Quantification of the lift height for magnetic force microscopy using 3D surface parameters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nenadovic, M.; Strbac, S.; Rakocevic, Z.

2010-01-01

In this work, the quantitative conditions for the lift height for imaging of the magnetic field using magnetic force microscopy (MFM) were optimized. A thin cobalt film deposited on a monocrystalline silicon (1 0 0) substrate with a thickness of 55 nm and a thin nickel film deposited on a glass with a thickness of 600 nm were used as samples. The topography of the surface was acquired by tapping mode atomic force microscopy (AFM), while MFM imaging was performed in the lift mode for various lift heights. It was determined that the sensitivity of the measurements was about 10% higher for images obtained at a scan angle of 90 o compared to a scan angle of 0 deg. Therefore, the three-dimensional surface texture parameters, i.e., average roughness, skewness, kurtosis and the bearing ratio, were determined in dependence on the lift height for a scan angle of 90 deg. The results of the analyses of the surface parameters showed that the influence of the substrate and its texture on the magnetic force image could be neglected for lift heights above 40 nm and that the upper lift height limit is 100 nm. It was determined that the optimal values of the lift heights were in the range from 60 to 80 nm, depending on the nature of the sample and on the type of the tip used.

Sea Surface Height Deviation, Aviso, 0.25 degrees, Global, Science Quality

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — Aviso Sea Surface Height Deviation is the deviation from the mean geoid as measured from 1993 - 1995. This is Science Quality data.

Nonlinear dynamic response of cantilever beam tip during atomic force microscopy (AFM) nanolithography of copper surface

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yeh, Y-L; Jang, M-J; Wang, C-C; Lin, Y-P; Chen, K-S

2008-01-01

This paper investigates the nonlinear dynamic response of an atomic force microscope (AFM) cantilever beam tip during the nanolithography of a copper (Cu) surface using a high-depth feed. The dynamic motion of the tip is modeled using a combined approach based on Newton's law and empirical observations. The cutting force is determined from experimental observations of the piling height on the Cu surface and the rotation angle of the cantilever beam tip. It is found that the piling height increases linearly with the cantilever beam carrier velocity. Furthermore, the cantilever beam tip is found to execute a saw tooth motion. Both this motion and the shear cutting force are nonlinear. The elastic modulus in the y direction is variable. Finally, the velocity of the cantilever beam tip as it traverses the specimen surface has a discrete characteristic rather than a smooth, continuous profile

Satellite altimetry in sea ice regions - detecting open water for estimating sea surface heights

Science.gov (United States)

Müller, Felix L.; Dettmering, Denise; Bosch, Wolfgang

2017-04-01

The Greenland Sea and the Farm Strait are transporting sea ice from the central Arctic ocean southwards. They are covered by a dynamic changing sea ice layer with significant influences on the Earth climate system. Between the sea ice there exist various sized open water areas known as leads, straight lined open water areas, and polynyas exhibiting a circular shape. Identifying these leads by satellite altimetry enables the extraction of sea surface height information. Analyzing the radar echoes, also called waveforms, provides information on the surface backscatter characteristics. For example waveforms reflected by calm water have a very narrow and single-peaked shape. Waveforms reflected by sea ice show more variability due to diffuse scattering. Here we analyze altimeter waveforms from different conventional pulse-limited satellite altimeters to separate open water and sea ice waveforms. An unsupervised classification approach employing partitional clustering algorithms such as K-medoids and memory-based classification methods such as K-nearest neighbor is used. The classification is based on six parameters derived from the waveform's shape, for example the maximum power or the peak's width. The open-water detection is quantitatively compared to SAR images processed while accounting for sea ice motion. The classification results are used to derive information about the temporal evolution of sea ice extent and sea surface heights. They allow to provide evidence on climate change relevant influences as for example Arctic sea level rise due to enhanced melting rates of Greenland's glaciers and an increasing fresh water influx into the Arctic ocean. Additionally, the sea ice cover extent analyzed over a long-time period provides an important indicator for a globally changing climate system.

TAO/TRITON, RAMA, and PIRATA Buoys, 5-Day, 1980-present, Dynamic Height

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This dataset has 5-day Dynamic Height data (a measure of the elevation of the sea level, calculated by integrating the specific volume anomaly of the sea water...

Thermal dynamics of silver clusters grown on rippled silica surfaces

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bhatnagar, Mukul, E-mail: mkbh10@gmail.com [FCIPT, Institute for Plasma Research, Gandhinagar, Gujarat (India); Nirma University, Ahmedabad, Gujarat (India); Ranjan, Mukesh [FCIPT, Institute for Plasma Research, Gandhinagar, Gujarat (India); Nirma University, Ahmedabad, Gujarat (India); Jolley, Kenny; Lloyd, Adam; Smith, Roger [Dept. of Mathematical Sciences, Loughborough University, Leicestershire LE11 3TU (United Kingdom); Mukherjee, Subroto [FCIPT, Institute for Plasma Research, Gandhinagar, Gujarat (India); Nirma University, Ahmedabad, Gujarat (India)

2017-02-15

Highlights: • Low energy oblique angle ion bombardment forms ripple pattern on silicon surface. • The ripple patterns have wavelengths between 20 and 45 nm and correspondingly low height. • Silver nanoparticles have been deposited at an angle of 70° on patterned silicon templates. • The as-deposited np are annealed in vacuo at temperature of 573 K for a time duration of 1 h. • MD simulation is used to model the process and compare the results to the experiment. • Results show that silver clusters grow preferentially along parallel to the rippled surface. • Mobility of silver atoms depends on the site to which they are bonded on this amorphous surface. • MD simulations show contour ordered coalescence which is dependent on ripple periodicity. - Abstract: Silver nanoparticles have been deposited on silicon rippled patterned templates at an angle of incidence of 70° to the surface normal. The templates are produced by oblique incidence argon ion bombardment and as the fluence increases, the periods and heights of the structures increase. Structures with periods of 20 nm, 35 nm and 45 nm have been produced. Moderate temperature vacuum annealing shows the phenomenon of cluster coalescence following the contour of the more exposed faces of the ripple for the case of 35 nm and 45 nm but not at 20 nm where the silver aggregates into larger randomly distributed clusters. In order to understand this effect, the morphological changes of silver nanoparticles deposited on an asymmetric rippled silica surface are investigated through the use of molecular dynamics simulations for different deposition angles of incidence between 0° and 70° and annealing temperatures between 500 K and 900 K. Near to normal incidence, clusters are observed to migrate over the entire surface but for deposition at 70°, a similar patterning is observed as in the experiment. The random distribution of clusters for the periodicity ≈ of 20 nm is linked to the geometry of the silica

TOPEX/El Nino Watch - Satellite shows El Nino-related Sea Surface Height, Mar, 14, 1998

Science.gov (United States)

1998-01-01

This image of the Pacific Ocean was produced using sea surface height measurements taken by the U.S.-French TOPEX/Poseidon satellite. The image shows sea surface height relative to normal ocean conditions on Mar. 14, 1998 and sea surface height is an indicator of the heat content of the ocean. The image shows that the sea surface height along the central equatorial Pacific has returned to a near normal state. Oceanographers indicate this is a classic pattern, typical of a mature El Nino condition. Remnants of the El Nino warm water pool, shown in red and white, are situated to the north and south of the equator. These sea surface height measurements have provided scientists with a detailed view of how the 1997-98 El Nino's warm pool behaves because the TOPEX/Poseidon satellite measures the changing sea surface height with unprecedented precision. In this image, the white and red areas indicate unusual patterns of heat storage; in the white areas, the sea surface is between 14 and 32 centimeters (6 to 13 inches) above normal; in the red areas, it's about 10 centimeters (4 inches) above normal. The green areas indicate normal conditions, while purple (the western Pacific) means at least 18 centimeters (7 inches) below normal sea level. The El Nino phenomenon is thought to be triggered when the steady westward blowing trade winds weaken and even reverse direction. This change in the winds allows a large mass of warm water (the red and white area) that is normally located near Australia to move eastward along the equator until it reaches the coast of South America. The displacement of so much warm water affects evaporation, where rain clouds form and, consequently, alters the typical atmospheric jet stream patterns around the world. Using satellite imagery, buoy and ship data, and a forecasting model of the ocean-atmosphere system, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, (NOAA), has continued to issue an advisory indicating the so-called El Nino weather

Step-height standards based on the rapid formation of monolayer steps on the surface of layered crystals

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Komonov, A.I. [Rzhanov Institute of Semiconductor Physics, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (ISP SBRAS), pr. Lavrentieva 13, Novosibirsk 630090 (Russian Federation); Prinz, V.Ya., E-mail: prinz@isp.nsc.ru [Rzhanov Institute of Semiconductor Physics, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (ISP SBRAS), pr. Lavrentieva 13, Novosibirsk 630090 (Russian Federation); Seleznev, V.A. [Rzhanov Institute of Semiconductor Physics, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (ISP SBRAS), pr. Lavrentieva 13, Novosibirsk 630090 (Russian Federation); Kokh, K.A. [Sobolev Institute of Geology and Mineralogy, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IGM SB RAS), pr. Koptyuga 3, Novosibirsk 630090 (Russian Federation); Shlegel, V.N. [Nikolaev Institute of Inorganic Chemistry, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (NIIC SB RAS), pr. Lavrentieva 3, Novosibirsk 630090 (Russian Federation)

2017-07-15

Highlights: • Easily reproducible step-height standard for SPM calibrations was proposed. • Step-height standard is monolayer steps on the surface of layered single crystal. • Long-term change in surface morphology of Bi{sub 2}Se{sub 3} and ZnWO{sub 4} was investigated. • Conducting surface of Bi{sub 2}Se{sub 3} crystals appropriate for calibrating STM. • Ability of robust SPM calibrations under ambient conditions were demonstrated. - Abstract: Metrology is essential for nanotechnology, especially for structures and devices with feature sizes going down to nm. Scanning probe microscopes (SPMs) permits measurement of nanometer- and subnanometer-scale objects. Accuracy of size measurements performed using SPMs is largely defined by the accuracy of used calibration measures. In the present publication, we demonstrate that height standards of monolayer step (∼1 and ∼0.6 nm) can be easily prepared by cleaving Bi{sub 2}Se{sub 3} and ZnWO{sub 4} layered single crystals. It was shown that the conducting surface of Bi{sub 2}Se{sub 3} crystals offers height standard appropriate for calibrating STMs and for testing conductive SPM probes. Our AFM study of the morphology of freshly cleaved (0001) Bi{sub 2}Se{sub 3} surfaces proved that such surfaces remained atomically smooth during a period of at least half a year. The (010) surfaces of ZnWO{sub 4} crystals remained atomically smooth during one day, but already two days later an additional nanorelief of amplitude ∼0.3 nm appeared on those surfaces. This relief, however, did not further grow in height, and it did not hamper the calibration. Simplicity and the possibility of rapid fabrication of the step-height standards, as well as their high stability, make these standards available for a great, permanently growing number of users involved in 3D printing activities.

Physical Limits on Hmax, the Maximum Height of Glaciers and Ice Sheets

Science.gov (United States)

Lipovsky, B. P.

2017-12-01

The longest glaciers and ice sheets on Earth never achieve a topographic relief, or height, greater than about Hmax = 4 km. What laws govern this apparent maximum height to which a glacier or ice sheet may rise? Two types of answer appear possible: one relating to geological process and the other to ice dynamics. In the first type of answer, one might suppose that if Earth had 100 km tall mountains then there would be many 20 km tall glaciers. The counterpoint to this argument is that recent evidence suggests that glaciers themselves limit the maximum height of mountain ranges. We turn, then, to ice dynamical explanations for Hmax. The classical ice dynamical theory of Nye (1951), however, does not predict any break in scaling to give rise to a maximum height, Hmax. I present a simple model for the height of glaciers and ice sheets. The expression is derived from a simplified representation of a thermomechanically coupled ice sheet that experiences a basal shear stress governed by Coulomb friction (i.e., a stress proportional to the overburden pressure minus the water pressure). I compare this model to satellite-derived digital elevation map measurements of glacier surface height profiles for the 200,000 glaciers in the Randolph Glacier Inventory (Pfeffer et al., 2014) as well as flowlines from the Greenland and Antarctic Ice Sheets. The simplified model provides a surprisingly good fit to these global observations. Small glaciers less than 1 km in length are characterized by having negligible influence of basal melt water, cold ( -15C) beds, and high surface slopes ( 30 deg). Glaciers longer than a critical distance 30km are characterized by having an ice-bed interface that is weakened by the presence of meltwater and is therefore not capable of supporting steep surface slopes. The simplified model makes predictions of ice volume change as a function of surface temperature, accumulation rate, and geothermal heat flux. For this reason, it provides insights into

Simulation of three-phase flow and lance height effect on the cavity shape

Science.gov (United States)

Dong, Kai; Zhu, Rong; Gao, Wei; Liu, Fu-hai

2014-06-01

A three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model was developed to simulate a 150-t top-blown converter. The effect of different lance heights on the cavity shape was investigated using the volume of fluid (VOF) method. Numerical simulation results can reflect the actual molten bath surface waves impinged by the supersonic oxygen jets. With increasing lance height, the cavity depth decreases, and the cavity area, varying like a parabola, increases and then decreases. The cavity area maximizes at the lance height of 1.3 m. Under the three different lance heights simulated in this study, all of the largest impact velocities at the molten bath surface are between 50 m/s and 100 m/s.

Study of Dynamic Features of Surface Plasma in High-Power Disk Laser Welding

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Teng; Gao Xiangdong; Seiji, Katayama; Jin, Xiaoli

2012-01-01

High-speed photography was used to obtain the dynamic changes in the surface plasma during a high-power disk laser welding process. A color space clustering algorithm to extract the edge information of the surface plasma region was developed in order to improve the accuracy of image processing. With a comparative analysis of the plasma features, i.e., area and height, and the characteristics of the welded seam, the relationship between the surface plasma and the stability of the laser welding process was characterized, which provides a basic understanding for the real-time monitoring of laser welding.

Sea Surface Height Variability and Eddy Statistical Properties in the Red Sea

KAUST Repository

Zhan, Peng

2013-01-01

Satellite sea surface height (SSH) data over 1992-2012 are analyzed to study the spatial and temporal variability of sea level in the Red Sea. Empirical orthogonal functions (EOF) analysis suggests the remarkable seasonality of SSH in the Red Sea

THRESHOLD DETERMINATION FOR LOCAL INSTANTANEOUS SEA SURFACE HEIGHT DERIVATION WITH ICEBRIDGE DATA IN BEAUFORT SEA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

C. Zhu

2018-05-01

Full Text Available The NASA Operation IceBridge (OIB mission is the largest program in the Earth’s polar remote sensing science observation project currently, initiated in 2009, which collects airborne remote sensing measurements to bridge the gap between NASA’s ICESat and the upcoming ICESat-2 mission. This paper develop an improved method that optimizing the selection method of Digital Mapping System (DMS image and using the optimal threshold obtained by experiments in Beaufort Sea to calculate the local instantaneous sea surface height in this area. The optimal threshold determined by comparing manual selection with the lowest (Airborne Topographic Mapper ATM L1B elevation threshold of 2 %, 1 %, 0.5 %, 0.2 %, 0.1 % and 0.05 % in A, B, C sections, the mean of mean difference are 0.166 m, 0.124 m, 0.083 m, 0.018 m, 0.002 m and −0.034 m. Our study shows the lowest L1B data of 0.1 % is the optimal threshold. The optimal threshold and manual selections are also used to calculate the instantaneous sea surface height over images with leads, we find that improved methods has closer agreement with those from L1B manual selections. For these images without leads, the local instantaneous sea surface height estimated by using the linear equations between distance and sea surface height calculated over images with leads.

Evaporation dynamics of completely wetting drops on geometrically textured surfaces

Science.gov (United States)

Mekhitarian, Loucine; Sobac, Benjamin; Dehaeck, Sam; Haut, Benoît; Colinet, Pierre

2017-10-01

This study deals with the evaporation dynamics of completely wetting and highly volatile drops deposited on geometrically textured but chemically homogeneous surfaces. The texturation consists in a cylindrical pillars array with a square pitch. The triple line dynamics and the drop shape are characterized by an interferometric method. A parametric study is realized by varying the radius and the height of the pillars (at fixed interpillar distance), allowing to distinguish three types of dynamics: i) an evaporation-dominated regime with a receding triple line; ii) a spreading-dominated regime with an initially advancing triple line; iii) a cross-over region with strong pinning effects. The overall picture is in qualitative agreement with a mathematical model showing that the selected regime mostly depends on the value of a dimensionless parameter comparing the time scales for evaporation and spreading into the substrate texture.

Pulse-height response of silicon surface-barrier detectors to high-energy heavy ions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, G.D.

1973-01-01

The pulse-height defect (PHD) of high-energy heavy ions in silicon surface-barrier detectors can be divided into three components: (1) energy loss in the gold-surface layer, (2) a nuclear-stopping defect, and (3) a defect due to recombination of electron-hole pairs in the plasma created by the heavy ion. The plasma recombination portion of the PHD was the subject of this study using the variation of the PHD with (1) the angle of incidence of incoming heavy ions, and (2) changes in the detector bias. The Tandem Van de Graaff accelerator at Argonne National Laboratory was used to produce scattered beam ions ( 32 S, 35 Cl) and heavy target recoils (Ni, Cu, 98 Mo, Ag, Au) at sufficient energies to produce a significant recombination defect. The results confirm the existence of a recombination zone at the front surface of these detectors and the significance of plasma recombination as a portion of the pulse-height defect. (Diss. Abstr. Int., B)

Magic angle and height quantization in nanofacets on SiC(0001) surfaces

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sawada, Keisuke; Iwata, Jun-Ichi; Oshiyama, Atsushi [Department of Applied Physics, The University of Tokyo, Hongo, Tokyo 113-8656 (Japan)

2014-02-03

We report on the density-functional calculations that provide microscopic mechanism of the facet formation on the SiC (0001) surface. We first identify atom-scale structures of single-, double-, and quad-bilayer steps and find that the single-bilayer (SB) step has the lowest formation energy. We then find that the SB steps are bunched to form a nanofacet with a particular angle relative to the (0001) plane (magic facet angle) and with a discretized height along the (0001) direction (height quantization). We also clarify a microscopic reason for the self-organization of the nanofacet observed experimentally.

Enhancement of heterogeneous electron transfer dynamics tuning single-walled carbon nanotube forest height and density

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lamberti, Francesco; Ferraro, Davide; Giomo, Monica; Elvassore, Nicola

2013-01-01

Electrochemical sensors are growing in number and importance. Surface modifications could enhance charge transfer properties occurring at the interfaces and carbon nanoassemblies is one of the most used strategy to improve sensitivity to measurements. However, well defined protocols of surface modification are needed in order to fabricate electrochemically effective nanostructured sensors. Therefore, we aim at investigating the electrochemical properties of single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) forests as a function of height and nanotube surface density. Height of the forests is accurately controlled tuning the oxidation temperatures in the range of 293–313 K of SWCNTs. The surface density of carbon nanotubes was adjusted developing cysteamine/2-mercaptoethanol (CYS/ME) self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) on gold surfaces at different ratios (1:0, 1:3, 1:10, 1:100, 0:1). Apparent electron transfer rate was analyzed with electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and experimental data show that transfer rate constant, k app , increases from 1 × 10 −4 cm/s to 6 × 10 −4 cm/s rising oxidation temperatures (i.e. lowering forest height); therefore forests with reduced height show higher electron transfer rate without significant difference in electrodic reversibility. On the other hand, tuning SWCNT surface density, forests obtained with no ME show optimal Δ peak value of 0.087 ± 0.015 V and highest k app value of 9.15 × 10 −3 cm/s. Surprisingly, electrochemical surface area analysis shows that samples with lower amount of cysteamine have an active surface area three times bigger than samples with 1:3 CYS/ME ratio. Low electrochemical efficiency associated with high active surface may be related to unwanted SWCNT bundles adsorbed on the surface for 1:10 and 1:100 CYS/ME ratio samples as confirmed by AFM morphological characterization. Further investigation shows that a transition from a semi-infinite planar diffusion mechanism to a radial diffusion one takes

Agreement between measured height, and height predicted from ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

lower limb measurements, such as knee height, as well as upper limb measures ... had with bone injuries/fractures affecting height or ulna length; and n = 1 had a ... and heels, buttocks and upper back in contact with the vertical surface of the .... found striking similarity in linear growth of infants to five-year- olds among all ...

The energy landscape of glassy dynamics on the amorphous hafnium diboride surface

Science.gov (United States)

Nguyen, Duc; Mallek, Justin; Cloud, Andrew N.; Abelson, John R.; Girolami, Gregory S.; Lyding, Joseph; Gruebele, Martin

2014-11-01

Direct visualization of the dynamics of structural glasses and amorphous solids on the sub-nanometer scale provides rich information unavailable from bulk or conventional single molecule techniques. We study the surface of hafnium diboride, a conductive ultrahigh temperature ceramic material that can be grown in amorphous films. Our scanning tunneling movies have a second-to-hour dynamic range and single-point current measurements extend that to the millisecond-to-minute time scale. On the a-HfB2 glass surface, two-state hopping of 1-2 nm diameter cooperatively rearranging regions or "clusters" occurs from sub-milliseconds to hours. We characterize individual clusters in detail through high-resolution (single cluster vertical displacements, we can reconstruct the local free energy landscape of individual clusters, complete with activation barrier height, a reaction coordinate in nanometers, and the shape of the free energy landscape basins between which hopping occurs. The experimental images are consistent with the compact shape of α-relaxors predicted by random first order transition theory, whereas the rapid hopping rate, even taking less confined motion at the surface into account, is consistent with β-relaxations. We make a proposal of how "mixed" features can show up in surface dynamics of glasses.

Linear correlation between fractal dimension of surface EMG signal from Rectus Femoris and height of vertical jump

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ancillao, Andrea; Galli, Manuela; Rigoldi, Chiara; Albertini, Giorgio

2014-01-01

Fractal dimension was demonstrated to be able to characterize the complexity of biological signals. The EMG time series are well known to have a complex behavior and some other studies already tried to characterize these signals by their fractal dimension. This paper is aimed at studying the correlation between the fractal dimension of surface EMG signal recorded over Rectus Femoris muscles during a vertical jump and the height reached in that jump. Healthy subjects performed vertical jumps at different heights. Surface EMG from Rectus Femoris was recorded and the height of each jump was measured by an optoelectronic motion capture system. Fractal dimension of sEMG was computed and the correlation between fractal dimension and eight of the jump was studied. Linear regression analysis showed a very high correlation coefficient between the fractal dimension and the height of the jump for all the subjects. The results of this study show that the fractal dimension is able to characterize the EMG signal and it can be related to the performance of the jump. Fractal dimension is therefore an useful tool for EMG interpretation

Determination of the smoke-plume heights and their dynamics with ground-based scanning LIDAR

Science.gov (United States)

V. Kovalev; A. Petkov; C. Wold; S. Urbanski; W. M. Hao

2015-01-01

Lidar-data processing techniques are analyzed, which allow determining smoke-plume heights and their dynamics and can be helpful for the improvement of smoke dispersion and air quality models. The data processing algorithms considered in the paper are based on the analysis of two alternative characteristics related to the smoke dispersion process: the regularized...

Method for Pre-Conditioning a Measured Surface Height Map for Model Validation

Science.gov (United States)

Sidick, Erkin

2012-01-01

This software allows one to up-sample or down-sample a measured surface map for model validation, not only without introducing any re-sampling errors, but also eliminating the existing measurement noise and measurement errors. Because the re-sampling of a surface map is accomplished based on the analytical expressions of Zernike-polynomials and a power spectral density model, such re-sampling does not introduce any aliasing and interpolation errors as is done by the conventional interpolation and FFT-based (fast-Fourier-transform-based) spatial-filtering method. Also, this new method automatically eliminates the measurement noise and other measurement errors such as artificial discontinuity. The developmental cycle of an optical system, such as a space telescope, includes, but is not limited to, the following two steps: (1) deriving requirements or specs on the optical quality of individual optics before they are fabricated through optical modeling and simulations, and (2) validating the optical model using the measured surface height maps after all optics are fabricated. There are a number of computational issues related to model validation, one of which is the "pre-conditioning" or pre-processing of the measured surface maps before using them in a model validation software tool. This software addresses the following issues: (1) up- or down-sampling a measured surface map to match it with the gridded data format of a model validation tool, and (2) eliminating the surface measurement noise or measurement errors such that the resulted surface height map is continuous or smoothly-varying. So far, the preferred method used for re-sampling a surface map is two-dimensional interpolation. The main problem of this method is that the same pixel can take different values when the method of interpolation is changed among the different methods such as the "nearest," "linear," "cubic," and "spline" fitting in Matlab. The conventional, FFT-based spatial filtering method used to

Particles of bottom and suspended sediments: height of rise

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Khodzinskaya Anna Gennadievna

2014-12-01

Full Text Available In the article, characteristic values of dynamic sizes of bottom and suspended sediments, including their probabilistic assessment, are considered. The article presents the processing results in respect of the experimental data for bottom and suspended sediments, obtained in the laboratory environment using samples and filming methods. The experiments have proven that the dynamic hydraulic size determines the height of rise for the particles of the saltation load, rather than suspended ones. In the laboratory environment, the maximal height of rise is mainly driven by the relative flow depth. According to the assessment made by the co-authors, depths of flows employed in the experiments designated for the identification of heights of rises, were comparable to saltation heights of particles. Besides, the saltation height of particles, having relative density well below 2.65, nearly always exceeded half of the depth of the laboratory flow. Hydrodynamic conditions favourable for the separation and motion of artificial particles in coarse surface tanks are far different from the motion of sand particles on the bottom of lowland rivers. Values of hydraulic resistance ratios typical for laboratory experiments by far exceed their values typical for lowland rivers, and it means that the conditions of the experiments performed in the laboratory were similar to those typical for mountain rivers. The research findings have proven that the particle separation and motion pattern, if artificial particles are made of the materials demonstrating variable density and elasticity values and if loose particles travel over fixed ones, is different from the pattern typical for natural particles having variable coarseness.

Interferometer for measuring the dynamic surface topography of a human tear film

Science.gov (United States)

Primeau, Brian C.; Greivenkamp, John E.

2012-03-01

The anterior refracting surface of the eye is the thin tear film that forms on the surface of the cornea. Following a blink, the tear film quickly smoothes and starts to become irregular after 10 seconds. This irregularity can affect comfort and vision quality. An in vivo method of characterizing dynamic tear films has been designed based upon a near-infrared phase-shifting interferometer. This interferometer continuously measures light reflected from the tear film, allowing sub-micron analysis of the dynamic surface topography. Movies showing the tear film behavior can be generated along with quantitative metrics describing changes in the tear film surface. This tear film measurement allows analysis beyond capabilities of typical fluorescein visual inspection or corneal topography and provides better sensitivity and resolution than shearing interferometry methods. The interferometer design is capable of identifying features in the tear film much less than a micron in height with a spatial resolution of about ten microns over a 6 mm diameter. This paper presents the design of the tear film interferometer along with the considerations that must be taken when designing an interferometer for on-eye diagnostics. Discussions include eye movement, design of null optics for a range of ocular geometries, and laser emission limits for on-eye interferometry.

Seasonal variability of the Red Sea, from GRACE time-variable gravity and altimeter sea surface height measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Wahr, John; Smeed, David; Leuliette, Eric; Swenson, Sean

2014-05-01

Seasonal variability of sea surface height and mass within the Red Sea, occurs mostly through the exchange of heat with the atmosphere and wind-driven inflow and outflow of water through the strait of Bab el Mandab that opens into the Gulf of Aden to the south. The seasonal effects of precipitation and evaporation, of water exchange through the Suez Canal to the north, and of runoff from the adjacent land, are all small. The flow through the Bab el Mandab involves a net mass transfer into the Red Sea during the winter and a net transfer out during the summer. But that flow has a multi-layer pattern, so that in the summer there is actually an influx of cool water at intermediate (~100 m) depths. Thus, summer water in the southern Red Sea is warmer near the surface due to higher air temperatures, but cooler at intermediate depths (especially in the far south). Summer water in the northern Red Sea experiences warming by air-sea exchange only. The temperature profile affects the water density, which impacts the sea surface height but has no effect on vertically integrated mass. Here, we study this seasonal cycle by combining GRACE time-variable mass estimates, altimeter (Jason-1, Jason-2, and Envisat) measurements of sea surface height, and steric sea surface height contributions derived from depth-dependent, climatological values of temperature and salinity obtained from the World Ocean Atlas. We find good consistency, particularly in the northern Red Sea, between these three data types. Among the general characteristics of our results are: (1) the mass contributions to seasonal SSHT variations are much larger than the steric contributions; (2) the mass signal is largest in winter, consistent with winds pushing water into the Red Sea through the Strait of Bab el Mandab in winter, and out during the summer; and (3) the steric signal is largest in summer, consistent with summer sea surface warming.

An atlast of XBT thermal structures and TOPEX/POSEIDON sea surface heights in the north Indian Ocean

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Gopalakrishna, V.V.; Ali, M.M.; Araligidad, N.; Shenoi, S.S.C.; Shum, C.K.; Yi, Y.

the Indian XBT Program were used to plot the sub-surface thermal structures of the Indian Ocean for 1993 to 2003. Since these in situ measurements are just along the ship tracks, sea surface height observations from the TOPEX altimeter were also plotted over...

Photochemical dynamics of surface oriented molecules

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ho, W.

1992-01-01

The period 8/01/91-7/31/92 is the first year of a new project titled ''Photochemical Dynamics of Surface Oriented Molecules'', initiated with DOE Support. The main objective of this project is to understand the dynamics of elementary chemical reactions by studying photochemical dynamics of surface-oriented molecules. In addition, the mechanisms of photon-surface interactions need to be elucidated. The strategy is to carry out experiments to measure the translational energy distribution, as a function of the angle from the surface normal, of the photoproducts by time-of-flight (TOF) technique by varying the photon wavelength, intensity, polarization, and pulse duration. By choosing adsorbates with different bonding configuration, the effects of adsorbate orientation on surface photochemical dynamics can be studied

A global boundary-layer height climatology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dop, H. van; Krol, M.; Holtslag, B. [Inst. for Marine and Atmospheric Research Utrecht, IMAU, Utrecht (Netherlands)

1997-10-01

In principle the ABL (atmospheric boundary layer) height can be retrieved from atmospheric global circulation models since they contain algorithms which determine the intensity of the turbulence as a function of height. However, these data are not routinely available, or on a (vertical) resolution which is too crude in view of the application. This justifies the development of a separate algorithm in order to define the ABL. The algorithm should include the generation of turbulence by both shear and buoyancy and should be based on readily available atmospheric parameters. There is obviously a wide application for boundary heights in off-line global and regional chemistry and transport modelling. It is also a much used parameter in air pollution meteorology. In this article we shall present a theory which is based on current insights in ABL dynamics. The theory is applicable over land and sea surfaces in all seasons. The theory is (for various reasons) not valid in mountainous areas. In areas where boundary-layer clouds or deep cumulus convection are present the theory does not apply. However, the same global atmospheric circulation models contain parameterizations for shallow and deep convection from which separate estimates can be obtained for the extent of vertical mixing. (au)

High-Resolution Forest Canopy Height Estimation in an African Blue Carbon Ecosystem

Science.gov (United States)

Lagomasino, David; Fatoyinbo, Temilola; Lee, Seung-Kuk; Simard, Marc

2015-01-01

Mangrove forests are one of the most productive and carbon dense ecosystems that are only found at tidally inundated coastal areas. Forest canopy height is an important measure for modeling carbon and biomass dynamics, as well as land cover change. By taking advantage of the flat terrain and dense canopy cover, the present study derived digital surface models (DSMs) using stereophotogrammetric techniques on high-resolution spaceborne imagery (HRSI) for southern Mozambique. A mean-weighted ground surface elevation factor was subtracted from the HRSI DSM to accurately estimate the canopy height in mangrove forests in southern Mozambique. The mean and H100 tree height measured in both the field and with the digital canopy model provided the most accurate results with a vertical error of 1.18-1.84 m, respectively. Distinct patterns were identified in the HRSI canopy height map that could not be discerned from coarse shuttle radar topography mission canopy maps even though the mode and distribution of canopy heights were similar over the same area. Through further investigation, HRSI DSMs have the potential of providing a new type of three-dimensional dataset that could serve as calibration/validation data for other DSMs generated from spaceborne datasets with much larger global coverage. HSRI DSMs could be used in lieu of Lidar acquisitions for canopy height and forest biomass estimation, and be combined with passive optical data to improve land cover classifications.

Ab initio lattice dynamics of metal surfaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heid, R.; Bohnen, K.-P.

2003-01-01

Dynamical properties of atoms on surfaces depend sensitively on their bonding environment and thus provide valuable insight into the local geometry and chemical binding at the boundary of a solid. Density-functional theory provides a unified approach to the calculation of structural and dynamical properties from first principles. Its high accuracy and predictive power for lattice dynamical properties of semiconductor surfaces has been demonstrated in a previous article by Fritsch and Schroeder (Phys. Rep. 309 (1999) 209). In this report, we review the state-of-the-art of these ab initio approaches to surface dynamical properties of metal surfaces. We give a brief introduction to the conceptual framework with focus on recent advances in computational procedures for the ab initio linear-response approach, which have been a prerequisite for an efficient treatment of surface dynamics of noble and transition metals. The discussed applications to clean and adsorbate-covered surfaces demonstrate the high accuracy and reliability of this approach in predicting detailed microscopic properties of the phonon dynamics for a wide range of metallic surfaces

Dynamical speckles in watery surfaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Llovera-Gonzalez, J.J.; Moreno-Yeras, A.; Garcia-Diaz, M.; Alvarez-Salgado, Y.

2009-01-01

Recovery of watery surfaces with monolayer of surfactant substances is of interest in diverse technological applications. The format ion and study of molecular monolayer deposited in these surfaces require the application of measurements techniques that allow evaluating the recovery grade locally without modifying practically the studied surface. In this paper the preliminary results obtained by the authors it plows exposed applying the technique of dynamic speckle interferometry in watery surfaces and their consideration like to possible resource to measure the grade of local recovery of these surfaces on the it bases that the speckles pattern dog reveal the dynamics of evaporation that takes place in the same ones. (Author)

Report on Microgravity Experiments of Dynamic Surface Deformation Effects on Marangoni Instability in High-Prandtl-Number Liquid Bridges

Science.gov (United States)

Yano, Taishi; Nishino, Koichi; Matsumoto, Satoshi; Ueno, Ichiro; Komiya, Atsuki; Kamotani, Yasuhiro; Imaishi, Nobuyuki

2018-04-01

This paper reports an overview and some important results of microgravity experiments called Dynamic Surf, which have been conducted on board the International Space Station from 2013 to 2016. The present project mainly focuses on the relations between the Marangoni instability in a high-Prandtl-number (Pr= 67 and 112) liquid bridge and the dynamic free surface deformation (DSD) as well as the interfacial heat transfer. The dynamic free surface deformations of large-scale liquid bridges (say, for diameters greater than 10 mm) are measured with good accuracy by an optical imaging technique. It is found that there are two causes of the dynamic free surface deformation in the present study: the first is the time-dependent flow behavior inside the liquid bridge due to the Marangoni instability, and the second is the external disturbance due to the residual acceleration of gravity, i.e., g-jitter. The axial distributions of DSD along the free surface are measured for several conditions. The critical parameters for the onset of oscillatory Marangoni convection are also measured for various aspect ratios (i.e., relative height to the diameter) of the liquid bridge and various thermal boundary conditions. The characteristics of DSD and the onset conditions of instability are discussed in this paper.

Measurement of chemical and geometrical surface changes in a wear track by a confocal height sensor and confocal Raman spectroscopy

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Winogrodzka, A.; Valefi, Mahdiar; de Rooij, Matthias B.; Schipper, Dirk J.

2014-01-01

Geometrical and chemical changes in the wear track can cause a drift in friction level. In this paper, chemical and geometrical surface changes in wear tracks are analyzed. For this, a setup with a confocal height sensor was developed to measure the local height changes on the wear track, combined

Dynamics of an optically confined nanoparticle diffusing normal to a surface.

Science.gov (United States)

Schein, Perry; O'Dell, Dakota; Erickson, David

2016-06-01

Here we measure the hindered diffusion of an optically confined nanoparticle in the direction normal to a surface, and we use this to determine the particle-surface interaction profile in terms of the absolute height. These studies are performed using the evanescent field of an optically excited single-mode silicon nitride waveguide, where the particle is confined in a height-dependent potential energy well generated from the balance of optical gradient and surface forces. Using a high-speed cmos camera, we demonstrate the ability to capture the short time-scale diffusion dominated motion for 800-nm-diam polystyrene particles, with measurement times of only a few seconds per particle. Using established theory, we show how this information can be used to estimate the equilibrium separation of the particle from the surface. As this measurement can be made simultaneously with equilibrium statistical mechanical measurements of the particle-surface interaction energy landscape, we demonstrate the ability to determine these in terms of the absolute rather than relative separation height. This enables the comparison of potential energy landscapes of particle-surface interactions measured under different experimental conditions, enhancing the utility of this technique.

Modelling of epitaxial film growth with an Ehrlich-Schwoebel barrier dependent on the step height

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leal, F F; Ferreira, S C; Ferreira, S O

2011-01-01

The formation of mounded surfaces in epitaxial growth is attributed to the presence of barriers against interlayer diffusion in the terrace edges, known as Ehrlich-Schwoebel (ES) barriers. We investigate a model for epitaxial growth using an ES barrier explicitly dependent on the step height. Our model has an intrinsic topological step barrier even in the absence of an explicit ES barrier. We show that mounded morphologies can be obtained even for a small barrier while a self-affine growth, consistent with the Villain-Lai-Das Sarma equation, is observed in the absence of an explicit step barrier. The mounded surfaces are described by a super-roughness dynamical scaling characterized by locally smooth (facetted) surfaces and a global roughness exponent α > 1. The thin film limit is featured by surfaces with self-assembled three-dimensional structures having an aspect ratio (height/width) that may increase or decrease with temperature depending on the strength of the step barrier. (fast track communication)

Surface-Assisted Dynamic Search Processes.

Science.gov (United States)

Shin, Jaeoh; Kolomeisky, Anatoly B

2018-03-01

Many chemical and biological systems exhibit intermittent search phenomena when participating particles alternate between dynamic regimes with different dimensionalities. Here we investigate theoretically a dynamic search process of finding a small target on a two-dimensional surface starting from a bulk solution, which is an example of such an intermittent search process. Both continuum and discrete-state stochastic descriptions are developed. It is found that depending on the scanning length λ, which describes the area visited by the reacting molecule during one search cycle, the system can exhibit three different search regimes: (i) For small λ values, the reactant finds the target mostly via three-dimensional bulk diffusion; (ii) for large λ values, the reactant molecule associates to the target mostly via surface diffusion; and (iii) for intermediate λ values, the reactant reaches the target via a combination of three-dimensional and two-dimensional search cycles. Our analysis also shows that the mean search times have different scalings as a function of the size of the surface segment depending on the nature of the dynamic search regime. Search dynamics are also sensitive to the position of the target for large scanning lengths. In addition, it is argued that the continuum description underestimates mean search times and does not always correctly describe the most optimal conditions for the surface-assisted dynamic processes. The importance of our findings for real natural systems is discussed.

The Influence of Structure Heights and Opening Angles of Micro- and Nanocones on the Macroscopic Surface Wetting Properties

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sun, Ling; Laustsen, Milan; Mandsberg, Nikolaj

2016-01-01

We discuss the influence of surface structure, namely the height and opening angles of nano-and microcones on the surface wettability. We show experimental evidence that the opening angle of the cones is the critical parameter on sample superhydrophobicity, namely static contact angles and roll......-off angles. The textured surfaces are fabricated on silicon wafers by using a simple one-step method of reactive ion etching at different processing time and gas flow rates. By using hydrophobic coating or hydrophilic surface treatment, we are able to switch the surface wettability from superhydrophilic...

Brain structure mediates the association between height and cognitive ability.

Science.gov (United States)

Vuoksimaa, Eero; Panizzon, Matthew S; Franz, Carol E; Fennema-Notestine, Christine; Hagler, Donald J; Lyons, Michael J; Dale, Anders M; Kremen, William S

2018-05-11

Height and general cognitive ability are positively associated, but the underlying mechanisms of this relationship are not well understood. Both height and general cognitive ability are positively associated with brain size. Still, the neural substrate of the height-cognitive ability association is unclear. We used a sample of 515 middle-aged male twins with structural magnetic resonance imaging data to investigate whether the association between height and cognitive ability is mediated by cortical size. In addition to cortical volume, we used genetically, ontogenetically and phylogenetically distinct cortical metrics of total cortical surface area and mean cortical thickness. Height was positively associated with general cognitive ability and total cortical volume and cortical surface area, but not with mean cortical thickness. Mediation models indicated that the well-replicated height-general cognitive ability association is accounted for by individual differences in total cortical volume and cortical surface area (highly heritable metrics related to global brain size), and that the genetic association between cortical surface area and general cognitive ability underlies the phenotypic height-general cognitive ability relationship.

Dynamics of Wetting of Ultra Hydrophobic Surfaces

Science.gov (United States)

Mohammad Karim, Alireza; Kim, Jeong-Hyun; Rothstein, Jonathan; Kavehpour, Pirouz; Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Massachusetts, Amherst Collaboration

2013-11-01

Controlling the surface wettability of hydrophobic and super hydrophobic surfaces has extensive industrial applications ranging from coating, painting and printing technology and waterproof clothing to efficiency increase in power and water plants. This requires enhancing the knowledge about the dynamics of wetting on these hydrophobic surfaces. We have done experimental investigation on the dynamics of wetting on hydrophobic surfaces by looking deeply in to the dependency of the dynamic contact angles both advancing and receding on the velocity of the three-phase boundary (Solid/Liquid/Gas interface) using the Wilhelmy plate method with different ultra-hydrophobic surfaces. Several fluids with different surface tension and viscosity are used to study the effect of physical properties of liquids on the governing laws.

Ultimate Cavity Dynamics of Hydrophobic Spheres Impacting on Free Water Surfaces

KAUST Repository

Mansoor, Mohammad M.

2012-12-01

Cavity formation resulting from the water-entry of solid objects has been the subject of extensive research owing to its practical relevance in naval, military, industrial, sports and biological applications. The cavity formed by an impacting hydrophobic sphere normally seals at two places, one below (deep seal) and the other above the water surface (surface seal). For Froude numbers , the air flow into the resulting cavity is strong enough to suck the splash crown above the surface and disrupt the cavity dynamics before it deep seals. In this research work we eliminate surface seals by means of a novel practice of using cone splash-guards and examine the undisturbed transient cavity dynamics by impact of hydrophobic spheres for Froude numbers ranging . This enabled the measurement of extremely accurate pinch-off heights, pinch-off times, radial cavity collapse rates, and jet speeds in an extended range of Froude numbers compared to the previous work of Duclaux et al. (2007). Results in the extended regime were in remarkable agreement with the theoretical prediction of scaled pinch-off depth, and experimentally derived pinch-off time for . Furthermore, we investigated the influence of confinement on cavity formation by varying the cross-sectional area of the tank of liquid. In conjunction with surface seal elimination we observed the formation of multiple pinch-off points where a maximum of four deep seals were obtained in a sequential order for the Froude number range investigated. The presence of an elongated cavity beneath the first pinch-off point 5 resulted in evident "kinks" primarily related to the greatly diminished air pressure at the necking region caused by supersonic air flows (Gekle et al. 2010). Such flows passing through second pinch-offs were also found to choke the cavities beneath the first pinch- off depths causing radial expansion and hence disappearance of downward jets.

Atomic structure of screw dislocations intersecting the Au(111) surface: A combined scanning tunneling microscopy and molecular dynamics study

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Engbæk, Jakob; Schiøtz, Jakob; Dahl-Madsen, Bjarke

2006-01-01

The atomic-scale structure of naturally occurring screw dislocations intersecting a Au(111) surface has been investigated both experimentally by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and theoretically using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The step profiles of 166 dislocations were measured using...... STM. Many of them exhibit noninteger step-height plateaus with different widths. Clear evidence was found for the existence of two different populations at the surface with distinct (narrowed or widened) partial-splitting widths. All findings are fully confirmed by the MD simulations. The MD...... simulations extend the STM-, i.e., surface-, investigation to the subsurface region. Due to this additional insight, we can explain the different partial-splitting widths as the result of the interaction between the partial dislocations and the surface....

The energy landscape of glassy dynamics on the amorphous hafnium diboride surface

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nguyen, Duc; Girolami, Gregory S.; Mallek, Justin; Cloud, Andrew N.; Abelson, John R.; Lyding, Joseph; Gruebele, Martin

2014-01-01

Direct visualization of the dynamics of structural glasses and amorphous solids on the sub-nanometer scale provides rich information unavailable from bulk or conventional single molecule techniques. We study the surface of hafnium diboride, a conductive ultrahigh temperature ceramic material that can be grown in amorphous films. Our scanning tunneling movies have a second-to-hour dynamic range and single-point current measurements extend that to the millisecond-to-minute time scale. On the a-HfB 2 glass surface, two-state hopping of 1–2 nm diameter cooperatively rearranging regions or “clusters” occurs from sub-milliseconds to hours. We characterize individual clusters in detail through high-resolution (<0.5 nm) imaging, scanning tunneling spectroscopy and voltage modulation, ruling out individual atoms, diffusing adsorbates, or pinned charges as the origin of the observed two-state hopping. Smaller clusters are more likely to hop, larger ones are more likely to be immobile. HfB 2 has a very high bulk glass transition temperature T g , and we observe no three-state hopping or sequential two-state hopping previously seen on lower T g glass surfaces. The electronic density of states of clusters does not change when they hop up or down, allowing us to calibrate an accurate relative z-axis scale. By directly measuring and histogramming single cluster vertical displacements, we can reconstruct the local free energy landscape of individual clusters, complete with activation barrier height, a reaction coordinate in nanometers, and the shape of the free energy landscape basins between which hopping occurs. The experimental images are consistent with the compact shape of α-relaxors predicted by random first order transition theory, whereas the rapid hopping rate, even taking less confined motion at the surface into account, is consistent with β-relaxations. We make a proposal of how “mixed” features can show up in surface dynamics of glasses

Characterizing heterogeneous dynamics at hydrated electrode surfaces

Science.gov (United States)

Willard, Adam P.; Limmer, David T.; Madden, Paul A.; Chandler, David

2013-05-01

In models of Pt 111 and Pt 100 surfaces in water, motions of molecules in the first hydration layer are spatially and temporally correlated. To interpret these collective motions, we apply quantitative measures of dynamic heterogeneity that are standard tools for considering glassy systems. Specifically, we carry out an analysis in terms of mobility fields and distributions of persistence times and exchange times. In so doing, we show that dynamics in these systems is facilitated by transient disorder in frustrated two-dimensional hydrogen bonding networks. The frustration is the result of unfavorable geometry imposed by strong metal-water bonding. The geometry depends upon the structure of the underlying metal surface. Dynamic heterogeneity of water on the Pt 111 surface is therefore qualitatively different than that for water on the Pt 100 surface. In both cases, statistics of this ad-layer dynamic heterogeneity responds asymmetrically to applied voltage.

Characterizing heterogeneous dynamics at hydrated electrode surfaces.

Science.gov (United States)

Willard, Adam P; Limmer, David T; Madden, Paul A; Chandler, David

2013-05-14

In models of Pt 111 and Pt 100 surfaces in water, motions of molecules in the first hydration layer are spatially and temporally correlated. To interpret these collective motions, we apply quantitative measures of dynamic heterogeneity that are standard tools for considering glassy systems. Specifically, we carry out an analysis in terms of mobility fields and distributions of persistence times and exchange times. In so doing, we show that dynamics in these systems is facilitated by transient disorder in frustrated two-dimensional hydrogen bonding networks. The frustration is the result of unfavorable geometry imposed by strong metal-water bonding. The geometry depends upon the structure of the underlying metal surface. Dynamic heterogeneity of water on the Pt 111 surface is therefore qualitatively different than that for water on the Pt 100 surface. In both cases, statistics of this ad-layer dynamic heterogeneity responds asymmetrically to applied voltage.

He atom-surface scattering: Surface dynamics of insulators, overlayers and crystal growth

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Safron, S.A.; Skofronick, J.G.

1994-01-01

This progress report describes work carried out in the study of surface structure and dynamics of ionic insulators, the microscopic interactions controlling epitaxial growth and the formation of overlayers, and energy exchange in multiphonon surface scattering. The approach used is to employ high resolution helium atom scattering to study the geometry and structural features of the surfaces. Experiments have been carried out on the surface dynamics of RbCl and preliminary studies done on CoO and NiO. Epitaxial growth and overlayer dynamics experiments on the systems NaCl/NaCl(001), KBr/NaCl(001), NaCl/KBr(001) and KBr/RbCl(001) have been performed. They have collaborated with two theoretical groups to explore models of overlayer dynamics with which to compare and to interpret their experimental results. They have carried out extensive experiments on the multiphonon scattering of helium atoms from NaCl and, particularly, LiF. Work has begun on self-assembling organic films on gold and silver surfaces (alkyl thiols/Au(111) and Ag(111))

Definition of Physical Height Systems for Telluric Planets and Moons

Science.gov (United States)

Tenzer, Robert; Foroughi, Ismael; Sjöberg, Lars E.; Bagherbandi, Mohammad; Hirt, Christian; Pitoňák, Martin

2018-01-01

In planetary sciences, the geodetic (geometric) heights defined with respect to the reference surface (the sphere or the ellipsoid) or with respect to the center of the planet/moon are typically used for mapping topographic surface, compilation of global topographic models, detailed mapping of potential landing sites, and other space science and engineering purposes. Nevertheless, certain applications, such as studies of gravity-driven mass movements, require the physical heights to be defined with respect to the equipotential surface. Taking the analogy with terrestrial height systems, the realization of height systems for telluric planets and moons could be done by means of defining the orthometric and geoidal heights. In this case, however, the definition of the orthometric heights in principle differs. Whereas the terrestrial geoid is described as an equipotential surface that best approximates the mean sea level, such a definition for planets/moons is irrelevant in the absence of (liquid) global oceans. A more natural choice for planets and moons is to adopt the geoidal equipotential surface that closely approximates the geometric reference surface (the sphere or the ellipsoid). In this study, we address these aspects by proposing a more accurate approach for defining the orthometric heights for telluric planets and moons from available topographic and gravity models, while adopting the average crustal density in the absence of reliable crustal density models. In particular, we discuss a proper treatment of topographic masses in the context of gravimetric geoid determination. In numerical studies, we investigate differences between the geodetic and orthometric heights, represented by the geoidal heights, on Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Moon. Our results reveal that these differences are significant. The geoidal heights on Mercury vary from - 132 to 166 m. On Venus, the geoidal heights are between - 51 and 137 m with maxima on this planet at Atla Regio and Beta

Progress Report on the GROWTH (GNSS Reflectometry for Ocean Waves, Tides, and Height) Research Project

Science.gov (United States)

Kitazawa, Y.; Ichikawa, K.; Akiyama, H.; Ebinuma, T.; Isoguchi, O.; Kimura, N.; Konda, M.; Kouguchi, N.; Tamura, H.; Tomita, H.; Yoshikawa, Y.; Waseda, T.

2016-12-01

Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), such as GPS is a system of satellites that provide autonomous geo-spatial positioning with global coverage. It allows small electronic receivers to determine their location to high precision using radio signals transmitted from satellites, GNSS reflectometry (GNSS-R) involves making measurements from the reflections from the Earth of navigation signals from GNSS satellites. Reflected signals from sea surface are considered that those are useful to observe sea state and sea surface height. We have started a research program for GNSS-R applications on oceanographic observations under the contract with MEXT (Ministry of Education Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, JAPAN) and launched a Japanese research consortium, GROWTH (GNSS Reflectometry for Ocean Waves, Tides, and Height). It is aiming to evaluate the capabilities of GNSS-R observations for oceanographic phenomena with different time scales, such as ocean waves (1/10 to tens of seconds), tides (one or half days), and sea surface dynamic height (a few days to years). In situ observations of ocean wave spectrum, wind speed vertical profile, and sea surface height will be quantitatively compared with equivalent estimates from simultaneous GNSS-R measurements. The GROWTH project will utilize different types of observation platforms; marine observation towers (about 20 m height), multi-copters (about 100 to 150 m height), and much higher-altitude CYGNSS data. Cross-platform data, together with in situ oceanographic observations, will be compared after adequate temporal averaging that accounts differences of the footprint sizes and temporal and spatial scales of oceanographic phenomena. This paper will provide overview of the GROWTH project, preliminary test results, obtained by the multi-sensor platform at observation towers, suggest actual footprint sizes and identification of swell. Preparation status of a ground station which will be supplied to receive CYGNSS data

Relationships between substrate, surface characteristics, and vegetation in an initial ecosystem

Science.gov (United States)

Biber, P.; Seifert, S.; Zaplata, M. K.; Schaaf, W.; Pretzsch, H.; Fischer, A.

2013-12-01

We investigated surface and vegetation dynamics in the artificial initial ecosystem "Chicken Creek" (Lusatia, Germany) in the years 2006-2011 across a wide spectrum of empirical data. We scrutinized three overarching hypotheses concerning (1) the relations between initial geomorphological and substrate characteristics with surface structure and terrain properties, (2) the effects of the latter on the occurrence of grouped plant species, and (3) vegetation density effects on terrain surface change. Our data comprise and conflate annual vegetation monitoring results, biennial terrestrial laser scans (starting in 2008), annual groundwater levels, and initially measured soil characteristics. The empirical evidence mostly confirms the hypotheses, revealing statistically significant relations for several goal variables: (1) the surface structure properties, local rill density, local relief energy and terrain surface height change; (2) the cover of different plant groups (annual, herbaceous, grass-like, woody, Fabaceae), and local vegetation height; and (3) terrain surface height change showed significant time-dependent relations with a variable that proxies local plant biomass. Additionally, period specific effects (like a calendar-year optimum effect for the occurrence of Fabaceae) were proven. Further and beyond the hypotheses, our findings on the spatiotemporal dynamics during the system's early development grasp processes which generally mark the transition from a geo-hydro-system towards a bio-geo-hydro system (weakening geomorphology effects on substrate surface dynamics, while vegetation effects intensify with time), where pure geomorphology or substrate feedbacks are changing into vegetation-substrate feedback processes.

The Influence of Structure Heights and Opening Angles of Micro- and Nanocones on the Macroscopic Surface Wetting Properties

Science.gov (United States)

Schneider, Ling; Laustsen, Milan; Mandsberg, Nikolaj; Taboryski, Rafael

2016-01-01

We discuss the influence of surface structure, namely the height and opening angles of nano- and microcones on the surface wettability. We show experimental evidence that the opening angle of the cones is the critical parameter on sample superhydrophobicity, namely static contact angles and roll-off angles. The textured surfaces are fabricated on silicon wafers by using a simple one-step method of reactive ion etching at different processing time and gas flow rates. By using hydrophobic coating or hydrophilic surface treatment, we are able to switch the surface wettability from superhydrophilic to superhydrophobic without altering surface structures. In addition, we show examples of polymer replicas (polypropylene and poly(methyl methacrylate) with different wettability, fabricated by injection moulding using templates of the silicon cone-structures. PMID:26892169

The Analysis of Height System Definition and the High Precision GNSS Replacing Leveling Method

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

ZHANG Chuanyin

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Based on the definition of height system, the gravitational equipotential property of height datum surface is discussed in this paper, differences of the heights at ground points that defined in different height systems are tested and analyzed as well. A new method for replacing leveling using GNSS is proposed to ensure the consistency between GNSS replacing leveling and spirit leveling at mm accuracy level. The main conclusions include:①For determining normal height at centimeter accuracy level, the datum surface of normal height should be the geoid. The 1985 national height datum of China adopts normal height system, its datum surface is the geoid passing the Qingdao zero point.②The surface of equi-orthometric height in the near earth space is parallel to the geoid. The combination of GNSS precise positioning and geoid model can be directly used for orthometric height determination. However, the normal height system is more advantageous for describing the terrain and relief.③Based on the proposed method of GNSS replacing leveling, the errors in geodetic height affect more on normal height result than the errors of geoid model, the former is about 1.5 times of the latter.

Pulsed laser stereophotography of plasmas and dynamically moving surfaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Paisley, D.L.

1987-01-01

A pulsed laser is used as a light source for illuminating the surface of a dynamic event of 3 mm//μs. At a predetermined time during the dynamic action, a stereo camera is used to record a pair of images of the dynamically moving surface. The stereoimage pair can be quantified for surface contour

Non-genomic estrogen regulation of ion transport and airway surface liquid dynamics in cystic fibrosis bronchial epithelium.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vinciane Saint-Criq

Full Text Available Male cystic fibrosis (CF patients survive longer than females and lung exacerbations in CF females vary during the estrous cycle. Estrogen has been reported to reduce the height of the airway surface liquid (ASL in female CF bronchial epithelium. Here we investigated the effect of 17β-estradiol on the airway surface liquid height and ion transport in normal (NuLi-1 and CF (CuFi-1 bronchial epithelial monolayers. Live cell imaging using confocal microscopy revealed that airway surface liquid height was significantly higher in the non-CF cells compared to the CF cells. 17β-estradiol (0.1-10 nM reduced the airway surface liquid height in non-CF and CF cells after 30 min treatment. Treatment with the nuclear-impeded Estrogen Dendrimer Conjugate mimicked the effect of free estrogen by reducing significantly the airway surface liquid height in CF and non-CF cells. Inhibition of chloride transport or basolateral potassium recycling decreased the airway surface liquid height and 17β-estradiol had no additive effect in the presence of these ion transporter inhibitors. 17β-estradiol decreased bumetanide-sensitive transepithelial short-circuit current in non-CF cells and prevented the forskolin-induced increase in ASL height. 17β-estradiol stimulated an amiloride-sensitive transepithelial current and increased ouabain-sensitive basolateral short-circuit current in CF cells. 17β-estradiol increased PKCδ activity in CF and non-CF cells. These results demonstrate that estrogen dehydrates CF and non-CF ASL, and these responses to 17β-estradiol are non-genomic rather than involving the classical nuclear estrogen receptor pathway. 17β-estradiol acts on the airway surface liquid by inhibiting cAMP-mediated chloride secretion in non-CF cells and increasing sodium absorption via the stimulation of PKCδ, ENaC and the Na(+/K(+ATPase in CF cells.

Characterizing boundary layer height using surface and column measurements of NO2 and formaldehyde

Science.gov (United States)

Valin, L.; Szykman, J.; Long, R.; Whitehill, A.; Williams, D. J.; Knepp, T. N.; Crawford, J. H.; Al-Saadi, J. A.; Judd, L.; Brown, S.; Matichuk, R.; Tonnesen, G.; Appel, W.; Hogrefe, C.; Abuhassan, N.; Cede, A.; Spinei, E.; Herman, J. R.; Swap, R.; Cohen, R. C.; Fried, A.; Weinheimer, A. J.

2017-12-01

The rate of vertical mixing near the surface determines the rate of human exposure to emitted pollutants and also influences the rate at which ozone and particulate matter are formed. To characterize the variability of atmospheric composition near the surface and above, the EPA Office of Research and Development has deployed instruments to measure surface and column concentrations of NO2, an emitted species, and formaldehyde (HCHO) during KORUS-AQ (May - June 2016, Seoul, Korea), UWFPS (Jan-Feb 2016, Salt Lake City) and LMOS (May - June, 2017, Lake Michigan). We compare the mixed layer height determined by aerosol backscatter profiles to a value determined by dividing the NO2 and HCHO column density (molecule cm-2) by its surface concentration (molecule cm-3), using linear regression to remove influence of layers aloft (y-intercept), such as subtraction of the stratospheric NO2 column. We evaluate our findings by using aircraft soundings of NO2 and HCHO and discuss the implications with respect to photochemical transport modeling results from CMAQ and space-based satellite retrievals. Finally we discuss an overall strategy to make these measurements part of routine monitoring at Photochemical Assessment Monitoring System locations (PAMS).

New ab initio potential surfaces and three-dimensional quantum dynamics for transition state spectroscopy in ozone photodissociation

Science.gov (United States)

Yamashita, Koichi; Morokuma, Keiji; Le Quéré, Frederic; Leforestier, Claude

1992-04-01

New ab initio potential energy surfaces (PESs) of the ground and B ( 1B 2) states of ozone have been calculated with the CASSCF-SECI/DZP method to describe the three-dimensional photodissociation process. The dissociation energy of the ground state and the vertical barrier height of the B PES are obtained to be 0.88 and 1.34 eV, respectively, in better agreement with the experimental values than the previous calculation. The photodissociation autocorrelation function, calculated on the new B PES, based on exact three-dimensional quantum dynamics, reproduces well the main recurrence feature extracted from the experimental spectra.

Dynamic air layer on textured superhydrophobic surfaces

KAUST Repository

Vakarelski, Ivan Uriev

2013-09-03

We provide an experimental demonstration that a novel macroscopic, dynamic continuous air layer or plastron can be sustained indefinitely on textured superhydrophobic surfaces in air-supersaturated water by a natural gas influx mechanism. This type of plastron is an intermediate state between Leidenfrost vapor layers on superheated surfaces and the equilibrium Cassie-Baxter wetting state on textured superhydrophobic surfaces. We show that such a plastron can be sustained on the surface of a centimeter-sized superhydrophobic sphere immersed in heated water and variations of its dynamic behavior with air saturation of the water can be regulated by rapid changes of the water temperature. The simple experimental setup allows for quantification of the air flux into the plastron and identification of the air transport model of the plastron growth. Both the observed growth dynamics of such plastrons and millimeter-sized air bubbles seeded on the hydrophilic surface under identical air-supersaturated solution conditions are consistent with the predictions of a well-mixed gas transport model. © 2013 American Chemical Society.

Practical application of the geometric geoid for heighting over ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This is because a geoid model is required to convert ellipsoidal heights to orthometric heights that are used in practice. A local geometric geoid ... The geoid height is expressed as a function of the local plane coordinates through a biquadratic surface polynomial, using 14 GPS/levelling points. Five points have been used ...

Wind‐gust parametrizations at heights relevant for wind energy: a study based on mast observations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Suomi, I.; Vihma, T.; Gryning, Sven-Erik

2013-01-01

Wind gusts are traditionally observed and reported at the reference height of 10 m and most gust parametrization methods have been developed only for this height. In many practical applications, e.g. in wind energy, the relevant heights are, however, up to a few hundred metres. In this study, mean...... speed, which is parametrized on the basis of the surface friction velocity, the Obukhov length and height and the boundary‐layer height. The new gust parametrization method outperformed the two older methods: the effects of surface roughness, stability and the height above the surface were well...

Accurate tool height control by bearing gap adjustment

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wielen, van der A.M.; Schellekens, P.H.J.; Jaartsveld, F.T.M.

2002-01-01

Face turning of optical surfaces on precision lathes needs high precision tool height adjustment, which may be a difficult and time-consuming task. In this paper we present a new tool adjustment mechanism based on varying the bearing gap height of the hydrostatic bearings present in precision lathe

Electrostatic cloaking of surface structure for dynamic wetting

Science.gov (United States)

Shiomi, Junichiro; Nita, Satoshi; Do-Quang, Minh; Wang, Jiayu; Chen, Yu-Chung; Suzuki, Yuji; Amberg, Gustav

2017-11-01

Dynamic wetting problems are fundamental to the understanding of the interaction between liquids and solids. Even in a superficially simple experimental situation, such as a droplet spreading over a dry surface, the result may depend not only on the liquid properties but also strongly on the substrate-surface properties; even for macroscopically smooth surfaces, the microscopic geometrical roughness can be important. In addition, as surfaces may often be naturally charged, or electric fields are used to manipulate fluids, electric effects are crucial components that influence wetting phenomena. Here we investigate the interplay between electric forces and surface structures in dynamic wetting. While surface microstructures can significantly hinder the spreading, we find that the electrostatics can ``cloak'' the microstructures, i.e. deactivate the hindering. We identify the physics in terms of reduction in contact-line friction, which makes the dynamic wetting inertial force dominant and insensitive to the substrate properties. This work was financially supported in part by, the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Swedish Governmental Agency for Innovation Systems, and the Japan Science and Technology Agency.

Effects of wind on the dynamics of the central jet during drop impact onto a deep-water surface

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Xinan; Wang, An; Wang, Shuang; Dai, Dejun

2018-05-01

The cavity and central jet generated by the impact of a single water drop on a deep-water surface in a wind field are experimentally studied. Different experiments are performed by varying the impacting drop diameter and wind speed. The contour profile histories of the cavity (also called crater) and central jet (also called stalk) are measured in detail with a backlit cinematic shadowgraph technique. The results show that shortly after the drop hits the water surface an asymmetrical cavity appears along the wind direction, with a train of capillary waves on the cavity wall. This is followed by the formation of an inclined central jet at the location of the drop impact. It is found that the wind has little effect on the penetration depth of the cavity at the early stage of the cavity expansion, but markedly changes the capillary waves during the retraction of the cavity. The capillary waves in turn shift the position of the central jet formation leeward. The dynamics of the central jet are dominated by two mechanisms: (i) the oblique drop impact produced by the wind and (ii) the wind drag force directly acting on the jet. The maximum height of the central jet, called the stalk height, is drastically affected by the wind, and the nondimensional stalk height H /D decreases with increasing θ Re-1 , where D is the drop diameter, θ is the impingement angle of drop impact, and Re=ρaUwD /μa is the Reynolds number with air density ρa, wind speed Uw, and air viscosity μa.

Full-field transmission-type angle-deviation optical microscope with reflectivity-height transformation.

Science.gov (United States)

Chiu, Ming-Hung; Tan, Chen-Tai; Tsai, Ming-Hung; Yang, Ya-Hsin

2015-10-01

This full-field transmission-type three-dimensional (3D) optical microscope is constructed based on the angle deviation method (ADM) and the algorithm of reflectivity-height transformation (RHT). The surface height is proportional to the deviation angle of light passing through the object. The angle deviation and surface height can be measured based on the reflectivity closed to the critical angle using a parallelogram prism and two CCDs.

Sensitivity of Turbine-Height Wind Speeds to Parameters in Planetary Boundary-Layer and Surface-Layer Schemes in the Weather Research and Forecasting Model

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Ben; Qian, Yun; Berg, Larry K.; Ma, Po-Lun; Wharton, Sonia; Bulaevskaya, Vera; Yan, Huiping; Hou, Zhangshuan; Shaw, William J.

2017-01-01

We evaluate the sensitivity of simulated turbine-height wind speeds to 26 parameters within the Mellor-Yamada-Nakanishi-Niino (MYNN) planetary boundary-layer scheme and MM5 surface-layer scheme of the Weather Research and Forecasting model over an area of complex terrain. An efficient sampling algorithm and generalized linear model are used to explore the multiple-dimensional parameter space and quantify the parametric sensitivity of simulated turbine-height wind speeds. The results indicate that most of the variability in the ensemble simulations is due to parameters related to the dissipation of turbulent kinetic energy (TKE), Prandtl number, turbulent length scales, surface roughness, and the von Kármán constant. The parameter associated with the TKE dissipation rate is found to be most important, and a larger dissipation rate produces larger hub-height wind speeds. A larger Prandtl number results in smaller nighttime wind speeds. Increasing surface roughness reduces the frequencies of both extremely weak and strong airflows, implying a reduction in the variability of wind speed. All of the above parameters significantly affect the vertical profiles of wind speed and the magnitude of wind shear. The relative contributions of individual parameters are found to be dependent on both the terrain slope and atmospheric stability.

Sexual Orientation, Objective Height, and Self-Reported Height.

Science.gov (United States)

Skorska, Malvina N; Bogaert, Anthony F

2017-01-01

Studies that have used mostly self-reported height have found that androphilic men and women are shorter than gynephilic men and women, respectively. This study examined whether an objective height difference exists or whether a psychosocial account (e.g., distortion of self-reports) may explain these putative height differences. A total of 863 participants, recruited at a Canadian university, the surrounding region, and through lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) events across Canada, self-reported their height and had their height measured. Androphilic men were shorter, on average, than gynephilic men. There was no objective height difference between gynephilic, ambiphilic, and androphilic women. Self-reported height, statistically controlling for objective height, was not related to sexual orientation. These findings are the first to show an objective height difference between androphilic and gynephilic men. Also, the findings suggest that previous studies using self-reported height found part of a true objective height difference between androphilic and gynephilic men. These findings have implications for existing biological theories of men's sexual orientation development.

Effect of Channel Orientation and Rib Pitch-to-Height Ratio on Pressure Drop in a Rotating Square Channel with Ribs on Two Opposite Surfaces

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Prabhu S. V.

2005-01-01

Full Text Available The effect of channel orientation and rib pitch-to-height ratio on the pressure drop distribution in a rib-roughened channel is an important issue in turbine blade cooling. The present investigation is a study of the overall pressure drop distribution in a square cross-sectioned channel, with rib turbulators, rotating about an axis normal to the free stream. The ribs are configured in a symmetric arrangement on two opposite surfaces with a rib angle of 90 ∘ to the mainstream flow. The study has been conducted for three Reynolds numbers, namely, 13 000, 17 000, and 22 000 with the rotation number varying from 0– 0.38 . Experiments have been carried out for various rib pitch-to-height ratios ( P/e with a constant rib height-to-hydraulic diameter ratio ( e/D of 0.1 . The test section in which the ribs are placed on the leading and trailing surfaces is considered as the base case ( orientation angle= 0 ∘ , Coriolis force vector normal to the ribbed surfaces. The channel is turned about its axis in steps of 15 ∘ to vary the orientation angle from 0 ∘ to 90 ∘ . The overall pressure drop does not change considerably under conditions of rotation for the base case. However, for the other cases tested, it is observed that the overall pressure drop increases with an increase in the rotation number for a given orientation angle and also increases with an increase in the orientation angle for a given rotation number. This change is attributed to the variation in the separation zone downstream of the ribs due to the presence of the Coriolis force—local pressure drop data is presented which supports this idea. At an orientation angle of 90 ∘ (ribs on the top and bottom surfaces, Coriolis force vector normal to the smooth surfaces, the overall pressure drop is observed to be maximum during rotation. The overall pressure drop for a case with a rib pitch-to-height ratio of 5 on both surfaces is found to be the highest

Functional dynamics of cell surface membrane proteins.

Science.gov (United States)

Nishida, Noritaka; Osawa, Masanori; Takeuchi, Koh; Imai, Shunsuke; Stampoulis, Pavlos; Kofuku, Yutaka; Ueda, Takumi; Shimada, Ichio

2014-04-01

Cell surface receptors are integral membrane proteins that receive external stimuli, and transmit signals across plasma membranes. In the conventional view of receptor activation, ligand binding to the extracellular side of the receptor induces conformational changes, which convert the structure of the receptor into an active conformation. However, recent NMR studies of cell surface membrane proteins have revealed that their structures are more dynamic than previously envisioned, and they fluctuate between multiple conformations in an equilibrium on various timescales. In addition, NMR analyses, along with biochemical and cell biological experiments indicated that such dynamical properties are critical for the proper functions of the receptors. In this review, we will describe several NMR studies that revealed direct linkage between the structural dynamics and the functions of the cell surface membrane proteins, such as G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs), ion channels, membrane transporters, and cell adhesion molecules. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Program Merges SAR Data on Terrain and Vegetation Heights

Science.gov (United States)

Siqueira, Paul; Hensley, Scott; Rodriguez, Ernesto; Simard, Marc

2007-01-01

X/P Merge is a computer program that estimates ground-surface elevations and vegetation heights from multiple sets of data acquired by the GeoSAR instrument [a terrain-mapping synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) system that operates in the X and bands]. X/P Merge software combines data from X- and P-band digital elevation models, SAR backscatter magnitudes, and interferometric correlation magnitudes into a simplified set of output topographical maps of ground-surface elevation and tree height.

Application of Displacement Height and Surface Roughness Length to Determination Boundary Layer Development Length over Stepped Spillway

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiangju Cheng

2014-12-01

Full Text Available One of the most uncertain parameters in stepped spillway design is the length (from the crest of boundary layer development. The normal velocity profiles responding to the steps as bed roughness are investigated in the developing non-aerated flow region. A detailed analysis of the logarithmic vertical velocity profiles on stepped spillways is conducted through experimental data to verify the computational code and numerical experiments to expand the data available. To determine development length, the hydraulic roughness and displacement thickness, along with the shear velocity, are needed. This includes determining displacement height d and surface roughness length z0 and the relationship of d and z0 to the step geometry. The results show that the hydraulic roughness height ks is the primary factor on which d and z0 depend. In different step height, step width, discharge and intake Froude number, the relations d/ks = 0.22–0.27, z0/ks = 0.06–0.1 and d/z0 = 2.2–4 result in a good estimate. Using the computational code and numerical experiments, air inception will occur over stepped spillway flow as long as the Bauer-defined boundary layer thickness is between 0.72 and 0.79.

Sea surface height determination in the arctic ocean from Cryosat2 SAR data, the impact of using different empirical retrackers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jain, Maulik; Andersen, Ole Baltazar; Stenseng, Lars

2012-01-01

Cryosat2 Level 1B SAR data can be processed using different empirical retrackers to determine the sea surface height and its variations in the Arctic Ocean. Two improved retrackers based on the combination of OCOG (Offset Centre of Gravity), Threshold methods and Leading Edge Retrieval is used...

Unified height systems after GOCE

Science.gov (United States)

Rummel, Reiner; Gruber, Thomas; Sideris, Michael; Rangelova, Elena; Woodworth, Phil; Hughes, Chris; Ihde, Johannes; Liebsch, Gunter; Rülke, Axel; Gerlach, Christian; Haagmans, Roger

2015-04-01

adopted standards and methodology. This procedure will allow bringing all included stations into one and the same height datum. In sparsely surveyed regions of our planet the uncertainty of height off-sets may be at the level of 20 to 40cm (with extreme values up to 1m). In coastal regions, applying ocean levelling, these numbers may be improved. Ocean levelling is the combination of a "best" ocean topography model with either an altimetric mean sea surface or, at tide gauges, mean sea level as derived from a combination of tide gauge recording and GNSS positioning. The classical geoid definition and realization is operational at the level of a decimeter but poses significant theoretical and operational challenges at the sub-decimetre level.

Time lag between the tropopause height and the levels of 7Be concentration in near surface air

Science.gov (United States)

Ioannidou, A.; Vasileiadis, A.; Melas, D.

2012-04-01

The concentration of 7Be at near surface air has been determined over 2009, a year of a deep solar minimum, in the region of Thessaloniki, Greece at 40°62' N, 22°95'E. In geomagnetic latitudes over 40° N, the elevation of the tropopause during the warm summer months and the vertical exchange of air masses within the troposphere cause greater mixture of the air masses resulting in higher concentration levels for 7Be in surface air. The positive correlation between the monthly activity concentration of 7Be and the tropopause height (0.94, p rate of vertical transport within the troposphere, especially during warmer summer months, has as a result the descent to surface of air masses enriched in 7Be. However, the 7Be concentration levels in near surface air are not expected to respond immediately to the change of elevation of the tropopause. It was found that there's a time lag of ~ 3 days between the change in the daily surface concentrations of 7Be the change in the elevation of the tropopause.

Effects of short-term two weeks low intensity plyometrics combined with dynamic stretching training in improving vertical jump height and agility on trained basketball players.

Science.gov (United States)

Ramachandran, Selvam; Pradhan, Binita

2014-01-01

Sport specific training in basketball players should focus on vertical jump height and agility in consistent with demands of the sport. Since plyometrics training improves vertical jump height and agility, it can be useful training strategy to improve the performance of basketball players. A convenience sample of thirty professional basketball players were recruited. Following pre-intervention assessment, interventions using plyometrics training and dynamic stretching protocol was administered on the basketball players. The outcome measures were assessed before the intervention and at the end of first and second week. Statistically significant improvements in vertical jump height (31.68 ± 11.64 to 37.57 ± 16.74; P basketball players.

Investigating the dynamics of surface-immobilized DNA nanomachines

Science.gov (United States)

Dunn, Katherine E.; Trefzer, Martin A.; Johnson, Steven; Tyrrell, Andy M.

2016-07-01

Surface-immobilization of molecules can have a profound influence on their structure, function and dynamics. Toehold-mediated strand displacement is often used in solution to drive synthetic nanomachines made from DNA, but the effects of surface-immobilization on the mechanism and kinetics of this reaction have not yet been fully elucidated. Here we show that the kinetics of strand displacement in surface-immobilized nanomachines are significantly different to those of the solution phase reaction, and we attribute this to the effects of intermolecular interactions within the DNA layer. We demonstrate that the dynamics of strand displacement can be manipulated by changing strand length, concentration and G/C content. By inserting mismatched bases it is also possible to tune the rates of the constituent displacement processes (toehold-binding and branch migration) independently, and information can be encoded in the time-dependence of the overall reaction. Our findings will facilitate the rational design of surface-immobilized dynamic DNA nanomachines, including computing devices and track-based motors.

Dynamic Defrosting on Scalable Superhydrophobic Surfaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Murphy, Kevin R.; McClintic, William T.; Lester, Kevin C.; Collier, C. Patrick; Boreyko, Jonathan B.

2017-01-01

Recent studies have shown that frost can grow in a suspended Cassie state on nanostructured superhydrophobic surfaces. During defrosting, the melting sheet of Cassie frost spontaneously dewets into quasi-spherical slush droplets that are highly mobile. Promoting Cassie frost would therefore seem advantageous from a defrosting standpoint; however, nobody has systematically compared the efficiency of defrosting Cassie ice versus defrosting conventional surfaces. Here, we characterize the defrosting of an aluminum plate, one-half of which exhibits a superhydrophobic nanostructure while the other half is smooth and hydrophobic. For thick frost sheets (>1 mm), the superhydrophobic surface was able to dynamically shed the meltwater, even at very low tilt angles. In contrast, the hydrophobic surface was unable to shed any appreciable meltwater even at a 90° tilt angle. For thin frost layers (≲1 mm), not even the superhydrophobic surface could mobilize the meltwater. We attribute this to the large apparent contact angle of the meltwater, which for small amounts of frost serves to minimize coalescence events and prevent droplets from approaching the capillary length. Finally, we demonstrate a new mode of dynamic defrosting using an upside-down surface orientation, where the melting frost was able to uniformly detach from the superhydrophobic side and subsequently pull the frost from the hydrophobic side in a chain reaction. Treating surfaces to enable Cassie frost is therefore very desirable for enabling rapid and low-energy thermal defrosting, but only for frost sheets that are sufficiently thick.

Seasonal Climatologies and Variability of Eastern Tropical Pacific Surface Waters

OpenAIRE

Fiedler, Paul C.

1992-01-01

Interannual variability caused by the El Nino-Southern Oscillation in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean (ETP) is analogous to seasonal variability of comparable magnitude. Climatological spatial patterns and seasonal variability of physical variables that may affect the ETP ecosystem are presented and discussed. Surface temperature, surface salinity, mixed layer depth, thermocline depth, thermocline strength, and surface dynamic height were derived from bathythermograph, hydrocast, and...

Estimation of the mixing height in Casablanca from parametrisations of surface data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Turtos Carbonell, Leonor; Sanchez Gacita, Madeleine; Roque Rodriguez, Alfredo; Soltura Morales, Rolando

2006-01-01

The mixing height constitutes a basic parameter in the dispersion modelling of atmospheric pollutants inasmuch as it is the lower zone of the atmosphere where the turbulent transport of mass and energy mainly takes place and where the pollutants are transferred and interact among themselves. For the calculation of the mixing layer there are several methodologies that could be used depending of the available data, some of which are extremely simple and others much more complex. The most complex ones require the measurement of different meteorological variables in the upper atmosphere (upper air sounding). This work presents the methodologies used in the 'Integrated system for the evaluation of environmental impact of energy facilities' developed by the Information Management and Energy Development Centre (CUBAENERGIA) for the estimation of this parameter, making emphasis on the parametrisation of surface data for being a novel alternative in the country and because generally upper air data is not available so as to allow the use of other methods

Fear of heights and visual height intolerance.

Science.gov (United States)

Brandt, Thomas; Huppert, Doreen

2014-02-01

The aim of this review is, first, to cover the different aspects of visual height intolerance such as historical descriptions, definition of terms, phenomenology of the condition, neurophysiological control of gaze, stance and locomotion, and therapy, and, second, to identify warranted epidemiological and experimental studies. Vivid descriptions of fear of heights can be found in ancient texts from the Greek, Roman, and Chinese classics. The life-time prevalence of visual height intolerance is as high as 28% in the general population, and about 50% of those who are susceptible report an impact on quality of life. When exposed to heights, visual exploration by eye and head movements is restricted, and the velocity of locomotion is reduced. Therapy for fear of heights is dominated by the behavioral techniques applied during real or virtual reality exposure. Their efficacy might be facilitated by the administration of D-cycloserine or glucocorticoids. Visual height intolerance has a considerable impact on daily life and interpersonal interactions. It is much more frequent than fear of heights, which is defined as an environmental subtype of a specific phobia. There is certainly a continuum stretching from acrophobia to a less-pronounced visual height intolerance, to which the categorical distinction of a specific phobia does not apply.

Nonlinear dynamics in the perceptual grouping of connected surfaces.

Science.gov (United States)

Hock, Howard S; Schöner, Gregor

2016-09-01

Evidence obtained using the dynamic grouping method has shown that the grouping of an object's connected surfaces has properties characteristic of a nonlinear dynamical system. When a surface's luminance changes, one of its boundaries is perceived moving across the surface. The direction of this dynamic grouping (DG) motion indicates which of two flanking surfaces has been grouped with the changing surface. A quantitative measure of overall grouping strength (affinity) for adjacent surfaces is provided by the frequency of DG motion perception in directions promoted by the grouping variables. It was found that: (1) variables affecting surface grouping for three-surface objects evolve over time, settling at stable levels within a single fixation, (2) how often DG motion is perceived when a surface's luminance is perturbed (changed) depends on the pre-perturbation affinity state of the surface grouping, (3) grouping variables promoting the same surface grouping combine cooperatively and nonlinearly (super-additively) in determining the surface grouping's affinity, (4) different DG motion directions during different trials indicate that surface grouping can be bistable, which implies that inhibitory interactions have stabilized one of two alternative surface groupings, and (5) when alternative surface groupings have identical affinity, stochastic fluctuations can break the symmetry and inhibitory interactions can then stabilize one of the surface groupings, providing affinity levels are not too high (which results in bidirectional DG motion). A surface-grouping network is proposed within which boundaries vary in salience. Low salience or suppressed boundaries instantiate surface grouping, and DG motion results from changes in boundary salience. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Dynamic Factor Models for the Volatility Surface

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

van der Wel, Michel; Ozturk, Sait R.; Dijk, Dick van

The implied volatility surface is the collection of volatilities implied by option contracts for different strike prices and time-to-maturity. We study factor models to capture the dynamics of this three-dimensional implied volatility surface. Three model types are considered to examine desirable...

Definition of Physical Height Systems for Telluric Planets and Moons

OpenAIRE

Tenzer, R.; Foroughi, I.; Sjöberg, L.E.; Bagherbandi, M.; Hirt, C.; Pitoňák, M.

2018-01-01

In planetary sciences, the geodetic (geometric) heights defined with respect to the reference surface (the sphere or the ellipsoid) or with respect to the center of the planet/moon are typically used for mapping topographic surface, compilation of global topographic models, detailed mapping of potential landing sites, and other space science and engineering purposes. Nevertheless, certain applications, such as studies of gravity-driven mass movements, require the physical heights to be define...

Mean Dynamic Topography of the Arctic Ocean

Science.gov (United States)

Farrell, Sinead Louise; Mcadoo, David C.; Laxon, Seymour W.; Zwally, H. Jay; Yi, Donghui; Ridout, Andy; Giles, Katherine

2012-01-01

ICESat and Envisat altimetry data provide measurements of the instantaneous sea surface height (SSH) across the Arctic Ocean, using lead and open water elevation within the sea ice pack. First, these data were used to derive two independent mean sea surface (MSS) models by stacking and averaging along-track SSH profiles gathered between 2003 and 2009. The ICESat and Envisat MSS data were combined to construct the high-resolution ICEn MSS. Second, we estimate the 5.5-year mean dynamic topography (MDT) of the Arctic Ocean by differencing the ICEn MSS with the new GOCO02S geoid model, derived from GRACE and GOCE gravity. Using these satellite-only data we map the major features of Arctic Ocean dynamical height that are consistent with in situ observations, including the topographical highs and lows of the Beaufort and Greenland Gyres, respectively. Smaller-scale MDT structures remain largely unresolved due to uncertainties in the geoid at short wavelengths.

High-Throughput Phenotyping of Plant Height: Comparing Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and Ground LiDAR Estimates.

Science.gov (United States)

Madec, Simon; Baret, Fred; de Solan, Benoît; Thomas, Samuel; Dutartre, Dan; Jezequel, Stéphane; Hemmerlé, Matthieu; Colombeau, Gallian; Comar, Alexis

2017-01-01

The capacity of LiDAR and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) to provide plant height estimates as a high-throughput plant phenotyping trait was explored. An experiment over wheat genotypes conducted under well watered and water stress modalities was conducted. Frequent LiDAR measurements were performed along the growth cycle using a phénomobile unmanned ground vehicle. UAV equipped with a high resolution RGB camera was flying the experiment several times to retrieve the digital surface model from structure from motion techniques. Both techniques provide a 3D dense point cloud from which the plant height can be estimated. Plant height first defined as the z -value for which 99.5% of the points of the dense cloud are below. This provides good consistency with manual measurements of plant height (RMSE = 3.5 cm) while minimizing the variability along each microplot. Results show that LiDAR and structure from motion plant height values are always consistent. However, a slight under-estimation is observed for structure from motion techniques, in relation with the coarser spatial resolution of UAV imagery and the limited penetration capacity of structure from motion as compared to LiDAR. Very high heritability values ( H 2 > 0.90) were found for both techniques when lodging was not present. The dynamics of plant height shows that it carries pertinent information regarding the period and magnitude of the plant stress. Further, the date when the maximum plant height is reached was found to be very heritable ( H 2 > 0.88) and a good proxy of the flowering stage. Finally, the capacity of plant height as a proxy for total above ground biomass and yield is discussed.

Bringing satellite winds to hub-height

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Badger, Merete; Pena Diaz, Alfredo; Bredesen, Rolv Erlend

2012-01-01

Satellite observations of the ocean surface can provide detailed information about the spatial wind variability over large areas. This is very valuable for the mapping of wind resources offshore where other measurements are costly and sparse. Satellite sensors operating at microwave frequencies...... measure the amount of radar backscatter from the sea surface, which is a function of the instant wind speed, wind direction, and satellite viewing geometry. A major limitation related to wind retrievals from satellite observations is that existing empirical model functions relate the radar backscatter...... to wind speed at the height 10 m only. The extrapolation of satellite wind fields to higher heights, which are more relevant for wind energy, remains a challenge which cannot be addressed by means of satellite data alone. As part of the EU-NORSEWInD project (2008-12), a hybrid method has been developed...

Surface dynamics of micellar diblock copolymer films

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Sanghoon; Cha, Wonsuk; Kim, Hyunjung; Jiang, Zhang; Narayanan, Suresh

2011-03-01

We studied the structure and surface dynamics of poly(styrene)-b-poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PS-b-PDMS) diblock copolymer films with micellar PDMS surrounded by PS shells. By `in-situ' high resolution synchrotron x-ray reflectivity and diffuse scattering, we obtained exact thickness, electron density and surface tension. A segregation layer near the top surface was appeared with increasing temperature Surface dynamics were measured as a function of film thickness and temperature by x-ray photon correlation spectroscopy. The best fit to relaxation time constants as a function of in-plane wavevectors were analyzed with a theory based on capillary waves with hydrodynamics with bilayer model Finally the viscosities for the top segregated layer as well as for the bottom layer are obtained at given temperatures This work was supported by National Research Foundation of Korea (R15-2008-006-01001-0), Seoul Research and Business Development Program (10816), and Sogang University Research Grant (2010).

Dry Deposition, Surface Production and Dynamics of Aerosols in the Marine Boundary Layer

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fairall, C.W.; Larsen, Søren Ejling

1984-01-01

A model of downward aerosol panicle flux characterized by dry deposition velocity, Vd, due to Slinn and Slinn (1980) is generalized to the case of nonzero surface concentration (absorbing surface with a surface source). A more general expression for the flux at some reference height is developed ...... produced as droplets at the surface and ‘continental’ background aerosols brought into the boundary layer at the top by entrainment and gravitational settling. Estimates of Si are provided....

Oxygen–induced barrier height changes in aluminium – amorphous ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The results show that the application of voltage causes charge exchange between the surface states and the semiconductor leading to a change in the height of the potential barrier for electrons passing from aluminium into the a-Se films. The empirically determined values of barrier height of Al/a-Se diodes with thin and ...

Bayesian inversion analysis of nonlinear dynamics in surface heterogeneous reactions.

Science.gov (United States)

Omori, Toshiaki; Kuwatani, Tatsu; Okamoto, Atsushi; Hukushima, Koji

2016-09-01

It is essential to extract nonlinear dynamics from time-series data as an inverse problem in natural sciences. We propose a Bayesian statistical framework for extracting nonlinear dynamics of surface heterogeneous reactions from sparse and noisy observable data. Surface heterogeneous reactions are chemical reactions with conjugation of multiple phases, and they have the intrinsic nonlinearity of their dynamics caused by the effect of surface-area between different phases. We adapt a belief propagation method and an expectation-maximization (EM) algorithm to partial observation problem, in order to simultaneously estimate the time course of hidden variables and the kinetic parameters underlying dynamics. The proposed belief propagation method is performed by using sequential Monte Carlo algorithm in order to estimate nonlinear dynamical system. Using our proposed method, we show that the rate constants of dissolution and precipitation reactions, which are typical examples of surface heterogeneous reactions, as well as the temporal changes of solid reactants and products, were successfully estimated only from the observable temporal changes in the concentration of the dissolved intermediate product.

Footprint parameters as a measure of arch height.

Science.gov (United States)

Hawes, M R; Nachbauer, W; Sovak, D; Nigg, B M

1992-01-01

The human foot has frequently been categorized into arch height groups based upon analysis of footprint parameters. This study investigates the relationship between directly measured arch height and many of the footprint parameters that have been assumed to represent arch height. A total of 115 male subjects were measured and footprint parameters were calculated from digitized outlines. Correlation and regression analyses were used to determine the relationship between footprint measures and arch height. It may be concluded from the results that footprint parameters proposed in the literature (arch angle, footprint index, and arch index) and two further parameters suggested in this study (arch length index and truncated arch index) are invalid as a basis for prediction or categorization of arch height. The categorization of the human foot according to the footprint measures evaluated in this paper represent no more than indices and angles of the plantar surface of the foot itself.

Measuring the height-to-height correlation function of corrugation in suspended graphene

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kirilenko, D.A.; Brunkov, P.N.

2016-01-01

Nanocorrugation of 2D crystals is an important phenomenon since it affects their electronic and mechanical properties. The corrugation may have various sources; one of them is flexural phonons that, in particular, are responsible for the thermal conductivity of graphene. A study of corrugation of just the suspended graphene can reveal much of valuable information on the physics of this complicated phenomenon. At the same time, the suspended crystal nanorelief can hardly be measured directly because of high flexibility of the 2D crystal. Moreover, the relief portion related to rapid out-of-plane oscillations (flexural phonons) is also inaccessible by such measurements. Here we present a technique for measuring the Fourier components of the height–height correlation function H(q) of suspended graphene which includes the effect of flexural phonons. The technique is based on the analysis of electron diffraction patterns. The H(q) is measured in the range of wavevectors q≈0.4–4.5 nm"−"1. At the upper limit of this range H(q) does follow the T/κq"4 law. So, we measured the value of suspended graphene bending rigidity κ=1.2±0.4 eV at ambient temperature T≈300 K. At intermediate wave vectors, H(q) follows a slightly weaker exponent than theoretically predicted q"−"3"."1"5 but is closer to the results of the molecular dynamics simulation. At low wave vectors, the dependence becomes even weaker, which may be a sign of influence of charge carriers on the dynamics of undulations longer than 10 nm. The technique presented can be used for studying physics of flexural phonons in other 2D materials. - Highlights: • A technique for measuring free-standing 2D crystal corrugation is proposed. • The height-to-height correlation function of the suspended graphene corrugation is measured. • Various parameters of the intrinsic graphene properties are experimentally determined.

In defense of the classical height system

Science.gov (United States)

Foroughi, Ismael; Vaníček, Petr; Sheng, Michael; Kingdon, Robert William; Santos, Marcelo C.

2017-11-01

In many European countries, normal heights referred to the quasi-geoid as introduced by Molodenskij in the mid-20th century are preferred to the classical height system that consists of orthometric heights and the geoid as a reference surface for these heights. The rationale for this choice is supposed to be that in the classical height system, neither the geoid, nor the orthometric height can be ever known with centimetre level accuracy because one would need to know the topographical mass density to a level that can never be achieved. The aim of this paper is to question the validity of this rationale. The common way of assessing the congruency of a local geoid model and the orthometric heights is to compare the geoid heights with the difference between orthometric heights provided by leveling and geodetic heights provided by GNSS. On the other hand, testing the congruency of a quasi-geoidal model with normal height a similar procedure is used, except that instead of orthometric heights, normal heights are employed. For the area of Auvergne, France, which is now a more or less standard choice for precise geoid or quasi-geoid testing, only the normal heights are supplied by the Institute Geographic National, the provider of the data. This is clearly the consequence of the European preference for the Molodenskij system. The quality of the height system is to be judged by the congruency of the difference of the geoid/quasi-geoid heights subtracted from the geodetic heights and orthometric/normal heights. To assess the congruency of the classical height system, the Helmert approximation of orthometric heights is typically used as the transformation between normal and Helmert's heights is easily done. However, the evaluation of the differences between Helmert's and the rigorous orthometric heights is somewhat more involved as will be seen from the review in this paper. For the area of interest, the differences between normal and Helmert's heights at the control

Study on surface wave characteristics of free surface flow of liquid metal lithium for IFMIF

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hoashi, Eiji; Sugiura, Hirokazu; Yoshihashi-Suzuki, Sachiko; Yamaoka, Nobuo; Horiike, Hiroshi; Kanemura, Takuji; Kondo, Hiroo

2011-01-01

The international fusion materials irradiation facility (IFMIF) presents an intense neutron source to develop fusion reactor materials. The free surface flow of a liquid metal Lithium (Li) is planned as a target irradiated by two deuteron beams to generate intense neutrons and it is thus important to obtain knowledge of the surface wave characteristic for the safety and the efficiency of system in the IFMIF. We have been studying on surface wave characteristics experimentally using the liquid metal Li circulation facility at Osaka University and numerically using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code, FLUENT. This paper reports the results of the surface fluctuation, the wave height and the surface velocity in the free surface flow of the liquid metal Li examined experimentally and numerically. In the experiment, an electro-contact probe apparatus was used to obtain the surface fluctuation and the wave height, and a high speed video was used to measure the surface velocity. We resulted in knowledge of the surface wave growth mechanism. On the other hand, a CFD simulation was also conducted to obtain information on the relation of the free surface with the inner flow. In the simulation, the model included from a two-staged contraction nozzle to a flow channel with a free surface flow region and simulation results were compared with the experimental data. (author)

Experimental studies of photon-surface interaction dynamics in the alkali halides

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haglund, R.F. Jr.; Tolk, N.H.

1986-01-01

We describe recent measurements which have provided, in unprecedented detail, insights into the electronic mechanisms through which energy carried into a material by photon irradiation is absorbed, localized and rechanneled to produce desorption, surface modification, erosion and damage. The specific object of these studies has been desorption induced by electronic transition in alkali halide crystals, with particular emphasis on the dynamics of changes in the surface and near-surface regions. In our experiments, the irradiating ultraviolet photons are provided by a synchrotron storage ring, and the dynamical information about desorption products is obtained from optical measurements of the quantum states, yields and velocity distributions of neutral ground-state and excited-state atoms ejected from the surface of the irradiating material. These studies have shown that the dominant exit channels in photon-induced particle emission are those producing ground-state and excited-state neutral atoms. Using dynamical information about these desorbing neutral species, obtained, for example, by laser-induced fluorescence and laser Doppler spectroscopy, we are generating an increasingly comprehensive picture of the dynamics of electronic energy flow into and out of pure crystalline surfaces in these prototypical dielectrics. We are also beginning to be able to relate desorption dynamics to specific materials properties, and to discriminate between pure surface and near-surface effects in these materials. Applications of these techniques to the problem of photon-induced surface damage and to analysis of surface dynamics in dielectric materials are discussed, and the relationships between these nearly ideal model materials and the non-crystalline, covalently bonded materials more typical of real optical elements are pointed out. 19 refs., 13 figs

Global Distribution of Planetary Boundary Layer Height Derived from CALIPSO

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, J.

2015-12-01

The global distribution of planetary boundary layer (PBL) height, which was estimated from the attenuated back-scatter observations of Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO), is presented. In general, the PBL is capped by a temperature inversion that tends to trap moisture and aerosols. The gradient of back-scatter observed by lidar is almost always associated with this temperature inversion and the simultaneous decrease of moisture content. Thus, the PBL top is defined as the location of the maximum aerosol scattering gradient, which is analogous to the more conventional thermodynamic definition. The maximum standard deviation method, developed by Jordan et al. (2010), is modified and used to derive the global PBL heights. The derived PBL heights are not only consistent with the results of McGrath-Spangler and Denning (2012) but also agree well with the ground-based lidar measurements. It is found that the correlation between CALIPSO and the ground-based lidar was 0.73. The seasonal mean patterns from 4-year mid-day PBL heights over global are demonstrated. Also it is found that the largest PBL heights occur over the Tibetan Plateau and the coastal areas. The smallest PBL heights appear in the Tarim Basin and the northeast of China during the local winter. The comparison of PBL heights from CALIPSO and ECMWF under different land-cover conditions showed that, over ocean and forest surface, the PBL height estimated from the CALIPSO back-scatter climatology is larger than the ones estimated from ECMWF data. However, the PBL heights from ECMWF, over grass land and bare land surface in spring and summer are larger than the ones from CALIPSO.

Sub-nanometer glass surface dynamics induced by illumination

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nguyen, Duc; Nienhaus, Lea; Haasch, Richard T.; Lyding, Joseph; Gruebele, Martin

2015-01-01

Illumination is known to induce stress and morphology changes in opaque glasses. Amorphous silicon carbide (a-SiC) has a smaller bandgap than the crystal. Thus, we were able to excite with 532 nm light a 1 μm amorphous surface layer on a SiC crystal while recording time-lapse movies of glass surface dynamics by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). Photoexcitation of the a-SiC surface layer through the transparent crystal avoids heating the STM tip. Up to 6 × 10 4 s, long movies of surface dynamics with 40 s time resolution and sub-nanometer spatial resolution were obtained. Clusters of ca. 3-5 glass forming units diameter are seen to cooperatively hop between two states at the surface. Photoexcitation with green laser light recruits immobile clusters to hop, rather than increasing the rate at which already mobile clusters hop. No significant laser heating was observed. Thus, we favor an athermal mechanism whereby electronic excitation of a-SiC directly controls glassy surface dynamics. This mechanism is supported by an exciton migration-relaxation-thermal diffusion model. Individual clusters take ∼1 h to populate states differently after the light intensity has changed. We believe the surrounding matrix rearranges slowly when it is stressed by a change in laser intensity, and clusters serve as a diagnostic. Such cluster hopping and matrix rearrangement could underlie the microscopic mechanism of photoinduced aging of opaque glasses

Memory for target height is scaled to observer height.

Science.gov (United States)

Twedt, Elyssa; Crawford, L Elizabeth; Proffitt, Dennis R

2012-04-01

According to the embodied approach to visual perception, individuals scale the environment to their bodies. This approach highlights the central role of the body for immediate, situated action. The present experiments addressed whether body scaling--specifically, eye-height scaling--occurs in memory when action is not immediate. Participants viewed standard targets that were either the same height as, taller than, or shorter than themselves. Participants then viewed a comparison target and judged whether the comparison was taller or shorter than the standard target. Participants were most accurate when the standard target height matched their own heights, taking into account postural changes. Participants were biased to underestimate standard target height, in general, and to push standard target height away from their own heights. These results are consistent with the literature on eye-height scaling in visual perception and suggest that body scaling is not only a useful metric for perception and action, but is also preserved in memory.

Dynamic surface properties of poly(methylalkyldiallylammonium chloride) solutions

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Novikova, A. A.; Vlasov, P. S.; Lin, S.-Y.; Sedláková, Zdeňka; Noskov, B. A.

2017-01-01

Roč. 80, November (2017), s. 122-127 ISSN 1876-1070 Institutional support: RVO:61389013 Keywords : polymer solutions * dynamic surface tension * dilational surface rheology Subject RIV: CD - Macromolecular Chemistry OBOR OECD: Polymer science Impact factor: 4.217, year: 2016

Retrieving Smoke Aerosol Height from DSCOVR/EPIC

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, X.; Wang, J.; Wang, Y.

2017-12-01

Unlike industrial pollutant particles that are often confined within the planetary boundary layer, smoke from forest and agriculture fires can inject massive carbonaceous aerosols into the upper troposphere due to the intense pyro-convection. Sensitivity of weather and climate to absorbing carbonaceous aerosols is regulated by the altitude of those aerosol layers. However, aerosol height information remains limited from passive satellite sensors. Here we present an algorithm to estimate smoke aerosol height from radiances in the oxygen A and B bands measured by the Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera (EPIC) from the Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR). With a suit of case studies and validation efforts, we demonstrate that smoke aerosol height can be well retrieved over both ocean and land surfaces multiple times daily.

Measuring surface topography with scanning electron microscopy. I. EZEImage: a program to obtain 3D surface data.

Science.gov (United States)

Ponz, Ezequiel; Ladaga, Juan Luis; Bonetto, Rita Dominga

2006-04-01

Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) is widely used in the science of materials and different parameters were developed to characterize the surface roughness. In a previous work, we studied the surface topography with fractal dimension at low scale and two parameters at high scale by using the variogram, that is, variance vs. step log-log graph, of a SEM image. Those studies were carried out with the FERImage program, previously developed by us. To verify the previously accepted hypothesis by working with only an image, it is indispensable to have reliable three-dimensional (3D) surface data. In this work, a new program (EZEImage) to characterize 3D surface topography in SEM has been developed. It uses fast cross correlation and dynamic programming to obtain reliable dense height maps in a few seconds which can be displayed as an image where each gray level represents a height value. This image can be used for the FERImage program or any other software to obtain surface topography characteristics. EZEImage also generates anaglyph images as well as characterizes 3D surface topography by means of a parameter set to describe amplitude properties and three functional indices for characterizing bearing and fluid properties.

Dynamical modeling of surface tension

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brackbill, J.U.; Kothe, D.B.

1996-01-01

In a recent review it is said that free-surface flows ''represent some of the difficult remaining challenges in computational fluid dynamics''. There has been progress with the development of new approaches to treating interfaces, such as the level-set method and the improvement of older methods such as the VOF method. A common theme of many of the new developments has been the regularization of discontinuities at the interface. One example of this approach is the continuum surface force (CSF) formulation for surface tension, which replaces the surface stress given by Laplace's equation by an equivalent volume force. Here, we describe how CSF might be made more useful. Specifically, we consider a derivation of the CSF equations from a minimization of surface energy as outlined by Jacqmin. This reformulation suggests that if one eliminates the computation of curvature in terms of a unit normal vector, parasitic currents may be eliminated For this reformulation to work, it is necessary that transition region thickness be controlled. Various means for this, in addition to the one discussed by Jacqmin are discussed

Childhood height, adult height, and the risk of prostate cancer

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bjerregaard, Lise Geisler; Aarestrup, Julie; Gamborg, Michael

2016-01-01

PURPOSE: We previously showed that childhood height is positively associated with prostate cancer risk. It is, however, unknown whether childhood height exerts its effects independently of or through adult height. We investigated whether and to what extent childhood height has a direct effect...... on the risk of prostate cancer apart from adult height. METHODS: We included 5,871 men with height measured at ages 7 and 13 years in the Copenhagen School Health Records Register who also had adult (50-65 years) height measured in the Danish Diet, Cancer and Health study. Prostate cancer status was obtained...... through linkage to the Danish Cancer Registry. Direct and total effects of childhood height on prostate cancer risk were estimated from Cox regressions. RESULTS: From 1996 to 2012, 429 prostate cancers occurred. Child and adult heights were positively and significantly associated with prostate cancer risk...

Polarization optics of the Brewster's dark patch visible on water surfaces versus solar height and sky conditions: theory, computer modeling, photography, and painting.

Science.gov (United States)

Takács, Péter; Barta, András; Pye, David; Horváth, Gábor

2017-10-20

When the sun is near the horizon, a circular band with approximately vertically polarized skylight is formed at 90° from the sun, and this skylight is only weakly reflected from the region of the water surface around the Brewster's angle (53° from the nadir). Thus, at low solar heights under a clear sky, an extended dark patch is visible on the water surface when one looks toward the north or south quarter perpendicular to the solar vertical. In this work, we study the radiance distribution of this so-called Brewster's dark patch (BDP) in still water as functions of the solar height and sky conditions. We calculate the pattern of reflectivity R of a water surface for a clear sky and obtain from this idealized situation the shape of the BDP. From three full-sky polarimetric pictures taken about a clear, a partly cloudy, and an overcast sky, we determine the R pattern and compose from that synthetic color pictures showing how the radiance distribution of skylight reflected at the water surface and the BDPs would look under these sky conditions. We also present photographs taken without a linearly polarizing filter about the BDP. Finally, we show a 19th century painting on which a river is seen with a dark region of the water surface, which can be interpreted as an artistic illustration of the BDP.

Monitoring peptide-surface interaction by means of molecular dynamics simulation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nonella, Marco, E-mail: mnonella@pci.uzh.ch [Physikalisch-Chemisches Institut, Universitaet Zuerich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zuerich (Switzerland); Seeger, Stefan, E-mail: sseeger@pci.uzh.ch [Physikalisch-Chemisches Institut, Universitaet Zuerich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zuerich (Switzerland)

2010-12-09

Graphical abstract: Protein-surface interactions play a crucial role in a wide field of research areas like biology, biotechnology, or pharmacology. Only recently, it has been shown that not only peptide adsorption represents an important process but also spreading and clustering of adsorbed proteins. By means of classical molecular dynamics, peptide adsorption as well as the dynamics of adsorbed peptides have been investigated in order to gain deeper insight into such processes. The picture shows a snapshot of an adsorbed peptide on a silica surface showing strong direct hydrogen bonding. Research highlights: {yields} Simulation of peptide surface interaction. {yields} Dynamics of hydrogen bond formation and destruction. {yields} Internal flexibility of adsorbed peptides. - Abstract: Protein adsorption and protein surface interactions have become an important research topic in recent years. Very recently, for example, it has been shown that protein clusters can undergo a surface-induced spreading after adsorption. Such phenomena emphasize the need of a more detailed insight into protein-silica interaction at an atomic level. Therefore, we have studied a model system consisting of a short peptide, a silica slab, and water molecules by means of classical molecular dynamics simulations. The study reveals that, besides of electrostatic interactions caused by the chosen charge distribution, the peptide interacts with the silica surface through formation of direct peptide-surface hydrogen bonds as well as indirect peptide-water-surface hydrogen bonds. The number of created hydrogen bonds varies considerably among the simulated structures. The strength of hydrogen bonding determines the mobility of the peptide on the surface and the internal flexibility of the adsorbed peptide.

Time lag between the tropopause height and the levels of 7Be concentration in near surface air

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Melas D.

2012-04-01

Full Text Available The concentration of 7Be at near surface air has been determined over 2009, a year of a deep solar minimum, in the region of Thessaloniki, Greece at 40°62′ N, 22°95'E. In geomagnetic latitudes over 40° N, the elevation of the tropopause during the warm summer months and the vertical exchange of air masses within the troposphere cause greater mixture of the air masses resulting in higher concentration levels for 7Be in surface air. The positive correlation between the monthly activity concentration of 7Be and the tropopause height (0.94, p < 0.0001, and also between 7Be concentration and the temperature T (°C (R = 0.97, p < 0.001, confirm that the increased rate of vertical transport within the troposphere, especially during warmer summer months, has as a result the descent to surface of air masses enriched in 7Be. However, the 7Be concentration levels in near surface air are not expected to respond immediately to the change of elevation of the tropopause. It was found that there's a time lag of ~ 3 days between the change in the daily surface concentrations of 7Be the change in the elevation of the tropopause.

Height development of shade-tolerant conifer saplings in multiaged Acadian forest stands

Science.gov (United States)

Andrew R. Moores; Robert S. Seymour; Laura S. Kenefic

2007-01-01

Understory growth dynamics of northern conifer species were studied in four stands managed under multiaged silvicultural systems in eastern Maine. Height growth of Picea rubens Sarg., Abies balsamea (L.) Mill., and Tsuga canadensis (L.) Carr. saplings between 0.5 and 6.0 m in height was related to the proportion...

Dynamic surface tension measurements of ionic surfactants using maximum bubble pressure tensiometry

Science.gov (United States)

Ortiz, Camilla U.; Moreno, Norman; Sharma, Vivek

Dynamic surface tension refers to the time dependent variation in surface tension, and is intimately linked with the rate of mass transfer of a surfactant from liquid sub-phase to the interface. The diffusion- or adsorption-limited kinetics of mass transfer to interfaces is said to impact the so-called foamability and the Gibbs-Marangoni elasticity of surfaces. Dynamic surface tension measurements carried out with conventional methods like pendant drop analysis, Wilhelmy plate, etc. are limited in their temporal resolution (>50 ms). In this study, we describe design and application of maximum bubble pressure tensiometry for the measurement of dynamic surface tension effects at extremely short (1-50 ms) timescales. Using experiments and theory, we discuss the overall adsorption kinetics of charged surfactants, paying special attention to the influence of added salt on dynamic surface tension.

Fall from heights: does height really matter?

Science.gov (United States)

Alizo, G; Sciarretta, J D; Gibson, S; Muertos, K; Romano, A; Davis, J; Pepe, A

2018-06-01

Fall from heights is high energy injuries and constitutes a fraction of all fall-related trauma evaluations while bearing an increase in morbidity and mortality. We hypothesize that despite advancements in trauma care, the overall survivability has not improved in this subset of trauma patients. All adult trauma patients treated after sustaining a fall from heights during a 40-month period were retrospectively reviewed. Admission demographics, clinical data, fall height (ft), injury patterns, ISS, GCS, length of stay, and mortality were reviewed. 116 patients sustained a fall from heights, 90.4% accidental. A mean age of 37± 14.7 years, 86% male, and a fall height of 19 ± 10 ft were encountered. Admission GCS was 13 ± 2 with ISS 10 ± 11. Overall LOS was 6.6 ± 14.9 days and an ICU LOS of 2.8 ± 8.9 days. Falls ≥ 25 ft.(16%) had lower GCS 10.4 ± 5.8, increased ISS 22.6 ± 13.8, a fall height 37.9 ± 13.1 ft and associated increased mortality (p < 0.001). Mortality was 5.2%, a mean distance fallen of 39 ± 22 ft. and an ISS of 31.5 ±16.5. Brain injury was the leading cause of death, 50% with open skull fractures. Level of height fallen is a good predictor of overall outcome and survival. Despite advances in trauma care, death rates remain unchanged. Safety awareness and injury prevention programs are needed to reduce the risk of high-level falls.

The Effect of Surface Topography on the Nonlinear Dynamics of Rossby Waves

Science.gov (United States)

Abarzhi, S. I.; Desjardins, O.; Pitsch, H.

2003-01-01

Boussinesq convection in rotating systems attracts a sustained attention of the fluid dynamics community, because it has intricate non-linear dynamics (Cross & Hohenberg 1993) and plays an important role in geophysical and astrophysical applications, such as the motion of the liquid outer core of Earth, the Red Spot in Jupiter, the giant cells in the Sun etc. (Alridge et al. 1990). A fundamental distinction between the real geo- and astrophysical problems and the idealized laboratory studies is that natural systems are inhomogeneous (Alridge et al. 1990). Heterogeneities modulate the flow and influence significantly the dynamics of convective patterns (Alridge et al. 1990; Hide 1971). The effect of modulations on pattern formation and transition to turbulence in Boussinesq convection is far from being completely understood (Cross & Hohenberg 1993; Aranson & Kramer 2002). It is generally accepted that in the liquid outer core of the Earth the transport of the angular momentum and internal heat occurs via thermal Rossby waves (Zhang et al. 2001; Kuang & Bloxham 1999). These waves been visualized in laboratory experiments in rotating liquid-filled spheres and concentric spherical shells (Zhang et al. 2001; Kuang & Bloxham 1999). The basic dynamical features of Rossby waves have been reproduced in a cylindrical annulus, a system much simpler than the spherical ones (Busse & Or 1986; Or & Busse 1987). For convection in a cylindrical annulus, the fluid motion is two-dimensional, and gravity is replaced by a centrifugal force, (Busse & Or 1986; Or & Busse 1987). Hide (1971) has suggested that the momentum and heat transport in the core might be influenced significantly by so-called bumps, which are heterogeneities on the mantle-core boundary. To model the effect of surface topography on the transport of momentum and energy in the liquid outer core of the Earth, Bell & Soward (1996), Herrmann & Busse (1998) and Westerburg & Busse (2001) have studied the nonlinear dynamics

Dynamics of Phenanthrenequinone on Carbon Nano-Onion Surfaces Probed by Quasielastic Neutron Scattering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mamontov, Eugene; Brown, Gilbert M.; Overbury, Steven H.; Mavila Chathoth, Suresh

2012-01-01

We used quasielastic neutron scattering (QENS) to study the dynamics of phenanthrenequinone (PQ) on the surface of onion-like carbon (OLC), or so called carbon onions, as a function of surface coverage and temperature. For both the high- and low-coverage samples, we observed two diffusion processes; a faster process and nearly an order of magnitude slower process. On the high-coverage surface, the slow diffusion process is of long-range translational character, whereas the fast diffusion process is spatially localized on the length scale of ∼ 4.7. On the low-coverage surface, both diffusion processes are spatially localized; on the same length scale of ∼ 4.7 for the fast diffusion and a somewhat larger length scale for the slow diffusion. Arrhenius temperature dependence is observed except for the long-range diffusion on the high-coverage surface. We attribute the fast diffusion process to the generic localized in-cage dynamics of PQ molecules, and the slow diffusion process to the long-range translational dynamics of PQ molecules, which, depending on the coverage, may be either spatially restricted, or long-range. On the low-coverage surface, uniform surface coverage is not attained, and the PQ molecules experience the effect of spatial constraints on their long-range translational dynamics. Unexpectedly, the dynamics of PQ molecules on OLC as a function of temperature and surface coverage bears qualitative resemblance to the dynamics of water molecules on oxide surfaces, including practically temperature-independent residence times for the low-coverage surface. The dynamics features that we observed may be universal across different classes of surface adsorbates.

The influence of coastal morphology on wind dynamics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Darius Jarmalavičius

2012-05-01

Full Text Available An analysis of the dynamics of wind velocity along the Baltic coast of Lithuania is presented, based on data collected during field experiments in the summer, fall and winter of 1999–2001 and 2007–2009 at several sites (Būtingė, Šaipiai, Smiltynė, Juodkrantė, Pervalka and Nida. The locations were chosen in order to encompass a wide spectrum of beach and dune ridge morphology. The relationship between wind velocity dynamics and coastal morphology was established, based on measurements of the slope angle, height and shape of the dune crest, as well as measurements of the morphology of the area behind the foredune ridge. On the basis of a comparison of near-surface wind velocity patterns, shear velocity (U* and surface roughness length (z0 were calculated. It was determined that U* decreases from the middle of the beach towards the foredune toe, then increases towards the crest of the foredune and decreases down the lee slope. A direct correlation exists between U* and the stoss slope inclination, and the relative height of the foredune. Surface roughness length also increases from the beach towards the foredune crest.

Critical bifurcation surfaces of 3D discrete dynamics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michael Sonis

2000-01-01

Full Text Available This paper deals with the analytical representation of bifurcations of each 3D discrete dynamics depending on the set of bifurcation parameters. The procedure of bifurcation analysis proposed in this paper represents the 3D elaboration and specification of the general algorithm of the n-dimensional linear bifurcation analysis proposed by the author earlier. It is proven that 3D domain of asymptotic stability (attraction of the fixed point for a given 3D discrete dynamics is bounded by three critical bifurcation surfaces: the divergence, flip and flutter surfaces. The analytical construction of these surfaces is achieved with the help of classical Routh–Hurvitz conditions of asymptotic stability. As an application the adjustment process proposed by T. Puu for the Cournot oligopoly model is considered in detail.

Variation of boundary-layer wind spectra with height

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Larsén, Xiaoli Guo; Petersen, Erik L.; Larsen, Søren Ejling

2018-01-01

This study revisits the height dependence of the wind speed power spectrum from the synoptic scale to the spectral gap. Measurements from cup anemometers and sonics at heights of 15 m to 244 m are used. The measurements are from one land site, one coastal land‐based site and three offshore sites...... the atmospheric tide. The second finding regards the height dependence of the general spectrum. We describe the dependence through a so‐called effective roughness, which is calculated from wind spectra and represents the energy removal at different frequencies, and thus surface conditions in the footprint areas....... The generalizable spectral properties of winds presented herein may prove useful for validating numerical models....

Dynamic interactions of Leidenfrost droplets on liquid metal surface

Science.gov (United States)

Ding, Yujie; Liu, Jing

2016-09-01

Leidenfrost dynamic interaction effects of the isopentane droplets on the surface of heated liquid metal were disclosed. Unlike conventional rigid metal, such conductive and deformable liquid metal surface enables the levitating droplets to demonstrate rather abundant and complex dynamics. The Leidenfrost droplets at different diameters present diverse morphologies and behaviors like rotation and oscillation. Depending on the distance between the evaporating droplets, they attract and repulse each other through the curved surfaces beneath them and their vapor flows. With high boiling point up to 2000 °C, liquid metal offers a unique platform for testing the evaporating properties of a wide variety of liquid even solid.

Reaction dynamics of molecular hydrogen on silicon surfaces

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bratu, P.; Brenig, W.; Gross, A.

1996-01-01

of the preexponential factor by about one order of magnitude per lateral degree of freedom. Molecular vibrations have practically no effect on the adsorption/desorption dynamics itself, but lead to vibrational heating in desorption with a strong isotope effect. Ab initio calculations for the H-2 interaction...... between the two surfaces. These results indicate that tunneling, molecular vibrations, and the structural details of the surface play only a minor role for the adsorption dynamics. Instead, they appear to be governed by the localized H-Si bonding and Si-Si lattice vibrations. Theoretically, an effective......Experimental and theoretical results on the dynamics of dissociative adsorption and recombinative desorption of hydrogen on silicon are presented. Using optical second-harmonic generation, extremely small sticking probabilities in the range 10(-9)-10(-5) could be measured for H-2 and D-2 on Si(111...

Investigation of the height dependency of optical turbulence in the surface layer over False Bay (South Africa)

Science.gov (United States)

Sprung, Detlev; van Eijk, Alexander M. J.; Günter, Willie; Griffith, Derek; Eisele, Christian; Sucher, Erik; Seiffer, Dirk; Stein, Karin

2017-09-01

Atmospheric turbulence impacts on the propagation of electro-optical radiation. Typical manifestations of optical turbulence are scintillation (intensity fluctuations), beam wander and (for laser systems) reduction of beam quality. For longer propagation channels, it is important to characterize the vertical and horizontal distribution (inhomogeneity) of the optical turbulence. In the framework of the First European South African Transmission ExpeRiment (FESTER) optical turbulence was measured between June 2015 and February 2016 over a 1.8 km over-water link over False Bay. The link ran from the Institute of Maritime Technology (IMT) at Simons Town to the lighthouse at Roman Rock Island. Three Boundary layer scintillometers (BLS900) allowed assessing the vertical distribution of optical turbulence at three different heights between 5 and 12 m above the water surface. The expected decrease with Cn2 with height is not always found. These results are analyzed in terms of the meteorological scenario, and a comparison is made with a fourth optical link providing optical turbulence data over a 8.69 km path from IMT to St. James, roughly perpendicular to the three 1.8 km paths.

Atomic probes of surface structure and dynamics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heller, E.J.; Jonsson, H.

1992-01-01

Progress for the period Sept. 15, 1992 to Sept. 14, 1993 is discussed. Semiclassical methods that will allow much faster and more accurate three-dimensional atom--surface scattering calculations, both elastic and inelastic, are being developed. The scattering of He atoms from buckyballs is being investigated as a test problem. Somewhat more detail is given on studies of He atom scattering from defective Pt surfaces. Molecular dynamics simulations of He + and Ar + ion sputtering of Pt surfaces are also being done. He atom scattering from Xe overlayers on metal surfaces and the thermalized dissociation of H 2 on Cu(110) are being studied. (R.W.R.) 64 refs

Calculations of shape and stability of menisci in Czochralski growth with tables to determine meniscus heights, maximum heights and capillary constants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Uelhoff, W.; Mika, K.

1975-05-01

The shape and stability of menisci occurring during Czochralski growth have been studied by means of numerical methods for the case of the free surface. The existence of minimal joining angles is shown, beyond which the growing crystal will separate from the melt. The dependence of the interface height on the joining angle for different crystal diameters was calculated. The maximum stable heights and the corresponding joining angles were determined as a function of crystal diameter. A method for measuring the capillary constant of the melt during Czochralski growth is proposed. The results are compared with known analytical approximations. Limitations of the applications caused by a finite crucible radius or low g values are pointed out. For practical use the following functions have been tabulated: 1) meniscus height in dependence on joining angle and crystal radius, 2) the radius-height-ratio in dependence on radius and angle for the calculation of the capillary constant, 3) the maximum stable height and the corresponding growth angle as a function of crystal radius. (orig.) [de

Bulk-mediated surface diffusion: non-Markovian desorption dynamics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Revelli, Jorge A; Budde, Carlos E; Prato, Domingo; Wio, Horacio S

2005-01-01

Here we analyse the dynamics of adsorbed molecules within the bulk-mediated surface diffusion framework, when the particle's desorption mechanism is characterized by a non-Markovian process, while the particle's adsorption as well as its motion in the bulk is governed by Markovian dynamics. We study the diffusion of particles in both semi-infinite and finite cubic lattices, analysing the conditional probability to find the system on the reference absorptive plane as well as the surface dispersion as functions of time. The results are compared with known Markovian cases showing the differences that can be exploited to distinguish between Markovian and non-Markovian desorption mechanisms in experimental situations

Estimation of sea surface wave height from Bhaskara II SAMIR data

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Rao, M.V.; Viswambharan, N.K.; Rao, L.V.G.

from R V Gaveshani and visual observations from other ships as reported in IDWR) are available. Using this, an attempt has been made to obtain an empirical relation between brightness temperature and significant wave height. Linear correlation between...

Structure and dynamics at the liquid surface of benzyl alcohol

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dietter, J.; Morgner, H.

1999-01-01

A molecular dynamics simulation of a liquid layer of benzyl alcohol has been performed in order to compare the results with those obtained in experimental studies of our group. The main result of the experimental work was a strong orientational ordering of the benzyl alcohol molecules in the surface as well as an exceptionally large surface potential of ca. 0.6 V. According to the experiments the surface molecules orientate in such a way that the benzene ring points toward the vapor phase while the CH 2 group and the OH group are directed towards the bulk of the liquid. The simulation confirms this orientation of the surface molecules. The surface potential resulting from the simulation is 350 mV. The simulation reveals that the rather large surface potential can be understood as a consequence of the mean orientation of the molecular dipole moment in the surface region. The mean orientation of the molecules themselves in the surface is due to the tendency of the system to maintain the hydrogen bonding structure of the bulk in the surface region as well. The preferential orientation of the surface molecules causes a change of the dynamics of the individual components of the molecules when switching from bulk to surface which depends on the separation of these components from the polar group. This becomes most obvious in case of the reorientation dynamics of the molecular axes, e.g. the reorientation of the benzene ring is faster than the reorientation of the OH group. (Copyright (c) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam. All rights reserved.)

Dynamics of the contact between a ruthenium surface with a single nanoasperity and a flat ruthenium surface: Molecular dynamics simulations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barros de Oliveira, Alan; Fortini, Andrea; Buldyrev, Sergey V.; Srolovitz, David

2011-01-01

We study the dynamics of the contact between a pair of surfaces (with properties designed to mimic ruthenium) via molecular dynamics simulations. In particular, we study the contact between a ruthenium surface with a single nanoasperity and a flat ruthenium surface. The results of such simulations suggest that contact behavior is highly variable. The goal of this study is to investigate the source and degree of this variability. We find that during compression, the behavior of the contact force displacement curves is reproducible, while during contact separation, the behavior is highly variable. Examination of the contact surfaces suggests that two separation mechanisms are in operation and give rise to this variability. One mechanism corresponds to the formation of a bridge between the two surfaces that plastically stretches as the surfaces are drawn apart and eventually separate in shear. This leads to a morphology after separation in which there are opposing asperities on the two surfaces. This plastic separation/bridge formation mechanism leads to a large work of separation. The other mechanism is a more brittle-like mode in which a crack propagates across the base of the asperity (slightly below the asperity/substrate junction) leading to most of the asperity on one surface or the other after separation and a slight depression facing this asperity on the opposing surface. This failure mode corresponds to a smaller work of separation. This failure mode corresponds to a smaller work of separation. Furthermore, contacts made from materials that exhibit predominantly brittle-like behavior will tend to require lower work of separation than those made from ductile-like contact materials.

Satellite-based estimates of surface water dynamics in the Congo River Basin

Science.gov (United States)

Becker, M.; Papa, F.; Frappart, F.; Alsdorf, D.; Calmant, S.; da Silva, J. Santos; Prigent, C.; Seyler, F.

2018-04-01

In the Congo River Basin (CRB), due to the lack of contemporary in situ observations, there is a limited understanding of the large-scale variability of its present-day hydrologic components and their link with climate. In this context, remote sensing observations provide a unique opportunity to better characterize those dynamics. Analyzing the Global Inundation Extent Multi-Satellite (GIEMS) time series, we first show that surface water extent (SWE) exhibits marked seasonal patterns, well distributed along the major rivers and their tributaries, and with two annual maxima located: i) in the lakes region of the Lwalaba sub-basin and ii) in the "Cuvette Centrale", including Tumba and Mai-Ndombe Lakes. At an interannual time scale, we show that SWE variability is influenced by ENSO and the Indian Ocean dipole events. We then estimate water level maps and surface water storage (SWS) in floodplains, lakes, rivers and wetlands of the CRB, over the period 2003-2007, using a multi-satellite approach, which combines the GIEMS dataset with the water level measurements derived from the ENVISAT altimeter heights. The mean annual variation in SWS in the CRB is 81 ± 24 km3 and contributes to 19 ± 5% of the annual variations of GRACE-derived terrestrial water storage (33 ± 7% in the Middle Congo). It represents also ∼6 ± 2% of the annual water volume that flows from the Congo River into the Atlantic Ocean.

Study of crater formation and its characteristics due to impact of a cluster projectile on a metal surface by molecular dynamics approach

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Naspoori, Srujan Kumar; Kammara, Kishore K.; Kumar, Rakesh, E-mail: rkm@iitk.ac.in

2017-04-01

Impingement of energetic particles/ions on material surfaces is of great interest as these impacts give rise to various interesting phenomena, such as sputtering, back-scattering, crater formation, emission of electrons and photons from material surfaces etc. Surface erosion occurring in the plasma-facing material of nuclear fusion reactors reduce their performance and this motivated the course of the current work in understanding the underlying physics of solid–particle interactions. In the present work, we have studied sputtering, crater formation and its characteristics on the surface of a plasma-facing material due to the impact of a low to high energy dust particle (a conglomerate of a few to a thousand atoms) using the molecular dynamics method. Sputtering yield, excavated atoms from the crater, crater depth, height of crater rim, radius and aspect ratio of the crater are calculated for a range of incident energies (10 eV to 10 keV), and the variation of these parameters with varying size (formed of 14, 32, 64 atoms) of dust particle at different temperatures of the target material are computed.

Variability of the Mixed-Layer Height Over Mexico City

Science.gov (United States)

García-Franco, J. L.; Stremme, W.; Bezanilla, A.; Ruiz-Angulo, A.; Grutter, M.

2018-02-01

The diurnal and seasonal variability of the mixed-layer height in urban areas has implications for ground-level air pollution and the meteorological conditions. Measurements of the backscatter of light pulses with a commercial lidar system were performed for a continuous period of almost six years between 2011 and 2016 in the southern part of Mexico City. The profiles were temporally and vertically smoothed, clouds were filtered out, and the mixed-layer height was determined with an ad hoc treatment of both the filtered and unfiltered profiles. The results are in agreement when compared with values of mixed-layer height reconstructed from, (i) radiosonde data, and (ii) surface and vertical column densities of a trace gas. The daily maxima of the mean mixed-layer height reach values > 3 km above ground level in the months of March-April, and are clearly lower (pollution episodes and the height of the mixed layer. The growth rate of the convective mixed-layer height has a seasonal behaviour, which is characterized together with the mixed-layer-height anomalies. A clear residual layer is evident from the backscattered signals recorded in days with specific atmospheric conditions, but also from the cloud-filtered mean diurnal profiles. The occasional presence of a residual layer results in an overestimation of the reported mixed-layer height during the night and early morning hours.

Design and Dynamics Analysis of a Bio-Inspired Intermittent Hopping Robot for Planetary Surface Exploration

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Long Bai

2012-10-01

Full Text Available A small, bio-inspired and minimally actuated intermittent hopping robot for planetary surface exploration is proposed in this paper. The robot uses a combined-geared six-bar linkage/spring mechanism, which has a possible rich trajectory and metamorphic characteristics and, due to this, the robot is able to recharge, lock/release and jump by using just a micro-power motor as the actuator. Since the robotic system has a closed-chain structure and employs underactuated redundant motion, the constrained multi-body dynamics are derived with time-varying driving parameters and ground unilateral constraint both taken into consideration. In addition, the established dynamics equations, mixed of higher order differential and algebraic expressions, are solved by the immediate integration algorithm. A prototype is implemented and experiments are carried out. The results show that the robot, using a micro-power motor as the actuator and solar cells as the power supply, can achieve a biomimetic multi-body hopping stance and a nonlinearly increasing driving force. Typically, the robot can jump a horizontal distance of about 1 m and a vertical height of about 0.3 m, with its trunk and foot moving stably during takeoff. In addition, the computational and experimental results are consistent as regards the hopping performance of the robot, which suggests that the proposed dynamics model and its solution have general applicability to motion prediction and the performance analysis of intermittent hopping robots.

Validation of a laboratory method for evaluating dynamic properties of reconstructed equine racetrack surfaces.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jacob J Setterbo

Full Text Available Racetrack surface is a risk factor for racehorse injuries and fatalities. Current research indicates that race surface mechanical properties may be influenced by material composition, moisture content, temperature, and maintenance. Race surface mechanical testing in a controlled laboratory setting would allow for objective evaluation of dynamic properties of surface and factors that affect surface behavior.To develop a method for reconstruction of race surfaces in the laboratory and validate the method by comparison with racetrack measurements of dynamic surface properties.Track-testing device (TTD impact tests were conducted to simulate equine hoof impact on dirt and synthetic race surfaces; tests were performed both in situ (racetrack and using laboratory reconstructions of harvested surface materials. Clegg Hammer in situ measurements were used to guide surface reconstruction in the laboratory. Dynamic surface properties were compared between in situ and laboratory settings. Relationships between racetrack TTD and Clegg Hammer measurements were analyzed using stepwise multiple linear regression.Most dynamic surface property setting differences (racetrack-laboratory were small relative to surface material type differences (dirt-synthetic. Clegg Hammer measurements were more strongly correlated with TTD measurements on the synthetic surface than the dirt surface. On the dirt surface, Clegg Hammer decelerations were negatively correlated with TTD forces.Laboratory reconstruction of racetrack surfaces guided by Clegg Hammer measurements yielded TTD impact measurements similar to in situ values. The negative correlation between TTD and Clegg Hammer measurements confirms the importance of instrument mass when drawing conclusions from testing results. Lighter impact devices may be less appropriate for assessing dynamic surface properties compared to testing equipment designed to simulate hoof impact (TTD.Dynamic impact properties of race surfaces

Quantification of surface water volume changes in the Mackenzie Delta using satellite multi-mission data

Science.gov (United States)

Normandin, Cassandra; Frappart, Frédéric; Lubac, Bertrand; Bélanger, Simon; Marieu, Vincent; Blarel, Fabien; Robinet, Arthur; Guiastrennec-Faugas, Léa

2018-02-01

Quantification of surface water storage in extensive floodplains and their dynamics are crucial for a better understanding of global hydrological and biogeochemical cycles. In this study, we present estimates of both surface water extent and storage combining multi-mission remotely sensed observations and their temporal evolution over more than 15 years in the Mackenzie Delta. The Mackenzie Delta is located in the northwest of Canada and is the second largest delta in the Arctic Ocean. The delta is frozen from October to May and the recurrent ice break-up provokes an increase in the river's flows. Thus, this phenomenon causes intensive floods along the delta every year, with dramatic environmental impacts. In this study, the dynamics of surface water extent and volume are analysed from 2000 to 2015 by combining multi-satellite information from MODIS multispectral images at 500 m spatial resolution and river stages derived from ERS-2 (1995-2003), ENVISAT (2002-2010) and SARAL (since 2013) altimetry data. The surface water extent (permanent water and flooded area) peaked in June with an area of 9600 km2 (±200 km2) on average, representing approximately 70 % of the delta's total surface. Altimetry-based water levels exhibit annual amplitudes ranging from 4 m in the downstream part to more than 10 m in the upstream part of the Mackenzie Delta. A high overall correlation between the satellite-derived and in situ water heights (R > 0.84) is found for the three altimetry missions. Finally, using altimetry-based water levels and MODIS-derived surface water extents, maps of interpolated water heights over the surface water extents are produced. Results indicate a high variability of the water height magnitude that can reach 10 m compared to the lowest water height in the upstream part of the delta during the flood peak in June. Furthermore, the total surface water volume is estimated and shows an annual variation of approximately 8.5 km3 during the whole study period, with

The SAHR Setup-Controlling Hopping Speed and Height Using a Single Actuator

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

N. Cherouvim

2008-01-01

Full Text Available In this paper we present and experimentally validate a control method for regulating both the forward speed and the apex height of a one-legged hopping robot, using only a single actuator. The control method is based on a dynamic model of the hopping robot and makes use of the dynamic coupling of the vertical and forward motions of the robot. The control is applied first to a simulated model of the robot and shown to track a desired forward robot speed and a desired apex height. Then the SAHR (single actuator hopping robot hardware is introduced and is used as an experimental platform with which to evaluate the performance of the control method. The control method is applied to the physical setup and is shown to lead to a stable hopping gait with a desired forward speed and apex height, despite the unmodelled disturbances met on the laboratory floor.

Lipoxin A4 stimulates calcium-activated chloride currents and increases airway surface liquid height in normal and cystic fibrosis airway epithelia.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

2012-01-01

Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is a genetic disease characterised by a deficit in epithelial Cl(-) secretion which in the lung leads to airway dehydration and a reduced Airway Surface Liquid (ASL) height. The endogenous lipoxin LXA(4) is a member of the newly identified eicosanoids playing a key role in ending the inflammatory process. Levels of LXA(4) are reported to be decreased in the airways of patients with CF. We have previously shown that in normal human bronchial epithelial cells, LXA(4) produced a rapid and transient increase in intracellular Ca(2+). We have investigated, the effect of LXA(4) on Cl(-) secretion and the functional consequences on ASL generation in bronchial epithelial cells obtained from CF and non-CF patient biopsies and in bronchial epithelial cell lines. We found that LXA(4) stimulated a rapid intracellular Ca(2+) increase in all of the different CF bronchial epithelial cells tested. In non-CF and CF bronchial epithelia, LXA(4) stimulated whole-cell Cl(-) currents which were inhibited by NPPB (calcium-activated Cl(-) channel inhibitor), BAPTA-AM (chelator of intracellular Ca(2+)) but not by CFTRinh-172 (CFTR inhibitor). We found, using confocal imaging, that LXA(4) increased the ASL height in non-CF and in CF airway bronchial epithelia. The LXA(4) effect on ASL height was sensitive to bumetanide, an inhibitor of transepithelial Cl(-) secretion. The LXA(4) stimulation of intracellular Ca(2+), whole-cell Cl(-) currents, conductances and ASL height were inhibited by Boc-2, a specific antagonist of the ALX\\/FPR2 receptor. Our results provide, for the first time, evidence for a novel role of LXA(4) in the stimulation of intracellular Ca(2+) signalling leading to Ca(2+)-activated Cl(-) secretion and enhanced ASL height in non-CF and CF bronchial epithelia.

Airborne Lidar Measurements of Below-canopy Surface Water Height , Slope and Optical Properties in the Florida Everglades Shark River Slough

Science.gov (United States)

Dabney, P.; Harding, D. J.; Valett, S. R.; Yu, A. W.; Feliciano, E. A.; Neuenschwander, A. L.; Pitts, K.

2015-12-01

Determining the presence, persistence, optical properties and variation in height and slope of surface water beneath the dense canopies of flooded forests and mangrove stands could contribute to studies of the acquisition of water and nutrients by plant roots. NASA's airborne Slope Imaging Multi-polarization Photon-counting Lidar (SIMPL) provides unique capabilities that can identify below-canopy surface water, measure its height with respect to vegetation constituents with sub-decimeter precision and quantify its slope. It also provides information on canopy structure and closure, the water column extinction profile as a proxy for turbidity and water depth, with the penetration depth constrained by turbidity. It achieves this by using four laser beams operating at two wavelengths with measurements of water surface elevation at 1064 nm (near infrared) and water column properties at 532 nm (green), analogous to a bathymetric lidar. Importantly the instrument adds a polarimetry function, like some atmospheric lidars, which measures the amount of depolarization determined by the degree to which the plane-parallel transmitted laser pulse energy is converted to the perpendicular state. The degree of depolarization is sensitive to the number of photon multiple-scattering events. For the water surface, which is specular consisting only of single-scattering events, the near-infrared received signal retains the parallel polarization state. Absence of the perpendicular signal uniquely identifies surface water. Penetration of green light and the depth profile of photons converted to the perpendicular state compared to those in the parallel state is a measure of water-column multiple scattering, providing a relative measure of turbidity. The amount of photons reflected from the canopy versus the water provides a wavelength-dependent measure of canopy closure. By rapidly firing laser pulses (11,400 pulses per second) with a narrow width (1 nsec) and detecting single photons

Concordant preferences for actual height and facial cues to height

OpenAIRE

Re, Daniel Edward; Perrett, David I.

2012-01-01

Physical height has a well-documented effect on human mate preferences. In general, both sexes prefer opposite-sex romantic relationships in which the man is taller than the woman, while individual preferences for height are affected by a person’s own height. Research in human mate choice has demonstrated that attraction to facial characteristics, such as facial adiposity, may reflect references for body characteristics. Here, we tested preferences for facial cues to height. In general, incre...

Molecular dynamics study on evaporation and condensation characteristics of thin film liquid Argon on nanostructured surface in nano-scale confinement

Science.gov (United States)

Hasan, Mohammad Nasim; Rabbi, Kazi Fazle; Sabah, Arefiny; Ahmed, Jannat; Kuri, Subrata Kumar; Rakibuzzaman, S. M.

2017-06-01

Investigation of Molecular level phase change phenomena are becoming important in heat and mass transfer research at a very high rate, driven both by the need to understand certain fundamental phenomena as well as by a plethora of new and forthcoming applications in the areas of micro- and nanotechnologies. Molecular dynamics simulation has been carried out to go through the evaporation and condensation characteristics of thin liquid argon film in Nano-scale confinement. In the present study, a cuboid system is modeled for understanding the Nano-scale physics of simultaneous evaporation and condensation. The cuboid system consists of hot and cold parallel platinum plates at the bottom and top ends. The fluid comprised of liquid argon film at the bottom plate and vapor argon in between liquid argon and upper plate of the domain. Three different simulation domains have been created here: (i) Both platinum plates are considered flat, (ii) Upper plate consisting of transverse slots of low height and (iii) Upper plate consisting of transverse slots of bigger height. Considering hydrophilic nature of top and bottom plates, two different high temperatures of the hot wall was set and an observation was made on normal and explosive vaporizations and their impacts on thermal transport. For all the structures, equilibrium molecular dynamics (EMD) was performed to reach equilibrium state at 90 K. Then the lower wall is set to two different temperatures like 110 K and 250 K for all three models to perform non-equilibrium molecular dynamics (NEMD). For vaporization, higher temperature of the hot wall led to faster transport of the liquid argon as a cluster moving from hot wall to cold wall. But excessive temperature causes explosive boiling which seems not good for heat transportation because of less phase change. In case of condensation, an observation was made which indicates that the nanostructured transverse slots facilitate condensation. Two factors affect the rate of

Corrections for the effects of significant wave height and attitude on Geosat radar altimeter measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Hayne, G. S.; Hancock, D. W., III

1990-01-01

Range estimates from a radar altimeter have biases which are a function of the significant wave height (SWH) and the satellite attitude angle (AA). Based on results of prelaunch Geosat modeling and simulation, a correction for SWH and AA was already applied to the sea-surface height estimates from Geosat's production data processing. By fitting a detailed model radar return waveform to Geosat waveform sampler data, it is possible to provide independent estimates of the height bias, the SWH, and the AA. The waveform fitting has been carried out for 10-sec averages of Geosat waveform sampler data over a wide range of SWH and AA values. The results confirm that Geosat sea-surface-height correction is good to well within the original dm-level specification, but that an additional height correction can be made at the level of several cm.

Dynamics and diffusive-conformational coupling in polymer bulk samples and surfaces: a molecular dynamics study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vree, C; Mayr, S G

2010-01-01

The impact of free surfaces on the mobility and conformational fluctuations of model polymer chains is investigated with the help of classical molecular dynamics simulations over a broad temperature range. Below a critical temperature, T*, similar to the critical temperature of the mode coupling theory, the center-of-mass displacements and temporal fluctuations of the radius of gyration of individual chains-as a fingerprint of structural reconfigurations-reveal a strong enhancement close to surfaces, while this effect diminishes with increasing temperature and observation time. Interpreting conformational fluctuations as a random walk in conformational space, identical activation enthalpies for structural reconfigurations and diffusion are obtained within the error bars in the bulk and at the surfaces, thus indicating a coupling of diffusive and conformational dynamics.

Experiences of ZAMG on mixing height determination

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Piringer, M. [Zentralanstalt fuer Meteorologie und Geodynamik, ZAMG, Vienna (Austria)

1997-10-01

Temperature inversions in the boundary layer occur quite often, esp. in mountainous terrain by which Austria is covered to a large extent, and can lead to enhanced pollution at the surface because the air volume available for dilution is then vertically limited. The Department of Environmental Meteorology of ZAMG therefore set up several field programs in the past to study such conditions at a variety of sites in Austria, using tethersondes and Sodars. Early investigations aimed at comparing Sodar echo profiles to the tethersonde temperature profiles to derive mixing heights from the Sodar echo structure. More recently, evolving from KONGEX, the `convective boundary layer experiment`, mixing heights calculated for Vienna by the OML model were compared to those derived from radiosonde and tethersonde potential temperature profiles. Results of these investigations will be presented, focussing on the problems when using the different methods. New efforts to derive mixing heights from data were also undertaken and are discussed separately. (au)

THE INFLUENCE OF AEROSOL GAS-DYNAMIC SUSPENSION CLEANING ON SURFACE OF THE AIRCRAFT PARTS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vitaly D. Hizhko

2008-02-01

Full Text Available  The specificity of the surface microgeometry formation under the influence of aerosol gas-dynamic suspension flow was considered. The composition and character of metallic surface layer formation of aircraft parts was investigated. The possibility of surface material composition and properties adjustment changing aerosol gas-dynamic suspension flow parameters was determined. The hypothesis about the possibility of using aerosol gas-dynamic suspension flow to form corrosion-resistant coating on the detail metallic surfaces was set up.

A study on the contact angles of a water droplet on smooth and rough solid surfaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Ju Young; Ha, Man Yeong; Choi, Ho Jin; Hong, Seung Do; Yoon, Hyun Sik

2011-01-01

We investigated the wetting characteristics such as contact angle, wetting radius and topography of water droplets on smooth and random solid surfaces. Molecular dynamic simulation is employed to analyze the wetting behavior of water droplets on smooth and rough surfaces by considering different potential energy models of bond, angle, Lennard-Jones and Coulomb to calculate the interacting forces between water molecules. The Lennard-Jones potential energy model is adopted as an interaction model between water molecules and solid surface atoms. The randomly rough surface is generated by changing the standard deviation of roughness height from 1 A to 3 A with the fixed autocorrelation length. The size of water droplet considered is in the range from 2,000 to 5,000 molecules. The contact angles increase generally with increasing number of water molecules. For a hydrophobic surface whose characteristic energy is 0.1 kcal/mol, the contact angles depend rarely on the standard deviation of the roughness height. However, when the surface energy is 0.5 and 1.0 kcal/mol, the contact angles depend on both the roughness height of surfaces and droplet size

Elasto-dynamic analysis of spinning nanodisks via a surface energy-based model

Science.gov (United States)

Kiani, Keivan

2016-07-01

Using the surface elasticity theory of Gurtin and Murdoch, in-plane vibrations of annular nanodisks due to their rotary motion are explored. By the imposition of non-classical boundary conditions on the innermost and outermost surfaces and employing Hamilton’s principle, the unknown elasto-dynamic fields of the bulk zone are determined via the finite element method. The roles of both nanodisk geometry and surface effect on the natural frequencies are addressed. Subsequently, forced vibrations of spinning nanodisks with fixed-free and free-free boundary conditions are comprehensively examined. The obtained results show that the maximum dynamic elastic fields grow in a parabolic manner as the steady angular velocity increases. By increasing the outermost radius, the maximum dynamic elastic field is magnified and the influence of the surface effect on the results reduced. This work can be considered as a pivotal step towards optimal design and dynamic analysis of nanorotors with disk-like parts, which are one of the basic building blocks of the upcoming advanced nanotechnologies.

Effect of surface modification and hybridization on dynamic ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Epoxy; Roystonea regia; glass; surface modification; hybridization; dynamic mechanical ... other advantages such as light weight, low cost, high specific ... ful technique to study the mechanical behaviour of mate- ... The test reveals response.

Observation of dynamic water microadsorption on Au surface

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Huang, Xiaokang, E-mail: xiaokang.huang@tqs.com; Gupta, Gaurav; Gao, Weixiang; Tran, Van; Nguyen, Bang; McCormick, Eric; Cui, Yongjie; Yang, Yinbao; Hall, Craig; Isom, Harold [TriQuint Semiconductor, Inc., 500 W Renner Road, Richardson, Texas 75080 (United States)

2014-05-15

Experimental and theoretical research on water wettability, adsorption, and condensation on solid surfaces has been ongoing for many decades because of the availability of new materials, new detection and measurement techniques, novel applications, and different scales of dimensions. Au is a metal of special interest because it is chemically inert, has a high surface energy, is highly conductive, and has a relatively high melting point. It has wide applications in semiconductor integrated circuitry, microelectromechanical systems, microfluidics, biochips, jewelry, coinage, and even dental restoration. Therefore, its surface condition, wettability, wear resistance, lubrication, and friction attract a lot of attention from both scientists and engineers. In this paper, the authors experimentally investigated Au{sub 2}O{sub 3} growth, wettability, roughness, and adsorption utilizing atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, reflectance spectrometry, and contact angle measurement. Samples were made using a GaAs substrate. Utilizing a super-hydrophilic Au surface and the proper surface conditions of the surrounding GaAs, dynamic microadsorption of water on the Au surface was observed in a clean room environment. The Au surface area can be as small as 12 μm{sup 2}. The adsorbed water was collected by the GaAs groove structure and then redistributed around the structure. A model was developed to qualitatively describe the dynamic microadsorption process. The effective adsorption rate was estimated by modeling and experimental data. Devices for moisture collection and a liquid channel can be made by properly arranging the wettabilities or contact angles of different materials. These novel devices will be very useful in microfluid applications or biochips.

Love and fear of heights: the pathophysiology and psychology of height imbalance.

Science.gov (United States)

Salassa, John R; Zapala, David A

2009-01-01

Individual psychological responses to heights vary on a continuum from acrophobia to height intolerance, height tolerance, and height enjoyment. This paper reviews the English literature and summarizes the physiologic and psychological factors that generate different responses to heights while standing still in a static or motionless environment. Perceptual cues to height arise from vision. Normal postural sway of 2 cm for peripheral objects within 3 m increases as eye-object distance increases. Postural sway >10 cm can result in a fall. A minimum of 20 minutes of peripheral retinal arc is required to detect motion. Trigonometry dictates that a 20-minute peripheral retinal arch can no longer be achieved in a standing position at an eye-object distance of >20 m. At this distance, visual cues conflict with somatosensory and vestibular inputs, resulting in variable degrees of imbalance. Co-occurring deficits in the visual, vestibular, and somatosensory systems can significantly increase height imbalance. An individual's psychological makeup, influenced by learned and genetic factors, can influence reactions to height imbalance. Enhancing peripheral vision and vestibular, proprioceptive, and haptic functions may improve height imbalance. Psychotherapy may improve the troubling subjective sensations to heights.

The hydrophobic effect: Molecular dynamics simulations of water confined between extended hydrophobic and hydrophilic surfaces

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Morten Østergaard; Mouritsen, Ole G.; Peters, Günther H.J.

2004-01-01

Structural and dynamic properties of water confined between two parallel, extended, either hydrophobic or hydrophilic crystalline surfaces of n-alkane C36H74 or n-alcohol C35H71OH, are studied by molecular dynamics simulations. Electron density profiles, directly compared with corresponding......-correlation functions reveal that water molecules have characteristic diffusive behavior and orientational ordering due to the lack of hydrogen bonding interactions with the surface. These observations suggest that the altered dynamical properties of water in contact with extended hydrophobic surfaces together...... at both surfaces. The ordering is characteristically different between the surfaces and of longer range at the hydrophilic surface. Furthermore, the dynamic properties of water are different at the two surfaces and different from the bulk behavior. In particular, at the hydrophobic surface, time...

Effects of airway surface liquid height on the kinetics of extracellular nucleotides in airway epithelia.

Science.gov (United States)

Amarante, Tauanne D; da Silva, Jafferson K L; Garcia, Guilherme J M

2014-12-21

Experimental techniques aimed at measuring the concentration of signaling molecules in the airway surface liquid (ASL) often require an unrealistically large ASL volume to facilitate sampling. This experimental limitation, prompted by the difficulty of pipetting liquid from a very shallow layer (~15 μm), leads to dilution and the under-prediction of physiologic concentrations of signaling molecules that are vital to the regulation of mucociliary clearance. Here, we use a computational model to describe the effect of liquid height on the kinetics of extracellular nucleotides in the airway surface liquid coating respiratory epithelia. The model consists of a reaction-diffusion equation with boundary conditions that represent the enzymatic reactions occurring on the epithelial surface. The simulations reproduce successfully the kinetics of extracellular ATP following hypotonic challenge for ASL volumes ranging from 25 μl to 500 μl in a 12-mm diameter cell culture. The model reveals that [ATP] and [ADO] reach 1200 nM and 2200 nM at the epithelial surface, respectively, while their volumetric averages remain less than 200 nM at all times in experiments with a large ASL volume (500 μl). These findings imply that activation of P2Y2 and A2B receptors is robust after hypotonic challenge, in contrast to what could be concluded based on experimental measurements of volumetric concentrations in large ASL volumes. Finally, given the central role that ATP and ADO play in regulating mucociliary clearance, we investigated which enzymes, when inhibited, provide the greatest increase in ATP and ADO concentrations. Our findings suggest that inhibition of NTPDase1/highTNAP would cause the greatest increase in [ATP] after hypotonic challenge, while inhibition of the transporter CNT3 would provide the greatest increase in [ADO]. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Atmospheric stability analysis over statically and dynamically rough surfaces

Science.gov (United States)

Maric, Emina; Metzger, Meredith; Singha, Arindam; Sadr, Reza

2011-11-01

The ratio of buoyancy flux to turbulent kinetic energy production in the atmospheric surface layer is investigated experimentally for air flow over two types of surfaces characterized by static and dynamic roughness. In this study, ``static'' refers to the time-invariant nature of naturally-occurring roughness over a mud/salt playa; while, ``dynamic'' refers to the behavior of water waves along an air-water interface. In both cases, time-resolved measurements of the momentum and heat fluxes were acquired from synchronized 3D sonic anemometers mounted on a vertical tower. Field campaigns were conducted at two sites, representing the ``statically'' and ``dynamically'' rough surfaces, respectively: (1) the SLTEST facility in Utah's western desert, and (2) the new Doha airport in Qatar under construction along the coast of the Persian Gulf. Note, at site 2, anemometers were located directly above the water by extension from a tower secured to the end of a 1 km-long pier. Comparisons of the Monin-Obukhov length, flux Richardson number, and gradient Richardson number are presented, and discussed in the context of the observed evolution of the turbulent spectra in response to diurnal variations of atmospheric stability. Supported by the Qatar National Research Fund.

Variability of the Mixed-Layer Height Over Mexico City

Science.gov (United States)

García-Franco, J. L.; Stremme, W.; Bezanilla, A.; Ruiz-Angulo, A.; Grutter, M.

2018-06-01

The diurnal and seasonal variability of the mixed-layer height in urban areas has implications for ground-level air pollution and the meteorological conditions. Measurements of the backscatter of light pulses with a commercial lidar system were performed for a continuous period of almost six years between 2011 and 2016 in the southern part of Mexico City. The profiles were temporally and vertically smoothed, clouds were filtered out, and the mixed-layer height was determined with an ad hoc treatment of both the filtered and unfiltered profiles. The results are in agreement when compared with values of mixed-layer height reconstructed from, (i) radiosonde data, and (ii) surface and vertical column densities of a trace gas. The daily maxima of the mean mixed-layer height reach values > 3 km above ground level in the months of March-April, and are clearly lower (behaviour, which is characterized together with the mixed-layer-height anomalies. A clear residual layer is evident from the backscattered signals recorded in days with specific atmospheric conditions, but also from the cloud-filtered mean diurnal profiles. The occasional presence of a residual layer results in an overestimation of the reported mixed-layer height during the night and early morning hours.

Dynamic contact angle cycling homogenizes heterogeneous surfaces.

Science.gov (United States)

Belibel, R; Barbaud, C; Mora, L

2016-12-01

In order to reduce restenosis, the necessity to develop the appropriate coating material of metallic stent is a challenge for biomedicine and scientific research over the past decade. Therefore, biodegradable copolymers of poly((R,S)-3,3 dimethylmalic acid) (PDMMLA) were prepared in order to develop a new coating exhibiting different custom groups in its side chain and being able to carry a drug. This material will be in direct contact with cells and blood. It consists of carboxylic acid and hexylic groups used for hydrophilic and hydrophobic character, respectively. The study of this material wettability and dynamic surface properties is of importance due to the influence of the chemistry and the potential motility of these chemical groups on cell adhesion and polymer kinetic hydrolysis. Cassie theory was used for the theoretical correction of contact angles of these chemical heterogeneous surfaces coatings. Dynamic Surface Analysis was used as practical homogenizer of chemical heterogeneous surfaces by cycling during many cycles in water. In this work, we confirmed that, unlike receding contact angle, advancing contact angle is influenced by the difference of only 10% of acidic groups (%A) in side-chain of polymers. It linearly decreases with increasing acidity percentage. Hysteresis (H) is also a sensitive parameter which is discussed in this paper. Finally, we conclude that cycling provides real information, thus avoiding theoretical Cassie correction. H(10)is the most sensible parameter to %A. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Use of reflected GNSS SNR data to retrieve either soil moisture or vegetation height from a wheat crop

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Zhang

2017-09-01

Full Text Available This work aims to estimate soil moisture and vegetation height from Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR data using direct and reflected signals by the land surface surrounding a ground-based antenna. Observations are collected from a rainfed wheat field in southwestern France. Surface soil moisture is retrieved based on SNR phases estimated by the Least Square Estimation method, assuming the relative antenna height is constant. It is found that vegetation growth breaks up the constant relative antenna height assumption. A vegetation-height retrieval algorithm is proposed using the SNR-dominant period (the peak period in the average power spectrum derived from a wavelet analysis of SNR. Soil moisture and vegetation height are retrieved at different time periods (before and after vegetation's significant growth in March. The retrievals are compared with two independent reference data sets: in situ observations of soil moisture and vegetation height, and numerical simulations of soil moisture, vegetation height and above-ground dry biomass from the ISBA (interactions between soil, biosphere and atmosphere land surface model. Results show that changes in soil moisture mainly affect the multipath phase of the SNR data (assuming the relative antenna height is constant with little change in the dominant period of the SNR data, whereas changes in vegetation height are more likely to modulate the SNR-dominant period. Surface volumetric soil moisture can be estimated (R2  =  0.74, RMSE  =  0.009 m3 m−3 when the wheat is smaller than one wavelength (∼ 19 cm. The quality of the estimates markedly decreases when the vegetation height increases. This is because the reflected GNSS signal is less affected by the soil. When vegetation replaces soil as the dominant reflecting surface, a wavelet analysis provides an accurate estimation of the wheat crop height (R2  =  0.98, RMSE  =  6

Dynamic Head-Disk Interface Instabilities With Friction for Light Contact (Surfing) Recording

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vakis, Antonis I.; Lee, Sung-Chang; Polycarpou, Andreas A.

2009-01-01

Recent advances in hard-disk drive technology involve the use of a thermal fly-height control (TFC) pole tip protrusion to bring the read/write recording elements of the slider closer to the disk surface and thus achieve Terabit per square inch recording densities. A dynamic, contact mechanics-based

Effect of water table dynamics on land surface hydrologic memory

Science.gov (United States)

Lo, Min-Hui; Famiglietti, James S.

2010-11-01

The representation of groundwater dynamics in land surface models has received considerable attention in recent years. Most studies have found that soil moisture increases after adding a groundwater component because of the additional supply of water to the root zone. However, the effect of groundwater on land surface hydrologic memory (persistence) has not been explored thoroughly. In this study we investigate the effect of water table dynamics on National Center for Atmospheric Research Community Land Model hydrologic simulations in terms of land surface hydrologic memory. Unlike soil water or evapotranspiration, results show that land surface hydrologic memory does not always increase after adding a groundwater component. In regions where the water table level is intermediate, land surface hydrologic memory can even decrease, which occurs when soil moisture and capillary rise from groundwater are not in phase with each other. Further, we explore the hypothesis that in addition to atmospheric forcing, groundwater variations may also play an important role in affecting land surface hydrologic memory. Analyses show that feedbacks of groundwater on land surface hydrologic memory can be positive, negative, or neutral, depending on water table dynamics. In regions where the water table is shallow, the damping process of soil moisture variations by groundwater is not significant, and soil moisture variations are mostly controlled by random noise from atmospheric forcing. In contrast, in regions where the water table is very deep, capillary fluxes from groundwater are small, having limited potential to affect soil moisture variations. Therefore, a positive feedback of groundwater to land surface hydrologic memory is observed in a transition zone between deep and shallow water tables, where capillary fluxes act as a buffer by reducing high-frequency soil moisture variations resulting in longer land surface hydrologic memory.

DYNAMIC SURFACE BOUNDARY-CONDITIONS - A SIMPLE BOUNDARY MODEL FOR MOLECULAR-DYNAMICS SIMULATIONS

NARCIS (Netherlands)

JUFFER, AH; BERENDSEN, HJC

1993-01-01

A simple model for the treatment of boundaries in molecular dynamics simulations is presented. The method involves the positioning of boundary atoms on a surface that surrounds a system of interest. The boundary atoms interact with the inner region and represent the effect of atoms outside the

Mapping Carrier Dynamics on Material Surfaces in Space and Time using Scanning Ultrafast Electron Microscopy

KAUST Repository

Sun, Jingya; Adhikari, Aniruddha; Shaheen, Basamat; Yang, Haoze; Mohammed, Omar F.

2016-01-01

Selectively capturing the ultrafast dynamics of charge carriers on materials surfaces and at interfaces is crucial to the design of solar cells and optoelectronic devices. Despite extensive research efforts over the past few decades, information and understanding about surface-dynamical processes, including carrier trapping and recombination remains extremely limited. A key challenge is to selectively map such dynamic processes, a capability that is hitherto impractical by time-resolved laser techniques, which are limited by the laser’s relatively large penetration depth and consequently they record mainly bulk information. Such surface dynamics can only be mapped in real space and time by applying four-dimensional (4D) scanning ultrafast electron microscopy (S-UEM), which records snapshots of materials surfaces with nanometer spatial and sub-picosecond temporal resolutions. In this method, the secondary electron (SE) signal emitted from the sample’s surface is extremely sensitive to the surface dynamics and is detected in real time. In several unique applications, we spatially and temporally visualize the SE energy gain and loss, the charge carrier dynamics on the surface of InGaN nanowires and CdSe single crystals and its powder film. We also provide the mechanisms for the observed dynamics, which will be the foundation for future potential applications of S-UEM to a wide range of studies on material surfaces and device interfaces.

Mapping Carrier Dynamics on Material Surfaces in Space and Time using Scanning Ultrafast Electron Microscopy

KAUST Repository

Sun, Jingya

2016-02-25

Selectively capturing the ultrafast dynamics of charge carriers on materials surfaces and at interfaces is crucial to the design of solar cells and optoelectronic devices. Despite extensive research efforts over the past few decades, information and understanding about surface-dynamical processes, including carrier trapping and recombination remains extremely limited. A key challenge is to selectively map such dynamic processes, a capability that is hitherto impractical by time-resolved laser techniques, which are limited by the laser’s relatively large penetration depth and consequently they record mainly bulk information. Such surface dynamics can only be mapped in real space and time by applying four-dimensional (4D) scanning ultrafast electron microscopy (S-UEM), which records snapshots of materials surfaces with nanometer spatial and sub-picosecond temporal resolutions. In this method, the secondary electron (SE) signal emitted from the sample’s surface is extremely sensitive to the surface dynamics and is detected in real time. In several unique applications, we spatially and temporally visualize the SE energy gain and loss, the charge carrier dynamics on the surface of InGaN nanowires and CdSe single crystals and its powder film. We also provide the mechanisms for the observed dynamics, which will be the foundation for future potential applications of S-UEM to a wide range of studies on material surfaces and device interfaces.

Effect of the Earth's inner structure on the gravity in definitions of height systems

Science.gov (United States)

Tenzer, Robert; Foroughi, Ismael; Pitoňák, Martin; Šprlák, Michal

2017-04-01

In context of the vertical datum unification, the geoid-to-quasi-geoid separation has been of significant interest in recent years, because most of existing local vertical datums are realized in the system of either normal or orthometric heights. Nevertheless, the normal-orthometric heights are still used in many other countries where the normal gravity values along leveling lines were adopted instead of the observed gravity. Whereas the conversion between the orthometric and normal heights is defined by means of the mean gravity disturbances (i.e. differences between the mean values of the actual and normal gravity) along the plumbline within the topography, differences between the normal and normal-orthometric heights can be described by means of the surface gravity disturbances. Since the normal gravity field does not reflect the topographic masses and actual mass density distribution inside the Earth, the definition of gravity represents a principal aspect for a realization of particular vertical datum. To address this issue in this study, we investigate effects of the Earth's inner density structure on the surface and mean gravity disturbances, and discuss their impact on the vertical datum realization. These two gravity field quantities are computed globally with a spectral resolution complete to a spherical harmonic degree 2160 using the global gravity, terrain, ice-thickness, inland bathymetry and crustal structure models. Our results reveal that both, the surface and mean gravity disturbances mostly comprise the gravitational signal of topography and masses distributed below the geoid surface. Moreover, in polar areas, a significant contribution comes from large glaciers. In contrast, the contributions of anomalous density distribution within the topography attributed to major lakes, sediments and bedrock density variations are much less pronounced. We also demonstrate that the mean gravity disturbances within the topography are significantly modified

Plume Dispersion over Idealized Urban-liked Roughness with Height Variation: an LES Approach

Science.gov (United States)

Wong, Colman Ching Chi; Liu, Chun-Ho

2013-04-01

Human activities (e.g. vehicular emission) are the primary pollutant sources affecting the health and living quality of stakeholders in modern compact cities. Gaussian plume dispersion model is commonly used for pollutant distribution estimate that works well over rural areas with flat terrain. However, its major parameters, dispersion coefficients, exclude the effect of surface roughness that unavoidably prone to error handling the pollutant transport in the urban boundary layer (UBL) over building roughness. Our recent large-eddy simulation (LES) has shown that urban surfaces affect significantly the pollutant dispersion over idealized, identical two-dimensional (2D) street canyons of uniform height. As an extension to our on-going effort, this study is conceived to investigate how rough urban surfaces, which are constructed by 2D street canyons of non-uniform height, modify the UBL pollutant dispersion . A series of LESs with idealized roughness elements of non-uniform heights were performed in neutral stratification. Building models with two different heights were placed alternatively in the computational domain to construct 2D street canyons in cross flows. The plume dispersion from a ground-level passive pollutant source over more realistic urban areas was then examined. Along with the existing building-height-to-street-width (aspect) ratio (AR), a new parameter, building-height variability (BHV), is used to measure the building height unevenness. Four ARs (1, 0.5, 0.25 and 0.125) and three BHVs (20%, 40% and 60%) were considered in this study. Preliminary results show that BHV greatly increases the aerodynamic roughness of the hypothetical urban surfaces for narrow street canyons. Analogous to our previous findings, the air exchange rate (ACH) of street canyons increases with increasing friction factor, implying that street-level ventilation could be improved by increasing building roughness via BHV. In addition, the parameters used in dispersion coefficient

Dynamic modeling method of the bolted joint with uneven distribution of joint surface pressure

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Shichao; Gao, Hongli; Liu, Qi; Liu, Bokai

2018-03-01

The dynamic characteristics of the bolted joints have a significant influence on the dynamic characteristics of the machine tool. Therefore, establishing a reasonable bolted joint dynamics model is helpful to improve the accuracy of machine tool dynamics model. Because the pressure distribution on the joint surface is uneven under the concentrated force of bolts, a dynamic modeling method based on the uneven pressure distribution of the joint surface is presented in this paper to improve the dynamic modeling accuracy of the machine tool. The analytic formulas between the normal, tangential stiffness per unit area and the surface pressure on the joint surface can be deduced based on the Hertz contact theory, and the pressure distribution on the joint surface can be obtained by the finite element software. Futhermore, the normal and tangential stiffness distribution on the joint surface can be obtained by the analytic formula and the pressure distribution on the joint surface, and assigning it into the finite element model of the joint. Qualitatively compared the theoretical mode shapes and the experimental mode shapes, as well as quantitatively compared the theoretical modal frequencies and the experimental modal frequencies. The comparison results show that the relative error between the first four-order theoretical modal frequencies and the first four-order experimental modal frequencies is 0.2% to 4.2%. Besides, the first four-order theoretical mode shapes and the first four-order experimental mode shapes are similar and one-to-one correspondence. Therefore, the validity of the theoretical model is verified. The dynamic modeling method proposed in this paper can provide a theoretical basis for the accurate dynamic modeling of the bolted joint in machine tools.

He atom surface scattering: Surface dynamics of insulators, overlayers and crystal growth

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1992-01-01

Investigations have focused primarily on surface structure and dynamics of ionic insulators, epitaxial growth onto alkali halide crystals and multiphoton studies. The surface dynamics of RbCl has been re-examined. We have developed a simple force constant model which provides insight into the dynamics of KBr overlayers on NaCl(001), a system with a large lattice mismatch. The KBr/NaCl(001) results are compared to Na/Cu(001) and NaCl/Ge(001). We have completed epitaxial growth experiments for KBr onto RbCl(001). Slab dynamics calculations using a shell model for this system with very small lattice mismatch are being carried out in collaboration with Professor Manson of Clemson University and with Professor Schroeder in Regensburg, Germany. Extensive experiments on multiphoton scattering of helium atoms onto NaCl and, particularly, LiF have been carried out and the theory has been developed to a rather advanced stage by Professor Manson. This work will permit the extraction of more information from time-of-flight spectra. It is shown that the theoretical model provides a very good description of the multiphoton scattering from organic films. Work has started on self-assembling organic films on gold (alkyl thiols/Au(111)). We have begun to prepare and characterize the gold crystal; one of the group members has spent two weeks at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory learning the proper Au(111) preparation techniques. One of our students has carried out neutron scattering experiments on NiO, measuring both bulk phonon and magnon dispersion curves

Foot roll-over evaluation based on 3D dynamic foot scan.

Science.gov (United States)

Samson, William; Van Hamme, Angèle; Sanchez, Stéphane; Chèze, Laurence; Van Sint Jan, Serge; Feipel, Véronique

2014-01-01

Foot roll-over is commonly analyzed to evaluate gait pathologies. The current study utilized a dynamic foot scanner (DFS) to analyze foot roll-over. The right feet of ten healthy subjects were assessed during gait trials with a DFS system integrated into a walkway. A foot sole picture was computed by vertically projecting points from the 3D foot shape which were lower than a threshold height of 15 mm. A 'height' value of these projected points was determined; corresponding to the initial vertical coordinates prior to projection. Similar to pedobarographic analysis, the foot sole picture was segmented into anatomical regions of interest (ROIs) to process mean height (average of height data by ROI) and projected surface (area of the projected foot sole by ROI). Results showed that these variables evolved differently to plantar pressure data previously reported in the literature, mainly due to the specificity of each physical quantity (millimeters vs Pascals). Compared to plantar pressure data arising from surface contact by the foot, the current method takes into account the whole plantar aspect of the foot, including the parts that do not make contact with the support surface. The current approach using height data could contribute to a better understanding of specific aspects of foot motion during walking, such as plantar arch height and the windlass mechanism. Results of this study show the underlying method is reliable. Further investigation is required to validate the DFS measurements within a clinical context, prior to implementation into clinical practice. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Molecular dynamics simulation of annealed ZnO surfaces

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Min, Tjun Kit; Yoon, Tiem Leong [School of Physics, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 USM, Penang (Malaysia); Lim, Thong Leng [Faculty of Engineering and Technology, Multimedia University, Melaka Campus, 75450 Melaka (Malaysia)

2015-04-24

The effect of thermally annealing a slab of wurtzite ZnO, terminated by two surfaces, (0001) (which is oxygen-terminated) and (0001{sup ¯}) (which is Zn-terminated), is investigated via molecular dynamics simulation by using reactive force field (ReaxFF). We found that upon heating beyond a threshold temperature of ∼700 K, surface oxygen atoms begin to sublimate from the (0001) surface. The ratio of oxygen leaving the surface at a given temperature increases as the heating temperature increases. A range of phenomena occurring at the atomic level on the (0001) surface has also been explored, such as formation of oxygen dimers on the surface and evolution of partial charge distribution in the slab during the annealing process. It was found that the partial charge distribution as a function of the depth from the surface undergoes a qualitative change when the annealing temperature is above the threshold temperature.

The coastal mean dynamic topography in Norway observed by CryoSat-2 and GOCE

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Idžanović, Martina; Ophaug, Vegard; Andersen, Ole Baltazar

2017-01-01

New-generation synthetic aperture radar altimetry, as implemented on CryoSat-2, observes sea surface heights in coastal areas that were previously not monitored by conventional altimetry. Therefore,CryoSat-2 is expected to improve the coastal mean dynamic topography (MDT). However, the MDT remains...

The use of logarithmic pulse height and energy scales in organic scintillator spectroscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Whittlestone, S.

1980-01-01

The use of logarithmic pulse height and energy scales is advantageous for organic for organic scintillator neutron spectroscopy, providing an expanded dynamic range and economy of computer usage. An experimental logarithmic pulse height analysis system is shown to be feasible. A pulse height spectrum from a neutron measurement has been analysed using linear and logarithmic scales; the latter reduced the computer storage requirements by a factor of 13 and analysis time by 8.7, and there was no degradation of the analysed spectrum. Most of the arguments favouring use of logarithmic scales apply equally well to other types of scintillation spectroscopy. (orig.)

Ti and Zr surfaces studied by molecular dynamics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pascuet, Maria I.; Passianot, Roberto C.; Monti, Ana M.

2003-01-01

The interaction between point defects technique and the (0001), (1-210), (10-10) surfaces in Ti and Zr is studied by the molecular dynamics technique. Both of metals are in the hexagonal structure and within a temperature range of 100 to 900 K. The atomic interactions are modeled by EAM-type many-body potentials, that were used previously in static simulations. New migration mechanisms are unraveled and others are verified with respect to those already proposed in the static studies. Also included is an analysis of the vacancy stability in the sub-surface layers of the prismatic surfaces. (author)

Surface dynamics and mechanics in liquid crystal polymer coatings

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Danqing; Broer, Dirk J.

2015-03-01

Based on liquid crystal networks we developed `smart' coatings with responsive surface topographies. Either by prepatterning or by the formation of self-organized structures they can be switched on and off in a pre-designed manner. Here we provide an overview of our methods to generate coatings that form surface structures upon the actuation by light. The coating oscillates between a flat surface and a surface with pre-designed 3D micro-patterns by modulating a light source. With recent developments in solid state lighting, light is an attractive trigger medium as it can be integrated in a device for local control or can be used remotely for flood or localized exposure. The basic principle of formation of surface topographies is based on the change of molecular organization in ordered liquid crystal polymer networks. The change in order leads to anisotropic dimensional changes with contraction along the director and expansion to the two perpendicular directions and an increase in volume by the formation of free volume. These two effects work in concert to provide local expansion and contraction in the coating steered by the local direction of molecular orientation. The surface deformation, expressed as the height difference between the activated regions and the non-activated regions divided by the initial film thickness, is of the order of 20%. Switching occurs immediately when the light is switched `on' and `off' and takes several tens of seconds.

Biofilm attachment reduction on bioinspired, dynamic, micro-wrinkling surfaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Epstein, Alexander K; Hong, Donggyoon; Kim, Philseok; Aizenberg, Joanna

2013-01-01

Most bacteria live in multicellular communities known as biofilms that are adherent to surfaces in our environment, from sea beds to plumbing systems. Biofilms are often associated with clinical infections, nosocomial deaths and industrial damage such as bio-corrosion and clogging of pipes. As mature biofilms are extremely challenging to eradicate once formed, prevention is advantageous over treatment. However, conventional surface chemistry strategies are either generally transient, due to chemical masking, or toxic, as in the case of leaching marine antifouling paints. Inspired by the nonfouling skins of echinoderms and other marine organisms, which possess highly dynamic surface structures that mechanically frustrate bio-attachment, we have developed and tested a synthetic platform based on both uniaxial mechanical strain and buckling-induced elastomer microtopography. Bacterial biofilm attachment to the dynamic substrates was studied under an array of parameters, including strain amplitude and timescale (1–100 mm s −1 ), surface wrinkle length scale, bacterial species and cell geometry, and growth time. The optimal conditions for achieving up to ∼ 80% Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm reduction after 24 h growth and ∼ 60% reduction after 48 h were combinatorially elucidated to occur at 20% strain amplitude, a timescale of less than ∼ 5 min between strain cycles and a topography length scale corresponding to the cell dimension of ∼ 1 μm. Divergent effects on the attachment of P. aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli biofilms showed that the dynamic substrate also provides a new means of species-specific biofilm inhibition, or inversely, selection for a desired type of bacteria, without reliance on any toxic or transient surface chemical treatments. (paper)

Biofilm attachment reduction on bioinspired, dynamic, micro-wrinkling surfaces

Science.gov (United States)

Epstein, Alexander K.; Hong, Donggyoon; Kim, Philseok; Aizenberg, Joanna

2013-09-01

Most bacteria live in multicellular communities known as biofilms that are adherent to surfaces in our environment, from sea beds to plumbing systems. Biofilms are often associated with clinical infections, nosocomial deaths and industrial damage such as bio-corrosion and clogging of pipes. As mature biofilms are extremely challenging to eradicate once formed, prevention is advantageous over treatment. However, conventional surface chemistry strategies are either generally transient, due to chemical masking, or toxic, as in the case of leaching marine antifouling paints. Inspired by the nonfouling skins of echinoderms and other marine organisms, which possess highly dynamic surface structures that mechanically frustrate bio-attachment, we have developed and tested a synthetic platform based on both uniaxial mechanical strain and buckling-induced elastomer microtopography. Bacterial biofilm attachment to the dynamic substrates was studied under an array of parameters, including strain amplitude and timescale (1-100 mm s-1), surface wrinkle length scale, bacterial species and cell geometry, and growth time. The optimal conditions for achieving up to ˜ 80% Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm reduction after 24 h growth and ˜ 60% reduction after 48 h were combinatorially elucidated to occur at 20% strain amplitude, a timescale of less than ˜ 5 min between strain cycles and a topography length scale corresponding to the cell dimension of ˜ 1 μm. Divergent effects on the attachment of P. aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli biofilms showed that the dynamic substrate also provides a new means of species-specific biofilm inhibition, or inversely, selection for a desired type of bacteria, without reliance on any toxic or transient surface chemical treatments.

Decay of surface nanostructures via long-time-scale dynamics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Voter, A.F.; Stanciu, N.

1998-01-01

This is the final report of a three-year, Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) project at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). The authors have developed a new approach for extending the time scale of molecular dynamics simulations. For infrequent-event systems, the category that includes most diffusive events in the solid phase, this hyperdynamics method can extend the simulation time by a few orders of magnitude compared to direct molecular dynamics. The trajectory is run on a potential surface that has been biased to raise the energy in the potential basins without affecting the transition state region. The method is described and applied to surface and bulk diffusion processes, achieving microsecond and millisecond simulation times. The authors have also developed a new parallel computing method that is efficient for small system sizes. The combination of the hyperdynamics with this parallel replica dynamics looks promising as a general materials simulation tool

Spatio-temporal evaluation of plant height in corn via unmanned aerial systems

Science.gov (United States)

Varela, Sebastian; Assefa, Yared; Vara Prasad, P. V.; Peralta, Nahuel R.; Griffin, Terry W.; Sharda, Ajay; Ferguson, Allison; Ciampitti, Ignacio A.

2017-07-01

Detailed spatial and temporal data on plant growth are critical to guide crop management. Conventional methods to determine field plant traits are intensive, time-consuming, expensive, and limited to small areas. The objective of this study was to examine the integration of data collected via unmanned aerial systems (UAS) at critical corn (Zea mays L.) developmental stages for plant height and its relation to plant biomass. The main steps followed in this research were (1) workflow development for an ultrahigh resolution crop surface model (CSM) with the goal of determining plant height (CSM-estimated plant height) using data gathered from the UAS missions; (2) validation of CSM-estimated plant height with ground-truthing plant height (measured plant height); and (3) final estimation of plant biomass via integration of CSM-estimated plant height with ground-truthing stem diameter data. Results indicated a correlation between CSM-estimated plant height and ground-truthing plant height data at two weeks prior to flowering and at flowering stage, but high predictability at the later growth stage. Log-log analysis on the temporal data confirmed that these relationships are stable, presenting equal slopes for both crop stages evaluated. Concluding, data collected from low-altitude and with a low-cost sensor could be useful in estimating plant height.

Non-equilibrium dynamics of single polymer adsorption to solid surfaces

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Panja, D.; Barkema, G.T.; Kolomeisky, A.B.

2009-01-01

The adsorption of polymers to surfaces is crucial for understanding many fundamental processes in nature. Recent experimental studies indicate that the adsorption dynamics is dominated by non-equilibrium effects. We investigate the adsorption of a single polymer of length N to a planar solid surface

Accuracy of recumbent height measurement.

Science.gov (United States)

Gray, D S; Crider, J B; Kelley, C; Dickinson, L C

1985-01-01

Since many patients requiring specialized nutritional support are bedridden, measurement of height for purposes of nutritional assessment or prescription must often be done with the patient in bed. This study examined the accuracy of measuring body height in bed in the supine position. Two measurements were performed on 108 ambulatory inpatients: (1) standing height using a standard height-weight scale, and (2) bed height using a flexible tape. Patients were divided into four groups based on which of two researchers performed each of the two measurements. Each patient was also weighed and self-reported height, weight, sex, and age were recorded. Bed height was significantly longer than standing height by 3.68 cm, but the two measurements were equally precise. It was believed, however, that this 2% difference was probably not clinically significant in most circumstances. Bed height correlated highly with standing height (r = 0.95), and the regression equation was standing height = 13.82 +/- 0.09 bed height. Patients overestimated their heights. Heights recorded by nurses were more accurate when patients were measured than when asked about their heights, but the patients were more often asked than measured.

Dynamic bioactive stimuli-responsive polymeric surfaces

Science.gov (United States)

Pearson, Heather Marie

This dissertation focuses on the design, synthesis, and development of antimicrobial and anticoagulant surfaces of polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), and poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (PTFE) polymers. Aliphatic polymeric surfaces of PE and PP polymers functionalized using click chemistry reactions by the attachment of --COOH groups via microwave plasma reactions followed by functionalization with alkyne moieties. Azide containing ampicillin (AMP) was synthesized and subsequently clicked into the alkyne prepared PE and PP surfaces. Compared to non-functionalized PP and PE surfaces, the AMP clicked surfaces exhibited substantially enhanced antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus bacteria. To expand the biocompatibility of polymeric surface anticoagulant attributes, PE and PTFE surfaces were functionalized with pH-responsive poly(2-vinyl pyridine) (P2VP) and poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) polyelectrolyte tethers terminated with NH2 and COOH groups. The goal of these studies was to develop switchable stimuli-responsive polymeric surfaces that interact with biological environments and display simultaneous antimicrobial and anticoagulant properties. Antimicrobial AMP was covalently attached to --COOH terminal ends of protected PAA, while anticoagulant heparin (HEP) was attached to terminal --NH2 groups of P2VP. When pH 5.5, they collapse while the PAA segments extend. Such surfaces, when exposed to Staphylococcus aureus, inhibit bacterial growth due to the presence of AMP, as well as are effective anticoagulants due to the presence of covalently attached HEP. Comparison of these "dynamic" pH responsive surfaces with "static" surfaces terminated with AMP entities show significant enhancement of longevity and surface activity against microbial film formation. The last portion of this dissertation focuses on the covalent attachment of living T1 and Φ11 bacteriophages (phages) on PE and PTFE surface. This was accomplished by carbodiimide coupling between --COOH

Estimating Planetary Boundary Layer Heights from NOAA Profiler Network Wind Profiler Data

Science.gov (United States)

Molod, Andrea M.; Salmun, H.; Dempsey, M

2015-01-01

An algorithm was developed to estimate planetary boundary layer (PBL) heights from hourly archived wind profiler data from the NOAA Profiler Network (NPN) sites located throughout the central United States. Unlike previous studies, the present algorithm has been applied to a long record of publicly available wind profiler signal backscatter data. Under clear conditions, summertime averaged hourly time series of PBL heights compare well with Richardson-number based estimates at the few NPN stations with hourly temperature measurements. Comparisons with clear sky reanalysis based estimates show that the wind profiler PBL heights are lower by approximately 250-500 m. The geographical distribution of daily maximum PBL heights corresponds well with the expected distribution based on patterns of surface temperature and soil moisture. Wind profiler PBL heights were also estimated under mostly cloudy conditions, and are generally higher than both the Richardson number based and reanalysis PBL heights, resulting in a smaller clear-cloudy condition difference. The algorithm presented here was shown to provide a reliable summertime climatology of daytime hourly PBL heights throughout the central United States.

Evaporation dynamics of a sessile droplet on glass surfaces with fluoropolymer coatings: focusing on the final stage of thin droplet evaporation.

Science.gov (United States)

Gatapova, Elizaveta Ya; Shonina, Anna M; Safonov, Alexey I; Sulyaeva, Veronica S; Kabov, Oleg A

2018-03-07

The evaporation dynamics of a water droplet with an initial volume of 2 μl from glass surfaces with fluoropolymer coatings are investigated using the shadow technique and an optical microscope. The droplet profile for a contact angle of less than 5° is constructed using an image-analyzing interference technique, and evaporation dynamics are investigated at the final stage. We coated the glass slides with a thin film of a fluoropolymer by the hot-wire chemical vapor deposition method at different deposition modes depending on the deposition pressure and the temperature of the activating wire. The resulting surfaces have different structures affecting the wetting properties. Droplet evaporation from a constant contact radius mode in the early stage of evaporation was found followed by the mode where both contact angle and contact radius simultaneously vary in time (final stage) regardless of wettability of the coated surfaces. We found that depinning occurs at small contact angles of 2.2-4.7° for all samples, which are smaller than the measured receding contact angles. This is explained by imbibition of the liquid into the developed surface of the "soft" coating that leads to formation of thin droplets completely wetting the surface. The final stage, which is little discussed in the literature, is also recorded. We have singled out a substage where the contact line velocity is abruptly increasing for all coated and uncoated surfaces. The critical droplet height corresponding to the transition to this substage is about 2 μm with R/h = 107. The duration of this substage is the same for all coated and uncoated surfaces. Droplets observed at this substage for all the tested surfaces are axisymmetric. The specific evaporation rate clearly demonstrates an abrupt increase at the final substage of the droplet evaporation. The classical R 2 law is justified for the complete wetting situation where the droplet is disappearing in an axisymmetric manner.

Dynamics of gas-surface interactions atomic-level understanding of scattering processes at surfaces

CERN Document Server

Díez Muniño, Ricardo

2013-01-01

This book gives a representative survey of the state of the art of research on gas-surface interactions. It provides an overview of the current understanding of gas surface dynamics and, in particular, of the reactive and non-reactive processes of atoms and small molecules at surfaces. Leading scientists in the field, both from the theoretical and the experimental sides, write in this book about their most recent advances. Surface science grew as an interdisciplinary research area over the last decades, mostly because of new experimental technologies (ultra-high vacuum, for instance), as well as because of a novel paradigm, the ‘surface science’ approach. The book describes the second transformation which is now taking place pushed by the availability of powerful quantum-mechanical theoretical methods implemented numerically. In the book, experiment and theory progress hand in hand with an unprecedented degree of accuracy and control. The book presents how modern surface science targets the atomic-level u...

Sea Surface Height Determination In The Arctic Using Cryosat-2 SAR Data From Primary Peak Empirical Retrackers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jain, Maulik; Andersen, Ole Baltazar; Dall, Jørgen

2015-01-01

extraction. The primary peak retrackers involve the application of retracking algorithms on just the primary peak of the waveform instead of the complete reflected waveform. These primary peak empirical retrackers are developed for Cryosat-2 SAR data. This is the first time SAR data in the Arctic...... and five parameter beta retrackers. In the case of SAR-lead data, it is concluded that the proposed primary peak retrackers work better as compared with the traditional retrackers (OCOG, threshold, five parameter beta) as well as the ESA Retracker.......SAR waveforms from Cryosat-2 are processed using primary peak empirical retrackers to determine the sea surface height in the Arctic. The empirical retrackers investigated are based on the combination of the traditional OCOG (Offset Center of Gravity) and threshold methods with primary peak...

Climatology and evolution of the mixing height over water

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sempreviva, A.M. [Istituto di Fisica dell`Atmosfera, CNR, Rome (Italy); Grynig, S.E. [Risoe National Lab., Roskilde (Denmark)

1997-10-01

In this paper we present results from an experimental investigation on the height of the mixed layer h, using a meteorological station located on the Danish island of Anholt. The station was operational for two years from September 1990 to October 1992. We present the analysis of two years of radio-sounding showing the average daily evolution of h. Furthermore observations of the mixed layer growth under near-neutral and unstable atmospheric conditions during six consecutive days has been modelled using a simple zero-order mixed-layer height model. Finally we have compared the evolution of the mixing height from the model with the evolution of the correlation coefficient between temperature and humidity to study the influence of the deepness of the convective layer on the mechanism of the correlation between temperature and humidity in the surface layer. (au)

Dynamic Eigenvalue Problem of Concrete Slab Road Surface

Science.gov (United States)

Pawlak, Urszula; Szczecina, Michał

2017-10-01

The paper presents an analysis of the dynamic eigenvalue problem of concrete slab road surface. A sample concrete slab was modelled using Autodesk Robot Structural Analysis software and calculated with Finite Element Method. The slab was set on a one-parameter elastic subsoil, for which the modulus of elasticity was separately calculated. The eigen frequencies and eigenvectors (as maximal vertical nodal displacements) were presented. On the basis of the results of calculations, some basic recommendations for designers of concrete road surfaces were offered.

Probing Ultrafast Electron Dynamics at Surfaces Using Soft X-Ray Transient Reflectivity Spectroscopy

Science.gov (United States)

Baker, L. Robert; Husek, Jakub; Biswas, Somnath; Cirri, Anthony

The ability to probe electron dynamics with surface sensitivity on the ultrafast time scale is critical for understanding processes such as charge separation, injection, and surface trapping that mediate efficiency in catalytic and energy conversion materials. Toward this goal, we have developed a high harmonic generation (HHG) light source for femtosecond soft x-ray reflectivity. Using this light source we investigated the ultrafast carrier dynamics at the surface of single crystalline α-Fe2O3, polycrystalline α-Fe2O3, and the mixed metal oxide, CuFeO2. We have recently demonstrated that CuFeO2 in particular is a selective catalyst for photo-electrochemical CO2 reduction to acetate; however, the role of electronic structure and charge carrier dynamics in mediating catalytic selectivity has not been well understood. Soft x-ray reflectivity measurements probe the M2,3, edges of the 3d transition metals, which provide oxidation and spin state resolution with element specificity. In addition to chemical state specificity, these measurements are also surface sensitive, and by independently simulating the contributions of the real and imaginary components of the complex refractive index, we can differentiate between surface and sub-surface contributions to the excited state spectrum. Accordingly, this work demonstrates the ability to probe ultrafast carrier dynamics in catalytic materials with element and chemical state specificity and with surface sensitivity.

Dynamically triangulated surfaces - some analytical results

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kostov, I.K.

1987-01-01

We give a brief review of the analytical results concerning the model of dynamically triangulated surfaces. We will discuss the possible types of critical behaviour (depending on the dimension D of the embedding space) and the exact solutions obtained for D=0 and D=-2. The latter are important as a check of the Monte Carlo simulations applyed to study the model in more physical dimensions. They give also some general insight of its critical properties

Structure, biomimetics, and fluid dynamics of fish skin surfaces*

Science.gov (United States)

Lauder, George V.; Wainwright, Dylan K.; Domel, August G.; Weaver, James C.; Wen, Li; Bertoldi, Katia

2016-10-01

The interface between the fluid environment and the surface of the body in swimming fishes is critical for both physiological and hydrodynamic functions. The skin surface in most species of fishes is covered with bony scales or toothlike denticles (in sharks). Despite the apparent importance of fish surfaces for understanding aquatic locomotion and near-surface boundary layer flows, relatively little attention has been paid to either the nature of surface textures in fishes or possible hydrodynamic effects of variation in roughness around the body surface within an individual and among species. Fish surfaces are remarkably diverse and in many bony fishes scales can have an intricate surface texture with projections, ridges, and comblike extensions. Shark denticles (or scales) are toothlike and project out of the skin to form a complexly textured surface that interacts with free-stream flow. Manufacturing biomimetic foils with fishlike surfaces allows hydrodynamic testing and we emphasize here the importance of dynamic test conditions where the effect of surface textures is assessed under conditions of self-propulsion. We show that simple two-dimensional foils with patterned cuts do not perform as well as a smooth control surface, but that biomimetic shark skin foils can swim at higher self-propelled speeds than smooth controls. When the arrangement of denticles on the foil surface is altered, we find that a staggered-overlapped pattern outperforms other arrangements. Flexible foils made of real shark skin outperform sanded controls when foils are moved with a biologically realistic motion program. We suggest that focus on the mechanisms of drag reduction by fish surfaces has been too limiting and an additional role of fish surface textures may be to alter leading edge vortices and flow patterns on moving surfaces in a way that enhances thrust. Analysis of water flow over an artificial shark skin foil under both static and dynamic conditions shows that a shear layer

Final height in survivors of childhood cancer compared with Height Standard Deviation Scores at diagnosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Knijnenburg, S L; Raemaekers, S; van den Berg, H; van Dijk, I W E M; Lieverst, J A; van der Pal, H J; Jaspers, M W M; Caron, H N; Kremer, L C; van Santen, H M

2013-04-01

Our study aimed to evaluate final height in a cohort of Dutch childhood cancer survivors (CCS) and assess possible determinants of final height, including height at diagnosis. We calculated standard deviation scores (SDS) for height at initial cancer diagnosis and height in adulthood in a cohort of 573 CCS. Multivariable regression analyses were carried out to estimate the influence of different determinants on height SDS at follow-up. Overall, survivors had a normal height SDS at cancer diagnosis. However, at follow-up in adulthood, 8.9% had a height ≤-2 SDS. Height SDS at diagnosis was an important determinant for adult height SDS. Children treated with (higher doses of) radiotherapy showed significantly reduced final height SDS. Survivors treated with total body irradiation (TBI) and craniospinal radiation had the greatest loss in height (-1.56 and -1.37 SDS, respectively). Younger age at diagnosis contributed negatively to final height. Height at diagnosis was an important determinant for height SDS at follow-up. Survivors treated with TBI, cranial and craniospinal irradiation should be monitored periodically for adequate linear growth, to enable treatment on time if necessary. For correct interpretation of treatment-related late effects studies in CCS, pre-treatment data should always be included.

AIRBORNE X-HH INCIDENCE ANGLE IMPACT ON CANOPY HEIGHT RETREIVAL: IMPLICATIONS FOR SPACEBORNE X-HH TANDEM-X GLOBAL CANOPY HEIGHT MODEL

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. L. Tighe

2012-07-01

Full Text Available To support international climate change mitigation efforts, the United Nations REDD+ initiative (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation seeks to reduce land use induced greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere. It requires independent monitoring of forest cover and forest biomass information in a spatially explicit form. It is widely recognised that remote sensing is required to deliver this information. Synthetic Aperture Radar interferometry (InSAR techniques have gained traction in the last decade as a viable technology from which vegetation canopy height and bare earth elevations can be derived. The viewing geometry of a SAR sensor is side-looking where the radar pulse is transmitted out to one side of the aircraft or satellite, defining an incidence angle (θ range. The incidence angle will change from near-range (NR to far-range (FR across of the track of the SAR platform. InSAR uses image pairs and thus, contain two set of incidence angles. Changes in the InSAR incidence angles can alter the relative contributions from the vegetation canopy and the ground surface and thus, affect the retrieved vegetation canopy height. Incidence angle change is less pronounced in spaceborne data than in airborne data and mitigated somewhat when multiple InSAR-data takes are combined. This study uses NEXTMap® single- and multi-pass X-band HH polarized InSAR to derive vegetation canopy height from the scattering phase centre height (hspc. Comparisons with in situ vegetation canopy height over three test sites (Arizona-1, Minnesota-2; the effect of incidence angle changes across swath on the X-HH InSAR hspc was examined. Results indicate at steep incidence angles (θ = 35º, more exposure of lower vegetation canopy structure (e.g. tree trunks led to greater lower canopy double bounce, increased ground scattering, and decreased volume scattering. This resulted in a lower scattering phase centre height (hspc or a greater underestimation of

The importance of postural cues for determining eye height in immersive virtual reality.

Science.gov (United States)

Leyrer, Markus; Linkenauger, Sally A; Bülthoff, Heinrich H; Mohler, Betty J

2015-01-01

In human perception, the ability to determine eye height is essential, because eye height is used to scale heights of objects, velocities, affordances and distances, all of which allow for successful environmental interaction. It is well understood that eye height is fundamental to determine many of these percepts. Yet, how eye height itself is provided is still largely unknown. While the information potentially specifying eye height in the real world is naturally coincident in an environment with a regular ground surface, these sources of information can be easily divergent in similar and common virtual reality scenarios. Thus, we conducted virtual reality experiments where we manipulated the virtual eye height in a distance perception task to investigate how eye height might be determined in such a scenario. We found that humans rely more on their postural cues for determining their eye height if there is a conflict between visual and postural information and little opportunity for perceptual-motor calibration is provided. This is demonstrated by the predictable variations in their distance estimates. Our results suggest that the eye height in such circumstances is informed by postural cues when estimating egocentric distances in virtual reality and consequently, does not depend on an internalized value for eye height.

The importance of postural cues for determining eye height in immersive virtual reality.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Markus Leyrer

Full Text Available In human perception, the ability to determine eye height is essential, because eye height is used to scale heights of objects, velocities, affordances and distances, all of which allow for successful environmental interaction. It is well understood that eye height is fundamental to determine many of these percepts. Yet, how eye height itself is provided is still largely unknown. While the information potentially specifying eye height in the real world is naturally coincident in an environment with a regular ground surface, these sources of information can be easily divergent in similar and common virtual reality scenarios. Thus, we conducted virtual reality experiments where we manipulated the virtual eye height in a distance perception task to investigate how eye height might be determined in such a scenario. We found that humans rely more on their postural cues for determining their eye height if there is a conflict between visual and postural information and little opportunity for perceptual-motor calibration is provided. This is demonstrated by the predictable variations in their distance estimates. Our results suggest that the eye height in such circumstances is informed by postural cues when estimating egocentric distances in virtual reality and consequently, does not depend on an internalized value for eye height.

HEIGHT VARIATION OF THE VECTOR MAGNETIC FIELD IN SOLAR SPICULES

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Suárez, D. Orozco; Ramos, A. Asensio; Bueno, J. Trujillo, E-mail: dorozco@iac.es [Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias, E-38205 La Laguna, Tenerife (Spain)

2015-04-20

Proving the magnetic configuration of solar spicules has hitherto been difficult due to the lack of spatial resolution and image stability during off-limb ground-based observations. We report spectropolarimetric observations of spicules taken in the He i 1083 nm spectral region with the Tenerife Infrared Polarimeter II at the German Vacuum Tower Telescope of the Observatorio del Teide (Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain). The data provide the variation with geometrical height of the Stokes I, Q, U, and V profiles, whose encoded information allows the determination of the magnetic field vector by means of the HAZEL inversion code. The inferred results show that the average magnetic field strength at the base of solar spicules is about 80 gauss, and then it decreases rapidly with height to about 30 gauss at a height of 3000 km above the visible solar surface. Moreover, the magnetic field vector is close to vertical at the base of the chromosphere and has mid-inclinations (about 50°) above 2 Mm height.

Influence of micro-topography and crown characteristics on tree height estimations in tropical forests based on LiDAR canopy height models

Science.gov (United States)

Alexander, Cici; Korstjens, Amanda H.; Hill, Ross A.

2018-03-01

Tree or canopy height is an important attribute for carbon stock estimation, forest management and habitat quality assessment. Airborne Laser Scanning (ALS) based on Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) has advantages over other remote sensing techniques for describing the structure of forests. However, sloped terrain can be challenging for accurate estimation of tree locations and heights based on a Canopy Height Model (CHM) generated from ALS data; a CHM is a height-normalised Digital Surface Model (DSM) obtained by subtracting a Digital Terrain Model (DTM) from a DSM. On sloped terrain, points at the same elevation on a tree crown appear to increase in height in the downhill direction, based on the ground elevations at these points. A point will be incorrectly identified as the treetop by individual tree crown (ITC) recognition algorithms if its height is greater than that of the actual treetop in the CHM, which will be recorded as the tree height. In this study, the influence of terrain slope and crown characteristics on the detection of treetops and estimation of tree heights is assessed using ALS data in a tropical forest with complex terrain (i.e. micro-topography) and tree crown characteristics. Locations and heights of 11,442 trees based on a DSM are compared with those based on a CHM. The horizontal (DH) and vertical displacements (DV) increase with terrain slope (r = 0.47 and r = 0.54 respectively, p tree height are up to 16.6 m on slopes greater than 50° in our study area in Sumatra. The errors in locations (DH) and tree heights (DV) are modelled for trees with conical and spherical tree crowns. For a spherical tree crown, DH can be modelled as R sin θ, and DV as R (sec θ - 1). In this study, a model is developed for an idealised conical tree crown, DV = R (tan θ - tan ψ), where R is the crown radius, and θ and ψ are terrain and crown angles respectively. It is shown that errors occur only when terrain angle exceeds the crown angle, with the

Social inequalities in height: persisting differences today depend upon height of the parents.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bruna Galobardes

Full Text Available Substantial increases in height have occurred concurrently with economic development in most populations during the last century. In high-income countries, environmental exposures that can limit genetic growth potential appear to have lessened, and variation in height by socioeconomic position may have diminished. The objective of this study is to investigate inequalities in height in a cohort of children born in the early 1990s in England, and to evaluate which factors might explain any identified inequalities.12,830 children from The Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC, a population based cohort from birth to about 11.5 years of age, were used in this analysis. Gender- and age-specific z-scores of height at different ages were used as outcome variables. Multilevel models were used to take into account the repeated measures of height and to analyze gender- and age-specific relative changes in height from birth to 11.5 years. Maternal education was the main exposure variable used to examine socioeconomic inequalities. The roles of parental and family characteristics in explaining any observed differences between maternal education and child height were investigated. Children whose mothers had the highest education compared to those with none or a basic level of education, were 0.39 cm longer at birth (95% CI: 0.30 to 0.48. These differences persisted and at 11.5 years the height difference was 1.4 cm (95% CI: 1.07 to 1.74. Several other factors were related to offspring height, but few changed the relationship with maternal education. The one exception was mid-parental height, which fully accounted for the maternal educational differences in offspring height.In a cohort of children born in the 1990s, mothers with higher education gave birth to taller boys and girls. Although height differences were small they persisted throughout childhood. Maternal and paternal height fully explained these differences.

Expected Performance of the Upcoming Surface Water and Ocean Topography Mission Measurements of River Height, Width, and Slope

Science.gov (United States)

Wei, R.; Frasson, R. P. M.; Williams, B. A.; Rodriguez, E.; Pavelsky, T.; Altenau, E. H.; Durand, M. T.

2017-12-01

The upcoming Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission will measure river widths and water surface elevations of rivers wider than 100 m. In preparation for the SWOT mission, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory built the SWOT hydrology simulator with the intent of generating synthetic SWOT overpasses over rivers with realistic error characteristics. These synthetic overpasses can be used to guide the design of processing methods and data products, as well as develop data assimilation techniques that will incorporate the future SWOT data into hydraulic and hydrologic models as soon as the satellite becomes operational. SWOT simulator uses as inputs water depth, river bathymetry, and the surrounding terrain digital elevation model to create simulated interferograms of the study area. Next, the simulator emulates the anticipated processing of SWOT data by attempting to geolocate and classify the radar returns. The resulting cloud of points include information on water surface elevation, pixel area, and surface classification (land vs water). Finally, we process the pixel clouds by grouping pixels into equally spaced nodes located at the river centerline. This study applies the SWOT simulator to six different rivers: Sacramento River, Tanana River, Saint Lawrence River, Platte River, Po River, and Amazon River. This collection of rivers covers a range of size, slope, and planform complexity with the intent of evaluating the impact of river width, slope, planform complexity, and surrounding topography on the anticipated SWOT height, width, and slope error characteristics.

Simulation of ICESat-2 canopy height retrievals for different ecosystems

Science.gov (United States)

Neuenschwander, A. L.

2016-12-01

Slated for launch in late 2017 (or early 2018), the ICESat-2 satellite will provide a global distribution of geodetic measurements from a space-based laser altimeter of both the terrain surface and relative canopy heights which will provide a significant benefit to society through a variety of applications ranging from improved global digital terrain models to producing distribution of above ground vegetation structure. The ATLAS instrument designed for ICESat-2, will utilize a different technology than what is found on most laser mapping systems. The photon counting technology of the ATLAS instrument onboard ICESat-2 will record the arrival time associated with a single photon detection. That detection can occur anywhere within the vertical distribution of the reflected signal, that is, anywhere within the vertical distribution of the canopy. This uncertainty of where the photon will be returned from within the vegetation layer is referred to as the vertical sampling error. Preliminary simulation studies to estimate vertical sampling error have been conducted for several ecosystems including woodland savanna, montane conifers, temperate hardwoods, tropical forest, and boreal forest. The results from these simulations indicate that the canopy heights reported on the ATL08 data product will underestimate the top canopy height in the range of 1 - 4 m. Although simulation results indicate the ICESat-2 will underestimate top canopy height, there is, however, a strong correlation between ICESat-2 heights and relative canopy height metrics (e.g. RH75, RH90). In tropical forest, simulation results indicate the ICESat-2 height correlates strongly with RH90. Similarly, in temperate broadleaf forest, the simulated ICESat-2 heights were also strongly correlated with RH90. In boreal forest, the simulated ICESat-2 heights are strongly correlated with RH75 heights. It is hypothesized that the correlations between simulated ICESat-2 heights and canopy height metrics are a

Development of methods for inferring cloud thickness and cloud-base height from satellite radiance data

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, William L., Jr.; Minnis, Patrick; Alvarez, Joseph M.; Uttal, Taneil; Intrieri, Janet M.; Ackerman, Thomas P.; Clothiaux, Eugene

1993-01-01

Cloud-top height is a major factor determining the outgoing longwave flux at the top of the atmosphere. The downwelling radiation from the cloud strongly affects the cooling rate within the atmosphere and the longwave radiation incident at the surface. Thus, determination of cloud-base temperature is important for proper calculation of fluxes below the cloud. Cloud-base altitude is also an important factor in aircraft operations. Cloud-top height or temperature can be derived in a straightforward manner using satellite-based infrared data. Cloud-base temperature, however, is not observable from the satellite, but is related to the height, phase, and optical depth of the cloud in addition to other variables. This study uses surface and satellite data taken during the First ISCCP Regional Experiment (FIRE) Phase-2 Intensive Field Observation (IFO) period (13 Nov. - 7 Dec. 1991, to improve techniques for deriving cloud-base height from conventional satellite data.

Comparison between reflectivity statistics at heights of 3 and 6 km and rain rate statistics at ground level

Science.gov (United States)

Crane, R. K.

1975-01-01

An experiment was conducted to study the relations between the empirical distribution functions of reflectivity at specified locations above the surface and the corresponding functions at the surface. A bistatic radar system was used to measure continuously the scattering cross section per unit volume at heights of 3 and 6 km. A frequency of 3.7 GHz was used in the tests. It was found that the distribution functions for reflectivity may significantly change with height at heights below the level of the melting layer.

ANALYSIS AND CORRECTION OF SYSTEMATIC HEIGHT MODEL ERRORS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

K. Jacobsen

2016-06-01

Full Text Available The geometry of digital height models (DHM determined with optical satellite stereo combinations depends upon the image orientation, influenced by the satellite camera, the system calibration and attitude registration. As standard these days the image orientation is available in form of rational polynomial coefficients (RPC. Usually a bias correction of the RPC based on ground control points is required. In most cases the bias correction requires affine transformation, sometimes only shifts, in image or object space. For some satellites and some cases, as caused by small base length, such an image orientation does not lead to the possible accuracy of height models. As reported e.g. by Yong-hua et al. 2015 and Zhang et al. 2015, especially the Chinese stereo satellite ZiYuan-3 (ZY-3 has a limited calibration accuracy and just an attitude recording of 4 Hz which may not be satisfying. Zhang et al. 2015 tried to improve the attitude based on the color sensor bands of ZY-3, but the color images are not always available as also detailed satellite orientation information. There is a tendency of systematic deformation at a Pléiades tri-stereo combination with small base length. The small base length enlarges small systematic errors to object space. But also in some other satellite stereo combinations systematic height model errors have been detected. The largest influence is the not satisfying leveling of height models, but also low frequency height deformations can be seen. A tilt of the DHM by theory can be eliminated by ground control points (GCP, but often the GCP accuracy and distribution is not optimal, not allowing a correct leveling of the height model. In addition a model deformation at GCP locations may lead to not optimal DHM leveling. Supported by reference height models better accuracy has been reached. As reference height model the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM digital surface model (DSM or the new AW3D30 DSM, based on ALOS

A Photogrammetric Workflow for the Creation of a Forest Canopy Height Model from Small Unmanned Aerial System Imagery

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Philippe Lejeune

2013-11-01

Full Text Available The recent development of operational small unmanned aerial systems (UASs opens the door for their extensive use in forest mapping, as both the spatial and temporal resolution of UAS imagery better suit local-scale investigation than traditional remote sensing tools. This article focuses on the use of combined photogrammetry and “Structure from Motion” approaches in order to model the forest canopy surface from low-altitude aerial images. An original workflow, using the open source and free photogrammetric toolbox, MICMAC (acronym for Multi Image Matches for Auto Correlation Methods, was set up to create a digital canopy surface model of deciduous stands. In combination with a co-registered light detection and ranging (LiDAR digital terrain model, the elevation of vegetation was determined, and the resulting hybrid photo/LiDAR canopy height model was compared to data from a LiDAR canopy height model and from forest inventory data. Linear regressions predicting dominant height and individual height from plot metrics and crown metrics showed that the photogrammetric canopy height model was of good quality for deciduous stands. Although photogrammetric reconstruction significantly smooths the canopy surface, the use of this workflow has the potential to take full advantage of the flexible revisit period of drones in order to refresh the LiDAR canopy height model and to collect dense multitemporal canopy height series.

Reactive surface organometallic complexes observed using dynamic nuclear polarization surface enhanced NMR spectroscopy

KAUST Repository

Pump, Eva; Viger-Gravel, Jasmine; Abou-Hamad, Edy; Samantaray, Manoja; Hamzaoui, Bilel; Gurinov, Andrei; Anjum, Dalaver H.; Gajan, David; Lesage, Anne; Bendjeriou-Sedjerari, Anissa; Emsley, Lyndon; Basset, Jean-Marie

2016-01-01

Dynamic Nuclear Polarization Surface Enhanced NMR Spectroscopy (DNP SENS) is an emerging technique that allows access to high-sensitivity NMR spectra from surfaces. However, DNP SENS usually requires the use of radicals as an exogenous source of polarization, which has so far limited applications for organometallic surface species to those that do not react with the radicals. Here we show that reactive surface species can be studied if they are immobilized inside porous materials with suitably small windows, and if bulky nitroxide bi-radicals (here TEKPol) are used as the polarization source and which cannot enter the pores. The method is demonstrated by obtaining significant DNP enhancements from highly reactive complelxes [(equivalent to Si-O-)W(Me)(5)] supported on MCM-41, and effects of pore size (6.0, 3.0 and 2.5 nm) on the performance are discussed.

Reactive surface organometallic complexes observed using dynamic nuclear polarization surface enhanced NMR spectroscopy

KAUST Repository

Pump, Eva

2016-08-15

Dynamic Nuclear Polarization Surface Enhanced NMR Spectroscopy (DNP SENS) is an emerging technique that allows access to high-sensitivity NMR spectra from surfaces. However, DNP SENS usually requires the use of radicals as an exogenous source of polarization, which has so far limited applications for organometallic surface species to those that do not react with the radicals. Here we show that reactive surface species can be studied if they are immobilized inside porous materials with suitably small windows, and if bulky nitroxide bi-radicals (here TEKPol) are used as the polarization source and which cannot enter the pores. The method is demonstrated by obtaining significant DNP enhancements from highly reactive complelxes [(equivalent to Si-O-)W(Me)(5)] supported on MCM-41, and effects of pore size (6.0, 3.0 and 2.5 nm) on the performance are discussed.

Accelerated sampling by infinite swapping of path integral molecular dynamics with surface hopping

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Jianfeng; Zhou, Zhennan

2018-02-01

To accelerate the thermal equilibrium sampling of multi-level quantum systems, the infinite swapping limit of a recently proposed multi-level ring polymer representation is investigated. In the infinite swapping limit, the ring polymer evolves according to an averaged Hamiltonian with respect to all possible surface index configurations of the ring polymer and thus connects the surface hopping approach to the mean-field path-integral molecular dynamics. A multiscale integrator for the infinite swapping limit is also proposed to enable efficient sampling based on the limiting dynamics. Numerical results demonstrate the huge improvement of sampling efficiency of the infinite swapping compared with the direct simulation of path-integral molecular dynamics with surface hopping.

DMSA scan nomograms for renal length and area: Related to patient age and to body weight, height or surface area

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hassan, I.M.; Que, L.; Rutland, M.D.

2002-01-01

Aim: To create nomograms for renal size as measured from DMSA renal studies, and to test the nomograms for their ability to separate normal from abnormal kidneys. Method: Renal length was measured from posterior oblique views and renal area from posterior views. Results from 253 patients with bilateral normal kidneys were used to create nomograms for renal size relative to patient age, body height, weight or body surface area (BSA). The nomograms enclosed 95% of the normal kidneys, thus indicating the range for 95% confidence limits, and hence the specificity. Each nomogram was then tested against 46 hypertrophied kidneys and 46 damaged kidneys. Results: The results from nomograms of renal length and renal area, compared to age, body height, body weight and BSA are presented. For each nomogram, the range is presented as a fraction of the mean value, and the number of abnormal kidneys (hypertrophied or damaged) outside the normal range is presented as a percentage (indicating the sensitivity). Conclusion: Renal Area was no better than renal length for detecting abnormal kidneys. Patient age was the least useful method of normalisation. BSA normalisation produced the best results most frequently (narrower ranges and highest detection of abnormal kidneys)

An efficient approach to characterizing and calculating carrier loss due to heating and barrier height variation in vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jian, Wu; Summers, H. D.

2010-01-01

It is important to determine quantitatively the internal carrier loss arising from heating and barrier height variation in a vertical-cavity surface-emitting quantum well laser (VCSEL). However, it is generally difficult to realize this goal using purely theoretical formulas due to difficulty in deriving the parameters relating to the quantum well structure. In this paper, we describe an efficient approach to characterizing and calculating the carrier loss due to the heating and the barrier height change in the VCSEL. In the method, the thermal carrier loss mechanism is combined with gain measurement and calculation. The carrier loss is re-characterized in a calculable form by constructing the threshold current and gain detuning-related loss current using the measured gain data and then substituting them for the quantum well-related parameters in the formula. The result can be expressed as a product of an exponential weight factor linked to the barrier height change and the difference between the threshold current and gain detuning-related loss current. The gain variation at cavity frequency due to thermal carrier loss and gain detuning processes is measured by using an AlInGaAs–AlGaAs VCSEL structure. This work provides a useful approach to analysing threshold and loss properties of the VCSEL, particularly, gain offset design for high temperature operation of VCSELs. (classical areas of phenomenology)

Influence of real and virtual heights on standing balance.

Science.gov (United States)

Cleworth, Taylor W; Horslen, Brian C; Carpenter, Mark G

2012-06-01

Fear and anxiety induced by threatening scenarios, such as standing on elevated surfaces, have been shown to influence postural control in young adults. There is also a need to understand how postural threat influences postural control in populations with balance deficits and risk of falls. However, safety and feasibility issues limit opportunities to place such populations in physically threatening scenarios. Virtual reality (VR) has successfully been used to simulate threatening environments, although it is unclear whether the same postural changes can be elicited by changes in virtual and real threat conditions. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to compare the effects of real and virtual heights on changes to standing postural control, electrodermal activity (EDA) and psycho-social state. Seventeen subjects stood at low and high heights in both real and virtual environments matched in scale and visual detail. A repeated measures ANOVA revealed increases with height, independent of visual environment, in EDA, anxiety, fear, and center of pressure (COP) frequency, and decreases with height in perceived stability, balance confidence and COP amplitude. Interaction effects were seen for fear and COP mean position; where real elicited larger changes with height than VR. This study demonstrates the utility of VR, as simulated heights resulted in changes to postural, autonomic and psycho-social measures similar to those seen at real heights. As a result, VR may be a useful tool for studying threat related changes in postural control in populations at risk of falls, and to screen and rehabilitate balance deficits associated with fear and anxiety. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Estimating Vegetation Height from WorldView-02 and ArcticDEM Data for Broad Ecological Applications

Science.gov (United States)

Meddens, A. J.; Vierling, L. A.; Eitel, J.; Jennewein, J. S.; White, J. C.; Wulder, M.

2017-12-01

Boreal and arctic regions are warming at an unprecedented rate, and at a rate higher than in other regions across the globe. Ecological processes are highly responsive to temperature and therefore substantial changes in these northern ecosystems are expected. Recently, NASA initiated the Arctic-Boreal Vulnerability Experiment (ABoVE), which is a large-scale field campaign that aims to gain a better understanding of how the arctic responds to environmental change. High-resolution data products that quantify vegetation structure and function will improve efforts to assess these environmental change impacts. Our objective was to develop and test an approach that allows for mapping vegetation height at a 5m grid cell resolution across the ABoVE domain. To accomplish this, we selected three study areas across a north-south gradient in Alaska, representing an area of approximately 130 km2. We developed a RandomForest modeling approach for predicting vegetation height using the ArcticDEM (a digital surface model produced across the Arctic by the Polar Geospatial Center) and high-resolution multispectral satellite data (WorldView-2) in conjunction with aerial lidar data for calibration and validation. Vegetation height was successfully predicted across the three study areas and evaluated using an independent dataset, with R2 ranging from 0.58 to 0.76 and RMSEs ranging from 1.8 to 2.4 m. This predicted vegetation height dataset also led to the development of a digital terrain model using the ArcticDEM digital surface model by removing canopy heights from the surface heights. Our results show potential to establish a high resolution pan-arctic vegetation height map, which will provide useful information to a broad range of ongoing and future ecological research in high northern latitudes.

The estimation of dynamic contact angle of ultra-hydrophobic surfaces using inclined surface and impinging droplet methods

Science.gov (United States)

Jasikova, Darina; Kotek, Michal

2014-03-01

The development of industrial technology also brings with optimized surface quality, particularly where there is contact with food. Application ultra-hydrophobic surface significantly reduces the growth of bacteria and facilitates cleaning processes. Testing and evaluation of surface quality are used two methods: impinging droplet and inclined surface method optimized with high speed shadowgraphy, which give information about dynamic contact angle. This article presents the results of research into new methods of measuring ultra-hydrophobic patented technology.

Final height in survivors of childhood cancer compared with Height Standard Deviation Scores at diagnosis

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Knijnenburg, S. L.; Raemaekers, S.; van den Berg, H.; van Dijk, I. W. E. M.; Lieverst, J. A.; van der Pal, H. J.; Jaspers, M. W. M.; Caron, H. N.; Kremer, L. C.; van Santen, H. M.

2013-01-01

Our study aimed to evaluate final height in a cohort of Dutch childhood cancer survivors (CCS) and assess possible determinants of final height, including height at diagnosis. We calculated standard deviation scores (SDS) for height at initial cancer diagnosis and height in adulthood in a cohort of

Molecular dynamics simulation of potentiometric sensor response: the effect of biomolecules, surface morphology and surface charge.

Science.gov (United States)

Lowe, B M; Skylaris, C-K; Green, N G; Shibuta, Y; Sakata, T

2018-05-10

The silica-water interface is critical to many modern technologies in chemical engineering and biosensing. One technology used commonly in biosensors, the potentiometric sensor, operates by measuring the changes in electric potential due to changes in the interfacial electric field. Predictive modelling of this response caused by surface binding of biomolecules remains highly challenging. In this work, through the most extensive molecular dynamics simulation of the silica-water interfacial potential and electric field to date, we report a novel prediction and explanation of the effects of nano-morphology on sensor response. Amorphous silica demonstrated a larger potentiometric response than an equivalent crystalline silica model due to increased sodium adsorption, in agreement with experiments showing improved sensor response with nano-texturing. We provide proof-of-concept that molecular dynamics can be used as a complementary tool for potentiometric biosensor response prediction. Effects that are conventionally neglected, such as surface morphology, water polarisation, biomolecule dynamics and finite-size effects, are explicitly modelled.

Height premium for job performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Tae Hyun; Han, Euna

2017-08-01

This study assessed the relationship of height with wages, using the 1998 and 2012 Korean Labor and Income Panel Study data. The key independent variable was height measured in centimeters, which was included as a series of dummy indicators of height per 5cm span (wages to assess the heterogeneity in the height-wage relationship, across the conditional distribution of monthly wages. We found a non-linear relationship of height with monthly wages. For men, the magnitude of the height wage premium was overall larger at the upper quantile of the conditional distribution of log monthly wages than at the median to low quantile, particularly in professional and semi-professional occupations. The height-wage premium was also larger at the 90th quantile for self-employed women and salaried men. Our findings add a global dimension to the existing evidence on height-wage premium, demonstrating non-linearity in the association between height and wages and heterogeneous changes in the dispersion and direction of the association between height and wages, by wage level. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Dynamic Bubble Surface Tension Measurements in Northwest Atlantic Seawater

Science.gov (United States)

Kieber, D. J.; Long, M. S.; Keene, W. C.; Kinsey, J. D.; Frossard, A. A.; Beaupre, S. R.; Duplessis, P.; Maben, J. R.; Lu, X.; Chang, R.; Zhu, Y.; Bisgrove, J.

2017-12-01

Numerous reports suggest that most organic matter (OM) associated with newly formed primary marine aerosol (PMA) originates from the sea-surface microlayer. However, surface-active OM rapidly adsorbs onto bubble surfaces in the water column and is ejected into the atmosphere when bubbles burst at the air-water interface. Here we present dynamic surface tension measurements of bubbles produced in near surface seawater from biologically productive and oligotrophic sites and in deep seawater collected from 2500 m in the northwest Atlantic. In all cases, the surface tension of bubble surfaces decreased within seconds after the bubbles were exposed to seawater. These observations demonstrate that bubble surfaces are rapidly saturated by surfactant material scavenged from seawater. Spatial and diel variability in bubble surface evolution indicate corresponding variability in surfactant concentrations and/or composition. Our results reveal that surface-active OM is found throughout the water column, and that at least some surfactants are not of recent biological origin. Our results also support the hypothesis that the surface microlayer is a minor to negligible source of OM associated with freshly produced PMA.

An investigation of cloud base height in Chiang Mai

Science.gov (United States)

Peengam, S.; Tohsing, K.

2017-09-01

Clouds play very important role in the variation of surface solar radiation and rain formation. To understand this role, it is necessary to know the physical and geometrical of properties of cloud. However, clouds vary with location and time, which lead to a difficulty to obtain their properties. In this work, a ceilometer was installed at a station of the Royal Rainmaking and Agricultural Aviation Department in Chiang Mai (17.80° N, 98.43° E) in order to measure cloud base height. The cloud base height data from this instrument were compared with those obtained from LiDAR, a more sophisticated instrument installed at the same site. It was found that the cloud base height from both instruments was in reasonable agreement, with root mean square difference (RMSD) and mean bias difference (MBD) of 19.21% and 1.58%, respectively. Afterward, a six-month period (August, 2016-January, 2017) of data from the ceilometer was analyzed. The results show that mean cloud base height during this period is 1.5 km, meaning that most clouds are in the category of low-level cloud.

Multipoint contact modeling of nanoparticle manipulation on rough surface

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zakeri, M., E-mail: m.zakeri@tabrizu.ac.ir; Faraji, J.; Kharazmi, M. [University of Tabriz, School of Engineering Emerging Technologies (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

2016-12-15

In this paper, the atomic force microscopy (AFM)-based 2-D pushing of nano/microparticles investigated on rough substrate by assuming a multipoint contact model. First, a new contact model was extracted and presented based on the geometrical profiles of Rumpf, Rabinovich and George models and the contact mechanics theories of JKR and Schwartz, to model the adhesion forces and the deformations in the multipoint contact of rough surfaces. The geometry of a rough surface was defined by two main parameters of asperity height (size of roughness) and asperity wavelength (compactness of asperities distribution). Then, the dynamic behaviors of nano/microparticles with radiuses in range of 50–500 nm studied during their pushing on rough substrate with a hexagonal or square arrangement of asperities. Dynamic behavior of particles were simulated and compared by assuming multipoint and single-point contact schemes. The simulation results show that the assumption of multipoint contact has a considerable influence on determining the critical manipulation force. Additionally, the assumption of smooth surfaces or single-point contact leads to large error in the obtained results. According to the results of previous research, it anticipated that a particles with the radius less than about 550 nm start to slide on smooth substrate; but by using multipoint contact model, the predicted behavior changed, and particles with radii of smaller than 400 nm begin to slide on rough substrate for different height of asperities, at first.

An attempt to link the Brazilian Height System to a World Height System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V. G. Ferreira

Full Text Available This paper deals with the geopotential approach to investigate the present Brazilian Height System (BHS. Geopotential numbers are derived from Global Positioning System (GPS satellite surveying and disturbing potential on selected benchmarks. A model for the disturbing potential can be obtained by an existing set of spherical harmonic coefficients such as the Earth Gravity Model 2008 (EGM08. The approach provides absolute evaluation of local normal geopotential numbers (aka spheropotential numbers related to a so-called World Height System (WHS. To test the validity of the proposed methodology, a numerical experiment was carried out related to a test region in Southern Brazil. The accuracy of the derived geopotential numbers was tested versus local normal geopotential numbers based on 262 GPS/leveling points. The root mean square error (RMSE value for metric offset of BHS derived from geopotential numbers and the disturbing potential modeling in the test area was estimated to be near 0.224 meters in the absolute view. Therefore, since these spheropotential numbers are referred to a local datum, these results of comparisons may be an indicator of the mean bias of local network due to the effect of local Sea Surface Topography (SSTop and possible offset between the unknown reference for the BHS and the quasigeoid model in the region.

Influence of surface oxidation on ion dynamics and capacitance in porous and nonporous carbon electrodes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dyatkin, Boris [Drexel Univ., Philadelphia, PA (United States); Zhang, Yu [Vanderbilt Univ., Nashville, TN (United States); Mamontov, Eugene [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Kolesnikov, Alexander I. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Cheng, Yongqiang [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Meyer, III, Harry M. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Cummings, Peter T. [Vanderbilt Univ., Nashville, TN (United States); Gogotsi, Yury G. [Drexel Univ., Philadelphia, PA (United States)

2016-04-07

Here, we investigate the influence of surface chemistry and ion confinement on capacitance and electrosorption dynamics of room-temperature ionic liquids (RTILs) in supercapacitors. Using air oxidation and vacuum annealing, we produced defunctionalized and oxygen-rich surfaces of carbide-derived carbons (CDCs) and graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs). While oxidized surfaces of porous CDCs improve capacitance and rate handling abilities of ions, defunctionalized nonporous GNPs improve charge storage densities on planar electrodes. Quasi-elastic neutron scattering (QENS) and inelastic neutron scattering (INS) probed the structure, dynamics, and orientation of RTIL ions confined in divergently functionalized pores. Oxidized, ionophilic surfaces draw ions closer to pore surfaces and enhance potential-driven ion transport during electrosorption. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations corroborated experimental data and demonstrated the significance of surface functional groups on ion orientations, accumulation densities, and capacitance.

Modeling Apple Surface Temperature Dynamics Based on Weather Data

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lei Li

2014-10-01

Full Text Available The exposure of fruit surfaces to direct sunlight during the summer months can result in sunburn damage. Losses due to sunburn damage are a major economic problem when marketing fresh apples. The objective of this study was to develop and validate a model for simulating fruit surface temperature (FST dynamics based on energy balance and measured weather data. A series of weather data (air temperature, humidity, solar radiation, and wind speed was recorded for seven hours between 11:00–18:00 for two months at fifteen minute intervals. To validate the model, the FSTs of “Fuji” apples were monitored using an infrared camera in a natural orchard environment. The FST dynamics were measured using a series of thermal images. For the apples that were completely exposed to the sun, the RMSE of the model for estimating FST was less than 2.0 °C. A sensitivity analysis of the emissivity of the apple surface and the conductance of the fruit surface to water vapour showed that accurate estimations of the apple surface emissivity were important for the model. The validation results showed that the model was capable of accurately describing the thermal performances of apples under different solar radiation intensities. Thus, this model could be used to more accurately estimate the FST relative to estimates that only consider the air temperature. In addition, this model provides useful information for sunburn protection management.

Modeling apple surface temperature dynamics based on weather data.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Lei; Peters, Troy; Zhang, Qin; Zhang, Jingjin; Huang, Danfeng

2014-10-27

The exposure of fruit surfaces to direct sunlight during the summer months can result in sunburn damage. Losses due to sunburn damage are a major economic problem when marketing fresh apples. The objective of this study was to develop and validate a model for simulating fruit surface temperature (FST) dynamics based on energy balance and measured weather data. A series of weather data (air temperature, humidity, solar radiation, and wind speed) was recorded for seven hours between 11:00-18:00 for two months at fifteen minute intervals. To validate the model, the FSTs of "Fuji" apples were monitored using an infrared camera in a natural orchard environment. The FST dynamics were measured using a series of thermal images. For the apples that were completely exposed to the sun, the RMSE of the model for estimating FST was less than 2.0 °C. A sensitivity analysis of the emissivity of the apple surface and the conductance of the fruit surface to water vapour showed that accurate estimations of the apple surface emissivity were important for the model. The validation results showed that the model was capable of accurately describing the thermal performances of apples under different solar radiation intensities. Thus, this model could be used to more accurately estimate the FST relative to estimates that only consider the air temperature. In addition, this model provides useful information for sunburn protection management.

The ising model on the dynamical triangulated random surface

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aleinov, I.D.; Migelal, A.A.; Zmushkow, U.V.

1990-01-01

The critical properties of Ising model on the dynamical triangulated random surface embedded in D-dimensional Euclidean space are investigated. The strong coupling expansion method is used. The transition to thermodynamical limit is performed by means of continuous fractions

Effect of barrier height on friction behavior of the semiconductors silicon and gallium arsenide in contact with pure metals

Science.gov (United States)

Mishina, H.; Buckley, D. H.

1984-01-01

Friction experiments were conducted for the semiconductors silicon and gallium arsenide in contact with pure metals. Polycrystalline titanium, tantalum, nickel, palladium, and platinum were made to contact a single crystal silicon (111) surface. Indium, nickel, copper, and silver were made to contact a single crystal gallium arsenide (100) surface. Sliding was conducted both in room air and in a vacuum of 10 to the minus 9th power torr. The friction of semiconductors in contact with metals depended on a Schottky barrier height formed at the metal semiconductor interface. Metals with a higher barrier height on semiconductors gave lower friction. The effect of the barrier height on friction behavior for argon sputtered cleaned surfaces in vacuum was more specific than that for the surfaces containing films in room air. With a silicon surface sliding on titanium, many silicon particles back transferred. In contrast, a large quantity of indium transferred to the gallium arsenide surface.

Surface correlations of hydrodynamic drag for transitionally rough engineering surfaces

Science.gov (United States)

Thakkar, Manan; Busse, Angela; Sandham, Neil

2017-02-01

Rough surfaces are usually characterised by a single equivalent sand-grain roughness height scale that typically needs to be determined from laboratory experiments. Recently, this method has been complemented by a direct numerical simulation approach, whereby representative surfaces can be scanned and the roughness effects computed over a range of Reynolds number. This development raises the prospect over the coming years of having enough data for different types of rough surfaces to be able to relate surface characteristics to roughness effects, such as the roughness function that quantifies the downward displacement of the logarithmic law of the wall. In the present contribution, we use simulation data for 17 irregular surfaces at the same friction Reynolds number, for which they are in the transitionally rough regime. All surfaces are scaled to the same physical roughness height. Mean streamwise velocity profiles show a wide range of roughness function values, while the velocity defect profiles show a good collapse. Profile peaks of the turbulent kinetic energy also vary depending on the surface. We then consider which surface properties are important and how new properties can be incorporated into an empirical model, the accuracy of which can then be tested. Optimised models with several roughness parameters are systematically developed for the roughness function and profile peak turbulent kinetic energy. In determining the roughness function, besides the known parameters of solidity (or frontal area ratio) and skewness, it is shown that the streamwise correlation length and the root-mean-square roughness height are also significant. The peak turbulent kinetic energy is determined by the skewness and root-mean-square roughness height, along with the mean forward-facing surface angle and spanwise effective slope. The results suggest feasibility of relating rough-wall flow properties (throughout the range from hydrodynamically smooth to fully rough) to surface

Non-equilibrium dynamics of single polymer adsorption to solid surfaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Panja, Debabrata; Barkema, Gerard T; Kolomeisky, Anatoly B

2009-01-01

The adsorption of polymers to surfaces is crucial for understanding many fundamental processes in nature. Recent experimental studies indicate that the adsorption dynamics is dominated by non-equilibrium effects. We investigate the adsorption of a single polymer of length N to a planar solid surface in the absence of hydrodynamic interactions. We find that for weak adsorption energies the adsorption timescales ∼N (1+2ν)/(1+ν) , where ν is the Flory exponent for the polymer. We argue that in this regime the single chain adsorption is closely related to a field-driven polymer translocation through narrow pores. Surprisingly, for high adsorption energies the adsorption time becomes longer, as it scales as ∼N 1+ν , which is explained by strong stretching of the unadsorbed part of the polymer close to the adsorbing surface. These two dynamic regimes are separated by an energy scale that is characterized by non-equilibrium contributions during the adsorption process. (fast track communication)

Fluorescence quenching studies of potential-dependent DNA reorientation dynamics at glassy carbon electrode surfaces.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Qin; Cui, Chenchen; Higgins, Daniel A; Li, Jun

2012-09-05

The potential-dependent reorientation dynamics of double-stranded DNA (ds-DNA) attached to planar glassy carbon electrode (GCE) surfaces were investigated. The orientation state of surface-bound ds-DNA was followed by monitoring the fluorescence from a 6-carboxyfluorescein (FAM6) fluorophore covalently linked to the distal end of the DNA. Positive potentials (i.e., +0.2 V vs open circuit potential, OCP) caused the ds-DNA to align parallel to the electrode surface, resulting in strong dipole-electrode quenching of FAM6 fluorescence. Switching of the GCE potential to negative values (i.e., -0.2 V vs OCP) caused the ds-DNA to reorient perpendicular to the electrode surface, with a concomitant increase in FAM6 fluorescence. In addition to the very fast (submilliseconds) dynamics of the initial reorientation process, slow (0.1-0.9 s) relaxation of FAM6 fluorescence to intermediate levels was also observed after potential switching. These dynamics have not been previously described in the literature. They are too slow to be explained by double layer charging, and chronoamperometry data showed no evidence of such effects. Both the amplitude and rate of the dynamics were found to depend upon buffer concentration, and ds-DNA length, demonstrating a dependence on the double layer field. The dynamics are concluded to arise from previously undetected complexities in the mechanism of potential-dependent ds-DNA reorientation. The possible origins of these dynamics are discussed. A better understanding of these dynamics will lead to improved models for potential-dependent ds-DNA reorientation at electrode surfaces and will facilitate the development of advanced electrochemical devices for detection of target DNAs.

Quantum dynamics of hydrogen atoms on graphene. II. Sticking

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bonfanti, Matteo, E-mail: matteo.bonfanti@unimi.it [Dipartimento di Chimica, Università degli Studi di Milano, v. Golgi 19, 20133 Milano (Italy); Jackson, Bret [Department of Chemistry, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003 (United States); Hughes, Keith H. [School of Chemistry, Bangor University, Bangor, Gwynedd LL57 2UW (United Kingdom); Burghardt, Irene [Institute of Physical and Theoretical Chemistry, Goethe University Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue-Str. 7, 60438 Frankfurt/Main (Germany); Martinazzo, Rocco, E-mail: rocco.martinazzo@unimi.it [Dipartimento di Chimica, Università degli Studi di Milano, v. Golgi 19, 20133 Milano (Italy); Istituto di Scienze e Tecnologie Molecolari, Consiglio Nazionale delle Richerche, v. Golgi 19, 20133 Milano (Italy)

2015-09-28

Following our recent system-bath modeling of the interaction between a hydrogen atom and a graphene surface [Bonfanti et al., J. Chem. Phys. 143, 124703 (2015)], we present the results of converged quantum scattering calculations on the activated sticking dynamics. The focus of this study is the collinear scattering on a surface at zero temperature, which is treated with high-dimensional wavepacket propagations with the multi-configuration time-dependent Hartree method. At low collision energies, barrier-crossing dominates the sticking and any projectile that overcomes the barrier gets trapped in the chemisorption well. However, at high collision energies, energy transfer to the surface is a limiting factor, and fast H atoms hardly dissipate their excess energy and stick on the surface. As a consequence, the sticking coefficient is maximum (∼0.65) at an energy which is about one and half larger than the barrier height. Comparison of the results with classical and quasi-classical calculations shows that quantum fluctuations of the lattice play a primary role in the dynamics. A simple impulsive model describing the collision of a classical projectile with a quantum surface is developed which reproduces the quantum results remarkably well for all but the lowest energies, thereby capturing the essential physics of the activated sticking dynamics investigated.

Quantum dynamics of hydrogen atoms on graphene. II. Sticking

Science.gov (United States)

Bonfanti, Matteo; Jackson, Bret; Hughes, Keith H.; Burghardt, Irene; Martinazzo, Rocco

2015-09-01

Following our recent system-bath modeling of the interaction between a hydrogen atom and a graphene surface [Bonfanti et al., J. Chem. Phys. 143, 124703 (2015)], we present the results of converged quantum scattering calculations on the activated sticking dynamics. The focus of this study is the collinear scattering on a surface at zero temperature, which is treated with high-dimensional wavepacket propagations with the multi-configuration time-dependent Hartree method. At low collision energies, barrier-crossing dominates the sticking and any projectile that overcomes the barrier gets trapped in the chemisorption well. However, at high collision energies, energy transfer to the surface is a limiting factor, and fast H atoms hardly dissipate their excess energy and stick on the surface. As a consequence, the sticking coefficient is maximum (˜0.65) at an energy which is about one and half larger than the barrier height. Comparison of the results with classical and quasi-classical calculations shows that quantum fluctuations of the lattice play a primary role in the dynamics. A simple impulsive model describing the collision of a classical projectile with a quantum surface is developed which reproduces the quantum results remarkably well for all but the lowest energies, thereby capturing the essential physics of the activated sticking dynamics investigated.

Quantum dynamics of hydrogen atoms on graphene. II. Sticking.

Science.gov (United States)

Bonfanti, Matteo; Jackson, Bret; Hughes, Keith H; Burghardt, Irene; Martinazzo, Rocco

2015-09-28

Following our recent system-bath modeling of the interaction between a hydrogen atom and a graphene surface [Bonfanti et al., J. Chem. Phys. 143, 124703 (2015)], we present the results of converged quantum scattering calculations on the activated sticking dynamics. The focus of this study is the collinear scattering on a surface at zero temperature, which is treated with high-dimensional wavepacket propagations with the multi-configuration time-dependent Hartree method. At low collision energies, barrier-crossing dominates the sticking and any projectile that overcomes the barrier gets trapped in the chemisorption well. However, at high collision energies, energy transfer to the surface is a limiting factor, and fast H atoms hardly dissipate their excess energy and stick on the surface. As a consequence, the sticking coefficient is maximum (∼0.65) at an energy which is about one and half larger than the barrier height. Comparison of the results with classical and quasi-classical calculations shows that quantum fluctuations of the lattice play a primary role in the dynamics. A simple impulsive model describing the collision of a classical projectile with a quantum surface is developed which reproduces the quantum results remarkably well for all but the lowest energies, thereby capturing the essential physics of the activated sticking dynamics investigated.

Quantum dynamics of hydrogen atoms on graphene. II. Sticking

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bonfanti, Matteo; Jackson, Bret; Hughes, Keith H.; Burghardt, Irene; Martinazzo, Rocco

2015-01-01

Following our recent system-bath modeling of the interaction between a hydrogen atom and a graphene surface [Bonfanti et al., J. Chem. Phys. 143, 124703 (2015)], we present the results of converged quantum scattering calculations on the activated sticking dynamics. The focus of this study is the collinear scattering on a surface at zero temperature, which is treated with high-dimensional wavepacket propagations with the multi-configuration time-dependent Hartree method. At low collision energies, barrier-crossing dominates the sticking and any projectile that overcomes the barrier gets trapped in the chemisorption well. However, at high collision energies, energy transfer to the surface is a limiting factor, and fast H atoms hardly dissipate their excess energy and stick on the surface. As a consequence, the sticking coefficient is maximum (∼0.65) at an energy which is about one and half larger than the barrier height. Comparison of the results with classical and quasi-classical calculations shows that quantum fluctuations of the lattice play a primary role in the dynamics. A simple impulsive model describing the collision of a classical projectile with a quantum surface is developed which reproduces the quantum results remarkably well for all but the lowest energies, thereby capturing the essential physics of the activated sticking dynamics investigated

A sensitivity-based approach to optimize the surface treatment of a low-height tramway noise barrier

Science.gov (United States)

Jolibois, Alexandre

Transportation noise has become a main nuisance in urban areas, in the industrialized world and across the world, to the point that according to the World Health Organization 65% of the European population is exposed to excessive noise and 20% to night-time levels that may harm their health. There is therefore a need to find new ways to mitigate transportation noise in urban areas. In this work, a possible device to achieve this goal is studied: a low-height noise barrier. It consists of a barrier typically less than one meter high placed close to the source, designed to decrease significantly the noise level for nearby pedestrians and cyclists. A numerical method which optimizes the surface treatment of a low-height barrier in order to increase its insertion loss is presented. Tramway noise barriers are especially studied since the noise sources are in this case close to the ground and would be attenuated more by the barrier. The acoustic behavior of the surface treatment is modeled via its admittance. It can be itself described by a few parameters (flow resistivity, geometrical dimensions...), which can then be optimized. It is proposed to couple porous layers and micro-perforated panel (MPP) resonators in order to take advantage of their different acoustic properties. Moreover, the optimization is achieved using a sensitivity-based method, since in this framework the gradient of the attenuation can be evaluated accurately and efficiently. Several shapes are considered: half-cylinder, quarter-cylinder, straight wall, T-shape and square shape. In the case of a half-cylindrical geometry, a semi-analytical solution for the sound field in terms of a series of cylindrical waves is derived, which simplifies the sensitivity calculation and optimization process. The boundary element method (BEM) is used to evaluate the attenuation for the remaining shapes, and in this case the sensitivity is evaluated using the adjoint state approach. For all considered geometries, it is

Height-Deterministic Pushdown Automata

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nowotka, Dirk; Srba, Jiri

2007-01-01

We define the notion of height-deterministic pushdown automata, a model where for any given input string the stack heights during any (nondeterministic) computation on the input are a priori fixed. Different subclasses of height-deterministic pushdown automata, strictly containing the class...... of regular languages and still closed under boolean language operations, are considered. Several of such language classes have been described in the literature. Here, we suggest a natural and intuitive model that subsumes all the formalisms proposed so far by employing height-deterministic pushdown automata...

Seasonal dynamics of surface chlorophyll concentration and sea surface temperature, as indicator of hydrological structure of the ocean (by satellite data)

Science.gov (United States)

Shevyrnogov, Anatoly; Vysotskaya, Galina

Continuous monitoring of phytopigment concentrations and sea surface temperature in the ocean by space-borne methods makes possible to estimate ecological condition of biocenoses in critical areas. Unlike land vegetation, hydrological processes largely determine phytoplank-ton dynamics, which may be either recurrent or random. The types of chlorophyll concentration dynamics and sea surface temperature can manifest as zones quasistationary by seasonal dynamics, quasistationary areas (QSA). In the papers of the authors (A. Shevyrnogov, G. Vysotskaya, E. Shevyrnogov, A study of the stationary and the anomalous in the ocean surface chlorophyll distribution by satellite data. International Journal of Remote Sensing, Vol. 25, No.7-8, pp. 1383-1387, April 2004 & A. P. Shevyrnogov, G. S. Vysotskaya, J. I. Gitelson, Quasistationary areas of chlorophyll concentra-tion in the world ocean as observed satellite data Advances in Space Research, Volume 18, Issue 7, Pages 129-132, 1996) existence of zones, which are quasi-stationary with similar seasonal dynamics of chlorophyll concentration at surface layer of ocean, was shown. Results were obtained on the base of processing of time series of satellite images SeaWiFS. It was shown that fronts and frontal zones coincide with dividing lines between quasi-stationary are-as, especially in areas of large oceanic streams. To study the dynamics of the ocean for the period from 1985 through 2012 we used data on the temperature of the surface layer of the ocean and chlorophyll concentration (AVHRR, SeaWiFS and MODIS). Biota of surface oceanic layer is more stable in comparison with quickly changing surface tem-perature. It gives a possibility to circumvent influence of high-frequency component (for exam-ple, a diurnal cycle) in investigation of dynamics of spatial distribution of surface streams. In addition, an analyses of nonstable ocean productivity phenomena, stood out time series of satellite images, showed existence of areas with

MGS Radio Science Measurements of Atmospheric Dynamics on Mars

Science.gov (United States)

Hinson, D. P.

2001-12-01

The Sun-synchronous, polar orbit of Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) provides frequent opportunities for radio occultation sounding of the neutral atmosphere. The basic result of each experiment is a profile of pressure and temperature versus planetocentric radius and geopotential. More than 4000 profiles were obtained during the 687-day mapping phase of the mission, and additional observations are underway. These measurements allow detailed characterization of planetary-scale dynamics, including stationary planetary (or Rossby) waves and transient waves produced by instability. For example, both types of dynamics were observed near 67° S during midwinter of the southern hemisphere (Ls=134° --160° ). Planetary waves are the most prominent dynamical feature in this subset of data. At zonal wave number s=1, both the temperature and geopotential fields tilt westward with increasing height, as expected for vertically-propagating planetary waves forced at the surface. The wave-2 structure is more nearly barotropic. The amplitude in geopotential height at Ls=150° increases from ~200 m near the surface to ~700 m at 10 Pa. The corresponding meridional wind speed increases from ~5 m s-1 near the surface to ~20 m s-1 at 10 Pa. Traveling ``baroclinic'' waves also appear intermittently during this interval. The dominant mode has a period of ~2 sols, s=3, and a peak amplitude of ~7 K at 300 Pa. Stong zonal variations in eddy amplitude signal the presence of a possible ``storm zone'' at 150° --330° E longitude. This talk will include other examples of these phenomena as well as comparisons with computer simulations by a Martian general circulation model (MGCM).

Assessing the Nano-Dynamics of the Cell Surface

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bae, Chil Man [Dept. of Physiology and Biophysics, State University of New York, Buffalo (United States); Park, Ik Keun [Mechanical Engineering, Seoul National University of Technology, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Bulter, Peter J. [Dept. of Bioengineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park (United States)

2012-06-15

It is important to know the mechanism of cell membrane fluctuation because it can be readout for the nanomechanical interaction between cytoskeleton and plasma membrane. Traditional techniques, however, have drawbacks such as probe contact with the cell surface, complicate analysis, and limit spatial and temporal resolution. In this study, we developed a new system for non-contact measurement of nano-scale localized-cell surface dynamics using modified-scanning ion-conductance microscopy. With 2 nm resolution, we determined that endothelial cells have local membrane fluctuations of -20 nm, actin depolymerization causes increase in fluctuation amplitude, and ATP depletion abolishes all membrane fluctuations.

Regional and historical factors supplement current climate in shaping global forest canopy height

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zhang, Jian; Nielsen, Scott; Mao, Lingfeng

2016-01-01

on Light Detection and Ranging-derived maximum forest canopy height (Hmax) to test hypotheses relating Hmax to current climate (water availability, ambient energy and water–energy dynamics), regional evolutionary and biogeographic history, historical climate change, and human disturbance. We derived Hmax...... biogeographic regions, supporting the role of regional evolutionary and biogeographic history in structuring broad-scale patterns in canopy height. Furthermore, there were divergent relationships between climate and Hmax between the Southern and Northern Hemispheres, consistent with historical evolutionary...... contingencies modulating these relationships. Historical climate change was also related to Hmax, albeit not as strongly, with shorter canopy heights where late-Quaternary climate has been less stable. In contrast, human disturbance was only weakly related to Hmax at the scale (55 km) examined here. Synthesis...

Dust Dynamics Near Planetary Surfaces

Science.gov (United States)

Colwell, Joshua; Hughes, Anna; Grund, Chris

Observations of a lunar "horizon glow" by several Surveyor spacecraft in the 1960s opened the study of the dynamics of charged dust particles near planetary surfaces. The surfaces of the Moon and other airless planetary bodies in the solar system (asteroids, and other moons) are directly exposed to the solar wind and ionizing solar ultraviolet radiation, resulting in a time-dependent electric surface potential. Because these same objects are also exposed to bombardment by micrometeoroids, the surfaces are usually characterized by a power-law size distribution of dust that extends to sub-micron-sized particles. Individual particles can acquire a charge different from their surroundings leading to electrostatic levitation. Once levitated, particles may simply return to the surface on nearly ballistic trajectories, escape entirely from the moon or asteroid if the initial velocity is large, or in some cases be stably levitated for extended periods of time. All three outcomes have observable consequences. Furthermore, the behavior of charged dust near the surface has practical implications for planned future manned and unmanned activities on the lunar surface. Charged dust particles also act as sensitive probes of the near-surface plasma environment. Recent numerical modeling of dust levitation and transport show that charged micron-sized dust is likely to accumulate in topographic lows such as craters, providing a mechanism for the creation of dust "ponds" observed on the asteroid 433 Eros. Such deposition can occur when particles are supported by the photoelectron sheath above the dayside and drift over shadowed regions of craters where the surface potential is much smaller. Earlier studies of the lunar horizon glow are consistent with those particles being on simple ballistic trajectories following electrostatic launching from the surface. Smaller particles may be accelerated from the lunar surface to high altitudes consistent with observations of high altitude

Apparent Barrier Height in Scanning Tunneling Microscopy Revisited

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Olesen, L.; Brandbyge, Mads; Sørensen, Mads Reinholdt

1996-01-01

The apparent barrier height phi(ap), that is, the rate of change of the logarithm of the conductance with tip-sample separation in a scanning tunneling microscope (STM), has been measured for Ni, Pt, and Au single crystal surfaces. The results show that phi(ap) is constant until point contact...... is reached rather than decreasing at small tunneling gap distances, as previously reported. The findings for phi(ap) can be accounted for theoretically by including the relaxations of the tip-surface junction in an STM due to the strong adhesive forces at close proximity. These relaxation effects are shown...

Measurement of Dynamic Friction Coefficient on the Irregular Free Surface

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yeom, S. H.; Seo, K. S.; Lee, J. H.; Lee, K. H.

2007-01-01

A spent fuel storage cask must be estimated for a structural integrity when an earthquake occurs because it freely stands on ground surface without a restriction condition. Usually the integrity estimation for a seismic load is performed by a FEM analysis, the friction coefficient for a standing surface is an important parameter in seismic analysis when a sliding happens. When a storage cask is placed on an irregular ground surface, measuring a friction coefficient of an irregular surface is very difficult because the friction coefficient is affected by the surface condition. In this research, dynamic friction coefficients on the irregular surfaces between a concrete cylinder block and a flat concrete slab are measured with two methods by one direction actuator

A numerical study on the effects of wave-current-surge interactions on the height and propagation of sea surface waves in Charleston Harbor during Hurricane Hugo 1989

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Huiqing; Xie, Lian

2009-06-01

The effects of wave-current interactions on ocean surface waves induced by Hurricane Hugo in and around the Charleston Harbor and its adjacent coastal waters are examined by using a three-dimensional (3D) wave-current coupled modeling system. The 3D storm surge modeling component of the coupled system is based on the Princeton Ocean Model (POM), the wave modeling component is based on the third generation wave model, Simulating WAves Nearshore (SWAN), and the inundation model is adopted from [Xie, L., Pietrafesa, L. J., Peng, M., 2004. Incorporation of a mass-conserving inundation scheme into a three-dimensional storm surge model. J. Coastal Res., 20, 1209-1223]. The results indicate that the change of water level associated with the storm surge is the primary cause for wave height changes due to wave-surge interaction. Meanwhile, waves propagating on top of surge cause a feedback effect on the surge height by modulating the surface wind stress and bottom stress. This effect is significant in shallow coastal waters, but relatively small in offshore deep waters. The influence of wave-current interaction on wave propagation is relatively insignificant, since waves generally propagate in the direction of the surface currents driven by winds. Wave-current interactions also affect the surface waves as a result of inundation and drying induced by the storm. Waves break as waters retreat in regions of drying, whereas waves are generated in flooded regions where no waves would have occurred without the flood water.

Wake interaction and power production of variable height model wind farms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vested, M H; Sørensen, J N; Hamilton, N; Cal, R B

2014-01-01

Understanding wake dynamics is an ongoing research topic in wind energy, since wakes have considerable effects on the power production when wind turbines are placed in a wind farm. Wind tunnel experiments have been conducted to study the wake to wake interaction in a model wind farm in tandem with measurements of the extracted power. The aim is to investigate how alternating mast height influences the interaction of the wakes and the power production. Via the use of stereo-particle image velocimetry, the flow field was obtained in the first and last rows of the wind turbine array as a basis of comparison. It was found that downstream of the exit row wind turbine, the power was increased by 25% in the case of a staggered height configuration. This is partly due to the fact that the taller turbines reach into a flow area with a softened velocity gradient. Another aspect is that the wake downstream of a tall wind turbine to some extent passes above the standard height wind turbine. Overall the experiments show that the velocity field downstream of the exit row changes considerably when the mast height is alternating

Structural dynamics of surfaces by ultrafast electron crystallography: experimental and multiple scattering theory.

Science.gov (United States)

Schäfer, Sascha; Liang, Wenxi; Zewail, Ahmed H

2011-12-07

Recent studies in ultrafast electron crystallography (UEC) using a reflection diffraction geometry have enabled the investigation of a wide range of phenomena on the femtosecond and picosecond time scales. In all these studies, the analysis of the diffraction patterns and their temporal change after excitation was performed within the kinematical scattering theory. In this contribution, we address the question, to what extent dynamical scattering effects have to be included in order to obtain quantitative information about structural dynamics. We discuss different scattering regimes and provide diffraction maps that describe all essential features of scatterings and observables. The effects are quantified by dynamical scattering simulations and examined by direct comparison to the results of ultrafast electron diffraction experiments on an in situ prepared Ni(100) surface, for which structural dynamics can be well described by a two-temperature model. We also report calculations for graphite surfaces. The theoretical framework provided here allows for further UEC studies of surfaces especially at larger penetration depths and for those of heavy-atom materials. © 2011 American Institute of Physics

Experiments on bubble dynamics between a free surface and a rigid wall

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, A. M.; Cui, P.; Wang, Y.

2013-10-01

Experiments were conducted where the underwater bubble oscillates between two boundaries, a free surface and a horizontal rigid wall. The motion features of both the bubble and the free surface were investigated, via the consideration of two key factors, i.e., the non-dimensional distances from the bubble to the two boundaries. To support the investigation, experiments were conducted in the first place where the bubble oscillates near only one of the two boundaries. Then the other boundary was inserted at different positions to observe the changes in the motion features, including the types, maximum speed and height of the water spike and skirt, the form and speed of the jets, and bubble shapes. Correspondence is found between the motion features of the free surface and different stages of bubble oscillation. Intriguing details such as gas torus around the jet, double jets, bubble entrapment, and microjet of the water spike, etc., are observed.

Urban Land: Study of Surface Run-off Composition and Its Dynamics

Science.gov (United States)

Palagin, E. D.; Gridneva, M. A.; Bykova, P. G.

2017-11-01

The qualitative composition of urban land surface run-off is liable to significant variations. To study surface run-off dynamics, to examine its behaviour and to discover reasons of these variations, it is relevant to use the mathematical apparatus technique of time series analysis. A seasonal decomposition procedure was applied to a temporary series of monthly dynamics with the annual frequency of seasonal variations in connection with a multiplicative model. The results of the quantitative chemical analysis of surface wastewater of the 22nd Partsjezd outlet in Samara for the period of 2004-2016 were used as basic data. As a result of the analysis, a seasonal pattern of variations in the composition of surface run-off in Samara was identified. Seasonal indices upon 15 waste-water quality indicators were defined. BOD (full), suspended materials, mineralization, chlorides, sulphates, ammonium-ion, nitrite-anion, nitrate-anion, phosphates (phosphorus), iron general, copper, zinc, aluminium, petroleum products, synthetic surfactants (anion-active). Based on the seasonal decomposition of the time series data, the contribution of trends, seasonal and accidental components of the variability of the surface run-off indicators was estimated.

Incorporating human-water dynamics in a hyper-resolution land surface model

Science.gov (United States)

Vergopolan, N.; Chaney, N.; Wanders, N.; Sheffield, J.; Wood, E. F.

2017-12-01

The increasing demand for water, energy, and food is leading to unsustainable groundwater and surface water exploitation. As a result, the human interactions with the environment, through alteration of land and water resources dynamics, need to be reflected in hydrologic and land surface models (LSMs). Advancements in representing human-water dynamics still leave challenges related to the lack of water use data, water allocation algorithms, and modeling scales. This leads to an over-simplistic representation of human water use in large-scale models; this is in turn leads to an inability to capture extreme events signatures and to provide reliable information at stakeholder-level spatial scales. The emergence of hyper-resolution models allows one to address these challenges by simulating the hydrological processes and interactions with the human impacts at field scales. We integrated human-water dynamics into HydroBlocks - a hyper-resolution, field-scale resolving LSM. HydroBlocks explicitly solves the field-scale spatial heterogeneity of land surface processes through interacting hydrologic response units (HRUs); and its HRU-based model parallelization allows computationally efficient long-term simulations as well as ensemble predictions. The implemented human-water dynamics include groundwater and surface water abstraction to meet agricultural, domestic and industrial water demands. Furthermore, a supply-demand water allocation scheme based on relative costs helps to determine sectoral water use requirements and tradeoffs. A set of HydroBlocks simulations over the Midwest United States (daily, at 30-m spatial resolution for 30 years) are used to quantify the irrigation impacts on water availability. The model captures large reductions in total soil moisture and water table levels, as well as spatiotemporal changes in evapotranspiration and runoff peaks, with their intensity related to the adopted water management strategy. By incorporating human-water dynamics in

The Influence of Artificial Cervical Disc Prosthesis Height on the Cervical Biomechanics: A Finite Element Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Yuan, Wei; Zhang, Haiping; Zhou, Xiaoshu; Wu, Weidong; Zhu, Yue

2018-05-01

Artificial cervical disc replacement is expected to maintain normal cervical biomechanics. At present, the effect of the Prestige LP prosthesis height on cervical biomechanics has not been thoroughly studied. This finite element study of the cervical biomechanics aims to predict how the parameters, like range of motion (ROM), adjacent intradiscal pressure, facet joint force, and bone-implant interface stress, are affected by different heights of Prestige LP prostheses. The finite element model of intact cervical spine (C3-C7) was obtained from our previous study, and the model was altered to implant Prestige LP prostheses at the C5-C6 level. The effects of the height of 5, 6, and 7 mm prosthesis replacement on ROM, adjacent intradiscal pressure, facet joint force, as well as the distribution of bone-implant interface stress were examined. ROM, adjacent intradiscal pressure, and facet joint force increased with the prosthesis height, whereas ROM and facet joint force decreased at C5-C6. The maximal stress on the inferior surface of the prostheses was greater than that on the superior surface, and the stresses increased with the prosthesis height. The biomechanical changes were slightly affected by the height of 5 and 6 mm prostheses, but were strongly affected by the 7-mm prosthesis. An appropriate height of the Prestige LP prosthesis can preserve normal ROM, adjacent intradiscal pressure, and facet joint force. Prostheses with a height of ≥2 mm than normal can lead to marked changes in the cervical biomechanics and bone-implant interface stress. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Calibration of high-dynamic-range, finite-resolution x-ray pulse-height spectrometers for extracting electron energy distribution data from the PFRC-2 device

Science.gov (United States)

Swanson, C.; Jandovitz, P.; Cohen, S. A.

2017-10-01

Knowledge of the full x-ray energy distribution function (XEDF) emitted from a plasma over a large dynamic range of energies can yield valuable insights about the electron energy distribution function (EEDF) of that plasma and the dynamic processes that create them. X-ray pulse height detectors such as Amptek's X-123 Fast SDD with Silicon Nitride window can detect x-rays in the range of 200eV to 100s of keV. However, extracting EEDF from this measurement requires precise knowledge of the detector's response function. This response function, including the energy scale calibration, the window transmission function, and the resolution function, can be measured directly. We describe measurements of this function from x-rays from a mono-energetic electron beam in a purpose-built gas-target x-ray tube. Large-Z effects such as line radiation, nuclear charge screening, and polarizational Bremsstrahlung are discussed.

Global effects of income and income inequality on adult height and sexual dimorphism in height.

Science.gov (United States)

Bogin, Barry; Scheffler, Christiane; Hermanussen, Michael

2017-03-01

Average adult height of a population is considered a biomarker of the quality of the health environment and economic conditions. The causal relationships between height and income inequality are not well understood. We analyze data from 169 countries for national average heights of men and women and national-level economic factors to test two hypotheses: (1) income inequality has a greater association with average adult height than does absolute income; and (2) neither income nor income inequality has an effect on sexual dimorphism in height. Average height data come from the NCD-RisC health risk factor collaboration. Economic indicators are derived from the World Bank data archive and include gross domestic product (GDP), Gross National Income per capita adjusted for personal purchasing power (GNI_PPP), and income equality assessed by the Gini coefficient calculated by the Wagstaff method. Hypothesis 1 is supported. Greater income equality is most predictive of average height for both sexes. GNI_PPP explains a significant, but smaller, amount of the variation. National GDP has no association with height. Hypothesis 2 is rejected. With greater average adult height there is greater sexual dimorphism. Findings support a growing literature on the pernicious effects of inequality on growth in height and, by extension, on health. Gradients in height reflect gradients in social disadvantage. Inequality should be considered a pollutant that disempowers people from the resources needed for their own healthy growth and development and for the health and good growth of their children. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

How do low/high height and weight variation affect upper limb movements during manual material handling of industrial boxes?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ana B. Oliveira

Full Text Available OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effect of surface height and load weight on upper limb movements and electromyographic (EMG recordings during manual handling performed by both experienced and inexperienced lifter subjects. METHODS: Sixteen experienced and sixteen inexperienced lifters handled a box (both 7 and 15 kg from an intermediate height (waist level to either a high or low surface. Electromyography and video images were recorded during the tasks. The 10th, 50th and 90th percentiles were calculated for the deltoid and biceps muscles, shoulder flexion, shoulder abduction, and elbow flexion movements. Groups, right/left sides, weights and heights were compared. There were no differences between either groups or sides. RESULTS: Weight and height variations affected EMG and posture, although weight had more impact on EMG. Shoulder abduction and flexion movements higher than 60º occurred, particularly for the higher surface. Shoulder flexion was also higher when the box was moved to the low height. This study provides new evidence as shoulder postures during boxes handling on low surfaces had not previously been evaluated. CONCLUSIONS: The high demand of upper limb in manual material handling tasks is clear, particularly for the shoulder. This knowledge can be used by physical therapists to plan better rehabilitation programs for manual material handling-related disorders, particularly focusing on return to work.

Dynamics of ice nucleation on water repellent surfaces.

Science.gov (United States)

Alizadeh, Azar; Yamada, Masako; Li, Ri; Shang, Wen; Otta, Shourya; Zhong, Sheng; Ge, Liehui; Dhinojwala, Ali; Conway, Ken R; Bahadur, Vaibhav; Vinciquerra, A Joseph; Stephens, Brian; Blohm, Margaret L

2012-02-14

Prevention of ice accretion and adhesion on surfaces is relevant to many applications, leading to improved operation safety, increased energy efficiency, and cost reduction. Development of passive nonicing coatings is highly desirable, since current antiicing strategies are energy and cost intensive. Superhydrophobicity has been proposed as a lead passive nonicing strategy, yet the exact mechanism of delayed icing on these surfaces is not clearly understood. In this work, we present an in-depth analysis of ice formation dynamics upon water droplet impact on surfaces with different wettabilities. We experimentally demonstrate that ice nucleation under low-humidity conditions can be delayed through control of surface chemistry and texture. Combining infrared (IR) thermometry and high-speed photography, we observe that the reduction of water-surface contact area on superhydrophobic surfaces plays a dual role in delaying nucleation: first by reducing heat transfer and second by reducing the probability of heterogeneous nucleation at the water-substrate interface. This work also includes an analysis (based on classical nucleation theory) to estimate various homogeneous and heterogeneous nucleation rates in icing situations. The key finding is that ice nucleation delay on superhydrophobic surfaces is more prominent at moderate degrees of supercooling, while closer to the homogeneous nucleation temperature, bulk and air-water interface nucleation effects become equally important. The study presented here offers a comprehensive perspective on the efficacy of textured surfaces for nonicing applications.

Measurement of barrier height of Pd on diamond (100) surface by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, F.N. [Institute of Wide Band Gap Semiconductors, Xi' an Jiaotong University, Xi' an 710049 (China); Nation Key Laboratory of ASIC, HSRI, Shijiazhuang 050051 (China); Liu, J.W. [International Center for Young Scientists, National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), 1-1 Namiki, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 3050044 (Japan); Zhang, J.W.; Wang, X.L.; Wang, W.; Liu, Z.C. [Institute of Wide Band Gap Semiconductors, Xi' an Jiaotong University, Xi' an 710049 (China); Wang, H.X., E-mail: hxwangcn@mail.xjtu.edu.cn [Institute of Wide Band Gap Semiconductors, Xi' an Jiaotong University, Xi' an 710049 (China)

2016-05-01

Highlights: • Metal-semiconductor contacts of Pd/hydrogen-terminated diamond and Pd/oxygen-terminated diamond have been investigated by XPS measurements. • The barrier height for Pd/hydrogen-terminated diamond (ohmic contact) has been measured to be −0.27 eV. • The barrier height for Pd/oxygen-terminated diamond (Schottky contact) has been measured to be 1.73 eV. - Abstract: Barrier height (Φ{sub BH}) values for Pd/hydrogen-terminated diamond (H-diamond) and Pd/oxygen-terminated diamond (O-diamond) have been investigated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy technique. H-diamond and O-diamond have been formed on the same diamond (100) layer grown by microwave plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition,on which Pd layers have been evaporated. The Φ{sub BH} values for Pd/H-diamond and Pd/O-diamond are determined to be −0.27 eV and 1.73 eV, respectively. It indicates that Pd is a suitable metal for ohmic and Schottky contacts on H-diamond and O-diamond, respectively. The experimental Φ{sub BH} values are in good agreement with the theoretical calculation results.

A statistical-dynamical scheme for reconstructing ocean forcing in the Atlantic. Part I: weather regimes as predictors for ocean surface variables

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cassou, Christophe; Minvielle, Marie; Terray, Laurent [CERFACS/CNRS, Climate Modelling and Global Change Team, Toulouse (France); Perigaud, Claire [JPL-NASA, Ocean Science Element, Pasadena, CA (United States)

2011-01-15

The links between the observed variability of the surface ocean variables estimated from reanalysis and the overlying atmosphere decomposed in classes of large-scale atmospheric circulation via clustering are investigated over the Atlantic from 1958 to 2002. Daily 500 hPa geopotential height and 1,000 hPa wind anomaly maps are classified following a weather-typing approach to describe the North Atlantic and tropical Atlantic atmospheric dynamics, respectively. The algorithm yields patterns that correspond in the extratropics to the well-known North Atlantic-Europe weather regimes (NAE-WR) accounting for the barotropic dynamics, and in the tropics to wind classes (T-WC) representing the alteration of the trades. 10-m wind and 2-m temperature (T2) anomaly composites derived from regime/wind class occurrence are indicative of strong relationships between daily large-scale atmospheric circulation and ocean surface over the entire Atlantic basin. High temporal correlation values are obtained basin-wide at low frequency between the observed fields and their reconstruction by multiple linear regressions with the frequencies of occurrence of both NAE-WR and T-WC used as sole predictors. Additional multiple linear regressions also emphasize the importance of accounting for the strength of the daily anomalous atmospheric circulation estimated by the combined distances to all regimes centroids in order to reproduce the daily to interannual variability of the Atlantic ocean. We show that for most of the North Atlantic basin the occurrence of NAE-WR generally sets the sign of the ocean surface anomaly for a given day, and that the inter-regime distances are valuable predictors for the magnitude of that anomaly. Finally, we provide evidence that a large fraction of the low-frequency trends in the Atlantic observed at the surface over the last 50 years can be traced back, except for T2, to changes in occurrence of tropical and extratropical weather classes. All together, our

Encounter Probability of Individual Wave Height

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Liu, Z.; Burcharth, H. F.

1998-01-01

wave height corresponding to a certain exceedence probability within a structure lifetime (encounter probability), based on the statistical analysis of long-term extreme significant wave height. Then the design individual wave height is calculated as the expected maximum individual wave height...... associated with the design significant wave height, with the assumption that the individual wave heights follow the Rayleigh distribution. However, the exceedence probability of such a design individual wave height within the structure lifetime is unknown. The paper presents a method for the determination...... of the design individual wave height corresponding to an exceedence probability within the structure lifetime, given the long-term extreme significant wave height. The method can also be applied for estimation of the number of relatively large waves for fatigue analysis of constructions....

Poppy Crop Height and Capsule Volume Estimation from a Single UAS Flight

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Faheem Iqbal

2017-06-01

Full Text Available The objective of this study was to estimate poppy plant height and capsule volume with remote sensing using an Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS. Data were obtained from field measurements and UAS flights over two poppy crops at Cambridge and Cressy in Tasmania. Imagery acquired from the UAS was used to produce dense point clouds using structure from motion (SfM and multi-view stereopsis (MVS techniques. Dense point clouds were used to generate a digital surface model (DSM and orthophoto mosaic. An RGB index was derived from the orthophoto to extract the bare ground spaces. This bare ground space mask was used to filter the points on the ground, and a digital terrain model (DTM was interpolated from these points. Plant height values were estimated by subtracting the DSM and DTM to generate a Crop Height Model (CHM. UAS-derived plant height (PH and field measured PH in Cambridge were strongly correlated with R2 values ranging from 0.93 to 0.97 for Transect 1 and Transect 2, respectively, while at Cressy results from a single flight provided R2 of 0.97. Therefore, the proposed method can be considered an important step towards crop surface model (CSM generation from a single UAS flight in situations where a bare ground DTM is unavailable. High correlations were found between UAS-derived PH and poppy capsule volume (CV at capsule formation stage (R2 0.74, with relative error of 19.62%. Results illustrate that plant height can be reliably estimated for poppy crops based on a single UAS flight and can be used to predict opium capsule volume at capsule formation stage.

He-atom surface scattering apparatus for studies of crystalline surface dynamics. Progress report, May 1, 1985-April 30, 1986

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1986-01-01

The primary goal of this grant is the construction of a state-of-the-art He atom-crystal surface scattering apparatus which will be capable of measuring both elastic and inelastic scattering of He atoms from crystal surfaces of metals, semiconductors and insulators. First, the apparatus will be constructed and characterized, after which a program of studies on the surface dynamics of a variety of crystal surfaces will be started. 6 refs., 2 figs

Pelvic rotation torque during fast-pitch softball hitting under three ball height conditions.

Science.gov (United States)

Iino, Yoichi; Fukushima, Atsushi; Kojima, Takeji

2014-08-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relevance of hip joint angles to the production of the pelvic rotation torque in fast-pitch softball hitting and to examine the effect of ball height on this production. Thirteen advanced female softball players hit stationary balls at three different heights: high, middle, and low. The pelvic rotation torque, defined as the torque acting on the pelvis through the hip joints about the pelvic superior-inferior axis, was determined from the kinematic and force plate data using inverse dynamics. Irrespective of the ball heights, the rear hip extension, rear hip external rotation, front hip adduction, and front hip flexion torques contributed to the production of pelvic rotation torque. Although the contributions of the adduction and external rotation torques at each hip joint were significantly different among the ball heights, the contributions of the front and rear hip joint torques were similar among the three ball heights owing to cancelation of the two torque components. The timings of the peaks of the hip joint torque components were significantly different, suggesting that softball hitters may need to adjust the timings of the torque exertions fairly precisely to rotate the upper body effectively.

Simultaneous growth of self-patterned carbon nanotube forests with dual height scales

Science.gov (United States)

Sam, Ebru Devrim; Kucukayan-Dogu, Gokce; Baykal, Beril; Dalkilic, Zeynep; Rana, Kuldeep; Bengu, Erman

2012-05-01

In this study, we report on a unique, one-step fabrication technique enabling the simultaneous synthesis of vertically aligned multi-walled carbon nanotubes (VA-MWCNTs) with dual height scales through alcohol catalyzed chemical vapor deposition (ACCVD). Regions of VA-MWCNTs with different heights were well separated from each other leading to a self-patterning on the surface. We devised a unique layer-by-layer process for application of catalyst and inhibitor precursors on oxidized Si (100) surfaces before the ACCVD step to achieve a hierarchical arrangement. Patterning could be controlled by adjusting the molarity and application sequence of precursors. Contact angle measurements on these self-patterned surfaces indicated that manipulation of these hierarchical arrays resulted in a wide range of hydrophobic behavior changing from that of a sticky rose petal to a lotus leaf.In this study, we report on a unique, one-step fabrication technique enabling the simultaneous synthesis of vertically aligned multi-walled carbon nanotubes (VA-MWCNTs) with dual height scales through alcohol catalyzed chemical vapor deposition (ACCVD). Regions of VA-MWCNTs with different heights were well separated from each other leading to a self-patterning on the surface. We devised a unique layer-by-layer process for application of catalyst and inhibitor precursors on oxidized Si (100) surfaces before the ACCVD step to achieve a hierarchical arrangement. Patterning could be controlled by adjusting the molarity and application sequence of precursors. Contact angle measurements on these self-patterned surfaces indicated that manipulation of these hierarchical arrays resulted in a wide range of hydrophobic behavior changing from that of a sticky rose petal to a lotus leaf. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Fig. S1; AFM image of the Co-O layer which was first dried at 40 °C and then oxidized at 200 °C. Fig. S2; graph relative to the area of CNT islands for different

Encounter Probability of Significant Wave Height

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Liu, Z.; Burcharth, H. F.

The determination of the design wave height (often given as the significant wave height) is usually based on statistical analysis of long-term extreme wave height measurement or hindcast. The result of such extreme wave height analysis is often given as the design wave height corresponding to a c...

Molecular Structure and Dynamics in Thin Water Films at the Silica and Graphite Surfaces

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Argyris, Dr. Dimitrios [University of Oklahoma; Tummala, Dr. Naga Rajesh [University of Oklahoma; StrioloDr., A [Vanderbilt University; Cole, David R [ORNL

2008-01-01

The structure and dynamic properties of interfacial water at the graphite and silica solid surfaces were investigated using molecular dynamics simulations. The effect of surface properties on the characteristics of interfacial water was quantified by computing density profiles, radial distribution functions, surface density distributions, orientation order parameters, and residence and reorientation correlation functions. In brief, our results show that the surface roughness, chemical heterogeneity, and surface heterogeneous charge distribution affect the structural and dynamic properties of the interfacial water molecules, as well as their rate of exchange with bulk water. Most importantly, our results indicate the formation of two distinct water layers at the SiO2 surface covered by a large density of hydroxyl groups. Further analysis of the data suggests a highly confined first layer where the water molecules assume preferential hydrogen-down orientation and a second layer whose behavior and characteristics are highly dependent on those of the first layer through a well-organized hydrogen bond network. The results suggest that water-water interactions, in particular hydrogen bonds, may be largely responsible for macroscopic interfacial properties such as adsorption and contact angle.

Theoretical Studies of the Structure and the Dynamics on Clean and Chemisorbed Metal Surfaces

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Liqiu

Molecular dynamics (MD) and lattice dynamics (LD) techniques are employed to investigate several phenomena related to the structure and vibrations at metal surfaces. The MD simulations are performed with the many-body interaction potentials obtained using the Embedded-Atom Method (EAM). As specific examples, we present the results for Ag(100) at 300 K and Cu(100) at 150 K, 300 K, and 600 K. The calculated frequencies and polarizations of all surface modes and resonances at the high-symmetry points in the two-dimensional Brillouin zone are in good agreement with available data, as well as, existing lattice dynamics results with force constants obtained from first-principles calculations. Our calculated surface relaxation is also in reasonable agreement with the data. We also test a much simpler lattice dynamics model with nearest neighbor central force interactions, and conclude that it can reproduce the main features of the phonon modes, but only when adjustable surface parameters are used. Additionally, the temperature dependent studies of the phonon line-widths and the mean-square displacement (MSD) of surface atoms are indicative of enhanced surface anharmonicity. On several chemisorbed metal surfaces, for which force constants are not available from first-principles calculations or the EAM, we perform lattice dynamics studies of phonon dispersion curves using simple force-constant models. These studies provide reliable mean-square displacement of surface atoms and can distinguish between possible reconstruction patterns, the results being insensitive to the exact values of the surface parameters. On c(2 times 2)S-Ni(100), it is found that the parallel component of the mean-square displacement for sulfur is around 50% larger than the vertical component, but for the mean-square displacement of oxygen atoms in the system c(2 times 2)O-Ni(100), the opposite is the case. As regards surface reconstruction, for both p(2 times 1)O-Ag(110) and p(2 times 1)O-Ni(110

Near Space Hypersonic Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Dynamic Surface Backstepping Control Design

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jinyong YU

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Compared with traditional aircraft, the near space hypersonic unmanned aerial vehicle control system design must deal with the extra prominent dynamics characters, which are differ from the traditional aircrafts control system design. A new robust adaptive control design method is proposed for one hypersonic unmanned aerial vehicle (HSUAV uncertain MIMO nonaffine block control system by using multilayer neural networks, feedback linearization technology, and dynamic surface backstepping. Multilayer neural networks are used to compensate the influence from the uncertain, which designs the robust terms to solve the problem from approach error. Adaptive backstepping is adopted designed to ensure control law, the dynamic surface control strategy to eliminate “the explosion of terms” by introducing a series of first order filters to obtain the differentiation of the virtual control inputs. Finally, nonlinear six-degree-of-freedom (6-DOF numerical simulation results for a HSUAV model are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Trends in significant wave height and surface wind speed in the China Seas between 1988 and 2011

Science.gov (United States)

Zheng, Chongwei; Zhang, Ren; Shi, Weilai; Li, Xin; Chen, Xuan

2017-10-01

Wind and waves are key components of the climate system as they drive air-sea interactions and influence weather systems and atmospheric circulation. In marine environments, understanding surface wind and wave fields and their evolution over time is important for conducting safe and efficient human activities, such as navigation and engineering. This study considers long-term trends in the sea surface wind speed (WS) and significant wave height (SWH) in the China Seas over the period 1988-2011 using the Cross-Calibrated Multi-Platform (CCMP) ocean surface wind product and a 24-year hindcast wave dataset obtained from the WAVEWATCH-III (WW3) wave model forced with CCMP winds. The long-term trends in WS and SWH in the China Seas are analyzed over the past 24 years to provide a reference point from which to assess future climate change and offshore wind and wave energy resource development in the region. Results demonstrate that over the period 1988-2011 in the China Seas: 1) WS and SWH showed a significant increasing trend of 3.38 cm s-1 yr-1 and 1.52 cm yr-1, respectively; 2) there were notable regional differences in the long-term trends of WS and SWH; 3) areas with strong increasing trends were located mainly in the middle of the Tsushima Strait, the northern and southern areas of the Taiwan Strait, and in nearshore regions of the northern South China Sea; and 4) the long-term trend in WS was closely associated with El Niño and a significant increase in the occurrence of gale force winds in the region.

Implementation of surface hopping molecular dynamics using semiempirical methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fabiano, E.; Keal, T.W.; Thiel, W.

2008-01-01

A molecular dynamics driver and surface hopping algorithm for nonadiabatic dynamics has been implemented in a development version of the MNDO semiempirical electronic structure package. The required energies, gradients and nonadiabatic couplings are efficiently evaluated on the fly using semiempirical configuration interaction methods. The choice of algorithms for the time evolution of the nuclear motion and quantum amplitudes is discussed, and different schemes for the computation of nonadiabatic couplings are analysed. The importance of molecular orbital tracking and electronic state following is underlined in the context of configuration interaction calculations. The method is applied to three case studies (ethylene, methaniminium ion, and methanimine) using the orthogonalization corrected OM2 Hamiltonian. In all three cases decay times and dynamics paths similar to high-level ab initio results are obtained

Arctic Ocean gravity, geoid and sea-ice freeboard heights from ICESat and GRACE

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Forsberg, René; Skourup, Henriette

2005-01-01

Gravity Project in combination with GRACE gravity field models to derive an improved Arctic geoid model. This model is then used to convert ICESat measurements to sea-ice freeboard heights with a coarse lowest-level surface method. The derived freeboard heights show a good qualitative agreement...... all major tectonic features of the Arctic Ocean, and has an accuracy of 6 mGal compared to recent airborne gravity data, illustrating the usefulness of ICESat data for gravity field determination....

Intradiscal pressure depends on recent loading and correlates with disc height and compressive stiffness.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vergroesen, P.P.A.; van der Veen, A.J.; van Royen, B.J.; Kingma, I.; Smit, T.H.

2014-01-01

Purpose Intervertebral discs exhibit time-dependent deformation (creep), which could influence the relation between applied stress and intradiscal pressure. This study investigates the effect of prolonged dynamic loading on intradiscal pressure, disc height and compressive stiffness, and examines

Dynamical analysis of surface-insulated planar wire array Z-pinches

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Yang; Sheng, Liang; Hei, Dongwei; Li, Xingwen; Zhang, Jinhai; Li, Mo; Qiu, Aici

2018-05-01

The ablation and implosion dynamics of planar wire array Z-pinches with and without surface insulation are compared and discussed in this paper. This paper first presents a phenomenological model named the ablation and cascade snowplow implosion (ACSI) model, which accounts for the ablation and implosion phases of a planar wire array Z-pinch in a single simulation. The comparison between experimental data and simulation results shows that the ACSI model could give a fairly good description about the dynamical characteristics of planar wire array Z-pinches. Surface insulation introduces notable differences in the ablation phase of planar wire array Z-pinches. The ablation phase is divided into two stages: insulation layer ablation and tungsten wire ablation. The two-stage ablation process of insulated wires is simulated in the ACSI model by updating the formulas describing the ablation process.

Estimating Tree Height and Diameter at Breast Height (DBH from Digital Surface Models and Orthophotos Obtained with an Unmanned Aerial System for a Japanese Cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa Forest

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kotaro Iizuka

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Methods for accurately measuring biophysical parameters are a key component for quantitative evaluation regarding to various forest applications. Conventional in situ measurements of these parameters take time and expense, encountering difficultness at locations with heterogeneous microtopography. To obtain precise biophysical data in such situations, we deployed an unmanned aerial system (UAS multirotor drone in a cypress forest in a mountainous area of Japan. The structure from motion (SfM method was used to construct a three-dimensional (3D model of the forest (tree structures from aerial photos. Tree height was estimated from the 3D model and compared to in situ ground data. We also analyzed the relationships between a biophysical parameter, diameter at breast height (DBH, of individual trees with canopy width and area measured from orthorectified images. Despite the constraints of ground exposure in a highly dense forest area, tree height was estimated at an accuracy of root mean square error = 1.712 m for observed tree heights ranging from 16 to 24 m. DBH was highly correlated with canopy width (R2 = 0.7786 and canopy area (R2 = 0.7923, where DBH ranged from 11 to 58 cm. The results of estimating forest parameters indicate that drone-based remote-sensing methods can be utilized to accurately analyze the spatial extent of forest structures.

Dynamic Surface Adaptive Robust Control of Unmanned Marine Vehicles with Disturbance Observer

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pengchao Zhang

2018-01-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a dynamic surface adaptive robust control method with disturbance observer for unmanned marine vehicles (UMV. It uses adaptive law to estimate and compensate the disturbance observer error. Dynamic surface is introduced to solve the “differential explosion” caused by the virtual control derivation in traditional backstepping method. The final controlled system is proved to be globally uniformly bounded based on Lyapunov stability theory. Simulation results illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed controller, which can realize the three-dimensional trajectory tracking for UMV with the systematic uncertainty and time-varying disturbances.

Premolar Axial Wall Height Effect on CAD/CAM Crown Retention

Science.gov (United States)

2016-05-24

OC axial wall height was required in a study that involved zirconia copings cemented on stainless steel dies. The results of this study reinforced...surface area was determined using a digital measuring microscope (Hirox). Scanned preparations (CEREC) were fitted with e.max CAD crowns and cemented ...Figure 14. RelyX Unicem Cementation

Real-Space Imaging of Carrier Dynamics of Materials Surfaces by Second-Generation Four-Dimensional Scanning Ultrafast Electron Microscopy

KAUST Repository

Sun, Jingya

2015-09-14

In the fields of photocatalysis and photovoltaics, ultrafast dynamical processes, including carrier trapping and recombination on material surfaces, are among the key factors that determine the overall energy conversion efficiency. A precise knowledge of these dynamical events on the nanometer (nm) and femtosecond (fs) scales was not accessible until recently. The only way to access such fundamental processes fully is to map the surface dynamics selectively in real space and time. In this study, we establish a second generation of four-dimensional scanning ultrafast electron microscopy (4D S-UEM) and demonstrate the ability to record time-resolved images (snapshots) of material surfaces with 650 fs and ∼5 nm temporal and spatial resolutions, respectively. In this method, the surface of a specimen is excited by a clocking optical pulse and imaged using a pulsed primary electron beam as a probe pulse, generating secondary electrons (SEs), which are emitted from the surface of the specimen in a manner that is sensitive to the local electron/hole density. This method provides direct and controllable information regarding surface dynamics. We clearly demonstrate how the surface morphology, grains, defects, and nanostructured features can significantly impact the overall dynamical processes on the surface of photoactive-materials. In addition, the ability to access two regimes of dynamical probing in a single experiment and the energy loss of SEs in semiconductor-nanoscale materials will also be discussed.

Assimilating satellite-based canopy height within an ecosystem model to estimate aboveground forest biomass

Science.gov (United States)

Joetzjer, E.; Pillet, M.; Ciais, P.; Barbier, N.; Chave, J.; Schlund, M.; Maignan, F.; Barichivich, J.; Luyssaert, S.; Hérault, B.; von Poncet, F.; Poulter, B.

2017-07-01

Despite advances in Earth observation and modeling, estimating tropical biomass remains a challenge. Recent work suggests that integrating satellite measurements of canopy height within ecosystem models is a promising approach to infer biomass. We tested the feasibility of this approach to retrieve aboveground biomass (AGB) at three tropical forest sites by assimilating remotely sensed canopy height derived from a texture analysis algorithm applied to the high-resolution Pleiades imager in the Organizing Carbon and Hydrology in Dynamic Ecosystems Canopy (ORCHIDEE-CAN) ecosystem model. While mean AGB could be estimated within 10% of AGB derived from census data in average across sites, canopy height derived from Pleiades product was spatially too smooth, thus unable to accurately resolve large height (and biomass) variations within the site considered. The error budget was evaluated in details, and systematic errors related to the ORCHIDEE-CAN structure contribute as a secondary source of error and could be overcome by using improved allometric equations.

Surface conductivity dependent dynamic behaviour of an ultrafine atmospheric pressure plasma jet for microscale surface processing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Abuzairi, Tomy [Graduate School of Science and Technology, Shizuoka University, Hamamatsu 432-8561 (Japan); Department of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Indonesia, Depok 16424 (Indonesia); Okada, Mitsuru [Department of Engineering, Shizuoka University, Hamamatsu 432-8561 (Japan); Bhattacharjee, Sudeep [Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur 208016 (India); Nagatsu, Masaaki, E-mail: nagatsu.masaaki@shizuoka.ac.jp [Graduate School of Science and Technology, Shizuoka University, Hamamatsu 432-8561 (Japan); Department of Engineering, Shizuoka University, Hamamatsu 432-8561 (Japan); Research Institute of Electronics, Shizuoka University, Hamamatsu 432-8561 (Japan)

2016-12-30

Highlights: • Spatio-temporal behaviors of capillary APPJs are studied for various substrates. • Plasma irradiation area depended on the substrate conductivity and permittivity. • Surface irradiation area was significantly broadened in polymer-like substrate. • Effect of applying a substrate bias on the APPJ irradiation area was investigated. - Abstract: An experimental study on the dynamic behaviour of microcapillary atmospheric pressure plasma jets (APPJs) with 5 μm tip size for surfaces of different conductivity is reported. Electrical and spatio-temporal characteristics of the APPJs are monitored using high voltage probe, current monitor and high speed intensified charge couple device camera. From these experimental results, we presented a simple model to understand the electrical discharge characteristics of the capillary APPJs with double electrodes, and estimated the velocity of the ionization fronts in the jet and the electron density to be 3.5–4.2 km/s and 2–7 × 10{sup 17} m{sup −3}. By analyzing the dynamics of the microcapillary APPJs for different substrate materials, it was found that the surface irradiation area strongly depended on the substrate conductivity and permittivity, especially in the case of polymer-like substrate, surface irradiation area was significantly broadened probably due to the repelling behaviour of the plasma jets from the accumulated electrical charges on the polymer surface. The effect of applying a substrate bias in the range from −900 V to +900 V on the plasma irradiation onto the substrates was also investigated. From the knowledge of the present results, it is helpful for choosing the substrate materials for microscale surface modification.

Surface conductivity dependent dynamic behaviour of an ultrafine atmospheric pressure plasma jet for microscale surface processing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abuzairi, Tomy; Okada, Mitsuru; Bhattacharjee, Sudeep; Nagatsu, Masaaki

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Spatio-temporal behaviors of capillary APPJs are studied for various substrates. • Plasma irradiation area depended on the substrate conductivity and permittivity. • Surface irradiation area was significantly broadened in polymer-like substrate. • Effect of applying a substrate bias on the APPJ irradiation area was investigated. - Abstract: An experimental study on the dynamic behaviour of microcapillary atmospheric pressure plasma jets (APPJs) with 5 μm tip size for surfaces of different conductivity is reported. Electrical and spatio-temporal characteristics of the APPJs are monitored using high voltage probe, current monitor and high speed intensified charge couple device camera. From these experimental results, we presented a simple model to understand the electrical discharge characteristics of the capillary APPJs with double electrodes, and estimated the velocity of the ionization fronts in the jet and the electron density to be 3.5–4.2 km/s and 2–7 × 10"1"7 m"−"3. By analyzing the dynamics of the microcapillary APPJs for different substrate materials, it was found that the surface irradiation area strongly depended on the substrate conductivity and permittivity, especially in the case of polymer-like substrate, surface irradiation area was significantly broadened probably due to the repelling behaviour of the plasma jets from the accumulated electrical charges on the polymer surface. The effect of applying a substrate bias in the range from −900 V to +900 V on the plasma irradiation onto the substrates was also investigated. From the knowledge of the present results, it is helpful for choosing the substrate materials for microscale surface modification.

Coupled slow and fast surface dynamics in an electrocatalytic oscillator: Model and simulations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nascimento, Melke A.; Nagao, Raphael; Eiswirth, Markus; Varela, Hamilton

2014-01-01

The co-existence of disparate time scales is pervasive in many systems. In particular for surface reactions, it has been shown that the long-term evolution of the core oscillator is decisively influenced by slow surface changes, such as progressing deactivation. Here we present an in-depth numerical investigation of the coupled slow and fast surface dynamics in an electrocatalytic oscillator. The model consists of four nonlinear coupled ordinary differential equations, investigated over a wide parameter range. Besides the conventional bifurcation analysis, the system was studied by means of high-resolution period and Lyapunov diagrams. It was observed that the bifurcation diagram changes considerably as the irreversible surface poisoning evolves, and the oscillatory region shrinks. The qualitative dynamics changes accordingly and the chaotic oscillations are dramatically suppressed. Nevertheless, periodic cascades are preserved in a confined region of the resistance vs. voltage diagram. Numerical results are compared to experiments published earlier and the latter reinterpreted. Finally, the comprehensive description of the time-evolution in the period and Lyapunov diagrams suggests further experimental studies correlating the evolution of the system's dynamics with changes of the catalyst structure

A mesoscopic simulation of static and dynamic wetting using many-body dissipative particle dynamics

Science.gov (United States)

Ghorbani, Najmeh; Pishevar, Ahmadreza

2018-01-01

A many-body dissipative particle dynamics simulation is applied here to pave the way for investigating the behavior of mesoscale droplets after impact on horizontal solid substrates. First, hydrophobic and hydrophilic substrates are simulated through tuning the solid-liquid interfacial interaction parameters of an innovative conservative force model. The static contact angles are calculated on homogeneous and several patterned surfaces and compared with the predicted values by the Cassie's law in order to verify the model. The results properly evaluate the amount of increase in surface superhydrophobicity as a result of surface patterning. Then drop impact phenomenon is studied by calculating the spreading factor and dimensionless height versus dimensionless time and the comparisons made between the results and the experimental values for three different static contact angles. The results show the capability of the procedure in calculating the amount of maximum spreading factor, which is a significant concept in ink-jet printing and coating process.

Physiological pattern of lumbar disc height

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Biggemann, M.; Frobin, W.; Brinckmann, P.

1997-01-01

Purpose of this study is to present a new method of quantifying objectively the height of all discs in lateral radiographs of the lumbar spine and of analysing the normal craniocaudal sequence pattern of lumbar disc heights. Methods: The new parameter is the ventrally measured disc height corrected for the dependence on the angle of lordosis by normalisation to mean angles observed in the erect posture of healthy persons. To eliminate radiographic magnification, the corrected ventral height is related to the mean depth of the cranially adjoining vertebra. In this manner lumbar disc heights were objectively measured in young, mature and healthy persons (146 males and 65 females). The craniocaudal sequence pattern was analysed by mean values from all persons and by height differences of adjoining discs in each individual lumbar spine. Results: Mean normative values demonstrated an increase in disc height between L1/L2 and L4/L5 and a constant or decreasing disc height between L4/L5 and L5/S1. However, this 'physiological sequence of disc height in the statistical mean' was observed in only 36% of normal males and 55% of normal females. Conclusion: The radiological pattern of the 'physiological sequence of lumbar disc height' leads to a relevant portion of false positive pathological results especially at L4/L5. An increase of disc height from L4/L5 to L5/S1 may be normal. The recognition of decreased disc height should be based on an abrupt change in the heights of adjoining discs and not on a deviation from a craniocaudal sequence pattern. (orig.) [de

Impact of dynamic vegetation phenology on the simulated pan-Arctic land surface state

Science.gov (United States)

Teufel, Bernardo; Sushama, Laxmi; Arora, Vivek K.; Verseghy, Diana

2018-03-01

The pan-Arctic land surface is undergoing rapid changes in a warming climate, with near-surface permafrost projected to degrade significantly during the twenty-first century. Vegetation-related feedbacks have the potential to influence the rate of degradation of permafrost. In this study, the impact of dynamic phenology on the pan-Arctic land surface state, particularly near-surface permafrost, for the 1961-2100 period, is assessed by comparing two simulations of the Canadian Land Surface Scheme (CLASS)—one with dynamic phenology, modelled using the Canadian Terrestrial Ecosystem Model (CTEM), and the other with prescribed phenology. These simulations are forced by atmospheric data from a transient climate change simulation of the 5th generation Canadian Regional Climate Model (CRCM5) for the Representative Concentration Pathway 8.5 (RCP8.5). Comparison of the CLASS coupled to CTEM simulation to available observational estimates of plant area index, spatial distribution of permafrost and active layer thickness suggests that the model captures reasonably well the overall distribution of vegetation and permafrost. It is shown that the most important impact of dynamic phenology on the land surface occurs through albedo and it is demonstrated for the first time that vegetation control on albedo during late spring and early summer has the highest potential to impact the degradation of permafrost. While both simulations show extensive near-surface permafrost degradation by the end of the twenty-first century, the strong projected response of vegetation to climate warming and increasing CO2 concentrations in the coupled simulation results in accelerated permafrost degradation in the northernmost continuous permafrost regions.

Memory effects in nonadiabatic molecular dynamics at metal surfaces

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Olsen, Thomas; Schiøtz, Jakob

2010-01-01

We study the effect of temporal correlation in a Langevin equation describing nonadiabatic dynamics at metal surfaces. For a harmonic oscillator, the Langevin equation preserves the quantum dynamics exactly and it is demonstrated that memory effects are needed in order to conserve the ground state...... energy of the oscillator. We then compare the result of Langevin dynamics in a harmonic potential with a perturbative master equation approach and show that the Langevin equation gives a better description in the nonperturbative range of high temperatures and large friction. Unlike the master equation......, this approach is readily extended to anharmonic potentials. Using density functional theory, we calculate representative Langevin trajectories for associative desorption of N-2 from Ru(0001) and find that memory effects lower the dissipation of energy. Finally, we propose an ab initio scheme to calculate...

Accelerating solving the dynamic multi-objective nework design problem using response surface methods

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wismans, Luc Johannes Josephus; van Berkum, Eric C.; Bliemer, Michiel C.J.; Viti, F.; Immers, B.; Tampere, C.

2011-01-01

Multi objective optimization of externalities of traffic solving a network design problem in which Dynamic Traffic Management measures are used, is time consuming while heuristics are needed and solving the lower level requires solving the dynamic user equilibrium problem. Use of response surface

Adult height, nutrition, and population health

Science.gov (United States)

Perkins, Jessica M.; Subramanian, S.V.; Davey Smith, George

2016-01-01

In this review, the potential causes and consequences of adult height, a measure of cumulative net nutrition, in modern populations are summarized. The mechanisms linking adult height and health are examined, with a focus on the role of potential confounders. Evidence across studies indicates that short adult height (reflecting growth retardation) in low- and middle-income countries is driven by environmental conditions, especially net nutrition during early years. Some of the associations of height with health and social outcomes potentially reflect the association between these environmental factors and such outcomes. These conditions are manifested in the substantial differences in adult height that exist between and within countries and over time. This review suggests that adult height is a useful marker of variation in cumulative net nutrition, biological deprivation, and standard of living between and within populations and should be routinely measured. Linkages between adult height and health, within and across generations, suggest that adult height may be a potential tool for monitoring health conditions and that programs focused on offspring outcomes may consider maternal height as a potentially important influence. PMID:26928678

Dynamic Leidenfrost temperature on micro-textured surfaces: Acoustic wave absorption into thin vapor layer

Science.gov (United States)

Jerng, Dong Wook; Kim, Dong Eok

2018-01-01

The dynamic Leidenfrost phenomenon is governed by three types of pressure potentials induced via vapor hydrodynamics, liquid dynamic pressure, and the water hammer effect resulting from the generation of acoustic waves at the liquid-vapor interface. The prediction of the Leidenfrost temperature for a dynamic droplet needs quantitative evaluation and definition for each of the pressure fields. In particular, the textures on a heated surface can significantly affect the vapor hydrodynamics and the water hammer pressure. We present a quantitative model for evaluating the water hammer pressure on micro-textured surfaces taking into account the absorption of acoustic waves into the thin vapor layer. The model demonstrates that the strength of the acoustic flow into the liquid droplet, which directly contributes to the water hammer pressure, depends on the magnitude of the acoustic resistance (impedance) in the droplet and the vapor region. In consequence, the micro-textures of the surface and the increased spacing between them reduce the water hammer coefficient ( kh ) defined as the ratio of the acoustic flow into the droplet to total generated flow. Aided by numerical calculations that solve the laminar Navier-Stokes equation for the vapor flow, we also predict the dynamic Leidenfrost temperature on a micro-textured surface with reliable accuracy consistent with the experimental data.

Ocean current surface measurement using dynamic elevations obtained by the GEOS-3 radar altimeter

Science.gov (United States)

Leitao, C. D.; Huang, N. E.; Parra, C. G.

1977-01-01

Remote Sensing of the ocean surface from the GEOS-3 satellite using radar altimeter data has confirmed that the altimeter can detect the dynamic ocean topographic elevations relative to an equipotential surface, thus resulting in a reliable direct measurement of the ocean surface. Maps of the ocean dynamic topography calculated over a one month period and with 20 cm contour interval are prepared for the last half of 1975. The Gulf Stream is observed by the rapid slope change shown by the crowding of contours. Cold eddies associated with the current are seen as roughly circular depressions.

The global distribution and dynamics of surface soil moisture

Science.gov (United States)

McColl, Kaighin A.; Alemohammad, Seyed Hamed; Akbar, Ruzbeh; Konings, Alexandra G.; Yueh, Simon; Entekhabi, Dara

2017-01-01

Surface soil moisture has a direct impact on food security, human health and ecosystem function. It also plays a key role in the climate system, and the development and persistence of extreme weather events such as droughts, floods and heatwaves. However, sparse and uneven observations have made it difficult to quantify the global distribution and dynamics of surface soil moisture. Here we introduce a metric of soil moisture memory and use a full year of global observations from NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive mission to show that surface soil moisture--a storage believed to make up less than 0.001% of the global freshwater budget by volume, and equivalent to an, on average, 8-mm thin layer of water covering all land surfaces--plays a significant role in the water cycle. Specifically, we find that surface soil moisture retains a median 14% of precipitation falling on land after three days. Furthermore, the retained fraction of the surface soil moisture storage after three days is highest over arid regions, and in regions where drainage to groundwater storage is lowest. We conclude that lower groundwater storage in these regions is due not only to lower precipitation, but also to the complex partitioning of the water cycle by the surface soil moisture storage layer at the land surface.

Characterization of the Deep Water Surface Wave Variability in the California Current Region

Science.gov (United States)

Villas Bôas, Ana B.; Gille, Sarah T.; Mazloff, Matthew R.; Cornuelle, Bruce D.

2017-11-01

Surface waves are crucial for the dynamics of the upper ocean not only because they mediate exchanges of momentum, heat, energy, and gases between the ocean and the atmosphere, but also because they determine the sea state. The surface wave field in a given region is set by the combination of local and remote forcing. The present work characterizes the seasonal variability of the deep water surface wave field in the California Current region, as retrieved from over two decades of satellite altimetry data combined with wave buoys and wave model hindcast (WaveWatch III). In particular, the extent to which the local wind modulates the variability of the significant wave height, peak period, and peak direction is assessed. During spring/summer, regional-scale wind events of up to 10 m/s are the dominant forcing for waves off the California coast, leading to relatively short-period waves (8-10 s) that come predominantly from the north-northwest. The wave climatology throughout the California Current region shows average significant wave heights exceeding 2 m during most of the year, which may have implications for the planning and retrieval methods of the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite mission.

Parametric fitting of corneal height data to a biconic surface.

Science.gov (United States)

Janunts, Edgar; Kannengießer, Marc; Langenbucher, Achim

2015-03-01

As the average corneal shape can effectively be approximated by a conic section, a determination of the corneal shape by biconic parameters is desired. The purpose of the paper is to introduce a straightforward mathematical approach for extracting clinically relevant parameters of corneal surface, such as radii of curvature and conic constants for principle meridians and astigmatism. A general description for modeling the ocular surfaces in a biconic form is given, based on which an implicit parametric surface fitting algorithm is introduced. The solution of the biconic fitting is obtained by a two sequential least squares optimization approach with constrains. The data input can be raw information from any corneal topographer with not necessarily a uniform data distribution. Various simulated and clinical data are studied including surfaces with rotationally symmetric and non-symmetric geometries. The clinical data was obtained from the Pentacam (Oculus) for the patient having undergone a refractive surgery. A sub-micrometer fitting accuracy was obtained for all simulated surfaces: 0,08 μm RMS fitting error at max for rotationally symmetric and 0,125 μm for non-symmetric surfaces. The astigmatism was recovered in a sub-minutes resolution. The equality in rotational symmetric and the superiority in non-symmetric surfaces of the presented model over the widely used quadric fitting model is shown. The introduced biconic surface fitting algorithm is able to recover the apical radii of curvature and conic constants in principle meridians. This methodology could be a platform for advanced IOL calculations and enhanced contact lens fitting. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier GmbH.

An ergonomic study of the optimum operating table height for laparoscopic surgery.

Science.gov (United States)

Berquer, R; Smith, W D; Davis, S

2002-03-01

Laparoscopic surgery requires the use of longer instruments than open surgery, thus changing the relation between the height of the surgeon's hands and the desirable height of the operating room table. The optimum height of the operating room table for laparoscopic surgery is investigated in this study. Twenty-one surgeons performed a two-handed, one-fourth circle cutting task using a laparoscopic video system and laparoscopic instruments positioned at five instrument handle heights relative to subjects' elbow height (-20, -10, 0, +10, and +20 cm) by adjusting the height of the trainer box. Subjects rated the difficulty and discomfort experienced during each task on a visual analog scale. Skin conductance (SC) was measured in Micromhos via paired surface electrodes placed near the ulnar edge of the palm of the right (cutting) hand. The mean electromyographic (EMG) signal from the right deltoid and trapezius muscles was measured. Arm orientation was measured in three dimensions using a magnetometer/accelerometer. Signals were acquired using analog circuitry and digitally sampled using a National Instruments DAQCard 700 connected to a Macintosh PowerBook 5300c running LabVIEW software. Statistical analysis was carried out by analysis of variance and post hoc testing. Statistically significant changes were found in the subjective rating of discomfort (p operating room tables may be required to meet these ergonomic guidelines.

Dynamics of H2 on Ti/Al(100) surfaces

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Chen, Jian-Cheng

2011-01-01

What is the catalytic role played by titanium in the hydrogen storage material NaAlH4? This thesis aims at unraveling the dynamics of an elementary reaction: H2 dissociation on Ti/Al(100) surfaces. Although this reaction is not the rate limiting step in the hydrogen storage of NaAlH4, it is an

Nanoparticles dynamics on a surface: fractal pattern formation and fragmentation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dick, Veronika V.; Solov'yov, Ilia; Solov'yov, Andrey V.

2010-01-01

In this paper we review our recent results on the formation and the post-growth relaxation processes of nanofractals on surface. For this study we developed a method which describes the internal dynamics of particles in a fractal and accounts for their diffusion and detachment. We demonstrate...... that these kinetic processes determine the final shape of the islands on surface after post-growth relaxation. We consider different scenarios of fractal relaxation and analyze the time evolution of the island's morphology....

On the Extreme Wave Height Analysis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Burcharth, H. F.; Liu, Zhou

1994-01-01

The determination of the design wave height is usually based on the statistical analysis of long-term extreme wave height measurements. After an introduction to the procedure of the extreme wave height analysis, the paper presents new development concerning various aspects of the extreme wave...... height analysis. Finally, the paper gives a practical example based on a data set of the hindcasted wave heights for a deep water location in the Mediterranean Sea....

The Use of Sun Elevation Angle for Stereogrammetric Boreal Forest Height in Open Canopies

Science.gov (United States)

Montesano, Paul M.; Neigh, Christopher; Sun, Guoqing; Duncanson, Laura Innice; Van Den Hoek, Jamon; Ranson, Kenneth Jon

2017-01-01

Stereogrammetry applied to globally available high resolution spaceborne imagery (HRSI; less than 5 m spatial resolution) yields fine-scaled digital surface models (DSMs) of elevation. These DSMs may represent elevations that range from the ground to the vegetation canopy surface, are produced from stereoscopic image pairs (stereo pairs) that have a variety of acquisition characteristics, and have been coupled with lidar data of forest structure and ground surface elevation to examine forest height. This work explores surface elevations from HRSI DSMs derived from two types of acquisitions in open canopy forests. We (1) apply an automated mass-production stereogrammetry workflow to along-track HRSI stereo pairs, (2) identify multiple spatially coincident DSMs whose stereo pairs were acquired under different solar geometry, (3) vertically co-register these DSMs using coincident spaceborne lidar footprints (from ICESat-GLAS) as reference, and(4) examine differences in surface elevations between the reference lidar and the co-registered HRSI DSMs associated with two general types of acquisitions (DSM types) from different sun elevation angles. We find that these DSM types, distinguished by sun elevation angle at the time of stereo pair acquisition, are associated with different surface elevations estimated from automated stereogrammetry in open canopy forests. For DSM values with corresponding reference ground surface elevation from spaceborne lidar footprints in open canopy northern Siberian Larix forests with slopes less than10, our results show that HRSI DSM acquired with sun elevation angles greater than 35deg and less than 25deg (during snow-free conditions) produced characteristic and consistently distinct distributions of elevation differences from reference lidar. The former include DSMs of near-ground surfaces with root mean square errors less than 0.68 m relative to lidar. The latter, particularly those with angles less than 10deg, show distributions with

ESTIMATION OF STAND HEIGHT AND FOREST VOLUME USING HIGH RESOLUTION STEREO PHOTOGRAPHY AND FOREST TYPE MAP

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

K. M. Kim

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Traditional field methods for measuring tree heights are often too costly and time consuming. An alternative remote sensing approach is to measure tree heights from digital stereo photographs which is more practical for forest managers and less expensive than LiDAR or synthetic aperture radar. This work proposes an estimation of stand height and forest volume(m3/ha using normalized digital surface model (nDSM from high resolution stereo photography (25cm resolution and forest type map. The study area was located in Mt. Maehwa model forest in Hong Chun-Gun, South Korea. The forest type map has four attributes such as major species, age class, DBH class and crown density class by stand. Overlapping aerial photos were taken in September 2013 and digital surface model (DSM was created by photogrammetric methods(aerial triangulation, digital image matching. Then, digital terrain model (DTM was created by filtering DSM and subtracted DTM from DSM pixel by pixel, resulting in nDSM which represents object heights (buildings, trees, etc.. Two independent variables from nDSM were used to estimate forest stand volume: crown density (% and stand height (m. First, crown density was calculated using canopy segmentation method considering live crown ratio. Next, stand height was produced by averaging individual tree heights in a stand using Esri’s ArcGIS and the USDA Forest Service’s FUSION software. Finally, stand volume was estimated and mapped using aerial photo stand volume equations by species which have two independent variables, crown density and stand height. South Korea has a historical imagery archive which can show forest change in 40 years of successful forest rehabilitation. For a future study, forest volume change map (1970s–present will be produced using this stand volume estimation method and a historical imagery archive.

How important is getting the land surface energy exchange correct in WRF for wind energy forecasting?

Science.gov (United States)

Wharton, S.; Simpson, M.; Osuna, J. L.; Newman, J. F.; Biraud, S.

2013-12-01

simulated wind speeds at rotor-disk heights from WRF which indicated, in part, the sensitivity of lower PBL winds to surface energy exchange. We also found significant differences in energy partitioning between sensible heat and latent energy depending on choice of land surface model. Overall, the most consistent, accurate model results were produced using Noah-MP. Noah-MP was most accurate at simulating energy fluxes and wind shear. Hub-height wind speed, however, was predicted with most accuracy with Pleim-Xiu. This suggests that simulating wind shear in the surface layer is consistent with accurately simulating surface energy exchange while the exact magnitudes of wind speed may be more strongly influenced by the PBL dynamics. As the nation is working towards a 20% wind energy goal by 2030, increasing the accuracy of wind forecasting at rotor-disk heights becomes more important considering that utilities require wind farms to estimate their power generation 24 to 36 hours ahead and face penalties for inaccuracies in those forecasts.

Ultrafast surface carrier dynamics in the topological insulator Bi₂Te₃.

Science.gov (United States)

Hajlaoui, M; Papalazarou, E; Mauchain, J; Lantz, G; Moisan, N; Boschetto, D; Jiang, Z; Miotkowski, I; Chen, Y P; Taleb-Ibrahimi, A; Perfetti, L; Marsi, M

2012-07-11

We discuss the ultrafast evolution of the surface electronic structure of the topological insulator Bi(2)Te(3) following a femtosecond laser excitation. Using time and angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy, we provide a direct real-time visualization of the transient carrier population of both the surface states and the bulk conduction band. We find that the thermalization of the surface states is initially determined by interband scattering from the bulk conduction band, lasting for about 0.5 ps; subsequently, few picoseconds are necessary for the Dirac cone nonequilibrium electrons to recover a Fermi-Dirac distribution, while their relaxation extends over more than 10 ps. The surface sensitivity of our measurements makes it possible to estimate the range of the bulk-surface interband scattering channel, indicating that the process is effective over a distance of 5 nm or less. This establishes a correlation between the nanoscale thickness of the bulk charge reservoir and the evolution of the ultrafast carrier dynamics in the surface Dirac cone.

A Lagrangian cylindrical coordinate system for characterizing dynamic surface geometry of tubular anatomic structures.

Science.gov (United States)

Lundh, Torbjörn; Suh, Ga-Young; DiGiacomo, Phillip; Cheng, Christopher

2018-03-03

Vascular morphology characterization is useful for disease diagnosis, risk stratification, treatment planning, and prediction of treatment durability. To quantify the dynamic surface geometry of tubular-shaped anatomic structures, we propose a simple, rigorous Lagrangian cylindrical coordinate system to monitor well-defined surface points. Specifically, the proposed system enables quantification of surface curvature and cross-sectional eccentricity. Using idealized software phantom examples, we validate the method's ability to accurately quantify longitudinal and circumferential surface curvature, as well as eccentricity and orientation of eccentricity. We then apply the method to several medical imaging data sets of human vascular structures to exemplify the utility of this coordinate system for analyzing morphology and dynamic geometric changes in blood vessels throughout the body. Graphical abstract Pointwise longitudinal curvature of a thoracic aortic endograft surface for systole and diastole, with their absolute difference.

Dynamical properties of tertiarybutylarsine on GaAs(0 0 1) surface

CERN Document Server

Ozeki, M; Tanaka, Y

2002-01-01

The dynamical properties of tertiarybutylarsine (TBA) was studied on GaAs(0 0 1) surface using a supersonic molecular beam. The temperature and incident energy dependence of the reflected beam revealed a reaction channel of TBA on GaAs surface with a large decrease in the activation energy from 2.7 to 1.8 eV as the incident energy increases from 0.04 to 2.5 eV.

Image-based rendering of intersecting surfaces for dynamic comparative visualization

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Busking, S.; Botha, C.P.; Ferrarini, L.; Milles, J.; Post, F.H.

2010-01-01

Nested or intersecting surfaces are proven techniques for visualizing shape differences between static 3D objects (Weigle and Taylor II, IEEE Visualization, Proceedings, pp. 503–510, 2005). In this paper we present an image-based formulation for these techniques that extends their use to dynamic

Sea Surface Height Variability and Eddy Statistical Properties in the Red Sea

KAUST Repository

Zhan, Peng

2013-05-01

Satellite sea surface height (SSH) data over 1992-2012 are analyzed to study the spatial and temporal variability of sea level in the Red Sea. Empirical orthogonal functions (EOF) analysis suggests the remarkable seasonality of SSH in the Red Sea, and a significant correlation is found between SSH variation and seasonal wind cycle. A winding-angle based eddy identification algorithm is employed to derive the mesoscale eddy information from SSH data. Totally more than 5500 eddies are detected, belonging to 2583 eddy tracks. Statistics suggest that eddies generate over the entire Red Sea, with two regions in the central basin of high eddy frequency. 76% of the detected eddies have a radius ranging from 40km to 100km, of which both intensity and absolute vorticity decrease with eddy radius. The average eddy lifespan is about 5 weeks, and eddies with longer lifespan tend to have larger radius but less intensity. Different deformation rate exists between anticyclonic eddies (AEs) and cyclonic eddies (CEs), those eddies with higher intensity appear to be less deformed and more circular. Inspection of the 84 long-lived eddies suggests the AEs tend to move a little more northward than CEs. AE generation during summer is obviously lower than that during other seasons, while CE generation is higher during spring and summer. Other features of AEs and CEs are similar with both vorticity and intensity reaching the summer peaks in August and winter peaks in January. Inter-annual variability reveals that the eddies in the Red Sea are isolated from the global event. The eddy property tendencies are different from the south and north basin, both of which exhibit a two-year cycle. Showing a correlation coefficient of -0.91, Brunt–Väisälä frequency is negatively correlated with eddy kinetic energy (EKE), which results from AE activities in the high eddy frequency region. Climatological vertical velocity shear variation is identical with EKE except in the autumn, suggesting the

Routing the asteroid surface vehicle with detailed mechanics

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Yang; Baoyin, He-Xi

2014-06-01

The motion of a surface vehicle on/above an irregular object is investigated for a potential interest in the insitu explorations to asteroids of the solar system. A global valid numeric method, including detailed gravity and geomorphology, is developed to mimic the behaviors of the test particles governed by the orbital equations and surface coupling effects. A general discussion on the surface mechanical environment of a specified asteroid, 1620 Geographos, is presented to make a global evaluation of the surface vehicle's working conditions. We show the connections between the natural trajectories near the ground and differential features of the asteroid surface, which describes both the good and bad of typical terrains from the viewpoint of vehicles' dynamic performances. Monte Carlo simulations are performed to take a further look at the trajectories of particles initializing near the surface. The simulations reveal consistent conclusions with the analysis, i.e., the open-field flat ground and slightly concave basins/valleys are the best choices for the vehicles' dynamical security. The dependence of decending trajectories on the releasing height is studied as an application; the results show that the pole direction (where the centrifugal force is zero) is the most stable direction in which the shift of a natural trajectory will be well limited after landing. We present this work as an example for pre-analysis that provides guidance to engineering design of the exploration site and routing the surface vehicles.

Determination of Vertical Datum Offset between the Regional and the Global Height Datum

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

LI Jiancheng

2017-10-01

Full Text Available The unification of the global height datum is a key problem to be solved for geodesy after the unification of global geodetic coordination system and three-dimension spatial datum, and the basis of global spatial information sharing and exchange. In this paper, the theoretical and practical problems of vertical datum offset between the regional height datum and the global height datum are studied. Based on the classical theory of the height system in physical geodesy, the definition of the height datum vertical offset is given, and the rigorous formulas for calculating the vertical offset are derived. The formulas can be used to deduce the three methods of the height datum vertical offset determination. On that basis, the influences of different reference system and reference ellipsoid parameters on the calculation of the vertical offset are analyzed. The results show that the reference system and the ellipsoid parameter conversion are very necessary. At the same time, the height anomaly differences method needs to consider the degree zero correction caused by the inconsistency between gravity potential of the global height datum and the one computed by the model. Based on potential difference approach and the height anomaly difference method, the vertical offset between the China 1985 national height datum and the global height datum corresponding to the normal gravity potential U0 of GRS80, WGS-84 and CGCS2000 reference ellipsoidal from the 152 GPS/leveling points near the origin of Qingdao height origin and the EGM2008, EIGEN-6C4 and SGG-UGM-1 model. The regional datum is 23.1 cm lower than the global datum based on EIGEN-6C4 and WGS-84. When the Gauss-Listing geoid (mean sea surface is selected as the global height datum, the China 1985 national height datum is 21.0 cm higher than the global height datum. The results also show that there are still large differences among the accuracies of the current gravity field models on these GPS

More practical critical height sampling.

Science.gov (United States)

Thomas B. Lynch; Jeffrey H. Gove

2015-01-01

Critical Height Sampling (CHS) (Kitamura 1964) can be used to predict cubic volumes per acre without using volume tables or equations. The critical height is defined as the height at which the tree stem appears to be in borderline condition using the point-sampling angle gauge (e.g. prism). An estimate of cubic volume per acre can be obtained from multiplication of the...

Validation of mixing heights derived from the operational NWP models at the German weather service

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fay, B.; Schrodin, R.; Jacobsen, I. [Deutscher Wetterdienst, Offenbach (Germany); Engelbart, D. [Deutscher Wetterdienst, Meteorol. Observ. Lindenberg (Germany)

1997-10-01

NWP models incorporate an ever-increasing number of observations via four-dimensional data assimilation and are capable of providing comprehensive information about the atmosphere both in space and time. They describe not only near surface parameters but also the vertical structure of the atmosphere. They operate daily, are well verified and successfully used as meteorological pre-processors in large-scale dispersion modelling. Applications like ozone forecasts, emission or power plant control calculations require highly resolved, reliable, and routine values of the temporal evolution of the mixing height (MH) which is a critical parameter in determining the mixing and transformation of substances and the resulting pollution levels near the ground. The purpose of development at the German Weather Service is a straightforward mixing height scheme that uses only parameters derived from NWP model variables and thus automatically provides spatial and temporal fields of mixing heights on an operational basis. An universal parameter to describe stability is the Richardson number Ri. Compared to the usual diagnostic or rate equations, the Ri number concept of determining mixing heights has the advantage of using not only surface layer parameters but also regarding the vertical structure of the boundary layer resolved in the NWP models. (au)

Impact of initial surface parameters on the final quality of laser micro-polished surfaces

Science.gov (United States)

Chow, Michael; Bordatchev, Evgueni V.; Knopf, George K.

2012-03-01

Laser micro-polishing (LμP) is a new laser-based microfabrication technology for improving surface quality during a finishing operation and for producing parts and surfaces with near-optical surface quality. The LμP process uses low power laser energy to melt a thin layer of material on the previously machined surface. The polishing effect is achieved as the molten material in the laser-material interaction zone flows from the elevated regions to the local minimum due to surface tension. This flow of molten material then forms a thin ultra-smooth layer on the top surface. The LμP is a complex thermo-dynamic process where the melting, flow and redistribution of molten material is significantly influenced by a variety of process parameters related to the laser, the travel motions and the material. The goal of this study is to analyze the impact of initial surface parameters on the final surface quality. Ball-end micromilling was used for preparing initial surface of samples from H13 tool steel that were polished using a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser. The height and width of micromilled scallops (waviness) were identified as dominant parameter affecting the quality of the LμPed surface. By adjusting process parameters, the Ra value of a surface, having a waviness period of 33 μm and a peak-to-valley value of 5.9 μm, was reduced from 499 nm to 301 nm, improving the final surface quality by 39.7%.

He atom surface spectroscopy: Surface lattice dynamics of insulators, metals and metal overlayers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1990-01-01

During the first three years of this grant (1985--1988) the effort was devoted to the construction of a state-of-the-art He atom scattering (HAS) instrument which would be capable of determining the structure and dynamics of metallic, semiconductor or insulator crystal surfaces. The second three year grant period (1988--1991) has been dedicated to measurements. The construction of the instrument went better than proposed; it was within budget, finished in the proposed time and of better sensitivity and resolution than originally planned. The same success has been carried over to the measurement phase where the concentration has been on studies of insulator surfaces, as discussed in this paper. The experiments of the past three years have focused primarily on the alkali halides with a more recent shift to metal oxide crystal surfaces. Both elastic and inelastic scattering experiments were carried out on LiF, NaI, NaCl, RbCl, KBr, RbBr, RbI, CsF, CsI and with some preliminary work on NiO and MgO

Quantum chemical molecular dynamical investigation of alkyl nitrite photo-dissociated on copper surfaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Xiaojing; Wang Wei; Han Peilin; Kubo, Momoji; Miyamoto, Akira

2008-01-01

An accelerated quantum chemical molecular dynamical code 'Colors-Excite' was used to investigate the photolysis of alkyl nitrites series, RONO (R=CH 3 and C(CH 3 ) 3 ) on copper surfaces. Our calculations showed that the photo-dissociated processes are associated with the alkyl substituents of RONO when adsorbed on copper surfaces. For R=CH 3 , a two-step photolysis reaction occurred, yielding diverse intermediate products including RO radical, NO, and HNO, consistent with those reported in gas phase. While for R=C(CH 3 ) 3 , only one-step photolysis reaction occurred and gave intermediate products of RO radical and NO. Consequently, pure RO species were achieved to adsorb on metal surfaces by removing the NO species in photolysis reaction. The detailed photo-dissociated behaviors of RONO on copper surfaces with different alkyl substituents which are uncovered by the present simulation can be extended to explain the diverse dissociative mechanism experimentally observed. The quantum chemical molecular dynamical code 'Colors-Excite' is proved to be highly applicable to the photo-dissociations on metal surfaces

Desorption dynamics of deuterium molecules from the Si(100)-(3×1) dideuteride surface

OpenAIRE

Niida, T; Tsurumaki, Hiroshi; Namiki, Akira

2006-01-01

We measured polar angle ()-resolved time-of-flight spectra of D2 molecules desorbing from the Si(100)-(3×1) dideuteride surface. The desorbing D2 molecules exhibit a considerable translational heating with mean desorption kinetic energies of 0.25 eV, which is mostly independent of the desorption angles for 0°30°. The observed desorption dynamics of deuterium was discussed along the principle of detailed balance to predict their adsorption dynamics onto the monohydride Si surface.

Characterizing interstate vibrational coherent dynamics of surface adsorbed catalysts by fourth-order 3D SFG spectroscopy

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Yingmin; Wang, Jiaxi; Clark, Melissa L.; Kubiak, Clifford P.; Xiong, Wei

2016-04-01

We report the first fourth-order 3D SFG spectroscopy of a monolayer of the catalyst Re(diCN-bpy)(CO)3Cl on a gold surface. Besides measuring the vibrational coherences of single vibrational modes, the fourth-order 3D SFG spectrum also measures the dynamics of interstate coherences and vibrational coherences states between two vibrational modes. By comparing the 3D SFG to the corresponding 2D and third-order 3D IR spectroscopy of the same molecules in solution, we found that the interstate coherences exist in both liquid and surface systems, suggesting that the interstate coherence is not disrupted by surface interactions. However, by analyzing the 3D spectral lineshape, we found that the interstate coherences also experience non-negligible homogenous dephasing dynamics that originate from surface interactions. This unique ability of determining interstate vibrational coherence dynamics of the molecular monolayer can help in understanding of how energy flows within surface catalysts and other molecular monolayers.

Imagery and fear influence height perception.

Science.gov (United States)

Clerkin, Elise M; Cody, Meghan W; Stefanucci, Jeanine K; Proffitt, Dennis R; Teachman, Bethany A

2009-04-01

The current study tested whether height overestimation is related to height fear and influenced by images of falling. To assess perceptual biases, participants high (n=65) versus low (n=64) in height fear estimated the vertical extents of two balconies using a visual matching task. On one of the balconies, participants engaged in an imagery exercise designed to enhance the subjective sense that they were acting in a dangerous environment by picturing themselves falling. As expected, we found that individuals overestimated the balcony's height more after they imagined themselves falling, particularly if they were already afraid of heights. These findings suggest that height fear may serve as a vulnerability factor that leads to perceptual biases when triggered by a stressor (in this case, images of falling).

Spatial inhomogeneous barrier heights at graphene/semiconductor Schottky junctions

Science.gov (United States)

Tomer, Dushyant

Graphene, a semimetal with linear energy dispersion, forms Schottky junction when interfaced with a semiconductor. This dissertation presents temperature dependent current-voltage and scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy (STM/S) measurements performed on graphene Schottky junctions formed with both three and two dimensional semiconductors. To fabricate Schottky junctions, we transfer chemical vapor deposited monolayer graphene onto Si- and C-face SiC, Si, GaAs and MoS2 semiconducting substrates using polymer assisted chemical method. We observe three main type of intrinsic spatial inhomogeneities, graphene ripples, ridges and semiconductor steps in STM imaging that can exist at graphene/semiconductor junctions. Tunneling spectroscopy measurements reveal fluctuations in graphene Dirac point position, which is directly related to the Schottky barrier height. We find a direct correlation of Dirac point variation with the topographic undulations of graphene ripples at the graphene/SiC junction. However, no such correlation is established at graphene/Si and Graphene/GaAs junctions and Dirac point variations are attributed to surface states and trapped charges at the interface. In addition to graphene ripples and ridges, we also observe atomic scale moire patterns at graphene/MoS2 junction due to van der Waals interaction at the interface. Periodic topographic modulations due to moire pattern do not lead to local variation in graphene Dirac point, indicating that moire pattern does not contribute to fluctuations in electronic properties of the heterojunction. We perform temperature dependent current-voltage measurements to investigate the impact of topographic inhomogeneities on electrical properties of the Schottky junctions. We observe temperature dependence in junction parameters, such as Schottky barrier height and ideality factor, for all types of Schottky junctions in forward bias measurements. Standard thermionic emission theory which assumes a perfect

Surface and finite size effect on fluctuations dynamics in nanoparticles with long-range order

Science.gov (United States)

Morozovska, A. N.; Eliseev, E. A.

2010-02-01

The influence of surface and finite size on the dynamics of the order parameter fluctuations and critical phenomena in the three-dimensional (3D)-confined systems with long-range order was not considered theoretically. In this paper, we study the influence of surface and finite size on the dynamics of the order parameter fluctuations in the particles of arbitrary shape. We consider concrete examples of the spherical and cylindrical ferroic nanoparticles within Landau-Ginzburg-Devonshire phenomenological approach. Allowing for the strong surface energy contribution in micro and nanoparticles, the analytical expressions derived for the Ornstein-Zernike correlator of the long-range order parameter spatial-temporal fluctuations, dynamic generalized susceptibility, relaxation times, and correlation radii discrete spectra are different from those known for bulk systems. Obtained analytical expressions for the correlation function of the order parameter spatial-temporal fluctuations in micro and nanosized systems can be useful for the quantitative analysis of the dynamical structural factors determined from magnetic resonance diffraction and scattering spectra. Besides the practical importance of the correlation function for the analysis of the experimental data, derived expressions for the fluctuations strength determine the fundamental limits of phenomenological theories applicability for 3D-confined systems.

Photo-responsive surface topology in chiral nematic media

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Danqing; Bastiaansen, Cees W. M.; Toonder, Jaap. M. J.; Broer, Dirk J.

2012-03-01

We report on the design and fabrication of 'smart surfaces' that exhibit dynamic changes in their surface topology in response to exposure to light. The principle is based on anisotropic geometric changes of a liquid crystal network upon a change of the molecular order parameter. The photomechanical property of the coating is induced by incorporating an azobenzene moiety into the liquid crystal network. The responsive surface topology consists of regions with two different types of molecular order: planar chiral-nematic areas and homeotropic. Under flood exposure with 365 nm light the surfaces deform from flat to one with a surface relief. The height of the relief structures is of the order of 1 um corresponding to strain difference of around 20%. Furthermore, we demonstrate surface reliefs can form either convex or concave structures upon exposure to UV light corresponding to the decrease or increase molecular order parameter, respectively, related to the isomeric state of the azobenzene crosslinker. The reversible deformation to the initial flat state occurs rapidly after removing the light source.

An Optimization Method for Virtual Globe Ocean Surface Dynamic Visualization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

HUANG Wumeng

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The existing visualization method in the virtual globe mainly uses the projection grid to organize the ocean grid. This special grid organization has the defects in reflecting the difference characteristics of different ocean areas. The method of global ocean visualization based on global discrete grid can make up the defect of the projection grid method by matching with the discrete space of the virtual globe, so it is more suitable for the virtual ocean surface simulation application.But the available global discrete grids method has many problems which limiting its application such as the low efficiency of rendering and loading, the need of repairing grid crevices. To this point, we propose an optimization for the global discrete grids method. At first, a GPU-oriented multi-scale grid model of ocean surface which develops on the foundation of global discrete grids was designed to organize and manage the ocean surface grids. Then, in order to achieve the wind-drive wave dynamic rendering, this paper proposes a dynamic wave rendering method based on the multi-scale ocean surface grid model to support real-time wind field updating. At the same time, considering the effect of repairing grid crevices on the system efficiency, this paper presents an efficient method for repairing ocean surface grid crevices based on the characteristics of ocean grid and GPU technology. At last, the feasibility and validity of the method are verified by the comparison experiment. The experimental results show that the proposed method is efficient, stable and fast, and can compensate for the lack of function of the existing methods, so the application range is more extensive.

Novel CNC Grinding Process Control for Nanometric Surface Roughness for Aspheric Space Optical Surfaces

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jeong-Yeol Han

2004-06-01

Full Text Available Optics fabrication process for precision space optical parts includes bound abrasive grinding, loose abrasive lapping and polishing. The traditional bound abrasive grinding with bronze bond cupped diamond wheel leaves the machine marks of about 20 μm rms in height and the subsurface damage of about 1 μm rms in height to be removed by subsequent loose abrasive lapping. We explored an efficient quantitative control of precision CNC grinding. The machining parameters such as grain size, work-piece rotation speed and feed rate were altered while grinding the work-piece surfaces of 20-100 mm in diameter. The input grinding variables and the resulting surface quality data were used to build grinding prediction models using empirical and multi-variable regression analysis. The effectiveness of such grinding prediction models was then examined by running a series of precision CNC grinding operation with a set of controlled input variables and predicted output surface quality indicators. The experiment achieved the predictability down to ±20 nm in height and the surface roughness down to 36 nm in height. This study contributed to improvement of the process efficiency reaching directly the polishing and figuring process without the need for the loose abrasive lapping stage.

CALIOP-based Biomass Burning Smoke Plume Injection Height

Science.gov (United States)

Soja, A. J.; Choi, H. D.; Fairlie, T. D.; Pouliot, G.; Baker, K. R.; Winker, D. M.; Trepte, C. R.; Szykman, J.

2017-12-01

Carbon and aerosols are cycled between terrestrial and atmosphere environments during fire events, and these emissions have strong feedbacks to near-field weather, air quality, and longer-term climate systems. Fire severity and burned area are under the control of weather and climate, and fire emissions have the potential to alter numerous land and atmospheric processes that, in turn, feedback to and interact with climate systems (e.g., changes in patterns of precipitation, black/brown carbon deposition on ice/snow, alteration in landscape and atmospheric/cloud albedo). If plume injection height is incorrectly estimated, then the transport and deposition of those emissions will also be incorrect. The heights to which smoke is injected governs short- or long-range transport, which influences surface pollution, cloud interaction (altered albedo), and modifies patterns of precipitation (cloud condensation nuclei). We are working with the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO) science team and other stakeholder agencies, primarily the Environmental Protection Agency and regional partners, to generate a biomass burning (BB) plume injection height database using multiple platforms, sensors and models (CALIOP, MODIS, NOAA HMS, Langley Trajectory Model). These data have the capacity to provide enhanced smoke plume injection height parameterization in regional, national and international scientific and air quality models. Statistics that link fire behavior and weather to plume rise are crucial for verifying and enhancing plume rise parameterization in local-, regional- and global-scale models used for air quality, chemical transport and climate. Specifically, we will present: (1) a methodology that links BB injection height and CALIOP air parcels to specific fires; (2) the daily evolution of smoke plumes for specific fires; (3) plumes transport and deposited on the Greenland Ice Sheet; and (4) compare CALIOP-derived smoke plume injection

Influence of chemistry on wetting dynamics of nanotextured hydrophobic surfaces.

Science.gov (United States)

Di Mundo, Rosa; Palumbo, Fabio; d'Agostino, Riccardo

2010-04-06

In this work, the role of a chemical parameter, such as the degree of fluorination, on the wetting behavior of nanotextured hydrophobic surfaces is investigated. Texture and chemistry tuning of the surfaces has been accomplished with single batch radiofrequency low-pressure plasma processes. Polystyrene substrates have been textured by CF(4) plasma etching and subsequently covered by thin films with a tunable F-to-C ratio, obtained in discharges fed with C(4)F(8)-C(2)H(4). Measurements of wetting dynamics reveal a regime transition from adhesive-hydrophobic to slippery-superhydrophobic, i.e., from wet to non wet states, as the F-to-C rises at constant topography. Such achievements are strengthened by calculation of the solid fraction of surface water contact area applying Cassie-Baxter advancing and receding equations to water contact angle data of textured and flat reference surfaces.

He atom-surface scattering: Surface dynamics of insulators, overlayers and crystal growth

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1992-01-01

Investigations in this laboratory have focused on the surface structure and dynamics of ionic insulators and on epitaxial growth onto alkali halide crystals. In the later the homoepitaxial growth of NaCl/NaCl(001) and the heteroepitaxial growth of KBr/NaCl(001), NaCl/KBr(001) and KBr/RbCl(001) have been studied by monitoring the specular He scattering as a function of the coverage and by measuring the angular and energy distributions of the scattered He atoms. These data provide information on the surface structure, defect densities, island sizes and surface strain during the layer-by-layer growth. The temperature dependence of these measurements also provides information on the mobilities of the admolecules. He atom scattering is unique among surface probes because the low-energy, inert atoms are sensitive only to the electronic structure of the topmost surface layer and are equally applicable to all crystalline materials. It is proposed for the next year to exploit further the variety of combinations possible with the alkali halides in order to carry out a definitive study of epitaxial growth in the ionic insulators. The work completed so far, including measurements of the Bragg diffraction and surface dispersion at various stages of growth, appears to be exceptionally rich in detail, which is particularly promising for theoretical modeling. In addition, because epitaxial growth conditions over a wide range of lattice mismatches is possible with these materials, size effects in growth processes can be explored in great depth. Further, as some of the alkali halides have the CsCl structure instead of the NaCl structure, we can investigate the effects of the heteroepitaxy with materials having different lattice preferences. Finally, by using co-deposition of different alkali halides, one can investigate the formation and stability of alloys and even alkali halide superlattices

Dynamics and Instabilities of Free Surface and Vortex Flows

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tophøj, Laust Emil Hjerrild

2012-01-01

This PhD thesis consists of two main parts. The first part describes the dynamics of an ideal fluid on a stationary free surface of a given shape. It turns out that one can formulate a set of self-contained equations of momentum conservation for the tangential flow, with no reference to the flow ......)]. Finally, an experimental work on elastic collisions of wet spheres is briefly discussed....

Extinction threshold for spatial forest dynamics with height structure.

Science.gov (United States)

Garcia-Domingo, Josep L; Saldaña, Joan

2011-05-07

We present a pair-approximation model for spatial forest dynamics defined on a regular lattice. The model assumes three possible states for a lattice site: empty (gap site), occupied by an immature tree, and occupied by a mature tree, and considers three nonlinearities in the dynamics associated to the processes of light interference, gap expansion, and recruitment. We obtain an expression of the basic reproduction number R(0) which, in contrast to the one obtained under the mean-field approach, uses information about the spatial arrangement of individuals close to extinction. Moreover, we analyze the corresponding survival-extinction transition of the forest and the spatial correlations among gaps, immature and mature trees close to this critical point. Predictions of the pair-approximation model are compared with those of a cellular automaton. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Dynamic Corneal Surface Mapping with Electronic Speckle Pattern Interferometry

Science.gov (United States)

Iqbal, S.; Gualini, M. M. S.

2013-06-01

In view of the fast advancement in ophthalmic technology and corneal surgery, there is a strong need for the comprehensive mapping and characterization techniques for corneal surface. Optical methods with precision non-contact approaches have been found to be very useful for such bio measurements. Along with the normal mapping approaches, elasticity of corneal surface has an important role in its characterization and needs to be appropriately measured or estimated for broader diagnostics and better prospective surgical results, as it has important role in the post-op corneal surface reconstruction process. Use of normal corneal topographic devices is insufficient for any intricate analysis since these devices operate at relatively moderate resolution. In the given experiment, Pulsed Electronic Speckle Pattern Interferometry has been utilized along with an excitation mechanism to measure the dynamic response of the sample cornea. A Pulsed ESPI device has been chosen for the study because of its micron-level resolution and other advantages in real-time deformation analysis. A bovine cornea has been used as a sample in the subject experiment. The dynamic response has been taken on a chart recorder and it is observed that it does show a marked deformation at a specific excitation frequency, which may be taken as a characteristic elasticity parameter for the surface of that corneal sample. It was seen that outside resonance conditions the bovine cornea was not that much deformed. Through this study, the resonance frequency and the corresponding corneal deformations are mapped and plotted in real time. In these experiments, data was acquired and processed by FRAMES plus computer analysis system. With some analysis of the results, this technique can help us to refine a more detailed corneal surface mathematical model and some preliminary work was done on this. Such modelling enhancements may be useful for finer ablative surgery planning. After further experimentation

Mapping Forest Canopy Height over Continental China Using Multi-Source Remote Sensing Data

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiliang Ni

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Spatially-detailed forest height data are useful to monitor local, regional and global carbon cycle. LiDAR remote sensing can measure three-dimensional forest features but generating spatially-contiguous forest height maps at a large scale (e.g., continental and global is problematic because existing LiDAR instruments are still data-limited and expensive. This paper proposes a new approach based on an artificial neural network (ANN for modeling of forest canopy heights over the China continent. Our model ingests spaceborne LiDAR metrics and multiple geospatial predictors including climatic variables (temperature and precipitation, forest type, tree cover percent and land surface reflectance. The spaceborne LiDAR instrument used in the study is the Geoscience Laser Altimeter System (GLAS, which can provide within-footprint forest canopy heights. The ANN was trained with pairs between spatially discrete LiDAR metrics and full gridded geo-predictors. This generates valid conjugations to predict heights over the China continent. The ANN modeled heights were evaluated with three different reference data. First, field measured tree heights from three experiment sites were used to validate the ANN model predictions. The observed tree heights at the site-scale agreed well with the modeled forest heights (R = 0.827, and RMSE = 4.15 m. Second, spatially discrete GLAS observations and a continuous map from the interpolation of GLAS-derived tree heights were separately used to evaluate the ANN model. We obtained R of 0.725 and RMSE of 7.86 m and R of 0.759 and RMSE of 8.85 m, respectively. Further, inter-comparisons were also performed with two existing forest height maps. Our model granted a moderate agreement with the existing satellite-based forest height maps (R = 0.738, and RMSE = 7.65 m (R2 = 0.52, and RMSE = 8.99 m. Our results showed that the ANN model developed in this paper is capable of estimating forest heights over the China continent with a

Transmission-lattice based geometric phase analysis for evaluating the dynamic deformation of a liquid surface.

Science.gov (United States)

Shi, Wenxiong; Huang, Xianfu; Liu, Zhanwei

2014-05-05

Quantitatively measuring a dynamic liquid surface often presents a challenge due to high transparency, fluidity and specular reflection. Here, a novel Transmission-Lattice based Geometric Phase Analysis (TLGPA) method is introduced. In this method, a special lattice is placed underneath a liquid to be tested and, when viewed from above, the phase of the transmission-lattice image is modulated by the deformation of the liquid surface. Combining this with multi-directional Newton iteration algorithms, the dynamic deformation field of the liquid surface can be calculated from the phase variation of a series of transmission-lattice images captured at different moments. The developed method has the advantage of strong self-adaption ability to initial lattice rotational errors and this is discussed in detail. Dynamic 3D ripples formation and propagation was investigated and the results obtained demonstrated the feasibility of the method.

DNSC08 mean sea surface and mean dynamic topography models

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Ole Baltazar; Knudsen, Per

2009-01-01

-2004. It is the first global MSS without a polar gap including all of the Arctic Ocean by including laser altimetry from the ICESat mission. The mean dynamic topography (MDT) is the quantity that bridges the geoid and the mean sea surface constraining large-scale ocean circulation. Here we present a new high...

Surface activation of cyclo olefin polymer by oxygen plasma discharge: a molecular dynamics study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Soberon, Felipe

2014-01-01

Thermoplastic substrates made of cyclo olefin polymer (COP) are treated with oxygen plasma discharges to introduce polar groups at the surface. This is the first step in the process of surface functionalization of COP substrates used in biosensor devices. A molecular dynamics model of basic COP structure is implemented using the second-generation reactive empirical bond order (REBO) potentials for hydrocarbon–oxygen interactions. The model includes covalent bond and Van der Waals interactions. The bombardment of a COP surface with mono-energetic atomic oxygen ions, energy in the range 1-35 eV, is simulated and reported here. The dynamics of the substrate modification reveals that the substrate top layer is de-hydrogenated and subsequently builds up an oxygen–carbon matrix layer, ∼10 Å thick. Analysis of the modified substrates indicates that surface yield is predominantly peroxide groups. (paper)

The Design and Simulation of the Modular Vehicle Air Suspension Height Control System Based on ECAS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yang Peigang

2014-02-01

Full Text Available Based on ECAS, this paper intended to develop a modular air suspension height control system with WABCO4728800010 two-position three way solenoid valves and Free scale MC9S12D64 microprocessor as its core components. And a simulation test was conducted in MATLAB/Simulink environment. The air suspension height control strategy of this system was divided into four modules: start control module, dynamic adjustment module, manual adjustment module and errors adjustment module, which were controlled by module select switch. Simulation tests indicated that the air suspension height control strategy is featured by its logical control accuracy and debug convenience, and the modular design greatly reduced the system complexity and software development cycle and costs as well.

Study on Dynamic Development of Three-dimensional Weld Pool Surface in Stationary GTAW

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Jiankang; He, Jing; He, Xiaoying; Shi, Yu; Fan, Ding

2018-04-01

The weld pool contains abundant information about the welding process. In particular, the type of the weld pool surface shape, i. e., convex or concave, is determined by the weld penetration. To detect it, an innovative laser-vision-based sensing method is employed to observe the weld pool surface of the gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW). A low-power laser dots pattern is projected onto the entire weld pool surface. Its reflection is intercepted by a screen and captured by a camera. Then the dynamic development process of the weld pool surface can be detected. By observing and analyzing, the change of the reflected laser dots reflection pattern, for shape of the weld pool surface shape, was found to closely correlate to the penetration of weld pool in the welding process. A mathematical model was proposed to correlate the incident ray, reflected ray, screen and surface of weld pool based on structured laser specular reflection. The dynamic variation of the weld pool surface and its corresponding dots laser pattern were simulated and analyzed. By combining the experimental data and the mathematical analysis, the results show that the pattern of the reflected laser dots pattern is closely correlated to the development of weld pool, such as the weld penetration. The concavity of the pool surface was found to increase rapidly after the surface shape was changed from convex to concave during the stationary GTAW process.

Combined Treatment with Gonadotropin-releasing Hormone Analog and Anabolic Steroid Hormone Increased Pubertal Height Gain and Adult Height in Boys with Early Puberty for Height.

Science.gov (United States)

Tanaka, Toshiaki; Naiki, Yasuhiro; Horikawa, Reiko

2012-04-01

Twenty-one boys with a height of 135 cm or less at onset of puberty were treated with a combination of GnRH analog and anabolic steroid hormone, and their pubertal height gain and adult height were compared with those of untreated 29 boys who enter puberty below 135 cm. The mean age at the start of treatment with a GnRH analog, leuprorelin acetate depot (Leuplin(®)) was 12.3 yr, a mean of 1.3 yr after the onset of puberty, and GnRH analog was administered every 3 to 5 wk thereafter for a mean duration of 4.1 yr. The anabolic steroid hormone was started approximately 1 yr after initiation of treatment with the GnRH analog. The mean pubertal height gain from onset of puberty till adult height was significantly greater in the combination treatment group (33.9 cm) than in the untreated group (26.4 cm) (ppenis and pubic hair is promoted by the anabolic steroid hormone, no psychosocial problems arose because of delayed puberty. No clinically significant adverse events appeared. Combined treatment with GnRH analog and anabolic steroid hormone significantly increased height gain during puberty and adult height in boys who entered puberty with a short stature, since the period until epiphyseal closure was extended due to deceleration of the bone age maturation by administration of the GnRH analog and the growth rate at this time was maintained by the anabolic steroid hormone.

Theory of the reaction dynamics of small molecules on metal surfaces

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jackson, Bret [Univ. of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA (United States)

2016-09-09

The objective of this project has been to develop realistic theoretical models for gas-surface interactions, with a focus on processes important in heterogeneous catalysis. The dissociative chemisorption of a molecule on a metal is a key step in many catalyzed reactions, and is often the rate-limiting step. We have explored the dissociative chemisorption of H₂, H₂O and CH₄ on a variety of metal surfaces. Most recently, our extensive studies of methane dissociation on Ni and Pt surfaces have fully elucidated its dependence on translational energy, vibrational state and surface temperature, providing the first accurate comparisons with experimental data. We have explored Eley-Rideal and hot atom reactions of H atoms with H- and C-covered metal surfaces. H atom interactions with graphite have also been explored, including both sticking and Eley-Rideal recombination processes. Again, our methods made it possible to explain several experiments studying these reactions. The sticking of atoms on metal surfaces has also been studied. To help elucidate the experiments that study these processes, we examine how the reaction dynamics depend upon the nature of the molecule-metal interaction, as well as experimental variables such as substrate temperature, beam energy, angle of impact, and the internal states of the molecules. Electronic structure methods based on Density Functional Theory are used to compute each molecule-metal potential energy surface. Both time-dependent quantum scattering techniques and quasi-classical methods are used to examine the reaction or scattering dynamics. Much of our effort has been directed towards developing improved quantum methods that can accurately describe reactions, as well as include the effects of substrate temperature (lattice vibration).

Anomalous water dynamics at surfaces and interfaces: synergistic effects of confinement and surface interactions

Science.gov (United States)

Biswas, Rajib; Bagchi, Biman

2018-01-01

In nature, water is often found in contact with surfaces that are extended on the scale of molecule size but small on a macroscopic scale. Examples include lipid bilayers and reverse micelles as well as biomolecules like proteins, DNA and zeolites, to name a few. While the presence of surfaces and interfaces interrupts the continuous hydrogen bond network of liquid water, confinement on a mesoscopic scale introduces new features. Even when extended on a molecular scale, natural and biological surfaces often have features (like charge, hydrophobicity) that vary on the scale of the molecular diameter of water. As a result, many new and exotic features, which are not seen in the bulk, appear in the dynamics of water close to the surface. These different behaviors bear the signature of both water-surface interactions and of confinement. In other words, the altered properties are the result of the synergistic effects of surface-water interactions and confinement. Ultrafast spectroscopy, theoretical modeling and computer simulations together form powerful synergistic approaches towards an understanding of the properties of confined water in such systems as nanocavities, reverse micelles (RMs), water inside and outside biomolecules like proteins and DNA, and also between two hydrophobic walls. We shall review the experimental results and place them in the context of theory and simulations. For water confined within RMs, we discuss the possible interference effects propagating from opposite surfaces. Similar interference is found to give rise to an effective attractive force between two hydrophobic surfaces immersed and kept fixed at a separation of d, with the force showing an exponential dependence on this distance. For protein and DNA hydration, we shall examine a multitude of timescales that arise from frustration effects due to the inherent heterogeneity of these surfaces. We pay particular attention to the role of orientational correlations and modification of the

Transfer characteristics of optical profilers with respect to rectangular edge and step height measurement

Science.gov (United States)

Xie, Weichang; Hagemeier, Sebastian; Bischoff, Jörg; Mastylo, Rostyslav; Manske, Eberhard; Lehmann, Peter

2017-06-01

Optical profilers are mature instruments used in research and industry to study surface topography features. Although the corresponding standards are based on simple step height measurements, in practical applications these instruments are often used to study the fidelity of surface topography. In this context it is well-known that in certain situations a surface profile obtained by an optical profiler will differ from the real profile. With respect to practical applications such deviations often occur in the vicinity of steep walls and in cases of high aspect ratio. In this contribution we compare the transfer characteristics of different 3D optical profiler principles, namely white-light interferometry, focus sensing, and confocal microscopy. Experimental results demonstrate that the transfer characteristics do not only depend on the parameters of the optical measurement system (e. g. wavelength and coherence of light, numerical aperture, evaluated signal feature, polarization) but also on the properties of the measuring object such as step height, aspect ratio, material properties and homogeneity, rounding and steepness of the edges, surface roughness. As a result, typical artefacts such as batwings occur for certain parameter combinations, particularly at certain height-to-wavelength ratio (HWR) values. Understanding of the mechanisms behind these phenomena enables to reduce them by an appropriate parameter adaption. However, it is not only the edge artefacts, but also the position of an edge that may be changed due to the properties of the measuring object. In order to investigate the relevant effects theoretically, several models are introduced. These are based on either an extension of Richards-Wolf modeling or rigorous coupled wave analysis (RCWA). Although these models explain the experimental effects quite well they suffer from different limitations, so that a quantitative correspondence of theoretical modeling and experimental results is hard to achieve

Significant Wave Height under Hurricane Irma derived from SAR Sentinel-1 Data

Science.gov (United States)

Lehner, S.; Pleskachevsky, A.; Soloviev, A.; Fujimura, A.

2017-12-01

The 2017 Atlantic hurricane season was with three major hurricanes a particular active one. The Category 4 hurricane Irma made landfall on the Florida Keys on September 10th 2017 and was imaged several times by ESAs Sentinel-1 satellites in C-band and the TerraSAR-X satellite in X-band. The high resolution TerraSAR-X imagery showed the footprint of individual tornadoes on the sea surface together with their turbulent wake imaged as a dark line due to increased turbulence. The water-cloud structures of the tornadoes are analyzed and their sea surface structure is compared to optical and IR cloud imagery. An estimate of the wind field using standard XMOD algorithms is provided, although saturating under the strong rain and high wind speed conditions. Imaging the hurricanes by space radar gives the opportunity to observe the sea surface and thus measure the wind field and the sea state under hurricane conditions through the clouds even in this severe weather, although rain features, which are usually not observed in SAR become visible due to damping effects. The Copernicus Sentinel-1 A and B satellites, which are operating in C-band provided several images of the sea surface under hurricane Irma, Jose and Maria. The data were acquired daily and converted into measurements of sea surface wind field u10 and significant wave height Hs over a swath width of 280km about 1000 km along the orbit. The wind field of the hurricanes as derived by CMOD is provided by NOAA operationally on their web server. In the hurricane cases though the wind speed saturates at 20 m/sec and is thus too low in the area of hurricane wind speed. The technique to derive significant wave height is new though and does not show any calibration issues. This technique provides for the first time measurements of the areal coverage and distribution of the ocean wave height as caused by a hurricane on SAR wide swath images. Wave heights up to 10 m were measured under the forward quadrant of the hurricane

Quantum State-Resolved Collision Dynamics of Nitric Oxide at Ionic Liquid and Molten Metal Surfaces

Science.gov (United States)

Zutz, Amelia Marie

Detailed molecular scale interactions at the gas-liquid interface are explored with quantum state-to-state resolved scattering of a jet-cooled beam of NO(2pi1/2; N = 0) from ionic liquid and molten metal surfaces. The scattered distributions are probed via laser-induced fluorescence methods, which yield rotational and spin-orbit state populations that elucidate the dynamics of energy transfer at the gas-liquid interface. These collision dynamics are explored as a function of incident collision energy, surface temperature, scattering angle, and liquid identity, all of which are found to substantially affect the degree of rotational, electronic and vibrational excitation of NO via collisions at the liquid surface. Rotational distributions observed reveal two distinct scattering pathways, (i) molecules that trap, thermalize and eventually desorb from the surface (trapping-desorption, TD), and (ii) those that undergo prompt recoil (impulsive scattering, IS) prior to complete equilibration with the liquid surface. Thermally desorbing NO molecules are found to have rotational temperatures close to, but slightly cooler than the surface temperature, indicative of rotational dependent sticking probabilities on liquid surfaces. Nitric oxide is a radical with multiple low-lying electronic states that serves as an ideal candidate for exploring nonadiabatic state-changing collision dynamics at the gas-liquid interface, which induce significant excitation from ground (2pi1/2) to excited (2pi 3/2) spin-orbit states. Molecular beam scattering of supersonically cooled NO from hot molten metals (Ga and Au, Ts = 300 - 1400 K) is also explored, which provide preliminary evidence for vibrational excitation of NO mediated by thermally populated electron-hole pairs in the hot, conducting liquid metals. The results highlight the presence of electronically nonadiabatic effects and build toward a more complete characterization of energy transfer dynamics at gas-liquid interfaces.

Friction and Surface Dynamics of Polymers on the Nanoscale by AFM

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schönherr, Holger; Schónherr, Holger; Samori, Paolo; Tocha, E.; Vancso, Gyula J.

2008-01-01

In this article the measurement and understanding of friction forces and surface dynamics of polymers on the one hand and the importance of molecular relaxation processes and viscoelasticity in polymers for advanced micro- and nanoscale applications on the other hand are discussed. Particular

Side Flow Effect on Surface Generation in Nano Cutting.

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Feifei; Fang, Fengzhou; Zhang, Xiaodong

2017-12-01

The side flow of material in nano cutting is one of the most important factors that deteriorate the machined surface quality. The effects of the crystallographic orientation, feed, and the cutting tool geometry, including tool edge radius, rake angle and inclination angle, on the side flow are investigated employing molecular dynamics simulation. The results show that the stagnation region is formed in front of tool edge and it is characterized by the stagnation radius R s and stagnation height h s . The side flow is formed because the material at or under the stagnation region is extruded by the tool edge to flow to the side of the tool edge. Higher stagnation height would increase the size of the side flow. The anisotropic nature of the material which partly determines the stagnation region also influences the side flow due to the different deformation mechanism under the action of the tool edge. At different cutting directions, the size of the side flow has a great difference which would finally affect the machined surface quality. The cutting directions of {100} , {110} , and {110}  are beneficial to obtain a better surface quality with small side flow. Besides that, the side flow could be suppressed by reducing the feed and optimizing the cutting tool geometry. Cutting tool with small edge radius, large positive rake angle, and inclination angle would decrease the side flow and consequently improve the machined surface quality.

Maternal Height and Child Growth Patterns

OpenAIRE

Addo, O. Yaw; Stein, Aryeh D.; Fall, Caroline H.; Gigante, Denise P.; Guntupalli, Aravinda M.; Horta, Bernardo L.; Kuzawa, Christopher W.; Lee, Nanette; Norris, Shane A.; Prabhakaran, Poornima; Richter, Linda M.; Sachdev, Harshpal S.; Martorell, Reynaldo

2013-01-01

OBJECTIVE:\\ud To examine associations between maternal height and child growth during 4 developmental periods: intrauterine, birth to age 2 years, age 2 years to mid-childhood (MC), and MC to adulthood.\\ud \\ud STUDY DESIGN:\\ud Pooled analysis of maternal height and offspring growth using 7630 mother-child pairs from 5 birth cohorts (Brazil, Guatemala, India, the Philippines, and South Africa). We used conditional height measures that control for collinearity in height across periods. We estim...

Dynamic Wetting Behavior of Vibrated Droplets on a Micropillared Surface

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhi-hai Jia

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The dynamical wetting behavior has been observed under vertical vibration of a water droplet placed on a micropillared surface. The wetting transition takes place under the different processes. In compression process, the droplet is transited from Cassie state to Wenzel state. The droplet undergoes a Wenzel-Cassie wetting transition in restoring process and the droplet bounces off from the surface in bouncing process. Meanwhile, the wetting and dewetting models during vibration are proposed. The wetting transition is confirmed by the model calculation. This study has potential to be used to control the wetting state.

Estimation of Nanodiamond Surface Charge Density from Zeta Potential and Molecular Dynamics Simulations.

Science.gov (United States)

Ge, Zhenpeng; Wang, Yi

2017-04-20

Molecular dynamics simulations of nanoparticles (NPs) are increasingly used to study their interactions with various biological macromolecules. Such simulations generally require detailed knowledge of the surface composition of the NP under investigation. Even for some well-characterized nanoparticles, however, this knowledge is not always available. An example is nanodiamond, a nanoscale diamond particle with surface dominated by oxygen-containing functional groups. In this work, we explore using the harmonic restraint method developed by Venable et al., to estimate the surface charge density (σ) of nanodiamonds. Based on the Gouy-Chapman theory, we convert the experimentally determined zeta potential of a nanodiamond to an effective charge density (σ eff ), and then use the latter to estimate σ via molecular dynamics simulations. Through scanning a series of nanodiamond models, we show that the above method provides a straightforward protocol to determine the surface charge density of relatively large (> ∼100 nm) NPs. Overall, our results suggest that despite certain limitation, the above protocol can be readily employed to guide the model construction for MD simulations, which is particularly useful when only limited experimental information on the NP surface composition is available to a modeler.

Dynamic growth of slip surfaces in catastrophic landslides.

Science.gov (United States)

Germanovich, Leonid N; Kim, Sihyun; Puzrin, Alexander M

2016-01-01

This work considers a landslide caused by the shear band that emerges along the potential slip (rupture) surface. The material above the band slides downwards, causing the band to grow along the slope. This growth may first be stable (progressive), but eventually becomes dynamic (catastrophic). The landslide body acquires a finite velocity before it separates from the substrata. The corresponding initial-boundary value problem for a dynamic shear band is formulated within the framework of Palmer & Rice's ( Proc. R. Soc. Lond. A 332 , 527-548. (doi:10.1098/rspa.1973.0040)) approach, which is generalized to the dynamic case. We obtain the exact, closed-form solution for the band velocity and slip rate. This solution assesses when the slope fails owing to a limiting condition near the propagating tip of the shear band. Our results are applicable to both submarine and subaerial landslides of this type. It appears that neglecting dynamic (inertia) effects can lead to a significant underestimation of the slide size, and that the volumes of catastrophic slides can exceed the volumes of progressive slides by nearly a factor of 2. As examples, we consider the Gaviota and Humboldt slides offshore of California, and discuss landslides in normally consolidated sediments and sensitive clays. In particular, it is conceivable that Humboldt slide is unfinished and may still displace a large volume of sediments, which could generate a considerable tsunami. We show that in the case of submarine slides, the effect of water resistance on the shear band dynamics may frequently be limited during the slope failure stage. For a varying slope angle, we formulate a condition of slide cessation.

Standardizing Scale Height Computation of Maven Ngims Neutral Data and Variations Between Exobase and Homeopause Scale Heights

Science.gov (United States)

Elrod, M. K.; Slipski, M.; Curry, S.; Williamson, H. N.; Benna, M.; Mahaffy, P. R.

2017-12-01

The MAVEN NGIMS team produces a level 3 product which includes the computation of Ar scale height an atmospheric temperatures at 200 km. In the latest version (v05_r01) this has been revised to include scale height fits for CO2, N2 O and CO. Members of the MAVEN team have used various methods to compute scale heights leading to significant variations in scale height values depending on fits and techniques within a few orbits even, occasionally, the same pass. Additionally fitting scale heights in a very stable atmosphere like the day side vs night side can have different results based on boundary conditions. Currently, most methods only compute Ar scale heights as it is most stable and reacts least with the instrument. The NGIMS team has chosen to expand these fitting techniques to include fitted scale heights for CO2, N2, CO, and O. Having compared multiple techniques, the method found to be most reliable for most conditions was determined to be a simple fit method. We have focused this to a fitting method that determines the exobase altidude of the CO2 atmosphere as a maximum altitude for the highest point for fitting, and uses the periapsis as the lowest point and then fits the altitude versus log(density). The slope of altitude vs log(density) is -1/H where H is the scale height of the atmosphere for each species. Since this is between the homeopause and the exobase, each species will have a different scale height by this point. This is being released as a new standardization for the level 3 product, with the understanding that scientists and team members will continue to compute more precise scale heights and temperatures as needed based on science and model demands. This is being released in the PDS NGIMS level 3 v05 files for August 2017. Additionally, we are examining these scale heights for variations seasonally, diurnally, and above and below the exobase. The atmosphere is significantly more stable on the dayside than on the nightside. We have also found

Degeneration and height of cervical discs classified from MRI compared with precise height measurements from radiographs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kolstad, Frode; Myhr, Gunnar; Kvistad, Kjell Arne; Nygaard, Oystein P.; Leivseth, Gunnar

2005-01-01

Study design: Descriptive study comparing MRI classifications with measurements from radiographs. Objectives: 1.Define the relationship between MRI classified cervical disc degeneration and objectively measured disc height. 2.Assess the level of inter- and intra-observer errors using MRI in defining cervical disc degeneration. Summary of background data: Cervical spine degeneration has been defined radiologically by loss of disc height, decreased disc and bone marrow signal intensity and disc protrusion/herniation on MRI. The intra- and inter-observer error using MRI in defining cervical degeneration influences data interpretation. Few previous studies have addressed this source of error. The relation and time sequence between cervical disc degeneration classified by MRI and cervical disc height decrease measured from radiographs is unclear. Methods: The MRI classification of degeneration was based on nucleus signal, prolaps identification and bone marrow signal. Two neuro-radiologists evaluated the MR-images independently in a blinded fashion. The radiographic disc height measurements were done by a new computer-assisted method compensating for image distortion and permitting comparison with normal level-, age- and gender-appropriate disc height. Results/conclusions: 1.Progressing disc degeneration classified from MRI is on average significantly associated with a decrease of disc height as measured from radiographs. Within each MRI defined category of degeneration measured disc heights, however, scatter in a wide range. 2.The inter-observer agreement between two neuro-radiologists in both defining degeneration and disc height by MRI was only moderate. Studies addressing questions related to cervical disc degeneration should take this into consideration

Degeneration and height of cervical discs classified from MRI compared with precise height measurements from radiographs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kolstad, Frode [National Centre of Spinal Disorders, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, University Hospital of Trondheim, 7006 Trondheim (Norway)]. E-mail: frode.kolstad@medisin.ntnu.no; Myhr, Gunnar [Department of Radiology, University Hospital of Trondheim, 7006 Trondheim (Norway); Kvistad, Kjell Arne [Department of Radiology, University Hospital of Trondheim, 7006 Trondheim (Norway); Nygaard, Oystein P. [National Centre of Spinal Disorders, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, University Hospital of Trondheim, 7006 Trondheim (Norway); Leivseth, Gunnar [Department of Neuromedicine, Faculty of Medicine, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, University Hospital of Trondheim, 7006 Trondheim (Norway)

2005-09-01

Study design: Descriptive study comparing MRI classifications with measurements from radiographs. Objectives: 1.Define the relationship between MRI classified cervical disc degeneration and objectively measured disc height. 2.Assess the level of inter- and intra-observer errors using MRI in defining cervical disc degeneration. Summary of background data: Cervical spine degeneration has been defined radiologically by loss of disc height, decreased disc and bone marrow signal intensity and disc protrusion/herniation on MRI. The intra- and inter-observer error using MRI in defining cervical degeneration influences data interpretation. Few previous studies have addressed this source of error. The relation and time sequence between cervical disc degeneration classified by MRI and cervical disc height decrease measured from radiographs is unclear. Methods: The MRI classification of degeneration was based on nucleus signal, prolaps identification and bone marrow signal. Two neuro-radiologists evaluated the MR-images independently in a blinded fashion. The radiographic disc height measurements were done by a new computer-assisted method compensating for image distortion and permitting comparison with normal level-, age- and gender-appropriate disc height. Results/conclusions: 1.Progressing disc degeneration classified from MRI is on average significantly associated with a decrease of disc height as measured from radiographs. Within each MRI defined category of degeneration measured disc heights, however, scatter in a wide range. 2.The inter-observer agreement between two neuro-radiologists in both defining degeneration and disc height by MRI was only moderate. Studies addressing questions related to cervical disc degeneration should take this into consideration.

Surface Dynamic Process Simulation with the Use of Cellular Automata

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Adamska-Szatko, M.; Bala, J.

2010-01-01

Cellular automata are known for many applications, especially for physical and biological simulations. Universal cellular automata can be used for modelling complex natural phenomena. The paper presents simulation of surface dynamic process. Simulation uses 2-dimensional cellular automata algorithm. Modelling and visualisation were created by in-house developed software with standard OpenGL graphic library. (authors)

Comparison of molecular dynamics and kinetic modeling of gas-surface interactions

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Frezzotti, A.; Gaastra - Nedea, S.V.; Markvoort, A.J.; Spijker, P.; Gibelli, L.

2008-01-01

The interaction of a dilute monatomic gas with a solid surface is studied byMolecular Dynamics (MD) simulations and by numerical solutions of a recently proposed kinetic model. Following previous investigations, the heat transport between parallel walls and Couette flow have been adopted as test

Modeling surface water dynamics in the Amazon Basin using MOSART-Inundation v1.0: impacts of geomorphological parameters and river flow representation

Science.gov (United States)

Luo, Xiangyu; Li, Hong-Yi; Leung, L. Ruby; Tesfa, Teklu K.; Getirana, Augusto; Papa, Fabrice; Hess, Laura L.

2017-03-01

In the Amazon Basin, floodplain inundation is a key component of surface water dynamics and plays an important role in water, energy and carbon cycles. The Model for Scale Adaptive River Transport (MOSART) was extended with a macroscale inundation scheme for representing floodplain inundation. The extended model, named MOSART-Inundation, was used to simulate surface hydrology of the entire Amazon Basin. Previous hydrologic modeling studies in the Amazon Basin identified and addressed a few challenges in simulating surface hydrology of this basin, including uncertainties of floodplain topography and channel geometry, and the representation of river flow in reaches with mild slopes. This study further addressed four aspects of these challenges. First, the spatial variability of vegetation-caused biases embedded in the HydroSHEDS digital elevation model (DEM) data was explicitly addressed. A vegetation height map of about 1 km resolution and a land cover dataset of about 90 m resolution were used in a DEM correction procedure that resulted in an average elevation reduction of 13.2 m for the entire basin and led to evident changes in the floodplain topography. Second, basin-wide empirical formulae for channel cross-sectional dimensions were refined for various subregions to improve the representation of spatial variability in channel geometry. Third, the channel Manning roughness coefficient was allowed to vary with the channel depth, as the effect of riverbed resistance on river flow generally declines with increasing river size. Lastly, backwater effects were accounted for to better represent river flow in mild-slope reaches. The model was evaluated against in situ streamflow records and remotely sensed Envisat altimetry data and Global Inundation Extent from Multi-Satellites (GIEMS) inundation data. In a sensitivity study, seven simulations were compared to evaluate the impacts of the five modeling aspects addressed in this study. The comparisons showed that

Dynamics of a Rydberg hydrogen atom near a metal surface in the electron-extraction scheme

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Iñarrea, Manuel [Área de Física Aplicada, Universidad de La Rioja, Logroño (Spain); Lanchares, Víctor [Departamento de Matemáticas y Computación, Universidad de La Rioja, Logroño, La Rioja (Spain); Palacián, Jesús [Departamento de Ingeniería Matemática e Informática, Universidad Pública de Navarra, Pamplona (Spain); Pascual, Ana I. [Departamento de Matemáticas y Computación, Universidad de La Rioja, Logroño, La Rioja (Spain); Salas, J. Pablo, E-mail: josepablo.salas@unirioja.es [Área de Física Aplicada, Universidad de La Rioja, Logroño (Spain); Yanguas, Patricia [Departamento de Ingeniería Matemática e Informática, Universidad Pública de Navarra, Pamplona (Spain)

2015-01-23

We study the classical dynamics of a Rydberg hydrogen atom near a metal surface in the presence of a constant electric field in the electron-extraction situation [1], e.g., when the field attracts the electron to the vacuum. From a dynamical point of view, this field configuration provides a dynamics richer than in the usual ion-extraction scheme, because, depending on the values of field and the atom–surface distance, the atom can be ionized only towards the metal surface, only to the vacuum or to the both sides. The evolution of the phase space structure as a function of the atom–surface distance is explored in the bound regime of the atom. In the high energy regime, the ionization mechanism is also investigated. We find that the classical results of this work are in good agreement with the results obtained in the wave-packet propagation study carried out by So et al. [1]. - Highlights: • We study a classical hydrogen atom near a metal surface plus a electric field. • We explore the phase space structure as a function of the field strength. • We find most of the electronic orbits are oriented along the field direction. • We study the ionization of the atom for several atom–surface distances. • This classical study is in good agreement with the quantum results.

Molecular dynamics simulation of temperature effects on low energy near-surface cascades and surface damage in Cu

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Guo; Sun, Jiangping; Guo, Xiongxiong; Zou, Xixi; Zhang, Libin; Gan, Zhiyin

2017-06-01

The temperature effects on near-surface cascades and surface damage in Cu(0 0 1) surface under 500 eV argon ion bombardment were studied using molecular dynamics (MD) method. In present MD model, substrate system was fully relaxed for 1 ns and a read-restart scheme was introduced to save total computation time. The temperature dependence of damage production was calculated. The evolution of near-surface cascades and spatial distribution of adatoms at varying temperature were analyzed and compared. It was found that near-surface vacancies increased with temperature, which was mainly due to the fact that more atoms initially located in top two layers became adatoms with the decrease of surface binding energy. Moreover, with the increase of temperature, displacement cascades altered from channeling-like structure to branching structure, and the length of collision sequence decreased gradually, because a larger portion of energy of primary knock-on atom (PKA) was scattered out of focused chain. Furthermore, increasing temperature reduced the anisotropy of distribution of adatoms, which can be ascribed to that regular registry of surface lattice atoms was changed with the increase of thermal vibration amplitude of surface atoms.

Molecular dynamics simulation of temperature effects on low energy near-surface cascades and surface damage in Cu

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhu, Guo; Sun, Jiangping; Guo, Xiongxiong; Zou, Xixi; Zhang, Libin; Gan, Zhiyin, E-mail: ganzhiyin@126.com

2017-06-15

The temperature effects on near-surface cascades and surface damage in Cu(0 0 1) surface under 500 eV argon ion bombardment were studied using molecular dynamics (MD) method. In present MD model, substrate system was fully relaxed for 1 ns and a read-restart scheme was introduced to save total computation time. The temperature dependence of damage production was calculated. The evolution of near-surface cascades and spatial distribution of adatoms at varying temperature were analyzed and compared. It was found that near-surface vacancies increased with temperature, which was mainly due to the fact that more atoms initially located in top two layers became adatoms with the decrease of surface binding energy. Moreover, with the increase of temperature, displacement cascades altered from channeling-like structure to branching structure, and the length of collision sequence decreased gradually, because a larger portion of energy of primary knock-on atom (PKA) was scattered out of focused chain. Furthermore, increasing temperature reduced the anisotropy of distribution of adatoms, which can be ascribed to that regular registry of surface lattice atoms was changed with the increase of thermal vibration amplitude of surface atoms.

Modeling vegetation heights from high resolution stereo aerial photography: an application for broad-scale rangeland monitoring.

Science.gov (United States)

Gillan, Jeffrey K; Karl, Jason W; Duniway, Michael; Elaksher, Ahmed

2014-11-01

Vertical vegetation structure in rangeland ecosystems can be a valuable indicator for assessing rangeland health and monitoring riparian areas, post-fire recovery, available forage for livestock, and wildlife habitat. Federal land management agencies are directed to monitor and manage rangelands at landscapes scales, but traditional field methods for measuring vegetation heights are often too costly and time consuming to apply at these broad scales. Most emerging remote sensing techniques capable of measuring surface and vegetation height (e.g., LiDAR or synthetic aperture radar) are often too expensive, and require specialized sensors. An alternative remote sensing approach that is potentially more practical for managers is to measure vegetation heights from digital stereo aerial photographs. As aerial photography is already commonly used for rangeland monitoring, acquiring it in stereo enables three-dimensional modeling and estimation of vegetation height. The purpose of this study was to test the feasibility and accuracy of estimating shrub heights from high-resolution (HR, 3-cm ground sampling distance) digital stereo-pair aerial images. Overlapping HR imagery was taken in March 2009 near Lake Mead, Nevada and 5-cm resolution digital surface models (DSMs) were created by photogrammetric methods (aerial triangulation, digital image matching) for twenty-six test plots. We compared the heights of individual shrubs and plot averages derived from the DSMs to field measurements. We found strong positive correlations between field and image measurements for several metrics. Individual shrub heights tended to be underestimated in the imagery, however, accuracy was higher for dense, compact shrubs compared with shrubs with thin branches. Plot averages of shrub height from DSMs were also strongly correlated to field measurements but consistently underestimated. Grasses and forbs were generally too small to be detected with the resolution of the DSMs. Estimates of

GPI-anchored protein organization and dynamics at the cell surface.

Science.gov (United States)

Saha, Suvrajit; Anilkumar, Anupama Ambika; Mayor, Satyajit

2016-02-01

The surface of eukaryotic cells is a multi-component fluid bilayer in which glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored proteins are an abundant constituent. In this review, we discuss the complex nature of the organization and dynamics of GPI-anchored proteins at multiple spatial and temporal scales. Different biophysical techniques have been utilized for understanding this organization, including fluorescence correlation spectroscopy, fluorescence recovery after photobleaching, single particle tracking, and a number of super resolution methods. Major insights into the organization and dynamics have also come from exploring the short-range interactions of GPI-anchored proteins by fluorescence (or Förster) resonance energy transfer microscopy. Based on the nanometer to micron scale organization, at the microsecond to the second time scale dynamics, a picture of the membrane bilayer emerges where the lipid bilayer appears inextricably intertwined with the underlying dynamic cytoskeleton. These observations have prompted a revision of the current models of plasma membrane organization, and suggest an active actin-membrane composite. Copyright © 2016 by the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

Effect of Riffle Height and Spacing of a Sluice Board on Placer Gold ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Michael

2017-06-01

Jun 1, 2017 ... turbulence formed in the flow because the angular speeds of the whirl flow .... (6). Where the liquid gets in contact with the surface of the sluice board, the height of fluid, h = 0, and v = 0. ..... American Society for Quality (ASQ).

Convergence of surface diffusion parameters with model crystal size

Science.gov (United States)

Cohen, Jennifer M.; Voter, Arthur F.

1994-07-01

A study of the variation in the calculated quantities for adatom diffusion with respect to the size of the model crystal is presented. The reported quantities include surface diffusion barrier heights, pre-exponential factors, and dynamical correction factors. Embedded atom method (EAM) potentials were used throughout this effort. Both the layer size and the depth of the crystal were found to influence the values of the Arrhenius factors significantly. In particular, exchange type mechanisms required a significantly larger model than standard hopping mechanisms to determine adatom diffusion barriers of equivalent accuracy. The dynamical events that govern the corrections to transition state theory (TST) did not appear to be as sensitive to crystal depth. Suitable criteria for the convergence of the diffusion parameters with regard to the rate properties are illustrated.

Development of a dynamic model for cleaning ultra filtration membranes fouled by surface water

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Zondervan, Edwin; Betlem, Ben H.L.; Roffel, Brian

2007-01-01

In this paper, a dynamic model for cleaning ultra filtration membranes fouled by surface water is proposed. A model that captures the dynamics well is valuable for the optimization of the cleaning process. The proposed model is based on component balances and contains three parameters that can be

Modelling and investigation of partial wetting surfaces for drop dynamics using lattice Boltzmann method

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pravinraj, T., E-mail: pravinraj1711@gmail.com; Patrikar, Rajendra

2017-07-01

Highlights: • A LBM model on partial wetting surface for droplet dynamics is presented by introducing a simple initial partial wetting boundary condition in SC model. • With our approach one can tune the splitting volume and time by carefully choosing strip width and position. • It is shown that the droplet spreading on chemically heterogeneous surfaces can be controlled not only by Weber number but also by tuning strip width ratio. • The directional transportation of a droplet due to chemical wetting gradient is simulated and analyzed using hybrid thermodynamic-image processing technique. • Microstructure surface and its influence on the directional wetting based transportation of droplet are demonstrated. - Abstract: Partial wetting surfaces and its influence on the droplet movement of micro and nano scale being contemplated for many useful applications. The dynamics of the droplet usually analyzed with a multiphase lattice Boltzmann method (LBM). In this paper, the influence of partial wetting surface on the dynamics of droplet is systematically analyzed for various cases. Splitting of droplets due to chemical gradient of the surface is studied and analyses of splitting time for various widths of the strips for different Weber numbers are computed. With the proposed model one can tune the splitting volume and time by carefully choosing a strip width and droplet position. The droplet spreading on chemically heterogeneous surfaces shows that the spreading can be controlled not only by parameters of Weber number but also by tuning strip width ratio. The transportation of the droplet from hydrophobic surface to hydrophilic surface due to chemical gradient is simulated and analyzed using our hybrid thermodynamic-image processing technique. The results prove that with the progress of time the surface free energy decreases with increase in spreading area. Finally, the transportation of a droplet on microstructure gradient is demonstrated. The model explains

An antithetic variate to facilitate upper-stem height measurements for critical height sampling with importance sampling

Science.gov (United States)

Thomas B. Lynch; Jeffrey H. Gove

2013-01-01

Critical height sampling (CHS) estimates cubic volume per unit area by multiplying the sum of critical heights measured on trees tallied in a horizontal point sample (HPS) by the HPS basal area factor. One of the barriers to practical application of CHS is the fact that trees near the field location of the point-sampling sample point have critical heights that occur...

NASA-VOF2D, 2-D Transient Free Surface Incompressible Fluid Dynamic

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Torrey, M.D.

1988-01-01

1 - Description of program or function: NASA-VOF2D is a two- dimensional, transient, free surface incompressible fluid dynamics program. It allows multiple free surfaces with surface tension and wall adhesion forces and has a partial cell treatment which allows curved boundaries and interior obstacles. 2 - Method of solution: NASA-VOF2D simulates incompressible flows with free surfaces using the volume-of-fluid (VOF) algorithm. This technique is based on the use of donor-acceptor differencing to track the free surface across an Eulerian grid. The complete Navier-Stokes equations in primitive variables for an incompressible fluid are solved by finite differences with surface tension and wall adhesion included. Optionally the pressure equation can be solved by a conjugate residual method rather than the successive over-relaxation (SOR) method

Respiratory disease mortality among uranium miners as related to height, radiation, smoking, and latent period

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Archer, V.E.; Gillam, J.D.; James, L.A.

1975-11-01

A prospective mortality study using a life table method was done on 3366 white underground uranium miners, and 1231 surface workers. Observed deaths were found to exceed those expected from respiratory cancer, pneumoconiosis and related diseases, and accidents related to work. Exposure - response relationships with radiation varied with cigarette smoking and with height of workers. Of four factors involved in both malignant and nonmalignant respiratory diseases (height, free silica, cigarette smoking and alpha radiation), radiation was considered to be most important

Small-scale open ocean currents have large effects on wind wave heights

Science.gov (United States)

Ardhuin, Fabrice; Gille, Sarah T.; Menemenlis, Dimitris; Rocha, Cesar B.; Rascle, Nicolas; Chapron, Bertrand; Gula, Jonathan; Molemaker, Jeroen

2017-06-01

Tidal currents and large-scale oceanic currents are known to modify ocean wave properties, causing extreme sea states that are a hazard to navigation. Recent advances in the understanding and modeling capability of open ocean currents have revealed the ubiquitous presence of eddies, fronts, and filaments at scales 10-100 km. Based on realistic numerical models, we show that these structures can be the main source of variability in significant wave heights at scales less than 200 km, including important variations down to 10 km. Model results are consistent with wave height variations along satellite altimeter tracks, resolved at scales larger than 50 km. The spectrum of significant wave heights is found to be of the order of 70>>2/>(g2>>2>) times the current spectrum, where >> is the spatially averaged significant wave height, >> is the energy-averaged period, and g is the gravity acceleration. This variability induced by currents has been largely overlooked in spite of its relevance for extreme wave heights and remote sensing.Plain Language SummaryWe show that the variations in currents at scales 10 to 100 km are the main source of variations in wave heights at the same scales. Our work uses a combination of realistic numerical models for currents and waves and data from the Jason-3 and SARAL/AltiKa satellites. This finding will be of interest for the investigation of extreme wave heights, remote sensing, and air-sea interactions. As an immediate application, the present results will help constrain the error budget of the up-coming satellite missions, in particular the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission, and decide how the data will have to be processed to arrive at accurate sea level and wave measurements. It will also help in the analysis of wave measurements by the CFOSAT satellite.

CRITICAL HEIGHT FOR THE DESTABILIZATION OF SOLAR PROMINENCES: STATISTICAL RESULTS FROM STEREO OBSERVATIONS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liu Kai; Wang Yuming; Wang Shui; Shen Chenglong, E-mail: ymwang@ustc.edu.cn [CAS Key Laboratory of Geospace Environment, Department of Geophysics and Planetary Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026 (China)

2012-01-10

At which height is a prominence inclined to be unstable, or where is the most probable critical height for the prominence destabilization? This question was statistically studied based on 362 solar limb prominences well recognized by Solar Limb Prominence Catcher and Tracker from 2007 April to the end of 2009. We found that there are about 71% disrupted prominences (DPs), among which about 42% of them did not erupt successfully and about 89% of them experienced a sudden destabilization process. After a comprehensive analysis of the DPs, we discovered the following: (1) Most DPs become unstable at a height of 0.06-0.14 R{sub Sun} from the solar surface, and there are two most probable critical heights at which a prominence is very likely to become unstable, the first one is 0.13 R{sub Sun} and the second one is 0.19 R{sub Sun }. (2) An upper limit for the erupting velocity of eruptive prominences (EPs) exists, which decreases following a power law with increasing height and mass; accordingly, the kinetic energy of EPs has an upper limit too, which decreases as the critical height increases. (3) Stable prominences are generally longer and heavier than DPs, and not higher than 0.4 R{sub Sun }. (4) About 62% of the EPs were associated with coronal mass ejections (CMEs); but there is no difference in apparent properties between EPs associated with CMEs and those that are not.

CRITICAL HEIGHT FOR THE DESTABILIZATION OF SOLAR PROMINENCES: STATISTICAL RESULTS FROM STEREO OBSERVATIONS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Kai; Wang Yuming; Wang Shui; Shen Chenglong

2012-01-01

At which height is a prominence inclined to be unstable, or where is the most probable critical height for the prominence destabilization? This question was statistically studied based on 362 solar limb prominences well recognized by Solar Limb Prominence Catcher and Tracker from 2007 April to the end of 2009. We found that there are about 71% disrupted prominences (DPs), among which about 42% of them did not erupt successfully and about 89% of them experienced a sudden destabilization process. After a comprehensive analysis of the DPs, we discovered the following: (1) Most DPs become unstable at a height of 0.06-0.14 R ☉ from the solar surface, and there are two most probable critical heights at which a prominence is very likely to become unstable, the first one is 0.13 R ☉ and the second one is 0.19 R ☉ . (2) An upper limit for the erupting velocity of eruptive prominences (EPs) exists, which decreases following a power law with increasing height and mass; accordingly, the kinetic energy of EPs has an upper limit too, which decreases as the critical height increases. (3) Stable prominences are generally longer and heavier than DPs, and not higher than 0.4 R ☉ . (4) About 62% of the EPs were associated with coronal mass ejections (CMEs); but there is no difference in apparent properties between EPs associated with CMEs and those that are not.

A laboratory investigation of mixing dynamics between biofuels and surface waters

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Xiaoxiang; Cotel, Aline

2017-11-01

Recently, production and usage of ethanol-blend fuels or biofuels have increased dramatically along with increasing risk of spilling into surface waters. Lack of understanding of the environmental impacts and absence of standard clean-up procedures make it crucial to study the mixing behavior between biofuels and water. Biofuels are represented by a solution of ethanol and glycol. A Plexiglas tank in conjunction with a wave generator is used to simulate the mixing of surface waters and biofuels under different natural conditions. In our previous experiments, two distinct mixing regimes were observed. One regime was driven by turbulence and the other by interfacial instabilities. However, under more realistic situations, without wind driven waves, only the first mixing regime was found. After one minute of rapid turbulent mixing, biofuels and water were fully mixed and no interface was formed. During the mixing process, chemical reactions happened simultaneously and influenced mixing dynamics. Current experiments are investigating the effect of waves on the mixing dynamics. Support from NSF CBET 1335878.

Height perception influenced by texture gradient.

Science.gov (United States)

Tozawa, Junko

2012-01-01

Three experiments were carried out to examine whether a texture gradient influences perception of relative object height. Previous research implicated texture cues in judgments of object width, but similar influences have not been demonstrated for relative height. In this study, I evaluate a hypothesis that the projective ratio of the number of texture elements covered by the objects combined with the ratio of the retinal object heights determines percepts of relative object height. Density of texture background was varied: four density conditions ranged from no-texture to very dense texture. In experiments 1 and 2, participants judged the height of comparison bar compared to the standard bar positioned on no-texture or textured backgrounds. Results showed relative height judgments differed with texture manipulations, consistent with predictions from a hypothesised combination of the number of texture elements with retinal height (experiment 1), or partially consistent with this hypothesis (experiment 2). In experiment 2, variations in the position of a comparison object showed that comparisons located far from the horizon were judged more poorly than in other positions. In experiment 3 I examined distance perception; relative distance judgments were found to be also affected by textured backgrounds. Results are discussed in terms of Gibson's relational theory and distance calibration theory.

Molecular Dynamics Simulations of Slip on Curved Surfaces

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ross D.A.

2016-07-01

Full Text Available We present Molecular Dynamics (MD simulations of liquid water confined within nanoscale geometries, including slit-like and cylindrical graphitic pores. These equilibrium results are used for calculating friction coefficients, which in turn can be used to calculate slip lengths. The slip length is a material property independent of the fluid flow rate. It is therefore a better quantity for study than the fluid velocity at the wall, also known as the slip velocity. Once the slip length has been found as a function of surface curvature, it can be used to parameterise Lattice Boltzmann (LB simulations. These larger scale simulations are able to tell us about how fluid transport is affected by slip in complex geometries; not just limited to single pores. Applications include flow and transport in nano-porous engine valve deposits and gas shales. The friction coefficient is found to be a function of curvature and is higher for fluid on convex surfaces and lower for concave surfaces. Both concave and convex surfaces approach the same value of the friction coefficient, which is constant above some critical radius of curvature, here found to be 7.4 ± 2.9 nm. The constant value of the friction coefficient is 10,000 ± 600 kg m−2 s−1, which is equivalent to a slip length of approximately 67 ± 4 nm.

H(D) → D(H) + Cu(111) collision system: molecular dynamics study of surface temperature effects.

Science.gov (United States)

Vurdu, Can D; Güvenç, Ziya B

2011-04-28

All the channels of the reaction dynamics of gas-phase H (or D) atoms with D (or H) atoms adsorbed onto a Cu(111) surface have been studied by quasiclassical constant energy molecular dynamics simulations. The surface is flexible and is prepared at different temperature values, such as 30 K, 94 K, and 160 K. The adsorbates were distributed randomly on the surface to create 0.18 ML, 0.28 ML, and 0.50 ML of coverages. The multi-layer slab is mimicked by a many-body embedded-atom potential energy function. The slab atoms can move according to the exerted external forces. Treating the slab atoms non-rigid has an important effect on the dynamics of the projectile atom and adsorbates. Significant energy transfer from the projectile atom to the surface lattice atoms takes place especially during the first impact that modifies significantly the details of the dynamics of the collisions. Effects of the different temperatures of the slab are investigated in this study. Interaction between the surface atoms and the adsorbates is modeled by a modified London-Eyring-Polanyi-Sato (LEPS) function. The LEPS parameters are determined by using the total energy values which were calculated by a density functional theory and a generalized gradient approximation for an exchange-correlation energy for many different orientations, and locations of one- and two-hydrogen atoms on the Cu(111) surface. The rms value of the fitting procedure is about 0.16 eV. Many different channels of the processes on the surface have been examined, such as inelastic reflection of the incident hydrogen, subsurface penetration of the incident projectile and adsorbates, sticking of the incident atom on the surface. In addition, hot-atom and Eley-Rideal direct processes are investigated. The hot-atom process is found to be more significant than the Eley-Rideal process. Furthermore, the rate of subsurface penetration is larger than the sticking rate on the surface. In addition, these results are compared and

Behind adhesion of uranyl onto montmorillonite surface: A molecular dynamics study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yang, W.; Zaoui, A., E-mail: azaoui@polytech-lille.fr

2013-10-15

Highlights: • We investigated the adsorption of uranyl onto Montmorillonite surface. • We studied the surface energy between layered Montmorillonite sheets. • We studied the work of adhesion between radionuclide and charged Montmorillonite. -- Abstract: We have performed molecular dynamics simulations to investigate the adsorption of radionuclide elements species onto substituted Montmorillonite (001) surface in the presence of different counterions. The structure and the dynamics of uranyl ion as well as its aquo, chloride ion, and carbonate complexes are analyzed. In addition, we have studied the surface energy between layered Montmorillonite sheets and the work of adhesion between radionuclide and charged Montmorillonite. The clay model used here is a Wyoming-type Montmorillonite with 0.75e negative charge per unit cell resulting from substitutions in Octahedral and Tetrahedral sheets. The system model was constructed based on CLAYFF force field potential model. To evaluate the thermodynamic work of adhesion, each surface and clay layer regions are converted to a thin film model. One and two species of radionuclide elements (UO{sub 2}(H{sub 2}O){sub 5},UO{sub 2}CO{sub 3}(H{sub 2}O){sub 5}, and UO{sub 2}Cl{sub 2}(H{sub 2}O){sub 5}) were deposited near the clay surface in a pseudo-two-dimensional periodic cell. Analysis shows that the uranyl ion structure is preserved with two axial oxygen atoms detected at 1.8 Å. Radial distribution functions results indicate that average U-O{sub w} distances are 2.45–2.61 Å, and 2.29–2.40 Å for U-O{sub c} distance. Average U-Cl distances are 2.78–3.08 Å, which is relatively larger than that of Uranium atom-Oxygen atom because of electrostatic factors.

Molecular dynamics simulation of wetting behaviors of Li on W surfaces

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sun, Xuegui [College of Materials Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082 (China); Xiao, Shifang [Department of Applied Physics, School of Physics and Electronics, Hunan University, Changsha 410082 (China); Deng, Huiqiu, E-mail: hqdeng@hnu.edu.cn [Department of Applied Physics, School of Physics and Electronics, Hunan University, Changsha 410082 (China); Hu, Wangyu, E-mail: wyuhu@hnu.edu.cn [College of Materials Science and Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082 (China)

2017-04-15

A modified analytic embedded atom potential has been developed for the Li-W system. The potential has been fitted to physical quantities derived from density functional theory calculations. It is shown that the new potential is capable of reproducing the solubility of solid solution for Li-W systems. The wetting behaviors between solid tungsten and liquid Li are examined by using molecular dynamics simulations. The MD simulation results for the Li droplet wetting on the W surface illustrated that our MAEAM potential model has a good forecasting ability for the contact angle of liquid Li on W the cleaning surface above the wetting temperature. And the results of Li film dewetting from the W surfaces are consistent with relative experimental results. It is believed that the potential can be used to investigate the surfaces wettability of liquid Li on W substrate. We also simulated the lithium droplet on grooved surface. It is shown that the grooving W surfaces can obviously improve the wetting of liquid Li on W surfaces.

Molecular dynamics simulations of water on a hydrophilic silica surface at high air pressures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zambrano, H.A.; Walther, Jens Honore; Jaffe, R.L.

2014-01-01

Wepresent a force field forMolecular Dynamics (MD) simulations ofwater and air in contactwith an amorphous silica surface. We calibrate the interactions of each species present in the systemusing dedicated criteria such as the contact angle of a water droplet on a silica surface, and the solubility...

Atomistic modeling of metal surfaces under electric fields: direct coupling of electric fields to a molecular dynamics algorithm

CERN Document Server

Djurabekova, Flyura; Pohjonen, Aarne; Nordlund, Kai

2011-01-01

The effect of electric fields on metal surfaces is fairly well studied, resulting in numerous analytical models developed to understand the mechanisms of ionization of surface atoms observed at very high electric fields, as well as the general behavior of a metal surface in this condition. However, the derivation of analytical models does not include explicitly the structural properties of metals, missing the link between the instantaneous effects owing to the applied field and the consequent response observed in the metal surface as a result of an extended application of an electric field. In the present work, we have developed a concurrent electrodynamic–molecular dynamic model for the dynamical simulation of an electric-field effect and subsequent modification of a metal surface in the framework of an atomistic molecular dynamics (MD) approach. The partial charge induced on the surface atoms by the electric field is assessed by applying the classical Gauss law. The electric forces acting on the partially...

The molecular dynamics simulation of ion-induced ripple growth

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suele, P.; Heinig, K.-H.

2009-01-01

The wavelength-dependence of ion-sputtering induced growth of repetitive nanostructures, such as ripples has been studied by molecular dynamics (MD) simulations in Si. The early stage of the ion erosion driven development of ripples has been simulated on prepatterned Si stripes with a wavy surface. The time evolution of the height function and amplitude of the sinusoidal surface profile has been followed by simulated ion-sputtering. According to Bradley-Harper (BH) theory, we expect correlation between the wavelength of ripples and the stability of them. However, we find that in the small ripple wavelength (λ) regime BH theory fails to reproduce the results obtained by molecular dynamics. We find that at short wavelengths (λ 35 nm is stabilized in accordance with the available experimental results. According to the simulations, few hundreds of ion impacts in λ long and few nanometers wide Si ripples are sufficient for reaching saturation in surface growth for for λ>35 nm ripples. In another words, ripples in the long wavelength limit seems to be stable against ion-sputtering. A qualitative comparison of our simulation results with recent experimental data on nanopatterning under irradiation is attempted.

Modelling and investigation of partial wetting surfaces for drop dynamics using lattice Boltzmann method

Science.gov (United States)

Pravinraj, T.; Patrikar, Rajendra

2017-07-01

Partial wetting surfaces and its influence on the droplet movement of micro and nano scale being contemplated for many useful applications. The dynamics of the droplet usually analyzed with a multiphase lattice Boltzmann method (LBM). In this paper, the influence of partial wetting surface on the dynamics of droplet is systematically analyzed for various cases. Splitting of droplets due to chemical gradient of the surface is studied and analyses of splitting time for various widths of the strips for different Weber numbers are computed. With the proposed model one can tune the splitting volume and time by carefully choosing a strip width and droplet position. The droplet spreading on chemically heterogeneous surfaces shows that the spreading can be controlled not only by parameters of Weber number but also by tuning strip width ratio. The transportation of the droplet from hydrophobic surface to hydrophilic surface due to chemical gradient is simulated and analyzed using our hybrid thermodynamic-image processing technique. The results prove that with the progress of time the surface free energy decreases with increase in spreading area. Finally, the transportation of a droplet on microstructure gradient is demonstrated. The model explains the temporal behaviour of droplet during the spreading, recoiling and translation along with tracking of contact angle hysteresis phenomenon.

Enhanced Dynamics of Hydrated tRNA on Nanodiamond Surfaces: A Combined Neutron Scattering and MD Simulation Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Dhindsa, Gurpreet K; Bhowmik, Debsindhu; Goswami, Monojoy; O'Neill, Hugh; Mamontov, Eugene; Sumpter, Bobby G; Hong, Liang; Ganesh, Panchapakesan; Chu, Xiang-Qiang

2016-09-14

Nontoxic, biocompatible nanodiamonds (ND) have recently been implemented in rational, systematic design of optimal therapeutic use in nanomedicines. However, hydrophilicity of the ND surface strongly influences structure and dynamics of biomolecules that restrict in situ applications of ND. Therefore, fundamental understanding of the impact of hydrophilic ND surface on biomolecules at the molecular level is essential. For tRNA, we observe an enhancement of dynamical behavior in the presence of ND contrary to generally observed slow motion at strongly interacting interfaces. We took advantage of neutron scattering experiments and computer simulations to demonstrate this atypical faster dynamics of tRNA on ND surface. The strong attractive interactions between ND, tRNA, and water give rise to unlike dynamical behavior and structural changes of tRNA in front of ND compared to without ND. Our new findings may provide new design principles for safer, improved drug delivery platforms.

TENSOR CALCULUS with applications to Differential Theory of Surfaces and Dynamics

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Søren R. K.

The present outline on tensor calculus with special application to differential theory of surfaces and dynamics represents a modified and extended version of a lecture note written by the author as an introduction to a course on shell theory given together with Ph.D. Jesper Winther Stærdahl...

Simulation of Forest Evapotranspiration Using Time-Series Parameterization of the Surface Energy Balance System (SEBS over the Qilian Mountains

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xin Tian

2015-11-01

Full Text Available We propose a long-term parameterization scheme for two critical parameters, zero-plane displacement height (d and aerodynamic roughness length (z0m, that we further use in the Surface Energy Balance System (SEBS. A sensitivity analysis of SEBS indicated that these two parameters largely impact the estimated sensible heat and latent heat fluxes. First, we calibrated regression relationships between measured forest vertical parameters (Lorey’s height and the frontal area index (FAI and forest aboveground biomass (AGB. Next, we derived the interannual Lorey’s height and FAI values from our calibrated regression models and corresponding forest AGB dynamics that were converted from interannual carbon fluxes, as simulated from two incorporated ecological models and a 2009 forest basis map These dynamic forest vertical parameters, combined with refined eight-day Global LAnd Surface Satellite (GLASS LAI products, were applied to estimate the eight-day d, z0m, and, thus, the heat roughness length (z0h. The obtained d, z0m and z0h were then used as forcing for the SEBS model in order to simulate long-term forest evapotranspiration (ET from 2000 to 2012 within the Qilian Mountains (QMs. As compared with MODIS, MOD16 products at the eddy covariance (EC site, ET estimates from the SEBS agreed much better with EC measurements (R2 = 0.80 and RMSE = 0.21 mm·day−1.

Optimizing conjunctive use of surface water and groundwater resources with stochastic dynamic programming

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Davidsen, Claus; Liu, Suxia; Mo, Xinguo

2014-01-01

. A stochastic dynamic programming (SDP) approach is used to minimize the basin-wide total costs arising from water allocations and water curtailments. Dynamic allocation problems with inclusion of groundwater resources proved to be more complex to solve with SDP than pure surface water allocation problems due...... to head-dependent pumping costs. These dynamic pumping costs strongly affect the total costs and can lead to non-convexity of the future cost function. The water user groups (agriculture, industry, domestic) are characterized by inelastic demands and fixed water allocation and water supply curtailment...

Using impulses to control the convergence toward invariant surfaces of continuous dynamical systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marão, José; Liu Xinzhi; Figueiredo, Annibal

2012-01-01

Let us consider a smooth invariant surface S of a given ordinary differential equations system. In this work we develop an impulsive control method in order to assure that the trajectories of the controlled system converge toward the surface S. The method approach is based on a property of a certain class of invariant surfaces whose the dynamics associated to their transverse directions can be described by a non-autonomous linear system. This fact allows to define an impulsive system which drives the trajectories toward the surface S. Also, we set up a definition of local stability exponents which can be associated to such kind of invariant surface.

Dynamic properties of a dirt and a synthetic equine racetrack surface measured by a track-testing device.

Science.gov (United States)

Setterbo, J J; Fyhrie, P B; Hubbard, M; Upadhyaya, S K; Stover, S M

2013-01-01

Racetrack surface is a risk factor for Thoroughbred racehorse injury and death that can be engineered and managed. To investigate the relationship between surface and injury, the mechanical behaviour of dirt and synthetic track surfaces must be quantified. To compare dynamic properties of a dirt and a synthetic surface in situ using a track-testing device designed to simulate equine hoof impact; and to determine the effects of impact velocity, impact angle and repeated impact on dynamic surface behaviour. A track-testing device measured force and displacement during impact into a dirt and a synthetic surface at 3 impact velocities (1.91, 2.30, 2.63 m/s), 2 impact angles (0°, 20° from vertical), and 2 consecutive impacts (initial, repeat). Surfaces were measured at 3 locations/day for 3 days. The effects of surface type, impact velocity, impact angle and impact number on dynamic surface properties were assessed using analysis of variance. Synthetic surface maximum forces, load rates and stiffnesses were 37-67% of dirt surface values. Surfaces were less stiff with lower impact velocities, angled impacts and initial impacts. The magnitude of differences between dirt and synthetic surfaces increased for repeat impacts and higher impact velocities. The synthetic surface was generally softer than the dirt surface. Greatly increased hardness for repeat impacts corroborates the importance of maintenance. Results at different impact velocities suggest that surface differences will persist at higher impact velocities. For both surfaces it is clearly important to prevent horse exposure to precompacted surfaces, particularly during high-speed training when the surface has already been trampled. These data should be useful in coordinating racetrack surface management with racehorse training to prevent injuries. © 2012 EVJ Ltd.

The Role of Electronic Excitations on Chemical Reaction Dynamics at Metal, Semiconductor and Nanoparticle Surfaces

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tully, John C. [Yale Univ., New Haven, CT (United States)

2017-06-10

Chemical reactions are often facilitated and steered when carried out on solid surfaces, essential for applications such as heterogeneous catalysis, solar energy conversion, corrosion, materials processing, and many others. A critical factor that can determine the rates and pathways of chemical reactions at surfaces is the efficiency and specificity of energy transfer; how fast does energy move around and where does it go? For reactions on insulator surfaces energy transfer generally moves in and out of vibrations of the adsorbed molecule and the underlying substrate. By contrast, on metal surfaces, metallic nanoparticles and semiconductors, another pathway for energy flow opens up, excitation and de-excitation of electrons. This so-called “nonadiabatic” mechanism often dominates the transfer of energy and can directly impact the course of a chemical reaction. Conventional computational methods such as molecular dynamics simulation do not account for this nonadiabatic behavior. The current DOE-BES funded project has focused on developing the underlying theoretical foundation and the computational methodology for the prediction of nonadiabatic chemical reaction dynamics at surfaces. The research has successfully opened up new methodology and new applications for molecular simulation. In particular, over the last three years, the “Electronic Friction” theory, pioneered by the PI, has now been developed into a stable and accurate computational method that is sufficiently practical to allow first principles “on-the-fly” simulation of chemical reaction dynamics at metal surfaces.

Closed-loop feedback control for microfluidic systems through automated capacitive fluid height sensing.

Science.gov (United States)

Soenksen, L R; Kassis, T; Noh, M; Griffith, L G; Trumper, D L

2018-03-13

Precise fluid height sensing in open-channel microfluidics has long been a desirable feature for a wide range of applications. However, performing accurate measurements of the fluid level in small-scale reservoirs (sensor contact needs to be avoided. In particular, gravity-driven systems used in several microfluidic applications to establish pressure gradients and impose flow remain open-loop and largely unmonitored due to these sensing limitations. Here we present an optimized self-shielded coplanar capacitive sensor design and automated control system to provide submillimeter fluid-height resolution (∼250 μm) and control of small-scale open reservoirs without the need for direct fluid contact. Results from testing and validation of our optimized sensor and system also suggest that accurate fluid height information can be used to robustly characterize, calibrate and dynamically control a range of microfluidic systems with complex pumping mechanisms, even in cell culture conditions. Capacitive sensing technology provides a scalable and cost-effective way to enable continuous monitoring and closed-loop feedback control of fluid volumes in small-scale gravity-dominated wells in a variety of microfluidic applications.

Evaporation phase change processes of water/methanol mixtures on superhydrophobic nanostructured surfaces

Science.gov (United States)

Chiang, Cheng-Kun; Lu, Yen-Wen

2011-07-01

Evaporation phenomena are a critical and frequently seen phase change process in many heat transfer applications. In this paper, we study the evaporation process of a sessile droplet on two topologically different surfaces, including smooth and nanostructured surfaces. The nanostructured surface has an array of high-aspect-ratio nanowires (height/diameter ~ 125) and is implemented by using a simple template-based nanofabrication method. It possesses superhydrophobicity (>140°) and low contact angle hysteresis (1.2-2.1°), allowing the liquid droplets to remain in the 'fakir' state throughout the evaporation processes. Sessile droplets of deionized (DI) water and water/methanol binary mixture test liquids with their contact angles and base diameters are monitored. The results show that the nanostructures play a critical role in the droplet dynamics during evaporation.

Evaporation phase change processes of water/methanol mixtures on superhydrophobic nanostructured surfaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chiang, Cheng-Kun; Lu, Yen-Wen

2011-01-01

Evaporation phenomena are a critical and frequently seen phase change process in many heat transfer applications. In this paper, we study the evaporation process of a sessile droplet on two topologically different surfaces, including smooth and nanostructured surfaces. The nanostructured surface has an array of high-aspect-ratio nanowires (height/diameter ∼ 125) and is implemented by using a simple template-based nanofabrication method. It possesses superhydrophobicity (>140°) and low contact angle hysteresis (1.2–2.1°), allowing the liquid droplets to remain in the 'fakir' state throughout the evaporation processes. Sessile droplets of deionized (DI) water and water/methanol binary mixture test liquids with their contact angles and base diameters are monitored. The results show that the nanostructures play a critical role in the droplet dynamics during evaporation

The Surface Water and Ocean Topography Satellite Mission - An Assessment of Swath Altimetry Measurements of River Hydrodynamics

Science.gov (United States)

Wilson, Matthew D.; Durand, Michael; Alsdorf, Douglas; Chul-Jung, Hahn; Andreadis, Konstantinos M.; Lee, Hyongki

2012-01-01

The Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite mission, scheduled for launch in 2020 with development commencing in 2015, will provide a step-change improvement in the measurement of terrestrial surface water storage and dynamics. In particular, it will provide the first, routine two-dimensional measurements of water surface elevations, which will allow for the estimation of river and floodplain flows via the water surface slope. In this paper, we characterize the measurements which may be obtained from SWOT and illustrate how they may be used to derive estimates of river discharge. In particular, we show (i) the spatia-temporal sampling scheme of SWOT, (ii) the errors which maybe expected in swath altimetry measurements of the terrestrial surface water, and (iii) the impacts such errors may have on estimates of water surface slope and river discharge, We illustrate this through a "virtual mission" study for a approximately 300 km reach of the central Amazon river, using a hydraulic model to provide water surface elevations according to the SWOT spatia-temporal sampling scheme (orbit with 78 degree inclination, 22 day repeat and 140 km swath width) to which errors were added based on a two-dimension height error spectrum derived from the SWOT design requirements. Water surface elevation measurements for the Amazon mainstem as may be observed by SWOT were thereby obtained. Using these measurements, estimates of river slope and discharge were derived and compared to those which may be obtained without error, and those obtained directly from the hydraulic model. It was found that discharge can be reproduced highly accurately from the water height, without knowledge of the detailed channel bathymetry using a modified Manning's equation, if friction, depth, width and slope are known. Increasing reach length was found to be an effective method to reduce systematic height error in SWOT measurements.

Dynamic Surface Control and Its Application to Lateral Vehicle Control

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bongsob Song

2014-01-01

Full Text Available This paper extends the design and analysis methodology of dynamic surface control (DSC in Song and Hedrick, 2011, for a more general class of nonlinear systems. When rotational mechanical systems such as lateral vehicle control and robot control are considered for applications, sinusoidal functions are easily included in the equation of motions. If such a sinusoidal function is used as a forcing term for DSC, the stability analysis faces the difficulty due to highly nonlinear functions resulting from the low-pass filter dynamics. With modification of input variables to the filter dynamics, the burden of mathematical analysis can be reduced and stability conditions in linear matrix inequality form to guarantee the quadratic stability via DSC are derived for the given class of nonlinear systems. Finally, the proposed design and analysis approach are applied to lateral vehicle control for forward automated driving and backward parallel parking at a low speed as well as an illustrative example.

Surface characterization on binary nano/micro-domain composed of alkyl- and amino-terminated self-assembled monolayer

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, S.H. [Faculty of Engineering, Shinshu University, 4-17-1 Wakasato, Nagano 380-8553 (Japan); Ishizaki, T. [Materials Research Institute for Sustainable Development, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, 2266-98 Anagahora, Shimo-Shidami, Moriyama-ku, Nagoya 463-8560 (Japan); Saito, N. [Department of Molecular Design and Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa, Nagano 464-8603 (Japan)], E-mail: hiro@eco-t.esi.nagoya-u.ac.jp; Takai, O. [EcoTopia Science Institute, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa, Nagoya 464-8603 (Japan)

2008-09-15

The binary alkyl- and amino-terminated self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) composed of nano/micro-sized domains was prepared though a self-assembly technique. In addition, the wetting and electrostatic property of the binary SAMs was investigated by the analysis of the static and dynamic water contact angle and zeta-potentials measurement. The binary SAMs were also characterized by atomic force microscope (AFM), Kelvin probe force microscope (KPFM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The domains on the binary SAMs were observed in topographic and surface potential images. The height of domain and the surface potential between octadecyltrichlorosilanes (OTS)-domain and n-(6-aminohexl)aminopropyl-trimethoxysilane (AHAPS)-SAM were about 1.1 nm and -30 mV. These differences of height and surface potential correspond to the ones between OTS and AHAPS. In XPS N 1s spectra, we confirmed the formation of binary SAMs by an amino peak observed at 399.15 eV. The dynamic and the static water contact angles indicated that the wetting property of the binary SAMs was depended on the OTS domain size. In addition, static water contact angles were measured under the conditions of different pH water and zeta-potential also indicated that the electrostatic property of the binary SAMs depended on OTS domain size. Thus, these results showed that the wetting and electrostatic property on the binary SAMs could be regulated by controlling the domain size.

Mixing height derived from the DMI-HIRLAM NWP model, and used for ETEX dispersion modelling

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Soerensen, J.H.; Rasmussen, A. [Danish Meteorological Inst., Copenhagen (Denmark)

1997-10-01

For atmospheric dispersion modelling it is of great significance to estimate the mixing height well. Mesoscale and long-range diffusion models using output from numerical weather prediction (NWP) models may well use NWP model profiles of wind, temperature and humidity in computation of the mixing height. This is dynamically consistent, and enables calculation of the mixing height for predicted states of the atmosphere. In autumn 1994, the European Tracer Experiment (ETEX) was carried out with the objective to validate atmospheric dispersion models. The Danish Meteorological Institute (DMI) participates in the model evaluations with the Danish Emergency Response Model of the Atmosphere (DERMA) using NWP model data from the DMI version of the High Resolution Limited Area Model (HIRLAM) as well as from the global model of the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecast (ECMWF). In DERMA, calculation of mixing heights are performed based on a bulk Richardson number approach. Comparing with tracer gas measurements for the first ETEX experiment, a sensitivity study is performed for DERMA. Using DMI-HIRLAM data, the study shows that optimum values of the critical bulk Richardson number in the range 0.15-0.35 are adequate. These results are in agreement with recent mixing height verification studies against radiosonde data. The fairly large range of adequate critical values is a signature of the robustness of the method. Direct verification results against observed missing heights from operational radio-sondes released under the ETEX plume are presented. (au) 10 refs.

Quantum Nuclear Extension of Electron Nuclear Dynamics on Folded Effective-Potential Surfaces

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hall, B.; Deumens, E.; Ohrn, Y.

2014-01-01

A perennial problem in quantum scattering calculations is accurate theoretical treatment of low energy collisions. We propose a method of extracting a folded, nonadiabatic, effective potential energy surface from electron nuclear dynamics (END) trajectories; we then perform nuclear wave packet...

Height and Tilt Geometric Texture

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Vedrana; Desbrun, Mathieu; Bærentzen, Jakob Andreas

2009-01-01

compromise between functionality and simplicity: it can efficiently handle and process geometric texture too complex to be represented as a height field, without having recourse to full blown mesh editing algorithms. The height-and-tilt representation proposed here is fully intrinsic to the mesh, making...

Fire emission heights in the climate system – Part 2: Impact on transport, black carbon concentrations and radiation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Veira

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Wildfires represent a major source for aerosols impacting atmospheric radiation, atmospheric chemistry and cloud micro-physical properties. Previous case studies indicated that the height of the aerosol–radiation interaction may crucially affect atmospheric radiation, but the sensitivity to emission heights has been examined with only a few models and is still uncertain. In this study we use the general circulation model ECHAM6 extended by the aerosol module HAM2 to investigate the impact of wildfire emission heights on atmospheric long-range transport, black carbon (BC concentrations and atmospheric radiation. We simulate the wildfire aerosol release using either various versions of a semi-empirical plume height parametrization or prescribed standard emission heights in ECHAM6-HAM2. Extreme scenarios of near-surface or free-tropospheric-only injections provide lower and upper constraints on the emission height climate impact. We find relative changes in mean global atmospheric BC burden of up to 7.9±4.4 % caused by average changes in emission heights of 1.5–3.5 km. Regionally, changes in BC burden exceed 30–40 % in the major biomass burning regions. The model evaluation of aerosol optical thickness (AOT against Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS, AErosol RObotic NETwork (AERONET and Cloud–Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP observations indicates that the implementation of a plume height parametrization slightly reduces the ECHAM6-HAM2 biases regionally, but on the global scale these improvements in model performance are small. For prescribed emission release at the surface, wildfire emissions entail a total sky top-of-atmosphere (TOA radiative forcing (RF of −0.16±0.06 W m−2. The application of a plume height parametrization which agrees reasonably well with observations introduces a slightly stronger negative TOA RF of −0.20±0.07 W m−2. The standard ECHAM6-HAM2 model in which 25 % of the

Roughness analysis of graphite surfaces of casting elements

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Wieczorowski

2010-01-01

Full Text Available In the paper profilometric measurements of graphite casting elements were described. Basic topics necessary to assess roughness of their surfaces and influence of asperities on various properties related to manufacturing and use were discussed. Stylus profilometer technique of surface irregularities measurements including its limits resulting from pickup geometry and its contact with measured object were ana-lyzed. Working principle of tactile profilometer and phenomena taking place during movement of a probe on a measured surface were shown. One of the important aspects is a flight phenomenon, which means movement of a pickup without contact with a surface during inspection resulting from too high scanning speed. results of comparison research for graphite elements of new and used mould and pin composing a set were presented. Using some surface roughness, waviness and primary profile parameters (arithmetical mean of roughness profile heights Ra, biggest roughness profile height Rz, maximum primary profile height Pt as well as maximum waviness profile height Wt a possibility of using surface asperities parameters as a measure of wear of chill graphite elements was proved. The most often applied parameter is Ra, but with a help of parameters from W and P family it was shown, that big changes occur not only for roughness but also for other components of surface irregularities.

Final height and intrauterine growth retardation.

Science.gov (United States)

Tauber, Maïthé

2017-06-01

Approximately 10% of small for gestational age (SGA) children maintain a small body size throughout childhood and often into adult life with a decreased pubertal spurt. Growth hormone (GH) therapy increases short-term growth in a dose-dependent manner and adult height had now been well documented. Shorter children might benefit from a higher dose at start (50μg/kg/day). The response to GH treatment was similar for both preterm and term short SGA groups and the effect of GH treatment on adult height showed a wide variation in growth response. As a whole, mean adult height is higher than -2 SDS in 60% of patients and 70% reached an adult height in their target height with better results with higher doses and combined GnRH analog therapy in those who were short at onset of puberty. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.

Estimation of the under-surface temperature pattern by dynamic remote sensing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Inamura, M [Univ. of Tokyo; Tao, R; Katsuma, T; Toyota, H

1977-10-01

There are three basic classifications of remote sensing: passive RS, which involves measurement of reflected solar radiation; active RS, which involves the use of microwaves or laser radar; and infrared scanning. These methods make possible the determination of an object's surface temperature, its effective emissivity, and its effective reflectivity. The surface temperature, in effect, contains information concerning the structure below the surface. Fundamental experiments were conducted to extract sub-surface information by means of 'dynamic remote sensing.' Aluminum objects were embedded in a container filled with sand, and the container was heated from below. First, the spatial transfer function of the medium (sand) was determined, the surface temperature pattern was filtered, and the subsurface temperature pattern was calculated, allowing the subsurface forms of the aluminum objects to be estimated. The relationship between the thermal input (bottom temperature) and the thermal output (surface temperature) was expressed in terms of electrical circuit analogs, and the heat capacity and thermal conductivity of the sample were calculated, permitting estimation of its composition. This technique will be useful for groundwater and mineral exploration and for nondestructive testing.

Splash Dynamics of Watercolors on Dry, Wet, and Cooled Surfaces

Science.gov (United States)

Baron, David; Vaidya, Ashwin; Su, Haiyan

2015-11-01

In his classic study in 1908, A.M. Worthington gave a thorough account of splashes and their formation through visualization experiments. In more recent times, there has been renewed interest in this subject, and much of the underlying physics behind Worthington's experiments has now been clarified. One specific set of such recent studies, which motivates this paper, concerns the fluid dynamics behind Jackson Pollock's drip paintings. The physical processes and the mathematical structures hidden in his works have received serious attention and made the scientific pursuit of art a compelling area of exploration. Our work explores the interaction of watercolors with watercolor paper. Specifically, we conduct experiments to analyze the settling patterns of droplets of watercolor paint on wet and frozen paper. Variations in paint viscosity, paper roughness, paper temperature, and the height of a released droplet are examined from time of impact, through its transient stages, until its final, dry state. Observable phenomena such as paint splashing, spreading, fingering, branching, rheological deposition, and fractal patterns are studied in detail and classified in terms of the control parameters.

Modelling the development of mixing height in near equatorial region

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Samah, A.A. [Univ. of Malaya, Air Pollution Research Unit, Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)

1997-10-01

Most current air pollution models were developed for mid-latitude conditions and as such many of the empirical parameters used were based on observations taken in the mid-latitude boundary layer which is physically different from that of the equatorial boundary layer. In the equatorial boundary layer the Coriolis parameter f is small or zero and moisture plays a more important role in the control of stability and the surface energy balance. Therefore air pollution models such as the OMLMULTI or the ADMS which were basically developed for mid-latitude conditions must be applied with some caution and would need some adaptation to properly simulate the properties of equatorial boundary layer. This work elucidates some of the problems of modelling the evolution of mixing height in the equatorial region. The mixing height estimates were compared with routine observations taken during a severe air pollution episodes in Malaysia. (au)

Climate and the weight/height relationship in sub-Saharan Africa.

Science.gov (United States)

Hiernaux, J; Rudan, P; Brambati, A

1975-01-01

25 populations of the rain forest and 44 of the open country, all descended from the West-Central African stock which lived in the latter biome, are compared for body weight and height. On a log weight/height diagram, the 69 populations cluster along a straight line which intersects the lines of equal body weight/surface ratio: the shorter the body size, the lower the ratio tends to be. The rain forest populations are concentrated in the lower part of the bivariate distribution. The shortest one, the Mbuti Pygmies, has a very low ratio despite a relatively heavy weight. The shorter stature of the rain forest populations seems to be largely genetic in origin; it probably results from selective pressure exerted by the thermal stres in this hot and wet biome where sweating is of low thermolytic efficiency. The amount of reduction of adult stature depends for a large part on the number of generations spent in the forest by the population. Line A (in figure 1) is similar to a growth trend. The 69 populations differ genetically by the target that growth has to reach on a common log weight/height trend line. They achieve this differentiation through different speeds of growth.

Reproducibility of crop surface maps extracted from Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) derived digital surface maps

KAUST Repository

Parkes, Stephen

2016-10-25

Crop height measured from UAVs fitted with commercially available RGB cameras provide an affordable alternative to retrieve field scale high resolution estimates. The study presents an assessment of between flight reproducibility of Crop Surface Maps (CSM) extracted from Digital Surface Maps (DSM) generated by Structure from Motion (SfM) algorithms. Flights were conducted over a centre pivot irrigation system covered with an alfalfa crop. An important step in calculating the absolute crop height from the UAV derived DSM is determining the height of the underlying terrain. Here we use automatic thresholding techniques applied to RGB vegetation index maps to classify vegetated and soil pixels. From interpolation of classified soil pixels, a terrain map is calculated and subtracted from the DSM. The influence of three different thresholding techniques on CSMs are investigated. Median Alfalfa crop heights determined with the different thresholding methods varied from 18cm for K means thresholding to 13cm for Otsu thresholding methods. Otsu thresholding also gave the smallest range of crop heights and K means thresholding the largest. Reproducibility of median crop heights between flight surveys was 4-6cm for all thresholding techniques. For the flight conducted later in the afternoon shadowing caused soil pixels to be classified as vegetation in key locations around the domain, leading to lower crop height estimates. The range of crop heights was similar for both flights using K means thresholding (35-36cm), local minimum thresholding depended on whether raw or normalised RGB intensities were used to calculate vegetation indices (30-35cm), while Otsu thresholding had a smaller range of heights and varied most between flights (26-30cm). This study showed that crop heights from multiple survey flights are comparable, however, they were dependent on the thresholding method applied to classify soil pixels and the time of day the flight was conducted.

Reproducibility of crop surface maps extracted from Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) derived digital surface maps

KAUST Repository

Parkes, Stephen; McCabe, Matthew; Al-Mashhawari, Samir K.; Rosas, Jorge

2016-01-01

Crop height measured from UAVs fitted with commercially available RGB cameras provide an affordable alternative to retrieve field scale high resolution estimates. The study presents an assessment of between flight reproducibility of Crop Surface Maps (CSM) extracted from Digital Surface Maps (DSM) generated by Structure from Motion (SfM) algorithms. Flights were conducted over a centre pivot irrigation system covered with an alfalfa crop. An important step in calculating the absolute crop height from the UAV derived DSM is determining the height of the underlying terrain. Here we use automatic thresholding techniques applied to RGB vegetation index maps to classify vegetated and soil pixels. From interpolation of classified soil pixels, a terrain map is calculated and subtracted from the DSM. The influence of three different thresholding techniques on CSMs are investigated. Median Alfalfa crop heights determined with the different thresholding methods varied from 18cm for K means thresholding to 13cm for Otsu thresholding methods. Otsu thresholding also gave the smallest range of crop heights and K means thresholding the largest. Reproducibility of median crop heights between flight surveys was 4-6cm for all thresholding techniques. For the flight conducted later in the afternoon shadowing caused soil pixels to be classified as vegetation in key locations around the domain, leading to lower crop height estimates. The range of crop heights was similar for both flights using K means thresholding (35-36cm), local minimum thresholding depended on whether raw or normalised RGB intensities were used to calculate vegetation indices (30-35cm), while Otsu thresholding had a smaller range of heights and varied most between flights (26-30cm). This study showed that crop heights from multiple survey flights are comparable, however, they were dependent on the thresholding method applied to classify soil pixels and the time of day the flight was conducted.

The shape and dynamics of the generation of the splash forms in single-phase systems after drop hitting

Science.gov (United States)

Sochan, Agata; Beczek, Michał; Mazur, Rafał; RyŻak, Magdalena; Bieganowski, Andrzej

2018-02-01

The splash phenomenon is being increasingly explored with the use of modern measurement tools, including the high-speed cameras. Recording images at a rate of several thousand frames per second facilitates parameterization and description of the dynamics of splash phases. This paper describes the impact of a single drop of a liquid falling on the surface of the same liquid. Three single-phase liquid systems, i.e., water, petrol, and diesel fuel, were examined. The falling drops were characterized by different kinetic energy values depending on the height of the fall, which ranged from 0.1 to 7.0 m. Four forms, i.e., waves, crowns, semi-closed domes, and domes, were distinguished depending on the drop energy. The analysis of the recorded images facilitated determination of the static and dynamic parameters of each form, e.g., the maximum height of each splash form, the width of the splash form at its maximum height, and the rate of growth of the splash form. We, Re, Fr, and K numbers were determined for all analyzed liquid systems. On the basis of the obtained values of dimensionless numbers, the areas of occurrence of characteristic splash forms were separated.

THE HEIGHT OF A WHITE-LIGHT FLARE AND ITS HARD X-RAY SOURCES

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Martinez Oliveros, Juan-Carlos; Hudson, Hugh S.; Hurford, Gordon J.; Krucker, Saem; Lin, R. P. [Space Sciences Laboratory, UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720 (United States); Lindsey, Charles [North West Research Associates, CORA Division, Boulder, CO (United States); Couvidat, Sebastien; Schou, Jesper [W. W. Hansen Experimental Physics Laboratory, Stanford University, Stanford, CA (United States); Thompson, W. T. [Adnet Systems, Inc., NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, code 671, Greenbelt, MD (United States)

2012-07-10

We describe observations of a white-light (WL) flare (SOL2011-02-24T07:35:00, M3.5) close to the limb of the Sun, from which we obtain estimates of the heights of the optical continuum sources and those of the associated hard X-ray (HXR) sources. For this purpose, we use HXR images from the Reuven Ramaty High Energy Spectroscopic Imager and optical images at 6173 A from the Solar Dynamics Observatory. We find that the centroids of the impulsive-phase emissions in WL and HXRs (30-80 keV) match closely in central distance (angular displacement from Sun center), within uncertainties of order 0.''2. This directly implies a common source height for these radiations, strengthening the connection between visible flare continuum formation and the accelerated electrons. We also estimate the absolute heights of these emissions as vertical distances from Sun center. Such a direct estimation has not been done previously, to our knowledge. Using a simultaneous 195 Angstrom-Sign image from the Solar-Terrestrial RElations Observatory spacecraft to identify the heliographic coordinates of the flare footpoints, we determine mean heights above the photosphere (as normally defined; {tau} = 1 at 5000 A) of 305 {+-} 170 km and 195 {+-} 70 km, respectively, for the centroids of the HXR and WL footpoint sources of the flare. These heights are unexpectedly low in the atmosphere, and are consistent with the expected locations of {tau} = 1 for the 6173 Angstrom-Sign and the {approx}40 keV photons observed, respectively.

The Height of a White-Light Flare and its Hard X-Ray Sources

Science.gov (United States)

Oliveros, Juan-Carlos Martinez; Hudson, Hugh S.; Hurford, Gordon J.; Kriucker, Saem; Lin, R. P.; Lindsey, Charles; Couvidat, Sebastien; Schou, Jesper; Thompson, W. T.