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Sample records for rich spectral structure

  1. The leucine-rich repeat structure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bella, J; Hindle, K L; McEwan, P A; Lovell, S C

    2008-08-01

    The leucine-rich repeat is a widespread structural motif of 20-30 amino acids with a characteristic repetitive sequence pattern rich in leucines. Leucine-rich repeat domains are built from tandems of two or more repeats and form curved solenoid structures that are particularly suitable for protein-protein interactions. Thousands of protein sequences containing leucine-rich repeats have been identified by automatic annotation methods. Three-dimensional structures of leucine-rich repeat domains determined to date reveal a degree of structural variability that translates into the considerable functional versatility of this protein superfamily. As the essential structural principles become well established, the leucine-rich repeat architecture is emerging as an attractive framework for structural prediction and protein engineering. This review presents an update of the current understanding of leucine-rich repeat structure at the primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary levels and discusses specific examples from recently determined three-dimensional structures.

  2. Spectral Analysis of Rich Network Topology in Social Networks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Leting

    2013-01-01

    Social networks have received much attention these days. Researchers have developed different methods to study the structure and characteristics of the network topology. Our focus is on spectral analysis of the adjacency matrix of the underlying network. Recent work showed good properties in the adjacency spectral space but there are few…

  3. Spectrally-Selective Photonic Structures for PV Applications

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Benedikt Bläsi

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available We review several examples of how spectrally-selective photonic structures may be used to improve solar cell systems. Firstly, we introduce different spectrally-selective structures that are based on interference effects. Examples shown include Rugate filter, edge filter and 3D photonic crystals such as artificial opals. In the second part, we discuss several examples of photovoltaic (PV concepts that utilize spectral selectivity such as fluorescence collectors, upconversion systems, spectrum splitting concepts and the intermediate reflector concept. The potential of spectrally selective filters in the context of solar cells is discussed.

  4. Extreme spectral richness in the eye of the Common Bluebottle butterfly, Graphium sarpedon

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pei-Ju eChen

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available Butterfly eyes are furnished with a variety of photoreceptors of different spectral sensitivities often in species-specific manner. We have conducted an extensive comparative study to address the question of how their spectrally complex retinas evolved. Here we investigated the structure and function of the eye of the common bluebottle butterfly (Graphium sarpedon, using electrophysiological, anatomical and molecular approaches. Intracellular electrophysiology revealed that the eye contains photoreceptors of fifteen distinct spectral sensitivities. These can be divided into six spectral receptor classes: ultraviolet- (UV, violet- (V, blue- (B, blue-green- (BG, green- (G, and red- (R sensitive. The B, G and R classes respectively contain three, four and five subclasses. Fifteen is the record number of spectral receptors so far reported in a single insect eye. We localized these receptors by injecting dye into individual photoreceptors after recording their spectral sensitivities. We thus found that four of them are confined to the dorsal region, eight to the ventral, and three exist throughout the eye; the ventral eye region is spectrally richer than the dorsal region. We also identified mRNAs encoding visual pigment opsins of one ultraviolet, one blue and three long wavelength-absorbing types. Localization of these mRNAs by in situ hybridization revealed that the dorsal photoreceptors each express a single opsin mRNA, but more than half of the ventral photoreceptors coexpress two or three L opsin mRNAs. This expression pattern well explains the spectral organization of the Graphium compound eye.

  5. Structural elucidation, molecular representation and solvent interactions of vitrinite-rich and inertinite-rich South African coals

    Science.gov (United States)

    van Niekerk, Daniel

    The structural differences and similarities of two Permian-aged South African coals, vitrinite-rich Waterberg and inertinite-rich Highveld coals (similar rank, carbon content and Permian age), were evaluated. With South African coals the opportunity presented itself to study not only Permian-aged Gondwana vitrinite but also inertinite. It was expected that these coals would differ from Northern hemisphere Carboniferous coals. It was concluded from various structural data that both coals, although different in maceral composition and depositional basins, are similar in their base structural composition. The main differences were that the inertinite-rich Highveld coal was more ordered, more aromatic, and had less hydrogen than the vitrinite-rich Waterberg coal. Analytical data were used to construct large-scale advanced molecular representations for vitrinite-rich Waterberg and inertinite-rich Highveld coals. The three-dimensional models were structurally diverse with a molecular weight range of 78 to 1900 amu. The vitrinite-rich coal model consisted of 18,572 atoms and 191 individual molecules and the inertinite-rich coal model consisted of 14,242 atoms and 158 individual molecules. This largescale modeling effort was enabled by the development of various PERL scripts to automate various visualization and analytical aspects. Coal swelling studies were conducted using the traditional pack-bed swelling method and a new novel single-particle stop-motion videography swelling method with NMP and CS2/NMP solvents. The pack-bed swelling showed that vitrinite-rich coal had a greater swelling extent and that swelling extent for both coals was greater in CS2/NMP binary solvent than for NMP. Single-particle swelling experiments showed that both coals, for both solvents, exhibit overshoot-type and climbing-type swelling behaviors. Inertinite-coal had a faster swelling rate, in both solvents, than the vitrinite-rich coal. The single-particle swelling data was used to calculate

  6. Spectral entropy criteria for structural segmentation in genomic DNA sequences

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chechetkin, V.R.; Lobzin, V.V.

    2004-01-01

    The spectral entropy is calculated with Fourier structure factors and characterizes the level of structural ordering in a sequence of symbols. It may efficiently be applied to the assessment and reconstruction of the modular structure in genomic DNA sequences. We present the relevant spectral entropy criteria for the local and non-local structural segmentation in DNA sequences. The results are illustrated with the model examples and analysis of intervening exon-intron segments in the protein-coding regions

  7. Spectral structure of mesoscale winds over the water

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Larsén, Xiaoli Guo; Vincent, Claire Louise; Larsen, Søren Ejling

    2013-01-01

    to describe the spectral slope transition as well as the limit for application of the Taylor hypothesis. The stability parameter calculated from point measurements, the bulk Richardson number, is found insufficient to represent the various atmospheric structures that have their own spectral behaviours under...... spectra show universal characteristics, in agreement with the findings in literature, including the energy amplitude and the −5/3 spectral slope in the mesoscale range transitioning to a slope of −3 for synoptic and planetary scales. The integral time-scale of the local weather is found to be useful...... different stability conditions, such as open cells and gravity waves. For stationary conditions, the mesoscale turbulence is found to bear some characteristics of two-dimensional isotropy, including (1) very minor vertical variation of spectra; (2) similar spectral behaviour for the along- and across...

  8. Spectral-Product Methods for Electronic Structure Calculations (Preprint)

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Langhoff, P. W; Mills, J. E; Boatz, J. A

    2006-01-01

    .... The spectral-product approach to molecular electronic structure avoids the repeated evaluations of the one- and two-electron integrals required in construction of polyatomic Hamiltonian matrices...

  9. Spectral-Product Methods for Electronic Structure Calculations (Postprint)

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Langhoff, P. W; Hinde, R. J; Mills, J. D; Boatz, J. A

    2007-01-01

    .... The spectral-product approach to molecular electronic structure avoids the repeated evaluations of the one- and two-electron integrals required in construction of polyatomic Hamiltonian matrices...

  10. Ion spectral structures observed by the Van Allen Probes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ferradas, C.; Zhang, J.; Spence, H. E.; Kistler, L. M.; Larsen, B.; Reeves, G. D.; Skoug, R. M.; Funsten, H. O.

    2015-12-01

    During the last decades several missions have recorded the presence of dynamic spectral features of energetic ions in the inner magnetosphere. Previous studies have reported single "nose-like" structures occurring alone and simultaneous nose-like structures (up to three). These ion structures are named after the characteristic shapes of energy bands or gaps in the energy-time spectrograms of in situ measured ion fluxes. They constitute the observational signatures of ion acceleration, transport, and loss in the global magnetosphere. The HOPE mass spectrometer onboard the Van Allen Probes measures energetic hydrogen, helium, and oxygen ions near the inner edge of the plasma sheet, where these ion structures are observed. We present a statistical study of nose-like structures, using 2-years measurements from the HOPE instrument. The results provide important details about the spatial distribution (dependence on geocentric distance), spectral features of the structures (differences among species), and geomagnetic conditions under which these structures occur.

  11. Polarized Redundant-Baseline Calibration for 21 cm Cosmology Without Adding Spectral Structure

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dillon, Joshua S.; Kohn, Saul A.; Parsons, Aaron R.; Aguirre, James E.; Ali, Zaki S.; Bernardi, Gianni; Kern, Nicholas S.; Li, Wenyang; Liu, Adrian; Nunhokee, Chuneeta D.; Pober, Jonathan C.

    2018-04-01

    21 cm cosmology is a promising new probe of the evolution of visible matter in our universe, especially during the poorly-constrained Cosmic Dawn and Epoch of Reionization. However, in order to separate the 21 cm signal from bright astrophysical foregrounds, we need an exquisite understanding of our telescopes so as to avoid adding spectral structure to spectrally-smooth foregrounds. One powerful calibration method relies on repeated simultaneous measurements of the same interferometric baseline to solve for the sky signal and for instrumental parameters simultaneously. However, certain degrees of freedom are not constrained by asserting internal consistency between redundant measurements. In this paper, we review the origin of these degeneracies of redundant-baseline calibration and demonstrate how they can source unwanted spectral structure in our measurement and show how to eliminate that additional, artificial structure. We also generalize redundant calibration to dual-polarization instruments, derive the degeneracy structure, and explore the unique challenges to calibration and preserving spectral smoothness presented by a polarized measurement.

  12. Effects of NMR spectral resolution on protein structure calculation.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Suhas Tikole

    Full Text Available Adequate digital resolution and signal sensitivity are two critical factors for protein structure determinations by solution NMR spectroscopy. The prime objective for obtaining high digital resolution is to resolve peak overlap, especially in NOESY spectra with thousands of signals where the signal analysis needs to be performed on a large scale. Achieving maximum digital resolution is usually limited by the practically available measurement time. We developed a method utilizing non-uniform sampling for balancing digital resolution and signal sensitivity, and performed a large-scale analysis of the effect of the digital resolution on the accuracy of the resulting protein structures. Structure calculations were performed as a function of digital resolution for about 400 proteins with molecular sizes ranging between 5 and 33 kDa. The structural accuracy was assessed by atomic coordinate RMSD values from the reference structures of the proteins. In addition, we monitored also the number of assigned NOESY cross peaks, the average signal sensitivity, and the chemical shift spectral overlap. We show that high resolution is equally important for proteins of every molecular size. The chemical shift spectral overlap depends strongly on the corresponding spectral digital resolution. Thus, knowing the extent of overlap can be a predictor of the resulting structural accuracy. Our results show that for every molecular size a minimal digital resolution, corresponding to the natural linewidth, needs to be achieved for obtaining the highest accuracy possible for the given protein size using state-of-the-art automated NOESY assignment and structure calculation methods.

  13. Structure of neutron-rich nuclei

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nazarewicz, W.; Oak Ridge National Lab., TN; Warsaw Univ.

    1997-11-01

    One of the frontiers of today's nuclear science is the ''journey to the limits'': of atomic charge and nuclear mass, of neutron-to-proton ratio, and of angular momentum. The new data on exotic nuclei are expected to bring qualitatively new information about the fundamental properties of the nucleonic many-body system, the nature of the nuclear interaction, and nucleonic correlations at various energy-distance scales. In this talk, current developments in nuclear structure of neutron-rich nuclei are discussed from a theoretical perspective

  14. Spectral investigation of a complex space charge structure in plasma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gurlui, S.; Dimitriu, D. G.; Ionita, C.; Schrittwieser, R. W.

    2009-01-01

    Complex space charge structures bordered by electrical double layers were spectrally investigated in argon plasma in the domain 400-1000 nm, identifying the lines corresponding to the transitions from different excited states of argon. The electron excitation temperature in the argon atoms was estimated from the spectral lines intensity ratio. (authors)

  15. Structure-property relationship in dielectric mixtures: application of the spectral density theory

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tuncer, Enis

    2005-01-01

    This paper presents numerical simulations performed on dielectric properties of two-dimensional binary composites. The influence of structural differences and intrinsic electrical properties of constituents on the composite's overall electrical properties is investigated. The structural differences are resolved by fitting the dielectric data with an empirical formula and by the spectral density representation approach. At low concentrations of inclusions (concentrations lower than the percolation threshold), the spectral density functions are delta-sequences, which corresponds to the predictions of the general Maxwell-Garnett (MG) mixture formula. At high concentrations of inclusions (close to the percolation threshold) systems exhibit non-Debye-type dielectric dispersions, and the spectral density functions differ from each other and that predicted by the MG expression. The analysis of the dielectric dispersions with an empirical formula also brings out the structural differences between the considered geometries, however, the information is not qualitative. The empirical formula can only be used to compare structures. The spectral representation method on the other hand is a concrete way of characterizing the structures of the dielectric mixtures. Therefore, as in other spectroscopic techniques, a look-up table might be useful to classify/characterize structures of composite materials. This can be achieved by generating dielectric data for known structures by using ab initio calculations, as presented and emphasized in this study. The numerical technique presented here is not based on any a priori assumption methods

  16. Liquid crystal-based Mueller matrix spectral imaging polarimetry for parameterizing mineral structural organization.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gladish, James C; Duncan, Donald D

    2017-01-20

    Herein, we discuss the remote assessment of the subwavelength organizational structure of a medium. Specifically, we use spectral imaging polarimetry, as the vector nature of polarized light enables it to interact with optical anisotropies within a medium, while the spectral aspect of polarization is sensitive to small-scale structure. The ability to image these effects allows for inference of spatial structural organization parameters. This work describes a methodology for revealing structural organization by exploiting the Stokes/Mueller formalism and by utilizing measurements from a spectral imaging polarimeter constructed from liquid crystal variable retarders and a liquid crystal tunable filter. We provide results to validate the system and then show results from measurements on a mineral sample.

  17. Structural and functional rich club organization of the brain in children and adults.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    David S Grayson

    Full Text Available Recent studies using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI have proposed that the brain's white matter is organized as a rich club, whereby the most highly connected regions of the brain are also highly connected to each other. Here we use both functional and diffusion-weighted MRI in the human brain to investigate whether the rich club phenomena is present with functional connectivity, and how this organization relates to the structural phenomena. We also examine whether rich club regions serve to integrate information between distinct brain systems, and conclude with a brief investigation of the developmental trajectory of rich-club phenomena. In agreement with prior work, both adults and children showed robust structural rich club organization, comprising regions of the superior medial frontal/dACC, medial parietal/PCC, insula, and inferior temporal cortex. We also show that these regions were highly integrated across the brain's major networks. Functional brain networks were found to have rich club phenomena in a similar spatial layout, but a high level of segregation between systems. While no significant differences between adults and children were found structurally, adults showed significantly greater functional rich club organization. This difference appeared to be driven by a specific set of connections between superior parietal, insula, and supramarginal cortex. In sum, this work highlights the existence of both a structural and functional rich club in adult and child populations with some functional changes over development. It also offers a potential target in examining atypical network organization in common developmental brain disorders, such as ADHD and Autism.

  18. Methods for Enhancing Geological Structures in Spectral Spatial Difference-Based on Remote-Sensing Image

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    2000-01-01

    @@In this paper, some image processing methods such as directional template (mask) matching enhancement, pseudocolor or false color enhancement, K-L transform enhancement are used to enhance a geological structure, one of important ore-controlling factors, shown in the remote-sensing images.This geological structure is regarded as image anomaly in the remote-sensing image, since considerable differences, based on the spatial spectral distribution pattern, in gray values (spectral), color tones and texture, are always present between the geological structure and background. Therefore,the enhancement of the geological structure in the remotesensing image is that of the spectral spatial difference.

  19. Acoustic richness modulates the neural networks supporting intelligible speech processing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Yune-Sang; Min, Nam Eun; Wingfield, Arthur; Grossman, Murray; Peelle, Jonathan E

    2016-03-01

    The information contained in a sensory signal plays a critical role in determining what neural processes are engaged. Here we used interleaved silent steady-state (ISSS) functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to explore how human listeners cope with different degrees of acoustic richness during auditory sentence comprehension. Twenty-six healthy young adults underwent scanning while hearing sentences that varied in acoustic richness (high vs. low spectral detail) and syntactic complexity (subject-relative vs. object-relative center-embedded clause structures). We manipulated acoustic richness by presenting the stimuli as unprocessed full-spectrum speech, or noise-vocoded with 24 channels. Importantly, although the vocoded sentences were spectrally impoverished, all sentences were highly intelligible. These manipulations allowed us to test how intelligible speech processing was affected by orthogonal linguistic and acoustic demands. Acoustically rich speech showed stronger activation than acoustically less-detailed speech in a bilateral temporoparietal network with more pronounced activity in the right hemisphere. By contrast, listening to sentences with greater syntactic complexity resulted in increased activation of a left-lateralized network including left posterior lateral temporal cortex, left inferior frontal gyrus, and left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Significant interactions between acoustic richness and syntactic complexity occurred in left supramarginal gyrus, right superior temporal gyrus, and right inferior frontal gyrus, indicating that the regions recruited for syntactic challenge differed as a function of acoustic properties of the speech. Our findings suggest that the neural systems involved in speech perception are finely tuned to the type of information available, and that reducing the richness of the acoustic signal dramatically alters the brain's response to spoken language, even when intelligibility is high. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier

  20. Spectral methods for the detection of network community structure: a comparative analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shen, Hua-Wei; Cheng, Xue-Qi

    2010-01-01

    Spectral analysis has been successfully applied to the detection of community structure of networks, respectively being based on the adjacency matrix, the standard Laplacian matrix, the normalized Laplacian matrix, the modularity matrix, the correlation matrix and several other variants of these matrices. However, the comparison between these spectral methods is less reported. More importantly, it is still unclear which matrix is more appropriate for the detection of community structure. This paper answers the question by evaluating the effectiveness of these five matrices against benchmark networks with heterogeneous distributions of node degree and community size. Test results demonstrate that the normalized Laplacian matrix and the correlation matrix significantly outperform the other three matrices at identifying the community structure of networks. This indicates that it is crucial to take into account the heterogeneous distribution of node degree when using spectral analysis for the detection of community structure. In addition, to our surprise, the modularity matrix exhibits very similar performance to the adjacency matrix, which indicates that the modularity matrix does not gain benefits from using the configuration model as a reference network with the consideration of the node degree heterogeneity

  1. Spectral analysis of the structure of ultradispersed diamonds

    Science.gov (United States)

    Uglov, V. V.; Shimanski, V. I.; Rusalsky, D. P.; Samtsov, M. P.

    2008-07-01

    The structure of ultradispersed diamonds (UDD) is studied by spectral methods. The presence of diamond crystal phase in the UDD is found based on x-ray analysis and Raman spectra. The Raman spectra also show sp2-and sp3-hybridized carbon. Analysis of IR absorption spectra suggests that the composition of functional groups present in the particles changes during the treatment.

  2. MOLECULAR LINE OBSERVATIONS OF THE CARBON-RICH CIRCUMSTELLAR ENVELOPE CIT 6 AT 7 mm WAVELENGTHS

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chau, Wayne; Zhang Yong; Nakashima, Jun-ichi; Kwok, Sun [Department of Physics, University of Hong Kong (Hong Kong); Deguchi, Shuji [Nobeyama Radio Observatory, National Astronomical Observatory, Minamimaki, Minamisaku, Nagano 384-1305 (Japan)

    2012-11-20

    We present a {lambda}7 mm spectral line survey of the carbon-rich circumstellar envelope (CSE) CIT 6 using the 45 m telescope at the Nobeyama Radio Observatory. A total of 25 spectral features belonging to five molecular species (HC{sub 3}N, HC{sub 5}N, HC{sub 7}N, SiO, and CS) are detected, enabling us to investigate the chemistry of cyanopolyyne chains. The line strengths are compared with those of the proto-typical carbon-rich CSE IRC+10216. The results show that the cyanopolyyne molecules are enhanced in CIT 6, suggesting that it is more evolved than IRC+10216. In order to investigate the structure of CIT 6, we have constructed a three-dimensional spatiokinematic model. By comparing the observed line profiles with the models, we conclude that this envelope is asymmetric and is composed of several incomplete shells.

  3. Organizational Information Requirements, Media Richness and Structural Design

    OpenAIRE

    Richard L. Daft; Robert H. Lengel

    1986-01-01

    This paper answers the question, "Why do organizations process information?" Uncertainty and equivocality are defined as two forces that influence information processing in organizations. Organization structure and internal systems determine both the amount and richness of information provided to managers. Models are proposed that show how organizations can be designed to meet the information needs of technology, interdepartmental relations, and the environment. One implication for managers i...

  4. The Effect of Epidermal Structures on Leaf Spectral Signatures of Ice Plants (Aizoaceae

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    René Hans-Jürgen Heim

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Epidermal structures (ES of leaves are known to affect the functional properties and spectral responses. Spectral studies focused mostly on the effect of hairs or wax layers only. We studied a wider range of different ES and their impact on spectral properties. Additionally, we identified spectral regions that allow distinguishing different ES. We used a field spectrometer to measure ex situ leaf spectral responses from 350 nm–2500 nm. A spectral library for 25 species of the succulent family Aizoaceae was assembled. Five functional types were defined based on ES: flat epidermal cell surface, convex to papillary epidermal cell surface, bladder cells, hairs and wax cover. We tested the separability of ES using partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA based on the spectral data. Subsequently, variable importance (VIP was calculated to identify spectral regions relevant for discriminating our functional types (classes. Classification performance was high, with a kappa value of 0.9 indicating well-separable spectral classes. VIP calculations identified six spectral regions of increased importance for the classification. We confirmed and extended previous findings regarding the visible-near-infrared spectral region. Our experiments also confirmed that epidermal leaf traits can be classified due to clearly distinguishable spectral signatures across species and genera within the Aizoaceae.

  5. Deep, Broadband Spectral Line Surveys of Molecule-rich Interstellar Clouds

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Widicus Weaver, Susanna L.; Laas, Jacob C.; Zou, Luyao; Kroll, Jay A.; Rad, Mary L.; Hays, Brian M.; Sanders, James L.; Cross, Trevor N.; Wehres, Nadine; McGuire, Brett A. [Department of Chemistry, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322 (United States); Lis, Dariusz C.; Sumner, Matthew C., E-mail: susanna.widicus.weaver@emory.edu [California Institute of Technology, Cahill Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics 301-17, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States)

    2017-09-01

    Spectral line surveys are an indispensable tool for exploring the physical and chemical evolution of astrophysical environments due to the vast amount of data that can be obtained in a relatively short amount of time. We present deep, broadband spectral line surveys of 30 interstellar clouds using two broadband λ  = 1.3 mm receivers at the Caltech Submillimeter Observatory. This information can be used to probe the influence of physical environment on molecular complexity. We observed a wide variety of sources to examine the relative abundances of organic molecules as they relate to the physical properties of the source (i.e., temperature, density, dynamics, etc.). The spectra are highly sensitive, with noise levels ≤25 mK at a velocity resolution of ∼0.35 km s{sup −1}. In the initial analysis presented here, column densities and rotational temperatures have been determined for the molecular species that contribute significantly to the spectral line density in this wavelength regime. We present these results and discuss their implications for complex molecule formation in the interstellar medium.

  6. Mapping accuracy via spectrally and structurally based filtering techniques: comparisons through visual observations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chockalingam, Letchumanan

    2005-01-01

    The data of Gunung Ledang region of Malaysia acquired through LANDSAT are considered to map certain hydrogeolocial features. To map these significant features, image-processing tools such as contrast enhancement, edge detection techniques are employed. The advantages of these techniques over the other methods are evaluated from the point of their validity in properly isolating features of hydrogeolocial interest are discussed. As these techniques take the advantage of spectral aspects of the images, these techniques have several limitations to meet the objectives. To discuss these limitations, a morphological transformation, which generally considers the structural aspects rather than spectral aspects from the image, are applied to provide comparisons between the results derived from spectral based and the structural based filtering techniques.

  7. Phylogenetic Structure of Foliar Spectral Traits in Tropical Forest Canopies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kelly M. McManus

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available The Spectranomics approach to tropical forest remote sensing has established a link between foliar reflectance spectra and the phylogenetic composition of tropical canopy tree communities vis-à-vis the taxonomic organization of biochemical trait variation. However, a direct relationship between phylogenetic affiliation and foliar reflectance spectra of species has not been established. We sought to develop this relationship by quantifying the extent to which underlying patterns of phylogenetic structure drive interspecific variation among foliar reflectance spectra within three Neotropical canopy tree communities with varying levels of soil fertility. We interpreted the resulting spectral patterns of phylogenetic signal in the context of foliar biochemical traits that may contribute to the spectral-phylogenetic link. We utilized a multi-model ensemble to elucidate trait-spectral relationships, and quantified phylogenetic signal for spectral wavelengths and traits using Pagel’s lambda statistic. Foliar reflectance spectra showed evidence of phylogenetic influence primarily within the visible and shortwave infrared spectral regions. These regions were also selected by the multi-model ensemble as those most important to the quantitative prediction of several foliar biochemical traits. Patterns of phylogenetic organization of spectra and traits varied across sites and with soil fertility, indicative of the complex interactions between the environmental and phylogenetic controls underlying patterns of biodiversity.

  8. Level structures of neutron-rich Xe isotopes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ahmad, I.; Lister, C.J.; Morss, L.R. [and others

    1995-08-01

    The level structures of neutron-rich Xe isotopes were determined by observing prompt gamma-ray coincidences in {sup 248}Cm fission fragments. A 5-mg {sup 248}Cm, in the form of {sup 248}Cm-KCl pellet, was placed inside Eurogam array which consisted of 45 Compton-suppressed Ge detectors and 5 Low-Energy Photon Spectrometers. Transitions in Xe isotopes were identified by the appearance of new peaks in the {gamma}-ray spectra obtained by gating on the gamma peaks of the complementary Mo fragments.

  9. Coherent Structures and Spectral Energy Transfer in Turbulent Plasma: A Space-Filter Approach

    Science.gov (United States)

    Camporeale, E.; Sorriso-Valvo, L.; Califano, F.; Retinò, A.

    2018-03-01

    Plasma turbulence at scales of the order of the ion inertial length is mediated by several mechanisms, including linear wave damping, magnetic reconnection, the formation and dissipation of thin current sheets, and stochastic heating. It is now understood that the presence of localized coherent structures enhances the dissipation channels and the kinetic features of the plasma. However, no formal way of quantifying the relationship between scale-to-scale energy transfer and the presence of spatial structures has been presented so far. In the Letter we quantify such a relationship analyzing the results of a two-dimensional high-resolution Hall magnetohydrodynamic simulation. In particular, we employ the technique of space filtering to derive a spectral energy flux term which defines, in any point of the computational domain, the signed flux of spectral energy across a given wave number. The characterization of coherent structures is performed by means of a traditional two-dimensional wavelet transformation. By studying the correlation between the spectral energy flux and the wavelet amplitude, we demonstrate the strong relationship between scale-to-scale transfer and coherent structures. Furthermore, by conditioning one quantity with respect to the other, we are able for the first time to quantify the inhomogeneity of the turbulence cascade induced by topological structures in the magnetic field. Taking into account the low space-filling factor of coherent structures (i.e., they cover a small portion of space), it emerges that 80% of the spectral energy transfer (both in the direct and inverse cascade directions) is localized in about 50% of space, and 50% of the energy transfer is localized in only 25% of space.

  10. A Soliton Hierarchy Associated with a Spectral Problem of 2nd Degree in a Spectral Parameter and Its Bi-Hamiltonian Structure

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yuqin Yao

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Associated with so~(3,R, a new matrix spectral problem of 2nd degree in a spectral parameter is proposed and its corresponding soliton hierarchy is generated within the zero curvature formulation. Bi-Hamiltonian structures of the presented soliton hierarchy are furnished by using the trace identity, and thus, all presented equations possess infinitely commuting many symmetries and conservation laws, which implies their Liouville integrability.

  11. Effects of spectral complexity and sound duration on automatic complex-sound pitch processing in humans - a mismatch negativity study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tervaniemi, M; Schröger, E; Saher, M; Näätänen, R

    2000-08-18

    The pitch of a spectrally rich sound is known to be more easily perceived than that of a sinusoidal tone. The present study compared the importance of spectral complexity and sound duration in facilitated pitch discrimination. The mismatch negativity (MMN), which reflects automatic neural discrimination, was recorded to a 2. 5% pitch change in pure tones with only one sinusoidal frequency component (500 Hz) and in spectrally rich tones with three (500-1500 Hz) and five (500-2500 Hz) harmonic partials. During the recordings, subjects concentrated on watching a silent movie. In separate blocks, stimuli were of 100 and 250 ms in duration. The MMN amplitude was enhanced with both spectrally rich sounds when compared with pure tones. The prolonged sound duration did not significantly enhance the MMN. This suggests that increased spectral rather than temporal information facilitates pitch processing of spectrally rich sounds.

  12. Multilayer photosensitive structures based on porous silicon and rare-earth-element compounds: Study of spectral characteristics

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kirsanov, N. Yu.; Latukhina, N. V., E-mail: natalat@yandex.ru; Lizunkova, D. A.; Rogozhina, G. A. [Samara National Research University (Russian Federation); Stepikhova, M. V. [Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute for Physics of Microstructures (Russian Federation)

    2017-03-15

    The spectral characteristics of the specular reflectance, photosensitivity, and photoluminescence (PL) of multilayer structures based on porous silicon with rare-earth-element (REE) ions are investigated. It is shown that the photosensitivity of these structures in the wavelength range of 0.4–1.0 μm is higher than in structures free of REEs. The structures with Er{sup 3+} ions exhibit a luminescence response at room temperature in the spectral range from 1.1 to 1.7 μm. The PL spectrum of the erbium impurity is characterized by a fine line structure, which is determined by the splitting of the {sup 4}I{sub 15/2} multiplet of the Er{sup 3+} ion. It is shown that the structures with a porous layer on the working surface have a much lower reflectance in the entire spectral range under study (0.2–1.0 μm).

  13. Multi-layer composite structure covered polytetrafluoroethylene for visible-infrared-radar spectral Compatibility

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qi, Dong; Cheng, Yongzhi; Wang, Xian; Wang, Fang; Li, Bowen; Gong, Rongzhou

    2017-12-01

    In this paper, a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) top-covered multi-layer composite structure PTFE/H s/(Ge/ZnS)3 (H s represents the surface layer ZnS with various thicknesses) for spectral compatibility is proposed and investigated theoretically and experimentally. A substantial decline of glossiness from over 200 Gs to 74.2 Gs could be realized, due to high roughness and interface reflection of the 800 nm PTFE protection layer. In addition, similar to the structure of H s/(Ge/ZnS)3, the designed structure with a certain color exhibits ultra-low emissivity of average 0.196 at 8-14 µm and highly transparent performance of 96.45% in the radar frequency range of 2-18 GHz. Our design will provide an important reference for the practical applications of the spectral compatible multilayer films.

  14. Spectral Quantitative Analysis Model with Combining Wavelength Selection and Topology Structure Optimization

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Qian Wang

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Spectroscopy is an efficient and widely used quantitative analysis method. In this paper, a spectral quantitative analysis model with combining wavelength selection and topology structure optimization is proposed. For the proposed method, backpropagation neural network is adopted for building the component prediction model, and the simultaneousness optimization of the wavelength selection and the topology structure of neural network is realized by nonlinear adaptive evolutionary programming (NAEP. The hybrid chromosome in binary scheme of NAEP has three parts. The first part represents the topology structure of neural network, the second part represents the selection of wavelengths in the spectral data, and the third part represents the parameters of mutation of NAEP. Two real flue gas datasets are used in the experiments. In order to present the effectiveness of the methods, the partial least squares with full spectrum, the partial least squares combined with genetic algorithm, the uninformative variable elimination method, the backpropagation neural network with full spectrum, the backpropagation neural network combined with genetic algorithm, and the proposed method are performed for building the component prediction model. Experimental results verify that the proposed method has the ability to predict more accurately and robustly as a practical spectral analysis tool.

  15. Ultraviolet spectral reflectance of carbonaceous materials

    Science.gov (United States)

    Applin, Daniel M.; Izawa, Matthew R. M.; Cloutis, Edward A.; Gillis-Davis, Jeffrey J.; Pitman, Karly M.; Roush, Ted L.; Hendrix, Amanda R.; Lucey, Paul G.

    2018-06-01

    A number of planetary spacecraft missions have carried instruments with sensors covering the ultraviolet (UV) wavelength range. However, there exists a general lack of relevant UV reflectance laboratory data to compare against these planetary surface remote sensing observations in order to make confident material identifications. To address this need, we have systematically analyzed reflectance spectra of carbonaceous materials in the 200-500 nm spectral range, and found spectral-compositional-structural relationships that suggest this wavelength region could distinguish between otherwise difficult-to-identify carbon phases. In particular (and by analogy with the infrared spectral region), large changes over short wavelength intervals in the refractive indices associated with the trigonal sp2π-π* transition of carbon can lead to Fresnel peaks and Christiansen-like features in reflectance. Previous studies extending to shorter wavelengths also show that anomalous dispersion caused by the σ-σ* transition associated with both the trigonal sp2 and tetrahedral sp3 sites causes these features below λ = 200 nm. The peak wavelength positions and shapes of π-π* and σ-σ* features contain information on sp3/sp2, structure, crystallinity, and powder grain size. A brief comparison with existing observational data indicates that the carbon fraction of the surface of Mercury is likely amorphous and submicroscopic, as is that on the surface of the martian satellites Phobos and Deimos, and possibly comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, while further coordinated observations and laboratory experiments should refine these feature assignments and compositional hypotheses. The new laboratory diffuse reflectance data reported here provide an important new resource for interpreting UV reflectance measurements from planetary surfaces throughout the solar system, and confirm that the UV can be rich in important spectral information.

  16. Temporal Evolution of Ion Spectral Structures During a Geomagnetic Storm: Observations and Modeling

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ferradas, C. P.; Zhang, J.-C.; Spence, H. E.; Kistler, L. M.; Larsen, B. A.; Reeves, G. D.; Skoug, R. M.; Funsten, H. O.

    2018-01-01

    Using the Van Allen Probes/Helium, Oxygen, Proton, and Electron mass spectrometer, we perform a case study of the temporal evolution of ion spectral structures observed in the energy range of 1 to 50 keV throughout the geomagnetic storm of 2 October 2013. The ion spectral features are observed near the inner edge of the plasma sheet and are signatures of fresh transport from the plasma sheet into the inner magnetosphere. We find that the characteristics of the ion structures are determined by the intensity of the convection electric field. Prior to the beginning of the storm, the plasma sheet inner edge exhibits narrow nose spectral structures that vary little in energy across L values. Ion access to the inner magnetosphere during these times is limited to the nose energy bands. As convection is enhanced and large amounts of plasma are injected from the plasma sheet during the main phase of the storm, ion access occurs at a wide energy range, as no nose structures are observed. As the magnetosphere recovers from the storm, single noses and then multiple noses are observed once again. We use a model of ion drift and losses due to charge exchange to simulate the ion spectra and gain insight into the main observed features.

  17. Structure of neutron-rich nuclei

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nazarewicz, W.

    2000-01-01

    Complete text of publication follows. The uncharted regions of the (N,Z) plane contain information that can answer many questions of fundamental importance for science: How many protons and neutrons can be clustered together by the strong interaction to form a bound nucleus? What are the proton and neutron magic numbers of the exotic nuclei? What are the properties of very short-lived exotic nuclei with extreme neutron-to-proton ratios? What is the effective nucleon-nucleon interaction in a nucleus that has a very large neutron excess? Nuclear life far from stability is different from that around the stability line; the promised access to completely new combinations of proton and neutron numbers offers prospects for new structural phenomena. The main objective of this talk is to discuss some of the challenges and opportunities of research with exotic nuclei. The covered topics will include: Theoretical challenges; Skins and halos in heavy nuclei; Shape coexistence in exotic nuclei; Beta-decays of neutron-rich nuclei. (author)

  18. Establishing a method to measure bone structure using spectral CT

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ramyar, M.; Leary, C.; Raja, A.; Butler, A. P. H.; Woodfield, T. B. F.; Anderson, N. G.

    2017-03-01

    Combining bone structure and density measurement in 3D is required to assess site-specific fracture risk. Spectral molecular imaging can measure bone structure in relation to bone density by measuring macro and microstructure of bone in 3D. This study aimed to optimize spectral CT methodology to measure bone structure in excised bone samples. MARS CT with CdTe Medipix3RX detector was used in multiple energy bins to calibrate bone structure measurements. To calibrate thickness measurement, eight different thicknesses of Aluminium (Al) sheets were scanned one in air and the other around a falcon tube and then analysed. To test if trabecular thickness measurements differed depending on scan plane, a bone sample from sheep proximal tibia was scanned in two orthogonal directions. To assess the effect of air on thickness measurement, two parts of the same human femoral head were scanned in two conditions (in the air and in PBS). The results showed that the MARS scanner (with 90μm voxel size) is able to accurately measure the Al (in air) thicknesses over 200μm but it underestimates the thicknesses below 200μm because of partial volume effect in Al-air interface. The Al thickness measured in the highest energy bin is overestimated at Al-falcon tube interface. Bone scanning in two orthogonal directions gives the same trabecular thickness and air in the bone structure reduced measurement accuracy. We have established a bone structure assessment protocol on MARS scanner. The next step is to combine this with bone densitometry to assess bone strength.

  19. Structure of the neutron-rich lithium isotopes in heavy-ion reactions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bespalova, O.V.; Galakhmatova, B.S.; Romanovskij, E.A.; Shitikova, K.V.; Burov, V.V.; Rzyanin, M.V.; Miller, H.G.; Yen, G.D.

    1993-01-01

    The structure properties, for factors, angular distributions and interaction cross sections of Li neutron-rich isotopes have been analyzed in the unified way. A good qualitative agreement with the experiment data was obtained. 20 refs.; 11 figs.; 1 tab

  20. Structure, richness and composition of arboreal plants in a cloud thinning forest of Tolima (Colombia)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Campo Kurmen, Juan Manuel

    2010-01-01

    Structure, richness, and floristic composition of the woody elements of the selective logging forest of the Vereda Dantas, (Ibague, Tolima, Colombia), where studied in a 0.1 ha plot sampled for all individuals ≥2.5 cm dbh. the forest is characterized by scarcity of lianas and hemiepiphytic, absence of typical families of the Colombian cloud forests between 2000 and 2500 m (Araceae, Ericaceae, Myrtaceae, Meliaceae and Aquifoliaceae), and richness increment of the Sabiaceae and Euphorbiaceae. Compared to others cloud forest from the Colombian Andes and the Neotropic, it has, fewer individuals (237 individuals ≥2.5 cm dbh per 0.1 ha) and more large trees (39.7% of individuals ≥10 cm dbh per 0.1 ha). The forest has a lower woody species richness (75 species ≥2.5 cm dbh per 0.1 ha). Apparently, the effects of selective timber extraction on structure, richness, and floristic composition are decrease floristic richness and density of individuals, decrease of lianas density and richness, and more individuals of secondary species, likes: Hedyosmum goudotianum Slms-Laubach var. goudatianum, Miconia resima Naud, and Palicourea calophlebia Standl.

  1. Higher order structure analysis of nano-materials by spectral reflectance of laser-plasma soft x-ray

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Azuma, Hirozumi; Takeichi, Akihiro; Noda, Shoji

    1995-01-01

    We have proposed a new experimental arrangement to measure spectral reflectance of nano-materials for analyzing higher order structure with laser-plasma soft x-rays. Structure modification of annealed Mo/Si multilayers and a nylon-6/clay hybrid with poor periodicity was investigated. The measurement of the spectral reflectance of soft x-rays from laser-produced plasma was found to be a useful method for the structure analysis of nano-materials, especially those of rather poor periodicity

  2. Abnormal rich club organization and impaired correlation between structural and functional connectivity in migraine sufferers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Kang; Liu, Lijun; Yin, Qin; Dun, Wanghuan; Xu, Xiaolin; Liu, Jixin; Zhang, Ming

    2017-04-01

    Because of the unique position of the topologically central role of densely interconnected brain hubs, our study aimed to investigate whether these regions and their related connections would be particularly vulnerable to migraine. In our study, we explored the rich club structure and its role in global functional dynamics in 30 patients with migraine without aura and 30 healthy controls. DTI and resting fMRI were used to construct structural connectivity (SC) and functional connectivity (FC) networks. An independent replication data set of 26 patients and 26 controls was included to replicate and validate significant findings. As compared with the controls, the structural networks of patients exhibited altered rich club organization with higher level of feeder connection density, abnormal small-world organization with increased global efficiency and decreased strength of SC-FC coupling. As these abnormal topological properties and headache attack duration exhibited a significant association with increased density of feeder connections, our results indicated that migraine may be characterized by a selective alteration of the structural connectivity of the rich club regions, tending to have higher 'bridgeness' with non-rich club regions, which may increase the integration among pain-related brain circuits with more excitability but less inhibition for the modulation of migraine.

  3. Structure of metal-rich (001) surfaces of III-V compound semiconductors

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kumpf, C.; Smilgies, D.; Landemark, E.

    2001-01-01

    The atomic structure of the group-III-rich surface of III-V semiconductor compounds has been under intense debate for many years, yet none of the models agrees with the experimental data available. Here we present a model for the three-dimensional structure of the (001)-c(8x2) reconstruction on In......(8 x 2) reconstructions of III-V semiconductor surfaces contain the same essential building blocks....

  4. Laser-spectroscopy studies of the nuclear structure of neutron-rich radium

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lynch, K. M.; Wilkins, S. G.; Billowes, J.; Binnersley, C. L.; Bissell, M. L.; Chrysalidis, K.; Cocolios, T. E.; Goodacre, T. Day; de Groote, R. P.; Farooq-Smith, G. J.; Fedorov, D. V.; Fedosseev, V. N.; Flanagan, K. T.; Franchoo, S.; Garcia Ruiz, R. F.; Gins, W.; Heinke, R.; Koszorús, Á.; Marsh, B. A.; Molkanov, P. L.; Naubereit, P.; Neyens, G.; Ricketts, C. M.; Rothe, S.; Seiffert, C.; Seliverstov, M. D.; Stroke, H. H.; Studer, D.; Vernon, A. R.; Wendt, K. D. A.; Yang, X. F.

    2018-02-01

    The neutron-rich radium isotopes, Ra-233222, were measured with Collinear Resonance Ionization Spectroscopy (CRIS) at the ISOLDE facility, CERN. The hyperfine structure of the 7 s2S10→7 s 7 p P31 transition was probed, allowing measurement of the magnetic moments, quadrupole moments, and changes in mean-square charge radii. These results are compared to existing literature values, and the new moments and change in mean-square charge radii of 231Ra are presented. Low-resolution laser spectroscopy of the very neutron-rich 233Ra has allowed the isotope shift and relative charge radius to be determined for the first time.

  5. Structure of Light Neutron-rich Nuclei

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dlouhy, Zdenek

    2007-01-01

    In this contribution we searched for irregularities in various separation energies in the frame of mass measurement of neutron-rich nuclei at GANIL. On this basis we can summarize that the new doubly magic nuclei are 8 He, 22 O and 24 O. They are characterized by extra stability and, except 24 O, they cannot accept and bind additional neutrons. However, if we add to these nuclei a proton we obtain 9 Li and 25 F which are the core for two-neutron halo nucleus 11 Li and enables that fluorine can bound even 6 more neutrons, respectively. In that aspect the doubly magic nuclei in the neutron-rich region can form the basis either for neutron halo or very neutron-rich nuclei. (Author)

  6. Quantifying seasonal dynamics of canopy structure and function using inexpensive narrowband spectral radiometers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vierling, L. A.; Garrity, S. R.; Campbell, G.; Coops, N. C.; Eitel, J.; Gamon, J. A.; Hilker, T.; Krofcheck, D. J.; Litvak, M. E.; Naupari, J. A.; Richardson, A. D.; Sonnentag, O.; van Leeuwen, M.

    2011-12-01

    Increasing the spatial and temporal density of automated environmental sensing networks is necessary to quantify shifts in plant structure (e.g., leaf area index) and function (e.g., photosynthesis). Improving detection sensitivity can facilitate a mechanistic understanding by better linking plant processes to environmental change. Spectral radiometer measurements can be highly useful for tracking plant structure and function from diurnal to seasonal time scales and calibrating and validating satellite- and aircraft-based spectral measurements. However, dense ground networks of such instruments are challenging to establish due to the cost and complexity of automated instrument deployment. We therefore developed simple to operate, lightweight and inexpensive narrowband (~10nm bandwidth) spectral instruments capable of continuously measuring four to six discrete bands that have proven capacity to describe key physiological processes and structural features of plant canopies. These bands are centered at 530, 570, 675, 800, 880, and 970 nm to enable calculation of the physiological reflectance index (PRI), normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), green NDVI (gNDVI), and water band index (WBI) collected above and within vegetation canopies. To date, measurements have been collected above grassland, semi-arid shrub steppe, piñon-juniper woodland, dense conifer forest, mixed deciduous-conifer forest, and cropland canopies, with additional measurements collected along vertical transects through a temperate conifer rainforest. Findings from this work indicate not only that key shifts in plant phenology, physiology, and structure can be captured using such instruments, but that the temporally dense nature of the measurements can help to disentangle heretofore unreported complexities of simultaneous phenological and structural change on canopy reflectance.

  7. Spectral representation of the particle production out of equilibrium—Schwinger mechanism in pulsed electric fields

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fukushima, Kenji

    2014-01-01

    We develop a formalism to describe the particle production out of equilibrium in terms of dynamical spectral functions, i.e. Wigner transformed Pauli–Jordan's and Hadamard's functions. We take an explicit example of a spatially homogeneous scalar theory under pulsed electric fields and investigate the time evolution of the spectral functions. In the out-state we find an oscillatory peak in Hadamard's function as a result of the mixing between positive- and negative-energy waves. The strength of this peak is of the linear order of the Bogoliubov mixing coefficient, whereas the peak corresponding to the Schwinger mechanism is of the quadratic order. Between the in- and the out-states we observe a continuous flow of the spectral peaks together with two transient oscillatory peaks. We also discuss the medium effect at finite temperature and density. We emphasize that the entire structure of the spectral functions conveys rich information on real-time dynamics including the particle production. (paper)

  8. Aspherical Dust Envelopes Around Oxygen-Rich AGB Stars

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kyung-Won Suh

    2006-12-01

    Full Text Available We model the aspherical dust envelopes around O-rich AGB stars. We perform the radiative transfer model calculations for axisymmetric dust distributions. We simulate what could be observed from the aspherical dust envelopes around O-rich AGB stars by presenting the model spectral energy distributions and images at various wavelengths for different optical depths and viewing angles. The model results are very different from the ones with spherically symmetric geometry.

  9. The structure of spectral problems and geometry: hyperbolic surfaces in E sup 3

    CERN Document Server

    Cieslinski, J L

    2003-01-01

    Working in the framework of Sym's soliton surfaces approach we point out that some simple assumptions about the structure of linear (spectral) problems of the theory of solitons lead uniquely to the geometry of some special immersions. In this paper we consider general su(2) spectral problems. Under some very weak assumptions they turn out to be associated with hyperbolic surfaces (surfaces of negative Gaussian curvature) immersed in three-dimensional Euclidean space, and especially with the so-called Bianchi surfaces.

  10. Natural Cr3+-rich ettringite: occurrence, properties, and crystal structure

    Science.gov (United States)

    Seryotkin, Yurii V.; Sokol, Ella V.; Kokh, Svetlana N.; Murashko, Mikhail N.

    2017-08-01

    Cr3+-rich ettringite with Cr3+→Al substitution and Cr/(Cr + Al) ratios up to 0.40-0.50 was found in mineral assemblages of the Ma'aleh Adumim area of Mottled Zone (Judean Desert). The Cr3+-rich compositions were the latest in the thaumasite → ettringite-thaumasite solid solution → ettringite → ettringite-bentorite solid solution series. The mineral-forming solution was enriched in Cr3+ and had a pH buffered by afwillite at 11-12. Chromium was inherited from larnite rocks produced by high-temperature combustion metamorphic alteration of bioproductive calcareous sediments. The Cr/(Cr + Al) ratios are within 0.10-0.15 in most of the analysed crystals. This degree of substitution imparts pink colouration to the crystals, but does not affect their habit (a combination of monohedra and a prism). The habit changes to pyramid faces in coarse and later Cr3+-bearing crystals as Cr/(Cr + Al) ratios increase abruptly to 0.40-0.50. Single-crystal XRD analysis of one Cr-free and two Cr3+-rich samples and their structure determination and refinement indicate that the Cr-rich crystals (with Cr/(Cr + Al) to 0.3) preserve the symmetry and metrics of ettringite. The Ca-O bonding network undergoes differentiation with increase of Cr3+ concentration at octahedral M sites. The compression of Ca2 and expansion of Ca1 polyhedra sub-networks correlates with the degree of Cr3+→Al substitution.

  11. The 1 mm spectrum of VY Canis Majoris: Chemistry in an O-rich envelope

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tenenbaum, Emily D.; Milam, Stefanie N.; Apponi, Aldo J.; Woolf, Neville J.; Ziurys, Lucy M.; Schöier, Fredrik L.

    2008-10-01

    We present preliminary results of an unbiased spectral survey at 1 mm of the oxygen-rich supergiant, VY CMa. A number of exotic molecules have been detected, including NaCl and PO, and a relatively rich organic chemistry is observed. Results of the survey will be compared with carbon-rich stars.

  12. Compositional and structural variabilities of Mg-rich iron oxide spinels from tuffite

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    W. N. Mussel

    1999-12-01

    Full Text Available Maghemite (γFe2O3 from tuffite is exceptionally rich in Mg, relatively to most of those reportedly found in other mafic lithosystems. To investigate in detail the compositional and structural variabilities of this natural magnetic iron oxide, sets of crystals were isolated from samples collected at different positions in a tuffite weathering mantle. These sets of crystal were individually powdered and studied by X-ray diffractometry, Mössbauer spectroscopy, magnetization measurements and chemical analysis. Lattice parameter of the cubic cell (a0 was found to vary from 0.834(1 to 0.8412(1 nm. Lower a0-values are characteristic of maghemite whereas higher ones are related to a magnetite precursor. FeO content ranges up to 17 mass % and spontaneous magnetization ranges from 8 to 32 J T-1 kg-1. Zero-field room temperature Mössbauer spectra are rather complex, indicating that the hyperfine field distributions due to Fe3+ and mixed valence Fe3+/2+ overlap. The structural variabilities of the (Mg, Ti-rich iron oxide spinels is essentially related to the range of chemical composition of its precursor (Mg, Ti-rich magnetite, and probably to the extent to which it has been oxidized during transformation in soil.

  13. Spectral element method for band-structure calculations of 3D phononic crystals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shi, Linlin; Liu, Na; Zhou, Jianyang; Zhou, Yuanguo; Wang, Jiamin; Liu, Qing Huo

    2016-01-01

    The spectral element method (SEM) is a special kind of high-order finite element method (FEM) which combines the flexibility of a finite element method with the accuracy of a spectral method. In contrast to the traditional FEM, the SEM exhibits advantages in the high-order accuracy as the error decreases exponentially with the increase of interpolation degree by employing the Gauss–Lobatto–Legendre (GLL) polynomials as basis functions. In this study, the spectral element method is developed for the first time for the determination of band structures of 3D isotropic/anisotropic phononic crystals (PCs). Based on the Bloch theorem, we present a novel, intuitive discretization formulation for Navier equation in the SEM scheme for periodic media. By virtue of using the orthogonal Legendre polynomials, the generalized eigenvalue problem is converted to a regular one in our SEM implementation to improve the efficiency. Besides, according to the specific geometry structure, 8-node and 27-node hexahedral elements as well as an analytic mesh have been used to accurately capture curved PC models in our SEM scheme. To verify its accuracy and efficiency, this study analyses the phononic-crystal plates with square and triangular lattice arrangements, and the 3D cubic phononic crystals consisting of simple cubic (SC), bulk central cubic (BCC) and faced central cubic (FCC) lattices with isotropic or anisotropic scatters. All the numerical results considered demonstrate that SEM is superior to the conventional FEM and can be an efficient alternative method for accurate determination of band structures of 3D phononic crystals. (paper)

  14. Diffusion tractography and graph theory analysis reveal the disrupted rich-club organization of white matter structural networks in early Tourette Syndrome children

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wen, Hongwei; Liu, Yue; Wang, Shengpei; Zhang, Jishui; Peng, Yun; He, Huiguang

    2017-03-01

    Tourette syndrome (TS) is a childhood-onset neurobehavioral disorder. At present, the topological disruptions of the whole brain white matter (WM) structural networks remain poorly understood in TS children. Considering the unique position of the topologically central role of densely interconnected brain hubs, namely the rich club regions, therefore, we aimed to investigate whether the rich club regions and their related connections would be particularly vulnerable in early TS children. In our study, we used diffusion tractography and graph theoretical analyses to explore the rich club structures in 44 TS children and 48 healthy children. The structural networks of TS children exhibited significantly increased normalized rich club coefficient, suggesting that TS is characterized by increased structural integrity of this centrally embedded rich club backbone, potentially resulting in increased global communication capacity. In addition, TS children showed a reorganization of rich club regions, as well as significantly increased density and decreased number in feeder connections. Furthermore, the increased rich club coefficients and feeder connections density of TS children were significantly positively correlated to tic severity, indicating that TS may be characterized by a selective alteration of the structural connectivity of the rich club regions, tending to have higher bridging with non-rich club regions, which may increase the integration among tic-related brain circuits with more excitability but less inhibition for information exchanges between highly centered brain regions and peripheral areas. In all, our results suggest the disrupted rich club organization in early TS children and provide structural insights into the brain networks.

  15. EGCG Inhibited Lipofuscin Formation Based on Intercepting Amyloidogenic β-Sheet-Rich Structure Conversion.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shuxian Cai

    Full Text Available Lipofuscin (LF is formed during lipid peroxidation and sugar glycosylation by carbonyl-amino crosslinks with biomacrolecules, and accumulates slowly within postmitotic cells. The environmental pollution, modern dietary culture and lifestyle changes have been found to be the major sources of reactive carbonyl compounds in vivo. Irreversible carbonyl-amino crosslinks induced by carbonyl stress are essentially toxiferous for aging-related functional losses in modern society. Results show that (--epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG, the main polyphenol in green tea, can neutralize the carbonyl-amino cross-linking reaction and inhibit LF formation, but the underlying mechanism is unknown.We explored the mechanism of the neutralization process from protein, cell, and animal levels using spectrofluorometry, infrared spectroscopy, conformation antibodies, and electron microscopy. LF demonstrated an amyloidogenic β-sheet-rich with antiparallel structure, which accelerated the carbonyl-amino crosslinks formation and disrupted proteolysis in both PC12 cells and D-galactose (D-gal-induced brain aging mice models. Additionally, EGCG effectively inhibited the formation of the amyloidogenic β-sheet-rich structure of LF, and prevented its conversion into toxic and on-pathway aggregation intermediates, thereby cutting off the carbonyl-amino crosslinks.Our study indicated that the amyloidogenic β-sheet structure of LF may be the core driving force for carbonyl-amino crosslinks further formation, which mediates the formation of amyloid fibrils from native state of biomacrolecules. That EGCG exhibits anti-amyloidogenic β-sheet-rich structure properties to prevent the LF formation represents a novel strategy to impede the development of degenerative processes caused by ageing or stress-induced premature senescence in modern environments.

  16. Species richness and soil properties in Pinus ponderosa forests: A structural equation modeling analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Laughlin, D.C.; Abella, S.R.; Covington, W.W.; Grace, J.B.

    2007-01-01

    Question: How are the effects of mineral soil properties on understory plant species richness propagated through a network of processes involving the forest overstory, soil organic matter, soil nitrogen, and understory plant abundance? Location: North-central Arizona, USA. Methods: We sampled 75 0.05-ha plots across a broad soil gradient in a Pinus ponderosa (ponderosa pine) forest ecosystem. We evaluated multivariate models of plant species richness using structural equation modeling. Results: Richness was highest at intermediate levels of understory plant cover, suggesting that both colonization success and competitive exclusion can limit richness in this system. We did not detect a reciprocal positive effect of richness on plant cover. Richness was strongly related to soil nitrogen in the model, with evidence for both a direct negative effect and an indirect non-linear relationship mediated through understory plant cover. Soil organic matter appeared to have a positive influence on understory richness that was independent of soil nitrogen. Richness was lowest where the forest overstory was densest, which can be explained through indirect effects on soil organic matter, soil nitrogen and understory cover. Finally, model results suggest a variety of direct and indirect processes whereby mineral soil properties can influence richness. Conclusions: Understory plant species richness and plant cover in P. ponderosa forests appear to be significantly influenced by soil organic matter and nitrogen, which are, in turn, related to overstory density and composition and mineral soil properties. Thus, soil properties can impose direct and indirect constraints on local species diversity in ponderosa pine forests. ?? IAVS; Opulus Press.

  17. Investigation of the single Particle Structure of the neutron-rich Sodium Isotopes $^{27-31}\\!$Na

    CERN Document Server

    2002-01-01

    We propose to study the single particle structure of the neutron-rich isotopes $^{27-31}\\!$Na. These isotopes will be investigated via neutron pickup reactions in inverse kinematics on a deuterium and a beryllium target. Scattered beam particles and transfer products are detected in a position sensitive detector located around 0$^\\circ$. De-excitation $\\gamma$-rays emitted after an excited state has been populated will be registered by the MINIBALL Germanium array. The results will shed new light on the structure of the neutron-rich sodium isotopes and especially on the region of strong deformation around the N=20 nucleus $^{31}\\!$Na.

  18. Li-rich layer-structured cathode materials for high energy Li-ion batteries

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Liu; Lee, Kim Seng; Lu, Li

    2014-08-01

    Li-rich layer-structured xLi2MnO3 ṡ (1 - x)LiMO2 (M = Mn, Ni, Co, etc.) materials have attracted much attention due to their extraordinarily high reversible capacity as the cathode material in Li-ion batteries. To better understand the nature of this type of materials, this paper reviews history of development of the Li-rich cathode materials, and provides in-depth study on complicated crystal structures and reaction mechanisms during electrochemical charge/discharge cycling. Despite the fabulous capability at low rate, several drawbacks still gap this type of high-capacity cathode materials from practical applications, for instance the large irreversible capacity loss at first cycle, poor rate capability, severe voltage decay and capacity fade during electrochemical charge/discharge cycling. This review will also address mechanisms for these inferior properties and propose various possible solutions to solve above issues for future utilization of these cathode materials in commercial Li-ion batteries.

  19. Spectral and time-resolved studies on ocular structures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schweitzer, D.; Jentsch, S.; Schenke, S.; Hammer, M.; Biskup, C.; Gaillard, E.

    2007-07-01

    Measurements of endogeous fluorophores open the possibility for evaluation of metabolic state at the eye. For interpretation of 2-dimensional measurements of time-resolved auto fluorescence in 2 separate spectral ranges at the human eye, comparing measurements were performed on porcine eyes. Determining excitation and emission spectra, attention was drawn of proof of coenzymes NADH and FAD in isolated anatomical structures cornea, aqueous humor, lens, vitreous, neuronal retina, retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), choroid, and sclera. All these structures exhibit auto fluorescence, highest in lens. Excitation at 350 nm results in local fluorescence maxima at 460 nm, corresponding to NADH, in all structures. This short-wave excitation allows metabolic studies only at the anterior eye, because of the limited transmission of the ocular media. During excitation at 446 nm the existence of FAD is expressed by local fluorescence maxima at 530 nm. The composition fluorescence spectra allow no discrimination between single ocular structures. Approximating the dynamic fluorescence by a double exponential function, the shortest lifetimes were detected in RPE and neuronal retina. The histograms of mean lifetime t M cover each other on lens with cornea and also on sclera with choroid. Despite the lifetimes are close between RPE and neuronal retina, the relative contributions Q I are wide different. The gradient of trend lines in cluster diagrams of amplitudes α II vs. α I allows a discrimination of ocular structures.

  20. Spectral Barcoding of Quantum Dots: Deciphering Structural Motifs from the Excitonic Spectra

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mlinar, V.; Zunger, A.

    2009-01-01

    Self-assembled semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) show in high-resolution single-dot spectra a multitude of sharp lines, resembling a barcode, due to various neutral and charged exciton complexes. Here we propose the 'spectral barcoding' method that deciphers structural motifs of dots by using such barcode as input to an artificial-intelligence learning system. Thus, we invert the common practice of deducing spectra from structure by deducing structure from spectra. This approach (i) lays the foundation for building a much needed structure-spectra understanding for large nanostructures and (ii) can guide future design of desired optical features of QDs by controlling during growth only those structural motifs that decide given optical features.

  1. Analysis of ASTER data for mapping bauxite rich pockets within high altitude lateritic bauxite, Jharkhand, India

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guha, Arindam; Singh, Vivek Kr.; Parveen, Reshma; Kumar, K. Vinod; Jeyaseelan, A. T.; Dhanamjaya Rao, E. N.

    2013-04-01

    Bauxite deposits of Jharkhand in India are resulted from the lateritization process and therefore are often associated with the laterites. In the present study, ASTER (Advanced Space borne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer) image is processed to delineate bauxite rich pockets within the laterites. In this regard, spectral signatures of lateritic bauxite samples are analyzed in the laboratory with reference to the spectral features of gibbsite (main mineral constituent of bauxite) and goethite (main mineral constituent of laterite) in VNIR-SWIR (visible-near infrared and short wave infrared) electromagnetic domain. The analysis of spectral signatures of lateritic bauxite samples helps in understanding the differences in the spectral features of bauxites and laterites. Based on these differences; ASTER data based relative band depth and simple ratio images are derived for spatial mapping of the bauxites developed within the lateritic province. In order to integrate the complementary information of different index image, an index based principal component (IPC) image is derived to incorporate the correlative information of these indices to delineate bauxite rich pockets. The occurrences of bauxite rich pockets derived from density sliced IPC image are further delimited by the topographic controls as it has been observed that the major bauxite occurrences of the area are controlled by slope and altitude. In addition to above, IPC image is draped over the digital elevation model (DEM) to illustrate how bauxite rich pockets are distributed with reference to the topographic variability of the terrain. Bauxite rich pockets delineated in the IPC image are also validated based on the known mine occurrences and existing geological map of the bauxite. It is also conceptually validated based on the spectral similarity of the bauxite pixels delineated in the IPC image with the ASTER convolved laboratory spectra of bauxite samples.

  2. Laser-induced fluorescence imaging of subsurface tissue structures with a volume holographic spatial-spectral imaging system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Luo, Yuan; Gelsinger-Austin, Paul J; Watson, Jonathan M; Barbastathis, George; Barton, Jennifer K; Kostuk, Raymond K

    2008-09-15

    A three-dimensional imaging system incorporating multiplexed holographic gratings to visualize fluorescence tissue structures is presented. Holographic gratings formed in volume recording materials such as a phenanthrenquinone poly(methyl methacrylate) photopolymer have narrowband angular and spectral transmittance filtering properties that enable obtaining spatial-spectral information within an object. We demonstrate this imaging system's ability to obtain multiple depth-resolved fluorescence images simultaneously.

  3. Managed forest landscape structure and avian species richness in the southeastern US

    Science.gov (United States)

    Craig Loehle; T. Bently Wigley; Scott Rutzmoser; John A. Gerwin; Patrick D. Keyser; Richard A. Lancia; Christopher J. Reynolds; Ronald E. Thill; Robert Weih; Don White; Petra Bohall Wood

    2005-01-01

    Forest structural features at the stand scale (e.g., snags, stem density, species composition) and habitat attributes at larger spatial scales (e.g., landscape pattern, road density) can influence biological diversity and have been proposed as indicators in sustainable forestry programs. This study investigated relationships between such factors and total richness of...

  4. Structure of Ni-rich Ni--Cr--B--Si coating alloys

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Knotek, O.; Lugscheider, E.; Reimann, H.

    1975-01-01

    The structures of quaternary, nickel-rich Ni--Cr--B--Si alloys were analyzed at a constant boron content of 10 at. percent and a temperature of 850 0 C. The composition range for silicide formation was determined. In these quaternary alloys, known binary nickel silicides, nickel and chromium borides, and the ternary silico-boride Ni 6 Si 2 B were confirmed. A new composition for the W 5 Si 3 -type phase in the Ni--B--Si system was proposed. (U.S.)

  5. Relative importance of current and past landscape structure and local habitat conditions for plant species richness in dry grassland-like forest openings.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Husáková, Iveta; Münzbergová, Zuzana

    2014-01-01

    In fragmented landscapes, plant species richness may depend not only on local habitat conditions but also on landscape structure. In addition, both present and past landscape structure may be important for species richness. There are, however, only a few studies that have investigated the relative importance of all of these factors. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of current and past landscape structures and habitat conditions on species richness at dry grassland-like forest openings in a forested landscape and to assess their relative importance for species richness. We analyzed information on past and present landscape structures using aerial photographs from 1938, 1973, 1988, 2000 and 2007. We calculated the area of each locality and its isolation in the present and in the past and the continuity of localities in GIS. At each locality, we recorded all vascular plant species (296 species in 110 forest openings) and information on abiotic conditions of the localities. We found that the current species richness of the forest openings was significantly determined by local habitat conditions as well as by landscape structure in the present and in the past. The highest species richness was observed on larger and more heterogeneous localities with rocks and shallow soils, which were already large and well connected to other localities in 1938. The changes in the landscape structure in the past can thus have strong effects on current species richness. Future studies attempting to understand determinants of species diversity in fragmented landscapes should also include data on past landscape structure, as it may in fact be more important than the present structure.

  6. Weakly bound structures in neutron rich Si isotopes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Singh, D.; Saxena, G.; Yadav, H.L.

    2009-01-01

    Production of radioactive beams have facilitated the nuclear structure studies away from the line of β-stability, especially for the neutron rich drip line nuclei. Theoretical investigations of these nuclei have been carried out by using various approaches viz. few body model or clusters, shell model and mean field theories, both nonrelativistic as well as relativistic mean field (RMF). The advantage of the RMF approach, however, is that in this treatment the spin-orbit interaction is included in a natural way. This is especially advantageous for the description of drip-line nuclei for which the spin-orbit interaction plays an important role. In this communication we report briefly the results of our calculations for the Si isotopes carried out within the framework of RMF + BCS approach

  7. Spatial and Temporal Extent of Ion Spectral Structures at the Inner Edge of the Plasma Sheet

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ferradas, C.; Reeves, G. D.; Zhang, J.; Spence, H. E.; Kistler, L. M.; Larsen, B.; Skoug, R. M.; Funsten, H. O.

    2017-12-01

    Several ion spectral structures are observed near the inner edge of the plasma sheet and constitute the signatures of ion drift and loss in the highly dynamic environment of the inner magnetosphere. Their study helps us understand ion access and losses in this region. Several studies have found that these structures vary with geomagnetic activity, local time, and ion species, but their spatial and temporal extent remain undetermined. We use data from the Helium, Oxygen, Proton, and Electron (HOPE) mass spectrometers onboard the Van Allen Probes to analyze the spectral structures in the energy range of 1- 50 keV. HOPE measurements on both Van Allen Probes spacecraft enable us to resolve the extent of these ion structures in space and time. As the structures respond to changes in the convection electric field on a variety of time scales, the lapping of the two spacecraft on time scales of minutes to hours helps determine their spatial and temporal evolution.

  8. Spectral structure of Pc3–4 pulsations: possible signatures of cavity modes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    P. R. Sutcliffe

    2013-04-01

    Full Text Available In this study we investigate the spectral structure of Pc3–4 pulsations observed at low and midlatitudes. For this purpose, ground-based magnetometer data recorded at the MM100 stations in Europe and at two low latitude stations in South Africa were used. In addition, fluxgate magnetometer data from the CHAMP (CHAllenging Minisatellite Payload low Earth orbit satellite were used. The results of our analysis suggest that at least three mechanisms contribute to the spectral content of Pc3–4 pulsations typically observed at these latitudes. We confirm that a typical Pc3–4 pulsation contains a field line resonance (FLR contribution, with latitude dependent frequency, and an upstream wave (UW contribution, with frequency proportional to the IMF (interplanetary magnetic field magnitude BIMF. Besides the FLR and UW contributions, the Pc3–4 pulsations consistently contain signals at other frequencies that are independent of latitude and BIMF. We suggest that the most likely explanation for these additional frequency contributions is that they are fast mode resonances (FMRs related to cavity, waveguide, or virtual modes. Although the above contributions to the pulsation spectral structure have been reported previously, we believe that this is the first time where evidence is presented showing that they are all present simultaneously in both ground-based and satellite data.

  9. Estimation of spectral kurtosis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sutawanir

    2017-03-01

    Rolling bearings are the most important elements in rotating machinery. Bearing frequently fall out of service for various reasons: heavy loads, unsuitable lubrications, ineffective sealing. Bearing faults may cause a decrease in performance. Analysis of bearing vibration signals has attracted attention in the field of monitoring and fault diagnosis. Bearing vibration signals give rich information for early detection of bearing failures. Spectral kurtosis, SK, is a parameter in frequency domain indicating how the impulsiveness of a signal varies with frequency. Faults in rolling bearings give rise to a series of short impulse responses as the rolling elements strike faults, SK potentially useful for determining frequency bands dominated by bearing fault signals. SK can provide a measure of the distance of the analyzed bearings from a healthy one. SK provides additional information given by the power spectral density (psd). This paper aims to explore the estimation of spectral kurtosis using short time Fourier transform known as spectrogram. The estimation of SK is similar to the estimation of psd. The estimation falls in model-free estimation and plug-in estimator. Some numerical studies using simulations are discussed to support the methodology. Spectral kurtosis of some stationary signals are analytically obtained and used in simulation study. Kurtosis of time domain has been a popular tool for detecting non-normality. Spectral kurtosis is an extension of kurtosis in frequency domain. The relationship between time domain and frequency domain analysis is establish through power spectrum-autocovariance Fourier transform. Fourier transform is the main tool for estimation in frequency domain. The power spectral density is estimated through periodogram. In this paper, the short time Fourier transform of the spectral kurtosis is reviewed, a bearing fault (inner ring and outer ring) is simulated. The bearing response, power spectrum, and spectral kurtosis are plotted to

  10. Re-Structuring of Marine Communities Exposed to Environmental Change: A Global Study on the Interactive Effects of Species and Functional Richness

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wahl, Martin; Link, Heike; Alexandridis, Nicolaos; Thomason, Jeremy C.; Cifuentes, Mauricio; Costello, Mark J.; da Gama, Bernardo A. P.; Hillock, Kristina; Hobday, Alistair J.; Kaufmann, Manfred J.; Keller, Stefanie; Kraufvelin, Patrik; Krüger, Ina; Lauterbach, Lars; Antunes, Bruno L.; Molis, Markus; Nakaoka, Masahiro; Nyström, Julia; bin Radzi, Zulkamal; Stockhausen, Björn; Thiel, Martin; Vance, Thomas; Weseloh, Annika; Whittle, Mark; Wiesmann, Lisa; Wunderer, Laura; Yamakita, Takehisa; Lenz, Mark

    2011-01-01

    Species richness is the most commonly used but controversial biodiversity metric in studies on aspects of community stability such as structural composition or productivity. The apparent ambiguity of theoretical and experimental findings may in part be due to experimental shortcomings and/or heterogeneity of scales and methods in earlier studies. This has led to an urgent call for improved and more realistic experiments. In a series of experiments replicated at a global scale we translocated several hundred marine hard bottom communities to new environments simulating a rapid but moderate environmental change. Subsequently, we measured their rate of compositional change (re-structuring) which in the great majority of cases represented a compositional convergence towards local communities. Re-structuring is driven by mortality of community components (original species) and establishment of new species in the changed environmental context. The rate of this re-structuring was then related to various system properties. We show that availability of free substratum relates negatively while taxon richness relates positively to structural persistence (i.e., no or slow re-structuring). Thus, when faced with environmental change, taxon-rich communities retain their original composition longer than taxon-poor communities. The effect of taxon richness, however, interacts with another aspect of diversity, functional richness. Indeed, taxon richness relates positively to persistence in functionally depauperate communities, but not in functionally diverse communities. The interaction between taxonomic and functional diversity with regard to the behaviour of communities exposed to environmental stress may help understand some of the seemingly contrasting findings of past research. PMID:21611170

  11. Tetrahelical structural family adopted by AGCGA-rich regulatory DNA regions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kocman, Vojč; Plavec, Janez

    2017-05-01

    Here we describe AGCGA-quadruplexes, an unexpected addition to the well-known tetrahelical families, G-quadruplexes and i-motifs, that have been a focus of intense research due to their potential biological impact in G- and C-rich DNA regions, respectively. High-resolution structures determined by solution-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy demonstrate that AGCGA-quadruplexes comprise four 5'-AGCGA-3' tracts and are stabilized by G-A and G-C base pairs forming GAGA- and GCGC-quartets, respectively. Residues in the core of the structure are connected with edge-type loops. Sequences of alternating 5'-AGCGA-3' and 5'-GGG-3' repeats could be expected to form G-quadruplexes, but are shown herein to form AGCGA-quadruplexes instead. Unique structural features of AGCGA-quadruplexes together with lower sensitivity to cation and pH variation imply their potential biological relevance in regulatory regions of genes responsible for basic cellular processes that are related to neurological disorders, cancer and abnormalities in bone and cartilage development.

  12. Substructure identification for shear structures: cross-power spectral density method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang, Dongyu; Johnson, Erik A

    2012-01-01

    In this paper, a substructure identification method for shear structures is proposed. A shear structure is divided into many small substructures; utilizing the dynamic equilibrium of a one-floor substructure, an inductive identification problem is formulated, using the cross-power spectral densities between structural floor accelerations and a reference response, to estimate the parameters of that one story. Repeating this procedure, all story parameters of the shear structure are identified from top to bottom recursively. An identification error analysis is performed for the proposed substructure method, revealing how uncertain factors (e.g. measurement noise) in the identification process affect the identification accuracy. According to the error analysis, a smart reference selection rule is designed to choose the optimal reference response that further enhances the identification accuracy. Moreover, based on the identification error analysis, explicit formulae are developed to calculate the variances of the parameter identification errors. A ten-story shear structure is used to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed substructure method. The simulation results show that the method, combined with the reference selection rule, can very accurately identify structural parameters despite large measurement noise. Furthermore, the proposed formulae provide good predictions for the variances of the parameter identification errors, which are vital for providing accurate warnings of structural damage. (paper)

  13. Heavy metals pollution influence the community structure of Cyanobacteria in nutrient rich tropical estuary

    Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

    Anas, A.; Jasmin, C.; Sheeba V.A.; Gireeshkumar, T.R; Nair, S.

    , Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu and Zn) on community structure of cyanobacteria in a nutrient rich tropical estuary, Cochin Estuary (CE), across the southwest coast of India. Dissolved heavy metals were higher in CE during dry season, with Zn as major pollutant...

  14. An attempt to estimate isotropic and anisotropic lateral structure of the Earth by spectral inversion incorporating mixed coupling

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oda, Hitoshi

    2005-02-01

    We present a way to calculate free oscillation spectra for an aspherical earth model, which is constructed by adding isotropic and anisotropic velocity perturbations to the seismic velocity parameters of a reference earth model, and examine the effect of the velocity perturbations on the free oscillation spectrum. Lateral variations of the velocity perturbations are parametrized as an expansion in generalized spherical harmonics. We assume weak hexagonal anisotropy for the seismic wave anisotropy in the upper mantle, where the hexagonal symmetry axes are horizontally distributed. The synthetic spectra show that the velocity perturbations cause not only strong self-coupling among singlets of a multiplet but also mixed coupling between toroidal and spheroidal multiplets. Both the couplings give rise to an amplitude anomaly on the vertical component spectrum. In this study, we identify the amplitude anomaly resulting from the mixed coupling as quasi-toroidal mode. Excitation of the quasi-toroidal mode by a vertical strike-slip fault is largest on nodal lines of the Rayleigh wave, decreases with increasing azimuth angle and becomes smallest on loop lines. This azimuthal dependence of the spectral amplitude is quite similar to the Love wave radiation pattern. In addition, the amplitude spectrum of the quasi-toroidal mode is more sensitive to the anisotropic velocity perturbation than to the isotropic velocity perturbation. This means that the mode spectrum allowing for the mixed-coupling effect may provide constraints on the anisotropic lateral structure as well as the isotropic lateral structure. An inversion method, called mixed-coupling spectral inversion, is devised to retrieve the isotropic and anisotropic velocity perturbations from the free oscillation spectra incorporating the quasi-toroidal mode. We confirm that the spectral inversion method correctly recovers the isotropic and anisotropic lateral structure. Moreover introducing the mixed-coupling effect in the

  15. Approximating spectral impact of structural perturbations in large networks

    CERN Document Server

    Milanese, A; Nishikawa, Takashi; Sun, Jie

    2010-01-01

    Determining the effect of structural perturbations on the eigenvalue spectra of networks is an important problem because the spectra characterize not only their topological structures, but also their dynamical behavior, such as synchronization and cascading processes on networks. Here we develop a theory for estimating the change of the largest eigenvalue of the adjacency matrix or the extreme eigenvalues of the graph Laplacian when small but arbitrary set of links are added or removed from the network. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our approximation schemes using both real and artificial networks, showing in particular that we can accurately obtain the spectral ranking of small subgraphs. We also propose a local iterative scheme which computes the relative ranking of a subgraph using only the connectivity information of its neighbors within a few links. Our results may not only contribute to our theoretical understanding of dynamical processes on networks, but also lead to practical applications in ran...

  16. Structure of neutron-rich nuclei around the N = 50 shell-gap closure

    Science.gov (United States)

    Faul, T.; Duchêne, G.; Thomas, J.-C.; Nowacki, F.; Huyse, M.; Van Duppen, P.

    2010-04-01

    The structure of neutron-rich nuclei in the vicinity of 78Ni have been investigated via the β-decay of 71,73,75Cu isotopes (ISOLDE, CERN). Experimental results have been compared with shell-model calculations performed with the ANTOINE code using a large (2p3/21f5/22p1/21g9/2) valence space and a 56/28Ni28 core.

  17. Spectral broadening of VLF transmitter signals and sideband structure observed on Aureol 3 satellite at middle latitudes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tanaka, Y.; Hayakawa, M.; Lagoutte, D.; Lefeuvre, F.; Tajima, S.

    1987-01-01

    Electric and magnetic field wave data acquired on Aureol 3 satellite demonstrate the existence of a spectral broadening effect in which VLF transmitter signals from Alpha station (geographic coordinates, 50.5 degree N, 137 degree E) in USSR undergo a significant spectral broadening on electric fields as they propagate through the ionosphere up to the spacecraft in the altitude range of 500-2,000 km at middle latitudes (L ∼ 2). The spectral broadening phenomena may be divided into two types: (1) spectrally broadened components occurring without any association with ELF/VLF emissions under disturbed ionospheric conditions and (2) spectrally broadened components with predominant sideband structure in association with ELF emissions. Bicoherence computation results suggest a nonlinear mode coupling between the transmitter signal and ELF emission which produces sidebands that are quasi-electrostatic in nature. However, faint spectral broadened components in both types 1 and 2 may be connected with Doppler shift of quasi-electrostatic whistler mode waves with a broad spectrum of k near the resonance cone, due to scattering of the transmitter signals from ionospheric irregularities in the F region

  18. Rich club analysis in the Alzheimer's disease connectome reveals a relatively undisturbed structural core network.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Daianu, Madelaine; Jahanshad, Neda; Nir, Talia M; Jack, Clifford R; Weiner, Michael W; Bernstein, Matt A; Thompson, Paul M

    2015-08-01

    Diffusion imaging can assess the white matter connections within the brain, revealing how neural pathways break down in Alzheimer's disease (AD). We analyzed 3-Tesla whole-brain diffusion-weighted images from 202 participants scanned by the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative-50 healthy controls, 110 with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and 42 AD patients. From whole-brain tractography, we reconstructed structural brain connectivity networks to map connections between cortical regions. We tested whether AD disrupts the "rich club" - a network property where high-degree network nodes are more interconnected than expected by chance. We calculated the rich club properties at a range of degree thresholds, as well as other network topology measures including global degree, clustering coefficient, path length, and efficiency. Network disruptions predominated in the low-degree regions of the connectome in patients, relative to controls. The other metrics also showed alterations, suggesting a distinctive pattern of disruption in AD, less pronounced in MCI, targeting global brain connectivity, and focusing on more remotely connected nodes rather than the central core of the network. AD involves severely reduced structural connectivity; our step-wise rich club coefficients analyze points to disruptions predominantly in the peripheral network components; other modalities of data are needed to know if this indicates impaired communication among non rich club regions. The highly connected core was relatively preserved, offering new evidence on the neural basis of progressive risk for cognitive decline. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  19. The acute spectral structure of single-domain YBa2Cu3O6.9

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tobin, J.G.; Solal, F.R.; Fluss, J.M.; Olson, C.G.; Gu, C.; Liu, J.Z.

    1991-01-01

    Extraordinarily sharp spectral features at binding energies near 1eV have been observed in the photoemission spectra of untwinned, single crystal YBa 2 Cu 3 O 6.9 . This is the first observation of such distinctive electronic structure away from the near-Fermi Energy regime, It suggests that the entire valence band electronic structure, not merely the Fermiology, may provide insight into the nature of high temperature superconducting cuprates. 10 refs., 5 figs

  20. Probing chemistry within the membrane structure of wood with soft X-ray spectral microscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cody, George D.

    2000-01-01

    Scanning Transmission Soft X-ray spectral microscopy on Carbon's 1s absorption edge reveals the distribution of structural biopolymers within cell membrane regions of modern cedar and oak. Cellulose is extremely susceptible to beam damage. Spectroscopic studies of beam damage reveals that the chemical changes resulting from secondary electron impact may be highly selective and is consistent with hydroxyl eliminations and structural rearrangement of pyranose rings in alpha-cellulose to hydroxyl substituted γ pyrones. A study of acetylated cellulose demonstrates significantly different chemistry; principally massive decarboxylation. Defocusing the beam to a 2 μm spot size allows for the acquisition of 'pristine' cellulose spectra. Spectral deconvolution is used to assess the distribution of lignin and cellulose in the different regions of the cell membrane. Using the intensity of the hydroxylated aromatic carbons 1s-π * transition, the ratio of coniferyl and syringyl based lignin within the middle lamellae and secondary cell wall of oak, an angiosperm can be determined

  1. Spectral stratigraphy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lang, Harold R.

    1991-01-01

    A new approach to stratigraphic analysis is described which uses photogeologic and spectral interpretation of multispectral remote sensing data combined with topographic information to determine the attitude, thickness, and lithology of strata exposed at the surface. The new stratigraphic procedure is illustrated by examples in the literature. The published results demonstrate the potential of spectral stratigraphy for mapping strata, determining dip and strike, measuring and correlating stratigraphic sequences, defining lithofacies, mapping biofacies, and interpreting geological structures.

  2. Spectral Unmixing Modeling of the Aristarchus Pyroclastic Deposit: Assessing the Eruptive History of Glass-Rich Regional Lunar Pyroclastic Deposits

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jawin, E. R.; Head, J. W., III; Cannon, K.

    2017-12-01

    The Aristarchus pyroclastic deposit in central Oceanus Procellarum is understood to have formed in a gas-rich explosive volcanic eruption, and has been observed to contain abundant volcanic glass. However, the interpreted color (and therefore composition) of the glass has been debated. In addition, previous analyses of the pyroclastic deposit have been performed using lower resolution data than are currently available. In this work, a nonlinear spectral unmixing model was applied to Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3) data of the Aristarchus plateau to investigate the detailed mineralogic and crystalline nature of the Aristarchus pyroclastic deposit by using spectra of laboratory endmembers including a suite of volcanic glasses returned from the Apollo 15 and 17 missions (green, orange, black beads), as well as synthetic lunar glasses (orange, green, red, yellow). Preliminary results of the M3 unmixing model suggest that spectra of the pyroclastic deposit can be modeled by a mixture composed predominantly of a featureless endmember approximating space weathering and a smaller component of glass. The modeled spectra were most accurate with a synthetic orange glass endmember, relative to the other glasses analyzed in this work. The results confirm that there is a detectable component of glass in the Aristarchus pyroclastic deposit which may be similar to the high-Ti orange glass seen in other regional pyroclastic deposits, with only minimal contributions of other crystalline minerals. The presence of volcanic glass in the pyroclastic deposit, with the low abundance of crystalline material, would support the model that the Aristarchus pyroclastic deposit formed in a long-duration, hawaiian-style fire fountain eruption. No significant detection of devitrified black beads in the spectral modeling results (as was observed at the Apollo 17 landing site in the Taurus-Littrow pyroclastic deposit), suggests the optical density of the eruptive plume remained low throughout the

  3. Solution structure of the twelfth cysteine-rich ligand-binding repeat in rat megalin

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wolf, Christian A.; Dancea, Felician; Shi Meichen; Bade-Noskova, Veronika; Rueterjans, Heinz; Kerjaschki, Dontscho; Luecke, Christian

    2007-01-01

    Megalin, an approx. 600 kDa transmembrane glycoprotein that acts as multi-ligand transporter, is a member of the low density lipoprotein receptor gene family. Several cysteine-rich repeats, each consisting of about 40 residues, are responsible for the multispecific binding of ligands. The solution structure of the twelfth cysteine-rich ligand-binding repeat with class A motif found in megalin features two short β-strands and two helical turns, yielding the typical fold with a I-III, II-V and IV-VI disulfide bridge connectivity pattern and a calcium coordination site at the C-terminal end. The resulting differences in electrostatic surface potential compared to other ligand-binding modules of this gene family, however, may be responsible for the functional divergence

  4. Spectral Band Characterization for Hyperspectral Monitoring of Water Quality

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vermillion, Stephanie C.; Raqueno, Rolando; Simmons, Rulon

    2001-01-01

    A method for selecting the set of spectral characteristics that provides the smallest increase in prediction error is of interest to those using hyperspectral imaging (HSI) to monitor water quality. The spectral characteristics of interest to these applications are spectral bandwidth and location. Three water quality constituents of interest that are detectable via remote sensing are chlorophyll (CHL), total suspended solids (TSS), and colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM). Hyperspectral data provides a rich source of information regarding the content and composition of these materials, but often provides more data than an analyst can manage. This study addresses the spectral characteristics need for water quality monitoring for two reasons. First, determination of the greatest contribution of these spectral characteristics would greatly improve computational ease and efficiency. Second, understanding the spectral capabilities of different spectral resolutions and specific regions is an essential part of future system development and characterization. As new systems are developed and tested, water quality managers will be asked to determine sensor specifications that provide the most accurate and efficient water quality measurements. We address these issues using data from the Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) and a set of models to predict constituent concentrations.

  5. Extracting structural features of rat sciatic nerve using polarization-sensitive spectral domain optical coherence tomography

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Islam, M.S.; Oliveira, M.C.; Wang, Y.; Henry, F.P.; Randolph, M.A.; Park, B. H.; de Boer, J.F.

    2012-01-01

    We present spectral domain polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography (SD PS-OCT) imaging of peripheral nerves. Structural and polarization-sensitive OCT imaging of uninjured rat sciatic nerves was evaluated both qualitatively and quantitatively. OCT and its functional extension, PS-OCT,

  6. Three-dimensional structure and cytokine distribution of platelet-rich fibrin.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bai, Meng-Yi; Wang, Ching-Wei; Wang, Jyun-Yi; Lin, Ming-Fang; Chan, Wing P

    2017-02-01

    Previous reports have revealed that several cytokines (including platelet-derived growth factor-BB, transforming growth factors-β1 and insulin-like growth factor-1) can enhance the rate of bone formation and synthesis of extracellular matrix in orthopaedics or periodontology. This study aimed to determine the concentration of cytokines within platelet-rich fibrin microstructures and investigate whether there are differences in the different portions of platelet-rich fibrin, which has implications for proper clinical use of platelet-rich fibrin gel. Whole blood was obtained from six New Zealand rabbits (male, 7 to 39 weeks old, weight 2.7-4 kg); it was then centrifuged for preparation of platelet-rich fibrin gels and harvest of plasma. The resultant platelet-rich fibrin gels were used for cytokine determination, histological analyses and scanning electron microscopy. All plasmas obtained were subject to the same cytokine determination assays for the purpose of comparison. Cytokines platelet-derived growth factor-BB and transforming growth factor-β1 formed concentration gradients from high at the red blood cell end of the platelet-rich fibrin gel (p=1.88×10-5) to low at the plasma end (p=0.19). Insulin-like growth factor-1 concentrations were similar at the red blood cell and plasma ends. The porosities of the platelet-rich fibrin samples taken in sequence from the red blood cell end to the plasma end were 6.5% ± 4.9%, 24.8% ± 7.5%, 30.3% ± 8.5%, 41.4% ± 12.3%, and 40.3% ± 11.7%, respectively, showing a gradual decrease in the compactness of the platelet-rich fibrin network. Cytokine concentrations are positively associated with platelet-rich fibrin microstructure and portion in a rabbit model. As platelet-rich fibrin is the main entity currently used in regenerative medicine, assessing cytokine concentration and the most valuable portion of PRF gels is essential and recommended to all physicians.

  7. Three-dimensional structure and cytokine distribution of platelet-rich fibrin

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Meng-Yi Bai

    Full Text Available OBJECTIVES: Previous reports have revealed that several cytokines (including platelet-derived growth factor-BB, transforming growth factors-β1 and insulin-like growth factor-1 can enhance the rate of bone formation and synthesis of extracellular matrix in orthopaedics or periodontology. This study aimed to determine the concentration of cytokines within platelet-rich fibrin microstructures and investigate whether there are differences in the different portions of platelet-rich fibrin, which has implications for proper clinical use of platelet-rich fibrin gel. METHODS: Whole blood was obtained from six New Zealand rabbits (male, 7 to 39 weeks old, weight 2.7-4 kg; it was then centrifuged for preparation of platelet-rich fibrin gels and harvest of plasma. The resultant platelet-rich fibrin gels were used for cytokine determination, histological analyses and scanning electron microscopy. All plasmas obtained were subject to the same cytokine determination assays for the purpose of comparison. RESULTS: Cytokines platelet-derived growth factor-BB and transforming growth factor-β1 formed concentration gradients from high at the red blood cell end of the platelet-rich fibrin gel (p=1.88×10-5 to low at the plasma end (p=0.19. Insulin-like growth factor-1 concentrations were similar at the red blood cell and plasma ends. The porosities of the platelet-rich fibrin samples taken in sequence from the red blood cell end to the plasma end were 6.5% ± 4.9%, 24.8% ± 7.5%, 30.3% ± 8.5%, 41.4% ± 12.3%, and 40.3% ± 11.7%, respectively, showing a gradual decrease in the compactness of the platelet-rich fibrin network. CONCLUSION: Cytokine concentrations are positively associated with platelet-rich fibrin microstructure and portion in a rabbit model. As platelet-rich fibrin is the main entity currently used in regenerative medicine, assessing cytokine concentration and the most valuable portion of PRF gels is essential and recommended to all physicians.

  8. Spectral transform and solvability of nonlinear evolution equations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Degasperis, A.

    1979-01-01

    These lectures deal with an exciting development of the last decade, namely the resolving method based on the spectral transform which can be considered as an extension of the Fourier analysis to nonlinear evolution equations. Since many important physical phenomena are modeled by nonlinear partial wave equations this method is certainly a major breakthrough in mathematical physics. We follow the approach, introduced by Calogero, which generalizes the usual Wronskian relations for solutions of a Sturm-Liouville problem. Its application to the multichannel Schroedinger problem will be the subject of these lectures. We will focus upon dynamical systems described at time t by a multicomponent field depending on one space coordinate only. After recalling the Fourier technique for linear evolution equations we introduce the spectral transform method taking the integral equations of potential scattering as an example. The second part contains all the basic functional relationships between the fields and their spectral transforms as derived from the Wronskian approach. In the third part we discuss a particular class of solutions of nonlinear evolution equations, solitons, which are considered by many physicists as a first step towards an elementary particle theory, because of their particle-like behaviour. The effect of the polarization time-dependence on the motion of the soliton is studied by means of the corresponding spectral transform, leading to new concepts such as the 'boomeron' and the 'trappon'. The rich dynamic structure is illustrated by a brief report on the main results of boomeron-boomeron and boomeron-trappon collisions. In the final section we discuss further results concerning important properties of the solutions of basic nonlinear equations. We introduce the Baecklund transform for the special case of scalar fields and demonstrate how it can be used to generate multisoliton solutions and how the conservation laws are obtained. (HJ)

  9. The ISO Long Wavelength Spectrometer line spectrum of VY Canis Majoris and other oxygen-rich evolved stars

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Polehampton, E. T.; Menten, K. M.; van der Tak, F. F. S.; White, G. J.

    Context. The far-infrared spectra of circumstellar envelopes around various oxygen-rich stars were observed using the ISO Long Wavelength Spectrometer (LWS). These have been shown to be spectrally rich, particularly in water lines, indicating a high H2O abundance. Aims. We have examined high

  10. Advancing viral RNA structure prediction: measuring the thermodynamics of pyrimidine-rich internal loops.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Phan, Andy; Mailey, Katherine; Saeki, Jessica; Gu, Xiaobo; Schroeder, Susan J

    2017-05-01

    Accurate thermodynamic parameters improve RNA structure predictions and thus accelerate understanding of RNA function and the identification of RNA drug binding sites. Many viral RNA structures, such as internal ribosome entry sites, have internal loops and bulges that are potential drug target sites. Current models used to predict internal loops are biased toward small, symmetric purine loops, and thus poorly predict asymmetric, pyrimidine-rich loops with >6 nucleotides (nt) that occur frequently in viral RNA. This article presents new thermodynamic data for 40 pyrimidine loops, many of which can form UU or protonated CC base pairs. Uracil and protonated cytosine base pairs stabilize asymmetric internal loops. Accurate prediction rules are presented that account for all thermodynamic measurements of RNA asymmetric internal loops. New loop initiation terms for loops with >6 nt are presented that do not follow previous assumptions that increasing asymmetry destabilizes loops. Since the last 2004 update, 126 new loops with asymmetry or sizes greater than 2 × 2 have been measured. These new measurements significantly deepen and diversify the thermodynamic database for RNA. These results will help better predict internal loops that are larger, pyrimidine-rich, and occur within viral structures such as internal ribosome entry sites. © 2017 Phan et al.; Published by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press for the RNA Society.

  11. Detecting Molecular Features of Spectra Mainly Associated with Structural and Non-Structural Carbohydrates in Co-Products from BioEthanol Production Using DRIFT with Uni- and Multivariate Molecular Spectral Analyses

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yu, Peiqiang; Damiran, Daalkhaijav; Azarfar, Arash; Niu, Zhiyuan

    2011-01-01

    The objective of this study was to use DRIFT spectroscopy with uni- and multivariate molecular spectral analyses as a novel approach to detect molecular features of spectra mainly associated with carbohydrate in the co-products (wheat DDGS, corn DDGS, blend DDGS) from bioethanol processing in comparison with original feedstock (wheat (Triticum), corn (Zea mays)). The carbohydrates related molecular spectral bands included: A_Cell (structural carbohydrates, peaks area region and baseline: ca. 1485–1188 cm−1), A_1240 (structural carbohydrates, peak area centered at ca. 1240 cm−1 with region and baseline: ca. 1292–1198 cm−1), A_CHO (total carbohydrates, peaks region and baseline: ca. 1187–950 cm−1), A_928 (non-structural carbohydrates, peak area centered at ca. 928 cm−1 with region and baseline: ca. 952–910 cm−1), A_860 (non-structural carbohydrates, peak area centered at ca. 860 cm−1 with region and baseline: ca. 880–827 cm−1), H_1415 (structural carbohydrate, peak height centered at ca. 1415 cm−1 with baseline: ca. 1485–1188 cm−1), H_1370 (structural carbohydrate, peak height at ca. 1370 cm−1 with a baseline: ca. 1485–1188 cm−1). The study shows that the grains had lower spectral intensity (KM Unit) of the cellulosic compounds of A_1240 (8.5 vs. 36.6, P carbohydrate of A_928 (17.3 vs. 2.0) and A_860 (20.7 vs. 7.6) than their co-products from bioethanol processing. There were no differences (P > 0.05) in the peak area intensities of A_Cell (structural CHO) at 1292–1198 cm−1 and A_CHO (total CHO) at 1187–950 cm−1 with average molecular infrared intensity KM unit of 226.8 and 508.1, respectively. There were no differences (P > 0.05) in the peak height intensities of H_1415 and H_1370 (structural CHOs) with average intensities 1.35 and 1.15, respectively. The multivariate molecular spectral analyses were able to discriminate and classify between the corn and corn DDGS molecular spectra, but not wheat and wheat DDGS. This

  12. Application of a spectral sky in Radiance for daylighting calculations including non-image-forming light effects

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Khademagha, P.; Aries, M.B.C.; Rosemann, A.L.P.; van Loenen, E.J.

    2016-01-01

    Daylight is dynamic and rich in the blue part of the spectrum. To date, the spectral composition of daylight is ignored in sky models used in Radiance. Spectral sky composition is particularly important when non-image-forming (NIF) light effects are concerned, since the action spectrum for these

  13. MULTI-TEMPORAL ASSESSMENT OF LYCHEE TREE CROP STRUCTURE USING MULTI-SPECTRAL RPAS IMAGERY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    K. Johansen

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available The lychee tree is native to China and produce small fleshy fruit up to 5 cm in diameter. Lychee production in Australia is worth > $20 million annually. Pruning of trees encourages new growth, has a positive effect on fruiting of lychee, makes fruit-picking easier, and may increase yield, as it increases light interception and tree crown surface area. The objective of this research was to assess changes in tree structure, i.e. tree crown circumference, width, height and Plant Projective Cover (PPC using multi-spectral Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS imagery collected before and after pruning of a lychee plantation. A secondary objective was to assess any variations in the results as a function of various flying heights (30, 50 and 70 m. Pre- and post-pruning results showed significant differences in all measured tree structural parameters, including an average decrease in: tree crown circumference of 1.94 m; tree crown width of 0.57 m; tree crown height of 0.62 m; and PPC of 14.8 %. The different flying heights produced similar measurements of tree crown width and PPC, whereas tree crown circumference and height measurements decreased with increasing flying height. These results show that multi-spectral RPAS imagery can provide a suitable means of assessing pruning efforts undertaken by contractors based on changes in tree structure of lychee plantations and that it is important to collect imagery in a consistent manner, as varying flying heights may cause changes to tree structural measurements.

  14. Nuclear structure far from stability: the neutron-rich 69-79Cu isotopes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Franchoo, Serge

    2015-01-01

    Far from stability, the nuclear structure that is predicted by the shell model is evolving. Old magic numbers disappear, while new ones appear. Our understanding of the underlying nuclear force that drives these changes is still incomplete. After a short overview across the nuclear chart, we discuss the strength functions of the shell-model orbitals in the neutron-rich copper isotopes towards the 78 Ni doubly-magic nucleus. These were measured in a 72 Zn(d, 3 He) 71 Cu proton pick-up reaction in inverse kinematics with a radioactive beam at the Ganil laboratory in France. We also present the latest results from a 80 Zn(p,2p) 79 Cu knockout experiment at Riken in Japan, leading to selective population of hole states in 79 Cu. Our findings show that the Z=28 shell gap in the neutron-rich copper isotopes is surprisingly steady against the addition of neutrons beyond N=40. (author)

  15. MicroRaman scattering from polycrystalline CuInS{sub 2} films: structural analysis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Alvarez-Garcia, J.; Marcos-Ruzafa, J.; Perez-Rodriguez, A.; Romano-Rodriguez, A.; Morante, J.R. [Barcelona Univ. (Spain). Dept. de Fisica Aplicada i Electronica; Scheer, R. [Hahn-Meitner-Institut Berlin GmbH (Germany)

    2000-02-21

    CuInS{sub 2} thin films co-evaporated with gradual chemical composition have been characterised by microRaman scattering measurements. For the Cu rich region, the mode A{sub 1} at about 290 cm{sup -1} corresponding to the chalcopyrite phase is dominant. For the Cu poor region, this mode is accompanied by a strong contribution at about 306 cm{sup -1}. Besides, the mode A{sub 1} is broadened and shifted towards higher frequencies, which suggests an inferior structural quality of the Cu poor region. Decreasing the temperature of deposition leads to a dramatic decrease of structural quality in both In and Cu rich regions. The correlation between the appearance of the 306 cm{sup -1} mode and the spectral features of the mode A{sub 1} suggest the higher frequency mode is not related to the excess In in the layer but to structural effects as lattice disorder. Combined in-depth Auger electron spectroscopy and Raman scattering measurements have also shown the presence of a more complex structure for the Cu poor region of the layers, which presents a significant CuIn{sub 5}S{sub 8} secondary phase contribution in the spectra from the central region of the layers. The correlation of this contribution with the spectral features of the CuInS{sub 2} modes suggests a direct relationship between the presence of this In rich secondary phase and disorder at the CuInS{sub 2} lattice. (orig.)

  16. Crystal structure and dimerization equilibria of PcoC, a methionine-rich copper resistance protein from Escherichia coli

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wernimont, A.K.; Huffman, D.L.; Finney, L.A.; Demeler, B.; O' Halloran, T.V.; Rosenzweig, A.C.

    2010-03-08

    PcoC is a soluble periplasmic protein encoded by the plasmid-born pco copper resistance operon of Escherichia coli. Like PcoA, a multicopper oxidase encoded in the same locus and its chromosomal homolog CueO, PcoC contains unusual methionine rich sequences. Although essential for copper resistance, the functions of PcoC, PcoA, and their conserved methionine-rich sequences are not known. Similar methionine motifs observed in eukaryotic copper transporters have been proposed to bind copper, but there are no precedents for such metal binding sites in structurally characterized proteins. The high-resolution structures of apo PcoC, determined for both the native and selenomethionine-containing proteins, reveal a seven-stranded barrel with the methionines unexpectedly housed on a solvent-exposed loop. Several potential metal-binding sites can be discerned by comparing the structures to spectroscopic data reported for copper-loaded PcoC. In the native structure, the methionine loop interacts with the same loop on a second molecule in the asymmetric unit. In the selenomethionine structure, the methionine loops are more exposed, forming hydrophobic patches on the protein surface. These two arrangements suggest that the methionine motifs might function in protein-protein interactions between PcoC molecules or with other methionine-rich proteins such as PcoA. Analytical ultracentrifugation data indicate that a weak monomer-dimer equilibrium exists in solution for the apo protein. Dimerization is significantly enhanced upon binding Cu(I) with a measured {Delta}({Delta}G{sup o}) {le} -8.0 kJ/mole, suggesting that copper might bind at the dimer interface.

  17. Spectral Measurements of Cyg X-3: A Thermal Source Embedded in ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    R. Narasimhan (Krishtel eMaging) 1461 1996 Oct 15 13:05:22

    The attempts at unified model fitting to explain the spectral variations in Cyg ... observatory shows a rich discrete emission line spectrum, which also implies an origin ..... Bhat, P. N., Ramana Murthy, P. V., Vishwanath, P. R. 1988, JApA, 9, 155.

  18. New block matrix spectral problem and Hamiltonian structure of the discrete integrable coupling system

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yu Fajun [College of Maths and Systematic Science, Shenyang Normal University, Shenyang 110034 (China)], E-mail: yufajun888@163.com

    2008-06-09

    In [W.X. Ma, J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. 40 (2007) 15055], Prof. Ma gave a beautiful result (a discrete variational identity). In this Letter, based on a discrete block matrix spectral problem, a new hierarchy of Lax integrable lattice equations with four potentials is derived. By using of the discrete variational identity, we obtain Hamiltonian structure of the discrete soliton equation hierarchy. Finally, an integrable coupling system of the soliton equation hierarchy and its Hamiltonian structure are obtained through the discrete variational identity.

  19. New block matrix spectral problem and Hamiltonian structure of the discrete integrable coupling system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yu Fajun

    2008-01-01

    In [W.X. Ma, J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. 40 (2007) 15055], Prof. Ma gave a beautiful result (a discrete variational identity). In this Letter, based on a discrete block matrix spectral problem, a new hierarchy of Lax integrable lattice equations with four potentials is derived. By using of the discrete variational identity, we obtain Hamiltonian structure of the discrete soliton equation hierarchy. Finally, an integrable coupling system of the soliton equation hierarchy and its Hamiltonian structure are obtained through the discrete variational identity

  20. Modelling Perception of Structure and Affect in Music: Spectral Centroid and Wishart's Red Bird

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Roger T. Dean

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available Pearce (2011 provides a positive and interesting response to our article on time series analysis of the influences of acoustic properties on real-time perception of structure and affect in a section of Trevor Wishart’s Red Bird (Dean & Bailes, 2010. We address the following topics raised in the response and our paper. First, we analyse in depth the possible influence of spectral centroid, a timbral feature of the acoustic stream distinct from the high level general parameter we used initially, spectral flatness. We find that spectral centroid, like spectral flatness, is not a powerful predictor of real-time responses, though it does show some features that encourage its continued consideration. Second, we discuss further the issue of studying both individual responses, and as in our paper, group averaged responses. We show that a multivariate Vector Autoregression model handles the grand average series quite similarly to those of individual members of our participant groups, and we analyse this in greater detail with a wide range of approaches in work which is in press and continuing. Lastly, we discuss the nature and intent of computational modelling of cognition using acoustic and music- or information theoretic data streams as predictors, and how the music- or information theoretic approaches may be applied to electroacoustic music, which is ‘sound-based’ rather than note-centred like Western classical music.

  1. Synthesis and study of neutron-rich nuclides

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Luo Yixiao

    1995-01-01

    During the past few years our understanding of the decay properties and nuclear structure has been extended in a systematic fashion for the neutron-rich nuclei. This review will first sketch the production and identification of the neutron-rich nuclei throughout the whole mass region, and will then discuss the impressive progress in the studies of the exotic decay properties and nuclear structure of neutron-rich nuclei. Their astrophysical implications will also be outlined

  2. Benthic megafaunal community structure of cobalt-rich manganese crusts on Necker Ridge

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morgan, Nicole B.; Cairns, Stephen; Reiswig, Henry; Baco, Amy R.

    2015-10-01

    In the North Pacific Ocean, the seamounts of the Hawaiian Archipelago and the Mid-Pacific Mountains are connected by Necker Ridge, a 600 km-long feature spanning a depth range of 1400-4000 m. The Necker Ridge is a part of a large area of the central and western Pacific under consideration for cobalt-rich manganese crust mining. We describe the fauna and community structure of the previously unsampled Necker Ridge based on explorations with the submersible Pisces IV. On five pinnacles and a portion of the Ridge ranging from 1400 to 2000 m deep, 27 transects were recorded using HD video, and voucher specimens were collected to aid in species identification. The video was analyzed to identify and count the megafauna found on each transect and to characterize the substrate. Diversity increased from south to north along the feature. There was a significant difference in community structure between southern and northern pinnacles, with southern pinnacles dominated by crinoids of the Family Charitometridae and northern pinnacles dominated by octocorals, especially the Families Isididae and Chrysogorgiidae. DistLM demonstrated a correlation between community structure on the pinnacles and at least six environmental variables, including latitude, sediment cover, and oxygen concentration, but not including depth. The discontinuous and patchy nature of these distinct megafaunal communities highlights growing evidence that cobalt-rich seamounts are highly heterogeneous habitats, and that managing seamounts may require more complex regulations than treating them as a single ecological unit. These results suggest that extensive community analysis should occur at a given site to determine management priority areas, prior to consideration of that site for exploitation of natural resources.

  3. Heat-induced changes to lipid molecular structure in Vimy flaxseed: Spectral intensity and molecular clustering

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yu, Peiqiang; Damiran, Daalkhaijav

    2011-06-01

    Autoclaving was used to manipulate nutrient utilization and availability. The objectives of this study were to characterize any changes of the functional groups mainly associated with lipid structure in flaxseed ( Linum usitatissimum, cv. Vimy), that occurred on a molecular level during the treatment process using infrared Fourier transform molecular spectroscopy. The parameters included lipid CH 3 asymmetric (ca. 2959 cm -1), CH 2 asymmetric (ca. 2928 cm -1), CH 3 symmetric (ca. 2871 cm -1) and CH 2 symmetric (ca. 2954 cm -1) functional groups, lipid carbonyl C dbnd O ester group (ca. 1745 cm -1), lipid unsaturation group (CH attached to C dbnd C) (ca. 3010 cm -1) as well as their ratios. Hierarchical cluster analysis (CLA) and principal components analysis (PCA) were conducted to identify molecular spectral differences. Flaxseed samples were kept raw for the control or autoclaved in batches at 120 °C for 20, 40 or 60 min for treatments 1, 2 and 3, respectively. Molecular spectral analysis of lipid functional group ratios showed a significant decrease ( P 0.05) on lipid carbonyl C dbnd O ester group and lipid unsaturation group (CH attached to C dbnd C) (with average spectral peak area intensities of 138.3 and 68.8 IR intensity units, respectively). Multivariate molecular spectral analyses, CLA and PCA, were unable to make distinctions between the different treatment original spectra at the CH 3 and CH 2 asymmetric and symmetric region (ca. 2988-2790 cm -1). The results indicated that autoclaving had an impact to the mid-infrared molecular spectrum of flaxseed to identify heat-induced changes in lipid conformation. A future study is needed to quantify the relationship between lipid molecular structure changes and functionality/availability.

  4. Rich RNA Structure Landscapes Revealed by Mutate-and-Map Analysis.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pablo Cordero

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available Landscapes exhibiting multiple secondary structures arise in natural RNA molecules that modulate gene expression, protein synthesis, and viral infection [corrected]. We report herein that high-throughput chemical experiments can isolate an RNA's multiple alternative secondary structures as they are stabilized by systematic mutagenesis (mutate-and-map, M2 and that a computational algorithm, REEFFIT, enables unbiased reconstruction of these states' structures and populations. In an in silico benchmark on non-coding RNAs with complex landscapes, M2-REEFFIT recovers 95% of RNA helices present with at least 25% population while maintaining a low false discovery rate (10% and conservative error estimates. In experimental benchmarks, M2-REEFFIT recovers the structure landscapes of a 35-nt MedLoop hairpin, a 110-nt 16S rRNA four-way junction with an excited state, a 25-nt bistable hairpin, and a 112-nt three-state adenine riboswitch with its expression platform, molecules whose characterization previously required expert mutational analysis and specialized NMR or chemical mapping experiments. With this validation, M2-REEFFIT enabled tests of whether artificial RNA sequences might exhibit complex landscapes in the absence of explicit design. An artificial flavin mononucleotide riboswitch and a randomly generated RNA sequence are found to interconvert between three or more states, including structures for which there was no design, but that could be stabilized through mutations. These results highlight the likely pervasiveness of rich landscapes with multiple secondary structures in both natural and artificial RNAs and demonstrate an automated chemical/computational route for their empirical characterization.

  5. A VUV prism spectrometer for RICH radiator refractometry

    CERN Document Server

    Moyssides, P G; Fokitis, E

    2000-01-01

    A prism spectrometer has been developed to operate in the VUV wavelength range from 120 to 200 nm. It can be used as a pre- disperser in conjunction with a Fabry-Perot based gas refractometer. This instrument has also been used to measure the refractive index of the liquid radiator C/sub 6/F/sub 14/ in various spectral lines. This radiator is used in the RICH detectors of the DELPHI experiment and has been proposed for ALICE, and LHCb experiments. The spectral resolution of the system is improved as the wavelength decreases and the data are consistent with a wavelength accuracy about 0.4 nm at 140 nm. The results for the dispersion curve of the above liquid are presented. (17 refs).

  6. Classification of Hyperspectral Images by SVM Using a Composite Kernel by Employing Spectral, Spatial and Hierarchical Structure Information

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yi Wang

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, we introduce a novel classification framework for hyperspectral images (HSIs by jointly employing spectral, spatial, and hierarchical structure information. In this framework, the three types of information are integrated into the SVM classifier in a way of multiple kernels. Specifically, the spectral kernel is constructed through each pixel’s vector value in the original HSI, and the spatial kernel is modeled by using the extended morphological profile method due to its simplicity and effectiveness. To accurately characterize hierarchical structure features, the techniques of Fish-Markov selector (FMS, marker-based hierarchical segmentation (MHSEG and algebraic multigrid (AMG are combined. First, the FMS algorithm is used on the original HSI for feature selection to produce its spectral subset. Then, the multigrid structure of this subset is constructed using the AMG method. Subsequently, the MHSEG algorithm is exploited to obtain a hierarchy consist of a series of segmentation maps. Finally, the hierarchical structure information is represented by using these segmentation maps. The main contributions of this work is to present an effective composite kernel for HSI classification by utilizing spatial structure information in multiple scales. Experiments were conducted on two hyperspectral remote sensing images to validate that the proposed framework can achieve better classification results than several popular kernel-based classification methods in terms of both qualitative and quantitative analysis. Specifically, the proposed classification framework can achieve 13.46–15.61% in average higher than the standard SVM classifier under different training sets in the terms of overall accuracy.

  7. Quantum spectral curve for arbitrary state/operator in AdS{sub 5}/CFT{sub 4}

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gromov, Nikolay [Mathematics Department, King’s College London,The Strand, London WC2R 2LS (United Kingdom); St.Petersburg INP,Gatchina, 188 300, St.Petersburg (Russian Federation); Kazakov, Vladimir [LPT, École Normale Superieure,24, rue Lhomond 75005 Paris (France); Université Paris-VI,Place Jussieu, 75005 Paris (France); School of Natural Sciences, Institute for Advanced Study,Princeton, NJ08540 (United States); Leurent, Sébastien [Institut de Mathématiques de Bourgogne, UMR 5584 du CNRS,Université de Bourgogne, 9 avenue Alain Savary, 21000 DIJON (France); Volin, Dmytro [Nordita KTH Royal Institute of Technology and Stockholm University,Roslagstullsbacken 23, SE-106 91 Stockholm (Sweden); School of Mathematics, Trinity College Dublin,College Green, Dublin 2 (Ireland)

    2015-09-28

    We give a derivation of quantum spectral curve (QSC) — a finite set of Riemann-Hilbert equations for exact spectrum of planar N=4 SYM theory proposed in our recent paper Phys. Rev. Lett. 112 (2014). We also generalize this construction to all local single trace operators of the theory, in contrast to the TBA-like approaches worked out only for a limited class of states. We reveal a rich algebraic and analytic structure of the QSC in terms of a so called Q-system — a finite set of Baxter-like Q-functions. This new point of view on the finite size spectral problem is shown to be completely compatible, though in a far from trivial way, with already known exact equations (analytic Y-system/TBA, or FiNLIE). We use the knowledge of this underlying Q-system to demonstrate how the classical finite gap solutions and the asymptotic Bethe ansatz emerge from our formalism in appropriate limits.

  8. Spectral analysis of point-vortex dynamics: first application to vortex polygons in a circular domain

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Speetjens, M F M; Meleshko, V V; Van Heijst, G J F

    2014-01-01

    The present study addresses the classical problem of the dynamics and stability of a cluster of N-point vortices of equal strength arranged in a polygonal configuration (‘N-vortex polygons’). In unbounded domains, such N-vortex polygons are unconditionally stable for N⩽7. Confinement in a circular domain tightens the stability conditions to N⩽6 and a maximum polygon size relative to the domain radius. This work expands on existing studies on stability and integrability by a first giving an exploratory spectral analysis of the dynamics of N vortex polygons in circular domains. Key to this is that the spectral signature of the time evolution of vortex positions reflects their qualitative behaviour. Expressing vortex motion by a generic evolution operator (the so-called Koopman operator) provides a rigorous framework for such spectral analyses. This paves the way to further differentiation and classification of point-vortex behaviour beyond stability and integrability. The concept of Koopman-based spectral analysis is demonstrated for N-vortex polygons. This reveals that conditional stability can be seen as a local form of integrability and confirms an important generic link between spectrum and dynamics: discrete spectra imply regular (quasi-periodic) motion; continuous (sub-)spectra imply chaotic motion. Moreover, this exposes rich nonlinear dynamics as intermittency between regular and chaotic motion and quasi-coherent structures formed by chaotic vortices. (ss 1)

  9. Molecular cloning and construction of the coding region for human acetylcholinesterase reveals a G + C-rich attenuating structure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Soreq, H.; Ben-Aziz, R.; Prody, C.A.; Seidman, S.; Gnatt, A.; Neville, L.; Lieman-Hurwitz, J.; Lev-Lehman, E.; Ginzberg, D.; Lapidot-Lifson, Y.; Zakut, H.

    1990-01-01

    To study the primary structure of human acetylcholinesterase and its gene expression and amplification, cDNA libraries from human tissues expressing oocyte-translatable AcChoEase mRNA were constructed and screened with labeled oligodeoxynucleotide probes. Several cDNA clones were isolated that encoded a polypeptide with ≥50% identically aligned amino acids to Torpedo AcChoEase and human butyrylcholinesterase. However, these cDNA clones were all truncated within a 300-nucleotide-long G + C-rich region with a predicted pattern of secondary structure having a high Gibbs free energy downstream from the expected 5' end of the coding region. Screening of a genomic DNA library revealed the missing 5' domain. When ligated to the cDNA and constructed into a transcription vector, this sequence encoded a synthetic mRNA translated in microinjected oocytes into catalytically active AcChoEase with marked preference for acetylthiocholine over butyrylthiocholine as a substrate, susceptibility to inhibition by the AcChoEase inhibitor BW284C51, and resistance to the AcChoEase inhibitor tetraisopropylpyrophosphoramide. Blot hybridization of genomic DNA from different individuals carrying amplified AcChoEase genes revealed variable intensities and restriction patterns with probes from the regions upstream and downstream from the predicted G + C-rich structure. Thus, the human AcChoEase gene includes a putative G + C-rich attenuator domain and is subject to structural alterations in cases of AcChoEase gene amplification

  10. A divisive spectral method for network community detection

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cheng, Jianjun; Li, Longjie; Yao, Yukai; Chen, Xiaoyun; Leng, Mingwei; Lu, Weiguo

    2016-01-01

    Community detection is a fundamental problem in the domain of complex network analysis. It has received great attention, and many community detection methods have been proposed in the last decade. In this paper, we propose a divisive spectral method for identifying community structures from networks which utilizes a sparsification operation to pre-process the networks first, and then uses a repeated bisection spectral algorithm to partition the networks into communities. The sparsification operation makes the community boundaries clearer and sharper, so that the repeated spectral bisection algorithm extract high-quality community structures accurately from the sparsified networks. Experiments show that the combination of network sparsification and a spectral bisection algorithm is highly successful, the proposed method is more effective in detecting community structures from networks than the others. (paper: interdisciplinary statistical mechanics)

  11. Spectral tuning of Amazon parrot feather coloration by psittacofulvin pigments and spongy structures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tinbergen, Jan; Wilts, Bodo D; Stavenga, Doekele G

    2013-12-01

    The feathers of Amazon parrots are brightly coloured. They contain a unique class of pigments, the psittacofulvins, deposited in both barbs and barbules, causing yellow or red coloured feathers. In specific feather areas, spongy nanostructured barb cells exist, reflecting either in the blue or blue-green wavelength range. The blue-green spongy structures are partly enveloped by a blue-absorbing, yellow-colouring pigment acting as a spectral filter, thus yielding a green coloured barb. Applying reflection and transmission spectroscopy, we characterized the Amazons' pigments and spongy structures, and investigated how they contribute to the feather coloration. The reflectance spectra of Amazon feathers are presumably tuned to the sensitivity spectra of the visual photoreceptors.

  12. Structure of light proton-rich nuclei on the drip-line

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Guimaraes, V.; Toyokawa, H.; Yun, C.C.; Niizeki, T.; Ito, K.; Kishida, T.; Kubo, T.; Pu, Y.; Ohura, M.; Orihara, H.; Terakawa, T.; Hamada, S.; Hirai, M.; Miyatake, H.

    1995-01-01

    Among proton-rich unstable nuclei on the light proton drip-line, nuclear structure of 21 Mg, 17 Ne, 13 O, 11 N and 9 C have been investigated by the three-neutron pick-up reaction ( 3 He, 6 He). The angular distributions measured for this reaction have shown a characteristic feature of a transferred angular-momentum (L) dependence, which provides spin-parity assignments for the new levels in these nuclei. Here, the results on the nuclear structure of 17 Ne and 11 N are reported. The nucleus 17 Ne we almost unknown before, except that the mass excess had been determined and a few states had been suggested. Many T = 3/2 states were known in the other three members ( 17 N, 17 O and 17 F). Thus, the inclusion of the data on 17 Ne levels has enabled an extensive analysis in terms of the Isobaric Multiplet Mass Equation (IMME) for several excited state quartets. This is the first report on such an extensive analysis in the same mass ststem for a wide range in excitation energy. The 11 N nucleus was investigated to learn about the structure of A 11 system. This mass has been intensively studied, specially because of the halo structure observed in 11 Li and the spin parity-inversion of the 11 Be ground-state. The 11 N nucleus was totally unknown before except for the possible ground state

  13. Synthesis and study of neutron-rich nuclides

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Luo, Y.X.

    1995-01-01

    During the past few years our understanding of the decay properties and nuclear structure has been extended in a systematic fashion for the neutron-rich nuclei. This review will discuss the impressive progress in the studies of the exotic decay properties and nuclear structure of n-rich nuclei. Their astrophysical implications will also be outlined. ((orig.))

  14. Structure dependent electrochemical performance of Li-rich layered oxides in lithium-ion batteries

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fu, Fang; Yao, Yuze; Wang, Haiyan; Xu, Gui-Liang; Amine, Khalil; Sun, Shi-Gang; Shao, Minhua

    2017-04-08

    Rational and precise control of the structure and dimension of electrode materials is an efficient way to improve their electrochemical performance. In this work, solvothermal or co-precipitation method is used to synthesize lithium-rich layered oxide materials of Li1.2Mn0.56Co0.12Ni0.12O2 (LLO) with various morphologies and structures, including microspheres, microrods, nanoplates, and irregular nanoparticles. These materials exhibit strong structure- dependent electrochemical properties. The porous hierarchical structured LLO microrods exhibit the best performance, delivering a discharge capacity of 264.6 mAh g(-1) at 0.5 C with over 91% retention after 100 cycles. At a high rate of 5 C, a high discharge capacity of 173.6 mAh g(-1) can be achieved. This work reveals the relationship between the morphologies and electrochemical properties of LLO cathode materials, and provides a feasible approach to fabricating robust and high-performance electrode materials for lithium-ion batteries.

  15. Revived STIS. II. Properties of Stars in the Next Generation Spectral Library

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heap, Sara R.; Lindler, D.

    2010-01-01

    Spectroscopic surveys of galaxies at high redshift will bring the rest-frame ultraviolet into view of large, ground-based telescopes. The UV-blue spectral region is rich in diagnostics, but these diagnostics have not yet been calibrated in terms of the properties of the responsible stellar population(s). Such calibrations are now possible with Hubble's Next Generation Spectral Library (NGSL). The NGSL contains UV-optical spectra (0.2 - 1.0 microns) of 374 stars having a wide range in temperature, luminosity, and metallicity. We will describe our work to derive basic stellar parameters from NGSL spectra using modern model spectra and to use these stellar parameters to develop UV-blue spectral diagnostics.

  16. Mirror energy difference and the structure of loosely bound proton-rich nuclei around A =20

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yuan, Cenxi; Qi, Chong; Xu, Furong; Suzuki, Toshio; Otsuka, Takaharu

    2014-04-01

    The properties of loosely bound proton-rich nuclei around A =20 are investigated within the framework of the nuclear shell model. In these nuclei, the strength of the effective interactions involving the loosely bound proton s1/2 orbit is significantly reduced in comparison with that of those in their mirror nuclei. We evaluate the reduction of the effective interaction by calculating the monopole-based-universal interaction (VMU) in the Woods-Saxon basis. The shell-model Hamiltonian in the sd shell, such as USD, can thus be modified to reproduce the binding energies and energy levels of the weakly bound proton-rich nuclei around A =20. The effect of the reduction of the effective interaction on the structure and decay properties of these nuclei is also discussed.

  17. Nuclear structure studies of neutron-rich heavy nuclei by mass measurements of francium and radium isotopes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rosenbusch, Marco [Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-Universitaet, Institut fuer Physik, 17487 Greifswald (Germany); Collaboration: ISOLTRAP-Collaboration

    2013-07-01

    The mass is a unique property of an atomic nucleus reflecting its binding energy and thus the sum of all interactions at work. Precise measurements of nuclear masses especially of short-lived exotic nuclides provide important input for nuclear structure, nuclear astrophysics, tests of the Standard Model, and weak interaction studies. The Penning-trap mass spectrometer ISOLTRAP at the on-line isotope separator ISOLDE/CERN has been set up for precision mass measurements and continuously improved for accessing more exotic nuclides. The mass uncertainty is typically δm / m=10{sup -8} and the accessible half-life has been reduced to about 50 ms. In this contribution, the results of a measurement campaign of neutron-rich francium and radium isotopes will be presented, i.e. the masses of the isotopic chain of {sup 224-233}Fr and {sup 233,234}Ra, one of the most neutron-rich ensemble obtainable at ISOL facilities. The mass {sup 234}Ra denotes the heaviest mass ever measured with ISOLTRAP. Experimental data in the neutron-rich, heavy mass region is of great interest for studies of structural evolution far from stability, especially because the knowledge from nuclear mass models is scarce. The impact of the new data on the physics in this mass region as well as recent technical developments of ISOLTRAP are discussed.

  18. Structural and spectral comparisons between isomeric benzisothiazole and benzothiazole based aromatic heterocyclic dyes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Yin-Ge; Wang, Yue-Hua; Tao, Tao; Qian, Hui-Fen; Huang, Wei

    2015-09-01

    A pair of isomeric heterocyclic compounds, namely 3-amino-5-nitro-[2,1]-benzisothiazole and 2-amino-6-nitrobenzothiazole, are used as the diazonium components to couple with two N-substituted 4-aminobenzene derivatives. As a result, two pairs of isomeric aromatic heterocyclic azo dyes have been produced and they are structurally and spectrally characterized and compared including single-crystal structures, electronic spectra, solvatochromism and reversible acid-base discoloration, thermal stability and theoretically calculations. It is concluded that both benzisothiazole and benzothiazole based dyes show planar molecular structures and offset π-π stacking interactions, solvatochromism and reversible acid-base discoloration. Furthermore, benzisothiazole based aromatic heterocyclic dyes exhibit higher thermal stability, larger solvatochromic effects and maximum absorption wavelengths than corresponding benzothiazole based ones, which can be explained successfully by the differences of their calculated isomerization energy, dipole moment and molecular band gaps.

  19. Accurate determination of interfacial protein secondary structure by combining interfacial-sensitive amide I and amide III spectral signals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ye, Shuji; Li, Hongchun; Yang, Weilai; Luo, Yi

    2014-01-29

    Accurate determination of protein structures at the interface is essential to understand the nature of interfacial protein interactions, but it can only be done with a few, very limited experimental methods. Here, we demonstrate for the first time that sum frequency generation vibrational spectroscopy can unambiguously differentiate the interfacial protein secondary structures by combining surface-sensitive amide I and amide III spectral signals. This combination offers a powerful tool to directly distinguish random-coil (disordered) and α-helical structures in proteins. From a systematic study on the interactions between several antimicrobial peptides (including LKα14, mastoparan X, cecropin P1, melittin, and pardaxin) and lipid bilayers, it is found that the spectral profiles of the random-coil and α-helical structures are well separated in the amide III spectra, appearing below and above 1260 cm(-1), respectively. For the peptides with a straight backbone chain, the strength ratio for the peaks of the random-coil and α-helical structures shows a distinct linear relationship with the fraction of the disordered structure deduced from independent NMR experiments reported in the literature. It is revealed that increasing the fraction of negatively charged lipids can induce a conformational change of pardaxin from random-coil to α-helical structures. This experimental protocol can be employed for determining the interfacial protein secondary structures and dynamics in situ and in real time without extraneous labels.

  20. Microdiffraction and CBED crystal structure determination of the Si-rich phase in laser-clad Ni alloy FP-5

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu, Y.; Mazumder, J.

    1995-01-01

    This paper demonstrates an example of using kinematical microdiffraction to solve an unknown Si-rich phase of micrometer size in a laser-clad Ni alloy FP-5 on Al alloy AA333. The composition of the Si-rich phase obtained by energy-dispersice X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) analysis in a transmission electron microscope is approximately 0.7wt%Al, 71wt%Si, 3.3wt%Cr, 0.8wt%Fe, 21wt%Ni and 2.8wt%Cu. The point group was identified by the standard convergent-beam symmetry analysis to be P6 3 /mmc (No. 194). Structure analysies by microdiffraction (MD) indicates that the Si-rich phase is a close-packed structure.The intensity distribution in the microdiffraction pattern of the [1120] zone axis taken with a very thin area showed a close match with kinematical calculation. A close-packed-structure model specified as ABCACB was deduced from the [1120] zone axis MD pattern. The randomly distributed atoms of all the elements in the unit cell are at 2/3, 1/3-1/12; 1/3, 1/12; 0, 0, 3/12, 1/3, 2/3, 5/12, 2/3, 1/3, 7/12; 0,0, 9/12. The model was checked by comparison with a simulated diffraction pattern map and with a simulated [0001] zone-axis CBED pattern, which showed complete agreement with the proposed model. (orig.)

  1. Validation of spectral methods for the seismic analysis of multi-supported structures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Viola, B.

    1999-01-01

    There are many methodologies for the seismic analysis of buildings. When a seism occurs, structures such piping systems in nuclear power plants are subjected to motions that may be different at each support point. Therefore it is necessary to develop methods that take into account the multi-supported effect. In a first time, a bibliography analysis on the different methods that exist has been carried out. The aim was to find a particular method applicable to the study of piping systems. The second step of this work consisted in developing a program that may be used to test and make comparisons on different selected methods. So spectral methods have the advantage to give an estimation of the maximum values for strain in the structure, in reduced calculation time. The time history analysis is used as the reference for the tests. (author)

  2. Enzymatic synthesis of capric acid-rich structured lipids (MUM type) using Candida antarctica lipase.

    Science.gov (United States)

    SilRoy, Sumita; Ghosh, Mahua

    2011-01-01

    The objective of the work was to produce capric acid rich structured lipids starting from various Indian indigenous vegetable oils, such as rice bran, ground nut and mustard oils. Acidolysis reaction between individual vegetable oils and capric acid in one is to three molar ratios at 45 degree centigrade temperature was carried out using position specific Candida antarctica lipase so as to protect the Sn-2 position of the oils which are rich in unsaturated fatty acids. The incorporation of capric acid depended on the reaction time showing 6 % within 6 h and 30.8 % in 72 h with rice bran oil. Similarly, in ground nut oil incorporation of capric acid was 34.2 % in 72 h compared to 5.3 % in 6 h. Thus mustard oil showed much lower incorporation than the other two oils, with 3.3 % and 19.5 % in 6 and 72 h respectively. The incorporation of capric acid was influenced by the nature of the fatty acids present in the original oil. The fatty acid composition of Sn-2 position of the structured triacylglycerols of the three oils revealed that capric acid was mainly replacing the fatty acids occupying the Sn-1 and 3 positions of the triglyceride molecule.

  3. An Interferometric Spectral-Line and Imaging Survey of VY Canis Majoris in the 345 GHz Band

    OpenAIRE

    Kaminski, T.; Gottlieb, C. A.; Young, K. H.; Menten, K. M.; Patel, N. A.

    2013-01-01

    A spectral line survey of the oxygen-rich red supergiant VY Canis Majoris was made between 279 and 355 GHz with the Submillimeter Array. Two hundred twenty three spectral features from 19 molecules (not counting isotopic species of some of them) were observed, including the rotational spectra of TiO, TiO2, and AlCl for the first time in this source. The parameters and an atlas of all spectral features is presented. Observations of each line with a synthesized beam of ~0.9 arcsec, reveal the c...

  4. Structural manifestations of aging in Se-rich glasses

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dash, S.; Ravindren, S.; Chen, P.; Boolchand, P.

    2015-03-01

    We examine weakly cross-linked GexSe100-x (0%modulated DSC and Raman scattering experiments. Homogeneity of melts was carefully verified using FT-Raman line profiling. Upon aging at RT for 4 months, we find the width of the glass transition W(x) steadily decreasing from 10C at 7% Ge to 2C for pure Se. The 5-fold reduction of W(x) with a decrease of Ge content is accompanied by a 2-fold increase in the non-reversing enthalpy. Rejuvenation of the aged glasses changes W(x) from 15C at 7% Ge to 7C for pure Se. Tg is found to decrease upon rejuvenation with the difference (Tg(aged)-Tg(rejuv)) showing a maximum near 3% Ge and vanishing for pure Se and 6% of Ge, which are topological thresholds. These results in Se-rich glasses are consistent with aging induced decoupling of Se8 crowns and growth of extended range structural correlations between polymeric Sen chains due to lone pair interactions. At higher x, near 8-10% of Ge, eutectic effects are manifested. Work supported by NSF Grant DMR 08-53957.

  5. Atomic spectral-product representations of molecular electronic structure: metric matrices and atomic-product composition of molecular eigenfunctions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ben-Nun, M; Mills, J D; Hinde, R J; Winstead, C L; Boatz, J A; Gallup, G A; Langhoff, P W

    2009-07-02

    Recent progress is reported in development of ab initio computational methods for the electronic structures of molecules employing the many-electron eigenstates of constituent atoms in spectral-product forms. The approach provides a universal atomic-product description of the electronic structure of matter as an alternative to more commonly employed valence-bond- or molecular-orbital-based representations. The Hamiltonian matrix in this representation is seen to comprise a sum over atomic energies and a pairwise sum over Coulombic interaction terms that depend only on the separations of the individual atomic pairs. Overall electron antisymmetry can be enforced by unitary transformation when appropriate, rather than as a possibly encumbering or unnecessary global constraint. The matrix representative of the antisymmetrizer in the spectral-product basis, which is equivalent to the metric matrix of the corresponding explicitly antisymmetric basis, provides the required transformation to antisymmetric or linearly independent states after Hamiltonian evaluation. Particular attention is focused in the present report on properties of the metric matrix and on the atomic-product compositions of molecular eigenstates as described in the spectral-product representations. Illustrative calculations are reported for simple but prototypically important diatomic (H(2), CH) and triatomic (H(3), CH(2)) molecules employing algorithms and computer codes devised recently for this purpose. This particular implementation of the approach combines Slater-orbital-based one- and two-electron integral evaluations, valence-bond constructions of standard tableau functions and matrices, and transformations to atomic eigenstate-product representations. The calculated metric matrices and corresponding potential energy surfaces obtained in this way elucidate a number of aspects of the spectral-product development, including the nature of closure in the representation, the general redundancy or

  6. Spectral finite element method wave propagation, diagnostics and control in anisotropic and inhomogeneous structures

    CERN Document Server

    Gopalakrishnan, Srinivasan; Roy Mahapatra, Debiprosad

    2008-01-01

    The use of composites and Functionally Graded Materials (FGMs) in structural applications has increased. FGMs allow the user to design materials for a specified functionality and have many uses in structural engineering. However, the behaviour of these structures under high-impact loading is not well understood. This book is the first to apply the Spectral Finite Element Method (SFEM) to inhomogeneous and anisotropic structures in a unified and systematic manner. It focuses on some of the problems with this media which were previously thought unmanageable. Types of SFEM for regular and damaged 1-D and 2-D waveguides, solution techniques, methods of detecting the presence of damages and their locations, and methods for controlling the wave propagation responses are discussed. Tables, figures and graphs support the theory and case studies are included. This book is of value to senior undergraduates and postgraduates studying in this field, and researchers and practicing engineers in structural integrity.

  7. Beyond Low-Rank Representations: Orthogonal clustering basis reconstruction with optimized graph structure for multi-view spectral clustering.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Yang; Wu, Lin

    2018-07-01

    Low-Rank Representation (LRR) is arguably one of the most powerful paradigms for Multi-view spectral clustering, which elegantly encodes the multi-view local graph/manifold structures into an intrinsic low-rank self-expressive data similarity embedded in high-dimensional space, to yield a better graph partition than their single-view counterparts. In this paper we revisit it with a fundamentally different perspective by discovering LRR as essentially a latent clustered orthogonal projection based representation winged with an optimized local graph structure for spectral clustering; each column of the representation is fundamentally a cluster basis orthogonal to others to indicate its members, which intuitively projects the view-specific feature representation to be the one spanned by all orthogonal basis to characterize the cluster structures. Upon this finding, we propose our technique with the following: (1) We decompose LRR into latent clustered orthogonal representation via low-rank matrix factorization, to encode the more flexible cluster structures than LRR over primal data objects; (2) We convert the problem of LRR into that of simultaneously learning orthogonal clustered representation and optimized local graph structure for each view; (3) The learned orthogonal clustered representations and local graph structures enjoy the same magnitude for multi-view, so that the ideal multi-view consensus can be readily achieved. The experiments over multi-view datasets validate its superiority, especially over recent state-of-the-art LRR models. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. Alignment and integration of complex networks by hypergraph-based spectral clustering

    Science.gov (United States)

    Michoel, Tom; Nachtergaele, Bruno

    2012-11-01

    Complex networks possess a rich, multiscale structure reflecting the dynamical and functional organization of the systems they model. Often there is a need to analyze multiple networks simultaneously, to model a system by more than one type of interaction, or to go beyond simple pairwise interactions, but currently there is a lack of theoretical and computational methods to address these problems. Here we introduce a framework for clustering and community detection in such systems using hypergraph representations. Our main result is a generalization of the Perron-Frobenius theorem from which we derive spectral clustering algorithms for directed and undirected hypergraphs. We illustrate our approach with applications for local and global alignment of protein-protein interaction networks between multiple species, for tripartite community detection in folksonomies, and for detecting clusters of overlapping regulatory pathways in directed networks.

  9. A correlational method to concurrently measure envelope and temporal fine structure weights: effects of age, cochlear pathology, and spectral shaping.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fogerty, Daniel; Humes, Larry E

    2012-09-01

    The speech signal may be divided into spectral frequency-bands, each band containing temporal properties of the envelope and fine structure. This study measured the perceptual weights for the envelope and fine structure in each of three frequency bands for sentence materials in young normal-hearing listeners, older normal-hearing listeners, aided older hearing-impaired listeners, and spectrally matched young normal-hearing listeners. The availability of each acoustic property was independently varied through noisy signal extraction. Thus, the full speech stimulus was presented with noise used to mask six different auditory channels. Perceptual weights were determined by correlating a listener's performance with the signal-to-noise ratio of each acoustic property on a trial-by-trial basis. Results demonstrate that temporal fine structure perceptual weights remain stable across the four listener groups. However, a different weighting typography was observed across the listener groups for envelope cues. Results suggest that spectral shaping used to preserve the audibility of the speech stimulus may alter the allocation of perceptual resources. The relative perceptual weighting of envelope cues may also change with age. Concurrent testing of sentences repeated once on a previous day demonstrated that weighting strategies for all listener groups can change, suggesting an initial stabilization period or susceptibility to auditory training.

  10. An ezrin-rich, rigid uropod-like structure directs movement of amoeboid blebbing cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lorentzen, Anna; Bamber, Jeffrey; Sadok, Amine; Elson-Schwab, Ilan; Marshall, Christopher J

    2011-04-15

    Melanoma cells can switch between an elongated mesenchymal-type and a rounded amoeboid-type migration mode. The rounded 'amoeboid' form of cell movement is driven by actomyosin contractility resulting in membrane blebbing. Unlike elongated A375 melanoma cells, rounded A375 cells do not display any obvious morphological front-back polarisation, although polarisation is thought to be a prerequisite for cell movement. We show that blebbing A375 cells are polarised, with ezrin (a linker between the plasma membrane and actin cytoskeleton), F-actin, myosin light chain, plasma membrane, phosphatidylinositol (4,5)-bisphosphate and β1-integrin accumulating at the cell rear in a uropod-like structure. This structure does not have the typical protruding shape of classical leukocyte uropods, but, as for those structures, it is regulated by protein kinase C. We show that the ezrin-rich uropod-like structure (ERULS) is an inherent feature of polarised A375 cells and not a consequence of cell migration, and is necessary for cell invasion. Furthermore, we demonstrate that membrane blebbing is reduced at this site, leading to a model in which the rigid ezrin-containing structure determines the direction of a moving cell through localised inhibition of membrane blebbing.

  11. Structure of proton-rich nuclei of astrophysical interest

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Roeckl, E [Gesellschaft fuer Schwerionenforschung (GSI), Darmstadt (Germany)

    1998-06-01

    Recent experimental data concerning proton-rich nuclei between A=20 and A=100 are presented and discussed with respect to their relevance to the astrophysical rp process and to the calibration of solar neutrino detectors. (orig.)

  12. Structure and stabilization of hydrogen-rich transverse.

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lyra, Sgouria [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-CA), Livermore, CA (United States); Wilde, B [Georgia Inst. of Technology, Atlanta, GA (United States); Kolla, Hemanth [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-CA), Livermore, CA (United States); Seitzman, J. [Georgia Inst. of Technology, Atlanta, GA (United States); Lieuwen, T. C. [Georgia Inst. of Technology, Atlanta, GA (United States); Chen, Jacqueline H. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-CA), Livermore, CA (United States)

    2014-07-01

    This paper reports the results of a joint experimental and numerical study of the ow characteristics and flame stabilization of a hydrogen rich jet injected normal to a turbulent, vitiated cross ow of lean methane combustion products. Simultaneous high-speed stereoscopic PIV and OH PLIF measurements were obtained and analyzed alongside three-dimensional direct numerical simulations of inert and reacting JICF with detailed H2/CO chemistry. Both the experiment and the simulation reveal that, contrary to most previous studies of reacting JICF stabilized in low-to-moderate temperature air cross ow, the present conditions lead to an autoigniting, burner-attached flame that initiates uniformly around the burner edge. Significant asymmetry is observed, however, between the reaction zones located on the windward and leeward sides of the jet, due to the substantially different scalar dissipation rates. The windward reaction zone is much thinner in the near field, while also exhibiting significantly higher local and global heat release than the much broader reaction zone found on the leeward side of the jet. The unsteady dynamics of the windward shear layer, which largely control the important jet/cross flow mixing processes in that region, are explored in order to elucidate the important flow stability implications arising in the reacting JICF. Vorticity spectra extracted from the windward shear layer reveal that the reacting jet is globally unstable and features two high frequency peaks, including a fundamental mode whose Strouhal number of ~0.7 agrees well with previous non-reacting JICF stability studies. The paper concludes with an analysis of the ignition, ame stabilization, and global structure of the burner-attached flame. Chemical explosive mode analysis (CEMA) shows that the entire windward shear layer, and a large region on the leeward side of the jet, are highly explosive prior to ignition and are dominated by non-premixed flame structures after

  13. Spectrally tuned structural and pigmentary coloration of birdwing butterfly wing scales.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wilts, Bodo D; Matsushita, Atsuko; Arikawa, Kentaro; Stavenga, Doekele G

    2015-10-06

    The colourful wing patterns of butterflies play an important role for enhancing fitness; for instance, by providing camouflage, for interspecific mate recognition, or for aposematic display. Closely related butterfly species can have dramatically different wing patterns. The phenomenon is assumed to be caused by ecological processes with changing conditions, e.g. in the environment, and also by sexual selection. Here, we investigate the birdwing butterflies, Ornithoptera, the largest butterflies of the world, together forming a small genus in the butterfly family Papilionidae. The wings of these butterflies are marked by strongly coloured patches. The colours are caused by specially structured wing scales, which act as a chirped multilayer reflector, but the scales also contain papiliochrome pigments, which act as a spectral filter. The combined structural and pigmentary effects tune the coloration of the wing scales. The tuned colours are presumably important for mate recognition and signalling. By applying electron microscopy, (micro-)spectrophotometry and scatterometry we found that the various mechanisms of scale coloration of the different birdwing species strongly correlate with the taxonomical distribution of Ornithoptera species. © 2015 The Author(s).

  14. Vanadium-rich tourmaline from graphitic rocks at Bítovánky, Czech republic; compositional variation, crystal structure

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Cempírek, J.; Houzar, S.; Novák, M.; Selway, J.B.; Šrein, Vladimír

    2006-01-01

    Roč. 28, Spec. pap. (2006), s. 39-41 ISSN 1896-2203. [Central European Mineralogical Conference /1./. Vyšná Boca, 11.09.2006-15.09.2006] Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z30460519 Keywords : V-rich tourmaline * compositional variation * crystal structure Subject RIV: DB - Geology ; Mineralogy

  15. Extraction of optical parameters of thin films from spectral measurements for design and optical performance of multilayer structures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Muellerova, J.; Jurecka, S.; Kucerova, A.

    2003-01-01

    Optical parameters of a-Si:H and indium tin oxide (ITO) thin films deposited on glass substrates are determined from spectral measurements of reflectance and/or transmittance. It is shown how important the exact knowledge of optical parameters as well as thicknesses of the layers for the design and the optical performance of multilayer structures is. The model of the p-i-n based a:Si-H solar cell with ITO as transparent conductive oxide layer is used for illustrating. The modeling of the solar cell integral reflectance in the spectral region of (650-830) nm is used as a criterion to reverse engineering of a multilayer structure with suppressed reflectance losses. The reflectance of a solar cell is modelled and the simulation of the varying optical parameters of individual layers including their thicknesses is discussed. Besides this,the advantage of using an antireflective layer under ITO is discussed (Authors)

  16. Identification of neuronal network properties from the spectral analysis of calcium imaging signals in neuronal cultures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tibau, Elisenda; Valencia, Miguel; Soriano, Jordi

    2013-01-01

    Neuronal networks in vitro are prominent systems to study the development of connections in living neuronal networks and the interplay between connectivity, activity and function. These cultured networks show a rich spontaneous activity that evolves concurrently with the connectivity of the underlying network. In this work we monitor the development of neuronal cultures, and record their activity using calcium fluorescence imaging. We use spectral analysis to characterize global dynamical and structural traits of the neuronal cultures. We first observe that the power spectrum can be used as a signature of the state of the network, for instance when inhibition is active or silent, as well as a measure of the network's connectivity strength. Second, the power spectrum identifies prominent developmental changes in the network such as GABAA switch. And third, the analysis of the spatial distribution of the spectral density, in experiments with a controlled disintegration of the network through CNQX, an AMPA-glutamate receptor antagonist in excitatory neurons, reveals the existence of communities of strongly connected, highly active neurons that display synchronous oscillations. Our work illustrates the interest of spectral analysis for the study of in vitro networks, and its potential use as a network-state indicator, for instance to compare healthy and diseased neuronal networks.

  17. Remote sensing of species diversity using Landsat 8 spectral variables

    Science.gov (United States)

    Madonsela, Sabelo; Cho, Moses Azong; Ramoelo, Abel; Mutanga, Onisimo

    2017-11-01

    The application of remote sensing in biodiversity estimation has largely relied on the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). The NDVI exploits spectral information from red and near infrared bands of Landsat images and it does not consider canopy background conditions hence it is affected by soil brightness which lowers its sensitivity to vegetation. As such NDVI may be insufficient in explaining tree species diversity. Meanwhile, the Landsat program also collects essential spectral information in the shortwave infrared (SWIR) region which is related to plant properties. The study was intended to: (i) explore the utility of spectral information across Landsat-8 spectrum using the Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and estimate alpha diversity (α-diversity) in the savannah woodland in southern Africa, and (ii) define the species diversity index (Shannon (H‧), Simpson (D2) and species richness (S) - defined as number of species in a community) that best relates to spectral variability on the Landsat-8 Operational Land Imager dataset. We designed 90 m × 90 m field plots (n = 71) and identified all trees with a diameter at breast height (DbH) above 10 cm. H‧, D2 and S were used to quantify tree species diversity within each plot and the corresponding spectral information on all Landsat-8 bands were extracted from each field plot. A stepwise linear regression was applied to determine the relationship between species diversity indices (H‧, D2 and S) and Principal Components (PCs), vegetation indices and Gray Level Co-occurrence Matrix (GLCM) texture layers with calibration (n = 46) and test (n = 23) datasets. The results of regression analysis showed that the Simple Ratio Index derivative had a higher relationship with H‧, D2 and S (r2= 0.36; r2= 0.41; r2= 0.24 respectively) compared to NDVI, EVI, SAVI or their derivatives. Moreover the Landsat-8 derived PCs also had a higher relationship with H‧ and D2 (r2 of 0.36 and 0.35 respectively) than the

  18. SPECTRAL SMILE CORRECTION IN CRISM HYPERSPECTRAL IMAGES

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ceamanos, X.; Doute, S.

    2009-12-01

    The Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) is affected by a common artifact in "push-broom" sensors, the so-called "spectral smile". As a consequence, both central wavelength and spectral width of the spectral response vary along the across-track dimension, thus giving rise to a shifting and smoothing of spectra (see Fig. 1 (left)). In fact, both effects are greater for spectra on the edges, while they are minimum for data acquired by central detectors, the so-called "sweet spot". The prior artifacts become particularly critical for Martian observations which contain steep spectra such as CO2 ice-rich polar images. Fig. 1 (right) shows the horizontal brightness gradient which appears in every band corresponding to a steep portion of spectra. The correction of CRISM spectral smile is addressed using a two-step method which aims at modifying data sensibly in order to mimic the optimal CRISM response. First, all spectra, which are previously interpolated by cubic splines, are resampled to the "sweet spot" wavelengths in order to overcome the spectra shift. Secondly, the non-uniform spectral width is overcome by mimicking an increase of spectral resolution thanks to a spectral sharpening. In order to minimize noise, only bands particularly suffering from smile are selected. First, bands corresponding to the outliers of the Minimum Noise Transformation (MNF) eigenvector, which corresponds to the MNF band related to smile (MNF-smile), are selected. Then, a spectral neighborhood Θi, which takes into account the local spectral convexity or concavity, is defined for every selected band in order to maximize spectral shape preservation. The proposed sharpening technique takes into account both the instrument parameters and the observed spectra. First, every reflectance value belonging to a Θi is reevaluated by a sharpening which depends on a ratio of the spectral width of the current detector and the "sweet spot" one. Then, the optimal degree of

  19. Rich structure in the correlation matrix spectra in non-equilibrium steady states.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Biswas, Soham; Leyvraz, Francois; Monroy Castillero, Paulino; Seligman, Thomas H

    2017-01-17

    It has been shown that, if a model displays long-range (power-law) spatial correlations, its equal-time correlation matrix will also have a power law tail in the distribution of its high-lying eigenvalues. The purpose of this paper is to show that the converse is generally incorrect: a power-law tail in the high-lying eigenvalues of the correlation matrix may exist even in the absence of equal-time power law correlations in the initial model. We may therefore view the study of the eigenvalue distribution of the correlation matrix as a more powerful tool than the study of spatial Correlations, one which may in fact uncover structure, that would otherwise not be apparent. Specifically, we show that in the Totally Asymmetric Simple Exclusion Process, whereas there are no clearly visible correlations in the steady state, the eigenvalues of its correlation matrix exhibit a rich structure which we describe in detail.

  20. Structural and Chemical Evolution of Li- and Mn-rich Layered Cathode Material

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zheng, Jianming; Xu, Pinghong; Gu, Meng; Xiao, Jie; Browning, Nigel D.; Yan, Pengfei; Wang, Chong M.; Zhang, Jiguang

    2015-02-24

    Lithium (Li)- and manganese-rich (LMR) layered-structure materials are very promising cathodes for high energy density lithium-ion batteries. However, their voltage fading mechanism and its relationships with fundamental structural changes are far from being sufficiently understood. Here we report the detailed phase transformation pathway in the LMR cathode (Li[Li0.2Ni0.2Mn0.6]O2) during cycling for the samples prepared by hydro-thermal assistant method. It is found the transformation pathway of LMR cathode is closely correlated to its initial structure and preparation conditions. The results reveal that LMR cathode prepared by HA approach experiences a phase transformation from the layered structure to a LT-LiCoO2 type defect spinel-like structure (Fd-3m space group) and then to a disordered rock-salt structure (Fm-3m space group). The voltage fade can be well correlated with the Li ion insertion into octahedral sites, rather than tetrahedral sites, in both defect spinel-like structure and disordered rock-salt structure. The reversible Li insertion/removal into/from the disordered rock-salt structure is ascribed to the Li excess environment that can satisfy the Li percolating in the disordered rock-salt structure despite the increased kinetic barrier. Meanwhile, because of the presence of a great amount of oxygen vacancies, a significant decrease of Mn valence is detected in the cycled particle, which is below that anticipated for a potentially damaging Jahn-Teller distortion (+3.5). Clarification of the phase transformation pathway, cation redistribution, oxygen vacancy and Mn valence change undoubtedly provides insights into a profound understanding on the voltage fade, and capacity degradation of LMR cathode. The results also inspire us to further enhance the reversibility of LMR cathode via improving its surface structural stability.

  1. Summer Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera (EPT) species richness and community structure in the lower Illinois River basin of Illinois

    Science.gov (United States)

    DeWalt, R.E.; Webb, D.W.; Harris, M.A.

    1999-01-01

    Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera (EPT) species richness is useful for monitoring stream health, but no published studies in Illinois quantitatively document EPT richness or assemblage structure. The objectives of this study were to characterize adult EPT richness and structure and relate these to relative water quality at eight stream sites (160-69,300 km3 area) in the lower Illinois River basin. Adults were ultra-violet light trapped in June, July, and August 1997. Nutrient enrichment by nitrate and nitrite nitrogen was strongly evident, especially in smaller drainages, while critical loss of stable habitat was observed in larger water bodies. Seventy EPT species were identified from 17,889 specimens. Trichoptera were by far the most speciose (41 species), followed by Ephemeroptera (26), and Plecoptera (3). Caddisflies also dominated species richness across sites, contributing 18.0 of the average 28.9 total EPT species collected. Site EPT richness varied significantly (F = 5.51, p = 0.003, df = 7), with smaller drainages supporting greater richness, generally. Differences were also evident for months (F = 21.7, p = 0.0001, df = 2), with June being lower (11.8 average) than either July (20.6) or August (18.1) values. Hilsenhoff biotic index (HBI) scores did not vary significantly across sites (F = 0.7, p = 0.7, df = 7), but were different across months (F = 5.4, p = 0.02, df = 2). June (4.23) and July (4.53) means were not different, but both were lower (of better quality) than August (5.33) scores. The relationship of EPT to HBI scores was not investigated statistically due to problems of sample size and interdependence of monthly samples, but graphical analysis suggested no consistent relationship. This suggested a decoupling of the HBI from the EPT and implied that the gain in taxonomic resolution achieved by using adults outstripped the resolution of the HBI. Use of the HBI to characterize adult aquatic insect communities is discouraged. New state

  2. Structural Analyses of Phase Stability in Amorphous and Partially Crystallized Ge-Rich GeTe Films Prepared by Atomic Layer Deposition.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gwon, Taehong; Mohamed, Ahmed Yousef; Yoo, Chanyoung; Park, Eui-Sang; Kim, Sanggyun; Yoo, Sijung; Lee, Han-Koo; Cho, Deok-Yong; Hwang, Cheol Seong

    2017-11-29

    The local bonding structures of Ge x Te 1-x (x = 0.5, 0.6, and 0.7) films prepared through atomic layer deposition (ALD) with Ge(N(Si(CH 3 ) 3 ) 2 ) 2 and ((CH 3 ) 3 Si) 2 Te precursors were investigated using Ge K-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS). The results of the X-ray absorption fine structure analyses show that for all of the compositions, the as-grown films were amorphous with a tetrahedral Ge coordination of a mixture of Ge-Te and Ge-Ge bonds but without any signature of Ge-GeTe decomposition. The compositional evolution in the valence band electronic structures probed through X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy suggests a substantial chemical influence of additional Ge on the nonstoichiometric GeTe. This implies that the ALD process can stabilize Ge-abundant bonding networks like -Te-Ge-Ge-Te- in amorphous GeTe. Meanwhile, the XAS results on the Ge-rich films that had undergone post-deposition annealing at 350 °C show that the parts of the crystalline Ge-rich GeTe became separated into Ge crystallites and rhombohedral GeTe in accordance with the bulk phase diagram, whereas the disordered GeTe domains still remained, consistent with the observations of transmission electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy. Therefore, amorphousness in GeTe may be essential for the nonsegregated Ge-rich phases and the low growth temperature of the ALD enables the achievement of the structurally metastable phases.

  3. SpectralNET – an application for spectral graph analysis and visualization

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Schreiber Stuart L

    2005-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Graph theory provides a computational framework for modeling a variety of datasets including those emerging from genomics, proteomics, and chemical genetics. Networks of genes, proteins, small molecules, or other objects of study can be represented as graphs of nodes (vertices and interactions (edges that can carry different weights. SpectralNET is a flexible application for analyzing and visualizing these biological and chemical networks. Results Available both as a standalone .NET executable and as an ASP.NET web application, SpectralNET was designed specifically with the analysis of graph-theoretic metrics in mind, a computational task not easily accessible using currently available applications. Users can choose either to upload a network for analysis using a variety of input formats, or to have SpectralNET generate an idealized random network for comparison to a real-world dataset. Whichever graph-generation method is used, SpectralNET displays detailed information about each connected component of the graph, including graphs of degree distribution, clustering coefficient by degree, and average distance by degree. In addition, extensive information about the selected vertex is shown, including degree, clustering coefficient, various distance metrics, and the corresponding components of the adjacency, Laplacian, and normalized Laplacian eigenvectors. SpectralNET also displays several graph visualizations, including a linear dimensionality reduction for uploaded datasets (Principal Components Analysis and a non-linear dimensionality reduction that provides an elegant view of global graph structure (Laplacian eigenvectors. Conclusion SpectralNET provides an easily accessible means of analyzing graph-theoretic metrics for data modeling and dimensionality reduction. SpectralNET is publicly available as both a .NET application and an ASP.NET web application from http://chembank.broad.harvard.edu/resources/. Source code is

  4. Structural and functional characterization of EIAV gp45 fusion peptide proximal region and asparagine-rich layer

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Duan, Liangwei; Du, Jiansen [State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071 (China); Wang, Xuefeng; Zhou, Jianhua; Wang, Xiaojun [State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Biotechnology, Harbin Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Harbin 150001 (China); Liu, Xinqi, E-mail: liu2008@nankai.edu.cn [State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071 (China)

    2016-04-15

    Equine infectious anaemia virus (EIAV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are members of the lentiviral genus. Similar to HIV gp41, EIAV gp45 is a fusogenic protein that mediates fusion between the viral particle and the host cell membrane. The crystal structure of gp45 reported reveals a different conformation in the here that includes the fusion peptide proximal region (FPPR) and neighboring asparagine-rich layer compared with previous HIV-1 gp41 structures. A complicated hydrogen-bond network containing a cluster of solvent molecules appears to be critical for the stability of the gp45 helical bundle. Interestingly, viral replication was relatively unaffected by site-directed mutagenesis of EIAV, in striking contrast to that of HIV-1. Based on these observations, we speculate that EIAV is more adaptable to emergent mutations, which might be important for the evolution of EIAV as a quasi-species, and could potentially contribute to the success of the EIAV vaccine. - Highlights: • The crystal structure of EIAV gp45 was determined. • The fusion peptide proximal region adopts a novel conformation different to HIV-1. • The asparagine-rich layer includes an extensive hydrogen-bond network. • These regions of EIAV are highly tolerant to mutations. • The results provide insight into the mechanism of gp41/gp45-mediated membrane fusion.

  5. Co-simulation coupling spectral/finite elements for 3D soil/structure interaction problems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zuchowski, Loïc; Brun, Michael; De Martin, Florent

    2018-05-01

    The coupling between an implicit finite elements (FE) code and an explicit spectral elements (SE) code has been explored for solving the elastic wave propagation in the case of soil/structure interaction problem. The coupling approach is based on domain decomposition methods in transient dynamics. The spatial coupling at the interface is managed by a standard coupling mortar approach, whereas the time integration is dealt with an hybrid asynchronous time integrator. An external coupling software, handling the interface problem, has been set up in order to couple the FE software Code_Aster with the SE software EFISPEC3D.

  6. High-spin structure of neutron-rich Dy isotopes

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Neutron-rich Dy isotopes; high-spin states; g-factors; cranked HFB theory. ... for 164Dy marking a clear separation in the behaviour as a function of neutron ... cipal x-axis as the cranking axis) in this mass region we have planned to make a sys-.

  7. Spectral Evidence for an Inner Carbon-rich Circumstellar Belt in the Young HD 36546 A-star System

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lisse, C. M. [JHU-APL, 11100 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD 20723 (United States); Sitko, M. L. [Department of Physics, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45221-0011 and Space Science Institute, Boulder, CO 80301 (United States); Russell, R. W. [The Aerospace Corporation, Los Angeles, CA 90009 (United States); Marengo, M. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, 12 Physics Hall, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50010 (United States); Currie, T. [Subaru Telescope, National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Hilo, HI 96720 (United States); Melis, C. [Center for Astrophysics and Space Sciences, University of California, San Diego, CA 92093-0424 (United States); Mittal, T. [Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, McCone Hall, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720 (United States); Song, I., E-mail: carey.lisse@jhuapl.edu, E-mail: ron.vervack@jhuapl.edu, E-mail: sitkoml@ucmail.uc.edu, E-mail: ray.russell@aero.org, E-mail: mmarengo@iastate.edu, E-mail: currie@naoj.org, E-mail: cmelis@ucsd.edu, E-mail: tmittal2@berkeley.edu, E-mail: song@physast.uga.edu [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602-2451 (United States)

    2017-05-10

    Using the NASA/IRTF SpeX and BASS spectrometers we have obtained 0.7–13 μ m observations of the newly imaged 3–10 Myr old HD 36546 disk system. The SpeX spectrum is most consistent with the photospheric emission expected from an L {sub *} ∼ 20 L {sub ⊙}, solar abundance A1.5V star with little to no extinction, and excess emission from circumstellar dust detectable beyond 4.5 μ m. Non-detections of CO emission lines and accretion signatures point to the gas-poor circumstellar environment of a very old transition disk. Combining the SpeX + BASS spectra with archival WISE / AKARI / IRAS / Herschel photometry, we find an outer cold dust belt at ∼135 K and 20–40 au from the primary, likely coincident with the disk imaged by Subaru, and a new second inner belt with a temperature ∼570 K and an unusual, broad SED maximum in the 6–9 μ m region, tracing dust at 1.1–2.2 au. An SED maximum at 6–9 μ m has been reported in just two other A-star systems, HD 131488 and HD 121191, both of ∼10 Myr age. From Spitzer , we have also identified the ∼12 Myr old A7V HD 148657 system as having similar 5–35 μ m excess spectral features. The Spitzer data allows us to rule out water emission and rule in carbonaceous materials—organics, carbonates, SiC—as the source of the 6–9 μ m excess. Assuming a common origin for the four young A-star systems’ disks, we suggest they are experiencing an early era of carbon-rich planetesimal processing.

  8. Structural evolution of Ge-rich Si1−xGex films deposited by jet-ICPCVD

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yu Wang

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available Amorphous Ge-rich Si1−xGex films with local Ge-clustering were deposited by dual-source jet-type inductively coupled plasma chemical-vapor deposition (jet-ICPCVD. The structural evolution of the deposited films annealed at various temperatures (Ta is investigated. Experimental results indicate that the crystallization occurs to form Ge and Si clusters as Ta = 500 °C. With raising Ta up to 900 °C, Ge clusters percolate together and Si diffuses and redistributes to form a Ge/SiGe core/shell structure, and some Ge atoms partially diffuse to the surface as a result of segregation. The present work will be helpful in understanding the structural evolution process of a hybrid SiGe films and beneficial for further optimizing the microstructure and properties.

  9. Spectral unmixing of hyperspectral data to map bauxite deposits

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shanmugam, Sanjeevi; Abhishekh, P. V.

    2006-12-01

    This paper presents a study about the potential of remote sensing in bauxite exploration in the Kolli hills of Tamilnadu state, southern India. ASTER image (acquired in the VNIR and SWIR regions) has been used in conjunction with SRTM - DEM in this study. A new approach of spectral unmixing of ASTER image data delineated areas rich in alumina. Various geological and geomorphological parameters that control bauxite formation were also derived from the ASTER image. All these information, when integrated, showed that there are 16 cappings (including the existing mines) that satisfy most of the conditions favouring bauxitization in the Kolli Hills. The study concludes that spectral unmixing of hyperspectral satellite data in the VNIR and SWIR regions may be combined with the terrain parameters to get accurate information about bauxite deposits, including their quality.

  10. Nonparametric Collective Spectral Density Estimation and Clustering

    KAUST Repository

    Maadooliat, Mehdi; Sun, Ying; Chen, Tianbo

    2017-01-01

    In this paper, we develop a method for the simultaneous estimation of spectral density functions (SDFs) for a collection of stationary time series that share some common features. Due to the similarities among the SDFs, the log-SDF can be represented using a common set of basis functions. The basis shared by the collection of the log-SDFs is estimated as a low-dimensional manifold of a large space spanned by a pre-specified rich basis. A collective estimation approach pools information and borrows strength across the SDFs to achieve better estimation efficiency. Also, each estimated spectral density has a concise representation using the coefficients of the basis expansion, and these coefficients can be used for visualization, clustering, and classification purposes. The Whittle pseudo-maximum likelihood approach is used to fit the model and an alternating blockwise Newton-type algorithm is developed for the computation. A web-based shiny App found at

  11. Nonparametric Collective Spectral Density Estimation and Clustering

    KAUST Repository

    Maadooliat, Mehdi

    2017-04-12

    In this paper, we develop a method for the simultaneous estimation of spectral density functions (SDFs) for a collection of stationary time series that share some common features. Due to the similarities among the SDFs, the log-SDF can be represented using a common set of basis functions. The basis shared by the collection of the log-SDFs is estimated as a low-dimensional manifold of a large space spanned by a pre-specified rich basis. A collective estimation approach pools information and borrows strength across the SDFs to achieve better estimation efficiency. Also, each estimated spectral density has a concise representation using the coefficients of the basis expansion, and these coefficients can be used for visualization, clustering, and classification purposes. The Whittle pseudo-maximum likelihood approach is used to fit the model and an alternating blockwise Newton-type algorithm is developed for the computation. A web-based shiny App found at

  12. Directional and Spectral Irradiance in Ocean Models: Effects on Simulated Global Phytoplankton, Nutrients, and Primary Production

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gregg, Watson W.; Rousseaux, Cecile S.

    2016-01-01

    The importance of including directional and spectral light in simulations of ocean radiative transfer was investigated using a coupled biogeochemical-circulation-radiative model of the global oceans. The effort focused on phytoplankton abundances, nutrient concentrations and vertically-integrated net primary production. The importance was approached by sequentially removing directional (i.e., direct vs. diffuse) and spectral irradiance and comparing results of the above variables to a fully directionally and spectrally-resolved model. In each case the total irradiance was kept constant; it was only the pathways and spectral nature that were changed. Assuming all irradiance was diffuse had negligible effect on global ocean primary production. Global nitrate and total chlorophyll concentrations declined by about 20% each. The largest changes occurred in the tropics and sub-tropics rather than the high latitudes, where most of the irradiance is already diffuse. Disregarding spectral irradiance had effects that depended upon the choice of attenuation wavelength. The wavelength closest to the spectrally-resolved model, 500 nm, produced lower nitrate (19%) and chlorophyll (8%) and higher primary production (2%) than the spectral model. Phytoplankton relative abundances were very sensitive to the choice of non-spectral wavelength transmittance. The combined effects of neglecting both directional and spectral irradiance exacerbated the differences, despite using attenuation at 500 nm. Global nitrate decreased 33% and chlorophyll decreased 24%. Changes in phytoplankton community structure were considerable, representing a change from chlorophytes to cyanobacteria and coccolithophores. This suggested a shift in community function, from light-limitation to nutrient limitation: lower demands for nutrients from cyanobacteria and coccolithophores favored them over the more nutrient-demanding chlorophytes. Although diatoms have the highest nutrient demands in the model, their

  13. Spectrally Resolved and Functional Super-resolution Microscopy via Ultrahigh-Throughput Single-Molecule Spectroscopy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yan, Rui; Moon, Seonah; Kenny, Samuel J; Xu, Ke

    2018-03-20

    SMLM was next utilized to achieve f-SRM. By encoding functional information into the spectral responses of environment-sensing fluorescent probes, f-SRM transcends the structural information provided by typical SRM techniques and reveals the spatiotemporal distribution of physicochemical parameters with single-molecule sensitivity and nanoscale spatial resolution. As one example, by employing the solvatochromic dye Nile Red to sense local chemical polarity, we revealed nanoscale heterogeneity in the membranes of live mammalian cells. This enabled us to unveil substantial polarity differences between the plasma membrane and the membranes of nanoscale intracellular organelles, a result we determined to be due to differences in local cholesterol levels. With the addition of cholesterol or cholera toxin, we further observed the formation of low-polarity, raftlike nanodomains in the plasma membrane. In another study, we generalized SR-SMLM to fluorogenic single-molecule reactions. As a wide-field technique, SR-SMLM readily captures the emission spectra of individual product fluorescent molecules that are stochastically produced from nonfluorescent reactants at random locations over large sample areas, and therefore, it provides the unique possibility to spectrally identify and characterize single product molecules in a high-throughput fashion. Using the ring-opening reaction of a photochromic spiropyran as an example, we demonstrated that the capability to resolve the emission spectra of single product molecules could unveil rich, multipath reaction pathways. In summary, by integrating the spatial, temporal, and spectral dimensions of single-molecule fluorescence, SR-SMLM and f-SRM add rich spectral and functional dimensions to SRM and thus open up new ways of probing biological and chemical systems at the single-molecule and nanoscale levels.

  14. An expert computer program for classifying stars on the MK spectral classification system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gray, R. O.; Corbally, C. J.

    2014-01-01

    This paper describes an expert computer program (MKCLASS) designed to classify stellar spectra on the MK Spectral Classification system in a way similar to humans—by direct comparison with the MK classification standards. Like an expert human classifier, the program first comes up with a rough spectral type, and then refines that spectral type by direct comparison with MK standards drawn from a standards library. A number of spectral peculiarities, including barium stars, Ap and Am stars, λ Bootis stars, carbon-rich giants, etc., can be detected and classified by the program. The program also evaluates the quality of the delivered spectral type. The program currently is capable of classifying spectra in the violet-green region in either the rectified or flux-calibrated format, although the accuracy of the flux calibration is not important. We report on tests of MKCLASS on spectra classified by human classifiers; those tests suggest that over the entire HR diagram, MKCLASS will classify in the temperature dimension with a precision of 0.6 spectral subclass, and in the luminosity dimension with a precision of about one half of a luminosity class. These results compare well with human classifiers.

  15. An expert computer program for classifying stars on the MK spectral classification system

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gray, R. O. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Appalachian State University, Boone, NC 26808 (United States); Corbally, C. J. [Vatican Observatory Research Group, Tucson, AZ 85721-0065 (United States)

    2014-04-01

    This paper describes an expert computer program (MKCLASS) designed to classify stellar spectra on the MK Spectral Classification system in a way similar to humans—by direct comparison with the MK classification standards. Like an expert human classifier, the program first comes up with a rough spectral type, and then refines that spectral type by direct comparison with MK standards drawn from a standards library. A number of spectral peculiarities, including barium stars, Ap and Am stars, λ Bootis stars, carbon-rich giants, etc., can be detected and classified by the program. The program also evaluates the quality of the delivered spectral type. The program currently is capable of classifying spectra in the violet-green region in either the rectified or flux-calibrated format, although the accuracy of the flux calibration is not important. We report on tests of MKCLASS on spectra classified by human classifiers; those tests suggest that over the entire HR diagram, MKCLASS will classify in the temperature dimension with a precision of 0.6 spectral subclass, and in the luminosity dimension with a precision of about one half of a luminosity class. These results compare well with human classifiers.

  16. Order and correlations in genomic DNA sequences. The spectral approach

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lobzin, Vasilii V; Chechetkin, Vladimir R

    2000-01-01

    The structural analysis of genomic DNA sequences is discussed in the framework of the spectral approach, which is sufficiently universal due to the reciprocal correspondence and mutual complementarity of Fourier transform length scales. The spectral characteristics of random sequences of the same nucleotide composition possess the property of self-averaging for relatively short sequences of length M≥100-300. Comparison with the characteristics of random sequences determines the statistical significance of the structural features observed. Apart from traditional applications to the search for hidden periodicities, spectral methods are also efficient in studying mutual correlations in DNA sequences. By combining spectra for structure factors and correlation functions, not only integral correlations can be estimated but also their origin identified. Using the structural spectral entropy approach, the regularity of a sequence can be quantitatively assessed. A brief introduction to the problem is also presented and other major methods of DNA sequence analysis described. (reviews of topical problems)

  17. Characterization of protein and carbohydrate mid-IR spectral features in crop residues

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xin, Hangshu; Zhang, Yonggen; Wang, Mingjun; Li, Zhongyu; Wang, Zhibo; Yu, Peiqiang

    2014-08-01

    To the best of our knowledge, a few studies have been conducted on inherent structure spectral traits related to biopolymers of crop residues. The objective of this study was to characterize protein and carbohydrate structure spectral features of three field crop residues (rice straw, wheat straw and millet straw) in comparison with two crop vines (peanut vine and pea vine) by using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) technique with attenuated total reflectance (ATR). Also, multivariate analyses were performed on spectral data sets within the regions mainly related to protein and carbohydrate in this study. The results showed that spectral differences existed in mid-IR peak intensities that are mainly related to protein and carbohydrate among these crop residue samples. With regard to protein spectral profile, peanut vine showed the greatest mid-IR band intensities that are related to protein amide and protein secondary structures, followed by pea vine and the rest three field crop straws. The crop vines had 48-134% higher spectral band intensity than the grain straws in spectral features associated with protein. Similar trends were also found in the bands that are mainly related to structural carbohydrates (such as cellulosic compounds). However, the field crop residues had higher peak intensity in total carbohydrates region than the crop vines. Furthermore, spectral ratios varied among the residue samples, indicating that these five crop residues had different internal structural conformation. However, multivariate spectral analyses showed that structural similarities still exhibited among crop residues in the regions associated with protein biopolymers and carbohydrate. Further study is needed to find out whether there is any relationship between spectroscopic information and nutrition supply in various kinds of crop residue when fed to animals.

  18. Structures of pseudechetoxin and pseudecin, two snake-venom cysteine-rich secretory proteins that target cyclic nucleotide-gated ion channels: implications for movement of the C-terminal cysteine-rich domain

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Suzuki, Nobuhiro; Yamazaki, Yasuo; Brown, R. Lane; Fujimoto, Zui; Morita, Takashi; Mizuno, Hiroshi

    2008-01-01

    The structures of pseudechetoxin and pseudecin suggest that both proteins bind to cyclic nucleotide-gated ion channels in a manner in which the concave surface occludes the pore entrance. Cyclic nucleotide-gated (CNG) ion channels play pivotal roles in sensory transduction by retinal photoreceptors and olfactory neurons. The elapid snake toxins pseudechetoxin (PsTx) and pseudecin (Pdc) are the only known protein blockers of CNG channels. These toxins belong to a cysteine-rich secretory protein (CRISP) family containing an N-terminal pathogenesis-related proteins of group 1 (PR-1) domain and a C-terminal cysteine-rich domain (CRD). PsTx and Pdc are highly homologous proteins, but their blocking affinities on CNG channels are different: PsTx blocks both the olfactory and retinal channels with ∼15–30-fold higher affinity than Pdc. To gain further insights into their structure and function, the crystal structures of PsTx, Pdc and Zn 2+ -bound Pdc were determined. The structures revealed that most of the amino-acid-residue differences between PsTx and Pdc are located around the concave surface formed between the PR-1 domain and the CRD, suggesting that the concave surface is functionally important for CNG-channel binding and inhibition. A structural comparison in the presence and absence of Zn 2+ ion demonstrated that the concave surface can open and close owing to movement of the CRD upon Zn 2+ binding. The data suggest that PsTx and Pdc occlude the pore entrance and that the dynamic motion of the concave surface facilitates interaction with the CNG channels

  19. Structures of pseudechetoxin and pseudecin, two snake-venom cysteine-rich secretory proteins that target cyclic nucleotide-gated ion channels: implications for movement of the C-terminal cysteine-rich domain

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Suzuki, Nobuhiro [Department of Applied Biochemistry, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8572 (Japan); Department of Biochemistry, National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8602 (Japan); Yamazaki, Yasuo [Department of Biochemistry, Meiji Pharmaceutical University, Kiyose, Tokyo 204-8588 (Japan); Brown, R. Lane [Neurological Science Institute, Oregon Health and Science University, Beaverton, Oregon 97006 (United States); Fujimoto, Zui [Department of Biochemistry, National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8602 (Japan); Morita, Takashi, E-mail: tmorita@my-pharm.ac.jp [Department of Biochemistry, Meiji Pharmaceutical University, Kiyose, Tokyo 204-8588 (Japan); Mizuno, Hiroshi, E-mail: tmorita@my-pharm.ac.jp [Department of Biochemistry, National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8602 (Japan); VALWAY Technology Center, NEC Soft Ltd, Koto-ku, Tokyo 136-8627 (Japan); Institute for Biological Resources and Functions, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Central 6, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8566 (Japan); Department of Applied Biochemistry, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8572 (Japan)

    2008-10-01

    The structures of pseudechetoxin and pseudecin suggest that both proteins bind to cyclic nucleotide-gated ion channels in a manner in which the concave surface occludes the pore entrance. Cyclic nucleotide-gated (CNG) ion channels play pivotal roles in sensory transduction by retinal photoreceptors and olfactory neurons. The elapid snake toxins pseudechetoxin (PsTx) and pseudecin (Pdc) are the only known protein blockers of CNG channels. These toxins belong to a cysteine-rich secretory protein (CRISP) family containing an N-terminal pathogenesis-related proteins of group 1 (PR-1) domain and a C-terminal cysteine-rich domain (CRD). PsTx and Pdc are highly homologous proteins, but their blocking affinities on CNG channels are different: PsTx blocks both the olfactory and retinal channels with ∼15–30-fold higher affinity than Pdc. To gain further insights into their structure and function, the crystal structures of PsTx, Pdc and Zn{sup 2+}-bound Pdc were determined. The structures revealed that most of the amino-acid-residue differences between PsTx and Pdc are located around the concave surface formed between the PR-1 domain and the CRD, suggesting that the concave surface is functionally important for CNG-channel binding and inhibition. A structural comparison in the presence and absence of Zn{sup 2+} ion demonstrated that the concave surface can open and close owing to movement of the CRD upon Zn{sup 2+} binding. The data suggest that PsTx and Pdc occlude the pore entrance and that the dynamic motion of the concave surface facilitates interaction with the CNG channels.

  20. On the Spectral Evolution of Helium-atmosphere White Dwarfs Showing Traces of Hydrogen

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rolland, B.; Bergeron, P.; Fontaine, G.

    2018-04-01

    We present a detailed spectroscopic analysis of 115 helium-line (DB) and 28 cool, He-rich hydrogen-line (DA) white dwarfs based on atmosphere fits to optical spectroscopy and photometry. We find that 63% of our DB population show hydrogen lines, making them DBA stars. We also demonstrate the persistence of pure DB white dwarfs with no detectable hydrogen feature at low effective temperatures. Using state-of-the art envelope models, we next compute the total quantity of hydrogen, M H, that is contained in the outer convection zone as a function of effective temperature and atmospheric H/He ratio. We find that some (T eff, M H) pairs cannot physically exist as a homogeneously mixed structure; such a combination can only occur as stratified objects of the DA spectral type. On that basis, we show that the values of M H inferred for the bulk of the DBA stars are too large and incompatible with the convective dilution scenario. We also present evidence that the hydrogen abundances measured in DBA and cool, helium-rich white dwarfs cannot be globally accounted for by any kind of accretion mechanism onto a pure DB star. We suggest that cool, He-rich DA white dwarfs are most likely created by the convective mixing of a DA star with a thin hydrogen envelope; they are not cooled down DBAs. We finally explore several scenarios that could account for the presence of hydrogen in DBA stars.

  1. Spectral gamuts and spectral gamut mapping

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rosen, Mitchell R.; Derhak, Maxim W.

    2006-01-01

    All imaging devices have two gamuts: the stimulus gamut and the response gamut. The response gamut of a print engine is typically described in CIE colorimetry units, a system derived to quantify human color response. More fundamental than colorimetric gamuts are spectral gamuts, based on radiance, reflectance or transmittance units. Spectral gamuts depend on the physics of light or on how materials interact with light and do not involve the human's photoreceptor integration or brain processing. Methods for visualizing a spectral gamut raise challenges as do considerations of how to utilize such a data-set for producing superior color reproductions. Recent work has described a transformation of spectra reduced to 6-dimensions called LabPQR. LabPQR was designed as a hybrid space with three explicit colorimetric axes and three additional spectral reconstruction axes. In this paper spectral gamuts are discussed making use of LabPQR. Also, spectral gamut mapping is considered in light of the colorimetric-spectral duality of the LabPQR space.

  2. Insights into Collisional between Small Bodies: Comparison of Impacted Magnesium-rich Minerals

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lederer, Susan M.; Jensen, E. A.; Strojia, C.; Smith, D. C.; Keller, L. P.; Nakamura-Messenger, K.; Berger, E. L.; Lindsay, S. S.; Wooden, D. H.; Cintala, M. J.; hide

    2013-01-01

    Impacts are sustained by comets and asteroids throughout their lives, especially early in the Solar system's history, as described by the Nice model. Identifying observable properties that may be altered due to impacts can lead to a better understanding their collisional histories. Here, we investigate spectral effects and physical shock features observed in infrared spectra and Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) images, respectively, of magnesium-rich minerals subjected to shock through impact experiments. Samples of magnesium-rich forsterite (Mg2SiO4, olivine), orthoenstatite (Mg2SiO3, pyroxene), diopside (MgCaSi2O6, monoclinic pyroxene), and magnesite (MgCO3, carbonate) were impacted at speeds of 2.4 km/s, 2.6 km/s and 2.8 km/s. Impact experiments were conducted in the Johnson Space Center Experimental Impact Laboratory using the vertical gun. Clear signatures are observed in both the mid-IR spectra (shift in wavelengths of the spectral peaks and relative amplitude changes) of all minerals except magnesite, and in TEM images (planar dislocations) of both the forsterite and orthoenstatite samples. Further discussion on forsterite and enstatite analyses can be found in Jensen et al., this meeting.

  3. Eight to 14 μm spectral monitoring of long period variable stars with GLADYS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Levan, P. D.; Sloan, G.; Grasdalen, G.

    The authors describe an ongoing program of spectral monitoring of long period variable stars using GLADYS, a long slit prism spectrometer that employs a 58x62 pixel Si:Ga detector array. The goal is to compare the equivalent widths of the SiC emission features in carbon-rich circumstellar shells, and the silicate emission features in oxygen-rich circumstellar stars, obtained over different phases of the continuum variability cycle. Spectra of long period variables and low amplitude variables recently obtained on the Wyoming Infrared Observatory 2.3 m telescope are presented.

  4. Spectral radiative property control method based on filling solution

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jiao, Y.; Liu, L.H.; Hsu, P.-F.

    2014-01-01

    Controlling thermal radiation by tailoring spectral properties of microstructure is a promising method, can be applied in many industrial systems and have been widely researched recently. Among various property tailoring schemes, geometry design of microstructures is a commonly used method. However, the existing radiation property tailoring is limited by adjustability of processed microstructures. In other words, the spectral radiative properties of microscale structures are not possible to change after the gratings are fabricated. In this paper, we propose a method that adjusts the grating spectral properties by means of injecting filling solution, which could modify the thermal radiation in a fabricated microstructure. Therefore, this method overcomes the limitation mentioned above. Both mercury and water are adopted as the filling solution in this study. Aluminum and silver are selected as the grating materials to investigate the generality and limitation of this control method. The rigorous coupled-wave analysis is used to investigate the spectral radiative properties of these filling solution grating structures. A magnetic polaritons mechanism identification method is proposed based on LC circuit model principle. It is found that this control method could be used by different grating materials. Different filling solutions would enable the high absorption peak to move to longer or shorter wavelength band. The results show that the filling solution grating structures are promising for active control of spectral radiative properties. -- Highlights: • A filling solution grating structure is designed to adjust spectral radiative properties. • The mechanism of radiative property control is studied for engineering utilization. • Different grating materials are studied to find multi-functions for grating

  5. Is torrefaction of polysaccharides-rich biomass equivalent to carbonization of lignin-rich biomass?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bilgic, E; Yaman, S; Haykiri-Acma, H; Kucukbayrak, S

    2016-01-01

    Waste biomass species such as lignin-rich hazelnut shell (HS) and polysaccharides-rich sunflower seed shell (SSS) were subjected to torrefaction at 300°C and carbonization at 600°C under nitrogen. The structural variations in torrefied and carbonized biomasses were compared. Also, the burning characteristics under dry air and pure oxygen (oxy-combustion) conditions were investigated. It was concluded that the effects of carbonization on HS are almost comparable with the effects of torrefaction on SSS in terms of devolatilization and deoxygenation potentials and the increases in carbon content and the heating value. Consequently, it can be proposed that torrefaction does not provide efficient devolatilization from the lignin-rich biomass while it is relatively more efficient for polysaccharides-rich biomass. Heat-induced variations in biomass led to significant changes in the burning characteristics under both burning conditions. That is, low temperature reactivity of biomass reduced considerably and the burning shifted to higher temperatures with very high burning rates. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. Spectral characterization and crystal structure of 2-amino-N′-[(1Z-1-(4-chlorophenylethylidene]-benzohydrazide

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohammad Arfan

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The crystal structure of 2-amino-N′-[(1Z-1-(4-chlorophenylethylidene]benzohydrazide (I is determined by X-ray diffraction at room temperature. The structure of I also was characterized by elemental analysis, mass, FT-IR and NMR spectroscopic techniques. The compound crystallizes in triclinic system, and space group is P1¯. Unit-cell dimensions are the following: a = 7.05380(10 Å, b = 7.65490(10 Å, c = 13.7094(4 Å, V = 694.01(2 Å3, Z = 2. The title compound is nearly planar and has intermolecular N–H⋯O hydrogen bonding. According to the spectral data, I exhibits an amide-iminol tautomerism.

  7. Structure of Se-rich As-Se glasses by high-resolution x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Golovchak, R.; Kovalskiy, A.; Miller, A. C.; Jain, H.; Shpotyuk, O.

    2007-01-01

    To establish the validity of various proposed structural models, we have investigated the structure of the binary As x Se 100-x chalcogenide glass family (x≤40) by high-resolution x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. From the composition dependence of the valence band, the contributions to the density of states from the 4p lone pair electrons of Se and the 4p bonding states and 4s electrons of Se and As are identified in the top part of the band. The analysis of Se 3d and As 3d core-level spectra supports the so-called chain crossing model for the atomic structure of Se-rich As x Se 100-x bulk glasses. The results also indicate small deviations (∼3-8%) from this model, especially for glass compositions with short Se chains (25 40 Se 60 and of Se-Se-Se fragments in a glass with composition x=30 is established

  8. The quantum-chemical modeling of structure and spectral characteristics for molecular complexes in system «penton-terlon»

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andrey V. Tokar

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available The structure and spectral properties for molecular complexes, which formed by added monomer form of pentaplast as well as N-phenylbenzamide with some species of intermolecular interaction in system «penton-terlon» have been investigated at ab initio level of theory. It is shown, that the main contribution in total energy of molecules have included by dispersion forces, which realized between Chlorine atom of CH2Cl-group and Hydrogen atoms of benzene rings with amide fragment. The proposed theoretical models are validated in reflection of spectral and energetic characteristics of investigating system. Finally, the results of calculations are in good agreement with that data, which have been obtained for such type modeling previously.

  9. Spectral dimension in causal set quantum gravity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Eichhorn, Astrid; Mizera, Sebastian

    2014-01-01

    We evaluate the spectral dimension in causal set quantum gravity by simulating random walks on causal sets. In contrast to other approaches to quantum gravity, we find an increasing spectral dimension at small scales. This observation can be connected to the nonlocality of causal set theory that is deeply rooted in its fundamentally Lorentzian nature. Based on its large-scale behaviour, we conjecture that the spectral dimension can serve as a tool to distinguish causal sets that approximate manifolds from those that do not. As a new tool to probe quantum spacetime in different quantum gravity approaches, we introduce a novel dimensional estimator, the causal spectral dimension, based on the meeting probability of two random walkers, which respect the causal structure of the quantum spacetime. We discuss a causal-set example, where the spectral dimension and the causal spectral dimension differ, due to the existence of a preferred foliation. (paper)

  10. Spectral confocal reflection microscopy using a white light source

    Science.gov (United States)

    Booth, M.; Juškaitis, R.; Wilson, T.

    2008-08-01

    We present a reflection confocal microscope incorporating a white light supercontinuum source and spectral detection. The microscope provides images resolved spatially in three-dimensions, in addition to spectral resolution covering the wavelength range 450-650nm. Images and reflection spectra of artificial and natural specimens are presented, showing features that are not normally revealed in conventional microscopes or confocal microscopes using discrete line lasers. The specimens include thin film structures on semiconductor chips, iridescent structures in Papilio blumei butterfly scales, nacre from abalone shells and opal gemstones. Quantitative size and refractive index measurements of transparent beads are derived from spectral interference bands.

  11. Electronic structure and fine structural features of the air-grown UNxOy on nitrogen-rich uranium nitride

    Science.gov (United States)

    Long, Zhong; Zeng, Rongguang; Hu, Yin; Liu, Jing; Wang, Wenyuan; Zhao, Yawen; Luo, Zhipeng; Bai, Bin; Wang, Xiaofang; Liu, Kezhao

    2018-06-01

    Oxide formation on surface of nitrogen-rich uranium nitride film/particles was investigated using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), auger electron spectroscopy (AES), aberration-corrected transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and high-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF-STEM) coupled with electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS). XPS and AES studies indicated that the oxidized layer on UN2-x film is ternary compound uranium oxynitride (UNxOy) in 5-10 nm thickness. TEM/HAADF-STEM and EELS studies revealed the UNxOy crystallizes in the FCC CaF2-type structure with the lattice parameter close to the CaF2-type UN2-x matrix. The work can provide further information to the oxidation mechanism of uranium nitride.

  12. Using Multi-Spectral UAV Imagery to Extract Tree Crop Structural Properties and Assess Pruning Effects

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kasper Johansen

    2018-06-01

    Full Text Available Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV provide an unprecedented capacity to monitor the development and dynamics of tree growth and structure through time. It is generally thought that the pruning of tree crops encourages new growth, has a positive effect on fruiting, makes fruit-picking easier, and may increase yield, as it increases light interception and tree crown surface area. To establish the response of pruning in an orchard of lychee trees, an assessment of changes in tree structure, i.e., tree crown perimeter, width, height, area and Plant Projective Cover (PPC, was undertaken using multi-spectral UAV imagery collected before and after a pruning event. While tree crown perimeter, width and area could be derived directly from the delineated tree crowns, height was estimated from a produced canopy height model and PPC was most accurately predicted based on the NIR band. Pre- and post-pruning results showed significant differences in all measured tree structural parameters, including an average decrease in tree crown perimeter of 1.94 m, tree crown width of 0.57 m, tree crown height of 0.62 m, tree crown area of 3.5 m2, and PPC of 14.8%. In order to provide guidance on data collection protocols for orchard management, the impact of flying height variations was also examined, offering some insight into the influence of scale and the scalability of this UAV-based approach for larger orchards. The different flying heights (i.e., 30, 50 and 70 m produced similar measurements of tree crown width and PPC, while tree crown perimeter, area and height measurements decreased with increasing flying height. Overall, these results illustrate that routine collection of multi-spectral UAV imagery can provide a means of assessing pruning effects on changes in tree structure in commercial orchards, and highlight the importance of collecting imagery with consistent flight configurations, as varying flying heights may cause changes to tree structural measurements.

  13. Using Multi-Spectral UAV Imagery to Extract Tree Crop Structural Properties and Assess Pruning Effects

    KAUST Repository

    Johansen, Kasper

    2018-04-18

    Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) provide an unprecedented capacity to monitor the development and dynamics of tree growth and structure through time. It is generally thought that the pruning of tree crops encourages new growth, has a positive effect on fruiting, makes fruit-picking easier, and may increase yield, as it increases light interception and tree crown surface area. To establish the response of pruning in an orchard of lychee trees, an assessment of changes in tree structure, i.e. tree crown perimeter, width, height, area and Plant Projective Cover (PPC), was undertaken using multi-spectral UAV imagery collected before and after a pruning event. While tree crown perimeter, width and area could be derived directly from the delineated tree crowns, height was estimated from a produced canopy height model and PPC was most accurately predicted based on the NIR band. Pre- and post-pruning results showed significant differences in all measured tree structural parameters, including an average decrease in tree crown perimeter of 1.94 m, tree crown width of 0.57 m, tree crown height of 0.62 m, tree crown area of 3.5 m2, and PPC of 14.8%. In order to provide guidance on data collection protocols for orchard management, the impact of flying height variations was also examined, offering some insight into the influence of scale and the scalability of this UAV based approach for larger orchards. The different flying heights (i.e. 30, 50 and 70 m) produced similar measurements of tree crown width and PPC, while tree crown perimeter, area and height measurements decreased with increasing flying height. Overall, these results illustrate that routine collection of multi-spectral UAV imagery can provide a means of assessing pruning effects on changes in tree structure in commercial orchards, and highlight the importance of collecting imagery with consistent flight configurations, as varying flying heights may cause changes to tree structural measurements.

  14. Amplified emission and modified spectral features in an opal hetero-structure mediated by passive defect mode localization

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rout, Dipak; Kumar, Govind; Vijaya, R.

    2018-01-01

    A photonic crystal hetero-structure consisting of a passive planar defect of SiO2 thin film sandwiched between two identical opals grown by inward growing self-assembly method using Rhodamine-B dye-doped polystyrene microspheres is studied for the characteristics of dye emission. The optical properties and the defect mode characteristics of the hetero-structure are studied from the reflection and transmission measurements. Laser-induced fluorescence from the hetero-structure showed amplified and spectrally narrowed emission compared to the photonic crystal emphasizing the role of the defect mode and distributed feedback. The enhanced emission is also complemented by the reduction in fluorescence decay time in the case of the hetero-structure in comparison to the 3D photonic crystals.

  15. Consequences of buffelgrass pasture development for primary productivity, perennial plant richness, and vegetation structure in the drylands of Sonora, Mexico.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Franklin, Kimberly; Molina-Freaner, Francisco

    2010-12-01

    In large parts of northern Mexico native plant communities are being converted to non-native buffelgrass (Pennisetum ciliare) pastures, and this conversion could fundamentally alter primary productivity and species richness. In Sonora, Mexico land conversion is occurring at a regional scale along a rainfall-driven gradient of primary productivity, across which native plant communities transition from desert scrub to thorn scrub. We used a paired sampling design to compare a satellite-derived index of primary productivity, richness of perennial plant species, and canopy-height profiles of native plant communities with buffelgrass pastures. We sampled species richness across a gradient of primary productivity in desert scrub and thorn scrub vegetation to examine the influence of site productivity on the outcomes of land conversion. We also examined the influence of pasture age on species richness of perennial plants. Index values of primary productivity were lower in buffelgrass pastures than in native vegetation, which suggests a reduction in primary productivity. Land conversion reduced species richness by approximately 50% at local and regional scales, reduced tree and shrub cover by 78%, and reduced canopy height. Land conversion disproportionately reduced shrub species richness, which reflects the common practice among Sonoran ranchers of conserving certain tree and cactus species. Site productivity did not affect the outcomes of land conversion. The age of a buffelgrass pasture was unrelated to species richness within the pasture, which suggests that passive recovery of species richness to preconversion levels is unlikely. Our findings demonstrate that land conversion can result in large losses of plant species richness at local and regional scales and in substantial changes to primary productivity and vegetation structure, which casts doubt on the feasibility of restoring native plant communities without active intervention on the part of land managers.

  16. Crystal structure of modular sodium-rich and low-iron eudialyte from Lovozero alkaline massif

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rozenberg, K. A.; Rastsvetaeva, R. K., E-mail: rast@ns.crys.ras.ru; Aksenov, S. M. [Federal Scientific Research Center “Crystallography and Photonics”, Russian Academy of Sciences, Shubnikov Institute of Crystallography (Russian Federation)

    2016-09-15

    The structure of the sodium-rich representative of the eudialyte group found by A.P. Khomyakov at the Lovozero massif (Kola Peninsula) is studied by X-ray diffraction. The trigonal cell parameters are: a = 14.2032(1) and c = 60.612(1) Å, V = 10589.13 Å3, space group R3m. The structure is refined to the final R = 5.0% in the anisotropic approximation of atomic displacement parameters using 3742|F| > 3σ(F). The idealized formula (Z = 3) is Na{sub 37}Ca{sub 10}Mn{sub 2}FeZr{sub 6}Si{sub 50}(Ti, Nb){sub 2}O{sub 144}(OH){sub 5}Cl{sub 3} · H{sub 2}O. Like other 24-layer minerals of the eudialyte group, this mineral has a modular structure. Its structure contains two modules, namely, “alluaivite” (with an admixture of “eudialyte”) and “kentbrooksite,” called according to the main structural fragments of alluaivite, eudialyte, and kentbrooksite. The mineral found at the Lovozero alkaline massif shows some chemical and symmetry-structural distinctions from the close-in-composition labyrinthite modular mineral from the Khibiny massif. The difference between the minerals stems from different geochemical conditions of mineral formation in the two regions.

  17. Development of an alignment system for the CBM rich

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hoehne, Claudia; Mahmoud, Tariq; Bendarouach, Jordan [Justus Liebig University, Giessen (Germany); Collaboration: CBM-Collaboration

    2015-07-01

    The Compressed Baryonic Matter (CBM) experiment at the future FAIR complex will investigate the phase diagram of strongly interacting matter at high baryon density and moderate temperatures in A+A collisions from 4-35 AGeV. One of the key detector components required for the CBM physics program is the RICH detector, which is developed for efficient and clean electron identification and pion suppression. Main detector components are a CO{sub 2} gaseous radiator, MAPMT or MCP photo-detectors and spherical glass mirror tiles, used as focusing elements, with spectral reflectivity down to the UV range. An important aspect to guarantee a stable operation of the RICH detector is the alignment and continuous monitor of the mirrors. CLAM (Continuous Line Alignment Monitoring), an alignment procedure developed by the COMPASS experiment, is planned to be used also for the RICH mirror system. A smaller-scale version has been implemented in the CBM RICH prototype detector and tested at the Cern PS/T9 beamline in November 2014. Using a grid and target dots made of retro-reflective material, it is possible to align the mirrors and monitor their displacements over time by analyzing and applying mathematical calculations on photographic images of the grid and targets reflected on the mirrors. The concept, first data and results of image processing are presented and discussed.

  18. Multiscale pore structure and its effect on gas transport in organic-rich shale

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Tianhao; Li, Xiang; Zhao, Junliang; Zhang, Dongxiao

    2017-07-01

    A systematic investigation of multiscale pore structure in organic-rich shale by means of the combination of various imaging techniques is presented, including the state-of-the-art Helium-Ion-Microscope (HIM). The study achieves insight into the major features at each scale and suggests the affordable techniques for specific objectives from the aspects of resolution, dimension, and cost. The pores, which appear to be isolated, are connected by smaller pores resolved by higher-resolution imaging. This observation provides valuable information, from the microscopic perspective of pore structure, for understanding how gas accumulates and transports from where it is generated. A comprehensive workflow is proposed based on the characteristics acquired from the multiscale pore structure analysis to simulate the gas transport process. The simulations are completed with three levels: the microscopic mechanisms should be taken into consideration at level I; the spatial distribution features of organic matter, inorganic matter, and macropores constitute the major issue at level II; and the microfracture orientation and topological structure are dominant factors at level III. The results of apparent permeability from simulations agree well with the values acquired from experiments. By means of the workflow, the impact of various gas transport mechanisms at different scales can be investigated more individually and precisely than conventional experiments.

  19. Spectral and structural correlation for Bis (dibenzoyl methanato) dioxo uranium(VI) diphenyl sulfoxide. [UO2(DBM)2. PhSOPh

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kannan, S.; Raj, S.S.S.; Fun, Hoong Kun

    2001-01-01

    In the complex [UO 2 (DBM) 2 . PhSOPh]. the sulfoxide ligand is bonded to uranium (VI) ion through sulfoxide oxygen atom and DBM ligands through the oxygen atoms to give a distorted pentagonal bipyramidal geometry. The structural study is in consistence with the spectral studies. (author)

  20. Spectral features in the cosmic ray fluxes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lipari, Paolo

    2018-01-01

    The cosmic ray energy distributions contain spectral features, that is narrow energy regions where the slope of the spectrum changes rapidly. The identification and study of these features is of great importance to understand the astrophysical mechanisms of acceleration and propagation that form the spectra. In first approximation a spectral feature is often described as a discontinuous change in slope, however very valuable information is also contained in its width, that is the length of the energy interval where the change in spectral index develops. In this work we discuss the best way to define and parameterize the width a spectral feature, and for illustration discuss some of the most prominent known structures.

  1. Evaluation of abrasive waterjet produced titan surfaces topography by spectral analysis techniques

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    D. Kozak

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Experimental study of a titan grade 2 surface topography prepared by abrasive waterjet cutting is performed using methods of the spectral analysis. Topographic data are acquired by means of the optical profilometr MicroProf®FRT. Estimation of the areal power spectral density of the studied surface is carried out using the periodogram method combined with the Welch´s method. Attention is paid to a structure of the areal power spectral density, which is characterized by means of the angular power spectral density. This structure of the areal spectral density is linked to the fine texture of the surface studied.

  2. Spectral Learning for Supervised Topic Models.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ren, Yong; Wang, Yining; Zhu, Jun

    2018-03-01

    Supervised topic models simultaneously model the latent topic structure of large collections of documents and a response variable associated with each document. Existing inference methods are based on variational approximation or Monte Carlo sampling, which often suffers from the local minimum defect. Spectral methods have been applied to learn unsupervised topic models, such as latent Dirichlet allocation (LDA), with provable guarantees. This paper investigates the possibility of applying spectral methods to recover the parameters of supervised LDA (sLDA). We first present a two-stage spectral method, which recovers the parameters of LDA followed by a power update method to recover the regression model parameters. Then, we further present a single-phase spectral algorithm to jointly recover the topic distribution matrix as well as the regression weights. Our spectral algorithms are provably correct and computationally efficient. We prove a sample complexity bound for each algorithm and subsequently derive a sufficient condition for the identifiability of sLDA. Thorough experiments on synthetic and real-world datasets verify the theory and demonstrate the practical effectiveness of the spectral algorithms. In fact, our results on a large-scale review rating dataset demonstrate that our single-phase spectral algorithm alone gets comparable or even better performance than state-of-the-art methods, while previous work on spectral methods has rarely reported such promising performance.

  3. The SPHEREx All-Sky Spectral Survey

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bock, James; SPHEREx Science Team

    2018-01-01

    SPHEREx, a mission in NASA's Medium Explorer (MIDEX) program that was selected for Phase A in August 2017, is an all-sky survey satellite designed to address all three science goals in NASA's astrophysics division, with a single instrument, a wide-field spectral imager. SPHEREx will probe the physics of inflation by measuring non-Gaussianity by studying large-scale structure, surveying a large cosmological volume at low redshifts, complementing high-z surveys optimized to constrain dark energy. The origin of water and biogenic molecules will be investigated in all phases of planetary system formation - from molecular clouds to young stellar systems with protoplanetary disks - by measuring ice absorption spectra. We will chart the origin and history of galaxy formation through a deep survey mapping large-scale spatial power in two deep fields located near the ecliptic poles. Following in the tradition of all-sky missions such as IRAS, COBE and WISE, SPHEREx will be the first all-sky near-infrared spectral survey. SPHEREx will create spectra (0.75 – 4.2 um at R = 41; and 4.2 – 5 um at R = 135) with high sensitivity making background-limited observations using a passively-cooled telescope with a wide field-of-view for large mapping speed. During its two-year mission, SPHEREx will produce four complete all-sky maps that will serve as a rich archive for the astronomy community. With over a billion detected galaxies, hundreds of millions of high-quality stellar and galactic spectra, and over a million ice absorption spectra, the archive will enable diverse scientific investigations including studies of young stellar systems, brown dwarfs, high-redshift quasars, galaxy clusters, the interstellar medium, asteroids and comets. All aspects of the instrument and spacecraft have high heritage. SPHEREx requires no new technologies and carries large technical and resource margins on every aspect of the design. SPHEREx is a partnership between Caltech and JPL, following the

  4. Atomic structure calculations and identification of EUV and SXR spectral lines in Sr XXX

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Goyal, Arun; Khatri, Indu; Aggarwal, Sunny; Singh, A.K.; Mohan, Man

    2015-01-01

    We report an extensive theoretical study of atomic data for Sr XXX in a wide range with L-shell electron excitations to the M-shell. We have calculated energy levels, wave-function compositions and lifetimes for lowest 113 fine structure levels and wavelengths of an extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) and soft X-ray (SXR) transitions. We have employed multi-configuration Dirac Fock method (MCDF) approach within the framework of Dirac–Coulomb Hamiltonian including quantum electrodynamics (QED) and Breit corrections. We have also presented the radiative data for electric and magnetic dipole (E1, M1) and quadrupole (E2, M2) transitions from the ground state. We have made comparisons with available energy levels compiled by NIST and achieve good agreement. But due to inadequate data in the literature, analogous relativistic distorted wave calculations have also been performed using flexible atomic code (FAC) to assess the reliability and accuracy of our results. Additionally, we have provided new atomic data for Sr XXX which is not published elsewhere in the literature and we believe that our results may be beneficial in fusion plasma research and astrophysical investigations and applications. - Highlights: • 113 Lowest levels for Sr XXX are calculated. • Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) and soft-X ray (SXR) spectral lines are identified. • Wavelengths of EUV and SXR spectral lines are reported. • E1, E2, M1 and M2 transition rates, oscillator strengths and lines strengths for lowest 113 levels are presented. • Lifetimes for lowest 113 fine structure levels are provided

  5. Structural and vibrational spectral investigations of melaminium maleate monohydrate by FTIR, FT-Raman and quantum chemical calculations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arjunan, V.; Kalaivani, M.; Marchewka, M. K.; Mohan, S.

    2013-04-01

    The structural investigations of the molecular complex of melamine with maleic acid, namely melaminium maleate monohydrate have been carried out by quantum chemical methods in addition to FTIR, FT-Raman and far-infrared spectral studies. The quantum chemical studies were performed with DFT (B3LYP) method using 6-31G**, cc-pVDZ and 6-311++G** basis sets to determine the energy, structural and thermodynamic parameters of melaminium maleate monohydrate. The hydrogen atom from maleic acid was transferred to the melamine molecule giving the singly protonated melaminium cation. The ability of ions to form spontaneous three-dimensional structure through weak Osbnd H⋯O and Nsbnd H⋯O hydrogen bonds shows notable vibrational effects.

  6. Digital signal processing and spectral analysis for scientists concepts and applications

    CERN Document Server

    Alessio, Silvia Maria

    2016-01-01

    This book covers the basics of processing and spectral analysis of monovariate discrete-time signals. The approach is practical, the aim being to acquaint the reader with the indications for and drawbacks of the various methods and to highlight possible misuses. The book is rich in original ideas, visualized in new and illuminating ways, and is structured so that parts can be skipped without loss of continuity. Many examples are included, based on synthetic data and real measurements from the fields of physics, biology, medicine, macroeconomics etc., and a complete set of MATLAB exercises requiring no previous experience of programming is provided. Prior advanced mathematical skills are not needed in order to understand the contents: a good command of basic mathematical analysis is sufficient. Where more advanced mathematical tools are necessary, they are included in an Appendix and presented in an easy-to-follow way. With this book, digital signal processing leaves the domain of engineering to address the ne...

  7. Neutron rich nuclei around 132Sn

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bhattacharya, Sarmishtha

    2016-01-01

    The neutron rich nuclei with few particles or holes in 132 Sn have various experimental and theoretical interest to understand the evolution of nuclear structure around the doubly magic shell closure Z=50 and N=82. Some of the exotic neutron rich nuclei in this mass region are situated near waiting points in the r-process path and are of special astrophysical interest. Neutron rich nuclei near 132 Sn have been studied using fission fragment spectroscopy. The lifetime of low lying isomeric states have been precisely measured and the beta decay from the ground and isomeric states have been characterized using gamma-ray spectroscopy

  8. Spectral function calculation of angle wakes, wake moments, and misalignment wakes for the SLAC Damped Detuned Structures (DDS)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jones, R.M.; Miller, R.H.; Kroll, N.M.

    1997-05-01

    Transverse wake functions so far reported for the SLAC DDS have been limited to those caused by uniform offset of the drive beam in a straight perfectly aligned structure. The complete description of the betatron oscillations of wake coupled bunches requires an array of wake functions, referred to as moments. Modifications of these arrays induced by structure misalignments are also of interest. In this paper we express the array elements in terms of a spectral function array. Examples are given based upon DDS1

  9. Hyperfine Structure of Spectral Lines of 143Nd+, 145Nd+, 139La+, 141Pr+ and 137Ba+ Investigated by Collinear Laser Ion Beam Spectroscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anjum, N.

    2012-01-01

    In this research work the hyperfine structures of spectral lines of barium (Ba) and three lanthanides elements; praseodymium (Pr), lanthanum (La) and neodymium (Nd) have been investigated. The hyperfine splitting factors A and B of the involved levels have been determined with high accuracy and the data are compared with other published results. This research work is divided in four parts. In the 1st part, the hyperfine structures of the spectral lines of the singly ionized praseodymium (Pr II) are investigated by three different laser spectroscopic techniques; laser induced fluorescence (LIF) spectroscopy, inter-modulated saturation spectroscopy and collinear laser ion beam spectroscopy (CLIBS). The 2nd part is concerned with the a control-check of the Marburg mass separator (MARS-II), as it was shifted from the University of Marburg, Germany, to Graz University of Technology in 2002. The check is performed using a well known spectral line 5853.67 Å of the odd isotope of singly ionized barium (137Ba II). In the 3rd part of this work the hyperfine structure of spectral lines of lanthanum-139 ions (139La II) is investigated. The 4th part is devoted to the investigation of the hyperfine structure of spectral lines of two odd isotopes of singly ionized neodymium (143Nd II and 145Nd II) and the determination of the coupling constants A and B of the involved levels. To determine the hyperfine anomaly the ratios of the magnetic dipole constants, i.e A143/A145, and the electric quadrupole constants B143/B145 of the corresponding levels are also calculated. The last three parts of this research project are executed using the high resolution, Doppler reduced method of CLIBS. In CLIBS technique the ions are accelerated by applying a high potential difference (∼ 20 kV). Due to the accelerating cooling (kinematic compression) the spread in velocities in the direction of the flight is reduced several times, hence the Doppler width is reduced. The accelerated ion beam is mass

  10. The spectral dimension of random trees

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Destri, Claudio; Donetti, Luca

    2002-01-01

    We present a simple yet rigorous approach to the determination of the spectral dimension of random trees, based on the study of the massless limit of the Gaussian model on such trees. As a by-product, we obtain evidence in favour of a new scaling hypothesis for the Gaussian model on generic bounded graphs and in favour of a previously conjectured exact relation between spectral and connectivity dimensions on more general tree-like structures

  11. Spectral functions of hadrons in lattice QCD

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nakahara, Y.; Asakawa, M.; Hatsuda, T.

    2000-01-01

    Using the maximum entropy method, spectral functions of the pseudo-scalar and vector mesons are extracted from lattice Monte Carlo data of the imaginary time Green's functions. The resonance and continuum structures as well as the ground state peaks are successfully obtained. Error analysis of the resultant spectral functions is also given on the basis of the Bayes probability theory. (author)

  12. Purification, structure and immunobiological activity of an arabinan-rich pectic polysaccharide from the cell walls of Prunus dulcis seeds.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dourado, Fernando; Madureira, Pedro; Carvalho, Vera; Coelho, Ricardo; Coimbra, Manuel A; Vilanova, Manuel; Mota, Manuel; Gama, Francisco M

    2004-10-20

    The structure and bioactivity of a polysaccharide extracted and purified from a 4M KOH + H3BO3 solution from Prunus dulcis seed cell wall material was studied. Anion-exchange chromatography of the crude extract yielded two sugar-rich fractions: one neutral (A), the other acidic (E). These fractions contain a very similar monosaccharide composition: 5:2:1 for arabinose, uronic acids and xylose, respectively, rhamnose and galactose being present in smaller amounts. As estimated by size-exclusion chromatography, the acidic fraction had an apparent molecular mass of 762 kDa. Methylation analysis (from the crude and fractions A and E), suggests that the polysaccharide is an arabinan-rich pectin. In all cases, the polysaccharides bear the same type of structural Ara moieties with highly branched arabinan-rich pectic polysaccharides. The average relative proportions of the arabinosyl linkages is 3:2:1:1 for T-Araf:(1-->5)-Araf:(1-->3,5)-Araf:(1-->2,3,5)-Araf. The crude polysaccharide extract and fractions A and E induced a murine lymphocyte stimulatory effect, as evaluated by the in vitro and in vivo expression of lymphocyte activation markers and spleen mononuclear cells culture proliferation. The lymphocyte stimulatory effect was stronger on B- than on T-cells. No evidence of cytotoxic effects induced by the polysaccharide fractions was found.

  13. The complex ion structure of warm dense carbon measured by spectrally resolved x-ray scattering

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kraus, D.; Barbrel, B.; Falcone, R. W. [Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720 (United States); Vorberger, J. [Max-Planck-Institut für Physik komplexer Systeme, Nöthnitzer Straße 38, 01187 Dresden (Germany); Helfrich, J.; Frydrych, S.; Ortner, A.; Otten, A.; Roth, F.; Schaumann, G.; Schumacher, D.; Siegenthaler, K.; Wagner, F.; Roth, M. [Institut für Kernphysik, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Schlossgartenstraße 9, 64289 Darmstadt (Germany); Gericke, D. O.; Wünsch, K. [Centre for Fusion, Space and Astrophysics, Department of Physics, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL (United Kingdom); Bachmann, B.; Döppner, T. [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California 94550 (United States); Bagnoud, V.; Blažević, A. [GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung GmbH, Planckstraße 1, 64291 Darmstadt (Germany); and others

    2015-05-15

    We present measurements of the complex ion structure of warm dense carbon close to the melting line at pressures around 100 GPa. High-pressure samples were created by laser-driven shock compression of graphite and probed by intense laser-generated x-ray sources with photon energies of 4.75 keV and 4.95 keV. High-efficiency crystal spectrometers allow for spectrally resolving the scattered radiation. Comparing the ratio of elastically and inelastically scattered radiation, we find evidence for a complex bonded liquid that is predicted by ab-initio quantum simulations showing the influence of chemical bonds under these conditions. Using graphite samples of different initial densities we demonstrate the capability of spectrally resolved x-ray scattering to monitor the carbon solid-liquid transition at relatively constant pressure of 150 GPa. Showing first single-pulse scattering spectra from cold graphite of unprecedented quality recorded at the Linac Coherent Light Source, we demonstrate the outstanding possibilities for future high-precision measurements at 4th Generation Light Sources.

  14. Krein Spectral Triples and the Fermionic Action

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dungen, Koen van den

    2016-01-01

    Motivated by the space of spinors on a Lorentzian manifold, we define Krein spectral triples, which generalise spectral triples from Hilbert spaces to Krein spaces. This Krein space approach allows for an improved formulation of the fermionic action for almost-commutative manifolds. We show by explicit calculation that this action functional recovers the correct Lagrangians for the cases of electrodynamics, the electro-weak theory, and the Standard Model. The description of these examples does not require a real structure, unless one includes Majorana masses, in which case the internal spaces also exhibit a Krein space structure.

  15. Organic matter on Ceres: spectral analysis of the organic-rich area

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ammannito, E.; De Sanctis, M. C.; Vinogradoff, V.; Ciarniello, M.; Raponi, A.; Carrorro, F. G.; Raymond, C. A.; Russell, C. T.

    2017-12-01

    VIR, the Visible and InfraRed mapping spectrometer onboard the Dawn mission, has detected the presence of aliphatic carbons with the 3.3-3.5 µm bands, near the Ernutet crater [1]. The origin of this Organic Matter (OM) is likely related to an endogenous source but exogenic delivery cannot be excluded [1,2,6]. After the first identification of this organic rich (OR) area, mainly based on data taken by VIR [3] at a resolution of about 1 km/pixel, here we used VIR data obtained in the following orbital phases, at a resolution of about 400 m/pixel to analyze more closely the Ernutet organic-rich area. We investigated the possible correlation of the OM with other minerals present in the area. These observations can shed new light on the origin of such organic material. Different spectra with signatures of organics, corresponding to different areas around the Ernutet crater, have been extracted from the VIR data. We observed that several small areas are characterized by the presence of OM mixed with other species such as sodium carbonates and ammonium compounds. In particular, there is an area that shows a strong and large absorption at 3.07 µm along with a strong organic band at 3.4 µm and an enhanced carbonate band relative to the average Ceres background. Analyzing the absorption at 3.07 µm, we discovered that the band has several minima, with a strong minimum centered at 2.99-3.0 microns, other minima at 2.96, 3.11, 3.14-3.18 µm, as well as the usual minima at 3.07 µm. Several functional groups are active in the 2.9-3.2 µm region. CH, NH, and OH stretching modes indeed create absorptions at these wavelengths and identifying the molecules responsible for such features is not easy. Nevertheless, the presence of Na-carbonates, yet observed on other regions of Ceres (4,5) and the presence of these additional bands can reinforce the endogenic origin of the organics of Ceres. Their possible formation processes are described in a companion abstract (6). [1] De

  16. Inertial-range structure of Gross–Pitaevskii turbulence within a spectral closure approximation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yoshida, Kyo; Arimitsu, Toshihico

    2013-01-01

    The inertial-range structure of turbulence obeying the Gross–Pitaevskii equation, the equation of motion for quantum fluids, is analyzed by means of a spectral closure approximation. It is revealed that, for the energy-transfer range, the spectrum of the order parameter field ψ obeys k −2 law for k ≪ k * and k −1 law for k ≫ k * , where k * is the wavenumber where the characteristic timescales associated with linear and nonlinear terms are of the same order. It is also shown that, for the particle-number-transfer range, the spectrum obeys k −1 law for k ≪ k *, n and k −1/3 law for k ≫ k *,n , where k *,n is the wavenumber corresponding to k * in the particle-number-transfer range. (paper)

  17. Photovoltaic spectral responsivity measurements

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Emery, K.; Dunlavy, D.; Field, H.; Moriarty, T. [National Renewable Energy Lab., Golden, CO (United States)

    1998-09-01

    This paper discusses the various elemental random and nonrandom error sources in typical spectral responsivity measurement systems. The authors focus specifically on the filter and grating monochrometer-based spectral responsivity measurement systems used by the Photovoltaic (PV) performance characterization team at NREL. A variety of subtle measurement errors can occur that arise from a finite photo-current response time, bandwidth of the monochromatic light, waveform of the monochromatic light, and spatial uniformity of the monochromatic and bias lights; the errors depend on the light source, PV technology, and measurement system. The quantum efficiency can be a function of he voltage bias, light bias level, and, for some structures, the spectral content of the bias light or location on the PV device. This paper compares the advantages and problems associated with semiconductor-detector-based calibrations and pyroelectric-detector-based calibrations. Different current-to-voltage conversion and ac photo-current detection strategies employed at NREL are compared and contrasted.

  18. Doping-induced redistribution of magnetic spectral weight in the substituted hexaborides Ce1 -xLaxB6 and Ce1 -xNdxB6

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nikitin, S. E.; Portnichenko, P. Y.; Dukhnenko, A. Â. V.; Shitsevalova, N. Yu.; Filipov, V. B.; Qiu, Y.; Rodriguez-Rivera, J. A.; Ollivier, J.; Inosov, D. S.

    2018-02-01

    We investigate the doping-induced changes in the electronic structure of CeB6 on a series of substituted Ce1 -xRxB6 samples (R =La , Nd) using diffuse neutron scattering. We observe a redistribution of magnetic spectral weight across the Brillouin zone, which we associate with the changes in the Fermi-surface nesting properties related to the modified charge carrier concentration. In particular, a strong diffuse peak at the corner of the Brillouin zone (R point), which coincides with the propagation vector of the elusive antiferroquadrupolar (AFQ) order in CeB6, is rapidly suppressed by both La and Nd doping, like the AFQ order itself. The corresponding spectral weight is transferred to the X (00 1/2 ) point, ultimately stabilizing a long-range AFM order at this wave vector at the Nd-rich side of the phase diagram. At an intermediate Nd concentration, a broad diffuse peak with multiple local maxima of intensity is observed around the X point, evidencing itinerant frustration that gives rise to multiple ordered phases for which Ce1 -xNdxB6 is known. On the La-rich side of the phase diagram, however, dilution of the magnetic moments prevents the formation of a similar (00 1/2 ) -type order despite the presence of nesting. Our results demonstrate how diffuse neutron scattering can be used to probe the nesting vectors in complex f -electron systems directly, without reference to the single-particle band structure, and emphasize the role of Fermi surface geometry in stabilizing magnetic order in rare-earth hexaborides.

  19. Spectral studies of 2-pyrazoline derivatives: structural elucidation through single crystal XRD and DFT calculations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chinnaraja, D; Rajalakshmi, R; Srinivasan, T; Velmurugan, D; Jayabharathi, J

    2014-04-24

    A series of biologically active N-thiocarbamoyl pyrazoline derivatives have been synthesized using anhydrous potassium carbonate as the catalyst. All the synthesized compounds were characterized by FT-IR, (1)H NMR, (13)C NMR spectral studies, LCMS, CHN Analysis and X-ray diffraction analysis (compound 7). In order to supplement the XRD parameters, molecular modelling was carried out by Gaussian 03W. From the optimized structure, the energy, dipolemoment and HOMO-LUMO energies of all the systems were calculated. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  20. Are carnivore digestive separation mechanisms revealed on structure-rich diets?: Faecal inconsistency in dogs (Canis familiaris) fed day old chicks

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Cuyper, De Annelies; Clauss, M.; Hesta, Myriam; Cools, An; Bosch, G.; Hendriks, W.H.; Janssens, Geert P.J.

    2018-01-01

    Pronounced variations in faecal consistency have been described anecdotally for some carnivore species fed a structure-rich diet. Typically two faecal consistencies are distinguished, namely hard and firm versus liquid and viscous faeces. It is possible that a separation mechanism is operating in

  1. Developmental programming of aortic and renal structure in offspring of rats fed fat-rich diets in pregnancy

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Armitage, James A.; Lakasing, Lorin; Taylor, Paul D.

    2005-01-01

    Evidence from human and animal studies suggests that maternal nutrition can induce developmental programming of adult hypertension in offspring. We have previously described a model of maternal dietary imbalance in Sprague-Dawley rats whereby administration of a maternal diet rich in animal lard......-Dawley rats fed a control diet (OC) or lard-rich diet (OHF) during pregnancy and suckling followed by a control diet post-weaning. To gain further insight, we assessed aortic reactivity and elasticity in an organ bath preparation and renal renin and Na+,K+-ATPase activity. Plasma aldosterone concentration...... weight, glomerular number or volume in OHF compared with OC, but renin and Na+,K+-ATPase activity were significantly reduced in OHF compared with controls. Programmed alterations to aortic structure and function are consistent with previous observations that exposure to maternal high fat diets produces...

  2. Investigations of the Electronic Properties and Surface Structures of Aluminium-Rich Quasicrystalline Alloys

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Barrow, Jason A. [Iowa State Univ., Ames, IA (United States)

    2003-01-01

    equations. Transport behavior is described in terms of charge carriers and the mean-free time between carrier collisions. It is concluded that the mean-free time is much longer in the periodic direction than in the aperiodic direction. This difference produces the observed anisotropy in thermal transport. The third study presented a detailed analysis of the reversible, sputter-induced phase transformation which occurs on the 5-fold surface of an icosahedral Al-Cu-Fe quasicrystal. Reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED), x-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS), and ultra-violet photoemission spectroscopy (UPS) data were collected as a function of annealing temperature and were used to probe surface structure, surface composition, and electronic structure, respectively. The composition and structure of the sputtered surface are consistent with a transformation to the β-Al-Cu-Fe cubic structure, and shows a sharp metallic cut-off in the spectral intensity of the electronic structure at the Fermi edge. Upon annealing the surface reverts to a quasicrystalline composition and structure. This transformation has been correlated with a reduction in the spectral intensity of the electronic structure at the Fermi level. This data clearly demonstrates that the observed reduction is intrinsic to a quasicrystalline surface. It is concluded that this is due to the opening of a pseudo-gap in the electronic density of states as the surface reverts from β-Al-Cu-Fe to quasicrystalline.

  3. Structural, electronic and spectral properties of carborane-containing boron dipyrromethenes (BODIPYs): A first-principles study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Xiaojun

    2017-10-01

    In this work, we reported the geometrical structures, electronic and spectral properties of the carborane-containing BODIPYs complexes using the density functional theory calculations. In two structures, the calculated main bond lengths and bond angels of structural framework are consistent with X-ray experiment, and the two BODIPYs complexes are thermodynamically and kinetically stable. The strongest DOS band is mainly dominated by the Bsbnd B and Bsbnd H σ-bonds of carborane fragment, whereas the π-type MOs on the pyrromethene fragment contribute to the high-energy DOS bands. Analysis of the AdNDP chemical bonding indicates that the carborane cage can be stabilized by eleven delocalized 3csbnd 2e and two delocalized 4csbnd 2e σ-bonds, while the pyrromethene fragment corresponds to five delocalized 3csbnd 2e π-bonds. In addition, the main characteristic peaks of the two simulated IR spectra for the BODIPYs complexes are properly assigned. Hopefully, all these results will be helpful for understanding the electronic structures, and further stimulate the study on the biological and medical applications.

  4. Structural and vibrational spectral investigations of melaminium maleate monohydrate by FTIR, FT-Raman and quantum chemical calculations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arjunan, V; Kalaivani, M; Marchewka, M K; Mohan, S

    2013-04-15

    The structural investigations of the molecular complex of melamine with maleic acid, namely melaminium maleate monohydrate have been carried out by quantum chemical methods in addition to FTIR, FT-Raman and far-infrared spectral studies. The quantum chemical studies were performed with DFT (B3LYP) method using 6-31G(**), cc-pVDZ and 6-311++G(**) basis sets to determine the energy, structural and thermodynamic parameters of melaminium maleate monohydrate. The hydrogen atom from maleic acid was transferred to the melamine molecule giving the singly protonated melaminium cation. The ability of ions to form spontaneous three-dimensional structure through weak OH···O and NH···O hydrogen bonds shows notable vibrational effects. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. Properties of neutron-rich nuclei studied by fission product nuclear chemistry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Meyer, R.A.; Henry, E.A.; Griffin, H.C.; Lien, O.G. III; Lane, S.M.; Stevenson, P.C.; Yaffe, R.P.; Skarnemark, G.

    1979-09-01

    A review is given of the properties of neutron-rich nuclei studied by fission product nuclear chemistry and includes the techniques used in elemental isolation and current research on the structure of nuclei near 132 Sn, particle emission, and coexisting structure in both neutron-poor and neutron-rich nuclei. 35 references

  6. Wind dependence of ambient noise in a biologically rich coastal area.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mathias, Delphine; Gervaise, Cédric; Di Iorio, Lucia

    2016-02-01

    The wind dependence of acoustic spectrum between 100 Hz and 16 kHz is investigated for coastal biologically rich areas. The analysis of 5 months of continuous measurements run in a 10 m deep shallow water environment off Brittany (France) showed that wind dependence of spectral levels is subject to masking by biological sounds. When dealing with raw data, the wind dependence of spectral levels was not significant for frequencies where biological sounds were present (2 to 10 kHz). An algorithm developed by Kinda, Simard, Gervaise, Mars, and Fortier [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 134(1), 77-87 (2013)] was used to automatically filter out the loud distinctive biological contribution and estimated the ambient noise spectrum. The wind dependence of ambient noise spectrum was always significant after application of this filter. A mixture model for ambient noise spectrum which accounts for the richness of the soundscape is proposed. This model revealed that wind dependence holds once the wind speed was strong enough to produce sounds higher in amplitude than the biological chorus (9 kn at 3 kHz, 11 kn at 8 kHz). For these higher wind speeds, a logarithmic affine law was adequate and its estimated parameters were compatible with previous studies (average slope 27.1 dB per decade of wind speed increase).

  7. Use of intraoperative local field potential spectral analysis to differentiate basal ganglia structures in Parkinson's disease patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kolb, Rachel; Abosch, Aviva; Felsen, Gidon; Thompson, John A

    2017-06-01

    Identification of brain structures traversed during implantation of deep brain-stimulating (DBS) electrodes into the subthalamic nucleus (STN-DBS) for the treatment of Parkinson's disease (PD) frequently relies on subjective correspondence between kinesthetic response and multiunit activity. However, recent work suggests that local field potentials (LFP) could be used as a more robust signal to objectively differentiate subcortical structures. The goal of this study was to analyze the spectral properties of LFP collected during STN-DBS in order to objectively identify commonly traversed brain regions and improve our understanding of aberrant oscillations in the PD-related pathophysiological cortico-basal ganglia network. In 21 PD patients, LFP were collected and analyzed during STN-DBS implantation surgery. Spectral power for delta-, theta-, alpha-, low-beta-, and high-beta-frequency bands was assessed at multiple depths throughout the subcortical structures traversed on the trajectory to the ventral border of STN. Similar to previous findings, beta-band oscillations had an increased magnitude within the borders of the motor-related area of STN, however, across several subjects, we also observed increased high-beta magnitude within the borders of thalamus. Comparing across all patients using relative power, we observed a gradual increase in the magnitude of both low- and high-beta-frequency bands as the electrode descended from striatum to STN. These results were also compared with frequency bands below beta, and similar trends were observed. Our results suggest that LFP signals recorded during the implantation of a DBS electrode evince distinct oscillatory signatures that distinguish subcortical structures. © 2017 The Authors. Physiological Reports published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of The Physiological Society and the American Physiological Society.

  8. CytoSpectre: a tool for spectral analysis of oriented structures on cellular and subcellular levels.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kartasalo, Kimmo; Pölönen, Risto-Pekka; Ojala, Marisa; Rasku, Jyrki; Lekkala, Jukka; Aalto-Setälä, Katriina; Kallio, Pasi

    2015-10-26

    Orientation and the degree of isotropy are important in many biological systems such as the sarcomeres of cardiomyocytes and other fibrillar structures of the cytoskeleton. Image based analysis of such structures is often limited to qualitative evaluation by human experts, hampering the throughput, repeatability and reliability of the analyses. Software tools are not readily available for this purpose and the existing methods typically rely at least partly on manual operation. We developed CytoSpectre, an automated tool based on spectral analysis, allowing the quantification of orientation and also size distributions of structures in microscopy images. CytoSpectre utilizes the Fourier transform to estimate the power spectrum of an image and based on the spectrum, computes parameter values describing, among others, the mean orientation, isotropy and size of target structures. The analysis can be further tuned to focus on targets of particular size at cellular or subcellular scales. The software can be operated via a graphical user interface without any programming expertise. We analyzed the performance of CytoSpectre by extensive simulations using artificial images, by benchmarking against FibrilTool and by comparisons with manual measurements performed for real images by a panel of human experts. The software was found to be tolerant against noise and blurring and superior to FibrilTool when analyzing realistic targets with degraded image quality. The analysis of real images indicated general good agreement between computational and manual results while also revealing notable expert-to-expert variation. Moreover, the experiment showed that CytoSpectre can handle images obtained of different cell types using different microscopy techniques. Finally, we studied the effect of mechanical stretching on cardiomyocytes to demonstrate the software in an actual experiment and observed changes in cellular orientation in response to stretching. CytoSpectre, a versatile, easy

  9. Abnormal rich club organization and functional brain dynamics in schizophrenia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    van den Heuvel, Martijn P; Sporns, Olaf; Collin, Guusje; Scheewe, Thomas; Mandl, René C W; Cahn, Wiepke; Goñi, Joaquín; Hulshoff Pol, Hilleke E; Kahn, René S

    2013-08-01

    The human brain forms a large-scale structural network of regions and interregional pathways. Recent studies have reported the existence of a selective set of highly central and interconnected hub regions that may play a crucial role in the brain's integrative processes, together forming a central backbone for global brain communication. Abnormal brain connectivity may have a key role in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. To examine the structure of the rich club in schizophrenia and its role in global functional brain dynamics. Structural diffusion tensor imaging and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging were performed in patients with schizophrenia and matched healthy controls. Department of Psychiatry, Rudolf Magnus Institute of Neuroscience, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands. Forty-eight patients and 45 healthy controls participated in the study. An independent replication data set of 41 patients and 51 healthy controls was included to replicate and validate significant findings. MAIN OUTCOME(S) AND MEASURES: Measures of rich club organization, connectivity density of rich club connections and connections linking peripheral regions to brain hubs, measures of global brain network efficiency, and measures of coupling between brain structure and functional dynamics. Rich club organization between high-degree hub nodes was significantly affected in patients, together with a reduced density of rich club connections predominantly comprising the white matter pathways that link the midline frontal, parietal, and insular hub regions. This reduction in rich club density was found to be associated with lower levels of global communication capacity, a relationship that was absent for other white matter pathways. In addition, patients had an increase in the strength of structural connectivity-functional connectivity coupling. Our findings provide novel biological evidence that schizophrenia is characterized by a selective

  10. Assessment of soil-structure interaction on a 51-story building from the spectral ratio of earthquake recordings

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Liu Kun-Sung

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available The soil-structure interaction (SSI can significantly alter the characteristics of recorded motions in buildings. The ratio of Fourier amplitude spectrum of the top-story accelerations to that of the foundation accelerations permits the identification of the natural frequency of the fixed-base building. In this study, records of the Chi-Chi earthquake and the 1226 Hengchun earthquake doublet from the structural array in a 51-story highrise building are used to obtain the dynamic characteristics of the buildings by the transfer function (TF method. As a result, the acceleration amplification of seismic excitation on the 47th storey of buildings is 4.24, in the horizontal component, from the Chi-Chi earthquake data greater than those of the 1226 Hengchun earthquake doublet with a value of 2.82 and 2.06, respectively. In addition, from the spectral ratio of the accelerations (47th floor/basement, together with the Fourier Amplitude Spectrum (FAS of the 47th floor and basement accelerations, it is noted that the peaks of the 47th floor FAS and the spectral ratio appear to coincide with each other from the records of 1226 Hengchun earthquake doublet, suggesting that there is no significant SSI effects in both the longitudinal and transverse directions.

  11. Structural landscape of the proline-rich domain of Sos1 nucleotide exchange factor.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McDonald, Caleb B; Bhat, Vikas; Kurouski, Dmitry; Mikles, David C; Deegan, Brian J; Seldeen, Kenneth L; Lednev, Igor K; Farooq, Amjad

    2013-01-01

    Despite its key role in mediating a plethora of cellular signaling cascades pertinent to health and disease, little is known about the structural landscape of the proline-rich (PR) domain of Sos1 guanine nucleotide exchange factor. Herein, using a battery of biophysical tools, we provide evidence that the PR domain of Sos1 is structurally disordered and adopts an extended random coil-like conformation in solution. Of particular interest is the observation that while chemical denaturation of PR domain results in the formation of a significant amount of polyproline II (PPII) helices, it has little or negligible effect on its overall size as measured by its hydrodynamic radius. Our data also show that the PR domain displays a highly dynamic conformational basin in agreement with the knowledge that the intrinsically unstructured proteins rapidly interconvert between an ensemble of conformations. Collectively, our study provides new insights into the conformational equilibrium of a key signaling molecule with important consequences on its physiological function. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  12. Structural, mechanical and corrosion studies of Cr-rich inclusions in 152 cladding of dissimilar metal weld joint

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Yifeng; Wang, Jianqiu; Han, En-Hou; Yang, Chengdong

    2018-01-01

    Cr-rich inclusions were discovered in 152 cladding at the inner wall of domestic dissimilar metal weld joint, and their morphologies, microstructures, mechanical properties and corrosion behaviors were systematically characterized by SEM, TEM, nanoindentation and FIB. The results indicate that the Cr-rich inclusions originate from large-size Cr particles in 152 welding electrode flux, and they are 50-150 μm in size in most cases, and there is a continuous transition zone of 2-5 μm in width between the Cr inclusion core and 152 cladding matrix, and the transition zone consists of Ni & Fe-rich dendritic austenite and Cr23C6 and Cr matrix. The transition zone has the highest nanoindentation hardness (7.66 GPa), which is much harder than the inclusion core (5.14 GPa) and 152 cladding (3.71 GPa). In-situ microscopic tensile tests show that cracks initialize preferentially in transition zone, and then propagate into the inclusion core, and creep further into 152 cladding after penetrating the core area. The inclusion core and its transition zone both share similar oxide film structure with nickel-base 152 cladding matrix in simulated primary water, while those two parts present better general corrosion resistance than 152 cladding matrix due to higher Cr concentration.

  13. (F)UV Spectral Analysis of 15 Hot, Hydrogen-Rich Central Stars of PNe

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ziegler, Marc

    2013-07-01

    The aim of this thesis was the precise determination of basic stellar parameters and metal abundances for a sample of 15 ionizing stars of gaseous nebulae. Strategic lines of metals for the expected parameter range are located in the ultraviolet (UV) and far-ultraviolet (FUV) range. Thus high-resolution, high-S/N UV and FUV observations obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE) were used for the analysis. For the calculation of the necessary spectral energy distributions the Tübingen NLTE Model-Atmosphere Package (TMAP) was used. The model atmospheres included most elements from H - Ni in order to account for line-blanketing effects. For each object a small grid of model atmospheres was calculated. As the interstellar medium (ISM) imprints its influence in the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) and especially the FUSE range, the program OWENS was employed to calculate the interstellar absorption features. Both, the photospheric model spectral energy distribution (SED) as well as the ISM models were combined to enable the identification of most of the observed absorption lines. The analyzed sample covers a range of 70 kK < Teff < 136 kK, and surface gravities from log (g/cm/sec^2) = 5.4 - 7.4, thus representing different stages of stellar evolution. For a large number of elements, abundances were determined for the first time in these objects. Lines of C, N, O, F, Ne, Si, P, S, and Ar allowed to determine the corresponding abundances. For none of the objects lines of Ca, Sc, Ti, and V could be found. Only a few objects were rich in Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, and Ni lines. Most of the analyzed stars exhibited only lines of Fe (ionization stages V - VIII) from the iron-group elements. No signs for gravitational settling (the gravitational force exceeds the radiation pressure and elements begin to sink from the atmosphere into deeper layers) were found. This is expected as the values of the surface gravities of

  14. Structure-function relationships using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography: comparison with scanning laser polarimetry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aptel, Florent; Sayous, Romain; Fortoul, Vincent; Beccat, Sylvain; Denis, Philippe

    2010-12-01

    To evaluate and compare the regional relationships between visual field sensitivity and retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness as measured by spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (OCT) and scanning laser polarimetry. Prospective cross-sectional study. One hundred and twenty eyes of 120 patients (40 with healthy eyes, 40 with suspected glaucoma, and 40 with glaucoma) were tested on Cirrus-OCT, GDx VCC, and standard automated perimetry. Raw data on RNFL thickness were extracted for 256 peripapillary sectors of 1.40625 degrees each for the OCT measurement ellipse and 64 peripapillary sectors of 5.625 degrees each for the GDx VCC measurement ellipse. Correlations between peripapillary RNFL thickness in 6 sectors and visual field sensitivity in the 6 corresponding areas were evaluated using linear and logarithmic regression analysis. Receiver operating curve areas were calculated for each instrument. With spectral-domain OCT, the correlations (r(2)) between RNFL thickness and visual field sensitivity ranged from 0.082 (nasal RNFL and corresponding visual field area, linear regression) to 0.726 (supratemporal RNFL and corresponding visual field area, logarithmic regression). By comparison, with GDx-VCC, the correlations ranged from 0.062 (temporal RNFL and corresponding visual field area, linear regression) to 0.362 (supratemporal RNFL and corresponding visual field area, logarithmic regression). In pairwise comparisons, these structure-function correlations were generally stronger with spectral-domain OCT than with GDx VCC and with logarithmic regression than with linear regression. The largest areas under the receiver operating curve were seen for OCT superior thickness (0.963 ± 0.022; P polarimetry, and was better expressed logarithmically than linearly. Measurements with these 2 instruments should not be considered to be interchangeable. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. Relative Importance of Current and Past Landscape Structure and Local Habitat Conditions for Plant Species Richness in Dry Grassland-Like Forest Openings

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Husáková, I.; Münzbergová, Zuzana

    2014-01-01

    Roč. 9, č. 5 (2014), s. 1-15 E-ISSN 1932-6203 Institutional support: RVO:67985939 Keywords : landscape structure * species richness * dry grassland Subject RIV: EF - Botanics Impact factor: 3.234, year: 2014

  16. NSCC-A NEW SCHEME OF CLASSIFICATION OF C-RICH STARS DEVISED FROM OPTICAL AND INFRARED OBSERVATIONS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    De Mello, A. B.; De Araujo, F. X.; Pereira, C. Bastos; Landaberry, S. J. Codina; Lorenz-Martins, S.

    2009-01-01

    A new classification system for carbon-rich stars is presented based on an analysis of 51 asymptotic giant branch carbon stars through the most relevant classifying indices available. The extension incorporated, which also represents the major advantage of this new system, is the combination of the usual optical indices that describe the photospheres of the objects, with new infrared ones, which allow an interpretation of the circumstellar environment of the carbon-rich stars. This new system is presented with the usual spectral subclasses and C 2 -, j-, MS-, and temperature indices, and also with the new SiC- (SiC/C.A. abundance estimation) and τ- (opacity) indices. The values for the infrared indices were carried out through a Monte Carlo simulation of the radiative transfer in the circumstellar envelopes of the stars. The full set of indices, when applied to our sample, resulted in a more efficient system of classification, since an examination in a wide spectral range allows us to obtain a complete scenario for carbon stars.

  17. Fourier spectral simulations for wake fields in conducting cavities

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Min, M.; Chin, Y.-H.; Fischer, P.F.; Chae, Y.-Chul; Kim, K.-J.

    2007-01-01

    We investigate Fourier spectral time-domain simulations applied to wake field calculations in two-dimensional cylindrical structures. The scheme involves second-order explicit leap-frogging in time and Fourier spectral approximation in space, which is obtained from simply replacing the spatial differentiation operator of the YEE scheme by the Fourier differentiation operator on nonstaggered grids. This is a first step toward investigating high-order computational techniques with the Fourier spectral method, which is relatively simple to implement.

  18. Reflectance Spectra Diversity of Silica-Rich Materials: Sensitivity to Environment and Implications for Detections on Mars

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rice, M. S.; Cloutis, E. A.; Bell, J. F., III; Bish, D. L.; Horgan, B. H.; Mertzman, S. A.; Craig, M. A.; Renault, R. W.; Gautason, B.; Mountain, B.

    2013-01-01

    Hydrated silica-rich materials have recently been discovered on the surface of Mars by the Mars Exploration Rover (MER) Spirit, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM), and the Mars Express Observatoire pour la Mineralogie, l'Eau, les Glaces, et l'Activite'(OMEGA) in several locations. Having been interpreted as hydrothermal deposits and aqueous alteration products, these materials have important implications for the history of water on the martian surface. Spectral detections of these materials in visible to near infrared (Vis NIR) wavelengths have been based on a H2O absorption feature in the 934-1009 nm region seen with Spirit s Pancam instrument, and on SiOH absorption features in the 2.21-2.26 micron range seen with CRISM. Our work aims to determine how the spectral reflectance properties of silica-rich materials in Vis NIR wavelengths vary as a function of environmental conditions and formation. Here we present laboratory reflectance spectra of a diverse suite of silica-rich materials (chert, opal, quartz, natural sinters and synthetic silica) under a range of grain sizes and temperature, pressure, and humidity conditions. We find that the H2O content and form of H2O/OH present in silica-rich materials can have significant effects on their Vis NIR spectra. Our main findings are that the position of the approx.1.4 microns OH feature and the symmetry of the approx.1.9 microns feature can be used to discern between various forms of silica-rich materials, and that the ratio of the approx.2.2 microns (SiOH) and approx.1.9 microns (H2O) band depths can aid in distinguishing between silica phases (opal-A vs. opal-CT) and formation conditions (low vs. high temperature). In a case study of hydrated silica outcrops in Valles Marineris, we show that careful application of a modified version of these spectral parameters to orbital near-infrared spectra (e.g., from CRISM and OMEGA) can aid in characterizing the

  19. Spectral tailoring of nanoscale EUV and soft x-ray multilayer optics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Qiushi; Medvedev, Viacheslav; van de Kruijs, Robbert; Yakshin, Andrey; Louis, Eric; Bijkerk, Fred

    2017-03-01

    Extreme ultraviolet and soft X-ray (XUV) multilayer optics have experienced significant development over the past few years, particularly on controlling the spectral characteristics of light for advanced applications like EUV photolithography, space observation, and accelerator- or lab-based XUV experiments. Both planar and three dimensional multilayer structures have been developed to tailor the spectral response in a wide wavelength range. For the planar multilayer optics, different layered schemes are explored. Stacks of periodic multilayers and capping layers are demonstrated to achieve multi-channel reflection or suppression of the reflective properties. Aperiodic multilayer structures enable broadband reflection both in angles and wavelengths, with the possibility of polarization control. The broad wavelength band multilayer is also used to shape attosecond pulses for the study of ultrafast phenomena. Narrowband multilayer monochromators are delivered to bridge the resolution gap between crystals and regular multilayers. High spectral purity multilayers with innovated anti-reflection structures are shown to select spectrally clean XUV radiation from broadband X-ray sources, especially the plasma sources for EUV lithography. Significant progress is also made in the three dimensional multilayer optics, i.e., combining micro- and nanostructures with multilayers, in order to provide new freedom to tune the spectral response. Several kinds of multilayer gratings, including multilayer coated gratings, sliced multilayer gratings, and lamellar multilayer gratings are being pursued for high resolution and high efficiency XUV spectrometers/monochromators, with their advantages and disadvantages, respectively. Multilayer diffraction optics are also developed for spectral purity enhancement. New structures like gratings, zone plates, and pyramids that obtain full suppression of the unwanted radiation and high XUV reflectance are reviewed. Based on the present achievement

  20. Spectral characteristics of natural and artificial earthquakes in the Lop Nor test site, China

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Korrat, I.M.; Gharib, A.A.; Abou Elenean, K.A.; Hussein, H.M.; ElGabry, M.N.

    2007-12-01

    A seismic discriminants based on the spectral seismogram and spectral magnitude techniques has been tested to discriminate between three events; a nuclear explosion which took place in Lop Nor, China with m b 6.1 and two earthquakes from the closest area with m b 5.5 and 5.3, respectively. The spectral seismogram of the three events shows that the frequency content of the nuclear explosion differs from that of the earthquakes where the P-wave is rich with high frequency content in the nuclear explosion than the corresponding earthquakes. It is also observed that the energy decays very rapidly for the nuclear explosion than that for the earthquakes. Furthermore, the spectral magnitudes reveal significant differences in the spectra between the nuclear explosion and the two earthquakes. These observed differences appear to be quite enough to provide a reliable discriminant. The estimated stress drop from the magnitude spectra indicates a higher stress drop of the nuclear explosion relative to the earthquakes of the same tectonic region. (author)

  1. Bryophyte species richness on retention aspens recovers in time but community structure does not.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oldén, Anna; Ovaskainen, Otso; Kotiaho, Janne S; Laaka-Lindberg, Sanna; Halme, Panu

    2014-01-01

    Green-tree retention is a forest management method in which some living trees are left on a logged area. The aim is to offer 'lifeboats' to support species immediately after logging and to provide microhabitats during and after forest re-establishment. Several studies have shown immediate decline in bryophyte diversity after retention logging and thus questioned the effectiveness of this method, but longer term studies are lacking. Here we studied the epiphytic bryophytes on European aspen (Populus tremula L.) retention trees along a 30-year chronosequence. We compared the bryophyte flora of 102 'retention aspens' on 14 differently aged retention sites with 102 'conservation aspens' on 14 differently aged conservation sites. We used a Bayesian community-level modelling approach to estimate the changes in bryophyte species richness, abundance (area covered) and community structure during 30 years after logging. Using the fitted model, we estimated that two years after logging both species richness and abundance of bryophytes declined, but during the following 20-30 years both recovered to the level of conservation aspens. However, logging-induced changes in bryophyte community structure did not fully recover over the same time period. Liverwort species showed some or low potential to benefit from lifeboating and high potential to re-colonise as time since logging increases. Most moss species responded similarly, but two cushion-forming mosses benefited from the logging disturbance while several weft- or mat-forming mosses declined and did not re-colonise in 20-30 years. We conclude that retention trees do not function as equally effective lifeboats for all bryophyte species but are successful in providing suitable habitats for many species in the long-term. To be most effective, retention cuts should be located adjacent to conservation sites, which may function as sources of re-colonisation and support the populations of species that require old-growth forests.

  2. Bryophyte species richness on retention aspens recovers in time but community structure does not.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anna Oldén

    Full Text Available Green-tree retention is a forest management method in which some living trees are left on a logged area. The aim is to offer 'lifeboats' to support species immediately after logging and to provide microhabitats during and after forest re-establishment. Several studies have shown immediate decline in bryophyte diversity after retention logging and thus questioned the effectiveness of this method, but longer term studies are lacking. Here we studied the epiphytic bryophytes on European aspen (Populus tremula L. retention trees along a 30-year chronosequence. We compared the bryophyte flora of 102 'retention aspens' on 14 differently aged retention sites with 102 'conservation aspens' on 14 differently aged conservation sites. We used a Bayesian community-level modelling approach to estimate the changes in bryophyte species richness, abundance (area covered and community structure during 30 years after logging. Using the fitted model, we estimated that two years after logging both species richness and abundance of bryophytes declined, but during the following 20-30 years both recovered to the level of conservation aspens. However, logging-induced changes in bryophyte community structure did not fully recover over the same time period. Liverwort species showed some or low potential to benefit from lifeboating and high potential to re-colonise as time since logging increases. Most moss species responded similarly, but two cushion-forming mosses benefited from the logging disturbance while several weft- or mat-forming mosses declined and did not re-colonise in 20-30 years. We conclude that retention trees do not function as equally effective lifeboats for all bryophyte species but are successful in providing suitable habitats for many species in the long-term. To be most effective, retention cuts should be located adjacent to conservation sites, which may function as sources of re-colonisation and support the populations of species that require old

  3. THE HYDROGEN EPOCH OF REIONIZATION ARRAY DISH. II. CHARACTERIZATION OF SPECTRAL STRUCTURE WITH ELECTROMAGNETIC SIMULATIONS AND ITS SCIENCE IMPLICATIONS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ewall-Wice, Aaron; Hewitt, Jacqueline; Neben, Abraham R.; Bradley, Richard; Dickenson, Roger; Doolittle, Phillip; Egan, Dennis; Hedrick, Mike; Klima, Patricia; Deboer, David; Parsons, Aaron; Ali, Zaki S.; Cheng, Carina; Patra, Nipanjana; Dillon, Joshua S.; Aguirre, James; Bowman, Judd; Thyagarajan, Nithyanandan; Venter, Mariet; Acedo, Eloy de Lera

    2016-01-01

    We use time-domain electromagnetic simulations to determine the spectral characteristics of the Hydrogen Epoch of Reionization Arrays (HERA) antenna. These simulations are part of a multi-faceted campaign to determine the effectiveness of the dish’s design for obtaining a detection of redshifted 21 cm emission from the epoch of reionization. Our simulations show the existence of reflections between HERA’s suspended feed and its parabolic dish reflector that fall below -40 dB at 150 ns and, for reasonable impedance matches, have a negligible impact on HERA’s ability to constrain EoR parameters. It follows that despite the reflections they introduce, dishes are effective for increasing the sensitivity of EoR experiments at a relatively low cost. We find that electromagnetic resonances in the HERA feed’s cylindrical skirt, which is intended to reduce cross coupling and beam ellipticity, introduces significant power at large delays (-40 dB at 200 ns), which can lead to some loss of measurable Fourier modes and a modest reduction in sensitivity. Even in the presence of this structure, we find that the spectral response of the antenna is sufficiently smooth for delay filtering to contain foreground emission at line-of-sight wave numbers below k ∥ ≲ 0.2 h Mpc -1 , in the region where the current PAPER experiment operates. Incorporating these results into a Fisher Matrix analysis, we find that the spectral structure observed in our simulations has only a small effect on the tight constraints HERA can achieve on parameters associated with the astrophysics of reionization.

  4. THE HYDROGEN EPOCH OF REIONIZATION ARRAY DISH. II. CHARACTERIZATION OF SPECTRAL STRUCTURE WITH ELECTROMAGNETIC SIMULATIONS AND ITS SCIENCE IMPLICATIONS

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ewall-Wice, Aaron; Hewitt, Jacqueline; Neben, Abraham R. [MIT Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics, Cambridge, MA, 02139 (United States); Bradley, Richard; Dickenson, Roger; Doolittle, Phillip; Egan, Dennis; Hedrick, Mike; Klima, Patricia [National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Charlottesville, VA (United States); Deboer, David; Parsons, Aaron; Ali, Zaki S.; Cheng, Carina; Patra, Nipanjana; Dillon, Joshua S. [Department of Astronomy, University of California, Berkeley, CA (United States); Aguirre, James [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA (United States); Bowman, Judd; Thyagarajan, Nithyanandan [Arizona State University, School of Earth and Space Exploration, Tempe, AZ 85287 (United States); Venter, Mariet [Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, SA (South Africa); Acedo, Eloy de Lera [Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, Cambridge (United Kingdom); and others

    2016-11-10

    We use time-domain electromagnetic simulations to determine the spectral characteristics of the Hydrogen Epoch of Reionization Arrays (HERA) antenna. These simulations are part of a multi-faceted campaign to determine the effectiveness of the dish’s design for obtaining a detection of redshifted 21 cm emission from the epoch of reionization. Our simulations show the existence of reflections between HERA’s suspended feed and its parabolic dish reflector that fall below -40 dB at 150 ns and, for reasonable impedance matches, have a negligible impact on HERA’s ability to constrain EoR parameters. It follows that despite the reflections they introduce, dishes are effective for increasing the sensitivity of EoR experiments at a relatively low cost. We find that electromagnetic resonances in the HERA feed’s cylindrical skirt, which is intended to reduce cross coupling and beam ellipticity, introduces significant power at large delays (-40 dB at 200 ns), which can lead to some loss of measurable Fourier modes and a modest reduction in sensitivity. Even in the presence of this structure, we find that the spectral response of the antenna is sufficiently smooth for delay filtering to contain foreground emission at line-of-sight wave numbers below k {sub ∥} ≲ 0.2 h Mpc{sup -1}, in the region where the current PAPER experiment operates. Incorporating these results into a Fisher Matrix analysis, we find that the spectral structure observed in our simulations has only a small effect on the tight constraints HERA can achieve on parameters associated with the astrophysics of reionization.

  5. Discovery of Spatial and Spectral Structure in the X-Ray Emission from the Crab Nebula

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weisskopf, Martin C.; Hester, J. Jeff; Tennant, Allyn F.; Elsner, Ronald F.; Schulz, Norbert S.; Marshall, Herman L.; Karovska, Margarita; Nichols, Joy S.; Swartz, Douglas A.; Kolodziejczak, Jeffery J.

    2000-01-01

    The Chandra X-Ray Observatory observed the Crab Nebula and pulsar during orbital calibration. Zeroth-order images with the High-Energy Transmission Grating (HETG) readout by the Advanced Charge Coupled Devices (CCD) Imaging Spectrometer spectroscopy array (ACIS-S) show a striking richness of X-ray structure at a resolution comparable to that of the best ground-based visible-light observations. The HETG-ACIS-S images reveal, for the first time, an X-ray inner ring within the X-ray torus, the suggestion of a hollow-tube structure for the torus, and X-ray knots along the inner ring and (perhaps) along the inward extension of the X-ray jet. Although complicated by instrumental effects and the brightness of the Crab Nebula, the spectrometric analysis shows systematic variations of the X-ray spectrum throughout the nebula.

  6. Discovery of Spatial and Spectral Structure in the X-Ray Emission from the Crab Nebula.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weisskopf; Hester; Tennant; Elsner; Schulz; Marshall; Karovska; Nichols; Swartz; Kolodziejczak; O'Dell

    2000-06-20

    The Chandra X-Ray Observatory observed the Crab Nebula and pulsar during orbital calibration. Zeroth-order images with the High-Energy Transmission Grating (HETG) readout by the Advanced CCD Imaging Spectrometer spectroscopy array (ACIS-S) show a striking richness of X-ray structure at a resolution comparable to that of the best ground-based visible-light observations. The HETG-ACIS-S images reveal, for the first time, an X-ray inner ring within the X-ray torus, the suggestion of a hollow-tube structure for the torus, and X-ray knots along the inner ring and (perhaps) along the inward extension of the X-ray jet. Although complicated by instrumental effects and the brightness of the Crab Nebula, the spectrometric analysis shows systematic variations of the X-ray spectrum throughout the nebula.

  7. Expression, purification and preliminary biochemical and structural characterization of the leucine rich repeat namesake domain of leucine rich repeat kinase 2.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vancraenenbroeck, Renée; Lobbestael, Evy; Weeks, Stephen D; Strelkov, Sergei V; Baekelandt, Veerle; Taymans, Jean-Marc; De Maeyer, Marc

    2012-03-01

    Mutations in leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) are the most common cause of familial Parkinson's disease. Much research effort has been directed towards the catalytic core region of LRRK2 composed of GTPase (ROC, Ras of complex proteins) and kinase domains and a connecting COR (C-terminus of ROC) domain. In contrast, the precise functions of the protein-protein interaction domains, such as the leucine-rich repeat (LRR) domain, are not known. In the present study, we modeled the LRRK2 LRR domain (LRR(LRRK2)) using a template assembly approach, revealing the presence of 14 LRRs. Next, we focused on the expression and purification of LRR(LRRK2) in Escherichia coli. Buffer optimization revealed that the protein requires the presence of a zwitterionic detergent, namely Empigen BB, during solubilization and the subsequent purification and characterization steps. This indicates that the detergent captures the hydrophobic surface patches of LRR(LRRK2) thereby suppressing its aggregation. Circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy measured 18% α-helices and 21% β-sheets, consistent with predictions from the homology model. Size exclusion chromatography (SEC) and dynamic light scattering measurements showed the presence of a single species, with a Stokes radius corresponding to the model dimensions of a protein monomer. Furthermore, no obvious LRR(LRRK2) multimerization was detected via cross-linking studies. Finally, the LRR(LRRK2) clinical mutations did not influence LRR(LRRK2) secondary, tertiary or quaternary structure as determined via SEC and CD spectroscopy. We therefore conclude that these mutations are likely to affect putative LRR(LRRK2) inter- and intramolecular interactions. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  8. Structural and Chemical Properties of the Nitrogen-Rich Energetic Material Triaminoguanidinium 1-methyl-5-nitriminotetrazolate under Pressure

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-08-01

    ABSTRACT 16. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: The structural and chemical properties of the bi-molecular, hydrogen-bonded, nitrogen-rich ener- getic...School Apprenticeship Program (ARO-HSAP), and the Depart- ment of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration (Carnegie/DOE Alliance Center; DE-FC52...B. J. Baer, H. Cynn, W. J. Evans, V. Iota , and C. S. Yoo, Phys. Rev. B 76(1), 014113 (2007). 9T. M. Klapötke, J. Stierstorfer, and A. U. Wallek, Chem

  9. Synthesis, crystal structure investigation and magnetism of the complex metal-rich boride series Crx(Rh1-yRuy)7-xB3 (x=0.88-1; y=0-1) with Th7Fe3-type structure

    Science.gov (United States)

    Misse, Patrick R. N.; Mbarki, Mohammed; Fokwa, Boniface P. T.

    2012-08-01

    Powder samples and single crystals of the new complex boride series Crx(Rh1-yRuy)7-xB3 (x=0.88-1; y=0-1) have been synthesized by arc-melting the elements under purified argon atmosphere on a water-cooled copper crucible. The products, which have metallic luster, were structurally characterized by single-crystal and powder X-ray diffraction as well as EDX measurements. Within the whole solid solution range the hexagonal Th7Fe3 structure type (space group P63mc, no. 186, Z=2) was identified. Single-crystal structure refinement results indicate the presence of chromium at two sites (6c and 2b) of the available three metal Wyckoff sites, with a pronounced preference for the 6c site. An unexpected Rh/Ru site preference was found in the Ru-rich region only, leading to two different magnetic behaviors in the solid solution: The Rh-rich region shows a temperature-independent (Pauli) paramagnetism whereas an additional temperature-dependent paramagnetic component is found in the Ru-rich region.

  10. [Research on Spectral Polarization Imaging System Based on Static Modulation].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Hai-bo; Li, Huan; Lin, Xu-ling; Wang, Zheng

    2015-04-01

    The main disadvantages of traditional spectral polarization imaging system are: complex structure, with moving parts, low throughput. A novel method of spectral polarization imaging system is discussed, which is based on static polarization intensity modulation combined with Savart polariscope interference imaging. The imaging system can obtain real-time information of spectral and four Stokes polarization messages. Compared with the conventional methods, the advantages of the imaging system are compactness, low mass and no moving parts, no electrical control, no slit and big throughput. The system structure and the basic theory are introduced. The experimental system is established in the laboratory. The experimental system consists of reimaging optics, polarization intensity module, interference imaging module, and CCD data collecting and processing module. The spectral range is visible and near-infrared (480-950 nm). The white board and the plane toy are imaged by using the experimental system. The ability of obtaining spectral polarization imaging information is verified. The calibration system of static polarization modulation is set up. The statistical error of polarization degree detection is less than 5%. The validity and feasibility of the basic principle is proved by the experimental result. The spectral polarization data captured by the system can be applied to object identification, object classification and remote sensing detection.

  11. Structural model Soapaga failure from spectral correlation and magnetic gravity anomalies in the eastern cordillera, Colombia

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rodriguez Diana Marcela; Hernandez Orlando; Kammer Andreas

    2009-01-01

    The aim of this research is to apply spectral correlation, local favorability indexes and Poisson's theorem as numerical methods for data processing and interpretation of potential field data associated with structural features; these techniques are applied to theoretical and real gravity and magnetic data of the Soapaga fault, located in the Boyaca Department, in the eastern Andean Mountains. Theoretical data of the Soapaga fault was obtained by forward modeling of geological and structural sections. Real data of the Soapaga fault included compiled gravity data and acquired magnetic data along four profiles oriented perpendicular to the fault. As a result, the geometry of the fault and its structural characteristics were obtained by interactive forward and inverse modeling. This methodology allows highlighting anomaly trends associated with density and magnetic susceptibility contrast that occur along the Soapaga fault zone. Additionally, this work provides a quantitative approach to establish the relationship between gravity and magnetic anomalies, supported by a rigorous mathematical methodology rather than isolated data interpretation to better understand the gravity and magnetic signatures of outcropping and hidden structural features.

  12. Variation in fish community structure, richness, and diversity in 56 Danish lakes with contrasting depth, size, and trophic state: does the method matter?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Menezes, Rosemberg; Borchsenius, Finn; Svenning, J.-C.

    2013-01-01

    a better understanding of fish communities. We compare fish community composition, richness, and diversity in 56 Danish lakes using data obtained by gillnetting in different lake zones and near-shore electrofishing, respectively. On average, electrofishing captured more species than offshore gillnets......, but not more than littoral gillnets. Overall, the different fish sampling methods showed consistency as to fish community structure, but noticeable differences in community–environment relationships. Lake area was the best predictor for fish species richness in the littoral samplings, while it was poor...... community, as all methods miss some important species that other methods capture. However, electrofishing seems to be a fast alternative to gillnets for monitoring fish species richness and composition in littoral habitats of Danish lakes....

  13. Nano-phase separation and structural ordering in silica-rich mixed network former glasses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Hao; Youngman, Randall E; Kapoor, Saurabh; Jensen, Lars R; Smedskjaer, Morten M; Yue, Yuanzheng

    2018-06-13

    We investigate the structure, phase separation, glass transition, and crystallization in a mixed network former glass series, i.e., B2O3-Al2O3-SiO2-P2O5 glasses with varying SiO2/B2O3 molar ratio. All the studied glasses exhibit two separate glassy phases: droplet phase (G1) with the size of 50-100 nm and matrix phase (G2), corresponding to a lower calorimetric glass transition temperature (Tg1) and a higher one (Tg2), respectively. Both Tg values decrease linearly with the substitution of B2O3 for SiO2, but the magnitude of the decrease is larger for Tg1. Based on nuclear magnetic resonance and Raman spectroscopy results, we infer that the G1 phase is rich in boroxol rings, while the G2 phase mainly involves the B-O-Si network. Both phases contain BPO4- and AlPO4-like units. Ordered domains occur in G2 upon isothermal and dynamic heating, driven by the structural heterogeneity in the as-prepared glasses. The structural ordering lowers the activation energy of crystal growth, thus promoting partial crystallization of G2. These findings are useful for understanding glass formation and phase separation in mixed network former oxide systems, and for tailoring their properties.

  14. Application of a simplified calculation for full-wave microtremor H/ V spectral ratio based on the diffuse field approximation to identify underground velocity structures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Hao; Masaki, Kazuaki; Irikura, Kojiro; Sánchez-Sesma, Francisco José

    2017-12-01

    Under the diffuse field approximation, the full-wave (FW) microtremor H/ V spectral ratio ( H/ V) is modeled as the square root of the ratio of the sum of imaginary parts of the Green's function of the horizontal components to that of the vertical one. For a given layered medium, the FW H/ V can be well approximated with only surface waves (SW) H/ V of the "cap-layered" medium which consists of the given layered medium and a new larger velocity half-space (cap layer) at large depth. Because the contribution of surface waves can be simply obtained by the residue theorem, the computation of SW H/ V of cap-layered medium is faster than that of FW H/ V evaluated by discrete wavenumber method and contour integration method. The simplified computation of SW H/ V was then applied to identify the underground velocity structures at six KiK-net strong-motion stations. The inverted underground velocity structures were used to evaluate FW H/ Vs which were consistent with the SW H/ Vs of corresponding cap-layered media. The previous study on surface waves H/ Vs proposed with the distributed surface sources assumption and a fixed Rayleigh-to-Love waves amplitude ratio for horizontal motions showed a good agreement with the SW H/ Vs of our study. The consistency between observed and theoretical spectral ratios, such as the earthquake motions of H/ V spectral ratio and spectral ratio of horizontal motions between surface and bottom of borehole, indicated that the underground velocity structures identified from SW H/ V of cap-layered medium were well resolved by the new method.[Figure not available: see fulltext.

  15. Spectral element modelling of wave propagation in isotropic and anisotropic shell-structures including different types of damage

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schulte, R T; Fritzen, C-P; Moll, J

    2010-01-01

    During the last decades, guided waves have shown great potential for Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) applications. These waves can be excited and sensed by piezoelectric elements that can be permanently attached onto a structure offering online monitoring capability. However, the setup of wave based SHM systems for complex structures may be very difficult and time consuming. For that reason there is a growing demand for efficient simulation tools providing the opportunity to design wave based SHM systems in a virtual environment. As usually high frequency waves are used, the associated short wavelength leads to the necessity of a very dense mesh, which makes conventional finite elements not well suited for this purpose. Therefore in this contribution a flat shell spectral element approach is presented. By including electromechanical coupling a SHM system can be simulated entirely from actuator voltage to sensor voltage. Besides a comparison to measured data for anisotropic materials including delamination, a numerical example of a more complex, stiffened shell structure with debonding is presented.

  16. Understanding Soliton Spectral Tunneling as a Spectral Coupling Effect

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Guo, Hairun; Wang, Shaofei; Zeng, Xianglong

    2013-01-01

    Soliton eigenstate is found corresponding to a dispersive phase profile under which the soliton phase changes induced by the dispersion and nonlinearity are instantaneously counterbalanced. Much like a waveguide coupler relying on a spatial refractive index profile that supports mode coupling...... between channels, here we suggest that the soliton spectral tunneling effect can be understood supported by a spectral phase coupler. The dispersive wave number in the spectral domain must have a coupler-like symmetric profile for soliton spectral tunneling to occur. We show that such a spectral coupler...

  17. Spectral dimension of quantum geometries

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Calcagni, Gianluca; Oriti, Daniele; Thürigen, Johannes

    2014-01-01

    The spectral dimension is an indicator of geometry and topology of spacetime and a tool to compare the description of quantum geometry in various approaches to quantum gravity. This is possible because it can be defined not only on smooth geometries but also on discrete (e.g., simplicial) ones. In this paper, we consider the spectral dimension of quantum states of spatial geometry defined on combinatorial complexes endowed with additional algebraic data: the kinematical quantum states of loop quantum gravity (LQG). Preliminarily, the effects of topology and discreteness of classical discrete geometries are studied in a systematic manner. We look for states reproducing the spectral dimension of a classical space in the appropriate regime. We also test the hypothesis that in LQG, as in other approaches, there is a scale dependence of the spectral dimension, which runs from the topological dimension at large scales to a smaller one at short distances. While our results do not give any strong support to this hypothesis, we can however pinpoint when the topological dimension is reproduced by LQG quantum states. Overall, by exploring the interplay of combinatorial, topological and geometrical effects, and by considering various kinds of quantum states such as coherent states and their superpositions, we find that the spectral dimension of discrete quantum geometries is more sensitive to the underlying combinatorial structures than to the details of the additional data associated with them. (paper)

  18. Nanofat-derived stem cells with platelet-rich fibrin improve facial contour remodeling and skin rejuvenation after autologous structural fat transplantation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liang, Zhi-Jie; Chen, Hai; Zhu, Mao-Guang; Xu, Fang-Tian; He, Ning; Wei, Xiao-Juan; Li, Hong-Mian

    2017-01-01

    Traditional autologous fat transplantation is a common surgical procedure for treating facial soft tissue depression and skin aging. However, the transplanted fat is easily absorbed, reducing the long-term efficacy of the procedure. Here, we examined the efficacy of nanofat-assisted autologous fat structural transplantation. Nanofat-derived stem cells (NFSCs) were isolated, mechanically emulsified, cultured, and characterized. Platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) enhanced proliferation and adipogenic differentiation of NFSCs in vitro. We then compared 62 test group patients with soft tissue depression or signs of aging who underwent combined nanofat, PRF, and autologous fat structural transplantation to control patients (77 cases) who underwent traditional autologous fat transplantation. Facial soft tissue depression symptoms and skin texture were improved to a greater extent after nanofat transplants than after traditional transplants, and the nanofat group had an overall satisfaction rate above 90%. These data suggest that NFSCs function similarly to mesenchymal stem cells and share many of the biological characteristics of traditional fat stem cell cultures. Transplants that combine newly-isolated nanofat, which has a rich stromal vascular fraction (SVF), with PRF and autologous structural fat granules may therefore be a safe, highly-effective, and long-lasting method for remodeling facial contours and rejuvenating the skin. PMID:28978136

  19. Estimating dust production rate of carbon-rich stars in the Small Magellanic Cloud

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nanni, A.; Marigo, P.; Groenewegen, M. A. T.; Aringer, B.; Pastorelli, G.; Rubele, S.; Girardi, L.; Bressan, A.; Bladh, S.

    We compute a grid of spectra describing dusty Circumstellar Envelopes of Thermally Pulsing Asymptotic Giant Branch carbon-rich stars by employing a physically grounded description for dust growth. The optical constants for carbon dust have been selected in order to reproduce simultaneously the most important color-color diagrams in the Near and Mid Infrared bands. We fit the Spectral Energy Distribution of ≈2000 carbon-rich in the Small Magellanic Cloud and we compute their total dust production rate. We compare our results with the ones in the literature. Different choices of the dust-to-gas ratio and outflow expansion velocity adopted in different works, yield, in some cases, a total dust budget about three times lower than the one derived from our scheme, with the same optical data set for carbon dust.

  20. [Spectral analysis of fiber bragg grating modulated by double long period grating and its application in smart structure monitoring].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lu, Ji-Yun; Liang, Da-Kai; Zhang, Xiao-Li; Zhu, Zhu

    2009-12-01

    Spectrum of fiber bragg grating (FBG) sensor modulated by double long period grating (LPFG) is proposed in the paper. Double LPFG consists of two LPFGS whose center wavelengths are the same and reflection spectrum of FBG sensor is located in linear range of double LPFG transmission spectrum. Based on spectral analysis of FBG and double LPFG, reflection spectrum of FBG modulated by double LPFG is obtained and studied by use of band-hider filter characteristics for double LPFG. An FBG sensor is attached on the surface of thin steel beam, which is strained by bending, and the center wavelength of FBG sensor will shift. The spectral peak of FBG sensor modulated by double LPFG is changed correspondingly, and the spectral change will lead to variation in exit light intensity from double LPFG. Experiment demonstrates that the relation of filtering light intensity from double LPFG monitored by optical power meter to center wavelength change of FBG sensor is linear and the minimum strain of material (steel beam) detected by the modulation and demodulation system is 1.05 microepsilon. This solution is used in impact monitoring of optical fibre smart structure, and FBG sensor is applied for impulse response signal monitoring induced by low-velocity impact, when impact pendulum is loaded to carbon fiber-reinforced plastics (CFP). The acquired impact response signal and fast Fourier transform of the signal detected by FBG sensor agree with the measurement results of eddy current displacement meter attached to the FBG sensor. From the results, the present method using FBG sensor is found to be effective for monitoring the impact. The research provides a practical reference in dynamic monitoring of optical fiber smart structure field.

  1. Origin of the latitudinal richness gradient

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Engemann, Kristine; Sandel, Brody Steven; Enquist, Brian J.

    2015-01-01

    Spatial variation in richness patterns must be due to variation in rates of speciation, extinction, immigration and emigration. Hotspots of diversity can occur either because they are hotspots of speciation (cradles) or cold spots of extinction (museums) – two major hypotheses that make contrasting...... predictions for the phylogenetic structure of communities. We test these hypotheses by comparing centers of species richness and phylogenetic clustering for vascular plants in the New World. Range maps for 88,417 plant species were extracted from the Botanical Information and Ecology Network (BIEN) database...... and combined with the BIEN mega phylogeny of >80,000 species. We calculated the Phylogenetic Diversity Index (PDI) and Net Relatedness Index (NRI) for each cell in a 100×100 km grid using a new computationally efficient algorithm. Species richness patterns were compared to patterns of PDI and NRI. We found...

  2. Vacancy enhanced formation and phase transition of Cu-rich precipitates in α - iron under neutron irradiation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lv, G. C. [Basic Experimental Center of Natural Science, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083 (China); Corrosion and Protection Center, Key Laboratory of Environmental Fracture (MOE), University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083 (China); Zhang, H. [Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada, T6G2V4 (Canada); He, X. F.; Yang, W. [China Institute of Atomic Energy, Beijing, 102413 (China); Su, Y. J., E-mail: yjsu@ustb.edu.cn [Corrosion and Protection Center, Key Laboratory of Environmental Fracture (MOE), University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083 (China)

    2016-04-15

    In this paper, we employed both molecular statics and molecular dynamics simulation methods to investigate the role of vacancies in the formation and phase transition of Cu-rich precipitates in α-iron. The results indicated that vacancies promoted the diffusion of Cu atoms to form Cu-rich precipitates. After Cu-rich precipitates formed, they further trapped vacancies. The supersaturated vacancy concentration in the Cu-rich precipitate induced a shear strain, which triggered the phase transition from bcc to fcc structure by transforming the initial bcc (110) plane into fcc (111) plane. In addition, the formation of the fcc-twin structure and the stacking fault structure in the Cu-rich precipitates was observed in dynamics simulations.

  3. Structure and function of ABCG2-rich extracellular vesicles mediating multidrug resistance.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vicky Goler-Baron

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Multidrug resistance (MDR is a major impediment to curative cancer chemotherapy. The ATP-Binding Cassette transporters ABCG2, ABCB1 and ABCC2 form a unique defense network against multiple structurally and functionally distinct chemotherapeutics, thereby resulting in MDR. Thus, deciphering novel mechanisms of MDR and their overcoming is a major goal of cancer research. Recently we have shown that overexpression of ABCG2 in the membrane of novel extracellular vesicles (EVs in breast cancer cells results in mitoxantrone resistance due to its dramatic sequestration in EVs. However, nothing is known about EVs structure, biogenesis and their ability to concentrate multiple antitumor agents. To this end, we here found that EVs are structural and functional homologues of bile canaliculi, are apically localized, sealed structures reinforced by an actin-based cytoskeleton and secluded from the extracellular milieu by the tight junction proteins occludin and ZO-1. Apart from ABCG2, ABCB1 and ABCC2 were also selectively targeted to the membrane of EVs. Moreover, Ezrin-Radixin-Moesin protein complex selectively localized to the border of the EVs membrane, suggesting a key role for the tethering of MDR pumps to the actin cytoskeleton. The ability of EVs to concentrate and sequester different antitumor drugs was also explored. Taking advantage of the endogenous fluorescence of anticancer drugs, we found that EVs-forming breast cancer cells display high level resistance to topotecan, imidazoacridinones and methotrexate via efficient intravesicular drug concentration hence sequestering them away from their cellular targets. Thus, we identified a new modality of anticancer drug compartmentalization and resistance in which multiple chemotherapeutics are actively pumped from the cytoplasm and highly concentrated within the lumen of EVs via a network of MDR transporters differentially targeted to the EVs membrane. We propose a composite model for the structure and

  4. Ocean-Continent Transition Structure of the Pelotas Magma-Rich Continental Margin, South Atlantic

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harkin, Caroline; Kusznir, Nick; Roberts, Alan; Manatschal, Gianreto; McDermott, Ken

    2017-04-01

    Rifted continental margins in the southern South Atlantic are magma-rich showing well developed volcanic extrusives known as seaward dipping reflectors (SDRs). Here we examine the magma-rich continental rifted margin of the Pelotas Basin, offshore Brazil. Deep seismic reflection data displays a large package of seaward dipping reflectors with an approximate width of 200 km and a varying thickness of 10 km to 17 km that have previously been interpreted as volcanic SDRs. We examine these SDRs to explore if they are composed predominantly of basaltic or sedimentary-volcaniclastic material. We also study the thickness of the crustal basement beneath the SDRs. Additionally we investigate if these SDRs are underlain by thin 'hyper-extended' continental crust or if they have been deposited on new magmatic basement. The answers to these questions are important in understanding the structure and formation processes of magma-rich continental margins. We use gravity inversion to investigate SDR composition by varying the proportion of basalt to sediments-volcaniclastics (basalt fraction) which determines the SDR densities in the gravity inversion. By matching the Moho depth and two-way travel time from gravity inversion and deep seismic reflection data, we determine the lateral variation in basalt fraction of the SDRs. Our analysis suggests: 1) There is an overall pattern of SDR basalt fraction and bulk density decreasing oceanward. This could be due to increasing sediment content oceanward or it could result from the change in basalt flows to hyaloclastites as water depth increases. 2) The SDR package can be split into two distinct sub packages based on the basalt fraction results, where the proximal side of each package has a higher basalt fraction and density. 3) The inner SDR package contains reflectors that bear a resemblance to the SDRs described by Hinz (1981) corresponding to syn-tectonic volcanic eruptions into an extensional basin, while the outer SDR package has

  5. Piecewise spectrally band-pass for compressive coded aperture spectral imaging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Qian Lu-Lu; Lü Qun-Bo; Huang Min; Xiang Li-Bin

    2015-01-01

    Coded aperture snapshot spectral imaging (CASSI) has been discussed in recent years. It has the remarkable advantages of high optical throughput, snapshot imaging, etc. The entire spatial-spectral data-cube can be reconstructed with just a single two-dimensional (2D) compressive sensing measurement. On the other hand, for less spectrally sparse scenes, the insufficiency of sparse sampling and aliasing in spatial-spectral images reduce the accuracy of reconstructed three-dimensional (3D) spectral cube. To solve this problem, this paper extends the improved CASSI. A band-pass filter array is mounted on the coded mask, and then the first image plane is divided into some continuous spectral sub-band areas. The entire 3D spectral cube could be captured by the relative movement between the object and the instrument. The principle analysis and imaging simulation are presented. Compared with peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) and the information entropy of the reconstructed images at different numbers of spectral sub-band areas, the reconstructed 3D spectral cube reveals an observable improvement in the reconstruction fidelity, with an increase in the number of the sub-bands and a simultaneous decrease in the number of spectral channels of each sub-band. (paper)

  6. Apparent wavelength shifts of H-like ions caused by the spectral fine structure observed in CHS plasmas

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nishimura, Shin; Ida, Katsumi

    1998-01-01

    A new charge exchange spectroscopy (CXS) system viewing the plasma from the upside and the downside simultaneously was installed on the Compact Helical System (CHS) to detect the absolute value of Doppler shift due to poloidal rotation velocity ( i ∼ 100 eV) and in the after-glow recombining phase (T i ∼ 30 eV). The apparent Doppler shift is always red-shift regardless the direction of plasma rotation and is explained as the effect of the spectral fine structure of hydrogen-like ions. (author)

  7. Knowledge Discovery in Spectral Data by Means of Complex Networks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stefano Boccaletti

    2013-03-01

    Full Text Available In the last decade, complex networks have widely been applied to the study of many natural and man-made systems, and to the extraction of meaningful information from the interaction structures created by genes and proteins. Nevertheless, less attention has been devoted to metabonomics, due to the lack of a natural network representation of spectral data. Here we define a technique for reconstructing networks from spectral data sets, where nodes represent spectral bins, and pairs of them are connected when their intensities follow a pattern associated with a disease. The structural analysis of the resulting network can then be used to feed standard data-mining algorithms, for instance for the classification of new (unlabeled subjects. Furthermore, we show how the structure of the network is resilient to the presence of external additive noise, and how it can be used to extract relevant knowledge about the development of the disease.

  8. (F)UV Spectral Analysis of Hot, Hydrogen-Rich Central Stars of Planetary Nebulae

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ziegler, M.; Rauch, T.; Werner, K.; Kruk, J. W.

    2010-11-01

    Metal abundances of CSPNe are not well known although they provide important constraints on AGB nucleosynthesis. We aim to determine metal abundances of two hot, hydrogen-rich CSPNe (namely of A35 and NGC3587, the latter also known as M97 or the Owl Nebula) and to derive Teff and log g precisely from high-resolution, high-S/N (far-) ultraviolet observations obtained with FUSE and HST/STIS. For this purpose, we utilize NLTE model atmospheres calculated with TMAP, the Tübingen Model Atmosphere Package. Due to strong line absorption of the ISM, simultaneous modeling of interstellar features has become a standard tool in our analyses. We present preliminary results, demonstrating the importance of combining stellar and interstellar models, in order to clearly identify and measure the strengths of strategic photospheric lines.

  9. Synthesis, electronic structure, elastic properties, and interfacial behavior of icosahedral boron-rich solids

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hunold, Oliver

    2017-08-01

    Boron-rich solids are commonly characterized by icosahedral clusters, where 12 B atoms form an icosahedron, giving rise to outstanding mechanical and transport properties. However, broader applications are limited due to the high synthesis temperature required to obtain the icosahedra-based crystalline structure. Utilizing high power pulsed magnetron sputtering (HPPMS), the deposition temperature may be lowered as compared to direct current magnetron sputtering by enhanced surface diffusion. Therefore, HPPMS was utilized to investigate the influence of the substrate temperature on the structural evolution of B-rich Al-Y-B thin films. The formation of the intended AlYB{sub 14} phase together with the (Y,Al)B{sub 6} impurity phase, containing 1.8 at.% less B than AlYB{sub 14}, was observed at a growth temperature of 800 C and hence 600 C below the bulk synthesis temperature. Based on density functional theory (DFT) calculations it is inferred that minute compositional variations may lead to formation of competing phases, such as (Y,Al)B{sub 6}. Furthermore, 800 C still limits the usage significantly. Therefore, quantum mechanical material design was applied to identify phases with even higher phase stabilities compared to AlYB{sub 14}. Phase stability of T{sub 0.75}Y{sub 0.75}B{sub 14} (T= Sc, Ti, V, Y, Zr, Nb, Si) critically depends on the exact magnitude of charge transferred by T and Y to the B icosahedra. The highest phase stabilities have been identified for Sc{sub 0.75}Y{sub 0.75}B{sub 14}, Ti{sub 0.75}Y{sub 0.75}B{sub 14}, and Zr{sub 0.75}Y{sub 0.75}B{sub 14}. ln combination with Young's modulus values up to 517 GPa these phases are very interesting from a wear-resistance point of view. Still high synthesis temperatures limit the use of such systems onto technologically relevant substrate materials. However, amorphous B-rich solids, which can be synthesized without additional heating, exhibit attractive mechanical and electrical properties. Within these

  10. Structural and Moessbauer spectral study of the metastable phase Sm(Fe, Co, Ti)10

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bessais, L.; Djega-Mariadassou, C.; Koch, E.

    2002-01-01

    We have performed a Moessbauer spectral analysis of nanocrystalline metastable P 6/mmm SmTi(Fe 1-x Co x ) 9 , correlated with structural transformation towards its equilibrium derivative I4/mmm SmTi(Fe 1-x Co x ) 11 . The Rietveld analysis shows that the 3g site is fully occupied, while the 6 l occupation is limited to hexagons surrounding the Fe-Fe dumb-bell pairs 2e. A specific programme for the Wigner-Seitz cell (WSC) calculation of the metastable disordered structure was used. The hyperfine parameter assignment based on the isomer shift correlation with the WSC volumes sequence leads to Co 3g preferential occupation, with Ti location in 6 l sites. The mean hyperfine field increases with Co content in connection with the enhancement of the negative core electron polarization term upon additional Co electron filling. The same trend is observed for each individual site leading to the sequence H HF {2e}≥H HF {6 l }≥H HF {3g}. (author)

  11. Determination of molecular structures of aromatic hydrocarbons of crystal fractions of Noriysk crude by a series of luminescent-spectral methods

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ogloblina, A.I.; Alekseyeva, T.A.; Barabadze, Sh.Sh.; Melikadze, L.D.; Teplitskaya, T.A.

    1979-01-01

    The structure of crystalline aromatic hydrocarbons isolated from the high boiling fraction (540-560 degrees) of Noriysk crude was studied using methods of luminescent-spectral analysis. The individual composition of the crystalline aromatic hydrocarbons was analyzed by a combination of fine structure luminescent spectroscopy and spectrofluorimetric methods in frozen matrices using spectra of fluorescence, phosphorescence and excitation of luminescence. The composite method used at 77 K is very effective and allows detailed characteristics of the molar-group composition of complex mixtures of petroleum aromatic hydrocarbons to the point of identification of individual components.

  12. THE REACH AND RICHNESS OF WIKINOMICS: IS THE FREE WEB-BASED ENCYCLOPEDIA WIKIPEDIA ONLY FOR RICH COUNTRIES?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rask, Morten

    2007-01-01

    In this article, a model of the patterns of correlation in Wikipedia, reach and richness, lays the foundation for studying whether the free Web-based encyclopedia Wikipedia is only for developed countries. Based on data from 12 different Wikipedia language editions, the author finds that the cent......In this article, a model of the patterns of correlation in Wikipedia, reach and richness, lays the foundation for studying whether the free Web-based encyclopedia Wikipedia is only for developed countries. Based on data from 12 different Wikipedia language editions, the author finds...... that the central structural effect is on the level of human development in the current country. In other words, Wikipedia is in general more for rich countries than for less developed countries. It is suggested that policy makers make investments in increasing the general level of literacy, education, and standard...

  13. ULTRAVIOLET RAMAN SPECTRAL SIGNATURE ACQUISITION: UV RAMAN SPECTRAL FINGERPRINTS.

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    SEDLACEK,III, A.J.FINFROCK,C.

    2002-09-01

    As a member of the science-support part of the ITT-lead LISA development program, BNL is tasked with the acquisition of UV Raman spectral fingerprints and associated scattering cross-sections for those chemicals-of-interest to the program's sponsor. In support of this role, the present report contains the first installment of UV Raman spectral fingerprint data on the initial subset of chemicals. Because of the unique nature associated with the acquisition of spectral fingerprints for use in spectral pattern matching algorithms (i.e., CLS, PLS, ANN) great care has been undertaken to maximize the signal-to-noise and to minimize unnecessary spectral subtractions, in an effort to provide the highest quality spectral fingerprints. This report is divided into 4 sections. The first is an Experimental section that outlines how the Raman spectra are performed. This is then followed by a section on Sample Handling. Following this, the spectral fingerprints are presented in the Results section where the data reduction process is outlined. Finally, a Photographs section is included.

  14. Spectral and spatial shaping of Smith-Purcell radiation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Remez, Roei; Shapira, Niv; Roques-Carmes, Charles; Tirole, Romain; Yang, Yi; Lereah, Yossi; Soljačić, Marin; Kaminer, Ido; Arie, Ady

    2017-12-01

    The Smith-Purcell effect, observed when an electron beam passes in the vicinity of a periodic structure, is a promising platform for the generation of electromagnetic radiation in previously unreachable spectral ranges. However, most of the studies of this radiation were performed on simple periodic gratings, whose radiation spectrum exhibits a single peak and its higher harmonics predicted by a well-established dispersion relation. Here, we propose a method to shape the spatial and spectral far-field distribution of the radiation using complex periodic and aperiodic gratings. We show, theoretically and experimentally, that engineering multiple peak spectra with controlled widths located at desired wavelengths is achievable using Smith-Purcell radiation. Our method opens the way to free-electron-driven sources with tailored angular and spectral responses, and gives rise to focusing functionality for spectral ranges where lenses are unavailable or inefficient.

  15. STATCONT: A statistical continuum level determination method for line-rich sources

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sánchez-Monge, Á.; Schilke, P.; Ginsburg, A.; Cesaroni, R.; Schmiedeke, A.

    2018-01-01

    STATCONT is a python-based tool designed to determine the continuum emission level in spectral data, in particular for sources with a line-rich spectrum. The tool inspects the intensity distribution of a given spectrum and automatically determines the continuum level by using different statistical approaches. The different methods included in STATCONT are tested against synthetic data. We conclude that the sigma-clipping algorithm provides the most accurate continuum level determination, together with information on the uncertainty in its determination. This uncertainty can be used to correct the final continuum emission level, resulting in the here called `corrected sigma-clipping method' or c-SCM. The c-SCM has been tested against more than 750 different synthetic spectra reproducing typical conditions found towards astronomical sources. The continuum level is determined with a discrepancy of less than 1% in 50% of the cases, and less than 5% in 90% of the cases, provided at least 10% of the channels are line free. The main products of STATCONT are the continuum emission level, together with a conservative value of its uncertainty, and datacubes containing only spectral line emission, i.e., continuum-subtracted datacubes. STATCONT also includes the option to estimate the spectral index, when different files covering different frequency ranges are provided.

  16. SPAM- SPECTRAL ANALYSIS MANAGER (UNIX VERSION)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Solomon, J. E.

    1994-01-01

    The Spectral Analysis Manager (SPAM) was developed to allow easy qualitative analysis of multi-dimensional imaging spectrometer data. Imaging spectrometers provide sufficient spectral sampling to define unique spectral signatures on a per pixel basis. Thus direct material identification becomes possible for geologic studies. SPAM provides a variety of capabilities for carrying out interactive analysis of the massive and complex datasets associated with multispectral remote sensing observations. In addition to normal image processing functions, SPAM provides multiple levels of on-line help, a flexible command interpretation, graceful error recovery, and a program structure which can be implemented in a variety of environments. SPAM was designed to be visually oriented and user friendly with the liberal employment of graphics for rapid and efficient exploratory analysis of imaging spectrometry data. SPAM provides functions to enable arithmetic manipulations of the data, such as normalization, linear mixing, band ratio discrimination, and low-pass filtering. SPAM can be used to examine the spectra of an individual pixel or the average spectra over a number of pixels. SPAM also supports image segmentation, fast spectral signature matching, spectral library usage, mixture analysis, and feature extraction. High speed spectral signature matching is performed by using a binary spectral encoding algorithm to separate and identify mineral components present in the scene. The same binary encoding allows automatic spectral clustering. Spectral data may be entered from a digitizing tablet, stored in a user library, compared to the master library containing mineral standards, and then displayed as a timesequence spectral movie. The output plots, histograms, and stretched histograms produced by SPAM can be sent to a lineprinter, stored as separate RGB disk files, or sent to a Quick Color Recorder. SPAM is written in C for interactive execution and is available for two different

  17. Improved documentation of spectral lines for inductively coupled plasma emission spectrometry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Doidge, Peter S.

    2018-05-01

    An approach to improving the documentation of weak spectral lines falling near the prominent analytical lines used in inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) is described. Measurements of ICP emission spectra in the regions around several hundred prominent lines, using concentrated solutions (up to 1% w/v) of some 70 elements, and comparison of the observed spectra with both recent published work and with the output of a computer program that allows calculation of transitions between the known energy levels, show that major improvements can be made in the coverage of spectral atlases for ICP-OES, with respect to "classical" line tables. It is argued that the atomic spectral data (wavelengths, energy levels) required for the reliable identification and documentation of a large majority of the weak interfering lines of the elements detectable by ICP-OES now exist, except for most of the observed lines of the lanthanide elements. In support of this argument, examples are provided from a detailed analysis of a spectral window centered on the prominent Pb II 220.353 nm line, and from a selected line-rich spectrum (W). Shortcomings in existing analyses are illustrated with reference to selected spectral interferences due to Zr. This approach has been used to expand the spectral-line library used in commercial ICP-ES instruments (Agilent 700-ES/5100-ES). The precision of wavelength measurements is evaluated in terms of the shot-noise limit, while the absolute accuracy of wavelength measurement is characterised through comparison with a small set of precise Ritz wavelengths for Sb I, and illustrated through the identification of Zr III lines; it is further shown that fractional-pixel absolute wavelength accuracies can be achieved. Finally, problems with the wavelengths and classifications of certain Au I lines are discussed.

  18. Spectral signatures of chirality

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pedersen, Jesper Goor; Mortensen, Asger

    2009-01-01

    We present a new way of measuring chirality, via the spectral shift of photonic band gaps in one-dimensional structures. We derive an explicit mapping of the problem of oblique incidence of circularly polarized light on a chiral one-dimensional photonic crystal with negligible index contrast...... to the formally equivalent problem of linearly polarized light incident on-axis on a non-chiral structure with index contrast. We derive analytical expressions for the first-order shifts of the band gaps for negligible index contrast. These are modified to give good approximations to the band gap shifts also...

  19. 3D confocal Raman imaging of oil-rich emulsion from enzyme-assisted aqueous extraction of extruded soybean powder.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Longkun; Wang, Limin; Qi, Baokun; Zhang, Xiaonan; Chen, Fusheng; Li, Yang; Sui, Xiaonan; Jiang, Lianzhou

    2018-05-30

    The understanding of the structure morphology of oil-rich emulsion from enzyme-assisted extraction processing (EAEP) was a critical step to break the oil-rich emulsion structure in order to recover oil. Albeit EAEP method has been applied as an alternative way to conventional solvent extraction method, the structure morphology of oil-rich emulsion was still unclear. The current study aimed to investigate the structure morphology of oil-rich emulsion from EAEP using 3D confocal Raman imaging technique. With increasing the enzymatic hydrolysis duration from 1 to 3 h, the stability of oil-rich emulsion was decreased as visualized in the 3D confocal Raman images that the protein and oil were mixed together. The subsequent Raman spectrum analysis further revealed that the decreased stability of oil-rich emulsion was due to the protein aggregations via SS bonds or protein-lipid interactions. The conformational transfer in protein indicated the formation of a compact structure. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Experimental study of the structure of rich premixed 1,3-butadiene/CH4/O2/Ar flame

    OpenAIRE

    Gueniche, Hadj-Ali; Glaude, Pierre-Alexandre; Fournet, René; Battin-Leclerc, Frédérique

    2007-01-01

    The structure of a laminar rich premixed 1,3-C4H6/CH4/O2/Ar flame have been investigated. 1,3-Butadiene, methane, oxygen and argon mole fractions are 0.033; 0.2073; 0.3315, and 0.4280, respectively, for an equivalent ratio of 1.80. The flame has been stabilized on a burner at a pressure of 6.7 kPa (50 Torr). The concentration profiles of stable species were measured by gas chromatography after sampling with a quartz probe. Quantified species included carbon monoxide and dioxide, methane, oxyg...

  1. Hyperfine structure and isotope shift of the neutron-rich barium isotopes 139-146Ba and 148Ba

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wendt, K.; Ahmad, S.A.; Klempt, W.; Neugart, R.; Otten, E.W.

    1988-01-01

    The hyperfine structure and isotope shift in the 6s 2 S 1/2 -6p 2 P 3/2 line of Ba II (455.4 nm) have been measured by collinear fast-beam laser spectroscopy for the neutron-rich isotopes 139-146 Ba and 148 Ba. Nuclear moments and mean square charge radii of these isotopes have been recalculated. The isotope shift of the isotope 148 Ba (T 1/2 = 0.64 s) could be studied for the first time, yielding δ 2 > 138,148 = 1.245(3) fm 2 . (orig.)

  2. Acoustic and spectral characteristics of young children's fricative productions: A developmental perspective

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nissen, Shawn L.; Fox, Robert Allen

    2005-10-01

    Scientists have made great strides toward understanding the mechanisms of speech production and perception. However, the complex relationships between the acoustic structures of speech and the resulting psychological percepts have yet to be fully and adequately explained, especially in speech produced by younger children. Thus, this study examined the acoustic structure of voiceless fricatives (/f, θ, s, /sh/) produced by adults and typically developing children from 3 to 6 years of age in terms of multiple acoustic parameters (durations, normalized amplitude, spectral slope, and spectral moments). It was found that the acoustic parameters of spectral slope and variance (commonly excluded from previous studies of child speech) were important acoustic parameters in the differentiation and classification of the voiceless fricatives, with spectral variance being the only measure to separate all four places of articulation. It was further shown that the sibilant contrast between /s/ and /sh/ was less distinguished in children than adults, characterized by a dramatic change in several spectral parameters at approximately five years of age. Discriminant analysis revealed evidence that classification models based on adult data were sensitive to these spectral differences in the five-year-old age group.

  3. Magnetic properties of tetrataenite-rich meteorites. Pt. 2

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nagata, T.; Funaki, M.; Danon, J.

    1985-01-01

    Magnetic hysteresis and thermomagnetic characteristics of St. Severin (LL 6 ), Appley Bridge (LL 6 ) and Tuxtuac (LL 5 ) chondrites, which contain tetrataenite in their metallic components, are measured and analyzed in comparison with another tetrataenite-rich chondrite, Yamato 74160. The magnetic properties of tetrataenite-rich meteorites are characterized by (a) high magnetic coercive force (H sub(C)) which amounts to 520 Oe for St. Severin and 160 Oe for Appley Bridge, (b) essential flatness up to about 500 0 C and then a sharp irreversible drop down to Curie point of the first-run heating thermomagnetic curve. Both characteristic features are broken down to the ordinary features of disordered taenite by a breakdown of tetrataenite structure at elevated temperatures beyond the order-disorder transition temperature. The natural remanent magnetization (NRM) of tetrataenite-rich meteorites is extremely stable against AF-demagnetization and other magnetic disturbances because of the high magnetic coercivity of tetrataenite. The breakdown processes of ordered tetrataenite structure by heat treatments are experimentally pursued for the purpose of research of a possible formation process of tetrataenite phase in meteorites. (Author) [pt

  4. A spectral route to determining chirality

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pedersen, Jesper Goor; Mortensen, Asger

    2009-01-01

    We show how one-dimensional structured media can be used to measure chirality, via the spectral shift of the photonic band gap edges. Analytically, we show that a chiral contrast can, in some cases, be mapped unto an index contrast, thereby greatly simplifying the analysis of such structures. Using...... this mapping, we derive a first-order shift of the band gap edges with chirality. Potentially, this effect could be used for measuring enantiomeric excess....

  5. Spectral mapping of thermal conductivity through nanoscale ballistic transport

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hu, Yongjie; Zeng, Lingping; Minnich, Austin J.; Dresselhaus, Mildred S.; Chen, Gang

    2015-08-01

    Controlling thermal properties is central to many applications, such as thermoelectric energy conversion and the thermal management of integrated circuits. Progress has been made over the past decade by structuring materials at different length scales, but a clear relationship between structure size and thermal properties remains to be established. The main challenge comes from the unknown intrinsic spectral distribution of energy among heat carriers. Here, we experimentally measure this spectral distribution by probing quasi-ballistic transport near nanostructured heaters down to 30 nm using ultrafast optical spectroscopy. Our approach allows us to quantify up to 95% of the total spectral contribution to thermal conductivity from all phonon modes. The measurement agrees well with multiscale and first-principles-based simulations. We further demonstrate the direct construction of mean free path distributions. Our results provide a new fundamental understanding of thermal transport and will enable materials design in a rational way to achieve high performance.

  6. Impaired rich club and increased local connectivity in children with traumatic brain injury: Local support for the rich?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Verhelst, Helena; Vander Linden, Catharine; De Pauw, Toon; Vingerhoets, Guy; Caeyenberghs, Karen

    2018-03-12

    Recent evidence has shown the presence of a "rich club" in the brain, which constitutes a core network of highly interconnected and spatially distributed brain regions, important for high-order cognitive processes. This study aimed to map the rich club organization in 17 young patients with moderate to severe TBI (15.71 ± 1.75 years) in the chronic stage of recovery and 17 age- and gender-matched controls. Probabilistic tractography was performed on diffusion weighted imaging data to construct the edges of the structural connectomes using number of streamlines as edge weight. In addition, the whole-brain network was divided into a rich club network, a local network and a feeder network connecting the latter two. Functional outcome was measured with a parent questionnaire for executive functioning. Our results revealed a significantly decreased rich club organization (p values < .05) and impaired executive functioning (p < .001) in young patients with TBI compared with controls. Specifically, we observed reduced density values in all three subnetworks (p values < .005) and a reduced mean strength in the rich club network (p = .013) together with an increased mean strength in the local network (p = .002) in patients with TBI. This study provides new insights into the nature of TBI-induced brain network alterations and supports the hypothesis that the local subnetwork tries to compensate for the biologically costly subnetwork of rich club nodes after TBI. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  7. Spectral phasor analysis of LAURDAN fluorescence in live A549 lung cells to study the hydration and time evolution of intracellular lamellar body-like structures

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Malacrida, Leonel; Astrada, Soledad; Briva, Arturo

    2016-01-01

    Using LAURDAN spectral imaging and spectral phasor analysis we concurrently studied the growth and hydration state of subcellular organelles (lamellar body-like, LB-like) from live A549 lung cancer cells at different post-confluence days. Our results reveal a time dependent two-step process...... governing the size and hydration of these intracellular LB-like structures. Specifically, a first step (days 1 to 7) is characterized by an increase in their size, followed by a second one (days 7 to 14) where the organelles display a decrease in their global hydration properties. Interestingly, our results...... also show that their hydration properties significantly differ from those observed in well-characterized artificial lamellar model membranes, challenging the notion that a pure lamellar membrane organization is present in these organelles at intracellular conditions. Finally, these LB-like structures...

  8. The richness and reach of Wikinomics: Is the free web-based encyclopedia Wikipedia only for the rich countries?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rask, Morten

    2007-01-01

    In this paper, a model of the patterns of correlation in Wikipedia, reach and richness, lays the foundation for studying whether or not the free web-based encyclopedia Wikipedia is only for developed countries. Based upon data from 12 different Wikipedia language editions, we find that the central...... structural effect is on the level of human development in the current country. In other words, Wikipedia is in general, more for rich countries than for less developed countries. It is suggested that policy makers make investments in increasing the general level of literacy, education, and standard of living...

  9. Darboux invariants of integrable equations with variable spectral parameters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shin, H J

    2008-01-01

    The Darboux transformation for integrable equations with variable spectral parameters is introduced. Darboux invariant quantities are calculated, which are used in constructing the Lax pair of integrable equations. This approach serves as a systematic method for constructing inhomogeneous integrable equations and their soliton solutions. The structure functions of variable spectral parameters determine the integrability and nonlinear coupling terms. Three cases of integrable equations are treated as examples of this approach

  10. Enhancement of TE polarized light extraction efficiency in nanoscale (AlN)m /(GaN)n (m>n) superlattice substitution for Al-rich AlGaN disorder alloy: ultra-thin GaN layer modulation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jiang, Xin-he; Shi, Jun-jie; Zhong, Hong-xia; Huang, Pu; Ding, Yi-min; Yu, Tong-jun; Shen, Bo; Lu, Jing; Zhang, Min; Wang, Xihua

    2014-01-01

    The problem of achieving high light extraction efficiency in Al-rich Al x Ga 1−x N is of paramount importance for the realization of AlGaN-based deep ultraviolet (DUV) optoelectronic devices. To solve this problem, we investigate the microscopic mechanism of valence band inversion and light polarization, a crucial factor for enhancing light extraction efficiency, in Al-rich Al x Ga 1−x N alloy using the Heyd–Scuseria–Ernzerhof hybrid functional, local-density approximation with 1/2 occupation, and the Perdew–Burke–Ernzerhof functional, in which the spin–orbit coupling effect is included. We find that the microscopic Ga-atom distribution can effectively modulate the valence band structure of Al-rich Al x Ga 1−x N. Moreover, we prove that the valence band arrangement in the decreasing order of heavy hole, light hole, and crystal-field split-off hole can be realized by using nanoscale (AlN) m /(GaN) n (m>n) superlattice (SL) substituting for Al-rich Al x Ga 1−x N disorder alloy as the active layer of optoelectronic devices due to the ultra-thin GaN layer modulation. The valence band maximum, i.e., the heavy hole band, has p x - and p y -like characteristics and is highly localized in the SL structure, which leads to the desired transverse electric (TE) polarized (E⊥c) light emission with improved light extraction efficiency in the DUV spectral region. Some important band-structure parameters and electron/hole effective masses are also given. The physical origin for the valence band inversion and TE polarization in (AlN) m /(GaN) n SL is analyzed in depth. (paper)

  11. Spectral reflectance properties of iridescent pierid butterfly wings.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wilts, Bodo D; Pirih, Primož; Stavenga, Doekele G

    2011-06-01

    The wings of most pierid butterflies exhibit a main, pigmentary colouration: white, yellow or orange. The males of many species have in restricted areas of the wing upper sides a distinct structural colouration, which is created by stacks of lamellae in the ridges of the wing scales, resulting in iridescence. The amplitude of the reflectance is proportional to the number of lamellae in the ridge stacks. The angle-dependent peak wavelength of the observed iridescence is in agreement with classical multilayer theory. The iridescence is virtually always in the ultraviolet wavelength range, but some species have a blue-peaking iridescence. The spectral properties of the pigmentary and structural colourations are presumably tuned to the spectral sensitivities of the butterflies' photoreceptors.

  12. Multi-spectral confocal microendoscope for in-vivo imaging

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rouse, Andrew Robert

    The concept of in-vivo multi-spectral confocal microscopy is introduced. A slit-scanning multi-spectral confocal microendoscope (MCME) was built to demonstrate the technique. The MCME employs a flexible fiber-optic catheter coupled to a custom built slit-scan confocal microscope fitted with a custom built imaging spectrometer. The catheter consists of a fiber-optic imaging bundle linked to a miniature objective and focus assembly. The design and performance of the miniature objective and focus assembly are discussed. The 3mm diameter catheter may be used on its own or routed though the instrument channel of a commercial endoscope. The confocal nature of the system provides optical sectioning with 3mum lateral resolution and 30mum axial resolution. The prism based multi-spectral detection assembly is typically configured to collect 30 spectral samples over the visible chromatic range. The spectral sampling rate varies from 4nm/pixel at 490nm to 8nm/pixel at 660nm and the minimum resolvable wavelength difference varies from 7nm to 18nm over the same spectral range. Each of these characteristics are primarily dictated by the dispersive power of the prism. The MCME is designed to examine cellular structures during optical biopsy and to exploit the diagnostic information contained within the spectral domain. The primary applications for the system include diagnosis of disease in the gastro-intestinal tract and female reproductive system. Recent data from the grayscale imaging mode are presented. Preliminary multi-spectral results from phantoms, cell cultures, and excised human tissue are presented to demonstrate the potential of in-vivo multi-spectral imaging.

  13. Chemical complexity in the winds of the oxygen-rich supergiant star VY Canis Majoris

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ziurys, L. M.; Milam, S. N.; Apponi, A. J.; Woolf, N. J.

    2007-06-01

    The interstellar medium is enriched primarily by matter ejected from old, evolved stars. The outflows from these stars create spherical envelopes, which foster gas-phase chemistry. The chemical complexity in circumstellar shells was originally thought to be dominated by the elemental carbon to oxygen ratio. Observations have suggested that envelopes with more carbon than oxygen have a significantly greater abundance of molecules than their oxygen-rich analogues. Here we report observations of molecules in the oxygen-rich shell of the red supergiant star VY Canis Majoris (VY CMa). A variety of unexpected chemical compounds have been identified, including NaCl, PN, HNC and HCO+. From the spectral line profiles, the molecules can be distinguished as arising from three distinct kinematic regions: a spherical outflow, a tightly collimated, blue-shifted expansion, and a directed, red-shifted flow. Certain species (SiO, PN and NaCl) exclusively trace the spherical flow, whereas HNC and sulphur-bearing molecules (amongst others) are selectively created in the two expansions, perhaps arising from shock waves. CO, HCN, CS and HCO+ exist in all three components. Despite the oxygen-rich environment, HCN seems to be as abundant as CO. These results suggest that oxygen-rich shells may be as chemically diverse as their carbon counterparts.

  14. ON THE ANTI-CORRELATION BETWEEN SPECTRAL LINE BROADENING AND INTENSITY IN CORONAL STRUCTURES OBSERVED WITH EIS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Scott, J. T.; Martens, P. C. H.

    2011-01-01

    The advance in spectral resolution of the Extreme Ultraviolet Imaging (EIS) spectrometer on board Hinode has allowed for more detailed analysis of coronal spectral lines. Large line broadening and blueshifted velocities have been found in the periphery of active region (AR) cores and near the footpoints of coronal loops. This line broadening is yet to be understood. We study the correlation of intensity and line width for entire ARs and sub-regions selected to include coronal features. The results show that although a slight positive correlation can be found when considering whole images, many sub-regions have a negative correlation between intensity and line width. Sections of a coronal loop display some of the largest anti-correlations found for this study with the increased line broadening occurring directly adjacent to the footpoint section of the loop structure, not at the footpoint itself. The broadened lines may be due to a second Doppler-shifted component that is separate from the main emitting feature such as a coronal loop, but related in their excitation. The small size of these features forces the considerations of investigator and instrumental effects. Preliminary analyses are shown that indicate the possibility of a point-spread function that is not azimuthally symmetric and may affect velocity and line profile measurements.

  15. Spectral evolution of GRBs with negative spectral lag using Fermi GBM observations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chakrabarti, Arundhati; Chaudhury, Kishor; Sarkar, Samir K.; Bhadra, Arunava

    2018-06-01

    The positive spectral lag of Gamma Ray Bursts (GRBs) is often explained in terms of hard-to-soft spectral evolution of GRB pulses. While positive lags of GRBs is very common, there are few GRB pulses that exhibits negative spectral lags. In the present work we examine whether negative lags of GRBs also can be interpreted in terms of spectral evolution of GRB pulses or not. Using Fermi-GBM data, we identify two GRBs, GRB 090426C and GRB 150213A, with clean pulses that exhibit negative spectral lag. An indication of soft to hard transition has been noticed for the negative spectral lag events from the spectral evolution study. The implication of the present findings on the models of GRB spectral lags are discussed.

  16. Orthogonal feature selection method. [For preprocessing of man spectral data

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kowalski, B R [Univ. of Washington, Seattle; Bender, C F

    1976-01-01

    A new method of preprocessing spectral data for extraction of molecular structural information is desired. This SELECT method generates orthogonal features that are important for classification purposes and that also retain their identity to the original measurements. A brief introduction to chemical pattern recognition is presented. A brief description of the method and an application to mass spectral data analysis follow. (BLM)

  17. Structural and optical properties of silicon rich oxide films in graded-stoichiometric multilayers for optoelectronic devices

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Palacios-Huerta, L.; Aceves-Mijares, M. [Electronics Department, INAOE, Apdo. 51, Puebla, Pue. 72000, México (Mexico); Cabañas-Tay, S. A.; Cardona-Castro, M. A.; Morales-Sánchez, A., E-mail: alfredo.morales@cimav.edu.mx [Centro de Investigación en Materiales Avanzados S.C., Unidad Monterrey-PIIT, Apodaca, NL 66628, México (Mexico); Domínguez-Horna, C. [Instituto de Microelectrónica de Barcelona, IMB-CNM (CSIC), Bellaterra 08193, Barcelona (Spain)

    2016-07-18

    Silicon nanocrystals (Si-ncs) are excellent candidates for the development of optoelectronic devices. Nevertheless, different strategies are still necessary to enhance their photo and electroluminescent properties by controlling their structural and compositional properties. In this work, the effect of the stoichiometry and structure on the optical properties of silicon rich oxide (SRO) films in a multilayered (ML) structure is studied. SRO MLs with silicon excess gradually increased towards the top and bottom and towards the center of the ML produced through the variation of the stoichiometry in each SRO layer were fabricated and confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Si-ncs with three main sizes were observed by a transmission electron microscope, in agreement with the stoichiometric profile of each SRO layer. The presence of the three sized Si-ncs and some oxygen related defects enhances intense violet/blue and red photoluminescence (PL) bands. The SRO MLs were super-enriched with additional excess silicon by Si{sup +} implantation, which enhanced the PL intensity. Oxygen-related defects and small Si-ncs (<2 nm) are mostly generated during ion implantation enhancing the violet/blue band to become comparable to the red band. The structural, compositional, and luminescent characteristics of the multilayers are the result of the contribution of the individual characteristics of each layer.

  18. Quantum spectral curves, quantum integrable systems and the geometric Langlands correspondence

    OpenAIRE

    Chervov, A.; Talalaev, D.

    2006-01-01

    The spectral curve is the key ingredient in the modern theory of classical integrable systems. We develop a construction of the ``quantum spectral curve'' and argue that it takes the analogous structural and unifying role on the quantum level also. In the simplest, but essential case the ``quantum spectral curve'' is given by the formula "det"(L(z)-dz) [Talalaev04] (hep-th/0404153). As an easy application of our constructions we obtain the following: quite a universal receipt to define quantu...

  19. Structural and Spectral Properties of Curcumin and Metal- Curcumin Complex Derived from Turmeric (Curcuma longa)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bich, Vu Thi; Thuy, Nguyen Thi; Binh, Nguyen Thanh; Huong, Nguyen Thi Mai; Yen, Pham Nguyen Dong; Luong, Tran Thanh

    Structural and spectral properties of curcumin and metal- curcumin complex derived from turmeric (Curcuma longa) were studied by SEM and vibrational (FTIR and Raman) techniques. By comparison between curcumin commercial, fresh turmeric and a yellow powder obtained via extraction and purification of turmeric, we have found that this insoluble powder in water is curcumin. The yellow compound could complex with certain ion metal and this metal-curcumin coloring complex is water soluble and capable of producing varying hues of the same colors and having antimicrobial, cytotoxicity activities for use in foodstuffs and pharmacy. The result also demonstrates that Micro-Raman spec-troscopy is a valuable non-destructive tool and fast for investigation of a natural plant even when occurring in low concentrations.

  20. Large-scale micromagnetic simulation of Nd-Fe-B sintered magnets with Dy-rich shell structures

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    T. Oikawa

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available Large-scale micromagnetic simulations have been performed using the energy minimization method on a model with structural features similar to those of Dy grain boundary diffusion (GBD-processed sintered magnets. Coercivity increases as a linear function of the anisotropy field of the Dy-rich shell, which is independent of Dy composition in the core as long as the shell thickness is greater than about 15 nm. This result shows that the Dy contained in the initial sintered magnets prior to the GBD process is not essential for enhancing coercivity. Magnetization reversal patterns indicate that coercivity is strongly influenced by domain wall pinning at the grain boundary. This observation is found to be consistent with the one-dimensional pinning theory.

  1. New experimental investigation of cluster structures in 10 Be and 16 C neutron-rich nuclei

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dell'Aquila, L.; Acosta, D.; Auditore, L.; Cardella, G.; De Filippo, E.; De Luca, S.; Francalanza, L.; Gnoffo, B.; Lanzalone, G.; Lombardo, I.; Martorana, N. S.; Norella, S.; Pagano, A.; Pagano, E. V.; Papa, M.; Pirrone, S.; Politi, G.; Quattrocchi, L.; Rizzo, F.; Russotto, P.; Trifirò, A.; Trimarchi, M.; Verde, G.; Vigilante, M.

    2017-11-01

    The existence of cluster structures in ^{10} Be and ^{16} C neutron-rich isotopes is investigated via projectile break-up reactions induced on polyethylene (CH _2 target. We used a fragmentation beam constituted by 55MeV/u ^{10} Be and 49MeV/u ^{16} C beams provided by the FRIBs facility at INFN-LNS. Invariant mass spectra of 4{He}+ 6 He and 6{He} + ^{10} Be breakup fragments are reconstructed by means of the CHIMERA 4π detector to investigate the presence of excited states of projectile nuclei characterized by cluster structure. In the first case, we suggest the presence of a new state in ^{10} Be at 13.5MeV. A non-vanishing yield corresponding to 20.6MeV excitation energy of ^{16} C was observed in the 6{He} + ^{10} Be cluster decay channel. To improve the results of the present analysis, a new experiment has been performed recently, taking advantage of the coupling of CHIMERA and FARCOS. In the paper we describe the data reduction process of the new experiment together with preliminary results.

  2. Two genetic loci produce distinct carbohydrate-rich structural components of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm matrix.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Friedman, Lisa; Kolter, Roberto

    2004-07-01

    Pseudomonas aeruginosa forms biofilms, which are cellular aggregates encased in an extracellular matrix. Molecular genetics studies of three common autoaggregative phenotypes, namely wrinkled colonies, pellicles, and solid-surface-associated biofilms, led to the identification of two loci, pel and psl, that are involved in the production of carbohydrate-rich components of the biofilm matrix. The pel gene cluster is involved in the production of a glucose-rich matrix material in P. aeruginosa strain PA14 (L. Friedman and R. Kolter, Mol. Microbiol. 51:675-690, 2004). Here we investigate the role of the pel gene cluster in P. aeruginosa strain ZK2870 and identify a second genetic locus, termed psl, involved in the production of a mannose-rich matrix material. The 11 predicted protein products of the psl genes are homologous to proteins involved in carbohydrate processing. P. aeruginosa is thus able to produce two distinct carbohydrate-rich matrix materials. Either carbohydrate-rich matrix component appears to be sufficient for mature biofilm formation, and at least one of them is required for mature biofilm formation in P. aeruginosa strains PA14 and ZK2870. Copyright 2004 American Society for Microbiology

  3. From spectral holeburning memory to spatial-spectral microwave signal processing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Babbitt, Wm Randall; Barber, Zeb W; Harrington, Calvin; Mohan, R Krishna; Sharpe, Tia; Bekker, Scott H; Chase, Michael D; Merkel, Kristian D; Stiffler, Colton R; Traxinger, Aaron S; Woidtke, Alex J

    2014-01-01

    Many storage and processing systems based on spectral holeburning have been proposed that access the broad bandwidth and high dynamic range of spatial-spectral materials, but only recently have practical systems been developed that exceed the performance and functional capabilities of electronic devices. This paper reviews the history of the proposed applications of spectral holeburning and spatial-spectral materials, from frequency domain optical memory to microwave photonic signal processing systems. The recent results of a 20 GHz bandwidth high performance spectrum monitoring system with the additional capability of broadband direction finding demonstrates the potential for spatial-spectral systems to be the practical choice for solving demanding signal processing problems in the near future. (paper)

  4. The structure of neutron-rich nuclei explored via in-beam gamma-ray spectroscopy of fast beams

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Glasmacher, T.; Campbell, C.M.; Church, J.A.; Dinca, D.C.; Hansen, P.G.; Olliver, H.; Perry, B.C.; Sherrill, B.M.; Terry, J.R.; Bazin, D.; Enders, J.; Gade, A.; Hu, Z.; Mueller, W.F.

    2003-01-01

    In-beam gamma-ray spectroscopy with fast exotic beams provides an efficient tool to study bound states in exotic neutron-rich nuclei. Specialized experimental techniques have been developed and explore different aspects of nuclear structure. Inelastic scattering experiments with γ-ray detection can measure the response of exotic nuclei to electromagnetic (Coulomb excitation with a heavy target) or hadronic probes (proton scattering with hydrogen target). In-beam fragmentation populates higher-lying bound states to establish levels. Single- and two-nucleon knockout reactions allow for detailed wavefunction spectroscopy of individual levels and for the measurement of spectroscopic factors. Experimental programs employing these techniques are now underway at all projectile-fragmentation facilities around the world. Here we report on several successful in-beam gamma-ray spectroscopy experiments that have been performed at the Coupled Cyclotron Facility at Michigan State University with an emphasis on elucidating the evolution of nuclear structure around neutron numbers N=16, N=20, and N=28 in the π(sd) shell. (orig.)

  5. On the Spectral Entropy of Thermodynamic Paths for Elementary Systems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Daniel J. Graham

    2009-12-01

    Full Text Available Systems do not elect thermodynamic pathways on their own. They operate in tandem with their surroundings. Pathway selection and traversal require coordinated work and heat exchanges along with parallel tuning of the system variables. Previous research by the author (Reference [1] focused on the information expressed in thermodynamic pathways. Examined here is how spectral entropy is a by-product of information that depends intricately on the pathway structure. The spectral entropy has proven to be a valuable tool in diverse fields. This paper illustrates the contact between spectral entropy and the properties which distinguish ideal from non-ideal gases. The role of spectral entropy in the first and second laws of thermodynamics and heat → work conversions is also discussed.

  6. Experimental study of the structure of rich premixed 1,3-butadiene/CH4/O2/Ar flame.

    OpenAIRE

    Gueniche , Hadj-Ali; Glaude , Pierre-Alexandre; Fournet , René; Battin-Leclerc , Frédérique

    2006-01-01

    traduit de Fizika Goreniya I Vzryva, 2006, 42, 89-95.; The structure of a laminar rich premixed 1,3-C4H6/CH4/O2/Ar flame have been investigated. 1,3-Butadiene, methane, oxygen and argon mole fractions are 0.033; 0.2073; 0.3315, and 0.4280, respectively, for an equivalent ratio of 1.80. The flame has been stabilized on a burner at a pressure of 6.7 kPa (50 Torr). The concentration profiles of stable species were measured by gas chromatography after sampling with a quartz probe. Quantified spec...

  7. Herschel Observations of Extraordinary Sources: Analysis of the HIFI 1.2 THz Wide Spectral Survey toward Orion KL. I. Methods

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Crockett, Nathan R.; Bergin, Edwin A.; Neill, Justin L.; Favre, Cécile; Schilke, Peter; Lis, Dariusz C.; Bell, Tom A.; Blake, Geoffrey; Cernicharo, José; Emprechtinger, Martin; Esplugues, Gisela B.; Gupta, Harshal; Kleshcheva, Maria; Lord, Steven; Marcelino, Nuria; McGuire, Brett A.; Pearson, John; Phillips, Thomas G.; Plume, Rene; van der Tak, Floris; Tercero, Belén; Yu, Shanshan

    We present a comprehensive analysis of a broadband spectral line survey of the Orion Kleinmann-Low nebula (Orion KL), one of the most chemically rich regions in the Galaxy, using the HIFI instrument on board the Herschel Space Observatory. This survey spans a frequency range from 480 to 1907 GHz at

  8. Spectral decomposition in advection-diffusion analysis by finite element methods

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nickell, R.E.; Gartling, D.K.; Strang, G.

    1978-01-01

    In a recent study of the convergence properties of finite element methods in nonlinear fluid mechanics, an indirect approach was taken. A two-dimensional example with a known exact solution was chosen as the vehicle for the study, and various mesh refinements were tested in an attempt to extract information on the effect of the local Reynolds number. However, more direct approaches are usually preferred. In this study one such direct approach is followed, based upon the spectral decomposition of the solution operator. Spectral decomposition is widely employed as a solution technique for linear structural dynamics problems and can be applied readily to linear, transient heat transfer analysis; in this case, the extension to nonlinear problems is of interest. It was shown previously that spectral techniques were applicable to stiff systems of rate equations, while recent studies of geometrically and materially nonlinear structural dynamics have demonstrated the increased information content of the numerical results. The use of spectral decomposition in nonlinear problems of heat and mass transfer would be expected to yield equally increased flow of information to the analyst, and this information could include a quantitative comparison of various solution strategies, meshes, and element hierarchies

  9. Spectral Inverse Quantum (Spectral-IQ Method for Modeling Mesoporous Systems: Application on Silica Films by FTIR

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mihai V. Putz

    2012-11-01

    Full Text Available The present work advances the inverse quantum (IQ structural criterion for ordering and characterizing the porosity of the mesosystems based on the recently advanced ratio of the particle-to-wave nature of quantum objects within the extended Heisenberg uncertainty relationship through employing the quantum fluctuation, both for free and observed quantum scattering information, as computed upon spectral identification of the wave-numbers specific to the maximum of absorption intensity record, and to left-, right- and full-width at the half maximum (FWHM of the concerned bands of a given compound. It furnishes the hierarchy for classifying the mesoporous systems from more particle-related (porous, tight or ionic bindings to more wave behavior (free or covalent bindings. This so-called spectral inverse quantum (Spectral-IQ particle-to-wave assignment was illustrated on spectral measurement of FT-IR (bonding bands’ assignment for samples synthesized within different basic environment and different thermal treatment on mesoporous materials obtained by sol-gel technique with n-dodecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (DTAB and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB and of their combination as cosolvents. The results were analyzed in the light of the so-called residual inverse quantum information, accounting for the free binding potency of analyzed samples at drying temperature, and were checked by cross-validation with thermal decomposition techniques by endo-exo thermo correlations at a higher temperature.

  10. A Hybrid Finite Element-Fourier Spectral Method for Vibration Analysis of Structures with Elastic Boundary Conditions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wan-You Li

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available A novel hybrid method, which simultaneously possesses the efficiency of Fourier spectral method (FSM and the applicability of the finite element method (FEM, is presented for the vibration analysis of structures with elastic boundary conditions. The FSM, as one type of analytical approaches with excellent convergence and accuracy, is mainly limited to problems with relatively regular geometry. The purpose of the current study is to extend the FSM to problems with irregular geometry via the FEM and attempt to take full advantage of the FSM and the conventional FEM for structural vibration problems. The computational domain of general shape is divided into several subdomains firstly, some of which are represented by the FSM while the rest by the FEM. Then, fictitious springs are introduced for connecting these subdomains. Sufficient details are given to describe the development of such a hybrid method. Numerical examples of a one-dimensional Euler-Bernoulli beam and a two-dimensional rectangular plate show that the present method has good accuracy and efficiency. Further, one irregular-shaped plate which consists of one rectangular plate and one semi-circular plate also demonstrates the capability of the present method applied to irregular structures.

  11. Spectral Imaging by Upconversion

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Dam, Jeppe Seidelin; Pedersen, Christian; Tidemand-Lichtenberg, Peter

    2011-01-01

    We present a method to obtain spectrally resolved images using upconversion. By this method an image is spectrally shifted from one spectral region to another wavelength. Since the process is spectrally sensitive it allows for a tailored spectral response. We believe this will allow standard...... silicon based cameras designed for visible/near infrared radiation to be used for spectral images in the mid infrared. This can lead to much lower costs for such imaging devices, and a better performance....

  12. euler deconvolution and spectral analysis

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    NORBERT OPIYO AKECH

    also show additional patterns typical of sill-edges, thus mapping previously unrecognised mafic/ ultramafic intrusions. .... 21.1ºS and longitudes 28.9ºE and 30.5ºE, with mining towns ... 'young' K-rich (post-volcanic) granites, and sections of the Great Dyke .... maps, a number of structural indices (SI's) and window sizes were ...

  13. Utilization of paramagnetic relaxation enhancements for high-resolution NMR structure determination of a soluble loop-rich protein with sparse NOE distance restraints

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Furuita, Kyoko; Kataoka, Saori; Sugiki, Toshihiko; Hattori, Yoshikazu; Kobayashi, Naohiro; Ikegami, Takahisa; Shiozaki, Kazuhiro; Fujiwara, Toshimichi; Kojima, Chojiro

    2015-01-01

    NMR structure determination of soluble proteins depends in large part on distance restraints derived from NOE. In this study, we examined the impact of paramagnetic relaxation enhancement (PRE)-derived distance restraints on protein structure determination. A high-resolution structure of the loop-rich soluble protein Sin1 could not be determined by conventional NOE-based procedures due to an insufficient number of NOE restraints. By using the 867 PRE-derived distance restraints obtained from the NOE-based structure determination procedure, a high-resolution structure of Sin1 could be successfully determined. The convergence and accuracy of the determined structure were improved by increasing the number of PRE-derived distance restraints. This study demonstrates that PRE-derived distance restraints are useful in the determination of a high-resolution structure of a soluble protein when the number of NOE constraints is insufficient

  14. Cysteine-Rich Peptide Family with Unusual Disulfide Connectivity from Jasminum sambac.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kumari, Geeta; Serra, Aida; Shin, Joon; Nguyen, Phuong Q T; Sze, Siu Kwan; Yoon, Ho Sup; Tam, James P

    2015-11-25

    Cysteine-rich peptides (CRPs) are natural products with privileged peptidyl structures that represent a potentially rich source of bioactive compounds. Here, the discovery and characterization of a novel plant CRP family, jasmintides from Jasminum sambac of the Oleaceae family, are described. Two 27-amino acid jasmintides (jS1 and jS2) were identified at the gene and protein levels. Disulfide bond mapping of jS1 by mass spectrometry and its confirmation by NMR spectroscopy revealed disulfide bond connectivity of C-1-C-5, C-2-C-4, and C-3-C-6, a cystine motif that has not been reported in plant CRPs. Structural determination showed that jS1 displays a well-defined structure framed by three short antiparallel β-sheets. Genomic analysis showed that jasmintides share a three-domain precursor arrangement with a C-terminal mature domain preceded by a long pro-domain of 46 residues and an intron cleavage site between the signal sequence and pro-domain. The compact cysteine-rich structure together with an N-terminal pyroglutamic acid residue confers jasmintides high resistance to heat and enzymatic degradation, including exopeptidase treatment. Collectively, these results reveal a new plant CRP structure with an unusual cystine connectivity, which could be useful as a scaffold for designing peptide drugs.

  15. Structure of glasses of the TeO2-MoO3 system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dimitriev, Y.; Dimitrov, V.; Bart, J.C.J.

    1981-01-01

    Structural models for glasses of the TeO 2 -MoO 3 system are suggested. On the basis of X-ray and infrared spectral investigations, by comparing with known crystalline structures of TeO 2 , MoO 3 and Te 2 MoO 7 9t 2 M, it is shown that the glasses from TeO 2 to Te 2 MoO 7 possess [TeO 4 ] and [MoO 5 ] groups as basic structural units. The latter are connected to form [Mo 2 O 8 ] complexes. The glasses in the MoO 3 -rich compositional range are built up of [TeO 3 ] and [MoO 6 ] polyhedra. The glass-formation tendency is discussed in relation to the role of the free electron pair and the disruption of secondary and weak primary bonds in the crystals. (author)

  16. Spectral response of a polycrystalline silicon solar cell

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ba, B.; Kane, M.

    1994-10-01

    A theoretical study of the spectral response of a polycrystalline silicon n-p junction solar cell is presented. The case of a fibrously oriented grain structure, involving grain boundary recombination velocity and grain size effects is discussed. The contribution of the base region on the internal quantum efficiency Q int is computed for different grain sizes and grain boundary recombination velocities in order to examine their influence. Suggestions are also made for the determination of base diffusion length in polycrystalline silicon solar cells using the spectral response method. (author). 15 refs, 4 figs

  17. [Study on Application of NIR Spectral Information Screening in Identification of Maca Origin].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Yuan-zhong; Zhao, Yan-li; Zhang, Ji; Jin, Hang

    2016-02-01

    Medicinal and edible plant Maca is rich in various nutrients and owns great medicinal value. Based on near infrared diffuse reflectance spectra, 139 Maca samples collected from Peru and Yunnan were used to identify their geographical origins. Multiplication signal correction (MSC) coupled with second derivative (SD) and Norris derivative filter (ND) was employed in spectral pretreatment. Spectrum range (7,500-4,061 cm⁻¹) was chosen by spectrum standard deviation. Combined with principal component analysis-mahalanobis distance (PCA-MD), the appropriate number of principal components was selected as 5. Based on the spectrum range and the number of principal components selected, two abnormal samples were eliminated by modular group iterative singular sample diagnosis method. Then, four methods were used to filter spectral variable information, competitive adaptive reweighted sampling (CARS), monte carlo-uninformative variable elimination (MC-UVE), genetic algorithm (GA) and subwindow permutation analysis (SPA). The spectral variable information filtered was evaluated by model population analysis (MPA). The results showed that RMSECV(SPA) > RMSECV(CARS) > RMSECV(MC-UVE) > RMSECV(GA), were 2. 14, 2. 05, 2. 02, and 1. 98, and the spectral variables were 250, 240, 250 and 70, respectively. According to the spectral variable filtered, partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) was used to build the model, with random selection of 97 samples as training set, and the other 40 samples as validation set. The results showed that, R²: GA > MC-UVE > CARS > SPA, RMSEC and RMSEP: GA Maca. The method was aimed to lay the foundation for traditional Chinese medicine identification and quality evaluation.

  18. Dimensionality-varied convolutional neural network for spectral-spatial classification of hyperspectral data

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Wanjun; Liang, Xuejian; Qu, Haicheng

    2017-11-01

    Hyperspectral image (HSI) classification is one of the most popular topics in remote sensing community. Traditional and deep learning-based classification methods were proposed constantly in recent years. In order to improve the classification accuracy and robustness, a dimensionality-varied convolutional neural network (DVCNN) was proposed in this paper. DVCNN was a novel deep architecture based on convolutional neural network (CNN). The input of DVCNN was a set of 3D patches selected from HSI which contained spectral-spatial joint information. In the following feature extraction process, each patch was transformed into some different 1D vectors by 3D convolution kernels, which were able to extract features from spectral-spatial data. The rest of DVCNN was about the same as general CNN and processed 2D matrix which was constituted by by all 1D data. So that the DVCNN could not only extract more accurate and rich features than CNN, but also fused spectral-spatial information to improve classification accuracy. Moreover, the robustness of network on water-absorption bands was enhanced in the process of spectral-spatial fusion by 3D convolution, and the calculation was simplified by dimensionality varied convolution. Experiments were performed on both Indian Pines and Pavia University scene datasets, and the results showed that the classification accuracy of DVCNN improved by 32.87% on Indian Pines and 19.63% on Pavia University scene than spectral-only CNN. The maximum accuracy improvement of DVCNN achievement was 13.72% compared with other state-of-the-art HSI classification methods, and the robustness of DVCNN on water-absorption bands noise was demonstrated.

  19. Platelet-rich fibrin or platelet-rich plasma – which one is better? an opinion

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shweta Bansal

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available The healing of hard and soft tissue in mediated by a wide range of intracellular and extracellular events that are regulated by signaling proteins. Platelets can play a crucial role in periodontal regeneration as they are the reservoirs of growth factors and cytokines which are the key factors for regeneration of bone and maturation of soft tissue. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP is first generation platelet concentrate. However, the short duration of cytokine release and its poor mechanical properties have resulted in search of new material. Platelet-rich fibrin (PRF is a natural fibrin-based biomaterial prepared from an anticoagulant-free blood harvest without any artificial biochemical modification (no bovine thrombin is required that allows obtaining fibrin membranes enriched with platelets and growth factors. The slow polymerization during centrifugation, fibrin-based structure, ease of preparation, minimal expense makes PRF somewhat superior in some aspect to PRP.

  20. A multimodal spectral approach to characterize rhythm in natural speech.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alexandrou, Anna Maria; Saarinen, Timo; Kujala, Jan; Salmelin, Riitta

    2016-01-01

    Human utterances demonstrate temporal patterning, also referred to as rhythm. While simple oromotor behaviors (e.g., chewing) feature a salient periodical structure, conversational speech displays a time-varying quasi-rhythmic pattern. Quantification of periodicity in speech is challenging. Unimodal spectral approaches have highlighted rhythmic aspects of speech. However, speech is a complex multimodal phenomenon that arises from the interplay of articulatory, respiratory, and vocal systems. The present study addressed the question of whether a multimodal spectral approach, in the form of coherence analysis between electromyographic (EMG) and acoustic signals, would allow one to characterize rhythm in natural speech more efficiently than a unimodal analysis. The main experimental task consisted of speech production at three speaking rates; a simple oromotor task served as control. The EMG-acoustic coherence emerged as a sensitive means of tracking speech rhythm, whereas spectral analysis of either EMG or acoustic amplitude envelope alone was less informative. Coherence metrics seem to distinguish and highlight rhythmic structure in natural speech.

  1. Synthesis, crystal structure investigation and magnetism of the complex metal-rich boride series Cr{sub x}(Rh{sub 1-y}Ru{sub y}){sub 7-x}B{sub 3} (x=0.88-1; y=0-1) with Th{sub 7}Fe{sub 3}-type structure

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Misse, Patrick R.N.; Mbarki, Mohammed [Institute of Inorganic Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University, 52066 Aachen (Germany); Fokwa, Boniface P.T., E-mail: boniface.fokwa@ac.rwth-aachen.de [Institute of Inorganic Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University, 52066 Aachen (Germany)

    2012-08-15

    Powder samples and single crystals of the new complex boride series Cr{sub x}(Rh{sub 1-y}Ru{sub y}){sub 7-x}B{sub 3} (x=0.88-1; y=0-1) have been synthesized by arc-melting the elements under purified argon atmosphere on a water-cooled copper crucible. The products, which have metallic luster, were structurally characterized by single-crystal and powder X-ray diffraction as well as EDX measurements. Within the whole solid solution range the hexagonal Th{sub 7}Fe{sub 3} structure type (space group P6{sub 3}mc, no. 186, Z=2) was identified. Single-crystal structure refinement results indicate the presence of chromium at two sites (6c and 2b) of the available three metal Wyckoff sites, with a pronounced preference for the 6c site. An unexpected Rh/Ru site preference was found in the Ru-rich region only, leading to two different magnetic behaviors in the solid solution: The Rh-rich region shows a temperature-independent (Pauli) paramagnetism whereas an additional temperature-dependent paramagnetic component is found in the Ru-rich region. - Graphical abstract: The new complex boride series Cr{sub x}(Rh{sub 1-y}Ru{sub y}){sub 7-x}B{sub 3} (x=0.88-1; y=0-1) has been synthesized by arc melting the elements under purified argon atmosphere. Beside the 3d/4d site preference within the whole solid solution, an unexpected Rh/Ru site preference was found in the Ru-rich region only, leading to two different magnetic behaviors: The Rh-rich region shows a temperature-independent (Pauli) paramagnetism whereas an additional temperature-dependent paramagnetic component is found in the Ru-rich region. Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Synthesis of a new boride series fulfilling Vegard Acute-Accent s rule. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer 3d/4d site preference. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Unexpected Ru/Rh site preference. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Rh-rich region is Pauli paramagnetic. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Ru-rich region is Pauli and temperature-dependent paramagnetic.

  2. Synthesis, crystal structures, spectral, thermal and antimicrobial properties of new Zn(II) 5-iodo- and 5-bromosalicylates

    Science.gov (United States)

    Košická, Petra; Győryová, Katarína; Smolko, Lukáš; Gyepes, Róbert; Hudecová, Daniela

    2018-03-01

    Two new analogous zinc(II) complexes containing 5-iodo- and 5-bromosalicylate ligands, respectively, were prepared in single-crystal form and characterized by IR spectroscopy, thermal analysis and elemental analysis. The solid-state structures of prepared complexes were determined by single crystal X-ray crystallography. Both complexes are isostructural and their crystal structures composed of neutral molecules [Zn(5-Xsal)2(H2O)2] (where X = Br, I, sal = salicylato). Central Zn(II) atom is in both complexes coordinated by six oxygen atoms, four of which are from two chelate bonded 5-halosalicylates and remaining two from coordinated water molecules. The found chelate binding mode is in line with the Δ values calculated from IR spectral data. Antimicrobial activity of prepared complexes was studied against selected bacteria, yeast and filamentous fungi. Obtained results indicate that 5-iodosalicylate complex is more antimicrobially active than its 5-bromo substituted analogue.

  3. Structure and properties of rare earth-rich glassed for nuclear waste immobilisation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bardez, I.

    2004-11-01

    A new nuclear glass composition, able to immobilize highly radioactive liquid wastes from high burn-up UO 2 fuel, was established and its structure studied. The composition of the selected rare earth-rich glass is (molar %): 61.79 SiO 2 - 8.94 B 2 O 3 - 3.05 Al 2 O 3 - 14.41 Na 2 O - 6.32 CaO - 1.89 ZrO 2 - 3.60 RE 2 O 3 (with RE = La, Ce, Pr and Nd). The aim of this study was to determine the local environment of the rare earth in this glass and also to glean information about the effect of glass composition on the rare earth neighbouring (influence of Si, B, Al, Na and Ca contents). To this end, several series of glasses, prepared from the baseline glass, were studied by different characterisation methods such as EXAFS spectroscopy at the neodymium LIII-edge, optical absorption spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy and 29 Si, 27 Al and 11 B MAS-NMR. By coupling all the results obtained, several hypotheses about the nature of the rare earth neighbouring in the glass were proposed. (author)

  4. pH-Modulated Watson-Crick duplex-quadruplex equilibria of guanine-rich and cytosine-rich DNA sequences 140 base pairs upstream of the c-kit transcription initiation site.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bucek, Pavel; Jaumot, Joaquim; Aviñó, Anna; Eritja, Ramon; Gargallo, Raimundo

    2009-11-23

    Guanine-rich regions of DNA are sequences capable of forming G-quadruplex structures. The formation of a G-quadruplex structure in a region 140 base pairs (bp) upstream of the c-kit transcription initiation site was recently proposed (Fernando et al., Biochemistry, 2006, 45, 7854). In the present study, the acid-base equilibria and the thermally induced unfolding of the structures formed by a guanine-rich region and by its complementary cytosine-rich strand in c-kit were studied by means of circular dichroism and molecular absorption spectroscopies. In addition, competition between the Watson-Crick duplex and the isolated structures was studied as a function of pH value and temperature. Multivariate data analysis methods based on both hard and soft modeling were used to allow accurate quantification of the various acid-base species present in the mixtures. Results showed that the G-quadruplex and i-motif coexist with the Watson-Crick duplex over the pH range from 3.0 to 6.5, approximately, under the experimental conditions tested in this study. At pH 7.0, the duplex is practically the only species present.

  5. Structure and electronic properties of InN and In-rich group III-nitride alloys

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Walukiewicz, W; III, J W Ager; Yu, K M; Liliental-Weber, Z; Wu, J; Li, S X; Jones, R E; Denlinger, J D

    2006-01-01

    The experimental study of InN and In-rich InGaN by a number of structural, optical and electrical methods is reviewed. Recent advances in thin film growth have produced single crystal epitaxial layers of InN which are similar in structural quality to GaN films made under similar conditions and which can have electron concentrations below 1 x 10 18 cm -3 and mobilities exceeding 2000 cm 2 (Vs) -1 . Optical absorption, photoluminescence, photo-modulated reflectance and soft x-ray spectroscopy measurements were used to establish that the room temperature band gap of InN is 0.67 ± 0.05 eV. Experimental measurements of the electron effective mass in InN are presented and interpreted in terms of a non-parabolic conduction band caused by the k · p interaction across the narrow gap. Energetic particle irradiation is shown to be an effective method to control the electron concentration, n, in undoped InN. Optical studies of irradiated InN reveal a large Burstein-Moss shift of the absorption edge with increasing n. Fundamental studies of the energy levels of defects in InN and of electron transport are also reviewed. Finally, the current experimental evidence for p-type activity in Mg-doped InN is evaluated. (topical review)

  6. Structure, thermal stability and resistance under external irradiation of rare earths and molybdenum-rich alumino-borosilicate glasses

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chouard, N.

    2011-01-01

    In France, the highly radioactive nuclear liquid wastes arising from spent nuclear fuel reprocessing (fission products + minor actinides (FPA)) are currently immobilized in an alumino-borosilicate glass called 'R7T7'. In the future, the opportunity of using new alumino-borosilicate glass compositions (HTC glasses) is considered in order to increase the waste loading in glasses and thus significantly decrease the number of glass canisters. However, the increase of the concentration of FPA could lead to the crystallization of rare-earth-rich phases (Ca 2 RE 8 (SiO 4 ) 6 O 2 ) or molybdenum-rich phases (CaMoO 4 , Na 2 MoO 4 ) during melt cooling, which can modify the confinement properties of the glass (chemical durability, self-irradiation resistance..), particularly if they can incorporate radionuclides α or β in their structure. This thesis can be divided into two parts: The first part deals with studying the relationship that can occur between the composition, the structure and the crystallization tendency of simplified seven oxides glasses, belonging to the SiO 2 -B 2 O 3 -Al 2 O 3 -Na 2 O-CaO-MoO 3 -Nd 2 O 3 system and derived from the composition of the HTC glass at 22,5 wt. % in FPA. The impact of the presence of platinoid elements (RuO 2 in our case) on the crystallization of the different phases is also studied. The second part deals with the effect of actinides α decays and more particularly of nuclear interactions essentially coming from recoil nuclei (simulated here by heavy ions external irradiations) on the behaviour under irradiation of an alumino-borosilicate glass containing apatite Ca 2 Nd 8 (SiO 4 ) 6 O 2 crystals, that can incorporate actinides in their structure. Two samples containing apatite crystals with different size are studied, in order to understand the impact of microstructure on the irradiation resistance of this kind of material. (author) [fr

  7. Relating Topological Determinants of Complex Networks to Their Spectral Properties: Structural and Dynamical Effects

    Science.gov (United States)

    Castellano, Claudio; Pastor-Satorras, Romualdo

    2017-10-01

    The largest eigenvalue of a network's adjacency matrix and its associated principal eigenvector are key elements for determining the topological structure and the properties of dynamical processes mediated by it. We present a physically grounded expression relating the value of the largest eigenvalue of a given network to the largest eigenvalue of two network subgraphs, considered as isolated: the hub with its immediate neighbors and the densely connected set of nodes with maximum K -core index. We validate this formula by showing that it predicts, with good accuracy, the largest eigenvalue of a large set of synthetic and real-world topologies. We also present evidence of the consequences of these findings for broad classes of dynamics taking place on the networks. As a by-product, we reveal that the spectral properties of heterogeneous networks built according to the linear preferential attachment model are qualitatively different from those of their static counterparts.

  8. Characteristics of Spectral Responses for a Ground Motion from Mediterranean Earthquake – ZEGHANGHANE Station (6.3Mw in Morocco, and its Influence on the Structures

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ahatri Mohamed

    2018-01-01

    In this case, we determine the spectral response of the ground motion for ZGH station, and study his influence on the structures as well as make a comparison with the requirements of the Moroccan seismic construction regulations (RPS 2000 revised in 2011.

  9. Synthetic Strategies towards Fullerene-Rich Dendrimer Assemblies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jean-François Nierengarten

    2012-02-01

    Full Text Available The sphere-shaped fullerene has attracted considerable interest not least due to the peculiar electronic properties of this carbon allotrope and the fascinating materials emanating from fullerene-derived structures. The rapid development and tremendous advances in organic chemistry allow nowadays the modification of C60 to a great extent by pure chemical means. It is therefore not surprising that the fullerene moiety has also been part of dendrimers. At the initial stage, fullerenes have been examined at the center of the dendritic structure mainly aimed at possible shielding effects as exerted by the dendritic environment and light-harvesting effects due to multiple chromophores located at the periphery of the dendrimer. In recent years, also many research efforts have been devoted towards fullerene-rich nanohybrids containing multiple C60 units in the branches and/or as surface functional groups. In this review, synthetic efforts towards the construction of dendritic fullerene-rich nanostructures have been compiled and will be summarized herein.

  10. In-situ optical spectroscopy and electronic properties of pyrrole sub-monolayers on Ga-rich GaAs(001)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bruhn, Thomas; Ewald, Marcel; Fimland, Bjørn-Ove; Kneissl, Michael; Esser, Norbert; Vogt, Patrick

    2011-01-01

    We report on the characterization of sub-monolayers of pyrrole adsorbed on Ga-rich GaAs(001) surfaces. The interfaces were characterized by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS) and reflectance anisotropy spectroscopy (RAS) in a spectral range between 1.5 and 8 eV. The adsorption of pyrrole on Ga-rich GaAs(001) modifies the RAS spectrum of the clean GaAs surface significantly at the surface transitions at 2.2 and 3.5 eV indicating a chemisorption of the molecules. By the help of transients at these surface transitions during the adsorption process, we were able to prepare different molecular coverages from a sub-monolayer up to a complete molecular layer. The different coverages of pyrrole were imaged by STM and electronically characterized by STS. The measurements reveal that the adsorbed molecules electronically insulate the surface and indicate the formation of new interface states around −3.5 and +4.2 eV. The RAS measurements in the UV region show new anisotropies in the spectral range of the optical transitions of the adsorbed pyrrole molecules. Our measurements demonstrate the potential of optical and electronic spectroscopy methods for the characterization of atomically thin molecular layers on semiconductor surfaces allowing a direct access to the properties of single adsorbed molecules.

  11. Dirac operators and spectral triples for some fractal sets built on curves

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Christensen, Erik; Ivan, Cristina; Lapidus, Michel L.

    2008-01-01

    A spectral triple is an object which is described using an algebra of operators on a Hilbert space and an unbounded self-adjoint operator, called a Dirac operator. This model may be applied to the study of classical geometrical objects .The article contains a construction of a spectral triple ass...... associated to some classical fractal subsets of the plane, and it is demonstrated that you can read of many classical geometrical structures, such as distance, measure and Hausdorff dimension from the spectral triple....

  12. Examination of Spectral Transformations on Spectral Mixture Analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Deng, Y.; Wu, C.

    2018-04-01

    While many spectral transformation techniques have been applied on spectral mixture analysis (SMA), few study examined their necessity and applicability. This paper focused on exploring the difference between spectrally transformed schemes and untransformed scheme to find out which transformed scheme performed better in SMA. In particular, nine spectrally transformed schemes as well as untransformed scheme were examined in two study areas. Each transformed scheme was tested 100 times using different endmember classes' spectra under the endmember model of vegetation- high albedo impervious surface area-low albedo impervious surface area-soil (V-ISAh-ISAl-S). Performance of each scheme was assessed based on mean absolute error (MAE). Statistical analysis technique, Paired-Samples T test, was applied to test the significance of mean MAEs' difference between transformed and untransformed schemes. Results demonstrated that only NSMA could exceed the untransformed scheme in all study areas. Some transformed schemes showed unstable performance since they outperformed the untransformed scheme in one area but weakened the SMA result in another region.

  13. Platelet-rich fibrin in the treatment of periodontal bone defects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ranganathan, Aravindhan T; Chandran, Chitraa R

    2014-05-01

    Periodontitis is characterized by the formation of true pockets, bone loss and attachment loss. Various techniques have been attempted in the past to truly regenerate the lost periodontal structures, albeit with variable outcome. In this evolution, the technique being tried out widely is the use of platelet rich concentrates, namely platelet-rich fibrin (PRF). In this report, we present a case of surgical treatment of osseous bone defects namely two walled crater and dehiscence treated in posterior teeth with autologously prepared platelet rich fibrin mixed with hydroxy apatite bone graft and PRF in the form of a membrane. Our results showed clinical improvements in all the clinical parameters postoperatively namely the pocket depth reduction and gain in attachment level and hence, PRF can be used alone or in combination with the bone graft to yield successful clinical results in treating periodontal osseous defects. Platelet-rich fibrin is an effective alternative to platelet-rich plasma (PRP) in reconstructing bone defects.

  14. Investigation of the hyperfine structure of Praseodymium-transitions using laser spectroscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shamim Khan

    2011-01-01

    A comprehensive knowledge of the electron levels in an atom is one of the prerequisite for understanding the electron-electron and electron-nucleus interactions inside an atom and for the classification of the atomic spectrum of an element. The spin-orbit interaction is the largest relativistic effect and is responsible for the fine structure splitting in an atom. The hyperfine structure splitting of the fine structure atomic energy levels arise as a result of the interaction between spinning and orbiting electrons and electromagnetic multipole nuclear moments. The electronic ground state configuration of praseodymium 59 Pr 141 is [Xe] 4f 3 6s 2 , with ground state level 4 I 9/2 . Because of its 5 outer electrons Praseodymium has a high density of energy levels which give rise to an extremely line rich emission spectrum. Due to this fact praseodymium serves as an efficient testing ground for hyperfine structure studies. The thesis is mainly devoted to the finding of previously unknown energy levels by the investigation of spectral lines and their hyperfine structures. In a hollow cathode discharge lamp praseodymium atoms and ions in ground and excited states are excited to high lying states by laser light. The excitation source is a tunable ring-dye laser system, operated with Stilbene 3, Rhodamine 6G, Kiton Red, DCM and LD 700. A high resolution Fourier Transform spectrum is used for extracting excitation wavelengths. Then the laser wavelength is tuned to a strong hyperfine component of the spectral line to be investigated, and a search for fluorescence from excited levels is performed. From the observed hyperfine structure pattern, J-values and hyperfine interaction constants A of the combining levels are determined. This information, together with excitation and fluorescence wavelengths, allows us to find the energies of the involved levels. During the course of this dissertation 313 new energy levels of Pr I and 4 new energy levels of Pr II were discovered

  15. Research on marine and freshwater fish identification model based on hyper-spectral imaging technology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fu, Yan; Guo, Pei-yuan; Xiang, Ling-zi; Bao, Man; Chen, Xing-hai

    2013-08-01

    With the gradually mature of hyper spectral image technology, the application of the meat nondestructive detection and recognition has become one of the current research focuses. This paper for the study of marine and freshwater fish by the pre-processing and feature extraction of the collected spectral curve data, combined with BP network structure and LVQ network structure, a predictive model of hyper spectral image data of marine and freshwater fish has been initially established and finally realized the qualitative analysis and identification of marine and freshwater fish quality. The results of this study show that hyper spectral imaging technology combined with the BP and LVQ Artificial Neural Network Model can be used for the identification of marine and freshwater fish detection. Hyper-spectral data acquisition can be carried out without any pretreatment of the samples, thus hyper-spectral imaging technique is the lossless, high- accuracy and rapid detection method for quality of fish. In this study, only 30 samples are used for the exploratory qualitative identification of research, although the ideal study results are achieved, we will further increase the sample capacity to take the analysis of quantitative identification and verify the feasibility of this theory.

  16. Spectral analysis of the turbulent mixing of two fluids

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Steinkamp, M.J.

    1996-02-01

    The authors describe a spectral approach to the investigation of fluid instability, generalized turbulence, and the interpenetration of fluids across an interface. The technique also applies to a single fluid with large variations in density. Departures of fluctuating velocity components from the local mean are far subsonic, but the mean Mach number can be large. Validity of the description is demonstrated by comparisons with experiments on turbulent mixing due to the late stages of Rayleigh-Taylor instability, when the dynamics become approximately self-similar in response to a constant body force. Generic forms for anisotropic spectral structure are described and used as a basis for deriving spectrally integrated moment equations that can be incorporated into computer codes for scientific and engineering analyses.

  17. A Novel Platelet Concentrate: Titanium-Prepared Platelet-Rich Fibrin

    OpenAIRE

    Mustafa Tunalı; Hakan Özdemir; Zafer Küçükodacı; Serhan Akman; Emre Yaprak; Hülya Toker; Erhan Fıratlı

    2014-01-01

    We developed a new product called titanium-prepared platelet-rich fibrin (T-PRF). The T-PRF method is based on the hypothesis that titanium may be more effective in activating platelets than the silica activators used with glass tubes in Chouckroun's leukocyte- and platelet-rich fibrin (L-PRF) method. In this study, we aimed to define the structural characteristics of T-PRF and compare it with L-PRF. Blood samples were collected from 10 healthy male volunteers. The blood samples were drawn us...

  18. Temporal and Spectral Cues for Musical Timbre Perception in Electric Hearing

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kong, Ying-Yee; Mullangi, Ala; Marozeau, Jeremy

    2011-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to investigate musical timbre perception in cochlear-implant (CI) listeners using a multidimensional scaling technique to derive a timbre space. Methods: Sixteen stimuli that synthesized western musical instruments were used (McAdams, Winsberg, Donnadieu, De Soete......, & Krimphoff, 1995). Eight CI listeners and 15 normalhearing (NH) listeners participated. Each listener made judgments of dissimilarity between stimulus pairs. Acoustical analyses that characterized the temporal and spectral characteristics of each stimulus were performed to examine the psychophysical nature...... of each perceptual dimension. For NH listeners, the timbre space was best represented in three dimensions, one correlated with the temporal envelope (log-attack time) of the stimuli, one correlated with the spectral envelope (spectral centroid), and one correlated with the spectral fine structure...

  19. Correlation between reflectance and photoluminescent properties of al-rich ZnO nano-structures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khan, Firoz; Baek, Seong-Ho; Ahmad, Nafis; Lee, Gun Hee; Seo, Tae Hoon; Suh, Eun-kyung; Kim, Jae Hyun

    2015-05-01

    Al rich zinc oxide nano-structured films were synthesized using spin coating sol-gel technique. The films were annealed in oxygen ambient in the temperature range of 200-700 °C. The structural, optical, and photoluminescence (PL) properties of the films were studied at various annealing temperatures using X-ray diffraction spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy, photoluminescence emission spectra measurement, and Raman and UV-Vis spectroscopy. The optical band gap was found to decrease with the increase of the annealing temperature following the Gauss Amp function due to the confinement of the exciton. The PL peak intensity in the near band region (INBE) was found to increase with the increase of the annealing temperature up to 600 °C, then to decrease fast to a lower value for the annealing temperature of 700 °C due to crystalline quality. The Raman peak of E2 (low) was red shifted from 118 cm-1 to 126 cm-1 with the increase of the annealing temperature. The intensity of the second order phonon (TA+LO) at 674 cm-1 was found to decrease with the increase of the annealing temperature. The normalized values of the reflectance and the PL intensity in the NBE region were highest for the annealing temperature of 600 °C. A special correlation was found between the reflectance at λ = 1000 nm and the normalized PL intensity in the green region due to scattering due to presence of grains.

  20. Species richness of motile cryptofauna across a gradient of reef framework erosion

    Science.gov (United States)

    Enochs, I. C.; Manzello, D. P.

    2012-09-01

    Coral reef ecosystems contain exceptionally high concentrations of marine biodiversity, potentially encompassing millions of species. Similar to tropical rainforests and their insects, the majority of reef animal species are small and cryptic, living in the cracks and crevices of structural taxa (trees and corals). Although the cryptofauna make up the majority of a reef's metazoan biodiversity, we know little about their basic ecology. We sampled motile cryptofaunal communities from both live corals and dead carbonate reef framework across a gradient of increasing erosion on a reef in Pacific Panamá. A total of 289 Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs) from six phyla were identified. We used species-accumulation models fitted to individual- and sample-based rarefaction curves, as well as seven nonparametric richness estimators to estimate species richness among the different framework types. All procedures predicted the same trends in species richness across the differing framework types. Estimated species richness was higher in dead framework (261-370 OTUs) than in live coral substrates (112-219 OTUs). Surprisingly, richness increased as framework structure was eroded: coral rubble contained the greatest number of species (227-320 OTUs) and the lowest estimated richness of 47-115 OTUs was found in the zone where the reef framework had the greatest vertical relief. This contradicts the paradigm that abundant live coral indicates the apex of reef diversity.

  1. Examining spectral variations in localized lunar dark mantle deposits

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jawin, Erica; Besse, Sebastien; Gaddis, Lisa R.; Sunshine, Jessica; Head, James W.; Mazrouei, Sara

    2015-01-01

    The localized lunar dark mantle deposits (DMDs) in Alphonsus, J. Herschel, and Oppenheimer craters were analyzed using visible-near-infrared spectroscopy data from the Moon Mineralogy Mapper. Spectra of these localized DMDs were analyzed for compositional and mineralogical variations within the deposits and were compared with nearby mare basalt units. Spectra of the three localized DMDs exhibited mafic absorption features indicating iron-rich compositions, although the DMDs were spectrally distinct from nearby mare basalts. All of the DMDs contained spectral signatures of glassy materials, suggesting the presence of volcanic glass in varying concentrations across the individual deposits. In addition, the albedo and spectral signatures were variable within the Alphonsus and Oppenheimer crater DMDs, suggesting variable deposit thickness and/or variations in the amount of mixing with the local substrate. Two previously unidentified localized DMDs were discovered to the northeast of Oppenheimer crater. The identification of high concentrations of volcanic glass in multiple localized DMDs in different locations suggests that the distribution of volcanic glass across the lunar surface is much more widespread than has been previously documented. The presence of volcanic glass implies an explosive, vulcanian eruption style for localized DMDs, as this allows volcanic glass to rapidly quench, inhibiting crystallization, compared to the larger hawaiian-style eruptions typical of regional DMD emplacement where black beads indicate a higher degree of crystallization. Improved understanding of the local and global distributions of volcanic glass in lunar DMDs will further constrain lunar degassing and compositional evolution throughout lunar volcanic history.

  2. Raman and Mid-IR Spectral Analysis of the Atacamite-Structure Hydroxyl/Deuteroxyl Nickel Chlorides Ni2(OH/D)3Cl

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    LIU Xiao-Dong; Hagihala Masato; ZHENG Xu-Guang; MENG Dong-Doug; GUO Qi-Xin

    2011-01-01

    @@ Vibrational spectra(Raman 4000-95cm-1 and mid-IR 4000-400cm-1) of the atacamite-structure Ni2(OH)3Cl,including a rarely reported kind of asymmetric trimetric hydrogen bond, as a member of the geometrically frustrated material series and its deuteride Ni2(OD)3Cl are, to the best of our knowledge, reported for the first time and analyzed at room temperature.Through a comparative study of four spectra according to their crystal structural parameters, we assign OH stretching modes v(OH) in a functional group region(3700-3400 cm-1) and their deformation modes δ(NiOH/D) in the correlation peak region(900-600 cm-1)with the corresponding mode frequency ratios ωv(OD)/ωv(OH)≈73% and ωδ(NiOD)/ωδ(NiOH)≈75%, and further self-consistently suggest NiO and Ni-Cl related modes in the fingerprint region(500-200cm-1 and 200-Ocm-1, respectively) by use of the unified six-ligand NiO5Cl and NiO4Cl2 frames.This report may contribute to the spectral analysis of other hydroxyl transition-metal halides and to the understanding of the fundamental physics of their exotic magnetic geometrical frustration property from the spectral changes around the corresponding low transition temperatures.

  3. The structure and species richness of the diatom assemblages of the Western Carpathian spring fens along the gradient of mineral richness

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Fránková, Markéta; Bojková, J.; Poulíčková, A.; Hájek, Michal

    2009-01-01

    Roč. 9, č. 2 (2009), s. 355-368 ISSN 1802-5439 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z60050516 Keywords : diatoms * Western Carpathians * poor-rich gradient Subject RIV: EF - Botanics Impact factor: 1.762, year: 2009

  4. Ionospheric propagation effects on spectral widths measured by SuperDARN HF radars

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    X. Vallières

    2004-06-01

    Full Text Available SuperDARN HF radars provide a global survey of the large-scale convection transversely to the Earth's magnetic field in the high-latitude ionosphere. In addition to the mean plasma velocity, this network also provides measurements of spectral widths which are related to the level of turbulence of the sounded plasma. There is an increasing interest in using spectral widths in geophysical studies, since they are used to monitor the footprints of several magnetospheric regions. In the present paper, we show the effect of radio wave propagation through a typical turbulent ionosphere on spectral widths measured by SuperDARN radars. This effect has already been evidenced experimentally in a previous paper. Here, we model the effects of meso-scale structures on a radar wave front and study their impact on a typical measurement. Numerical simulations reproduce the effect evidenced experimentally and show the role of meso-scale structures (1-10km in the systematic bias that affects spectral width values. As in experimental data, this effect is shown to be increasing with decreasing radar frequency.

  5. Ionospheric propagation effects on spectral widths measured by SuperDARN HF radars

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    X. Vallières

    2004-06-01

    Full Text Available SuperDARN HF radars provide a global survey of the large-scale convection transversely to the Earth's magnetic field in the high-latitude ionosphere. In addition to the mean plasma velocity, this network also provides measurements of spectral widths which are related to the level of turbulence of the sounded plasma. There is an increasing interest in using spectral widths in geophysical studies, since they are used to monitor the footprints of several magnetospheric regions. In the present paper, we show the effect of radio wave propagation through a typical turbulent ionosphere on spectral widths measured by SuperDARN radars. This effect has already been evidenced experimentally in a previous paper. Here, we model the effects of meso-scale structures on a radar wave front and study their impact on a typical measurement. Numerical simulations reproduce the effect evidenced experimentally and show the role of meso-scale structures (1-10km in the systematic bias that affects spectral width values. As in experimental data, this effect is shown to be increasing with decreasing radar frequency.

  6. Production of recombinant disulfide-rich venom peptides for structural and functional analysis via expression in the periplasm of E. coli.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Julie K Klint

    Full Text Available Disulfide-rich peptides are the dominant component of most animal venoms. These peptides have received much attention as leads for the development of novel therapeutic agents and bioinsecticides because they target a wide range of neuronal receptors and ion channels with a high degree of potency and selectivity. In addition, their rigid disulfide framework makes them particularly well suited for addressing the crucial issue of in vivo stability. Structural and functional characterization of these peptides necessitates the development of a robust, reliable expression system that maintains their native disulfide framework. The bacterium Escherichia coli has long been used for economical production of recombinant proteins. However, the expression of functional disulfide-rich proteins in the reducing environment of the E. coli cytoplasm presents a significant challenge. Thus, we present here an optimised protocol for the expression of disulfide-rich venom peptides in the periplasm of E. coli, which is where the endogenous machinery for production of disulfide-bonds is located. The parameters that have been investigated include choice of media, induction conditions, lysis methods, methods of fusion protein and peptide purification, and sample preparation for NMR studies. After each section a recommendation is made for conditions to use. We demonstrate the use of this method for the production of venom peptides ranging in size from 2 to 8 kDa and containing 2-6 disulfide bonds.

  7. Minimally Invasive Treatment with Platelet Rich Plasma in Patients with Knee Osteoarthritis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Albu Daniel–Emil

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Background: The main target of the structural damage in osteoarthritisis the hyaline cartilage. New options such as PRP (platelet rich plasma may cause structural improvement of the cartilage.

  8. Guangxi crustal structural evolution and the formation and distribution regularities of U-rich strata

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kang Zili.

    1989-01-01

    Based on summing up Guangxi geotectonic features and evolutionary regularities, this paper discusses the occurrence features, formation conditions and time-space distribution regularities of various U-rich strata during the development of geosyncline, platform and diwa stages, Especially, during diwa stage all those U-rich strata might be reworked to a certain degree and resulted in the mobilization of uranium, then enriching to form polygenetic composite uranium ore deposits with stratabound features. This study will be helpful for prospecting in the region

  9. Synthesis, spectral characteristics, and the crystal and molecular structures of 2,3-dimethyl-1-phenyl-4-(N-phthalimido)pyrazolone-5

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sokol, V. I.; Strashnova, S. B.; Kovalchukova, O. V.; Sergienko, V. S.; Davydov, V. V.; Zaitsev, B. E.; Evtushenko, Yu. M.

    2008-01-01

    2,3-Dimethyl-1-phenyl-4-(N-phthalimido)pyrazolone-5 (I) is synthesized and isolated in the form of single crystals. The crystal structure of compound I is determined using X-ray diffraction. The phthalimide and pyrazolone rings in the molecule are not coplanar: the angle between their median planes is 56.4 o . The bond lengths in the rings level off, which indicates the delocalization of the electron density. The spectral characteristics (IR and electronic spectra) of molecule I are determined.

  10. Age-associated changes in rich-club organisation in autistic and neurotypical human brains.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Watanabe, Takamitsu; Rees, Geraint

    2015-11-05

    Macroscopic structural networks in the human brain have a rich-club architecture comprising both highly inter-connected central regions and sparsely connected peripheral regions. Recent studies show that disruption of this functionally efficient organisation is associated with several psychiatric disorders. However, despite increasing attention to this network property, whether age-associated changes in rich-club organisation occur during human adolescence remains unclear. Here, analysing a publicly shared diffusion tensor imaging dataset, we found that, during adolescence, brains of typically developing (TD) individuals showed increases in rich-club organisation and inferred network functionality, whereas individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) did not. These differences between TD and ASD groups were statistically significant for both structural and functional properties. Moreover, this typical age-related changes in rich-club organisation were characterised by progressive involvement of the right anterior insula. In contrast, in ASD individuals, did not show typical increases in grey matter volume, and this relative anatomical immaturity was correlated with the severity of ASD social symptoms. These results provide evidence that rich-club architecture is one of the bases of functionally efficient brain networks underpinning complex cognitive functions in adult human brains. Furthermore, our findings suggest that immature rich-club organisation might be associated with some neurodevelopmental disorders.

  11. Structural and functional characterization of a multifunctional alanine-rich peptide analogue from Pleuronectes americanus.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ludovico Migliolo

    Full Text Available Recently, defense peptides that are able to act against several targets have been characterized. The present work focuses on structural and functional evaluation of the peptide analogue Pa-MAP, previously isolated as an antifreeze peptide from Pleuronectes americanus. Pa-MAP showed activities against different targets such as tumoral cells in culture (CACO-2, MCF-7 and HCT-116, bacteria (Escherichia coli ATCC 8739 and Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923, viruses (HSV-1 and HSV-2 and fungi (Candida parapsilosis ATCC 22019, Trichophyton mentagrophytes (28d&E and T. rubrum (327. This peptide did not show toxicity against mammalian cells such as erythrocytes, Vero and RAW 264.7 cells. Molecular mechanism of action was related to hydrophobic residues, since only the terminal amino group is charged at pH 7 as confirmed by potentiometric titration. In order to shed some light on its structure-function relations, in vitro and in silico assays were carried out using circular dichroism and molecular dynamics. Furthermore, Pa-MAP showed partial unfolding of the peptide changes in a wide pH (3 to 11 and temperature (25 to 95°C ranges, although it might not reach complete unfolding at 95°C, suggesting a high conformational stability. This peptide also showed a conformational transition with a partial α-helical fold in water and a full α-helical core in SDS and TFE environments. These results were corroborated by spectral data measured at 222 nm and by 50 ns dynamic simulation. In conclusion, data reported here show that Pa-MAP is a potential candidate for drug design against pathogenic microorganisms due to its structural stability and wide activity against a range of targets.

  12. DFT/TDDFT study on the electronic structure and spectral properties in annulated analogue of phenyl heteroazulene derivative

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gasiorski, P.; Danel, K.S.; Matusiewicz, M.; Uchacz, T.; Kuźnik, W.; Piatek, Ł.; Kityk, A.V.

    2012-01-01

    Highlights: ► Cyclic voltammetry study of heteroazulene derivative PTNA. ► DFT/TDDFT/PCM calculations of molecular geometry and electronic states in PTNA. ► TDDFT/PCM calculations of the absorption and fluorescence spectra in PTNA. ► Comparison between TDDFT/PCM calculated and measured optical spectra. - Abstract: Paper reports the DFT/TDDFT study on the electronic structure and spectral properties of the seven-membered annulated heteroazulene derivative 6-phenyl-6H-5,6,7-triazadibenzo[f,h]naphtho[3,2,1-cd]azulene (PTNA) by means of polarizable continuum model (PCM) and Lippert–Mataga–Onsager reaction field (LM-ORF) model at the B3LYP/6-31+G(d,p) level of theory. The results of calculations are compared with the measured optical absorption and fluorescence spectra as well as with the cyclic voltammetry data. The DFT/TDDFT methods exhibit rather good quantitative agreement regarding the spectral position of the first absorption band; the discrepancy between the experiment and theory is less than 0.1 eV. As for the fluorescence emission the TDDFT calculations underestimate the transition energy of about 0.45 eV. The discrepancy should be attributed to insufficient accuracy of the TDDFT optimization in the excited state. In the polar solvent environment, all the TDDFT/PCM approaches give the bathochromic (red) shift for the fluorescence emission and the hypsochromic (blue) shift for the optical absorption in accordance with the experimental observation. As for the fluorescence emission fairly good agreement with the experiment provides the hybrid approach being the combination of the TDDFT/PCM optimization with the semiempirical electronic structure calculations by PM3 method and solvation LM-ORF model predicting the emission energy in different solvents with the accuracy better than 0.06 eV.

  13. 3D registration method for assessing the gastrointestinal motility using spectral reflectance estimation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nobe, Kazuki; Yoshimoto, Kayo; Yamada, Kenji; Takahashi, Hideya

    2018-02-01

    Functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGID) are the most common gastrointestinal disorders. The term "functional" is generally applied to disorders where there are no structural abnormalities. One of the major factors for FGID is abnormal gastrointestinal motility. We have proposed a system for assessing the function of gastric motility using a 3D endoscope. In this previous study, we established a method for estimating characteristics of contraction wave extracted from a 3D shape include contraction wave obtained from stereo endoscope. Because it is difficult to fix the tip position of the endoscope during the examination, estimation of the 3D position between the endoscope and the gastric wall is necessary for the accurate assessment. Then, we have proposed a motion compensation method using 3D scene flow. However, since mucosa has few feature points, it is difficult to obtain 3D scene flow from RGB images. So, we focused on spectral imaging that can enhance visualization of mucosal structure. Spectral image can be obtained without switching optical filters by using technique to estimate spectral reflectance by image processing. In this paper, we propose registration method of measured 3D shape in time series using estimated spectral image. The spectral image is estimated from the RGB image for each frame. 3D scene flow of feature points, that is, enhanced mucosal structure calculated by spectral images in a time series. The position change between the endoscope and gastric wall is estimated by 3D scene flow. We experimented to confirm the validity of the proposed method using papers with a grid of colors close to the background color.

  14. Geometrical Description in Binary Composites and Spectral Density Representation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Enis Tuncer

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available In this review, the dielectric permittivity of dielectric mixtures is discussed in view of the spectral density representation method. A distinct representation is derived for predicting the dielectric properties, permittivities ε, of mixtures. The presentation of the dielectric properties is based on a scaled permittivity approach, ξ = (εe − εm(εi − εm−1, where the subscripts e, m and i denote the dielectric permittivities of the effective, matrix and inclusion media, respectively [Tuncer, E. J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 2005, 17, L125]. This novel representation transforms the spectral density formalism to a form similar to the distribution of relaxation times method of dielectric relaxation. Consequently, I propose that any dielectric relaxation formula, i.e., the Havriliak-Negami empirical dielectric relaxation expression, can be adopted as a scaled permittivity. The presented scaled permittivity representation has potential to be improved and implemented into the existing data analyzing routines for dielectric relaxation; however, the information to extract would be the topological/morphological description in mixtures. To arrive at the description, one needs to know the dielectric properties of the constituents and the composite prior to the spectral analysis. To illustrate the strength of the representation and confirm the proposed hypothesis, the Landau-Lifshitz/Looyenga (LLL [Looyenga, H. Physica 1965, 31, 401] expression is selected. The structural information of a mixture obeying LLL is extracted for different volume fractions of phases. Both an in-house computational tool based on the Monte Carlo method to solve inverse integral transforms and the proposed empirical scaled permittivity expression are employed to estimate the spectral density function of the LLL expression. The estimated spectral functions for mixtures with different inclusion concentration compositions show similarities; they are composed of a couple of bell

  15. Perceptual adaptation of voice gender discrimination with spectrally shifted vowels.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Tianhao; Fu, Qian-Jie

    2011-08-01

    To determine whether perceptual adaptation improves voice gender discrimination of spectrally shifted vowels and, if so, which acoustic cues contribute to the improvement. Voice gender discrimination was measured for 10 normal-hearing subjects, during 5 days of adaptation to spectrally shifted vowels, produced by processing the speech of 5 male and 5 female talkers with 16-channel sine-wave vocoders. The subjects were randomly divided into 2 groups; one subjected to 50-Hz, and the other to 200-Hz, temporal envelope cutoff frequencies. No preview or feedback was provided. There was significant adaptation in voice gender discrimination with the 200-Hz cutoff frequency, but significant improvement was observed only for 3 female talkers with F(0) > 180 Hz and 3 male talkers with F(0) gender discrimination under spectral shift conditions with perceptual adaptation, but spectral shift may limit the exclusive use of spectral information and/or the use of formant structure on voice gender discrimination. The results have implications for cochlear implant users and for understanding voice gender discrimination.

  16. Spectral functions and transport coefficients from the functional renormalization group

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tripolt, Ralf-Arno

    2015-06-03

    In this thesis we present a new method to obtain real-time quantities like spectral functions and transport coefficients at finite temperature and density using the Functional Renormalization Group approach. Our non-perturbative method is thermodynamically consistent, symmetry preserving and based on an analytic continuation from imaginary to real time on the level of the flow equations. We demonstrate the applicability of this method by calculating mesonic spectral functions as well as the shear viscosity for the quark-meson model. In particular, results are presented for the pion and sigma spectral function at finite temperature and chemical potential, with a focus on the regime near the critical endpoint in the phase diagram of the quark-meson model. Moreover, the different time-like and space-like processes, which give rise to a complex structure of the spectral functions, are discussed. Finally, based on the momentum dependence of the spectral functions, we calculate the shear viscosity and the shear viscosity to entropy density ratio using the corresponding Green-Kubo formula.

  17. Value-Added Products from FGD Sulfite-Rich Scrubber Materials

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Vivak Malhotra

    2010-01-31

    According to the American Coal Ash Association, about 29.25 million tons of flue gas desulfurization (FGD) byproducts were produced in the USA in 2003. Out of 29.25 million tons, 17.35 million tons were sulfite-rich scrubber materials. At present, unlike its cousin FGD gypsum, the prospect for effective utilization of sulfite-rich scrubber materials is not bright. In fact, almost 16.9 million tons are leftover every year. In our pursuit to mitigate the liability of sulfite-rich FGD scrubber materials' disposal, we are attempting to develop value-added products that can commercially compete. More specifically, for this Innovative Concept Phase I project, we have the following objectives: to characterize the sulfite-rich scrubber material for toxic metals; to optimize the co-blending and processing of scrubber material and natural byproducts; to formulate and develop structural composites from sulfite-rich scrubber material; and to evaluate the composites' mechanical properties and compare them with current products on the market. After successfully demonstrating the viability of our research, a more comprehensive approach will be proposed to take these value-added materials to fruition.

  18. SPAM- SPECTRAL ANALYSIS MANAGER (DEC VAX/VMS VERSION)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Solomon, J. E.

    1994-01-01

    The Spectral Analysis Manager (SPAM) was developed to allow easy qualitative analysis of multi-dimensional imaging spectrometer data. Imaging spectrometers provide sufficient spectral sampling to define unique spectral signatures on a per pixel basis. Thus direct material identification becomes possible for geologic studies. SPAM provides a variety of capabilities for carrying out interactive analysis of the massive and complex datasets associated with multispectral remote sensing observations. In addition to normal image processing functions, SPAM provides multiple levels of on-line help, a flexible command interpretation, graceful error recovery, and a program structure which can be implemented in a variety of environments. SPAM was designed to be visually oriented and user friendly with the liberal employment of graphics for rapid and efficient exploratory analysis of imaging spectrometry data. SPAM provides functions to enable arithmetic manipulations of the data, such as normalization, linear mixing, band ratio discrimination, and low-pass filtering. SPAM can be used to examine the spectra of an individual pixel or the average spectra over a number of pixels. SPAM also supports image segmentation, fast spectral signature matching, spectral library usage, mixture analysis, and feature extraction. High speed spectral signature matching is performed by using a binary spectral encoding algorithm to separate and identify mineral components present in the scene. The same binary encoding allows automatic spectral clustering. Spectral data may be entered from a digitizing tablet, stored in a user library, compared to the master library containing mineral standards, and then displayed as a timesequence spectral movie. The output plots, histograms, and stretched histograms produced by SPAM can be sent to a lineprinter, stored as separate RGB disk files, or sent to a Quick Color Recorder. SPAM is written in C for interactive execution and is available for two different

  19. Preliminary report on NTS spectral gamma logging and calibration models

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mathews, M.A.; Warren, R.G.; Garcia, S.R.; Lavelle, M.J.

    1985-01-01

    Facilities are now available at the Nevada Test Site (NTS) in Building 2201 to calibrate spectral gamma logging equipment in environments of low radioactivity. Such environments are routinely encountered during logging of holes at the NTS. Four calibration models were delivered to Building 2201 in January 1985. Each model, or test pit, consists of a stone block with a 12-inch diameter cored borehole. Preliminary radioelement values from the core for the test pits range from 0.58 to 3.83% potassium (K), 0.48 to 29.11 ppm thorium (Th), and 0.62 to 40.42 ppm uranium (U). Two satellite holes, U19ab number2 and U19ab number3, were logged during the winter of 1984-1985. The response of these logs correlates with contents of the naturally radioactive elements K. Th. and U determined in samples from petrologic zones that occur within these holes. Based on these comparisons, the spectral gamma log aids in the recognition and mapping of subsurface stratigraphic units and alteration features associated with unusual concentration of these radioactive elements, such as clay-rich zones

  20. Effects of habitat structure on the epifaunal community in Mussismilia corals: does coral morphology influence the richness and abundance of associated crustacean fauna?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nogueira, Marcos M.; Neves, Elizabeth; Johnsson, Rodrigo

    2015-06-01

    Coral habitat structures increase abundance and richness of organisms by providing niches, easy access to resources and refuge from predators. Corals harbor a great variety of animals; the variation in coral species morphology contributes to the heterogeneity and complexity of habitat types. In this report, we studied the richness and abundance of crustaceans (Decapoda, Copepoda, Peracarida and Ostracoda) associated with three species of Mussismilia exhibiting different growth morphologies, in two different coral reefs of the Bahia state (Caramuanas and Boipeba-Moreré, Brazil). Mussismilia hispida is a massive coral; M. braziliensis also has a massive growth pattern, but forms a crevice in the basal area of the corallum; M. harttii has a meandroid pattern. PERMANOVA analysis suggests significant differences in associated fauna richness among Mussismilia species, with higher values for M. harttii, followed by M. braziliensis and later by M. hispida. The same trend was observed for density, except that the comparison of M. braziliensis and M. hispida did not show differences. Redundancy and canonical correspondence analysis indicated that almost all of the crustacean species were more associated with the M. harttii colonies that formed a group clearly separated from colonies of M. braziliensis and M. hispida. We also found that the internal volume of interpolyp space, only present in M. harttii, was the most important factor influencing richness and abundance of all analyzed orders of crustaceans.

  1. Spectral BRDF measurements of metallic samples for laser processing applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vitali, L; Fustinoni, D; Gramazio, P; Niro, A

    2015-01-01

    The spectral bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) of metals plays an important role in industrial processing involving laser-surface interaction. In particular, in laser metal machining, absorbance is strongly dependent on the radiation incidence angle as well as on finishing and contamination grade of the surface, and in turn it can considerably affect processing results. Very recently, laser radiation is also used to structure metallic surfaces, in order to produce many particular optical effects, ranging from a high level polishing to angular color shifting. Of course, full knowledge of the spectral BRDF of these structured layers makes it possible to infer reflectance or color for any irradiation and viewing angles. In this paper, we present Vis-NIR spectral BRDF measurements of laser-polished metallic, opaque, flat samples commonly employed in such applications. The resulting optical properties seem to be dependent on the atmospheric composition during the polishing process in addition to the roughness. The measurements are carried out with a Perkin Elmer Lambda 950 double-beam spectrophotometer, equipped with the Absolute Reflectance/Transmittance Analyzer (ARTA) motorized goniometer. (paper)

  2. Analysing flow structures around a blade using spectral/hp method and HPIV

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stoevesandt, Bernhard; Steigerwald, Christian; Shishkin, Andrei; Wagner, Claus; Peinke, Joachim

    2007-01-01

    A still difficult, yet pressing task for blade manufacturers and turbine producers is the correct prediction of the effects of turbulent winds on the blade. Reynolds Averaged Numerical Simulations (RANS) are a limited tool for calculating the effects. For large eddy simulations (LES) boundary layer calculation are still difficult therefore the spectral element method seems to be an approach to improve numerical calculations of flow separation. The flow field around an fx79-w151a airfoil has been calculated by the spectral element code NεκTαrusing a direct numerical simulation (DNS) solver. In a first step a laminar inflow on the airfoil at angle of attack of α = 12 0 and a Reynolds number of Re= 33000 was simulated using the 2D Version of the code. The flow pattern was compared to measurements using holographic particle induced velocimetry (HPIV) in a wind tunnel

  3. Spectral image reconstruction using an edge preserving spatio-spectral Wiener estimation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Urban, Philipp; Rosen, Mitchell R; Berns, Roy S

    2009-08-01

    Reconstruction of spectral images from camera responses is investigated using an edge preserving spatio-spectral Wiener estimation. A Wiener denoising filter and a spectral reconstruction Wiener filter are combined into a single spatio-spectral filter using local propagation of the noise covariance matrix. To preserve edges the local mean and covariance matrix of camera responses is estimated by bilateral weighting of neighboring pixels. We derive the edge-preserving spatio-spectral Wiener estimation by means of Bayesian inference and show that it fades into the standard Wiener reflectance estimation shifted by a constant reflectance in case of vanishing noise. Simulation experiments conducted on a six-channel camera system and on multispectral test images show the performance of the filter, especially for edge regions. A test implementation of the method is provided as a MATLAB script at the first author's website.

  4. Near-IR Spectral Imaging of Semiconductor Absorption Sites in Integrated Circuits

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    E. C. Samson

    2004-12-01

    Full Text Available We derive spectral maps of absorption sites in integrated circuits (ICs by varying the wavelength of the optical probe within the near-IR range. This method has allowed us to improve the contrast of the acquired images by revealing structures that have a different optical absorption from neighboring sites. A false color composite image from those acquired at different wavelengths is generated from which the response of each semiconductor structure can be deduced. With the aid of the spectral maps, nonuniform absorption was also observed in a semiconductor structure located near an electrical overstress defect. This method may prove important in failure analysis of ICs by uncovering areas exhibiting anomalous absorption, which could improve localization of defective edifices in the semiconductor parts of the microchip

  5. Passively Aerated Composting of Straw-Rich Pig Manure : Effect of Compost Bed Porosity

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Veeken, A.H.M.; Wilde, de V.; Hamelers, H.V.M.

    2002-01-01

    Straw-rich manure from organic pig farming systems can be composted in passively aerated systems as the high application of straw results in a compost bed with good structure and porosity. The passively aerated composting process was simulated in one-dimensional reactors of 2 m3 for straw-rich

  6. Disentangling the Role of Climate, Topography and Vegetation in Species Richness Gradients.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mario R Moura

    Full Text Available Environmental gradients (EG related to climate, topography and vegetation are among the most important drivers of broad scale patterns of species richness. However, these different EG do not necessarily drive species richness in similar ways, potentially presenting synergistic associations when driving species richness. Understanding the synergism among EG allows us to address key questions arising from the effects of global climate and land use changes on biodiversity. Herein, we use variation partitioning (also know as commonality analysis to disentangle unique and shared contributions of different EG in explaining species richness of Neotropical vertebrates. We use three broad sets of predictors to represent the environmental variability in (i climate (annual mean temperature, temperature annual range, annual precipitation and precipitation range, (ii topography (mean elevation, range and coefficient of variation of elevation, and (iii vegetation (land cover diversity, standard deviation and range of forest canopy height. The shared contribution between two types of EG is used to quantify synergistic processes operating among EG, offering new perspectives on the causal relationships driving species richness. To account for spatially structured processes, we use Spatial EigenVector Mapping models. We perform analyses across groups with distinct dispersal abilities (amphibians, non-volant mammals, bats and birds and discuss the influence of vagility on the partitioning results. Our findings indicate that broad scale patterns of vertebrate richness are mainly affected by the synergism between climate and vegetation, followed by the unique contribution of climate. Climatic factors were relatively more important in explaining species richness of good dispersers. Most of the variation in vegetation that explains vertebrate richness is climatically structured, supporting the productivity hypothesis. Further, the weak synergism between topography and

  7. Design and R&D of RICH detectors for EIC experiments

    Science.gov (United States)

    Del Dotto, A.; Wong, C.-P.; Allison, L.; Awadi, M.; Azmoun, B.; Barbosa, F.; Brooks, W.; Cao, T.; Chiu, M.; Cisbani, E.; Contalbrigo, M.; Datta, A.; Demarteau, M.; Durham, J. M.; Dzhygadlo, R.; Fields, D.; Furletova, Y.; Gleason, C.; Grosse-Perdekamp, M.; Harris, J.; He, X.; van Hecke, H.; Horn, T.; Huang, J.; Hyde, C.; Ilieva, Y.; Kalicy, G.; Kimball, M.; Kistenev, E.; Kulinich, Y.; Liu, M.; Majka, R.; McKisson, J.; Mendez, R.; Nadel-Turonski, P.; Park, K.; Peters, K.; Rao, T.; Pisani, R.; Qiang, Y.; Rescia, S.; Rossi, P.; Sarsour, M.; Schwarz, C.; Schwiening, J.; da Silva, C. L.; Smirnov, N.; Stein, H.; Stevens, J.; Sukhanov, A.; Syed, S.; Tate, A.; Toh, J.; Towell, C.; Towell, R.; Tsang, T.; Wagner, R.; Wang, J.; Woody, C.; Xi, W.; Xie, J.; Zhao, Z. W.; Zihlmann, B.; Zorn, C.

    2017-12-01

    An Electron-Ion Collider (EIC) has been proposed to further explore the strong force and QCD, focusing on the structure and the interaction of gluon-dominated matter. A generic detector R&D program (EIC PID consortium) for the particle identification in EIC experiments was formed to explore technologically advanced solutions in this scope. In this context two Ring Imaging Cherenkov (RICH) counters have been proposed: a modular RICH detector which consists of an aerogel radiator, a Fresnel lens, a mirrored box, and pixelated photon sensor; a dual-radiator RICH, consisting of an aerogel radiator and C2F6 gas in a mirror-focused configuration. We present the simulations of the two detectors and their estimated performance.

  8. Species Richness Responses to Structural or Compositional Habitat Diversity between and within Grassland Patches: A Multi-Taxon Approach

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lengyel, Szabolcs; Déri, Eszter; Magura, Tibor

    2016-01-01

    Habitat diversity (spatial heterogeneity within and between habitat patches in a landscape, HD) is often invoked as a driver of species diversity at small spatial scales. However, the effect of HD on species richness (SR) of multiple taxa is not well understood. We quantified HD and SR in a wet-dry gradient of open grassland habitats in Hortobágy National Park (E-Hungary) and tested the effect of compositional and structural factors of HD on SR of flowering plants, orthopterans, true bugs, spiders, ground beetles and birds. Our dataset on 434 grassland species (170 plants, 264 animals) showed that the wet-dry gradient (compositional HD at the between-patch scale) was primarily related to SR in orthopterans, ground-dwelling arthropods, and all animals combined. The patchiness, or plant association richness, of the vegetation (compositional HD at the within-patch scale) was related to SR of vegetation-dwelling arthropods, whereas vegetation height (structural HD at the within-patch scale) was related to SR of ground-dwelling arthropods and birds. Patch area was related to SR only in birds, whereas management (grazing, mowing, none) was related to SR of plants and true bugs. All relationships between HD and SR were positive, indicating increasing SR with increasing HD. However, total SR was not related to HD because different taxa showed similar positive responses to different HD variables. Our findings, therefore, show that even though HD positively influences SR in a wide range of grassland taxa, each taxon responds to different compositional or structural measures of HD, resulting in the lack of a consistent relationship between HD and SR when taxon responses are pooled. The idiosyncratic responses shown here exemplify the difficulties in detecting general HD-SR relationships over multiple taxa. Our results also suggest that management and restoration aimed specifically to sustain or increase the diversity of habitats are required to conserve biodiversity in

  9. Species Richness Responses to Structural or Compositional Habitat Diversity between and within Grassland Patches: A Multi-Taxon Approach.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Szabolcs Lengyel

    Full Text Available Habitat diversity (spatial heterogeneity within and between habitat patches in a landscape, HD is often invoked as a driver of species diversity at small spatial scales. However, the effect of HD on species richness (SR of multiple taxa is not well understood. We quantified HD and SR in a wet-dry gradient of open grassland habitats in Hortobágy National Park (E-Hungary and tested the effect of compositional and structural factors of HD on SR of flowering plants, orthopterans, true bugs, spiders, ground beetles and birds. Our dataset on 434 grassland species (170 plants, 264 animals showed that the wet-dry gradient (compositional HD at the between-patch scale was primarily related to SR in orthopterans, ground-dwelling arthropods, and all animals combined. The patchiness, or plant association richness, of the vegetation (compositional HD at the within-patch scale was related to SR of vegetation-dwelling arthropods, whereas vegetation height (structural HD at the within-patch scale was related to SR of ground-dwelling arthropods and birds. Patch area was related to SR only in birds, whereas management (grazing, mowing, none was related to SR of plants and true bugs. All relationships between HD and SR were positive, indicating increasing SR with increasing HD. However, total SR was not related to HD because different taxa showed similar positive responses to different HD variables. Our findings, therefore, show that even though HD positively influences SR in a wide range of grassland taxa, each taxon responds to different compositional or structural measures of HD, resulting in the lack of a consistent relationship between HD and SR when taxon responses are pooled. The idiosyncratic responses shown here exemplify the difficulties in detecting general HD-SR relationships over multiple taxa. Our results also suggest that management and restoration aimed specifically to sustain or increase the diversity of habitats are required to conserve

  10. Mapping multi-scale vascular plant richness in a forest landscape with integrated LiDAR and hyperspectral remote-sensing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hakkenberg, C R; Zhu, K; Peet, R K; Song, C

    2018-02-01

    The central role of floristic diversity in maintaining habitat integrity and ecosystem function has propelled efforts to map and monitor its distribution across forest landscapes. While biodiversity studies have traditionally relied largely on ground-based observations, the immensity of the task of generating accurate, repeatable, and spatially-continuous data on biodiversity patterns at large scales has stimulated the development of remote-sensing methods for scaling up from field plot measurements. One such approach is through integrated LiDAR and hyperspectral remote-sensing. However, despite their efficiencies in cost and effort, LiDAR-hyperspectral sensors are still highly constrained in structurally- and taxonomically-heterogeneous forests - especially when species' cover is smaller than the image resolution, intertwined with neighboring taxa, or otherwise obscured by overlapping canopy strata. In light of these challenges, this study goes beyond the remote characterization of upper canopy diversity to instead model total vascular plant species richness in a continuous-cover North Carolina Piedmont forest landscape. We focus on two related, but parallel, tasks. First, we demonstrate an application of predictive biodiversity mapping, using nonparametric models trained with spatially-nested field plots and aerial LiDAR-hyperspectral data, to predict spatially-explicit landscape patterns in floristic diversity across seven spatial scales between 0.01-900 m 2 . Second, we employ bivariate parametric models to test the significance of individual, remotely-sensed predictors of plant richness to determine how parameter estimates vary with scale. Cross-validated results indicate that predictive models were able to account for 15-70% of variance in plant richness, with LiDAR-derived estimates of topography and forest structural complexity, as well as spectral variance in hyperspectral imagery explaining the largest portion of variance in diversity levels. Importantly

  11. Using Google Earth Surface Metrics to Predict Plant Species Richness in a Complex Landscape

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sebastián Block

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available Google Earth provides a freely available, global mosaic of high-resolution imagery from different sensors that has become popular in environmental and ecological studies. However, such imagery lacks the near-infrared band often used in studying vegetation, thus its potential for estimating vegetation properties remains unclear. In this study, we assess the potential of Google Earth imagery to describe and predict vegetation attributes. Further, we compare it to the potential of SPOT imagery, which has additional spectral information. We measured basal area, vegetation height, crown cover, density of individuals, and species richness in 60 plots in the oak forests of a complex volcanic landscape in central Mexico. We modelled each vegetation attribute as a function of surface metrics derived from Google Earth and SPOT images, and selected the best-supported linear models from each source. Total species richness was the best-described and predicted variable: the best Google Earth-based model explained nearly as much variation in species richness as its SPOT counterpart (R2 = 0.44 and 0.51, respectively. However, Google Earth metrics emerged as poor predictors of all remaining vegetation attributes, whilst SPOT metrics showed potential for predicting vegetation height. We conclude that Google Earth imagery can be used to estimate species richness in complex landscapes. As it is freely available, Google Earth can broaden the use of remote sensing by researchers and managers in low-income tropical countries where most biodiversity hotspots are found.

  12. Fermionic spectral functions in backreacting p-wave superconductors at finite temperature

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Giordano, G.L.; Grandi, N.E.; Lugo, A.R. [Instituto de Física de La Plata - CONICET & Departamento de Física - UNLP,C.C. 67, 1900 La Plata (Argentina)

    2017-04-14

    We investigate the spectral function of fermions in a p-wave superconducting state, at finite both temperature and gravitational coupling, using the AdS/CFT correspondence and extending previous research. We found that, for any coupling below a critical value, the system behaves as its zero temperature limit. By increasing the coupling, the “peak-dip-hump” structure that characterizes the spectral function at fixed momenta disappears. In the region where the normal/superconductor phase transition is first order, the presence of a non-zero order parameter is reflected in the absence of rotational symmetry in the fermionic spectral function at the critical temperature.

  13. Context-dependent interactions and the regulation of species richness in freshwater fish

    Science.gov (United States)

    MacDougall, Andrew S.; Harvey, Eric; McCune, Jenny L.; Nilsson, Karin A.; Bennett, Joseph; Firn, Jennifer; Bartley, Timothy; Grace, James B.; Kelly, Jocelyn; Tunney, Tyler D.; McMeans, Bailey; Matsuzaki, Shin-Ichiro S.; Kadoya, Taku; Esch, Ellen; Cazelles, Kevin; Lester, Nigel; McCann, Kevin S.

    2018-01-01

    Species richness is regulated by a complex network of scale-dependent processes. This complexity can obscure the influence of limiting species interactions, making it difficult to determine if abiotic or biotic drivers are more predominant regulators of richness. Using integrative modeling of freshwater fish richness from 721 lakes along an 11olatitudinal gradient, we find negative interactions to be a relatively minor independent predictor of species richness in lakes despite the widespread presence of predators. Instead, interaction effects, when detectable among major functional groups and 231 species pairs, were strong, often positive, but contextually dependent on environment. These results are consistent with the idea that negative interactions internally structure lake communities but do not consistently ‘scale-up’ to regulate richness independently of the environment. The importance of environment for interaction outcomes and its role in the regulation of species richness highlights the potential sensitivity of fish communities to the environmental changes affecting lakes globally.

  14. Effect of the kind of alkaline and rare earth ions on the structure of a glass rich in earth; Effet de la nature des ions alcalins et alcalino-terreux sur la structure d un verre riche en terre

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Quintas, Arnaud; Caurant, Daniel; Majerus, Odile [Laboratoire de Chimie Appliquee de l Etat Solide, UMR 7574, ENSCP, 11 rue Pierre et Marie Curie, 75231 Paris Cedex 05, (France); Lenoir, Marion; Dussossoy, Jean-Luc [Commissariat a l Energie Atomique, Centre d Etudes de la Vallee du Rhone, DIEC/SCDV/LEBM, 30207 Bagnols-sur-Ceze, (France); Charpentier, Thibault [Service de Chimie Moleculaire, DSM/DRECAM/CEA Saclay, 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette Cedex, (France); Neuville, Daniel R. [Laboratoire de Physique des Mineraux et des Magmas, UMR 7047-CNRS-IPGP, Universite Pierre et Marie Curie, 4 place Jussieu, 75252 Paris Cedex 05, (France); Gervais, C. [Laboratoire de Chimie de la matiere condensee, UMR7574, Universite Pierre et Marie Curie, 4 place Jussieu, F-75252 Paris Cedex 05, (France)

    2006-07-01

    In the framework of a structural study of a nuclear wastes containment glass of type alumino borosilicate and rich in rare earths, the influence of the kind of alkaline or rare earth ions is analyzed. For that, two glasses series have been prepared in which the Na{sup +} ion (respectively Ca{sup 2+} ions) present in the standard composition is totally substituted by another alkaline ion Li{sup +}, K{sup +}, Rb{sup +} or Cs{sup +} (respectively another rare earth ion Mg{sup 2+}, Sr{sup 2+} or Ba{sup 2+}). These glasses, analyzed by optical absorption, Raman and {sup 27}Al or {sup 11}B NMR spectroscopies have revealed the strong impact of the kind of the modifying ion as well as the structure of the vitreous lattice (variation of the ratio BO{sub 3}/BO{sub 4} and local variations of the polymerization degree) than the local surroundings of the rare earth (decrease of the covalency degree of the bond Nd-O with the increase of the field force of the modifying ion). (O.M.)

  15. Premixed Turbulent Flames and Spectral Approach Flammes turbulentes de prémélange Approche spectrale

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mathieu J.

    2006-11-01

    Full Text Available Scientific and technical approach concerning the behaviour of flames developing in a turbulent medium are related in many recent papers. On the whole the problem is very complex!The chemical reaction develops inside a turbulent flow which requires a double scaling. Characteristic times and characteristic lengths have to be defined for both flame and the turbulent fields. With a view to enlarging these comparisons a spectral analyses of the turbulent field is proposed. It is widely supported by previous experimental data. The flame can be acted upon by an external turbulent fields. That supposes the flame to be thicker that the smallest turbulent structures in connection with the Kolmogorov scale. With increasing Reynolds numbers turbulent structures penetrate the flame front, they can disturb the preheat zone or event the chemical zone. The passage of a flame front regime to the case of a chemical reaction developing in a volume is thereby emphasized. As the reaction rate is decreasing, the domain affected by the reaction is increased chemical reactions generate a segregation process whereas the chemical species are mixed by the turbulent motion. In the premixed combustion engine a large range of operating points can be defined. The diagram usually used is that of Barrere Borghi. Several modeling methods should probably be developed according to the positions of the operating points in the diagram. Modeling methods are not presented herein. However the existence of typical structures in connection with the architecture of the combustion chamber could be examined in subsequent paper. The flame front can be subjected to distorting effects due to isolated rolling or to a sequence of vortices. Previously this last case has been touched upon. Using a spectral approach no discremination has to be made as for the sizes of these rollings: that could lead to new modeling methods if restricted shapes of vortices are accepted. By using a spectral method

  16. Peculiarities Of The Chemical Bond In Thorium Compounds And Fine X-Ray Photoelectron And O4,5(Th) Emission Spectral Structure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Teterin, Yu.A.; Teterin, A.Yu.; Utkin, I.O.; Ivanov, K.E.; Terehov, V.A.; Ryzhkovc, M.V.; Vukchevich, L.J.

    2002-01-01

    On the basis of the XPS (0 - -1000 eV), x-ray 04 5(Th) low-energy (0 - 50eV) emission fine spectral structure parameters, and theoretical calculations results for electronic structure of Th, ThO 2 , and ThF 4 , the study of the Th6p-,5f- electronic states was carried out. As a result, despite the absence of the Th5f electrons in atomic Th, the Th5f atomic orbitals were established to be able to participate in the molecular orbital formation in thorium dioxide and tetrafluoride. In the MOLCAO approximation it enabled to suggest that the filled Th5f states exist in thorium compounds

  17. Euler deconvolution and spectral analysis of regional aeromagnetic ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Existing regional aeromagnetic data from the south-central Zimbabwe craton has been analysed using 3D Euler deconvolution and spectral analysis to obtain quantitative information on the geological units and structures for depth constraints on the geotectonic interpretation of the region. The Euler solution maps confirm ...

  18. Spectrally selective glazings

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1998-08-01

    Spectrally selective glazing is window glass that permits some portions of the solar spectrum to enter a building while blocking others. This high-performance glazing admits as much daylight as possible while preventing transmission of as much solar heat as possible. By controlling solar heat gains in summer, preventing loss of interior heat in winter, and allowing occupants to reduce electric lighting use by making maximum use of daylight, spectrally selective glazing significantly reduces building energy consumption and peak demand. Because new spectrally selective glazings can have a virtually clear appearance, they admit more daylight and permit much brighter, more open views to the outside while still providing the solar control of the dark, reflective energy-efficient glass of the past. This Federal Technology Alert provides detailed information and procedures for Federal energy managers to consider spectrally selective glazings. The principle of spectrally selective glazings is explained. Benefits related to energy efficiency and other architectural criteria are delineated. Guidelines are provided for appropriate application of spectrally selective glazing, and step-by-step instructions are given for estimating energy savings. Case studies are also presented to illustrate actual costs and energy savings. Current manufacturers, technology users, and references for further reading are included for users who have questions not fully addressed here.

  19. Spectral theory and nonlinear functional analysis

    CERN Document Server

    Lopez-Gomez, Julian

    2001-01-01

    This Research Note addresses several pivotal problems in spectral theory and nonlinear functional analysis in connection with the analysis of the structure of the set of zeroes of a general class of nonlinear operators. It features the construction of an optimal algebraic/analytic invariant for calculating the Leray-Schauder degree, new methods for solving nonlinear equations in Banach spaces, and general properties of components of solutions sets presented with minimal use of topological tools. The author also gives several applications of the abstract theory to reaction diffusion equations and systems.The results presented cover a thirty-year period and include recent, unpublished findings of the author and his coworkers. Appealing to a broad audience, Spectral Theory and Nonlinear Functional Analysis contains many important contributions to linear algebra, linear and nonlinear functional analysis, and topology and opens the door for further advances.

  20. Adaptive Spectral Doppler Estimation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gran, Fredrik; Jakobsson, Andreas; Jensen, Jørgen Arendt

    2009-01-01

    . The methods can also provide better quality of the estimated power spectral density (PSD) of the blood signal. Adaptive spectral estimation techniques are known to pro- vide good spectral resolution and contrast even when the ob- servation window is very short. The 2 adaptive techniques are tested......In this paper, 2 adaptive spectral estimation techniques are analyzed for spectral Doppler ultrasound. The purpose is to minimize the observation window needed to estimate the spectrogram to provide a better temporal resolution and gain more flexibility when designing the data acquisition sequence...... and compared with the averaged periodogram (Welch’s method). The blood power spectral capon (BPC) method is based on a standard minimum variance technique adapted to account for both averaging over slow-time and depth. The blood amplitude and phase estimation technique (BAPES) is based on finding a set...

  1. Spectral properties of the temporal evolution of brain network structure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Rong; Zhang, Zhen-Zhen; Ma, Jun; Yang, Yong; Lin, Pan; Wu, Ying

    2015-12-01

    The temporal evolution properties of the brain network are crucial for complex brain processes. In this paper, we investigate the differences in the dynamic brain network during resting and visual stimulation states in a task-positive subnetwork, task-negative subnetwork, and whole-brain network. The dynamic brain network is first constructed from human functional magnetic resonance imaging data based on the sliding window method, and then the eigenvalues corresponding to the network are calculated. We use eigenvalue analysis to analyze the global properties of eigenvalues and the random matrix theory (RMT) method to measure the local properties. For global properties, the shifting of the eigenvalue distribution and the decrease in the largest eigenvalue are linked to visual stimulation in all networks. For local properties, the short-range correlation in eigenvalues as measured by the nearest neighbor spacing distribution is not always sensitive to visual stimulation. However, the long-range correlation in eigenvalues as evaluated by spectral rigidity and number variance not only predicts the universal behavior of the dynamic brain network but also suggests non-consistent changes in different networks. These results demonstrate that the dynamic brain network is more random for the task-positive subnetwork and whole-brain network under visual stimulation but is more regular for the task-negative subnetwork. Our findings provide deeper insight into the importance of spectral properties in the functional brain network, especially the incomparable role of RMT in revealing the intrinsic properties of complex systems.

  2. Lesion characterization in spectral photon-counting tomosynthesis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cederström, Björn; Fredenberg, Erik; Berggren, Karl; Erhard, Klaus; Danielsson, Mats; Wallis, Matthew

    2017-03-01

    It has previously been shown that 2D spectral mammography can be used to discriminate between (likely benign) cystic and (potentially malignant) solid lesions in order to reduce unnecessary recalls in mammography. One limitation of the technique is, however, that the composition of overlapping tissue needs to be interpolated from a region surrounding the lesion. The purpose of this investigation was to demonstrate that lesion characterization can be done with spectral tomosynthesis, and to investigate whether the 3D information available in tomosynthesis can reduce the uncertainty from the interpolation of surrounding tissue. A phantom experiment was designed to simulate a cyst and a tumor, where the tumor was overlaid with a structure that made it mimic a cyst. In 2D, the two targets appeared similar in composition, whereas spectral tomosynthesis revealed the exact compositional difference. However, the loss of discrimination signal due to spread from the plane of interest was of the same strength as the reduction of anatomical noise. Results from a preliminary investigation on clinical tomosynthesis images of solid lesions yielded results that were consistent with the phantom experiments, but were still to some extent inconclusive. We conclude that lesion characterization is feasible in spectral tomosynthesis, but more data, as well as refinement of the calibration and discrimination algorithms, are needed to draw final conclusions about the benefit compared to 2D.

  3. Effects of soil water table regime on tree community species richness and structure of alluvial forest fragments in Southeast Brazil.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Silva, A C; Higuchi, P; van den Berg, E

    2010-08-01

    In order to determine the influence of soil water table fluctuation on tree species richness and structure of alluvial forest fragments, 24 plots were allocated in a point bar forest and 30 plots in five forest fragments located in a floodplain, in the municipality of São Sebastião da Bela Vista, Southeast Brazil, totalizing 54, 10 X 20 m, plots. The information recorded in each plot were the soil water table level, diameter at breast height (dbh), total height and botanical identity off all trees with dbh > 5 cm. The water table fluctuation was assessed through 1 m deep observation wells in each plot. Correlations analysis indicated that sites with shallower water table in the flooding plains had a low number of tree species and high tree density. Although the water table in the point bar remained below the wells during the study period, low tree species richness was observed. There are other events taking place within the point bar forest that assume a high ecological importance, such as the intensive water velocity during flooding and sedimentation processes.

  4. Effects of soil water table regime on tree community species richness and structure of alluvial forest fragments in Southeast Brazil

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    AC. Silva

    Full Text Available In order to determine the influence of soil water table fluctuation on tree species richness and structure of alluvial forest fragments, 24 plots were allocated in a point bar forest and 30 plots in five forest fragments located in a floodplain, in the municipality of São Sebastião da Bela Vista, Southeast Brazil, totalizing 54, 10 X 20 m, plots. The information recorded in each plot were the soil water table level, diameter at breast height (dbh, total height and botanical identity off all trees with dbh > 5 cm. The water table fluctuation was assessed through 1 m deep observation wells in each plot. Correlations analysis indicated that sites with shallower water table in the flooding plains had a low number of tree species and high tree density. Although the water table in the point bar remained below the wells during the study period, low tree species richness was observed. There are other events taking place within the point bar forest that assume a high ecological importance, such as the intensive water velocity during flooding and sedimentation processes.

  5. Enkephalins: Raman spectral analysis and comparison as function of pH 1-13

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Abdali, Salim; Refstrup, Pia; Nielsen, O.F.

    2003-01-01

    Raman spectral studies are carried out on Leu- and Met-enkephalin as a function of the pH value in the range of 1-13. The molecules are dissolved in KCI solvent and the pH is controlled at each value. Spectral analyses reveal the dependence of the structural conformation on the pH, and a comparis...

  6. High-resolution crystal structure of Streptococcus pyogenes β-NAD+ glycohydrolase in complex with its endogenous inhibitor IFS reveals a highly water-rich interface

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yoon, Ji Young; An, Doo Ri; Yoon, Hye-Jin; Kim, Hyoun Sook; Lee, Sang Jae; Im, Ha Na; Jang, Jun Young; Suh, Se Won

    2013-01-01

    The crystal structure of the complex between the C-terminal domain of Streptococcus pyogenes β-NAD + glycohydrolase and an endogenous inhibitor for SPN was determined at 1.70 Å. It reveals that the interface between the two proteins is highly rich in water molecules. One of the virulence factors produced by Streptococcus pyogenes is β-NAD + glycohydrolase (SPN). S. pyogenes injects SPN into the cytosol of an infected host cell using the cytolysin-mediated translocation pathway. As SPN is toxic to bacterial cells themselves, S. pyogenes possesses the ifs gene that encodes an endogenous inhibitor for SPN (IFS). IFS is localized intracellularly and forms a complex with SPN. This intracellular complex must be dissociated during export through the cell envelope. To provide a structural basis for understanding the interactions between SPN and IFS, the complex was overexpressed between the mature SPN (residues 38–451) and the full-length IFS (residues 1–161), but it could not be crystallized. Therefore, limited proteolysis was used to isolate a crystallizable SPN ct –IFS complex, which consists of the SPN C-terminal domain (SPN ct ; residues 193–451) and the full-length IFS. Its crystal structure has been determined by single anomalous diffraction and the model refined at 1.70 Å resolution. Interestingly, our high-resolution structure of the complex reveals that the interface between SPN ct and IFS is highly rich in water molecules and many of the interactions are water-mediated. The wet interface may facilitate the dissociation of the complex for translocation across the cell envelope

  7. Does the orientation of Norway spruce (Picea abies /L./ Karst.) branches within sunlit crown part influence the heterogeneity of biochemical, structural and spectral characteristics of needles?

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Lhotáková, Z.; Albrechtová, J.; Malenovsky, Z.; Rock, B.N.; Polák, T.; Cudlín, P.

    2007-01-01

    The goal of this study was to determine if selected biochemical, structural and spectral properties of Norway spruce needles are influenced by the azimuth orientation of the branch. Three youngest needle age classes from 20 mature (100 years old or older) Norway spruce trees were sampled from upper

  8. Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi Community Structure, Abundance and Species Richness Changes in Soil by Different Levels of Heavy Metal and Metalloid Concentration

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krishnamoorthy, Ramasamy; Kim, Chang-Gi; Subramanian, Parthiban; Kim, Ki-Yoon; Selvakumar, Gopal; Sa, Tong-Min

    2015-01-01

    Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi (AMF) play major roles in ecosystem functioning such as carbon sequestration, nutrient cycling, and plant growth promotion. It is important to know how this ecologically important soil microbial player is affected by soil abiotic factors particularly heavy metal and metalloid (HMM). The objective of this study was to understand the impact of soil HMM concentration on AMF abundance and community structure in the contaminated sites of South Korea. Soil samples were collected from the vicinity of an abandoned smelter and the samples were subjected to three complementary methods such as spore morphology, terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) for diversity analysis. Spore density was found to be significantly higher in highly contaminated soil compared to less contaminated soil. Spore morphological study revealed that Glomeraceae family was more abundant followed by Acaulosporaceae and Gigasporaceae in the vicinity of the smelter. T-RFLP and DGGE analysis confirmed the dominance of Funneliformis mosseae and Rhizophagus intraradices in all the study sites. Claroideoglomus claroideum, Funneliformis caledonium, Rhizophagus clarus and Funneliformis constrictum were found to be sensitive to high concentration of soil HMM. Richness and diversity of Glomeraceae family increased with significant increase in soil arsenic, cadmium and zinc concentrations. Our results revealed that the soil HMM has a vital impact on AMF community structure, especially with Glomeraceae family abundance, richness and diversity. PMID:26035444

  9. Species richness and trophic diversity increase decomposition in a co-evolved food web.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Benjamin Baiser

    Full Text Available Ecological communities show great variation in species richness, composition and food web structure across similar and diverse ecosystems. Knowledge of how this biodiversity relates to ecosystem functioning is important for understanding the maintenance of diversity and the potential effects of species losses and gains on ecosystems. While research often focuses on how variation in species richness influences ecosystem processes, assessing species richness in a food web context can provide further insight into the relationship between diversity and ecosystem functioning and elucidate potential mechanisms underpinning this relationship. Here, we assessed how species richness and trophic diversity affect decomposition rates in a complete aquatic food web: the five trophic level web that occurs within water-filled leaves of the northern pitcher plant, Sarracenia purpurea. We identified a trophic cascade in which top-predators--larvae of the pitcher-plant mosquito--indirectly increased bacterial decomposition by preying on bactivorous protozoa. Our data also revealed a facultative relationship in which larvae of the pitcher-plant midge increased bacterial decomposition by shredding detritus. These important interactions occur only in food webs with high trophic diversity, which in turn only occur in food webs with high species richness. We show that species richness and trophic diversity underlie strong linkages between food web structure and dynamics that influence ecosystem functioning. The importance of trophic diversity and species interactions in determining how biodiversity relates to ecosystem functioning suggests that simply focusing on species richness does not give a complete picture as to how ecosystems may change with the loss or gain of species.

  10. Convenient method for estimating underground s-wave velocity structure utilizing horizontal and vertical components microtremor spectral ratio; Bido no suiheido/jogedo supekutoru hi wo riyoshita kan`i chika s ha sokudo kozo suiteiho

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yamamoto, H; Yoshioka, M; Saito, T [Iwate University, Iwate (Japan). Faculty of Engineering

    1996-05-01

    Studies were conducted about the method of estimating the underground S-wave velocity structure by inversion making use of the horizontal/vertical motion spectral ratio of microtremors. For this purpose, a dynamo-electric velocity type seismograph was used, capable of processing the east-west, north-south, and vertical components integratedly. For the purpose of sampling the Rayleigh wave spectral ratio, one out of all the azimuths was chosen, whose horizontal motion had a high Fourier frequency component coherency with the vertical motions. For the estimation of the underground S-wave velocity structure, parameters (P-wave velocity, S-wave velocity, density, and layer thickness) were determined from the minimum residual sum of squares involving the observed microtremor spectral ratio and the theoretical value calculated by use of a model structure. The known boring data was utilized for the study of the S-wave velocity in the top layer, and it was determined using an S-wave velocity estimation formula for the Morioka area constructed using the N-value, depth, and geological classification. It was found that the optimum S-wave velocity structure even below the top layer well reflects the S-wave velocity obtained by the estimation formula. 5 refs., 6 figs.

  11. Spectral characteristics of banded iron formations in Singhbhum craton, eastern India: Implications for hematite deposits on Mars

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mahima Singh

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available Banded iron formations (BIFs are major rock units having hematite layers intermittent with silica rich layers and formed by sedimentary processes during late Archean to mid Proterozoic time. In terrestrial environment, hematite deposits are mainly found associated with banded iron formations. The BIFs in Lake Superior (Canada and Carajas (Brazil have been studied by planetary scientists to trace the evolution of hematite deposits on Mars. Hematite deposits are extensively identified in Meridiani region on Mars. Many hypotheses have been proposed to decipher the mechanism for the formation of these deposits. On the basis of geomorphological and mineralogical studies, aqueous environment of deposition is found to be the most supportive mechanism for its secondary iron rich deposits. In the present study, we examined the spectral characteristics of banded iron formations of Joda and Daitari located in Singhbhum craton in eastern India to check its potentiality as an analog to the aqueous/marine environment on Mars. The prominent banding feature of banded iron formations is in the range of few millimeters to few centimeters in thickness. Fe rich bands are darker (gray in color compared to the light reddish jaspilitic chert bands. Thin quartz veins (<4 mm are occasionally observed in the hand-specimens of banded iron formations. Spectral investigations have been conducted in VIS/NIR region of electromagnetic spectrum in the laboratory conditions. Optimum absorption bands identified include 0.65, 0.86, 1.4 and 1.9 μm, in which 0.56 and 0.86 μm absorption bands are due to ferric iron and 1.4 and 1.9 μm bands are due to OH/H2O. To validate the mineralogical results obtained from VIS/NIR spectral radiometry, laser Raman and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic techniques were utilized and the results were found to be similar. Goethite-hematite association in banded iron formation in Singhbhum craton suggests dehydration activity, which has

  12. Study of the structure of yrast bands of neutron-rich 114-124Pd isotopes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chaudhary, Ritu; Devi, Rani; Khosa, S. K.

    2018-02-01

    The projected shell model calculations have been carried out in the neutron-rich 114-124Pd isotopic mass chain. The results have been obtained for the deformation systematics of E(2+1) and E(4+1)/E({2}+1) values, BCS subshell occupation numbers, yrast spectra, backbending phenomena, B( E2) transition probabilities and g-factors in these nuclei. The observed systematics of E(2+1) values and R_{42} ratios in the 114-124Pd isotopic mass chain indicate that there is a decrease of collectivity as the neutron number increases from 68 to 78. The occurrence of backbending in these nuclei as well as the changes in the calculated B( E2) transition probabilities and g -factors predict that there are changes in the structure of yrast bands in these nuclei. These changes occur at the spin where there is crossing of g-band by 2-qp bands. The predicted backbendings and predicted values of B( E2)s and g-factors in some of the isotopes need to be confirmed experimentally.

  13. Origin of Spectral Band Patterns in the Cosmic Unidentified Infrared Emission

    Science.gov (United States)

    Álvaro Galué, Héctor; Díaz Leines, Grisell

    2017-10-01

    The cosmic unidentified infrared emission (UIE) band phenomenon is generally considered as indicative of free-flying polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon molecules in space. However, a coherent explanation of emission spectral band patterns depending on astrophysical source is yet to be resolved under this attribution. Meanwhile astronomers have restored the alternative origin as due to amorphous carbon particles, but assigning spectral patterns to specific structural elements of particles is equally challenging. Here we report a physical principle in which inclusion of nonplanar structural defects in aromatic core molecular structures (π domains) induces spectral patterns typical of the phenomenon. We show that defects in model π domains modulate the electronic-vibration coupling that activates the delocalized π -electron contribution to aromatic vibrational modes. The modulation naturally disperses C =C stretch modes in band patterns that readily resemble the UIE bands in the elusive 6 - 9 μ m range. The electron-vibration interaction mechanics governing the defect-induced band patterns underscores the importance of π delocalization in the emergence of UIE bands. We discuss the global UIE band regularity of this range as compatible with an emission from the delocalized s p2 phase, as π domains, confined in disordered carbon mixed-phase aggregates.

  14. Nitrogen-rich salts of 5,5‧-bistetrazole-1,1‧-diolate: Syntheses, structures and properties

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Ting; Zhang, Jian-Guo; Zhang, Zhi-Bin; Gozin, Michael

    2018-03-01

    A series of new nitrogen-rich energetic salts containing 1H,1‧H-[5,5‧-bitetrazole]-1,1‧-diol (BTO) anion and ethane-1,2-diaminium (1), 1-amino-1H-1,2,3-triazol-3-ium (2), 4-amino-4H-1,2,4-triazol-1-ium (3) and 4,5-diamino-4H-1,2,4-triazol-1-ium (4) cations were synthesized by direct salt formation or by metathesis strategy. The structures of energetic salts 1-4 were comprehensively characterized by elemental analysis, mass spectrometry, IR and NMR spectroscopies and by X-ray crystallography. DSC and TGA methods were used to study thermal properties of these salts. Additionally, the non-isothermal kinetic parameters and thermodynamic parameters were calculated by utilizing the Kissinger's and Ozawa-Doyle's methods. The enthalpies of formation for all target compounds in this study were calculated, and their sensitivity to mechanical impact and friction was tested according to BAM guidelines. We found these new energetic salts exhibit good thermal stability and have typical decomposition temperatures above 230 °C, except for the salt 2. All our salts have highly-positive enthalpies of formation (311.1-473.6 kJ mol-1) and are insensitive to impact and friction stimuli (>40 J, 120 N). With a high nitrogen-rich content, high enthalpy of formation, good thermostability and very low sensitivity to impact, some of these new salts may have a potential for application in the field of environmentally friendly insensitive energetic materials.

  15. New Spectral Method for Halo Particle Definition in Intense Mis-matched Beams

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dorf, Mikhail A.; Davidson, Ronald C.; Startsev, Edward A.

    2011-04-27

    An advanced spectral analysis of a mis-matched charged particle beam propagating through a periodic focusing transport lattice is utilized in particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations. It is found that the betatron frequency distribution function of a mismatched space-charge-dominated beam has a bump-on-tail structure attributed to the beam halo particles. Based on this observation, a new spectral method for halo particle definition is proposed that provides the opportunity to carry out a quantitative analysis of halo particle production by a beam mismatch. In addition, it is shown that the spectral analysis of the mismatch relaxation process provides important insights into the emittance growth attributed to the halo formation and the core relaxation processes. Finally, the spectral method is applied to the problem of space-charge transport limits.

  16. A review of materials for spectral design coatings in signature management applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Andersson, Kent E.; Škerlind, Christina

    2014-10-01

    The current focus in Swedish policy towards national security and high-end technical systems, together with a rapid development in multispectral sensor technology, adds to the utility of developing advanced materials for spectral design in signature management applications. A literature study was performed probing research databases for advancements. Qualitative text analysis was performed using a six-indicator instrument: spectrally selective reflectance; low gloss; low degree of polarization; low infrared emissivity; non-destructive properties in radar and in general controllability of optical properties. Trends are identified and the most interesting materials and coating designs are presented with relevant performance metrics. They are sorted into categories in the order of increasing complexity: pigments and paints, one-dimensional structures, multidimensional structures (including photonic crystals), and lastly biomimic and metamaterials. The military utility of the coatings is assessed qualitatively. The need for developing a framework for assessing the military utility of incrementally increasing the performance of spectrally selective coatings is identified.

  17. Spinel-Bearing, Al-Rich Chrondrules in the Unequilibrated Ordinary Chondrite NWA7402

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ross, D. K.; Simon, J. I.; Cato, M. J.

    2017-01-01

    Several Al-rich chondrules (ARCs) have been discovered in the unequilibrated ordinary chondrite NWA7402. Two of these three ARCs are spinel-bearing. Here we have characterized these unusual chondrules with respect to their mineralogy and bulk compositions. These objects will be targets for future O and Mg isotope analysis. NWA7402 is clearly unequilibrated, with wide ranges of olivine compositions in chondrules (Fo99-Fo70, excluding rims). Chromium-oxide contents in olivine, and Raman organic spectral parameters support the classification of this meteorite as petrologic type 3.1 [1]. NWA7402 is similar to, and could be paired with NWA5717, in that they both possess light and dark lithologies.

  18. A RICH detector for strangeness physics in Hall A at Jefferson Lab

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cusanno, F.; Garibaldi, F.; Cisbani, E.; Colilli, S.; De Cataldo, G.; De Leo, R.; Giuliani, F.; Gricia, M.; Lagamba, L.; Lucentini, M.; Reitz, B.; Santavenere, F.; Urciuoli, G.M.

    2004-01-01

    The high-resolution hypernuclear spectroscopy experiment at Jefferson Lab, Hall A (E94-107), needs unambiguous kaon identification. Due to the huge pion and proton background, the standard Hall A hadron particle identification, based on a time of flight and two aerogel threshold Cherenkov detectors, is not sufficient. For this task a proximity focusing C 6 F 14 /CsI RICH has been built. Recently, after some improvements to the mechanical structure of its wire chamber and to its electronics rate capability, the RICH has been tested with cosmic rays. This paper represents a status report of the RICH detector

  19. Herschel observations of extraordinary sources: Analysis of the HIFI 1.2 THz wide spectral survey toward orion KL. I. method

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Crockett, Nathan R.; Bergin, Edwin A.; Neill, Justin L.; Favre, Cécile [Department of Astronomy, University of Michigan, 500 Church Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 (United States); Schilke, Peter [Physikalisches Institut, Universität zu Köln, Zülpicher Str. 77, D-50937 Köln (Germany); Lis, Dariusz C.; Emprechtinger, Martin; Phillips, Thomas G. [Cahill Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics 301-17, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Bell, Tom A.; Cernicharo, José; Esplugues, Gisela B. [Centro de Astrobiología (CSIC/INTA), Laboratiorio de Astrofísica Molecular, Ctra. de Torrejón a Ajalvir, km 4, E-28850 Torrejón de Ardoz, Madrid (Spain); Blake, Geoffrey; Kleshcheva, Maria [Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, MS 150-21, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Gupta, Harshal; Pearson, John [Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109 (United States); Lord, Steven [Infrared Processing and Analysis Center, California Institute of Technology, MS 100-22, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Marcelino, Nuria [National Radio Astronomy Observatory, 520 Edgemont Road, Charlottesville, VA 22903 (United States); McGuire, Brett A. [Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Plume, Rene [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4 (Canada); Van der Tak, Floris [SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research, P.O. Box 800, 9700 AV Groningen (Netherlands); and others

    2014-06-01

    We present a comprehensive analysis of a broadband spectral line survey of the Orion Kleinmann-Low nebula (Orion KL), one of the most chemically rich regions in the Galaxy, using the HIFI instrument on board the Herschel Space Observatory. This survey spans a frequency range from 480 to 1907 GHz at a resolution of 1.1 MHz. These observations thus encompass the largest spectral coverage ever obtained toward this high-mass star-forming region in the submillimeter with high spectral resolution and include frequencies >1 THz, where the Earth's atmosphere prevents observations from the ground. In all, we detect emission from 39 molecules (79 isotopologues). Combining this data set with ground-based millimeter spectroscopy obtained with the IRAM 30 m telescope, we model the molecular emission from the millimeter to the far-IR using the XCLASS program, which assumes local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE). Several molecules are also modeled with the MADEX non-LTE code. Because of the wide frequency coverage, our models are constrained by transitions over an unprecedented range in excitation energy. A reduced χ{sup 2} analysis indicates that models for most species reproduce the observed emission well. In particular, most complex organics are well fit by LTE implying gas densities are high (>10{sup 6} cm{sup –3}) and excitation temperatures and column densities are well constrained. Molecular abundances are computed using H{sub 2} column densities also derived from the HIFI survey. The distribution of rotation temperatures, T {sub rot}, for molecules detected toward the hot core is significantly wider than the compact ridge, plateau, and extended ridge T {sub rot} distributions, indicating the hot core has the most complex thermal structure.

  20. Spectral multitude and spectral dynamics reflect changing conjugation length in single molecules of oligophenylenevinylenes

    KAUST Repository

    Kobayashi, Hiroyuki; Tsuchiya, Kousuke; Ogino, Kenji; Vacha, Martin

    2012-01-01

    Single-molecule study of phenylenevinylene oligomers revealed distinct spectral forms due to different conjugation lengths which are determined by torsional defects. Large spectral jumps between different spectral forms were ascribed to torsional flips of a single phenylene ring. These spectral changes reflect the dynamic nature of electron delocalization in oligophenylenevinylenes and enable estimation of the phenylene torsional barriers. © 2012 The Owner Societies.

  1. Evaluation criteria for spectral design of camouflage

    Science.gov (United States)

    Škerlind, Christina; Fagerström, Jan; Hallberg, Tomas; Kariis, Hans

    2015-10-01

    In development of visual (VIS) and infrared (IR) camouflage for signature management, the aim is the design of surface properties of an object to spectrally match or adapt to a background and thereby minimizing the contrast perceived by a threatening sensor. The so called 'ladder model" relates the requirements for task measure of effectiveness with surface structure properties through the steps signature effectiveness and object signature. It is intended to link materials properties via platform signature to military utility and vice versa. Spectral design of a surface intends to give it a desired wavelength dependent optical response to fit a specific application of interest. Six evaluation criteria were stated, with the aim to aid the process to put requirement on camouflage and for evaluation. The six criteria correspond to properties such as reflectance, gloss, emissivity, and degree of polarization as well as dynamic properties, and broadband or multispectral properties. These criteria have previously been exemplified on different kinds of materials and investigated separately. Anderson and Åkerlind further point out that the six criteria rarely were considered or described all together in one and same publication previously. The specific level of requirement of the different properties must be specified individually for each specific situation and environment to minimize the contrast between target and a background. The criteria or properties are not totally independent of one another. How they are correlated is part of the theme of this paper. However, prioritization has been made due to the limit of space. Therefore all of the interconnections between the six criteria will not be considered in the work of this report. The ladder step previous to digging into the different material composition possibilities and choice of suitable materials and structures (not covered here), includes the object signature and decision of what the spectral response should be

  2. Use of ephippial morphology to assess richness of anomopods: potentials and pitfalls

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Luc DE MEESTER

    2004-09-01

    Full Text Available Zooplankton species richness is typically assessed through analysis of active community samples. These samples ought to be collected at many different locations in the lake and at multiple occasions throughout the year so as to cover the spatial and temporal heterogeneity in active community structure. A number of studies have shown that high numbers of species can be retrieved with a limited effort through hatching of dormant eggs isolated from lake sediments. However, dormant eggs of different species differ in their propensities to hatch, resulting in biased assessments of species composition, abundance and richness. In this paper, we explore the potentials and pitfalls of a third method to assess cladoceran species richness. For twenty European lakes, we identified the number of ephippium morphotypes in sediment samples taken on a single occasion. The morphotype richness was well correlated with species richness as assessed through hatching of dormant forms and through analysis of active community samples covering a six month period. However, not all species had a species-specific ephippial morphotype, consequently resulting in an underestimation of true species richness.

  3. [Review of digital ground object spectral library].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, Xiao-Hu; Zhou, Ding-Wu

    2009-06-01

    A higher spectral resolution is the main direction of developing remote sensing technology, and it is quite important to set up the digital ground object reflectance spectral database library, one of fundamental research fields in remote sensing application. Remote sensing application has been increasingly relying on ground object spectral characteristics, and quantitative analysis has been developed to a new stage. The present article summarized and systematically introduced the research status quo and development trend of digital ground object reflectance spectral libraries at home and in the world in recent years. Introducing the spectral libraries has been established, including desertification spectral database library, plants spectral database library, geological spectral database library, soil spectral database library, minerals spectral database library, cloud spectral database library, snow spectral database library, the atmosphere spectral database library, rocks spectral database library, water spectral database library, meteorites spectral database library, moon rock spectral database library, and man-made materials spectral database library, mixture spectral database library, volatile compounds spectral database library, and liquids spectral database library. In the process of establishing spectral database libraries, there have been some problems, such as the lack of uniform national spectral database standard and uniform standards for the ground object features as well as the comparability between different databases. In addition, data sharing mechanism can not be carried out, etc. This article also put forward some suggestions on those problems.

  4. Spectroscopic and structural investigation of undoped and Er{sup 3+} doped hafnium silicate layers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Khomenkova, L., E-mail: khomen@ukr.net [CIMAP CEA/CNRS/ENSICAEN/UCBN, 6 Blvd. Maréchal Juin, 14050 Caen Cedex 4 (France); V. Lashkaryov Institute of Semiconductor Physics at NASU, 41 Pr. Nauky, Kyiv 03028 (Ukraine); An, Y.-T. [CIMAP CEA/CNRS/ENSICAEN/UCBN, 6 Blvd. Maréchal Juin, 14050 Caen Cedex 4 (France); Khomenkov, D. [Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Faculty of Physics, 4 Pr. Hlushkov, Kyiv 03022 (Ukraine); Portier, X.; Labbé, C.; Gourbilleau, F. [CIMAP CEA/CNRS/ENSICAEN/UCBN, 6 Blvd. Maréchal Juin, 14050 Caen Cedex 4 (France)

    2014-11-15

    This paper demonstrates the functionality of radio-frequency magnetron sputtering for the fabrication of undoped and Er-doped Si-rich-HfO{sub 2} films with specific structural and spectroscopic properties. The effect of post-deposition treatment on film properties was investigated by means of Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, Raman scattering and photoluminescence methods, as well as Transmission Electron microscopy. It was observed that annealing treatment at 850–1000 °C causes phase separation process and the formation of HfO{sub 2}, SiO{sub 2} and pure Si phases. This process stimulates also an intense light emission in the 700–950-nm spectral range under broad band excitation. The phase separation mechanism as well as the nature of radiative transitions were discussed. Photoluminescence was ascribed to carrier recombination in silicon clusters and host defects. The appearance of silicon clusters was also confirmed by the comparison of luminescent properties of pure HfO{sub 2}, SiO{sub 2}, Si-rich-HfO{sub 2} and Si-rich-SiO{sub 2} films. Additional argument for Si clusters’ formation was obtained under investigation of Er-doped Si-rich HfO{sub 2} films. These latter demonstrated 1.54-µm Er{sup 3+} luminescence under non-resonant excitation originating from an energy transfer from Si clusters towards Er{sup 3+} ions.

  5. Spectral evidence for amorphous silicates in least-processed CO meteorites and their parent bodies

    Science.gov (United States)

    McAdam, Margaret M.; Sunshine, Jessica M.; Howard, Kieren T.; Alexander, Conel M.; McCoy, Timothy J.; Bus, Schelte J.

    2018-05-01

    Least-processed carbonaceous chondrites (carbonaceous chondrites that have experienced minimal aqueous alteration and thermal metamorphism) are characterized by their predominately amorphous iron-rich silicate interchondrule matrices and chondrule rims. This material is highly susceptible to destruction by the parent body processes of thermal metamorphism or aqueous alteration. The presence of abundant amorphous material in a meteorite indicates that the parent body, or at least a region of the parent body, experienced minimal processing since the time of accretion. The CO chemical group of carbonaceous chondrites has a significant number of these least-processed samples. We present visible/near-infrared and mid-infrared spectra of eight least-processed CO meteorites (petrologic type 3.0-3.1). In the visible/near-infrared, these COs are characterized by a broad weak feature that was first observed by Cloutis et al. (2012) to be at 1.3-μm and attributed to iron-rich amorphous silicate matrix materials. This feature is observed to be centered at 1.4-μm for terrestrially unweathered, least-processed CO meteorites. At mid-infrared wavelengths, a 21-μm feature, consistent with Si-O vibrations of amorphous materials and glasses, is also present. The spectral features of iron-rich amorphous silicate matrix are absent in both the near- and mid-infrared spectra of higher metamorphic grade COs because this material has recrystallized as crystalline olivine. Furthermore, spectra of least-processed primitive meteorites from other chemical groups (CRs, MET 00426 and QUE 99177, and C2-ungrouped Acfer 094), also exhibit a 21-μm feature. Thus, we conclude that the 1.4- and 21-μm features are characteristic of primitive least-processed meteorites from all chemical groups of carbonaceous chondrites. Finally, we present an IRTF + SPeX observation of asteroid (93) Minerva that has spectral similarities in the visible/near-infrared to the least-processed CO carbonaceous chondrites

  6. On Spectral Triples in Quantum Gravity I

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Aastrup, Johannes; M. Grimstrup, Jesper; Nest, Ryszard

    2009-01-01

    This paper establishes a link between Noncommutative Geometry and canonical quantum gravity. A semi-finite spectral triple over a space of connections is presented. The triple involves an algebra of holonomy loops and a Dirac type operator which resembles a global functional derivation operator....... The interaction between the Dirac operator and the algebra reproduces the Poisson structure of General Relativity. Moreover, the associated Hilbert space corresponds, up to a discrete symmetry group, to the Hilbert space of diffeomorphism invariant states known from Loop Quantum Gravity. Correspondingly......, the square of the Dirac operator has, in terms of canonical quantum gravity, the form of a global area-squared operator. Furthermore, the spectral action resembles a partition function of Quantum Gravity. The construction is background independent and is based on an inductive system of triangulations...

  7. Research on Spectral Reflection Characteristics of Nanostructures in Morpho Butterfly Wing Scale

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wu Wenjun [Key Lab of Modern Manufacture Quality Engineering, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, 30068 (China); Shi Tielin; Liao Guanglan; Zuo Haibo, E-mail: guanglan.liao@mail.hust.edu.cn [State Key Laboratory of Digital Manufacturing Equipment and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, 430074 (China)

    2011-02-01

    The intricate nanostructure in the scales of Morpho, which is composed of transparent cuticle protein, achieves an extremely high reflectivity in the range of visible light. The brilliant iridescent blue color is not produced by blue pigment but nanostructures. In order to investigate which structural parameters influenced the spectral reflection characteristics and formed the striking brilliance of blue color, a vector diffraction theoretical structural model was established, and simulation using rigorous coupled-wave analysis was carried out. The complex nanostructure was assumed as the diffraction grating structure of arbitrary configuration. The shape and size of the model was set according to the TEM photos of Morpho scale. The structure with irregular asymmetric multilayer lamellae ridge-like grating possessed best capability in reflectivity and color matching. The influence of every structural parameter to spectral reflectivity was cognized by comparing with the original spectrum. The results have revealed the nature of iridescent blue colors and high reflectivity, and enable us to control color and reflectivity by manufacturing nanostructure with specific structural parameter.

  8. Research on Spectral Reflection Characteristics of Nanostructures in Morpho Butterfly Wing Scale

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wu Wenjun; Shi Tielin; Liao Guanglan; Zuo Haibo

    2011-01-01

    The intricate nanostructure in the scales of Morpho, which is composed of transparent cuticle protein, achieves an extremely high reflectivity in the range of visible light. The brilliant iridescent blue color is not produced by blue pigment but nanostructures. In order to investigate which structural parameters influenced the spectral reflection characteristics and formed the striking brilliance of blue color, a vector diffraction theoretical structural model was established, and simulation using rigorous coupled-wave analysis was carried out. The complex nanostructure was assumed as the diffraction grating structure of arbitrary configuration. The shape and size of the model was set according to the TEM photos of Morpho scale. The structure with irregular asymmetric multilayer lamellae ridge-like grating possessed best capability in reflectivity and color matching. The influence of every structural parameter to spectral reflectivity was cognized by comparing with the original spectrum. The results have revealed the nature of iridescent blue colors and high reflectivity, and enable us to control color and reflectivity by manufacturing nanostructure with specific structural parameter.

  9. Primary vesicles, vesicle-rich segregation structures and recognition of primary and secondary porosities in lava flows from the Paraná igneous province, southern Brazil

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barreto, Carla Joana S.; de Lima, Evandro F.; Goldberg, Karin

    2017-04-01

    This study focuses on a volcanic succession of pāhoehoe to rubbly lavas of the Paraná-Etendeka Province exposed in a single road profile in southernmost Brazil. This work provides an integrated approach for examining primary vesicles and vesicle-rich segregation structures at the mesoscopic scale. In addition, this study provides a quantitative analysis of pore types in thin section. We documented distinct distribution patterns of vesicle and vesicle-rich segregation structures according to lava thickness. In compound pāhoehoe lavas, the cooling allows only vesicles (pipe vesicles to be frozen into place. In inflated pāhoehoe lavas, vesicles of different sizes are common, including pipe vesicles, and also segregation structures such as proto-cylinders, cylinders, cylinder sheets, vesicle sheets, and pods. In rubbly lavas, only vesicles of varying sizes occur. Gas release from melt caused the formation of primary porosity, while hydrothermal alteration and tectonic fracturing are the main processes that generated secondary porosity. Although several forms of porosity were created in the basaltic lava flows, the precipitation of secondary minerals within the pores has tended to reduce the original porosities. Late-stage fractures could create efficient channel networks for possible hydrocarbon/groundwater migration and entrapment owing to their ability to connect single pores. Quantitative permeability data should be gathered in future studies to confirm the potential of these lavas for store hydrocarbons or groundwater.

  10. Species Richness and Community Structure on a High Latitude Reef: Implications for Conservation and Management

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wayne Houston

    2011-07-01

    Full Text Available In spite of the wealth of research on the Great Barrier Reef, few detailed biodiversity assessments of its inshore coral communities have been conducted. Effective conservation and management of marine ecosystems begins with fine-scale biophysical assessments focused on diversity and the architectural species that build the structural framework of the reef. In this study, we investigate key coral diversity and environmental attributes of an inshore reef system surrounding the Keppel Bay Islands near Rockhampton in Central Queensland, Australia, and assess their implications for conservation and management. The Keppels has much higher coral diversity than previously found. The average species richness for the 19 study sites was ~40 with representatives from 68% of the ~244 species previously described for the southern Great Barrier Reef. Using scleractinian coral species richness, taxonomic distinctiveness and coral cover as the main criteria, we found that five out of 19 sites had particularly high conservation value. A further site was also considered to be of relatively high value. Corals at this site were taxonomically distinct from the others (representatives of two families were found here but not at other sites and a wide range of functionally diverse taxa were present. This site was associated with more stressful conditions such as high temperatures and turbidity. Highly diverse coral communities or biodiversity ‘hotspots’ and taxonomically distinct reefs may act as insurance policies for climatic disturbance, much like Noah’s Arks for reefs. While improving water quality and limiting anthropogenic impacts are clearly important management initiatives to improve the long-term outlook for inshore reefs, identifying, mapping and protecting these coastal ‘refugia’ may be the key for ensuring their regeneration against catastrophic climatic disturbance in the meantime.

  11. Impact of casein and egg white proteins on the structure of wheat gluten-based protein-rich food.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wouters, Arno G B; Rombouts, Ine; Lagrain, Bert; Delcour, Jan A

    2016-02-01

    There is a growing interest in texturally and nutritionally satisfying vegetable alternatives to meat. Wheat gluten proteins have unique functional properties but a poor nutritional value in comparison to animal proteins. This study investigated the potential of egg white and bovine milk casein with well-balanced amino acid composition to increase the quality of wheat gluten-based protein-rich foods. Heating a wheat gluten (51.4 g)-water (100.0 mL) blend for 120 min at 100 °C increased its firmness less than heating a wheat gluten (33.0 g)-freeze-dried egg white (16.8 g)-water (100.0 mL) blend. In contrast, the addition of casein to the gluten-water blend negatively impacted firmness after heating. Firmness was correlated with loss of protein extractability in sodium dodecyl sulfate containing medium during heating, which was higher with egg white than with casein. Even more, heat-induced polymerization of the gluten-water blend with egg white but not with casein was greater than expected from the losses in extractability of gluten and egg white on their own. Structure formation was favored by mixing gluten with egg white but not with casein. These observations were linked to the intrinsic polymerization behavior of egg white and casein, but also to their interaction with gluten. Thus not all nutritionally suitable proteins can be used for enrichment of gluten-based protein-rich foods. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry.

  12. Using fragmentation trees and mass spectral trees for identifying unknown compounds in metabolomics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vaniya, Arpana; Fiehn, Oliver

    2015-06-01

    Identification of unknown metabolites is the bottleneck in advancing metabolomics, leaving interpretation of metabolomics results ambiguous. The chemical diversity of metabolism is vast, making structure identification arduous and time consuming. Currently, comprehensive analysis of mass spectra in metabolomics is limited to library matching, but tandem mass spectral libraries are small compared to the large number of compounds found in the biosphere, including xenobiotics. Resolving this bottleneck requires richer data acquisition and better computational tools. Multi-stage mass spectrometry (MSn) trees show promise to aid in this regard. Fragmentation trees explore the fragmentation process, generate fragmentation rules and aid in sub-structure identification, while mass spectral trees delineate the dependencies in multi-stage MS of collision-induced dissociations. This review covers advancements over the past 10 years as a tool for metabolite identification, including algorithms, software and databases used to build and to implement fragmentation trees and mass spectral annotations.

  13. COHERENT EVENTS AND SPECTRAL SHAPE AT ION KINETIC SCALES IN THE FAST SOLAR WIND TURBULENCE

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lion, Sonny; Alexandrova, Olga; Zaslavsky, Arnaud, E-mail: sonny.lion@obspm.fr [LESIA, Observatoire de Paris, PSL Research University, CNRS, Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ. Paris 06, Univ. Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité (France)

    2016-06-10

    In this paper we investigate spectral and phase coherence properties of magnetic fluctuations in the vicinity of the spectral transition from large, magnetohydrodynamic to sub-ion scales using in situ measurements of the Wind spacecraft in a fast stream. For the time interval investigated by Leamon et al. (1998) the phase coherence analysis shows the presence of sporadic quasi-parallel Alfvén ion cyclotron (AIC) waves as well as coherent structures in the form of large-amplitude, quasi-perpendicular Alfvén vortex-like structures and current sheets. These waves and structures importantly contribute to the observed power spectrum of magnetic fluctuations around ion scales; AIC waves contribute to the spectrum in a narrow frequency range whereas the coherent structures contribute to the spectrum over a wide frequency band from the inertial range to the sub-ion frequency range. We conclude that a particular combination of waves and coherent structures determines the spectral shape of the magnetic field spectrum around ion scales. This phenomenon provides a possible explanation for a high variability of the magnetic power spectra around ion scales observed in the solar wind.

  14. COHERENT EVENTS AND SPECTRAL SHAPE AT ION KINETIC SCALES IN THE FAST SOLAR WIND TURBULENCE

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lion, Sonny; Alexandrova, Olga; Zaslavsky, Arnaud

    2016-01-01

    In this paper we investigate spectral and phase coherence properties of magnetic fluctuations in the vicinity of the spectral transition from large, magnetohydrodynamic to sub-ion scales using in situ measurements of the Wind spacecraft in a fast stream. For the time interval investigated by Leamon et al. (1998) the phase coherence analysis shows the presence of sporadic quasi-parallel Alfvén ion cyclotron (AIC) waves as well as coherent structures in the form of large-amplitude, quasi-perpendicular Alfvén vortex-like structures and current sheets. These waves and structures importantly contribute to the observed power spectrum of magnetic fluctuations around ion scales; AIC waves contribute to the spectrum in a narrow frequency range whereas the coherent structures contribute to the spectrum over a wide frequency band from the inertial range to the sub-ion frequency range. We conclude that a particular combination of waves and coherent structures determines the spectral shape of the magnetic field spectrum around ion scales. This phenomenon provides a possible explanation for a high variability of the magnetic power spectra around ion scales observed in the solar wind.

  15. IRAS 17423-1755 (HEN 3-1475) REVISITED: AN O-RICH HIGH-MASS POST-ASYMPTOTIC GIANT BRANCH STAR

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Manteiga, M.; GarcIa-Hernandez, D. A.; Manchado, A.; Ulla, A.; GarcIa-Lario, P.

    2011-01-01

    The high-resolution (R ∼ 600) Spitzer/IRS spectrum of the bipolar protoplanetary nebula (PN) IRAS 17423-1755 is presented in order to clarify the dominant chemistry (C-rich versus O-rich) of its circumstellar envelope as well as to constrain its evolutionary stage. The high-quality Spitzer/IRS spectrum shows weak 9.7 μm absorption from amorphous silicates. This confirms for the first time the O-rich nature of IRAS 17423-1755 in contradiction to a previous C-rich classification, which was based on the wrong identification of the strong 3.1 μm absorption feature seen in the Infrared Space Observatory spectrum as due to acetylene (C 2 H 2 ). The high-resolution Spitzer/IRS spectrum displays a complete lack of C-rich mid-IR features such as molecular absorption features (e.g., 13.7 μm C 2 H 2 , 14.0 μm HCN, etc.) or the classical polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon infrared emission bands. Thus, the strong 3.1 μm absorption band toward IRAS 17423-1755 has to be identified as water ice. In addition, an [Ne II] nebular emission line at 12.8 μm is clearly detected, indicating that the ionization of its central region may be already started. The spectral energy distribution in the infrared (∼2-200 μm) and other observational properties of IRAS 17423-1755 are discussed in comparison with the similar post-asymptotic giant branch (AGB) objects IRAS 19343+2926 and IRAS 17393-2727. We conclude that IRAS 17423-1755 is an O-rich high-mass post-AGB object that represents a link between OH/IR stars with extreme outflows and highly bipolar PN.

  16. UV TO FAR-IR CATALOG OF A GALAXY SAMPLE IN NEARBY CLUSTERS: SPECTRAL ENERGY DISTRIBUTIONS AND ENVIRONMENTAL TRENDS

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hernandez-Fernandez, Jonathan D.; Iglesias-Paramo, J.; Vilchez, J. M., E-mail: jonatan@iaa.es [Instituto de Astrofisica de Andalucia, Glorieta de la Astronomia s/n, 18008 Granada (Spain)

    2012-03-01

    In this paper, we present a sample of cluster galaxies devoted to study the environmental influence on the star formation activity. This sample of galaxies inhabits in clusters showing a rich variety in their characteristics and have been observed by the SDSS-DR6 down to M{sub B} {approx} -18, and by the Galaxy Evolution Explorer AIS throughout sky regions corresponding to several megaparsecs. We assign the broadband and emission-line fluxes from ultraviolet to far-infrared to each galaxy performing an accurate spectral energy distribution for spectral fitting analysis. The clusters follow the general X-ray luminosity versus velocity dispersion trend of L{sub X} {proportional_to} {sigma}{sup 4.4}{sub c}. The analysis of the distributions of galaxy density counting up to the 5th nearest neighbor {Sigma}{sub 5} shows: (1) the virial regions and the cluster outskirts share a common range in the high density part of the distribution. This can be attributed to the presence of massive galaxy structures in the surroundings of virial regions. (2) The virial regions of massive clusters ({sigma}{sub c} > 550 km s{sup -1}) present a {Sigma}{sub 5} distribution statistically distinguishable ({approx}96%) from the corresponding distribution of low-mass clusters ({sigma}{sub c} < 550 km s{sup -1}). Both massive and low-mass clusters follow a similar density-radius trend, but the low-mass clusters avoid the high density extreme. We illustrate, with ABELL 1185, the environmental trends of galaxy populations. Maps of sky projected galaxy density show how low-luminosity star-forming galaxies appear distributed along more spread structures than their giant counterparts, whereas low-luminosity passive galaxies avoid the low-density environment. Giant passive and star-forming galaxies share rather similar sky regions with passive galaxies exhibiting more concentrated distributions.

  17. Measurements of the spectral location of the structured target resonance for ultrarelativistic electrons

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Andersen, K.; Ketel, T.J.

    2014-01-01

    When an ultrarelativistic electron traverses two closely spaced foils, a radiation spectrum 'resonance' appears, arising from the photon formation length extending from one foil, across the gap and into the second foil. Several theoretical approaches yield quite different answers to the spectral

  18. Spectral characterization of volcanic rocks in the VIS-NIR for martian exploration

    Science.gov (United States)

    De Angelis, Simone; Carli, Cristian; Manzari, Paola; De Sanctis, Maria Cristina; Capaccioni, Fabrizio

    2016-10-01

    Igneous effusive rocks cover much of the surface of Mars [1,2,3]. Initially only two types of lithologies were thought to constitute the Martian crust, i.e. a basaltic one and a more andesitic one [1,2], while more evolved lithologies were ruled out.Nevertheless a more complex situation is appearing in the last years. Recently several observations have highlighted the presence of evolved, acidic rocks. High-silica dacite units were identified in Syrtis Major caldera by thermal IR data [4]. Outcrops in Noachis Terra were interpreted as constituted of felsic (i.e. feldspar-rich) rocks essentially by the observation of a 1.3-µm spectral feature in CRISM data, attributed to Fe2+ in feldspars [5]. However different interpretations exist, invoking plagioclase-enriched basalts [6] rather than felsic products.The increasing of high-resolution and in-situ rover-based observations datasets and the changing of the initial paradigm justify a new systematic spectral study of igneous effusive rocks. In this work we focus on the spectral characterization of volcanic effusive rocks in the 0.35-2.5-µm range. We are carrying out measurements and spectral analyses on a wide ensemble of effusive samples, from mafic to sialic, with variable alkali contents, following the classification in the Total-Alkali-Silica diagram, and discussing the influence on spectral characteristics of different mineral assemblages and/or texture ([7], [8]). [1] Bandfield J.L., et al., Science, 287, 1626, 2000; [2] Christensen P.R., et al., J. Geophys. Res., 105, N.E4, 9609-9621, 2000; [3] Ehlmann B.L. & Edwards C.S., Annu. Rev. Earth Planet. Sci., 42, 291-315, 2014; [4] Christensen P.R., et al., Nature, 436, 504-509, 2005; [5] Wray J.J., et al., 44th LPSC, abs. n.3065, 2013; [6] Rogers A.D. & Nekvasil H., Geophys. Res. Lett., 42, 2619-2626, 2015; [7] Carli C. and Sgavetti M.,Icarus, 211, 1034-1048, 2011; [7] Carli C. et al., SGL, doi 10.1144/SP401.19, 2015.

  19. (LMRG): Microscope Resolution, Objective Quality, Spectral Accuracy and Spectral Un-mixing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bayles, Carol J.; Cole, Richard W.; Eason, Brady; Girard, Anne-Marie; Jinadasa, Tushare; Martin, Karen; McNamara, George; Opansky, Cynthia; Schulz, Katherine; Thibault, Marc; Brown, Claire M.

    2012-01-01

    The second study by the LMRG focuses on measuring confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM) resolution, objective lens quality, spectral imaging accuracy and spectral un-mixing. Affordable test samples for each aspect of the study were designed, prepared and sent to 116 labs from 23 countries across the globe. Detailed protocols were designed for the three tests and customized for most of the major confocal instruments being used by the study participants. One protocol developed for measuring resolution and objective quality was recently published in Nature Protocols (Cole, R. W., T. Jinadasa, et al. (2011). Nature Protocols 6(12): 1929–1941). The first study involved 3D imaging of sub-resolution fluorescent microspheres to determine the microscope point spread function. Results of the resolution studies as well as point spread function quality (i.e. objective lens quality) from 140 different objective lenses will be presented. The second study of spectral accuracy looked at the reflection of the laser excitation lines into the spectral detection in order to determine the accuracy of these systems to report back the accurate laser emission wavelengths. Results will be presented from 42 different spectral confocal systems. Finally, samples with double orange beads (orange core and orange coating) were imaged spectrally and the imaging software was used to un-mix fluorescence signals from the two orange dyes. Results from 26 different confocal systems will be summarized. Time will be left to discuss possibilities for the next LMRG study.

  20. The acidic pH-induced structural changes in apo-CP43 by spectral methodologies and molecular dynamics simulations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Wang; Li, Xue; Wang, Qiuying; Zhu, Xixi; Zhang, Qingyan; Du, Linfang

    2018-01-01

    CP43 is closely associated with the photosystem II and exists the plant thylakoid membranes. The acidic pH-induced structural changes had been investigated by fluorescence spectrum, ANS spectrum, RLS spectrum, energy transfer experiment, acrylamide fluorescence quenching assay and MD simulation. The fluorescence spectrum indicated that the structural changes in acidic pH-induced process were a four-state model, which was nature state (N), partial unfolding state (PU), refolding state (R), and molten-globule state (M), respectively. Analysis of ANS spectrum illustrated that inner hydrophobic core exposed partially to surface below pH 2.0 and inferred also that the molten-globule state existed. The RLS spectrum showed the aggregation of apo-CP43 around the pI (pH 4.5-4.0). The alterations of apo-CP43 secondary structure with different acidic treatments were confirmed by FTIR spectrum. The energy transfer experiment and quenching research demonstrated structural change at pH 4.0 was loosest. The RMSF suggested two terminals played an important function in acidic denaturation process. The distance of two terminals shown slight difference in acidic pH-induced process during the unfolding process, both N-terminal and C-terminal occupied the dominant role. However, the N-terminal accounted for the main part in the refolding process. All kinds of SASA values corresponded to spectral results. The tertiary and secondary structure by MD simulation indicated that the part transmembrane α-helix was destroyed at low pH.

  1. Characterizing CDOM Spectral Variability Across Diverse Regions and Spectral Ranges

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grunert, Brice K.; Mouw, Colleen B.; Ciochetto, Audrey B.

    2018-01-01

    Satellite remote sensing of colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM) has focused on CDOM absorption (aCDOM) at a reference wavelength, as its magnitude provides insight into the underwater light field and large-scale biogeochemical processes. CDOM spectral slope, SCDOM, has been treated as a constant or semiconstant parameter in satellite retrievals of aCDOM despite significant regional and temporal variabilities. SCDOM and other optical metrics provide insights into CDOM composition, processing, food web dynamics, and carbon cycling. To date, much of this work relies on fluorescence techniques or aCDOM in spectral ranges unavailable to current and planned satellite sensors (e.g., global variability in SCDOM and fit deviations in the aCDOM spectra using the recently proposed Gaussian decomposition method. From this, we investigate if global variability in retrieved SCDOM and Gaussian components is significant and regionally distinct. We iteratively decreased the spectral range considered and analyzed the number, location, and magnitude of fitted Gaussian components to understand if a reduced spectral range impacts information obtained within a common spectral window. We compared the fitted slope from the Gaussian decomposition method to absorption-based indices that indicate CDOM composition to determine the ability of satellite-derived slope to inform the analysis and modeling of large-scale biogeochemical processes. Finally, we present implications of the observed variability for remote sensing of CDOM characteristics via SCDOM.

  2. Detecting Weak Spectral Lines in Interferometric Data through Matched Filtering

    Science.gov (United States)

    Loomis, Ryan A.; Öberg, Karin I.; Andrews, Sean M.; Walsh, Catherine; Czekala, Ian; Huang, Jane; Rosenfeld, Katherine A.

    2018-04-01

    Modern radio interferometers enable observations of spectral lines with unprecedented spatial resolution and sensitivity. In spite of these technical advances, many lines of interest are still at best weakly detected and therefore necessitate detection and analysis techniques specialized for the low signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) regime. Matched filters can leverage knowledge of the source structure and kinematics to increase sensitivity of spectral line observations. Application of the filter in the native Fourier domain improves S/N while simultaneously avoiding the computational cost and ambiguities associated with imaging, making matched filtering a fast and robust method for weak spectral line detection. We demonstrate how an approximate matched filter can be constructed from a previously observed line or from a model of the source, and we show how this filter can be used to robustly infer a detection significance for weak spectral lines. When applied to ALMA Cycle 2 observations of CH3OH in the protoplanetary disk around TW Hya, the technique yields a ≈53% S/N boost over aperture-based spectral extraction methods, and we show that an even higher boost will be achieved for observations at higher spatial resolution. A Python-based open-source implementation of this technique is available under the MIT license at http://github.com/AstroChem/VISIBLE.

  3. Spectral curves in gauge/string dualities: integrability, singular sectors and regularization

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Konopelchenko, Boris; Alonso, Luis Martínez; Medina, Elena

    2013-01-01

    We study the moduli space of the spectral curves y 2 = W′(z) 2 + f(z) which characterize the vacua of N=1 U(n) supersymmetric gauge theories with an adjoint Higgs field and a polynomial tree level potential W(z). The integrable structure of the Whitham equations is used to determine the spectral curves from their moduli. An alternative characterization of the spectral curves in terms of critical points of a family of polynomial solutions W to Euler–Poisson–Darboux equations is provided. The equations for these critical points are a generalization of the planar limit equations for one-cut random matrix models. Moreover, singular spectral curves with higher order branch points turn out to be described by degenerate critical points of W. As a consequence we propose a multiple scaling limit method of regularization and show that, in the simplest cases, it leads to the Painlevè-I equation and its multi-component generalizations. (paper)

  4. The relative importance of climate and vegetation properties on patterns of North American breeding bird species richness

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Goetz, Scott J; Sun, Mindy; Zolkos, Scott; Hansen, Andy; Dubayah, Ralph

    2014-01-01

    Recent advances in remote sensing and ecological modeling warrant a timely and robust investigation of the ecological variables that underlie large-scale patterns of breeding bird species richness, particularly in the context of intensifying land use and climate change. Our objective was to address this need using an array of bioclimatic and remotely sensed data sets representing vegetation properties and structure, and other aspects of the physical environment. We first build models of bird species richness across breeding bird survey (BBS) routes, and then spatially predict richness across the coterminous US at moderately high spatial resolution (1 km). Predictor variables were derived from various sources and maps of species richness were generated for four groups (guilds) of birds with different breeding habitat affiliation (forest, grassland, open woodland, scrub/shrub), as well as all guilds combined. Predictions of forest bird distributions were strong (R 2 = 0.85), followed by grassland (0.76), scrub/shrub (0.63) and open woodland (0.60) species. Vegetation properties were generally the strongest determinants of species richness, whereas bioclimatic and lidar-derived vertical structure metrics were of variable importance and dependent upon the guild type. Environmental variables (climate and the physical environment) were also frequently selected predictors, but canopy structure variables were not as important as expected based on more local to regional scale studies. Relatively sparse sampling of canopy structure metrics from the satellite lidar sensor may have reduced their importance relative to other predictor variables across the study domain. We discuss these results in the context of the ecological drivers of species richness patterns, the spatial scale of bird diversity analyses, and the potential of next generation space-borne lidar systems relevant to vegetation and ecosystem studies. This study strengthens current understanding of bird species

  5. Spectral properties of excitons in the bilayer graphene

    Science.gov (United States)

    Apinyan, V.; Kopeć, T. K.

    2018-01-01

    In this paper, we consider the spectral properties of the bilayer graphene with the local excitonic pairing interaction between the electrons and holes. We consider the generalized Hubbard model, which includes both intralayer and interlayer Coulomb interaction parameters. The solution of the excitonic gap parameter is used to calculate the electronic band structure, single-particle spectral functions, the hybridization gap, and the excitonic coherence length in the bilayer graphene. We show that the local interlayer Coulomb interaction is responsible for the semimetal-semiconductor transition in the double layer system, and we calculate the hybridization gap in the band structure above the critical interaction value. The formation of the excitonic band gap is reported as the threshold process and the momentum distribution functions have been calculated numerically. We show that in the weak coupling limit the system is governed by the Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS)-like pairing state. Contrary, in the strong coupling limit the excitonic condensate states appear in the semiconducting phase, by forming the Dirac's pockets in the reciprocal space.

  6. Overlapping communities detection based on spectral analysis of line graphs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gui, Chun; Zhang, Ruisheng; Hu, Rongjing; Huang, Guoming; Wei, Jiaxuan

    2018-05-01

    Community in networks are often overlapping where one vertex belongs to several clusters. Meanwhile, many networks show hierarchical structure such that community is recursively grouped into hierarchical organization. In order to obtain overlapping communities from a global hierarchy of vertices, a new algorithm (named SAoLG) is proposed to build the hierarchical organization along with detecting the overlap of community structure. SAoLG applies the spectral analysis into line graphs to unify the overlap and hierarchical structure of the communities. In order to avoid the limitation of absolute distance such as Euclidean distance, SAoLG employs Angular distance to compute the similarity between vertices. Furthermore, we make a micro-improvement partition density to evaluate the quality of community structure and use it to obtain the more reasonable and sensible community numbers. The proposed SAoLG algorithm achieves a balance between overlap and hierarchy by applying spectral analysis to edge community detection. The experimental results on one standard network and six real-world networks show that the SAoLG algorithm achieves higher modularity and reasonable community number values than those generated by Ahn's algorithm, the classical CPM and GN ones.

  7. Chemical detection of cysteine-rich circular petides in selected ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Cysteine-rich circular peptides (CRCs) comprise a large family of gene encoded and low molecular weight polypeptides that has recently engaged the attention of scientists. This class of peptides exhibit a continuous circular configuration and a cystine knot backbone, which defines their resilient nature-directed structural ...

  8. Symplectic discretization for spectral element solution of Maxwell's equations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhao Yanmin; Dai Guidong; Tang Yifa; Liu Qinghuo

    2009-01-01

    Applying the spectral element method (SEM) based on the Gauss-Lobatto-Legendre (GLL) polynomial to discretize Maxwell's equations, we obtain a Poisson system or a Poisson system with at most a perturbation. For the system, we prove that any symplectic partitioned Runge-Kutta (PRK) method preserves the Poisson structure and its implied symplectic structure. Numerical examples show the high accuracy of SEM and the benefit of conserving energy due to the use of symplectic methods.

  9. Experimental verification of high spectral entanglement for pulsed waveguided spontaneous parametric down-conversion

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Avenhaus, M.; Chekhova, M. V.; Krivitsky, Leonid

    2009-01-01

    We study the spectral properties of spontaneous parametric down-conversion (SPDC) in a periodically poled waveguided structure of potassium-titanyl-phosphate (KTP) crystal pumped by ultrashort pulses. Our theoretical analysis reveals a strongly entangled and asymmetric structure of the two...

  10. Spectral and spectral-frequency methods of investigating atmosphereless bodies of the Solar system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Busarev, Vladimir V; Prokof'eva-Mikhailovskaya, Valentina V; Bochkov, Valerii V

    2007-01-01

    A method of reflectance spectrophotometry of atmosphereless bodies of the Solar system, its specificity, and the means of eliminating basic spectral noise are considered. As a development, joining the method of reflectance spectrophotometry with the frequency analysis of observational data series is proposed. The combined spectral-frequency method allows identification of formations with distinctive spectral features, and estimations of their sizes and distribution on the surface of atmospherelss celestial bodies. As applied to investigations of asteroids 21 Lutetia and 4 Vesta, the spectral frequency method has given us the possibility of obtaining fundamentally new information about minor planets. (instruments and methods of investigation)

  11. Instabilities and soot formation in spherically expanding, high pressure, rich, iso-octane-air flames

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lockett, R D

    2006-01-01

    Flame instabilities, cellular structures and soot formed in high pressure, rich, spherically expanding iso-octane-air flames have been studied experimentally using high speed Schlieren cinematography, OH fluorescence, Mie scattering and laser induced incandescence. Cellular structures with two wavelength ranges developed on the flame surface. The larger wavelength cellular structure was produced by the Landau-Darrieus hydrodynamic instability, while the short wavelength cellular structure was produced by the thermal-diffusive instability. Large negative curvature in the short wavelength cusps caused local flame quenching and fracture of the flame surface. In rich flames with equivalence ratio φ > 1.8, soot was formed in a honeycomb-like structure behind flame cracks associated with the large wavelength cellular structure induced by the hydrodynamic instability. The formation of soot precursors through low temperature pyrolysis was suggested as a suitable mechanism for the initiation of soot formation behind the large wavelength flame cracks

  12. Instabilities and soot formation in spherically expanding, high pressure, rich, iso-octane-air flames

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lockett, R D [School of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences, City University, Northampton Square, London EC1V OHB (United Kingdom)

    2006-07-15

    Flame instabilities, cellular structures and soot formed in high pressure, rich, spherically expanding iso-octane-air flames have been studied experimentally using high speed Schlieren cinematography, OH fluorescence, Mie scattering and laser induced incandescence. Cellular structures with two wavelength ranges developed on the flame surface. The larger wavelength cellular structure was produced by the Landau-Darrieus hydrodynamic instability, while the short wavelength cellular structure was produced by the thermal-diffusive instability. Large negative curvature in the short wavelength cusps caused local flame quenching and fracture of the flame surface. In rich flames with equivalence ratio {phi} > 1.8, soot was formed in a honeycomb-like structure behind flame cracks associated with the large wavelength cellular structure induced by the hydrodynamic instability. The formation of soot precursors through low temperature pyrolysis was suggested as a suitable mechanism for the initiation of soot formation behind the large wavelength flame cracks.

  13. Fast alternating projected gradient descent algorithms for recovering spectrally sparse signals

    KAUST Repository

    Cho, Myung

    2016-06-24

    We propose fast algorithms that speed up or improve the performance of recovering spectrally sparse signals from un-derdetermined measurements. Our algorithms are based on a non-convex approach of using alternating projected gradient descent for structured matrix recovery. We apply this approach to two formulations of structured matrix recovery: Hankel and Toeplitz mosaic structured matrix, and Hankel structured matrix. Our methods provide better recovery performance, and faster signal recovery than existing algorithms, including atomic norm minimization.

  14. Fast alternating projected gradient descent algorithms for recovering spectrally sparse signals

    KAUST Repository

    Cho, Myung; Cai, Jian-Feng; Liu, Suhui; Eldar, Yonina C.; Xu, Weiyu

    2016-01-01

    We propose fast algorithms that speed up or improve the performance of recovering spectrally sparse signals from un-derdetermined measurements. Our algorithms are based on a non-convex approach of using alternating projected gradient descent for structured matrix recovery. We apply this approach to two formulations of structured matrix recovery: Hankel and Toeplitz mosaic structured matrix, and Hankel structured matrix. Our methods provide better recovery performance, and faster signal recovery than existing algorithms, including atomic norm minimization.

  15. A Rich Man, Poor Man Story of S-Adenosylmethionine and Cobalamin Revisited.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bridwell-Rabb, Jennifer; Grell, Tsehai A J; Drennan, Catherine L

    2018-06-20

    S-adenosylmethionine (AdoMet) has been referred to as both "a poor man's adenosylcobalamin (AdoCbl)" and "a rich man's AdoCbl," but today, with the ever-increasing number of functions attributed to each cofactor, both appear equally rich and surprising. The recent characterization of an organometallic species in an AdoMet radical enzyme suggests that the line that differentiates them in nature will be constantly challenged. Here, we compare and contrast AdoMet and cobalamin (Cbl) and consider why Cbl-dependent AdoMet radical enzymes require two cofactors that are so similar in their reactivity. We further carry out structural comparisons employing the recently determined crystal structure of oxetanocin-A biosynthetic enzyme OxsB, the first three-dimensional structural data on a Cbl-dependent AdoMet radical enzyme. We find that the structural motifs responsible for housing the AdoMet radical machinery are largely conserved, whereas the motifs responsible for binding additional cofactors are much more varied.

  16. Comparison of the associative structure of two different types of rich coals and their coking properties

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hengfu Shui; Changhui Lin; Meng Zhang; Zhicai Wang; Mingdong Zheng [Anhui University of Technology, Maanshan (China). School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering

    2010-07-15

    Solvent extractions of two different types of Chinese rich coals i.e. Aiweiergou coal (AG) and Zaozhuang coal (ZZ) using the mixed solvent of carbon disulfide/N-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone (CS{sub 2}/NMP) with different mixing ratios were carried out and the caking indexes of the extracted residues were measured. It was found that the extracted residues from the two types of coals showed different changing tendencies of the caking indexes with the extraction yield. When the extraction yield attained about 50% for ZZ coal, the extracted residue had no caking property. However for AG coal, when the extraction yield reached the maximum of 63.5%, the corresponding extracted residue still had considerable caking property with the caking index of 25. This difference indicated the different associative structure of the two coals although they are of the same coalification. Hydro-thermal treatment of the two rich coals gave different extract fractionation distributions for the treated coals compared to those of raw coals respectively. The coking property evaluations of the two coals and their hydro-thermally treated ones were carried out in a crucible coking determination. The results showed that the hydro-thermal treatment could greatly improve the micro-strengths of the resulting coke from the two coals, and the improvement was more significant for the more aggregated AG coal. The reactivities of hydro-thermally treated AG coal blends were almost the same as those of raw coal blends. The higher coke reactivities of AG raw coal and its hydro-thermally treated ones than those of ZZ coal might be attributed to its special ash composition. 20 refs.,4 figs., 5 tabs.

  17. The CAPRICE RICH detector

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Basini, G. [INFN, Laboratori Nazionali di Frascati, Rome (Italy); Codino, A.; Grimani, C. [Perugia Univ. (Italy)]|[INFN, Perugia (Italy); De Pascale, M.P. [Rome Univ. `Tor Vergata` (Italy). Dip. di Fisica]|[INFN, Sezione Univ. `Tor Vergata` Rome (Italy); Cafagna, F. [Bari Univ. (Italy)]|[INFN, Bari (Italy); Golden, R.L. [New Mexico State Univ., Las Cruces, NM (United States). Particle Astrophysics Lab.; Brancaccio, F.; Bocciolini, M. [Florence Univ. (Italy)]|[INFN, Florence (Italy); Barbiellini, G.; Boezio, M. [Trieste Univ. (Italy)]|[INFN, Trieste (Italy)

    1995-09-01

    A compact RICH detector has been developed and used for particle identification in a balloon borne spectrometer to measure the flux of antimatter in the cosmic radiation. This is the first RICH detector ever used in space experiments that is capable of detecting unit charged particles, such as antiprotons. The RICH and all other detectors performed well during the 27 hours long flight.

  18. Solid state linear dichroic infrared spectral analysis of benzimidazoles and their N 1-protonated salts

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ivanova, B. B.

    2005-11-01

    A stereo structural characterization of 2,5,6-thrimethylbenzimidazole (MBIZ) and 2-amino-benzimidaziole (2-NH 2-BI) and their N 1 protonation salts was carried out using a polarized solid state linear dichroic infrared spectral (IR-LD) analysis in nematic liquid crystal suspension. All experimental predicted structures were compared with the theoretical ones, obtained by ab initio calculations. The Cs to C2v* symmetry transformation as a result of protonation processes, with a view of its reflection on the infrared spectral characteristics was described.

  19. EVALUATION OF VARIOUS SPECTRAL INPUTS FOR ESTIMATION OF FOREST BIOCHEMICAL AND STRUCTURAL PROPERTIES FROM AIRBORNE IMAGING SPECTROSCOPY DATA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    L. Homolová

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available In this study we evaluated various spectral inputs for retrieval of forest chlorophyll content (Cab and leaf area index (LAI from high spectral and spatial resolution airborne imaging spectroscopy data collected for two forest study sites in the Czech Republic (beech forest at Štítná nad Vláří and spruce forest at Bílý Kříž. The retrieval algorithm was based on a machine learning method – support vector regression (SVR. Performance of the four spectral inputs used to train SVR was evaluated: a all available hyperspectral bands, b continuum removal (CR 645 – 710 nm, c CR 705 – 780 nm, and d CR 680 – 800 nm. Spectral inputs and corresponding SVR models were first assessed at the level of spectral databases simulated by combined leaf-canopy radiative transfer models PROSPECT and DART. At this stage, SVR models using all spectral inputs provided good performance (RMSE for Cab −2 and for LAI < 1.5, with consistently better performance for beech over spruce site. Since application of trained SVRs on airborne hyperspectral images of the spruce site produced unacceptably overestimated values, only the beech site results were analysed. The best performance for the Cab estimation was found for CR bands in range of 645 – 710 nm, whereas CR bands in range of 680 – 800 nm were the most suitable for LAI retrieval. The CR transformation reduced the across-track bidirectional reflectance effect present in airborne images due to large sensor field of view.

  20. Effect of the kind of alkaline and rare earth ions on the structure of a glass rich in earth

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Quintas, Arnaud; Caurant, Daniel; Majerus, Odile; Lenoir, Marion; Dussossoy, Jean-Luc; Charpentier, Thibault; Neuville, Daniel R.; Gervais, C.

    2006-01-01

    In the framework of a structural study of a nuclear wastes containment glass of type alumino borosilicate and rich in rare earths, the influence of the kind of alkaline or rare earth ions is analyzed. For that, two glasses series have been prepared in which the Na + ion (respectively Ca 2+ ions) present in the standard composition is totally substituted by another alkaline ion Li + , K + , Rb + or Cs + (respectively another rare earth ion Mg 2+ , Sr 2+ or Ba 2+ ). These glasses, analyzed by optical absorption, Raman and 27 Al or 11 B NMR spectroscopies have revealed the strong impact of the kind of the modifying ion as well as the structure of the vitreous lattice (variation of the ratio BO 3 /BO 4 and local variations of the polymerization degree) than the local surroundings of the rare earth (decrease of the covalency degree of the bond Nd-O with the increase of the field force of the modifying ion). (O.M.)

  1. Mapping and predictive variations of soil bacterial richness across France.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Terrat, Sébastien; Horrigue, Walid; Dequiedt, Samuel; Saby, Nicolas P A; Lelièvre, Mélanie; Nowak, Virginie; Tripied, Julie; Régnier, Tiffanie; Jolivet, Claudy; Arrouays, Dominique; Wincker, Patrick; Cruaud, Corinne; Karimi, Battle; Bispo, Antonio; Maron, Pierre Alain; Chemidlin Prévost-Bouré, Nicolas; Ranjard, Lionel

    2017-01-01

    Although numerous studies have demonstrated the key role of bacterial diversity in soil functions and ecosystem services, little is known about the variations and determinants of such diversity on a nationwide scale. The overall objectives of this study were i) to describe the bacterial taxonomic richness variations across France, ii) to identify the ecological processes (i.e. selection by the environment and dispersal limitation) influencing this distribution, and iii) to develop a statistical predictive model of soil bacterial richness. We used the French Soil Quality Monitoring Network (RMQS), which covers all of France with 2,173 sites. The soil bacterial richness (i.e. OTU number) was determined by pyrosequencing 16S rRNA genes and related to the soil characteristics, climatic conditions, geomorphology, land use and space. Mapping of bacterial richness revealed a heterogeneous spatial distribution, structured into patches of about 111km, where the main drivers were the soil physico-chemical properties (18% of explained variance), the spatial descriptors (5.25%, 1.89% and 1.02% for the fine, medium and coarse scales, respectively), and the land use (1.4%). Based on these drivers, a predictive model was developed, which allows a good prediction of the bacterial richness (R2adj of 0.56) and provides a reference value for a given pedoclimatic condition.

  2. Influence Of The Neutron Richness On Binary Decays

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Roy R.

    2010-03-01

    Full Text Available The influence of the neutron richness on binary decays is investigated in 78,82Kr+ 40Ca reactions at 5.5 MeV/A incident energy. Kinetic energy distributions and angular distributions of fragments with atomic number 6 ≤ Z ≤ 28 were measured using the 4π-INDRA array. Global features are compatible with an emission from a long-lived system. The yields around the symmetric splitting are about 30The persistence of strong structural effects is evidenced from elemental cross-sections of the light fragments. The cross-sections for odd-Z fragments are higher for the neutron rich CN while cross-sections for even-Z fragments are higher for the neutron poor CN. Calculations assuming two different potential energy surfaces are presented.

  3. Numerical modelling of continuous spin detonation in rich methane-oxygen mixture

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Trotsyuk, A V

    2016-01-01

    A numerical simulation of a two-dimensional structure of the detonation wave (DW) in a rich (equivalence ratio φ=1.5) methane-air mixture at normal initial condition has been conducted. The computations have been performed in a wide range of channel heights. From the analysis of the flow structure and the number of primary transverse waves in the channel, the dominant size of the detonation cell for studied mixture has been determined to be 45÷50 cm. Based on the fundamental studies of multi-front (cellular) structure of the classical propagating DW in methane mixtures, numerical simulation of continuous spin detonation (CSD) of rich (φ=1.2) methane-oxygen mixture has been carried out in the cylindrical detonation chamber (DC) of the rocket-type engine. We studied the global flow structure in DC, and the detailed structure of the front of the rotating DW. Integral characteristics of the detonation process - the distribution of average values of static and total pressure along the length of the DC, and the value of specific impulse have been obtained. The geometric limit of stable existence of CSD has been determined. (paper)

  4. Effect of carbo-nitride-rich and oxide-rich inclusions on the pitting susceptibility of depleted uranium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pu, Zhen; Chen, Xianglin; Meng, Xiandong; Wu, Yanping; Shen, Liang; Wang, Qingfu; Liu, Tianwei; Shuai, Maobing

    2017-01-01

    Highlights: •The Volta potential differences relative to the matrix are positive for both types of inclusions. •Both types of inclusions are cathodic in the “inclusion/matrix” microgalvanic couples. •The oxide-rich inclusions show a larger Volta potential value of about 115 mV than the carbo-nitride-rich inclusions. •The oxide-rich inclusions give stronger local galvanic coupling with the matrix. •The oxide-rich inclusions are more predisposed to initiate pitting corrosion. -- Abstract: The effects of carbo-nitride-rich and oxide-rich inclusions on the pitting susceptibility of depleted uranium were investigated by electrochemical corrosion measurements, optical microscopy, scanning Kelvin probe force microscopy (SKPFM), and SEM. The results of the potentiodynamic polarization tests suggest that oxide-rich inclusions are more likely to induce pitting corrosion than carbo-nitride-rich inclusions. This enhanced corrosion may be explained by the strong local galvanic coupling between the oxide-rich inclusion and the surrounding matrix, which, from the sight of SKPFM analysis, exhibits a 115 V higher Volta potential than the coupling between the carbo-nitride-rich inclusions and the matrix, respectively.

  5. Spectral SAR Ecotoxicology of Ionic Liquids: The Daphnia magna Case

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Putz, M.V.; Lacrama, A.M.; Ostafe, V.; Lacrama, A.M.

    2007-01-01

    Aiming to provide a unified theory of ionic liquids eco toxicity, the recent spectral structure activity relationship (S-SAR) algorithm is employed for testing the two additive models of anionic-cationic interaction containing ionic liquid activity: the causal and the endpoint, |0+> and |1+> models, respectively. As a working system, the Daphnia magna eco toxicity was characterized through the formulated and applied spectral chemical-eco biological interaction principles. Specific anionic-cationic-ionic-liquid rules of interaction along the developed mechanistic hypersurface map of the main eco toxicity paths together with the so-called resonance limitation of the standard statistical correlation analysis were revealed.

  6. Wave propagation numerical models in damage detection based on the time domain spectral element method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ostachowicz, W; Kudela, P

    2010-01-01

    A Spectral Element Method is used for wave propagation modelling. A 3D solid spectral element is derived with shape functions based on Lagrange interpolation and Gauss-Lobatto-Legendre points. This approach is applied for displacement approximation suited for fundamental modes of Lamb waves as well as potential distribution in piezoelectric transducers. The novelty is the model geometry extension from flat to curved elements for application in shell-like structures. Exemplary visualisations of waves excited by the piezoelectric transducers in curved shell structure made of aluminium alloy are presented. Simple signal analysis of wave interaction with crack is performed. The crack is modelled by separation of appropriate nodes between elements. An investigation of influence of the crack length on wave propagation signals is performed. Additionally, some aspects of the spectral element method implementation are discussed.

  7. Detection of HCN and C2H2 in ISO Spectra of Oxygen-Rich AGB Stars

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carbon, Duane F.; Chiar, Jean; Goorvitch, David; Kwak, Dochan (Technical Monitor)

    2002-01-01

    Cool oxygen-rich AGB stars were not expected to have organic molecules like HCN in either their photospheres or circumstellar envelopes (CSEs). The discovery of HCN and CS microwave emission from the shallowest CSE layers of these stars was a considerable surprise and much theoretical effort has been expended in explaining the presence of such organics. To further explore this problem, we have undertaken a systematic search of oxygen-rich AGB stellar spectra in the Infrared Space Observatory (ISO) data archive. Our purposes are to find evidence regarding critical molecular species that could be of value in choosing among the proposed theoretical models, to locate spectral features which might give clues to conditions deeper in the CSEs, and to lay the groundwork for future SIRTF (Space Infrared Telescope Facility) and SOFIA (Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy) observations. Using carefully reduced observations, we have detected weak absorption features arising from HCN and possibly C2H2 in a small number of oxygen-rich AGB stars. The most compelling case is NML Cyg which shows both HCN (14 microns) and CO2 (15 microns). VY CMa, a similar star, shows evidence for HCN, but not CO2. Two S-type stars show evidence for the C-H bending transitions: W Aql at 14 microns (HCN) and both W Aql and S Cas at 13.7 microns (C2H2). Both W Aql and S Cas as well as S Lyr, a SC-type star, show 3 micron absorption which may arise from the C-H stretch of HCN and C2H2. In the case of NML Cyg, we show that the HCN and CO2 spectral features are formed in the CSE at temperatures well above those of the outermost CSE layers and derive approximate column densities. In the case of the S-stars, we discuss the evidence for the organic features and their photospheric origin.

  8. Structural, thermal and optical absorption features of heavy metal oxides doped tellurite rich glasses

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kaky, Kawa M.; Lakshminarayana, G.; Baki, S. O.; Kityk, I. V.; Taufiq-Yap, Y. H.; Mahdi, M. A.

    In order to improve tellurite glass stability to be applicable for optical fiber amplifier applications, glasses with the composition of (70 - x)TeO2. (10)ZnO. (10)WO3. (5)Na2O. (5)TiO2. (x)Bi2O3 (x = 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 mol%) have been produced and characterized using the related methods. Structural properties were investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD) which confirms the non-crystalline structure and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) micrographs also confirm the XRD results. The energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis profiles show that all the mentioned elements are present in the prepared glasses. Following the IR spectra, all the tellurium bonds such as stretching vibrations of TeO4 tbp and TeO3/TeO3+1 unit are revealed. Raman spectra confirm the presence of different functional groups, actually, it shows bands mainly in four spectral regions: R1 (65-150) cm-1, R2 (280-550) cm-1, R3 (880-950) cm-1 and R4 (916-926) cm-1 and the identified bands are assigned to respective molecular groups. The thermal study was carried out using Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) which indicates good thermal stability of the synthesized glasses with increasing Bi concentration. From the optical absorption spectra, we evaluated cut-off edge wavelengths and found increasing cutoff wavelength with an increase in Bi2O3 concentration. In the UV-Visible region, optical band gap energy and allowed transitions were investigated using three methods; direct, indirect, and absorption spectrum fitting (ASF), and band gaps from indirect and ASF were matched.

  9. Swimming clusters in thallium-rich liquid caesium-thallium alloys

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van der Aart, SA; van der Lugt, W; Badyal, YS; Verkerk, P

    The purpose of the work presented here is to obtain structural information on thallium-rich caesium-thallium alloys by means of neutron diffraction. The alloys exhibit a long-range (>1 nm) superstructure. This range increases with the thallium content. The results are interpreted with the help of a

  10. (D,A)∞-modules over (D,A)∞-algebras and spectral sequences

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lapin, S V

    2002-01-01

    We introduce the construction of a (D,A) ∞ -(co)module over a (D,A) ∞ -(co) algebra and study its main homotopy properties. We establish a connection between (D,A) ∞ -(co)modules over (D,A) ∞ -(co)algebras and spectral sequences, and thus obtain the structure of an A ∞ -comodule over the Milnor A ∞ -coalgebra on the homology of any spectrum directly from the differentials of the Adams spectral sequence of this spectrum

  11. Protein Phosphorylation and Mineral Binding Affect the Secondary Structure of the Leucine-Rich Amelogenin Peptide

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hajime Yamazaki

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Previously, we have shown that serine-16 phosphorylation in native full-length porcine amelogenin (P173 and the Leucine-Rich Amelogenin Peptide (LRAP(+P, an alternative amelogenin splice product, affects protein assembly and mineralization in vitro. Notably, P173 and LRAP(+P stabilize amorphous calcium phosphate (ACP and inhibit hydroxyapatite (HA formation, while non-phosphorylated counterparts (rP172, LRAP(−P guide the growth of ordered bundles of HA crystals. Based on these findings, we hypothesize that the phosphorylation of full-length amelogenin and LRAP induces conformational changes that critically affect its capacity to interact with forming calcium phosphate mineral phases. To test this hypothesis, we have utilized Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR to determine the secondary structure of LRAP(−P and LRAP(+P in the absence/presence of calcium and selected mineral phases relevant to amelogenesis; i.e., hydroxyapatite (HA: an enamel crystal prototype and (ACP: an enamel crystal precursor phase. Aqueous solutions of LRAP(−P or LRAP(+P were prepared with or without 7.5 mM of CaCl2 at pH 7.4. FTIR spectra of each solution were obtained using attenuated total reflectance, and amide-I peaks were analyzed to provide secondary structure information. Secondary structures of LRAP(+P and LRAP(−P were similarly assessed following incubation with suspensions of HA and pyrophosphate-stabilized ACP. Amide I spectra of LRAP(−P and LRAP(+P were found to be distinct from each other in all cases. Spectra analyses showed that LRAP(−P is comprised mostly of random coil and β-sheet, while LRAP(+P exhibits more β-sheet and α-helix with little random coil. With added Ca, the random coil content increased in LRAP(−P, while LRAP(+P exhibited a decrease in α-helix components. Incubation of LRAP(−P with HA or ACP resulted in comparable increases in β-sheet structure. Notably, however, LRAP(+P secondary structure was more affected by

  12. Spatial variability of microbial richness and diversity and relationships with soil organic carbon, texture and structure across an agricultural field

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Naveed, Muhammad; Herath, Lasantha; Møldrup, Per

    2016-01-01

    Highlights •Bacterial richness and Shannon diversity showed strong spatial autocorrelations. •Fungal richness and Shannon diversity did not show any clear spatial autocorrelations. •Ratio of clay to organic carbon was found a best predictor of bacterial richness and diversities. •Soil water...

  13. Arbitrary-order Hilbert Spectral Analysis and Intermittency in Solar Wind Density Fluctuations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carbone, Francesco; Sorriso-Valvo, Luca; Alberti, Tommaso; Lepreti, Fabio; Chen, Christopher H. K.; Němeček, Zdenek; Šafránková, Jana

    2018-05-01

    The properties of inertial- and kinetic-range solar wind turbulence have been investigated with the arbitrary-order Hilbert spectral analysis method, applied to high-resolution density measurements. Due to the small sample size and to the presence of strong nonstationary behavior and large-scale structures, the classical analysis in terms of structure functions may prove to be unsuccessful in detecting the power-law behavior in the inertial range, and may underestimate the scaling exponents. However, the Hilbert spectral method provides an optimal estimation of the scaling exponents, which have been found to be close to those for velocity fluctuations in fully developed hydrodynamic turbulence. At smaller scales, below the proton gyroscale, the system loses its intermittent multiscaling properties and converges to a monofractal process. The resulting scaling exponents, obtained at small scales, are in good agreement with those of classical fractional Brownian motion, indicating a long-term memory in the process, and the absence of correlations around the spectral-break scale. These results provide important constraints on models of kinetic-range turbulence in the solar wind.

  14. Proton-rich nuclear statistical equilibrium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Seitenzahl, I.R.; Timmes, F.X.; Marin-Lafleche, A.; Brown, E.; Magkotsios, G.; Truran, J.

    2008-01-01

    Proton-rich material in a state of nuclear statistical equilibrium (NSE) is one of the least studied regimes of nucleosynthesis. One reason for this is that after hydrogen burning, stellar evolution proceeds at conditions of an equal number of neutrons and protons or at a slight degree of neutron-richness. Proton-rich nucleosynthesis in stars tends to occur only when hydrogen-rich material that accretes onto a white dwarf or a neutron star explodes, or when neutrino interactions in the winds from a nascent proto-neutron star or collapsar disk drive the matter proton-rich prior to or during the nucleosynthesis. In this Letter we solve the NSE equations for a range of proton-rich thermodynamic conditions. We show that cold proton-rich NSE is qualitatively different from neutron-rich NSE. Instead of being dominated by the Fe-peak nuclei with the largest binding energy per nucleon that have a proton-to-nucleon ratio close to the prescribed electron fraction, NSE for proton-rich material near freezeout temperature is mainly composed of 56Ni and free protons. Previous results of nuclear reaction network calculations rely on this nonintuitive high-proton abundance, which this Letter explains. We show how the differences and especially the large fraction of free protons arises from the minimization of the free energy as a result of a delicate competition between the entropy and nuclear binding energy.

  15. Homogenization of Winkler-Steklov spectral conditions in three-dimensional linear elasticity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gómez, D.; Nazarov, S. A.; Pérez, M. E.

    2018-04-01

    We consider a homogenization Winkler-Steklov spectral problem that consists of the elasticity equations for a three-dimensional homogeneous anisotropic elastic body which has a plane part of the surface subject to alternating boundary conditions on small regions periodically placed along the plane. These conditions are of the Dirichlet type and of the Winkler-Steklov type, the latter containing the spectral parameter. The rest of the boundary of the body is fixed, and the period and size of the regions, where the spectral parameter arises, are of order ɛ . For fixed ɛ , the problem has a discrete spectrum, and we address the asymptotic behavior of the eigenvalues {β _k^ɛ }_{k=1}^{∞} as ɛ → 0. We show that β _k^ɛ =O(ɛ ^{-1}) for each fixed k, and we observe a common limit point for all the rescaled eigenvalues ɛ β _k^ɛ while we make it evident that, although the periodicity of the structure only affects the boundary conditions, a band-gap structure of the spectrum is inherited asymptotically. Also, we provide the asymptotic behavior for certain "groups" of eigenmodes.

  16. Spectral unmixing: estimating partial abundances

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Debba, Pravesh

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available techniques is complicated when considering very similar spectral signatures. Iron-bearing oxide/hydroxide/sulfate minerals have similar spectral signatures. The study focuses on how could estimates of abundances of spectrally similar iron-bearing oxide...

  17. Spectral intensities in coordination compounds of the transition metals: applications to systems type Cs2SnBr6: OsBr6

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Acevedo, R.; Munoz, G.; Meruane, T.

    2001-01-01

    The luminescence spectrum of the Cs 2 SnBr 6 : OsBr 6 system is examined utilizing a generalized vibronic formalisms. For illustrative purposes we have chosen the most characteristic excitations, which show up a rich and unexpected vibronic structures. These absorptions are tackled with emphasis on both the electronic and the vibrational factors which are responsible for both the overall and the relative vibronic intensities associated with generic transitions of the Γ m = Γ l + v k (k = 3, 4, 6) type. The advantages and disadvantages of the calculation models as well as a critical studies of the experimental data available are discussed. Relevant conclusions are drawn out in connection with the intensity spectral mechanism as well as the eventual influence on the calculated intensities due to the coupling among the internal and the external vibrations and some suggestions for improvement are put forward to advance the state of the art in the vibronic coupling theory. (Author)

  18. Improved automation of dissolved organic carbon sampling for organic-rich surface waters.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grayson, Richard P; Holden, Joseph

    2016-02-01

    In-situ UV-Vis spectrophotometers offer the potential for improved estimates of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) fluxes for organic-rich systems such as peatlands because they are able to sample and log DOC proxies automatically through time at low cost. In turn, this could enable improved total carbon budget estimates for peatlands. The ability of such instruments to accurately measure DOC depends on a number of factors, not least of which is how absorbance measurements relate to DOC and the environmental conditions. Here we test the ability of a S::can Spectro::lyser™ for measuring DOC in peatland streams with routinely high DOC concentrations. Through analysis of the spectral response data collected by the instrument we have been able to accurately measure DOC up to 66 mg L(-1), which is more than double the original upper calibration limit for this particular instrument. A linear regression modelling approach resulted in an accuracy >95%. The greatest accuracy was achieved when absorbance values for several different wavelengths were used at the same time in the model. However, an accuracy >90% was achieved using absorbance values for a single wavelength to predict DOC concentration. Our calculations indicated that, for organic-rich systems, in-situ measurement with a scanning spectrophotometer can improve fluvial DOC flux estimates by 6 to 8% compared with traditional sampling methods. Thus, our techniques pave the way for improved long-term carbon budget calculations from organic-rich systems such as peatlands. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  19. Introduction to spectral theory

    CERN Document Server

    Levitan, B M

    1975-01-01

    This monograph is devoted to the spectral theory of the Sturm- Liouville operator and to the spectral theory of the Dirac system. In addition, some results are given for nth order ordinary differential operators. Those parts of this book which concern nth order operators can serve as simply an introduction to this domain, which at the present time has already had time to become very broad. For the convenience of the reader who is not familar with abstract spectral theory, the authors have inserted a chapter (Chapter 13) in which they discuss this theory, concisely and in the main without proofs, and indicate various connections with the spectral theory of differential operators.

  20. Spectral content of seismic movements produced by underground nuclear explosions; Contenu spectral des mouvements seismiques dus aux explosions nucleaires souterraines

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Albaret, A; Duclaux, F [Commissariat a l' Energie Atomique, Bruyeres-le-Chatel (France). Centre d' Etudes

    1969-07-01

    After a summary of available data, both theoretical and experimental, concerning the spectral content of seismic movements, a description is given of the experiments carried out during the French nuclear explosions in the Sahara, and of the results obtained on the volume waves. A comparison is then made with certain American results. A new method is described for studying the amplitude spectra; it has made it possible to show that the amount of low frequencies in the spectrum increases with the power of the explosion, and decreases with the distance to the zero point and with the filtering effect of the weathered zone. A calculation is then made of the low cut-off ground filter, this giving a better representation of the initial seismic phenomenon. (authors) [French] Apres avoir resume les connaissances disponibles, aussi bien theoriques qu'experimentales, sur le contenu spectral des mouvements seismiques, on decrit les experiences effectuees a l'occasion des explosions nucleaires francaises du Sahara et les resultats obtenus sur les ondes de volume. Puis on les compare avec certains resultats americains. On decrit une nouvelle methode d'etude des spectres d'amplitudes qui montre que le spectre est d'autant plus riche en basses frequences que la puissance de l'explosion est grande, que la distance au point zero est faible et qu'il est moins filtre par la zone alteree superficielle. Puis on calcule le filtre terrain coupe-bas qui permet de donner une representation plus fidele du phenomene seismique initial. (auteurs)

  1. Selective suppression of high-order harmonics within phase-matched spectral regions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lerner, Gavriel; Diskin, Tzvi; Neufeld, Ofer; Kfir, Ofer; Cohen, Oren

    2017-04-01

    Phase matching in high-harmonic generation leads to enhancement of multiple harmonics. It is sometimes desired to control the spectral structure within the phase-matched spectral region. We propose a scheme for selective suppression of high-order harmonics within the phase-matched spectral region while weakly influencing the other harmonics. The method is based on addition of phase-mismatched segments within a phase-matched medium. We demonstrate the method numerically in two examples. First, we show that one phase-mismatched segment can significantly suppress harmonic orders 9, 15, and 21. Second, we show that two phase-mismatched segments can efficiently suppress circularly polarized harmonics with one helicity over the other when driven by a bi-circular field. The new method may be useful for various applications, including the generation of highly helical bright attosecond pulses.

  2. [Analysis of sensitive spectral bands for burning status detection using hyper-spectral images of Tiangong-01].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qin, Xian-Lin; Zhu, Xi; Yang, Fei; Zhao, Kai-Rui; Pang, Yong; Li, Zeng-Yuan; Li, Xu-Zhi; Zhang, Jiu-Xing

    2013-07-01

    To obtain the sensitive spectral bands for detection of information on 4 kinds of burning status, i. e. flaming, smoldering, smoke, and fire scar, with satellite data, analysis was conducted to identify suitable satellite spectral bands for detection of information on these 4 kinds of burning status by using hyper-spectrum images of Tiangong-01 (TG-01) and employing a method combining statistics and spectral analysis. The results show that: in the hyper-spectral images of TG-01, the spectral bands differ obviously for detection of these 4 kinds of burning status; in all hyper-spectral short-wave infrared channels, the reflectance of flaming is higher than that of all other 3 kinds of burning status, and the reflectance of smoke is the lowest; the reflectance of smoke is higher than that of all other 3 kinds of burning status in the channels corresponding to hyper-spectral visible near-infrared and panchromatic sensors. For spectral band selection, more suitable spectral bands for flaming detection are 1 000.0-1 956.0 and 2 020.0-2 400.0 nm; the suitable spectral bands for identifying smoldering are 930.0-1 000.0 and 1 084.0-2 400.0 nm; the suitable spectral bands for smoke detection is in 400.0-920.0 nm; for fire scar detection, it is suitable to select bands with central wavelengths of 900.0-930.0 and 1 300.0-2 400.0 nm, and then to combine them to construct a detection model.

  3. Structure of neutron rich nuclei of Germanium and Gallium beyond N equals 50 at Alto

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lebois, M.

    2008-09-01

    The gamma rays following the beta decay of the following very neutron-rich isotopes: 82,83,84 Ga produced by photo-fission, have been studied at the newly built ISOL facility in Orsay: ALTO. In ALTO the interaction of an electron beam with U 238 target generates a continuous spectra of Bremsstrahlung gamma radiation that triggers U 238 fission. The fission fragments are then ionized, extracted and mass-separated. The analysis of the data has shown the existence of an isomer in 31 84 Ga 53 and has enabled us to confirm known results on 32 83 Ge 51 energy levels including the gamma transition between the 1/2+ state at 247,7 KeV and the fundamental state. We have also proposed the first energy level scheme for 33 84 As 51 . In order to understand the structure of the nucleus we have used the Thankappan and True model that gives a description of the coupling between the pair-pair core (half-magical) and the single nucleon. This model applied to the N=51 chain ( 38 89 Sr 51 , 36 87 Kr 51 , 34 85 Se 51 , 32 83 Ge 51 and 30 81 Zn 51 ) has allowed us to see the main features of odd isotope structure. We have also confirmed previous results concerning the nature of the states in the following decay 31 83 Ga 52 → 32 83 Ge 51

  4. Spectral Decomposition Algorithm (SDA)

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Spectral Decomposition Algorithm (SDA) is an unsupervised feature extraction technique similar to PCA that was developed to better distinguish spectral features in...

  5. Reactions with fast radioactive beams of neutron-rich nuclei

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Aumann, T. [Gesellschaft fuer Schwerionenforschung mbH, Darmstadt (Germany)

    2005-11-01

    The neutron dripline has presently been reached only for the lightest nuclei up to the element oxygen. In this region of light neutron-rich nuclei, scattering experiments are feasible even for dripline nuclei by utilizing high-energy secondary beams produced by fragmentation. In the present article, reactions of high-energy radioactive beams will be exemplified using recent experimental results mainly derived from measurements of breakup reactions performed at the LAND and FRS facilities at GSI and at the S800 spectrometer at the NSCL. Nuclear and electromagnetically induced reactions allow probing different aspects of nuclear structure at the limits of stability related to the neutron-proton asymmetry and the weak binding close to the dripline. Properties of the valence-neutron wave functions are studied in the one-neutron knockout reaction, revealing the changes of shell structure when going from the beta-stability line to more asymmetric loosely bound neutron-rich systems. The vanishing of the N=8 shell gap for neutron-rich systems like {sup 11}Li and {sup 12}Be, or the new closed N=14, 16 shells for the oxygen isotopes are examples. The continuum of weakly bound nuclei and halo states can be studied by inelastic scattering. The dipole response, for instance, is found to change dramatically when going away from the valley of stability. A redistribution of the dipole strength towards lower excitation energies is observed for neutron-rich nuclei, which partly might be due to a new collective excitation mode related to the neutron-proton asymmetry. Halo nuclei in particular show strong dipole transitions to the continuum at the threshold, being directly related to the ground-state properties of the projectile. Finally, an outlook on future experimental prospects is given. (orig.)

  6. Reactions with fast radioactive beams of neutron-rich nuclei

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aumann, T.

    2005-11-01

    The neutron dripline has presently been reached only for the lightest nuclei up to the element oxygen. In this region of light neutron-rich nuclei, scattering experiments are feasible even for dripline nuclei by utilizing high-energy secondary beams produced by fragmentation. In the present article, reactions of high-energy radioactive beams will be exemplified using recent experimental results mainly derived from measurements of breakup reactions performed at the LAND and FRS facilities at GSI and at the S800 spectrometer at the NSCL. Nuclear and electromagnetically induced reactions allow probing different aspects of nuclear structure at the limits of stability related to the neutron-proton asymmetry and the weak binding close to the dripline. Properties of the valence-neutron wave functions are studied in the one-neutron knockout reaction, revealing the changes of shell structure when going from the beta-stability line to more asymmetric loosely bound neutron-rich systems. The vanishing of the N=8 shell gap for neutron-rich systems like 11 Li and 12 Be, or the new closed N=14, 16 shells for the oxygen isotopes are examples. The continuum of weakly bound nuclei and halo states can be studied by inelastic scattering. The dipole response, for instance, is found to change dramatically when going away from the valley of stability. A redistribution of the dipole strength towards lower excitation energies is observed for neutron-rich nuclei, which partly might be due to a new collective excitation mode related to the neutron-proton asymmetry. Halo nuclei in particular show strong dipole transitions to the continuum at the threshold, being directly related to the ground-state properties of the projectile. Finally, an outlook on future experimental prospects is given. (orig.)

  7. USGS Spectral Library Version 7

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kokaly, Raymond F.; Clark, Roger N.; Swayze, Gregg A.; Livo, K. Eric; Hoefen, Todd M.; Pearson, Neil C.; Wise, Richard A.; Benzel, William M.; Lowers, Heather A.; Driscoll, Rhonda L.; Klein, Anna J.

    2017-04-10

    We have assembled a library of spectra measured with laboratory, field, and airborne spectrometers. The instruments used cover wavelengths from the ultraviolet to the far infrared (0.2 to 200 microns [μm]). Laboratory samples of specific minerals, plants, chemical compounds, and manmade materials were measured. In many cases, samples were purified, so that unique spectral features of a material can be related to its chemical structure. These spectro-chemical links are important for interpreting remotely sensed data collected in the field or from an aircraft or spacecraft. This library also contains physically constructed as well as mathematically computed mixtures. Four different spectrometer types were used to measure spectra in the library: (1) Beckman™ 5270 covering the spectral range 0.2 to 3 µm, (2) standard, high resolution (hi-res), and high-resolution Next Generation (hi-resNG) models of Analytical Spectral Devices (ASD) field portable spectrometers covering the range from 0.35 to 2.5 µm, (3) Nicolet™ Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FTIR) interferometer spectrometers covering the range from about 1.12 to 216 µm, and (4) the NASA Airborne Visible/Infra-Red Imaging Spectrometer AVIRIS, covering the range 0.37 to 2.5 µm. Measurements of rocks, soils, and natural mixtures of minerals were made in laboratory and field settings. Spectra of plant components and vegetation plots, comprising many plant types and species with varying backgrounds, are also in this library. Measurements by airborne spectrometers are included for forested vegetation plots, in which the trees are too tall for measurement by a field spectrometer. This report describes the instruments used, the organization of materials into chapters, metadata descriptions of spectra and samples, and possible artifacts in the spectral measurements. To facilitate greater application of the spectra, the library has also been convolved to selected spectrometer and imaging spectrometers sampling and

  8. Spectral Analysis of Vector Magnetic Field Profiles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Parker, Robert L.; OBrien, Michael S.

    1997-01-01

    We investigate the power spectra and cross spectra derived from the three components of the vector magnetic field measured on a straight horizontal path above a statistically stationary source. All of these spectra, which can be estimated from the recorded time series, are related to a single two-dimensional power spectral density via integrals that run in the across-track direction in the wavenumber domain. Thus the measured spectra must obey a number of strong constraints: for example, the sum of the two power spectral densities of the two horizontal field components equals the power spectral density of the vertical component at every wavenumber and the phase spectrum between the vertical and along-track components is always pi/2. These constraints provide powerful checks on the quality of the measured data; if they are violated, measurement or environmental noise should be suspected. The noise due to errors of orientation has a clear characteristic; both the power and phase spectra of the components differ from those of crustal signals, which makes orientation noise easy to detect and to quantify. The spectra of the crustal signals can be inverted to obtain information about the cross-track structure of the field. We illustrate these ideas using a high-altitude Project Magnet profile flown in the southeastern Pacific Ocean.

  9. Does the azimuth orientation of Norway spruce (Picea abies/L./Karst.) branches within sunlit crown part influence the heterogeneity of biochemical, structural and spectral characteristics of needles?

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Lhotáková, Z.; Albrechtová, J.; Malenovský, Zbyněk; Rock, B. N.; Polák, T.; Cudlín, Pavel

    2007-01-01

    Roč. 59, č. 3 (2007), s. 283-297 ISSN 0098-8472 R&D Projects: GA MŠk ME 658 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z60870520 Keywords : branch azimuth orientation * Norway spruce * chlorophyll * phenolic compounds * needle structure * spectral reflectance indices * remote sensing Subject RIV: EF - Botanics Impact factor: 1.810, year: 2007

  10. Platelet-rich plasma in otolaryngology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stavrakas, M; Karkos, P D; Markou, K; Grigoriadis, N

    2016-12-01

    Platelet-rich plasma is a novel material that is being used more frequently in many surgical specialties. A literature review on the current and potential uses of platelet-rich plasma in otolaryngology was performed. There is limited evidence on the use of platelet-rich plasma in otolaryngology compared with other specialties: only 11 studies on various subspecialties (otology, rhinology and laryngology) were included in the final review. Based on the limited number of studies, we cannot draw safe conclusions about the value of platelet-rich plasma in otolaryngology. Nevertheless, the available literature suggests that platelet-rich plasma holds promise for future research and may have a number of clinical applications.

  11. High-resolution crystal structure of Streptococcus pyogenes β-NAD{sup +} glycohydrolase in complex with its endogenous inhibitor IFS reveals a highly water-rich interface

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yoon, Ji Young; An, Doo Ri; Yoon, Hye-Jin [Seoul National University, Seoul 151-747 (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Hyoun Sook [Seoul National University, Seoul 151-747 (Korea, Republic of); Seoul National University, Seoul 151-742 (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Sang Jae [Seoul National University, Seoul 151-742 (Korea, Republic of); Im, Ha Na; Jang, Jun Young [Seoul National University, Seoul 151-747 (Korea, Republic of); Suh, Se Won, E-mail: sewonsuh@snu.ac.kr [Seoul National University, Seoul 151-747 (Korea, Republic of); Seoul National University, Seoul 151-747 (Korea, Republic of)

    2013-11-01

    The crystal structure of the complex between the C-terminal domain of Streptococcus pyogenes β-NAD{sup +} glycohydrolase and an endogenous inhibitor for SPN was determined at 1.70 Å. It reveals that the interface between the two proteins is highly rich in water molecules. One of the virulence factors produced by Streptococcus pyogenes is β-NAD{sup +} glycohydrolase (SPN). S. pyogenes injects SPN into the cytosol of an infected host cell using the cytolysin-mediated translocation pathway. As SPN is toxic to bacterial cells themselves, S. pyogenes possesses the ifs gene that encodes an endogenous inhibitor for SPN (IFS). IFS is localized intracellularly and forms a complex with SPN. This intracellular complex must be dissociated during export through the cell envelope. To provide a structural basis for understanding the interactions between SPN and IFS, the complex was overexpressed between the mature SPN (residues 38–451) and the full-length IFS (residues 1–161), but it could not be crystallized. Therefore, limited proteolysis was used to isolate a crystallizable SPN{sub ct}–IFS complex, which consists of the SPN C-terminal domain (SPN{sub ct}; residues 193–451) and the full-length IFS. Its crystal structure has been determined by single anomalous diffraction and the model refined at 1.70 Å resolution. Interestingly, our high-resolution structure of the complex reveals that the interface between SPN{sub ct} and IFS is highly rich in water molecules and many of the interactions are water-mediated. The wet interface may facilitate the dissociation of the complex for translocation across the cell envelope.

  12. Structural evolution in the isothermal crystallization process of the molten nylon 10/10 traced by time-resolved infrared spectral measurements and synchrotron SAXS/WAXD measurements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tashiro, Kohji; Nishiyama, Asami; Tsuji, Sawako; Hashida, Tomoko; Hanesaka, Makoto; Takeda, Shinichi; Weiyu, Cao; Reddy, Kummetha Raghunatha; Masunaga, Hiroyasu; Sasaki, Sono; Takata, Masaki; Ito, Kazuki

    2009-01-01

    The structural evolution in the isothermal crystallization process of nylon 10/10 from the melt has been clarified concretely on the basis of the time-resolved infrared spectral measurement as well as the synchrotron wide-angle and small-angle X-ray scattering measurements. Immediately after the temperature jump from the melt to the crystallization point, the isolated domains consisting of the hydrogen-bonded random coils were formed in the melt, as revealed by Guinier plot of SAXS data and the infrared spectral data. With the passage of time these domains approached each other with stronger correlation as analyzed by Debye-Bueche equation. These domains transformed finally to the stacked crystalline lamellae, in which the conformationally-regularized methylene segments of the CO sides were connected each other by stronger intermolecular hydrogen bonds to form the crystal lattice.

  13. Fatigue Life Prediction of the Keel Structure of a Tsunami Buoy Using Spectral Fatigue Analysis Method

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Angga Yustiawan

    2013-09-01

    Full Text Available One  of  the  components  of  the  Indonesia  Tsunami  Early  Warning  System  (InaTEWS  is  a  surface  buoy.  The  surface buoy  is  exposed  to  dynamic  and  random  loadings  while  operating  at  sea,  particularly  due  to  waves.  Because  of  the cyclic  nature  of  the  wave  load,  this  may  result  in  a fatigue  damage  of  the  keel  structure,  which  connects  the  mooring line  with  the  buoy  hull.  The  operating  location  of  the buoy  is  off  the  Java  South  Coast  at  the  coordinate (10.3998  S, 108.3417  E. To  determine  the  stress  transfer  function, model  tests  were  performed,  measuring  the  buoy  motions  and the stress at the mooring line. A spectral fatigue analysis method is applied for the purpose of estimating the fatigue life of the keel structure. Utilizing the  model-test results, the S-N curve obtained in a previous study and the  wave data at the buoy location, it is found that the fatigue life of the keel structure is approximately 11 years.

  14. Structure and spectroscopic study of aqueous Fe(III)-As(V) complexes using UV-Vis, XAS and DFT-TDDFT.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chai, Liyuan; Yang, Jinqin; Zhang, Ning; Wu, Pin-Jiun; Li, Qingzhu; Wang, Qingwei; Liu, Hui; Yi, Haibo

    2017-09-01

    Aqueous complexes between ferric (Fe(III)) and arsenate (As(V)) are indispensable for understanding the mobility of arsenic (As) in Fe(III)-As(V)-rich systems. In this study, aqueous Fe(III)-As(V) complexes, FeH 2 AsO 4 2+ and FeHAsO 4 + , were postulated based on the qualitative analysis of UV-Vis spectra in both Fe(III)-As(V)-HClO 4 and Fe(III)-As(V)-H 2 SO 4 systems. Subsequently, monodentate structures were evidenced by Fe K-edge EXAFS and modeled as [FeH 2 AsO 4 (H 2 O) 5 ] 2+ and [FeHAsO 4 (H 2 O) 5 ] + by DFT. The feature band at ∼280 nm was verified as electron excitation chiefly from Fe-As-bridged O atoms to d-orbital of Fe in [FeH 2 AsO 4 (H 2 O) 5 ] 2+ and [FeHAsO 4 (H 2 O) 5 ] + . The structural and spectral information of Fe(III)-As(V) complexes will enable future speciation analysis in Fe(III)-As(V)-rich system. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  15. The Arizona Radio Observatory 1 mm Spectral Survey of IRC +10216 and VY Canis Majoris (215-285 GHz)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tenenbaum, E. D.; Dodd, J. L.; Milam, S. N.; Woolf, N. J.; Ziurys, L. M.

    2010-10-01

    A low noise (1σ rms ~ 3 mK) 1 mm spectral survey (214.5-285.5 GHz) of the oxygen-rich supergiant VY Canis Majoris and the carbon-rich asymptotic giant branch star IRC +10216 has been conducted using the Arizona Radio Observatory's 10 m Submillimeter Telescope. Here the complete data set is presented. This study, carried out with a new ALMA-type receiver, marks the first continuous band scan of an O-rich circumstellar envelope, and the most sensitive survey to date of IRC +10216. In VY CMa, 130 distinct molecular lines were detected, 14 of which cannot be identified; in IRC +10216, 717 lines were observed, with 126 features remaining unidentified. In the 1 mm bands of VY CMa and IRC +10216, emission is present from 18 and 32 different chemical compounds, respectively, with 10 species common to both sources. Many narrow emission lines were observed in both circumstellar shells, arising from vibrationally excited molecules and from refractory-containing species. Line profiles in VY CMa also exhibit a variety of different shapes, caused by the complex, asymmetric outflow of this object. The survey highlights the fact that C-rich and O-rich circumstellar envelopes are chemically interesting, and both are sources of new interstellar molecules. The high number of unidentified lines and the unreliable rest frequencies for known species such as NaCN indicate the need for additional laboratory spectroscopy studies.

  16. THE ARIZONA RADIO OBSERVATORY 1 mm SPECTRAL SURVEY OF IRC +10216 AND VY CANIS MAJORIS (215-285 GHz)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tenenbaum, E. D.; Dodd, J. L.; Woolf, N. J.; Ziurys, L. M.; Milam, S. N.

    2010-01-01

    A low noise (1σ rms ∼ 3 mK) 1 mm spectral survey (214.5-285.5 GHz) of the oxygen-rich supergiant VY Canis Majoris and the carbon-rich asymptotic giant branch star IRC +10216 has been conducted using the Arizona Radio Observatory's 10 m Submillimeter Telescope. Here the complete data set is presented. This study, carried out with a new ALMA-type receiver, marks the first continuous band scan of an O-rich circumstellar envelope, and the most sensitive survey to date of IRC +10216. In VY CMa, 130 distinct molecular lines were detected, 14 of which cannot be identified; in IRC +10216, 717 lines were observed, with 126 features remaining unidentified. In the 1 mm bands of VY CMa and IRC +10216, emission is present from 18 and 32 different chemical compounds, respectively, with 10 species common to both sources. Many narrow emission lines were observed in both circumstellar shells, arising from vibrationally excited molecules and from refractory-containing species. Line profiles in VY CMa also exhibit a variety of different shapes, caused by the complex, asymmetric outflow of this object. The survey highlights the fact that C-rich and O-rich circumstellar envelopes are chemically interesting, and both are sources of new interstellar molecules. The high number of unidentified lines and the unreliable rest frequencies for known species such as NaCN indicate the need for additional laboratory spectroscopy studies.

  17. Prediction of spectral acceleration response ordinates based on PGA attenuation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Graizer, V.; Kalkan, E.

    2009-01-01

    Developed herein is a new peak ground acceleration (PGA)-based predictive model for 5% damped pseudospectral acceleration (SA) ordinates of free-field horizontal component of ground motion from shallow-crustal earthquakes. The predictive model of ground motion spectral shape (i.e., normalized spectrum) is generated as a continuous function of few parameters. The proposed model eliminates the classical exhausted matrix of estimator coefficients, and provides significant ease in its implementation. It is structured on the Next Generation Attenuation (NGA) database with a number of additions from recent Californian events including 2003 San Simeon and 2004 Parkfield earthquakes. A unique feature of the model is its new functional form explicitly integrating PGA as a scaling factor. The spectral shape model is parameterized within an approximation function using moment magnitude, closest distance to the fault (fault distance) and VS30 (average shear-wave velocity in the upper 30 m) as independent variables. Mean values of its estimator coefficients were computed by fitting an approximation function to spectral shape of each record using robust nonlinear optimization. Proposed spectral shape model is independent of the PGA attenuation, allowing utilization of various PGA attenuation relations to estimate the response spectrum of earthquake recordings.

  18. Automated spectral zones selection methodology for diffusion theory data preparation for pebble bed reactor analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mphahlele, Ramatsemela

    A methodology is developed for the determination of the optimum spectral zones in Pebble Bed Reactors (PBR). In this work a spectral zone is defined as a zone made up of a number of nodes whose characteristics are collectively similar and that are assigned the same few-group diffusion constants. In other words the spectral zones are the regions over which the few-group diffusion parameters are generated. The identification of spectral boundaries is treated as an optimization problem. It is solved by systematically and simultaneously repositioning all zone boundaries to achieve the global minimum error between the reference transport solution (MCNP) and the diffusion code solution (NEM). The objective function for the optimization algorithm is the total reaction rate error, which is defined as the sum of the leakage, absorption and fission reaction rates error in each zone. An iterative determination of group-dependent bucklings is incorporated into the methodology to properly account for spectral effects of neighboring zones. A preferred energy group structure has also been chosen. This optimization approach with the reference transport solution has proved to be accurate and consistent, however the computational effort required to complete the optimization process is significant. Thus a more practical methodology is also developed for the determination of the spectral zones in PBRs. The reactor physics characteristics of the spectral zones have been studied to understand the nature of the spectral zone boundaries. The practical tool involves the use of spectral indices based on few-group diffusion theory whole core calculations. With this methodology, there is no need to first have a reference transport solution. It is shown that the diffusion-theory coarse group fluxes and the effective multiplication factor computed using zones based on the practical index agrees within a narrow tolerance with those of the reference approach. Therefore the "practical" index

  19. COMPARATIVE SPECTRA OF OXYGEN-RICH VERSUS CARBON-RICH CIRCUMSTELLAR SHELLS: VY CANIS MAJORIS AND IRC +10216 AT 215-285 GHz

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tenenbaum, E. D.; Dodd, J. L.; Woolf, N. J.; Ziurys, L. M.; Milam, S. N.

    2010-01-01

    A sensitive (1σ rms at 1 MHz resolution ∼3 mK) 1 mm spectral line survey (214.5-285.5 GHz) of VY Canis Majoris (VY CMa) and IRC +10216 has been conducted to compare the chemistries of oxygen- and carbon-rich circumstellar envelopes. This study was carried out using the Submillimeter Telescope of the Arizona Radio Observatory with a new Atacama Large Millimeter Array type receiver. This survey is the first to chemically characterize an O-rich circumstellar shell at millimeter wavelengths. In VY CMa, 128 emission features were detected arising from 18 different molecules; and in IRC +10216, 720 lines were observed, assigned to 32 different species. The 1 mm spectrum of VY CMa is dominated by SO 2 and SiS; in IRC +10216, C 4 H and SiC 2 are the most recurrent species. Ten molecules were common to both sources: CO, SiS, SiO, CS, CN, HCN, HNC, NaCl, PN, and HCO + . Sulfur plays an important role in VY CMa, but saturated/unsaturated carbon dominates the molecular content of IRC +10216, producing CH 2 NH, for example. Although the molecular complexity of IRC +10216 is greater, VY CMa supports a unique 'inorganic' chemistry leading to the oxides PO, AlO, and AlOH. Only diatomic and triatomic compounds were observed in VY CMa, while species with four or more atoms are common in IRC +10216, reflecting carbon's ability to form multiple strong bonds, unlike oxygen. In VY CMa, a new water maser (v 2 = 2) has been found, as well as vibrationally excited NaCl. Toward IRC +10216, vibrationally excited CCH was detected for the first time.

  20. Comparative Spectra of Oxygen-rich Versus Carbon-rich Circumstellar Shells: VY Canis Majoris and IRC +10216 at 215-285 GHz

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tenenbaum, E. D.; Dodd, J. L.; Milam, S. N.; Woolf, N. J.; Ziurys, L. M.

    2010-09-01

    A sensitive (1σ rms at 1 MHz resolution ~3 mK) 1 mm spectral line survey (214.5-285.5 GHz) of VY Canis Majoris (VY CMa) and IRC +10216 has been conducted to compare the chemistries of oxygen- and carbon-rich circumstellar envelopes. This study was carried out using the Submillimeter Telescope of the Arizona Radio Observatory with a new Atacama Large Millimeter Array type receiver. This survey is the first to chemically characterize an O-rich circumstellar shell at millimeter wavelengths. In VY CMa, 128 emission features were detected arising from 18 different molecules; and in IRC +10216, 720 lines were observed, assigned to 32 different species. The 1 mm spectrum of VY CMa is dominated by SO2 and SiS; in IRC +10216, C4H and SiC2 are the most recurrent species. Ten molecules were common to both sources: CO, SiS, SiO, CS, CN, HCN, HNC, NaCl, PN, and HCO+. Sulfur plays an important role in VY CMa, but saturated/unsaturated carbon dominates the molecular content of IRC +10216, producing CH2NH, for example. Although the molecular complexity of IRC +10216 is greater, VY CMa supports a unique "inorganic" chemistry leading to the oxides PO, AlO, and AlOH. Only diatomic and triatomic compounds were observed in VY CMa, while species with four or more atoms are common in IRC +10216, reflecting carbon's ability to form multiple strong bonds, unlike oxygen. In VY CMa, a new water maser (v 2 = 2) has been found, as well as vibrationally excited NaCl. Toward IRC +10216, vibrationally excited CCH was detected for the first time.

  1. Vaccatides: Antifungal Glutamine-Rich Hevein-Like Peptides from Vaccaria hispanica

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ka H. Wong

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Hevein and hevein-like peptides are disulfide-constrained chitin-binding cysteine-rich peptides. They are divided into three subfamilies, 6C-, 8C-, and 10C-hevein-like peptides, based on the number of cysteine residues. In addition, hevein-like peptides can exist in two forms, short and long. The long C-terminal form found in hevein and 10C-hevein-like peptides contain a C-terminal protein cargo. In contrast, the short form without a protein cargo is found in all three subfamilies. Here, we report the discovery and characterization of two novel glutamine-rich and protein cargo-free 8C-hevein-like peptides, vaccatides vH1 and vH2, from Vaccaria hispanica of the Caryophyllaceae family. Proteomic analyses showed that the vaccatides are 40–41 amino acids in length and contain a chitin-binding domain. NMR determination revealed that vaccatide vH2 displays a highly compact structure with a N-terminal cystine knot and an addition C-terminal disulfide bond. Stability studies showed that this compact structure renders vaccatide vH2 resistant to thermal, chemical and proteolytic degradation. The chitin-binding vH2 was shown to inhibit the mycelium growth of four phyto-pathogenic fungal strains with IC50 values in the micromolar range. Our findings show that vaccatides represent a new family of 8C-hevein-like peptides, which are protein cargo-free and glutamine-rich, characteristics that differentiate them from the prototypic hevein and the 10C-hevein-like peptides. In summary, this study enriches the existing library of hevein-like peptides and provides insight into their molecular diversity in sequence, structure and biosynthesis. Additionally, their highly disulfide-constrained structure could be used as a scaffold for developing metabolically and orally active peptidyl therapeutics.

  2. Mammal predator and prey species richness are strongly linked at macroscales

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sandom, Christopher James; Dalby, Lars; Fløjgaard, Camilla

    2013-01-01

    Predator–prey interactions play an important role for species composition and community dynamics at local scales, but their importance in shaping large-scale gradients of species richness remains unexplored. Here, we use global range maps, structural equation models (SEM), and comprehensive...... databases of dietary preferences and body masses of all terrestrial, non-volant mammals worldwide, to test whether (1) prey-bottom-up or predator- top-down relationships are important drivers of broad-scale species richness gradients once the environment and human influence has been accounted for, (2...... between them (e.g., large prey to small predators), suggesting that mass-related energetic and physiological constraints influence broad-scale richness links, especially for large-bodied mammals. Overall, our results support the idea that trophic interactions can be important drivers of large...

  3. The HIFI spectral survey of AFGL 2591 (CHESS). II. Summary of the survey

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kaźmierczak-Barthel, M.; van der Tak, F. F. S.; Helmich, F. P.; Chavarría, L.; Wang, K.-S.; Ceccarelli, C.

    2014-07-01

    Aims: This paper presents the richness of submillimeter spectral features in the high-mass star forming region AFGL 2591. Methods: As part of the Chemical Herschel Survey of Star Forming Regions (CHESS) key programme, AFGL 2591 was observed by the Herschel (HIFI) instrument. The spectral survey covered a frequency range from 480 to 1240 GHz as well as single lines from 1267 to 1901 GHz (i.e. CO, HCl, NH3, OH, and [CII]). Rotational and population diagram methods were used to calculate column densities, excitation temperatures, and the emission extents of the observed molecules associated with AFGL 2591. The analysis was supplemented with several lines from ground-based JCMT spectra. Results: From the HIFI spectral survey analysis a total of 32 species were identified (including isotopologues). Although the lines are mostly quite weak (∫TmbdV ~ few K km s-1), 268 emission and 16 absorption lines were found (excluding blends). Molecular column densities range from 6 × 1011 to 1 × 1019 cm-2 and excitation temperatures from 19 to 175 K. Cold (e.g. HCN, H2S, and NH3 with temperatures below 70 K) and warm species (e.g. CH3OH, SO2) in the protostellar envelope can be distinguished. Herschel is an ESA space observatory with science instruments provided by European-led Principal Investigator consortia and with important participation from NASA.Appendix A is available in electronic form at http://www.aanda.org

  4. Land Cover Classification Using Integrated Spectral, Temporal, and Spatial Features Derived from Remotely Sensed Images

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yongguang Zhai

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Obtaining accurate and timely land cover information is an important topic in many remote sensing applications. Using satellite image time series data should achieve high-accuracy land cover classification. However, most satellite image time-series classification methods do not fully exploit the available data for mining the effective features to identify different land cover types. Therefore, a classification method that can take full advantage of the rich information provided by time-series data to improve the accuracy of land cover classification is needed. In this paper, a novel method for time-series land cover classification using spectral, temporal, and spatial information at an annual scale was introduced. Based on all the available data from time-series remote sensing images, a refined nonlinear dimensionality reduction method was used to extract the spectral and temporal features, and a modified graph segmentation method was used to extract the spatial features. The proposed classification method was applied in three study areas with land cover complexity, including Illinois, South Dakota, and Texas. All the Landsat time series data in 2014 were used, and different study areas have different amounts of invalid data. A series of comparative experiments were conducted on the annual time-series images using training data generated from Cropland Data Layer. The results demonstrated higher overall and per-class classification accuracies and kappa index values using the proposed spectral-temporal-spatial method compared to spectral-temporal classification methods. We also discuss the implications of this study and possibilities for future applications and developments of the method.

  5. A design strategy of large grain lithium-rich layered oxides for lithium-ion batteries cathode

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jiang, Xiong; Wang, Zhenhua; Rooney, David; Zhang, Xiaoxue; Feng, Jie; Qiao, Jinshuo; Sun, Wang; Sun, Kening

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • Ultrasound-assisted mixing lithium was used to synthesize Lithium-rich layered oxides. • Lithium-rich layered oxides composed of large grain had high capacity and high cycling stability. • This unique large grain overcomes stress-induced structural collapse caused by Li-ion insertion/extraction and reduces dissolution of Mn ions. • A new strategy of large grain could be employed to synthesize the other complex architectures for various applications. - Abstract: Li-rich materials are considered the most promising for Li-ion battery cathodes, as high capacity can be achieved. However, poor cycling stability is a critical drawback that leads to poor capacity retention. Here a strategy is used to synthesize a large-grain lithium-rich layered oxides to overcome this difficulty without sacrificing rate capability. This material is designed with micron scale grain with a width of about 300 nm and length of 1–3 μm. This unique structure has a better ability to overcome stress-induced structural collapse caused by Li-ion insertion/extraction and reduce the dissolution of Mn ions, which enable a reversible and stable capacity. As a result, this cathode material delivered a highest discharge capacity of around 308 mAh g −1 at a current density of 30 mA g −1 with retention of 88.3% (according to the highest discharge capacity) after 100 cycles, 190 mAh g −1 at a current density of 300 mA g −1 and almost no capacity fading after 100 cycles. Therefore, Lithium-rich material of large-grain structure is a promising cathode candidate in Lithium-ion batteries with high capacity and high cycle stability for application. This strategy of large grain may furthermore open the door to synthesize the other complex architectures for various applications

  6. Use of rich-media resources by engineering undergraduates

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gillie, Martin; Dahli, Ranim; Saunders, Fiona C.; Gibson, Andrew

    2017-11-01

    The ability to develop and distribute digital teaching resources in higher education has developed rapidly over the last decade but research into how students use such resources has received limited attention. This study uses questionnaire results, Internet analytic data and semi-structured interviews to examine the use of three types of rich-media teaching resources - lecture podcasts, key-concept videos and tutorial solution videos - by engineering undergraduates. It is found that students value all three types of resource, especially for revision and as a supplement to lectures. Students find short, focused resources more useful than longer ones. Non-native English speakers and those with disabilities derive particular benefits from the resources. The effect of rich-media resources on lecture attendance is found to be small, and two-way.

  7. COMPASS mirror wall of RICH 1

    CERN Multimedia

    Patrice Loïez

    2001-01-01

    The COMPASS experiment uses ring imaging Cherenkov (RICH) counters to identify particles produced in high-energy muon collisions, to better understand the spin structure of the nucleon. Charged particles moving faster than the speed of light in the medium through which they are travelling emit a cone of Cherenkov radiation in the direction of their motion. The light in this cone is reflected from these mirrors onto a photo detector so that the size of the cone can be measured, which gives the energy of the particle.

  8. MO-F-CAMPUS-I-04: Characterization of Fan Beam Coded Aperture Coherent Scatter Spectral Imaging Methods for Differentiation of Normal and Neoplastic Breast Structures

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Morris, R; Albanese, K; Lakshmanan, M; Greenberg, J; Kapadia, A [Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, Carl E Ravin Advanced Imaging Laboratories, Durham, NC (United States)

    2015-06-15

    Purpose: This study intends to characterize the spectral and spatial resolution limits of various fan beam geometries for differentiation of normal and neoplastic breast structures via coded aperture coherent scatter spectral imaging techniques. In previous studies, pencil beam raster scanning methods using coherent scatter computed tomography and selected volume tomography have yielded excellent results for tumor discrimination. However, these methods don’t readily conform to clinical constraints; primarily prolonged scan times and excessive dose to the patient. Here, we refine a fan beam coded aperture coherent scatter imaging system to characterize the tradeoffs between dose, scan time and image quality for breast tumor discrimination. Methods: An X-ray tube (125kVp, 400mAs) illuminated the sample with collimated fan beams of varying widths (3mm to 25mm). Scatter data was collected via two linear-array energy-sensitive detectors oriented parallel and perpendicular to the beam plane. An iterative reconstruction algorithm yields images of the sample’s spatial distribution and respective spectral data for each location. To model in-vivo tumor analysis, surgically resected breast tumor samples were used in conjunction with lard, which has a form factor comparable to adipose (fat). Results: Quantitative analysis with current setup geometry indicated optimal performance for beams up to 10mm wide, with wider beams producing poorer spatial resolution. Scan time for a fixed volume was reduced by a factor of 6 when scanned with a 10mm fan beam compared to a 1.5mm pencil beam. Conclusion: The study demonstrates the utility of fan beam coherent scatter spectral imaging for differentiation of normal and neoplastic breast tissues has successfully reduced dose and scan times whilst sufficiently preserving spectral and spatial resolution. Future work to alter the coded aperture and detector geometries could potentially allow the use of even wider fans, thereby making coded

  9. An Interferometric Spectral Line and Imaging Survey of VY Canis Majoris in the 345 GHz Band

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kamiński, T.; Gottlieb, C. A.; Young, K. H.; Menten, K. M.; Patel, N. A.

    2013-12-01

    A spectral line survey of the oxygen-rich red supergiant VY Canis Majoris was made between 279 and 355 GHz with the Submillimeter Array (SMA). Two hundred twenty-three spectral features from 19 molecules (not counting isotopic species of some of them) were observed, including the rotational spectra of TiO, TiO2, and AlCl for the first time in this source. The parameters and an atlas of all spectral features are presented. Observations of each line with a synthesized beam of ~0.''9, reveal the complex kinematics and morphology of the nebula surrounding VY CMa. Many of the molecules are observed in high-lying rotational levels or in excited vibrational levels. From these, it was established that the main source of the submillimeter-wave continuum (dust) and the high-excitation molecular gas (the star) are separated by about 0.''15. Apparent coincidences between the molecular gas observed with the SMA, and some of the arcs and knots observed at infrared wavelengths and in the optical scattered light by the Hubble Space Telescope are identified. The observations presented here provide important constraints on the molecular chemistry in oxygen-dominated circumstellar environments and a deeper picture of the complex circumstellar environment of VY CMa.

  10. Online monitoring of printed electronics by Spectral-Domain Optical Coherence Tomography

    KAUST Repository

    Alarousu, Erkki; Alsaggaf, Ahmed; Jabbour, Ghassan E.

    2013-01-01

    Spectral-Domain Optical Coherence Tomography (SD-OCT) is an optical method capable of 3D imaging of object's internal structure with micron-scale resolution. Modern SD-OCT tools offer the speed capable of online monitoring of printed devices

  11. Searching for a Differentiated Asteroid Family: A Spectral Survey of the Massalia, Merxia, and Agnia Families

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thomas, Cristina A.; Moskovitz, Nicholas; Lim, Lucy F.; Trilling, David E.

    2017-10-01

    Asteroid families were formed by catastrophic collisions or large cratering events that caused fragmentation of the parent body and ejection of asteroidal fragments with velocities sufficient to prevent re-accretion. Due to these formation processes, asteroid families provide us with the opportunity to probe the interiors of the former parent bodies. Differentiation of a large initially chondritic parent body is expected to result in an “onion shell" object with an iron-nickel core, a thick olivine-dominated mantle, and a thin plagioclase/pyroxene crust. However, most asteroid families tend to show similar spectra (and therefore composition) among the members. Spectroscopic studies have observed a paucity of metal-like materials and olivine-dominated assemblages within Main Belt asteroid families.The deficit of olivine-rich mantle material in the meteorite record and in asteroid observations is known as the “Missing Mantle" problem. For years the best explanation has been the “battered to bits" hypothesis: differentiated parent bodies (aside from Vesta) were disrupted very early in the Solar System and the olivine-rich material was collisionally broken down over time. Alternatively, Elkins-Tanton et al. (2013) have suggested that previous work has overestimated the amount of olivine produced by the differentiation of a chondritic parent body.We have completed a visible and near-infrared wavelength spectral survey of asteroids in the Massalia, Merxia, and Agnia S-type Main Belt asteroid families. These families were carefully chosen for the spectroscopic survey because they have compositions most closely associated with a history of thermal metamorphism and because they represent a range of collisional formation scenarios. Additionally, members of the Merxia and Agnia families were identified as products of differentiation by Sunshine et al. (2004).Our spectral analyses suggest that the observed families contain products of partial differentiation. We will

  12. Fabrication of an Organic Light-Emitting Diode from New Host π Electron Rich Zinc Complex

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jafari, Mohammad Reza; Janghouri, Mohammad; Shahedi, Zahra

    2017-01-01

    A new π electron rich zinc complex was used as a fluorescent material in organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). Devices with a structure of indium tin oxide/poly (3,4-ethylenedi-oxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT: PSS) (50 nm)/polyvinylcarbazole (60 nm)/Zn: %2 porphyrin derivatives (45 nm)/Al (150 nm) were fabricated. Porphyrin derivatives accounting for 2 wt.% in the π electron rich zinc complex were used as a host. The electroluminescence (EL) spectra of porphyrin derivatives indicated a red shift, as π electron rich zinc complex EL spectra. The device (4) has also a luminance of 3420 cd/m2 and maximum efficiency of 1.58 cd/A at 15 V, which are the highest values among four devices. The result of Commission International del'Eclairage (CIE) (X, Y) coordinate and EL spectrum of device (3) indicated that it is more red shifted compared to other devices. Results of this work indicate that π electron rich zinc complex is a promising host material for high efficiency red OLEDs and has a simple structure compared to Alq3-based devices.

  13. Influence of Sampling Effort on the Estimated Richness of Road-Killed Vertebrate Wildlife

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bager, Alex; da Rosa, Clarissa A.

    2011-05-01

    Road-killed mammals, birds, and reptiles were collected weekly from highways in southern Brazil in 2002 and 2005. The objective was to assess variation in estimates of road-kill impacts on species richness produced by different sampling efforts, and to provide information to aid in the experimental design of future sampling. Richness observed in weekly samples was compared with sampling for different periods. In each period, the list of road-killed species was evaluated based on estimates the community structure derived from weekly samplings, and by the presence of the ten species most subject to road mortality, and also of threatened species. Weekly samples were sufficient only for reptiles and mammals, considered separately. Richness estimated from the biweekly samples was equal to that found in the weekly samples, and gave satisfactory results for sampling the most abundant and threatened species. The ten most affected species showed constant road-mortality rates, independent of sampling interval, and also maintained their dominance structure. Birds required greater sampling effort. When the composition of road-killed species varies seasonally, it is necessary to take biweekly samples for a minimum of one year. Weekly or more-frequent sampling for periods longer than two years is necessary to provide a reliable estimate of total species richness.

  14. Mapping and predictive variations of soil bacterial richness across France.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sébastien Terrat

    Full Text Available Although numerous studies have demonstrated the key role of bacterial diversity in soil functions and ecosystem services, little is known about the variations and determinants of such diversity on a nationwide scale. The overall objectives of this study were i to describe the bacterial taxonomic richness variations across France, ii to identify the ecological processes (i.e. selection by the environment and dispersal limitation influencing this distribution, and iii to develop a statistical predictive model of soil bacterial richness. We used the French Soil Quality Monitoring Network (RMQS, which covers all of France with 2,173 sites. The soil bacterial richness (i.e. OTU number was determined by pyrosequencing 16S rRNA genes and related to the soil characteristics, climatic conditions, geomorphology, land use and space. Mapping of bacterial richness revealed a heterogeneous spatial distribution, structured into patches of about 111km, where the main drivers were the soil physico-chemical properties (18% of explained variance, the spatial descriptors (5.25%, 1.89% and 1.02% for the fine, medium and coarse scales, respectively, and the land use (1.4%. Based on these drivers, a predictive model was developed, which allows a good prediction of the bacterial richness (R2adj of 0.56 and provides a reference value for a given pedoclimatic condition.

  15. IOP Shape coexistence in neutron-rich strontium isotopes at N = 60

    CERN Document Server

    Clément, Emmanuel

    2017-01-01

    The structure of neutron-rich $^{96,98}$ Sr nuclei was investigated by low-energy Coulomb excitation of radioactive beams at the REX-ISOLDE facility, CERN, with the MINIBALL spectrometer. A rich set of transitional and diagonal E2 matrix elements has been extracted from the differential Coulomb-excitation cross sections. The results support the scenario of a shape transition at N=60, giving rise to the coexistence of a highly deformed prolate and a spherical configuration in $^{98}$ Sr with low configuration mixing.

  16. Spectral characterization of surface emissivities in the thermal infrared

    Science.gov (United States)

    Niclòs, Raquel; Mira, Maria; Valor, Enric; Caselles, Diego; García-Santos, Vicente; Caselles, Vicente; Sánchez, Juan M.

    2015-04-01

    Thermal infrared (TIR) remote sensing trends to hyperspectral sensors on board satellites in the last decades, e.g., the current EOS-MODIS and EOS-ASTER and future missions like HyspIRI, ECOSTRESS, THIRSTY and MISTIGRI. This study aims to characterize spectrally the emissive properties of several surfaces, mostly soils. A spectrometer ranging from 2 to 16 μm, D&P Model 102, has been used to measure samples with singular spectral features, e.g. a sandy soil rich in gypsum sampled in White Sands (New Mexico, USA), salt samples, powdered quartz, and powdered calcite. These samples were chosen for their role in the assessment of thermal emissivity of soils, e.g., the calcite and quartz contents are key variables for modeling TIR emissivities of bare soils, along with soil moisture and organic matter. Additionally, the existence of large areas in the world with abundance of these materials, some of them used for calibration/validation activities of satellite sensors and products, makes the chosen samples interesting. White Sands is the world's largest gypsum dune field encompassing 400 km^2; the salt samples characterize the Salar of Uyuni (Bolivia), the largest salt flat in the world (up to 10,000 km^2), as well as the Jordanian and Israeli salt evaporation ponds at the south end of the Dead Sea, or the evaporation lagoons in Aigües-Mortes (France); and quartz is omnipresent in most of the arid regions of the world such as the Algodones Dunes or Kelso Dunes (California, USA), with areas around 700 km2 and 120 km^2, respectively. Measurements of target leaving radiance, hemispherical radiance reflected by a diffuse reflectance panel, and the radiance from a black body at different temperatures were taken to obtain thermal spectra with the D&P spectrometer. The good consistency observed between our measurements and laboratory spectra of similar samples (ASTER and MODIS spectral libraries) indicated the validity of the measurement protocol. Further, our study showed the

  17. Structural, thermal and optical absorption features of heavy metal oxides doped tellurite rich glasses

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kawa M. Kaky

    Full Text Available In order to improve tellurite glass stability to be applicable for optical fiber amplifier applications, glasses with the composition of (70 − xTeO2. (10ZnO. (10WO3. (5Na2O. (5TiO2. (xBi2O3 (x = 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 mol% have been produced and characterized using the related methods. Structural properties were investigated using X-ray diffraction (XRD which confirms the non-crystalline structure and scanning electron microscopy (SEM micrographs also confirm the XRD results. The energy dispersive X-ray (EDX analysis profiles show that all the mentioned elements are present in the prepared glasses. Following the IR spectra, all the tellurium bonds such as stretching vibrations of TeO4 tbp and TeO3/TeO3+1 unit are revealed. Raman spectra confirm the presence of different functional groups, actually, it shows bands mainly in four spectral regions: R1 (65–150 cm−1, R2 (280–550 cm−1, R3 (880–950 cm−1 and R4 (916–926 cm−1 and the identified bands are assigned to respective molecular groups. The thermal study was carried out using Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC which indicates good thermal stability of the synthesized glasses with increasing Bi concentration. From the optical absorption spectra, we evaluated cut-off edge wavelengths and found increasing cutoff wavelength with an increase in Bi2O3 concentration. In the UV–Visible region, optical band gap energy and allowed transitions were investigated using three methods; direct, indirect, and absorption spectrum fitting (ASF, and band gaps from indirect and ASF were matched. Keywords: Tellurite glasses, XRD, FT-IR, Raman, TGA/DSC

  18. Optimization of spectral printer modeling based on a modified cellular Yule-Nielsen spectral Neugebauer model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Qiang; Wan, Xiaoxia; Xie, Dehong

    2014-06-01

    The study presented here optimizes several steps in the spectral printer modeling workflow based on a cellular Yule-Nielsen spectral Neugebauer (CYNSN) model. First, a printer subdividing method was developed that reduces the number of sub-models while maintaining the maximum device gamut. Second, the forward spectral prediction accuracy of the CYNSN model for each subspace of the printer was improved using back propagation artificial neural network (BPANN) estimated n values. Third, a sequential gamut judging method, which clearly reduced the complexity of the optimal sub-model and cell searching process during printer backward modeling, was proposed. After that, we further modified the use of the modeling color metric and comprehensively improved the spectral and perceptual accuracy of the spectral printer model. The experimental results show that the proposed optimization approaches provide obvious improvements in aspects of the modeling accuracy or efficiency for each of the corresponding steps, and an overall improvement of the optimized spectral printer modeling workflow was also demonstrated.

  19. An Improved Cluster Richness Estimator

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rozo, Eduardo; /Ohio State U.; Rykoff, Eli S.; /UC, Santa Barbara; Koester, Benjamin P.; /Chicago U. /KICP, Chicago; McKay, Timothy; /Michigan U.; Hao, Jiangang; /Michigan U.; Evrard, August; /Michigan U.; Wechsler, Risa H.; /SLAC; Hansen, Sarah; /Chicago U. /KICP, Chicago; Sheldon, Erin; /New York U.; Johnston, David; /Houston U.; Becker, Matthew R.; /Chicago U. /KICP, Chicago; Annis, James T.; /Fermilab; Bleem, Lindsey; /Chicago U.; Scranton, Ryan; /Pittsburgh U.

    2009-08-03

    Minimizing the scatter between cluster mass and accessible observables is an important goal for cluster cosmology. In this work, we introduce a new matched filter richness estimator, and test its performance using the maxBCG cluster catalog. Our new estimator significantly reduces the variance in the L{sub X}-richness relation, from {sigma}{sub lnL{sub X}}{sup 2} = (0.86 {+-} 0.02){sup 2} to {sigma}{sub lnL{sub X}}{sup 2} = (0.69 {+-} 0.02){sup 2}. Relative to the maxBCG richness estimate, it also removes the strong redshift dependence of the richness scaling relations, and is significantly more robust to photometric and redshift errors. These improvements are largely due to our more sophisticated treatment of galaxy color data. We also demonstrate the scatter in the L{sub X}-richness relation depends on the aperture used to estimate cluster richness, and introduce a novel approach for optimizing said aperture which can be easily generalized to other mass tracers.

  20. Study of the interactions between a proline-rich protein and a flavan-3-ol by NMR: residual structures in the natively unfolded protein provides anchorage points for the ligands.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pascal, Christine; Paté, Franck; Cheynier, Véronique; Delsuc, Marc-André

    2009-09-01

    Astringency is one of the major organoleptic properties of food and beverages that are made from plants, such as tea, chocolate, beer, or red wine. This sensation is thought to be due to interactions between tannins and salivary proline-rich proteins, which are natively unfolded proteins. A human salivary proline-rich protein, namely IB-5, was produced by the recombinant method. Its interactions with a model tannin, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), the major flavan-3-ol in green tea, were studied here. Circular dichroism experiments showed that IB-5 presents residual structures (PPII helices) when the ionic strength is close to that in saliva. In the presence of these residual structures, IB-5 undergoes an increase in structural content upon binding to EGCG. NMR data corroborated the presence of preformed structural elements within the protein prior to binding and a partial assignment was proposed, showing partial structuration. TOCSY experiments showed that amino acids that are involved in PPII helices are more likely to interact with EGCG than those in random coil regions, as if they were anchorage points for the ligand. The signal from IB-5 in the DOSY NMR spectrum revealed an increase in polydispersity upon addition of EGCG while the mean hydrodynamic radius remained unchanged. This strongly suggests the formation of IB-5/EGCG aggregates.

  1. [Altitudinal distribution, richness and composition of bird assemblages in a mountainous region in Southern Nayarit, Mexico].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jaime-Escalante, Nidia Gissell; Figueroa-Esquivel, Elsa Margarita; Villaseñor Gómez, José Fernando; Jacobo-Sapien, Edwin Alberto; Puebla-Olivares, Fernando

    2016-12-01

    Elevation gradient studies have strengthened the evaluation of changes in richness and composition of bird assemblages. They also provide information on environmental variables that determine bird distribution, and the variables that define their population structure. Our aim was to describe their variation through an elevational cline in Southern Nayarit, Mexico. To analyze the behavior of richness across the gradient, we gathered information through point counts in nine elevational intervals (300 m from each other) from sea level to 2 700 m of elevation. With a standardized sampling effort, we produced rarefaction curves and analyzed changes in species composition by hierarchical classification using the TWINSPAN technique. In order to identify variables associated with richness changes, we examined the effect of precipitation and habitat structure via regression trees. An analysis of nonmetric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) was implemented with the purpose to determine if the changes in composition correspond to changes in vegetation types. Species richness varied significantly across the gradient: high in the lower parts of the gradient, reached its peak in the middle, and decreased monotonically with elevation. Species responded to changes in the cline and were grouped in three elevational zones. Analyses suggest that changes in richness and species composition are influenced by vegetation, its structure and precipitation regime, as well as various aspects related to habitat features and disturbance. These aspects should be taken into account in order to design appropriate strategies for the conservation of the birds of Nayarit.

  2. Recognition of AT-Rich DNA Binding Sites by the MogR Repressor

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shen, Aimee; Higgins, Darren E.; Panne, Daniel; (Harvard-Med); (EMBL)

    2009-07-22

    The MogR transcriptional repressor of the intracellular pathogen Listeria monocytogenes recognizes AT-rich binding sites in promoters of flagellar genes to downregulate flagellar gene expression during infection. We describe here the 1.8 A resolution crystal structure of MogR bound to the recognition sequence 5' ATTTTTTAAAAAAAT 3' present within the flaA promoter region. Our structure shows that MogR binds as a dimer. Each half-site is recognized in the major groove by a helix-turn-helix motif and in the minor groove by a loop from the symmetry-related molecule, resulting in a 'crossover' binding mode. This oversampling through minor groove interactions is important for specificity. The MogR binding site has structural features of A-tract DNA and is bent by approximately 52 degrees away from the dimer. The structure explains how MogR achieves binding specificity in the AT-rich genome of L. monocytogenes and explains the evolutionary conservation of A-tract sequence elements within promoter regions of MogR-regulated flagellar genes.

  3. ASTER spectral analysis and lithologic mapping of the Khanneshin carbonatite volcano, Afghanistan

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mars, John C.; Rowan, Lawrence C.

    2011-01-01

    Advanced Spaceborne Thermal and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) data of the early Quaternary Khanneshin carbonatite volcano located in southern Afghanistan were used to identify carbonate rocks within the volcano and to distinguish them from Neogene ferruginous polymict sandstone and argillite. The carbonatitic rocks are characterized by diagnostic CO3 absorption near 11.2 μm and 2.31–2.33 μm, whereas the sandstone, argillite, and adjacent alluvial deposits exhibit intense Si-O absorption near 8.7 μm caused mainly by quartz and Al-OH absorption near 2.20 μm due to muscovite and illite.Calcitic carbonatite was distinguished from ankeritic carbonatite in the short wave infrared (SWIR) region of the ASTER data due to a slight shift of the CO3 absorption feature toward 2.26 μm (ASTER band 7) in the ankeritic carbonatite spectra. Spectral assessment using ASTER SWIR data suggests that the area is covered by extensive carbonatite flows that contain calcite, ankerite, and muscovite, though some areas mapped as ankeritic carbonatite on a preexisting geologic map were not identified in the ASTER data. A contact aureole shown on the geologic map was defined using an ASTER false color composite image (R = 6, G = 3, B = 1) and a logical operator byte image. The contact aureole rocks exhibit Fe2+, Al-OH, and Fe, Mg-OH spectral absorption features at 1.65, 2.2, and 2.33 μm, respectively, which suggest that the contact aureole rocks contain muscovite, epidote, and chlorite. The contact aureole rocks were mapped using an Interactive Data Language (IDL) logical operator.A visible through short wave infrared (VNIR-SWIR) mineral and rock-type map based on matched filter, band ratio, and logical operator analysis illustrates: (1) laterally extensive calcitic carbonatite that covers most of the crater and areas northeast of the crater; (2) ankeritic carbonatite located southeast and north of the crater and some small deposits located within the crater; (3) agglomerate that

  4. Repeated burning of eastern tallgrass prairie increases richness and diversity, stabilizing late successional vegetation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bowles, Marlin L; Jones, Michael D

    2013-03-01

    Understanding temporal effects of fire frequency on plant species diversity and vegetation structure is critical for managing tallgrass prairie (TGP), which occupies a mid-continental longitudinal precipitation and productivity gradient. Eastern TGP has contributed little information toward understanding whether vegetation-fire interactions are uniform or change across this biome. We resampled 34 fire-managed mid- and late-successional ungrazed TGP remnants occurring across a dry to wet-mesic moisture gradient in the Chicago region of Illinois, USA. We compared hypotheses that burning acts either as a stabilizing force or causes change in diversity and structure, depending upon fire frequency and successional stage. Based on western TGP, we expected a unimodal species richness distribution across a cover-productivity gradient, variable functional group responses to fire frequency, and a negative relationship between fire frequency and species richness. Species diversity was unimodal across the cover gradient and was more strongly humpbacked in stands with greater fire frequency. In support of a stabilizing hypothesis, temporal similarity of late-successional vegetation had a logarithmic relationship with increasing fire frequency, while richness and evenness remained stable. Temporal similarity within mid-successional stands was not correlated with fire frequency, while richness increased and evenness decreased over time. Functional group responses to fire frequency were variable. Summer forb richness increased under high fire frequency, while C4 grasses, spring forbs, and nitrogen-fixing species decreased with fire exclusion. On mesic and wet-mesic sites, vegetation structure measured by the ratio of woody to graminoid species was negatively correlated with abundance of forbs and with fire frequency. Our findings that species richness responds unimodally to an environmental-productivity gradient, and that fire exclusion increases woody vegetation and leads to loss

  5. Seed plant phylogenetic diversity and species richness in conservation planning within a global biodiversity hotspot in eastern Asia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Rong; Kraft, Nathan J B; Yu, Haiying; Li, Heng

    2015-12-01

    One of the main goals of conservation biology is to understand the factors shaping variation in biodiversity across the planet. This understanding is critical for conservation planners to be able to develop effective conservation strategies. Although many studies have focused on species richness and the protection of rare and endemic species, less attention has been paid to the protection of the phylogenetic dimension of biodiversity. We explored how phylogenetic diversity, species richness, and phylogenetic community structure vary in seed plant communities along an elevational gradient in a relatively understudied high mountain region, the Dulong Valley, in southeastern Tibet, China. As expected, phylogenetic diversity was well correlated with species richness among the elevational bands and among communities. At the community level, evergreen broad-leaved forests had the highest levels of species richness and phylogenetic diversity. Using null model analyses, we found evidence of nonrandom phylogenetic structure across the region. Evergreen broad-leaved forests were phylogenetically overdispersed, whereas other vegetation types tended to be phylogenetically clustered. We suggest that communities with high species richness or overdispersed phylogenetic structure should be a focus for biodiversity conservation within the Dulong Valley because these areas may help maximize the potential of this flora to respond to future global change. In biodiversity hotspots worldwide, we suggest that the phylogenetic structure of a community may serve as a useful measure of phylogenetic diversity in the context of conservation planning. © 2015 Society for Conservation Biology.

  6. Crystal structure of LGR4-Rspo1 complex: insights into the divergent mechanisms of ligand recognition by leucine-rich repeat G-protein-coupled receptors (LGRs).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Jin-Gen; Huang, Chunfeng; Yang, Zhengfeng; Jin, Mengmeng; Fu, Panhan; Zhang, Ni; Luo, Jian; Li, Dali; Liu, Mingyao; Zhou, Yan; Zhu, Yongqun

    2015-01-23

    Leucine-rich repeat G-protein-coupled receptors (LGRs) are a unique class of G-protein-coupled receptors characterized by a large extracellular domain to recognize ligands and regulate many important developmental processes. Among the three groups of LGRs, group B members (LGR4-6) recognize R-spondin family proteins (Rspo1-4) to stimulate Wnt signaling. In this study, we successfully utilized the "hybrid leucine-rich repeat technique," which fused LGR4 with the hagfish VLR protein, to obtain two recombinant human LGR4 proteins, LGR415 and LGR49. We determined the crystal structures of ligand-free LGR415 and the LGR49-Rspo1 complex. LGR4 exhibits a twisted horseshoe-like structure. Rspo1 adopts a flat and β-fold architecture and is bound in the concave surface of LGR4 in the complex through electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions. All the Rspo1-binding residues are conserved in LGR4-6, suggesting that LGR4-6 bind R-spondins through an identical surface. Structural analysis of our LGR4-Rspo1 complex with the previously determined LGR4 and LGR5 structures revealed that the concave surface of LGR4 is the sole binding site for R-spondins, suggesting a one-site binding model of LGR4-6 in ligand recognition. The molecular mechanism of LGR4-6 is distinct from the two-step mechanism of group A receptors LGR1-3 and the multiple-interface binding model of group C receptors LGR7-8, suggesting LGRs utilize the divergent mechanisms for ligand recognition. Our structures, together with previous reports, provide a comprehensive understanding of the ligand recognition by LGRs. © 2015 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

  7. A systematic study of band structure and electromagnetic properties of neutron rich odd mass Eu isotopes in the projected shell model framework

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pandit, Rakesh K.; Devi, Rani [University of Jammu, Department of Physics and Electronics, Jammu (India); Khosa, S.K. [Central University of Jammu, Department of Physics and Astronomical Sciences, Jammu (India); Bhat, G.H.; Sheikh, J.A. [University of Kashmir, Department of Physics, Srinagar (India)

    2017-10-15

    The positive and negative parity rotational band structure of the neutron rich odd mass Eu isotopes with neutron numbers ranging from 90 to 96 are investigated up to the high angular momentum. In the theoretical analysis of energy spectra, transition energies and electromagnetic transition probabilities we employ the projected shell model. The calculations successfully describe the formation of the ground and excited band structures from the single particle and multi quasiparticle configurations. Calculated excitation energy spectra, transition energies, exact quantum mechanically calculated B(E2) and B(M1) transition probabilities are compared with experimental data wherever available and a reasonably good agreement is obtained with the observed data. The change in deformation in the ground state band with the increase in angular momentum and the increase in neutron number has also been established. (orig.)

  8. The ISO Long Wavelength Spectrometer line spectrum of VY Canis Majoris and other oxygen-rich evolved stars

    Science.gov (United States)

    Polehampton, E. T.; Menten, K. M.; van der Tak, F. F. S.; White, G. J.

    2010-02-01

    Context. The far-infrared spectra of circumstellar envelopes around various oxygen-rich stars were observed using the ISO Long Wavelength Spectrometer (LWS). These have been shown to be spectrally rich, particularly in water lines, indicating a high H2O abundance. Aims: We have examined high signal-to-noise ISO LWS observations of the luminous supergiant star, VY CMa, with the aim of identifying all of the spectral lines. By paying particular attention to water lines, we aim to separate the lines due to other species, in particular, to prepare for forthcoming observations that will cover the same spectral range using Herschel PACS and at higher spectral resolution using Herschel HIFI and SOFIA. Methods: We have developed a fitting method to account for blended water lines using a simple weighting scheme to distribute the flux. We have used this fit to separate lines due to other species which cannot be assigned to water. We have applied this approach to several other stars which we compare with VY CMa. Results: We present line fluxes for the unblended H2O and CO lines, and present detections of several possible ν2=1 vibrationally excited water lines. We also identify blended lines of OH, one unblended and several blended lines of NH3, and one possible detection of H3O+. Conclusions: The spectrum of VY CMa shows a detection of emission from virtually every water line up to 2000 K above the ground state, as well as many additional higher energy and some vibrationally excited lines. A simple rotation diagram analysis shows large scatter (probably due to some optically thick lines). The fit gives a rotational temperature of 670+210-130 K, and lower limit on the water column density of (7.0±1.2) × 1019 cm-2. We estimate a CO column density ~100 times lower, showing that water is the dominant oxygen carrier. The other stars that we examined have similar rotation temperatures, but their H2O column densities are an order of magnitude lower (as are the mass loss rates

  9. Mapping the Supernova-Rich Fireworks Galaxy NGC 6946

    Science.gov (United States)

    Patton, Locke; Levesque, Emily

    2018-01-01

    Supernovae (SNe) are the spectacularly violent deaths of evolved young massive stars, which expel a shock wave into the intergalactic medium that in turn can spark star formation and disperse heavy elements into their host galaxy. While a SN event can be classified by its spectral signature, determining the nature of a SN progenitor depends upon chance photometry taken prior to the event. By turning to the study of SN host environments and their surrounding interstellar medium within the unique and rare population of galaxies that have hosted three or more SN events within the last century, we are granted the opportunity to study the locations and environmental properties of stellar populations prone to supernova progenitor production. Using moderate-resolution optical slit spectra taken with the Apache Point Observatory 3.5m DIS spectrograph, our goal is to map metallicity, ionization parameter, and star formation rates using emission line diagnostic ratios across each SN-rich galaxy. Dubbed the “Fireworks Galaxy” at a distance of 5.6 ± 1.5 Mpc, NGC 6946 is of particular interest as it has uniquely produced ten core-collapse supernovae (CCSNe) and several other massive star transients within the last century. We present spatially-resolved metallicity and star formation rate (SFR) maps of NGC 6946, tracing fifty-five slit orientations which span the face of the galaxy and cover all CCSN host sites. Future work will include both stellar population synthesis modelling to determine stellar populations, ages, and SFR histories in NGC 6946 and a further expansion of this analysis to the other SN-rich host galaxies in our sample.

  10. Experimental evaluation of noise spectral density to investigate structure defects and electrical behavior of solar cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ashur, S. M.

    2007-01-01

    In this work current voltage characteristics and voltage spectral density, in both forward and reverse bias operations were evaluated for a group of mono- crystalline silicon solar cells. The cells were tested for the sake of device quality evaluation and identification of failure modes and mechanisms. Experimental results showed transport characteristics with varying slopes. In addition, electrical noise density versus frequency response, for the constant voltage mode, showed an extremum of noise voltage spectral density at zero D.C. frequency. It decreased with increasing frequency and revealed spikes of the noise voltage density at certain frequencies. (author)

  11. Spectral algorithm for non-destructive damage localisation: Application to an ancient masonry arch model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Masciotta, Maria-Giovanna; Ramos, Luís F.; Lourenço, Paulo B.; Vasta, Marcello

    2017-02-01

    Structural monitoring and vibration-based damage identification methods are fundamental tools for condition assessment and early-stage damage identification, especially when dealing with the conservation of historical constructions and the maintenance of strategic civil structures. However, although the substantial advances in the field, several issues must still be addressed to broaden the application range of such tools and to assert their reliability. This study deals with the experimental validation of a novel method for non-destructive damage identification purposes. This method is based on the use of spectral output signals and has been recently validated by the authors through a numerical simulation. After a brief insight into the basic principles of the proposed approach, the spectral-based technique is applied to identify the experimental damage induced on a masonry arch through statically increasing loading. Once the direct and cross spectral density functions of the nodal response processes are estimated, the system's output power spectrum matrix is built and decomposed in eigenvalues and eigenvectors. The present study points out how the extracted spectral eigenparameters contribute to the damage analysis allowing to detect the occurrence of damage and to locate the target points where the cracks appear during the experimental tests. The sensitivity of the spectral formulation to the level of noise in the modal data is investigated and discussed. As a final evaluation criterion, the results from the spectrum-driven method are compared with the ones obtained from existing non-model based damage identification methods.

  12. A Review of Spectral Methods for Variable Amplitude Fatigue Prediction and New Results

    Science.gov (United States)

    Larsen, Curtis E.; Irvine, Tom

    2013-01-01

    A comprehensive review of the available methods for estimating fatigue damage from variable amplitude loading is presented. The dependence of fatigue damage accumulation on power spectral density (psd) is investigated for random processes relevant to real structures such as in offshore or aerospace applications. Beginning with the Rayleigh (or narrow band) approximation, attempts at improved approximations or corrections to the Rayleigh approximation are examined by comparison to rainflow analysis of time histories simulated from psd functions representative of simple theoretical and real world applications. Spectral methods investigated include corrections by Wirsching and Light, Ortiz and Chen, the Dirlik formula, and the Single-Moment method, among other more recent proposed methods. Good agreement is obtained between the spectral methods and the time-domain rainflow identification for most cases, with some limitations. Guidelines are given for using the several spectral methods to increase confidence in the damage estimate.

  13. Quantitative functional optical imaging of the human skin using multi-spectral imaging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kainerstorfer, J. M.

    2010-01-01

    Light tissue interactions can be described by the physical principles of absorption and scattering. Based on those parameters, different tissue types and analytes can be distinguished. Extracting blood volume and oxygenation is of particular interest in clinical routines for tumor diagnostics and treatment follow up, since they are parameters of angiogenic processes. The quantification of those analytes in tissue can be done by physical modeling of light tissue interaction. The physical model used here is the random walk theory. However, for quantification and clinical usefulness, one has to account for multiple challenges. First, one must consider the effect of topology of the sample on measured physical parameters. Second, diffusion of light inside the tissue is dependent on the structure of the sample imaged. Thus, the structural conformation has to be taken into account. Third, clinical translation of imaging modalities is often hindered due to the complicated post-processing of data, not providing results in real-time. In this thesis, two imaging modalities are being utilized, where the first one, diffuse multi-spectral imaging, is based on absorption contrast and spectral characteristics and the second one, Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT), is based on scattering changes within the tissue. Multi-spectral imaging can provide spatial distributions of blood volume and blood oxygenation and OCT yields 3D structural images with micrometer resolution. In order to address the challenges mentioned above, a curvature correction algorithm for taking the topology into account was developed. Without taking curvature of the object into account, reconstruction of optical properties is not accurate. The method developed removes this artifact and recovers the underlying data, without the necessity of measuring the object's shape. The next step was to recover blood volume and oxygenation values in real time. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) on multi spectral images is

  14. Deep-UV Raman spectroscopic analysis of structure and dissolution rates of silica-rich sodium borosilicate glasses

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Windisch, Charles F.; Pierce, Eric M.; Burton, Sarah D.; Bovaird, Chase C.

    2011-03-24

    As part of ongoing studies to evaluate the relationships between structural variations in silicate glasses and rates of glass dissolution in aqueous media, molecular structures present in sodium borosilicate glasses of composition Na2O.xB2O3.(3-x)SiO2, with x 1 (Na2O/B2O3 ratio 1), were analyzed using deep-UV Raman spectroscopy. The results were quantified in terms of the fraction of SiO4 tetrahedra with one non-bridging oxygen (Q3) and then correlated with Na2O and B2O3 content. Increasing Na2O was found to raise the fraction of Q3 units in the glasses systematically, in agreement with studies on related glasses, and, as long as the value of x was not too high, contribute to higher rates of dissolution in single pass flow-through testing. The finding was obtained across more than one series of silica-rich glasses prepared for independent dissolution studies. In contrast, dissolution rates were less strongly determined by the Q3 fraction when the value of x was near unity and appeared to grow larger upon further reduction of the Q3 fraction. The results were interpreted to indicate the increasingly important role of network hydrolysis in the glass dissolution mechanism as the BO4 tetrahedron replaces the Q3 unit as the charge-compensating structure for Na+ ions. Finally, the use of deep-UV Raman spectroscopy was found to be advantageous in studying finely powdered glasses in cases where visible Raman spectroscopy suffered from weak Raman scattering and fluorescence interference.

  15. Field-widened Michelson interferometer for spectral discrimination in high-spectral-resolution lidar: practical development.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheng, Zhongtao; Liu, Dong; Zhang, Yupeng; Yang, Yongying; Zhou, Yudi; Luo, Jing; Bai, Jian; Shen, Yibing; Wang, Kaiwei; Liu, Chong; Su, Lin; Yang, Liming

    2016-04-04

    A field-widened Michelson interferometer (FWMI), which is intended as the spectroscopic discriminator in ground-based high-spectral-resolution lidar (HSRL) for atmospheric aerosol detection, is described in this paper. The structure, specifications and design of the developed prototype FWMI are introduced, and an experimental approach is proposed to optimize the FWMI assembly and evaluate its comprehensive characteristic simultaneously. Experimental results show that, after optimization process, the peak-to-valley (PV) value and root-mean-square (RMS) value of measured OPD variation for the FWMI are 0.04λ and 0.008λ respectively among the half divergent angle range of 1.5 degree. Through an active locking technique, the frequency of the FWMI can be locked to the laser transmitter with accuracy of 27 MHz for more than one hour. The practical spectral discrimination ratio (SDR) for the developed FWMI is evaluated to be larger than 86 if the divergent angle of incident beam is smaller than 0.5 degree. All these results demonstrate the great potential of the developed FWMI as the spectroscopic discriminator for HSRLs, as well as the feasibility of the proposed design and optimization process. This paper is expected to provide a good entrance for the lidar community in future HSRL developments using the FWMI technique.

  16. Influence of Forest-Canopy Morphology and Relief on Spectral Characteristics of Taiga Forests

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhirin, V. M.; Knyazeva, S. V.; Eydlina, S. P.

    2017-12-01

    The article deals with the results of a statistical analysis reflecting tendencies (trends) of the relationship between spectral characteristics of taiga forests, indicators of the morphological structure of forest canopy and illumination of the territory. The study was carried out on the example of the model forest territory of the Priangarskiy taiga region of Eastern Siberia (Krasnoyarsk krai) using historical data (forest inventory 1992, Landsat 5 TM 16.06.1989) and the digital elevation model. This article describes a method for determining the quantitative indicator of morphological structure of forest canopy based on taxation data, and the authors propose to subdivide the morphological structure into high complexity, medium complexity, and relatively simple. As a result of the research, dependences of average values of spectral brightness in near and short-wave infrared channels of a Landsat 5 TM image for dark-coniferous, light-coniferous and deciduous forests from the degree of complexity of the forest-canopy structure are received. A high level of variance and maximum brightness average values are marked in green moss (hilocominosa) dark-coniferous and various-grass (larioherbosa) dark-coniferous forests and light-coniferous forests with a complex structure of canopy. The parvifoliate forests are characterized by high values of brightness in stands with a relatively simple structure of the canopy and by a small variance in brightness of any degree of the structure of the canopy complexity. The increase in brightness for the lit slopes in comparison with shaded ones in all stands with a difficult morphological canopy structure is revealed. However, the brightness values of the lit and shaded slopes do not differ for stands with a medium complexity of the structure. It is noted that, in addition to the indicator of the forest-canopy structure, the possible impact on increasing the variance of spectral brightness for the taxation plot has a variability of the

  17. LHCB RICH gas system proposal

    CERN Document Server

    Bosteels, Michel; Haider, S

    2001-01-01

    Both LHCb RICH will be operated with fluorocarbon as gas radiator. RICH 1 will be filled with 4m^3 of C4F10 and RICH 2 with 100m^3 of CF4. The gas systems will run as a closed loop circulation and a gas recovery system within the closed loop is planned for RICH 1, where the recovery of the CF4 will only be realised during filling and emptying of the detector. Inline gas purification is foreseen for the gas systems in order to limit water and oxygen impurities.

  18. Ge-rich graded-index Si1-xGex devices for MID-IR integrated photonics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ramirez, J. M.; Vakarin, V.; Liu, Q.; Frigerio, J.; Ballabio, A.; Le Roux, X.; Benedikovic, D.; Alonso-Ramos, C.; Isella, G.; Vivien, L.; Marris-Morini, D.

    2018-02-01

    Mid-infrared (mid-IR) silicon photonics is becoming a prominent research with remarkable potential in several applications such as in early medical diagnosis, safe communications, imaging, food safety and many more. In the quest for the best material platform to develop new photonic systems, Si and Ge depart with a notable advantage over other materials due to the high processing maturity accomplished during the last part of the 20th century through the deployment of the CMOS technology. From an optical viewpoint, combining Si with Ge to obtain SiGe alloys with controlled stoichiometry is also of interest for the photonic community since permits to increase the effective refractive index and the nonlinear parameter, providing a fascinating playground to exploit nonlinear effects. Furthermore, using Ge-rich SiGe gives access to a range of deep mid-IR wavelengths otherwise inaccessible (λ 2-20 μm). In this paper, we explore for the first time the limits of this approach by measuring the spectral loss characteristic over a broadband wavelength range spanning from λ = 5.5 μm to 8.5 μm. Three different SiGe waveguide platforms are compared, each one showing higher compactness than the preceding through the engineering of the vertical Ge profile, giving rise to different confinement characteristics to the propagating modes. A flat propagation loss characteristic of 2-3 dB/cm over the entire wavelength span is demonstrated in Ge-rich graded-index SiGe waveguides of only 6 μm thick. Also, the role of the overlap fraction of the confined optical mode with the Si-rich area at the bottom side of the epitaxial SiGe waveguide is put in perspective, revealing a lossy characteristic compared to the other designs were the optical mode is located in the Ge-rich area at the top of the waveguide uniquely. These Ge-rich graded-index SiGe waveguides may pave the way towards a new generation of photonic integrated circuits operating at deep mid-IR wavelengths.

  19. A Study of Spectral Integration and Normalization in NMR-based Metabonomic Analyses

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Webb-Robertson, Bobbie-Jo M.; Lowry, David F.; Jarman, Kristin H.; Harbo, Sam J.; Meng, Quanxin; Fuciarelli, Alfred F.; Pounds, Joel G.; Lee, Monica T.

    2005-09-15

    Metabonomics involves the quantitation of the dynamic multivariate metabolic response of an organism to a pathological event or genetic modification (Nicholson, Lindon and Holmes, 1999). The analysis of these data involves the use of appropriate multivariate statistical methods. Exploratory Data Analysis (EDA) linear projection methods, primarily Principal Component Analysis (PCA), have been documented as a valuable pattern recognition technique for 1H NMR spectral data (Brindle et al., 2002, Potts et al., 2001, Robertson et al., 2000, Robosky et al., 2002). Prior to PCA the raw data is typically processed through four steps; (1) baseline correction, (2) endogenous peak removal, (3) integration over spectral regions to reduce the number of variables, and (4) normalization. The effect of the size of spectral integration regions and normalization has not been well studied. We assess the variability structure and classification accuracy on two distinctly different datasets via PCA and a leave-one-out cross-validation approach under two normalization approaches and an array of spectral integration regions. This study indicates that independent of the normalization method the classification accuracy achieved from metabonomic studies is not highly sensitive to the size of the spectral integration region. Additionally, both datasets scaled to mean zero and unity variance (auto-scaled) has higher variability within classification accuracy over spectral integration window widths than data scaled to the total intensity of the spectrum.

  20. The Arizona Radio Observatory 1 mm Spectral Survey of IRC (plus)10216 and VY Canis Majoris (215-285 GHz)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tenenbaum, E. D.; Dodd, J. L.; Milam, S. N.; Woolf, N. J.; Ziurys, L. M.

    2010-01-01

    A low noise (1(sigma) rms approx. 3 mK) 1. nun spectral survey (214.5-285.5 GHz) of the oxygen-rich supergiant VY Canis Majoris and the carbon-rich asymptotic giant branch star IRC +10216 has been conducted using the Arizona Radio Observatory's 10 m Submillimeter Telescope. Here the complete data set is presented. This study, carried out with a new ALMA-type receiver, marks the first continuous band scan of an O-rich circumstellar envelope, and the most sensitive survey to date of IRC +10216. In VY CMa, 130 distinct molecular lines were detected, 14 of which cannot be identified; in IRC +10216, 717 lines were observed, with 126 features remaining unidentified. In the 1 mm bands of VY CMa and IRC +10216, emission is present from 18 and 32 different chemical compounds, respectively, with 10 species common to both sources. Many narrow emission lines were observed in both circumstellar shells, arising from vibrationally excited molecules and from refractory-containing species. Line profiles in VY CMa also exhibit a variety of different shapes, caused by the complex, asymmetric outflow of this object. The survey highlights the fact that C-rich and O-rich circumstellar envelopes are chemically interesting, and both are sources of new interstellar molecules. The high number of unidentified lines and the unreliable, rest frequencies for known species such as NaCN indicate the need for additional laboratory spectroscopy studies.