Localized 31PNMR spectroscopy with ISIS and surface coils

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heindel, W.; Schreier, G.; Steinbrich, W.; Glathe, S.; Huttmann, P.

1990-01-01

A new method for image-guided localized phosphorus NMR spectroscopy of superficial tissues has been investigated using a 1.5 Tesla whole-body-MR-system. We used a surface coil combined with adiabatic excitation pulses and a modified ISIS sequence. This approach is related to imaging sequences and thus permits a flexible and accurate determination of the volume of interest from 'conventional' proton images. The scope and advantages of the method are demonstrated by phantom studies. Clinical applications to the liver, renal transplants, and the mediastinum are described. (orig.) [de

Local equivalence, surface-code states, and matroids

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sarvepalli, Pradeep; Raussendorf, Robert

2010-01-01

Recently, Ji et al. disproved the local-unitary-local Clifford (LU-LC) conjecture and showed that the local unitary (LU) and local Clifford (LC) equivalence classes of the stabilizer states are not always the same. Despite the fact that this settles the LU-LC conjecture, a sufficient condition for stabilizer states that violate the LU-LC conjecture is not known. In this paper, we investigate further the properties of stabilizer states with respect to local equivalence. Our first result shows that there exist infinitely many stabilizer states that violate the LU-LC conjecture. In particular, we show that for all numbers of qubits n≥28, there exist distance-two stabilizer states which are counterexamples to the LU-LC conjecture. We prove that, for all odd n≥195, there exist stabilizer states with distance greater than two that are LU equivalent but not LC equivalent. Two important classes of stabilizer states that are of great interest in quantum computation are the cluster states and stabilizer states of the surface codes. We show that, under some minimal restrictions, both these classes of states preclude any counterexamples. In this context, we also show that the associated surface codes do not have any encoded non-Clifford transversal gates. We characterize the Calderbank-Shor-Steane (CSS) surface-code states in terms of a class of minor closed binary matroids. In addition to making a connection to an important open problem in binary matroid theory, this characterization does in some cases provide an efficient test for CSS states that are not counterexamples.

Investigation of the effect of sealed surfaces on local climate in urban areas

Science.gov (United States)

Weihs, Philipp; Hasel, Stefan; Mursch-Radlgruber, Erich; Gützer, Christian; Krispel, Stefan; Peyerl, Martin; Trimmel, Heidi

2015-04-01

Local climate is driven by the interaction between energy balance and energy transported by advected air. Short-wave and long-wave radiation are major components in this interaction. Some few studies (e.g. Santamouris et al.) showed that adjusting the grade of reflection of surfaces is an efficient way to influence temperature. The present study investigates the influence of high albedo concrete surfaces on local climate. The first step of the study consisted of experimental investigations: routine measurements of the short and longwave radiation balance, of the ground and of the air temperature and humidity at different heights above 6 different types of sealed surfaces were performed. During this measurement campaign the above mentioned components were measured over a duration of 4 months above two conventional asphalt surfaces, one conventional concrete and three newly developed concrete surfaces with increased reflectances. Measured albedo values amounted to 0.12±0.02 for the asphalt surfaces and to maximum values of 0.56 for high albedo concrete. The maximum difference in surface temperature between the asphalt surfaces and the high albedo concrete surfaces amounted to 15°C. In addition the emission constants of the different sealed surfaces were also determined and were compared to values from literature.. In a second step the urban energy balance model Envi_Met was used to simulate the surface temperature of the six surfaces. The simulated surface temperatures were compared to the measured surface temperatures and statements as to uncertainties of the model simulations were made In a third step, Envi_Met was used to simulate the local climate of an urban district in Vienna. The surface and air temperature and the SW, LW fluxes were calculated for different types of sealed surfaces. By performing calculations of thermal stress indices (UTCI, PMV), statements as to the influence of the type of sealed surface on thermal stress on humans was made.

Indirect spectrophotometric determination of sulfadiazine based on localized surface plasmon resonance peak of silver nanoparticles after cloud point extraction.

Science.gov (United States)

Kazemi, Elahe; Dadfarnia, Shayessteh; Haji Shabani, Ali Mohammad; Fattahi, Mohammad Reza; Khodaveisi, Javad

2017-12-05

A novel, efficient, easy to use, environmentally friendly and cost-effective methodology is developed for the indirect spectrophotometric determination of sulfadiazine in different samples. The method is based on the micelle-mediated extraction of silver sulfadiazine and converting the silver content of the resultant surfactant-rich phase to the silver nanoparticles via generation of [Ag(NH 3 ) 2 ] + followed by its chemical reduction using ascorbic acid. The changes in the amplitude of localized surface plasmon resonance peak of silver nanoparticles as a function of sulfadiazine concentration in the sample solution was monitored using fiber optic linear array spectrophotometry at 457nm. The experimental conditions were thoroughly investigated and optimized. Under the optimized condition, the developed procedure showed dynamic linear calibration within the range of 10.0-800.0μgL -1 with a detection limit of 2.8μgL -1 for sulfadiazine. The relative standard deviation of the method for six replicate measurements at 150.0μgL -1 of sulfadiazine was 4.7%. The developed method was successfully applied to the determination of sulfadiazine in different samples including well water, human urine, milk and pharmaceutical formulation. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Indirect spectrophotometric determination of sulfadiazine based on localized surface plasmon resonance peak of silver nanoparticles after cloud point extraction

Science.gov (United States)

Kazemi, Elahe; Dadfarnia, Shayessteh; Haji Shabani, Ali Mohammad; Fattahi, Mohammad Reza; Khodaveisi, Javad

2017-12-01

A novel, efficient, easy to use, environmentally friendly and cost-effective methodology is developed for the indirect spectrophotometric determination of sulfadiazine in different samples. The method is based on the micelle-mediated extraction of silver sulfadiazine and converting the silver content of the resultant surfactant-rich phase to the silver nanoparticles via generation of [Ag(NH3)2]+ followed by its chemical reduction using ascorbic acid. The changes in the amplitude of localized surface plasmon resonance peak of silver nanoparticles as a function of sulfadiazine concentration in the sample solution was monitored using fiber optic linear array spectrophotometry at 457 nm. The experimental conditions were thoroughly investigated and optimized. Under the optimized condition, the developed procedure showed dynamic linear calibration within the range of 10.0-800.0 μg L- 1 with a detection limit of 2.8 μg L- 1 for sulfadiazine. The relative standard deviation of the method for six replicate measurements at 150.0 μg L- 1 of sulfadiazine was 4.7%. The developed method was successfully applied to the determination of sulfadiazine in different samples including well water, human urine, milk and pharmaceutical formulation.

Local pH at the surface of hen egg white lysozyme

Science.gov (United States)

Otosu, Takuhiro; Kobayashi, Kaito; Yamaguchi, Shoichi

2018-02-01

The microenvironment at the surface of hen-egg-white lysozyme (HEWL) was examined by analyzing the change in pKa of fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) upon binding to the N-terminus of HEWL. The result showed that the local pH at the HEWL surface is higher than the bulk pH. Furthermore, the data showed that the difference between the local and bulk pH becomes larger with decreasing pH, suggesting HEWL repels more protons at lower pH. Because the local pH affects the protonation states of functional amino-acids at the protein surface, the results provide the fundamental insight into the microenvironment at the protein surface.

Localization of optical excitations on random surfaces: SNOM studies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bozhevolnyi, Sergey I.

1999-01-01

Localization of optical excitations on nanostructured metal surfaces and fractal colloid silver aggregates are studied by using a scanning near-field optical microscope (SNOM). The SNOM images obtained in both configurations exhibit spatially localized (within 150 to 250 nm) light intensity...

Efficiency of local surface plasmon polariton excitation on ridges

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Radko, I.P.; Bozhevolnyi, S.I.; Brucoli, G.

2008-01-01

The issue of efficient local coupling of light into surface plasmon polariton (SPP) modes is an important concern in miniaturization of plasmonic components. Here we present experimental and numerical investigations of efficiency of local SPP excitation on gold ridges of rectangular profile...... positioned on a gold film. The excitation is accomplished by illuminating the metal surface normally with a focused laser beam. Wavelength dependence and dependence of the efficiency on geometrical parameters of ridges are examined. Using leakage radiation microscopy, the efficiency of ˜20% is demonstrated...

Surface effects on static bending of nanowires based on non-local elasticity theory

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Quan Wu

2015-10-01

Full Text Available The surface elasticity and non-local elasticity effects on the elastic behavior of statically bent nanowires are investigated in the present investigation. Explicit solutions are presented to evaluate the surface stress and non-local elasticity effects with various boundary conditions. Compared with the classical Euler beam, a nanowire with surface stress and/or non-local elasticity can be either stiffer or less stiff, depending on the boundary conditions. The concept of surface non-local elasticity was proposed and its physical interpretation discussed to explain the combined effect of surface elasticity and non-local elasticity. The effect of the nanowire size on its elastic bending behavior was investigated. The results obtained herein are helpful to characterize mechanical properties of nanowires and aid nanowire-based devices design.

High-resolution biosensor based on localized surface plasmons

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Piliarik, Marek; Šípová, Hana; Kvasnička, Pavel; Galler, N.; Krenn, J. R.; Homola, Jiří

2012-01-01

Roč. 20, č. 1 (2012), s. 672-680 ISSN 1094-4087 R&D Projects: GA AV ČR KAN200670701; GA MŠk OC09058 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z20670512 Keywords : optical biosenzor * surface plasmon resonance * localized surface plasmon Subject RIV: JA - Electronics ; Optoelectronics, Electrical Engineering Impact factor: 3.546, year: 2012

AN INVESTIGATION OF LOCAL EFFECTS ON SURFACE WARMING WITH GEOGRAPHICALLY WEIGHTED REGRESSION (GWR

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Y. Xue

2012-07-01

Full Text Available Urban warming is sensitive to the nature (thermal properties, including albedo, water content, heat capacity and thermal conductivity and the placement (surface geometry or urban topography of urban surface. In the literature the spatial dependence and heterogeneity of urban thermal landscape is widely observed based on thermal infrared remote sensing within the urban environment. Urban surface warming is conceived as a big contribution to urban warming, the study of urban surface warming possesses significant meaning for probing into the problem of urban warming.The urban thermal landscape study takes advantage of the continuous surface derived from thermal infrared remote sensing at the landscape scale, the detailed variation of local surface temperature can be measured and analyzed through the systematic investigation. At the same time urban environmental factors can be quantified with remote sensing and GIS techniques. This enables a systematic investigation of urban thermal landscape with a link to be established between local environmental setting and surface temperature variation. The goal of this research is utilizing Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR to analyze the spatial relationship between urban form and surface temperature variation in order to clarify the local effects on surface warming, moreover to reveal the possible dynamics in the local influences of environmental indicators on the variation of local surface temperature across space and time. In this research, GWR analysis proved that the spatial variation in relationships between environmental setting and surface temperature was significant with Monte Carlo significance test and distinctive in day-night change. Comparatively, GWR facilitated the site specific investigation based on local statistical technique. The inference based on GWR model provided enriched information regarding the spatial variation of local environment effect on surface temperature variation which

Patterning pentacene surfaces by local oxidation nanolithography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Losilla, N.S.; Martinez, J.; Bystrenova, E.; Greco, P.; Biscarini, F.; Garcia, R.

2010-01-01

Sequential and parallel local oxidation nanolithographies have been applied to pattern pentacene samples by creating a variety of nanostructures. The sequential local oxidation process is performed with an atomic force microscope and requires the application of a sequence of voltage pulses of 36 V for 1 ms. The parallel local oxidation process is performed by using a conductive and patterned stamp. Then, a voltage pulse is applied between the stamp and the pentacene surface. Patterns formed by arrays of parallel lines covering 1 mm 2 regions and with a periodicity of less than 1 μm have been generated in a few seconds. We also show that the patterns can be used as templates for the deposition of antibodies.

Local-Scale Simulations of Nucleate Boiling on Micrometer-Featured Surfaces

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sitaraman, Hariswaran [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Moreno, Gilberto [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Narumanchi, Sreekant V [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Dede, Ercan M. [Toyota Research Institute of North America; Joshi, Shailesh N. [Toyota Research Institute of North America; Zhou, Feng [Toyota Research Institute of North America

2017-07-12

A high-fidelity computational fluid dynamics (CFD)-based model for bubble nucleation of the refrigerant HFE7100 on micrometer-featured surfaces is presented in this work. The single-fluid incompressible Navier-Stokes equations, along with energy transport and natural convection effects are solved on a featured surface resolved grid. An a priori cavity detection method is employed to convert raw profilometer data of a surface into well-defined cavities. The cavity information and surface morphology are represented in the CFD model by geometric mesh deformations. Surface morphology is observed to initiate buoyancy-driven convection in the liquid phase, which in turn results in faster nucleation of cavities. Simulations pertaining to a generic rough surface show a trend where smaller size cavities nucleate with higher wall superheat. This local-scale model will serve as a self-consistent connection to larger device scale continuum models where local feature representation is not possible.

Surface growth kinematics via local curve evolution

KAUST Repository

Moulton, Derek E.

2012-11-18

A mathematical framework is developed to model the kinematics of surface growth for objects that can be generated by evolving a curve in space, such as seashells and horns. Growth is dictated by a growth velocity vector field defined at every point on a generating curve. A local orthonormal basis is attached to each point of the generating curve and the velocity field is given in terms of the local coordinate directions, leading to a fully local and elegant mathematical structure. Several examples of increasing complexity are provided, and we demonstrate how biologically relevant structures such as logarithmic shells and horns emerge as analytical solutions of the kinematics equations with a small number of parameters that can be linked to the underlying growth process. Direct access to cell tracks and local orientation enables for connections to be made to the underlying growth process. © 2012 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.

29 CFR 4.51 - Prevailing in the locality determinations.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 29 Labor 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 true Prevailing in the locality determinations. 4.51 Section 4.51... Procedures § 4.51 Prevailing in the locality determinations. (a) Information considered. The minimum monetary... benefits contained in collective bargaining agreements where they have been determined to prevail in a...

Implied and Local Volatility Surfaces for South African Index and Foreign Exchange Options

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Antonie Kotzé

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Certain exotic options cannot be valued using closed-form solutions or even by numerical methods assuming constant volatility. Many exotics are priced in a local volatility framework. Pricing under local volatility has become a field of extensive research in finance, and various models are proposed in order to overcome the shortcomings of the Black-Scholes model that assumes a constant volatility. The Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE lists exotic options on its Can-Do platform. Most exotic options listed on the JSE’s derivative exchanges are valued by local volatility models. These models needs a local volatility surface. Dupire derived a mapping from implied volatilities to local volatilities. The JSE uses this mapping in generating the relevant local volatility surfaces and further uses Monte Carlo and Finite Difference methods when pricing exotic options. In this document we discuss various practical issues that influence the successful construction of implied and local volatility surfaces such that pricing engines can be implemented successfully. We focus on arbitrage-free conditions and the choice of calibrating functionals. We illustrate our methodologies by studying the implied and local volatility surfaces of South African equity index and foreign exchange options.

Binding Ligand Prediction for Proteins Using Partial Matching of Local Surface Patches

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lee Sael

2010-12-01

Full Text Available Functional elucidation of uncharacterized protein structures is an important task in bioinformatics. We report our new approach for structure-based function prediction which captures local surface features of ligand binding pockets. Function of proteins, specifically, binding ligands of proteins, can be predicted by finding similar local surface regions of known proteins. To enable partial comparison of binding sites in proteins, a weighted bipartite matching algorithm is used to match pairs of surface patches. The surface patches are encoded with the 3D Zernike descriptors. Unlike the existing methods which compare global characteristics of the protein fold or the global pocket shape, the local surface patch method can find functional similarity between non-homologous proteins and binding pockets for flexible ligand molecules. The proposed method improves prediction results over global pocket shape-based method which was previously developed by our group.

Binding ligand prediction for proteins using partial matching of local surface patches.

Science.gov (United States)

Sael, Lee; Kihara, Daisuke

2010-01-01

Functional elucidation of uncharacterized protein structures is an important task in bioinformatics. We report our new approach for structure-based function prediction which captures local surface features of ligand binding pockets. Function of proteins, specifically, binding ligands of proteins, can be predicted by finding similar local surface regions of known proteins. To enable partial comparison of binding sites in proteins, a weighted bipartite matching algorithm is used to match pairs of surface patches. The surface patches are encoded with the 3D Zernike descriptors. Unlike the existing methods which compare global characteristics of the protein fold or the global pocket shape, the local surface patch method can find functional similarity between non-homologous proteins and binding pockets for flexible ligand molecules. The proposed method improves prediction results over global pocket shape-based method which was previously developed by our group.

Conformational determinants of the intracellular localization of midkine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dai Lichen; Xu, Diyong; Yao Xing; Lu Yongliang; Xu Zhengping

2005-01-01

Midkine (MK) is a multifunctional growth factor and has been discovered to play important roles in carcinogenesis. MK has been reported to localize to the nucleus and nucleolus, however, the data are not consistent and the signals responsible for the localization are unknown. Here we reported that human MK exclusively localized to the nucleus and nucleolus in HepG2 cells by using GFP as a tracking molecule. In order to identify the motifs required for the nuclear localization and nucleolar accumulation, point- and deletion-mutations were introduced and the corresponding subcellular localizations were analyzed. Data revealed that (i) K79R81, K86K87, and the C-terminal tail of MK constitute the nuclear localization determinant of MK, and (ii) the C-terminal tail is the key element controlling MK nucleolar accumulation though the N-terminal tail, K79R81, and K86K87 also contribute to this process. Taken together, our results provide the first documentation about the determinants required for MK nuclear and nucleolar localization

Do galaxy global relationships emerge from local ones? The SDSS IV MaNGA surface mass density-metallicity relation

Science.gov (United States)

Barrera-Ballesteros, Jorge K.; Heckman, Timothy M.; Zhu, Guangtun B.; Zakamska, Nadia L.; Sánchez, Sebastian F.; Law, David; Wake, David; Green, Jenny E.; Bizyaev, Dmitry; Oravetz, Daniel; Simmons, Audrey; Malanushenko, Elena; Pan, Kaike; Roman Lopes, Alexandre; Lane, Richard R.

2016-12-01

We present the stellar surface mass density versus gas metallicity (Σ*-Z) relation for more than 500 000 spatially resolved star-forming resolution elements (spaxels) from a sample of 653 disc galaxies included in the SDSS IV MaNGA survey. We find a tight relation between these local properties, with higher metallicities as the surface density increases. This relation extends over three orders of magnitude in the surface mass density and a factor of 4 in metallicity. We show that this local relationship can simultaneously reproduce two well-known properties of disc galaxies: their global mass-metallicity relationship and their radial metallicity gradients. We also find that the Σ*-Z relation is largely independent of the galaxy's total stellar mass and specific star formation rate (sSFR), except at low stellar mass and high sSFR. These results suggest that in the present-day universe local properties play a key role in determining the gas-phase metallicity in typical disc galaxies.

Determining surface coverage of ultra-thin gold films from X-ray reflectivity measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kossoy, A.; Simakov, D.; Olafsson, S.; Leosson, K.

2013-01-01

The paper describes usage of X-ray reflectivity for characterization of surface coverage (i.e. film continuity) of ultra-thin gold films which are widely studied for optical, plasmonic and electronic applications. The demonstrated method is very sensitive and can be applied for layers below 1 nm. It has several advantages over other techniques which are often employed in characterization of ultra-thin metal films, such as optical absorption, Atomic Force Microscopy, Transmission Electron Microscopy or Scanning Electron Microscopy. In contrast to those techniques our method does not require specialized sample preparation and measurement process is insensitive to electrostatic charge and/or presence of surface absorbed water. We validate our results with image processing of Scanning Electron Microscopy images. To ensure precise quantitative analysis of the images we developed a generic local thresholding algorithm which allowed us to treat series of images with various values of surface coverage with similar image processing parameters. - Highlights: • Surface coverage/continuity of ultra-thin Au films (up to 7 nm) was determined. • Results from X-ray reflectivity were verified by scanning electron microscopy. • We developed local thresholding algorithm to treat non-homogeneous image contrast

Method of determination of temperature and heat resistance of the points on the integrated circuit crystal surface

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Popov V. M.

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Method for visualization of integrated circuit (IC surface temperature by means of the liquid crystal film deposited from solution on its surface is proposed. The boundaries of local regions represent isotherms with corresponding phase transitions. On the base of isotherms positions and consumed by IC power thermal resistances between crystal and environment are determined.

Theoretical study of the localization of excess electrons at the surface of ice

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hermann, A; Schwerdtfeger, P; Schmidt, W G

2008-01-01

The localization of excess electrons at the basal plane surface of hexagonal ice Ih is investigated theoretically, combining density functional theory (DFT) with a partial self-interaction correction (SIC) scheme, to account for spurious self-interaction effects that artificially delocalize the excess electrons. Starting from energetically favored surface geometries, we find strong localization of excess electrons at surface dangling bonds, in particular for surface adsorbed water monomers and dimers

Surface roughness effects on plasma near a divertor plate and local impact angle

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wanpeng Hu

2017-08-01

Full Text Available The impact of rough surface topography on the electric potential and electric field is generally neglected due to the small scale of surface roughness compared to the width of the plasma sheath. However, the distributions of the electric potential and field on rough surfaces are expected to influence the characteristics of edge plasma and the local impact angle. The distributions of plasma sheath and local impact angle on rough surfaces are investigated by a two dimension-in-space and three dimension-in-velocity (2d3v Particle-In-Cell (PIC code. The influences of the plasma temperature andsurface morphology on the plasma sheath, local impact angle and resulting physical sputtering yield on rough surfaces are investigated.

Local-Scale Simulations of Nucleate Boiling on Micrometer Featured Surfaces: Preprint

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sitaraman, Hariswaran [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Moreno, Gilberto [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Narumanchi, Sreekant V [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Dede, Ercan M. [Toyota Research Institute of North America; Joshi, Shailesh N. [Toyota Research Institute of North America; Zhou, Feng [Toyota Research Institute of North America

2017-08-03

A high-fidelity computational fluid dynamics (CFD)-based model for bubble nucleation of the refrigerant HFE7100 on micrometer-featured surfaces is presented in this work. The single-fluid incompressible Navier-Stokes equations, along with energy transport and natural convection effects are solved on a featured surface resolved grid. An a priori cavity detection method is employed to convert raw profilometer data of a surface into well-defined cavities. The cavity information and surface morphology are represented in the CFD model by geometric mesh deformations. Surface morphology is observed to initiate buoyancy-driven convection in the liquid phase, which in turn results in faster nucleation of cavities. Simulations pertaining to a generic rough surface show a trend where smaller size cavities nucleate with higher wall superheat. This local-scale model will serve as a self-consistent connection to larger device scale continuum models where local feature representation is not possible.

Local environmental conditions and the stability of protective layers on steel surfaces

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jensen, J P [Technical Univ. of Denmark, Lyngby (Denmark); Bursik, A

1996-12-01

Local environmental conditions determine whether the protective layers on steel surfaces are stable. With unfavorable local environmental conditions, the protective layers may be subject to damage. Taking the cation conductivity of all plant cycle streams <0.2 {mu}S/cm for granted, an adequate feed-water and - if applicable - boiler water conditioning is required to prevent such damage. Even if the mentioned conditions are met in a bulk, the local environmental conditions may be inadequate. The reasons for this may be the disregarding of interactions among material, design, and chemistry. The paper presents many possible mechanisms of protective layer damage that are directly influenced or exacerbated by plant cycle chemistry. Two items are discussed in more detail: First, the application of all volatile treatment for boiler water conditioning of drum boiler systems operating at low pressures and, second, the chemistry in the transition zone water/steam in the low pressure turbine. The latter is of major interest for the understanding and prevention of corrosion due to high concentration of impurities in the aqueous liquid phases. This is a typical example showing that local environmental conditions may fundamentally differ from the overall bulk chemistry. (au) 19 refs.

Localized surface plasmon enhanced cellular imaging using random metallic structures

Science.gov (United States)

Son, Taehwang; Lee, Wonju; Kim, Donghyun

2017-02-01

We have studied fluorescence cellular imaging with randomly distributed localized near-field induced by silver nano-islands. For the fabrication of nano-islands, a 10-nm silver thin film evaporated on a BK7 glass substrate with an adhesion layer of 2-nm thick chromium. Micrometer sized silver square pattern was defined using e-beam lithography and then the film was annealed at 200°C. Raw images were restored using electric field distribution produced on the surface of random nano-islands. Nano-islands were modeled from SEM images. 488-nm p-polarized light source was set to be incident at 60°. Simulation results show that localized electric fields were created among nano-islands and that their average size was found to be 135 nm. The feasibility was tested using conventional total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy while the angle of incidence was adjusted to maximize field enhancement. Mouse microphage cells were cultured on nano-islands, and actin filaments were selectively stained with FITC-conjugated phalloidin. Acquired images were deconvolved based on linear imaging theory, in which molecular distribution was sampled by randomly distributed localized near-field and blurred by point spread function of far-field optics. The optimum fluorophore distribution was probabilistically estimated by repetitively matching a raw image. The deconvolved images are estimated to have a resolution in the range of 100-150 nm largely determined by the size of localized near-fields. We also discuss and compare the results with images acquired with periodic nano-aperture arrays in various optical configurations to excite localized plasmonic fields and to produce super-resolved molecular images.

Surface green function matching for a three-dimensional non-local continuum

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Idiodi, J.O.A.

1985-07-01

With a view toward helping to bridge the gap, from the continuum side, between discrete and continuum models of crystalline, elastic solids, explicit results are presented for non-local stress tensors that describe exactly some lattice dynamical models that have been widely used in the literature for cubic lattices. The Surface Green Function Matching (SGFM) method, which has been used successfully for a variety of surface problems, is then extended, within a continuum approach, to a non-local continuum that models a three-dimensional discrete lattice. The practical use of the method is demonstrated by performing a fairly complete analytical study of the vibrational surface modes of the SCC semi-infinite medium. Some results are presented for the [100] direction of the (001) surface of the SCC lattice. (author)

Non-destructive local determination of doping additions and main components in single crystals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ehksperiandova, L.P.; Blank, A.B.; Kukhtina, N.N.; Afanasiadi, L.I.

1994-01-01

Procedures for local non-destructive determination of elements in optical and scintillation single crystals are developed. They are applied for determination of the main components (in cadmium tungstate) and doping additions (tellurium in zinc selenide, europium in gadolinium silicate). The metrological characteristics of the developed micro-analysis methods are estimated. Segregation of the main components and doping additions in the objects under consideration are investigated. Tellurium is found to be distributed uniformly on the cross-sections of bulk zinc selenide single crystals. The segregation of europium along gadolinium silicate ingots is almost absent. On the cross-section surface of cadmium tungstate single crystals the microregions are found characterized by the prevailing contents of cadmium or tungsten

LSAH: a fast and efficient local surface feature for point cloud registration

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Rongrong; Zhu, Feng; Wu, Qingxiao; Kong, Yanzi

2018-04-01

Point cloud registration is a fundamental task in high level three dimensional applications. Noise, uneven point density and varying point cloud resolutions are the three main challenges for point cloud registration. In this paper, we design a robust and compact local surface descriptor called Local Surface Angles Histogram (LSAH) and propose an effectively coarse to fine algorithm for point cloud registration. The LSAH descriptor is formed by concatenating five normalized sub-histograms into one histogram. The five sub-histograms are created by accumulating a different type of angle from a local surface patch respectively. The experimental results show that our LSAH is more robust to uneven point density and point cloud resolutions than four state-of-the-art local descriptors in terms of feature matching. Moreover, we tested our LSAH based coarse to fine algorithm for point cloud registration. The experimental results demonstrate that our algorithm is robust and efficient as well.

The Morphology, Dynamics and Potential Hotspots of Land Surface Temperature at a Local Scale in Urban Areas

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jiong Wang

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Current characterization of the Urban Heat Island (UHI remains insufficient to support the effective mitigation and adaptation of increasing temperatures in urban areas. Planning and design strategies are restricted to the investigation of temperature anomalies at a city scale. By focusing on Land Surface Temperature of Wuhan, China, this research examines the temperature variations locally where mitigation and adaptation would be more feasible. It shows how local temperature anomalies can be identified morphologically. Technically, the MODerate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer satellite image products are used. They are first considered as noisy observations of the latent temperature patterns. The continuous latent patterns of the temperature are then recovered from these discrete observations by using the non-parametric Multi-Task Gaussian Process Modeling. The Multi-Scale Shape Index is then applied in the area of focus to extract the local morphological features. A triplet of shape, curvedness and temperature is formed as the criteria to extract local heat islands. The behavior of the local heat islands can thus be quantified morphologically. The places with critical deformations are identified as hotpots. The hotspots with certain yearly behavior are further associated with land surface composition to determine effective mitigation and adaptation strategies. This research can assist in the temperature and planning field on two levels: (1 the local land surface temperature patterns are characterized by decomposing the variations into fundamental deformation modes to allow a process-based understanding of the dynamics; and (2 the characterization at local scale conforms to planning and design conventions where mitigation and adaptation strategies are supposed to be more practical. The weaknesses and limitations of the study are addressed in the closing section.

Electronically controllable spoof localized surface plasmons

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Yong Jin; Zhang, Chao; Yang, Liu; Xun Xiao, Qian

2017-10-01

Electronically controllable multipolar spoof localized surface plasmons (LSPs) are experimentally demonstrated in the microwave frequencies. It has been shown that half integer order LSPs modes exist on the corrugated ring loaded with a slit, which actually arise from the Fabry-Perot-like resonances. By mounting active components across the slit in the corrugated rings, electronic switchability and tunability of spoof LSPs modes have been accomplished. Both simulated and measured results demonstrate efficient dynamic control of the spoof LSPs. These elements may form the basis of highly integrated programmable plasmonic circuits in microwave and terahertz regimes.

Localized Donaldson-Thomas theory of surfaces

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gholampour, Amin; Sheshmani, Artan; Yau, Shing-Tung

2017-01-01

Let S be a projective simply connected complex surface and  be a line bundle on S. We study the moduli space of stable compactly supported 2-dimensional sheaves on the total spaces of . The moduli space admits a ℂ∗-action induced by scaling the fibers of . We identify certain components of the......  is the canonical bundle of S, the Vafa-Witten invariants defined recently by Tanaka-Thomas, can be extracted from these localized DT invariants. VW invariants are expected to have modular properties as predicted by S-duality....

Manipulating and Monitoring On-Surface Biological Reactions by Light-Triggered Local pH Alterations.

Science.gov (United States)

Peretz-Soroka, Hagit; Pevzner, Alexander; Davidi, Guy; Naddaka, Vladimir; Kwiat, Moria; Huppert, Dan; Patolsky, Fernando

2015-07-08

Significant research efforts have been dedicated to the integration of biological species with electronic elements to yield smart bioelectronic devices. The integration of DNA, proteins, and whole living cells and tissues with electronic devices has been developed into numerous intriguing applications. In particular, the quantitative detection of biological species and monitoring of biological processes are both critical to numerous areas of medical and life sciences. Nevertheless, most current approaches merely focus on the "monitoring" of chemical processes taking place on the sensing surfaces, and little efforts have been invested in the conception of sensitive devices that can simultaneously "control" and "monitor" chemical and biological reactions by the application of on-surface reversible stimuli. Here, we demonstrate the light-controlled fine modulation of surface pH by the use of photoactive molecularly modified nanomaterials. Through the use of nanowire-based FET devices, we showed the capability of modulating the on-surface pH, by intensity-controlled light stimulus. This allowed us simultaneously and locally to control and monitor pH-sensitive biological reactions on the nanodevices surfaces, such as the local activation and inhibition of proteolytic enzymatic processes, as well as dissociation of antigen-antibody binding interactions. The demonstrated capability of locally modulating the on-surface effective pH, by a light stimuli, may be further applied in the local control of on-surface DNA hybridization/dehybridization processes, activation or inhibition of living cells processes, local switching of cellular function, local photoactivation of neuronal networks with single cell resolution and so forth.

Localized surface phonon polariton resonances in polar gallium nitride

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Feng, Kaijun, E-mail: kfeng@nd.edu; Islam, S. M.; Verma, Jai; Hoffman, Anthony J. [Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556 (United States); Streyer, William; Wasserman, Daniel [Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801 (United States); Jena, Debdeep [Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556 (United States); School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14850 (United States)

2015-08-24

We demonstrate the excitation of localized surface phonon polaritons in an array of sub-diffraction pucks fabricated in an epitaxial layer of gallium nitride (GaN) on a silicon carbide (SiC) substrate. The array is characterized via polarization- and angle-dependent reflection spectroscopy in the mid-infrared, and coupling to several localized modes is observed in the GaN Reststrahlen band (13.4–18.0 μm). The same structure is simulated using finite element methods and the charge density of the modes are studied; transverse dipole modes are identified for the transverse electric and magnetic polarizations and a quadrupole mode is identified for the transverse magnetic polarization. The measured mid-infrared spectrum agrees well with numerically simulated spectra. This work could enable optoelectronic structures and devices that support surface modes at mid- and far-infrared wavelengths.

Localized surface plate modes via flexural Mie resonances

KAUST Repository

Farhat, M.

2017-05-11

Surface-plasmon polaritons are naturally generated upon excitation of metals with high-frequency electromagnetic waves. However, the concept of spoof plasmons has made it possible to generate plasmoniclike effects in microwave electrodynamics, magnetics, and even acoustics. Similarly, in this paper, the concept of localized surface plate modes (SPMs) is introduced. It is demonstrated that SPMs can be generated on a two-dimensional (clamped or stress-free) cylindrical surface with subwavelength corrugations, which resides on a thin elastic plate, under excitation by an incident flexural plane wave. Numerical characterization of this corrugated rigid structure shows that it is elastically equivalent to a cylindrical scatterer with dispersive but uniformly negative flexural rigidity. This, indeed, suggests that plasmoniclike elastic materials can be engineered with potential applications in various areas including earthquake sensing and elastic imaging and cloaking.

Localized surface plate modes via flexural Mie resonances

KAUST Repository

Farhat, M.; Chen, P. -Y.; Guenneau, S.; Salama, Khaled N.; Bagci, Hakan

2017-01-01

Surface-plasmon polaritons are naturally generated upon excitation of metals with high-frequency electromagnetic waves. However, the concept of spoof plasmons has made it possible to generate plasmoniclike effects in microwave electrodynamics, magnetics, and even acoustics. Similarly, in this paper, the concept of localized surface plate modes (SPMs) is introduced. It is demonstrated that SPMs can be generated on a two-dimensional (clamped or stress-free) cylindrical surface with subwavelength corrugations, which resides on a thin elastic plate, under excitation by an incident flexural plane wave. Numerical characterization of this corrugated rigid structure shows that it is elastically equivalent to a cylindrical scatterer with dispersive but uniformly negative flexural rigidity. This, indeed, suggests that plasmoniclike elastic materials can be engineered with potential applications in various areas including earthquake sensing and elastic imaging and cloaking.

Adaptive local surface refinement based on LR NURBS and its application to contact

Science.gov (United States)

Zimmermann, Christopher; Sauer, Roger A.

2017-12-01

A novel adaptive local surface refinement technique based on Locally Refined Non-Uniform Rational B-Splines (LR NURBS) is presented. LR NURBS can model complex geometries exactly and are the rational extension of LR B-splines. The local representation of the parameter space overcomes the drawback of non-existent local refinement in standard NURBS-based isogeometric analysis. For a convenient embedding into general finite element codes, the Bézier extraction operator for LR NURBS is formulated. An automatic remeshing technique is presented that allows adaptive local refinement and coarsening of LR NURBS. In this work, LR NURBS are applied to contact computations of 3D solids and membranes. For solids, LR NURBS-enriched finite elements are used to discretize the contact surfaces with LR NURBS finite elements, while the rest of the body is discretized by linear Lagrange finite elements. For membranes, the entire surface is discretized by LR NURBS. Various numerical examples are shown, and they demonstrate the benefit of using LR NURBS: Compared to uniform refinement, LR NURBS can achieve high accuracy at lower computational cost.

Estimating local atmosphere-surface fluxes using eddy covariance and numerical Ogive optimization

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sievers, Jakob; Papakyriakou, Tim; Larsen, Søren

2014-01-01

Estimating representative surface-fluxes using eddy covariance leads invariably to questions concerning inclusion or exclusion of low-frequency flux contributions. For studies where fluxes are linked to local physical parameters and up-scaled through numerical modeling efforts, low-frequency cont......Estimating representative surface-fluxes using eddy covariance leads invariably to questions concerning inclusion or exclusion of low-frequency flux contributions. For studies where fluxes are linked to local physical parameters and up-scaled through numerical modeling efforts, low...

Localization of endocardial ectopic activity by means of noninvasive endocardial surface current density reconstruction

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lai Dakun; Liu Chenguang; Eggen, Michael D; He Bin [Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Minnesota, MN (United States); Iaizzo, Paul A, E-mail: binhe@umn.edu [Department of Surgery, University of Minnesota, MN (United States)

2011-07-07

Localization of the source of cardiac ectopic activity has direct clinical benefits for determining the location of the corresponding ectopic focus. In this study, a recently developed current-density (CD)-based localization approach was experimentally evaluated in noninvasively localizing the origin of the cardiac ectopic activity from body-surface potential maps (BSPMs) in a well-controlled experimental setting. The cardiac ectopic activities were induced in four well-controlled intact pigs by single-site pacing at various sites within the left ventricle (LV). In each pacing study, the origin of the induced ectopic activity was localized by reconstructing the CD distribution on the endocardial surface of the LV from the measured BSPMs and compared with the estimated single moving dipole (SMD) solution and precise pacing site (PS). Over the 60 analyzed beats corresponding to ten pacing sites (six for each), the mean and standard deviation of the distance between the locations of maximum CD value and the corresponding PSs were 16.9 mm and 4.6 mm, respectively. In comparison, the averaged distance between the SMD locations and the corresponding PSs was slightly larger (18.4 {+-} 3.4 mm). The obtained CD distribution of activated sources extending from the stimulus site also showed high consistency with the endocardial potential maps estimated by a minimally invasive endocardial mapping system. The present experimental results suggest that the CD method is able to locate the approximate site of the origin of a cardiac ectopic activity, and that the distribution of the CD can portray the propagation of early activation of an ectopic beat.

Demographic and Socio-Economic Determinants of Local Financial Autonomy in Romania

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dănuţ Vasile JEMNA

2013-06-01

Full Text Available Local autonomy is a rarely explored concept in the literature, still holding an increasing importance in the current context of Romania’s development in the European Union. In this paper we attempt to provide an overall survey on the financial dimension of local autonomy, assuming that local autonomy cannot be implemented, unless local authorities have adequate financial resources. In this study we also analyze the possibility to measure the local revenue autonomy and to identify the variables which represent the determinants of the local revenue autonomy. Using empirical evidence from Romanian counties, we analyze the regional distributions for own revenues and for the significant determinants of local revenue autonomy. By means of econometric modeling we will highlight the variables which are statistically significant and explain the variation of the local revenues of Romanian counties, as well as the order of importance of the determinants of local financial autonomy. The empirical results show us that, although, theoretically, the counties have a great administrative and financial autonomy, practically this autonomy is very reduced (an average of under 40% for local revenue. The modeling results show that the degree of local financial autonomy can be increased by increasing economic development, urbanization, the average living area per person and fertility. Unemployment and a high level of demographic dependency contribute to the decrease of local financial autonomy.

Effect of the local morphology in the field emission properties of conducting polymer surfaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

De Assis, T A; Borondo, F; Benito, R M; Losada, J C; Andrade, R F S; Miranda, J G V; De Souza, Nara C; De Castilho, C M C; De B Mota, F

2013-01-01

In this work, we present systematic theoretical evidence of a relationship between the point local roughness exponent (PLRE) (which quantifies the heterogeneity of an irregular surface) and the cold field emission properties (indicated by the local current density and the macroscopic current density) of real polyaniline (PANI) surfaces, considered nowadays as very good candidates in the design of field emission devices. The latter are obtained from atomic force microscopy data. The electric field and potential are calculated in a region bounded by the rough PANI surface and a distant plane, both boundaries held at distinct potential values. We numerically solve Laplace’s equation subject to appropriate Dirichlet’s condition. Our results show that local roughness reveals the presence of specific sharp emitting spots with a smooth geometry, which are the main ones responsible (but not the only) for the emission efficiency of such surfaces for larger deposition times. Moreover, we have found, with a proper choice of a scale interval encompassing the experimentally measurable average grain length, a highly structured dependence of local current density on PLRE, considering different ticks of PANI surfaces. (paper)

Surface-enhanced localized surface plasmon resonance biosensing of avian influenza DNA hybridization using subwavelength metallic nanoarrays

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Shin Ae; Jang, Sung Min; Kim, Sung June [School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-742 (Korea, Republic of); Byun, Kyung Min [Department of Biomedical Engineering, Kyung Hee University, Yongin 446-701 (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Kyujung; Kim, Donghyun [Program of Nanomedical Science and Technology, Yonsei University, Seoul 120-749 (Korea, Republic of); Ma, Kyungjae; Oh, Youngjin [School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Yonsei University, Seoul 120-749 (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Sung Guk [College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853 (United States); Shuler, Michael L, E-mail: kmbyun@khu.ac.kr [Department of Biomedical Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853 (United States)

2010-09-03

We demonstrated enhanced localized surface plasmon resonance (SPR) biosensing based on subwavelength gold nanoarrays built on a thin gold film. Arrays of nanogratings (1D) and nanoholes (2D) with a period of 200 nm were fabricated by electron-beam lithography and used for the detection of avian influenza DNA hybridization. Experimental results showed that both nanoarrays provided significant sensitivity improvement and, especially, 1D nanogratings exhibited higher SPR signal amplification compared with 2D nanohole arrays. The sensitivity enhancement is associated with changes in surface-limited reaction area and strong interactions between bound molecules and localized plasmon fields. Our approach is expected to improve both the sensitivity and sensing resolution and can be applicable to label-free detection of DNA without amplification by polymerase chain reaction.

Synthesis methods of gold nanoparticles for Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance (LSPR sensor applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Samsuri Nurul Diyanah

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Gold nanoparticles (GNPs have been known as an excellent characteristic for Local Surface Plasmon Resonance (LSPR sensors due to their sensitive spectral response to the local environment of the nanoparticle surface and ease of monitoring the light signal due to their strong scattering or absorption. Prior the technologies, GNPs based LSPR has been commercialized and have become a central tool for characterizing and quantifying in various field. In this review, we presented a brief introduction on the history of surface plasmon, the theory behind the surface plasmon resonance (SPR and the principles of LSPR. We also reported on the synthetization as well of the properties of the GNPs and the applications in current LSPR sensors.

3D Interest Point Detection using Local Surface Characteristics with Application in Action Recognition

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Holte, Michael Boelstoft

2014-01-01

. The proposed Difference-of-Normals (DoN) 3D IP detector operates on the surface mesh, and evaluates the surface structure (curvature) locally (per vertex) in the mesh data. We present an exam- ple of application in action recognition from a sequence of 3-dimensional geometrical data, where local 3D motion de...

Surface localization of the nuclear receptor CAR in influenza A virus-infected cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takahashi, Tadanobu; Moriyama, Yusuke; Ikari, Akira; Sugatani, Junko; Suzuki, Takashi; Miwa, Masao

2008-01-01

Constitutive active/androstane receptor CAR is a member of the nuclear receptors which regulate transcription of xenobiotic metabolism enzymes. CAR is usually localized in the cytosol and nucleus. Here, we found that CAR was localized at the cell surface of influenza A virus (IAV)-infected cells. Additionally, we demonstrated that expression of a viral envelope glycoprotein, either hemagglutinin (HA) or neuraminidase (NA), but not viral nucleoprotein (NP), was responsible for this localization. This report is the first demonstration of CAR at the surface of tissue culture cells, and suggests that CAR may exert the IAV infection mechanism

Amplification of Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering Due to Substrate-Mediated Localized Surface Plasmons in Gold Nanodimers

KAUST Repository

Yue, Weisheng

2017-03-28

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) is ubiquitous in chemical and biochemical sensing, imaging and identification. Maximizing SERS enhancement is a continuous effort focused on the design of appropriate SERS substrates. Here we show that significant improvement in a SERS signal can be achieved with substrates combining localized surface plasmon resonances and a nonresonant plasmonic substrate. By introducing a continuous gold (Au) film underneath Au nanodimers antenna arrays, an over 10-fold increase in SERS enhancement is demonstrated. Triangular, rectangle and disc dimers were studied, with bowtie antenna providing highest SERS enhancement. Simulations of electromagnetic field distributions of the Au nanodimers on the Au film support the observed enhancement dependences. The hybridization of localized plasmonic modes with the image modes in a metal film provides a straightforward way to improve SERS enhancement in designer SERS substrate.

Surface plasmon quantum cascade lasers as terahertz local oscillators

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hajenius, M.; Khosropanah, P.; Hovenier, J. N.; Gao, J. R.; Klapwijk, T. M.; Barbieri, S.; Dhillon, S.; Filloux, P.; Sirtori, C.; Ritchie, D. A.; Beere, H. E.

2008-01-01

We characterize a heterodyne receiver based on a surface-plasmon waveguide quantum cascade laser (QCL) emitting at 2.84 THz as a local oscillator, and an NbN hot electron bolometer as a mixer. We find that the envelope of the far-field pattern of the QCL is diffraction-limited and superimposed onto

Alpha-fetoprotein detection by using a localized surface plasmon coupled fluorescence fiber-optic biosensor

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Ying-Feng; Chen, Ran-Chou; Li, Ying-Chang; Yu, Chih-Jen; Hsieh, Bao-Yu; Chou, Chien

2007-11-01

Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) detection by using a localized surface plasmon coupled fluorescence (LSPCF) fiber-optic biosensor is setup and experimentally demonstrated. It is based on gold nanoparticle (GNP) and coupled with localized surface plasmon wave on the surface of GNP. In this experiment, the fluorophores are labeled on anti-AFP which are bound to protein A conjugated GNP. Thus, LSPCF is excited with high efficiency in the near field of localized surface plasmon wave. Therefore, not only the sensitivity of LSPCF biosensor is enhanced but also the specific selectivity of AFP is improved. Experimentally, the ability of real time measurement in the range of AFP concentration from 0.1ng/ml to 100ng/ml was detected. To compare with conventional methods such as enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) or radioimmunoassay (RIA), the LSPCF fiber-optic biosensor performs higher or comparable detection sensitivity, respectively.

The use of angle resolved electron and photon stimulated desorption for the determination of molecular structure at surfaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Madey, T.E.; Stockbauer, R.

1983-01-01

A brief review of recent data related to the use of angle-resolved electron stimulated desorption and photon stimulated desorption in determining the structures of molecules at surfaces is made. Examples include a variety of structural assignments based on ESIAD (electron stimulated desorption ion angular distributions), the observation of short-range local ordering effects induced in adsorbed molecules by surface impurities, and the application of photon stimulated desorption to both ionic and covalent adsorbate systems. (Author) [pt

Local mesh refinement for incompressible fluid flow with free surfaces

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Terasaka, H.; Kajiwara, H.; Ogura, K. [Tokyo Electric Power Company (Japan)] [and others

1995-09-01

A new local mesh refinement (LMR) technique has been developed and applied to incompressible fluid flows with free surface boundaries. The LMR method embeds patches of fine grid in arbitrary regions of interest. Hence, more accurate solutions can be obtained with a lower number of computational cells. This method is very suitable for the simulation of free surface movements because free surface flow problems generally require a finer computational grid to obtain adequate results. By using this technique, one can place finer grids only near the surfaces, and therefore greatly reduce the total number of cells and computational costs. This paper introduces LMR3D, a three-dimensional incompressible flow analysis code. Numerical examples calculated with the code demonstrate well the advantages of the LMR method.

Amplification of Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering Due to Substrate-Mediated Localized Surface Plasmons in Gold Nanodimers

KAUST Repository

Yue, Weisheng; Wang, Zhihong; Whittaker, John; Lopez-royo, Francisco; Yang, Yang; Zayats, Anatoly

2017-01-01

that significant improvement in a SERS signal can be achieved with substrates combining localized surface plasmon resonances and a nonresonant plasmonic substrate. By introducing a continuous gold (Au) film underneath Au nanodimers antenna arrays, an over 10-fold

Local adhesive surface properties studied by force microscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lekka, M.; Lekki, J.; Marszalek, M.; Stachura, Z.; Cleff, B.

1998-01-01

Scanning force microscopy was used in the contact mode to determine the adhesion force between a mica surface and a silicon nitride tip. The measurements were performed in an aqueous solution of sodium and calcium chlorides. The adhesion force according to the Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek theory depends on the competition between two kinds of forces: van der Waals and electrostatic 'double layer'. Two different curves of adhesion force versus salt concentration were obtained from the experiment with monovalent and divalent ions. The tip-surface adhesion force was determined from a statistical analysis of data obtained from the force vs. distance retracting curves. (author)

Determination of the fractal dimension surface of the fracture from SEM images with assistance of the computer image quantitative analysis system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wawszczak, J.

1999-01-01

This paper presents a procedure for quantitative image analysis for determination of the fractal dimension from SEM surface images of the fracture 0H14N5CuNb steel. Investigated quenched and tempered samples of the steel after impact tests (in room and -85 o C temperatures). This method can be useful for analysing local fractal dimension of any surface parts (not oriented) of the fracture with different topography of this surface. (author)

Determination of the plastic deformation and residual stress tensor distribution using surface and bulk intrinsic magnetic properties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hristoforou, E.; Svec, P. Sr.

2015-01-01

We have developed an unique method to provide the stress calibration curve in steels: performing flaw-less welding in the under examination steel, we obtained to determine the level of the local plastic deformation and the residual stress tensors. These properties where measured using both the X-ray and the neutron diffraction techniques, concerning their surface and bulk stresses type II (intra-grain stresses) respectively, as well as the stress tensor type III by using the electron diffraction technique. Measuring the distribution of these residual stresses along the length of a welded sample or structure, resulted in determining the local stresses from the compressive to tensile yield point. Local measurement of the intrinsic surface and bulk magnetic property tensors allowed for the un-hysteretic correlation. The dependence of these local magnetic tensors with the above mentioned local stress tensors, resulting in a unique and almost un-hysteretic stress calibration curve of each grade of steel. This calibration integrated the steel's mechanical and thermal history, as well as the phase transformations and the presence of precipitations occurring during the welding process.Additionally to that, preliminary results in different grade of steels reveal the existence of a universal law concerning the dependence of magnetic and magnetostrictive properties of steels on their plastic deformation and residual stress state, as they have been accumulated due to their mechanical and thermal fatigue and history. This universality is based on the unique dependence of the intrinsic magnetic properties of steels normalized with a certain magnetoelastic factor, upon the plastic deformation or residual stress state, which, in terms, is normalized with their yield point of stress. (authors)

Design parameters for measurements of local catalytic activity on surfaces

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Johansson, Martin; Johannessen, Tue; Jørgensen, Jan Hoffmann

2006-01-01

Computational fluid dynamics in combination with experiments is used to characterize a gas sampling device for measurements of the local catalytic activity on surfaces. The device basically consists of a quartz capillary mounted concentrically inside an aluminum tube. Reactant gas is blown toward......, the limits of the range in reaction rate, which can be Studied are estimated. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.......Computational fluid dynamics in combination with experiments is used to characterize a gas sampling device for measurements of the local catalytic activity on surfaces. The device basically consists of a quartz capillary mounted concentrically inside an aluminum tube. Reactant gas is blown toward...... limit for the lateral resolution of the measurement, and that a flow rate of the order of 240 (ml/min)(n) is sufficient to achieve this resolution. The sensitivity is reasonable also with high flow rates, due to the presence of a pocket of stagnant gas under the tip of the capillary. Furthermore...

Adsorptive removal of crystal violet dye by a local clay and process optimization by response surface methodology

Science.gov (United States)

Loqman, Amal; El Bali, Brahim; Lützenkirchen, Johannes; Weidler, Peter G.; Kherbeche, Abdelhak

2017-11-01

The current study relates to the removal of a dye [crystal violet (CV)] from aqueous solutions through batch adsorption experiment onto a local clay from Morocco. The clay was characterized by X-ray diffraction, IR spectroscopy, X-ray fluorescence, scanning electron microscope, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller analysis and Fraunhofer diffraction method. The influence of independent variables on the removal efficiency was determined and optimized by response surface methodology using the Box-Behnken surface statistical design. The model predicted maximum adsorption of 81.62% under the optimum conditions of operational parameters (125 mg L-1 initial dye concentration, 2.5 g L-1 adsorbent dose and time of 43 min). Practically, the removal ranges in 27.4-95.3%.

An interactive local flattening operator to support digital investigations on artwork surfaces.

Science.gov (United States)

Pietroni, Nico; Massimiliano, Corsini; Cignoni, Paolo; Scopigno, Roberto

2011-12-01

Analyzing either high-frequency shape detail or any other 2D fields (scalar or vector) embedded over a 3D geometry is a complex task, since detaching the detail from the overall shape can be tricky. An alternative approach is to move to the 2D space, resolving shape reasoning to easier image processing techniques. In this paper we propose a novel framework for the analysis of 2D information distributed over 3D geometry, based on a locally smooth parametrization technique that allows us to treat local 3D data in terms of image content. The proposed approach has been implemented as a sketch-based system that allows to design with a few gestures a set of (possibly overlapping) parameterizations of rectangular portions of the surface. We demonstrate that, due to the locality of the parametrization, the distortion is under an acceptable threshold, while discontinuities can be avoided since the parametrized geometry is always homeomorphic to a disk. We show the effectiveness of the proposed technique to solve specific Cultural Heritage (CH) tasks: the analysis of chisel marks over the surface of a unfinished sculpture and the local comparison of multiple photographs mapped over the surface of an artwork. For this very difficult task, we believe that our framework and the corresponding tool are the first steps toward a computer-based shape reasoning system, able to support CH scholars with a medium they are more used to. © 2011 IEEE

The microfluidic probe: operation and use for localized surface processing.

Science.gov (United States)

Perrault, Cecile M; Qasaimeh, Mohammad A; Juncker, David

2009-06-04

Microfluidic devices allow assays to be performed using minute amounts of sample and have recently been used to control the microenvironment of cells. Microfluidics is commonly associated with closed microchannels which limit their use to samples that can be introduced, and cultured in the case of cells, within a confined volume. On the other hand, micropipetting system have been used to locally perfuse cells and surfaces, notably using push-pull setups where one pipette acts as source and the other one as sink, but the confinement of the flow is difficult in three dimensions. Furthermore, pipettes are fragile and difficult to position and hence are used in static configuration only. The microfluidic probe (MFP) circumvents the constraints imposed by the construction of closed microfluidic channels and instead of enclosing the sample into the microfluidic system, the microfluidic flow can be directly delivered onto the sample, and scanned across the sample, using the MFP. . The injection and aspiration openings are located within a few tens of micrometers of one another so that a microjet injected into the gap is confined by the hydrodynamic forces of the surrounding liquid and entirely aspirated back into the other opening. The microjet can be flushed across the substrate surface and provides a precise tool for localized deposition/delivery of reagents which can be used over large areas by scanning the probe across the surface. In this video we present the microfluidic probe (MFP). We explain in detail how to assemble the MFP, mount it atop an inverted microscope, and align it relative to the substrate surface, and finally show how to use it to process a substrate surface immersed in a buffer.

Recursive grid partitioning on a cortical surface model: an optimized technique for the localization of implanted subdural electrodes.

Science.gov (United States)

Pieters, Thomas A; Conner, Christopher R; Tandon, Nitin

2013-05-01

Precise localization of subdural electrodes (SDEs) is essential for the interpretation of data from intracranial electrocorticography recordings. Blood and fluid accumulation underneath the craniotomy flap leads to a nonlinear deformation of the brain surface and of the SDE array on postoperative CT scans and adversely impacts the accurate localization of electrodes located underneath the craniotomy. Older methods that localize electrodes based on their identification on a postimplantation CT scan with coregistration to a preimplantation MR image can result in significant problems with accuracy of the electrode localization. The authors report 3 novel methods that rely on the creation of a set of 3D mesh models to depict the pial surface and a smoothed pial envelope. Two of these new methods are designed to localize electrodes, and they are compared with 6 methods currently in use to determine their relative accuracy and reliability. The first method involves manually localizing each electrode using digital photographs obtained at surgery. This is highly accurate, but requires time intensive, operator-dependent input. The second uses 4 electrodes localized manually in conjunction with an automated, recursive partitioning technique to localize the entire electrode array. The authors evaluated the accuracy of previously published methods by applying the methods to their data and comparing them against the photograph-based localization. Finally, the authors further enhanced the usability of these methods by using automatic parcellation techniques to assign anatomical labels to individual electrodes as well as by generating an inflated cortical surface model while still preserving electrode locations relative to the cortical anatomy. The recursive grid partitioning had the least error compared with older methods (672 electrodes, 6.4-mm maximum electrode error, 2.0-mm mean error, p < 10(-18)). The maximum errors derived using prior methods of localization ranged from 8

Structure determination by photoelectron diffraction of small molecules on surfaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Booth, N.A.

1998-05-01

The synchrotron radiation based technique of Photoelectron Diffraction (PhD) has been applied to three adsorption systems. Structure determinations, are presented for each system which involve the adsorption of small molecules on the low index {110} plane of single crystal Cu and Ni substrates. For the NH 3 -Cu(110) system PhD was successful in determining a N-Cu bondlength of 2.05 ± 0.03 A as well as values for the anisotropic vibrational amplitudes of the N and an expansion of the 1st to 2nd Cu substrate layer spacing from the bulk value of 0.08 ± 0.08 A. The most significant and surprising structural parameter determined for this system was that the N atom occupies an asymmetric adsorption site. Rather than being situated in the expected high symmetry atop site the N atom was found to be offset parallel to the surface by 0.37 ± 0.12 A in the [001] azimuth. In studying the glycine-Cu(110) system the adsorption structure of an amino-acid has been quantified. The local adsorption geometries of all the atoms involved in the molecule to surface bond have been determined. The glycine molecule is found to be bonded to the surface via both its amino and carboxylate functional groups. The molecule straddles two [11-bar0] rows of the Cu substrate. The two O atoms are found to be in identical sites both approximately atop Cu atoms on the [11-bar0] rows offset parallel to the surface by 0.80 ± 0.05 A in the [001] azimuth, the O-Cu bondlength was found to be 2.03 ± 0.05 A. The N atom was also found to adsorb in an approximately atop geometry but offset parallel to the surface by 0.24 ± 0.10A in the [11-bar0] direction, the N-Cu bondlength was found to be 2.05± 0.05 A. PhD was unsuccessful in determining the positions of the two C atoms that form a bridge between the two functional groups bonded to the surface due to difficulties in separating the two inequivalent contributions to the final intensity modulation function. For the CN-Ni(110) system both PhD and Near Edge

An Improved Local Gradient Method for Sea Surface Wind Direction Retrieval from SAR Imagery

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lizhang Zhou

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Sea surface wind affects the fluxes of energy, mass and momentum between the atmosphere and ocean, and therefore regional and global weather and climate. With various satellite microwave sensors, sea surface wind can be measured with large spatial coverage in almost all-weather conditions, day or night. Like any other remote sensing measurements, sea surface wind measurement is also indirect. Therefore, it is important to develop appropriate wind speed and direction retrieval models for different types of microwave instruments. In this paper, a new sea surface wind direction retrieval method from synthetic aperture radar (SAR imagery is developed. In the method, local gradients are computed in frequency domain by combining the operation of smoothing and computing local gradients in one step to simplify the process and avoid the difference approximation. This improved local gradients (ILG method is compared with the traditional two-dimensional fast Fourier transform (2D FFT method and local gradients (LG method, using interpolating wind directions from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecast (ECMWF reanalysis data and the Cross-Calibrated Multi-Platform (CCMP wind vector product. The sensitivities to the salt-and-pepper noise, the additive noise and the multiplicative noise are analyzed. The ILG method shows a better performance of retrieval wind directions than the other two methods.

Local Adaptive Calibration of the GLASS Surface Incident Shortwave Radiation Product Using Smoothing Spline

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, X.; Liang, S.; Wang, G.

2015-12-01

Incident solar radiation (ISR) over the Earth's surface plays an important role in determining the Earth's climate and environment. Generally, can be obtained from direct measurements, remotely sensed data, or reanalysis and general circulation models (GCMs) data. Each type of product has advantages and limitations: the surface direct measurements provide accurate but sparse spatial coverage, whereas other global products may have large uncertainties. Ground measurements have been normally used for validation and occasionally calibration, but transforming their "true values" spatially to improve the satellite products is still a new and challenging topic. In this study, an improved thin-plate smoothing spline approach is presented to locally "calibrate" the Global LAnd Surface Satellite (GLASS) ISR product using the reconstructed ISR data from surface meteorological measurements. The influences of surface elevation on ISR estimation was also considered in the proposed method. The point-based surface reconstructed ISR was used as the response variable, and the GLASS ISR product and the surface elevation data at the corresponding locations as explanatory variables to train the thin plate spline model. We evaluated the performance of the approach using the cross-validation method at both daily and monthly time scales over China. We also evaluated estimated ISR based on the thin-plate spline method using independent ground measurements at 10 sites from the Coordinated Enhanced Observation Network (CEON). These validation results indicated that the thin plate smoothing spline method can be effectively used for calibrating satellite derived ISR products using ground measurements to achieve better accuracy.

Gold Nanoparticles with Externally Controlled, Reversible Shifts of Local Surface Plasmon Resonance Bands

Science.gov (United States)

Yavuz, Mustafa S.; Jensen, Gary C.; Penaloza, David P.; Seery, Thomas A. P.; Pendergraph, Samuel A.; Rusling, James F.; Sotzing, Gregory A.

2010-01-01

We have achieved reversible tunability of local surface plasmon resonance in conjugated polymer functionalized gold nanoparticles. This property was facilitated by the preparation of 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene (EDOT) containing polynorbornene brushes on gold nanoparticles via surface-initiated ring-opening metathesis polymerization. Reversible tuning of the surface plasmon band was achieved by electrochemically switching the EDOT polymer between its reduced and oxidized states. PMID:19839619

Surface association and the MreB cytoskeleton regulate pilus production, localization and function in Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Science.gov (United States)

Cowles, Kimberly N; Gitai, Zemer

2010-06-01

Spatial organization of bacterial proteins influences many cellular processes, including division, chromosome segregation and motility. Virulence-associated proteins also localize to specific destinations within bacterial cells. However, the functions and mechanisms of virulence factor localization remain largely unknown. In this work, we demonstrate that polar assembly of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 type IV pilus is regulated by surface association in a manner that affects gene transcription, protein levels and protein localization. We also uncover one mechanism for this regulation that acts through the actin homologue MreB. Inactivation of MreB leads to mislocalization of the pilus retraction ATPase PilT, mislocalization of the pili themselves and a reduction in motility. Furthermore, the role of MreB in polar localization of PilT is modulated by surface association, corroborating our results that environmental factors influence the regulation of pilus production. Specifically, MreB mediates both the initiation and maintenance of PilT localization when cells are grown in suspension but only affects the initiation of localization when cells are grown on a surface. Together, these results suggest that the bacterial cytoskeleton provides a mechanism for the polar localization of P. aeruginosa pili and demonstrate that protein localization may represent an important aspect of virulence factor regulation in bacterial pathogens.

Surface temperature and surface heat flux determination of the inverse heat conduction problem for a slab

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuroyanagi, Toshiyuki

1983-07-01

Based on an idea that surface conditions should be a reflection of interior temperature and interior heat flux variation as inverse as interior conditions has been determined completely by the surface temperature and/on surface heat flux as boundary conditions, a method is presented for determining the surface temperature and the surface heat flux of a solid when the temperature and heat flux at an interior point are a prescribed function of time. The method is developed by the integration of Duhumels' integral which has unknown temperature or unknown heat flux in its integrand. Specific forms of surface condition determination are developed for a sample inverse problem: slab. Ducussing the effect of a degree of avairable informations at an interior point due to damped system and the effect of variation of surface conditions on those formulations, it is shown that those formulations are capable of representing the unknown surface conditions except for small time interval followed by discontinuous change of surface conditions. The small un-resolved time interval is demonstrated by a numerical example. An evaluation method of heat flux at an interior point, which is requested by those formulations, is discussed. (author)

Local antiferromagnetic exchange and collaborative Fermi surface as key ingredients of high temperature superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Jiangping; Ding, Hong

2012-01-01

Cuprates, ferropnictides and ferrochalcogenides are three classes of unconventional high temperature superconductors, who share similar phase diagrams in which superconductivity develops after a magnetic order is suppressed, suggesting a strong interplay between superconductivity and magnetism, although the exact picture of this interplay remains elusive. Here we show that there is a direct bridge connecting antiferromagnetic exchange interactions determined in the parent compounds of these materials to the superconducting gap functions observed in the corresponding superconducting materials: in all high temperature superconductors, the Fermi surface topology matches the form factor of the pairing symmetry favored by local magnetic exchange interactions. We suggest that this match offers a principle guide to search for new high temperature superconductors. PMID:22536479

Detecting local ligand-binding site similarity in nonhomologous proteins by surface patch comparison.

Science.gov (United States)

Sael, Lee; Kihara, Daisuke

2012-04-01

Functional elucidation of proteins is one of the essential tasks in biology. Function of a protein, specifically, small ligand molecules that bind to a protein, can be predicted by finding similar local surface regions in binding sites of known proteins. Here, we developed an alignment free local surface comparison method for predicting a ligand molecule which binds to a query protein. The algorithm, named Patch-Surfer, represents a binding pocket as a combination of segmented surface patches, each of which is characterized by its geometrical shape, the electrostatic potential, the hydrophobicity, and the concaveness. Representing a pocket by a set of patches is effective to absorb difference of global pocket shape while capturing local similarity of pockets. The shape and the physicochemical properties of surface patches are represented using the 3D Zernike descriptor, which is a series expansion of mathematical 3D function. Two pockets are compared using a modified weighted bipartite matching algorithm, which matches similar patches from the two pockets. Patch-Surfer was benchmarked on three datasets, which consist in total of 390 proteins that bind to one of 21 ligands. Patch-Surfer showed superior performance to existing methods including a global pocket comparison method, Pocket-Surfer, which we have previously introduced. Particularly, as intended, the accuracy showed large improvement for flexible ligand molecules, which bind to pockets in different conformations. Copyright © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Determining Chronic Disease Prevalence in Local Populations Using Emergency Department Surveillance.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, David C; Long, Judith A; Wall, Stephen P; Carr, Brendan G; Satchell, Samantha N; Braithwaite, R Scott; Elbel, Brian

2015-09-01

We sought to improve public health surveillance by using a geographic analysis of emergency department (ED) visits to determine local chronic disease prevalence. Using an all-payer administrative database, we determined the proportion of unique ED patients with diabetes, hypertension, or asthma. We compared these rates to those determined by the New York City Community Health Survey. For diabetes prevalence, we also analyzed the fidelity of longitudinal estimates using logistic regression and determined disease burden within census tracts using geocoded addresses. We identified 4.4 million unique New York City adults visiting an ED between 2009 and 2012. When we compared our emergency sample to survey data, rates of neighborhood diabetes, hypertension, and asthma prevalence were similar (correlation coefficient = 0.86, 0.88, and 0.77, respectively). In addition, our method demonstrated less year-to-year scatter and identified significant variation of disease burden within neighborhoods among census tracts. Our method for determining chronic disease prevalence correlates with a validated health survey and may have higher reliability over time and greater granularity at a local level. Our findings can improve public health surveillance by identifying local variation of disease prevalence.

The charge-asymmetric nonlocally determined local-electric (CANDLE) solvation model

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sundararaman, Ravishankar; Goddard, William A. [Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis, Pasadena, California 91125 (United States)

2015-02-14

Many important applications of electronic structure methods involve molecules or solid surfaces in a solvent medium. Since explicit treatment of the solvent in such methods is usually not practical, calculations often employ continuum solvation models to approximate the effect of the solvent. Previous solvation models either involve a parametrization based on atomic radii, which limits the class of applicable solutes, or based on solute electron density, which is more general but less accurate, especially for charged systems. We develop an accurate and general solvation model that includes a cavity that is a nonlocal functional of both solute electron density and potential, local dielectric response on this nonlocally determined cavity, and nonlocal approximations to the cavity-formation and dispersion energies. The dependence of the cavity on the solute potential enables an explicit treatment of the solvent charge asymmetry. With four parameters per solvent, this “CANDLE” model simultaneously reproduces solvation energies of large datasets of neutral molecules, cations, and anions with a mean absolute error of 1.8 kcal/mol in water and 3.0 kcal/mol in acetonitrile.

Localized Surface Plasmon-Enhanced Electroluminescence in OLEDs by Self-Assembly Ag Nanoparticle Film

Science.gov (United States)

He, Xiaoxiao; Wang, Wenjun; Li, Shuhong; Wang, Qingru; Zheng, Wanquan; Shi, Qiang; Liu, Yunlong

2015-12-01

We fabricated Ag nanoparticle (NP) film in organic light emission diodes (OLEDs), and a 23 times increase in electroluminescence (EL) at 518 nm was probed by time-resolved EL measurement. The luminance and relative external quantum efficiency (REQE) were increased by 5.4 and 3.7 times, respectively. There comes a new energy transport way that localized surface plasmons (LSPs) would absorb energy that corresponds to the electron-hole pair before recombination, promoting the formation of electron-hole pair and exciting local surface plasmon resonance (LSPR). The extended lifetime of Alq3 indicates the existence of strong interaction between LSPR and exciton, which decreases the nonradiative decay rate of OLEDs.

Experimental determination of local heat flux variation in an electrically heated BR-2 rod

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meyer, L.; Merschroth, F.

1977-08-01

The installation of thermocouples within the cladding of an electrically heated BR-2 rod might cause local variations of heat flux. In order to detect a resulting temperature variation at the outer surface, experiments with a single electrically heated rod with heat fluxes up to 30.80 W/cm 2 and heat transfer coefficients up to 1000 W/m 2 K by forced convection in air were conducted. The surface temperatures were measured with an optical pyrometer. The experiment showed about 0.6% variation in the surface temperature. An analysis with the TAC2D-code shows that local variation in the heat flux under these conditions is less than 1.2%. (orig.) [de

Copper plasmonics and catalysis: role of electron-phonon interactions in dephasing localized surface plasmons

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Qi-C.; Ding, Yuchen; Goodman, Samuel M.; H. Funke, Hans; Nagpal, Prashant

2014-10-01

Copper metal can provide an important alternative for the development of efficient, low-cost and low-loss plasmonic nanoparticles, and selective nanocatalysts. However, poor chemical stability and lack of insight into photophysics and plasmon decay mechanisms has impeded study. Here, we use smooth conformal ALD coating on copper nanoparticles to prevent surface oxidation, and study dephasing time for localized surface plasmons on different sized copper nanoparticles. Using dephasing time as a figure of merit, we elucidate the role of electron-electron, electron-phonon, impurity, surface and grain boundary scattering on the decay of localized surface plasmon waves. Using our quantitative analysis and different temperature dependent measurements, we show that electron-phonon interactions dominate over other scattering mechanisms in dephasing plasmon waves. While interband transitions in copper metal contributes substantially to plasmon losses, tuning surface plasmon modes to infrared frequencies leads to a five-fold enhancement in the quality factor. These findings demonstrate that conformal ALD coatings can improve the chemical stability for copper nanoparticles, even at high temperatures (>300 °C) in ambient atmosphere, and nanoscaled copper is a good alternative material for many potential applications in nanophotonics, plasmonics, catalysis and nanoscale electronics.Copper metal can provide an important alternative for the development of efficient, low-cost and low-loss plasmonic nanoparticles, and selective nanocatalysts. However, poor chemical stability and lack of insight into photophysics and plasmon decay mechanisms has impeded study. Here, we use smooth conformal ALD coating on copper nanoparticles to prevent surface oxidation, and study dephasing time for localized surface plasmons on different sized copper nanoparticles. Using dephasing time as a figure of merit, we elucidate the role of electron-electron, electron-phonon, impurity, surface and grain

Study of the local structure of binary surfaces by electron diffraction (XPS, LEED)

OpenAIRE

Gereová, Katarína

2006-01-01

Study of local structure of binary surface with usage of ultra-thin film of cerium deposited on a Pd (111) single-crystal surface is presented. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and diffraction (XPS, XPD), angle resolved UV photoemission spectroscopy (ARUPS) and low energy electron diffraction (LEED) was used for our investigations. LEED and X-ray excited photoemission intensities results represent a surface-geometrical structure. As well, mapping of ultra-violet photoelectron intensities as a...

Spin inelastic electron tunneling spectroscopy on local spin adsorbed on surface.

Science.gov (United States)

Fransson, J

2009-06-01

The recent experimental conductance measurements taken on magnetic impurities on metallic surfaces, using scanning tunneling microscopy technique and suggesting occurrence of inelastic scattering processes, are theoretically addressed. We argue that the observed conductance signatures are caused by transitions between the spin states that have opened due to, for example, exchange coupling between the local spins and the tunneling electrons, and are directly interpretable in terms of inelastic transitions energies. Feasible measurements using spin-polarized scanning tunneling microscopy that would enable new information about the excitation spectrum of the local spins are discussed.

Surface/state correspondence and bulk local operators in pp-wave holography

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nakwoo Kim

2015-12-01

Full Text Available We apply the surface/state correspondence proposal of Miyaji et al. to IIB pp-waves and propose that the bulk local operators should be instantonic D-branes. In line with ordinary AdS/CFT correspondence, the bulk local operators in pp-waves also create a hole, or a boundary, in the dual gauge theory as pointed out by H. Verlinde, and by Y. Nakayama and H. Ooguri. We also present simple calculations which illustrate how to extract the spacetime metric of pp-waves from instantonic D-branes in boundary state formalism.

Sex-specific local life-history adaptation in surface- and cave-dwelling Atlantic mollies (Poecilia mexicana).

Science.gov (United States)

Riesch, Rüdiger; Reznick, David N; Plath, Martin; Schlupp, Ingo

2016-03-10

Cavefishes have long been used as model organisms showcasing adaptive diversification, but does adaptation to caves also facilitate the evolution of reproductive isolation from surface ancestors? We raised offspring of wild-caught surface- and cave-dwelling ecotypes of the neotropical fish Poecilia mexicana to sexual maturity in a 12-month common garden experiment. Fish were raised under one of two food regimes (high vs. low), and this was crossed with differences in lighting conditions (permanent darkness vs. 12:12 h light:dark cycle) in a 2 × 2 factorial design, allowing us to elucidate potential patterns of local adaptation in life histories. Our results reveal a pattern of sex-specific local life-history adaptation: Surface molly females had the highest fitness in the treatment best resembling their habitat of origin (high food and a light:dark cycle), and suffered from almost complete reproductive failure in darkness, while cave molly females were not similarly affected in any treatment. Males of both ecotypes, on the other hand, showed only weak evidence for local adaptation. Nonetheless, local life-history adaptation in females likely contributes to ecological diversification in this system and other cave animals, further supporting the role of local adaptation due to strong divergent selection as a major force in ecological speciation.

Rayleigh oscillations localized near free surface of a fcc crystal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kosevich, A.M.; Matsokin, D.V.; Savotchenko, S.E.

1997-01-01

The waves, which are localized near the free (001) surface of a fcc crystal and propagate in the [110] direction, are described using the model of central interaction of the nearest neighbors. The frequencies of these waves come into the gaps within the frequency spectrum of bulk harmonic oscillations with a fixed wave vector k component along the surface. The long-wave limit and the case of wave vectors close to the Brillouin band boundary are studied analytically. These limit dependences are in agreement with other authors results which were obtained by numerical methods. Analytical calculations in the limit intervals of k are supplemented by numerical calculations for any values of the wave vector. It is essential that these waves have a displacement component which is perpendicular to the crystal surface and can, therefore, be studied by methods of He atoms inelastic scattering

Determination of local boiling in light water reactors by correlation of the neutron noise; Determination de l'ebullition locale dans les reacteurs a eau legere par correlation du bruit neutronique

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

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

1968-07-01

The power limit of swimming-pool type reactors depends on the phenomenon of the appearance of burn-out. In order to determine this limit we have attempted to detect the local boiling which usually occurs before the burn out. Local boiling has been simulated by an electrically heated plate placed in the core of the reactor Siloette. The study of local boiling, which is based on the properties of the correlation functions for the neutron noise of detectors placed in the core, shows that a privileged frequency occurs in the power spectrum of the noise. It is intended in the future to determine the influence of various parameters on this characteristic frequency. (author) [French] La limitation de la puissance des reacteurs nucleaires de type piscine est due au phenomene d'apparition de 'burn out'. Pour determiner cette limitation, nous nous sommes proposes dans ce rapport de detecter l'ebullition locale qui apparait generalement avant le 'burn out'. L'ebullition locale a ete simulee par une plaque chauffee electriquement et placee dans le coeur du reacteur SILOETTE. L'etude de l'ebullition locale, qui est basee sur les proprietes des fonctions de correlation du bruit neutronique de detecteurs places clans le coeur, fait apparaitre une frequence privilegiee dans le spectre de puissance du bruit. On envisage dans l'avenir, de determiner l'influence des divers parametres sur cette frequence caracteristique. (auteur)

A Microfluidic Chip Based on Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance for Real-Time Monitoring of Antigen-Antibody Reactions

Science.gov (United States)

Hiep, Ha Minh; Nakayama, Tsuyoshi; Saito, Masato; Yamamura, Shohei; Takamura, Yuzuru; Tamiya, Eiichi

2008-02-01

Localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) connecting to noble metal nanoparticles is an important issue for many analytical and biological applications. Therefore, the development of microfluidic LSPR chip that allows studying biomolecular interactions becomes an essential requirement for micro total analysis systems (µTAS) integration. However, miniaturized process of the conventional surface plasmon resonance system has been faced with some limitations, especially with the usage of Kretschmann configuration in total internal reflection mode. In this study, we have tried to solve this problem by proposing a novel microfluidic LSPR chip operated with a simple collinear optical system. The poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) based microfluidic chip was fabricated by soft-lithography technique and enables to interrogate specific insulin and anti-insulin antibody reaction in real-time after immobilizing antibody on its surface. Moreover, the sensing ability of microfluidic LSPR chip was also evaluated with various glucose concentrations. The kinetic constant of insulin and anti-insulin antibody was determined and the detection limit of 100 ng/mL insulin was archived.

Determination OF Economic Age OF Marketing Local | Ugwuene ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This study was conducted to determine the economic age of marketing for local broiler turkeys. The age groups used were 16, 20, 24 and 28 weeks. Three rations; turkey starter, grower and finisher were formulated. Eighty four poults were fed the three rations in the study which lasted 28 weeks. A Completely Randomised ...

Normal emission photoelectron diffraction: a new technique for determining surface structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kevan, S.D.

1980-05-01

One technique, photoelectron diffraction (PhD) is characterized. It has some promise in surmounting some of the problems of LEED. In PhD, the differential (angle-resolved) photoemission cross-section of a core level localized on an adsorbate atom is measured as a function of some final state parameter. The photoemission final state consists of two components, one of which propagates directly to the detector and another which scatters off the surface and then propagates to the detector. These are added coherently, and interference between the two manifests itself as cross-section oscillations which are sensitive to the local structure around the absorbing atom. We have shown that PhD deals effectively with two- and probably also three-dimensionally disordered systems. Its non-damaging and localized, atom-specific nature gives PhD a good deal of promise in dealing with molecular overlayer systems. It is concluded that while PhD will never replace LEED, it may provide useful, complementary and possibly also more accurate surface structural information

Role of SiC substrate surface on local tarnishing of deposited silver mirror stacks

Science.gov (United States)

Limam, Emna; Maurice, Vincent; Seyeux, Antoine; Zanna, Sandrine; Klein, Lorena H.; Chauveau, Grégory; Grèzes-Besset, Catherine; Savin De Larclause, Isabelle; Marcus, Philippe

2018-04-01

The role of the SiC substrate surface on the resistance to the local initiation of tarnishing of thin-layered silver stacks for demanding space mirror applications was studied by combined surface and interface analysis on model stack samples deposited by cathodic magnetron sputtering and submitted to accelerated aging in gaseous H2S. It is shown that suppressing the surface pores resulting from the bulk SiC material production process by surface pretreatment eliminates the high aspect ratio surface sites that are imperfectly protected by the SiO2 overcoat after the deposition of silver. The formation of channels connecting the silver layer to its environment through the failing protection layer at the surface pores and locally enabling H2S entry and Ag2S growth as columns until emergence at the stack surface is suppressed, which markedly delays tarnishing initiation and thereby preserves the optical performance. The results revealed that residual tarnishing initiation proceeds by a mechanism essentially identical in nature but involving different pathways short circuiting the protection layer and enabling H2S ingress until the silver layer. These permeation pathways are suggested to be of microstructural origin and could correspond to the incompletely coalesced intergranular boundaries of the SiO2 layer.

The impact of surface chemistry on the performance of localized solar-driven evaporation system.

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Shengtao; Zhang, Yao; Duan, Haoze; Liu, Yanming; Quan, Xiaojun; Tao, Peng; Shang, Wen; Wu, Jianbo; Song, Chengyi; Deng, Tao

2015-09-04

This report investigates the influence of surface chemistry (or wettability) on the evaporation performance of free-standing double-layered thin film on the surface of water. Such newly developed evaporation system is composed of top plasmonic light-to-heat conversion layer and bottom porous supporting layer. Under solar light illumination, the induced plasmonic heat will be localized within the film. By modulating the wettability of such evaporation system through the control of surface chemistry, the evaporation rates are differentiated between hydrophilized and hydrophobized anodic aluminum oxide membrane-based double layered thin films. Additionally, this work demonstrated that the evaporation rate mainly depends on the wettability of bottom supporting layer rather than that of top light-to-heat conversion layer. The findings in this study not only elucidate the role of surface chemistry of each layer of such double-layered evaporation system, but also provide additional design guidelines for such localized evaporation system in applications including desalination, distillation and power generation.

Local electrical properties of thermally grown oxide films formed on duplex stainless steel surfaces

Science.gov (United States)

Guo, L. Q.; Yang, B. J.; He, J. Y.; Qiao, L. J.

2018-06-01

The local electrical properties of thermally grown oxide films formed on ferrite and austenite surfaces of duplex stainless steel at different temperatures were investigated by Current sensing atomic force microscopy, X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) and Auger Electron Spectroscopy (AES). The current maps and XPS/AES analyses show that the oxide films covering austenite and ferrite surfaces formed at different temperatures exhibit different local electrical characteristics, thickness and composition. The dependence of electrical conductivity of oxide films covering austenite and ferrite surface on the formation temperature is attributed to the film thickness and semiconducting structures, which is intrinsically related to thermodynamics and kinetics process of film grown at different temperature. This is well elucidated by corresponding semiconductor band structures of oxide films formed on austenite and ferrite phases at different temperature.

Microcomputer-assisted determination of local blood flow by 133Xe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hoffschir, D.; Fayart, G.; Daburon, F.

1990-02-01

Acute local irradiations may induce extensive and delayed cutaneous and muscular ulcerations. We intended to study the prevalence of vascular factors in their pathogeny in an experimental model developed in pigs. Local clearance curves were assessed after intra-arterial administration of 133 Xe and transferred to a micro-computer. A program for poly-exponential curve fitting, written in Asyst langage, has been developed. An iterative curve stripping is performed conventionally and then the coefficients are more precisely determined using a Gauss-Newton method. This program has been tested on experimental data obtained after a 40 Gy local over-exposure [fr

A high figure of merit localized surface plasmon sensor based on a gold nanograting on the top of a gold planar film

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Zu-Yin; Wang Li-Na; Hu Hai-Feng; Li Kang-Wen; Ma Xun-Peng; Song Guo-Feng

2013-01-01

We investigate the sensitivity and figure of merit (FOM) of a localized surface plasmon (LSP) sensor with gold nanograting on the top of planar metallic film. The sensitivity of the localized surface plasmon sensor is 317 nm/RIU, and the FOM is predicted to be above 8, which is very high for a localized surface plasmon sensor. By employing the rigorous coupled-wave analysis (RCWA) method, we analyze the distribution of the magnetic field and find that the sensing property of our proposed system is attributed to the interactions between the localized surface plasmon around the gold nanostrips and the surface plasmon polarition on the surface of the gold planar metallic film. These findings are important for developing high FOM localized surface plasmon sensors. (electromagnetism, optics, acoustics, heat transfer, classical mechanics, and fluid dynamics)

Greenland surface mass-balance observations from the ice-sheet ablation area and local glaciers

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Machguth, Horst; Thomsen, Henrik H.; Weidick, Anker; Ahlstrøm, Andreas P.; Abermann, Jakob; Andersen, Morten L.; Andersen, Signe B.; Bjørk, Anders A.; Box, Jason E.; Braithwaite, Roger J.; Bøggild, Carl E.; Citterio, Michele; Clement, Poul; Colgan, William; Fausto, Robert S.; Gleie, Karin; Gubler, Stefanie; Hasholt, Bent; Hynek, Bernhard; Knudsen, Niels T.; Larsen, Signe H.; Mernild, Sebastian H.; Oerlemans, Johannes; Oerter, Hans; Olesen, Ole B.; Smeets, C. J P Paul; Steffen, Konrad; Stober, Manfred; Sugiyama, Shin; Van As, Dirk; Van Den Broeke, Michiel R.; Van De Wal, Roderik S W

2016-01-01

Glacier surface mass-balance measurements on Greenland started more than a century ago, but no compilation exists of the observations from the ablation area of the ice sheet and local glaciers. Such data could be used in the evaluation of modelled surface mass balance, or to document changes in

Causality and local determinism versus quantum nonlocality

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kupczynski, M

2014-01-01

The entanglement and the violation of Bell and CHSH inequalities in spin polarization correlation experiments (SPCE) is considered to be one of the biggest mysteries of Nature and is called quantum nonlocality. In this paper we show once again that this conclusion is based on imprecise terminology and on the lack of understanding of probabilistic models used in various proofs of Bell and CHSH theorems. These models are inconsistent with experimental protocols used in SPCE. This is the only reason why Bell and CHSH inequalities are violated. A probabilistic non-signalling description of SPCE, consistent with quantum predictions, is possible and it depends explicitly on the context of each experiment. It is also deterministic in the sense that the outcome is determined by supplementary local parameters describing both physical signals and measuring instruments. The existence of such description gives additional arguments that quantum theory is emergent from some more detailed theory respecting causality and local determinism. If quantum theory is emergent then there exist perhaps some fine structures in time-series of experimental data which were not predicted by quantum theory. In this paper we explain how a systematic search for such fine structures can be done. If such reproducible fine structures were found it would show that quantum theory is not predictably complete, which would be a major discovery.

Band gaps and localization of surface water waves over large-scale sand waves with random fluctuations

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Yu; Li, Yan; Shao, Hao; Zhong, Yaozhao; Zhang, Sai; Zhao, Zongxi

2012-06-01

Band structure and wave localization are investigated for sea surface water waves over large-scale sand wave topography. Sand wave height, sand wave width, water depth, and water width between adjacent sand waves have significant impact on band gaps. Random fluctuations of sand wave height, sand wave width, and water depth induce water wave localization. However, random water width produces a perfect transmission tunnel of water waves at a certain frequency so that localization does not occur no matter how large a disorder level is applied. Together with theoretical results, the field experimental observations in the Taiwan Bank suggest band gap and wave localization as the physical mechanism of sea surface water wave propagating over natural large-scale sand waves.

Detecting Local Ligand-Binding Site Similarity in Non-Homologous Proteins by Surface Patch Comparison

Science.gov (United States)

Sael, Lee; Kihara, Daisuke

2012-01-01

Functional elucidation of proteins is one of the essential tasks in biology. Function of a protein, specifically, small ligand molecules that bind to a protein, can be predicted by finding similar local surface regions in binding sites of known proteins. Here, we developed an alignment free local surface comparison method for predicting a ligand molecule which binds to a query protein. The algorithm, named Patch-Surfer, represents a binding pocket as a combination of segmented surface patches, each of which is characterized by its geometrical shape, the electrostatic potential, the hydrophobicity, and the concaveness. Representing a pocket by a set of patches is effective to absorb difference of global pocket shape while capturing local similarity of pockets. The shape and the physicochemical properties of surface patches are represented using the 3D Zernike descriptor, which is a series expansion of mathematical 3D function. Two pockets are compared using a modified weighted bipartite matching algorithm, which matches similar patches from the two pockets. Patch-Surfer was benchmarked on three datasets, which consist in total of 390 proteins that bind to one of 21 ligands. Patch-Surfer showed superior performance to existing methods including a global pocket comparison method, Pocket-Surfer, which we have previously introduced. Particularly, as intended, the accuracy showed large improvement for flexible ligand molecules, which bind to pockets in different conformations. PMID:22275074

Greenland surface mass-balance observations from the ice-sheet ablation area and local glaciers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Machguth, Horst; Thomsen, Henrik H.; Weidick, Anker

2016-01-01

Glacier surface mass-balance measurements on Greenland started more than a century ago, but no compilation exists of the observations from the ablation area of the ice sheet and local glaciers. Such data could be used in the evaluation of modelled surface mass balance, or to document changes in g...

Determining Surface Infiltration Rate of Permeable Pavements with Digital Imaging

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Caterina Valeo

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Cell phone images of pervious pavement surfaces were used to explore relationships between surface infiltration rates (SIR measured using the ASTM C1701 standard test and using a simple falling head test. A fiber-reinforced porous asphalt surface and a highly permeable material comprised of stone, rubber and a polymer binder (Porous Pave were tested. Images taken with a high-resolution cellphone camera were acquired as JPEG files and converted to gray scale images in Matlab® for analysis. The distribution of gray levels was compared to the surface infiltration rates obtained for both pavements with attention given to the mean of the distribution. Investigation into the relationships between mean SIR and parameters determined from the gray level distribution produced in the image analysis revealed that mean SIR measured in both pavements were proportional to the inverse of the mean of the distribution. The relationships produced a coefficient of determination over 85% using both the ASTM and the falling head test in the porous asphalt surface. SIR measurements determined with the ASTM method were highly correlated with the inverse mean of the distribution of gray levels in the Porous Pave material as well, producing coefficients of determination of over 90% and Kendall’s tau-b of roughly 70% for nonparametric data.

Complementary structure for designer localized surface plasmons

Science.gov (United States)

Gao, Zhen; Gao, Fei; Zhang, Youming; Zhang, Baile

2015-11-01

Magnetic localized surface plasmons (LSPs) supported on metallic structures corrugated by very long and curved grooves have been recently proposed and demonstrated on an extremely thin metallic spiral structure (MSS) in the microwave regime. However, the mode profile for the magnetic LSPs was demonstrated by measuring only the electric field, not the magnetic field. Here, based on Babinet's principle, we propose a Babinet-inverted, or complementary MSS whose electric/magnetic mode profiles match the magnetic/electric mode profiles of MSS. This complementarity of mode profiles allows mapping the magnetic field distribution of magnetic LSP mode profile on MSS by measuring the electric field distribution of the corresponding mode on complementary MSS. Experiment at microwave frequencies also demonstrate the use of complementary MSS in sensing refractive-index change in the environment.

Observation of weak superconductivity in electrons localized on a film surface

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fogel', N.Y.; Kolin'ko, A.E.

1984-01-01

We have observed anomalous abrupt resistance changes in thick vanadium films [d>>xi(T)]. We have also observed a number of anomalies in the H--T phase diagrams for these films; these anomalies are most clearly seen when the field is parallel to, or at low angles of incidence with respect to, the film surface. We explain our results by assuming that there are two different electron systems present in the film. One of them is composed of electrons localized near a natural planar defect, the film surface. This subsystem is characterized by extremely small values of the critical current

Determination of local chromatin composition by CasID.

Science.gov (United States)

Schmidtmann, Elisabeth; Anton, Tobias; Rombaut, Pascaline; Herzog, Franz; Leonhardt, Heinrich

2016-09-02

Chromatin structure and function are determined by a plethora of proteins whose genome-wide distribution is typically assessed by immunoprecipitation (ChIP). Here, we developed a novel tool to investigate the local chromatin environment at specific DNA sequences. We combined the programmable DNA binding of dCas9 with the promiscuous biotin ligase BirA* (CasID) to biotinylate proteins in the direct vicinity of specific loci. Subsequent streptavidin-mediated precipitation and mass spectrometry identified both known and previously unknown chromatin factors associated with repetitive telomeric, major satellite and minor satellite DNA. With super-resolution microscopy, we confirmed the localization of the putative transcription factor ZNF512 at chromocenters. The versatility of CasID facilitates the systematic elucidation of functional protein complexes and locus-specific chromatin composition.

Smears for determinations surface unfixed tritium contamination

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Postolache, Cristian; Matei, Lidia

2003-01-01

The present paper describes a method of obtaining expanded polystyrene with hydrophilized surface smears by radioinduced grafting of acrylic acid. The grafting was carried out by using a 60 Co γ radiation source. The variation of grafting rates as a function of dose range and absorbed dose was established. Grafting radiochemical rates were determined by radiometric methods using acrylic acid labeled with tritium as a grafting agent. The sampling coefficients and the reproducibility were analyzed as a function of the nature of the contaminated surface. (authors)

Preliminary results of endorectal surface coil magnetic resonance imaging for local staging of prostate cancer

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jager, G. J.; Barentsz, J. O.; de la Rosette, J. J.; Rosenbusch, G.

1994-01-01

To evaluate the effectiveness of endorectal surface coil (ERC) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the local staging of adenocarcinoma of the prostate (ACP). A total of 23 patients who were considered candidates for radical prostatectomy because of clinically localized ACP were examined by ERC-MRI.

Effect of wave-function localization on the time delay in photoemission from surfaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, C.-H.; Thumm, U.

2011-01-01

We investigate streaking time delays in the photoemission from a solid model surface as a function of the degree of localization of the initial-state wave functions. We consider a one-dimensional slab with lattice constant a latt of attractive Gaussian-shaped core potentials of width σ. The parameter σ/a latt thus controls the overlap between adjacent core potentials and localization of the electronic eigenfunctions on the lattice points. Small values of σ/a latt latt > or approx 0.4. By numerically solving the time-dependent Schroedinger equation, we calculate photoemission spectra from which we deduce a characteristic bimodal shape of the band-averaged photoemission time delay: as the slab eigenfunctions become increasingly delocalized, the time delay quickly decreases near σ/a latt =0.3 from relatively large values below σ/a latt ∼0.2 to much smaller delays above σ/a latt ∼0.4. This change in wave-function localization facilitates the interpretation of a recently measured apparent relative time delay between the photoemission from core and conduction-band levels of a tungsten surface.

Mapping of local argon impingement on a virtual surface: an insight for gas injection during FEBID

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wanzenboeck, H.D.; Hochleitner, G.; Mika, J.; Shawrav, M.M.; Gavagnin, M.; Bertagnolli, E. [Vienna University of Technology, Institute for Solid State Electronics, Vienna (Austria)

2014-12-15

During the last decades, focused electron beam induced deposition (FEBID) has become a successful approach for direct-write fabrication of nanodevices. Such a deposition technique relies on the precursor supply to the sample surface which is typically accomplished by a gas injection system using a tube-shaped injector nozzle. This precursor injection strategy implies a position-dependent concentration gradient on the surface, which affects the geometry and chemistry of the final nanodeposit. Although simulations already proposed the local distribution of nozzle-borne gas molecules impinging on the surface, this isolated step in the FEBID process has never been experimentally measured yet. This work experimentally investigates the local distribution of impinging gas molecules on the sample plane, isolating the direct impingement component from surface diffusion or precursor depletion by deposition. The experimental setup used in this work maps and quantifies the local impinging rate of argon gas over the sample plane. This setup simulates the identical conditions for a precursor molecule during FEBID. Argon gas was locally collected with a sniffer tube, which is directly connected to a residual gas analyzer for quantification. The measured distribution of impinging gas molecules showed a strong position dependence. Indeed, a 300-μm shift of the deposition area to a position further away from the impingement center spot resulted in a 50 % decrease in the precursor impinging rate on the surface area. With the same parameters, the precursor distribution was also simulated by a Monte Carlo software by Friedli and Utke and showed a good correlation between the empirical and the simulated precursor distribution. The results hereby presented underline the importance of controlling the local precursor flux conditions in order to obtain reproducible and comparable deposition results in FEBID. (orig.)

Mapping of local argon impingement on a virtual surface: an insight for gas injection during FEBID

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wanzenboeck, H.D.; Hochleitner, G.; Mika, J.; Shawrav, M.M.; Gavagnin, M.; Bertagnolli, E.

2014-01-01

During the last decades, focused electron beam induced deposition (FEBID) has become a successful approach for direct-write fabrication of nanodevices. Such a deposition technique relies on the precursor supply to the sample surface which is typically accomplished by a gas injection system using a tube-shaped injector nozzle. This precursor injection strategy implies a position-dependent concentration gradient on the surface, which affects the geometry and chemistry of the final nanodeposit. Although simulations already proposed the local distribution of nozzle-borne gas molecules impinging on the surface, this isolated step in the FEBID process has never been experimentally measured yet. This work experimentally investigates the local distribution of impinging gas molecules on the sample plane, isolating the direct impingement component from surface diffusion or precursor depletion by deposition. The experimental setup used in this work maps and quantifies the local impinging rate of argon gas over the sample plane. This setup simulates the identical conditions for a precursor molecule during FEBID. Argon gas was locally collected with a sniffer tube, which is directly connected to a residual gas analyzer for quantification. The measured distribution of impinging gas molecules showed a strong position dependence. Indeed, a 300-μm shift of the deposition area to a position further away from the impingement center spot resulted in a 50 % decrease in the precursor impinging rate on the surface area. With the same parameters, the precursor distribution was also simulated by a Monte Carlo software by Friedli and Utke and showed a good correlation between the empirical and the simulated precursor distribution. The results hereby presented underline the importance of controlling the local precursor flux conditions in order to obtain reproducible and comparable deposition results in FEBID. (orig.)

Mapping of local argon impingement on a virtual surface: an insight for gas injection during FEBID

Science.gov (United States)

Wanzenboeck, H. D.; Hochleitner, G.; Mika, J.; Shawrav, M. M.; Gavagnin, M.; Bertagnolli, E.

2014-12-01

During the last decades, focused electron beam induced deposition (FEBID) has become a successful approach for direct-write fabrication of nanodevices. Such a deposition technique relies on the precursor supply to the sample surface which is typically accomplished by a gas injection system using a tube-shaped injector nozzle. This precursor injection strategy implies a position-dependent concentration gradient on the surface, which affects the geometry and chemistry of the final nanodeposit. Although simulations already proposed the local distribution of nozzle-borne gas molecules impinging on the surface, this isolated step in the FEBID process has never been experimentally measured yet. This work experimentally investigates the local distribution of impinging gas molecules on the sample plane, isolating the direct impingement component from surface diffusion or precursor depletion by deposition. The experimental setup used in this work maps and quantifies the local impinging rate of argon gas over the sample plane. This setup simulates the identical conditions for a precursor molecule during FEBID. Argon gas was locally collected with a sniffer tube, which is directly connected to a residual gas analyzer for quantification. The measured distribution of impinging gas molecules showed a strong position dependence. Indeed, a 300-µm shift of the deposition area to a position further away from the impingement center spot resulted in a 50 % decrease in the precursor impinging rate on the surface area. With the same parameters, the precursor distribution was also simulated by a Monte Carlo software by Friedli and Utke and showed a good correlation between the empirical and the simulated precursor distribution. The results hereby presented underline the importance of controlling the local precursor flux conditions in order to obtain reproducible and comparable deposition results in FEBID.

Synergistic cytotoxic effects of antibodies directed against different cell surface determinants

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Elliott, E V; Pindar, A; Stevenson, F K; Stevenson, G T [Southampton General Hospital (UK). Tenovus Research Lab.

1978-03-01

Three antibody populations were raised in rabbits against surface antigens on guinea-pig L/sub 2/C leukaemic lymphocytes: against idiotypic determinants on the lambda chain of the surface immunoglobulin, against C region determinants on the lambda chain, and against the surface antigens recognised by conventional anti-lymphocyte sera. Complement and K-cell cytotoxicities effected by the antibodies on L/sub 2/C cells were studied in vitro. In both cytotoxic systems mixtures of the antibodies revealed synergy, in that the titres of the mixtures exceeded predicted additive titres of their components. The synergy was greater when the mixed antibodies were directed to determinants on the same molecule rather than to determinants on different molecules.

Localized surface plasmon polariton resonance in holographically structured Al-doped ZnO

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

George, David; Lowell, David; Mao, Michelle; Hassan, Safaa; Philipose, Usha [Department of Physics and Center for Advanced Research and Technology, University of North Texas, Denton, Texas 76203 (United States); Li, Li; Jiang, Yan; Cui, Jingbiao [Department of Physics and Materials Science, University of Memphis, Memphis, Tennessee 38152 (United States); Ding, Jun; Zhang, Hualiang [Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, Massachusetts 01854 (United States); Lin, Yuankun [Department of Physics and Center for Advanced Research and Technology, University of North Texas, Denton, Texas 76203 (United States); Department of Electrical Engineering, University of North Texas, Denton, Texas 76203 (United States)

2016-07-28

In this paper, we studied the localized surface plasmon polariton (SPP) resonance in hole arrays in transparent conducting aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO). CMOS-compatible fabrication process was demonstrated for the AZO devices. The localized SPP resonance was observed and confirmed by electromagnetic simulations. Using a standing wave model, the observed SPP was dominated by the standing-wave resonance along (1,1) direction in square lattices. This research lays the groundwork for a fabrication technique that can contribute to the core technology of future integrated photonics through its extension into tunable conductive materials.

Distribution of local magnetic field of vortex lattice near anisotropic superconductor surface in inclined external fields

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Efremova, S.A.; Tsarevskij, S.L.

1997-01-01

Magnetic field distribution in a unit cell of the Abrikosov vortex lattice near the surface of monoaxial anisotropic type-ii superconductors in inclined external magnetic field has been found in the framework of London model for the cases when the symmetry axis is perpendicular and parallel to the superconductor surface interface. Distribution of local magnetic field as a function of the distance from the superconductor interface surface and external field inclination angle has been obtained. Using high-Tc superconductor Y-Ba-Cu-O by way of examples, it has been shown that the study of local magnetic field distribution function, depending on external magnetic field inclination angle towards the superconductor symmetry axis and towards the superconductor surface, can provide important data on anisotropic properties of the superconductor [ru

The influence of rail surface irregularities on contact forces and local stresses

Science.gov (United States)

Andersson, Robin; Torstensson, Peter T.; Kabo, Elena; Larsson, Fredrik

2015-01-01

The effect of initial rail surface irregularities on promoting further surface degradation is investigated. The study concerns rolling contact fatigue formation, in particular in the form of the so-called squats. The impact of surface irregularities in the form of dimples is quantified by peak magnitudes of dynamic contact stresses and contact forces. To this end simulations of two-dimensional (later extended to three-dimensional) vertical dynamic vehicle-track interaction are employed. The most influencing parameters are identified. It is shown that even very shallow dimples might have a large impact on local contact stresses. Peak magnitudes of contact forces and stresses due to the influence of rail dimples are shown to exceed those due to rail corrugation.

Localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) study of DNA hybridization at single nanoparticle transducers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schneider, T.; Jahr, N.; Jatschka, J.; Csaki, A.; Stranik, O.; Fritzsche, W.

2013-01-01

The effect of DNA–DNA interaction on the localized surface plasmon resonance of single 80 nm gold nanoparticles is studied. Therefore, both the attachment of the capture DNA strands at the particle surface and the sequence-specific DNA binding (hybridization) of analyte DNA to the immobilized capture DNA is subject of investigations. The influence of substrate attachment chemistry, the packing density of DNA as controlled by an assisting layer of smaller molecules, and the distance as increased by a linker on the LSPR efficiency is investigated. The resulting changes in signal can be related to a higher hybridization efficiency of the analyte DNA to the immobilized capture DNA. The subsequent attachment of additional DNA strands to this system is studied, which allows for a multiple step detection of binding and an elucidation of the resulting resonance shifts. The detection limit was determined for the utilized DNA system by incubation with various concentration of analyte DNA. Although the method allows for a marker-free detection, we show that additional markers such as 20 nm gold particle labels increase the signal and thereby the sensitivity significantly. The study of resonance shift for various DNA lengths revealed that the resonance shift per base is stronger for shorter DNA molecules (20 bases) as compared to longer ones (46 bases).

On topological approach to local theory of surfaces in Calabi-Yau threefolds

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gukov, Sergei; Liu, Chiu-Chu Melissa; Sheshmani, Artan

2017-01-01

We study the web of dualities relating various enumerative invariants, notably Gromov-Witten invariants and invariants that arise in topological gauge theory. In particular, we study Donaldson-Thomas gauge theory and its reductions to D=4 and D=2 which are relevant to the local theory of surfaces...

Tuning the localized surface plasmon resonance of silver nanoplatelet colloids

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Singh, Asha; Jayabalan, J; Chari, Rama; Srivastava, Himanshu; Oak, S M

2010-01-01

The effect of femtosecond laser irradiation on silver nanoplatelet colloids is described. It is shown that irradiation with a femtosecond laser of appropriate fluence can be used to tune the localized surface plasmon resonances of triangular silver nanoplatelets by a few tens of nanometres. This peak shift is shown to be caused by the structural modifications of the particle tips. We have also shown that post-preparation addition of poly-vinyl pyrrolidone to the nanocolloid arrests the peak shift.

Tuning the localized surface plasmon resonance of silver nanoplatelet colloids

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Singh, Asha; Jayabalan, J; Chari, Rama [Laser Physics Applications Division, Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology, Indore (India); Srivastava, Himanshu [Indus Synchrotrons Utilization Division, Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology, Indore (India); Oak, S M, E-mail: jjaya@rrcat.gov.i [Solid State Laser Division, Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology, Indore (India)

2010-08-25

The effect of femtosecond laser irradiation on silver nanoplatelet colloids is described. It is shown that irradiation with a femtosecond laser of appropriate fluence can be used to tune the localized surface plasmon resonances of triangular silver nanoplatelets by a few tens of nanometres. This peak shift is shown to be caused by the structural modifications of the particle tips. We have also shown that post-preparation addition of poly-vinyl pyrrolidone to the nanocolloid arrests the peak shift.

DETERMINING REFLECTANCE SPECTRA OF SURFACES AND CLOUDS ON EXOPLANETS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cowan, Nicolas B.; Strait, Talia E., E-mail: n-cowan@northwestern.edu [Center for Interdisciplinary Exploration and Research in Astrophysics (CIERA), Northwestern University, 2131 Tech Dr., IL 60208 (United States)

2013-03-01

Planned missions will spatially resolve temperate terrestrial planets from their host star. Although reflected light from such a planet encodes information about its surface, it has not been shown how to establish surface characteristics of a planet without assuming known surfaces to begin with. We present a reanalysis of disk-integrated, time-resolved, multiband photometry of Earth obtained by the Deep Impact spacecraft as part of the EPOXI Mission of Opportunity. We extract reflectance spectra of clouds, ocean, and land without a priori knowledge of the numbers or colors of these surfaces. We show that the inverse problem of extracting surface spectra from such data is a novel and extreme instance of spectral unmixing, a well-studied problem in remote sensing. Principal component analysis is used to determine an appropriate number of model surfaces with which to interpret the data. Shrink-wrapping a simplex to the color excursions of the planet yields a conservative estimate of the planet's endmember spectra. The resulting surface maps are unphysical, however, requiring negative or larger-than-unity surface coverage at certain locations. Our ''rotational unmixing'' supersedes the endmember analysis by simultaneously solving for the surface spectra and their geographical distributions on the planet, under the assumption of diffuse reflection and known viewing geometry. We use a Markov Chain Monte Carlo to determine best-fit parameters and their uncertainties. The resulting albedo spectra are similar to clouds, ocean, and land seen through a Rayleigh-scattering atmosphere. This study suggests that future direct-imaging efforts could identify and map unknown surfaces and clouds on exoplanets.

Investigation of AA2024-T3 surfaces modified by cerium compounds: A localized approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Paussa, L.; Andreatta, F.; De Felicis, D.; Bemporad, E.; Fedrizzi, L.

2014-01-01

Highlights: •The precipitation of cerium compounds occurs on the entire AA2024-T3 surface. •The matrix is less involved in the cerium precipitation. •Cerium intensely precipitates on Mg-rich IM particles. •The electrochemical behavior of Mg-rich IM particles influences the mechanism of cerium precipitation. -- Abstract: The precipitation of cerium compounds on polished AA2024-T3 surfaces was investigated following an electrochemical and microstructural localized approach. It was found that cerium precipitation occurs on the entire surface covering intermetallic particles and the matrix as well. The matrix is the region where the precipitation of cerium is less favoured. The highest amount of cerium was observed on magnesium-rich intermetallic particles. The localized analyses suggest that precipitation of cerium on magnesium-rich intermetallic particles could happen following two mechanisms: the former based on a potential reversal of the intermetallic particles and the latter due to a partial magnesium dissolution

Effect of the irradiance distribution from light curing units on the local micro-hardness of the surface of dental resins.

Science.gov (United States)

Haenel, Thomas; Hausnerová, Berenika; Steinhaus, Johannes; Price, Richard B T; Sullivan, Braden; Moeginger, Bernhard

2015-02-01

An inhomogeneous irradiance distribution from a light-curing unit (LCU) can locally cause inhomogeneous curing with locally inadequately cured and/or over-cured areas causing e.g. monomer elution or internal shrinkage stresses, and thus reduce the lifetime of dental resin based composite (RBC) restorations. The aim of the study is to determine both the irradiance distribution of two light curing units (LCUs) and its influence on the local mechanical properties of a RBC. Specimens of Arabesk TOP OA2 were irradiated for 5, 20, and 80s using a Bluephase® 20i LCU in the Low mode (666mW/cm(2)), in the Turbo mode (2222mW/cm(2)) and a Celalux® 2 (1264mW/cm(2)). The degree of conversion (DC) was determined with an ATR-FTIR. The Knoop micro-hardness (average of five specimens) was measured on the specimen surface after 24h of dark and dry storage at room temperature. The irradiance distribution affected the hardness distribution across the surface of the specimens. The hardness distribution corresponded well to the inhomogeneous irradiance distributions of the LCU. The highest reaction rates occurred after approximately 2s light exposure. A DC of 40% was reached after 3.6 or 5.7s, depending on the LCU. The inhomogeneous hardness distribution was still evident after 80s of light exposure. The irradiance distribution from a LCU is reflected in the hardness distribution across the surface. Irradiance level of the LCU and light exposure time do not affect the pattern of the hardness distribution--only the hardness level. In areas of low irradiation this may result in inadequate resin polymerization, poor physical properties, and hence premature failure of the restorations as they are usually much smaller than the investigated specimens. It has to be stressed that inhomogeneous does not necessarily mean poor if in all areas of the restoration enough light intensity is introduced to achieve a high degree of cure. Copyright © 2014 Academy of Dental Materials. Published by

Determination of retinal surface area.

Science.gov (United States)

Nagra, Manbir; Gilmartin, Bernard; Thai, Ngoc Jade; Logan, Nicola S

2017-09-01

Previous attempts at determining retinal surface area and surface area of the whole eye have been based upon mathematical calculations derived from retinal photographs, schematic eyes and retinal biopsies of donor eyes. 3-dimensional (3-D) ocular magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) allows a more direct measurement, it can be used to image the eye in vivo, and there is no risk of tissue shrinkage. The primary purpose of this study is to compare, using T2-weighted 3D MRI, retinal surface areas for superior-temporal (ST), inferior-temporal (IT), superior-nasal (SN) and inferior-nasal (IN) retinal quadrants. An ancillary aim is to examine whether inter-quadrant variations in area are concordant with reported inter-quadrant patterns of susceptibility to retinal breaks associated with posterior vitreous detachment (PVD). Seventy-three adult participants presenting without retinal pathology (mean age 26.25 ± 6.06 years) were scanned using a Siemens 3-Tesla MRI scanner to provide T2-weighted MR images that demarcate fluid-filled internal structures for the whole eye and provide high-contrast delineation of the vitreous-retina interface. Integrated MRI software generated total internal ocular surface area (TSA). The second nodal point was used to demarcate the origin of the peripheral retina in order to calculate total retinal surface area (RSA) and quadrant retinal surface areas (QRSA) for ST, IT, SN, and IN quadrants. Mean spherical error (MSE) was -2.50 ± 4.03D and mean axial length (AL) 24.51 ± 1.57 mm. Mean TSA and RSA for the RE were 2058 ± 189 and 1363 ± 160 mm 2 , respectively. Repeated measures anova for QRSA data indicated a significant difference within-quadrants (P area/mm increase in AL. Although the differences between QRSAs are relatively small, there was evidence of concordance with reported inter-quadrant patterns of susceptibility to retinal breaks associated with PVD. The data allow AL to be converted to QRSAs, which will assist further

Advances on surface structural determination by LEED

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Soares, Edmar A; De Carvalho, Vagner E; De Castilho, Caio M C

2011-01-01

In the last 40 years, low energy electron diffraction (LEED) has proved to be the most reliable quantitative technique for surface structural determination. In this review, recent developments related to the theory that gives support to LEED structural determination are discussed under a critical analysis of the main theoretical approximation-the muffin-tin calculation. The search methodologies aimed at identifying the best matches between theoretical and experimental intensity versus voltage curves are also considered, with the most recent procedures being reviewed in detail. (topical review)

Characterization of local hydrophobicity on sapphire (0001) surfaces in aqueous environment by colloidal probe atomic force microscopy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wada, Tomoya; Yamazaki, Kenji; Isono, Toshinari; Ogino, Toshio, E-mail: ogino-toshio-rx@ynu.ac.jp

2017-02-28

Highlights: • Local hydrophobicity of phase-separated sapphire (0001) surfaces was investigated. • These surfaces are featured by coexistence of hydrophilic and hydrophobic domains. • Each domain was characterized by colloidal probe atomic force microscopy in water. • Both domains can be distinguished by adhesive forces of the probe to the surfaces. • Characterization in aqueous environment is important in bio-applications of sapphire. - Abstract: Sapphire (0001) surfaces exhibit a phase-separation into hydrophobic and hydrophilic domains upon high-temperature annealing, which were previously distinguished by the thickness of adsorbed water layers in air using atomic force microscopy (AFM). To characterize their local surface hydrophobicity in aqueous environment, we used AFM equipped with a colloidal probe and measured the local adhesive force between each sapphire domain and a hydrophilic SiO{sub 2} probe surface, or a hydrophobic polystyrene one. Two data acquisition modes for statistical analyses were used: one is force measurements at different positions of the surface and the other repeated measurement at a fixed position. We found that adhesive force measurements using the polystyrene probe allow us to distinctly separate the hydrophilic and hydrophobic domains. The dispersion in the force measurement data at different positions of the surface is larger than that in the repeated measurements at a fixed position. It indicates that the adhesive force measurement is repeatable although their data dispersion for the measurement positions is relatively large. From these results, we can conclude that the hydrophilic and hydrophobic domains on the sapphire (0001) surfaces are distinguished by a difference in their hydration degrees.

Determining eyeball surface area directly exposed to the effects of external factors.

Science.gov (United States)

Juliszewski, Tadeusz; Kadłuczka, Filip; Kiełbasa, Paweł

2016-01-01

This article discusses determining the surface area of eyeballs of men and women exposed to the direct effects of external factors in the working environment. For one eye, the mean surface is 172-182 mm(2). The determined surface area can be used in formulas for calculating the exposure of eyeballs to harmful chemical substances in workplace air.

Understanding of surface pit formation mechanism of GaN grown in MOCVD based on local thermodynamic equilibrium assumption

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gao Zhi-Yuan; Xue Xiao-Wei; Li Jiang-Jiang; Wang Xun; Xing Yan-Hui; Cui Bi-Feng; Zou De-Shu

2016-01-01

Frank’s theory describes that a screw dislocation will produce a pit on the surface, and has been evidenced in many material systems including GaN. However, the size of the pit calculated from the theory deviates significantly from experimental result. Through a careful observation of the variations of surface pits and local surface morphology with growing temperature and V/III ratio for c -plane GaN, we believe that Frank’s model is valid only in a small local surface area where thermodynamic equilibrium state can be assumed to stay the same. If the kinetic process is too vigorous or too slow to reach a balance, the local equilibrium range will be too small for the center and edge of the screw dislocation spiral to be kept in the same equilibrium state. When the curvature at the center of the dislocation core reaches the critical value 1/ r 0 , at the edge of the spiral, the accelerating rate of the curvature may not fall to zero, so the pit cannot reach a stationary shape and will keep enlarging under the control of minimization of surface energy to result in a large-sized surface pit. (paper)

Structure determination of disordered organic molecules on surfaces from the Bragg spots of low-energy electron diffraction and total energy calculations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Poon, H.C.; Weinert, M.; Saldin, D.K.; Stacchiola, D.; Zheng, T.; Tysoe, W.T.

2004-01-01

We show that an analysis of the intensity versus energy variation of Bragg spots due to low-energy electron diffraction from a disordered overlayer of molecules on a crystal surface allows a much more convenient method of determining the local adsorption geometries of such molecules than previously analyzed weak diffuse diffraction patterns. For the case of methanol on Pd(111), we show that the geometry determined by this means from experimental diffraction data is in excellent agreement with the predictions of density functional total energy calculations

Determination of optimum "multi-channel surface wave method" field parameters.

Science.gov (United States)

2012-12-01

Multi-channel surface wave methods (especially the multi-channel analyses of surface wave method; MASW) are routinely used to : determine the shear-wave velocity of the subsurface to depths of 100 feet for site classification purposes. Users are awar...

Local magnetic structure determination using polarized neutron holography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Szakál, Alex; Markó, Márton; Cser, László

2015-01-01

A unique and important property of the neutron is that it possesses magnetic moment. This property is widely used for determination of magnetic structure of crystalline samples observing the magnetic components of the diffraction peaks. Investigations of diffraction patterns give information only about the averaged structure of a crystal but for discovering of local spin arrangement around a specific (e.g., impurity) nucleus remains still a challenging problem. Neutron holography is a useful tool to investigate the local structure around a specific nucleus embedded in a crystal lattice. The method has been successfully applied experimentally in several cases using non-magnetic short range interaction of the neutron and the nucleus. A mathematical model of the hologram using interaction between magnetic moment of the atom and the neutron spin for polarized neutron holography is provided. Validity of a polarized neutron holographic experiment is demonstrated by applying the proposed method on model systems

Localization of burn mark under an abnormal topography on MOSFET chip surface using liquid crystal and emission microscopy tools.

Science.gov (United States)

Lau, C K; Sim, K S; Tso, C P

2011-01-01

This article focuses on the localization of burn mark in MOSFET and the scanning electron microscope (SEM) inspection on the defect location. When a suspect abnormal topography is shown on the die surface, further methods to pin-point the defect location is necessary. Fault localization analysis becomes important because an abnormal spot on the chip surface may and may not have a defect underneath it. The chip surface topography can change due to the catastrophic damage occurred at layers under the chip surface, but it could also be due to inconsistency during metal deposition in the wafer fabrication process. Two localization techniques, liquid crystal thermography and emission microscopy, were performed to confirm that the abnormal topography spot is the actual defect location. The tiny burn mark was surfaced by performing a surface decoration at the defect location using hot hydrochloric acid. SEM imaging, which has the high magnification and three-dimensional capabilities, was used to capture the images of the burn mark. Copyright © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

A novel binary shape context for 3D local surface description

Science.gov (United States)

Dong, Zhen; Yang, Bisheng; Liu, Yuan; Liang, Fuxun; Li, Bijun; Zang, Yufu

2017-08-01

3D local surface description is now at the core of many computer vision technologies, such as 3D object recognition, intelligent driving, and 3D model reconstruction. However, most of the existing 3D feature descriptors still suffer from low descriptiveness, weak robustness, and inefficiency in both time and memory. To overcome these challenges, this paper presents a robust and descriptive 3D Binary Shape Context (BSC) descriptor with high efficiency in both time and memory. First, a novel BSC descriptor is generated for 3D local surface description, and the performance of the BSC descriptor under different settings of its parameters is analyzed. Next, the descriptiveness, robustness, and efficiency in both time and memory of the BSC descriptor are evaluated and compared to those of several state-of-the-art 3D feature descriptors. Finally, the performance of the BSC descriptor for 3D object recognition is also evaluated on a number of popular benchmark datasets, and an urban-scene dataset is collected by a terrestrial laser scanner system. Comprehensive experiments demonstrate that the proposed BSC descriptor obtained high descriptiveness, strong robustness, and high efficiency in both time and memory and achieved high recognition rates of 94.8%, 94.1% and 82.1% on the considered UWA, Queen, and WHU datasets, respectively.

Usefulness of ventricular endocardial electric reconstruction from body surface potential maps to noninvasively localize ventricular ectopic activity in patients

Science.gov (United States)

Lai, Dakun; Sun, Jian; Li, Yigang; He, Bin

2013-06-01

As radio frequency (RF) catheter ablation becomes increasingly prevalent in the management of ventricular arrhythmia in patients, an accurate and rapid determination of the arrhythmogenic site is of important clinical interest. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that the inversely reconstructed ventricular endocardial current density distribution from body surface potential maps (BSPMs) can localize the regions critical for maintenance of a ventricular ectopic activity. Patients with isolated and monomorphic premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) were investigated by noninvasive BSPMs and subsequent invasive catheter mapping and ablation. Equivalent current density (CD) reconstruction (CDR) during symptomatic PVCs was obtained on the endocardial ventricular surface in six patients (four men, two women, years 23-77), and the origin of the spontaneous ectopic activity was localized at the location of the maximum CD value. Compared with the last (successful) ablation site (LAS), the mean and standard deviation of localization error of the CDR approach were 13.8 and 1.3 mm, respectively. In comparison, the distance between the LASs and the estimated locations of an equivalent single moving dipole in the heart was 25.5 ± 5.5 mm. The obtained CD distribution of activated sources extending from the catheter ablation site also showed a high consistency with the invasively recorded electroanatomical maps. The noninvasively reconstructed endocardial CD distribution is suitable to predict a region of interest containing or close to arrhythmia source, which may have the potential to guide RF catheter ablation.

Localized microjetting in the collapse of surface macrocavities

Science.gov (United States)

Olney, K. L.; Chiu, P.-H.; Benson, D. J.; Higgins, A.; Serge, M.; Nesterenko, V. F.

2015-02-01

This paper focuses on the multiscale mechanism of collapse of hemicylindrical annular surface macrocavities in steel caused by high-strain, high-strain rate plastic flow of copper. Experiments and simulations revealed that a two-stage process is responsible for the observed microjetting phenomena: the formation of lateral copper microjets from the localized shear flow in copper at the interface during the filling of the cavity, and their subsequent collision at the apex of the macrocavity generating two additional horizontal microjets. The lengths of these microjets were an order of magnitude smaller than the cavity size but linearly scaled with the cavity radius. This process of microjet development is sensitive to the cavity geometry and is unlike the previously observed jetting phenomena in cavitation, impact crater collapse, or shock-induced cavity collapse.

Determination of Intrinsic Magnetic Response from Local Measurements of Fringing Fields

OpenAIRE

Wen, Bo; Millis, Andrew J.; Pardo, Enric; Subedi, Pradeep; Kent, Andrew D.; Yeshurun, Yosi; Sarachik, Myriam P.

2014-01-01

Micron-sized Hall bars and micro-SQUIDs are now used routinely to measure the local static and dynamic magnetic response with micron-scale spatial resolution. While this provides a powerful new tool, determining the intrinsic magnetization presents new challenges, as it requires correcting for demagnetization fields that vary widely with position on a sample. In this paper we develop a method to correct for the demagnetization effect at local points of a rectangular prism shaped sample using ...

Nanobiosensors Based on Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance for Biomarker Detection

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yoochan Hong

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR is induced by incident light when it interacts with noble metal nanoparticles that have smaller sizes than the wavelength of the incident light. Recently, LSPR-based nanobiosensors were developed as tools for highly sensitive, label-free, and flexible sensing techniques for the detection of biomolecular interactions. In this paper, we describe the basic principles of LSPR-based nanobiosensing techniques and LSPR sensor system for biomolecule sensing. We also discuss the challenges using LSPR nanobiosensors for detection of biomolecules as a biomarker.

Robust Locally Weighted Regression For Ground Surface Extraction In Mobile Laser Scanning 3D Data

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Nurunnabi

2013-10-01

Full Text Available A new robust way for ground surface extraction from mobile laser scanning 3D point cloud data is proposed in this paper. Fitting polynomials along 2D/3D points is one of the well-known methods for filtering ground points, but it is evident that unorganized point clouds consist of multiple complex structures by nature so it is not suitable for fitting a parametric global model. The aim of this research is to develop and implement an algorithm to classify ground and non-ground points based on statistically robust locally weighted regression which fits a regression surface (line in 2D by fitting without any predefined global functional relation among the variables of interest. Afterwards, the z (elevation-values are robustly down weighted based on the residuals for the fitted points. The new set of down weighted z-values along with x (or y values are used to get a new fit of the (lower surface (line. The process of fitting and down-weighting continues until the difference between two consecutive fits is insignificant. Then the final fit represents the ground level of the given point cloud and the ground surface points can be extracted. The performance of the new method has been demonstrated through vehicle based mobile laser scanning 3D point cloud data from urban areas which include different problematic objects such as short walls, large buildings, electric poles, sign posts and cars. The method has potential in areas like building/construction footprint determination, 3D city modelling, corridor mapping and asset management.

Ammonia emission from organic pig houses determined with local parameters

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Aarnink, A.J.A.; Hol, J.M.G.; Ogink, N.W.M.

2016-01-01

The objective of this study was to determine the ammonia emissions from houses for growing-finishing pigs with an outside yard. While regular emission measurements are not possible in these open systems another approach was used. Local parameters were measured and used in an existing NH3 emission

Impact of highway construction on land surface energy balance and local climate derived from LANDSAT satellite data.

Science.gov (United States)

Nedbal, Václav; Brom, Jakub

2018-08-15

Extensive construction of highways has a major impact on the landscape and its structure. They can also influence local climate and heat fluxes in the surrounding area. After the removal of vegetation due to highway construction, the amount of solar radiation energy used for plant evapotranspiration (latent heat flux) decreases, bringing about an increase in landscape surface temperature, changing the local climate and increasing surface run-off. In this study, we evaluated the impact of the D8 highway construction (Central Bohemia, Czech Republic) on the distribution of solar radiation energy into the various heat fluxes (latent, sensible and ground heat flux) and related surface functional parameters (surface temperature and surface wetness). The aim was to describe the severity of the impact and the distance from the actual highway in which it can be observed. LANDSAT multispectral satellite images and field meteorological measurements were used to calculate surface functional parameters and heat balance before and during the highway construction. Construction of a four-lane highway can influence the heat balance of the landscape surface as far as 90m in the perpendicular direction from the highway axis, i.e. up to 75m perpendicular from its edge. During a summer day, the decrease in evapotranspired water can reach up to 43.7m 3 per highway kilometre. This means a reduced cooling effect, expressed as the decrease in latent heat flux, by an average of 29.7MWh per day per highway kilometre and its surroundings. The loss of the cooling ability of the land surface by evaporation can lead to a rise in surface temperature by as much as 7°C. Thus, the results indicate the impact of extensive line constructions on the local climate. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Surface chemical reactions probed with scanning force microscopy

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Werts, M.P L; van der Vegte, E.W.; Hadziioannou, G

1997-01-01

In this letter we report the study of surface chemical reactions with scanning force microscopy (SFM) with chemical specificity. Using chemically modified SFM probes, we can determine the local surface reaction conversion during a chemical surface modification. The adhesion forces between a

Local excitation of surface plasmon polaritons by second-harmonic generation in crystalline organic nanofibers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Skovsen, Esben; Søndergaard, Thomas; Fiutowski, Jacek

2012-01-01

Coherent local excitation of surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) by second-harmonic generation (SHG) in aligned crystalline organic functionalized para-phenylene nanofibers deposited on a thin silver film is demonstrated. The excited SPPs are characterized using angle-resolved leakage radiation...

Tuning the interaction between propagating and localized surface plasmons for surface enhanced Raman scattering in water for biomedical and environmental applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shioi, Masahiko, E-mail: shioi.masahiko@jp.panasonic.com [Device Solutions Center, Panasonic Corporation, 3-4, Hikaridai, Seika-cho, Soraku-gun, Kyoto 619-0237 (Japan); Department of Electric and Electronic Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Kobe University, Rokkodai, Nada, Kobe 657-8501 (Japan); Jans, Hilde [Interuniversity Microelectronics Center VZW., Kapeldreef 75, 3001 Leuven (Belgium); Lodewijks, Kristof [Interuniversity Microelectronics Center VZW., Kapeldreef 75, 3001 Leuven (Belgium); Department of Electrical Engineering, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200 D, B-3001 Leuven (Belgium); Van Dorpe, Pol; Lagae, Liesbet [Interuniversity Microelectronics Center VZW., Kapeldreef 75, 3001 Leuven (Belgium); Department of Physics, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200 D, B-3001 Leuven (Belgium); Kawamura, Tatsuro [Device Solutions Center, Panasonic Corporation, 3-4, Hikaridai, Seika-cho, Soraku-gun, Kyoto 619-0237 (Japan)

2014-06-16

With a view to biomedical and environmental applications, we investigate the plasmonic properties of a rectangular gold nanodisk array in water to boost surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) effects. To control the resonance wavelengths of the surface plasmon polariton and the localized surface plasmon, their dependence on the array period and diameter in water is studied in detail using a finite difference time domain method. A good agreement is obtained between calculated resonant wavelengths and those of gold nanodisk arrays fabricated using electron beam lithography. For the optimized structure, a SERS enhancement factor of 7.8 × 10{sup 7} is achieved in water experimentally.

The shortcomings of semi-local and hybrid functionals: what we can learn from surface science studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stroppa, A; Kresse, G

2008-01-01

A study of the adsorption of CO on late 4d and 5d transition metal (111) surfaces (Ru, Rh, Pd, Ag, Os, Ir and Pt) considering atop and hollow site adsorption is presented. The applied functionals include the gradient-corrected Perdew-Burke-Ernzerhof (PBE) and Becke-Lee-Yang-Parr (BLYP) functionals, and the corresponding hybrid Hartree-Fock density functionals HSE and B3LYP. We find that PBE-based hybrid functionals (specifically HSE) yield, with the exception of Pt, the correct site order on all considered metals, but they also considerably overestimate the adsorption energies compared to experiment. On the other hand, the semi-local BLYP functional and the corresponding hybrid functional B3LYP yield very satisfactory adsorption energies and the correct adsorption site for all surfaces. We are thus faced with a Procrustean problem: the B3LYP and BLYP functionals seem to be the overall best choice for describing adsorption on metal surfaces, but they simultaneously fail to account well for the properties of the metal, vastly overestimating the equilibrium volume and underestimating the atomization energies. Setting out from these observations, general conclusions are drawn on the relative merits and drawbacks of various semi-local and hybrid functionals. The discussion includes a revised version of the PBE functional specifically optimized for bulk properties and surface energies (PBEsol), a revised version of the PBE functional specifically optimized to predict accurate adsorption energies (rPBE), as well as the aforementioned BLYP functional. We conclude that no semi-local functional is capable of describing all aspects properly, and including non-local exchange also only improves some but worsens other properties

Surface plasmon quantum cascade lasers as terahertz local oscillators.

Science.gov (United States)

Hajenius, M; Khosropanah, P; Hovenier, J N; Gao, J R; Klapwijk, T M; Barbieri, S; Dhillon, S; Filloux, P; Sirtori, C; Ritchie, D A; Beere, H E

2008-02-15

We characterize a heterodyne receiver based on a surface-plasmon waveguide quantum cascade laser (QCL) emitting at 2.84 THz as a local oscillator, and an NbN hot electron bolometer as a mixer. We find that the envelope of the far-field pattern of the QCL is diffraction-limited and superimposed onto interference fringes, which are similar to those found in narrow double-metal waveguide QCLs. Compared to the latter, a more directional beam allows for better coupling of the radiation power to the mixer. We obtain a receiver noise temperature of 1050 K when the mixer is at 2 K, which, to our knowledge, is the highest sensitivity reported at frequencies beyond 2.5 THz.

Analysis of the Determinant Factors Development of Maintenance Culture in Malaysian Local Authorities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sani S.I.A.

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Malaysia is a fast growing developing country and its vision is becoming a developed country with a first class infrastructure. Towards this vision, the assets and facilities were developed, owned or leased by public sector especially buildings, constructions and infrastructures to fulfill administrative and social needs as well as economic responsibilities to general public. In Malaysia, public asset and facilities is owned by three major levels of government, which are the federal government, state government and the local government also known as local authority. Between these three forms of government, Local Authorities hold a large number of facilities that place demands on resources. They have a responsibility to use and maintain a wide range of property assets including classified and heritage buildings, single purpose facilities and state of the art multipurpose facilities. Over the years, the local authorities in Malaysia currently have been soundly criticized by public caused poor maintenance culture. The assets especially public buildings and infrastructures are not maintained properly. Thus, developing the maintenance culture is essential to increase the awareness about maintenance activity on public facilities and assets in Malaysian Local Authorities. Regarding this scenario, the purpose of this study is to determine the determinant factors affecting development of maintenance culture identified based on the review of previous research. As a guide to achieve the research objective, a questionnaire survey was conducted to investigate the significance of ten determinant factors identified in the research study and their related affecting to development of maintenance culture in local authority as a respondent in this research. The collected data was then analyzed using quantitative approaches such as mean analysis, relative important index as well as others.

Determining the Local Dark Matter Density with SDSS G-dwarf data

Science.gov (United States)

Silverwood, Hamish; Sivertsson, Sofia; Read, Justin; Bertone, Gianfranco; Steger, Pascal

2018-04-01

We present a determination of the local dark matter density derived using the integrated Jeans equation method presented in Silverwood et al. (2016) applied to SDSS-SEGUE G-dwarf data processed by Büdenbender et al. (2015). For our analysis we construct models for the tracer density, dark matter and baryon distribution, and tilt term (linking radial and vertical motions), and then calculate the vertical velocity dispersion using the integrated Jeans equation. These models are then fit to the data using MultiNest, and a posterior distribution for the local dark matter density is derived. We find the most reliable determination to come from the α-young population presented in Büdenbender et al. (2015), yielding a result of ρDM = 0.46+0.07 -0.09 GeV cm-3 = 0.012+0.001 -0.002 M⊙ pc-3. Our results also illuminate the path ahead for future analyses using Gaia DR2 data, highlighting which quantities will need to be determined and which assumptions could be relaxed.

Understanding of surface pit formation mechanism of GaN grown in MOCVD based on local thermodynamic equilibrium assumption

Science.gov (United States)

Zhi-Yuan, Gao; Xiao-Wei, Xue; Jiang-Jiang, Li; Xun, Wang; Yan-Hui, Xing; Bi-Feng, Cui; De-Shu, Zou

2016-06-01

Frank’s theory describes that a screw dislocation will produce a pit on the surface, and has been evidenced in many material systems including GaN. However, the size of the pit calculated from the theory deviates significantly from experimental result. Through a careful observation of the variations of surface pits and local surface morphology with growing temperature and V/III ratio for c-plane GaN, we believe that Frank’s model is valid only in a small local surface area where thermodynamic equilibrium state can be assumed to stay the same. If the kinetic process is too vigorous or too slow to reach a balance, the local equilibrium range will be too small for the center and edge of the screw dislocation spiral to be kept in the same equilibrium state. When the curvature at the center of the dislocation core reaches the critical value 1/r 0, at the edge of the spiral, the accelerating rate of the curvature may not fall to zero, so the pit cannot reach a stationary shape and will keep enlarging under the control of minimization of surface energy to result in a large-sized surface pit. Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 11204009 and 61204011) and the Beijing Municipal Natural Science Foundation, China (Grant No. 4142005).

MD simulation: determination of the physical properties and surface vaporization analysis of beryllium armours

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Prinzio, M. Di; Aquaro, D.

2006-01-01

The erosion of the divertor and of the first wall determined on the base of the anticipated operating conditions, is a critical issue that could affect the performance and the operating schedule of the nuclear fusion reactor ITER. This paper deals with the analysis of beryllium thermal properties by means of MD simulations, in order to better predict thermal behaviour of beryllium armoured PFCs in fusion devices. The importance of this analysis is clearly connected to thermal response evaluation of PFCs to high heat flux exposure, during off-normal events and Edge Localized Modes. The ensuing strong over-heating, in fact, produces material ablation through vaporization of surface material layers and possible loss of melting material. The overall PFCs erosion has bearings on plasma contamination, due to eroded material transport, and components lifetime, due to armour thickness reduction. An important feature of beryllium is its high vapour pressure. During thermal transients the strong vaporization keeps surface temperature relatively low but eroded thickness results high as well. Small changes in beryllium vapour pressure produce not negligible differences in thermal analyses results. On the basis of available force fields, classical Molecular Dynamics simulations have been carried out in order to better understand surface vaporization in tokamak conditions and to evaluate the effect of beryllium oxides formation. This effect has been successfully modelled by MD simulation, carried out with Moldy code. Morse stretching and bending potential for Be-O bond simulation have been used, and partial charges method, accounting for molecular polarity, has been employed. Since during short thermal transients, such as ELMs, only a few microns of Be armour will be overheated and reach melting threshold, the effective thermal conductivity is very important in determining the temperature evolution of surface layers and the ensuing erosion. Thermal conductivity can be evaluated

Local wall power loading variations in thermonuclear fusion devices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carroll, M.C.; Miley, G.H.

1989-01-01

A 2 1/2-dimensional geometric model is presented that allows calculation of power loadings at various points on the first wall of a thermonuclear fusion device. Given average wall power loadings for brems-strahlung, cyclotron radiation charged particles, and neutrons, which are determined from various plasma-physics computation models, local wall heat loads are calculated by partitioning the plasma volume and surface into cells and superimposing the heating effects of the individual cells on selected first-wall differential areas. Heat loads from the entire plasma are thus determined as a function of position on the first-wall surface. Significant differences in local power loadings were found for most fusion designs, and it was therefore concluded that the effect of local power loading variations must be taken into account when calculating temperatures and heat transfer rates in fusion device first walls

Determining the sub-cellular localization of proteins within Caenorhabditis elegans body wall muscle.

Science.gov (United States)

Meissner, Barbara; Rogalski, Teresa; Viveiros, Ryan; Warner, Adam; Plastino, Lorena; Lorch, Adam; Granger, Laure; Segalat, Laurent; Moerman, Donald G

2011-01-01

Determining the sub-cellular localization of a protein within a cell is often an essential step towards understanding its function. In Caenorhabditis elegans, the relatively large size of the body wall muscle cells and the exquisite organization of their sarcomeres offer an opportunity to identify the precise position of proteins within cell substructures. Our goal in this study is to generate a comprehensive "localizome" for C. elegans body wall muscle by GFP-tagging proteins expressed in muscle and determining their location within the cell. For this project, we focused on proteins that we know are expressed in muscle and are orthologs or at least homologs of human proteins. To date we have analyzed the expression of about 227 GFP-tagged proteins that show localized expression in the body wall muscle of this nematode (e.g. dense bodies, M-lines, myofilaments, mitochondria, cell membrane, nucleus or nucleolus). For most proteins analyzed in this study no prior data on sub-cellular localization was available. In addition to discrete sub-cellular localization we observe overlapping patterns of localization including the presence of a protein in the dense body and the nucleus, or the dense body and the M-lines. In total we discern more than 14 sub-cellular localization patterns within nematode body wall muscle. The localization of this large set of proteins within a muscle cell will serve as an invaluable resource in our investigation of muscle sarcomere assembly and function.

Effect of microstructure and chemical composition on localized corrosion resistance of a AISI 304L stainless steel after nanopulsed-laser surface melting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pacquentin, W.; Caron, N.; Oltra, R.

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Laser surface melting treatments require neither additional feedstock nor contact. • By affecting 1 μm, the pitting potential of laser treated 304L increases by 500 mV. • Surface modification of laser treated sample observed by TEM. • The physico-chemical properties of the surface are correlated to overlap rate. • AISI 304L pitting corrosion resistance strongly depends of overlap rate. - Abstract: Changes induced in the surface properties of AISI 304L stainless steel when it is treated with a nanopulsed ytterbium-doped fiber laser were investigated to determine the microscale distribution of its physico-chemical properties. A Gaussian energy distribution was created with a radius of 71 μm (1/e 2 ) at the focal point. Local investigations were carried out using transmission electron microscopy to consider the effect of overlapping individual laser impacts. The results obtained reveal that laser surface melting leads to changes in the crystallographic structure of the steel through the formation of a δ-ferritic phase. It also results in the creation of an oxide layer that increases the corrosion resistance of the steel, with the chemical composition, structure and thickness of this layer being dependent on the overlap percentage and the position along the beam radius. Measurement of the localized corrosion resistance in a 30 g L −1 NaCl solution using polarization curves found that optimal laser treatment conditions can led to an increase in the breakdown potential of more than 500 mV, which corresponds to a significant improvement in corrosion resistance.

Second Harmonic Correlation Spectroscopy: Theory and Principles for Determining Surface Binding Kinetics.

Science.gov (United States)

Sly, Krystal L; Conboy, John C

2017-06-01

A novel application of second harmonic correlation spectroscopy (SHCS) for the direct determination of molecular adsorption and desorption kinetics to a surface is discussed in detail. The surface-specific nature of second harmonic generation (SHG) provides an efficient means to determine the kinetic rates of adsorption and desorption of molecular species to an interface without interference from bulk diffusion, which is a significant limitation of fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS). The underlying principles of SHCS for the determination of surface binding kinetics are presented, including the role of optical coherence and optical heterodyne mixing. These properties of SHCS are extremely advantageous and lead to an increase in the signal-to-noise (S/N) of the correlation data, increasing the sensitivity of the technique. The influence of experimental parameters, including the uniformity of the TEM00 laser beam, the overall photon flux, and collection time are also discussed, and are shown to significantly affect the S/N of the correlation data. Second harmonic correlation spectroscopy is a powerful, surface-specific, and label-free alternative to other correlation spectroscopic methods for examining surface binding kinetics.

Computerized emission transaxial tomography and determination of local brain function

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuhl, D.E.; Alavi, A.; Reivich, M.; Edwards, R.Q.; Fenton, C.A.; Zimmerman, R.A.

1975-01-01

Accurate knowledge of regional function in the brain would be of great value for the detection and localization of a wide variety of diseases and for assessment of patients under treatment. The management of patients would be greatly improved with a day-to-day knowledge of the status of blood flow, blood volume, metabolism, permeability, brain swelling, and other functions on a local basis throughout the brain. In the past this kind of information has not been available. Instead, function has usually been examined only for the organ as a whole and regional information has been restricted to morphology as determined by radiographic or radionuclide imaging studies. Three-dimensional radionuclide reconstruction imaging will become more important in the study of the brain, providing accurate measurement of radionuclide concentration within functional structural units of the brain. Measurement of local function with three-dimensional resolution throughout the brain and without the necessity for intracarotid injection of indicator could therefore provide a significant advance over presently available methods

The Surface Energy Balance at Local and Regional Scales-A Comparison of General Circulation Model Results with Observations.

Science.gov (United States)

Garratt, J. R.; Krummel, P. B.; Kowalczyk, E. A.

1993-06-01

Aspects of the mean monthly energy balance at continental surfaces are examined by appeal to the results of general circulation model (GCM) simulations, climatological maps of surface fluxes, and direct observations. Emphasis is placed on net radiation and evaporation for (i) five continental regions (each approximately 20°×150°) within Africa, Australia, Eurasia, South America, and the United States; (ii) a number of continental sites in both hemispheres. Both the mean monthly values of the local and regional fluxes and the mean monthly diurnal cycles of the local fluxes are described. Mostly, GCMs tend to overestimate the mean monthly levels of net radiation by about 15% -20% on an annual basis, for observed annual values in the range 50 to 100 Wm2. This is probably the result of several deficiencies, including (i) continental surface albedos being undervalued in a number of the models, resulting in overestimates of the net shortwave flux at the surface (though this deficiency is steadily being addressed by modelers); (ii) incoming shortwave fluxes being overestimated due to uncertainties in cloud schemes and clear-sky absorption; (iii) land-surface temperatures being under-estimated resulting in an underestimate of the outgoing longwave flux. In contrast, and even allowing for the poor observational base for evaporation, there is no obvious overall bias in mean monthly levels of evaporation determined in GCMS, with one or two exceptions. Rather, and far more so than with net radiation, there is a wide range in values of evaporation for all regions investigated. For continental regions and at times of the year of low to moderate rainfall, there is a tendency for the simulated evaporation to be closely related to the precipitation-this is not surprising. In contrast, for regions where there is sufficient or excessive rainfall, the evaporation tends to follow the behavior of the net radiation. Again, this is not surprising given the close relation between

Topological open string amplitudes on local toric del Pezzo surfaces via remodeling the B-model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Manabe, Masahide

2009-01-01

We study topological strings on local toric del Pezzo surfaces by a method called remodeling the B-model which was recently proposed by Bouchard, Klemm, Marino and Pasquetti. For a large class of local toric del Pezzo surfaces we prove a functional formula of the Bergman kernel which is the basic constituent of the topological string amplitudes by the topological recursion relation of Eynard and Orantin. Because this formula is written as a functional of the period, we can obtain the topological string amplitudes at any point of the moduli space by a simple change of variables of the Picard-Fuchs equations for the period. By this formula and mirror symmetry we compute the A-model amplitudes on K F 2 , and predict the open orbifold Gromov-Witten invariants of C 3 /Z 4 .

Determination of Surface Fluxes Using a Bowen Ratio System

African Journals Online (AJOL)

USER

Components of the surface fluxes of the energy balance equation were determined ... and vapour pressure in combination with point measurements of net .... approaches zero, then almost all the energy available is used in evapotranspiration.

Effects of surface chromium depletion on localized corrosion of alloy 825 as a high-level nuclear waste container material

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dunn, D.S.; Sridhar, N.; Cragnolino, G.A.

1995-01-01

Effects of the chromium-depleted, mill-finished surface on the localized corrosion resistance of alloy 825 (UNS N08825) were investigated. Tests were conducted in solutions based on the ground water at Yucca mountain, Nevada, but with a higher concentration of chloride. Results indicated that breakdown (E p ) and repassivation (E rp ) potentials for mill-finished surfaces were more active than those for polished surfaces. Potentiodynamic polarization tests indicated pits could be initiated on the chromium-depleted surface at potentials of 220 mV SCE in a solution containing 1,000 ppm Cl - at 95 C. Potentiostatic tests identified a similar pit initiation potential for the mill-finished surface. However, under longterm potentiostatic tests, a higher potential of 300 mV SCE was needed to sustain stable pit growth beyond the chromium-depleted layer. An increase in surface roughness also was observed to decrease localized corrosion resistance of the material

Surface structural determination of UO2(111) using MeV ions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thompson, K.A.; Ellis, W.P.; Taylor, T.N.; Valone, S.M.; Maggiore, C.J.

1983-01-01

The UO 2 (111) surface was studied using MeV ions incident along the and directions. In addition, this surface was well characterized by LEED and Auger analysis. A resonance at 3.05 MeV for 4 He elastic scattering from 16 O made it possible to study the surface peaks for uranium and oxygen simultaneously. By combining previous surface studies with detailed analysis of the surface peaks and rocking curves for this compound material, an outward relaxation of 0.19 A +- 0.01 A was determined for uranium

Determination of toxic and essential element concentrations in foodstuffs from local market

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Surtipanti; Suwirma; Yumiarti; June, M.; Syaifudin, S.

1989-01-01

Determination of toxic and essential elements concentrations in foodstuffs from local market in Jakarta. Concentration of toxic essential elements, such as, As, Hg, Cr, Pb, Cu, and Zn, in rice, corn bean, small green peas, wheat, vegetables, fruits, tea and coffee, have been determined. As, Hg, Sb, Cr, Se, and Zn, were determined using neutron activation analysis, after being irradiated at TRIGA-MARK II reactor, while Pb and Cu were determined using atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The results obtained were lower than the maximum permissible concentration allowed. (author). 8 refs

Factors Determining Bank Competitive Strategy: An Empirical Study on Local Development Banks (LDBS in Indonesia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ahmad IRFAN

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Many studies have been investigating determinants of the company's competitive strategy. Nevertheless, there have insufficient studies conducted to investigate the determinants of competitive strategy on banking industry, particularly on Local development banks (LDBS. This study is aimed at filling in the literature. This study surveyed top executives of twenty-six local development banks in Indonesia and employed PLS approach to answer the research questions. The result shows that three groups of variables, i.e., innovation management, company resource management, and adoption of technology influence the development of competitive strategy in local development banks.

Influence of HEPES buffer on the local pH and formation of surface layer during in vitro degradation tests of magnesium in DMEM

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Naddaf Dezfuli

2014-10-01

Full Text Available The human body is a buffered environment where pH is effectively maintained. HEPES is a biological buffer often used to mimic the buffering activity of the body in in vitro studies on the degradation behavior of magnesium. However, the influence of HEPES on the degradation behavior of magnesium in the DMEM pseudo-physiological solution has not yet been determined. The research aimed at elucidating the degradation mechanisms of magnesium in DMEM with and without HEPES. The morphologies and compositions of surface layers formed during in vitro degradation tests for 15–3600 s were characterized. The effect of HEPES on the electrochemical behavior and corrosion tendency was determined by performing electrochemical tests. HEPES indeed retained the local pH, leading to intense intergranular/interparticle corrosion of magnesium made from powder and an increased degradation rate. This was attributed to an interconnected network of cracks formed at the original powder particle boundaries and grain boundaries in the surface layer, which provided pathways for the corrosive medium to interact continuously with the internal surfaces and promoted further dissolution. Surface analysis revealed significantly reduced amounts of precipitated calcium phosphates due to the buffering activity of HEPES so that magnesium became less well protected in the buffered environment.

Quantative determination of surface temperatures using an infrared camera

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hsieh, C.K.; Ellingson, W.A.

1977-01-01

A method is presented to determine the surface-temperature distribution at each point in an infrared picture. To handle the surface reflection problem, three cases are considered that include the use of black coatings, radiation shields, and band-pass filters. For uniform irradiation on the test surface, the irradiation can be measured by using a cooled, convex mirror. Equations are derived to show that this surrounding irradiation effect can be subtracted out from the scanned radiation; thus the net radiation is related to only emission from the surface. To provide for temperature measurements over a large field, the image-processing technique is used to digitize the infrared data. The paper spells out procedures that involve the use of a computer for making point-by-point temperature calculations. Finally, a sample case is given to illustrate applications of the method. 6 figures, 1 table

STM Imaging of Localized Surface Plasmons on Individual Gold Nanoislands.

Science.gov (United States)

Nguyen, Huy A; Banerjee, Progna; Nguyen, Duc; Lyding, Joseph W; Gruebele, Martin; Jain, Prashant K

2018-04-19

An optically modulated scanning tunneling microscopy technique developed for measurement of single-molecule optical absorption is used here to image the light absorption by individual Au nanoislands and Au nanostructures. The technique is shown to spatially map, with nanometer resolution, localized surface plasmons (LSPs) excited within the nanoislands. Electrodynamic simulations demonstrate the correspondence of the measured images to plasmonic near-field intensity maps. The optical STM imaging technique captures the wavelength, polarization, and geometry dependence of the LSP resonances and their corresponding near-fields. Thus, we introduce a tool for real-space, nanometer-scale visualization of optical energy absorption, transport, and dissipation in complex plasmonic nanostructures.

Localized surface plasmon resonances in gold nano-patches on a gallium nitride substrate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

D’Antonio, Palma; Vincenzo Inchingolo, Alessio; Perna, Giuseppe; Capozzi, Vito; Stomeo, Tiziana; De Vittorio, Massimo; Magno, Giovanni; Grande, Marco; Petruzzelli, Vincenzo; D’Orazio, Antonella

2012-01-01

In this paper we describe the design, fabrication and characterization of gold nano-patches, deposited on gallium nitride substrate, acting as optical nanoantennas able to efficiently localize the electric field at the metal–dielectric interface. We analyse the performance of the proposed device, evaluating the transmission and the electric field localization by means of a three-dimensional finite difference time domain (FDTD) method. We detail the fabrication protocol and show the morphological characterization. We also investigate the near-field optical transmission by means of scanning near-field optical microscope measurements, which reveal the excitation of a localized surface plasmon resonance at a wavelength of 633 nm, as expected by the FDTD calculations. Such results highlight how the final device can pave the way for the realization of a single optical platform where the active material and the metal nanostructures are integrated together on the same chip. (paper)

EXAFS, Determination of Short Range Order and Local Structures in Materials

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Koningsberger, D.C.; Prins, R.

1981-01-01

Extended X-ray Absorption Fine Structure (EXAFS) is a powerful method of determining short range order and local structures in materials using X-ray photons produced by a synchrotron light source, or in-house by a high intensity rotating anode X-ray generator. The technique has provided valuable

Mathematical models and methods of localized interaction theory

CERN Document Server

Bunimovich, AI

1995-01-01

The interaction of the environment with a moving body is called "localized" if it has been found or assumed that the force or/and thermal influence of the environment on each body surface point is independent and can be determined by the local geometrical and kinematical characteristics of this point as well as by the parameters of the environment and body-environment interactions which are the same for the whole surface of contact.Such models are widespread in aerodynamics and gas dynamics, covering supersonic and hypersonic flows, and rarefied gas flows. They describe the influence of light

Localized aliphatic organic material on the surface of Ceres

Science.gov (United States)

De Sanctis, M. C.; Ammannito, E.; McSween, H. Y.; Raponi, A.; Marchi, S.; Capaccioni, F.; Capria, M. T.; Carrozzo, F. G.; Ciarniello, M.; Fonte, S.; Formisano, M.; Frigeri, A.; Giardino, M.; Longobardo, A.; Magni, G.; McFadden, L. A.; Palomba, E.; Pieters, C. M.; Tosi, F.; Zambon, F.; Raymond, C. A.; Russell, C. T.

2017-02-01

Organic compounds occur in some chondritic meteorites, and their signatures on solar system bodies have been sought for decades. Spectral signatures of organics have not been unambiguously identified on the surfaces of asteroids, whereas they have been detected on cometary nuclei. Data returned by the Visible and InfraRed Mapping Spectrometer on board the Dawn spacecraft show a clear detection of an organic absorption feature at 3.4 micrometers on dwarf planet Ceres. This signature is characteristic of aliphatic organic matter and is mainly localized on a broad region of ~1000 square kilometers close to the ~50-kilometer Ernutet crater. The combined presence on Ceres of ammonia-bearing hydrated minerals, water ice, carbonates, salts, and organic material indicates a very complex chemical environment, suggesting favorable environments to prebiotic chemistry.

Surface characteristics determining the cell compatibility of ionically cross-linked alginate gels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Machida-Sano, Ikuko; Hirakawa, Makoto; Matsumoto, Hiroki; Kamada, Mitsuki; Ogawa, Sakito; Satoh, Nao; Namiki, Hideo

2014-01-01

In this study we investigated differences in the characteristics determining the suitability of five types of ion (Fe 3+ , Al 3+ , Ca 2+ , Ba 2+ and Sr 2+ )-cross-linked alginate films as culture substrates for cells. Human dermal fibroblasts were cultured on each alginate film to examine the cell affinity of the alginates. Since cell behavior on the surface of a material is dependent on the proteins adsorbed to it, we investigated the protein adsorption ability and surface features (wettability, morphology and charge) related to the protein adsorption abilities of alginate films. We observed that ferric, aluminum and barium ion-cross-linked alginate films supported better cell growth and adsorbed higher amounts of serum proteins than other types. Surface wettability analysis demonstrated that ferric and aluminum ion-cross-linked alginates had moderate hydrophilic surfaces, while other types showed highly hydrophilic surfaces. The roughness was exhibited only on barium ion-cross-linked alginate surface. Surface charge measurements revealed that alginate films had negatively charged surfaces, and showed little difference among the five types of gel. These results indicate that the critical factors of ionically cross-linked alginate films determining the protein adsorption ability required for their cell compatibility may be surface wettability and morphology. (paper)

AFM imaging and analysis of local mechanical properties for detection of surface pattern of functional groups

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Knotek, Petr, E-mail: petr.knotek@upce.cz [University of Pardubice, Faculty of Chemical Technology, Joint Laboratory of Solid State Chemistry of IMC ASCR and University of Pardubice, Studentska 573, 532 10 Pardubice (Czech Republic); Chanova, Eliska; Rypacek, Frantisek [Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Heyrovskeho sq. 2, 162 06 Prague (Czech Republic)

2013-05-01

In this work we evaluate the applicability of different atomic force microscopy (AFM) modes, such as Phase Shift Imaging, Atomic Force Acoustic Microscopy (AFAM) and Force Spectroscopy, for mapping of the distribution pattern of low-molecular-weight biomimetic groups on polymer biomaterial surfaces. Patterns with either random or clustered spatial distribution of bioactive peptide group derived from fibronectin were prepared by surface deposition of functional block copolymer nano-colloids and grafted with RGDS peptide containing the sequence of amino acids arginine–glycine–aspartic acid–serine (conventionally labeled as RGDS) and carrying biotin as a tag. The biotin-tagged peptides were labeled with 40 nm streptavidin-modified Au nanospheres. The peptide molecules were localized through the detection of bound Au nanospheres by AFM, and thus, the surface distribution of peptides was revealed. AFM techniques capable of monitoring local mechanical properties of the surface were proved to be the most efficient for identification of Au nano-markers. The efficiency was successfully demonstrated on two different patterns, i.e. random and clustered distribution of RGDS peptides on structured surface of the polymer biomaterial. Highlights: ► Bioactive peptides for cell adhesion on PLA-b-PEO biomimetic surface were visualized. ► The biotin-tagged RGDS peptides were labeled with streptavidin-Au nanospheres. ► The RGDS pattern was detected using different atomic force microscopy (AFM) modes. ► Phase Shift Image was proved to be suitable method for studying peptide distribution.

The Size of Local Government Administration at a Municipal Level as a Determinant of Entrepreneurship

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rusłan Harasym

2017-01-01

Full Text Available This artcle’s aim is to examine a dependency between local government administraton at a municipal level and the level of local entrepreneurship. This paper atempts to answer the queston of whether the size of the local government administraton has features of stmulant or de-stmulant in the process of setng up a business. In other words, does the size of public administraton at a local level (municipal level have a positve or negatve impact on creatng new business enttes? This is important due to at least a couple of reasons. First of all, the current research achievements are not extensive, when it comes to the publicatons that link entrepreneurship and the size of local government administraton. Secondly, the problem of entrepreneurship determinants consttutes stll topical and not fully investgated (or explained aspects of local economy development. Thirdly and fnally, the authors of this artcle have proposed and copyrighted an approach to the quantfcaton of the size of local government administraton, modifying commonly used measures of local public administraton. Thus, this artcle fts not only into the explanaton of the entrepreneurship phenomenon and its determinants, but also contributes to the development of knowledge about dependencies between the size of local selfgovernment and the entrepreneurship level. It expands the knowledge resource on analyzed dependencies and re-orients current approaches to similar research.

Condensation on superhydrophobic surfaces: the role of local energy barriers and structure length scale.

Science.gov (United States)

Enright, Ryan; Miljkovic, Nenad; Al-Obeidi, Ahmed; Thompson, Carl V; Wang, Evelyn N

2012-10-09

Water condensation on surfaces is a ubiquitous phase-change process that plays a crucial role in nature and across a range of industrial applications, including energy production, desalination, and environmental control. Nanotechnology has created opportunities to manipulate this process through the precise control of surface structure and chemistry, thus enabling the biomimicry of natural surfaces, such as the leaves of certain plant species, to realize superhydrophobic condensation. However, this "bottom-up" wetting process is inadequately described using typical global thermodynamic analyses and remains poorly understood. In this work, we elucidate, through imaging experiments on surfaces with structure length scales ranging from 100 nm to 10 μm and wetting physics, how local energy barriers are essential to understand non-equilibrium condensed droplet morphologies and demonstrate that overcoming these barriers via nucleation-mediated droplet-droplet interactions leads to the emergence of wetting states not predicted by scale-invariant global thermodynamic analysis. This mechanistic understanding offers insight into the role of surface-structure length scale, provides a quantitative basis for designing surfaces optimized for condensation in engineered systems, and promises insight into ice formation on surfaces that initiates with the condensation of subcooled water.

The determination of specific surface of sodium polyuranates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bilgin, B.; Atun, G.

2002-01-01

Three different sodium polyuranates were prepared by titration of uranyl nitrate with a sodium hydroxide solution labeled with 22 Na as the radiotracer. Polyuranates whose composition was *Na 2 O.7,5UO 3 .11H 2 O (sample A), *Na 2 O.4,3 UO 3 .4,7H 2 O (sample B), and *Na 2 O.2UO 3 .4H 2 O (sample C) were precipitated at pH 5.6, 8.5 and 11.2, respectively. The specific surface areas of these samples were determined by the BET method using methylene blue (MB) as the adsorbate. The sodium polyuranate surfaces were saturated by sequential adsorption of MB. The adsorption data gave an S-shaped isotherm and were fitted to the BET equation. The specific surface areas calculated from the BET isotherm decreased in order A > B > C. The isotope and ion exchange reactions between the sodium polyuranates and Li + , Na + , K + , Rb + , Cs + , Ca 2+ , Sr 2+ , and Ba 2+ ions were compared before and after MB coverage. The results showed that the isotope and ion exchange fractions decrease on the covered surfaces indicating particle diffusion mechanism dominated exchange reactions

Surface layer determination for the Si spheres of the Avogadro project

Science.gov (United States)

Busch, I.; Azuma, Y.; Bettin, H.; Cibik, L.; Fuchs, P.; Fujii, K.; Krumrey, M.; Kuetgens, U.; Kuramoto, N.; Mizushima, S.

2011-04-01

For the accurate determination of the Avogadro constant, two 28Si spheres were produced, whose macroscopic density, in addition to other values, must be determined. To make a contribution to the new definition of the kilogram, a relative standard uncertainty of less than 2 × 10-8 has to be achieved. Each silicon surface is covered by a surface layer (SL). Consequently, correction parameters for the SL are determined to be applied to the mass and volume determination of the enriched spheres. With the use of a large set of surface analysing techniques, the structure of the SL is investigated. An unexpected metallic contamination existing on the sphere surface enlarges the uncertainty contribution of the correction parameters above the originally targeted value of 1 × 10-8. In the framework of this investigation this new obstacle is resolved in two ways. A new combination of analytical methods is applied to measure the SL mass mSL and the thickness dSL, including this new contamination, with an uncertainty of u(mSL) = 14.5 µg and 14.4 µg, respectively, and u(dSL) = 0.33 nm and 0.32 nm for the 28Si spheres AVO28-S5 and AVO28-S8, respectively. In the second part of the work, the chemical composition of these metallic contaminations is found to be Cu, Ni and Zn silicide compounds. For the removal of this contamination, a special procedure is developed, tested and applied to the spheres to produce the originally expected surface structure on the spheres. After the application of this new procedure the use of x-ray reflectometry directly at the spheres will be possible. It is expected to reduce the uncertainty contribution due to the SL down to 1 × 10-8.

Local crystallography analysis for atomically resolved scanning tunneling microscopy images

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lin, Wenzhi; Li, Qing; Belianinov, Alexei; Gai, Zheng; Baddorf, Arthur P; Pan, Minghu; Jesse, Stephen; Kalinin, Sergei V; Sales, Brian C; Sefat, Athena

2013-01-01

Scanning probe microscopy has emerged as a powerful and flexible tool for atomically resolved imaging of surface structures. However, due to the amount of information extracted, in many cases the interpretation of such data is limited to being qualitative and semi-quantitative in nature. At the same time, much can be learned from local atom parameters, such as distances and angles, that can be analyzed and interpreted as variations of local chemical bonding, or order parameter fields. Here, we demonstrate an iterative algorithm for indexing and determining atomic positions that allows the analysis of inhomogeneous surfaces. This approach is further illustrated by local crystallographic analysis of several real surfaces, including highly ordered pyrolytic graphite and an Fe-based superconductor FeTe 0.55 Se 0.45 . This study provides a new pathway to extract and quantify local properties for scanning probe microscopy images. (paper)

Determination of nanoparticle surface coatings and nanoparticle purity using microscale thermogravimetric analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Mansfield, Elisabeth; Tyner, Katherine M; Poling, Christopher M; Blacklock, Jenifer L

2014-02-04

The use of nanoparticles in some applications (i.e., nanomedical, nanofiltration, or nanoelectronic) requires small samples with well-known purities and composition. In addition, when nanoparticles are introduced into complex environments (e.g., biological fluids), the particles may become coated with matter, such as proteins or lipid layers. Many of today's analytical techniques are not able to address small-scale samples of nanoparticles to determine purity and the presence of surface coatings. Through the use of an elevated-temperature quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) method we call microscale thermogravimetric analysis, or μ-TGA, the nanoparticle purity, as well as the presence of any surface coatings of nanomaterials, can be measured. Microscale thermogravimetric analysis is used to determine the presence and amount of surface-bound ligand coverage on gold nanoparticles and confirm the presence of a poly(ethylene glycol) coating on SiO2 nanoparticles. Results are compared to traditional analytical techniques to demonstrate reproducibility and validity of μ-TGA for determining the presence of nanoparticle surface coatings. Carbon nanotube samples are also analyzed and compared to conventional TGA. The results demonstrate μ-TGA is a valid method for quantitative determination of the coatings on nanoparticles, and in some cases, can provide purity and compositional data of the nanoparticles themselves.

Nanotribological properties of precision-controlled regular nanotexture on H-passivated Si surface by current-induced local anodic oxidation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mo Yufei; Zhao Wenjie; Huang Deming; Zhao Fei [State Key Laboratory of Solid Lubrication, Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000 (China); Graduate School of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100039 (China); Bai Mingwu [State Key Laboratory of Solid Lubrication, Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000 (China)], E-mail: mwbai@LZB.ac.cn

2009-02-15

Nano-sized textures resulted from localized electrochemical oxidation by using atomic force microscopy (AFM) were fabricated on H-passivated Si surface. In this paper, the fabrication and nanotribological properties of nanotexture by local anodic oxidation (LAO) on H-passivated Si surface are presented. A special attention is paid to find the relation between the size of oxide nanotexture and operational parameters such as tip-sample pulsed bias voltage, pulsewidth, and relative humidity to fabricate oxide nanotexture. The nanotribological properties were investigated by a colloidal probe. The results indicate that the nanotextures exhibited low adhesion and greatly reduced friction force at nanometer scale.

New method for the exact determination of the effective conductivity and the local field in RLC networks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zekri, L.; Zekri, N.; Bouamrane, R.

1999-10-01

We present a new numerical method for determining exactly the effective conductivity and the local field for random RLC networks. This method is compared to a real space renormalization group method and the Frank and Lobb method. Although our method is slower than the Frank and Lobb method, it also computes exactly the local field for large size systems. We also show that the renormalization group method fails in determining the local field. (author)

Ligand-independent Thrombopoietin Mutant Receptor Requires Cell Surface Localization for Endogenous Activity*

Science.gov (United States)

Marty, Caroline; Chaligné, Ronan; Lacout, Catherine; Constantinescu, Stefan N.; Vainchenker, William; Villeval, Jean-Luc

2009-01-01

The activating W515L mutation in the thrombopoietin receptor (MPL) has been identified in primary myelofibrosis and essential thrombocythemia. MPL belongs to a subset of the cytokine receptor superfamily that requires the JAK2 kinase for signaling. We examined whether the ligand-independent MPLW515L mutant could signal intracellularly. Addition of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) retention KDEL sequence to the receptor C terminus efficiently locked MPLW515L within its natural ER/Golgi maturation pathway. In contrast to cells expressing the parental MPLW515L, MPLW515L-KDEL-expressing FDC-P1 cells were unable to grow autonomously and to produce tumors in nude mice. When observed, tumor nodules resulted from in vivo selection of cells leaking the receptor at their surface. JAK2 co-immunoprecipitated with MPLW515L-KDEL but was not phosphorylated. We generated disulfide-bonded MPLW515L homodimers by the S402C substitution, both in the normal and KDEL context. Unlike MPLW515L-KDEL, MPLW515L-S402C-KDEL signaled constitutively and exhibited cell surface localization. These data establish that MPLW515L with appended JAK2 matures through the ER/Golgi system in an inactive conformation and suggest that the MPLW515L/JAK2 complex requires membrane localization for JAK2 phosphorylation, resulting in autonomous receptor signaling. PMID:19261614

Real-Time Ligand Binding Pocket Database Search Using Local Surface Descriptors

Science.gov (United States)

Chikhi, Rayan; Sael, Lee; Kihara, Daisuke

2010-01-01

Due to the increasing number of structures of unknown function accumulated by ongoing structural genomics projects, there is an urgent need for computational methods for characterizing protein tertiary structures. As functions of many of these proteins are not easily predicted by conventional sequence database searches, a legitimate strategy is to utilize structure information in function characterization. Of a particular interest is prediction of ligand binding to a protein, as ligand molecule recognition is a major part of molecular function of proteins. Predicting whether a ligand molecule binds a protein is a complex problem due to the physical nature of protein-ligand interactions and the flexibility of both binding sites and ligand molecules. However, geometric and physicochemical complementarity is observed between the ligand and its binding site in many cases. Therefore, ligand molecules which bind to a local surface site in a protein can be predicted by finding similar local pockets of known binding ligands in the structure database. Here, we present two representations of ligand binding pockets and utilize them for ligand binding prediction by pocket shape comparison. These representations are based on mapping of surface properties of binding pockets, which are compactly described either by the two dimensional pseudo-Zernike moments or the 3D Zernike descriptors. These compact representations allow a fast real-time pocket searching against a database. Thorough benchmark study employing two different datasets show that our representations are competitive with the other existing methods. Limitations and potentials of the shape-based methods as well as possible improvements are discussed. PMID:20455259

The surface-forming energy release rate versus the local energy release rate

OpenAIRE

Xiao, Si; Wang, He-ling; Landis, Chad M; Hwang, Keh-Chih; Liu, Bin

2016-01-01

This paper identifies two ways to extract the energy (or power) flowing into a crack tip during propagation based on the power balance of areas enclosed by a stationary contour and a comoving contour. It is very interesting to find a contradiction that two corresponding energy release rates (ERRs), a surface-forming ERR and a local ERR, are different when stress singularity exists at a crack tip. Besides a rigorous mathematical interpretation, we deduce that the stress singularity leads to an...

Spectroscopic determination of optimal hydration time of zircon surface

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ordonez R, E. [ININ, Departamento de Quimica, Carretera Mexico-Toluca s/n, 52750 Ocoyoacac, Estado de Mexico (Mexico); Garcia R, G. [Instituto Tecnologico de Toluca, Division de Estudios del Posgrado, Av. Tecnologico s/n, Ex-Rancho La Virgen, 52140 Metepec, Estado de Mexico (Mexico); Garcia G, N., E-mail: eduardo.ordonez@inin.gob.m [Universidad Autonoma del Estado de Mexico, Facultad de Quimica, Av. Colon y Av. Tollocan, 50180 Toluca, Estado de Mexico (Mexico)

2010-07-01

When a mineral surface is immersed in an aqueous solution, it develops and electric charge produced by the amphoteric dissociation of hydroxyl groups created by the hydration of the solid surface. This is one influential surface property. The complete hydration process takes a time which is specific for each mineral species. The knowledge of the aqueous solution contact time for complete surface hydration is mandatory for further surface phenomena studies. This study deals with the optimal hydration time of the raw zircon (ZrSiO{sub 4}) surface comparing the classical potentiometric titrations with a fluorescence spectroscopy technique. The latter is easy and rea liable as it demands only one sample batch to determine the optimal time to ensure a total hydration of the zircon surface. The analytical results of neutron activation analysis showed the presence of trace quantities of Dy{sup 3+}, Eu{sup 3+} and Er{sup 3} in the bulk of zircon. The Dy{sup 3+} is structured in the zircon crystalline lattice and undergoes the same chemical reactions as zircon. Furthermore, the Dy{sup 3+} has a good fluorescent response whose intensity is enhanced by hydration molecules. The results show that, according to the potentiometric analysis, the hydration process for each batch (at least 8 sample batches) takes around 2 h, while the spectrometric method indicates only 5 minutes from only one batch. Both methods showed that the zircon surface have a 16 h optimal hydration time. (Author)

Spectroscopic determination of optimal hydration time of zircon surface

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ordonez R, E.; Garcia R, G.; Garcia G, N.

2010-01-01

When a mineral surface is immersed in an aqueous solution, it develops and electric charge produced by the amphoteric dissociation of hydroxyl groups created by the hydration of the solid surface. This is one influential surface property. The complete hydration process takes a time which is specific for each mineral species. The knowledge of the aqueous solution contact time for complete surface hydration is mandatory for further surface phenomena studies. This study deals with the optimal hydration time of the raw zircon (ZrSiO 4 ) surface comparing the classical potentiometric titrations with a fluorescence spectroscopy technique. The latter is easy and rea liable as it demands only one sample batch to determine the optimal time to ensure a total hydration of the zircon surface. The analytical results of neutron activation analysis showed the presence of trace quantities of Dy 3+ , Eu 3+ and Er 3 in the bulk of zircon. The Dy 3+ is structured in the zircon crystalline lattice and undergoes the same chemical reactions as zircon. Furthermore, the Dy 3+ has a good fluorescent response whose intensity is enhanced by hydration molecules. The results show that, according to the potentiometric analysis, the hydration process for each batch (at least 8 sample batches) takes around 2 h, while the spectrometric method indicates only 5 minutes from only one batch. Both methods showed that the zircon surface have a 16 h optimal hydration time. (Author)

Determination of forest road surface roughness by Kinect depth imaging

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Francesco Marinello

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Roughness is a dynamic property of the gravel road surface that affects safety, ride comfort as well as vehicle tyre life and maintenance costs. A rapid survey of gravel road condition is fundamental for an effective maintenance planning and definition of the intervention priorities.Different non-contact techniques such as laser scanning, ultrasonic sensors and photogrammetry have recently been proposed to reconstruct three-dimensional topography of road surface and allow extraction of roughness metrics. The application of Microsoft Kinect™ depth camera is proposed and discussed here for collection of 3D data sets from gravel roads, to be implemented in order to allow quantification of surface roughness.The objectives are to: i verify the applicability of the Kinect sensor for characterization of different forest roads, ii identify the appropriateness and potential of different roughness parameters and iii analyse the correlation with vibrations recoded by 3-axis accelerometers installed on different vehicles. The test took advantage of the implementation of the Kinect depth camera for surface roughness determination of 4 different forest gravel roads and one well-maintained asphalt road as reference. Different vehicles (mountain bike, off-road motorcycle, ATV vehicle, 4WD car and compact crossover were included in the experiment in order to verify the vibration intensity when travelling on different road surface conditions. Correlations between the extracted roughness parameters and vibration levels of the tested vehicles were then verified. Coefficients of determination of between 0.76 and 0.97 were detected between average surface roughness and standard deviation of relative accelerations, with higher values in the case of lighter vehicles.

Localized surface plasmon resonance mercury detection system and methods

Science.gov (United States)

James, Jay; Lucas, Donald; Crosby, Jeffrey Scott; Koshland, Catherine P.

2016-03-22

A mercury detection system that includes a flow cell having a mercury sensor, a light source and a light detector is provided. The mercury sensor includes a transparent substrate and a submonolayer of mercury absorbing nanoparticles, e.g., gold nanoparticles, on a surface of the substrate. Methods of determining whether mercury is present in a sample using the mercury sensors are also provided. The subject mercury detection systems and methods find use in a variety of different applications, including mercury detecting applications.

Regulation of Constitutive GPR3 Signaling and Surface Localization by GRK2 and β-arrestin-2 Overexpression in HEK293 Cells.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Katie M Lowther

Full Text Available G protein-coupled receptor 3 (GPR3 is a constitutively active receptor that maintains high 3'-5'-cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP levels required for meiotic arrest in oocytes and CNS function. Ligand-activated G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs signal at the cell surface and are silenced by phosphorylation and β-arrestin recruitment upon endocytosis. Some GPCRs can also signal from endosomes following internalization. Little is known about the localization, signaling, and regulation of constitutively active GPCRs. We demonstrate herein that exogenously-expressed GPR3 localizes to the cell membrane and undergoes internalization in HEK293 cells. Inhibition of endocytosis increased cell surface-localized GPR3 and cAMP levels while overexpression of GPCR-Kinase 2 (GRK2 and β-arrestin-2 decreased cell surface-localized GPR3 and cAMP levels. GRK2 by itself is sufficient to decrease cAMP production but both GRK2 and β-arrestin-2 are required to decrease cell surface GPR3. GRK2 regulates GPR3 independently of its kinase activity since a kinase inactive GRK2-K220R mutant significantly decreased cAMP levels. However, GRK2-K220R and β-arrestin-2 do not diminish cell surface GPR3, suggesting that phosphorylation is required to induce GPR3 internalization. To understand which residues are targeted for desensitization, we mutated potential phosphorylation sites in the third intracellular loop and C-terminus and examined the effect on cAMP and receptor surface localization. Mutation of residues in the third intracellular loop dramatically increased cAMP levels whereas mutation of residues in the C-terminus produced cAMP levels comparable to GPR3 wild type. Interestingly, both mutations significantly reduced cell surface expression of GPR3. These results demonstrate that GPR3 signals at the plasma membrane and can be silenced by GRK2/β-arrestin overexpression. These results also strongly implicate the serine and/or threonine residues in the third

Surface renewal analysis for estimating turbulent surface fluxes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Castellvi, F.

2009-01-01

A decade ago, the need for a long-term surface monitoring was recognized to better understand the soil-vegetation-atmosphere scalar exchange and interaction processes. the AmeriFlux concept emerged in the IGBP workshop (La Thuile, IT, 1995). Continuous acquisition of surface fluxes for different species such as temperature, water vapour, CO x , halocarbon, ozone, etc.,) and momentum allows determination of the influence of local (canopy) exchanges, fossil fuel emission, large-scale biotic exchange on ambient concentrations which are crucial to take decisions for protecting natural environments and water resources, to develop new perspective for modern agriculture and forest management and to better understand the global climate change. (Author)

Socio-demographic characteristics as determinants of differences in perception of local gastronomy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vuksanović Nikola

2017-01-01

Full Text Available This study aims to research differences in socio-demographic characteristics of foreign tourists in consumption of local food in the city centres Belgrade and Novi Sad, Republic of Serbia. The research was conducted on a sample of 673 respondents. The results of this study point out the importance of socio-demographic variables in research of local gastronomy as a significant component of tourism product. The research included the determining of the impact of the city the tourists stayed at. The differences were examined via two-factor ANOVA analysis of variance. The obtained results indicate that there are differences between age groups, in the level of education, monthly income and countries that foreign tourists come from, whereas there is no difference between genders in relation to the perception of local gastronomy. At the same time, the findings indicate that there are no differences in the perception of local gastronomy between the cities of Novi Sad and Belgrade. The results confirm previous studies and point out the significance of socio-demographic characteristics of foreign tourists in their perception of local gastronomy and adapting it to the visitors, regardless of the city they visited.

Low-energy electron diffraction experiment, theory and surface structure determination

CERN Document Server

Hove, Michel A; Chan, Chi-Ming

1986-01-01

Surface crystallography plays the same fundamental role in surface science which bulk crystallography has played so successfully in solid-state physics and chemistry. The atomic-scale structure is one of the most important aspects in the understanding of the behavior of surfaces in such widely diverse fields as heterogeneous catalysis, microelectronics, adhesion, lubrication, cor­ rosion, coatings, and solid-solid and solid-liquid interfaces. Low-Energy Electron Diffraction or LEED has become the prime tech­ nique used to determine atomic locations at surfaces. On one hand, LEED has yielded the most numerous and complete structural results to date (almost 200 structures), while on the other, LEED has been regarded as the "technique to beat" by a variety of other surface crystallographic methods, such as photoemission, SEXAFS, ion scattering and atomic diffraction. Although these other approaches have had impressive successes, LEED has remained the most productive technique and has shown the most versatility...

Structural determinants for protein adsorption/non-adsorption to silica surface

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mathe, Christelle; Devineau, Stephanie; Aude, Jean-Christophe; Lagniel, Gilles; Chedin, Stephane; Legros, Veronique; Mathon, Marie-Helene; Renault, Jean-Philippe; Pin, Serge; Boulard, Yves; Labarre, Jean

2013-01-01

The understanding of the mechanisms involved in the interaction of proteins with inorganic surfaces is of major interest in both fundamental research and applications such as nano-technology. However, despite intense research, the mechanisms and the structural determinants of protein/surface interactions are still unclear. We developed a strategy consisting in identifying, in a mixture of hundreds of soluble proteins, those proteins that are adsorbed on the surface and those that are not. If the two protein subsets are large enough, their statistical comparative analysis must reveal the physicochemical determinants relevant for adsorption versus non-adsorption. This methodology was tested with silica nanoparticles. We found that the adsorbed proteins contain a higher number of charged amino acids, particularly arginine, which is consistent with involvement of this basic amino acid in electrostatic interactions with silica. The analysis also identified a marked bias toward low aromatic amino acid content (phenylalanine, tryptophan, tyrosine and histidine) in adsorbed proteins. Structural analyses and molecular dynamics simulations of proteins from the two groups indicate that non-adsorbed proteins have twice as many p-p interactions and higher structural rigidity. The data are consistent with the notion that adsorption is correlated with the flexibility of the protein and with its ability to spread on the surface. Our findings led us to propose a refined model of protein adsorption. (authors)

Structural determinants for protein adsorption/non-adsorption to silica surface.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christelle Mathé

Full Text Available The understanding of the mechanisms involved in the interaction of proteins with inorganic surfaces is of major interest in both fundamental research and applications such as nanotechnology. However, despite intense research, the mechanisms and the structural determinants of protein/surface interactions are still unclear. We developed a strategy consisting in identifying, in a mixture of hundreds of soluble proteins, those proteins that are adsorbed on the surface and those that are not. If the two protein subsets are large enough, their statistical comparative analysis must reveal the physicochemical determinants relevant for adsorption versus non-adsorption. This methodology was tested with silica nanoparticles. We found that the adsorbed proteins contain a higher number of charged amino acids, particularly arginine, which is consistent with involvement of this basic amino acid in electrostatic interactions with silica. The analysis also identified a marked bias toward low aromatic amino acid content (phenylalanine, tryptophan, tyrosine and histidine in adsorbed proteins. Structural analyses and molecular dynamics simulations of proteins from the two groups indicate that non-adsorbed proteins have twice as many π-π interactions and higher structural rigidity. The data are consistent with the notion that adsorption is correlated with the flexibility of the protein and with its ability to spread on the surface. Our findings led us to propose a refined model of protein adsorption.

Two-dimensional Si nanosheets with local hexagonal structure on a MoS(2) surface.

Science.gov (United States)

Chiappe, Daniele; Scalise, Emilio; Cinquanta, Eugenio; Grazianetti, Carlo; van den Broek, Bas; Fanciulli, Marco; Houssa, Michel; Molle, Alessandro

2014-04-02

The structural and electronic properties of a Si nanosheet (NS) grown onto a MoS2 substrate by means of molecular beam epitaxy are assessed. Epitaxially grown Si is shown to adapt to the trigonal prismatic surface lattice of MoS2 by forming two-dimensional nanodomains. The Si layer structure is distinguished from the underlying MoS2 surface structure. The local electronic properties of the Si nanosheet are dictated by the atomistic arrangement of the layer and unlike the MoS2 hosting substrate they are qualified by a gap-less density of states. © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Significant change of local atomic configurations at surface of reduced activation Eurofer steels induced by hydrogenation treatments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Greculeasa, S.G.; Palade, P.; Schinteie, G. [National Institute for Materials Physics, P.O. Box MG-7, 77125, Bucharest-Magurele (Romania); Kuncser, A.; Stanciu, A. [National Institute for Materials Physics, P.O. Box MG-7, 77125, Bucharest-Magurele (Romania); University of Bucharest, Faculty of Physics, 77125, Bucharest-Magurele (Romania); Lungu, G.A. [National Institute for Materials Physics, P.O. Box MG-7, 77125, Bucharest-Magurele (Romania); Porosnicu, C.; Lungu, C.P. [National Institute for Laser, Plasma and Radiation Physics, 77125, Bucharest-Magurele (Romania); Kuncser, V., E-mail: kuncser@infim.ro [National Institute for Materials Physics, P.O. Box MG-7, 77125, Bucharest-Magurele (Romania)

2017-04-30

Highlights: • Engineering of Eurofer slab properties by hydrogenation treatments. • Hydrogenation modifies significantly the local atomic configurations at the surface. • Hydrogenation increases the expulsion of the Cr atoms toward the very surface. • Approaching binomial atomic distribution by hydrogenation in the next surface 100 nm. - Abstract: Reduced-activation steels such as Eurofer alloys are candidates for supporting plasma facing components in tokamak-like nuclear fusion reactors. In order to investigate the impact of hydrogen/deuterium insertion in their crystalline lattice, annealing treatments in hydrogen atmosphere have been applied on Eurofer slabs. The resulting samples have been analyzed with respect to local structure and atomic configuration both before and after successive annealing treatments, by X-ray diffractometry (XRD), scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and conversion electron Mössbauer spectroscopy (CEMS). The corroborated data point out for a bcc type structure of the non-hydrogenated alloy, with an average alloy composition approaching Fe{sub 0.9}Cr{sub 0.1} along a depth of about 100 nm. EDS elemental maps do not indicate surface inhomogeneities in concentration whereas the Mössbauer spectra prove significant deviations from a homogeneous alloying. The hydrogenation increases the expulsion of the Cr atoms toward the surface layer and decreases their oxidation, with considerable influence on the surface properties of the steel. The hydrogenation treatment is therefore proposed as a potential alternative for a convenient engineering of the surface of different Fe-Cr based alloys.

Application of Volta potential mapping to determine metal surface defects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nazarov, A.; Thierry, D.

2007-01-01

As a rule, stress or fatigue cracks originate from various surface imperfections, such as pits, inclusions or locations showing a residual stress. It would be very helpful for material selection to be able to predict the likelihood of environment-assisted cracking or pitting corrosion. By using Scanning Kelvin Probe (the vibrating capacitor with a spatial resolution of 80 μm) the profiling of metal electron work function (Volta potential) in air is applied to the metal surfaces showing residual stress, MnS inclusions and wearing. The Volta potential is influenced by the energy of electrons at the Fermi level and drops generally across the metal/oxide/air interfaces. Inclusions (e.g. MnS) impair continuity of the passive film that locally decreases Volta potential. The stress applied gives rise to dislocations, microcracks and vacancies in the metal and the surface oxide. The defects decrease Volta and corrosion potentials; reduce the overvoltage for processes of passivity breakdown and anodic metal dissolution. These 'anodic' defects can be visualized in potential mapping that can help us to predict locations with higher risk of pitting corrosion or cracking

Surface Topography Hinders Bacterial Surface Motility.

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Yow-Ren; Weeks, Eric R; Ducker, William A

2018-03-21

We demonstrate that the surface motility of the bacterium, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, is hindered by a crystalline hemispherical topography with wavelength in the range of 2-8 μm. The motility was determined by the analysis of time-lapse microscopy images of cells in a flowing growth medium maintained at 37 °C. The net displacement of bacteria over 5 min is much lower on surfaces containing 2-8 μm hemispheres than on flat topography, but displacement on the 1 μm hemispheres is not lower. That is, there is a threshold between 1 and 2 μm for response to the topography. Cells on the 4 μm hemispheres were more likely to travel parallel to the local crystal axis than in other directions. Cells on the 8 μm topography were less likely to travel across the crowns of the hemispheres and were also more likely to make 30°-50° turns than on flat surfaces. These results show that surface topography can act as a significant barrier to surface motility and may therefore hinder surface exploration by bacteria. Because surface exploration can be a part of the process whereby bacteria form colonies and seek nutrients, these results help to elucidate the mechanism by which surface topography hinders biofilm formation.

Enhancing local absorption within a gold nano-sphere on a dielectric surface under an AFM probe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Talebi Moghaddam, Sina; Ertürk, Hakan; Mengüç, M. Pınar

2016-01-01

This study considers enhancing localized absorption by a gold nanoparticle (NP) placed over a substrate where an atomic force microscope (AFM) tip is in close proximity of the particle. The gold NP and AFM tip are interacting with a surface evanescent wave, resulting a near-field coupling between the tip and NP and consequently enhances the absorption. This concept can be used for selective heating of NPs placed over a surface that enables precise manufacturing at nanometer scales. Different tip positions are considered to identify the optimal tip location and the corresponding enhancement limits. The effects of these interactions on the absorption profiles of dielectric core/gold shell NPs are also studied. It is observed that using core–shell nanoparticles with a dielectric core leads to further enhancement of the absorption efficiency and a more uniform distribution of absorption over the shell. Discrete dipole approximation coupled with surface interactions (DDA-SI) is employed throughout the study, and it is vectorized to improve its computational efficiency. - Highlights: • Plasmonic coupling between solid or core-shell nanoparticles, dielectric surface and Si AFM tip is investigated for achieving localized heating for nano-manufacturing. • Absorption efficiency enhancement limits for core-shell and solid nanoparticles are identified using an AFM tip for surface evanescent wave heating. • The effect of tip location, relative to surface wave direction is outlined, identifying optimal locations, and heat absorption distribution over core-shell and solid nanoparticles. • While using a Si AFM tip enhances absorption, using a dielectric core result in further enhancement in absorption with a more uniform distribution. • DDA-SI-v developed by vectorizing the formulations of DDA-SI for improved computational efficiency.

Torso geometry reconstruction and body surface electrode localization using three-dimensional photography.

Science.gov (United States)

Perez-Alday, Erick A; Thomas, Jason A; Kabir, Muammar; Sedaghat, Golriz; Rogovoy, Nichole; van Dam, Eelco; van Dam, Peter; Woodward, William; Fuss, Cristina; Ferencik, Maros; Tereshchenko, Larisa G

We conducted a prospective clinical study (n=14; 29% female) to assess the accuracy of a three-dimensional (3D) photography-based method of torso geometry reconstruction and body surface electrodes localization. The position of 74 body surface electrocardiographic (ECG) electrodes (diameter 5mm) was defined by two methods: 3D photography, and CT (marker diameter 2mm) or MRI (marker size 10×20mm) imaging. Bland-Altman analysis showed good agreement in X (bias -2.5 [95% limits of agreement (LoA) -19.5 to 14.3] mm), Y (bias -0.1 [95% LoA -14.1 to 13.9] mm), and Z coordinates (bias -0.8 [95% LoA -15.6 to 14.2] mm), as defined by the CT/MRI imaging, and 3D photography. The average Hausdorff distance between the two torso geometry reconstructions was 11.17±3.05mm. Thus, accurate torso geometry reconstruction using 3D photography is feasible. Body surface ECG electrodes coordinates as defined by the CT/MRI imaging, and 3D photography, are in good agreement. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Design and fabrication of structural color by local surface plasmonic meta-molecules

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ma Ya-Qi; Shao Jin-Hai; Lu Bing-Rui; Zhang Si-Chao; Chen Yi-Fang; Zhang Ya-Feng; Sun Yan; Qu Xin-Ping

2015-01-01

In this paper, we propose a new form of nanostructures with Al film deposited on a patterned dielectric material for generating structural color, which is induced by local surface plasmonic resonant (LSPR) absorption in sub-wavelength-indented hole/ring arrays. Unlike other reported results obtained by using focus ion beam (FIB) to create metallic nanostructures, the nano-sized hole/ring arrays in Al film in this work are replicated by high resolution electron beam lithography (EBL) combined with self-aligned metallization. Clear structural color is observed and systematically studied by numerical simulations as well as optical characterizations. The central color is strongly related to the geometric size, which provides us with good opportunities to dye the colorless Al surface by controlling the hole/ring dimensions (both diameter and radius), and to open up broad applications in display, jewelry decoration, green production of packing papers, security code, and counterfeits prevention. (paper)

Characteristics of Eurasian snowmelt and its impacts on the land surface and surface climate

Science.gov (United States)

Ye, Kunhui; Lau, Ngar-Cheung

2018-03-01

The local hydrological and climatic impacts of Eurasian snowmelt are studied using advanced land surface and atmospheric data. It is found that intense melting of snow is located at mid-high latitudes in April and May. Snowmelt plays an important role in determining the seasonal cycles of surface runoff and soil moisture (SM). Specifically, melting is accompanied by sharp responses in surface runoff and surface SM while the impacts are delayed for deeper-layer of soil. This is particularly significant in the western sector of Eurasia. On interannual timescales, the responses of various surface parameters to snowmelt in the same month are rather significant. However, the persistence of surface SM anomalies is weak due to the strong soil evaporation anomalies and surplus of surface energy for evaporation. Strong impacts on the sensible heat flux, planetary boundary layer height and precipitation in the next month following the melting of snow are identified in west Russia and Siberia. Downward propagation of surface SM anomalies is observed and a positive evaporation-convection feedback is identified in west Russia. However, the subsequent impacts on the local convective precipitation in late spring-summer and its contribution to the total precipitation are seemingly weak. The atmospheric water vapor convergence has strong control over the total precipitation anomalies. Overall, snowmelt-produced SM anomalies are not found to significantly impact the late spring-summer local climate anomalies in Northern Eurasia. Therefore, the delayed remote-responses of atmospheric circulation and climate to the melting of Eurasian snow may be only possible near the melting period.

The localization of focal heart activity via body surface potential measurements: tests in a heterogeneous torso phantom

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wetterling, F; Liehr, M; Haueisen, J; Schimpf, P; Liu, H

2009-01-01

The non-invasive localization of focal heart activity via body surface potential measurements (BSPM) could greatly benefit the understanding and treatment of arrhythmic heart diseases. However, the in vivo validation of source localization algorithms is rather difficult with currently available measurement techniques. In this study, we used a physical torso phantom composed of different conductive compartments and seven dipoles, which were placed in the anatomical position of the human heart in order to assess the performance of the Recursively Applied and Projected Multiple Signal Classification (RAP-MUSIC) algorithm. Electric potentials were measured on the torso surface for single dipoles with and without further uncorrelated or correlated dipole activity. The localization error averaged 11 ± 5 mm over 22 dipoles, which shows the ability of RAP-MUSIC to distinguish an uncorrelated dipole from surrounding sources activity. For the first time, real computational modelling errors could be included within the validation procedure due to the physically modelled heterogeneities. In conclusion, the introduced heterogeneous torso phantom can be used to validate state-of-the-art algorithms under nearly realistic measurement conditions.

The localization of focal heart activity via body surface potential measurements: tests in a heterogeneous torso phantom

Science.gov (United States)

Wetterling, F.; Liehr, M.; Schimpf, P.; Liu, H.; Haueisen, J.

2009-09-01

The non-invasive localization of focal heart activity via body surface potential measurements (BSPM) could greatly benefit the understanding and treatment of arrhythmic heart diseases. However, the in vivo validation of source localization algorithms is rather difficult with currently available measurement techniques. In this study, we used a physical torso phantom composed of different conductive compartments and seven dipoles, which were placed in the anatomical position of the human heart in order to assess the performance of the Recursively Applied and Projected Multiple Signal Classification (RAP-MUSIC) algorithm. Electric potentials were measured on the torso surface for single dipoles with and without further uncorrelated or correlated dipole activity. The localization error averaged 11 ± 5 mm over 22 dipoles, which shows the ability of RAP-MUSIC to distinguish an uncorrelated dipole from surrounding sources activity. For the first time, real computational modelling errors could be included within the validation procedure due to the physically modelled heterogeneities. In conclusion, the introduced heterogeneous torso phantom can be used to validate state-of-the-art algorithms under nearly realistic measurement conditions.

An independent determination of the local Hubble constant

Science.gov (United States)

Fernández Arenas, David; Terlevich, Elena; Terlevich, Roberto; Melnick, Jorge; Chávez, Ricardo; Bresolin, Fabio; Telles, Eduardo; Plionis, Manolis; Basilakos, Spyros

2018-02-01

The relationship between the integrated H β line luminosity and the velocity dispersion of the ionized gas of H II galaxies and giant H II regions represents an exciting standard candle that presently can be used up to redshifts z ˜ 4. Locally it is used to obtain precise measurements of the Hubble constant by combining the slope of the relation obtained from nearby (z ≤ 0.2) H II galaxies with the zero-point determined from giant H II regions belonging to an `anchor sample' of galaxies for which accurate redshift-independent distance moduli are available. We present new data for 36 giant H II regions in 13 galaxies of the anchor sample that includes the megamaser galaxy NGC 4258. Our data are the result of the first 4 yr of observation of our primary sample of 130 giant H II regions in 73 galaxies with Cepheid determined distances. Our best estimate of the Hubble parameter is 71.0 ± 2.8(random) ± 2.1(systematic) km s- 1Mpc- 1. This result is the product of an independent approach and, although at present less precise than the latest SNIa results, it is amenable to substantial improvement.

Tailoring of quantum dot emission efficiency by localized surface plasmon polaritons in self-organized mesoscopic rings.

Science.gov (United States)

Margapoti, Emanuela; Gentili, Denis; Amelia, Matteo; Credi, Alberto; Morandi, Vittorio; Cavallini, Massimiliano

2014-01-21

We report on the tailoring of quantum dot (QD) emission efficiency by localized surface plasmon polaritons in self-organized mesoscopic rings. Ag nanoparticles (NPs) with CdSe QDs embedded in a polymeric matrix are spatially organised in mesoscopic rings and coupled in a tuneable fashion by breath figure formation. The mean distance between NPs and QDs and consequently the intensity of QD photoluminescence, which is enhanced by the coupling of surface plasmons and excitons, are tuned by acting on the NP concentration.

Floor Covering and Surface Identification for Assistive Mobile Robotic Real-Time Room Localization Application

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michael Gillham

2013-12-01

Full Text Available Assistive robotic applications require systems capable of interaction in the human world, a workspace which is highly dynamic and not always predictable. Mobile assistive devices face the additional and complex problem of when and if intervention should occur; therefore before any trajectory assistance is given, the robotic device must know where it is in real-time, without unnecessary disruption or delay to the user requirements. In this paper, we demonstrate a novel robust method for determining room identification from floor features in a real-time computational frame for autonomous and assistive robotics in the human environment. We utilize two inexpensive sensors: an optical mouse sensor for straightforward and rapid, texture or pattern sampling, and a four color photodiode light sensor for fast color determination. We show how data relating floor texture and color obtained from typical dynamic human environments, using these two sensors, compares favorably with data obtained from a standard webcam. We show that suitable data can be extracted from these two sensors at a rate 16 times faster than a standard webcam, and that these data are in a form which can be rapidly processed using readily available classification techniques, suitable for real-time system application. We achieved a 95% correct classification accuracy identifying 133 rooms’ flooring from 35 classes, suitable for fast coarse global room localization application, boundary crossing detection, and additionally some degree of surface type identification.

ROLE CONFLICT AND ROLE AMBIGUITY ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT INTERNAL AUDITORS: THE DETERMINANT AND IMPACTS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Agil Novriansa

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The bureaucratic reform at the local government level in Indonesia that was instituted in 2012 has turned local government internal auditors into an important part of government governance systems. The role of local government internal auditors has been expanded to include not only the area of audit oversight, but also the areas of anti-corruption-related and consulting activities. These fundamental changes may potentially induce role conflict and role ambiguity among internal auditors. The objective of this study is to examine empirically the determinants and consequences of role conflict and role ambiguity among local government internal auditors. More specifically, this study attempts to examine the extent to which formalization determines role conflict and role ambiguity; it further tests the impact of role conflict and role ambiguity on commitment to independence and job performance. Questionnaires were distributed to 248 local government internal auditors from 12 Regional Inspectorates in the provinces of Yogyakarta, South Sumatra, and East Java. A total of 176 responses were received, and 124 useable responses from the 176 responses were analysed to test the hypotheses. Using Structural Equation Modelling-Partial Least Square the results show that: formalization is negatively related to role conflict and role ambiguity; role ambiguity has a negative impact on commitment to independence; role conflict has a positive impact on job performance; and role ambiguity has a negative impact on job performance. These findings serve as important external validity evidence on the phenomena associated with role conflict and role ambiguity that occur in the public sector, especially among internal auditors at local government institutions.

Glycosaminoglycans mediate retention of the poxvirus type I interferon binding protein at the cell surface to locally block interferon antiviral responses

Science.gov (United States)

Montanuy, Imma; Alejo, Ali; Alcami, Antonio

2011-01-01

Eradication of smallpox was accomplished 30 yr ago, but poxviral infections still represent a public health concern due to the potential release of variola virus or the emergence of zoonotic poxviruses, such as monkeypox virus. A critical determinant of poxvirus virulence is the inhibition of interferons (IFNs) by the virus-encoded type I IFN-binding protein (IFNα/βBP). This immunomodulatory protein is secreted and has the unique property of interacting with the cell surface in order to prevent IFN-mediated antiviral responses. However, the mechanism of its attachment to the cell surface remains unknown. Using surface plasmon resonance and cell-binding assays, we report that the IFNα/βBP from vaccinia virus, the smallpox vaccine, interacts with cell surface glycosaminoglycans (GAGs). Analysis of the contribution of different regions of the protein to cell surface binding demonstrated that clusters of basic residues in the first immunoglobulin domain mediate GAG interactions. Furthermore, mutation of the GAG-interaction motifs does not affect its IFN-binding and -blocking capacity. Functional conservation of GAG-binding sites is demonstrated for the IFNα/βBP from variola and monkeypox viruses, extending our understanding of immune modulation by the most virulent human poxviruses. These results are relevant for the design of improved vaccines and intervention strategies.—Montanuy, I., Alejo, A., Alcami, A. Glycosaminoglycans mediate retention of the poxvirus type I interferon binding protein at the cell surface to locally block interferon antiviral responses. PMID:21372110

Aims and accomplishments of surface theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Feibelman, P.J.

1979-01-01

The goals of surface science include the understanding of surface structure, transport and chemistry. However, present activities are mainly focussed on the most basic problem, viz., what are the constituents of a given surface and where are they located. Theorists are approaching this surface characterization problem from two sides. To make better use of the data available from the many experimental surface probes, an understanding of the force laws which govern the motion of probe-particles near surfaces is being developed, and the relation between the excitation and ground state spectra of a solid are being studied. In order to develop a predictive capability regarding surface structure, a variety of intrinsic surface properties are being studied, including the nature of bonds at transition metal surfaces, the meaning of bond locality in extended systems, and the electronic factors underlying the forces which govern surface geometry. These studies often raise technical issues such as the validity of using local exchange-correlation potentials and the applicability of cluster calculations to the analysis of extended surface situations, which, however, should not obscure the main thrust of current work - empirical and predictive surface structure determination. These points are illustrated with examples from recent research and ways in which experimental surface work might assist theoretical efforts are indicated

Highly sensitive nano-porous lattice biosensor based on localized surface plasmon resonance and interference.

Science.gov (United States)

Yeom, Se-Hyuk; Kim, Ok-Geun; Kang, Byoung-Ho; Kim, Kyu-Jin; Yuan, Heng; Kwon, Dae-Hyuk; Kim, Hak-Rin; Kang, Shin-Won

2011-11-07

We propose a design for a highly sensitive biosensor based on nanostructured anodized aluminum oxide (AAO) substrates. A gold-deposited AAO substrate exhibits both optical interference and localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR). In our sensor, application of these disparate optical properties overcomes problems of limited sensitivity, selectivity, and dynamic range seen in similar biosensors. We fabricated uniform periodic nanopore lattice AAO templates by two-step anodizing and assessed their suitability for application in biosensors by characterizing the change in optical response on addition of biomolecules to the AAO template. To determine the suitability of such structures for biosensing applications, we immobilized a layer of C-reactive protein (CRP) antibody on a gold coating atop an AAO template. We then applied a CRP antigen (Ag) atop the immobilized antibody (Ab) layer. The shift in reflectance is interpreted as being caused by the change in refractive index with membrane thickness. Our results confirm that our proposed AAO-based biosensor is highly selective toward detection of CRP antigen, and can measure a change in CRP antigen concentration of 1 fg/ml. This method can provide a simple, fast, and sensitive analysis for protein detection in real-time.

A local factorization of the fermion determinant in lattice QCD

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ce, Marco [Scuola Normale Superiore, Pisa (Italy); INFN, Pisa (Italy); Giusti, Leonardo [Milano-Bicocca Univ. (Italy). Dipartimento di Fisica; INFN, Milano-Bicocca (Italy); Schaefer, Stefan [Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), Zeuthen (Germany). John von Neumann-Inst. fuer Computing NIC

2016-09-15

We introduce a factorization of the fermion determinant in lattice QCD with Wilson-type fermions that leads to a bosonic action which is local in the block fields. The interaction among gauge fields on distant blocks is mediated by multiboson fields located on the boundaries of the blocks. The resultant multiboson domain-decomposed hybrid Monte Carlo passes extensive numerical tests carried out by measuring standard gluonic observables. The combination of the determinant factorization and of the one of the propagator, that we put forward recently, paves the way for multilevel Monte Carlo integration in the presence of fermions. We test this possibility by computing the disconnected correlator of two flavor-diagonal pseudoscalar densities, and we observe a significant increase of the signal-to-noise ratio due to a two-level integration.

Detection of Volatile Organic Compound Gas Using Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance of Gold Nanoparticles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sri Nengsih; Akrajas Ali Umar; Muhamad Mat Salleh; Muhammad Yahaya

2011-01-01

This paper reports on the detection of several organic vapors using the unique characteristic of localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) gold nanoparticles. Gold nanoparticles on quartz substrate were prepared using seed mediated growth method. In a typical process, gold nanoparticles with average size ca. 36 nm were obtained to densely grown on the substrate. Detection of gas was based on the change in the LSPR of the gold nanoparticles film upon the exposure to the gas sample. It was found that gold nanoparticles were sensitive to the presence of volatile organic compound (VOC) gas from the change in the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) intensity. The mechanism for the detection of VOCs gas will be discussed. (author)

Surface temperature and evapotranspiration: application of local scale methods to regional scales using satellite data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seguin, B.; Courault, D.; Guerif, M.

1994-01-01

Remotely sensed surface temperatures have proven useful for monitoring evapotranspiration (ET) rates and crop water use because of their direct relationship with sensible and latent energy exchange processes. Procedures for using the thermal infrared (IR) obtained with hand-held radiometers deployed at ground level are now well established and even routine for many agricultural research and management purposes. The availability of IR from meteorological satellites at scales from 1 km (NOAA-AVHRR) to 5 km (METEOSAT) permits extension of local, ground-based approaches to larger scale crop monitoring programs. Regional observations of surface minus air temperature (i.e., the stress degree day) and remote estimates of daily ET were derived from satellite data over sites in France, the Sahel, and North Africa and summarized here. Results confirm that similar approaches can be applied at local and regional scales despite differences in pixel size and heterogeneity. This article analyzes methods for obtaining these data and outlines the potential utility of satellite data for operational use at the regional scale. (author)

Use of abrupt strain path change for determining subsequent yield surface

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kuroda, Mitsutoshi; Tvergaard, Viggo

1999-01-01

is prescribed, which makes the stress point move quickly along the yield surface. It is assumed that a closed-loop testing machine is used for the experiment, so that the strain path can be prescribed according to strain gauge measurements. Relative to the standard method of determining yield surface shapes...... by probing in many different stress directions from the elastic region, using some chosen plastic strain offset, the main advantage of the proposed method is that elastic unloading is not needed prior to tracing the yield surface. The method is illustrated here by a few analyses, first for the simplest how...

Expression-robust 3D face recognition via weighted sparse representation of multi-scale and multi-component local normal patterns

KAUST Repository

Li, Huibin; Huang, Di; Morvan, Jean-Marie; Chen, Liming; Wang, Yunhong

2014-01-01

In the theory of differential geometry, surface normal, as a first order surface differential quantity, determines the orientation of a surface at each point and contains informative local surface shape information. To fully exploit this kind

Design and fabrication of structural color by local surface plasmonic meta-molecules

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Ya-Qi; Shao, Jin-Hai; Zhang, Ya-Feng; Lu, Bing-Rui; Zhang, Si-Chao; Sun, Yan; Qu, Xin-Ping; Chen, Yi-Fang

2015-08-01

In this paper, we propose a new form of nanostructures with Al film deposited on a patterned dielectric material for generating structural color, which is induced by local surface plasmonic resonant (LSPR) absorption in sub-wavelength-indented hole/ring arrays. Unlike other reported results obtained by using focus ion beam (FIB) to create metallic nanostructures, the nano-sized hole/ring arrays in Al film in this work are replicated by high resolution electron beam lithography (EBL) combined with self-aligned metallization. Clear structural color is observed and systematically studied by numerical simulations as well as optical characterizations. The central color is strongly related to the geometric size, which provides us with good opportunities to dye the colorless Al surface by controlling the hole/ring dimensions (both diameter and radius), and to open up broad applications in display, jewelry decoration, green production of packing papers, security code, and counterfeits prevention. Project partially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 61205148).

Quantifying watershed surface depression storage: determination and application in a hydrologic model

Science.gov (United States)

Joseph K. O. Amoah; Devendra M. Amatya; Soronnadi. Nnaji

2012-01-01

Hydrologic models often require correct estimates of surface macro-depressional storage to accurately simulate rainfall–runoff processes. Traditionally, depression storage is determined through model calibration or lumped with soil storage components or on an ad hoc basis. This paper investigates a holistic approach for estimating surface depressional storage capacity...

Resonance Raman spectra of organic molecules absorbed on inorganic semiconducting surfaces: Contribution from both localized intramolecular excitation and intermolecular charge transfer excitation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ye, ChuanXiang; Zhao, Yi; Liang, WanZhen

2015-01-01

The time-dependent correlation function approach for the calculations of absorption and resonance Raman spectra (RRS) of organic molecules absorbed on semiconductor surfaces [Y. Zhao and W. Z. Liang, J. Chem. Phys. 135, 044108 (2011)] is extended to include the contribution of the intermolecular charge transfer (CT) excitation from the absorbers to the semiconducting nanoparticles. The results demonstrate that the bidirectionally interfacial CT significantly modifies the spectral line shapes. Although the intermolecular CT excitation makes the absorption spectra red shift slightly, it essentially changes the relative intensities of mode-specific RRS and causes the oscillation behavior of surface enhanced Raman spectra with respect to interfacial electronic couplings. Furthermore, the constructive and destructive interferences of RRS from the localized molecular excitation and CT excitation are observed with respect to the electronic coupling and the bottom position of conductor band. The interferences are determined by both excitation pathways and bidirectionally interfacial CT

Clinical application of synthesized brain surface imaging for preoperative simulation of brain biopsy under local anesthesia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ogura, Yuko; Katada, Kazuhiro; Imai, Fumihiro; Fujisawa, Kazuhisa; Takeshita, Gen; Kanno, Tetsuo; Koga, Sukehiko

1994-01-01

Surface anatomy scanning (SAS) is the technique which permits the direct visualization of brain surface structures, including cortical sulci, guri, subcortical lesions as well as skin markings for craniotomy. A synthesized brain surface image is a technique that combines MR angiography (MRA) with SAS, and it proposed by us for detecting cerebral superficial veins with these surface structures on the same image. The purpose of this report is to present the result of applying the synthesized brain surface image to the preoperative simulation of biopsy under local anesthesia in 2 cases of multiple metastatic brain tumors. The parameters for SAS were TR/TE=50/40 msec, flip angle=60deg by the fast T 2 technique using refocused FID in steady-state (STERF technique). SAS images were processed by gray scale reversal. The MRA data were acquired with two-dimensional time of flight (TOF) sequence after intravenous administration of Gd-DTPA. Before imaging, the water-filled plastic tubes were placed on the patients scalp as markings for craniotomy. Their positions were planned by the neurosurgeons. On SAS, the markings for burr-hole appeared located above the tumors. However on the synthesized brain surface images, the positions of burr-hole were considered to be inadequate, since superficial cerebral vein and sinus were also visualized in the area of the markings. From these results, the positions of burr-hole were reset to avoid the venous structures, and so as to include the lesions in operations. The biopsies were performed successfully and safely because the venous structure could be excluded from the operative field. By this technique it was easy to confirm the relationships among lesions, skin markings and venous structures. The technique described appears to be a useful method for preoperative simulation of biopsies for multiple metastatic brain tumors under local anesthesia. (author)

Some remarks on the solid surface tension determination from contact angle measurements

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zdziennicka, Anna; Szymczyk, Katarzyna; Krawczyk, Joanna; Jańczuk, Bronisław, E-mail: bronislaw.janczuk@poczta.umcs.lublin.pl

2017-05-31

Graphical abstract: Surface tension of PE, nylon 6 and quartz from different approaches to the interface tension. - Highlights: • New values of water and formamide surface tension components were established. • Quartz surface tension depends on its crystal face. • Usefulness of different approaches for solid surface tension determination was tested. - Abstract: The measurements of water, formamide and diiodomethane contact angle (θ) on polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), polyethylene (PE), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), nylon 6, quartz and silica were performed. Based on the θ values of these liquids obtained on PTFE, the Lifshitz-van der Waals and acid-base and/or dispersion and polar components of their surface tension (ST) were determined. In turn, the θ values for water, formamide and diiodomethane on PMMA were applied to calculate the electron-acceptor and electron-donor parameters of the Lewis acid-base component of the formamide ST. For this calculation the same values of the electron-acceptor and electron-donor parameters for water ST were used. Taking into account the values of components and parameters of water, formamide and diiodomethane ST obtained by us, van Oss et al. and from the water(formamide)-n-alkane and water-diiodomethane interface tension, the components and parameters of studied solids ST were calculated. To this end different approaches to the interface tension were considered. The obtained values were compared with those in the literature. It was concluded that for determination of solid ST components and parameters, those of water, formamide and diiodomethane ST obtained from the θ measurements on the model solids should be used.

In-situ determination of electronic surface and volume defect density of amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) and silicon alloys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Siebke, F.

1992-07-01

The density of localized gap states in the bulk and in the near-surface region of amorphous hydrogenated silicon (a-Si:H) was measured for non oxidized undoped, B-doped and P-doped samples as well as for films with low carbon (C) and germanium (Ge) content. Also the influence of light soaking on the bulk and surface density of states was investigated. The samples were prepared by rf glow discharge in an UHV-system at substrate temperatures between 100degC and 400degC and transferred to the analysis chamber by a vacuum lock. We combined the constant photocurrent method (CPM) and the total-yield photoelectron spectroscopy (TY) to obtain in-situ information about the defect densities. While the first method yields information about the density of states in the bulk, the other method obtains the density of occupied states in the near-surface region. The mean information depth of the TY-measurements is limited by the escape lenght of photoelectrons and can be estimated to 5 nm. In addition to the defect density the position of the Fermi energy was determined for the bulk by dark conductivity measurements and at the surface using a calibrated Kelvin probe. (orig.)

Chemically Tuning the Localized Surface Plasmon Resonances of Gold Nanostructure Arrays

KAUST Repository

Zheng, Yue Bing

2009-04-30

We report on chemical etching of ordered Au nanostructure arrays to continuously tune their localized surface plasmon resonances (LSPR). Real-time extinction spectra were recorded from both Au nanodisks and nanospheres immobilized on glass substrates when immersed in Au etchant. The time-dependent LSPR frequencies, intensities, and bandwidths were studied theoretically with discrete dipole approximations and the Mie solution, and they were correlated with the evolution of the etched Au nanostructures\\' morphology (as examined by atomic force microscopy). Since this chemical etching method can conveniently and accurately tune LSPR, it offers precise control of plasmonic properties and can be useful in applications such as surfaceenhanced Raman spectroscopy and molecular resonance spectroscopy. © 2009 American Chemical Society.

Induction Thermography for Surface Crack Detection and Depth Determination

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Beate Oswald-Tranta

2018-02-01

Full Text Available In the last few years, induction thermography has been established as a non-destructive testing method for localizing surface cracks in metals. The sample to be inspected is heated with a short induced electrical current pulse, and the infrared camera records—during and after the heating pulse—the temperature distribution at the surface. Transforming the temporal temperature development for each pixel to phase information makes not only highly reliable detection of the cracks possible but also allows an estimation of its depth. Finite element simulations were carried out to investigate how the phase contrast depends on parameters such as excitation frequency, pulse duration, material parameters, crack depth, and inclination angle of the crack. From these results, generalized functions for the dependency of the phase difference on all these parameters were derived. These functions can be used as an excellent guideline as to how measurement parameters should be optimized for a given material to be able to detect cracks and estimate their depth. Several experiments on different samples were also carried out, and the results compared with the simulations showed very good agreement.

Social determinants of health and local government: understanding and uptake of ideas in two Australian states.

Science.gov (United States)

Lawless, Angela; Lane, Anna; Lewis, Felicity-Ann; Baum, Fran; Harris, Patrick

2016-10-23

To examine the awareness and perceptions of local government staff about the social determinants of health (SDoH) and health inequity and use of these ideas to shape policy and practice. 96 staff at 17 councils in South Australia or New South Wales responded to questions in a pilot online survey concerning: sources of knowledge about, familiarity with the evidence on, attitudes towards, and uses of ideas about the social determinants of health. Eight of 68 SA councils and 16 of 152 NSW councils were randomly selected stratified by state and metropolitan status. Differences between states and metropolitan/non-metropolitan status were explored. The majority of respondents (88.4%) reported some familiarity with ideas about the broad determinants of health and 90% agreed that the impact of policy action on health determinants should be considered in all major government policy and planning initiatives. Research articles, government/professional reports, and professional contacts were rated as important sources of knowledge about the social determinants of health. Resources need to be dedicated to systematic research on practical implementation of interventions on social determinants of health inequities and towards providing staff with more practical information about interventions and tools to evaluate those interventions. The findings suggest there is support for action addressing the social determinants of health in local government. The findings extend similar research regarding SDoH and government in NZ and Canada to Australian local government. © 2016 Public Health Association of Australia.

Local stresses, dyke arrest and surface deformation in volcanic edificesand rift zones

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

L. S. Brenner

2004-06-01

Full Text Available Field studies indicate that nearly all eruptions in volcanic edifices and rift zones are supplied with magma through fractures (dykes that are opened by magmatic overpressure. While (inferred dyke injections are frequent during unrest periods, volcanic eruptions are, in comparison, infrequent, suggesting that most dykes become arrested at certain depths in the crust, in agreement with field studies. The frequency of dyke arrest can be partly explained by the numerical models presented here which indicate that volcanic edifices and rift zones consisting of rocks of contrasting mechanical properties, such as soft pyroclastic layers and stiff lava flows, commonly develop local stress fields that encourage dyke arrest. During unrest, surface deformation studies are routinely used to infer the geometries of arrested dykes, and some models (using homogeneous, isotropic half-spaces infer large grabens to be induced by such dykes. Our results, however, show that the dyke-tip tensile stresses are normally much greater than the induced surface stresses, making it difficult to explain how a dyke can induce surface stresses in excess of the tensile (or shear strength while the same strength is not exceeded at the (arrested dyke tip. Also, arrested dyke tips in eroded or active rift zones are normally not associated with dyke-induced grabens or normal faults, and some dykes arrested within a few metres of the surface do not generate faults or grabens. The numerical models show that abrupt changes in Young's moduli(stiffnesses, layers with relatively high dyke-normal compressive stresses (stress barriers, and weak horizontal contacts may make the dyke-induced surface tensile stresses too small for significant fault or graben formation to occur in rift zones or volcanic edifices. Also, these small surface stresses may have no simple relation to the dyke geometry or the depth to its tip. Thus, for a layered crust with weak contacts, straightforward

Antigen processing of glycoconjugate vaccines; the polysaccharide portion of the pneumococcal CRM(197) conjugate vaccine co-localizes with MHC II on the antigen processing cell surface.

Science.gov (United States)

Lai, Zengzu; Schreiber, John R

2009-05-21

Pneumococcal (Pn) polysaccharides (PS) are T-independent (TI) antigens and do not induce immunological memory or antibodies in infants. Conjugation of PnPS to the carrier protein CRM(197) induces PS-specific antibody in infants, and memory similar to T-dependent (Td) antigens. Conjugates have improved immunogenicity via antigen processing and presentation of carrier protein with MHC II and recruitment of T cell help, but the fate of the PS attached to the carrier is unknown. To determine the location of the PS component of PnPS-CRM(197) in the APC, we separately labeled PS and protein and tracked their location. The PS of types 14-CRM(197) and 19F-CRM(197) was specifically labeled by Alexa Fluor 594 hydrazide (red). The CRM(197) was separately labeled red in a reaction that did not label PS. Labeled antigens were incubated with APC which were fixed, permeabilized and incubated with anti-MHC II antibody labeled green by Alexa Fluor 488, followed by confocal microscopy. Labeled CRM(197) was presented on APC surface and co-localized with MHC II (yellow). Labeled unconjugated 14 or 19F PS did not go to the APC surface, but PS labeled 14-CRM(197) and 19F-CRM(197) was internalized and co-localized with MHC II. Monoclonal antibody to type 14 PS bound to intracellular type 14 PS and PS-CRM(197). Brefeldin A and chloroquine blocked both CRM(197) and PS labeled 14-CRM(197) and 19F-CRM(197) from co-localizing with MHC II. These data suggest that the PS component of the CRM(197) glycoconjugate enters the endosome, travels with CRM(197) peptides to the APC surface and co-localizes with MHC II.

Scattering properties of vein induced localized surface plasmon resonances on a gold disk

KAUST Repository

Amin, Muhammad

2011-12-01

It is demonstrated via simulations that a gold nano-disk with a non-concentric cavity supports localized surface plasmon resonances over a frequency band that includes the visible and the near-infrared parts of the spectrum. The charge distribution on the disk indicates that the two distinct peaks in the scattering cross section are due to the (hybridized) higher-order plasmon modes; plasmon hybridization that involves the dipole modes of the disk and the cavity enforces the "coupling" of the plane-wave excitation to the originally-dark higher-order modes. It is further demonstrated that the resonance frequencies can be tuned by varying the radius of the embedded non-concentric cavity. The near-field enhancement observed at these two tunable resonance frequencies suggests that the proposed structure can be used as a substrate in surface enhanced spectroscopy applications. © 2011 IEEE.

Deformations of super Riemann surfaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ninnemann, H.

1992-01-01

Two different approaches to (Konstant-Leites-) super Riemann surfaces are investigated. In the local approach, i.e. glueing open superdomains by superconformal transition functions, deformations of the superconformal structure are discussed. On the other hand, the representation of compact super Riemann surfaces of genus greater than one as a fundamental domain in the Poincare upper half-plane provides a simple description of super Laplace operators acting on automorphic p-forms. Considering purely odd deformations of super Riemann surfaces, the number of linear independent holomorphic sections of arbitrary holomorphic line bundles will be shown to be independent of the odd moduli, leading to a simple proof of the Riemann-Roch theorem for compact super Riemann surfaces. As a further consequence, the explicit connections between determinants of super Laplacians and Selberg's super zeta functions can be determined, allowing to calculate at least the 2-loop contribution to the fermionic string partition function. (orig.)

Deformations of super Riemann surfaces

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ninnemann, H [Hamburg Univ. (Germany). 2. Inst. fuer Theoretische Physik

1992-11-01

Two different approaches to (Konstant-Leites-) super Riemann surfaces are investigated. In the local approach, i.e. glueing open superdomains by superconformal transition functions, deformations of the superconformal structure are discussed. On the other hand, the representation of compact super Riemann surfaces of genus greater than one as a fundamental domain in the Poincare upper half-plane provides a simple description of super Laplace operators acting on automorphic p-forms. Considering purely odd deformations of super Riemann surfaces, the number of linear independent holomorphic sections of arbitrary holomorphic line bundles will be shown to be independent of the odd moduli, leading to a simple proof of the Riemann-Roch theorem for compact super Riemann surfaces. As a further consequence, the explicit connections between determinants of super Laplacians and Selberg's super zeta functions can be determined, allowing to calculate at least the 2-loop contribution to the fermionic string partition function. (orig.).

Moment magnitude determination of local seismic events recorded at selected Polish seismic stations

Science.gov (United States)

Wiejacz, Paweł; Wiszniowski, Jan

2006-03-01

The paper presents the method of local magnitude determination used at Polish seismic stations to report events originating in one of the four regions of induced seismicity in Poland or its immediate vicinity. The method is based on recalculation of the seismic moment into magnitude, whereas the seismic moment is obtained from spectral analysis. The method has been introduced at Polish seismic stations in the late 1990s but as of yet had not been described in full because magnitude discrepancies have been found between the results of the individual stations. The authors have performed statistics of these differences, provide their explanation and calculate station corrections for each station and each event source region. The limitations of the method are also discussed. The method is found to be a good and reliable method of local magnitude determination provided the limitations are observed and station correction applied.

Preliminary results of endorectal surface coil magnetic resonance imaging for local staging of prostate cancer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jager, G.H.; Barentsz, J.O.; Rosette, J.J.M.C.H. de la; Rosenbusch, G.

1994-01-01

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of endorectal surface coil (ERC) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the local staging of adenocarcinoma of the prostate (ACP). Materials and methods: A total of 23 patients who were considered candidates for radical prostatectomy because of clinically localized ACP were examined by ERC-MRI. All patients underwent laparoscopic or open lymph-node dissection prior to surgery. Four patients had positive lymph nodes at operation. A total of 19 underwant radical prostatectomy, allowing comparison of the MRI data with the surgical pathologic findings. Results: Twelve patients had extraglandular spread of ACP (T3) and 7 had locally confined ACP (T2). ERC-MRI predicted correctly a T3 tumor in 10 of 12 cases and a T2 tumor in 4 of 7 cases. ERC-MRI was 74% accurate in differentiating T2 from T3 tumor. Three cases of overestimation were in studies with poor image quality because of bowel movement motion artifacts. Conclusion: ERC-MRI was found to be a sensitive modality in staging clinically localized ACP. (orig.) [de

Whole genome expression profiling using DNA microarray for determining biocompatibility of polymeric surfaces

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Stangegaard, Michael; Wang, Zhenyu; Kutter, Jörg Peter

2006-01-01

There is an ever increasing need to find surfaces that are biocompatible for applications like medical implants and microfluidics-based cell culture systems. The biocompatibility of five different surfaces with different hydrophobicity was determined using gene expression profiling as well as more...

Multi-site evaluation of the JULES land surface model using global and local data

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D. Slevin

2015-02-01

Full Text Available This study evaluates the ability of the JULES land surface model (LSM to simulate photosynthesis using local and global data sets at 12 FLUXNET sites. Model parameters include site-specific (local values for each flux tower site and the default parameters used in the Hadley Centre Global Environmental Model (HadGEM climate model. Firstly, gross primary productivity (GPP estimates from driving JULES with data derived from local site measurements were compared to observations from the FLUXNET network. When using local data, the model is biased with total annual GPP underestimated by 16% across all sites compared to observations. Secondly, GPP estimates from driving JULES with data derived from global parameter and atmospheric reanalysis (on scales of 100 km or so were compared to FLUXNET observations. It was found that model performance decreases further, with total annual GPP underestimated by 30% across all sites compared to observations. When JULES was driven using local parameters and global meteorological data, it was shown that global data could be used in place of FLUXNET data with a 7% reduction in total annual simulated GPP. Thirdly, the global meteorological data sets, WFDEI and PRINCETON, were compared to local data to find that the WFDEI data set more closely matches the local meteorological measurements (FLUXNET. Finally, the JULES phenology model was tested by comparing results from simulations using the default phenology model to those forced with the remote sensing product MODIS leaf area index (LAI. Forcing the model with daily satellite LAI results in only small improvements in predicted GPP at a small number of sites, compared to using the default phenology model.

Localized stability criterion for kink modes in systems with small shear

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hastie, R.J.; Johnson, J.L.

1986-02-01

A localized magnetohydrodynamic stability criterion for ideal kink instabilities is determined for systems where the safety factor has a local minimum on a rational surface with no pressure gradient. These modes are stable in the cylindrical limit, but toroidal effects can make them unstable. They could provide a partial explanation for the rapid current penetration observed in tokamaks. 7 refs

Determination of local absolute detection efficiency of a ceratron with 55Fe Auger electrons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mori, C.; Sugiyama, T.; Watanabe, T.

1983-01-01

The local absolute detection efficiency of a Ceratron (channel electron multiplier made of ceramics) was determined with collimated Mn K Auger electrons ( 5 keV) emitted from 55 Fe as a function of electron incident position and applied voltage. The local efficiency at the channel inlet did not depend so much on the applied voltage. The efficiency at the funnel increased with the applied voltage, while it was always lower than that at the channel inlet. (orig.)

A systematic study of ball passing frequencies based on dynamic modeling of rolling ball bearings with localized surface defects

Science.gov (United States)

Niu, Linkai; Cao, Hongrui; He, Zhengjia; Li, Yamin

2015-11-01

Ball passing frequencies (BPFs) are very important features for condition monitoring and fault diagnosis of rolling ball bearings. The ball passing frequency on outer raceway (BPFO) and the ball passing frequency on inner raceway (BPFI) are usually calculated by two well-known kinematics equations. In this paper, a systematic study of BPFs of rolling ball bearings is carried out. A novel method for accurately calculating BPFs based on a complete dynamic model of rolling ball bearings with localized surface defects is proposed. In the used dynamic model, three-dimensional motions, relative slippage, cage effects and localized surface defects are all considered. Moreover, localized surface defects are modeled accurately with consideration of the finite size of the ball, the additional clearance due to material absence, and changes of contact force directions. The reasonability of the proposed method for the prediction of dynamic behaviors of actual ball bearings with localized surface defects and for the calculation of BPFs is discussed by investigating the motion characteristics of a ball when it rolls through a defect. Parametric investigation shows that the shaft speed, external loads, the friction coefficient, raceway groove curvature factors, the initial contact angle, and defect sizes have great effects on BPFs. For a loaded ball bearing, the combination of rolling and sliding in contact region occurs, and the BPFs calculated by simple kinematical relationships are inaccurate, especially for high speed, low external load, and large initial contact angle conditions where severe skidding occurs. The hypothesis that the percentage variation of the spacing between impulses in a defective ball bearing was about 1-2% reported in previous investigations can be satisfied only for the conditions where the skidding effect in a bearing is slight. Finally, the proposed method is verified with two experiments.

Determination of surface tension coefficient of liquids by diffraction of light on capillary waves

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nikolić, D; Nešić, Lj

2012-01-01

This paper describes a simple technique for determining the coefficient of the surface tension of liquids, based on laser light diffraction on capillary waves. Capillary waves of given frequency are created by an exciter needle acting on the surface of liquid and represent a reflective diffraction grating, the constant of which (the wavelength of capillary waves) can be determined based on a known incidence angle of light (grazing angle). We obtain the coefficient of the surface tension of liquids by applying the dispersion relation for capillary waves and analyze the difficulties that arise when setting up and conducting the experiment in detail. (paper)

Surface structure determinations of crystalline ionic thin films grown on transition metal single crystal surfaces by low energy electron diffraction

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Roberts, Joel Glenn [Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States)

2000-05-01

The surface structures of NaCl(100), LiF(100) and alpha-MgCl2(0001) adsorbed on various metal single crystals have been determined by low energy electron diffraction (LEED). Thin films of these salts were grown on metal substrates by exposing the heated metal surface to a molecular flux of salt emitted from a Knudsen cell. This method of investigating thin films of insulators (ionic salts) on a conducting substrate (metal) circumvents surface charging problems that plagued bulk studies, thereby allowing the use of electron-based techniques to characterize the surface.

The method of local increments for the calculation of adsorption energies of atoms and small molecules on solid surfaces. Part I. A single Cu atom on the polar surfaces of ZnO.

Science.gov (United States)

Schmitt, Ilka; Fink, Karin; Staemmler, Volker

2009-12-21

The method of local increments is used in connection with the supermolecule approach and an embedded cluster model to calculate the adsorption energy of single Cu atoms at different adsorption sites at the polar surfaces of ZnO. Hartree-Fock calculations for the full system, adsorbed atom and solid surface, and for the fragments are the first step in this approach. In the present study, restricted open-shell Hartree-Fock (ROHF) calculations are performed since the Cu atom possesses a singly-occupied 4s orbital. The occupied Hartree-Fock orbitals are then localized by means of the Foster-Boys localization procedure. The correlation energies are expanded into a series of many-body increments which are evaluated separately and independently. In this way, the very time-consuming treatment of large systems is replaced with a series of much faster calculations for small subunits. In the present application, these subunits consist of the orbitals localized at the different atoms. Three adsorption situations with rather different bonding characteristics have been studied: a Cu atom atop a threefold-coordinated O atom of an embedded Zn(4)O(4) cluster, a Cu atom in an O vacancy site at the O-terminated ZnO(000-1) surface, and a Cu atom in a Zn vacancy site at the Zn-terminated ZnO(0001) surface. The following properties are analyzed in detail: convergence of the many-body expansion, contributions of the different n-body increments to the adsorption energy, treatment of the singly-occupied orbital as "localized" or "delocalized". Big savings in computer time can be achieved by this approach, particularly if only the localized orbitals in the individual increment under consideration are described by a large correlation adapted basis set, while all other orbitals are treated by a medium-size Hartree-Fock-type basis set. In this way, the method of local increments is a powerful alternative to the widely used methods like DFT or RI-MP2.

Local instant conservation equations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Delaje, Dzh.

1984-01-01

Local instant conservation equations for two-phase flow are derived. Derivation of the equation starts from the recording of integral laws of conservation for a fixed reference volume, containing both phases. Transformation of the laws, using the Leibniz rule and Gauss theory permits to obtain the sum of two integrals as to the volume and integral as to the surface. Integrals as to the volume result in local instant differential equations, in particular derivatives for each phase, and integrals as to the surface reflect local instant conditions of a jump on interface surface

Determination of an Optimal Control Strategy for a Generic Surface Vehicle

Science.gov (United States)

2014-06-18

TERMS Autonomous Vehicles Boundary Value Problem Dynamic Programming Surface Vehicles Optimal Control Path Planning 16...to follow prescribed motion trajectories. In particular, for autonomous vehicles , this motion trajectory is given by the determination of the

Utilization of Large Scale Surface Models for Detailed Visibility Analyses

Science.gov (United States)

Caha, J.; Kačmařík, M.

2017-11-01

This article demonstrates utilization of large scale surface models with small spatial resolution and high accuracy, acquired from Unmanned Aerial Vehicle scanning, for visibility analyses. The importance of large scale data for visibility analyses on the local scale, where the detail of the surface model is the most defining factor, is described. The focus is not only the classic Boolean visibility, that is usually determined within GIS, but also on so called extended viewsheds that aims to provide more information about visibility. The case study with examples of visibility analyses was performed on river Opava, near the Ostrava city (Czech Republic). The multiple Boolean viewshed analysis and global horizon viewshed were calculated to determine most prominent features and visibility barriers of the surface. Besides that, the extended viewshed showing angle difference above the local horizon, which describes angular height of the target area above the barrier, is shown. The case study proved that large scale models are appropriate data source for visibility analyses on local level. The discussion summarizes possible future applications and further development directions of visibility analyses.

A satellite based scheme for predicting the effects of land cover change on local microclimate and surface hydrology: Development of an operational regional planning tool

Science.gov (United States)

Arthur, Sandra Traci

Humans have diverse goals for their use of land: mining, water supply, aesthetic enjoyment, recreation, transportation, housing, etc. Any individual living within an actively developing community can look back in time and note how, perhaps slowly but nonetheless dramatically, the total land area dedicated to human use has increased. As our society's basic functioning intensifies, the disappearance of "free" open space is apparent---today, even conservation areas are carefully designated, mapped and controlled. This transition in land use is a result of many individual decisions that occur throughout space and time, often with little concern for the potential impacts on the local environment. Two specific environmental components---the microclimate and surface hydrology---are the focus of this thesis. This study, as well as related tools and bodies of knowledge, should be used to broaden the scientific basis behind land use management decisions. It will be shown that development can induce predictable changes in measures of the local radiant surface temperature and evapotranspiration fraction---as long as certain features of the development are known. Specifically, the vegetation changes that accompany the development must be noted, as well as the initial climatic state of the land parcel. Additionally, plots of runoff vs. rainfall for gauged basins will be interpreted in terms of the proportion of the basin contributing to a storm event's runoff signal. For a particular basin, four distinct runoff responses, separated by season and antecedent moisture conditions, will be distinguished. The response for the non-summer months under typical antecedent moisture conditions will be shown to be the most representative of and responsive to a basin's land use patterns. A scheme that makes use of satellite-derived land cover patterns and other physical attributes of the basin in order to determine this particular runoff response will be presented. The Soil Conservation

Localized surface plasmon resonance enhanced organic solar cell with gold nanospheres

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Qiao, Linfang; Wang, Dan; Ye, Yuqian; Qian, Jun; He, Sailing [Centre for Optical and Electromagnetic Research, State Key Laboratory of Modern Optical Instrumentation, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058 (China); Zuo, Lijian; Chen, Hongzheng [Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, State Key Lab of Silicon Materials, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027 (China)

2011-03-15

We use gold nanospheres (Au NSs) to improve the performance of polymer organic solar cells. Au NSs with a diameter of about 5 nm or 15 nm were doped into the buffer layer of organic solar cells. We attribute the efficiency improvement to the size-dependent localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) effect of Au NSs, which can enhance the light harvest ability of active layer around the Au NSs, and increase the probability of the exciton generation and dissociation. Our results show that solar cells doped with 15 nm-diameter Au NSs exhibit significant improvement of the efficiency (from 1.99% to 2.36%), while solar cells doped with only 5 nm-diameter Au NSs did not give obvious improvement of the performance. (author)

Determining the surface roughness coefficient by 3D Scanner

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Karmen Fifer Bizjak

2010-12-01

Full Text Available Currently, several test methods can be used in the laboratory to determine the roughness of rock joint surfaces.However, true roughness can be distorted and underestimated by the differences in the sampling interval of themeasurement methods. Thus, these measurement methods produce a dead zone and distorted roughness profiles.In this paper a new rock joint surface roughness measurement method is presented, with the use of a camera-typethree-dimensional (3D scanner as an alternative to current methods. For this study, the surfaces of ten samples oftuff were digitized by means of a 3D scanner, and the results were compared with the corresponding Rock JointCoefficient (JRC values. Up until now such 3D scanner have been mostly used in the automotive industry, whereastheir use for comparison with obtained JRC coefficient values in rock mechanics is presented here for the first time.The proposed new method is a faster, more precise and more accurate than other existing test methods, and is apromising technique for use in this area of study in the future.

Localized surface plasmon and exciton interaction in silver-coated cadmium sulphide quantum dots

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ghosh, P.; Rustagi, K. C.; Vasa, P.; Singh, B. P., E-mail: bhanuprs@gmail.com [Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai- 400076 (India)

2015-05-15

Localized surface plasmon and exciton coupling has been investigated on colloidal solutions of silver-coated CdS nanoparticles (NPs), synthesized by gamma irradiation. Two broad photoluminescence (PL) bands (blue/red) corresponding to band to band and defect state transitions have been observed for the bare and coated samples. In case of bare CdS NPs, the intensity of the red PL peak is about ten times higher than the blue PL peak intensity. However, on coating the CdS NPs with silver, the peak intensity of the blue PL band gets enhanced and becomes equal to that of the red PL band. High-resolution transmission electron microscopic (HRTEM) images adequately demonstrate size distribution of these metal/semiconductor nanocomposites. UV-Vis absorption studies show quantum confinement effect in these semiconductor quantum dot (SQD) systems. Absorption spectrum of silver-coated SQDs shows signature of surface plasmon-exciton coupling which has been theoretically verified.

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.

Enhancement of electroluminescence from embedded Si quantum dots/SiO2multilayers film by localized-surface-plasmon and surface roughening.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Wei; Wang, Shaolei; Hu, Mingyue; He, Sufeng; Ge, Pengpeng; Wang, Jing; Guo, Yan Yan; Zhaowei, Liu

2015-07-03

In this paper, we prepared a novel structure to enhance the electroluminescence intensity from Si quantum dots/SiO2multilayers. An amorphous Si/SiO2 multilayer film was fabricated by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition on a Pt nanoparticle (NP)-coated Si nanopillar array substrate. By thermal annealing, an embedded Si quantum dot (QDs)/SiO2 multilayer film was obtained. The result shows that electroluminescence intensity was significantly enhanced. And, the turn-on voltage of the luminescent device was reduced to 3 V. The enhancement of the light emission is due to the resonance coupling between the localized-surface-plasmon (LSP) of Pt NPs and the band-gap emission of Si QDs/SiO2 multilayers. The other factors were the improved absorption of excitation light and the increase of light extraction ratio by surface roughening structures. These excellent characteristics are promising for silicon-based light-emitting applications.

Experimental determinations of the performances of heat transfer surfaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pirovano, Alain; Viannay, Stephane; Mazeas, C.Y.

1974-01-01

With the help of flow schemes and of assumptions on the heat transfer, it is possible, in some cases, to predict the thermal and aerodynamical performances of a new heat transfer surface with moderate accuracy. These estimates, valid for an approximate classification of a new surface among known surfaces, are not accurate enough to be taken as a basis for the design of heat exchangers. In the present state of knowledge, the performances of a new heat transfer surface can only be determined accurately with experimental measurements. Bertin and Co have at their disposal two air test rigs especially designed for this purpose. The first one, more directly concerned with the measurements on tube bundles with fluid flow perpendicular to the generatrices of the tubes, is a semi-closed loop equipped with a high-efficiency ejector which amplifies the air flow rate supplied by an external source and thus allows high values of Reynolds number to be reached. The second one is adapted to other types of surfaces: tubes with external flow parallel to the generatrices, tubes with sophisticated cross section and with internal flow, compact surfaces with finned plates, etc. Both test rigs, the relevant equipment, the methods of data acquisition and of test results analysis are described in this paper. During the 5 past years, 60 configurations were tested. It was possible to compare some of the test results with the results of measurements performed later, on entire heat exchangers working with numbers of tubes, fluids, and temperature levels different from those prevailing during the tests on the small scale mock-up; the agreement is quite good [fr

Non-destructive test method of determination of surface defects in objects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gibbons, C.B.; Sewell, M.H.; Taber, R.C.

1975-01-01

In the radiographic method, adsorbed radioactive gas, e.g. krypton 85, is used to determine surface defects such as failures, cracks, and breaks on, e.g. nozzle turbine blades. The surface defects preferably retain the radioactive gas. The defects can be identified by means of a radiographic silver halide emulsion or dispersion made intensive to high energy radiation which is put on the surface or held at a distance to it. Piazine, thiuram disulphide, nitro-1,2,3-benzothiazole or a combination of thiuram disulphide and piazine are amongst others suitable as desensitizing agents. To prevent the adsorbed gases from diffusing out of the defects, the surface can be coated with an insulating mass of e.g. a polymer. The silver halide emulsions are in the form of single, double, or ammoniac emulsions. (DG/LH) [de

Analyzing relationships between surface perturbations and local chemical reactivity of metal sites: Alkali promotion of O2 dissociation on Ag(111)

Science.gov (United States)

Xin, Hongliang; Linic, Suljo

2016-06-01

Many commercial heterogeneous catalysts are complex structures that contain metal active sites promoted by multiple additives. Developing fundamental understanding about the impact of these perturbations on the local surface reactivity is crucial for catalyst development and optimization. In this contribution, we develop a general framework for identifying underlying mechanisms that control the changes in the surface reactivity of a metal site (more specifically the adsorbate-surface interactions) upon a perturbation in the local environment. This framework allows us to interpret fairly complex interactions on metal surfaces in terms of specific, physically transparent contributions that can be evaluated independently of each other. We use Cs-promoted dissociation of O2 as an example to illustrate our approach. We concluded that the Cs adsorbate affects the outcome of the chemical reaction through a strong alkali-induced electric field interacting with the static dipole moment of the O2/Ag(111) system.

Gold island films on indium tin oxide for localized surface plasmon sensing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Szunerits, Sabine; Praig, Vera G; Manesse, Mael; Boukherroub, Rabah

2008-01-01

Mechanically, chemically and optically stable gold island films were prepared on indium tin oxide (ITO) substrates by direct thermal evaporation of thin gold films (2-6 nm) without the need for pre- or post-coating. The effect of mild thermal annealing (150 deg. C, 12 h) or short high temperature annealing (500 deg. C, 1 min) on the morphology of the gold nanostructures was investigated. ITO covered with 2 nm gold nanoislands and annealed at 500 deg. C for 1 min was investigated for its ability to detect the adsorption of biotinylated bovine serum albumin using local surface plasmon resonance (LSPR), and its subsequent molecular recognition of avidin

Local effects in flow-accelerated corrosion wall thinning

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pietralik, J.

2006-01-01

'Full text:' There is enough evidence that flow conditions play the dominant role locally in Flow-Accelerated Corrosion (FAC) under certain conditions, e.g., in CANDU feeders. While chemistry and materials set the overall potential for FAC, which can be low or high, flow conditions determine the local distribution of wall thinning. This relationship is not new and recent accurate measurements of FAC rate of a plant feeder bend confirm that the relationship between flow local conditions expressed by local mass transfer coefficient and FAC rate in CANDU feeder bends is close. There is also a lot of other direct and indirect, experimental and laboratory evidence about this relationship. This knowledge can be useful for minimizing inspection, predicting new locations for inspection, predicting the location with the highest FAC rate for a given piping component, e.g., feeder element, and determining what components or feeders and to what extent they should be replaced. It applies also to heat exchangers and steam generators. The objective of this paper is to examine the relationship between FAC rate and local flow parameters. For FAC, the most important flow parameter is mass transfer coefficient. The mass transfer coefficient describes the intensity of the transport of corrosion products from the oxide-water interface into the bulk water. Therefore, this parameter can be used for predicting the local distribution of FAC rate. It could also be used in planning experiments because time-varying surface roughness can explain the time-dependence of FAC rates. The paper presents plant and laboratory evidence about the relationship. In addition, it shows correlations for mass transfer coefficient in components that are highly susceptible to FAC. The role of surface roughness, wall shear stress, and local turbulence is also discussed. (author)

Local diffusion coefficient determination: Mediterranean Sea experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bacciola, D.; Borghini, M.; Cannarsa, S.

1993-10-01

The Mediterranean is a semi/enclosed basin characterized by the presence of channels and straits influencing the circulation, temperature and salinity fields. The tides generally have amplitudes of the order of 10 cm and velocities of few cm/s. Conversely, the wind forced circulation is very strong and can assume velocity values of 1 m/s at the sea surface. The temperature and salinity fields have a high temporal and spatial variability, because of many mixing processes existing in the sea. For example, the waters coming from the Provencal basin meet those waters coming from the Tyrrhenian Sea in the eastern Ligurian Sea, creating meanders and eddies. Local runoff influences significantly the coastal circulation. This paper describes diffusion experiments carried out in this complex environment. The experimental apparatus for the detection of the fluorescine released at sea was composed by two Turner mod. 450 fluorometres. During the experiments, temperature and salinity vertical profiles were measured by using a CTD; meteorological data were acquired on a dinghy. The positioning was obtained by means of a Motorola system, having a precision of about 1 meter. The experiments were carried out under different stratification and wind conditions. From data analysis it was found that the horizontal diffusion coefficient does not depend on time or boundary conditions. The role of stratification is important with regard to vertical displacement of the dye. However, its role with regard to vertical diffusion cannot be assessed with the actual experimental apparatus

Surface buckling of black phosphorus: Determination, origin, and influence on electronic structure

Science.gov (United States)

Dai, Zhongwei; Jin, Wencan; Yu, Jie-Xiang; Grady, Maxwell; Sadowski, Jerzy T.; Kim, Young Duck; Hone, James; Dadap, Jerry I.; Zang, Jiadong; Osgood, Richard M.; Pohl, Karsten

2017-12-01

The surface structure of black phosphorus materials is determined using surface-sensitive dynamical microspot low energy electron diffraction (μ LEED ) analysis using a high spatial resolution low energy electron microscopy (LEEM) system. Samples of (i) crystalline cleaved black phosphorus (BP) at 300 K and (ii) exfoliated few-layer phosphorene (FLP) of about 10 nm thickness which were annealed at 573 K in vacuum were studied. In both samples, a significant surface buckling of 0.22 Å and 0.30 Å, respectively, is measured, which is one order of magnitude larger than previously reported. As direct evidence for large buckling, we observe a set of (for the flat surface forbidden) diffraction spots. Using first-principles calculations, we find that the presence of surface vacancies is responsible for the surface buckling in both BP and FLP, and is related to the intrinsic hole doping of phosphoresce materials previously reported.

Determination of localized visibility in off-axis electron holography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McLeod, Robert A.; Kupsta, Martin; Malac, Marek

2014-01-01

Off-axis electron holography is a wavefront-split interference method for the transmission electron microscope that allows the phase shift and amplitude of the electron wavefront to be separated and quantitatively measured. An additional, third component of the holographic signal is the coherence of the electron wavefront. Historically, wavefront coherence has been evaluated by measurement of the holographic fringe visibility (or contrast) based on the minimum and maximum intensity values. We present a method based on statistical moments is presented that allows allow the visibility to be measured in a deterministic and reproducible fashion suitable for quantitative analysis. We also present an algorithm, based on the Fourier-ratio method, which allows the visibility to be resolved in two-dimensions, which we term the local visibility. The local visibility may be used to evaluate the loss of coherence due to electron scattering within a specimen, or as an aid in image analysis and segmentation. The relationship between amplitude and visibility may be used to evaluate the composition and mass thickness of a specimen by means of a 2-D histogram. Results for a selection of elements (C, Al, Si, Ti, Cr, Cu, Ge, and Au) are provided. All presented visibility metrics are biased at low-dose conditions by the presence of shot-noise, for which we provide methods for empirical normalization to achieve linear response. - Highlights: • Report on a new statistical metric to determine holographic fringe visibility. • Adds new signal to electron holography: measure of electron coherence loss in 2-D. • Provide algorithm to calculate 2-D local visibility map. • Show that amplitude and visibility may be used for compositional analysis and segmentation. • Corrected for data bias such as shot noise

Integrated biomechanical and topographical surface characterization (IBTSC)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Löberg, Johanna, E-mail: Johanna.Loberg@dentsply.com [Dentsply Implants, Box 14, SE-431 21 Mölndal (Sweden); Mattisson, Ingela [Dentsply Implants, Box 14, SE-431 21 Mölndal (Sweden); Ahlberg, Elisabet [Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg, SE-41296 Gothenburg (Sweden)

2014-01-30

In an attempt to reduce the need for animal studies in dental implant applications, a new model has been developed which combines well-known surface characterization methods with theoretical biomechanical calculations. The model has been named integrated biomechanical and topographical surface characterization (IBTSC), and gives a comprehensive description of the surface topography and the ability of the surface to induce retention strength with bone. IBTSC comprises determination of 3D-surface roughness parameters by using 3D-scanning electron microscopy (3D-SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM), and calculation of the ability of different surface topographies to induce retention strength in bone by using the local model. Inherent in this integrated approach is the use of a length scale analysis, which makes it possible to separate different size levels of surface features. The IBTSC concept is tested on surfaces with different level of hierarchy, induced by mechanical as well as chemical treatment. Sequential treatment with oxalic and hydrofluoric acid results in precipitated nano-sized features that increase the surface roughness and the surface slope on the sub-micro and nano levels. This surface shows the highest calculated shear strength using the local model. The validity, robustness and applicability of the IBTSC concept are demonstrated and discussed.

A perceptual space of local image statistics.

Science.gov (United States)

Victor, Jonathan D; Thengone, Daniel J; Rizvi, Syed M; Conte, Mary M

2015-12-01

Local image statistics are important for visual analysis of textures, surfaces, and form. There are many kinds of local statistics, including those that capture luminance distributions, spatial contrast, oriented segments, and corners. While sensitivity to each of these kinds of statistics have been well-studied, much less is known about visual processing when multiple kinds of statistics are relevant, in large part because the dimensionality of the problem is high and different kinds of statistics interact. To approach this problem, we focused on binary images on a square lattice - a reduced set of stimuli which nevertheless taps many kinds of local statistics. In this 10-parameter space, we determined psychophysical thresholds to each kind of statistic (16 observers) and all of their pairwise combinations (4 observers). Sensitivities and isodiscrimination contours were consistent across observers. Isodiscrimination contours were elliptical, implying a quadratic interaction rule, which in turn determined ellipsoidal isodiscrimination surfaces in the full 10-dimensional space, and made predictions for sensitivities to complex combinations of statistics. These predictions, including the prediction of a combination of statistics that was metameric to random, were verified experimentally. Finally, check size had only a mild effect on sensitivities over the range from 2.8 to 14min, but sensitivities to second- and higher-order statistics was substantially lower at 1.4min. In sum, local image statistics form a perceptual space that is highly stereotyped across observers, in which different kinds of statistics interact according to simple rules. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Global Qualitative Flow-Path Modeling for Local State Determination in Simulation and Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Malin, Jane T. (Inventor); Fleming, Land D. (Inventor)

1998-01-01

For qualitative modeling and analysis, a general qualitative abstraction of power transmission variables (flow and effort) for elements of flow paths includes information on resistance, net flow, permissible directions of flow, and qualitative potential is discussed. Each type of component model has flow-related variables and an associated internal flow map, connected into an overall flow network of the system. For storage devices, the implicit power transfer to the environment is represented by "virtual" circuits that include an environmental junction. A heterogeneous aggregation method simplifies the path structure. A method determines global flow-path changes during dynamic simulation and analysis, and identifies corresponding local flow state changes that are effects of global configuration changes. Flow-path determination is triggered by any change in a flow-related device variable in a simulation or analysis. Components (path elements) that may be affected are identified, and flow-related attributes favoring flow in the two possible directions are collected for each of them. Next, flow-related attributes are determined for each affected path element, based on possibly conflicting indications of flow direction. Spurious qualitative ambiguities are minimized by using relative magnitudes and permissible directions of flow, and by favoring flow sources over effort sources when comparing flow tendencies. The results are output to local flow states of affected components.

Detecting wood surface defects with fusion algorithm of visual saliency and local threshold segmentation

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Xuejuan; Wu, Shuhang; Liu, Yunpeng

2018-04-01

This paper presents a new method for wood defect detection. It can solve the over-segmentation problem existing in local threshold segmentation methods. This method effectively takes advantages of visual saliency and local threshold segmentation. Firstly, defect areas are coarsely located by using spectral residual method to calculate global visual saliency of them. Then, the threshold segmentation of maximum inter-class variance method is adopted for positioning and segmenting the wood surface defects precisely around the coarse located areas. Lastly, we use mathematical morphology to process the binary images after segmentation, which reduces the noise and small false objects. Experiments on test images of insect hole, dead knot and sound knot show that the method we proposed obtains ideal segmentation results and is superior to the existing segmentation methods based on edge detection, OSTU and threshold segmentation.

Local deformation method for measuring element tension in space deployable structures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Belov Sergey

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The article describes the local deformation method to determine the tension of cord and thin membrane elements in space deployable structure as antenna reflector. Possible measuring instrument model, analytical and numerical solutions and experimental results are presented. The boundary effects on measurement results of metallic mesh reflector surface tension are estimated. The study case depicting non-uniform reflector surface tension is considered.

Using Contaminant Transport Modeling to Determine Historical Discharges at the Surface

Science.gov (United States)

Fogwell, T. W.

2013-12-01

When it is determined that a contaminated site needs to be remediated, the issue of who is going to pay for that remediation is an immediate concern. This means that there needs to be a determination of who the responsible parties are for the existing contamination. Seldom is it the case that records have been made and kept of the surface contaminant discharges. In many cases it is possible to determine the relative amount of contaminant discharge at the surface of the various responsible parties by employing a careful analysis of the history of contaminant transport through the surface, through the vadose zone, and within the saturated zone. The process begins with the development of a dynamic conceptual site model that takes into account the important features of the transport of the contaminants through the vadose zone and in the groundwater. The parameters for this model can be derived from flow data available for the site. The resulting contaminant transport model is a composite of the vadose zone transport model, together with the saturated zone (groundwater) flow model. Any calibration of the model should be carefully employed in order to avoid using information about the conclusions of the relative discharge amounts of the responsible parties in determining the calibrated parameters. Determination of the leading edge of the plume is an important first step. It is associated with the first discharges from the surface of the site. If there were several discharging parties at the same time, then it is important to establish a chemical or isotopic signature of the chemicals that were discharged. The time duration of the first discharger needs to be determined as accurately as possible in order to establish the appropriate characterization of the leading portion of the resulting plume in the groundwater. The information about the first discharger and the resulting part of the plume associated with this discharger serves as a basis for the determination of the

Using photoelectron diffraction to determine complex molecular adsorption structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Woodruff, D P

2010-01-01

Backscattering photoelectron diffraction, particularly in the energy-scan mode, is now an established technique for determining in a quantitative fashion the local structure of adsorbates on surfaces, and has been used successfully for ∼100 adsorbate phases. The elemental and chemical-state specificity afforded by the characteristic core level photoelectron binding energies means that it has particular advantages for molecular adsorbates, as the local geometry of inequivalent atoms in the molecule can be determined in a largely independent fashion. On the other hand, polyatomic molecules present a general problem for all methods of surface structure determination in that a mismatch of intramolecular distances with interatomic distances on the substrate surface means that the atoms in the adsorbed molecule are generally in low-symmetry sites. The quantities measured experimentally then represent an incoherent sum of the properties of each structural domain that is inequivalent with respect to the substrate point group symmetry. This typically leads to greater ambiguity or precision in the structural solutions. The basic principles of the method are described and illustrated with a simple example involving molecule/substrate bonding through only one constituent atom (TiO 2 -(110)/H 2 O). This example demonstrates the importance of obtaining quantitative local structural information. Further examples illustrate both the successes and the problems of this approach when applied to somewhat more complex molecular adsorbates.

Using GPS and leveling data in local precise geoid determination and case study

Science.gov (United States)

Erol, B.; Çelik, R. N.; Erol, S.

2003-04-01

the fundamental mathematical equation; N=h-H. In the equation, "h" is the ellipsoidal height of a point P, "H" is the orthometric height of the same point and "N" is "geoid undulation" value. Normally, "H" orthometric height derived from leveling measurements but these measurements are tiring applications. So, while having a geoid model in the region as the essential part of geodetic infrastructure, number leveling measurements can be reduced from the procedure and by this way time and labor is saved. Geoid determination is modeling of the data in such a way that geoid height can be obtained digital or analog at a point whose horizontal position is known. Geoid models can be developed for local, regional or global regions. Using satellite techniques, especially GPS, in geodetic measurements are increased importance of geoid. Because geoid is a natural tie between high precision geodetic coordinates and coordinates which obtained from satellites. There are several geoid determination methods according to used data and models. GPS/Leveling method, which is also known as geometric method, is one of these methods. This method is appropriate for local precise geoid determination in respectively small areas. In this paper, it is going to be given information about GPS/Leveling geoid determination method and mathematical models, which are used in geoid determination with this method. And Izmir local geoid model will be presented as a case study. Izmir is one of the west metropolitan cities of Turkey and located near Aegean Sea. The topography is extremely rough in the region. There are two different geoid determination studies which were carried out in 1996 and 2001 in Izmir. Both models were accomplished according to GPS/Leveling method. Those two geoid models of Izmir Metropolitan region are investigated in here, the conflict of them were discussed. The relation between distribution of common reference points and differences of geoid undulation values, which are calculated

Detection of Biomolecular Binding Through Enhancement of Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance (LSPR by Gold Nanoparticles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Min-Gon Kim

2009-03-01

Full Text Available To amplify the difference in localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR spectra of gold nano-islands due to intermolecular binding events, gold nanoparticles were used. LSPR-based optical biosensors consisting of gold nano-islands were readily made on glass substrates using evaporation and heat treatment. Streptavidin (STA and biotinylated bovine serum albumin (Bio-BSA were chosen as the model receptor and the model analyte, respectively, to demonstrate the effectiveness of this detection method. Using this model system, we were able to enhance the sensitivity in monitoring the binding of Bio-BSA to gold nano-island surfaces functionalized with STA through the addition of gold nanoparticle-STA conjugates. In addition, SU-8 well chips with gold nano-island surfaces were fabricated through a conventional UV patterning method and were then utilized for image detection using the attenuated total reflection mode. These results suggest that the gold nano-island well chip may have the potential to be used for multiple and simultaneous detection of various bio-substances.

Use of roughness maps in visualisation of surfaces

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Seitavuopio, Paulus; Rantanen, Jukka; Yliruusi, Jouko

2005-01-01

monohydrate, theophylline anhydrate, sodium chloride and potassium chloride. The roughness determinations were made by a laser profilometer. The new matrix method gives detailed roughness maps, which are able to show local variations in surface roughness values and provide an illustrative picture...

Realizing high-performance metamaterial absorber based on the localized surface plasmon resonance in the terahertz regime

Science.gov (United States)

Yunfeng, Lin; Xiaoqi, Hu; Lin, Hu

2018-04-01

A composite structure design metamaterial absorber is designed and simulated. The proposed composite structure consists of a double-hole sub-structure and a double-metallic particle sub-structure. The damping constant of bulk gold layer is optimized to eliminate the adverse effects of the grain boundary and the surface scattering of thin films on the absorption property. Two absorption peaks (A1 = 58%, A2 = 23%) are achieved based on the localized surface plasmon (LSP) modes resonance. Moreover, the plasmonic hybridization phenomenon between LSP modes is found, which leads to the absorption enhancement between two absorption peaks. The proposed metamaterial absorber holds the property of wide-angle incidence.

Surface and local electronic structure modification of MgO film using Zn and Fe ion implantation

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, Jitendra Pal; Lim, Weon Cheol; Lee, Jihye; Song, Jonghan; Lee, Ik-Jae; Chae, Keun Hwa

2018-02-01

Present work is motivated to investigate the surface and local electronic structure modifications of MgO films implanted with Zn and Fe ions. MgO film was deposited using radio frequency sputtering method. Atomic force microscopy measurements exhibit morphological changes associated with implantation. Implantation of Fe and Zn ions leads to the reduction of co-ordination geometry of Mg2+ ions in host lattice. The effect is dominant at bulk of film rather than surface as the large concentration of implanted ions resides inside bulk. Moreover, the evidences of interaction among implanted ions and oxygen are not being observed using near edge fine structure measurements.

Determining surface areas of marine alga cells by acid-base titration method.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, X; Ma, Y; Su, Y

1997-09-01

A new method for determining the surface area of living marine alga cells was described. The method uses acid-base titration to measure the surface acid/base amount on the surface of alga cells and uses the BET (Brunauer, Emmett, and Teller) equation to estimate the maximum surface acid/base amount, assuming that hydrous cell walls have carbohydrates or other structural compounds which can behave like surface Brönsted acid-base sites due to coordination of environmental H2O molecules. The method was applied to 18 diverse alga species (including 7 diatoms, 2 flagellates, 8 green algae and 1 red alga) maintained in seawater cultures. For the species examined, the surface areas of individual cells ranged from 2.8 x 10(-8) m2 for Nannochloropsis oculata to 690 x 10(-8) m2 for Dunaliella viridis, specific surface areas from 1,030 m2.g-1 for Dunaliella salina to 28,900 m2.g-1 for Pyramidomonas sp. Measurement accuracy was 15.2%. Preliminary studies show that the method may be more promising and accurate than light/electron microscopic measurements for coarse estimation of the surface area of living algae.

Modulation of electromagnetic local density of states by coupling of surface phonon-polariton

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Yao; Zhang, Chao-Jie; Wang, Tong-Biao; Liu, Jiang-Tao; Yu, Tian-Bao; Liao, Qing-Hua; Liu, Nian-Hua

2017-02-01

We studied the electromagnetic local density of state (EM-LDOS) near the surface of a one-dimensional multilayer structure (1DMS) alternately stacked by SiC and Si. EM-LDOS of a semi-infinite bulk appears two intrinsic peaks due to the resonance of surface phonon-polariton (SPhP) in SiC. In contrast with that of SiC bulk, SPhP can exist at the interface of SiC and Si for the 1DMS. The SPhPs from different interfaces can couple together, which can lead to a significant modulation of EM-LDOS. When the component widths of 1DMS are large, the spectrum of EM-LDOS exhibits oscillation behavior in the frequency regime larger than the resonance frequency of SPhP. While the component widths are small, due to the strong coupling of SPhPs, another peak appears in the EM-LDOS spectrum besides the two intrinsic ones. And the position of the new peak move toward high frequency when the width ratio of SiC and Si increases. The influences of distance from the surfaces and period of 1DMS on EM-LDOS have also been studied in detail. The results are helpful in studying the near-field radiative heat transfer and spontaneous emission.

Studied Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance Effects of Au Nanoparticles on TiO2 by FDTD Simulations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Guo-Ying Yao

2018-06-01

Full Text Available Localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR plays a significant role in the fields of photocatalysis and solar cells. It can not only broaden the spectral response range of materials, but also improve the separation probability of photo-generated electron-hole pairs through local field enhancement or hot electron injection. In this article, the LSPR effects of Au/TiO2 composite photocatalyst, with different sizes and shapes, have been simulated by the finite difference time domain (FDTD method. The variation tendency of the resonance-absorption peaks and the intensity of enhanced local enhanced electric field were systematically compared and emphasized. When the location of Au nanosphere is gradually immersed into the TiO2 substrate, the local enhanced electric field of the boundary is gradually enhanced. When Au nanoshperes are covered by TiO2 at 100 nm depths, the local enhanced electric field intensities reach the maximum value. However, when Au nanorods are loaded on the surface of the TiO2 substrate, the intensity of the corresponding enhanced local enhanced electric field is the maximum. Au nanospheres produce two strong absorption peaks in the visible light region, which are induced by the LSPR effect and interband transitions between Au nanoparticles and the TiO2 substrate. For the LSPR resonance-absorption peaks, the corresponding position is red-shifted by about 100 nm, as the location of Au nanospheres are gradually immersed into the TiO2 substrate. On the other hand, the size change of the Au nanorods do not lead to a similar variation of the LSPR resonance-absorption peaks, except to change the length-diameter ratio. Meanwhile, the LSPR effects are obviously interfered with by the interband transitions between the Au nanorods and TiO2 substrate. At the end of this article, three photo-generated carrier separation mechanisms are proposed. Among them, the existence of direct electron transfer between Au nanoparticles and the TiO2

3D skin surface reconstruction from a single image by merging global curvature and local texture using the guided filtering for 3D haptic palpation.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, K; Kim, M; Kim, K

2018-05-11

Skin surface evaluation has been studied using various imaging techniques. However, all these studies had limited impact because they were performed using visual exam only. To improve on this scenario with haptic feedback, we propose 3D reconstruction of the skin surface using a single image. Unlike extant 3D skin surface reconstruction algorithms, we utilize the local texture and global curvature regions, combining the results for reconstruction. The first entails the reconstruction of global curvature, achieved by bilateral filtering that removes noise on the surface while maintaining the edge (ie, furrow) to obtain the overall curvature. The second entails the reconstruction of local texture, representing the fine wrinkles of the skin, using an advanced form of bilateral filtering. The final image is then composed by merging the two reconstructed images. We tested the curvature reconstruction part by comparing the resulting curvatures with measured values from real phantom objects while local texture reconstruction was verified by measuring skin surface roughness. Then, we showed the reconstructed result of our proposed algorithm via the reconstruction of various real skin surfaces. The experimental results demonstrate that our approach is a promising technology to reconstruct an accurate skin surface with a single skin image. We proposed 3D skin surface reconstruction using only a single camera. We highlighted the utility of global curvature, which has not been considered important in the past. Thus, we proposed a new method for 3D reconstruction that can be used for 3D haptic palpation, dividing the concepts of local and global regions. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Adsorption effectiveness of β-lactoglobulin onto gold surface determined by quartz crystal microbalance.

Science.gov (United States)

Jachimska, B; Świątek, S; Loch, J I; Lewiński, K; Luxbacher, T

2018-06-01

Bovine β-lactoglobulin (LGB) is a transport protein that can bind to its structure hydrophobic bioactive molecules. Due to the lack of toxicity, high stability and pH-dependent molecular binding mechanism, lactoglobulin can be used as a carrier of sparingly soluble drugs. Dynamic light scattering has confirmed LGB's tendency to create oligomeric forms. The hydrodynamic diameter of LGB molecules varies from 4 nm to 6 nm in the pH range of 2-10 and ionic strength I = 0.001-0.15 M, which corresponds to the presence of mono or dimeric LGB forms. The LGB zeta potential varies from 26.5 mV to -33.3 mV for I = 0.01 M and from 13.3 mV to -16 mV for I = 0.15 M in the pH range of 2-10. The isoelectric point is at pH 4.8. As a result of strong surface charge compensation, the maximum effective ionization degree of the LGB molecule is 35% for ionic strength I = 0.01 M and 22% for I = 0.15 M. The effectiveness of adsorption is linked with the properties of the protein, as well as those of the adsorption surface. The functionalization of gold surfaces with β-lactoglobulin (LGB) was studied using a quartz crystal microbalance with energy dissipation monitoring (QCM-D). The effectiveness of LGB adsorption correlates strongly with a charge of gold surface and the zeta potential of the molecule. The greatest value of the adsorbed mass was observed in the pH range in which LGB has a positive zeta potential values, below pH 4.8. This observation shows that electrostatic interactions play a dominant role in LGB adsorption on gold surfaces. Based on the adsorbed mass, protein orientation on gold surfaces was determined. The preferential side-on orientation of LGB molecules observed in the adsorption layer is consistent with the direction of the molecule dipole momentum determined by molecular dynamics simulations of the protein (MD). The use of the QCM-D method also allowed us to determine the effectiveness of adsorption of LGB on gold

The effect of surface pre-conditioning treatments on the local composition of Zr-based conversion coatings formed on aluminium alloys

Science.gov (United States)

Cerezo, J.; Vandendael, I.; Posner, R.; de Wit, J. H. W.; Mol, J. M. C.; Terryn, H.

2016-03-01

This study investigates the effect of different alkaline, acidic and thermal pre-conditioning treatments applied to different Al alloy surfaces. The obtained results are compared to the characteristics of Zr-based conversion coatings that were subsequently generated on top of these substrates. Focus is laid on typical elemental distributions on the sample surfaces, in particular on the amount of precipitated functional additives such as Cu species that are present in the substrate matrix as well as in the conversion bath solutions. To this aim, Field Emission Auger Electron spectra, depth profiles and surface maps with superior local resolution were acquired and compared to scanning electron microscopy images of the sample. The results show how de-alloying processes, which occur at and around intermetallic particles in the Al matrix during typical industrial alkaline or acidic cleaning procedures, provide a significant source of crystallization cores for any following coating processes. This is in particular due for Cu-species, as the resulting local Cu structures on the surface strongly affect the film formation and compositions of state-of-the-art Zr-based films. The findings are highly relevant for industrial treatments of aluminium surfaces, especially for those that undergo corrosion protection and painting process steps prior to usage.

Influence of nanoparticle–graphene separation on the localized surface plasmon resonances of metal nanoparticles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Masoudian Saadabad, Reza, E-mail: masoudian-reza@yahoo.com, E-mail: rms@mail.usb.ac.ir; Aporvari, Ahmad Shafiei [University of Sistan and Baluchestan, Department of Physics (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Shirdel-Havar, Amir Hushang [Golestan University, Department of Physics (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Havar, Majid Shirdel [University of Kashan, Department of Physics (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

2016-01-15

We develop a theory to model the interaction of graphene substrate with localized plasmon resonances in metallic nanoparticles. The influence of a graphene substrate on the surface plasmon resonances is described using an effective background permittivity that is derived from a pseudoparticle concept using the electrostatic method. For this purpose, the interaction of metal nanoparticle with graphene sheet is studied to obtain the optical spectrum of gold nanoparticles deposited on a graphene substrate. Then, we introduce a factor based on dipole approximation to predict the influence of the separation of nanoparticles and graphene on the spectral position of the localized plasmon resonance of the nanoparticles. We applied the theory for a 4-nm-radius gold nanosphere placed near 1.5 nm graphene layer. It is shown that a blue shift is emerged in the position of plasmon resonance when the nanoparticle moves away from graphene.

Localization, correlation, and visualization of electroencephalographic surface electrodes and brain anatomy in epilepsy studies

Science.gov (United States)

Brinkmann, Benjamin H.; O'Brien, Terence J.; Robb, Richard A.; Sharbrough, Frank W.

1997-05-01

Advances in neuroimaging have enhanced the clinician's ability to localize the epileptogenic zone in focal epilepsy, but 20-50 percent of these cases still remain unlocalized. Many sophisticated modalities have been used to study epilepsy, but scalp electrode recorded electroencephalography is particularly useful due to its noninvasive nature and excellent temporal resolution. This study is aimed at specific locations of scalp electrode EEG information for correlation with anatomical structures in the brain. 3D position localizing devices commonly used in virtual reality systems are used to digitize the coordinates of scalp electrodes in a standard clinical configuration. The electrode coordinates are registered with a high- resolution MRI dataset using a robust surface matching algorithm. Volume rendering can then be used to visualize the electrodes and electrode potentials interpolated over the scalp. The accuracy of the coordinate registration is assessed quantitatively with a realistic head phantom.

Sampling problems and the determination of mercury in surface water, seawater, and air

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Das, H.A.; van der Sloot, H.A.

1976-01-01

Analysis of surface water for mercury comprises the determination of both ionic and organically bound mercury in solution and that of the total mercury content of the suspended matter. Eventually, metallic mercury has to be determined too. Requirements for the sampling procedure are given. A method for the routine determination of mercury in surface water and seawater was developed and applied to Dutch surface waters. The total sample volume is 2500 ml. About 500 ml is used for the determination of the content of suspended matter and the total amount of mercury in the water. The sample is filtered through a bed of previously purified active charcoal at a low flow-rate. The main portion ca. 2000 ml) passes a flow-through centrifuge to separate the solid fraction. One liter is used to separate ''inorganic'' mercury by reduction, volatilization in an airstream and adsorption on active charcoal. The other liter is led through a column of active charcoal to collect all mercury. The procedures were checked with 197 Hg radiotracer both as an ion and incorporated in organic compounds. The mercury is determined by thermal neutron activation, followed by volatilization in a tube furnace and adsorption on a fresh carbon bed. The limit of determination is approximately equal to 1 ng 1 -1 . The rate of desorption from and adsorption on suspended material has been measured as a function of a pH of the solution for Hg +2 and various other ions. It can be concluded that only the procedure mentioned above does not disturb the equilibrium. The separation of mercury from air is obtained by suction of 1 m 3 through a 0.22 μm filter and a charcoal bed. The determination is then performed as in the case of the water samples

Determining Coastal Hazards Risk Perception to Enhance Local Mitigation Planning through a Participatory Mapping Approach

Science.gov (United States)

Bethel, M.; Braud, D.; Lambeth, T.; Biber, P.; Wu, W.

2017-12-01

Coastal community leaders, government officials, and natural resource managers must be able to accurately assess and predict a given coastal landscape's sustainability and/or vulnerability as coastal habitat continues to undergo rapid and dramatic changes associated with natural and anthropogenic activities such as accelerated relative sea level rise (SLR). To help address this information need, a multi-disciplinary project team conducted Sea Grant sponsored research in Louisiana and Mississippi with traditional ecosystem users and natural resource managers to determine a method for producing localized vulnerability and sustainability maps for projected SLR and storm surge impacts, and determine how and whether the results of such an approach can provide more useful information to enhance hazard mitigation planning. The goals of the project are to develop and refine SLR visualization tools for local implementation in areas experiencing subsidence and erosion, and discover the different ways stakeholder groups evaluate risk and plan mitigation strategies associated with projected SLR and storm surge. Results from physical information derived from data and modeling of subsidence, erosion, engineered restoration and coastal protection features, historical land loss, and future land projections under SLR are integrated with complimentary traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) offered by the collaborating local ecosystem users for these assessments. The data analysis involves interviewing stakeholders, coding the interviews for themes, and then converting the themes into vulnerability and sustainability factors. Each factor is weighted according to emphasis by the TEK experts and number of experts who mention it to determine which factors are the highest priority. The priority factors are then mapped with emphasis on the perception of contributing to local community vulnerability or sustainability to SLR and storm surge. The maps are used by the collaborators to benefit

InSAR Remote Sensing of Localized Surface Layer Subsidence in New Orleans, LA

Science.gov (United States)

An, K.; Jones, C. E.; Blom, R. G.; Kent, J. D.; Ivins, E. R.

2015-12-01

More than half of Louisiana's drinking water is dependent on groundwater, and extraction of these resources along with high oil and gas production has contributed to localized subsidence in many parts of New Orleans. This increases the vulnerability of levee failure during intense storms such as Hurricane Katrina in 2005, before which rapid subsidence had already been identified and contributed to the failing levees and catastrophic flooding. An interferogram containing airborne radar data from NASA's UAVSAR was combined with local geographic information systems (GIS) data for 2009-12 to help identify the sources of subsidence and mask out unrelated features such as surface water. We have observed the highest vertical velocity rates at the NASA Michoud Assembly Facility (high water use) and Norco (high oil/gas production). Many other notable features such as the: Bonnet-Carre Spillway, MRGO canal, levee lines along the Lower 9th Ward and power plants, are also showing concerning rates of subsidence. Even new housing loads, soil type differences, and buried beach sands seem to have modest correlations with patterns seen in UAVSAR. Current hurricane protection and coastal restoration efforts still have not incorporated late 20th century water level and geodetic data into their projections. Using SAR interferometry and local GIS datasets, areas of subsidence can be identified in a more efficient and economical manner, especially for emergency response.

DETERMINATION OF RADIATOR COOLING SURFACE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. I. Yakubovich

2009-01-01

Full Text Available The paper proposes a methodology for calculation of a radiator cooling surface with due account of heat transfer non-uniformity on depth of its core. Calculation of radiator cooling surfaces of «Belarus-1221» and «Belarus-3022» tractors has been carried out in the paper. The paper also advances standard size series of radiators for powerful «Belarus» tractor type.

Nonadiabatic effects on surfaces: Kohn anomaly, electronic damping of adsorbate vibrations, and local heating of single molecules

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kroeger, J

2008-01-01

Three aspects of electron-phonon coupling at metal surfaces are reviewed. One aspect is the Kohn effect, which describes an anomalous dispersion relation of surface phonons due to quasi-one-dimensional nesting of Fermi surface contours. The combination of electron energy loss spectroscopy and angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy allows us to unambiguously characterize Kohn anomaly systems. A second aspect is the nonadiabatic damping of adsorbate vibrations. Characteristic spectroscopic line shapes of vibrational modes allow us to estimate the amount of energy transfer between the vibrational mode and electron-hole pairs. Case studies of a Kohn anomaly and nonadiabatic damping are provided by the hydrogen- and deuterium-covered Mo(110) surface. As a third aspect of interaction between electrons and phonons, local heating of a C 60 molecule adsorbed on Cu(100) and in contact with the tip of a scanning tunnelling microscope is covered

5 CFR 532.205 - The use of Federal, State, and local minimum wage requirements in determining prevailing rates.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... minimum wage requirements in determining prevailing rates. 532.205 Section 532.205 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT CIVIL SERVICE REGULATIONS PREVAILING RATE SYSTEMS Prevailing Rate Determinations § 532.205 The use of Federal, State, and local minimum wage requirements in determining prevailing...

Local density approach to surfaces and adsorbed layers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wimmer, E.; Freeman, A.J.; Weinert, M.

1986-01-01

The authors show that the local density problem for the thin film geometry can be solved with high accuracy by employing the all-electron full-potential linearized augmented-plane-wave method. This is achieved by removing all shape approximations in the charge density and the potential and by using a highly flexible variational basis set. Also demonstrated is the fact that for a graphite monolayer, local density total energies give excellent descriptions of equilibrium geometries and discuss the overestimation of local-density cohesive energies due to an incomplete treatment of correlation effects in the free atom

Comparison of segmentation techniques to determine the geometric parameters of structured surfaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

MacAulay, Gavin D; Giusca, Claudiu L; Leach, Richard K; Senin, Nicola

2014-01-01

Structured surfaces, defined as surfaces characterized by topography features whose shape is defined by design specifications, are increasingly being used in industry for a variety of applications, including improving the tribological properties of surfaces. However, characterization of such surfaces still remains an issue. Techniques have been recently proposed, based on identifying and extracting the relevant features from a structured surface so they can be verified individually, using methods derived from those commonly applied to standard-sized parts. Such emerging approaches show promise but are generally complex and characterized by multiple data processing steps making performance difficult to assess. This paper focuses on the segmentation step, i.e. partitioning the topography so that the relevant features can be separated from the background. Segmentation is key for defining the geometric boundaries of the individual feature, which in turn affects any computation of feature size, shape and localization. This paper investigates the effect of varying the segmentation algorithm and its controlling parameters by considering a test case: a structured surface for bearing applications, the relevant features being micro-dimples designed for friction reduction. In particular, the mechanisms through which segmentation leads to identification of the dimple boundary and influences dimensional properties, such as dimple diameter and depth, are illustrated. It is shown that, by using different methods and control parameters, a significant range of measurement results can be achieved, which may not necessarily agree. Indications on how to investigate the influence of each specific choice are given; in particular, stability of the algorithms with respect to control parameters is analyzed as a means to investigate ease of calibration and flexibility to adapt to specific, application-dependent characterization requirements. (paper)

Determination of elastic mechanical characteristics of surface coatings from analysis of signals obtained by impulse excitation

Science.gov (United States)

Nyaguly, E.; Craştiu, I.; Deac, S.; Gozman-Pop, C.; Drăgănescu, G.; Bereteu, L.

2018-01-01

Most of the surface coatings are based on the synthetic polymers, which are substances composed from very large molecules that form tough, flexible, adhesive films when applied to surfaces. The other components of surface coverings materials are pigments that provide colour, opacity, gloss and other properties. Surface coatings are two-phase composite materials: constitute a polymer matrix on the one side, and on the other side of the pigments and additives dispersed in the matrix. Their role is not only aesthetically but also to ensure anticorrosive protection or even improve some mechanical properties of coated surfaces. In this paper it will follow, starting from the mechanical properties of the substrate, the metallic sheet in general, to determine the new properties of the assembly of substrate and the two coating layers, also the determination of mechanical properties of the layers. From the analysis of vibroacoustic signals obtained by the impulse excitation of the sample, one can determine the elasticity modulus. These results come to validate the results based on finite element analysis (FEA) of the same samples.

Investigation of surface porosity measurements and compaction pressure as means to ensure consistent contact angle determinations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Holm, René; Borkenfelt, Simon; Allesø, Morten

2016-01-01

for a compound is determined by its contact angle to a liquid, which in the present study was measured using the sessile drop method applied to a disc compact of the compound. Precise determination of the contact angle is important should it be used to either rank compounds or selected excipients to e.......g. increase the wetting from a solid dosage form. Since surface roughness of the compact has been suggested to influence the measurement this study investigated if the surface quality, in terms of surface porosity, had an influence on the measured contact angle. A correlation to surface porosity was observed......, however for six out of seven compounds similar results were obtained by applying a standard pressure (866MPa) to the discs in their preparation. The data presented in the present work therefore suggest that a constant high pressure should be sufficient for most compounds when determining the contact angle...

Switching of localized surface plasmon resonance of gold nanoparticles on a GeSbTe film mediated by nanoscale phase change and modification of surface morphology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hira, T.; Homma, T.; Uchiyama, T.; Kuwamura, K.; Saiki, T. [Graduate School of Science and Technology, Keio University, 3-14-1 Hiyoshi, Kohoku, Yokohama, Kanagawa 223-8522 (Japan)

2013-12-09

As a platform for active nanophotonics, localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) switching via interaction with a chalcogenide phase change material (GeSbTe) was investigated. We performed single-particle spectroscopy of gold nanoparticles placed on a GeSbTe thin film. By irradiation with a femtosecond pulsed laser for amorphization and a continuous wave laser for crystallization, significant switching behavior of the LSPR band due to the interaction of GeSbTe was observed. The switching mechanism was explained in terms of both a change in the refractive index and a modification of surface morphology accompanying volume expansion and reduction of GeSbTe.

Exciton localization and interface roughness in growth-interrupted GaAs/AlAs quantum wells

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Leosson, Kristjan; Jensen, Jacob Riis; Langbein, Wolfgang Werner

2000-01-01

of the in-plane disorder potential and the exciton localization length determines the spectral shape of the exciton luminescence. When the correlation length of the in-plane disorder potential is larger than the exciton localization length, the excitonic spectrum splits up into discrete peaks, stemming from...... regions differing in effective thickness by an integral number of monolayers. The energies of monolayers peaks, taking into account the in-plane localization energy, are found to be reproducible in wafers grown under similar conditions. We conclude that atomically smooth growth islands are formed on both...... AlAs and GaAs surfaces after growth interruption. During overgrowth, surface segregation leads to the generation of an atomic-scale disorder in the first overgrown monolayers. This results in an additional in-plane disorder potential with a much shorter correlation length than the original surface...

On the invariant theory of Weingarten surfaces in Euclidean space

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ganchev, Georgi; Mihova, Vesselka

2010-01-01

On any Weingarten surface in Euclidean space (strongly regular or rotational), we introduce locally geometric principal parameters and prove that such a surface is determined uniquely up to a motion by a special invariant function, which satisfies a natural nonlinear partial differential equation. This result can be interpreted as a solution to the Lund-Regge reduction problem for Weingarten surfaces in Euclidean space. We apply this theory to fractional-linear Weingarten surfaces and obtain the nonlinear partial differential equations describing them.

Membrane raft association is a determinant of plasma membrane localization.

Science.gov (United States)

Diaz-Rohrer, Blanca B; Levental, Kandice R; Simons, Kai; Levental, Ilya

2014-06-10

The lipid raft hypothesis proposes lateral domains driven by preferential interactions between sterols, sphingolipids, and specific proteins as a central mechanism for the regulation of membrane structure and function; however, experimental limitations in defining raft composition and properties have prevented unequivocal demonstration of their functional relevance. Here, we establish a quantitative, functional relationship between raft association and subcellular protein sorting. By systematic mutation of the transmembrane and juxtamembrane domains of a model transmembrane protein, linker for activation of T-cells (LAT), we generated a panel of variants possessing a range of raft affinities. These mutations revealed palmitoylation, transmembrane domain length, and transmembrane sequence to be critical determinants of membrane raft association. Moreover, plasma membrane (PM) localization was strictly dependent on raft partitioning across the entire panel of unrelated mutants, suggesting that raft association is necessary and sufficient for PM sorting of LAT. Abrogation of raft partitioning led to mistargeting to late endosomes/lysosomes because of a failure to recycle from early endosomes. These findings identify structural determinants of raft association and validate lipid-driven domain formation as a mechanism for endosomal protein sorting.

Localized strain measurements of the intervertebral disc annulus during biaxial tensile testing.

Science.gov (United States)

Karakolis, Thomas; Callaghan, Jack P

2015-01-01

Both inter-lamellar and intra-lamellar failures of the annulus have been described as potential modes of disc herniation. Attempts to characterize initial lamellar failure of the annulus have involved tensile testing of small tissue samples. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a method of measuring local surface strains through image analysis of a tensile test conducted on an isolated sample of annular tissue in order to enhance future studies of intervertebral disc failure. An annulus tissue sample was biaxial strained to 10%. High-resolution images captured the tissue surface throughout testing. Three test conditions were evaluated: submerged, non-submerged and marker. Surface strains were calculated for the two non-marker conditions based on motion of virtual tracking points. Tracking algorithm parameters (grid resolution and template size) were varied to determine the effect on estimated strains. Accuracy of point tracking was assessed through a comparison of the non-marker conditions to a condition involving markers placed on tissue surface. Grid resolution had a larger effect on local strain than template size. Average local strain error ranged from 3% to 9.25% and 0.1% to 2.0%, for the non-submerged and submerged conditions, respectively. Local strain estimation has a relatively high potential for error. Submerging the tissue provided superior strain estimates.

Localization of CO2 Leakage from a Circular Hole on a Flat-Surface Structure Using a Circular Acoustic Emission Sensor Array

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiwang Cui

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Leak localization is essential for the safety and maintenance of storage vessels. This study proposes a novel circular acoustic emission sensor array to realize the continuous CO2 leak localization from a circular hole on the surface of a large storage vessel in a carbon capture and storage system. Advantages of the proposed array are analyzed and compared with the common sparse arrays. Experiments were carried out on a laboratory-scale stainless steel plate and leak signals were obtained from a circular hole in the center of this flat-surface structure. In order to reduce the influence of the ambient noise and dispersion of the acoustic wave on the localization accuracy, ensemble empirical mode decomposition is deployed to extract the useful leak signal. The time differences between the signals from the adjacent sensors in the array are calculated through correlation signal processing before estimating the corresponding distance differences between the sensors. A hyperbolic positioning algorithm is used to identify the location of the circular leak hole. Results show that the circular sensor array has very good directivity toward the circular leak hole. Furthermore, an optimized method is proposed by changing the position of the circular sensor array on the flat-surface structure or adding another circular sensor array to identify the direction of the circular leak hole. Experiential results obtained on a 100 cm × 100 cm stainless steel plate demonstrate that the full-scale error in the leak localization is within 0.6%.

Proton surface charge determination in Spodosol horizons with organically bound aluminum

Science.gov (United States)

Skyllberg, Ulf; Borggaard, Ole K.

1998-05-01

Net proton surface charge densities were determined in O, E, Bh, and Bs horizons of a sandy till, Spodosol from Denmark, by means of acid-base titration combined with ion adsorption in 0.005 M Ca(NO 3) 2 and independent permanent charge determination. The release of organic anions exceeded the adsorption of NO 3-, resulting in a desorption of anions in all horizons. Data were found to obey the law of balance between surface charges and adsorbed ions only when charges pertaining to Al and organic anions released during the titration experiments were accounted for, in addition to charges pertaining the potential determining ions (PDI) H + and OH - and the index ions Ca 2+ and NO 3-. It was furthermore shown that the point of zero net proton charge (PZNPC) in soils highly depends on the concentration of organically bound Al. Approaches previously used in soils, in which adsorbed Al n+ has been ignored (i.e., considered equivalent to nH + as a PDI), resulted in a PZNPC of 4.1 in the Bs horizon. If instead organically bound Al was accounted for as a counter-ion similar to 3/2Ca 2+, a PZNPC of 2.9 was obtained for the same Bs horizon. Based on PZNPC values estimated by the latter approach, combined with a weak-acid analog, it was shown that organic proton surface charges buffered pH with a similar intensity in the O, E, Bh, and Bs horizons of this study. Because the acidity of Al adsorbed to conjugate bases of soil organic acids is substantially weaker than the acidity of the corresponding protonated form of the organic acids, the point of zero net proton charge (PZNPC) will increase if the concentration of organically adsorbed Al increases at the expense of adsorbed H. This means that PZNPC values determined for soils with unknown concentrations of organically adsorbed Al are highly operational and not very meaningful as references.

DETERMINATION OF SPATIAL INTEGRATION AND SUBSTITUTION OF FOREIGN RICE FOR LOCAL RICE IN GHANA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Philip Kofi ADOM

2014-11-01

Full Text Available This study tested for spatial integration in the rice market and the substitution of imported rice for local rice in Ghana. It is established that the markets for domestic imported rice are well-integrated, but not complete. The imperfect spatial integration of domestic foreign rice markets implies that the market provides opportunities for arbitrage. Price leadership roles are found to be determined by the kind of sub-inter-regional-trade network defined. However, in all, the Accra market emerged as a dominant market leader in the domestic foreign rice market. There is evidence of significant regional substitution of foreign rice for local rice in the long run, but the result is mixed in the short run. The result that local rice is not a perfect substitute for imported rice implies that price disincentive measures such as increasing the import tariffs on foreign rice will only produce a mild effect on increasing the producer price faced by local rice farmers, but aggravate the burden on households’ budget.

An innovative application of time-domain spectroscopy on localized surface plasmon resonance sensing

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Meng-Chi; Chang, Ying-Feng; Wang, Huai-Yi; Lin, Yu-Xen; Kuo, Chien-Cheng; Annie Ho, Ja-An; Lee, Cheng-Chung; Su, Li-Chen

2017-03-01

White-light scanning interferometry (WLSI) is often used to study the surface profiles and properties of thin films because the strength of the technique lies in its ability to provide fast and high resolution measurements. An innovative attempt is made in this paper to apply WLSI as a time-domain spectroscopic system for localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) sensing. A WLSI-based spectrometer is constructed with a breadboard of WLSI in combination with a spectral centroid algorithm for noise reduction and performance improvement. Experimentally, the WLSI-based spectrometer exhibits a limit of detection (LOD) of 1.2 × 10-3 refractive index units (RIU), which is better than that obtained with a conventional UV-Vis spectrometer, by resolving the LSPR peak shift. Finally, the bio-applicability of the proposed spectrometer was investigated using the rs242557 tau gene, an Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease biomarker. The LOD was calculated as 15 pM. These results demonstrate that the proposed WLSI-based spectrometer could become a sensitive time-domain spectroscopic biosensing platform.

Localized modes in optics of photonic liquid crystals with local anisotropy of absorption

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Belyakov, V. A., E-mail: bel1937@mail.ru, E-mail: bel@landau.ac.ru [Russian Academy of Science, Landau Institute for Theoretical Physics (Russian Federation); Semenov, S. V. [National Research Center “Kurchatov Institute,” (Russian Federation)

2016-05-15

The localized optical modes in spiral photonic liquid crystals are theoretically studied for the certainty at the example of chiral liquid crystals (CLCs) for the case of CLC with an anisotropic local absorption. The model adopted here (absence of dielectric interfaces in the structures under investigation) makes it possible to get rid of mixing of polarizations on the surfaces of the CLC layer and of the defect structure and to reduce the corresponding equations to only the equations for light with polarization diffracting in the CLC. The dispersion equations determining connection of the edge mode (EM) and defect mode (DM) frequencies with the CLC layer parameters (anisotropy of local absorption, CLC order parameter) and other parameters of the DMS are obtained. Analytic expressions for the transmission and reflection coefficients of CLC layer and DMS for the case of CLC with an anisotropic local absorption are presented and analyzed. It is shown that the CLC layers with locally anisotropic absorption reduce the EM and DM lifetimes (and increase the lasing threshold) in the way different from the case of CLC with an isotropic local absorption. Due to the Borrmann effect revealing of which is different at the opposite stop-band edges in the case of CLC layers with an anisotropic local absorption the EM life-times for the EM frequencies at the opposite stop-bands edges may be significantly different. The options of experimental observations of the theoretically revealed phenomena are briefly discussed.

Assessing the Determinants of Renewable Electricity Acceptance Integrating Meta-Analysis Regression and a Local Comprehensive Survey

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Simona Bigerna

2015-08-01

Full Text Available In dealing with renewable electricity (RE, individuals are involved both as end-consumers on the demand side and as stakeholders (citizens in the local production process on the supply side. Empirical evidence shows that in many countries, consumers are willing to pay a significant amount to facilitate adoption of RE. By contrast, environmental externalities are often the cause of strong opposition to RE adoption if local communities are involved as stakeholders in wind, solar or biomass investment projects. Looking at the literature on willingness to pay and on willingness to accept, we have investigated RE acceptance mechanisms. First, we have used the meta-analysis to assess the major determinants of RE acceptance on both demand and supply sides. Meta-analysis has provided some insights useful for managing field research on an onshore wind farm enlargement project located in the Umbria region. Meta-analysis and survey results confirm that the local community plays a central role in local RE acceptance. Furthermore, people who have previous experience with windmills require less compensation, or are willing to pay more, for RE development. Results suggest that these attributes should be included in future research to improve understanding of determinants of RE acceptance.

Determination of 3D Equilibria from Flux Surface Knowledge Only

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mynick, H.E.; Pomphrey, N.

2001-01-01

We show that the method of Christiansen and Taylor, from which complete tokamak equilibria can be determined given only knowledge of the shape of the flux surfaces, can be extended to 3-dimensional equilibria, such as those of stellarators. As for the tokamak case, the given geometric knowledge has a high degree of redundancy, so that the full equilibrium can be obtained using only a small portion of that information

X-Ray Fluorescence Determination of the Surface Density of Chromium Nanolayers

Science.gov (United States)

Mashin, N. I.; Chernjaeva, E. A.; Tumanova, A. N.; Ershov, A. A.

2014-01-01

An auxiliary system consisting of thin-film layers of chromium deposited on a polymer film substrate is used to construct calibration curves for the relative intensities of the K α lines of chromium on bulk substrates of different elements as functions of the chromium surface density in the reference samples. Correction coefficients are calculated to take into account the absorption of primary radiation from an x-ray tube and analytical lines of the constituent elements of the substrate. A method is developed for determining the surface density of thin films of chromium when test and calibration samples are deposited on substrates of different materials.

Line operators from M-branes on compact Riemann surfaces

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Amariti, Antonio [Physics Department, The City College of the CUNY, 160 Convent Avenue, New York, NY 10031 (United States); Orlando, Domenico [Albert Einstein Center for Fundamental Physics, Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of Bern, Sidlerstrasse 5, CH-3012 Bern (Switzerland); Reffert, Susanne, E-mail: sreffert@itp.unibe.ch [Albert Einstein Center for Fundamental Physics, Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of Bern, Sidlerstrasse 5, CH-3012 Bern (Switzerland)

2016-12-15

In this paper, we determine the charge lattice of mutually local Wilson and 't Hooft line operators for class S theories living on M5-branes wrapped on compact Riemann surfaces. The main ingredients of our analysis are the fundamental group of the N-cover of the Riemann surface, and a quantum constraint on the six-dimensional theory. The latter plays a central role in excluding some of the possible lattices and imposing consistency conditions on the charges. This construction gives a geometric explanation for the mutual locality among the lines, fixing their charge lattice and the structure of the four-dimensional gauge group.

Theory of quasiparticle surface states in semiconductor surfaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hybertsen, M.S.; Louie, S.G.

1988-01-01

A first-principles theory of the quasiparticle surface-state energies on semiconductor surfaces is developed. The surface properties are calculated using a repeated-slab geometry. Many-body effects due to the electron-electron interaction are represented by the electron self-energy operator including the full surface Green's function and local fields and dynamical screening effects in the Coulomb interaction. Calculated surface-state energies for the prototypical Si(111):As and Ge(111):As surfaces are presented. The calculated energies and dispersions for the occupied surface states (resonances) are in excellent agreement with recent angle-resolved photoemission data. Predictions are made for the position of empty surface states on both surfaces which may be experimentally accessible. The resulting surface state gap at Gamma-bar for Si(111):As agrees with recent scanning-tunneling-spectroscopy measurements. Comparison of the present results to eigenvalues from the local-density-functional calculation reveals substantial corrections for the gaps between empty and occupied surface states. This correction is found to depend on the character of the surface states involved

Investigation of surface porosity measurements and compaction pressure as means to ensure consistent contact angle determinations.

Science.gov (United States)

Holm, René; Borkenfelt, Simon; Allesø, Morten; Andersen, Jens Enevold Thaulov; Beato, Stefania; Holm, Per

2016-02-10

Compounds wettability is critical for a number of central processes including disintegration, dispersion, solubilisation and dissolution. It is therefore an important optimisation parameter both in drug discovery but also as guidance for formulation selection and optimisation. Wettability for a compound is determined by its contact angle to a liquid, which in the present study was measured using the sessile drop method applied to a disc compact of the compound. Precise determination of the contact angle is important should it be used to either rank compounds or selected excipients to e.g. increase the wetting from a solid dosage form. Since surface roughness of the compact has been suggested to influence the measurement this study investigated if the surface quality, in terms of surface porosity, had an influence on the measured contact angle. A correlation to surface porosity was observed, however for six out of seven compounds similar results were obtained by applying a standard pressure (866 MPa) to the discs in their preparation. The data presented in the present work therefore suggest that a constant high pressure should be sufficient for most compounds when determining the contact angle. Only for special cases where compounds have poor compressibility would there be a need for a surface-quality-control step before the contact angle determination. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A novel near real-time laser scanning device for geometrical determination of pleural cavity surface.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Michele M; Zhu, Timothy C

2013-02-02

During HPPH-mediated pleural photodynamic therapy (PDT), it is critical to determine the anatomic geometry of the pleural surface quickly as there may be movement during treatment resulting in changes with the cavity. We have developed a laser scanning device for this purpose, which has the potential to obtain the surface geometry in real-time. A red diode laser with a holographic template to create a pattern and a camera with auto-focusing abilities are used to scan the cavity. In conjunction with a calibration with a known surface, we can use methods of triangulation to reconstruct the surface. Using a chest phantom, we are able to obtain a 360 degree scan of the interior in under 1 minute. The chest phantom scan was compared to an existing CT scan to determine its accuracy. The laser-camera separation can be determined through the calibration with 2mm accuracy. The device is best suited for environments that are on the scale of a chest cavity (between 10cm and 40cm). This technique has the potential to produce cavity geometry in real-time during treatment. This would enable PDT treatment dosage to be determined with greater accuracy. Works are ongoing to build a miniaturized device that moves the light source and camera via a fiber-optics bundle commonly used for endoscopy with increased accuracy.

Analytical mass formula and nuclear surface properties in the ETF approximation. Part II: asymmetric nuclei

Science.gov (United States)

Aymard, François; Gulminelli, Francesca; Margueron, Jérôme

2016-08-01

We have recently addressed the problem of the determination of the nuclear surface energy for symmetric nuclei in the framework of the extended Thomas-Fermi (ETF) approximation using Skyrme functionals. We presently extend this formalism to the case of asymmetric nuclei and the question of the surface symmetry energy. We propose an approximate expression for the diffuseness and the surface energy. These quantities are analytically related to the parameters of the energy functional. In particular, the influence of the different equation of state parameters can be explicitly quantified. Detailed analyses of the different energy components (local/non-local, isoscalar/isovector, surface/curvature and higher order) are also performed. Our analytical solution of the ETF integral improves previous models and leads to a precision of better than 200 keV per nucleon in the determination of the nuclear binding energy for dripline nuclei.

Is wave-particle objectivity compatible with determinism and locality?

Science.gov (United States)

Ionicioiu, Radu; Jennewein, Thomas; Mann, Robert B; Terno, Daniel R

2014-09-26

Wave-particle duality, superposition and entanglement are among the most counterintuitive features of quantum theory. Their clash with our classical expectations motivated hidden-variable (HV) theories. With the emergence of quantum technologies, we can test experimentally the predictions of quantum theory versus HV theories and put strong restrictions on their key assumptions. Here, we study an entanglement-assisted version of the quantum delayed-choice experiment and show that the extension of HV to the controlling devices only exacerbates the contradiction. We compare HV theories that satisfy the conditions of objectivity (a property of photons being either particles or waves, but not both), determinism and local independence of hidden variables with quantum mechanics. Any two of the above conditions are compatible with it. The conflict becomes manifest when all three conditions are imposed and persists for any non-zero value of entanglement. We propose an experiment to test our conclusions.

Is wave–particle objectivity compatible with determinism and locality?

Science.gov (United States)

Ionicioiu, Radu; Jennewein, Thomas; Mann, Robert B.; Terno, Daniel R.

2014-01-01

Wave–particle duality, superposition and entanglement are among the most counterintuitive features of quantum theory. Their clash with our classical expectations motivated hidden-variable (HV) theories. With the emergence of quantum technologies, we can test experimentally the predictions of quantum theory versus HV theories and put strong restrictions on their key assumptions. Here, we study an entanglement-assisted version of the quantum delayed-choice experiment and show that the extension of HV to the controlling devices only exacerbates the contradiction. We compare HV theories that satisfy the conditions of objectivity (a property of photons being either particles or waves, but not both), determinism and local independence of hidden variables with quantum mechanics. Any two of the above conditions are compatible with it. The conflict becomes manifest when all three conditions are imposed and persists for any non-zero value of entanglement. We propose an experiment to test our conclusions. PMID:25256419

Cell surface localization of the 78 kD glucose regulated protein (GRP 78) induced by thapsigargin.

Science.gov (United States)

Delpino, A; Piselli, P; Vismara, D; Vendetti, S; Colizzi, V

1998-01-01

In the present study it was found that the synthesis of the 78 kD glucose-regulated protein (GRP 78 or BIP) is vigorously induced in human rabdomiosarcoma cells (TE 671/RD) following both short-term (1 h) and prolonged (18 h) exposure to 100 nM thapsigargin (Tg). Flow cytometric analysis with a specific anti-GRP 78 polyclonal antibody showed that Tg-treated cells express the GRP 78 on the plasma membrane. Cell surface localization of the Tg-induced GRP 78 was confirmed by biotinylation of membrane-exposed proteins and subsequent isolation of the biotin-labelled proteins by streptavidin/agarose affinity chromatography. It was found that a fraction of the Tg-induced GRP 78 is present among the biotin-labelled, surface-exposed, proteins. Conversely, the GRP 78 immunoprecipitated from unfractionated lysates of Tg-treated and biotin-reacted cells was found to be biotinylated. This is the first report demonstrating surface expression of GRP 78 in cells exposed to a specific GRP 78-inducing stimulus.

ULTRA: Underwater Localization for Transit and Reconnaissance Autonomy

Science.gov (United States)

Huntsberger, Terrance L.

2013-01-01

This software addresses the issue of underwater localization of unmanned vehicles and the inherent drift in their onboard sensors. The software gives a 2 to 3 factor of improvement over the state-of-the-art underwater localization algorithms. The software determines the localization (position, heading) of an AUV (autonomous underwater vehicle) in environments where there is no GPS signal. It accomplishes this using only the commanded position, onboard gyros/accelerometers, and the bathymetry of the bottom provided by an onboard sonar system. The software does not rely on an onboard bathymetry dataset, but instead incrementally determines the position of the AUV while mapping the bottom. In order to enable long-distance underwater navigation by AUVs, a localization method called ULTRA uses registration of the bathymetry data products produced by the onboard forward-looking sonar system for hazard avoidance during a transit to derive the motion and pose of the AUV in order to correct the DR (dead reckoning) estimates. The registration algorithm uses iterative point matching (IPM) combined with surface interpolation of the Iterative Closest Point (ICP) algorithm. This method was used previously at JPL for onboard unmanned ground vehicle localization, and has been optimized for efficient computational and memory use.

Igusa's $p$-Adic local zeta function and the monodromy conjecture for non-degenerate surface singularities

CERN Document Server

Bories, Bart

2016-01-01

In 2011 Lemahieu and Van Proeyen proved the Monodromy Conjecture for the local topological zeta function of a non-degenerate surface singularity. The authors start from their work and obtain the same result for Igusa's p-adic and the motivic zeta function. In the p-adic case, this is, for a polynomial f\\in\\mathbf{Z}[x,y,z] satisfying f(0,0,0)=0 and non-degenerate with respect to its Newton polyhedron, we show that every pole of the local p-adic zeta function of f induces an eigenvalue of the local monodromy of f at some point of f^{-1}(0)\\subset\\mathbf{C}^3 close to the origin. Essentially the entire paper is dedicated to proving that, for f as above, certain candidate poles of Igusa's p-adic zeta function of f, arising from so-called B_1-facets of the Newton polyhedron of f, are actually not poles. This turns out to be much harder than in the topological setting. The combinatorial proof is preceded by a study of the integral points in three-dimensional fundamental parallelepipeds. Together with the work of L...

Use of local and global limit load solutions for plates with surface cracks under tension

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lei, Y. [British Energy Generation Ltd, Barnett Way, Bamwood, Gloucester GL4 3RS (United Kingdom)], E-mail: yuebao.lei@british-energy.com

2007-09-15

Some available experimental results for the ductile failure of plates with surface cracks under tension are reviewed. The response of crack driving force, J, and the ligament strain near the local and global limit loads are investigated by performing elastic-perfectly plastic finite element (FE) analysis of a plate with a semi-elliptical crack under tension. The results show that a ligament may survive until the global collapse load is reached when the average ligament strain at the global collapse load, which depends on the uniaxial strain corresponding to the flow stress of the material and the crack geometry, is less than the true fracture strain of the material obtained from uniaxial tension tests. The FE analysis shows that ligament yielding corresponding to the local limit load has little effect on J and the average ligament strain, whereas approach to global collapse corresponds to a sharp increase in both J and the average ligament strain. The prediction of the FE value of J using the reference stress method shows that the global limit load is more relevant to J-estimation than the local one.

Use of local and global limit load solutions for plates with surface cracks under tension

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lei, Y.

2007-01-01

Some available experimental results for the ductile failure of plates with surface cracks under tension are reviewed. The response of crack driving force, J, and the ligament strain near the local and global limit loads are investigated by performing elastic-perfectly plastic finite element (FE) analysis of a plate with a semi-elliptical crack under tension. The results show that a ligament may survive until the global collapse load is reached when the average ligament strain at the global collapse load, which depends on the uniaxial strain corresponding to the flow stress of the material and the crack geometry, is less than the true fracture strain of the material obtained from uniaxial tension tests. The FE analysis shows that ligament yielding corresponding to the local limit load has little effect on J and the average ligament strain, whereas approach to global collapse corresponds to a sharp increase in both J and the average ligament strain. The prediction of the FE value of J using the reference stress method shows that the global limit load is more relevant to J-estimation than the local one

The determination of the local conditions for void initiation in front of a crack tip for materials with second-phase particles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sabirov, I. [Erich Schmid Institute of Materials Science, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Jahnstrasse 12, A-8700 Leoben (Austria)]. E-mail: sabirov@unileoben.ac.at; Duschlbauer, D. [Institute of Lightweight Design and Structural Biomechanics, Vienna University of Technology, Gusshausstrasse 27-29, A-1040 Vienna (Austria); Pettermann, H.E. [Institute of Lightweight Design and Structural Biomechanics, Vienna University of Technology, Gusshausstrasse 27-29, A-1040 Vienna (Austria); Kolednik, O. [Erich Schmid Institute of Materials Science, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Jahnstrasse 12, A-8700 Leoben (Austria)

2005-02-25

A procedure is proposed to determine, for second-phase particles near a crack tip, the maximum particle stresses at the moment of void initiation by either particle fracture or particle/matrix interface separation. A digital image analysis system is applied to perform a quantitative analysis of corresponding fracture surface regions from stereo image pairs taken in the scanning electron microscope. The fracture surface analysis is used to measure, for individual particles, the crack tip opening displacement at the moment of void initiation and the particle location with respect to the crack tip. From these data, the stress tensor at the moment of void initiation is calculated from the Hutchinson-Rice-Rosengren (HRR) field theory. The corresponding average local stresses within the particle are evaluated by a non-linear Mori-Tanaka-type approach. These stresses are compared to estimates according to the models by Argon et al. [A.S. Argon, J. Im, R. Safoglu, Metall. Trans. 6 (1975) 825] and Beremin [F.M. Beremin, Metall. Trans. 12 (1981) 723]. The procedure is demonstrated on an Al6061-10% Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} metal matrix composite.

Determination of Substances Content of Soil Surface Using Fast Neutron Activation Analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Elin Nuraini; Elisabeth; Sunardi

2002-01-01

Determination of substances content of soil surface using neutron activation analysis has been performed. The aim of this research is to determine whether there are any dangerous, hazardous and toxic substances that released from The Research and Development Center for Advanced Technology (RDCAT) as a government institution has possibility in releasing that substances to the environment by surface water, sewage or rain water that give any dangerous the environmental. The fast neutron activation analysis was used to analyze the type and concentration of substances qualitative and quantitatively. The quantitative analysis was performed using relative method. Samples were counted using NaI(TI) detector. The result showed that there are several substances such as Mn-55, Fe-56, P-31, Al-27. Zn,65 and Mg-24. And there are found any hazardous, dangerous and toxic substances in the samples that causing any danger to human and environment. (author)

Localized solid-state amorphization at grain boundaries in a nanocrystalline Al solid solution subjected to surface mechanical attrition

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wu, X [State Key Laboratory of Nonlinear Mechanics, Institute of Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100080 (China); Tao, N [Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016 (China); Hong, Y [State Key Laboratory of Nonlinear Mechanics, Institute of Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100080 (China); Lu, J [LASMIS, University of Technology of Troyes, 10000, Troyes (France); Lu, K [Shenyang National Laboratory for Materials Science, Institute of Metal Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016 (China)

2005-11-21

Using high-resolution electron microscopy, localized solid-state amorphization (SSA) was observed in a nanocrystalline (NC) Al solid solution (weight per cent 4.2 Cu, 0.3 Mn, the rest being Al) subjected to a surface mechanical attrition treatment. It was found that the deformation-induced SSA may occur at the grain boundary (GB) where either the high density dislocations or dislocation complexes are present. It is suggested that lattice instability due to elastic distortion within the dislocation core region plays a significant role in the initiation of the localized SSA at defective sites. Meanwhile, the GB of severely deformed NC grains exhibits a continuously varying atomic structure in such a way that while most of the GB is ordered but reveals corrugated configurations, localized amorphization may occur along the same GB.

Surface Plasmon-Mediated Nanoscale Localization of Laser-Driven sub-Terahertz Spin Dynamics in Magnetic Dielectrics

Science.gov (United States)

Chekhov, Alexander L.; Stognij, Alexander I.; Satoh, Takuya; Murzina, Tatiana V.; Razdolski, Ilya; Stupakiewicz, Andrzej

2018-05-01

Ultrafast all-optical control of spins with femtosecond laser pulses is one of the hot topics at the crossroads of photonics and magnetism with a direct impact on future magnetic recording. Unveiling light-assisted recording mechanisms for an increase of the bit density beyond the diffraction limit without excessive heating of the recording medium is an open challenge. Here we show that surface plasmon-polaritons in hybrid metal-dielectric structures can provide spatial confinement of the inverse Faraday effect, mediating the excitation of localized coherent spin precession with 0.41 THz frequency. We demonstrate a two orders of magnitude enhancement of the excitation efficiency at the surface plasmon resonance within the 100 nm layer in dielectric garnet. Our findings broaden the horizons of ultrafast spin-plasmonics and open pathways towards non-thermal opto-magnetic recording at the nano-scale.

Determination of the surface area and sizes of supported copper nanoparticles through organothiol adsorption—ñhemisorption

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ndolomingo, Matumuene Joe; Meijboom, Reinout, E-mail: rmeijboom@uj.ac.za

2016-12-30

Highlights: • Cu on γ-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} catalysts were prepared and characterized. • The ligand sorption-based technique was used for the determination of specific surface area and particle sizes. • The ligand packing density on Cu nanoparticles was quantified. • A fair agreement was found between the Cu particle sizes obtained from ligand adsorption and TEM methods. • The oxidation of morin by hydrogen peroxide was used to evaluate the catalytic activities of the Cu supported catalysts. - Abstract: The mechanisms involving the nanoparticle surfaces in catalytic reactions are more difficult to elucidate due to the nanoparticle surface unevenness, size distributions, and morphological irregularity. True surface area and particle sizes determination are key aspects of the activity of metal nanoparticle catalysts. Here we report on the organothiol adsorption-based technique for the determination of specific surface area of Cu nanoparticles, and their resultant sizes on γ-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} supports. Quantification of ligand packing density on copper nanoparticles is also reported. The concentration of the probe ligand, 2-mercaptobenzimidazole (2-MBI) before and after immersion of supported copper catalysts was determined by ultraviolet-visible spectrometry (UV–vis). The amount of ligand adsorbed was found to be proportional to the copper nanoparticles surface area. Atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS), N{sub 2}-physisorption (BET), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) were used for the characterization of the catalysts. A fair agreement was found between particle sizes obtained from ligand adsorption and TEM methods. The catalytic activity of the copper nanoparticles related to their inherent surface area was evaluated using the model reaction of the oxidation of morin by hydrogen peroxide.

Surface role in reorientation of internal layers of molybdenum single crystal during rolling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Antsiforov, P.N.; Gorordetskij, S.D.; Markashova, A.I.; Martynenko, S.I.

1991-01-01

Structure, orientations and chemical composition of surface and internal layers of molybdenum rolled monocrystals are studied using electron microscopy, X-ray and Auger-analyses. Model of reorientation allowing to determine relation of deformation mechanism localized in surface layer with reorientation of internal layers, is described to explain the results

Determination of the Local Thermal Conductivity of Functionally Graded Materials by a Laser Flash Method

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zajas, Jan Jakub; Heiselberg, Per

2013-01-01

Determination of thermal conductivity of construction materials is essential to estimate their insulation capabilities. In most cases, homogenous materials are used and well developed methods exist for measurements of their thermal conductivity. The task becomes more challenging when dealing...... by scanning them point by point and determining the thermal conductivity as a function of the spatial dimensions. The method proves to be repeatable and of reasonable accuracy and can be used to determine the local thermal properties on a scale of millimeters. In this study, the method was successfully...... applied to create a map of thermal conductivity of a functionally graded material sample....

Shape determinative slice localization for patient-specific masseter modeling using shape-based interpolation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ng, H.P. [NUS Graduate School for Integrative Sciences and Engineering (Singapore); Biomedical Imaging Lab., Agency for Science Technology and Research (Singapore); Foong, K.W.C. [NUS Graduate School for Integrative Sciences and Engineering (Singapore); Dept. of Preventive Dentistry, National Univ. of Singapore (Singapore); Ong, S.H. [Dept. of Electrical and Computer Engineering, National Univ. of Singapore (Singapore); Div. of Bioengineering, National Univ. of Singapore (Singapore); Liu, J.; Nowinski, W.L. [Biomedical Imaging Lab., Agency for Science Technology and Research (Singapore); Goh, P.S. [Dept. of Diagnostic Radiology, National Univ. of Singapore (Singapore)

2007-06-15

The masseter plays a critical role in the mastication system. A hybrid method to shape-based interpolation is used to build the masseter model from magnetic resonance (MR) data sets. The main contribution here is the localizing of determinative slices in the data sets where clinicians are required to perform manual segmentations in order for an accurate model to be built. Shape-based criteria were used to locate the candidates for determinative slices and fuzzy-c-means (FCM) clustering technique was used to establish the determinative slices. Five masseter models were built in our work and the average overlap indices ({kappa}) achieved is 85.2%. This indicates that there is good agreement between the models and the manual contour tracings. In addition, the time taken, as compared to manually segmenting all the slices, is significantly lesser. (orig.)

Shape determinative slice localization for patient-specific masseter modeling using shape-based interpolation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ng, H.P.; Foong, K.W.C.; Ong, S.H.; Liu, J.; Nowinski, W.L.; Goh, P.S.

2007-01-01

The masseter plays a critical role in the mastication system. A hybrid method to shape-based interpolation is used to build the masseter model from magnetic resonance (MR) data sets. The main contribution here is the localizing of determinative slices in the data sets where clinicians are required to perform manual segmentations in order for an accurate model to be built. Shape-based criteria were used to locate the candidates for determinative slices and fuzzy-c-means (FCM) clustering technique was used to establish the determinative slices. Five masseter models were built in our work and the average overlap indices (κ) achieved is 85.2%. This indicates that there is good agreement between the models and the manual contour tracings. In addition, the time taken, as compared to manually segmenting all the slices, is significantly lesser. (orig.)

Advances in local mechano-electro chemistry for detecting pitting corrosion in duplex stainless steels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mary, N.

2004-11-01

A lot of studies have been carried out on the influence of a plastic deformation on the electrochemical behaviour of stainless steels. But, very few works have mentioned the role of the elastic or residual deformations. Nevertheless, these works reveal at the macroscopic scale the preponderant role of these deformations in the localized corrosion processes. The aim of this work is then to correlate the surface mechanical state to the local electrochemical behaviour of an austeno-ferritic stainless steel. The macroscopic mechanical behaviour of this steel (UNS S31803) has been at first determined by x-ray diffraction. The different domains of elastic and plastic behaviour have then been defined for each phase during tensile tests experiments. These results and the conventional pitting tests show the role of the residual stresses on the starting of the pitting. In complement to X-ray diffraction, a numerical approach has been used in order to determine the local mechanical state at the surface of the material. The coupling of the numerical simulation to local electrochemical measurements by the electrochemical microcell technology has allowed to define mechano-electrochemical criteria which control the starting of the pitting to the austenite-ferrite interfaces. (O.M.)

An analysis of local government health policy against state priorities and a social determinants framework.

Science.gov (United States)

Browne, Geoffrey R; Davern, Melanie T; Giles-Corti, Billie

2016-04-01

Victorian local governments are required to develop Municipal Public Health and Wellbeing Plans that incorporate state-level health planning priorities and address the social determinants of health. This paper describes a novel method for evaluating councils' performance against these requirements. Deductive content analysis was used to categorise all actions in 14 local government MPHWPs against Victorian state priorities as well as against social determinants of health policy areas. More than 1,000 actions were identified. However, fewer than half directly addressed a state priority, with many actions addressing policy areas known to be broader determinants of health. In particular, there was a marked focus on leisure and culture, and on building social cohesion through changes to living and working conditions. Councils are working beyond state priorities and there was a clear emphasis on addressing the diverse upstream 'causes of the causes' of health, rather than health promotion behaviour change programs. The approach for data analysis and presentation provides a useful method for rapid appraisal of health and wellbeing actions relative to councils', and the State's, responsibility and efficacy in public health. © 2015 Public Health Association of Australia.

ROUGHNESS ANALYSIS OF VARIOUSLY POLISHED NIOBIUM SURFACES

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ribeill, G.; Reece, C.

2008-01-01

Niobium superconducting radio frequency (SRF) cavities have gained widespread use in accelerator systems. It has been shown that surface roughness is a determining factor in the cavities’ effi ciency and maximum accelerating potential achievable through this technology. Irregularities in the surface can lead to spot heating, undesirable local electrical fi eld enhancement and electron multipacting. Surface quality is typically ensured through the use of acid etching in a Buffered Chemical Polish (BCP) bath and electropolishing (EP). In this study, the effects of these techniques on surface morphology have been investigated in depth. The surface of niobium samples polished using different combinations of these techniques has been characterized through atomic force microscopy (AFM) and stylus profi lometry across a range of length scales. The surface morphology was analyzed using spectral techniques to determine roughness and characteristic dimensions. Experimentation has shown that this method is a valuable tool that provides quantitative information about surface roughness at different length scales. It has demonstrated that light BCP pretreatment and lower electrolyte temperature favors a smoother electropolish. These results will allow for the design of a superior polishing process for niobium SRF cavities and therefore increased accelerator operating effi ciency and power.

A novel C-shaped, gold nanoparticle coated, embedded polymer waveguide for localized surface plasmon resonance based detection.

Science.gov (United States)

Prabhakar, Amit; Mukherji, Soumyo

2010-12-21

In this study, a novel embedded optical waveguide based sensor which utilizes localized surface plasmon resonance of gold nanoparticles coated on a C-shaped polymer waveguide is being reported. The sensor, as designed, can be used as an analysis chip for detection of minor variations in the refractive index of its microenvironment, which makes it suitable for wide scale use as an affinity biosensor. The C-shaped waveguide coupled with microfluidic channel was fabricated by single step patterning of SU8 on an oxidized silicon wafer. The absorbance due to the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) of SU8 waveguide bound gold nano particle (GNP) was found to be linear with refractive index changes between 1.33 and 1.37. A GNP coated C-bent waveguide of 200 μ width with a bend radius of 1 mm gave rise to a sensitivity of ~5 ΔA/RIU at 530 nm as compared to the ~2.5 ΔA/RIU (refractive index units) of the same dimension bare C-bend SU8 waveguide. The resolution of the sensor probe was ~2 × 10(-4) RIU.

Surface acoustic waves and elastic constants of InN epilayers determined by Brillouin scattering

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jimenez-Rioboo, R.J.; Prieto, C. [Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid, CSIC, Cantoblanco, Madrid (Spain); Cusco, R.; Domenech-Amador, N.; Artus, L. [Institut Jaume Almera, Consell Superior d' Investigacions Cientifiques (CSIC), Lluis Sole i Sabaris s.n., Barcelona, Catalonia (Spain); Yamaguchi, T.; Nanishi, Y. [Faculty of Science and Engineering, Ritsumeikan University, Noji-Higashi, Kusatsu, Shiga (Japan)

2012-06-15

The surface acoustic wave velocity in InN has been experimentally determined by means of Brillouin scattering experiments on c - and m -face epilayers. From simulations based on the Green's function formalism we determine the shear elastic constants c{sub 66} and c{sub 44} and propose a complete set of elastic constants for wurtzite InN. The analysis of the sagittal and azimuthal dependence of the surface acoustic wave velocity indicates a slightly different elastic behavior of the m -face sample that basically affects the c{sub 44} elastic constant. (copyright 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

Studying substrate effects on localized surface plasmons in an individual silver nanoparticle using electron energy-loss spectroscopy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fujiyoshi, Yoshifumi; Nemoto, Takashi; Kurata, Hiroki, E-mail: kurata@eels.kuicr.kyoto-u.ac.jp

2017-04-15

In this study, electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) in conjunction with scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) was used to investigate surface plasmons in a single silver nanoparticle (NP) on a magnesium oxide substrate, employing an incident electron trajectory parallel to the substrate surface. This parallel irradiation allowed a direct exploration of the substrate effects on localized surface plasmon (LSP) excitations as a function of the distance from the substrate. The presence of the substrate was found to lower the symmetry of the system, such that the resonance energies of LSPs were dependent on the polarization direction relative to the substrate surface. The resulting mode splitting could be detected by applying different electron trajectories, providing results similar to those previously obtained from optical studies using polarized light. However, the LSP maps obtained by STEM-EELS analysis show an asymmetric intensity distribution with the highest intensity at the top surface of the NP (that is, far from the substrate), a result that is not predicted by optical simulations. We show that modifications of the applied electric field by the substrate cause this asymmetric intensity distribution in the LSP maps.

Ion fractions in the scattering of hydrogen on silicon surfaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garcia, Evelina A.; Gonzalez Pascual, C.; Bolcatto, P.G.; Passeggi, M.C.G.; Goldberg, E.C.

2005-01-01

We present a theoretical calculation of the resonant charge-exchange process occurring in H 0 scattering by Si(100)2 x 1 surfaces. In the atom-surface interacting system the core states of the surface atoms are included and the parameters of the Hamiltonian are calculated in an ab initio basis taking into account the extended features of the surface and the localized atom-atom interactions within a mean-field approximation. The density of states of the surface and sub-surface atoms are obtained from a molecular dynamic-density functional theory in the local density approximation. An elastic binary collision is assumed to fix the projectile trajectory, while the inelastic processes are determined by the interaction of the projectile atom with all the surface atoms 'seen' along its trajectory. The ion fractions are calculated by using the Green-Keldysh formalism to solve the time dependent process. The results, obtained as an average over different possibilities for the scattering center, reproduce the general trends of the experiment. (copyright 2005 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

Determination of the object surface function by structured light: application to the study of spinal deformities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Buendia, M.; Salvador, R.; Cibrian, R.; Sotoca, J.M.; Laguia, M.

1999-01-01

The projection of structured light is a technique frequently used to determine the surface shape of an object. In this paper, a new procedure is described that efficiently resolves the correspondence between the knots of the projected grid and those obtained on the object when the projection is made. The method is based on the use of three images of the projected grid. In two of them the grid is projected over a flat surface placed, respectively, before and behind the object; both images are used for calibration. In the third image the grid is projected over the object. It is not reliant on accurate determination of the camera and projector pair relative to the grid and object. Once the method is calibrated, we can obtain the surface function by just analysing the projected grid on the object. The procedure is especially suitable for the study of objects without discontinuities or large depth gradients. It can be employed for determining, in a non-invasive way, the patient's back surface function. Symmetry differences permit a quantitative diagnosis of spinal deformities such as scoliosis. (author)

Determination of global and local residual stresses in SOFC by X-ray diffraction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Villanova, Julie; Sicardy, Olivier; Fortunier, Roland; Micha, Jean-Sebastien; Bleuet, Pierre

2010-01-01

Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) is a high-performance electrochemical device for energy conversion. A single cell is composed of five layers made of different ceramic materials: anode support, anode functional layer, electrolyte, cathode functional layer and cathode. The mechanical integrity of the cell is a major issue during its lifetime, especially for the electrolyte layer. Damage of the cells is mainly due to the high operating temperature, the 'redox' behaviour of the anode and the brittleness of the involved materials. Since residual stresses are known to play a significant role in the damage evolution, it is important to determine them. For this purpose, residual stresses in an anode-supported planar SOFC were measured by X-ray diffraction. Firstly, macroscopic stresses in each phase of each layer were studied using the sin 2 ψ method on a laboratory X-ray goniometer at room temperature. This technique enables the calculation of residual stress of the material from the measurement of the crystal lattice deformation. The electrolyte has been found under bi-axial compressive stress of -920 MPa. Secondly, X-ray measurements controlling depth penetration were made in the electrolyte using grazing incidence method. The results show that the stress is not homogenous in the layer. The first five micrometers of the electrolyte have been found less constrained (-750 MPa) than the complete layer, suggesting a gradient of deformation in the electrolyte from the interface with the Anode Functional Layer to the free surface. Finally, local stress measurements were made on the electrolyte layer by X-ray synchrotron radiation that allows high accuracy measurement on the (sub-) micrometer scale. Polychromatic and monochromatic beams are used to determine the complete strain tensor from grain to grain in the electrolyte. First results confirm the macroscopic stress trend of the electrolyte. These X-ray techniques at different scales will contribute to a better understanding

Local Multi-Channel RF Surface Coil versus Body RF Coil Transmission for Cardiac Magnetic Resonance at 3 Tesla: Which Configuration Is Winning the Game?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Oliver Weinberger

Full Text Available The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the feasibility and efficiency of cardiac MR at 3 Tesla using local four-channel RF coil transmission and benchmark it against large volume body RF coil excitation.Electromagnetic field simulations are conducted to detail RF power deposition, transmission field uniformity and efficiency for local and body RF coil transmission. For both excitation regimes transmission field maps are acquired in a human torso phantom. For each transmission regime flip angle distributions and blood-myocardium contrast are examined in a volunteer study of 12 subjects. The feasibility of the local transceiver RF coil array for cardiac chamber quantification at 3 Tesla is demonstrated.Our simulations and experiments demonstrate that cardiac MR at 3 Tesla using four-channel surface RF coil transmission is competitive versus current clinical CMR practice of large volume body RF coil transmission. The efficiency advantage of the 4TX/4RX setup facilitates shorter repetition times governed by local SAR limits versus body RF coil transmission at whole-body SAR limit. No statistically significant difference was found for cardiac chamber quantification derived with body RF coil versus four-channel surface RF coil transmission. Our simulation also show that the body RF coil exceeds local SAR limits by a factor of ~2 when driven at maximum applicable input power to reach the whole-body SAR limit.Pursuing local surface RF coil arrays for transmission in cardiac MR is a conceptually appealing alternative to body RF coil transmission, especially for patients with implants.

Local Multi-Channel RF Surface Coil versus Body RF Coil Transmission for Cardiac Magnetic Resonance at 3 Tesla: Which Configuration Is Winning the Game?

Science.gov (United States)

Winter, Lukas; Dieringer, Matthias A.; Els, Antje; Oezerdem, Celal; Rieger, Jan; Kuehne, Andre; Cassara, Antonino M.; Pfeiffer, Harald; Wetterling, Friedrich; Niendorf, Thoralf

2016-01-01

Introduction The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the feasibility and efficiency of cardiac MR at 3 Tesla using local four-channel RF coil transmission and benchmark it against large volume body RF coil excitation. Methods Electromagnetic field simulations are conducted to detail RF power deposition, transmission field uniformity and efficiency for local and body RF coil transmission. For both excitation regimes transmission field maps are acquired in a human torso phantom. For each transmission regime flip angle distributions and blood-myocardium contrast are examined in a volunteer study of 12 subjects. The feasibility of the local transceiver RF coil array for cardiac chamber quantification at 3 Tesla is demonstrated. Results Our simulations and experiments demonstrate that cardiac MR at 3 Tesla using four-channel surface RF coil transmission is competitive versus current clinical CMR practice of large volume body RF coil transmission. The efficiency advantage of the 4TX/4RX setup facilitates shorter repetition times governed by local SAR limits versus body RF coil transmission at whole-body SAR limit. No statistically significant difference was found for cardiac chamber quantification derived with body RF coil versus four-channel surface RF coil transmission. Our simulation also show that the body RF coil exceeds local SAR limits by a factor of ~2 when driven at maximum applicable input power to reach the whole-body SAR limit. Conclusion Pursuing local surface RF coil arrays for transmission in cardiac MR is a conceptually appealing alternative to body RF coil transmission, especially for patients with implants. PMID:27598923

Local Multi-Channel RF Surface Coil versus Body RF Coil Transmission for Cardiac Magnetic Resonance at 3 Tesla: Which Configuration Is Winning the Game?

Science.gov (United States)

Weinberger, Oliver; Winter, Lukas; Dieringer, Matthias A; Els, Antje; Oezerdem, Celal; Rieger, Jan; Kuehne, Andre; Cassara, Antonino M; Pfeiffer, Harald; Wetterling, Friedrich; Niendorf, Thoralf

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the feasibility and efficiency of cardiac MR at 3 Tesla using local four-channel RF coil transmission and benchmark it against large volume body RF coil excitation. Electromagnetic field simulations are conducted to detail RF power deposition, transmission field uniformity and efficiency for local and body RF coil transmission. For both excitation regimes transmission field maps are acquired in a human torso phantom. For each transmission regime flip angle distributions and blood-myocardium contrast are examined in a volunteer study of 12 subjects. The feasibility of the local transceiver RF coil array for cardiac chamber quantification at 3 Tesla is demonstrated. Our simulations and experiments demonstrate that cardiac MR at 3 Tesla using four-channel surface RF coil transmission is competitive versus current clinical CMR practice of large volume body RF coil transmission. The efficiency advantage of the 4TX/4RX setup facilitates shorter repetition times governed by local SAR limits versus body RF coil transmission at whole-body SAR limit. No statistically significant difference was found for cardiac chamber quantification derived with body RF coil versus four-channel surface RF coil transmission. Our simulation also show that the body RF coil exceeds local SAR limits by a factor of ~2 when driven at maximum applicable input power to reach the whole-body SAR limit. Pursuing local surface RF coil arrays for transmission in cardiac MR is a conceptually appealing alternative to body RF coil transmission, especially for patients with implants.

Local Marine Geoid Variations and Jason-2 Bias Determination using the Gavdos Permanent Cal/Val Facility

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mertikas, S. P.; Daskalakis, A.; Tziavos, I. N.

2012-01-01

This work outlines how changes in steep bathymetry (from 200 m to 3500 m depth over a distance of 10 km) are reflected on the determined sea surface anomalies at the Gavdos site used for satellite altimeter calibration. After almost 4 years of Jason-2 calibration activities, it has been observed......, but others are related to under-sampling of the Earth's gravity field due to the resolution of the geoid model. New reference surfaces for calibration have thus emerged. Finally, new updated values for the Jason-2 altimeter bias have been determined as 191.81 ± 2.80 mm with the geoid model and as 181.51 ± 2...

Exploration of the growth process of ultrathin silica shells on the surface of gold nanorods by the localized surface plasmon resonance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Chong; Li, Yujie; Ling, Yunyang; Lai, Yangwei; Wu, Chuanliu; Zhao, Yibing

2014-01-01

Ultrathin silica coating (UTSC) has emerged as an effective way to improve the compatibility and stability of nanoparticles without attenuating their intrinsic optical properties. Exploration strategies to probe the growth process of ultrathin silica shells on the surface of nanoparticles would represent a valuable innovation that would benefit the development of ultrathin silica coated nanoparticles and their relevant applications. In this work, we report a unique, very effective and straightforward strategy for probing the growth of ultrathin silica shells on the surface of gold nanorods (Au NRs), which exploits the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) as a reporting signal. The thickness of the ultrathin silica shells on the surface of Au NRs can be quantitatively measured and predicted in the range of 0.5–3.5 nm. It is demonstrated that the LSPR shift accurately reflects the real-time change in the thickness of the ultrathin silica shells on Au NRs during the growth process. By using the developed strategy, we further analyze the growth of UTSC on the surface of Au NRs via feeding of Na 2 SiO 3 in a stepwise manner. The responsiveness analysis of LSPR also provides important insight into the shielding effect of UTSC on the surface of Au NRs that is not accessible with conventional strategies. This LSPR-based strategy permits exploration of the surface-mediated sol–gel reactions of silica from a new point of view. (paper)

Localized surface plasmon resonance with five-branched gold nanostars in a plastic optical fiber for bio-chemical sensor implementation.

Science.gov (United States)

Cennamo, Nunzio; D'Agostino, Girolamo; Donà, Alice; Dacarro, Giacomo; Pallavicini, Piersandro; Pesavento, Maria; Zeni, Luigi

2013-10-29

In this paper a refractive index sensor based on localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) in a Plastic Optical Fiber (POF), is presented and experimentally tested. LSPR is achieved exploiting five-branched gold nanostars (GNS) obtained using Triton X-100 in a seed-growth synthesis. They have the uncommon feature of three localized surface plasmon resonances. The strongest LSPRs fall in two ranges, one in the 600-900 nm range (LSPR 2) and the other one in the 1,100-1,600 nm range (LSPR 3), both sensible to refractive index changes. Anyway, due to the extremely strong attenuation (>10(2) dB/m) of the employed POF in the 1,100-1,600 nm range, only LSPR 2 will be exploited for refractive index change measurements, useful for bio-chemical sensing applications, as a proof of principle of the possibility of realizing a compact, low cost and easy-to-use GNS based device.

Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance with Five-Branched Gold Nanostars in a Plastic Optical Fiber for Bio-Chemical Sensor Implementation

Science.gov (United States)

Cennamo, Nunzio; D'Agostino, Girolamo; Donà, Alice; Dacarro, Giacomo; Pallavicini, Piersandro; Pesavento, Maria; Zeni, Luigi

2013-01-01

In this paper a refractive index sensor based on localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) in a Plastic Optical Fiber (POF), is presented and experimentally tested. LSPR is achieved exploiting five-branched gold nanostars (GNS) obtained using Triton X-100 in a seed-growth synthesis. They have the uncommon feature of three localized surface plasmon resonances. The strongest LSPRs fall in two ranges, one in the 600–900 nm range (LSPR 2) and the other one in the 1,100–1,600 nm range (LSPR 3), both sensible to refractive index changes. Anyway, due to the extremely strong attenuation (>102 dB/m) of the employed POF in the 1,100–1,600 nm range, only LSPR 2 will be exploited for refractive index change measurements, useful for bio-chemical sensing applications, as a proof of principle of the possibility of realizing a compact, low cost and easy-to-use GNS based device. PMID:24172284

Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance with Five-Branched Gold Nanostars in a Plastic Optical Fiber for Bio-Chemical Sensor Implementation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luigi Zeni

2013-10-01

Full Text Available In this paper a refractive index sensor based on localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR in a Plastic Optical Fiber (POF, is presented and experimentally tested. LSPR is achieved exploiting five-branched gold nanostars (GNS obtained using Triton X-100 in a seed-growth synthesis. They have the uncommon feature of three localized surface plasmon resonances. The strongest LSPRs fall in two ranges, one in the 600–900 nm range (LSPR 2 and the other one in the 1,100–1,600 nm range (LSPR 3, both sensible to refractive index changes. Anyway, due to the extremely strong attenuation (>102 dB/m of the employed POF in the 1,100–1,600 nm range, only LSPR 2 will be exploited for refractive index change measurements, useful for bio-chemical sensing applications, as a proof of principle of the possibility of realizing a compact, low cost and easy-to-use GNS based device.

FISCAL DECENTRALIZATION DETERMINANTS AND LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN EU COUNTRIES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anca Florentina GAVRILUŢĂ (VATAMANU

2017-12-01

Full Text Available This work aims to assess the impact of fiscal decentralization on local (regional development in the EU Member States while controlling for macroeconomic and local autonomy specific factors. Using a panel data approach with dynamic effects, we examined the implications of fiscal decentralization on local development across European Union countries over the 1990-2004 period. The novelty of the study is emphasized by including in the analysis a variable which tests local fiscal discipline, more exactly, Fiscal Rule Strength Index for local level of government. Our findings suggest that prosperity of regions, measured in GDP growth depends on variables such as characteristics of decentralization undertaken by each country or local fiscal discipline, confirming our primary hypothesis. This supports the view that recently implemented reforms aiming to enforce fiscal discipline following-up the Fiscal Compact strengthened the local budgetary framework and restrained, therefore, the local discretionary power to act towards development.

Analytical mass formula and nuclear surface properties in the ETF approximation. Part I: symmetric nuclei

Science.gov (United States)

Aymard, François; Gulminelli, Francesca; Margueron, Jérôme

2016-08-01

The problem of determination of nuclear surface energy is addressed within the framework of the extended Thomas Fermi (ETF) approximation using Skyrme functionals. We propose an analytical model for the density profiles with variationally determined diffuseness parameters. In this first paper, we consider the case of symmetric nuclei. In this situation, the ETF functional can be exactly integrated, leading to an analytical formula expressing the surface energy as a function of the couplings of the energy functional. The importance of non-local terms is stressed and it is shown that they cannot be deduced simply from the local part of the functional, as it was suggested in previous works.

Conversion of Local and Surface-Wave Magnitudes to Moment Magnitude for Earthquakes in the Chinese Mainland

Science.gov (United States)

Li, X.; Gao, M.

2017-12-01

The magnitude of an earthquake is one of its basic parameters and is a measure of its scale. It plays a significant role in seismology and earthquake engineering research, particularly in the calculations of the seismic rate and b value in earthquake prediction and seismic hazard analysis. However, several current types of magnitudes used in seismology research, such as local magnitude (ML), surface wave magnitude (MS), and body-wave magnitude (MB), have a common limitation, which is the magnitude saturation phenomenon. Fortunately, the problem of magnitude saturation was solved by a formula for calculating the seismic moment magnitude (MW) based on the seismic moment, which describes the seismic source strength. Now the moment magnitude is very commonly used in seismology research. However, in China, the earthquake scale is primarily based on local and surface-wave magnitudes. In the present work, we studied the empirical relationships between moment magnitude (MW) and local magnitude (ML) as well as surface wave magnitude (MS) in the Chinese Mainland. The China Earthquake Networks Center (CENC) ML catalog, China Seismograph Network (CSN) MS catalog, ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat), and Global Centroid Moment Tensor (GCMT) are adopted to regress the relationships using the orthogonal regression method. The obtained relationships are as follows: MW=0.64+0.87MS; MW=1.16+0.75ML. Therefore, in China, if the moment magnitude of an earthquake is not reported by any agency in the world, we can use the equations mentioned above for converting ML to MW and MS to MW. These relationships are very important, because they will allow the China earthquake catalogs to be used more effectively for seismic hazard analysis, earthquake prediction, and other seismology research. We also computed the relationships of and (where Mo is the seismic moment) by linear regression using the Global Centroid Moment Tensor. The obtained relationships are as follows: logMo=18

New molecular descriptors based on local properties at the molecular surface and a boiling-point model derived from them.

Science.gov (United States)

Ehresmann, Bernd; de Groot, Marcel J; Alex, Alexander; Clark, Timothy

2004-01-01

New molecular descriptors based on statistical descriptions of the local ionization potential, local electron affinity, and the local polarizability at the surface of the molecule are proposed. The significance of these descriptors has been tested by calculating them for the Maybridge database in addition to our set of 26 descriptors reported previously. The new descriptors show little correlation with those already in use. Furthermore, the principal components of the extended set of descriptors for the Maybridge data show that especially the descriptors based on the local electron affinity extend the variance in our set of descriptors, which we have previously shown to be relevant to physical properties. The first nine principal components are shown to be most significant. As an example of the usefulness of the new descriptors, we have set up a QSPR model for boiling points using both the old and new descriptors.

Determination of Optimum Viewing Angles for the Angular Normalization of Land Surface Temperature over Vegetated Surface

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Huazhong Ren

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Multi-angular observation of land surface thermal radiation is considered to be a promising method of performing the angular normalization of land surface temperature (LST retrieved from remote sensing data. This paper focuses on an investigation of the minimum requirements of viewing angles to perform such normalizations on LST. The normally kernel-driven bi-directional reflectance distribution function (BRDF is first extended to the thermal infrared (TIR domain as TIR-BRDF model, and its uncertainty is shown to be less than 0.3 K when used to fit the hemispheric directional thermal radiation. A local optimum three-angle combination is found and verified using the TIR-BRDF model based on two patterns: the single-point pattern and the linear-array pattern. The TIR-BRDF is applied to an airborne multi-angular dataset to retrieve LST at nadir (Te-nadir from different viewing directions, and the results show that this model can obtain reliable Te-nadir from 3 to 4 directional observations with large angle intervals, thus corresponding to large temperature angular variations. The Te-nadir is generally larger than temperature of the slant direction, with a difference of approximately 0.5~2.0 K for vegetated pixels and up to several Kelvins for non-vegetated pixels. The findings of this paper will facilitate the future development of multi-angular thermal infrared sensors.

Determinants of Local Progression After Computed Tomography-Guided Percutaneous Radiofrequency Ablation for Unresectable Lung Tumors: 9-Year Experience in a Single Institution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Okuma, Tomohisa; Matsuoka, Toshiyuki; Yamamoto, Akira; Oyama, Yoshimasa; Hamamoto, Shinichi; Toyoshima, Masami; Nakamura, Kenji; Miki, Yukio

2010-01-01

The purpose of this study was to retrospectively determine the local control rate and contributing factors to local progression after computed tomography (CT)-guided radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for unresectable lung tumor. This study included 138 lung tumors in 72 patients (56 men and 16 women; age 70.0 ± 11.6 years (range 31-94); mean tumor size 2.1 ± 1.2 cm [range 0.2-9]) who underwent lung RFA between June 2000 and May 2009. Mean follow-up periods for patients and tumors were 14 and 12 months, respectively. The local progression-free rate and survival rate were calculated to determine the contributing factors to local progression. During follow-up, 44 of 138 (32%) lung tumors showed local progression. The 1-, 2-, 3-, and 5-year overall local control rates were 61, 57, 57, and 38%, respectively. The risk factors for local progression were age (≥70 years), tumor size (≥2 cm), sex (male), and no achievement of roll-off during RFA (P < 0.05). Multivariate analysis identified tumor size ≥2 cm as the only independent factor for local progression (P = 0.003). For tumors <2 cm, 17 of 68 (25%) showed local progression, and the 1-, 2-, and 3-year overall local control rates were 77, 73, and 73%, respectively. Multivariate analysis identified that age ≥70 years was an independent determinant of local progression for tumors <2 cm in diameter (P = 0.011). The present study showed that 32% of lung tumors developed local progression after CT-guided RFA. The significant risk factor for local progression after RFA for lung tumors was tumor size ≥2 cm.

Fermi surface in La/sub 2/CuO/sub 4-δ/ determine by positron 2D-ACAR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tanigawa, S.; Mizuhara, Y.; Hidaka, Y.; Oda, M.; Suzuki, M.; Murakami, T.

1988-01-01

The topology of the Fermi surface in La/sub 2/CuO/sub 4-δ/ is determined by two dimensional angular correlation measurements of annihilation radiations (2D-ACAR) at room temperature. The determined Fermi surface is two dimensional and has a slender electron pillar along ΓZ and two kinds of hole pillars along PX and along NN direction parallel to ΓZ, respectively. It is concluded that the Fermi surface is not a simple half filled one and this compound should be metallic at least at room temperature in the band picture

Rehabilitation of molar-incisor hypomineralization (MIH) complicated with localized tooth surface loss: a case report.

Science.gov (United States)

Lam, Walter Y H; Ho, Edward H T; Pow, Edmond H N

2014-05-01

Molar-incisor hypomineralization (MIH) is a developmental enamel hypomineralized condition characteristically involving the first permanent molars and sometimes also the incisors. The affected teeth are predisposed to tooth surface loss (TSL) which may not only compromise the esthetics and function but also endanger the pulp and longevity of the teeth. This report describes the management of a patient with MIH complicated with localized TSL and lack of occlusal clearance due to dentoalveolar compensation. The atypical TSL pattern involved all anterior teeth and required the placement of Dahl appliances on both arches.

Local community opinions regarding the socio-environmental aspects of lignite surface mining: Experiences from central Poland

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Badera, Jarosław; Kocoń, Paweł

2014-01-01

Surface lignite mining covers large areas and usually generates social conflicts which pose one of several energy security threats to certain states. Therefore, defining the social conditions determines the success of a mining project. Two communes were chosen for a public opinion study: Kleszczów, where the Bełchatów mine is located, and Złoczew, where a lignite deposit will soon be developed. The analysis shows, as opposed to other areas in Poland that have been projected for development, that both local communities are characterised by a high level of acceptance for lignite mining. In both cases, awareness about the profits was stronger than anxiety about the investment's negative effects. However, most inhabitants could not assess the mining company's diligence concerning its responsibility for mining damages as well as the diligence of external experts assessing the environmental impacts of excavation. Most respondents also could not assess if the legal regulations of public participation in the decision process were sufficient, but the negative opinions outweighed the positive ones. From the perspective of the energy policy, dialogue-type social communication is needed for every case of a new energy-mining project. Research on local public opinion should be the first step to opening up a social debate. - Highlights: • Lignite mining can generate social conflicts, which may threaten energy security. • Examined communes are characterised by a high level of acceptance for lignite mining. • Inhabitants cannot assess if the legal regulations of mining activity are sufficient. • From the perspective of the energy policy, broader social communication is needed. • Research on the public opinion should be the first step to open up a social debate

Evolution of the lower planetary boundary layer over strongly contrasting surfaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Coulter, R.L.; Gao, W.; Martin, T.J.; Shannon, J.D.; Doran, J.C.; Hubbe, J.M.; Shaw, W.M.

1992-01-01

In a multilaboratory field study held near Boardman in northeastern Oregon in June 1991, various properties of the surface and lower atmospheric boundary layer over heavily irrigated cropland and adjacent desert steppe were investigated in the initial campaign of the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) program. The locale was selected because its disparate characteristics over various spatial scales stress the ability of general circulation models (GCMS) to describe lower boundary conditions, particularly across the discontinuity between desert (in which turbulent flux of heat must be primarily as sensible heat) and large irrigated tracts (in which turbulent flux of latent heat should be the larger term). This campaign of ARM seeks to increase knowledge in three critical areas: (1) determination of the relationships between surface heat fluxes measured over multiple scales and the controlling surface parameters within each scale, (2) integration of local and nearly local heat flux estimates to produce estimates appropriate for GCM grid cells of 100-200 km horizontal dimension, and (3) characterization of the growth and development of the atmospheric boundary layer near transitions between surfaces with strongly contrasting moisture availabilities

Optimized surface-slab excited-state muffin-tin potential and surface core level shifts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rundgren, J.

2003-01-01

An optimized muffin-tin (MT) potential for surface slabs with preassigned surface core-level shifts (SCLS's) is presented. By using the MT radii as adjustable parameters the model is able to conserve the definition of the SCLS with respect to the bulk and concurrently to generate a potential that is continuous at the MT radii. The model is conceived for elastic electron scattering in a surface slab with exchange-correlation interaction described by the local density approximation. The model employs two data bases for the self-energy of the signal electron (after Hedin and Lundqvist or Sernelius). The potential model is discussed in detail with two surface structures Be(101-bar0), for which SCLS's are available, and Cu(111)p(2x2)Cs, in which the close-packed radii of the atoms are extremely different. It is considered plausible that tensor LEED based on an optimized MT potential can be used for determining SCLS's

Localization of Estrogen Receptors α and β in the Articular Surface of the Rat Femur

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oshima, Yasushi; Matsuda, Ken-ichi; Yoshida, Atsuhiko; Watanabe, Nobuyoshi; Kawata, Mitsuhiro; Kubo, Toshikazu

2007-01-01

It has been suggested that the degradation of the articular cartilage and osteoarthritis (OA) are associated with gender and the estrogen hormone. Although many investigators have reported the presence of the estrogen receptors (ERs) α and β in the articular cartilage, the localization of these receptors and the difference in their in vivo expression have not yet been clearly demonstrated. We performed immunofluorescence staining of ERα and ERβ to elucidate the localization of the ERs and to note the effects of gender and the aging process on these receptors. The results revealed that ERα and ERβ were expressed in the articular cartilage and subchondral bone layers of adult rats of both sexes. We also observed the high expression of these receptors in immature rats. In contrast, their expression levels decreased in an ovariectomised model, as a simulation of postmenopause, and in aged female rats. Therefore, this study suggests the direct effects of estrogen and ER expression on articular surface metabolism

Image-analysis techniques for investigation localized corrosion processes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Quinn, M.J.; Bailey, M.G.; Ikeda, B.M.; Shoesmith, D.W.

1993-12-01

We have developed a procedure for determining the mode and depth of penetration of localized corrosion by combining metallography and image analysis of corroded coupons. Two techniques, involving either a face-profiling or an edge-profiling procedure, have been developed. In the face-profiling procedure, successive surface grindings and image analyses were performed until corrosion was no longer visible. In this manner, the distribution of corroded sites on the surface and the total area of the surface corroded were determined as a function of depth into the specimen. In the edge-profiling procedure, surface grinding exposed successive cross sections of the corroded region. Image analysis of the cross section quantified the distribution of depths across the corroded section, and a three-dimensional distribution of penetration depths was obtained. To develop these procedures, we used artificially creviced Grade-2 titanium specimens that were corroded in saline solutions containing various amounts of chloride maintained at various fixed temperatures (105 to 150 degrees C) using a previously developed galvanic-coupling technique. We discuss some results from these experiments to illustrate how the procedures developed can be applied to a real corroded system. (author). 6 refs., 4 tabs., 21 figs

Land Surface Temperature Differences within Local Climate Zones, Based on Two Central European Cities

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Geletič, Jan; Lehnert, M.; Dobrovolný, Petr

2016-01-01

Roč. 8, č. 10 (2016), č. článku 788. ISSN 2072-4292 R&D Projects: GA MŠk(CZ) LO1415 Grant - others:UrbanAdapt(XE) EHP-CZ02-OV-1-036-2015 Program:CZ02 Biodiverzita a ekosystémové služby / Monitorování a integrované plánování a kontrola v životním prostředí/ Adaptace na změnu klimatu Institutional support: RVO:67179843 Keywords : land surface temperature * local climate zones * ASTER * LANDSAT * analysis of variance * Prague * Brno * Czech Republic Subject RIV: EH - Ecology, Behaviour Impact factor: 3.244, year: 2016

Biofilm Surface Density Determines Biocide Effectiveness

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sara Bas

2017-12-01

Full Text Available High resistance of biofilms for chemical challenges is a serious industrial and medical problem. In this work a gradient of surface covered with biofilm has been produced and correlated to the effectiveness of different commercially available oxidative biocides. The results for thin Escherichia coli biofilms grown in rich media supplemented with glucose or lactose on glass or poly methyl methacrylate surfaces indicate that the effectiveness of hydrogen peroxide or chlorine dioxide and quaternary ammonium compounds is inversely proportional to the fraction of the surface covered with the biofilm. In areas where biofilm covered more than 90% of the available surface the biocide treatment was inefficient after 60 min of incubation. The combined effect of oxidant and surfactant increased the effectiveness of the biocide. On the other hand, the increased biofilm viscoelasticity reduced biocide effectiveness. The results emphasize differential biocide effectiveness depending on the fraction of the attached bacterial cells. The results suggest that biofilm biocide resistance is an acquired property that increases with biofilm maturation. The more dense sessile structures present lower log reductions compared to less dense ones.

Robust Floor Determination Algorithm for Indoor Wireless Localization Systems under Reference Node Failure

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kriangkrai Maneerat

2016-01-01

Full Text Available One of the challenging problems for indoor wireless multifloor positioning systems is the presence of reference node (RN failures, which cause the values of received signal strength (RSS to be missed during the online positioning phase of the location fingerprinting technique. This leads to performance degradation in terms of floor accuracy, which in turn affects other localization procedures. This paper presents a robust floor determination algorithm called Robust Mean of Sum-RSS (RMoS, which can accurately determine the floor on which mobile objects are located and can work under either the fault-free scenario or the RN-failure scenarios. The proposed fault tolerance floor algorithm is based on the mean of the summation of the strongest RSSs obtained from the IEEE 802.15.4 Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs during the online phase. The performance of the proposed algorithm is compared with those of different floor determination algorithms in literature. The experimental results show that the proposed robust floor determination algorithm outperformed the other floor algorithms and can achieve the highest percentage of floor determination accuracy in all scenarios tested. Specifically, the proposed algorithm can achieve greater than 95% correct floor determination under the scenario in which 40% of RNs failed.

Surface oxygen vacancy and oxygen permeation flux limits of perovskite ion transport membranes

KAUST Repository

Hunt, Anton

2015-09-01

© 2015 Elsevier B.V. The mechanisms and quantitative models for how oxygen is separated from air using ion transport membranes (ITMs) are not well understood, largely due to the experimental complexity for determining surface exchange reactions at extreme temperatures (>800°C). This is especially true when fuels are present at the permeate surface. For both inert and reactive (fuels) operations, solid-state oxygen surface vacancies (δ) are ultimately responsible for driving the oxygen flux, JO2. In the inert case, the value of δ at either surface is a function of the local PO2 and temperature, whilst the magnitude of δ dictates both the JO2 and the inherent stability of the material. In this study values of δ are presented based on experimental measurements under inert (CO2) sweep: using a permeation flux model and local PO2 measurements, collected by means of a local gas-sampling probe in our large-scale reactor, we can determine δ directly. The ITM assessed was La0.9Ca0.1FeO3-δ (LCF); the relative resistances to JO2 were quantified using the pre-defined permeation flux model and local PO2 values. Across a temperature range from 825°C to 1056°C, δ was found to vary from 0.007 to 0.029 (<1%), safely within material stability limits, whilst the permeate surface exchange resistance dominates. An inert JO2 limit was identified owing to a maximum sweep surface δ, δmaxinert. The physical presence of δmaxinert is attributed to a rate limiting step shift from desorption to associative electron transfer steps on the sweep surface as PO2 is reduced. Permeate surface exchange limitations under non-reactive conditions suggest that reactive (fuel) operation is necessary to accelerate surface chemistry for future work, to reduce flux resistance and push δpast δmaxinert in a stable manner.

Surface morphology study of some Cu–Ni reference alloys using laser induced breakdown spectroscopy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sheta, S.A. [National Institute of Laser Enhanced Science (NILES), Cairo University, 12613, Giza (Egypt); Di Carlo, G.; Ingo, G.M. [Istituto per lo Studio dei Materiali Nanostrutturati (ISMN-CNR), Area della Ricerca Roma 1 Montelibretti, 00016, Monterotondo Scalo, Rome (Italy); Harith, M.A., E-mail: mharithm@niles.edu.eg [National Institute of Laser Enhanced Science (NILES), Cairo University, 12613, Giza (Egypt)

2016-04-15

In the present work a detailed study of the surface morphology of purposely-prepared Cu–Ni reference alloys has been performed. These alloys have been prepared via tailored casting methods in order to have samples with same chemical composition and different local chemical enrichments of both metals. A micro-LIBS system for surface spatial scanning was set up based on a second harmonic Nd:YAG laser at 532 nm and using a focusing lens of focal length 7 cm to disclose the local chemical composition variation. Surface morphological scanning was performed for some of the binary Cu–Ni reference alloys to differentiate between chemically homogeneous and heterogeneous alloys. LIBS results were compared with the information of the Scanning Electron Microscope coupled with Energy Dispersive X-ray (SEMEDS) investigation carried out to provide surface local large-area chemical analysis via EDS technique. It has been proved that LIBS is a simple, sensitive and direct technique in the determination of homogeneity or heterogeneity of the sample's surface. The LIBS results have been shown to be more sensitive and accurate in the heterogeneity determination than other used conventional analytical techniques. - Highlights: • Surface LIBS scanning was performed for Cu–Ni reference alloy samples. • LIBS system was based on a 2nd harmonic Nd:YAG laser and a focusing lens (f = 7 cm). • LIBS results were compared with SEM imaging and EDS chemical analysis. • Surface homogeneity and heterogeneity have been differentiated successfully. • LIBS is a sensitive analytical tool in surface metallurgical study.

Correlative Light-Electron Microscopy of Lipid-Encapsulated Fluorescent Nanodiamonds for Nanometric Localization of Cell Surface Antigens.

Science.gov (United States)

Hsieh, Feng-Jen; Chen, Yen-Wei; Huang, Yao-Kuan; Lee, Hsien-Ming; Lin, Chun-Hung; Chang, Huan-Cheng

2018-02-06

Containing an ensemble of nitrogen-vacancy centers in crystal matrices, fluorescent nanodiamonds (FNDs) are a new type of photostable markers that have found wide applications in light microscopy. The nanomaterial also has a dense carbon core, making it visible to electron microscopy. Here, we show that FNDs encapsulated in biotinylated lipids (bLs) are useful for subdiffraction imaging of antigens on cell surface with correlative light-electron microscopy (CLEM). The lipid encapsulation enables not only good dispersion of the particles in biological buffers but also high specific labeling of live cells. By employing the bL-encapsulated FNDs to target CD44 on HeLa cell surface through biotin-mediated immunostaining, we obtained the spatial distribution of these antigens by CLEM with a localization accuracy of ∼50 nm in routine operations. A comparative study with dual-color imaging, in which CD44 was labeled with FND and MICA/MICB was labeled with Alexa Fluor 488, demonstrated the superior performance of FNDs as fluorescent fiducial markers for CLEM of cell surface antigens.

Molecular cloning and characterization of a surface-localized adhesion protein in Mycoplasma bovis Hubei-1 strain.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiaohui Zou

Full Text Available Mycoplasma bovis (M. bovis is an important pathogen that causes various bovine diseases, such as mastitis in cows and pneumonia in calves. The surface proteins are generally thought to play a central role in the pathogenesis of this organism. We screened the entire genome of M. bovis Hubei-1 and discovered a gene named vpmaX that encodes the 25 kDa variable surface lipoprotein A (VpmaX. Sequence analysis revealed that VpmaX contains several repetitive units and a typical bacterial lipoprotein signal sequence. The vpmaX gene was cloned and expressed in E. coli to obtain recombinant VpmaX (rVpmaX. Western blot analysis using a rabbit antibody against rVpmaX demonstrated that VpmaX is a membrane protein. Immunostaining visualized via confocal laser scanning microscopy showed that rVpmaX was able to adhere to embryonic bovine lung cells (EBL, and this was also confirmed by a sandwich ELISA. In summary, a surface-localized adhesion protein was identified in M. bovis Hubei-1.

Observational assessment of the role of nocturnal residual-layer chemistry in determining daytime surface particulate nitrate concentrations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

G. Prabhakar

2017-12-01

Full Text Available This study discusses an analysis of combined airborne and ground observations of particulate nitrate (NO3−(p concentrations made during the wintertime DISCOVER-AQ (Deriving Information on Surface Conditions from COlumn and VERtically resolved observations relevant to Air Quality study at one of the most polluted cities in the United States – Fresno, CA – in the San Joaquin Valley (SJV and focuses on developing an understanding of the various processes that impact surface nitrate concentrations during pollution events. The results provide an explicit case-study illustration of how nighttime chemistry can influence daytime surface-level NO3−(p concentrations, complementing previous studies in the SJV. The observations exemplify the critical role that nocturnal chemical production of NO3−(p aloft in the residual layer (RL can play in determining daytime surface-level NO3−(p concentrations. Further, they indicate that nocturnal production of NO3−(p in the RL, along with daytime photochemical production, can contribute substantially to the buildup and sustaining of severe pollution episodes. The exceptionally shallow nocturnal boundary layer (NBL heights characteristic of wintertime pollution events in the SJV intensify the importance of nocturnal production aloft in the residual layer to daytime surface concentrations. The observations also demonstrate that dynamics within the RL can influence the early-morning vertical distribution of NO3−(p, despite low wintertime wind speeds. This overnight reshaping of the vertical distribution above the city plays an important role in determining the net impact of nocturnal chemical production on local and regional surface-level NO3−(p concentrations. Entrainment of clean free-tropospheric (FT air into the boundary layer in the afternoon is identified as an important process that reduces surface-level NO3−(p and limits buildup during pollution episodes. The influence of dry deposition of HNO

Determinants of FDI Localization in China: A County-Level Analysis for the Pharmaceutical Industry.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Su; Angelino, Antonio; Yin, Haitao; Spigarelli, Francesca

2017-08-30

Foreign direct investments (FDIs) have been widely recognized as a crucial feature of the Chinese industrial development process. Over the past decades, China has been attracting huge amounts of inward FDIs as a consequence of both spontaneous market dynamics and place-based preferential policies at the sub-national level. However, the Chinese market exhibits large dissimilarities in terms of FDI localization across territories that are worth investigating at a more disaggregated level. In this regards, our study explores the determinants of attraction of inward FDIs in China, at the county level. It focuses on the pharmaceutical industry and attempts to assess whether factors related to location advantages, agglomeration dynamics, information cost effects and environmental regulation costs affect foreign firms' localization choices as well as invested amounts in that location. By means of discrete choice models, our paper confirms the findings of the prevalent literature about the positive effects of location advantages on pharmaceutical FDI attraction. Different from our expectations, a higher proportion of foreign enterprises do not stimulate significant effects on FDI localization, while preferential policies and sectoral agglomeration are positively correlated with the localization of pharmaceutical foreign firms. Finally, our results suggest that investing firms tend to avoid areas with strict environment regulation.

Local economic development policy in Poland: Determinants and outcomes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mariusz Wiktor Sienkiewicz

2014-12-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this article is to define nature, basis, and the effects of the economic development policy conducted by local governments in Poland. The analyses carried out are designed to define the role of local authorities in the management of economic development in the area. Furthermore, the purpose of this article is to analyse instruments for supporting economic development, which can be potentially used by local governments in Poland. The realization of this objective is possible by using descriptive methods based on a review of literature and the various types of documents and analysis on the policy of both the economic development and activities of local government, which implement this policy. The method of system analysis is also partially used in the article, and some results of surveys conducted among Polish and foreign investors and entrepreneurs in 2011 are presented. The article assumes that in spite of having a number of instruments, both formal and material, for encouraging economic development and business development, most local governments narrowly assess the current state of entrepreneurship and development trends, and perform an insufficient analysis of the potential of their area. Secondly, the formulated goals of economic development are not very innovative, ambitious or concrete. Furthermore, they do not arise directly from the analysis of the micro and macro-environment that affects the position and development of local government. Key words:

Determining the local origin of hydroxyl radical generation during phacoemulsification.

Science.gov (United States)

Aust, Steven D; Terry, Scott; Hebdon, Thomas; Gunderson, Broc; Terry, Michael; Dimalanta, Ramon

2011-06-01

To determine the local origin of hydroxyl radicals during phacoemulsification using an ultrasonic phacoemulsification device that includes longitudinal and torsional modalities. Chemistry and Biochemistry Department, Utah State University, Logan, Utah, USA. Experimental study. Experiments were conducted using the Infiniti Vision System and Ozil handpiece. Hydroxyl radical concentrations during longitudinal and torsional phacoemulsification were quantitated as malondialdehyde (MDA) determined spectrophotometrically using the deoxyribose assay. The difference between the total concentration found in the aspirated solution at steady-state concentrations and the pre-aspirate levels deductively determined the concentration of MDA formed along the interior of the sonicating tip. The time to reach 50% of steady state as a function of reaction vessel volume was determined. The mean maximum for torsional ultrasound at 100% amplitude was 7.70 nM ± 0.38 (SD), 91.1% of which was generated outside the tip. During longitudinal ultrasound at 100% power, MDA concentration in the aspirated solution was 29.5 ± 0.3 nM, 71.6% of which was generated outside the tip. The time (seconds) to reach 50% of maximum for longitudinal ultrasound using 5 mL, 10 mL, and 20 mL reaction vessels was 12.6 ± 1.5, 21.0 ± 1.5, and 25.3 ± 3.4, respectively. Although a significantly greater proportion of the hydroxyl radicals generated during ultrasound modality were formed outside the phaco tip (91.1% torsional; 71.6% longitudinal), torsional ultrasound generated only about one-fourth the amount of MDA as longitudinal ultrasound in total and about one-third that generated outside the tip (7.02 nM versus 21.1 nM). No author has a financial or proprietary interest in any material or method mentioned. Additional disclosures are found in the footnotes. Copyright © 2011 ASCRS and ESCRS. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Internal Physical Features of a Land Surface Model Employing a Tangent Linear Model

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Runhua; Cohn, Stephen E.; daSilva, Arlindo; Joiner, Joanna; Houser, Paul R.

1997-01-01

The Earth's land surface, including its biomass, is an integral part of the Earth's weather and climate system. Land surface heterogeneity, such as the type and amount of vegetative covering., has a profound effect on local weather variability and therefore on regional variations of the global climate. Surface conditions affect local weather and climate through a number of mechanisms. First, they determine the re-distribution of the net radiative energy received at the surface, through the atmosphere, from the sun. A certain fraction of this energy increases the surface ground temperature, another warms the near-surface atmosphere, and the rest evaporates surface water, which in turn creates clouds and causes precipitation. Second, they determine how much rainfall and snowmelt can be stored in the soil and how much instead runs off into waterways. Finally, surface conditions influence the near-surface concentration and distribution of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide. The processes through which these mechanisms interact with the atmosphere can be modeled mathematically, to within some degree of uncertainty, on the basis of underlying physical principles. Such a land surface model provides predictive capability for surface variables including ground temperature, surface humidity, and soil moisture and temperature. This information is important for agriculture and industry, as well as for addressing fundamental scientific questions concerning global and local climate change. In this study we apply a methodology known as tangent linear modeling to help us understand more deeply, the behavior of the Mosaic land surface model, a model that has been developed over the past several years at NASA/GSFC. This methodology allows us to examine, directly and quantitatively, the dependence of prediction errors in land surface variables upon different vegetation conditions. The work also highlights the importance of accurate soil moisture information. Although surface

Optimum launching of electron-cyclotron power for localized current drive in a hot tokamak

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, G.R.

1989-05-01

Optimum launch parameters are determined for localized electron-cyclotron current drive near the magnetic axis and the q=2 surface by solving several minimization problems. For central current drive, equatorial and bottom launch are compared. Localized current drive near q=2 is studied for equatorial launch and for an alternative outside launch geometry that may be better for suppressing tearing modes and controlling disruptions. 6 refs., 2 figs

Localized surface plasmon resonance in silver nanoparticles: Atomistic first-principles time-dependent density-functional theory calculations

OpenAIRE

Kuisma, Mikael; Sakko, Arto; Rossi, Tuomas P.; Larsen, Ask H.; Enkovaara, Jussi; Lehtovaara, Lauri; Rantala, Tapio T.

2015-01-01

We observe using ab initio methods that localized surface plasmon resonances in icosahedral silver nanoparticles enter the asymptotic region already between diameters of 1 and 2 nm, converging close to the classical quasistatic limit around 3.4 eV. We base the observation on time-dependent density-functional theory simulations of the icosahedral silver clusters Ag$_{55}$ (1.06 nm), Ag$_{147}$ (1.60 nm), Ag$_{309}$ (2.14 nm), and Ag$_{561}$ (2.68 nm). The simulation method combines the adiabat...

The determination of pesticide residues in local vegetables by means of neutron activation technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mongkolphantha, S.; Karasuddhi, P.; Yamkate, P.; Serichareonsatit, N.

1975-01-01

Analytical methods based on neutron activation have been developed for studying pesticides residues of bromine, arsenic and mercury in local vegetables and fruits. The concentration of bromine, arsenic and mercury in samples are enriched prior to neutron irradiations by a technique of dry-ashing and freeze-drying for the determination of arsenic, bromine and mercury respectively. The element bromine is determined instrumentally while arsenic and mercury are determined destructively using a distillation technique. The limit of detection under the conditions used for bromine, arsenic and mercury as obtained are 0.01, 0.001 and 0.0001 microgram respectively. A total of 45 varieties of vegetables and 20 varieties of fruits are analyzed. The results of the investigation and the concentration range in part per million of bromine, arsenic and mercury are also presented

A new experimental method for determining local airloads on rotor blades in forward flight

Science.gov (United States)

Berton, E.; Maresca, C.; Favier, D.

This paper presents a new approach for determining local airloads on helicopter rotor blade sections in forward flight. The method is based on the momentum equation in which all the terms are expressed by means of the velocity field measured by a laser Doppler velocimeter. The relative magnitude of the different terms involved in the momentum and Bernoulli equations is estimated and the results are encouraging.

The influence of local volume forces on surface relaxation of pure metals and alloys: Applications to Ni, Al, Ni3Al

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Savino, E.J.; Farkas, D.

1987-11-01

We present an analysis of the relative influence of the interatomic potential, lattice structure and defect symmetry on the calculated and measured distortion for the free surfaces of alloys and pure metals. In particular, the effect of using local ''volume'' dependent interactions is studied, as opposed to simple pair interatomic forces. The dependence of the relaxation on the lattice structure is examined by comparing pure metals with ordered alloys. A Green function method for surface relaxation is presented and used for the above analysis as well as for studying the influence of different surface symmetries. Examples based on computer simulation of Ni, Al and Ni 3 Al for some surface orientations are presented. (author). 33 refs, 4 figs

P1-27: Localizing Regions Activated by Surface Gloss in Macaque Visual Cortex by fMRI

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gouki Okazawa

2012-10-01

Full Text Available Surface properties of objects such as gloss provide important information about the states or materials of objects in our visual experiences. Previous studies have shown that there are cortical regions responding to shapes, colors, faces etc. in the macaque visual cortex. However, we still lack the information about where the surface properties are processed in the macaque visual cortex. In this study, we examined whether there are regions activated by surface gloss, an important surface property, in the macaque visual cortex by using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI. We trained two monkeys to fixate on a small spot on the screen in MRI scanner, while the images of glossy and matte objects were presented. As a control condition for low-level image features, such as spatial frequency or luminance contrast, we generated scrambled images by locally randomizing the luminance phases of images using wavelet filters. By contrasting the responses to glossy images to those to matte and scrambled images, we found the activation in wide regions along the ventral visual pathway including V1, V2, V3, V4, and the posterior part of the inferior temporal (IT cortex. In one monkey, we also found the activations in the central part of IT cortex. In another control experiment, we manipulated the image contrasts and found that the responses in these regions cannot be explained simply by the image contrasts. These results suggest that surface gloss is processed along the ventral pathway and, in the IT cortex there are distinct regions processing surface gloss.

Surface structure of Bi₂Se₃(111) determined by low-energy electron diffraction and surface x-ray diffraction

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

dos Reis, Diogo Duarte; Barreto, Lucas; Bianchi, Marco

2013-01-01

The surface structure of the prototypical topological insulator Bi2Se3 is determined by low-energy electron diffraction and surface x-ray diffraction at room temperature. Both approaches show that the crystal is terminated by an intact quintuple layer. Specifically, an alternative termination by ...... by a bismuth bilayer is ruled out. Surface relaxations obtained by both techniques are in good agreement with each other and found to be small. This includes the relaxation of the van der Waals gap between the first two quintuple layers....

Local-scaling transformations and the direct determination of Kohn--Sham orbitals and potentials for beryllium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ludena, E.V.; Maldonado, J.; Lopez-Boada, R.; Koga, T.; Kryachko, E.S.

1995-01-01

Local-scaling transformations are used in the present work to obtain accurate Kohn--Sham 1s and 2s orbitals for the beryllium atom by means of a density-constrained variation of the single-determinant kinetic energy functional. An analytic representation of these Kohn--Sham orbitals is given and the quality of the different types of orbitals generated is discussed with particular reference to their kinetic energy and momenta mean values. In addition, we determine the effective Kohn--Sham potential and analyze it in terms of its exchange-only and correlation contributions

A nanosilver-based spectrophotometric method for determination of malachite green in surface water samples.

Science.gov (United States)

Sahraei, R; Farmany, A; Mortazavi, S S; Noorizadeh, H

2013-07-01

A new spectrophotometric method is reported for the determination of nanomolar level of malachite green in surface water samples. The method is based on the catalytic effect of silver nanoparticles on the oxidation of malachite green by hexacyanoferrate (III) in acetate-acetic acid medium. The absorbance is measured at 610 nm with the fixed-time method. Under the optimum conditions, the linear range was 8.0 × 10(-9)-2.0 × 10(-7) mol L(-1) malachite green with a correlation coefficient of 0.996. The limit of detection (S/N = 3) was 2.0 × 10(-9) mol L(-1). Relative standard deviation for ten replicate determinations of 1.0 × 10(-8) mol L(-1) malachite green was 1.86%. The method is featured with good accuracy and reproducibility for malachite green determination in surface water samples without any pre-concentration and separation step.

Experiment Study on Determination of Surface Area of Finegrained Soils by Mercury Intrusion Porosimetry

Science.gov (United States)

Yan, X. Q.; Zhou, C. Y.; Fang, Y. G.; Lin, L. S.

2017-12-01

The specific surface area (SSA) has a great influence on the physical and chemical properties of fine-grained soils. Determination of specific surface area is an important content for fine-grained soils micro-meso analysis and characteristic research. In this paper, mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP) was adopted to determine the SSA of fine-grained soils including quartz, kaolinite, bentonite and natural Shenzhen soft clay. The test results show that the average values of SSA obtained by MIP are 0.78m2/g, 11.31m2/g, 57.28m2/g and 27.15m2/g respectively for very fine-grained quartz, kaolin, bentonite and natural Shenzhen soft clay, and that it is feasible to apply MIP to obtain the SSA of fine-grained soils through statistical analysis of 97 samples. Through discussion, it is necessary to consider the state of fine-grained soils such as pore ratio when the SSA of fine-grained soils is determined by MIP.

Emission computerized-tomography and determination of local brain function

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuhl, D.E.; Alavi, A.; Reivich, M.; Edwards, R.Q.; Fenton, C.A.; Zimmerman, R.A.

1975-01-01

Methods for the three dimensional reconstruction of /sup 99m/Tc brain scans are described. The diagnostic advantages of computerized tomography in the localization of brain tumors and in measurements of local cerebral blood flow are discussed. (U.S.)

Direct imaging by atomic force microscopy of surface-localized self-assembled monolayers on a cuprate superconductor and surface X-ray scattering analysis of analogous monolayers on the surface of water

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schougaard, Steen B.; Reitzel, Niels; Bjørnholm, Thomas

2007-01-01

A self-assembled monolayer of CF3(CF2)(3)(CH2)(11)NH2 atop the (001) surface of the high-temperature superconductor YBa2Cu3O7-x was imaged by atomic force microscopy (AFM). The AFM images provide direct 2D-structural evidence for the epitaxial 5.5 angstrom square root 2 x root 2R45 degrees unit...... was studied by grazing-incidence X-ray diffraction and specular X-ray reflectivity. Structural differences and similarities between the water-supported and superconductor-localized monolayers are discussed....

The approximate determination of the critical temperature of a liquid by measuring surface tension versus the temperature

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maroto, J A; Nieves, F J de las; Quesada-Perez, M

2004-01-01

A classical experience in a physics student laboratory is to determine the surface tension of a liquid versus the temperature and to check the linear appearance of the obtained graph. In this work we show a simple method to estimate the critical temperature of three liquids by using experimental data of surface tension at different temperatures. By a logarithm fitting between surface tension and temperature, the critical temperature can be determined and compared with data from the literature. For two liquids (butanol and nitrobenzene) the comparison is acceptable but the differences are too high for the third liquid (water). By discussing the results it seems to be clear that the difference between the critical temperature of the liquid and the maximum temperature of the surface tension measurements is the determining factor in obtaining acceptable results. From this study it is possible to obtain more information on the liquid characteristics from surface tension measurements that are currently carried out in a student laboratory. Besides, in this paper it is shown how to select the most suitable liquids which provide both acceptable values for the critical temperature and measurements of the surface tension at moderate temperatures. The complementary use of numerical methods permits us to offer a complete experience for the students with a simple laboratory experiment which we recommend for physics students in advanced university courses

Determination of the dissolution slowness surface by study of etched shapes I. Morphology of the dissolution slowness surface and theoretical etched shapes

Science.gov (United States)

Leblois, T.; Tellier, C. R.

1992-07-01

We propose a theoretical model for the anisotropic etching of crystals, in order to be applied in the micromachining. The originality of the model is due to the introduction of dissolution tensors to express the representative surface of the dissolution slowness. The knowledge of the equation of the slowness surface allows us to determine the trajectories of all the elements which compose the starting surface. It is then possible to construct the final etched shape by numerical simulation. Several examples are given in this paper which show that the final etched shapes are correlated to the extrema of the dissolution slowness. Since the slowness surface must be determined from experiments, emphasis is placed on difficulties encountered when we correlate theory to experiments. Nous avons modélisé le processus de dissolution anisotrope des cristaux en vue d'une application à la simulation des formes obtenues par photolithogravure chimique. La principale originalité de ce modèle tient à l'introduction de tenseurs de dissolution pour exprimer la surface représentative de la lenteur de dissolution. La connaissance de l'équation de la lenteur de dissolution permet de calculer les trajectoires des différents éléments constituant la surface de départ puis de reconstituer par simulation la forme dissoute. Les simulations démontrent que les formes limites des cristaux dissous sont corrélées aux extrema de la lenteur de dissolution. La détermination de la surface de la lenteur se faisant à partir de mesures expérimetales, nous nous sommes efforcés de montrer toutes les difficultés attachées à cette analyse.

Radioactivity determination of sealed pure beta-sources by surface dose measurements and Monte Carlo simulations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Choi, Chang Heon [Interdisciplinary Program in Radiation Applied Life Science, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Jung, Seongmoon [Program in Biomedical Radiation Sciences, Department of Transdisciplinary Studies, Graduate School of Convergence Science and Technology, Seoul National University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Choi, Kanghyuk; Son, Kwang-Jae; Lee, Jun Sig [Hanaro Applications Research, Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Ye, Sung-Joon, E-mail: sye@snu.ac.kr [Interdisciplinary Program in Radiation Applied Life Science, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Program in Biomedical Radiation Sciences, Department of Transdisciplinary Studies, Graduate School of Convergence Science and Technology, Seoul National University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Center for Convergence Research on Robotics, Advance Institutes of Convergence Technology, Seoul National University, Suwon (Korea, Republic of)

2016-04-21

This study aims to determine the activity of a sealed pure beta-source by measuring the surface dose rate using an extrapolation chamber. A conversion factor (cGy s{sup −1} Bq{sup −1}), which was defined as the ratio of surface dose rate to activity, can be calculated by Monte Carlo simulations of the extrapolation chamber measurement. To validate this hypothesis the certified activities of two standard pure beta-sources of Sr/Y-90 and Si/P-32 were compared with those determined by this method. In addition, a sealed test source of Sr/Y-90 was manufactured by the HANARO reactor group of KAERI (Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute) and used to further validate this method. The measured surface dose rates of the Sr/Y-90 and Si/P-32 standard sources were 4.615×10{sup −5} cGy s{sup −1} and 2.259×10{sup −5} cGy s{sup −1}, respectively. The calculated conversion factors of the two sources were 1.213×10{sup −8} cGy s{sup −1} Bq{sup −1} and 1.071×10{sup −8} cGy s{sup −1} Bq{sup −1}, respectively. Therefore, the activity of the standard Sr/Y-90 source was determined to be 3.995 kBq, which was 2.0% less than the certified value (4.077 kBq). For Si/P-32 the determined activity was 2.102 kBq, which was 6.6% larger than the certified activity (1.971 kBq). The activity of the Sr/Y-90 test source was determined to be 4.166 kBq, while the apparent activity reported by KAERI was 5.803 kBq. This large difference might be due to evaporation and diffusion of the source liquid during preparation and uncertainty in the amount of weighed aliquot of source liquid. The overall uncertainty involved in this method was determined to be 7.3%. We demonstrated that the activity of a sealed pure beta-source could be conveniently determined by complementary combination of measuring the surface dose rate and Monte Carlo simulations.

Dielectric properties of DNA oligonucleotides on the surface of silicon nanostructures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bagraev, N. T., E-mail: bagraev@mail.ioffe.ru [St. Petersburg Polytechnic University (Russian Federation); Chernev, A. L. [Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg Academic University—Nanotechnology Research and Education Center (Russian Federation); Klyachkin, L. E. [St. Petersburg Polytechnic University (Russian Federation); Malyarenko, A. M. [Russian Academy of Sciences, Ioffe Physical–Technical Institute (Russian Federation); Emel’yanov, A. K.; Dubina, M. V. [Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg Academic University—Nanotechnology Research and Education Center (Russian Federation)

2016-10-15

Planar silicon nanostructures that are formed as a very narrow silicon quantum well confined by δ barriers heavily doped with boron are used to study the dielectric properties of DNA oligonucleotides deposited onto the surface of the nanostructures. The capacitance characteristics of the silicon nanostructures with oligonucleotides deposited onto their surface are determined by recording the local tunneling current–voltage characteristics by means of scanning tunneling microscopy. The results show the possibility of identifying the local dielectric properties of DNA oligonucleotide segments consisting of repeating G–C pairs. These properties apparently give grounds to correlate the segments with polymer molecules exhibiting the properties of multiferroics.

Majority of cellular fatty acid acylated proteins are localized to the cytoplasmic surface of the plasma membrane

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wilcox, C.A.; Olson, E.N.

1987-01-01

The BC 2 Hl muscle cell line was previously reported to contain a broad array of fatty acid acylated proteins. Palmitate was shown to be attached to membrane proteins posttranslationally through thiol ester linkages, whereas myristate was attached cotranslationally, or within seconds thereafter, to soluble and membrane-bound proteins through amide linkages. The temporal and subcellular differences between palmitate and myristate acylation suggested that these two classes of acyl proteins might follow different intracellular pathways to distinct subcellular membrane systems or organelles. In this study, the authors examined the subcellular localization of the major fatty acylated proteins in BC 4 Hl cells. Palmitate-containing proteins were localized to the plasma membrane, but only a subset of myristate-containing proteins was localized to this membrane fraction. The majority of acyl proteins were nonglycosylated and resistant to digestion with extracellular proteases, suggesting that they were not exposed to the external surface of the plasma membrane. Many proteins were, however, digested during incubation of isolated membranes with proteases, which indicates that these proteins were, however, digested during incubation of isolated membranes with proteases, which indicates that these proteins face the cytoplasm. Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis of proteins labeled with [ 3 H]palmitate and [ 3 H]myristate revealed that individual proteins were modified by only one of the two fatty acids and did not undergo both N-linked myristylation and ester-linked palmitylation. Together, these results suggest that the majority of cellular acyl proteins are routed to the cytoplasmic surface of the plasma membrane, and they raise the possibility that fatty acid acylation may play a role in intracellular sorting of nontransmembranous, nonglycosylated membrane proteins

Fabrication of Gold Nanodot Array for the Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Young Min Bae

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR is a promising method for detecting antigen-antibody binding in label-free biosensors. In this study, the fabrication of a LSPR substrate with a gold nanodot array through the lift-off process of an alumina mask is reported. The substrate showed an extinction peak in its extinction spectrum, and the peak position was dependent on the height of the gold nanodot array, and the change of extinction peak with the height could be predicted by the numerical simulation. In addition, the peak position was observed to be red-shifted with the increasing RIU value of the medium surrounding the gold nanodot array. In particular, the peak position in the 10 nm thick gold nanodot array was approximately 710 nm in air, and the sensitivity, defined as the ratio of the shift of peak position to the RIU of the medium, was 323.6 nm/RIU. The fabrication procedure could be applied to fabricate the LSPR substrates with a large area.

Localized in situ polymerization on graphene surfaces for stabilized graphene dispersions.

Science.gov (United States)

Das, Sriya; Wajid, Ahmed S; Shelburne, John L; Liao, Yen-Chih; Green, Micah J

2011-06-01

We demonstrate a novel in situ polymerization technique to develop localized polymer coatings on the surface of dispersed pristine graphene sheets. Graphene sheets show great promise as strong, conductive fillers in polymer nanocomposites; however, difficulties in dispersion quality and interfacial strength between filler and matrix have been a persistent problem for graphene-based nanocomposites, particularly for pristine graphene. With this in mind, a physisorbed polymer layer is used to stabilize graphene sheets in solution. To create this protective layer, we formed an organic microenvironment around dispersed graphene sheets in surfactant solutions, and created a nylon 6, 10 or nylon 6, 6 coating via interfacial polymerization. Technique lies at the intersection of emulsion and admicellar polymerization; a similar technique was originally developed to protect luminescent properties of carbon nanotubes in solution. These coated graphene dispersions are aggregation-resistant and may be reversibly redispersed in water even after freeze-drying. The coated graphene holds promise for a number of applications, including multifunctional graphene-polymer nanocomposites. © 2011 American Chemical Society

The relation of CT-determined tumor parameters and local and regional outcome of tonsillar cancer after definitive radiation treatment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hermans, Robert; Op de beeck, Katya; Bogaert, Walter van den; Rijnders, Alexis; Staelens, Lorenzo; Feron, Michel; Bellon, Erwin

2001-01-01

Purpose: To investigate the value of CT-derived tumor parameters as predictor of local and regional outcome of tonsillar squamous cell carcinoma treated by definitive radiation therapy. Methods and Materials: The pretreatment CT studies of 112 patients with tonsillar squamous cell carcinoma were reviewed. After redigitizing the films, primary and nodal tumor volume was calculated with the summation-of-areas technique. The nodal CT aspect was graded using a 3-point scale (homogenous, inhomogeneous, and necrotic). Mean follow-up time was 33 months. Actuarial statistical analysis of local and regional outcome was done for each of the covariates; multivariate analysis was performed using Cox's proportional hazards model. Results: In the actuarial analysis, CT-determined primary tumor volume was significantly correlated with local recurrence rate (p<0.05) when all patients were considered, but primary tumor volume did not predict local control within the T2, T3, and T4 category. CT-determined nodal volume was significantly related to regional outcome (p<0.01), but nodal density was not. Total tumor volume was not significantly related to locoregional outcome (p=0.1). In the multivariate analysis, the T and N categories were the independent predictors of local and regional outcomes, respectively. Conclusion: Compared to other head-and-neck sites, primary and nodal tumor volume have only marginal predictive value regarding local and regional outcome after radiation therapy in tonsillar cancer

Localized surface plasmon resonance properties of symmetry-broken Au-ITO-Ag multilayered nanoshells

Science.gov (United States)

Lv, Jingwei; Mu, Haiwei; Lu, Xili; Liu, Qiang; Liu, Chao; Sun, Tao; Chu, Paul K.

2018-06-01

The plasmonic properties of symmetry-broken Au-ITO-Ag multilayered nanoshells by shell cutting are studied by the finite element method. The influence of the polarization of incident light and geometrical parameters on the plasmon resonances of the multilayered nanoshells are investigated. The polarization-dependent multiple plasmon resonances appear from the multilayered nanoshells due to symmetry breaking. In nanostructures with a broken symmetry, the localized surface plasmon resonance modes are enhanced resulting in higher order resonances. According to the plasmon hybridization theory, these resonance modes and greater spectral tunability derive from the interactions of an admixture of both primitive and multipolar modes between the inner Au core and outer Ag shell. By changing the radius of the Au core, the extinction resonance modes of the multilayered nanoshells can be easily tuned to the near-infrared region. To elucidate the symmetry-broken effects of multilayered nanoshells, we link the geometrical asymmetry to the asymmetrical distributions of surface charges and demonstrate dipolar and higher order plasmon modes with large associated field enhancements at the edge of the Ag rim. The spectral tunability of the multiple resonance modes from visible to near-infrared is investigated and the unique properties are attractive to applications including angularly selective filtering to biosensing.

Surface localization of sacral foramina for neuromodulation of bladder function. An anatomical study.

Science.gov (United States)

Hasan, S T; Shanahan, D A; Pridie, A K; Neal, D E

1996-01-01

A method is described for percutaneous localization of the sacral foramina, for neuromodulation of bladder function. We carried out an anatomical study of 5 male and 5 female human cadaver pelves. Using the described surface markings, needles were placed percutaneously into all sacral foramina from nine different angles. Paths of needle entry were studied by subsequent dissection. We observed that although it was possible to enter any sacral foramen at a wide range of insertion angles, the incidence of nerve root/vascular penetration increased with increasing angle of needle entry. Also, the incidence of nerve root penetration was higher with the medial approach compared with lateral entry. The insertion of a needle into the S1 foramen was associated with a higher incidence of nerve root penetration and presents a potential for arterial haemorrhage. On the other hand the smaller S3 and S4 nerve roots were surrounded by venous plexuses, presenting a potential source of venous haemorrhage during procedures. Our study suggests a new method for identifying the surface markings of sacral foramina and it describes the paths of inserted needles into the respective foramina. In addition, it has highlighted some potential risk factors secondary to needle insertion.

Determination of localized magnetic moments in Fe-Cr-Al alloys and the electron structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blau, W.

1977-01-01

The localized magnetic moments of Fe and Cr are determined by combination of saturation magnetization measurements and magnetic diffuse scattering. Power series characterizing the interactions between the different kinds of atoms in the alloys are chosen to describe the concentration dependence of the magnetic moments. The different terms are discussed on the basis of band structure models valid for dilute alloys taking into account their modification by impurity interactions. (author)

Frontiers in Surface Nanophotonics Principles and Applications

CERN Document Server

Andrews, David L

2007-01-01

With the rapid technical advancement of nanoscale fabrication, the science of optics has recently undergone a renaissance with the characterization of new and distinctive kinds of photonic interaction. Beyond the well-known plasmonic processes, many of these effects also arise from intricate local field effects associated with surfaces, where the surface morphology determines the detailed electromagnetic behavior. As such interactions move into practical device applications across the globe, this book presents an overview of some cutting edge developments, contributed by members of several highly renowned research groups. Copiously illustrated and with extensive references to original literature, Frontiers in Surface Nanophotonics will appeal to a wide readership with interests in optics, materials science and nanotechnology.

A saliva molecular imprinted localized surface plasmon resonance biosensor for wine astringency estimation.

Science.gov (United States)

Guerreiro, J Rafaela L; Teixeira, Natércia; De Freitas, Victor; Sales, M Goreti F; Sutherland, Duncan S

2017-10-15

Wine astringency was evaluated based on the interaction of two complex matrices (red wine and saliva) by combining localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) and molecular imprinted polymers (MIP) at gold nanodisks as an alternative to sensorial analysis. The main objective of the work was to simulate wine astringency inside the mouth by mimicking this biological system. The LSPR/MIP sensor provided a linear response for astringency expressed in pentagalloyl glucose (PGG) units in concentrations ranging from 1 to 140μmol/L. The sensor was also applied to wine samples correlating well with sensorial analysis obtained by a trained panel. The correlation of astringency and wine composition was also evaluated showing that anthocyanins may have an important role, not only for pigmentation but also in astringency. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Anatomical abnormalities in gray and white matter of the cortical surface in persons with schizophrenia.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tiziano Colibazzi

Full Text Available Although schizophrenia has been associated with abnormalities in brain anatomy, imaging studies have not fully determined the nature and relative contributions of gray matter (GM and white matter (WM disturbances underlying these findings. We sought to determine the pattern and distribution of these GM and WM abnormalities. Furthermore, we aimed to clarify the contribution of abnormalities in cortical thickness and cortical surface area to the reduced GM volumes reported in schizophrenia.We recruited 76 persons with schizophrenia and 57 healthy controls from the community and obtained measures of cortical and WM surface areas, of local volumes along the brain and WM surfaces, and of cortical thickness.We detected reduced local volumes in patients along corresponding locations of the brain and WM surfaces in addition to bilateral greater thickness of perisylvian cortices and thinner cortex in the superior frontal and cingulate gyri. Total cortical and WM surface areas were reduced. Patients with worse performance on the serial-position task, a measure of working memory, had a higher burden of WM abnormalities.Reduced local volumes along the surface of the brain mirrored the locations of abnormalities along the surface of the underlying WM, rather than of abnormalities of cortical thickness. Moreover, anatomical features of white matter, but not cortical thickness, correlated with measures of working memory. We propose that reductions in WM and smaller total cortical surface area could be central anatomical abnormalities in schizophrenia, driving, at least partially, the reduced regional GM volumes often observed in this illness.

What determines auditory distraction? On the roles of local auditory changes and expectation violations.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jan P Röer

Full Text Available Both the acoustic variability of a distractor sequence and the degree to which it violates expectations are important determinants of auditory distraction. In four experiments we examined the relative contribution of local auditory changes on the one hand and expectation violations on the other hand in the disruption of serial recall by irrelevant sound. We present evidence for a greater disruption by auditory sequences ending in unexpected steady state distractor repetitions compared to auditory sequences with expected changing state endings even though the former contained fewer local changes. This effect was demonstrated with piano melodies (Experiment 1 and speech distractors (Experiment 2. Furthermore, it was replicated when the expectation violation occurred after the encoding of the target items (Experiment 3, indicating that the items' maintenance in short-term memory was disrupted by attentional capture and not their encoding. This seems to be primarily due to the violation of a model of the specific auditory distractor sequences because the effect vanishes and even reverses when the experiment provides no opportunity to build up a specific neural model about the distractor sequence (Experiment 4. Nevertheless, the violation of abstract long-term knowledge about auditory regularities seems to cause a small and transient capture effect: Disruption decreased markedly over the course of the experiments indicating that participants habituated to the unexpected distractor repetitions across trials. The overall pattern of results adds to the growing literature that the degree to which auditory distractors violate situation-specific expectations is a more important determinant of auditory distraction than the degree to which a distractor sequence contains local auditory changes.

Contact angle and local wetting at contact line.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Ri; Shan, Yanguang

2012-11-06

This theoretical study was motivated by recent experiments and theoretical work that had suggested the dependence of the static contact angle on the local wetting at the triple-phase contact line. We revisit this topic because the static contact angle as a local wetting parameter is still not widely understood and clearly known. To further clarify the relationship of the static contact angle with wetting, two approaches are applied to derive a general equation for the static contact angle of a droplet on a composite surface composed of heterogeneous components. A global approach based on the free surface energy of a thermodynamic system containing the droplet and solid surface shows the static contact angle as a function of local surface chemistry and local wetting state at the contact line. A local approach, in which only local forces acting on the contact line are considered, results in the same equation. The fact that the local approach agrees with the global approach further demonstrates the static contact angle as a local wetting parameter. Additionally, the study also suggests that the wetting described by the Wenzel and Cassie equations is also the local wetting of the contact line rather than the global wetting of the droplet.

Surface and interior of Venus

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Masursky, H [U.S. Geological Survey, Flagstaff, Arizona, USA; Kaula, W M [California Univ., Los Angeles (USA); McGill, G E [Massachusetts Univ., Amherst (USA); Pettengill, G H; Shapiro, I I [Massachusetts Inst. of Tech., Cambridge (USA). Dept. of Earth and Planetary Sciences; Phillips, R J [Jet Propulsion Lab., Pasadena, Calif. (USA); Russell, C T [California Univ., Los Angeles (USA). Inst. of Geophysics and Planetary Physics; Schubert, G [California Univ., Los Angeles (USA)

1977-06-01

Present ideas about the surface and interior of Venus are based on data obtained from (1) Earth-based radio and radar: temperature, rotation, shape, and topography; (2) fly-by and orbiting spacecraft: gravity and magnetic fields; and (3) landers: winds, local structure, gamma radiation. Surface features, including large basins, crater-like depressions, and a linear valley, have been recognized from recent ground-based radar images. Pictures of the surface acquired by the USSR's Venera 9 and 10 show abundant boulders and apparent wind erosion. On the Pioneer Venus 1978 Orbiter mission, the radar mapper experiment will determine surface heights, dielectric constant values and small-scale slope values along the sub-orbital track between 50/sup 0/S and 75/sup 0/N. This experiment will also estimate the global shape and provide coarse radar images (40-80 km identification resolution) of part of the surface. Gravity data will be obtained by radio tracking. Maps combining radar altimetry with spacecraft and ground-based images will be made. A fluxgate magnetometer will measure the magnetic fields around Venus. The radar and gravity data will provide clues to the level of crustal differentiation and tectonic activity. The magnetometer will determine the field variations accurately. Data from the combined experiments may constrain the dynamo mechanism; if so, a deeper understanding of both Venus and Earth will be gained.

Protofit: A program for determining surface protonation constants from titration data

Science.gov (United States)

Turner, Benjamin F.; Fein, Jeremy B.

2006-11-01

Determining the surface protonation behavior of natural adsorbents is essential to understand how they interact with their environments. ProtoFit is a tool for analysis of acid-base titration data and optimization of surface protonation models. The program offers a number of useful features including: (1) enables visualization of adsorbent buffering behavior; (2) uses an optimization approach independent of starting titration conditions or initial surface charge; (3) does not require an initial surface charge to be defined or to be treated as an optimizable parameter; (4) includes an error analysis intrinsically as part of the computational methods; and (5) generates simulated titration curves for comparison with observation. ProtoFit will typically be run through ProtoFit-GUI, a graphical user interface providing user-friendly control of model optimization, simulation, and data visualization. ProtoFit calculates an adsorbent proton buffering value as a function of pH from raw titration data (including pH and volume of acid or base added). The data is reduced to a form where the protons required to change the pH of the solution are subtracted out, leaving protons exchanged between solution and surface per unit mass of adsorbent as a function of pH. The buffering intensity function Qads* is calculated as the instantaneous slope of this reduced titration curve. Parameters for a surface complexation model are obtained by minimizing the sum of squares between the modeled (i.e. simulated) buffering intensity curve and the experimental data. The variance in the slope estimate, intrinsically produced as part of the Qads* calculation, can be used to weight the sum of squares calculation between the measured buffering intensity and a simulated curve. Effects of analytical error on data visualization and model optimization are discussed. Examples are provided of using ProtoFit for data visualization, model optimization, and model evaluation.

Integral emission factors for methane determined using urban flux measurements and local-scale inverse models

Science.gov (United States)

Christen, Andreas; Johnson, Mark; Molodovskaya, Marina; Ketler, Rick; Nesic, Zoran; Crawford, Ben; Giometto, Marco; van der Laan, Mike

2013-04-01

The most important long-lived greenhouse gas (LLGHG) emitted during combustion of fuels is carbon dioxide (CO2), however also traces of the LLGHGs methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) are released, the quantities of which depend largely on the conditions of the combustion process. Emission factors determine the mass of LLGHGs emitted per energy used (or kilometre driven for cars) and are key inputs for bottom-up emission modelling. Emission factors for CH4 are typically determined in the laboratory or on a test stand for a given combustion system using a small number of samples (vehicles, furnaces), yet associated with larger uncertainties when scaled to entire fleets. We propose an alternative, different approach - Can integrated emission factors be independently determined using direct micrometeorological flux measurements over an urban surface? If so, do emission factors determined from flux measurements (top-down) agree with up-scaled emission factors of relevant combustion systems (heating, vehicles) in the source area of the flux measurement? Direct flux measurements of CH4 were carried out between February and May, 2012 over a relatively densely populated, urban surface in Vancouver, Canada by means of eddy covariance (EC). The EC-system consisted of an ultrasonic anemometer (CSAT-3, Campbell Scientific Inc.) and two open-path infrared gas analyzers (Li7500 and Li7700, Licor Inc.) on a tower at 30m above the surface. The source area of the EC system is characterised by a relative homogeneous morphometry (5.3m average building height), but spatially and temporally varying emission sources, including two major intersecting arterial roads (70.000 cars drive through the 50% source area per day) and seasonal heating in predominantly single-family houses (natural gas). An inverse dispersion model (turbulent source area model), validated against large eddy simulations (LES) of the urban roughness sublayer, allows the determination of the spatial area that

Novel determination of surface temperature of lithium hydride hydrolysis using DRIFT spectroscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Awbery, Roy P.; Tsang, S.C.

2008-01-01

Diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform (DRIFT) spectroscopy has been used to show how increasing temperature causes the hydroxyl band of LiOH to shift linearly and reversibly towards lower wavenumbers. The band shift with temperature was used to determine the surface temperature of LiH when exposed to water vapour at 158, 317, 793 and >1900 Pa (5%, 10%, 25% and >60% relative humidity), the exothermic hydrolysis reaction resulting in surface temperature increases of up to 50 deg. C. The rate of surface heating was found to increase slightly with increasing water vapour exposures up to 793 Pa, demonstrating that the LiH hydrolysis reaction rate was dependent upon the partial pressure of water vapour. The growth of surface LiOH appeared to significantly slow down further reaction until the water vapour exposure was increased beyond 1900 Pa, when formation of hydrated LiOH occurred. The effect of temperature on detectors was also investigated showing that baselines shifted towards higher intensities with increasing temperature when measured with a DTGS detector and towards lower intensities with an MCT detector, over the temperature range 25-450 deg. C

DETERMINATION OF IMPORTANCE EVALUATION FOR THE SURFACE EXPLORATORY STUDIES FACILITY

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

C.J. Byrne

2000-07-25

This DIE applies to the surface facilities component of the Yucca Mountain Site Characterization Project (W) ESF. The ESF complex-including surface and subsurface accommodations--encompasses an area that is approximately six miles wide and nine miles long (approximately 30,000 acres total) (United States Department of Energy [DOE] 1997, p. 9.04). It is located on federally withdrawn lands, near the southwest border of the Nevada Test Site (NTS) in southern Nevada (DOE 1997, p. 9.04). Site characterization activities are conducted within the subsurface ESF to obtain the information necessary to determine whether the Yucca Mountain Site is suitable as a geologic repository for spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste. Most ESF surface facilities are located within the Conceptual Controlled Area Boundary (CCAB) (DOE 1997, p. 9.04), with the exception of the southeastern most portions of the H-Road and the Water Supply System. Various SBT activities are also conducted throughout the Yucca Mountain region as a part of the overall site-characterization effort. In general, the DIE for SBT Activities (Civilian Radioactive Waste Management System [CRWMS] Management and Operating Contractor [M&O] 1998a) evaluates activities associated with SBT. Potential test-to-test interference and waste isolation impacts associated with SBT activities are also evaluated in CRWMS M&O (1998a).

DETERMINATION OF IMPORTANCE EVALUATION FOR THE SURFACE EXPLORATORY STUDIES FACILITY

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

C.J. Byrne

2000-01-01

This DIE applies to the surface facilities component of the Yucca Mountain Site Characterization Project (W) ESF. The ESF complex-including surface and subsurface accommodations--encompasses an area that is approximately six miles wide and nine miles long (approximately 30,000 acres total) (United States Department of Energy [DOE] 1997, p. 9.04). It is located on federally withdrawn lands, near the southwest border of the Nevada Test Site (NTS) in southern Nevada (DOE 1997, p. 9.04). Site characterization activities are conducted within the subsurface ESF to obtain the information necessary to determine whether the Yucca Mountain Site is suitable as a geologic repository for spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste. Most ESF surface facilities are located within the Conceptual Controlled Area Boundary (CCAB) (DOE 1997, p. 9.04), with the exception of the southeastern most portions of the H-Road and the Water Supply System. Various SBT activities are also conducted throughout the Yucca Mountain region as a part of the overall site-characterization effort. In general, the DIE for SBT Activities (Civilian Radioactive Waste Management System [CRWMS] Management and Operating Contractor [M andO] 1998a) evaluates activities associated with SBT. Potential test-to-test interference and waste isolation impacts associated with SBT activities are also evaluated in CRWMS M andO (1998a)

Determination of Groundwater and Surface Water Qualities at Si Racha, Chon Buri

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wangsawang, Jarinee; Naenorn, Warinlada; Khuntong, Soontree; Wongsorntam, Krirk; Udomsomporn, Suchin

2011-06-01

Full text: Groundwater (13 wells) and surface water (7 ponds) at Si Racha, Chon Buri province were collected for measurement of water qualities and radionuclides. The water qualities included physical and chemical analysis such as pH, EC, TS, TDS, TSS, TKN, total phosphate, BOD, COD, total hardness and FOG based on standard methods for examination of water and wastewater. Heavy metals (Cd, Cu, Cr, Fe, Mn, Ni and Zn) were analyzed by ICP-AES while total coliform was determined by Multiple Tube Methods. Moreover, radionuclides were analyzed by gamma spectrometer and gross beta and gross alpha were obtained from low background gas proportional counter. Values of most parameters in groundwater were below water qualities standards but all parameters in surface water samples were exceeded water qualities standards. It was found that all radionuclides in water samples were originated from natural uranium and thorium series. The data obtained enabled evaluation of pollutants in groundwater and surface water

Determination of parameters of the arc plasma of electrodynamic macro-particle accelerator by the method of simulation of surface energy losses

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Djuric, Z.; Mihajlov, A.A. (Inst. of Physics, Belgrade (Yugoslavia))

1989-01-01

In the paper we have presented the model method of calculating electrical arc parameters in the macroparticles' electrodynamic accelerator at the given rail width and the given width between them. The method is based on energy losses simulation at the arc's boundary surfaces and is a modification of the one-dimensional version of Powell and Batteh's method. It has been shown that the proposed method is adequate for operative use and that it enables the determination of both macroscopic arc parameters - acceleration, length, electroconductivity, mean temperature and density of particles etc., as well as local arc plasma parameters. The values of these parameters are determined by numerical solutions of the self-consistent system of magnetic-hydrodynamic, material and thermodynamic equations, at the arc's given mass and muzzle voltage between rails. It has also been shown that the proposed method allows the comparison of one-, two- and three-dimensional arc approximations. In the present paper we have used the method assuming that arc plasma is at most doubly ionized and produced exclusively by copper atoms. (orig.).

Corrected body surface potential mapping.

Science.gov (United States)

Krenzke, Gerhard; Kindt, Carsten; Hetzer, Roland

2007-02-01

In the method for body surface potential mapping described here, the influence of thorax shape on measured ECG values is corrected. The distances of the ECG electrodes from the electrical heart midpoint are determined using a special device for ECG recording. These distances are used to correct the ECG values as if they had been measured on the surface of a sphere with a radius of 10 cm with its midpoint localized at the electrical heart midpoint. The equipotential lines of the electrical heart field are represented on the virtual surface of such a sphere. It is demonstrated that the character of a dipole field is better represented if the influence of the thorax shape is reduced. The site of the virtual reference electrode is also important for the dipole character of the representation of the electrical heart field.

Localization with a mobile beacon in underwater acoustic sensor networks.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Sangho; Kim, Kiseon

2012-01-01

Localization is one of the most important issues associated with underwater acoustic sensor networks, especially when sensor nodes are randomly deployed. Given that it is difficult to deploy beacon nodes at predetermined locations, localization schemes with a mobile beacon on the sea surface or along the planned path are inherently convenient, accurate, and energy-efficient. In this paper, we propose a new range-free Localization with a Mobile Beacon (LoMoB). The mobile beacon periodically broadcasts a beacon message containing its location. Sensor nodes are individually localized by passively receiving the beacon messages without inter-node communications. For location estimation, a set of potential locations are obtained as candidates for a node's location and then the node's location is determined through the weighted mean of all the potential locations with the weights computed based on residuals.

Localization with a Mobile Beacon in Underwater Acoustic Sensor Networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sangho Lee

2012-04-01

Full Text Available Localization is one of the most important issues associated with underwater acoustic sensor networks, especially when sensor nodes are randomly deployed. Given that it is difficult to deploy beacon nodes at predetermined locations, localization schemes with a mobile beacon on the sea surface or along the planned path are inherently convenient, accurate, and energy-efficient. In this paper, we propose a new range-free Localization with a Mobile Beacon (LoMoB. The mobile beacon periodically broadcasts a beacon message containing its location. Sensor nodes are individually localized by passively receiving the beacon messages without inter-node communications. For location estimation, a set of potential locations are obtained as candidates for a node’s location and then the node’s location is determined through the weighted mean of all the potential locations with the weights computed based on residuals.

Dimensional and Compositional Change of 1D Chalcogen Nanostructures Leading to Tunable Localized Surface Plasmon Resonances.

Science.gov (United States)

Min, Yuho; Seo, Ho Jun; Choi, Jong-Jin; Hahn, Byung-Dong; Moon, Geon Dae

2018-05-31

As the oxygen family, chalcogen (Se, Te) nanostructures have been considered important elements for various practical fields and further exploited to constitute metal chalcogenides for each targeted application. Here we report a controlled synthesis of well-defined one-dimensional chalcogen nanostructures such as nanowries, nanorods, and nanotubes by controlling reduction reaction rate to fine-tune the dimension and composition of the products. Tunable optical properties (localized surface plasmon resonances) of these chalcogen nanostructures are observed depending on their morphological, dimensional, and compositional variation. © 2018 IOP Publishing Ltd.

Determination of the surface density of polyethylene glycol on gold nanoparticles by use of microscale thermogravimetric analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Sebby, K B; Mansfield, E

2015-04-01

The widespread integration of nanoparticle technologies into biomedicine will depend on the ability to repeatedly create particles with well-defined properties and predictable behaviors. For this to happen, fast, reliable, inexpensive, and widely available techniques to characterize nanomaterials are needed. Characterization of the surface molecules is particularly important since the surface, including the surface molecule density, plays a dominant role in determining how nanoparticles interact with their surroundings. Here, 10 and 30 nm gold nanoparticle NIST Standard Reference Materials were functionalized with fluorescently labeled polyethylene glycol (PEG) with either thiolate or lipoic acid anchoring groups to evaluate analytical techniques for determining surface coverage. The coating of the nanoparticles was confirmed with dynamic light scattering, microscale thermogravimetric analysis (μ-TGA), and ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy. A UV-vis method for determining gold nanoparticle concentrations that takes into account spectral broadening upon functionalization was developed. The amount of bound PEG was quantified with μ-TGA, a technique analogous to thermogravimetric analysis that uses quartz crystal microbalances, and fluorescence spectroscopy of displaced ligands. It is shown that μ-TGA is a convenient technique for the quantification of ligands bound to inorganic particles while sacrificing a minimal amount of sample, and the treatment of the functionalized nanoparticle dispersions with dithiothreitol may be insufficient to achieve complete displacement of the surface ligands for quantification by fluorescence measurements. The μ-TGA and fluorescence results were used to determine ligand footprint sizes-average areas occupied by each ligand on the particles' surface. The lipoic acid bound ligands had footprint sizes of 0.21 and 0.25 nm(2) on 10 and 30 nm particles, respectively while the thiolate ligands had footprint sizes of 0.085 and 0

Cell surface appearance of unexpected host MHC determinants on thymocytes from radiation bone marrow chimeras

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sharrow, S.O.; Mathieson, B.J.; Singer, A.

1981-01-01

The phenotypic appearance of cell surface antigens on murine thymocytes from long-term radiation bone marrow chimeras was analyzed using indirect immunofluorescence and flow microfluorometry. Cells maturing in the thymi of these mice were typed for MHC (Kk, I-Ak, H-2b, Kb, and Ib) and non-MHC (Lty 1, Ly 9, and TL) determinants. All cells were of donor origin as determined by non-MHC (Ly) phenotype in P1 leads to P2, P1 x P2 leads to P1, and P1 leads to P2 radiation chimeras. In contrast, the MHC phenotypes of these thymocytes were markedly affected by the host environment. Specifically, H-2 and I-A determinants of both parental phenotypes were detected on thymocytes from P1 leads to P1 x P2 chimeras; I-A determinants of host phenotype were present, whereas I-A determinants of donor phenotype were reduced on thymocytes from P1 x P2 leads to P1 chimeras; and thymocytes from P1 leads to P2 chimeras possessed H-2 and I-A determinants of host phenotype but showed reduction of donor I-A phenotype determinants. The appearance of host cell surface H-2 and I-A determinants on thymocytes from chimeras closely parallels the functional recognition of MHC determinants by T cells from chimeric mice and thus may be significantly related to the development of the self-recognition repertoire by maturing T cells

Local activity determines functional connectivity in the resting human brain: a simultaneous FDG-PET/fMRI study.

Science.gov (United States)

Riedl, Valentin; Bienkowska, Katarzyna; Strobel, Carola; Tahmasian, Masoud; Grimmer, Timo; Förster, Stefan; Friston, Karl J; Sorg, Christian; Drzezga, Alexander

2014-04-30

Over the last decade, synchronized resting-state fluctuations of blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) signals between remote brain areas [so-called BOLD resting-state functional connectivity (rs-FC)] have gained enormous relevance in systems and clinical neuroscience. However, the neural underpinnings of rs-FC are still incompletely understood. Using simultaneous positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance imaging we here directly investigated the relationship between rs-FC and local neuronal activity in humans. Computational models suggest a mechanistic link between the dynamics of local neuronal activity and the functional coupling among distributed brain regions. Therefore, we hypothesized that the local activity (LA) of a region at rest determines its rs-FC. To test this hypothesis, we simultaneously measured both LA (glucose metabolism) and rs-FC (via synchronized BOLD fluctuations) during conditions of eyes closed or eyes open. During eyes open, LA increased in the visual system, and the salience network (i.e., cingulate and insular cortices) and the pattern of elevated LA coincided almost exactly with the spatial pattern of increased rs-FC. Specifically, the voxelwise regional profile of LA in these areas strongly correlated with the regional pattern of rs-FC among the same regions (e.g., LA in primary visual cortex accounts for ∼ 50%, and LA in anterior cingulate accounts for ∼ 20% of rs-FC with the visual system). These data provide the first direct evidence in humans that local neuronal activity determines BOLD FC at rest. Beyond its relevance for the neuronal basis of coherent BOLD signal fluctuations, our procedure may translate into clinical research particularly to investigate potentially aberrant links between local dynamics and remote functional coupling in patients with neuropsychiatric disorders.

Channel surface plasmons in a continuous and flat graphene sheet

Science.gov (United States)

Chaves, A. J.; Peres, N. M. R.; da Costa, D. R.; Farias, G. A.

2018-05-01

We derive an integral equation describing surface-plasmon polaritons in graphene deposited on a substrate with a planar surface and a dielectric protrusion in the opposite surface of the dielectric slab. We show that the problem is mathematically equivalent to the solution of a Fredholm equation, which we solve exactly. In addition, we show that the dispersion relation of the channel surface plasmons is determined by the geometric parameters of the protrusion alone. We also show that such a system supports both even and odd modes. We give the electrostatic potential and the intensity plot of the electrostatic field, which clearly show the transverse localized nature of the surface plasmons in a continuous and flat graphene sheet.

Interaction between local and regional pollution during Escompte 2001: impact on surface ozone concentrations (IOP2a and 2b)

Science.gov (United States)

Cousin, F.; Tulet, P.; Rosset, R.

2005-03-01

Escompte, a European programme which took place in the Marseille region in June-July 2001, has been designed as an exhaustive database to be used for the development and validation of air pollution models. The air quality Mesoscale NonHydrostatic Chemistry model (Meso-NH-C) is used to simulate 2 days of an Intensive Observation Period (IOP) documented during the Escompte campaign, June 23 and 24, 2001. We first study the synoptic and local meteorological situation on June 23 and 24, using surface and aircraft measurements. Then, we focus on the pollution episode of June 24. This study emphasizes the deep impact of synoptic and local dynamics on observed ozone concentrations. It is shown that ozone levels are due both to regional and local factors, with highlights of the importance of ozone layering. More generally this confirms, even in an otherwise predominant local sea-breeze regime, the need to consider larger scale regional pollutant transport.

Determination of surface concentrations of individual molecule-layers used in nanoscale biosensors by in situ ATR-FTIR spectroscopy

KAUST Repository

Punzet, Manuel

2012-01-01

For the development of nanowire sensors for chemical and medical detection purposes, the optimal functionalization of the surface is a mandatory component. Quantitative ATR-FTIR spectroscopy was used in situ to investigate the step-by-step layer formation of typical functionalization protocols and to determine the respective molecule surface concentrations. BSA, anti-TNF-α and anti-PSA antibodies were bound via 3-(trimethoxy)butylsilyl aldehyde linkers to silicon-oxide surfaces in order to investigate surface functionalization of nanowires. Maximum determined surface concentrations were 7.17 × 10 -13 mol cm -2 for BSA, 1.7 × 10 -13 mol cm -2 for anti-TNF-α antibody, 6.1 × 10 -13 mol cm -2 for anti-PSA antibody, 3.88 × 10 -13 mol cm -2 for TNF-α and 7.0 × 10 -13 mol cm -2 for PSA. Furthermore we performed antibody-antigen binding experiments and determined the specific binding ratios. The maximum possible ratio of 2 was obtained at bulk concentrations of the antigen in the μg ml -1 range for TNF-α and PSA. © 2012 The Royal Society of Chemistry.

Patient set-up verification by infrared optical localization and body surface sensing in breast radiation therapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Spadea, Maria Francesca; Baroni, Guido; Riboldi, Marco; Orecchia, Roberto; Pedotti, Antonio; Tagaste, Barbara; Garibaldi, Cristina

2006-01-01

Background and purpose: The aim of the study was to investigate the clinical application of a technique for patient set-up verification in breast cancer radiotherapy, based on the 3D localization of a hybrid configuration of surface control points. Materials and methods: An infrared optical tracker provided the 3D position of two passive markers and 10 laser spots placed around and within the irradiation field on nine patients. A fast iterative constrained minimization procedure was applied to detect and compensate patient set-up errors, through the control points registration with reference data coming from treatment plan (markers reference position, CT-based surface model). Results: The application of the corrective spatial transformation estimated by the registration procedure led to significant improvement of patient set-up. Median value of 3D errors affecting three additional verification markers within the irradiation field decreased from 5.7 to 3.5 mm. Errors variability (25-75%) decreased from 3.2 to 2.1 mm. Laser spots registration on the reference surface model was documented to contribute substantially to set-up errors compensation. Conclusions: Patient set-up verification through a hybrid set of control points and constrained surface minimization algorithm was confirmed to be feasible in clinical practice and to provide valuable information for the improvement of the quality of patient set-up, with minimal requirement of operator-dependant procedures. The technique combines conveniently the advantages of passive markers based methods and surface registration techniques, by featuring immediate and robust estimation of the set-up accuracy from a redundant dataset

CFD simulation of simultaneous monotonic cooling and surface heat transfer coefficient

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mihálka, Peter; Matiašovský, Peter

2016-01-01

The monotonic heating regime method for determination of thermal diffusivity is based on the analysis of an unsteady-state (stabilised) thermal process characterised by an independence of the space-time temperature distribution on initial conditions. At the first kind of the monotonic regime a sample of simple geometry is heated / cooled at constant ambient temperature. The determination of thermal diffusivity requires the determination rate of a temperature change and simultaneous determination of the first eigenvalue. According to a characteristic equation the first eigenvalue is a function of the Biot number defined by a surface heat transfer coefficient and thermal conductivity of an analysed material. Knowing the surface heat transfer coefficient and the first eigenvalue the thermal conductivity can be determined. The surface heat transport coefficient during the monotonic regime can be determined by the continuous measurement of long-wave radiation heat flow and the photoelectric measurement of the air refractive index gradient in a boundary layer. CFD simulation of the cooling process was carried out to analyse local convective and radiative heat transfer coefficients more in detail. Influence of ambient air flow was analysed. The obtained eigenvalues and corresponding surface heat transfer coefficient values enable to determine thermal conductivity of the analysed specimen together with its thermal diffusivity during a monotonic heating regime.

A Method for Absolute Determination of the Surface Areal Density of Functional Groups in Organic Thin Films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Min, Hyegeun; Son, Jin Gyeong; Kim, Jeong Won; Yu, Hyunung; Lee, Tae Geol; Moon, Dae Won [Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2014-03-15

To develop a methodology for absolute determination of the surface areal density of functional groups on organic and bio thin films, medium energy ion scattering (MEIS) spectroscopy was utilized to provide references for calibration of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) or Fourier transformation-infrared (FT-IR) intensities. By using the MEIS, XPS, and FT-IR techniques, we were able to analyze the organic thin film of a Ru dye compound (C{sub 58}H{sub 86}O{sub 8}N{sub 8}S{sub 2}Ru), which consists of one Ru atom and various stoichiometric functional groups. From the MEIS analysis, the absolute surface areal density of Ru atoms (or Ru dye molecules) was determined. The surface areal densities of stoichiometric functional groups in the Ru dye compound were used as references for the calibration of XPS and FT-IR intensities for each functional group. The complementary use of MEIS, XPS, and FT-IR to determine the absolute surface areal density of functional groups on organic and bio thin films will be useful for more reliable development of applications based on organic thin films in areas such as flexible displays, solar cells, organic sensors, biomaterials, and biochips.

Contribution to the study of physico-chemical properties of surfaces modified by laser treatment. Application to the enhancement of localized corrosion resistance of stainless steels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pacquentin, W.

2011-01-01

Metallic materials are more and more used in severe conditions with particularly strong request for improving their behavior in aggressive environment and especially over long periods. The objective of this PhD work is to estimate the potentiality of a laser surface melting treatment on the improvement of the stainless steel 304L corrosion resistance, surface treatments by laser can be revisited on the basis of a recent change in the laser technology. In the frame of this work, a nano-pulsed laser fiber was chosen: it allows the treated surface to be melted for few microns in depth, followed by an ultra-fast solidification occurring with cooling rates up to 1011 K/s. The combination of these processes leads to the elimination of the surface defects, the formation (trapping) of metastable phases, the segregation of chemical elements and the growth of a new oxide layer which properties are governed by the laser parameters. To correlate these latter to the electrochemical reactivity of the surface, the influence of two laser parameters on the physico-chemical properties of the surface was studied: the laser power and the overlap of the laser impacts. To support this approach, the pitting corrosion resistance of the samples was determined by standard electrochemical tests. For specific laser parameters, the pitting potential of a 304L stainless steel was increased by more than 500 mV corresponding to an important enhancement in localized corrosion resistance in chloride environment. The interdependence of the different phenomena resulting from the laser treatment lead to a quite complex prioritization of their role on the sensibility of the 304L. However, it was demonstrated that the nature of the thermal oxide formed during the laser surface melting and the induced defects are first-order parameters for the initiation of pits. (author) [fr

Electronic collective modes and instabilities on semiconductor surfaces. I

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Muramatsu, A.; Hanke, W.

1984-01-01

A Green's-function theory of electronic collective modes is presented which leads to a practical scheme for a microscopic determination of surface elementary excitations in conducting as well as nonconducting solids. Particular emphasis is placed on semiconductor surfaces where the jellium approximation is not valid, due to the importance of density fluctuations on a microscopic scale (reflected in the local-field effects). Starting from the Bethe-Salpeter equation for the two-particle Green's function of the surface system, an equation of motion for the electron-hole pair is obtained. Its solutions determine the energy spectra, lifetimes, and amplitudes of the surface elementary excitations, i.e., surface plasmons, excitons, polaritons, and magnons. Exchange and correlation effects are taken into account through the random-phase and time-dependent Hartree-Fock (screened electron-hole attraction) approximations. The formalism is applied to the study of electronic (charge- and spin-density) instabilities at covalent semiconductor surfaces. Quantitative calculations for an eight-layer Si(111) slab display an instability of the ideal paramagnetic surface with respect to spin-density waves with wavelength nearly corresponding to (2 x 1) and (7 x 7) superstructures

The effect of clear sky radiation on crop surface temperature determined by thermal thermometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Svendsen, H.; Jensen, H.E.; Jensen, S.E.; Mogensen, V.O.

1990-01-01

By numerical integration of Planck's radiation function, a relationship between emitted radiation from a black body in the wavelength band 8–14 μm and the corresponding surface temperature was obtained. Using this relationship, an equation was developed relating the temperature error at different temperatures to the crop surface emissivity and clear sky radiation. It is concluded that the temperature error to be expected from neglect of clear sky radiation in the wavelength band 8–14μm in radiometric crop surface temperature determination is < 0.2 and 0.1 °C for crops with an emissivity > 0.96 and 0.98, respectively, for a leaf temperature range from 0 to 30°C