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Sample records for thick conductive section

  1. Investigation of the Section Thickness Measurement in Tomosynthesis by Thin Metal Plate Edge Method.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ikeno, Kaoru; Akita, Tsunemichi; Hanai, Kozo; Muramatsu, Yoshihisa

    When performing tomosynthesis, the section thickness needs to be set depending on a radiographic part and its diagnostic purpose. However, the section thickness in tomosynthesis has not been clearly defined and its measurement method has not been established yet. In this study, we devised the alternative measurement method to diagnose the section thickness using an edge of thin metal plate, and compared with the simulation results, the wire and bead method reported in the previous papers. The tomographic image of the thin metal plate positioned on the table top inclining 30 degrees, which showed the edge spread function (ESF) of each tomographic height, was taken, and then the line spread function (LSF) was obtained by differentiating the ESF image. For the next, a profile curve was plotted by maximum values of LSF of each tomographic height, and a section thickness was calculated using the full width at half maximum (FWHM) of the profile curve. The edge method derived the section thickness close to the simulation results than the other methods. Further, the section thickness depends on the thickness of the metal plate and not the material. The thickness of the metal plate suitable for the evaluation of section thickness is 0.3 mm that is equivalent to pixel size of the flat panel detector (FPD). We conducted quantitative verification to establish the measurement method of the section thickness. The edge method is a useful technique as well as the wire and bead method for grasping basic characteristics of an imaging system.

  2. Practicable methods for histological section thickness measurement in quantitative stereological analyses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Matenaers, Cyrill; Popper, Bastian; Rieger, Alexandra; Wanke, Rüdiger; Blutke, Andreas

    2018-01-01

    The accuracy of quantitative stereological analysis tools such as the (physical) disector method substantially depends on the precise determination of the thickness of the analyzed histological sections. One conventional method for measurement of histological section thickness is to re-embed the section of interest vertically to its original section plane. The section thickness is then measured in a subsequently prepared histological section of this orthogonally re-embedded sample. However, the orthogonal re-embedding (ORE) technique is quite work- and time-intensive and may produce inaccurate section thickness measurement values due to unintentional slightly oblique (non-orthogonal) positioning of the re-embedded sample-section. Here, an improved ORE method is presented, allowing for determination of the factual section plane angle of the re-embedded section, and correction of measured section thickness values for oblique (non-orthogonal) sectioning. For this, the analyzed section is mounted flat on a foil of known thickness (calibration foil) and both the section and the calibration foil are then vertically (re-)embedded. The section angle of the re-embedded section is then calculated from the deviation of the measured section thickness of the calibration foil and its factual thickness, using basic geometry. To find a practicable, fast, and accurate alternative to ORE, the suitability of spectral reflectance (SR) measurement for determination of plastic section thicknesses was evaluated. Using a commercially available optical reflectometer (F20, Filmetrics®, USA), the thicknesses of 0.5 μm thick semi-thin Epon (glycid ether)-sections and of 1-3 μm thick plastic sections (glycolmethacrylate/ methylmethacrylate, GMA/MMA), as regularly used in physical disector analyses, could precisely be measured within few seconds. Compared to the measured section thicknesses determined by ORE, SR measures displayed less than 1% deviation. Our results prove the applicability

  3. Cutting work in thick section cryomicrotomy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saubermann, A J; Riley, W D; Beeuwkes, R

    1977-09-01

    The forces during cryosectioning were measured using miniature strain gauges attached to a load cell fitted to the drive arm of the Porter-Blum MT-2 cryomicrotome. Work was calculated and the data normalized to a standard (1 mm X 1 mm X 0.5 micrometer) section. Thermal energy generated was also calculated. Five parameters were studied: cutting angle, thickness, temperature, hardness, and block shape. Force patterns could be divided into three major groups thought to represent cutting (Type I), large fracture planes greater than 10 micrometer in length (Type II), and small fracture planes less than 10 micrometer in length (Type III). Type I and Type II produced satisfactory sections. Work in cutting ranged from an average of 78.4 muJ to 568.8 muJ. Cutting angle and temperature had the greatest effect on sectioning. Heat generated would be sufficient to cause through-section melting for 0.5 micrometer thick sections assuming the worst possible case, namely that all heat went into the section without loss. Presence of a Type II pattern (large fracture pattern) is thought to be presumptive evidence against thawing.

  4. Economical Fabrication of Thick-Section Ceramic Matrix Composites

    Science.gov (United States)

    Babcock, Jason; Ramachandran, Gautham; Williams, Brian; Benander, Robert

    2010-01-01

    A method was developed for producing thick-section [>2 in. (approx.5 cm)], continuous fiber-reinforced ceramic matrix composites (CMCs). Ultramet-modified fiber interface coating and melt infiltration processing, developed previously for thin-section components, were used for the fabrication of CMCs that were an order of magnitude greater in thickness [up to 2.5 in. (approx.6.4 cm)]. Melt processing first involves infiltration of a fiber preform with the desired interface coating, and then with carbon to partially densify the preform. A molten refractory metal is then infiltrated and reacts with the excess carbon to form the carbide matrix without damaging the fiber reinforcement. Infiltration occurs from the inside out as the molten metal fills virtually all the available void space. Densification to thick-section components required modification of the conventional process conditions, and the means by which the large amount of molten metal is introduced into the fiber preform. Modification of the low-temperature, ultraviolet-enhanced chemical vapor deposition process used to apply interface coatings to the fiber preform was also required to accommodate the high preform thickness. The thick-section CMC processing developed in this work proved to be invaluable for component development, fabrication, and testing in two complementary efforts. In a project for the Army, involving SiC/SiC blisk development, nominally 0.8 in. thick x 8 in. diameter (approx. 2 cm thick x 20 cm diameter) components were successfully infiltrated. Blisk hubs were machined using diamond-embedded cutting tools and successfully spin-tested. Good ply uniformity and extremely low residual porosity (41 ksi (approx. 283 MPa) flexural strength.

  5. Optimal reconstructed section thickness for the detection of liver lesions with multidetector CT

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Soo, G.; Lau, K.K.; Yik, T.; Kutschera, P.

    2010-01-01

    Aim: To evaluate the impact of different reconstructed section thicknesses on liver lesion detection using multidetector computed tomography (CT). Methods: Fifty-three patients were examined using a 16-section CT machine with axial reconstructions provided at 2.5, 5, 7.5, and 10 mm section thicknesses. Images of different reconstructed section thicknesses from different patients were presented in random order to three independent, blinded radiologists for review at multiple sessions. All images were then reviewed by three radiologists in a common session. Consensus was reached following review of the previous interpretation results and results of follow-up imaging regarding the number of true liver lesions (n = 101) for comparison. Results: Mean detection rates were as follows: 93/101 lesions detected with the 2.5 mm section thickness, 98/101 lesions detected at the 5 mm section thickness, 78/101 lesions detected at the 7.5 mm section thickness, and 54/101 lesions detected at the 10 mm section thickness. Lesions missed at the 2.5 mm section thickness were due to masking by image noise. There was particular difficulty detecting subcapsular lesions and lesions adjacent to fissures or the gall bladder at the 7.5 mm and 10 mm section thicknesses. Conclusion: The optimal reconstructed section thickness for lesion detection in the liver was 5 mm.

  6. Finite-difference time-domain analysis on radar cross section of conducting cube scatterer covered with plasmas

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu Shaobin; Zhang Guangfu; Yuan Naichang

    2004-01-01

    A PLJERC-FDTD algorithm is applied to the study of the scattering of perfectly conducting cube covered with homogeneous isotropic plasmas. The effects of plasma thickness, density and collision frequency on the radar cross section (RCS) of the conducting cube scatterer have been obtained. The results illustrate that the plasma cloaking can greatly reduce the RCS of radar targets, and the RCS of the perfectly conducting cube scatterer decreases with increasing plasma thickness when the plasma frequency is greatly less than the electromagnetic (EM) wave frequency; the RCS of the perfectly conducting cube scatterer decreases with increasing plasma thickness and plasma collision frequency when the plasma frequency is almost half as much as the EM wave frequency; the effects of plasma thickness and collision frequency on the RCS of the perfectly conducting cube scatterer is small when the plasma frequency is close to the EM wave frequency

  7. Anomalous size effect in conductivity of Bi films of small thickness

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anopchenko, A.S.; Kashirin, V.Yu.; Komnik, Yu.F.

    1995-01-01

    Experimental data are obtained at helium temperature, which describe the kinetic properties (conductivity, magnetoresistance and Hall coefficient) of Bi films whose thicknesses are within 100-500 A. The small-thickness Bi films display an anomalous size effect- the growing conductivity at decreasing thickness, and pronounced quantum interference effects - weak electron localization and enhancing electron-electron interaction in a disordered system. The information derived on the kinetic properties of the films is used to identify the character of the changes in the electron and hole concentrations and mobilities with a decreasing thickness. The isotropy of the properties in the films plane due to the axial texture has permitted us to use the equations for a conductor with two types of charge carriers. The used kinetic characteristics correctly take into account the contribution of the quantum corrections related to quantum interference. It is found that the concentration of the charge carries increases appreciably (by about two orders of magnitude) as the film thickness decreases to 100 A, which determines the anomalous size effect in the conductivity of the films

  8. Properties of conductive thick-film inks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Holtze, R. F.

    1972-01-01

    Ten different conductive inks used in the fabrication of thick-film circuits were evaluated for their physical and handling properties. Viscosity, solid contents, and spectrographic analysis of the unfired inks were determined. Inks were screened on ceramic substrates and fired for varying times at specified temperatures. Selected substrates were given additional firings to simulate the heat exposure received if thick-film resistors were to be added to the same substrate. Data are presented covering the (1) printing characteristics, (2) solderability using Sn-63 and also a 4 percent silver solder, (3) leach resistance, (4) solder adhesion, and (5) wire bonding properties. Results obtained using different firing schedules were compared. A comparison was made between the various inks showing general results obtained for each ink. The changes in firing time or the application of a simulated resistor firing had little effect on the properties of most inks.

  9. Section thickness-dependent tensile properties of squeeze cast magnesium alloy AM60

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xuezhi Zhang

    2012-05-01

    Full Text Available The development of alternative casting processes is essential for the high demand of light weight magnesium components to be used in the automotive industry, which often contain different section thicknesses. Squeeze casting with its inherent advantages has been approved for the capability of minimizing the gas porosity in magnesium alloys. For advanced engineering design of light magnesium automotive applications, it is critical to understand the effect of section thickness on mechanical properties of squeeze cast magnesium alloys. In this study, magnesium alloy AM60 with different section thicknesses of 6, 10 and 20 mm squeeze cast under an applied pressure of 30 MPa was investigated. The prepared squeeze cast AM60 specimens were tensile tested at room termperature. The results indicate that the mechanical properties including yield strength (YS, ultimate tensile strength (UTS and elongation (A decrease with an increase in section thickness of squeeze cast AM60. The microstructure analysis shows that the improvement in the tensile behavior of squeeze cast AM60 is primarily attributed to the low-gas porosity level and fine grain strucuture which result from the variation of cooling rate of different section thickness. The numerical simulation (Magmasoft? was employed to determine the solidification rates of each step, and the simulated results show that the solidification rate of the alloy decreases with an increase in the section thickness. The computed solidification rates support the experimental observation on grain structural development.

  10. Effect of annealing, thickness ratio and bend angle on springback of AA6061-T6 with non-uniform thickness section

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Adnan M.F.

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Non-uniform thickness section section is considered one of the most effective approaches to reduce automotive part weight. Reduction in term of mass and size result in less fuel consumption and greenhouse gases. Thickness is the most significant parameter to formability, therefore forming a section with non-uniform thickness becomes a great challenge. Improper process and incorrect decision may lead to severe defect and one of the main concerns is the springback. This study will focus on springback behaviour of non-uniform thickness AA6061 strip with complex profile using Taguchi Method. Profile projector (PC 3000 is used to measure the spring back and two-line technique is applied to measure angles (after loading between two lines. Three parameters (i.e. annealing temperature, thickness ratio and bend angle are studied, and results determine that the most significant parameter is bend angle, followed by thickness ratio, and then by the annealing temperature of the specimen during bending process.

  11. Design of instantaneous liquid film thickness measurement system for conductive or non-conductive fluid with high viscosity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yongxin Yu

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available In the paper, a new capacitive sensor with a dielectric film coating was designed to measure the thickness of the liquid film on a flat surface. The measured medium can be conductive or non-conductive fluid with high viscosity such as silicone oil, syrup, CMC solution and melt. With the dielectric film coating, the defects caused by the humidity in a capacitor can be avoided completely. With a excitation frequency 0-20kHz, the static permittivity of capacitive sensor is obtained and stable when small thicknesses are monitored within the frequency of 0-3kHz. Based on the measurement principle, an experimental system was designed and verified including calibration and actual measurement for different liquid film thickness. Experimental results showed that the sensitivity, the resolution, repeatability and linear range of the capacitive sensor are satisfied to the liquid film thickness measurement. Finally, the capacitive measuring system was successfully applied to the water, silicone oil and syrup film thickness measurement.

  12. Brain cortical thickness in male adolescents with serious substance use and conduct problems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chumachenko, Serhiy Y; Sakai, Joseph T; Dalwani, Manish S; Mikulich-Gilbertson, Susan K; Dunn, Robin; Tanabe, Jody; Young, Susan; McWilliams, Shannon K; Banich, Marie T; Crowley, Thomas J

    2015-01-01

    Adolescents with substance use disorder (SUD) and conduct problems exhibit high levels of impulsivity and poor self-control. Limited work to date tests for brain cortical thickness differences in these youths. To investigate differences in cortical thickness between adolescents with substance use and conduct problems and controls. We recruited 25 male adolescents with SUD, and 19 male adolescent controls, and completed structural 3T magnetic resonance brain imaging. Using the surface-based morphometry software FreeSurfer, we completed region-of-interest (ROI) analyses for group cortical thickness differences in left, and separately right, inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) and insula. Using FreeSurfer, we completed whole-cerebrum analyses of group differences in cortical thickness. Versus controls, the SUD group showed no cortical thickness differences in ROI analyses. Controlling for age and IQ, no regions with cortical thickness differences were found using whole-cerebrum analyses (though secondary analyses co-varying IQ and whole-cerebrum cortical thickness yielded a between-group cortical thickness difference in the left posterior cingulate/precuneus). Secondary findings showed that the SUD group, relative to controls, demonstrated significantly less right > left asymmetry in IFG, had weaker insular-to-whole-cerebrum cortical thickness correlations, and showed a positive association between conduct disorder symptom count and cortical thickness in a superior temporal gyrus cluster. Functional group differences may reflect a more nuanced cortical morphometric difference than ROI cortical thickness. Further investigation of morphometric differences is needed. If replicable findings can be established, they may aid in developing improved diagnostic or more targeted treatment approaches.

  13. Annular convective-radiative fins with a step change in thickness, and temperature-dependent thermal conductivity and heat transfer coefficient

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barforoush, M. S. M.; Saedodin, S.

    2018-01-01

    This article investigates the thermal performance of convective-radiative annular fins with a step reduction in local cross section (SRC). The thermal conductivity of the fin's material is assumed to be a linear function of temperature, and heat transfer coefficient is assumed to be a power-law function of surface temperature. Moreover, nonzero convection and radiation sink temperatures are included in the mathematical model of the energy equation. The well-known differential transformation method (DTM) is used to derive the analytical solution. An exact analytical solution for a special case is derived to prove the validity of the obtained results from the DTM. The model provided here is a more realistic representation of SRC annular fins in actual engineering practices. Effects of many parameters such as conduction-convection parameters, conduction-radiation parameter and sink temperature, and also some parameters which deal with step fins such as thickness parameter and dimensionless parameter describing the position of junction in the fin on the temperature distribution of both thin and thick sections of the fin are investigated. It is believed that the obtained results will facilitate the design and performance evaluation of SRC annular fins.

  14. A novel thick-film electrical conductivity sensor suitable for liquid and soil conductivity measurements

    OpenAIRE

    Atkinson, John; Sophocleous, Marios

    2015-01-01

    Results are reported from an initial evaluation of a novel conductivity sensor that could be incorporated onto a multi-element thick film (screen printed) sensor array designed for soil and water analysis. The new sensor exhibits a repeatable cell constant over a wide range of conductivities and is currently performing very well in an investigation of soil structural properties where its output is being correlated with soil water content in a study of different soil porosities.

  15. Interplay between total thickness and period thickness in the phonon thermal conductivity of superlattices from the nanoscale to the microscale: Coherent versus incoherent phonon transport

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheaito, Ramez; Polanco, Carlos A.; Addamane, Sadhvikas; Zhang, Jingjie; Ghosh, Avik W.; Balakrishnan, Ganesh; Hopkins, Patrick E.

    2018-02-01

    We report on the room temperature thermal conductivity of AlAs-GaAs superlattices (SLs), in which we systematically vary the period thickness and total thickness between 2 -24 nm and 20.1 -2 ,160 nm , respectively. The thermal conductivity increases with the SL thickness and plateaus at a thickness around 200 nm, showing a clear transition from a quasiballistic to a diffusive phonon transport regime. These results demonstrate the existence of classical size effects in SLs, even at the highest interface density samples. We use harmonic atomistic Green's function calculations to capture incoherence in phonon transport by averaging the calculated transmission over several purely coherent simulations of independent SL with different random mixing at the AlAs-GaAs interfaces. These simulations demonstrate the significant contribution of incoherent phonon transport through the decrease in the transmission and conductance in the SLs as the number of interfaces increases. In spite of this conductance decrease, our simulations show a quasilinear increase in thermal conductivity with the superlattice thickness. This suggests that the observation of a quasilinear increase in thermal conductivity can have important contributions from incoherent phonon transport. Furthermore, this seemingly linear slope in thermal conductivity versus SL thickness data may actually be nonlinear when extended to a larger number of periods, which is a signature of incoherent effects. Indeed, this trend for superlattices with interatomic mixing at the interfaces could easily be interpreted as linear when the number of periods is small. Our results reveal that the change in thermal conductivity with period thickness is dominated by incoherent (particlelike) phonons, whose properties are not dictated by changes in the AlAs or GaAs phonon dispersion relations. This work demonstrates the importance of studying both period and sample thickness dependencies of thermal conductivity to understand the

  16. Dorsiflexor muscle-group thickness in children with cerebral palsy: Relation to cross-sectional area

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bandholm, Thomas; Magnusson, Peter; Jensen, Bente Rona

    2009-01-01

    If the thickness and cross-sectional area of the dorsiflexor muscle group are related in children with cerebral palsy, measurements of muscle thickness may be used to monitor changes in muscle size due to training or immobilisation in these patients. We assessed the validity and reliability.......001), and the reliability of the muscle-thickness measurements was high in the healthy subjects (ICC_{2.1} = 0.94, standard error of measurement = 0.04 cm). The dorsiflexor muscle-thickness was 22% less in the affected compared to the non-affected leg in children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy (P ..., the dorsiflexor cross-sectional area was 32% less in the affected compared to the non-affected leg (P = 0.002). Measurements of dorsiflexor muscle-thickness can be reliably obtained, and they reflect dorsiflexor cross-sectional area in children with cerebral palsy....

  17. Through-thickness thermal conductivity enhancement of graphite film/epoxy composite via short duration acidizing modification

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Han; Wang, Shaokai; Lu, Weibang; Li, Min; Gu, Yizhou; Zhang, Yongyi; Zhang, Zuoguang

    2018-06-01

    Graphite films have excellent in-plane thermal conductivity but extremely low through-thickness thermal conductivity because of their intrinsic inter-layer spaces. To improve the inter-layer heat transfer of graphite films, we developed a simple interfacial modification with a short duration mixed-acid treatment. The effects of the mixture ratio of sulfuric and nitric acids and treatment time on the through-thickness thermal properties of graphite films were studied. The modification increased the through-thickness thermal conductivity by 27% and 42% for the graphite film and its composite, respectively. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray powder diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy results indicated that the acidification process had two competing effects: the positive contribution made by the enhanced interaction between the graphite layers induced by the functional groups and the negative effect from the destruction of the graphite layers. As a result, an optimal acidification method was found to be sulfuric/nitric acid treatment with a mixture ratio of 3:1 for 15 min. The resultant through-thickness thermal conductivity of the graphite film could be improved to 0.674 W/mK, and the corresponding graphite/epoxy composite shows a through-thickness thermal conductivity of 0.587 W/mK. This method can be directly used for graphite films and their composite fabrication to improve through-thickness thermal conductivity.

  18. Influence of Casting Section Thickness on Fatigue Strength of Austempered Ductile Iron

    Science.gov (United States)

    Olawale, J. O.; Ibitoye, S. A.

    2017-10-01

    The influence of casting section thickness on fatigue strength of austempered ductile iron was investigated in this study. ASTM A536 65-45-12 grade of ductile iron was produced, machined into round samples of 10, 15, 20 and 25 mm diameter, austenitized at a temperature of 820 °C, quenched into an austempering temperature (TA) of 300 and 375 °C and allowed to be isothermally transformed at these temperatures for a fixed period of 2 h. From the samples, fatigue test specimens were machined to conform to ASTM E-466. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and x-ray diffraction (XRD) methods were used to characterize microstructural morphology and phase distribution of heat-treated samples. The fatigue strength decreases as the section thickness increases. The SEM image and XRD patterns show a matrix of acicular ferrite and carbon-stabilized austenite with ferrite coarsening and volume fraction of austenite reducing as the section thickness increases. The study concluded that the higher the value of carbon-stabilized austenite the higher the fatigue strength while it decreases as the ausferrite structure becomes coarse.

  19. Dependence of conductivity on thickness within the variable-range hopping regime for Coulomb glasses

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. Caravaca

    Full Text Available In this paper, we provide some computational evidence concerning the dependence of conductivity on the system thickness for Coulomb glasses. We also verify the Efros–Shklovskii law and deal with the calculation of its characteristic parameter as a function of the thickness. Our results strengthen the link between theoretical and experimental fields. Keywords: Coulomb glass, Conductivity, Density of states, Efros–Shklovskii law

  20. Cross section measurement and integral test for several activation reactions using T + d and thick-Li + d sources

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dumais, J.R.; Tanaka, S.; Odano, N.; Iwasaki, S.; Sugiyama, K.

    1988-01-01

    Recent activities on the area of the cross section measurement for several activation reactions at Department of Nucl. Eng., Tohoku Univ. are described. The first subject is the cross section measurement for (n,2n) reaction on aluminum using the RTNS-II neutron source. Cross sections with rather small error band were obtained for the incident neutron energies from 14 to 14.7 MeV. The second one is the status of the program for the integral experiments on several reactions using the thick Li + d source at Tohoku Fast Neutron Lab. The experimental results showed the usefullness of the source as a tool for the cross section assessment. (author)

  1. Differential cross sections in a thick brane world scenario

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pedraza, Omar; Arceo, R.; López, L. A.; Cerón, V. E.

    2018-04-01

    The elastic differential cross section is calculated at low energies for the elements He and Ne using an effective 4D electromagnetic potential coming from the contribution of the massive Kaluza-Klein modes of the 5D vector field in a thick brane scenario. The length scale is adjusted in the potential to compare with known experimental data and to set bounds for the parameter of the model.

  2. The measurement of conductivity of copper indium disulphide thin films against temperature and thickness

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yussof Wahab; Roslinda Zainal; Samsudi Sakrani

    1996-01-01

    Ternary semiconductor copper indium disulphide (CuInS sub 2) thin films have been prepared by thermal evaporation. Three stacked layers of film starting with copper, indium and finally sulphur was deposited on glass substrate in the thickness ratio of 1: 1: I0. The films were then annealed in carbon block by method known as encapsulated sulphurization at 350 degree C for 4 hours. The XRD analysis for four samples of thickness of 449.5, 586, 612 and 654 nm showed that stoichiometric CuInS sub 2, were formed at this annealing condition. The electrical conductivity of CuInS sub 2 thin films were measured against temperature from 150K to 300K. The conductivity values were between 76.6 Sm sup -1 to 631.26 Sm sup -1 and the result showed that it increase exponentially with temperature for the above temperature range. The resulting activation energies were found to be in the range 0.05 to 0.08 eV. This suggested that hopping mechanism predominant to the conducting process. It also found that the conductivity decreased with increasing film thickness

  3. Benefit of computer-aided detection analysis for the detection of subsolid and solid lung nodules on thin- and thick-section CT.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Godoy, Myrna C B; Kim, Tae Jung; White, Charles S; Bogoni, Luca; de Groot, Patricia; Florin, Charles; Obuchowski, Nancy; Babb, James S; Salganicoff, Marcos; Naidich, David P; Anand, Vikram; Park, Sangmin; Vlahos, Ioannis; Ko, Jane P

    2013-01-01

    The objective of our study was to evaluate the impact of computer-aided detection (CAD) on the identification of subsolid and solid lung nodules on thin- and thick-section CT. For 46 chest CT examinations with ground-glass opacity (GGO) nodules, CAD marks computed using thin data were evaluated in two phases. First, four chest radiologists reviewed thin sections (reader(thin)) for nodules and subsequently CAD marks (reader(thin) + CAD(thin)). After 4 months, the same cases were reviewed on thick sections (reader(thick)) and subsequently with CAD marks (reader(thick) + CAD(thick)). Sensitivities were evaluated. Additionally, reader(thick) sensitivity with assessment of CAD marks on thin sections was estimated (reader(thick) + CAD(thin)). For 155 nodules (mean, 5.5 mm; range, 4.0-27.5 mm)-74 solid nodules, 22 part-solid (part-solid nodules), and 59 GGO nodules-CAD stand-alone sensitivity was 80%, 95%, and 71%, respectively, with three false-positives on average (0-12) per CT study. Reader(thin) + CAD(thin) sensitivities were higher than reader(thin) for solid nodules (82% vs 57%, p thick), reader(thick) + CAD(thick), reader(thick) + CAD(thin) were 40%, 58% (p thick); false-positive rates were 1.17, 1.19, and 1.26 per case for reader(thick), reader(thick) + CAD(thick), and reader(thick) + CAD(thin), respectively. Detection of GGO nodules and solid nodules is significantly improved with CAD. When interpretation is performed on thick sections, the benefit is greater when CAD marks are reviewed on thin rather than thick sections.

  4. Thick-target method in the measurement of inner-shell ionization cross-sections by low-energy electron impact

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    An, Z.; Wu, Y.; Liu, M.T.; Duan, Y.M.; Tang, C.H.

    2006-01-01

    In this paper, we have studied the thick-target method for the measurements of atomic inner-shell ionization cross-section or X-ray production cross-section by keV electron impact. We find that in the processes of electron impact on the thick targets, the ratios of the characteristic X-ray yields of photoelectric ionization by bremsstrahlung to the total characteristic X-ray yields are Z-dependent and shell-dependent, and the ratios also show the weak energy-dependence. In addition, in the lower incident energy region (i.e. U < 5-6), the contribution from the rediffusion effect and the secondary electrons can be negligible. In general, the thick-target method can be appropriately applied to the measurements of atomic inner-shell ionization cross-sections or X-ray production cross-sections by electron impact for low and medium Z elements in the lower incident electron energy (i.e. U < 5-6). The experimental accuracies by the thick-target method can reach to the level equivalent or superior to the accuracies of experimental data based on the thin-target method. This thick-target method has been applied to the measurement of K-shell ionization cross-sections of Ni element by electron impact in this paper

  5. Human Chorioretinal Layer Thicknesses Measured in Macula-wide, High-Resolution Histologic Sections

    Science.gov (United States)

    Messinger, Jeffrey D.; Sloan, Kenneth R.; Mitra, Arnab; McGwin, Gerald; Spaide, Richard F.

    2011-01-01

    Purpose. To provide a comprehensive description of chorioretinal layer thicknesses in the normal human macula, including two-layer pairs that can produce a combined signal in some optical coherence tomography (OCT) devices (ganglion cell [GCL] and inner plexiform [IPL] layers and outer plexiform [OPL] and outer nuclear [ONL] layers). Methods. In 0.8-μm-thick, macula-wide sections through the foveola of 18 donors (age range, 40–92 years), 21 layers were measured at 25 locations by a trained observer and validated by a second observer. Tissue volume changes were assessed by comparing total retinal thickness in ex vivo OCT and in sections. Results. Median tissue shrinkage was 14.5% overall and 29% in the fovea. Histologic laminar boundaries resembled those in SD-OCT scans, but the shapes of the foveolar OPL and ONL differed. Histologic GCL, IPL, and OPLHenle were thickest at 0.8. to 1, 1.5, and 0.4 mm eccentricity, respectively. ONL was thickest in an inward bulge at the foveal center. At 1 mm eccentricity, GCL, INL, and OPLHenle represented 17.3% to 21.1%, 18.0% to 18.5%, and 14.2% to 16.6% of total retinal thickness, respectively. In donors ≥70 years of age, the RPE and choroid were 17.1% and 29.6% thinner and OPLHenle was 20.8% thicker than in donors macula were generated. Newer OCT systems can separate GCL from IPL and OPLHenle from ONL, with good agreement for the proportion of retinal thickness occupied by OPLHenle in OCT and histology. The thickening of OPLHenle in older eyes may reflect Müller cell hypertrophy associated with rod loss. PMID:21421869

  6. Analytical and Experimental Characterization of Thick-Section Fiber-Metal Laminates

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-06-01

    laminate . The model individually models each layer of the laminate and predicts stiffness degradation as metal layers plastically deform and as prepreg ...eliminating four of the possible ECM laminates . Additionally, since at least four individual layers (two aluminum and two prepreg ) are used in FML an...AFRL-AFOSR-UK-TR-2013-0023 Analytical and Experimental Characterization of Thick- Section Fiber-Metal Laminates Dr. Rene

  7. Stereological estimation of surface area and barrier thickness of fish gills in vertical sections.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Da Costa, Oscar T F; Pedretti, Ana Carolina E; Schmitz, Anke; Perry, Steven F; Fernandes, Marisa N

    2007-01-01

    Previous morphometric methods for estimation of the volume of components, surface area and thickness of the diffusion barrier in fish gills have taken advantage of the highly ordered structure of these organs for sampling and surface area estimations, whereas the thickness of the diffusion barrier has been measured orthogonally on perpendicularly sectioned material at subjectively selected sites. Although intuitively logical, these procedures do not have a demonstrated mathematical basis, do not involve random sampling and measurement techniques, and are not applicable to the gills of all fish. The present stereological methods apply the principles of surface area estimation in vertical uniform random sections to the gills of the Brazilian teleost Arapaima gigas. The tissue was taken from the entire gill apparatus of the right-hand or left-hand side (selected at random) of the fish by systematic random sampling and embedded in glycol methacrylate for light microscopy. Arches from the other side were embedded in Epoxy resin. Reference volume was estimated by the Cavalieri method in the same vertical sections that were used for surface density and volume density measurements. The harmonic mean barrier thickness of the water-blood diffusion barrier was calculated from measurements taken along randomly selected orientation lines that were sine-weighted relative to the vertical axis. The values thus obtained for the anatomical diffusion factor (surface area divided by barrier thickness) compare favourably with those obtained for other sluggish fish using existing methods.

  8. Chapter A6. Section 6.3. Specific Electrical Conductance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Radtke, Dean B.; Davis, Jerri V.; Wilde, Franceska D.

    2005-01-01

    Electrical conductance is a measure of the capacity of a substance to conduct an electrical current. The specific electrical conductance (conductivity) of water is a function of the types and quantities of dissolved substances it contains, normalized to a unit length and unit cross section at a specified temperature. This section of the National Field Manual (NFM) describes U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) guidance and protocols for measurement of conductivity in ground and surface waters.

  9. Electrical properties and conduction mechanisms of Ru-based thick-film (cermet) resistors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pike, G.E.; Seager, C.H.

    1977-01-01

    This paper presents an experimental study of the electrical conduction mechanisms in thick-film (cermet) resistor. The resistors were made from one custom and three commercially formulated inks with sheet resistivities ranging from 10 2 to 10 6 Ω/D 7 Alembertian in decade increments. Their microstructure and composition have been examined using optical and scanning electron microscopy, electron microprobe analysis, x-ray diffraction, and various chemical analyses. This portion of our study shows that the resistors are heterogeneous mixtures of metallic metal oxide particles (approx.4 x 10 -5 cm in diameter) and a lead silicate glass. The metal oxide particles are ruthenium containing pyrochlores, and are joined to form a continuous three-dimensional network of chain segments. The principal experimental work reported here is an extensive study of the electrical transport properties of the resistors. The temperature dependence of conductance has been measured from 1.2 to 400 K, and two features common to all resistors are found. There is a pronounced decrease in conductance at low temperatures and a shallow maximum at several hundred Kelvin. Within the same range of temperatures the reversible conductance as a function of electric field from 0 to 28 kV/cm has been studied. The resistors are non-Ohmic at all temperatures, but particularly at cryogenic temperatures for low fields. At higher fields the conductance shows a linear variation with electric field. The thick-film resistors are found to have a small dielectric constant and a (nearly) frequency-independent conductance from dc to 50 MHz. The magnetoresistance to 100 kG, the Hall mobility, and the Seebeck coefficient of most of the resistors have been measured and discovered to be quite small. Many of the electrical transport properties have also been determined for the metal oxide particles which were extracted from the fired resistors

  10. The effect of membrane thickness on the conductivity of Nafion

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tsampas, M.N.; Pikos, A.; Brosda, S.; Katsaounis, A.; Vayenas, C.G.

    2006-01-01

    The conductivity of fully hydrated Nafion 112, 1135, 115 and 117 membranes was measured via ac impedance spectroscopy and steady-state current-potential measurements both in symmetric H 2 , Pt|Nafion|Pt, H 2 and D 2 , Pt|Nafion|Pt, D 2 PEM cells and in H 2 , Pt|Nafion|Pt, air and D 2 , Pt|Nafion|Pt, air PEM fuel cells. In agreement with recent studies, it was found that the conductivity, σ, increases almost linearly with membrane thickness L and also depends exponentially on potential and almost linearly on P H 2 1/2 . These and other observations, including the strong isotope effect obtained upon switching between H 2 and D 2 at the anode, show that the conductivity of Nafion contains two components, one due to proton migration in the aqueous phase, the other due to proton tunneling between adjacent sulfonate groups in narrow pores. The observed near-linear increase of σ with L is consistent with the proton tunneling mechanism but can also be explained by the existence of skin layers with lower conductivity at the ionomer interfaces with the anode and cathode

  11. Weld repair issues in thick section austenitic pipework

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Goodwin, S.J.; Price, A.T.

    1989-03-01

    Thick section austenitic Type 316 Stainless steel, in the solution treated condition, has been used in Central Electricity Generating Board plant in the United Kingdom for some three decades and has given good service. Repair and replacement of this material after long term service is becoming a requirement and is complicated by the precipitation hardening and sensitisation of the materials. This paper summarises the compositional, microstructural and ageing characteristics of the wrought material and weld metals and the consequences for materials properties. Post weld heat treatment options are outlined and sensitisation to stress corrosion cracking is discussed. Finally, some examples of cracking that has occurred in plant after long term operation are given and weld repair research requirements are noted. (author)

  12. Self-heating forecasting for thick laminates testing coupons in fatigue

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Lahuerta, F.; Westphal, T.; Nijssen, R.P.L.

    2012-01-01

    Thick laminate sections can be found from the tip to the root in most common wind turbine blade designs. Obtaining accurate and reliable design data for thick laminates is subject of investigations. Due to the poor thermal conductivity properties of composites and the material self-heating that

  13. DNA Measurement of Overlapping Cell Nuclei in Thick Tissue Sections

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Liang Ji

    1997-01-01

    Full Text Available The paper describes an improved image analysis procedure for measuring the DNA content of cell nuclei in thick sections of liver tissue by absorption densitometry. Whereas previous methods only permitted the analysis of isolated nuclei, the new technique enables both isolated and overlapping nuclei to be measured. A 3D segmentation procedure determines whether each object is an isolated nucleus or a pair of overlapping nuclei; in the latter case the combined optical density is redistributed to the individual nuclei. A selection procedure ensures that only complete nuclei are measured.

  14. Thick-section weldments in 21-6-9 and 316LN stainless steel for fusion energy applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Alexander, D.J.; Goodwin, G.M.

    1991-01-01

    The Burning Plasma Experiment (BPX), formerly known as the Compact Ignition Tokomak, will be a major advance in the design of a fusion reactor. The successful construction of fusion reactors will require extensive welding of thick-section stainless steel plates. Severe service conditions will be experienced by the structure. Operating temperatures will range from room temperature (300 K) to liquid nitrogen temperature (77 K), and perhaps even lower. The structure will be highly stressed, and subject to sudden impact loads if plasma disruptions occur. This demands a combination of high strength and high toughness from the weldments. Significant portions of the welding will be done in the field, so preweld and postweld heat treatments will be difficult. The thick sections to be welded will require a high deposition rate process, and will result in significant residual stresses in the materials. Inspection of these thick sections in complex geometries will be very difficult. All of these constraints make it essential that the welding procedures and alloys be well understood, and the mechanical properties of the welds and their heat-affected zones must be adequately characterized. The candidate alloy for structural applications in the BPX such as the magnet cases was initially selected as 21-6-9 austenitic stainless steel, and later changed to 316LN stainless steel. This study examined several possible filler materials for thick-section (25 to 50 mm) weldments in these two materials. The tensile and Charpy V-notch properties were measured at room temperature and 77 K. The fracture toughness was measured for promising materials

  15. Estimating the thickness of ultra thin sections for electron microscopy by image statistics

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sporring, Jon; Khanmohammadi, Mahdieh; Darkner, Sune

    2014-01-01

    We propose a method for estimating the thickness of ultra thin histological sections by image statistics alone. Our method works for images, that are the realisations of a stationary and isotropic stochastic process, and it relies on the existence of statistical image-measures that are strictly m...

  16. An examination of the potential for 9%Cr1%Mo steel as thick section tubeplates in fast reactors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Orr, J.; Sanderson, S.J.

    1984-01-01

    The steam generator units of future commercial demonstration fast reactors are likely to have a requirement for heavy section tubeplates (up to 500mm thick) with good elevated temperature strength and creep-fatigue resistance. A comparison of the mechanical properties available for ferritic steels has suggested that 9%Cr1%Mo steel would be a strong candidate material for this application. Although this steel is covered in some national specifications for tubes, pipes, plates and forgings and is also well established in the UK nuclear industry, international experience to date is confined to sections less than ca 150mm. The potential of 9%Cr1%Mo steel for use in thick sections has therefore been assessed in the present study by using simulation heat treatments. The work reported here involved the laboratory-scale cooling of bar samples to simulate water-quenching rates in cylindrical sections up to 720mm diameter (ie: equivalent to 500mm thick plate). The tensile properties at ambient and 525 0 C and impact fracture appearance transition temperatures were determined for material tempered after cooling at simulated thick section rates; the transformation characteristics as influenced by the net chromium equivalent were also established. The results of this work show that 9%Cr1%Mo steel may be fully hardened in the equivalent of the section sizes examined,and the mechanical properties of tempered material show only a small reduction from those of thin section normalised and tempered 9%Cr1%Mo steel. These findings support the potential usage of heavy section 9%Cr1%Mo steel envisaged for fast reactor steam generator tubeplates

  17. Influence of leaf vein density and thickness on hydraulic conductance and photosynthesis in rice (Oryza sativa L.) during water stress.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tabassum, Muhammad Adnan; Zhu, Guanglong; Hafeez, Abdul; Wahid, Muhammad Atif; Shaban, Muhammad; Li, Yong

    2016-11-16

    The leaf venation architecture is an ideal, highly structured and efficient irrigation system in plant leaves. Leaf vein density (LVD) and vein thickness are the two major properties of this system. Leaf laminae carry out photosynthesis to harvest the maximum biological yield. It is still unknown whether the LVD and/or leaf vein thickness determines the plant hydraulic conductance (K plant ) and leaf photosynthetic rate (A). To investigate this topic, the current study was conducted with two varieties under three PEG-induced water deficit stress (PEG-IWDS) levels. The results showed that PEG-IWDS significantly decreased A, stomatal conductance (g s ), and K plant in both cultivars, though the IR-64 strain showed more severe decreases than the Hanyou-3 strain. PEG-IWDS significantly decreased the major vein thickness, while it had no significant effect on LVD. A, g s and K plant were positively correlated with each other, and they were negatively correlated with LVD. A, g s and K plant were positively correlated with the inter-vein distance and major vein thickness. Therefore, the decreased photosynthesis and hydraulic conductance in rice plants under water deficit conditions are related to the decrease in the major vein thickness.

  18. Numerical analysis for conductance probes, for the measurement of liquid film thickness in two-phase flow

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    No, Hee Cheon; Mayinger, F.

    1995-01-01

    A three-dimensional numerical tool is developed to calculate the potential distribution, electric field, and conductance for any types of conductance probes immersed in the wavy liquid film with various shapes of its free surface. The tool is validated against various analytical solutions. It is applied to find out the characteristics of the wire-wire probe, the flush-wire probe and the flush-flush probe in terms of resolution, linearity, and sensitivity. The wire-wire probe shows high resolution and excellent linearity for various film thickness, but comparably low sensitivity for low film thickness fixed. The flush-wire probe shows good linearity and high sensitivity for varying film thickness, but resolution degrading with an increase in film thickness. In order to check the applicability of the three types of probes in the real situation, the Korteweg-de Vries(KdV) two-dimensional solitary wave is simulated. The wire-wire probe is strongly affected by the installation direction of the two wires; when the wires are installed perpendicularly to the flow direction, the wire-wire probe shows large distortion of the solitary wave. In order to measure the transverse profile of waves, the wire-wire probes and the flush-wire probes are required to be separately installed 2mm and 2mm, respectively

  19. On the variation in the electrical properties and ac conductivity of through-thickness nano-porous anodic alumina with temperature

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tahir, Mahmood; Mehmood, Mazhar; Nadeem, Muhammad; Waheed, Abdul; Tanvir, Muhammad Tauseef

    2013-01-01

    The electrical response of self-organized through-thickness anodic alumina with hexagonal arrangement of cylindrical pores has been studied as a function of temperature. Mechanically stable thick porous anodic alumina was prepared, by through-thickness anodic oxidation of aluminum sheet in sulfuric acid, with extremely high aspect ratio pores exhibiting fairly uniform diameter and interpore distance. It was observed that the electrical properties of through-thickness anodic alumina are very sensitive to minute changes in temperature and the role of surface conductivity in governing its electrical response cannot be overlooked. At high frequencies, intrinsic dielectric response of anodic alumina was dominant. The frequency-dependent conductivity behavior at low and intermediate frequencies was explained on the basis of correlated barrier hopping (CBH) and quantum mechanical tunneling (QMT) models, respectively. Experimental data was modeled using an equivalent circuit consisting of Debye circuit, for bulk alumina, parallel to surface conduction path. The surface conduction was primarily based on two circuits in series, each with a parallel arrangement of a resistor and a constant phase element. This suggested heterogeneity in alumina pore surface, possibly related with islands of physisorbed water separated by the regions of chemisorbed water. Temperature dependence of some circuit elements has been analyzed to express different charge migration phenomena occurring in nano-porous anodic alumina

  20. Sensitivity of Shallow Land Burial to neutron environment and activation cross sections in IFE thick-liquid concepts

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cabellos, O.; Sanz, J. [Institute of Nuclear Fusion, UPM (Spain); Cabellos, O.; Garcia-Herranz, N. [Dept. of Nuclear Engineering, UPM (Spain); Sanz, J. [Dept. of Power Engineering, UNED (Spain); Reyes, S.; Latkowski, J. [Livermore National Lab., LLNL (United States)

    2006-06-15

    A comprehensive assessment on the eligibility of reduced activation (RA) steels as structural chamber material in Inertial Fusion Energy thick-liquid concepts is performed. As far as alloying elements, it is shown that the activation of tungsten is a question to discuss. Regarding impurity elements, it is analyzed if they could question the possibility of obtaining real RA steels for shallow land burial (SLB). The effect of the thickness of the liquid wall on the SLB response of alloying and impurity elements is computed. It seems that a reasonable liquid thickness of about 80 cm is allowable to obtain SLB acceptability of real RA steels. And above all, we have estimated the impact of cross section uncertainties when addressing the former questions, and we identify those to be improved. The necessary improvement of some tungsten and niobium cross sections is justified. (authors)

  1. Monte Carlo electron-trajectory simulations in bright-field and dark-field STEM: Implications for tomography of thick biological sections

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sousa, A.A.; Hohmann-Marriott, M.F.; Zhang, G. [Laboratory of Bioengineering and Physical Science, National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, National Institutes of Health, Bldg. 13, Rm. 3N17, 13 South Drive, Bethesda, MD 20892-5766 (United States); Leapman, R.D. [Laboratory of Bioengineering and Physical Science, National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, National Institutes of Health, Bldg. 13, Rm. 3N17, 13 South Drive, Bethesda, MD 20892-5766 (United States)], E-mail: leapmanr@mail.nih.gov

    2009-02-15

    A Monte Carlo electron-trajectory calculation has been implemented to assess the optimal detector configuration for scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) tomography of thick biological sections. By modeling specimens containing 2 and 3 at% osmium in a carbon matrix, it was found that for 1-{mu}m-thick samples the bright-field (BF) and annular dark-field (ADF) signals give similar contrast and signal-to-noise ratio provided the ADF inner angle and BF outer angle are chosen optimally. Spatial resolution in STEM imaging of thick sections is compromised by multiple elastic scattering which results in a spread of scattering angles and thus a spread in lateral distances of the electrons leaving the bottom surface. However, the simulations reveal that a large fraction of these multiply scattered electrons are excluded from the BF detector, which results in higher spatial resolution in BF than in high-angle ADF images for objects situated towards the bottom of the sample. The calculations imply that STEM electron tomography of thick sections should be performed using a BF rather than an ADF detector. This advantage was verified by recording simultaneous BF and high-angle ADF STEM tomographic tilt series from a stained 600-nm-thick section of C. elegans. It was found that loss of spatial resolution occurred markedly at the bottom surface of the specimen in the ADF STEM but significantly less in the BF STEM tomographic reconstruction. Our results indicate that it might be feasible to use BF STEM tomography to determine the 3D structure of whole eukaryotic microorganisms prepared by freeze-substitution, embedding, and sectioning.

  2. Nearshore sediment thickness, Fire Island, New York

    Science.gov (United States)

    Locker, Stanley D.; Miselis, Jennifer L.; Buster, Noreen A.; Hapke, Cheryl J.; Wadman, Heidi M.; McNinch, Jesse E.; Forde, Arnell S.; Stalk, Chelsea A.

    2017-04-03

    Investigations of coastal change at Fire Island, New York (N.Y.), sought to characterize sediment budgets and determine geologic framework controls on coastal processes. Nearshore sediment thickness is critical for assessing coastal system sediment availability, but it is largely unquantified due to the difficulty of conducting geological or geophysical surveys across the nearshore. This study used an amphibious vessel to acquire chirp subbottom profiles. These profiles were used to characterize nearshore geology and provide an assessment of nearshore sediment volume. Two resulting sediment-thickness maps are provided: total Holocene sediment thickness and the thickness of the active shoreface. The Holocene sediment section represents deposition above the maximum flooding surface that is related to the most recent marine transgression. The active shoreface section is the uppermost Holocene sediment, which is interpreted to represent the portion of the shoreface thought to contribute to present and future coastal behavior. The sediment distribution patterns correspond to previously defined zones of erosion, accretion, and stability along the island, demonstrating the importance of sediment availability in the coastal response to storms and seasonal variability. The eastern zone has a thin nearshore sediment thickness, except for an ebb-tidal deposit at the wilderness breach caused by Hurricane Sandy. Thicker sediment is found along a central zone that includes shoreface-attached sand ridges, which is consistent with a stable or accretional coastline in this area. The thickest overall Holocene section is found in the western zone of the study, where a thicker lower section of Holocene sediment appears related to the westward migration of Fire Island Inlet over several hundred years.

  3. Some elevated temperature tensile and strain-controlled fatigue properties for a 9%Cr1Mo steel heat treated to simulate thick section material

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sanderson, S.J.; Jacques, S.

    Current interest has been expressed in the usage of thick section 9%Cr1%Mo steel, particularly for UK Commercial Demonstration Fast Reactor (CDFR) steam generator tubeplates. This paper presents the results of some preliminary mechanical property test work on a single cast of the steel, heat treated to simulate heavy ruling sections encompassing thicknesses likely to be met in the CDFR context. The microstructures of the simulated thick section material were found to remain predominantly as tempered martensite even at the slowest transformation cooling rates used (50 deg. C/h). The effect of microstructure is reflected in the elevated temperature proof stress, tensile strength and strain-controlled fatigue endurance which were found to be comparable with the properties established for thin section normalised and tempered 9%Cr1%Mo steel. These results are extremely encouraging and, taken in conjunction with the results from other simulation work on this material, further demonstrate the potential of thick section 9%Cr1%Mo steel. (author)

  4. Correlation between Macular Thickness and Visual Field in Early Open Angle Glaucoma: A Cross-Sectional Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fallahi Motlagh, Behzad; Sadeghi, Ali

    2017-01-01

    The aim of this study was to correlate macular thickness and visual field parameters in early glaucoma. A total of 104 eyes affected with early glaucoma were examined in a cross-sectional, prospective study. Visual field testing using both standard automated perimetry (SAP) and shortwave automated perimetry (SWAP) was performed. Global visual field parameters, including mean deviation (MD) and pattern standard deviation (PSD), were recorded and correlated with spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT)-measured macular thickness and asymmetry. Average macular thickness correlated significantly with all measures of visual field including MD-SWAP (r = 0.42), MD-SAP (r = 0.41), PSD-SWAP (r = -0.23), and PSD-SAP (r = -0.21), with P-values field parameters in early glaucoma. The results of this study should make macular thickness measurements even more meaningful to glaucoma specialists.

  5. Friction Stir Welding of Tapered Thickness Welds Using an Adjustable Pin Tool

    Science.gov (United States)

    Adams, Glynn; Venable, Richard; Lawless, Kirby

    2003-01-01

    Friction stir welding (FSW) can be used for joining weld lands that vary in thickness along the length of the weld. An adjustable pin tool mechanism can be used to accomplish this in a single-pass, full-penetration weld by providing for precise changes in the pin length relative to the shoulder face during the weld process. The difficulty with this approach is in accurately adjusting the pin length to provide a consistent penetration ligament throughout the weld. The weld technique, control system, and instrumentation must account for mechanical and thermal compliances of the tooling system to conduct tapered welds successfully. In this study, a combination of static and in-situ measurements, as well as active control, is used to locate the pin accurately and maintain the desired penetration ligament. Frictional forces at the pin/shoulder interface were a source of error that affected accurate pin position. A traditional FSW pin tool design that requires a lead angle was used to join butt weld configurations that included both constant thickness and tapered sections. The pitch axis of the tooling was fixed throughout the weld; therefore, the effective lead angle in the tapered sections was restricted to within the tolerances allowed by the pin tool design. The sensitivity of the FSW process to factors such as thickness offset, joint gap, centerline offset, and taper transition offset were also studied. The joint gap and the thickness offset demonstrated the most adverse affects on the weld quality. Two separate tooling configurations were used to conduct tapered thickness welds successfully. The weld configurations included sections in which the thickness decreased along the weld, as well as sections in which the thickness increased along the weld. The data presented here include weld metallography, strength data, and process load data.

  6. Control of thickness uniformity and grain size in graphene films for transparent conductive electrodes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wu Wei; Yu Qingkai; Pei, Shin-Shem; Peng Peng; Bao Jiming; Liu Zhihong

    2012-01-01

    Large-scale and transferable graphene films grown on metal substrates by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) still hold great promise for future nanotechnology. To realize the promise, one of the key issues is to further improve the quality of graphene, e.g., uniform thickness, large grain size, and low defects. Here we grow graphene films on Cu foils by CVD at ambient pressure, and study the graphene nucleation and growth processes under different concentrations of carbon precursor. On the basis of the results, we develop a two-step ambient pressure CVD process to synthesize continuous single-layer graphene films with large grain size (up to hundreds of square micrometers). Scanning electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy characterizations confirm the film thickness and uniformity. The transferred graphene films on cover glass slips show high electrical conductivity and high optical transmittance that make them suitable as transparent conductive electrodes. The growth mechanism of CVD graphene on Cu is also discussed, and a growth model has been proposed. Our results provide important guidance toward the synthesis of high quality uniform graphene films, and could offer a great driving force for graphene based applications. (paper)

  7. Sensitivity of Shallow Land Burial to neutron environment and activation cross sections in IFE thick-liquid concepts

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cabellos, O.; Sanz, J.; Reyes, S.; Latkowski, J.; García-Herranz, N.

    2006-06-01

    A comprehensive assessment on the eligibility of reduced activation (RA) steels as structural chamber material in Inertial Fusion Energy (IFE) thick-liquid concepts is performed. As far as alloying elements, it is shown that the activation of tungsten is a question to debate. Regarding impurity elements, it is analyzed if they could question the possibility of obtaining real RA steels for shallow land burial (SLB). The effect of the thickness of the liquid wall on the SLB response of alloying and impurity elements is computed. And above all, we have estimated the impact of cross section uncertainties when addressing the former questions, and we identify those to be improved. The necessary improvement of some tungsten and niobium cross sections is justified.

  8. Magnet Fall inside a Conductive Pipe: Motion and the Role of the Pipe Wall Thickness

    Science.gov (United States)

    Donoso, G.; Ladera, C. L.; Martin, P.

    2009-01-01

    Theoretical models and experimental results are presented for the retarded fall of a strong magnet inside a vertical conductive non-magnetic tube. Predictions and experimental results are in good agreement modelling the magnet as a simple magnetic dipole. The effect of varying the pipe wall thickness on the retarding magnetic drag is studied for…

  9. Carotid intima-media thickness and osteoporosis in postmenopausal women: a cross-sectional study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sothornwit, J; Somboonporn, W; Soontrapa, S; Kaewrudee, S; Wongwiwatchai, J; Soontrapa, S

    2018-03-09

    To explore the difference in carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) between postmenopausal women with and without osteoporosis and the risk of elevated CIMT and plaque presentation. A cross-sectional study was conducted including 46 postmenopausal women with osteoporosis and 45 non-osteoporotic postmenopausal women. CIMT was measured using B-mode ultrasound. There was no statistically significant difference in mean CIMT between postmenopausal women with osteoporosis and those without osteoporosis (p > 0.05). Risk for elevated CIMT in the osteoporosis group was comparable to that of the non-osteoporosis group (adjusted odds ratio = 0.844; 95% confidence interval 0.11-6.45). The risk for the presence of plaque was three times higher in osteoporotic women than in normal individuals. However, after adjusting for age and underlying diseases that would predispose the women to cardiovascular disease, there was no significant difference in terms of presence of plaque between the two groups (adjusted odds ratio = 0.844; 95% confidence interval 0.11-6.45). There was no difference in mean CIMT between postmenopausal women with and without osteoporosis. Risk of elevated CIMT in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis was comparable to that of postmenopausal women without osteoporosis. There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of the presence of plaque.

  10. Effect of the thickness and hydrogen treatment on the properties of Ga-doped ZnO transparent conductive films

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Min-Jung; Lim, Jinhyong; Bang, Jungsik; Lee, Woong; Myoung, Jae-Min

    2008-01-01

    Combined effects of the thickness and hydrogen post-annealing treatment on the structural, electrical, and optical properties of Ga-doped ZnO (GZO) films were investigated as a potential substitute for indium tin oxide transparent conductive oxide. In the as-deposited films, microstructural evolution initially improved the crystallinity up to the thickness of 160 nm accompanying enhanced electrical and optical properties, but further thickness increase resulted in the deterioration of these properties attributable to the development of ZnGa 2 O 4 and Ga 2 O 3 phases originating from the excessive amount of the Ga dopant. Post-annealing treatment of the GZO films in a hydrogen atmosphere improved the electrical and optical properties substantially through possible reduction of the oxide phases and passivation of the surfaces and grain boundaries. In this case, electrical and optical properties remained almost similar for the thickness above 160 nm indicating that there exists a certain optimal film thickness.

  11. Performance analysis and optimization of radiating fins with a step change in thickness and variable thermal conductivity by homotopy perturbation method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arslanturk, Cihat

    2011-02-01

    Although tapered fins transfer more rate of heat per unit volume, they are not found in every practical application because of the difficulty in manufacturing and fabrications. Therefore, there is a scope to modify the geometry of a constant thickness fin in view of the less difficulty in manufacturing and fabrication as well as betterment of heat transfer rate per unit volume of the fin material. For the better utilization of fin material, it is proposed a modified geometry of new fin with a step change in thickness (SF) in the literature. In the present paper, the homotopy perturbation method has been used to evaluate the temperature distribution within the straight radiating fins with a step change in thickness and variable thermal conductivity. The temperature profile has an abrupt change in the temperature gradient where the step change in thickness occurs and thermal conductivity parameter describing the variation of thermal conductivity has an important role on the temperature profile and the heat transfer rate. The optimum geometry which maximizes the heat transfer rate for a given fin volume has been found. The derived condition of optimality gives an open choice to the designer.

  12. Utilization of ultrasonic tomography for the mapping of residual stress fields in thick metal sections. Final report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hildebrand, B.P.; Hufferd, D.E.

    1977-01-01

    It is well known that the velocity of sound propagation through a solid is altered when a stress is applied. The velocity change is small, and dependent upon the type of wave being propagated as well as the magnitude of the stress. Sensitivity is greatest to shear wave sound with the polarization vector parallel to the direction of stress. In this case, velocity changes as great as 0.6 percent were measured. Preliminary work is described aimed at evaluating computerized reconstruction of velocity fields from velocity profiles to map residual stress concentrations in thick metal sections. Experimental results with liquid and solid models are described. One could image velocity anomalies of 0.2 percent and estimate that 0.05 percent is technically feasible. It is concluded that this technique has great potential for finding and mapping residual stress in thick metal sections

  13. Magnet fall inside a conductive pipe: motion and the role of the pipe wall thickness

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Donoso, G; Ladera, C L; Martin, P [Departamento de Fisica, Universidad Simon BolIvar, Apdo. 89000, Caracas 1080 (Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of)], E-mail: clladera@usb.ve, E-mail: pmartin@usb.ve

    2009-07-15

    Theoretical models and experimental results are presented for the retarded fall of a strong magnet inside a vertical conductive non-magnetic tube. Predictions and experimental results are in good agreement modelling the magnet as a simple magnetic dipole. The effect of varying the pipe wall thickness on the retarding magnetic drag is studied for pipes of different materials. Conductive pipes of thinner walls produce less dragging force and the retarded fall of the magnet is seen to consist of an initial transient accelerated regime followed by a stage of uniform motion. Alternative models of the magnet field are also presented that improve the agreement between theory and experiments.

  14. Autonomous Sea-Ice Thickness Survey

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-06-01

    the conductivity of an infinitely thick slab of sea ice. Ice thickness, Hice, is then obtained by subtracting the height of the ...Thickness Survey of Sea Ice Runway” ERDC/CRREL SR-16-4 ii Abstract We conducted an autonomous survey of sea -ice thickness using the Polar rover Yeti...efficiency relative to manual surveys routinely con- ducted to assess the safety of roads and runways constructed on the sea ice. Yeti executed the

  15. Age effects on cortical thickness in young Down's syndrome subjects: a cross-sectional gender study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Romano, Andrea; Moraschi, Marta; Cornia, Riccardo; Stella, Giacomo; Bozzao, Alessandro; Gagliardo, Olga; Chiacchiararelli, Laura; Iani, Cristina; Albertini, Giorgio; Pierallini, Alberto

    2015-01-01

    The aim of this study was to determine differences in the characteristic pattern of age-related cortical thinning in men and women with Down's syndrome (DS) by means of MRI and automatic cortical thickness measurements and a cross-sectional design, in a large cohort of young subjects. Eighty-four subjects with DS, 30 females (11-35 years, mean age ± SD = 22.8 ± 5.9) and 54 males (11-35 years, mean age ± SD = 21.5 ± 6.5), were examined using a 1.5-T scanner. MRI-based quantification of cortical thickness was performed using FreeSurfer software package. For all subjects participating in the study, the Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient between age and mean cortical thickness values has been evaluated. A significant negative correlation between cortical thickness and age was found in female DS subjects, predominantly in frontal and parietal lobes, bilaterally. In male DS subjects, a significant negative correlation between cortical thickness and age was found in the right fronto-temporal lobes and cingulate regions. Whole brain mean cortical thickness values were significantly negative correlated with age only in female DS subjects. Females with Down's syndrome showed a strong correlation between cortical thickness and age, already in early age. We suggest that the cognitive impairment due to hormonal deficit in the postmenopausal period could be emphasized by the early structural decline of gray matter in female DS subjects. (orig.)

  16. Age effects on cortical thickness in young Down's syndrome subjects: a cross-sectional gender study

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Romano, Andrea; Moraschi, Marta [San Raffaele Foundation Rome, Rehabilitation Facility Ceglie Messapica, Rome (Italy); Cornia, Riccardo; Stella, Giacomo [University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Department of Education and Human Sciences, Emilia-Romagna (Italy); Bozzao, Alessandro; Gagliardo, Olga [University Sapienza, NESMOS, Department of Neuroradiology, S. Andrea Hospital, Rome (Italy); Chiacchiararelli, Laura [University Sapienza, Department of Medical Physics, S. Andrea Hospital, Rome (Italy); Iani, Cristina [University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Department of Communication and Economy, Emilia-Romagna (Italy); Albertini, Giorgio [IRCSS San Raffaele Pisana, Department of Paediatrics, Rome (Italy); Pierallini, Alberto [IRCSS San Raffaele Pisana, Department of Radiology, Rome (Italy)

    2015-04-01

    The aim of this study was to determine differences in the characteristic pattern of age-related cortical thinning in men and women with Down's syndrome (DS) by means of MRI and automatic cortical thickness measurements and a cross-sectional design, in a large cohort of young subjects. Eighty-four subjects with DS, 30 females (11-35 years, mean age ± SD = 22.8 ± 5.9) and 54 males (11-35 years, mean age ± SD = 21.5 ± 6.5), were examined using a 1.5-T scanner. MRI-based quantification of cortical thickness was performed using FreeSurfer software package. For all subjects participating in the study, the Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient between age and mean cortical thickness values has been evaluated. A significant negative correlation between cortical thickness and age was found in female DS subjects, predominantly in frontal and parietal lobes, bilaterally. In male DS subjects, a significant negative correlation between cortical thickness and age was found in the right fronto-temporal lobes and cingulate regions. Whole brain mean cortical thickness values were significantly negative correlated with age only in female DS subjects. Females with Down's syndrome showed a strong correlation between cortical thickness and age, already in early age. We suggest that the cognitive impairment due to hormonal deficit in the postmenopausal period could be emphasized by the early structural decline of gray matter in female DS subjects. (orig.)

  17. Numerical modelling of the impedance plane for simultaneous determining, by eddy currents, the oxide thickness and conductivity in Zircaloy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lois, Alejandro E.

    2001-01-01

    During service at high temperature or in aggressive media, metallic structures and components may suffer different types of changes or degradation. As an example, phase transformations may occur, second phases may precipitate, and in consequence the mechanical and chemical properties of the material may change. Their behavior will therefore differ from that considered for the design of the component. The knowledge of the amount of a precipitated second phase in a component should be an important tool in the hands of the maintenance engineer. And it would be very important to obtain this knowledge nondestructively and reliably. The objective of this project is to evaluate by eddy currents the amount of the hydrogen incorporated during service in structural zirconium base materials. For this purpose, a series of Zircaloy-4 specimens with oxide layers of different thickness and different concentration of hydrogen obtained by controlled autoclave treatments were used. These specimens were tested with eddy current equipment. The information produced by an eddy current test is the superposition of many variables, e.g.: thickness of oxide layers, conductance, thickness of specimen, etc. In order to sort out this information, an analytical model of the impedance plane was programmed in a PC, with which this information was processed, permitting, in this way, to evaluate the conductivity of materials, taking into account the effect of oxide layers thickness. A linear relationship between the conductivity and the hydrogen content in the range of hydrogen concentrations of technological interest was observed. Therefore, the calculated electrical conductivity may be transformed to the amount of hydrogen content, using a suitable calibration curve. This process will allow for the nondestructive assessment of the amount of hydrogen in reactor components, such as pressure and calandria tubes, a knowledge which will enable the experts to predict the degree of fragility of those

  18. Self-heating forecasting for thick laminate specimens in fatigue

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lahuerta, F.; Westphal, T.; Nijssen, R. P. L.

    2014-12-01

    Thick laminate sections can be found from the tip to the root in most common wind turbine blade designs. Obtaining accurate and reliable design data for thick laminates is subject of investigations, which include experiments on thick laminate coupons. Due to the poor thermal conductivity properties of composites and the material self-heating that occurs during the fatigue loading, high temperature gradients may appear through the laminate thickness. In the case of thick laminates in high load regimes, the core temperature might influence the mechanical properties, leading to premature failures. In the present work a method to forecast the self-heating of thick laminates in fatigue loading is presented. The mechanical loading is related with the laminate self-heating, via the cyclic strain energy and the energy loss ratio. Based on this internal volumetric heat load a thermal model is built and solved to obtain the temperature distribution in the transient state. Based on experimental measurements of the energy loss factor for 10mm thick coupons, the method is described and the resulting predictions are compared with experimental surface temperature measurements on 10 and 30mm UD thick laminate specimens.

  19. Residual stress in a thick section high strength T-butt weld

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pearce, S.V.; Linton, V.M.; Oliver, E.C.

    2008-01-01

    Residual stresses in a structure are generated as a result of the various fabrication and welding processes used to make the component. Being able to quantify these residual stresses is a key step in determining the continuing integrity of a structure in service. In this work, the residual stresses around a high strength, quenched and tempered steel T-butt web to curved plate weld have been measured using neutron strain scanning. The results show that the residual stresses near the weld were dominated by the welding residual stresses, while the stresses further from the weld were dominated by the bending residual stresses. The results suggest that the combination of welding-induced residual stress and significant pre-welding residual stress, as in the case of a thick bent section of plate can significantly alter the residual stress profile from that in a flat plate

  20. Reduction of conductance mismatch in Fe/Al2O3/MoS2 system by tunneling-barrier thickness control

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hayakawa, Naoki; Muneta, Iriya; Ohashi, Takumi; Matsuura, Kentaro; Shimizu, Jun’ichi; Kakushima, Kuniyuki; Tsutsui, Kazuo; Wakabayashi, Hitoshi

    2018-04-01

    Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) among two-dimensional semiconductor films is promising for spintronic devices because it has a longer spin-relaxation time with contrasting spin splitting than silicon. However, it is difficult to fabricate integrated circuits by the widely used exfoliation method. Here, we investigate the contact characteristics in the Fe/Al2O3/sputtered-MoS2 system with various thicknesses of the Al2O3 film. Current density increases with increasing thickness up to 2.5 nm because of both thermally-assisted and direct tunneling currents. On the other hand, it decreases with increasing thickness over 2.5 nm limited by direct tunneling currents. These results suggest that the Schottky barrier width can be controlled by changing thicknesses of the Al2O3 film, as supported by calculations. The reduction of conductance mismatch with this technique can lead to highly efficient spin injection from iron into the MoS2 film.

  1. Facile and controllable construction of vanadium pentoxide@conducting polymer core/shell nanostructures and their thickness-dependent synergistic energy storage properties

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tong, Zhongqiu; Liu, Shikun; Li, Xingang; Ding, Yanbo; Zhao, Jiupeng; Li, Yao

    2016-01-01

    Graphical abstract: Here, we report a novel approach to prepare metal oxide@conducting polymer core/shell hybrids with controlled shell thickness and morphology, and the influence of PANI shell thickness on the electrochemical performance of V 2 O 5 @PANI core/shell hybrids is systematically investigated. Thickness-dependent synergistic electron transport, Li-ion diffusion distance, and shell mechanical strength mechanisms are proposed. - Highlights: • Thickness- and morphology-controlled V 2 O 5 /PANI core/shell hybrid nanofibers are fabricated. • The enhancement of energy storage performance of core/shell hybrids varies with the shell thickness. • Thickness-dependent synergistic electron transport, Li-ion diffusion distances, and shell mechanical strength mechanisms are proposed. - Abstract: Thickness- and morphology-controlled vanadium pentoxide/polyaniline (V 2 O 5 /PANI) core/shell hybrid nanofibers are fabricated by electropolymerization of PANI on V 2 O 5 nanofibers for enhanced energy storage. By simply adjusting the electrodeposition time, the thickness of the PANI shells can be controlled from 5 nm to 47 nm, and the morphology can be changed from coaxial to branched. The influence of shell thickness on the improved Li-ion storage performance of the V 2 O 5 /PANI core/shell nanofibers is systematically investigated, and this enhancement of charge capability and cycling stability strongly varies with the shell thickness. Thickness-dependent synergistic electron transport, Li-ion diffusion distances, and shell mechanical strength mechanisms are also proposed. These results provide meaningful references for developing new functional core/shell materials and high-performance energy storage composite materials.

  2. High-resolution ice thickness and bed topography of a land-terminating section of the Greenland Ice Sheet

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lindbäck, K.; Pettersson, R.; Doyle, S. H.

    2014-01-01

    We present ice thickness and bed topography maps with high spatial resolution (250 to 500 m) of a and-terminating section of the Greenland Ice Sheet derived from combined ground-based and airborne radar surveys. The data have a total area of ~12000 km2 and cover the whole ablation area of the out...

  3. Cross section of α-induced reactions on iridium isotopes obtained from thick target yield measurement for the astrophysical γ process

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    T. Szücs

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available The stellar reaction rates of radiative α-capture reactions on heavy isotopes are of crucial importance for the γ process network calculations. These rates are usually derived from statistical model calculations, which need to be validated, but the experimental database is very scarce. This paper presents the results of α-induced reaction cross section measurements on iridium isotopes carried out at first close to the astrophysically relevant energy region. Thick target yields of 191Ir(α,γ195Au, 191Ir(α,n194Au, 193Ir(α,n196mAu, 193Ir(α,n196Au reactions have been measured with the activation technique between Eα=13.4 MeV and 17 MeV. For the first time the thick target yield was determined with X-ray counting. This led to a previously unprecedented sensitivity. From the measured thick target yields, reaction cross sections are derived and compared with statistical model calculations. The recently suggested energy-dependent modification of the α+nucleus optical potential gives a good description of the experimental data.

  4. Thermal conduction by dark matter with velocity and momentum-dependent cross-sections

    OpenAIRE

    Vincent, Aaron C.; Scott, Pat

    2013-01-01

    We use the formalism of Gould and Raffelt to compute the dimensionless thermal conduction coefficients for scattering of dark matter particles with standard model nucleons via cross-sections that depend on the relative velocity or momentum exchanged between particles. Motivated by models invoked to reconcile various recent results in direct detection, we explicitly compute the conduction coefficients $\\alpha$ and $\\kappa$ for cross-sections that go as $v_{\\rm rel}^2$, $v_{\\rm rel}^4$, $v_{\\rm...

  5. Thickness, humidity, and polarization dependent ferroelectric switching and conductivity in Mg doped lithium niobate

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Neumayer, Sabine M.; Rodriguez, Brian J., E-mail: brian.rodriguez@ucd.ie [School of Physics, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4 (Ireland); Conway Institute of Biomolecular and Biomedical Research, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4 (Ireland); Strelcov, Evgheni; Kravchenko, Ivan I.; Kalinin, Sergei V. [Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831 (United States); Manzo, Michele; Gallo, Katia [Department of Applied Physics, KTH - Royal Institute of Technology, Roslagstullbacken 21, 10691 Stockholm (Sweden); Kholkin, Andrei L. [Department of Physics and CICECO-Aveiro Institute of Materials, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal and Institute of Natural Sciences, Ural Federal University, 620000 Ekaterinburg (Russian Federation)

    2015-12-28

    Mg doped lithium niobate (Mg:LN) exhibits several advantages over undoped LN such as resistance to photorefraction, lower coercive fields, and p-type conductivity that is particularly pronounced at domain walls and opens up a range of applications, e.g., in domain wall electronics. Engineering of precise domain patterns necessitates well founded knowledge of switching kinetics, which can differ significantly from that of undoped LN. In this work, the role of humidity and sample composition in polarization reversal has been investigated under application of the same voltage waveform. Control over domain sizes has been achieved by varying the sample thickness and initial polarization as well as atmospheric conditions. In addition, local introduction of proton exchanged phases allows for inhibition of domain nucleation or destabilization, which can be utilized to modify domain patterns. Polarization dependent current flow, attributed to charged domain walls and band bending, demonstrates the rectifying ability of Mg:LN in combination with suitable metal electrodes that allow for further tailoring of conductivity.

  6. Thickness, humidity, and polarization dependent ferroelectric switching and conductivity in Mg doped lithium niobate

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Neumayer, Sabine M.; Rodriguez, Brian J.; Strelcov, Evgheni; Kravchenko, Ivan I.; Kalinin, Sergei V.; Manzo, Michele; Gallo, Katia; Kholkin, Andrei L.

    2015-01-01

    Mg doped lithium niobate (Mg:LN) exhibits several advantages over undoped LN such as resistance to photorefraction, lower coercive fields, and p-type conductivity that is particularly pronounced at domain walls and opens up a range of applications, e.g., in domain wall electronics. Engineering of precise domain patterns necessitates well founded knowledge of switching kinetics, which can differ significantly from that of undoped LN. In this work, the role of humidity and sample composition in polarization reversal has been investigated under application of the same voltage waveform. Control over domain sizes has been achieved by varying the sample thickness and initial polarization as well as atmospheric conditions. In addition, local introduction of proton exchanged phases allows for inhibition of domain nucleation or destabilization, which can be utilized to modify domain patterns. Polarization dependent current flow, attributed to charged domain walls and band bending, demonstrates the rectifying ability of Mg:LN in combination with suitable metal electrodes that allow for further tailoring of conductivity

  7. Through thickness property variations in a thick plate AA7050 friction stir welded joint

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Canaday, Clinton T.; Moore, Matthew A.; Tang, Wei; Reynolds, A.P.

    2013-01-01

    In this study, moderately thick (32 mm) AA7050 plates were joined by friction stir welding (FSW). Various methods were used to characterize the welded joints, including nugget grain size measurements at different locations through the thickness, micro-hardness indentation through nugget, thermo-mechanically affected zone (TMAZ), and heat affected zone (HAZ) at different cross section heights, and residual stress measurement using the cut compliance method with full thickness and partial thickness specimens. All testing results are consistent with the presence of a strong gradient in peak temperature through the plate thickness during FSW.

  8. Shape and dimensions of cardiac chambers: Importance of CT section thickness and orientation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hoffman, E.A.; Ritman, E.L.

    1985-01-01

    Three-dimensional (3D) computed tomography (CT) scan data were used to quantitate the geometry of all heart chambers. The Dynamic Spatial Reconstructor (DSR) was used to scan dogs with in situ casts of the cardiac chambers. Chamber volumes estimated from DSR images were accurate within 5% of water displacement volume measurements of the actual casts for chambers greater than 11 ml and within 10% of water displacement volumes for chambers less than 11 ml. Anatomic features of the actual cast correlated closely with anatomy visible in computer-generated surface images of the 3D DSR image data. The important effect of reconstructed section thickness and orientation on the fidelity of 3D cardiac geometry is demonstrated

  9. Facial soft tissue thickness in North Indian adult population

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tanushri Saxena

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Objectives: Forensic facial reconstruction is an attempt to reproduce a likeness of facial features of an individual, based on characteristics of the skull, for the purpose of individual identification - The aim of this study was to determine the soft tissue thickness values of individuals of Bareilly population, Uttar Pradesh, India and to evaluate whether these values can help in forensic identification. Study design: A total of 40 individuals (19 males, 21 females were evaluated using spiral computed tomographic (CT scan with 2 mm slice thickness in axial sections and soft tissue thicknesses were measured at seven midfacial anthropological facial landmarks. Results: It was found that facial soft tissue thickness values decreased with age. Soft tissue thickness values were less in females than in males, except at ramus region. Comparing the left and right values in individuals it was found to be not significant. Conclusion: Soft tissue thickness values are an important factor in facial reconstruction and also help in forensic identification of an individual. CT scan gives a good representation of these values and hence is considered an important tool in facial reconstruction- This study has been conducted in North Indian population and further studies with larger sample size can surely add to the data regarding soft tissue thicknesses.

  10. Hybrid Carbon-Glass Fiber/Toughened Epoxy Thick Composite Joints Subject to Drop-Weight and Ballistic Impacts

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Liaw, Benjamin; Delale, Feridun

    2007-01-01

    ... No. DAAD19-02-R-0010 to conduct research on hybrid carbon-S2 glass fiber/toughened epoxy thick-section, hybrid interwoven composite joints subject to drop-weight and ballistic impacts. Dr. Basavaraju B. Raju of U.S...

  11. Round robin test programmes in the reliability of thick section ultrasonic inspections: state of the art report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Watkins, B.

    1987-03-01

    Inspection reliability is firstly defined and it is shown how difficult it is to be assessed as the influence of such factors as human performance, equipment malfunction and intrinsic technique capability are difficult to quantify. The manufacture of round robin test specimens is then considered: types of flaw, fabrication of test samples. The results of various round robin test programmes that have been carried out to determine both the capability and reliability of NDE to detect and size flaws in steel section for thick sections directly relevant to the requirements of the nuclear industry, are then reviewed and discussed: US Pressure Vessel research committee programme, PISC I Programme, the defect detection trials, and PISC II Programme

  12. Effect of finite conductivity on the vertical stability of a tokamak plasma column with a noncircular cross section without conducting shell

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sakurai, Keiichi; Okuda, Takayoshi; Tanaka, Yuji.

    1977-01-01

    The effect of finite conductivity on the stability of a tokamak plasma column with noncircular cross section without conducting shell was investigated by considering the current filaments model. The study is made for the plasma with rectangular cross section, and in this case, the position control of plasma column is a serious problem. The equation of motion of the plasma column is described for the vertical force applied to the column. The calculation of stability was made for the cases with cross sections of circular, rectangular and D type shapes. The plasma column was considered as an assembly of a lot of circular conductors, and this method can be applied to the plasma column with proper distribution of conductivity. As the results of calculation, it can be said that the electromotive force produced by the column moving in the magnetic field generates surface current on the plasma column, and in case of the finite conductivity of plasma, this current attenuates with time, and the distribution of the current soaks into the plasma column. Consequently, the recovery force acting on the plasma column is reduced, but contributes to the vertical stabilization for several hundreds μsec. (Kato, T.)

  13. Choroidal thickness in Malaysian eyes with full-thickness macular holes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chew Y Tan

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available AIM: To compare choroidal thickness at the macula in eyes with unilateral idiopathic full-thickness macular holes(FTMHwith that of unaffected fellow eyes, and eyes of normal control patients.METHODS: Cross-sectional study. Thirty patients with unilateral idiopathic FTMH and thirty age, sex, and race-matched controls were recruited. Axial lengths were measured using laser interferometry. Enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography images were obtained using Heidelberg spectral-domain optical coherence tomography. Choroidal thickness was measured at the fovea, and at 1 mm and 2 mm nasally, temporally, superiorly and inferiorly from the center of the fovea. Statistical analysis was performed using independent and paired t-tests, chi-square tests, and Pearson correlation tests(PRESULTS: The mean subfoveal choroidal thickness was 201.0±44.0 μm in the FTMH group, 225.3±51.4 μm in the fellow eye group and 262.3±70.3 μm in the control group. The choroid was thinner in FTMH eyes at all locations when compared to control eyes(PPP>0.05. Choroidal thickness was generally highest subfoveally and lowest nasally. Subfoveal choroidal thickness was negatively correlated with age(r=-0.278, P=0.032, and axial length(r=-0.328, P=0.011.CONCLUSION: Choroidal thickness is lower in both eyes of patients with unilateral FTMH compared to healthy control eyes.

  14. Diagnosis of bronchiectasis with multislice spiral CT: accuracy of 3-mm-thick structured sections

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Remy-Jardin, Martine; Amara, Assia; Campistron, Philippe; Mastora, Ioana; Remy, Jacques [Department of Radiology, Hospital Calmette, University Center of Lille, Boulevard Jules Leclerc, 59037, Lille Cedex (France); Delannoy, Valerie; Duhamel, Alain [Department of Medical Statistics, University of Lille, Place de Verdun, 59037, Lille Cedex (France)

    2003-05-01

    The aim of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of 3-mm-thick reconstructed sections in the diagnosis of bronchiectasis with multislice CT (MSCT). Forty consecutive patients suspected of bronchiectasis (23 females, 17 males; mean age 51 years) underwent MSCT of the entire thorax with a 4 x 1-mm collimation (120 kV, 0.5 s/rotation, 80 mAs/slice) and a pitch of 1.75. From each data set (mean z-axis coverage: 257 mm; mean duration: 21 s), two series of images were systematically generated: 1-mm (group 1) and 3-mm (group 2)-thick reconstructed scans. Both series of images were obtained at 10-mm intervals and reconstructed with a high-spatial-frequency algorithm. Two observers independently analyzed the presence of bronchiectasis and associated abnormalities in group-1 and group-2 lung images. No significant difference between group 1 and group 2 was found in: (a) the detection of bronchiectasis, identified in 24 patients (60%) in group 1 and in 23 patients (57.5%) in group 2 (p=0.08); (b) the evaluation of the extent of bronchiectasis, identifying focal bronchiectasis in 10 patients (25%) in group 1 and 7 patients (17.5%) in group 2 (p=0.39) and multifocal bronchiectasis in 16 patients (40%) in both groups; (c) the characterisation of bronchiectasis (cylindral bronchiectasis: group 1, n=24, 60%; group 2, n=21, 53%, p=0.08); varicose bronchiectasis: group 1, n=5, 12.5%; group 2, n=6, 15%, p=0.56; and cystic bronchiectasis: group 1, n=2, 5%; group 2, n=2, 5%. Apart from the identification of abnormal bronchial wall thickening (group 2, n=35, 87.5%, vs group 1, n=31, 77.5%, p<0.05), recognition of associated bronchopulmonary anomalies did not differ between the two groups. This study demonstrates a comparable accuracy of the 3- and 1-mm-thick reconstructed scans in the detection and characterization of bronchiectasis. These results suggest the potential usefulness of 3-mm-thick scans generated from 4 x 2.5-mm acquisitions in the screening of bronchiectasis, which would

  15. Thickness resonances dispersion characteristics of a lossy piezoceramic plate with electrodes of arbitrary conductivity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mezheritsky, Alex A; Mezheritsky, Alex V

    2007-12-01

    A theoretical description of the dissipative phenomena in the wave dispersion related to the "energytrap" effect in a thickness-vibrating, infinite thicknesspolarized piezoceramic plate with resistive electrodes is presented. The three-dimensional (3-D) equations of linear piezoelectricity were used to obtain symmetric and antisymmetric solutions of plane harmonic waves and investigate the eigen-modes of thickness longitudinal (TL) up to third harmonic and shear (TSh) up to ninth harmonic vibrations of odd- and even-orders. The effects of internal and electrode energy dissipation parameters on the wave propagation under regimes ranging from a short-circuit (sc) condition through RC-type relaxation dispersion to an opencircuit (oc) condition are examined in detail for PZT piezoceramics with three characteristic T -mode energy-trap figure-of-merit c-(D)(33)/c-(E)(44) values - less, near equal and higher 4 - when the second harmonic spurious TSh resonance lies below, inside, and above the fundamental TL resonanceantiresonance frequency interval. Calculated complex lateral wave number dispersion dependences on frequency and electrode resistance are found to follow the universal scaling formula similar to those for dielectrics characterization. Formally represented as a Cole-Cole diagram, the dispersion branches basically exhibit Debye-like and modified Davidson Cole dependences. Varying the dissipation parameters of internal loss and electrode conductivity, the interaction of different branches was demonstrated by analytical and numerical analysis. For the purposes of dispersion characterization of at least any thickness resonance, the following theorem was stated: the ratio of two characteristic determinants, specifically constructed from the oc and sc boundary conditions, in the limit of zero lateral wave number, is equal to the basic elementary-mode normalized admittance. As was found based on the theorem, the dispersion near the basic and nonbasic TL and TSh

  16. The thickness of DLC thin film affects the thermal conduction of HPLED lights

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hsu, Ming Seng; Huang, Jen Wei; Shyu, Feng Lin

    2016-09-01

    Thermal dissipation had an important influence in the quantum effect and life of light emitting diodes (LED) because it enabled heat transfer away from electric devices to the aluminum plate for heat removal. In the industrial processing, the quality of the thermal dissipation was decided by the gumming technique between the PCB and aluminum plate. In this study, we made the ceramic thin films of diamond like carbon (DLC) by vacuum sputtering between the substrate and high power light emitting diodes (HPLED) light to check the influence of heat transfer by DLC thin films. The ceramic dielectric coatings were characterized by several subsequent analyses, especially the measurement of real work temperature of HPLEDs. The X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) patterns revealed that ceramic phases were successfully grown onto the substrate. At the same time, the real work temperatures showed the thickness of DLC thin film coating effectively affected the thermal conduction of HPLEDs.

  17. Analysis of thick brain sections by obverse-reverse computer microscopy: application of a new, high clarity Golgi-Nissl stain.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Glaser, E M; Van der Loos, H

    1981-08-01

    Exceptionally clear Golgi-Nissl sections of 300 micron thickness have been morphometrically studied by light microscopy using oil immersion objectives. The clarity results from a new variation of a staining procedure that combines Golgi and Nissl images in one section. A viewing technique has been developed that permits a histologic preparation to be examined from its obverse (or normally viewed) side and its reverse (or under) side. The technique was designed for use with a computer microscope but can be employed with any light microscope whose stage position can be measured within 100 micron. Sections thicker than 300 micron can be studied dependent on the working distance of the objective lens, provided that the clarity of the material permits it.

  18. Three-dimensional primate molar enamel thickness.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Olejniczak, Anthony J; Tafforeau, Paul; Feeney, Robin N M; Martin, Lawrence B

    2008-02-01

    Molar enamel thickness has played an important role in the taxonomic, phylogenetic, and dietary assessments of fossil primate teeth for nearly 90 years. Despite the frequency with which enamel thickness is discussed in paleoanthropological discourse, methods used to attain information about enamel thickness are destructive and record information from only a single plane of section. Such semidestructive planar methods limit sample sizes and ignore dimensional data that may be culled from the entire length of a tooth. In light of recently developed techniques to investigate enamel thickness in 3D and the frequent use of enamel thickness in dietary and phylogenetic interpretations of living and fossil primates, the study presented here aims to produce and make available to other researchers a database of 3D enamel thickness measurements of primate molars (n=182 molars). The 3D enamel thickness measurements reported here generally agree with 2D studies. Hominoids show a broad range of relative enamel thicknesses, and cercopithecoids have relatively thicker enamel than ceboids, which in turn have relatively thicker enamel than strepsirrhine primates, on average. Past studies performed using 2D sections appear to have accurately diagnosed the 3D relative enamel thickness condition in great apes and humans: Gorilla has the relatively thinnest enamel, Pan has relatively thinner enamel than Pongo, and Homo has the relatively thickest enamel. Although the data set presented here has some taxonomic gaps, it may serve as a useful reference for researchers investigating enamel thickness in fossil taxa and studies of primate gnathic biology.

  19. Thick film heater for sensor application

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Milewski, J; Borecki, M; Kalenik, J; Król, K

    2014-01-01

    A thick film microheater was elaborated. The microheater is intended for fast heating of small volume samples under measurement in optical based system. Thermal analysis of microheater was carried out using finite element method (FEM) for heat transfer calculation as a function of time and space. A nodal heat transfer function was calculated in classical form including all basics mechanisms of heat exchange – heat conduction, convection and radiation were considered. Work focuses on the influence of some construction parameters (ex. length, thermal conductivity of substrate, substrate thickness) on microheater performance. The results show that application of thin substrate of low thermal conductivity and low thickness for miroheater construction and resistor of optimum dimensions leads to significant power consumption decrease and increase of overall optical measurement system performance.

  20. 4.0-nm-thick amorphous Nb–Ni film as a conducting diffusion barrier layer for integrating ferroelectric capacitor on Si

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dai, X.H.; Guo, J.X.; Zhang, L.; Jia, D.M.; Qi, C.G.; Zhou, Y.; Li, X.H.; Shi, J.B.; Fu, Y.J.; Wang, Y.L.; Lou, J.Z.; Ma, L.X.; Zhao, H.D.; Liu, B.T.

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • 4-nm-thick amorphous Nb–Ni film is first used as the conducting barrier layer. • No obvious interdiffusion/reaction can be found from the LSCO/PZT/LSCO/Nb–Ni/Si. • The LSCO/PZT/LSCO capacitor, measured at 5 V, possesses very good properties. • Ultrathin amorphous Nb–Ni film is ideal to fabricate silicon-based FRAM. - Abstract: We have successfully integrated La 0.5 Sr 0.5 CoO 3 /PbZr 0.4 Ti 0.6 O 3 /La 0.5 Sr 0.5 CoO 3 (LSCO/PZT/LSCO) capacitors on silicon substrate using a ∼4.0-nm-thick amorphous Nb–Ni film as the conducting diffusion barrier layer. Transmission electron microscopy technique confirms that the Nb–Ni film is still amorphous after fabrication of the capacitors, and the interfaces related to Nb–Ni are clean and sharp without any findable interdiffusion/reaction. The LSCO/PZT/LSCO capacitor, measured at 5 V, possesses very good properties, such as large remanent polarization of ∼22.1 μC/cm 2 , small coercive voltage of ∼1.27 V, good fatigue-resistance, and small pulse width dependence, implying that ultrathin amorphous Nb–Ni film is ideal as the conducting diffusion barrier layer to fabricate high-density silicon-based ferroelectric random access memories

  1. 4.0-nm-thick amorphous Nb–Ni film as a conducting diffusion barrier layer for integrating ferroelectric capacitor on Si

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dai, X.H. [Hebei Key Lab of Optic-electronic Information and Materials, College of Physics Science & Technology, Hebei University, Hebei 071002 (China); College of Electronic and Information Engineering, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin 300401 (China); Guo, J.X.; Zhang, L.; Jia, D.M.; Qi, C.G.; Zhou, Y.; Li, X.H.; Shi, J.B.; Fu, Y.J.; Wang, Y.L.; Lou, J.Z. [Hebei Key Lab of Optic-electronic Information and Materials, College of Physics Science & Technology, Hebei University, Hebei 071002 (China); Ma, L.X. [Department of Physics, Blinn College, Bryan, TX 77805 (United States); Zhao, H.D. [College of Electronic and Information Engineering, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin 300401 (China); Liu, B.T., E-mail: btliu@hbu.cn [Hebei Key Lab of Optic-electronic Information and Materials, College of Physics Science & Technology, Hebei University, Hebei 071002 (China)

    2015-10-05

    Highlights: • 4-nm-thick amorphous Nb–Ni film is first used as the conducting barrier layer. • No obvious interdiffusion/reaction can be found from the LSCO/PZT/LSCO/Nb–Ni/Si. • The LSCO/PZT/LSCO capacitor, measured at 5 V, possesses very good properties. • Ultrathin amorphous Nb–Ni film is ideal to fabricate silicon-based FRAM. - Abstract: We have successfully integrated La{sub 0.5}Sr{sub 0.5}CoO{sub 3}/PbZr{sub 0.4}Ti{sub 0.6}O{sub 3}/La{sub 0.5}Sr{sub 0.5}CoO{sub 3} (LSCO/PZT/LSCO) capacitors on silicon substrate using a ∼4.0-nm-thick amorphous Nb–Ni film as the conducting diffusion barrier layer. Transmission electron microscopy technique confirms that the Nb–Ni film is still amorphous after fabrication of the capacitors, and the interfaces related to Nb–Ni are clean and sharp without any findable interdiffusion/reaction. The LSCO/PZT/LSCO capacitor, measured at 5 V, possesses very good properties, such as large remanent polarization of ∼22.1 μC/cm{sup 2}, small coercive voltage of ∼1.27 V, good fatigue-resistance, and small pulse width dependence, implying that ultrathin amorphous Nb–Ni film is ideal as the conducting diffusion barrier layer to fabricate high-density silicon-based ferroelectric random access memories.

  2. Use of buffy coat thick films in detecting malaria parasites in patients with negative conventional thick films.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Duangdee, Chatnapa; Tangpukdee, Noppadon; Krudsood, Srivicha; Wilairatana, Polrat

    2012-04-01

    To determine the frequency of malaria parasite detection from the buffy coat blood films by using capillary tube in falciparum malaria patients with negative conventional thick films. Thirty six uncomplicated falciparum malaria patients confirmed by conventional thick and thin films were included in the study. The patients were treated with artemisinin combination therapy at Hospital for Tropical Diseases, Bangkok, Thailand for 28 day. Fingerpricks for conventional blood films were conducted every 6 hours until negative parasitemia, then daily fingerpricks for parasite checks were conducted until the patients were discharged from hospital. Blood samples were also concurrently collected in 3 heparinized capillary tubes at the same time of fingerpricks for conventional blood films when the prior parasitemia was negative on thin films and parasitemia was lower than 50 parasites/200 white blood cells by thick film. The first negative conventional thick films were compared with buffy coat thick films for parasite identification. Out of 36 patients with thick films showing negative for asexual forms of parasites, buffy coat films could detect remaining 10 patients (27.8%) with asexual forms of Plasmodium falciparum. The study shows that buffy coat thick films are useful and can detect malarial parasites in 27.8% of patients whose conventional thick films show negative parasitemia.

  3. Uncertainties in thick-target PIXE analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Campbell, J.L.; Cookson, J.A.; Paul, H.

    1983-01-01

    Thick-target PIXE analysis insolves uncertainties arising from the calculation of thick-target X-ray production in addition to the usual PIXE uncertainties. The calculation demands knowledge of ionization cross-sections, stopping powers and photon attenuation coefficients. Information on these is reviewed critically and a computational method is used to estimate the uncertainties transmitted from this data base into results of thick-target PIXE analyses with reference to particular specimen types using beams of 2-3 MeV protons. A detailed assessment of the accuracy of thick-target PIXE is presented. (orig.)

  4. Correlation between central corneal thickness and visual field defects, cup to disc ratio and retinal nerve fiber layer thickness in primary open angle glaucoma patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sarfraz, Muhammad Haroon; Mehboob, Mohammad Asim; Haq, Rana Intisar Ul

    2017-01-01

    To evaluate the correlation between Central Corneal Thickness (CCT) and Visual Field (VF) defect parameters like Mean Deviation (MD) and Pattern Standard Deviation (PSD), Cup-to-Disc Ratio (CDR) and Retinal Nerve Fibre Layer Thickness (RNFL-T) in Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma (POAG) patients. This cross sectional study was conducted at Armed Forces Institute of Ophthalmology (AFIO), Rawalpindi from September 2015 to September 2016. Sixty eyes of 30 patients with diagnosed POAG were analysed. Correlation of CCT with other variables was studied. Mean age of study population was 43.13±7.54 years. Out of 30 patients, 19 (63.33%) were males and 11 (36.67%) were females. Mean CCT, MD, PSD, CDR and RNFL-T of study population was 528.57±25.47µm, -9.11±3.07, 6.93±2.73, 0.63±0.13 and 77.79±10.44µm respectively. There was significant correlation of CCT with MD, PSD and CDR (r=-0.52, pfield parameters like mean deviation and pattern standard deviation, as well as with cup-to-disc ratio. However, central corneal thickness had no significant relationship with retinal nerve fibre layer thickness.

  5. Modeling and characterization of through-the-thickness properties of 3D woven composites

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hartranft, Dru; Pravizi-Majidi, Azar; Chou, Tsu-Wei

    1995-01-01

    The through-the-thickness properties of three-dimensionally (3D) woven carbon/epoxy composites have been studied. The investigation aimed at the evaluation and development of test methodologies for the property characterization in the thickness direction, and the establishment of fiber architectures were studied: layer-to-layer Angle Interlock, through-the-thickness Orthogonal woven preform with surface pile was also designed and manufactured for the fabrication of tensile test coupons with integrated grips. All the preforms were infiltrated by the resin transfer molding technique. The microstructures of the composites were characterized along the warp and fill (weft) directions to determine the degree of yarn undulations, yarn cross-sectional shapes, and microstructural dimensions. These parameters were correlated to the fiber architecture. Specimens were designed and tested for the direct measurement of the through-the-thickness tensile, compressive and shear properties of the composites. Design optimization was conducted through the analysis of the stress fields within the specimen coupled with experimental verification. The experimentally-derived elastic properties in the thickness direction compared well with analytical predictions obtained from a volume averaging model.

  6. Joining thick section aluminum to steel with suppressed FeAl intermetallic formation via friction stir dovetailing

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Reza-E-Rabby, Md.; Ross, Kenneth; Overman, Nicole R.; Olszta, Matthew J.; McDonnell, Martin; Whalen, Scott A.

    2018-04-01

    A new solid-phase technique called friction stir dovetailing (FSD) has been developed for joining thick section aluminum to steel. In FSD, mechanical interlocks are formed at the aluminum-steel interface and are reinforced by metallurgical bonds where intermetallic growth has been uniquely suppressed. Lap shear testing shows superior strength and extension at failure compared to popular friction stir approaches where metallurgical bonding is the only joining mechanism. High resolution microscopy revealed the presence of a 40-70 nm interlayer having a composition of 76.4 at% Al, 18.4 at% Fe, and 5.2 at% Si, suggestive of limited FeAl3 intermetallic formation.

  7. Synthetic aperture focusing technique in real-time and tandem operation for thick section steels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Doctor, S.R.; Hall, T.E.; Reid, L.D.; Mart, G.A.

    1988-01-01

    The authors report on a program underway at Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) to move the synthetic aperture focusing technique (SAFT) from the laboratory into the field for the purpose of inspecting light-water reactor (LWR) components. The SAFT technology was developed to produce high-resolution and high signal-to-noise ratio images of ultrasonic anomalies in materials. Other researchers have been involved in developing the 2-D or line SAFT technology, but the one thing that has limited the acceptance of 38-D SAFT is the slow processing rates. This paper describes how a special purpose processor can be used to achieve processing rates of 10 A-scans/second or larger. The tandem mode has been successfully used with SAFT but only on this materials. This paper also describes how to effectively implement the tandem mode for thick section materials

  8. The effects of film thickness on the electrical, optical, and structural properties of cylindrical, rotating, magnetron-sputtered ITO films

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Jae-Ho; Seong, Tae-Yeon; Ahn, Kyung-Jun; Chung, Kwun-Bum; Seok, Hae-Jun; Seo, Hyeong-Jin; Kim, Han-Ki

    2018-05-01

    We report the characteristics of Sn-doped In2O3 (ITO) films intended for use as transparent conducting electrodes; the films were prepared via a five-generation, in-line type, cylindrical, rotating magnetron sputtering (CRMS) system as a function of film thickness. By using a rotating cylindrical ITO target with high usage (∼80%), we prepared high conductivity, transparent ITO films on five-generation size glass. The effects of film thickness on the electrical, optical, morphological, and structural properties of CRMS-grown ITO films are investigated in detail to correlate the thickness and performance of ITO films. The preferred orientation changed from the (2 2 2) to the (4 0 0) plane with increasing thickness of ITO is attributed to the stability of the (4 0 0) plane against resputtering during the CRMS process. Based on X-ray diffraction, surface field emission scanning electron microscopy, and cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy, we suggest a possible mechanism to explain the preferred orientation and effects of film thickness on the performance of CRMS-grown ITO films.

  9. Electrically Conductive Epoxy Adhesives

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lan Bai

    2011-02-01

    Full Text Available Conductive adhesives are widely used in electronic packaging applications such as die attachment and solderless interconnections, component repair, display interconnections, and heat dissipation. The effects of film thickness as functions of filler volume fraction, conductive filler size, shape, as well as uncured adhesive matrix viscosity on the electrical conduction behavior of epoxy-based adhesives are presented in this work. For this purpose, epoxy-based adhesives were prepared using conductive fillers of different size, shape, and types, including Ni powder, flakes, and filaments, Ag powder, and Cu powder. The filaments were 20 μm in diameter, and 160 or 260 μm in length. HCl and H3PO4 acid solutions were used to etch and remove the surface oxide layers from the fillers. The plane resistance of filled adhesive films was measured using the four-point method. In all cases of conductive filler addition, the planar resistivity levels for the composite adhesive films increased when the film thickness was reduced. The shape of resistivity-thickness curves was negative exponential decaying type and was modeled using a mathematical relation. The relationships between the conductive film resistivities and the filler volume fractions were also derived mathematically based on the experimental data. Thus, the effects of surface treatment of filler particles, the type, size, shape of fillers, and the uncured epoxy viscosity could be included empirically by using these mathematical relations based on the experimental data. By utilizing the relations we proposed to model thickness-dependent and volume fraction-dependent conduction behaviors separately, we were able to describe the combined and coupled volume fraction-film thickness relationship mathematically based on our experimental data.

  10. Greater Cortical Thickness in Elderly Female Yoga Practitioners—A Cross-Sectional Study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rui F. Afonso

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Yoga, a mind-body activity that requires attentional engagement, has been associated with positive changes in brain structure and function, especially in areas related to awareness, attention, executive functions and memory. Normal aging, on the other hand, has also been associated with structural and functional brain changes, but these generally involve decreased cognitive functions. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to compare brain cortical thickness (CT in elderly yoga practitioners and a group of age-matched healthy non-practitioners. We tested 21 older women who had practiced hatha yoga for at least 8 years and 21 women naive to yoga, meditation or any mind-body interventions who were matched to the first group in age, years of formal education and physical activity level. A T1-weighted MPRAGE sequence was acquired for each participant. Yoga practitioners showed significantly greater CT in a left prefrontal lobe cluster, which included portions of the lateral middle frontal gyrus, anterior superior frontal gyrus and dorsal superior frontal gyrus. We found greater CT in the left prefrontal cortex of healthy elderly women who trained yoga for a minimum of 8 years compared with women in the control group.

  11. Thick-film analysis: literature search and bibliography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gehman, R.W.

    1981-09-01

    A literature search was conducted to support development of in-house diagnostic testing of thick film materials for hybrid microcircuits. A background literature review covered thick film formulation, processing, structure, and performance. Important material properties and tests were identified and several test procedures were obtained. Several tests were selected for thick film diagnosis at Bendix Kansas City. 126 references

  12. Demonstration of Hybrid Multilayer Insulation for Fixed Thickness Applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johnson, Wesley; Fesmire, James; Heckle, Wayne

    2015-01-01

    Once on orbit, high performing insulation systems for cryogenic systems need just as good radiation (optical) properties as conduction properties. This requires the use of radiation shields with low conductivity spacers in between. By varying the height and cross-sectional area of the spacers between the radiation shields, the relative radiation and conduction heat transfers can be manipulated. However, in most systems, there is a fixed thickness or volume allocated to the insulation. In order to understand how various combinations of different multilayer insulation (MLI) systems work together and further validate thermal models of such a hybrid MLI set up, test data is needed. The MLI systems include combinations of Load Bearing MLI (LB-MLI) and traditional MLI. To further simulate the space launch vehicle case wherein both ambient pressure and vacuum environments are addressed, different cold-side thermal insulation substrates were included for select tests.

  13. Geologic thickness data: Candidate repository horizons

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cross, R.W.; Fairchild, K.R.

    1985-01-01

    This data package contains information on the thickness of the Umtanum, McCoy Canyon, Cohassett, and Rocky Coulee flows and their intraflow structures in 20 boreholes and 2 surface sections in the Pasco Basin. Thickness data are for total flow, flow top, entablature, and colonnade (or just flow top and dense interior in some cases). Summary figures which contain descriptions and footages are included

  14. Automated estimation of choroidal thickness distribution and volume based on OCT images of posterior visual section.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vupparaboina, Kiran Kumar; Nizampatnam, Srinath; Chhablani, Jay; Richhariya, Ashutosh; Jana, Soumya

    2015-12-01

    A variety of vision ailments are indicated by anomalies in the choroid layer of the posterior visual section. Consequently, choroidal thickness and volume measurements, usually performed by experts based on optical coherence tomography (OCT) images, have assumed diagnostic significance. Now, to save precious expert time, it has become imperative to develop automated methods. To this end, one requires choroid outer boundary (COB) detection as a crucial step, where difficulty arises as the COB divides the choroidal granularity and the scleral uniformity only notionally, without marked brightness variation. In this backdrop, we measure the structural dissimilarity between choroid and sclera by structural similarity (SSIM) index, and hence estimate the COB by thresholding. Subsequently, smooth COB estimates, mimicking manual delineation, are obtained using tensor voting. On five datasets, each consisting of 97 adult OCT B-scans, automated and manual segmentation results agree visually. We also demonstrate close statistical match (greater than 99.6% correlation) between choroidal thickness distributions obtained algorithmically and manually. Further, quantitative superiority of our method is established over existing results by respective factors of 27.67% and 76.04% in two quotient measures defined relative to observer repeatability. Finally, automated choroidal volume estimation, being attempted for the first time, also yields results in close agreement with that of manual methods. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Bistatic radar cross section of a perfectly conducting rhombus-shaped flat plate

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fenn, Alan J.

    1990-05-01

    The bistatic radar cross section of a perfectly conducting flat plate that has a rhombus shape (equilateral parallelogram) is investigated. The Ohio State University electromagnetic surface patch code (ESP version 4) is used to compute the theoretical bistatic radar cross section of a 35- x 27-in rhombus plate at 1.3 GHz over the bistatic angles 15 deg to 142 deg. The ESP-4 computer code is a method of moments FORTRAN-77 program which can analyze general configurations of plates and wires. This code has been installed and modified at Lincoln Laboratory on a SUN 3 computer network. Details of the code modifications are described. Comparisons of the method of moments simulations and measurements of the rhombus plate are made. It is shown that the ESP-4 computer code provides a high degree of accuracy in the calculation of copolarized and cross-polarized bistatic radar cross section patterns.

  16. Hot isostatically pressed (HIPed) thick-walled component for a pressurised water reactor (PWR) application

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hookham, I.; Burdett, B.; Bridger, K.; Sulley, J.L.

    2009-01-01

    This paper presents the work conducted to justify and provide a quality assured HIPed thick-walled component for a PWR application; the component being designed and manufactured by Rolls-Royce. Rolls-Royce has previously published (ICAPP 08) its overall, staged approach to the introduction of powder HIPed components; starting with thin-walled, leak limited pressure boundaries, and culminating in the use of the powder HIPed process for thick walled components. This paper presents details specific to a thick walled pressure vessel component. Results are presented of non-destructive and destructive examinations of one of a batch of components. Mechanical testing and metallurgical examination results of sample material taken from different sections of the component are presented. A full range of test results is provided covering, as examples: tensile, Charpy impact and sensitization susceptibility. Differences in weldability between the HIPed and the previous forged form are also documented. (author)

  17. Variation in thickness of the large cryosections cut for whole-body autoradiography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ito, Tsunao; Brill, A.B.

    1991-01-01

    A method to assess variation in thickness of the large cryosections for whole-body autoradiography (WBARG) was described, and the degree of intraslice and interslice variations were determined for our cryomicrotome system (LKB PMV-2250). Intraslice variation in thickness of the 180 x 80 mm cryosection was 0.72-0.92 μm within the range of section thickness for WBARG (15-50 μm), and interslice variation was 0.89-1.21 μm. These potential variations in section thickness should be kept in mind whenever working with quantitative WBARG. (author)

  18. Variation of central corneal thickness in patients with diabetic retinopathy as detected by ultrasonic pachymetry in patients presenting to a tertiary care hospital

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Khan, S.A.

    2017-01-01

    To compare the central corneal thickness between patients with diabetic retinopathy and non diabetics. Study Design: A cross sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: Lahore General Hospital Lahore, from 1st Dec 2015 to 31st May 2016. Material and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in the ophthalmology outpatient department of Lahore General Hospital. A total of one hundred and fifty subjects from different age groups were selected for the study. An ultrasound pachymeter was used to measure CCT. There were two groups for sample, 75 were patients with diabetic retinopathy and 75 of them were non-diabetic subjects. Results: The diabetic patients had average central corneal thickness of value 554.93 +- 33.73 microns. The average central corneal thickness found in non-diabetic patients was 520.41 +- 26.06 microns. The diabetic patients showed an increased central corneal thickness as compared to non-diabetics. The result of this study was statistically significant (p=0.001). Conclusion: The diabetic patients showed an increased central corneal thickness as compared to non-diabetic patients. (author)

  19. Optical histology: a method to visualize microvasculature in thick tissue sections of mouse brain.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Austin J Moy

    Full Text Available The microvasculature is the network of blood vessels involved in delivering nutrients and gases necessary for tissue survival. Study of the microvasculature often involves immunohistological methods. While useful for visualizing microvasculature at the µm scale in specific regions of interest, immunohistology is not well suited to visualize the global microvascular architecture in an organ. Hence, use of immunohistology precludes visualization of the entire microvasculature of an organ, and thus impedes study of global changes in the microvasculature that occur in concert with changes in tissue due to various disease states. Therefore, there is a critical need for a simple, relatively rapid technique that will facilitate visualization of the microvascular network of an entire tissue.The systemic vasculature of a mouse is stained with the fluorescent lipophilic dye DiI using a method called "vessel painting". The brain, or other organ of interest, is harvested and fixed in 4% paraformaldehyde. The organ is then sliced into 1 mm sections and optically cleared, or made transparent, using FocusClear, a proprietary optical clearing agent. After optical clearing, the DiI-labeled tissue microvasculature is imaged using confocal fluorescence microscopy and adjacent image stacks tiled together to produce a depth-encoded map of the microvasculature in the tissue slice. We demonstrated that the use of optical clearing enhances both the tissue imaging depth and the estimate of the vascular density. Using our "optical histology" technique, we visualized microvasculature in the mouse brain to a depth of 850 µm.Presented here are maps of the microvasculature in 1 mm thick slices of mouse brain. Using combined optical clearing and optical imaging techniques, we devised a methodology to enhance the visualization of the microvasculature in thick tissues. We believe this technique could potentially be used to generate a three-dimensional map of the

  20. Model-based cartilage thickness measurement in the submillimeter range

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Streekstra, G. J.; Strackee, S. D.; Maas, M.; Wee, R. ter; Venema, H. W.

    2007-01-01

    Current methods of image-based thickness measurement in thin sheet structures utilize second derivative zero crossings to locate the layer boundaries. It is generally acknowledged that the nonzero width of the point spread function (PSF) limits the accuracy of this measurement procedure. We propose a model-based method that strongly reduces PSF-induced bias by incorporating the PSF into the thickness estimation method. We estimated the bias in thickness measurements in simulated thin sheet images as obtained from second derivative zero crossings. To gain insight into the range of sheet thickness where our method is expected to yield improved results, sheet thickness was varied between 0.15 and 1.2 mm with an assumed PSF as present in the high-resolution modes of current computed tomography (CT) scanners [full width at half maximum (FWHM) 0.5-0.8 mm]. Our model-based method was evaluated in practice by measuring layer thickness from CT images of a phantom mimicking two parallel cartilage layers in an arthrography procedure. CT arthrography images of cadaver wrists were also evaluated, and thickness estimates were compared to those obtained from high-resolution anatomical sections that served as a reference. The thickness estimates from the simulated images reveal that the method based on second derivative zero crossings shows considerable bias for layers in the submillimeter range. This bias is negligible for sheet thickness larger than 1 mm, where the size of the sheet is more than twice the FWHM of the PSF but can be as large as 0.2 mm for a 0.5 mm sheet. The results of the phantom experiments show that the bias is effectively reduced by our method. The deviations from the true thickness, due to random fluctuations induced by quantum noise in the CT images, are of the order of 3% for a standard wrist imaging protocol. In the wrist the submillimeter thickness estimates from the CT arthrography images correspond within 10% to those estimated from the anatomical

  1. Cortical thickness, surface area, and folding alterations in male youths with conduct disorder and varying levels of callous-unemotional traits.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fairchild, Graeme; Toschi, Nicola; Hagan, Cindy C; Goodyer, Ian M; Calder, Andrew J; Passamonti, Luca

    2015-01-01

    Previous studies have reported changes in gray matter volume in youths with conduct disorder (CD), although these differences are difficult to interpret as they may have been driven by alterations in cortical thickness, surface area (SA), or folding. The objective of this study was to use surface-based morphometry (SBM) methods to compare male youths with CD and age and sex-matched healthy controls (HCs) in cortical thickness, SA, and folding. We also tested for structural differences between the childhood-onset and adolescence-onset subtypes of CD and performed regression analyses to assess for relationships between CD symptoms and callous-unemotional (CU) traits and SBM-derived measures. We acquired structural neuroimaging data from 20 HCs and 36 CD participants (18 with childhood-onset CD and 18 with adolescence-onset CD) and analyzed the data using FreeSurfer. Relative to HCs, youths with CD showed reduced cortical thickness in the superior temporal gyrus, reduced SA in the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), and increased cortical folding in the insula. There were no significant differences between the childhood-onset and adolescence-onset CD subgroups in cortical thickness or SA, but several frontal and temporal regions showed increased cortical folding in childhood-onset relative to adolescence-onset CD participants. Both CD subgroups also showed increased cortical folding relative to HCs. CD symptoms were negatively correlated with OFC SA whereas CU traits were positively correlated with insula folding. Cortical thinning in the superior temporal gyrus may contribute to the social cognitive impairments displayed by youths with CD, whereas reduced OFC SA may lead to impairments in emotion regulation and reward processing in youths with CD. The increased cortical folding observed in the insula may reflect a maturational delay in this region and could mediate the link between CU traits and empathy deficits. Altered cortical folding was observed in childhood-onset and

  2. A variable thickness window: Thermal and structural analyses

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, Zhibi; Kuzay, T.M.

    1994-01-01

    In this paper, the finite difference formulations for variable thickness thermal analysis and variable thickness plane stress analysis are presented. In heat transfer analysis, radiation effects and temperature-dependent thermal conductivity are taken into account. While in thermal stress analysis, the thermal expansion coefficient is considered as temperature dependent. An application of the variable thickness window to an Advanced Photon Source beamline is presented

  3. Lower-Conductivity Ceramic Materials for Thermal-Barrier Coatings

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bansal, Narottam P.; Zhu, Dongming

    2006-01-01

    Doped pyrochlore oxides of a type described below are under consideration as alternative materials for high-temperature thermal-barrier coatings (TBCs). In comparison with partially-yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ), which is the state-of-the-art TBC material now in commercial use, these doped pyrochlore oxides exhibit lower thermal conductivities, which could be exploited to obtain the following advantages: For a given difference in temperature between an outer coating surface and the coating/substrate interface, the coating could be thinner. Reductions in coating thicknesses could translate to reductions in weight of hot-section components of turbine engines (e.g., combustor liners, blades, and vanes) to which TBCs are typically applied. For a given coating thickness, the difference in temperature between the outer coating surface and the coating/substrate interface could be greater. For turbine engines, this could translate to higher operating temperatures, with consequent increases in efficiency and reductions in polluting emissions. TBCs are needed because the temperatures in some turbine-engine hot sections exceed the maximum temperatures that the substrate materials (superalloys, Si-based ceramics, and others) can withstand. YSZ TBCs are applied to engine components as thin layers by plasma spraying or electron-beam physical vapor deposition. During operation at higher temperatures, YSZ layers undergo sintering, which increases their thermal conductivities and thereby renders them less effective as TBCs. Moreover, the sintered YSZ TBCs are less tolerant of stress and strain and, hence, are less durable.

  4. Ion-conductivity of thin film Li-Borate glasses

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Abouzari, M.R.S.

    2007-01-01

    In this thesis, the specific conductivity of ion-sputtered lithium borate thin films is studied. To this end, lithium borate glasses of the composition yLi 2 O.(1-y)B 2 O 3 with y=0.15, 0.20, 0.25, and 0.35 were produced as sputter targets. Films with thicknesses between 7 nm and 700 nm are deposited on silicon substrate between two AlLi electrodes. Conductivity spectra have been taken over a frequency range of 5 Hz to 2 MHz. The measurements were performed at different temperatures between 40 C and 350 C depending on the thickness and the composition of the films. The following results are derived by studying the conductivities of the films: i) The specific dc conductivity of layers with thicknesses larger than 150 nm is independent of their thicknesses; we call these layers 'thick films' and consider their conductivity as the 'base conductivity'. ii) The specific dc conductivity of layers with thicknesses smaller than 150 nm, called 'thin films', depends on the layer thickness. A nontrivial enhancement of the specific dc conductivity about three orders of magnitude for y=0.15, 0.2, and 0.25 is observed. iii) The base conductivity depends on y and at 120 C it varies between 4 x 10 -10 Ω -1 cm -1 and 2.5 x 10 -6 Ω -1 cm -1 when y varies between 0.15 and 0.35, whereas the maximum value of the specific dc conductivity of extremely thin films (with a thickness of some nanometre) seems to be independent of y and equals to the specific dc conductivity of layers with y= 0.35. Furthermore, we found in this work a physical interpretation of the so-called 'Constant Phase Element' (CPE) which is widely used in equivalent circuits for ionic conductors. This element describes correctly the depressed impedance semicircles observed in impedance spectroscopy. So far, this effect is sometimes attributed to the surface roughness. We have shown not only the invalidity of this approach, but we have also found that the depression arises from the nature of ionic motions. The model

  5. [Features associated with retinal thickness extension in diabetic macular oedema].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Razo Blanco-Hernández, Dulce Milagros; Lima-Gómez, Virgilio; García-Rubio, Yatzul Zuhaila

    2015-01-01

    Clinically significant macular edema has features that are associated with a major risk of visual loss, with thickening that involves the centre of the macula, field 7 or visual deficiency, although it is unknown if these features are related to retinal thickness extension. An observational, analytical, prospective, cross-sectional and open study was conducted. The sample was divided into initial visual acuity ≥0.5, central field thickness, center point thickness, field 7 and macular volume more than the reported 2 standard deviation mean value in eyes without retinopathy. The extension was determined by the number of the central field area equivalent thickening and these features were compared with by Student's t test for independent samples. A total of 199 eyes were included. In eyes with visual acuity of ≥0.5, the mean extension was 2.88±1.68 and 3.2±1.63 in area equivalent in eyes with visual acuity 0.5 (p=0.12). The mean extension in eyes with less than 2 standard deviation of central field thickness, center point thickness, field 7 and macular volume was significantly lower than in eyes with more than 2 standard deviations (1.9±0.93 vs. 4.07±1.49, 2.44±1.47 vs. 3.94±1.52, 1.79±1.07 vs. 3.61±1.57 and 1.6±0.9 vs. 3.9±1.4, respectively, p<0.001). The extension of retinal thickness is related with the anatomical features reported with a greater risk of visual loss, but is not related to initial visual deficiency. Copyright © 2015 Academia Mexicana de Cirugía A.C. Published by Masson Doyma México S.A. All rights reserved.

  6. Thermal conductivity of nanoscale thin nickel films

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    YUAN Shiping; JIANG Peixue

    2005-01-01

    The inhomogeneous non-equilibrium molecular dynamics (NEMD) scheme is applied to model phonon heat conduction in thin nickel films. The electronic contribution to the thermal conductivity of the film is deduced from the electrical conductivity through the use of the Wiedemann-Franz law. At the average temperature of T = 300 K, which is lower than the Debye temperature ()D = 450 K,the results show that in a film thickness range of about 1-11 nm, the calculated cross-plane thermal conductivity decreases almost linearly with the decreasing film thickness, exhibiting a remarkable reduction compared with the bulk value. The electrical and thermal conductivities are anisotropic in thin nickel films for the thickness under about 10 nm. The phonon mean free path is estimated and the size effect on the thermal conductivity is attributed to the reduction of the phonon mean free path according to the kinetic theory.

  7. Rotating disk electrodes to assess river biofilm thickness and elasticity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boulêtreau, Stéphanie; Charcosset, Jean-Yves; Gamby, Jean; Lyautey, Emilie; Mastrorillo, Sylvain; Azémar, Frédéric; Moulin, Frédéric; Tribollet, Bernard; Garabetian, Frédéric

    2011-01-01

    The present study examined the relevance of an electrochemical method based on a rotating disk electrode (RDE) to assess river biofilm thickness and elasticity. An in situ colonisation experiment in the River Garonne (France) in August 2009 sought to obtain natural river biofilms exhibiting differentiated architecture. A constricted pipe providing two contrasted flow conditions (about 0.1 and 0.45 m s(-1) in inflow and constricted sections respectively) and containing 24 RDE was immersed in the river for 21 days. Biofilm thickness and elasticity were quantified using an electrochemical assay on 7 and 21 days old RDE-grown biofilms (t(7) and t(21), respectively). Biofilm thickness was affected by colonisation length and flow conditions and ranged from 36 ± 15 μm (mean ± standard deviation, n = 6) in the fast flow section at t(7) to 340 ± 140 μm (n = 3) in the slow flow section at t(21). Comparing the electrochemical signal to stereomicroscopic estimates of biofilms thickness indicated that the method consistently allowed (i) to detect early biofilm colonisation in the river and (ii) to measure biofilm thickness of up to a few hundred μm. Biofilm elasticity, i.e. biofilm squeeze by hydrodynamic constraint, was significantly higher in the slow (1300 ± 480 μm rpm(1/2), n = 8) than in the fast flow sections (790 ± 350 μm rpm(1/2), n = 11). Diatom and bacterial density, and biofilm-covered RDE surface analyses (i) confirmed that microbial accrual resulted in biofilm formation on the RDE surface, and (ii) indicated that thickness and elasticity represent useful integrative parameters of biofilm architecture that could be measured on natural river assemblages using the proposed electrochemical method. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. Ion-conductivity of thin film Li-Borate glasses

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Abouzari, M.R.S.

    2007-12-17

    In this thesis, the specific conductivity of ion-sputtered lithium borate thin films is studied. To this end, lithium borate glasses of the composition yLi{sub 2}O.(1-y)B{sub 2}O{sub 3} with y=0.15, 0.20, 0.25, and 0.35 were produced as sputter targets. Films with thicknesses between 7 nm and 700 nm are deposited on silicon substrate between two AlLi electrodes. Conductivity spectra have been taken over a frequency range of 5 Hz to 2 MHz. The measurements were performed at different temperatures between 40 C and 350 C depending on the thickness and the composition of the films. The following results are derived by studying the conductivities of the films: i) The specific dc conductivity of layers with thicknesses larger than 150 nm is independent of their thicknesses; we call these layers 'thick films' and consider their conductivity as the 'base conductivity'. ii) The specific dc conductivity of layers with thicknesses smaller than 150 nm, called 'thin films', depends on the layer thickness. A nontrivial enhancement of the specific dc conductivity about three orders of magnitude for y=0.15, 0.2, and 0.25 is observed. iii) The base conductivity depends on y and at 120 C it varies between 4 x 10{sup -10} {omega}{sup -1}cm{sup -1} and 2.5 x 10{sup -6} {omega}{sup -1}cm{sup -1} when y varies between 0.15 and 0.35, whereas the maximum value of the specific dc conductivity of extremely thin films (with a thickness of some nanometre) seems to be independent of y and equals to the specific dc conductivity of layers with y= 0.35. Furthermore, we found in this work a physical interpretation of the so-called 'Constant Phase Element' (CPE) which is widely used in equivalent circuits for ionic conductors. This element describes correctly the depressed impedance semicircles observed in impedance spectroscopy. So far, this effect is sometimes attributed to the surface roughness. We have shown not only the invalidity of this approach, but

  9. Comparison of removed dentin thickness with hand and rotary instruments

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shahriari, Shahriar; Abedi, Hasan; Hashemi, Mahdi; Jalalzadeh, Seyed Mohsen

    2009-01-01

    INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to evaluate the amount of dentine removed after canal preparation using stainless steel (SS) hand instruments or rotary ProFile instruments. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-six extracted human teeth with root canal curvatures less than 30º were embedded in clear polyester resin. The roots were cut horizontally at apical 2, 4 and 7 mm. Dentin thickness was measured at each section and the sections were accurately reassembled using a muffle. Root canals were randomly prepared by SS hand instruments or rotary ProFile instruments. Root sections were again separated, and the remaining dentin thickness was measured. Mann-Whitney U and t tests were performed for analytic comparison of the results. RESULTS: The thickness of removed dentin was significantly different between the two used methods (Pinstrumentation group (Protary instrumentation prepares root canals with a greater conservation of tooth structure. PMID:23940489

  10. Impacts of age and sex on retinal layer thicknesses measured by spectral domain optical coherence tomography with Spectralis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nieves-Moreno, María; Martínez-de-la-Casa, José M; Morales-Fernández, Laura; Sánchez-Jean, Rubén; Sáenz-Francés, Federico; García-Feijoó, Julián

    2018-01-01

    To examine differences in individual retinal layer thicknesses measured by spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) (Spectralis®) produced with age and according to sex. Cross-sectional, observational study. The study was conducted in 297 eyes of 297 healthy subjects aged 18 to 87 years. In one randomly selected eye of each participant the volume and mean thicknesses of the different macular layers were measured by SD-OCT using the instrument's macular segmentation software. Volume and mean thickness of macular retinal nerve fiber layer (mRNFL), ganglion cell layer (GCL), inner plexiform layer (IPL), inner nuclear layer (INL), outer plexiform layer (OPL), outer nuclear layer (ONL), retinal pigmentary epithelium (RPE) and photoreceptor layer (PR). Retinal thickness was reduced by 0.24 μm for every one year of age. Age adjusted linear regression analysis revealed mean GCL, IPL, ONL and PR thickness reductions and a mean OPL thickness increase with age. Women had significantly lower mean GCL, IPL, INL, ONL and PR thicknesses and volumes and a significantly greater mRNFL volume than men. The thickness of most retinal layers varies both with age and according to sex. Longitudinal studies are needed to determine the rate of layer thinning produced with age.

  11. Automatic measuring system of zirconium thickness for zirconium liner cladding tubes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Matsui, K.; Yamaguchi, H.; Hiroshima, T.; Sakamoto, T.; Murayama, R.

    1985-01-01

    An automatic system of pure zirconium liner thickness for zirconium-zircaloy cladding tubes has been successfully developed. The system consists of three parts. (1) An ultrasonic thickness measuring method for mother tubes before cold rolling. (2) An electromagnetic thickness measuring method for the manufactured tubes. (3) An image processing method for the cross sectional view of the manufactured cut tube samples. In Japanese nuclear industry, zirconium-zircaloy cladding tubes have been tested in order to realize load following operation in the atomic power plant. In order to provide for the practical use in the near future, Sumitomo Metal Industries, Ltd. has been studied and established the practical manufacturing process of the zirconium liner cladding tubes. The zirconium-liner cladding tube is a duplex tube comprising an inner layer of pure zirconium bonded to zircaloy metallurgically. The thickness of the pure zirconium is about 10 % of the total wall thickness. Several types of the automatic thickness measuring methods have been investigated instead of the usual microscopic viewing method in which the liner thickness is measured by the microscopic cross sectional view of the cut tube samples

  12. Geologic thickness data: Candidate repository horizons

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cross, R.W.; Fairchild, K.R.

    1985-01-01

    This data package contains information on the thickness of the Umtanum, McCoy Canyon, Cohassett, and Rocky Coulee flows and their intraflow structures in 20 boreholes and 2 surface sections in the Pasco Basin. Thickness data are for total flow, flow top, entablature, and colonnade (or just flow top and dense interior in some cases). Summary figures which contain descriptions and footages are included. SD-BWI-DP-011, Rev. 2 replaces SD-BWI-DP-011, Rev. A-0 in its entirety. (Rev. A-0 replaced Rev. 0-0.) 5 refs

  13. The Use of Intravital Two-Photon and Thick Section Confocal Imaging to Analyze B Lymphocyte Trafficking in Lymph Nodes and Spleen.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Park, Chung; Hwang, Il-Young; Kehrl, John H

    2018-01-01

    Intravital two-photon laser scanning microscopy (TP-LSM) has allowed the direct observation of immune cells in intact organs of living animals. In the B cell biology field TP-LSM has detailed the movement of B cells in high endothelial venules and during their transmigration into lymph organs; described the movement and positioning of B cells within lymphoid organs; outlined the mechanisms by which antigen is delivered to B cells; observed B cell interacting with T cells, other cell types, and even with pathogens; and delineated the egress of B cells from the lymph node (LN) parenchyma into the efferent lymphatics. As the quality of TP-LSM improves and as new fluorescent probes become available additional insights into B cell behavior and function await new investigations. Yet intravital TP-LSM has some disadvantages including a lower resolution than standard confocal microscopy, a narrow imaging window, and a shallow depth of imaging. We have found that supplementing intravital TP-LSM with conventional confocal microscopy using thick LN sections helps to overcome some of these shortcomings. Here, we describe procedures for visualizing the behavior and trafficking of fluorescently labeled, adoptively transferred antigen-activated B cells within the inguinal LN of live mice using two-photon microscopy. Also, we introduce procedures for fixed thick section imaging using standard confocal microscopy, which allows imaging of fluorescently labeled cells deep in the LN cortex and in the spleen with high resolution.

  14. Spacer Thickness-Dependent Electron Transport Performance of Titanium Dioxide Thick Film for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Reda E. El-Shater

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available A titanium dioxide (P25 film was deposited by cast coating as conductive photoelectrode and subsequently immersed in dye solution (N719 to fabricate the photoanode of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs. A plastic spacer was used as a separation and sealant layer between the photoanode and the counter electrode. The effect of the thickness of this spacer on the transfer of electrons in the liquid electrolyte of the DSSCs was studied by means of both IV curves and electrochemical impedance. Using a spacer thickness range of 20 μm to 50 μm, efficiency ranges from 3.73% to 7.22%. The highest efficiency of 7.22% was obtained with an optimal spacer thickness of 40 μm.

  15. Mathematical Model of Stress-Strain State of Curved Tube of Non-Circular Cross-Section with Account of Technological Wall Thickness Variation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pirogov, S. P.; Ustinov, N. N.; Smolin, N. I.

    2018-05-01

    A mathematical model of the stress-strain state of a curved tube of a non-circular cross-section is presented, taking into account the technological wall thickness variation. On the basis of the semi-membrane shell theory, a system of linear differential equations describing the deformation of a tube under the effect of pressure is obtained. To solve the boundary value problem, the method of shooting is applied. The adequacy of the proposed mathematical model is verified by comparison with the experimental data and the results of the calculation of tubes by the energy method.

  16. An in vitro study of mesiobuccal root thickness of maxillary first molars.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mohammadzadeh Akhlaghi, Nahid; Ravandoust, Yasaman; Najafi, Mohammad; Dadresanfar, Bahareh

    2012-01-01

    Understanding the internal anatomy of root canal system can significantly influence outcomes of root canal treatment. The aim of this in vitro study was to measure the thickness of mesiobuccal root at different levels in maxillary first molars. In this cross-sectional study, forty extracted human maxillary first molars were radiographed; accordingly, the mesial and distal root thicknesses of mesiobuccal (MB) roots were measured at four parallel horizontal levels. The samples were sectioned at the measured levels and then sections were scanned and saved in the computer. Buccal (B), Palatal (P), Mesial (M) and Distal (D) aspects of root thicknesses in single-canalled roots were measured. In two-canalled mesiobuccal roots, Distobuccal (DB) and Distopalatal (DP) aspects were evaluated alongside other measurements. Average radicular thickness in each aspect and each level was compared using ANOVA and t-test. A total of 25 had two canals and 15 had one canal in MB root. In single-canalled roots M and D aspects were the thinnest whereas in two-canalled samples, the thicknesses of DP and DB aspects were significantly less than others (Pmolar roots in order to avoid technical mishaps.

  17. SONOGRAPHIC PREDICTION OF SCAR DEHISCENCE IN WOMEN WITH PREVIOUS CAESAREAN SECTION

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shubhada Suhas Jajoo

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND Caesarean section (Sectio Caesarea is a surgical method for the completion of delivery. After various historical modifications of operative techniques, modern approach consists in the transverse dissection of the anterior wall of the uterus. The rate of vaginal birth after caesarean section was significantly reduced from year to year and the rate of repeated caesarean section is increased during the past 10 years. Evaluation of scar thickness is done by ultrasound, but it is still debatable size of thick scar that would be guiding “cut-off value” for the completion of the delivery method. To better assess the risk of uterine rupture, some authors have proposed sonographic measurement of lower uterine segment thickness near term assuming that there is an inverse correlation between LUS thickness and the risk of uterine scar defect. Therefore, this assessment for the management of women with prior CS may increase safety during labour by selecting women with the lowest risk of uterine rupture. The aim of the study is to study the diagnostic accuracy of sonographic measurements of the Lower Uterine Segment (LUS thickness near term in predicting uterine scar defects in women with prior Caesarean Section (CS. We aim to ascertain the best cut-off values for predicting uterine rupture. MATERIALS AND METHODS 100 antenatal women with history of previous one LSCS who come to attend antenatal clinic will be assessed for scar thickness by transabdominal ultrasonography and its correlation with intraoperative findings. This prospective longitudinal study was conducted for 1 year after IEC approval with inclusion criteria previous one LSCS. Exclusion criteria- 1 Previous myomectomy scar; 2 Previous 2 LSCS; 3 Previous hysterotomy scar. RESULTS Our findings indicate that there is a strong association between degree of LUS thinning measured near term and the risk of uterine scar defect at birth. In our study, optimal cut-off value for predicting

  18. Post-market clinical research conducted by medical device manufacturers: a cross-sectional survey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ross, Joseph S; Blount, Katrina L; Ritchie, Jessica D; Hodshon, Beth; Krumholz, Harlan M

    2015-01-01

    In the US, once a medical device is made available for use, several requirements have been established by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ensure ongoing post-market surveillance of device safety and effectiveness. Our objective was to determine how commonly medical device manufacturers initiate post-market clinical studies or augment FDA post-market surveillance requirements for higher-risk devices that are most often approved via the FDA's pre-market approval (PMA) pathway. We conducted a cross-sectional survey of 47 manufacturers with operations in California, Minnesota, and Massachusetts who market devices approved via the PMA pathway. Among 22 respondents (response rate =47%), nearly all self-reported conducting post-market clinical research studies, commonly between 1 and 5; only 1 respondent reported never conducting post-market clinical research studies. While manufacturers most often engaged in these studies to satisfy FDA requirements, other reasons were reported, including performance monitoring and surveillance and market acceptance initiatives. Risks of conducting and not conducting post-market clinical research studies were described through open-ended response to questions. Medical device manufacturers commonly initiate post-market clinical studies at the request of the FDA. Clinical data from these studies should be integrated into national post-market surveillance initiatives.

  19. Effect of subcooling and wall thickness on pool boiling from downward-facing curved surfaces in water

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    El-Genk, M.S.; Glebov, A.G. [Univ. of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM (United States)

    1995-09-01

    Quenching experiments were performed to investigate the effects of water subcooling and wall thickness on pool boiling from a downward-facing curved surface. Experiments used three copper sections of the same diameter (50.8 mm) and surface radius (148 mm), but different thickness (12.8, 20 and 30 mm). Local and average pool boiling curves were obtained at saturation and 5 K, 10 K, and 14 K subcooling. Water subcooling increased the maximum heat flux, but decreased the corresponding wall superheat. The minimum film boiling heat flux and the corresponding wall superheat, however, increased with increased subcooling. The maximum and minimum film boiling heat fluxes were independent of wall thickness above 20 mm and Biot Number > 0.8, indicating that boiling curves for the 20 and 30 thick sections were representative of quasi steady-state, but not those for the 12.8 mm thick section. When compared with that for a flat surface section of the same thickness, the data for the 12.8 mm thick section showed significant increases in both the maximum heat flux (from 0.21 to 0.41 MW/m{sup 2}) and the minimum film boiling heat flux (from 2 to 13 kW/m{sup 2}) and about 11.5 K and 60 K increase in the corresponding wall superheats, respectively.

  20. Size dictated thermal conductivity of GaN

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beechem, Thomas E.; McDonald, Anthony E.; Fuller, Elliot J.; Talin, A. Alec; Rost, Christina M.; Maria, Jon-Paul; Gaskins, John T.; Hopkins, Patrick E.; Allerman, Andrew A.

    2016-09-01

    The thermal conductivity of n- and p-type doped gallium nitride (GaN) epilayers having thicknesses of 3-4 μm was investigated using time domain thermoreflectance. Despite possessing carrier concentrations ranging across 3 decades (1015-1018 cm-3), n-type layers exhibit a nearly constant thermal conductivity of 180 W/mK. The thermal conductivity of p-type epilayers, in contrast, reduces from 160 to 110 W/mK with increased doping. These trends—and their overall reduction relative to bulk—are explained leveraging established scattering models where it is shown that, while the decrease in p-type layers is partly due to the increased impurity levels evolving from its doping, size effects play a primary role in limiting the thermal conductivity of GaN layers tens of microns thick. Device layers, even of pristine quality, will therefore exhibit thermal conductivities less than the bulk value of 240 W/mK owing to their finite thickness.

  1. Reusable bi-directional 3ω sensor to measure thermal conductivity of 100-μm thick biological tissues

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lubner, Sean D.; Choi, Jeunghwan; Wehmeyer, Geoff; Waag, Bastian; Mishra, Vivek; Natesan, Harishankar; Bischof, John C.; Dames, Chris

    2015-01-01

    Accurate knowledge of the thermal conductivity (k) of biological tissues is important for cryopreservation, thermal ablation, and cryosurgery. Here, we adapt the 3ω method—widely used for rigid, inorganic solids—as a reusable sensor to measure k of soft biological samples two orders of magnitude thinner than conventional tissue characterization methods. Analytical and numerical studies quantify the error of the commonly used "boundary mismatch approximation" of the bi-directional 3ω geometry, confirm that the generalized slope method is exact in the low-frequency limit, and bound its error for finite frequencies. The bi-directional 3ω measurement device is validated using control experiments to within ±2% (liquid water, standard deviation) and ±5% (ice). Measurements of mouse liver cover a temperature ranging from -69 °C to +33 °C. The liver results are independent of sample thicknesses from 3 mm down to 100 μm and agree with available literature for non-mouse liver to within the measurement scatter.

  2. Thermal conductivity model for nanoporous thin films

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Congliang; Zhao, Xinpeng; Regner, Keith; Yang, Ronggui

    2018-03-01

    Nanoporous thin films have attracted great interest because of their extremely low thermal conductivity and potential applications in thin thermal insulators and thermoelectrics. Although there are some numerical and experimental studies about the thermal conductivity of nanoporous thin films, a simplified model is still needed to provide a straightforward prediction. In this paper, by including the phonon scattering lifetimes due to film thickness boundary scattering, nanopore scattering and the frequency-dependent intrinsic phonon-phonon scattering, a fitting-parameter-free model based on the kinetic theory of phonon transport is developed to predict both the in-plane and the cross-plane thermal conductivities of nanoporous thin films. With input parameters such as the lattice constants, thermal conductivity, and the group velocity of acoustic phonons of bulk silicon, our model shows a good agreement with available experimental and numerical results of nanoporous silicon thin films. It illustrates that the size effect of film thickness boundary scattering not only depends on the film thickness but also on the size of nanopores, and a larger nanopore leads to a stronger size effect of the film thickness. Our model also reveals that there are different optimal structures for getting the lowest in-plane and cross-plane thermal conductivities.

  3. THE THICKNESS DEPENDENCE OF OXYGEN PERMEABILITY IN SOL-GEL DERIVED CGO-COFE2O4 THIN FILMS ON POROUS CERAMIC SUBSTRATES: A SPUTTERED BLOCKING LAYER FOR THICKNESS CONTROL

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Brinkman, K

    2009-01-08

    Mixed conductive oxides are a topic of interest for applications in oxygen separation membranes as well as use in producing hydrogen fuel through the partial oxidation of methane. The oxygen flux through the membrane is governed both by the oxygen ionic conductivity as well as the material's electronic conductivity; composite membranes like Ce{sub 0.8}Gd{sub 0.2}O{sub 2-{delta}} (CGO)-CoFe{sub 2}O{sub 4} (CFO) use gadolinium doped ceria oxides as the ionic conducting material combined with cobalt iron spinel which serves as the electronic conductor. In this study we employ {approx} 50 nm sputtered CeO{sub 2} layers on the surface of porous CGO ceramic substrates which serve as solution 'blocking' layers during the thin film fabrication process facilitating the control of film thickness. Films with thickness of {approx} 2 and 4 microns were prepared by depositing 40 and 95 separate sol-gel layers respectively. Oxygen flux measurements indicated that the permeation increased with decreasing membrane thickness; thin film membrane with thickness on the micron level showed flux values an order of magnitude greater (0.03 {micro}mol/cm{sup 2} s) at 800 C as compared to 1mm thick bulk ceramic membranes (0.003 {micro}mol/cm{sup 2}).

  4. Thermal conductivity of organic semi-conducting materials using 3omega and photothermal radiometry techniques

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Reisdorffer Frederic

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Organic semiconductors for opto-electronic devices show several defects which can be enhanced while increasing the operating temperature. Their thermal management and especially the reduction of their temperature are of great interest. For the heat transfer study, one has to measure the thermal conductivity of thin film organic materials. However the major difficulty for this measurement is the very low thickness of the films which needs the use of very specific techniques. In our work, the 3-omega and photothermal radiometric methods were used to measure the thermal conductivity of thin film organic semiconducting material (Alq3. The measurements were performed as function of the thin film thickness from 45 to 785 nm and also of its temperature from 80 to 350 K. With the 3 omega method, a thermal conductivity value of 0.066 W.m−1K−1 was obtained for Alq3 thin film of 200 nm at room temperature, in close agreement with the photothermal value. Both techniques appear to be complementary: the 3 omega method is easier to implement for large temperature range and small thicknesses down to a few tens of nanometers whereas the photothermal method is more suitable for thicknesses over 200nm since it provides additional information such as the thin film volumetric heat capacity.

  5. Percolation effect in thick film superconductors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sali, R.; Harsanyi, G. [Technical Univ. of Budapest (Hungary)

    1994-12-31

    A thick film superconductor paste has been developed to study the properties of granulated superconductor materials, to observe the percolation effect and to confirm the theory of the conducting mechanism in the superconducting thick films. This paste was also applied to make a superconducting planar transformer. Due to high T{sub c} and advantageous current density properties the base of the paste was chosen to be of Bi(Pb)SrCaCuO system. For contacts a conventional Ag/Pt paste was used. The critical temperature of the samples were between 110 K and 115 K depending on the printed layer thickness. The critical current density at the boiling temperature of the liquid He- was between 200-300 A/cm{sup 2}. The R(T) and V(I) functions were measured with different parameters. The results of the measurements have confirmed the theory of conducting mechanism in the material. The percolation structure model has been built and described. As an application, a superconducting planar thick film transformer was planned and produced. Ten windings of the transformer were printed on one side of the alumina substrate and one winding was printed on the other side. The coupling between the two sides was possible through the substrate. The samples did not need special drying and firing parameters. After the preparation, the properties of the transformer were measured. The efficiency and the losses were determined. Finally, some fundamental advantages and problems of the process were discussed.

  6. Percolation effect in thick film superconductors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sali, R.; Harsanyi, G.

    1994-01-01

    A thick film superconductor paste has been developed to study the properties of granulated superconductor materials, to observe the percolation effect and to confirm the theory of the conducting mechanism in the superconducting thick films. This paste was also applied to make a superconducting planar transformer. Due to high T c and advantageous current density properties the base of the paste was chosen to be of Bi(Pb)SrCaCuO system. For contacts a conventional Ag/Pt paste was used. The critical temperature of the samples were between 110 K and 115 K depending on the printed layer thickness. The critical current density at the boiling temperature of the liquid He- was between 200-300 A/cm 2 . The R(T) and V(I) functions were measured with different parameters. The results of the measurements have confirmed the theory of conducting mechanism in the material. The percolation structure model has been built and described. As an application, a superconducting planar thick film transformer was planned and produced. Ten windings of the transformer were printed on one side of the alumina substrate and one winding was printed on the other side. The coupling between the two sides was possible through the substrate. The samples did not need special drying and firing parameters. After the preparation, the properties of the transformer were measured. The efficiency and the losses were determined. Finally, some fundamental advantages and problems of the process were discussed

  7. Infrared sensing and the measurement of oil slick thickness

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brown, H.M.; Baschuk, J.J.; Goodman, R.H.

    1998-01-01

    The issue of whether infrared images can be used to detect the thickness of a marine oil spill was discussed. Infrared images of oil spills on water show density variations because of variations in oil temperature and emissivity. These observations have been used to determine thickness variations in the oil. Experiments were conducted in a large wave basin using two typical crude oils in the thickness range of 1 mm to 10 mm. Infrared images of oil spills were recorded and simultaneous thickness measurements were made using an acoustic thickness gauge. The study showed that there is no relationship between infrared image pixel greyness and the thickness measured with an acoustic probe. It was not possible to determine the volume of a spill using infrared images. 2 refs., 1 tab., 4 figs

  8. 77 FR 60441 - Pediatric Studies of Sodium Nitroprusside Conducted in Accordance With Section 409I of the Public...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-10-03

    ...] Pediatric Studies of Sodium Nitroprusside Conducted in Accordance With Section 409I of the Public Health Service Act; Establishment of Public Docket AGENCY: Food and Drug Administration, HHS. ACTION: Notice... available to the public a report of the pediatric studies of sodium nitroprusside that were conducted in...

  9. Frobenius splitting of thick flag manifolds of Kac-Moody algebras

    OpenAIRE

    Kato, Syu

    2017-01-01

    We explain that the Pl\\"ucker relations provide the defining equations of the thick flag manifold associated to a Kac-Moody algebra. This naturally transplant the result of Kumar-Mathieu-Schwede about the Frobenius splitting of thin flag manifolds to the thick case. As a consequence, we provide a description of the global sections of line bundles of a thick Schubert variety as conjectured in Kashiwara-Shimozono [Duke Math. J. 148 (2009)]. This also yields the existence of a compatible basis o...

  10. Wall thickness of major coronary arteries in Pakistani population

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ullah, Q.W.; Qamar, K.; Butt, S.A.; Butt, S.A.

    2012-01-01

    To measure the wall thickness of major coronary arteries in Pakistani population, through micrometry. Study design: An observational study. Place and duration of study: Combined Military Hospital Rawalpindi, Khyber Medical College Peshawar and District Headquarter Hospital, Rawalpindi, in collaboration with Departments of Anatomy and Pathology, Army Medical College Rawalpindi. The duration of study was six months with effect from September 2009 to March 2010. Material and methods: After incising pericardium, 1 mm long segments of major coronary arteries i.e. right coronary artery (RCA), left anterior descending artery (LAD) and left circumflex artery (LCX) were taken 1cm distal to their origin, from adult male cadavers of up to 40 years age. After processing for paraffin embedding, 5 mu m thick sections were prepared, mounted on glass slides and subsequently stained with Hematoxylin and Eosin (H and E) for routine histological study. Verhoeff's elastic stain was used to make the elastic lamina more prominent. Wall thickness for each section was measured through micrometry, circumferentially at eight different places along the planes at 45 deg. to each other and then their mean taken as a reading for the respective artery. Results: The total wall thickness of major coronary arteries and of the individual tunicae was less in Pakistani population. The mean thickness of RCA was 0.61 +- 0.05 mm; LAD had mean thickness of 0.55 +- 0.06 mm whereas that of LCX was 0.66 +- 0.13 mm. The mean thickness of tunica intima of RCA was noted to be 0.230 +- 0.044 mm; tunica media measured 0.205 +- 0.031 mm whereas tunica adventitia was 0.172 +- 0.023 mm thick. The mean thickness of tunica intima of LAD measured 0.156 +- 0.032 mm; tunica media was observed to be 0.224 +- 0.026 mm thick whereas the tunica adventitia was 0.170 +- 0.032 mm thick. The mean thickness of tunica intima of LCX was observed to be 0.203 +- 0.059 mm; tunica media to be 0.282 +- 0.097 mm whereas that of tunica

  11. Influence of the section size and holding time on the graphite parameters of ductile iron production

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. Bockus

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available This work was conducted to establish the conditions required to produce a desirable structure of the castings of various section sizes. This investigation was focused on the study of the influence of cooling rate or section size and holding time on graphite parameters of the ductile iron. Plates having thickness between 3 and 50mm were cast in sand molds using the same melt. The present investigation has shown that the section size of ductile iron castings and holding time had strong effect on the graphite parameters of the castings.

  12. Status of surface conduction in topological insulators

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barua, Sourabh; Rajeev, K. P.

    2014-01-01

    In this report, we scrutinize the thickness dependent resistivity data from the recent literature on electrical transport measurements in topological insulators. A linear increase in resistivity with increase in thickness is expected in the case of these materials since they have an insulating bulk and a conducting surface. However, such a trend is not seen in the resistivity versus thickness data for all the cases examined, except for some samples, where it holds for a range of thickness

  13. Evaluation of various hot mix asphalt pavement thicknesses over rubblized concrete pavement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-07-01

    In 1999, the Wisconsin DOT constructed two test sections as part of a rubblized PCC pavement project on I-39 to evaluate whether : increased HMA thickness could extend the pavement system's service life. Design thicknesses of the control and test sec...

  14. Measurement of sea ice thickness using electromagnetic sounding; Denji tansaho wo mochiita kaihyoatsu no keisoku

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kawauchi, K; Suzuki, I; Goto, N [Muroran Institute of Technology, Hokkaido (Japan); Hoshiyama, K

    1997-10-22

    Thickness of sea ice is measured by an electromagnetic method making use of the peculiarities of sea ice. Sea ice floats on the seawater (saline water), and the result is two horizontal layers greatly different from each other in conductivity, with seawater being highly conductive and ice being non-conductive. A study is conducted on Lake Kumatori, a saline lake in Abashiri City, in which effort a board of naturally frozen sea ice and a board of sea ice allowed to form on the sea surface at a spot from which ice has been removed are examined. A portable electromagnetic probe EM38 of GEONICS Company is employed to perform measurement in a horizontal dipole mode. To determine the relationship between the obtained conductivity measurements and sea ice thickness, holes are bored in the sea ice boards for the measurement of their thickness for the formulation of an experimental regression equation. Measurements along the traverse line 1 and traverse line 3 are converted into sea ice thickness by use of the experimental regression equation, and the result is that ice thickness is the greatest near the quay growing thinner away from the shore. The study shows that sea ice thickness may be measured accurately by electromagnetic probing. 3 refs., 10 figs.

  15. Evaluation of cross sections of 56Fe up to 3 GeV and integral benchmark calculation for thick target yield

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yoshizawa, Nobuaki; Meigo, Shin-ichiro

    2001-01-01

    The neutron and proton cross sections of 56 Fe were evaluated up to 3 GeV. JENDL High Energy File of 56 Fe were developed for use in transport calculation. For neutrons, the high-energy data are merged with JENDL3.3-file. Integral benchmark calculations for thick target neutron yields (TTY) for 113 MeV and 256 MeV proton bombardment of Fe targets were performed using the evaluated libraries. Calculated TTY neutron spectra were compared with experimental data. For 113 MeV, calculated TTY at 7.5 degree underestimated in the emitted neutron energy range above 10 MeV. For 256 MeV, calculated TTY well agree with experimental data except below 10 MeV. (author)

  16. A comparison between destructive and non-destructive techniques in determining coating thickness

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haider, F. I.; Suryanto; Ani, M. H.; Mahmood, M. H.

    2018-01-01

    Measuring coating thickness is an important part in research works related to coating applications. In general, techniques for measuring coating thickness may be divided into destructive and non-destructive methods which are commonly used depending on the applications. The objective of this study is to compare two methods measuring the coating thickness of electroplating copper coating on the austenitic stainless-steel substrate. The electroplating was carried out in a solution containing 200 g/L CuSO4, 100 g/L H2SO4 at room temperature and current of 40mA/cm2 during 20, 40, 60, 80 and 100 mins as coating periods. And the coating thickness was measured by two methods, cross sectional analysis as a destructive technique and weight gain as a non-destructive technique. The results show that at 20 mins coating time interval, the thickness measured by cross sectional method was 16.67 μm and by weight gain method was 17.37 μm, with difference of 0.7 μm and percentage error of 4.11%. This error increased to 5.27% at 100mins time interval, where the values of the thickness measured by cross sectional and weight gain were 86.33 μm and 81.9 μm respectively, and the difference was 4.43 μm. Moreover, though the weight gain method is fast and gives the indication for the termination of a coating process, information regarding the uniformity, porosity and the presence of cracks cannot be obtained. On the other hand, determining the coating thickness using destructive method will damage the sample.

  17. Crystallite Size Effect on Thermal Conductive Properties of Nonwoven Nanocellulose Sheets.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Uetani, Kojiro; Okada, Takumi; Oyama, Hideko T

    2015-07-13

    The thermal conductive properties, including the thermal diffusivity and resultant thermal conductivity, of nonwoven nanocellulose sheets were investigated by separately measuring the thermal diffusivity of the sheets in the in-plane and thickness directions with a periodic heating method. The cross-sectional area (or width) of the cellulose crystallites was the main determinant of the thermal conductive properties. Thus, the results strongly indicate that there is a crystallite size effect on phonon conduction within the nanocellulose sheets. The results also indicated that there is a large interfacial thermal resistance between the nanocellulose surfaces. The phonon propagation velocity (i.e., the sound velocity) within the nanocellulose sheets was estimated to be ∼800 m/s based on the relationship between the thermal diffusivities and crystallite widths. The resulting in-plane thermal conductivity of the tunicate nanocellulose sheet was calculated to be ∼2.5 W/mK, markedly higher than other plastic films available for flexible electronic devices.

  18. Study on fluidity of squeeze cast AZ91D magnesium alloy with different wall thicknesses

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chen Yun

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available Rectangular cross-section specimens with different section thicknesses were prepared to study the influences of pouring temperature, mould temperature and squeeze velocity on the fluidity of squeeze cast AZ91D magnesium alloy by means of orthogonal test design method. The results show that pouring temperature, mould temperature and squeeze velocity can significantly affect the fluidity of magnesium alloy specimens with wall thickness no more than 4 mm, and the pouring temperature is the most influential factor on the fluidity of specimens with wall thickness of 1, 2 and 3 mm, while mould temperature is the one for specimens with wall thickness of 4 mm. Increasing pouring temperature between 700 °C and 750 °C is beneficial to the fluidity of AZ91D magnesium alloy, and increasing mould temperature significantly enhances the filling ability of thick (3 and 4 mm section castings. The fluidity of squeeze cast magnesium alloy increases with the increase of wall thickness. It is not recommended to produce magnesium alloy casting with wall thickness of smaller than 3 mm by squeeze cast process due to the poor fluidity. The software DPS was used to generate the regression model, and linear regression equations of the fluidity of squeeze cast AZ91D with different wall thicknesses are obtained using the test results.

  19. Post-market clinical research conducted by medical device manufacturers: a cross-sectional survey

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ross JS

    2015-05-01

    Full Text Available Joseph S Ross, Katrina L Blount, Jessica D Ritchie, Beth Hodshon, Harlan M Krumholz Center for Outcomes Research and Evaluation, Yale-New Haven Hospital, New Haven, CT, USA Background: In the US, once a medical device is made available for use, several requirements have been established by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA to ensure ongoing post-market surveillance of device safety and effectiveness. Our objective was to determine how commonly medical device manufacturers initiate post-market clinical studies or augment FDA post-market surveillance requirements for higher-risk devices that are most often approved via the FDA's pre-market approval (PMA pathway. Methods and results: We conducted a cross-sectional survey of 47 manufacturers with operations in California, Minnesota, and Massachusetts who market devices approved via the PMA pathway. Among 22 respondents (response rate =47%, nearly all self-reported conducting post-market clinical research studies, commonly between 1 and 5; only 1 respondent reported never conducting post-market clinical research studies. While manufacturers most often engaged in these studies to satisfy FDA requirements, other reasons were reported, including performance monitoring and surveillance and market acceptance initiatives. Risks of conducting and not conducting post-market clinical research studies were described through open-ended response to questions. Conclusion: Medical device manufacturers commonly initiate post-market clinical studies at the request of the FDA. Clinical data from these studies should be integrated into national post-market surveillance initiatives. Keywords: FDA, PMA pathway, post-market surveillance

  20. The effect of substrate conduction on boiling data on pin-fin heat sinks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McNeil, D.A.; Raeisi, A.H.; Kew, P.A.; Hamed, R.S.

    2015-01-01

    Heat-transfer experiments for a copper heat sink containing pin-fins with a cross section of 1 mm by 1 mm and a height of 1 mm have been reported previously. The pin-fins were manufactured on a 5 mm thick, 50 mm square base plate in a square, in-line arrangement with a pitch of 2 mm. Data were produced while boiling R113 and water at atmospheric pressure. The heat sink was heated from below through a 5 mm thick aluminium wall by an electrical heating method that is normally associated with the uniform heat flux boundary condition. However, variations in the heat-transfer coefficient and the liquid subcooling interacted with the high thermal conductivity of the aluminium and copper materials to produce a near isothermal wall boundary condition. Thus, heat conduction effects had to be taken into account when determining the heat-flux distribution required in the analysis of the data. Many experiments like these have used the uniform heat-flux assumption to analyse the data. The discrepancies produced from this approach are explored. Single-phase flows across a pin-fin surface produce a reasonably uniform distribution of heat-transfer coefficient. However, the liquid temperature increases as it moves across the heat sink. This produces a non-uniform heat flux distribution at the solid–fluid interface. The uniform heat-flux assumption is shown to lead to errors of ±17% in the estimation of the heat-transfer coefficient. The original boiling flow experiments found that the water data were confined and that the majority of the R113 data were not. The confined and unconfined data are processed with the thermal conduction in the walls taken into account and by assuming a uniform heat flux at the solid–fluid interface. The uniform heat-flux distribution analysis for unconfined flows shows errors in the heat-transfer coefficient to be typically ±17%. Confined flows produce smaller errors, typically ±12%, close to the onset of nucleation. However, these damp out

  1. CT measurement of normal pericardial thickness in adults on computed tomography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Choi, Young Woo; Park, Chan Sup; Jeon, Yong Sun; Bae, In Young; Choi, Sung Gyu; Koo, Jin Hoe; Chung, Won Kyun

    1998-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to establish, using computed tomography, the normal thickness of the pericardium in adults. Materials and Methods: CT scans of 50 patients, including sections through the level of the heart, were reviewed. Patients were excluded if there were any suspicions of pericardial abnormality such as infectious or neoplastic diseases. Twenty-four of the 50 were men and 26 were women; their mean age was 47.0(range,18-76) years. We measured pericardial thickness at the level of the right ventricle, interventricular septum and left ventricle, and also compared pericardial thickness in terms of age and sex. Results: In all patients, the pericardium was observed in the right ventricular region; in 41 (82%) at the interventricular septum; and in 41 (82%) along the left ventricle. The mean thickness of normal pericardium at the level of the right ventricle, interventricular septum, and left ventricle was 1.8 mm ± 0.5 mm, 1.8 mm ± 0.4 mm, and 1.7 mm ± 0.5 mm, respectively. No statistically significant correlation was apparent between pericardial thickness and age group (p > 0.63, ANOVA test). Mean pericardial thickness was 1.9 mm ± 0.6 mm in males and 1.7 mm ± 0.4 mm in females; thus, no statistically significant correlation was apparent between pericardial thickness and sex (p >0.29, Student's t-test). Conclusion: The pericardium was best visualized in sections through the right ventricle.The mean thickness of normal pericardium was 1.8 mm ± 0.5 mm and pericardial thickness did not differ according to age or sex

  2. Correlation of retinal nerve fibre layer and macular thickness with serum uric acid among type 2 diabetes mellitus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vinuthinee-Naidu, Munisamy-Naidu; Zunaina, Embong; Azreen-Redzal, Anuar; Nyi-Nyi, Naing

    2017-06-14

    Uric acid is a final breakdown product of purine catabolism in humans. It's a potent antioxidant and can also act as a pro-oxidant that induces oxidative stress on the vascular endothelial cells, thus mediating progression of diabetic related diseases. Various epidemiological and experimental evidence suggest that uric acid has a role in the etiology of type 2 diabetes mellitus. We conducted a cross-sectional study to evaluate the correlation of retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) and macular thickness with serum uric acid in type 2 diabetic patients. A cross-sectional study was conducted in the Eye Clinic, Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kelantan between the period of August 2013 till July 2015 involving type 2 diabetes mellitus patients with no diabetic retinopathy and with non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR). An evaluation for RNFL and macular thickness was measured using Spectralis Heidelberg optical coherence tomography. Six ml of venous blood was taken for the measurement of serum uric acid and glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1 C ). A total of 180 diabetic patients were recruited (90 patients with no diabetic retinopathy and 90 patients with NPDR) into the study. The mean level of serum uric acid for both the groups was within normal range and there was no significance difference between the two groups. Based on gender, both male and female gender showed significantly higher level of mean serum uric acid in no diabetic retinopathy group (p = 0.004 respectively). The mean serum uric acid was significantly higher in patient with HbA1 C  uric acid in both the groups. Serum uric acid showed a poor correlation with RNFL and macular thickness among type 2 diabetic patients.

  3. Anisotropy of heat conduction in Mo/Si multilayers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Medvedev, V. V.; Yakshin, A. E.; Kruijs, R. W. E. van de; Bijkerk, F.; Yang, J.; Schmidt, A. J.; Zoethout, E.

    2015-01-01

    This paper reports on the studies of anisotropic heat conduction phenomena in Mo/Si multilayers with individual layer thicknesses selected to be smaller than the mean free path of heat carriers. We applied the frequency-domain thermoreflectance technique to characterize the thermal conductivity tensor. While the mechanisms of the cross-plane heat conduction were studied in detail previously, here we focus on the in-plane heat conduction. To analyze the relative contribution of electron transport to the in-plane heat conduction, we applied sheet-resistance measurements. Results of Mo/Si multilayers with variable thickness of the Mo layers indicate that the net in-plane thermal conductivity depends on the microstructure of the Mo layers

  4. Full reflector thickness and isolation thickness on neutron transport

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sakai, Tomohiro; Naito, Yoshitaka; Komuro, Yuichi.

    1988-08-01

    A method to determine ''full reflector thickness'' and ''isolation thickness'', which is utilized for criticality safety evaluation on nuclear fuel facilities, was proposed in this paper. Firstly, a calculation was tryed to obtain the two kinds of thicknesses from the result of criticality calculations for a specific case. Then, two simple equations which calculates the two kinds of thicknesses were made from the relation between reflector (or isolator) thickness and k eff , and one-group diffusion theory. Finally, we proposed a new method to determine the thicknesses. From the method we proposed, ''full reflector thickness'' and ''isolation thickness'' can be obtain using the equations and migration length of the reflector (or isolator) and infinite and effective multiplication factor of the fuel. (author)

  5. Thickness Measurement of Surface Attachment on Plate with Lamb Wave

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ma, Xianglong; Zhang, Yinghong; Wen, Lichao; He, Yehu

    2017-12-01

    Aiming at the thickness detection of the plate surface attachment, a nondestructive testing method based on the Lamb wave is presented. This method utilizes Lamb wave propagation characteristics of signals in a bi-layer medium to measure the surface attachment plate thickness. Propagation of Lamb wave in bi-layer elastic is modeled and analyzed. The two-dimensional simulation model of electromagnetic ultrasonic plate - scale is established. The simulation is conducted by software COMSOL for simulation analysis under different boiler scale thickness wave form curve. Through this study, the thickness of the attached material can be judged by analyzing the characteristics of the received signal when the thickness of the surface of the plate is measured.

  6. Tungsten thick coatings for plasma facing components

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Riccardi, B.; Pizzuto, A.; Orsini, A.; Libera, S.; Visca, E.; Bertamini, L.; Casadei, F.; Severini, E.; Montanari, R.; Litunovsky, N.

    1998-01-01

    The aim of the R and D activity was to realize thick W coatings on CuCrZr hollow bars and to test the mock ups with respect to thermal fatigue. Eight mock ups provided of 4 mm thick W coating were finally manufactured. The bonding integrity between coating and substrate was checked by means of an Ultrasonic apparatus. Characterisation of coatings was performed in order to assess microstructure, impurity content, density, tensile strength, adhesion strength, thermal conductivity and thermal expansion coefficient. Macroscopic residual strain measurements were performed by means of 'hole drilling' technique. The activities performed demonstrated the feasibility of thick Tungsten coatings on geometries with more complex residual strain distribution. These coatings are reliable armour of medium heat flux plasma facing component. (author)

  7. Optically Sectioned Imaging of Microvasculature of In-Vivo and Ex-Vivo Thick Tissue Models with Speckle-illumination HiLo Microscopy and HiLo Image Processing Implementation in MATLAB Architecture

    Science.gov (United States)

    Suen, Ricky Wai

    The work described in this thesis covers the conversion of HiLo image processing into MATLAB architecture and the use of speckle-illumination HiLo microscopy for use of ex-vivo and in-vivo imaging of thick tissue models. HiLo microscopy is a wide-field fluorescence imaging technique and has been demonstrated to produce optically sectioned images comparable to confocal in thin samples. The imaging technique was developed by Jerome Mertz and the Boston University Biomicroscopy Lab and has been implemented in our lab as a stand-alone optical setup and a modification to a conventional fluorescence microscope. Speckle-illumination HiLo microscopy combines two images taken under speckle-illumination and standard uniform-illumination to generate an optically sectioned image that reject out-of-focus fluorescence. The evaluated speckle contrast in the images is used as a weighting function where elements that move out-of-focus have a speckle contrast that decays to zero. The experiments shown here demonstrate the capability of our HiLo microscopes to produce optically-sectioned images of the microvasculature of ex-vivo and in-vivo thick tissue models. The HiLo microscope were used to image the microvasculature of ex-vivo mouse heart sections prepared for optical histology and the microvasculature of in-vivo rodent dorsal window chamber models. Studies in label-free surface profiling with HiLo microscopy is also presented.

  8. Effect of diffusion on percolation threshold in thick-film resistors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Abdurakhmanov, G.

    2009-01-01

    Resistivity ρ(C) of thick-film resistors doped by metal oxides is simulated as a function of volume content C of the ligature, firing temperature T f and firing time τ. It is proved that the doping of a glass during firing of the thick film resistor is rather uniform. It is shown also, that conductance takes place in the whole volume of the sample, but not through the sole infinite cluster only, even the content of a conductive phase is below than the theoretical percolation threshold value.

  9. Effectiveness of dispersants on thick oil slicks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ross, S.; Belore, R.

    1993-01-01

    Experiments were conducted to determine the relationship between dispersant effectiveness and oil slick thickness, and thereby determine the optimum time for applying dispersant onto spilled oil at sea. Tests were completed at a lab-scale level by varying the three parameters of oil type, dispersant application, and oil thickness. The tests were intended to be comparative only. The primary oils used were Alberta sweet mix blend and Hibernia B-27 crude. The dispersant, Corexit 9527, was applied either premixed with the oil, dropwise in one application, or dropwise in multiple applications to simulate a multi-hit aircraft operation. The apparatus used in the experiment was an oscillating hoop tank, with oil-containing rings used to obtain and maintain uniform slick thickness. The results indicate that the effectiveness potential of a chemical dispersant does not decrease as slick thickness increases. In fact, results of the tests involving Hibernia oil suggest that oils that tend to herd easily would be treated more effectively if dispersant were applied when the oil was relatively thick (1 mm or greater) to avoid herding problems. The oil slicks premixed with dispersant did not disperse well in the thick oil tests, not because of dispersant-oil interaction problems but because of reduced mixing energy. 6 refs., 4 figs., 1 tab

  10. Comparison of Lateral Abdominal Muscle Thickness and Cross Sectional Area of Multifidus in Adolescent Soccer Players with and without Low Back Pain: A Case Control Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Noormohammadpour, Pardis; Hosseini Khezri, Alireza; Linek, Paweł; Mansournia, Mohammad Ali; Hassannejad, Alireza; Younesian, Ali; Farahbakhsh, Farzin; Kordi, Ramin

    2016-12-01

    Low back pain (LBP) is a common complaint amongst adolescent athletes. While different studies have shown association between LBP and trunk muscle thickness in the general population, few articles have studied it in adolescent athletes. The aim of this study is to compare lateral abdominal muscle thickness and function, and cross sectional area (CSA) of lumbar multifidus (LM) in adolescent soccer players with and without LBP. In total, 28 adolescent soccer players with and without LBP, from the premier league participated in this study. The thickness of external oblique, internal oblique and transversus abdominis and the CSA of the LM muscles at L4 level on both sides were measured at rest and contraction via ultrasound imaging (USI). In addition, leg length discrepancy, hamstring flexibility, active lumbar forward flexion, and isometric muscle endurance of trunk extensors were measured in both groups. (study design/setting: case control study). The mean (SD) age in LBP group and non-LBP group were 14.0 (1.1) and 14.1 (0.9) years, respectively. There was no significant difference in baseline characteristics of participants between groups. Findings showed no significant difference between LBP and non-LBP groups comparing all measured variables. The data obtained support that there is not a correlation between abdominal muscle thickness and CSA of the lumbar multifidi and LBP in adolescent soccer players. These findings suggest that other factors rather than the thickness of deep trunk muscles may play a more significant role in the etiology of LBP in adolescent soccer players.

  11. Fabrication and mechanical test data for the four 6-inch-thick intermediate test vessels made from steel plate for the Heavy Section Steel Program

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Childress, C.E.

    1976-01-01

    The HSST Program has among its goals the objective of demonstrating the capability to predict safe behavior of thick-walled pressure vessels containing flaws of known dimensions under frangible, transitional, and tough loading regimes. To accomplish these objectives the program is conducting a series of tests involving 6-in.-thick pressure vessels which will serve as test specimens for assisting in the characterization of failure under these loading conditions. Among the vessels a number of parameters, such as weld type, weld location, flaw size and shape, and test temperature and pressure, will be selectively varied to show that a rationale exists for dealing with the varied stress and metallurgical states which normally exist in commercial nuclear reactor vessels. Each vessel will serve as a go, no-go determination of critical flaw size for a specific set of test parameters. Item 4 of the previous issues in this series covers the fabrication details of the first six 6-in.-thick test vessels, which were fabricated from ASTM A-508 Cl 2 forging materials. This report covers the fabrication details of four additional 6-in.-thick intermediate test vessels having shell courses fabricated from ASTM A-533 Gr B Cl 1 plate. The remaining components were made from forgings. Essentially this report is a continuation of ORNL-TM-4351; it describes the manufacturing details of the individual parts and their ultimate assembly into finished vessels. Details concerning chemical composition and mechanical and nondestructive test data are presented

  12. Magnetic properties and microstructure investigation of electrodeposited FeNi/ITO films with different thickness

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cao, Derang; Wang, Zhenkun; Feng, Erxi; Wei, Jinwu; Wang, Jianbo; Liu, Qingfang

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: •FeNi alloy thin films with different thickness deposited on Indium Tin Oxides (ITOs) conductive glass substrates by electrodeposition method. •A columnar crystalline microstructure and domain structure were obtained in FeNi thin films. •Particular FMR spectra of FeNi alloy with different thickness were studied. -- Abstract: FeNi alloy thin films with different thickness deposited on Indium Tin Oxides (ITOs) conductive glass substrates from the electrolytes by electrodeposition method have been studied by magnetic force microscopy (MFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) technique. For these films possessing an in-plane isotropy, the remanence decreases with the increasing of film thickness and the critical thickness that a stripe domain structure emerges is about 116 nm. Characteristic differences of the FMR spectra of different thickness are also observed. The results show that the resonance field at high measured angle increases firstly then decreases with increasing thickness, which may be related to the striped domain structure

  13. Thermal Conductivity of a Monolayer of Exfoliated Graphite Nanoplatelets Prepared by Liquid-Liquid Interfacial Self-Assembly

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jinglei Xiang

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available A monolayer film composed of exfoliated graphite nanoplatelets (xGnPs was extracted from a chloroform-water interface and supported on a glass substrate. The nanoplatelets are interconnected at the edges without overlapping forming a very densely packed structure with uniform thickness. Micro-Raman spectroscopy with a 50 mW 532 nm laser generating heat at the center of a xGnP sample was used to probe the thermal conductivity of the xGnP monolayer at different power levels. The Raman G peak shift of graphite was used to record the local temperature rise in the monolayer. The cross-sectional area of heat conduction is determined by the thickness of individual nanoplatelets. A UV-Vis spectrometer was used to measure the absorption of light by the monolayer. Depending on the interface density, the thermal conductivities are around 380 W/m K and 290 W/m K for monolayers with average particle size of 10 μm and 5 μm, respectively.

  14. investigating water absorption and thickness swelling tendencies

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    HOD

    In addition, G30E (30% reinforced glass fibre in the epoxy composite) was more resilient to moisture ... determine its suitability as per its water absorption and thickness ... lower thermal conductivity and low density as outlined in the Tables.

  15. Effective Cross Section of Cold Formed Steel Column Under Axial Compression

    Science.gov (United States)

    Manikandan, P.; Pradeep, T.

    2018-06-01

    The compressive resistance of cold-formed steel (CFS) section may be governed by local, distortional or overall buckling and any apparent interaction between these modes. A new inventive stiffened CFS section is elected in this study, selected cross sections geometries and lengths are chosen such that all the types of buckling modes are met with. Buckling plot is plotted using linear elastic buckling analysis software (CUFSM). Using the test results obtained in the literature, the developed finite element model is calibrated and furthers a total of 126 parametric study is conducted such as a consequence of dimensions and the length of the cross section, thickness and yield stress. The FEA included relevant material and geometric imperfections. All the columns are analyzed under pin end conditions with axial compression. The analysis results demonstrate that the DSM equations generally assess the strength of stiffened section conservatively. Modifications to the DSM equations are recommended to evaluate the strength of stiffened section more precisely.

  16. Effective Cross Section of Cold Formed Steel Column Under Axial Compression

    Science.gov (United States)

    Manikandan, P.; Pradeep, T.

    2018-02-01

    The compressive resistance of cold-formed steel (CFS) section may be governed by local, distortional or overall buckling and any apparent interaction between these modes. A new inventive stiffened CFS section is elected in this study, selected cross sections geometries and lengths are chosen such that all the types of buckling modes are met with. Buckling plot is plotted using linear elastic buckling analysis software (CUFSM). Using the test results obtained in the literature, the developed finite element model is calibrated and furthers a total of 126 parametric study is conducted such as a consequence of dimensions and the length of the cross section, thickness and yield stress. The FEA included relevant material and geometric imperfections. All the columns are analyzed under pin end conditions with axial compression. The analysis results demonstrate that the DSM equations generally assess the strength of stiffened section conservatively. Modifications to the DSM equations are recommended to evaluate the strength of stiffened section more precisely.

  17. Interocular Symmetry in Macular Choroidal Thickness in Children

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Christiane Al-Haddad

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Objective. To report interocular differences in choroidal thickness in children using spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT and correlate findings with biometric data. Methods. This observational cross-sectional study included 91 (182 eyes healthy children aged 6 to 17 years with no ocular abnormality except refractive error. After a comprehensive eye exam and axial length measurement, high definition macular scans were performed using SD-OCT. Two observers manually measured the choroidal thickness at the foveal center and at 1500 µm nasally, temporally, inferiorly, and superiorly. Interocular differences were computed; correlations with age, gender, refractive error, and axial length were performed. Results. Mean age was 10.40 ± 3.17 years; mean axial length and refractive error values were similar between fellow eyes. There was excellent correlation between the two observers’ measurements. No significant interocular differences were observed at any location. There was only a trend for right eyes to have higher values in all thicknesses, except the superior thickness. Most of the choroidal thickness measurements correlated positively with spherical equivalent but not with axial length, age, or gender. Conclusion. Choroidal thickness measurements in children as performed using SD-OCT revealed a high level of interobserver agreement and consistent interocular symmetry. Values correlated positively with spherical equivalent refraction.

  18. Interocular symmetry in macular choroidal thickness in children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Al-Haddad, Christiane; El Chaar, Lama; Antonios, Rafic; El-Dairi, Mays; Noureddin, Baha'

    2014-01-01

    Objective. To report interocular differences in choroidal thickness in children using spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) and correlate findings with biometric data. Methods. This observational cross-sectional study included 91 (182 eyes) healthy children aged 6 to 17 years with no ocular abnormality except refractive error. After a comprehensive eye exam and axial length measurement, high definition macular scans were performed using SD-OCT. Two observers manually measured the choroidal thickness at the foveal center and at 1500 µm nasally, temporally, inferiorly, and superiorly. Interocular differences were computed; correlations with age, gender, refractive error, and axial length were performed. Results. Mean age was 10.40 ± 3.17 years; mean axial length and refractive error values were similar between fellow eyes. There was excellent correlation between the two observers' measurements. No significant interocular differences were observed at any location. There was only a trend for right eyes to have higher values in all thicknesses, except the superior thickness. Most of the choroidal thickness measurements correlated positively with spherical equivalent but not with axial length, age, or gender. Conclusion. Choroidal thickness measurements in children as performed using SD-OCT revealed a high level of interobserver agreement and consistent interocular symmetry. Values correlated positively with spherical equivalent refraction.

  19. Orientation acoustic radiation of electrons in silicon thick crystal

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Alejnik, A.N.; Afanas'ev, S.G.; Vorob'ev, S.A.; Zabaev, V.N.; Il'in, S.I.; Kalinin, B.N.; Potylitsyn, A.P.

    1989-01-01

    Results of measuring orientation acoustic radiation of 900 and 500 MeV electrons during their movement along crystallographic axis in thick silicon crystal (h=20 mm thickness) are presented for the first time. Analysis of obtained results shows that dynamic mechanism describes rather completely the main regularities of orientation dependence of the amplitude of acoustic signal occuring under electron motion near crystallographic axis of the crystal. Phenomena of orientation acoustic radiation can be also used for investigation of solid bodies. Orientation both of thin and rather thick monocrystals can be conducted on the basis of dynamic mechanism of elastic wave excitation in crystals

  20. Versatile technique for assessing thickness of 2D layered materials by XPS

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zemlyanov, Dmitry Y.; Jespersen, Michael; Zakharov, Dmitry N.; Hu, Jianjun; Paul, Rajib; Kumar, Anurag; Pacley, Shanee; Glavin, Nicholas; Saenz, David; Smith, Kyle C.; Fisher, Timothy S.; Voevodin, Andrey A.

    2018-03-01

    X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) has been utilized as a versatile method for thickness characterization of various two-dimensional (2D) films. Accurate thickness can be measured simultaneously while acquiring XPS data for chemical characterization of 2D films having thickness up to approximately 10 nm. For validating the developed technique, thicknesses of few-layer graphene (FLG), MoS2 and amorphous boron nitride (a-BN) layer, produced by microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition (MPCVD), plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD), and pulsed laser deposition (PLD) respectively, were accurately measured. The intensity ratio between photoemission peaks recorded for the films (C 1s, Mo 3d, B 1s) and the substrates (Cu 2p, Al 2p, Si 2p) is the primary input parameter for thickness calculation, in addition to the atomic densities of the substrate and the film, and the corresponding electron attenuation length (EAL). The XPS data was used with a proposed model for thickness calculations, which was verified by cross-sectional transmission electron microscope (TEM) measurement of thickness for all the films. The XPS method determines thickness values averaged over an analysis area which is orders of magnitude larger than the typical area in cross-sectional TEM imaging, hence provides an advanced approach for thickness measurement over large areas of 2D materials. The study confirms that the versatile XPS method allows rapid and reliable assessment of the 2D material thickness and this method can facilitate in tailoring growth conditions for producing very thin 2D materials effectively over a large area. Furthermore, the XPS measurement for a typical 2D material is non-destructive and does not require special sample preparation. Therefore, after XPS analysis, exactly the same sample can undergo further processing or utilization.

  1. Quantifying Local Thickness and Composition in Thin Films of Organic Photovoltaic Blends by Raman Scattering

    KAUST Repository

    Rodríguez-Martínez, Xabier

    2017-07-06

    We report a methodology based on Raman spectroscopy that enables the non-invasive and fast quantitative determination of local thickness and composition in thin films (from few monolayers to hundreds of nm) of one or more components. We apply our methodology to blends of organic conjugated materials relevant in the field of organic photovoltaics. As a first step, we exploit the transfer-matrix formalism to describe the Raman process in thin films including reabsorption and interference effects of the incoming and scattered electric fields. This allows determining the effective solid-state Raman cross-section of each material by studying the dependence of the Raman intensity on film thickness. These effective cross sections are then used to estimate the local thickness and composition in a series of polymer:fullerene blends. We find that the model is accurate within ±10 nm in thickness and ±5 vol% in composition provided that (i) the film thickness is kept below the thickness corresponding to the first maximum of the calculated Raman intensity oscillation; (ii) the materials making up the blend show close enough effective Raman cross-sections; and (iii) the degree of order attained by the conjugated polymer in the blend is similar to that achieved when cast alone. Our methodology opens the possibility to make quantitative maps of composition and thickness over large areas (from microns to centimetres squared) with diffraction-limited resolution and in any multi-component system based thin film technology.

  2. Regional Analysis of Soft Tissue Thickness on Korean Buttocks and Application to Fasciocutaneous Flap Design

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Do Yup Kim

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available Background Various shapes and designs of the gluteal artery perforator flap have been used for treating sacral pressure sores and reconstructing breasts. To establish the ideal fasciocutaneous flap design for use in the gluteal area, the soft tissue thickness distribution was measured. Methods Twenty-one buttocks of adult Korean cadavers were analyzed through rectangular subfascial dissection. Each buttock was divided horizontally into 10 sections and vertically into 10 sections, and then, the thickness at the corners of the sections was measured. For the sake of comparison and statistical verification with living bodies, computed tomography (CT images of 120 buttocks of patients were randomly selected. Five horizontal sections and 4 vertical sections were made, and the thickness at each corner was recorded. Results According to the dissection and the CT images, the area with the thinnest soft tissues in the buttock was around the posterior superior iliac spine, close to the sacral area. The thickest area was the superolateral area of the buttock, which was 3.24 times and 2.15 times thicker than the thinnest area in the studies on cadaver anatomy and the CT images, respectively. Conclusions The thickness of the soft tissues in the buttocks differed by area. The superolateral area had the thickest soft tissues, and the superomedial area had the thinnest. This study includes information on the distribution of the thickness of the gluteal soft tissues of Koreans. The outcome of this study may contribute to the design of effective local flaps for pressure sore reconstruction and free flaps for breast reconstruction.

  3. Highly conductive grain boundaries in copper oxide thin films

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Deuermeier, Jonas, E-mail: j.deuermeier@campus.fct.unl.pt [Department of Materials Science, Faculty of Science and Technology, i3N/CENIMAT, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa and CEMOP/UNINOVA, Campus de Caparica, 2829-516 Caparica (Portugal); Department of Materials and Earth Sciences, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Jovanka-Bontschits-Straße 2, D-64287 Darmstadt (Germany); Wardenga, Hans F.; Morasch, Jan; Siol, Sebastian; Klein, Andreas, E-mail: aklein@surface.tu-darmstadt.de [Department of Materials and Earth Sciences, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Jovanka-Bontschits-Straße 2, D-64287 Darmstadt (Germany); Nandy, Suman; Calmeiro, Tomás; Martins, Rodrigo; Fortunato, Elvira [Department of Materials Science, Faculty of Science and Technology, i3N/CENIMAT, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa and CEMOP/UNINOVA, Campus de Caparica, 2829-516 Caparica (Portugal)

    2016-06-21

    High conductivity in the off-state and low field-effect mobility compared to bulk properties is widely observed in the p-type thin-film transistors of Cu{sub 2}O, especially when processed at moderate temperature. This work presents results from in situ conductance measurements at thicknesses from sub-nm to around 250 nm with parallel X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. An enhanced conductivity at low thickness is explained by the occurrence of Cu(II), which is segregated in the grain boundary and locally causes a conductivity similar to CuO, although the surface of the thick film has Cu{sub 2}O stoichiometry. Since grains grow with an increasing film thickness, the effect of an apparent oxygen excess is most pronounced in vicinity to the substrate interface. Electrical properties of Cu{sub 2}O grains are at least partially short-circuited by this effect. The study focuses on properties inherent to copper oxide, although interface effects cannot be ruled out. This non-destructive, bottom-up analysis reveals phenomena which are commonly not observable after device fabrication, but clearly dominate electrical properties of polycrystalline thin films.

  4. Optimization of plastic scintillator thicknesses for online beta/gamma detection

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pourtangestani K.

    2012-04-01

    Full Text Available For efficient beta detection in a mixed beta gamma field, Monte Carlo simulation models have been built to optimize the thickness of a plastic scintillator, used in a whole body monitor. The simulation has been performed using the MCNP/X code for different thicknesses of plastic scintillator from 150 μm to 600 μm. The relationship between the thickness of the scintillator and the efficiency of the detector has been analyzed. For 150 μm thickness, an experimental investigation has been conducted with different beta sources at different positions on the scintillator and the counting efficiency of the unit has been measured. Evaluated data along with experimental ones have been discussed. A thickness of 300 μm to 500 μm has been found to be the optimum thickness for high efficiency beta detection in the presence of low energy gamma-rays.

  5. Determination of material and its thickness for Cs-137 gamma source shielding

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tukiman

    2008-01-01

    Its has been determined the shielding material and its thickness necessarily conducted due to every material will have different half-thickness characteristics, and by the selection a suitable material and its thickness will be obtained. Half-thickness of any material is the ability of the material at a certain thickness to absorb any radiation intensity so that the intensity becomes half of its source. Sample materials to be used are concrete, wood, and lead with their thickness varied. From experiment data and theoretical computation can be concluded that lead is the suitable material for shielding with the value of HVT for gamma radiation 0,732 cm. For wood and concrete will give half-thickness of 11,0 cm and 3,164 cm respectively. (author)

  6. Absolute Thickness Measurements on Coatings Without Prior Knowledge of Material Properties Using Terahertz Energy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roth, Don J.; Cosgriff, Laura M.; Harder, Bryan; Zhu, Dongming; Martin, Richard E.

    2013-01-01

    This study investigates the applicability of a novel noncontact single-sided terahertz electromagnetic measurement method for measuring thickness in dielectric coating systems having either dielectric or conductive substrate materials. The method does not require knowledge of the velocity of terahertz waves in the coating material. The dielectric coatings ranged from approximately 300 to 1400 m in thickness. First, the terahertz method was validated on a bulk dielectric sample to determine its ability to precisely measure thickness and density variation. Then, the method was studied on simulated coating systems. One simulated coating consisted of layered thin paper samples of varying thicknesses on a ceramic substrate. Another simulated coating system consisted of adhesive-backed Teflon adhered to conducting and dielectric substrates. Alumina samples that were coated with a ceramic adhesive layer were also investigated. Finally, the method was studied for thickness measurement of actual thermal barrier coatings (TBC) on ceramic substrates. The unique aspects and limitations of this method for thickness measurements are discussed.

  7. Investigation of thick grid plasma switches for thermionic system output voltage

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Alekseev, N.I.; Kaplan, V.B.; Martsinovski, A.M.

    1992-01-01

    Plasma switches (Cs and Cs-Ba tacitrons PS) with thick grid have grid with thickness more than mesh aperture size. These grids have some advantages as compared with small-scale/1.2/ones. For instance, much more electrical strength. This paper contains the thick-grid investigation results: the grid controls efficiency, the plasma parameters, probe researches of these parameters at conductive state and their variety during the process of quenching. The results showed the thick-grid PS plasma differed from the thin-grid PS significantly at the stationary state as well as by quenching dynamic features

  8. Effect of the thickness of a fluoropolymer film on the radiotically prepared fuel cell membranes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ko, Beom Seok; Sohn, Joon Yong; Nho, Young Chang; Shin, Jun Hwa [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Jeongeup (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Jong Il [Chonbuk National University, Jeonju (Korea, Republic of)

    2010-06-15

    To observe the effect of the thickness of a fluoropolymer film on the radiotically prepared fuel cell membranes, fuel cell membranes with various thickness were prepared by simultaneous radiation grafting of styrene into polyethylene-co-tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE) with various thicknesses (25, 50 and 100 {mu}m) and subsequent sulfonation. The physico-chemical properties of the prepared membranes such as ion exchange capacity, water uptake, distribution of sulfonic acid group were evaluated in the correlation with the thickness of ETFE film. In additions, proton conductivity and methanol permeability of the prepared membranes were also evaluated. The results revealed that the proton conductivity and methanol permeability of the prepared membranes were largely affected by the thickness of ETFE film utilized as a base film.

  9. Effect of the thickness of a fluoropolymer film on the radiotically prepared fuel cell membranes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ko, Beom Seok; Sohn, Joon Yong; Nho, Young Chang; Shin, Jun Hwa; Kim, Jong Il

    2010-01-01

    To observe the effect of the thickness of a fluoropolymer film on the radiotically prepared fuel cell membranes, fuel cell membranes with various thickness were prepared by simultaneous radiation grafting of styrene into polyethylene-co-tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE) with various thicknesses (25, 50 and 100 μm) and subsequent sulfonation. The physico-chemical properties of the prepared membranes such as ion exchange capacity, water uptake, distribution of sulfonic acid group were evaluated in the correlation with the thickness of ETFE film. In additions, proton conductivity and methanol permeability of the prepared membranes were also evaluated. The results revealed that the proton conductivity and methanol permeability of the prepared membranes were largely affected by the thickness of ETFE film utilized as a base film

  10. Optimization of specimen preparation of thin cell section for AFM observation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Li Xinhui [Nanobiology Laboratory, Bio-X Life Science Research Center, School of Life Science and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Minhang District, Shanghai 200240 (China); Ji Tong [Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, School of Stomatology, Affiliated Ninth People' s Hospital, Medical School, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200011 (China); Hu Jun [Nanobiology Laboratory, Bio-X Life Science Research Center, School of Life Science and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Minhang District, Shanghai 200240 (China); Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201800 (China); Sun Jielin [Nanobiology Laboratory, Bio-X Life Science Research Center, School of Life Science and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Minhang District, Shanghai 200240 (China)], E-mail: jlsun@sjtu.edu.cn

    2008-08-15

    High resolution imaging of intracellular structures of ultrathin cell section samples is critical to the performance of precise manipulation by atomic force microscopy (AFM). Here, we test the effect of multiple factors during section sample preparation on the quality of the AFM image. These factors include the embedding materials, the annealing process of the specimen block, section thickness, and section side. We found that neither the embedding materials nor the temperature and speed of the annealing process has any effect on AFM image resolution. However, the section thickness and section side significantly affect the surface topography and AFM image resolution. By systematically testing the image quality of both sides of cell sections over a wide range of thickness (40-1000 nm), we found that the best resolution was obtained with upper-side sections approximately 50-100 nm thick. With these samples, we could observe precise structure details of the cell, including its membrane, nucleoli, and other organelles. Similar results were obtained for other cell types, including Tca8113, C6, and ECV-304. In brief, by optimizing the condition of ultrathin cell section preparation, we were able to obtain high resolution intracellular AFM images, which provide an essential basis for further AFM manipulation.

  11. Thickness dependent charge transport in ferroelectric BaTiO3 heterojunctions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Singh, Pooja; Rout, P. K.; Singh, Manju; Rakshit, R. K.; Dogra, Anjana

    2015-09-01

    We have investigated the effect of ferroelectric barium titanate (BaTiO3) film thickness on the charge transport mechanism in pulsed laser deposited epitaxial metal-ferroelectric semiconductor junctions. The current (I)-voltage (V) measurements across the junctions comprising of 20-500 nm thick BaTiO3 and conducting bottom electrode (Nb: SrTiO3 substrate or La2/3Ca1/3MnO3 buffer layer) demonstrate the space charge limited conduction. Further analysis indicates a reduction in the ratio of free to trapped carriers with increasing thickness in spite of decreasing trap density. Such behaviour arises the deepening of the shallow trap levels (I-V curves implies a bipolar resistive switching behaviour, which can be explained in terms of charge trapping and de-trapping process.

  12. Morphometric measurement of submucosal thickness in areas of fat deposition in the terminal ileum and colonic sections, with correlation with body mass index, weight and age: a male autopsy study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mesa, Hector; Drawz, Sarah; Dykoski, Richard; Manivel, Juan Carlos

    2015-10-01

    An increased amount of submucosal (SM) fat in the colon on imaging is considered to be characteristic of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD); however, a recent study in patients without IBD reported a correlation between colonic SM fat deposition and body weight (BW). The aim of this study was to perform a morphometric investigation of SM thickness in areas of fat deposition in the terminal ileum (TI), ileocaecal valve (ICV), and colonic sections, to determine whether there are variations by site, and whether it shows a correlation with BW, body mass index (BMI), or age. Representative samples of TI, ICV and colonic sections were collected prospectively from 115 autopsy cases without IBD. All of the study subjects were male (Veterans Hospital). SM thickness was measured in areas of fat deposition. Correlation analysis was performed between SM thickness and BW, BMI, and age. Fat deposition was common; however, with the exception of the ICV, it was neither consistent nor prominent, and it did not show a statistical correlation with BW, BMI, or age. SM fat deposition is common but not uniform or conspicuous in the TI or colon. In contrast to extravisceral intra-abdominal fat, it does not show a correlation with BW or BMI, and is not associated with ageing. As all study subjects were male, gender-dependent variability cannot be excluded. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  13. Longitudinal conductivity of LaF3/SrF2 multilayer heterostructures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vergentev, Tikhon; Banshchikov, Alexander; Filimonov, Alexey; Koroleva, Ekaterina; Sokolov, Nikolay; Wurz, Marc Christopher

    2016-01-01

    LaF 3 /SrF 2 multilayer heterostructures with thicknesses of individual layers in the range 5-100 nm have been grown on MgO(100) substrates using molecular beam epitaxy. The longitudinal conductivity of the films has been measured using impedance spectroscopy in the frequency range 10 -1 -10 6  Hz and a temperature range 300-570 K. The ionic DC conductivities have been determined from Nyquist impedance diagrams and activation energies from the Arrhenius-Frenkel equation. An increase of the DC conductivity has been observed to accompany decreased layer thickness for various thicknesses as small as 25 nm. The greatest conductivity has been shown for a multilayer heterostructure having thicknesses of 25 nm per layer. The structure has a conductivity two orders of magnitude greater than pure LaF 3 bulk material. The increasing conductivity can be understood as a redistribution of charge carriers through the interface due to differing chemical potentials of the materials, by strong lattice-constant mismatch, and/or by formation of a solid La 1-x Sr x F 3-x solution at the interface during the growth process.

  14. Methods for determining the wall thickness variation of tubular heaters used in thermalhydraulic studies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cubizolles, G.; Garnier, J.; Groeneveld, D.; Tanase, A.

    2009-01-01

    Fuel bundle simulators used in thermalhydraulic studies typically consist of bundles of directly heated tubes. It is usually assumed that the heater tubes have a uniform circumferential heat flux distribution. In practice, this heat flux distribution is never exactly uniform because of wall thickness variations and bore eccentricity. Ignoring the non-uniformity in wall thickness can lead to under-estimating the local heat transfer coefficients. During nucleate boiling tests in a 5x5 PWR-type bundle subassembly at CEA-Grenoble, a sinusoidal temperature distribution was observed around the inside circumference of the heater rods. These heater rods were equipped with high-accuracy sliding thermocouple probes that permit the detailed measurement of the internal wall temperature distribution, both axially and circumferentially. The sinusoidal temperature distribution strongly suggests a variation in wall thickness. A methodology was subsequently derived to determine the circumferential wall thickness variation. The method is based on the principle that for directly heated fuel-element simulators, the nucleate boiling wall superheat at high pressures is nearly uniform around the heater rod circumference. The results show wall thickness variations of up to ±4% which was confirmed by subsequent ultrasonic wall-thickness measurements performed after bundle disassembly. Non-uniformities in circumferential temperature distributions were also observed during parallel thermalhydraulic tests at the University of Ottawa (UofO) on an electrically heated tube cooled internally by R-134a and equipped with fixed thermocouples on the outside. From the measured wall temperatures and knowledge of the inside heat transfer coefficient or wall temperature distribution, the variations in wall thickness and surface heat flux to the coolant were evaluated by solving conduction equations using three separate sets of data (1) single phase heat transfer data, (2) nucleate boiling data, and (3

  15. Radioisotope albedo method for measuring thickness of polymers coatings on metal basis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kapranov, B.I.; Myakin'kova, L.V.; Shaverin, V.A.

    1986-01-01

    Theoretical analysis of albedo thickness measuring of polymer coating-metal composite has been made and experimental studies of the range of tested thicknesses of polymer coating when different metal bases and radiation sources are used have been conducted. It is shown that the thickness of polymer coating on metal can be measured using backscattered γ-radiation in the energy range of 20-120 keV at the error 0.15-0.8 mm, at that, for thickness up to 23 mm the use of 147 Pm isotope can be defined as the optimum one; for thicknesses up to 40 mm 241 Am should be used; at thicknesses up to 60 mm - 57 Co. The AGAT-1 albedo gamma thickness gage, designed for measuring thickness of fiber glass coating up to 20 mm on metal base, is described

  16. Evaluation of the x-ray fluorescence method of precious metal plating thickness measurements. Technological spinoff report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Carson, J.S.; Hearn, N.K.; Pettie, C.B.

    1975-09-01

    It is shown that gold and silver plating thickness measurements made using an x-ray spectrograph could be closely correlated with thicknesses measured from sectional samples. Good correlations were also shown for single overlays of gold over silver when each layer was less than 0.0003 inch thick

  17. Thickness-dependent resistance switching in Cr-doped SrTiO3

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, TaeKwang; Du, Hyewon; Kim, Minchang; Seo, Sunae; Hwang, Inrok; Kim, Yeonsoo; Jeon, Jihoon; Lee, Sangik; Park, Baeho

    2012-09-01

    The thickness-dependent bipolar resistance-switching behavior was investigated for epitaxiallygrown Cr-doped SrTiO3 (Cr-STO). All the pristine devices of different thickness showed polarity-independent symmetric current-voltage characteristic and the same space-charge-limited conduction mechanism. However, after a forming process, the resultant conduction and switching phenomena were significantly different depending on the thickness of Cr-STO. The forming process itself was highly influenced by resistance value of each pristine device. Based on our results, we suggest that the resistance-switching mechanism in Cr-STO depends not only on the insulating material's composition or the contact metal as previously reported but also on the initial resistance level determined by the geometry and the quality of the insulating material. The bipolar resistance-switching behaviors in oxide materials of different thicknesses exhibit mixed bulk and interface switching. This indicates that efforts in resistance-based memory research should be focused on scalability or process method to control a given oxide material in addition to material type and device structure.

  18. Highly conductive, transparent flexible films based on open rings of multi-walled carbon nanotubes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ko, Wen-Yin; Su, Jun-Wei; Guo, Chian-Hua; Fu, Shu-Juan; Hsu, Chuen-Yuan; Lin, Kuan-Jiuh

    2011-01-01

    Open rings of multi-walled carbon nanotubes were stacked to form porous networks on a poly(ethylene terephthalate) substrate to form a flexible conducting film (MWCNT-PET) with good electrical conductivity and transparency by a combination of ultrasonic atomization and spin-coating technique. To enhance the electric flexibility, we spin-coated a cast film of poly(vinyl alcohol) onto the MWCNT-PET substrate, which then underwent a thermo-compression process. Field-emission scanning electron microscopy of the cross-sectional morphology illustrates that the film has a robust network with a thickness of ∼ 175 nm, and it remarkably exhibits a sheet resistance of approximately 370 Ω/sq with ∼ 77% transmittance at 550 nm even after 500 bending cycles. This electrical conductivity is much superior to that of other MWCNT-based transparent flexible films.

  19. Development of Thin Section Zinc Die Casting Technology

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Goodwin, Frank [International Lead Zinc Research Org., Inc., Durham, NC (United States)

    2013-10-31

    A new high fluidity zinc high pressure die casting alloy, termed the HF alloy, was developed during laboratory trials and proven in industrial production. The HF alloy permits castings to be achieved with section thicknesses of 0.3 mm or less. Technology transfer activities were conducted to develop usage of the HF high fluidity alloy. These included production of a brochure and a one-hour webinar on the HF alloy. The brochure was then sent to 1,184 product designers in the Interzinc database. There was excellent reception to this mailing, and from this initial contact 5 technology transfer seminars were conducted for 81 participants from 30 companies across a wide range of business sectors. Many of the successful applications to date involve high quality surface finishes. Design and manufacturing assistance was given for development of selected applications.

  20. Increased Cortical Thickness in Professional On-Line Gamers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hyun, Gi Jung; Shin, Yong Wook; Kim, Bung-Nyun; Cheong, Jae Hoon; Jin, Seong Nam

    2013-01-01

    Objective The bulk of recent studies have tested whether video games change the brain in terms of activity and cortical volume. However, such studies are limited by several factors including cross-sectional comparisons, co-morbidity, and short-term follow-up periods. In the present study, we hypothesized that cognitive flexibility and the volume of brain cortex would be correlated with the career length of on-line pro-gamers. Methods High-resolution magnetic resonance scans were acquired in twenty-three pro-gamers recruited from StarCraft pro-game teams. We measured cortical thickness in each individual using FreeSurfer and the cortical thickness was correlated with the career length and the performance of the pro-gamers. Results Career length was positively correlated with cortical thickness in three brain regions: right superior frontal gyrus, right superior parietal gyrus, and right precentral gyrus. Additionally, increased cortical thickness in the prefrontal cortex was correlated with winning rates of the pro-game league. Increased cortical thickness in the prefrontal and parietal cortices was also associated with higher performance of Wisconsin Card Sorting Test. Conclusion Our results suggest that in individuals without pathologic conditions, regular, long-term playing of on-line games is associated with volume changes in the prefrontal and parietal cortices, which are associated with cognitive flexibility. PMID:24474988

  1. Geothermal reservoirs. Position of slotted section of the tube casing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Carotenuto, A.; Vanoli, L.; Casarosa, C.

    1999-01-01

    In the present work the authors have verified the influence of the position of slotted section casing on heat rate drawn by plants for exploitation of geothermal reservoirs that use heat exchangers placed at the bottom of the well (DHE). This study have been done modelling numerically the aquifer, by means of finite element method, evaluating the heat rate drawn by the heat exchanger at different position of the slotted section of the tube casing. Numerical calculations have allowed to show the influence of the main characteristics of the aquifer and of the main characteristics of the aquifer and of the plant on design of the slotted section of the tube casing. In particular, the authors have studied the influence of i) equivalent conductivity and permeability of the aquifer, ii) mass flow rate and the inlet and outlet aquifer temperature difference in the well, iii) the ratio between the length of the slotted section and the thickness of the geothermal layer, varying the position of the slotted section of the tube casing in the aquifer [it

  2. High Thermal Conductivity Composite Structures

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Bootle, John

    1999-01-01

    ... applications and space based radiators. The advantage of this material compared to competing materials that it can be used to fabricate high strength, high thermal conductivity, relatively thin structures less than 0.050" thick...

  3. Thermal conductivity of technetium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Minato, K.; Serizawa, H.; Fukuda, K.

    1998-01-01

    The thermal diffusivity of technetium was measured on a disk sample of 5 mm in diameter and 1 mm in thickness by the laser flash method from room temperature to 1173 K, and the thermal conductivity was determined by the measured thermal diffusivity and density, and the reported specific heat capacity. The thermal diffusivity of technetium decreases with increasing temperature though it is almost constant above 600 K. The thermal conductivity of technetium shows a minimum around 400 K, above which the thermal conductivity increases with temperature. The electronic and phonon components of the thermal conductivity were evaluated approximately. The increase in the thermal conductivity of technetium with temperature is due to the increase in the electronic component. (orig.)

  4. A passive guard for low thermal conductivity measurement of small samples by the hot plate method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jannot, Yves; Godefroy, Justine; Degiovanni, Alain; Grigorova-Moutiers, Veneta

    2017-01-01

    Hot plate methods under steady state conditions are based on a 1D model to estimate the thermal conductivity, using measurements of the temperatures T 0 and T 1 of the two sides of the sample and of the heat flux crossing it. To be consistent with the hypothesis of the 1D heat flux, either a hot plate guarded apparatus is used, or the temperature is measured at the centre of the sample. On one hand the latter method can be used only if the ratio thickness/width of the sample is sufficiently low and on the other hand the guarded hot plate method requires large width samples (typical cross section of 0.6  ×  0.6 m 2 ). That is why both methods cannot be used for low width samples. The method presented in this paper is based on an optimal choice of the temperatures T 0 and T 1 compared to the ambient temperature T a , enabling the estimation of the thermal conductivity with a centered hot plate method, by applying the 1D heat flux model. It will be shown that these optimal values do not depend on the size or on the thermal conductivity of samples (in the range 0.015–0.2 W m −1 K −1 ), but only on T a . The experimental results obtained validate the method for several reference samples for values of the ratio thickness/width up to 0.3, thus enabling the measurement of the thermal conductivity of samples having a small cross-section, down to 0.045  ×  0.045 m 2 . (paper)

  5. Microstructural Studies of Ni-P Thick Film Resistor Temperature Sensors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Barbara Holodnik

    1986-01-01

    Full Text Available Thick Ni-P films have been widely investigated at our Institute. This article tends to visualize by use of various microscopic methods how the growth and sintering of individual conducting grains, results in the formation of nickel dendrites responsible for the metallic character of electrical conduction.

  6. Hybrid carbon-glass fiber/toughened epoxy thick composites subject to drop-weight and ballistic impacts

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sevkat, Ercan

    The goals of this study are to investigate the low velocity and ballistic impact response of thick-section hybrid fiber composites at room temperature. Plain-woven S2-Glass and IM7 Graphite fabrics are chosen as fiber materials reinforcing the SC-79 epoxy. Four different types of composites consisting of alternating layers of glass and graphite woven fabric sheets are considered. Tensile tests are conducted using 98 KN (22 kip) MTS testing machine equipped with environmental chamber. Low-velocity impact tests are conducted using an Instron-Dynatup 8250 impact test machine equipped with an environmental chamber. Ballistic impact tests are performed using helium pressured high-speed gas-gun. Tensile tests results were used to define the material behavior of the hybrid and non-hybrid composites in Finite Element modeling. The low velocity and ballistic impact tests showed that hybrid composites performance was somewhere between non-hybrid woven composites. Using woven glass fabrics as outer skin improved the impact performance of woven graphite composite. However hybrid composites are prone to delamination especially between dissimilar layers. The ballistic limit velocity V50 hybrid composites were higher that of woven graphite composite and lower than that of woven glass composite. Both destructive cross-sectional micrographs and nondestructive ultrasonic techniques are used to evaluate the damage created by impact. The Finite Element code LS-DYNA is chosen to perform numerical simulations of low velocity and ballistic impact on thick-section hybrid composites. The damage progression in these composites shows anisotropic nonlinearity. The material model to describe this behavior is not available in LS-DYNA material library. Initially, linear orthotropic material with damage (Chan-Chan Model) is employed to simulate some of the experimental results. Then, user-defined material subroutine is incorporated into LS-DYNA to simulate the nonlinear behavior. The

  7. Conductance spectra of asymmetric ferromagnet/ferromagnet/ferromagnet junctions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pasanai, K., E-mail: krisakronmsu@gmail.com

    2017-01-15

    A theory of tunneling spectroscopy of ferromagnet/ferromagnet/ferromagnet junctions was studied. We applied a delta-functional approximation for the interface scattering properties under a one-dimensional system of a free electron approach. The reflection and transmission probabilities were calculated in the ballistic regime, and the conductance spectra were then calculated using the Landauer formulation. The magnetization directions were set to be either parallel (P) or anti-parallel (AP) alignments, for comparison. We found that the conductance spectra was suppressed when increasing the interfacial scattering at the interfaces. Moreover, the electron could exhibit direct transmission when the thickness was rather thin. Thus, there was no oscillation in this case. However, in the case of a thick layer the conductance spectra oscillated, and this oscillation was most prominent when the middle layer thickness increased. In the case of direct transmission, the conductance spectra of P and AP systems were definitely suppressed with increased exchange energy of the middle ferromagnet. This also refers to an increase in the magnetoresistance of the junction. In the case of oscillatory behavior, the positions of the resonance peaks were changed as the exchange energy was changed. - Highlights: • The conductance spectra of a FM/FM/FM junction were calculated. • The conductance spectra were suppressed by the exchange energy. • The exchange energy and the potential strength play similar roles in the junctions.

  8. Conductance spectra of asymmetric ferromagnet/ferromagnet/ferromagnet junctions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pasanai, K.

    2017-01-01

    A theory of tunneling spectroscopy of ferromagnet/ferromagnet/ferromagnet junctions was studied. We applied a delta-functional approximation for the interface scattering properties under a one-dimensional system of a free electron approach. The reflection and transmission probabilities were calculated in the ballistic regime, and the conductance spectra were then calculated using the Landauer formulation. The magnetization directions were set to be either parallel (P) or anti-parallel (AP) alignments, for comparison. We found that the conductance spectra was suppressed when increasing the interfacial scattering at the interfaces. Moreover, the electron could exhibit direct transmission when the thickness was rather thin. Thus, there was no oscillation in this case. However, in the case of a thick layer the conductance spectra oscillated, and this oscillation was most prominent when the middle layer thickness increased. In the case of direct transmission, the conductance spectra of P and AP systems were definitely suppressed with increased exchange energy of the middle ferromagnet. This also refers to an increase in the magnetoresistance of the junction. In the case of oscillatory behavior, the positions of the resonance peaks were changed as the exchange energy was changed. - Highlights: • The conductance spectra of a FM/FM/FM junction were calculated. • The conductance spectra were suppressed by the exchange energy. • The exchange energy and the potential strength play similar roles in the junctions.

  9. Computational analysis of electrical conduction in hybrid nanomaterials with embedded non-penetrating conductive particles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cai, Jizhe; Naraghi, Mohammad

    2016-08-01

    In this work, a comprehensive multi-resolution two-dimensional (2D) resistor network model is proposed to analyze the electrical conductivity of hybrid nanomaterials made of insulating matrix with conductive particles such as CNT reinforced nanocomposites and thick film resistors. Unlike existing approaches, our model takes into account the impenetrability of the particles and their random placement within the matrix. Moreover, our model presents a detailed description of intra-particle conductivity via finite element analysis, which to the authors’ best knowledge has not been addressed before. The inter-particle conductivity is assumed to be primarily due to electron tunneling. The model is then used to predict the electrical conductivity of electrospun carbon nanofibers as a function of microstructural parameters such as turbostratic domain alignment and aspect ratio. To simulate the microstructure of single CNF, randomly positioned nucleation sites were seeded and grown as turbostratic particles with anisotropic growth rates. Particle growth was in steps and growth of each particle in each direction was stopped upon contact with other particles. The study points to the significant contribution of both intra-particle and inter-particle conductivity to the overall conductivity of hybrid composites. Influence of particle alignment and anisotropic growth rate ratio on electrical conductivity is also discussed. The results show that partial alignment in contrast to complete alignment can result in maximum electrical conductivity of whole CNF. High degrees of alignment can adversely affect conductivity by lowering the probability of the formation of a conductive path. The results demonstrate approaches to enhance electrical conductivity of hybrid materials through controlling their microstructure which is applicable not only to carbon nanofibers, but also many other types of hybrid composites such as thick film resistors.

  10. Synthesis of thick diamond films by direct current hot-cathode plasma chemical vapour deposition

    CERN Document Server

    Jin Zeng Sun; Bai Yi Zhen; Lu Xian Yi

    2002-01-01

    The method of direct current hot-cathode plasma chemical vapour deposition has been established. A long-time stable glow discharge at large discharge current and high gas pressure has been achieved by using a hot cathode in the temperature range from 1100 degree C to 1500 degree C and non-symmetrical configuration of the poles, in which the diameter of the cathode is larger than that of anode. High-quality thick diamond films, with a diameter of 40-50 mm and thickness of 0.5-4.2 mm, have been synthesized by this method. Transparent thick diamond films were grown over a range of growth rates between 5-10 mu m/h. Most of the thick diamond films have thermal conductivities of 10-12 W/K centre dot cm. The thick diamond films with high thermal conductivity can be used as a heat sink of semiconducting laser diode array and as a heat spreading and isolation substrate of multichip modules. The performance can be obviously improved

  11. Electron beam welding of heavy section 3Cr-1.5Mo alloy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    King, J.F.; David, S.A.; Nasreldin, A.

    1986-01-01

    Welding of thick section steels is a common practice in the fabrication of pressure vessels for energy systems. The fabrication cost is strongly influenced by the speed at which these large components can be welded. Conventional welding processes such as shielded metal arc (SMA) and submerged arc (SA) are time-consuming and expensive. Hence there is a great need to reduce welding time and the tonnage of weld metal deposited. Electron beam welding (EBW) is a process that potentially could be used to achieve dramatic reduction in the welding time and costs. The penetrating ability of the beam produces welds with high depth-to-width ratios at relatively high travel speeds, making it possible to weld thick sections with one or two passes without filler metals and other consumables. The paper describes a study that was undertaken to investigate the feasibility of using a high power electron beam welding machine to weld heavy section steel. The main emphasis of this work was concentrated on determining the mechanical properties of the resulting weldment, characterizing the microstructure of the various weldment regions, and comparing these results with those from other processes. One of the steels selected for the heavy section electron beam welding study was a new 3 Cr-1.5 Mo-0.1 V alloy. The steel was developed at the AMAX Materials Research Center by Wada and co-workers for high temperature, high pressure hydrogen service as a possible improved replacement for 2-1/4 Cr-1 Mo steels. The excellent strength and toughness of this steel make it a promising candidate for future pressure vessels such as those for coal gasifiers. The work was conducted on 102 mm (4 in.) thick plates of this material in the normalized-and-tempered condition

  12. Smoking influences on the thickness of marginal gingival epithelium

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Villar Cristina Cunha

    2003-01-01

    Full Text Available Smoking patients show reduction of inflammatory clinical signs that might be associated with local vasoconstriction and an increased gingival epithelial thickness. The purpose of this work was to evaluate the thickness of the marginal gingival oral epithelium in smokers and non-smokers, with clinically healthy gingivae or with gingivitis. Twenty biopsies were obtained from four different groups. Group I: non-smokers with clinically healthy gingivae (n = 5. Group II: non-smokers with gingivitis (n = 5. Group III: smokers with clinically healthy gingivae (n = 5. Group IV: smokers with gingivitis (n = 5. These biopsies were histologically processed, serially sectioned at 5 mm, stained with H. E., and examined by image analysis software (KS400, which was used to perform the morphometric evaluation and the quantification of the major epithelial thickness, the epithelial base thickness and the external and internal epithelial perimeters. Differences between the four groups were analyzed using ANOVA test and Tukey's test. The criteria for statistical significance were accepted at the probability level p < 0.05. A greater epithelial thickness was observed in smokers independent of the gingival health situation.

  13. Conductance spectra of asymmetric ferromagnet/ferromagnet/ferromagnet junctions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pasanai, K.

    2017-01-01

    A theory of tunneling spectroscopy of ferromagnet/ferromagnet/ferromagnet junctions was studied. We applied a delta-functional approximation for the interface scattering properties under a one-dimensional system of a free electron approach. The reflection and transmission probabilities were calculated in the ballistic regime, and the conductance spectra were then calculated using the Landauer formulation. The magnetization directions were set to be either parallel (P) or anti-parallel (AP) alignments, for comparison. We found that the conductance spectra was suppressed when increasing the interfacial scattering at the interfaces. Moreover, the electron could exhibit direct transmission when the thickness was rather thin. Thus, there was no oscillation in this case. However, in the case of a thick layer the conductance spectra oscillated, and this oscillation was most prominent when the middle layer thickness increased. In the case of direct transmission, the conductance spectra of P and AP systems were definitely suppressed with increased exchange energy of the middle ferromagnet. This also refers to an increase in the magnetoresistance of the junction. In the case of oscillatory behavior, the positions of the resonance peaks were changed as the exchange energy was changed.

  14. Thick sedimentary sequence around Bahraich in the northern part of the central Ganga foreland basin

    Science.gov (United States)

    Manglik, A.; Adilakshmi, L.; Suresh, M.; Thiagarajan, S.

    2015-06-01

    We present the results of a magnetotelluric study along a 285 km long profile between Hamirpur and Rupadia (Nepal border) across the central Ganga basin. The electrical resistivity image obtained by combining 1-D Occam inversion models for 39 sites reveals a significant contrast in the subsurface structure from south to north along the profile. At the southern end, the Bundelkhand massif is delineated as a high resistivity block buried beneath 250-300 m thick sediments. The thickness of sediments gradually increases to about 500-600 m at Kanpur, and to about 1.2 km at Lucknow. Here, the basement depth increases to more than 2.5 km within a profile distance of 20 km, which could be attributed to the Lucknow fault. The underlying rocks also have moderate resistivity and possibly represent the Vindhyans. The sedimentary sequence at the northern end of the profile around Bahraich is more than 9 km thick. Integrating the resistivity image with a published seismic velocity structure from the region and the lithology from the 3927 m deep Matera-I well reveals that the top 4 km succession is constituted of highly conductive Oligocene and younger rocks of the Matera Formation and the Siwaliks, and recent sediments whereas the underlying > 5 km section is composed of sedimentary rocks of the Bahraich Group overlying the Archean basement. The high conductivity of sediments in conjunction with the low seismic velocity and large Vp/Vs obtained by receiver function analysis implies poor consolidation of sediments and thus high seismic hazard potential. The present results have implications for hydrocarbon exploration, hazard potential scenario of the central Ganga basin, and flexural strength of the Indian Plate.

  15. Application of elastic wave dispersion relations to estimate thermal properties of nanoscale wires and tubes of varying wall thickness and diameter

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bifano, Michael F P; Kaul, Pankaj B; Prakash, Vikas

    2010-01-01

    This paper reports dependency of specific heat and ballistic thermal conductance on cross-sectional geometry (tube versus rod) and size (i.e., diameter and wall thickness), in free-standing isotropic non-metallic crystalline nanostructures. The analysis is performed using dispersion relations found by numerically solving the Pochhammer-Chree frequency equation for a tube. Estimates for the allowable phonon dispersion relations within the crystal lattice are obtained by modifying the elastic acoustic dispersion relations so as to account for the discrete nature of the material's crystal lattice. These phonon dispersion relations are then used to evaluate the specific heat and ballistic thermal conductance in the nanostructures as a function of the nanostructure geometry and size. Two major results are revealed in the analysis: increasing the outer diameter of a nanotube while keeping the ratio of the inner to outer tube radius (γ) fixed increases the total number of available phonon modes capable of thermal population. Secondly, decreasing the wall thickness of a nanotube (i.e., increasing γ) while keeping its outer diameter fixed, results in a drastic decrease in the available phonon mode density and a reduction in the frequency of the longitudinal and flexural acoustic phonon modes in the nanostructure. The dependency of the nanostructure's specific heat on temperature indicates 1D, 2D, and 3D geometric phonon confinement regimes. Transition temperatures for each phonon confinement regime are shown to depend on both the nanostructure's wall thickness and outer radius. Compared to nanowires (γ = 0), the frequency reduction of acoustic phonon modes in thinner walled nanotubes (γ = 0.96) is shown to elevate the ballistic thermal conductance of the thin-walled nanotube between 0.2 and 150 K. At 20 K, the ballistic thermal conductance of the thin-walled nanotube (γ = 0.96) becomes 300% greater than that of a solid nanowire. For temperatures above 150 K, the trend

  16. Parametric Investigation of Optimum Thermal Insulation Thickness for External Walls

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Omer Kaynakli

    2011-06-01

    Full Text Available Numerous studies have estimated the optimum thickness of thermal insulation materials used in building walls for different climate conditions. The economic parameters (inflation rate, discount rate, lifetime and energy costs, the heating/cooling loads of the building, the wall structure and the properties of the insulation material all affect the optimum insulation thickness. This study focused on the investigation of these parameters that affect the optimum thermal insulation thickness for building walls. To determine the optimum thickness and payback period, an economic model based on life-cycle cost analysis was used. As a result, the optimum thermal insulation thickness increased with increasing the heating and cooling energy requirements, the lifetime of the building, the inflation rate, energy costs and thermal conductivity of insulation. However, the thickness decreased with increasing the discount rate, the insulation material cost, the total wall resistance, the coefficient of performance (COP of the cooling system and the solar radiation incident on a wall. In addition, the effects of these parameters on the total life-cycle cost, payback periods and energy savings were also investigated.

  17. Sediment Thickness and a WEST-EAST Geologic Cross Section in the Caracas Valley

    OpenAIRE

    KANTAK, PETER; SCHMITZ, MICHAEL; AUDEMARD, FRANCK

    2005-01-01

    Caracas is located at the Caribbean - South America plate boundary zone, with an associated strike slip fault system, which accommodates the relative movement of both plates and is responsible for the seismic hazard in the region. The damage pattern of the 1967 Caracas earthquake emphasized the existence of important site effects due to the sedimentary basin fill of the Caracas valley. A revised map of the sedimentary thickness was developed during this study, based on drill holes (mostly fro...

  18. Assembly of a Full-Scale External Tank Barrel Section Using Friction Stir Welding

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jones, Chip; Adams, Glynn

    1999-01-01

    A full-scale pathfinder barrel section of the External Tank for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Space Transport System (Space Shuttle) has been assembled at Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) via a collaborative effort between NASA/MSFC and Lockheed Martin Michoud Space Systems. The barrel section is 27.5 feet in diameter and 15 feet in height. The barrel was assembled using Super-Light-Weight (SLWT), orthogrid, Al-Li 2195 panel sections and a single longeron panel. A vertical weld tool at MSFC was modified to accommodate FSW and used to assemble the barrel. These modifications included the addition of a FSW weld head and new controller hardware and software, the addition of a backing anvil and the replacement of the clamping system with individually actuated clamps. Weld process 4evelopment was initially conducted to optimize the process for the welds required for completing the assembly. The variable thickness welds in the longeron section were conducted via both two-sided welds and with the use of a retractable pin tool. The barrel assembly was completed in October 1998. Details of the vertical weld tool modifications and the assembly process are presented.

  19. Hexaferrite multiferroics: from bulk to thick films

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koutzarova, T.; Ghelev, Ch; Peneva, P.; Georgieva, B.; Kolev, S.; Vertruyen, B.; Closset, R.

    2018-03-01

    We report studies of the structural and microstructural properties of Sr3Co2Fe24O41 in bulk form and as thick films. The precursor powders for the bulk form were prepared following the sol-gel auto-combustion method. The prepared pellets were synthesized at 1200 °C to produce Sr3Co2Fe24O41. The XRD spectra of the bulks showed the characteristic peaks corresponding to the Z-type hexaferrite structure as a main phase and second phases of CoFe2O4 and Sr3Fe2O7-x. The microstructure analysis of the cross-section of the bulk pellets revealed a hexagonal sheet structure. Large areas were observed of packages of hexagonal sheets where the separate hexagonal particles were ordered along the c axis. Sr3Co2Fe24O41 thick films were deposited from a suspension containing the Sr3Co2Fe24O41 powder. The microstructural analysis of the thick films showed that the particles had the perfect hexagonal shape typical for hexaferrites.

  20. Determination of accurate metal silicide layer thickness by RBS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kirchhoff, J.F.; Baumann, S.M.; Evans, C.; Ward, I.; Coveney, P.

    1995-01-01

    Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry (RBS) is a proven useful analytical tool for determining compositional information of a wide variety of materials. One of the most widely utilized applications of RBS is the study of the composition of metal silicides (MSi x ), also referred to as polycides. A key quantity obtained from an analysis of a metal silicide is the ratio of silicon to metal (Si/M). Although compositional information is very reliable in these applications, determination of metal silicide layer thickness by RBS techniques can differ from true layer thicknesses by more than 40%. The cause of these differences lies in how the densities utilized in the RBS analysis are calculated. The standard RBS analysis software packages calculate layer densities by assuming each element's bulk densities weighted by the fractional atomic presence. This calculation causes large thickness discrepancies in metal silicide thicknesses because most films form into crystal structures with distinct densities. Assuming a constant layer density for a full spectrum of Si/M values for metal silicide samples improves layer thickness determination but ignores the underlying physics of the films. We will present results of RBS determination of the thickness various metal silicide films with a range of Si/M values using a physically accurate model for the calculation of layer densities. The thicknesses are compared to scanning electron microscopy (SEM) cross-section micrographs. We have also developed supporting software that incorporates these calculations into routine analyses. (orig.)

  1. Model of thermal conductivity of anisotropic nanodiamond

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dudnik, S.F.; Kalinichenko, A.I.; Strel'nitskij, V.E.

    2014-01-01

    Dependence of thermal conductivity of nanocrystalline diamond on grain size and shape is theoretically investigated. Nanodiamond is considered as two-phase material composed of diamond grains characterizing by three main dimensions and segregated by thin graphite layers with electron, phonon or hybrid thermal conductivity. Influence of type of thermal conductance and thickness of boundary layer on thermal conductivity of nanodiamond is analyzed. Derived dependences of thermal conductivity on grain dimensions are compared with experimental data

  2. Research on the Cross Section Precision of High-strength Steel Tube with Rectangular Section in Rotary Draw Bending

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Hongliang; Zhao, Hao; Xing, Zhongwen

    2017-11-01

    For the demand of energy conservation and security improvement, high-strength steel (HSS) is increasingly being used to produce safety related automotive components. However, cross-section distortion occurs easily in bending of HSS tube with rectangular section (RS), affecting the forming precision. HSS BR1500HS tube by rotary draw bending is taken as the study object and a description method of cross-section distortion is proposed in this paper. The influence on cross-section precision of geometric parameters including cross-section position, thickness of tube, bend radius etc. are studied by experiment. Besides, simulation of the rotary draw bending of HSS tube with rectangular section by ABAQUS are carried out and compared to the experiment. The results by simulation agree well with the experiment and show that the cross-section is approximately trapezoidal after distortion; the maximum of distortion exists at 45 ∼ 60° of the bending direction; and the absolute and relative distortion values increase with the decreasing of tube thickness or bending radius. Therefore, the results can provide a reference for the design of geometric parameters of HSS tube with rectangular section in rotary draw bending.

  3. Investigation of top electrode for PZT thick films based MEMS sensors

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hindrichsen, Christian Carstensen; Pedersen, Thomas; Kristiansen, Paw T.

    2010-01-01

    In this work processing of screen printed piezoelectric PZT thick films on silicon substrates is investigated for use in future MEMS devices. E-beam evaporated Al and Pt are patterned on PZT as a top electrode using a lift-off process with a line width down to 3 mu m. Three test structures are used...... to investigate the optimal thickness of the top electrode, the degradation of the piezoelectric properties of the PZT film in absence of a diffusion barrier layer and finally how to fabricate electrical interconnects down the edge of the PZT thick film. The roughness of the PZT is found to have a strong...... influence on the conductance of the top electrode influencing the optimal top electrode thickness. A 100 nm thick top electrode on the PZT thick film with a surface roughness of 273 nm has a 4.5 times higher resistance compared to a similar wire on a planar SiO2 surface which has a surface roughness of less...

  4. Obtaining Thickness-Limited Electrospray Deposition for 3D Coating.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lei, Lin; Kovacevich, Dylan A; Nitzsche, Michael P; Ryu, Jihyun; Al-Marzoki, Kutaiba; Rodriguez, Gabriela; Klein, Lisa C; Jitianu, Andrei; Singer, Jonathan P

    2018-04-04

    Electrospray processing utilizes the balance of electrostatic forces and surface tension within a charged spray to produce charged microdroplets with a narrow dispersion in size. In electrospray deposition, each droplet carries a small quantity of suspended material to a target substrate. Past electrospray deposition results fall into two major categories: (1) continuous spray of films onto conducting substrates and (2) spray of isolated droplets onto insulating substrates. A crossover regime, or a self-limited spray, has only been limitedly observed in the spray of insulating materials onto conductive substrates. In such sprays, a limiting thickness emerges, where the accumulation of charge repels further spray. In this study, we examined the parametric spray of several glassy polymers to both categorize past electrospray deposition results and uncover the critical parameters for thickness-limited sprays. The key parameters for determining the limiting thickness were (1) field strength and (2) spray temperature, related to (i) the necessary repulsive field and (ii) the ability for the deposited materials to swell in the carrier solvent vapor and redistribute charge. These control mechanisms can be applied to the uniform or controllably-varied microscale coating of complex three-dimensional objects.

  5. Multifunctional thick-film structures based on spinel ceramics for environment sensors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vakiv, M; Hadzaman, I; Klym, H; Shpotyuk, O; Brunner, M

    2011-01-01

    Temperature sensitive thick films based on spinel-type NiMn 2 O 4 -CuMn 2 O 4 -MnCo 2 O 4 manganites with p- and p + -types of electrical conductivity and their multilayer p + -p structures were studied. These thick-film elements possess good electrophysical characteristics before and after long-term ageing test at 170 deg. C. It is shown that degradation processes connected with diffusion of metallic Ag into film grain boundaries occur in one-layer p-and p + -conductive films. Some part of the p + -p structures were of high stability, the relative electrical drift being no more than 1 %.

  6. Lead Thickness Measurements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rucinski, R.

    1998-01-01

    The preshower lead thickness applied to the outside of D-Zero's superconducting solenoid vacuum shell was measured at the time of application. This engineering documents those thickness measurements. The lead was ordered in sheets 0.09375-inch and 0.0625-inch thick. The tolerance on thickness was specified to be +/- 0.003-inch. The sheets all were within that thickness tolerance. The nomenclature for each sheet was designated 1T, 1B, 2T, 2B where the numeral designates it's location in the wrap and 'T' or 'B' is short for 'top' or 'bottom' half of the solenoid. Micrometer measurements were taken at six locations around the perimeter of each sheet. The width,length, and weight of each piece was then measured. Using an assumed pure lead density of 0.40974 lb/in 3 , an average sheet thickness was calculated and compared to the perimeter thickness measurements. In every case, the calculated average thickness was a few mils thinner than the perimeter measurements. The ratio was constant, 0.98. This discrepancy is likely due to the assumed pure lead density. It is not felt that the perimeter is thicker than the center regions. The data suggests that the physical thickness of the sheets is uniform to +/- 0.0015-inch.

  7. Optimal pinnate leaf-like network/matrix structure for enhanced conductive cooling

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hu, Liguo; Zhou, Han; Zhu, Hanxing; Fan, Tongxiang; Zhang, Di

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • We present a pinnate leaf-like network/matrix structure for conductive cooling. • We study the effect of matrix thickness on network conductive cooling performance. • Matrix thickness determines optimal distance between collection channels in network. • We determine the optimal network architecture from a global perspective. • Optimal network greatly reduces the maximum temperature difference in the network. - Abstract: Heat generated in electronic devices has to be effectively removed because excessive temperature strongly impairs their performance and reliability. Embedding a high thermal conductivity network into an electronic device is an effective method to conduct the generated heat to the outside. In this study, inspired by the pinnate leaf, we present a pinnate leaf-like network embedded in the matrix (i.e., electronic device) to cool the matrix by conduction and develop a method to construct the optimal network. In this method, we first investigate the effect of the matrix thickness on the conductive cooling performance of the network, and then optimize the network architecture from a global perspective so that to minimize the maximum temperature difference between the heat sink and the matrix. The results indicate that the matrix thickness determines the optimal distance of the neighboring collection channels in the network, which minimizes the maximum temperature difference between the matrix and the network, and that the optimal network greatly reduces the maximum temperature difference in the network. The results can serve as a design guide for efficient conductive cooling of electronic devices

  8. Overweight is not associated with cortical thickness alterations in children

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rachel Jane Sharkey

    2015-02-01

    Full Text Available IntroductionSeveral studies report an association between body mass index (BMI and cortical thickness in adults. Some studies demonstrate diffuse cortical thinning in obesity, while others report effects in areas that are associated with self-regulation, such as lateral prefrontal cortex. MethodsThis study used multilevel modelling of data from the NIH Pediatric MRI Data Repository, a mixed longitudinal and cross-sectional database, to examine the relationship between cortical thickness and body weight in children. Cortical thickness was computed at 81,942 vertices of 716 MRI scans from 378 children aged between 4 and 18 years. Body mass index Z score for age was computed for each participant. We preformed vertex-wise statistical analysis of the relationship between cortical thickness and BMI, accounting for age and gender. In addition, cortical thickness was extracted from regions of interest in prefrontal cortex and insula.ResultsNo significant association between cortical thickness and BMI was found, either by statistical parametric mapping or by region of interest analysis. Results remained negative when the analysis was restricted to children aged 12-18.ConclusionsThe correlation between BMI and cortical thickness was not found in this large pediatric sample. The association between BMI and cortical thinning develops after adolescence. This has implications for the nature of the relationship between brain anatomy and weight gain.

  9. Mid-menstrual cycle ultrasound evaluation of endometrial thickness of fertile women and women with secondary infertility in Nsukka, Nigeria

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ochie, K.; Eze, C.U.; Okoye, G.C.; Ohagwu, C.C.; Luntsi, G.

    2016-01-01

    Background: The prognostic value of endometrial thickness in achieving conception is still debatable. Objective: To compare the mid menstrual cycle thickness of the endometrium of fertile women and women with unexplained secondary infertility. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study targeting women of reproductive ages was conducted. The mid menstrual cycle endometrial thickness was measured at sonography in a group of fertile women and in another group of women with secondary infertility. The endometrial thicknesses in the two groups of women were statistically compared. Results: There was a preponderance of thickened endometrium among the fertile women. The majority of women with secondary infertility, 21 (30.0%) with a thickness range of 2.0–3.9 mm and 17 (24.29%) with 4.0–5.9 mm had thin endometrium and only a few of them, 8 (11.43%) had endometrium of 12 mm thickness of greater. The median value of mid menstrual cycle endometrial thickness for the fertile group was 10.8 mm (range 7.8–12.4 mm) and the interquartile range was 1.45 mm. For the group with secondary infertility, the median was 5.0 mm (range 2.0–17.0 mm) and the interquartile range 6.0 mm. The endometrium was significantly thinner in subjects with secondary infertility compared to fertile subjects (p < 0.05). Conclusion: The mid menstrual cycle endometrial thickness differs significantly between fertile women and women with secondary infertility. It is thicker in fertile women compared to women with secondary infertility. Therefore, mid menstrual cycle endometrial thickness has potential as a prognostic factor for secondary infertility in the studied population. - Highlights: • Endometrial thickness has potential as a prognostic factor for secondary infertility. • Endometrial thickness differs between fertile and secondarily infertile women. • Thin endometrium is common among women with secondary infertility. • Few women with secondary infertility may have

  10. Simulation of the transient eddy current measurement for the characterization of depth and conductivity of a plate

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cheng, Weiying; Komura, Ichiro

    2008-01-01

    A transient eddy current measurement method is presented to determine the thickness and conductivity of a conductive plate. The conductive plate is induced by an air-cored coil, the magnetic flux density along the axial is measured and the various signals corresponding to plates with different thickness and conductivity are calculated using a 3D transient eddy current simulator. Characteristic features are obtained from the transient response. A similarity-based modeling method is utilized in this study to estimate the thickness and conductivity of the conductive plate. (author)

  11. Turbine airfoil having outboard and inboard sections

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mazzola, Stefan; Marra, John J

    2015-03-17

    A turbine airfoil usable in a turbine engine and formed from at least an outboard section and an inboard section such that an inner end of the outboard section is attached to an outer end of the inboard section. The outboard section may be configured to provide a tip having adequate thickness and may extend radially inward from the tip with a generally constant cross-sectional area. The inboard section may be configured with a tapered cross-sectional area to support the outboard section.

  12. Association between retinal nerve fiber layer thickness and magnetic resonance imaging findings and intelligence in patients with multiple sclerosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ashtari, Fereshteh; Emami, Parisa; Akbari, Mojtaba

    2015-01-01

    Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a neurological disease in which demyelination and axonal loss leads to progressive disability. Cognition impairment is among the most common complication. Studying axonal loss in the retina is a new marker for MS. The main goal of our study is to search for correlations between magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings and the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness at the macula and head of the optic nerve and Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised (WAIS-R) Scores that assess multiple domains of intelligence, and to explore the relationship between changes in the RNFL thickness with intellectual and cognitive dysfunction. A prospective cross-sectional study was conducted at the University Hospital of Kashani, Isfahan, Iran, from September to December 2013. All patients were assessed with a full-scale intelligence quotient (IQ) on the WAIS-R. An optical coherence tomography study and brain MRI were performed in the same week for all the patients. Statistical analysis was conducted by using a bivariate correlation, by utilizing SPSS 20.0. A P value ≤ 0.05 was the threshold of statistical significance. Examination of a 100 patients showed a significant correlation between the average RNFL thickness of the macula and the verbal IQ (P value = 0.01) and full IQ (P value = 0.01). There was a significant correlation between brain atrophy and verbal IQ. The RNFL loss was correlated with verbal IQ and full IQ.

  13. 77 FR 11556 - Pediatric Studies of Meropenem Conducted in Accordance With Section 409I of the Public Health...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-02-27

    ... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Food and Drug Administration [Docket No. FDA-2011-N-0918] Pediatric Studies of Meropenem Conducted in Accordance With Section 409I of the Public Health Service Act... of the Public Health Service Act (PHS Act) and submitted to the Director of the National Institutes...

  14. Thickness of the Buccal Plate in Posterior Teeth: A Prospective Cone Beam Computed Tomography Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Temple, Kayleigh Eaves; Schoolfield, John; Noujeim, Marcel E; Huynh-Ba, Guy; Lasho, David J; Mealey, Brian L

    Buccal plate thickness is an important clinical parameter for postextraction implant treatment planning. The purpose of this study was to assess buccal plate thickness of the posterior maxilla and mandible using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT). A total of 265 patients and 934 teeth met the inclusion criteria for this study. CBCT volumes were taken and aligned for measurement at the ideal midsagittal cross-section. Buccal plate thickness was measured at 1, 3, and 5 mm apical to the alveolar crest. The frequency of thick (≥ 1 mm), thin (teeth.

  15. Estimation of soft- and hard-tissue thickness at implant sites

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anil Kumar

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Anchorage control is a critical consideration when planning treatment for patients with dental and skeletal malocclusions. To obtain sufficient stability of implants, the thickness of the soft tissue and the cortical-bone in the placement site must be considered; so as to provide an anatomical map in order to assist the clinician in the placement of the implants. Objective: The aim of this study is to evaluate the thickness of soft- and hard-tissue. Materials and Methods: To measure soft tissue and cortical-bone thicknesses, 12 maxillary cross-sectional specimens were obtained from the cadavers, which were made at three maxillary mid-palatal suture areas: The interdental area between the first and second premolars (Group 1, the second premolar and the first molar (Group 2, and the first and second molars (Group 3. Sectioned samples along with reference rulers were digitally scanned. Scanned images were calibrated and measurements were made with image-analysis software. We measured the thickness of soft and hard-tissues at five sectional areas parallel to the buccopalatal cementoenamel junction (CEJ line at 2-mm intervals and also thickness of soft tissue at the six landmarks including the incisive papilla (IP on the palate. The line perpendicular to the occlusal plane was made and measurement was taken at 4-mm intervals from the closest five points to IP. Results: (1 Group 1:6 mm from CEJ in buccal side and 2 mm from CEJ in palatal side. (2 Group 2:8 mm from CEJ in buccal side and 4 mm from CEJ in palatal side. (3 Group 3:8 mm from CEJ in buccal side and 8 mm from CEJ in palatal side. Conclusions: The best site for placement of implant is with thinnest soft tissue and thickest hard tissue, which is in the middle from CEJ in buccal side and closest from CEJ in palatal side in Group 1 and faraway from CEJ in buccal side and closest from CEJ in palatal side in Group 2 and faraway from CEJ in buccal side and faraway from CEJ in palatal

  16. Use of apparent thickness for preprocessing of low-frequency electromagnetic data in inversion-based multibarrier evaluation workflow

    Science.gov (United States)

    Omar, Saad; Omeragic, Dzevat

    2018-04-01

    The concept of apparent thicknesses is introduced for the inversion-based, multicasing evaluation interpretation workflow using multifrequency and multispacing electromagnetic measurements. A thickness value is assigned to each measurement, enabling the development of two new preprocessing algorithms to remove casing collar artifacts. First, long-spacing apparent thicknesses are used to remove, from the pipe sections, artifacts ("ghosts") caused by the transmitter crossing a casing collar or corrosion. Second, a collar identification, localization, and assignment algorithm is developed to enable robust inversion in collar sections. Last, casing eccentering can also be identified on the basis of opposite deviation of short-spacing phase and magnitude apparent thicknesses from the nominal value. The proposed workflow can handle an arbitrary number of nested casings and has been validated on synthetic and field data.

  17. Anatomical characterization of central, apical and minimal corneal thickness

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Federico Saenz-Frances

    2014-08-01

    Full Text Available AIM: To anatomically locate the points of minimum corneal thickness and central corneal thickness (pupil center in relation to the corneal apex.METHODS: Observational, cross-sectional study, 299 healthy volunteers. Thickness at the corneal apex (AT, minimum corneal thickness (MT and corneal thickness at the pupil center (PT were determined using the pentacam. Distances from the corneal apex to MT (MD and PT (PD were calculated and their quadrant position (taking the corneal apex as the reference determined:point of minimum thickness (MC and point of central thickness (PC depending on the quadrant position. Two multivariate linear regression models were constructed to examine the influence of age, gender, power of the flattest and steepest corneal axes, position of the flattest axis, corneal volume (determined using the Pentacam and PT on MD and PD. The effects of these variables on MC and PC were also determined in two multinomial regression models.RESULTS: MT was located at a mean distance of 0.909 mm from the apex (79.4% in the inferior-temporal quadrant. PT was located at a mean distance of 0.156 mm from the apex. The linear regression model for MD indicated it was significantly influenced by corneal volume (B=-0.024; 95%CI:-0.043 to -0.004. No significant relations were identified in the linear regression model for PD or the multinomial logistic regressions for MC and PC.CONCLUSION: MT was typically located at the inferior-temporal quadrant of the cornea and its distance to the corneal apex tended to decrease with the increment of corneal volume.

  18. Optimization of Plastic Scintillator Thicknesses for Online Beta Detection in Mixed Fields

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pourtangestani, K.; Machrafi, R. [University of Ontario Institute of Technology, Oshawa, ON (Canada)

    2013-07-15

    For efficient beta detection in a mixed beta-gamma field, Monte Carlo simulation models have been developed to optimize the thickness of a plastic scintillator used in whole body monitor. The simulation has been performed using MCNP/X code and different thicknesses of plastic scintillators ranging from 150 to 600 {mu}m have been used. The relationship between the thickness of the scintillator and the efficiency of the detector has been analysed. For 150 {mu}m thickness, an experimental investigation has been conducted with different beta sources at different positions on the scintillator and the counting efficiency of the unit has been measured. Evaluated data along with experimental ones have been discussed. A thickness of 300 {mu}m to 500 {mu}m has been found to be an optimum thickness for better beta detection efficiency in the presence of low energy gamma ray. (author)

  19. Multifunctional thick-film structures based on spinel ceramics for environment sensors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Vakiv, M; Hadzaman, I; Klym, H; Shpotyuk, O [Institute of Materials of SRC ' Carat' , 202 Stryjska str., Lviv, 79031 (Ukraine); Brunner, M, E-mail: shpotyuk@novas.lviv.ua, E-mail: klymha@yahoo.com [Fachhochschule Koeln/University of Applied Sciences, 2 Betzdorfer str., Koeln, 50679 (Germany)

    2011-04-01

    Temperature sensitive thick films based on spinel-type NiMn{sub 2}O{sub 4}-CuMn{sub 2}O{sub 4}-MnCo{sub 2}O{sub 4} manganites with p- and p{sup +}-types of electrical conductivity and their multilayer p{sup +}-p structures were studied. These thick-film elements possess good electrophysical characteristics before and after long-term ageing test at 170 deg. C. It is shown that degradation processes connected with diffusion of metallic Ag into film grain boundaries occur in one-layer p-and p{sup +}-conductive films. Some part of the p{sup +}-p structures were of high stability, the relative electrical drift being no more than 1 %.

  20. Gauging the Galactic thick disk with RR Lyrae stars

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cruz G.

    2012-02-01

    Full Text Available In this contribution we present results from the QUEST RR Lyrae Survey of the thick disk. The survey spans ~480 sq. deg. at low latitude |b| < 30°, with multi-epoch VRI observations, obtained with the QUEST-I camera at the 1m Jürgen Stock Schmidt telescope located at the National Astronomical Observatory of Venezuela. This constitutes the first deep RR Lyrae survey of the Galactic thick disk conducted at low galactic latitudes, covering simultaneously a large range in radial (8thick disk structural parameters from in situ RR Lyrae stars having accurate distances (errors <7% and individual reddenings derived from each star’s color curve at minimum light. Moreover, the use of RR Lyrae stars as tracers ensures negligible contamination from the Galactic thin disk. We find a thick disk mean scale height hZ = 0.94 ± 0.11kpc and scale length hR = 3.2 ± 0.4kpc, derived from the vertical and radial mean density profiles of RR Lyrae stars. We also find evidence of thick disk flaring and results that may suggest the thick disk radial density profile shows signs of antitruncation. We discuss our findings in the context of recent thick disk formation models.

  1. Metallic oxide switches using thick film technology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Patel, D. N.; Williams, L., Jr.

    1974-01-01

    Metallic oxide thick film switches were processed on alumina substrates using thick film technology. Vanadium pentoxide in powder form was mixed with other oxides e.g., barium, strontium copper and glass frit, ground to a fine powder. Pastes and screen printable inks were made using commercial conductive vehicles and appropriate thinners. Some switching devices were processed by conventional screen printing and firing of the inks and commercial cermet conductor terminals on 96% alumina substrates while others were made by applying small beads or dots of the pastes between platinum wires. Static, and dynamic volt-ampere, and pulse tests indicate that the switching and self-oscillatory characteristics of these devices could make them useful in memory element, oscillator, and automatic control applications.

  2. The determination of the electron collision cross sections for the momentum transfer in potassium by measuring the DC conductivity of a plasma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Luknarova, M.; Veis, S.

    1976-01-01

    The DC conductivity of a thermally produced plasma in a plasma diode has been measured in pure potassium vapour. The plasma diode consists of two tungsten electrodes heated to a temperature of 2200 K. A simple theory for determining the influence of the plasma sheaths on the measured conductivity was developed and experimental conditions were established under which the potential drops across the sheaths could be neglected. By measuring the DC conductivity of the plasma at temperatures ranging from 1250 to 1600 K the potassium momentum-transfer cross section has been obtained. The measured cross section (2.37 +- 0.24) x 10 -14 cm 2 at 1500 K is in good agreement with results of other workers. Results for the work function of tungsten in potassium vapour were also obtained. (author)

  3. Optical transparency and electrical conductivity of nonstoichiometric ultrathin InxOy films

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Joseph, Shay; Berger, Shlomo

    2011-01-01

    The effect of thickness and composition on the electrical conductivity and optical transparency, mainly in the infrared, of ultrathin In x O y films was studied. In x O y films 35-470 A thick with oxygen atomic fractions of ∼0.3 and ∼0.5 were prepared via dc magnetron sputtering. All films were polycrystalline, consisting of only the cubic bixbiyte phase of In 2 O 3 . The average grain size of the films increased from 30 to 95 nm as the film thickness increased. The weak dependence of the electrical conductivity on the frequency and the low activation energies for conduction, a few hundredths of an eV, provided an indication that free band conduction was the primary electrical conduction mechanism in the case of all ultrathin In x O y films. It was found that introducing a high degree of nonstoichiometry in the form of oxygen deficiency did not help improve the electrical conductivity, since not all vacancies contributed two free electrons for conduction and due to impurity scattering. The optical nature of these films, studied mainly by ellipsometry, was found to be dependent on the film's composition and thickness. In the infrared, the dielectric function of all In x O y films was consistent with the Drude model, inferring that the transparency loss in this region was a result of free charge carriers. In the visible however, In x O y films under 170 A, which had an oxygen atomic fraction of ∼0.5, were modeled by extending the Drude model to the shorter wavelengths. Films over 170 A, with the same composition, were modeled using the Cauchy dispersion model, meaning that no absorption was measured. These results indicate that, optically, under specific compositions, ultrathin In x O y films undergo a transition from metalliclike behavior to dielectric behavior with increasing film thickness. Using a figure of merit approach, it was determined that a nonstoichiometric 230 A thick In x O y film, with an oxygen atomic fraction of ∼0.3, had the best combination

  4. The critical particle size for enhancing thermal conductivity in metal nanoparticle-polymer composites

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lu, Zexi; Wang, Yan; Ruan, Xiulin

    2018-02-01

    Polymers used as thermal interface materials are often filled with high-thermal conductivity particles to enhance the thermal performance. Here, we have combined molecular dynamics and the two-temperature model in 1D to investigate the impact of the metal filler size on the overall thermal conductivity. A critical particle size has been identified above which thermal conductivity enhancement can be achieved, caused by the interplay between high particle thermal conductivity and the added electron-phonon and phonon-phonon thermal boundary resistance brought by the particle fillers. Calculations on the SAM/Au/SAM (self-assembly-monolayer) system show a critical thickness Lc of around 10.8 nm. Based on the results, we define an effective thermal conductivity and propose a new thermal circuit analysis approach for the sandwiched metal layer that can intuitively explain simulation and experimental data. The results show that when the metal layer thickness decreases to be much smaller than the electron-phonon cooling length (or as the "thin limit"), the effective thermal conductivity is just the phonon portion, and electrons do not participate in thermal transport. As the thickness increases to the "thick limit," the effective thermal conductivity recovers the metal bulk value. Several factors that could affect Lc are discussed, and it is discovered that the thermal conductivity, thermal boundary resistance, and the electron-phonon coupling factor are all important in controlling Lc.

  5. Effect of a Finite Trailing Edge Thickness on the Drag of Rectangular and Delta Wings at Supersonic Speeds

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Klunker, E

    1952-01-01

    The effect of a finite trailing-edge thickness on the pressure drag of rectangular and delta wings with truncated diamond-shaped airfoil sections with a given thickness ratio is studied for supersonic...

  6. Extended methods using thick-targets for nuclear reaction data of radioactive isotopes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ebata, Shuichiro; Aikawa, Masayuki; Imai, Shotaro

    2017-09-01

    The nuclear transmutation is a technology to dispose of radioactive wastes. However, we do not have enough basic data for its developments, such as thick-target yields (TTY) and the interaction cross sections for radioactive material. We suggest two methods to estimate the TTY using inverse kinematics and to obtain the excitation function of the interaction cross sections which is named the thick-target transmission (T3) method. We deduce the energy-dependent conversion relation between the TTYs of the original system and its inverse kinematics, which can be replaced to a constant coefficient in the high energy region. Furthermore we show the usefulness of the T3 method to investigate the excitation function of the 12C + 27Al reaction in the simulation.

  7. Thickness determination of large-area films of yttria-stabilized zirconia produced by pulsed laser deposition

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pryds, N.; Christensen, Bo Toftmann; Bilde-Sørensen, Jørgen

    2006-01-01

    of the attenuation for various values of film thickness with the program CASINO. These results have been compared with direct measurements in the SEM of the film thickness on a cross-section on one of the wafers. The results of these measurements demonstrate the ability of this technique to accurately determine...

  8. Structure, ionic Conductivity and mobile Carrier Density in Fast Ionic Conducting Chalcogenide Glasses

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wenlong Yao

    2006-01-01

    This thesis consists of six sections. The first section gives the basic research background on the ionic conduction mechanism in glass, polarization in the glass, and the method of determining the mobile carrier density in glass. The proposed work is also included in this section. The second section is a paper that characterizes the structure of MI + M 2 S + (0.1 Ga 2 S 3 + 0.9 GeS 2 ) (M = Li, Na, K and Cs) glasses using Raman and IR spectroscopy. Since the ionic radius plays an important role in determining the ionic conductivity in glasses, the glass forming range for the addition of different alkalis into the basic glass forming system 0.1 Ga 2 S 3 + 0.9 GeS 2 was studied. The study found that the change of the alkali radius for the same nominal composition causes significant structure change to the glasses. The third section is a paper that investigates the ionic conductivity of MI + M 2 S + (0.1Ga 2 S 3 + 0.9 GeS 2 ) (M = Li, Na, K and Cs) glasses system. Corresponding to the compositional changes in these fast ionic conducting glasses, the ionic conductivity shows changes due to the induced structural changes. The ionic radius effect on the ionic conductivity in these glasses was investigated. The fourth section is a paper that examines the mobile carrier density based upon the measurements of space charge polarization. For the first time, the charge carrier number density in fast ionic conducting chalcogenide glasses was determined. The experimental impedance data were fitted using equivalent circuits and the obtained parameters were used to determine the mobile carrier density. The influence of mobile carrier density and mobility on the ionic conductivity was separated. The fifth section is a paper that studies the structures of low-alkali-content Na 2 S + B 2 S 3 (x (le) 0.2) glasses by neutron and synchrotron x-ray diffraction. Similar results were obtained both in neutron and synchrotron x-ray diffraction experiments. The results provide direct

  9. Mediterranean diet, micronutrients and macronutrients, and MRI measures of cortical thickness.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Staubo, Sara C; Aakre, Jeremiah A; Vemuri, Prashanthi; Syrjanen, Jeremy A; Mielke, Michelle M; Geda, Yonas E; Kremers, Walter K; Machulda, Mary M; Knopman, David S; Petersen, Ronald C; Jack, Clifford R; Roberts, Rosebud O

    2017-02-01

    The Mediterranean diet (MeDi) is associated with reduced risk of cognitive impairment, but it is unclear whether it is associated with better brain imaging biomarkers. Among 672 cognitively normal participants (mean age, 79.8 years, 52.5% men), we investigated associations of MeDi score and MeDi components with magnetic resonance imaging measures of cortical thickness for the four lobes separately and averaged (average lobar). Higher MeDi score was associated with larger frontal, parietal, occipital, and average lobar cortical thickness. Higher legume and fish intakes were associated with larger cortical thickness: legumes with larger superior parietal, inferior parietal, precuneus, parietal, occipital, lingual, and fish with larger precuneus, superior parietal, posterior cingulate, parietal, and inferior parietal. Higher carbohydrate and sugar intakes were associated with lower entorhinal cortical thickness. In this sample of elderly persons, higher adherence to MeDi was associated with larger cortical thickness. These cross-sectional findings require validation in prospective studies. Copyright © 2016 the Alzheimer's Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  10. Conductive sub-layer of twisted-tape-induced swirl-flow heat transfer in vertical circular tubes with various twisted-tape inserts

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hata, K.; Fukuda, K.; Masuzaki, S.

    2018-04-01

    Twisted-tape-induced swirl-flow heat transfer due to exponentially increasing heat inputs with various exponential periods ( Q = Q 0 exp(t/τ), τ = 6.04 to 23.07 s) and twisted-tape-induced pressure drop was systematically measured for various mass velocities ( G = 4115 to 13,656 kg/m2 s), inlet liquid temperatures ( T in = 285.88 to 299.09 K), and inlet pressures ( P in = 847.45 to 943.29 kPa) using an experimental water loop flow. Measurements were made over a 59.2-mm effective length and three sections (upper, middle, and lower positions), within which four potential taps were spot-welded onto the outer surface of a 6-mm-inner-diameter, 69.6-mm-heated length, 0.4-mm-thickness platinum circular test tube. Type SUS304 twisted tapes with a width w = 5.6 mm, a thickness δ T = 0.6 mm, a total length l = 372 mm, and twist ratios y = 2.39 and 4.45 were employed in this study. The RANS equations (Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes Simulation) with a k-ɛ turbulence model for a circular tube 6 mm in diameter and 636 mm in length were numerically solved for heating of water with a heated section 6 mm in diameter and 70 mm in length using the CFD code, under the same conditions as the experimental ones and considering the temperature dependence of the thermo-physical properties concerned. The theoretical values of surface heat flux q on the circular tubes with twisted tapes with twist ratios y of 2.39 and 4.45 were found to be almost in agreement with the corresponding experimental values of heat flux q, with deviations of less than 30% for the range of temperature difference between the average heater inner surface temperature and the liquid bulk mean temperature ΔT L [ = T s,av - T L , T L = ( T in + T out )/2] considered in this study. The theoretical values of the local surface temperature T s , local average liquid temperature T f,av , and local liquid pressure drop ΔP x were found to be within almost 15% of the corresponding experimental ones. The thickness of the

  11. Detection of fission fragments using thick samples in contact with solid state nuclear track detectors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lima, D.A. de; Martins, J.B.; Tavares, O.A.P.

    1987-01-01

    Whenever use is made of thick samples in contact with solid state nuclear track detectors for determining fission yields, one of the fundamental problems is the evaluation of the effective number of target nuclei which contributes to the fraction of the number of fission events that will be recorded. The evaluation of the effective number of target nuclei which contributes to recorded events is based on the effective thickness of the sample. A method for evaluating effective thickness of thick samples for binary fission modes, is presented. A cross section equation which takes into account all the necessary corrections due to fragment attenuation effects by a thick target for calculation induced fission yields, was obtained. (Author) [pt

  12. Across plane ionic conductivity of highly oriented neodymium doped ceria thin films.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baure, G; Kasse, R M; Rudawski, N G; Nino, J C

    2015-05-14

    A methodology to limit interfacial effects in thin films is proposed and explained. The strategy is to reduce the impact of the electrode interfaces and eliminate cross grain boundaries that impede ionic motion. To this end, highly oriented Nd0.1Ce0.9O2-δ (NDC) nanocrystalline thin films were grown using pulsed laser deposition (PLD) on platinized single crystal a-plane sapphire substrates. High resolution cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy (HR-XTEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) verified the films were textured with columnar grains. The average widths of the columns were approximately 40 nm and not significantly changed by film thickness between 100 and 300 nm. HR-XTEM and XRD determined the {111} planes of NDC were grown preferentially on top of the {111} planes of platinum despite the large lattice mismatch between the two planes. From the XRD patterns, the out of plane strains on the platinum and NDC layers were less than 1%. This can be explained by the coincident site lattice (CSL) theory. Rotating the {111} ceria planes 19.11° with respect to the {111} platinum planes forms a Σ7 boundary where 1 in 7 cerium lattice sites are coincident with the platinum lattice sites. This orientation lowers interfacial energy promoting the preferential alignment of those two planes. The across plane ionic conductivity was measured at low temperatures (<350 °C) for the various film thicknesses. It is here shown that columnar grain growth of ceria can be induced on platinized substrates allowing pathways that are clear of blocking grain boundaries that cause conductivities to diminish as film thickness decreases.

  13. Conductivity studies on commercially available proton-conducting membranes with different equivalent weight

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Huslage, J; Buechi, F N; Scherer, G G [Paul Scherrer Inst. (PSI), Villigen (Switzerland)

    1999-08-01

    Two perfluorosulfonic acid membranes, Nafion{sup R} 105 and Nafion{sup R} 115 with the same thickness but different equivalent weights (EW = 1000 g/eq. resp. 1100 g/eq.) were characterised by conductivity measurements at different water vapour activities in the temperature range of 25-70{sup o}C. The results demonstrate that a lower membrane equivalent weight opens the possibility to obtain the needed proton conductivity at lower water vapour activity. This is especially important for those fuel cell applications, in which the cell is operated without external humidification of the fuel gases. (author) 5 figs., 5 refs.

  14. Effects of orthopedic insoles on static balance of older adults wearing thick socks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ma, Christina Zong-Hao; Wong, Duo Wai-Chi; Wan, Anson Hong-Ping; Lee, Winson Chiu-Chun

    2018-06-01

    The wearing of socks and insoles may affect the ability of the foot to detect tactile input influencing postural balance. The aim of this study was to investigate whether (1) thick socks adversely affected the elderly postural balance and (2) orthopedic insoles could improve the elderly postural balance while wearing thick socks. Repeated-measures study design. In total, 14 healthy older adults were recruited. A monofilament test was conducted to evaluate foot plantar sensation with and without thick socks. Subjects then performed the Romberg tests under three conditions: (1) barefoot, (2) with socks only, and (3) with both socks and insoles. Postural balance was assessed by measuring the center of pressure movement during standing in each experimental condition. Thick socks significantly decreased the monofilament score ( p thick socks ( p thick socks reduces plantar pressure sensitivity and increases postural sway which may increase risk of falls. Orthopedic insoles and footwear with similar design could potentially be a cost-effective method in maintaining postural balance when wearing thick socks.

  15. Improvement of the effective work function and transmittance of thick indium tin oxide/ultrathin ruthenium doped indium oxide bilayers as transparent conductive oxide

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Taweesup, Kattareeya; Yamamoto, Ippei; Chikyow, Toyohiro; Lothongkum, Gobboon; Tsukagoshi, Kazutoshi; Ohishi, Tomoji; Tungasmita, Sukkaneste; Visuttipitukul, Patama; Ito, Kazuhiro; Takahashi, Makoto; Nabatame, Toshihide

    2016-01-01

    Ruthenium doped indium oxide (In_1_−_xRu_xO_y) films fabricated using DC magnetron co-sputtering with In_2O_3 and Ru targets were investigated for use as transparent conductive oxides. The In_1_−_xRu_xO_y films had an amorphous structure in the wide compositional range of x = 0.3–0.8 and had an extremely smooth surface. The transmittance and resistivity of the In_1_−_xRu_xO_y films increased as the Ru content increased. The transmittance of the In_0_._3_8Ru_0_._6_2O_y film improved to over 80% when the film thickness was less than 5 nm, while the specific resistivity (ρ) was kept to a low value of 1.6 × 10"−"4 Ω cm. Based on these experimental data, we demonstrated that thick indium tin oxide (In_0_._9Sn_0_._1O_y, ITO) (150 nm)/ultrathin In_0_._3_8Ru_0_._6_2O_y (3 nm) bilayers have a high effective work function of 5.3 eV, transmittance of 86%, and low ρ of 9.2 × 10"−"5 Ω cm. This ITO/In_0_._3_8Ru_0_._6_2O_y bilayer is a candidate for use as an anode for organic electroluminescent devices. - Highlights: • We investigated characteristics of thick ITO/ultrathin Ru doped In_2O_3 bilayers. • Effect of Ru addition in In_2O_3 results in smooth surface because of an amorphous structure. • The In_0_._3_8Ru_0_._6_2O_y film with less than 5 nm improves to high transmittance over 80%. • ITO/In_0_._3_8Ru_0_._6_2O_y bilayer has a high effective work function of 5.3 eV. • We conclude that ITO/ultrathin In_0_._3_8Ru_0_._6_2O_y bilayer is a candidate as an anode of OEL.

  16. Thickness optimization of the ZnO based TCO layer in a CZTSSe solar cell. Evolution of its performance with thickness when external temperature changes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chadel, Meriem; Moustafa Bouzaki, Mohammed; Chadel, Asma; Aillerie, Michel; Benyoucef, Boumediene

    2017-07-01

    The influence of the thickness of a Zinc Oxide (ZnO) transparent conductive oxide (TCO) layer on the performance of the CZTSSe solar cell is shown in detail. In a photovoltaic cell, the thickness of each layer largely influence the performance of the solar cell and optimization of each layer constitutes a complete work. Here, using the Solar Cell Capacitance Simulation (SCAPS) software, we present simulation results obtained in the analyze of the influence of the TCO layer thickness on the performance of a CZTSSe solar cell, starting from performance of a CZTSSe solar cell commercialized in 2014 with an initial efficiency equal to 12.6%. In simulation, the temperature was considered as a functioning parameter and the evolution of tthe performance of the cell for various thickness of the TCO layer when the external temperature changes is simulated and discussed. The best efficiency of the solar cell based in CZTSSe is obtained with a ZnO thickness equal to 50 nm and low temperature. Based on the considered marketed cell, we show a technological possible increase of the global efficiency achieving 13% by optimization of ZnO based TCO layer.

  17. Macular thickness and macular volume measurements using spectral domain optical coherence tomography in normal Nepalese eyes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pokharel A

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available Amrit Pokharel,1 Gauri Shankar Shrestha,2 Jyoti Baba Shrestha2 1Department of Ophthalmology, Kathmandu Medical College Teaching Hospital, 2B P Koirala Lions Centre for Ophthalmic Studies, Institute of Medicine, Kathmandu, Nepal Purpose: To record the normative values for macular thickness and macular volume in normal Nepalese eyes. Methods: In all, 126 eyes of 63 emmetropic subjects (mean age: 21.17±6.76 years; range: 10–37 years were assessed for macular thickness and macular volume, using spectral domain-optical coherence tomography over 6×6 mm2 in the posterior pole. A fast macular thickness protocol was employed. Statistics such as the mean, median, standard deviation, percentiles, and range were used, while a P-value was set at 0.05 to test significance. Results: Average macular thickness and total macular volume were larger in males compared to females. With each year of increasing age, these variables decreased by 0.556 µm and 0.0156 mm3 for average macular thickness and total macular volume, respectively. The macular thickness was greatest in the inner superior section and lowest at the center of the fovea. The volume was greatest in the outer nasal section and thinnest in the fovea. The central subfield thickness (r=-0.243, P=0.055 and foveal volume (r=0.216, P=0.09 did not correlate with age. Conclusion: Males and females differ significantly with regard to macular thickness and macular volume measurements. Reports by other studies that the increase in axial length reduced thickness and volume, were negated by this study which found a positive correlation among axial length, thickness, and volume. Keywords: macular thickness, macular volume, optical coherence tomography, Nepal

  18. Effect of boundary layer thickness on the flow characteristics around a rectangular prism

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ji, Ho Seong; Kim, Kyung Chun

    2001-01-01

    Effect of boundary layer thickness on the flow characteristics around a rectangular prism has been investigated by using a PIV(Particle Image Velocimetry) technique. Three different boundary layers (thick, medium and thin) were generated in the atmospheric boundary layer wind tunnel at Pusan National University. The thick boundary layer having 670mm thickness was generated by using spires and roughness elements. The medium thickness of boundary layer(δ=270mm) was the natural turbulent boundary layer at the test section with fully long developing length(18m). The thin boundary layer with 36.5mm thickness was generated by on a smooth panel elevated 70cm from the wind tunnel floor. The Reynolds number based on the free stream velocity and the height of the model was 7.9X10 3 . The mean velocity vector fields and turbulent kinetic energy distribution were measured and compared. The effect of boundary layer thickness is clearly observed not only in the length of separation bubble but also in the reattachment points. The thinner boundary layer thickness, the higher turbulent kinetic energy peak around the model roof. It is strongly recommended that the height ratio between model and approaching boundary layer thickness should be a major parameter

  19. Does cortical bone thickness in the last sacral vertebra differ among tail types in primates?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nishimura, Abigail C; Russo, Gabrielle A

    2017-04-01

    The external morphology of the sacrum is demonstrably informative regarding tail type (i.e., tail presence/absence, length, and prehensility) in living and extinct primates. However, little research has focused on the relationship between tail type and internal sacral morphology, a potentially important source of functional information when fossil sacra are incomplete. Here, we determine if cortical bone cross-sectional thickness of the last sacral vertebral body differs among tail types in extant primates and can be used to reconstruct tail types in extinct primates. Cortical bone cross-sectional thickness in the last sacral vertebral body was measured from high-resolution CT scans belonging to 20 extant primate species (N = 72) assigned to tail type categories ("tailless," "nonprehensile short-tailed," "nonprehensile long-tailed," and "prehensile-tailed"). The extant dataset was then used to reconstruct the tail types for four extinct primate species. Tailless primates had significantly thinner cortical bone than tail-bearing primates. Nonprehensile short-tailed primates had significantly thinner cortical bone than nonprehensile long-tailed primates. Cortical bone cross-sectional thickness did not distinguish between prehensile-tailed and nonprehensile long-tailed taxa. Results are strongly influenced by phylogeny. Corroborating previous studies, Epipliopithecus vindobonensis was reconstructed as tailless, Archaeolemur edwardsi as long-tailed, Megaladapis grandidieri as nonprehensile short-tailed, and Palaeopropithecus kelyus as nonprehensile short-tailed or tailless. Results indicate that, in the context of phylogenetic clade, measures of cortical bone cross-sectional thickness can be used to allocate extinct primate species to tail type categories. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  20. Intrinsic flux pinning mechanisms in different thickness MgB2 films

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    C. Yang

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available MgB2 films in four thickness (60 nm, 200nm, 600nm and 1μm have been fabricated by hybrid physical–chemical vapor deposition technique (HPCVD. By measuring the magnetization hysteresis loops and the resistivity, we have obtained the transport and magnetic properties of the four films. After that, the pinning mechanisms in them were discussed. Comparing the pinning behaviors in these ultrathin films, thin films and thick films, it was found that there exist different pinning types in MgB2 films of different thickness. In combination with the study of the surface morphology, cross-section and XRD results, we concluded that MgB2 films had different growth modes in different growth stages. For thin films, films grew along c axis, and grain boundaries acted as surface pinning. While for thick films, films grew along c axis at first, and then changed to a-b axis growth. As a result, the a-b axis grains acted as strong volume pinning.

  1. Visual patch clamp recording of neurons in thick portions of the adult spinal cord

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Munch, Anders Sonne; Smith, Morten; Moldovan, Mihai

    2010-01-01

    The study of visually identified neurons in slice preparations from the central nervous system offers considerable advantages over in vivo preparations including high mechanical stability in the absence of anaesthesia and full control of the extracellular medium. However, because of their relative...... remain alive and capable of generating action potentials. By stimulating the lateral funiculus we can evoke intense synaptic activity associated with large increases in conductance of the recorded neurons. The conductance increases substantially more in neurons recorded in thick slices suggesting...... that the size of the network recruited with the stimulation increases with the thickness of the slices. We also find that that the number of spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs) is higher in thick slices compared with thin slices while the number of spontaneous inhibitory postsynaptic currents...

  2. A study of different fabrics to increase radar cross section of humans.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ödman, Torbjörn; Welinder, Jan; Andersson, Nils; Otterskog, Magnus; Lindén, Maria; Ödman, Natalia; Larsson, Christer

    2015-01-01

    This purpose of the study was to increase the visibility on radar for unprotected pedestrians with the aid of conducting fabric. The experiment comprised measurements of four types of fabric to determine the radio frequency properties, such as radar cross section (RCS) for the vehicle radar frequency 77 GHz and transmission (shielding) in the frequency range 3-18 GHz. Two different thicknesses of polypyrrole (PPy) nonvowen fabric were tested and one thickness for 30 % and 40 % stainless steel fabrics respectively. A jacket with the thinner nonvowen material and one with 40 % steel were tested and compared to an unmodified jacket in the RCS measurement. The measurement showed an increase in RCS of 4 dB for the jacket with the 40 % steel lining compared to the unmodified jacket. The transmission measurement was aimed at determining the fabric with the highest transmission of an incoming radio wave. The 30 % steel fabric and the two thicknesses of the nonvowen fabrics were tested. One practical application is for example the use of radar reflective material in search and rescue (SAR) clothes. The study showed that the 30 % steel fabric was the best candidate for further RCS measurements.

  3. Peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer and choroidal thickness in cirrhosis patients

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M.Orcun Akdemir

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT Purpose: To evaluate the effect of cirrhosis on peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer and choroidal thickness with enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography. Methods: This cross sectional, single center study was undertaken at Bulent Ecevit University Ophthalmology department with the participation of internal medicine, Gastroenterology department. Patients who were treated with the diagnosis of cirrhosis (n=75 were examined in the ophthalmology clinic. Age and sex matched patients (n=50 who were healthy and met the inclusion, exclusion criteria were included in the study. Complete ophthalmological examination included visual acuity with Snellen chart, intraocular pressure measurement with applanation tonometry, biomicroscopy of anterior and posterior segments, gonioscopy, axial length measurement, visual field examination, peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer, central macular and subfoveal choroidal thickness measurements. Results: The difference between intraocular pressure values was not statistically significant between cirrhosis and control group (p=0.843. However, mean peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer thickness was significantly thinner in cirrhosis group in all regions (p<0.001 and subfoveal choroidal thickness was significantly thinner in cirrhosis group also (p<0.001. Moreover, central macular thickness of cirrhosis group was significantly thicker than the control group (p=0.001. Conclusion: Peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer and subfoveal choroidal thickness was significantly thinner in cirrhosis patients.

  4. Structure, ionic conductivity and mobile carrier density in fast ionic conducting chalcogenide glasses

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yao, Wenlong [Iowa State Univ., Ames, IA (United States)

    2006-01-01

    This thesis consists of six sections. The first section gives the basic research background on the ionic conduction mechanism in glass, polarization in the glass, and the method of determining the mobile carrier density in glass. The proposed work is also included in this section. The second section is a paper that characterizes the structure of MI + M2S + (0.1 Ga2S3 + 0.9 GeS2) (M = Li, Na, K and Cs) glasses using Raman and IR spectroscopy. Since the ionic radius plays an important role in determining the ionic conductivity in glasses, the glass forming range for the addition of different alkalis into the basic glass forming system 0.1 Ga2S3 + 0.9 GeS2 was studied. The study found that the change of the alkali radius for the same nominal composition causes significant structure change to the glasses. The third section is a paper that investigates the ionic conductivity of MI + M2S + (0.1Ga2S3 + 0.9 GeS2) (M = Li, Na, K and Cs) glasses system. Corresponding to the compositional changes in these fast ionic conducting glasses, the ionic conductivity shows changes due to the induced structural changes. The ionic radius effect on the ionic conductivity in these glasses was investigated. The fourth section is a paper that examines the mobile carrier density based upon the measurements of space charge polarization. For the first time, the charge carrier number density in fast ionic conducting chalcogenide glasses was determined. The experimental impedance data were fitted using equivalent circuits and the obtained parameters were used to determine the mobile carrier density. The influence of mobile carrier density and mobility on the ionic conductivity was separated. The fifth section is a paper that studies the structures of low-alkali-content Na2S + B2S3 (x ≤ 0.2) glasses by neutron and synchrotron x-ray diffraction

  5. Calculated /alpha/-induced thick target neutron yields and spectra, with comparison to measured data

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wilson, W.B.; Bozoian, M.; Perry, R.T.

    1988-01-01

    One component of the neutron source associated with the decay of actinide nuclides in many environments is due to the interaction of decay /alpha/ particles in (/alpha/,n) reactions on low Z nuclides. Measurements of (/alpha/,n) thick target neutron yields and associated neutron spectra have been made for only a few combinations of /alpha/ energy and target nuclide or mixtures of actinide and target nuclides. Calculations of thick target neutron yields and spectra with the SOURCES code require /alpha/-energy-dependent cross sections for (/alpha/,n) reactions, as well as branching fractions leading to the energetically possible levels of the product nuclides. A library of these data has been accumulated for target nuclides of Z /le/ 15 using that available from measurements and from recent GNASH code calculations. SOURCES, assuming neutrons to be emitted isotopically in the center-of-mass system, uses libraries of /alpha/ stopping cross sections, (/alpha/,n) reaction cross reactions, product nuclide level branching fractions, and actinide decay /alpha/ spectra to calculate thick target (/alpha/,n) yields and neutron spectra for homogeneous combinations of nuclides. The code also calculates the thick target yield and angle intergrated neutron spectrum produced by /alpha/-particle beams on targets of homogeneous mixtures of nuclides. Illustrative calculated results are given and comparisons are made with measured thick target yields and spectra. 50 refs., 1 fig., 2 tabs

  6. Health-related quality of life and patient burden in patients with split-thickness skin graft donor site wounds.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Humrich, Marco; Goepel, Lisa; Gutknecht, Mandy; Lohrberg, David; Blessmann, Marco; Bruning, Guido; Diener, Holger; Dissemond, Joachim; Hartmann, Bernd; Augustin, Matthias

    2018-04-01

    Split-thickness skin grafting is a common procedure to treat different kinds of wounds. This systematic, multicentre, observational, cross-sectional study of adult patients with split-thickness skin graft (STSG) donor site wounds was conducted to evaluate quality of life (QoL) impairments caused by donor site wounds following split-thickness skin grafting. Therefore, 112 patients from 12 wound centres in Germany were examined based on patient and physician questionnaires as well as a physical examination of the donor site wound. Most indications for skin grafting were postsurgical treatment (n = 51; 42.5%) and chronic wounds (n = 47; 39.2%). European QoL visual analoque scale (EQ VAS) averaged 64.7 ± 23.3, European QoL 5 dimensions (EQ-5D) averaged 77.4 ± 30.0. Wound-QoL (range: 0-4) was rated 0.8 ± 0.8 post-surgery and 0.4 ± 0.6 at the time of survey (on average 21 weeks between the time points). Compared to averaged Wound-QoL scores of chronic wounds donor site-related QoL impairments in split-thickness skin-graft patients were less pronounced. There were significant differences in patient burden immediately after surgery compared to the time of the survey, with medium effect sizes. This supports the hypothesis that faster healing of the donor site wound leads to more favourable patient-reported outcomes. © 2017 Medicalhelplines.com Inc and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  7. Comparing electron tomography and HRTEM slicing methods as tools to measure the thickness of nanoparticles

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Alloyeau, D., E-mail: alloyeau.damien@gmail.com [Laboratoire Materiaux et Phenomenes Quantiques, Universite Paris 7/CNRS, UMR 7162, 2 Place Jussieu, 75251 Paris (France); Laboratoire d' Etude des Microstructures - ONERA/CNRS, UMR 104, B.P. 72, 92322 Chatillon (France); Ricolleau, C. [Laboratoire Materiaux et Phenomenes Quantiques, Universite Paris 7/CNRS, UMR 7162, 2 Place Jussieu, 75251 Paris (France); Oikawa, T. [Laboratoire Materiaux et Phenomenes Quantiques, Universite Paris 7/CNRS, UMR 7162, 2 Place Jussieu, 75251 Paris (France); JEOL (Europe) SAS, Espace Claude Monet, 1 Allee de Giverny, 78290 Croissy-sur-Seine (France); Langlois, C. [Laboratoire Materiaux et Phenomenes Quantiques, Universite Paris 7/CNRS, UMR 7162, 2 Place Jussieu, 75251 Paris (France); Le Bouar, Y.; Loiseau, A. [Laboratoire d' Etude des Microstructures - ONERA/CNRS, UMR 104, B.P. 72, 92322 Chatillon (France)

    2009-06-15

    Nanoparticles' morphology is a key parameter in the understanding of their thermodynamical, optical, magnetic and catalytic properties. In general, nanoparticles, observed in transmission electron microscopy (TEM), are viewed in projection so that the determination of their thickness (along the projection direction) with respect to their projected lateral size is highly questionable. To date, the widely used methods to measure nanoparticles thickness in a transmission electron microscope are to use cross-section images or focal series in high-resolution transmission electron microscopy imaging (HRTEM 'slicing'). In this paper, we compare the focal series method with the electron tomography method to show that both techniques yield similar particle thickness in a range of size from 1 to 5 nm, but the electron tomography method provides better statistics since more particles can be analyzed at one time. For this purpose, we have compared, on the same samples, the nanoparticles thickness measurements obtained from focal series with the ones determined from cross-section profiles of tomograms (tomogram slicing) perpendicular to the plane of the substrate supporting the nanoparticles. The methodology is finally applied to the comparison of CoPt nanoparticles annealed ex situ at two different temperatures to illustrate the accuracy of the techniques in detecting small particle thickness changes.

  8. Longitudinal changes in cortical thickness in autism and typical development.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zielinski, Brandon A; Prigge, Molly B D; Nielsen, Jared A; Froehlich, Alyson L; Abildskov, Tracy J; Anderson, Jeffrey S; Fletcher, P Thomas; Zygmunt, Kristen M; Travers, Brittany G; Lange, Nicholas; Alexander, Andrew L; Bigler, Erin D; Lainhart, Janet E

    2014-06-01

    The natural history of brain growth in autism spectrum disorders remains unclear. Cross-sectional studies have identified regional abnormalities in brain volume and cortical thickness in autism, although substantial discrepancies have been reported. Preliminary longitudinal studies using two time points and small samples have identified specific regional differences in cortical thickness in the disorder. To clarify age-related trajectories of cortical development, we examined longitudinal changes in cortical thickness within a large mixed cross-sectional and longitudinal sample of autistic subjects and age- and gender-matched typically developing controls. Three hundred and forty-five magnetic resonance imaging scans were examined from 97 males with autism (mean age = 16.8 years; range 3-36 years) and 60 males with typical development (mean age = 18 years; range 4-39 years), with an average interscan interval of 2.6 years. FreeSurfer image analysis software was used to parcellate the cortex into 34 regions of interest per hemisphere and to calculate mean cortical thickness for each region. Longitudinal linear mixed effects models were used to further characterize these findings and identify regions with between-group differences in longitudinal age-related trajectories. Using mean age at time of first scan as a reference (15 years), differences were observed in bilateral inferior frontal gyrus, pars opercularis and pars triangularis, right caudal middle frontal and left rostral middle frontal regions, and left frontal pole. However, group differences in cortical thickness varied by developmental stage, and were influenced by IQ. Differences in age-related trajectories emerged in bilateral parietal and occipital regions (postcentral gyrus, cuneus, lingual gyrus, pericalcarine cortex), left frontal regions (pars opercularis, rostral middle frontal and frontal pole), left supramarginal gyrus, and right transverse temporal gyrus, superior parietal lobule, and

  9. Dielectrophoretic capture of low abundance cell population using thick electrodes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marchalot, Julien; Chateaux, Jean-François; Faivre, Magalie; Mertani, Hichem C; Ferrigno, Rosaria; Deman, Anne-Laure

    2015-09-01

    Enrichment of rare cell populations such as Circulating Tumor Cells (CTCs) is a critical step before performing analysis. This paper presents a polymeric microfluidic device with integrated thick Carbon-PolyDimethylSiloxane composite (C-PDMS) electrodes designed to carry out dielectrophoretic (DEP) trapping of low abundance biological cells. Such conductive composite material presents advantages over metallic structures. Indeed, as it combines properties of both the matrix and doping particles, C-PDMS allows the easy and fast integration of conductive microstructures using a soft-lithography approach while preserving O2 plasma bonding properties of PDMS substrate and avoiding a cumbersome alignment procedure. Here, we first performed numerical simulations to demonstrate the advantage of such thick C-PDMS electrodes over a coplanar electrode configuration. It is well established that dielectrophoretic force ([Formula: see text]) decreases quickly as the distance from the electrode surface increases resulting in coplanar configuration to a low trapping efficiency at high flow rate. Here, we showed quantitatively that by using electrodes as thick as a microchannel height, it is possible to extend the DEP force influence in the whole volume of the channel compared to coplanar electrode configuration and maintaining high trapping efficiency while increasing the throughput. This model was then used to numerically optimize a thick C-PDMS electrode configuration in terms of trapping efficiency. Then, optimized microfluidic configurations were fabricated and tested at various flow rates for the trapping of MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell line. We reached trapping efficiencies of 97% at 20 μl/h and 78.7% at 80 μl/h, for 100 μm thick electrodes. Finally, we applied our device to the separation and localized trapping of CTCs (MDA-MB-231) from a red blood cells sample (concentration ratio of 1:10).

  10. Enamel thickness after preparation of tooth for porcelain laminate.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pahlevan, Ayoub; Mirzaee, Mansoreh; Yassine, Esmaeil; Ranjbar Omrany, Ladan; Hasani Tabatabaee, Masumeh; Kermanshah, Hamid; Arami, Sakineh; Abbasi, Mehdy

    2014-07-01

    In this investigation the thickness of enamel in the gingival, middle, and incisal thirds of the labial surface of the anterior teeth were measured regarding preparation of the teeth for porcelain laminate veneers. Part one, 20 extracted intact human maxillary central and lateral incisors ten of each were selected. The teeth were imbedded in autopolimerize acrylic resin. Cross section was preformed through the midline of the incisal, middle and cervical one-third of the labial surface of the teeth. The samples were observed under reflected stereomicroscope and the thickness of enamel was recorded. Part II, the effect of different types of preparation on dentin exposure was evaluated. Thirty maxillary central incisor teeth were randomly divided into two groups: A: Knife-edge preparation. B: Chamfer preparation. All samples were embedded in autopolimerize acrylic resin using a silicon mold. The samples were cut through the midline of the teeth. The surface of the samples were polished and enamel and dentin were observed under the stereomicroscope. Data were analyzed by ANOVA-one way test. The results of this study showed that the least enamel thickness in the central incisor was 345 and in lateral incisor is 235 μ this thickness is related to the one-third labial cervical area. Maximum thickness in maxillary central and lateral incisors in the one-third labial incisal surface was 1260 μ and 1220μ, respectively. In the second part of the study, the tendency of dentinal exposure was shown with the chamfer preparation, but no dentinal exposure was found in the knife-edge preparation. The differences between groups were significant (p<0.05). The knowledge of enamel thickness in different part of labial surface is very important. The thickness of enamel in the gingival area does not permit a chamfer preparation. The knife edge preparation is preferable in gingival area.

  11. Enamel thickness after preparation of tooth for porcelain laminate.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ayoub Pahlevan

    2014-08-01

    Full Text Available In this investigation the thickness of enamel in the gingival, middle, and incisal thirds of the labial surface of the anterior teeth were measured regarding preparation of the teeth for porcelain laminate veneers.Part one, 20 extracted intact human maxillary central and lateral incisors ten of each were selected. The teeth were imbedded in autopolimerize acrylic resin. Cross section was preformed through the midline of the incisal, middle and cervical one-third of the labial surface of the teeth. The samples were observed under reflected stereomicroscope and the thickness of enamel was recorded. Part II, the effect of different types of preparation on dentin exposure was evaluated. Thirty maxillary central incisor teeth were randomly divided into two groups: A: Knife-edge preparation. B: Chamfer preparation. All samples were embedded in autopolimerize acrylic resin using a silicon mold. The samples were cut through the midline of the teeth. The surface of the samples were polished and enamel and dentin were observed under the stereomicroscope.Data were analyzed by ANOVA-one way test. The results of this study showed that the least enamel thickness in the central incisor was 345 and in lateral incisor is 235 μ this thickness is related to the one-third labial cervical area. Maximum thickness in maxillary central and lateral incisors in the one-third labial incisal surface was 1260 μ and 1220μ, respectively. In the second part of the study, the tendency of dentinal exposure was shown with the chamfer preparation, but no dentinal exposure was found in the knife-edge preparation. The differences between groups were significant (p<0.05.The knowledge of enamel thickness in different part of labial surface is very important. The thickness of enamel in the gingival area does not permit a chamfer preparation. The knife edge preparation is preferable in gingival area.

  12. Plastination of whole-body slices: a new aid in cross-sectional anatomy, demonstrated for thoracic organs in dogs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Polgar, M.; Probst, A.; Koenig, H.E.; Sora, M.-C.

    2003-01-01

    Plastic-embedded, transparent serially sectioned slices from the canine thorax were compared wit cross-sections, made with the commonly used technique and computed tomograms. Three Beagles, at the age of seven months, were cut into 4 mm thick slices and plastinated with the epoxy resin Biodur E12. The area of the thorax was examined macro-scopically and scrutinized closely. Survey and magnification photographs were taken. Compared with the commonly used prepared sections the E12-slices proved to be transparent, hard, dry, odourless, resistant and show unlimited durability. Good color maintenance of the specimens makes differentiation of the organs easy. The leading of the blood vessels, nerves and other conductions of the thoracal cavity can be followed from section to section. The colorful images help to interpret CT and MRI and provide good learning aids for clinicians and students. (author)

  13. Free and Forced Vibrations of Thick-Walled Anisotropic Cylindrical Shells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marchuk, A. V.; Gnedash, S. V.; Levkovskii, S. A.

    2017-03-01

    Two approaches to studying the free and forced axisymmetric vibrations of cylindrical shell are proposed. They are based on the three-dimensional theory of elasticity and division of the original cylindrical shell with concentric cross-sectional circles into several coaxial cylindrical shells. One approach uses linear polynomials to approximate functions defined in plan and across the thickness. The other approach also uses linear polynomials to approximate functions defined in plan, but their variation with thickness is described by the analytical solution of a system of differential equations. Both approaches have approximation and arithmetic errors. When determining the natural frequencies by the semi-analytical finite-element method in combination with the divide and conqure method, it is convenient to find the initial frequencies by the finite-element method. The behavior of the shell during free and forced vibrations is analyzed in the case where the loading area is half the shell thickness

  14. COMPARISON OF RNFL THICKNESS AND VISUAL FIELD CHANGES BETWEEN DIABETIC WITHOUT RETINOPATHY AND NONDIABETIC CONTROLS- A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Soumya Swarup Chattopadhyay

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND Diabetes mellitus is one of the major component of metabolic syndrome and a leading cause of ocular morbidity in modern era and India will be considered to be the diabetes capital of the world. Before the onset of diabetic retinopathy, other structural and functional changes may predict the visual diminution of the individual. MATERIALS AND METHODS In this cross-sectional study in a tertiary care hospital, after inclusion and exclusion, the age-gender matched groups (diagnosed type 2 diabetes patients without diabetic retinopathy and controls without diabetes were thoroughly examined clinically and by noninvasive and invasive examination (after proper counselling of the patient and informed consent. Then, they are tested for functional loss of retina by Humphrey FDT, GDx VCC. Comparison done between cases and controls as well as poorly-controlled and well-controlled diabetic groups. RESULTS It was found that the average RNFL thickness was significantly reduced in diabetics (mean 53.48, SD 2.69 compared to controls (mean 60.21, SD 1.87 (p7%, the RNFL thickness was significantly reduced (mean 52.23, SD 1.31 compared to diabetics with good metabolic control (mean 56.38, SD 2.92 (p<0.05. In retinal functional testing, it was found that the Humphrey FDT mean deviation (FDT MD and pattern standard deviation (FDT PSD were significantly worse in diabetics (FDT MD- 1.478, SD 0.386, (FDT PSD- 3.485, SD 0.403 compared to normal controls (FDT MD- 0.442, SD 0.536, (FDT PSD- 1.438, SD 0.404. The parameters were also found to be significantly worse in uncontrolled diabetics (p<0.05. CONCLUSION To conclude, without diabetic retinopathy, functional and structural loss in retina in diabetes patients compared to age-sex matched individual and especially in poorly-controlled diabetes should be of concern as there are no detectable vasculopathy. So, early diagnosis and control of diabetes is advocated to control this functional loss

  15. Prospects of conducting polymers in biosensors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Malhotra, Bansi D.; Chaubey, Asha; Singh, S.P.

    2006-01-01

    Applications of conducting polymers to biosensors have recently aroused much interest. This is because these molecular electronic materials offer control of different parameters such as polymer layer thickness, electrical properties and bio-reagent loading, etc. Moreover, conducting polymer based biosensors are likely to cater to the pressing requirements such as biocompatibility, possibility of in vivo sensing, continuous monitoring of drugs or metabolites, multi-parametric assays, miniaturization and high information density. This paper deals with the emerging trends in conducting polymer based biosensors during the last about 5 years

  16. Determination of a Critical Sea Ice Thickness Threshold for the Central Arctic Ocean

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ford, V.; Frauenfeld, O. W.; Nowotarski, C. J.

    2017-12-01

    While sea ice extent is readily measurable from satellite observations and can be used to assess the overall survivability of the Arctic sea ice pack, determining the spatial variability of sea ice thickness remains a challenge. Turbulent and conductive heat fluxes are extremely sensitive to ice thickness but are dominated by the sensible heat flux, with energy exchange expected to increase with thinner ice cover. Fluxes over open water are strongest and have the greatest influence on the atmosphere, while fluxes over thick sea ice are minimal as heat conduction from the ocean through thick ice cannot reach the atmosphere. We know that turbulent energy fluxes are strongest over open ocean, but is there a "critical thickness of ice" where fluxes are considered non-negligible? Through polar-optimized Weather Research and Forecasting model simulations, this study assesses how the wintertime Arctic surface boundary layer, via sensible heat flux exchange and surface air temperature, responds to sea ice thinning. The region immediately north of Franz Josef Land is characterized by a thickness gradient where sea ice transitions from the thickest multi-year ice to the very thin marginal ice seas. This provides an ideal location to simulate how the diminishing Arctic sea ice interacts with a warming atmosphere. Scenarios include both fixed sea surface temperature domains for idealized thickness variability, and fixed ice fields to detect changes in the ocean-ice-atmosphere energy exchange. Results indicate that a critical thickness threshold exists below 1 meter. The threshold is between 0.4-1 meters thinner than the critical thickness for melt season survival - the difference between first year and multi-year ice. Turbulent heat fluxes and surface air temperature increase as sea ice thickness transitions from perennial ice to seasonal ice. While models predict a sea ice free Arctic at the end of the warm season in future decades, sea ice will continue to transform

  17. Texture Adaption in Dysphagia: Acceptability Differences Between Thickened and Naturally Thick Beverages.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gerschke, Marco; Seehafer, Peggy

    The aim of the study was to investigate differences in the acceptability between thickened and naturally viscous beverages. This was an exploratory, cross-sectional study. One hundred twenty-eight healthy volunteers rated overall liking/disliking of a selection of each of three thickened drinks and three beverages of natural viscosity pre- and postconsumption. Mean ratings were subjected to statistical analysis done with t tests. Although all naturally thick beverages evoked good expectations, there were significant differences in expected acceptance of thickened fluids concerning the kind of beverage. Postconsumption of naturally thick beverages were rated significantly better than thickened. The findings suggest an alternative offer of naturally thick drinks and waiver of thickening water when viscosity adaption is needed. The sufficient and safe oral fluid intake in dysphagia requires compliance to dietetic recommendations. Naturally thick beverages can contribute to increase the appeal of texture-modified diet.

  18. Confocal microscopy of thick tissue sections: 3D visualizaiton of rat kidney glomeruli

    Science.gov (United States)

    Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) as a technique capable of generating serial sections of whole-mount tissue and then reassembling the computer-acquired images as a virtual 3-dimentional structure. In many ways CLSM offers an alternative to traditional sectioning approac...

  19. Confocal Microscopy of thick tissue sections: 3D Visualization of rat kidney glomeruli

    Science.gov (United States)

    Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) as a technique capable of generating serial sections of whole-mount tissue and then reassembling the computer-acquired images as a virtual 3-dimentional structure. In many ways CLSM offers an alternative to traditional sectioning approac...

  20. Fluorescent layers for characterization of sectioning microscopy with coverslipuncorrected and water immersion objectives

    KAUST Repository

    Antonini, Andrea; Liberale, Carlo; Fellin, Tommaso

    2014-01-01

    We describe a new method to generate thin (thickness > 200 nm) and ultrathin (thickness < 200 nm) fluorescent layers to be used for microscope optical characterization. These layers are obtained by ultramicrotomy sectioning of fluorescent acrylic slides. This technique generates sub-resolution sheets with high fluorescence emission and uniform thickness, permitting to determine the z-response of different optical sectioning systems. Compared to the state of the art, the here proposed technique allows shorter and easier manufacturing procedure. Moreover, these fluorescent layers can be employed without protective coverslips, allowing the use of the Sectioned Imaging Property (SIP)-chart characterization method with coverslip-uncorrected objectives, water immersion objectives and micro-endoscopes. © 2014 Optical Society of America.

  1. Finite plate thickness effects on the Rayleigh-Taylor instability in elastic-plastic materials

    Science.gov (United States)

    Polavarapu, Rinosh; Banerjee, Arindam

    2017-11-01

    The majority of theoretical studies have tackled the Rayleigh-Taylor instability (RTI) problem in solids using an infinitely thick plate. Recent theoretical studies by Piriz et al. (PRE 95, 053108, 2017) have explored finite thickness effects. We seek to validate this recent theoretical estimate experimentally using our rotating wheel RTI experiment in an accelerated elastic-plastic material. The test section consists of a container filled with air and mayonnaise (a non-Newtonian emulsion) with an initial perturbation between two materials. The plate thickness effects are studied by varying the depth of the soft-solid. A set of experiments is run by employing different initial conditions with different container dimensions. Additionally, the effect of acceleration rate (driving pressure rise time) on the instability threshold with reference to the finite thickness will also be inspected. Furthermore, the experimental results are compared to the analytical strength models related to finite thickness effects on RTI. Authors acknowledge financial support from DOE-SSAA Grant # DE-NA0003195 and LANL subcontract #370333.

  2. Obtention of differential sections in nuclear reactions using a thick target

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chavez R, R.

    2000-01-01

    The nuclear reaction analysis (NRA) technique is used mainly for detecting the presence and concentration of light elements of great importance such as: carbon, nitrogen and oxygen. This work has the objective to obtain the differential sections of 16 O and 14 N starting from the irradiation with deuterons of TiSrO 3 samples, of AIN and AIN 2 at energies of 2000 KeV and 1800 KeV respectively. The present work have four chapters; chapter 1 is focused to the physical aspects which takes part in the NRA technique. The technical requirements as well as the necessary equipment for developing the techniques are described in the chapter 2. In chapter 3 it is described the algorithm developed for to obtain the differential sections starting from experimental data, and finally, in chapter 4 are given the results and conclusions. (Author)

  3. Production technique for thin undecalcified bone sections suitable for autoradiography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Farnham, J.E.; Schlenker, R.A.

    1985-01-01

    The production of thin bone sections using power-driven grinding equipment is described. With such equipment, sections can be readily ground to thicknesses between 30 and 40 μm in a rapid and controlled fashion. The yield of usable sections is nearly 100%

  4. Development of design method of thick rubber bearings for three-dimensional base isolation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yabana, Shuichi; Matuda, Akihiro

    2000-01-01

    Thick rubber bearings as 3-dimensional base isolators have been developed to reduce both horizontal and vertical seismic loads especially for equipment in Fast Breeder Reactors. In this report, a design method of thick rubber bearings is presented. To consider nonlinearity of vertical stiffness affected by vertical stress in the design of thick rubber bearings, Lindley's evaluation method of vertical stiffness is modified as an explicit form of vertical stress. We confirm that the presented method is efficient for design of the thick rubber bearings from comparing between test results and predicted values. Furthermore, rubber bearing tests are conducted with 1/3 scale models to evaluate mechanical properties of thick rubber bearings including ultimate limits. In the tests, horizontal and vertical characteristics of 1/3 scale model are compared with those of 1/6 scale model to discuss scale effect of test specimen. Ultimate limits such as failure shear strain of thick rubber bearings are obtained under various loading conditions. From the test results, we confirm that full scale thick rubber bearing to satisfy requirements is feasible. (author)

  5. Thermal conductivity issues of EB-PVD thermal barrier coatings

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Schulz, U.; Raetzer-Scheibe, H.J.; Saruhan, B. [DLR - German Aerospace Center, Institute of Materials Research, 51170 Cologne (Germany); Renteria, A.F. [BTU, Physical Metallurgy and Materials Technology, Cottbus (Germany)

    2007-09-15

    The thermal conductivity of electron-beam physical vapor deposited (EB-PVD) thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) was investigated by the Laser Flash technique. Sample type and methodology of data analyses as well as atmosphere during the measurement have some influence on the data. A large variation of the thermal conductivity was found by changes in TBC microstructure. Exposure at high temperature caused sintering of the porous microstructure that finally increased thermal conductivity up to 30 %. EB-PVD TBCs show a distinct thickness dependence of the thermal conductivity due to the anisotropic microstructure in thickness direction. Thin TBCs had a 20 % lower thermal conductivity than thick coatings. New compositions of the ceramic top layer offer the largest potential to lower thermal conductivity. Values down to 0.8W/(mK) have been already demonstrated with virgin coatings of pyrochlore compositions. (Abstract Copyright [2007], Wiley Periodicals, Inc.) [German] Die Waermeleitfaehigkeit von elektronenstrahl-aufgedampften (EB-PVD) Waermedaemmschichten (TBCs) wurde mittels Laser-Flash untersucht. Probentyp, Messmethodik und die Atmosphaere waehrend der Messung haben einen Einfluss auf die Ergebnisse. Aenderungen in der Mikrostruktur der TBC fuehrten zu grossen Unterschieden der Waermeleitfaehigkeit. Eine Hochtemperaturbelastung verursachte Sintervorgaenge in der poroesen Mikrostruktur, was die Waermeleitfaehigkeit um bis zu 30 % ansteigen liess. EB-PVD TBCs zeigen eine deutliche Dickenabhaengigkeit der Waermeleitfaehigkeit durch die Anisotropie der Mikrostruktur in dieser Richtung. Duenne TBCs haben eine um 20 % geringere Waermeleitfaehigkeit als dicke Schichten. Neue Zusammensetzungen der keramischen Deckschicht bieten die groessten Moeglichkeiten fuer eine Reduktion der Waermeleitfaehigkeit. Werte bis zu 0,8 W/(mK) wurden damit bereits erreicht. (Abstract Copyright [2007], Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

  6. Thermal Effusivity Determination of Metallic Films of Nanometric Thickness by the Electrical Micropulse Method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lugo, J. M.; Oliva, A. I.

    2017-02-01

    The thermal effusivity of gold, aluminum, and copper thin films of nanometric thickness (20 nm to 200 nm) was investigated in terms of the films' thickness. The metallic thin films were deposited onto glass substrates by thermal evaporation, and the thermal effusivity was estimated by using experimental parameters such as the specific heat, thermal conductivity, and thermal diffusivity values obtained at room conditions. The specific heat, thermal conductivity, and thermal diffusivity values of the metallic thin films are determined with a methodology based on the behavior of the thermal profiles of the films when electrical pulses of few microseconds are applied at room conditions. For all the investigated materials, the thermal effusivity decreases with decreased thickness. The thermal effusivity values estimated by the presented methodology are consistent with other reported values obtained under vacuum conditions and more elaborated methodologies.

  7. Self-Poling of BiFeO3 Thick Films.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khomyakova, Evgeniya; Sadl, Matej; Ursic, Hana; Daniels, John; Malic, Barbara; Bencan, Andreja; Damjanovic, Dragan; Rojac, Tadej

    2016-08-03

    Bismuth ferrite (BiFeO3) is difficult to pole because of the combination of its high coercive field and high electrical conductivity. This problem is particularly pronounced in thick films. The poling, however, must be performed to achieve a large macroscopic piezoelectric response. This study presents evidence of a prominent and reproducible self-poling effect in few-tens-of-micrometer-thick BiFeO3 films. Direct and converse piezoelectric measurements confirmed that the as-sintered BiFeO3 thick films yield d33 values of up to ∼20 pC/N. It was observed that a significant self-poling effect only appears in cases when the films are heated and cooled through the ferroelectric-paraelectric phase transition (Curie temperature TC ∼ 820 °C). These self-poled films exhibit a microstructure with randomly oriented columnar grains. The presence of a compressive strain gradient across the film thickness cooled from above the TC was experimentally confirmed and is suggested to be responsible for the self-poling effect. Finally, the macroscopic d33 response of the self-poled BiFeO3 film was characterized as a function of the driving-field frequency and amplitude.

  8. Conductive carbon tape used for support and mounting of both whole animal and fragile heat-treated tissue sections for MALDI MS imaging and quantitation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goodwin, Richard J A; Nilsson, Anna; Borg, Daniel; Langridge-Smith, Pat R R; Harrison, David J; Mackay, C Logan; Iverson, Suzanne L; Andrén, Per E

    2012-08-30

    Analysis of whole animal tissue sections by MALDI MS imaging (MSI) requires effective sample collection and transfer methods to allow the highest quality of in situ analysis of small or hard to dissect tissues. We report on the use of double-sided adhesive conductive carbon tape during whole adult rat tissue sectioning of carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) embedded animals, with samples mounted onto large format conductive glass and conductive plastic MALDI targets, enabling MSI analysis to be performed on both TOF and FT-ICR MALDI mass spectrometers. We show that mounting does not unduly affect small molecule MSI detection by analyzing tiotropium abundance and distribution in rat lung tissues, with direct on-tissue quantitation achieved. Significantly, we use the adhesive tape to provide support to embedded delicate heat-stabilized tissues, enabling sectioning and mounting to be performed that maintained tissue integrity on samples that had previously been impossible to adequately prepare section for MSI analysis. The mapping of larger peptidomic molecules was not hindered by tape mounting samples and we demonstrate this by mapping the distribution of PEP-19 in both native and heat-stabilized rat brains. Furthermore, we show that without heat stabilization PEP-19 degradation fragments can detected and identified directly by MALDI MSI analysis. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  9. Process stability during fiber laser-arc hybrid welding of thick steel plates

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bunaziv, Ivan; Frostevarg, Jan; Akselsen, Odd M.; Kaplan, Alexander F. H.

    2018-03-01

    Thick steel plates are frequently used in shipbuilding, pipelines and other related heavy industries, and are usually joined by arc welding. Deep penetration laser-arc hybrid welding could increase productivity but has not been thoroughly investigated, and is therefore usually limited to applications with medium thickness (5-15 mm) sections. A major concern is process stability, especially when using modern welding consumables such as metal-cored wire and advanced welding equipment. High speed imaging allows direct observation of the process so that process behavior and phenomena can be studied. In this paper, 45 mm thick high strength steel was welded (butt joint double-sided) using the fiber laser-MAG hybrid process utilizing a metal-cored wire without pre-heating. Process stability was monitored under a wide range of welding parameters. It was found that the technique can be used successfully to weld thick sections with appropriate quality when the parameters are optimized. When comparing conventional pulsed and the more advanced cold metal transfer pulse (CMT+P) arc modes, it was found that both can provide high quality welds. CMT+P arc mode can provide more stable droplet transfer over a limited range of travel speeds. At higher travel speeds, an unstable metal transfer mechanism was observed. Comparing leading arc and trailing arc arrangements, the leading arc configuration can provide higher quality welds and more stable processing at longer inter-distances between the heat sources.

  10. Impedance of thin film cathodes: thickness and current collector dependence

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Boukamp, Bernard A.; Hildenbrand, N.; Bouwmeester, Henricus J.M.; Blank, David H.A.

    2015-01-01

    The influence of the layer thickness of mixed ionic–electronic conducting (MIEC) cathodes and the type of noble metal current collector on the apparent surface exchange resistance is studied with impedance spectroscopy. The impedance data is analyzed with the ‘General Finite Length Diffusion’

  11. Development of a cross-section based stream package for MODFLOW

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ou, G.; Chen, X.; Irmak, A.

    2012-12-01

    Accurate simulation of stream-aquifer interactions for wide rivers using the streamflow routing package in MODFLOW is very challenging. To better represent a wide river spanning over multiple model grid cells, a Cross-Section based streamflow Routing (CSR) package is developed and incorporated into MODFLOW to simulate the interaction between streams and aquifers. In the CSR package, a stream segment is represented as a four-point polygon instead of a polyline which is traditionally used in streamflow routing simulation. Each stream segment is composed of upstream and downstream cross-sections. A cross-section consists of a number of streambed points possessing coordinates, streambed thicknesses and streambed hydraulic conductivities to describe the streambed geometry and hydraulic properties. The left and right end points are used to determine the locations of the stream segments. According to the cross-section geometry and hydraulic properties, CSR calculates the new stream stage at the cross-section using the Brent's method to solve the Manning's Equation. A module is developed to automatically compute the area of the stream segment polygon on each intersected MODFLOW grid cell as the upstream and downstream stages change. The stream stage and streambed hydraulic properties of model grids are interpolated based on the streambed points. Streambed leakage is computed as a function of streambed conductance and difference between the groundwater level and stream stage. The Muskingum-Cunge flow routing scheme with variable parameters is used to simulate the streamflow as the groundwater (discharge or recharge) contributes as lateral flows. An example is used to illustrate the capabilities of the CSR package. The result shows that the CSR is applicable to describing the spatial and temporal variation in the interaction between streams and aquifers. The input data become simple due to that the internal program automatically interpolates the cross-section data to each

  12. Comparative tensile flow and work hardening behaviour of thin section and forged thick section 9Cr–1Mo ferritic steel in the framework of Voce equation and Kocks–Mecking approach

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Choudhary, B.K.; Rao Palaparti, D.P.

    2012-01-01

    Detailed analysis indicated that true stress (σ)-true plastic strain (ε) and work hardening behaviour of 9Cr–1Mo steel in two different forms, i.e. 20 mm plate and thick section tubeplate forging can be adequately described by Voce equation and Kocks–Mecking approach in the temperature range 300–873 K. The steel exhibited two-stage work hardening in the variations of instantaneous work hardening rate (θ = dσ/dε) and θσ with stress. The variations in σ–ε, work hardening parameters, θ–σ and θσ–σ with temperature exhibited three distinct temperature regimes. Good correlations between the predicted tensile properties using Voce equation and the respective experimental values along with analogy between Voce equation and Kocks–Mecking approach have been demonstrated for the steel. The differences in σ–ε, work hardening parameters, θ–σ and θσ–σ observed between plate and tubeplate forging have been ascribed to the effects associated with initial microstructures for the two product forms of the steel.

  13. Optimal beta-ray shielding thicknesses for different therapeutic radionuclides and shielding materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cho, Yong In; Kim, Ja Mee; Kim, Jung Hoon

    2017-01-01

    To better understand the distribution of deposited energy of beta and gamma rays according to changes in shielding materials and thicknesses when radionuclides are used for therapeutic nuclear medicine, a simulation was conducted. The results showed that due to the physical characteristics of each therapeutic radionuclide, the thicknesses of shielding materials at which beta-ray shielding takes place varied. Additional analysis of the shielding of gamma ray was conducted for radionuclides that emit both beta and gamma rays simultaneously with results showing shielding effects proportional to the atomic number and density of the shielding materials. Also, analysis of bremsstrahlung emission after beta-ray interactions in the simulation revealed that the occurrence of bremsstrahlung was relatively lower than theoretically calculated and varied depending on different radionuclides. (authors)

  14. Laser Cutting of Thick Diamond Films Using Low-Power Laser

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Park, Y.J.; Baik, Y.J. [Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul (Korea)

    2000-02-01

    Laser cutting of thick diamond films is studied rising a low-power(10 W) copper vapor laser. Due to the existence of the saturation depth in laser cutting, thick diamond films are not easily cut by low-power lasers. In this study, we have adopted a low thermal- conductivity underlayer of alumina and a heating stage (up to 500 deg. C in air) to prevent the laser energy from consuming-out and, in turn, enhance the cutting efficiency. Aspect ratio increases twice from 3.5 to 7 when the alumina underlayer used. Adopting a heating stage also increases aspect ratio and more than 10 is obtained at higher temperatures than 400 deg. C. These results show that thick diamond films can be cut, with low-power lasers, simply by modifying the thermal property of underlayer. (author). 13 refs., 5 figs.

  15. Order in nanometer thick intergranular films at Au-sapphire interfaces

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Baram, Mor [Department of Materials Engineering, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 32000 (Israel); Garofalini, Stephen H. [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854-8065 (United States); Kaplan, Wayne D., E-mail: kaplan@tx.technion.ac.il [Department of Materials Engineering, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 32000 (Israel)

    2011-08-15

    Highlights: {yields} Au particles were equilibrated on (0 0 0 1) sapphire in the presence of anorthite. {yields} 1.2 nm thick equilibrium films (complexions) were formed at the Au-sapphire interfaces. {yields} Quantitative HRTEM was used to study the atomistic structure of the films. {yields} Structural order was observed in the 1.2 nm thick films adjacent to the sapphire crystal. {yields} This demonstrates that ordering is an intrinsic part of equilibrium intergranular films. - Abstract: In recent years extensive studies on interfaces have shown that {approx}1 nm thick intergranular films (IGF) exist at interfaces in different material systems, and that IGF can significantly affect the materials' properties. However, there is great deal of uncertainty whether such films are amorphous or partially ordered. In this study specimens were prepared from Au particles that were equilibrated on sapphire substrates in the presence of anorthite glass, leading to the formation of 1.2 nm thick IGF at the Au-sapphire interfaces. Site-specific cross-section samples were characterized using quantitative high resolution transmission electron microscopy to study the atomistic structure of the films. Order was observed in the 1.2 nm thick films adjacent to the sapphire crystal in the form of 'Ca cages', experimentally demonstrating that ordering is an intrinsic part of IGF, as predicted from molecular dynamics and diffuse interface theory.

  16. Spanwise transition section for blended wing-body aircraft

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hawley, Arthur V. (Inventor)

    1999-01-01

    A blended wing-body aircraft includes a central body, a wing, and a transition section which interconnects the body and the wing on each side of the aircraft. The two transition sections are identical, and each has a variable chord length and thickness which varies in proportion to the chord length. This enables the transition section to connect the thin wing to the thicker body. Each transition section has a negative sweep angle.

  17. Mehanical Properties of Electron Beam Welded Joints in Thick Gage CA6NM Stainless Steel

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sarafan, Sheida; Wanjara, Priti; Gholipour, Javad; Champliaud, Henri; Mathieu, Louis

    2017-10-01

    Design of hydroelectric turbine components requires high integrity welds (without detectable volumetric defects) in heavy gage sections of stainless steel materials, such as ASTM A743 grade CA6NM—a low carbon 13% Cr-4% Ni martensitic stainless steel that is manufactured in cast form. In this work, 90-mm-thick plates of CA6NM were joined using a single-pass autogenous electron beam (EB) welding process and the mechanical properties were evaluated in the as-welded condition to characterize the performance of the joints. The static tensile properties that were evaluated in two directions—transverse and longitudinal to the EB weld seam—demonstrated conformance of the joints with the requirements of the ASME Section IX standard. The Charpy impact energies of the EB welds—measured at -18 °C on samples with V-notch roots located in the fusion and heat-affected zones—met the minimum requirements of 27 J specified in ASME Section VIII standard. In addition, bend tests that were conducted on the entire weld cross section displayed no discontinuities on the tension side of the bent joints. Hence, the developed EB welding process was demonstrated to render high-performance joints and promises key advantages for industrialization, such as cost savings through reductions in consumable material, production time and labor intensity.

  18. Thickness mapping of submerged portions of a BWR torus using an ROV

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Somers, T.; Bagley, J.G.

    1992-01-01

    A methodology has been developed for establishing an ultrasonic baseline of the submerged portions of a boiling water reactor torus shell. A remotely operated vehicle (ROV) is equipped to deliver an array of ultrasonic thickness transducers to within a fixed stand-off from the shell. The position of the transducers at each ultrasound reading is measured and recorded using a precision acoustic navigation system. The resulting thickness contour map makes it possible to visualize the condition of the torus shell and provides quantitative documentation of shell thickness at a large number of known locations. The navigation system can be reinstalled in the future so that by comparing future thickness readings acquired at the same location, it is possible to create a map of the rate of change in shell thickness. An ultrasonic thickness survey was conducted recently using a preliminary version of such a system. The experience gained in performing this survey has been incorporated in the design of a full-scale prototype system, which is currently under development. This system will include such features as automatic control of the ROV based on the acoustic navigation data, generation of three-dimensional thickness maps, and remote control of the data acquisition process from outside the radiation area

  19. Effects of rework on adhesion of Pb-In soldered gold thick films

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gehman, R.W.; Becka, G.A.; Losure, J.A.

    1982-02-01

    The feasibility of repeatedly reworking Pb-In soldered joints on gold thick films was evaluated. Nailhead adhesion tests on soldered thick films typically resulted in failure within the bulk solder (50 In-50 Pb). Average strengths increased with each rework, and the failure mode changed. An increase in metalization lift-off occurred with successive reworks. An investigation was initiated to determine why these changes occurred. Based on this work, the thick film adhesion to the substrate appeared to be lowered by indium reduction of cadmium oxide and by formation of a weak, brittle intermetallic compound, Au 9 In 4 . It was concluded that two solder reworks could be conducted without significant amounts of metallization lift-off during nailhead testing

  20. Correlation between Corneal Thickness and Degree of Myopic Refractory Error

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A Mortazavi

    2005-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: corneal thickness is an important factor in refractive surgeries such as Radial Keratotomy (RK, Photo Refractive Keratotomy (PRK and Laser Insitu Keratomileusis (LASIK. This study evaluated the correlation between this factor and the degree of myopic refractory error. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 224 myopic eyes (112 patients which had undergone LASIK operation were assessed. These patients had referred to Aban Eye Clinic, Isfahan, Iran, during August and September 2002. Corneal thickness was measured by ORB SCAN Topoghraphy, and cycloplegic refraction was performed with autorefratometery and retinoscopy. Suspected keratoconus cases and hyperopic patients were excluded. Results: The patients' age was 27.2 ± 1.36 in men (N = 35 and 30.13 ± 1.04 in women (N = 77. Mean value of myopic refractory error in male patients was 5.1 ± 0.24D and in female patients was 3.8 ± 0.36D. Mean of corneal thickness was 540 ± 5.25 µM and 530 ± 5.88 µM in male and female patients respectively. There was no correlation between the degree of myopia and corneal thickness in any of the patients. Also in this research, no relations between the age and myopia were found. Right eye (P > 0.5, r = 0.124 Left eye (P > 0.5, r = 0.104. Conclusion: Based on our findings, corneal thickness and myopic refectory error do not seem to have any relations. (r = 0.039, p = 0.684. Keywords: Corneal Thickness, Cornea, Myopia, LASIK, Refractory Error

  1. A new measurement method of coatings thickness based on lock-in thermography

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Jin-Yu; Meng, Xiang-bin; Ma, Yong-chao

    2016-05-01

    Coatings have been widely used in modern industry and it plays an important role. Coatings thickness is directly related to the performance of the functional coatings, therefore, rapid and accurate coatings thickness inspection has great significance. Existing coatings thickness measurement method is difficult to achieve fast and accurate on-site non-destructive coatings inspection due to cost, accuracy, destruction during inspection and other reasons. This paper starts from the introduction of the principle of lock-in thermography, and then performs an in-depth study on the application of lock-in thermography in coatings inspection through numerical modeling and analysis. The numerical analysis helps explore the relationship between coatings thickness and phase, and the relationship lays the foundation for accurate calculation of coatings thickness. The author sets up a lock-in thermography inspection system and uses thermal barrier coatings specimens to conduct an experiment. The specimen coatings thickness is measured and calibrated to verify the quantitative inspection. Experiment results show that the lock-in thermography method can perform fast coatings inspection and the inspection accuracy is about 95%. Therefore, the method can meet the field testing requirements for engineering projects.

  2. Static and dynamic through thickness lamina properties of thick laminates

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Lahuerta, F.; Nijssen, R.P.L.; Van der Meer, F.P.; Sluys, L.J.

    2015-01-01

    Thick laminates are increasingly present in large composites structures such as wind turbine blades. Different factors are suspected to be involved in the decreased static and dynamic performance of thick laminates. These include the effect of self-heating, the scaling effect, and the manufacturing

  3. Relationship between intima-media thickness and bone mineral density in postmenopausal women: a cross-sectional study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mohammadi, Afshin; Shateri, Kamran; Behzadi, Farhad; Maleki-Miandoab, Tooraj; Lesha, Emal; Ghasemi-Rad, Mohammad; Rosta, Yousef

    2014-01-01

    Osteoporosis and atherosclerosis are two conditions that confer the major cause of mortality and morbidity in postmenopausal women. Several studies have suggested that these two conditions are negatively correlated by a common pathway. The aim of our study was to show a relationship between bone mineral density (BMD) and carotid intima media thickness (CIMT), as two factors that are directly related to osteoporosis and atherosclerosis respectively. The study group consisted of 136 postmenopausal women that presented at the Radiology Clinic of our hospital for BMD measurements. The CIMT was measured using High Resolution B mode Ultrasonography; BMD was measured at the lumbar spine and femoral neck using Dual-energy X-Ray Absorptiometry. The mean IMT value in osteoporotic women (0.7±0.1 mm) was significantly higher compared to non-osteoporotic women (0.6±0.1 mm, P media thickness are negatively correlated, thus showing a possible relationship between osteoporosis and atherosclerosis. However, more research is necessary to determine the pathway that connects these two conditions.

  4. Prenatal factors associated with the neonatal line thickness in human deciduous incisors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kurek, M; Żądzińska, E; Sitek, A; Borowska-Strugińska, B; Rosset, I; Lorkiewicz, W

    2015-06-01

    The neonatal line (NNL) is used to distinguish developmental events observed in enamel which occurred before and after birth. However, there are few studies reporting relationship between the characteristics of the NNL and factors affecting prenatal conditions. The aim of the study was to determine prenatal factors that may influence the NNL thickness in human deciduous teeth. The material consisted of longitudinal ground sections of 60 modern human deciduous incisors obtained from full-term healthy children with reported birth histories and prenatal factors. All teeth were sectioned in the labio-lingual plane using diamond blade (Buechler IsoMet 1000). Final specimens were observed using scanning electron microscopy at magnifications 320×. For each tooth, linear measurements of the NNL thickness were taken on its labial surface at the three levels from the cemento-enamel junction. The difference in the neonatal line thickness between tooth types and between males and females was statistically significant. A multiple regression analyses confirmed influence of two variables on the NNL thickness standardised on tooth type and the children's sex (z-score values). These variables are the taking of an antispasmodic medicine by the mother during pregnancy and the season of the child's birth. These two variables together explain nearly 17% of the variability of the NNL. Children of mothers taking a spasmolytic medicine during pregnancy were characterised by a thinner NNL compared with children whose mothers did not take such medication. Children born in summer and spring had a thinner NNL than children born in winter. These results indicate that the prenatal environment significantly contributes to the thickness of the NNL influencing the pace of reaching the post-delivery homeostasis by the newborn's organism. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

  5. Collective spin waves on a nanowire array with step-modulated thickness

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gubbiotti, G; Tacchi, S; Kostylev, M; Ivanov, E; Samarin, S; Madami, M; Carlotti, G; Ding, J; Adeyeye, A O; Zighem, F; Stashkevich, A A

    2014-01-01

    It is shown experimentally that collective Bloch spin waves are able to propagate in a dense periodic array of nanowires with step-modulated thickness along the periodicity direction. The spin wave dispersion (frequency versus wave vector k) was measured using the Brillouin light scattering technique by sweeping the wave vector perpendicularly to the wire length. Remarkably, the mode measured at the lowest frequency exhibits an oscillating dispersion and its frequency is up-shifted with respect to the homogeneous-thickness wires of the same width. The modes located at higher frequencies have negligible dependencies on the wave number, i.e. are practically dispersionless. Complementary ferromagnetic resonance measurements enabled us to independently measure the whole set of modes at k = 0, showing a good agreement with the Brillouin light scattering data. These results have been successfully reproduced in a numerical simulation employing a two-dimensional Green's function description of the dynamic dipole field of the precessing magnetization. The theory also allowed visualizing the non-trivial distribution of dynamic magnetization across the wire cross-section and estimating the Brillouin light scattering cross-section. The analysis of these intensities suggests complicated magneto-optical coupling between the light and the dynamic magnetization in the arrays of nanowires with step-modulated thickness. This work can stimulate the design, tailoring, and characterization of three-dimensional magnonic crystals. (paper)

  6. Effect of precursor concentration and film thickness deposited by layer on nanostructured TiO2 thin films

    Science.gov (United States)

    Affendi, I. H. H.; Sarah, M. S. P.; Alrokayan, Salman A. H.; Khan, Haseeb A.; Rusop, M.

    2018-05-01

    Sol-gel spin coating method is used in the production of nanostructured TiO2 thin film. The surface topology and morphology was observed using the Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM). The electrical properties were investigated by using two probe current-voltage (I-V) measurements to study the electrical resistivity behavior, hence the conductivity of the thin film. The solution concentration will be varied from 14.0 to 0.01wt% with 0.02wt% interval where the last concentration of 0.02 to 0.01wt% have 0.01wt% interval to find which concentrations have the highest conductivity then the optimized concentration's sample were chosen for the thickness parameter based on layer by layer deposition from 1 to 6 layer. Based on the result, the lowest concentration of TiO2, the surface becomes more uniform and the conductivity will increase. As the result, sample of 0.01wt% concentration have conductivity value of 1.77E-10 S/m and will be advanced in thickness parameter. Whereas in thickness parameter, the 3layer deposition were chosen as its conductivity is the highest at 3.9098E9 S/m.

  7. Oxygen vacancy chain and conductive filament formation in hafnia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xue, Kan-Hao; Miao, Xiang-Shui

    2018-04-01

    The stability and aggregation mechanisms of oxygen vacancy chains are studied for hafnia using self-energy corrected density functional theory. While oxygen vacancies tend not to align along the c-axis of monoclinic HfO2, oxygen vacancy chains along a-axis and b-axis are energetically favorable, with cohesive energies of 0.05 eV and 0.03 eV per vacancy, respectively. Nevertheless, with an increase of the cross section area, intensive oxygen vacancy chains become much more stable in hafnia, which yields phase separation into Hf-clusters and HfO2. Compared with disperse single vacancy chains, intensive oxygen vacancy chains made of 4, 6, and 8 single vacancy chains are energetically more favorable by 0.17, 0.20, and 0.30 eV per oxygen vacancy, respectively. On the other hand, while a single oxygen vacancy chain exhibits a tiny electronic energy gap of around 0.5 eV, metallic conduction emerges for the intensive vacancy chain made of 8 single vacancy chains, which possesses a filament cross section area of ˜0.4 nm2. This sets a lower area limit for Hf-cluster filaments from metallic conduction point of view, but in real hafnia resistive RAM devices the cross section area of the filaments can generally be much larger (>5 nm2) for the sake of energy minimization. Our work sets up a bridge between oxygen vacancy ordering and phase separation in hafnia, and shows a clear trend of filament stabilization with larger dimensions. The results could explain the threshold switching phenomenon in hafnia when a small AFM tip was used as the top electrode, as well as the undesired multimode operation in resistive RAM cells with 3 nm-thick hafnia.

  8. Wind Turbine Cross-Sectional Stiffness Analysis Using Internally Layered Solid Elements

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Couturier, Philippe; Krenk, Steen

    2016-01-01

    An efficient finite element modeling approach is presented for analyzing the general cross-sectional stiffness properties and stress distribution of thin- and thick-walled sections with isotropic and general anisotropic materials. The procedure is based on discretizing the walls of the section...

  9. Space- and time-resolved resistive measurements of liquid metal wall thickness

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mirhoseini, S. M. H.; Volpe, F. A., E-mail: fvolpe@columbia.edu [Department of Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027 (United States)

    2016-11-15

    In a fusion reactor internally coated with liquid metal, it will be important to diagnose the thickness of the liquid at various locations in the vessel, as a function of time, and possibly respond to counteract undesired bulging or depletion. The electrical conductance between electrodes immersed in the liquid metal can be used as a simple proxy for the local thickness. Here a matrix of electrodes is shown to provide spatially and temporally resolved measurements of liquid metal thickness in the absence of plasma. First a theory is developed for m × n electrodes, and then it is experimentally demonstrated for 3 × 1 electrodes, as the liquid stands still or is agitated by means of a shaker. The experiments were carried out with Galinstan, but are easily extended to lithium or other liquid metals.

  10. Space- and time-resolved resistive measurements of liquid metal wall thickness

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mirhoseini, S. M. H.; Volpe, F. A.

    2016-01-01

    In a fusion reactor internally coated with liquid metal, it will be important to diagnose the thickness of the liquid at various locations in the vessel, as a function of time, and possibly respond to counteract undesired bulging or depletion. The electrical conductance between electrodes immersed in the liquid metal can be used as a simple proxy for the local thickness. Here a matrix of electrodes is shown to provide spatially and temporally resolved measurements of liquid metal thickness in the absence of plasma. First a theory is developed for m × n electrodes, and then it is experimentally demonstrated for 3 × 1 electrodes, as the liquid stands still or is agitated by means of a shaker. The experiments were carried out with Galinstan, but are easily extended to lithium or other liquid metals.

  11. Correlation between epithelial thickness in normal corneas, untreated ectatic corneas, and ectatic corneas previously treated with CXL; is overall epithelial thickness a very early ectasia prognostic factor?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kanellopoulos, Anastasios John; Aslanides, Ioannis M; Asimellis, George

    2012-01-01

    To determine and correlate epithelial corneal thickness (pachymetric) measurements taken with a digital arc scanning very high frequency ultrasound biomicroscopy (HF UBM) imaging system (Artemis-II), and compare mean and central epithelial thickness among normal eyes, untreated keratoconic eyes, and keratoconic eyes previously treated with collagen crosslinking (CXL). Epithelial pachymetry measurements (topographic mapping) were conducted on 100 subjects via HF UBM. Three groups of patients were included: patients with normal eyes (controls), patients with untreated keratoconic eyes, and patients with keratoconic eyes treated with CXL. Central, mean, and peripheral corneal epithelial thickness was examined for each group, and a statistical study was conducted. Mean, central, and peripheral corneal epithelial thickness was compared between the three groups of patients. Epithelium thickness varied substantially in the keratoconic group, and in some cases there was a difference of up to 20 μm between various points of the same eye, and often a thinner epithelium coincided with a thinner cornea. However, on average, data from the keratoconic group suggested an overall thickening of the epithelium, particularly over the pupil center of the order of +3 μm, while the mean epithelium thickness was on average +1.1 μm, compared to the control population (P = 0.005). This overall thickening was more pronounced in younger patients in the keratoconic group. Keratoconic eyes previously treated with CXL showed, on average, virtually the same average epithelium thickness (mean -0.7 μm, -0.2 μm over the pupil center, -0.9 μm over the peripheral zone) as the control group. This finding further reinforces our novel theory of the "reactive" component of epithelial thickening in corneas that are biomechanically unstable, becoming stable when biomechanical rigidity is accomplished despite persistence of cornea topographic irregularity. A highly irregular epithelium may be

  12. Increase in average foveal thickness after internal limiting membrane peeling

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kumagai K

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available Kazuyuki Kumagai,1 Mariko Furukawa,1 Tetsuyuki Suetsugu,1 Nobuchika Ogino2 1Department of Ophthalmology, Kami-iida Daiichi General Hospital, 2Department of Ophthalmology, Nishigaki Eye Clinic, Aichi, Japan Purpose: To report the findings in three cases in which the average foveal thickness was increased after a thin epiretinal membrane (ERM was removed by vitrectomy with internal limiting membrane (ILM peeling.Methods: The foveal contour was normal preoperatively in all eyes. All cases underwent successful phacovitrectomy with ILM peeling for a thin ERM. The optical coherence tomography (OCT images were examined before and after the surgery. The changes in the average foveal (1 mm thickness and the foveal areas within 500 µm from the foveal center were measured. The postoperative changes in the inner and outer retinal areas determined from the cross-sectional OCT images were analyzed.Results: The average foveal thickness and the inner and outer foveal areas increased significantly after the surgery in each of the three cases. The percentage increase in the average foveal thickness relative to the baseline thickness was 26% in Case 1, 29% in Case 2, and 31% in Case 3. The percentage increase in the foveal inner retinal area was 71% in Case 1, 113% in Case 2, and 110% in Case 3, and the percentage increase in foveal outer retinal area was 8% in Case 1, 13% in Case 2, and 18% in Case 3.Conclusion: The increase in the average foveal thickness and the inner and outer foveal areas suggests that a centripetal movement of the inner and outer retinal layers toward the foveal center probably occurred due to the ILM peeling. Keywords: internal limiting membrane, optical coherence tomography, average foveal thickness, epiretinal membrane, vitrectomy

  13. Correlation between epithelial thickness in normal corneas, untreated ectatic corneas, and ectatic corneas previously treated with CXL; is overall epithelial thickness a very early ectasia prognostic factor?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kanellopoulos AJ

    2012-05-01

    Full Text Available Anastasios John Kanellopoulos,1,2 Ioannis M Aslanides,3 George Asimellis11Laservision Eye Institute, Athens, 2Emmetropia Mediterranean Eye Clinic, Crete, Greece, 3New York University School of Medicine, NY, USAPurpose: To determine and correlate epithelial corneal thickness (pachymetric measurements taken with a digital arc scanning very high frequency ultrasound biomicroscopy (HF UBM imaging system (Artemis-II, and compare mean and central epithelial thickness among normal eyes, untreated keratoconic eyes, and keratoconic eyes previously treated with collagen crosslinking (CXL.Methods: Epithelial pachymetry measurements (topographic mapping were conducted on 100 subjects via HF UBM. Three groups of patients were included: patients with normal eyes (controls, patients with untreated keratoconic eyes, and patients with keratoconic eyes treated with CXL. Central, mean, and peripheral corneal epithelial thickness was examined for each group, and a statistical study was conducted.Results: Mean, central, and peripheral corneal epithelial thickness was compared between the three groups of patients. Epithelium thickness varied substantially in the keratoconic group, and in some cases there was a difference of up to 20 µm between various points of the same eye, and often a thinner epithelium coincided with a thinner cornea. However, on average, data from the keratoconic group suggested an overall thickening of the epithelium, particularly over the pupil center of the order of +3 µm, while the mean epithelium thickness was on average +1.1 µm, compared to the control population (P = 0.005. This overall thickening was more pronounced in younger patients in the keratoconic group. Keratoconic eyes previously treated with CXL showed, on average, virtually the same average epithelium thickness (mean –0.7 µm, –0.2 µm over the pupil center, –0.9 µm over the peripheral zone as the control group. This finding further reinforces our novel theory of the

  14. Lens thickness assessment: anterior segment optical coherence tomography versus A-scan ultrasonography

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nikoo Hamzeh

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available AIM: To assess lens thickness measurements with anterior segment-optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT in comparison with A-scan ultrasonography (A-scan US. METHODS: There were 218 adult subjects (218 eyes aged 59.2±9.2y enrolled in this prospective cross-sectional study. Forty-three eyes had open angles and 175 eyes had narrow angles. Routine ophthalmic exam was performed and nuclear opacity was graded using the Lens Opacities Classification System III (LOCS III. Lens thickness was measured by AS-OCT (Visante OCT, Carl Zeiss Meditec, Dublin, CA, USA. The highest quality image was selected for each eye and lens thickness was calculated using ImageJ software. Lens thickness was also measured by A-scan US. RESULTS: Interclass correlations showed a value of 99.7% for intra-visit measurements and 95.3% for inter-visit measurements. The mean lens thickness measured by AS-OCT was not significantly different from that of A-scan US (4.861±0.404 vs 4.866±0.351 mm, P=0.74. Lens thickness values obtained from the two instruments were highly correlated overall (Pearson correlation coefficient=0.81, P<0.001, and in all LOCS III specific subgroups except in grade 5 of nuclear opacity. Bland-Altman analysis revealed a 95% limit of agreement from -0.45 to 0.46 mm. Lens thickness difference between the two instruments became smaller as the lens thickness increased and AS-OCT yielded smaller values than A-scan US in thicker lens (β=-0.29, P<0.001 CONCLUSION: AS-OCT-derived lens thickness measurement is valid and comparable to the results obtained by A-scan US. It can be used as a reliable noncontact method for measuring lens thickness in adults with or without significant cataract.

  15. Mesoporous tin-doped indium oxide thin films: effect of mesostructure on electrical conductivity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Till von Graberg, Pascal Hartmann, Alexander Rein, Silvia Gross, Britta Seelandt, Cornelia Röger, Roman Zieba, Alexander Traut, Michael Wark, Jürgen Janek and Bernd M Smarsly

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available We present a versatile method for the preparation of mesoporous tin-doped indium oxide (ITO thin films via dip-coating. Two poly(isobutylene-b-poly(ethyleneoxide (PIB-PEO copolymers of significantly different molecular weight (denoted as PIB-PEO 3000 and PIB-PEO 20000 are used as templates and are compared with non-templated films to clarify the effect of the template size on the crystallization and, thus, on the electrochemical properties of mesoporous ITO films. Transparent, mesoporous, conductive coatings are obtained after annealing at 500 °C; these coatings have a specific resistance of 0.5 Ω cm at a thickness of about 100 nm. Electrical conductivity is improved by one order of magnitude by annealing under a reducing atmosphere. The two types of PIB-PEO block copolymers create mesopores with in-plane diameters of 20–25 and 35–45 nm, the latter also possessing correspondingly thicker pore walls. Impedance measurements reveal that the conductivity is significantly higher for films prepared with the template generating larger mesopores. Because of the same size of the primary nanoparticles, the enhanced conductivity is attributed to a higher conduction path cross section. Prussian blue was deposited electrochemically within the films, thus confirming the accessibility of their pores and their functionality as electrode material.

  16. Nanostructured MgTiO{sub 3} thick films obtained by electrophoretic deposition from nanopowders prepared by solar PVD

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Apostol, Irina [S.C. IPEE Amiral Trading Impex S.A., 115300 Curtea de Arges (Romania); Mahajan, Amit [Department of Materials and Ceramics Engineering, Centre for Research in Ceramics and Composite Materials, CICECO, University of Aveiro, 3810-093 Aveiro (Portugal); Monty, Claude J.A. [CNRS-PROMES Laboratory, 66120 Font Romeu Odeillo (France); Venkata Saravanan, K., E-mail: venketvs@cutn.ac.in [Department of Materials and Ceramics Engineering, Centre for Research in Ceramics and Composite Materials, CICECO, University of Aveiro, 3810-093 Aveiro (Portugal); Department of Physics, School of Basic and Applied Science, Central University of Tamil Nadu, Thiruvarur 61010 (India)

    2015-12-15

    Highlights: • Obtaining nano-crystalline magnesium titanium oxide powders by solar physical vapor deposition (SPVD) process. And using these nano-powders to obtain thick films on conducting substrates by electrophoretic deposition (EPD). • SPVD is a core innovative, original and environmentally friendly process to prepare nano-materials in a powder form. • Sintered thick films exhibited dielectric constant, ε{sub r} ∼18.3 and dielectric loss, tan δ ∼0.0012 at 1 MHz, which is comparable to the values reported earlier. • New contributions to the pool of information on the preparation of nano-structured MgTiO{sub 3} thick films at low temperatures. • A considerable decrease in synthesis temperature of pure MgTiO{sub 3} thick film was observed by the combination of SPVD and EPD. - Abstract: A novel combination of solar physical vapor deposition (SPVD) and electrophoretic deposition (EPD) that was developed to grow MgTiO{sub 3} nanostructured thick films is presented. Obtaining nanostructured MgTiO{sub 3} thick films, which can replace bulk ceramic components, a major trend in electronic industry, is the main objective of this work. The advantage of SPVD is direct synthesis of nanopowders, while EPD is simple, fast and inexpensive technique for preparing thick films. SPVD technique was developed at CNRS-PROMES Laboratory, Odeillo-Font Romeu, France, while the EPD was performed at University of Aveiro – DeMAC/CICECO, Portugal. The nanopowders with an average crystallite size of about 30 nm prepared by SPVD were dispersed in 50 ml of acetone in basic media with addition of triethanolamine. The obtained well-dispersed and stable suspensions were used for carrying out EPD on 25 μm thick platinum foils. After deposition, films with thickness of about 22–25 μm were sintered in air for 15 min at 800, 900 and 1000 °C. The structural and microstructural characterization of the sintered thick films was carried out using XRD and SEM, respectively. The

  17. Low-Temperature Superionic Conductivity in Strained Yttria-Stabilized Zirconia

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sillassen, Michael; Eklund, Per; Pryds, Nini

    2010-01-01

    Very high lateral ionic conductivities in epitaxial cubic yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) synthesized on single-crystal SrTiO3 and MgO substrates by reactive direct current magnetron sputtering are reported. Superionic conductivities (i.e., ionic conductivities of the order 1 -1cm-1) are observed...... at 500 °C for 58-nm-thick films on MgO. The results indicate a superposition of two parallel contributions - one due to bulk conductivity and one attributable to conduction along the film-substrate interface. Interfacial effects dominate the conductivity at low temperatures (...

  18. Anisotropic in-plane thermal conductivity observed in few-layer black phosphorus

    Science.gov (United States)

    Luo, Zhe; Maassen, Jesse; Deng, Yexin; Du, Yuchen; Garrelts, Richard P.; Lundstrom, Mark S; Ye, Peide D.; Xu, Xianfan

    2015-01-01

    Black phosphorus has been revisited recently as a new two-dimensional material showing potential applications in electronics and optoelectronics. Here we report the anisotropic in-plane thermal conductivity of suspended few-layer black phosphorus measured by micro-Raman spectroscopy. The armchair and zigzag thermal conductivities are ∼20 and ∼40 W m−1 K−1 for black phosphorus films thicker than 15 nm, respectively, and decrease to ∼10 and ∼20 W m−1 K−1 as the film thickness is reduced, exhibiting significant anisotropy. The thermal conductivity anisotropic ratio is found to be ∼2 for thick black phosphorus films and drops to ∼1.5 for the thinnest 9.5-nm-thick film. Theoretical modelling reveals that the observed anisotropy is primarily related to the anisotropic phonon dispersion, whereas the intrinsic phonon scattering rates are found to be similar along the armchair and zigzag directions. Surface scattering in the black phosphorus films is shown to strongly suppress the contribution of long mean-free-path acoustic phonons. PMID:26472191

  19. THREE-DIMENSIONAL OBSERVATIONS ON THICK BIOLOGICAL SPECIMENS BY HIGH VOLTAGE ELECTRON MICROSCOPY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tetsuji Nagata

    2011-05-01

    Full Text Available Thick biological specimens prepared as whole mount cultured cells or thick sections from embedded tissues were stained with histochemical reactions, such as thiamine pyrophosphatase, glucose-6-phosphatase, cytochrome oxidase, acid phosphatase, DAB reactions and radioautography, to observe 3-D ultrastructures of cell organelles producing stereo-pairs by high voltage electron microscopy at accerelating voltages of 400-1000 kV. The organelles demonstrated were Golgi apparatus, endoplasmic reticulum, mitochondria, lysosomes, peroxisomes, pinocytotic vesicles and incorporations of radioactive compounds. As the results, those cell organelles were observed 3- dimensionally and the relative relationships between these organelles were demonstrated.

  20. AFM-based force spectroscopy on polystyrene brushes: effect of brush thickness on protein adsorption.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hentschel, Carsten; Wagner, Hendrik; Smiatek, Jens; Heuer, Andreas; Fuchs, Harald; Zhang, Xi; Studer, Armido; Chi, Lifeng

    2013-02-12

    Herein we present a study on nonspecific binding of proteins at highly dense packed hydrophobic polystyrene brushes. In this context, an atomic force microscopy tip was functionalized with concanavalin A to perform single-molecule force spectroscopy measurements on polystyrene brushes with thicknesses of 10 and 60 nm, respectively. Polystyrene brushes with thickness of 10 nm show an almost two times stronger protein adsorption than brushes with a thickness of 60 nm: 72 pN for the thinner and 38 pN for the thicker layer, which is in qualitative agreement with protein adsorption studies conducted macroscopically by fluorescence microscopy.

  1. Effect of a uniform magnetic induction field upon the flow of an electrically conducting fluid placed in a straight rectangular cross section, one of the walls of which, characterized by an infinite conductivity, presents uniform translation movement

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Herve, Patrick

    1975-01-01

    This is a theoretical study of an electrically viscous fluid flowing in a straight rectangular cross section channel, a wall of which, infinitely conducting, is placed perpendicularly to the direction of a uniform magnetic induction field. The three other walls of the channel being electrically insulating, remain motionless. Formulas giving velocity distribution law in the straight section of the flow in relation to the Hartmann's number, curves illustrating the accelerating effect produced across the whole section, by the application of the magnetic induction field, and example for the distribution of the electric current lines in case of a square section are given [fr

  2. Non-contact radiation thickness gauge

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tsujii, T.; Okino, T.

    1983-01-01

    A noncontact thickness gauge system for measuring the thickness of a material comprising a source of radiation, a detector for detecting the amount of radiation transmitted through the material which is a function of the absorptance and thickness of the material, a memory for storing the output signals of the detector and curve-defining parameters for a plurality of quadratic calibration curves which correspond to respective thickness ranges, and a processor for processing the signals and curve defining parameters to determine the thickness of the material. Measurements are made after precalibration to obtain calibration curves and these are stored in the memory, providing signals representative of a nominal thickness and an alloy compensation coefficient for the material. The calibration curve corresponding to a particular thickness range is selected and the curve compensated for drift; the material is inserted into the radiation path and the detector output signal processed with the compensated calibration curve to determine the thickness of the material. (author)

  3. Effects of high voltage pulse trimming on structural properties of thick-film resistors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stanimirović Zdravko

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Nowadays, compact and reliable electronic devices including up-to-date ceramic micro-electro-mechanical systems require thick-film resistors with significantly reduced dimensions and stable and precise resistance values. For that reason, instead of standard laser trimming method, high voltage pulse trimming of thick-film resistors is being introduced. This method allows controlled and reliable resistance adjustment regardless of resistor position or dimensions and without the presence of cuts. However, it causes irreversible structural changes in the pseudorandom network formed during sintering causing the changes in conducting mechanisms. In this paper results of the experimental investigation of high voltage pulse trimming of thick-film resistors are presented. Obtained results are analyzed and correlations between resistance and low-frequency noise changes and changes in conducting mechanisms in resistors due to high voltage pulse trimming are observed. Sources of measured fluctuations are identified and it is shown that this type of trimming is a valid alternative trimming method to the dominant laser trimming. [Project of the Serbian Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, Grant no. III44003 and III45007

  4. Highly accurate adaptive TOF determination method for ultrasonic thickness measurement

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, Lianjie; Liu, Haibo; Lian, Meng; Ying, Yangwei; Li, Te; Wang, Yongqing

    2018-04-01

    Determining the time of flight (TOF) is very critical for precise ultrasonic thickness measurement. However, the relatively low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the received signals would induce significant TOF determination errors. In this paper, an adaptive time delay estimation method has been developed to improve the TOF determination’s accuracy. An improved variable step size adaptive algorithm with comprehensive step size control function is proposed. Meanwhile, a cubic spline fitting approach is also employed to alleviate the restriction of finite sampling interval. Simulation experiments under different SNR conditions were conducted for performance analysis. Simulation results manifested the performance advantage of proposed TOF determination method over existing TOF determination methods. When comparing with the conventional fixed step size, and Kwong and Aboulnasr algorithms, the steady state mean square deviation of the proposed algorithm was generally lower, which makes the proposed algorithm more suitable for TOF determination. Further, ultrasonic thickness measurement experiments were performed on aluminum alloy plates with various thicknesses. They indicated that the proposed TOF determination method was more robust even under low SNR conditions, and the ultrasonic thickness measurement accuracy could be significantly improved.

  5. Measurement Of Lead Equivalent Thickness For Irradiation Room: An Analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mohd Khalid Matori; Azuhar Ripin; Husaini Salleh; Mohd Khairusalih Mohd Zin; Muhammad Jamal Muhd Isa; Mohd Faizal Abdul Rahman

    2014-01-01

    The Malaysian Ministry of Health (MOH) has established that the irradiation room must have a sufficient thickness of shielding to ensure that requirements for the purpose of radiation protection of patients, employees and the public are met. This paper presents a technique using americium-241 source to test and verify the integrity of the shielding thickness in term of lead equivalent for irradiation room at health clinics own by MOH. Results of measurement of 8 irradiation rooms conducted in 2014 were analyzed for this presentation. Technical comparison of the attenuation of gamma rays from Am-241 source through the walls of the irradiation room and pieces of lead were used to assess the lead equivalent thickness of the walls. Results showed that almost all the irradiation rooms tested meet the requirements of the Ministry of Health and is suitable for the installation of the intended diagnostic X-ray apparatus. Some specific positions such as door knobs and locks, electrical plug sockets were identified with potential to not met the required lead equivalent thickness hence may contribute to higher radiation exposure to workers and the public. (author)

  6. Effects of CPAP therapy on visceral fat thickness, carotid intima-media thickness and adipokines in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ng, Susanna S S; Liu, Eric K H; Ma, Ronald C W; Chan, Tat-On; To, Kin-Wang; Chan, Ken K P; Ngai, Jenny; Yip, Wing-Ho; Ko, Fanny W S; Wong, Chun-Kwok; Hui, David S C

    2017-05-01

    Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is associated with an increased prevalence of metabolic syndrome. This study explores the effects of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) for patients with OSA on visceral and mesenteric fat thickness, carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) and adipokines. A randomized controlled study was conducted at a teaching hospital on 90 patients newly diagnosed with OSA to receive either therapeutic CPAP or subtherapeutic CPAP for 3 months. Visceral fat thickness and carotid IMT were measured with B-mode ultrasound; adipokine levels were assessed at baseline and 3 months. Altogether, 45 patients received therapeutic CPAP and 45 received subtherapeutic CPAP without significant differences in age 50.3 (10.1) versus 48.7 (9.0) years, BMI 28.2 (3.9) versus 28.2 (4.5) kg/m 2 , Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) 12.4 (5.9) versus 11.3 (4.7), apnoea-hypopnoea index (AHI) 30.6 (21.4) versus 35.2 (25.5) /h, minimum SaO 2 79.6 (10.8) versus 76.7 (12.4) % and existing co-morbidities. CPAP usage was therapeutic 4.2 (2.1) versus subtherapeutic 4.1 (2.0) h/night over 3 months. Adiponectin and irisin levels changed significantly following therapeutic CPAP for 3 months versus subtherapeutic CPAP (-1.6 vs 7.3, P = 0.042; 0.1 vs -0.1, P = 0.028 respectively) while only serum level of monocyte chemotactic protein 1 (MCP-1) at baseline was positively correlated with AHI (r = 0.278). No significant changes were observed in other adipokines, visceral fat thickness and IMT. Short-term therapeutic CPAP versus subtherapeutic CPAP does not significantly reduce visceral fat thickness and IMT, although it reduces adiponectin and increases irisin. © 2016 Asian Pacific Society of Respirology.

  7. Sea Ice Thickness Measurement by Ground Penetrating Radar for Ground Truth of Microwave Remote Sensing Data

    Science.gov (United States)

    Matsumoto, M.; Yoshimura, M.; Naoki, K.; Cho, K.; Wakabayashi, H.

    2018-04-01

    Observation of sea ice thickness is one of key issues to understand regional effect of global warming. One of approaches to monitor sea ice in large area is microwave remote sensing data analysis. However, ground truth must be necessary to discuss the effectivity of this kind of approach. The conventional method to acquire ground truth of ice thickness is drilling ice layer and directly measuring the thickness by a ruler. However, this method is destructive, time-consuming and limited spatial resolution. Although there are several methods to acquire ice thickness in non-destructive way, ground penetrating radar (GPR) can be effective solution because it can discriminate snow-ice and ice-sea water interface. In this paper, we carried out GPR measurement in Lake Saroma for relatively large area (200 m by 300 m, approximately) aiming to obtain grand truth for remote sensing data. GPR survey was conducted at 5 locations in the area. The direct measurement was also conducted simultaneously in order to calibrate GPR data for thickness estimation and to validate the result. Although GPR Bscan image obtained from 600MHz contains the reflection which may come from a structure under snow, the origin of the reflection is not obvious. Therefore, further analysis and interpretation of the GPR image, such as numerical simulation, additional signal processing and use of 200 MHz antenna, are required to move on thickness estimation.

  8. Measurements of L shell X-ray yields of thick Ag target by 6–29 keV electron impact

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhao, J.L.; Tian, L.X.; Li, X.L.; An, Z.; Zhu, J.J.; Liu, M.T.

    2015-01-01

    In this paper, the L shell X-ray yields for a thick Ag target have been measured at incident electron energies of 6–29 keV. The experimental values are compared with the Monte Carlo simulation results that are obtained by using the PENELOPE code, in which the inner-shell ionization cross sections by electron impact calculated in the theoretical frame of distorted wave Born approximation are used. The experimental and simulation values are in agreement with ∼10% difference. Meanwhile, the L shell X-ray production cross sections are also obtained based on the measured L shell X-ray yields for a thick Ag target in this paper, and are compared with other experimental Ag L shell X-ray production cross section data by electron and positron impact measured previously and some theoretical models. Some factors that could affect these comparisons are also discussed in this paper. - Highlights: • We measured L shell X-ray yields of thick Ag target by 6–29 keV electrons. • Our measured X-ray yields are in good agreement with the MC results with ∼10%. • L shell production cross sections are obtained based on the measured X-ray yields. • L shell production cross sections obtained are in good agreement with theories

  9. AC electrical conductivity in amorphous indium selenide thin films

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Di Giulio, H.; Rella, R.; Tepore, A.

    1987-01-01

    In order to obtain additional information about the nature of the conduction mechanism in amorphous InSe films results of an experimental study concerning the frequency and temperature dependence of the ac conductivity are reported. The measurements were performed on specimens of different thickness and different electrode contact areas. The results can be explained assuming that conduction occurs by phonon-assisted hopping between localized states near the Fermi level

  10. On fabrication procedures of Li-ion conducting garnets

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hanc, Emil [The Mineral and Energy Economy Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, ul. Wybickiego 7, 31-261 Kraków (Poland); Zając, Wojciech, E-mail: wojciech.zajac@agh.edu.pl [AGH University of Science and Technology, Faculty of Energy and Fuels, al. Mickiewicza 30, 30-059 Kraków (Poland); Lu, Li; Yan, Binggong; Kotobuki, Masashi [Materials Science Group, Department of Mechanical Engineering, National University of Singapore (Singapore); Ziąbka, Magdalena [AGH University of Science and Technology, Faculty of Materials Science and Ceramics, al. Mickiewicza 30, 30-059 Kraków (Poland); Molenda, Janina [AGH University of Science and Technology, Faculty of Energy and Fuels, al. Mickiewicza 30, 30-059 Kraków (Poland)

    2017-04-15

    Ceramic oxides exhibiting high lithium-ion mobility at room temperature receive broad attention as candidate electrolytes for lithium batteries. Lithium-stuffed garnets from the Li{sub 7}La{sub 3}Zr{sub 2}O{sub 12} group seem to be especially promising because of their high ionic conductivity at room temperature and their electrochemical stability. In this work, we discuss factors that affect formation of the garnet in its bulk form or in the form of thick and thin films. We demonstrate that zinc oxide can be applied as a sintering aid that facilitate the formation of the highly conducting cubic Li{sub 7}La{sub 3}Zr{sub 2}O{sub 12} garnet phase in a single-step sintering procedure. Based on our experience with the single-step sintering experiments, we successfully fabricated a thick-film membrane consisting of a garnet solid electrolyte using the tape casting technique. In order to reduce the thickness of the electrolyte even further we investigated the fabrication of a thin-film Li{sub 7}La{sub 3}Zr{sub 2}O{sub 12} electrolyte by means of the pulsed laser deposition technique.

  11. Thickness filters for gradient based multi-material and thickness optimization of laminated composite structures

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sørensen, Rene; Lund, Erik

    2015-01-01

    This paper presents a new gradient based method for performing discrete material and thickness optimization of laminated composite structures. The novelty in the new method lies in the application of so-called casting constraints, or thickness filters in this context, to control the thickness...... variation throughout the laminate. The filters replace the layerwise density variables with a single continuous through-the-thickness design variable. Consequently, the filters eliminate the need for having explicit constraints for preventing intermediate void through the thickness of the laminate....... Therefore, the filters reduce both the number of constraints and design variables in the optimization problem. Based upon a continuous approximation of a unit step function, the thickness filters are capable of projecting discrete 0/1 values to the underlying layerwise or ”physical” density variables which...

  12. Shock Interaction with a Finite Thickness Two-Gas Interface

    Science.gov (United States)

    Labenski, John; Kim, Yong

    2006-03-01

    A dual-driver shock tube was used to investigate the growth rate of a finite thickness two-gas interface after shock forcing. One driver was used to create an argon-refrigerant interface as the contact surface behind a weak shock wave. The other driver, at the opposite end of the driven section, generates a stronger shock of Mach 1.1 to 1.3 to force the interface back in front of the detector station. Two schlieren systems record the density fluctuations while light scattering detectors record the density of the refrigerant as a function of position over the interface during both it's initial passage and return. A pair of digital cameras take stereo images of the interface, as mapped out by the tracer particles under illumination by a Q-switched ruby laser. The amount of time that the interface is allowed to travel up the driven section determines the interaction time as a control. Comparisons made between the schlieren signals, light scattering detector outputs, and the images quantify the fingered characteristics of the interface and its growth due to shock forcing. The results show that the interface has a distribution of thicknesses and that the interaction with a shock further broadens the interface.

  13. Correlation Between Bone and Soft Tissue Thickness in Maxillary Anterior Teeth

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nasrin Esfahanizadeh

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine buccal bone and soft tissue thicknesses and their correlation in the maxillary anterior region using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT.Materials and Methods: In this cross sectional study, 330 sound maxillary incisors in 60 patients with a mean age of 37.5 years were assessed by CBCT scans. For better visualization of soft tissue, patients were asked to use plastic retractors in order to retract their lips and cheeks away from the gingival tissue before taking the scans. Measurements were made in three different positions: at the crest and at 2 and 5mm apical to the crest. The cementoenamel junction‒crest distance was measured. for data analyses, the Pearson’s correlation coefficient, ANOVA and intraclass correlation coefficient were used.Results: There were mildly significant linear associations between labial soft tissue and bone thickness in the canines and incisors (r<0.40, P<0.05, but no association was found for the lateral incisors. The mean thickness of buccal bone differed significantly in the maxillary anterior teeth, being greater for the lateral incisors (P<0.05. For soft tissue thickness, the results were the same, and the least thickness was recorded for the canines. There was a mild association between labial soft tissue and bone thickness in canines and incisors (r=0.2, P=0.3, but no such linear association was seen for the lateral incisors.Conclusions: The mean thickness of buccal bone and soft tissue in the anterior maxilla was <1mm and there was a mild linear correlation between them.Keywords: Facial Bones; Cone-Beam Computed Tomography; Maxilla; Esthetics, Dental

  14. Effect of layer thickness on the properties of nickel thermal sprayed steel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nurisna, Zuhri, E-mail: zuhri-nurisna@yahoo.co.id; Triyono,, E-mail: triyonomesin@uns.ac.id; Muhayat, Nurul, E-mail: nurulmuhayat@staff.uns.ac.id; Wijayanta, Agung Tri, E-mail: agungtw@uns.ac.id [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Sebelas Maret University, Jl. Jr. Sutami 36 A, Surakarta (Indonesia)

    2016-03-29

    Thermal arc spray nickel coating is widely used for decorative and functional applications, by improving corrosion resistance, wear resistance, heat resistence or by modifying other properties of the coated materials. There are several properties have been studied. Layer thickness of nickel thermal sprayed steel may be make harder the substrate surface. In this study, the effect of layer thickness of nickel thermal sprayed steel has been investigated. The rectangular substrate specimens were coated by Ni–5 wt.% Al using wire arc spray method. The thickness of coating layers were in range from 0.4 to 1.0 mm. Different thickness of coating layers were conducted to investigate their effect on hardness and morphology. The coating layer was examined by using microvickers and scanning electron microscope with EDX attachment. Generally, the hardness at the interface increased with increasing thickness of coating layers for all specimens due to higher heat input during spraying process. Morphology analysis result that during spraying process aluminum would react with surrounding oxygen and form aluminum oxide at outer surface of splat. Moreover, porosity was formed in coating layers. However, presence porosity is not related to thickness of coating material. The thicker coating layer resulted highesr of hardness and bond strength.

  15. Creep characteristics in thick welded joints and their improvements. 2. Applicability of a simple model for creep analysis of thick welded joints

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nakacho, Keiji; Ueda, Yukio; Kinugawa, Junichi; Yamazaki, Masayoshi

    1997-01-01

    Reliable predictions of the creep behavior of thick welded joints are very important to secure the safety of elevated temperature vessels like nuclear reactors. Creep behavior is very complex, thus it is difficult to perform the experiment and conduct the theoretical analysis. A simple accurate model for theoretical analysis was developed in the first report. The simple model is constructed of seven one-dimensional finite elements which can analyze not only one-dimensional stress creep behavior but also the three-dimensional situation. The simple model is verified by comparing the analyzed results with the experimental ones in this report. The model is easy to treat, and needs only a little labor and computation time to predict the creep curve and the local strain for a thick welded joint. (author)

  16. The effect of thickness in the through-diffusion experiment. Final report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Valkiainen, M.; Aalto, H.; Lehikoinen, J.; Uusheimo, K.

    1996-01-01

    The report contains an experimental study of diffusion in the water-filled pores of rock samples. The samples studied are rapakivi granite from Loviisa, southern Finland. The drill-core sample was sectioned perpendicularly with a diamond saw and three cylindrical samples were obtained. The nominal thicknesses (heights of the cylinders) are 2, 4 and 6 cm. For the diffusion measurement the sample holders were pressed between two chambers. One of the chambers was filled with 0.0044 molar sodium chloride solution spiked with tracers. Another chamber was filled with inactive solution. Tritium (HTO) considered to be a water equivalent tracer and anionic 36 Cl - were used as tracers. The through diffusion was monitored about 1000 days after which time the diffusion cells were emptied and the sample holders dismantled. The samples were sectioned into 1 cm slices and the tracers were leached from the slices. The porosities of the slices were determined by the weighing method. The rock-capacity factors could be determined from the leaching results obtained. It was seen that the porosity values were in accordance with the rock capacity factors obtained with HTO. An anion exclusion can be seen comparing the results obtained with HTO and 36 Cl - . The concentration profile through even the thickest sample had reached a constant slope and the rate of diffusion was practically at a steady state. An anion exclusion effect was also seen in the effective diffusion coefficients. The effect of thickness on diffusion shows that the connectivity of the pores decreases in the thickness range 2-4 cm studied. The decrease as reflected in the diffusion coefficient was not dramatic and it can be said that especially for studying chemical interactions during diffusion, the thickness of 2 cm is adequate. (orig.) (12 refs.)

  17. Comparison of 120- and 140-μm SMILE Cap Thickness Results in Eyes With Thick Corneas.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Manli; Zhou, Yugui; Wu, Xianghua; Ye, Tiantian; Liu, Quan

    2016-10-01

    To evaluate clinical outcomes after small incision lenticule extraction (SMILE) with different cap thicknesses in thick corneas. Forty patients with central corneal thickness of more than 560 μm were recruited in this prospective, randomized, masked, paired-eye study. Patients were randomized to receive SMILE with a 120-μm cap thickness in 1 eye and 140-μm cap thickness in the other. Uncorrected and corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA), contrast sensitivity (CS), higher-order aberrations (HOAs), and morphologic modifications of corneal architecture were measured during the 3-month follow-up period. Postoperative refractive outcomes, visual outcomes, CS, and the changes in HOAs were similar between both groups. The persistence of brightly reflective particles in the corneal interface layer was 1388.6 ± 219.5/mm in eyes with 120-μm cap thickness and 54.7 ± 8.6/mm in eyes with 140-μm cap thickness (P line at the interface layer almost disappeared in all eyes with 140-μm cap thickness, and it still persisted in 43% of the fellow eyes at 3 months postoperatively. The anterior surfaces of lenticules in the 140-μm cap thickness group exhibited more smoothness than in the 120-μm cap thickness group. There was a lower level corneal wound-healing response after SMILE with a 140-μm cap thickness than with a 120-μm cap thickness, although the thickness of cap creation did not affect visual outcomes by 3 months postoperatively.

  18. Measurements of the effective total and resonance absorption cross sections for zircaloy-2 and zirconium

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kocic, A; Markovic, V [Institute of nuclear sciences Boris Kidric, Vinca, Beograd (Yugoslavia)

    1967-04-15

    Zirconium and zircaloy-2 alloy, as constructive materials, have found wide application in reactor technology, especially in heavy water systems for two reasons: a) low neutron absorption cross section, b) good mechanical properties. The thickness of the zirconium and zircaloy-2 for different applications varies from several tenths of a millimeter to about ten millimeters. Therefore, to calculate reactor systems it is desirable to know the effective neutron absorption cross section for the range of thicknesses mention above. The thermal neutron cross sections for these materials are low and no appreciable variation of the effective neutron cross section occurs even for the largest thicknesses. However, this is not true for effective resonance absorption. On the other hand, due to the lack of detailed knowledge of the zirconium resonances, calculations of the effective resonance integrals cannot be performed. Therefore it is necessary to measure the effective total and resonance absorption cross section for zirconium (author)

  19. Measurements of absolute M-subshell X-ray production cross sections of Th by electron impact

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Moy, A., E-mail: aurelien.moy@cea.fr [GM, CNRS, Université de Montpellier II, Place E. Bataillon, F-34095 Montpellier (France); CEA, DEN, DTEC, SGCS, LMAC, F-30207 Bagnols-sur-Cèze (France); Merlet, C. [GM, CNRS, Université de Montpellier II, Place E. Bataillon, F-34095 Montpellier (France); Dugne, O. [CEA, DEN, DTEC, SGCS, LMAC, F-30207 Bagnols-sur-Cèze (France)

    2014-08-31

    Highlights: • The M X-ray production cross sections of Th were measured by electron impact. • The M-subshell ionization cross sections of Th were determined from 3 to 38 keV. • Theoretical ionization cross-sections are in agreement with our experimental results. - Abstract: Measurements of absolute M-subshell X-ray production cross sections for element Th were made by electron impact for energies ranging from the ionization threshold up to 38 keV. Experimental data were obtained by measuring the X-ray intensity emitted from ultrathin Th films deposited onto self-supporting C backing films. The measurements were conducted with an electron microprobe using high-resolution wavelength dispersive spectrometers. Recorded intensities were converted into absolute X-ray production cross sections by means of atomic data and estimation of the number of primary electrons, target thickness, and detector efficiency. Our experimental X-ray production cross sections, the first to be reported for the M subshells of Th, are compared with X-ray production cross sections calculated with the mean of ionization cross sections obtained from the distorted-wave Born approximation. The Mα X-ray production cross section calculated is in excellent agreement with the measurements, allowing future use for standardless quantification in electron probe microanalysis.

  20. Subclinical atherosclerosis and hyperandrogenemia are independent risk factors for increased epicardial fat thickness in patients with PCOS and idiopathic hirsutism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cakir, Evrim; Doğan, Mehmet; Topaloglu, Oya; Ozbek, Mustafa; Cakal, Erman; Vural, Mustafa Gokhan; Yeter, Ekrem; Delibasi, Tuncay

    2013-01-01

    Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most common endocrine disorders affecting reproductive-age women and is reported to be associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and early atherosclerosis. Epicardial fat thickness (EF) is clinically related to subclinical atherosclerosis and visceral fat changes. Therefore, the objective of this study is to compare the carotid artery intima-media thickness (CIMT), EF and cardiometabolic risk factors in patients with PCOS, patients with idiopathic hirsutism (IH) and healthy controls. This cross-sectional controlled study was conducted in a training and research hospital. The study population consisted of 50 reproductive-age PCOS women, 34 women with IH and 39 control subjects. We evaluated anthropometric, hormonal and metabolic parameters as well as CIMT and EF measurements in PCOS patients, IH patients and controls. The mean fasting insulin, HOMA-IR, hsCRP, GGT, CIMT, and EF levels were significantly higher in patients with PCOS and IH (p cardiometabolic response in patients with PCOS and IH, even at an early stage. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. Thickness independent reduced forming voltage in oxygen engineered HfO{sub 2} based resistive switching memories

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sharath, S. U., E-mail: sharath@oxide.tu-darmstadt.de; Kurian, J.; Komissinskiy, P.; Hildebrandt, E.; Alff, L. [Institute of Materials Science, Technische Universität Darmstadt, 64287 Darmstadt (Germany); Bertaud, T.; Walczyk, C.; Calka, P. [IHP, Im Technologiepark 25, 15236 Frankfurt Oder (Germany); Schroeder, T. [IHP, Im Technologiepark 25, 15236 Frankfurt Oder (Germany); Brandenburgische Technische Universität, Konrad-Zuse-Strasse 1, 03046 Cottbus (Germany)

    2014-08-18

    The conducting filament forming voltage of stoichiometric hafnium oxide based resistive switching layers increases linearly with layer thickness. Using strongly reduced oxygen deficient hafnium oxide thin films grown on polycrystalline TiN/Si(001) substrates, the thickness dependence of the forming voltage is strongly suppressed. Instead, an almost constant forming voltage of about 3 V is observed up to 200 nm layer thickness. This effect suggests that filament formation and switching occurs for all samples in an oxidized HfO{sub 2} surface layer of a few nanometer thickness while the highly oxygen deficient thin film itself merely serves as a oxygen vacancy reservoir.

  2. Study of temperature-dependent charge conduction in silicon-nanocrystal/SiO_2 multilayers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mavilla, Narasimha Rao; Chavan, Vinayak; Solanki, Chetan Singh; Vasi, Juzer

    2016-01-01

    Silicon-nanocrystals (Si-NCs) realized by SiO_x _ 8 MV/cm; independent of temperature), while for lower electric fields (5–8 MV/cm) at higher temperatures, the trap-related Generalized Poole–Frenkel (GPF) is dominant. This signified the role of traps in modifying the conduction in bulk ICPCVD SiO_2 films. We then present the conduction in ML samples. For multilayer samples with SiO_2 sublayer thickness of 1.5 nm and 2.5 nm, Direct Tunneling (DT) is observed to be dominant, while for SiO_2 sublayer thickness of 3.5 nm, Space Charge Limited Conduction (SCLC) with exponential trap distribution is found to be the dominant conduction mechanism. This signifies the role of traps in modifying the conduction in Si-NC multilayer samples and SiO_2 sublayer thickness dependence. - Highlights: • Electrical conduction in SiO_2 film & Si-nanocrystal layers (Si-NCs) is reported. • SiO_2/SiO_x multilayer based Si-NCs were realized by Inductively Coupled plasma CVD. • For SiO_2 film, Fowler–Nordheim tunneling & Generalized Poole–Frenkel are observed. • For Si-NCs with thin SiO_2 sublayers (< 2.5 nm) Direct Tunneling is dominant. • For Si-NCs with 3.5 nm SiO_2 sublayers Space Charge Limited Conduction is dominant.

  3. Heat Conduction of Air in Nano Spacing

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhang Yao-Zhong

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract The scale effect of heat conduction of air in nano spacing (NS is very important for nanodevices to improve their life and efficiency. By constructing a special technique, the changes of heat conduction of air were studied by means of measuring the heat conduction with heat conduction instrument in NS between the hot plate and the cooling plate. Carbon nanotubes were used to produce the nano spacing. The results show that when the spacing is small down to nanometer scale, heat conduction plays a prominent role in NS. It was found that the thickness of air is a non-linear parameter for demarcating the heat conduction of air in NS and the rate of heat conduction in unit area could be regard as a typical parameter for the heat conduction characterization at nanometer scale.

  4. Study of lead free ferroelectrics using overlay technique on thick film microstrip ring resonator

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shridhar N. Mathad

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available The lead free ferroelectrics, strontium barium niobates, were synthesized via the low cost solid state reaction method and their fritless thick films were fabricated by screen printing technique on alumina substrate. The X band response (complex permittivity at very high frequencies of Ag thick film microstrip ring resonator perturbed with strontium barium niobates (SrxBa1-xNb2O6 in form of bulk and thick film was measured. A new approach for determination of complex permittivity (ε′ and ε′′ in the frequency range 8–12 GHz, using perturbation of Ag thick film microstrip ring resonator (MSRR, was applied for both bulk and thick film of strontium barium niobates (SrxBa1-xNb2O6. The microwave conductivity of the bulk and thick film lie in the range from 1.779 S/cm to 2.874 S/cm and 1.364 S/cm to 2.296 S/cm, respectively. The penetration depth of microwave in strontium barium niobates is also reported.

  5. Reducing lumber thickness variation using real-time statistical process control

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thomas M. Young; Brian H. Bond; Jan Wiedenbeck

    2002-01-01

    A technology feasibility study for reducing lumber thickness variation was conducted from April 2001 until March 2002 at two sawmills located in the southern U.S. A real-time statistical process control (SPC) system was developed that featured Wonderware human machine interface technology (HMI) with distributed real-time control charts for all sawing centers and...

  6. Retinal nerve fiber layer thickness in normals measured by spectral domain OCT.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bendschneider, Delia; Tornow, Ralf P; Horn, Folkert K; Laemmer, Robert; Roessler, Christopher W; Juenemann, Anselm G; Kruse, Friedrich E; Mardin, Christian Y

    2010-09-01

    To determine normal values for peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (RNFL) measured by spectral domain Optical Coherence Tomography (SOCT) in healthy white adults and to examine the relationship of RNFL with age, gender, and clinical variables. The peripapillary RNFL of 170 healthy patients (96 males and 74 females, age 20 to 78 y) was imaged with a high-resolution SOCT (Spectralis HRA+OCT, Heidelberg Engineering) in an observational cross-sectional study. RNFL thickness was measured around the optic nerve head using 16 automatically averaged, consecutive circular B-scans with 3.4-mm diameter. The automatically segmented RNFL thickness was divided into 32 segments (11.25 degrees each). One randomly selected eye per subject entered the study. Mean RNFL thickness in the study population was 97.2 ± 9.7 μm. Mean RNFL thickness was significantly negatively correlated with age (r = -0.214, P = 0.005), mean RNFL decrease per decade was 1.90 μm. As age dependency was different in different segments, age-correction of RNFL values was made for all segments separately. Age-adjusted RNFL thickness showed a significant correlation with axial length (r = -0.391, P = 0.001) and with refractive error (r = 0.396, P<0.001), but not with disc size (r = 0.124). Normal RNFL results with SOCT are comparable to those reported with time-domain OCT. In accordance with the literature on other devices, RNFL thickness measured with SOCT was significantly correlated with age and axial length. For creating a normative database of SOCT RNFL values have to be age adjusted.

  7. Thermal stratification effects on MHD radiative flow of nanofluid over nonlinear stretching sheet with variable thickness

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yahaya Shagaiya Daniel

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available The combined effects of thermal stratification, applied electric and magnetic fields, thermal radiation, viscous dissipation and Joules heating are numerically studied on a boundary layer flow of electrical conducting nanofluid over a nonlinearly stretching sheet with variable thickness. The governing equations which are partial differential equations are converted to a couple of ordinary differential equations with suitable similarity transformation techniques and are solved using implicit finite difference scheme. The electrical conducting nanofluid particle fraction on the boundary is passively rather than actively controlled. The effects of the emerging parameters on the electrical conducting nanofluid velocity, temperature, and nanoparticles concentration volume fraction with skin friction, heat transfer characteristics are examined with the aids of graphs and tabular form. It is observed that the variable thickness enhances the fluid velocity, temperature, and nanoparticle concentration volume fraction. The heat and mass transfer rate at the surface increases with thermal stratification resulting to a reduction in the fluid temperature. Electric field enhances the nanofluid velocity which resolved the sticking effects caused by a magnetic field which suppressed the profiles. Radiative heat transfer and viscous dissipation are sensitive to an increase in the fluid temperature and thicker thermal boundary layer thickness. Comparison with published results is examined and presented. Keywords: MHD nanofluid, Variable thickness, Thermal radiation, Similarity solution, Thermal stratification

  8. Thickness-Dependent Bioelectrochemical and Energy Applications of Thickness-Controlled Meso-Macroporous Antimony-Doped Tin Oxide

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Daniel Mieritz

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available Coatings of hierarchically meso-macroporous antimony-doped tin oxide (ATO enable interfacing adsorbed species, such as biomacromolecules, with an electronic circuit. The coating thickness is a limiting factor for the surface coverage of adsorbates, that are electrochemically addressable. To overcome this challenge, a carbon black-based templating method was developed by studying the composition of the template system, and finding the right conditions for self-standing templates, preventing the reaction mixture from flowing out of the mask. The thicknesses of as-fabricated coatings were measured using stylus profilometry to establish a relationship between the mask thickness and the coating thickness. Cyclic voltammetry was performed on coatings with adsorbed cytochrome c to check whether the entire coating thickness was electrochemically addressable. Further, bacterial photosynthetic reaction centers were incorporated into the coatings, and photocurrent with respect to coating thickness was studied. The template mixture required enough of both carbon black and polymer, roughly 7% carbon black and 6% poly(ethylene glycol. Coatings were fabricated with thicknesses approaching 30 µm, and thickness was shown to be controllable up to at least 15 µm. Under the experimental conditions, photocurrent was found to increase linearly with the coating thickness, up to around 12 µm, above which were diminished gains.

  9. Radioactive thickness gauge (1962)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Guizerix, J.

    1962-01-01

    The author describes a thickness gauge in which the scintillating crystal detector alternately 'sees' a radioactive source through the material which is to be measured and then a control source of the same material; the radiations are separated in time by an absorbing valve whose sections are alternately full and hollow. The currents corresponding to the two sources are separated beyond the photomultiplier tube by a detector synchronized with the rotation of the valve. The quotient of these two currents is then obtained with a standard recording potentiometer. It is found that the average value of the response which is in the form G = f(I 1 /I 2 ) is not affected by decay of the radioactive sources, and that it is little influenced by variations of high tension, temperature, or properties of the air in the source detector interval. The performance of the gauge is given. (author) [fr

  10. Effect of thickness on structural and electrical properties of Al-doped ZnO films

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Garcés, F.A., E-mail: felipe.garces@santafe-conicet.gov.ar [Instituto de Física del Litoral (CONICET-UNL), Güemes 3450, Santa Fe S3000GLN (Argentina); Budini, N. [Instituto de Física del Litoral (CONICET-UNL), Güemes 3450, Santa Fe S3000GLN (Argentina); Arce, R.D.; Schmidt, J.A. [Instituto de Física del Litoral (CONICET-UNL), Güemes 3450, Santa Fe S3000GLN (Argentina); Facultad de Ingeniería Química, Universidad Nacional del Litoral, Santiago del Estero 2829, Santa Fe S3000AOM (Argentina)

    2015-01-01

    In this work, we have investigated the influence of thickness on structural and electrical properties of Al-doped ZnO films. Transparent conducting oxide films were grown by the spray pyrolysis technique from precursors prepared via the sol–gel method. We determined the structural properties of the films by performing X-ray diffraction and mosaicity measurements, which evidenced an increase of disorder and inhomogeneity between crystalline domains as the films thickened. This behavior was contrasted with results obtained from electrical measurements and was attributed to plastic deformation of the films as their thickness increased. As a result, the carrier mobility, the optical gap and the activation energy are affected due to emerging grain boundaries and a higher degree of disorder. - Highlights: • Al-doped ZnO thin films on glass with different thicknesses • Film thickness affects the morphological and electrical properties. • Increasing time deposition allows modification of resistivity and Hall mobility. • Mosaicity between crystalline domains increases with film thickness.

  11. Effect of thickness on structural and electrical properties of Al-doped ZnO films

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Garcés, F.A.; Budini, N.; Arce, R.D.; Schmidt, J.A.

    2015-01-01

    In this work, we have investigated the influence of thickness on structural and electrical properties of Al-doped ZnO films. Transparent conducting oxide films were grown by the spray pyrolysis technique from precursors prepared via the sol–gel method. We determined the structural properties of the films by performing X-ray diffraction and mosaicity measurements, which evidenced an increase of disorder and inhomogeneity between crystalline domains as the films thickened. This behavior was contrasted with results obtained from electrical measurements and was attributed to plastic deformation of the films as their thickness increased. As a result, the carrier mobility, the optical gap and the activation energy are affected due to emerging grain boundaries and a higher degree of disorder. - Highlights: • Al-doped ZnO thin films on glass with different thicknesses • Film thickness affects the morphological and electrical properties. • Increasing time deposition allows modification of resistivity and Hall mobility. • Mosaicity between crystalline domains increases with film thickness

  12. Evaluation of atrophy of foot muscles in diabetic neuropathy -- a comparative study of nerve conduction studies and ultrasonography

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Severinsen, Kaare; Andersen, Henning

    2007-01-01

    OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the relation between the findings at nerve conduction studies and the size of small foot muscles determined by ultrasonography. METHODS: In 26 diabetic patients the size of the extensor digitorum brevis muscle (EDB) and of the muscles between the first and second metatarsal...... related to the size of the small foot muscles as determined by ultrasonography. SIGNIFICANCE: In diabetic patients motor nerve conduction studies can reliably determine the size of small foot muscles. Udgivelsesdato: 2007-Oct....... RESULTS: Seventeen patients fulfilled the criteria for diabetic neuropathy. The cross-sectional area of the EDB muscle and the thickness of the MIL muscle were 116 +/- 65 mm2 and 29.6 +/- 8.2 mm, respectively. Close relations were established between muscle size and the amplitude of the CMAP...

  13. Thin-section CT of Cushing's disease

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Takahashi, Tatsuo; Kuwayama, Akio; Katoh, Tetsuo; Ichihara, Kaoru; Kageyama, Naoki; Nakamura, Koji.

    1983-01-01

    Using 1.5 mm contiguous sections with a GE CT/T 8800 scanner, we investigated the sellar regions of 22 cases of Cushing's diseases which had been diagnosed endocrinologically. Each sellar turcica was normal in size, and in only 5 cases were there significant findings on 2 mm-thick sellar-floor polytomography. Nine tumors appeared as regions of a hypodense area, and three tumors were diagnosed by indirect signs, for example, stalk deviation and diaphragmatic plane asymmetry. The other 10 cases, especially those previously operated on or irradiated, were diagnosed as falsely positive or negative. Because it is best of the microadenomas appear hypodense within the strongly contrast-enhanced anterior pituitary glands, it is better for scans to be obtained immediately after rapid intravenous contrast infusion. Hypodense areas of microadenomas are best demonstrated on direct coronal scans or reversed scans of 1.5 mm-thickness thin-slice sections. By these methods, microadenomas, if they are over 5-6 mm in diameter, can appear as hypodense. Sellar floor findings by means of thin-section CT were more sensitive than those of polytomography and had more advantages in local diagnosis. If the tumor were over 4 mm in diameter, local changes in the sellar floor could be demonstrated by thin-section CT, but by polytomography no changes in the sellar floor could be demonstrated until the tumor size reached 6 mm. (author)

  14. A global limit load solution for plates with surface cracks under combined end force and cross-thickness bending

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lei Yuebao; Fox, Mike J.H.

    2011-01-01

    A global limit load solution for rectangular surface cracks in plates under combined end force and cross-thickness bending is derived, which allows any combination of positive/negative end force and positive/negative cross-thickness moment. The solution is based on the net-section plastic collapse concept and, therefore, gives limit load values based on the Tresca yielding criterion. Solutions for both cases with and without crack face contact are derived when whole or part of the crack is located in the compressive stress zone. From the solution, particular global limit load solutions for plates with extended surface cracks and through-thickness cracks under the same loading conditions are obtained. The solution is consistent with the limit load solution for surface cracks in plates under combined tension and positive bending due to Goodall and Webster and Lei when both the applied end force and bending moment are positive. The solution reduces to the limit load solution for plain plates under combined end force and cross-thickness bending when the crack vanishes. - Highlights: → A global limit load solution for plates with surface cracks in plates is derived. → Combined positive/negative end force and positive/negative cross-thickness moment are considered. → The solution is based on the net-section plastic collapse concept.

  15. Accurate Rapid Lifetime Determination on Time-Gated FLIM Microscopy with Optical Sectioning.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Silva, Susana F; Domingues, José Paulo; Morgado, António Miguel

    2018-01-01

    Time-gated fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) is a powerful technique to assess the biochemistry of cells and tissues. When applied to living thick samples, it is hampered by the lack of optical sectioning and the need of acquiring many images for an accurate measurement of fluorescence lifetimes. Here, we report on the use of processing techniques to overcome these limitations, minimizing the acquisition time, while providing optical sectioning. We evaluated the application of the HiLo and the rapid lifetime determination (RLD) techniques for accurate measurement of fluorescence lifetimes with optical sectioning. HiLo provides optical sectioning by combining the high-frequency content from a standard image, obtained with uniform illumination, with the low-frequency content of a second image, acquired using structured illumination. Our results show that HiLo produces optical sectioning on thick samples without degrading the accuracy of the measured lifetimes. We also show that instrument response function (IRF) deconvolution can be applied with the RLD technique on HiLo images, improving greatly the accuracy of the measured lifetimes. These results open the possibility of using the RLD technique with pulsed diode laser sources to determine accurately fluorescence lifetimes in the subnanosecond range on thick multilayer samples, providing that offline processing is allowed.

  16. Survey of Nerve Fiber Layer Thickness in Anisometropic and Strabismic Amblyopia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Reza Soltani Moghaddam

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available . To investigate the effect of anisometropic and strabismic amblyopia on the nerve fiber layer thickness. This cross-sectional study was done on 54 amblyopic subjects, equally in both strabismic and anisometropic groups. The thickness otonerve fiber layer measured in superior, inferior, nasal, temporal quadrants and as a whole in both eyes of both groups. The means of thickness were compared in amblyopic and sound eyes. In strabismus group, the average nerve fiber layer thickness of the sound eye , in superior, inferior, nasal and temporal quadrants and as a whole were 113.23±14, 117.37±25, 68.96±6, 69.55±14 and 93.40±8 microns respectively. In amblyopic eyes of the same group, these measurements were 103.11±18, 67.74±11, and 69.59±16 and 89.59±12 microns in superior, inferior, nasal, temporal quadrants and as whole respectively. In anisometropic groups, the sound eye measurements were as 130.96±22, 129.07±29, 80.62±12, and 83.88±20 and 107.7±13 microns in superior, inferior, nasal and temporal quadrants and as a whole orderly. In amblyopic eyes of this group the mean thicknesses were 115.63±29, 133.15±25, 78.8±15, 80.2±16 and 109.17±21 microns in superior, inferior, nasal, temporal quadrants and as a whole respectively. Statistically, there were no significant differences between amblyopic and sound eyes (P>0.5. Our study did not support any significant change in a nerve fiber layer thickness of amblyopic patients; however, decreased thickness in superior and nasal quadrants of strabismic amblyopia and except inferior quadrant and as a whole. These measurements may be a clue for management and prognosis of amblyopia in old age.

  17. SEA ICE THICKNESS MEASUREMENT BY GROUND PENETRATING RADAR FOR GROUND TRUTH OF MICROWAVE REMOTE SENSING DATA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. Matsumoto

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available Observation of sea ice thickness is one of key issues to understand regional effect of global warming. One of approaches to monitor sea ice in large area is microwave remote sensing data analysis. However, ground truth must be necessary to discuss the effectivity of this kind of approach. The conventional method to acquire ground truth of ice thickness is drilling ice layer and directly measuring the thickness by a ruler. However, this method is destructive, time-consuming and limited spatial resolution. Although there are several methods to acquire ice thickness in non-destructive way, ground penetrating radar (GPR can be effective solution because it can discriminate snow-ice and ice-sea water interface. In this paper, we carried out GPR measurement in Lake Saroma for relatively large area (200 m by 300 m, approximately aiming to obtain grand truth for remote sensing data. GPR survey was conducted at 5 locations in the area. The direct measurement was also conducted simultaneously in order to calibrate GPR data for thickness estimation and to validate the result. Although GPR Bscan image obtained from 600MHz contains the reflection which may come from a structure under snow, the origin of the reflection is not obvious. Therefore, further analysis and interpretation of the GPR image, such as numerical simulation, additional signal processing and use of 200 MHz antenna, are required to move on thickness estimation.

  18. Characterization of nanometer-thick polycrystalline silicon with phonon-boundary scattering enhanced thermoelectric properties and its application in infrared sensors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, Huchuan; Kropelnicki, Piotr; Lee, Chengkuo

    2015-01-14

    Although significantly reducing the thermal conductivity of silicon nanowires has been reported, it remains a challenge to integrate silicon nanowires with structure materials and electrodes in the complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) process. In this paper, we investigated the thermal conductivity of nanometer-thick polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si) theoretically and experimentally. By leveraging the phonon-boundary scattering, the thermal conductivity of 52 nm thick poly-Si was measured as low as around 12 W mK(-1) which is only about 10% of the value of bulk single crystalline silicon. The ZT of n-doped and p-doped 52 nm thick poly-Si was measured as 0.067 and 0.024, respectively, while most previously reported data had values of about 0.02 and 0.01 for a poly-Si layer with a thickness of 0.5 μm and above. Thermopile infrared sensors comprising 128 pairs of thermocouples made of either n-doped or p-doped nanometer-thick poly-Si strips in a series connected by an aluminium (Al) metal interconnect layer are fabricated using microelectromechanical system (MEMS) technology. The measured vacuum specific detectivity (D*) of the n-doped and p-doped thermopile infrared (IR) sensors are 3.00 × 10(8) and 1.83 × 10(8) cm Hz(1/2) W(-1) for sensors of 52 nm thick poly-Si, and 5.75 × 10(7) and 3.95 × 10(7) cm Hz(1/2) W(-1) for sensors of 300 nm thick poly-Si, respectively. The outstanding thermoelectric properties indicate our approach is promising for diverse applications using ultrathin poly-Si technology.

  19. Indium-Nitrogen Codoped Zinc Oxide Thin Film Deposited by Ultrasonic Spray Pyrolysis on n-(111 Si Substrate: The Effect of Film Thickness

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cheng-Chang Yu

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Indium-nitrogen codoped zinc oxide (INZO thin films were fabricated by spray pyrolysis deposition technique on n-(111 Si substrate with different film thicknesses at 450°C using a precursor containing zinc acetate, ammonium acetate, and indium nitrate with 1 : 3 : 0.05 at.% concentration. The morphology and structure studies were carried out by scanning electron microscopy (SEM and X-ray diffraction (XRD. The grain size of the films increased when increasing the film thickness. From XRD spectra, polycrystalline ZnO structure can be observed and the preferred orientation behavior varied from (002 to (101 as the film thickness increased. The concentration and mobility were investigated by Hall effect measurement. the p-type films with a hole mobility around 3 cm2V−1s−1 and hole concentration around 3×1019 cm−3 can be achieved with film thickness less than 385 nm. The n-type conduction with concentration 1×1020 cm−3 is observed for film with thickness 1089 nm. The defect states were characterized by photoluminescence. With temperature-dependent conductivity analysis, acceptor state with activation energy 0.139 eV dominate the p type conduction for thin INZO film. And the Zn-related shallow donors with activation energy 0.029 eV dominate the n-type conduction for the thick INZO film.

  20. Decreased Callosal Thickness in Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

    Science.gov (United States)

    Luders, Eileen; Narr, Katherine L.; Hamilton, Liberty S.; Phillips, Owen R.; Thompson, Paul M.; Valle, Jessica S.; Del'Homme, Melissa; Strickland, Tony; McCracken, James T.; Toga, Arthur W.; Levitt, Jennifer G.

    2009-01-01

    Background Neuroimaging studies of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have revealed structural abnormalities in the brains of affected individuals. One of the most replicated alterations is a significantly smaller corpus callosum (CC), for which conflicting reports exist with respect to the affected callosal segments. Methods We applied novel surface-based geometrical modeling methods to establish the presence, direction, and exact location of callosal alterations in ADHD at high spatial resolution. For this purpose, we calculated the thickness of the CC at 100 equidistant midsagittal points in an age-matched male sample of 19 individuals with ADHD and 19 typically developing control subjects. Results In close agreement with many prior observations, the CC was shown to be significantly thinner in ADHD subjects in anterior and, particularly, posterior callosal sections. Covarying for intelligence did not significantly alter the observed ADHD effects. However, group differences were no longer present in anterior sections when covarying for brain volume and after excluding ADHD subjects comorbid for oppositional defiant disorder. Conclusions Decreased callosal thickness may be associated with fewer fibers or a decrease in the myelination of fibers connecting the parietal and prefrontal cortices. This might affect interhemispheric communication channels that are necessary to sustain attention or motor control, thus contributing to symptoms of hyperactivity and impulsivity, or inattention, observed in ADHD. Future studies are necessary to determine whether callosal abnormalities reflect maturational delays or persist into adulthood. PMID:18842255

  1. Effect of the nanofilm thickness on the properties of the two-dimensional electron gas at the interface between two dielectrics

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gadiev, R. M., E-mail: gadiev.radik@gmail.com; Lachinov, A. N. [M. Akmullah Baskir State Pedagogical University (Russian Federation); Karamov, D. D. [Russian Academy of Sciences, Ufa Scientific Center (Russian Federation); Kiselev, D. A. [National University of Science and Technology MISiS (Russian Federation); Kornilov, V. M. [M. Akmullah Baskir State Pedagogical University (Russian Federation)

    2016-07-15

    The mechanism of formation of the two-dimensional conductivity along the interface between two polymer dielectrics is experimentally studied. The idea of “polar catastrophe,” which was successfully used earlier to explain the electronic properties of the interface between two perovskites LaAlO{sub 3}/SrTiO{sub 3}, is chosen as a base hypothesis. Piezoelectric response microscopy is used to reveal the presence of spontaneous polarization on the surface of a polymer film, and the remanent polarization is found to decrease with increasing film thickness. As in the case of perovskites, the polymer film thickness is found to strongly affect the electrical conductivity along the interface. Substantial differences between these phenomena are detected. The change in the electrical conductivity is shown to be caused by a significant increase in the charge carrier mobility when the film thickness decreases below a certain critical value. The relation between the change in the carrier mobility and the change in the spontaneous surface polarization of the polymer film when its thickness decreases is discussed.

  2. Activation cross sections of longer-lived radionuclides produced in germanium by alpha particle irradiation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Takács, S., E-mail: stakacs@atomki.hu [Institute for Nuclear Research, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Atomki, 4026 Debrecen (Hungary); Takács, M.P.; Ditrói, F. [Institute for Nuclear Research, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Atomki, 4026 Debrecen (Hungary); Aikawa, M. [Faculty of Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-0810 (Japan); Haba, H.; Komori, Y. [Nishina Center for Accelerator-Based Science, RIKEN, Wako, Saitama 351-0198 (Japan)

    2016-09-15

    The cross sections of alpha particles induced nuclear reactions on natural germanium were investigated by using the standard stacked foil target technique, the activation method and high resolution gamma spectrometry. Targets with thickness of about 1 μm were prepared from natural Ge by vacuum evaporation onto 25 μm thick polyimide (Kapton) backing foils. Stacks were composed of Kapton-Ge-Ge-Kapton sandwich target foils and additional titanium monitor foils with nominal thickness of 11 μm to monitor the beam parameters using the {sup nat}Ti(α,x){sup 51}Cr reaction. The irradiations were done with E{sub α} = 20.7 and E{sub α} = 51.25 MeV, I{sub α} = 50 nA alpha particle beams for about 1 h. Direct or cumulative activation cross sections were determined for production of the {sup 72,73,75}Se, {sup 71,72,74,76,78}As, and {sup 69}Ge radionuclides. The obtained experimental cross sections were compared to the results of theoretical calculations taken from the TENDL data library based on the TALYS computer code. A comparison was made with available experimental data measured earlier. Thick target yields were deduced from the experimental cross sections and compared with the data published before.

  3. Flexural fatigue life prediction of closed hat-section using materially nonlinear axial fatigue characteristics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Razzaq, Zia

    1989-01-01

    Straight or curved hat-section members are often used as structural stiffeners in aircraft. For instance, they are employed as stiffeners for the dorsal skin as well as in the aerial refueling adjacent area structure in F-106 aircraft. The flanges of the hat-section are connected to the aircraft skin. Thus, the portion of the skin closing the hat-section interacts with the section itself when resisting the stresses due to service loads. The flexural fatigue life of such a closed section is estimated using materially nonlinear axial fatigue characteristics. It should be recognized that when a structural shape is subjected to bending, the fatigue life at the neutral axis is infinity since the normal stresses are zero at that location. Conversely, the fatigue life at the extreme fibers where the normal bending stresses are maximum can be expected to be finite. Thus, different fatigue life estimates can be visualized at various distances from the neural axis. The problem becomes compounded further when significant portions away from the neutral axis are stressed into plastic range. A theoretical analysis of the closed hat-section subjected to flexural cyclic loading is first conducted. The axial fatigue characteristics together with the related axial fatigue life formula and its inverted form given by Manson and Muralidharan are adopted for an aluminum alloy used in aircraft construction. A closed-form expression for predicting the flexural fatigue life is then derived for the closed hat-section including materially nonlinear action. A computer program is written to conduct a study of the variables such as the thicknesses of the hat-section and the skin, and the type of alloy used. The study has provided a fundamental understanding of the flexural fatigue life characteristics of a practical structural component used in aircraft when materially nonlinear action is present.

  4. Thickness evaluation using a new relationship between film density and penetrated thickness in radiography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Sung Sik; Kim, Young H.

    2005-01-01

    In order to improve the accuracies in the thickness evaluation using radiography, a new relationship between film density and penetrated thickness has been proposed, and experimental verification of the proposed relationship was carried out by using the X- and γ-ray radiographs of two carbon steel step wedges. A new parameter, the logarithmic gradient of film density, was defined in order to express the characteristics of the radiographic film for wider range of film density. A new relationship between the film density and the penetrated thickness were formulated using the logarithmic gradient of the film density. In experiment, the logarithmic gradient of the film density was independent on both the exposure and the film density and measured for the radiographic film used in the present work from the slope of the fitting lines for the same penetrated thickness. Experimental results verifies the accuracy of the proposed relationship between film density and the penetrated thickness for the range of film density from 1.0 to 3.5. The thickness can be more accurately determined by using the proposed relationship and the parameters determined by experiment. It is also found that the γ-ray having simple energy spectrum is more appropriate radiation source for the evaluation of the thickness from the film density of the radiograph

  5. Sphygmomanometric and ambulatory blood pressures as forerunners of carotid and femoral intima-media thickness.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Dechering, D.G.; Wizner, B.; Adiyaman, A.; Nawrot, T.; Jin, Y.; Richart, T.; Kuznetsova, T.; Struijker-Boudier, H.A.; Thien, Th.; Staessen, J.A.

    2009-01-01

    OBJECTIVE: Studies directly comparing the associations of intima-media thickness with blood pressure (BP) on manual sphygmomanometric blood pressure measurement (SBPM) and 24-h ambulatory blood pressure measurement (ABPM) are scarce and have a cross-sectional design. METHODS: At baseline, we

  6. The Effect of Shell Thickness, Insulation and Casting Temperature on Defects Formation During Investment Casting of Ni-base Turbine Blades

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Raza M.

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Turbine blades have complex geometries with free form surface. Blades have different thickness at the trailing and leading edges as well as sharp bends at the chord-tip shroud junction and sharp fins at the tip shroud. In investment casting of blades, shrinkage at the tip-shroud and cord junction is a common casting problem. Because of high temperature applications, grain structure is also critical in these castings in order to avoid creep. The aim of this work is to evaluate the effect of different process parameters, such as, shell thickness, insulation and casting temperature on shrinkage porosity and grain size. The test geometry used in this study was a thin-walled air-foil structure which is representative of a typical hot-gas-path rotating turbine component. It was observed that, in thin sections, increased shell thickness helps to increase the feeding distance and thus avoid interdendritic shrinkage. It was also observed that grain size is not significantly affected by shell thickness in thin sections. Slower cooling rate due to the added insulation and steeper thermal gradient at metal mold interface induced by the thicker shell not only helps to avoid shrinkage porosity but also increases fill-ability in thinner sections.

  7. Relationship between the thickness of the renal cortex and age: study with CT measurement

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xu Yufeng; Tang Guangjian

    2004-01-01

    Objective: To study the relationship between the renal cortical thickness and age, and to establish the range of the normal renal cortex thickness by using CT measurement in different age groups so as to obtain a best age-related and practicable method for clinical measurement. Methods: (1) the accuracy of measuring renal cortical thickness by CT was evaluated: 18 kidney resected due to renal neoplasm were studied and the cortical thickness of the normal part of these specimens was assessed. The difference between the renal cortical thickness of specimens and preoperative measurements of renal cortex of the same patient by contrast enhanced CT was analyzed statistically. (2) 120 patients without history of renal disease or long term usage of potentially renal toxic drugs or history of hypertension were examined by CT with indication (s) other than renal disease. All the patients were divided into 20-40, 41-60, and 61-80 year-old groups. The renal cortical and parenchymal thickness and renal size were measured in three CT sections. The difference of the measurements among the three groups and their relationship to age was analyzed statistically. Results: There was no significant difference between the renal cortical thickness measured by enhanced spiral CT and measured in renal specimens (t=0.80, P=0.43). The renal cortical thickness in three groups was 0.73 cm, 0.65 cm, and 0.53 cm, respectively, and the differences among the three groups were significant (F=93.430, P 0.05). Conclusion: The measurement of the renal cortical thickness with enhanced spiral CT was reliable and was a sensitive method in investigating the morphologic changes of the kidney. The renal cortical thickness of normal kidney diminishes with age, but the change of the ratio of thickness of renal cortex to renal parenchyma with age was not significant

  8. Aligned Carbon Nanotube to Enhance Through Thickness Thermal Conductivity in Adhesive Joints (Preprint)

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Ganguli, Sabyasachi; Roy, Ajit K; Dai, Liming; Qu, Liangti

    2006-01-01

    .... Carbon nanotubes theoretically have an extremely high thermal conductivity along the longitudinal axis and according to molecular dynamics simulations the value can be as high as 3500 W/mK at room...

  9. Nondestructive web thickness measurement of micro-drills with an integrated laser inspection system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chuang, Shui-Fa; Chen, Yen-Chung; Chang, Wen-Tung; Lin, Ching-Chih; Tarng, Yeong-Shin

    2010-09-01

    Nowadays, the electric and semiconductor industries use numerous micro-drills to machine micro-holes in printed circuit boards. The measurement of web thickness of micro-drills, a key parameter of micro-drill geometry influencing drill rigidity and chip-removal ability, is quite important to ensure quality control. Traditionally, inefficiently destructive measuring method is adopted by inspectors. To improve quality and efficiency of the web thickness measuring tasks, a nondestructive measuring method is required. In this paper, based on the laser micro-gauge (LMG) and laser confocal displacement meter (LCDM) techniques, a nondestructive measuring principle of web thickness of micro-drills is introduced. An integrated laser inspection system, mainly consisting of a LMG, a LCDM and a two-axis-driven micro-drill fixture device, was developed. Experiments meant to inspect web thickness of micro-drill samples with a nominal diameter of 0.25 mm were conducted to test the feasibility of the developed laser inspection system. The experimental results showed that the web thickness measurement could achieve an estimated repeatability of ± 1.6 μm and a worst repeatability of ± 7.5 μm. The developed laser inspection system, combined with the nondestructive measuring principle, was able to undertake the web thickness measuring tasks for certain micro-drills.

  10. Method of accurate thickness measurement of boron carbide coating on copper foil

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lacy, Jeffrey L.; Regmi, Murari

    2017-11-07

    A method is disclosed of measuring the thickness of a thin coating on a substrate comprising dissolving the coating and substrate in a reagent and using the post-dissolution concentration of the coating in the reagent to calculate an effective thickness of the coating. The preferred method includes measuring non-conducting films on flexible and rough substrates, but other kinds of thin films can be measure by matching a reliable film-substrate dissolution technique. One preferred method includes determining the thickness of Boron Carbide films deposited on copper foil. The preferred method uses a standard technique known as inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICPOES) to measure boron concentration in a liquid sample prepared by dissolving boron carbide films and the Copper substrates, preferably using a chemical etch known as ceric ammonium nitrate (CAN). Measured boron concentration values can then be calculated.

  11. Genetic and Developmental Basis for Increased Leaf Thickness in the Arabidopsis Cvi Ecotype

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Viktoriya Coneva

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Leaf thickness is a quantitative trait that is associated with the ability of plants to occupy dry, high irradiance environments. Despite its importance, leaf thickness has been difficult to measure reproducibly, which has impeded progress in understanding its genetic basis, and the associated anatomical mechanisms that pattern it. Here, we used a custom-built dual confocal profilometer device to measure leaf thickness in the Arabidopsis Ler × Cvi recombinant inbred line population and found statistical support for four quantitative trait loci (QTL associated with this trait. We used publically available data for a suite of traits relating to flowering time and growth responses to light quality and show that three of the four leaf thickness QTL coincide with QTL for at least one of these traits. Using time course photography, we quantified the relative growth rate and the pace of rosette leaf initiation in the Ler and Cvi ecotypes. We found that Cvi rosettes grow slower than Ler, both in terms of the rate of leaf initiation and the overall rate of biomass accumulation. Collectively, these data suggest that leaf thickness is tightly linked with physiological status and may present a tradeoff between the ability to withstand stress and rapid vegetative growth. To understand the anatomical basis of leaf thickness, we compared cross-sections of Cvi and Ler leaves and show that Cvi palisade mesophyll cells elongate anisotropically contributing to leaf thickness. Flow cytometry of whole leaves show that endopolyploidy accompanies thicker leaves in Cvi. Overall, our data suggest that mechanistically, an altered schedule of cellular events affecting endopolyploidy and increasing palisade mesophyll cell length contribute to increase of leaf thickness in Cvi. Ultimately, knowledge of the genetic basis and developmental trajectory leaf thickness will inform the mechanisms by which natural selection acts to produce variation in this adaptive trait.

  12. Constructing kinetics fatigue diagrams using testing results obtained on a machine with rigid loading for specimens of various thickness

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Simin'kovich, V.N.; Gladkij, Ya.N.; Deev, N.A.

    1981-01-01

    Bending tests of 40KhS steel specimens, tempered at 200 and 500 deg C, are conducted to investigate the possible effects of specimen thickness on fatigue crack growth. Kinetic fatigue diagrams are constructed using the investigation results. An increase in crack growth with thickness is observed only in high-tempered specimens. Changes in specimen thickness do not affect crack growth in 40KhS low-tempered steel [ru

  13. Development of Multidimensional Gap Conductance model using Virtual Link Gap Element

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, Hyo Chan; Yang, Yong Sik; Kim, Dae Ho; Bang, Je Geon; Kim, Sun Ki; Koo, Yang Hyun [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2013-10-15

    The gap conductance that determines temperature gradient between pellet and cladding can be quite sensitive to gap thickness. For instance, once the gap size increases up to several micrometers in certain region, difference of pellet surface temperatures increases up to 100 Kelvin. Therefore, iterative thermo-mechanical coupled analysis is required to solve temperature distribution throughout pellet and cladding. Recently, multidimensional fuel performance codes have been being developed in the advanced countries to evaluate thermal behavior of fuel for off normal conditions and DBA(design based accident) conditions using the Finite Element Method (FEM). FRAPCON-FRAPTRAN code system, which is well known as the verified and reliable code, incorporates 1D thermal module and multidimensional mechanical module. In this code, multidimensional gap conductance model is not applied. ALCYONE developed by CEA introduces equivalent heat convection coefficient that represents multidimensional gap conductance as a function of gap thickness. BISON, which is multidimensional fuel performance code developed by INL, owns multidimensional gap conductance model using projected thermal contact. In general, thermal contact algorithm is nonlinear calculation which is expensive approach numerically. The gap conductance model for multi-dimension is difficult issue in terms of convergence and nonlinearity because gap conductance is function of gap thickness which depends on mechanical analysis at each iteration step. In this paper, virtual link gap (VLG) element has been proposed to resolve convergence issue and nonlinear characteristic of multidimensional gap conductance. In terms of calculation accuracy and convergence efficiency, the proposed VLG model was evaluated. LWR fuel performance codes should incorporate thermo-mechanical loop to solve gap conductance problem, iteratively. However, gap conductance in multidimensional model is difficult issue owing to its nonlinearity and

  14. Disentangling The Thick Concept Argument

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Blomberg, Olle

    2007-01-01

    Critics argue that non-cognitivism cannot adequately account for the existence and nature of some thick moral concepts. They use the existence of thick concepts as a lever in an argument against non-cognitivism, here called the Thick Concept Argument (TCA). While TCA is frequently invoked...

  15. Application of Industrial XRF Coating Thickness Analyzer for Phosphate Coating Thickness on Steel

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aleksandr Sokolov

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available The results of industrial application of an online X-ray fluorescence coating thickness analyzer for measuring the thickness of phosphate coatings on moving steel strips are considered in the article. The target range of coating thickness to be measured is from tens to hundreds of mg/m2 in a measurement time of 10 s. The measurement accuracy observed during long-duration factory acceptance test was 10–15%. The coating thickness analyzer consists of two XRF gauges, mounted above and below the steel strip and capable of moving across the moving strip system for their suspension and relocation and electronic control unit. Fully automated software was developed to automatically and continuously (24/7 control both gauges, scanning both sides of the steel strip, and develop and test methods for measuring new coatings. It allows performing offline storage and retrieval of the measurement results, remotely controlling the analyzer components and measurement modes from a control room. The developed XRF coating thickness analyzer can also be used for real-time measurement of other types of coatings, both metallic and non-metallic.

  16. Impacts of variable thermal conductivity on stagnation point boundary layer flow past a Riga plate with variable thickness using generalized Fourier's law

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shah, S.; Hussain, S.; Sagheer, M.

    2018-06-01

    This article explores the problem of two-dimensional, laminar, steady and boundary layer stagnation point slip flow over a Riga plate. The incompressible upper-convected Maxwell fluid has been considered as a rheological fluid model. The heat transfer characteristics are investigated with generalized Fourier's law. The fluid thermal conductivity is assumed to be temperature dependent in this study. A system of partial differential equations governing the flow of an upper-convected Maxwell fluid, heat and mass transfer using generalized Fourier's law is developed. The main objective of the article is to inspect the impacts of pertinent physical parameters such as the stretching ratio parameter (0 ⩽ A ⩽ 0.3) , Deborah number (0 ⩽ β ⩽ 0.6) , thermal relaxation parameter (0 ⩽ γ ⩽ 0.5) , wall thickness parameter (0.1 ⩽ α ⩽ 3.5) , slip parameter (0 ⩽ R ⩽ 1.5) , thermal conductivity parameter (0.1 ⩽ δ ⩽ 1.0) and modified Hartmann number (0 ⩽ Q ⩽ 3) on the velocity and temperature profiles. Suitable local similarity transformations have been used to get a system of non-linear ODEs from the governing PDEs. The numerical solutions for the dimensionless velocity and temperature distributions have been achieved by employing an effective numerical method called the shooting method. It is seen that the velocity profile shows the reduction in the velocity for the higher values of viscoelastic parameter and the thermal relaxation parameter. In addition, to enhance the reliability at the maximum level of the obtained numerical results by shooting method, a MATLAB built-in solver bvp4c has also been utilized.

  17. Central Corneal Thickness And Its Relationship To Intra-ocular And Epidemiological Determinants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tayyab, A.; Masrur, A.

    2016-01-01

    Objective: To measure central corneal thickness in Pakistani population and determine its relationship to intra-ocular pressure, age, gender and ethnicity. Study Design: Cross-sectional observation study. Place and Duration of Study: Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, Islamabad, Pakistan, between December 2013 and February 2015. Methodology: The right eyes of 1000 cases (496 males and 504 females) were recruited for this study. Inclusion criteria were Pashtun or Punjabi ethnicity, intra-ocular pressure < 22 mmHg, gonioscopically open angles, cup-disk-ratio < 0.5, and age matched normal visual fields. Cases with prior ocular surgery, contact lens use, corneal pathologies, myopia or hypermetropia > ±3.0 diopters, astigmatism of > ±1.0 diopters were excluded. Central corneal thickness was measured using a TopCon non-contact specular microscope. Intra-ocular pressure was measured using Goldmann applanation tonometer. Frequency distribution, test of significance, and regression analysis was carried out using Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 20.0. Result: Mean age was 47.31 ±11.78 years. Ethnic composition was 51.6 percentage (n=516) Pashtun and 48.4 percentage (n=484) Punjabi. The mean central corneal thickness was 503.96 (±12.47) meu m, while the mean intra-ocular pressure was 15.61 (±2.68) mmHg. Regression analysis showed a significant association between central corneal thickness and intra-ocular pressure (p=0.00) and age (p=0.00). A ±100 μ change in central corneal thickness was associated with change in IOP of ±3.30 mmHg, whereas central corneal thickness decreased by 0.12 meu m per year. No significant association could be established between central corneal thickness and ethnicity (p=0.19). Conclusion: Central corneal thickness of the studied races was comparable to non-Caucasians which affects intra-ocular pressure measurements, and decreases with increasing age. No relationship was observed between central corneal thickness and

  18. Triceps and Subscapular Skinfold Thickness Percentiles and Cut-Offs for Overweight and Obesity in a Population-Based Sample of Schoolchildren and Adolescents in Bogota, Colombia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ramírez-Vélez, Robinson; López-Cifuentes, Mario Ferney; Correa-Bautista, Jorge Enrique; González-Ruíz, Katherine; González-Jiménez, Emilio; Córdoba-Rodríguez, Diana Paola; Vivas, Andrés; Triana-Reina, Hector Reynaldo; Schmidt-RioValle, Jacqueline

    2016-01-01

    The assessment of skinfold thickness is an objective measure of adiposity. The aims of this study were to establish Colombian smoothed centile charts and LMS L (Box–Cox transformation), M (median), and S (coefficient of variation) tables for triceps, subscapular, and triceps + subscapular skinfolds; appropriate cut-offs were selected using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis based on a population-based sample of children and adolescents in Bogotá, Colombia. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 9618 children and adolescents (55.7% girls; age range of 9–17.9 years). Triceps and subscapular skinfold measurements were obtained using standardized methods. We calculated the triceps + subscapular skinfold (T + SS) sum. Smoothed percentile curves for triceps and subscapular skinfold thickness were derived using the LMS method. ROC curve analyses were used to evaluate the optimal cut-off point of skinfold thickness for overweight and obesity, based on the International Obesity Task Force definitions. Subscapular and triceps skinfolds and T + SS were significantly higher in girls than in boys (p < 0.001). The ROC analysis showed that subscapular and triceps skinfolds and T + SS have a high discriminatory power in the identification of overweight and obesity in the sample population in this study. Our results provide sex- and age-specific normative reference standards for skinfold thickness values from a population from Bogotá, Colombia. PMID:27669294

  19. Triceps and Subscapular Skinfold Thickness Percentiles and Cut-Offs for Overweight and Obesity in a Population-Based Sample of Schoolchildren and Adolescents in Bogota, Colombia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Robinson Ramírez-Vélez

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available The assessment of skinfold thickness is an objective measure of adiposity. The aims of this study were to establish Colombian smoothed centile charts and LMS L (Box–Cox transformation, M (median, and S (coefficient of variation tables for triceps, subscapular, and triceps + subscapular skinfolds; appropriate cut-offs were selected using receiver operating characteristic (ROC analysis based on a population-based sample of children and adolescents in Bogotá, Colombia. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 9618 children and adolescents (55.7% girls; age range of 9–17.9 years. Triceps and subscapular skinfold measurements were obtained using standardized methods. We calculated the triceps + subscapular skinfold (T + SS sum. Smoothed percentile curves for triceps and subscapular skinfold thickness were derived using the LMS method. ROC curve analyses were used to evaluate the optimal cut-off point of skinfold thickness for overweight and obesity, based on the International Obesity Task Force definitions. Subscapular and triceps skinfolds and T + SS were significantly higher in girls than in boys (p < 0.001. The ROC analysis showed that subscapular and triceps skinfolds and T + SS have a high discriminatory power in the identification of overweight and obesity in the sample population in this study. Our results provide sex- and age-specific normative reference standards for skinfold thickness values from a population from Bogotá, Colombia.

  20. Enhancement of Efficiency and Reduction of Grid Thickness Variation on Casting Process with Lean Six Sigma Method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Witantyo; Setyawan, David

    2018-03-01

    In a lead acid battery industry, grid casting is a process that has high defect and thickness variation level. DMAIC (Define-Measure-Analyse-Improve-Control) method and its tools will be used to improve the casting process. In the Define stage, it is used project charter and SIPOC (Supplier Input Process Output Customer) method to map the existent problem. In the Measure stage, it is conducted a data retrieval related to the types of defect and the amount of it, also the grid thickness variation that happened. And then the retrieved data is processed and analyzed by using 5 Why’s and FMEA method. In the Analyze stage, it is conducted a grid observation that experience fragile and crack type of defect by using microscope showing the amount of oxide Pb inclusion in the grid. Analysis that is used in grid casting process shows the difference of temperature that is too high between the metal fluid and mold temperature, also the corking process that doesn’t have standard. The Improve stage is conducted a fixing process which generates the reduction of grid variation thickness level and defect/unit level from 9,184% to 0,492%. In Control stage, it is conducted a new working standard determination and already fixed control process.

  1. Effect of anionic dopants on thickness, morphology and electrical properties of polypyrrole ultra-thin films prepared by in situ chemical polymerization

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mahmoodian, Mehrnoosh [Dep. of Polymer Engineering, Nanostructured Materials Research Center, Sahand University of Technology, Tabriz 51335-1996 (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Pourabbas, Behzad, E-mail: pourabas@sut.ac.ir [Dep. of Polymer Engineering, Nanostructured Materials Research Center, Sahand University of Technology, Tabriz 51335-1996 (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Mohajerzadeh, Shams [Nano-Electronics and Thin Film Lab, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Tehran, P.O. Box 14395/515, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

    2015-05-29

    The effect of different dopant anions on deposition and characteristics of polypyrrole (PPy) thin film has been studied in this work. Ultra-thin films of conducting PPy were deposited on insulating surfaces of glass and oxidized silicon wafer by in situ chemical polymerization in the presence of different anionic dopants including sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate, sodium dodecyl sulfate, α-naphthalene sulfonic acid, anthraquinone-2-sulfonic acid sodium salt monohydrate/5-sulfosalicylic acid dehydrate, and camphor sulfonic acid. Hydrophilic/hydrophobic properties and morphology of the self-assembled monolayer of N-(3-trimethoxysilylpropyl)pyrrole, the surface modifying agent in this work, and PPy thin films were characterized before and after deposition by contact angle measurements, field emission scanning electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy. Chemical structure, thickness, and conductivity of the thin films were also studied by attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectrometer, ellipsometry, and four-point probe measurements. The results showed deposition of thin films of conducting PPy with comparable thickness in the range of 6-31 nm and different morphologies, uniformity, and smoothness with average roughness in the range of 0.3-6 nm and relatively high range of conductivity on the modified surfaces. - Highlights: • Conducting thin films of polypyrrole were deposited on glass and SiO{sub 2} substrates. • Surface modification using pyrrole-silane was employed prior to polymerization. • Films as thin as ≈ 7 nm were deposited using different surfactant/counter ions. • Chemistry of the counter ion affects thickness, conductivity and morphology. • Lower thickness/higher conductivity were obtained by structurally flexible dopants.

  2. Characterization of Kerfless Linear Arrays Based on PZT Thick Film.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zawada, Tomasz; Bierregaard, Louise Moller; Ringgaard, Erling; Xu, Ruichao; Guizzetti, Michele; Levassort, Franck; Certon, Dominique

    2017-09-01

    Multielement transducers enabling novel cost-effective fabrication of imaging arrays for medical applications have been presented earlier. Due to the favorable low lateral coupling of the screen-printed PZT, the elements can be defined by the top electrode pattern only, leading to a kerfless design with low crosstalk between the elements. The thick-film-based linear arrays have proved to be compatible with a commercial ultrasonic scanner and to support linear array beamforming as well as phased array beamforming. The main objective of the presented work is to investigate the performance of the devices at the transducer level by extensive measurements of the test structures. The arrays have been characterized by several different measurement techniques. First, electrical impedance measurements on several elements in air and liquid have been conducted in order to support material parameter identification using the Krimholtz-Leedom-Matthaei model. It has been found that electromechanical coupling is at the level of 35%. The arrays have also been characterized by a pulse-echo system. The measured sensitivity is around -60 dB, and the fractional bandwidth is close to 60%, while the center frequency is about 12 MHz over the whole array. Finally, laser interferometry measurements have been conducted indicating very good displacement level as well as pressure. The in-depth characterization of the array structure has given insight into the performance parameters for the array based on PZT thick film, and the obtained information will be used to optimize the key parameters for the next generation of cost-effective arrays based on piezoelectric thick film.

  3. Optimization of the thickness of a conducting polymer, polyaniline, deposited on the surface of poly(vinyl chloride) membranes: a new way to improve their potentiometric response.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shishkanova, T V; Matejka, P; Král, V; Sedenková, I; Trchová, M; Stejskal, J

    2008-08-29

    Repeated depositions of polyaniline (PANI) have been used to control the thickness of the polymeric film deposited on poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) membrane surface. The oxidation of aniline was carried out in a dispersion mode, i.e. in the presence of poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP). Two kinds of PVC were used for this purpose: a non-plasticized PVC for the study of PANI deposition and PVC, plasticized with nitrophenyl octyl ether (NPOE), as a prototype of a liquid membrane electrode. The results of UV-visible and FTIR spectroscopies and electron microscopy showed that (1) the film thickness increased by about equal increments of approximately 40 nm after each polymerization, and (2) the interface with PVC was constituted by PANI film and adhering PANI-PVP colloidal particles. The various thicknesses of the deposited PANI films affected the potentiometric response of the NPOE/PVC membrane with and without an anion-exchanger. The potentiometric anionic response was observed with a minimal thickness of PANI film on the blank NPOE/PVC membrane. Sensitivity of the PANI film to pH occurred only with a blank NPOE/PVC membrane coated with a thick polymeric film, while it was strongly suppressed by the presence of a lipophilic anion-exchanger, tridodecylmethylammonium chloride (TDDMACl), in the membrane, regardless of the thickness of the polymer film. The thickness of the PANI film did not affect the anionic selectivity pattern of TDDMACl-based membranes to any great extent, but its presence improved and stabilized their potentiometric characteristics (sensitivity, linear-response range).

  4. Endometrial thickness as a test for endometrial cancer in women with postmenopausal vaginal bleeding

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Tabor, Ann; Watt, Hilary C; Wald, Nicholas J

    2002-01-01

    OBJECTIVE: To assess the value of endometrial thickness measurement as a test for endometrial cancer in postmenopausal women with vaginal bleeding (symptomatic women). DATA SOURCES: We conducted a literature search using the MEDLINE database from 1991 to 1997, and the key words "vaginal...... ultrasonography" and "endometrial thickness measurement." The review was limited to original research reports written in English, concerning symptomatic women having vaginal ultrasonography before a diagnostic test and not receiving tamoxifen. STUDY SELECTION: A total of 48 studies were identified...

  5. Characterization of the flooding in vertical tubes by means of the film thickness measurement

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Malandrone, M.; Mioliggi, L.; Panella, B.; Scorta, G.

    1992-01-01

    The air-water countercurrent flow up to the flooding transition in a vertical tube has been experimentally investigated by liquid film thickness measurement performed by means of an electrical two-wires conductance probe. The liquid film mean thickness, the probability density function, the spectral power density and the power of the signal have been derived for a wide range of air and water flow rate, and related to the flow pattern with particular attention to the flooding phenomena. (6 figures) (Author)

  6. Effect of ceramic thickness and shade on mechanical properties of a resin luting agent.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Passos, Sheila Pestana; Kimpara, Estevão Tomomitsu; Bottino, Marco Antonio; Rizkalla, Amin S; Santos, Gildo Coelho

    2014-08-01

    This study aimed to investigate the influence of ceramic thickness and shade on the Knoop hardness and dynamic elastic modulus of a dual-cured resin cement. Six ceramic shades (Bleaching, A1, A2, A3, A3.5, B3) and two ceramic thicknesses (1 mm, 3 mm) were evaluated. Disk specimens (diameter: 7 mm; thickness: 2 mm) of the resin cement were light cured under a ceramic block. Light-cured specimens without the ceramic block at distances of 1 and 3 mm were also produced. The Knoop hardness number (KHN), density, and dynamic Young's moduli were determined. Statistical analysis was conducted using ANOVA and a Tukey B rank order test (p = 0.05). The bleaching 1-mm-thick group exhibited significantly higher dynamic Young's modulus. Lower dynamic Young's moduli were observed for the 3-mm-thick ceramic groups compared to bleaching 3-mm-thick group, and no difference was found among the other 3-mm groups. For the KHN, when A3.5 3-mm-thick was used, the KHN was significantly lower than bleaching and A1 1-mm-thick ceramic; however, no difference was exhibited between the thicknesses of the same shade. The dual-cured resin cement studied irradiated through the 1-mm-thick ceramic with the lightest shade (bleaching ceramic) exhibited a better elastic modulus, and there was no effect in KHN of the resin cement when light cured under different ceramic shades and thicknesses (1 and 3 mm), except when the A3.5 3-mm-thick ceramic was used. Variolink II irradiated through ceramic with the lowest chroma exhibited the highest elastic modulus; therefore, the light activation method might not be the same for all clinical situations. © 2014 by the American College of Prosthodontists.

  7. Cranial vault thickness in primates: Homo erectus does not have uniquely thick vault bones.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Copes, Lynn E; Kimbel, William H

    2016-01-01

    Extremely thick cranial vaults have been noted as a diagnostic characteristic of Homo erectus since the first fossil of the species was identified, but relatively little work has been done on elucidating its etiology or variation across fossils, living humans, or extant non-human primates. Cranial vault thickness (CVT) is not a monolithic trait, and the responsiveness of its layers to environmental stimuli is unknown. We obtained measurements of cranial vault thickness in fossil hominins from the literature and supplemented those data with additional measurements taken on African fossil specimens. Total CVT and the thickness of the cortical and diploë layers individually were compared to measures of CVT in extant species measured from more than 500 CT scans of human and non-human primates. Frontal and parietal CVT in fossil primates was compared to a regression of CVT on cranial capacity calculated for extant species. Even after controlling for cranial capacity, African and Asian H. erectus do not have uniquely high frontal or parietal thickness residuals, either among hominins or extant primates. Extant primates with residual CVT thickness similar to or exceeding H. erectus (depending on the sex and bone analyzed) include Nycticebus coucang, Perodicticus potto, Alouatta caraya, Lophocebus albigena, Galago alleni, Mandrillus sphinx, and Propithecus diadema. However, the especially thick vaults of extant non-human primates that overlap with H. erectus values are composed primarily of cortical bone, while H. erectus and other hominins have diploë-dominated vault bones. Thus, the combination of thick vaults comprised of a thickened diploë layer may be a reliable autapomorphy for members of the genus Homo. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. Coherent tunnelling conductance in normal-metal/d-wave superconductor/normal-metal double tunnel junctions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dong, Z C; Zheng, Z M; Xing, D Y

    2004-01-01

    Taking simultaneously into account the electron-injected current from one normal-metal (N) electrode and the hole-injected current from the other N electrode, we study the coherent tunnelling conductance and quantum interference effects in N/d-wave superconductor (S)/N double tunnel junctions. It is found that oscillations of all quasiparticle transport coefficients and the conductance spectrum with quasiparticle energy and thickness of the d-wave S depend to a great extent on the crystal orientation of the d-wave S. The zero-bias conductance peak is gradually lowered with increasing barrier strength and/or temperature, its magnitude exhibiting damped oscillatory behaviour with thickness of S

  9. Applicability of spectral indices on thickness identification of oil slick

    Science.gov (United States)

    Niu, Yanfei; Shen, Yonglin; Chen, Qihao; Liu, Xiuguo

    2016-10-01

    Hyperspectral remote sensing technology has played a vital role in the identification and monitoring of oil spill events, and amount of spectral indices have been developed. In this paper, the applicability of six frequently-used indices is analyzed, and a combination of spectral indices in aids of support vector machine (SVM) algorithm is used to identify the oil slicks and corresponding thickness. The six spectral indices are spectral rotation (SR), spectral absorption depth (HI), band ratio of blue and green (BG), band ratio of BG and shortwave infrared index (BGN), 555nm and 645nm normalized by the blue band index (NB) and spectral slope (ND). The experimental study is conducted in the Gulf of Mexico oil spill zone, with Airborne Visible Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) hyperspectral imagery captured in May 17, 2010. The results show that SR index is the best in all six indices, which can effectively distinguish the thickness of the oil slick and identify it from seawater; HI index and ND index can obviously distinguish oil slick thickness; BG, BGN and NB are more suitable to identify oil slick from seawater. With the comparison among different kernel functions of SVM, the classify accuracy show that the polynomial and RBF kernel functions have the best effect on the separation of oil slick thickness and the relatively pure seawater. The applicability of spectral indices of oil slick and the method of oil film thickness identification will in aids of oil/gas exploration and oil spill monitoring.

  10. Experimental analysis of current conduction through thermally ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Electrical properties of SiO2 grown on the Si-face of the epitaxial 4H-SiC ... Thermal oxide reliability is one of the most critical concerns in the realization of ... material for high temperature, high power, high frequency, and nonvolatile .... conduction mechanism in MOSiC system with varying oxide thicknesses has been.

  11. Measurement of Li target thickness in the EVEDA Li Test Loop

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kanemura, Takuji, E-mail: kanemura.takuji@jaea.go.jp [Japan Atomic Energy Agency, 4002 Narita, O-arai, Higashi-Ibaraki-gun, Ibaraki 311-1393 (Japan); Kondo, Hiroo; Furukawa, Tomohiro; Hirakawa, Yasushi [Japan Atomic Energy Agency, 4002 Narita, O-arai, Higashi-Ibaraki-gun, Ibaraki 311-1393 (Japan); Hoashi, Eiji; Yoshihashi, Sachiko; Horiike, Hiroshi [Osaka University, 2-1 Yamada-oka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871 (Japan); Wakai, Eiichi [Japan Atomic Energy Agency, 4002 Narita, O-arai, Higashi-Ibaraki-gun, Ibaraki 311-1393 (Japan)

    2015-10-15

    Highlights: • The objective is to validate stability of the IFMIF liquid Li target flowing at 15 m/s. • Design requirement of target thickness fluctuation is ±1 mm. • Mean and maximum wave amplitude are 0.26 and 1.46 mm, respectively. • Average thickness can be well predicted with developed analytical model. • Li target was adequately stable and satisfied design requirement. - Abstract: A high-speed (nominal: 15 m/s, range: 10–16 m/s) liquid lithium wall jet is planned to serve as the target for two 40 MeV and 125 mA deuteron beams in the International Fusion Materials Irradiation Facility (IFMIF). The design requirement of target thickness stability is 25 ± 1 mm under a vacuum of 10{sup −3} Pa. This paper presents the results of the target thickness measurement conducted in the EVEDA Li Test Loop under a wide range of conditions including the IFMIF condition (target speed of 10, 15, and 20 m/s; vacuum pressure of 10{sup −3} Pa; and Li temperature of 250 °C). For measurement, we use a laser probe method that we developed in advance; this method generates statistical measurements method using a laser distance meter. The measurement results obtained under the IFMIF nominal condition (15 m/s, 10{sup −3} Pa, 250 °C) at the IFMIF beam center are as follows: average target thickness = 26.08 ± 0.09 mm (2σ), mean wave amplitude = 0.26 ± 0.01 mm (2σ), and maximum wave amplitude = 1.46 ± 0.25 mm (2σ). Of the total wave components, 99.7% are within the design requirement. The analytically predicted target thickness is in excellent agreement with the experimental data, resulting in successful characterization of the Li target thickness.

  12. Physical Model for Rapid and Accurate Determination of Nanopore Size via Conductance Measurement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wen, Chenyu; Zhang, Zhen; Zhang, Shi-Li

    2017-10-27

    Nanopores have been explored for various biochemical and nanoparticle analyses, primarily via characterizing the ionic current through the pores. At present, however, size determination for solid-state nanopores is experimentally tedious and theoretically unaccountable. Here, we establish a physical model by introducing an effective transport length, L eff , that measures, for a symmetric nanopore, twice the distance from the center of the nanopore where the electric field is the highest to the point along the nanopore axis where the electric field falls to e -1 of this maximum. By [Formula: see text], a simple expression S 0 = f (G, σ, h, β) is derived to algebraically correlate minimum nanopore cross-section area S 0 to nanopore conductance G, electrolyte conductivity σ, and membrane thickness h with β to denote pore shape that is determined by the pore fabrication technique. The model agrees excellently with experimental results for nanopores in graphene, single-layer MoS 2 , and ultrathin SiN x films. The generality of the model is verified by applying it to micrometer-size pores.

  13. SU-E-I-53: Variation in Measurements of Breast Skin Thickness Obtained Using Different Imaging Modalities

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nguyen, U; Kumaraswamy, N; Markey, M

    2014-01-01

    Purpose: To investigate variation in measurements of breast skin thickness obtained using different imaging modalities, including mammography, computed tomography (CT), ultrasound, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Methods: Breast skin thicknesses as measured by mammography, CT, ultrasound, and MRI were compared. Mammographic measurements of skin thickness were obtained from published studies that utilized standard positioning (upright) and compression. CT measurements of skin thickness were obtained from a published study of a prototype breast CT scanner in which the women were in the prone position and the breast was uncompressed. Dermatological ultrasound exams of the breast skin were conducted at our institution, with the subjects in the upright position and the breast uncompressed. Breast skin thickness was calculated from breast MRI exams at our institution, with the patient in the prone position and the breast uncompressed. Results: T tests for independent samples demonstrated significant differences in the mean breast skin thickness as measured by different imaging modalities. Repeated measures ANOVA revealed significant differences in breast skin thickness across different quadrants of the breast for some modalities. Conclusion: The measurement of breast skin thickness is significantly different across different imaging modalities. Differences in the amount of compression and differences in patient positioning are possible reasons why measurements of breast skin thickness vary by modality

  14. Performances of screen-printing silver thick films: Rheology, morphology, mechanical and electronic properties

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jiang, Jung-Shiun; Liang, Jau-En; Yi, Han-Liou [Department of Chemical Engineering, National Chung Cheng University, Chia Yi 621, Taiwan, ROC (China); Chen, Shu-Hua [China Steel Corporation, Kaohsiung City 806, Taiwan, ROC (China); Hua, Chi-Chung, E-mail: chmcch@ccu.edu.tw [Department of Chemical Engineering, National Chung Cheng University, Chia Yi 621, Taiwan, ROC (China)

    2016-06-15

    Numerous recent applications with inorganic solar cells and energy storage electrodes make use of silver pastes through processes like screen-printing to fabricate fine conductive lines for electron conducting purpose. To date, however, there have been few studies that systematically revealed the properties of the silver paste in relation to the mechanical and electronic performances of screen-printing thick films. In this work, the rheological properties of a series of model silver pastes made of silver powders of varying size (0.9, 1.3, and 1.5 μm) and shape (irregular and spherical) were explored, and the results were systematically correlated with the morphological feature (scanning electron microscopy, SEM) and mechanical (peeling test) and electronic (transmission line method, TLM) performances of screen-printing dried or sintered thick films. We provided evidence of generally intimate correlations between the powder dispersion state in silver pastes—which is shown to be well captured by the rheological protocols employed herein—and the performances of screen-printing thick films. Overall, this study suggests the powder dispersion state and the associated phase behavior of a paste sample can significantly impact not only the morphological and electronic but also mechanical performances of screen-printing thick films, and, in future perspectives, a proper combination of silver powders of different sizes and even shapes could help reconcile quality and stability of an optimum silver paste. - Highlights: • Powder dispersion correlates well with screen-printing thick film performances. • Rheological fingerprints can be utilized to fathom the powder dispersion state. • Good polymer-powder interactions in the paste ensure good powder dispersion. • Time-dependent gel-like viscoelastic features are found with optimum silver pastes. • The size and shape of functional powder affect the dispersion and film performances.

  15. Nonsteady heat conduction code with radiation boundary conditions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fillo, J.A.; Benenati, R.; Powell, J.

    1975-01-01

    A heat-transfer model for studying the temperature build-up in graphite blankets for fusion reactors is presented. In essence, the computer code developed is for two-dimensional, nonsteady heat conduction in heterogeneous, anisotropic solids with nonuniform internal heating. Thermal radiation as well as bremsstrahlung radiation boundary conditions are included. Numerical calculations are performed for two design options by varying the wall loading, bremsstrahlung, surface layer thickness and thermal conductivity, blanket dimensions, time step and grid size. (auth)

  16. Enhanced possibilities of section topography at a third-generation synchrotron radiation facility

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Medrano, C.; Rejmankova, P.; Ohler, M.; Matsouli, I.

    1997-01-01

    The authors show the new possibilities of section topography techniques at a third-generation synchrotron radiation facility, taking advantage of the high performances of this machine. Examples of the 1) so-called multiple sections, 2) visibility of weakly misoriented regions, 3) study of thick samples, 4) monochromatic and 5) realtime sections are presented

  17. Some problem areas in capture cross-section measurements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Moxon, M.C.; Gayther, D.B.; Sowerby, M.G.

    1975-01-01

    This paper outlines some of the problems that have been encountered and are envisaged in the measurement and evaluation of capture cross-sections. Particular emphasis is placed on the cross-sections of the structural materials (Fe, Ni, Cr) used in fast reactors. The topics considered are the influence of scattered neutrons in capture detectors, the determination of background, sample thickness corrections, and the theoretical representation of resonance parameters. (author)

  18. The conductivity of neonatal piglet skulls

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pant, Shilpa; Te, Tang; Tucker, Aaron; Sadleir, Rosalind J

    2011-01-01

    We report the first measured values of conductivities for neonatal mammalian skull samples. We measured the average radial (normal to the skull surface) conductivity of fresh neonatal piglet skull samples at 1 kHz and found it to be around 30 mS m −1 at ambient room temperatures of about 23 °C. Measurements were made on samples of either frontal or parietal cranial bone, using a saline-filled cell technique. The conductivity value we observed was approximately twice the values reported for adult skulls (Oostendorp et al 2000 IEEE Trans. Biomed. Eng. 47 1487–92) using a similar technique, but at a frequency of around 5 Hz. Further, we found that the conductivity of skull fragments increased linearly with thickness. We found evidence that this was related to differences in composition between the frontal and parietal bone samples tested, which we believe is because frontal bones contained a larger fraction of higher conductivity cancellous bone material

  19. Antenatal Sonographic Diagnosis and Clinical Significance of Placenta Previa Accreta after Cesarean Section.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Zhen-Zhen; Wei, Yao; Wang, Ruo-Jiao; Xu, Wen; Shi, Zhi-Min; Dai, Qing

    2017-10-30

    Objective To investigate the clinical and antenatal sonographic characteristics of placenta previa accreta after cesarean section. Methods The data of 21 inpatients diagnosed as placenta previa accreta after cesarean section in PUMC Hospital from 2006 to 2016 were retrospectively reviewed. The clinical and ultrasound features were recorded and compared among three placental accreta groups,including placenta accrete group(n=5),increta group(n=12),and percreta group(n=4). The relationship between the placental thickness at the uterine anterior lower segment level and the blood loss of the following cesarean section was tested. Results Of 21 patients,placenta previa was diagnosed by ultrasound in 20 cases(95.2%) and placenta previa accreta was diagnosed in 9 cases(42.9%). Antenatal ultrasound findings included following signs:loss of "clear zone"(15/18,83.3%),myometrial thinning(12/18,66.7%),abnormal placental lacunae(12/19,63.2%),bladder wall interruption(2/18,11.1%),and uterovesical hypervascularity(4/9,44.4%). Myometrial thinning(J-T=64.000,P=0.036),abnormal placental lacunae(J-T=74.500,P=0.032) and the placental thickness at the uterine anterior lower segment level(U=83.000,P=0.010) showed significant difference among different placenta accreta groups. Placental thickness at the uterine anterior lower segment level showed linear correlation with the blood loss of the following cesarean section(r=0.669,P=0.002). The blood loss of the following cesarean section showed significant difference among different placenta accreta groups(U=118.500,P=0.000). Conclusions The clinical and sonographic manifestations of placenta previa accreta after cesarean section show a spectrum of demographic characteristics. The measurement of thickness of placenta at the anterior lower segment may help the evaluation of the clinical prognosis of this special pathology.

  20. Modelling the solidification of ductile cast iron parts with varying wall thicknesses

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bjerre, Mathias Karsten; Tiedje, Niels Skat; Thorborg, Jesper

    2015-01-01

    ] with a 2D FE solution of the heat conduction equation is developed in an in-house code and model parameters are calibrated using experimental data from representative castings made of ductile cast iron. The main focus is on the influence of casting thickness and resulting local cooling conditions...

  1. Tear progression of symptomatic full-thickness and partial-thickness rotator cuff tears as measured by repeated MRI.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Yang-Soo; Kim, Sung-Eun; Bae, Sung-Ho; Lee, Hyo-Jin; Jee, Won-Hee; Park, Chang Kyun

    2017-07-01

    The purpose of this study was to analyse the natural course of symptomatic full-thickness and partial-thickness rotator cuff tears treated non-operatively and to identify risk factors affecting tear enlargement. One hundred and twenty-two patients who received non-surgical treatment for a partial- or full-thickness supraspinatus tear were included in this study. All rotator cuff tears were diagnosed with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and the same modality was used for follow-up studies. Follow-up MRI was performed after at least a 6-month interval. We evaluated the correlation between tear enlargement and follow-up duration. Eleven risk factors were analysed by both univariate and multivariate analyses to identify factors that affect enlargement of rotator cuff tears. The mean follow-up period was 24.4 ± 19.5 months. Out of 122 patients, 34 (27.9%) patients had an initial full-thickness tear and 88 (72.1%) patients had a partial-thickness tear. Considering all patients together, tear size increased in 51/122 (41.8%) patients, was unchanged in 65/122 (53.3%) patients, and decreased in 6/122 (4.9%) patients. Tear size increased for 28/34 (82.4%) patients with full-thickness tears and 23/88 (26.1%) patients with partial-thickness tears. From the two groups which were followed over 12 months, a higher rate of enlargement was observed in full-thickness tears than in partial-thickness tears (6-12 months, n.s.; 12-24 months, P = 0.002; over 24 months, P rotator cuff tears and 23/88 (26.1%) of symptomatic partial-thickness tears increased in size over a follow-up period of 6-100 months. Full-thickness tears showed a higher rate of enlargement than partial-thickness tears regardless of the follow-up duration. Univariate and multivariate analyses suggested that full-thickness tear was the most reliable risk factor for tear enlargement. The clinical relevance of these observations is that full-thickness rotator cuff tears treated conservatively should be

  2. Skin thickness effects on in vivo LXRF

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Preiss, I.L.; Washington, W. II

    1995-01-01

    The analysis of lead concentration in bone utilizing LXRF can be adversely effected by overlying issue. A quantitative measure of the attenuation of the 10.5 keV Pb L a x-ray signal by skin and skin equivalent plastic has been conducted. Concentration ranges in plaster of Paris and goat bone from 7 to 90 ppm with attenuators of Lucite reg-sign and pig skin were examined. It is concluded that no quantitative or semi quantitative analysis can be achieved if overlying sue thickness exceeds 3 mm for Ph concentrations of less than 30 porn Ph in bone

  3. Quantification of age-related changes in the structure model type and trabecular thickness of human tibial cancellous

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ding, Ming; Hvid, I

    2000-01-01

    Structure model type and trabecular thickness are important characteristics in describing cancellous bone architecture. It has been qualitatively observed that a radical change of trabeculae from plate-like to rod-like occurs in aging, bone remodeling, and osteoporosis. Thickness of trabeculae has...... traditionally been measured using model-based histomorphometric methods on two-dimensional (2-D) sections. However, no quantitative study has been published based on three-dimensional (3-D) methods on the age-related changes in structure model type and trabecular thickness for human peripheral (tibial......, structure model type and trabecular thickness were quantified by means of novel 3-D methods. Structure model type was assessed by calculating the structure model index (SMI). The SMI was quantified based on a differential analysis of the triangulated bone surface of a structure. This technique allows...

  4. Die attach dimension and material on thermal conductivity study for high power COB LED

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sarukunaselan, K.; Ong, N. R.; Sauli, Z.; Mahmed, N.; Kirtsaeng, S.; Sakuntasathien, S.; Suppiah, S.; Alcain, J. B.; Retnasamy, V.

    2017-09-01

    High power LED began to gain popularity in the semiconductor market due to its efficiency and luminance. Nonetheless, along with the increased in efficiency, there was an increased in the junction temperature too. The alleviating junction temperature is undesirable since the performances and lifetime will be degraded over time. Therefore, it is crucial to solve this thermal problem by maximizing the heat dissipation to the ambience. Improvising the die attach (DA) layer would be the best option because this layer is sandwiched between the chip (heat source) and the substrate (channel to the ambient). In this paper, the impact of thickness and thermal conductivity onto the junction temperature and Von Mises stress is analyzed. Results obtained showed that the junction temperature is directly proportional to the thickness but the stress was inversely proportional to the thickness of the DA. The thermal conductivity of the materials did affect the junction temperature as there was not much changes once the thermal conductivity reached 20W/mK. However, no significant changes were observed on the Von Mises stress caused by the thermal conductivity. Material with the second highest thermal conductivity had the lowest stress, whereas the highest conductivity material had the highest stress value at 20 µm. Overall, silver sinter provided the best thermal dissipation compared to the other materials.

  5. DC electrical conductivity of silicon carbide ceramics and composites for flow channel insert applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Katoh, Y.; Kondo, S.; Snead, L.L.

    2009-01-01

    High purity chemically vapor-deposited silicon carbide (SiC) and 2D continuous SiC fiber, chemically vapor-infiltrated SiC matrix composites with pyrocarbon interphases were examined. Specifically, temperature dependent (RT to 800 deg. C) electrical conductivity and the influence of neutron irradiation were measured. The influence of neutron irradiation on electrical properties appeared very strong for the SiC of this study, typically resulting in orders lower ambient conductivity and steeper temperature dependency of this conductivity. For the 2D composites, through-thickness (normal to the fiber axis') electrical conductivity was dominated by bypass conduction via interphase network at relatively low temperatures, whereas conduction through SiC constituents dominated at higher temperatures. Through-thickness electrical conductivity of neutron-irradiated 2D SiC composites with thin PyC interphase, currently envisioned for flow channel insert application, will likely in the order of 10 S/m at the appropriate operating temperature. Mechanisms of electrical conduction in the composites and irradiation-induced modification of electrical conductivity of the composites and their constituents are discussed.

  6. Influence of slice thickness on the determination of left ventricular wall thickness and dimension by magnetic resonance imaging

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ohnishi, Shusaku; Fukui, Sugao; Atsumi, Chisato and others

    1989-02-01

    Wall thickness of the ventricular septum and left ventricle, and left ventricular cavity dimension were determined on magnetic resonance (MR) images with slices 5 mm and 10 mm in thickness. Subjects were 3 healthy volunteers and 7 patients with hypertension (4), hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (one) or valvular heart disease (2). In visualizing the cardiac structures such as left ventricular papillary muscle and right and left ventricles, 5 mm-thick images were better than 10 mm-thick images. Edges of ventricular septum and left ventricular wall were more clearly visualized on 5 mm-thick images than 10 mm-thick images. Two mm-thick MR images obtained from 2 patients yielded the most excellent visualization in end-systole, but failed to reveal cardiac structures in detail in end-diastole. Phantom studies revealed no significant differences in image quality of 10 mm and 5 mm in thickness in the axial view 80 degree to the long axis. In the axial view 45 degree to the long axis, 10 mm-thick images were inferior to 5 mm-thick images in detecting the edge of the septum and the left ventricular wall. These results indicate that the selection of slice thickness is one of the most important determinant factors in the measurement of left ventricular wall thickness and cavity dimension. (Namekawa, K).

  7. Influence of slice thickness on the determination of left ventricular wall thickness and dimension by magnetic resonance imaging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ohnishi, Shusaku; Fukui, Sugao; Atsumi, Chisato

    1989-01-01

    Wall thickness of the ventricular septum and left ventricle, and left ventricular cavity dimension were determined on magnetic resonance (MR) images with slices 5 mm and 10 mm in thickness. Subjects were 3 healthy volunteers and 7 patients with hypertension (4), hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (one) or valvular heart disease (2). In visualizing the cardiac structures such as left ventricular papillary muscle and right and left ventricles, 5 mm-thick images were better than 10 mm-thick images. Edges of ventricular septum and left ventricular wall were more clearly visualized on 5 mm-thick images than 10 mm-thick images. Two mm-thick MR images obtained from 2 patients yielded the most excellent visualization in end-systole, but failed to reveal cardiac structures in detail in end-diastole. Phantom studies revealed no significant differences in image quality of 10 mm and 5 mm in thickness in the axial view 80 degree to the long axis. In the axial view 45 degree to the long axis, 10 mm-thick images were inferior to 5 mm-thick images in detecting the edge of the septum and the left ventricular wall. These results indicate that the selection of slice thickness is one of the most important determinant factors in the measurement of left ventricular wall thickness and cavity dimension. (Namekawa, K)

  8. Rapid optical determination of topological insulator nanoplate thickness and oxidation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fan Yang

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available The stability of 2D antimony telluride (Sb2Te3 nanoplates in ambient conditions is elucidated. These materials exhibit an anisotropic oxidation mode, and CVD synthesized samples oxidize at a much faster rate than exfoliated samples investigated in previous studies. Optical measurement techniques are introduced to rapidly measure the oxidation modes and thickness of 2D materials. Auger characterization were conducted to confirm that oxygen replaces tellurium as opposed to antimony under ambient conditions. No surface morphology evolution was detected in AFM before and after exposure to air. These techniques were employed to determine the origin of the thickness dependent color change effect in Sb2Te3. It is concluded that this effect is a combination of refractive index change due to oxidation and Fresnel effects.

  9. Strain induced ionic conductivity enhancement in epitaxial Ce0.9Gd0.1O22d

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kant, K. Mohan; Esposito, Vincenzo; Pryds, Nini

    2012-01-01

    -plane ionic conductivity in CGO epitaxial thin films. The ionic conductivity is found to increase with decrease in buffer layer thickness. The tailored ionic conductivity enhancement is explained in terms of close relationships among epitaxy, strain, and ionic conductivity....

  10. Composite Beam Cross-Section Analysis by a Single High-Order Element Layer

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Couturier, Philippe; Krenk, Steen

    2015-01-01

    An analysis procedure of general cross-section properties is presented. The formulation is based on the stress-strain states in the classic six equilibrium modes of a beam by considering a finite thickness slice modelled by a single layer of 3D finite elements. The theory is illustrated by applic......An analysis procedure of general cross-section properties is presented. The formulation is based on the stress-strain states in the classic six equilibrium modes of a beam by considering a finite thickness slice modelled by a single layer of 3D finite elements. The theory is illustrated...

  11. Reverse engineering of B-pillar with 3D optical scanning for manufacturing of non-uniform thickness part

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Islam Md. Tasbirul

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents reverse engineering (RE of a complex automobile structural part, B-pillar. As a major part of the automobile body-in white (BiW, B-pillar has substantial opportunity for weight reduction by introducing variable thickness across its sections. To leverage such potential, an existing B-pillar was reverse engineered with a 3D optical scanner and computer aided design (CAD application. First, digital data (i.e. in meshes of exiting B-pillar was obtained by the scanner, and subsequently, this information was utilized in developing a complete 3D CAD model. CATIA V5 was used in the modeling where some of the essential work benches were “Digitized Shape Editor”, “Quick Surface Reconstruction”, “Wireframe and Surface Design”, “Freestyle”, “Generation Shape Design” and “Part design”. In the final CAD design, five different thicknesses were incorporated successfully in order to get a B-pillar with non-uniform sections. This research opened opportunities for thickness optimization and mold tooling design in real time manufacturing.

  12. Choroidal thickness in patients with fibromyalgia and correlation with disease severity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mahmut Oguz Ulusoy

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Purpose: To evaluate and compare choroidal thickness in patients with fibromyalgia (FM and healthy controls. Methods: In this prospective, cross-sectional study, forty eyes of 40 patients with FM and 40 eyes of 40 age- and sex-matched healthy subjects were enrolled. FM was diagnosed according to the American College of Rheumatology criteria. The choroidal thickness measurements of the subjects were obtained using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (RTVue-100, Optovue. Widespread pain index (WPI, symptom severity scale (SSS, and fibromyalgia impact questionnaire (FIQ scores were recorded. The choroidal thickness measurements of the groups were compared, and correlations among the WPI, SSS, and FIQ scores and these measurements were calculated. Results: Choroidal thicknesses at 1500 μm nasally were 198.5 ± 46.7 μm and 306.3 ± 85.4 μm; at 1000 μm nasally were 211.7 ± 50.2 μm and 310.05 ± 87.26 μm; at 500 μm nasally were 216 ± 55.05 μm and 311.5 ± 83.4 μm; at subfoveal region were 230.9 ± 58.4 μm and 332.4 ± 91.3 μm; at 500 μm temporally 227.5 ± 58.1 μm and 318.15 ± 92.3 μm; at 1000 μm temporally 224.5 ± 57.07 μm and 315.1 ± 84.2 μm; at 1500 μm temporally 212.5 ± 56.08 μm and 312.9 ± 87.8 μm in the FM and control groups, respectively (P < 0.001. Choroidal thicknesses were thinner at all measurement location, except temporal 1000 and 1500 in patients with FIQ score ≥50 than in FIQ score <50. Conclusion: The results of this study demonstrated that choroidal thickness decreases in patients with FM and correlated with disease activity. This choroidal changes might be related with the alterations in autonomic nervous system functioning. Further studies are needed to evaluate the etiopathologic relationship between choroidal thickness and FM.

  13. β-ray photography of lyophilized animal sections

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Baba, Shigeo; Kimata, Hideki; Matsuzawa, Takashi

    1997-01-01

    A new photographic method that images the density distribution of lyophilized animal sections approximately 50 μm in thickness is described. The new method involves sandwiching the animal section between a radiation sensor and a 147 Pm planar radiation source. Either conventional photographic film or an imaging plate for radioluminography can be used as the sensor. The method described herein will find promising applications in whole body autoradiography as well as in the study of osteoporosis in experimental animals. (Author)

  14. Thickness determination of large-area films of yttria-stabilized zirconia produced by pulsed laser deposition

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pryds, N. [Materials Research Department, Riso National Laboratory, DK-4000 Roskilde (Denmark)]. E-mail: nini.pryds@risoe.dk; Toftmann, B. [Department of Optics and Plasma Research, Riso National Laboratory, DK-4000 Roskilde (Denmark); Bilde-Sorensen, J.B. [Materials Research Department, Riso National Laboratory, DK-4000 Roskilde (Denmark); Schou, J. [Department of Optics and Plasma Research, Riso National Laboratory, DK-4000 Roskilde (Denmark); Linderoth, S. [Materials Research Department, Riso National Laboratory, DK-4000 Roskilde (Denmark)

    2006-04-30

    Films of yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) on a polished silicon substrate of diameter up to 125 mm have been produced in a large-area pulsed laser deposition (PLD) setup under typical PLD conditions. The film thickness over the full film area has been determined by energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry in a scanning electron microscope (SEM) with use of a method similar to one described by Bishop and Poole. The attenuation of the electron-induced X-rays from the Si wafer by the film was monitored at a number of points along a diameter and the thickness was determined by Monte Carlo simulations of the attenuation for various values of film thickness with the program CASINO. These results have been compared with direct measurements in the SEM of the film thickness on a cross-section on one of the wafers. The results of these measurements demonstrate the ability of this technique to accurately determine the thickness of a large film, i.e. up to diameters of 125 mm, in a relatively short time, without destroying the substrate, without the need of a standard sample and without the need of a flat substrate. We have also demonstrated that by controlling the deposition parameters large-area YSZ films with uniform thickness can be produced.

  15. Thickness determination of large-area films of yttria-stabilized zirconia produced by pulsed laser deposition

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pryds, N.; Toftmann, B.; Bilde-Sorensen, J.B.; Schou, J.; Linderoth, S.

    2006-01-01

    Films of yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) on a polished silicon substrate of diameter up to 125 mm have been produced in a large-area pulsed laser deposition (PLD) setup under typical PLD conditions. The film thickness over the full film area has been determined by energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry in a scanning electron microscope (SEM) with use of a method similar to one described by Bishop and Poole. The attenuation of the electron-induced X-rays from the Si wafer by the film was monitored at a number of points along a diameter and the thickness was determined by Monte Carlo simulations of the attenuation for various values of film thickness with the program CASINO. These results have been compared with direct measurements in the SEM of the film thickness on a cross-section on one of the wafers. The results of these measurements demonstrate the ability of this technique to accurately determine the thickness of a large film, i.e. up to diameters of 125 mm, in a relatively short time, without destroying the substrate, without the need of a standard sample and without the need of a flat substrate. We have also demonstrated that by controlling the deposition parameters large-area YSZ films with uniform thickness can be produced

  16. Production and cross-sectional characterization of aligned co-electrospun hollow microfibrous bulk assemblies

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhou, Feng-Lei [Centre for Imaging Sciences, The University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PT (United Kingdom); The School of Materials, The University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL (United Kingdom); CRUK-EPSRC Cancer Imaging Centre in Cambridge and Manchester (United Kingdom); Parker, Geoff J.M., E-mail: geoff.parker@manchester.ac.uk [Centre for Imaging Sciences, The University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PT (United Kingdom); CRUK-EPSRC Cancer Imaging Centre in Cambridge and Manchester (United Kingdom); Eichhorn, Stephen J. [College of Engineering, Mathematics and Physical Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QF (United Kingdom); Hubbard Cristinacce, Penny L. [Centre for Imaging Sciences, The University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PT (United Kingdom); School of Psychological Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PT (United Kingdom)

    2015-11-15

    The development of co-electrospun (co-ES) hollow microfibrous assemblies of an appreciable thickness is critical for many practical applications, including filtration membranes and tissue-mimicking scaffolds. In this study, thick uniaxially aligned hollow microfibrous assemblies forming fiber bundles and strips were prepared by co-ES of polycaprolactone (PCL) and polyethylene oxide (PEO) as shell and core materials, respectively. Hollow microfiber bundles were deposited on a fixed rotating disc, which resulted in non-controllable cross-sectional shapes on a macroscopic scale. In comparison, fiber strips were produced with tuneable thickness and width by additionally employing an x–y translation stage in co-ES. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images of cross-sections of fiber assemblies were analyzed to investigate the effects of production time (from 0.5 h to 12 h), core flow rate (from 0.8 mL/h to 2.0 mL/h) and/or translation speed (from 0.2 mm/s to 5 mm/s) on the pores and porosity. We observed significant changes in pore size and shape with core flow rate but the influence of production time varied; five strips produced under the same conditions had reasonably good size and porosity reproducibility; pore sizes didn't vary significantly from strip bottom to surface, although the porosity gradually decreased and then returned to the initial level. - Highlights: • Hollow microfibrous assemblies based on co-electrospinning are demonstrated. • The thickness and width of co-electrospun strips were controllable. • Cross-sections of fibres had non-normally distributed pore sizes and shapes. • Cross-sections were significantly influenced by production time and flow rate. • Co-electrospun strips had reasonably good reproducible cross-sections.

  17. Impact of oxide thickness on SEGR failure in vertical power MOSFETs: Development of a semi-empirical expression

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Titus, J.L.; Wheatley, C.F.; Burton, D.I.; Mouret, I.; Allenspach, M.; Brews, J.; Schrimpf, R.; Galloway, K.; Pease, R.L.

    1995-01-01

    This paper investigates the role that the gate oxide thickness (T ox ) plays on the gate and drain failure threshold voltages required to induce the onset of single-event gate rupture (SEGR). The impact of gate oxide thickness on SEGR is experimentally determined from vertical power metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) having identical process and design parameters, except for the gate oxide thickness. Power MOSFETs from five variants were specially fabricated with nominal gate oxide thicknesses of 30, 50, 70, 100, and 150 nm. Devices from each variant were characterized to mono-energetic ion beams of Nickel, Bromine, Iodine, and Gold, Employing different bias conditions, failure thresholds for the onset of SEGR were determined for each oxide thickness. Applying these experimental test results, the previously published empirical expression is extended to include the effects of gate oxide thickness. In addition, observations of ion angle, temperature, cell geometry, channel conductivity, and curvature at high drain voltages are briefly discussed

  18. Grainstones and cementstone mounds: The Trogkofel summit section (Lower Permian, Carnic Alps, Austria).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schaffhauser, M.; Sanders, D.; Krainer, K.

    2009-04-01

    In the Carnic Alps, Austria, an Artinskian succession 400 m thick of shallow-water bioclastic limestones and of mounds composed of ?Archaeolithophyllum, Archaeolithoporella and abundant fibrous cementstone (after former aragonite) records deposition along a "grainstone-dominated" platform margin. The section was taken along the route through the east-facing cliff of Trogkofel. The Trogkofel Limestone (Artinskian pro parte) is excellently exposed and preserved the most complete along this route, but no section has hitherto been logged. The total thickness of the Trogkofel Limestone probably is about 550 meters; the summit section comprises its upper 400 meters. The section consists mainly of shallow-water bioclastic limestones (grainstones, packstones, rudstones) intercalated with cementstone mounds. Both the bioclastic limestones and the mounds typically are thick-bedded to, more commonly, unbedded. Throughout the section, intervals a few tens of meters in thickness dominated by bioclastic limestones change vertically with intervals dominated by cementstone mounds. Up-section, no clear-cut trend with respect to prevalent facies, mean depositional water depth, and energy index is obvious. Furthermore, no lime-muddy, meter-scale peritidal cycles, and no teepee structures and no pisolite levels were identified; thin intervals of fenestral lime mudstones and/or of cryptmicrobially-laminated limestones are very rare. The bioclastic limestones commonly weather out unstratified, or show subhorizontal stratification or, more rarely, low-angle cross-stratification. In the upper 100 meters of section, grainstones to fine-grained rudstones rich in keystone vugs are prevalent. The cementstone mounds comprise intervals up to a few meters in thickness; the biogenic component is characterized by foliose crusts pertaining to ?Archaeolithophyllum hidensis and Archaeolithoporella, overgrown by Tubiphytes and fenestrate bryozoans. The ?Archaeolithophyllum-Archaeolithoporella crusts

  19. The effect of silver thickness on the enhancement of polymer based SERS substrates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schneidewind, H; Weber, K; Zeisberger, M; Hübner, U; Dellith, A; Cialla-May, D; Mattheis, R; Popp, J

    2014-01-01

    We investigated silver-covered polymer based nanogratings as substrates for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS), in particular with respect to the thickness of the plasmonically active silver film. In order to obtain accurate geometrical input data for the simulation process, we inspected cross sections of the gratings prepared by breaking at cryogenic temperature. We noticed a strong dependence of the simulation results on geometrical variations of the structures. Measurements revealed that an increasing silver film thickness on top of the nanogratings leads to a blue shift of the plasmonic resonance, as predicted by numerical simulations, as well as to an increased field enhancement for an excitation at 488 nm. We found a clear deviation of the experimental data compared to the simulated results for very thin silver films due to an island-like growth at a silver thickness below 20 nm. In order to investigate the SERS activity. we carried out measurements with crystal violet as a model analyte at an excitation wavelength of 488 nm. The SERS enhancement increases up to a silver thickness of about 30 nm, whereas it remains nearly constant for thicker silver films. (paper)

  20. Photoacoustic signal attenuation analysis for the assessment of thin layers thickness in paintings

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tserevelakis, George J.; Dal Fovo, Alice; Melessanaki, Krystalia; Fontana, Raffaella; Zacharakis, Giannis

    2018-03-01

    This study introduces a novel method for the thickness estimation of thin paint layers in works of art, based on photoacoustic signal attenuation analysis (PAcSAA). Ad hoc designed samples with acrylic paint layers (Primary Red Magenta, Cadmium Yellow, Ultramarine Blue) of various thicknesses on glass substrates were realized for the specific application. After characterization by Optical Coherence Tomography imaging, samples were irradiated at the back side using low energy nanosecond laser pulses of 532 nm wavelength. Photoacoustic waves undergo a frequency-dependent exponential attenuation through the paint layer, before being detected by a broadband ultrasonic transducer. Frequency analysis of the recorded time-domain signals allows for the estimation of the average transmitted frequency function, which shows an exponential decay with the layer thickness. Ultrasonic attenuation models were obtained for each pigment and used to fit the data acquired on an inhomogeneous painted mock-up simulating a real canvas painting. Thickness evaluation through PAcSAA resulted in excellent agreement with cross-section analysis with a conventional brightfield microscope. The results of the current study demonstrate the potential of the proposed PAcSAA method for the non-destructive stratigraphic analysis of painted artworks.

  1. Vapor deposition on doublet airfoil substrates: Control of coating thickness and microstructure

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rodgers, Theron M.; Zhao, Hengbei; Wadley, Haydn N. G., E-mail: haydn@virginia.edu [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Virginia, 395 McCormick Rd., P.O. Box 400745, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904 (United States)

    2015-11-15

    Gas jet assisted vapor deposition processes for depositing coatings are conducted at higher pressures than conventional physical vapor deposition methods, and have shown promise for coating complex shaped substrates including those with non-line-of-sight (NLS) regions on their surface. These regions typically receive vapor atoms at a lower rate and with a wider incident angular distribution than substrate regions in line-of-sight (LS) of the vapor source. To investigate the coating of such substrates, the thickness and microstructure variation along the inner (curved) surfaces of a model doublet airfoil containing both LS and NLS regions has been investigated. Results from atomistic simulations and experiments confirm that the coating's thickness is thinner in flux-shadowed regions than in other regions for all the coating processes investigated. They also indicated that the coatings columnar microstructure and pore volume fraction vary with surface location through the LS to NLS transition zone. A substrate rotation strategy for optimizing the thickness over the entire doublet airfoil surface was investigated, and led to the identification of a process that resulted in only small variation of coating thickness, columnar growth angle, and pore volume fraction on all doublet airfoil surfaces.

  2. Corneal thickness: measurement and implications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ehlers, Niels; Hjortdal, Jesper

    2004-03-01

    The thickness of the cornea was reported in more than 100-year-old textbooks on physiological optics (Helmholtz, Gullstrand). Physiological interest was revived in the 1950s by David Maurice, and over the next 50 years, this 'simple' biological parameter has been studied extensively. Several techniques for its measurement have been described and physiological and clinical significance have been studied. In this review, the different methods and techniques of measurement are briefly presented (optical, ultrasound). While the corneal thickness of many animals are the same over a considerable part of the surface, in the human cornea anterior and posterior curvature are not concentric giving rise to a problem of definition. Based on this the precision and accuracy of determining the central corneal thickness are discussed. Changes in corneal thickness reflects changes in function of the boundary layers, in particular the endothelial barrier. The absolute value of thickness is of importance for the estimation of IOP but also in diagnosis of corneal and systemic disorders. Finally it is discussed to what extent the thickness is a biometric parameter of significance, e.g. in the progression of myopia or in the development of retinal detachment.

  3. Thickness of residual wetting film in liquid-liquid displacement

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beresnev, Igor; Gaul, William; Vigil, R. Dennis

    2011-08-01

    Core-annular flow is common in nature, representing, for example, how streams of oil, surrounded by water, move in petroleum reservoirs. Oil, typically a nonwetting fluid, tends to occupy the middle (core) part of a channel, while water forms a surrounding wall-wetting film. What is the thickness of the wetting film? A classic theory has been in existence for nearly 50 years offering a solution, although in a controversial manner, for moving gas bubbles. On the other hand, an acceptable, experimentally verified theory for a body of one liquid flowing in another has not been available. Here we develop a hydrodynamic, testable theory providing an explicit relationship between the thickness of the wetting film and fluid properties for a blob of one fluid moving in another, with neither phase being gas. In its relationship to the capillary number Ca, the thickness of the film is predicted to be proportional to Ca2 at lower Ca and to level off at a constant value of ˜20% the channel radius at higher Ca. The thickness of the film is deduced to be approximately unaffected by the viscosity ratio of the fluids. We have conducted our own laboratory experiments and compiled experimental data from other studies, all of which are mutually consistent and confirm the salient features of the theory. At the same time, the classic law, originally deduced for films surrounding moving gas bubbles but often believed to hold for liquids as well, fails to explain the observations.

  4. Thermal Conductivity of Ceramic Thermal Barrier and Environmental Barrier Coating Materials

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Dong-Ming; Bansal, Narottam P.; Lee, Kang N.; Miller, Robert A.

    2001-01-01

    Thermal barrier and environmental barrier coatings (TBC's and EBC's) have been developed to protect metallic and Si-based ceramic components in gas turbine engines from high temperature attack. Zirconia-yttria based oxides and (Ba,Sr)Al2Si2O8(BSAS)/mullite based silicates have been used as the coating materials. In this study, thermal conductivity values of zirconia-yttria- and BSAS/mullite-based coating materials were determined at high temperatures using a steady-state laser heat flux technique. During the laser conductivity test, the specimen surface was heated by delivering uniformly distributed heat flux from a high power laser. One-dimensional steady-state heating was achieved by using thin disk specimen configuration (25.4 mm diam and 2 to 4 mm thickness) and the appropriate backside air-cooling. The temperature gradient across the specimen thickness was carefully measured by two surface and backside pyrometers. The thermal conductivity values were thus determined as a function of temperature based on the 1-D heat transfer equation. The radiation heat loss and laser absorption corrections of the materials were considered in the conductivity measurements. The effects of specimen porosity and sintering on measured conductivity values were also evaluated.

  5. Central corneal thickness and related factors in an elderly American Chinese population.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Dandan; Singh, Kuldev; Weinreb, Robert; Kempen, John; He, Mingguang; Lin, Shan

    2011-07-01

    To assess central corneal thickness and related factors in an elderly American Chinese population residing in San Francisco. Cross-sectional community based study. American Chinese aged 40 years and older were enrolled using random cluster sampling and volunteer screening in the Chinatown district of San Francisco. The following data were obtained: central corneal thickness by ultrasound pachymetry, intraocular pressure by Goldmann applanation tonometry, axial length by A-scan biometry, refractive status and corneal curvature by autorefractor. History of systemic and ocular diseases was collected via standard questionnaire. Central corneal thickness. Of 311 eligible subjects, 274 consented to study participation, and 228 phakic eyes were analyzed. Mean corneal thickness was 524.1 ± 31.1 µm, 545.5 ± 30.9 µm and 538.9 ± 31.8 µm in the sampling cluster, volunteer group and all subjects, respectively. A multiple linear regression model showed corneal thickness to be negatively associated with age (standardized regression coefficient [SRC] = -0.21; P = 0.016) and corneal curvature (SRC = -0.19; P = 0.018) but positively correlated with intraocular pressure (SRC = 0.20; P = 0.023). The distribution of central corneal thickness among this American Chinese population is similar to that reported in studies from East Asia. The independent factors associated with thinner corneas included older age, lower intraocular pressure and greater corneal curvature. While descendents of Chinese immigrants in America have, on average, thicker corneas than their ancestors, this phenomenon is potentially impacted by the level of intraocular pressure. © 2011 The Authors. Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology © 2011 Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists.

  6. Influence of substrate and film thickness on polymer LIPSS formation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cui, Jing; Nogales, Aurora; Ezquerra, Tiberio A. [Instituto de Estructura de la Materia (IEM-CSIC), Serrano 121, Madrid 28006 (Spain); Rebollar, Esther, E-mail: e.rebollar@csic.es [Instituto de Química Física Rocasolano (IQFR-CSIC), Serrano 119, Madrid 28006 (Spain)

    2017-02-01

    Highlights: • The estimation of temperature upon pulse accumulation shows that a small positive offset is caused by each individual pulse. • Number of pulses needed for LIPSS formation in PS thin films depends on polymer thickness. • Thermal conductivity and diffusivity of supporting substrate influence the onset for LIPSS formation and their quality. • Quality of LIPSS is affected by the substrate optical properties. - Abstract: Here we focus on the influence of both, substrate and film thickness on polymer Laser Induced Periodic Surface Structures (LIPSS) formation in polymer films. For this aim a morphological description of ripples structures generated on spin-coated polystyrene (PS) films by a linearly polarized laser beam with a wavelength of 266 nm is presented. The influence of different parameters on the quality and characteristics of the formed laser-induced periodic surface structures (LIPSS) was investigated. We found that well-ordered LIPSS are formed either on PS films thinner than 200 nm or thicker than 400 nm supported on silicon substrates as well as on thicker free standing films. However less-ordered ripples are formed on silicon supported films with intermediate thicknesses in the range of 200–380 nm. The effect of the thermal and optical properties of the substrate on the quality of LIPSS was analyzed. Differences observed in the fluence and number of pulses needed for the onset of surface morphological modifications is explained considering two main effects which are: (1) The temperature increase on polymer surface induced by the action of cumulative laser irradiation and (2) The differences in thermal conductivity between the polymer and the substrate which strongly affect the heat dissipation generated by irradiation.

  7. Comparison of laser welds in thick section S700 high-strength steel manufactured in flat (1G) and horizontal (2G) positions

    OpenAIRE

    Guo, Wei; Liu, Qiang; Francis, John Anthony; Crowther, Dave; Thompson, Alan; Liu, Zhu; Li, Lin

    2015-01-01

    Lack of penetration, undercut and melt sagging are common welding defects for single-pass laser welds in thick plates, particularly when using a traditional 1G welding position (laser directed towards ground). This investigation shows, for the first time, that welding 13 mm thick high-strength S700 steel plates in the 2G position (laser beam perpendicular to the direction of gravity) can mitigate some of the common welding defects including undercut and sagging. A computational fluid dynamic ...

  8. Altered cortical thickness and attentional deficits in adolescent girls and women with bulimia nervosa.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Berner, Laura A; Stefan, Mihaela; Lee, Seonjoo; Wang, Zhishun; Terranova, Kate; Attia, Evelyn; Marsh, Rachel

    2018-05-01

    Frontostriatal and frontoparietal abnormalities likely contribute to deficits in control and attentional processes in individuals with bulimia nervosa and to the persistence of dysregulated eating across development. This study assessed these processes and cortical thickness in a large sample of adolescent girls and women with bulimia nervosa compared with healthy controls. We collected anatomical MRI data from adolescent girls and women (ages 12-38 yr) with full or subthreshold bulimia nervosa and age-matched healthy controls who also completed the Conners Continuous Performance Test-II (CPT-II). Groups were compared on task performance and cortical thickness. Mediation analyses explored associations among cortical thickness, CPT-II variables, bulimia nervosa symptoms and age. We included 60 girls and women with bulimia nervosa and 54 controls in the analyses. Compared with healthy participants, those with bulimia nervosa showed increased impulsivity and inattention on the CPT-II, along with reduced thickness of the right pars triangularis, right superior parietal and left dorsal posterior cingulate cortices. In the bulimia nervosa group, exploratory analyses revealed that binge eating frequency correlated inversely with cortical thickness of frontoparietal and insular regions and that reduced frontoparietal thickness mediated the association between age and increased symptom severity and inattention. Binge eating frequency also mediated the association between age and lower prefrontal cortical thickness. These findings are applicable to only girls and women with bulimia nervosa, and our cross-sectional design precludes understanding of whether cortical thickness alterations precede or result from bulimia nervosa symptoms. Structural abnormalities in the frontoparietal and posterior cingulate regions comprising circuits that support control and attentional processes should be investigated as potential contributors to the maintenance of bulimia nervosa and useful

  9. Altered cortical thickness and attentional deficits in adolescent girls and women with bulimia nervosa.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Berner, Laura A; Stefan, Mihaela; Lee, Seonjoo; Wang, Zhishun; Terranova, Kate; Attia, Evelyn; Marsh, Rachel

    2018-01-12

    Frontostriatal and frontoparietal abnormalities likely contribute to deficits in control and attentional processes in individuals with bulimia nervosa and to the persistence of dysregulated eating across development. This study assessed these processes and cortical thickness in a large sample of adolescent girls and women with bulimia nervosa compared with healthy controls. We collected anatomical MRI data from adolescent girls and women (ages 12-38 yr) with full or subthreshold bulimia nervosa and age-matched healthy controls who also completed the Conners Continuous Performance Test-II (CPT-II). Groups were compared on task performance and cortical thickness. Mediation analyses explored associations among cortical thickness, CPT-II variables, bulimia nervosa symptoms and age. We included 60 girls and women with bulimia nervosa and 54 controls in the analyses. Compared with healthy participants, those with bulimia nervosa showed increased impulsivity and inattention on the CPT-II, along with reduced thickness of the right pars triangularis, right superior parietal and left dorsal posterior cingulate cortices. In the bulimia nervosa group, exploratory analyses revealed that binge eating frequency correlated inversely with cortical thickness of frontoparietal and insular regions and that reduced frontoparietal thickness mediated the association between age and increased symptom severity and inattention. Binge eating frequency also mediated the association between age and lower prefrontal cortical thickness. These findings are applicable to only girls and women with bulimia nervosa, and our cross-sectional design precludes understanding of whether cortical thickness alterations precede or result from bulimia nervosa symptoms. Structural abnormalities in the frontoparietal and posterior cingulate regions comprising circuits that support control and attentional processes should be investigated as potential contributors to the maintenance of bulimia nervosa and useful

  10. Ice thickness measurements and volume estimates for glaciers in Norway

    Science.gov (United States)

    Andreassen, Liss M.; Huss, Matthias; Melvold, Kjetil; Elvehøy, Hallgeir; Winsvold, Solveig H.

    2014-05-01

    Whereas glacier areas in many mountain regions around the world now are well surveyed using optical satellite sensors and available in digital inventories, measurements of ice thickness are sparse in comparison and a global dataset does not exist. Since the 1980s ice thickness measurements have been carried out by ground penetrating radar on many glaciers in Norway, often as part of contract work for hydropower companies with the aim to calculate hydrological divides of ice caps. Measurements have been conducted on numerous glaciers, covering the largest ice caps as well as a few smaller mountain glaciers. However, so far no ice volume estimate for Norway has been derived from these measurements. Here, we give an overview of ice thickness measurements in Norway, and use a distributed model to interpolate and extrapolate the data to provide an ice volume estimate of all glaciers in Norway. We also compare the results to various volume-area/thickness-scaling approaches using values from the literature as well as scaling constants we obtained from ice thickness measurements in Norway. Glacier outlines from a Landsat-derived inventory from 1999-2006 together with a national digital elevation model were used as input data for the ice volume calculations. The inventory covers all glaciers in mainland Norway and consists of 2534 glaciers (3143 glacier units) covering an area of 2692 km2 ± 81 km2. To calculate the ice thickness distribution of glaciers in Norway we used a distributed model which estimates surface mass balance distribution, calculates the volumetric balance flux and converts it into thickness using the flow law for ice. We calibrated this model with ice thickness data for Norway, mainly by adjusting the mass balance gradient. Model results generally agree well with the measured values, however, larger deviations were found for some glaciers. The total ice volume of Norway was estimated to be 275 km3 ± 30 km3. From the ice thickness data set we selected

  11. Parametric Study of Fire Performance of Concrete Filled Hollow Steel Section Columns with Circular and Square Cross-Section

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nurfaidhi Rizalman, Ahmad; Tahir, Ng Seong Yap Mahmood Md; Mohammad, Shahrin

    2018-03-01

    Concrete filled hollow steel section column have been widely accepted by structural engineers and designers for high rise construction due to the benefits of combining steel and concrete. The advantages of concrete filled hollow steel section column include higher strength, ductility, energy absorption capacity, and good structural fire resistance. In this paper, comparison on the fire performance between circular and square concrete filled hollow steel section column is established. A three-dimensional finite element package, ABAQUS, was used to develop the numerical model to study the temperature development, critical temperature, and fire resistance time of the selected composite columns. Based on the analysis and comparison of typical parameters, the effect of equal cross-sectional size for both steel and concrete, concrete types, and thickness of external protection on temperature distribution and structural fire behaviour of the columns are discussed. The result showed that concrete filled hollow steel section column with circular cross-section generally has higher fire resistance than the square section.

  12. Conductivity enhancement of surface-polymerized polyaniline films via control of processing conditions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Park, Chung Hyoi; Jang, Sung Kyu; Kim, Felix Sunjoo

    2018-01-01

    We investigate a fast and facile approach for the simultaneous synthesis and coating of conducting polyaniline (PANI) onto a substrate and the effects of processing conditions on the electrical properties of the fabricated films. Simultaneous polymerizing and depositing on the substrate forms a thin film with the average thickness of 300 nm and sheet resistance of 304 Ω/sq. Deposition conditions such as polymerization time (3-240 min), temperature (-10 to 40 °C), concentrations of monomer and oxidant (0.1-0.9 M), and type of washing solvents (acetone, water, and/or HCl solution) affect the film thickness, doping state, absorption characteristics, and solid-state nanoscale morphology, therefore affecting the electrical conductivity. Among the conditions, the surface-polymerized PANI film deposited at room temperature with acetone washing showed the highest conductivity of 22.2 S/cm.

  13. Impact of sensor metal thickness on microwave spectroscopy sensitivity for individual particles and biological cells analysis

    OpenAIRE

    Chen , Wenli; Dubuc , David; Grenier , Katia

    2016-01-01

    International audience; This paper focuses on evaluating the impact of metal thickness of a microwave coplanar based sensor dedicated to the microwave dielectric spectroscopy of single particles and individual biological cells. A sensitivity study has therefore been achieved for metal thicknesses comprised between 0.3 and 20 µm. After the validation of electromagnetic simulations with measurements of 10 μm-diameter polystyrene bead, both capacitive and conductive contrasts have been defined f...

  14. Thickly Syndetical Sensitivity of Topological Dynamical System

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Heng Liu

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Consider the surjective continuous map f:X→X, where X is a compact metric space. In this paper we give several stronger versions of sensitivity, such as thick sensitivity, syndetic sensitivity, thickly syndetic sensitivity, and strong sensitivity. We establish the following. (1 If (X,f is minimal and sensitive, then (X,f is syndetically sensitive. (2 Weak mixing implies thick sensitivity. (3 If (X,f is minimal and weakly mixing, then it is thickly syndetically sensitive. (4 If (X,f is a nonminimal M-system, then it is thickly syndetically sensitive. Devaney chaos implies thickly periodic sensitivity. (5 We give a syndetically sensitive system which is not thickly sensitive. (6 We give thickly syndetically sensitive examples but not cofinitely sensitive ones.

  15. Dielectrophoretic capture of low abundance cell population using thick electrodes

    OpenAIRE

    Marchalot, Julien; Chateaux, Jean-François; Faivre, Magalie; Mertani, Hichem C.; Ferrigno, Rosaria; Deman, Anne-Laure

    2015-01-01

    Enrichment of rare cell populations such as Circulating Tumor Cells (CTCs) is a critical step before performing analysis. This paper presents a polymeric microfluidic device with integrated thick Carbon-PolyDimethylSiloxane composite (C-PDMS) electrodes designed to carry out dielectrophoretic (DEP) trapping of low abundance biological cells. Such conductive composite material presents advantages over metallic structures. Indeed, as it combines properties of both the matrix and doping particle...

  16. The Comparison of Dentine Thickness Under Proximal Caries Between Bitewing Radiographs and Tooth Structure

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Khosravi K

    2001-05-01

    Full Text Available Carious lesions are usually found by dentists, using bitewing radiographs, and according to the depth of the lesions, the treatment plan is designed. At the present, this technique is the most accepted one and is used generally. But it is not a perfect technique and there are some errors in determining of depth of proximal carious lesions. These errors are mainly related to the use of new high-speed films with broad density and lower voltages. In this study, dentin thickness under proximal caries in bitewing radiography was compared with its real thickness, in tooth structure. Twenty-four teeth samples with proximal caries were used. Before and after removal of carious lesions bitewing radiographs were taken and then each tooth was sectioned occlusogingivally and the thickness of dentine under proximal caries and on bitewing radiographs were measured under microscope with 0.01 mm accuracy. Mean value of dentine thickness in tooth structure was 41% of its mean thickness in bitewing radiographs, showing 59% difference (reduction. Therefore, more care should be taken in using standard technique and interpreting of bitewing radiographs by clinicians. Clinical examinations also should be performed in ideal conditions, and patients should be clinically and radiographically examined every six months.

  17. Malignant melanoma in Ferrara, Northern Italy: epidemiologic survey focusing on tumor thickness.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Borghi, A; Corazza, M; Minghetti, S; Masarà, A; Virgili, A

    2015-12-01

    Estimates of malignant melanoma (MM) incidence and prognosis vary widely. The present study was performed to analyze epidemiologic and prognostic aspects of primary MM mainly in relation to tumor thickness. We conducted a retrospective study on a cohort of 435 patients with diagnosis of primary MM between 1997 and 2011. In the period 2009-2011, among the MM diagnosed 50.00% were thin, 32.43% in situ and 17.57% thicker while in 1997-1999 MM>1 mm accounted for 51.61% of diagnoses. Mean age of patients affected with thin MM was significantly lower than that of patients with MM>1 mm, and mean thickness resulted significantly lower in female patients than in males. Mean thickness of MM located on easily self-evaluable body areas was significantly lower than in those not accessible for skin self-examination. The commonest histogenetic type was superficially spreading melanoma. Mitotic rate, ulceration and vertical growth phase all resulted related to MM thickness. Out of 61 patients with thin MM who underwent SLNB, 3 resulted positive (4.92%): neither thickness >0.75 mm, nor ulceration, mitotic rate or Clark level were found to be associated with SLNB positivity. Five-year survival rate was 98.3% for thin MM patients and 76.4% for thick MM patients. Our trend analysis evidences a continuing increase of thinner primary MM throughout the study period, potentially enhancing patient prognosis. Regular skin self-examination could contribute to earlier recognition of MM. Identification of more powerful predictors of thin MM prognosis is necessary.

  18. Basal-plane thermal conductivity of few-layer molybdenum disulfide

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jo, Insun; Ou, Eric; Shi, Li; Pettes, Michael Thompson; Wu, Wei

    2014-01-01

    We report the in-plane thermal conductivity of suspended exfoliated few-layer molybdenum disulfide (MoS 2 ) samples that were measured by suspended micro-devices with integrated resistance thermometers. The obtained room-temperature thermal conductivity values are (44–50) and (48–52) W m −1 K −1 for two samples that are 4 and 7 layers thick, respectively. For both samples, the peak thermal conductivity occurs at a temperature close to 120 K, above which the thermal conductivity is dominated by intrinsic phonon-phonon scattering although phonon scattering by surface disorders can still play an important role in these samples especially at low temperatures

  19. Quantitative analysis of light elements in thick samples by PIGE

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mateus, R.; Jesus, A.P.; Ribeiro, J.P.

    2004-01-01

    PIGE analysis of thick and intermediate samples is usually performed with the help of standards, but this method gives only good results when the standard is very similar to the sample to be analysed. In this work, we present an alternative method for PIGE analysis of light elements in thick samples. This method is based on a code that integrates the nuclear reaction excitation function along the depth of the sample. For the integration procedure the sample is divided in sublayers, defined by the energy steps that were used to measure accurately the excitation function. This function is used as input. Within each sublayer the stopping power cross-sections may be assumed as constant. With these two conditions the calculus of the contribution of each sublayer for the total yield becomes an easy task. This work presents results for the analysis of lithium, boron, fluorine and sodium in thick samples. For this purpose, excitation functions of the reactions 7 Li(p,p ' γ) 7 Li, 19 F(p,p ' γ) 19 F, 10 B(p,αγ) 7 Be and 23 Na(p,p ' γ) 23 Na were employed. Calculated γ-ray yields were compared, at several proton energy values, with experimental yields for thick samples made of inorganic compounds of the referred elements. The agreement is better than 7.5%. Taking into consideration the experimental uncertainty of the measured yields and the errors related to the stopping power values used, this agreement shows that effects as the beam energy straggling, ignored in the calculation, seem to play a minor role

  20. Education and "Thick" Epistemology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kotzee, Ben

    2011-01-01

    In this essay Ben Kotzee addresses the implications of Bernard Williams's distinction between "thick" and "thin" concepts in ethics for epistemology and for education. Kotzee holds that, as in the case of ethics, one may distinguish between "thick" and "thin" concepts of epistemology and, further, that this distinction points to the importance of…

  1. Relationship between macular ganglion cell complex thickness and macular outer retinal thickness: a spectral-domain optical coherence tomography study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kita, Yoshiyuki; Kita, Ritsuko; Takeyama, Asuka; Anraku, Ayako; Tomita, Goji; Goldberg, Ivan

    2013-01-01

    To assess the relationship between macular ganglion cell complex and macular outer retinal thicknesses. Case-control study. Forty-two normal eyes and 91 eyes with primary open-angle glaucoma were studied. Spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (RTVue-100) was used to measure the macular ganglion cell complex and macular outer retinal thickness. Ganglion cell complex to outer retinal thickness ratio was also calculated. The relationships between the ganglion cell complex and outer retinal thicknesses and between the ganglion cell complex to outer retinal thickness ratio and outer retinal thickness were evaluated. There was a positive correlation between ganglion cell complex and outer retinal thicknesses in the normal group and the glaucoma group (r = 0.53, P variation in the outer retinal thickness. Therefore, when determining the ganglion cell complex, it seems necessary to consider the outer retinal thickness as well. We propose the ratio as a suitable parameter to account for individual variations in outer retinal thickness. © 2013 The Authors. Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology © 2013 Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists.

  2. Reactor-vessel-sectioning demonstration

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lundgren, R.A.

    1981-09-01

    A technical demonstration was successfully completed of simulated reactor vessel sectioning using the combined techniques of air arc gouging and flame cutting. A 4-ft x 3-ft x 9-in. thick sample was fabricated of A36 carbon steel to simulate a reactor vessel wall. A 1/4-in. layer of stainless steel (SS) was tungsten inert gas (TIG)-welded to the carbon steel. Several techniques were considered to section the simulated reactor vessel; air arc gouging was selected to penetrate the stainless steel, and flame cutting was selected to sever the carbon steel. Three sectioning operations were demonstrated. For all three, the operating parameters were the same; but the position of the sample was varied. For the first cut, the sample was placed in a horizontal position, and it was successfully severed from the SS side. For the second cut, the sample was turned over and cut from the carbon steel side. Cutting from the carbon steel side has the advantages of cost reduction

  3. Enhancement of conductivity in polyaniline-[poly(vinylidene chloride)-co-(vinyl acetate)] blends by irradiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bodugoez-Sentuerk, Hatice; Gueven, Olgun

    2011-01-01

    In this study we have prepared conductive poly(aniline), (PANI) blends with poly(vinylidene chloride-co-vinyl acetate), [P(VDC-co-VAc)] copolymer with varying compositions using gamma radiation to induce conductivity. A number of blends with different compositions were prepared by solution casting followed by irradiation in a 60 Co gamma cell to different doses up to 800 kGy. Electrical conductivity of the blends was measured before and after irradiation using a four-probe technique. Increasing radiation dose resulted in an increase of 9 orders of magnitude in the conductivity of P(VDC-co-VAc)/(PANI) films reaching 0.1 S/cm at 500 kGy and beyond this dose a decrease was observed. Effect of film thickness on conductivity of the blends was investigated and a slight increase of an order of magnitude was observed on increasing the film thickness from 50 to 200 μm. It was also observed that PANI blends exhibited a stretch dependent small increase in conductivity. The conductivity of the irradiated films was found to be stable for up to 12 months under ambient conditions.

  4. Nanomembranes and Nanofibers from Biodegradable Conducting Polymers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jordi Puiggalí

    2013-09-01

    Full Text Available This review provides a current status report of the field concerning preparation of fibrous mats based on biodegradable (e.g., aliphatic polyesters such as polylactide or polycaprolactone and conducting polymers (e.g., polyaniline, polypirrole or polythiophenes. These materials have potential biomedical applications (e.g., tissue engineering or drug delivery systems and can be combined to get free-standing nanomembranes and nanofibers that retain the better properties of their corresponding individual components. Systems based on biodegradable and conducting polymers constitute nowadays one of the most promising solutions to develop advanced materials enable to cover aspects like local stimulation of desired tissue, time controlled drug release and stimulation of either the proliferation or differentiation of various cell types. The first sections of the review are focused on a general overview of conducting and biodegradable polymers most usually employed and the explanation of the most suitable techniques for preparing nanofibers and nanomembranes (i.e., electrospinning and spin coating. Following sections are organized according to the base conducting polymer (e.g., Sections 4–6 describe hybrid systems having aniline, pyrrole and thiophene units, respectively. Each one of these sections includes specific subsections dealing with applications in a nanofiber or nanomembrane form. Finally, miscellaneous systems and concluding remarks are given in the two last sections.

  5. Measurement of the thickness of the bronchial epithelium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bowden, D.H.; Baldwin, F.

    1989-02-01

    Cancer of the lung in uranium miners is thought to be related to the inhalation of gaseous radon daughters which become attached to molecules of water vapour or to dust particles. Since, the depth of tissue penetration by alpha particles is short, the thickness of the epithelium that lines the bronchial tree may be a critical factor in the development of cancers at specific sites in the lung. The objectives of the present study were: 1) to measure the thickness of human bronchial epithelium; 2) to determine the distribution and depth of the nuclei of basal cells in the bronchial epithelium; and 3) to compare these parameters in groups of smokers and non-smokers. Twenty-nine surgically removed specimens of the lung were examined (26 smokers, 3 non-smokers). The specimens were fixed and prepared for examination by light and electron microscopy. Blocks of tissue were oriented so that the maximum number of bronchi were cut in cross-section; measurements included bronchi of all sizes from bronchial generations (1≥ 9.01 mm) diameter to the smallest bronchioles, generations 7 - 16 (0.26 - 2.0 mm). Comparison of measurements in smokers and non-smokers show no significant differences, so that the 29 cases are considered to represent a homogeneous group. With progressive divisions of the bronchi, the epithelium decreases in thickness. Of more importance are the figures relating to the distance from the cell surface to the underlying nucleus. Here too, with the exception of goblet cells, the measurements are significantly smaller in generations 7 - 16 than in generation 1

  6. Estimation of soft sediment thickness in Kuala Lumpur based on microtremor observation data

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chiew, Chang Chyau; Cheah, Yi Ben; Tan, Chin Guan; Lau, Tze Liang

    2017-10-01

    Seismic site effect is one of the major concerns in earthquake engineering. Soft ground tends to amplify the seismic wave in surficial geological layers. The determination of soft ground thickness on the surface layers of the earth is an important input for seismic hazard assessment. This paper presents an easy and convenient approach to estimate the soft sediment thickness at the site using microtremor observation technique. A total number of 133 survey points were conducted in selected sites around Kuala Lumpur area using a microtremor measuring instrument, but only 103 survey points contributed to the seismic microzonation and sediment thickness plots. The bedrock of Kuala Lumpur area is formed by Kenny Hill Formation, limestone, granite, and the Hawthornden Schist; however, the thickness of surface soft ground formed by alluvial deposits, mine tailings, and residual soils remains unknown. Hence, the predominant frequency of the ground in each site was determined based on Nakamura method. A total number of 14 sites with known depth to bedrock from the supply of geotechnical reports in the study area were determined. An empirical correlation was developed to relate the ground predominant frequency and soft ground thickness. This correlation may contribute to local soil underlying the subsurface of Kuala Lumpur area. The finding provides an important relationship for engineers to estimate the soft ground thickness in Kuala Lumpur area based on the dynamic characteristics of the ground measured from microtremor observation.

  7. Transparent conductive graphene electrode in GaN-based ultra-violet light emitting diodes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Byung-Jae; Mastro, Michael A; Hite, Jennifer; Eddy, Charles R; Kim, Jihyun

    2010-10-25

    We report a graphene-based transparent conductive electrode for use in ultraviolet (UV) GaN light emitting diodes (LEDs). A few-layer graphene (FLG) layer was mechanically deposited. UV light at a peak wavelength of 368 nm was successfully emitted by the FLG layer as transparent contact to p-GaN. The emission of UV light through the thin graphene layer was brighter than through the thick graphene layer. The thickness of the graphene layer was characterized by micro-Raman spectroscopy. Our results indicate that this novel graphene-based transparent conductive electrode holds great promise for use in UV optoelectronics for which conventional ITO is less transparent than graphene.

  8. Effect of the Ti-Nanolayer Thickness on the Self-Lift-off of Thick GaN Epitaxial Layers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yugov, A. A.; Malahov, S. S.; Donskov, A. A.; Duhnovskii, M. P.; Knyazev, S. N.; Kozlova, Yu. P.; Yugova, T. G.; Belogorokhov, I. A.

    2016-01-01

    The effect of the type of substrate, sapphire substrate (c- and r-orientation) or GaN/Al_2O_3 template (c- and r-orientations), on the nitridation of an amorphous titanium nanolayer is shown. The effect of the titanium-nanolayer thickness on thick GaN epitaxial layer self-separation from the substrate is revealed. The titanium-nanolayer thickness at which thick GaN layer is reproducibly self-separated is within 20–40 nm.

  9. Insulator-protected mechanically controlled break junctions for measuring single-molecule conductance in aqueous environments

    Science.gov (United States)

    Muthusubramanian, N.; Galan, E.; Maity, C.; Eelkema, R.; Grozema, F. C.; van der Zant, H. S. J.

    2016-07-01

    We present a method to fabricate insulated gold mechanically controlled break junctions (MCBJ) by coating the metal with a thin layer of aluminum oxide using plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition. The Al2O3 thickness deposited on the MCBJ devices was varied from 2 to 15 nm to test the suppression of leakage currents in deionized water and phosphate buffered saline. Junctions coated with a 15 nm thick oxide layer yielded atomically sharp electrodes and negligible conductance counts in the range of 1 to 10-4 G0 (1 G0 = 77 μS), where single-molecule conductances are commonly observed. The insulated devices were used to measure the conductance of an amphiphilic oligophenylene ethynylene derivative in deionized water.

  10. Thick film hydrogen sensor

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hoffheins, Barbara S.; Lauf, Robert J.

    1995-01-01

    A thick film hydrogen sensor element includes an essentially inert, electrically-insulating substrate having deposited thereon a thick film metallization forming at least two resistors. The metallization is a sintered composition of Pd and a sinterable binder such as glass frit. An essentially inert, electrically insulating, hydrogen impermeable passivation layer covers at least one of the resistors.

  11. Suspension chemistry and electrophoretic deposition of zirconia electrolyte on conducting and non-conducting substrates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Das, Debasish; Basu, Rajendra N.

    2013-01-01

    Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Stable suspension of yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ) obtained in isopropanol medium. • Suspension chemistry and process parameters for electrophoretic deposition optimized. • Deposited film quality changed with iodine and water (dispersants) concentration. • Dense YSZ film (∼5 μm) fabricated onto non-conducting porous NiO-YSZ anode substrate. - Abstract: Suspensions of 8 mol% yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ) particulates in isopropanol medium are prepared using acetylacetone, iodine and water as dispersants. The effect of dispersants concentration on suspension stability, particle size distribution, electrical conductivity and pH of the suspensions are studied in detail to optimize the suspension chemistry. Electrophoretic deposition (EPD) has been conducted to produce thin and dense YSZ electrolyte films. Deposition kinetics have been studied in depth and good quality films on conducting substrate are obtained at an applied voltage of 15 V for 3 min. YSZ films are also fabricated on non-conducting NiO-YSZ anode substrate using a steel plate on the reverse side of the substrate. Upon co-firing at 1400 °C for 6 h a dense YSZ film of thickness ∼5 μm is obtained. Such a half cell (anode + electrolyte) can be used to fabricate a solid oxide fuel cell on applying a suitable cathode layer

  12. Comparison of a modified mid-coronal sectioning technique and Wilson's technique when conducting eye and brain examinations in rabbit teratology studies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ziejewski, Mary K; Solomon, Howard M; Rendemonti, Joyce; Stanislaus, Dinesh

    2015-02-01

    There are two methods used when examining fetal rabbit eyes and brain in teratology studies. One method employs prior fixation before serial sectioning (Wilson's technique) and the other uses fresh tissue (mid-coronal sectioning). We modified the mid-coronal sectioning technique to include removal of eyes and brain for closer examination and to increase the number of structures that can be evaluated and compared it to the Wilson's technique. We found that external examination of the head, in conjunction with either sectioning method, is equally sensitive in identifying developmental defects. We evaluated 40,401 New Zealand White (NZW) and Dutch-Belted (DB) rabbit fetuses for external head alterations, of which 28,538 fetuses were further examined for eye and brain alterations using the modified mid-coronal sectioning method (16,675 fetuses) or Wilson's technique (11,863 fetuses). The fetuses were from vehicle control or drug-treated pregnant rabbits in embryo-fetal development studies conducted to meet international regulatory requirements for the development of new drugs. Both methods detected the more common alterations (microphthalmia and dilated lateral cerebral ventricles) and other less common findings (changes in size and/or shape of eye and brain structures). While both methods are equally sensitive at detecting common and rare developmental defects, the modified mid-coronal sectioning technique eliminates the use of chemicals and concomitant fixation artifacts that occur with the Wilson's technique and allows for examination of 100% intact fetuses thereby increasing potential for detecting eye and brain alterations as these findings occur infrequently in rabbits. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  13. Software optimization for electrical conductivity imaging in polycrystalline diamond cutters

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bogdanov, G.; Ludwig, R. [Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, 100 Institute Rd, Worcester, MA 01609 (United States); Wiggins, J.; Bertagnolli, K. [US Synthetic, 1260 South 1600 West, Orem, UT 84058 (United States)

    2014-02-18

    We previously reported on an electrical conductivity imaging instrument developed for measurements on polycrystalline diamond cutters. These cylindrical cutters for oil and gas drilling feature a thick polycrystalline diamond layer on a tungsten carbide substrate. The instrument uses electrical impedance tomography to profile the conductivity in the diamond table. Conductivity images must be acquired quickly, on the order of 5 sec per cutter, to be useful in the manufacturing process. This paper reports on successful efforts to optimize the conductivity reconstruction routine, porting major portions of it to NVIDIA GPUs, including a custom CUDA kernel for Jacobian computation.

  14. Time-dependent behavior of magnetic fields confined by conducting walls

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kidder, R.E.; Cecil, A.B.

    1983-01-01

    An equation is derived which describes the total current flowing in a moving conducting surface surrounding a magnetic field, where diffusion of the field into the conductor is taken into account. Analytic and numerical solutions of the current equation are obtained for the cases of exponential and linear compression of the magnetic field with time, respectively. It is assumed that the electrical conductivity is constant, that the conducting surfaces are axially symmetric, and that the thickness and radius of curvature of the conducting walls is large compared with the effective depth of penetration of the field

  15. The role of resveratrol on full - Thickness uterine wound healing in rats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sayin, Oya; Micili, Serap Cilaker; Goker, Asli; Kamaci, Gonca; Ergur, Bekir Ugur; Yilmaz, Osman; Guner Akdogan, Gul

    2017-10-01

    Healing of the uterus after cesarean section and myomectomy operation is clinically important. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effects of resveratrol (3,5,4'-o-trihydroxystilbene) on the wound healing process of the uterus in rats treated with resveratrol following full thickness injury of the uterus. Twenty-one female wistar albino rats were divided randomly into three groups (1) control group with no intervention (2) injury group with uterine full thickness injury (3) resveratrol group with uterine full thickness injury and treated with resveratrol. Resveratrol was injected by oral gavage at the doses of 0.5 mg/kg/day for 30 days following uterine full thickness injury. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) distributions were assessed using the immunohistochemical methods in tissue and ELISA methods in the tissue homogenate. Glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities were evaluated with colorimetric method and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels also were measured using high performance liquid chromatography in the tissue homogenate. The effects of resveratrol on the uterine histology also were evaluated histologically with the light microscopy. Histological evaluation and immunohistochemical evaluations showed that treatment with a resveratrol significantly increased the thickness of the uterine wall and VEGF expression and decreased expression PDGF during wound healing. Biochemically, GPx and SOD activities were increased significantly after treatment with resveratrol. Additionally, resveratrol administration decreased MDA levels. These results showed that the antioxidant effects of resveratrol has been shown to have a positive influence on wound healing of the uterus. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  16. Non-contact Measurement of Remaining Thickness of Corroding Superheater Tubes. Phase 2

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Borggreen, Kjeld; Storesund, Jan

    2007-12-15

    The Electro Magnetic Acoustic Transducer (EMAT) is a contactless thickness gauge for detection of corrosion on superheater tubes; it candidates as substitute for conventional manually operated contact UT transducers. It is the aim of the project to demonstrate the usefulness of two simple EMAT systems, Panametrics and Sonatest, for fast and reliable tube thickness inspections in difficult-to-access superheater sections. The present Phase 2 of the project involves testing of the systems on real compact superheaters in remote operation with the help of a mechanical manipulator designed and built for the purpose. The results are the following: - Both EMAT systems work well when tested in the field during handheld operation on tubes with a moderate thick layer of corrosion products and ash. The practical obtainable speed of cross-panel inspection of easily accessible panels is approximately 6 tubes per minute (6 thickness readings per minute). - The Sonatest system works well when tested in the field during remote operation on heavily corroded superheater tubes with thick ash layer. The Panametrics system was not found suitable for this type of field work. - The mechanical manipulator works well for cross-panel inspection of difficult-to-access superheater sections independent of the tube dimensions and the free space between the panels. In its present design it needs few improvements. - The practical obtainable speed of cross-panel inspection is 3 tubes per minute (3 thickness readings per minute). This speed is limited by the detection rate of the EMAT system and not by the travelling speed of the probe. - Scanning of tubes along their axis was never attempted, because the EMAT instruments were not capable of collecting data coming as a continuous stream. - It cannot be judged from visual alone and hardly from the service data, if a tube or a panel can be inspected by the magnetostrictive EMAT method or not. - The main contribution to failure of the EMAT inspection

  17. Effect of Thickness-to-Chord Ratio on Flow Structure of Low Swept Delta Wing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gulsacan, Burak; Sencan, Gizem; Yavuz, Mehmet Metin

    2017-11-01

    The effect of thickness-to-chord (t/C) ratio on flow structure of a delta wing with sweep angle of 35 degree is characterized in a low speed wind tunnel using laser illuminated smoke visualization, particle image velocimetry, and surface pressure measurements. Four different t/C ratio varying from 4.75% to 19% are tested at angles of attack 4, 6, 8, and 10 degrees for Reynolds numbers Re =10,000 and 35,000. The results indicate that the effect of thickness-to-chord ratio on flow structure is quite substantial, such that, as the wing thickness increases, the flow structure transforms from leading edge vortex to three-dimensional separated flow regime. The wing with low t/C ratio of 4.75% experiences pronounced surface separation at significantly higher angle of attack compared to the wing with high t/C ratio. The results might explain some of the discrepancies reported in previously conducted studies related to delta wings. In addition, it is observed that the thickness of the shear layer separated from windward side of the wing is directly correlated with the thickness of the wing. To conclude, the flow structure on low swept delta wing is highly affected by t/C ratio, which in turn might indicate the potential usage of wing thickness as an effective flow control parameter.

  18. Study of temperature-dependent charge conduction in silicon-nanocrystal/SiO{sub 2} multilayers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mavilla, Narasimha Rao; Chavan, Vinayak [National Centre for Photovoltaic Research and Education (NCPRE), Powai, Mumbai 400 076 (India); Department of Electrical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Powai, Mumbai 400 076 (India); Solanki, Chetan Singh [National Centre for Photovoltaic Research and Education (NCPRE), Powai, Mumbai 400 076 (India); Department of Energy Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Powai, Mumbai 400 076 (India); Vasi, Juzer [National Centre for Photovoltaic Research and Education (NCPRE), Powai, Mumbai 400 076 (India); Department of Electrical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Powai, Mumbai 400 076 (India)

    2016-08-01

    Silicon-nanocrystals (Si-NCs) realized by SiO{sub x} {sub <} {sub 2}/SiO{sub 2} multilayer (ML) approach have shown promise for realizing tightly-controlled dimensions, thus efficiently exploiting the size-dependent quantum effects for device applications. Unfortunately, the confining insulating barriers (SiO{sub 2} sublayers), instrumental for realizing quantum size effects in Si-NC MLs, can also hinder the charge conduction which is crucial for device applications including Si-NC based tandem solar cells and multi-exciton solar cells. Owing to this, a comprehensive study of conduction mechanisms has been carried out using a thorough analysis of temperature-dependent dark I-V measurements of SiO{sub 2} thin film and Si-NC multilayer samples fabricated by Inductively Coupled Plasma CVD (ICPCVD). As the ML samples consisted of interleaved SiO{sub 2} sublayers, current in SiO{sub 2} thin film has initially been studied to understand the conduction properties of bulk ICPCVD SiO{sub 2}. For 21 nm thick SiO{sub 2} film, conduction is observed to be dominated by Fowler–Nordheim (FN) tunneling for higher electric fields (> 8 MV/cm; independent of temperature), while for lower electric fields (5–8 MV/cm) at higher temperatures, the trap-related Generalized Poole–Frenkel (GPF) is dominant. This signified the role of traps in modifying the conduction in bulk ICPCVD SiO{sub 2} films. We then present the conduction in ML samples. For multilayer samples with SiO{sub 2} sublayer thickness of 1.5 nm and 2.5 nm, Direct Tunneling (DT) is observed to be dominant, while for SiO{sub 2} sublayer thickness of 3.5 nm, Space Charge Limited Conduction (SCLC) with exponential trap distribution is found to be the dominant conduction mechanism. This signifies the role of traps in modifying the conduction in Si-NC multilayer samples and SiO{sub 2} sublayer thickness dependence. - Highlights: • Electrical conduction in SiO{sub 2} film & Si-nanocrystal layers (Si-NCs) is reported. • Si

  19. Altered cortical thickness and attentional deficits in adolescent girls and women with bulimia nervosa

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stefan, Mihaela; Lee, Seonjoo; Wang, Zhishun; Terranova, Kate; Attia, Evelyn; Marsh, Rachel

    2018-01-01

    Background Frontostriatal and frontoparietal abnormalities likely contribute to deficits in control and attentional processes in individuals with bulimia nervosa and to the persistence of dysregulated eating across development. This study assessed these processes and cortical thickness in a large sample of adolescent girls and women with bulimia nervosa compared with healthy controls. Methods We collected anatomical MRI data from adolescent girls and women (ages 12–38 yr) with full or subthreshold bulimia nervosa and age-matched healthy controls who also completed the Conners Continuous Performance Test-II (CPT-II). Groups were compared on task performance and cortical thickness. Mediation analyses explored associations among cortical thickness, CPT-II variables, bulimia nervosa symptoms and age. Results We included 60 girls and women with bulimia nervosa and 54 controls in the analyses. Compared with healthy participants, those with bulimia nervosa showed increased impulsivity and inattention on the CPT-II, along with reduced thickness of the right pars triangularis, right superior parietal and left dorsal posterior cingulate cortices. In the bulimia nervosa group, exploratory analyses revealed that binge eating frequency correlated inversely with cortical thickness of frontoparietal and insular regions and that reduced frontoparietal thickness mediated the association between age and increased symptom severity and inattention. Binge eating frequency also mediated the association between age and lower prefrontal cortical thickness. Limitations These findings are applicable to only girls and women with bulimia nervosa, and our cross-sectional design precludes understanding of whether cortical thickness alterations precede or result from bulimia nervosa symptoms. Conclusion Structural abnormalities in the frontoparietal and posterior cingulate regions comprising circuits that support control and attentional processes should be investigated as potential

  20. Thermally Conductive Structural 2D Composite Materials

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-08-14

    Dimensional Pitch Polyimide Composite Micrographs ........ 27 Figure 23. 4-Ply Silver Polyimide Laminate ...through-thickness thermal conductivity of up to 20 W/m.K. This novel structural prepreg material will be developed through engineering of an optimal fiber...with an EPON 862/Epikure W epoxy resin system to form unidirectional prepreg tapes. Each prepreg was then cut to 6 inch by 6 inch plies and

  1. A study of frequency effects on conductivity measurements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nurul Ain Ahmad Latif; Mahmood Dollah; Mohd Khidir Kamaron; Suaib Ibrahim

    2010-01-01

    In eddy current testing (ET), different measurement can be carry out through the selection of the test frequency. In conductivity measurement, the selection of eddy current test frequencies permits to select the specific material properties to be measured. The test frequency selected should be sufficient high that eddy current penetration is limited only to fraction of the test material thickness. This paper describes the effects of test frequency on the conductivity measurement. This experiment done by applying different values of test frequency which is 20 kHz, 100 kHz and 1 MHz. (author)

  2. Examination of the X-ray piping diagnostic system using EGS4 (measuring the thickness of a steel pipe with rust)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kajiwara, G.

    2001-01-01

    In a series of papers entitled 'Examination of the X-ray piping diagnostic system using EGS4' presented the proceedings of the EGS4 users' meetings, I discussed the possibility of measuring the thickness of piping walls with rust. In the present paper, I describe, based on our earlier results, how the thickness of steel pipes with rust can be measured. I conducted EGS4 simulation to measure the thickness of a combination of steel and rust and made an energy absorption diagram for this combination. The equivalent thickness of steel was obtained through experiments and the system operation. The thickness of the steel determined by using the diagram agreed well with the actual steel thickness obtained by the experiments. In the future, we will focus on how to automate this measurement procedure and how to use the same procedure to measure the thickness of pipes filled with water. (author)

  3. Origami-Inspired Folding of Thick, Rigid Panels

    Science.gov (United States)

    Trease, Brian P.; Thomson, Mark W.; Sigel, Deborah A.; Walkemeyer, Phillip E.; Zirbel, Shannon; Howell, Larry; Lang, Robert

    2014-01-01

    To achieve power of 250 kW or greater, a large compression ratio of stowed-to-deployed area is needed. Origami folding patterns were used to inspire the folding of a solar array to achieve synchronous deployment; however, origami models are generally created for near-zero-thickness material. Panel thickness is one of the main challenges of origami-inspired design. Three origami-inspired folding techniques (flasher, square twist, and map fold) were created with rigid panels and hinges. Hinge components are added to the model to enable folding of thick, rigid materials. Origami models are created assuming zero (or near zero) thickness. When a material with finite thickness is used, the panels are required to bend around an increasingly thick fold as they move away from the center of the model. The two approaches for dealing with material thickness are to use membrane hinges to connect the panels, or to add panel hinges, or hinges of the same thickness, at an appropriate width to enable folding.

  4. Measurement of 107Ag(α,γ)111In cross sections

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Baglin, Coral M.; Norman, Eric B.; Larimer, Ruth-Mary; Rech, Gregory A.

    2004-01-01

    Cross sections have been measured for the 107 Ag(α,γ) 111 In reaction at several α-particle energies between 7.8 MeV and 11.9 MeV. This reaction is of interest because it can provide a check on calculations of low-energy (α,γ) cross sections required for stellar nucleosynthesis predictions. Stacks of natural Ag foils of 1 (micro)m thickness and 99.97% purity were bombarded with 4 He + beams. Following irradiation, the yields of the 171-keV and 245-keV photons produced in the 2.805 day electron-capture decay of the 111 In product nucleus were measured off-line. The Ag foils were interleaved with 99.6% purity, 6 (micro)m thick natural Ti foils so that known cross sections for the 48 Ti(α,n) reaction could be used to check the accuracy of the beam current integration. For any given beam energy, beam energy degradation in the foils resulted in lower effective bombarding energies for successive foils in the stack, enabling measurements to be made for several energies per irradiation. The measured cross sections are compared with published statistical-model calculations

  5. Anisotropic in-plane thermal conductivity in multilayer silicene

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, Yang; Guo, Zhi-Xin; Chen, Shi-You; Xiang, Hong-Jun; Gong, Xin-Gao

    2018-06-01

    We systematically study thermal conductivity of multilayer silicene by means of Boltzmann Transportation Equation (BTE) method. We find that their thermal conductivity strongly depends on the surface structures. Thermal conductivity of bilayer silicene varies from 3.31 W/mK to 57.9 W/mK with different surface structures. Also, the 2 × 1 surface reconstruction induces unusual large thermal conductivity anisotropy, which reaches 70% in a four-layer silicene. We also find that the anisotropy decreases with silicene thickness increasing, owing to the significant reduction of thermal conductivity in the zigzag direction and its slight increment in the armchair direction. Finally, we find that both the phonon-lifetime anisotropy and the phonon-group-velocity anisotropy contribute to the thermal conductivity anisotropy of multilayer silicene. These findings could be helpful in the field of heat management, thermoelectric applications involving silicene and other multilayer nanomaterials with surface reconstructions in the future.

  6. Assessment of corneal epithelial thickness in dry eye patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cui, Xinhan; Hong, Jiaxu; Wang, Fei; Deng, Sophie X; Yang, Yujing; Zhu, Xiaoyu; Wu, Dan; Zhao, Yujin; Xu, Jianjiang

    2014-12-01

    To investigate the features of corneal epithelial thickness topography with Fourier-domain optical coherence tomography (OCT) in dry eye patients. In this cross-sectional study, 100 symptomatic dry eye patients and 35 normal subjects were enrolled. All participants answered the ocular surface disease index questionnaire and were subjected to OCT, corneal fluorescein staining, tear breakup time, Schirmer 1 test without anesthetic (S1t), and meibomian morphology. Several epithelium statistics for each eye, including central, superior, inferior, minimum, maximum, minimum - maximum, and map standard deviation, were averaged. Correlations of epithelial thickness with the symptoms of dry eye were calculated. The mean (±SD) central, superior, and inferior corneal epithelial thickness was 53.57 (±3.31) μm, 52.00 (±3.39) μm, and 53.03 (±3.67) μm in normal eyes and 52.71 (±2.83) μm, 50.58 (±3.44) μm, and 52.53 (±3.36) μm in dry eyes, respectively. The superior corneal epithelium was thinner in dry eye patients compared with normal subjects (p = 0.037), whereas central and inferior epithelium were not statistically different. In the dry eye group, patients with higher severity grades had thinner superior (p = 0.017) and minimum (p dry eye corneal epithelium was thinner than normal eyes in the superior region. In more severe dry eye disease patients, the superior and minimum epithelium was much thinner, with a greater range of map standard deviation.

  7. Normative spectral domain optical coherence tomography data on macular and retinal nerve fiber layer thickness in Indians

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bindu Appukuttan

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Aim: To provide the normative data of macular and retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL thickness in Indians using spectral domain OCT (Spectralis OCT, Heidelberg Engineering, Germany and to evaluate the effects of age, gender, and refraction on these parameters. Design: Observational, cross-sectional study. Materials and Methods: The eyes of 105 healthy patients aged between 20-75 years, with no ocular disease and best corrected visual acuity of 20/20, were scanned using standard scanning protocols by a single examiner. Exclusion criteria included glaucoma, retinal diseases, diabetes, history of prior intraocular surgery or laser treatment. The mean macular and RNFL thickness were recorded, and the effects of age, gender, and refraction on these parameters were evaluated. This data was compared with published literature on Caucasians to assess the ethnic variations of these parameters. Results: The normal central foveal thickness in healthy Indian eyes measured using Spectralis OCT was 260.1 ± 18.19 ΅m. The nasal inner quadrant showed maximum retinal thickness (338.88 ± 18.17 ΅m.The mean RNFL thickness was 101.43 ± 8.63 ΅m with maximum thickness in the inferior quadrant. The central foveal thickness showed a gender-based difference (P = 0.005 but did not correlate significantly with age (P = 0.134, whereas the parafoveal, perifoveal thickness, macular volume, and RNFL thickness showed significant negative correlation with age. Conclusions: Our study provides the normative database for Indians on Spectralis OCT. It also suggests that age should be considered while interpreting the macular thickness and RNFL, whereas gender should also be given consideration in central foveal thickness.

  8. 12 CFR 368.3 - Business conduct.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 12 Banks and Banking 4 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Business conduct. 368.3 Section 368.3 Banks and... SECURITIES SALES PRACTICES § 368.3 Business conduct. A bank that is a government securities broker or dealer... conduct of its business as a government securities broker or dealer. ...

  9. Fatigue behavior of thick composite single lap joints

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tang, J.H.; Sridhar, I.; Srikanth, N. [Nanyang Technological Univ., Singapore (Singapore)

    2012-07-01

    In consideration of bondline thickness variability, in bonded joints where thick adherend is adopted, relative thick adhesive layer (2-5 mm) is preferable. This paper aims to give some insight in fatigue strength of adhesively bonded structures involving thick adherend coupled with thick adhesive layer. Single lap joints with nominal adherend thickness of 8 mm and two different nominal thicknesses (2.5 mm and 5.5 mm) were made and tested under fatigue loading. The failure mode exhibits always a tendency for interfacial initiation, followed by interlaminar separation. Fatigue strength for higher adhesive thickness is found to be lower. (Author)

  10. Estimation of Remnant Dentin Thickness under Proximal Caries Using Digital Bitewing Radiography: An In-Vitro Study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Masoomeh Afsa

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Objectives: In restorative dentistry, it is essential to estimate the amount of remnant tooth structure after caries removal to make the best treatment plan. The present study was aimed to determine whether there is a correlation between the real thickness of remnant dentin under carious lesion and the radiographical measurement from photostimulable phosphor plates (PSPs. Methods: a whole number of 68 unrestored permanent human molar and premolar teeth with 82 proximal carious surfaces were mounted in an artificial arch. Digital bitewing radiographs with PSPs were taken, carious lesions were removed and radiographic imaging was repeated. Teeth were sectioned mesiodistally in two parts and thickness of remnant tooth structure to pulp was measured. Measurements of remnant dentin under caries from radiographic images and teeth structures were compared. Result: The mean measurements of remnant dentin on primary radiographs were statistically different from the measurements on teeth structures. The mean thickness of remnant dentin on tooth structure was around 30% less than what measured on radiographic image. Conclusion: The real thickness of remnant dentin under caries is about 70% of its thickness measured on digital bitewing radiographs prepared by PSPs as image receptor.

  11. Dual beam x-ray thickness gauge

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Allport, J.J.

    1977-01-01

    The apparatus and method for continuous measurement of thickness of a sheet at a rolling mill or the like without contacting the sheet are described. A system directing radiation through the sheet in two energy bands and providing a measure of change in composition of the material as it passes the thickness gauging station is included. A system providing for changing the absorption coefficient of the material in the thickness measurement as a function of the change in composition so that the measured thickness is substantially independent of variations in composition is described

  12. Study on the ionization chamber for thickness measurement

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xue Shili; Miao Qiangwen

    1988-01-01

    The principle, construction and performances of ionization chambers for measuring the thickness of metal and nonmetal materials are introduced. With them the thickness of thin materials (thickness ranging from 10 to 6000 g/m 2 ), the surface layer thickness of composed materials and the thickness of steel plate (thickness ranging from 0 to 32 kg/m 2 ) are measured effectively

  13. Structure of the gas-liquid annular two-phase flow in a nozzle section

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yoshida, Kenji; Kataoka, Isao; Ohmori, Syuichi; Mori, Michitsugu

    2006-01-01

    Experimental studies on the flow behavior of gas-liquid annular two-phase flow passing through a nozzle section were carried out. This study is concerned with the central steam jet injector for a next generation nuclear reactor. In the central steam jet injector, steam/water annular two-phase flow is formed at the mixing nozzle. To make an appropriate design and to establish the high-performance steam injector system, it is very important to accumulate the fundamental data of the thermo-hydro dynamic characteristics of annular flow passing through a nozzle section. On the other hand, the transient behavior of multiphase flow, in which the interactions between two-phases occur, is one of the most interesting scientific issues and has attracted research attention. In this study, the transient gas-phase turbulence modification in annular flow due to the gas-liquid phase interaction is experimentally investigated. The annular flow passing through a throat section is under the transient state due to the changing cross sectional area of the channel and resultantly the superficial velocities of both phases are changed compared with a fully developed flow in a straight pipe. The measurements for the gas-phase turbulence were precisely performed by using a constant temperature hot-wire anemometer, and made clear the turbulence structure such as velocity profiles, fluctuation velocity profiles. The behavior of the interfacial waves in the liquid film flow such as the ripple or disturbance waves was also observed. The measurements for the liquid film thickness by the electrode needle method were also performed to measure the base film thickness, mean film thickness, maximum film thickness and wave height of the ripple or the disturbance waves. (author)

  14. Age Effects on Cortical Thickness in Cognitively Normal Elderly Individuals

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sona Hurtz

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available Background/Aims: Atrophy in both grey and white matter is found in normal aging. The prefrontal cortex and the frontal lobe white matter are thought to be the most affected regions. Our aim was to examine the effects of normal aging on cortical grey matter using a 3D quantitative cortical mapping method. Methods: We analyzed 1.5-tesla brain magnetic resonance imaging data from 44 cognitively normal elderly subjects using cortical pattern matching and cortical thickness analyses. Linear regression analysis was used to study the effect of age on cortical thickness. 3D map-wide correction for multiple comparisons was conducted with permutation analyses using a threshold of p Results: We found a significant negative association between age and cortical thickness in the right hemisphere (pcorrected = 0.009 and a trend level association in the left hemisphere (pcorrected = 0.081. Age-related changes were greatest in the sensorimotor, bilateral dorsal anterior cingulate and supplementary motor cortices, and the right posterior middle and inferior frontal gyri. Age effects greater in the medial than lateral visual association cortices were also seen bilaterally. Conclusion: Our novel method further validates that normal aging results in diffuse cortical thinning that is most pronounced in the frontal and visual association cortices.

  15. Conduction Mechanisms in Thick Film Microcircuits

    Science.gov (United States)

    1975-12-01

    Prabbu, T. K. Raghunath , R.L. Read, K. , Sheely, P. S. Wang, J. L. Wright and G. J. Zeesma . J ~ - -i Iii 𔃻 ABSTRACT This report describes a wide range...660 680- 460 O 1 0 460 60660 TEPRTURE. O4 COOLDOS TEMwuRmmUE. *C, NFMiS4 SM "OUN Figue49 eprtr n h ml itr eedneo ape3 239 10 r! I: S,,,I p p 5 10 15

  16. 21 CFR 868.5140 - Anesthesia conduction kit.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Anesthesia conduction kit. 868.5140 Section 868...) MEDICAL DEVICES ANESTHESIOLOGY DEVICES Therapeutic Devices § 868.5140 Anesthesia conduction kit. (a) Identification. An anesthesia conduction kit is a device used to administer to a patient conduction, regional, or...

  17. Conjugate heat transfer for turbulent flow in a thick walled plain pipe

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Canli Eyub

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Laminar and turbulent flow have their own characteristics in respect of heat transfer in pipes. While conjugate heat transfer is a major concern for a thick walled pipe with laminar flow inside it, there are limited studies about a turbulent flow in a thick walled plain pipe considering the conjugate heat transfer. In order to conduct such a work by means of in-house developed code, it was desired to make a preliminary investigation with commercially available CFD codes. ANSYS CFD was selected as the tool since it has a positive reputation in the literature for reliability. Defined heat transfer problem was solved with SIMPLE and Coupled Schemes for pressure velocity coupling and results are presented accordingly.

  18. Optimisation and characterisation of tungsten thick coatings on copper based alloy substrates

    Science.gov (United States)

    Riccardi, B.; Montanari, R.; Casadei, M.; Costanza, G.; Filacchioni, G.; Moriani, A.

    2006-06-01

    Tungsten is a promising armour material for plasma facing components of nuclear fusion reactors because of its low sputter rate and favourable thermo-mechanical properties. Among all the techniques able to realise W armours, plasma spray looks particularly attractive owing to its simplicity and low cost. The present work concerns the optimisation of spraying parameters aimed at 4-5 mm thick W coating on copper-chromium-zirconium (Cu,Cr,Zr) alloy substrates. Characterisation of coatings was performed in order to assess microstructure, impurity content, density, tensile strength, adhesion strength, thermal conductivity and thermal expansion coefficient. The work performed has demonstrated the feasibility of thick W coatings on flat and curved geometries. These coatings appear as a reliable armour for medium heat flux plasma facing component.

  19. Optimisation and characterisation of tungsten thick coatings on copper based alloy substrates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Riccardi, B.; Montanari, R.; Casadei, M.; Costanza, G.; Filacchioni, G.; Moriani, A.

    2006-01-01

    Tungsten is a promising armour material for plasma facing components of nuclear fusion reactors because of its low sputter rate and favourable thermo-mechanical properties. Among all the techniques able to realise W armours, plasma spray looks particularly attractive owing to its simplicity and low cost. The present work concerns the optimisation of spraying parameters aimed at 4-5 mm thick W coating on copper-chromium-zirconium (Cu,Cr,Zr) alloy substrates. Characterisation of coatings was performed in order to assess microstructure, impurity content, density, tensile strength, adhesion strength, thermal conductivity and thermal expansion coefficient. The work performed has demonstrated the feasibility of thick W coatings on flat and curved geometries. These coatings appear as a reliable armour for medium heat flux plasma facing component

  20. Optimisation and characterisation of tungsten thick coatings on copper based alloy substrates

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Riccardi, B. [Associazione Euratom-ENEA sulla Fusione, CR Frascati, P.B. 65 00044 Frascati, Roma (Italy)]. E-mail: riccardi@frascati.enea.it; Montanari, R. [Dipartimento di Ingegneria Meccanica, Universita di Roma, Tor Vergata, 00133 Roma (Italy); Casadei, M. [Centro Sviluppo Materiali, 00100 Roma (Italy); Costanza, G. [Dipartimento di Ingegneria Meccanica, Universita di Roma, Tor Vergata, 00133 Roma (Italy); Filacchioni, G. [ENEA CR Casaccia, I-00060 S. M. di Galeria, Roma (Italy); Moriani, A. [Associazione Euratom-ENEA sulla Fusione, CR Frascati, P.B. 65 00044 Frascati, Roma (Italy)

    2006-06-30

    Tungsten is a promising armour material for plasma facing components of nuclear fusion reactors because of its low sputter rate and favourable thermo-mechanical properties. Among all the techniques able to realise W armours, plasma spray looks particularly attractive owing to its simplicity and low cost. The present work concerns the optimisation of spraying parameters aimed at 4-5 mm thick W coating on copper-chromium-zirconium (Cu,Cr,Zr) alloy substrates. Characterisation of coatings was performed in order to assess microstructure, impurity content, density, tensile strength, adhesion strength, thermal conductivity and thermal expansion coefficient. The work performed has demonstrated the feasibility of thick W coatings on flat and curved geometries. These coatings appear as a reliable armour for medium heat flux plasma facing component.

  1. Age, Sex, and Ethnic Variations in Inner and Outer Retinal and Choroidal Thickness on Spectral-Domain Optical Coherence Tomography.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bafiq, Rinoza; Mathew, Raeba; Pearce, Elizabeth; Abdel-Hey, Ahmed; Richardson, Matthew; Bailey, Thomas; Sivaprasad, Sobha

    2015-11-01

    To evaluate age, sex, and ethnic variations in inner and outer retinal and choroidal thickness and foveal pit, using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD OCT). Single-center observational cross-sectional study. Ninety randomly selected, healthy individuals of white, black, and South Asian origin underwent SD OCT raster and enhanced depth imaging scan. Manual measurements of inner and outer retinal thickness and choroidal thickness up to 3 mm nasal and temporal to the fovea were performed. The age, sex, and ethnic differences in these parameters were analyzed. The mean inner retinal thickness was lower by approximately 12 μm in black subjects across the central retina compared to white subjects (P ethnic groups but the temporal choroid was significantly thinner in black subjects (P < .05). The choroid showed an age-related decline in thickness of 2 μm per year of age of the subjects. Interethnic differences include wider fovea, lower central foveal thickness, and thinner inner retina in eyes of black subjects compared to their white and South Asian counterparts. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  2. Thick Toenails

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... in individuals with nail fungus (onychomycosis), psoriasis and hypothyroidism. Those who have problems with the thickness of their toenails should consult a foot and ankle surgeon for proper diagnosis and treatment. Find an ACFAS Physician Search Search Tools Find ...

  3. Effect of 12-Day Spaceflight on Brain of Thick-Toed Geckos

    Science.gov (United States)

    Proshchina, A. E.; Karlamova, A. S.; Barabanovet, V. M.; Godovalova, O. S.; Guilimova, V. I.; Krivova, Y. S.; Makarov, A. N.; Nikitin, V. B.; Savelieva, E. S.; Saveliev, S. V.

    2008-06-01

    In the frames of Russian-American joint space experiment onboard Foton-M3 satellite there was undertaken a study of spaceflight influence on brain of the thick-toed gecko (Pachydactylus turneri Gray, 1864). Serial brain sections were stained according to Nissl and also the immunohistochemical method with antibodies to NGF-receptor (p75NGFR), CD95 (also known as Fas and APO-1), glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and transferrin-receptor (CD71). Detailed examination of the sections of rhombencephalon revealed cytological changes in the neuron bodies of vestibular nuclei inside the flight group. Immunohistochemicaly we found the increase density of CD95 and p75NGFR and decrease of GFAP expression in medial cortex and epithalamus in flight group compared both control.

  4. Insulator-protected mechanically controlled break junctions for measuring single-molecule conductance in aqueous environments

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Muthusubramanian, N.; Zant, H. S. J. van der [Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, Delft University of Technology, Lorentzweg 1, 2628 CJ Delft (Netherlands); Galan, E.; Maity, C.; Eelkema, R.; Grozema, F. C. [Department of Chemical Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Van der Maasweg 9, 2629 HZ Delft (Netherlands)

    2016-07-04

    We present a method to fabricate insulated gold mechanically controlled break junctions (MCBJ) by coating the metal with a thin layer of aluminum oxide using plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition. The Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} thickness deposited on the MCBJ devices was varied from 2 to 15 nm to test the suppression of leakage currents in deionized water and phosphate buffered saline. Junctions coated with a 15 nm thick oxide layer yielded atomically sharp electrodes and negligible conductance counts in the range of 1 to 10{sup −4} G{sub 0} (1 G{sub 0} = 77 μS), where single-molecule conductances are commonly observed. The insulated devices were used to measure the conductance of an amphiphilic oligophenylene ethynylene derivative in deionized water.

  5. The value of clinical tests in acute full-thickness tears of the supraspinatus tendon

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bak, Klaus; Sørensen, Anne Kathrine Belling; Jørgensen, Uffe Viegh

    2010-01-01

    Early repair of rotator cuff tears leads to superior results. To detect symptomatic full-thickness tears of the supraspinatus tendon at an early stage, we conducted a prospective study to evaluate the value of clinical examination with and without subacromial lidocaine within the first weeks after...

  6. Direct linear measurement of root dentin thickness and dentin volume changes with post space preparation: A cone-beam computed tomography study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shoeb Yakub Shaikh

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Aim: The purpose of the present study was direct linear measurement of dentin thickness and dentin volume changes for post space preparation with cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT. Materials and Methods: Ten maxillary central incisors were scanned, before and after root canal and post space preparation, with Orthophos XG three-dimensional hybrid unit. Thirteen axial section scans of each tooth from orifice to apex and dentin thickness for buccal, lingual, mesial, and distal were measured using proprietary measuring tool and thereafter subjected to statistical analysis. Furthermore, dentin volume was evaluated using ITK-SNAP software. Results: There was statistically significant difference between the dentin thickness in pre- and postinstrumentation (paired t-test and also between different groups (one-way ANOVA. In the shortest post length of 4.5mm the post space preparation resulted in 2.17% loss of hard tissue volume, where as 11mm longest post length post space preparation resulted in >40% loss of hard tissue volume. Conclusion: CBCT axial section scan for direct measurements of root dentin thickness can be guideline before and after post space preparation for selection of drill length and diameter.

  7. doped ZnO thick film resistors

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    The characterization and ethanol gas sensing properties of pure and doped ZnO thick films were investigated. Thick films of pure zinc oxide were prepared by the screen printing technique. Pure zinc oxide was almost insensitive to ethanol. Thick films of Al2O3 (1 wt%) doped ZnO were observed to be highly sensitive to ...

  8. A thick hierarchical rutile TiO2 nanomaterial with multilayered structure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhu, Shengli; Xie, Guoqiang; Yang, Xianjin; Cui, Zhenduo

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: ► We synthesized a new rutile TiO 2 nanomaterial with a hierarchical nanostructure. ► The nano architecture structure consist of nanorods and nanoflower arrays. ► The rutile TiO 2 nanomaterial is thick in size (several 10 μm). ► The TiO 2 nanomaterials present a multilayer structure. - Abstract: In the present paper, we synthesized a new type of rutile TiO 2 nanomaterial with a hierarchical nanostructure using a novel method, which combined dealloying process with chemical synthesis. The structure characters were examined using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The rutile TiO 2 nanomaterial is thick in size (several 10 μm). The hierarchical structure of the rutile TiO 2 nanomaterial consists of large quantities nanorods and nanoflower arrays. The nanoflowers consist of serveral nanopetals with diameter of 100–200 nm. The cross section of TiO 2 nanomaterials presents a multilayer structure with the layer thickness of about 3–5 μm. The rutile TiO 2 nanomaterial has high specific surface area. The formation mechanism of the rutile TiO 2 nanomaterial was discussed according to the experimental results. The rutile TiO 2 nanomaterial has potential applications in catalysis, photocatalysis and solar cells

  9. Optimized spacer layer thickness for plasmonic-induced enhancement of photocurrent in a-Si:H

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Saleh, Z. M., E-mail: zaki.saleh@aauj.edu, E-mail: zakimsaleh@yahoo.com; Nasser, H.; Özkol, E.; Günöven, M.; Abak, K. [Middle East Technical University, Center for Solar Energy Research and Applications (GÜNAM) (Turkey); Canli, S. [Middle East Technical University, Central Laboratory (Turkey); Bek, A.; Turan, R. [Middle East Technical University, Center for Solar Energy Research and Applications (GÜNAM) (Turkey)

    2015-10-15

    Plasmonic interfaces consisting of silver nanoparticles of different sizes (50–100 nm) have been processed by the self-assembled dewetting technique and integrated to hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) using SiNx spacer layers to investigate the dependence of optical trapping enhancement on spacer layer thickness through the enhancements in photocurrent. Samples illuminated from the a-Si:H side exhibit a localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) that is red-shifted with the increasing particle size and broadened into the red with the increasing spacer layer thickness. The photocurrent measured in a-Si:H is not only consistent with the red-shift and broadening of the LSPR, but exhibits critical dependence on the spacer layer thickness also. The samples with plasmonic interfaces and a SiNx spacer layer exhibit appreciable enhancement of photocurrent compared with flat a-Si:H reference depending on the size of the Ag nanoparticle. Simulations conducted on one-dimensional square structures exhibit electric fields that are localized near the plasmonic structures but extend appreciably into the higher refractive index a-Si:H. These simulations produce a clear red-shift and broadening of extinction spectra for all spacer layer thicknesses and predict an enhancement in photocurrent in agreement with experimental results. The spectral dependence of photocurrent for six plasmonic interfaces with different Ag nanoparticle sizes and spacer layer thicknesses are correlated with the optical spectra and compared with the simulations to predict an optimal spacer layer thickness.

  10. Measurement of total reaction cross sections of exotic neutron rich nuclei

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mittig, W.; Chouvel, J.M.; Wen Long, Z.

    1987-01-01

    Total reaction cross-sections of neutron rich nuclei from C to Mg in a thick Si-target have been measured using the detection of the associated γ-rays in a 4Π-geometry. This cross-section strongly increases with neutron excess, indicating an increase of as much as 15% of the reduced strong absorption radius with respect to stable nuclei

  11. Geophysical surveying in the Sacramento Delta for earthquake hazard assessment and measurement of peat thickness

    Science.gov (United States)

    Craig, M. S.; Kundariya, N.; Hayashi, K.; Srinivas, A.; Burnham, M.; Oikawa, P.

    2017-12-01

    Near surface geophysical surveys were conducted in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta for earthquake hazard assessment and to provide estimates of peat thickness for use in carbon models. Delta islands have experienced 3-8 meters of subsidence during the past century due to oxidation and compaction of peat. Projected sea level rise over the next century will contribute to an ongoing landward shift of the freshwater-saltwater interface, and increase the risk of flooding due to levee failure or overtopping. Seismic shear wave velocity (VS) was measured in the upper 30 meters to determine Uniform Building Code (UBC)/ National Earthquake Hazard Reduction Program (NEHRP) site class. Both seismic and ground penetrating radar (GPR) methods were employed to estimate peat thickness. Seismic surface wave surveys were conducted at eight sites on three islands and GPR surveys were conducted at two of the sites. Combined with sites surveyed in 2015, the new work brings the total number of sites surveyed in the Delta to twenty.Soil boreholes were made at several locations using a hand auger, and peat thickness ranged from 2.1 to 5.5 meters. Seismic surveys were conducted using the multichannel analysis of surface wave (MASW) method and the microtremor array method (MAM). On Bouldin Island, VS of the surficial peat layer was 32 m/s at a site with pure peat and 63 m/s at a site peat with higher clay and silt content. Velocities at these sites reached a similar value, about 125 m/s, at a depth of 10 m. GPR surveys were performed at two sites on Sherman Island using 100 MHz antennas, and indicated the base of the peat layer at a depth of about 4 meters, consistent with nearby auger holes.The results of this work include VS depth profiles and UBC/NEHRP site classifications. Seismic and GPR methods may be used in a complementary fashion to estimate peat thickness. The seismic surface wave method is a relatively robust method and more effective than GPR in many areas with high clay

  12. A method to measure the mean thickness and non-uniformity of non-uniform thin film by alpha-ray thickness gauge

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Miyahara, Hiroshi; Yoshida, Makoto; Watanabe, Tamaki

    1977-01-01

    The α-ray thickness gauge is used to measure non-destructively the thicknesses of thin films, and up to the present day, a thin film with uniform thickness is only taken up as the object of α-ray thickness gauge. When the thickness is determined from the displacement between the absorption curves in the presence and absence of thin film, the absorption curve must be displaced in parallel. When many uniform particles were dispersed as sample, the shape of the absorption curve was calculated as the sum of many absorption curves corresponding to the thin films with different thicknesses. By the comparison of the calculated and measured absorption curves, the number of particles, or the mean superficial density can be determined. This means the extension of thickness measurement from uniform to non-uniform films. Furthermore, these particle models being applied to non-uniform thin film, the possibility of measuring the mean thickness and non-uniformity was discussed. As the result, if the maximum difference of the thickness was more than 0.2 mg/cm 2 , the nonuniformity was considered to distinguish by the usual equipment. In this paper, an α-ray thickness gauge using the absorption curve method was treated, but one can apply this easily to an α-ray thickness gauge using α-ray energy spectra before and after the penetration of thin film. (auth.)

  13. How accurate are estimates of glacier ice thickness? Results from ITMIX, the Ice Thickness Models Intercomparison eXperiment

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Farinotti, Daniel; Brinkerhoff, Douglas J.; Clarke, Garry K. C.

    2017-01-01

    Knowledge of the ice thickness distribution of glaciers and ice caps is an important prerequisite for many glaciological and hydrological investigations. A wealth of approaches has recently been presented for inferring ice thickness from characteristics of the surface. With the Ice Thickness Models...

  14. Superior thermal conductivity in suspended bilayer hexagonal boron nitride

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Chengru; Guo, Jie; Dong, Lan; Aiyiti, Adili; Xu, Xiangfan; Li, Baowen

    2016-01-01

    We reported the basal-plane thermal conductivity in exfoliated bilayer hexagonal boron nitride h-BN that was measured using suspended prepatterned microstructures. The h-BN sample suitable for thermal measurements was fabricated by dry-transfer method, whose sample quality, due to less polymer residues on surfaces, is believed to be superior to that of PMMA-mediated samples. The measured room temperature thermal conductivity is around 484 Wm−1K−1(+141 Wm−1K−1/ −24 Wm−1K−1) which exceeds that in bulk h-BN, providing experimental observation of the thickness-dependent thermal conductivity in suspended few-layer h-BN. PMID:27142571

  15. Thick brane solutions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dzhunushaliev, Vladimir; Minamitsuji, Masato; Folomeev, Vladimir

    2010-01-01

    This paper gives a comprehensive review on thick brane solutions and related topics. Such models have attracted much attention from many aspects since the birth of the brane world scenario. In many works, it has been usually assumed that a brane is an infinitely thin object; however, in more general situations, one can no longer assume this. It is also widely considered that more fundamental theories such as string theory would have a minimal length scale. Many multidimensional field theories coupled to gravitation have exact solutions of gravitating topological defects, which can represent our brane world. The inclusion of brane thickness can realize a variety of possible brane world models. Given our understanding, the known solutions can be classified into topologically non-trivial solutions and trivial ones. The former class contains solutions of a single scalar (domain walls), multi-scalar, gauge-Higgs (vortices), Weyl gravity and so on. As an example of the latter class, we consider solutions of two interacting scalar fields. Approaches to obtain cosmological equations in the thick brane world are reviewed. Solutions with spatially extended branes (S-branes) and those with an extra time-like direction are also discussed.

  16. [Endoscopic full-thickness resection].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meier, B; Schmidt, A; Caca, K

    2016-08-01

    Conventional endoscopic resection techniques such as endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) or endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) are powerful tools for the treatment of gastrointestinal (GI) neoplasms. However, those techniques are limited to the superficial layers of the GI wall (mucosa and submucosa). Lesions without lifting sign (usually arising from deeper layers) or lesions in difficult anatomic positions (appendix, diverticulum) are difficult - if not impossible - to resect using conventional techniques, due to the increased risk of complications. For larger lesions (>2 cm), ESD appears to be superior to the conventional techniques because of the en bloc resection, but the procedure is technically challenging, time consuming, and associated with complications even in experienced hands. Since the development of the over-the-scope clips (OTSC), complications like bleeding or perforation can be endoscopically better managed. In recent years, different endoscopic full-thickness resection techniques came to the focus of interventional endoscopy. Since September 2014, the full-thickness resection device (FTRD) has the CE marking in Europe for full-thickness resection in the lower GI tract. Technically the device is based on the OTSC system and combines OTSC application and snare polypectomy in one step. This study shows all full-thickness resection techniques currently available, but clearly focuses on the experience with the FTRD in the lower GI tract.

  17. 12 CFR 13.3 - Business conduct.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 12 Banks and Banking 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Business conduct. 13.3 Section 13.3 Banks and....3 Business conduct. A bank that is a government securities broker or dealer shall observe high standards of commercial honor and just and equitable principles of trade in the conduct of its business as a...

  18. Technical Note: Cortical thickness and density estimation from clinical CT using a prior thickness-density relationship

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Humbert, Ludovic, E-mail: ludohumberto@gmail.com [Galgo Medical, Barcelona 08036 (Spain); Hazrati Marangalou, Javad; Rietbergen, Bert van [Orthopaedic Biomechanics, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven 5600 MB (Netherlands); Río Barquero, Luis Miguel del [CETIR Centre Medic, Barcelona 08029 (Spain); Lenthe, G. Harry van [Biomechanics Section, KU Leuven–University of Leuven, Leuven 3001 (Belgium)

    2016-04-15

    Purpose: Cortical thickness and density are critical components in determining the strength of bony structures. Computed tomography (CT) is one possible modality for analyzing the cortex in 3D. In this paper, a model-based approach for measuring the cortical bone thickness and density from clinical CT images is proposed. Methods: Density variations across the cortex were modeled as a function of the cortical thickness and density, location of the cortex, density of surrounding tissues, and imaging blur. High resolution micro-CT data of cadaver proximal femurs were analyzed to determine a relationship between cortical thickness and density. This thickness-density relationship was used as prior information to be incorporated in the model to obtain accurate measurements of cortical thickness and density from clinical CT volumes. The method was validated using micro-CT scans of 23 cadaver proximal femurs. Simulated clinical CT images with different voxel sizes were generated from the micro-CT data. Cortical thickness and density were estimated from the simulated images using the proposed method and compared with measurements obtained using the micro-CT images to evaluate the effect of voxel size on the accuracy of the method. Then, 19 of the 23 specimens were imaged using a clinical CT scanner. Cortical thickness and density were estimated from the clinical CT images using the proposed method and compared with the micro-CT measurements. Finally, a case-control study including 20 patients with osteoporosis and 20 age-matched controls with normal bone density was performed to evaluate the proposed method in a clinical context. Results: Cortical thickness (density) estimation errors were 0.07 ± 0.19 mm (−18 ± 92 mg/cm{sup 3}) using the simulated clinical CT volumes with the smallest voxel size (0.33 × 0.33 × 0.5 mm{sup 3}), and 0.10 ± 0.24 mm (−10 ± 115 mg/cm{sup 3}) using the volumes with the largest voxel size (1.0 × 1.0 × 3.0 mm{sup 3}). A trend for the

  19. Technical Note: Cortical thickness and density estimation from clinical CT using a prior thickness-density relationship

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Humbert, Ludovic; Hazrati Marangalou, Javad; Rietbergen, Bert van; Río Barquero, Luis Miguel del; Lenthe, G. Harry van

    2016-01-01

    Purpose: Cortical thickness and density are critical components in determining the strength of bony structures. Computed tomography (CT) is one possible modality for analyzing the cortex in 3D. In this paper, a model-based approach for measuring the cortical bone thickness and density from clinical CT images is proposed. Methods: Density variations across the cortex were modeled as a function of the cortical thickness and density, location of the cortex, density of surrounding tissues, and imaging blur. High resolution micro-CT data of cadaver proximal femurs were analyzed to determine a relationship between cortical thickness and density. This thickness-density relationship was used as prior information to be incorporated in the model to obtain accurate measurements of cortical thickness and density from clinical CT volumes. The method was validated using micro-CT scans of 23 cadaver proximal femurs. Simulated clinical CT images with different voxel sizes were generated from the micro-CT data. Cortical thickness and density were estimated from the simulated images using the proposed method and compared with measurements obtained using the micro-CT images to evaluate the effect of voxel size on the accuracy of the method. Then, 19 of the 23 specimens were imaged using a clinical CT scanner. Cortical thickness and density were estimated from the clinical CT images using the proposed method and compared with the micro-CT measurements. Finally, a case-control study including 20 patients with osteoporosis and 20 age-matched controls with normal bone density was performed to evaluate the proposed method in a clinical context. Results: Cortical thickness (density) estimation errors were 0.07 ± 0.19 mm (−18 ± 92 mg/cm"3) using the simulated clinical CT volumes with the smallest voxel size (0.33 × 0.33 × 0.5 mm"3), and 0.10 ± 0.24 mm (−10 ± 115 mg/cm"3) using the volumes with the largest voxel size (1.0 × 1.0 × 3.0 mm"3). A trend for the cortical thickness and

  20. Optimum target thickness for polarimeters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sitnik, I.M.

    2003-01-01

    Polarimeters with thick targets are a tool to measure the proton polarization. But the question about the optimum target thickness is still the subject of discussion. An attempt to calculate the most common parameters concerning this problem, in a few GeV region, is made

  1. Short communication: Genetic characterization of digital cushion thickness.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oikonomou, G; Banos, G; Machado, V; Caixeta, L; Bicalho, R C

    2014-01-01

    Dairy cow lameness is a serious animal welfare issue. It is also a significant cause of economic losses, reducing reproductive efficiency and milk production and increasing culling rates. The digital cushion is a complex structure composed mostly of adipose tissue located underneath the distal phalanx and has recently been phenotypically associated with incidence of claw horn disruption lesions (CHDL); namely, sole ulcers and white line disease. The objective of this study was to characterize digital cushion thickness genetically and to investigate its association with body condition score (BCS), locomotion score (LOCO), CHDL, and milk production. Data were collected from 1 large closely monitored commercial dairy farm located in upstate New York; 923 dairy cows were used. Before trimming, the following data were collected by a member of the research team: BCS, cow height measurement, and LOCO. Presence or not of CHDL (sole ulcer or white line disease, or both) was recorded at trimming. Immediately after the cows were hoof trimmed, they underwent digital sonographic B-mode examination for the measurement of digital cushion thickness. Factors such as parity number, stage of lactation, calving date, mature-equivalent 305-d milk yield (ME305MY), and pedigree information were obtained from the farm's dairy management software (DairyCOMP 305; Valley Agricultural Software, Tulare, CA). Univariate animal models were used to obtain variance component estimations for each studied trait (CHDL, BCS, digital cushion thickness average, LOCO, height, and ME305MY) and a 6-variate analysis was conducted to estimate the genetic, residual, and phenotypic correlations between the studied traits. The heritability estimate of DCTA was 0.33±0.09, whereas a statistically significant genetic correlation was estimated between DCTA and CHDL (-0.60±0.29). Of the other genetic correlations, significant estimates were derived for BCS with LOCO (-0.49±0.19) and ME305MY (-0.48±0.20). Digital

  2. Measurement of sheath thickness by lining out grooves in the Hall-type stationary plasma thrusters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yu Daren; Wu Zhiwen; Ning Zhongxi; Wang Xiaogang

    2007-01-01

    Using grooves created along the axial direction of the discharge channel, a method for measuring sheath thickness in Hall-type stationary plasma thrusters has been developed. By distorting the wall surface using these grooves, it is possible to numerically study the effect of the wall surface on the sheath and near wall conductivity. Monte Carlo method is applied to calculate the electron temperature variation with different groove depths. The electron dynamic process in the plasma is described by a test particle method with the electron randomly entering the sheath from the discharge channel and being reflected back. Numerical results show that the reflected electron temperature is hardly affected by the wall surface if the groove depth is much less than the sheath thickness. On the other hand, the reflected electron temperature increases if the groove depth is much greater than the sheath thickness. The reflected electron temperature has a sharp jump when the depth of groove is on the order of the sheath thickness. The simulation is repeated with different sheath thicknesses and the results are the same. Therefore, a diagnosis mean of the sheath thickness can be developed based on the method. Also the simulation results are in accord with the experimental data. Besides, the measurement method may be applicable to other plasma device with similar orthogonal steady state electrical and magnetic fields

  3. Thin and thick layers of resin-based sealer cement bonded to root dentine compared: Adhesive behaviour.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pane, Epita S; Palamara, Joseph E A; Messer, Harold H

    2015-12-01

    This study aims to evaluate tensile and shear bond strengths of one epoxy (AH) and two methacrylate resin-based sealers (EZ and RS) in thin and thick layers bonded to root dentine. An alignment device was prepared for accurate positioning of 20 root dentine cylinders in a predefined gap of 0.1 or 1 mm. Sealer was placed in the interface. Bond strength tests were conducted. Mode of failures and representative surfaces were evaluated. Data were analysed using anova and post-hoc tests, with P thick layer of sealer produced higher bond strength, except for the shear bond strength of EZ. Significant differences between thin and thick layers were found only in tensile bond strengths of AH and RS. Mixed type of failure was constantly found with all sealers. Bond strengths of thick layers of resin-based sealers to root dentine tended to be higher than with thin layers. © 2015 Australian Society of Endodontology.

  4. Detection of normal plantar fascia thickness in adults via the ultrasonographic method.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abul, Kadir; Ozer, Devrim; Sakizlioglu, Secil Sezgin; Buyuk, Abdul Fettah; Kaygusuz, Mehmet Akif

    2015-01-01

    Heel pain is a prevalent concern in orthopedic clinics, and there are numerous pathologic abnormalities that can cause heel pain. Plantar fasciitis is the most common cause of heel pain, and the plantar fascia thickens in this process. It has been found that thickening to greater than 4 mm in ultrasonographic measurements can be accepted as meaningful in diagnoses. Herein, we aimed to measure normal plantar fascia thickness in adults using ultrasonography. We used ultrasonography to measure the plantar fascia thickness of 156 healthy adults in both feet between April 1, 2011, and June 30, 2011. These adults had no previous heel pain. The 156 participants comprised 88 women (56.4%) and 68 men (43.6%) (mean age, 37.9 years; range, 18-65 years). The weight, height, and body mass index of the participants were recorded, and statistical analyses were conducted. The mean ± SD (range) plantar fascia thickness measurements for subgroups of the sample were as follows: 3.284 ± 0.56 mm (2.4-5.1 mm) for male right feet, 3.3 ± 0.55 mm (2.5-5.0 mm) for male left feet, 2.842 ± 0.42 mm (1.8-4.1 mm) for female right feet, and 2.8 ± 0.44 mm (1.8-4.3 mm) for female left feet. The overall mean ± SD (range) thickness for the right foot was 3.035 ± 0.53 mm (1.8-5.1 mm) and for the left foot was 3.053 ± 0.54 mm (1.8-5.0 mm). There was a statistically significant and positive correlation between plantar fascia thickness and participant age, weight, height, and body mass index. The plantar fascia thickness of adults without heel pain was measured to be less than 4 mm in most participants (~92%). There was no statistically significant difference between the thickness of the right and left foot plantar fascia.

  5. Influence of Ag thickness of aluminum-doped ZnO/Ag/aluminum-doped ZnO thin films

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wu, Hung-Wei, E-mail: hwwu@mail.ksu.edu.tw [Department of Computer and Communication, Kun Shan University, No. 949, Dawan Rd., Yongkang Dist., Tainan City 710, Taiwan (China); Yang, Ru-Yuan [Graduate Institute of Materials Engineering, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, 1, Shuefu Rd., Neipu, Pingtung City 912, Taiwan (China); Hsiung, Chin-Min; Chu, Chien-Hsun [Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, 1, Shuefu Rd., Neipu, Pingtung City 912, Taiwan (China)

    2012-10-01

    Highly conducting aluminum-doped ZnO (30 nm)/Ag (5-15 nm)/aluminum-doped ZnO (30 nm) multilayer thin films were deposited on glass substrate by rf magnetron sputtering (for top/bottom aluminum-doped ZnO films) and e-beam evaporation (for Ag film). The transmittance is more than 70% for wavelengths above 400 nm with the Ag layer thickness of 10 nm. The resistivity is 3.71 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup -4} {Omega}-cm, which can be decreased to 3.8 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup -5} {Omega}-cm with the increase of the Ag layer thickness to 15 nm. The Haacke figure of merit has been calculated for the films with the best value being 8 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup -3} {Omega}{sup -1}. It was shown that the multilayer thin films have potential for applications in optoelectronics. - Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer High-quality Al-doped ZnO (AZO)/Ag/AZO Transparent Conducting Oxide films. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer AZO films (30 nm) made by RF sputtering; E-beam evaporation for Ag film (5-15 nm). Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Influence of Ag thickness on optical and electrical properties were analyzed. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer High quality multilayer film with optimal intermediate Ag layer thickness of 10 nm. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer 3.71 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup -4} {Omega}-cm resistivity, 91.89% transmittance at 470 nm obtained and reproducible.

  6. Evaluation of brake parameters in copper discs of various thicknesses and speeds using Neodymium – Iron – Boron Magnets

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anantha Krishna G. L.

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Neodymium – Iron – Boron (NdFeB permanent magnets of 12.5 mm thickness and 50 mm diameter are chosen for analyses because of their higher remanence and coercivity. Experimental analyses were carried out with Copper discs of thickness 4 mm, 6 mm and 8 mm at 2000 rpm, 3000 rpm, 4000 rpm and 5000 rpm. Experiments were conducted with three different positions of magnets such as 2 coaxial magnets, single magnet and single magnet with sudden application conditions. The brake parameters recorded are % speed reduction, deceleration and time taken. In 2 coaxial magnets condition, brake parameters are better in 6 mm thick disc. In single magnet condition, the brake parameters in 6 mm thick disc are found to be more consistent than 4 mm and 8 mm thick discs. In single magnet with sudden application condition, in 4 mm thick disc, the brake parameters are found better. During analysis, very high repulsion was experienced by magnet with 8 mm thick Copper disc at all the above mentioned speeds in single magnet with sudden application condition. For high speed train applications, single magnet condition with 6mm thick disc may be suitable. For high speed automotive applications, single magnet with sudden application condition with 4 mm thick disc may be suitable.

  7. 21 CFR 868.5120 - Anesthesia conduction catheter.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Anesthesia conduction catheter. 868.5120 Section... (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES ANESTHESIOLOGY DEVICES Therapeutic Devices § 868.5120 Anesthesia conduction catheter. (a) Identification. An anesthesia conduction catheter is a flexible tubular device used to inject...

  8. Common mental disorder symptoms among patients with malaria attending primary care in Ethiopia: a cross-sectional survey.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Markos Tesfaye

    Full Text Available Common Mental Disorders (CMDs are frequent among patients attending primary care. In Africa, CMDs are often misdiagnosed as physical illnesses because many of the patients complain of somatic symptoms of mental distress. We explored whether there was difference in the levels of CMD symptoms between patients with thick film confirmed and clinical cases of malaria with negative thick film in primary care.A cross-sectional comparative study was conducted on 300 adults with a clinical diagnosis of malaria in primary care centres in Jimma, Ethiopia. Patients were recruited consecutively until 100 cases of 'malaria' with a negative thick film and 200 cases of malaria with a positive thick film consented to participate. The 20-item Self-Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ-20 was used to measure CMD. The non-parametric Wilcoxon rank-sum test was used to explore the association between thick film result and CMD.Participants had a mean age of 28.2 (S.D = 10.9 years and the majority (57.3% were women. The prevalence of high CMD symptoms (six or more symptoms on the SRQ-20 was 24.5%. Suicidal ideation was reported by 13.8% of the participants. CMD symptoms were significantly higher in patients who had taken medication prior to visiting the primary care (p = 0.012 and in those whose symptoms had been present for seven days or more (p = 0.041. There was no statistically significant association between level of CMD symptoms and having a negative thick film result (OR 0.98; 95%CI 0.92, 1.04 or objective presence of fever (OR 1.04; 95%CI 0.93, 1.15.CMD symptoms among cases of malaria did not appear to be associated with a negative thick film result. The high levels of CMD symptoms, including suicidal ideation, calls for further studies to investigate the persistence and progression of these symptoms following resolution of the acute malarial episode.

  9. PREDICTORS OF CAROTID INTIMA MEDIA THICKNESS IN OBESE ADOLESCENTS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dusan Paripovic

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available Our aim was to assess cardiovascular risk factors that may predict increased carotid intima media thickness (cIMT in obese children and adolescents. Children and adolescents were included in the cross-sectional study if they were aged 9-19 years and had primary obesity. Besides anthropometric and biochemical measurements, ambulatory blood pressure monitoring, measurement of carotid intima media thickness and exercise stress test were performed. We included 103 obese patients and divided them according to the ambulatory blood pressure findings in two groups: obese patients with and without ambulatory hypertension. There were 49 obese patients with and 54 without ambulatory hypertension Univariate analysis showed that there was a significant positive correlation of cIMT with age (r = 0.334, p= 0.001, body mass index (r = 0.288, p = 0.004, waist circumference (r = 0.352, p = 0.000, hip circumference (r = 0.288, p = 0.004, night-time systolic blood pressure (r = 0.226, p = 0.027, and peak diastolic blood pressure on exercise test (r = 0.241, p = 0.018. In a stepwise model, age, waist circumference and peak diastolic blood pressure on exercise test were independent predictors of cIMT.

  10. Investigation of Top/bottom Electrode and Diffusion Barrier Layer for PZT thick film MEMS Sensors

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pedersen, Thomas; Hindrichsen, Christian Carstensen; Lou-Møller, R.

    2007-01-01

    In this work screen printed piezoelectric Ferroperm PZ26 lead zirconate titanate (PZT) thick film is used for two MEMS devices. A test structure is used to investigate several aspects regarding bottom and top electrodes. 450 nm ZrO2 thin film is found to be an insufficient diffusion barrier layer...... for thick film PZT sintered at 850degC. E-beam evaporated Al and Pt is patterned on PZT with a lift-off process with a line width down to 3 mum. The roughness of the PZT is found to have a strong influence on the conductance of the top electrode....

  11. Critical current density and microstructure of YBa2Cu3O7-x films as a function of film thickness

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mogro-Campero, A.; Turner, L.G.; Hall, E.L.; Lewis, N.

    1990-01-01

    Thin films of nominal composition YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-x (YBCO) were produced on (100) SrTiO 3 substrates by coevaporation and furnace annealing. Film thicknesses in the range of 0.2 to 2.4 μm were analyzed. Microstructural investigations by cross sectional transmission electron microscopy (TEM) reveal a continuous layer of about 0.4 μm thickness adjacent to the substrate with c-axis normal to the substrate plane. In thicker films the remaining top portion has the c-axis in the film plane. The critical current density (J c ) at 77 K decreases with increasing thickness in the thickness range exceeding 0.4 μm, qualitatively consistent with the microstructural observation, but quantitatively inconsistent with a simple model based on the microstructural data

  12. Impact of Age and Aerobic Exercise Training on Conduit Artery Wall Thickness: Role of the Shear Pattern.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tanahashi, Koichiro; Kosaki, Keisei; Sawano, Yuriko; Yoshikawa, Toru; Tagawa, Kaname; Kumagai, Hiroshi; Akazawa, Nobuhiko; Maeda, Seiji

    2017-01-01

    Hemodynamic shear stress is the frictional force of blood on the arterial wall. The shear pattern in the conduit artery affects the endothelium and may participate in the development and progression of atherosclerosis. We investigated the role of the shear pattern in age- and aerobic exercise-induced changes in conduit artery wall thickness via cross-sectional and interventional studies. In a cross-sectional study, we found that brachial shear rate patterns and brachial artery intima-media thickness (IMT) correlated with age. Additionally, brachial artery shear rate patterns were associated with brachial artery IMT in 102 middle-aged and older individuals. In an interventional study, 39 middle-aged and older subjects were divided into 2 groups: control and exercise. The exercise group completed 12 weeks of aerobic exercise training. Aerobic exercise training significantly increased the antegrade shear rate and decreased the retrograde shear rate and brachial artery IMT. Moreover, changes in the brachial artery antegrade shear rate and the retrograde shear rate correlated with the change in brachial artery IMT. The results of the present study indicate that changes in brachial artery shear rate patterns may contribute to age- and aerobic exercise training-induced changes in brachial artery wall thickness. © 2017 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  13. Monitoring production target thickness

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Oothoudt, M.A.

    1993-01-01

    Pion and muon production targets at the Clinton P. Anderson Meson Physics Facility consist of rotating graphite wheels. The previous target thickness monitoring Procedure scanned the target across a reduced intensity beam to determine beam center. The fractional loss in current across the centered target gave a measure of target thickness. This procedure, however, required interruption of beam delivery to experiments and frequently indicated a different fractional loss than at normal beam currents. The new monitoring Procedure compares integrated ups and downs toroid current monitor readings. The current monitors are read once per minute and the integral of readings are logged once per eight-hour shift. Changes in the upstream to downstream fractional difference provide a nonintrusive continuous measurement of target thickness under nominal operational conditions. Target scans are now done only when new targets are installed or when unexplained changes in the current monitor data are observed

  14. Geographic information system datasets of regolith-thickness data, regolith-thickness contours, raster-based regolith thickness, and aquifer-test and specific-capacity data for the Lost Creek Designated Ground Water Basin, Weld, Adams, and Arapahoe Counties, Colorado

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arnold, L. Rick

    2010-01-01

    These datasets were compiled in support of U.S. Geological Survey Scientific-Investigations Report 2010-5082-Hydrogeology and Steady-State Numerical Simulation of Groundwater Flow in the Lost Creek Designated Ground Water Basin, Weld, Adams, and Arapahoe Counties, Colorado. The datasets were developed by the U.S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Lost Creek Ground Water Management District and the Colorado Geological Survey. The four datasets are described as follows and methods used to develop the datasets are further described in Scientific-Investigations Report 2010-5082: (1) ds507_regolith_data: This point dataset contains geologic information concerning regolith (unconsolidated sediment) thickness and top-of-bedrock altitude at selected well and test-hole locations in and near the Lost Creek Designated Ground Water Basin, Weld, Adams, and Arapahoe Counties, Colorado. Data were compiled from published reports, consultant reports, and from lithologic logs of wells and test holes on file with the U.S. Geological Survey Colorado Water Science Center and the Colorado Division of Water Resources. (2) ds507_regthick_contours: This dataset consists of contours showing generalized lines of equal regolith thickness overlying bedrock in the Lost Creek Designated Ground Water Basin, Weld, Adams, and Arapahoe Counties, Colorado. Regolith thickness was contoured manually on the basis of information provided in the dataset ds507_regolith_data. (3) ds507_regthick_grid: This dataset consists of raster-based generalized thickness of regolith overlying bedrock in the Lost Creek Designated Ground Water Basin, Weld, Adams, and Arapahoe Counties, Colorado. Regolith thickness in this dataset was derived from contours presented in the dataset ds507_regthick_contours. (4) ds507_welltest_data: This point dataset contains estimates of aquifer transmissivity and hydraulic conductivity at selected well locations in the Lost Creek Designated Ground Water Basin, Weld, Adams, and

  15. A thick placenta: a predictor of adverse pregnancy outcomes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miwa, Ichiro; Sase, Masakatsu; Torii, Mayumi; Sanai, Hiromi; Nakamura, Yasuhiko; Ueda, Kazuyuki

    2014-01-01

    The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of an ultrasonographic measurement of placental thickness and the correlation of a thick placenta with adverse perinatal outcome. Placental thickness was measured in single gravidas, 16 to 40 weeks of gestation, between 2005 and 2009. Placentas were considered to be thick if their measured thickness were above the 95th percentile for gestational age. The incidence of thick placentas was 4.3% (138/3,183). Perinatal morbidity and neonatal conditions were worse in cases with thick placenta rather than without thick placenta. Ultrasonographic measurement of placental thickness is a simple method to estimate placental size. Thick placenta may be a useful predictor of adverse pregnancy outcomes.

  16. Influence of Thickness on Ethanol Sensing Characteristics of Doctor-bladed Thick Film from Flame-made ZnO Nanoparticles

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sukon Phanichphant

    2007-02-01

    Full Text Available ZnO nanoparticles were produced by flame spray pyrolysis (FSP using zincnaphthenate as a precursor dissolved in toluene/acetonitrile (80/20 vol%. The particleproperties were analyzed by XRD, BET, and HR-TEM. The sensing films were produced bymixing the particles into an organic paste composed of terpineol and ethyl cellulose as avehicle binder and were fabricated by doctor-blade technique with various thicknesses (5,10, 15 μm. The morphology of the sensing films was analyzed by SEM and EDS analyses.The gas sensing characteristics to ethanol (25-250 ppm were evaluated as a function of filmthickness at 400°C in dry air. The relationship between thickness and ethanol sensingcharacteristics of ZnO thick film on Al2O3 substrate interdigitated with Au electrodes wereinvestigated. The effects of film thickness, as well as the cracking phenomenon, though,many cracks were observed for thicker sensing films. Crack widths increased withincreasing film thickness. The film thickness, cracking and ethanol concentration havesignificant effect on the sensing characteristics. The sensing characteristics with variousthicknesses were compared, showing the tendency of the sensitivity to ethanol decreasedwith increasing film thickness and response time. The relationship between gas sensingproperties and film thickness was discussed on the basis of diffusively and reactivity of thegases inside the oxide films. The thinnest sensing film (5 μm showed the highest sensitivityand the fastest response time (within seconds.

  17. 21 CFR 868.5130 - Anesthesia conduction filter.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Anesthesia conduction filter. 868.5130 Section 868...) MEDICAL DEVICES ANESTHESIOLOGY DEVICES Therapeutic Devices § 868.5130 Anesthesia conduction filter. (a) Identification. An anesthesia conduction filter is a microporous filter used while administering to a patient...

  18. Adhesion-enhanced thick copper film deposition on aluminum oxide by an ion-beam-mixed Al seed layer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Hyung-Jin; Park, Jae-Won

    2012-01-01

    We report a highly-adherent 30-μm Cu conductive-path coating on an aluminum-oxide layer anodized on an aluminum-alloy substrate for a metal-printed circuit-board application. A 50-nm Al layer was first coated with an e-beam evaporative deposition method on the anodized oxide, followed by ion bombardment to mix the interfacial region. Subsequently, a Cu coating was deposited onto the mixed seed layer to the designed thickness. Adhesions of the interface were tested by using tape adhesion test, and pull-off tests and showed commercially acceptable adhesions for such thick coating layers. The ion beam mixing (IBM) plays the role of fastening the thin seed coating layer to the substrate and enhancing the adhesion of the Cu conductive path on the anodized aluminum surface.

  19. Heat Transfer Modeling and Validation for Optically Thick Alumina Fibrous Insulation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Daryabeigi, Kamran

    2009-01-01

    Combined radiation/conduction heat transfer through unbonded alumina fibrous insulation was modeled using the diffusion approximation for modeling the radiation component of heat transfer in the optically thick insulation. The validity of the heat transfer model was investigated by comparison to previously reported experimental effective thermal conductivity data over the insulation density range of 24 to 96 kg/cu m, with a pressure range of 0.001 to 750 torr (0.1 to 101.3 x 10(exp 3) Pa), and test sample hot side temperature range of 530 to 1360 K. The model was further validated by comparison to thermal conductivity measurements using the transient step heating technique on an insulation sample at a density of 144 kg/cu m over a pressure range of 0.001 to 760 torr, and temperature range of 290 to 1090 K.

  20. Determination of thickness of thin turbid painted over-layers using micro-scale spatially offset Raman spectroscopy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Conti, Claudia; Realini, Marco; Colombo, Chiara; Botteon, Alessandra; Bertasa, Moira; Striova, Jana; Barucci, Marco; Matousek, Pavel

    2016-12-01

    We present a method for estimating the thickness of thin turbid layers using defocusing micro-spatially offset Raman spectroscopy (micro-SORS). The approach, applicable to highly turbid systems, enables one to predict depths in excess of those accessible with conventional Raman microscopy. The technique can be used, for example, to establish the paint layer thickness on cultural heritage objects, such as panel canvases, mural paintings, painted statues and decorated objects. Other applications include analysis in polymer, biological and biomedical disciplines, catalytic and forensics sciences where highly turbid overlayers are often present and where invasive probing may not be possible or is undesirable. The method comprises two stages: (i) a calibration step for training the method on a well characterized sample set with a known thickness, and (ii) a prediction step where the prediction of layer thickness is carried out non-invasively on samples of unknown thickness of the same chemical and physical make up as the calibration set. An illustrative example of a practical deployment of this method is the analysis of larger areas of paintings. In this case, first, a calibration would be performed on a fragment of painting of a known thickness (e.g. derived from cross-sectional analysis) and subsequently the analysis of thickness across larger areas of painting could then be carried out non-invasively. The performance of the method is compared with that of the more established optical coherence tomography (OCT) technique on identical sample set. This article is part of the themed issue "Raman spectroscopy in art and archaeology".