, Dick; Silverthorn, Sarah; Bash, Cullen; Kumar, Satish

2018-02-01

Non-volatile memory is a promising alternative to present memory technologies. Oxygen vacancy diffusion has been widely accepted as one of the reasons for the resistive switching mechanism of transition-metal-oxide based resistive random access memory. In this study, molecular dynamics simulation is applied to investigate the diffusion coefficient and activation energy of oxygen in amorphous hafnia. Two sets of empirical potential, Charge-Optimized Many-Body (COMB) and Morse-BKS (MBKS), were considered to investigate the structural and diffusion properties at different temperatures. COMB predicts the activation energy of 0.53 eV for the temperature range of 1000-2000 K, while MBKS predicts 2.2 eV at high temperature (1600-2000 K) and 0.36 eV at low temperature (1000-1600 K). Structural changes and appearance of nano-crystalline phases with increasing temperature might affect the activation energy of oxygen diffusion predicted by MBKS, which is evident from the change in coordination number distribution and radial distribution function. None of the potentials make predictions that are fully consistent with density functional theory simulations of both the structure and diffusion properties of HfO2. This suggests the necessity of developing a better multi-body potential that considers charge exchange.

Emergent HIV-1 Drug Resistance Mutations Were Not Present at Low-Frequency at Baseline in Non-Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitor-Treated Subjects in the STaR Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Porter, Danielle P; Daeumer, Martin; Thielen, Alexander; Chang, Silvia; Martin, Ross; Cohen, Cal; Miller, Michael D; White, Kirsten L

2015-12-07

At Week 96 of the Single-Tablet Regimen (STaR) study, more treatment-naïve subjects that received rilpivirine/emtricitabine/tenofovir DF (RPV/FTC/TDF) developed resistance mutations compared to those treated with efavirenz (EFV)/FTC/TDF by population sequencing. Furthermore, more RPV/FTC/TDF-treated subjects with baseline HIV-1 RNA >100,000 copies/mL developed resistance compared to subjects with baseline HIV-1 RNA ≤100,000 copies/mL. Here, deep sequencing was utilized to assess the presence of pre-existing low-frequency variants in subjects with and without resistance development in the STaR study. Deep sequencing (Illumina MiSeq) was performed on baseline and virologic failure samples for all subjects analyzed for resistance by population sequencing during the clinical study (n = 33), as well as baseline samples from control subjects with virologic response (n = 118). Primary NRTI or NNRTI drug resistance mutations present at low frequency (≥2% to 20%) were detected in 6.6% of baseline samples by deep sequencing, all of which occurred in control subjects. Deep sequencing results were generally consistent with population sequencing but detected additional primary NNRTI and NRTI resistance mutations at virologic failure in seven samples. HIV-1 drug resistance mutations emerging while on RPV/FTC/TDF or EFV/FTC/TDF treatment were not present at low frequency at baseline in the STaR study.

Emergent HIV-1 Drug Resistance Mutations Were Not Present at Low-Frequency at Baseline in Non-Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitor-Treated Subjects in the STaR Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Danielle P. Porter

2015-12-01

Full Text Available At Week 96 of the Single-Tablet Regimen (STaR study, more treatment-naïve subjects that received rilpivirine/emtricitabine/tenofovir DF (RPV/FTC/TDF developed resistance mutations compared to those treated with efavirenz (EFV/FTC/TDF by population sequencing. Furthermore, more RPV/FTC/TDF-treated subjects with baseline HIV-1 RNA >100,000 copies/mL developed resistance compared to subjects with baseline HIV-1 RNA ≤100,000 copies/mL. Here, deep sequencing was utilized to assess the presence of pre-existing low-frequency variants in subjects with and without resistance development in the STaR study. Deep sequencing (Illumina MiSeq was performed on baseline and virologic failure samples for all subjects analyzed for resistance by population sequencing during the clinical study (n = 33, as well as baseline samples from control subjects with virologic response (n = 118. Primary NRTI or NNRTI drug resistance mutations present at low frequency (≥2% to 20% were detected in 6.6% of baseline samples by deep sequencing, all of which occurred in control subjects. Deep sequencing results were generally consistent with population sequencing but detected additional primary NNRTI and NRTI resistance mutations at virologic failure in seven samples. HIV-1 drug resistance mutations emerging while on RPV/FTC/TDF or EFV/FTC/TDF treatment were not present at low frequency at baseline in the STaR study.

Prevalence of antimicrobial resistance and the cfiA resistance gene in Danish Bacteroides fragilis group isolates since 1973

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)