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Sample records for significantly increase filter

  1. Filtering for increased power for microarray data analysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hess Ann M

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Due to the large number of hypothesis tests performed during the process of routine analysis of microarray data, a multiple testing adjustment is certainly warranted. However, when the number of tests is very large and the proportion of differentially expressed genes is relatively low, the use of a multiple testing adjustment can result in very low power to detect those genes which are truly differentially expressed. Filtering allows for a reduction in the number of tests and a corresponding increase in power. Common filtering methods include filtering by variance, average signal or MAS detection call (for Affymetrix arrays. We study the effects of filtering in combination with the Benjamini-Hochberg method for false discovery rate control and q-value for false discovery rate estimation. Results Three case studies are used to compare three different filtering methods in combination with the two false discovery rate methods and three different preprocessing methods. For the case studies considered, filtering by detection call and variance (on the original scale consistently led to an increase in the number of differentially expressed genes identified. On the other hand, filtering by variance on the log2 scale had a detrimental effect when paired with MAS5 or PLIER preprocessing methods, even when the testing was done on the log2 scale. A simulation study was done to further examine the effect of filtering by variance. We find that filtering by variance leads to higher power, often with a decrease in false discovery rate, when paired with either of the false discovery rate methods considered. This holds regardless of the proportion of genes which are differentially expressed or whether we assume dependence or independence among genes. Conclusion The case studies show that both detection call and variance filtering are viable methods of filtering which can increase the number of differentially expressed genes identified. The

  2. Leukocyte-reduction filters and radiation do not cause significant changes in platelet function

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nagura, Yutaka; Tsuno, Hirokazu; Shibata, Yoichi; Takahashi, Koki

    2003-01-01

    In the present study, we investigated the effects of radiation and leukocyte-reduction filters on platelet function. Platelet aggregation in response to collagen and ADP were measured prior to and after irradiation and filtration, as were the platelet recovery rate and complement factor C3. Four types of leukocyte-reduction filter were used, namely positively-, negatively-, and non-charged filters (all of polyester composition), as well as a polyurethane filter. Radiation itself did not significantly affect either the platelet recovery rate, platelet function, or C3 value. On the other hand, filtration through polyester leukocyte-reduction filters resulted in a significant reduction in the platelet recovery rate, an effect not observed with the polyurethane filter. However, none of the filters caused significant changes in platelet function or in C3 value. We concluded that radiation and filtration do not cause significant changes in platelet function, but polyurethane filters are superior to polyester filters in relation to platelet recovery. (author)

  3. Development and evaluation of a HEPA filter for increased strength and resistance to elevated temperature

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gilbert, H.; Bergman, W.; Fretthold, J.K.

    1992-01-01

    We have developed an improved HEPA filter for increased strength and resistance to elevated temperature to improve the reliability of HEPA filters under accident conditions. The improvements to the HEPA filter consist of a silicone rubber sealant and a new HEPA medium reinforced with a glass cloth. Several prototype filters were built and evaluated for temperature and pressure resistance and resistance to rough handling. The temperature resistance test consisted of exposing the HEPA filter to 1,000 scan at 700 degrees F for five minutes. The pressure resistance test consisted of exposing the HEPA filter to a differential pressure of 10 in. w.g. using a water saturated air flow at 95 degrees F. For the rough handling test, we used a vibrating machine designated the Q110. DOP filter efficiency tests were performed before and after each of the environmental tests. In addition to following the standard practice of using a separate new filter for each environmental test, we also subjected the same filter to the elevated temperature test followed by the pressure resistance test. The efficiency test results show that the improved HEPA filter is significantly better than the standard HEPA filter

  4. Image enhancement filters significantly improve reading performance for low vision observers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lawton, T. B.

    1992-01-01

    As people age, so do their photoreceptors; many photoreceptors in central vision stop functioning when a person reaches their late sixties or early seventies. Low vision observers with losses in central vision, those with age-related maculopathies, were studied. Low vision observers no longer see high spatial frequencies, being unable to resolve fine edge detail. We developed image enhancement filters to compensate for the low vision observer's losses in contrast sensitivity to intermediate and high spatial frequencies. The filters work by boosting the amplitude of the less visible intermediate spatial frequencies. The lower spatial frequencies. These image enhancement filters not only reduce the magnification needed for reading by up to 70 percent, but they also increase the observer's reading speed by 2-4 times. A summary of this research is presented.

  5. Development and evaluation of a HEPA filter for increased strength and resistance to elevated temperature

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gilbert, H.; Bergman, W.; Fretthold, J.K.

    1993-01-01

    We have completed a preliminary study of an improved HEPA filter for increased strength and resistance to elevated temperature to improve the reliability of the standard deep pleated HEPA filter under accident conditions. The improvements to the HEPA filter consist of a silicone rubber sealant and a new HEPA medium reinforced with a glass cloth. Three prototype filters were built and evaluated for temperature and pressure resistance and resistance to rough handling. The temperature resistance test consisted of exposing the HEPA filter to 1,000 scan (1,700 m 3 /hr) at 700 degrees F (371 degrees C) for five minutes.The pressure resistance test consisted of exposing the HEPA filter to a differential pressure of 10 in. w.g. (2.5 kPa) using a water saturated air flow at 95 degrees F (35 degrees C). For the rough handling test, we used a vibrating machine designated the Q110. DOP filter efficiency tests were performed before and after each of the environmental tests. In addition to following the standard practice of using a separate new filter for each environmental test, we also subjected the same filter to the elevated temperature test followed by the pressure resistance test. The efficiency test results show that the improved HEPA filter is significantly better than the standard HEPA filter. Further studies are recommended to evaluate the improved HEPA filter and to assess its performance under more severe accident conditions

  6. The use of filtered bags to increase waste payload capacity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dustin, D.F.; Thorp, D.T.; Rivera, M.A.

    1998-01-01

    For the past few years, the Department of Energy has favored the direct disposal of low plutonium content residue materials from Rocky Flats rather than engage in expensive and time consuming plutonium recovery operations. One impediment to direct disposal has been the wattage limit imposed by the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant on hydrogenous materials such as combustibles and sludges. The issue of concern is the radiolytic generation and accumulation of hydrogen and other explosive gases in waste containers. The wattage limits that existed through 1996 restricted the amount of plutonium bearing hydrogenous materials that could be packaged in a WIPP bound waste drum to only a fraction of the capacity of a drum. Typically, only about one kilogram of combustible residue could be packaged in a waste drum before the wattage limit was exceeded resulting in an excessively large number of drums to be procured, stored, shipped, and interred. The Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site has initiated the use of filtered plastic bags (called bag-out bags) used to remove transuranic waste materials from glove box lines. The bags contain small, disk like HEPA filters which are effective in containing radioactively contaminated particulate material but allow for the diffusion of hydrogen gas. Used in conjunction with filtered 55 gallon drums, filtered bag-out bags were pursued as a means to increase the allowable wattage limits for selected residue materials. In February 1997, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission approved the use of filtered bag-out bags for transuranic waste materials destined for WIPP. The concomitant increase in wattage limits now allows for approximately four times the payload per waste drum for wattage limited materials

  7. Three-ring filters increase the effective NA up to 1.46 in optical sectioning fluorescence microscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Martinez-Corral, M; Ibanez-Lopez, C; Caballero, M T; Munoz-Escriva, L; Saavedra, G

    2003-01-01

    Single-photon fluorescence confocal microscopy techniques can be combined with the use of specific binary filters in order to increase their optical sectioning capability. We present a novel class of axially super-resolving binary pupil filters specially designed to reach this aim. These filters let us to obtain a relevant compression of the z-response together with the reduction of the photo-bleaching effect typically inherent to apodization techniques. The fact of joining both the three-ring filters we propose in the illumination path, and the confocal detection gives rise to an important effective increase of lenses of effective numerical aperture

  8. MST Filterability Tests

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Poirier, M. R. [Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States). Savannah River National Lab. (SRNL); Burket, P. R. [Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States). Savannah River National Lab. (SRNL); Duignan, M. R. [Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States). Savannah River National Lab. (SRNL)

    2015-03-12

    The Savannah River Site (SRS) is currently treating radioactive liquid waste with the Actinide Removal Process (ARP) and the Modular Caustic Side Solvent Extraction Unit (MCU). The low filter flux through the ARP has limited the rate at which radioactive liquid waste can be treated. Recent filter flux has averaged approximately 5 gallons per minute (gpm). Salt Batch 6 has had a lower processing rate and required frequent filter cleaning. Savannah River Remediation (SRR) has a desire to understand the causes of the low filter flux and to increase ARP/MCU throughput. In addition, at the time the testing started, SRR was assessing the impact of replacing the 0.1 micron filter with a 0.5 micron filter. This report describes testing of MST filterability to investigate the impact of filter pore size and MST particle size on filter flux and testing of filter enhancers to attempt to increase filter flux. The authors constructed a laboratory-scale crossflow filter apparatus with two crossflow filters operating in parallel. One filter was a 0.1 micron Mott sintered SS filter and the other was a 0.5 micron Mott sintered SS filter. The authors also constructed a dead-end filtration apparatus to conduct screening tests with potential filter aids and body feeds, referred to as filter enhancers. The original baseline for ARP was 5.6 M sodium salt solution with a free hydroxide concentration of approximately 1.7 M.3 ARP has been operating with a sodium concentration of approximately 6.4 M and a free hydroxide concentration of approximately 2.5 M. SRNL conducted tests varying the concentration of sodium and free hydroxide to determine whether those changes had a significant effect on filter flux. The feed slurries for the MST filterability tests were composed of simple salts (NaOH, NaNO2, and NaNO3) and MST (0.2 – 4.8 g/L). The feed slurry for the filter enhancer tests contained simulated salt batch 6 supernate, MST, and filter enhancers.

  9. Two-dimensional filtering of SPECT images using the Metz and Wiener filters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    King, M.A.; Schwinger, R.B.; Penney, B.C.; Doherty, P.W.

    1984-01-01

    Presently, single photon emission computed tomographic (SPECT) images are usually reconstructed by arbitrarily selecting a one-dimensional ''window'' function for use in reconstruction. A better method would be to automatically choose among a family of two-dimensional image restoration filters in such a way as to produce ''optimum'' image quality. Two-dimensional image processing techniques offer the advantages of a larger statistical sampling of the data for better noise reduction, and two-dimensional image deconvolution to correct for blurring during acquisition. An investigation of two such ''optimal'' digital image restoration techniques (the count-dependent Metz filter and the Wiener filter) was made. They were applied both as two-dimensional ''window'' functions for preprocessing SPECT images, and for filtering reconstructed images. Their performance was compared by measuring image contrast and per cent fractional standard deviation (% FSD) in multiple-acquisitions of the Jaszczak SPECT phantom at two different count levels. A statistically significant increase in image contrast and decrease in % FSD was observed with these techniques when compared to the results of reconstruction with a ramp filter. The adaptability of the techniques was manifested in a lesser % reduction in % FSD at the high count level coupled with a greater enhancement in image contrast. Using an array processor, processing time was 0.2 sec per image for the Metz filter and 3 sec for the Wiener filter. It is concluded that two-dimensional digital image restoration with these techniques can produce a significant increase in SPECT image quality

  10. Prevention of increased abnormal fundus autofluorescence with blue light-filtering intraocular lenses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nagai, Hiroyuki; Hirano, Yoshio; Yasukawa, Tsutomu; Morita, Hiroshi; Nozaki, Miho; Wolf-Schnurrbusch, Ute; Wolf, Sebastian; Ogura, Yuichiro

    2015-09-01

    To observe changes in fundus autofluorescence 2 years after implantation of blue light-filtering (yellow-tinted) and ultraviolet light-filtering (colorless) intraocular lenses (IOLs). Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Nagoya, Japan, and the Department of Ophthalmology, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland. Prospective comparative observational study. Patients were enrolled who had cataract surgery with implantation of a yellow-tinted or colorless IOL and for whom images were obtained on which the fundus autofluorescence was measurable using the Heidelberg Retina Angiogram 2 postoperatively. The fundus autofluorescence in the images was classified into 8 abnormal patterns based on the classification of the International Fundus Autofluorescence Classification Group, The presence of normal fundus autofluorescence, geographic atrophy, and wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) also was recorded. The fundus findings at baseline and 2 years postoperatively were compared. Fifty-two eyes with a yellow-tinted IOL and 79 eyes with a colorless IOL were included. Abnormal fundus autofluorescence did not develop or increase in the yellow-tinted IOL group; however, progressive abnormal fundus autofluorescence developed or increased in 12 eyes (15.2%) in the colorless IOL group (P = .0016). New drusen, geographic atrophy, and choroidal neovascularization were observed mainly in the colorless IOL group. The incidence of AMD was statistically significantly higher in the colorless IOL group (P = .042). Two years after cataract surgery, significant differences were seen in the progression of abnormal fundus autofluorescence between the 2 groups. The incidence of AMD was lower in eyes with a yellow-tinted IOL. No author has a financial or proprietary interest in any material or method mentioned. Copyright © 2015 ASCRS and ESCRS. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. Use of Preservative Agents and Antibiotics for Increased Poliovirus Survival on Positively Charged Filters.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fagnant, Christine Susan; Kossik, Alexandra Lynn; Zhou, Nicolette Angela; Sánchez-Gonzalez, Liliana; Falman, Jill Christin; Keim, Erika Karen; Linden, Yarrow; Scheibe, Alana; Barnes, Kilala Sayisha; Beck, Nicola Koren; Boyle, David S; Meschke, John Scott

    2017-12-01

    Environmental surveillance of poliovirus (PV) and other non-enveloped viruses can help identify silent circulation and is necessary to certify eradication. The bag-mediated filtration system is an efficient method to filter large volumes of environmental waters at field sites for monitoring the presence of viruses. As filters may require long transit times to off-site laboratories for processing, viral inactivation or overgrowth of bacteria and fungi can interfere with virus detection and quantification (Miki and Jacquet in Aquatic Microb Ecol 51(2):195-208, 2008). To evaluate virus survival over time on ViroCap ™ filters, the filters were seeded with PV type 1 (PV1) and/or MS2 and then dosed with preservatives or antibiotics prior to storage and elution. These filters were stored at various temperatures and time periods, and then eluted for PV1 and MS2 recovery quantification. Filters dosed with the preservative combination of 2% sodium benzoate and 0.2% calcium propionate had increased virus survival over time when stored at 25 °C, compared to samples stored at 25 °C with no preservatives. While elution within 24 h of filtration is recommended, if storage or shipping is required then this preservative mixture can help preserve sample integrity. Addition of an antibiotic cocktail containing cephapirin, gentamicin, and Proclin ™ 300 increased recovery after storage at 4 and 25 °C, when compared to storage with no antibiotics. The antibiotic cocktail can aid sample preservation if access to appropriate antibiotics storage is available and sample cold chain is unreliable. This study demonstrated that the use of preservatives or antibiotics is a simple, cost-effective method to improve virus detection from ViroCap cartridge filters over time.

  12. A Comparison of Retrievability: Celect versus Option Filter.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ryu, Robert K; Desai, Kush; Karp, Jennifer; Gupta, Ramona; Evans, Alan Emerson; Rajeswaran, Shankar; Salem, Riad; Lewandowski, Robert J

    2015-06-01

    To compare the retrievability of 2 potentially retrievable inferior vena cava filter devices. A retrospective, institutional review board-approved study of Celect (Cook, Inc, Bloomington, Indiana) and Option (Rex Medical, Conshohocken, Pennsylvania) filters was conducted over a 33-month period at a single institution. Fluoroscopy time, significant filter tilt, use of adjunctive retrieval technique, and strut perforation in the inferior vena cava were recorded on retrieval. Fisher exact test and Mann-Whitney-Wilcoxon test were used for comparison. There were 99 Celect and 86 Option filters deployed. After an average of 2.09 months (range, 0.3-7.6 mo) and 1.94 months (range, 0.47-9.13 mo), respectively, 59% (n = 58) of patients with Celect filters and 74.7% (n = 65) of patients with Option filters presented for filter retrieval. Retrieval failure rates were 3.4% for Celect filters versus 7.7% for Option filters (P = .45). Median fluoroscopy retrieval times were 4.25 minutes for Celect filters versus 6 minutes for Option filters (P = .006). Adjunctive retrieval techniques were used in 5.4% of Celect filter retrievals versus 18.3% of Option filter retrievals (P = .045). The incidence of significant tilting was 8.9% for Celect filters versus 16.7% for Option filters (P = .27). The incidence of strut perforation was 43% for Celect filters versus 0% for Option filters (P Option filters were not significantly different. However, retrieval of the Option filter required a significantly increased amount of fluoroscopy time compared with the Celect filter, and there was a significantly greater usage of adjunctive retrieval techniques for the Option filter. The Celect filter had a significantly higher rate of strut perforation. Copyright © 2015 SIR. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  13. Filter replacement lifetime prediction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hamann, Hendrik F.; Klein, Levente I.; Manzer, Dennis G.; Marianno, Fernando J.

    2017-10-25

    Methods and systems for predicting a filter lifetime include building a filter effectiveness history based on contaminant sensor information associated with a filter; determining a rate of filter consumption with a processor based on the filter effectiveness history; and determining a remaining filter lifetime based on the determined rate of filter consumption. Methods and systems for increasing filter economy include measuring contaminants in an internal and an external environment; determining a cost of a corrosion rate increase if unfiltered external air intake is increased for cooling; determining a cost of increased air pressure to filter external air; and if the cost of filtering external air exceeds the cost of the corrosion rate increase, increasing an intake of unfiltered external air.

  14. Practice patterns of retrievable inferior vena cava filters and predictors of filter retrieval in patients with pulmonary embolism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kang, Jieun; Ko, Heung-Kyu; Shin, Ji Hoon; Ko, Gi-Young; Jo, Kyung-Wook; Huh, Jin Won; Oh, Yeon-Mok; Lee, Sang-Do; Lee, Jae Seung

    2017-12-01

    Retrievable inferior vena cava (IVC) filters are increasingly used in patients with venous thromboembolism (VTE) who have contraindications to anticoagulant therapy. However, previous studies have shown that many retrievable filters are left permanently in patients. This study aimed to identify the common indications for IVC filter insertion, the filter retrieval rate, and the predictive factors for filter retrieval attempts. To this end, a retrospective cohort study was performed at a tertiary care center in South Korea between January 2010 and May 2016. Electronic medical charts were reviewed for patients with pulmonary embolism (PE) who underwent IVC filter insertion. A total of 439 cases were reviewed. The most common indication for filter insertion was a preoperative/procedural aim, followed by extensive iliofemoral deep vein thrombosis (DVT). Retrieval of the IVC filter was attempted in 44.9% of patients. The retrieval success rate was 93.9%. History of cerebral hemorrhage, malignancy, and admission to a nonsurgical department were the significant predictive factors of a lower retrieval attempt rate in multivariate analysis. With the increased use of IVC filters, more issues should be addressed before placing a filter and physicians should attempt to improve the filter retrieval rate.

  15. The Economics of Some Types of Absolute Filters

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Linder, P. J.; Skogulf, H. [Ab Atomenergi, Studsvir (Sweden)

    1968-12-15

    The cost of air-cleaning filters is determined by the purchase price of the filter and its mean life. If filter changes are not caused by a high level of activity, the increase in pressure drop will make a filter change necessary. In the latter case the dust-holding capacity of the filter determines the interval between changes. A number of different filters have been compared in this respect using atmospheric aerosols and a significant difference in cost has been observed. (author)

  16. Digital Simulation of a Hybrid Active Filter - An Active Filter in Series with a Shunt Passive Filter

    OpenAIRE

    Sitaram, Mahesh I; Padiyar, KR; Ramanarayanan, V

    1998-01-01

    Active filters have long been in use for the filtering of power system load harmonics. In this paper, the digital simulation results of a hybrid active power filter system for a rectifier load are presented. The active filter is used for filtering higher order harmonics as the dominant harmonics are filtered by the passive filter. This reduces the rating of the active filter significantly. The DC capacitor voltage of the active filter is controlled using a PI controller.

  17. Hydrodynamics of microbial filter feeding.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nielsen, Lasse Tor; Asadzadeh, Seyed Saeed; Dölger, Julia; Walther, Jens H; Kiørboe, Thomas; Andersen, Anders

    2017-08-29

    Microbial filter feeders are an important group of grazers, significant to the microbial loop, aquatic food webs, and biogeochemical cycling. Our understanding of microbial filter feeding is poor, and, importantly, it is unknown what force microbial filter feeders must generate to process adequate amounts of water. Also, the trade-off in the filter spacing remains unexplored, despite its simple formulation: A filter too coarse will allow suitably sized prey to pass unintercepted, whereas a filter too fine will cause strong flow resistance. We quantify the feeding flow of the filter-feeding choanoflagellate Diaphanoeca grandis using particle tracking, and demonstrate that the current understanding of microbial filter feeding is inconsistent with computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and analytical estimates. Both approaches underestimate observed filtration rates by more than an order of magnitude; the beating flagellum is simply unable to draw enough water through the fine filter. We find similar discrepancies for other choanoflagellate species, highlighting an apparent paradox. Our observations motivate us to suggest a radically different filtration mechanism that requires a flagellar vane (sheet), something notoriously difficult to visualize but sporadically observed in the related choanocytes (sponges). A CFD model with a flagellar vane correctly predicts the filtration rate of D. grandis , and using a simple model we can account for the filtration rates of other microbial filter feeders. We finally predict how optimum filter mesh size increases with cell size in microbial filter feeders, a prediction that accords very well with observations. We expect our results to be of significance for small-scale biophysics and trait-based ecological modeling.

  18. Rutin increases critical wavelength of systems containing a single UV filter and with good skin compatibility.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peres, D A; de Oliveira, C A; da Costa, M S; Tokunaga, V K; Mota, J P; Rosado, C; Consiglieri, V O; Kaneko, T M; Velasco, M V R; Baby, A R

    2016-08-01

    Ultraviolet (UV) radiation is responsible for sunburns, skin cancer, photoaging, and the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). The awareness on preventing these deleterious effects made the use of anti-UVB formulations an important part of population habits; however, despite the availability of several antioxidants capable of ROS scavenging, the pharmaceutical market lacks products associating UV filters with natural compounds of proven efficacy. Here, we investigated the effect of rutin, a flavonoid with antioxidant activity, associated with UVB filters in dermocosmetic preparations. Formulations were assessed through its antioxidant activity, in vitro photoprotective effectiveness, photostability, and in vivo skin tolerance (hydration, transepidermal water loss, and erythema). Samples containing rutin were compatible with the human skin and presented a pronounced antioxidant potential, with scavenging activity values 75% higher than the ones containing only UVB filters. Although rutin could not prevent the sunscreens photodegradation post-irradiation, the bioactive compound significantly increased the formulations critical wavelengths, showing a photoprotective gain, especially in the UVA range. In conclusion, the absorption in the UVA range, coupled with ROS scavenging potential, proved the positive effect of rutin applied to anti-UVB formulations, making this bioactive compound a promising candidate for photoprotection improvement. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  19. Design optimization of the distributed modal filtering rod fiber for increasing single mode bandwidth

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jørgensen, Mette Marie; Petersen, Sidsel Rübner; Laurila, Marko

    2012-01-01

    . Large preform tolerances are compensated during the fiber draw resulting in ultra low NA fibers with very large cores. In this paper, design optimization of the SM bandwidth of the DMF rod fiber is presented. Analysis of band gap properties results in a fourfold increase of the SM bandwidth compared...... LMA fiber amplifiers having high pump absorption through a pump cladding that is decoupled from the outer fiber. However, achieving ultra low NA for single-mode (SM) guidance is challenging, and thus different design strategies must be applied to filter out higher order modes (HOMs). The novel...... distributed modal filtering (DMF) design presented here enables SM guidance, and previous results have shown a SM mode field diameter of 60 μm operating in a 20 nm SM bandwidth. The DMF rod fiber has high index ring-shaped inclusions acting as resonators enabling SM guidance through modal filtering of HOMs...

  20. Cost/benefit evaluation of electrofibrous air filters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bergman, W.; Kuhl, W.; Biermann, A.; Lum, B.

    1986-01-01

    Experimental electric air filters based on the principle of superimposing an electric field over conventional fibrous air filters have been developed. The different experimental electric filters described in this report include prefilters for use in glove boxes and in ventilation systems, re-circulating air filters, electric HEPA filters, and high efficiency, high temperature air filters. In each case the large improvement in filter efficiency that occurs when a mechanical filter is electrified is demonstrated. Also a significant increase in the particle loading capacity of filters in many of our evaluations is demonstrated. Both laboratory and field test results are presented. This paper also demonstrates that the performance of all of our electric filter designs, except one, can be matched by conventional mechanical air filters and usually at a lower cost. The one exception is the high temperature, high efficiency electric air filter. In that case there is no mechanical filter media that can match the performance of the electric air filter. Our findings show that electric air filters are only cost effective compared to mechanical air filters when the performance of the mechanical air filter cannot be further improved by mechanical means. (author)

  1. Designing Programme Implementation Strategies to Increase the Adoption and Use of Biosand Water Filters in Rural India

    OpenAIRE

    Tommy K.K. Ngai; Richard A. Fenner

    2014-01-01

    Low-cost household water treatment systems are innovations designed to improve the quality of drinking water at the point of use. This study investigates how an NGO can design appropriate programme strategies in order to increase the adoption and sustained use of household sand filters in rural India. A system dynamics computer model was developed and used to assess 18 potential programme strategies for their effectiveness in increasing filter use at two and ten years into the future, under s...

  2. Increasing polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) yields from Cupriavidus necator by using filtered digestate liquors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Passanha, Pearl; Esteves, Sandra R; Kedia, Gopal; Dinsdale, Richard M; Guwy, Alan J

    2013-11-01

    The production of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) using digestate liquor as culture media is a novel application to extend the existing uses of digestates. In this study, two micro-filtered digestates (0.22 μm) were evaluated as a source of complex culture media for the production of PHA by Cupriavidus necator as compared to a conventional media. Culture media using a mixture of micro-filtered liquors from food waste and from wheat feed digesters showed a maximum PHA accumulation of 12.29 g/l PHA, with 90% cell dry weight and a yield of 0.48 g PHA/g VFA consumed, the highest reported to date for C. necator studies. From the analysis of the starting and residual media, it was concluded that ammonia, potassium, magnesium, sulfate and phosphate provided in the digestate liquors were vital for the initial growth of C. necator whereas copper, iron and nickel may have played a significant role in PHA accumulation. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Guenter Tulip Filter Retrieval Experience: Predictors of Successful Retrieval

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Turba, Ulku Cenk; Arslan, Bulent; Meuse, Michael; Sabri, Saher; Macik, Barbara Gail; Hagspiel, Klaus D.; Matsumoto, Alan H.; Angle, John F.

    2010-01-01

    We report our experience with Guenter Tulip filter placement indications, retrievals, and procedural problems, with emphasis on alternative retrieval techniques. We have identified 92 consecutive patients in whom a Guenter Tulip filter was placed and filter removal attempted. We recorded patient demographic information, filter placement and retrieval indications, procedures, standard and nonstandard filter retrieval techniques, complications, and clinical outcomes. The mean time to retrieval for those who experienced filter strut penetration was statistically significant [F(1,90) = 8.55, p = 0.004]. Filter strut(s) IVC penetration and successful retrieval were found to be statistically significant (p = 0.043). The filter hook-IVC relationship correlated with successful retrieval. A modified guidewire loop technique was applied in 8 of 10 cases where the hook appeared to penetrate the IVC wall and could not be engaged with a loop snare catheter, providing additional technical success in 6 of 8 (75%). Therefore, the total filter retrieval success increased from 88 to 95%. In conclusion, the Guenter Tulip filter has high successful retrieval rates with low rates of complication. Additional maneuvers such as a guidewire loop method can be used to improve retrieval success rates when the filter hook is endothelialized.

  4. Designing Programme Implementation Strategies to Increase the Adoption and Use of Biosand Water Filters in Rural India

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tommy K.K. Ngai

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available Low-cost household water treatment systems are innovations designed to improve the quality of drinking water at the point of use. This study investigates how an NGO can design appropriate programme strategies in order to increase the adoption and sustained use of household sand filters in rural India. A system dynamics computer model was developed and used to assess 18 potential programme strategies for their effectiveness in increasing filter use at two and ten years into the future, under seven scenarios of how the external context may plausibly evolve. The results showed that the optimal choice of strategy is influenced by the macroeconomic situation, donor funding, presence of alternative options, and the evaluation time frame. The analysis also revealed some key programme management challenges, including the trade-off between optimising short- or long-term gains, and counter-intuitive results, such as higher subsidy fund allocation leading to fewer filter distribution, and technology advances leading to fewer sales. This study outlines how an NGO can choose effective strategies in consideration of complex system interactions. This study demonstrated that small NGOs can dramatically increase their programme outcomes without necessarily increasing operational budget.

  5. Significant increase of surface ozone at a rural site, north of eastern China

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Z. Ma

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available Ozone pollution in eastern China has become one of the top environmental issues. Quantifying the temporal trend of surface ozone helps to assess the impacts of the anthropogenic precursor reductions and the likely effects of emission control strategies implemented. In this paper, ozone data collected at the Shangdianzi (SDZ regional atmospheric background station from 2003 to 2015 are presented and analyzed to obtain the variation in the trend of surface ozone in the most polluted region of China, north of eastern China or the North China Plain. A modified Kolmogorov–Zurbenko (KZ filter method was performed on the maximum daily average 8 h (MDA8 concentrations of ozone to separate the contributions of different factors from the variation of surface ozone and remove the influence of meteorological fluctuations on surface ozone. Results reveal that the short-term, seasonal and long-term components of ozone account for 36.4, 57.6 and 2.2 % of the total variance, respectively. The long-term trend indicates that the MDA8 has undergone a significant increase in the period of 2003–2015, with an average rate of 1.13 ± 0.01 ppb year−1 (R2 = 0.92. It is found that meteorological factors did not significantly influence the long-term variation of ozone and the increase may be completely attributed to changes in emissions. Furthermore, there is no significant correlation between the long-term O3 and NO2 trends. This study suggests that emission changes in VOCs might have played a more important role in the observed increase of surface ozone at SDZ.

  6. Retina-Inspired Filter.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Doutsi, Effrosyni; Fillatre, Lionel; Antonini, Marc; Gaulmin, Julien

    2018-07-01

    This paper introduces a novel filter, which is inspired by the human retina. The human retina consists of three different layers: the Outer Plexiform Layer (OPL), the inner plexiform layer, and the ganglionic layer. Our inspiration is the linear transform which takes place in the OPL and has been mathematically described by the neuroscientific model "virtual retina." This model is the cornerstone to derive the non-separable spatio-temporal OPL retina-inspired filter, briefly renamed retina-inspired filter, studied in this paper. This filter is connected to the dynamic behavior of the retina, which enables the retina to increase the sharpness of the visual stimulus during filtering before its transmission to the brain. We establish that this retina-inspired transform forms a group of spatio-temporal Weighted Difference of Gaussian (WDoG) filters when it is applied to a still image visible for a given time. We analyze the spatial frequency bandwidth of the retina-inspired filter with respect to time. It is shown that the WDoG spectrum varies from a lowpass filter to a bandpass filter. Therefore, while time increases, the retina-inspired filter enables to extract different kinds of information from the input image. Finally, we discuss the benefits of using the retina-inspired filter in image processing applications such as edge detection and compression.

  7. Application of a modified complementary filtering technique for increased aircraft control system frequency bandwidth in high vibration environment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Garren, J. F., Jr.; Niessen, F. R.; Abbott, T. S.; Yenni, K. R.

    1977-01-01

    A modified complementary filtering technique for estimating aircraft roll rate was developed and flown in a research helicopter to determine whether higher gains could be achieved. Use of this technique did, in fact, permit a substantial increase in system frequency bandwidth because, in comparison with first-order filtering, it reduced both noise amplification and control limit-cycle tendencies.

  8. Iterative Filtering of Retrieved Information to Increase Relevance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Robert Zeidman

    2007-12-01

    Full Text Available Efforts have been underway for years to find more effective ways to retrieve information from large knowledge domains. This effort is now being driven particularly by the Internet and the vast amount of information that is available to unsophisticated users. In the early days of the Internet, some effort involved allowing users to enter Boolean equations of search terms into search engines, for example, rather than just a list of keywords. More recently, effort has focused on understanding a user's desires from past search histories in order to narrow searches. Also there has been much effort to improve the ranking of results based on some measure of relevancy. This paper discusses using iterative filtering of retrieved information to focus in on useful information. This work was done for finding source code correlation and the author extends his findings to Internet searching and e-commerce. The paper presents specific information about a particular filtering application and then generalizes it to other forms of information retrieval.

  9. Methodology for modeling the microbial contamination of air filters.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Joe, Yun Haeng; Yoon, Ki Young; Hwang, Jungho

    2014-01-01

    In this paper, we propose a theoretical model to simulate microbial growth on contaminated air filters and entrainment of bioaerosols from the filters to an indoor environment. Air filter filtration and antimicrobial efficiencies, and effects of dust particles on these efficiencies, were evaluated. The number of bioaerosols downstream of the filter could be characterized according to three phases: initial, transitional, and stationary. In the initial phase, the number was determined by filtration efficiency, the concentration of dust particles entering the filter, and the flow rate. During the transitional phase, the number of bioaerosols gradually increased up to the stationary phase, at which point no further increase was observed. The antimicrobial efficiency and flow rate were the dominant parameters affecting the number of bioaerosols downstream of the filter in the transitional and stationary phase, respectively. It was found that the nutrient fraction of dust particles entering the filter caused a significant change in the number of bioaerosols in both the transitional and stationary phases. The proposed model would be a solution for predicting the air filter life cycle in terms of microbiological activity by simulating the microbial contamination of the filter.

  10. Methodology for modeling the microbial contamination of air filters.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yun Haeng Joe

    Full Text Available In this paper, we propose a theoretical model to simulate microbial growth on contaminated air filters and entrainment of bioaerosols from the filters to an indoor environment. Air filter filtration and antimicrobial efficiencies, and effects of dust particles on these efficiencies, were evaluated. The number of bioaerosols downstream of the filter could be characterized according to three phases: initial, transitional, and stationary. In the initial phase, the number was determined by filtration efficiency, the concentration of dust particles entering the filter, and the flow rate. During the transitional phase, the number of bioaerosols gradually increased up to the stationary phase, at which point no further increase was observed. The antimicrobial efficiency and flow rate were the dominant parameters affecting the number of bioaerosols downstream of the filter in the transitional and stationary phase, respectively. It was found that the nutrient fraction of dust particles entering the filter caused a significant change in the number of bioaerosols in both the transitional and stationary phases. The proposed model would be a solution for predicting the air filter life cycle in terms of microbiological activity by simulating the microbial contamination of the filter.

  11. Effects of heat, radiation, and thermoradiation on the filterability of sewage sludge

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Carter, C.V.

    1978-01-01

    The effects of heat, radiation and thermoradiation processes on the dewatering properties of raw and primary digested sewage sludges were investigated. These effects were measured by observing the changes in filterability subsequent to treatment. Thermal treatment (40 0 to 95 0 C) of the sewage sludge resulted in decreased filterability. Radiation and thermoradiation treatment increased the filterability, the increase being dose and temperature dependent. These treatment methods are not as effective as chemical additives in increasing the filterability of sewage sludge. The combined use of radiation and organic polymer conditioner shows no significant improvement in the filterability of sewage sludge over the use of polymer alone. There appears to be some interaction; however, it shows no useful synergistic effect

  12. Evaluation of residential furnace filters

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bowser, D. [Bowser Technical Inc. (Canada)

    1999-07-01

    Various filters rotated through six houses in southern Ontario during the heating season were evaluated for their filtration efficiency, including their ability to trap respirable particulate matter. Particulate levels were continuously monitored in the outside air, before and after the filter in the ducting system; also in the air in two rooms in each house. Results show that the filters performed according to their respective efficiency ratings. The integrated breathing zone exposure reading were not considered as significant as the reductions in the ducting system, dur to the fact that the integrated breathing zone exposure reflects both dust generation and dust removal mechanisms. Electronic air filters were found to produce ozone inside the home when the air-handling system was in operation. There was no evidence of any particular relationship between cleanliness and ozone production. Indoor ozone levels were always lower than outdoor levels. Continuous blower operation was found to improve filtration efficiency , however, it could result in an increase of about $250 in annual energy expenses. Bypass filters recorded significantly higher electrical energy consumption than full-flow systems. Continuous low-speed air handler fan operation appeared to be the most effective strategy. Portable air cleaners were shown to be highly effective in removing particulates in a single room. Removing footwear on entering the house, keeping major dust generators out of the house, frequent vacuuming, improving the air tightness of the house, and installing an air intake filter on the air supply may all be all be helpful in controlling exposure to particulates. 21 refs., 8 tabs., 32 figs.

  13. Impact of axial velocity and transmembrane pressure (TMP) on ARP filter performance

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Poirier, M. [Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States). Savannah River National Lab. (SRNL); Burket, P. [Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States). Savannah River National Lab. (SRNL)

    2016-02-29

    The Savannah River Site (SRS) is currently treating radioactive liquid waste with the Actinide Removal Process (ARP) and the Modular Caustic Side Solvent Extraction Unit (MCU). Recently, the low filter flux through the ARP of approximately 5 gallons per minute has limited the rate at which radioactive liquid waste can be treated. Salt Batch 6 had a lower processing rate and required frequent filter cleaning. Savannah River Remediation (SRR) has a desire to understand the causes of the low filter flux and to increase ARP/MCU throughput. One potential method for increasing filter flux is to adjust the axial velocity and transmembrane pressure (TMP). SRR requested SRNL to conduct bench-scale filter tests to evaluate the effects of axial velocity and transmembrane pressure on crossflow filter flux. The objective of the testing was to determine whether increasing the axial velocity at the ARP could produce a significant increase in filter flux. The authors conducted the tests by preparing slurries containing 6.6 M sodium Salt Batch 6 supernate and 2.5 g MST/L, processing the slurry through a bench-scale crossflow filter unit at varying axial velocity and TMP, and measuring filter flux as a function of time.

  14. Increased generalization capability of trainable COSFIRE filters with application to machine vision

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Azzopardi, George; Fernandez-Robles, Laura; Alegre, Enrique; Petkov, Nicolai

    2017-01-01

    The recently proposed trainable COSFIRE filters are highly effective in a wide range of computer vision applications, including object recognition, image classification, contour detection and retinal vessel segmentation. A COSFIRE filter is selective for a collection of contour parts in a certain

  15. Enhancement of kalman filter single loss detection capability

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Morrison, G.W.; Downing, D.J.; Pike, D.H.

    1980-01-01

    A new technique to significantly increase the sensitivity of the Kalman filter to detect one-time losses for nuclear marterial accountability and control has been developed. The technique uses the innovations sequence obtained from a Kalman filter analysis of a material balance area. The innovations are distributed as zero mean independent Gaussion random variables with known variance. This property enables an estimator to be formed with enhanced one time loss detection capabilities. Simulation studies of a material balance area indicate the new estimator greatly enhances the one time loss detection capability of the Kalman filter

  16. Audit of the use of IVC filters in the UK: experience from three centres over 12 years

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hammond, C.J. [Leeds General Infirmary, Leeds (United Kingdom)], E-mail: chris.hammond@doctors.org.uk; Bakshi, D.R. [Royal Liverpool University Hospital, Liverpool (United Kingdom); Currie, R.J. [Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital, Exeter (United Kingdom); Patel, J.V. [Leeds General Infirmary, Leeds (United Kingdom); Kinsella, D. [Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital, Exeter (United Kingdom); McWilliams, R.G. [Royal Liverpool University Hospital, Liverpool (United Kingdom); Watkinson, A. [Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital, Exeter (United Kingdom); Nicholson, A.A. [Leeds General Infirmary, Leeds (United Kingdom)

    2009-05-15

    Aim: To audit the use of inferior vena cava (IVC) filter insertions at three UK centres over 12 years to assess whether trends in filter use in the UK mirrored those seen elsewhere. Materials and methods: Radiology department databases were interrogated for IVC filter insertions and removals between 1994 and 2006. Reports for these interventions, along with prior and subsequent imaging reports, were analysed. Follow-up data were obtained when available. Results: Five hundred and sixteen filters were placed with a significant year-on-year trend towards increasing use. Fifty-seven percent of filters placed were for absolute indications and 37% for relative indications. The filters were used for prophylaxis in 6% of patients in the absence of proven pulmonary embolism (PE) or deep vein thrombosis (DVT). A retrievable filter was used in 74% of cases with retrieval attempted in 40% of these and no evidence of an increasing rate of retrieval over time. A significant complication related to insertion or retrieval was encountered in 0.4 and 1% of procedures, respectively. Mean 24 h and 30 day mortalities were 1 and 8%, respectively. There was an absence of organized follow-up at all three centres. Conclusion: IVC filter use in the UK is increasing. The use of retrievable filters has not resulted in increased filter retrieval. Filter insertion and retrieval is associated with a low risk of significant complication, but lack of systematic follow-up limits conclusions regarding safety and efficacy.

  17. FEATURES OF THE REGENERATION PROCESS OF THE FILTER

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. Yu. Panov

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available The regeneration system exercises significant influence on the efficiency and reliability of the filters. During operation of the filter it continuously increases the hydraulic resistance and the gas permeability of the filter material decreases as the deposition of the disperse phase capturable on the filter element, and to maintain the bandwidth of the filter in the filter element within the set must be periodically changed or regenerated. Thus, regeneration of a process of removing part of the dust layer with the purpose of full or partial reduction of the initial filter partitioning properties. On the basis of theoretical synthesis, physico-chemical effects of dust in layers, analysis of energy effects, developed methods of intensification of the process of regeneration of particulate filters. Pneumopulse regeneration of bag filter has been investigated, and based on it a regression equation for regeneration efficiency has been derived. It has been shown that pulse pressure exerts the dominant influence on the regeneration efficiency. The obtained model was used for assessment and prediction of the efficiency of the pneumopulse system of regeneration of bag filters at a number of structural materials producing enterprises in the Voronezh region.

  18. Sampled data CT system including analog filter and compensating digital filter

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Glover, G. H.; DallaPiazza, D. G.; Pelc, N. J.

    1985-01-01

    A CT scanner in which the amount of x-ray information acquired per unit time is substantially increased by using a continuous-on x-ray source and a sampled data system with the detector. An analog filter is used in the sampling system for band limiting the detector signal below the highest frequency of interest, but is a practically realizable filter and is therefore non-ideal. A digital filter is applied to the detector data after digitization to compensate for the characteristics of the analog filter, and to provide an overall filter characteristic more nearly like the ideal

  19. Performance of HEPA filters at LLNL following the 1980 and 1989 earthquakes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bergman, W.; Elliott, J.; Wilson, K.

    1995-01-01

    The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory has experienced two significant earthquakes for which data is available to assess the ability of HEPA filters to withstand seismic conditions. A 5.9 magnitude earthquake with an epicenter 10 miles from LLNL struck on January 24, l980. Estimates of the peak ground accelerations ranged from 0.2 to 0.3 g. A 7.0 magnitude earthquake with an epicenter about 50 miles from LLNL struck on October 17, 1989. Measurements of the ground accelerations at LLNL averaged 0.1 g. The results from the in-place filter tests obtained after each of the earthquakes were compiled and studied to determine if the earthquakes had caused filter leakage. Our study showed that only the 1980 earthquake resulted in a small increase in the number of HEPA filters developing leaks. In the 12 months following the 1980 and 1989 earthquakes, the in-place filter tests showed 8.0% and 4.1% of all filters respectively developed leaks. The average percentage of filters developing leaks from 1980 to 1993 was 3.3%+/-1.7%. The increase in the filter leaks is significant for the 1980 earthquake, but not for the 1989 earthquake. No contamination was detected following the earthquakes that would suggest transient releases from the filtration system

  20. Performance of HEPA filters at LLNL following the 1980 and 1989 earthquakes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bergman, W.; Elliott, J.; Wilson, K. [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, CA (United States)

    1995-02-01

    The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory has experienced two significant earthquakes for which data is available to assess the ability of HEPA filters to withstand seismic conditions. A 5.9 magnitude earthquake with an epicenter 10 miles from LLNL struck on January 24, l980. Estimates of the peak ground accelerations ranged from 0.2 to 0.3 g. A 7.0 magnitude earthquake with an epicenter about 50 miles from LLNL struck on October 17, 1989. Measurements of the ground accelerations at LLNL averaged 0.1 g. The results from the in-place filter tests obtained after each of the earthquakes were compiled and studied to determine if the earthquakes had caused filter leakage. Our study showed that only the 1980 earthquake resulted in a small increase in the number of HEPA filters developing leaks. In the 12 months following the 1980 and 1989 earthquakes, the in-place filter tests showed 8.0% and 4.1% of all filters respectively developed leaks. The average percentage of filters developing leaks from 1980 to 1993 was 3.3%+/-1.7%. The increase in the filter leaks is significant for the 1980 earthquake, but not for the 1989 earthquake. No contamination was detected following the earthquakes that would suggest transient releases from the filtration system.

  1. Hybrid Filter Membrane

    Science.gov (United States)

    Laicer, Castro; Rasimick, Brian; Green, Zachary

    2012-01-01

    Cabin environmental control is an important issue for a successful Moon mission. Due to the unique environment of the Moon, lunar dust control is one of the main problems that significantly diminishes the air quality inside spacecraft cabins. Therefore, this innovation was motivated by NASA s need to minimize the negative health impact that air-suspended lunar dust particles have on astronauts in spacecraft cabins. It is based on fabrication of a hybrid filter comprising nanofiber nonwoven layers coated on porous polymer membranes with uniform cylindrical pores. This design results in a high-efficiency gas particulate filter with low pressure drop and the ability to be easily regenerated to restore filtration performance. A hybrid filter was developed consisting of a porous membrane with uniform, micron-sized, cylindrical pore channels coated with a thin nanofiber layer. Compared to conventional filter media such as a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter, this filter is designed to provide high particle efficiency, low pressure drop, and the ability to be regenerated. These membranes have well-defined micron-sized pores and can be used independently as air filters with discreet particle size cut-off, or coated with nanofiber layers for filtration of ultrafine nanoscale particles. The filter consists of a thin design intended to facilitate filter regeneration by localized air pulsing. The two main features of this invention are the concept of combining a micro-engineered straight-pore membrane with nanofibers. The micro-engineered straight pore membrane can be prepared with extremely high precision. Because the resulting membrane pores are straight and not tortuous like those found in conventional filters, the pressure drop across the filter is significantly reduced. The nanofiber layer is applied as a very thin coating to enhance filtration efficiency for fine nanoscale particles. Additionally, the thin nanofiber coating is designed to promote capture of

  2. Yellow filters can improve magnocellular function: motion sensitivity, convergence, accommodation, and reading.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ray, N J; Fowler, S; Stein, J F

    2005-04-01

    The magnocellular system plays an important role in visual motion processing, controlling vergence eye movements, and in reading. Yellow filters may boost magnocellular activity by eliminating inhibitory blue input to this pathway. It was found that wearing yellow filters increased motion sensitivity, convergence, and accommodation in many children with reading difficulties, both immediately and after three months using the filters. Motion sensitivity was not increased using control neutral density filters. Moreover, reading-impaired children showed significant gains in reading ability after three months wearing the filters compared with those who had used a placebo. It was concluded that yellow filters can improve magnocellular function permanently. Hence, they should be considered as an alternative to corrective lenses, prisms, or exercises for treating poor convergence and accommodation, and also as an aid for children with reading problems.

  3. Developing particulate thin filter using coconut fiber for motor vehicle emission

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wardoyo, A. Y. P.; Juswono, U. P.; Riyanto, S.

    2016-03-01

    Amounts of motor vehicles in Indonesia have been recognized a sharply increase from year to year with the increment reaching to 22 % per annum. Meanwhile motor vehicles produce particulate emissions in different sizes with high concentrations depending on type of vehicles, fuels, and engine capacity. Motor Particle emissions are not only to significantly contribute the atmosphric particles but also adverse to human health. In order to reduce the particle emission, it is needed a filter. This study was aimed to develop a thin filter using coconut fiber to reduce particulate emissions for motor vehicles. The filter was made of coconut fibers that were grinded into power and mixed with glues. The filter was tested by the measurements of particle concentrations coming out from the vehicle exhaust directly and the particle concentrations after passing through the filter. The efficiency of the filter was calculated by ratio of the particle concentrations before comming in the filter to the particle conentrations after passing through the filter. The results showed that the efficiency of the filter obtained more than 30 %. The efficiency increases sharply when a number of the filters are arranged paralelly.

  4. Braile vena cava filter and greenfield filter in terms of centralization.

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Godoy, José Maria Pereira; Menezes da Silva, Adinaldo A; Reis, Luis Fernando; Miquelin, Daniel; Torati, José Luis Simon

    2013-01-01

    The aim of this study was to evaluate complications experienced during implantation of the Braile Vena Cava filter (VCF) and the efficacy of the centralization mechanism of the filter. This retrospective cohort study evaluated all Braile Biomédica VCFs implanted from 2004 to 2009 in Hospital de Base Medicine School in São José do Rio Preto, Brazil. Of particular concern was the filter's symmetry during implantation and complications experienced during the procedure. All the angiographic examinations performed during the implantation of the filters were analyzed in respect to the following parameters: migration of the filter, non-opening or difficulties in the implantation and centralization of the filter. A total of 112 Braile CVFs were implanted and there were no reports of filter opening difficulties or in respect to migration. Asymmetry was observed in 1/112 (0.9%) cases. A statistically significant difference was seen on comparing historical data on decentralization of the Greenfield filter with the data of this study. The Braile Biomédico filter is an evolution of the Greenfield filter providing improved embolus capture and better implantation symmetry.

  5. Test models for improving filtering with model errors through stochastic parameter estimation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gershgorin, B.; Harlim, J.; Majda, A.J.

    2010-01-01

    The filtering skill for turbulent signals from nature is often limited by model errors created by utilizing an imperfect model for filtering. Updating the parameters in the imperfect model through stochastic parameter estimation is one way to increase filtering skill and model performance. Here a suite of stringent test models for filtering with stochastic parameter estimation is developed based on the Stochastic Parameterization Extended Kalman Filter (SPEKF). These new SPEKF-algorithms systematically correct both multiplicative and additive biases and involve exact formulas for propagating the mean and covariance including the parameters in the test model. A comprehensive study is presented of robust parameter regimes for increasing filtering skill through stochastic parameter estimation for turbulent signals as the observation time and observation noise are varied and even when the forcing is incorrectly specified. The results here provide useful guidelines for filtering turbulent signals in more complex systems with significant model errors.

  6. Effect of age on the structural integrity of HEPA filters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Johnson, J.S.; Beason, D.G.; Smith, P.R.; Gregory, W.S.

    1989-01-01

    All of the controls on high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters are based on rigid manufacturing standards with regard to filtration efficiency, temperature performance, pressure integrity, and strength. Third-party inspection and testing by the US Department of Energy increases the reliability of new HEPA filters, but only routine in-place testing is used to assure that an aging filter performs adequately. In 1980 the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory initiated a small evaluation to determine if age has a significant effect on the structural integrity of HEPA filters. A series of used uncontaminated filters dating back to 1965 was obtained for these tests. Tensile strength tests on the old media indicated a decrease in strength. To provide additional measurement of the filters' overall strength, several of these aged filters were subjected to pressure pulses equivalent to the NRC Region I tornado pulses and shock wave over pressures. Data from these tests indicate a decrease in breaking pressure of from 25-50%. A large increase in complete filter pack blow-out during the simulated NRC Region I tornado tests was also observed. The preliminary results indicate the need for an administrative lifetime for HEPA filters used in critical nuclear facilities. Due to the unique conditions in each facility, different administrative lifetimes may be necessary

  7. Impact of a silver layer on the membrane of tap water filters on the microbiological quality of filtered water

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bruderek Juliane

    2008-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Bacteria in the hospital's drinking water system represent a risk for the acquisition of a nosocomial infection in the severely immunocompromised host. Terminal tap water filters may be used to prevent nosocomial Legionnaires' disease. We present data from water samples using an improved kind of tap water filters. Methods In a blinded study on an intermediate care unit of the thoracic surgery department, a modified type of the Germlyser water filter (Aqua-Free Membrane Technology with a newly-introduced silver layer on the filtration membrane was compared to its preceding type without such a layer on 15 water outlets. We determined growth of Legionella, other pathogenic bacteria, and the total heterotrophic plate count in unfiltered water and filtered water samples after filter usage intervals of 1 through 4 weeks. Results A total of 299 water samples were tested. Twenty-nine of the 60 unfiltered water samples contained Legionella of various serogroups (baseline value. In contrast, all samples filtered by the original water filter and all but one of the water samples filtered by the modified filter type remained Legionella-free. No other pathogenic bacteria were detected in any filtered sample. The total plate count in water samples increased during use of both kinds of filters over time. However, for the first 7 days of use, there were significantly fewer water samples containing >100 CFU per mL when using the new filter device compared with the older filters or taps with no filter. No advantage was seen thereafter. Conclusion The use of this type of terminal water filter is an appropriate method to protect immunocompromised patients from water-borne pathogens such as Legionella.

  8. Gas revenue increasingly significant

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Megill, R.E.

    1991-01-01

    This paper briefly describes the wellhead prices of natural gas compared to crude oil over the past 70 years. Although natural gas prices have never reached price parity with crude oil, the relative value of a gas BTU has been increasing. It is one of the reasons that the total amount of money coming from natural gas wells is becoming more significant. From 1920 to 1955 the revenue at the wellhead for natural gas was only about 10% of the money received by producers. Most of the money needed for exploration, development, and production came from crude oil. At present, however, over 40% of the money from the upstream portion of the petroleum industry is from natural gas. As a result, in a few short years natural gas may become 50% of the money revenues generated from wellhead production facilities

  9. EVALUATION OF ALTERNATIVE FILTER MEDIA FOR THE ROTARY MICROFILTER

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Poirier, M.; Herman, D.; Bhave, R.

    2011-09-13

    SRS is currently developing and testing several processes to treat high level radioactive liquid waste. These processes include the Integrated Salt Disposition Process (ISDP), the Salt Waste Processing Facility (SWPF), and the Small Column Ion Exchange Process (SCIX). Each of these processes has a solid-liquid separation process that limits its throughput. SRNL researchers identified and tested the rotary microfilter as a technology to increase solid-liquid separation throughput. The testing showed significant improvement in filter flux with the rotary microfilter over the baseline crossflow filter (i.e., 2.5-6.5X during scoping tests, as much as 10X in actual waste tests, and approximately 3X in pilot-scale tests). SRNL received funding from DOE EM-21, and subsequently DOE EM-31 to develop the rotary microfilter for high level radioactive service. The work has included upgrading the rotary microfilter for radioactive service, testing with simulated SRS waste streams, and testing it with simulated Hanford waste streams. While the filtration rate is better than that obtained during testing of crossflow filters, the authors believe the rotary microfilter throughput can be improved by using a better filter membrane. The rotary microfilter membrane is made of stainless steel (Pall PMM050). Previous testing, funded by DOE EM-21, showed that asymmetric filters composed of a ceramic membrane on top of a stainless steel support produced higher filter flux than 100% stainless steel symmetric filters in crossflow filter tests. In that testing, the Pall Accusep and Graver filters produced 13-21% larger filter flux than the baseline 0.1 {micro}m Mott filter. While the improvement in flux is not as dramatic as the improvement of the rotary filter over a crossflow filter, a 13-21% increase could reduce the lifetime of a 30 year process by 4-6 years, with significant cost savings. Subsequent rotary filter testing showed the Pall PMM050 stainless steel filter membrane produced

  10. Impact of an inferior vena cava filter retrieval algorithm on filter retrieval rates in a cancer population.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Litwin, Robert J; Huang, Steven Y; Sabir, Sharjeel H; Hoang, Quoc B; Ahrar, Kamran; Ahrar, Judy; Tam, Alda L; Mahvash, Armeen; Ensor, Joe E; Kroll, Michael; Gupta, Sanjay

    2017-09-01

    Our primary purpose was to assess the impact of an inferior vena cava filter retrieval algorithm in a cancer population. Because cancer patients are at persistently elevated risk for development of venous thromboembolism (VTE), our secondary purpose was to assess the incidence of recurrent VTE in patients who underwent filter retrieval. Patients with malignant disease who had retrievable filters placed at a tertiary care cancer hospital from August 2010 to July 2014 were retrospectively studied. A filter retrieval algorithm was established in August 2012. Patients and referring physicians were contacted in the postintervention period when review of the medical record indicated that filter retrieval was clinically appropriate. Patients were classified into preintervention (August 2010-July 2012) and postintervention (August 2012-July 2014) study cohorts. Retrieval rates and clinical pathologic records were reviewed. Filter retrieval was attempted in 34 (17.4%) of 195 patients in the preintervention cohort and 66 (32.8%) of 201 patients in the postintervention cohort (P filter retrieval in the preintervention and postintervention cohorts was 60 days (range, 20-428 days) and 107 days (range, 9-600 days), respectively (P = .16). In the preintervention cohort, 49 of 195 (25.1%) patients were lost to follow-up compared with 24 of 201 (11.9%) patients in the postintervention cohort (P filter placement to death, when available. The overall survival for patients whose filters were retrieved was longer compared with the overall survival for patients whose filters were not retrieved (P filter retrieval, two patients (2.5%) suffered from recurrent VTE (n = 1 nonfatal pulmonary embolism; n = 1 deep venous thrombosis). Both patients were treated with anticoagulation without filter replacement. Inferior vena cava filter retrieval rates can be significantly increased in patients with malignant disease with a low rate (2.5%) of recurrent VTE after filter retrieval

  11. Higher safety and saving of filter material with multi-way sorption filters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ohlmeyer, M.; Benzel, M.

    1978-01-01

    The multi-way filter 'Nuclear Karlsruhe' satisfies the requirements of operational safety, high utilisation of the filter material and low pressure drop. An important factor contributing to increased operational safety is due to the fact that the nearly total utilisation of the filter material eliminates the need for optimisation weighing costs against safety. The reduction in filter material consumption reduces not only the direct procurement costs but also the costs of nuclear plants, is radioactive. This contributes in several respects towards a better protection of the environment. The MWS filter can also be used, and presents the same advantages, in non-nuclear plants. (orig.) [de

  12. Digital notch filter based active damping for LCL filters

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Yao, Wenli; Yang, Yongheng; Zhang, Xiaobin

    2015-01-01

    . In contrast, the active damping does not require any dissipation elements, and thus has become of increasing interest. As a result, a vast of active damping solutions have been reported, among which multi-loop control systems and additional sensors are necessary, leading to increased cost and complexity....... In this paper, a notch filter based active damping without the requirement of additional sensors is proposed, where the inverter current is employed as the feedback variable. Firstly, a design method of the notch filter for active damping is presented. The entire system stability has then been investigated...... in the z-domain. Simulations and experiments are carried out to verify the proposed active damping method. Both results have confirmed that the notch filter based active damping can ensure the entire system stability in the case of resonances with a good system performance....

  13. [Filtering facepieces: effect of oily aerosol load on penetration through the filtering material].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Plebani, Carmela; Listrani, S; Di Luigi, M

    2010-01-01

    Electrostatic filters are widely used in applications requiring high filtration efficiency and low pressure drop. However various studies showed that the penetration through electrostatic filters increases during exposure to an aerosol flow. This study investigates the effects of prolonged exposure to an oily aerosol on the penetration through filtering facepieces available on the market. Some samples of FFP1, FFP2 and FFP3 filtering facepieces were exposed for 8 hours consecutively to a paraffin oil polydisperse aerosol. At the end of the exposure about 830 mg of paraffin oil were deposited in the facepiece. All the examined facepieces showed penetration values that increased with paraffin oil load while pressure drop values were substantially the same before and after exposure. The measured maximum penetration values did not exceed the maximum penetration values allowed by the European technical standards, except in one case. According to the literature, 830 mg of oil load in a facepiece is not feasible in workplaces over an eight- hour shift. However, the trend of the penetration versus exposure mass suggests that if the load increases, the penetration may exceed the maximum allowed values. For comparison a mechanical filter was also studied. This showed an initial pressure drop higher than FFP2 filtering facepieces characterized by comparable penetration values. During exposure the pressure drop virtually doubled while penetration did not change. The increase in penetration with no increase in pressure drop in the analyzed facepieces indicates that it is necessary to comply with the information supplied by the manufacturer that restricts their use to a single shift.

  14. Development of membrane filters with nanostructured porous layer by coating of metal nanoparticles sintered onto a micro-filter

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Park, Seok Joo; Park, Young Ok; Lee, Dong Geun; Ryu, Jeong In

    2008-01-01

    The membrane filter adhered with nanostructured porous layer was made by heat treatment after deposition of nanoparticle-agglomerates sintered in aerosol phase onto a conventional micron-fibrous metal filter as a substrate filter. The Sintered-Nanoparticle-Agglomerates-coated NanoStructured porous layer Membrane Filter (SNA-NSMF), whose the filtration performance was improved compared with the conventional metal membrane filters, was developed by adhesion of nanoparticle-agglomerates of dendrite structure sintered onto the micron-fibrous metal filter. The size of nanoparticle-agglomerates of dendrite structure decreased with increasing the sintering temperature because nanoparticle-agglomerates shrank. When shrinking nanoparticle-agglomerates were deposited and treated with heat onto the conventional micron-fibrous metal filter, pore size of nanostructured porous layer decreased. Therefore, pressure drops of SNA-NSMFs increased from 0.3 to 0.516 KPa and filtration efficiencies remarkably increased from 95.612 to 99.9993%

  15. IVC filter limb penetration of the caval wall during retroperitoneal surgery/lymph node dissection.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Goh, Gerard S

    2012-12-01

    Optional inferior vena cava (IVC) filters are being increasingly used for protection against pulmonary embolism in patients with deep vein thrombosis where anticoagulation is contraindicated. We describe two cases during retroperitoneal surgery where the IVC filters were found to have perforated the cava wall and were subsequently removed intra-operatively. Cava wall penetration by filter limbs poses a significant danger during retroperitoneal lymph node dissection and filters should be removed preoperatively.

  16. Frequency Domain Image Filtering Using CUDA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Muhammad Awais Rajput

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, we investigate the implementation of image filtering in frequency domain using NVIDIA?s CUDA (Compute Unified Device Architecture. In contrast to signal and image filtering in spatial domain which uses convolution operations and hence is more compute-intensive for filters having larger spatial extent, the frequency domain filtering uses FFT (Fast Fourier Transform which is much faster and significantly reduces the computational complexity of the filtering. We implement the frequency domain filtering on CPU and GPU respectively and analyze the speed-up obtained from the CUDA?s parallel processing paradigm. In order to demonstrate the efficiency of frequency domain filtering on CUDA, we implement three frequency domain filters, i.e., Butterworth, low-pass and Gaussian for processing different sizes of images on CPU and GPU respectively and perform the GPU vs. CPU benchmarks. The results presented in this paper show that the frequency domain filtering with CUDA achieves significant speed-up over the CPU processing in frequency domain with the same level of (output image quality on both the processing architectures

  17. Frequency domain image filtering using cuda

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rajput, M.A.; Khan, U.A.

    2014-01-01

    In this paper, we investigate the implementation of image filtering in frequency domain using NVIDIA's CUDA (Compute Unified Device Architecture). In contrast to signal and image filtering in spatial domain which uses convolution operations and hence is more compute-intensive for filters having larger spatial extent, the frequency domain filtering uses FFT (Fast Fourier Transform) which is much faster and significantly reduces the computational complexity of the filtering. We implement the frequency domain filtering on CPU and GPU respectively and analyze the speed-up obtained from the CUDA's parallel processing paradigm. In order to demonstrate the efficiency of frequency domain filtering on CUDA, we implement three frequency domain filters, i.e., Butter worth, low-pass and Gaussian for processing different sizes of images on CPU and GPU respectively and perform the GPU vs. CPU benchmarks. The results presented in this paper show that the frequency domain filtering with CUDA achieves significant speed-up over the CPU processing in frequency domain with the same level of (output) image quality on both the processing architectures. (author)

  18. The intractable cigarette 'filter problem'.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harris, Bradford

    2011-05-01

    When lung cancer fears emerged in the 1950s, cigarette companies initiated a shift in cigarette design from unfiltered to filtered cigarettes. Both the ineffectiveness of cigarette filters and the tobacco industry's misleading marketing of the benefits of filtered cigarettes have been well documented. However, during the 1950s and 1960s, American cigarette companies spent millions of dollars to solve what the industry identified as the 'filter problem'. These extensive filter research and development efforts suggest a phase of genuine optimism among cigarette designers that cigarette filters could be engineered to mitigate the health hazards of smoking. This paper explores the early history of cigarette filter research and development in order to elucidate why and when seemingly sincere filter engineering efforts devolved into manipulations in cigarette design to sustain cigarette marketing and mitigate consumers' concerns about the health consequences of smoking. Relevant word and phrase searches were conducted in the Legacy Tobacco Documents Library online database, Google Patents, and media and medical databases including ProQuest, JSTOR, Medline and PubMed. 13 tobacco industry documents were identified that track prominent developments involved in what the industry referred to as the 'filter problem'. These reveal a period of intense focus on the 'filter problem' that persisted from the mid-1950s to the mid-1960s, featuring collaborations between cigarette producers and large American chemical and textile companies to develop effective filters. In addition, the documents reveal how cigarette filter researchers' growing scientific knowledge of smoke chemistry led to increasing recognition that filters were unlikely to offer significant health protection. One of the primary concerns of cigarette producers was to design cigarette filters that could be economically incorporated into the massive scale of cigarette production. The synthetic plastic cellulose acetate

  19. Penetration of Combustion Aerosol Particles Through Filters of NIOSH-Certified Filtering Facepiece Respirators (FFRs).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gao, Shuang; Kim, Jinyong; Yermakov, Michael; Elmashae, Yousef; He, Xinjian; Reponen, Tiina; Grinshpun, Sergey A

    2015-01-01

    Filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs) are commonly worn by first responders, first receivers, and other exposed groups to protect against exposure to airborne particles, including those originated by combustion. Most of these FFRs are NIOSH-certified (e.g., N95-type) based on the performance testing of their filters against charge-equilibrated aerosol challenges, e.g., NaCl. However, it has not been examined if the filtration data obtained with the NaCl-challenged FFR filters adequately represent the protection against real aerosol hazards such as combustion particles. A filter sample of N95 FFR mounted on a specially designed holder was challenged with NaCl particles and three combustion aerosols generated in a test chamber by burning wood, paper, and plastic. The concentrations upstream (Cup) and downstream (Cdown) of the filter were measured with a TSI P-Trak condensation particle counter and a Grimm Nanocheck particle spectrometer. Penetration was determined as (Cdown/Cup) ×100%. Four test conditions were chosen to represent inhalation flows of 15, 30, 55, and 85 L/min. Results showed that the penetration values of combustion particles were significantly higher than those of the "model" NaCl particles (p combustion particles. Aerosol type, inhalation flow rate and particle size were significant (p combustion particles through R95 and P95 FFR filters (were tested in addition to N95) were not significantly higher than that obtained with NaCl particles. The findings were attributed to several effects, including the degradation of an N95 filter due to hydrophobic organic components generated into the air by combustion. Their interaction with fibers is anticipated to be similar to those involving "oily" particles. The findings of this study suggest that the efficiency of N95 respirator filters obtained with the NaCl aerosol challenge may not accurately predict (and rather overestimate) the filter efficiency against combustion particles.

  20. Increasing dynamic range of a fibre Bragg grating edge-filtering interrogator with a proportional control loop

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stan, Nikola; Bailey, D C; Chadderdon, S L; Selfridge, R H; Schultz, S M; Webb, S; Zikry, M; Peters, K J

    2014-01-01

    We present a fibre Bragg grating (FBG) interrogator that uses a microcontroller board and a tunable optical filter in a proportional control loop to increase dynamic range and achieve high strain sensitivity. It is an edge-filtering interrogator with added proportional control loop that locks the operating wavelength to the mid-reflection point on the FBG spectrum. The interrogator separates low-frequency (LF) components of strain and measures them with extended dynamic range, while at the same time measuring high-frequency (HF) strain without loss in strain sensitivity. In this paper, we describe the implementation of the interrogator and analyse the characteristics of individual components, such as the speed and voltage resolution of the microcontroller and the tunable optical filter. We measure the performance of the proportional control loop at frequencies up to 1 kHz and characterize the system using control theory. We illustrate the limitation of the conventional interrogator to measure strains greater than 40 μϵ and demonstrate successful application of the proposed interrogator for simultaneous measurement of 450 μϵ LF strain at 50 Hz superimposed with 32 kHz HF strain. (paper)

  1. The effect of spectral filters on VEP and alpha-wave responses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Willeford, Kevin T; Fimreite, Vanessa; Ciuffreda, Kenneth J

    2016-01-01

    Spectral filters are used to treat light sensitivity in individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI); however, the effect of these filters on normal visual function has not been elucidated. Thus, the current study aimed to determine the effect of spectral filters on objectively-measured visual-evoked potential (VEP) and alpha-wave responses in the visually-normal population. The full-field (15°H×17°V), pattern-reversal VEP (20' check size, mean luminance 52cd/m(2)) was administered to 20 visually-normal individuals. They were tested with four Intuitive-Colorimeter-derived, broad-band, spectral filters (i.e., gray/neutral density, blue, yellow, and red), which produced similar luminance values for the test stimulus. The VEP N75 and P100 latencies, and VEP amplitude, were recorded. Power spectrum analysis was used to derive the respective powers at each frequency, and peak frequency, for the selected 9-11Hz components of the alpha band. Both N75 and P100 latencies increased with the addition of each filter when compared to baseline. Additionally, each filter numerically reduced intra-session amplitude variability relative to baseline. There were no significant effects on either the mean VEP amplitude or alpha wave parameters. The Intuitive Colorimeter filters significantly increased both N75 and P100 latencies, an effect which is primarily attributable (∼75%) to luminance, and in some cases, specific spectral effects (e.g., blue and red). VEP amplitude and alpha power were not significantly affected. These findings provide an important reference to which either amplitude or power changes in light-sensitive, younger clinical groups can be compared. Copyright © 2015 Spanish General Council of Optometry. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

  2. Generalized Selection Weighted Vector Filters

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rastislav Lukac

    2004-09-01

    Full Text Available This paper introduces a class of nonlinear multichannel filters capable of removing impulsive noise in color images. The here-proposed generalized selection weighted vector filter class constitutes a powerful filtering framework for multichannel signal processing. Previously defined multichannel filters such as vector median filter, basic vector directional filter, directional-distance filter, weighted vector median filters, and weighted vector directional filters are treated from a global viewpoint using the proposed framework. Robust order-statistic concepts and increased degree of freedom in filter design make the proposed method attractive for a variety of applications. Introduced multichannel sigmoidal adaptation of the filter parameters and its modifications allow to accommodate the filter parameters to varying signal and noise statistics. Simulation studies reported in this paper indicate that the proposed filter class is computationally attractive, yields excellent performance, and is able to preserve fine details and color information while efficiently suppressing impulsive noise. This paper is an extended version of the paper by Lukac et al. presented at the 2003 IEEE-EURASIP Workshop on Nonlinear Signal and Image Processing (NSIP '03 in Grado, Italy.

  3. Respiratory-Induced Haemodynamic Changes: A Contributing Factor to IVC Filter Penetration

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Laborda, Alicia; Kuo, William T.; Ioakeim, Ignatios; De Blas, Ignacio; Malvè, Mauro; Lahuerta, Celia; De Gregorio, Miguel A.

    2015-01-01

    PurposeThe purpose of the study is to evaluate the influence of respiratory-induced vena caval hemodynamic changes on filter migration/penetration.Materials and MethodsAfter placement of either a Gunther Tulip or Celect IVC filter, 101 consecutive patients scheduled for filter retrieval were prospectively enrolled in this study. Pre-retrieval CT scans were used to assess filter complications and to calculate cross-sectional area in three locations: at level of filter strut fixation, 3 cm above and 3 cm below. A 3D finite element simulation was constructed on these data and direct IVC pressure was recorded during filter retrieval. Cross-sectional areas and pressures of the vena cava were measured during neutral breathing and in Valsalva maneuver and identified filter complications were recorded. A statistical analysis of these variables was then performed.ResultsDuring Valsalva maneuvers, a 60 % decrease of the IVC cross-sectional area and a fivefold increase in the IVC pressure were identified (p < 0.001). There was a statistically significant difference in the reduction of the cross-sectional area at the filter strut level (p < 0.001) in patient with filter penetration. Difficulty in filter retrieval was higher in penetrated or tilted filters (p < 0.001; p = 0.005). 3D computational models showed significant IVC deformation around the filter during Valsalva maneuver.ConclusionCaval morphology and hemodynamics are clearly affected by Valsalva maneuvers. A physiological reduction of IVC cross-sectional area is associated with higher risk of filter penetration, despite short dwell times. Physiologic data should be used to improve future filter designs to remain safely implanted over longer dwell times

  4. Respiratory-Induced Haemodynamic Changes: A Contributing Factor to IVC Filter Penetration

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Laborda, Alicia, E-mail: alaborda@unizar.es [Universidad de Zaragoza, Minimally Invasive Techniques Research Group (GITMI) (Spain); Kuo, William T., E-mail: wkuo@stanford.edu [Stanford University Medical Center, Division of Vascular and Interventional Radiology (United States); Ioakeim, Ignatios, E-mail: ignacio.ioakim@hotmail.es [Universidad de Zaragoza, Minimally Invasive Techniques Research Group (GITMI) (Spain); De Blas, Ignacio, E-mail: deblas@unizar.es [Universidad de Zaragoza, Unit of Infectious Diseases and Epidemiology, Department of Animal Pathology (Spain); Malvè, Mauro, E-mail: mauro.malve@unavarra.es [Universidad Pública de Navarra, Department of Mechanical, Energy and Materials Engineering (Spain); Lahuerta, Celia, E-mail: celialahuerta@gmail.com; De Gregorio, Miguel A., E-mail: mgregori@unizar.es [Universidad de Zaragoza, Minimally Invasive Techniques Research Group (GITMI) (Spain)

    2015-10-15

    PurposeThe purpose of the study is to evaluate the influence of respiratory-induced vena caval hemodynamic changes on filter migration/penetration.Materials and MethodsAfter placement of either a Gunther Tulip or Celect IVC filter, 101 consecutive patients scheduled for filter retrieval were prospectively enrolled in this study. Pre-retrieval CT scans were used to assess filter complications and to calculate cross-sectional area in three locations: at level of filter strut fixation, 3 cm above and 3 cm below. A 3D finite element simulation was constructed on these data and direct IVC pressure was recorded during filter retrieval. Cross-sectional areas and pressures of the vena cava were measured during neutral breathing and in Valsalva maneuver and identified filter complications were recorded. A statistical analysis of these variables was then performed.ResultsDuring Valsalva maneuvers, a 60 % decrease of the IVC cross-sectional area and a fivefold increase in the IVC pressure were identified (p < 0.001). There was a statistically significant difference in the reduction of the cross-sectional area at the filter strut level (p < 0.001) in patient with filter penetration. Difficulty in filter retrieval was higher in penetrated or tilted filters (p < 0.001; p = 0.005). 3D computational models showed significant IVC deformation around the filter during Valsalva maneuver.ConclusionCaval morphology and hemodynamics are clearly affected by Valsalva maneuvers. A physiological reduction of IVC cross-sectional area is associated with higher risk of filter penetration, despite short dwell times. Physiologic data should be used to improve future filter designs to remain safely implanted over longer dwell times.

  5. Flexible time-varying filter banks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tuncer, Temel E.; Nguyen, Truong Q.

    1993-09-01

    Linear phase maximally flat FIR Butterworth filter approximations are discussed and a new filter design method is introduced. This variable cutoff filter design method uses the cosine modulated versions of a prototype filter. The design procedure is simple and different variants of this procedure can be used to obtain close to optimum linear phase filters. Using this method, flexible time-varying filter banks with good reconstruction error are introduced. These types of oversampled filter banks have small magnitude error which can be easily controlled by the appropriate choice of modulation frequency. This error can be further decreased by magnitude equalization without increasing the computational complexity considerably. Two dimensional design examples are also given.

  6. Box-particle intensity filter

    OpenAIRE

    Schikora, Marek; Gning, Amadou; Mihaylova, Lyudmila; Cremers, Daniel; Koch, Wofgang; Streit, Roy

    2012-01-01

    This paper develops a novel approach for multi-target tracking, called box-particle intensity filter (box-iFilter). The approach is able to cope with unknown clutter, false alarms and estimates the unknown number of targets. Furthermore, it is capable of dealing with three sources of uncertainty: stochastic, set-theoretic and data association uncertainty. The box-iFilter reduces the number of particles significantly, which improves the runtime considerably. The low particle number enables thi...

  7. EMI filter design

    CERN Document Server

    Ozenbaugh, Richard Lee

    2011-01-01

    With today's electrical and electronics systems requiring increased levels of performance and reliability, the design of robust EMI filters plays a critical role in EMC compliance. Using a mix of practical methods and theoretical analysis, EMI Filter Design, Third Edition presents both a hands-on and academic approach to the design of EMI filters and the selection of components values. The design approaches covered include matrix methods using table data and the use of Fourier analysis, Laplace transforms, and transfer function realization of LC structures. This edition has been fully revised

  8. Dust collected in air filters - Possible source of volatile organic compounds and particles; Ger smutsiga luftfilter foersaemrad tilluft ? En studie av emissioner med ursprung i filter

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Johansson, J.H.P.; Rosell, Lars

    1998-06-01

    Emissions from dust collected in air filters have been investigated using in situ measurements. Two air filters of different classes (F6 and F8/9) have been exposed to outdoor air for a preconditioning period of six months. After this period measurements have been carried out using two operating conditions, continuous and intermittent. Air samples were taken both up- and downstream of the filters. The air samples were analysed regarding volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including formaldehyde and microbial VOCs (mVOC) and the samples of airborne dust were examined regarding the contents of colony forming units, ergosterol (marker of fungi), and endotoxin (marker of gram negative bacteria). Furthermore, a visual inspection of the airborne dust was conducted using SEM. Particles released when the fan was turned on and a short period after, were monitored using an optical particle counter, slitsamplers (fungus spores) and membrane filters for SEM analysis. After finishing the in situ measurements, the filters were placed in climate chambers for emission sampling. Finally, samples were cut out for analysis of microbial contents in the filter material, both on the dusty and `clean` side of the filters. No consistent change of VOC, aldehyde or mVOC concentrations across the filters could be measured. A significant ozone reduction was seen in one of the in situ measurements. The chamber experiments showed that the filters were a source of various VOCs, e.g. aldehydes and mVOCs. The emission of mVOCs in the chambers was significantly higher for the F8/9 filter, probably due to more and finer dust in that filter. Only a few colonization units (fungi) penetrate filters when running continuously but an increase was noted at the moment the fans were started. The same phenomenon was observed with the optical particle counter, but both the intensity and length of the increase, for colonization units and other particles, were moderate. Mycological examination of the filter

  9. HEPA Filter Vulnerability Assessment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    GUSTAVSON, R.D.

    2000-01-01

    This assessment of High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter vulnerability was requested by the USDOE Office of River Protection (ORP) to satisfy a DOE-HQ directive to evaluate the effect of filter degradation on the facility authorization basis assumptions. Within the scope of this assessment are ventilation system HEPA filters that are classified as Safety-Class (SC) or Safety-Significant (SS) components that perform an accident mitigation function. The objective of the assessment is to verify whether HEPA filters that perform a safety function during an accident are likely to perform as intended to limit release of hazardous or radioactive materials, considering factors that could degrade the filters. Filter degradation factors considered include aging, wetting of filters, exposure to high temperature, exposure to corrosive or reactive chemicals, and exposure to radiation. Screening and evaluation criteria were developed by a site-wide group of HVAC engineers and HEPA filter experts from published empirical data. For River Protection Project (RPP) filters, the only degradation factor that exceeded the screening threshold was for filter aging. Subsequent evaluation of the effect of filter aging on the filter strength was conducted, and the results were compared with required performance to meet the conditions assumed in the RPP Authorization Basis (AB). It was found that the reduction in filter strength due to aging does not affect the filter performance requirements as specified in the AB. A portion of the HEPA filter vulnerability assessment is being conducted by the ORP and is not part of the scope of this study. The ORP is conducting an assessment of the existing policies and programs relating to maintenance, testing, and change-out of HEPA filters used for SC/SS service. This document presents the results of a HEPA filter vulnerability assessment conducted for the River protection project as requested by the DOE Office of River Protection

  10. Inorganic UV filters

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eloísa Berbel Manaia

    2013-06-01

    Full Text Available Nowadays, concern over skin cancer has been growing more and more, especially in tropical countries where the incidence of UVA/B radiation is higher. The correct use of sunscreen is the most efficient way to prevent the development of this disease. The ingredients of sunscreen can be organic and/or inorganic sun filters. Inorganic filters present some advantages over organic filters, such as photostability, non-irritability and broad spectrum protection. Nevertheless, inorganic filters have a whitening effect in sunscreen formulations owing to the high refractive index, decreasing their esthetic appeal. Many techniques have been developed to overcome this problem and among them, the use of nanotechnology stands out. The estimated amount of nanomaterial in use must increase from 2000 tons in 2004 to a projected 58000 tons in 2020. In this context, this article aims to analyze critically both the different features of the production of inorganic filters (synthesis routes proposed in recent years and the permeability, the safety and other characteristics of the new generation of inorganic filters.

  11. Auditory filters at low-frequencies

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Orellana, Carlos Andrés Jurado; Pedersen, Christian Sejer; Møller, Henrik

    2009-01-01

    -ear transfer function), the asymmetry of the auditory filter changed from steeper high-frequency slopes at 1000 Hz to steeper low-frequency slopes below 100 Hz. Increasing steepness at low-frequencies of the middle-ear high-pass filter is thought to cause this effect. The dynamic range of the auditory filter...... was found to steadily decrease with decreasing center frequency. Although the observed decrease in filter bandwidth with decreasing center frequency was only approximately monotonic, the preliminary data indicates the filter bandwidth does not stabilize around 100 Hz, e.g. it still decreases below...

  12. Standard filtration practices may significantly distort planktonic microbial diversity estimates

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cory Cruz Padilla

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available Fractionation of biomass by filtration is a standard method for sampling planktonic microbes. It is unclear how the taxonomic composition of filtered biomass changes depending on sample volume. Using seawater from a marine oxygen minimum zone, we quantified the 16S rRNA gene composition of biomass on a prefilter (1.6 μm pore-size and a downstream 0.2 μm filter over sample volumes from 0.05 to 5 L. Significant community shifts occurred in both filter fractions, and were most dramatic in the prefilter community. Sequences matching Vibrionales decreased from ~40-60% of prefilter datasets at low volumes (0.05-0.5 L to less than 5% at higher volumes, while groups such at the Chromatiales and Thiohalorhabdales followed opposite trends, increasing from minor representation to become the dominant taxa at higher volumes. Groups often associated with marine particles, including members of the Deltaproteobacteria, Planctomycetes and Bacteroidetes, were among those showing the greatest increase with volume (4 to 27-fold. Taxon richness (97% similarity clusters also varied significantly with volume, and in opposing directions depending on filter fraction, highlighting potential biases in community complexity estimates. These data raise concerns for studies using filter fractionation for quantitative comparisons of aquatic microbial diversity, for example between free-living and particle-associated communities.

  13. Evaluation of the corrosion resistance of AISI 316 stainless steel filters

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Luzinete Pereira Barbosa

    2005-06-01

    Full Text Available In this investigation, the corrosion resistance of AISI 316 SS filters prepared with powders in the size ranges 74-44 µm and 210-105 µm and compacted with pressures of 300 MPa and 400 MPa has been evaluated in naturally aerated 0.5 M H2SO4 solution at 25 °C. Weight loss of filters manufactured with compacting pressure of 400 MPa were significantly higher than that of filters compacted at 300 MPa. The filter compacted at 400 MPa had higher carbon and nitrogen contents compared to those compacted at 300 MPa. The former also had chromium rich precipitates and oxides in the grain boundaries. The pores in filters compacted at 400 MPa were smaller than in filters compacted at 300 MPa. Smaller pores favor the formation of concentration cells and consequently, increased crevice corrosion.

  14. Artifact removal from EEG signals using adaptive filters in cascade

    Science.gov (United States)

    Garcés Correa, A.; Laciar, E.; Patiño, H. D.; Valentinuzzi, M. E.

    2007-11-01

    Artifacts in EEG (electroencephalogram) records are caused by various factors, like line interference, EOG (electro-oculogram) and ECG (electrocardiogram). These noise sources increase the difficulty in analyzing the EEG and to obtaining clinical information. For this reason, it is necessary to design specific filters to decrease such artifacts in EEG records. In this paper, a cascade of three adaptive filters based on a least mean squares (LMS) algorithm is proposed. The first one eliminates line interference, the second adaptive filter removes the ECG artifacts and the last one cancels EOG spikes. Each stage uses a finite impulse response (FIR) filter, which adjusts its coefficients to produce an output similar to the artifacts present in the EEG. The proposed cascade adaptive filter was tested in five real EEG records acquired in polysomnographic studies. In all cases, line-frequency, ECG and EOG artifacts were attenuated. It is concluded that the proposed filter reduces the common artifacts present in EEG signals without removing significant information embedded in these records.

  15. Artifact removal from EEG signals using adaptive filters in cascade

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Garces Correa, A; Laciar, E; Patino, H D; Valentinuzzi, M E

    2007-01-01

    Artifacts in EEG (electroencephalogram) records are caused by various factors, like line interference, EOG (electro-oculogram) and ECG (electrocardiogram). These noise sources increase the difficulty in analyzing the EEG and to obtaining clinical information. For this reason, it is necessary to design specific filters to decrease such artifacts in EEG records. In this paper, a cascade of three adaptive filters based on a least mean squares (LMS) algorithm is proposed. The first one eliminates line interference, the second adaptive filter removes the ECG artifacts and the last one cancels EOG spikes. Each stage uses a finite impulse response (FIR) filter, which adjusts its coefficients to produce an output similar to the artifacts present in the EEG. The proposed cascade adaptive filter was tested in five real EEG records acquired in polysomnographic studies. In all cases, line-frequency, ECG and EOG artifacts were attenuated. It is concluded that the proposed filter reduces the common artifacts present in EEG signals without removing significant information embedded in these records

  16. Artifact removal from EEG signals using adaptive filters in cascade

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Garces Correa, A [Gabinete de TecnologIa Medica, Facultad de Ingenieria, Universidad Nacional de San Juan (Argentina); Laciar, E [Gabinete de TecnologIa Medica, Facultad de Ingenieria, Universidad Nacional de San Juan (Argentina); Patino, H D [Instituto de Automatica, Facultad de Ingenieria, Universidad Nacional de San Juan (Argentina); Valentinuzzi, M E [Instituto Superior de Investigaciones Biologicas (INSIBIO), UNT-CONICET, Tucuman (Argentina)

    2007-11-15

    Artifacts in EEG (electroencephalogram) records are caused by various factors, like line interference, EOG (electro-oculogram) and ECG (electrocardiogram). These noise sources increase the difficulty in analyzing the EEG and to obtaining clinical information. For this reason, it is necessary to design specific filters to decrease such artifacts in EEG records. In this paper, a cascade of three adaptive filters based on a least mean squares (LMS) algorithm is proposed. The first one eliminates line interference, the second adaptive filter removes the ECG artifacts and the last one cancels EOG spikes. Each stage uses a finite impulse response (FIR) filter, which adjusts its coefficients to produce an output similar to the artifacts present in the EEG. The proposed cascade adaptive filter was tested in five real EEG records acquired in polysomnographic studies. In all cases, line-frequency, ECG and EOG artifacts were attenuated. It is concluded that the proposed filter reduces the common artifacts present in EEG signals without removing significant information embedded in these records.

  17. Filtering Photogrammetric Point Clouds Using Standard LIDAR Filters Towards DTM Generation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Z.; Gerke, M.; Vosselman, G.; Yang, M. Y.

    2018-05-01

    Digital Terrain Models (DTMs) can be generated from point clouds acquired by laser scanning or photogrammetric dense matching. During the last two decades, much effort has been paid to developing robust filtering algorithms for the airborne laser scanning (ALS) data. With the point cloud quality from dense image matching (DIM) getting better and better, the research question that arises is whether those standard Lidar filters can be used to filter photogrammetric point clouds as well. Experiments are implemented to filter two dense matching point clouds with different noise levels. Results show that the standard Lidar filter is robust to random noise. However, artefacts and blunders in the DIM points often appear due to low contrast or poor texture in the images. Filtering will be erroneous in these locations. Filtering the DIM points pre-processed by a ranking filter will bring higher Type II error (i.e. non-ground points actually labelled as ground points) but much lower Type I error (i.e. bare ground points labelled as non-ground points). Finally, the potential DTM accuracy that can be achieved by DIM points is evaluated. Two DIM point clouds derived by Pix4Dmapper and SURE are compared. On grassland dense matching generates points higher than the true terrain surface, which will result in incorrectly elevated DTMs. The application of the ranking filter leads to a reduced bias in the DTM height, but a slightly increased noise level.

  18. A comparison of filters for thoracic diagnosis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Oestmann, J.W.; Hendrickx, P.; Rieder, P.; Geerlings, H.; Medizinische Hochschule Hannover

    1986-01-01

    The effect of three types of filter on the quality of radiographs of the chest was compared. These filters improve visualization of mediastinal structures without significantly reducing the quality of the pulmonary image. In practice the Du Pont filter proved best; the quality of the central and peripheral portions of the lung image is equal to that of an ordinary radiograph and visualization of the mediastinum is improved. The Agfa-Gevaert filter showed no significant disadvantages compared with the ordinary techniques but the improvement in mediastinal visualization is not that marked. The 3M-filter yields poor images of the central portions of the lung and its type of construction prevents the retrocardiac structures from being pictured as well as with the other filters. (orig.) [de

  19. Cost-Effective Video Filtering Solution for Real-Time Vision Systems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Karl Martin

    2005-08-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents an efficient video filtering scheme and its implementation in a field-programmable logic device (FPLD. Since the proposed nonlinear, spatiotemporal filtering scheme is based on order statistics, its efficient implementation benefits from a bit-serial realization. The utilization of both the spatial and temporal correlation characteristics of the processed video significantly increases the computational demands on this solution, and thus, implementation becomes a significant challenge. Simulation studies reported in this paper indicate that the proposed pipelined bit-serial FPLD filtering solution can achieve speeds of up to 97.6 Mpixels/s and consumes 1700 to 2700 logic cells for the speed-optimized and area-optimized versions, respectively. Thus, the filter area represents only 6.6 to 10.5% of the Altera STRATIX EP1S25 device available on the Altera Stratix DSP evaluation board, which has been used to implement a prototype of the entire real-time vision system. As such, the proposed adaptive video filtering scheme is both practical and attractive for real-time machine vision and surveillance systems as well as conventional video and multimedia applications.

  20. Convergence Results for the Gaussian Mixture Implementation of the Extended-Target PHD Filter and Its Extended Kalman Filtering Approximation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Feng Lian

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available The convergence of the Gaussian mixture extended-target probability hypothesis density (GM-EPHD filter and its extended Kalman (EK filtering approximation in mildly nonlinear condition, namely, the EK-GM-EPHD filter, is studied here. This paper proves that both the GM-EPHD filter and the EK-GM-EPHD filter converge uniformly to the true EPHD filter. The significance of this paper is in theory to present the convergence results of the GM-EPHD and EK-GM-EPHD filters and the conditions under which the two filters satisfy uniform convergence.

  1. Visual Working Memory Capacity Can Be Increased by Training on Distractor Filtering Efficiency.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Cui-Hong; He, Xu; Wang, Yu-Juan; Hu, Zhe; Guo, Chun-Yan

    2017-01-01

    It is generally considered that working memory (WM) capacity is limited and that WM capacity affects cognitive processes. Distractor filtering efficiency has been suggested to be an important factor in determining the visual working memory (VWM) capacity of individuals. In the present study, we investigated whether training in visual filtering efficiency (FE) could improve VWM capacity, as measured by performance on the change detection task (CDT) and changes of contralateral delay activity (CDA) (contralateral delay activity) of different conditions, and evaluated the transfer effect of visual FE training on verbal WM and fluid intelligence, as indexed by performance on the verbal WM span task and Raven's Standard Progressive Matrices (RSPM) test, respectively. Participants were divided into high- and low-capacity groups based on their performance in a CDT designed to test VWM capacity, and then the low-capacity individuals received 20 days of FE training. The training significantly improved the group's performance in the CDT, and their CDA models of different conditions became more similar with high capacity group, and the effect generalized to improve verbal WM span. These gains were maintained at a 3-month follow-up test. Participants' RSPM scores were not changed by the training. These findings support the notion that WM capacity is determined, at least in part, by distractor FE and can be enhanced through training.

  2. The intractable cigarette ‘filter problem’

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-01-01

    Background When lung cancer fears emerged in the 1950s, cigarette companies initiated a shift in cigarette design from unfiltered to filtered cigarettes. Both the ineffectiveness of cigarette filters and the tobacco industry's misleading marketing of the benefits of filtered cigarettes have been well documented. However, during the 1950s and 1960s, American cigarette companies spent millions of dollars to solve what the industry identified as the ‘filter problem’. These extensive filter research and development efforts suggest a phase of genuine optimism among cigarette designers that cigarette filters could be engineered to mitigate the health hazards of smoking. Objective This paper explores the early history of cigarette filter research and development in order to elucidate why and when seemingly sincere filter engineering efforts devolved into manipulations in cigarette design to sustain cigarette marketing and mitigate consumers' concerns about the health consequences of smoking. Methods Relevant word and phrase searches were conducted in the Legacy Tobacco Documents Library online database, Google Patents, and media and medical databases including ProQuest, JSTOR, Medline and PubMed. Results 13 tobacco industry documents were identified that track prominent developments involved in what the industry referred to as the ‘filter problem’. These reveal a period of intense focus on the ‘filter problem’ that persisted from the mid-1950s to the mid-1960s, featuring collaborations between cigarette producers and large American chemical and textile companies to develop effective filters. In addition, the documents reveal how cigarette filter researchers' growing scientific knowledge of smoke chemistry led to increasing recognition that filters were unlikely to offer significant health protection. One of the primary concerns of cigarette producers was to design cigarette filters that could be economically incorporated into the massive scale of cigarette

  3. FULL SCALE REGENERABLE HEPA FILTER DESIGN USING SINTERED METAL FILTER ELEMENTS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gil Ramos; Kenneth Rubow; Ronald Sekellick

    2002-01-01

    features in its design and operation. The element bundle would be an all welded assembly, which could be removed and replaced as a unit if the elements ever needed replacement. Each element had a spray nozzle mounted above it for cleaning; it could also be cleaned by a soak and backwash technique. The inlet nozzle incorporated a cyclonic separator to initially remove large suspended material and droplets. Tests indicated a significant reduction of dirt load getting to the filter elements, which would extend the operating time between cleanings. A high capacity blower was selected to overcome the higher pressure drop of the metallic elements. The blower, having a 25 horsepower motor, would be capable of operating the system to higher pressure drops than available on the glass fiber HEPA filters. This additional capacity further increases the operating duration of the filter. Upon successful testing and acceptance of the full-scale design, Phase IIB would involve the construction and test of a full-scale prototype system on an actual HLW tank. Phase IIA was completed but for funding and priority reasons the contract was halted; thus Phase IIB would not be pursued at this time. The Mott RHFS has been proven at each stage of the development process to meet the requirements of a suitable replacement system for the glass fiber HEPA filters enabling great cost savings. It remains to test a full-scale operating system on an actual high level waste tank to fully demonstrate the performance and anticipated cost savings of the Mott RHFS. Mott is confident that the performance will be more than acceptable

  4. Decentralized wastewater treatment using passively aerated biological filter.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abou-Elela, Sohair I; Hellal, Mohamed S; Aly, Olfat H; Abo-Elenin, Salah A

    2017-10-13

    This study aimed to evaluate the efficiency of a novel pilot-scale passively aerated biological filter (PABF) as a low energy consumption system for the treatment of municipal wastewater. It consists of four similar compartments, each containing 40% of a non-woven polyester fabric as a bio-bed. The PABF was fed with primary treated wastewater under a hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 3.5 hr and a hydraulic loading rate of 5.5 m 2 /m 3 /d. The effect of media depth, HRT, dissolved oxygen (DO) and surface area of the media on the removal efficiency of pollutants was investigated. Results indicated that increasing media depth along the axis of the reactor and consequently increasing the HRT and DO resulted in great removal of different pollutants. A significant increase in the DO levels in the final effluent up to 6.7 mg/l resulted in good nitrification processes. Statistical analysis using SPSS showed that the reactor performance has significant removal efficiency (p filter systems.

  5. Precomputing Process Noise Covariance for Onboard Sequential Filters

    Science.gov (United States)

    Olson, Corwin G.; Russell, Ryan P.; Carpenter, J. Russell

    2017-01-01

    Process noise is often used in estimation filters to account for unmodeled and mismodeled accelerations in the dynamics. The process noise covariance acts to inflate the state covariance over propagation intervals, increasing the uncertainty in the state. In scenarios where the acceleration errors change significantly over time, the standard process noise covariance approach can fail to provide effective representation of the state and its uncertainty. Consider covariance analysis techniques provide a method to precompute a process noise covariance profile along a reference trajectory using known model parameter uncertainties. The process noise covariance profile allows significantly improved state estimation and uncertainty representation over the traditional formulation. As a result, estimation performance on par with the consider filter is achieved for trajectories near the reference trajectory without the additional computational cost of the consider filter. The new formulation also has the potential to significantly reduce the trial-and-error tuning currently required of navigation analysts. A linear estimation problem as described in several previous consider covariance analysis studies is used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the precomputed process noise covariance, as well as a nonlinear descent scenario at the asteroid Bennu with optical navigation.

  6. Organic UV filters exposure induces the production of inflammatory cytokines in human macrophages.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ao, Junjie; Yuan, Tao; Gao, Li; Yu, Xiaodan; Zhao, Xiaodong; Tian, Ying; Ding, Wenjin; Ma, Yuning; Shen, Zhemin

    2018-09-01

    Organic ultraviolet (UV) filters, found in many personal care products, are considered emerging contaminants due to growing concerns about potential long-term deleterious effects. We investigated the immunomodulatory effects of four commonly used organic UV filters (2-hydroxy-4-methoxybenzophenone, BP-3; 4-methylbenzylidene camphor, 4-MBC; 2-ethylhexyl 4-methoxycinnamate, EHMC; and butyl-methoxydibenzoylmethane, BDM) on human macrophages. Our results indicated that exposure to these four UV filters significantly increased the production of various inflammatory cytokines in macrophages, particular tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6). After exposure to the UV filters, a significant 1.1-1.5 fold increase were found in TNF-α and IL-6 mRNA expression. In addition, both the p38 MAPK and the NF-κB signaling pathways were enhanced 2 to 10 times in terms of phosphorylation after exposure to the UV filters, suggesting that these pathways are involved in the release of TNF-α and IL-6. Molecular docking analysis predicted that all four UV filter molecules would efficiently bind transforming growth factor beta-activated kinase 1 (TAK1), which is responsible for the activation of the p38 MAPK and NF-κB pathways. Our results therefore demonstrate that exposure to the four organic UV filters investigated may alter human immune system function. It provides new clue for the development of asthma or allergic diseases in terms of the environmental pollutants. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  7. Multiple Bloch surface waves in visible region of light at the interfaces between rugate filter/rugate filter and rugate filter/dielectric slab/rugate filter

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ullah Manzoor, Habib; Manzoor, Tareq; Hussain, Masroor; Manzoor, Sanaullah; Nazar, Kashif

    2018-04-01

    Surface electromagnetic waves are the solution of Maxwell’s frequency domain equations at the interface of two dissimilar materials. In this article, two canonical boundary-value problems have been formulated to analyze the multiplicity of electromagnetic surface waves at the interface between two dissimilar materials in the visible region of light. In the first problem, the interface between two semi-infinite rugate filters having symmetric refractive index profiles is considered and in the second problem, to enhance the multiplicity of surface electromagnetic waves, a homogeneous dielectric slab of 400 nm is included between two semi-infinite symmetric rugate filters. Numerical results show that multiple Bloch surface waves of different phase speeds, different polarization states, different degrees of localization and different field profiles are propagated at the interface between two semi-infinite rugate filters. Having two interfaces when a homogeneous dielectric layer is placed between two semi-infinite rugate filters has increased the multiplicity of electromagnetic surface waves.

  8. Effect of Filter Cake on Physiological Traits and Ear Yield of Sweet Corn under Late Drought Stress Condition

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    aziz karmollachaab

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available Introduction Environmental stresses are one of the main causes of severe yield reductions. Drought is still a serious agronomic problem and also one of the most important factors contributing to crop yield loss in arid and semi-arid areas in the world. Filter Cake is a byproduct of sugarcane industry and experiments on corn showed that the use of 20 tons per hectare Filter Cake increases crop productivity, total amount of dry matter, protein and forage yield compared with the control. Materials and methods This experiment was conducted at the Research Station of the Ramin Agricultural University of Khuzestan in 2012. The experiment was done as a split plot based on randomized complete block design with three replications. Drought stress at the end of the growth period in three levels, non-stress, mild and severe drought stress, respectively irrigated after 25, 50 and 75% depletion of available water, and was considered as the main factor. Drought stress was applied in early stage of the male inflorescence of plants to maturity for 35 days, due to the critical stage of the plant in late spring. Soil moisture was determined by gravimetric method. Different doses of Filter Cake (0, 10, 20 and 30 tons per hectare were considered as subplot factor and was added to the soil two days before the seeding. The final harvest as green corn was performed in the first phase of dough by hand in three times and two midfields of each subplot was considered as the margin of half a meter for each side. Finally, the data were analyzed using SAS 9.1 and means were compared by Duncan’s multiple range test at probability level of 5%. Results and discussion In non-stress conditions, Filter Cake is significantly increased plant height, So the amounts of 20 and 30 tons per hectare increased by 11.7% and 10.1% of the plant’s height, respectively, but the use of 10 tons of Filter Cake did not have a significant effect on it. In severe stress conditions, the use of

  9. A permanently magnetized high gradient magnetic filter for glove-box cleaning and increasing HEPA filter life

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Watson, J.H.P.; Boorman, C.H.

    1991-01-01

    The purpose of this paper is to describe the structure and testing of a permanently magnetized magnetic filter on simulants for radioactive material. The experimental work was carried out at British Nuclear Fuels plc, Sellafield, England and in CEN/SCK, Mol, Belgium using Cr powder which is a good magnetic simulant for PuO 2 . The basis of the use of such a filter in the nuclear industry relies on the fact that much of the radioactive material is paramagnetic. In the last twenty years a separation technique has been developed which allows weakly paramagnetic particles of colloidal size to be separated from fluid which passes through the separator. This method is called high gradient magnetic separation (HGMS) and is accomplished by magnetizing a fine ferromagnetic wire matrix by an externally applied magnetic field. This paper describes a new approach to this problem, by using a magnetically hysteretic material to construct the ferromagnetic matrix, it has been possible to provide a magnetic field in the region of the matrix and also have a residual magnetization within the matrix. This provides extremely compact magnetic separation systems. There are some subtle differences between this separation system and conventional HGMS which makes the radial feed system, with all its advantages, almost mandatory for hysteretic HGMS

  10. Improved HEPA Filter Technology for Flexible and Rigid Containment Barriers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pinson, Paul Arthur

    1998-01-01

    Safety and reliability in glovebox operations can be significantly improved and waste packaging efficiencies can be increased by inserting flexible, lightweight, high capacity HEPA filters into the walls of plastic sheet barriers. This HEPA filter/barrier technology can be adapted to a wide variety of applications: disposable waste bags, protective environmental barriers for electronic equipment, single or multiple use glovebag assemblies, flexible glovebox wall elements, and room partitions. These reliable and inexpensive filtered barriers have many uses in fields such as radioactive waste processing, HVAC filter changeout, vapor or grit blasting, asbestos cleanup, pharmaceutical, medical, biological, and electronic equipment containment. The applications can result in significant cost savings, improved operational reliability and safety, and total waste volume reduction. This technology was developed at the Argonne National Laboratory-West (ANL-W) in 1993 and has been used at ANL-W since then at the TRU Waste Characterization Chamber Gloveboxes. Another 1998 AGS Conference paper titled ''TRU Waste Characterization Gloveboxes'', presented by Mr. David Duncan of ANL-W, describes these boxes

  11. Filtered-X Affine Projection Algorithms for Active Noise Control Using Volterra Filters

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sicuranza Giovanni L

    2004-01-01

    Full Text Available We consider the use of adaptive Volterra filters, implemented in the form of multichannel filter banks, as nonlinear active noise controllers. In particular, we discuss the derivation of filtered-X affine projection algorithms for homogeneous quadratic filters. According to the multichannel approach, it is then easy to pass from these algorithms to those of a generic Volterra filter. It is shown in the paper that the AP technique offers better convergence and tracking capabilities than the classical LMS and NLMS algorithms usually applied in nonlinear active noise controllers, with a limited complexity increase. This paper extends in two ways the content of a previous contribution published in Proc. IEEE-EURASIP Workshop on Nonlinear Signal and Image Processing (NSIP '03, Grado, Italy, June 2003. First of all, a general adaptation algorithm valid for any order of affine projections is presented. Secondly, a more complete set of experiments is reported. In particular, the effects of using multichannel filter banks with a reduced number of channels are investigated and relevant results are shown.

  12. Transport of nanoparticles with dispersant through biofilm coated drinking water sand filters.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Zhen; Aly Hassan, Ashraf; Sahle-Demessie, Endalkachew; Sorial, George A

    2013-11-01

    This article characterizes, experimentally and theoretically, the transport and retention of engineered nanoparticles (NP) through sand filters at drinking water treatment plants (DWTPs) under realistic conditions. The transport of four commonly used NPs (ZnO, CeO2, TiO2, and Ag, with bare surfaces and coating agents) through filter beds filled with sands from either acid washed and calcined, freshly acquired filter media, and used filter media from active filter media, were investigated. The study was conducted using water obtained upstream of the sand filter at DWTP. The results have shown that capping agents have a determinant importance in the colloidal stability and transport of NPs through the different filter media. The presence of the biofilm in used filter media increased adsorption of NPs but its effects in retaining capped NPs was less significant. The data was used to build a mathematical model based on the advection-dispersion equation. The model was used to simulate the performance of a scale-up sand filter and the effects on filtration cycle of traditional sand filtration system used in DWTPs. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  13. Circuits and filters handbook

    CERN Document Server

    Chen, Wai-Kai

    2003-01-01

    A bestseller in its first edition, The Circuits and Filters Handbook has been thoroughly updated to provide the most current, most comprehensive information available in both the classical and emerging fields of circuits and filters, both analog and digital. This edition contains 29 new chapters, with significant additions in the areas of computer-aided design, circuit simulation, VLSI circuits, design automation, and active and digital filters. It will undoubtedly take its place as the engineer's first choice in looking for solutions to problems encountered in the design, analysis, and behavi

  14. Model for optimising the execution of anti-spam filters

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    David Ruano-Ordás

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available During last years, the combination of several filtering techniques for the development of anti-spam systems has gained a enormous popularity. However, although the accuracy achieved by these models has increased considerably, its use has entailed the emergence of new challenges such as the need to reduce the excessive use of computational resources, the increase of filtering speed and the adjustment of the weights used for the combination of several filtering techniques. In order to achieve this goal we have been refined several aspects including: (i the design and development of small technical improvements to increase the overall performance of the filter, (ii application of genetic algorithms to increase filtering accuracy and (iii the use of scheduling algorithms to improve filtering throughput.

  15. Granular filters for water treatment: heterogeneity and diagnostic tools

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lopato, Laure Rose

    the last barrier against disinfection resistant protozoan pathogens and this has led to increased regulation of the filtration process. To be able to produce high-quality filtrate in a constant and reliable manner while meeting stricter drinking water guideline values, it is important to be able......Rapid granular filters are the most commonly used filters in drinking water treatment plants and are the focus of this PhD study. They are usually constructed with sand, anthracite, activated carbon, garnet sand, and ilmenite and have filtration rates ranging from 3 to 15 m/h. Filters are often...... options prescribed. The diagnostic tools are then used again to verify the efficiency of the solution applied. If the problem is not solved the whole process starts again. These tools are of significant interest for the development of the Water Safety Plans recommended by WHO to monitor filters...

  16. Faraday anomalous dispersion optical filters

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shay, T. M.; Yin, B.; Alvarez, L. S.

    1993-01-01

    The effect of Faraday anomalous dispersion optical filters on infrared and blue transitions of some alkali atoms is calculated. A composite system is designed to further increase the background noise rejection. The measured results of the solar background rejection and image quality through the filter are presented. The results show that the filter may provide high transmission and high background noise rejection with excellent image quality.

  17. Copper deficiency can limit nitrification in biological rapid sand filters for drinking water production

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wagner, Florian Benedikt; Nielsen, Peter Borch; Boe-Hansen, Rasmus

    2016-01-01

    Incomplete nitrification in biological filters during drinking water treatment is problematic, as it compromises drinking water quality. Nitrification problems can be caused by a lack of nutrients for the nitrifying microorganisms. Since copper is an important element in one of the essential...... enzymes in nitrification, we investigated the effect of copper dosing on nitrification in different biological rapid sand filters treating groundwater. A lab-scale column assay with filter material from a water works demonstrated that addition of a trace metal mixture, including copper, increased ammonium...... to the bulk phase. Overall, copper dosing to poorly performing biological rapid sand filters increased ammonium removal rates significantly, achieving effluent concentrations of below 0.01 mg NH4-N L-1, and had a long-term effect on nitrification performance....

  18. Adaptive filtering and change detection

    CERN Document Server

    Gustafsson, Fredrik

    2003-01-01

    Adaptive filtering is a classical branch of digital signal processing (DSP). Industrial interest in adaptive filtering grows continuously with the increase in computer performance that allows ever more conplex algorithms to be run in real-time. Change detection is a type of adaptive filtering for non-stationary signals and is also the basic tool in fault detection and diagnosis. Often considered as separate subjects Adaptive Filtering and Change Detection bridges a gap in the literature with a unified treatment of these areas, emphasizing that change detection is a natural extensi

  19. [Design Method Analysis and Performance Comparison of Wall Filter for Ultrasound Color Flow Imaging].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Lutao; Xiao, Jun; Chai, Hua

    2015-08-01

    The successful suppression of clutter arising from stationary or slowly moving tissue is one of the key issues in medical ultrasound color blood imaging. Remaining clutter may cause bias in the mean blood frequency estimation and results in a potentially misleading description of blood-flow. In this paper, based on the principle of general wall-filter, the design process of three classes of filters, infinitely impulse response with projection initialization (Prj-IIR), polynomials regression (Pol-Reg), and eigen-based filters are previewed and analyzed. The performance of the filters was assessed by calculating the bias and variance of a mean blood velocity using a standard autocorrelation estimator. Simulation results show that the performance of Pol-Reg filter is similar to Prj-IIR filters. Both of them can offer accurate estimation of mean blood flow speed under steady clutter conditions, and the clutter rejection ability can be enhanced by increasing the ensemble size of Doppler vector. Eigen-based filters can effectively remove the non-stationary clutter component, and further improve the estimation accuracy for low speed blood flow signals. There is also no significant increase in computation complexity for eigen-based filters when the ensemble size is less than 10.

  20. Assessment of Snared-Loop Technique When Standard Retrieval of Inferior Vena Cava Filters Fails

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Doody, Orla; Noe, Geertje; Given, Mark F.; Foley, Peter T.; Lyon, Stuart M.

    2009-01-01

    Purpose To identify the success and complications related to a variant technique used to retrieve inferior vena cava filters when simple snare approach has failed. Methods A retrospective review of all Cook Guenther Tulip filters and Cook Celect filters retrieved between July 2006 and February 2008 was performed. During this period, 130 filter retrievals were attempted. In 33 cases, the standard retrieval technique failed. Retrieval was subsequently attempted with our modified retrieval technique. Results The retrieval was successful in 23 cases (mean dwell time, 171.84 days; range, 5-505 days) and unsuccessful in 10 cases (mean dwell time, 162.2 days; range, 94-360 days). Our filter retrievability rates increased from 74.6% with the standard retrieval method to 92.3% when the snared-loop technique was used. Unsuccessful retrieval was due to significant endothelialization (n = 9) and caval penetration by the filter (n = 1). A single complication occurred in the group, in a patient developing pulmonary emboli after attempted retrieval. Conclusion The technique we describe increased the retrievability of the two filters studied. Hook endothelialization is the main factor resulting in failed retrieval and continues to be a limitation with these filters.

  1. SU-G-JeP2-09: Minimal Skin Dose Increase in Longitudinal Rotating Biplanar Linac-MR Systems: Examination of Radiation Energy and Flattening Filter Design

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fallone, B; Keyvanloo, A; Burke, B; St Aubin, J; Baillie, D; Wachowicz, K; Warkentin, B; Steciw, S [Cross Cancer Institute, Edmonton, AB (Canada)

    2016-06-15

    Purpose: To quantify increase in entrance skin-dose due to magnetic fields of the Alberta longitudinal linac-MR by examining the effect of radiation energy and flattening filter, using Monte Carlo calculations and accurate 3-D models of the magnetic field. Methods: The 3-D magnetic fields generated by the bi-planar Linac-MR are calculated with FEM using Opera-3D. BEAMnrc simulates the particle phase-space in the presence of the rapidly decaying fringe field of 0.5T MRI assembled with a Varian 600C linac with an isocentre distance of 130 cm for 6 MV and 10 MV beams. Skin doses are calculated at an average depth of 70 µm using DOSXYZnrc with varying SSDs and field sizes. Furthermore, flattening filters are reshaped to compensate for the significant drop in dose rate due to increased SAD of 130 cm and skin-doses are evaluated. Results: The confinement effect of the MRI fringe field on the contaminant electrons is minimal. For SSDs of 100 – 120 cm the increase in skin dose is ∼6% – 19% and ∼1% – 9% for the 6 and 10 MV beams, respectively. For 6MV, skin dose increases from ∼10.5% to 1.5%. for field-size increases of 5×5 cm2 to 20×20 cm2. For 10 MV, skin dose increases by ∼6% for a 5×5 cm2 field, and decreases by ∼1.5% for a 20×20 cm2 field. The reshaped flattening filter increases the dose rate from 355 MU/min to 529 MU/min (6 MV) or 604 MU/min (10 MV), while the skin-dose increases by only an additional ∼2.6% (all percent increases in skin dose are relative to Dmax). Conclusion: There is minimal increase in the entrance skin dose and minimal/no decrease in the dose rate of the Alberta longitudinal linac-MR system. There is even lower skin-dose increase at 10 MV. Funding: Alberta Innovates - Health Solutions (AIHS) Conflict of Interest: Fallone is a co-founder and CEO of MagnetTx Oncology Solutions (under discussions to license Alberta bi-planar linac MR for commercialization)

  2. Perception-Based Filtering for MMOGs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Souad El Merhebi

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available Online games have exploded in the last few years. These games face several problems linked to scalability and interactivity. In fact, online games should provide a quick feedback of users' interactions as well as a coherent view of the shared world. However, the search for enhanced scalability dramatically increases message exchange. Such an increase consumes processing power and bandwidth, and thus limits interactivity, consistency, and scalability. To reduce the rate of message exchange, distributed virtual environment systems use filtering techniques such as interest management that filters messages according to users' interests in the world. These interests are influenced by perceptual facts which we study in this paper in order to build upon them a perception-based filtering technique. This technique satisfies users' needs by precisely providing an exact filtering which is more efficient than other techniques.

  3. Ceramic fiber reinforced filter

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stinton, David P.; McLaughlin, Jerry C.; Lowden, Richard A.

    1991-01-01

    A filter for removing particulate matter from high temperature flowing fluids, and in particular gases, that is reinforced with ceramic fibers. The filter has a ceramic base fiber material in the form of a fabric, felt, paper of the like, with the refractory fibers thereof coated with a thin layer of a protective and bonding refractory applied by chemical vapor deposition techniques. This coating causes each fiber to be physically joined to adjoining fibers so as to prevent movement of the fibers during use and to increase the strength and toughness of the composite filter. Further, the coating can be selected to minimize any reactions between the constituents of the fluids and the fibers. A description is given of the formation of a composite filter using a felt preform of commercial silicon carbide fibers together with the coating of these fibers with pure silicon carbide. Filter efficiency approaching 100% has been demonstrated with these filters. The fiber base material is alternately made from aluminosilicate fibers, zirconia fibers and alumina fibers. Coating with Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 is also described. Advanced configurations for the composite filter are suggested.

  4. Hydrodynamics of microbial filter feeding

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nielsen, Lasse Tor; Asadzadeh, Seyed Saeed; Dölger, Julia

    2017-01-01

    Microbial filter feeders are an important group of grazers, significant to the microbial loop, aquatic food webs, and biogeochemical cycling. Our understanding of microbial filter feeding is poor, and, importantly, it is unknown what force microbial filter feeders must generate to process adequate......-feeding choanoflagellate Diaphanoeca grandis using particle tracking, and demonstrate that the current understanding of microbial filter feeding is inconsistent with computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and analytical estimates. Both approaches underestimate observed filtration rates by more than an order of magnitude......; the beating flagellum is simply unable to draw enough water through the fine filter. We find similar discrepancies for other choanoflagellate species, highlighting an apparent paradox. Our observations motivate us to suggest a radically different filtration mechanism that requires a flagellar vane (sheet...

  5. Physical characteristics of the paper filter and low cafestol content filter coffee brews.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rendón, Mery Yovana; Dos Santos Scholz, Maria Brígida; Bragagnolo, Neura

    2018-06-01

    The results found in the literature concerning the effect of consuming filter coffee brews on increasing the blood cholesterol levels due to the presence of diterpenes, are divergent. Thus the present research evaluated the diterpene (cafestol and kahweol) concentrations in filter coffee brews prepared with paper filters of different sizes, colors and origins (Brazil, Japan, The United States of America, Germany, France and the Netherlands), with and without micro perforations. This is the first study that reports the physical characteristics of paper filter and its importance to obtain filter coffee brew with low cafestol content. Thus, a sample of Catuai cultivar coffee with high cafestol content was roasted to a medium-light degree and used to prepare the brews in a 1:10 ratio (coffee powder to water). The diterpenes were extracted by direct saponification and quantified and identified by HPLC-DAD-MS/MS. The paper filters were physically characterized by measuring their grammage, and the fat permeation rate calculated in order to better understand the differences between the filters which allow one to obtain higher or lower diterpene contents. The cafestol and kahweol concentrations in the brews varied from 1.62 to 2.98 mg/L and from 0.73 to 1.96 mg/L, respectively. The highest cafestol and kahweol concentrations were obtained using paper filters with micro perforations, considering similar sized paper filters. The paper filters showed high fat permeability and grammages between 50.46 and 67.48 g/m 2 . The diterpene retention capacities of the filters produced in the different countries were similar. The results showed that the porosity of the paper filter and the particle size of the ground roasted coffee were determinant factors in obtaining filter coffee brews with lower cafestol contents. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. Mixtures of skewed Kalman filters

    KAUST Repository

    Kim, Hyoungmoon; Ryu, Duchwan; Mallick, Bani K.; Genton, Marc G.

    2014-01-01

    Normal state-space models are prevalent, but to increase the applicability of the Kalman filter, we propose mixtures of skewed, and extended skewed, Kalman filters. To do so, the closed skew-normal distribution is extended to a scale mixture class

  7. The effect of spectral filters on reading speed and accuracy following stroke

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ian G. Beasley

    2013-07-01

    Conclusions: The present study has shown that spectral filters can immediately improve reading speed and accuracy following stroke, whereas prolonged use does not increase these benefits significantly.

  8. Use of Retrievable Compared to Permanent Inferior Vena Cava Filters: A Single-Institution Experience

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ha, Thuong G. Van; Chien, Andy S.; Funaki, Brian S.; Lorenz, Jonathan; Piano, Giancarlo; Shen, Maxine; Leef, Jeffrey

    2008-01-01

    conclusion, there was an increase in the use of retrievable filters over the study period and an overall increase in the total number of filters implanted. The increased use of these filters appeared to be due to expanded indications predicated by their retrievability. Placement and retrieval of these filters have a low risk of complications, and retrievable filters appeared effective, as there was low rate of clinically significant pulmonary embolism associated with these filters during their indwelling time

  9. A Self-commissioning Notch Filter for Active Damping in a Three-Phase LCL -Filter-Based Grid-Tie Converter

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pena-Alzola, Rafael; Liserre, Marco; Blaabjerg, Frede

    2014-01-01

    LCL-filters are a cost-effective solution to mitigate harmonic current content in grid-tie converters. In order to avoid stability problems, the resonance frequency of LCL-filters can be damped with active techniques that remove dissipative elements but increase control complexity. A notch filter...

  10. Sensory Pollution from Bag Filters, Carbon Filters and Combinations

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bekö, Gabriel; Clausen, Geo; Weschler, Charles J.

    2008-01-01

    by an upstream pre-filter (changed monthly), an EU7 filter protected by an upstream activated carbon (AC) filter, and EU7 filters with an AC filter either downstream or both upstream and downstream. In addition, two types of stand-alone combination filters were evaluated: a bag-type fiberglass filter...... that contained AC and a synthetic fiber cartridge filter that contained AC. Air that had passed through used filters was most acceptable for those sets in which an AC filter was used downstream of the particle filter. Comparable air quality was achieved with the stand-alone bag filter that contained AC...

  11. Vessel Wall Reaction after Vena Cava Filter Placement

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hoekstra, Arend; Elstrodt, Jan M.; Nikkels, Peter G.J.; Tiebosch, Anton T.M.G.

    2002-01-01

    Purpose: To evaluate the interaction between the Cordis Keeper vena caval filter and vessel wall in aporcine model.Methods: Implantation of the filter was performed in five pigs. Radiologic data concerning inferior vena cava(IVC) diameter and filter patency, filter leg span, and stability were collected. At 2 or 6 months post-implantation, histopathologic analysis of the IVC wall was performed.Results: All filters remained patent with no evidence of migration. However, at 6 months follow-up, two legs of one filter penetrated the vessel wall and were adherent to the liver. These preliminary results suggest that with the observed gradual increase in the filter span, the risk of caval wall penetration increases with time, especially in a relatively small IVC(average diameter 16 mm).Conclusion: The Cordis Keeper filter was well tolerated, but seems to be prone to caval wall penetration in the long term

  12. Combination of Wiener filtering and singular value decomposition filtering for volume imaging PET

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shao, L.; Lewitt, R.M.; Karp, J.S.

    1995-01-01

    Although the three-dimensional (3D) multi-slice rebinning (MSRB) algorithm in PET is fast and practical, and provides an accurate reconstruction, the MSRB image, in general, suffers from the noise amplified by its singular value decomposition (SVD) filtering operation in the axial direction. Their aim in this study is to combine the use of the Wiener filter (WF) with the SVD to decrease the noise and improve the image quality. The SVD filtering ''deconvolves'' the spatially variant axial response function while the WF suppresses the noise and reduces the blurring not modeled by the axial SVD filter but included in the system modulation transfer function. Therefore, the synthesis of these two techniques combines the advantages of both filters. The authors applied this approach to the volume imaging HEAD PENN-PET brain scanner with an axial extent of 256 mm. This combined filter was evaluated in terms of spatial resolution, image contrast, and signal-to-noise ratio with several phantoms, such as a cold sphere phantom and 3D brain phantom. Specifically, the authors studied both the SVD filter with an axial Wiener filter and the SVD filter with a 3D Wiener filter, and compared the filtered images to those from the 3D reprojection (3DRP) reconstruction algorithm. Their results indicate that the Wiener filter increases the signal-to-noise ratio and also improves the contrast. For the MSRB images of the 3D brain phantom, after 3D WF, both the Gray/White and Gray/Ventricle ratios were improved from 1.8 to 2.8 and 2.1 to 4.1, respectively. In addition, the image quality with the MSRB algorithm is close to that of the 3DRP algorithm with 3D WF applied to both image reconstructions

  13. High temperature superconducting YBCO microwave filters

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aghabagheri, S.; Rasti, M.; Mohammadizadeh, M. R.; Kameli, P.; Salamati, H.; Mohammadpour-Aghdam, K.; Faraji-Dana, R.

    2018-06-01

    Epitaxial thin films of YBCO high temperature superconductor are widely used in telecommunication technology such as microwave filter, antenna, coupler and etc., due to their lower surface resistance and lower microwave loss than their normal conductor counterparts. Thin films of YBCO were fabricated by PLD technique on LAO substrate. Transition temperature and width were 88 K and 3 K, respectively. A filter pattern was designed and implemented by wet photolithography method on the films. Characterization of the filter at 77 K has been compared with the simulation results and the results for a made gold filter. Both YBCO and gold filters show high microwave loss. For YBCO filter, the reason may be due to the improper contacts on the feedlines and for gold filter, low thickness of the gold film has caused the loss increased.

  14. I6-FPS: Automating the ICMPv6 Filtering Rules

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wan Ali Wan Nor Ashiqin

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Enterprises are required to utilize Internet Control Message Protocol version 6 (ICMPv6 when IPv6 is deployed. In IPv4, Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP is aggressively filtered by a network administrator while in IPv6, ICMPv6 messages cannot be aggressively filtered due to the function of ICMPv6 message. ICMPv6 security risks increase when ICMPv6 threats and vulnerabilities are exploited. Thus, it is very crucial for enterprises to address the issues. In practice, network researchers must review several resources to identify ICMPv6 related attacks occurring due to the exploitation of ICMPv6 vulnerabilities. Overlooking any of these issues will jeopardize the security of ICMPv6. While conducting the attack scenarios testing, IPv6-Filtering Prototype System (I6-FPS was developed to overcome the deficiency and limited filtering tools that supported IPv6 filtering rules (ip6table. I6-FPS is used to automate and simplify the writing of ip6table and it was developed using PHP5 and Shell script languages. This research revealed that I6-FPS is significant in the initial phase of securing IPv6 deployment as well as focusing on the ICMPv6 filtering rules. The I6-FPS has the potential to be enhanced and developed over time by including more functions to that system in generating specific filtering ip6table rules.

  15. Retrieval characteristics of the Bard Denali and Argon Option inferior vena cava filters.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dowell, Joshua D; Semaan, Dominic; Makary, Mina S; Ryu, John; Khayat, Mamdouh; Pan, Xueliang

    2017-11-01

    The purpose of this study was to compare the retrieval characteristics of the Option Elite (Argon Medical, Plano, Tex) and Denali (Bard, Tempe, Ariz) retrievable inferior vena cava filters (IVCFs), two filters that share a similar conical design. A single-center, retrospective study reviewed all Option and Denali IVCF removals during a 36-month period. Attempted retrievals were classified as advanced if the routine "snare and sheath" technique was initially unsuccessful despite multiple attempts or an alternative endovascular maneuver or access site was used. Patient and filter characteristics were documented. In our study, 63 Option and 45 Denali IVCFs were retrieved, with an average dwell time of 128.73 and 99.3 days, respectively. Significantly higher median fluoroscopy times were experienced in retrieving the Option filter compared with the Denali filter (12.18 vs 6.85 minutes; P = .046). Use of adjunctive techniques was also higher in comparing the Option filter with the Denali filter (19.0% vs 8.7%; P = .079). No significant difference was noted between these groups in regard to gender, age, or history of malignant disease. Option IVCF retrieval procedures required significantly longer retrieval fluoroscopy time compared with Denali IVCFs. Although procedure time was not analyzed in this study, as a surrogate, the increased fluoroscopy time may also have an impact on procedural direct costs and throughput. Copyright © 2017 Society for Vascular Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  16. Effect of post-filter anticoagulation on mortality in patients with cancer-associated pulmonary embolism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kang, Jieun; Kim, Seon Ok; Oh, Yeon-Mok; Lee, Sang-Do; Lee, Jae Seung

    2018-05-17

    Malignancy is associated with an increased risk of venous thromboembolism. Inferior vena cava filters are a viable alternative when anticoagulation is infeasible because of the risk of bleeding. Although the current guidelines recommend that all patients with a vena cava filter be treated with anticoagulation treatment when the risk of bleeding is reduced, studies concerning the role of concomitant anticoagulation after vena cava filter insertion in high-risk patients are scarce. Since many cancer patients suffer from a high risk of hemorrhagic complications, we aimed to determine the effect of post-filter anticoagulation on mortality in patients with a malignant solid tumor. A retrospective cohort study of patients with pulmonary embolism was performed between January 2010 and May 2016. Patients with a solid tumor and vena cava filter inserted because of pulmonary embolism were included. Using Cox proportional hazards model, the prognostic effect of clinical variables was analyzed. A total of 180 patients were analyzed, with 143 patients receiving and 37 patients not receiving post-filter anticoagulation treatment. Mortality was not significantly different between the two groups. The presence of metastatic cancer and that of pancreatobiliary cancer were significant risk factors for mortality. However, post-filter anticoagulation did not show significant effect on mortality regardless of the stage of cancer. In patients with cancer-associated pulmonary embolism, the effect of post-filter anticoagulation on mortality may not be critical, especially in patients with a short life expectancy.

  17. Filterability of membrane bioreactor (MBR) sludge: impacts of polyelectrolytes and mixing with conventional activated sludge.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yigit, Nevzat O; Civelekoglu, Gokhan; Cinar, Ozer; Kitis, Mehmet

    2010-01-01

    The main objective of this work was to investigate the filterability of MBR sludge and its mixture with conventional activated sludge (CAS). In addition, the impacts of type and dose of various polyelectrolytes, filter type and sludge properties on the filterability of both MBR and Mixed sludges were determined. Specific cake resistance (SCR) measured by the Buchner funnel filtration test apparatus and the solids content of the resulting sludge cake were used to assess the dewaterability of tested sludges. The type of filter paper used in Buchner tests affected the results of filterability for MBR, CAS and Mixed sludges. SCR values and optimum polyelectrolyte doses increased with increasing MLSS concentrations in the MBR, which suggested that increase in MLSS concentrations accompanied by increases in EPS and SMP concentrations and a shift toward smaller particles caused poorer dewaterability of the MBR sludge. The significant differences observed among the filterability of CAS and MBR sludges suggested that MLSS alone is not a good predictor of sludge dewaterability. Combining CAS and MBR sludges at different proportions generally improved their dewaterability. Combining MBR sludges having typically high MLSS and EPS concentrations with CAS having much lower MLSS concentrations may be an option for full-scale treatment plants experiencing sludge dewaterability problems. Better filterability and higher cake dry solids were achieved with cationic polyelectrolytes compared to anionic and non-ionic ones for all sludge types tested.

  18. Solids loading evaluation for HB-line scrap recovery filters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Crowder, M.L.

    2000-01-01

    The HB-Line Scrap Recovery facility uses wire screen filters to remove solids from plutonium-containing solutions transferred from the slab tank dissolvers. At times, the accumulation of solids is large enough to cause blinding (i.e., pluggage) of the filters. If the solids contain undissolved plutonium, significant accumulation of fissile material could impact operations. To address this potential issue, experiments were performed to define the minimum solids required to completely blind a filter. The solids loading experiments were performed by arranging 25- and 10-microm HB-Line filters in series to simulate the equipment in the scrap recovery process. Separate tests were performed using coarse and fine glass frit and cerium oxide powder suspended in 35 wt% sodium nitrate solution using a small turbine mixer. The solution and solids were transferred from a reservoir through the filter housings by vacuum. In each case, the 25-microm filter blinded first and was full of wet cake. After drying and accounting for the sodium nitrate in the filter cake, the following results were obtained. The results of the solids loading tests demonstrated that at least 800 g of solids accumulated in the filter housing before flow stopped. The actual amount of collected material was dependent upon the physical properties of the solids such as density and particle size. The mass of solids collected by the blinded 25-microm filter increased when successively finer solids were used in the experiments. Based on these results, one should anticipate that filters in the HB-Line Scrap Recovery Facility have the potential to collect similar quantities of material before transfer of solution from the dissolvers is severely impacted

  19. Substance Flow Analysis and Source Mapping of Chemical UV-filters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Eriksson, E.; Andersen, H. R.; Ledin, A.

    2008-01-01

    Chemical ultraviolet (UV)-filters are used in sunscreens to protect the skin from harmful UV radiation which may otherwise cause sunburns and skin cancer. Commonly used chemical UV-filters are known to cause endocrine disrupting effects in both aquatic and terrestrial animals as well as in human skin cells. Here, source mapping and substance flow analysis were applied to find the sources of six UV-filters (oxybenzone, avobenzone, 4-methylbenzylidene camphor, octyl methoxycinnamate, octyl dimethyl PABA and homosalate) and to identify the most dominant flows of these substances in Denmark. Urban water, composed of wastewater and surface waters, was found to be the primary recipient of UV-filters, whereby wastewater received an estimated 8.5-65 tonnes and surface waters received 7.1-51 tonnes in 2005. In wastewater treatment plants, their sorption onto sludge is perceived to be an important process and presence in effluents can be expected due to a lack of biodegradability. In addition, the use of UV-filters is expected to continue to increase significantly. Not all filters (e.g., octyl dimethyl PABA and homosalate) are used in Denmark. For example, 4-MBC is mainly associated with self-tanning liquids and private import of sunscreens

  20. Substance Flow Analysis and Source Mapping of Chemical UV-filters

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Eriksson, E., E-mail: eve@env.dtu.dk; Andersen, H. R.; Ledin, A. [Technical University of Denmark, Department of Environmental Engineering (Denmark)

    2008-12-15

    Chemical ultraviolet (UV)-filters are used in sunscreens to protect the skin from harmful UV radiation which may otherwise cause sunburns and skin cancer. Commonly used chemical UV-filters are known to cause endocrine disrupting effects in both aquatic and terrestrial animals as well as in human skin cells. Here, source mapping and substance flow analysis were applied to find the sources of six UV-filters (oxybenzone, avobenzone, 4-methylbenzylidene camphor, octyl methoxycinnamate, octyl dimethyl PABA and homosalate) and to identify the most dominant flows of these substances in Denmark. Urban water, composed of wastewater and surface waters, was found to be the primary recipient of UV-filters, whereby wastewater received an estimated 8.5-65 tonnes and surface waters received 7.1-51 tonnes in 2005. In wastewater treatment plants, their sorption onto sludge is perceived to be an important process and presence in effluents can be expected due to a lack of biodegradability. In addition, the use of UV-filters is expected to continue to increase significantly. Not all filters (e.g., octyl dimethyl PABA and homosalate) are used in Denmark. For example, 4-MBC is mainly associated with self-tanning liquids and private import of sunscreens.

  1. Optimisation and significance of ATP analysis for measuring active biomass in granular activated carbon filters used in water treatment

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Magic-Knezev, A.; Kooij, van der D.

    2004-01-01

    A method for determining the concentration of active microbial biomass in granular activated carbon (GAC) filters used in water treatment was developed to facilitate studies on the interactions between adsorption processes and biological activity in such filters. High-energy sonication at a power

  2. High flow ceramic pot filters.

    Science.gov (United States)

    van Halem, D; van der Laan, H; Soppe, A I A; Heijman, S G J

    2017-11-01

    Ceramic pot filters are considered safe, robust and appropriate technologies, but there is a general consensus that water revenues are limited due to clogging of the ceramic element. The objective of this study was to investigate the potential of high flow ceramic pot filters to produce more water without sacrificing their microbial removal efficacy. High flow pot filters, produced by increasing the rice husk content, had a higher initial flow rate (6-19 L h -1 ), but initial LRVs for E. coli of high flow filters was slightly lower than for regular ceramic pot filters. This disadvantage was, however, only temporarily as the clogging in high flow filters had a positive effect on the LRV for E. coli (from below 1 to 2-3 after clogging). Therefore, it can be carefully concluded that regular ceramic pot filters perform better initially, but after clogging, the high flow filters have a higher flow rate as well as a higher LRV for E. coli. To improve the initial performance of new high flow filters, it is recommended to further utilize residence time of the water in the receptacle, since additional E. coli inactivation was observed during overnight storage. Although a relationship was observed between flow rate and LRV of MS2 bacteriophages, both regular and high flow filters were unable to reach over 2 LRV. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Modeling Flow Past a Tilted Vena Cava Filter

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Singer, M A; Wang, S L

    2009-06-29

    Inferior vena cava filters are medical devices used to prevent pulmonary embolism (PE) from deep vein thrombosis. In particular, retrievable filters are well-suited for patients who are unresponsive to anticoagulation therapy and whose risk of PE decreased with time. The goal of this work is to use computational fluid dynamics to evaluate the flow past an unoccluded and partially occluded Celect inferior vena cava filter. In particular, the hemodynamic response to thrombus volume and filter tilt is examined, and the results are compared with flow conditions that are known to be thrombogenic. A computer model of the filter inside a model vena cava is constructed using high resolution digital photographs and methods of computer aided design. The models are parameterized using the Overture software framework, and a collection of overlapping grids is constructed to discretize the flow domain. The incompressible Navier-Stokes equations are solved, and the characteristics of the flow (i.e., velocity contours and wall shear stresses) are computed. The volume of stagnant and recirculating flow increases with thrombus volume. In addition, as the filter increases tilt, the cava wall adjacent to the tilted filter is subjected to low velocity flow that gives rise to regions of low wall shear stress. The results demonstrate the ease of IVC filter modeling with the Overture software framework. Flow conditions caused by the tilted Celect filter may elevate the risk of intrafilter thrombosis and facilitate vascular remodeling. This latter condition also increases the risk of penetration and potential incorporation of the hook of the filter into the vena caval wall, thereby complicating filter retrieval. Consequently, severe tilt at the time of filter deployment may warrant early clinical intervention.

  4. OPTIMIZATION OF ADVANCED FILTER SYSTEMS

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    R.A. Newby; G.J. Bruck; M.A. Alvin; T.E. Lippert

    1998-04-30

    -scale test program has also been developed based on the issues identified. The two advanced barrier filter systems have been found to have the potential to be significantly more reliable and less expensive to operate than standard ceramic candle filter system designs. Their key development requirements are the assessment of the design and manufacturing feasibility of the ceramic filter elements, and the small-scale demonstration of their conceptual reliability and availability merits.

  5. Complications after the placement of domestic ZQL filter and imported inferior vena caval filter: a mid-and long-term comparative study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Huang Kun; Zhao Yi; Xu Ke; Feng Bo; Liang Songnian

    2009-01-01

    Objective: To investigate the clinical value of domestic ZQL-type inferior vena caval filter through comparing its complications with that of imported inferior vena caval filter. Methods: Domestic ZQL-type inferior vena caval filter was placed in 62 patients (study group) and imported inferior vena caval filter in 58 patients (control group) for the treatment of deep venous thrombosis of the lower limb. Abdominal plain film, lower limb phlebography and/or pulmonary arteriography, color Doppler ultrasonography were performed after the procedure. 3D-CT scanning was carried out when pulmonary embolism was suspected. The complications were documented and analyzed. Results In all patients the inferior vena caval filter was successfully implanted in planned site. In study group, the complications included filter migration over 10 cm (n = 1), thrombus in the filter (n = 1), inferior vena cava obstruction (n = 2) and pulmonary embolism (n = 1). In control group, the complications included thrombus in the filter (n = 2), deep venous thrombus of the lower extremities (n = 2), inferior vena cava obstruction (n = 9), venous perforation by filter (n = 1) and pulmonary embolism (n = 1). The data were compared between two groups and statistic analysis showed no significant difference between two groups (P > 0.05). Conclusion: No significant difference in the occurrence of complications exists between domestic ZQL-type inferior vena caval filter and imported inferior vena caval filter, therefore, domestic ZQL-type inferior vena caval filter can safely substitute for the imported filter. (authors)

  6. Filter device for high density aerozol

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Karasawa, Hidetoshi; Endo, Masao; Utamura, Motoaki; Tozuka, Fumio; Tate, Hitoshi.

    1991-01-01

    In a reactor, filters for capturing aerozol particles at high concentration have such a structure that a great number of fine pores are formed. Aerozols are introduced to a filter portion from the place remote from a first inlet. Cloggings are caused successively from the places remote from the inlet. Even if the clogging should occur, since there are many pores, the performance of filters is not deteriorated. Further, the filter has a multi-layered structure. With such a constitution, if the filter at a first stage is clogged to increase the pressure, a partitioning plate is opened and fluids are introduced into a second filter. This is conducted successively to suppress the deterioration of the performance of the filter. In view of the above, even if cloggings should occur, the filter performance is not deteriorated and, accordingly, reactor container ventilation can be conducted at high reliability upon occurrence of accidents. (T.M.)

  7. The AGILE on-board Kalman filter

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Giuliani, A.; Cocco, V.; Mereghetti, S.; Pittori, C.; Tavani, M.

    2006-01-01

    On-board reduction of particle background is one of the main challenges of space instruments dedicated to gamma-ray astrophysics. We present in this paper a discussion of the method and main simulation results of the on-board background filter of the Gamma-Ray Imaging Detector (GRID) of the AGILE mission. The GRID is capable of detecting and imaging with optimal point spread function gamma-ray photons in the range 30MeV-30GeV. The AGILE planned orbit is equatorial, with an altitude of 550km. This is an optimal orbit from the point of view of the expected particle background. For this orbit, electrons and positrons of kinetic energies between 20MeV and hundreds of MeV dominate the particle background, with significant contributions from high-energy (primary) and low-energy protons, and gamma-ray albedo-photons. We present here the main results obtained by extensive simulations of the on-board AGILE-GRID particle/photon background rejection algorithms based on a special application of Kalman filter techniques. This filter is applied (Level-2) sequentially after other data processing techniques characterizing the Level-1 processing. We show that, in conjunction with the Level-1 processing, the adopted Kalman filtering is expected to reduce the total particle/albedo-photon background rate to a value (=<10-30Hz) that is compatible with the AGILE telemetry. The AGILE on-board Kalman filter is also effective in reducing the Earth-albedo-photon background rate, and therefore contributes to substantially increase the AGILE exposure for celestial gamma-ray sources

  8. Contrast effects of a gadolinium filter

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Burgess, A.E.

    1981-01-01

    Several authors have suggested using heavy metal filters with K edges in the diagnostic energy range to reduce the width of the x-ray spectrum and hence reduce patient radiation exposure. This spectral narrowing also increases subject contrast and permits an increase in tube potential. Results of contrast measurements are presented for a 250 mu gadolinium filter. It was found that aluminum filter contrast could be matched by using 8 to 10 kVp higher potential with the gadolinium filter. Similar results were found for calcium tungstate and rare-earth screens. Measurements were also done to determine skin exposure and mAs ratios for both constant contrast and constant kVp technique conversion methods. A simple theory with one adjustable parameter gives a reasonable fit to the experimental results

  9. In-situ testing of HEPA filters in the nuclear Karlsruhe filter system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ohlmeyer, M.; Stotz, W.

    1977-01-01

    Nuclear plant operators and filter manufacturers are endeavouring to improve environmental protection by intensifying process control and/or improving filter quality. In-situ testing is an important element in these efforts since it represents a direct means of checking the success or otherwise of a particular development. The arrangements for in-situ testing should satisfy the following minimum requirements: the staff should not be exposed to risk during the test; the test method should be objective and reproducible as well as being as sensitive as possible; the test method should permit detection of individual leaks in the filter system so that they can be remedied as efficiently as possible; the test equipment should not necessitate modifications to the extract systems or plant construction; the test should be simple and capable of being carried out with a minimum of effort and equipment. GfK has developed the 'Nuclear-Karlsruhe' filter housing in accordance with these principles. This housing permits in-situ testing similar to the DIN 24184 visual oil-fog test or the DOP test. External visual checks on the general condition of the filter is also possible. A safe system of filter changing with a specially designed plastic bag attachment at an accessible height considerably increases the degree of protection of operating personnel

  10. Improved virus removal in ceramic depth filters modified with MgO.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Michen, Benjamin; Fritsch, Johannes; Aneziris, Christos; Graule, Thomas

    2013-02-05

    Ceramic filters, working on the depth filtration principle, are known to improve drinking water quality by removing human pathogenic microorganisms from contaminated water. However, these microfilters show no sufficient barrier for viruses having diameters down to 20 nm. Recently, it was shown that the addition of positively charged materials, for example, iron oxyhydroxide, can improve virus removal by adsorption mechanisms. In this work, we modified a common ceramic filter based on diatomaceous earth by introducing a novel virus adsorbent material, magnesium oxyhydroxide, into the filter matrix. Such filters showed an improved removal of about 4-log in regard to bacteriophages MS2 and PhiX174. This is explained with the electrostatic enhanced adsorption approach that is the favorable adsorption of negatively charged viruses onto positively charged patches in an otherwise negatively charged filter matrix. Furthermore, we provide theoretical evidence applying calculations according to Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek theory to strengthen our experimental results. However, modified filters showed a significant variance in virus removal efficiency over the course of long-term filtration experiments with virus removal increasing with filter operation time (or filter aging). This is explained by transformational changes of MgO in the filter upon contact with water. It also demonstrates that filter history is of great concern when filters working on the adsorption principles are evaluated in regard to their retention performance as their surface characteristics may alter with use.

  11. Nonlinear filtering for LIDAR signal processing

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    D. G. Lainiotis

    1996-01-01

    Full Text Available LIDAR (Laser Integrated Radar is an engineering problem of great practical importance in environmental monitoring sciences. Signal processing for LIDAR applications involves highly nonlinear models and consequently nonlinear filtering. Optimal nonlinear filters, however, are practically unrealizable. In this paper, the Lainiotis's multi-model partitioning methodology and the related approximate but effective nonlinear filtering algorithms are reviewed and applied to LIDAR signal processing. Extensive simulation and performance evaluation of the multi-model partitioning approach and its application to LIDAR signal processing shows that the nonlinear partitioning methods are very effective and significantly superior to the nonlinear extended Kalman filter (EKF, which has been the standard nonlinear filter in past engineering applications.

  12. Filter arrays

    Science.gov (United States)

    Page, Ralph H.; Doty, Patrick F.

    2017-08-01

    The various technologies presented herein relate to a tiled filter array that can be used in connection with performance of spatial sampling of optical signals. The filter array comprises filter tiles, wherein a first plurality of filter tiles are formed from a first material, the first material being configured such that only photons having wavelengths in a first wavelength band pass therethrough. A second plurality of filter tiles is formed from a second material, the second material being configured such that only photons having wavelengths in a second wavelength band pass therethrough. The first plurality of filter tiles and the second plurality of filter tiles can be interspersed to form the filter array comprising an alternating arrangement of first filter tiles and second filter tiles.

  13. Implicit LES using adaptive filtering

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Guangrui; Domaradzki, Julian A.

    2018-04-01

    In implicit large eddy simulations (ILES) numerical dissipation prevents buildup of small scale energy in a manner similar to the explicit subgrid scale (SGS) models. If spectral methods are used the numerical dissipation is negligible but it can be introduced by applying a low-pass filter in the physical space, resulting in an effective ILES. In the present work we provide a comprehensive analysis of the numerical dissipation produced by different filtering operations in a turbulent channel flow simulated using a non-dissipative, pseudo-spectral Navier-Stokes solver. The amount of numerical dissipation imparted by filtering can be easily adjusted by changing how often a filter is applied. We show that when the additional numerical dissipation is close to the subgrid-scale (SGS) dissipation of an explicit LES the overall accuracy of ILES is also comparable, indicating that periodic filtering can replace explicit SGS models. A new method is proposed, which does not require any prior knowledge of a flow, to determine the filtering period adaptively. Once an optimal filtering period is found, the accuracy of ILES is significantly improved at low implementation complexity and computational cost. The method is general, performing well for different Reynolds numbers, grid resolutions, and filter shapes.

  14. Replacement of fine particle purification filter of the PHT purification system - 15083

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, D.S.

    2015-01-01

    The increase of chalk river unidentified deposit (CRUD), a particulate corrosion product in PHT (primary heat transport) system with increased operating years of a nuclear power plant causes: -) the problems of increased heavy water decomposition and deuterium formation reaction due to catalytic reaction with CRUD, -) damage to PHT pump seal due to a corrosion product, -) damage to fuel channel closure seal, and increased radiation exposure of workers due to elevated dose rate in steam generator water chamber. Wolsung unit 3 and 4 have replaced fine filter media in PHT purification system in phases reducing the pore size of the filter media (5 μm → 2 μm → 1 μm → 0.45 μm) to solve this problem. The phased replacement of fine filter media by the one with a smaller pore size reduced CRUD in PHT system significantly and also radiation dose rate in steam generator water chamber. Accordingly, many problems related to the aging of a plant (including increased radiation exposure of workers during outage, damage to mechanical seal of PHT pump) have been solved. (author)

  15. Nonlinear Kalman filtering in affine term structure models

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Christoffersen, Peter; Dorion, Christian; Jacobs, Kris

    2014-01-01

    The extended Kalman filter, which linearizes the relationship between security prices and state variables, is widely used in fixed-income applications. We investigate whether the unscented Kalman filter should be used to capture nonlinearities and compare the performance of the Kalman filter...... with that of the particle filter. We analyze the cross section of swap rates, which are mildly nonlinear in the states, and cap prices, which are highly nonlinear. When caps are used to filter the states, the unscented Kalman filter significantly outperforms its extended counterpart. The unscented Kalman filter also...... performs well when compared with the much more computationally intensive particle filter. These findings suggest that the unscented Kalman filter may be a good approach for a variety of problems in fixed-income pricing....

  16. Preliminary field evaluation of high efficiency steel filters

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bergman, W.; Larsen, G.; Lopez, R. [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, CA (United States)] [and others

    1995-02-01

    We have conducted an evaluation of two high efficiency steel filters in the exhaust of an uranium oxide grit blaster at the Y-12 Plant in Oak Ridge Tennessee. The filters were installed in a specially designed filter housing with a reverse air-pulse cleaning system for automatically cleaning the filters in-place. Previous tests conducted on the same filters and housing at LLNL under controlled conditions using Arizona road dust showed good cleanability with reverse air pulses. Two high efficiency steel filters, containing 64 pleated cartridge elements housed in the standard 2` x 2` x 1` HEPA frame, were evaluated in the filter test housing using a 1,000 cfm slip stream containing a high concentration of depleted uranium oxide dust. One filter had the pleated cartridges manufactured to our specifications by the Pall Corporation and the other by Memtec Corporation. Test results showed both filters had a rapid increase in pressure drop with time, and reverse air pulses could not decrease the pressure drop. We suspected moisture accumulation in the filters was the problem since there were heavy rains during the evaluations, and the pressure drop of the Memtec filter decreased dramatically after passing clean, dry air through the filter and after the filter sat idle for one week. Subsequent laboratory tests on a single filter cartridge confirmed that water accumulation in the filter was responsible for the increase in filter pressure drop and the inability to lower the pressure drop by reverse air pulses. No effort was made to identify the source of the water accumulation and correct the problem because the available funds were exhausted.

  17. Bessel smoothing filter for spectral-element mesh

    Science.gov (United States)

    Trinh, P. T.; Brossier, R.; Métivier, L.; Virieux, J.; Wellington, P.

    2017-06-01

    Smoothing filters are extremely important tools in seismic imaging and inversion, such as for traveltime tomography, migration and waveform inversion. For efficiency, and as they can be used a number of times during inversion, it is important that these filters can easily incorporate prior information on the geological structure of the investigated medium, through variable coherent lengths and orientation. In this study, we promote the use of the Bessel filter to achieve these purposes. Instead of considering the direct application of the filter, we demonstrate that we can rely on the equation associated with its inverse filter, which amounts to the solution of an elliptic partial differential equation. This enhances the efficiency of the filter application, and also its flexibility. We apply this strategy within a spectral-element-based elastic full waveform inversion framework. Taking advantage of this formulation, we apply the Bessel filter by solving the associated partial differential equation directly on the spectral-element mesh through the standard weak formulation. This avoids cumbersome projection operators between the spectral-element mesh and a regular Cartesian grid, or expensive explicit windowed convolution on the finite-element mesh, which is often used for applying smoothing operators. The associated linear system is solved efficiently through a parallel conjugate gradient algorithm, in which the matrix vector product is factorized and highly optimized with vectorized computation. Significant scaling behaviour is obtained when comparing this strategy with the explicit convolution method. The theoretical numerical complexity of this approach increases linearly with the coherent length, whereas a sublinear relationship is observed practically. Numerical illustrations are provided here for schematic examples, and for a more realistic elastic full waveform inversion gradient smoothing on the SEAM II benchmark model. These examples illustrate well the

  18. Preparation of Porcelanite Ceramic Filter by Slip Casting Technique

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Majid Muhi Shukur

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available This work is conducted to study producing solid block porcelanite filter from Iraqi porcelanite rocks and kaolin clay (as binder material by slip casting technique, and investigating its ability of removing contaminant (Pentachlorophenol from water via the adsorption mechanism. Four particle sizes (74, 88, 105 and 125 µm of porcelanite powder were used. Each batch of particle size was mixed with (30 wt. % kaolin as a binding material to improve the mechanical properties. After that, the mixtures were formed by slip casting to disk and cylindrical filter samples, and then fired at 500 and 700 °C to specify the effects of particle size of porcelanite, temperature and formation technique on porcelanite filter properties. Some physical, mechanical and chemical tests have been done on filter samples. Multi-experiments were carried out to evaluate the ability of porcelanite to form the filter. Porosity, permeability and maximum pore diameter were increased with increasing porcelanite particle size and decreased by increasing temperature, whereas the density shows the reverse behavior. In addition, bending, compressive and tensile strength of samples were increased by increasing temperature, and decreased with increasing porcelanite particle size. Efficiency of disk filter sample to remove pentachlorophenol was 95.41% at a temperature of 700°C using 74 µm particle size of porcelanite. While the efficiency of cylindrical filter sample was 97.57% at the same conditions.

  19. Clay Ceramic Filter for Water Treatment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zereffa Enyew Amare

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available Ceramic water filters were prepared from different proportions of kaolin and soft wood and sintered at 900 °C, 950 °C, and 1000 °C. The flow rate, conductivity, pH of filtered water and removal efficiency (microbial, water hardness agent’s, nitrite and turbidity were analysed. The ceramic filter with 15 % saw dust, 80 % clay and 5 % grog that was fired at temperature of 950 °C or 1000 °C showed the best removal efficiency. Statistical ANOVA tests showed a significant difference between ceramic filters with various compositions in their removal efficiencies.

  20. High flow ceramic pot filters

    OpenAIRE

    van Halem, D.; van der Laan, H.; Soppe, A. I.A.; Heijman, S.G.J.

    2017-01-01

    Ceramic pot filters are considered safe, robust and appropriate technologies, but there is a general consensus that water revenues are limited due to clogging of the ceramic element. The objective of this study was to investigate the potential of high flow ceramic pot filters to produce more water without sacrificing their microbial removal efficacy. High flow pot filters, produced by increasing the rice husk content, had a higher initial flow rate (6–19 L h−1), but initial LRVs for E. coli o...

  1. Box-particle probability hypothesis density filtering

    OpenAIRE

    Schikora, M.; Gning, A.; Mihaylova, L.; Cremers, D.; Koch, W.

    2014-01-01

    This paper develops a novel approach for multitarget tracking, called box-particle probability hypothesis density filter (box-PHD filter). The approach is able to track multiple targets and estimates the unknown number of targets. Furthermore, it is capable of dealing with three sources of uncertainty: stochastic, set-theoretic, and data association uncertainty. The box-PHD filter reduces the number of particles significantly, which improves the runtime considerably. The small number of box-p...

  2. Evaluation of the effect of media velocity on HEPA filter performance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Alderman, Steven; Parsons, Michael; Hogancamp, Kristina; Norton, O. Perry; Waggoner, Charles

    2007-01-01

    Section FC of the ASME AG-1 Code addresses glass fiber HEPA filters and restricts the media velocity to a maximum of 2.54 cm/s (5 ft/min). Advances in filter media technology allow glass fiber HEPA filters to function at significantly higher velocities and still achieve HEPA performance. However, diffusional capture of particles < 100 nm is reduced at higher media velocities due to shorter residence times within the media matrix. Therefore, it is unlikely that higher media velocities for HEPA filters will be allowed without data to demonstrate the effect of media velocity on removal of particles in the smaller size classes. In order to address this issue, static testing has been conducted to generate performance related data and a range of dynamic testing has provided data regarding filter lifetimes, loading characteristics, changes in filter efficiency and the most penetrating particle size over time. Testing was conducted using 31 cm x 31 cm x 29 cm deep pleat HEPA filters supplied from two manufacturers. Testing was conducted at media velocities ranging from 2.0-4.5 cm/s with a solid aerosol challenge composed of potassium chloride. Two set of media velocity data were obtained for each filter type. In one set of evaluations, the maximum aerosol challenge particle size was limited to 3 μm, while particles above 3 μm were not constrained in the second set. This provided for considerable variability in the challenge mass mean diameter and overall mass loading rate. Results of this testing will be provided to the ASME AG-1 FC Committee for consideration in future versions of the HEPA standard. In general, the initial filter efficiency decreased with increasing media velocity. However, initial filter efficiencies were generally good in all cases. Filter efficiency values averaged over the first ten minute of the loading cycle ranged from 99.970 to 99.996 %. Additionally, the most penetrating particle size was observed to decrease with increasing media velocity

  3. Tunable Multiband Microwave Photonic Filters

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mable P. Fok

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available The increasing demand for multifunctional devices, the use of cognitive wireless technology to solve the frequency resource shortage problem, as well as the capabilities and operational flexibility necessary to meet ever-changing environment result in an urgent need of multiband wireless communications. Spectral filter is an essential part of any communication systems, and in the case of multiband wireless communications, tunable multiband RF filters are required for channel selection, noise/interference removal, and RF signal processing. Unfortunately, it is difficult for RF electronics to achieve both tunable and multiband spectral filtering. Recent advancements of microwave photonics have proven itself to be a promising candidate to solve various challenges in RF electronics including spectral filtering, however, the development of multiband microwave photonic filtering still faces lots of difficulties, due to the limited scalability and tunability of existing microwave photonic schemes. In this review paper, we first discuss the challenges that were facing by multiband microwave photonic filter, then we review recent techniques that have been developed to tackle the challenge and lead to promising developments of tunable microwave photonic multiband filters. The successful design and implementation of tunable microwave photonic multiband filter facilitate the vision of dynamic multiband wireless communications and radio frequency signal processing for commercial, defense, and civilian applications.

  4. Evaluation of the effect of media velocity on filter efficiency and most penetrating particle size of nuclear grade high-efficiency particulate air filters.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alderman, Steven L; Parsons, Michael S; Hogancamp, Kristina U; Waggoner, Charles A

    2008-11-01

    High-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters are widely used to control particulate matter emissions from processes that involve management or treatment of radioactive materials. Section FC of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers AG-1 Code on Nuclear Air and Gas Treatment currently restricts media velocity to a maximum of 2.5 cm/sec in any application where this standard is invoked. There is some desire to eliminate or increase this media velocity limit. A concern is that increasing media velocity will result in higher emissions of ultrafine particles; thus, it is unlikely that higher media velocities will be allowed without data to demonstrate the effect of media velocity on removal of ultrafine particles. In this study, the performance of nuclear grade HEPA filters, with respect to filter efficiency and most penetrating particle size, was evaluated as a function of media velocity. Deep-pleat nuclear grade HEPA filters (31 cm x 31 cm x 29 cm) were evaluated at media velocities ranging from 2.0 to 4.5 cm/sec using a potassium chloride aerosol challenge having a particle size distribution centered near the HEPA filter most penetrating particle size. Filters were challenged under two distinct mass loading rate regimes through the use of or exclusion of a 3 microm aerodynamic diameter cut point cyclone. Filter efficiency and most penetrating particle size measurements were made throughout the duration of filter testing. Filter efficiency measured at the onset of aerosol challenge was noted to decrease with increasing media velocity, with values ranging from 99.999 to 99.977%. The filter most penetrating particle size recorded at the onset of testing was noted to decrease slightly as media velocity was increased and was typically in the range of 110-130 nm. Although additional testing is needed, these findings indicate that filters operating at media velocities up to 4.5 cm/sec will meet or exceed current filter efficiency requirements. Additionally

  5. Biogas Filter Based on Local Natural Zeolite Materials

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Satriyo Krido Wahono

    2014-02-01

    Full Text Available UPT BPPTK LIPI has created a biogas filter tool to improve the purity of methane in the biogas. The device shaped cylindrical tube containing absorbent materials which based on local natural zeolite of Indonesia. The absorbent has been activated and modified with other materials. This absorbtion material has multi-adsorption capacity for almost impurities gas of biogas. The biogas  filter increase methane content of biogas for 5-20%. The biogas filter improve the biogas’s performance such as increasing methane contents, increasing heating value, reduction of odors, reduction of corrosion potential, increasing the efficiency and stability of the generator.

  6. Degradation of HEPA filters exposed to DMSO

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bergman, W.; Wilson, K.; Larsen, G.; Lopez, R.; LeMay, J.

    1994-01-01

    Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) sprays are being used to remove the high explosive (HE) from nuclear weapons in the process of their dismantlement. A boxed 50 cfm HEPA filter with an integral prefilter was exposed to DMSO vapor and aerosols that were generated by a spray nozzle to simulate conditions expected in the HE dissolution operation. After 198 hours of operation, the pressure drop of the filter had increased from 1.15 inches to 2.85 inches, and the efficiency for 0.3 μm dioctyl sebacate (DOS) aerosols decreased from 99.992% to 98.6%. Most of the DMSO aerosols had collected as a liquid pool inside the boxed HEPA. The liquid was blown out of the filter exit with 100 cfm air flow at the end of the test. Since the filter still met the minimum allowed efficiency of 99.97% after 166 hours of exposure, we recommend replacing the filter every 160 hours of operation or sooner if the pressure drop increases by 50%. Examination of the filter showed that visible cracks appeared at the joints of the wooden frame and a portion of the sealant had pulled away from the frame. Since all of the DMSO will be trapped in the first HEPA filter, the second HEPA filter should not suffer from DMSO degradation. Thus the combined efficiency for the first filter (98.6%) and the second filter (99.97%) is 99.99996% for 0.3μm particles. If the first filter is replaced prior to its degradation, each of the filters will have 99.97% efficiency, and the combined efficiency will be 99.999991%. The collection efficiency for DMSO/HE aerosols will be much higher because the particle size is much greater

  7. Degradation of HEPA filters exposed to DMSO

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bergman, W.; Wilson, K.; Larsen, G. [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, CA (United States)] [and others

    1995-02-01

    Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) sprays are being used to remove the high explosive (HE) from nuclear weapons in the process of their dismantlement. A boxed 50 cmf HEPA filter with an integral prefilter was exposed to DMSO vapor and aerosols that were generated by a spray nozzle to simulate conditions expected in the HE dissolution operation. After 198 hours of operation, the pressure drop of the filter had increased form 1.15 inches to 2,85 inches, and the efficiency for 0.3 {mu}m dioctyl sebacate (DOS) aerosols decreased form 99.992% to 98.6%. Most of the DMSO aerosols had collected as a liquid pool inside the boxed HEPA. The liquid was blown out of the filter exit with 100 cmf air flow at the end of the test. Since the filter still met the minimum allowed efficiency of 99.97% after 166 hours of exposure, we recommend replacing the filter every 160 hours of operation or sooner if the pressure drop increases by 50%. Examination of the filter showed that visible cracks appeared at the joints of the wooden frame and a portion of the sealant had pulled away from the frame. Since all of the DMSO will be trapped in the first HEPA filter, the second HEPA filter should not suffer from DMSO degradation. Thus the combined efficiency for the first filter (98.6%) and the second filter (99.97%) is 99.99996% for 0.3 {mu}m particles. If the first filter is replaced prior to its degradation, each of the filters will have 99.97% efficiency, and the combined efficiency will be 99.999991%. The collection efficiency for DMSO/HE aerosols will be much higher because the particle size is much greater.

  8. Radioactive liquid waste filtering device

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Inami, Ichiro; Tabata, Masayuki; Kubo, Koji.

    1988-01-01

    Purpose: To prevent clogging in filter materials and improve the filtration performance for radioactive liquid wastes without increasing the amount of radioactive wastes. Constitution: In a radioactive waste filtering device, a liquid waste recycling pipe and a liquid recycling pump are disposed for recycling the radioactive liquid wastes in a liquid wastes vessel. In this case, the recycling pipe and the recycling pump are properly selected so as to satisfy the conditions capable of making the radioactive liquid wastes flowing through the pipe to have the Reynolds number of 10 4 - 10 5 . By repeating the transportation of radioactive liquid wastes in the liquid waste vessel through the liquid waste recycling pipe by the liquid waste recycling pump and then returning them to the liquid waste vessel again, particles of fine grain size in the suspended liquids are coagulated with each other upon collision to increase the grain size of the suspended particles. In this way, clogging of the filter materials caused by the particles of fine grain size can be prevented, thereby enabling to prevent the increase in the rising rate of the filtration differential pressure, reduce the frequency for the occurrence of radioactive wastes such as filter sludges and improve the processing performance. (Kamimura, M.)

  9. Utilization of plastics as transparent x-ray filter

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Masuda, Yathuhiko; Inui, Saburo; Kooda, Kazunao; Takiguchi, Kiyomi; Abe, Yoshinobu.

    1980-01-01

    An attempt has been made to develop heavy atom containing transparent plastic filters which are identical with conventional aluminum or copper filters in X-ray attenuating property. These transparent filters can be used as fixed at the front of a conventional multilayer collimator without obstructing the optical detection of the field size of X-ray exposure. It has become a serious problem that recent increasing use of X-ray in diagnostics, namely increasing patient exposure, may cause baneful influence upon the patients. To reduce such patient exposure, the I.C.R.P. has recommended the proper use of metal filters made of aluminum or copper with regards to the applied tube potential. These filters are generally used as fixed at the X-ray tube window or used at the front of a multilayer collimator as added filters. In the former case, and exchange of filters to select the best one with regards to the applied tube potential needs complicated works, and in the latter, the use of the added filters also needs complicated works to confirm field size before each radiography. These troublesome works have at time resulted in improper uses of the filters although the effective selection of filters is known to be useful to the reduction of patient exposure. Therefore, the problem of reduction of patient exposure by means of filtration still remains practically unsolved. To offer practical added filters which do not possess above mentioned disadvantages of metal filters, we tried to develop transparent added filters. Transparent plastics as the material of the filters were loaded with heavy atoms to equalize X-ray attenuating property with aluminum or copper. (author)

  10. Design Characteristics and Tobacco Metal Concentrations in Filtered Cigars.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Caruso, Rosalie V; O'Connor, Richard J; Travers, Mark J; Delnevo, Cristine D; Stephens, W Edryd

    2015-11-01

    While U.S. cigarette consumption has declined, cigar use has steadily increased, for reasons including price compared to cigarettes and the availability of filtered varieties resembling cigarettes, and flavors that have been banned in cigarettes (excluding menthol). Little published data exists on the design characteristics of such cigars. A variety of filtered cigar brands were tested for design characteristics such as whole cigar weight, ventilation, and per-cigar tobacco weight. Cigar sticks were then sent to the University of St. Andrews for metal concentration testing of As, Pb, Cr, Ni, and Cd. Large and small cigars were statistically different between cigar weight (p ≤ .001), per-cigar tobacco weight (p = .001), rod diameter (p = .006), and filter diameter (p = .012). The differences in mean ventilation (overall mean = 19.6%, min. = 0.84%, max. = 57.6%) across filtered cigar brands were found to be statistically significant (p = .031), and can be compared to the ventilation of the average of 2013 U.S. Marlboro Red, Gold, and Silver packs at 29% ventilation. There were no significant differences for metal concentrations between cigar types (p = .650), with Pb and As levels being similar to U.S. 2009 cigarette concentrations, Cd cigar levels being slightly higher, and Cr and Ni levels much lower than cigarette levels. With cigar use rising, and filtered cigars displaying substantial similarities to filtered cigarettes, more research on product characteristics is warranted. Future plans include testing tobacco alkaloid and more observation of cigar weight for tax bracket purposes. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  11. MR angiography with a matched filter

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    De Castro, J.B.; Riederer, S.J.; Lee, J.N.

    1987-01-01

    The technique of matched filtering was applied to a series of cine MR images. The filter was devised to yield a subtraction angiographic image in which direct current components present in the cine series are removed and the signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) of the vascular structures is optimized. The S/N of a matched filter was compared with that of a simple subtraction, in which an image with high flow is subtracted from one with low flow. Experimentally, a range of results from minimal improvement to significant (60%) improvement in S/N was seen in the comparisons of matched filtered subtraction with simple subtraction

  12. Filter assembly for metallic and intermetallic tube filters

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alvin, Mary Anne; Lippert, Thomas E.; Bruck, Gerald J.; Smeltzer, Eugene E.

    2001-01-01

    A filter assembly (60) for holding a filter element (28) within a hot gas cleanup system pressure vessel is provided, containing: a filter housing (62), said filter housing having a certain axial length and having a peripheral sidewall, said sidewall defining an interior chamber (66); a one piece, all metal, fail-safe/regenerator device (68) within the interior chamber (66) of the filter housing (62) and/or extending beyond the axial length of the filter housing, said device containing an outward extending radial flange (71) within the filter housing for seating an essential seal (70), the device also having heat transfer media (72) disposed inside and screens (80) for particulate removal; one compliant gasket (70) positioned next to and above the outward extending radial flange of the fail-safe/regenerator device; and a porous metallic corrosion resistant superalloy type filter element body welded at the bottom of the metal fail-safe/regenerator device.

  13. Statistically-Efficient Filtering in Impulsive Environments: Weighted Myriad Filters

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Juan G. Gonzalez

    2002-01-01

    Full Text Available Linear filtering theory has been largely motivated by the characteristics of Gaussian signals. In the same manner, the proposed Myriad Filtering methods are motivated by the need for a flexible filter class with high statistical efficiency in non-Gaussian impulsive environments that can appear in practice. Myriad filters have a solid theoretical basis, are inherently more powerful than median filters, and are very general, subsuming traditional linear FIR filters. The foundation of the proposed filtering algorithms lies in the definition of the myriad as a tunable estimator of location derived from the theory of robust statistics. We prove several fundamental properties of this estimator and show its optimality in practical impulsive models such as the α-stable and generalized-t. We then extend the myriad estimation framework to allow the use of weights. In the same way as linear FIR filters become a powerful generalization of the mean filter, filters based on running myriads reach all of their potential when a weighting scheme is utilized. We derive the “normal” equations for the optimal myriad filter, and introduce a suboptimal methodology for filter tuning and design. The strong potential of myriad filtering and estimation in impulsive environments is illustrated with several examples.

  14. Mechanisms of Günther Tulip filter tilting during transfemoral placement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Matsui, Y; Horikawa, M; Ohta, K; Jahangiri Noudeh, Y; Kaufman, J A; Farsad, K

    The purpose of this study was to characterize the mechanisms of Günther Tulip filter (GTF) tilting during transfemoral placement in an experimental model with further validation in a clinical series. In an experimental study, 120 GTF placements in an inferior vena cava (IVC) model were performed using 6 configurations of pre-deployment filter position. The angle between the pre-deployment filter axis and IVC axis, and the proximity of the constrained filter legs to IVC wall prior to deployment were evaluated. The association of those pre-deployment factors with post-deployment filter tilting was analyzed. The association noted in the experimental study was then evaluated in a retrospective clinical series of 21 patients. In the experimental study, there was a significant association between the pre-deployment angle and post-deployment filter tilting (P<0.0001). With a low pre-deployment angle (≤5°), a significant association was noted between filter tilting and the proximity of the constrained filter legs to the far IVC wall (P=0.001). In a retrospective clinical study, a significant association between the pre-deployment angle and post-deployment filter tilting was also noted with a linear regression model (P=0.026). Significant association of the pre-deployment angle with post-deployment GTF tilting was shown in both the experimental and clinical studies. The experimental study also showed that proximity of filter legs is relevant when pre-deployment angle is small. Addressing these factors may result in a lower incidence of filter tilting. Copyright © 2017 Editions françaises de radiologie. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  15. Stack filter classifiers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Porter, Reid B [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Hush, Don [Los Alamos National Laboratory

    2009-01-01

    Just as linear models generalize the sample mean and weighted average, weighted order statistic models generalize the sample median and weighted median. This analogy can be continued informally to generalized additive modeels in the case of the mean, and Stack Filters in the case of the median. Both of these model classes have been extensively studied for signal and image processing but it is surprising to find that for pattern classification, their treatment has been significantly one sided. Generalized additive models are now a major tool in pattern classification and many different learning algorithms have been developed to fit model parameters to finite data. However Stack Filters remain largely confined to signal and image processing and learning algorithms for classification are yet to be seen. This paper is a step towards Stack Filter Classifiers and it shows that the approach is interesting from both a theoretical and a practical perspective.

  16. Filter material charging apparatus for filter assembly for radioactive contaminants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Goldsmith, J.M.; O'Nan, A. Jr.

    1977-01-01

    A filter charging apparatus for a filter assembly is described. The filter assembly includes a housing with at least one filter bed therein and the filter charging apparatus for adding filter material to the filter assembly includes a tank with an opening therein, the tank opening being disposed in flow communication with opposed first and second conduit means, the first conduit means being in flow communication with the filter assembly housing and the second conduit means being in flow communication with a blower means. Upon activation of the blower means, the blower means pneumatically conveys the filter material from the tank to the filter housing

  17. The filter of choice: filtration method preference among injecting drug users

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Keijzer Lenneke

    2011-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Injection drug use syringe filters (IDUSF are designed to prevent several complications related to the injection of drugs. Due to their small pore size, their use can reduce the solution's insoluble particle content and thus diminish the prevalence of phlebitis, talcosis.... Their low drug retention discourages from filter reuse and sharing and can thus prevent viral and microbial infections. In France, drug users have access to sterile cotton filters for 15 years and to an IDUSF (the Sterifilt® for 5 years. This study was set up to explore the factors influencing filter preference amongst injecting drug users. Methods Quantitative and qualitative data were gathered through 241 questionnaires and the participation of 23 people in focus groups. Results Factors found to significantly influence filter preference were duration and frequency of injecting drug use, the type of drugs injected and subculture. Furthermore, IDU's rationale for the preference of one type of filter over others was explored. It was found that filter preference depends on perceived health benefits (reduced harms, prevention of vein damage, protection of injection sites, drug retention (low retention: better high, protective mechanism against the reuse of filters; high retention: filter reuse as a protective mechanism against withdrawal, technical and practical issues (filter clogging, ease of use, time needed to prepare an injection and believes (the conviction that a clear solution contains less active compound. Conclusion It was concluded that the factors influencing filter preference are in favour of change; a shift towards the use of more efficient filters can be made through increased availability, information and demonstrations.

  18. Ion exchange nonwoven fabric chemical filter. 2

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sekiguchi, Hideaki

    2000-01-01

    This report outlined the characteristics of EPIX filter and its complex with activated carbon to eliminate organic compounds from solvent. Elimination performance of this filter was determined using an ion chromatographic analyzer. EPIX filter showed high performance to eliminate trace amount of ionic compounds. The rate of elimination was both 99% or more for NH 3 and SO 2 in an early phase of filtration. Release of dust as well as impurities was significantly reduced by the use of EPIX filter. Gases once adsorbed on the filter were not released even at an elevated temperature of atmosphere. Combined use of non-woven fabrics was possible. For EPIX filter, there are three kinds; strong acid cation exchange filter and strong/weak basic anion filters. The weak basic anion filter has been applied to the conventional apparatus in wafer makers because the filter was very effective for selective boron trapping. When polyethyleneterephthalate was used as the base polymer, radical groups produced on the polymer were co-polymerized with monomer substances. The lifetime of filter was estimated on a base of gas concentration and wind velocity to determine the time to replace with a new one. Furthermore, the loss of pressure became less than a half when EPIX filter was used. (M.N.)

  19. Semiconductor cleaning liquid delivery system and its filter; Handotaiyo seijo yakueki kyokyu system to filter

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Saito, T. [Kanto Chemical Co. Inc., Tokyo (Japan); Hayama, H.; Sakka, T. [Nitto Denko Corp., Osaka (Japan)

    1994-11-30

    Most of chemicals used for producing semiconductors are supplied automatically by a chemical delivery system to production devices. This paper explains the current status and the trends of the system. This system supplies the chemicals in the order of a tank lorry, a storage tank, a supply tank, a filter and a production device, and the transfer is performed receiving a supply signal from the supply tank and the production device. The transfer may be done through a dilution equipment. Filters currently used have membrane pore sizes of 0.2 to 0.1 microns as prefilters, and 0.1 to 0.05 microns as final filters. Chemicals used are diverse and can be divided into acid-, alkaline-, and solvent-based groups. Fluorine resin filters are used for acid- and alkaline-resistant applications, and SUS/fluorine resin filters for solvent-resistant applications. Use of large-sized filters of element construction with a membrane area of 1 m{sup 2} class is increasing recently in addition to selection from a performance viewpoint, including particle removing performance. 9 figs., 7 tabs.

  20. Application of a Low Cost Ceramic Filter for Recycling Sand Filter Backwash Water

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Md Shafiquzzaman

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this study is to examine the application of a low cost ceramic filter for the treatment of sand filter backwash water (SFBW. The treatment process is comprised of pre-coagulation of SFBW with aluminum sulfate (Alum followed by continuous filtration usinga low cost ceramic filter at different trans-membrane pressures (TMPs. Jar test results showed that 20 mg/L of alum is the optimum dose for maximum removal of turbidity, Fe, and Mn from SFBW. The filter can be operated at a TMP between 0.6 and 3 kPa as well as a corresponding flux of 480–2000 L/m2/d without any flux declination. Significant removal, up to 99%, was observed forturbidity, iron (Fe, and manganese (Mn. The flux started to decline at 4.5 kPa TMP (corresponding flux 3280 L/m2/d, thus indicated fouling of the filter. The complete pore blocking model was found as the most appropriate model to explain the insight mechanism of flux decline. The optimum operating pressure and the permeate flux were found to be 3 kPa and 2000 L/m2/d, respectively. Treated SFBW by a low cost ceramic filter was found to be suitable to recycle back to the water treatment plant. The ceramic filtration process would be a low cost and efficient option to recycle the SFBW.

  1. Behavior of HEPA filters under high humidity airflows

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ricketts, C.I.

    1992-10-01

    To help determine and improve the safety margins of High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter units in nuclear facilities under possible accident conditions, the structural limits and failure mechanisms of filter in high-humidity airflows were established and the fundamental physical phenomena underlying filter failure or malfunction in humid air were identified. Empirical models for increases in filter pressure drop with time in terms of the relevant airstream parameters were also developed. The weaknesses of currently employed humidity countermeasures used in filter protection are discussed and fundamental explanations for reported filter failures in normal service are given. (orig./DG) [de

  2. GRIM-Filter: Fast seed location filtering in DNA read mapping using processing-in-memory technologies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Jeremie S; Senol Cali, Damla; Xin, Hongyi; Lee, Donghyuk; Ghose, Saugata; Alser, Mohammed; Hassan, Hasan; Ergin, Oguz; Alkan, Can; Mutlu, Onur

    2018-05-09

    Seed location filtering is critical in DNA read mapping, a process where billions of DNA fragments (reads) sampled from a donor are mapped onto a reference genome to identify genomic variants of the donor. State-of-the-art read mappers 1) quickly generate possible mapping locations for seeds (i.e., smaller segments) within each read, 2) extract reference sequences at each of the mapping locations, and 3) check similarity between each read and its associated reference sequences with a computationally-expensive algorithm (i.e., sequence alignment) to determine the origin of the read. A seed location filter comes into play before alignment, discarding seed locations that alignment would deem a poor match. The ideal seed location filter would discard all poor match locations prior to alignment such that there is no wasted computation on unnecessary alignments. We propose a novel seed location filtering algorithm, GRIM-Filter, optimized to exploit 3D-stacked memory systems that integrate computation within a logic layer stacked under memory layers, to perform processing-in-memory (PIM). GRIM-Filter quickly filters seed locations by 1) introducing a new representation of coarse-grained segments of the reference genome, and 2) using massively-parallel in-memory operations to identify read presence within each coarse-grained segment. Our evaluations show that for a sequence alignment error tolerance of 0.05, GRIM-Filter 1) reduces the false negative rate of filtering by 5.59x-6.41x, and 2) provides an end-to-end read mapper speedup of 1.81x-3.65x, compared to a state-of-the-art read mapper employing the best previous seed location filtering algorithm. GRIM-Filter exploits 3D-stacked memory, which enables the efficient use of processing-in-memory, to overcome the memory bandwidth bottleneck in seed location filtering. We show that GRIM-Filter significantly improves the performance of a state-of-the-art read mapper. GRIM-Filter is a universal seed location filter that can be

  3. pyAmpli: an amplicon-based variant filter pipeline for targeted resequencing data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beyens, Matthias; Boeckx, Nele; Van Camp, Guy; Op de Beeck, Ken; Vandeweyer, Geert

    2017-12-14

    Haloplex targeted resequencing is a popular method to analyze both germline and somatic variants in gene panels. However, involved wet-lab procedures may introduce false positives that need to be considered in subsequent data-analysis. No variant filtering rationale addressing amplicon enrichment related systematic errors, in the form of an all-in-one package, exists to our knowledge. We present pyAmpli, a platform independent parallelized Python package that implements an amplicon-based germline and somatic variant filtering strategy for Haloplex data. pyAmpli can filter variants for systematic errors by user pre-defined criteria. We show that pyAmpli significantly increases specificity, without reducing sensitivity, essential for reporting true positive clinical relevant mutations in gene panel data. pyAmpli is an easy-to-use software tool which increases the true positive variant call rate in targeted resequencing data. It specifically reduces errors related to PCR-based enrichment of targeted regions.

  4. Simulation for noise cancellation using LMS adaptive filter

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Jia-Haw; Ooi, Lu-Ean; Ko, Ying-Hao; Teoh, Choe-Yung

    2017-06-01

    In this paper, the fundamental algorithm of noise cancellation, Least Mean Square (LMS) algorithm is studied and enhanced with adaptive filter. The simulation of the noise cancellation using LMS adaptive filter algorithm is developed. The noise corrupted speech signal and the engine noise signal are used as inputs for LMS adaptive filter algorithm. The filtered signal is compared to the original noise-free speech signal in order to highlight the level of attenuation of the noise signal. The result shows that the noise signal is successfully canceled by the developed adaptive filter. The difference of the noise-free speech signal and filtered signal are calculated and the outcome implies that the filtered signal is approaching the noise-free speech signal upon the adaptive filtering. The frequency range of the successfully canceled noise by the LMS adaptive filter algorithm is determined by performing Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) on the signals. The LMS adaptive filter algorithm shows significant noise cancellation at lower frequency range.

  5. Nonlinear spatio-temporal filtering of dynamic PET data using a four-dimensional Gaussian filter and expectation-maximization deconvolution

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Floberg, J M; Holden, J E

    2013-01-01

    We introduce a method for denoising dynamic PET data, spatio-temporal expectation-maximization (STEM) filtering, that combines four-dimensional Gaussian filtering with EM deconvolution. The initial Gaussian filter suppresses noise at a broad range of spatial and temporal frequencies and EM deconvolution quickly restores the frequencies most important to the signal. We aim to demonstrate that STEM filtering can improve variance in both individual time frames and in parametric images without introducing significant bias. We evaluate STEM filtering with a dynamic phantom study, and with simulated and human dynamic PET studies of a tracer with reversible binding behaviour, [C-11]raclopride, and a tracer with irreversible binding behaviour, [F-18]FDOPA. STEM filtering is compared to a number of established three and four-dimensional denoising methods. STEM filtering provides substantial improvements in variance in both individual time frames and in parametric images generated with a number of kinetic analysis techniques while introducing little bias. STEM filtering does bias early frames, but this does not affect quantitative parameter estimates. STEM filtering is shown to be superior to the other simple denoising methods studied. STEM filtering is a simple and effective denoising method that could be valuable for a wide range of dynamic PET applications. (paper)

  6. Projects on filter testing in Sweden

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Normann, B.; Wiktorsson, C.

    1985-01-01

    The Swedish nuclear power program comprises twelve light water reactors. Nine are boiling water reactors of ASEA-ATOM design and three are pressurized water reactors of Westinghouse design. Of these, ten are in operation and two are under construction and planned to go into operation during late 1984 and early 1985, respectively. Frequent tests on the penetration of particles through HEPA filters, regular tests on the adsorption of methyl iodide in the stand-by carbon filter units by laboratory testing are discussed. The proposed new regulations are based on many years of experience of filter system operation and of tests in-situ and in the laboratory. Moisture and water are factors that affect the functioning of filters. In addition, high loading of dust can give rise to increased penetration through HEPA filters, however pinholes could have less influence on the total penetration. Laboratory tests show that DOP particles retain 30-40% in 90 mm carbon filters (8-12 mesh). However no effect on the ability of carbon to adsorb methyl iodide after DOP contamination in combined carbon/HEPA filters has been observed. Leakage from ventilation ducts can cause radioactive contamination problems during filter testing with radioiodine. In-situ testing of control-room filters has been performed using inactive methyl iodide. A type of carbon bed not previously used in Sweden has been introduced. Testing of this filter type is discussed

  7. Antimicrobial Air Filters Using Natural Euscaphis japonica Nanoparticles.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gi Byoung Hwang

    Full Text Available Controlling bioaerosols has become more important with increasing participation in indoor activities. Treatments using natural-product nanomaterials are a promising technique because of their relatively low toxicity compared to inorganic nanomaterials such as silver nanoparticles or carbon nanotubes. In this study, antimicrobial filters were fabricated from natural Euscaphis japonica nanoparticles, which were produced by nebulizing E. japonica extract. The coated filters were assessed in terms of pressure drop, antimicrobial activity, filtration efficiency, major chemical components, and cytotoxicity. Pressure drop and antimicrobial activity increased as a function of nanoparticle deposition time (590, 855, and 1150 µg/cm2(filter at 3-, 6-, and 9-min depositions, respectively. In filter tests, the antimicrobial efficacy was greater against Staphylococcus epidermidis than Micrococcus luteus; ~61, ~73, and ~82% of M. luteus cells were inactivated on filters that had been coated for 3, 6, and 9 min, respectively, while the corresponding values were ~78, ~88, and ~94% with S. epidermidis. Although statistically significant differences in filtration performance were not observed between samples as a function of deposition time, the average filtration efficacy was slightly higher for S. epidermidis aerosols (~97% than for M. luteus aerosols (~95%. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC and electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (ESI/MS analyses confirmed that the major chemical compounds in the E. japonica extract were 1(ß-O-galloyl pedunculagin, quercetin-3-O-glucuronide, and kaempferol-3-O-glucoside. In vitro cytotoxicity and disk diffusion tests showed that E. japonica nanoparticles were less toxic and exhibited stronger antimicrobial activity toward some bacterial strains than a reference soluble nickel compound, which is classified as a human carcinogen. This study provides valuable information for the development of a

  8. Optical filtering in directly modulated/detected OOFDM systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sánchez, C; Ortega, B; Wei, J L; Capmany, J

    2013-12-16

    This work presents a theoretical investigation on the performance of directly modulated/detected (DM/DD) optical orthogonal frequency division multiplexed (OOFDM) systems subject to optical filtering. The impact of both linear and nonlinear distortion effects are taken into account to calculate the effective signal-to-noise ratio of each subcarrier. These results are then employed to optimize the design parameters of two simple optical filtering structures: a Mach Zehnder interferometer and a uniform fiber Bragg grating, leading to a significant optical power budget improvement given by 3.3 and 3dB, respectively. These can be further increased to 5.5 and 4.2dB respectively when balanced detection configurations are employed. We find as well that this improvement is highly dependent on the clipping ratio.

  9. On filter boundary conditions in topology optimization

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Clausen, Anders; Andreassen, Erik

    2017-01-01

    Most research papers on topology optimization involve filters for regularization. Typically, boundary effects from the filters are ignored. Despite significant drawbacks the inappropriate homogeneous Neumann boundary conditions are used, probably because they are trivial to implement. In this paper...

  10. Blue-light filtering alters angiogenic signaling in human retinal pigmented epithelial cells culture model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vila, Natalia; Siblini, Aya; Esposito, Evangelina; Bravo-Filho, Vasco; Zoroquiain, Pablo; Aldrees, Sultan; Logan, Patrick; Arias, Lluis; Burnier, Miguel N

    2017-11-02

    Light exposure and more specifically the spectrum of blue light contribute to the oxidative stress in Age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The purpose of the study was to establish whether blue light filtering could modify proangiogenic signaling produced by retinal pigmented epithelial (RPE) cells under different conditions simulating risk factors for AMD. Three experiments were carried out in order to expose ARPE-19 cells to white light for 48 h with and without blue light-blocking filters (BLF) in different conditions. In each experiment one group was exposed to light with no BLF protection, a second group was exposed to light with BLF protection, and a control group was not exposed to light. The ARPE-19 cells used in each experiment prior to light exposure were cultured for 24 h as follows: Experiment 1) Normoxia, Experiment 2) Hypoxia, and Experiment 3) Lutein supplemented media in normoxia. The media of all groups was harvested after light exposure for sandwich ELISA-based assays to quantify 10 pro-angiogenic cytokines. A significant decrease in angiogenin secretion levels and a significant increase in bFGF were observed following light exposure, compared to dark conditions, in both normoxia and hypoxia conditions. With the addition of a blue light-blocking filter in normoxia, a significant increase in angiogenin levels was observed. Although statistical significance was not achieved, blue light filters reduce light-induced secretion of bFGF and VEGF to near normal levels. This trend is also observed when ARPE-19 cells are grown under hypoxic conditions and when pre-treated with lutein prior to exposure to experimental conditions. Following light exposure, there is a decrease in angiogenin secretion by ARPE-19 cells, which was abrogated with a blue light - blocking filter. Our findings support the position that blue light filtering affects the secretion of angiogenic factors by retinal pigmented epithelial cells under normoxic, hypoxic, and lutein

  11. Radiology-led Follow-up System for IVC Filters: Effects on Retrieval Rates and Times

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, L.; Taylor, J.; Munneke, G.; Morgan, R.; Belli, A.-M.

    2012-01-01

    Purpose: Successful IVC filter retrieval rates fall with time. Serious complications have been reported following attempts to remove filters after 3–18 months. Failed retrieval may be associated with adverse clinical sequelae. This study explored whether retrieval rates are improved if interventional radiologists organize patient follow-up, rather than relying on the referring clinicians. Methods: Proactive follow-up of patients who undergo filter placement was implemented in May 2008. At the time of filter placement, a report was issued to the referring consultant notifying them of the advised timeframe for filter retrieval. Clinicians were contacted to arrange retrieval within 30 days. We compared this with our practice for the preceding year. Results: The numbers of filters inserted during the two time periods was similar, as were the numbers of retrieval attempts and the time scale at which they occurred. The rate of successful retrievals increased but not significantly. The major changes were better documentation of filter types and better clinical follow-up. After the change in practice, only one patient was lost to follow-up compared with six the preceding year. Conclusions: Although there was no significant improvement in retrieval rates, the proactive, radiology-led approach improved follow-up and documentation, ensuring that a clinical decision was made about how long the filter was required and whether retrieval should be attempted and ensuring that patients were not lost to follow-up.

  12. Passive target tracking using marginalized particle filter

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    2007-01-01

    A marginalized particle filtering(MPF)approach is proposed for target tracking under the background of passive measurement.Essentially,the MPF is a combination of particle filtering technique and Kalman filter.By making full use of marginalization,the distributions of the tractable linear part of the total state variables are updated analytically using Kalman filter,and only the lower-dimensional nonlinear state variable needs to be dealt with using particle filter.Simulation studies are performed on an illustrative example,and the results show that the MPF method leads to a significant reduction of the tracking errors when compared with the direct particle implementation.Real data test results also validate the effectiveness of the presented method.

  13. OPTIMIZATION OF ADVANCED FILTER SYSTEMS; TOPICAL

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    R.A. Newby; G.J. Bruck; M.A. Alvin; T.E. Lippert

    1998-01-01

    on the issues identified. The two advanced barrier filter systems have been found to have the potential to be significantly more reliable and less expensive to operate than standard ceramic candle filter system designs. Their key development requirements are the assessment of the design and manufacturing feasibility of the ceramic filter elements, and the small-scale demonstration of their conceptual reliability and availability merits

  14. Experimental study of domestic inferior vena cava filter comparative to Antheor temporary vena cava filter in vitro

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen Guoping; Gu Jianping; Lou Wensheng; He Xu; Chen Liang; Su Haobo

    2007-01-01

    Objective: To evaluate clot capturing efficacy and stability of a new domestic designed inferior vena cava filter (DDIVCF) by comparing with Anthem temporary vena cava filter in vitro. Methods: (1)The DDIVCF and Antheor filter were tested in a flow model simulated the inferior vena cava (IVC) with 20 mm and 25 mm in diameter. The swine clots of four sizes were used: 3 mm x 20 mm, 3 mm x 30 mm, 6 mm x 20 mm, 6 mm x 30 mm. The clot capturing capacity was observed in horizontal position. (2) The stability was observed by measuring the comparative moving distance of 6 mm x 30 mm clots after clot trapping. Results: (1) DDIVCF capture rates were 34%, 56%, 82%, 94% and 26%, 38%, 56%, 86% for the 20 mm and 25 mm IVC models of four different sizes clots respectively, comparing with 54%, 64%, 86%, 96% and 38%, 44%, 68%, 90% respectively of Anthem temporary vena cava filter. The capture rates of DDIVCF and Antheor filter showed no significant differences of 3 mm x 30 mm, 6mm x 20 mm and 6 mm x 30 mm clots in 20 mm and 25 mm IVC models (P>0.05). (2) There was a few caudal migration with no significant difference (P>0.05). The filter migration distances were (0.6±0.3) cm and (1.0±0.1) cm respectively in the 20 mm and 25 mm IVC models with most clots of 6 mm x 30 mm were captured, comparing with (0.4±0.1) cm and (0.8 ±0.3) cm respectively for Antheor filter. Conclusions: DDIVCF is a stable and effective filter in an in-vitro model experiment but application in vivo would rather be further evaluated through more animal experiments. (authors)

  15. HEPA Filter Performance under Adverse Conditions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Parsons, Michael; Hogancamp, Kristina; Alderman, Steven; Waggoner, Charles

    2007-01-01

    This study involved challenging nuclear grade high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters under a variety of conditions that can arise in Department of Energy (DOE) applications such as: low or high RH, controlled and uncontrolled challenge, and filters with physically damaged media or seals (i.e., leaks). Reported findings correlate filter function as measured by traditional differential pressure techniques in comparison with simultaneous instrumental determination of up and down stream PM concentrations. Additionally, emission rates and failure signatures will be discussed for filters that have either failed or exceeded their usable lifetime. Significant findings from this effort include the use of thermocouples up and down stream of the filter housing to detect the presence of moisture. Also demonstrated in the moisture challenge series of tests is the effect of repeated wetting of the filter. This produces a phenomenon referred to as transient failure before the tensile strength of the media weakens to the point of physical failure. An evaluation of the effect of particle size distribution of the challenge aerosol on loading capacity of filters is also included. Results for soot and two size distributions of KCl are reported. Loading capacities for filters ranged from approximately 70 g of soot to nearly 900 g for the larger particle size distribution of KCl. (authors)

  16. Experimental study of filter cake formation on different filter media

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Saleem, M.

    2009-01-01

    Removal of particulate matter from gases generated in the process industry is important for product recovery as well as emission control. Dynamics of filtration plant depend on operating conditions. The models, that predict filter plant behaviour, involve empirical resistance parameters which are usually derived from limited experimental data and are characteristics of the filter media and filter cake (dust deposited on filter medium). Filter cake characteristics are affected by the nature of filter media, process parameters and mode of filter regeneration. Removal of dust particles from air is studied in a pilot scale jet pulsed bag filter facility resembling closely to the industrial filters. Limestone dust and ambient air are used in this study with two widely different filter media. All important parameters like pressure drop, gas flow rate, dust settling, are recorded continuously at 1s interval. The data is processed for estimation of the resistance parameters. The pressure drop rise on test filter media is compared. Results reveal that the surface of filter media has an influence on pressure drop rise (concave pressure drop rise). Similar effect is produced by partially jet pulsed filter surface. Filter behaviour is also simulated using estimated parameters and a simplified model and compared with the experimental results. Distribution of cake area load is therefore an important aspect of jet pulse cleaned bag filter modeling. Mean specific cake resistance remains nearly constant on thoroughly jet pulse cleaned membrane coated filter bags. However, the trend can not be confirmed without independent cake height and density measurements. Thus the results reveal the importance of independent measurements of cake resistance. (author)

  17. Tunable Microwave Filter Design Using Thin-Film Ferroelectric Varactors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haridasan, Vrinda

    Military, space, and consumer-based communication markets alike are moving towards multi-functional, multi-mode, and portable transceiver units. Ferroelectric-based tunable filter designs in RF front-ends are a relatively new area of research that provides a potential solution to support wideband and compact transceiver units. This work presents design methodologies developed to optimize a tunable filter design for system-level integration, and to improve the performance of a ferroelectric-based tunable bandpass filter. An investigative approach to find the origins of high insertion loss exhibited by these filters is also undertaken. A system-aware design guideline and figure of merit for ferroelectric-based tunable band- pass filters is developed. The guideline does not constrain the filter bandwidth as long as it falls within the range of the analog bandwidth of a system's analog to digital converter. A figure of merit (FOM) that optimizes filter design for a specific application is presented. It considers the worst-case filter performance parameters and a tuning sensitivity term that captures the relation between frequency tunability and the underlying material tunability. A non-tunable parasitic fringe capacitance associated with ferroelectric-based planar capacitors is confirmed by simulated and measured results. The fringe capacitance is an appreciable proportion of the tunable capacitance at frequencies of X-band and higher. As ferroelectric-based tunable capac- itors form tunable resonators in the filter design, a proportionally higher fringe capacitance reduces the capacitance tunability which in turn reduces the frequency tunability of the filter. Methods to reduce the fringe capacitance can thus increase frequency tunability or indirectly reduce the filter insertion-loss by trading off the increased tunability achieved to lower loss. A new two-pole tunable filter topology with high frequency tunability (> 30%), steep filter skirts, wide stopband

  18. Evaluation of the effects of an arm artifact reduction filter in computed tomography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nozaki, Fumie; Ohno, Hajime; Hirako, Tetsuya

    2002-01-01

    While performing CT during arterial portography (CTAP) or CT arteriography (CTA), we have instructed patients to in order to reduce streak artifacts. However the repetitive raising and lowering their arms has made it difficult to keep a clean zone and as well as to maintain the position of a target organ. An arm artifact reduction (AAR) filter developed by GE Yokokawa Medical System has been reported to be useful for reducing streak artifacts in CTAP and CTA. The purpose of this study was to estimate the effectiveness of the AAR filter in terms of artifact reduction ratio, CT value, standard deviation and spatial resolution. The use of an AAR filter reduced streak artifacts on images by 15-22% compared with those on images obtained by without the use of the filter and limited deterioration of spatial resolution to within 1%. Moreover, CT value in examination using AAR filter showed no significant change compared with that in non-filter's examination. It is concluded that the use of an AAR filter reduces the burden for the patient and increase the accuracy and flexibility of CT examination while minimizing the reduction in the image quality in CTAP and CTA. (author)

  19. Numerical study of canister filters with alternatives filter cap configurations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mohammed, A. N.; Daud, A. R.; Abdullah, K.; Seri, S. M.; Razali, M. A.; Hushim, M. F.; Khalid, A.

    2017-09-01

    Air filtration system and filter play an important role in getting a good quality air into turbo machinery such as gas turbine. The filtration system and filter has improved the quality of air and protect the gas turbine part from contaminants which could bring damage. During separation of contaminants from the air, pressure drop cannot be avoided but it can be minimized thus helps to reduce the intake losses of the engine [1]. This study is focused on the configuration of the filter in order to obtain the minimal pressure drop along the filter. The configuration used is the basic filter geometry provided by Salutary Avenue Manufacturing Sdn Bhd. and two modified canister filter cap which is designed based on the basic filter model. The geometries of the filter are generated by using SOLIDWORKS software and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) software is used to analyse and simulates the flow through the filter. In this study, the parameters of the inlet velocity are 0.032 m/s, 0.063 m/s, 0.094 m/s and 0.126 m/s. The total pressure drop produce by basic, modified filter 1 and 2 is 292.3 Pa, 251.11 Pa and 274.7 Pa. The pressure drop reduction for the modified filter 1 is 41.19 Pa and 14.1% lower compared to basic filter and the pressure drop reduction for modified filter 2 is 17.6 Pa and 6.02% lower compared to the basic filter. The pressure drops for the basic filter are slightly different with the Salutary Avenue filter due to limited data and experiment details. CFD software are very reliable in running a simulation rather than produces the prototypes and conduct the experiment thus reducing overall time and cost in this study.

  20. Radiological and toxicological calculations for AY-102 and C-106HEPA filters and pre-filters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Simpson, T.R.; Van Vleet, R.J.

    1997-01-01

    The high heat content solids in Tank 241-C-106 are to be removed and transferred to Tank 241-AY-102 by sluicing operations, to be authorized under project W-320. Once sluicing operations are underway, the state of these tanks will be transformed from 'unagitated' to 'agitated'. This means that the partition fraction which described the aerosol content of the head space will increase from 1 X 10 - 20 to 1 X 10 -1 . This head space will become much more loaded with suspended material. The nature of this suspended material may change significantly, sluicing may inadvertently bring up radioactive solids which normally would lay under many meters of liquid supernate. It is an enabling assumption that the headspace and filter aerosols in Tank 241-AY-102 are a 90/10 liquid/solid split; there is an unmitigated and mitigated composition. It is an enabling assumption that the sluicing line; the headspace in Tank 241-C-106, and the filters in Tank 241-C-106 contain aerosols which are a 67/33 liquid/solid split; there is an unmitigated and mitigated composition

  1. Automated electronic filter design

    CERN Document Server

    Banerjee, Amal

    2017-01-01

    This book describes a novel, efficient and powerful scheme for designing and evaluating the performance characteristics of any electronic filter designed with predefined specifications. The author explains techniques that enable readers to eliminate complicated manual, and thus error-prone and time-consuming, steps of traditional design techniques. The presentation includes demonstration of efficient automation, using an ANSI C language program, which accepts any filter design specification (e.g. Chebyschev low-pass filter, cut-off frequency, pass-band ripple etc.) as input and generates as output a SPICE(Simulation Program with Integrated Circuit Emphasis) format netlist. Readers then can use this netlist to run simulations with any version of the popular SPICE simulator, increasing accuracy of the final results, without violating any of the key principles of the traditional design scheme.

  2. Dynamic beam filtering for miscentered patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mao, Andrew; Shyr, William; Gang, Grace J; Stayman, J Webster

    2018-02-01

    Accurate centering of the patient within the bore of a CT scanner takes time and is often difficult to achieve precisely. Patient miscentering can result in significant dose and image noise penalties with the use of traditional bowtie filters. This work describes a system to dynamically position an x-ray beam filter during image acquisition to enable more consistent image performance and potentially lower dose needed for CT imaging. We propose a new approach in which two orthogonal low-dose scout images are used to estimate a parametric model of the object describing its shape, size, and location within the field of view (FOV). This model is then used to compute an optimal filter motion profile by minimizing the variance of the expected detector fluence for each projection. Dynamic filtration was implemented on a cone-beam CT (CBCT) test bench using two different physical filters: 1) an aluminum bowtie and 2) a structured binary filter called a multiple aperture device (MAD). Dynamic filtration performance was compared to a static filter in studies of dose and reconstruction noise as a function of the degree of miscentering of a homogeneous water phantom. Estimated filter trajectories were found to be largely sinusoidal with an amplitude proportional to the amount of miscentering. Dynamic filtration demonstrated an improved ability to keep the spatial distribution of dose and reconstruction noise at baseline levels across varying levels of miscentering, reducing the maximum noise and dose deviation from 53% to 15% and 42% to 14% respectively for the bowtie filter, and 25% to 8% and 24% to 15% respectively for the MAD filter. Dynamic positioning of beam filters during acquisition improves dose utilization and image quality over static filters for miscentered patients. Such dynamic filters relax positioning requirements and have the potential to reduce set-up time and lower dose requirements.

  3. Using high-order methods on adaptively refined block-structured meshes - discretizations, interpolations, and filters.

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ray, Jaideep; Lefantzi, Sophia; Najm, Habib N.; Kennedy, Christopher A.

    2006-01-01

    Block-structured adaptively refined meshes (SAMR) strive for efficient resolution of partial differential equations (PDEs) solved on large computational domains by clustering mesh points only where required by large gradients. Previous work has indicated that fourth-order convergence can be achieved on such meshes by using a suitable combination of high-order discretizations, interpolations, and filters and can deliver significant computational savings over conventional second-order methods at engineering error tolerances. In this paper, we explore the interactions between the errors introduced by discretizations, interpolations and filters. We develop general expressions for high-order discretizations, interpolations, and filters, in multiple dimensions, using a Fourier approach, facilitating the high-order SAMR implementation. We derive a formulation for the necessary interpolation order for given discretization and derivative orders. We also illustrate this order relationship empirically using one and two-dimensional model problems on refined meshes. We study the observed increase in accuracy with increasing interpolation order. We also examine the empirically observed order of convergence, as the effective resolution of the mesh is increased by successively adding levels of refinement, with different orders of discretization, interpolation, or filtering.

  4. Reduction of bacteria and somatic coliphages in constructed wetlands for the treatment of combined sewer overflow (retention soil filters).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ruppelt, Jan P; Tondera, Katharina; Schreiber, Christiane; Kistemann, Thomas; Pinnekamp, Johannes

    2018-05-01

    Combined sewer overflows (CSOs) introduce numerous pathogens from fecal contamination, such as bacteria and viruses, into surface waters, thus endangering human health. In Germany, retention soil filters (RSFs) treat CSOs at sensitive discharge points and can contribute to reducing these hygienically relevant microorganisms. In this study, we evaluated the extent of how dry period, series connection and filter layer thickness influence the reduction efficiency of RSFs for Escherichia coli (E. coli), intestinal enterococci (I. E.) and somatic coliphages. To accomplish this, we had four pilot scale RSFs built on a test field at the wastewater treatment plant Aachen-Soers. While two filters were replicates, the other two filters were installed in a series connection. Moreover, one filter had a thinner filtration layer than the other three. Between April 2015 and December 2016, the RSFs were loaded in 37 trials with pre-conditioned CSO after dry periods ranging from 4 to 40 days. During 17 trials, samples for microbial analysis were taken and analyzed. The series connection of two filters showed that the removal increases when two systems with a filter layer of the same height are operated in series. Since the microorganisms are exposed twice to the environmental conditions on the filter surface and in the upper filter layers, there is a greater chance for abiotic adsorption increase. The same effect could be shown when filters with different depths were compared: the removal efficiency increases as filter thickness increases. This study provides new evidence that regardless of seasonal effects and dry period, RSFs can improve hygienic situation significantly. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

  5. The effect of spectral filters on VEP and alpha-wave responses

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kevin T. Willeford

    2016-04-01

    Conclusions: The Intuitive Colorimeter filters significantly increased both N75 and P100 latencies, an effect which is primarily attributable (∼75% to luminance, and in some cases, specific spectral effects (e.g., blue and red. VEP amplitude and alpha power were not significantly affected. These findings provide an important reference to which either amplitude or power changes in light-sensitive, younger clinical groups can be compared.

  6. 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.

  7. British Society of Interventional Radiology (BSIR) Inferior Vena Cava (IVC) Filter Registry

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Uberoi, Raman, E-mail: raman.Uberoi@orh.nhs.uk; Tapping, Charles Ross [Oxford University Hospitals, John Radcliffe Hospital, Department of Radiology (United Kingdom); Chalmers, Nicholas [Manchester Royal Infirmary, Department of Radiology (United Kingdom); Allgar, Victoria [University of York, Hull and York Medical School (United Kingdom)

    2013-12-15

    Purpose: The British Society of Interventional Radiology (BSIR) Inferior Vena Cava (IVC) Filter Registry was produced to provide an audit of current United Kingdom (UK) practice regarding placement and retrieval of IVC filters to address concerns regarding their safety. Methods: The IVC filter registry is a web-based registry, launched by the BSIR on behalf of its membership in October 2007. This report is based on prospectively collected data from October 2007 to March 2011. This report contains analysis of data on 1,434 IVC filter placements and 400 attempted retrievals performed at 68 UK centers. Data collected included patient demographics, insertion and retrieval data, and patient follow-up. Results: IVC filter use in the majority of patients in the UK follows accepted CIRSE guidelines. Filter placement is usually a low-risk procedure, with a low major complication rate (<0.5 %). Cook Gunther Tulip (560 filters: 39 %) and Celect (359 filters: 25 %) filters constituted the majority of IVC filters inserted, with Bard G2, Recovery filters, Cordis Trapease, and OptEase constituting most of the remainder (445 filters: 31 %). More than 96 % of IVC filters deployed as intended. Operator inexperience (<25 procedure) was significantly associated with complications (p < 0.001). Of the IVC filters initially intended for temporary placement, retrieval was attempted in 78 %. Of these retrieval was technically successful in 83 %. Successful retrieval was significantly reduced for implants left in situ for >9 weeks versus those with a shorter dwell time. New lower limb deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and/or IVC thrombosis was reported in 88 patients following filter placement, there was no significant difference of incidence between filter types. Conclusions: This registry report provides interventional radiologists and clinicians with an improved understanding of the technical aspects of IVC filter placement to help improve practice, and the potential consequences of IVC filter

  8. Effect of exposure dose reduction using a compensating filter

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Katsuda, Toshizo; Nakajima, Tadashi; Kuwano, Tadao; Ueda, Kouki; Sasaki, Yasuhiro; Yoshida, Jiro

    1993-01-01

    It is empirically said that the application of the compensating filter leads to a decrease in the exposure dose of the filter-inserted area and an increase in that of the otherwise area. Using the area-dosimeter, comparison was made of exposure doses by the application of the above filter and the otherwise filter in head simple X-P, abdominal angiography and lower extremity X-P. Using the filter for head simple X-P and Mix-Dp phantom, measurement was made of the absorbed dose at the 5 cm-depth to compare the rate of decrease in absorbed dose between the above both areas. Head simple X-P gained a decrease in area dose of 29%. The absorbed dose at the 5 cm-depth in the phantom experiment showed a decrease of over 26% at the filter-inserted area, but little increase at the otherwise area. The above results indicated the interposition of the filter between the X-ray tube and the object to lead to decreases not only in the area dose but also in the patient's exposure dose. (author)

  9. Mixed-Degree Spherical Simplex-Radial Cubature Kalman Filter

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shiyuan Wang

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Conventional low degree spherical simplex-radial cubature Kalman filters often generate low filtering accuracy or even diverge for handling highly nonlinear systems. The high-degree Kalman filters can improve filtering accuracy at the cost of increasing computational complexity; nevertheless their stability will be influenced by the negative weights existing in the high-dimensional systems. To efficiently improve filtering accuracy and stability, a novel mixed-degree spherical simplex-radial cubature Kalman filter (MSSRCKF is proposed in this paper. The accuracy analysis shows that the true posterior mean and covariance calculated by the proposed MSSRCKF can agree accurately with the third-order moment and the second-order moment, respectively. Simulation results show that, in comparison with the conventional spherical simplex-radial cubature Kalman filters that are based on the same degrees, the proposed MSSRCKF can perform superior results from the aspects of filtering accuracy and computational complexity.

  10. Virtual analysis of influence of a filter on mould filling

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhian Xu

    2011-11-01

    Full Text Available Ceramic filters are used to avoid slag and impurities in foundry applications. When not properly applied, the presence of these filters may have a significant influence on mould filling. 3-D casting simulation has been applied to study the effects of the use of a ceramic filter on the metal flow in a gating system. Instead of using a pressure drop model to represent the behaviour of a fluid metal flow passing through a filter, a real exact filter geometry, which is created by a high resolution CT-scan and a non-destructive imaging technique, in the gating system is applied in the simulation. In this research, nodular cast iron is poured into a block casting. A depressurized gating system is used. After a choke, a filter with different orientations is placed in the system. Mould filling coupled with temperature is simulated. Geometries using different orientations of the filter, and without the filter have been researched. The simulated results show that the filter has no influence on the pouring time of the casting if the choke section is small enough compared to the effective section of the filter. Although the filter has no significant influence on the flow patterns in the block casting itself, the flow patterns in the filter zone are different. When the liquid metal passes a horizontal filter, it will be broken into many small streams and show a shower effect. After the part under the filter is full, the shower effect disappears. When the filter is located at the vertical position, due to the gravity, the shower effect is less. If no filter presents on the system, the liquid metal passes through the filter zone with a high speed and causes surface turbulence.

  11. In Situ Cleanable Alternative HEPA Filter Media

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Adamson, D. J.; Terry, M. T.

    2002-01-01

    Energy's Hazardous Facilities'', found that conventional glass fiber HEPA filters are structurally weak and easily damaged by water or fire. The structurally stronger sintered metal and ceramic filters would reduce the potential of a catastrophic HEPA filter failure due to filter media breakthrough in the process ventilation system. An in situ regenerable system may also find application in recovering nuclear materials, such as plutonium, collected on glove box exhaust HEPA filters. This innovative approach of the in situ regenerative filtration system may be a significant improvement upon the shortfalls of conventional disposable HEPA filters

  12. Development of circular filters for active facilities

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pratt, R.P.

    1986-01-01

    An assessment of problems associated with remote handling, changing and disposal of filters suggested that significant improvements to filtration systems could be made if circular geometries were adopted in place of conventional systems. Improved systems have been developed and are now available for a range of applications and air flow rates. Where primary filters are installed within the active cell or cave, circular filters incorporating a lip seal have been developed which enable the filters to be sealed into the facility without recourse to clamping. For smaller cells, a range of push-through filter change systems have been developed, the principal feature being that the filter is passed into the housing from the clean side, but transferred from the housing directly into the cell for subsequent disposal. For plant room applications, circular bag change canister systems have been developed which ease the sealing and bag change operation. Such systems have a rated air flow of up to 3000 m 3 /h whilst still allowing ultimate disposal via the 200 litre waste drum route without prior volume reduction of the filter inserts. (author)

  13. Multirate Digital Filters Based on FPGA and Its Applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sharaf El-Din, R.M.A.

    2013-01-01

    Digital Signal Processing (DSP) is one of the fastest growing techniques in the electronics industry. It is used in a wide range of application fields such as, telecommunications, data communications, image enhancement and processing, video signals, digital TV broadcasting, and voice synthesis and recognition. Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) offers good solution for addressing the needs of high performance DSP systems. The focus of this thesis is on one of the basic DSP functions, namely filtering signals to remove unwanted frequency bands. Multi rate Digital Filters (MDFs) are the main theme here. Theory and implementation of MDF, as a special class of digital filters, will be discussed. Multi rate digital filters represent a class of digital filters having a number of attractive features like, low requirements for the coefficient word lengths, significant saving in computation and storage requirements results in a significant reduction in its dynamic power consumption. This thesis introduces an efficient FPGA realization of a multi rate decimation filter with narrow pass-band and narrow transition band to reduce the frequency sample rate by factor of 64 for noise thermometer applications. The proposed multi rate decimation filter is composed of three stages; the first stage is a Cascaded Integrator Comb (CIC) decimation filter, the second stage is a two-coefficient Half-Band (HB) filter and the last stage is a sharper transition HB filter. The frequency responses of individual stages as well as the overall filter response have been demonstrated with full simulation using MATLAB. The design and implementation of the proposed MDF on FPGA (XILINX Virtex XCV800 BG432-4), using VHSIC Hardware Description Language (VHDL), has been introduced. The implementation areas of the proposed filter stages are compared. Using CIC-HB technique saves 18% of the design area, compared to using six stages HB decimation filters.

  14. Evaluation the effect of breathing filters on end-tidal carbon dioxide during inferior abdominal surgery in infants and changes of tidal volume and respiratory rate needs for preventing of increasing end-tidal carbon dioxide.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sajedi, Parvin; Abooei, Mohsen; Shafa, Amir; Karbalaei, Mahboobeh; Babaei, Atefeh

    2016-01-01

    The aim of this study was to prevent of increasing end-tidal carbon dioxide (ETCO 2) with changing of vital capacity and respiratory rate when using of birthing filter in infants. In a randomized clinical trial study, ninety-four infant' patients were studied in three groups. Basic values, such as peak inspiratory pressure, tidal volume, minute ventilation, respiratory rate, and partial pressure of ET CO 2 (PETCO 2 ) level had been evaluated after intubation, 10 min after intubation and 10 min after filter insertion. In the first group, patients only observed for changing in ETCO 2 level. In the second and the third groups, respiratory rates and tidal volume had been increased retrospectively, until that ETCO 2 ≤35 mmHg was received. We used ANOVA, Chi-square, and descriptive tests for data analysis. P Tidal volume 10 min after filter insertion was statistically higher in Group 3 (145.0 ± 26.3 ml) versus 129.3 ± 38.9 ml in Group 1 and 118.7 ± 20.8 ml in Group 2 ( P = 0.02). Furthermore, respiratory rate at this time was statistically higher in Group 2 (25.82 ± 0.43) versus Groups 1 and 3 (21.05 ± 0.20 ml and 21.02 ± 0.60 ml, respectively) ( P = 0.001). Minute volume and PETCO 2 level were statistically significant between Group 1 and the other two groups after filter insertion ( P = 0.01 and P = 0.00,1 respectively). With changing the vital capacity and respiratory rate we can control PETCO 2 level ≤35 mmHg during using of birthing filters in infants. We recommend this instrument during anesthesia of infants.

  15. Loading capacity of various filters for lithium fire generated aerosols

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jeppson, D.W.; Barreca, J.R.

    1980-01-01

    The lithium aerosol loading capacity of a prefilter, HEPA filters and a sand and gravel bed filter was determined. The test aerosol was characterized and was generated by burning lithium in an unlimited air atmosphere. Correlation to sodium aerosol loading capacities were made to relate existing data to lithium aerosol loadings under varying conditions. This work is being conducted in support of the fusion reactor safety program. The lithium aerosol was generated by burning lithium pools, up to 45 kgs, in a 340 m 3 low humidity air atmosphere to supply aerosol to recirculating filter test loops. The aerosol was sampled to determine particle size, mass concentrations and chemical species. The dew point and gas concentrations were monitored throughout the tests. Loop inlet aerosol mass concentrations ranged up to 5 gr/m 3 . Chemical compounds analyzed to be present in the aerosol include Li 2 O, LiOH, and Li 2 CO 3 . HEPA filters with and without separators and a prefilter and HEPA filter in series were loaded with 7.8 to 11.1 kg/m 2 of aerosol at a flow rate of 1.31 m/sec and 5 kPa pressure drop. The HEPA filter loading capacity was determined to be greater at a lower flow rate. The loading capacity increased from 0.4 to 2.8 kg by decreasing the flow rate from 1.31 to 0.26 m/sec for a pressure drop of 0.11 kPa due to aerosol buildup. The prefilter tested in series with a HEPA did not increase the total loading capacity significantly for the same total pressure drop. Separators in the HEPA had only minor effect on loading capacity. The sand and gravel bed filter loaded to 0.50 kg/m 2 at an aerosol flow rate of 0.069 m/sec and final pressure drop of 6.2 kPa. These loading capacities and their dependence on test variables are similar to those reported for sodium aerosols except for the lithium aerosol HEPA loading capacity dependence upon flow rate

  16. Performance of HEPA filters under severe conditions, 3

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Osaki, Makoto; Zanma, Tokugo; Kanagawa, Akira.

    1986-01-01

    Performance of high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters at temperatures from ambient to 240 deg C was measured to prove that HEPA filters kept up their regulated decontamination factor (DF) at elevated temperatures. The DF for NaCl aerosol was measured by using a laser particle spectrometer. Pressure drop of HEPA filters at elevated temperatures was also measured. The DF increased at elevated temperatures. The DF at 200 deg C was an order of magnitude higher than that at ambient. The change of DF at elevated temperatures of various HEPA filters was effectively evaluated by using the ratio of single fiber collection efficiencies at ambient to those at elevated temperatures. Pressure drop of HEPA filters also increased at elevated temperatures. The pressure drop at 200 deg C was 1.3 times larger than that at ambient. The change of DF and pressure drop at elevated temperatures was explained by applying Kirsh's theory to elevated temperatures. (author)

  17. Caval penetration by retrievable inferior vena cava filters: a retrospective comparison of Option and Günther Tulip filters.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Olorunsola, Olufoladare G; Kohi, Maureen P; Fidelman, Nicholas; Westphalen, Antonio C; Kolli, Pallav K; Taylor, Andrew G; Gordon, Roy L; LaBerge, Jeanne M; Kerlan, Robert K

    2013-04-01

    To compare the frequency of vena caval penetration by the struts of the Option and Günther Tulip cone filters on postplacement computed tomography (CT) imaging. All patients who had an Option or Günther Tulip inferior vena cava (IVC) filter placed between January 2010 and May 2012 were identified retrospectively from medical records. Of the 208 IVC filters placed, the positions of 58 devices (21 Option filters, 37 Günther Tulip filters [GTFs]) were documented on follow-up CT examinations obtained for reasons unrelated to filter placement. In cases when multiple CT studies were obtained after placement, each study was reviewed, for a total of 80 examinations. Images were assessed for evidence of caval wall penetration by filter components, noting the number of penetrating struts and any effect on pericaval tissues. Penetration of at least one strut was observed in 17% of all filters imaged by CT between 1 and 447 days following placement. Although there was no significant difference in the overall prevalence of penetration when comparing the Option filter and GTF (Option, 10%; GTF, 22%), only GTFs showed time-dependent penetration, with penetration becoming more likely after prolonged indwelling times. No patient had damage to pericaval tissues or documented symptoms attributed to penetration. Although the Günther Tulip and Option filters exhibit caval penetration at CT imaging, only the GTF exhibits progressive penetration over time. Copyright © 2013 SIR. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  18. Controlling flow conditions of test filters in iodine filters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Holmberg, R.; Laine, J.

    1979-03-01

    Several different iodine filter and test filter designs and experience gained from their operation are presented. For the flow experiments, an iodine filter system equipped with flow regulating and measuring devices was built. In the experiments the influence of the packing method of the iodine sorption material and the influence of the flow regulating and measuring divices upon the flow conditions in the test filters was studied. On the basis of the experiments it has been shown that the flows through the test filters always can be adjusted to a correct value if there only is a high enough pressure difference available across the test filter ducting. As a result of the research, several different methods are presented with which the flows through the test filters in both operating and future iodine sorption system can easily be measured and adjusted to their correct values. (author)

  19. EDC IMPACT: Chemical UV filters can affect human sperm function in a progesterone-like manner.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rehfeld, A; Egeberg, D L; Almstrup, K; Petersen, J H; Dissing, S; Skakkebæk, N E

    2018-01-01

    Human sperm cell function must be precisely regulated to achieve natural fertilization. Progesterone released by the cumulus cells surrounding the egg induces a Ca 2+ influx into human sperm cells via the CatSper Ca 2+ -channel and thereby controls sperm function. Multiple chemical UV filters have been shown to induce a Ca 2+ influx through CatSper, thus mimicking the effect of progesterone on Ca 2+ signaling. We hypothesized that these UV filters could also mimic the effect of progesterone on sperm function. We examined 29 UV filters allowed in sunscreens in the US and/or EU for their ability to affect acrosome reaction, penetration, hyperactivation and viability in human sperm cells. We found that, similar to progesterone, the UV filters 4-MBC, 3-BC, Meradimate, Octisalate, BCSA, HMS and OD-PABA induced acrosome reaction and 3-BC increased sperm penetration into a viscous medium. The capacity of the UV filters to induce acrosome reaction and increase sperm penetration was positively associated with the ability of the UV filters to induce a Ca 2+ influx. None of the UV filters induced significant changes in the proportion of hyperactivated cells. In conclusion, chemical UV filters that mimic the effect of progesterone on Ca 2+ signaling in human sperm cells can similarly mimic the effect of progesterone on acrosome reaction and sperm penetration. Human exposure to these chemical UV filters may impair fertility by interfering with sperm function, e.g. through induction of premature acrosome reaction. Further studies are needed to confirm the results in vivo . © 2018 The authors.

  20. EDC IMPACT: Chemical UV filters can affect human sperm function in a progesterone-like manner

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A Rehfeld

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Human sperm cell function must be precisely regulated to achieve natural fertilization. Progesterone released by the cumulus cells surrounding the egg induces a Ca2+ influx into human sperm cells via the CatSper Ca2+-channel and thereby controls sperm function. Multiple chemical UV filters have been shown to induce a Ca2+ influx through CatSper, thus mimicking the effect of progesterone on Ca2+ signaling. We hypothesized that these UV filters could also mimic the effect of progesterone on sperm function. We examined 29 UV filters allowed in sunscreens in the US and/or EU for their ability to affect acrosome reaction, penetration, hyperactivation and viability in human sperm cells. We found that, similar to progesterone, the UV filters 4-MBC, 3-BC, Meradimate, Octisalate, BCSA, HMS and OD-PABA induced acrosome reaction and 3-BC increased sperm penetration into a viscous medium. The capacity of the UV filters to induce acrosome reaction and increase sperm penetration was positively associated with the ability of the UV filters to induce a Ca2+ influx. None of the UV filters induced significant changes in the proportion of hyperactivated cells. In conclusion, chemical UV filters that mimic the effect of progesterone on Ca2+ signaling in human sperm cells can similarly mimic the effect of progesterone on acrosome reaction and sperm penetration. Human exposure to these chemical UV filters may impair fertility by interfering with sperm function, e.g. through induction of premature acrosome reaction. Further studies are needed to confirm the results in vivo.

  1. The Rao-Blackwellized Particle Filter: A Filter Bank Implementation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Karlsson Rickard

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available For computational efficiency, it is important to utilize model structure in particle filtering. One of the most important cases occurs when there exists a linear Gaussian substructure, which can be efficiently handled by Kalman filters. This is the standard formulation of the Rao-Blackwellized particle filter (RBPF. This contribution suggests an alternative formulation of this well-known result that facilitates reuse of standard filtering components and which is also suitable for object-oriented programming. Our RBPF formulation can be seen as a Kalman filter bank with stochastic branching and pruning.

  2. Convergent Filter Bases

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Coghetto Roland

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available We are inspired by the work of Henri Cartan [16], Bourbaki [10] (TG. I Filtres and Claude Wagschal [34]. We define the base of filter, image filter, convergent filter bases, limit filter and the filter base of tails (fr: filtre des sections.

  3. Filtering reducer of flushing fluid

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Secu, P; Apostu, M; Basarabescu, T; Popescu, F

    1981-02-28

    This is a patent of a filtering reducer of flushing fluid on a water base with low content of solid particles used at temperatures of roughly 200/sup 0/C. With the use of the proposed filtering reducer, there is no excessive increase in viscosity and gelatinization of the flushing fluids without restriction in the quantity of reducer needed to guarantee the required filtering. There is a possibility of recovering the polyalkylphenol vat residues obtained in the production of nonyl phenol. It is possible to reduce the time of treatment and dissolving of the product; there is no danger of plugging of the productive oil beds. The process of hydration of clay is excluded.

  4. Testing Of The Dual Rotary Filter System

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Herman, D.; Fowley, M.; Stefanko, D.

    2011-01-01

    The Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) installed and tested two hydraulically connected SpinTek rotary microfilter (RMF) units to determine the behavior of a multiple filter system. Both units were successfully controlled by a control scheme written in DELTA-V architecture by Savannah River Remediation (SRR) Process Control Engineering personnel. The control system was tuned to provide satisfactory response to changing conditions during the operation of the multi-filter system. Stability was maintained through the startup and shutdown of one of the filter units while the second was still in operation. The installation configuration originally proposed by the Small Colum Ion Exchange (SCIX) project of independent filter and motor mountings may be susceptible to vibration. Significant stiffening of the filter and motor mounts was required to minimize the vibration. Alignment of the motor to the filter was a challenge in this test configuration. The deployment configuration must be easy to manipulate and allow for fine adjustment. An analysis of the vibration signature of the test system identified critical speeds. Whether it corresponds to the resonance frequency of a rotor radial vibration mode that was excited by rotor unbalance is uncertain based upon the measurements. A relative motion series should be completed on the filter with the final shaft configuration to determine if the resonances exist in the final filter design. The instrumentation selected for deployment, including the concentrate discharge control valve and flow meters, performed well. Automation of the valve control integrated well with the control scheme and when used in concert with the other control variables, allowed automated control of the dual RMF system. The one area of concern with the instrumentation was the condition resulting when the filtrate flow meter operated with less than three gpm. This low flow was at the lower range of performance for the flow meter. This should not be

  5. TESTING OF THE DUAL ROTARY FILTER SYSTEM

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Herman, D.; Fowley, M.; Stefanko, D.

    2011-08-29

    The Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) installed and tested two hydraulically connected SpinTek rotary microfilter (RMF) units to determine the behavior of a multiple filter system. Both units were successfully controlled by a control scheme written in DELTA-V architecture by Savannah River Remediation (SRR) Process Control Engineering personnel. The control system was tuned to provide satisfactory response to changing conditions during the operation of the multi-filter system. Stability was maintained through the startup and shutdown of one of the filter units while the second was still in operation. The installation configuration originally proposed by the Small Colum Ion Exchange (SCIX) project of independent filter and motor mountings may be susceptible to vibration. Significant stiffening of the filter and motor mounts was required to minimize the vibration. Alignment of the motor to the filter was a challenge in this test configuration. The deployment configuration must be easy to manipulate and allow for fine adjustment. An analysis of the vibration signature of the test system identified critical speeds. Whether it corresponds to the resonance frequency of a rotor radial vibration mode that was excited by rotor unbalance is uncertain based upon the measurements. A relative motion series should be completed on the filter with the final shaft configuration to determine if the resonances exist in the final filter design. The instrumentation selected for deployment, including the concentrate discharge control valve and flow meters, performed well. Automation of the valve control integrated well with the control scheme and when used in concert with the other control variables, allowed automated control of the dual RMF system. The one area of concern with the instrumentation was the condition resulting when the filtrate flow meter operated with less than three gpm. This low flow was at the lower range of performance for the flow meter. This should not be

  6. Application of DFT Filter Banks and Cosine Modulated Filter Banks in Filtering

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Yuan-Pei; Vaidyanathan, P. P.

    1994-01-01

    None given. This is a proposal for a paper to be presented at APCCAS '94 in Taipei, Taiwan. (From outline): This work is organized as follows: Sec. II is devoted to the construction of the new 2m channel under-decimated DFT filter bank. Implementation and complexity of this DFT filter bank are discussed therein. IN a similar manner, the new 2m channel cosine modulated filter bank is discussed in Sec. III. Design examples are given in Sec. IV.

  7. A digital matched filter for reverse time chaos.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bailey, J Phillip; Beal, Aubrey N; Dean, Robert N; Hamilton, Michael C

    2016-07-01

    The use of reverse time chaos allows the realization of hardware chaotic systems that can operate at speeds equivalent to existing state of the art while requiring significantly less complex circuitry. Matched filter decoding is possible for the reverse time system since it exhibits a closed form solution formed partially by a linear basis pulse. Coefficients have been calculated and are used to realize the matched filter digitally as a finite impulse response filter. Numerical simulations confirm that this correctly implements a matched filter that can be used for detection of the chaotic signal. In addition, the direct form of the filter has been implemented in hardware description language and demonstrates performance in agreement with numerical results.

  8. Linear filtering applied to Monte Carlo criticality calculations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Morrison, G.W.; Pike, D.H.; Petrie, L.M.

    1975-01-01

    A significant improvement in the acceleration of the convergence of the eigenvalue computed by Monte Carlo techniques has been developed by applying linear filtering theory to Monte Carlo calculations for multiplying systems. A Kalman filter was applied to a KENO Monte Carlo calculation of an experimental critical system consisting of eight interacting units of fissile material. A comparison of the filter estimate and the Monte Carlo realization was made. The Kalman filter converged in five iterations to 0.9977. After 95 iterations, the average k-eff from the Monte Carlo calculation was 0.9981. This demonstrates that the Kalman filter has the potential of reducing the calculational effort of multiplying systems. Other examples and results are discussed

  9. Novel miniature high power ring filter

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Huang Huifen; Mao Junfa; Luo Zhihua

    2005-01-01

    The power handling capability of high temperature superconducting (HTS) filters is limited due to current concentration at the edges of the superconducting films. This problem can be overcome by using ring resonator, which employs the edge current free and reduces the current concentration. However, this kind of filter has large size. In order to reduce the cost and size and increase the power handling capability, in this paper a HTS photonic bandgap (PBG) structure filter is developed. The proposed pass band filter with PBG structure exhibits center frequency 12.23 GHz, steepness (about 35 dB/GHz), bandwidth (-3 dB bandwidth is 0.045 GHz), and low insertion loss (about -0.5 dB), and can handle input power up to 1 W (this value was limited by the measurement instrument used in the experiment). The size is reduced by 25%, insertion loss reduced by 37.5%, and steeper roll-off of the filter is also obtained compared with that in published literature

  10. Are Filter-Tipped Cigarettes Still Less Harmful than Non-Filter Cigarettes?--A Laser Spectrometric Particulate Matter Analysis from the Non-Smokers Point of View.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schulz, Maria; Gerber, Alexander; Groneberg, David A

    2016-04-16

    Environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) is associated with human morbidity and mortality, particularly chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD and lung cancer. Although direct DNA-damage is a leading pathomechanism in active smokers, passive smoking is enough to induce bronchial asthma, especially in children. Particulate matter (PM) demonstrably plays an important role in this ETS-associated human morbidity, constituting a surrogate parameter for ETS exposure. Using an Automatic Environmental Tobacco Smoke Emitter (AETSE) and an in-house developed, non-standard smoking regime, we tried to imitate the smoking process of human smokers to demonstrate the significance of passive smoking. Mean concentration (C(mean)) and area under the curve (AUC) of particulate matter (PM2.5) emitted by 3R4F reference cigarettes and the popular filter-tipped and non-filter brand cigarettes "Roth-Händle" were measured and compared. The cigarettes were not conditioned prior to smoking. The measurements were tested for Gaussian distribution and significant differences. C(mean) PM2.5 of the 3R4F reference cigarette: 3911 µg/m³; of the filter-tipped Roth-Händle: 3831 µg/m³; and of the non-filter Roth-Händle: 2053 µg/m³. AUC PM2.5 of the 3R4F reference cigarette: 1,647,006 µg/m³·s; of the filter-tipped Roth-Händle: 1,608,000 µg/m³·s; and of the non-filter Roth-Händle: 858,891 µg/m³·s. The filter-tipped cigarettes (the 3R4F reference cigarette and filter-tipped Roth-Händle) emitted significantly more PM2.5 than the non-filter Roth-Händle. Considering the harmful potential of PM, our findings note that the filter-tipped cigarettes are not a less harmful alternative for passive smokers. Tobacco taxation should be reconsidered and non-smoking legislation enforced.

  11. New optional IVC filter for percutaneous retrieval - in vitro evaluation of embolus capturing efficiency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Guenther, R.W.; Mossdorf, A.; Pfeffer, J.; Buecker, A.; Neuerburg, J.; Hoej, A.R.; Moelgaard-Nielsen, A.; Schmitz-Rode, T.

    2005-01-01

    Purpose: In-vitro evaluation of a new caval filter (Cook Celect Filter) developed for delayed percutaneous retrieval in comparison to the Guenther Tulip filter. Materials and Methods: The new Celect filter is constructed on the basis of the Tulip filter and consists of 4 primary anchoring legs and additional 8 thinner secondary wires to stabilize the filter and to guarantee adequate filtering efficiency. The filtering wires are of the same amount and equal distribution as the filtering wires of the Tulip filter. The secondary wires are arranged in such a way that percutaneous filter retrieval should be possible even if the wires are incorporated into the caval wall. In a flow model (tube size diameter 15-, diameter 22- and diameter 30 mm), the filter was exposed to single and multiple emboli (blood clots) of different sizes (3 x 5, 3 x 10, 5 x 10, 3 x 20, 5 x 20, 7 x 10, 7 x 20 to 10 x 24 mm) to analyse the embolus capturing efficiency under different conditions including eccentric and concentric, horizontal and vertical positions in comparison to the Tulip filter. All testing was carried out in SPSS analytic software; statistical significance was assumed for p-values <0.05. Results: The in-vitro embolus capturing efficiency of the Celect filter proved to be equivalent to the Tulip filter. In the single-embolus test, 91.6% of the clots were captured by the Celect filter and 87.2% by the Tulip filter (p=0.042). Large clots ranging from 7 x 10 to 10 x 24 mm were captured in all cases, whereas the capture rates for the 3 x 5-mm and 3 x 10-mm clots were lower. The filters captured significantly more clots in the concentric than in the eccentric location. There was no significant difference between the overall capture rates of the two filters in the multi-clot test (72.2% vs. 75.1%), which showed deterioration of filter function during multiple clot exposure. With the 15-mm tube, the Celect filter had a significantly higher capture rate than the Tulip filter, whereas it

  12. A Study of Parallel Operation of an active Filter and passive Filters

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Chen, Zhe; Blaabjerg, Frede; Pedersen, John Kim

    2002-01-01

    This paper reports investigations of the parallel operations of a current controlled active filter and passive filters in a system with current harmonic sources. The task of reactive power and harmonic compensation is shared by the active filter and passive filters. The passive filters are used...... arrangements of the active and passive filters can operate relatively independently, also the compensation flexibility of the active filter can be fully exploited, such as one active filter for several harmonic sources.The simulation studies on various systems have been performed to evaluate the effectiveness...... of the systems. The results show that the power factor is corrected by the passive filters, harmonics are minimized by both active and passive filters and overloading of the filter system can be avoided....

  13. Recent Advances on Endocrine Disrupting Effects of UV Filters

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jiaying Wang

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available Ultraviolet (UV filters are used widely in cosmetics, plastics, adhesives and other industrial products to protect human skin or products against direct exposure to deleterious UV radiation. With growing usage and mis-disposition of UV filters, they currently represent a new class of contaminants of emerging concern with increasingly reported adverse effects to humans and other organisms. Exposure to UV filters induce various endocrine disrupting effects, as revealed by increasing number of toxicological studies performed in recent years. It is necessary to compile a systematic review on the current research status on endocrine disrupting effects of UV filters toward different organisms. We therefore summarized the recent advances on the evaluation of the potential endocrine disruptors and the mechanism of toxicity for many kinds of UV filters such as benzophenones, camphor derivatives and cinnamate derivatives.

  14. The development of a HEPA filter with improved dust holding characteristics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dyment, J.; Hamblin, C.

    1995-01-01

    A limitation of the HEPA filters used in the extract of nuclear facilities is their relatively low capacity for captured dust. The costs associated with the disposal of a typical filter means that there are clear incentives to extend filter life. The work described in this report are the initial stages in the development of a filter which incorporates a medium which enhances its dust holding capacity. Experimental equipment was installed to enable the dust loading characteristics of candidate media to be compared with those of the glass fibre based papers currently used in filter construction. These tests involved challenging representative samples of the media with an air stream containing a controlled concentration of thermally generated sodium chloride particles. The dust loading characteristics of the media were then compared in terms of the rate of increasing in pressure differential. A number of open-quotes graded densityclose quotes papers were subsequently identified which appeared to offer significant improvements in dust holding. In the second phase of the programme deep-pleat filters (1,700 M 3 h -1 ) incorporating graded density papers were manufactured and tested. Improvements of up to 50% were observed in their capacity for the sub-micron sodium chloride test dust. Smaller differences (15%) were measured when a coarser, carbon black, challenge was used. This is attributed to the differences in the particles sizes of the two dusts

  15. Passive Power Filters

    CERN Document Server

    Künzi, R.

    2015-06-15

    Power converters require passive low-pass filters which are capable of reducing voltage ripples effectively. In contrast to signal filters, the components of power filters must carry large currents or withstand large voltages, respectively. In this paper, three different suitable filter struc tures for d.c./d.c. power converters with inductive load are introduced. The formulas needed to calculate the filter components are derived step by step and practical examples are given. The behaviour of the three discussed filters is compared by means of the examples. P ractical aspects for the realization of power filters are also discussed.

  16. Removal of particulate matter emitted from a subway tunnel using magnetic filters.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Son, Youn-Suk; Dinh, Trieu-Vuong; Chung, Sang-Gwi; Lee, Jai-Hyo; Kim, Jo-Chun

    2014-01-01

    We removed particulate matter (PM) emitted from a subway tunnel using magnetic filters. A magnetic filter system was installed on the top of a ventilation opening. Magnetic field density was increased by increasing the number of permanent magnet layers to determine PM removal characteristics. Moreover, the fan's frequency was adjusted from 30 to 60 Hz to investigate the effect of wind velocity on PM removal efficiency. As a result, PM removal efficiency increased as the number of magnetic filters or fan frequency increased. We obtained maximum removal efficiency of PM10 (52%), PM2.5 (46%), and PM1 (38%) at a 60 Hz fan frequency using double magnetic filters. We also found that the stability of the PM removal efficiency by the double filter (RSD, 3.2-5.8%) was higher than that by a single filter (10.9-24.5%) at all fan operating conditions.

  17. Process for washing electromagnetic filters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Guittet, Maurice; Treille, Pierre.

    1980-01-01

    This process concerns the washing of an electro-magnetic filter used, inter alia, for filtering the drain-off waters of nuclear power station steam generators, by means of a washing water used in closed circuit and freed, after each cleaning, of the solids in suspension it contains, by settlement of these solids. This invention enables the volume of water to be evaporated to be divided by 50, thereby providing a solid assurance of better safety, apart from a very significant saving [fr

  18. Effects of a blue light-filtering intraocular lens on driving safety in glare conditions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gray, Rob; Hill, Warren; Neuman, Brooke; Houtman, Diane; Potvin, Richard

    2012-05-01

    To evaluate whether the previously established benefit of blue light-filtering intraocular lenses (IOLs) when driving in glare conditions is maintained in patients previously implanted with a blue light-filtering toric IOL. Department of Applied Psychology, Arizona State University, Mesa, Arizona, USA. Comparative case series. The study comprised patients with a blue light-filtering toric IOL (test IOL) or an ultraviolet (UV)-only filtering nontoric IOL (control IOL). All patients had good visual acuity and a valid driver's license. While wearing best spherocylindrical correction, patients performed left-turn maneuvers in front of oncoming traffic in a driving simulator. The safety margin was defined as the time to collision less the time taken to turn at an intersection with oncoming traffic. Measures were repeated with a glare source simulating low-angle sun conditions (daytime driving). Of the 33 evaluable patients, 18 had a test IOL and 15 had a control IOL. In the presence of glare, patients with test IOLs had significantly greater safety margins (mean 2.676 seconds ± 0.438 [SD]) than patients with control IOLs (mean 2.179 ± 0.343 seconds) and significantly lower glare susceptibility (P<.05). In no-glare and glare conditions, patients with test IOLs had significantly lower glare susceptibility than patients with control IOLs. The blue light-filtering toric IOL produced a significantly greater reduction in glare disability than the UV-only filtering nontoric IOL and increased the ability of drivers to safely execute left turns in low-sun conditions. Dr. Houtman is an employee of Alcon Laboratories, Inc. No other author has a financial or proprietary interest in any material or method mentioned. Copyright © 2012 ASCRS and ESCRS. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  19. Process and device for regulating an electromagnetic filter

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dolle, Lucien.

    1980-01-01

    Process for regulating the operation of an electromagnetic filter and, in particular, for keeping the efficiency of the filter at a sufficiently high level irrespective of the degree of filter clogging, fluid flow rate and temperature of the fluid. The filter includes an envelope containing a filling that can be magnetized by a coil activated by a d.c. supply arranged around the envelope. The regulating process includes the following stages: - activating the coil by a current of lower intensity than that of the saturation current of the filling, - determining the pressure drop of the filter, fluid flow rate and fluid temperature, - increasing the intensity of the current activating the coil when the efficiency of the filter corresponding to the measured values drops below a given level [fr

  20. Field evaluation of prototype electrofibrous filters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kuhl, W.D.; Bergman, W.; Biermann, A.H.; Lum, B.Y.

    1982-01-01

    New prototype electrofibrous filters were designed, built and evaluated in laboratory tests and in field installations. Two prototypes were designed for use in nuclear ventilation ducts as prefilters to HEPA filters. One prototype is designed to be a permanent component of the ventilation system while the other is a disposable unit. The disposable electrofibrous prefilter was installed in the exhaust stream of a glove box in which barrels of uranium turnings are burned. Preliminary tests show the disposal prefilter is effectively prolonging the HEPA filter life. An earlier prototype of the rolling prefilter was upgraded to meet the increased requirements for installation in a nuclear facility. This upgraded prototype was evaluated in the fire test facility at LLNL and shown to be effective in protecting HEPA filters from plugging under the most severe smoke conditions. The last prototype described in this report is a recirculating air filter. After demonstrating a high performance in laboratory tests the unit was shipped to Savannah River where it is awaiting installation in a Pu fuel fabrication facility. An analysis of the particulate problem in Savannah River indicates that four recirculating air filter will save $172,000 per year in maintenance costs

  1. Particle Kalman Filtering: A Nonlinear Bayesian Framework for Ensemble Kalman Filters*

    KAUST Repository

    Hoteit, Ibrahim

    2012-02-01

    This paper investigates an approximation scheme of the optimal nonlinear Bayesian filter based on the Gaussian mixture representation of the state probability distribution function. The resulting filter is similar to the particle filter, but is different from it in that the standard weight-type correction in the particle filter is complemented by the Kalman-type correction with the associated covariance matrices in the Gaussian mixture. The authors show that this filter is an algorithm in between the Kalman filter and the particle filter, and therefore is referred to as the particle Kalman filter (PKF). In the PKF, the solution of a nonlinear filtering problem is expressed as the weighted average of an “ensemble of Kalman filters” operating in parallel. Running an ensemble of Kalman filters is, however, computationally prohibitive for realistic atmospheric and oceanic data assimilation problems. For this reason, the authors consider the construction of the PKF through an “ensemble” of ensemble Kalman filters (EnKFs) instead, and call the implementation the particle EnKF (PEnKF). It is shown that different types of the EnKFs can be considered as special cases of the PEnKF. Similar to the situation in the particle filter, the authors also introduce a resampling step to the PEnKF in order to reduce the risk of weights collapse and improve the performance of the filter. Numerical experiments with the strongly nonlinear Lorenz-96 model are presented and discussed.

  2. Rectifier Filters

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Y. A. Bladyko

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available The paper contains definition of a smoothing factor which is suitable for any rectifier filter. The formulae of complex smoothing factors have been developed for simple and complex passive filters. The paper shows conditions for application of calculation formulae and filters

  3. Ultra-compact microwave filters using kinetic inductance microstrip

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pond, J.M.; Carroll, K.R.; Cukauskas, E.J.

    1991-01-01

    This paper reports on multi-pole microwave filters designed and fabricated using microstrip transmission line sections which consist of two very thin films of sputtered niobium nitride (NbN) separated by another very thin film of sputtered Si. Since the thicknesses of all three films are much less than the superconducting penetration depth, the kinetic inductance is significantly greater than the magnetic inductance. As a result, the phase velocity of a microstrip transmission line is much less than the free space speed of light. Since resonant structures are reduced in size proportionately, the size and weight of microstrip circuits can be greatly reduced. Prototype filters consisting of four open circuit half-wavelength microstrip stubs separated by full-wavelength microstrip sections have been measured. The circuits are connected to 34 mil diameter coaxial cable via an intermediate coplanar waveguide section. Passbands of 4 GHz separated by 3 GHz reject bands have been measured in a structure which occupies less than 0.5 cm 2 including the coplanar waveguide transitions. Higher-order passbands, although possessing an increased insertion loss, maintain filter passband characteristics through 20.0 GHz

  4. Multi-stage type replacing method of iodine filter

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kitamura, Masao; Kamiya, Kunio.

    1976-01-01

    Object: To effectively replace a filter into a removing device of radioactive impurities used in ventilation and air conditioning system or the like in an atomic power plant. Structure: A plurality of elements of a filter are arranged in series relative to fluid. In the first replacement, an ante-filter-element on inlet side of fluid is removed, and a post-filter-element is repositioned to that position of the ante-element. Then, a fresh element is newly mounted on that position of the post-element. Replacement after the second time may be effected by repeating the operation noted above. With this arrangement, the minimal value of collection efficiency at replacement of filter may be increased. (Ikeda, J.)

  5. Polarization-Insensitive Tunable Optical Filters based on Liquid Crystal Polarization Gratings

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nicolescu, Elena

    Tunable optical filters are widely used for a variety of applications including spectroscopy, optical communication networks, remote sensing, and biomedical imaging and diagnostics. All of these application areas can greatly benefit from improvements in the key characteristics of the tunable optical filters embedded in them. Some of these key parameters include peak transmittance, bandwidth, tuning range, and transition width. In recent years research efforts have also focused on miniaturizing tunable optical filters into physically small packages for compact portable spectroscopy and hyperspectral imaging applications such as real-time medical diagnostics and defense applications. However, it is important that miniaturization not have a detrimental effect on filter performance. The overarching theme of this dissertation is to explore novel configurations of Polarization Gratings (PGs) as simple, low-cost, polarization-insensitive alternatives to conventional optical filtering technologies for applications including hyperspectral imaging and telecommunications. We approach this goal from several directions with a combination of theory and experimental demonstration leading to, in our opinion, a significant contribution to the field. We present three classes of tunable optical filters, the first of which is an angle-filtering scheme where the stop-band wavelengths are redirected off axis and the passband is transmitted on-axis. This is achieved using a stacked configuration of polarization gratings of various thicknesses. To improve this class of filter, we also introduce a novel optical element, the Bilayer Polarization Grating, exhibiting unique optical properties and demonstrating complex anchoring conditions with high quality. The second class of optical filter is analogous to a Lyot filter, utilizing stacks of static or tunable waveplates sandwiched with polarizing elements. However, we introduce a new configuration using PGs and static waveplates to replace

  6. Mechanical design and qualification of IR filter mounts and filter wheel of INSAT-3D sounder for low temperature

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vora, A. P.; Rami, J. B.; Hait, A. K.; Dewan, C. P.; Subrahmanyam, D.; Kirankumar, A. S.

    2017-11-01

    Next generation Indian Meteorological Satellite will carry Sounder instrument having subsystem of filter wheel measuring Ø260mm and carrying 18 filters arranged in three concentric rings. These filters made from Germanium, are used to separate spectral channels in IR band. Filter wheel is required to be cooled to 214K and rotated at 600 rpm. This Paper discusses the challenges faced in mechanical design of the filter wheel, mainly filter mount design to protect brittle germanium filters from failure under stresses due to very low temperature, compactness of the wheel and casings for improved thermal efficiency, survival under vibration loads and material selection to keep it lighter in weight. Properties of Titanium, Kovar, Invar and Aluminium materials are considered for design. The mount has been designed to accommodate both thermal and dynamic loadings without introducing significant aberrations into the optics or incurring permanent alignment shifts. Detailed finite element analysis of mounts was carried out for stress verification. Results of the qualification tests are discussed for given temperature range of 100K and vibration loads of 12g in Sine and 11.8grms in Random at mount level. Results of the filter wheel qualification as mounted in Electro Optics Module (EOM) are also presented.

  7. Investigation and deactivation of B Plant HEPA filters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Roege, P.E.

    1997-01-01

    This paper describes the integrated approach used to manage environmental, safety, and health considerations related to the B Plant canyon exhaust air filters at the US Department of Energy (DOE) Hanford Site. The narrative illustrates the development and implementation of integrated safety management as applied to a facility and its systems undergoing deactivation. During their lifetime, the high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters prevented the release of significant quantities of radioactive materials into the air. As the material in B Plant AVESF accumulated on the filters, it created an unusual situation. Over long periods of time, the radiation dose from the filter loading, combined with aging and chemical exposure actually degrade those filters which were intended to protect against any release to the environment

  8. Quantum neural network-based EEG filtering for a brain-computer interface.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gandhi, Vaibhav; Prasad, Girijesh; Coyle, Damien; Behera, Laxmidhar; McGinnity, Thomas Martin

    2014-02-01

    A novel neural information processing architecture inspired by quantum mechanics and incorporating the well-known Schrodinger wave equation is proposed in this paper. The proposed architecture referred to as recurrent quantum neural network (RQNN) can characterize a nonstationary stochastic signal as time-varying wave packets. A robust unsupervised learning algorithm enables the RQNN to effectively capture the statistical behavior of the input signal and facilitates the estimation of signal embedded in noise with unknown characteristics. The results from a number of benchmark tests show that simple signals such as dc, staircase dc, and sinusoidal signals embedded within high noise can be accurately filtered and particle swarm optimization can be employed to select model parameters. The RQNN filtering procedure is applied in a two-class motor imagery-based brain-computer interface where the objective was to filter electroencephalogram (EEG) signals before feature extraction and classification to increase signal separability. A two-step inner-outer fivefold cross-validation approach is utilized to select the algorithm parameters subject-specifically for nine subjects. It is shown that the subject-specific RQNN EEG filtering significantly improves brain-computer interface performance compared to using only the raw EEG or Savitzky-Golay filtered EEG across multiple sessions.

  9. Tunable M-channel filter based on Thue-Morse heterostructures containing meta materials

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    H Pashaei Adl

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available In this paper the tunable M-channel filters based on Thue-Morse heterostructures consisting of single -negative materials has been studied. The results showed that the number of resonance modes inside the zero- gap increases as the number of heterogenous interface, M, increases. The number of resonance modes inside the zero- gap is equal to that of heterogenous interface M, and it can be used as M channels filter. This result provides a feasible method to adjust the channel number of multiple-channel filters. When losses are involved, the results showed that the electric fields of the resonance modes decay largely with the increase of the number of heterogenous interface and damping factors. Besides, the relationship between the quality factor of multiple-channel filters and the number of heterogenous interface M is linear, and the quality factor of multiple-channel filters decreases with the increase of the damping factor. These results provide feasible methods to adjust the quality factor of multiple-channel filters

  10. Regularized iterative integration combined with non-linear diffusion filtering for phase-contrast x-ray computed tomography.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Burger, Karin; Koehler, Thomas; Chabior, Michael; Allner, Sebastian; Marschner, Mathias; Fehringer, Andreas; Willner, Marian; Pfeiffer, Franz; Noël, Peter

    2014-12-29

    Phase-contrast x-ray computed tomography has a high potential to become clinically implemented because of its complementarity to conventional absorption-contrast.In this study, we investigate noise-reducing but resolution-preserving analytical reconstruction methods to improve differential phase-contrast imaging. We apply the non-linear Perona-Malik filter on phase-contrast data prior or post filtered backprojected reconstruction. Secondly, the Hilbert kernel is replaced by regularized iterative integration followed by ramp filtered backprojection as used for absorption-contrast imaging. Combining the Perona-Malik filter with this integration algorithm allows to successfully reveal relevant sample features, quantitatively confirmed by significantly increased structural similarity indices and contrast-to-noise ratios. With this concept, phase-contrast imaging can be performed at considerably lower dose.

  11. A paired wedge filter system for compensation in dose differences

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kobayashi, H.; Sakurai, Y.; Kondo, S.; Abe, S.; Hayakawa, N.; Aoyama, Y.; Obata, Y.; Ishigaki, T.

    1998-01-01

    Objective: In radiotherapy, it is important to conform the high dose volume to the planned target volume. A variable thickness paired wedge filter system was developed to compensate for dose inhomogeneity arising from field width segment variation in conformal irradiation. Materials and methods: The present study used a 6 MV linear accelerator equipped with multileaf collimator leaves and a paired wedge compensating filter system. The dose variation due to field width was measured in each field segment width. The variation in attenuation of the compensators was measured as a function of filter position. As the field width increases, the relative absorbed dose also increases; this is the point of requiring compensation, so it can be in reverse proportion. Results: As the field width increases, the relative absorbed dose also increases; this is why compensation is required and thus it must be in reverse proportion. Attenuation of the absorbed dose by the paired filters was in proportion to the filter position. The filter position to compensate for the difference of absorbed doses was defined by the square root of the field width. For a field varying in width from 4 to 16 cm, the variation in the absorbed dose across the field was reduced from 12% to 2.7%. Conclusion: This paired wedge filter system reduced absorbed dose variations across multileaf collimator shaped fields and can facilitate treatment planning in conformal therapy. (Copyright (c) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam. All rights reserved.)

  12. Distance Sensitive Bloom Filters Without False Negatives

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Goswami, Mayank; Pagh, Rasmus; Silvestri, Francesco

    2017-01-01

    A Bloom filter is a widely used data-structure for representing a set S and answering queries of the form “Is x in S?”. By allowing some false positive answers (saying ‘yes’ when the answer is in fact ‘no’) Bloom filters use space significantly below what is required for storing S. In the distanc...

  13. Percutaneous Retrieval of Permanent Inferior Vena Cava Filters

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tamrazi, Anobel, E-mail: atamraz1@jhmi.edu; Wadhwa, Vibhor, E-mail: vwadhwa1@jhmi.edu; Holly, Brian, E-mail: bholly3@jhmi.edu [Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Division of Vascular & Interventional Radiology (United States); Bhagat, Nikhil, E-mail: nikhibhagat@gmail.com [Kaiser Permanente, Division of Vascular & Interventional Radiology (United States); Marx, Jonathan K., E-mail: jmarx9@jhmi.edu [Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Division of Vascular & Interventional Radiology (United States); Streiff, Michael, E-mail: mstreif@jhmi.edu [Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Department of Hematology (United States); Lessne, Mark L., E-mail: mlessne@gmail.com [Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Division of Vascular & Interventional Radiology (United States)

    2016-04-15

    PurposeTo evaluate the feasibility, risks, and techniques of percutaneous removal of permanent TrapEase and Simon Nitinol IVC filters.Materials and MethodsBetween August 2011 and August 2015, 12 patients (5 women, 7 men; age range, 26–75 years) underwent an attempt at percutaneous removal of permanent TrapEase (10) and Simon Nitinol (2) IVC filters due to a history of IVC filter complications or need for lifelong anticoagulation due to the filter. Medical records were reviewed for filter dwell time, presence of iliocaval deep venous thrombosis, procedural technique, and complications.ResultsFilter dwell times ranged from 7 days to 15 years (mean 5.1 years). Successful removal of permanent IVC filters was possible in 11 of 12 patients (91.6 %). In 1 patient, a chronically thrombosed IVC filter could not be removed despite laser sheath assistance, but was successfully recanalized with the PowerWire RF guidewire. In the failed retrieval attempt, a stent was placed through the chronically thrombosed IVC filter with restoration of in-line flow. One major complication of large venous groin hematoma was encountered.ConclusionsIn carefully selected patients, percutaneous removal of permanent IVC filters can be performed safely despite prolonged filter dwell times. Extraction of chronically embedded permanent IVC filters may be facilitated by jugular and femoral approaches, often with laser sheath assistance. Chronic filter thrombosis and caval scarring may increase the risk of retrieval failure.

  14. Percutaneous Retrieval of Permanent Inferior Vena Cava Filters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tamrazi, Anobel; Wadhwa, Vibhor; Holly, Brian; Bhagat, Nikhil; Marx, Jonathan K.; Streiff, Michael; Lessne, Mark L.

    2016-01-01

    PurposeTo evaluate the feasibility, risks, and techniques of percutaneous removal of permanent TrapEase and Simon Nitinol IVC filters.Materials and MethodsBetween August 2011 and August 2015, 12 patients (5 women, 7 men; age range, 26–75 years) underwent an attempt at percutaneous removal of permanent TrapEase (10) and Simon Nitinol (2) IVC filters due to a history of IVC filter complications or need for lifelong anticoagulation due to the filter. Medical records were reviewed for filter dwell time, presence of iliocaval deep venous thrombosis, procedural technique, and complications.ResultsFilter dwell times ranged from 7 days to 15 years (mean 5.1 years). Successful removal of permanent IVC filters was possible in 11 of 12 patients (91.6 %). In 1 patient, a chronically thrombosed IVC filter could not be removed despite laser sheath assistance, but was successfully recanalized with the PowerWire RF guidewire. In the failed retrieval attempt, a stent was placed through the chronically thrombosed IVC filter with restoration of in-line flow. One major complication of large venous groin hematoma was encountered.ConclusionsIn carefully selected patients, percutaneous removal of permanent IVC filters can be performed safely despite prolonged filter dwell times. Extraction of chronically embedded permanent IVC filters may be facilitated by jugular and femoral approaches, often with laser sheath assistance. Chronic filter thrombosis and caval scarring may increase the risk of retrieval failure.

  15. Design and fabrication of magnetic coolant filter

    Science.gov (United States)

    Prashanth, B. N.

    2017-07-01

    lose its strength even number of years of use. Dirty coolant is fed from the machines in to the reservoir of the coolant filter either by a pump or taken by the gravity and flows under the tray. This attracts the ferrous particles and builds up a cake of ferrous material and finally taken away by the scraper. The moving permanent magnets mounted on the shaft attracts ferrous chips and slide them on to plate and then to the discharge end or sludge bin. The coolant separated from chips flow back to the coolant tank. Well in this fast changing growth of metal working operation the recycling of cutting fluids become very important for the management of coolant. With the help of this developed model of magnetic coolant separator we can get highly efficient way of filtration guarantying fine finish, dimensional accuracy and increased tool life. The most significant role of this filter is that, it will reduce the waste disposal of coolant and a net profit for the production industries.

  16. Radiological and toxicological calculations for AY-102 and C-106HEPA filters and pre-filters

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Simpson, T.R.; Van Vleet, R.J.

    1997-07-01

    The high heat content solids in Tank 241-C-106 are to be removed and transferred to Tank 241-AY-102 by sluicing operations, to be authorized under project W-320. Once sluicing operations are underway, the state of these tanks will be transformed from `unagitated` to `agitated`. This means that the partition fraction which described the aerosol content of the head space will increase from 1 X 10{sup - 20} to 1 X 10{sup -1}. This head space will become much more loaded with suspended material. The nature of this suspended material may change significantly, sluicing may inadvertently bring up radioactive solids which normally would lay under many meters of liquid supernate. It is an enabling assumption that the headspace and filter aerosols in Tank 241-AY-102 are a 90/10 liquid/solid split; there is an unmitigated and mitigated composition. It is an enabling assumption that the sluicing line; the headspace in Tank 241-C-106, and the filters in Tank 241-C-106 contain aerosols which are a 67/33 liquid/solid split; there is an unmitigated and mitigated composition.

  17. Replicating the microbial community and water quality performance of full-scale slow sand filters in laboratory-scale filters.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haig, Sarah-Jane; Quince, Christopher; Davies, Robert L; Dorea, Caetano C; Collins, Gavin

    2014-09-15

    Previous laboratory-scale studies to characterise the functional microbial ecology of slow sand filters have suffered from methodological limitations that could compromise their relevance to full-scale systems. Therefore, to ascertain if laboratory-scale slow sand filters (L-SSFs) can replicate the microbial community and water quality production of industrially operated full-scale slow sand filters (I-SSFs), eight cylindrical L-SSFs were constructed and were used to treat water from the same source as the I-SSFs. Half of the L-SSFs sand beds were composed of sterilized sand (sterile) from the industrial filters and the other half with sand taken directly from the same industrial filter (non-sterile). All filters were operated for 10 weeks, with the microbial community and water quality parameters sampled and analysed weekly. To characterize the microbial community phyla-specific qPCR assays and 454 pyrosequencing of the 16S rRNA gene were used in conjunction with an array of statistical techniques. The results demonstrate that it is possible to mimic both the water quality production and the structure of the microbial community of full-scale filters in the laboratory - at all levels of taxonomic classification except OTU - thus allowing comparison of LSSF experiments with full-scale units. Further, it was found that the sand type composing the filter bed (non-sterile or sterile), the water quality produced, the age of the filters and the depth of sand samples were all significant factors in explaining observed differences in the structure of the microbial consortia. This study is the first to the authors' knowledge that demonstrates that scaled-down slow sand filters can accurately reproduce the water quality and microbial consortia of full-scale slow sand filters. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Effect of Intake Air Filter Condition on Vehicle Fuel Economy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Norman, Kevin M [ORNL; Huff, Shean P [ORNL; West, Brian H [ORNL

    2009-02-01

    The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) jointly maintain a fuel economy website (www.fueleconomy.gov), which helps fulfill their responsibility under the Energy Policy Act of 1992 to provide accurate fuel economy information [in miles per gallon (mpg)] to consumers. The site provides information on EPA fuel economy ratings for passenger cars and light trucks from 1985 to the present and other relevant information related to energy use such as alternative fuels and driving and vehicle maintenance tips. In recent years, fluctuations in the price of crude oil and corresponding fluctuations in the price of gasoline and diesel fuels have renewed interest in vehicle fuel economy in the United States. (User sessions on the fuel economy website exceeded 20 million in 2008 compared to less than 5 million in 2004 and less than 1 million in 2001.) As a result of this renewed interest and the age of some of the references cited in the tips section of the website, DOE authorized the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) Fuels, Engines, and Emissions Research Center (FEERC) to initiate studies to validate and improve these tips. This report documents a study aimed specifically at the effect of engine air filter condition on fuel economy. The goal of this study was to explore the effects of a clogged air filter on the fuel economy of vehicles operating over prescribed test cycles. Three newer vehicles (a 2007 Buick Lucerne, a 2006 Dodge Charger, and a 2003 Toyota Camry) and an older carbureted vehicle were tested. Results show that clogging the air filter has no significant effect on the fuel economy of the newer vehicles (all fuel injected with closed-loop control and one equipped with MDS). The engine control systems were able to maintain the desired AFR regardless of intake restrictions, and therefore fuel consumption was not increased. The carbureted engine did show a decrease in

  19. Drawer compacted sand filter: a new and innovative method for on-site grey water treatment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Assayed, Almoayied; Chenoweth, Jonathan; Pedley, Steven

    2014-01-01

    In this paper, results ofa new sand filter design were presented. The drawer compacted sand filter (DCSF) is a modified design for a sand filter in which the sand layer is broken down into several layers, each of which is 10 cm high and placed in a movable drawer separated by a 10 cm space. A lab-scale DCSF was designed and operated for 330 days fed by synthetic grey water. The response of drawer sand filters to variable hydraulic and organic loading rates (HLR and OLR) in terms of biological oxygen demand (BODs), chemical oxygen demand (COD), total suspended solids (TSS), pH, electrical conductivity and Escherichia coli reductions were evaluated. The HLR was studied by increasing from 72 to 142 L m(-2) day(-1) and OLR was studied by increasing it from 23 to 30 g BOD5 m(-2) day(-1) while keeping the HLR constant at 142 L m(-2) day(-1). Each loading regime was applied for 110 days. Results showed that DCSF was able to remove >90% of organic matter and total suspended solids for all doses. No significant difference was noticed in terms of overall filter efficiency between different loads for all parameters. Significant reduction in BOD5 and COD (P water was drained through the third drawer in all tested loads. The paper concludes that DCSF would be appropriate for use in dense urban areas as its footprint is small and is appropriate for a wide range of users because of its convenience and low maintenance requirements.

  20. FIR Filter Sharpening by Frequency Masking and Pipelining-Interleaving Technique

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    CIRIC, M. P.

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available This paper focuses on the improvements of digital filters with a highly sharp transition zone on the Xilinx FPGA chips by combining a sharpening method based on the amplitude change function and frequency masking and PI (Pipelining-Interleaving techniques. A linear phase requires digital filter realizations with Finite Impulse Response (FIR filters. On the other hand, a drawback of FIR filters applications is a low computational efficiency, especially in applications such as filter sharpening techniques, because this technique uses processing the data by repeated passes through the same filter. Computational efficiency of FIR filters can be significantly improved by using some of the multirate techniques, and such a degree of computation savings cannot be achieved in multirate implementations of IIR (Infinite Impulse Response filters. This paper shows the realization of a filter sharpening method with FIR filters combined with frequency masking and PI (Pipelining-Interleaving technique in order to effectively realize the filter with improved characteristic. This realization at the same time keeps the good features of FIR filters such as the linear phase characteristic.

  1. The application of wedge type compensation filter for uniform density on the endoscopic retrograde pancreatography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Son, Soon Yong; Lee, Hee Jeong; Lee, Won Hong; Cho, Cheong Chan; Ryu, Meung Sun; Jung, Hong Ryang

    2001-01-01

    Over-density of pancreatic duct tail part on the endoscopic retrograde pancreatogram results from patient's position and inserted air during the study. The aim of this paper is to decide the filter angle to obtain an uniform density. Endoscopic retrograde pancratography was performed to 234 patients, and angled wedge filter was used differently. They are 10 deg (47), 20 deg (45), 30 deg (50). We also did not use wedge filter to 42 patients. We decided reliance degree in 95%. The statistical difference was p<0.05. The patients' sex rate was 1.8:1 between 18 and 87 years old(average age 58 years). Their body girth was 18.71 cm on the average. Of total 234 patients, difference of right and left average density was 0.01 by 30 deg wedge filter, -0.08 40 deg wedge filter and 0.27 non-wedge filter. These average values of difference density were very significant statistically, and standard deviation also was close to regular distribution. In conclusion, there is a usefulness of angled wedge filter for increasing diagnostic value of pancreatic duct tail part on the endoscopic retrograde pancreatogram

  2. Development of an elution device for ViroCap virus filters.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fagnant, Christine Susan; Toles, Matthew; Zhou, Nicolette Angela; Powell, Jacob; Adolphsen, John; Guan, Yifei; Ockerman, Byron; Shirai, Jeffry Hiroshi; Boyle, David S; Novosselov, Igor; Meschke, John Scott

    2017-10-19

    Environmental surveillance of waterborne pathogens is vital for monitoring the spread of diseases, and electropositive filters are frequently used for sampling wastewater and wastewater-impacted surface water. Viruses adsorbed to electropositive filters require elution prior to detection or quantification. Elution is typically facilitated by a peristaltic pump, although this requires a significant startup cost and does not include biosafety or cross-contamination considerations. These factors may pose a barrier for low-resource laboratories that aim to conduct environmental surveillance of viruses. The objective of this study was to develop a biologically enclosed, manually powered, low-cost device for effectively eluting from electropositive ViroCap™ virus filters. The elution device described here utilizes a non-electric bilge pump, instead of an electric peristaltic pump or a positive pressure vessel. The elution device also fully encloses liquids and aerosols that could contain biological organisms, thereby increasing biosafety. Moreover, all elution device components that are used in the biosafety cabinet are autoclavable, reducing cross-contamination potential. This device reduces costs of materials while maintaining convenience in terms of size and weight. With this new device, there is little sample volume loss due to device inefficiency, similar virus yields were demonstrated during seeded studies with poliovirus type 1, and the time to elute filters is similar to that required with the peristaltic pump. The efforts described here resulted in a novel, low-cost, manually powered elution device that can facilitate environmental surveillance of pathogens through effective virus recovery from ViroCap filters while maintaining the potential for adaptability to other cartridge filters.

  3. Analog and digital filtering of the brain stem auditory evoked response.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kavanagh, K T; Franks, R

    1989-07-01

    This study compared the filtering effects on the auditory evoked potential of zero and standard phase shift digital filters (the former was a mathematical approximation of a standard Butterworth filter). Conventional filters were found to decrease the height of the evoked response in the majority of waveforms compared to zero phase shift filters. A 36-dB/octave zero phase shift high pass filter with a cutoff frequency of 100 Hz produced a 16% reduction in wave amplitude compared to the unfiltered control. A 36-dB/octave, 100-Hz standard phase shift high pass filter produced a 41% reduction, and a 12-dB/octave, 150-Hz standard phase shift high pass filter produced a 38% reduction in wave amplitude compared to the unfiltered control. A decrease in the mean along with an increase in the variability of wave IV/V latency was also noted with conventional compared to zero phase shift filters. The increase in the variability of the latency measurement was due to the difficulty in waveform identification caused by the phase shift distortion of the conventional filter along with the variable decrease in wave latency caused by phase shifting responses with different spectral content. Our results indicated that a zero phase shift high pass filter of 100 Hz was the most desirable filter studied for the mitigation of spontaneous brain activity and random muscle artifact.

  4. Case of a Misplaced IVC Filter: A Lesson to Learn

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sharma, Sanjay; Mukund, Amar; Agarwal, Sandeep; Srivastava, Deep N.

    2010-01-01

    The inferior vena cava (IVC) filter insertion is a well established procedure to prevent significant pulmonary embolism in selected situations. It is generally considered straight forward without significant complications. We report an interesting case of a young postpartum woman in whom an IVC filter was misplaced in the right gonadal vein. This complication is only rarely reported. Presence of prominent right gonadal vein must always be kept in mind during trans-jugular placement of infra renal filter in the IVC in post partum women.

  5. Electrostatic air filters generated by electric fields

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bergman, W.; Biermann, A.H.; Hebard, H.D.; Lum, B.Y.; Kuhl, W.D.

    1981-01-01

    This paper presents theoretical and experimental findings on fibrous filters converted to electrostatic operation by a nonionizing electric field. Compared to a conventional fibrous filter, the electrostatic filter has a higher efficiency and a longer, useful life. The increased efficiency is attributed to a time independent attraction between polarized fibers and charged, polarized particles and a time dependent attraction between charged fibers and charged, polarized particles. The charge on the fibers results from a dynamic process of charge accumulation due to the particle deposits and a charge dissipation due to the fiber conductivity

  6. An improved filtered spherical harmonic method for transport calculations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ahrens, C.; Merton, S.

    2013-01-01

    Motivated by the work of R. G. McClarren, C. D. Hauck, and R. B. Lowrie on a filtered spherical harmonic method, we present a new filter for such numerical approximations to the multi-dimensional transport equation. In several test problems, we demonstrate that the new filter produces results with significantly less Gibbs phenomena than the filter used by McClarren, Hauck and Lowrie. This reduction in Gibbs phenomena translates into propagation speeds that more closely match the correct propagation speed and solutions that have fewer regions where the scalar flux is negative. (authors)

  7. Balanced microwave filters

    CERN Document Server

    Hong, Jiasheng; Medina, Francisco; Martiacuten, Ferran

    2018-01-01

    This book presents and discusses strategies for the design and implementation of common-mode suppressed balanced microwave filters, including, narrowband, wideband, and ultra-wideband filters This book examines differential-mode, or balanced, microwave filters by discussing several implementations of practical realizations of these passive components. Topics covered include selective mode suppression, designs based on distributed and semi-lumped approaches, multilayer technologies, defect ground structures, coupled resonators, metamaterials, interference techniques, and substrate integrated waveguides, among others. Divided into five parts, Balanced Microwave Filters begins with an introduction that presents the fundamentals of balanced lines, circuits, and networks. Part 2 covers balanced transmission lines with common-mode noise suppression, including several types of common-mode filters and the application of such filters to enhance common-mode suppression in balanced bandpass filters. Next, Part 3 exa...

  8. Orthonormal filters for identification in active control systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mayer, Dirk

    2015-01-01

    Many active noise and vibration control systems require models of the control paths. When the controlled system changes slightly over time, adaptive digital filters for the identification of the models are useful. This paper aims at the investigation of a special class of adaptive digital filters: orthonormal filter banks possess the robust and simple adaptation of the widely applied finite impulse response (FIR) filters, but at a lower model order, which is important when considering implementation on embedded systems. However, the filter banks require prior knowledge about the resonance frequencies and damping of the structure. This knowledge can be supposed to be of limited precision, since in many practical systems, uncertainties in the structural parameters exist. In this work, a procedure using a number of training systems to find the fixed parameters for the filter banks is applied. The effect of uncertainties in the prior knowledge on the model error is examined both with a basic example and in an experiment. Furthermore, the possibilities to compensate for the imprecise prior knowledge by a higher filter order are investigated. Also comparisons with FIR filters are implemented in order to assess the possible advantages of the orthonormal filter banks. Numerical and experimental investigations show that significantly lower computational effort can be reached by the filter banks under certain conditions. (paper)

  9. The development of a HEPA filter with improved dust holding characteristics

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dyment, J.; Hamblin, C.

    1995-02-01

    A limitation of the HEPA filters used in the extract of nuclear facilities is their relatively low capacity for captured dust. The costs associated with the disposal of a typical filter means that there are clear incentives to extend filter life. The work described in this report are the initial stages in the development of a filter which incorporates a medium which enhances its dust holding capacity. Experimental equipment was installed to enable the dust loading characteristics of candidate media to be compared with those of the glass fibre based papers currently used in filter construction. These tests involved challenging representative samples of the media with an air stream containing a controlled concentration of thermally generated sodium chloride particles. The dust loading characteristics of the media were then compared in terms of the rate of increasing in pressure differential. A number of {open_quotes}graded density{close_quotes} papers were subsequently identified which appeared to offer significant improvements in dust holding. In the second phase of the programme deep-pleat filters (1,700 M{sup 3}h{sup {minus}1}) incorporating graded density papers were manufactured and tested. Improvements of up to 50% were observed in their capacity for the sub-micron sodium chloride test dust. Smaller differences (15%) were measured when a coarser, carbon black, challenge was used. This is attributed to the differences in the particles sizes of the two dusts.

  10. Backflushable filter insert

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Keith, R.C.; Vandenberg, T.; Randolph, M.C.; Lewis, T.B.; Gillis, P.J. Jr.

    1988-01-01

    Filter elements are mounted on a tube plate beneath an accumulator chamber whose wall is extended by skirt and flange to form a closure for the top of pressure vessel. The accumulator chamber is annular around a central pipe which serves as the outlet for filtered water passing from the filter elements. The chamber contains filtered compressed air from supply. Periodically the filtration of water is stopped and vessel is drained. Then a valve is opened, allowing the accumulated air to flow from chamber up a pipe and down pipe, pushing the filtered water from pipe back through the filter elements to clean them. The accumulator chamber is so proportioned, relative to the volume of the system communicating therewith during backflushing, that the equilibrium pressure during backflushing cannot exceed the pressure rating of the vessel. However a line monitors the pressure at the top of the vessel, and if it rises too far a bleed valve is automatically opened to depressurise the system. The chamber is intended to replace the lid of an existing vessel to convert a filter using filter aid to one using permanent filter elements. (author)

  11. Anti-clogging filter system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brown, Erik P.

    2015-05-19

    An anti-clogging filter system for filtering a fluid containing large particles and small particles includes an enclosure with at least one individual elongated tubular filter element in the enclosure. The individual elongated tubular filter element has an internal passage, a closed end, an open end, and a filtering material in or on the individual elongated tubular filter element. The fluid travels through the open end of the elongated tubular element and through the internal passage and through the filtering material. An anti-clogging element is positioned on or adjacent the individual elongated tubular filter element and provides a fluid curtain that preferentially directs the larger particulates to one area of the filter material allowing the remainder of the filter material to remain more efficient.

  12. Testing particle filters on convective scale dynamics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haslehner, Mylene; Craig, George. C.; Janjic, Tijana

    2014-05-01

    Particle filters have been developed in recent years to deal with highly nonlinear dynamics and non Gaussian error statistics that also characterize data assimilation on convective scales. In this work we explore the use of the efficient particle filter (P.v. Leeuwen, 2011) for convective scale data assimilation application. The method is tested in idealized setting, on two stochastic models. The models were designed to reproduce some of the properties of convection, for example the rapid development and decay of convective clouds. The first model is a simple one-dimensional, discrete state birth-death model of clouds (Craig and Würsch, 2012). For this model, the efficient particle filter that includes nudging the variables shows significant improvement compared to Ensemble Kalman Filter and Sequential Importance Resampling (SIR) particle filter. The success of the combination of nudging and resampling, measured as RMS error with respect to the 'true state', is proportional to the nudging intensity. Significantly, even a very weak nudging intensity brings notable improvement over SIR. The second model is a modified version of a stochastic shallow water model (Würsch and Craig 2013), which contains more realistic dynamical characteristics of convective scale phenomena. Using the efficient particle filter and different combination of observations of the three field variables (wind, water 'height' and rain) allows the particle filter to be evaluated in comparison to a regime where only nudging is used. Sensitivity to the properties of the model error covariance is also considered. Finally, criteria are identified under which the efficient particle filter outperforms nudging alone. References: Craig, G. C. and M. Würsch, 2012: The impact of localization and observation averaging for convective-scale data assimilation in a simple stochastic model. Q. J. R. Meteorol. Soc.,139, 515-523. Van Leeuwen, P. J., 2011: Efficient non-linear data assimilation in geophysical

  13. Selection vector filter framework

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lukac, Rastislav; Plataniotis, Konstantinos N.; Smolka, Bogdan; Venetsanopoulos, Anastasios N.

    2003-10-01

    We provide a unified framework of nonlinear vector techniques outputting the lowest ranked vector. The proposed framework constitutes a generalized filter class for multichannel signal processing. A new class of nonlinear selection filters are based on the robust order-statistic theory and the minimization of the weighted distance function to other input samples. The proposed method can be designed to perform a variety of filtering operations including previously developed filtering techniques such as vector median, basic vector directional filter, directional distance filter, weighted vector median filters and weighted directional filters. A wide range of filtering operations is guaranteed by the filter structure with two independent weight vectors for angular and distance domains of the vector space. In order to adapt the filter parameters to varying signal and noise statistics, we provide also the generalized optimization algorithms taking the advantage of the weighted median filters and the relationship between standard median filter and vector median filter. Thus, we can deal with both statistical and deterministic aspects of the filter design process. It will be shown that the proposed method holds the required properties such as the capability of modelling the underlying system in the application at hand, the robustness with respect to errors in the model of underlying system, the availability of the training procedure and finally, the simplicity of filter representation, analysis, design and implementation. Simulation studies also indicate that the new filters are computationally attractive and have excellent performance in environments corrupted by bit errors and impulsive noise.

  14. An Adaptive Filter for the Removal of Drifting Sinusoidal Noise Without a Reference.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kelly, John W; Siewiorek, Daniel P; Smailagic, Asim; Wang, Wei

    2016-01-01

    This paper presents a method for filtering sinusoidal noise with a variable bandwidth filter that is capable of tracking a sinusoid's drifting frequency. The method, which is based on the adaptive noise canceling (ANC) technique, will be referred to here as the adaptive sinusoid canceler (ASC). The ASC eliminates sinusoidal contamination by tracking its frequency and achieving a narrower bandwidth than typical notch filters. The detected frequency is used to digitally generate an internal reference instead of relying on an external one as ANC filters typically do. The filter's bandwidth adjusts to achieve faster and more accurate convergence. In this paper, the focus of the discussion and the data is physiological signals, specifically electrocorticographic (ECoG) neural data contaminated with power line noise, but the presented technique could be applicable to other recordings as well. On simulated data, the ASC was able to reliably track the noise's frequency, properly adjust its bandwidth, and outperform comparative methods including standard notch filters and an adaptive line enhancer. These results were reinforced by visual results obtained from real ECoG data. The ASC showed that it could be an effective method for increasing signal to noise ratio in the presence of drifting sinusoidal noise, which is of significant interest for biomedical applications.

  15. Detection by means of CT of inferior vena cava filters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zurera Tendero, L.J.; Canis Lopez, M.; Oteros Fernandez, R.; Ramos Gomez, M.; Garcia Revillo, J.; Roman Rios, G.

    1995-01-01

    Vena cava filters are an excellent tool for the prevention of pulmonary embolism (PE) in patients with deep vein thrombosis (DVT) of the lower limbs. However, these devices are not entirely free of complications as thrombi can develop inside them, threatening to occlude them completely. The objective of this report is to study the incidence of thrombosis in vena cava filters, as well as their impact on prognosis. We also mention the importance of CT as an imaging technique in the study of this complication. We present 30 patients in whom different filters were implanted and their prospective follow-up by means of CT over a mean follow-up period of 36 months. Chi-square analysis was used to determine whether there was a significant relationship among the complications encountered (p<0,05), and their course over time was studied by means of Kaplan-Meyer curves. Five cases (16%) of complete thrombosis of the filter were observed among patients in whom the Gunther model had been implanted, yielding an index of probability of complete permeability of the inferior vena cava at 13 months of 82%. Thrombi of different degrees (between 5% and 60%) were also observed inside the filter in ten patients (33%) with Gunther, Simon-Nitional and LGM models. Filter thrombosis was not significantly associated with the onset of recurrent PE or of venous disorders involving lower limbs, the relationship between PE and preimplantation presence of inferior vena cava thrombosis was significant (p<0.01). It was also observed that post implantation anti coagulation did not significantly prevent later onset of filter thrombosis. (Author)

  16. HIGH-PRECISION ATTITUDE ESTIMATION METHOD OF STAR SENSORS AND GYRO BASED ON COMPLEMENTARY FILTER AND UNSCENTED KALMAN FILTER

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    C. Guo

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available Determining the attitude of satellite at the time of imaging then establishing the mathematical relationship between image points and ground points is essential in high-resolution remote sensing image mapping. Star tracker is insensitive to the high frequency attitude variation due to the measure noise and satellite jitter, but the low frequency attitude motion can be determined with high accuracy. Gyro, as a short-term reference to the satellite’s attitude, is sensitive to high frequency attitude change, but due to the existence of gyro drift and integral error, the attitude determination error increases with time. Based on the opposite noise frequency characteristics of two kinds of attitude sensors, this paper proposes an on-orbit attitude estimation method of star sensors and gyro based on Complementary Filter (CF and Unscented Kalman Filter (UKF. In this study, the principle and implementation of the proposed method are described. First, gyro attitude quaternions are acquired based on the attitude kinematics equation. An attitude information fusion method is then introduced, which applies high-pass filtering and low-pass filtering to the gyro and star tracker, respectively. Second, the attitude fusion data based on CF are introduced as the observed values of UKF system in the process of measurement updating. The accuracy and effectiveness of the method are validated based on the simulated sensors attitude data. The obtained results indicate that the proposed method can suppress the gyro drift and measure noise of attitude sensors, improving the accuracy of the attitude determination significantly, comparing with the simulated on-orbit attitude and the attitude estimation results of the UKF defined by the same simulation parameters.

  17. Computationally efficient video restoration for Nyquist sampled imaging sensors combining an affine-motion-based temporal Kalman filter and adaptive Wiener filter.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rucci, Michael; Hardie, Russell C; Barnard, Kenneth J

    2014-05-01

    In this paper, we present a computationally efficient video restoration algorithm to address both blur and noise for a Nyquist sampled imaging system. The proposed method utilizes a temporal Kalman filter followed by a correlation-model based spatial adaptive Wiener filter (AWF). The Kalman filter employs an affine background motion model and novel process-noise variance estimate. We also propose and demonstrate a new multidelay temporal Kalman filter designed to more robustly treat local motion. The AWF is a spatial operation that performs deconvolution and adapts to the spatially varying residual noise left in the Kalman filter stage. In image areas where the temporal Kalman filter is able to provide significant noise reduction, the AWF can be aggressive in its deconvolution. In other areas, where less noise reduction is achieved with the Kalman filter, the AWF balances the deconvolution with spatial noise reduction. In this way, the Kalman filter and AWF work together effectively, but without the computational burden of full joint spatiotemporal processing. We also propose a novel hybrid system that combines a temporal Kalman filter and BM3D processing. To illustrate the efficacy of the proposed methods, we test the algorithms on both simulated imagery and video collected with a visible camera.

  18. A tool for filtering information in complex systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tumminello, M.; Aste, T.; Di Matteo, T.; Mantegna, R. N.

    2005-07-01

    We introduce a technique to filter out complex data sets by extracting a subgraph of representative links. Such a filtering can be tuned up to any desired level by controlling the genus of the resulting graph. We show that this technique is especially suitable for correlation-based graphs, giving filtered graphs that preserve the hierarchical organization of the minimum spanning tree but containing a larger amount of information in their internal structure. In particular in the case of planar filtered graphs (genus equal to 0), triangular loops and four-element cliques are formed. The application of this filtering procedure to 100 stocks in the U.S. equity markets shows that such loops and cliques have important and significant relationships with the market structure and properties. This paper was submitted directly (Track II) to the PNAS office.Abbreviations: MST, minimum spanning tree; PMFG, Planar Maximally Filtered Graph; r-clique, clique of r elements.

  19. Changing ventilation filters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hackney, S.

    1980-01-01

    A filter changing unit has a door which interlocks with the door of a filter chamber so as to prevent contamination of the outer surfaces of the doors by radioactive material collected on the filter element and a movable support which enables a filter chamber thereonto to be stored within the unit in such a way that the doors of the unit and the filter chamber can be replaced. The door pivots and interlocks with another door by means of a bolt, a seal around the periphery lip of the first door engages the periphery of the second door to seal the gap. A support pivots into a lower filter element storage position. Inspection windows and glove ports are provided. The unit is releasably connected to the filter chamber by bolts engaging in a flange provided around an opening. (author)

  20. Biogas Filter Based on Local Natural Zeolite Materials

    OpenAIRE

    Krido Wahono, Satriyo; Anggo Rizal, Wahyu

    2014-01-01

    UPT BPPTK LIPI has created a biogas filter tool to improve the purity of methane in the biogas. The device shaped cylindrical tube containing absorbent materials which based on local natural zeolite of Indonesia. The absorbent has been activated and modified with other materials. This absorbtion material has multi-adsorption capacity for almost impurities gas of biogas. The biogas  filter increase methane content of biogas for 5-20%. The biogas filter improve the biogas’s performance such as ...

  1. Kinematics of ram filter feeding and beat-glide swimming in the northern anchovy Engraulis mordax.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carey, Nicholas; Goldbogen, Jeremy A

    2017-08-01

    In the dense aquatic environment, the most adept swimmers are streamlined to reduce drag and increase the efficiency of locomotion. However, because they open their mouth to wide gape angles to deploy their filtering apparatus, ram filter feeders apparently switch between diametrically opposite swimming modes: highly efficient, streamlined 'beat-glide' swimming, and ram filter feeding, which has been hypothesized to be a high-cost feeding mode because of presumed increased drag. Ram filter-feeding forage fish are thought to play an important role in the flux of nutrients and energy in upwelling ecosystems; however, the biomechanics and energetics of this feeding mechanism remain poorly understood. We quantified the kinematics of an iconic forage fish, the northern anchovy, Engraulis mordax , during ram filter feeding and non-feeding, mouth-closed beat-glide swimming. Although many kinematic parameters between the two swimming modes were similar, we found that swimming speeds and tailbeat frequencies were significantly lower during ram feeding. Rather than maintain speed with the school, a speed which closely matches theoretical optimum filter-feeding speeds was consistently observed. Beat-glide swimming was characterized by high variability in all kinematic parameters, but variance in kinematic parameters was much lower during ram filter feeding. Under this mode, body kinematics are substantially modified, and E. mordax swims more slowly and with decreased lateral movement along the entire body, but most noticeably in the anterior. Our results suggest that hydrodynamic effects that come with deployment of the filtering anatomy may limit behavioral options during foraging and result in slower swimming speeds during ram filtration. © 2017. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

  2. Optimized filtering of regional and teleseismic seismograms: results of maximizing SNR measurements from the wavelet transform and filter banks

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Leach, R.R.; Schultz, C.; Dowla, F.

    1997-07-15

    Development of a worldwide network to monitor seismic activity requires deployment of seismic sensors in areas which have not been well studied or may have from available recordings. Development and testing of detection and discrimination algorithms requires a robust representative set of calibrated seismic events for a given region. Utilizing events with poor signal-to-noise (SNR) can add significant numbers to usable data sets, but these events must first be adequately filtered. Source and path effects can make this a difficult task as filtering demands are highly varied as a function of distance, event magnitude, bearing, depth etc. For a given region, conventional methods of filter selection can be quite subjective and may require intensive analysis of many events. In addition, filter parameters are often overly generalized or contain complicated switching. We have developed a method to provide an optimized filter for any regional or teleseismically recorded event. Recorded seismic signals contain arrival energy which is localized in frequency and time. Localized temporal signals whose frequency content is different from the frequency content of the pre-arrival record are identified using rms power measurements. The method is based on the decomposition of a time series into a set of time series signals or scales. Each scale represents a time-frequency band with a constant Q. SNR is calculated for a pre-event noise window and for a window estimated to contain the arrival. Scales with high SNR are used to indicate the band pass limits for the optimized filter.The results offer a significant improvement in SNR particularly for low SNR events. Our method provides a straightforward, optimized filter which can be immediately applied to unknown regions as knowledge of the geophysical characteristics is not required. The filtered signals can be used to map the seismic frequency response of a region and may provide improvements in travel-time picking, bearing estimation

  3. Iodine filters in nuclear power stations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wilhelm, J.G.

    1977-04-01

    On the basis of calculated and recorded release rates of nuclear power plants, the significance of iodine releases in the invironmental impact relative to other nuclides is discussed. The release pathways for iodine in LWR-type reactors and the efficiency of various methods to lower the activity release are given. The airborne species of iodine are discussed with regard to their removal in iodine sorption filters and environmental impact. The technical status of iodine removal by means of iodine sorption filters is studied for normal operation and accident conditions in nuclear power stations on the basis of the data given in the relevant literature for the efficiency of a number of iodine sorption materials. The applicability of concepts for ventilation and containment and their influence on iodine filter systems are discussed. Design, structure, and testing of iodine sorption filters are treated in detail; recommendations for design are given, and failure sources are mentioned. (orig.) [de

  4. Evaluation of Alternative Filter Media for the Rotary Microfilter

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Poirier, M. R.; Herman, D. T.; Bhave, R.

    2011-11-09

    The Savannah River Site is currently developing and testing several processes to treat high level radioactive liquid waste. Each of these processes has a solid-liquid separation process that limits its throughput. Savannah River National Laboratory researchers identified and tested the rotary microfilter as a technology to increase solid-liquid separation throughput. The authors believe the rotary microfilter throughput can be improved by using a better filter membrane. Previous testing showed that asymmetric filters composed of a ceramic membrane on top of a stainless steel support produced higher filter flux than 100% stainless steel symmetric filters in crossflow filter tests. Savannah River National Laboratory and Oak Ridge National Laboratory are working together to develop asymmetric ceramic ? stainless steel composite filters and asymmetric 100% stainless steel filters to improve the throughput of the rotary microfilter. The Oak Ridge National Laboratory Inorganic Membrane Group fabricated samples of alternative filter membranes. In addition, Savannah River National Laboratory obtained samples of filter membranes from Pall, Porvair, and SpinTek. They tested these samples in a static test cell with feed slurries containing monosodium titanate and simulated sludge.

  5. Evaluation of Alternative Filter Media for the Rotary Microfilter

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Poirier, M. R.; Herman, D. T.; Bhave, R.

    2011-01-01

    The Savannah River Site is currently developing and testing several processes to treat high level radioactive liquid waste. Each of these processes has a solid-liquid separation process that limits its throughput. Savannah River National Laboratory researchers identified and tested the rotary microfilter as a technology to increase solid-liquid separation throughput. The authors believe the rotary microfilter throughput can be improved by using a better filter membrane. Previous testing showed that asymmetric filters composed of a ceramic membrane on top of a stainless steel support produced higher filter flux than 100% stainless steel symmetric filters in crossflow filter tests. Savannah River National Laboratory and Oak Ridge National Laboratory are working together to develop asymmetric ceramic-stainless steel composite filters and asymmetric 100% stainless steel filters to improve the throughput of the rotary microfilter. The Oak Ridge National Laboratory Inorganic Membrane Group fabricated samples of alternative filter membranes. In addition, Savannah River National Laboratory obtained samples of filter membranes from Pall, Porvair, and SpinTek. They tested these samples in a static test cell with feed slurries containing monosodium titanate and simulated sludge

  6. The ''Nuclear-Karlsruhe'' air-filter system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Berliner, P.; Ohlmeyer, M.; Stotz, W.

    1976-01-01

    Increasing requirements for exhaust-air filter systems used in nuclear facilities induced the Gesellschaft fuer Kernforschung to develop the ''Nuclear-Karlsruhe'' HEPA filter system. This novel development has profited by experience gained in previous incidents as well as by maitenance and decontamination work performed with different HEPA filter systems. The proved ''Nuclear-Karlsruhe'' system takes equally into account the demands for optimum safety, maximum efficiency and economy, and is distinguished by the following features: (1) The air current is defected by 180 0 in the casing. Deflection causes quite a number of improvements, results in substantial reduction of space requirements, and avoids the dispersion of pollutants to the clean-air side. Besides, the HEPA filter is protected from damage by condensed particles or foreign materials entrained; (2) The ''Nuclear-Karlsruhe'' system allows gas-tight filter replacement. Special replacement collars have been provided at the casing, which allow the tight fastening of replacement bags which are self-locking. (3) In-place testing in the operating condition can be carried out very conveniently because the air is deflected. Minimum leaks in the filter medium or in the filter gasket can be detected by the high-sensitivity visual oil-thread test, which makes leaks distinctly visible as oil mist threads through a transparent front window provided on the clean-air side. The test takes only some minutes and its sensitivity is hardly matched by any other technique. (4) The clamping mechanism is installed outside the casing, i.e. outside the polluted or aggressive media. The contact force is spring-loaded absolutely uniformly to the circular filter gasket. (5) For practical and econmic reasons the filter casings can be locked individually so as to be gas-tight. (6) The entire system is made of stainless or coated steel and metal parts which are corrosion and fire-resistant. (author)

  7. Do blue-light filtering intraocular lenses affect visual function?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lavric, Alenka; Pompe, Manca Tekavcic

    2014-11-01

    To study different aspects of visual function, macular changes, and subjective differences between the eye with an ultraviolet (UV) and blue-light filtering intraocular lens (IOL) and the fellow eye with a UV-light filtering IOL. Thirty patients (60 eyes) with senile cataract had both cataracts extracted, and an IOL was implanted at least 2 years before clinical evaluation. In one eye, AcrySof SA60AT (a UV-light filtering IOL) was implanted, whereas in the contralateral eye, AcrySof IQ SN60WF (a blue-light filtering IOL) was implanted. Each patient underwent visual acuity testing, color vision testing (Ishihara and Farnsworth-Munsell 100-hue tests), and contrast sensitivity (CS) testing. The macula was evaluated with optical coherence tomography and with clinical examination. Patients were asked if they noted any difference between the implanted IOLs concerning visual impression. Subjective visual quality was evaluated using the National Eye Institute Visual Functioning Questionnaire. There was a borderline statistically significant difference in the mean best-corrected visual acuity (p = 0.05). As regards color vision, no significant changes in Ishihara and Farnsworth-Munsell 100-hue error scores were detected between both eyes (p = 0.48 and p = 0.59, respectively). Analysis of CS showed no significant difference between the groups at any spatial frequency. There were also no statistically significant differences in central macular thickness and total macular volume between the two IOL groups (p = 0.72 and p = 0.61, respectively). In both IOL groups, three eyes developed an epiretinal membrane, and six eyes developed early signs of age-related macular degeneration. This study showed no significant effects of a blue-light filtering IOL on visual acuity and no influence on color perception and CS. After more than 2 years, there were no significant differences in macular changes between the IOL groups. Clinical evidence of the effect of a blue-light filtering IOL on

  8. Device for automatic filter changing. Einrichtung zum selbsttaetigen Wechseln eines Filters

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Matschoss, V; Naschwitz, A; Wild, H

    1984-01-05

    A filter is moved from a store to an aerosol pipe by a lifting device and is clamped there. At the end of the operating period, the lifting device moves a new filter to a parking place. Control is from limit switches of the lifting, clamping and thrust devices and the position control of the store is by the limit switches. The filter changing device is enclosed in a gastight case, prevents blockage of a filter and makes it possible to set a certain operating period, to change the filter without interrupting the aerosol flow and to measure each filter in the sequence of operation outside the aerosol flow.

  9. Passive Noise Filtering by Cellular Compartmentalization.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stoeger, Thomas; Battich, Nico; Pelkmans, Lucas

    2016-03-10

    Chemical reactions contain an inherent element of randomness, which presents itself as noise that interferes with cellular processes and communication. Here we discuss the ability of the spatial partitioning of molecular systems to filter and, thus, remove noise, while preserving regulated and predictable differences between single living cells. In contrast to active noise filtering by network motifs, cellular compartmentalization is highly effective and easily scales to numerous systems without requiring a substantial usage of cellular energy. We will use passive noise filtering by the eukaryotic cell nucleus as an example of how this increases predictability of transcriptional output, with possible implications for the evolution of complex multicellularity. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  10. Optimal spatio-temporal filter for the reduction of crosstalk in surface electromyogram

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mesin, Luca

    2018-02-01

    Objective. Crosstalk can pose limitations to the applications of surface electromyogram (EMG). Its reduction can help in the identification of the activity of specific muscles. The selectivity of different spatial filters was tested in the literature both in simulations and experiments: their performances are affected by many factors (e.g. anatomy, conduction properties of the tissues and dimension/location of the electrodes); moreover, they reduce crosstalk by decreasing the detection volume, recording data that represent only the activity of a small portion of the muscle of interest. In this study, an alternative idea is proposed, based on a spatio-temporal filter. Approach. An adaptive method is applied, which filters both in time and among different channels, providing a signal that maximally preserves the energy of the EMG of interest and discards that of nearby muscles (increasing the signal to crosstalk ratio, SCR). Main results. Tests with simulations and experimental data show an average increase of the SCR of about 2 dB with respect to the single or double differential data processed by the filter. This allows to reduce the bias induced by crosstalk in conduction velocity and force estimation. Significance. The method can be applied to few channels, so that it is useful in applicative studies (e.g. clinics, gate analysis, rehabilitation protocols with EMG biofeedback and prosthesis control) where limited and not selective information is usually available.

  11. A fast Gaussian filtering algorithm for three-dimensional surface roughness measurements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yuan, Y B; Piao, W Y; Xu, J B

    2007-01-01

    The two-dimensional (2-D) Gaussian filter can be separated into two one-dimensional (1-D) Gaussian filters. The 1-D Gaussian filter can be implemented approximately by the cascaded Butterworth filters. The approximation accuracy will be improved with the increase of the number of the cascaded filters. A recursive algorithm for Gaussian filtering requires a relatively small number of simple mathematical operations such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division, so that it has considerable computational efficiency and it is very useful for three-dimensional (3-D) surface roughness measurements. The zero-phase-filtering technique is used in this algorithm, so there is no phase distortion in the Gaussian filtered mean surface. High-order approximation Gaussian filters are proposed for practical use to assure high accuracy of Gaussian filtering of 3-D surface roughness measurements

  12. A fast Gaussian filtering algorithm for three-dimensional surface roughness measurements

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yuan, Y. B.; Piao, W. Y.; Xu, J. B.

    2007-07-01

    The two-dimensional (2-D) Gaussian filter can be separated into two one-dimensional (1-D) Gaussian filters. The 1-D Gaussian filter can be implemented approximately by the cascaded Butterworth filters. The approximation accuracy will be improved with the increase of the number of the cascaded filters. A recursive algorithm for Gaussian filtering requires a relatively small number of simple mathematical operations such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division, so that it has considerable computational efficiency and it is very useful for three-dimensional (3-D) surface roughness measurements. The zero-phase-filtering technique is used in this algorithm, so there is no phase distortion in the Gaussian filtered mean surface. High-order approximation Gaussian filters are proposed for practical use to assure high accuracy of Gaussian filtering of 3-D surface roughness measurements.

  13. Sensory pollution from bag-type fiberglass ventilation filters: Conventional filter compared with filters containing various amounts of activated carbon

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bekö, Gabriel; Fadeyi, M.O.; Clausen, Geo

    2009-01-01

    filter and three modifications of a bag-type fiberglass combination filter: the "Heavy" corresponded to a commercially available filter containing 400 g of carbon per square meter of filter area, the "Medium" contained half as much carbon (200 g/m(2)), and the "Light" contained a quarter as much carbon...

  14. Performance Comparison of Various Filters Media in

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lilyan Yaqup Matti

    2013-05-01

    Full Text Available   In this research, a bench-scale filter is designed and constructed in order to compare the performance of different media namely, sand, crushed marble stone and crushed red brick. The filters are operated under various operating conditions such as filter depth, raw water turbidity, pretreatment, effective size and uniformity coefficient.          These filters are operated under conventional and direct filtration modes with different doses of alum. Statistical methods had been used to determine the best media using  Duncan multiple range test.     The result showed the superiority of crushed red brick media in the  removal of turbidity and total bacteria. The results also indicated that filters operated under direct filtration mode show better performance than that operated under conventional filtration mode. The pH of treated water show slight increase for the two modes of filtration.

  15. A Differential Geometric Approach to Nonlinear Filtering: The Projection Filter

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Brigo, D.; Hanzon, B.; LeGland, F.

    1998-01-01

    This paper presents a new and systematic method of approximating exact nonlinear filters with finite dimensional filters, using the differential geometric approach to statistics. The projection filter is defined rigorously in the case of exponential families. A convenient exponential family is

  16. Filter and Filter Bank Design for Image Texture Recognition

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Randen, Trygve

    1997-12-31

    The relevance of this thesis to energy and environment lies in its application to remote sensing such as for instance sea floor mapping and seismic pattern recognition. The focus is on the design of two-dimensional filters for feature extraction, segmentation, and classification of digital images with textural content. The features are extracted by filtering with a linear filter and estimating the local energy in the filter response. The thesis gives a review covering broadly most previous approaches to texture feature extraction and continues with proposals of some new techniques. 143 refs., 59 figs., 7 tabs.

  17. Real-time noise reduction for Mössbauer spectroscopy through online implementation of a modified Kalman filter

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Abrecht, David G., E-mail: david.abrecht@pnnl.gov [National Security Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, 902 Battelle Blvd., Richland, WA 99352 (United States); Schwantes, Jon M. [National Security Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, 902 Battelle Blvd., Richland, WA 99352 (United States); Kukkadapu, Ravi K. [Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, 902 Battelle Blvd., Richland, WA 99352 (United States); McDonald, Benjamin S.; Eiden, Gregory C.; Sweet, Lucas E. [National Security Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, 902 Battelle Blvd., Richland, WA 99352 (United States)

    2015-02-11

    Spectrum-processing software that incorporates a Gaussian smoothing kernel within the statistics of first-order Kalman filtration has been developed to provide cross-channel spectral noise reduction for increased real-time signal-to-noise ratios for Mössbauer spectroscopy. The filter was optimized for the breadth of the Gaussian using the Mössbauer spectrum of natural iron foil, and comparisons among the peak broadening, signal-to-noise ratios, and shifts in the calculated hyperfine parameters are presented. The results of optimization give a maximum improvement in the signal-to-noise ratio of 51.1% over the unfiltered spectrum at a Gaussian breadth of 27 channels, or 2.5% of the total spectrum width. The full-width half-maximum of the spectrum peaks showed an increase of 19.6% at this optimum point, indicating a relatively weak increase in the peak broadening relative to the signal enhancement, leading to an overall increase in the observable signal. Calculations of the hyperfine parameters showed that no statistically significant deviations were introduced from the application of the filter, confirming the utility of this filter for spectroscopy applications.

  18. Are Filter-Tipped Cigarettes Still Less Harmful than Non-Filter Cigarettes?—A Laser Spectrometric Particulate Matter Analysis from the Non-Smokers Point of View

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schulz, Maria; Gerber, Alexander; Groneberg, David A.

    2016-01-01

    Background: Environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) is associated with human morbidity and mortality, particularly chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD and lung cancer. Although direct DNA-damage is a leading pathomechanism in active smokers, passive smoking is enough to induce bronchial asthma, especially in children. Particulate matter (PM) demonstrably plays an important role in this ETS-associated human morbidity, constituting a surrogate parameter for ETS exposure. Methods: Using an Automatic Environmental Tobacco Smoke Emitter (AETSE) and an in-house developed, non-standard smoking regime, we tried to imitate the smoking process of human smokers to demonstrate the significance of passive smoking. Mean concentration (Cmean) and area under the curve (AUC) of particulate matter (PM2.5) emitted by 3R4F reference cigarettes and the popular filter-tipped and non-filter brand cigarettes “Roth-Händle” were measured and compared. The cigarettes were not conditioned prior to smoking. The measurements were tested for Gaussian distribution and significant differences. Results: Cmean PM2.5 of the 3R4F reference cigarette: 3911 µg/m3; of the filter-tipped Roth-Händle: 3831 µg/m3; and of the non-filter Roth-Händle: 2053 µg/m3. AUC PM2.5 of the 3R4F reference cigarette: 1,647,006 µg/m3·s; of the filter-tipped Roth-Händle: 1,608,000 µg/m3·s; and of the non-filter Roth-Händle: 858,891 µg/m3·s. Conclusion: The filter-tipped cigarettes (the 3R4F reference cigarette and filter-tipped Roth-Händle) emitted significantly more PM2.5 than the non-filter Roth-Händle. Considering the harmful potential of PM, our findings note that the filter-tipped cigarettes are not a less harmful alternative for passive smokers. Tobacco taxation should be reconsidered and non-smoking legislation enforced. PMID:27092519

  19. Potential for HEPA filter damage from water spray systems in filter plenums

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bergman, W. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (United States); Fretthold, J.K. [Rocky Flats Safe Sites of Colorado, Golden, CO (United States); Slawski, J.W. [Department of Energy, Germantown, MD (United States)

    1997-08-01

    The water spray systems in high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter plenums that are used in nearly all Department of Energy (DOE) facilities for protection against fire was designed under the assumption that the HEPA filters would not be damaged by the water sprays. The most likely scenario for filter damage involves filter plugging by the water spray, followed by the fan blowing out the filter medium. A number of controlled laboratory tests that were previously conducted in the late 1980s are reviewed in this paper to provide a technical basis for the potential HEPA filter damage by the water spray system in HEPA filter plenums. In addition to the laboratory tests, the scenario for BEPA filter damage during fires has also occurred in the field. A fire in a four-stage, BEPA filter plenum at Rocky Flats in 1980 caused the first three stages of BEPA filters to blow out of their housing and the fourth stage to severely bow. Details of this recently declassified fire are presented in this paper. Although these previous findings suggest serious potential problems exist with the current water spray system in filter plenums, additional studies are required to confirm unequivocally that DOE`s critical facilities are at risk. 22 refs., 15 figs.

  20. Series active power filter in power conditioning

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Turunen, J.

    2009-07-01

    Power quality has become an important issue nowadays for several reasons, e.g. modern society's growing dependence on electricity and the fact that poor power quality may generate significant economic losses in few moments. Probable power quality problems are, e.g. harmonics, flicker, voltage dips and supply interruptions. The power quality may be improved by using filters and compensators.The purpose of this thesis is to research the operation of the series active power filter (SAPF) in power conditioning. Therefore, this thesis presents a comparison of three series hybrid active power filters (SHAPFs) in current harmonics filtering. In addition to this, it is shown how the voltage dip compensation performance of the SAPF is improved in a unified power quality conditioner (UPQC) application.The three SHAPFs included in the comparison are series connected topology (SCT), filter connected topology (FCT) and electrically tuned LC shunt circuit (ETLC). The operating principle of these filters is to direct the harmonic currents produced by the load to flow in the LC shunt circuits instead of the supply. In the case of the SCT this phenomenon is boosted by applying so-called active resistance in the supply branch using the SAPF. In the case of the FCT a similar action is achieved by applying the compensation voltage in series with the LC shunt circuits using the SAPF. In the case of the ETLC the performance of the LC shunt circuit is enhanced by applying so-called active inductances in series with the LC shunt circuit using the SAPF. The SHAPFs are compared by searching for their best current filtering performance using various main circuit and control system configurations and loads. The operation of the SHAPFs is first analysed mathematically. After this, the current filtering performance of the SHAPFs is inspected using simulations and experimental tests. The experimental tests are carried out using SHAPF prototypes. As a result, it is shown that the current

  1. Performance Study of Ceramic Filter Module in Recirculated Aquaculture System (RAS)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ng, L. Y.; Ng, C. Y.

    2017-06-01

    The growth of world population has led to significant increase in seafood demand over the world. Aquaculture has been widely accepted by many countries to increase the seafood production owing to the decline of natural seafood resources. The aquaculture productivity, however, is directly linked to the pond water quality. In this study, attempts were made to employ ceramic micro-filter to improve the pond water quality through filtration processes. There were two batches of filtration processes, short term (1 hour) and long term (48 hours). Significant improvements on real pond water quality were recorded through the short term microfiltration process, which reduced turbidity (96%), total suspended solids (TSS) (80%), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) (72%), chemical oxygen demand (COD) (55%), ammonia (60%), nitrate (96%) and phosphorus (83%). The long term filtration process also showed high efficiency in the removal of solid particle and organic matters. The results showed that all of the parameters were successfully reduced to acceptable ranges (turbidityfiltered pond water. Current study showed that the microfiltration using ceramic micro-filter has high potential to be used in recirculating aquaculture system throughout the aquaculture activities in order to maintain the pond water quality, thus, increase the survival rate of cultured species.

  2. Off-gas filter system of the SNR-300

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Boehm, L.; Jordan, S.; Schikarski, W.

    1975-01-01

    The Reventing-Exventing-System of the German Liquid Metal Fast Breeder Prototype SNR-300 is described. After an accident with major damage to the core the ventilation valves are quickly closed. At the same time the blower of the reventing system evacuates the reventing gap up to a pressure difference of 2 mbar between the containment and the outer atmosphere. This pressure difference prevents a leakage from the containment to the outside. The revented gas is recirculated into the outer-containment. Leaks from the atmosphere and possibly from the inner containment into the reventing gap increase the pressure in the outer-containment. Therefore depending on the pressure build-up which is determined by the course of the accident, it is necessary to exvent the containment after several days. The exvented gas is filtered by a filter combination consisting of pre-filters, charcoal-filters and HEPA-filters. Because accidental sodium fires produce high concentrations of sodium oxide-aerosols this filter system must resist chemical aggressive aerosols. (U.S.)

  3. Performance of multiple HEPA filters against plutonium aerosols

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gonzales, M.; Elder, J.C.; Tillery, M.I.; Ettinger, H.J.

    1976-11-01

    Performance of multiple stages of high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters has been verified against plutonium aerosols similar in size characteristics to those challenging the air-cleaning systems of plutonium-processing facilities. An experimental program was conducted to test each filter in systems of three HEPA filters operated in series against 238 PuO 2 aerosols as high as 3.3 x 10 10 dis/s . m 3 in activity concentration and ranging from 0.22 μm to 1.6 μm in activity median aerodynamic diameter (amad). Mean penetration (ratio of downstream to upstream concentration) of each of the three filters in series was below 0.0002, but it apparently increased at each successive filter. Penetration vs size measurements showed that maximum penetration of 238 PuO 2 occurred for sizes between 0.4- and 0.7-μm aerodynamic diameter (D/sub ae/). HEPA filter penetration at half of rated flow differed little from full-flow penetration

  4. Exposure to space radiation of high-performance infrared multilayer filters

    Science.gov (United States)

    Seeley, J. S.; Hawkins, G. J.; Hunneman, R.

    1991-01-01

    The University of Reading experiment exposed IR interference filters and crystal substrates on identical earth facing and leading-edge sites of the Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF). Filters mostly comprised multilayer coatings of lead telluride (PbTe)/II-IV on germanium (Ge) and other substrates: crystals comprised CdTe, MgF2, sapphire, quartz, silicon, and some softer materials. Identical control samples were maintained in the laboratory throughout the experiment. The filters were novel in their design, construction and manufacture, and categorized high-performance because of their ability to resolve emission spectra of the important atmospheric gases for various purposes in remote sensing. No significant changes were found in the spectra of the hard-coated filters or in the harder crystals (the softer materials were degraded to an extent). By virtue of this well-documented and long exposure in LDEF, the qualification of the filter type is significantly improved for its future requirements.

  5. Real time microcontroller implementation of an adaptive myoelectric filter.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bagwell, P J; Chappell, P H

    1995-03-01

    This paper describes a real time digital adaptive filter for processing myoelectric signals. The filter time constant is automatically selected by the adaptation algorithm, giving a significant improvement over linear filters for estimating the muscle force and controlling a prosthetic device. Interference from mains sources often produces problems for myoelectric processing, and so 50 Hz and all harmonic frequencies are reduced by an averaging filter and differential process. This makes practical electrode placement and contact less critical and time consuming. An economic real time implementation is essential for a prosthetic controller, and this is achieved using an Intel 80C196KC microcontroller.

  6. Aircraft Recirculation Filter for Air-Quality and Incident Assessment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eckels, Steven J; Jones, Byron; Mann, Garrett; Mohan, Krishnan R; Weisel, Clifford P

    The current research examines the possibility of using recirculation filters from aircraft to document the nature of air-quality incidents on aircraft. These filters are highly effective at collecting solid and liquid particulates. Identification of engine oil contaminants arriving through the bleed air system on the filter was chosen as the initial focus. A two-step study was undertaken. First, a compressor/bleed air simulator was developed to simulate an engine oil leak, and samples were analyzed with gas chromatograph-mass spectrometry. These samples provided a concrete link between tricresyl phosphates and a homologous series of synthetic pentaerythritol esters from oil and contaminants found on the sample paper. The second step was to test 184 used aircraft filters with the same gas chromatograph-mass spectrometry system; of that total, 107 were standard filters, and 77 were nonstandard. Four of the standard filters had both markers for oil, with the homologous series synthetic pentaerythritol esters being the less common marker. It was also found that 90% of the filters had some detectable level of tricresyl phosphates. Of the 77 nonstandard filters, 30 had both markers for oil, a significantly higher percent than the standard filters.

  7. Aircraft Recirculation Filter for Air-Quality and Incident Assessment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eckels, Steven J.; Jones, Byron; Mann, Garrett; Mohan, Krishnan R.; Weisel, Clifford P.

    2015-01-01

    The current research examines the possibility of using recirculation filters from aircraft to document the nature of air-quality incidents on aircraft. These filters are highly effective at collecting solid and liquid particulates. Identification of engine oil contaminants arriving through the bleed air system on the filter was chosen as the initial focus. A two-step study was undertaken. First, a compressor/bleed air simulator was developed to simulate an engine oil leak, and samples were analyzed with gas chromatograph-mass spectrometry. These samples provided a concrete link between tricresyl phosphates and a homologous series of synthetic pentaerythritol esters from oil and contaminants found on the sample paper. The second step was to test 184 used aircraft filters with the same gas chromatograph-mass spectrometry system; of that total, 107 were standard filters, and 77 were nonstandard. Four of the standard filters had both markers for oil, with the homologous series synthetic pentaerythritol esters being the less common marker. It was also found that 90% of the filters had some detectable level of tricresyl phosphates. Of the 77 nonstandard filters, 30 had both markers for oil, a significantly higher percent than the standard filters. PMID:25641977

  8. A kinetic study of biological Cr(VI) reduction in trickling filters with different filter media types

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dermou, E.; Vayenas, D.V.

    2007-01-01

    Two pilot-scale trickling filters were used in order to estimate Cr(VI) reduction through biological mechanisms in biofilm reactors operated in SBR mode with recirculation using different filter media types, i.e. plastic media and calcitic gravel. The feed concentrations of Cr(VI) examined were about 5, 10, 20, 30, 50 and 100 mg/l, while the concentration of the organic carbon was constant at 400 mg/l, in order to avoid carbon limitations in the bulk liquid. Maximum reduction rates of 4.8 and 4.7 g Cr(VI)/d were observed for feed Cr(VI) concentration of about 5 mg Cr(VI)/l, for the filters with the plastic support material and the gravel media, respectively. The reduction rates were significantly affected by the feed Cr(VI) concentration in both bioreactors. A dual-enzyme kinetic model was used in order to describe Cr(VI) reduction by aerobically grown mixed cultures. Model predictions were found to correspond very closely to experimental quantitative observations of Cr(VI) reduction at both pilot-scale trickling filters used

  9. Supply air filters after the nuclear reactor accident at Chernobyl

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bonka, H.

    1989-01-01

    In the case of increased activity concentration in the air supply air filters are the facility compounds where enhanced activity is collected. Therefore, it was understandable that the people put questions about the doses caused by supply air filters after the nuclear reactor accident at Chernobyl. When comparing the local dose rate at a distance of 1 m in front of filters with the outdoor local dose rate due to dry deposited radionuclides, nearly the same local dose rate results assuming an air flow rate of approx. 60 m 3 /h. Supposing a 10 hours stay at a distance of 1 m in front of filters and an air flow rate of approx. 5000 m 3 /h the same dose is obtained after a 10 days delay as the dose due to outdoor inhalation. At Aachen, the local dose rate near to filters increased up to approx. 10 μSv/h. After a suitable time delay of one month filters could be rejected like normal waste. A review is given on individual measured values

  10. Laboratory-scale integrated ARP filter test

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Poirier, M. [Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States). Savannah River National Lab. (SRNL); Burket, P. [Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States). Savannah River National Lab. (SRNL)

    2016-03-01

    The Savannah River Site (SRS) is currently treating radioactive liquid waste with the Actinide Removal Process (ARP) and the Modular Caustic Side Solvent Extraction Unit (MCU). Recently, the low filter flux through the ARP of approximately 5 gallons per minute has limited the rate at which radioactive liquid waste can be treated. Salt Batch 6 had a lower processing rate and required frequent filter cleaning. There is a desire to understand the causes of the low filter flux and to increase ARP/MCU throughput. This task attempted to simulate the entire ARP process, including multiple batches (5), washing, chemical cleaning, and blending the feed with heels and recycle streams. The objective of the tests was to determine whether one of these processes is causing excessive fouling of the crossflow or secondary filter. The authors conducted the tests with feed solutions containing 6.6 M sodium Salt Batch 6 simulant supernate with no MST.

  11. Neutron Beam Filters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Adib, M.

    2011-01-01

    The purpose of filters is to transmit neutrons with selected energy, while remove unwanted ones from the incident neutron beam. This reduces the background, and the number of spurious. The types of commonly used now-a-day neutron filters and their properties are discussed in the present work. There are three major types of neutron filters. The first type is filter of selective thermal neutron. It transmits the main reflected neutrons from a crystal monochromate, while reject the higher order contaminations accompanying the main one. Beams coming from the moderator always contain unwanted radiation like fast neutrons and gamma-rays which contribute to experimental background and to the biological hazard potential. Such filter type is called filter of whole thermal neutron spectrum. The third filter type is it transmits neutrons with energies in the resonance energy range (En . 1 KeV). The main idea of such neutron filter technique is the use of large quantities of a certain material which have the deep interference minima in its total neutron cross-section. By transmitting reactor neutrons through bulk layer of such material, one can obtain the quasimonochromatic neutron lines instead of white reactor spectrum.

  12. Field application of farmstead runoff to vegetated filter strips: surface and subsurface water quality assessment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Larson, Rebecca A; Safferman, Steven I

    2012-01-01

    Farmstead runoff poses significant environmental impacts to ground and surface waters. Three vegetated filter strips were assessed for the treatment of dairy farmstead runoff at the soil surface and subsurface at 0.3- or 0. 46-m and 0. 76-m depths for numerous storm events. A medium-sized Michigan dairy was retrofitted with two filter strips on sandy loam soil and a third filter strip was implemented on a small Michigan dairy with sandy soil to collect and treat runoff from feed storage, manure storage, and other impervious farmstead areas. All filter strips were able to eliminate surface runoff via infiltration for all storm events over the duration of the study, eliminating pollutant contributions to surface water. Subsurface effluent was monitored to determine the contributing groundwater concentrations of numerous pollutants including chemical oxygen demand (COD), metals, and nitrates. Subsurface samples have an average reduction of COD concentrations of 20, 11, and 85% for the medium dairy Filter Strip 1 (FS1), medium dairy Filter Strip 2 (FS2), and the small Michigan dairy respectively, resulting in average subsurface concentrations of 355, 3960, and 718 mg L COD. Similar reductions were noted for ammonia and total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN) in the subsurface effluent. The small Michigan dairy was able to reduce the pollutant leachate concentrations of COD, TKN, and ammonia over a range of influent concentrations. Increased influent concentrations in the medium Michigan dairy filter strips resulted in an increase in COD, TKN, and ammonia concentrations in the leachate. Manganese was leached from the native soils at all filter strips as evidenced by the increase in manganese concentrations in the leachate. Nitrate concentrations were above standard drinking water limits (10 mg L), averaging subsurface concentrations of 11, 45, and 25 mg L NO-N for FS1, FS2, and the small Michigan dairy, respectively. Copyright © by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science

  13. Performance of drippers in two filtering systems using sewage treatment effluent

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alexandre B. Dalri

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of three models of drippers using treated sewage effluent, pure and diluted, and two types of filters, screen and disc. The treated sewage effluent used in the experiment was collected from the city’s treatment plant. The experiment included 12 lateral lines with three types of emitters to apply pure (100% and diluted (50% effluent filtered by screen and disc filters. The combination of those factors set the treatments: T1 (50% effluent diluted in fresh water filtered by a screen filter; T2 (50% effluent diluted in fresh water filtered by a disc filter; T3 (pure effluent filtered by a screen filter; T4 (pure effluent filtered by a disc filter. The results showed that the flat type emitter is less sensitive to clogging, the disc filter is the most suitable to prevent clogging and the use of pure or diluted sewage effluent increases the drippers’ flow rate coefficient of variation.

  14. Improving Artificial eural etwork Forecasts with Kalman Filtering

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Nafiisah

    technique in financial time series and the application of a Kalman filter ... networks (ANN) model using a Kalman filter leads to significant improvements in .... 3-rd order polynomial (Galanis et al. (2006)): 1 t p. 2 t p. 3 t p. 4 t p. 1 t h. 2 t h tr t r ...

  15. Miniaturized dielectric waveguide filters

    OpenAIRE

    Sandhu, MY; Hunter, IC

    2016-01-01

    Design techniques for a new class of integrated monolithic high-permittivity ceramic waveguide filters are presented. These filters enable a size reduction of 50% compared to air-filled transverse electromagnetic filters with the same unloaded Q-factor. Designs for Chebyshev and asymmetric generalised Chebyshev filter and a diplexer are presented with experimental results for an 1800 MHz Chebyshev filter and a 1700 MHz generalised Chebyshev filter showing excellent agreement with theory.

  16. Concrete ensemble Kalman filters with rigorous catastrophic filter divergence.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kelly, David; Majda, Andrew J; Tong, Xin T

    2015-08-25

    The ensemble Kalman filter and ensemble square root filters are data assimilation methods used to combine high-dimensional, nonlinear dynamical models with observed data. Ensemble methods are indispensable tools in science and engineering and have enjoyed great success in geophysical sciences, because they allow for computationally cheap low-ensemble-state approximation for extremely high-dimensional turbulent forecast models. From a theoretical perspective, the dynamical properties of these methods are poorly understood. One of the central mysteries is the numerical phenomenon known as catastrophic filter divergence, whereby ensemble-state estimates explode to machine infinity, despite the true state remaining in a bounded region. In this article we provide a breakthrough insight into the phenomenon, by introducing a simple and natural forecast model that transparently exhibits catastrophic filter divergence under all ensemble methods and a large set of initializations. For this model, catastrophic filter divergence is not an artifact of numerical instability, but rather a true dynamical property of the filter. The divergence is not only validated numerically but also proven rigorously. The model cleanly illustrates mechanisms that give rise to catastrophic divergence and confirms intuitive accounts of the phenomena given in past literature.

  17. Compatibility between Hydraulic and Mechanical Properties of Ceramic Water Filters

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Riyadh Z. Al Zubaidy

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, ceramic water filters were produced by using ten mixtures of different ratios of red clay and sawdust under different production conditions. The physical properties of these filters were tested. The production conditions include five press pressures ranged from 10 to 50MPa and a firing schedule having three different final temperatures of 1000, 1070, and 1100˚C. The tests results of the physical properties were used to obtain best compatibility between the hydraulic and the mechanical properties of these filters. Results showed that as the press pressure and the firing temperature are increased, the bulk density and the compressive and bending strengths of the produced filters are increased, while, the porosity and absorption are decreased. As the sawdust content is increased the bulk density and the compressive and bending strengths are decreased, while, the porosity and absorption are increased. High hydraulic conductivity is obtained at a firing temperature of 1070˚C when the sawdust content is less than 10%. Otherwise, it is increased as sawdust content and the firing temperature are increased. Filters made of mixture 92.5% red clay and 7.5% sawdust formed . under a press pressure of 20MPa and a firing temperature of 1070˚C gave the best compatibility between hydraulic and mechanical properties. In this case, the hydraulic conductivity was 50mm/day, the compressive strength was 14MPa, and the bending strength was 10.8MPa.

  18. An Oversampled Filter Bank Multicarrier System for cognitive Radio

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kokkeler, Andre B.J.; Smit, Gerardus Johannes Maria; Zhang, Q; Zhang, Q.

    2008-01-01

    Due to small sideband power leakage, filter bank multicarrier techniques are considered as interesting alternatives to traditional OFDMs for spectrum pooling Cognitive Radio. In this paper, we propose an oversampled filter bank multicarrier system for Cognitive Radio. The increased spacing between

  19. Reconsidering 'appropriate technology': the effects of operating conditions on the bacterial removal performance of two household drinking-water filter systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Baumgartner, Jill; Murcott, Susan; Ezzati, Majid

    2007-01-01

    We examined the performance of two household water treatment and safe storage (HWTS) systems, the Danvor plastic biosand filter and the Potters for Peace Filtron ceramic filter, under ideal as well as modified operating conditions using systematic and comparable measurements. The operating variables for the biosand filter were (i) pause times between filtration runs (ii) water-dosing volumes and (iii) the effluent volume at which a filtered water sample was collected. For the ceramic filter we examined overflow filtration versus standard filtration. We used the bacterial indicators of total coliforms and Escherichia coli to quantify microbiological removal. With the biosand filter, a 12 h pause time had significantly higher total coliform removal than a 36 h pause time at the 20 l collection point (79.1% versus 73.7%; p < 0.01) and borderline significance at the 10 l collection point (81.0% versus 78.3%; p = 0.07). High-volume filtration (20 l) had significantly lower total coliform removal efficacy than low-volume (10 l) filtration at the 10 l collection point (81.0% versus 84.2%; p = 0.03). We observed a decreasing trend in total coliform removal by sample collection volume with the highest removal efficacy at the 5 l sample collection point (versus at the 10 and 20 l collection points). Using the ceramic filter, mean total coliform and E. coli removal were significantly lower (p < 0.01) in overflow filtration than in standard filtration. The findings indicate that operating conditions can reduce the effectiveness of the systems in a field-based setting and increase environmental risk exposure

  20. Image pre-filtering for measurement error reduction in digital image correlation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, Yihao; Sun, Chen; Song, Yuntao; Chen, Jubing

    2015-02-01

    In digital image correlation, the sub-pixel intensity interpolation causes a systematic error in the measured displacements. The error increases toward high-frequency component of the speckle pattern. In practice, a captured image is usually corrupted by additive white noise. The noise introduces additional energy in the high frequencies and therefore raises the systematic error. Meanwhile, the noise also elevates the random error which increases with the noise power. In order to reduce the systematic error and the random error of the measurements, we apply a pre-filtering to the images prior to the correlation so that the high-frequency contents are suppressed. Two spatial-domain filters (binomial and Gaussian) and two frequency-domain filters (Butterworth and Wiener) are tested on speckle images undergoing both simulated and real-world translations. By evaluating the errors of the various combinations of speckle patterns, interpolators, noise levels, and filter configurations, we come to the following conclusions. All the four filters are able to reduce the systematic error. Meanwhile, the random error can also be reduced if the signal power is mainly distributed around DC. For high-frequency speckle patterns, the low-pass filters (binomial, Gaussian and Butterworth) slightly increase the random error and Butterworth filter produces the lowest random error among them. By using Wiener filter with over-estimated noise power, the random error can be reduced but the resultant systematic error is higher than that of low-pass filters. In general, Butterworth filter is recommended for error reduction due to its flexibility of passband selection and maximal preservation of the allowed frequencies. Binomial filter enables efficient implementation and thus becomes a good option if computational cost is a critical issue. While used together with pre-filtering, B-spline interpolator produces lower systematic error than bicubic interpolator and similar level of the random

  1. Leak test method and test device for iodine filter

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fukasawa, Tetsuo; Funabashi, Kiyomi; Miura, Noboru; Miura, Eiichi.

    1995-01-01

    An air introduction device which can change a humidity is disposed upstream of an iodine filter to be tested, and a humidity measuring device is disposed downstream of the iodine filter respectively. At first, dried air reduced with humidity is flown from the air introduction device to the iodine filter, to remove moisture content from an iodine adsorber in the iodine filter. Next, air at an increased humidity is supplied to the iodine filter. The difference between the time starting the supply of the highly humid air and the time detecting the high humidity at the humidity measuring device is measured. When the time difference is smaller than the time difference measured previously in a normal iodine filter, it shows the presence of leak in the iodine filter to be tested. With such procedures, leakage in the iodine filter which removes radioactive iodine from off-gases discharged from the radioactive material handling facilities can be detected easily by using water (steams), namely, a naturally present material. (I.N.)

  2. Tunable thin-film optical filters for hyperspectral microscopy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Favreau, Peter F.; Rich, Thomas C.; Prabhat, Prashant; Leavesley, Silas J.

    2013-02-01

    Hyperspectral imaging was originally developed for use in remote sensing applications. More recently, it has been applied to biological imaging systems, such as fluorescence microscopes. The ability to distinguish molecules based on spectral differences has been especially advantageous for identifying fluorophores in highly autofluorescent tissues. A key component of hyperspectral imaging systems is wavelength filtering. Each filtering technology used for hyperspectral imaging has corresponding advantages and disadvantages. Recently, a new optical filtering technology has been developed that uses multi-layered thin-film optical filters that can be rotated, with respect to incident light, to control the center wavelength of the pass-band. Compared to the majority of tunable filter technologies, these filters have superior optical performance including greater than 90% transmission, steep spectral edges and high out-of-band blocking. Hence, tunable thin-film optical filters present optical characteristics that may make them well-suited for many biological spectral imaging applications. An array of tunable thin-film filters was implemented on an inverted fluorescence microscope (TE 2000, Nikon Instruments) to cover the full visible wavelength range. Images of a previously published model, GFP-expressing endothelial cells in the lung, were acquired using a charge-coupled device camera (Rolera EM-C2, Q-Imaging). This model sample presents fluorescently-labeled cells in a highly autofluorescent environment. Linear unmixing of hyperspectral images indicates that thin-film tunable filters provide equivalent spectral discrimination to our previous acousto-optic tunable filter-based approach, with increased signal-to-noise characteristics. Hence, tunable multi-layered thin film optical filters may provide greatly improved spectral filtering characteristics and therefore enable wider acceptance of hyperspectral widefield microscopy.

  3. A comparison in vivo dacron wool (Swank) and polyester mesh (Pall) micropore blood transfusion filters in the prevention of pulmonary microembolism associated with massive transfusion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barrett, J; Dhurandhar, H N; Miller, E; Litwin, M S

    1975-01-01

    Experiments were performed to compare the effectiveness in vivo of the two most widely used micropore blood transfusion filters in preventing detrimental physiologic changes associated with transfusion of microaggregate-containing blood. Exchange transfusion with stored blood having an elevated screen filtration pressure (SFP) through polyester mesh (Pall) filters (Group PM) was followed by decreases in arterial blood pH and O2 consumption, increases in arterial blood pyruvate and lactate concentrations, and a decrease in pulmonary DO2. The lungs of 5 of 6 animals revealed emboli far out in the pulmonary microcirculation. These changes did not occur in animals transfused through dacron wool (Swank) filters (Group DW). Even though an increase after transfusion in pulmonary Qs/Qt in Group PM did not achieve statistical significance when compared to pretransfusion Qs/Qt, it was significantly higher than that in animals in Group DW. Both filters removed considerable quantities of microaggregates; however, the polyester mesh (Pall) filters permitted passage of small microaggregates and development of ditrimental physiologic changes. Dacron wool (Swank) filters completely removed measurable microaggregates and detrimental changes did not occur. Images Fig. 1. Fig. 2. Fig. 3. PMID:242282

  4. Role of short-wavelength filtering lenses in delaying myopia progression and amelioration of asthenopia in juveniles

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hai-Lan Zhao

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available AIM: To evaluate the positive effects of blue-violet light filtering lenses in delaying myopia and relieving asthenopia in juveniles. METHODS: Sixty ametropia juveniles (aged range, 11-15y were randomized into two groups: the test group (30 children, 60 eyes, wearing blue-violet light filtering lenses; and the control group (30 children, 60 eyes, wearing ordinary aspherical lenses. Baseline refractive power of the affected eyes and axial length of the two groups was recorded. After 1-year, the patients underwent contrast sensitivity (glare and non-glare under bright and dark conditions, accommodation-related testing, asthenopia questionnaire assessment, and adverse reaction questionnaire assessment. RESULTS: After 1y of wearing the filtering lenses, changes in refractive power and axial length were not significantly different between the two groups (P>0.05. Under bright conditions, the contrast sensitivities at low and medium-frequency grating (vision angles of 6.3°, 4.0°, and 2.5° with glare in the test group were significantly higher than in the control group (P0.05. In the test group, the amplitude of accommodation, accommodative lag, and accommodative sensitivity of patients wearing glasses for 6 and 12mo were significantly elevated (P0.05, and the asthenopia grating was not significantly decreased (P>0.05. In addition, after wearing glasses for 6 to 12mo, the asthenopia grating of patients in the test group decreased significantly compared with the control group (P0.05. CONCLUSION: A 1-year follow-up reveal that compare with ordinary glasses, short-wavelength filtering lenses (blue/violet-light filters increase the low- and medium-frequency contrast sensitivity under bright conditions and improved accommodation. They effectively relieved asthenopia without severe adverse reactions, suggesting potential for clinical application. However, no significant advantages in terms of refractive power or axial length progression were found compared

  5. MSK and offset QPSK modulation with bandlimiting filters

    Science.gov (United States)

    Prabhu, V. K.

    1981-01-01

    It is considered by some that minimum shift keying (MSK) is spectrally more efficient than quaternary phase-shift keying/offset quadrature phase-shift keying (QPSK/OQPSK). An analytical method is presented here for determining the detection efficiencies of MSK and QPSK/OQPSK when the constant-envelope signal is passed through a set of filters and when the resulting signal is corrupted by Gaussian noise. The detection efficiency of MSK is compared with that of QPSK/OQPSK when a four-pole Butterworth filter is used as a transmit filter and for two different receive filter functions. When the two-sided 3-dB bandwidth of the transmit filter is between approximately 1.00/T and 1.50/T, it is shown that the detection efficiency of MSK is not substantially different from that of QPSK/OQPSK. For more severe bandlimiting of the signal, the performance of MSK is shown to be inferior to that of QPSK/OQPSK. It is, therefore, concluded that MSK does not have significantly better detection efficiency when the effect of bandlimiting filters is taken into account.

  6. Filters for stochastic cooling of longitudinal beam emittance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kramer, S.L.; Konecny, R.; Simpson, J.; Wright, A.J.

    1983-03-01

    The shorted stub filter (SSF) has been used extensively to provide the electronics gain shaping for stochastic cooling of longitudinal beam emittance. The repetitive notch of this filter results from the cancellation of the incident signal by the reflected signal at frequencies where the cable electrical length equals an integer number of half wavelengths. Variations in notch depth of the SSF have been approximately compensated by a rather complicated system. Dispersion of the notch frequency resulting from variation of the phase velocity can also be approximately corrected using tuned imperfections in the shorted cable. Dispersion due to imperfections in the coaxial cable can be quite significant and can only be compensated for by costly construction techniques. This paper describes another type of notch filter. Although this filter has been mentioned previously, this analysis demonstrates the advantages of this filter in providing small notch dispersion and other properties necessary for stochastic cooling systems. Because this filter uses only forward signals, it is quite insensitive to imperfections in cables and components, and can therefore be constructed from commercially available components

  7. Star-sensor-based predictive Kalman filter for satelliteattitude estimation

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    林玉荣; 邓正隆

    2002-01-01

    A real-time attitude estimation algorithm, namely the predictive Kalman filter, is presented. This algorithm can accurately estimate the three-axis attitude of a satellite using only star sensor measurements. The implementation of the filter includes two steps: first, predicting the torque modeling error, and then estimating the attitude. Simulation results indicate that the predictive Kalman filter provides robust performance in the presence of both significant errors in the assumed model and in the initial conditions.

  8. Comparing Consider-Covariance Analysis with Sigma-Point Consider Filter and Linear-Theory Consider Filter Formulations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lisano, Michael E.

    2007-01-01

    Recent literature in applied estimation theory reflects growing interest in the sigma-point (also called unscented ) formulation for optimal sequential state estimation, often describing performance comparisons with extended Kalman filters as applied to specific dynamical problems [c.f. 1, 2, 3]. Favorable attributes of sigma-point filters are described as including a lower expected error for nonlinear even non-differentiable dynamical systems, and a straightforward formulation not requiring derivation or implementation of any partial derivative Jacobian matrices. These attributes are particularly attractive, e.g. in terms of enabling simplified code architecture and streamlined testing, in the formulation of estimators for nonlinear spaceflight mechanics systems, such as filter software onboard deep-space robotic spacecraft. As presented in [4], the Sigma-Point Consider Filter (SPCF) algorithm extends the sigma-point filter algorithm to the problem of consider covariance analysis. Considering parameters in a dynamical system, while estimating its state, provides an upper bound on the estimated state covariance, which is viewed as a conservative approach to designing estimators for problems of general guidance, navigation and control. This is because, whether a parameter in the system model is observable or not, error in the knowledge of the value of a non-estimated parameter will increase the actual uncertainty of the estimated state of the system beyond the level formally indicated by the covariance of an estimator that neglects errors or uncertainty in that parameter. The equations for SPCF covariance evolution are obtained in a fashion similar to the derivation approach taken with standard (i.e. linearized or extended) consider parameterized Kalman filters (c.f. [5]). While in [4] the SPCF and linear-theory consider filter (LTCF) were applied to an illustrative linear dynamics/linear measurement problem, in the present work examines the SPCF as applied to

  9. Long-Term Retrievability of IVC Filters: Should We Abandon Permanent Devices?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Berczi, V.; Bottomley, J. R.; Thomas, S. M.; Taneja, S.; Gaines, P. A.; Cleveland, T. J.

    2007-01-01

    Thromboembolic disease produces a considerable disease burden, with death from pulmonary embolism in the UK alone estimated at 30,000-40,000 per year. Whilst it is unproven whether filters actually improve longevity, the morbidity and mortality associated with thromboembolic disease in the presence of contraindications to anticoagulation is high. Thus complications associated with filter insertion, and whilst they remain in situ, must be balanced against the alternatives. Permanent filters remain in situ for the remainder of the patient's life and any complications from the filters are of significant concern. Filters that are not permanent are therefore attractive in these circumstances. Retrievable filters, to avoid or decrease long-term filter complications, appear to be a significant advance in the prevention of pulmonary embolism. In this review, we discuss the safety and effectiveness of both permanent and retrievable filters as well as the retrievability of retrievable inferior vena cava (IVC) filters, to explore whether the use of permanent IVC filters can be abandoned in favor of retrievable filters. Currently four types of retrievable filters are available: the Recovery filter (Bard Peripheral Vascular, Tempe, AZ, USA), the Guenther Tulip filter (Cook, Bloomington, IN, USA), the OptEase Filter (Cordis, Roden, The Netherlands), and the ALN filter (ALN Implants Chirurgicaux, Ghisonaccia, France). Efficacy and safety data for retrievable filters are as yet based on small series, with a total number of fewer than 1,000 insertions, and follow-up is mostly short term. Current long-term data are poor and insufficient to warrant the long-term implantation of these devices into humans. The case of fractured wire from a Recovery filter that migrated to the heart causing pericardial tamponade requiring open heart surgery is a reminder that any new endovascular device remaining in situ in the long term may produce unexpected problems. We should also bear in mind that

  10. Real Time Adaptive Stream-oriented Geo-data Filtering

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. A. Golovkov

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The cutting-edge engineering maintenance software systems of various objects are aimed at processing of geo-location data coming from the employees’ mobile devices in real time. To reduce the amount of transmitted data such systems, usually, use various filtration methods of geo-coordinates recorded directly on mobile devices.The paper identifies the reasons for errors of geo-data coming from different sources, and proposes an adaptive dynamic method to filter geo-location data. Compared with the static method previously described in the literature [1] the approach offers to align adaptively the filtering threshold with changing characteristics of coordinates from many sources of geo-location data.To evaluate the efficiency of the developed filter method have been involved about 400 thousand points, representing motion paths of different type (on foot, by car and high-speed train and parking (indoors, outdoors, near high-rise buildings to take data from different mobile devices. Analysis of results has shown that the benefits of the proposed method are the more precise location of long parking (up to 6 hours and coordinates when user is in motion, the capability to provide steam-oriented filtering of data from different sources that allows to use the approach in geo-information systems, providing continuous monitoring of the location in streamoriented data processing in real time. The disadvantage is a little bit more computational complexity and increasing amount of points of the final track as compared to other filtration techniques.In general, the developed approach enables a significant quality improvement of displayed paths of moving mobile objects.

  11. Kalman Filter Application to Symmetrical Fault Detection during Power Swing

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Khodaparast, Jalal; Silva, Filipe Miguel Faria da; Khederzadeh, M.

    2016-01-01

    capability of Kalman Filter. The proposed index is calculated by assessing the difference between predicted and actual samples of impedance. The predicted impedance samples are obtained using Kalman filter and Taylor expansion, which is used in this paper to track the phasor precisely. Second order of Taylor...... expansion is used to decrease corrugation effect of impedance estimation and increase the reliability of proposed method. The instantaneous estimation and prediction capability of Kalman filter are two reasons for proposing utilizing Kalman filter....

  12. Iodine filters in nuclear installations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wilhelm, J.G.

    1982-01-01

    The present report discusses the significance for environmental exposure of the iodine released with the gaseous effluents of nuclear power stations and reprocessing plants in relation to releases of other airborne radionuclides. Iodine filtration processes are described. The release pathways and the composition of airborne fission product iodine mixtures and their bearing on environmental exposure are discussed on the basis of measured fission product iodine emissions. The sorbents which can be used for iodine filtration, their removal efficiencies and range of applications are dealt with in detail. The particular conditions governing iodine removal, which are determined by the various gaseous iodine species, are illustrated on the basis of experimentally determined retention profiles. Particular attention is given to the limitations imposed by temperature, humidity, radiation and filter poisoning. The types of filter normally used are described, their advantages and drawbacks discussed, the principles underlying their design are outlined and the sources of error indicated. The methods normally applied to test the efficiency of various iodine sorbents are described and assessed. Operating experience with iodine filters, gathered from surveillance periods of many years, is supplemented by a large number of test results and the findings of extensive experiments. Possible ways of prolonging the permissible service lives of iodine filters are discussed and information is given on protective measures. The various iodine removal processes applied in reprocessing plants are described and compared with reference to efficiency and cost. The latest developments in filter technology in reprocessing plants are briefly outlined

  13. Impacts of backwashing on granular activated carbon filters for advanced wastewater treatment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Frank, Joshua; Ruhl, Aki Sebastian; Jekel, Martin

    2015-12-15

    The use of granular activated carbon (GAC) in fixed bed filters is a promising option for the removal of organic micropollutants (OMP) from wastewater treatment plant effluents. Frequent backwashing of the filter bed is inevitable, but its effect on potential filter stratification is not well understood yet and thus has been evaluated in the present study for two commercial GAC products. Backwashing of GAC filters was simulated with 10 or 100 filter bed expansions of 20 or 100% at backwash velocities of 12 and 40 m/h, respectively. Five vertical fractions were extracted and revealed a vertical stratification according to grain sizes and material densities. Sieve analyses indicated increasing grain sizes towards the bottom for one GAC while grain sizes of the other GAC were more homogeneously distributed throughout the filter bed. The apparent densities of the top sections were significantly lower than that of the bottom sections of both products. Comparative long term fixed bed adsorption experiments with the top and bottom sections of the stratified GAC showed remarkable differences in breakthrough curves of dissolved organic carbon, UV light absorption at 254 nm wavelength (UVA254) and OMP. GAC from the upper section showed constantly better removal efficiencies than GAC from the bottom section, especially for weakly adsorbing OMP such as sulfamethoxazole. Furthermore correlations between UVA254 reductions and OMP removals were found. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. Quick-change filter cartridge

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rodgers, John C.; McFarland, Andrew R.; Ortiz, Carlos A.

    1995-01-01

    A quick-change filter cartridge. In sampling systems for measurement of airborne materials, a filter element is introduced into the sampled airstream such that the aerosol constituents are removed and deposited on the filter. Fragile sampling media often require support in order to prevent rupture during sampling, and careful mounting and sealing to prevent misalignment, tearing, or creasing which would allow the sampled air to bypass the filter. Additionally, handling of filter elements may introduce cross-contamination or exposure of operators to toxic materials. Moreover, it is desirable to enable the preloading of filter media into quick-change cartridges in clean laboratory environments, thereby simplifying and expediting the filter-changing process in the field. The quick-change filter cartridge of the present invention permits the application of a variety of filter media in many types of instruments and may also be used in automated systems. The cartridge includes a base through which a vacuum can be applied to draw air through the filter medium which is located on a porous filter support and held there by means of a cap which forms an airtight seal with the base. The base is also adapted for receiving absorbing media so that both particulates and gas-phase samples may be trapped for investigation, the latter downstream of the aerosol filter.

  15. Floristic response to urbanization: Filtering of the bioregional flora in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dolan, Rebecca W; Aronson, Myla F J; Hipp, Andrew L

    2017-08-09

    Globally, urban plant populations are becoming increasingly important, as these plants play a vital role in ameliorating effects of ecosystem disturbance and climate change. Urban environments act as filters to bioregional flora, presenting survival challenges to spontaneous plants. Yet, because of the paucity of inventory data on plants in landscapes both before and after urbanization, few studies have directly investigated this effect of urbanization. We used historical, contemporary, and regional plant species inventories for Indianapolis, Indiana USA to evaluate how urbanization filters the bioregional flora based on species diversity, functional traits, and phylogenetic community structure. Approximately 60% of the current regional flora was represented in the Indianapolis flora, both historically and presently. Native species that survived over time were significantly different in growth form, life form, and dispersal and pollination modes than those that were extirpated. Phylogenetically, the historical flora represented a random sample of the regional flora, while the current urban flora represented a nonrandom sample. Both graminoid habit and abiotic pollination are significantly more phylogenetically conserved than expected. Our results likely reflect the shift from agricultural cover to built environment, coupled with the influence of human preference, in shaping the current urban flora of Indianapolis. Based on our analyses, the urban environment of Indianapolis does filter the bioregional species pool. To the extent that these filters are shared by other cities and operate similarly, we may see increasingly homogenized urban floras across regions, with concurrent loss of evolutionary information. © 2017 Dolan et al. Published by the Botanical Society of America. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License (CC-BY-NC).

  16. Analysis of leukocyte binding to depletion filters: role of passive binding, interaction with platelets, and plasma components.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Henschler, R; Rüster, B; Steimle, A; Hansmann, H L; Walker, W; Montag, T; Seifried, E

    2005-08-01

    Since limited knowledge exists on the mechanisms which regulate cell binding to leukocyte removal filter surfaces, we investigated the binding patterns of leukocytes to individual layers of leukocyte depletion filters. After passage of 1 unit of whole blood, blotting of isolated filter layers on glass slides or elution of cells from filter layers revealed that most leukocytes were located within the first 10 of a total of 28 filter layers, peaking at layers 6 to 8, with granulocytes binding on average to earlier filter layers than lymphocytes. Leukocytes preincubated with inhibitors of actin activation showed unchanged distribution between filter layers, suggesting that cytoskeletal activation does not significantly contribute to their binding. When leukocytes were directly incubated with single filter layers, binding of up to 30% of input cells was recorded in the absence of Ca(2+). Immunohistological analyses showed colocalization of platelets and leukocytes, with co-clustering of platelets and leukocytes. Monocytes and to some degree lymphocytes but not granulocytes competed with platelets for filter binding. Precoating of filter layers with individual plasma components showed that hyaluronic acid, plasma type fibronectin, and fibrinogen all increased the binding of leukocytes compared with albumin coating. In conclusion, leukocytes can bind passively to filters in a process which does not require Ca(2+), which is independent of cytoskeletal activation and which may depend on individual plasma components. These results are of importance when new selective cell enrichment or depletion strategies through specific filters are envisaged.

  17. Collaborative filtering to improve navigation of large radiology knowledge resources.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kahn, Charles E

    2005-06-01

    Collaborative filtering is a knowledge-discovery technique that can help guide readers to items of potential interest based on the experience of prior users. This study sought to determine the impact of collaborative filtering on navigation of a large, Web-based radiology knowledge resource. Collaborative filtering was applied to a collection of 1,168 radiology hypertext documents available via the Internet. An item-based collaborative filtering algorithm identified each document's six most closely related documents based on 248,304 page views in an 18-day period. Documents were amended to include links to their related documents, and use was analyzed over the next 5 days. The mean number of documents viewed per visit increased from 1.57 to 1.74 (P Collaborative filtering can increase a radiology information resource's utilization and can improve its usefulness and ease of navigation. The technique holds promise for improving navigation of large Internet-based radiology knowledge resources.

  18. Improved Kalman Filter-Based Speech Enhancement with Perceptual Post-Filtering

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    WEIJianqiang; DULimin; YANZhaoli; ZENGHui

    2004-01-01

    In this paper, a Kalman filter-based speech enhancement algorithm with some improvements of previous work is presented. A new technique based on spectral subtraction is used for separation speech and noise characteristics from noisy speech and for the computation of speech and noise Autoregressive (AR) parameters. In order to obtain a Kalman filter output with high audible quality, a perceptual post-filter is placed at the output of the Kalman filter to smooth the enhanced speech spectra.Extensive experiments indicate that this newly proposed method works well.

  19. Sorption of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) on filter media: implications for phase partitioning studies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chandramouli, Bharat; Benskin, Jonathan P; Hamilton, M Coreen; Cosgrove, John R

    2015-01-01

    Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), including perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), are ubiquitous in the environment. Investigations into their fate and potential phase-partitioning behavior require separating solid from aqueous phases via filtration. However, sorption of aqueous-phase PFASs on filtration media may lead to underestimation of PFAS concentrations in the aqueous phase. The authors investigated the sorption of perfluoroalkyl carboxylates, perfluoroalkyl sulfonates, perfluoroalkyl phosphonic acids, perfluoroalkyl phosphinic acids (PFPiAs), polyfluoroalkyl phosphate monoesters, polyfluoroalkyl phosphate diesters (diPAPs), fluorotelomer sulfonates, and perfluorooctane sulfonamide on filtration media. The effects of concentration (3 spiking levels), filter media (4 types), matrix (4 matrices), and compound structure on sorption are reported. Glass fiber filtration resulted in the least sorption, whereas polytetrafluoroethylene filters resulted in the most sorption (up to 98%). Analyte concentration had no significant effect. Sorption was generally consistent across matrix types except for samples affected by aqueous film forming foam deployment, which displayed high sorption of PFOS on nylon filters. Sorption usually increased with an increasing number of carbon or fluorine atoms and was most pronounced for PFPiAs and diPAPs (30–75% sorption). Overall, glass fiber filters are more recommended than nylon filters in environmental samples when phase separation is required. Use of filtration media for PFAS must be preceded by matrix-specific testing to account for unpredictable effects. (C)2014 SETAC

  20. High internal noise and poor external noise filtering characterize perception in autism spectrum disorder.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Park, Woon Ju; Schauder, Kimberly B; Zhang, Ruyuan; Bennetto, Loisa; Tadin, Duje

    2017-12-14

    An emerging hypothesis postulates that internal noise is a key factor influencing perceptual abilities in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Given fundamental and inescapable effects of noise on nearly all aspects of neural processing, this could be a critical abnormality with broad implications for perception, behavior, and cognition. However, this proposal has been challenged by both theoretical and empirical studies. A crucial question is whether and how internal noise limits perception in ASD, independently from other sources of perceptual inefficiency, such as the ability to filter out external noise. Here, we separately estimated internal noise and external noise filtering in ASD. In children and adolescents with and without ASD, we computationally modeled individuals' visual orientation discrimination in the presence of varying levels of external noise. The results revealed increased internal noise and worse external noise filtering in individuals with ASD. For both factors, we also observed high inter-individual variability in ASD, with only the internal noise estimates significantly correlating with severity of ASD symptoms. We provide evidence for reduced perceptual efficiency in ASD that is due to both increased internal noise and worse external noise filtering, while highlighting internal noise as a possible contributing factor to variability in ASD symptoms.

  1. The efficacy of K-edge filters in diagnostic radiology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Williamson, B.D.P.; van Doorn, T.

    1994-01-01

    The application of K-edge filters in diagnostic has been investigated by many workers for over twenty years. These investigations have analysed the effects of such filters on image quality and radiation dose as well as the practicalities of their application. This paper presents a synopsis of the published works and concludes that K-edge filters do not perceptibly improve image quality and make only limited reductions in patient dose. K-edge filters are also costly to purchase and potentially result in a reduction in the cost effectiveness of x-ray examinations by increasing the x-ray tube loading. Equivalent contrast enhancement and dose reductions can be achieved by the assiduous choice of non-selective filters. 51 refs., 2 tab., 6 figs

  2. Method for cleaning the filter pockets of dust gas filter systems

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Margraf, A

    1975-05-07

    The invention deals with a method to clean filter pockets filled with dust gas. By a periodic to and fro air jet attached to a scavenging blower, a pulsed fluttering movement of the filter surface is obtained which releases the outer layers of dust. The charging of the filter pockets with scavenging air to clean the filter material can be carried out immediately on the pulsed admission with suitable time control.

  3. Wiener filter applied to a neutrongraphic system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Crispim, V.R.; Lopes, R.T.; Borges, J.C.

    1986-01-01

    The randon characteristics of the image formation process influence the spatial image obtained in a neutrongraphy. Several methods can be used to optimize this image, though estimation of the noise added to the original signal. This work deals with the optimal filtering technique, using Wiener's filter. A simulation is made, where the signal (spatial resolution function) has a Lorentz's form, and ten kinds of random noise with increasing R.M.S. are generated and individually added to the original signal. Wiener's filter is applied to different noise amplitudes and the behaviour of the spatial resolution function for our system is also analysed. (Author) [pt

  4. A Digital Image Denoising Algorithm Based on Gaussian Filtering and Bilateral Filtering

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Piao Weiying

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Bilateral filtering has been applied in the area of digital image processing widely, but in the high gradient region of the image, bilateral filtering may generate staircase effect. Bilateral filtering can be regarded as one particular form of local mode filtering, according to above analysis, an mixed image de-noising algorithm is proposed based on Gaussian filter and bilateral filtering. First of all, it uses Gaussian filter to filtrate the noise image and get the reference image, then to take both the reference image and noise image as the input for range kernel function of bilateral filter. The reference image can provide the image’s low frequency information, and noise image can provide image’s high frequency information. Through the competitive experiment on both the method in this paper and traditional bilateral filtering, the experimental result showed that the mixed de-noising algorithm can effectively overcome staircase effect, and the filtrated image was more smooth, its textural features was also more close to the original image, and it can achieve higher PSNR value, but the amount of calculation of above two algorithms are basically the same.

  5. Digital high-pass filter deconvolution by means of an infinite impulse response filter

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Födisch, P., E-mail: p.foedisch@hzdr.de [Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden - Rossendorf, Department of Research Technology, Bautzner Landstr. 400, 01328 Dresden (Germany); Wohsmann, J. [Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden - Rossendorf, Department of Research Technology, Bautzner Landstr. 400, 01328 Dresden (Germany); Dresden University of Applied Sciences, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Friedrich-List-Platz 1, 01069 Dresden (Germany); Lange, B. [Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden - Rossendorf, Department of Research Technology, Bautzner Landstr. 400, 01328 Dresden (Germany); Schönherr, J. [Dresden University of Applied Sciences, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Friedrich-List-Platz 1, 01069 Dresden (Germany); Enghardt, W. [OncoRay - National Center for Radiation Research in Oncology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, Fetscherstr. 74, PF 41, 01307 Dresden (Germany); Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden - Rossendorf, Institute of Radiooncology, Bautzner Landstr. 400, 01328 Dresden (Germany); German Cancer Consortium (DKTK) and German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Im Neuenheimer Feld 280, 69120 Heidelberg (Germany); Kaever, P. [Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden - Rossendorf, Department of Research Technology, Bautzner Landstr. 400, 01328 Dresden (Germany); Dresden University of Applied Sciences, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Friedrich-List-Platz 1, 01069 Dresden (Germany)

    2016-09-11

    In the application of semiconductor detectors, the charge-sensitive amplifier is widely used in front-end electronics. The output signal is shaped by a typical exponential decay. Depending on the feedback network, this type of front-end electronics suffers from the ballistic deficit problem, or an increased rate of pulse pile-ups. Moreover, spectroscopy applications require a correction of the pulse-height, while a shortened pulse-width is desirable for high-throughput applications. For both objectives, digital deconvolution of the exponential decay is convenient. With a general method and the signals of our custom charge-sensitive amplifier for cadmium zinc telluride detectors, we show how the transfer function of an amplifier is adapted to an infinite impulse response (IIR) filter. This paper investigates different design methods for an IIR filter in the discrete-time domain and verifies the obtained filter coefficients with respect to the equivalent continuous-time frequency response. Finally, the exponential decay is shaped to a step-like output signal that is exploited by a forward-looking pulse processing.

  6. Implementation of a nonlinear filter for online nuclear counting

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Coulon, R.; Dumazert, J.; Kondrasovs, V.; Normand, S.

    2016-01-01

    Nuclear counting is a challenging task for nuclear instrumentation because of the stochastic nature of radioactivity. Event counting has to be processed and filtered to determine a stable count rate value and perform variation monitoring of the measured event. An innovative approach for nuclear counting is presented in this study, improving response time and maintaining count rate stability. Some nonlinear filters providing a local maximum likelihood estimation of the signal have been recently developed, which have been tested and compared with conventional linear filters. A nonlinear filter thus developed shows significant performance in terms of response time and measurement precision. The filter also presents the specificity of easy embedment into digital signal processor (DSP) electronics based on field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA) or microcontrollers, compatible with real-time requirements. © 2001 Elsevier Science. All rights reserved. - Highlights: • An efficient approach based on nonlinear filtering has been implemented. • The hypothesis test provides a local maximum likelihood estimation of the count rate. • The filter ensures an optimal compromise between precision and response time.

  7. Two-Dimensional IIR Filter Design Using Simulated Annealing Based Particle Swarm Optimization

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Supriya Dhabal

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available We present a novel hybrid algorithm based on particle swarm optimization (PSO and simulated annealing (SA for the design of two-dimensional recursive digital filters. The proposed method, known as SA-PSO, integrates the global search ability of PSO with the local search ability of SA and offsets the weakness of each other. The acceptance criterion of Metropolis is included in the basic algorithm of PSO to increase the swarm’s diversity by accepting sometimes weaker solutions also. The experimental results reveal that the performance of the optimal filter designed by the proposed SA-PSO method is improved. Further, the convergence behavior as well as optimization accuracy of proposed method has been improved significantly and computational time is also reduced. In addition, the proposed SA-PSO method also produces the best optimal solution with lower mean and variance which indicates that the algorithm can be used more efficiently in realizing two-dimensional digital filters.

  8. Dual Adaptive Filtering by Optimal Projection Applied to Filter Muscle Artifacts on EEG and Comparative Study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Samuel Boudet

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Muscle artifacts constitute one of the major problems in electroencephalogram (EEG examinations, particularly for the diagnosis of epilepsy, where pathological rhythms occur within the same frequency bands as those of artifacts. This paper proposes to use the method dual adaptive filtering by optimal projection (DAFOP to automatically remove artifacts while preserving true cerebral signals. DAFOP is a two-step method. The first step consists in applying the common spatial pattern (CSP method to two frequency windows to identify the slowest components which will be considered as cerebral sources. The two frequency windows are defined by optimizing convolutional filters. The second step consists in using a regression method to reconstruct the signal independently within various frequency windows. This method was evaluated by two neurologists on a selection of 114 pages with muscle artifacts, from 20 clinical recordings of awake and sleeping adults, subject to pathological signals and epileptic seizures. A blind comparison was then conducted with the canonical correlation analysis (CCA method and conventional low-pass filtering at 30 Hz. The filtering rate was 84.3% for muscle artifacts with a 6.4% reduction of cerebral signals even for the fastest waves. DAFOP was found to be significantly more efficient than CCA and 30 Hz filters. The DAFOP method is fast and automatic and can be easily used in clinical EEG recordings.

  9. Robotic fish tracking method based on suboptimal interval Kalman filter

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tong, Xiaohong; Tang, Chao

    2017-11-01

    Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) research focused on tracking and positioning, precise guidance and return to dock and other fields. The robotic fish of AUV has become a hot application in intelligent education, civil and military etc. In nonlinear tracking analysis of robotic fish, which was found that the interval Kalman filter algorithm contains all possible filter results, but the range is wide, relatively conservative, and the interval data vector is uncertain before implementation. This paper proposes a ptimization algorithm of suboptimal interval Kalman filter. Suboptimal interval Kalman filter scheme used the interval inverse matrix with its worst inverse instead, is more approximate nonlinear state equation and measurement equation than the standard interval Kalman filter, increases the accuracy of the nominal dynamic system model, improves the speed and precision of tracking system. Monte-Carlo simulation results show that the optimal trajectory of sub optimal interval Kalman filter algorithm is better than that of the interval Kalman filter method and the standard method of the filter.

  10. Distributed Dynamic State Estimation with Extended Kalman Filter

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Du, Pengwei; Huang, Zhenyu; Sun, Yannan; Diao, Ruisheng; Kalsi, Karanjit; Anderson, Kevin K.; Li, Yulan; Lee, Barry

    2011-08-04

    Increasing complexity associated with large-scale renewable resources and novel smart-grid technologies necessitates real-time monitoring and control. Our previous work applied the extended Kalman filter (EKF) with the use of phasor measurement data (PMU) for dynamic state estimation. However, high computation complexity creates significant challenges for real-time applications. In this paper, the problem of distributed dynamic state estimation is investigated. One domain decomposition method is proposed to utilize decentralized computing resources. The performance of distributed dynamic state estimation is tested on a 16-machine, 68-bus test system.

  11. Bias aware Kalman filters

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Drecourt, J.-P.; Madsen, H.; Rosbjerg, Dan

    2006-01-01

    This paper reviews two different approaches that have been proposed to tackle the problems of model bias with the Kalman filter: the use of a colored noise model and the implementation of a separate bias filter. Both filters are implemented with and without feedback of the bias into the model state....... The colored noise filter formulation is extended to correct both time correlated and uncorrelated model error components. A more stable version of the separate filter without feedback is presented. The filters are implemented in an ensemble framework using Latin hypercube sampling. The techniques...... are illustrated on a simple one-dimensional groundwater problem. The results show that the presented filters outperform the standard Kalman filter and that the implementations with bias feedback work in more general conditions than the implementations without feedback. 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved....

  12. Study of different filters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cochinal, R.; Rouby, R.

    1959-01-01

    This note first contains a terminology related to filters and to their operation, and then proposes an overview of general characteristics of filters such as load loss with respect to gas rate, efficiency, and clogging with respect to filter pollution. It also indicates standard aerosols which are generally used, how they are dosed, and how efficiency is determined with a standard aerosol. Then, after a presentation of the filtration principle, this note reports the study of several filters: glass wool, filter papers provided by different companies, Teflon foam, English filters, Teflon wool, sintered Teflonite, quartz wool, polyvinyl chloride foam, synthetic filter, sintered bronze. The third part reports the study of some aerosol and dust separators

  13. Numerical Study on Self-Cleaning Canister Filter With Add-On Filter Cap

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohammed Akmal Nizam

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Filtration in a turbo machinery system such as a gas turbine will ensure that the air entering the inlet is free from contaminants that could bring damage to the main system. Self-cleaning filter systems for gas turbines are designed for continuously efficient flow filtration. A good filter would be able to maintain its effectiveness over a longer time period, prolonging the duration between filter replacements and providing lower pressure drop over its operating lifetime. With this goal in mind, the current study is focused on the difference in pressure loss of the benchmark Salutary Avenue Self-cleaning filter in comparison to a new design with an add-on filter cap. Geometry for the add-on filter cap will be based from Salutary Avenue Manufacturing Sdn.Bhd. SOLIDWORKS software was used to model the geometry of the filter, while simulation analysis on the flow through the filter was done using Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD software. The simulations are based on a low velocity condition, in which the parameter for the inlet velocity are set at 0.032 m/s, 0.063 m/s, 0.094 m/s and 0.126 m/s respectively. From the simulation data obtained for the inlet velocities considered, the pressure drop reduction of the modified filter compared to the benchmark was found to be between 7.59% and 30.18%. All in all, the modification of the filter cap produced a lower pressure drop in comparison with the benchmark filter; an improvement of 27.02% for the total pressure drop was obtained.

  14. Laboratory for filter testing

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Paluch, W.

    1987-07-01

    Filters used for mine draining in brown coal surface mines are tested by the Mine Draining Department of Poltegor. Laboratory tests of new types of filters developed by Poltegor are analyzed. Two types of tests are used: tests of scale filter models and tests of experimental units of new filters. Design and operation of the test stands used for testing mechanical properties and hydraulic properties of filters for coal mines are described: dimensions, pressure fluctuations, hydraulic equipment. Examples of testing large-diameter filters for brown coal mines are discussed.

  15. Investigation of Alternative Approaches for Cleaning Mott Porous Metal Filters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Poirier, M.R.

    2003-01-01

    The Department of Energy selected Caustic Side Solvent Extraction (CSSX) as the preferred cesium removal technology for Savannah River Site (SRS) waste. As a pretreatment step for the CSSX flowsheet, the incoming salt solution that contains entrained sludge is contacted with monosodium titanate (MST) to adsorb strontium and select actinides. The resulting slurry is filtered to remove the sludge and MST. Filter fouling occurs during this process. At times, personnel can increase the filtrate rate by backpulsing or scouring. At other times, the filtrate rate drops significantly and only chemical cleaning will restore filter performance. The current baseline technology for filter cleaning uses 0.5 M oxalic acid. The Salt Processing Project (SPP) at SRS, through the Tanks Focus Area, requested an evaluation of other cleaning agents to determine their effectiveness at removing trapped sludge and MST solids compared with the baseline oxalic acid method. A review of the technical literature identified compounds that appear effective at dissolving solid compounds. Consultation with the SPP management team, engineering personnel, and researchers led to a selection of oxalic acid, nitric acid, citric acid, and ascorbic acid for testing. Tests used simulated waste and actual waste as follows. Personnel placed simulated or actual SRS High Level Waste sludge and MST in a beaker. They added the selected cleaning agents, stirred the beakers, and collected supernate samples periodically analyzing for dissolved metals

  16. British Society of Interventional Radiology (BSIR) Inferior Vena Cava (IVC) Filter Registry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Uberoi, Raman; Tapping, Charles Ross; Chalmers, Nicholas; Allgar, Victoria

    2013-01-01

    Purpose: The British Society of Interventional Radiology (BSIR) Inferior Vena Cava (IVC) Filter Registry was produced to provide an audit of current United Kingdom (UK) practice regarding placement and retrieval of IVC filters to address concerns regarding their safety. Methods: The IVC filter registry is a web-based registry, launched by the BSIR on behalf of its membership in October 2007. This report is based on prospectively collected data from October 2007 to March 2011. This report contains analysis of data on 1,434 IVC filter placements and 400 attempted retrievals performed at 68 UK centers. Data collected included patient demographics, insertion and retrieval data, and patient follow-up. Results: IVC filter use in the majority of patients in the UK follows accepted CIRSE guidelines. Filter placement is usually a low-risk procedure, with a low major complication rate ( 9 weeks versus those with a shorter dwell time. New lower limb deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and/or IVC thrombosis was reported in 88 patients following filter placement, there was no significant difference of incidence between filter types. Conclusions: This registry report provides interventional radiologists and clinicians with an improved understanding of the technical aspects of IVC filter placement to help improve practice, and the potential consequences of IVC filter placement so that we are better able to advise patients. There is a significant learning curve associated with IVC filter insertion, and when a filter is placed with the intention of removal, procedures should be in place to avoid the patient being lost to follow-up

  17. Removal of virus to protozoan sized particles in point-of-use ceramic water filters.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bielefeldt, Angela R; Kowalski, Kate; Schilling, Cherylynn; Schreier, Simon; Kohler, Amanda; Scott Summers, R

    2010-03-01

    The particle removal performance of point-of-use ceramic water filters (CWFs) was characterized in the size range of 0.02-100 microm using carboxylate-coated polystyrene fluorescent microspheres, natural particles and clay. Particles were spiked into dechlorinated tap water, and three successive water batches treated in each of six different CWFs. Particle removal generally increased with increasing size. The removal of virus-sized 0.02 and 0.1 microm spheres were highly variable between the six filters, ranging from 63 to 99.6%. For the 0.5 microm spheres removal was less variable and in the range of 95.1-99.6%, while for the 1, 2, 4.5, and 10 microm spheres removal was >99.6%. Recoating four of the CWFs with colloidal silver solution improved removal of the 0.02 microm spheres, but had no significant effects on the other particle sizes. Log removals of 1.8-3.2 were found for natural turbidity and spiked kaolin clay particles; however, particles as large as 95 microm were detected in filtered water. Copyright 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Simulasi Filter Pasif Dan Perbandingan Unjuk Kerjanya Dengan Filter Aktif Dan Filter Aktif Hibrid Dalam Meredam Harmonisa Pada Induction Furnace

    OpenAIRE

    Tanoto, Yusak; Limantara, Limboto; Khandy Lestanto, Khristian

    2005-01-01

    This paper describe about simulation of Passive Filter in analysis to reduce harmonics that happened in a load such as vacuum casting induction furnace 9 kW, 13.8 kVA, 200V, 3 Ph, 50/60 Hz, also gives comparison with Hybrid Active Filter and Active Filter which made satisfaction result on the previous research. The best result achieved on the use of Hybrid Active Filter on %ITHD for 4.27 % and %VTHD for 3.83%, while Active Filter gave on %ITHD for 5.14 % and %VTHD for 3.82%. There ...

  19. A novel extended Kalman filter for a class of nonlinear systems

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    DONG Zhe; YOU Zheng

    2006-01-01

    Estimation of the state variables of nonlinear systems is one of the fundamental and significant problems in control and signal processing. A new extended Kalman filtering approach for a class of nonlinear discrete-time systems in engineering is presented in this paper. In contrast to the celebrated extended Kalman filter (EKF), there is no linearization operation in the design procedure of the filter, and the parameters of the filter are obtained through minimizing a proper upper bound of the mean-square estimation error. Simulation results show that this filter can provide higher estimation precision than that provided by the EKF.

  20. Differences in radial expansion force among inferior vena cava filter models support documented perforation rates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Robins, J Eli; Ragai, Ihab; Yamaguchi, Dean J

    2018-05-01

    Inferior vena cava (IVC) filters are used in patients at risk for pulmonary embolism who cannot be anticoagulated. Unfortunately, these filters are not without risk, and complications include perforation, migration, and filter fracture. The most prevalent complication is filter perforation of the IVC, with incidence varying among filter models. To our knowledge, the mechanical properties of IVC filters have not been evaluated and are not readily available through the manufacturer. This study sought to determine whether differences in mechanical properties are similar to differences in documented perforation rates. The radial expansion forces of Greenfield (Boston Scientific, Marlborough, Mass), Cook Celect (Cook Medical, Bloomington, Ind), and Cook Platinum filters were analyzed with three replicates per group. The intrinsic force exerted by the filter on the measuring device was collected in real time during controlled expansion. Replicates were averaged and significance was determined by calculating analysis of covariance using SAS software (SAS Institute, Cary, NC). Each filter model generated a significantly different radial expansion force (P filter, followed by the Cook Celect and Greenfield filters. Radial force dispersion during expansion was greatest in the Cook Celect, followed by the Cook Platinum and Greenfield filters. Differences in radial expansion forces among IVC filter models are consistent with documented perforation rates. Cook Celect IVC filters have a higher incidence of perforation compared with Greenfield filters when they are left in place for >90 days. Evaluation of Cook Celect filters yielded a significantly higher radial expansion force at minimum caval diameter, with greater force dispersion during expansion. Copyright © 2018 Society for Vascular Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  1. Ion beam properties after mass filtering with a linear radiofrequency quadrupole

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ferrer, R.; Kwiatkowski, A.A.; Bollen, G.; Lincoln, D.L.; Morrissey, D.J.; Pang, G.K.; Ringle, R.; Savory, J.; Schwarz, S.

    2014-01-01

    The properties of ion beams passing through a linear radiofrequency quadrupole mass filter were investigated with special attention to their dependence on the mass resolving power. Experimentally, an increase of the transverse emittance was observed as the mass-to-charge selectivity of the mass filter was raised. The experimental behavior was confirmed by beam transport simulations. -- Highlights: • The ion-optical properties of a Quadrupole Mass Filter (QMF) are presented. • Measured beam emittances follow a trend to larger values for smaller A/Q ratios and increasing mass resolution. • The experimental behavior was confirmed by beam transport simulations. • The use of a QMF for mass filtering comes at the cost of emittance growth of the ion beam

  2. Inverse Problem of Air Filtration of Nanoparticles: Optimal Quality Factors of Fibrous Filters

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dahua Shou

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Application of nanofibers has become an emerging approach to enhance filtration efficiency, but questions arise about the decrease in Quality factor (QF for certain particles due to the rapidly increasing pressure drop. In this paper, we theoretically investigate the QF of dual-layer filters for filtration of monodisperse and polydisperse nanoparticles. The inverse problem of air filtration, as defined in this work, consists in determining the optimal construction of the two-layer fibrous filter with the maximum QF. In comparison to a single-layer substrate, improved QF values for dual-layer filters are found when a second layer with proper structural parameters is added. The influences of solidity, fiber diameter, filter thickness, face velocity, and particle size on the optimization of QF are studied. The maximum QF values for realistic polydisperse particles with a lognormal size distribution are also found. Furthermore, we propose a modified QF (MQF accounting for the effects of energy cost and flow velocity, which are significant in certain operations. The optimal MQF of the dual-layer filter is found to be over twice that of the first layer. This work provides a quick tool for designing and optimizing fibrous structures with better performance for the air filtration of specific nanoparticles.

  3. Inferior Vena Cava Filter Placement and Retrieval Rates among Radiologists and Nonradiologists.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guez, David; Hansberry, David R; Eschelman, David J; Gonsalves, Carin F; Parker, Laurence; Rao, Vijay M; Levin, David C

    2018-04-01

    To evaluate inferior vena cava (IVC) filter placement and retrieval rates among radiologists, vascular surgeons, cardiologists, other surgeons, and all other health care providers for Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries in the years 2012-2015. The nationwide Medicare Physician/Supplier Procedure Summary Master Files were used to determine the volume and utilization rate of IVC filter placement, IVC filter repositioning, and IVC filter retrieval, which correspond to procedure codes 37191, 37192, and 37193, respectively. Procedural code 37193 was not available before 2012, so data were reviewed for the years 2012-2015. The total volume of Medicare IVC filter placement decreased from 57,785 in 2012 to 44,378 in 2015, with radiologists responsible for 60% of all filter placements. Volume of IVC filter placement declined across all specialties, including radiologists, who placed 33,744 in 2012 and 27,957 in 2015. In contrast, total retrieval of IVC filters increased from 4,060 removals in 2012 to 6,166 in 2015. Retrieval rate per 100,000 Medicare beneficiaries increased from 11 in 2012 to 16 in 2015. Radiologists removed the bulk of the filters: 64% in both 2012 and 2015. Vascular surgeons, cardiologists, and other surgeons retrieved, respectively, 20%, 10%, and 5% of all IVC filters in 2012 and 22%, 9%, and 5% in 2015. From 2012 to 2015, IVC filter placement steadily decreased across all specialties. Retrieval rate of IVC filters continued to rise over the same period. Radiologists were responsible for the majority of IVC filter placements and retrievals. Copyright © 2017 SIR. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. Rotation speed measurement for turbine governor: torsion filtering by using Kalman filter

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Houry, M.P.; Bourles, H.

    1996-01-01

    The rotation speed of a turbogenerator is disturbed by its shaft torsion. Obtaining a filtered measure of this speed is a problem of a great practical importance for turbine governor. A good filtering of this speed must meet two requirements: it must cut frequencies of the shaft torsion oscillation and it must not reduce or delay the signal in the pass-band, i.e. at lower frequencies. At Electricite de France, the speed measure is used to set in motion the fast valving system as quickly as possible, after a short circuit close to the unit or rather an islanding. It is difficult to satisfy these two requirements by using conventional filtering methods. The standard solution consists in a first order filter: at Electricite de France, its time constant is equal to 80 ms. We have decided to improve this filtering by designing a new filter which cuts the frequencies of the shaft torsion oscillation without reducing the bandwidth to the speed measure. If one uses conventional methods to obtain a band stop filter, it is easy to obtain the desired magnitude but not a phase near zero in the whole pass-band. Therefore, we have chosen to design the filter by using Kalman'a theory. The measurement noise is modeled as a colored one, generated by a very lightly damped system driven by a while noise. The resulting Kalman filter is an effective band stop filter, whose phase nicely remains near zero in the whole pass-band. The digital simulations we made and the tests we carried out with the Electricite de France Micro Network laboratory show the advantages of the rotation speed filter we designed using Kalman's theory. With the proposed filter, the speed measure filtering is better in terms of reduction and phase shift. the result is that there are less untimely solicitations of the fast valving system. Consequently, this device improves the power systems stability by minimizing the risks of deep perturbations due to a temporary lack of generation and the risks of under-speed loss

  5. Filter penetration and breathing resistance evaluation of respirators and dust masks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ramirez, Joel; O'Shaughnessy, Patrick

    2017-02-01

    The primary objective of this study was to compare the filter performance of a representative selection of uncertified dust masks relative to the filter performance of a set of NIOSH-approved N95 filtering face-piece respirators (FFRs). Five different models of commercially available dust masks were selected for this study. Filter penetration of new dust masks was evaluated against a sodium chloride aerosol. Breathing resistance (BR) of new dust masks and FFRs was then measured for 120 min while challenging the dust masks and FFRs with Arizona road dust (ARD) at 25°C and 30% relative humidity. Results demonstrated that a wide range of maximum filter penetration was observed among the dust masks tested in this study (3-75% at the most penetrating particle size (p masks did not vary greatly (8-13 mm H 2 O) but were significantly different (p mask. Microscopic analysis of the external layer of each dust mask and FFR suggests that different collection media in the external layer influences the development of the dust layer and therefore affects the increase in BR differently between the tested models. Two of the dust masks had penetration values masks, those with penetration > 15%, had quality factors ranging between 0.04-0.15 primarily because their initial BR remained relatively high. These results indicate that some dust masks analysed during this research did not have an expected very low BR to compensate for their high penetration.

  6. Stochastic global optimization as a filtering problem

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stinis, Panos

    2012-01-01

    We present a reformulation of stochastic global optimization as a filtering problem. The motivation behind this reformulation comes from the fact that for many optimization problems we cannot evaluate exactly the objective function to be optimized. Similarly, we may not be able to evaluate exactly the functions involved in iterative optimization algorithms. For example, we may only have access to noisy measurements of the functions or statistical estimates provided through Monte Carlo sampling. This makes iterative optimization algorithms behave like stochastic maps. Naive global optimization amounts to evolving a collection of realizations of this stochastic map and picking the realization with the best properties. This motivates the use of filtering techniques to allow focusing on realizations that are more promising than others. In particular, we present a filtering reformulation of global optimization in terms of a special case of sequential importance sampling methods called particle filters. The increasing popularity of particle filters is based on the simplicity of their implementation and their flexibility. We utilize the flexibility of particle filters to construct a stochastic global optimization algorithm which can converge to the optimal solution appreciably faster than naive global optimization. Several examples of parametric exponential density estimation are provided to demonstrate the efficiency of the approach.

  7. The dry filter method for passive filtered venting of the containment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Freis, Daniel; Tietsch, Wolfgang; Obenland, Ralf; Kroes, Bert; Martinsteg, Hans

    2013-01-01

    Filtered Venting is a mitigative emergency measure to protect the containment from pressure failure in case of a severe accident. Filtered vent systems which are based on the Dry Filter Method (DFM) are proven technology, work completely passive, meet all functional requirements and show excellent performance with respect to filter efficiency. With such a system the release of radioactive fission products to the environment can be effectively minimized. Short and long term land contaminations can be avoided. (orig.)

  8. Filter Effectiveness Evaluation

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-08-01

    synthetic paraffinic kerosene (SPK), as well as Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel (ULSD) treated with mono-olein to simulate the effects of biodiesel . Results...fuel. Sufficient analysis and qualification of filter products is becoming increasingly crucial in ground transportation vehicles to promote the...well as a simulated biodiesel composed of ultra low sulfur diesel (ULSD) and mono-olein. As written in the scope of work, the alternative aviation

  9. LHCb Kalman Filter cross architecture studies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hugo, Daniel; Pérez, Cámpora

    2017-10-01

    The 2020 upgrade of the LHCb detector will vastly increase the rate of collisions the Online system needs to process in software, in order to filter events in real time. 30 million collisions per second will pass through a selection chain, where each step is executed conditional to its prior acceptance. The Kalman Filter is a fit applied to all reconstructed tracks which, due to its time characteristics and early execution in the selection chain, consumes 40% of the whole reconstruction time in the current trigger software. This makes the Kalman Filter a time-critical component as the LHCb trigger evolves into a full software trigger in the Upgrade. I present a new Kalman Filter algorithm for LHCb that can efficiently make use of any kind of SIMD processor, and its design is explained in depth. Performance benchmarks are compared between a variety of hardware architectures, including x86_64 and Power8, and the Intel Xeon Phi accelerator, and the suitability of said architectures to efficiently perform the LHCb Reconstruction process is determined.

  10. Studies of significant properties of filter-type self rescuer for its use in underground coal mine in carbon monoxide exposure

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kumar, A.; Mondal, P.C. [Central Institute of Mining and Fuel Research, Dhanbad (India)

    2007-07-01

    CO is a highly toxic gas; it is the outcome of fire or explosion in underground coal mines. It combines with hemoglobin of coal mine workers and carboxyhemoglobin forms, which reduces the oxygen carrying capacity of blood. A little intake of CO gas, even 0.1% in atmosphere, causes respiratory failure. Filter-type self rescuers (FSR) are a life-saving gas mask breathing apparatus against CO exposure in underground coal mine. The quality of FSR was evaluated in respect of its duration for use, CO conversion by hopcalite, breathing resistance, leak tightness properties, and so on. A scope of improvement is observed in cartridge of self rescuer as well as in the clauses of BIS 9563-1980 in order to increase the duration and improvement in the quality of self rescuers. 12 refs., 2 tabs.

  11. Geostationary Coastal and Air Pollution Events (GeoCAPE) Filter Radiometer (FR)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kotecki, Carl; Chu, Martha; Wilson, Mark; Clark, Mike; Nanan, Bobby; Matson, Liz; McBirney, Dick; Smith, Jay; Earle, Paul; Choi, Mike; hide

    2014-01-01

    The GeoCAPE Filter Radiometer (FR) Study is a different instrument type than all of the previous IDL GeoCape studies. The customer primary goals are to keep mass, volume and cost to a minimum while meeting the science objectives and maximizing flight opportunities by fitting on the largest number of GEO accommodations possible. Minimize total mission costs by riding on a commercial GEO satellite. For this instrument type, the coverage rate, km 2 min, was significantly increased while reducing the nadir ground sample size to 250m. This was accomplished by analyzing a large 2d area for each integration period. The field of view will be imaged on a 4k x 4k detector array of 15 micrometer pixels. Each ground pixel is spread over 2 x 2 detector pixels so the instantaneous field of view (IFOV) is 2048 X 2048 ground pixels. The baseline is, for each field of view 50 sequential snapshot images are taken, each with a different filter, before indexing the scan mirror to the next IFOV. A delta would be to add additional filters.

  12. Image restoration technique using median filter combined with decision tree algorithm

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sethu, D.; Assadi, H.M.; Hasson, F.N.; Hasson, N.N.

    2007-01-01

    Images are usually corrupted during transmission principally due to interface in the channel used for transmission. Images also be impaired by the addition of various forms of noise. Salt and pepper is commonly used to impair the image. Salt and pepper noise can be caused by errors in data transmission, malfunctioning pixel elements in camera sensors, and timing errors in the digitization process. During the filtering of noisy image, important features such as edges, lines and other fine image details embedded in the image tends to blur because of filtering operation. The enhancement of noisy data, however, is a very critical process because the sharpening operation can significantly increase the noise. In this respect, contrast enhancement is often necessary in order to highlight details that have been blurred. In this proposed approach we aim to develop image processing technique that can meet this new requirement, which are high quality and high speed. Furthermore, prevent the noise accretion during the sharpening of the image details, and compare the restored images via proposed method with other kinds of filters. (author)

  13. Rotation speed measurement for turbine governor: torsion filtering by using Kalman filter

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Houry, M.P.; Bourles, H.

    1995-11-01

    The rotation speed of a turbogenerator is disturbed by its shaft torsion. Obtaining a filtered measure of this sped a problem of a great practical importance for turbine governor. A good filtering of this speed must meet two requirements: it must cut frequencies of the shaft torsion oscillation and it must not reduce or delay the signal in the pass-band. i.e. at lower frequencies. At Electricite de France, the speed measure is used to set in motion the fast valving system as quickly as possible, after a short circuit close to the unit (to contribute to the stability) or after an islanding (to quickly reach a balance with the house load). It is difficult to satisfy these two requirements by using conventional filtering methods. The standard solution consists in a first order filter: at Electricite de France, its time constant is equal to 80 ms; We have decided to improve this filtering by designing a new filter which cuts the frequencies of the shaft torsion oscillation without reducing the bandwidth of the speed measure. If one uses conventional methods to obtain a band-stop filter (for instance a Butterworth, a Chebyshev or an elliptic band-stop filter),it is easy to obtain the desired magnitude but not a phase near zero in the whole pass-band. Therefore, we have chosen to design the filter by using Kalman's theory. The measurement noise is modeled as a colored one, generated by a very lightly damped system driven by a white noise. The resulting Kalman filter is an effective band-stop filter, whose phase nicely remains near zero in the whole pass-band. (authors). 13 refs., 12 figs

  14. Detecting Power Voltage Dips using Tracking Filters - A Comparison against Kalman

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    STANCIU, I.-R.

    2012-11-01

    Full Text Available Due of its significant economical impact, Power-Quality (PQ analysis is an important domain today. Severe voltage distortions affect the consumers and disturb their activity. They may be caused by short circuits (in this case the voltage drops significantly or by varying loads (with a smaller drop. These two types are the PQ currently issues. Monitoring these phenomena (called dips or sags require powerful techniques. Digital Signal Processing (DSP algorithms are currently employed to fulfill this task. Discrete Wavelet Transforms, (and variants, Kalman filters, and S-Transform are currently proposed by researchers to detect voltage dips. This paper introduces and examines a new tool to detect voltage dips: the so-called tracking filters. Discovered and tested during the cold war, they can estimate a parameter of interest one-step-ahead based on the previously observed values. Two filters are implemented. Their performance is assessed by comparison against the Kalman filter?s results.

  15. Factors Associated with Advanced Inferior Vena Cava Filter Removals: A Single-Center Retrospective Study of 203 Patients Over 7 Years

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dowell, Joshua D., E-mail: Joshua.Dowell@osumc.edu; Wagner, Daniel, E-mail: Daniel.Wagner@osumc.edu; Elliott, Eric, E-mail: Eric.Elliott@osumc.edu [The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Department of Radiology, Division of Interventional Radiology (United States); Yildiz, Vedat O., E-mail: Vedat.Yildiz@osumc.edu; Pan, Xueliang, E-mail: Jeff.Pan@osumc.edu [The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Center for Biostatistics (United States)

    2016-02-15

    PurposeTo identify factors associated with advanced inferior vena cava filter (IVCF) retrieval to raise awareness on technical considerations, retrieval efficiency, and patient safety.Materials and MethodsA single-center retrospective review was performed of 203 consecutive retrievable IVC filters placed between 2007 and 2014. Attempted retrievals were classified as advanced if the routine “snare and sheath” technique was initially unsuccessful after multiple attempts, or an alternate endovascular maneuver or access site was utilized. Patient and filter characteristics were recorded.Results203 attempted retrievals were reviewed (48.7 % male, 51.2 % female, mean age 52.7 years, mean dwell time 109 days). Advanced retrievals were observed in 20 patients (9.8 %) (15 females, 5 males). Fluoroscopy time (p ≤ 0.01, 34.3 ± 21.1 and 5.3 ± 4.5 min for advanced retrievals and routine retrievals respectively, same below), gender (p = 0.031), and retrieval tilt angle (p ≤ 0.01, 5.7 ± 5.10° vs. 11.9 ± 11.03°) were associated with advanced retrievals. Females were 3.16 times more likely to have an advanced retrieval performed than males with a significantly higher tilt angle in those with advanced retrieval. History of cancer (p = 0.502), dwell time (p = 0.916), retrieval caval diameter (p = 0.053), placement caval diameter (p = 0.365), filter type (p = 0.710), strut perforation (p = 0.506), placement tilt angle (p = 0.311), and age (p = 0.558) were not found significantly associated with advanced retrievals.ConclusionsWomen are at increased risk for advanced filter retrieval secondary to a significant change in filter tilt over time compared to men, independent of filter type or competing demographic or filter risks, likely placing them at increased risk for higher procedural fluoroscopy times.

  16. Factors Associated with Advanced Inferior Vena Cava Filter Removals: A Single-Center Retrospective Study of 203 Patients Over 7 Years

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dowell, Joshua D.; Wagner, Daniel; Elliott, Eric; Yildiz, Vedat O.; Pan, Xueliang

    2016-01-01

    PurposeTo identify factors associated with advanced inferior vena cava filter (IVCF) retrieval to raise awareness on technical considerations, retrieval efficiency, and patient safety.Materials and MethodsA single-center retrospective review was performed of 203 consecutive retrievable IVC filters placed between 2007 and 2014. Attempted retrievals were classified as advanced if the routine “snare and sheath” technique was initially unsuccessful after multiple attempts, or an alternate endovascular maneuver or access site was utilized. Patient and filter characteristics were recorded.Results203 attempted retrievals were reviewed (48.7 % male, 51.2 % female, mean age 52.7 years, mean dwell time 109 days). Advanced retrievals were observed in 20 patients (9.8 %) (15 females, 5 males). Fluoroscopy time (p ≤ 0.01, 34.3 ± 21.1 and 5.3 ± 4.5 min for advanced retrievals and routine retrievals respectively, same below), gender (p = 0.031), and retrieval tilt angle (p ≤ 0.01, 5.7 ± 5.10° vs. 11.9 ± 11.03°) were associated with advanced retrievals. Females were 3.16 times more likely to have an advanced retrieval performed than males with a significantly higher tilt angle in those with advanced retrieval. History of cancer (p = 0.502), dwell time (p = 0.916), retrieval caval diameter (p = 0.053), placement caval diameter (p = 0.365), filter type (p = 0.710), strut perforation (p = 0.506), placement tilt angle (p = 0.311), and age (p = 0.558) were not found significantly associated with advanced retrievals.ConclusionsWomen are at increased risk for advanced filter retrieval secondary to a significant change in filter tilt over time compared to men, independent of filter type or competing demographic or filter risks, likely placing them at increased risk for higher procedural fluoroscopy times

  17. Highly Tunable Narrow Bandpass MEMS Filter

    KAUST Repository

    Hafiz, Md Abdullah Al

    2017-07-07

    We demonstrate a proof-of-concept highly tunable narrow bandpass filter based on electrothermally and electrostatically actuated microelectromechanical-system (MEMS) resonators. The device consists of two mechanically uncoupled clamped-clamped arch resonators, designed such that their resonance frequencies are independently tuned to obtain the desired narrow passband. Through the electrothermal and electrostatic actuation, the stiffness of the structures is highly tunable. We experimentally demonstrate significant percentage tuning (~125%) of the filter center frequency by varying the applied electrothermal voltages to the resonating structures, while maintaining a narrow passband of 550 ± 50 Hz, a stopband rejection of >17 dB, and a passband ripple ≤ 2.5 dB. An analytical model based on the Euler-Bernoulli beam theory is used to confirm the behavior of the filter, and the origin of the high tunability using electrothermal actuation is discussed.

  18. The effect of UV-filters on the viability of neuroblastoma (SH-SY5Y) cell line.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Broniowska, Żaneta; Pomierny, Bartosz; Smaga, Irena; Filip, Małgorzata; Budziszewska, Bogusława

    2016-05-01

    Topical application of cosmetic products, containing ultraviolet filters (UV filters) are recommended as a protection against sunburns and in order to reduce the risk of skin cancer. However, some UV filters can be absorbed through skin and by consuming contaminated food. Among the chemical UV filters, benzophenone-3 (BP-3), 3-(4-methylbenzylidene)camphor (4-MBC) and 2-ethylhexyl-4-methoxycinnamate (OMC) are absorbed through the skin to the greatest extent. So far, these lipophilic compounds were demonstrated to influence the gonadal and thyroid hormone function, but their effect on central nervous system cells has not been investigated, yet. In the present study, we investigated the effect of some UV filters on cell viability and caspase-3 activity in SH-SY5Y cells. It has been found that benzophenone-2 (BP-2), BP-3, 4-methylbenzophenone (4-MBP) and OMC present in the culture medium for 72h in high concentration (10(-5) and 10(-4)M) and 4-MBC only 10(-4)M produced a significant cytotoxic effect, as determined both by the MTT reduction test and LDH release assay. In contrast to necrotic changes, all tested UV filters increased caspase-3 activity in much lower concentrations (from 10(-8) to 10(-7)M). Proapoptotic properties of the test compounds were positively verified by Hoechst staining. The obtained results indicated that UV filters adversely affected the viability of nerve cells, most likely by enhancing the process of apoptosis. The most potent effect was exerted by BP-3 and 4-MBC and at concentrations that may be reached in vivo. Since human exposure to UV filters is significant these compound should be taken into consideration as one of the possible factors involved in pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  19. Optimization of filter loading

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Turney, J.H.; Gardiner, D.E.; Sacramento Municipal Utility District, Herald, CA)

    1985-01-01

    The introduction of 10 CFR Part 61 has created potential difficulties in the disposal of spent cartridge filters. When this report was prepared, Rancho Seco had no method of packaging and disposing of class B or C filters. This work examined methods to minimize the total operating cost of cartridge filters while maintaining them below the class A limit. It was found that by encapsulating filters in cement the filter operating costs could be minimized

  20. PRESENCE OF ARCOBACTER SPP. IN IN-LINE MILK FILTERS: AN EMERGING AND SIGNIFICANT MICROBIOLOGICAL HAZARD IN FOOD

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    F. Giacometti

    2011-04-01

    Full Text Available While a study on the presence of foodborne pathogens in in-line milk filters of Italian dairy farms authorized for production and sale of raw milk was in progress, we fortuitously detected and isolated some Arcobacter spp. during routine analysis for thermotolerant Campylobacter. This observation suggested that extraordinary and non-standardized growth conditions for detection and identification were needed to provide more information and data on this poorly known emergent zoonotic pathogen. The presence of Arcobacter butzleri and Arcobacacter cryaerophilus in milk filters of dairy farms authorized for production and sale of raw milk poses a risk for public health and rather suggests that raw milk samples should also be examined for Arcobacter contamination. While the role of Arcobacter spp. in human disease awaits further evaluation, a precautionary approach is advisable and control measures to prevent or to eliminate the hazard of Arcobacter spp. in food and from the human food chain should be encouraged as well as more epidemiological studies. With this article, we review the literature of this organism in order to focus the relevant information to food safety.

  1. Practical Gammatone-Like Filters for Auditory Processing

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    R. F. Lyon

    2007-12-01

    Full Text Available This paper deals with continuous-time filter transfer functions that resemble tuning curves at particular set of places on the basilar membrane of the biological cochlea and that are suitable for practical VLSI implementations. The resulting filters can be used in a filterbank architecture to realize cochlea implants or auditory processors of increased biorealism. To put the reader into context, the paper starts with a short review on the gammatone filter and then exposes two of its variants, namely, the differentiated all-pole gammatone filter (DAPGF and one-zero gammatone filter (OZGF, filter responses that provide a robust foundation for modeling cochlea transfer functions. The DAPGF and OZGF responses are attractive because they exhibit certain characteristics suitable for modeling a variety of auditory data: level-dependent gain, linear tail for frequencies well below the center frequency, asymmetry, and so forth. In addition, their form suggests their implementation by means of cascades of N identical two-pole systems which render them as excellent candidates for efficient analog or digital VLSI realizations. We provide results that shed light on their characteristics and attributes and which can also serve as “design curves” for fitting these responses to frequency-domain physiological data. The DAPGF and OZGF responses are essentially a “missing link” between physiological, electrical, and mechanical models for auditory filtering.

  2. Infrared image background modeling based on improved Susan filtering

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yuehua, Xia

    2018-02-01

    When SUSAN filter is used to model the infrared image, the Gaussian filter lacks the ability of direction filtering. After filtering, the edge information of the image cannot be preserved well, so that there are a lot of edge singular points in the difference graph, increase the difficulties of target detection. To solve the above problems, the anisotropy algorithm is introduced in this paper, and the anisotropic Gauss filter is used instead of the Gauss filter in the SUSAN filter operator. Firstly, using anisotropic gradient operator to calculate a point of image's horizontal and vertical gradient, to determine the long axis direction of the filter; Secondly, use the local area of the point and the neighborhood smoothness to calculate the filter length and short axis variance; And then calculate the first-order norm of the difference between the local area of the point's gray-scale and mean, to determine the threshold of the SUSAN filter; Finally, the built SUSAN filter is used to convolution the image to obtain the background image, at the same time, the difference between the background image and the original image is obtained. The experimental results show that the background modeling effect of infrared image is evaluated by Mean Squared Error (MSE), Structural Similarity (SSIM) and local Signal-to-noise Ratio Gain (GSNR). Compared with the traditional filtering algorithm, the improved SUSAN filter has achieved better background modeling effect, which can effectively preserve the edge information in the image, and the dim small target is effectively enhanced in the difference graph, which greatly reduces the false alarm rate of the image.

  3. Development of filters and housings for use on active plant

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hackney, S.; Pratt, R.P.

    1983-01-01

    New designs of housings for conventional HEPA filters have been developed and are now in use. A further design is planned for future use. The main features to be developed are the engineering of double door systems to replace bag posting and other methods of filter changing which expose personnel to hazardous environments and the addition of a secondary containment to reduce the role of the gasket seal in the filtration efficiency. Also under development are circular geometry filters of HEPA standard which offer significant advantages over rectangular filters for applications requiring remote shielded change facilities. Two types of filter construction are being evaluated, conventional radial flow cartridge filters and spiral-wound, axial-flow filters. The application of circular filters for primary filter systems on active plant is in hand. A push-through change system has been developed for a new cell facility under construction at Harwell. Existing rectangular filters on a high activity cell are being replaced with clusters of small cartridge filters to overcome changing and disposal problems. A similar system but using 1700 m 3 /h filters for large volume off-gas treatment is also being studied. A remote change shielded filter installation is being developed for use in high alpha, beta, gamma extract systems. The design incorporates large cartridge filters in sealed drums with remote transfer and connection to duct work in the facility. A novel application of the use of double-lid technology removes the need for separate shut off dampers and enables the drums to be sealed for all transfer operations

  4. Retrievable Vena Cava Filters in Major Trauma Patients: Prevalence of Thrombus Within the Filter

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mahrer, Arie; Zippel, Douglas; Garniek, Alexander; Golan, Gil; Bensaid, Paul; Simon, Daniel; Rimon, Uri

    2008-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to report the prevalence of thrombus within a retrievable vena cava filter inserted prophylactically in major trauma patients referred for filter extraction. Between November 2002 and August 2005, 80 retrievable inferior vena cava filters (68 Optease and 12 Gunther-Tulip) were inserted into critically injured trauma patients (mean injury severity score 33.5). The filters were inserted within 1 to 6 (mean 2) days of injury. Thirty-seven patients were referred for filter removal (32 with Optease and 5 with Gunther-Tulip). The indwelling time was 7 to 22 (mean 13) days. All patients underwent inferior vena cavography prior to filter removal. There were no insertion-related complications and all filters were successfully deployed. Forty-three (54%) of the 80 patients were not referred for filter removal, as these patients continued to have contraindications to anticoagulation. Thirty-seven patients (46%) were referred for filter removal. In eight of them (22%) a large thrombus was seen within the filters and they were left in place, all with the Optease device. The other 29 filters (36%) were removed uneventfully.We conclude that the relatively high prevalence of intrafilter thrombi with the Optease filter may be explained by either spontaneous thrombus formation or captured emboli.

  5. SU-E-T-377: Inaccurate Positioning Might Introduce Significant MapCheck Calibration Error in Flatten Filter Free Beams

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, S; Chao, C; Chang, J

    2014-01-01

    Purpose: This study investigates the calibration error of detector sensitivity for MapCheck due to inaccurate positioning of the device, which is not taken into account by the current commercial iterative calibration algorithm. We hypothesize the calibration is more vulnerable to the positioning error for the flatten filter free (FFF) beams than the conventional flatten filter flattened beams. Methods: MapCheck2 was calibrated with 10MV conventional and FFF beams, with careful alignment and with 1cm positioning error during calibration, respectively. Open fields of 37cmx37cm were delivered to gauge the impact of resultant calibration errors. The local calibration error was modeled as a detector independent multiplication factor, with which propagation error was estimated with positioning error from 1mm to 1cm. The calibrated sensitivities, without positioning error, were compared between the conventional and FFF beams to evaluate the dependence on the beam type. Results: The 1cm positioning error leads to 0.39% and 5.24% local calibration error in the conventional and FFF beams respectively. After propagating to the edges of MapCheck, the calibration errors become 6.5% and 57.7%, respectively. The propagation error increases almost linearly with respect to the positioning error. The difference of sensitivities between the conventional and FFF beams was small (0.11 ± 0.49%). Conclusion: The results demonstrate that the positioning error is not handled by the current commercial calibration algorithm of MapCheck. Particularly, the calibration errors for the FFF beams are ~9 times greater than those for the conventional beams with identical positioning error, and a small 1mm positioning error might lead to up to 8% calibration error. Since the sensitivities are only slightly dependent of the beam type and the conventional beam is less affected by the positioning error, it is advisable to cross-check the sensitivities between the conventional and FFF beams to detect

  6. Influence of Post-treatment Methods on Pressure Change of Filter Bag

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yihua Yin

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The PPS needle-punched non-woven filters with different post-treatments were studied by filter testing system. The pressure drop was measured at various filtration velocity, dust deposition time and the temperature during the experiment; and the effect of dust-cleaning as the consequence of pressure of filter bag was measured. The results showed that post-treatments transformed the surfaces of filters, and the dust formation differed greatly. Excessively high filtration velocity decreased the peak pressure in the process of dust-cleaning. The pressure of filter bag was increased as the dust layers were thickened. The higher temperature in filtration rose the peak pressure of filter bag, but decreased the rate of rising.

  7. Influence of cigarette filter ventilation on smokers' mouth level exposure to tar and nicotine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Caraway, John W; Ashley, Madeleine; Bowman, Sheri A; Chen, Peter; Errington, Graham; Prasad, Krishna; Nelson, Paul R; Shepperd, Christopher J; Fearon, Ian M

    2017-12-01

    Cigarette filter ventilation allows air to be drawn into the filter, diluting the cigarette smoke. Although machine smoking reveals that toxicant yields are reduced, it does not predict human yields. The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between cigarette filter ventilation and mouth level exposure (MLE) to tar and nicotine in cigarette smokers. We collated and reviewed data from 11 studies across 9 countries, in studies performed between 2005 and 2013 which contained data on MLE from 156 products with filter ventilation between 0% and 87%. MLE among 7534 participants to tar and nicotine was estimated using the part-filter analysis method from spent filter tips. For each of the countries, MLE to tar and nicotine tended to decrease as filter ventilation increased. Across countries, per-cigarette MLE to tar and nicotine decreased as filter ventilation increased from 0% to 87%. Daily MLE to tar and nicotine also decreased across the range of increasing filter ventilation. These data suggest that on average smokers of highly ventilated cigarettes are exposed to lower amounts of nicotine and tar per cigarette and per day than smokers of cigarettes with lower levels of ventilation. Copyright © 2017 British American Tobacco. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  8. Kalman and particle filtering methods for full vehicle and tyre identification

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bogdanski, Karol; Best, Matthew C.

    2018-05-01

    This paper considers identification of all significant vehicle handling dynamics of a test vehicle, including identification of a combined-slip tyre model, using only those sensors currently available on most vehicle controller area network buses. Using an appropriately simple but efficient model structure, all of the independent parameters are found from test vehicle data, with the resulting model accuracy demonstrated on independent validation data. The paper extends previous work on augmented Kalman Filter state estimators to concentrate wholly on parameter identification. It also serves as a review of three alternative filtering methods; identifying forms of the unscented Kalman filter, extended Kalman filter and particle filter are proposed and compared for effectiveness, complexity and computational efficiency. All three filters are suited to applications of system identification and the Kalman Filters can also operate in real-time in on-line model predictive controllers or estimators.

  9. Effects of Sawdust and Rice husk Additives on Physical Properties of Ceramic Filter

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Majid. Muhi Shukur

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Two processes were employed for forming, specifically,  slip casting and semi-dry press were used to manufacture ceramic filters from local raw materials, red clay and combustible materials  (sawdust and rice husk. Different proportions of additives were used as pores forming agents to create porosity in ceramic filter. Dried filters  were fired at temperature to 1000°C.   It was found that the forming technique and additives have great effect on the physical properties of the produced ceramic filters. The slip casting technique was more suitable procedure for producing a porous ceramic filter. As well as, porosity increased as percentage of the combustible materials increased.

  10. Arsenic removal from drinking water by a household sand filter in Vietnam--effect of filter usage practices on arsenic removal efficiency and microbiological water quality.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nitzsche, Katja Sonja; Lan, Vi Mai; Trang, Pham Thi Kim; Viet, Pham Hung; Berg, Michael; Voegelin, Andreas; Planer-Friedrich, Britta; Zahoransky, Jan; Müller, Stefanie-Katharina; Byrne, James Martin; Schröder, Christian; Behrens, Sebastian; Kappler, Andreas

    2015-01-01

    Household sand filters are applied to treat arsenic- and iron-containing anoxic groundwater that is used as drinking water in rural areas of North Vietnam. These filters immobilize poisonous arsenic (As) via co-oxidation with Fe(II) and sorption to or co-precipitation with the formed Fe(III) (oxyhydr)oxides. However, information is lacking regarding the effect of the frequency and duration of filter use as well as of filter sand replacement on the residual As concentrations in the filtered water and on the presence of potentially pathogenic bacteria in the filtered and stored water. We therefore scrutinized a household sand filter with respect to As removal efficiency and the presence of fecal indicator bacteria in treated water as a function of filter operation before and after sand replacement. Quantification of As in the filtered water showed that periods of intense daily use followed by periods of non-use and even sand replacement did not significantly (psand replacement, CFUs of Escherichia coli of sand filters regarding As removal, but indicate a potential risk for human health arising from the enrichment of coliform bacteria during filtration and from E. coli cells that are introduced by sand replacement. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  11. Volume reduction of contaminated filter wastes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Buttedahl, O.I.; Terada, K.

    1976-01-01

    Reported are details of a pilot project to design and construct a compactor to reduce the handling of high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters used in air filtration systems at facilities where radioactive materials are processed. In such systems at Rocky Flats Plant, filters require frequent change and removal. Large quantities are used and will be increased for future operations. With the completion of the pilot model, it has been demonstrated that volume reductions of more than 80% can be achieved and cost savings will be realized also

  12. Design, control, and implementation of LCL-filter-based shunt active power filters

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Tang, Yi; Loh, Poh Chiang; Wang, Peng

    2011-01-01

    This paper concentrates on the design, control and implementation of an LCL-filter-based shunt active power filter (SAPF), which can effectively compensate harmonic currents produced by nonlinear loads in a three-phase three-wire power system. The use of LCL-filter at the output end of SAPF offer......-loop control system, and active damping implemented with fewer current sensors are all addressed here. An analytical design example is finally presented, being supported with experimental results, to verify its effectiveness and practicality.......This paper concentrates on the design, control and implementation of an LCL-filter-based shunt active power filter (SAPF), which can effectively compensate harmonic currents produced by nonlinear loads in a three-phase three-wire power system. The use of LCL-filter at the output end of SAPF offers...

  13. X-ray fluoroscopy spatio-temporal filtering with object detection

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aufrichtig, R.; Wilson, D.L.; University Hospitals of Cleveland, OH

    1995-01-01

    One potential way to reduce patient and staff x-ray fluoroscopy dose is to reduce the quantum exposure to the detector and compensate the additional noise with digital filtering. A new filtering method, spatio-temporal filtering with object detection, is described that reduces noise while minimizing motion and spatial blur. As compared to some conventional motion-detection filtering schemes, this object-detection method incorporates additional a priori knowledge of image content; i.e. much of the motion occurs in isolated long thin objects (catheters, guide wires, etc.). The authors create object-likelihood images and use these to control spatial and recursive temporal filtering such as to reduce blurring the objects of interest. They use automatically computed receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves to optimize the object-likelihood enhancement method and determine that oriented matched filter kernels with 4 orientations are appropriate. The matched filter kernels are simple projected cylinders. The authors demonstrate the method on several representative x-ray fluoroscopy sequences to which noise is added to simulate very low dose acquisitions. With processing, they find that noise variance is significantly reduced with slightly less noise reduction near moving objects. They estimate an effective exposure reduction greater than 80%

  14. Convergence Analysis for the SMC-MeMBer and SMC-CBMeMBer Filters

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Feng Lian

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available The convergence for the sequential Monte Carlo (SMC implementations of the multitarget multi-Bernoulli (MeMBer filter and cardinality-balanced MeMBer (CBMeMBer filters is studied here. This paper proves that the SMC-MeMBer and SMC-CBMeMBer filters, respectively, converge to the true MeMBer and CBMeMBer filters in the mean-square sense and the corresponding bounds for the mean-square errors are given. The significance of this paper is in theory to present the convergence results of the SMC-MeMBer and SMC-CBMeMBer filters and the conditions under which the two filters satisfy mean-square convergence.

  15. Extended-life nuclear air cleaning filters via dynamic exclusion prefilters

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wright, S.R.; Crouch, H.S.; Bond, J.H. [Micro Composite Materials Corp., Durham, NC (United States)

    1997-08-01

    The primary objective of this investigation was to ascertain if a dynamic, self-cleaning particulate exclusion precleaner, designed for relatively large dust removal (2 to 100+ {mu}m diameter particles) from helicopter turbine inlets, could be extended to submicron filtration. The improved device could be used as a prefilter for HEPA filtration systems, significantly increasing service life. In nuclear air cleaning, its use would reduce the amount of nuclear particulate matter that would otherwise be entrapped in the HEPA filter cartridge/panel, causing fouling and increased back pressure, as well as requiring subsequent disposal of the contaminated media at considerable expense. A unique (patent-pending) mechanical separation device has recently been developed to extract particulate matter from fluid process streams based on a proprietary concept called Boundary Layer Momentum Transfer (BLMT). The device creates multiple boundary layers that actively exclude particles from entering the perimeter of the device, while allowing air to traverse the boundaries relatively unimpeded. A modified two-dimensional (2-D) computerized flow simulation model was used to assist in the prototype design. Empirical results are presented from particle breakthrough and AP experiments obtained from a reduced-scale prototype filter. Particles larger than 0.23 {mu}m were actively excluded by the prototype, but at a higher pressure drop than anticipated. Experimental data collected indicates that the filter housing and the inlet flow configuration may contribute significantly to improvements in device particle separation capabilities. Furthermore, preliminary experiments have shown that other downstream pressure drop considerations (besides those just across the spinning filtration disks) must be included to accurately portray the AP across the device. Further detailed quantitative investigations on a larger scale (1,000 CFM) prototype are warranted. 3 refs., 5 figs., 2 tabs.

  16. Optimization of recommendations for abdomen computerized tomography based on reconstruction filters, voltage and tube current

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Silveira, Vinicius da Costa

    2015-01-01

    The use of computed tomography has increased significantly over the past decades. In Brazil the use increased more than twofold from 2008 to 2014, in the meantime the abdomen procedures have tripled. The high frequency of this procedure combined by the increasing collective radiation dose in medical exposures, has resulted development tools to maximize the benefit in CT images. This work aimed to establish protocols optimized in abdominal CT through acquisitions parameters and reconstructions techniques based on filters kernels. A sample of patients undergoing abdominal CT in a diagnostic center of Rio de Janeiro was assessed. Had been collected patients information and acquisitions parameters. The phantoms CT image acquisitions were performed by using different voltage values by adjusting the tube current (mAs) to obtain the same value from CTDI vol patients with normal BMI. Afterwards, the CTDIvol values were reduced by 30%, 50% and 60%. All images were reconstructed with low-contrast filters (A) and standard filters (B). The CTDIvol values for patients with normal BMI were 7% higher than in patients with underweight BMI and 30%, 50% and 60% lower than the overweight, obese I and III patients, respectively. The evaluations of image quality showed that variation of the current (mA) and the reconstruction filters did not affect the Hounsfield values. When the contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) was normalized to CTDIvol, the protocols acquired with 60% reduction of CTDIvol with 140 kV and 80 kV showed CNR 6% lower than the routine. Modifications of the acquisition parameters did not affect spatial resolution, but the post-processing with B filters reduced the spatial frequency by 16%. With reduced the dose of 30%, lesions in the spleen had the CNR higher than 10% routine protocols with 140 kV acquired and post-processed to filter A. The image post-processing with a filter A with a 80kV voltage provided CNR values equal to the routine for the liver lesions with a 30

  17. Particle Kalman Filtering: A Nonlinear Framework for Ensemble Kalman Filters

    KAUST Repository

    Hoteit, Ibrahim

    2010-09-19

    Optimal nonlinear filtering consists of sequentially determining the conditional probability distribution functions (pdf) of the system state, given the information of the dynamical and measurement processes and the previous measurements. Once the pdfs are obtained, one can determine different estimates, for instance, the minimum variance estimate, or the maximum a posteriori estimate, of the system state. It can be shown that, many filters, including the Kalman filter (KF) and the particle filter (PF), can be derived based on this sequential Bayesian estimation framework. In this contribution, we present a Gaussian mixture‐based framework, called the particle Kalman filter (PKF), and discuss how the different EnKF methods can be derived as simplified variants of the PKF. We also discuss approaches to reducing the computational burden of the PKF in order to make it suitable for complex geosciences applications. We use the strongly nonlinear Lorenz‐96 model to illustrate the performance of the PKF.

  18. A new look at the economic disposal of contaminated aerosol filters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sinhuber, D.; Stiehl, H.H.; Schroth, W.

    1977-01-01

    HEPA filter elements loaded with radioactive aerosols represent a large percentage of the radioactive waste of nuclear plants. The HEPA filter elements used at present in air filter units are not suitable to an economic disposal and space-saving final storage on account of their construction. New concepts for HEPA filters are necessary from the point of view of waste disposal. The criteria of these new designs are as follows: reduction of space required for HEPA filters used at the same or even increased flow rates and with the same efficiency; essentially smaller dimensions of HEPA filters for storage in waste containers; removal without contamination, volume reduction (without contamination) for disposal of the HEPA filters; smallest possible volume of the HEPA filters after processing for final storage. The construction of HEPA filters as a result of the requirements mentioned above and taking into consideration the present stage of technology is explained. The advantages of such construction with regard to the criteria mentioned before are presented in comparison with the HEPA filters at present in use

  19. Reconsidering 'appropriate technology': the effects of operating conditions on the bacterial removal performance of two household drinking-water filter systems

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Baumgartner, Jill [Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA (United States); Murcott, Susan [Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA (United States); Ezzati, Majid [Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA (United States)

    2007-04-01

    We examined the performance of two household water treatment and safe storage (HWTS) systems, the Danvor plastic biosand filter and the Potters for Peace Filtron ceramic filter, under ideal as well as modified operating conditions using systematic and comparable measurements. The operating variables for the biosand filter were (i) pause times between filtration runs (ii) water-dosing volumes and (iii) the effluent volume at which a filtered water sample was collected. For the ceramic filter we examined overflow filtration versus standard filtration. We used the bacterial indicators of total coliforms and Escherichia coli to quantify microbiological removal. With the biosand filter, a 12 h pause time had significantly higher total coliform removal than a 36 h pause time at the 20 l collection point (79.1% versus 73.7%; p < 0.01) and borderline significance at the 10 l collection point (81.0% versus 78.3%; p = 0.07). High-volume filtration (20 l) had significantly lower total coliform removal efficacy than low-volume (10 l) filtration at the 10 l collection point (81.0% versus 84.2%; p = 0.03). We observed a decreasing trend in total coliform removal by sample collection volume with the highest removal efficacy at the 5 l sample collection point (versus at the 10 and 20 l collection points). Using the ceramic filter, mean total coliform and E. coli removal were significantly lower (p < 0.01) in overflow filtration than in standard filtration. The findings indicate that operating conditions can reduce the effectiveness of the systems in a field-based setting and increase environmental risk exposure.

  20. Petroleum industry is cleaning up its act -- Self-cleaning filters to maximize profits, minimize waste and reduce liability

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Williams, D.

    2004-01-01

    Recent steps taken by the petroleum industry to control end-of-pipe pollution and to minimize waste at the source by changing over to self-cleaning, backwashable filters instead of the traditional disposable filters such as bags or cartridges, are discussed. Various self-cleaning filter systems and their advantages are described, using REACTOGARD which provides total protection for catalysts in fixed-bed reactors and EROSIONGARD, used in fluidized catalytic crackers, as examples. Both filter systems have been developed by RPA Process Technologies, Inc., a global leader in industrial filtration systems. Major advantages attributed to self-cleaning filters include significantly reduced costs through reducing the number of catalyst change-out cycles, maximized platform productivity through virtually eliminating the risk of plugged wells, reduced waste through ability to recycle cleaning liquids, increased profits through shorter return-on-investment cycles, reduced emissions and reduced future liability through higher safety in the workplace; also reduced pollution of landfill sites. 1 photo

  1. Filter aids influence on pressure drop across a filtration system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hajar, S.; Rashid, M.; Nurnadia, A.; Ammar, M. R.; Hasfalina, C. M.

    2017-06-01

    Filter aids is commonly used to reduce pressure drop across air filtration system as it helps to increase the efficiency of filtration of accumulated filter cake. Filtration velocity is one of the main parameters that affect the performance of filter aids material. In this study, a formulated filter aids consisting of PreKot™ and activated carbon mixture (designated as PrekotAC) was tested on PTFE filter media under various filtration velocities of 5, 6, and 8 m/min at a constant material loading of 0.2 mg/mm2. Results showed that pressure drop is highly influenced by filtration velocity where higher filtration velocity leads to a higher pressure drop across the filter cake. It was found that PrekotAC performed better in terms of reducing the pressure drop across the filter cake even at the highest filtration velocity. The diversity in different particle size distribution of non-uniform particle size in the formulated PrekotAC mixture presents a higher permeability causes a lower pressure drop across the accumulated filter cake. The finding suggests that PrekotAC is a promising filter aids material that helps reducing the pressure drop across fabric filtration system.

  2. Face Recognition Using Local Quantized Patterns and Gabor Filters

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khryashchev, V.; Priorov, A.; Stepanova, O.; Nikitin, A.

    2015-05-01

    The problem of face recognition in a natural or artificial environment has received a great deal of researchers' attention over the last few years. A lot of methods for accurate face recognition have been proposed. Nevertheless, these methods often fail to accurately recognize the person in difficult scenarios, e.g. low resolution, low contrast, pose variations, etc. We therefore propose an approach for accurate and robust face recognition by using local quantized patterns and Gabor filters. The estimation of the eye centers is used as a preprocessing stage. The evaluation of our algorithm on different samples from a standardized FERET database shows that our method is invariant to the general variations of lighting, expression, occlusion and aging. The proposed approach allows about 20% correct recognition accuracy increase compared with the known face recognition algorithms from the OpenCV library. The additional use of Gabor filters can significantly improve the robustness to changes in lighting conditions.

  3. Ceramic filters for bulk inoculation of nickel alloy castings

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    F. Binczyk

    2011-07-01

    Full Text Available The work includes the results of research on production technology of ceramic filters which, besides the traditional filtering function, playalso the role of an inoculant modifying the macrostructure of cast nickel alloys. To play this additional role, filters should demonstratesufficient compression strength and ensure proper flow rate of liquid alloy. The role of an inoculant is played by cobalt aluminateintroduced to the composition of external coating in an amount from 5 to 10 wt.% . The required compression strength (over 1MPa isprovided by the supporting layers, deposited on the preform, which is a polyurethane foam. Based on a two-level fractional experiment24-1, the significance of an impact of various technological parameters (independent variables on selected functional parameters of theready filters was determined. Important effect of the number of the supporting layers and sintering temperature of filters after evaporationof polyurethane foam was stated.

  4. Improving inferior vena cava filter retrieval rates with the define, measure, analyze, improve, control methodology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sutphin, Patrick D; Reis, Stephen P; McKune, Angie; Ravanzo, Maria; Kalva, Sanjeeva P; Pillai, Anil K

    2015-04-01

    To design a sustainable process to improve optional inferior vena cava (IVC) filter retrieval rates based on the Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control (DMAIC) methodology of the Six Sigma process improvement paradigm. DMAIC, an acronym for Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control, was employed to design and implement a quality improvement project to increase IVC filter retrieval rates at a tertiary academic hospital. Retrievable IVC filters were placed in 139 patients over a 2-year period. The baseline IVC filter retrieval rate (n = 51) was reviewed through a retrospective analysis, and two strategies were devised to improve the filter retrieval rate: (a) mailing of letters to clinicians and patients for patients who had filters placed within 8 months of implementation of the project (n = 43) and (b) a prospective automated scheduling of a clinic visit at 4 weeks after filter placement for all new patients (n = 45). The effectiveness of these strategies was assessed by measuring the filter retrieval rates and estimated increase in revenue to interventional radiology. IVC filter retrieval rates increased from a baseline of 8% to 40% with the mailing of letters and to 52% with the automated scheduling of a clinic visit 4 weeks after IVC filter placement. The estimated revenue per 100 IVC filters placed increased from $2,249 to $10,518 with the mailing of letters and to $17,022 with the automated scheduling of a clinic visit. Using the DMAIC methodology, a simple and sustainable quality improvement intervention was devised that markedly improved IVC filter retrieval rates in eligible patients. Copyright © 2015 SIR. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  5. Impact of Physician Education and a Dedicated Inferior Vena Cava Filter Tracking System on Inferior Vena Cava Filter Use and Retrieval Rates Across a Large US Health Care Region.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Stephen L; Cha, Hsien-Hwa A; Lin, James R; Francis, Bolanos; Elizabeth, Wakley; Martin, Porras; Rajan, Sudhir

    2016-05-01

    To evaluate the effects of physician familiarity with current evidence and guidelines on inferior vena cava (IVC) filter use and the availability of IVC filter tracking infrastructure on retrieval rates. Fourteen continuing medical education-approved in-hospital grand rounds covering evidence-based review of the literature on IVC filter efficacy, patient-centered outcomes, guidelines for IVC filter indications, and complications were performed across a large United States (US) health care region serving more than 3.5 million members. A computer-based IVC filter tracking system was deployed simultaneously. IVC filter use, rates of attempted retrieval, and fulfillment of guidelines for IVC filter indications were retrospectively evaluated at each facility for 12 months before intervention (n = 427) and for 12 months after intervention (n = 347). After education, IVC filter use decreased 18.7%, with a member enrollment-adjusted decrease of 22.2%, despite an increasing IVC filter use trend for 4 years. Reduction in IVC filter use at each facility strongly correlated with physician attendance at grand rounds (r = -0.69; P = .007). Rates of attempted retrieval increased from 38.9% to 54.0% (P = .0006), with similar rates of successful retrieval (82.3% before education and 85.8% after education on first attempt). Improvement in IVC filter retrieval attempts correlated with physician attendance at grand rounds (r = 0.51; P = .051). IVC filter dwell times at first retrieval attempt were similar (10.2 wk before and 10.8 wk after). Physician education dramatically reduced IVC filter use across a large US health care region, and represents a learning opportunity for physicians who request and place them. Education and a novel tracking system improved rates of retrieval for IVC filter devices. Copyright © 2016 SIR. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  6. COMPARATIVE EVALUATION OF FILTERS USED IN TRACKING AIR TARGETS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Y. I. Strekalovskaya

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Using an imitation model for a flow of heterogeneous air targets the comparative assessment of the αβ, αβγ and the Kalman filters efficiency is evaluated. In the case of slightly maneuvering target the difference in filters’ efficiency is statistically insignificant; in the case of sharp maneuvering the Kalman filter is significantly more precise.

  7. Evidence-Based Evaluation of Inferior Vena Cava Filter Complications Based on Filter Type

    Science.gov (United States)

    Deso, Steven E.; Idakoji, Ibrahim A.; Kuo, William T.

    2016-01-01

    Many inferior vena cava (IVC) filter types, along with their specific risks and complications, are not recognized. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the various FDA-approved IVC filter types to determine device-specific risks, as a way to help identify patients who may benefit from ongoing follow-up versus prompt filter retrieval. An evidence-based electronic search (FDA Premarket Notification, MEDLINE, FDA MAUDE) was performed to identify all IVC filter types and device-specific complications from 1980 to 2014. Twenty-three IVC filter types (14 retrievable, 9 permanent) were identified. The devices were categorized as follows: conical (n = 14), conical with umbrella (n = 1), conical with cylindrical element (n = 2), biconical with cylindrical element (n = 2), helical (n = 1), spiral (n = 1), and complex (n = 1). Purely conical filters were associated with the highest reported risks of penetration (90–100%). Filters with cylindrical or umbrella elements were associated with the highest reported risk of IVC thrombosis (30–50%). Conical Bard filters were associated with the highest reported risks of fracture (40%). The various FDA-approved IVC filter types were evaluated for device-specific complications based on best current evidence. This information can be used to guide and optimize clinical management in patients with indwelling IVC filters. PMID:27247477

  8. Sixteen-Day Bedrest Significantly Increases Plasma Colloid Osmotic Pressure

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hargens, Alan R.; Hsieh, S. T.; Murthy, G.; Ballard, R. E.; Convertino, V. A.; Wade, Charles E. (Technical Monitor)

    1994-01-01

    Upon exposure to microgravity, astronauts lose up to 10% of their total plasma volume, which may contribute to orthostatic intolerance after space flight. Because plasma colloid osmotic pressure (COP) is a primary factor maintaining plasma volume, our objective was to measure time course changes in COP during microgravity simulated by 6 deg. head-down tilt (HDT). Seven healthy male subjects (30-55 years of age) were placed in HDT for 16 days. For the purpose of another study, three of the seven subjects were chosen to exercise on a cycle ergometer on day 16. Blood samples were drawn immediately before bedrest on day 14 of bedrest, 18-24 hours following exercise while all subjects were still in HDT and 1 hour following bedrest termination. Plasma COP was measured in all 20 microliter EDTA-treated samples using an osmometer fitted with a PM 30 membrane. Data were analyzed with paired and unpaired t-tests. Plasma COP on day 14 of bedrest (29.9 +/- 0.69 mmHg) was significantly higher (p less than 0.005) than the control, pre-bedrest value (23.1 +/- 0.76 mmHg). At one hour of upright recovery after HDT, plasma COP remained significantly elevated (exercise: 26.9 +/- 0.87 mmHg; no exercise: 26.3 +/- 0.85 mmHg). Additionally, exercise had no significant effect on plasma COP 18-24 hours following exercise (exercise: 27.8 +/- 1.09 mmHg; no exercise: 27.1 +/- 0.78 mmHg). Our results demonstrate that plasma COP increases significantly with microgravity simulated by HDT. However, preliminary results indicate exercise during HDT does not significantly affect plasma COP.

  9. Kalman filter data assimilation: targeting observations and parameter estimation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bellsky, Thomas; Kostelich, Eric J; Mahalov, Alex

    2014-06-01

    This paper studies the effect of targeted observations on state and parameter estimates determined with Kalman filter data assimilation (DA) techniques. We first provide an analytical result demonstrating that targeting observations within the Kalman filter for a linear model can significantly reduce state estimation error as opposed to fixed or randomly located observations. We next conduct observing system simulation experiments for a chaotic model of meteorological interest, where we demonstrate that the local ensemble transform Kalman filter (LETKF) with targeted observations based on largest ensemble variance is skillful in providing more accurate state estimates than the LETKF with randomly located observations. Additionally, we find that a hybrid ensemble Kalman filter parameter estimation method accurately updates model parameters within the targeted observation context to further improve state estimation.

  10. Kalman filter data assimilation: Targeting observations and parameter estimation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bellsky, Thomas; Kostelich, Eric J.; Mahalov, Alex

    2014-01-01

    This paper studies the effect of targeted observations on state and parameter estimates determined with Kalman filter data assimilation (DA) techniques. We first provide an analytical result demonstrating that targeting observations within the Kalman filter for a linear model can significantly reduce state estimation error as opposed to fixed or randomly located observations. We next conduct observing system simulation experiments for a chaotic model of meteorological interest, where we demonstrate that the local ensemble transform Kalman filter (LETKF) with targeted observations based on largest ensemble variance is skillful in providing more accurate state estimates than the LETKF with randomly located observations. Additionally, we find that a hybrid ensemble Kalman filter parameter estimation method accurately updates model parameters within the targeted observation context to further improve state estimation

  11. Effect of chromatic filters on visual performance in individuals with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI): A pilot study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fimreite, Vanessa; Willeford, Kevin T; Ciuffreda, Kenneth J

    2016-01-01

    Spectral filters have been used clinically in patients with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). However, they have not been formally assessed using objective techniques in this population. Thus, the aim of the present pilot study was to determine the effect of spectral filters on reading performance and visuo-cortical responsivity in adults with mTBI. 12 adults with mTBI/concussion were tested. All reported photosensitivity and reading problems. They were compared to 12 visually-normal, asymptomatic adults. There were several test conditions: three luminance-matched control filters (gray neutral density, blue, and red), the patient-selected 'precision tint lens' that provided the most comfort and clarity of text using the Intuitive Colorimeter System, and baseline without any filters. The Visagraph was used to assess reading eye movements and reading speed objectively with each filter. In addition, both the amplitude and latency of the visual-evoked potential (VEP) were assessed with the same filters. There were few significant group differences in either the reading-related parameters or VEP latency for any of the test filter conditions. Subjective improvements were noted in most with mTBI (11/12). The majority of patients with mTBI chose a tinted filter that resulted in increased visual comfort. While significant findings based on the objective testing were found for some conditions, the subjective results suggest that precision tints should be considered as an adjunctive treatment in patients with mTBI and photosensitivity. Copyright © 2016 Spanish General Council of Optometry. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

  12. Cermet materials, self-cleaning cermet filters, apparatus and systems employing same

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kong, Peter C.

    2005-07-19

    A self-cleaning porous cermet material, filter and system utilizing the same may be used in filtering particulate and gaseous pollutants from internal combustion engines having intermetallic and ceramic phases. The porous cermet filter may be made from a transition metal aluminide phase and an alumina phase. Filler materials may be added to increase the porosity or tailor the catalytic properties of the cermet material. Additionally, the cermet material may be reinforced with fibers or screens. The porous filter may also be electrically conductive so that a current may be passed therethrough to heat the filter during use. Further, a heating element may be incorporated into the porous cermet filter during manufacture. This heating element can be coated with a ceramic material to electrically insulate the heating element. An external heating element may also be provided to heat the cermet filter during use.

  13. Choosing and using astronomical filters

    CERN Document Server

    Griffiths, Martin

    2014-01-01

    As a casual read through any of the major amateur astronomical magazines will demonstrate, there are filters available for all aspects of optical astronomy. This book provides a ready resource on the use of the following filters, among others, for observational astronomy or for imaging: Light pollution filters Planetary filters Solar filters Neutral density filters for Moon observation Deep-sky filters, for such objects as galaxies, nebulae and more Deep-sky objects can be imaged in much greater detail than was possible many years ago. Amateur astronomers can take

  14. Developing topic-specific search filters for PubMed with click-through data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, J; Lu, Z

    2013-01-01

    Search filters have been developed and demonstrated for better information access to the immense and ever-growing body of publications in the biomedical domain. However, to date the number of filters remains quite limited because the current filter development methods require significant human efforts in manual document review and filter term selection. In this regard, we aim to investigate automatic methods for generating search filters. We present an automated method to develop topic-specific filters on the basis of users' search logs in PubMed. Specifically, for a given topic, we first detect its relevant user queries and then include their corresponding clicked articles to serve as the topic-relevant document set accordingly. Next, we statistically identify informative terms that best represent the topic-relevant document set using a background set composed of topic irrelevant articles. Lastly, the selected representative terms are combined with Boolean operators and evaluated on benchmark datasets to derive the final filter with the best performance. We applied our method to develop filters for four clinical topics: nephrology, diabetes, pregnancy, and depression. For the nephrology filter, our method obtained performance comparable to the state of the art (sensitivity of 91.3%, specificity of 98.7%, precision of 94.6%, and accuracy of 97.2%). Similarly, high-performing results (over 90% in all measures) were obtained for the other three search filters. Based on PubMed click-through data, we successfully developed a high-performance method for generating topic-specific search filters that is significantly more efficient than existing manual methods. All data sets (topic-relevant and irrelevant document sets) used in this study and a demonstration system are publicly available at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/CBBresearch/Lu/downloads/CQ_filter/

  15. A biological inspired fuzzy adaptive window median filter (FAWMF) for enhancing DNA signal processing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ahmad, Muneer; Jung, Low Tan; Bhuiyan, Al-Amin

    2017-10-01

    Digital signal processing techniques commonly employ fixed length window filters to process the signal contents. DNA signals differ in characteristics from common digital signals since they carry nucleotides as contents. The nucleotides own genetic code context and fuzzy behaviors due to their special structure and order in DNA strand. Employing conventional fixed length window filters for DNA signal processing produce spectral leakage and hence results in signal noise. A biological context aware adaptive window filter is required to process the DNA signals. This paper introduces a biological inspired fuzzy adaptive window median filter (FAWMF) which computes the fuzzy membership strength of nucleotides in each slide of window and filters nucleotides based on median filtering with a combination of s-shaped and z-shaped filters. Since coding regions cause 3-base periodicity by an unbalanced nucleotides' distribution producing a relatively high bias for nucleotides' usage, such fundamental characteristic of nucleotides has been exploited in FAWMF to suppress the signal noise. Along with adaptive response of FAWMF, a strong correlation between median nucleotides and the Π shaped filter was observed which produced enhanced discrimination between coding and non-coding regions contrary to fixed length conventional window filters. The proposed FAWMF attains a significant enhancement in coding regions identification i.e. 40% to 125% as compared to other conventional window filters tested over more than 250 benchmarked and randomly taken DNA datasets of different organisms. This study proves that conventional fixed length window filters applied to DNA signals do not achieve significant results since the nucleotides carry genetic code context. The proposed FAWMF algorithm is adaptive and outperforms significantly to process DNA signal contents. The algorithm applied to variety of DNA datasets produced noteworthy discrimination between coding and non-coding regions contrary

  16. Investigations into the penetration and pressure drop of HEPA filter media during loading with submicron particle aerosols at high concentrations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Leibold, H; Wilhelm, J.G.

    1991-01-01

    High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters are typically employed in particle removal and retention within the air cleaning systems of clean rooms in the pharmaceutical, nuclear and semiconductor industries for dust concentrations of some μg/m 3 . Their extremely high removal efficiencies for submicron particles make them attractive candidates in complying with increasingly lower emission limits for industrial processes that involve dust concentrations of up to several g/m 3 . Cost-effective operation under such conditions requires the filter units to be recleanable. The recleanability of HEPA filter media depends not only on the operating conditions during the cleaning process but also on the filtration conditions during particle loading. The structure and location of the particles captured by the glass fiber matrix greatly affect the degree to which they can be subsequently dislodged and removed from the filter medium. Changes in filtration efficiency with service time for various particle diameters in the critical submicron size range, as well as the effects of filtration velocity on the increase in pressure drop, are important criteria with regard to recleaning HEPA filter units. Of special significance for the recleanability of HEPA filter media is knowledge of how operating conditions affect dust cake formation. (author)

  17. Denitrifying woodchip bioreactor and phosphorus filter pairing to minimize pollution swapping.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Christianson, Laura E; Lepine, Christine; Sibrell, Philip L; Penn, Chad; Summerfelt, Steven T

    2017-09-15

    Pairing denitrifying woodchip bioreactors and phosphorus-sorbing filters provides a unique, engineered approach for dual nutrient removal from waters impaired with both nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P). This column study aimed to test placement of two P-filter media (acid mine drainage treatment residuals and steel slag) relative to a denitrifying system to maximize N and P removal and minimize pollution swapping under varying flow conditions (i.e., woodchip column hydraulic retention times (HRTs) of 7.2, 18, and 51 h; P-filter HRTs of 7.6-59 min). Woodchip denitrification columns were placed either upstream or downstream of P-filters filled with either medium. The configuration with woodchip denitrifying systems placed upstream of the P-filters generally provided optimized dissolved P removal efficiencies and removal rates. The P-filters placed upstream of the woodchip columns exhibited better P removal than downstream-placed P-filters only under overly long (i.e., N-limited) retention times when highly reduced effluent exited the woodchip bioreactors. The paired configurations using mine drainage residuals provided significantly greater P removal than the steel slag P-filters (e.g., 25-133 versus 8.8-48 g P removed m -3 filter media d -1 , respectively), but there were no significant differences in N removal between treatments (removal rates: 8.0-18 g N removed m -3 woodchips d -1 ; N removal efficiencies: 18-95% across all HRTs). The range of HRTs tested here resulted in various undesirable pollution swapping by-products from the denitrifying bioreactors: nitrite production when nitrate removal was not complete and sulfate reduction, chemical oxygen demand production and decreased pH during overly long retention times. The downstream P-filter placement provided a polishing step for removal of chemical oxygen demand and nitrite. Copyright © 2017 The Conservation Fund. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

  18. Denitrifying woodchip bioreactor and phosphorus filter pairing to minimize pollution swapping

    Science.gov (United States)

    Christianson, Laura E.; Lepine, Christine; Sibrell, Philip; Penn, Chad J.; Summerfelt, Steven T.

    2017-01-01

    Pairing denitrifying woodchip bioreactors and phosphorus-sorbing filters provides a unique, engineered approach for dual nutrient removal from waters impaired with both nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P). This column study aimed to test placement of two P-filter media (acid mine drainage treatment residuals and steel slag) relative to a denitrifying system to maximize N and P removal and minimize pollution swapping under varying flow conditions (i.e., woodchip column hydraulic retention times (HRTs) of 7.2, 18, and 51 h; P-filter HRTs of 7.6–59 min). Woodchip denitrification columns were placed either upstream or downstream of P-filters filled with either medium. The configuration with woodchip denitrifying systems placed upstream of the P-filters generally provided optimized dissolved P removal efficiencies and removal rates. The P-filters placed upstream of the woodchip columns exhibited better P removal than downstream-placed P-filters only under overly long (i.e., N-limited) retention times when highly reduced effluent exited the woodchip bioreactors. The paired configurations using mine drainage residuals provided significantly greater P removal than the steel slag P-filters (e.g., 25–133 versus 8.8–48 g P removed m−3 filter media d−1, respectively), but there were no significant differences in N removal between treatments (removal rates: 8.0–18 g N removed m−3 woodchips d−1; N removal efficiencies: 18–95% across all HRTs). The range of HRTs tested here resulted in various undesirable pollution swapping by-products from the denitrifying bioreactors: nitrite production when nitrate removal was not complete and sulfate reduction, chemical oxygen demand production and decreased pH during overly long retention times. The downstream P-filter placement provided a polishing step for removal of chemical oxygen demand and nitrite.

  19. Impact of Anticoagulation in Elderly Patients With Pulmonary Embolism That Undergo IVC Filter Placement: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Falatko, John M; Dalal, Bhavinkumar; Qu, Lihua

    2017-12-01

    Anticoagulation is the primary treatment for pulmonary embolism (PE). Inferior vena cava (IVC) filters are an adjunctive intervention to prevent recurrent pulmonary embolism. Long-term outcomes in elderly patients with contraindications to anticoagulation after IVC filter placement for prevention of recurrent pulmonary embolism have yet to be assessed. Patients ≥60years of age, that had an IVC filter placed between 1 January, 2008 and 2 February, 2013, with a primary diagnosis of pulmonary embolism, were included. Patients that died during index hospitalisation, were discharged to hospice, or had active malignancy were excluded. The primary endpoint was overall survival. Patients were divided depending on whether they were treated with an approved anticoagulant for VTE or had no anticoagulant. Of the 152 patients identified, 55 were not anti-coagulated after IVC filter placement. The incidence of death was 0.4 per 1000 filter days and 0.7 per 1000 filter days in the anti-coagulated and untreated groups respectively (p-value=0.06). After statistical correction for co-morbid conditions, the effect of anticoagulation was not significant (HR 0.82 CI 0.49-1.37, p-value 0.46). Age was a significant confounder that was associated with death. Increased BMI was protective. Indications for IVC filter placement were numerous, but similar between the two groups. Treatment with an approved anticoagulant is recommended after IVC filter placement for prevention of recurrent PE, however its effect may be attenuated by advanced age. In elderly patients that have undergone IVC filter placement for prevention of recurrent PE, survival may be more dependent on age and co-morbid conditions than exposure to anticoagulation. Copyright © 2017 Australian and New Zealand Society of Cardiac and Thoracic Surgeons (ANZSCTS) and the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand (CSANZ). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  20. Depth investigation of rapid sand filters for drinking water production reveals strong stratification in nitrification biokinetic behavior

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Tatari, Karolina; Smets, Barth F.; Albrechtsen, Hans-Jørgen

    2016-01-01

    The biokinetic behavior of NH4 + removal was investigated at different depths of a rapid sand filter treating groundwater for drinking water preparation. Filter materials from the top, middle and bottom layers of a full-scale filter were exposed to various controlled NH4 + loadings in a continuous......-flow lab-scale assay. NH4 + removal capacity, estimated from short term loading up-shifts, was at least 10 times higher in the top than in the middle and bottom filter layers, consistent with the stratification of Ammonium Oxidizing Bacteria (AOB). AOB density increased consistently with the NH4 + removal...... rate, indicating their primarily role in nitrification under the imposed experimental conditions. The maximum AOB cell specific NH4 + removal rate observed at the bottom was at least 3 times lower compared to the top and middle layers. Additionally, a significant up-shift capacity (4.6 and 3.5 times...

  1. Robust Ensemble Filtering and Its Relation to Covariance Inflation in the Ensemble Kalman Filter

    KAUST Repository

    Luo, Xiaodong

    2011-12-01

    A robust ensemble filtering scheme based on the H∞ filtering theory is proposed. The optimal H∞ filter is derived by minimizing the supremum (or maximum) of a predefined cost function, a criterion different from the minimum variance used in the Kalman filter. By design, the H∞ filter is more robust than the Kalman filter, in the sense that the estimation error in the H∞ filter in general has a finite growth rate with respect to the uncertainties in assimilation, except for a special case that corresponds to the Kalman filter. The original form of the H∞ filter contains global constraints in time, which may be inconvenient for sequential data assimilation problems. Therefore a variant is introduced that solves some time-local constraints instead, and hence it is called the time-local H∞ filter (TLHF). By analogy to the ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF), the concept of ensemble time-local H∞ filter (EnTLHF) is also proposed. The general form of the EnTLHF is outlined, and some of its special cases are discussed. In particular, it is shown that an EnKF with certain covariance inflation is essentially an EnTLHF. In this sense, the EnTLHF provides a general framework for conducting covariance inflation in the EnKF-based methods. Some numerical examples are used to assess the relative robustness of the TLHF–EnTLHF in comparison with the corresponding KF–EnKF method.

  2. Filtered atmospheric venting of LWR containments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hoegberg, L.; Ahlstroem, P.E.; Bachofner, E.; Graeslund, C.; Johansson, K.; Nilsson, L.; Persson, Aa.; Eriksson, B.

    1981-03-01

    The FILTRA project is a cooperative Swedish programme which started in February 1980. It is aimed at investigating the possibility of reducing the risk for a large release of radioactivity, assuming a severe reactor accident. The project has been focused on filtered venting of the reactor containment. The first stage of the project has dealt with two types of severe accident sequences, namely core meltdown as a result of the complete loss of water supplies to the reactor pressure vessel and insufficient cooling of the reactor containment. Some important conclusion are the following. The applicability of computer models used to describe various phenomena in the accident sequence must be scrutinized. The details of the design of the containment are important and must be taken into consideration in a more accurate manner than in previous analyses. A pressure relief area of less than 1 m 2 appears to be adequate. The following principles should guide the technical design of filtered venting systems, namely reduction of the risk for the release of those radioactive substances which could cause long term land contamination, provision for a passive function of the vent filter system during the first 24 hours and achievement of filtering capabilities which make leakages in severe accidents comparable to the leakages of radioactive substances in less severe accidents, which do not necessarily actuate the pressure relief system. Nothing indicates that a system for filtered venting of a BWR containment would have a significant negative effect on the safety within the framework of the design basis. Efforts should be directed towards designing a filtered venting system for a BWR such as Barsebaeck. (authors)

  3. Planar Superconducting Millimeter-Wave/Terahertz Channelizing Filter

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ehsan, Negar; U-yen, Kongpop; Brown, Ari; Hsieh, Wen-Ting; Wollack, Edward; Moseley, Samuel

    2013-01-01

    This innovation is a compact, superconducting, channelizing bandpass filter on a single-crystal (0.45 m thick) silicon substrate, which operates from 300 to 600 GHz. This device consists of four channels with center frequencies of 310, 380, 460, and 550 GHz, with approximately 50-GHz bandwidth per channel. The filter concept is inspired by the mammalian cochlea, which is a channelizing filter that covers three decades of bandwidth and 3,000 channels in a very small physical space. By using a simplified physical cochlear model, and its electrical analog of a channelizing filter covering multiple octaves bandwidth, a large number of output channels with high inter-channel isolation and high-order upper stopband response can be designed. A channelizing filter is a critical component used in spectrometer instruments that measure the intensity of light at various frequencies. This embodiment was designed for MicroSpec in order to increase the resolution of the instrument (with four channels, the resolution will be increased by a factor of four). MicroSpec is a revolutionary wafer-scale spectrometer that is intended for the SPICA (Space Infrared Telescope for Cosmology and Astrophysics) Mission. In addition to being a vital component of MicroSpec, the channelizing filter itself is a low-resolution spectrometer when integrated with only an antenna at its input, and a detector at each channel s output. During the design process for this filter, the available characteristic impedances, possible lumped element ranges, and fabrication tolerances were identified for design on a very thin silicon substrate. Iterations between full-wave and lumped-element circuit simulations were performed. Each channel s circuit was designed based on the availability of characteristic impedances and lumped element ranges. This design was based on a tabular type bandpass filter with no spurious harmonic response. Extensive electromagnetic modeling for each channel was performed. Four channels

  4. Generalised Filtering

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Karl Friston

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available We describe a Bayesian filtering scheme for nonlinear state-space models in continuous time. This scheme is called Generalised Filtering and furnishes posterior (conditional densities on hidden states and unknown parameters generating observed data. Crucially, the scheme operates online, assimilating data to optimize the conditional density on time-varying states and time-invariant parameters. In contrast to Kalman and Particle smoothing, Generalised Filtering does not require a backwards pass. In contrast to variational schemes, it does not assume conditional independence between the states and parameters. Generalised Filtering optimises the conditional density with respect to a free-energy bound on the model's log-evidence. This optimisation uses the generalised motion of hidden states and parameters, under the prior assumption that the motion of the parameters is small. We describe the scheme, present comparative evaluations with a fixed-form variational version, and conclude with an illustrative application to a nonlinear state-space model of brain imaging time-series.

  5. Digital filters

    CERN Document Server

    Hamming, Richard W

    1997-01-01

    Digital signals occur in an increasing number of applications: in telephone communications; in radio, television, and stereo sound systems; and in spacecraft transmissions, to name just a few. This introductory text examines digital filtering, the processes of smoothing, predicting, differentiating, integrating, and separating signals, as well as the removal of noise from a signal. The processes bear particular relevance to computer applications, one of the focuses of this book.Readers will find Hamming's analysis accessible and engaging, in recognition of the fact that many people with the s

  6. Elevated exhaust temperature, zoned, electrically-heated particulate matter filter

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gonze, Eugene V [Pinckney, MI; Bhatia, Garima [Bangalore, IN

    2012-04-17

    A system includes an electrical heater and a particulate matter (PM) filter that is arranged one of adjacent to and in contact with the electrical heater. A control module selectively increases an exhaust gas temperature of an engine to a first temperature and that initiates regeneration of the PM filter using the electrical heater while the exhaust gas temperature is above the first temperature. The first temperature is greater than a maximum exhaust gas temperature at the PM filter during non-regeneration operation and is less than an oxidation temperature of the PM.

  7. Sub-micron filter

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tepper, Frederick [Sanford, FL; Kaledin, Leonid [Port Orange, FL

    2009-10-13

    Aluminum hydroxide fibers approximately 2 nanometers in diameter and with surface areas ranging from 200 to 650 m.sup.2/g have been found to be highly electropositive. When dispersed in water they are able to attach to and retain electronegative particles. When combined into a composite filter with other fibers or particles they can filter bacteria and nano size particulates such as viruses and colloidal particles at high flux through the filter. Such filters can be used for purification and sterilization of water, biological, medical and pharmaceutical fluids, and as a collector/concentrator for detection and assay of microbes and viruses. The alumina fibers are also capable of filtering sub-micron inorganic and metallic particles to produce ultra pure water. The fibers are suitable as a substrate for growth of cells. Macromolecules such as proteins may be separated from each other based on their electronegative charges.

  8. Study of LCL filter performance for inverter fed grid connected system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thamizh Thentral, T. M.; Geetha, A.; Subramani, C.

    2018-04-01

    The abandoned use of power electronic converters in the application of grid connected system paves a way for critical injected harmonics. Hence the use of filter becomes a significant play among the present scenario. Higher order passive filter is mostly preferred in this application because of its reduced cost and size. This paper focuses on the design of LCL filter for the reduction of injected harmonics. The reason behind choosing LCL filter is inductor sizing and good ripple component attenuation over the other conventional filters. This work is simulated in MATLAB platform and the results are prominent to the objectives mentioned above. Also, the simulation results are verified with the implemented hardware model.

  9. A generalized adaptive mathematical morphological filter for LIDAR data

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cui, Zheng

    processing LIDAR data to effectively and efficiently identify ground measurements for the complex terrains in a large LIDAR data set. The GAPM filter is highly automatic and requires little human input. Therefore, it can significantly reduce the effort of manually processing voluminous LIDAR measurements.

  10. Effect of an ultraviolet-filtering intraocular lens on cystoid macular edema

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kraff, M.C.; Sanders, D.R.; Jampol, L.M.; Lieberman, H.L.

    1985-03-01

    A prospective double-masked study of 301 patients was undertaken to compare the effect of ultraviolet (UV) filtering in implant intraocular lenses (IOL) on the angiographic incidence of cystoid macular edema (CME) in patients undergoing extracapsular cataract extraction. Patients were randomized to receive either a posterior chamber IOL that contained UV-absorbing chromophore or an identical IOL which did not contain such a chromophore. All patients were scheduled for fluorescein angiography between three and six months after surgery; 228 angiograms were obtained that were readable for the presence or absence of angiographic CME. The mean interval following surgery was 4.3 months. The incidence of CME was 18.8% (21 of 112) in patients who received lenses without UV-filtering chromophore and 9.5% (11 of 116) in patients who received IOLs that contained UV-filtering chromophore. These findings show that UV-filtering-IOLs resulted in a statistically significant decrease in the incidence of CME. The presence or absence of the UV-filtering chromophore did not, however, significantly affect visual acuity in the early postoperative period.

  11. Design considerations for a suboptimal Kalman filter

    Science.gov (United States)

    Difilippo, D. J.

    1995-06-01

    In designing a suboptimal Kalman filter, the designer must decide how to simplify the system error model without causing the filter estimation errors to increase to unacceptable levels. Deletion of certain error states and decoupling of error state dynamics are the two principal model simplifications that are commonly used in suboptimal filter design. For the most part, the decisions as to which error states can be deleted or decoupled are based on the designer's understanding of the physics of the particular system. Consequently, the details of a suboptimal design are usually unique to the specific application. In this paper, the process of designing a suboptimal Kalman filter is illustrated for the case of an airborne transfer-of-alignment (TOA) system used for synthetic aperture radar (SAR) motion compensation. In this application, the filter must continuously transfer the alignment of an onboard Doppler-damped master inertial navigation system (INS) to a strapdown navigator that processes information from a less accurate inertial measurement unit (IMU) mounted on the radar antenna. The IMU is used to measure spurious antenna motion during the SAR imaging interval, so that compensating phase corrections can be computed and applied to the radar returns, thereby presenting image degradation that would otherwise result from such motions. The principles of SAR are described in many references, for instance. The primary function of the TOA Kalman filter in a SAR motion compensation system is to control strapdown navigator attitude errors, and to a less degree, velocity and heading errors. Unlike a classical navigation application, absolute positional accuracy is not important. The motion compensation requirements for SAR imaging are discussed in some detail. This TOA application is particularly appropriate as a vehicle for discussing suboptimal filter design, because the system contains features that can be exploited to allow both deletion and decoupling of error

  12. High exhaust temperature, zoned, electrically-heated particulate matter filter

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gonze, Eugene V.; Paratore, Jr., Michael J.; Bhatia, Garima

    2015-09-22

    A system includes a particulate matter (PM) filter, an electric heater, and a control circuit. The electric heater includes multiple zones, which each correspond to longitudinal zones along a length of the PM filter. A first zone includes multiple discontinuous sub-zones. The control circuit determines whether regeneration is needed based on an estimated level of loading of the PM filter and an exhaust flow rate. In response to a determination that regeneration is needed, the control circuit: controls an operating parameter of an engine to increase an exhaust temperature to a first temperature during a first period; after the first period, activates the first zone; deactivates the first zone in response to a minimum filter face temperature being reached; subsequent to deactivating the first zone, activates a second zone; and deactivates the second zone in response to the minimum filter face temperature being reached.

  13. Recirculating electric air filter

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bergman, W.

    1985-01-09

    An electric air filter cartridge has a cylindrical inner high voltage electrode, a layer of filter material, and an outer ground electrode formed of a plurality of segments moveably connected together. The outer electrode can be easily opened to remove or insert filter material. Air flows through the two electrodes and the filter material and is exhausted from the center of the inner electrode.

  14. Kalman filter techniques for accelerated Cartesian dynamic cardiac imaging.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Feng, Xue; Salerno, Michael; Kramer, Christopher M; Meyer, Craig H

    2013-05-01

    In dynamic MRI, spatial and temporal parallel imaging can be exploited to reduce scan time. Real-time reconstruction enables immediate visualization during the scan. Commonly used view-sharing techniques suffer from limited temporal resolution, and many of the more advanced reconstruction methods are either retrospective, time-consuming, or both. A Kalman filter model capable of real-time reconstruction can be used to increase the spatial and temporal resolution in dynamic MRI reconstruction. The original study describing the use of the Kalman filter in dynamic MRI was limited to non-Cartesian trajectories because of a limitation intrinsic to the dynamic model used in that study. Here the limitation is overcome, and the model is applied to the more commonly used Cartesian trajectory with fast reconstruction. Furthermore, a combination of the Kalman filter model with Cartesian parallel imaging is presented to further increase the spatial and temporal resolution and signal-to-noise ratio. Simulations and experiments were conducted to demonstrate that the Kalman filter model can increase the temporal resolution of the image series compared with view-sharing techniques and decrease the spatial aliasing compared with TGRAPPA. The method requires relatively little computation, and thus is suitable for real-time reconstruction. Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  15. The fluence research of filter material for fast neutron fluence measurement

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tang Xiding

    2010-01-01

    When the fast neutron fluence is measured by radioactivation techniques in the nuclear reactor the fast neutron is also filtered a little by the thermal neutron filter material, and if the filter material thickness increase the filtered fast neutron increases therewith. For fast neutron fluenc measurement, there are only cadmium, boron and gadolinium three elements filtering fluence can be calculated ordinarily. In order to calculate the filtered fast neutron fluence of the all elements in the filter material, the many total cross sections of nuclides had checked out from nuclear cross section data library, converted them into the same energy group structure, then element's total cross section, compound's total cross section and multilayer filters' total cross section had calculated from these total cross sections with same energy group structure, a new cross section data library can be obtained lastly through merging these cross sections into the old cross section data library used for neutron fluence measurement. The calculation analysis indicates that the results of the unit 2 surveillance capsule U of DAYA Bay NPP and the unit 1 surveillance capsule A of the Second Nuclear Power Plant of Qinshan by considering the all elements subtracting iron are smaller about 1.5% and 2.6% respectively than the ones only to consider cadmium, boron. The old measured results accord with the new values under the measurement uncertainty, are reliable. The new results are more accuracy. (authors)

  16. Kaon Filtering For CLAS Data

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McNabb, J.

    2001-01-01

    The analysis of data from CLAS is a multi-step process. After the detectors for a given running period have been calibrated, the data is processed in the so called pass-1 cooking. During the pass-1 cooking each event is reconstructed by the program a1c which finds particle tracks and computes momenta from the raw data. The results are then passed on to several data monitoring and filtering utilities. In CLAS software, a filter is a parameterless function which returns an integer indicating whether an event should be kept by that filter or not. There is a main filter program called g1-filter which controls several specific filters and outputs several files, one for each filter. These files may then be analyzed separately, allowing individuals interested in one reaction channel to work from smaller files than using the whole data set would require. There are several constraints on what the filter functions should do. Obviously, the filtered files should be as small as possible, however the filter should also not reject any events that might be used in the later analysis for which the filter was intended

  17. Optimization of OT-MACH Filter Generation for Target Recognition

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johnson, Oliver C.; Edens, Weston; Lu, Thomas T.; Chao, Tien-Hsin

    2009-01-01

    An automatic Optimum Trade-off Maximum Average Correlation Height (OT-MACH) filter generator for use in a gray-scale optical correlator (GOC) has been developed for improved target detection at JPL. While the OT-MACH filter has been shown to be an optimal filter for target detection, actually solving for the optimum is too computationally intensive for multiple targets. Instead, an adaptive step gradient descent method was tested to iteratively optimize the three OT-MACH parameters, alpha, beta, and gamma. The feedback for the gradient descent method was a composite of the performance measures, correlation peak height and peak to side lobe ratio. The automated method generated and tested multiple filters in order to approach the optimal filter quicker and more reliably than the current manual method. Initial usage and testing has shown preliminary success at finding an approximation of the optimal filter, in terms of alpha, beta, gamma values. This corresponded to a substantial improvement in detection performance where the true positive rate increased for the same average false positives per image.

  18. Selection of noise parameters for Kalman filter

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Ka-Veng Yuen; Ka-In Hoi; Kai-Meng Mok

    2007-01-01

    The Bayesian probabilistic approach is proposed to estimate the process noise and measurement noise parameters for a Kalman filter. With state vectors and covariance matrices estimated by the Kalman filter, the likehood of the measurements can be constructed as a function of the process noise and measurement noise parameters. By maximizing the likklihood function with respect to these noise parameters, the optimal values can be obtained. Furthermore, the Bayesian probabilistic approach allows the associated uncertainty to be quantified. Examples using a single-degree-of-freedom system and a ten-story building illustrate the proposed method. The effect on the performance of the Kalman filter due to the selection of the process noise and measurement noise parameters was demonstrated. The optimal values of the noise parameters were found to be close to the actual values in the sense that the actual parameters were in the region with significant probability density. Through these examples, the Bayesian approach was shown to have the capability to provide accurate estimates of the noise parameters of the Kalman filter, and hence for state estimation.

  19. Removing tidal-period variations from time-series data using low-pass digital filters

    Science.gov (United States)

    Walters, Roy A.; Heston, Cynthia

    1982-01-01

    Several low-pass, digital filters are examined for their ability to remove tidal Period Variations from a time-series of water surface elevation for San Francisco Bay. The most efficient filter is the one which is applied to the Fourier coefficients of the transformed data, and the filtered data recovered through an inverse transform. The ability of the filters to remove the tidal components increased in the following order: 1) cosine-Lanczos filter, 2) cosine-Lanczos squared filter; 3) Godin filter; and 4) a transform fitter. The Godin fitter is not sufficiently sharp to prevent severe attenuation of 2–3 day variations in surface elevation resulting from weather events.

  20. [Gohieria fusca found in dust of air-conditioner filters].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qiang, Chai; Xiao-Dong, Zhan; Wei, Guo; Chao-Pin, Li

    2017-09-25

    To investigate the pollution status of Gohieria fusca in the air conditioner-filters of different places in Wuhu City. The dust samples were collected from the filters of air-conditioners in dining rooms, shopping malls, hotels and households between June and September, 2013, and G. fusca was detected in the dust samples. There were 430 dust samples collected and 98 were G. fusca positive with the breeding rate of 22.79%. The difference of breeding rates of G. fusca were statistically significant among the different places ( χ 2 =18.294, P air-conditioner filters in Wuhu City gravely.

  1. Research on Kalman-filter based multisensor data fusion

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    2007-01-01

    Multisensor data fusion has played a significant role in diverse areas ranging from local robot guidance to global military theatre defense etc.Various multisensor data fusion methods have been extensively investigated by researchers,of which Klaman filtering is one of the most important.Kalman filtering is the best-known recursive least mean-square algorithm to optimally estimate the unknown.states of a dynamic system,which has found widespread application in many areas.The scope of the work is restricted to investigate the various data fusion and track fusion techniques based on the Kalman Filter methods.then a new method of state fusion is proposed.Finally the simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the introduced method.

  2. Robust estimation of event-related potentials via particle filter.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fukami, Tadanori; Watanabe, Jun; Ishikawa, Fumito

    2016-03-01

    In clinical examinations and brain-computer interface (BCI) research, a short electroencephalogram (EEG) measurement time is ideal. The use of event-related potentials (ERPs) relies on both estimation accuracy and processing time. We tested a particle filter that uses a large number of particles to construct a probability distribution. We constructed a simple model for recording EEG comprising three components: ERPs approximated via a trend model, background waves constructed via an autoregressive model, and noise. We evaluated the performance of the particle filter based on mean squared error (MSE), P300 peak amplitude, and latency. We then compared our filter with the Kalman filter and a conventional simple averaging method. To confirm the efficacy of the filter, we used it to estimate ERP elicited by a P300 BCI speller. A 400-particle filter produced the best MSE. We found that the merit of the filter increased when the original waveform already had a low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) (i.e., the power ratio between ERP and background EEG). We calculated the amount of averaging necessary after applying a particle filter that produced a result equivalent to that associated with conventional averaging, and determined that the particle filter yielded a maximum 42.8% reduction in measurement time. The particle filter performed better than both the Kalman filter and conventional averaging for a low SNR in terms of both MSE and P300 peak amplitude and latency. For EEG data produced by the P300 speller, we were able to use our filter to obtain ERP waveforms that were stable compared with averages produced by a conventional averaging method, irrespective of the amount of averaging. We confirmed that particle filters are efficacious in reducing the measurement time required during simulations with a low SNR. Additionally, particle filters can perform robust ERP estimation for EEG data produced via a P300 speller. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. From Microwave Filter to Digital Filter and Back Again

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Dalby, Arne Brejning

    1989-01-01

    A new very simple state variable flow graph representation for interdigital transmission line bandpass filters is presented, which has led to two important results: 1) A new type of digital filter with properties, that surpass the properties of most other (all pole) digital filtertypes. 2) The st...

  4. High-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter performance following service and radiation exposure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jones, L.R.

    1975-01-01

    Small HEPA filters were exposed to a 60 Co source with a radiation strength of 3 x 10 7 rads per hour and then exposed to steam--air mixtures at several times filter design flow, followed by extended exposure to steam and air at reduced flow. Additional filters were exposed to air flow in a reactor confinement system and then similarly tested with steam--air mixture flows. The test data and calculated effects of filter pluggage with moisture on confinement system performance following potential reactor accidents are described. Gamma radiation exposure impaired the performance of new filters only slightly and temporarily improved performance of service aged filters. Normal confinement system service significantly impaired filter performance although not sufficiently to prevent adequate performance of the SRP confinement system following an unlikely reactor accident. Calculations based on measured filter pluggage indicate that during an accident air flow could be reduced approximately 50 percent with service-degraded HEPA filters present, or approximately 10 percent with new filters damaged by the radiation exposure. (U.S.)

  5. Filter apparatus

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Butterworth, D.J.

    1980-01-01

    This invention relates to liquid filters, precoated by replaceable powders, which are used in the production of ultra pure water required for steam generation of electricity. The filter elements are capable of being installed and removed by remote control so that they can be used in nuclear power reactors. (UK)

  6. Estimation of the center frequency of the highest modulation filter.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moore, Brian C J; Füllgrabe, Christian; Sek, Aleksander

    2009-02-01

    For high-frequency sinusoidal carriers, the threshold for detecting sinusoidal amplitude modulation increases when the signal modulation frequency increases above about 120 Hz. Using the concept of a modulation filter bank, this effect might be explained by (1) a decreasing sensitivity or greater internal noise for modulation filters with center frequencies above 120 Hz; and (2) a limited span of center frequencies of the modulation filters, the top filter being tuned to about 120 Hz. The second possibility was tested by measuring modulation masking in forward masking using an 8 kHz sinusoidal carrier. The signal modulation frequency was 80, 120, or 180 Hz and the masker modulation frequencies covered a range above and below each signal frequency. Four highly trained listeners were tested. For the 80-Hz signal, the signal threshold was usually maximal when the masker frequency equaled the signal frequency. For the 180-Hz signal, the signal threshold was maximal when the masker frequency was below the signal frequency. For the 120-Hz signal, two listeners showed the former pattern, and two showed the latter pattern. The results support the idea that the highest modulation filter has a center frequency in the range 100-120 Hz.

  7. Submerged Pond Sand Filter-A Novel Approach to Rural Water Supply

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Øhlenschlæger, Mia; Christensen, Sarah Christine Boesgaard; Bregnhøj, Henrik

    2016-01-01

    This study describes the new design and function of a modified version of a traditional slow sand filter. The Submerged Pond Sand Filter is built inside a pond and has a vertical as well as a horizontal flow of water through a sloped filter opening. The filter provides treated drinking water...... to a rural Indian village. The filter has functioned with minimal maintenance for five years without being subject to the typical scraping off and changing of sand as needed in traditional slow sand filters every few months. This five-year study showed bacterial removal efficiency of 97% on average...... to 10 CFU/100 mL on average compared to shorter pumping intervals (5 min). Though the treated water did not comply with the World Health Organization standards of 0 CFU/100 mL, the filter significantly improved water quality and provided one of the best sources of drinkable water in a water...

  8. Filtering and prediction

    CERN Document Server

    Fristedt, B; Krylov, N

    2007-01-01

    Filtering and prediction is about observing moving objects when the observations are corrupted by random errors. The main focus is then on filtering out the errors and extracting from the observations the most precise information about the object, which itself may or may not be moving in a somewhat random fashion. Next comes the prediction step where, using information about the past behavior of the object, one tries to predict its future path. The first three chapters of the book deal with discrete probability spaces, random variables, conditioning, Markov chains, and filtering of discrete Markov chains. The next three chapters deal with the more sophisticated notions of conditioning in nondiscrete situations, filtering of continuous-space Markov chains, and of Wiener process. Filtering and prediction of stationary sequences is discussed in the last two chapters. The authors believe that they have succeeded in presenting necessary ideas in an elementary manner without sacrificing the rigor too much. Such rig...

  9. The use of choline in association with the Bangerter filters for the treatment of amblyopia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lelio Sabetti

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available The study investigated the effects of choline combined with Bangerter filter in the treatment of amblyopia. All amblyopic subjects used a Bangerter filter on the corrective spectacle lens (1d over the left eye, 1d over the right eye. Choline was then administered orally to 39 patients once daily, five days per week for the entire study period. Subjects treated with the Bangerter filter showed a mean visual acuity of 0.27 logMAR; at 12mo of treatment, the mean visual acuity reached 0.09 logMAR. Patients treated with the Bangerter filter and citicoline showed a mean visual acuity of 0.35 logMAR; at 12mo of treatment, the mean visual acuity reached 0.01 logMAR. No significant changes in the angle of deviation were observed in both groups. Subjects in both forms of amblyopia therapies demonstrated an increase in visual acuity. However, these effects were markedly enhanced when coupled with the administration of choline. Findings suggest that the effects are particularly relevant in the more severe amblyopic cases.

  10. Adaptive Subband Filtering Method for MEMS Accelerometer Noise Reduction

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Piotr PIETRZAK

    2008-12-01

    Full Text Available Silicon microaccelerometers can be considered as an alternative to high-priced piezoelectric sensors. Unfortunately, relatively high noise floor of commercially available MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems sensors limits the possibility of their usage in condition monitoring systems of rotating machines. The solution of this problem is the method of signal filtering described in the paper. It is based on adaptive subband filtering employing Adaptive Line Enhancer. For filter weights adaptation, two novel algorithms have been developed. They are based on the NLMS algorithm. Both of them significantly simplify its software and hardware implementation and accelerate the adaptation process. The paper also presents the software (Matlab and hardware (FPGA implementation of the proposed noise filter. In addition, the results of the performed tests are reported. They confirm high efficiency of the solution.

  11. Bowtie filters for dedicated breast CT: Analysis of bowtie filter material selection

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kontson, Kimberly, E-mail: Kimberly.Kontson@fda.hhs.gov; Jennings, Robert J. [Department of Bioengineering, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742 and Division of Imaging and Applied Mathematics, Office of Science and Engineering Laboratories, Center for Devices and Radiological Health, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 10903 New Hampshire Avenue, Silver Spring, Maryland 20993 (United States)

    2015-09-15

    Purpose: For a given bowtie filter design, both the selection of material and the physical design control the energy fluence, and consequently the dose distribution, in the object. Using three previously described bowtie filter designs, the goal of this work is to demonstrate the effect that different materials have on the bowtie filter performance measures. Methods: Three bowtie filter designs that compensate for one or more aspects of the beam-modifying effects due to the differences in path length in a projection have been designed. The nature of the designs allows for their realization using a variety of materials. The designs were based on a phantom, 14 cm in diameter, composed of 40% fibroglandular and 60% adipose tissue. Bowtie design #1 is based on single material spectral matching and produces nearly uniform spectral shape for radiation incident upon the detector. Bowtie design #2 uses the idea of basis-material decomposition to produce the same spectral shape and intensity at the detector, using two different materials. With bowtie design #3, it is possible to eliminate the beam hardening effect in the reconstructed image by adjusting the bowtie filter thickness so that the effective attenuation coefficient for every ray is the same. Seven different materials were chosen to represent a range of chemical compositions and densities. After calculation of construction parameters for each bowtie filter design, a bowtie filter was created using each of these materials (assuming reasonable construction parameters were obtained), resulting in a total of 26 bowtie filters modeled analytically and in the PENELOPE Monte Carlo simulation environment. Using the analytical model of each bowtie filter, design profiles were obtained and energy fluence as a function of fan-angle was calculated. Projection images with and without each bowtie filter design were also generated using PENELOPE and reconstructed using FBP. Parameters such as dose distribution, noise uniformity

  12. Bowtie filters for dedicated breast CT: Analysis of bowtie filter material selection

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kontson, Kimberly; Jennings, Robert J.

    2015-01-01

    Purpose: For a given bowtie filter design, both the selection of material and the physical design control the energy fluence, and consequently the dose distribution, in the object. Using three previously described bowtie filter designs, the goal of this work is to demonstrate the effect that different materials have on the bowtie filter performance measures. Methods: Three bowtie filter designs that compensate for one or more aspects of the beam-modifying effects due to the differences in path length in a projection have been designed. The nature of the designs allows for their realization using a variety of materials. The designs were based on a phantom, 14 cm in diameter, composed of 40% fibroglandular and 60% adipose tissue. Bowtie design #1 is based on single material spectral matching and produces nearly uniform spectral shape for radiation incident upon the detector. Bowtie design #2 uses the idea of basis-material decomposition to produce the same spectral shape and intensity at the detector, using two different materials. With bowtie design #3, it is possible to eliminate the beam hardening effect in the reconstructed image by adjusting the bowtie filter thickness so that the effective attenuation coefficient for every ray is the same. Seven different materials were chosen to represent a range of chemical compositions and densities. After calculation of construction parameters for each bowtie filter design, a bowtie filter was created using each of these materials (assuming reasonable construction parameters were obtained), resulting in a total of 26 bowtie filters modeled analytically and in the PENELOPE Monte Carlo simulation environment. Using the analytical model of each bowtie filter, design profiles were obtained and energy fluence as a function of fan-angle was calculated. Projection images with and without each bowtie filter design were also generated using PENELOPE and reconstructed using FBP. Parameters such as dose distribution, noise uniformity

  13. Using date stone charcoal as a filtering medium for automobile exhaust gases

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shahad, H.A.K.; Farhan, A.M. [University of Babylon (Iraq). College of Engineering; Saleh, H.A. [University of Babylon (Iraq). Dept. of Chemistry

    1998-12-31

    A thermal reactor was designed and built to produce coal from date stones by pyrolysis. Five specimens of coal have been prepared at different maximum charring temperatures. It was found that, as the temperature increases, the properties of coal are improved (the percentage of carbon content increases). It was also found that, at 700{sup o}C, the percentage of carbon content remains constant. The coal prepared at this temperature was used as a filtering medium in an adsorption filter to purify the exhaust gases of a two stroke spark ignition engine. The results showed that the filter has a high adsorption ability for CO and CO{sub 2} gases. An ORSAT apparatus was used to measure the concentration of CO and CO{sub 2} in the exhaust gases before and after the filter. The filter reduced the concentration of CO and CO{sub 2} by 62 and 59%, respectively. (author)

  14. Perforation of the IVC: rule rather than exception after longer indwelling times for the Günther Tulip and Celect retrievable filters.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Durack, Jeremy C; Westphalen, Antonio C; Kekulawela, Stephanie; Bhanu, Shiv B; Avrin, David E; Gordon, Roy L; Kerlan, Robert K

    2012-04-01

    This study was designed to assess the incidence, magnitude, and impact upon retrievability of vena caval perforation by Günther Tulip and Celect conical inferior vena cava (IVC) filters on computed tomographic (CT) imaging. Günther Tulip and Celect IVC filters placed between July 2007 and May 2009 were identified from medical records. Of 272 IVC filters placed, 50 (23 Günther Tulip, 46%; 27 Celect, 54%) were retrospectively assessed on follow-up abdominal CT scans performed for reasons unrelated to the filter. Computed tomography scans were examined for evidence of filter perforation through the vena caval wall, tilt, or pericaval tissue injury. Procedure records were reviewed to determine whether IVC filter retrieval was attempted and successful. Perforation of at least one filter component through the IVC was observed in 43 of 50 (86%) filters on CT scans obtained between 1 and 880 days after filter placement. All filters imaged after 71 days showed some degree of vena caval perforation, often as a progressive process. Filter tilt was seen in 20 of 50 (40%) filters, and all tilted filters also demonstrated vena caval perforation. Transjugular removal was attempted in 12 of 50 (24%) filters and was successful in 11 of 12 (92%). Longer indwelling times usually result in vena caval perforation by retrievable Günther Tulip and Celect IVC filters. Although infrequently reported in the literature, clinical sequelae from IVC filter components breaching the vena cava can be significant. We advocate filter retrieval as early as clinically indicated and increased attention to the appearance of IVC filters on all follow-up imaging studies.

  15. Random matrix theory filters in portfolio optimisation: A stability and risk assessment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Daly, J.; Crane, M.; Ruskin, H. J.

    2008-07-01

    Random matrix theory (RMT) filters, applied to covariance matrices of financial returns, have recently been shown to offer improvements to the optimisation of stock portfolios. This paper studies the effect of three RMT filters on the realised portfolio risk, and on the stability of the filtered covariance matrix, using bootstrap analysis and out-of-sample testing. We propose an extension to an existing RMT filter, (based on Krzanowski stability), which is observed to reduce risk and increase stability, when compared to other RMT filters tested. We also study a scheme for filtering the covariance matrix directly, as opposed to the standard method of filtering correlation, where the latter is found to lower the realised risk, on average, by up to 6.7%. We consider both equally and exponentially weighted covariance matrices in our analysis, and observe that the overall best method out-of-sample was that of the exponentially weighted covariance, with our Krzanowski stability-based filter applied to the correlation matrix. We also find that the optimal out-of-sample decay factors, for both filtered and unfiltered forecasts, were higher than those suggested by Riskmetrics [J.P. Morgan, Reuters, Riskmetrics technical document, Technical Report, 1996. http://www.riskmetrics.com/techdoc.html], with those for the latter approaching a value of α=1. In conclusion, RMT filtering reduced the realised risk, on average, and in the majority of cases when tested out-of-sample, but increased the realised risk on a marked number of individual days-in some cases more than doubling it.

  16. Novel trimming technique for tunable HTS microstrip filters

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sekiya, N. [Department of Electrical Engineering, Yamanashi University, Nakagawa-Sekiya Laboratory, 4-3-11 Takeda, Kofu 400-8511 (Japan)], E-mail: nsekiya@yamanashi.ac.jp; Nakagawa, Y. [Department of Electrical Engineering, Yamanashi University, Nakagawa-Sekiya Laboratory, 4-3-11 Takeda, Kofu 400-8511 (Japan); Saito, A.; Ohshima, S. [Yamagata University, 4-3-16 Johnan, Yonezawa 992-8510 (Japan)

    2008-09-15

    We have developed a method using additional electric pads for trimming tunable high-temperature superconducting (HTS) microstrip filters. These filters are generally tuned by adjusting the gap between a dielectric floating plate above the filter. When the floating plate approached the filter, the center frequency was shifted to a lower frequency. However, the insertion loss increases due to variation in the external quality factors varying from the design parameter. The external quality factors are usually controlled by adjusting the length of the input/output (I/O) coupled-line elements and the gap between the elements and the resonator. In our method, additional electric pads are distributed at the open-end of the I/O coupled-line elements of a 3-pole hairpin bandpass filter to enable adjustment of the external quality factors so as to reduce insertion loss. The electric pads consist of line-and-space patterns. They are eclectically connected to the coupled-line elements to adjust the line length and gap width and thereby control the external quality factors. An electromagnetic simulator was used for the design and analysis. The simulation results showed that the additional electric pads are effective in improving the insertion loss of the HTS bandpass filter after tuning.

  17. Novel trimming technique for tunable HTS microstrip filters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sekiya, N.; Nakagawa, Y.; Saito, A.; Ohshima, S.

    2008-01-01

    We have developed a method using additional electric pads for trimming tunable high-temperature superconducting (HTS) microstrip filters. These filters are generally tuned by adjusting the gap between a dielectric floating plate above the filter. When the floating plate approached the filter, the center frequency was shifted to a lower frequency. However, the insertion loss increases due to variation in the external quality factors varying from the design parameter. The external quality factors are usually controlled by adjusting the length of the input/output (I/O) coupled-line elements and the gap between the elements and the resonator. In our method, additional electric pads are distributed at the open-end of the I/O coupled-line elements of a 3-pole hairpin bandpass filter to enable adjustment of the external quality factors so as to reduce insertion loss. The electric pads consist of line-and-space patterns. They are eclectically connected to the coupled-line elements to adjust the line length and gap width and thereby control the external quality factors. An electromagnetic simulator was used for the design and analysis. The simulation results showed that the additional electric pads are effective in improving the insertion loss of the HTS bandpass filter after tuning

  18. Improving the quality of brain CT image from Wavelet filters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pita Machado, Reinaldo; Perez Diaz, Marlen; Bravo Pino, Rolando

    2012-01-01

    An algorithm to reduce Poisson noise is described using Wavelet filters. Five tomographic images of patients and a head anthropomorphic phantom were used. They were acquired with two different CT machines. Due to the original images contain the acquisition noise; some simulated free noise lesions were added to the images and after that the whole images were contaminated with noise. Contaminated images were filtered with 9 Wavelet filters at different decomposition levels and thresholds. Image quality of filtered and unfiltered images was graded using the Signal to Noise ratio, Normalized Mean Square Error and the Structural Similarity Index, as well as, by the subjective JAFROC methods with 5 observers. Some filters as Bior 3.7 and dB45 improved in a significant way head CT image quality (p<0.05) producing an increment in SNR without visible structural distortions

  19. A Nonlinear Adaptive Filter for Gyro Thermal Bias Error Cancellation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Galante, Joseph M.; Sanner, Robert M.

    2012-01-01

    Deterministic errors in angular rate gyros, such as thermal biases, can have a significant impact on spacecraft attitude knowledge. In particular, thermal biases are often the dominant error source in MEMS gyros after calibration. Filters, such as J\\,fEKFs, are commonly used to mitigate the impact of gyro errors and gyro noise on spacecraft closed loop pointing accuracy, but often have difficulty in rapidly changing thermal environments and can be computationally expensive. In this report an existing nonlinear adaptive filter is used as the basis for a new nonlinear adaptive filter designed to estimate and cancel thermal bias effects. A description of the filter is presented along with an implementation suitable for discrete-time applications. A simulation analysis demonstrates the performance of the filter in the presence of noisy measurements and provides a comparison with existing techniques.

  20. Super-resolution pupil filtering for visual performance enhancement using adaptive optics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Lina; Dai, Yun; Zhao, Junlei; Zhou, Xiaojun

    2018-05-01

    Ocular aberration correction can significantly improve visual function of the human eye. However, even under ideal aberration correction conditions, pupil diffraction restricts the resolution of retinal images. Pupil filtering is a simple super-resolution (SR) method that can overcome this diffraction barrier. In this study, a 145-element piezoelectric deformable mirror was used as a pupil phase filter because of its programmability and high fitting accuracy. Continuous phase-only filters were designed based on Zernike polynomial series and fitted through closed-loop adaptive optics. SR results were validated using double-pass point spread function images. Contrast sensitivity was further assessed to verify the SR effect on visual function. An F-test was conducted for nested models to statistically compare different CSFs. These results indicated CSFs for the proposed SR filter were significantly higher than the diffraction correction (p vision optical correction of the human eye.

  1. Concentric Split Flow Filter

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stapleton, Thomas J. (Inventor)

    2015-01-01

    A concentric split flow filter may be configured to remove odor and/or bacteria from pumped air used to collect urine and fecal waste products. For instance, filter may be designed to effectively fill the volume that was previously considered wasted surrounding the transport tube of a waste management system. The concentric split flow filter may be configured to split the air flow, with substantially half of the air flow to be treated traveling through a first bed of filter media and substantially the other half of the air flow to be treated traveling through the second bed of filter media. This split flow design reduces the air velocity by 50%. In this way, the pressure drop of filter may be reduced by as much as a factor of 4 as compare to the conventional design.

  2. Rotationally invariant correlation filtering

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schils, G.F.; Sweeney, D.W.

    1985-01-01

    A method is presented for analyzing and designing optical correlation filters that have tailored rotational invariance properties. The concept of a correlation of an image with a rotation of itself is introduced. A unified theory of rotation-invariant filtering is then formulated. The unified approach describes matched filters (with no rotation invariance) and circular-harmonic filters (with full rotation invariance) as special cases. The continuum of intermediate cases is described in terms of a cyclic convolution operation over angle. The angular filtering approach allows an exact choice for the continuous trade-off between loss of the correlation energy (or specificity regarding the image) and the amount of rotational invariance desired

  3. Monolithic Integrated Ceramic Waveguide Filters

    OpenAIRE

    Hunter, IC; Sandhu, MY

    2014-01-01

    Design techniques for a new class of integrated monolithic high permittivity ceramic waveguide filters are presented. These filters enable a size reduction of 50% compared to air-filled TEM filters with the same unloaded Q-Factor. Designs for both chebyshev and asymmetric generalized chebyshev filter are presented, with experimental results for an 1800 MHz chebyshev filter showing excellent agreement with theory.

  4. Comparison of ion coupling strategies for a microengineered quadrupole mass filter.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wright, Steven; Syms, Richard R A; O'Prey, Shane; Hong, Guodong; Holmes, Andrew S

    2009-01-01

    The limitations of conventional machining and assembly techniques require that designs for quadrupole mass analyzers with rod diameters less than a millimeter are not merely scale versions of larger instruments. We show how silicon planar processing techniques and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) design concepts can be used to incorporate complex features into the construction of a miniature quadrupole mass filter chip that could not easily be achieved using other microengineering approaches. Three designs for the entrance and exit to the filter consistent with the chosen materials and techniques have been evaluated. The differences between these seemingly similar structures have a significant effect on the performance. Although one of the designs results in severe attenuation of transmission with increasing mass, the other two can be scanned to m/z = 400 without any corruption of the mass spectrum. At m/z = 219, the variation in the transmission of the three designs was found to be approximately four orders of magnitude. A maximum resolution of M/DeltaM = 87 at 10% peak height has been achieved at m/z = 219 with a filter operated at 6 MHz and constructed using rods measuring (508 +/- 5) microm in diameter.

  5. Plasma filtering techniques for nuclear waste remediation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gueroult, Renaud; Hobbs, David T; Fisch, Nathaniel J

    2015-10-30

    Nuclear waste cleanup is challenged by the handling of feed stocks that are both unknown and complex. Plasma filtering, operating on dissociated elements, offers advantages over chemical methods in processing such wastes. The costs incurred by plasma mass filtering for nuclear waste pretreatment, before ultimate disposal, are similar to those for chemical pretreatment. However, significant savings might be achieved in minimizing the waste mass. This advantage may be realized over a large range of chemical waste compositions, thereby addressing the heterogeneity of legacy nuclear waste. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  6. Shifted-modified Chebyshev filters

    OpenAIRE

    ŞENGÜL, Metin

    2013-01-01

    This paper introduces a new type of filter approximation method that utilizes shifted-modified Chebyshev filters. Construction of the new filters involves the use of shifted-modified Chebyshev polynomials that are formed using the roots of conventional Chebyshev polynomials. The study also includes 2 tables containing the shifted-modified Chebyshev polynomials and the normalized element values for the low-pass prototype filters up to degree 6. The transducer power gain, group dela...

  7. Examination of cryogenic filters for multistage RF filtering in ultralow temperature experiments

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zavyalov, V. V.; Chernyaev, S. A.; Shein, K. V.; Shukaleva, A. G.; Arutyunov, K. Yu

    2018-03-01

    Cryo-filters are essential while studying electronic properties of nanoscale structures at very low temperatures. In this report we present the simple measuring methodology and experimental impedance characteristics of customized lumped filters cooled down to 4.2K in the 10 Hz-500 MHz frequency range. In particular, we tested the home-made permalloy-core RL filters, the MurataTMChip Ferrite Bead filter, and the ToshibaTMAmobeadsTMcores. We use the high-frequency generalization of four-terminal sensing method to account for the wiring retardation effects, which are important when working with ultralow temperature systems.

  8. Decoupled deblurring filter and its application to elastic migration and inversion

    KAUST Repository

    Feng, Zongcai

    2017-08-17

    We present a decoupled deblurring filter that approximates the multiparameter Hessian inverse by using local filters to approximate its submatrices for the same and different parameter classes. Numerical tests show that the filter not only reduces the footprint noise, balances the amplitudes and increases the resolution of the elastic migration images, but also mitigates the crosstalk artifacts. When used as a preconditioner, it accelerates the convergence rate for elastic inversion.

  9. Design and fabrication of broadband rugate filter

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang Jun-Chao; Fang Ming; Shao Yu-Chuan; Jin Yun-Xia; He Hong-Bo

    2012-01-01

    The design and the deposition of a rugate filter for broadband applications are discussed. The bandwidth is extended by increasing the rugate period continuously with depth. The width and the smoothness of the reflection band with the distribution of the periods are investigated. The improvement of the steepness of the stopband edges and the suppression of the side lobes in the transmission zone are realized by adding two apodized rugate structures with fixed periods at the external broadband rugate filter interfaces. The rapidly alternating deposition technology is used to fabricate a rugate filter sample. The measured transmission spectrum with a reflection bandwidth of approximately 505 nm is close to that of the designed broadband rugate filter except a transmittance peak in the stopband. Based on the analysis of the cross-sectional scanning electron microscopic image of the sample, it is found that the transmission peak is most likely to be caused by the instability of the deposition rate. (electromagnetism, optics, acoustics, heat transfer, classical mechanics, and fluid dynamics)

  10. Applications of adaptive filters in active noise control

    Science.gov (United States)

    Darlington, Paul

    The active reduction of acoustic noise is achieved by the addition of a cancelling acoustic signal to the unwanted sound. Successful definition of the cancelling signal amounts to a system identification problem. Recent advances in adaptive signal processing have allowed this problem to be tackled using adaptive filters, which offer significant advantages over conventional solutions. The extension of adaptive noise cancelling techniques, which were developed in the electrical signal conditioning context, to the control of acoustic systems is studied. An analysis is presented of the behavior of the Widrow-Hoff LMS adaptive noise canceller with a linear filter in its control loop. The active control of plane waves propagating axially in a hardwalled duct is used as a motivating model problem. The model problem also motivates the study of the effects of feedback around an LMS adaptive filter. An alternative stochastic gradient algorithm for controlling adaptive filters in the presence of feedback is presented.

  11. Design and implementation of predictive filtering system for current reference generation of active power filter

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kilic, Tomislav; Milun, Stanko; Petrovic, Goran [FESB University of Split, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Machine Engineering and Naval Architecture, R. Boskovica bb, 21000, Split (Croatia)

    2007-02-15

    The shunt active power filters are used to attenuate the harmonic currents in power systems by injecting equal but opposite compensating currents. Successful control of the active filters requires an accurate current reference. In this paper the current reference determination based on predictive filtering structure is presented. Current reference was obtained by taking the difference of load current and its fundamental harmonic. For fundamental harmonic determination with no time delay a combination of digital predictive filter and low pass filter is used. The proposed method was implemented on a laboratory prototype of a three-phase active power filter. The algorithm for current reference determination was adapted and implemented on DSP controller. Simulation and experimental results show that the active power filter with implemented predictive filtering structure gives satisfactory performance in power system harmonic attenuation. (author)

  12. Significance in the increase of women psychiatrists in Korea.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Ha Kyoung; Kim, Soo In

    2008-01-01

    The number of female doctors has increased in Korea; 18.9% (13,083) of the total medical doctors registered (69,097) were women in 2006, compared to 13.6% (2,216) in 1975. The proportion of female doctors will jump up by 2010 considering that nearly 40% of the medical students are women as of today. This trend has had strong influence on the field of psychiatry; the percentage of women psychiatrists rose from 1.6 (6)% to 18% (453), from 1975 to 2006 and now women residents comprise 39% (206) of all. This is not only a reflection of a social phenomenon of the increase in professional women but also attributed to some specific characteristics of the psychiatry. Psychiatric practice may come more natural to women. While clinical activities of women psychiatrists are expanding, there are few women leaders and much less women are involving in academic activities in this field as yet. Though there is less sexual discrimination in the field of psychiatry, women psychiatrists are still having a lot of difficulties in balancing work and family matters. Many women psychiatrists also report they've ever felt an implied discrimination in their careers. In this study, we are to identify the characteristics of women psychiatrists and to explore the significance of the increase in women psychiatrists in Korea and the situation in which they are.

  13. Q-Least Squares Reverse Time Migration with Viscoacoustic Deblurring Filters

    KAUST Repository

    Chen, Yuqing; Dutta, Gaurav; Dai, Wei; Schuster, Gerard T.

    2017-01-01

    Viscoacoustic least-squares reverse time migration (Q-LSRTM) linearly inverts for the subsurface reflectivity model from lossy data. Compared to the conventional migration methods, it can compensate for the amplitude loss in the migrated images because of the strong subsurface attenuation and can produce reflectors that are accurately positioned in depth. However, the adjoint Q propagators used for backward propagating the residual data are also attenuative. Thus, the inverted images from Q-LSRTM are often observed to have lower resolution when compared to the benchmark acoustic LSRTM images from acoustic data. To increase the resolution and accelerate the convergence of Q-LSRTM, we propose using viscoacoustic deblurring filters as a preconditioner for Q-LSRTM. These filters can be estimated by matching a simulated migration image to its reference reflectivity model. Numerical tests on synthetic and field data demonstrate that Q-LSRTM combined with viscoacoustic deblurring filters can produce images with higher resolution and more balanced amplitudes than images from acoustic RTM, acoustic LSRTM and Q-LSRTM when there is strong attenuation in the background medium. The proposed preconditioning method is also shown to improve the convergence rate of Q-LSRTM by more than 30 percent in some cases and significantly compensate for the lossy artifacts in RTM images.

  14. Q-Least Squares Reverse Time Migration with Viscoacoustic Deblurring Filters

    KAUST Repository

    Chen, Yuqing

    2017-08-02

    Viscoacoustic least-squares reverse time migration (Q-LSRTM) linearly inverts for the subsurface reflectivity model from lossy data. Compared to the conventional migration methods, it can compensate for the amplitude loss in the migrated images because of the strong subsurface attenuation and can produce reflectors that are accurately positioned in depth. However, the adjoint Q propagators used for backward propagating the residual data are also attenuative. Thus, the inverted images from Q-LSRTM are often observed to have lower resolution when compared to the benchmark acoustic LSRTM images from acoustic data. To increase the resolution and accelerate the convergence of Q-LSRTM, we propose using viscoacoustic deblurring filters as a preconditioner for Q-LSRTM. These filters can be estimated by matching a simulated migration image to its reference reflectivity model. Numerical tests on synthetic and field data demonstrate that Q-LSRTM combined with viscoacoustic deblurring filters can produce images with higher resolution and more balanced amplitudes than images from acoustic RTM, acoustic LSRTM and Q-LSRTM when there is strong attenuation in the background medium. The proposed preconditioning method is also shown to improve the convergence rate of Q-LSRTM by more than 30 percent in some cases and significantly compensate for the lossy artifacts in RTM images.

  15. The influence of typical ways of operating and air-handling unit on the sensory pollution load from used bag filters

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mysen, M.; Clausen, Geo; Bekö, Gabriel

    2003-01-01

    An experiment was performed to determine whether the sensory pollution emitted from a bag filter that had been used for 3 months in a suburban area in Denmark was influenced by different ways of operating the air-handling unit (AHU). Samples of the used filter were pre-conditioned to simulate thr...... the airflow outside working hours would significantly increase the sensory pollution emitted by a used bag filter immediately after the AHU is turned on, in comparison with continuous airflow through the AHU (P...... operating conditions: 1) switched off overnight; 2) airflow reduced to 10% overnight; and 3) continuous 100% operation. Outside air passed through the samples and the acceptability of the air after the filter was assessed by a panel of subjects. The results indicate that turning off the AHU or reducing...

  16. The case for improved HEPA-filter mechanical performance standards revisited

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ricketts, C.I.; Smith, P.R. [New Mexico State Univ., Las Cruces, NM (United States)

    1997-08-01

    Under benign operating conditions, High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter units serve as reliable and relatively economical components in the air cleaning systems of nuclear facilities worldwide. Despite more than four decades of filter-unit evaluation and improvements, however, the material strength characteristics of the glass fiber filter medium continue to ultimately limit filter functional reliability. In worst-case scenarios involving fire suppression, loss-of-coolant accidents (LOCA`s), or exposure to shock waves or tornado induced flows, rupture of the filter medium of units meeting current qualification standards cannot be entirely ruled out. Even under so-called normal conditions of operation, instances of filter failure reported in the literature leave open questions of filter-unit reliability. Though developments of filter units with improved burst strengths have been pursued outside the United States, support for efforts in this country has been comparatively minimal. This despite user requests for filters with greater moisture resistance, for example. Or the fact that conventional filter designs result in not only the least robust component to be found in a nuclear air cleaning system, but also the one most sensitive to the adverse effects of conditions deviating from those of normal operation. Filter qualification-test specifications of current codes, standards, and regulatory guidelines in the United States are based primarily upon research performed in a 30-year period beginning in the 1950`s. They do not seem to reflect the benefits of the more significant developments and understanding of filter failure modes and mechanisms achieved since that time. One overseas design, based on such knowledge, has proven reliability under adverse operating conditions involving combined and serial challenges. Its widespread use, however, has faltered on a lack of consensus in upgrading filter performance standards. 34 refs., 2 figs., 3 tabs.

  17. DIGITAL FILTERS IMPLEMENTATION IN MICROPROCESSOR-BASED RELAY PROTECTION

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yu. V. Rumiantsev

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available This article presents the implementation of digital filters used in digital relay protection current measuring elements. Mathematical descriptions of the considered digital filters as well as the computer programs for their coefficients calculation are described. It has been shown that in order to reliable estimate the digital filter performance its input signals waveforms must be close to the actual secondary current waveform of the current transformer to which the digital protection with the estimated digital filter is connected. For these purposes in MatLab–Simulink dynamic simulation environment the power system and the current measuring element models were developed. Performed calculations allowed to reveal that the exponentially decaying DC component which in some cases contains in primary fault current drives the current transformer core into saturation even when its nominal parameters are not exceeded. This results in distortion of the current transformer secondary current which in this case contains higher and inter-harmonics. Moreover, such harmonic content is not completely taking into account during coefficients calculation of the considered digital filters what results in signal magnitude estimation inaccuracy. Comparison of the digital filters response to the above-mentioned input signals allowed to find out such digital filter implementations which enable signal magnitude estimation with a minimum error. Ways of filtering quality improvement concerned with the window functions are proposed. Thus, the joint usage of digital filter and Hamming window allows to achieve the zero value of the signal magnitude gain factor in high-frequency range and substantially suppress all spectral components above 100 Hz. The increasing of the signal magnitude settling time in this case can be reduced by choosing the most optimal parameters of the all components of the current measuring element.

  18. Design and control of LCL-filter with active damping for Active Power Filter

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zeng, Guohong; Rasmussen, Tonny Wederberg; Ma, L

    2010-01-01

    of LCL-filter for APF is introduced, which is aimed for simplified the implementation. To suppress the resonance that may be excited in the system, which brings in stability problems, an active damping control strategy using the current feed-back of the filter capacitor is adopted. By selecting two equal......In the application of shunt Active Power Filter (APF) to compensate nonlinear load's harmonic, reactive and negative sequence current, it is more effective to use a LCL-filter than an L-filter as an interface between the Voltage Source Converter (VSC) and grid. In this paper, a designing procedure...... or similar inductances, the filter designing become more simple and effective, meanwhile the capacitance requirement is minimized. A pole-zero automatic cancellation phenomenon is discussed in this paper, which can be applied to simplify the current regulator designing. The tuning method is presented, based...

  19. Effect of Post-Reconstruction Gaussian Filtering on Image Quality and Myocardial Blood Flow Measurement with N-13 Ammonia PET

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Hyeon Sik; Cho, Sang-Geon; Kim, Ju Han; Kwon, Seong Young; Lee, Byeong-il; Bom, Hee-Seung

    2014-01-01

    In order to evaluate the effect of post-reconstruction Gaussian filtering on image quality and myocardial blood flow (MBF) measurement by dynamic N-13 ammonia positron emission tomography (PET), we compared various reconstruction and filtering methods with image characteristics. Dynamic PET images of three patients with coronary artery disease (male-female ratio of 2:1; age: 57, 53, and 76 years) were reconstructed, using filtered back projection (FBP) and ordered subset expectation maximization (OSEM) methods. OSEM reconstruction consisted of OSEM-2I, OSEM-4I, and OSEM-6I with 2, 4, and 6 iterations, respectively. The images, reconstructed and filtered by Gaussian filters of 5, 10, and 15 mm, were obtained, as well as non-filtered images. Visual analysis of image quality (IQ) was performed using a 3-grade scoring system by 2 independent readers, blinded to the reconstruction and filtering methods of stress images. Then, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) was calculated by noise and contrast recovery (CR). Stress and rest MBF and coronary flow reserve (CFR) were obtained for each method. IQ scores, stress and rest MBF, and CFR were compared between the methods, using Chi-square and Kruskal-Wallis tests. In the visual analysis, IQ was significantly higher by 10 mm Gaussian filtering, compared to other sizes of filter (P<0.001 for both readers). However, no significant difference of IQ was found between FBP and various numbers of iteration in OSEM (P=0.923 and 0.855 for readers 1 and 2, respectively). SNR was significantly higher in 10 mm Gaussian filter. There was a significant difference in stress and rest MBF between several vascular territories. However CFR was not significantly different according to various filtering methods. Post-reconstruction Gaussian filtering with a filter size of 10 mm significantly enhances the IQ of N-13 ammonia PET-CT, without changing the results of CFR calculation

  20. Digital Filters for Low Frequency Equalization

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Tyril, Marni; Abildgaard, J.; Rubak, Per

    2001-01-01

    Digital filters with high resolution in the low-frequency range are studied. Specifically, for a given computational power, traditional IIR filters are compared with warped FIR filters, warped IIR filters, and modified warped FIR filters termed warped individual z FIR filters (WizFIR). The results...

  1. Vectorization of linear discrete filtering algorithms

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schiess, J. R.

    1977-01-01

    Linear filters, including the conventional Kalman filter and versions of square root filters devised by Potter and Carlson, are studied for potential application on streaming computers. The square root filters are known to maintain a positive definite covariance matrix in cases in which the Kalman filter diverges due to ill-conditioning of the matrix. Vectorization of the filters is discussed, and comparisons are made of the number of operations and storage locations required by each filter. The Carlson filter is shown to be the most efficient of the filters on the Control Data STAR-100 computer.

  2. Effect of Pore Structure on Soot Deposition in Diesel Particulate Filter

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kazuhiro Yamamoto

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Nowadays, in the after-treatment of diesel exhaust gas, a diesel particulate filter (DPF has been used to trap nano-particles of the diesel soot. However, as there are more particles inside the filter, the pressure which corresponds to the filter backpressure increases, which worsens the fuel consumption rate, together with the abatement of the available torque. Thus, a filter with lower backpressure would be needed. To achieve this, it is necessary to utilize the information on the phenomena including both the soot transport and its removal inside the DPF, and optimize the filter substrate structure. In this paper, to obtain useful information for optimization of the filter structure, we tested seven filters with different porosities and pore sizes. The porosity and pore size were changed systematically. To consider the soot filtration, the particle-laden flow was simulated by a lattice Boltzmann method (LBM. Then, the flow field and the pressure change were discussed during the filtration process.

  3. Unit Root Properties of Seasonal Adjustment and Related Filters: Special Cases

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bell William.R.

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available Bell (2012 catalogued unit root factors contained in linear filters used in seasonal adjustment (model-based or from the X-11 method but noted that, for model-based seasonal adjustment, special cases could arise where filters could contain more unit root factors than was indicated by the general results. This article reviews some special cases that occur with canonical ARIMA model based adjustment in which, with some commonly used ARIMA models, the symmetric seasonal filters contain two extra nonseasonal differences (i.e., they include an extra (1 - B(1 - F. This increases by two the degree of polynomials in time that are annihilated by the seasonal filter and reproduced by the seasonal adjustment filter. Other results for canonical ARIMA adjustment that are reported in Bell (2012, including properties of the trend and irregular filters, and properties of the asymmetric and finite filters, are unaltered in these special cases. Special cases for seasonal adjustment with structural ARIMA component models are also briefly discussed.

  4. Speech enhancement via Mel-scale Wiener filtering with a frequency-wise voice activity detector

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Han Jun; Kim, Hwa Soo; Cho, Young Man

    2007-01-01

    This paper presents a speech enhancement system that enables a comfortable communication inside an automobile. A couple of novel concepts are proposed in an effort to improve two major building blocks in the existing speech enhancement systems: a voice activity detector (VAD) and a noise filtering algorithm. The proposed VAD classifies a given data frame as speech or noise at each frequency, enabling the frequency-wise updates of noise statistics and thereby improving the effectiveness of the noise filtering algorithms by providing more up-to-date noise statistics. The celebrated Wiener filter is adopted in this paper as the accompanying noise filtering algorithm, which results in significant noise suppression. Yet, the musical noise present in most Wiener filter-based systems prompts the idea of applying the Wiener filter in the Mel-scale in which the human auditory system responds to the external stimulation. It turns out that the Mel-scale Wiener filter creates some masking effects and thereby reduces musical noise significantly, leading to smooth transition between data frames

  5. Device for filtering gaseous media

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Benzel, M.

    1978-01-01

    The air filter system for gaseous radioactive substances consists of a vertical chamber with filter material (charcoal, e.g. impregnated). On one side of the chamber there is an inlet compartment and an outlet compartment. On the other side a guiding compartment turns the gas flow coming from the natural-air side through the lower part of filter chamber to the upper part of the filter. The gas flow leaves the upper part through the outlet conpartment as cleaned-air flow. The filter material may be filled into the chamber from above and drawn off below. For better utilization of the filter material the filter chamber is separated by means of a wall between the inlet and outlet compartment. This partition wall consist of two sheets arranged one above the other provided with slots which may be superposed in alignment. In this case filter material is tickling from the upper part of the chamber into the lower part avoiding to form a crater in the filter bed. (DG) [de

  6. DEMONSTRATION BULLETIN: COLLOID POLISHING FILTER METHOD - FILTER FLOW TECHNOLOGY, INC.

    Science.gov (United States)

    The Filter Flow Technology, Inc. (FFT) Colloid Polishing Filter Method (CPFM) was tested as a transportable, trailer mounted, system that uses sorption and chemical complexing phenomena to remove heavy metals and nontritium radionuclides from water. Contaminated waters can be pro...

  7. Controlling Stormwater Quality with Filter Soil—Event and Dry Weather Testing

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Karin Cederkvist

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available The use of filter soil is increasing for control of quality of stormwater runoff prior to infiltration or discharge. This study aimed to gain knowledge about treatment efficacy of filter soils at field scale. Percolate samples from swale-trench systems with filter soil based on agricultural till with/without limestone were monitored for 15 and 9 rain events respectively. Further, two curb extensions with filter soil based on landfill soil were monitored for 10 and 8 events. Pollutant concentrations in percolate were compared to influent samples from the catchment area. Additionally one of the curb extensions was tested twice by adding high-dose synthetic influent containing runoff pollutants of concern. Despite generally low influent pollutant levels, phosphorus, copper, zinc, lead and some polyaromatic hydrocarbons exceeded guiding criteria for protection of groundwater and freshwater. Concentrations in the percolate were in most cases reduced, but phosphorus increased and despite reduced concentrations copper, lead and benzo(apyrene still exceeded guiding criteria. Pollutants from the synthetic influent were efficiently retained, except the pesticide MCPA. Filter soil based on landfill soil tended to perform better than agricultural till. No impact of limestone was observed. Overall the filter soils performed well in retaining pollutants, despite simultaneous processes of mobilization and immobilization.

  8. Design Optimization of Vena Cava Filters: An application to dual filtration devices

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Singer, M A; Wang, S L; Diachin, D P

    2009-12-03

    Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a significant medical problem that results in over 300,000 fatalities per year. A common preventative treatment for PE is the insertion of a metallic filter into the inferior vena cava that traps thrombi before they reach the lungs. The goal of this work is to use methods of mathematical modeling and design optimization to determine the configuration of trapped thrombi that minimizes the hemodynamic disruption. The resulting configuration has implications for constructing an optimally designed vena cava filter. Computational fluid dynamics is coupled with a nonlinear optimization algorithm to determine the optimal configuration of trapped model thrombus in the inferior vena cava. The location and shape of the thrombus are parameterized, and an objective function, based on wall shear stresses, determines the worthiness of a given configuration. The methods are fully automated and demonstrate the capabilities of a design optimization framework that is broadly applicable. Changes to thrombus location and shape alter the velocity contours and wall shear stress profiles significantly. For vena cava filters that trap two thrombi simultaneously, the undesirable flow dynamics past one thrombus can be mitigated by leveraging the flow past the other thrombus. Streamlining the shape of thrombus trapped along the cava wall reduces the disruption to the flow, but increases the area exposed to abnormal wall shear stress. Computer-based design optimization is a useful tool for developing vena cava filters. Characterizing and parameterizing the design requirements and constraints is essential for constructing devices that address clinical complications. In addition, formulating a well-defined objective function that quantifies clinical risks and benefits is needed for designing devices that are clinically viable.

  9. THE RISKS OF SMOKING FILTERED AND NON-FILTERED CLOVE CIGARETTE ON THE PERIODONTAL DISEASE AMONG TANJONG PRIOK HARBOR WORKERS IN JAKARTA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anton Rahardjo

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available Most studies reported that tobacco negatively affect periodontal tissue, although some authors have failed to demonstrate such relationship. Those studies were done mostly with subjects smoking white cigarette. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between periodontal disease and type of kretek smokers and the risk between filtered and non-filtered smokers on the periodontal diseases. Smokers subjects were 227 healthy man smokers aged 20 – 27 years, who lived in the condominium of Cilinicing. Cross sectional study was designed using questionnaire. A pressure-controlled periodontal probe for assessing the Plaque Index (PI, Bleeding on Probing (BOP, Probing Attachment Level (PAL and Pocket Depth (PD for each tooth (6 sites per tooth except the third molar. The periodontal disease was defined as PAL > 6mm. The results showed that there was no significant differences between filtered smoking and non-filtered smoking with clove cigarette on the periodontal disease measured by BOP (p=0.265. The Prevalence Ration of the clove cigarette and periodontal disease was 1.28 (95% CI, which means that smoking clove cigarette with or without filtered bith have risk to periodontal disease.

  10. Cake filtration modeling: Analytical cake filtration model and filter medium characterization

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Koch, Michael

    2008-05-15

    Cake filtration is a unit operation to separate solids from fluids in industrial processes. The build up of a filter cake is usually accompanied with a decrease in overall permeability over the filter leading to an increased pressure drop over the filter. For an incompressible filter cake that builds up on a homogeneous filter cloth, a linear pressure drop profile over time is expected for a constant fluid volume flow. However, experiments show curved pressure drop profiles, which are also attributed to inhomogeneities of the filter (filter medium and/or residual filter cake). In this work, a mathematical filter model is developed to describe the relationship between time and overall permeability. The model considers a filter with an inhomogeneous permeability and accounts for fluid mechanics by a one-dimensional formulation of Darcy's law and for the cake build up by solid continuity. The model can be solved analytically in the time domain. The analytic solution allows for the unambiguous inversion of the model to determine the inhomogeneous permeability from the time resolved overall permeability, e.g. pressure drop measurements. An error estimation of the method is provided by rewriting the model as convolution transformation. This method is applied to simulated and experimental pressure drop data of gas filters with textile filter cloths and various situations with non-uniform flow situations in practical problems are explored. A routine is developed to generate characteristic filter cycles from semi-continuous filter plant operation. The model is modified to investigate the impact of non-uniform dust concentrations. (author). 34 refs., 40 figs., 1 tab

  11. Mixtures of skewed Kalman filters

    KAUST Repository

    Kim, Hyoungmoon

    2014-01-01

    Normal state-space models are prevalent, but to increase the applicability of the Kalman filter, we propose mixtures of skewed, and extended skewed, Kalman filters. To do so, the closed skew-normal distribution is extended to a scale mixture class of closed skew-normal distributions. Some basic properties are derived and a class of closed skew. t distributions is obtained. Our suggested family of distributions is skewed and has heavy tails too, so it is appropriate for robust analysis. Our proposed special sequential Monte Carlo methods use a random mixture of the closed skew-normal distributions to approximate a target distribution. Hence it is possible to handle skewed and heavy tailed data simultaneously. These methods are illustrated with numerical experiments. © 2013 Elsevier Inc.

  12. Decontamination factors of ceramic filter in radioactive waste incineration system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kanbe, Hiromi; Mayuzumi, Masami; Ono, Tetsuo; Yoshiki, Shinya; Kouyama, Hiroaki; Nagae, Madoka; Sekiguchi, Ryosaku; Takaoku, Yoshinobu; Hozumi, Masahiro.

    1987-01-01

    A suspension-firing type radioactive waste incineration system is developed and cold demonstration testing of ceramic filters for the system are carried out. The incineration system, which is useful for a wide variety of waste materials, can serve to simplify the facilities and to reduce the costs for waste disposal. The incineration system can be used for drying-processing of concentrated waste liquids and disposal of flame resistant materials including ion exchange resins and rubber, as well as for ordinary combustible solid materials. An on-line backwash system is adopted to allow the ceramic filters to operate stably for a long period of time. For one-step filtering using the ceramic filter, the decontamination factor is greater than 10 5 for the processing of various wastes. In a practical situation, there exist vapor produced by the spray drier and the cladding in used ion exchange resin, which act to increase the decontamination performance of the ceramic filters to ensure safe operation. For the waste incineration system equipped with a waste gas processing apparatus consisting of a ceramic filter and HEPA filter, the overall decontamination factor is expected to be greater than 10 6 at portions down to the outlet of the ceramic filter and greater than 10 8 at portions down to the outlet of the HEPA filter. (Nogami, K.)

  13. ASME AG-1 Section FC Qualified HEPA Filters; a Particle Loading Comparison - 13435

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stillo, Andrew; Ricketts, Craig I.

    2013-01-01

    High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) Filters used to protect personnel, the public and the environment from airborne radioactive materials are designed, manufactured and qualified in accordance with ASME AG-1 Code section FC (HEPA Filters) [1]. The qualification process requires that filters manufactured in accordance with this ASME AG-1 code section must meet several performance requirements. These requirements include performance specifications for resistance to airflow, aerosol penetration, resistance to rough handling, resistance to pressure (includes high humidity and water droplet exposure), resistance to heated air, spot flame resistance and a visual/dimensional inspection. None of these requirements evaluate the particle loading capacity of a HEPA filter design. Concerns, over the particle loading capacity, of the different designs included within the ASME AG-1 section FC code[1], have been voiced in the recent past. Additionally, the ability of a filter to maintain its integrity, if subjected to severe operating conditions such as elevated relative humidity, fog conditions or elevated temperature, after loading in use over long service intervals is also a major concern. Although currently qualified HEPA filter media are likely to have similar loading characteristics when evaluated independently, filter pleat geometry can have a significant impact on the in-situ particle loading capacity of filter packs. Aerosol particle characteristics, such as size and composition, may also have a significant impact on filter loading capacity. Test results comparing filter loading capacities for three different aerosol particles and three different filter pack configurations are reviewed. The information presented represents an empirical performance comparison among the filter designs tested. The results may serve as a basis for further discussion toward the possible development of a particle loading test to be included in the qualification requirements of ASME AG-1

  14. ASME AG-1 Section FC Qualified HEPA Filters; a Particle Loading Comparison - 13435

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Stillo, Andrew [Camfil Farr, 1 North Corporate Drive, Riverdale, NJ 07457 (United States); Ricketts, Craig I. [New Mexico State University, Department of Engineering Technology and Surveying Engineering, P.O. Box 30001 MSC 3566, Las Cruces, NM 88003-8001 (United States)

    2013-07-01

    High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) Filters used to protect personnel, the public and the environment from airborne radioactive materials are designed, manufactured and qualified in accordance with ASME AG-1 Code section FC (HEPA Filters) [1]. The qualification process requires that filters manufactured in accordance with this ASME AG-1 code section must meet several performance requirements. These requirements include performance specifications for resistance to airflow, aerosol penetration, resistance to rough handling, resistance to pressure (includes high humidity and water droplet exposure), resistance to heated air, spot flame resistance and a visual/dimensional inspection. None of these requirements evaluate the particle loading capacity of a HEPA filter design. Concerns, over the particle loading capacity, of the different designs included within the ASME AG-1 section FC code[1], have been voiced in the recent past. Additionally, the ability of a filter to maintain its integrity, if subjected to severe operating conditions such as elevated relative humidity, fog conditions or elevated temperature, after loading in use over long service intervals is also a major concern. Although currently qualified HEPA filter media are likely to have similar loading characteristics when evaluated independently, filter pleat geometry can have a significant impact on the in-situ particle loading capacity of filter packs. Aerosol particle characteristics, such as size and composition, may also have a significant impact on filter loading capacity. Test results comparing filter loading capacities for three different aerosol particles and three different filter pack configurations are reviewed. The information presented represents an empirical performance comparison among the filter designs tested. The results may serve as a basis for further discussion toward the possible development of a particle loading test to be included in the qualification requirements of ASME AG-1

  15. Ultrafast all-optical clock recovery based on phase-only linear optical filtering

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Maram, Reza; Kong, Deming; Galili, Michael

    2014-01-01

    We report on a novel technique for all-optical clock recovery from RZ OOK data based on phase-only filtering, significantly enhancing the recovered clock quality and energy-efficiency compared to the use of a Fabry-Perot filter....

  16. Random set particle filter for bearings-only multitarget tracking

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vihola, Matti

    2005-05-01

    The random set approach to multitarget tracking is a theoretically sound framework that covers joint estimation of the number of targets and the state of the targets. This paper describes a particle filter implementation of the random set multitarget filter. The contribution of this paper to the random set tracking framework is the formulation of a measurement model where each sensor report is assumed to contain at most one measurement. The implemented filter was tested in synthetic bearings-only tracking scenarios containing up to two targets in the presence of false alarms and missed measurements. The estimated target state consisted of 2D position and velocity components. The filter was capable to track the targets fairly well despite of the missing measurements and the relatively high false alarm rates. In addition, the filter showed robustness against wrong parameter values of false alarm rates. The results that were obtained during the limited tests of the filter show that the random set framework has potential for challenging tracking situations. On the other hand, the computational burden of the described implementation is quite high and increases approximately linearly with respect to the expected number of targets.

  17. Use of metameric filters for future interference security image structures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baloukas, Bill; Larouche, Stéphane; Martinu, Ludvik

    2006-02-01

    In the present work, we describe innovative approaches and properties that can be added to the already popular thin film optically variable devices (OVD) used on banknotes. We show two practical examples of OVDs, namely (i) a pair of metameric filters offering a hidden image effect as a function of the angle of observation as well as a specific spectral property permitting automatic note readability, and (ii) multi-material filters offering a side-dependent color shift. We first describe the design approach of these new devices followed by their sensitivity to deposition errors especially in the case of the metameric filters where slight thickness variations have a significant effect on the obtained colors. The performance of prototype filters prepared by dual ion beam sputtering (DIBS) is shown.

  18. Active RC filter based implementation analysis part of two channel hybrid filter bank

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stojanović Vidosav

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available In the present paper, a new design method for continuous-time powersymmetric active RC filters for Hybrid Filter Bank (HFB is proposed. Some theoretical properties of continious-time power-symmetric filters bank in a more general perspective are studied. This includes the derivation of a new general analytical form, and a study of poles and zeros locations in s-plane. In the proposed design method the analytic solution of filter coefficients is solved in sdomain using only one nonlinear equation Finally, the proposed approximation is compared to standard approximations. It was shown that attenuation and group delay characteristic of the proposed filter lie between Butterworth and elliptic characteristics. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. 32009TR

  19. Analog filters in nanometer CMOS

    CERN Document Server

    Uhrmann, Heimo; Zimmermann, Horst

    2014-01-01

    Starting from the basics of analog filters and the poor transistor characteristics in nanometer CMOS 10 high-performance analog filters developed by the authors in 120 nm and 65 nm CMOS are described extensively. Among them are gm-C filters, current-mode filters, and active filters for system-on-chip realization for Bluetooth, WCDMA, UWB, DVB-H, and LTE applications. For the active filters several operational amplifier designs are described. The book, furthermore, contains a review of the newest state of research on low-voltage low-power analog filters. To cover the topic of the book comprehensively, linearization issues and measurement methods for the characterization of advanced analog filters are introduced in addition. Numerous elaborate illustrations promote an easy comprehension. This book will be of value to engineers and researchers in industry as well as scientists and Ph.D students at universities. The book is also recommendable to graduate students specializing on nanoelectronics, microelectronics ...

  20. Image Recommendation Algorithm Using Feature-Based Collaborative Filtering

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Deok-Hwan

    As the multimedia contents market continues its rapid expansion, the amount of image contents used in mobile phone services, digital libraries, and catalog service is increasing remarkably. In spite of this rapid growth, users experience high levels of frustration when searching for the desired image. Even though new images are profitable to the service providers, traditional collaborative filtering methods cannot recommend them. To solve this problem, in this paper, we propose feature-based collaborative filtering (FBCF) method to reflect the user's most recent preference by representing his purchase sequence in the visual feature space. The proposed approach represents the images that have been purchased in the past as the feature clusters in the multi-dimensional feature space and then selects neighbors by using an inter-cluster distance function between their feature clusters. Various experiments using real image data demonstrate that the proposed approach provides a higher quality recommendation and better performance than do typical collaborative filtering and content-based filtering techniques.

  1. Perforation of the IVC: Rule Rather Than Exception After Longer Indwelling Times for the Günther Tulip and Celect Retrievable Filters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Durack, Jeremy C.; Westphalen, Antonio C.; Kekulawela, Stephanie; Bhanu, Shiv B.; Avrin, David E.; Gordon, Roy L.; Kerlan, Robert K.

    2012-01-01

    Purpose: This study was designed to assess the incidence, magnitude, and impact upon retrievability of vena caval perforation by Günther Tulip and Celect conical inferior vena cava (IVC) filters on computed tomographic (CT) imaging. Methods: Günther Tulip and Celect IVC filters placed between July 2007 and May 2009 were identified from medical records. Of 272 IVC filters placed, 50 (23 Günther Tulip, 46%; 27 Celect, 54%) were retrospectively assessed on follow-up abdominal CT scans performed for reasons unrelated to the filter. Computed tomography scans were examined for evidence of filter perforation through the vena caval wall, tilt, or pericaval tissue injury. Procedure records were reviewed to determine whether IVC filter retrieval was attempted and successful. Results: Perforation of at least one filter component through the IVC was observed in 43 of 50 (86%) filters on CT scans obtained between 1 and 880 days after filter placement. All filters imaged after 71 days showed some degree of vena caval perforation, often as a progressive process. Filter tilt was seen in 20 of 50 (40%) filters, and all tilted filters also demonstrated vena caval perforation. Transjugular removal was attempted in 12 of 50 (24%) filters and was successful in 11 of 12 (92%). Conclusions: Longer indwelling times usually result in vena caval perforation by retrievable Günther Tulip and Celect IVC filters. Although infrequently reported in the literature, clinical sequelae from IVC filter components breaching the vena cava can be significant. We advocate filter retrieval as early as clinically indicated and increased attention to the appearance of IVC filters on all follow-up imaging studies.

  2. Design of efficient circularly symmetric two-dimensional variable digital FIR filters.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bindima, Thayyil; Elias, Elizabeth

    2016-05-01

    Circularly symmetric two-dimensional (2D) finite impulse response (FIR) filters find extensive use in image and medical applications, especially for isotropic filtering. Moreover, the design and implementation of 2D digital filters with variable fractional delay and variable magnitude responses without redesigning the filter has become a crucial topic of interest due to its significance in low-cost applications. Recently the design using fixed word length coefficients has gained importance due to the replacement of multipliers by shifters and adders, which reduces the hardware complexity. Among the various approaches to 2D design, transforming a one-dimensional (1D) filter to 2D by transformation, is reported to be an efficient technique. In this paper, 1D variable digital filters (VDFs) with tunable cut-off frequencies are designed using Farrow structure based interpolation approach, and the sub-filter coefficients in the Farrow structure are made multiplier-less using canonic signed digit (CSD) representation. The resulting performance degradation in the filters is overcome by using artificial bee colony (ABC) optimization. Finally, the optimized 1D VDFs are mapped to 2D using generalized McClellan transformation resulting in low complexity, circularly symmetric 2D VDFs with real-time tunability.

  3. Ventilation filters as sources of air pollution – Processes occurring on surfaces of used filters

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bekö, Gabriel; Halás, Oto; Clausen, Geo

    2004-01-01

    Ozone concentrations were monitored upstream and downstream of used filter samples following 24hours of ventilation with ozone- filtered air. The ozone concentration in the air upstream of the filters was maintained at ~75 ppb while the concentration downstream of the filters was initially betwee...

  4. Spatial filtering with photonic crystals

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Maigyte, Lina [Departament de Física i Enginyeria Nuclear, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Rambla Sant Nebridi 22, Terrassa 08222 (Spain); Staliunas, Kestutis [Departament de Física i Enginyeria Nuclear, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, Rambla Sant Nebridi 22, Terrassa 08222 (Spain); Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), Pg. Lluís Companys 23, Barcelona 08010 (Spain)

    2015-03-15

    Photonic crystals are well known for their celebrated photonic band-gaps—the forbidden frequency ranges, for which the light waves cannot propagate through the structure. The frequency (or chromatic) band-gaps of photonic crystals can be utilized for frequency filtering. In analogy to the chromatic band-gaps and the frequency filtering, the angular band-gaps and the angular (spatial) filtering are also possible in photonic crystals. In this article, we review the recent advances of the spatial filtering using the photonic crystals in different propagation regimes and for different geometries. We review the most evident configuration of filtering in Bragg regime (with the back-reflection—i.e., in the configuration with band-gaps) as well as in Laue regime (with forward deflection—i.e., in the configuration without band-gaps). We explore the spatial filtering in crystals with different symmetries, including axisymmetric crystals; we discuss the role of chirping, i.e., the dependence of the longitudinal period along the structure. We also review the experimental techniques to fabricate the photonic crystals and numerical techniques to explore the spatial filtering. Finally, we discuss several implementations of such filters for intracavity spatial filtering.

  5. Voltage Harmonics Mitigation through Hybrid Active Power Filter

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anwer Ali Sahito

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Fast dynamic response, high efficiency, low cost and small size of power electronic converters have exponentially increased their use in modern power system which resulted in harmonically distorted voltage and currents. Voltage harmonics mainly caused by current harmonics are more dangerous as performance and expected operating life of other power system equipment are affected by harmonically distorted supply voltage. Electronic filter circuits are used to improve system power quality by mitigating adverse effects of harmonics. Hybrid filters having advantages of both passive and active filters are preferred to resolve the problem of harmonics efficiently and avoiding any chance of resonance. In this paper, a three phase three wire network is considered to supply an adjustable speed drive represented by a resistive load connected across a three phase bridge rectifier. Simulation of the considered system shows THD (Total Harmonic Distortion of 18.91 and 7.61% in supply current and voltage respectively. A HAPF (Hybrid Active Power Filter is proposed to reduce these THD values below 5% as recommended by IEEE Standard-519. P-Q theorem is used to calculate required parameters for proposed filter, which is implemented through hysteresis control. Simulation results confirm the effectiveness of the designed filter as THD for both current and voltage have reduced below allowable limit of 5%.

  6. Design and Analysis of Robust Active Damping for LCL Filters using Digital Notch Filters

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Yao, Wenli; Yang, Yongheng; Zhang, Xiaobin

    2017-01-01

    Resonant poles of LCL filters may challenge the entire system stability especially in digital-controlled Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) inverters. In order to tackle the resonance issues, many active damping solutions have been reported. For instance, a notch filter can be employed to damp the reso......Resonant poles of LCL filters may challenge the entire system stability especially in digital-controlled Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) inverters. In order to tackle the resonance issues, many active damping solutions have been reported. For instance, a notch filter can be employed to damp...... the resonance, where the notch frequency should be aligned exactly to the resonant frequency of the LCL filter. However, parameter variations of the LCL filter as well as the time delay appearing in digital control systems will induce resonance drifting, and thus break this alignment, possibly deteriorating...... the original damping. In this paper, the effectiveness of the notch filter based active damping is firstly explored, considering the drifts of the resonant frequency. It is revealed that, when the resonant frequency drifts away from its nominal value, the phase lead or lag introduced by the notch filter may...

  7. Filter Paper: Solution to High Self-Attenuation Corrections in HEPA Filter Measurements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Oberer, R.B.; Harold, N.B.; Gunn, C.A.; Brummett, M.; Chaing, L.G.

    2005-01-01

    An 8 by 8 by 6 inch High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter was measured as part of a uranium holdup survey in June of 2005 as it has been routinely measured every two months since 1998. Although the survey relies on gross gamma count measurements, this was one of a few measurements that had been converted to a quantitative measurement in 1998. The measurement was analyzed using the traditional Generalized Geometry Holdup (GGH) approach, using HMS3 software, with an area calibration and self-attenuation corrected with an empirical correction factor of 1.06. A result of 172 grams of 235 U was reported. The actual quantity of 235 U in the filter was approximately 1700g. Because of this unusually large discrepancy, the measurement of HEPA filters will be discussed. Various techniques for measuring HEPA filters will be described using the measurement of a 24 by 24 by 12 inch HEPA filter as an example. A new method to correct for self attenuation will be proposed for this measurement Following the discussion of the 24 by 24 by 12 inch HEPA filter, the measurement of the 8 by 8 by 6 inch will be discussed in detail

  8. Heart block and cardiac embolization of fractured inferior vena cava filter.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abudayyeh, Islam; Takruri, Yessar; Weiner, Justin B

    2016-01-01

    A 66-year-old man underwent a placement of an inferior vena cava filter before a gastric surgery 9 years prior, presented to the emergency room with a complete atrioventricular block. Chest x-ray and transthoracic echocardiogram showed struts migrating to right ventricle with tricuspid regurgitation. Cardiothoracic surgery was consulted and declined an open surgical intervention due to the location of the embolized fragments and the patient's overall condition. It was also felt that the fragments had migrated chronically and were adhered to the cardiac structures. The patient underwent a dual-chamber permanent pacemaker implantation. Post-implant fluoroscopy showed no displacement of the inferior vena cava filter struts due to the pacemaker leads indicating that the filter fracture had likely been a chronic process. This case highlights a rare combination of complications related to inferior vena cava filter fractures and the importance of assessing for such fractures in chronic placements. Inferior vena cava filter placement for a duration greater than 1 month can be associated with filter fractures and strut migration which may lead to, although rare, serious or fatal complications such as complete atrioventricular conduction system disruption and valvular damage including significant tricuspid regurgitation. Assessing for inferior vena cava filter fractures in chronic filter placement is important to avoid such complications. When possible, retrieval of the filter should be considered in all patients outside the acute setting in order to avoid filter-related complications. Filter retrieval rates remain low even when a retrievable filter is in place and the patient no longer has a contraindication to anticoagulation.

  9. Updating the OMERACT filter

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wells, George; Beaton, Dorcas E; Tugwell, Peter

    2014-01-01

    The "Discrimination" part of the OMERACT Filter asks whether a measure discriminates between situations that are of interest. "Feasibility" in the OMERACT Filter encompasses the practical considerations of using an instrument, including its ease of use, time to complete, monetary costs......, and interpretability of the question(s) included in the instrument. Both the Discrimination and Reliability parts of the filter have been helpful but were agreed on primarily by consensus of OMERACT participants rather than through explicit evidence-based guidelines. In Filter 2.0 we wanted to improve this definition...

  10. Filters in nuclear facilities

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Berg, K.H.; Wilhelm, J.G.

    1985-01-01

    The topics of the nine papers given include the behavior of HEPA filters during exposure to air flows of high humidity as well as of high differential pressure, the development of steel-fiber filters suitable for extreme operating conditions, and the occurrence of various radioactive iodine species in the exhaust air from boiling water reactors. In an introductory presentation the German view of the performance requirements to be met by filters in nuclear facilities as well as the present status of filter quality assurance are discussed. (orig.) [de

  11. Nanofiber Filters Eliminate Contaminants

    Science.gov (United States)

    2009-01-01

    With support from Phase I and II SBIR funding from Johnson Space Center, Argonide Corporation of Sanford, Florida tested and developed its proprietary nanofiber water filter media. Capable of removing more than 99.99 percent of dangerous particles like bacteria, viruses, and parasites, the media was incorporated into the company's commercial NanoCeram water filter, an inductee into the Space Foundation's Space Technology Hall of Fame. In addition to its drinking water filters, Argonide now produces large-scale nanofiber filters used as part of the reverse osmosis process for industrial water purification.

  12. Effect of 30-Gy irradiation in conjunction with leukocyte reduction filter on platelet and transfusion efficiency

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shimojima, Hiromi; Sawada, Umihiko; Horie, Takashi; Itoh, Takeyoshi

    2001-01-01

    To evaluate the effect of 30-Gy irradiation in conjunction with leukocyte reduction filter on platelet and transfusion efficiency, we studied platelet recovery, leukocyte reduction rate, content of platelet factor 4 and β-thromboglobulin in platelet products, platelet functions, and positive rates of platelet surface membranes CD42 and CD62, prior to and after treatment. We also evaluated the efficiency of platelet transfusion by estimating post- transfusion (1 and 24 hour) corrected count increment (CCI), and transfusion side effects. Recovery of platelets was 91.8±6.5% and depletion rate of leukocytes was 1.7±1.1 log. There was no significant difference in platelet activation markers or function tests prior to and after the procedure. The mean post-transfusion CCI and 1 and 24 hours were 16,550 (n=114) and 13,310 (n=93), respectively, with 30-Gy irradiation and leukocyte reduction filter. Those treated solely with leukocyte reduction filter were 14,970 (n=114) and 10,880 (n=118), respectively. There was no increase in transfusion side effects after the treatment of platelet concentrate with 30-Gy irradiation combined with leukocyte reduction filter compared with treatment by leukocyte reduction filter alone. These results indicate that treatment with 30 Gy irradiation in conjunction with leukocyte reduction filter is safe and effective in platelet transfusion. (author)

  13. Effects of an increasing filter feeder stock on larval abundance in the Oosterschelde estuary (SW Netherlands)

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Troost, Karin; Gelderman, Edzard; Kamermans, Pauline; Smaal, Aad C.; Wolff, Wim J.

    Predation by adult bivalves oil bivalve larvae has been suggested to reduce larval abundance in areas with high bivalve filter-feeder biomass. Although the occurrence of larviphagy is well-studied in the laboratory, its effects in the field have scarcely been studied. We studied larviphagy at

  14. Effects of an increasing filter feeder stock on larval abundance in the Oosterschelde estuary (SW Netherlands)

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Troost, K.; Gelderman, E.A.C.; Kamermans, P.; Smaal, A.C.; Wolff, W.

    2009-01-01

    Predation by adult bivalves on bivalve larvae has been suggested to reduce larval abundance in areas with high bivalve filter-feeder biomass. Although the occurrence of larviphagy is well-studied in the laboratory, its effects in the field have scarcely been studied. We studied larviphagy at

  15. A low-complexity interacting multiple model filter for maneuvering target tracking

    KAUST Repository

    Khalid, Syed Safwan; Abrar, Shafayat

    2017-01-01

    In this work, we address the target tracking problem for a coordinate-decoupled Markovian jump-mean-acceleration based maneuvering mobility model. A novel low-complexity alternative to the conventional interacting multiple model (IMM) filter is proposed for this class of mobility models. The proposed tracking algorithm utilizes a bank of interacting filters where the interactions are limited to the mixing of the mean estimates, and it exploits a fixed off-line computed Kalman gain matrix for the entire filter bank. Consequently, the proposed filter does not require matrix inversions during on-line operation which significantly reduces its complexity. Simulation results show that the performance of the low-complexity proposed scheme remains comparable to that of the traditional (highly-complex) IMM filter. Furthermore, we derive analytical expressions that iteratively evaluate the transient and steady-state performance of the proposed scheme, and establish the conditions that ensure the stability of the proposed filter. The analytical findings are in close accordance with the simulated results.

  16. A low-complexity interacting multiple model filter for maneuvering target tracking

    KAUST Repository

    Khalid, Syed Safwan

    2017-01-22

    In this work, we address the target tracking problem for a coordinate-decoupled Markovian jump-mean-acceleration based maneuvering mobility model. A novel low-complexity alternative to the conventional interacting multiple model (IMM) filter is proposed for this class of mobility models. The proposed tracking algorithm utilizes a bank of interacting filters where the interactions are limited to the mixing of the mean estimates, and it exploits a fixed off-line computed Kalman gain matrix for the entire filter bank. Consequently, the proposed filter does not require matrix inversions during on-line operation which significantly reduces its complexity. Simulation results show that the performance of the low-complexity proposed scheme remains comparable to that of the traditional (highly-complex) IMM filter. Furthermore, we derive analytical expressions that iteratively evaluate the transient and steady-state performance of the proposed scheme, and establish the conditions that ensure the stability of the proposed filter. The analytical findings are in close accordance with the simulated results.

  17. Performance of Grass Filter Strip in Copper and Zinc Removal in Surface and Subsurface Runoff

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Huo Weijie

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Three filter strips were conducted on self-designed soil bins. Taking a filter strip with no vegetation as contrast, the effectiveness of vegetation and soil conditions on heavy metals (including copper and zinc removal efficiencies were investigated by simulated runoff experiment. The results showed that the adsorbed state is the main existing form of heavy metal. For surface runoff, most of total copper and total zinc are trapped in first 4m and it is ineffective to increase the distance beyond 4m for removal. Vegetation has no significant effect on total copper and total zinc removal, while the soil with higher content of organic matter is contributing to total Zn interception. For subsurface runoff, the removal efficiencies of total copper and total zinc can reach to above 95.38% and both vegetation and soil conditions have no significant effects. Vegetation is contributing to copper ion and zinc ion removal significantly. Soil condition is only a significant factor to zinc ion, with higher content of organic matter as a contributing factor.

  18. [Examination of patient dose reduction in cardiovasucular X-ray systems with a metal filter].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yasuda, Mitsuyoshi; Kato, Kyouichi; Tanabe, Nobuaki; Sakiyama, Koushi; Uchiyama, Yushi; Suzuki, Yoshiaki; Suzuki, Hiroshi; Nakazawa, Yasuo

    2012-01-01

    In interventional X-ray for cardiology of flat panel digital detector (FPD), the phenomenon that exposure dose was suddenly increased when a subject thickness was thickened was recognized. At that time, variable metal built-in filters in FPD were all off. Therefore, we examined whether dose reduction was possible without affecting a clinical image using metal filter (filter) which we have been conventionally using for dose reduction. About 45% dose reduction was achieved when we measured an exposure dose at 30 cm of acrylic thickness in the presence of a filter. In addition, we measured signal to noise ratio/contrast to noise ratio/a resolution limit by the visual evaluation, and there was no influence by filter usage. In the clinical examination, visual evaluation of image quality of coronary angiography (40 cases) using a 5-point evaluation scale by a physician was performed. As a result, filter usage did not influence the image quality (p=NS). Therefore, reduction of sudden increase of exposure dose was achieved without influencing an image quality by adding filter to FPD.

  19. Simon-nitinol filter

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Simon, M.; Kim, D.; Porter, D.H.; Kleshinski, S.

    1989-01-01

    This paper discusses a filter that exploits the thermal shape-memory properties of the nitinol alloy to achieve an optimized filter shape and a fine-bore introducer. Experimental methods and materials are given and results are analyzed

  20. Denali, Tulip, and Option Inferior Vena Cava Filter Retrieval: A Single Center Experience.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ramaswamy, Raja S; Jun, Emily; van Beek, Darren; Mani, Naganathan; Salter, Amber; Kim, Seung K; Akinwande, Olaguoke

    2018-04-01

    To compare the technical success of filter retrieval in Denali, Tulip, and Option inferior vena cava filters. A retrospective analysis of Denali, Gunther Tulip, and Option IVC filters was conducted. Retrieval failure rates, fluoroscopy time, sedation time, use of advanced retrieval techniques, and filter-related complications that led to retrieval failure were recorded. There were 107 Denali, 43 Option, and 39 Tulip filters deployed and removed with average dwell times of 93.5, 86.0, and 131 days, respectively. Retrieval failure rates were 0.9% for Denali, 11.6% for Option, and 5.1% for Tulip filters (Denali vs. Option p = 0.018; Denali vs. Tulip p = 0.159; Tulip vs. Option p = 0.045). Median fluoroscopy time for filter retrieval was 3.2 min for the Denali filter, 6.75 min for the Option filter, and 4.95 min for the Tulip filter (Denali vs. Option p Option p = 0.67). Advanced retrieval techniques were used in 0.9% of Denali filters, 21.1% in Option filters, and 10.8% in Tulip filters (Denali vs. Option p Option p Option filter when compared to both the Denali and Tulip filters. Retrieval of the Denali filter required significantly less amount of fluoroscopy time and use of advanced retrieval techniques when compared to both the Option and Tulip filters. The findings of this study indicate easier retrieval of the Denali and Tulip IVC filters when compared to the Option filter.