Vibration condition monitoring of planetary gearbox under varying external load

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bartelmus, W.; Zimroz, R. [Wroclaw University of Technology, Wroclaw (Poland)

2009-01-15

The paper shows that for condition monitoring of planetary gearboxes it is important to identify the external varying load condition. In the paper, systematic consideration has been taken of the influence of many factors on the vibration signals generated by a system in which a planetary gearbox is included. These considerations give the basis for vibration signal interpretation, development of the means of condition monitoring, and for the scenario of the degradation of the planetary gearbox. Real measured vibration signals obtained in the industrial environment are processed. The signals are recorded during normal operation of the diagnosed objects, namely planetary gearboxes, which are a part of the driving system used in a bucket wheel excavator, used in lignite mines. It has been found that the most important factor of the proper planetary gearbox condition is connected with perturbation of arm rotation, where an arm rotation gives rise to a specific vibration signal whose properties are depicted by a short-time Fourier transform (STFT) and Wigner-Ville distribution presented as a time-frequency map. The paper gives evidence that there are two dominant low-frequency causes that influence vibration signal modulation, i.e. the varying load, which comes from the nature of the bucket wheel digging process, and the arm/carrier rotation. These two causes determine the condition of the planetary gearboxes considered.

Control of Linear Parameter Varying Systems with Applications

CERN Document Server

Mohammadpour, Javad

2012-01-01

Control of Linear Parameter Varying Systems with Applications compiles state-of-the-art contributions on novel analytical and computational methods to address system modeling and identification, complexity reduction, performance analysis and control design for time-varying and nonlinear systems in the LPV framework. The book has an interdisciplinary character by emphasizing techniques that can be commonly applied in various engineering fields. It also includes a rich collection of illustrative applications in diverse domains to substantiate the effectiveness of the design methodologies and provide pointers to open research directions. The book is divided into three parts. The first part collects chapters of a more tutorial character on the background of LPV systems modeling and control. The second part gathers chapters devoted to the theoretical advancement of LPV analysis and synthesis methods to cope with the design constraints such as uncertainties and time delay. The third part of the volume showcases con...

Nonlinear systems time-varying parameter estimation: Application to induction motors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kenne, Godpromesse [Laboratoire d' Automatique et d' Informatique Appliquee (LAIA), Departement de Genie Electrique, IUT FOTSO Victor, Universite de Dschang, B.P. 134 Bandjoun (Cameroon); Ahmed-Ali, Tarek [Ecole Nationale Superieure des Ingenieurs des Etudes et Techniques d' Armement (ENSIETA), 2 Rue Francois Verny, 29806 Brest Cedex 9 (France); Lamnabhi-Lagarrigue, F. [Laboratoire des Signaux et Systemes (L2S), C.N.R.S-SUPELEC, Universite Paris XI, 3 Rue Joliot Curie, 91192 Gif-sur-Yvette (France); Arzande, Amir [Departement Energie, Ecole Superieure d' Electricite-SUPELEC, 3 Rue Joliot Curie, 91192 Gif-sur-Yvette (France)

2008-11-15

In this paper, an algorithm for time-varying parameter estimation for a large class of nonlinear systems is presented. The proof of the convergence of the estimates to their true values is achieved using Lyapunov theories and does not require that the classical persistent excitation condition be satisfied by the input signal. Since the induction motor (IM) is widely used in several industrial sectors, the algorithm developed is potentially useful for adjusting the controller parameters of variable speed drives. The method proposed is simple and easily implementable in real-time. The application of this approach to on-line estimation of the rotor resistance of IM shows a rapidly converging estimate in spite of measurement noise, discretization effects, parameter uncertainties (e.g. inaccuracies on motor inductance values) and modeling inaccuracies. The robustness analysis for this IM application also revealed that the proposed scheme is insensitive to the stator resistance variations within a wide range. The merits of the proposed algorithm in the case of on-line time-varying rotor resistance estimation are demonstrated via experimental results in various operating conditions of the induction motor. The experimental results obtained demonstrate that the application of the proposed algorithm to update on-line the parameters of an adaptive controller (e.g. IM and synchronous machines adaptive control) can improve the efficiency of the industrial process. The other interesting features of the proposed method include fault detection/estimation and adaptive control of IM and synchronous machines. (author)

Structured Linear Parameter Varying Control of Wind Turbines

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Adegas, Fabiano Daher; Sloth, Christoffer; Stoustrup, Jakob

2012-01-01

High performance and reliability are required for wind turbines to be competitive within the energy market. To capture their nonlinear behavior, wind turbines are often modeled using parameter-varying models. In this chapter, a framework for modelling and controller design of wind turbines is pre...... in the controller synthesis are solved by an iterative LMI-based algorithm. The resulting controllers can also be easily implemented in practice due to low data storage and simple math operations. The performance of the LPV controllers is assessed by nonlinear simulations results....

Nonlinear control of linear parameter varying systems with applications to hypersonic vehicles

Science.gov (United States)

Wilcox, Zachary Donald

The focus of this dissertation is to design a controller for linear parameter varying (LPV) systems, apply it specifically to air-breathing hypersonic vehicles, and examine the interplay between control performance and the structural dynamics design. Specifically a Lyapunov-based continuous robust controller is developed that yields exponential tracking of a reference model, despite the presence of bounded, nonvanishing disturbances. The hypersonic vehicle has time varying parameters, specifically temperature profiles, and its dynamics can be reduced to an LPV system with additive disturbances. Since the HSV can be modeled as an LPV system the proposed control design is directly applicable. The control performance is directly examined through simulations. A wide variety of applications exist that can be effectively modeled as LPV systems. In particular, flight systems have historically been modeled as LPV systems and associated control tools have been applied such as gain-scheduling, linear matrix inequalities (LMIs), linear fractional transformations (LFT), and mu-types. However, as the type of flight environments and trajectories become more demanding, the traditional LPV controllers may no longer be sufficient. In particular, hypersonic flight vehicles (HSVs) present an inherently difficult problem because of the nonlinear aerothermoelastic coupling effects in the dynamics. HSV flight conditions produce temperature variations that can alter both the structural dynamics and flight dynamics. Starting with the full nonlinear dynamics, the aerothermoelastic effects are modeled by a temperature dependent, parameter varying state-space representation with added disturbances. The model includes an uncertain parameter varying state matrix, an uncertain parameter varying non-square (column deficient) input matrix, and an additive bounded disturbance. In this dissertation, a robust dynamic controller is formulated for a uncertain and disturbed LPV system. The developed

Time-varying parameter models for catchments with land use change: the importance of model structure

Science.gov (United States)

Pathiraja, Sahani; Anghileri, Daniela; Burlando, Paolo; Sharma, Ashish; Marshall, Lucy; Moradkhani, Hamid

2018-05-01

Rapid population and economic growth in Southeast Asia has been accompanied by extensive land use change with consequent impacts on catchment hydrology. Modeling methodologies capable of handling changing land use conditions are therefore becoming ever more important and are receiving increasing attention from hydrologists. A recently developed data-assimilation-based framework that allows model parameters to vary through time in response to signals of change in observations is considered for a medium-sized catchment (2880 km2) in northern Vietnam experiencing substantial but gradual land cover change. We investigate the efficacy of the method as well as the importance of the chosen model structure in ensuring the success of a time-varying parameter method. The method was used with two lumped daily conceptual models (HBV and HyMOD) that gave good-quality streamflow predictions during pre-change conditions. Although both time-varying parameter models gave improved streamflow predictions under changed conditions compared to the time-invariant parameter model, persistent biases for low flows were apparent in the HyMOD case. It was found that HyMOD was not suited to representing the modified baseflow conditions, resulting in extreme and unrealistic time-varying parameter estimates. This work shows that the chosen model can be critical for ensuring the time-varying parameter framework successfully models streamflow under changing land cover conditions. It can also be used to determine whether land cover changes (and not just meteorological factors) contribute to the observed hydrologic changes in retrospective studies where the lack of a paired control catchment precludes such an assessment.

Time-varying parameter models for catchments with land use change: the importance of model structure

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Pathiraja

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Rapid population and economic growth in Southeast Asia has been accompanied by extensive land use change with consequent impacts on catchment hydrology. Modeling methodologies capable of handling changing land use conditions are therefore becoming ever more important and are receiving increasing attention from hydrologists. A recently developed data-assimilation-based framework that allows model parameters to vary through time in response to signals of change in observations is considered for a medium-sized catchment (2880 km2 in northern Vietnam experiencing substantial but gradual land cover change. We investigate the efficacy of the method as well as the importance of the chosen model structure in ensuring the success of a time-varying parameter method. The method was used with two lumped daily conceptual models (HBV and HyMOD that gave good-quality streamflow predictions during pre-change conditions. Although both time-varying parameter models gave improved streamflow predictions under changed conditions compared to the time-invariant parameter model, persistent biases for low flows were apparent in the HyMOD case. It was found that HyMOD was not suited to representing the modified baseflow conditions, resulting in extreme and unrealistic time-varying parameter estimates. This work shows that the chosen model can be critical for ensuring the time-varying parameter framework successfully models streamflow under changing land cover conditions. It can also be used to determine whether land cover changes (and not just meteorological factors contribute to the observed hydrologic changes in retrospective studies where the lack of a paired control catchment precludes such an assessment.

Risk adjusted receding horizon control of constrained linear parameter varying systems

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sznaier, M.; Lagoa, C.; Stoorvogel, Antonie Arij; Li, X.

2005-01-01

In the past few years, control of Linear Parameter Varying Systems (LPV) has been the object of considerable attention, as a way of formalizing the intuitively appealing idea of gain scheduling control for nonlinear systems. However, currently available LPV techniques are both computationally

Identification of Affine Linear Parameter Varying Models for Adaptive Interventions in Fibromyalgia Treatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Dos Santos, P Lopes; Deshpande, Sunil; Rivera, Daniel E; Azevedo-Perdicoúlis, T-P; Ramos, J A; Younger, Jarred

2013-12-31

There is good evidence that naltrexone, an opioid antagonist, has a strong neuroprotective role and may be a potential drug for the treatment of fibromyalgia. In previous work, some of the authors used experimental clinical data to identify input-output linear time invariant models that were used to extract useful information about the effect of this drug on fibromyalgia symptoms. Additional factors such as anxiety, stress, mood, and headache, were considered as additive disturbances. However, it seems reasonable to think that these factors do not affect the drug actuation, but only the way in which a participant perceives how the drug actuates on herself. Under this hypothesis the linear time invariant models can be replaced by State-Space Affine Linear Parameter Varying models where the disturbances are seen as a scheduling signal signal only acting at the parameters of the output equation. In this paper a new algorithm for identifying such a model is proposed. This algorithm minimizes a quadratic criterion of the output error. Since the output error is a linear function of some parameters, the Affine Linear Parameter Varying system identification is formulated as a separable nonlinear least squares problem. Likewise other identification algorithms using gradient optimization methods several parameter derivatives are dynamical systems that must be simulated. In order to increase time efficiency a canonical parametrization that minimizes the number of systems to be simulated is chosen. The effectiveness of the algorithm is assessed in a case study where an Affine Parameter Varying Model is identified from the experimental data used in the previous study and compared with the time-invariant model.

Improvement of and Parameter Identification for the Bimodal Time-Varying Modified Kanai-Tajimi Power Spectral Model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Huiguo Chen

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Based on the Kanai-Tajimi power spectrum filtering method proposed by Du Xiuli et al., a genetic algorithm and a quadratic optimization identification technique are employed to improve the bimodal time-varying modified Kanai-Tajimi power spectral model and the parameter identification method proposed by Vlachos et al. Additionally, a method for modeling time-varying power spectrum parameters for ground motion is proposed. The 8244 Orion and Chi-Chi earthquake accelerograms are selected as examples for time-varying power spectral model parameter identification and ground motion simulations to verify the feasibility and effectiveness of the improved bimodal time-varying modified Kanai-Tajimi power spectral model. The results of this study provide important references for designing ground motion inputs for seismic analyses of major engineering structures.

Long Memory of Financial Time Series and Hidden Markov Models with Time-Varying Parameters

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nystrup, Peter; Madsen, Henrik; Lindström, Erik

2016-01-01

Hidden Markov models are often used to model daily returns and to infer the hidden state of financial markets. Previous studies have found that the estimated models change over time, but the implications of the time-varying behavior have not been thoroughly examined. This paper presents an adaptive...... to reproduce with a hidden Markov model. Capturing the time-varying behavior of the parameters also leads to improved one-step density forecasts. Finally, it is shown that the forecasting performance of the estimated models can be further improved using local smoothing to forecast the parameter variations....

Relation between parameters of self-sustaining magnetically confined electron cloud and external conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yu Qingchang

1991-01-01

On the basis of the fluid theory of the axisymmetrical self-sustaining magnetically confined electron clouds an approximate analytical method is developed. By means of this method the relations between the parameters of this type of electron cloud and external conditions are studied. The parameters include electron density, electron temperature, drift angular frequency of electrons, radius of the electron cloud and electric potential at the centre of the electron cloud. They depend on the voltage, magnetic induction, pressure, electromagnetic field distribution in the confinement device and parameters of electron-atom collisions

Dielectric parameters of blood plasma of rats treated with cerium-144 and external irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hadzhidekova, E.; Kiradzhiev, G.; Paskalev, Z.; Miloslavov, V.

1988-01-01

Investigation was carried out of the dielectric parameters of blood plasma of male Wistar rats treated with cerium 144 in doses of 370 kBq/animal and external gamma irradiation in doses of 200 cGy and 400 cGy. The radioactive cerium was introduced intraperitoneally 1 h after the external irradiation with dose rate of 1,6 cGy/sec. The permittivity ε, the time of relaxation τ and the coefficient of Debaye κ of plasma protein molecules were determined at the 1st, 3rd, 10th, 15th, and 30th days after treatement for frequence ranges of 1,4, 2,2, 3,6 and 6 MHz. At the same terms the content of cerium 144 was measured in the organs of predilectional accumulation of cerium. It was established that the treatment only with cerium lead to most essential changes of dielectric parameters at frequence of 3,6 MHz. The external irradiation didn't influence essentially the kinetics of absorbed cerium. In combination of both radiation factors the action of cerium was predominant

Adaptive control of chaotic systems with stochastic time varying unknown parameters

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Salarieh, Hassan [Center of Excellence in Design, Robotics and Automation, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Sharif University of Technology, P.O. Box 11365-9567, Azadi Avenue, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of)], E-mail: salarieh@mech.sharif.edu; Alasty, Aria [Center of Excellence in Design, Robotics and Automation, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Sharif University of Technology, P.O. Box 11365-9567, Azadi Avenue, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of)], E-mail: aalasti@sharif.edu

2008-10-15

In this paper based on the Lyapunov stability theorem, an adaptive control scheme is proposed for stabilizing the unstable periodic orbits (UPO) of chaotic systems. It is assumed that the chaotic system has some linearly dependent unknown parameters which are stochastically time varying. The stochastic parameters are modeled through the Weiner process derivative. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed technique it has been applied to the Lorenz, Chen and Rossler dynamical systems, as some case studies. Simulation results indicate that the proposed adaptive controller has a high performance in stabilizing the UPO of chaotic systems in noisy environment.

Stability of neutrino parameters and self-complementarity relation with varying SUSY breaking scale

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, K. Sashikanta; Roy, Subhankar; Singh, N. Nimai

2018-03-01

The scale at which supersymmetry (SUSY) breaks (ms) is still unknown. The present article, following a top-down approach, endeavors to study the effect of varying ms on the radiative stability of the observational parameters associated with the neutrino mixing. These parameters get additional contributions in the minimal supersymmetric model (MSSM). A variation in ms will influence the bounds for which the Standard Model (SM) and MSSM work and hence, will account for the different radiative contributions received from both sectors, respectively, while running the renormalization group equations (RGE). The present work establishes the invariance of the self complementarity relation among the three mixing angles, θ13+θ12≈θ23 against the radiative evolution. A similar result concerning the mass ratio, m2:m1 is also found to be valid. In addition to varying ms, the work incorporates a range of different seesaw (SS) scales and tries to see how the latter affects the parameters.

Linear parameter-varying control for engineering applications

CERN Document Server

White, Andrew P; Choi, Jongeun

2013-01-01

The objective of this brief is to carefully illustrate a procedure of applying linear parameter-varying (LPV) control to a class of dynamic systems via a systematic synthesis of gain-scheduling controllers with guaranteed stability and performance. The existing LPV control theories rely on the use of either H-infinity or H2 norm to specify the performance of the LPV system.  The challenge that arises with LPV control for engineers is twofold. First, there is no systematic procedure for applying existing LPV control system theory to solve practical engineering problems from modeling to control design. Second, there exists no LPV control synthesis theory to design LPV controllers with hard constraints. For example, physical systems usually have hard constraints on their required performance outputs along with their sensors and actuators. Furthermore, the H-infinity and H2 performance criteria cannot provide hard constraints on system outputs. As a result, engineers in industry could find it difficult to utiliz...

Internal and external potential-field estimation from regional vector data at varying satellite altitude

Science.gov (United States)

Plattner, Alain; Simons, Frederik J.

2017-10-01

When modelling satellite data to recover a global planetary magnetic or gravitational potential field, the method of choice remains their analysis in terms of spherical harmonics. When only regional data are available, or when data quality varies strongly with geographic location, the inversion problem becomes severely ill-posed. In those cases, adopting explicitly local methods is to be preferred over adapting global ones (e.g. by regularization). Here, we develop the theory behind a procedure to invert for planetary potential fields from vector observations collected within a spatially bounded region at varying satellite altitude. Our method relies on the construction of spatiospectrally localized bases of functions that mitigate the noise amplification caused by downward continuation (from the satellite altitude to the source) while balancing the conflicting demands for spatial concentration and spectral limitation. The `altitude-cognizant' gradient vector Slepian functions (AC-GVSF) enjoy a noise tolerance under downward continuation that is much improved relative to the `classical' gradient vector Slepian functions (CL-GVSF), which do not factor satellite altitude into their construction. Furthermore, venturing beyond the realm of their first application, published in a preceding paper, in the present article we extend the theory to being able to handle both internal and external potential-field estimation. Solving simultaneously for internal and external fields under the limitation of regional data availability reduces internal-field artefacts introduced by downward-continuing unmodelled external fields, as we show with numerical examples. We explain our solution strategies on the basis of analytic expressions for the behaviour of the estimation bias and variance of models for which signal and noise are uncorrelated, (essentially) space- and band-limited, and spectrally (almost) white. The AC-GVSF are optimal linear combinations of vector spherical harmonics

External Thermal Insulation Composite Systems: Critical Parameters for Surface Hygrothermal Behaviour

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eva Barreira

2014-01-01

Full Text Available External Thermal Insulation Composite Systems (ETICS are often used in Europe. Despite its thermal advantages, low cost, and ease of application, this system has serious problems of biological growth causing the cladding defacement. Recent studies pointed that biological growth is due to high values of surface moisture content, which mostly results from the combined effect of exterior surface condensation, wind-driven rain, and drying process. Based on numerical simulation, this paper points the most critical parameters involved in hygrothermal behaviour of ETICS, considering the influence of thermal and hygric properties of the external rendering, the effect of the characteristics of the façade, and the consequences of the exterior and interior climate on exterior surface condensation, wind-driven rain, and drying process. The model used was previously validated by comparison with the results of an “in situ” campaign. The results of the sensitivity analyses show that relative humidity and temperature of the exterior air, atmospheric radiation, and emissivity of the exterior rendering are the parameters that most influence exterior surface condensation. Wind-driven rain depends mostly on horizontal rain, building’s height, wind velocity, and orientation. The drying capacity is influenced by short-wave absorbance, incident solar radiation, and orientation.

The κ parameter and κ-distribution in κ-deformed statistics for the systems in an external field

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guo, Lina; Du, Jiulin

2007-01-01

It is naturally important question for us to ask under what physical situation should the κ-deformed statistics be suitable for the statistical description of a system and what should the κ parameter stand for. In this Letter, a formula expression of κ parameter is derived on the basis of the κ-H theorem, the κ-velocity distribution and the generalized Boltzmann equation in the framework of κ-deformed statistics. We thus obtain a physical interpretation for the parameter κ 0 with regard to the temperature gradient and the external force field. We show, as the q-statistics based on Tsallis entropy, the κ-deformed statistics may also be the candidate one suitable for the statistical description of the systems in external fields when being in the nonequilibrium stationary state, but has different physical characteristics. Namely, the κ-distribution is found to describe the nonequilibrium stationary state of the system where the external force should be vertical to the temperature gradient

Output-Only Modal Parameter Recursive Estimation of Time-Varying Structures via a Kernel Ridge Regression FS-TARMA Approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhi-Sai Ma

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Modal parameter estimation plays an important role in vibration-based damage detection and is worth more attention and investigation, as changes in modal parameters are usually being used as damage indicators. This paper focuses on the problem of output-only modal parameter recursive estimation of time-varying structures based upon parameterized representations of the time-dependent autoregressive moving average (TARMA. A kernel ridge regression functional series TARMA (FS-TARMA recursive identification scheme is proposed and subsequently employed for the modal parameter estimation of a numerical three-degree-of-freedom time-varying structural system and a laboratory time-varying structure consisting of a simply supported beam and a moving mass sliding on it. The proposed method is comparatively assessed against an existing recursive pseudolinear regression FS-TARMA approach via Monte Carlo experiments and shown to be capable of accurately tracking the time-varying dynamics in a recursive manner.

Effects of neutron spectrum and external neutron source on neutron multiplication parameters in accelerator-driven system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shahbunder, Hesham; Pyeon, Cheol Ho; Misawa, Tsuyoshi; Lim, Jae-Yong; Shiroya, Seiji

2010-01-01

The neutron multiplication parameters: neutron multiplication M, subcritical multiplication factor k s , external source efficiency φ*, play an important role for numerical assessment and reactor power evaluation of an accelerator-driven system (ADS). Those parameters can be evaluated by using the measured reaction rate distribution in the subcritical system. In this study, the experimental verification of this methodology is performed in various ADS cores; with high-energy (100 MeV) proton-tungsten source in hard and soft neutron spectra cores and 14 MeV D-T neutron source in soft spectrum core. The comparison between measured and calculated multiplication parameters reveals a maximum relative difference in the range of 6.6-13.7% that is attributed to the calculation nuclear libraries uncertainty and accuracy for energies higher than 20 MeV and also dependent on the reaction rate distribution position and count rates. The effects of different core neutron spectra and external neutron sources on the neutron multiplication parameters are discussed.

Linear parameter varying representations for nonlinear control design

Science.gov (United States)

Carter, Lance Huntington

Linear parameter varying (LPV) systems are investigated as a framework for gain-scheduled control design and optimal hybrid control. An LPV system is defined as a linear system whose dynamics depend upon an a priori unknown but measurable exogenous parameter. A gain-scheduled autopilot design is presented for a bank-to-turn (BTT) missile. The method is novel in that the gain-scheduled design does not involve linearizations about operating points. Instead, the missile dynamics are brought to LPV form via a state transformation. This idea is applied to the design of a coupled longitudinal/lateral BTT missile autopilot. The pitch and yaw/roll dynamics are separately transformed to LPV form, where the cross axis states are treated as "exogenous" parameters. These are actually endogenous variables, so such a plant is called "quasi-LPV." Once in quasi-LPV form, a family of robust controllers using mu synthesis is designed for both the pitch and yaw/roll channels, using angle-of-attack and roll rate as the scheduling variables. The closed-loop time response is simulated using the original nonlinear model and also using perturbed aerodynamic coefficients. Modeling and control of engine idle speed is investigated using LPV methods. It is shown how generalized discrete nonlinear systems may be transformed into quasi-LPV form. A discrete nonlinear engine model is developed and expressed in quasi-LPV form with engine speed as the scheduling variable. An example control design is presented using linear quadratic methods. Simulations are shown comparing the LPV based controller performance to that using PID control. LPV representations are also shown to provide a setting for hybrid systems. A hybrid system is characterized by control inputs consisting of both analog signals and discrete actions. A solution is derived for the optimal control of hybrid systems with generalized cost functions. This is shown to be computationally intensive, so a suboptimal strategy is proposed that

Scalable Video Streaming Adaptive to Time-Varying IEEE 802.11 MAC Parameters

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Kyung-Jun; Suh, Doug-Young; Park, Gwang-Hoon; Huh, Jae-Doo

This letter proposes a QoS control method for video streaming service over wireless networks. Based on statistical analysis, the time-varying MAC parameters highly related to channel condition are selected to predict available bitrate. Adaptive bitrate control of scalably-encoded video guarantees continuity in streaming service even if the channel condition changes abruptly.

LMI-based gain scheduled controller synthesis for a class of linear parameter varying systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bendtsen, Jan Dimon; Anderson, Brian; Lanzon, Alexander

2006-01-01

This paper presents a novel method for constructing controllers for a class of single-input multiple-output (SIMO) linear parameter varying (LPV) systems. This class of systems encompasses many physical systems, in particular systems where individual components vary with time, and is therefore...... of significant practical relevance to control designers. The control design presented in this paper has the properties that the system matrix of the closed loop is multi-affine in the various scalar parameters, and that the resulting controller ensures a certain degree of stability for the closed loop even when...... as a standard linear time-invariant (LTI) design combined with a set of linear matrix inequalities, which can be solved efficiently with software tools. The design procedure is illustrated by a numerical example....

An improved robust model predictive control for linear parameter-varying input-output models

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Abbas, H.S.; Hanema, J.; Tóth, R.; Mohammadpour, J.; Meskin, N.

2018-01-01

This paper describes a new robust model predictive control (MPC) scheme to control the discrete-time linear parameter-varying input-output models subject to input and output constraints. Closed-loop asymptotic stability is guaranteed by including a quadratic terminal cost and an ellipsoidal terminal

Clinical evaluation of nares-vocal cord distance and its correlation with various external body parameters

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bhuwan Sareen

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Background and Aims: The optimal visualisation of vocal cords during fibreoptic intubation may be utilised for the nares-vocal cord distance (NVD estimation. The present study was conducted to measure NVD and to correlate with various external body parameters. Methods: This study was conducted on 50 males and 50 females. We measured NVD and analysed its relationship with height, nares to tragus of ear distance (NED, nares to angle of mandible distance (NMD, sternal length (SL, thyro-mental distance (TMD, sterno-mental distance (SMD and arm span (AS. Results: The mean NVD of the males was 18.5 ± 1.5 cm, and that of the females was 15.9 ± 1.1 cm. The relationship between the NVD and body height (males P = 0.001, r = 0.463, females P = 0.000, r = 0.555, SL (males P = 0.000, r = 0.463, females P < 0.000, r = 0.801 or AS (males P = 0.000, r = 0.561, females P = 0.000, r = 0.499 showed a significant correlation but NED, NMD, TMD, SMD did not. After combining male and female groups, (n = 100, the correlation of NVD with external body parameters is as follows SL (r = 0.887, height (r = 0.791, AS (r = 0.769, weight (r = 0.531, SMD (r = 0.466, NED (r = 0.459, NMD (r = 0.391, TMD (r = 0.379. Conclusion: The relationship of NVD to external body parameters had strong correlation in all parameters in the combined group; whereas when gender was taken into consideration NVD correlated significantly only with SL, height and AS.

Genetic algorithm–based varying parameter linear quadratic regulator control for four-wheel independent steering vehicle

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Linlin Gao

2015-11-01

Full Text Available From the perspective of vehicle dynamics, the four-wheel independent steering vehicle dynamics stability control method is studied, and a four-wheel independent steering varying parameter linear quadratic regulator control system is proposed with the help of expert control method. In the article, a four-wheel independent steering linear quadratic regulator controller for model following purpose is designed first. Then, by analyzing the four-wheel independent steering vehicle dynamic characteristics and the influence of linear quadratic regulator control parameters on control performance, a linear quadratic regulator control parameter adjustment strategy based on vehicle steering state is proposed to achieve the adaptive adjustment of linear quadratic regulator control parameters. In addition, to further improve the control performance, the proposed varying parameter linear quadratic regulator control system is optimized by genetic algorithm. Finally, simulation studies have been conducted by applying the proposed control system to the 8-degree-of-freedom four-wheel independent steering vehicle dynamics model. The simulation results indicate that the proposed control system has better performance and robustness and can effectively improve the stability and steering safety of the four-wheel independent steering vehicle.

A Hilbert transform method for parameter identification of time-varying structures with observer techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Zuo-Cai; Ren, Wei-Xin; Chen, Gen-Da

2012-01-01

This paper presents a recursive Hilbert transform method for the time-varying property identification of large-scale shear-type buildings with limited sensor deployments. An observer technique is introduced to estimate the building responses from limited available measurements. For an n-story shear-type building with l measurements (l ≤ n), the responses of other stories without measurements can be estimated based on the first r mode shapes (r ≤ l) as-built conditions and l measurements. Both the measured responses and evaluated responses and their Hilbert transforms are then used to track any variation of structural parameters of a multi-story building over time. Given floor masses, both the stiffness and damping coefficients of the building are identified one-by-one from the top to the bottom story. When variations of parameters are detected, a new developed branch-and-bound technique can be used to update the first r mode shapes with the identified parameters. A 60-story shear building with abruptly varying stiffness at different floors is simulated as an example. The numerical results indicate that the proposed method can detect variations of the parameters of large-scale shear-type buildings with limited sensor deployments at appropriate locations. (paper)

Vector Autoregressions with Parsimoniously Time Varying Parameters and an Application to Monetary Policy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Callot, Laurent; Kristensen, Johannes Tang

the monetary policy response to inflation and business cycle fluctuations in the US by estimating a parsimoniously time varying parameter Taylor rule.We document substantial changes in the policy response of the Fed in the 1970s and 1980s, and since 2007, but also document the stability of this response...

Linear Parameter Varying Versus Linear Time Invariant Reduced Order Controller Design of Turboprop Aircraft Dynamics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Widowati

2012-07-01

Full Text Available The applicability of parameter varying reduced order controllers to aircraft model is proposed. The generalization of the balanced singular perturbation method of linear time invariant (LTI system is used to reduce the order of linear parameter varying (LPV system. Based on the reduced order model the low-order LPV controller is designed by using synthesis technique. The performance of the reduced order controller is examined by applying it to lateral-directional control of aircraft model having 20th order. Furthermore, the time responses of the closed loop system with reduced order LPV controllers and reduced order LTI controller is compared. From the simulation results, the 8th order LPV controller can maintain stability and to provide the same level of closed-loop systems performance as the full-order LPV controller. It is different with the reduced-order LTI controller that cannot maintain stability and performance for all allowable parameter trajectories.

Parameter Estimation of a Closed Loop Coupled Tank Time Varying System using Recursive Methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Basir, Siti Nora; Yussof, Hanafiah; Shamsuddin, Syamimi; Selamat, Hazlina; Zahari, Nur Ismarrubie

2013-01-01

This project investigates the direct identification of closed loop plant using discrete-time approach. The uses of Recursive Least Squares (RLS), Recursive Instrumental Variable (RIV) and Recursive Instrumental Variable with Centre-Of-Triangle (RIV + COT) in the parameter estimation of closed loop time varying system have been considered. The algorithms were applied in a coupled tank system that employs covariance resetting technique where the time of parameter changes occur is unknown. The performances of all the parameter estimation methods, RLS, RIV and RIV + COT were compared. The estimation of the system whose output was corrupted with white and coloured noises were investigated. Covariance resetting technique successfully executed when the parameters change. RIV + COT gives better estimates than RLS and RIV in terms of convergence and maximum overshoot

In-Sample Confidence Bands and Out-of-Sample Forecast Bands for Time-Varying Parameters in Observation Driven Models

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Blasques, F.; Koopman, S.J.; Lasak, K.A.; Lucas, A.

2016-01-01

We study the performances of alternative methods for calculating in-sample confidence and out-of-sample forecast bands for time-varying parameters. The in-sample bands reflect parameter uncertainty, while the out-of-sample bands reflect not only parameter uncertainty, but also innovation

Clinical Parameters and Crestal Bone Loss in Internal Versus External Hex Implants at One Year after Loading

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

HamidReza Arab

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Introduction: The survival of an implant system is affected by the choice of antirotational design, which can include an external or internal hex. Implant success also is affected by the maintenance of the crestal bone around implants. The aim of present study was to evaluate the crestal bone loss and clinical parameters related to bone loss in patients loaded with an external or internal hex 3i implant (3i Implant Innovation, Palm Beach Gardens, FL, USA. The evaluations were performed one year after loading. Materials and Methods: A total of 39 implants (23 external hex, 16 internal hex were placed randomly in 23 patients (10 male, 13 female by a submerged approach. None of patients had compromised conditions or parafunctional habits. At placement and at one year after loading, periapical radiographs were taken via the parallel method from the implant sites. Results: Crestal bone loss was -0.712±0.831 mm in implants with an internal hex connection and -0.139±0.505 mm in implants with an external hex connection (P≤0.05. No correlation was found between crestal bone loss and parameters such as age, gender, jaw, implant location (anterior, premolar, or molar, implant diameter, or implant length. Conclusions: Crestal bone loss was greater in patients with internal hex 3i implants than in those with external implants. Similar results in other clinical factors were found between the groups.

Impulsive synchronization of Roessler systems with parameter driven by an external signal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Rong; Hu Manfeng; Xu Zhenyuan

2007-01-01

In this Letter, an impulsive control scheme is presented to control two uncoupled identical Roessler systems. By driving the parameter of Roessler systems using external chaotic signal or periodic signal, chaotic synchronization and periodic synchronization can be implemented. This is a special impulsive control, but by using the existing results of impulsive control theory, a less conservative estimation of the upper bound of the impulse interval is given, which can guarantee the global asymptotical stability for the impulsive synchronization of Roessler systems. Numerical results are in accord with our estimation

External Load Affects Ground Reaction Force Parameters Non-uniformly during Running in Weightlessness

Science.gov (United States)

DeWitt, John; Schaffner, Grant; Laughlin, Mitzi; Loehr, James; Hagan, R. Donald

2004-01-01

Long-term exposure to microgravity induces detrimefits to the musculcskdetal system (Schneider et al., 1995; LeBlanc et al., 2000). Treadmill exercise is used onboard the International Space Station as an exercise countermeasure to musculoskeletal deconditioning due to spaceflight. During locomotive exercise in weightlessness (0G), crewmembers wear a harness attached to an external loading mechanism (EL). The EL pulls the crewmember toward the treadmill, and provides resistive load during the impact and propulsive phases of gait. The resulting forces may be important in stimulating bone maintenance (Turner, 1998). The EL can be applied via a bungee and carabineer clip configuration attached to the harness and can be manipulated to create varying amounts of load levels during exercise. Ground-based research performed using a vertically mounted treadmill found that peak ground reaction forces (GRF) during running at an EL of less than one body weight (BW) are less than those that occur during running in normal gravity (1G) (Davis et al., 1996). However, it is not known how the GRF are affected by the EL in a true OG environment. Locomotion while suspended may result in biomechanics that differ from free running. The purpose of this investigation was to determine how EL affects peak impact force, peak propulsive force, loading rate, and impulse of the GRF during running in 0G. It was hypothesized that increasing EL would result in increases in each GRF parameter.

Nonlinear Parameter-Varying AeroServoElastic Reduced Order Model for Aerostructural Sensing and Control, Phase I

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The overall goal of the project is to develop reliable reduced order modeling technologies to automatically generate nonlinear, parameter-varying (PV),...

A 3D domain decomposition approach for the identification of spatially varying elastic material parameters

KAUST Repository

Moussawi, Ali; Lubineau, Gilles; Xu, Jiangping; Pan, Bing

2015-01-01

Summary: The post-treatment of (3D) displacement fields for the identification of spatially varying elastic material parameters is a large inverse problem that remains out of reach for massive 3D structures. We explore here the potential

Nonlinear Parameter-Varying AeroServoElastic Reduced Order Model for Aerostructural Sensing and Control, Phase II

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The overall goal of the project is to develop reliable reduced order modeling technologies to automatically generate parameter-varying (PV), aeroservoelastic (ASE)...

A receding horizon scheme for discrete-time polytopic linear parameter varying systems in networked architectures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Franzè, Giuseppe; Lucia, Walter; Tedesco, Francesco

2014-01-01

This paper proposes a Model Predictive Control (MPC) strategy to address regulation problems for constrained polytopic Linear Parameter Varying (LPV) systems subject to input and state constraints in which both plant measurements and command signals in the loop are sent through communication channels subject to time-varying delays (Networked Control System (NCS)). The results here proposed represent a significant extension to the LPV framework of a recent Receding Horizon Control (RHC) scheme developed for the so-called robust case. By exploiting the parameter availability, the pre-computed sequences of one- step controllable sets inner approximations are less conservative than the robust counterpart. The resulting framework guarantees asymptotic stability and constraints fulfilment regardless of plant uncertainties and time-delay occurrences. Finally, experimental results on a laboratory two-tank test-bed show the effectiveness of the proposed approach

Behaviour of the order parameter of the simple magnet in an external field

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M.P.Kozlovskii

2005-01-01

Full Text Available The effect of a homogeneous external field on the three-dimensional uniaxial magnet behaviour near the critical point is investigated within the framework of the nonperturbative collective variables method using the ρ4 model. The research is carried out for the low-temperature region. The analytic explicit expressions for the free energy, average spin moment and susceptibility are obtained for weak and strong fields in comparison with the field value belonging to the pseudocritical line. The calculations are performed on the microscopic level without any adjusting parameters. It is established that the long-wave fluctuations of the order parameter play a crucial role in forming a crossover between the temperature-dependence and field-dependence critical behaviour of the system.

Comparison of triple to double coincidence ratio and Quench Parameter External methods for the determination of 3H efficiency by liquid scintillation counting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nisti, M.B.; Saueia, C.H.R.; Mazzilli, B.P.

2013-01-01

The aim of this study is to determine the tritium efficiency by liquid scintillation counting using two methodologies, Quench Parameter External (QPE) and Triple to Double Coincidence Ratio (TDCR), and to compare the results. The equipment used was the HIDEX model 300-SL Liquid Scintillation Counter, composed of three photomultipliers coupled with coincidence pulses, discrimination level and Mikro Win 2000 software. The efficiency varied from 0.028 to 0.706 cps dps -1 for QPE and from 0.061 to 0.703 cps dps -1 for TDCR. Different efficiencies were obtained using both methods, in the range from 459 to 572 quenching, above this range the efficiencies were similar. The verification of the efficiencies was performed by participating in the Intercomparison National Program (PNI). (author)

Novel forms of colloidal self-organization in temporally and spatially varying external fields: from low-density network-forming fluids to spincoated crystals

Science.gov (United States)

Yethiraj, Anand

2010-03-01

External fields affect self-organization in Brownian colloidal suspensions in many different ways [1]. High-frequency time varying a.c. electric fields can induce effectively quasi-static dipolar inter-particle interactions. While dipolar interactions can provide access to multiple open equilibrium crystal structures [2] whose origin is now reasonably well understood, they can also give rise to competing interactions on short and long length scales that produce unexpected low-density ordered phases [3]. Farther from equilibrium, competing external fields are active in colloid spincoating. Drying colloidal suspensions on a spinning substrate produces a ``perfect polycrystal'' - tiny polycrystalline domains that exhibit long-range inter-domain orientational order [4] with resultant spectacular optical effects that are decoupled from single-crystallinity. High-speed movies of drying crystals yield insights into mechanisms of structure formation. Phenomena arising from multiple spatially- and temporally-varying external fields can give rise to further control of order and disorder, with potential application as patterned (photonic and magnetic) materials. [4pt] [1] A. Yethiraj, Soft Matter 3, 1099 (2007). [2] A. Yethiraj, A. van Blaaderen, Nature 421, 513 (2003). [3] A.K. Agarwal, A. Yethiraj, Phys. Rev. Lett ,102, 198301 (2009). [4] C. Arcos, K. Kumar, W. Gonz'alez-Viñas, R. Sirera, K. Poduska, A. Yethiraj, Phys. Rev. E ,77, 050402(R) (2008).

Excitonic magnet in external field: Complex order parameter and spin currents

Science.gov (United States)

Geffroy, D.; Hariki, A.; Kuneš, J.

2018-04-01

We investigate spin-triplet exciton condensation in the two-orbital Hubbard model close to half-filling by means of dynamical mean-field theory. Employing an impurity solver that handles complex off-diagonal hybridization functions, we study the behavior of excitonic condensate in stoichiometric and doped systems subject to external magnetic field. We find a general tendency of the triplet order parameter to lie perpendicular with the applied field and identify exceptions from this rule. For solutions exhibiting k -odd spin textures, we discuss the Bloch theorem, which, in the absence of spin-orbit coupling, forbids the appearance of spontaneous net spin current. We demonstrate that the Bloch theorem is not obeyed by the dynamical mean-field theory.

Noise-spectroscopy of multiqubit systems: Determining all their parameters by applying an external classical noise

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Savel' ev, S., E-mail: S.Saveliev@lboro.ac.uk [Department of Physics, Loughborough University, Leicestershire LE11 3TU (United Kingdom); Advanced Science Institute, RIKEN, Wako-shi, Saitama 351-0198 (Japan); Zagoskin, A.M. [Department of Physics, Loughborough University, Leicestershire LE11 3TU (United Kingdom); Advanced Science Institute, RIKEN, Wako-shi, Saitama 351-0198 (Japan); Omelyanchouk, A.N. [Advanced Science Institute, RIKEN, Wako-shi, Saitama 351-0198 (Japan); B. Verkin Institute for Low Temperature Physics and Engineering, 61103 Kharkov (Ukraine); Nori, Franco [Advanced Science Institute, RIKEN, Wako-shi, Saitama 351-0198 (Japan); Physics Department, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1040 (United States)

2010-10-05

Imagine that you have several sets of two coupled qubits, but you do not know the parameters of their Hamitonians. How to determine these without resorting to the usual spectroscopy approach to the problem? Based on numerical modeling, we show that all the parameters of a system of two coupled qubits can be determined by applying to it an external classical noise and analyzing the Fourier spectrum of the elements of the system's density matrix. In particular, the interlevel spacings as well as the strength and sign of the qubit-qubit coupling can be determined this way.

Penalized Nonlinear Least Squares Estimation of Time-Varying Parameters in Ordinary Differential Equations

KAUST Repository

Cao, Jiguo; Huang, Jianhua Z.; Wu, Hulin

2012-01-01

Ordinary differential equations (ODEs) are widely used in biomedical research and other scientific areas to model complex dynamic systems. It is an important statistical problem to estimate parameters in ODEs from noisy observations. In this article we propose a method for estimating the time-varying coefficients in an ODE. Our method is a variation of the nonlinear least squares where penalized splines are used to model the functional parameters and the ODE solutions are approximated also using splines. We resort to the implicit function theorem to deal with the nonlinear least squares objective function that is only defined implicitly. The proposed penalized nonlinear least squares method is applied to estimate a HIV dynamic model from a real dataset. Monte Carlo simulations show that the new method can provide much more accurate estimates of functional parameters than the existing two-step local polynomial method which relies on estimation of the derivatives of the state function. Supplemental materials for the article are available online.

Pattern formation in individual-based systems with time-varying parameters

Science.gov (United States)

Ashcroft, Peter; Galla, Tobias

2013-12-01

We study the patterns generated in finite-time sweeps across symmetry-breaking bifurcations in individual-based models. Similar to the well-known Kibble-Zurek scenario of defect formation, large-scale patterns are generated when model parameters are varied slowly, whereas fast sweeps produce a large number of small domains. The symmetry breaking is triggered by intrinsic noise, originating from the discrete dynamics at the microlevel. Based on a linear-noise approximation, we calculate the characteristic length scale of these patterns. We demonstrate the applicability of this approach in a simple model of opinion dynamics, a model in evolutionary game theory with a time-dependent fitness structure, and a model of cell differentiation. Our theoretical estimates are confirmed in simulations. In further numerical work, we observe a similar phenomenon when the symmetry-breaking bifurcation is triggered by population growth.

On-Line Flutter Prediction Tool for Wind Tunnel Flutter Testing using Parameter Varying Estimation Methodology, Phase I

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — ZONA Technology, Inc. (ZONA) proposes to develop an on-line flutter prediction tool for wind tunnel model using the parameter varying estimation (PVE) technique to...

Determination of dose factors for external gamma radiation in dwellings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maduar, M.F.; Hiromoto, G.

2000-01-01

A significant contribution to the global population exposure to ionizing radiation arises from natural sources, especially from radionuclides present in terrestrial crust. Human activities can eventually increase that exposure to significant levels, from the point of view of radiological protection. The presence of natural radionuclides in building materials may lead to an increment of both external and internal radiation exposure of the population. External exposure in dwellings arises from gamma-emitter radionuclides existing in the walls, floor and ceiling of their rooms. Mathematical models can be used to predict external dose rates inside the room, known the radionuclide concentration activities in dwelling constituents. This paper presents a methodology for theoretical evaluation of external gamma doses due to radionuclides present in the walls of an hypothetical standard room. The room is modeled as three pairs of rectangular sheets with finite thickness. Assessment of doses was performed through the application of photon transport model, taking in account self-absorption and radiation buildup. As the external dose due to a particular radionuclide is proportional to its activity concentration, results are presented as dose factors, defined as a ratio of absorbed dose (nGy.h -1 ) to the activity concentration (Bq.kg -1 ), for each radionuclide. The radionuclides were assumed to be uniformly distributed in the building materials. Calculations were performed for concrete walls and results are presented for 40 K, 226 Ra, and 232 Th, taking in account, for dose calculations, all gamma emitters from 226 Ra and 232 Th decay chains. Sensitivity of the model was estimated by varying four of its input parameters within a reasonable range of applicability, while leaving all other parameters at fixed selected values. The parameters studied and respective ranges of variation were: for thickness, 5 to 60 cm; for density, 0.5 to 4 g.cm -3 ; for the room length, 1.5 to 10 m

Calculation of the separate parameters of a countercurrent centrifuge with an axially varying internal flow

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Migliavacca, S.C.P.

1991-01-01

A review of the isotope separation theory for the countercurrent gas centrifuge is presented. The diffusion-convection equation is solved according to the ONSAGER-COHEN solution for the constant internal flow and adapted to an axially varying countercurrent flow. Based on that theory, a numerical program is developed for the calculation of the isotopic compositions and the separative parameters of the centrifuge. The influence of the feed flow and the internal parameters. Like cut and countercurrent flow, on the separative parameters is then analysed for a model-centrifuge, which afterwards is optimized with respect to its separative power. Finally, a comparison between the present calculation procedure and some published results, provided by different theories, shows deviations lower then 20%. (author)

Resonance parameter analysis with SAMMY

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Larson, N.M.; Perey, F.G.

1988-01-01

The multilevel R-matrix computer code SAMMY has evolved over the past decade to become an important analysis tool for neutron data. SAMMY uses the Reich-Moore approximation to the multilevel R-matrix and includes an optional logarithmic parameterization of the external R-function. Doppler broadening is simulated either by numerical integration using the Gaussian approximation to the free gas model or by a more rigorous solution of the partial differential equation equivalent to the exact free gas model. Resolution broadening of cross sections and derivatives also has new options that more accurately represent the experimental situation. SAMMY treats constant normalization and some types of backgrounds directly and treats other normalizations and/or backgrounds with the introduction of user-generated partial derivatives. The code uses Bayes' method as an efficient alternative to least squares for fitting experimental data. SAMMY allows virtually any parameter to be varied and outputs values, uncertainties, and covariance matrix for all varied parameters. Versions of SAMMY exist for VAX, FPS, and IBM computers

The order parameter and susceptibility of the 3D Ising-like system in an external field near the phase transition point

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M.P. Kozlovskii

2010-01-01

Full Text Available The present work is devoted to the investigation of the 3D Ising-like model in the presence of an external field in the vicinity of critical point. The method of collective variables is used. General expressions for the order parameter and susceptibility are calculated as functions of temperature and the external field as well as scaling functions of that are explicitly obtained. The results are compared with the ones obtained within the framework of parametric representation of the equation of state and Monte Carlo simulations. New expression for the exit point from critical regime of the order parameter fluctuations is proposed and used for the calculation.

Effect of varying geometrical parameters of trapezoidal corrugated-core sandwich structure

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zaid N.Z.M.

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Sandwich structure is an attractive alternative that increasingly used in the transportation and aerospace industry. Corrugated-core with trapezoidal shape allows enhancing the damage resistance to the sandwich structure, but on the other hand, it changes the structural response of the sandwich structure. The aim of this paper is to study the effect of varying geometrical parameters of trapezoidal corrugated-core sandwich structure under compression loading. The corrugated-core specimen was fabricated using press technique, following the shape of trapezoidal shape. Two different materials were used in the study, glass fibre reinforced plastic (GFRP and carbon fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP. The result shows that the mechanical properties of the core in compression loading are sensitive to the variation of a number of unit cells and the core thickness.

Output-only modal parameter estimator of linear time-varying structural systems based on vector TAR model and least squares support vector machine

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Si-Da; Ma, Yuan-Chen; Liu, Li; Kang, Jie; Ma, Zhi-Sai; Yu, Lei

2018-01-01

Identification of time-varying modal parameters contributes to the structural health monitoring, fault detection, vibration control, etc. of the operational time-varying structural systems. However, it is a challenging task because there is not more information for the identification of the time-varying systems than that of the time-invariant systems. This paper presents a vector time-dependent autoregressive model and least squares support vector machine based modal parameter estimator for linear time-varying structural systems in case of output-only measurements. To reduce the computational cost, a Wendland's compactly supported radial basis function is used to achieve the sparsity of the Gram matrix. A Gamma-test-based non-parametric approach of selecting the regularization factor is adapted for the proposed estimator to replace the time-consuming n-fold cross validation. A series of numerical examples have illustrated the advantages of the proposed modal parameter estimator on the suppression of the overestimate and the short data. A laboratory experiment has further validated the proposed estimator.

ESTIMATION OF CONSTANT AND TIME-VARYING DYNAMIC PARAMETERS OF HIV INFECTION IN A NONLINEAR DIFFERENTIAL EQUATION MODEL.

Science.gov (United States)

Liang, Hua; Miao, Hongyu; Wu, Hulin

2010-03-01

Modeling viral dynamics in HIV/AIDS studies has resulted in deep understanding of pathogenesis of HIV infection from which novel antiviral treatment guidance and strategies have been derived. Viral dynamics models based on nonlinear differential equations have been proposed and well developed over the past few decades. However, it is quite challenging to use experimental or clinical data to estimate the unknown parameters (both constant and time-varying parameters) in complex nonlinear differential equation models. Therefore, investigators usually fix some parameter values, from the literature or by experience, to obtain only parameter estimates of interest from clinical or experimental data. However, when such prior information is not available, it is desirable to determine all the parameter estimates from data. In this paper, we intend to combine the newly developed approaches, a multi-stage smoothing-based (MSSB) method and the spline-enhanced nonlinear least squares (SNLS) approach, to estimate all HIV viral dynamic parameters in a nonlinear differential equation model. In particular, to the best of our knowledge, this is the first attempt to propose a comparatively thorough procedure, accounting for both efficiency and accuracy, to rigorously estimate all key kinetic parameters in a nonlinear differential equation model of HIV dynamics from clinical data. These parameters include the proliferation rate and death rate of uninfected HIV-targeted cells, the average number of virions produced by an infected cell, and the infection rate which is related to the antiviral treatment effect and is time-varying. To validate the estimation methods, we verified the identifiability of the HIV viral dynamic model and performed simulation studies. We applied the proposed techniques to estimate the key HIV viral dynamic parameters for two individual AIDS patients treated with antiretroviral therapies. We demonstrate that HIV viral dynamics can be well characterized and

Analyzing the term structure of interest rates using the dynamic Nelson-Siegel model with time-varying parameters

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Koopman, S.J.; Mallee, M.I.P.; van der Wel, M.

2010-01-01

In this article we introduce time-varying parameters in the dynamic Nelson-Siegel yield curve model for the simultaneous analysis and forecasting of interest rates of different maturities. The Nelson-Siegel model has been recently reformulated as a dynamic factor model with vector autoregressive

Inducing and destruction of chimeras and chimera-like states by an external harmonic force

Science.gov (United States)

Shepelev, I. A.; Vadivasova, T. E.

2018-03-01

We study the phenomena of chimera destruction and inducing of chimera-like states in an ensemble of nonlocally coupled chaotic Rössler oscillators under an external harmonic force. The localized harmonic influence can lead to both destruction and changing of the spatial topology of chimeras. At the same time this influence can cause the emergence of stable chimera-like states (induced chimeras) for the regime of partial coherent chaos. Induced chimeras are also observed for the global influence. We show the possibility of controlling the chimera-like state topology by varying the parameters of localized external harmonic influence.

Bianchi Type-V Bulk Viscous Cosmic String in f(R,T Gravity with Time Varying Deceleration Parameter

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bïnaya K. Bishi

2015-01-01

Full Text Available We study the Bianchi type-V string cosmological model with bulk viscosity in f(R,T theory of gravity by considering a special form and linearly varying deceleration parameter. This is an extension of the earlier work of Naidu et al., 2013, where they have constructed the model by considering a constant deceleration parameter. Here we find that the cosmic strings do not survive in both models. In addition we study some physical and kinematical properties of both models. We observe that in one of our models these properties are identical to the model obtained by Naidu et al., 2013, and in the other model the behavior of these parameters is different.

Determining magnetospheric ULF wave activity from external drivers using the most influential solar wind parameters

Science.gov (United States)

Bentley, S.; Watt, C.; Owens, M. J.

2017-12-01

Ultra-low frequency (ULF) waves in the magnetosphere are involved in the energisation and transport of radiation belt particles and are predominantly driven by the external solar wind. By systematically examining the instantaneous relative contribution of non-derived solar wind parameters and accounting for their interdependencies using fifteen years of ground-based measurements (CANOPUS) at a single frequency and magnetic latitude, we conclude that the dominant causal parameters for ground-based ULF wave power are solar wind speed v, interplanetary magnetic field component Bz and summed power in number density perturbations δNp. We suggest that these correspond to driving by the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability, flux transfer events and direct perturbations from solar wind structures sweeping past. We will also extend our analysis to a stochastic wave model at multiple magnetic latitudes that will be used in future to predict background ULF wave power across the radiation belts in different magnetic local time sectors, and to examine the relative contribution of the parameters v, Bz and var(Np) in these sectors.

Dynamical bifurcation in a system of coupled oscillators with slowly varying parameters

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Igor Parasyuk

2016-08-01

Full Text Available This paper deals with a fast-slow system representing n nonlinearly coupled oscillators with slowly varying parameters. We find conditions which guarantee that all omega-limit sets near the slow surface of the system are equilibria and invariant tori of all dimensions not exceeding n, the tori of dimensions less then n being hyperbolic. We show that a typical trajectory demonstrates the following transient process: while its slow component is far from the stationary points of the slow vector field, the fast component exhibits damping oscillations; afterwards, the former component enters and stays in a small neighborhood of some stationary point, and the oscillation amplitude of the latter begins to increase; eventually the trajectory is attracted by an n-dimesional invariant torus and a multi-frequency oscillatory regime is established.

Study of the external parameters influence on the channel discharge radius in Hg lamps

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cristea, M.

2000-01-01

In this paper, the plasma electric conductivity and the channel radius for high-pressure mercury arc discharge are calculated. The examined model emphasizes some correlations between various external parameters (current intensity, silicon tube diameter and working pressure) and the channel discharge radius. After model validation, the temperature distribution in the discharge zone is obtained and then the electrons and ions distribution, the electric carriers mobility and the electric conductivity for different lamp characteristics are calculated. The applied numerical simulation shows a linear increase of the channel radius with the tube radius Rw increasing, and a very week pressure dependence (in the range 0.5 - 5 atm.)

Device and performance parameters of Cu(In,Ga)(Se,S)2-based solar cells with varying i-ZnO layer thickness

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Macabebe, E.Q.B.; Sheppard, C.J.; Dyk, E.E. van

2009-01-01

In pursuit of low-cost and highly efficient thin film solar cells, Cu(In,Ga)(Se,S) 2 /CdS/i-ZnO/ZnO:Al (CIGSS) solar cells were fabricated using a two-step process. The thickness of i-ZnO layer was varied from 0 to 454 nm. The current density-voltage (J-V) characteristics of the devices were measured, and the device and performance parameters of the solar cells were obtained from the J-V curves to analyze the effect of varying i-ZnO layer thickness. The device parameters were determined using a parameter extraction method that utilized particle swarm optimization. The method is a curve-fitting routine that employed the two-diode model. The J-V curves of the solar cells were fitted with the model and the parameters were determined. Results show that as the thickness of i-ZnO was increased, the average efficiency and the fill factor (FF) of the solar cells increase. Device parameters reveal that although the series resistance increased with thicker i-ZnO layer, the solar cells absorbed more photons resulting in higher short-circuit current density (J sc ) and, consequently, higher photo-generated current density (J L ). For solar cells with 303-454 nm-thick i-ZnO layer, the best devices achieved efficiency between 15.24% and 15.73% and the fill factor varied between 0.65 and 0.67.

Frequency-scanning interferometry using a time-varying Kalman filter for dynamic tracking measurements.

Science.gov (United States)

Jia, Xingyu; Liu, Zhigang; Tao, Long; Deng, Zhongwen

2017-10-16

Frequency scanning interferometry (FSI) with a single external cavity diode laser (ECDL) and time-invariant Kalman filtering is an effective technique for measuring the distance of a dynamic target. However, due to the hysteresis of the piezoelectric ceramic transducer (PZT) actuator in the ECDL, the optical frequency sweeps of the ECDL exhibit different behaviors, depending on whether the frequency is increasing or decreasing. Consequently, the model parameters of Kalman filter appear time varying in each iteration, which produces state estimation errors with time-invariant filtering. To address this, in this paper, a time-varying Kalman filter is proposed to model the instantaneous movement of a target relative to the different optical frequency tuning durations of the ECDL. The combination of the FSI method with the time-varying Kalman filter was theoretically analyzed, and the simulation and experimental results show the proposed method greatly improves the performance of dynamic FSI measurements.

Influence of external mass transfer limitation on apparent kinetic parameters of penicillin G acylase immobilized on nonporous ultrafine silica particles.

Science.gov (United States)

Kheirolomoom, Azadeh; Khorasheh, Farhad; Fazelinia, Hossein

2002-01-01

Immobilization of enzymes on nonporous supports provides a suitable model for investigating the effect of external mass transfer limitation on the reaction rate in the absence of internal diffusional resistance. In this study, deacylation of penicillin G was investigated using penicillin acylase immobilized on ultrafine silica particles. Kinetic studies were performed within the low-substrate-concentration region, where the external mass transfer limitation becomes significant. To predict the apparent kinetic parameters and the overall effectiveness factor, knowledge of the external mass transfer coefficient, k(L)a, is necessary. Although various correlations exist for estimation of k(L)a, in this study, an optimization scheme was utilized to obtain this coefficient. Using the optimum values of k(L)a, the initial reaction rates were predicted and found to be in good agreement with the experimental data.

Robust control and linear parameter varying approaches application to vehicle dynamics

CERN Document Server

Gaspar, Peter; Bokor, József

2013-01-01

Vehicles are complex systems (non-linear, multi-variable) where the abundance of embedded controllers should ensure better security. This book aims at emphasizing the interest and potential of Linear Parameter Varying methods within the framework of vehicle dynamics, e.g.   ·          proposed control-oriented model, complex enough to handle some system non linearities but still simple for control or observer design,   ·          take into account the adaptability of the vehicle's response to driving situations, to the driver request and/or to the road sollicitations,   ·          manage interactions between various actuators to optimize the dynamic behavior of vehicles.   This book results from the 32th International Summer School in Automatic that held in Grenoble, France, in September 2011, where recent methods (based on robust control and LPV technics), then applied to the control of vehicle dynamics, have been presented. After some theoretical background and a view on so...

Health-related external cost assessment in Europe: methodological developments from ExternE to the 2013 Clean Air Policy Package.

Science.gov (United States)

van der Kamp, Jonathan; Bachmann, Till M

2015-03-03

"Getting the prices right" through internalizing external costs is a guiding principle of environmental policy making, one recent example being the EU Clean Air Policy Package released at the end of 2013. It is supported by impact assessments, including monetary valuation of environmental and health damages. For over 20 years, related methodologies have been developed in Europe in the Externalities of Energy (ExternE) project series and follow-up activities. In this study, we aim at analyzing the main methodological developments over time from the 1990s until today with a focus on classical air pollution-induced human health damage costs. An up-to-date assessment including the latest European recommendations is also applied. Using a case from the energy sector, we identify major influencing parameters: differences in exposure modeling and related data lead to variations in damage costs of up to 21%; concerning risk assessment and monetary valuation, differences in assessing long-term exposure mortality risks together with assumptions on particle toxicity explain most of the observed changes in damage costs. These still debated influencing parameters deserve particular attention when damage costs are used to support environmental policy making.

Topological phases in a three-dimensional topological insulator with a time-reversal invariant external field

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guo, Xiaoyong; Ren, Xiaobin; Wang, Gangzhi; Peng, Jie

2014-01-01

We investigate the impact of a time-reversal invariant external field on the topological phases of a three-dimensional (3D) topological insulator. By taking the momentum k z as a parameter, we calculate the spin-Chern number analytically. It is shown that both the quantum spin Hall phase and the integer quantum Hall phase can be realized in our system. When the strength of the external field is varied, a series of topological phase transitions occurs with the closing of the energy gap or the spin-spectrum gap. In a tight-binding form, the surface modes are discussed numerically to confirm the analytically results. (paper)

Device and performance parameters of Cu(In,Ga)(Se,S){sub 2}-based solar cells with varying i-ZnO layer thickness

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Macabebe, E.Q.B. [Department of Physics, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, P.O. Box 77000, Port Elizabeth 6031 (South Africa); Sheppard, C.J. [Department of Physics, University of Johannesburg, P.O. Box 524, Auckland Park 2006 (South Africa); Dyk, E.E. van, E-mail: ernest.vandyk@nmmu.ac.z [Department of Physics, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, P.O. Box 77000, Port Elizabeth 6031 (South Africa)

2009-12-01

In pursuit of low-cost and highly efficient thin film solar cells, Cu(In,Ga)(Se,S){sub 2}/CdS/i-ZnO/ZnO:Al (CIGSS) solar cells were fabricated using a two-step process. The thickness of i-ZnO layer was varied from 0 to 454 nm. The current density-voltage (J-V) characteristics of the devices were measured, and the device and performance parameters of the solar cells were obtained from the J-V curves to analyze the effect of varying i-ZnO layer thickness. The device parameters were determined using a parameter extraction method that utilized particle swarm optimization. The method is a curve-fitting routine that employed the two-diode model. The J-V curves of the solar cells were fitted with the model and the parameters were determined. Results show that as the thickness of i-ZnO was increased, the average efficiency and the fill factor (FF) of the solar cells increase. Device parameters reveal that although the series resistance increased with thicker i-ZnO layer, the solar cells absorbed more photons resulting in higher short-circuit current density (J{sub sc}) and, consequently, higher photo-generated current density (J{sub L}). For solar cells with 303-454 nm-thick i-ZnO layer, the best devices achieved efficiency between 15.24% and 15.73% and the fill factor varied between 0.65 and 0.67.

A 3D domain decomposition approach for the identification of spatially varying elastic material parameters

KAUST Repository

Moussawi, Ali

2015-02-24

Summary: The post-treatment of (3D) displacement fields for the identification of spatially varying elastic material parameters is a large inverse problem that remains out of reach for massive 3D structures. We explore here the potential of the constitutive compatibility method for tackling such an inverse problem, provided an appropriate domain decomposition technique is introduced. In the method described here, the statically admissible stress field that can be related through the known constitutive symmetry to the kinematic observations is sought through minimization of an objective function, which measures the violation of constitutive compatibility. After this stress reconstruction, the local material parameters are identified with the given kinematic observations using the constitutive equation. Here, we first adapt this method to solve 3D identification problems and then implement it within a domain decomposition framework which allows for reduced computational load when handling larger problems.

Performance Testing of Suspension Plasma Sprayed Thermal Barrier Coatings Produced with Varied Suspension Parameters

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nicholas Curry

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Suspension plasma spraying has become an emerging technology for the production of thermal barrier coatings for the gas turbine industry. Presently, though commercial systems for coating production are available, coatings remain in the development stage. Suitable suspension parameters for coating production remain an outstanding question and the influence of suspension properties on the final coatings is not well known. For this study, a number of suspensions were produced with varied solid loadings, powder size distributions and solvents. Suspensions were sprayed onto superalloy substrates coated with high velocity air fuel (HVAF -sprayed bond coats. Plasma spray parameters were selected to generate columnar structures based on previous experiments and were maintained at constant to discover the influence of the suspension behavior on coating microstructures. Testing of the produced thermal barrier coating (TBC systems has included thermal cyclic fatigue testing and thermal conductivity analysis. Pore size distribution has been characterized by mercury infiltration porosimetry. Results show a strong influence of suspension viscosity and surface tension on the microstructure of the produced coatings.

Externalities and the Coase Theorem: A Diagrammatic Presentation

Science.gov (United States)

Halteman, James

2005-01-01

In intermediate microeconomic textbooks the reciprocal nature of externalities is presented using numerical examples of costs and benefits. This treatment of the Coase theorem obscures the fact that externality costs and benefits are best understood as being on a continuum where costs vary with the degree of intensity of the externality. When…

Robust LS-SVM-based adaptive constrained control for a class of uncertain nonlinear systems with time-varying predefined performance

Science.gov (United States)

Luo, Jianjun; Wei, Caisheng; Dai, Honghua; Yuan, Jianping

2018-03-01

This paper focuses on robust adaptive control for a class of uncertain nonlinear systems subject to input saturation and external disturbance with guaranteed predefined tracking performance. To reduce the limitations of classical predefined performance control method in the presence of unknown initial tracking errors, a novel predefined performance function with time-varying design parameters is first proposed. Then, aiming at reducing the complexity of nonlinear approximations, only two least-square-support-vector-machine-based (LS-SVM-based) approximators with two design parameters are required through norm form transformation of the original system. Further, a novel LS-SVM-based adaptive constrained control scheme is developed under the time-vary predefined performance using backstepping technique. Wherein, to avoid the tedious analysis and repeated differentiations of virtual control laws in the backstepping technique, a simple and robust finite-time-convergent differentiator is devised to only extract its first-order derivative at each step in the presence of external disturbance. In this sense, the inherent demerit of backstepping technique-;explosion of terms; brought by the recursive virtual controller design is conquered. Moreover, an auxiliary system is designed to compensate the control saturation. Finally, three groups of numerical simulations are employed to validate the effectiveness of the newly developed differentiator and the proposed adaptive constrained control scheme.

Time-varying BRDFs.

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Bo; Sunkavalli, Kalyan; Ramamoorthi, Ravi; Belhumeur, Peter N; Nayar, Shree K

2007-01-01

The properties of virtually all real-world materials change with time, causing their bidirectional reflectance distribution functions (BRDFs) to be time varying. However, none of the existing BRDF models and databases take time variation into consideration; they represent the appearance of a material at a single time instance. In this paper, we address the acquisition, analysis, modeling, and rendering of a wide range of time-varying BRDFs (TVBRDFs). We have developed an acquisition system that is capable of sampling a material's BRDF at multiple time instances, with each time sample acquired within 36 sec. We have used this acquisition system to measure the BRDFs of a wide range of time-varying phenomena, which include the drying of various types of paints (watercolor, spray, and oil), the drying of wet rough surfaces (cement, plaster, and fabrics), the accumulation of dusts (household and joint compound) on surfaces, and the melting of materials (chocolate). Analytic BRDF functions are fit to these measurements and the model parameters' variations with time are analyzed. Each category exhibits interesting and sometimes nonintuitive parameter trends. These parameter trends are then used to develop analytic TVBRDF models. The analytic TVBRDF models enable us to apply effects such as paint drying and dust accumulation to arbitrary surfaces and novel materials.

Tracking time-varying coefficient-functions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Henrik Aalborg; Nielsen, Torben Skov; Joensen, Alfred K.

2000-01-01

is a combination of recursive least squares with exponential forgetting and local polynomial regression. It is argued, that it is appropriate to let the forgetting factor vary with the value of the external signal which is the argument of the coefficient functions. Some of the key properties of the modified method...... are studied by simulation...

On-Line Identification of Simulation Examples for Forgetting Methods to Track Time Varying Parameters Using the Alternative Covariance Matrix in Matlab

Science.gov (United States)

Vachálek, Ján

2011-12-01

The paper compares the abilities of forgetting methods to track time varying parameters of two different simulated models with different types of excitation. The observed parameters in the simulations are the integral sum of the Euclidean norm, deviation of the parameter estimates from their true values and a selected band prediction error count. As supplementary information, we observe the eigenvalues of the covariance matrix. In the paper we used a modified method of Regularized Exponential Forgetting with Alternative Covariance Matrix (REFACM) along with Directional Forgetting (DF) and three standard regularized methods.

Beyond the rhizosphere: growth and function of arbuscular mycorrhizal external hyphae in sands of varying pore sizes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Drew, E.A.; Murray, R.S.; Smith, S.E.

2003-01-01

Research on nutrient acquisition by symbiotic arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi has mainly focused on the root fungus interface and less attention has been given to the growth and functioning of external hyphae in the bulk soil. The growth and function of external hyphae may be affected....... intraradices obtained a greater proportion of P at a distance from the host roots. Differences in P acquisition were not correlated with production of external hyphae in the four media zones and changes in sand pore size did not affect the ability of the fungi studied to acquire P at a distance from the host...... roots. Production of external hyphae in HC2 was influenced by fungal species and media treatment. Both fungi produced maximum amounts of external hyphae in the soil medium. Sand pore size affected growth of G. intraradices (but not G. mosseae) and hyphal diameter distributions of both fungi. The results...

Robust control design for active driver assistance systems a linear-parameter-varying approach

CERN Document Server

Gáspár, Péter; Bokor, József; Nemeth, Balazs

2017-01-01

This monograph focuses on control methods that influence vehicle dynamics to assist the driver in enhancing passenger comfort, road holding, efficiency and safety of transport, etc., while maintaining the driver’s ability to override that assistance. On individual-vehicle-component level the control problem is formulated and solved by a unified modelling and design method provided by the linear parameter varying (LPV) framework. The global behaviour desired is achieved by a judicious interplay between the individual components, guaranteed by an integrated control mechanism. The integrated control problem is also formalized and solved in the LPV framework. Most important among the ideas expounded in the book are: application of the LPV paradigm in the modelling and control design methodology; application of the robust LPV design as a unified framework for setting control tasks related to active driver assistance; formulation and solution proposals for the integrated vehicle control problem; proposal for a re...

Differences in methodologies used for externality assessment. Why are the numbers different?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schleisner, Lotte

1999-06-01

During the last few years, externalities related to power production technologies have been calculated making use of different methodologies. The external costs may turn out to be very different for the same fuel cycle depending on the methodology that has been used to assess the externalities. The report gives a review of different valuation issues, which are used in different externality studies and focuses on why the numbers often are different for the same fuel cycle, using different methodologies for assessment of the externalities. The review of externality valuation focuses in this report on the assessment of environmental externalities. Importance has been attached to health effects, as these are the dominating effects in the external costs. Other effects are only mentioned on a superior level. The report points out different parameters, which are important to consider when externalities estimated for the same fuel cycle in different studies are compared. 8 studies have been chosen for further analysis and comparison in order to show the variation in external costs. The comparison shows the importance of possessing knowledge of which kind of methodologies have been used, which impacts are included etc. to explain why the numbers vary so much in different studies for the same fuel cycle. As an example a comparison of the impacts and damage costs related to air emissions has been made for three studies using different methodologies. The external costs are estimated for the same reference plant using the dispersion models, dose-response functions, impacts and monetary values from the three studies. The estimates from the three studies are compared two and two, and a more detailed analysis is performed in relation to human health, which is the dominating impact in all externality studies. (au) EFP-97. 29 tabs., 12 ills., 34 refs.

Differences in methodologies used for externality assessment. Why are the numbers different?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schleisner, Lotte

1999-06-01

During the last few years, externalities related to power production technologies have been calculated making use of different methodologies. The external costs may turn out to be very different for the same fuel cycle depending on the methodology that has been used to assess the externalities. The report gives a review of different valuation issues, which are used in different externality studies and focuses on why the numbers often are different for the same fuel cycle, using different methodologies for assessment of the externalities. The review of externality valuation focuses in this report on the assessment of environmental externalities. Importance has been attached to health effects, as these are the dominating effects in the external costs. Other effects are only mentioned on a superior level. The report points out different parameters, which are important to consider when externalities estimated for the same fuel cycle in different studies are compared. 8 studies have been chosen for further analysis and comparison in order to show the variation in external costs. The comparison shows the importance of possessing knowledge of which kind of methodologies have been used, which impacts are included etc. to explain why the numbers vary so much in different studies for the same fuel cycle. As an example a comparison of the impacts and damage costs related to air emissions has been made for three studies using different methodologies. The external costs are estimated for the same reference plant using the dispersion models, dose-response functions, impacts and monetary values from the three studies. The estimates from the three studies are compared two and two, and a more detailed analysis is performed in relation to human health, which is the dominating impact in all externality studies. (au) EFP-97. 29 tabs., 12 ills., 34 refs

Three dimensional numerical study of different parameters effect on the external magnetic field applied to center the arc of the horizontal mercury discharge lamp

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohamed Bechir Ben Hamida

2015-10-01

Full Text Available The aim of this paper is to evaluate the magnitude of the external magnetic field to be applied to a horizontal mercury discharge lamp such that the Lorentz forces counterbalance buoyancy forces and the hot region of the arc remains centered inside the lamp with the variation of six parameters of the lamp such as the external temperature of the lamp, envelope thickness, convective loss, Interelectrodeslength, pressure and current supply pointing to the influence of the parameters to the compensating magnetic field value. To achieve this objective, a commercial numerical software “Comsol Multiphysics” is used to implement the model that solves the equations of mass, energy and momentum for laminar compressible flow combined with the Laplace equation for the plasma in a three dimensional.

Effects of varying densities on serum reproductive parameters in pen-reared juvenile female rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss farms

Science.gov (United States)

Hou, Zhishuai; Wen, Haishen; Li, Jifang; He, Feng; Liu, Qun; Wang, Jinhuan; Guan, Biao; Wang, Qinglong

2017-01-01

The primary goal of this study was to assess the effect of varying densities on serum reproductive parameters of immature rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss. Experimental trout were maintained in intensive, pen-reared farms for 300 days in fresh water reservoirs. Initial densities were 4.6, 6.6, and 8.6 kg/m3 (40, 60, 80 ind./m3), indicated as SD1, SD2, SD3, and final densities were 31.1, 40.6, 49.3 kg/m3, respectively. A summary of the ovarian stages were observed by histological examination. Serum E2 (estradiol), T (testosterone) were evaluated by radioimmunoassay and FSH (follicle-stimulating-hormone), LH (luteinizing-hormone), vitellogenin, 17α,20β-P (17α,20βdihydroxy4-pregnen-3-one) were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Our findings demonstrated that ovarian development were retarded (from stage III to stage IV) at highest rearing density (SD3) after 180 days of intensive culture (over 40.6 kg/m3). In addition, we observed an inverse relationship between serum reproductive parameters and rearing density. Furthermore, compared to serum reproductive parameters of SD1, E2, T, FSH, vitellogenin, 17α,20β-P, GSI and LH of two higher density groups decreased firstly and significantly at 60 (over 15.9 kg/m 3 ), 180 (over 31.7 kg/m 3 ), 180 (over 40.6 kg/m3), 240 (over 36 kg/m3), 240 (over 36 kg/m3), 240 (over 45 kg/m3) and 300 (over 49.3 kg/m3) days, respectively. Comparing serum reproductive parameters within the same ovarian development stage of rainbow trout from varying densities revealed that higher population density also led to significantly lower overall serum reproductive parameters. Overall, this study presents the reproductive, endocrinological parameters of juvenile female rainbow trout at high rearing densities and indicates the need for rainbow trout (114.44±5.21 g, 19.69±0.31 cm) that are initially stocked at 6.6 or 8.6 kg/m3 should be classified and subdivided into lower density after 180 days of farming (not over 31.7 kg/m3).

Time-varying output performances of piezoelectric vibration energy harvesting under nonstationary random vibrations

Science.gov (United States)

Yoon, Heonjun; Kim, Miso; Park, Choon-Su; Youn, Byeng D.

2018-01-01

Piezoelectric vibration energy harvesting (PVEH) has received much attention as a potential solution that could ultimately realize self-powered wireless sensor networks. Since most ambient vibrations in nature are inherently random and nonstationary, the output performances of PVEH devices also randomly change with time. However, little attention has been paid to investigating the randomly time-varying electroelastic behaviors of PVEH systems both analytically and experimentally. The objective of this study is thus to make a step forward towards a deep understanding of the time-varying performances of PVEH devices under nonstationary random vibrations. Two typical cases of nonstationary random vibration signals are considered: (1) randomly-varying amplitude (amplitude modulation; AM) and (2) randomly-varying amplitude with randomly-varying instantaneous frequency (amplitude and frequency modulation; AM-FM). In both cases, this study pursues well-balanced correlations of analytical predictions and experimental observations to deduce the relationships between the time-varying output performances of the PVEH device and two primary input parameters, such as a central frequency and an external electrical resistance. We introduce three correlation metrics to quantitatively compare analytical prediction and experimental observation, including the normalized root mean square error, the correlation coefficient, and the weighted integrated factor. Analytical predictions are in an excellent agreement with experimental observations both mechanically and electrically. This study provides insightful guidelines for designing PVEH devices to reliably generate electric power under nonstationary random vibrations.

Estimating varying coefficients for partial differential equation models.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Xinyu; Cao, Jiguo; Carroll, Raymond J

2017-09-01

Partial differential equations (PDEs) are used to model complex dynamical systems in multiple dimensions, and their parameters often have important scientific interpretations. In some applications, PDE parameters are not constant but can change depending on the values of covariates, a feature that we call varying coefficients. We propose a parameter cascading method to estimate varying coefficients in PDE models from noisy data. Our estimates of the varying coefficients are shown to be consistent and asymptotically normally distributed. The performance of our method is evaluated by a simulation study and by an empirical study estimating three varying coefficients in a PDE model arising from LIDAR data. © 2017, The International Biometric Society.

Neutron fluctuations in a multiplying medium randomly varying in time

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pal, L. [KFKI Atomic Energy Research Inst., Budapest (Hungary); Pazsit, I. [Chalmers Univ. of Technology, Goeteborg (Sweden). Dept. of Nuclear Engineering

2006-07-15

The master equation approach, which has traditionally been used for the calculation of neutron fluctuations in multiplying systems with constant parameters, is extended to a case when the parameters of the system change randomly in time. A forward type master equation is considered for the case of a multiplying system whose properties jump randomly between two discrete states, both with and without a stationary external source. The first two factorial moments are calculated, including the covariance. This model can be considered as the unification of stochastic methods that were used either in a constant multiplying medium via the master equation technique, or in a fluctuating medium via the Langevin technique. The results obtained show a much richer characteristic of the zero power noise than that in constant systems. The results are relevant in medium power subcritical nuclear systems where the zero power noise is still significant, but they also have a bearing on all types of branching processes, such as evolution of biological systems, spreading of epidemics etc, which are set in a time-varying environment.

Neutron fluctuations in a multiplying medium randomly varying in time

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pal, L.; Pazsit, I.

2006-01-01

The master equation approach, which has traditionally been used for the calculation of neutron fluctuations in multiplying systems with constant parameters, is extended to a case when the parameters of the system change randomly in time. A forward type master equation is considered for the case of a multiplying system whose properties jump randomly between two discrete states, both with and without a stationary external source. The first two factorial moments are calculated, including the covariance. This model can be considered as the unification of stochastic methods that were used either in a constant multiplying medium via the master equation technique, or in a fluctuating medium via the Langevin technique. The results obtained show a much richer characteristic of the zero power noise than that in constant systems. The results are relevant in medium power subcritical nuclear systems where the zero power noise is still significant, but they also have a bearing on all types of branching processes, such as evolution of biological systems, spreading of epidemics etc, which are set in a time-varying environment

Comparison of model microbial allocation parameters in soils of varying texture

Science.gov (United States)

Hagerty, S. B.; Slessarev, E.; Schimel, J.

2017-12-01

The soil microbial community decomposes the majority of carbon (C) inputs to the soil. However, not all of this C is respired—rather, a substantial portion of the carbon processed by microbes may remain stored in the soil. The balance between C storage and respiration is controlled by microbial turnover rates and C allocation strategies. These microbial community properties may depend on soil texture, which has the potential to influence both the nature and the fate of microbial necromass and extracellular products. To evaluate the role of texture on microbial turnover and C allocation, we sampled four soils from the University of California's Hastings Reserve that varied in texture (one silt loam, two sandy loam, and on clay soil), but support similar grassland plant communities. We added 14C- glucose to the soil and measured the concentration of the label in the carbon dioxide (CO2), microbial biomass, and extractable C pools over 7 weeks. The labeled biomass turned over the slowest in the clay soil; the concentration of labeled biomass was more than 1.5 times the concentration of the other soils after 8 weeks. The clay soil also had the lowest mineralization rate of the label, and mineralization slowed after two weeks. In contrast, in the sandier soils mineralization rates were higher and did not plateau until 5 weeks into the incubation period. We fit the 14C data to a microbial allocation model and estimated microbial parameters; assimilation efficiency, exudation, and biomass specific respiration and turnover for each soil. We compare these parameters across the soil texture gradient to assess the extent to which models may need to account for variability in microbial C allocation across soils of different texture. Our results suggest that microbial C turns over more slowly in high-clay soils than in sandy soils, and that C lost from microbial biomass is retained at higher rates in high-clay soils. Accounting for these differences in microbial allocation

Effects of soil water content on the external exposure of fauna to radioactive isotopes.

Science.gov (United States)

Beaugelin-Seiller, K

2016-01-01

Within a recent model intercomparison about radiological risk assessment for contaminated wetlands, the influence of soil saturation conditions on external dose rates was evidenced. This issue joined concerns of assessors regarding the choice of the soil moisture value to input in radiological assessment tools such as the ERICA Tool. Does it really influence the assessment results and how? This question was investigated under IAEA's Modelling and Data for Radiological Impacts Assessments (MODARIA) programme via 42 scenarios for which the soil water content varied from 0 (dry soil) to 100% (saturated soil), in combination with other parameters that may influence the values of the external dose conversion coefficients (DCCs) calculated for terrestrial organisms exposed in soil. A set of α, β, and γ emitters was selected in order to cover the range of possible emission energies. The values of their external DCCs varied generally within a factor 1 to 1.5 with the soil water content, excepted for β emitters that appeared more sensitive (DCCs within a factor of about 3). This may be of importance for some specific cases or for upper tiers of radiological assessments, when refinement is required. But for the general purpose of screening assessment of radiological impact on fauna and flora, current approaches regarding the soil water content are relevant. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Early discharge after external anal sphincter repair

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rosenberg, J; Kehlet, H

1999-01-01

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to describe an accelerated-stay program for repair of the external anal sphincter. METHODS: Twenty consecutive patients undergoing overlapping repair of the external anal sphincter were included in the study. Effect parameters were length of hospitalization....... CONCLUSION: We have described a safe accelerated-stay program (24 to 48 hours) for overlapping repair of external anal sphincter....

Analysis of the importance for the doses of varying parameters in the BIOPATH-program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bergstroem, U.

1981-01-01

The doses to individuals and populations from water-borne nuclides leaked from a repository have been calculated earlier using the computer program BIOPATH. The turnover of nuclides in the biosphere is thereby simulated by the application of compartment theory. For the dominant nuclides in the disposal an analysis of the importance of varying parameters has been done, to decide how strongly uncertainties in data will affect resulting doses. The essential part has been the transfer coefficients but also the uptake in the food-chains has been studied. The purpose of the study has also been to make proposals for forthcoming efforts to improve the basis for such calculations. The study shows the great importance of the surface water-soil-groundwater-drinking water system for the dose. Thereby the most important question is the solubility of the nuclides in the different water reservoirs. (Auth.)

Neutron fluctuations in a medium randomly varying in time

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lenard, Pal; Imre, Pazsit

2005-01-01

The master equation approach, which has traditionally been used for the calculation of neutron fluctuations in zero power systems with constant parameters, is extended to a case when the parameters of the system change randomly in time. We consider a forward type master equation for the probability distribution of the number of particles in a multiplying system whose properties jump randomly between two discrete states, both with and without an external source. The first two factorial moments are calculated, including the covariance. This model can be considered the unification of stochastic methods that were used either in a constant multiplying medium via the master equation technique, or in a fluctuating medium via the Langevin technique. In contrast to these methods, the one presented here can calculate the inherent noise in time-varying systems. The results obtained show a much richer characteristics of the zero power noise than that in constant systems. Even the concept of criticality has to be given a probabilistic interpretation. The asymptotic behaviour of the variance will be also qualitatively different from that in constant systems. The covariance of the neutron number in a subcritical system with a source, and the corresponding power spectrum, shows both the inherent and parametrically induced noise components. The results are relevant in medium power subcritical systems where the zero power noise is still significant, but they also have a bearing on all types of branching processes, such as evolution of biological systems, spreading of epidemics etc., which are set in a time-varying environment. (authors)

Neutron fluctuations in a medium randomly varying in time

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lenard, Pal [KFKI Atomic Energy Research Institute, Budapest (Hungary); Imre, Pazsit [Chalmers Univ. of Technology, Dept. of Nuclear Engineering, SE, Goteborg (Sweden)

2005-07-01

The master equation approach, which has traditionally been used for the calculation of neutron fluctuations in zero power systems with constant parameters, is extended to a case when the parameters of the system change randomly in time. We consider a forward type master equation for the probability distribution of the number of particles in a multiplying system whose properties jump randomly between two discrete states, both with and without an external source. The first two factorial moments are calculated, including the covariance. This model can be considered the unification of stochastic methods that were used either in a constant multiplying medium via the master equation technique, or in a fluctuating medium via the Langevin technique. In contrast to these methods, the one presented here can calculate the inherent noise in time-varying systems. The results obtained show a much richer characteristics of the zero power noise than that in constant systems. Even the concept of criticality has to be given a probabilistic interpretation. The asymptotic behaviour of the variance will be also qualitatively different from that in constant systems. The covariance of the neutron number in a subcritical system with a source, and the corresponding power spectrum, shows both the inherent and parametrically induced noise components. The results are relevant in medium power subcritical systems where the zero power noise is still significant, but they also have a bearing on all types of branching processes, such as evolution of biological systems, spreading of epidemics etc., which are set in a time-varying environment. (authors)

Exponential synchronization of chaotic systems with time-varying delays and parameter mismatches via intermittent control.

Science.gov (United States)

Cai, Shuiming; Hao, Junjun; Liu, Zengrong

2011-06-01

This paper studies the synchronization of coupled chaotic systems with time-varying delays in the presence of parameter mismatches by means of periodically intermittent control. Some novel and useful quasisynchronization criteria are obtained by using the methods which are different from the techniques employed in the existing works, and the derived results are less conservative. Especially, a strong constraint on the control width that the control width should be larger than the time delay imposed by the current references is released in this paper. Moreover, our results show that the synchronization criteria depend on the ratio of control width to control period, but not the control width or the control period. Finally, some numerical simulations are given to show the effectiveness of the theoretical results.

State estimation for neural neutral-type networks with mixed time-varying delays and Markovian jumping parameters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lakshmanan, S.; Park, Ju H.; Jung, H. Y.; Balasubramaniam, P.

2012-01-01

This paper is concerned with a delay-dependent state estimator for neutral-type neural networks with mixed time-varying delays and Markovian jumping parameters. The addressed neural networks have a finite number of modes, and the modes may jump from one to another according to a Markov process. By construction of a suitable Lyapunov—Krasovskii functional, a delay-dependent condition is developed to estimate the neuron states through available output measurements such that the estimation error system is globally asymptotically stable in a mean square. The criterion is formulated in terms of a set of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs), which can be checked efficiently by use of some standard numerical packages

Studies of wheel-running reinforcement: parameters of Herrnstein's (1970) response-strength equation vary with schedule order.

Science.gov (United States)

Belke, T W

2000-05-01

Six male Wistar rats were exposed to different orders of reinforcement schedules to investigate if estimates from Herrnstein's (1970) single-operant matching law equation would vary systematically with schedule order. Reinforcement schedules were arranged in orders of increasing and decreasing reinforcement rate. Subsequently, all rats were exposed to a single reinforcement schedule within a session to determine within-session changes in responding. For each condition, the operant was lever pressing and the reinforcing consequence was the opportunity to run for 15 s. Estimates of k and R(O) were higher when reinforcement schedules were arranged in order of increasing reinforcement rate. Within a session on a single reinforcement schedule, response rates increased between the beginning and the end of a session. A positive correlation between the difference in parameters between schedule orders and the difference in response rates within a session suggests that the within-session change in response rates may be related to the difference in the asymptotes. These results call into question the validity of parameter estimates from Herrnstein's (1970) equation when reinforcer efficacy changes within a session.

The Design and Its Application in Secure Communication and Image Encryption of a New Lorenz-Like System with Varying Parameter

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lilian Huang

2016-01-01

Full Text Available A new Lorenz-like chaotic system with varying parameter is proposed by adding a state feedback function. The structure of the new designed system is simple and has more complex dynamic behaviors. The chaos behavior of the new system is studied by theoretical analysis and numerical simulation. And the bifurcation diagram shows a chaos-cycle-chaos evolution when the new parameter changes. Then a new synchronization scheme by a single state variable drive is given based on the new system and a chaotic parameter modulation digital secure communication system is also constructed. The results of simulation demonstrate that the new proposed system could be well applied in secure communication. Otherwise, based on the new system, the encryption and decryption of image could be achieved also.

The external field dependence of the BCS critical temperature

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Frank, Rupert L.; Hainzl, Christian; Seiringer, Robert

2016-01-01

We consider the Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer free energy functional for particles interacting via a two-body potential on a microscopic scale and in the presence of weak external fields varying on a macroscopic scale. We study the influence of the external fields on the critical temperature. We show...

Simulated Switching Transients in the External Grid of Walney Offshore Wind Farm

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Arana Aristi, Iván; Johnsen, D. T.; Soerensen, T.

2011-01-01

. These switching operations were simulated using the EMT software PSCAD/EMTDC A number of parameters were varied in order to determine the most critical transients. Based on the results, it was concluded that the worst line-to-line transient overvoltage occurred in the DC05 and EF06 turbines, when a 25km cable......This paper presents the results of several simulations to assess the highest possible line-to-line overvoltage at the terminals of wind turbine converters after the switching operation of a cable or capacitor bank in the external grid of Walney 1, one of two phases of Walney Offshore Wind Farm...

Effect of localized intraoperative x-rays irradiation followed by intermittent external exposure on certain histochemical parameters related to pancreatic function

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abdel-Azeem, M.G.

2005-01-01

The present study was carried out to evaluate the pancreatic enzyme activities in rabbits, whose splenic part of pancreas was exposed to local intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT) at level of 30 Gy X-rays followed by fractionated external radiation therapy (ERT) at a total dose of 40 Gy (2 Gy day after day) starting from the 15th day following the local intraoperative irradiation. The control pancreas was that received only external X-rays radiation without local irradiation. The exocrine pancreatic functions were assessed by determination of insulin hormone and enzyme activity of lipase as well as alkaline and acid phosphatases. After local X-rays irradiation on days 2 and 10 and after external X-rays irradiation on days 23 , 33 , 43 and 53, technovit-8100 plastic embedding (Kulzer and Heraeus) was used to prepare the cold blocks. The quantitative morphometric method was used to evaluate the histochemical pancreatic activity of the irradiated and control pancreas of each rabbit. Most of the studied parameters recorded non-significant changes as a result of the applied different levels of X-rays irradiation, which would give the chance to use this type of irradiation in pancreatic radiotherapy without any hazards to the pancreas

Electron drag by solitons in superlattices in an external magnetic field

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vyazovskii, M.V.; Syrodoev, G.A.

1996-01-01

The soliton-electric effect accompanying the propagation of an electromagnetic soliton along an axis of a superlattice in an external magnetic field directed along the magnetic field of the soliton is studied. It is assumed that the duration γ-1 of the soliton pulse is much shorter than the free flight time of an electron. It is shown that in the absence of a constant magnetic field the drag current varies as sin(αsech2γt) (α is a constant determined by the parameters of the superlattice). In the presence of a constant magnetic field of intensity H0>>Hs, where Hs is the amplitude of the soliton field, the drag current oscillates

Assessment of uncertainties of external dose estimation after the Chernobyl accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kruk, Julianna

2008-01-01

in one-storied wooden houses can be considered as a constant. In this case the value of the uncertainty factor is equal 1.42. Basically the variability of cesium ground deposition in settlement influences on discrepancy of dose estimation (92 %). In the pessimistic case dose calculation was based only on an existing data of Cs-137 deposition for each suffered settlement. The dose factors describing structure of housing and share distribution of inhabitants are chosen as the average values for an 'indefinite' case. The dose coefficient of housing can essentially vary from value for wood bungalow to high-rise building. The type of probability function this parameter agrees with log-normal distribution. The part of living in different type of housing also is charactering with high spread in values: from 0 to 1. Failing of knowledge the type of probability function of this parameter can be chosen as an equiprobable. The received value for the factor of uncertainty for this case is equal 2.89. Thus the greatest uncertainty (82 %) of discrepancy of an estimation of the external dose is brought with absence of data about a share of the living population in the certain type of an apartment house. The contribution to uncertainty of cesium deposition has made 16.5 percent. (author)

Online Energy Management of City Cars with Multi-Objective Linear Parameter-Varying L2-Gain Control

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Boe-Shong Hong

2015-09-01

Full Text Available This work aims at online regulating transient current out of the batteries of small-sized electric cars that transport people and goods around cities. In a city with heavy traffic, transient current dominates the energy economy and propulsion capability, which are in opposition to each other. In order to manage the trade-off between energy consumption per distance and propulsion capability in transience, the authors improve on previous work on multi-objective linear parameter-varying (LPV L2-gain control. The observer embedded into this multi-objective controller no longer assumes Kalman-filtering structure, and structural conservatism is thus removed. A full-spectrum set of experiments is performed. The results reveal that the feedback design significantly improves energy-motion management.

Investigation of the helicon discharge plasma parameters in a hybrid RF plasma system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aleksandrov, A. F.; Petrov, A. K.; Vavilin, K. V.; Kralkina, E. A.; Neklyudova, P. A.; Nikonov, A. M.; Pavlov, V. B.; Ayrapetov, A. A.; Odinokov, V. V.; Sologub, V. A.; Pavlov, G. Ya.

2016-01-01

Results of an experimental study of the helicon discharge plasma parameters in a prototype of a hybrid RF plasma system equipped with a solenoidal antenna are described. It is shown that an increase in the external magnetic field leads to the formation of a plasma column and a shift of the maximum ion current along the discharge axis toward the bottom flange of the system. The shape of the plasma column can be controlled via varying the configuration of the magnetic field.

Investigation of the helicon discharge plasma parameters in a hybrid RF plasma system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aleksandrov, A. F.; Petrov, A. K., E-mail: alpetrov57@gmail.com; Vavilin, K. V.; Kralkina, E. A.; Neklyudova, P. A.; Nikonov, A. M.; Pavlov, V. B. [Moscow State University, Faculty of Physics (Russian Federation); Ayrapetov, A. A.; Odinokov, V. V.; Sologub, V. A.; Pavlov, G. Ya. [Research Institute of Precision Engineering (Russian Federation)

2016-03-15

Results of an experimental study of the helicon discharge plasma parameters in a prototype of a hybrid RF plasma system equipped with a solenoidal antenna are described. It is shown that an increase in the external magnetic field leads to the formation of a plasma column and a shift of the maximum ion current along the discharge axis toward the bottom flange of the system. The shape of the plasma column can be controlled via varying the configuration of the magnetic field.

Skin friction measurements of systematically-varied roughness: Probing the role of roughness amplitude and skewness

Science.gov (United States)

Barros, Julio; Flack, Karen; Schultz, Michael

2017-11-01

Real-world engineering systems which feature either external or internal wall-bounded turbulent flow are routinely affected by surface roughness. This gives rise to performance degradation in the form of increased drag or head loss. However, at present there is no reliable means to predict these performance losses based upon the roughness topography alone. This work takes a systematic approach by generating random surface roughness in which the surface statistics are closely controlled. Skin friction and roughness function results will be presented for two groups of these rough surfaces. The first group is Gaussian (i.e. zero skewness) in which the root-mean-square roughness height (krms) is varied. The second group has a fixed krms, and the skewness is varied from approximately -1 to +1. The effect of the roughness amplitude and skewness on the skin friction will be discussed. Particular attention will be paid to the effect of these parameters on the roughness function in the transitionally-rough flow regime. For example, the role these parameters play in the monotonic or inflectional nature of the roughness function will be addressed. Future research into the details of the turbulence structure over these rough surfaces will also be outlined. Research funded by U.S. Office of Naval Research (ONR).

PERAMALAN JUMLAH KUNJUNGAN WISATAWAN AUSTRALIA YANG BERKUNJUNG KE BALI MENGGUNAKAN MODEL TIME VARYING PARAMETER (TVP

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

I PUTU GEDE DIAN GERRY SUWEDAYANA

2016-08-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this research is to forecast the number of Australian tourists arrival to Bali using Time Varying Parameter (TVP model based on inflation of Indonesia and exchange rate AUD to IDR from January 2010 – December 2015 as explanatory variables. TVP model is specified in a state space model and estimated by Kalman filter algorithm. The result shows that the TVP model can be used to forecast the number of Australian tourists arrival to Bali because it satisfied the assumption that the residuals are distributed normally and the residuals in the measurement and transition equations are not correlated. The estimated TVP model is . This model has a value of mean absolute percentage error (MAPE is equal to dan root mean square percentage error (RMSPE is equal to . The number of Australian tourists arrival to Bali for the next five periods is predicted: ; ; ; ; and (January - May 2016.

Combined effect of external and internal irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kiradzhiev, G.

1987-01-01

Some of the general regularities of the combined effect of external irradiation and iodine 131 are discussed. Data are adduced showing that modification of the effects of these two radiation factors, when jointly applied, is also determined by the quantitative relations of the applied doses of external and internal irradiation, referred to a particular moment of the effects. It was shown that the effects of the radionuclides in these combined radiation injuries are basically realized by two mechanisms: 1. changes are found in the radionuclide kinetic parameters (nonspecific effects); 2. changes in their kinetic parameters are absent (specific effect). These two mechanisms underlie different approaches to therapy

Time-Varying FOPDT Modeling and On-line Parameter Identification

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Yang, Zhenyu; Sun, Zhen

2013-01-01

on the Mixed-Integer-Nonlinear Programming, Least-Mean-Square and sliding window techniques. The proposed approaches can simultaneously estimate the time-dependent system parameters, as well as the unknown disturbance input if it is the case, in an on-line manner. The proposed concepts and algorithms...

Pricing landfill externalities: Emissions and disamenity costs in Cape Town, South Africa

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nahman, Anton

2011-01-01

Highlights: → The paper estimates landfill externalities associated with emissions, disamenities and transport. → Transport externalities vary from 24.22 to 31.42 Rands per tonne. → Costs of emissions (estimated using benefits transfer) vary from 0.07 to 28.91 Rands per tonne. → Disamenities (estimated using hedonic pricing) vary from 0.00 to 57.46 Rands per tonne. → Overall, external costs for urban landfills exceed those of a regional landfill. - Abstract: The external (environmental and social) costs of landfilling (e.g. emissions to air, soil and water; and 'disamenities' such as odours and pests) are difficult to quantify in monetary terms, and are therefore not generally reflected in waste disposal charges or taken into account in decision making regarding waste management options. This results in a bias against alternatives such as recycling, which may be more expensive than landfilling from a purely financial perspective, but preferable from an environmental and social perspective. There is therefore a need to quantify external costs in monetary terms, so that different disposal options can be compared on the basis of their overall costs to society (financial plus external costs). This study attempts to estimate the external costs of landfilling in the City of Cape Town for different scenarios, using the benefits transfer method (for emissions) and the hedonic pricing method (for disamenities). Both methods (in particular the process of transferring and adjusting estimates from one study site to another) are described in detail, allowing the procedures to be replicated elsewhere. The results show that external costs are currently R111 (in South African Rands, or approximately US$16) per tonne of waste, although these could decline under a scenario in which energy is recovered, or in which the existing urban landfills are replaced with a new regional landfill.

Tracking control of time-varying knee exoskeleton disturbed by interaction torque.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Zhan; Ma, Wenhao; Yin, Ziguang; Guo, Hongliang

2017-11-01

Knee exoskeletons have been increasingly applied as assistive devices to help lower-extremity impaired people to make their knee joints move through providing external movement compensation. Tracking control of knee exoskeletons guided by human intentions often encounters time-varying (time-dependent) issues and the disturbance interaction torque, which may dramatically put an influence up on their dynamic behaviors. Inertial and viscous parameters of knee exoskeletons can be estimated to be time-varying due to unexpected mechanical vibrations and contact interactions. Moreover, the interaction torque produced from knee joint of wearers has an evident disturbance effect on regular motions of knee exoskeleton. All of these points can increase difficultly of accurate control of knee exoskeletons to follow desired joint angle trajectories. This paper proposes a novel control strategy for controlling knee exoskeleton with time-varying inertial and viscous coefficients disturbed by interaction torque. Such designed controller is able to make the tracking error of joint angle of knee exoskeletons exponentially converge to zero. Meanwhile, the proposed approach is robust to guarantee the tracking error bounded when the interaction torque exists. Illustrative simulation and experiment results are presented to show efficiency of the proposed controller. Additionally, comparisons with gradient dynamic (GD) approach and other methods are also presented to demonstrate efficiency and superiority of the proposed control strategy for tracking joint angle of knee exoskeleton. Copyright © 2017 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Not 'Just the two of us' : Third party externalities of social dilemmas

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van der Iest, Hanne; Dijkstra, J.; Stokman, F.N.

Many real-life social dilemmas contain third parties who cannot make decisions in the dilemma, but are affected by its outcome (receive externalities) nonetheless. Dilemmas with identical payoffs for decision-making actors may greatly vary in their externalities for third parties. If actors value

Dipole nano-laser: the effect of an external electric field

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ghannam, T, E-mail: gtalal@hotmail.co [KAIN Institute for Nano-Technology, King Saud University, PO Box 2454, Riyadh 11451 (Saudi Arabia)

2010-08-14

Using the Langevin formalism we study the effects an external electromagnetic field induces in a system made of a pumped two-level system (TLS) and a metallic nano-particle (NP) that interact together via their near-fields. The surface plasmons of the NP greatly enhance the scattered light. With the absence of the external EM field the spectral width of the scattered light is broader than that of the system, covering almost the entire optical range. However, with the inclusion the external EM field, a reduction in the spectral width of the scattered light of order of 10-50 times below that of the system is observed for certain parameter regimes.This system exhibits also bistability in the population difference of the TLS with the external field acting as an order parameter, but only for certain values of the noise quanta.

Attitude Estimation Using Kalman Filtering: External Acceleration Compensation Considerations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Romy Budhi Widodo

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Attitude estimation is often inaccurate during highly dynamic motion due to the external acceleration. This paper proposes extended Kalman filter-based attitude estimation using a new algorithm to overcome the external acceleration. This algorithm is based on an external acceleration compensation model to be used as a modifying parameter in adjusting the measurement noise covariance matrix of the extended Kalman filter. The experiment was conducted to verify the estimation accuracy, that is, one-axis and multiple axes sensor movement. Five approaches were used to test the estimation of the attitude: (1 the KF-based model without compensating for external acceleration, (2 the proposed KF-based model which employs the external acceleration compensation model, (3 the two-step KF using weighted-based switching approach, (4 the KF-based model which uses the threshold-based approach, and (5 the KF-based model which uses the threshold-based approach combined with a softened part approach. The proposed algorithm showed high effectiveness during the one-axis test. When the testing conditions employed multiple axes, the estimation accuracy increased using the proposed approach and exhibited external acceleration rejection at the right timing. The proposed algorithm has fewer parameters that need to be set at the expense of the sharpness of signal edge transition.

Financial Development and the Sensitivity of Stock Markets to External Influences

OpenAIRE

Dellas, Harris; Hess, Martin K.

2000-01-01

We investigate how the relative contribution of external factors to stock price movements varies with the degree of financial development. We find that financial development makes stock markets more susceptible to external influences (both financial and macroeconomic). Interestingly, this effect is present even after having accounted for capital controls and international trade effects.

Time varying acceleration coefficients particle swarm optimisation (TVACPSO): A new optimisation algorithm for estimating parameters of PV cells and modules

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jordehi, Ahmad Rezaee

2016-01-01

Highlights: • A modified PSO has been proposed for parameter estimation of PV cells and modules. • In the proposed modified PSO, acceleration coefficients are changed during run. • The proposed modified PSO mitigates premature convergence problem. • Parameter estimation problem has been solved for both PV cells and PV modules. • The results show that proposed PSO outperforms other state of the art algorithms. - Abstract: Estimating circuit model parameters of PV cells/modules represents a challenging problem. PV cell/module parameter estimation problem is typically translated into an optimisation problem and is solved by metaheuristic optimisation problems. Particle swarm optimisation (PSO) is considered as a popular and well-established optimisation algorithm. Despite all its advantages, PSO suffers from premature convergence problem meaning that it may get trapped in local optima. Personal and social acceleration coefficients are two control parameters that, due to their effect on explorative and exploitative capabilities, play important roles in computational behavior of PSO. In this paper, in an attempt toward premature convergence mitigation in PSO, its personal acceleration coefficient is decreased during the course of run, while its social acceleration coefficient is increased. In this way, an appropriate tradeoff between explorative and exploitative capabilities of PSO is established during the course of run and premature convergence problem is significantly mitigated. The results vividly show that in parameter estimation of PV cells and modules, the proposed time varying acceleration coefficients PSO (TVACPSO) offers more accurate parameters than conventional PSO, teaching learning-based optimisation (TLBO) algorithm, imperialistic competitive algorithm (ICA), grey wolf optimisation (GWO), water cycle algorithm (WCA), pattern search (PS) and Newton algorithm. For validation of the proposed methodology, parameter estimation has been done both for

Accessing external innovation in drug discovery and development.

Science.gov (United States)

Tufféry, Pierre

2015-06-01

A decline in the productivity of the pharmaceutical industry research and development (R&D) pipeline has highlighted the need to reconsider the classical strategies of drug discovery and development, which are based on internal resources, and to identify new means to improve the drug discovery process. Accepting that the combination of internal and external ideas can improve innovation, ways to access external innovation, that is, opening projects to external contributions, have recently been sought. In this review, the authors look at a number of external innovation opportunities. These include increased interactions with academia via academic centers of excellence/innovation centers, better communication on projects using crowdsourcing or social media and new models centered on external providers such as built-to-buy startups or virtual pharmaceutical companies. The buzz for accessing external innovation relies on the pharmaceutical industry's major challenge to improve R&D productivity, a conjuncture favorable to increase interactions with academia and new business models supporting access to external innovation. So far, access to external innovation has mostly been considered during early stages of drug development, and there is room for enhancement. First outcomes suggest that external innovation should become part of drug development in the long term. However, the balance between internal and external developments in drug discovery can vary largely depending on the company strategies.

Magnetic field effect on flow parameters of blood along with magnetic particles in a cylindrical tube

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sharma, Shashi, E-mail: shashisharma1984@gmail.com; Singh, Uaday; Katiyar, V.K.

2015-03-01

In this paper, the effect of external uniform magnetic field on flow parameters of both blood and magnetic particles is reported through a mathematical model using magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) approach. The fluid is acted upon by a varying pressure gradient and an external uniform magnetic field is applied perpendicular to the cylindrical tube. The governing nonlinear partial differential equations were solved numerically and found that flow parameters are affected by the influence of magnetic field. Further, artificial blood (75% water+25% Glycerol) along with iron oxide magnetic particles were prepared and transported into a glass tube with help of a peristaltic pump. The velocity of artificial blood along with magnetic particles was experimentally measured at different magnetic fields ranging from 100 to 600 mT. The model results show that the velocity of blood and magnetic particles is appreciably reduced under the influence of magnetic field, which is supported by our experimental results. - Highlights: • Effect of magnetic field on flow parameters of blood and magnetic particles is studied. • The velocity of blood and magnetic particles is appreciably reduced under a magnetic field. • Experimental results of the velocity of magnetic particles within blood support the mathematical model results.

HOW DO FIRMS SOURCE EXTERNAL KNOWLEDGE FOR INNOVATION? ANALYSING EFFECTS OF DIFFERENT KNOWLEDGE SOURCING METHODS

OpenAIRE

KI H. KANG; JINA KANG

2009-01-01

In the era of "open innovation", external knowledge is a very important source for technology innovation. In this paper, we investigate the relationship between external knowledge and performance of technology innovation. The effect of external knowledge on the performance of technology innovation can vary with different external knowledge sourcing methods. We identify three ways of external knowledge sourcing: information transfer from informal network, R&D collaboration and technology acqui...

The relationship between external beam radiotherapy dose and chronic urinary dysfunction - A methodological critique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rosewall, Tara; Catton, Charles; Currie, Geoffrey; Bayley, Andrew; Chung, Peter; Wheat, Janelle; Milosevic, Michael

2010-01-01

Purpose: To perform a methodological critique of the literature evaluating the relationship between external beam radiotherapy dose/volume parameters and chronic urinary dysfunction to determine why consistent associations between dose and dysfunction have not been found. Methods and materials: The radiotherapy literature was reviewed using various electronic medical search engines with appropriate keywords and MeSH headings. Inclusion criteria comprised of; English language articles, published between 1999 and June 2009, incorporating megavoltage external beam photons in standard-sized daily fraction. A methodological critique was then performed, evaluating the factors affected in the quantification of radiotherapy dose and chronic urinary dysfunction. Results: Nine of 22 eligible studies successfully identified a clinically and statistically significant relationship between dose and dysfunction. Accurate estimations of external beam radiotherapy dose were compromised by the frequent use of dosimetric variables which are poor surrogates for the dose received by the lower urinary tract tissue and do not incorporate the effect of daily variations in isocentre and bladder position. The precise categorization of chronic urinary dysfunction was obscured by reliance on subjective and aggregated toxicity metrics which vary over time. Conclusions: A high-level evidence-base for the relationship between external beam radiotherapy dose and chronic urinary dysfunction does not currently exist. The quantification of the actual external beam dose delivered to the functionally important tissues using dose accumulation strategies and the use of objective measures of individual manifestations of urinary dysfunction will assist in the identification of robust relationships between dose and urinary dysfunction for application in widespread clinical practice.

Radiopeptide internalisation and externalization assays: cell viability and radioligand integrity.

Science.gov (United States)

Naqvi, Syed Ali Raza; Sosabowski, Jane K; Nagra, Saeed Ahamad; Ishfaq, Malik M; Mather, Stephen J; Matzow, Torkjel

2011-01-01

Various aspects of radiopeptide receptor-mediated cell internalisation and externalization assays were assessed, including the integrity of externalized peptides and the effect of varying the pH and incubation time of the acid wash step (to remove surface receptor-bound ligand) on efficacy and cell viability. The observed intact proportion of externalized peptide was 5-10%, and acid wash buffers with pH 2.8 or below were found to be detrimental to cell viability and integrity, particularly following prolonged incubation times. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

On the link between oil price and exchange rate: A time-varying VAR parameter approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bremond, Vincent; Razafindrabe, Tovonony; Hache, Emmanuel

2015-07-01

The aim of this paper is to study the relationship between the effective exchange rate of the dollar and the oil price dynamics from 1976 to 2013. In this context, we propose to explore the economic literature dedicated to financial channels factors (exchange rate, monetary policy, and international liquidity) that could affect the oil price dynamics. In addition to oil prices and the effective exchange rate of the dollar, we use the dry cargo index as a proxy for the real economic activity and prices for precious and industrial raw materials. Using a Bayesian time-varying parameter vector auto-regressive estimation, our main results show that the US Dollar effective exchange rate elasticity of the crude oil prices is not constant across the time and remains negative from 1989. It then highlights that a depreciation of the effective exchange rate of the dollar leads to an increase of the crude oil prices. Our paper also demonstrates the growing influence of financial and commodities markets development upon the global economy. (authors)

Externalities: Their role and value in near-term solar power implementation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Swindler, G.

1992-01-01

The total cost of electricity includes social and environmental costs, or externalities, that have traditionally been discluded from the cost of energy. Under current regulatory and public pressure to account for these costs as they vary between generating resources, externalities are being reviewed and are gradually being added to the construction and operation costs of all generating resources. Accounting for externalities is described as being obligatory for the electric utility industry. This paper analyzes a variety of quantifiable externalities in comparing solar and wind power to coal, nuclear, natural gas and oil. The inclusion of externalities in full-cost resource accounting is shown to make renewable resources such as solar and wind more competitive in a levelized market

Variant of multimodal vibration damping of electroviscoelastic structures by appropriate choice of external electric circuit parameters

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dmitrii A. Oshmarin

2016-09-01

Full Text Available In technical applications it takes place the problem of vibration damping in certain regions of the structure, at the location of optical sensors for instance, at any external dynamic excitations with no mass increase and no changes in spectral portrait. In order to solve these problems it is widespread the use of special damping devices: piezoelectric elements connected to external electric circuits and attached to the structure. It became possible due to piezoelectric effect, which provides transformation of part of energy of vibrations into electric one, which is dissipated in external electric circuit. So that by using appropriate electric circuits one may dissipate internal energy and therefore reduce structural vibrations in definite frequency range. As a rule, external circuit of single branch, which shunts single piezoelectric element, allows vibration damping on one certain frequency. Due to the fact, that practical applications usually include requirements of damping of several modes by one and the same technical devices, the problem of multimodal vibration damping in smart-structures is rather acute. The objective of this paper is the study of possibility of vibration damping on several modes by using single external series RL-circuit, connected to electrodes of single piezoelectric element on the basis of solution of problems on natural and forced steady-state vibrations of electroelastic systems with external electric circuits.

Distributed finite-time trajectory tracking control for multiple nonholonomic mobile robots with uncertainties and external disturbances

Science.gov (United States)

Ou, Meiying; Sun, Haibin; Gu, Shengwei; Zhang, Yangyi

2017-11-01

This paper investigates the distributed finite-time trajectory tracking control for a group of nonholonomic mobile robots with time-varying unknown parameters and external disturbances. At first, the tracking error system is derived for each mobile robot with the aid of a global invertible transformation, which consists of two subsystems, one is a first-order subsystem and another is a second-order subsystem. Then, the two subsystems are studied respectively, and finite-time disturbance observers are proposed for each robot to estimate the external disturbances. Meanwhile, distributed finite-time tracking controllers are developed for each mobile robot such that all states of each robot can reach the desired value in finite time, where the desired reference value is assumed to be the trajectory of a virtual leader whose information is available to only a subset of the followers, and the followers are assumed to have only local interaction. The effectiveness of the theoretical results is finally illustrated by numerical simulations.

Photodegradation and polarization properties of vertical external surface-emitting organic laser

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leang, Tatiana

2014-01-01

Although organic solid-state dye lasers can provide wavelength tunability in the whole visible spectrum and offers perspectives of low-cost compact lasers, they are still limited by several drawbacks, especially photodegradation. The geometry of a Vertical External Cavity Surface-emitting Organic Laser (VECSOL) enables organic lasers to reach high energies, excellent conversion efficiencies and good beam quality, it also enables an external control on many parameters, a feature that we have used here to study the photodegradation phenomenon as well as some polarization properties of organic solid-state lasers. In the first part of this thesis, we studied the lifetime of the laser upon varying several parameters (pump pulse-width, repetition rate, output coupling,...) and we found that the intracavity laser intensity, independently of the pump intensity, had a major on photodegradation rate. Moreover, we observed that the profile of the laser beam was also degrading with time: while it is Gaussian in the beginning it gradually shifts to an annular shape. In the second part, we investigated the polarization properties of VECSOLs, with a special emphasis on fluorescence properties of some typical dyes used in lasers. The crucial role played by resonant non-radiative energy transfers between dye molecules (HOMO-FRET) is evidenced and enables explaining the observed fluorescence depolarization, compared to the expected limiting fluorescence anisotropy. Energy transfers happen to play a negligible role above laser threshold, as the organic laser beam is shown to be linearly polarized in a wide range of experimental conditions when excitation occurs in the first singlet state. (author) [fr

Cluster synchronization transmission of different external signals in discrete uncertain network

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Chengren; Lü, Ling; Chen, Liansong; Hong, Yixuan; Zhou, Shuang; Yang, Yiming

2018-07-01

We research cluster synchronization transmissions of different external signals in discrete uncertain network. Based on the Lyapunov theorem, the network controller and the identification law of uncertain adjustment parameter are designed, and they are efficiently used to achieve the cluster synchronization and the identification of uncertain adjustment parameter. In our technical scheme, the network nodes in each cluster and the transmitted external signal can be different, and they allow the presence of uncertain parameters in the network. Especially, we are free to choose the clustering topologies, the cluster number and the node number in each cluster.

An interacting instanton and anti-instanton system under external color magnetic fields

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wakano, M.

1980-01-01

The equilibrium configurations for the instanton and anti-instanton system of the SU(2) gauge field under constant external color magnetic fields are studied by applying the statistical mechanics method. The vacuum has a stabel equilibrium state in the case where the interaction between pseudoparticles is partly considered through the local gauge field in determining the mean dipole moment of instantons. It is shown, however, that there exists no equilibrium state, either stable or unstable, when the dipolar interaction with a particular instanton-size-dependent cutoff is taken into account directly by the second virial coefficient. To analyze this discrepancy a more general cutoff is introduced and the density of instantons is determined for equilibrium states with vanishing external fields, when the cutoff parameter is varied. Above a certain cutoff length there exist two branches of equilibrium configurations with high or low instanton densities, while below it no equilibrium state is obtained. It is shown that we have a critical cutoff length near but slightly larger than the above value and that the equilibrium states on the lower density branch corresponding to cutoff lengths larger than this critical value are stable, while all remaining equilibrium states are unstable. (orig.)

Studying the effects of combining internal and external heat recovery on techno-economic performances of gas–steam power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carapellucci, Roberto; Giordano, Lorena

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Effects of gas-cycle regeneration on steam–gas power plants are investigated. • Power plant performances are evaluated varying gas turbine operative parameters. • The power plant operational flexibility is assessed through an off-design analysis. • Gas-cycle regeneration improves energy and economic performance parameters. • Power increase due to regenerator by-pass depends on steam section design. - Abstract: Thermodynamic regeneration is regarded as a conventional technique to enhance the efficiency of gas turbines, by means of an internal recovery of waste heat from exhaust gases. In combined cycle power plants (CCGTs), only external heat recovery is usually applied, in order to achieve the highest steam cycle power. Combining internal and external recovery, while decreasing the power plant rated capacity, has the potential to boost the efficiency of CCGTs. This paper aims to examine the effects of thermodynamic regeneration on steam–gas power plants from the energy and economic point of view. First, a dual pressure combined cycle based on a regenerative gas turbine is designed using GateCycle software and effects on energy and economic performances are evaluated varying gas turbine operating parameters. Then, an off-design simulation of different CCGT configurations is carried out, in order to evaluate the power increase achieved by-passing the regenerator and its effects on efficiency and cost of electricity. The study has shown that the improvement of energy and economic performances of regenerative CCGTs is more and more pronounced with the increase of turbine inlet temperature (TIT). Additionally, regeneration enhances the power plant operational flexibility, allowing to obtain a 30% power increase with respect to the design value, if the regenerator is fully by-passed and the bottoming steam cycle is designed to manage the increased flue gas temperature.

External stimulation strength controls actin response dynamics in Dictyostelium cells

Science.gov (United States)

Hsu, Hsin-Fang; Westendorf, Christian; Tarantola, Marco; Zykov, Vladimir; Bodenschatz, Eberhard; Beta, Carsten

2015-03-01

Self-sustained oscillation and the resonance frequency of the cytoskeletal actin polymerization/depolymerization have recently been observed in Dictyostelium, a model system for studying chemotaxis. Here we report that the resonance frequency is not constant but rather varies with the strength of external stimuli. To understand the underlying mechanism, we analyzed the polymerization and depolymerization time at different levels of external stimulation. We found that polymerization time is independent of external stimuli but the depolymerization time is prolonged as the stimulation increases. These observations can be successfully reproduced in the frame work of our time delayed differential equation model.

ExternE transport methodology for external cost evaluation of air pollution

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, S. S.; Berkowicz, R.; Brandt, J.

The report describes how the human exposure estimates based on NERI's human exposure modelling system (AirGIS) can improve the Danish data used for exposure factors in the ExternE Transport methodology. Initially, a brief description of the ExternE Tranport methodology is given and it is summarised...

Optimal critic learning for robot control in time-varying environments.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Chen; Li, Yanan; Ge, Shuzhi Sam; Lee, Tong Heng

2015-10-01

In this paper, optimal critic learning is developed for robot control in a time-varying environment. The unknown environment is described as a linear system with time-varying parameters, and impedance control is employed for the interaction control. Desired impedance parameters are obtained in the sense of an optimal realization of the composite of trajectory tracking and force regulation. Q -function-based critic learning is developed to determine the optimal impedance parameters without the knowledge of the system dynamics. The simulation results are presented and compared with existing methods, and the efficacy of the proposed method is verified.

Parameters influencing SPET regional brain uptake of technetium-99m hexamethylpropylene amine oxime measured by calibrated point sources as an external standard

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dierckx, R.A.; Dobbeleir, A.; Maes, M.; Pickut, B.A.; Vervaet, A.; Deyn, P.P. de

1994-01-01

Using calibrated point sources as an external standard to convert SPET brain counts into absolute values of regional brain uptake (rBU) of technetium-99m hexamethylpropylene amine oxime (HMPAO), the relative contribution of different parameters to interindividual variability of cerebellar rBU was examined in 33 healthy volunteers. Stepwise regression analysis identified body surface as the most important factor underlying interindividual variability, when compared with brain volume. In the normal volunteer population presented, age decrement of rBU corrected for body surface and brain volume equalled 60.5-0.20xage. Based on the data of eight normal volunteers, including four test-retest studies with heart rate (HR) differences greater than 5 units and four test-stress studies with doubling of heart rate after bicycle exercise, influence of heart rate may be expressed by the equation ΔrBU = 0.35 ΔHR. Clinically, estimation of the relative influence of different factors allows normalization and extension of the applicability of the rBU quantification method used from longitudinal studies to group comparisons. Interestingly, results of the Daily Stress Inventory Scale and a subjective rating scale suggest the absence of a significant influence of minor stress on rBU. When using one vial per patient, chromatography may be omitted in clinical routine practice and lipophilicity may be estimated as 90% of the injected dose, if administered within 10 min after preparation. Finally, sensitivity of the quantification method was tested in eight volunteers using acetazolamide brain activation and showed a mean increase in cerebellar rBU of 30.2%, varying between 14.1% and 75.9%. (orig./MG)

Welfare effects of the internalization of external cost

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lijesen, M.; Korteweg, J.A.; Derriks, H.

2009-03-01

The effect of passing through the cost of external effects such as accidents, environment and noise to traffic and transport have been mapped. In nine out of the ten examined variants this 'internalization' will lead to an increase in welfare in the Netherlands. Internalization leads to a decrease of external costs of over 100 million to more than 1.7 billion euros annually. Internalization also brings about collection costs, international transfers and logistic adjustments. The balance of these effects varies from a welfare loss of 20 million euros to a welfare increase of 1.2 billion euros annually. [nl

External influence on magnetic properties of Fe-based nanocrystalline alloys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sitek, Jozef; Degmova, Jarmila; Sedlackova, Katarina; Butvin, Pavol

2006-01-01

Amorphous and nanocrystalline ribbons of NANOPERM, FINEMET and HITPERM were studied by Moessbauer spectroscopy (MS) after the influence of external factors: different annealing atmospheres, tensile stress and several kinds of corrosion. MS is a suitable tool for such studies because the spectral parameters are very sensitive to changes in the vicinity of the probe - 57 Fe nuclei. The most sensitive parameters were hyperfine magnetic field in crystalline component, average hyperfine field in amorphous component and direction of net magnetic moments. Influence of external factors modified also the structure of the alloys, i.e. new or modified phases were identified by MS phase analysis

Magnetized strange quark matter in f(R, T) gravity with bilinear and special form of time varying deceleration parameter

Science.gov (United States)

Sahoo, P. K.; Sahoo, Parbati; Bishi, Binaya K.; Aygün, Sezgin

2018-04-01

In this paper, we have studied homogeneous and anisotropic locally rotationally symmetric (LRS) Bianchi type-I model with magnetized strange quark matter (MSQM) distribution and cosmological constant Λ in f(R, T) gravity where R is the Ricci scalar and T the trace of matter source. The exact solutions of the field equations are obtained under bilinear and special form of time varying deceleration parameter (DP). Firstly, we have considered two specific forms of bilinear DP with a single parameter of the form: q = α(1-t)/1+t and q = -αt/1+t, which leads to the constant or linear nature of the function based on the constant α. Second one is the special form of the DP as q = - 1 + β/1+aβ. From the results obtained here, one can observe that in the early universe magnetic flux has more effects and it reduces gradually in the later stage. For t → ∞, we get p → -Bc and ρ → Bc. The behaviour of strange quark matter along with magnetic epoch gives an idea of accelerated expansion of the universe as per the observations of the type Ia Supernovae.

The relationship between technical parameters of external beam radiation therapy and complications for localized prostate cancer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kitamura, Kei; Shirato, Hiroki; Suzuki, Keishiro

2000-01-01

This study was performed to review retrospectively the clinical course of chronic rectal bleeding as a complication of external beam radiation therapy for localized prostate cancer and to analyze the relationship between technical parameters of radiation therapy and the complications. Seventy-one patients with stages A2, B and C were treated with local-field radiotherapy (total dose 52.5-66 Gy, daily dose 2.0-3.28 Gy, field area 30-81 cm 2 , number of fields 3-15 ports, planning simulations X-ray or CT-based) between 1989 and 1998 at three institutions. The protocols were consistent during this same period at these institutions. Multivariate analysis revealed pretreatment PSA and Gleason sum to be statistically significant predictors of 5 year prostatic specific antigen (PSA) relapse-free rates in a median follow-up period of 42 months (range 12-119 months). The significant risk factors for higher grading of acute morbidity were a biological equivalent dose, α/β=10 (BED 10 ) ≥65 Gy, dose per fraction ≥3.0 Gy, field area ≥42 cm 2 , fewer ports and X-ray planning simulation. However, no parameter was associated with higher grading of late morbidity. Eleven patients (15.4%) experienced a late GI complication: grade 1 (4.2%), grade 2 (9.8%), grade 3 (1.4%). The median time to occurrence of rectal bleeding was 12 months after radiotherapy and the mean duration of morbidity was 11 months. Higher total dose and dose per fraction, larger field area, fewer ports and X-ray simulation increased the grades of acute morbidity. A majority of chronic rectal bleedings were transient and responded to conservative treatment. (author)

Effect of Varying Controller Parameters on the Performance of a ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This paper presents the results of computer simulation studies designed to isolate the effects of the major parameters of a fuzzy logic controller namely the range of the universe of discourse, the extent of overlap of the fuzzy sets, the rules in the rule base and the modes of the output fuzzy sets on the performance of a fuzzy ...

Dual Extended Kalman Filter for the Identification of Time-Varying Human Manual Control Behavior

Science.gov (United States)

Popovici, Alexandru; Zaal, Peter M. T.; Pool, Daan M.

2017-01-01

A Dual Extended Kalman Filter was implemented for the identification of time-varying human manual control behavior. Two filters that run concurrently were used, a state filter that estimates the equalization dynamics, and a parameter filter that estimates the neuromuscular parameters and time delay. Time-varying parameters were modeled as a random walk. The filter successfully estimated time-varying human control behavior in both simulated and experimental data. Simple guidelines are proposed for the tuning of the process and measurement covariance matrices and the initial parameter estimates. The tuning was performed on simulation data, and when applied on experimental data, only an increase in measurement process noise power was required in order for the filter to converge and estimate all parameters. A sensitivity analysis to initial parameter estimates showed that the filter is more sensitive to poor initial choices of neuromuscular parameters than equalization parameters, and bad choices for initial parameters can result in divergence, slow convergence, or parameter estimates that do not have a real physical interpretation. The promising results when applied to experimental data, together with its simple tuning and low dimension of the state-space, make the use of the Dual Extended Kalman Filter a viable option for identifying time-varying human control parameters in manual tracking tasks, which could be used in real-time human state monitoring and adaptive human-vehicle haptic interfaces.

Analysis and design of composite slab by varying different parameters

Science.gov (United States)

Lambe, Kedar; Siddh, Sharda

2018-03-01

Composite deck slabs are in demand because of its faster, lighter and economical construction work. Composite slab consists of cold formed deck profiled sheet and concrete either lightweight or normal. Investigation of shear behaviour of the composite slab is very complex. Shear bond strength depends on the various parameter such as a shape of sheeting, a thickness of the sheet, type of embossment and its frequency of use, shear stiffener or intermediate stiffener, type of load, an arrangement of load, length of shear span, the thickness of concrete and support friction etc. In present study finite element analysis is carried out with ABAQUS 6.13, a simply supported composite slab is considered for the investigation of the shear bond behaviour of the composite slab by considering variation in three different parameters, the shape of a sheet, thickness of sheet and shear span. Different shear spans of two different shape of cold formed deck profiled sheet i.e. with intermediate stiffeners and without intermediate stiffeners are considered with two different thicknesses (0.8 mm and 1.2 mm) for simulation. In present work, simulation of models has done for static loading with 20 mm mesh size is considered.

Externalities of energy. Swedish implementation of the ExternE methodology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nilsson, Maans; Gullberg, M.

1998-01-01

The growing interest for developing economic instruments for efficient environmental policies has opened up a large area of multi-disciplinary research. ExternE is an example of this research, combining disciplines such as engineering, ecology, immunology and economics expertise to create new knowledge about how environmental pressures from energy production affect our nature and society. The ExternE Project aims to identify and, as far as possible quantify the externalities of energy production in Europe. The Stockholm Environment Institute has carried out a preliminary aggregation: -Coal Fuel Cycle: centred around Vaesteraas Kraftvaermeverk, Vaesteraas. This is the largest co-generation plant in Sweden, with four blocks and a maximum co-generation output of 520 MW electricity and 950 MW heat. The analysis is carried out on boiler B4. -Biomass Fuel Cycle: centred around Haendeloeverket, Norrkoeping. This plant predominately burns forestry residues, but a variety of fuels are combusted. Haendeloeverket has an installed capacity of 100 MW electricity and 375 MW heat, in a total of three boilers and two back-pressure turbines. The analysis is carried out on boiler P13. -Hydro Fuel Cycle: Klippens Kraftstation, Storuman. Built in 1990-1994, it is the youngest hydro power station in Sweden. It has been designed and built with significant efforts to account for and protect environmental values. Installed capacity is 28 MW. The environmental impact assessment from the construction of this plant is carried out, but the evaluation is still not finalized. The preliminary aggregation aimed to test whether ExternE results could be used to make estimates for the entire Swedish electricity production system. Hence, national results as well as results from other partner countries in ExternE has been applied

Particle separation by external fields on periodic surfaces

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sancho, J M; Khoury, M; Lindenberg, K; Lacasta, A M

2005-01-01

Particles moving on perfect periodic surfaces under the influence of external forces may move along directions that deviate from that of the force. We briefly recall previous results for transport of particles on surfaces with periodic traps or periodic obstacles driven by a constant external force, and present new results for particles moving in a harmonic periodic potential. The sorting properties are explored as a function of a number of control parameters, specifically the friction, force amplitude and direction, temperature, and lattice constants

Recirculation within a glass mixture subjected to external and resistive heating

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pepper, D.W.

1985-01-01

Convective motion within a glass mixture undergoing external and resistive (joule) heating is numerically simulated. A time-split finite element technique and a pseudo-pressure formulation are used to solve the two- and three-dimensional primitive equations of motion. The viscosity, thermal diffusivity, and electrical conductivity vary as a function of temperature; the temperature varies from ambient to 1150 0 C. 15 refs., 4 figs

External influence on magnetic properties of Fe-based nanocrystalline alloys

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sitek, Jozef [Department of Nuclear Physics and Technology, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, Slovak University of Technology, Ilkovicova 3, 812 19 Bratislava (Slovakia)]. E-mail: jozef.sitek@stuba.sk; Degmova, Jarmila [Department of Nuclear Physics and Technology, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, Slovak University of Technology, Ilkovicova 3, 812 19 Bratislava (Slovakia); Sedlackova, Katarina [Department of Nuclear Physics and Technology, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, Slovak University of Technology, Ilkovicova 3, 812 19 Bratislava (Slovakia); Butvin, Pavol [Institute of Physics, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dubravska cesta 9, 845 11 Bratislava (Slovakia)

2006-09-15

Amorphous and nanocrystalline ribbons of NANOPERM, FINEMET and HITPERM were studied by Moessbauer spectroscopy (MS) after the influence of external factors: different annealing atmospheres, tensile stress and several kinds of corrosion. MS is a suitable tool for such studies because the spectral parameters are very sensitive to changes in the vicinity of the probe -{sup 57}Fe nuclei. The most sensitive parameters were hyperfine magnetic field in crystalline component, average hyperfine field in amorphous component and direction of net magnetic moments. Influence of external factors modified also the structure of the alloys, i.e. new or modified phases were identified by MS phase analysis.

Mitigating Errors in External Respiratory Surrogate-Based Models of Tumor Position

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Malinowski, Kathleen T.; McAvoy, Thomas J.; George, Rohini; Dieterich, Sonja; D'Souza, Warren D.

2012-01-01

Purpose: To investigate the effect of tumor site, measurement precision, tumor–surrogate correlation, training data selection, model design, and interpatient and interfraction variations on the accuracy of external marker-based models of tumor position. Methods and Materials: Cyberknife Synchrony system log files comprising synchronously acquired positions of external markers and the tumor from 167 treatment fractions were analyzed. The accuracy of Synchrony, ordinary-least-squares regression, and partial-least-squares regression models for predicting the tumor position from the external markers was evaluated. The quantity and timing of the data used to build the predictive model were varied. The effects of tumor–surrogate correlation and the precision in both the tumor and the external surrogate position measurements were explored by adding noise to the data. Results: The tumor position prediction errors increased during the duration of a fraction. Increasing the training data quantities did not always lead to more accurate models. Adding uncorrelated noise to the external marker-based inputs degraded the tumor–surrogate correlation models by 16% for partial-least-squares and 57% for ordinary-least-squares. External marker and tumor position measurement errors led to tumor position prediction changes 0.3–3.6 times the magnitude of the measurement errors, varying widely with model algorithm. The tumor position prediction errors were significantly associated with the patient index but not with the fraction index or tumor site. Partial-least-squares was as accurate as Synchrony and more accurate than ordinary-least-squares. Conclusions: The accuracy of surrogate-based inferential models of tumor position was affected by all the investigated factors, except for the tumor site and fraction index.

Mitigating Errors in External Respiratory Surrogate-Based Models of Tumor Position

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Malinowski, Kathleen T. [Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD (United States); Fischell Department of Bioengineering, University of Maryland, College Park, MD (United States); McAvoy, Thomas J. [Fischell Department of Bioengineering, University of Maryland, College Park, MD (United States); Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and Institute of Systems Research, University of Maryland, College Park, MD (United States); George, Rohini [Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD (United States); Dieterich, Sonja [Department of Radiation Oncology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA (United States); D' Souza, Warren D., E-mail: wdsou001@umaryland.edu [Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD (United States); Fischell Department of Bioengineering, University of Maryland, College Park, MD (United States)

2012-04-01

Purpose: To investigate the effect of tumor site, measurement precision, tumor-surrogate correlation, training data selection, model design, and interpatient and interfraction variations on the accuracy of external marker-based models of tumor position. Methods and Materials: Cyberknife Synchrony system log files comprising synchronously acquired positions of external markers and the tumor from 167 treatment fractions were analyzed. The accuracy of Synchrony, ordinary-least-squares regression, and partial-least-squares regression models for predicting the tumor position from the external markers was evaluated. The quantity and timing of the data used to build the predictive model were varied. The effects of tumor-surrogate correlation and the precision in both the tumor and the external surrogate position measurements were explored by adding noise to the data. Results: The tumor position prediction errors increased during the duration of a fraction. Increasing the training data quantities did not always lead to more accurate models. Adding uncorrelated noise to the external marker-based inputs degraded the tumor-surrogate correlation models by 16% for partial-least-squares and 57% for ordinary-least-squares. External marker and tumor position measurement errors led to tumor position prediction changes 0.3-3.6 times the magnitude of the measurement errors, varying widely with model algorithm. The tumor position prediction errors were significantly associated with the patient index but not with the fraction index or tumor site. Partial-least-squares was as accurate as Synchrony and more accurate than ordinary-least-squares. Conclusions: The accuracy of surrogate-based inferential models of tumor position was affected by all the investigated factors, except for the tumor site and fraction index.

Environmental external effects from wind power based on the EU ExternE methodology

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ibsen, Liselotte Schleisner; Nielsen, Per Sieverts

1998-01-01

of the Danish part of the project is to implement the framework for externality evaluation, for three different power plants located in Denmark. The paper will focus on the assessment of the impacts of the whole fuel cycles for wind, natural gas and biogas. Priority areas for environmental impact assessment......The European Commission has launched a major study project, ExternE, to develop a methodology to quantify externalities. A “National Implementation Phase”, was started under the Joule II programme with the purpose of implementing the ExternE methodology in all member states. The main objective...

Monitoring external and internal loads of brazilian soccer referees during official matches.

Science.gov (United States)

Costa, Eduardo C; Vieira, Caio M A; Moreira, Alexandre; Ugrinowitsch, Carlos; Castagna, Carlo; Aoki, Marcelo S

2013-01-01

This study aimed to assess the external and internal loads of Brazilian soccer referees during official matches. A total of 11 field referees (aged 36.2 ± 7.5 years) were monitored during 35 matches. The external (distance covered, mean and maximal speed) and internal load parameters (session ratings of perceived exertion [RPE] training load [TL], Edwards' TL, and time spent in different heart rate [HR] zones) were assessed in 3-4 matches per referee. External load parameters were measured using a wrist Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver. No differences in distance covered (5.219 ± 205 vs. 5.230 ± 237 m) and maximal speed (19.3 ± 1.0 vs. 19.4 ± 1.4 km·h(-1)) were observed between the halves of the matches (p > 0.05). However, the mean speed was higher in the first half of the matches (6.6 ± 0.4 vs. 6.4 ± 0.3 km·h(-1)) (p external and internal load demands during official matches. The portable GPS/HR monitors and session RPE method can provide relevant information regarding the magnitude of the physiological strain during official matches. Key PointsHigh external and internal loads were imposed on Brazilian soccer referees during official matches.There was a high positive correlation between a subjective marker of internal load (session RPE) and parameters of external load (distance covered between 90-100% of HRmax and maximal speed).There was a high positive correlation between session RPE method and Edwards' method.Session RPE seems to be a reliable marker of internal load.The portable GPS/HR monitors and the session RPE method can provide relevant information regarding the magnitude of external and internal loads of soccer referees during official matches.

ExternE National Implementation Finland

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pingoud, K; Maelkki, H; Wihersaari, M; Pirilae, P [VTT Energy, Espoo (Finland); Hongisto, M [Imatran Voima Oy, Vantaa (Finland); Siitonen, S [Ekono Energy Ltd, Espoo (Finland); Johansson, M [Finnish Environment Institute, Helsinki (Finland)

1999-07-01

ExternE National Implementation is a continuation of the ExternE Project, funded in part by the European Commission's Joule III Programme. This study is the result of the ExternE National Implementation Project for Finland. Three fuel cycles were selected for the Finnish study: coal, peat and wood-derived biomass, which together are responsible for about 40% of total electricity generation in Finland and about 75% of the non-nuclear fuel based generation. The estimated external costs or damages were dominated by the global warming (GW) impacts in the coal and peat fuel cycles, but knowledge of the true GW impacts is still uncertain. From among other impacts that were valued in monetary terms the human health damages due to airborne emissions dominated in all the three fuel cycles. Monetary valuation for ecosystem impacts is not possible using the ExternE methodology at present. The Meri-Pori power station representing the coal fuel cycle is one of the world's cleanest and most efficient coal-fired power plants with a condensing turbine. The coal is imported mainly from Poland. The estimated health damages were about 4 mECU/kWh, crop damages an order of magnitude lower and damages caused to building materials two orders of magnitude lower. The power stations of the peat and biomass fuel cycles are of CHP type, generating electricity and heat for the district heating systems of two cities. Their fuels are of domestic origin. The estimated health damages allocated to electricity generation were about 5 and 6 mECU/kWh, respectively. The estimates were case-specific and thus an generalisation of the results to the whole electricity generation in Finland is unrealistic. Despite the uncertainties and limitations of the methodology, it is a promising tool in the comparison of similar kinds of fuel cycles, new power plants and pollution abatement technologies and different plant locations with each other. (orig.)

ExternE National Implementation Finland

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pingoud, K.; Maelkki, H.; Wihersaari, M.; Pirilae, P. [VTT Energy, Espoo (Finland); Hongisto, M. [Imatran Voima Oy, Vantaa (Finland); Siitonen, S. [Ekono Energy Ltd, Espoo (Finland); Johansson, M. [Finnish Environment Institute, Helsinki (Finland)

1999-07-01

ExternE National Implementation is a continuation of the ExternE Project, funded in part by the European Commission's Joule III Programme. This study is the result of the ExternE National Implementation Project for Finland. Three fuel cycles were selected for the Finnish study: coal, peat and wood-derived biomass, which together are responsible for about 40% of total electricity generation in Finland and about 75% of the non-nuclear fuel based generation. The estimated external costs or damages were dominated by the global warming (GW) impacts in the coal and peat fuel cycles, but knowledge of the true GW impacts is still uncertain. From among other impacts that were valued in monetary terms the human health damages due to airborne emissions dominated in all the three fuel cycles. Monetary valuation for ecosystem impacts is not possible using the ExternE methodology at present. The Meri-Pori power station representing the coal fuel cycle is one of the world's cleanest and most efficient coal-fired power plants with a condensing turbine. The coal is imported mainly from Poland. The estimated health damages were about 4 mECU/kWh, crop damages an order of magnitude lower and damages caused to building materials two orders of magnitude lower. The power stations of the peat and biomass fuel cycles are of CHP type, generating electricity and heat for the district heating systems of two cities. Their fuels are of domestic origin. The estimated health damages allocated to electricity generation were about 5 and 6 mECU/kWh, respectively. The estimates were case-specific and thus an generalisation of the results to the whole electricity generation in Finland is unrealistic. Despite the uncertainties and limitations of the methodology, it is a promising tool in the comparison of similar kinds of fuel cycles, new power plants and pollution abatement technologies and different plant locations with each other. (orig.)

ExternE National Implementation Finland

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pingoud, K.; Maelkki, H.; Wihersaari, M.; Pirilae, P.; Hongisto, M.; Siitonen, S.; Johansson, M.

1999-01-01

ExternE National Implementation is a continuation of the ExternE Project, funded in part by the European Commission's Joule III Programme. This study is the result of the ExternE National Implementation Project for Finland. Three fuel cycles were selected for the Finnish study: coal, peat and wood-derived biomass, which together are responsible for about 40% of total electricity generation in Finland and about 75% of the non-nuclear fuel based generation. The estimated external costs or damages were dominated by the global warming (GW) impacts in the coal and peat fuel cycles, but knowledge of the true GW impacts is still uncertain. From among other impacts that were valued in monetary terms the human health damages due to airborne emissions dominated in all the three fuel cycles. Monetary valuation for ecosystem impacts is not possible using the ExternE methodology at present. The Meri-Pori power station representing the coal fuel cycle is one of the world's cleanest and most efficient coal-fired power plants with a condensing turbine. The coal is imported mainly from Poland. The estimated health damages were about 4 mECU/kWh, crop damages an order of magnitude lower and damages caused to building materials two orders of magnitude lower. The power stations of the peat and biomass fuel cycles are of CHP type, generating electricity and heat for the district heating systems of two cities. Their fuels are of domestic origin. The estimated health damages allocated to electricity generation were about 5 and 6 mECU/kWh, respectively. The estimates were case-specific and thus an generalisation of the results to the whole electricity generation in Finland is unrealistic. Despite the uncertainties and limitations of the methodology, it is a promising tool in the comparison of similar kinds of fuel cycles, new power plants and pollution abatement technologies and different plant locations with each other. (orig.)

External Aiding Methods for IMU-Based Navigation

Science.gov (United States)

2016-11-26

Modeling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 3.2.1 Startup Bias...Figure Page 1 Three Distributions Implemented for Error Parameters in SAIMUN . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 2 Accelerometer Output Corrupted by Startup ...external aiding, simulate the error sources encountered in the acquisition of measurement data, emulate the navigation software, and perform a range of

Prevalence of external ear disorders in Belgian stray cats.

Science.gov (United States)

Bollez, Anouck; de Rooster, Hilde; Furcas, Alessandra; Vandenabeele, Sophie

2018-02-01

Objectives Feline otitis externa is a multifactorial dermatological disorder about which very little is known. The objective of this study was to map the prevalence of external ear canal disorders and the pathogens causing otitis externa in stray cats roaming around the region of Ghent, Belgium. Methods One hundred and thirty stray cats were randomly selected during a local trap-neuter-return programme. All cats were European Shorthairs. This study included clinical, otoscopic and cytological evaluation of both external ears of each cat. Prospective data used as parameters in this study included the sex, age and body condition score of each cat, as well as the presence of nasal and/or ocular discharge, and the results of feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) and feline leukaemia virus (FeLV) Snap tests. Results Remarkably, very few (sub)clinical problems of the external ear canal were found in the stray cat population. Malassezia species was by far the most common organism found in the external ear canals of the 130 stray cats. A total of 96/130 (74%) cats were found to have Malassezia species organisms present in one or both ears based on the cytological examination. No correlation was found between the parameters of sex, age, body condition score, the presence of nasal and/or ocular discharge and FIV and FeLV status, and the presence of parasites, bacteria or yeasts. Conclusions and relevance This study provides more information about the normal state of the external ear canal of stray cats. The ears of most stray cats are relatively healthy. The presence of Malassezia species organisms in the external ear canal is not rare among stray cats.

Regional Externalities

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Heijman, W.J.M.

2007-01-01

The book offers practical and theoretical insights in regional externalities. Regional externalities are a specific subset of externalities that can be defined as externalities where space plays a dominant role. This class of externalities can be divided into three categories: (1) externalities

A compact cyclic plasticity model with parameter evolution

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Krenk, Steen; Tidemann, L.

2017-01-01

The paper presents a compact model for cyclic plasticity based on energy in terms of external and internal variables, and plastic yielding described by kinematic hardening and a flow potential with an additive term controlling the nonlinear cyclic hardening. The model is basically described by five...... parameters: external and internal stiffness, a yield stress and a limiting ultimate stress, and finally a parameter controlling the gradual development of plastic deformation. Calibration against numerous experimental results indicates that typically larger plastic strains develop than predicted...

External noise distinguishes attention mechanisms.

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Z L; Dosher, B A

1998-05-01

We developed and tested a powerful method for identifying and characterizing the effect of attention on performance in visual tasks as due to signal enhancement, distractor exclusion, or internal noise suppression. Based on a noisy Perceptual Template Model (PTM) of a human observer, the method adds increasing amounts of external noise (white gaussian random noise) to the visual stimulus and observes the effect on performance of a perceptual task for attended and unattended stimuli. The three mechanisms of attention yield three "signature" patterns of performance. The general framework for characterizing the mechanisms of attention is used here to investigate the attentional mechanisms in a concurrent location-cued orientation discrimination task. Test stimuli--Gabor patches tilted slightly to the right or left--always appeared on both the left and the right of fixation, and varied independently. Observers were cued on each trial to attend to the left, the right, or evenly to both stimuli, and decide the direction of tilt of both test stimuli. For eight levels of added external noise and three attention conditions (attended, unattended, and equal), subjects' contrast threshold levels were determined. At low levels of external noise, attention affected threshold contrast: threshold contrasts for non-attended stimuli were systematically higher than for equal attention stimuli, which were, in turn, higher than for attended stimuli. Specifically, when the rms contrast of the external noise is below 10%, there is a consistent 17% elevation of contrast threshold from attended to unattended condition across all three subjects. For higher levels of external noise, attention conditions did not affect threshold contrast values at all. These strong results are characteristic of a signal enhancement, or equivalently, an internal additive noise reduction mechanism of attention.

Externalities - an analysis using the EU ExternE-results

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2003-10-01

The EU project ExternE quantified the externalities for the different energy technologies. In this work, the ExternE results are used in a MARKAL-analysis for the Nordic countries. The analysis does not go into detail, but gives some interesting indications: The external costs are not fully covered in the Nordic energy systems, the present taxes and charges are not high enough. The emissions from the energy systems would be strongly reduced, if taxes/environmental charges were set at the level ExternE calculate. The emissions from power production would be reduced most. Renewable energy sources and natural gas dominate the energy systems in the ExternE case

ExternE: Externalities of energy Vol. 1. Summary

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Holland, M.; Berry, J.

1995-01-01

There is a growing requirement for policy analysts to take account of the environment in their decision making and to undertake the specified cost-benefit analysis. Within the European Union this is reflected in the 5th Environmental Action Programme, and the Commission's White Paper entitled 'Growth, competitiveness, employment and the ways forward to the 21st century'. This has led to a need for evaluation of environmental externalities. The ExternE Project commenced in 1991 as the European part of a collaborative study between the European Commission and the US Department of Energy. It aims to be the first systematic approach to the evaluation of external costs of a wide range of different fuel cycles. The project will result in an operational accounting framework for the quantification and monetarisation of priority environmental and other externalities. This framework will allow the calculation of the marginal external costs and benefits for specific power plants, at specific sites using specified technologies. There are three major phases in the project. Phase 1 was undertaken in collaboration with the US Department of Energy. In this phase the teams jointly developed the conceptual approach and methodology and shared scientific information for application to a number of fuel cycles. On the European side work concentrated on the nuclear and coal fuel cycles which together were expected to raise many of the fundamental issues in fuel cycle analysis. The project is currently nearing completion of Phase 2. During this phase the methodology has been applied to a wide range of different fossil, nuclear and renewable fuel cycles for power generation and energy conservation options. Also a series of National Implementation Programmes is underway in which the methodology and accounting framework are being applied to reference sites throughout Europe. In addition the general methodology is being extended to address the evaluation of externalities associated with

ExternE: Externalities of energy Vol. 2. Methodology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Berry, J.; Holland, M.; Watkiss, P.

1995-01-01

This report describes the methodology used by the ExternE Project of the European Commission (DGXII) JOULE Programme for assessment of the external costs of energy. It is one of a series of reports describing analysis of nuclear, fossil and renewable fuel cycles for assessment of the externalities associated with electricity generation. Part I of the report deals with analysis of impacts, and Part II with the economic valuation of those impacts. Analysis is conducted on a marginal basis, to allow the effect of an incremental investment in a given technology to be quantified. Attention has been paid to the specificity of results with respect to the location of fuel cycle activities, the precise technologies used, and the type and source of fuel. The main advantages of this detailed approach are as follows: It takes full and proper account of the variability of impacts that might result from different power projects; It is more transparent than analysis based on hypothetically 'representative' cases for each of the different fuel cycles; It provides a framework for consistent comparison between fuel cycles. A wide variety of impacts have been considered. These include the effects of air pollution on the natural and human environment, consequences of accidents in the workplace, impacts of noise and visual intrusion on amenity, and the effects of climate change arising from the release of greenhouse gases. Wherever possible we have used the 'impact pathway' or 'damage function' approach to follow the analysis from identification of burdens (e.g. emissions) through to impact assessment and then valuation in monetary terms. This has required a detailed knowledge of the technologies involved, pollutant dispersion, analysis of effects on human and environmental health, and economics. In view of this the project brought together a multi-disciplinary team with experts from many European countries and the USA. The spatial and temporal ranges considered in the analysis are

Bursting pressure of autofrettaged cylinders with inclined external cracks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seifi, Rahman; Babalhavaeji, Majid

2012-01-01

Autofrettaging a pressure vessel improves its pressure capacity. This is reliable if there isn’t any crack or other type of flaws. In this paper, the effects of external surface cracks on bursting pressure of autofrettaged cylinders are studied. It is observed that bursting pressure decreases considerably (up to 30%) due to external cracks in the cylinders without autofrettage. This reduction increases for high levels of the applied autofrettage. External axial cracks have more effects than inclined cracks. Comparing experimental and numerical results show that the numerical methods can acceptably predict the bursting pressure of the autofrettaged cracked cylinders. These predictions are valid when the fracture parameter (J-Integral) is calculated from the modified equation that takes into account the effects of residual stresses. - Highlights: ► Modified J-Integral can be used for study of autofrettaged cracked cylinders. ► External axial cracks reduce considerably the pressure capacity of cylinders. ► External circumferential cracks have not considerable effects on bursting pressure. ► Autofrettage has contrary effects on external crack in compared with internal crack.

Ectopic external auditory canal and ossicular formation in the oculo-auriculo-vertebral spectrum

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Supakul, Nucharin [Indiana University School of Medicine, Department of Radiology, Indianapolis, IN (United States); Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, Department of Diagnostic and Therapeutic Radiology, Bangkok (Thailand); Kralik, Stephen F. [Indiana University School of Medicine, Department of Radiology, Indianapolis, IN (United States); Ho, Chang Y. [Indiana University School of Medicine, Department of Radiology, Indianapolis, IN (United States); Riley Children' s Hospital, MRI Department, Indianapolis, IN (United States)

2015-07-15

Ear abnormalities in oculo-auricular-vertebral spectrum commonly present with varying degrees of external and middle ear atresias, usually in the expected locations of the temporal bone and associated soft tissues, without ectopia of the external auditory canal. We present the unique imaging of a 4-year-old girl with right hemifacial microsomia and ectopic location of an atretic external auditory canal, terminating in a hypoplastic temporomandibular joint containing bony structures with the appearance of auditory ossicles. This finding suggests an early embryological dysfunction involving Meckel's cartilage of the first branchial arch. (orig.)

Change of magnetic properties of nanocrystalline alloys under influence of external factors

Science.gov (United States)

Sitek, Jozef; Holková, Dominika; Dekan, Julius; Novák, Patrik

2016-10-01

Nanocrystalline (Fe3Ni1)81Nb7B12 alloys were irradiated using different types of radiation and subsequently studied by Mössbauer spectroscopy. External magnetic field of 0.5 T, electron-beam irradiation up to 4 MGy, neutron irradiation up to 1017 neutrons/cm2 and irradiation with Cu ions were applied on the samples. All types of external factors had an influence on the magnetic microstructure manifested as a change in the direction of the net magnetic moment, intensity of the internal magnetic field and volumetric fraction of the constituent phases. The direction of the net magnetic moment was the most sensitive parameter. Changes of the microscopic magnetic parameters were compared after different external influence and results of nanocrystalline samples were compared with their amorphous precursors.

Study of the strength of the internal can for internally and externally cooled fuel elements intended for gas graphite reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boudouresque, B.; Courcon, P.; Lestiboubois, G.

1964-01-01

The cartridge of an internally and externally cooled annular fuel element used in gas-graphite reactors is made up of an uranium fuel tube, an external can and an internal can made of magnesium alloy. For the thermal exchange between the internal can and the fuel to be satisfactory, it is necessary for the can to stay in contact with the uranium under all temperature conditions. This report, based on a theoretical study, shows how the internal can fuel gap varies during the processes of canning, charging into the reactor and thermal cycling. The following parameters are considered: tube diameter, pressure of the heat carrying gas, gas entry temperature, plasticity of the can alloy. It is shown that for all operating conditions the internal can of a 77 x 95 element, planned for a gas-graphite reactor with a 40 kg/cm 2 gas pressure, should remain in contact with the fuel. (authors) [fr

A study of risk evaluation methodology selection for the external hazards

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuramoto, Takahiro; Yamaguchi, Akira; Narumiya, Yosiyuki

2014-01-01

Since the accident at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake in March 2011, there has been growing demands for assessing the effects of external hazards, including natural events, such as earthquake and tsunami, and external human behaviors, and taking actions to address those external hazards. The newly established Japanese regulatory requirements claim design considerations associated with external hazards. The primary objective of the risk assessment for external hazards is to establish countermeasures against such hazards rather than grasping the risk figures. Therefore, applying detailed risk assessment methods, such as probabilistic risk assessment (PRA), to all the external hazards is not always the most appropriate. Risk assessment methods can vary in types including qualitative evaluation, hazard analysis (analyzing hazard frequencies or their influence), and margin assessment. To resolve these issues, a process has been established that enables us to identify the external hazards in a comprehensive and systematic manner, which have potential risks leading to core damage and to select an appropriate evaluation method according to the risks associated with each of the external hazards. This paper discusses the comprehensive and systematic identification process for the external hazards which have potential risks leading to core damage, and the approaches of selecting an appropriate evaluation method for each external hazard. This paper also describes some applications of specific risk evaluation methods. (author)

Effect of Ovality on Maximum External Pressure of Helically Coiled Steam Generator Tubes with a Rectangular Wear

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shin, Dong In; Lim, Eun Mo; Huh, Nam Su [Seoul National Univ. of Science and Technology, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Choi, Shin Beom; Yu, Je Yong; Kim, Ji Ho; Choi, Suhn [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2013-10-15

A structural integrity of steam generator tubes of nuclear power plants is one of crucial parameters for safe operation of nuclear power plants. Thus, many studies have been made to provide engineering methods to assess integrity of defective tubes of commercial nuclear power plants considering its operating environments and defect characteristics. As described above, the geometric and operating conditions of steam generator tubes in integral reactor are significantly different from those of commercial reactor. Therefore, the structural integrity assessment of defective tubes of integral reactor taking into account its own operating conditions and geometric characteristics, i. e., external pressure and helically coiled shape, should be made to demonstrate compliance with the current design criteria. Also, ovality is very specific characteristics of the helically coiled tube because it is occurred during the coiling processes. The wear, occurring from FIV (Flow Induced Vibration) and so on, is main degradation of steam generator tube. In the present study, maximum external pressure of helically coiled steam generator tube with wear is predicted based on the detailed 3-dimensional finite element analysis. As for shape of wear defect, the rectangular shape is considered. In particular, the effect of ovality on the maximum external pressure of helically coiled tubes with rectangular shaped wear is investigated. In the present work, the maximum external pressure of helically coiled steam generator tube with rectangular shaped wear is investigated via detailed 3-D FE analyses. In order to cover a practical range of geometries for defective tube, the variables affecting the maximum external pressure were systematically varied. In particular, the effect of tube ovality on the maximum external pressure is evaluated. It is expected that the present results can be used as a technical backgrounds for establishing a practical structural integrity assessment guideline of

External costs related to power production technologies. ExternE national implementation for Denmark

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schleisner, L; Sieverts Nielsen, P [eds.

1997-12-01

The objective of the ExternE National Implementation project has been to establish a comprehensive and comparable set of data on externalities of power generation for all EU member states and Norway. The tasks include the application of the ExternE methodology to the most important fuel cycles for each country as well as to update the already existing results, to aggregate these site- and technology-specific results to more general figures. The current report covers the detailed information concerning the ExternE methodology. Importance is attached to the computer system used in the project and the assessment of air pollution effects on health, materials and ecological effects. Also the assessment of global warming damages are described. Finally the report covers the detailed information concerning the national implementation for Denmark for an offshore wind farm and a wind farm on land, a decentralised CHP plant based on natural gas and a decentralised CHP plant base on biogas. (au) EU-JOULE 3. 79 tabs., 11 ills., 201 refs.

External costs related to power production technologies. ExternE national implementation for Denmark

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schleisner, L.; Sieverts Nielsen, P.

1997-12-01

The objective of the ExternE National Implementation project has been to establish a comprehensive and comparable set of data on externalities of power generation for all EU member states and Norway. The tasks include the application of the ExternE methodology to the most important fuel cycles for each country as well as to update the already existing results, to aggregate these site- and technology-specific results to more general figures. The current report covers the detailed information concerning the ExternE methodology. Importance is attached to the computer system used in the project and the assessment of air pollution effects on health, materials and ecological effects. Also the assessment of global warming damages are described. Finally the report covers the detailed information concerning the national implementation for Denmark for an offshore wind farm and a wind farm on land, a decentralised CHP plant based on natural gas and a decentralised CHP plant base on biogas. (au) EU-JOULE 3. 79 tabs., 11 ills., 201 refs

Improved External Base Resistance Extraction for Submicrometer InP/InGaAs DHBT Models

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Johansen, Tom Keinicke; Krozer, Viktor; Nodjiadjim, Virginie

2011-01-01

An improved direct parameter extraction method is proposed for III–V heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT) external base resistance $R_{\\rm bx}$ extraction from forward active $S$-parameters. The method is formulated taking into account the current dependence of the intrinsic base–collector cap......An improved direct parameter extraction method is proposed for III–V heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT) external base resistance $R_{\\rm bx}$ extraction from forward active $S$-parameters. The method is formulated taking into account the current dependence of the intrinsic base...... factor given as the ratio of the emitter to the collector area. The determination of the parameters $I_{p}$ and $X_{0}$ from experimental $S$-parameters is described. The method is applied to high-speed submicrometer InP/InGaAs DHBT devices and leads to small-signal equivalent circuit models, which...

Study of the strength of the internal can for internally and externally cooled fuel elements intended for gas graphite reactors; Etude de la tenue de la gaine interne pour-element combustible a refroidissement interne et externe d'un reacteur graphite-gaz

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Boudouresque, B; Courcon, P; Lestiboubois, G [Commissariat a l' Energie Atomique, Saclay (France). Centre d' Etudes Nucleaires

1964-07-01

The cartridge of an internally and externally cooled annular fuel element used in gas-graphite reactors is made up of an uranium fuel tube, an external can and an internal can made of magnesium alloy. For the thermal exchange between the internal can and the fuel to be satisfactory, it is necessary for the can to stay in contact with the uranium under all temperature conditions. This report, based on a theoretical study, shows how the internal can fuel gap varies during the processes of canning, charging into the reactor and thermal cycling. The following parameters are considered: tube diameter, pressure of the heat carrying gas, gas entry temperature, plasticity of the can alloy. It is shown that for all operating conditions the internal can of a 77 x 95 element, planned for a gas-graphite reactor with a 40 kg/cm{sup 2} gas pressure, should remain in contact with the fuel. (authors) [French] La cartouche d'un element combustible annulaire, a refroidissement interne et externe pour reacteur graphite-gaz, est composee d'un tube combustible en uranium, d'une gaine externe et d'une gaine interne en alliage de magnesium. Pour que l'echange thermique entre la gaine interne et le combustible soit bon, il faut que la gaine reste appliquee sur l'uranium quel que soit le regime de temperature. Cette note a pour but de montrer comment, d'apres une etude theorique, le jeu combustible-gaine interne varie au cours des operations de gainage, de chargement dans le reacteur, et des cyclages thermiques. Les parametres suivants sont etudies: diametres de tube, pression du gaz caloporteur, temperature d'entree du gaz, plasticite de l'alliage de gaine. Il est montre que, quel que soit le regime de fonctionnement, la gaine interne d'un element 77 x 95, en projet pour un reacteur graphite-gaz sous pression de 40 kg/cm{sup 2}, doit rester appliquee sur le combustible. (auteurs)

Enhancing damping of gas bearings using linear parameter-varying control

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Theisen, Lukas Roy Svane; Niemann, Hans Henrik; Galeazzi, Roberto

2017-01-01

systems to regulate the injection pressure of the fluid. Due to the strong dependencies of system performance on system parameters, the sought controller should be robust over a large range of operational conditions. This paper addresses the damping enhancement of controllable gas bearings through robust...... control approaches. Through an extensive experimental campaign the paper evaluates two robust controllers, a linear parametervarying (LPV) controller and ∞ controller, on their capability to guarantee stability and performance of a gas bearing across the large operational envelopes in rotational speed...

External kinks in plasmas with helical boundary deformation and net toroidal current

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ardelea, A. [Ecole Polytechnique Federale, Lausanne (Switzerland). Centre de Recherche en Physique des Plasma (CRPP)

1997-11-01

The investigation of the global ideal magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) stability of plasmas with helical boundary shape and nonvanishing toroidal plasma current constitutes the principal aim of this work. Global external modes with small values of m,n (typically n = 1,2,3 and m = n+1) are studied, where m and n are the poloidal and toroidal mode numbers, respectively. The first and main part of the work concentrates on fixed boundary equilibria generated by systematically varying parameters such as the type and the magnitude of the boundary deformation, the number of equilibrium field periods N{sub per}, the aspect ratio, the toroidal current density profile, {beta} and the pressure profile. Due to the periodicity of the equilibrium, couplings between Fourier perturbation components with different toroidal mode numbers n occur and lead to the apparition of families of modes. The study of a particular (m,n) mode has to take into account all (m{sub l}, n{sub l}) perturbation components with n{sub 1} belonging to the same family as n. The stability analysis is carried out in the parameter region where the inverse rotational transform (the safety factor in the traditional tokamak notation) q{<=}2.0 and {beta}{<=}2%. A particular property of the configurations investigated is that equilibrium Fourier components (m{sub e}, N{sub per}n{sub e}) which are involved in the couplings between the (m,n) mode studied and the (m{sub k},n{sub k}) perturbation components with m{sub k}>n{sub k}>n that exhibit resonances in the q>1 region are very small. As a consequence, the contributions of the (m,n)x(m{sub k},n{sub k}) couplings to the potential energy are very weak. It is shown that a helical boundary deformation can stabilize the n=1,2,3 external modes; if {delta} is a measure of the plasma boundary deformation, then windows of stability [{delta}{sub min}, {delta}{sub max}] may exist for a large variety of equilibrium parameters. (author) figs., tabs., 44 refs.

Robust automatic control system of vessel descent-rise device for plant with distributed parameters “cable – towed underwater vehicle”

Science.gov (United States)

Chupina, K. V.; Kataev, E. V.; Khannanov, A. M.; Korshunov, V. N.; Sennikov, I. A.

2018-05-01

The paper is devoted to a problem of synthesis of the robust control system for a distributed parameters plant. The vessel descent-rise device has a heave compensation function for stabilization of the towed underwater vehicle on a set depth. A sea state code, parameters of the underwater vehicle and cable vary during underwater operations, the vessel heave is a stochastic process. It means that the plant and external disturbances have uncertainty. That is why it is necessary to use the robust theory for synthesis of an automatic control system, but without use of traditional methods of optimization, because this cable has distributed parameters. The offered technique has allowed one to design an effective control system for stabilization of immersion depth of the towed underwater vehicle for various degrees of sea roughness and to provide its robustness to deviations of parameters of the vehicle and cable’s length.

Automatic Planning of External Search Engine Optimization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vita Jasevičiūtė

2015-07-01

Full Text Available This paper describes an investigation of the external search engine optimization (SEO action planning tool, dedicated to automatically extract a small set of most important keywords for each month during whole year period. The keywords in the set are extracted accordingly to external measured parameters, such as average number of searches during the year and for every month individually. Additionally the position of the optimized web site for each keyword is taken into account. The generated optimization plan is similar to the optimization plans prepared manually by the SEO professionals and can be successfully used as a support tool for web site search engine optimization.

Free-space QKD system hacking by wavelength control using an external laser.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Min Soo; Woo, Min Ki; Jung, Jisung; Kim, Yong-Su; Han, Sang-Wook; Moon, Sung

2017-05-15

We develop a way to hack free-space quantum key distribution (QKD) systems by changing the wavelength of the quantum signal laser using an external laser. Most free-space QKD systems use four distinct lasers for each polarization, thereby making the characteristics of each laser indistinguishable. We also discover a side-channel that can distinguish the lasers by using an external laser. Our hacking scheme identifies the lasers by automatically applying the external laser to each signal laser at different intensities and detecting the wavelength variation according to the amount of incident external laser power. We conduct a proof-of-principle experiment to verify the proposed hacking structure and confirm that the wavelength varies by several gigahertzes to several nanometers, depending on the intensity of the external laser. The risk of hacking is successfully proven through the experimental results. Methods for prevention are also suggested.

Parameter identification in a nonlinear nuclear reactor model using quasilinearization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barreto, J.M.; Martins Neto, A.F.; Tanomaru, N.

1980-09-01

Parameter identification in a nonlinear, lumped parameter, nuclear reactor model is carried out using discrete output power measurements during the transient caused by an external reactivity change. In order to minimize the difference between the model and the reactor power responses, the parameter promt neutron generation time and a parameter in fuel temperature reactivity coefficient equation are adjusted using quasilinearization. The influences of the external reactivity disturbance, the number and frequency of measurements and the measurement noise level on the method accuracy and rate of convergence are analysed through simulation. Procedures for the design of the identification experiments are suggested. The method proved to be very effective for low level noise measurements. (Author) [pt

H ∞ synchronization of the coronary artery system with input time-varying delay

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Xiao-Meng; Zhao Zhan-Shan; Sun Lian-Kun; Zhang Jing

2016-01-01

This paper investigates the H ∞ synchronization of the coronary artery system with input delay and disturbance. We focus on reducing the conservatism of existing synchronization strategies. Base on the triple integral forms of the Lyapunov–Krasovskii functional (LKF), we utilize single and double integral forms of Wirtinger-based inequality to guarantee that the synchronization feedback controller has good performance against time-varying delay and external disturbance. The effectiveness of our strategy can be exhibited by simulations under the different time-varying delays and different disturbances. (paper)

Simulation studies on the effect of a buffer layer on the external ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Wintec

parameters of hydrogenated amorphous silicon p–i–n solar cells ... of a buffer layer in between the p- and i-layers of the p–i–n solar cell on the external parameters such as dark .... H 1988 Photovoltaic specialist conference, in Conference re-.

Externalities of fuel cycles 'ExternE' project. Summary report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Holland, M.; Berry, J.

1994-01-01

There is a growing requirement for policy analysts to take account of the environment in their decision making and to undertake the specified cost-benefit analysis. Within the European Union this is reflected in the 5th Environmental Action Programme, and the Commission's White Paper entitled 'Growth, competitiveness, employment and the ways forward to the 21st century'. This has led to a need for evaluation of environmental externalities. The ExternE Project commenced in 1991 as the European part of a collaborative study between the European Commission and the US Department of Energy. It aims to be the first systematic approach to the evaluation of external costs of a wide range of different fuel cycles. The project will result in an operational accounting framework for the quantification and monetarisation of priority environmental and other externalities. This framework will allow the calculation of the marginal external costs and benefits for specific power plants, at specific sites using specified technologies. There are three major phases in the project. Phase I was undertaken in collaboration with the US Department of Energy. In this phase the teams jointly developed the conceptual approach and methodology and shared scientific information for application to a number of fuel cycles. On the European side work concentrated on the nuclear and coal fuel cycles which together were expected to raise many of the fundamental issues in fuel cycle analysis. The project is currently nearing completion of Phase 2. During this phase the methodology has been applied to a wide range of different fossil, nuclear and renewable fuel cycles for power generation and energy conservation options. Also a series of National Implementation Programmes are underway in which the methodology and accounting framework are being applied to reference sites throughout Europe. In addition the general methodology is being extended to address the evaluation of externalities associated with

Bursting pressure of autofrettaged cylinders with inclined external cracks

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Seifi, Rahman, E-mail: rseifi@basu.ac.ir [Mechanical Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Bu-Ali Sina University, Hamedan (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Babalhavaeji, Majid [Mechanical Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Bu-Ali Sina University, Hamedan (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

2012-01-15

Autofrettaging a pressure vessel improves its pressure capacity. This is reliable if there isn't any crack or other type of flaws. In this paper, the effects of external surface cracks on bursting pressure of autofrettaged cylinders are studied. It is observed that bursting pressure decreases considerably (up to 30%) due to external cracks in the cylinders without autofrettage. This reduction increases for high levels of the applied autofrettage. External axial cracks have more effects than inclined cracks. Comparing experimental and numerical results show that the numerical methods can acceptably predict the bursting pressure of the autofrettaged cracked cylinders. These predictions are valid when the fracture parameter (J-Integral) is calculated from the modified equation that takes into account the effects of residual stresses. - Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Modified J-Integral can be used for study of autofrettaged cracked cylinders. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer External axial cracks reduce considerably the pressure capacity of cylinders. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer External circumferential cracks have not considerable effects on bursting pressure. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Autofrettage has contrary effects on external crack in compared with internal crack.

Linear parameter-varying modeling and control of the steam temperature in a Canadian SCWR

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sun, Peiwei, E-mail: sunpeiwei@mail.xjtu.edu.cn; Zhang, Jianmin; Su, Guanghui

2017-03-15

Highlights: • Nonlinearity of Canadian SCWR is analyzed based on step responses and Nyquist plots. • LPV model is derived through Jacobian linearization and curve fitting. • An output feedback H{sub ∞} controller is synthesized for the steam temperature. • The control performance is evaluated by step disturbances and wide range operation. • The controller can stabilize the system and reject the reactor power disturbance. - Abstract: The Canadian direct-cycle Supercritical Water-cooled Reactor (SCWR) is a pressure-tube type SCWR under development in Canada. The dynamics of the steam temperature have a high degree of nonlinearity and are highly sensitive to reactor power disturbances. Traditional gain scheduling control cannot theoretically guarantee stability for all operating regions. The control performance can also be deteriorated when the controllers are switched. In this paper, a linear parameter-varying (LPV) strategy is proposed to solve such problems. Jacobian linearization and curve fitting are applied to derive the LPV model, which is verified using a nonlinear dynamic model and determined to be sufficiently accurate for control studies. An output feedback H{sub ∞} controller is synthesized to stabilize the steam temperature system and reject reactor power disturbances. The LPV steam temperature controller is implemented using a nonlinear dynamic model, and step changes in the setpoints and typical load patterns are carried out in the testing process. It is demonstrated through numerical simulation that the LPV controller not only stabilizes the steam temperature under different disturbances but also efficiently rejects reactor power disturbances and suppresses the steam temperature variation at different power levels. The LPV approach is effective in solving control problems of the steam temperature in the Canadian SCWR.

Influence of Weak External Magnetic Field on Amorphous and Nanocrystalline Fe-based Alloys

Science.gov (United States)

Degmová, J.; Sitek, J.

2010-07-01

Nanoperm, Hitperm and Finamet amorphous and nanocrystalline alloys were measured by Mössbauer spectrometry in a weak external magnetic field of 0.5 T. It was shown that the most sensitive parameters of Mössbauer spectra are the intensities of the 2nd and the 5th lines. Rather small changes were observed also in the case of internal magnetic field values. The spectrum of nanocrystalline Nanoperm showed the increase in A23 parameter (ratio of line intensities) from 2.4 to 3.7 and decrease of internal magnetic field from 20 to 19 T for amorphous subspectrum under the influence of magnetic field. Spectrum of nanocrystalline Finemet shown decrease in A23 parameter from 3.5 to 2.6 almost without a change in the internal magnetic field value. In the case of amorphous Nanoperm and Finemet samples, the changes are almost negligible. Hitperm alloy showed the highest sensitivity to the weak magnetic field, when the A23 parameter increased from 0.4 to 2.5 in the external magnetic fields. The A23 parameter of crystalline subspectrum increased from 2.7 to 3.8 and the value of internal magnetic field corresponding to amorphous subspectrum increased from 22 to 24 T. The behavior of nanocrystalline alloys under weak external magnetic field was analyzed within the three-level relaxation model of magnetic dynamics in an assembly of single-domain particles.

Does external technology acquisition determine export performance? Evidence from Chinese manufacturing firms

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wang, Yuandi; Cao, Wei; Zhou, Zhao

2013-01-01

understanding of the determinants of export performance by examining the impact of the inter-organizational dimension of innovation strategy to export performance, which has been ignored in the prevailing “strategy tripod” perspective of exporting research. This study is based on a sample of 141 Chinese...... indigenous manufacturing firms that engaged in inward technology licensing between 2000 and 2003. The empirical results indicate that external technology acquisitions positively influence Chinese firms’ export performance. Moreover the exporting performance of using external technology varies depending...

The role of reverberation-related binaural cues in the externalization of speech

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Catic, Jasmina; Santurette, Sébastien; Dau, Torsten

2015-01-01

The perception of externalization of speech sounds was investigated with respect to the monaural and binaural cues available at the listeners’ ears in a reverberant environment. Individualized binaural room impulse responses (BRIRs) were used to simulate externalized sound sources via headphones....... The measured BRIRs were subsequently modified such that the proportion of the response containing binaural vs monaural information was varied. Normal-hearing listeners were presented with speech sounds convolved with such modified BRIRs. Monaural reverberation cues were found to be sufficient...

Influence of AC external magnetic field on guidance force relaxation between HTS bulk and NdFeB guideway

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang Longcai [Applied Superconductivity Laboratory, P.O. Box 152, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610031 (China)], E-mail: zhlcai2000@163.com; Wang Suyu; Wang Jiasu; Zheng Jun [Applied Superconductivity Laboratory, P.O. Box 152, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610031 (China)

2007-12-01

Superconducting maglev vehicle is one of the most promising applications of HTS bulks. In such a system, the HTS bulks are always exposed to time-varying external magnetic field, which is generated by the inhomogeneous surface magnetic field of the NdFeB guideway. So it is required to study whether the guidance force of the bulks is influenced by the inhomogeneity. In this paper, we studied the characteristics of the guidance force relaxation between the HTS bulk and the NdFeB guideway by an experiment in which AC external magnetic field generated by an electromagnet was used to simulate the time-varying external magnetic field caused by the inhomogeneity of the guideway. From the experiment results, it was found that the guidance force was decreased with the application of the AC external magnetic field, and the decay increased with the amplitude and was almost independent of the frequency.

Identifying crucial parameter correlations maintaining bursting activity.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anca Doloc-Mihu

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Recent experimental and computational studies suggest that linearly correlated sets of parameters (intrinsic and synaptic properties of neurons allow central pattern-generating networks to produce and maintain their rhythmic activity regardless of changing internal and external conditions. To determine the role of correlated conductances in the robust maintenance of functional bursting activity, we used our existing database of half-center oscillator (HCO model instances of the leech heartbeat CPG. From the database, we identified functional activity groups of burster (isolated neuron and half-center oscillator model instances and realistic subgroups of each that showed burst characteristics (principally period and spike frequency similar to the animal. To find linear correlations among the conductance parameters maintaining functional leech bursting activity, we applied Principal Component Analysis (PCA to each of these four groups. PCA identified a set of three maximal conductances (leak current, [Formula: see text]Leak; a persistent K current, [Formula: see text]K2; and of a persistent Na+ current, [Formula: see text]P that correlate linearly for the two groups of burster instances but not for the HCO groups. Visualizations of HCO instances in a reduced space suggested that there might be non-linear relationships between these parameters for these instances. Experimental studies have shown that period is a key attribute influenced by modulatory inputs and temperature variations in heart interneurons. Thus, we explored the sensitivity of period to changes in maximal conductances of [Formula: see text]Leak, [Formula: see text]K2, and [Formula: see text]P, and we found that for our realistic bursters the effect of these parameters on period could not be assessed because when varied individually bursting activity was not maintained.

External costs of energy - do the answers match the questions? Looking back at 10 years of ExternE

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krewitt, W.

2002-01-01

While the claim for 'getting prices right' is quite popular in conceptual policy papers, the implementation of appropriate internalisation strategies is still hampered by a lack of reliable external cost data. Great expectations were set into the ExternE project, a major research programme launched by the European Commission at the beginning of the 1990s to provide a scientific basis for the quantification of energy related externalities and to give guidance supporting the design of internalisation measures. After more than a decade of research, the ExternE label became a well recognised standard source for external cost data. Looking back into the ExternE history, the paper pursues how emerging new scientific insights and changing background assumptions affected external cost estimates and related recommendations to policy over time. Based on ExternE results, the usefulness and inherent limitations of external cost estimates for impact categories like climate change or nuclear waste disposal is discussed. The paper also gives examples on how external costs in spite of remaining uncertainties are successfully used to support environmental policy. (Author)

The Analytical Potential Energy Function of NH Radical Molecule in External Electric Field

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu Dong-Lan; Tan Bin; Wan Hui-Jun; Xie An-Dong; Ding Da-Jun

2015-01-01

The geometric structures of an NH radical in different external electric fields are optimized by using the density functional B3P86/cc-PV5Z method, and the bond lengths, dipole moments, vibration frequencies and IR spectrum are obtained. The potential energy curves are gained by the CCSD (T) method with the same basis set. These results indicate that the physical property parameters and potential energy curves may change with the external electric field, especially in the reverse direction electric field. The potential energy function of zero field is fitted by the Morse potential, and the fitting parameters are in good accordance with the experimental data. The potential energy functions of different external electric fields are fitted adopting the constructed potential model. The fitted critical dissociation electric parameters are shown to be consistent with the numerical calculation, and the relative errors are only 0.27% and 6.61%, hence the constructed model is reliable and accurate. The present results provide an important reference for further study of the molecular spectrum, dynamics and molecular cooling with Stark effect. (paper)

The role of reverberation-related binaural cues in the externalization of speech.

Science.gov (United States)

Catic, Jasmina; Santurette, Sébastien; Dau, Torsten

2015-08-01

The perception of externalization of speech sounds was investigated with respect to the monaural and binaural cues available at the listeners' ears in a reverberant environment. Individualized binaural room impulse responses (BRIRs) were used to simulate externalized sound sources via headphones. The measured BRIRs were subsequently modified such that the proportion of the response containing binaural vs monaural information was varied. Normal-hearing listeners were presented with speech sounds convolved with such modified BRIRs. Monaural reverberation cues were found to be sufficient for the externalization of a lateral sound source. In contrast, for a frontal source, an increased amount of binaural cues from reflections was required in order to obtain well externalized sound images. It was demonstrated that the interaction between the interaural cues of the direct sound and the reverberation strongly affects the perception of externalization. An analysis of the short-term binaural cues showed that the amount of fluctuations of the binaural cues corresponded well to the externalization ratings obtained in the listening tests. The results further suggested that the precedence effect is involved in the auditory processing of the dynamic binaural cues that are utilized for externalization perception.

Image denoising by exploring external and internal correlations.

Science.gov (United States)

Yue, Huanjing; Sun, Xiaoyan; Yang, Jingyu; Wu, Feng

2015-06-01

Single image denoising suffers from limited data collection within a noisy image. In this paper, we propose a novel image denoising scheme, which explores both internal and external correlations with the help of web images. For each noisy patch, we build internal and external data cubes by finding similar patches from the noisy and web images, respectively. We then propose reducing noise by a two-stage strategy using different filtering approaches. In the first stage, since the noisy patch may lead to inaccurate patch selection, we propose a graph based optimization method to improve patch matching accuracy in external denoising. The internal denoising is frequency truncation on internal cubes. By combining the internal and external denoising patches, we obtain a preliminary denoising result. In the second stage, we propose reducing noise by filtering of external and internal cubes, respectively, on transform domain. In this stage, the preliminary denoising result not only enhances the patch matching accuracy but also provides reliable estimates of filtering parameters. The final denoising image is obtained by fusing the external and internal filtering results. Experimental results show that our method constantly outperforms state-of-the-art denoising schemes in both subjective and objective quality measurements, e.g., it achieves >2 dB gain compared with BM3D at a wide range of noise levels.

Influence of external magnetic field on parameters of surface two-focus spin-wave ferromagnetic lens

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reshetnyak, S.A.; Berezhinskij, A.S.

2012-01-01

The influence of external magnetic field on refraction of surface spin wave propagating through inhomogeneity created in the form of a lens, that is a biaxial ferromagnet placed into uniaxial ferromagnetic medium, is studied.

Artificial neural network modeling of DDGS flowability with varying process and storage parameters

Science.gov (United States)

Neural Network (NN) modeling techniques were used to predict flowability behavior in distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) prepared with varying CDS (10, 15, and 20%, wb), drying temperature (100, 200, and 300°C), cooling temperature (-12, 0, and 35°C) and cooling time (0 and 1 month) levels....

Manipulation of cells' position across a microfluidic channel using a series of continuously varying herringbone structures

Science.gov (United States)

Jung, Yugyung; Hyun, Ji-chul; Choi, Jongchan; Atajanov, Arslan; Yang, Sung

2017-12-01

Controlling cells' movement is an important technique in biological analysis that is performed within a microfluidic system. Many external forces are utilized for manipulation of cells, including their position in the channel. These forces can effectively control cells in a desired manner. Most of techniques used to manipulate cells require sophisticated set-ups and equipment to generate desired effect. The exception to this is the use of hydrodynamic force. In this study, a series of continuously varying herringbone structures is proposed for positioning cells in a microfluidic channel using hydrodynamic force. This structure was experimentally developed by changing parameters, such as the length of the herringbone's apex, the length of the herringbone's base and the ratio of the height of the flat channel to the height of the herringbone structure. Results of this study, have demonstrated that the length of the herringbone's apex and the ratio of the heights of the flat channel and the herringbone structure were crucial parameters influencing positioning of cells at 100 μl/h flow rate. The final design was fixed at 170 and 80 μm for the length of herringbone's apex and the length of herringbone's base, respectively. The average position of cells in this device was 34 μm away from the side wall in a 200 μm wide channel. Finally, to substantiate a practical application of the herringbone structure for positioning, cells were randomly introduced into a microfluidic device, containing an array of trapping structures together with a series of herringbone structures along the channel. The cells were moved toward the trapping structure by the herringbone structure and the trapping efficiency was increased. Therefore, it is anticipated that this device will be utilized to continuously control cells' position without application of external forces.

Cavity parameters identification for TESLA control system development

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Czarski, T.; Pozniak, K.T.; Romaniuk, R.S. [Warsaw Univ. of Technology (Poland). ELHEP Lab., ISE; Simrock, S. [Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), Hamburg (Germany)

2005-07-01

The control system modeling for the TESLA - TeV-Energy Superconducting Linear Accelerator project has been developed for the efficient stabilization of the pulsed, accelerating EM field of the resonator. The cavity parameters identification is an essential task for the comprehensive control algorithm. The TESLA cavity simulator has been successfully implemented by applying very high speed FPGA - Field Programmable Gate Array technology. The electromechanical model of the cavity resonator includes the basic features - Lorentz force detuning and beam loading. The parameters identification bases on the electrical model of the cavity. The model is represented by the state space equation for the envelope of the cavity voltage driven by the current generator and the beam loading. For a given model structure, the over-determined matrix equation is created covering the long enough measurement range with the solution according to the least squares method. A low degree polynomial approximation is applied to estimate the time-varying cavity detuning during the pulse. The measurement channel distortion is considered, leading to the external cavity model seen by the controller. The comprehensive algorithm of the cavity parameters identification has been implemented in the Matlab system with different modes of the operation. Some experimental results have been presented for different cavity operational conditions. The following considerations have lead to the synthesis of the efficient algorithm for the cavity control system predicted for the potential FPGA technology implementation. (orig.)

Cavity parameters identification for TESLA control system development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Czarski, T.; Pozniak, K.T.; Romaniuk, R.S.

2005-01-01

The control system modeling for the TESLA - TeV-Energy Superconducting Linear Accelerator project has been developed for the efficient stabilization of the pulsed, accelerating EM field of the resonator. The cavity parameters identification is an essential task for the comprehensive control algorithm. The TESLA cavity simulator has been successfully implemented by applying very high speed FPGA - Field Programmable Gate Array technology. The electromechanical model of the cavity resonator includes the basic features - Lorentz force detuning and beam loading. The parameters identification bases on the electrical model of the cavity. The model is represented by the state space equation for the envelope of the cavity voltage driven by the current generator and the beam loading. For a given model structure, the over-determined matrix equation is created covering the long enough measurement range with the solution according to the least squares method. A low degree polynomial approximation is applied to estimate the time-varying cavity detuning during the pulse. The measurement channel distortion is considered, leading to the external cavity model seen by the controller. The comprehensive algorithm of the cavity parameters identification has been implemented in the Matlab system with different modes of the operation. Some experimental results have been presented for different cavity operational conditions. The following considerations have lead to the synthesis of the efficient algorithm for the cavity control system predicted for the potential FPGA technology implementation. (orig.)

Influence of internal and external boundary conditions on the decrement factor and time lag heat flux of building walls in steady periodic regime

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mazzeo, D.; Oliveti, G.; Arcuri, N.

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Dynamic behaviour of building walls subjected to sinusoidal and actual loadings. • The joint action of more temperature and heat flux loadings has been considered. • Dynamic parameters were defined by the internal and external fluctuating heat flux. • Use of the Total Harmonic Distortion to determine the number of harmonics required. • Study of the influence of external and internal loadings on dynamic parameters. - Abstract: The dynamic behaviour of opaque components of the building envelope in steady periodic regime is investigated using parameters defined by the fluctuating heat flux that is transferred in the wall. The use of the heat flux allows for the joint action of the loadings that characterise both the outdoor environment and the indoor air-conditioned environment to be taken into account. The analysis was developed in sinusoidal conditions to determine the frequency response of the wall and in non-sinusoidal conditions to identify the actual dynamic behaviour of the wall. The use of non-dimensional periodic thermal transmittance is proposed for the sinusoidal analysis in order to evaluate the decrement factor and the time lag that the heat flux undergoes in crossing the wall as well as the efficiency of heat storage. In the presence of non-sinusoidal loadings, the identification of the dynamic behaviour of the wall is obtained using several dynamic parameters: the decrement factor in terms of energy, defined as the ratio between the energy in a semi-period entering and exiting the wall; the decrement factor and the time lag in terms of heat flux, considering the maximum peak and the minimum peak. These parameters allow for the identification of how the form of the heat flux trend crossing the wall is modified. The number of harmonics to be considered for an accurate representation of heat fluxes is determined by means of the introduction of the Total Harmonic Distortion (THD), which quantifies the distortion of a non

Identification of Time-Varying Pilot Control Behavior in Multi-Axis Control Tasks

Science.gov (United States)

Zaal, Peter M. T.; Sweet, Barbara T.

2012-01-01

Recent developments in fly-by-wire control architectures for rotorcraft have introduced new interest in the identification of time-varying pilot control behavior in multi-axis control tasks. In this paper a maximum likelihood estimation method is used to estimate the parameters of a pilot model with time-dependent sigmoid functions to characterize time-varying human control behavior. An experiment was performed by 9 general aviation pilots who had to perform a simultaneous roll and pitch control task with time-varying aircraft dynamics. In 8 different conditions, the axis containing the time-varying dynamics and the growth factor of the dynamics were varied, allowing for an analysis of the performance of the estimation method when estimating time-dependent parameter functions. In addition, a detailed analysis of pilots adaptation to the time-varying aircraft dynamics in both the roll and pitch axes could be performed. Pilot control behavior in both axes was significantly affected by the time-varying aircraft dynamics in roll and pitch, and by the growth factor. The main effect was found in the axis that contained the time-varying dynamics. However, pilot control behavior also changed over time in the axis not containing the time-varying aircraft dynamics. This indicates that some cross coupling exists in the perception and control processes between the roll and pitch axes.

Early risk pathways to physical versus relational peer aggression: The interplay of externalizing behavior and corporal punishment varies by child sex.

Science.gov (United States)

Zulauf, Courtney A; Sokolovsky, Alexander W; Grabell, Adam S; Olson, Sheryl L

2018-03-01

Children who aggress against their peers may use physical or relational forms, yet little research has looked at early childhood risk factors and characteristics that uniquely predict high levels of relational versus physical aggression in preadolescence. Accordingly, the main aim of our study was to link early corporal punishment and externalizing behavior to children's physical and relational peer aggression during preadolescence and to examine how these pathways differed by sex. Participants were 193, 3-year-old boys (39%) and girls who were reassessed following the transition to kindergarten (5.5 years) and preadolescence (10.5 years). A series of autoregressive, cross-lagged path analyses were conducted to examine the relationships between child externalizing problems and corporal punishment at ages 3 and 5.5 years, and their association with physical and relational aggression at age 10.5. Multiple group analysis was used to determine whether pathways differed by sex. Three developmental pathways were identified: (i) direct associations between stable childhood externalizing problems and later physical aggression; (ii) a direct pathway from early corporal punishment to preadolescent relational and physical peer aggression; and (iii) an indirect pathway from early corporal punishment to later physical aggression via continuing externalizing problems in middle childhood. Child sex moderated the nature of these pathways, as well as the direction of association between risk and outcome variables. These data advance our understanding of the etiology of distinct forms of peer aggression and highlight the potential for more efficacious prevention and intervention efforts in the early childhood years. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Does External Funding Help Adaptation? Evidence from Community-Based Water Management in the Colombian Andes

Science.gov (United States)

Murtinho, Felipe; Eakin, Hallie; López-Carr, David; Hayes, Tanya M.

2013-11-01

Despite debate regarding whether, and in what form, communities need external support for adaptation to environmental change, few studies have examined how external funding impacts adaptation decisions in rural resource-dependent communities. In this article, we use quantitative and qualitative methods to assess how different funding sources influence the initiative to adapt to water scarcity in the Colombian Andes. We compare efforts to adapt to water scarcity in 111 rural Andean communities with varied dependence on external funding for water management activities. Findings suggest that despite efforts to use their own internal resources, communities often need external support to finance adaptation strategies. However, not all external financial support positively impacts a community’s abilities to adapt. Results show the importance of community-driven requests for external support. In cases where external support was unsolicited, the results show a decline, or “crowding-out,” in community efforts to adapt. In contrast, in cases where communities initiated the request for external support to fund their own projects, findings show that external intervention is more likely to enhance or “crowds-in” community-driven adaptation.

An estimation of crude oil import demand in Turkey: Evidence from time-varying parameters approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ozturk, Ilhan; Arisoy, Ibrahim

2016-01-01

The aim of this study is to model crude oil import demand and estimate the price and income elasticities of imported crude oil in Turkey based on a time-varying parameters (TVP) approach with the aim of obtaining accurate and more robust estimates of price and income elasticities. This study employs annual time series data of domestic oil consumption, real GDP, and oil price for the period 1966–2012. The empirical results indicate that both the income and price elasticities are in line with the theoretical expectations. However, the income elasticity is statistically significant while the price elasticity is statistically insignificant. The relatively high value of income elasticity (1.182) from this study suggests that crude oil import in Turkey is more responsive to changes in income level. This result indicates that imported crude oil is a normal good and rising income levels will foster higher consumption of oil based equipments, vehicles and services by economic agents. The estimated income elasticity of 1.182 suggests that imported crude oil consumption grows at a higher rate than income. This in turn reduces oil intensity over time. Therefore, crude oil import during the estimation period is substantially driven by income. - Highlights: • We estimated the price and income elasticities of imported crude oil in Turkey. • Income elasticity is statistically significant and it is 1.182. • The price elasticity is statistically insignificant. • Crude oil import in Turkey is more responsive to changes in income level. • Crude oil import during the estimation period is substantially driven by income.

The Effect of Insertion Technique on Temperatures for Standard and Self-Drilling External Fixation Pins.

Science.gov (United States)

Manoogian, Sarah; Lee, Adam K; Widmaier, James C

2017-08-01

No studies have assessed the effects of parameters associated with insertion temperature in modern self-drilling external fixation pins. The current study assessed how varying the presence of irrigation, insertion speed, and force impacted the insertion temperatures of 2 types of standard and self-drilling external fixation half pins. Seventy tests were conducted with 10 trials for 4 conditions on self-drilling pins, and 3 conditions for standard pins. Each test used a thermocouple inside the pin to measure temperature rise during insertion. Adding irrigation to the standard pin insertion significantly lowered the maximum temperature (P drilling pin tests dropped average rise in temperature from 151.3 ± 21.6°C to 124.1 ± 15.3°C (P = 0.005). When the self-drilling pin insertion was decreased considerably from 360 to 60 rpm, the temperature decreased significantly from 151.3 ± 21.6°C to 109.6 ± 14.0°C (P drilling pin temperature increase was not significant. The standard pin had lower peak temperatures than the self-drilling pin for all conditions. Moreover, slowing down the insertion speed and adding irrigation helped mitigate the temperature increase of both pin types during insertion.

The ExternE project: methodology, objectives and limitations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rabl, A.; Spadaro, J.V.

2002-01-01

This paper presents a summary of recent studies on external costs of energy systems, in particular the ExternE (External Costs of Energy) Project of the European Commission. To evaluate the impact and damage cost of a pollutant, one needs to carry out an impact pathway analysis; this involves the calculation of increased pollutant concentrations in all affected regions due to an incremental emission (e.g. μg/m 3 of particles, using models of atmospheric dispersion and chemistry), followed by the calculation of physical impacts (e.g. number of cases of asthma due to these particles, using a dose-response function). The entire so-called fuel chain (or fuel cycle) is evaluated and compared on the basis of delivered end use energy. Even though the uncertainties are large, the results provide substantial evidence that the classical air pollutants (particles, NO x and SO x ) from the combustion of fossil fuels impose a heavy toll, in addition to the cost of global warming. The external costs are especially large for coal; even for 'good current technology' they may be comparable to the price of electricity. For natural gas the external costs are about a third to a half of coal. The external costs of nuclear are small compared to the price of electricity (at most a few %), and so are the external costs of most renewable energy systems. (authors)

External costs of nuclear-generated electricity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rotaru, I.; Glodeanu, F.; Popescu, D.; Andrei, V.

2004-01-01

in market prices, such as security of supply, cost stability and broad economic impacts on employment and balance of trade. If such externalities would be internalized, the effect would be positive for nuclear energy in Romania. In conclusion, like other energy sources, nuclear energy has risks and benefits that need to be fully recognized and assessed to evaluate its external costs. Both internalized (direct) costs and externalities vary from country to country, and from technology to technology. For fossil fuels and biomass, external costs may be of the same order of magnitude as direct cost. Nuclear electricity, solar photovoltaic and wind power have external costs at least one order of magnitude lower than the direct cost. Beyond the competitive generation costs of existing nuclear power plants in most markets, benefits of nuclear power, that are not reflected currently in prices, include: security of supply, cost stability and the quasi absence of atmospheric emissions of greenhouse gases, other pollutant gases and particulates. The capital and operating costs of nuclear power plants and fuel cycle facilities already internalize a major portion of the potential external costs, and these are reflected in the prices paid by consumers of nuclear-generated electricity. The internalization of external costs for all electricity generating technologies will help nuclear energy to be more competitive. (authors)

Nuclear energy and external constraints

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lattes, R.; Thiriet, L.

1983-01-01

The structural factors of this crisis probably predominate over factors arising out the economic situation, even if explanations vary in this respect. In this article devoted to nuclear energy, a possible means of Loosering external constraints the current international economic environment is firstly outlined; the context in which the policies of industrialized countries, and therefore that of France, must be developed. An examination of the possible role of energy policies in general and nuclear policies in particular as an instrument of economic policy in providing a partial solution to this crisis, will then enable to quantitatively evaluate the effects of such policies at a national level [fr

Output-only cyclo-stationary linear-parameter time-varying stochastic subspace identification method for rotating machinery and spinning structures

Science.gov (United States)

Velazquez, Antonio; Swartz, R. Andrew

2015-02-01

stochastic subspace identification (SSI) and linear parameter time-varying (LPTV) techniques. Structural response is assumed to be stationary ambient excitation produced by a Gaussian (white) noise within the operative range bandwidth of the machinery or structure in study. ERA-OKID analysis is driven by correlation-function matrices from the stationary ambient response aiming to reduce noise effects. Singular value decomposition (SVD) and eigenvalue analysis are computed in a last stage to identify frequencies and complex-valued mode shapes. Proposed assumptions are carefully weighted to account for the uncertainty of the environment. A numerical example is carried out based a spinning finite element (SFE) model, and verified using ANSYS® Ver. 12. Finally, comments and observations are provided on how this subspace realization technique can be extended to the problem of modal-parameter identification using only ambient vibration data.

Macroscale particle simulation of externally driven magnetic reconnection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Murakami, Sadayoshi; Sato, Tetsuya.

1991-09-01

Externally driven reconnection, assuming an anomalous particle collision model, is numerically studied by means of a 2.5D macroscale particle simulation code in which the field and particle motions are solved self-consistently. Explosive magnetic reconnection and energy conversion are observed as a result of slow shock formation. Electron and ion distribution functions exhibit large bulk acceleration and heating of the plasma. Simulation runs with different collision parameters suggest that the development of reconnection, particle acceleration and heating do not significantly depend on the parameters of the collision model. (author)

Role of external torque in the formation of ion thermal internal transport barriers

Science.gov (United States)

Jhang, Hogun; Kim, S. S.; Diamond, P. H.

2012-04-01

We present an analytic study of the impact of external torque on the formation of ion internal transport barriers (ITBs). A simple analytic relation representing the effect of low external torque on transport bifurcations is derived based on a two field transport model of pressure and toroidal momentum density. It is found that the application of an external torque can either facilitate or hamper bifurcation in heat flux driven plasmas depending on its sign relative to the direction of intrinsic torque. The ratio between radially integrated momentum (i.e., external torque) density to power input is shown to be a key macroscopic control parameter governing the characteristics of bifurcation.

Two-electrons quantum dot in plasmas under the external fields

Science.gov (United States)

Bahar, M. K.; Soylu, A.

2018-02-01

In this study, for the first time, the combined effects of the external electric field, magnetic field, and confinement frequency on energies of two-electron parabolic quantum dots in Debye and quantum plasmas modeled by more general exponential cosine screened Coulomb (MGECSC) potential are investigated by numerically solving the Schrödinger equation using the asymptotic iteration method. The MGECSC potential includes four different potential forms when considering different sets of the parameters in potential. Since the plasma is an important experimental argument for quantum dots, the influence of plasmas modeled by the MGECSC potential on quantum dots is probed. The confinement frequency of quantum dots and the external fields created significant quantum restrictions on quantum dot. In this study, as well as discussion of the functionalities of the quantum restrictions for experimental applications, the parameters are also compared with each other in terms of influence and behaviour. In this manner, the motivation points of this study are summarized as follows: Which parameter can be alternative to which parameter, in terms of experimental applications? Which parameters exhibit similar behaviour? What is the role of plasmas on the corresponding behaviours? In the light of these research studies, it can be said that obtained results and performed discussions would be important in experimental and theoretical research related to plasma physics and/or quantum dots.

External costs related to power production technologies. ExternE national implementation for Denmark

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schleisner, L.; Sieverts Nielsen, P.

1997-12-01

The objective of the ExternE National Implementation project has been to establish a comprehensive and comparable set of data on externalities of power generation for all EU member states and Norway. The tasks include the application of the ExternE methodology to the most important fuel cycles for each country as well as to update the already existing results; to aggregate these site- and technology-specific results to more general figures. The current report covers the results of the national implementation for Denmark. Three different fuel cycles have been chosen as case studies. These are fuel cycles for an offshore wind farm and a wind farm on land, a decentralised CHP plant based on natural gas and a decentralised CHP plant based on biogas. The report covers all the details of the application of the methodology to these fuel cycles aggregation to a national level. (au) EU-JOULE 3. 59 tabs., 25 ills., 61 refs

External costs related to power production technologies. ExternE national implementation for Denmark

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schleisner, L; Sieverts Nielsen, P

1997-12-01

The objective of the ExternE National Implementation project has been to establish a comprehensive and comparable set of data on externalities of power generation for all EU member states and Norway. The tasks include the application of the ExternE methodology to the most important fuel cycles for each country as well as to update the already existing results; to aggregate these site- and technology-specific results to more general figures. The current report covers the results of the national implementation for Denmark. Three different fuel cycles have been chosen as case studies. These are fuel cycles for an offshore wind farm and a wind farm on land, a decentralised CHP plant based on natural gas and a decentralised CHP plant based on biogas. The report covers all the details of the application of the methodology to these fuel cycles aggregation to a national level. (au) EU-JOULE 3. 59 tabs., 25 ills., 61 refs.

Environmental externalities related to power production on biogas and natural gas based on the EU ExternE methodology

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Per Sieverts; Ibsen, Liselotte Schleisner

1998-01-01

This paper assesses the environmental impacts and external costs from selected electricity generation systems in Denmark. The assessment is carried out as part of the ExternE National Implementation, which is the second phase of the ExternE project and involves case studies from all Western...... European countries. The project use a “bottom-up” methodology to evaluate the external costs associated with a wide range of different fuel cycles. The project has identified priority impacts, where most are impacts from air emissions. Externalities due to atmospheric emissions are calculated through...

The Promotion and Integration of Human Rights in EU External Trade Relations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Samantha Velluti

2016-09-01

Full Text Available The European Union (EU has made the upholding of human rights an integral part of its external trade relations and requires that all trade, cooperation, partnership and association agreements with third countries, including unilateral trade instruments, contain with varying modalities and intensity a commitment to the respect for human rights. The paper discusses selected aspects of the EU’s promotion and integration of human rights in its external trade relations and assesses the impact of the changes introduced by the 2009 Treaty of Lisbon (ToL on EU practice.

A Modular GIS-Based Software Architecture for Model Parameter Estimation using the Method of Anchored Distributions (MAD)

Science.gov (United States)

Ames, D. P.; Osorio-Murillo, C.; Over, M. W.; Rubin, Y.

2012-12-01

The Method of Anchored Distributions (MAD) is an inverse modeling technique that is well-suited for estimation of spatially varying parameter fields using limited observations and Bayesian methods. This presentation will discuss the design, development, and testing of a free software implementation of the MAD technique using the open source DotSpatial geographic information system (GIS) framework, R statistical software, and the MODFLOW groundwater model. This new tool, dubbed MAD-GIS, is built using a modular architecture that supports the integration of external analytical tools and models for key computational processes including a forward model (e.g. MODFLOW, HYDRUS) and geostatistical analysis (e.g. R, GSLIB). The GIS-based graphical user interface provides a relatively simple way for new users of the technique to prepare the spatial domain, to identify observation and anchor points, to perform the MAD analysis using a selected forward model, and to view results. MAD-GIS uses the Managed Extensibility Framework (MEF) provided by the Microsoft .NET programming platform to support integration of different modeling and analytical tools at run-time through a custom "driver." Each driver establishes a connection with external programs through a programming interface, which provides the elements for communicating with core MAD software. This presentation gives an example of adapting the MODFLOW to serve as the external forward model in MAD-GIS for inferring the distribution functions of key MODFLOW parameters. Additional drivers for other models are being developed and it is expected that the open source nature of the project will engender the development of additional model drivers by 3rd party scientists.

Does Varying Attentional Focus Affect Skill Acquisition in Children? A Comparison of Internal and External Focus Instructions and Feedback

Science.gov (United States)

Agar, Charles; Humphries, Charlotte A.; Naquin, Millie; Hebert, Edward; Wood, Ralph

2016-01-01

Recently, researchers have concluded that motor skill performance is enhanced when learners adopt an external attentional focus, compared to adopting an internal focus. We extended the line of inquiry to children and examined if skill learning in children was differentially affected by providing instructions and feedback that direct attentional…

Effects of external field on elastic electron-ion collision in a plasma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Na, Sang-Chul; Jung, Young-Dae

2008-01-01

The field effects on elastic electron-ion collision are investigated in a plasma with the presence of the external field. The eikonal method and effective interaction potential including the far-field term caused by the external field is employed to obtain the eikonal phase shift and eikonal cross section as functions of the field strength, external frequency, impact parameter, collision energy, thermal energy and Debye length. The result shows that the effect of the external field on the eikonal cross section is given by the second-order eikonal phase. In addition, the external field effects suppress the eikonal cross section as well as eikonal phase for the elastic electron-ion collision. The eikonal phase and cross section are found to be increased with an increase of the frequency of the external field. It is also shown that the eikonal cross section increases with an increase of the thermal energy and Debye length.

Dynamic characteristics of non-ideal plasmas in an external high frequency electric field

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Adamyan, V M [Department of Theoretical Physics, I. I. Mechnikov Odessa National University, 65026 Odessa (Ukraine); Djuric, Z [Silvaco Data System, Silvaco Technology Centre, Compass Point, St. Ives PE27 5JL (United Kingdom); Mihajlov, A A [Institute of Physics, PO Box 57, 11001 Belgrade (Serbia and Montenegro); Sakan, N M [Institute of Physics, PO Box 57, 11001 Belgrade (Serbia and Montenegro); Tkachenko, I M [Department of Applied Mathematics, ETSII, Polytechnic University of Valencia, Camino de Vera s/n, Valencia 46022 (Spain)

2004-07-21

The dynamic electric conductivity, dielectric permeability and refraction and reflection coefficients of a completely ionized gaseous plasma in a high frequency (HF) external electric field are calculated. These results are obtained within the self-consistent field approach developed earlier for the static conductivity determination. The plasma electron density, N{sub e}, and temperature, T, varied within the following limits: 10{sup 19} {<=} N{sub e} {<=} 10{sup 21} cm{sup -3} and 2 x 10{sup 4} {<=} T {<=} 10{sup 6} K, respectively. The external electric field frequency, f, varied in the range 3 GHz{<=} f {<=} 0.05{omicron}{sub p}, where {omicron}{sub p} is the circular plasma frequency. Thus, the upper limit for f is either in the microwave or in the far infrared frequency band. The final results are shown in a parameterized form, suitable for laboratory applications.

Dynamic characteristics of non-ideal plasmas in an external high frequency electric field

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Adamyan, V M; Djuric, Z; Mihajlov, A A; Sakan, N M; Tkachenko, I M

2004-01-01

The dynamic electric conductivity, dielectric permeability and refraction and reflection coefficients of a completely ionized gaseous plasma in a high frequency (HF) external electric field are calculated. These results are obtained within the self-consistent field approach developed earlier for the static conductivity determination. The plasma electron density, N e , and temperature, T, varied within the following limits: 10 19 ≤ N e ≤ 10 21 cm -3 and 2 x 10 4 ≤ T ≤ 10 6 K, respectively. The external electric field frequency, f, varied in the range 3 GHz≤ f ≤ 0.05ο p , where ο p is the circular plasma frequency. Thus, the upper limit for f is either in the microwave or in the far infrared frequency band. The final results are shown in a parameterized form, suitable for laboratory applications

Minimization of thermal insulation thickness taking into account condensation on external walls

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nurettin Yamankaradeniz

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Condensation occurs in the inner layers of construction materials at whatever point the partial pressure of water vapor diffuses and reaches its saturation pressure. Condensation, also called sweating, damages materials, reduces thermal resistance, and by increasing the total heat transfer coefficient, results in unwanted events such as increased heat loss. This study applied minimization of thermal insulation thickness with consideration given to condensation in the external walls. The calculations of heat and mass transfers in the structure elements are expressed in a graphical form. While there was an increase in the required thermal insulation thickness subsequent to an increase in the internal environment’s temperature, relative humidity, and the external environment’s relative humidity, the required thickness decreased with an increase in the external environment’s temperature. The amount of water vapor transferred varied with internal or external conditions and the thickness of the insulation. A change in the vapor diffusion resistance of the insulation material can increase the risk of condensation on the internal or external surfaces of the insulation.

Transient Oscilliations in Mechanical Systems of Automatic Control with Random Parameters

Science.gov (United States)

Royev, B.; Vinokur, A.; Kulikov, G.

2018-04-01

Transient oscillations in mechanical systems of automatic control with random parameters is a relevant but insufficiently studied issue. In this paper, a modified spectral method was applied to investigate the problem. The nature of dynamic processes and the phase portraits are analyzed depending on the amplitude and frequency of external influence. It is evident from the obtained results, that the dynamic phenomena occurring in the systems with random parameters under external influence are complex, and their study requires further investigation.

Biochemical parameters in the blood of grass snakes (Natrix natrix in ecosystems under varying degrees of anthropogenic influence

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V. Y. Gasso

2016-09-01

Full Text Available The grass snake Natrix natrix (Linnaeus, 1758 is a partly hygrophilous species, distributed throughoutUkraine. This snake may be considered as a test object for environmental biomonitoring. Modern biochemical methods make it possible to obtain new scientific data on the effects of anthropogenic pressure on reptiles. Blood is a sensitive and informative indicator of the condition of an organism as it responds quickly to most changes in exogenous and endogenous factors, and reflects negative influences on both individual and, indirectly, populations. Changes in biochemical parameters may be used as biomarkers of the state of health of reptiles in ecosystems under varying degrees of anthropogenic pressure. Due the increase in anthropogenic influence the development and introduction of new methods of perceptual research, collection of up-to-date information and development of a database of reptile biochemical parameters have become an urgent priority. We collected mature individuals of the grass snake in floodplain ecosystems on the right bank of the Dnieper River in Dnipropetrovsk city. Grass snakes from floodplain habitats on the left bank of theSamaraRiver (O.L. Belgard Prysamarskii International Biosphere Station, Novomoskovsk district, Dnipropetrovsk province were studied as the control specimens. Our study demonstrated statistically significant differences between snakes from the study sites in the amount of albumin, urea and urea nitrogen, and inorganic phosphorus, as well as in alanine aminotransferase (ALT and alkaline phosphatise (AP activity. The amount of albumin in the blood serum of specimens from the anthropogenically transformed areas was significantly lower (by 25% than in that of the snakes caught in the control habitats. Decrease of the albumin concentration usually indicates abnormal processes in the kidneys and liver. According to the changes observed in the concentration of albumin, a corresponding increase in the albumin to

Abnormal externally guided movement preparation in recent-onset schizophrenia is associated with impaired selective attention to external input.

Science.gov (United States)

Smid, Henderikus G O M; Westenbroek, Joanna M; Bruggeman, Richard; Knegtering, Henderikus; Van den Bosch, Robert J

2009-11-30

Several theories propose that the primary cognitive impairment in schizophrenia concerns a deficit in the processing of external input information. There is also evidence, however, for impaired motor preparation in schizophrenia. This provokes the question whether the impaired motor preparation in schizophrenia is a secondary consequence of disturbed (selective) processing of the input needed for that preparation, or an independent primary deficit. The aim of the present study was to discriminate between these hypotheses, by investigating externally guided movement preparation in relation to selective stimulus processing. The sample comprised 16 recent-onset schizophrenia patients and 16 controls who performed a movement-precuing task. In this task, a precue delivered information about one, two or no parameters of a movement summoned by a subsequent stimulus. Performance measures and measures derived from the electroencephalogram showed that patients yielded smaller benefits from the precues and showed less cue-based preparatory activity in advance of the imperative stimulus than the controls, suggesting a response preparation deficit. However, patients also showed less activity reflecting selective attention to the precue. We therefore conclude that the existing evidence for an impairment of externally guided motor preparation in schizophrenia is most likely due to a deficit in selective attention to the external input, which lends support to theories proposing that the primary cognitive deficit in schizophrenia concerns the processing of input information.

Model of external exposure of population living in the areas subjected to radioactive contamination

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Golikov, V.Yu.; Balonov, M.I.

2002-01-01

In the paper, we formulated the general approach to assessment of external doses to population living in contaminated areas (the model equation and the set of parameters). The model parameters were assessed on the basis of results of monitoring in the environment, phantom experiments, and social and demographic information obtained on the contaminated areas. Verification of model assessments performed by comparison with measurement results of individual external doses in inhabitants within the thermoluminescent dosimetry method have shown that differences in dose assessments within both methods does not exceed 1.5 times at a confidence level of 95%. In the paper, we present the results illustrating specific features of external dose formation in population living in the areas of Russia subjected to radioactive contamination due to nuclear tests at the Semipalatinsk test site, radioactive releases from the Mayak enterprise, and the Chernobyl accident. (author)

The external energy consumption in automobiles manufacturing; La consommation d'energie externe dans la fabrication d'automobiles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lantz, F.; Lesne, Ch.

2003-03-01

This analysis on the external energy consumption in the automotive industry aims at: estimating the energy consumed in the French territory by the overall transports linked with the automotive industry ('external' energy) and comparing it to the energy consumed in car factories ('internal' energy); estimating the CO{sub 2} emission levels linked with the transportation activity and evaluating the impact of these emissions on the main parameters of the automotive industry production (number of vehicles produced). The methodology is based on a first study carried out with the French car maker Renault at the European scale, and extended to the whole automotive industry of France. The first two chapters are devoted to a descriptive analysis of the car making process in an internationalization context. The methodology of estimation of external energy consumptions and of CO{sub 2} emissions is presented in the third chapter. Finally, a modeling at the scale of France is proposed in the last chapter. A synthesis of the results and the lessons learnt are summarized in the conclusion. (J.S.)

Influence of periodic external fields in multiagent models with language dynamics

Science.gov (United States)

Palombi, Filippo; Ferriani, Stefano; Toti, Simona

2017-12-01

We investigate large-scale effects induced by external fields, phenomenologically interpreted as mass media, in multiagent models evolving with the microscopic dynamics of the binary naming game. In particular, we show that a single external field, broadcasting information at regular time intervals, can reverse the majority opinion of the population, provided the frequency and the effectiveness of the sent messages lie above well-defined thresholds. We study the phase structure of the model in the mean field approximation and in numerical simulations with several network topologies. We also investigate the influence on the agent dynamics of two competing external fields, periodically broadcasting different messages. In finite regions of the parameter space we observe periodic equilibrium states in which the average opinion densities are reversed with respect to naive expectations. Such equilibria occur in two cases: (i) when the frequencies of the competing messages are different but close to each other; (ii) when the frequencies are equal and the relative time shift of the messages does not exceed half a period. We interpret the observed phenomena as a result of the interplay between the external fields and the internal dynamics of the agents and conclude that, depending on the model parameters, the naming game is consistent with scenarios of first- or second-mover advantage (to borrow an expression from the jargon of business strategy).

Stability of Intercellular Exchange of Biochemical Substances Affected by Variability of Environmental Parameters

Science.gov (United States)

Mihailović, Dragutin T.; Budinčević, Mirko; Balaž, Igor; Mihailović, Anja

Communication between cells is realized by exchange of biochemical substances. Due to internal organization of living systems and variability of external parameters, the exchange is heavily influenced by perturbations of various parameters at almost all stages of the process. Since communication is one of essential processes for functioning of living systems it is of interest to investigate conditions for its stability. Using previously developed simplified model of bacterial communication in a form of coupled difference logistic equations we investigate stability of exchange of signaling molecules under variability of internal and external parameters.

Factors related to external loads in buried pipelines; Consideracoes quanto as variaveis relacionadas ao carregamento externo em dutos enterrados

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Provenzano, Carlos E.C.; Silva, Breno S.; Fernandes, Lincoln F.; Santos Junior, Sergio J.F. [PETROBRAS S.A., Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil); Louzada, Carlos H.C.M.

2005-07-01

Work of heavy equipment or vehicles above existent right-of-ways, may cause undesired external overload at buried pipelines in operation. The effect of these loads shall be analyzed considering the deflections and stresses on the pipelines. The major variables, nominal diameter, thickness, material, soil parameters, operation pressure and external loads shall be related and verified according to the limits from original project. Cases when the external loads cause higher efforts, the traffic over the pipelines shall be restricted in order to avoid damages. In other cases, it may be adapted to any technical alternatives to modify the parameters in such a way to make possible work above the right-of-way, such as increase the machine support area, increase backfill covering, a reduction in the internal operation pressure in a short time, etc. This work presents the study on the parameters used to establish the maximum allowable external loads over buried pipelines in operation. (author)

Brushed permanent magnet DC MLC motor operation in an external magnetic field.

Science.gov (United States)

Yun, J; St Aubin, J; Rathee, S; Fallone, B G

2010-05-01

Linac-MR systems for real-time image-guided radiotherapy will utilize the multileaf collimators (MLCs) to perform conformal radiotherapy and tumor tracking. The MLCs would be exposed to the external fringe magnetic fields of the linac-MR hybrid systems. Therefore, an experimental investigation of the effect of an external magnetic field on the brushed permanent magnet DC motors used in some MLC systems was performed. The changes in motor speed and current were measured for varying external magnetic field strengths up to 2000 G generated by an EEV electromagnet. These changes in motor characteristics were measured for three orientations of the motor in the external magnetic field, mimicking changes in motor orientations due to installation and/or collimator rotations. In addition, the functionality of the associated magnetic motor encoder was tested. The tested motors are used with the Varian 120 leaf Millennium MLC (Maxon Motor half leaf and full leaf motors) and the Varian 52 leaf MKII MLC (MicroMo Electronics leaf motor) including a carriage motor (MicroMo Electronics). In most cases, the magnetic encoder of the motors failed prior to any damage to the gearbox or the permanent magnet motor itself. This sets an upper limit of the external magnetic field strength on the motor function. The measured limits of the external magnetic fields were found to vary by the motor type. The leaf motor used with a Varian 52 leaf MKII MLC system tolerated up to 450 +/- 10 G. The carriage motor tolerated up to 2000 +/- 10 G field. The motors used with the Varian 120 leaf Millennium MLC system were found to tolerate a maximum of 600 +/- 10 G. The current Varian MLC system motors can be used for real-time image-guided radiotherapy coupled to a linac-MR system, provided the fringe magnetic fields at their locations are below the determined tolerance levels. With the fringe magnetic fields of linac-MR systems expected to be larger than the tolerance levels determined, some form of

Brushed permanent magnet DC MLC motor operation in an external magnetic field

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yun, J.; St Aubin, J.; Rathee, S.; Fallone, B. G. [Department of Physics, University of Alberta, 11322-89 Avenue, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2G7 (Canada) and Department of Oncology, Medical Physics Division, University of Alberta, 11560 University Avenue, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 1Z2 (Canada); Department of Medical Physics, Cross Cancer Institute, 11560 University Avenue, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 1Z2 (Canada) and Department of Oncology, Medical Physics Division, University of Alberta, 11560 University Avenue, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 1Z2 (Canada); Department of Physics, University of Alberta, 11322-89 Avenue, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2G7 (Canada); Department of Medical Physics, Cross Cancer Institute, 11560 University Avenue, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 1Z2 (Canada) and Department of Oncology, Medical Physics Division, University of Alberta, 11560 University Avenue, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 1Z2 (Canada)

2010-05-15

Purpose: Linac-MR systems for real-time image-guided radiotherapy will utilize the multileaf collimators (MLCs) to perform conformal radiotherapy and tumor tracking. The MLCs would be exposed to the external fringe magnetic fields of the linac-MR hybrid systems. Therefore, an experimental investigation of the effect of an external magnetic field on the brushed permanent magnet DC motors used in some MLC systems was performed. Methods: The changes in motor speed and current were measured for varying external magnetic field strengths up to 2000 G generated by an EEV electromagnet. These changes in motor characteristics were measured for three orientations of the motor in the external magnetic field, mimicking changes in motor orientations due to installation and/or collimator rotations. In addition, the functionality of the associated magnetic motor encoder was tested. The tested motors are used with the Varian 120 leaf Millennium MLC (Maxon Motor half leaf and full leaf motors) and the Varian 52 leaf MKII MLC (MicroMo Electronics leaf motor) including a carriage motor (MicroMo Electronics). Results: In most cases, the magnetic encoder of the motors failed prior to any damage to the gearbox or the permanent magnet motor itself. This sets an upper limit of the external magnetic field strength on the motor function. The measured limits of the external magnetic fields were found to vary by the motor type. The leaf motor used with a Varian 52 leaf MKII MLC system tolerated up to 450{+-}10 G. The carriage motor tolerated up to 2000{+-}10 G field. The motors used with the Varian 120 leaf Millennium MLC system were found to tolerate a maximum of 600{+-}10 G. Conclusions: The current Varian MLC system motors can be used for real-time image-guided radiotherapy coupled to a linac-MR system, provided the fringe magnetic fields at their locations are below the determined tolerance levels. With the fringe magnetic fields of linac-MR systems expected to be larger than the

Brushed permanent magnet DC MLC motor operation in an external magnetic field

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yun, J.; St Aubin, J.; Rathee, S.; Fallone, B. G.

2010-01-01

Purpose: Linac-MR systems for real-time image-guided radiotherapy will utilize the multileaf collimators (MLCs) to perform conformal radiotherapy and tumor tracking. The MLCs would be exposed to the external fringe magnetic fields of the linac-MR hybrid systems. Therefore, an experimental investigation of the effect of an external magnetic field on the brushed permanent magnet DC motors used in some MLC systems was performed. Methods: The changes in motor speed and current were measured for varying external magnetic field strengths up to 2000 G generated by an EEV electromagnet. These changes in motor characteristics were measured for three orientations of the motor in the external magnetic field, mimicking changes in motor orientations due to installation and/or collimator rotations. In addition, the functionality of the associated magnetic motor encoder was tested. The tested motors are used with the Varian 120 leaf Millennium MLC (Maxon Motor half leaf and full leaf motors) and the Varian 52 leaf MKII MLC (MicroMo Electronics leaf motor) including a carriage motor (MicroMo Electronics). Results: In most cases, the magnetic encoder of the motors failed prior to any damage to the gearbox or the permanent magnet motor itself. This sets an upper limit of the external magnetic field strength on the motor function. The measured limits of the external magnetic fields were found to vary by the motor type. The leaf motor used with a Varian 52 leaf MKII MLC system tolerated up to 450±10 G. The carriage motor tolerated up to 2000±10 G field. The motors used with the Varian 120 leaf Millennium MLC system were found to tolerate a maximum of 600±10 G. Conclusions: The current Varian MLC system motors can be used for real-time image-guided radiotherapy coupled to a linac-MR system, provided the fringe magnetic fields at their locations are below the determined tolerance levels. With the fringe magnetic fields of linac-MR systems expected to be larger than the tolerance

Corporal Punishment and Youth Externalizing Behavior in Santiago, Chile

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Julie; Han, Yoonsun; Grogan-Kaylor, Andrew; Delva, Jorge; Castillo, Marcela

2012-01-01

Objectives Corporal punishment is still widely practiced around the globe, despite the large body of child development research that substantiates its short- and long-term consequences. Within this context, this paper examined the relationship between parental use of corporal punishment and youth externalizing behavior with a Chilean sample to add to the growing empirical evidence concerning the potential relationship between increased corporal punishment and undesirable youth outcomes across cultures. Methods Analysis was based on 919 adolescents in Santiago, Chile. Descriptive and multivariate analyses were conducted to examine the extent to which parents’ use of corporal punishment and positive family measures were associated with youth externalizing behavior. Furthermore, the associations between self-reported externalizing behavior and infrequent, as well as frequent, use of corporal punishment were investigated to contribute to understanding how varying levels of parental use of corporal punishment were differently related to youth outcomes. Results Both mother’s and father’s use of corporal punishment were associated with greater youth externalizing behavior. Additionally, increases in positive parenting practices, such as parental warmth and family involvement, were met with decreases in youth externalizing behavior when controlling for youth demographics, family socioeconomic status, and parents’ use of corporal punishment. Finally, both infrequent and frequent use of corporal punishment were positively associated with higher youth problem behaviors, though frequent corporal punishment had a stronger relationship with externalizing behavior than did infrequent corporal punishment. Conclusions Parental use of corporal punishment, even on an occasional basis, is associated with greater externalizing behavior for youth while a warm and involving family environment may protect youth from serious problem behaviors. Therefore, findings of this study add

Power System Event Ranking Using a New Linear Parameter-Varying Modeling with a Wide Area Measurement System-Based Approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohammad Bagher Abolhasani Jabali

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Detecting critical power system events for Dynamic Security Assessment (DSA is required for reliability improvement. The approach proposed in this paper investigates the effects of events on dynamic behavior during nonlinear system response while common approaches use steady-state conditions after events. This paper presents some new and enhanced indices for event ranking based on time-domain simulation and polytopic linear parameter-varying (LPV modeling of a power system. In the proposed approach, a polytopic LPV representation is generated via linearization about some points of the nonlinear dynamic behavior of power system using wide-area measurement system (WAMS concepts and then event ranking is done based on the frequency response of the system models on the vertices. Therefore, the nonlinear behaviors of the system in the time of fault occurrence are considered for events ranking. The proposed algorithm is applied to a power system using nonlinear simulation. The comparison of the results especially in different fault conditions shows the advantages of the proposed approach and indices.

Methods for innovation : the varying role of industrial research in DSM's nitrogen fertilizer business, 1925-1970

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Rooij, van J.W.

2007-01-01

In this article the varying methods firms use to innovate are central in an attempt to balance our understanding of innovation processes. Often, research-driven innovation attracts the most attention, obscuring the contributions of other company functions and of external technology. In this article,

ℋ- adaptive observer design and parameter identification for a class of nonlinear fractional-order systems

KAUST Repository

Ndoye, Ibrahima

2014-12-01

In this paper, an adaptive observer design with parameter identification for a nonlinear system with external perturbations and unknown parameters is proposed. The states of the nonlinear system are estimated by a nonlinear observer and the unknown parameters are also adapted to their values. Sufficient conditions for the stability of the adaptive observer error dynamics are derived in terms of linear matrix inequalities. Simulation results for chaotic Lorenz systems with unknown parameters in the presence of external perturbations are given to illustrate the effectiveness of our proposed approach. © 2014 IEEE.

Knowledge-sourcing of R&D workers in different job positions: contextualising external personal knowledge networks

OpenAIRE

Huber, Franz

2013-01-01

This paper systematically examines the role of external personal knowledge networks vis-à-vis alternative sources of work-related knowledge. Specific hypotheses on whether the importance of external personal networks vary for job positions, knowledge functions and sources of competitiveness are examined. The study is based on a survey and interviews with 105 R&D workers in 46 Information Technology (IT) firms in the Greater Cambridge Region (UK).The results show that alternative sources o...

Regulating multiple externalities

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Waldo, Staffan; Jensen, Frank; Nielsen, Max

2016-01-01

Open access is a well-known externality problem in fisheries causing excess capacity and overfishing. Due to global warming, externality problems from CO2 emissions have gained increased interest. With two externality problems, a first-best optimum can be achieved by using two regulatory instrume......Open access is a well-known externality problem in fisheries causing excess capacity and overfishing. Due to global warming, externality problems from CO2 emissions have gained increased interest. With two externality problems, a first-best optimum can be achieved by using two regulatory...

Determination of Optimized Parameters for the Flexible Operation of a Biomass-Fueled, Microscale Externally Fired Gas Turbine (EFGT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mathhar Bdour

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Biomass as a source of renewable energy is a promising solution for current problems in energy supply. Olive waste is considered as an interesting option, especially for Mediterranean countries. Within this paper, a microscale externally fired gas turbine (EFGT technology is presented as a decentralized power plant, within the range of 15 kWth, based on olive residues. It was modeled by Aspen Plus 8.6 software to provide a sufficient technical study for such a plant. Optimized parameters for pressure ratio and turbine air-mass flow have been mapped for several loads to provide information for process control. For all cases, mechanical output, efficiency curves, and back-work ratio have been calculated. Using this information, typical plant sizes and an example of power production are discussed. Additionally, achievable energy production from olive waste is estimated on the basis of this data. The results of this study show that such a plant has an electrical efficiency of 5%–17%. This variation is due to the examination being performed under several combustion temperatures, actual load, heat exchanger temperatures, and heat transfer efficiency. A cost estimation of the discussed system showed an estimated capital cost of 33,800 to 65,300 € for a 15 kWth system.

Probability and statistical correlation of the climatic parameters for estimatingenergy consumption of a building

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Samarin Oleg Dmitrievich

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The problem of the most accurate estimation of energy consumption by ventilation and air conditioning systems in buildings is a high-priority task now because of the decrease of energy and fuel sources and because of the revision of building standards in Russian Federation. That’s why it is very important to find simple but accurate enough correlations of the climatic parameters in heating and cooling seasons of a year.Therefore the probabilistic and statistical relationship of the parameters of external climate in warm and cold seasons are considered. The climatic curves for cold and warm seasons in Moscow showing the most probable combinations between the external air temperature and the relative air humidity are plotted using the data from the Design Guidelines to the State Building Code “Building Climatology”. The statistical relationship of the enthalpy and the external air temperature for climatic conditions of Moscow are determined using these climatic curves and formulas connecting relative air humidity and other parameters of the air moisture degree.The mean value of the external air enthalpy for the heating season is calculated in order to simplify the determination of full heat consumption of ventilating and air conditioning systems taking into account the real mean state of external air. The field of application and the estimation of accuracy and standard deviation for the presented dependences are found. The obtained model contains the only independent parameter namely the external air temperature and therefore it can be easily used in engineering practice especially during preliminary calculation.

Numerical identifiability of the parameters of induction machines

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Corcoles, F.; Pedra, J.; Salichs, M. [Dep. d' Eng. Electrica ETSEIB. UPC, Barcelona (Spain)

2000-08-01

This paper analyses the numerical identifiability of the electrical parameters of induction machines. Relations between parameters and the impossibility to estimate all of them - when only external measures are used: voltage, current, speed and torque - are shown. Formulations of the single and double-cage induction machine, with and without core losses in both models, are developed. The proposed solution is the formulation of machine equations by using the minimum number of parameters (which are identifiable parameters). As an application example, the parameters of a double-cage induction machine are identified using steady-state measurements corresponding to different angular speeds. (orig.)

Mass transfer parameters of celeriac during vacuum drying

Science.gov (United States)

Beigi, Mohsen

2017-04-01

An accurate prediction of moisture transfer parameters is very important for efficient mass transfer analysis, accurate modelling of drying process, and better designing of new dryers and optimization of existing drying process. The present study aimed to investigate the influence of temperature (e.g., 55, 65 and 75 °C) and chamber pressure (e.g., 0.1, 3, 7, 10, 13 and 17 kPa) on effective diffusivity and convective mass transfer coefficient of celeriac slices during vacuum drying. The obtained Biot number indicated that the moisture transfer in the celeriac slices was controlled by both internal and external resistance. The effective diffusivity obtained to be in the ranges of 7.5231 × 10-10-3.8015 × 10-9 m2 s-1. The results showed that the diffusivity increased with increasing temperature and decreasing pressure. The mass transfer coefficient values varied from 4.6789 × 10-7 to 1.0059 × 10-6 m s-1, and any increment in drying temperature and pressure caused an increment in the coefficient.

Approaches in estimation of external cost for fuel cycles in the ExternE project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Afanas'ev, A.A.; Maksimenko, B.N.

1998-01-01

The purposes, content and main results of studies realized within the frameworks of the International Project ExternE which is the first comprehensive attempt to develop general approach to estimation of external cost for different fuel cycles based on utilization of nuclear and fossil fuels, as well as on renewable power sources are discussed. The external cost of a fuel cycle is treated as social and environmental expenditures which are not taken into account by energy producers and consumers, i.e. these are expenditures not included into commercial cost nowadays. The conclusion on applicability of the approach suggested for estimation of population health hazards and environmental impacts connected with electric power generation growth (expressed in money or some other form) is made

External costs from electricity generation of China up to 2030 in energy and abatement scenarios

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Qingyu; Weili, Tian; Yumei, Wei; Yingxu, Chen

2007-01-01

This paper presents estimated external costs of electricity generation in China under different scenarios of long-term energy and environmental policies. Long-range Energy Alternatives Planning (LEAP) software is used to develop a simple model of electricity demand and to estimate gross electricity generation in China up to 2030 under these scenarios. Because external costs for unit of electricity from fossil fuel will vary in different government regulation periods, airborne pollutant external costs of SO 2 , NO x , PM 10 , and CO 2 from fired power plants are then estimated based on emission inventories and environmental cost for unit of pollutants, while external costs of non-fossil power generation are evaluated with external cost for unit of electricity. The developed model is run to study the impact of different energy efficiency and environmental abatement policy initiatives that would reduce total energy requirement and also reduce external costs of electricity generation. It is shown that external costs of electricity generation may reduce 24-55% with three energy policies scenarios and may further reduce by 20.9-26.7% with two environmental policies scenarios. The total reduction of external costs may reach 58.2%. (author)

Fitting Social Network Models Using Varying Truncation Stochastic Approximation MCMC Algorithm

KAUST Repository

Jin, Ick Hoon

2013-10-01

The exponential random graph model (ERGM) plays a major role in social network analysis. However, parameter estimation for the ERGM is a hard problem due to the intractability of its normalizing constant and the model degeneracy. The existing algorithms, such as Monte Carlo maximum likelihood estimation (MCMLE) and stochastic approximation, often fail for this problem in the presence of model degeneracy. In this article, we introduce the varying truncation stochastic approximation Markov chain Monte Carlo (SAMCMC) algorithm to tackle this problem. The varying truncation mechanism enables the algorithm to choose an appropriate starting point and an appropriate gain factor sequence, and thus to produce a reasonable parameter estimate for the ERGM even in the presence of model degeneracy. The numerical results indicate that the varying truncation SAMCMC algorithm can significantly outperform the MCMLE and stochastic approximation algorithms: for degenerate ERGMs, MCMLE and stochastic approximation often fail to produce any reasonable parameter estimates, while SAMCMC can do; for nondegenerate ERGMs, SAMCMC can work as well as or better than MCMLE and stochastic approximation. The data and source codes used for this article are available online as supplementary materials. © 2013 American Statistical Association, Institute of Mathematical Statistics, and Interface Foundation of North America.

Constructing Regional Groundwater Models from Geophysical Data of Varying Type, Age, and Quality

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vest Christiansen, Anders; Auken, Esben; Marker, Pernille Aabye

for parameterization of a 3D model of the subsurface, integrating lithological information from boreholes with resistivity models. The objective is to create a direct input to regional groundwater models for sedimentary areas, where the sand/clay distribution governs the groundwater flow. The resistivity input is all......-inclusive in the sense that we include data from a variety of instruments (DC and EM, ground-based and airborne), with a varying spatial density and varying ages and quality. The coupling between hydrological and geophysical parameters is managed using a translator function with spatially variable parameters, which...

An innovation diffusion model of a local electricity network that is influenced by internal and external factors

Science.gov (United States)

Hattam, Laura; Greetham, Danica Vukadinović

2018-01-01

Haynes et al. (1977) derived a nonlinear differential equation to determine the spread of innovations within a social network across space and time. This model depends upon the imitators and the innovators within the social system, where the imitators respond to internal influences, whilst the innovators react to external factors. Here, this differential equation is applied to simulate the uptake of a low-carbon technology (LCT) within a real local electricity network that is situated in the UK. This network comprises of many households that are assigned to certain feeders. Firstly, travelling wave solutions of Haynes' model are used to predict adoption times as a function of the imitation and innovation influences. Then, the grid that represents the electricity network is created so that the finite element method (FEM) can be implemented. Next, innovation diffusion is modelled with Haynes' equation and the FEM, where varying magnitudes of the internal and external pressures are imposed. Consequently, the impact of these model parameters is investigated. Moreover, LCT adoption trajectories at fixed feeder locations are calculated, which give a macroscopic understanding of the uptake behaviour at specific network sites. Lastly, the adoption of LCTs at a household level is examined, where microscopic and macroscopic approaches are combined.

Analysis of External Treatment Methods and Technical Characteristics of External Treatment

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Rui; Miao, Mingsan; Bai, Ming

2018-01-01

Chinese medicine external therapy is a treatment method of Chinese medicine with Chinese characteristics. The effect of traditional Chinese medicine external treatment, convenient operation, external treatment and technology has great prospects for development. The traditional Chinese medicine external treatment method and technical characteristics were analyzed.

Geochemistry Model Validation Report: External Accumulation Model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zarrabi, K.

2001-01-01

The purpose of this Analysis and Modeling Report (AMR) is to validate the External Accumulation Model that predicts accumulation of fissile materials in fractures and lithophysae in the rock beneath a degrading waste package (WP) in the potential monitored geologic repository at Yucca Mountain. (Lithophysae are voids in the rock having concentric shells of finely crystalline alkali feldspar, quartz, and other materials that were formed due to entrapped gas that later escaped, DOE 1998, p. A-25.) The intended use of this model is to estimate the quantities of external accumulation of fissile material for use in external criticality risk assessments for different types of degrading WPs: U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Spent Nuclear Fuel (SNF) codisposed with High Level Waste (HLW) glass, commercial SNF, and Immobilized Plutonium Ceramic (Pu-ceramic) codisposed with HLW glass. The scope of the model validation is to (1) describe the model and the parameters used to develop the model, (2) provide rationale for selection of the parameters by comparisons with measured values, and (3) demonstrate that the parameters chosen are the most conservative selection for external criticality risk calculations. To demonstrate the applicability of the model, a Pu-ceramic WP is used as an example. The model begins with a source term from separately documented EQ6 calculations; where the source term is defined as the composition versus time of the water flowing out of a breached waste package (WP). Next, PHREEQC, is used to simulate the transport and interaction of the source term with the resident water and fractured tuff below the repository. In these simulations the primary mechanism for accumulation is mixing of the high pH, actinide-laden source term with resident water; thus lowering the pH values sufficiently for fissile minerals to become insoluble and precipitate. In the final section of the model, the outputs from PHREEQC, are processed to produce mass of accumulation

Critical current degradation in superconducting niobium-titanium alloys in external magnetic fields under loading

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bojko, V.S.; Lazareva, M.B.; Starodubov, Ya.D.; Chernyj, O.V.; Gorbatenko, V.M.

1992-01-01

The effect of external magnetic fields on the stress at which the critical current starts to degrade (the degradation threshold σ 0 e ) under mechanical loads in superconducting Nb-Ti alloys is studied and a possible mechanism of realization of the effect observed is proposed.It is assumed that additional stresses on the transformation dislocation from the external magnetic fields are beneficial for the growth of martensite inclusions whose superconducting parameters (critical current density j k and critical temperature T k ) are lower then those in the initial material.The degradation threshold is studied experimentally in external magnetic fields H up to 7 T.The linear dependence σ 0 e (H) is observed.It is shown that external magnetic fields play an important role in the critical current degradation at the starting stages of deformation.This fact supports the assumption that the degradation of superconducting parameters under loading are due to the phenomenon of superelasticity,i.e. a reversible load-induced change in the martensite inclusions sizes rather than the reversible mechanical twinning.The results obtained are thought to be important to estimating superconducting solenoid stability in a wide range of magnetic fields

Internalising external costs of electricity and heat production in a municipal energy system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Holmgren, Kristina; Amiri, Shahnaz

2007-01-01

Both energy supply and waste treatment give rise to negative effects on the environment, so-called external effects. In this study, monetary values on external costs collected from the EU's ExternE project are used to evaluate inclusion of these costs in comparison with an energy utility perspective including present policy instruments. The studied object is a municipal district heating system with a waste incineration plant as the base supplier of heat. The evaluation concerns fuels used for heat production and total electricity production, for scenarios with external costs included and for a scenario using the present policy instrument. Impacts of assumptions on marginal power producers (coal or natural gas power plants) are investigated, since locally produced electricity is assumed to replace marginal power and thus is credited for the avoided burden. Varying levels of external costs for carbon dioxide emissions are analysed. The method used is an economic optimisation model, MODEST. The conclusion is that present policy instruments are strong incentives for cogeneration, even when external costs are included. Waste is fully utilised in all scenarios. In cases where coal is the marginal power producer, more electricity is produced; when natural gas is the marginal power producer, less is produced. There are several uncertainties in the data for external costs, both methodological and ethical. In the ExternE data, not all environmental impacts are included. For waste incineration, ashes are not included, and another difficulty is how to treat the avoided burden of other waste treatment methods

Identification of time-varying structural dynamic systems - An artificial intelligence approach

Science.gov (United States)

Glass, B. J.; Hanagud, S.

1992-01-01

An application of the artificial intelligence-derived methodologies of heuristic search and object-oriented programming to the problem of identifying the form of the model and the associated parameters of a time-varying structural dynamic system is presented in this paper. Possible model variations due to changes in boundary conditions or configurations of a structure are organized into a taxonomy of models, and a variant of best-first search is used to identify the model whose simulated response best matches that of the current physical structure. Simulated model responses are verified experimentally. An output-error approach is used in a discontinuous model space, and an equation-error approach is used in the parameter space. The advantages of the AI methods used, compared with conventional programming techniques for implementing knowledge structuring and inheritance, are discussed. Convergence conditions and example problems have been discussed. In the example problem, both the time-varying model and its new parameters have been identified when changes occur.

Unilateral vestibular loss impairs external space representation.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Liliane Borel

Full Text Available The vestibular system is responsible for a wide range of postural and oculomotor functions and maintains an internal, updated representation of the position and movement of the head in space. In this study, we assessed whether unilateral vestibular loss affects external space representation. Patients with Menière's disease and healthy participants were instructed to point to memorized targets in near (peripersonal and far (extrapersonal spaces in the absence or presence of a visual background. These individuals were also required to estimate their body pointing direction. Menière's disease patients were tested before unilateral vestibular neurotomy and during the recovery period (one week and one month after the operation, and healthy participants were tested at similar times. Unilateral vestibular loss impaired the representation of both the external space and the body pointing direction: in the dark, the configuration of perceived targets was shifted toward the lesioned side and compressed toward the contralesioned hemifield, with higher pointing error in the near space. Performance varied according to the time elapsed after neurotomy: deficits were stronger during the early stages, while gradual compensation occurred subsequently. These findings provide the first demonstration of the critical role of vestibular signals in the representation of external space and of body pointing direction in the early stages after unilateral vestibular loss.

Time-Varying Uncertainty in Shock and Vibration Applications Using the Impulse Response

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J.B. Weathers

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Design of mechanical systems often necessitates the use of dynamic simulations to calculate the displacements (and their derivatives of the bodies in a system as a function of time in response to dynamic inputs. These types of simulations are especially prevalent in the shock and vibration community where simulations associated with models having complex inputs are routine. If the forcing functions as well as the parameters used in these simulations are subject to uncertainties, then these uncertainties will propagate through the models resulting in uncertainties in the outputs of interest. The uncertainty analysis procedure for these kinds of time-varying problems can be challenging, and in many instances, explicit data reduction equations (DRE's, i.e., analytical formulas, are not available because the outputs of interest are obtained from complex simulation software, e.g. FEA programs. Moreover, uncertainty propagation in systems modeled using nonlinear differential equations can prove to be difficult to analyze. However, if (1 the uncertainties propagate through the models in a linear manner, obeying the principle of superposition, then the complexity of the problem can be significantly simplified. If in addition, (2 the uncertainty in the model parameters do not change during the simulation and the manner in which the outputs of interest respond to small perturbations in the external input forces is not dependent on when the perturbations are applied, then the number of calculations required can be greatly reduced. Conditions (1 and (2 characterize a Linear Time Invariant (LTI uncertainty model. This paper seeks to explain one possible approach to obtain the uncertainty results based on these assumptions.

Book Review: EU External Relations Law: Text, Cases and Materials

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Graham Butler

2014-06-01

Full Text Available This latest textbook contributing to the field of EU external relations law is unique in that it is the first such book in the post-Treaty of Lisbon environment to take a wide-angled look on as many aspects of the growing area as it continues to develop within the legal parameters as set by the Treaties, and it is suitably placed to become the core text for teaching this expanding EU policy field. In their book, EU External Relations Law: Text, Cases and Materials, Van Vooren and Wessel seek to fill the gap in up-to-date literature from a legal standpoint in the field of external relations of the EU, with a book that is suitable for delivery as a core textbook for students of all levels. Their analysis covering fifteen long chapters offers the reader a comprehensive insight into the world of EU external relations law, and allows for a thoroughly better understanding of all the encapsulated issues that are at play.

ExternE: Externalities of energy Vol. 5. Nuclear

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dreicer, M.; Tort, V.; Manen, P.

1995-01-01

Since the early 1970s, there has been increased interest in the environmental impacts that are caused by the generation of electricity. The comparative risk assessment studies at that time used mainly deaths and injuries as impact indicators. By the end of the 1980s studies changed to the assessment of the costs imposed on society and the environment that were not included in the market price of the energy produced, the so-called external costs. The preliminary studies that were published set the conceptual basis, grounded in neo-classical economics, for the valuation of the health and environmental impacts that could be assessed. As a consequence of the many questions raised by the methodologies employed by these early studies, Directorate General XII (DG XII) of the Commission of the European Communities established a collaborative research programme with the United States Department of Energy to identify an appropriate methodology for this type of work. Following the completion of this collaboration, the DG XII programme has continued as the ExternE project. The main objective of the work carried out at CEPN was to develop an impact pathway methodology for the nuclear fuel cycle that would be consistent with the methodologies developed for other fuel cycles, without loosing the nuclear-specific techniques required for a proper evaluation. In this way, comparisons between the different fuel cycles would be possible. This report presents the methodology and demonstration of the results in the context of the French nuclear fuel cycle. The United States team at Oak Ridge National Laboratory has previously issued a draft report on the results of their assessment. The French fuel cycle was broken down into 8 separate stages. Reference sites and 1990s technology were chosen to represent the total nuclear fuel cycle, as it exists today. In addition, the transportation of material between the sites was considered. The facilities are assessed for routine operation, except

ExternE: Externalities of energy Vol. 4. Oil and gas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Friedrich, R.; Krewitt, W.; Mayerhofer, P.

1995-01-01

Awareness of the environmental damage resulting from human activity, particularly commencing energy use, has grown greatly in recent years. Effects such as global warming, ozone depletion and acid rain are now the subjects of much research and public debate. It is now known that these and other effects damage a wide range of receptors, including human health, forests, crops, freshwater ecosystems and buildings. Such damages are typically not accounted for by the producers and consumers of the good in question (in this case energy). They are thus referred to as 'external costs' or 'externalities', to distinguish them from the private costs which account for the construction of plant, cost of fuel, wages, etc. In recent years there has been a growing interest in the assessment of the environmental and health impacts of energy, and the related external costs. This concern is driven by a number of different factors: the need to integrate environmental concerns in decision making over the choice between different fuels and energy technologies; the need to evaluate the costs and benefits of stricter environmental standards; increased attention to the use of economic instruments for environmental policy, the need to develop overall indicators of environmental performance of different technologies; major changes in the energy sector, including privatisation, liberalisation of markets, reduction of subsidies, etc. An agreed methodology for calculation and integration of external costs has not been established. Earlier work is typically of a preliminary nature and tends to be deficient with respect to both the methods employed and the quality of models and data used. In consequence of this a collaborative project, the EC/US Fuel Cycles Study, was established between Directorate General XLI (Science, Research and Technology) of the European Commission and the United States Department of Energy. This ran for the period 1991 to 1993, and good agreement on a variety of

Internal and external attention and the default mode network.

Science.gov (United States)

Scheibner, Hannah J; Bogler, Carsten; Gleich, Tobias; Haynes, John-Dylan; Bermpohl, Felix

2017-03-01

Focused attention meditations have been shown to improve psychological health and wellbeing and are nowadays an integral part of many psychotherapies. While research on the neural correlates of focused attention meditation is increasing, findings vary on whether meditations are associated with high or low activity in the default mode network (DMN). To clarify the relationship between focused attention meditation and the activity in DMN regions, it may be helpful to distinguish internal and external attention as well as different phases within one meditation: During focused attention meditation, the practitioner switches between mindful attention, mind-wandering and refocusing. Here, we employed a thought-probe paradigm to study the neural correlates of these different phases. Twenty healthy, meditation naïve participants were introduced to external (mindfulness of sound) and internal (mindfulness of breathing) attention meditation and then practiced the meditation at home for four consecutive days. They then performed the same focused attention meditations during fMRI scanning, in four runs alternating between internal and external attention. At pseudorandom intervals, participants were asked whether they had just been focused on the task (mindful attention) or had been distracted (mind-wandering). During mindful attention, brain regions typically associated with the DMN, such as the medial prefrontal cortex, posterior cingulate cortex and left temporoparietal junction showed significantly less neural activation compared to mind-wandering phases. Reduced activity of the DMN was found during both external and internal attention, with stronger deactivation in the posterior cingulate cortex during internal attention compared to external attention. Moreover, refocusing after mind-wandering was associated with activity in the left inferior frontal gyrus. Our results support the theory that mindful attention is associated with reduced DMN activity compared to mind

Machine replacement, Network Externalities and Investment Cycles

OpenAIRE

Juan Ruiz

2003-01-01

This paper presents a model where agents decide on the timing of replacement of ageing machines. The optimal replacement policy for an agent is influenced by other agents' decisions because the productivity of a particular vintage displays network externalities that set in with a lag. In equilibrium, agents follow innovation cycles with a frequency that is lower than optimal, so there is too much delay. One extreme case is the possibility of inefficient collapse: for some parameters there is ...

Externally finned circular tube immerse in a phase-change material

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alves, C.L.F.; Ismail, K.A.R.

1985-01-01

In an attempt to increase the heat transfer rate and reduce the convective currents during the freezing of phase change materials (PCM) in storage tanks, externally finned circular tubes are studied experimentally. The parameters analysed in this work include number of fins, fin length, initial degree of superheat and freezing time

DENSE MOLECULAR CORES BEING EXTERNALLY HEATED

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, Gwanjeong; Lee, Chang Won; Kim, Mi-Ryang [Radio Astronomy division, Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute, 776 Daedeokdae-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 34055 (Korea, Republic of); Gopinathan, Maheswar [Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences, Manora Peak, Nainital 263129 (India); Jeong, Woong-Seob, E-mail: archer81@kasi.re.kr [Department of Astronomy and Space Science, University of Science and Technology, 217 Gajungro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 34113 (Korea, Republic of)

2016-06-20

We present results of our study of eight dense cores, previously classified as starless, using infrared (3–160 μ m) imaging observations with the AKARI telescope and molecular line (HCN and N{sub 2}H{sup +}) mapping observations with the KVN telescope. Combining our results with the archival IR to millimeter continuum data, we examined the starless nature of these eight cores. Two of the eight cores are found to harbor faint protostars having luminosities of ∼0.3–4.4 L {sub ⊙}. The other six cores are found to remain starless and probably are in a dynamically transitional state. The temperature maps produced using multi-wavelength images show an enhancement of about 3–6 K toward the outer boundary of these cores, suggesting that they are most likely being heated externally by nearby stars and/or interstellar radiation fields. Large virial parameters and an overdominance of red asymmetric line profiles over the cores may indicate that the cores are set into either an expansion or an oscillatory motion, probably due to the external heating. Most of the starless cores show a coreshine effect due to the scattering of light by the micron-sized dust grains. This may imply that the age of the cores is of the order of ∼10{sup 5} years, which is consistent with the timescale required for the cores to evolve into an oscillatory stage due to external perturbation. Our observational results support the idea that the external feedback from nearby stars and/or interstellar radiation fields may play an important role in the dynamical evolution of the cores.

Dyslexic adults can learn from repeated stimulus presentation but have difficulties in excluding external noise.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rachel L Beattie

Full Text Available We examined whether the characteristic impairments of dyslexia are due to a deficit in excluding external noise or a deficit in taking advantage of repeated stimulus presentation. We compared non-impaired adults and adults with poor reading performance on a visual letter detection task that varied two aspects: the presence or absence of background visual noise, and a small or large stimulus set. There was no interaction between group and stimulus set size, indicating that the poor readers took advantage of repeated stimulus presentation as well as the non-impaired readers. The poor readers had higher thresholds than non-impaired readers in the presence of high external noise, but not in the absence of external noise. The results support the hypothesis that an external noise exclusion deficit, not a perceptual anchoring deficit, impairs reading for adults.

An integrative time-varying frequency detection and channel sounding method for dynamic plasma sheath

Science.gov (United States)

Shi, Lei; Yao, Bo; Zhao, Lei; Liu, Xiaotong; Yang, Min; Liu, Yanming

2018-01-01

The plasma sheath-surrounded hypersonic vehicle is a dynamic and time-varying medium and it is almost impossible to calculate time-varying physical parameters directly. The in-fight detection of the time-varying degree is important to understand the dynamic nature of the physical parameters and their effect on re-entry communication. In this paper, a constant envelope zero autocorrelation (CAZAC) sequence based on time-varying frequency detection and channel sounding method is proposed to detect the plasma sheath electronic density time-varying property and wireless channel characteristic. The proposed method utilizes the CAZAC sequence, which has excellent autocorrelation and spread gain characteristics, to realize dynamic time-varying detection/channel sounding under low signal-to-noise ratio in the plasma sheath environment. Theoretical simulation under a typical time-varying radio channel shows that the proposed method is capable of detecting time-variation frequency up to 200 kHz and can trace the channel amplitude and phase in the time domain well under -10 dB. Experimental results conducted in the RF modulation discharge plasma device verified the time variation detection ability in practical dynamic plasma sheath. Meanwhile, nonlinear phenomenon of dynamic plasma sheath on communication signal is observed thorough channel sounding result.

External injection systems applied in modern cyclotrons designed and manufactured in NIIEFA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bogdanov, P.V.; Vasilchenko, I.N.; Veresov, O.L.; Gavrish, Yu.N.; Grigorenko, S.V.; Zuev, Yu.V.; Kozienko, M.T.; Mudrolyubov, V.G.; Strokach, A.P.; Tsygankov, S.S.

2012-01-01

The main parameters and design features of the external injection systems applied in modern cyclotrons designed and manufactured in NIIEFA and intended for production of radionuclides for medicine are presented. The use of these external injection systems instead of a traditional internal source allows the current of the accelerated beam to be significantly increased and the in-leakage of the working gas to the acceleration chamber to be reduced, which results in reduced beam losses in the process of acceleration and lower equipment activation.

The Relations among Maternal Depression, Maternal Criticism, and Adolescents' Externalizing and Internalizing Symptoms.

Science.gov (United States)

Frye, Alice A.; Garber, Judy

2005-01-01

This study examined the relations between maternal criticism and externalizing and internalizing symptoms in adolescents who varied in their risk for psychopathology. Both maternal-effects and child-effects models were examined. The sample consisted of 194 adolescents (mean age = 11.8 years) and their mothers: 146 mothers had a history of…

The dopamine receptor D4 gene and familial loading interact with perceived parenting in predicting externalizing behavior problems in early adolescence : The TRacking Adolescents' Individual Lives Survey (TRAILS)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Marsman, Rianne; Oldehinkel, Albertine J.; Ormel, Johan; Buitelaar, Jan K.

2013-01-01

Although externalizing behavior problems show in general a high stability over time, the course of externalizing behavior problems may vary from individual to individual. Our main goal was to investigate the predictive role of parenting on externalizing behavior problems. In addition, we

Marching on in anything: solving electromagnetic field equations with a varying physical parameter

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Tijhuis, A.G.; Zwamborn, A.P.M.; Smith, P.D.; Cloude, S.R.

2002-01-01

In this paper, we consider the determination of electromagnetic fields for a (large) number of values of a physical parameter. We restrict ourselves to the case where the linear system originates from one or more integral equations. We apply an iterative procedure based on the minimization of an

Neutrino oscillation parameter sampling with MonteCUBES

Science.gov (United States)

Blennow, Mattias; Fernandez-Martinez, Enrique

2010-01-01

We present MonteCUBES ("Monte Carlo Utility Based Experiment Simulator"), a software package designed to sample the neutrino oscillation parameter space through Markov Chain Monte Carlo algorithms. MonteCUBES makes use of the GLoBES software so that the existing experiment definitions for GLoBES, describing long baseline and reactor experiments, can be used with MonteCUBES. MonteCUBES consists of two main parts: The first is a C library, written as a plug-in for GLoBES, implementing the Markov Chain Monte Carlo algorithm to sample the parameter space. The second part is a user-friendly graphical Matlab interface to easily read, analyze, plot and export the results of the parameter space sampling. Program summaryProgram title: MonteCUBES (Monte Carlo Utility Based Experiment Simulator) Catalogue identifier: AEFJ_v1_0 Program summary URL:http://cpc.cs.qub.ac.uk/summaries/AEFJ_v1_0.html Program obtainable from: CPC Program Library, Queen's University, Belfast, N. Ireland Licensing provisions: GNU General Public Licence No. of lines in distributed program, including test data, etc.: 69 634 No. of bytes in distributed program, including test data, etc.: 3 980 776 Distribution format: tar.gz Programming language: C Computer: MonteCUBES builds and installs on 32 bit and 64 bit Linux systems where GLoBES is installed Operating system: 32 bit and 64 bit Linux RAM: Typically a few MBs Classification: 11.1 External routines: GLoBES [1,2] and routines/libraries used by GLoBES Subprograms used:Cat Id ADZI_v1_0, Title GLoBES, Reference CPC 177 (2007) 439 Nature of problem: Since neutrino masses do not appear in the standard model of particle physics, many models of neutrino masses also induce other types of new physics, which could affect the outcome of neutrino oscillation experiments. In general, these new physics imply high-dimensional parameter spaces that are difficult to explore using classical methods such as multi-dimensional projections and minimizations, such as those

Rationale for a GRAVSAT-MAGSAT mission: A perspective on the problem of external/internal transient field effects

Science.gov (United States)

Hermance, J. F.

1985-01-01

The Earth's magnetic field at MAGSAT altitudes not only has contributions from the Earth's core and static magnetization in the lithosphere, but also from external electric current systems in the ionosphere and magnetosphere, along with induced electric currents flowing in the conducting earth. Hermance assessed these last two contributions; the external time-varying fields and their associated internal counter-parts which are electromagnetically induced. It is readily recognized that during periods of magnetic disturbance, external currents often contribute from 10's to 100's of nanoteslas (gammas) to observations of the Earth's field. Since static anomalies from lithospheric magnetization are of this same magnitude or less, these external source fields must be taken into account when attempting to delineate gross structural features in the crust.

Plasma coating of nanoparticles in the presence of an external electric field

Science.gov (United States)

Ebadi, Zahra; Pourali, Nima; Mohammadzadeh, Hosein

2018-04-01

Film deposition onto nanoparticles by low-pressure plasma in the presence of an external electric field is studied numerically. The plasma discharge fluid model along with surface deposition and heating models for nanoparticles, as well as a dynamics model considering the motion of nanoparticles, are employed for this study. The results of the simulation show that applying external field during the process increases the uniformity of the film deposited onto nanoparticles and leads to that nanoparticles grow in a spherical shape. Increase in film uniformity and particles sphericity is related to particle dynamics that is controlled by parameters of the external field like frequency and amplitude. The results of this work can be helpful to produce spherical core-shell nanoparticles in nanomaterial industry.

Hubbard pair cluster in the external fields. Studies of the magnetic properties

Science.gov (United States)

Balcerzak, T.; Szałowski, K.

2018-06-01

The magnetic properties of the two-site Hubbard cluster (dimer or pair), embedded in the external electric and magnetic fields and treated as the open system, are studied by means of the exact diagonalization of the Hamiltonian. The formalism of the grand canonical ensemble is adopted. The phase diagrams, on-site magnetizations, spin-spin correlations, mean occupation numbers and hopping energy are investigated and illustrated in figures. An influence of temperature, mean electron concentration, Coulomb U parameter and external fields on the quantities of interest is presented and discussed. In particular, the anomalous behaviour of the magnetization and correlation function vs. temperature near the critical magnetic field is found. Also, the effect of magnetization switching by the external fields is demonstrated.

Synchronization of uncertain time-varying network based on sliding mode control technique

Science.gov (United States)

Lü, Ling; Li, Chengren; Bai, Suyuan; Li, Gang; Rong, Tingting; Gao, Yan; Yan, Zhe

2017-09-01

We research synchronization of uncertain time-varying network based on sliding mode control technique. The sliding mode control technique is first modified so that it can be applied to network synchronization. Further, by choosing the appropriate sliding surface, the identification law of uncertain parameter, the adaptive law of the time-varying coupling matrix element and the control input of network are designed, it is sure that the uncertain time-varying network can synchronize effectively the synchronization target. At last, we perform some numerical simulations to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed results.

A random utility model of delay discounting and its application to people with externalizing psychopathology.

Science.gov (United States)

Dai, Junyi; Gunn, Rachel L; Gerst, Kyle R; Busemeyer, Jerome R; Finn, Peter R

2016-10-01

Previous studies have demonstrated that working memory capacity plays a central role in delay discounting in people with externalizing psychopathology. These studies used a hyperbolic discounting model, and its single parameter-a measure of delay discounting-was estimated using the standard method of searching for indifference points between intertemporal options. However, there are several problems with this approach. First, the deterministic perspective on delay discounting underlying the indifference point method might be inappropriate. Second, the estimation procedure using the R2 measure often leads to poor model fit. Third, when parameters are estimated using indifference points only, much of the information collected in a delay discounting decision task is wasted. To overcome these problems, this article proposes a random utility model of delay discounting. The proposed model has 2 parameters, 1 for delay discounting and 1 for choice variability. It was fit to choice data obtained from a recently published data set using both maximum-likelihood and Bayesian parameter estimation. As in previous studies, the delay discounting parameter was significantly associated with both externalizing problems and working memory capacity. Furthermore, choice variability was also found to be significantly associated with both variables. This finding suggests that randomness in decisions may be a mechanism by which externalizing problems and low working memory capacity are associated with poor decision making. The random utility model thus has the advantage of disclosing the role of choice variability, which had been masked by the traditional deterministic model. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

High Frequency Asymptotic Methods for Traveltimes and Anisotropy Parameter Estimation in Azimuthally Varying Media

KAUST Repository

Masmoudi, Nabil

2014-05-01

Traveltimes are conventionally evaluated by solving the zero-order approximation of the Wentzel, Kramers and Brillouin (WKB) expansion of the wave equation. This high frequency approximation is good enough for most imaging applications and provides us with a traveltime equation called the eikonal equation. The eikonal equation is a non-linear partial differential equation which can be solved by any of the familiar numerical methods. Among the most popular of these methods is the method of characteristics which yields the ray tracing equations and the finite difference approaches. In the first part of the Master Thesis, we use the ray tracing method to solve the eikonal equation to get P-waves traveltimes for orthorhombic models with arbitrary orientation of symmetry planes. We start with a ray tracing procedure specified in curvilinear coordinate system valid for anisotropy of arbitrary symmetry. The coordinate system is constructed so that the coordinate lines are perpendicular to the symmetry planes of an orthorohombic medium. Advantages of this approach are the conservation of orthorhombic symmetry throughout the model and reduction of the number of parameters specifying the model. We combine this procedure with first-order ray tracing and dynamic ray tracing equations for P waves propagating in smooth, inhomogeneous, weakly anisotropic media. The first-order ray tracing and dynamic ray tracing equations are derived from the exact ones by replacing the exact P-wave eigenvalue of the Christoffel matrix by its first-order approximation. In the second part of the Master Thesis, we compute traveltimes using the fast marching method and we develop an approach to estimate the anisotropy parameters. The idea is to relate them analytically to traveltimes which is challenging in inhomogeneous media. Using perturbation theory, we develop traveltime approximations for transversely isotropic media with horizontal symmetry axis (HTI) as explicit functions of the

Dirac bound states of anharmonic oscillator in external fields

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hamzavi, Majid; Ikhdair, Sameer M.; Falaye, Babatunde J.

2014-01-01

We explore the effect of the external magnetic and Aharonov–Bohm (AB) flux fields on the energy levels of Dirac particle subjects to mixed scalar and vector anharmonic oscillator field in the two-dimensional (2D) space. We calculate the exact energy eigenvalues and the corresponding un-normalized two-spinor-components wave functions in terms of the chemical potential parameter, magnetic field strength, AB flux field and magnetic quantum number by using the Nikiforov–Uvarov (NU) method. -- Highlights: • Effect of the external fields on the energy levels of Dirac particle with the anharmonic oscillator is investigated. • The solutions are discussed in view of spin and pseudospin symmetries limits. • The energy levels and wave function are presented by the Nikiforov–Uvarov method

State space modeling of time-varying contemporaneous and lagged relations in connectivity maps.

Science.gov (United States)

Molenaar, Peter C M; Beltz, Adriene M; Gates, Kathleen M; Wilson, Stephen J

2016-01-15

Most connectivity mapping techniques for neuroimaging data assume stationarity (i.e., network parameters are constant across time), but this assumption does not always hold true. The authors provide a description of a new approach for simultaneously detecting time-varying (or dynamic) contemporaneous and lagged relations in brain connectivity maps. Specifically, they use a novel raw data likelihood estimation technique (involving a second-order extended Kalman filter/smoother embedded in a nonlinear optimizer) to determine the variances of the random walks associated with state space model parameters and their autoregressive components. The authors illustrate their approach with simulated and blood oxygen level-dependent functional magnetic resonance imaging data from 30 daily cigarette smokers performing a verbal working memory task, focusing on seven regions of interest (ROIs). Twelve participants had dynamic directed functional connectivity maps: Eleven had one or more time-varying contemporaneous ROI state loadings, and one had a time-varying autoregressive parameter. Compared to smokers without dynamic maps, smokers with dynamic maps performed the task with greater accuracy. Thus, accurate detection of dynamic brain processes is meaningfully related to behavior in a clinical sample. Published by Elsevier Inc.

A geographically resolved method to estimate levelized power plant costs with environmental externalities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rhodes, Joshua D.; King, Carey; Gulen, Gürcan; Olmstead, Sheila M.; Dyer, James S.; Hebner, Robert E.; Beach, Fred C.; Edgar, Thomas F.; Webber, Michael E.

2017-01-01

In this analysis we developed and applied a geographically-resolved method to calculate the Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE) of new power plants on a county-by-county basis while including estimates of some environmental externalities. We calculated the LCOE for each county of the contiguous United States for 12 power plant technologies. The minimum LCOE option for each county varies based on local conditions, capital and fuel costs, environmental externalities, and resource availability. We considered ten scenarios that vary input assumptions. We present the results in a map format to facilitate comparisons by fuel, technology, and location. For our reference analysis, which includes a cost of $62/tCO_2 for CO_2 emissions natural gas combined cycle, wind, and nuclear are most often the lowest-LCOE option. While the average cost increases when internalizing the environmental externalities (carbon and air pollutants) is small for some technologies, the local cost differences are as high as $0.62/kWh for coal (under our reference analysis). These results display format, and online tools could serve as an educational tool for stakeholders when considering which technologies might or might not be a good fit for a given locality subject to system integration considerations. - Highlights: • We propose a method to add externalities to LCOE. • We present the least cost technology for every county in the US. • The cheapest technology depends on many characteristics of that locale. • We present online tools for users to change our assumptions. • Our tools are useful in discussing the impact of policy on the cost of electricity.

External costs of nuclear: Greater or less than the alternatives?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rabl, Ari; Rabl, Veronika A.

2013-01-01

Since Fukushima many are calling for a shutdown of nuclear power plants. To see whether such a shutdown would reduce the risks for health and environment, the external costs of nuclear electricity are compared with alternatives that could replace it. The frequency of catastrophic nuclear accidents is based on the historical record, about one in 25 years for the plants built to date, an order of magnitude higher than the safety goals of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Impacts similar to Chernobyl and Fukushima are assumed to estimate the cost. A detailed comparison is presented with wind as alternative with the lowest external cost. The variability of wind necessitates augmentation by other sources, primarily fossil fuels, because storage at the required scale is in most regions too expensive. The external costs of natural gas combined cycle are taken as 0.6 €cent/kWh due to health effects of air pollution and 1.25 €cent/kWh due to greenhouse gases (at 25€/t CO 2 eq ) for the central estimate, but a wide range of different parameters is also considered, both for nuclear and for the alternatives. Although the central estimate of external costs of the wind-based alternative is higher than that of nuclear, the uncertainty ranges overlap. - Highlights: ► The external costs of nuclear electricity are compared with the alternatives. ► Frequency and cost of nuclear accidents based on Chernobyl and Fukushima. ► Detailed comparison with wind as alternative with the lowest external costs. ► High external cost of wind because of natural gas backup (storage too limited). ► External costs of wind higher than nuclear but uncertainty ranges overlap

Phosphate Sorption Characteristics and External P Requirements of Selected South African Soils

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

E. M. Gichangi

2008-10-01

Full Text Available The Transkei is the largest consolidated area in South Africa where land is held by smallholder farmers but little is known about the extent of phosphate fixation in the region. This study was conducted to determine the phosphate sorption properties and external P requirements (EPR of selected soils from the Transkei region, South Africa and to relate derived sorption values to selected soil parameters. The P sorption maxima and EPR values varied widely ranging from 192.3 to 909.1 mg P kg−1 and from 2 to 123 mg P kg−1−1 soil, respectively. Citrate dithionite bicarbonate-extractable aluminum explained most of the observed variations in P sorption. About 43% of the soils were found to be moderate P fixers and may need management interventions to ensure adequate P availability to crops. The single point sorption index accurately predicted the EPR of the soils obviating the need to use multiple point sorption isotherms. The results suggested that the use of blanket phosphate fertilizer recommendations may not be a good strategy for the region as it may lead to under-application or over-application of P in some areas.

The Pierce diode with an external circuit. I. Oscillations about nonuniform equilibria

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lawson, W.S.

1989-01-01

The nonuniform (nonlinear) equilibria of the classical (short circuit) Pierce diode and the extended (series RLC external circuit) Pierce diode are described, and the spectrum of oscillations (stable and unstable) about these equilibria are worked out. It is found that only the external capacitance alters the equilibria, though all elements alter the spectrum. In particular, the introduction of an external capacitor destabilizes some equilibria that are marginally stable without the capacitor. Computer simulations are performed to test the theoretical predictions for the case of an external capacitor only. It is found that most equilibria are correctly predicted by theory, but that the continuous set of equilibria of the classical Pierce diode at Pierce parameters (α=ω/sub pL//v 0 ) that are multiples of 2π are not observed. This appears to be a failure of the simulation method under the rather singular conditions rather than a failure of the theory

New external convective heat transfer coefficient correlations for isolated low-rise buildings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Emmel, M. G.; Mendes, N. [Pontifical Catholic University of Parana, PUCPR/CCET, Thermal Systems Laboratory, LST, Curitiba (Brazil); Abadie, M. O. [Pontifical Catholic University of Parana, PUCPR/CCET, Thermal Systems Laboratory, LST, Curitiba (Brazil); Laboratoire d' Etude des Phenomenes de Transfert Appliques au batiment (LEPTAB), University of La Rochelle, La Rochelle (France)

2007-07-01

Building energy analyses are very sensitive to external convective heat transfer coefficients so that some researchers have conducted sensitivity calculations and proved that depending on the choice of those coefficients, energy demands estimation values can vary from 20% to 40%. In this context, computational fluid dynamics calculations have been performed to predict convective heat transfer coefficients at the external surfaces of a simple shape low-rise building. Effects of wind velocity and orientation have been analyzed considering four surface-to-air temperature differences. Results show that the convective heat transfer coefficient value strongly depends on the wind velocity, that the wind direction has a notable effect for vertical walls and for roofs and that the surface-to-air temperature difference has a negligible effect for wind velocity higher than 2 m/s. External convective heat transfer coefficient correlations are provided as a function of the wind free stream velocity and wind-to-surface angle. (author)

On-shell gauge-parameter independence of contributions to electroweak quark self-energies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ahmady, M.R.; Elias, V.; Mendel, R.R.; Scadron, M.D.; Steele, T.

1989-01-01

We allow an external condensate to enter standard SU(2) x U(1) electroweak theory via the vacuum expectation value , as in QCD sum-rule applications. For a given flavor, we then find that any gauge-parameter dependence of quark self-energies on the ''mass shell'' is eliminated provided that the mass shell is made to coincide with both the expansion-parameter mass occurring in the operator-product expansion of and the standard electroweak mass acquired via the Yukawa coupling to the usual scalar vacuum expectation value of spontaneous symmetry breaking. This result indicates that if the QCD-generated order parameter and associated dynamical mass(es) m/sub q//sup dyn/ are utilized as external input parameters in electroweak calculations involving hadrons, then new corrections must be introduced into the q-barqW and q-barqZ vertices in order to preserve SU(2) x U(1) Ward identities

External momentum expansion in NJL model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huang Mei; Zhao Weiqin; Zhuang Pengfei

1999-01-01

In the large N c expansion beyond mean-field approximation, the authors develop a general scheme of SU(2) NJL model including current quark mass explicitly. In the scheme, the constituent quark's propagator is expanded in pions external momentum k, and all the Feynman diagrams are naturally expanded to k 2 term in a unified way. The numerical results show that in the mean field approximation, the effect of current quark mass is invisible, however, the effect of current quark mass can be seen explicitly beyond mean-field approximation for reasonable choices of the parameters in NJL model

Females are the brighter sex: Differences in external fluorescence across sexes and life stages of a crab spider.

Science.gov (United States)

Brandt, Erin E; Masta, Susan E

2017-01-01

Fluorescence is increasingly recognized to be widespread in nature. In particular, some arachnids fluoresce externally, and in spiders the hemolymph fluoresces. In this study, we examined the external fluorescence and the fluorophores of different sexes and life stages of the crab spider Misumena vatia (Clerk 1757), a sit-and-wait predator that feeds on insects as they visit flowers. We designed novel instrumentation to measure external fluorescence in whole specimens. We found that although males and females possess internal fluorophores with similar properties, the external expression of fluorescence varies across sexes and life stages. Spiders fluoresce brightly as immatures. Females maintain their brightness to adulthood, whereas males become increasingly dim as they mature. We suggest that external fluorescence likely contributes to visual signaling in these animals, and that it differs between the sexes as a result of differences in foraging ecology and behavior.

S-parameter at Non-Zero Temperature and Chemical Potential

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Søndergaard, Ulrik Ishøj; Sannino, Francesco; Pica, Claudio

2011-01-01

We compute the finite-temperature and matter density corrections to the S-parameter at the one loop level. At non-zero temperature T and matter density Lorentz symmetry breaks and therefore we suggest a suitable generalization of the S-parameter. By computing the plasma correction, we discover...... a reduction of the S-parameter in the physically relevant region of small external momenta for any non-zero chemical potential and T. In particular, the S-parameter vanishes at small m/T, where m is the mass of the fermions, due to the finite extent of the temporal direction. Our results are directly...

Analysis of heat-transfer measurements from 2 AEDC wind tunnels on the Shuttle external tank

Science.gov (United States)

Nutt, K. W.

1984-01-01

Previous aerodynamic heating tests have been conducted in the AEDC/VKF Supersonic Wind Tunnel (A) to aid in defining the design thermal environment for the space shuttle external tank. The quality of these data has been under discussion because of the effects of low tunnel enthalpy and slow model injection rates. Recently the AEDC/VKF Hypersonic Wind Tunnel (C) has been modified to provide a Mach 4 capability that has significantly higher tunnel enthalpy with more rapid model injection rates. Tests were conducted in Tunnel C at Mach 4 to obtain data on the external tank for comparison with Tunnel A results. Data were obtained on a 0.0175 scale model of the Space Shuttle Integrated Vehicle at Re/ft = 4 x 10 to the 6th power with the tunnel stagnation temperature varying from 740 to 1440 R. Model attitude varied from an angle of attack of -5 to 5 deg and an angle of sideslip of -3 to 3 deg. One set of data was obtained in Tunnel C at Re/ft = 6.9 x 10 to the 6th for comparison with flight data. Data comparisons between the two tunnels for numerous regions on the external tank are given.

A method for aggregating external operating conditions in multi-generation system optimization models

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lythcke-Jørgensen, Christoffer Ernst; Münster, Marie; Ensinas, Adriano Viana

2016-01-01

This paper presents a novel, simple method for reducing external operating condition datasets to be used in multi-generation system optimization models. The method, called the Characteristic Operating Pattern (CHOP) method, is a visually-based aggregation method that clusters reference data based...... on parameter values rather than time of occurrence, thereby preserving important information on short-term relations between the relevant operating parameters. This is opposed to commonly used methods where data are averaged over chronological periods (months or years), and extreme conditions are hidden...... in the averaged values. The CHOP method is tested in a case study where the operation of a fictive Danish combined heat and power plant is optimized over a historical 5-year period. The optimization model is solved using the full external operating condition dataset, a reduced dataset obtained using the CHOP...

Vulnerability analysis of a PWR to an external event

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aruety, S.; Ilberg, D.; Hertz, Y.

1980-01-01

The Vulnerability of a Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) to external events is affected by several factors such as: the degree of redundancy of the reactor systems, subsystems and components; the separation of systems provided in the general layout; the extent of the vulnerable area, i.e., the area which upon being affected by an external event will result in system failure; and the time required to repair or replace the systems, when allowed. The present study offers a methodology, using Probabilistic Safety Analysis, to evaluate the relative importance of the above parameters in reducing the vulnerability of reactor safety systems. Several safety systems of typical PWR's are analyzed as examples. It was found that the degree of redundancy and physical separation of the systems has the most prominent effect on the vulnerability of the NPP

[External cephalic version].

Science.gov (United States)

Navarro-Santana, B; Duarez-Coronado, M; Plaza-Arranz, J

2016-08-01

To analyze the rate of successful external cephalic versions in our center and caesarean sections that would be avoided with the use of external cephalic versions. From January 2012 to March 2016 external cephalic versions carried out at our center, which were a total of 52. We collected data about female age, gestational age at the time of the external cephalic version, maternal body mass index (BMI), fetal variety and situation, fetal weight, parity, location of the placenta, amniotic fluid index (ILA), tocolysis, analgesia, and newborn weight at birth, minor adverse effects (dizziness, hypotension and maternal pain) and major adverse effects (tachycardia, bradycardia, decelerations and emergency cesarean section). 45% of the versions were unsuccessful and 55% were successful. The percentage of successful vaginal delivery in versions was 84% (4% were instrumental) and 15% of caesarean sections. With respect to the variables studied, only significant differences in birth weight were found; suggesting that birth weight it is related to the outcome of external cephalic version. Probably we did not find significant differences due to the number of patients studied. For women with breech presentation, we recommend external cephalic version before the expectant management or performing a cesarean section. The external cephalic version increases the proportion of fetuses in cephalic presentation and also decreases the rate of caesarean sections.

The effects of external conditions in turbulent boundary layers

Science.gov (United States)

Brzek, Brian G.

The effects of multiple external conditions on turbulent boundary layers were studied in detail. These external conditions include: surface roughness, upstream turbulence intensity, and pressure gradient. Furthermore, the combined effects of these conditions show the complicated nature of many realistic flow conditions. It was found that the effects of surface roughness are difficult to generalize, given the importance of so many parameters. These parameters include: roughness geometry, roughness regime, roughness height to boundary layer thickness, (k/delta), roughness parameter, ( k+), Reynolds number, and roughness function (Delta B+). A further complication, is the difficulty in computing the wall shear stress, tauw/rho. For the sand grain type roughness, the mean velocity and Reynolds stresses were studied in inner and outer variables, as well as, boundary layer parameters, anisotropy tensor, production term, and viscous stress and form drag contributions. To explore the effects of roughness and Reynolds number dependence in the boundary layer, a new experiment was carefully designed to properly capture the x-dependence of the single-point statistics. It was found that roughness destroys the viscous layer near the wall, thus, reducing the contribution of the viscous stress in the wall region. As a result, the contribution in the skin friction due to form drag increases, while the viscous stress decreases. This yields Reynolds number invariance in the skin friction, near-wall roughness parameters, and inner velocity profiles as k + increases into the fully rough regime. However, in the transitionally rough regime, (i.e., 5 component shows the largest influence of roughness, where the high peak near the wall was decreased and became nearly flat for the fully rough regime profiles. In addition, the Reynolds stresses in outer variables show self-similarity for fixed experimental conditions. However, as the roughness parameter, k +, increases, all Reynolds stress

MD 400: LHC emittance growth in presence of an external source of noise during collision

CERN Document Server

Barranco Garcia, Javier; Pieloni, Tatiana; Tambasco, Claudia; Trad, Georges; Valuch, Daniel; Betz, Michael; Wendt, Manfred; Pojer, Mirko; Solfaroli Camillocci, Matteo; Salvachua Ferrando, Belen Maria; Fuchsberger, Kajetan; Albert, Markus; Qiang, Ji; CERN. Geneva. ATS Department

2016-01-01

The interplay between head-on beam-beam interaction and external sources of noise can be a significant source of emittance growth, especially when considering large beam-beam tune shifts as for the HL-LHC upgrade project. In this experiment the emittance growth of colliding bunches with different brightness and therefore different beam-beam parameters in the presence of an external white noise source with different amplitudes is measured for different gains of the transverse feedback.

A hepatitis C virus infection model with time-varying drug effectiveness: solution and analysis.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jessica M Conway

2014-08-01

Full Text Available Simple models of therapy for viral diseases such as hepatitis C virus (HCV or human immunodeficiency virus assume that, once therapy is started, the drug has a constant effectiveness. More realistic models have assumed either that the drug effectiveness depends on the drug concentration or that the effectiveness varies over time. Here a previously introduced varying-effectiveness (VE model is studied mathematically in the context of HCV infection. We show that while the model is linear, it has no closed-form solution due to the time-varying nature of the effectiveness. We then show that the model can be transformed into a Bessel equation and derive an analytic solution in terms of modified Bessel functions, which are defined as infinite series, with time-varying arguments. Fitting the solution to data from HCV infected patients under therapy has yielded values for the parameters in the model. We show that for biologically realistic parameters, the predicted viral decay on therapy is generally biphasic and resembles that predicted by constant-effectiveness (CE models. We introduce a general method for determining the time at which the transition between decay phases occurs based on calculating the point of maximum curvature of the viral decay curve. For the parameter regimes of interest, we also find approximate solutions for the VE model and establish the asymptotic behavior of the system. We show that the rate of second phase decay is determined by the death rate of infected cells multiplied by the maximum effectiveness of therapy, whereas the rate of first phase decline depends on multiple parameters including the rate of increase of drug effectiveness with time.

Females are the brighter sex: Differences in external fluorescence across sexes and life stages of a crab spider.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Erin E Brandt

Full Text Available Fluorescence is increasingly recognized to be widespread in nature. In particular, some arachnids fluoresce externally, and in spiders the hemolymph fluoresces. In this study, we examined the external fluorescence and the fluorophores of different sexes and life stages of the crab spider Misumena vatia (Clerk 1757, a sit-and-wait predator that feeds on insects as they visit flowers. We designed novel instrumentation to measure external fluorescence in whole specimens. We found that although males and females possess internal fluorophores with similar properties, the external expression of fluorescence varies across sexes and life stages. Spiders fluoresce brightly as immatures. Females maintain their brightness to adulthood, whereas males become increasingly dim as they mature. We suggest that external fluorescence likely contributes to visual signaling in these animals, and that it differs between the sexes as a result of differences in foraging ecology and behavior.

External radiation surveillance

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Antonio, E.J.

1995-06-01

This section of the 1994 Hanford Site Environmental Report describes how external radiation was measured, how surveys were performed, and the results of these measurements and surveys. External radiation exposure rates were measured at locations on and off the Hanford Site using thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLD). External radiation and contamination surveys were also performed with portable radiation survey instruments at locations on and around the Hanford Site.

External radiation surveillance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Antonio, E.J.

1995-01-01

This section of the 1994 Hanford Site Environmental Report describes how external radiation was measured, how surveys were performed, and the results of these measurements and surveys. External radiation exposure rates were measured at locations on and off the Hanford Site using thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLD). External radiation and contamination surveys were also performed with portable radiation survey instruments at locations on and around the Hanford Site

PCA-based detection of damage in time-varying systems

Science.gov (United States)

Bellino, A.; Fasana, A.; Garibaldi, L.; Marchesiello, S.

2010-10-01

When performing Structural Health Monitoring, it is well known that the natural frequencies do not depend only on the damage but also on environmental conditions, such as temperature and humidity. The Principal Component Analysis is used to take this problem into account, because it allows eliminating the effect of external factors. The purpose of the present work is to show that this technique can be successfully used not only for time-invariant systems, but also for time-varying ones. Referring to the latter, one of the most studied systems which shows these characteristics is the bridge with crossing loads, such as the case of the railway bridge studied in present paper; in this case, the mass and the velocity of the train can be considered as "environmental" factors.This paper, after a brief description of the PCA method and one example of its application on time-invariant systems, presents the great potentialities of the methodology when applied to time-varying systems. The results show that this method is able to better detect the presence of damage and also to properly distinguish among different levels of crack depths.

Control of generation spectrum of gyrotron with external reflection in mode of several longitudinal modes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rozental', R.M.; Ginzburg, N.S.; Zajtsev, N.I.; Ilyakov, E.V.; Kulagin, I.S.

2006-01-01

One studies possibility to control the spectrum of multiparticle generation in a gyrotron due to application of external reflections. It is shown that in self-modulation regimes of generation the radiation spectrum lines may be close to the resonance frequencies throughout electrodynamic system covering a part of output waveguide restricted by a reflector. Under the mentioned conditions variation of distance between mode frequencies and, respectively, period of self-modulation may be reached due to varying of position of the reflector. The theory deductions are supported by the results of experimental investigation into 30 GHz region relativistic gyrotron with external reflections [ru

Supercritical heat transfer in an annular channel with external heating

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Remizov, O.V.; Gal'chenko, Eh.F.; Shurkin, N.G.; Sergeev, V.V.

1980-01-01

Results are presented of experimental studies of the burnout heat transfer in a 32x28x3000 mm annular channel with a uniform distribution of a heat flow at pressures of 6.9-19.6 MPa and mass rates of 350-1000 kg/m 2 xs. The heating is electrical, external, one-sided. It is shown that dependencies of the heat-transfer coefficient on rated parameters in the annular channel and tube are similar. An empirical equation has been obtained for the calculation of the burnout heat transfer in the annual channels with external heating in the following range: pressure, 6.9 -13.7 MPa; mass rate 350-700 kg/m 2 xs, and steam content ranging from Xsub(crit) to 1

Phosphorus acquisition efficiency in arbuscular mycorrhizal maize is correlated with the abundance of root-external hyphae and the accumulation of transcripts encoding PHT1 phosphate transporters

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sawers, Ruairidh J H; Svane, Simon F; Quan, Clement

2016-01-01

content, abundance of intra-radical and root-external fungal structures, mycorrhizal phosphorus uptake, and accumulation of transcripts encoding plant PHT1 family phosphate transporters varied among lines. Larger growth responses in Oh43 were correlated with extensive development of root-external hyphae...

Effects of External Digital Elevation Model Inaccuracy on StaMPS-PS Processing: A Case Study in Shenzhen, China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yanan Du

2017-11-01

Full Text Available External Digital Elevation Models (DEMs with different resolutions and accuracies cause different topographic residuals in differential interferograms of Multi-temporal InSAR (MTInSAR, especially for the phase-based StaMPS-PS. The PS selection and deformation parameter estimation of StaMPS-PS are closely related to the spatially uncorrected error, which is directly affected by external DEMs. However, it is still far from clear how the high resolution and accurate external DEM affects the results of the StaMPS-PS (e.g., PS selection and deformation parameter calculation on different platforms (X band TerraSAR, C band ENVISAT ASAR and L band ALOS/PALSAR1. In this study, abundant synthetic tests are performed to assess the influences of external DEMs on parameter estimations, such as the mean deformation rate and the deformation time-series. Real SAR images, covering Shenzhen city in China, are also selected to analyze the PS selection and distribution as well as to validate the results of synthetic tests. The results show that the PS points selected by the 5 m TanDEM-X DEM are 10.32%, 4.25% and 0.34% more than those selected by the 30 m SRTM DEM at X, C and L bands SAR platforms, respectively, when a multi-look geocoding operation is adopted for X band in the SRTM DEM case. We also find that the influences of external DEMs on the mean deformation rate are not significant and are inversely proportional to the wavelength of the satellite platforms. The standard deviations of the mean deformation rate difference for the X, C and L bands are 0.54, 0.30 and 0.10 mm/year, respectively. Similarly, the influences of external DEMs on the deformation time-series estimation for the three platforms are also slight, except for local artifacts whose root-mean-square error (RMSE ≥ 6 mm. Based on these analyses, some implications and suggestions for external DEMs on StaMPS-PS processing are discussed and provided.

LOW-MASS GALAXY FORMATION IN COSMOLOGICAL ADAPTIVE MESH REFINEMENT SIMULATIONS: THE EFFECTS OF VARYING THE SUB-GRID PHYSICS PARAMETERS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

ColIn, Pedro; Vazquez-Semadeni, Enrique; Avila-Reese, Vladimir; Valenzuela, Octavio; Ceverino, Daniel

2010-01-01

We present numerical simulations aimed at exploring the effects of varying the sub-grid physics parameters on the evolution and the properties of the galaxy formed in a low-mass dark matter halo (∼7 x 10 10 h -1 M sun at redshift z = 0). The simulations are run within a cosmological setting with a nominal resolution of 218 pc comoving and are stopped at z = 0.43. For simulations that cannot resolve individual molecular clouds, we propose the criterion that the threshold density for star formation, n SF , should be chosen such that the column density of the star-forming cells equals the threshold value for molecule formation, N ∼ 10 21 cm -2 , or ∼8 M sun pc -2 . In all of our simulations, an extended old/intermediate-age stellar halo and a more compact younger stellar disk are formed, and in most cases, the halo's specific angular momentum is slightly larger than that of the galaxy, and sensitive to the SF/feedback parameters. We found that a non-negligible fraction of the halo stars are formed in situ in a spheroidal distribution. Changes in the sub-grid physics parameters affect significantly and in a complex way the evolution and properties of the galaxy: (1) lower threshold densities n SF produce larger stellar effective radii R e , less peaked circular velocity curves V c (R), and greater amounts of low-density and hot gas in the disk mid-plane; (2) when stellar feedback is modeled by temporarily switching off radiative cooling in the star-forming regions, R e increases (by a factor of ∼2 in our particular model), the circular velocity curve becomes flatter, and a complex multi-phase gaseous disk structure develops; (3) a more efficient local conversion of gas mass to stars, measured by a stellar particle mass distribution biased toward larger values, increases the strength of the feedback energy injection-driving outflows and inducing burstier SF histories; (4) if feedback is too strong, gas loss by galactic outflows-which are easier to produce in low

Some biochemical effects of combined action of external irradiation and strontium 89

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khadzhirusev, S.; Kiradzhiev, G.; Lalova, Kh.

1979-01-01

An attempt was made to assess the influence of strontium 89 on some biochemical effects, induced by external total X-irradiation of the organism in the early terms after treatment. The serum alkaline and acid phosphatase activities and the serum copper and ceruloplasmin content in rats served as indices. Inference is made that in cases, when either of the two radiation actors is alone responsible for obtaining a definite effects, their combination may integrate the biological effect, their combination may integrate the biological effects. Considerations are adduced on the dose span, within which integration of the effect may be expected. The data of this study indicate, that there is integration, when the effective dose external irradiaton effective dose internal irradiation ratio ranks from 1 : 3 to 1 : 1. No integration of effect was found in case when the effective dose of external irradiation eceeds that of internal irradiation. Data are also presented that, in conformity with the parameters studied, the minimal effective radiostrontium dose, generated in the critical organs, is approximately 3 times higher than the minimal effective dose of external irradiation. (author)

The Effect of Stochastically Varying Creep Parameters on Residual Stresses in Ceramic Matrix Composites

Science.gov (United States)

Pineda, Evan J.; Mital, Subodh K.; Bednarcyk, Brett A.; Arnold, Steven M.

2015-01-01

Constituent properties, along with volume fraction, have a first order effect on the microscale fields within a composite material and influence the macroscopic response. Therefore, there is a need to assess the significance of stochastic variation in the constituent properties of composites at the higher scales. The effect of variability in the parameters controlling the time-dependent behavior, in a unidirectional SCS-6 SiC fiber-reinforced RBSN matrix composite lamina, on the residual stresses induced during processing is investigated numerically. The generalized method of cells micromechanics theory is utilized to model the ceramic matrix composite lamina using a repeating unit cell. The primary creep phases of the constituents are approximated using a Norton-Bailey, steady state, power law creep model. The effect of residual stresses on the proportional limit stress and strain to failure of the composite is demonstrated. Monte Carlo simulations were conducted using a normal distribution for the power law parameters and the resulting residual stress distributions were predicted.

External Volume Expansion in Irradiated Tissue: Effects on the Recipient Site.

Science.gov (United States)

Chin, Michael S; Lujan-Hernandez, Jorge; Babchenko, Oksana; Bannon, Elizabeth; Perry, Dylan J; Chappell, Ava G; Lo, Yuan-Chyuan; Fitzgerald, Thomas J; Lalikos, Janice F

2016-05-01

External volume expansion prepares recipient sites to improve outcomes of fat grafting. For patients receiving radiotherapy after mastectomy, results with external volume expansion vary, and the relationship between radiotherapy and expansion remains unexplored. Thus, the authors developed a new translational model to investigate the effects in chronic skin fibrosis after radiation exposure. Twenty-four SKH1-E mice received 50 Gy of β-radiation to each flank and were monitored until fibrosis developed (8 weeks). External volume expansion was then applied at -25 mmHg to one side for 6 hours for 5 days. The opposite side served as the control. Perfusion changes were assessed with hyperspectral imaging. Mice were euthanized at 5 (n = 12) and 15 days (n = 12) after the last expansion application. Tissue samples were analyzed with immunohistochemistry for CD31 and Ki67, Masson trichrome for skin thickness, and picrosirius red to analyze collagen composition. All animals developed skin fibrosis 8 weeks after radiotherapy and became hypoperfused based on hyperspectral imaging. Expansion induced edema on treated sides after stimulation. Perfusion was decreased by 13 percent on the expansion side (p External volume expansion temporarily reduces perfusion, likely because of transient ischemia or edema. Together with mechanotransduction, these effects encourage a proangiogenic and proliferative environment in fibrotic tissue after radiotherapy in the authors' mouse model. Further studies are needed to assess these changes in fat graft retention.

Numerical simulation of dual frequency etching reactors: Influence of the external process parameters on the plasma characteristics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Georgieva, V.; Bogaerts, A.

2005-01-01

A one-dimensional particle-in-cell/Monte Carlo model is used to investigate Ar/CF 4 /N 2 discharges sustained in capacitively coupled dual frequency reactors, with special emphasis on the influence of the reactor parameters such as applied voltage amplitudes and frequencies of the two voltage sources. The presented calculation results include plasma density, ion current, average sheath potential and width, electron and ion average energies and energy distributions, and ionization rates. The simulations were carried out for high frequencies (HFs) of 27, 40, 60, and 100 MHz and a low frequency (LF) of 1 or 2 MHz, varying the LF voltage and keeping the HF voltage constant and vice versa. It is observed that the decoupling of the two sources is possible by increasing the applied HF to very high values (above 60 MHz) and it is not defined by the frequency ratio. Both voltage sources have influence on the plasma characteristics at a HF of 27 MHz and to some extent at 40 MHz. At HFs of 60 and 100 MHz, the plasma density and ion flux are determined only by the HF voltage source. The ion energy increases and the ion energy distribution function (IEDF) becomes broader with HF or LF voltage amplitude, when the other voltage is kept constant. The IEDF is broader with the increase of HF or the decrease of LF

Towards artificial intelligence based diesel engine performance control under varying operating conditions using support vector regression

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Naradasu Kumar Ravi

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Diesel engine designers are constantly on the look-out for performance enhancement through efficient control of operating parameters. In this paper, the concept of an intelligent engine control system is proposed that seeks to ensure optimized performance under varying operating conditions. The concept is based on arriving at the optimum engine operating parameters to ensure the desired output in terms of efficiency. In addition, a Support Vector Machines based prediction model has been developed to predict the engine performance under varying operating conditions. Experiments were carried out at varying loads, compression ratios and amounts of exhaust gas recirculation using a variable compression ratio diesel engine for data acquisition. It was observed that the SVM model was able to predict the engine performance accurately.

Nonlinear ultrasonic imaging method for closed cracks using subtraction of responses at different external loads.

Science.gov (United States)

Ohara, Yoshikazu; Horinouchi, Satoshi; Hashimoto, Makoto; Shintaku, Yohei; Yamanaka, Kazushi

2011-08-01

To improve the selectivity of closed cracks for objects other than cracks in ultrasonic imaging, we propose an extension of a novel imaging method, namely, subharmonic phased array for crack evaluation (SPACE) as well as another approach using the subtraction of responses at different external loads. By applying external static or dynamic loads to closed cracks, the contact state in the cracks varies, resulting in an intensity change of responses at cracks. In contrast, objects other than cracks are independent of external load. Therefore, only cracks can be extracted by subtracting responses at different loads. In this study, we performed fundamental experiments on a closed fatigue crack formed in an aluminum alloy compact tension (CT) specimen using the proposed method. We examined the static load dependence of SPACE images and the dynamic load dependence of linear phased array (PA) images by simulating the external loads with a servohydraulic fatigue testing machine. By subtracting the images at different external loads, we show that this method is useful in extracting only the intensity change of responses related to closed cracks, while canceling the responses of objects other than cracks. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Impact of Organizational Structure on Internal and External Integration: An empirical, cross-regional assessment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xenophon Koufteros

2014-06-01

Full Text Available We examine the effects of organizational structure on cross-functional integration, supplier integration, and customer integration and assess whether such effects vary by geographical region. Specifically, we investigate the impact of centralization, formalization, and complexity on both internal (cross-functional and external (supplier, customer integration. Relationships are examined across Western and East Asian environments using data collected from 238 manufacturing plants in eight countries. We find that structural features have differing impacts on cross-functional, supplier, and customer integration, and these effects vary across geographical regions.

Variation in plasmonic (electronic) spectral parameters of Pr (III) and Nd (III) with varied concentration of moderators

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mishra, Shubha, E-mail: shubhamishra03@gmail.com [School of Studies in Physics, Vikram University, Ujjain (M. P.) (India); Limaye, S. N., E-mail: snl222@yahoo.co.in [Department of Chemistry, Dr. H.S. Gour University, A Central University, Sagar (M.P.) (India)

2015-07-31

It is said that the -4f shells behave as core and are least perturbed by changes around metal ion surrounding. However, there are evidences that-4f shells partially involved in direct moderator interaction. A systematic investigation on the plasmonic (electronic) spectral studies of some Rare Earths[RE(III).Mod] where, RE(III) = Pr(III),Nd(III) and Mod(moderator) = Y(III),La(III),Gd(III) and Lu(III), increased moderator concentration from 0.01 mol dm{sup −3} to 0.025 mol dm{sup −3} keeping the metal ion concentration at 0.01mol dm{sup −3} have been carried out. Variations in oscillator strengths (f), Judd-Ofelt parameters (T{sub λ}),inter-electronic repulsion Racah parameters (δE{sup k}),nephelauxetic ratio (β), radiative parameters (S{sub ED},A{sub T},β{sub R},T{sub R}). The values of oscillator strengths and Judd-Ofelt parameters have been discussed in the light of coordination number of RE(III) metal ions, denticity and basicity of the moderators. The [RE(III).Mod] bonding pattern has been studies in the light of the change in Racah parameters and nephelauxetic ratio.

Holographic dark energy with varying gravitational constant in Hořava-Lifshitz cosmology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Setare, M.R. [Department of Physics, University of Kurdistan, Pasdaran Ave., Sanandaj (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Jamil, Mubasher, E-mail: rezakord@ipm.ir, E-mail: mjamil@camp.nust.edu.pk [Center for Advanced Mathematics and Physics, National University of Sciences and Technology, Rawalpindi, 46000 (Pakistan)

2010-02-01

We investigate the holographic dark energy scenario with a varying gravitational constant in a flat background in the context of Hořava-Lifshitz gravity. We extract the exact differential equation determining the evolution of the dark energy density parameter, which includes G variation term. Also we discuss a cosmological implication of our work by evaluating the dark energy equation of state for low redshifts containing varying G corrections.

State and parameter estimation in biotechnical batch reactors

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Keesman, K.J.

2000-01-01

In this paper the problem of state and parameter estimation in biotechnical batch reactors is considered. Models describing the biotechnical process behaviour are usually nonlinear with time-varying parameters. Hence, the resulting large dimensions of the augmented state vector, roughly > 7, in

Phosphorus acquisition efficiency in arbuscular mycorrhizal maize is correlated with the abundance of root-external hyphae and the accumulation of transcripts encoding PHT1 phosphate transporters

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sawers, Ruairidh J. H.; Svane, Simon; Quan, Clement

2017-01-01

-internal and -external fungal structures, mycorrhizal phosphorus uptake, and accumulation of transcripts encoding plant PHT1 family phosphate transporters varied among lines. Superior response in Oh43 is correlated with extensive development of root-external hyphae, accumulation of specific Pht1 transcripts and high...

Models and parameters for environmental radiological assessments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Miller, C W [ed.

1984-01-01

This book presents a unified compilation of models and parameters appropriate for assessing the impact of radioactive discharges to the environment. Models examined include those developed for the prediction of atmospheric and hydrologic transport and deposition, for terrestrial and aquatic food-chain bioaccumulation, and for internal and external dosimetry. Chapters have been entered separately into the data base. (ACR)

Models and parameters for environmental radiological assessments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miller, C.W.

1984-01-01

This book presents a unified compilation of models and parameters appropriate for assessing the impact of radioactive discharges to the environment. Models examined include those developed for the prediction of atmospheric and hydrologic transport and deposition, for terrestrial and aquatic food-chain bioaccumulation, and for internal and external dosimetry. Chapters have been entered separately into the data base

Glycoprotein hormone α subunit secretion by pituitary adenomas: influence of external irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Macfarlane, I.A.; Beardwell, C.G.; Shalet, S.M.; Darbyshire, P.J.; Hayward, E.; Sutton, M.L.

1980-01-01

In ninety-nine patients with pituitary adenomas, forty-six with acromegaly, the serum level of the glycoprotein hormone α subunit was elevated in eighteen cases. Thirteen of these were acromegalic and one had an FSH-producing tumour. Alpha levels varied little during the day, from one day to the next and over a 6 month period. In twenty-five patients with a variety of other hypothalamic-pituitary disorders examined, one patient with a craniopharyngioma had a mildly elevated α level. External pituitary irradiation was followed by an acute and often transient fall in α level in several of these patients. Of the fifty-four patients with pituitary adenomas who had received external irradiation before testing, only five had elevated α subunit levels compared with thirteen patients of the forty-five who had not been irradiated. This difference in incidence of elevated α level was statistically significant (P<0.025). It is concluded that external irradiation may reduce α subunit level chronically in many patients with pituitary adenoma. (author)

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

Science.gov (United States)

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

2017-12-14

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

Towards a better understanding of helicopter external noise

Science.gov (United States)

Damongeot, A.; Dambra, F.; Masure, B.

The problem of helicopter external noise generation is studied taking into consideration simultaneously the multiple noise sources: rotor rotational-, rotor broadband -, and engine noise. The main data are obtained during flight tests of the rather quiet AS 332 Super Puma. The flight procedures settled by ICAO for noise regulations are used: horizontal flyover at 90 percent of the maximum speed, approach at minimum power velocity, take-off at best rate of climb. Noise source levels are assessed through narrow band analysis of ground microphone recordings, ground measurements of engine noise and theoretical means. With the perceived noise level unit used throughout the study, relative magnitude of noise sources is shown to be different from that obtained with linear noise unit. A parametric study of the influence of some helicopter parameters on external noise has shown that thickness-tapered, chord-tapered, and swept-back blade tips are good means to reduce the overall noise level in flyover and approach.

Automated external defibrillators in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Athletics.

Science.gov (United States)

Coris, Eric E; Sahebzamani, Frances; Walz, Steve; Ramirez, Arnold M

2004-01-01

Sudden cardiac death is the leading cause of death in athletes. Evidence on current sudden cardiac death prevention through preparticipation history, physicals, and noninvasive cardiovascular diagnostics has demonstrated a low sensitivity for detection of athletes at high risk of sudden cardiac death. Data are lacking on automated external defibrillator programs specifically initiated to respond to rare dysrhythmia in younger, relatively low-risk populations. Surveys were mailed to the head athletic trainers of all National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I athletics programs listed in the National Athletic Trainers' Association directory. In all, 303 surveys were mailed; 186 departments (61%) responded. Seventy-two percent (133) of responding National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I athletics programs have access to automated external defibrillator units; 54% (101) own their units. Proven medical benefit (55%), concern for liability (51%), and affordability (29%) ranked highest in frequency of reasons for automated external defibrillator purchase. Unit cost (odds ratio = 1.01; 95% confidence interval, 1.01-1.0), donated units (odds ratio = 1.92; confidence interval, 3.66-1.01), institution size (odds ratio =.0001; confidence interval, 1.3 E-4 to 2.2E-05), and proven medical benefit of automated external defibrillators (odds ratio = 24; confidence interval, 72-8.1) were the most significant predictors of departmental defibrillator ownership. Emergency medical service response time and sudden cardiac death event history were not significantly predictive of departmental defibrillator ownership. The majority of automated external defibrillator interventions occurred on nonathletes. Many athletics medicine programs are obtaining automated external defibrillators without apparent criteria for determination of need. Usage and maintenance policies vary widely among departments with unit ownership or access. Programs need to approach the issue of unit

Excitation of magnetic inhomogeneities in three-layer ferromagnetic structure with different parameters of the magnetic anisotropy and exchange

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ekomasov, E.G., E-mail: EkomasovEG@gmail.com [Bashkir State University, 32, Validy Str., Ufa, 450076 (Russian Federation); Murtazin, R.R. [Bashkir State University, 32, Validy Str., Ufa, 450076 (Russian Federation); Nazarov, V.N. [Institute of Molecule and Crystal Physics Ufa Research Centre of Russian Academy of Sciences, Prospekt Oktyabrya 151, Ufa, 450075 (Russian Federation)

2015-07-01

The generation and evolution of magnetic inhomogeneities, emerging in a thin flat layer with the parameters of the magnetic anisotropy and exchange interaction, with the parameters different from other two thick layers of the three-layer ferromagnetic structure, were investigated. The parameters ranges that determine the possibility of their existence were found. The possibility of the external magnetic field influence on the structure and dynamic properties of localized magnetic inhomogeneities was shown. - Highlights: • The generation of magnetic inhomogeneities in the three-layer ferromagnetic. • The influence of an external field on the parameters of magnetic inhomogeneities. • Numerical study of the structure and dynamics of magnetic inhomogeneities.

Weakly Coupled Oscillators in a Slowly Varying World

OpenAIRE

Park, Youngmin; Ermentrout, Bard

2016-01-01

We extend the theory of weakly coupled oscillators to incorporate slowly varying inputs and parameters. We employ a combination of regular perturbation and an adiabatic approximation to derive equations for the phase-difference between a pair of oscillators. We apply this to the simple Hopf oscillator and then to a biophysical model. The latter represents the behavior of a neuron that is subject to slow modulation of a muscarinic current such as would occur during transient attention through ...

Optimal design of priors constrained by external predictors

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Quinn, A.; Kárný, Miroslav; Guy, Tatiana Valentine

2017-01-01

Roč. 84, č. 1 (2017), s. 150-158 ISSN 0888-613X R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA16-09848S Institutional support: RVO:67985556 Keywords : Fully probabilistic design * Parameter prior * External predictive distribution * Bayesian transfer learning * Kullback–Leibler divergence Subject RIV: BC - Control Systems Theory OBOR OECD: Computer sciences, information science, bioinformathics (hardware development to be 2.2, social aspect to be 5.8) Impact factor: 2.845, year: 2016 http://library.utia.cas.cz/separaty/2017/AS/guy-0473911.pdf

The parameters of free play of light drilling installations with varying configuration of the floating base

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Putov, B.I.

1980-01-01

A reduction in the free play may be achieved through the rational selection of the basic dimensions of the body elements, the disposition of the bodies one relative to the other and by the use of various means for passive stabilization. In the design of MPBU not only the mean values of the free play parameters, which characterize a floating base from the point of view of the time people stay on it, must be available, but also the maximal possible values of the parameters with one and the same wave state, which determine the safety of the operation of the drilling equipment. Studies in installations of various standard off shore drilling rigs showed that the mean values of the free play parameters for all off shore drilling rigs with wave heights from 0.8 to 1.2 meters are half the maximal values.

External anal sphincter atrophy on endoanal magnetic resonance imaging adversely affects continence after sphincteroplasty

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Briel, J. W.; Stoker, J.; Rociu, E.; Laméris, J. S.; Hop, W. C.; Schouten, W. R.

1999-01-01

There is still considerable debate about the value of preoperative anorectal physiological parameters in predicting the clinical outcome after sphincteroplasty. Recently it has been reported that atrophy of the external anal sphincter can be clearly shown with endoanal magnetic resonance imaging

SU-G-TeP4-09: Development of a Plan Data Aggregator for Time Efficient Physics Second-Checks of Machine Parameters for External Beam Treatment Plans

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Belley, M; Schmidt, M; Knutson, N [Rhode Island Hospital, Providence RI (United States); University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI (United States); Price, M [Rhode Island Hospital, Providence RI (United States); University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI (United States); Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI (United States)

2016-06-15

Purpose: Physics second-checks for external beam radiation therapy are performed, in-part, to verify that the machine parameters in the Record-and-Verify (R&V) system that will ultimately be sent to the LINAC exactly match the values initially calculated by the Treatment Planning System (TPS). While performing the second-check, a large portion of the physicists’ time is spent navigating and arranging display windows to locate and compare the relevant numerical values (MLC position, collimator rotation, field size, MU, etc.). Here, we describe the development of a software tool that guides the physicist by aggregating and succinctly displaying machine parameter data relevant to the physics second-check process. Methods: A data retrieval software tool was developed using Python to aggregate data and generate a list of machine parameters that are commonly verified during the physics second-check process. This software tool imported values from (i) the TPS RT Plan DICOM file and (ii) the MOSAIQ (R&V) Structured Query Language (SQL) database. The machine parameters aggregated for this study included: MLC positions, X&Y jaw positions, collimator rotation, gantry rotation, MU, dose rate, wedges and accessories, cumulative dose, energy, machine name, couch angle, and more. Results: A GUI interface was developed to generate a side-by-side display of the aggregated machine parameter values for each field, and presented to the physicist for direct visual comparison. This software tool was tested for 3D conformal, static IMRT, sliding window IMRT, and VMAT treatment plans. Conclusion: This software tool facilitated the data collection process needed in order for the physicist to conduct a second-check, thus yielding an optimized second-check workflow that was both more user friendly and time-efficient. Utilizing this software tool, the physicist was able to spend less time searching through the TPS PDF plan document and the R&V system and focus the second-check efforts on

Saskatchewan external cost review : report prepared by a Joint Oil and Gas Industry - Saskatchewan Energy and Mines Committee

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1996-11-01

The external costs associated with the operating phase of oil and gas wells in Saskatchewan, were reviewed. The report identified external costs and compared their competitiveness with those of other producing jurisdictions. The profitability of the oil and gas industry in Saskatchewan was also assessed in an effort to provide industry and government with an informational package for use for discussion purposes. The study showed that (1) the oil and gas industry has been a major force for economic growth within Saskatchewan, (2) the province will continue to face stiff competition from other jurisdictions for new oil and gas investment dollars, (3) the system used for determining and administering external costs vary widely from one jurisdiction to another, and (4) a number of external costs are not sensitive to well production rates or commodity price movements. tabs., figs

Effects of time-varying β in SNLS3 on constraining interacting dark energy models

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Shuang; Wang, Yong-Zhen; Geng, Jia-Jia; Zhang, Xin

2014-01-01

It has been found that, for the Supernova Legacy Survey three-year (SNLS3) data, there is strong evidence for the redshift evolution of the color-luminosity parameter β. In this paper, adopting the w-cold-dark-matter (wCDM) model and considering its interacting extensions (with three kinds of interaction between dark sectors), we explore the evolution of β and its effects on parameter estimation. In addition to the SNLS3 data, we also use the latest Planck distance priors data, the galaxy clustering data extracted from sloan digital sky survey data release 7 and baryon oscillation spectroscopic survey, as well as the direct measurement of Hubble constant H 0 from the Hubble Space Telescope observation. We find that, for all the interacting dark energy (IDE) models, adding a parameter of β can reduce χ 2 by ∝34, indicating that a constant β is ruled out at 5.8σ confidence level. Furthermore, it is found that varying β can significantly change the fitting results of various cosmological parameters: for all the dark energy models considered in this paper, varying β yields a larger fractional CDM densities Ω c0 and a larger equation of state w; on the other side, varying β yields a smaller reduced Hubble constant h for the wCDM model, but it has no impact on h for the three IDE models. This implies that there is a degeneracy between h and coupling parameter γ. Our work shows that the evolution of β is insensitive to the interaction between dark sectors, and then highlights the importance of considering β's evolution in the cosmology fits. (orig.)

Perceived Peer Delinquency and Externalizing Behavior Among Rural Youth: The Role of Descriptive Norms and Internalizing Symptoms.

Science.gov (United States)

Cotter, Katie L; Smokowski, Paul R

2016-03-01

Little research has examined the way in which perceptions of peer behavior (i.e., descriptive norms) influence externalizing behavior among rural adolescents. Using a social norms framework, the current study examined gender differences in the relationship between perceived delinquency among friends and externalizing behavior in a sample of rural adolescents. Based on previous research, the authors proposed that adolescents experience negative emotional responses when they believe that their peers are engaging in delinquency, which subsequently influences externalizing behavior. Consequently, internalizing symptoms were explored as a mediator of the relationship between perceived friend delinquency and externalizing behavior. Data came from the NC-ACE Rural Adaptation Project, a longitudinal panel study of adolescents in two rural, economically disadvantaged counties with exceptional racial/ethnic diversity (29 % White, 25 % African American, 25 % American Indian, 12 % Mixed Race/Other, 9 % Hispanic/Latino). Using multiple group structural equation modeling (N = 3489; 51 % female), results indicated that perceived friend delinquency was significantly related to externalizing behavior and this relationship did not vary by gender. Internalizing symptoms fully mediated the relationship between perceived friend delinquency and externalizing behavior and the path between perceived friend delinquency and internalizing symptoms was stronger for males. Implications of these relationships for prevention and intervention programming for externalizing behavior were highlighted.

The dynamic model of choosing an external funding instrument

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Irena HONKOVA

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Making a decision about using a specific funding source is one of the most important tasks of financial management. The utilization of external sources features numerous advantages yet staying aware of diverse funding options is not easy for financial managers. Today it is crucial to quickly identify an optimum possibility and to make sure that all relevant criteria have been considered and no variant has been omitted. Over the long term it is also necessary to consider the category of time as changes made today do not affect only the current variables but they also have a significant impact on the future. This article aims to identify the most suitable model of choosing external funding sources that would describe the dynamics involved. The first part of the paper considers the theoretical background of external funding instrument and of decision criteria. The making of financial decisions is a process consisted of weighing the most suitable variants, selecting the best variant, and controlling the implementation of accepted proposals. The second part analyses results of the research - decisive weights of the criteria. Then it is created the model of the principal criteria Weighted Average Cost of Capital (Dynamic model WACC. Finally it is created the Dynamic Model of Choosing an External Funding Instrument. The created decision-making model facilitates the modeling of changes in time because it is crucial to know what future consequences lies in decisions made the contemporary turbulent world. Each variant features possible negative and positive changes of varying extent. The possibility to simulate these changes can illustrate an optimal variant to a decision-maker.

How does stochastic resonance work within the human brain? - Psychophysics of internal and external noise

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aihara, Takatsugu; Kitajo, Keiichi; Nozaki, Daichi; Yamamoto, Yoshiharu

2010-01-01

We review how research on stochastic resonance (SR) in neuroscience has evolved and point out that the previous studies have overlooked the interaction between internal and external noise. We propose a new psychometric function incorporating SR effects, and show that a Bayesian adaptive method applied to the function efficiently estimates the parameters of the function. Using this procedure in visual detection experiments, we provide significant insight into the relationship between internal and external noise in SR within the human brain.

ℋ- adaptive observer design and parameter identification for a class of nonlinear fractional-order systems

KAUST Repository

Ndoye, Ibrahima; Voos, Holger; Laleg-Kirati, Taous-Meriem; Darouach, Mohamed

2014-01-01

In this paper, an adaptive observer design with parameter identification for a nonlinear system with external perturbations and unknown parameters is proposed. The states of the nonlinear system are estimated by a nonlinear observer and the unknown

Properties of color-flavor locked strange quark matter in an external strong magnetic field

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

崔帅帅; 彭光雄; 陆振烟; 彭程; 徐建峰

2015-01-01

The properties of color-flavor locked strange quark matter in an external strong magnetic field are investigated in a quark model with density-dependent quark masses. Parameters are determined by stability arguments. It is found that the minimum energy per baryon of the color-flavor locked (MCFL) matter decreases with increasing magnetic-field strength in a certain range, which makes MCFL matter more stable than other phases within a proper magnitude of the external magnetic field. However, if the energy of the field itself is added, the total energy per baryon will increase.

Excitation of density waves at the Lindblad and corotation resonances by an external potential

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goldreich, P.; Tremaine, S.

1979-01-01

We calculate the linear response of a differentially rotating two-dimensional gas disk to a rigidly rotating external potential. The main assumptions are that the sound speed is much smaller than the orbital velocity and that the external potential varies on the scale of the disk radius. We investigate disks both with and without self-gravity.The external potential exerts torques on the disk only at the Lindblad and corotation resonances. The torque is positive at the outer Lindblad resonance and negative at the inner Lindblad resonance; at corotation the torque has the sign of the radial gradient of vorticity per unit surface density. The torques are of the same order of magnitude at both types of resonance and are independent of the sound speed in the disk.The external potential also excites density waves in the vicinity of the Lindblad and corotation resonances. The long trailing wave is excited at a Lindblad resonance. It transports away from the resonance all of the angular momentum which is deposited there by the external torque. Short trailing waves are excited at the corotation resonance. The amplitudes of the excited waves are the same on both sides of the resonance and are small unless the disk is almost gravitationally unstable. No net angular momentum is transported away from the corotation region by the waves. Thus the angular momentum deposited there by the external torque accumulates in the gas.We briefly discuss the behavior of particle disks and prove that the external torques on particle disks are identical to those on gas disks

Piezosurgery in External Dacryocystorhinostomy.

Science.gov (United States)

Czyz, Craig N; Fowler, Amy M; Dutton, Jonathan J; Cahill, Kenneth V; Foster, Jill A; Hill, Robert H; Everman, Kelly R; Nabavi, Cameron B

Dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR) can be performed via an external or endoscopic approach. The use of ultrasonic or piezosurgery has been well described for endoscopic DCRs but is lacking for external DCRs. This study presents a case series of external DCRs performed using piezosurgery evaluating results and complications. Prospective, consecutive case series of patients undergoing primary external DCR for lacrimal drainage insufficiency. A standard external DCR technique was used using 1 of 2 piezosurgery systems for all bone incision. All patients received silicone intubation to the lacrimal system. Surgical outcome was measured in terms of patient-reported epiphora as follows: 1) complete resolution, 2) improvement >50%, 3) improvement 50% improvement. There were 4 patients (7%) who had <50% improvement. There was 1 (2%) intraoperative complication and 2 (4%) postoperative complications recorded. Piezourgery is a viable modality for performing external DCRs. The lack of surgical complications shows a potential for decreased soft tissues damage. The surgical success rate based on patient-reported epiphora is similar to those published for mechanical external DCRs. This modality may benefit the novice surgeon in the reduction of soft and mucosal tissue damage.

Technique for Selecting Optimum Fan Compression Ratio based on the Effective Power Plant Parameters

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

I. I. Kondrashov

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Nowadays, civilian aircrafts occupy the major share of global aviation industry market. As to medium and long - haul aircrafts, turbofans with separate exhaust streams are widely used. Here, fuel efficiency is the main criterion of this engine. The paper presents the research results of the mutual influence of fan pressure ratio and bypass ratio on the effective specific fuel consumption. Shows the increasing bypass ratio to be a rational step for reducing the fuel consumption. Also considers the basic features of engines with a high bypass ratio. Among the other working process parameters, fan pressure ratio and bypass ratio are the most relevant for consideration as they are the most structural variables at a given level of technical excellence. The paper presents the dependence of the nacelle drag coefficient on the engine bypass ratio. For computation were adopted the projected parameters of prospective turbofans to be used in the power plant of the 180-seat medium-haul aircraft. Computation of the engine cycle was performed in Mathcad using these data, with fan pressure ratio and bypass ratio being varied. The combustion chamber gas temperature, the overall pressure ratio and engine thrust remained constant. Pressure loss coefficients, the efficiency of the engine components and the amount of air taken for cooling also remained constant. The optimal parameters corresponding to the minimum effective specific fuel consumption were found as the result of computation. The paper gives recommendations for adjusting optimal parameters, depending on the considered external factors, such as weight of engine and required fuel reserve. The obtained data can be used to estimate parameters of future turbofan engines with high bypass ratio.

Simultaneous State and Parameter Estimation Using Maximum Relative Entropy with Nonhomogenous Differential Equation Constraints

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Adom Giffin

2014-09-01

Full Text Available In this paper, we continue our efforts to show how maximum relative entropy (MrE can be used as a universal updating algorithm. Here, our purpose is to tackle a joint state and parameter estimation problem where our system is nonlinear and in a non-equilibrium state, i.e., perturbed by varying external forces. Traditional parameter estimation can be performed by using filters, such as the extended Kalman filter (EKF. However, as shown with a toy example of a system with first order non-homogeneous ordinary differential equations, assumptions made by the EKF algorithm (such as the Markov assumption may not be valid. The problem can be solved with exponential smoothing, e.g., exponentially weighted moving average (EWMA. Although this has been shown to produce acceptable filtering results in real exponential systems, it still cannot simultaneously estimate both the state and its parameters and has its own assumptions that are not always valid, for example when jump discontinuities exist. We show that by applying MrE as a filter, we can not only develop the closed form solutions, but we can also infer the parameters of the differential equation simultaneously with the means. This is useful in real, physical systems, where we want to not only filter the noise from our measurements, but we also want to simultaneously infer the parameters of the dynamics of a nonlinear and non-equilibrium system. Although there were many assumptions made throughout the paper to illustrate that EKF and exponential smoothing are special cases ofMrE, we are not “constrained”, by these assumptions. In other words, MrE is completely general and can be used in broader ways.

Dose-Volume Parameters of the Corpora Cavernosa Do Not Correlate With Erectile Dysfunction After External Beam Radiotherapy for Prostate Cancer: Results From a Dose-Escalation Trial

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wielen, Gerard J. van der; Hoogeman, Mischa S.; Dohle, Gert R.; Putten, Wim L.J. van; Incrocci, Luca

2008-01-01

Purpose: To analyze the correlation between dose-volume parameters of the corpora cavernosa and erectile dysfunction (ED) after external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) for prostate cancer. Methods and Materials: Between June 1997 and February 2003, a randomized dose-escalation trial comparing 68 Gy and 78 Gy was conducted. Patients at our institute were asked to participate in an additional part of the trial evaluating sexual function. After exclusion of patients with less than 2 years of follow-up, ED at baseline, or treatment with hormonal therapy, 96 patients were eligible. The proximal corpora cavernosa (crura), the superiormost 1-cm segment of the crura, and the penile bulb were contoured on the planning computed tomography scan and dose-volume parameters were calculated. Results: Two years after EBRT, 35 of the 96 patients had developed ED. No statistically significant correlations between ED 2 years after EBRT and dose-volume parameters of the crura, the superiormost 1-cm segment of the crura, or the penile bulb were found. The few patients using potency aids typically indicated to have ED. Conclusion: No correlation was found between ED after EBRT for prostate cancer and radiation dose to the crura or penile bulb. The present study is the largest study evaluating the correlation between ED and radiation dose to the corpora cavernosa after EBRT for prostate cancer. Until there is clear evidence that sparing the penile bulb or crura will reduce ED after EBRT, we advise to be careful in sparing these structures, especially when this involves reducing treatment margins

Quasi-periodic synchronisation of self-modulation oscillations in a ring chip laser by an external periodic signal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aulova, T V; Kravtsov, Nikolai V; Lariontsev, E G; Chekina, S N

2011-01-01

The synchronisation of periodic self-modulation oscillations in a ring Nd:YAG chip laser under an external periodic signal modulating the pump power has been experimentally investigated. A new quasi-periodic regime of synchronisation of self-modulation oscillations is found. The characteristic features of the behaviour of spectral and temporal structures of synchronised quasi-periodic oscillations with a change in the external signal frequency are studied. (control of laser radiation parameters)

Occurrence and distribution of Malassezia species on skin and external ear canal of horses.

Science.gov (United States)

Shokri, Hojjatollah

2016-01-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of Malassezia species from the body skin and external ear canal of healthy horses. The samples were obtained by scraping the skin surface from the nose, groin and dorsum and swabbing from the external ear canal of 163 animals, and then incubated on sabouraud dextrose agar and modified Dixon agar. Malassezia species were isolated from 34.9% of horses. The percentages of Malassezia species were 64.3% for Arab, 35.7% for Persian, 35.4% for Thoroughbred and 27.1% for Turkmen breeds. The greatest abundance of Malassezia species was found in the external ear canal (47.7%, representing significant difference with other sites), followed by nose (26.3%), groin (15.8%) and dorsum (10.5%) (P horses varies by body site and age but not by breed and gender, representing M. pachydermatis as the most prevalent species on horse skin. © 2015 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Orthoptic parameters and asthenopic symptoms analysis after 3D viewing at varying distances

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Oleeviya Joseph

2018-05-01

Full Text Available AIM: To analyse visual modifications such as amplitude of accommodation, near point of convergence(NPCreopsis and near phoria associated with asthenopic symptoms after 3D viewing at varying distances.METHODS: A prospective study. Thirty young adults were randomly selected. Each individual was exposed to 3D viewing thrice in a day for a fixed distance and the distance was varied on three consecutive days. Same video of equal duration and different screen sizes were used for every distance. Cyclic 3D mode of K-multimedia(KMplayer was used for projecting the 3D video. Different variables like stereopsis, amplitude of accommodation, near point of accommodation, near phoria and asthenopic symptoms were recorded immediately after 3D video viewing. Stereopsis was measured with “Toegepast Natuurwetenschappelijk Onderzoek” or “Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research”(TNO test, amplitude of accommodation and NPC were measured using RAF ruler, near phoria was measured using prism bar and a closed ended sample questionnaire was used to know the occurrence of asthenopic symptoms. Statistical analyses were performed using descriptive statistics, paired t-test etc. Qualitative data was analyzed using Chi-square test.RESULTS: For every distance of 40 cm, 3 m and 6 m, amplitude of accommodation was significantly reduced by 0.66 D, 1.12 D and 1.44 D. NPC got significantly receded by 0.63 cm, 0.93 cm and 1.23 cm, and the near phoria was significantly increased by 0.87, and 2.2 prism dioptres(PDbase-in respectively. It was found that most of the subjects got pain around the eyes, headache and irritation for each viewing distance. This study also revealed that 3D video viewing in theaters may increase the symptoms of headache, watering and irritation. Symptoms like headache, watering, fatigue, irritation and nausea may increase considerably at home environment and symptoms such as headache and watering may cause significant discomfort by 3D

Conceptual design of independently tunable cells RF gun with external injecting structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liang Junjun; Feng Guangyao; Pei Yuanji; Pang Jian

2012-01-01

To obtain the micro-pulse bunch with the order of hundred femtoseconds length and high repetition rate, the pa- per proposes the independently tunable cells (ITC) RF gun, which has a double-cell structure with the cells being power fed independently. By choosing appropriate feeding power and phase of the two cells, this ITC-RF gun can achieve bunches of excellent characteristics. Additionally, the application of a-magnet and laser system can be avoided, which leads to more compact layout. An external injecting ITC-RF gun (DC-ITC-RF gun) structure is designed accordingly. The external injecting structure can increase beam current, decrease energy spread, and cancel the back-bombardment effect almost completely. By means of 1-D and 3- D beam dynamics calculation with different structure parameters, a group of RF parameters are obtained for better beam characteristics. Then the paper designs a pre-injector so that particles can be accelerated to 10 MeV. By choosing appropriate feeding power and incident particle phase for the pre-injector, the bunch length can be further compressed. (authors)

ASH External Web Portal (External Portal) -

Data.gov (United States)

Department of Transportation — The ASH External Web Portal is a web-based portal that provides single sign-on functionality, making the web portal a single location from which to be authenticated...

Coupling External Radiation Transport Code Results to the GADRAS Detector Response Function

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mitchell, Dean J.; Thoreson, Gregory G.; Horne, Steven M.

2014-01-01

Simulating gamma spectra is useful for analyzing special nuclear materials. Gamma spectra are influenced not only by the source and the detector, but also by the external, and potentially complex, scattering environment. The scattering environment can make accurate representations of gamma spectra difficult to obtain. By coupling the Monte Carlo Nuclear Particle (MCNP) code with the Gamma Detector Response and Analysis Software (GADRAS) detector response function, gamma spectrum simulations can be computed with a high degree of fidelity even in the presence of a complex scattering environment. Traditionally, GADRAS represents the external scattering environment with empirically derived scattering parameters. By modeling the external scattering environment in MCNP and using the results as input for the GADRAS detector response function, gamma spectra can be obtained with a high degree of fidelity. This method was verified with experimental data obtained in an environment with a significant amount of scattering material. The experiment used both gamma-emitting sources and moderated and bare neutron-emitting sources. The sources were modeled using GADRAS and MCNP in the presence of the external scattering environment, producing accurate representations of the experimental data.

The EU as a Normative Power and the Research on External Perceptions: the Missing Link

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Larsen, Henrik

2014-01-01

perception offer some findings that are central for the NPE debate. This article’s argument is that the external perceptions literature points to a limited (if still identifiable) perception of the EU as a normative power depending on the geographical area. By comparison, the image of a powerful economic......In research on European foreign policy two important axes of debate have been running relatively independently of each other for more than a decade: the study of the European Union as a normative power (NPE) and the study of external perceptions of the EU. However, the studies of external...... actor is prevalent. The article raises the question of whether the thin and geographically varied character of the perceptions relating to the EU as a normative power justifies the general designation of NPE.Anew agenda focusing on geographical differences and interaction with other sources of power...

Instability of stationary lasing and self-starting mode locking in external-cavity semiconductor lasers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smetanin, Igor V; Vasil'ev, Petr P

2009-01-01

Parameters of external-cavity semiconductor lasers, when the stationary lasing becomes unstable, were analysed within the framework of a theoretical model of self-starting mode locking. In this case, a train of ultrashort pulses can be generated due to intrinsic nonlinearities of the laser medium. A decisive role of the transverse optical field nonuniformity, pump rate, and gain spectral bandwidth in the development of the instability of stationary lasing was demonstrated. (control of laser radiation parameters)

A new time-varying harmonic decomposition structure based on recursive hanning window

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Martins, C.H.; Silva, L.R.M.; Duque, C.A.; Cerqueira, A.S.; Teixeira, E.C.; Ribeiro, P.F.

2012-01-01

Analysis of power quality phenomena under time-varying conditions has become an important subject as the complexity of the grid increases. As a consequence, several methods have been developed/applied also to study power quality parameters during transient conditions such as time-frequency methods.

Internalization of external costs for nuclear power in Romania

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andrei, Veronica; Ghita, Sorin; Ionita, Gheorghe; Gheorghe-Sorescu, Antonius; Glodeanu, Florin

2006-01-01

A technology that competes against alternatives on a full cost basis is not sustainable - no matter how environmentally friendly is. Competitive performance, however, means more than lower costs. Additional factors as the following have to be considered as criteria ensuring a sustainable energy development: - environmentally compatibility - intergenerational compatibility - power demand compatibility - socio-political compatibility - geopolitical compatibility. Some factors are less difficult to express in al.) Recent Cold Fterms (e.g. the economic value of degraded public health) than others (e.g. the economic value of reliable supplies or lack of public acceptance) but their quantifications are fraught with uncertainty, vary greatly from location to location and cannot be generalized. Still, these factors often tilt the balance in favor or disfavor of a particular technology. From a public perspective, a set of costs called 'external costs' are important. By definition these costs are external to standard private sector cost accounting schemes. They are necessarily paid for, not as a cost of doing business, but by society. The concept of externalities has been referred to in the economic literature since early in the 20th century. In 1974, the Council of OECD recommended the application by governments of the 'Polluter Pays Principle', defined in the early 1970s as a means to allocate costs of pollution prevention and control measures to pollutants, and thereby to consumers of their products, rather than to society as a whole. The externality may be defined as 'a cost or benefit that is not included in the market price of a commodity because it is not included in the supply price or demand price. An externality is produced when the economic activity of one actor (or group of actors) has a positive or negative impact on the welfare function of another actor (or group of actors) and when the former fails to be fully compensated, or to fully compensate the latter

Containment atmosphere response to external sprays

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Green, J.; Almenas, K.

1995-01-01

The application of external sprays to a containment steel shell can be an effective energy removal method and has been proposed in the passive AP-600 design. Reduction of the steel shell temperature in contact with the containment atmosphere enhances both heat and mass transfer driving forces. Large scale experimental data in this area is scarce, therefore the measurements obtained from the E series tests conducted at the German HDR facility deserve special attention. These long term tests simulated various severe accident conditions, including external spraying of the hemispherical steel shell. This investigation focuses upon the integral response of the HDR containment atmosphere during spray periods and upon methods by which lumped parameter system codes, like CONTAIN, model the underlying condensation phenomena. Increases in spray water flowrates above a minimum value were ineffective at improving containment pressure reduction since the limiting resistance for energy transfer lies in the noncondensable-vapor boundary layer at the inner condensing surface. The spray created an unstable condition by cooling the upper layers of a heated atmosphere and thus inducing global natural circulation flows in the facility and subsequently, abrupt changes in lighter-than-air noncondensable (J 2 /He) concentrations. Modeling results using the CONTAIN code are outlined and code limitations are delineated

Containment atmosphere response to external sprays

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Green, J.; Almenas, K. [Univ. of Maryland, College Park, MD (United States)

1995-09-01

The application of external sprays to a containment steel shell can be an effective energy removal method and has been proposed in the passive AP-600 design. Reduction of the steel shell temperature in contact with the containment atmosphere enhances both heat and mass transfer driving forces. Large scale experimental data in this area is scarce, therefore the measurements obtained from the E series tests conducted at the German HDR facility deserve special attention. These long term tests simulated various severe accident conditions, including external spraying of the hemispherical steel shell. This investigation focuses upon the integral response of the HDR containment atmosphere during spray periods and upon methods by which lumped parameter system codes, like CONTAIN, model the underlying condensation phenomena. Increases in spray water flowrates above a minimum value were ineffective at improving containment pressure reduction since the limiting resistance for energy transfer lies in the noncondensable-vapor boundary layer at the inner condensing surface. The spray created an unstable condition by cooling the upper layers of a heated atmosphere and thus inducing global natural circulation flows in the facility and subsequently, abrupt changes in lighter-than-air noncondensable (J{sub 2}/He) concentrations. Modeling results using the CONTAIN code are outlined and code limitations are delineated.

Performance of Traffic Noise Barriers with Varying Cross-Section

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sanja Grubeša

2011-05-01

Full Text Available The efficiency of noise barriers largely depends on their geometry. In this paper, the performance of noise barriers was simulated using the numerical Boundary Element Method (BEM. Traffic noise was particularly considered with its standardized noise spectrum adapted to human hearing. The cross-section of the barriers was varied with the goal of finding the optimum shape in comparison to classical rectangular barriers. The barrier performance was calculated at different receiver points for a fixed barrier height and source position. The magnitude of the insertion loss parameter was used to evaluate the performance change, both in one-third octave bands and as the broadband mean insertion loss value. The proposed barriers of varying cross-section were also compared with a typical T-shape barrier of the same height.

Study on external reactor vessel cooling capacity for advanced large size PWR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jin Di; Liu Xiaojing; Cheng Xu; Li Fei

2014-01-01

External reactor vessel cooling (ERVC) is widely adopted as a part of in- vessel retention (IVR) in severe accident management strategies. In this paper, some flow parameters and boundary conditions, eg., inlet and outlet area, water inlet temperature, heating power of the lower head, the annular gap size at the position of the lower head and flooding water level, were considered to qualitatively study the effect of them on natural circulation capacity of the external reactor vessel cooling for an advanced large size PWR by using RELAP5 code. And the calculation results provide some basis of analysis for the structure design and the following transient response behavior of the system. (authors)

Power generation choice in the presence of environmental externalities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sundqvist, Thomas

2002-08-01

This dissertation consists of an introductory part and six self-contained papers, all related to the issue of power generation choice in the presence of environmental externalities. Paper 1 provides a critical survey of a large number of electricity externality studies carried out during the last decades, and discusses a number of conceptual, policy-related and, in some cases, unresolved questions in the economic valuation of electricity externalities. These include: (a) the definition of externalities; (b) the choices of scope, relevant parameter input assumptions, and methodology; (c) the role of 'green' consumer demand in replacing external cost assessments; and (d) the behavioral assumptions and ethical principles underlying external cost valuation. Paper 2 focuses on explaining the variability of results among the external cost studies carried out so far by providing an econometric analysis of a large sample of externality studies. Most importantly, the paper concludes that an important explanation for the reported disparities can be attributed to the overall methodological choice employed. Paper 3 explores some of the ethical limits of environmental valuation, and analyzes what the implications are of these limits for the social choice between different power sources. The main thesis of the paper is that the scope of electricity externalities where non-market valuation can be applied from an ethical point of view is likely to be narrower than commonly assumed. Papers 4 and 5 use the choice experiment method to estimate how the environmental impacts arising from hydroelectric production are perceived and valued by Swedish houseowning households and non-residential consumers. The basis of the choice exercise is taken in the criteria set up by the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation under which existing hydropower in Sweden can be labeled as 'green' electricity. Data are gathered using mail-out surveys to 1000 households and 845 private

Parameter estimation and change-point detection from Dynamic Contrast Enhanced MRI data using stochastic differential equations.

Science.gov (United States)

Cuenod, Charles-André; Favetto, Benjamin; Genon-Catalot, Valentine; Rozenholc, Yves; Samson, Adeline

2011-09-01

Dynamic Contrast Enhanced imaging (DCE-imaging) following a contrast agent bolus allows the extraction of information on tissue micro-vascularization. The dynamic signals obtained from DCE-imaging are modeled by pharmacokinetic compartmental models which integrate the Arterial Input Function. These models use ordinary differential equations (ODEs) to describe the exchanges between the arterial and capillary plasma and the extravascular-extracellular space. Their least squares fitting takes into account measurement noises but fails to deal with unpredictable fluctuations due to external/internal sources of variations (patients' anxiety, time-varying parameters, measurement errors in the input function, etc.). Adding Brownian components to the ODEs leads to stochastic differential equations (SDEs). In DCE-imaging, SDEs are discretely observed with an additional measurement noise. We propose to estimate the parameters of these noisy SDEs by maximum likelihood, using the Kalman filter. In DCE-imaging, the contrast agent injected in vein arrives in plasma with an unknown time delay. The delay parameter induces a change-point in the drift of the SDE and ODE models, which is estimated also. Estimations based on the SDE and ODE pharmacokinetic models are compared to real DCE-MRI data. They show that the use of SDE provides robustness in the estimation results. A simulation study confirms these results. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Possibilities and conditions of applying PIXE analysis with external proton beam

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Potocek, V.

1989-01-01

The technical and methodological prerequisites are summed up for the use of the PIXE method with an external proton beam. The method is suitable for the preliminary analysis of unknown samples prior to the choice of the best suited analytical method, for the nondestructive analysis of rare samples such as unique works of art, of small amounts of materials which are difficult to access, etc., as well as for calibration and comparing analyses. As for the operators the application of the PIXE method with external proton beam assumes the availability of accelerator operating time, minimization of the length of exposure of the targets, optimization of parameters of the exciting beam and automation of the whole process. Attention is also devoted to technical provisions and organization of laboratory work. The design is described of an analytical unit using the PIXE method with external proton beam, and it is stated that the Van de Graaff accelerator at the Institute of Nuclear Physics in Rez near Prague could be used for the purpose. (Z.M.). 6 refs

On a Heat Exchange Problem under Sharply Changing External Conditions

Science.gov (United States)

Khishchenko, K. V.; Charakhch'yan, A. A.; Shurshalov, L. V.

2018-02-01

The heat exchange problem between carbon particles and an external environment (water) is stated and investigated based on the equations of heat conducting compressible fluid. The environment parameters are supposed to undergo large and fast variations. In the time of about 100 μs, the temperature of the environment first increases from the normal one to 2400 K, is preserved at this level for about 60 μs, and then decreases to 300 K during approximately 50 μs. At the same periods of time, the pressure of the external environment increases from the normal one to 67 GPa, is preserved at this level, and then decreases to zero. Under such external conditions, the heating of graphite particles of various sizes, their phase transition to the diamond phase, and the subsequent unloading and cooling almost to the initial values of the pressure and temperature without the reverse transition from the diamond to the graphite phase are investigated. Conclusions about the maximal size of diamond particles that can be obtained in experiments on the shock compression of the mixture of graphite with water are drawn.

Fractional charges in external field problems and the inverse scattering method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grosse, H.; Opelt, G.

1986-01-01

Motivated by recent studies of the quantization of fermions interacting with external soliton fields, we construct all reflectionless potentials for the one-dimensional Dirac operator, which are solitons of coupled MKdV equations. The charge of the fermion field in presence of these solitons varies continuously. For the N-soliton solutions it becomes the sum of the charges of the individual problems. The questions of unitary equivalence of representations of the CAR as well as the implementability of gauge transformations are studied for specific examples. (Author)

Uncertainty and sensitivity analyses of energy and visual performances of office building with external venetian blind shading in hot-dry climate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Singh, Ramkishore; Lazarus, I.J.; Kishore, V.V.N.

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Various alternatives of glazing and venetian blind were simulated for office space. • Daylighting and energy performances were assessed for each alternative. • Large uncertainties were estimated in the energy consumptions and UDI values. • Glazing design parameters were prioritised by performing sensitivity analysis. • WWR, glazing type, blind orientation and slat angle were identified top in priority. - Abstract: Fenestration has become an integral part of the buildings and has a significant impact on the energy and indoor visual performances. Inappropriate design of the fenestration component may lead to low energy efficiency and visual discomfort as a result of high solar and thermal heat gains, excessive daylight and direct sunlight. External venetian blind has been identified as one of the effective shading devices for controlling the heat gains and daylight through fenestration. This study explores uncertainty and sensitivity analyses to identify and prioritize the most influencing parameters for designing glazed components that include external shading devices for office buildings. The study was performed for hot-dry climate of Jodhpur (Latitude 26° 180′N, longitude 73° 010′E) using EnergyPlus, a whole building energy simulation tool providing a large number of inputs for eight façade orientations. A total 150 and 845 data points (for each orientation) for input variables were generated using Hyper Cubic Sampling and extended FAST methods for uncertainty and sensitivity analyses respectively. Results indicated a large uncertainty in the lighting, HVAC, source energy consumptions and useful daylight illuminance (UDI). The estimated coefficients of variation were highest (up to 106%) for UDI, followed by lighting energy (up to 45%) and HVAC energy use (around 33%). The sensitivity analysis identified window to wall ratio, glazing type, blind type (orientation of slats) and slat angle as highly influencing factors for energy and

Forecast Accuracy and Economic Gains from Bayesian Model Averaging using Time Varying Weights

NARCIS (Netherlands)

L.F. Hoogerheide (Lennart); R.H. Kleijn (Richard); H.K. van Dijk (Herman); M.J.C.M. Verbeek (Marno)

2009-01-01

textabstractSeveral Bayesian model combination schemes, including some novel approaches that simultaneously allow for parameter uncertainty, model uncertainty and robust time varying model weights, are compared in terms of forecast accuracy and economic gains using financial and macroeconomic time

Critical analysis of the condensation of water vapor at external surface of the duct

Science.gov (United States)

Kumar, Dileep; Memon, Rizwan Ahmed; Memon, Abdul Ghafoor; Ali, Intizar; Junejo, Awais

2018-01-01

In this paper, the effects of contraction of the insulation of the air duct of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system is investigated. The compression of the insulation contracts it at joint, turn and other points of the duct. The energy loss and the condensation resulted from this contraction are also estimated. A mathematical model is developed to simulate the effects of this contraction on the heat gain, supply air temperature and external surface temperature of the duct. The simulation uses preliminary data obtained from an HVAC system installed in a pharmaceutical company while varying the operating conditions. The results reveal that insulation thickness should be kept greater than 30 mm and the volume flow rate of the selected air distribution system should be lower than 1.4m3/s to subside condensation on the external surface of the duct. Additionally, the optimum insulation thickness was determined by considering natural gas as an energy source and fiberglass as an insulation material. The optimum insulation thickness determined for different duct sizes varies from 28 to 45 mm, which is greater than the critical insulation thickness. Therefore, the chances of condensation on the external surface of the duct could be avoided at an optimum insulation thickness. Moreover, the effect of pressure loss coefficient of the duct fitting of air distribution system is estimated. The electricity consumption in air handling unit (AHU) decreases from 2.1 to 1.5 kW by decreasing the pressure loss coefficient from 1.5 to 0.5.

External Validation of a Prediction Model for Successful External Cephalic Version

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Hundt, Marcella; Vlemmix, Floortje; Kok, Marjolein; van der Steeg, Jan W.; Bais, Joke M.; Mol, Ben W.; van der Post, Joris A.

2012-01-01

We sought external validation of a prediction model for the probability of a successful external cephalic version (ECV). We evaluated the performance of the prediction model with calibration and discrimination. For clinical practice, we developed a score chart to calculate the probability of a

On the Interplay between Order Parameter Dynamics and System Parameter Dynamics in Human Perceptual-Cognitive-Behavioral Systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Frank, T D

2015-04-01

Previous research has demonstrated that perceiving, thinking, and acting are human activities that correspond to self-organized patterns. The emergence of such patterns can be completely described in terms of the dynamics of the pattern amplitudes, which are referred to as order parameters. The patterns emerge at bifurcations points when certain system parameters internal and external to a human agent exceed critical values. At issue is how one might study the order parameter dynamics for sequences of consecutive, emergent perceptual, cognitive, or behavioral activities. In particular, these activities may in turn impact the system parameters that have led to the emergence of the activities in the first place. This interplay between order parameter dynamics and system parameter dynamics is discussed in general and formulated in mathematical terms. Previous work that has made use of this two-tiered framework of order parameter and system parameter dynamics are briefly addressed. As an application, a model for perception under functional fixedness is presented. Finally, it is argued that the phenomena that emerge in this framework and can be observed when human agents perceive, think, and act are just as likely to occur in pattern formation systems of the inanimate world. Consequently, these phenomena do not necessarily have a neurophysiological basis but should instead be understood from the perspective of the theory of self-organization.

Hanford External Dosimetry Program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fix, J.J.

1990-10-01

This document describes the Hanford External Dosimetry Program as it is administered by Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) in support of the US Department of Energy (DOE) and its Hanford contractors. Program services include administrating the Hanford personnel dosimeter processing program and ensuring that the related dosimeter data accurately reflect occupational dose received by Hanford personnel or visitors. Specific chapters of this report deal with the following subjects: personnel dosimetry organizations at Hanford and the associated DOE and contractor exposure guidelines; types, characteristics, and procurement of personnel dosimeters used at Hanford; personnel dosimeter identification, acceptance testing, accountability, and exchange; dosimeter processing and data recording practices; standard sources, calibration factors, and calibration processes (including algorithms) used for calibrating Hanford personnel dosimeters; system operating parameters required for assurance of dosimeter processing quality control; special dose evaluation methods applied for individuals under abnormal circumstances (i.e., lost results, etc.); and methods for evaluating personnel doses from nuclear accidents. 1 ref., 14 figs., 5 tabs

Action-reaction based parameters identification and states estimation of flexible systems

OpenAIRE

Khalil, Islam; Kunt, Emrah Deniz; Şabanoviç, Asif; Sabanovic, Asif

2012-01-01

This work attempts to identify and estimate flexible system's parameters and states by a simple utilization of the Action-Reaction law of dynamical systems. Attached actuator to a dynamical system or environmental interaction imposes an action that is instantaneously followed by a dynamical system reaction. The dynamical system's reaction carries full information about the dynamical system including system parameters, dynamics and externally applied forces that arise due to system interaction...

Biomechanical comparison of supraacetabular external fixation and anterior pelvic bridge plating.

Science.gov (United States)

Çavuşoğlu, Ali Turgay; Erbay, Fatma Kübra; Özsoy, Mehmet Hakan; Demir, Teyfik

2017-10-01

Unstable pelvic ring injuries are complex and risky injuries due to high morbidity and mortality. Although anterior pelvic external fixator is a suitable method for rapid stabilization of an injured pelvic ring, due to some disadvantages such as high complication rate, nerve damage, and difficulties of patient's mobility and comfort, there has recently been increased searching for alternative methods for stabilization of the pelvic ring. Pubic symphysis zone freely moves in pelvic models. This study aims to evaluate the biomechanical stability of anterior pelvic bridge plating and compare it with supraacetabular external fixators in an untreated unstable pelvic fracture model. Samples were loaded statically with 2-mm/min loading rate in single leg standing position. Maximum load was 2.3 kN. When loading the samples, photographs were taken continuously. Stiffness values were calculated from the load displacement curves. Some reference parameters were described and were measured from unloaded and 2.3-kN-loaded photographs of the test. The mean stiffness values were 491.14 ± 52.22, 478.55 ± 41.44, and 470.25 ± 44.51 N/mm for anterior pelvic bridge plating group, supraacetabular external fixator group, and Control group, respectively. According to the measured parameters from photographs, the mean displacement at the pubic symphysis was 4.7 ± 0.32, 15.8 ± 2.01, and 18.2 ± 0.47 mm for anterior pelvic bridge plating, supraacetabular external fixator, and Control group, respectively. The highest displacement in the pubic symphysis was found in Control group, and minimum displacement was observed in anterior pelvic bridge plating group. When the perpendicular distance between the right and left lower end of ischium was examined, it was observed that displacement was minimum in anterior pelvic bridge plating group compared to other two groups, regarding to the high stability of pubic symphysis. In conclusion, this study revealed

Determination of the parameters of the point kinetics equation of a nuclear reactor by the quasilinearization technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tanomaru, N.

1979-12-01

The problem of parameter identification in a pontual model for a thermal reactor is dealt with using the quasilinearization technique. The model considers one group of delayed neutrons and a heavily non-linear temperature feedback in the reactivity. The parameter prompt neutron generation time and a parameter of the fuel temperatura reactivity coefficient equation are identified simultaneously, considering discrete measurements of the reactor power, during the transient produced by a change in the external reactivity. The influences of the choice of the external reactivity disturbance, of the two parameters values initial guesses, of the interval between measurements and the measurement noise level in the method accuracy and rate of convergence are analysed. For noiseless or low level noise measurements, the method proved to be very effective. (Author) [pt

Optimization of MIS/IL solar cells parameters using genetic algorithm

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ahmed, K.A.; Mohamed, E.A.; Alaa, S.H. [Faculty of Engineering, Alexandria Univ. (Egypt); Motaz, M.S. [Institute of Graduate Studies and Research, Alexandria Univ. (Egypt)

2004-07-01

This paper presents a genetic algorithm optimization for MIS/IL solar cell parameters including doping concentration NA, metal work function {phi}m, oxide thickness d{sub ox}, mobile charge density N{sub m}, fixed oxide charge density N{sub ox} and the external back bias applied to the inversion grid V. The optimization results are compared with theoretical optimization and shows that the genetic algorithm can be used for determining the optimum parameters of the cell. (orig.)

Relative contributions of external forcing factors to circulation and hydrographic properties in a micro-tidal bay

Science.gov (United States)

Yoon, Seokjin; Kasai, Akihide

2017-11-01

The dominant external forcing factors influencing estuarine circulation differ among coastal environments. A three-dimensional regional circulation model was developed to estimate external influence indices and relative contributions of external forcing factors such as external oceanic forcing, surface heat flux, wind stress, and river discharge to circulation and hydrographic properties in Tango Bay, Japan. Model results show that in Tango Bay, where the Tsushima Warm Current passes offshore of the bay, under conditions of strong seasonal winds and river discharge, the water temperature and salinity are strongly influenced by surface heat flux and river discharge in the surface layer, respectively, while in the middle and bottom layers both are mainly controlled by open boundary conditions. The estuarine circulation is comparably influenced by all external forcing factors, the strong current, surface heat flux, wind stress, and river discharge. However, the influence degree of each forcing factor varies with temporal variations in external forcing factors as: the influence of open boundary conditions is higher in spring and early summer when the stronger current passes offshore of the bay, that of surface heat flux reflects the absolute value of surface heat flux, that of wind stress is higher in late fall and winter due to strong seasonal winds, and that of river discharge is higher in early spring due to snow-melting and summer and early fall due to flood events.

Temporal-varying failures of nodes in networks

Science.gov (United States)

Knight, Georgie; Cristadoro, Giampaolo; Altmann, Eduardo G.

2015-08-01

We consider networks in which random walkers are removed because of the failure of specific nodes. We interpret the rate of loss as a measure of the importance of nodes, a notion we denote as failure centrality. We show that the degree of the node is not sufficient to determine this measure and that, in a first approximation, the shortest loops through the node have to be taken into account. We propose approximations of the failure centrality which are valid for temporal-varying failures, and we dwell on the possibility of externally changing the relative importance of nodes in a given network by exploiting the interference between the loops of a node and the cycles of the temporal pattern of failures. In the limit of long failure cycles we show analytically that the escape in a node is larger than the one estimated from a stochastic failure with the same failure probability. We test our general formalism in two real-world networks (air-transportation and e-mail users) and show how communities lead to deviations from predictions for failures in hubs.

ExternE: Externalities of energy Vol. 3. Coal and lignite

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Berry, J.; Holland, M.; Lee, D.

1995-01-01

Awareness of the environmental damage resulting from human activity, particularly concerning energy use, has grown greatly in recent years. Effects such as global warming, ozone depletion and acid rain are now the subjects of much research and public debate. It is now known that these and other effects damage a wide range of receptors, including human health, forests, crops, freshwater ecosystems and buildings. Such damages are typically not accounted for by the producers and consumers of the good in question (in this case energy). They are thus referred to as 'external costs' or 'externalities', to distinguish them from the private costs which account for the construction of plant, cost of fuel, wages, etc. In recent years there has been a growing interest in the assessment of the environmental and health impacts of energy, and the related external costs. This concern is driven by a number of different factors: the need to integrate environmental concerns in decision making over the choice between different fuels and energy technologies; the need to evaluate the costs and benefits of stricter environmental standards; increased attention to the use of economic instruments for environmental policy; the need to develop overall indicators of environmental performance of different technologies; major changes in the energy sector, including privatisation, liberalisation of markets, reduction of subsidies, etc. An agreed methodology for calculation and integration of external costs has not been established. Earlier work is typically of a preliminary nature and tends to be deficient with respect to both the methods employed and the quality of models and data used. In consequence of this a collaborative project, the EC/US Fuel Cycles Study, was established between Directorate General XII (Science, Research and Technology) of the European Commission and the United States Department of Energy. This ran for the period 1991 to 1993, and good agreement on a variety of

Lyapunov Functions to Caputo Fractional Neural Networks with Time-Varying Delays

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ravi Agarwal

2018-05-01

Full Text Available One of the main properties of solutions of nonlinear Caputo fractional neural networks is stability and often the direct Lyapunov method is used to study stability properties (usually these Lyapunov functions do not depend on the time variable. In connection with the Lyapunov fractional method we present a brief overview of the most popular fractional order derivatives of Lyapunov functions among Caputo fractional delay differential equations. These derivatives are applied to various types of neural networks with variable coefficients and time-varying delays. We show that quadratic Lyapunov functions and their Caputo fractional derivatives are not applicable in some cases when one studies stability properties. Some sufficient conditions for stability of equilibrium of nonlinear Caputo fractional neural networks with time dependent transmission delays, time varying self-regulating parameters of all units and time varying functions of the connection between two neurons in the network are obtained. The cases of time varying Lipschitz coefficients as well as nonLipschitz activation functions are studied. We illustrate our theory on particular nonlinear Caputo fractional neural networks.

Modeling information diffusion in time-varying community networks

Science.gov (United States)

Cui, Xuelian; Zhao, Narisa

2017-12-01

Social networks are rarely static, and they typically have time-varying network topologies. A great number of studies have modeled temporal networks and explored social contagion processes within these models; however, few of these studies have considered community structure variations. In this paper, we present a study of how the time-varying property of a modular structure influences the information dissemination. First, we propose a continuous-time Markov model of information diffusion where two parameters, mobility rate and community attractiveness, are introduced to address the time-varying nature of the community structure. The basic reproduction number is derived, and the accuracy of this model is evaluated by comparing the simulation and theoretical results. Furthermore, numerical results illustrate that generally both the mobility rate and community attractiveness significantly promote the information diffusion process, especially in the initial outbreak stage. Moreover, the strength of this promotion effect is much stronger when the modularity is higher. Counterintuitively, it is found that when all communities have the same attractiveness, social mobility no longer accelerates the diffusion process. In addition, we show that the local spreading in the advantage group has been greatly enhanced due to the agglomeration effect caused by the social mobility and community attractiveness difference, which thus increases the global spreading.

Optimization of space-time material layout for 1D wave propagation with varying mass and stiffness parameters

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Jakob Søndergaard

2010-01-01

Results are presented for optimal layout of materials in the spatial and temporal domains for a 1D structure subjected to transient wave propagation. A general optimization procedure is outlined including derivation of design sensitivities for the case when the mass density and stiffness vary...

Dynamical responses to external stimuli for both cases of excitatory and inhibitory synchronization in a complex neuronal network.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Sang-Yoon; Lim, Woochang

2017-10-01

For studying how dynamical responses to external stimuli depend on the synaptic-coupling type, we consider two types of excitatory and inhibitory synchronization (i.e., synchronization via synaptic excitation and inhibition) in complex small-world networks of excitatory regular spiking (RS) pyramidal neurons and inhibitory fast spiking (FS) interneurons. For both cases of excitatory and inhibitory synchronization, effects of synaptic couplings on dynamical responses to external time-periodic stimuli S ( t ) (applied to a fraction of neurons) are investigated by varying the driving amplitude A of S ( t ). Stimulated neurons are phase-locked to external stimuli for both cases of excitatory and inhibitory couplings. On the other hand, the stimulation effect on non-stimulated neurons depends on the type of synaptic coupling. The external stimulus S ( t ) makes a constructive effect on excitatory non-stimulated RS neurons (i.e., it causes external phase lockings in the non-stimulated sub-population), while S ( t ) makes a destructive effect on inhibitory non-stimulated FS interneurons (i.e., it breaks up original inhibitory synchronization in the non-stimulated sub-population). As results of these different effects of S ( t ), the type and degree of dynamical response (e.g., synchronization enhancement or suppression), characterized by the dynamical response factor [Formula: see text] (given by the ratio of synchronization degree in the presence and absence of stimulus), are found to vary in a distinctly different way, depending on the synaptic-coupling type. Furthermore, we also measure the matching degree between the dynamics of the two sub-populations of stimulated and non-stimulated neurons in terms of a "cross-correlation" measure [Formula: see text]. With increasing A , based on [Formula: see text], we discuss the cross-correlations between the two sub-populations, affecting the dynamical responses to S ( t ).

New parameterization of external and induced fields in geomagnetic field modeling, and a candidate model for IGRF 2005

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Olsen, Nils; Sabaka, T.J.; Lowes, F.

2005-01-01

When deriving spherical harmonic models of the Earth's magnetic field, low-degree external field contributions are traditionally considered by assuming that their expansion coefficient q(1)(0) varies linearly with the D-st-index, while induced contributions are considered assuming a constant ratio...... Q(1) of induced to external coefficients. A value of Q(1) = 0.27 was found from Magsat data and has been used by several authors when deriving recent field models from Orsted and CHAMP data. We describe a new approach that considers external and induced field based on a separation of D-st = E-st + I......-st into external (E-st) and induced (I-st) parts using a 1D model of mantle conductivity. The temporal behavior of q(1)(0) and of the corresponding induced coefficient are parameterized by E-st and I-st, respectively. In addition, we account for baseline-instabilities of D-st by estimating a value of q(1...

Alternative definitions of kinetic parameters for accelerator driven systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Talamo, Alberto; Gohar, Yousry; Dulla, Sandra; Ravetto, Piero

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► New definition of kinetic parameters for accelerator driven systems. ► Difference between effective and average delayed neutron fraction. ► Difference between effective and average prompt neutron lifetime. ► Effect of the neutron source (Cf, D–D, D–T) on k src . ► Effect of the (n, xn) reactions and source energy-angle distribution on k src . - Abstract: This study introduces a new formulation of kinetic parameters for accelerator driven systems and it is structured into two parts. The first part is dedicated to the classic definition of the kinetic parameters and compares different calculation methodologies. The second part considers a new definition of the kinetic parameters for subcritical assemblies, with particular emphasis on the delayed neutron fraction and the prompt neutron lifetime. This new definition takes into account neutrons from the external neutron source and (n, xn) reactions, which increase the fraction of prompt neutrons. The developed theoretical framework has been applied by Monte Carlo and deterministic calculations to the YALINA Thermal subcritical assembly located in Belarus. This facility can be driven by californium, deuterium–deuterium (D–D), or deuterium–tritium (D–T) external neutron sources. For the D–T neutron source, (n, xn) reactions must be taken into account in order to produce accurate results because the average energy of D–T source neutrons is 14.1 MeV, a value which is much higher than the threshold energy of the (n, 2n) cross section of uranium isotopes.

On generalized scaling laws with continuously varying exponents

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sittler, Lionel; Hinrichsen, Haye

2002-01-01

Many physical systems share the property of scale invariance. Most of them show ordinary power-law scaling, where quantities can be expressed as a leading power law times a scaling function which depends on scaling-invariant ratios of the parameters. However, some systems do not obey power-law scaling, instead there is numerical evidence for a logarithmic scaling form, in which the scaling function depends on ratios of the logarithms of the parameters. Based on previous ideas by Tang we propose that this type of logarithmic scaling can be explained by a concept of local scaling invariance with continuously varying exponents. The functional dependence of the exponents is constrained by a homomorphism which can be expressed as a set of partial differential equations. Solving these equations we obtain logarithmic scaling as a special case. The other solutions lead to scaling forms where logarithmic and power-law scaling are mixed

Varying Coefficient Panel Data Model in the Presence of Endogenous Selectivity and Fixed Effects

OpenAIRE

Malikov, Emir; Kumbhakar, Subal C.; Sun, Yiguo

2013-01-01

This paper considers a flexible panel data sample selection model in which (i) the outcome equation is permitted to take a semiparametric, varying coefficient form to capture potential parameter heterogeneity in the relationship of interest, (ii) both the outcome and (parametric) selection equations contain unobserved fixed effects and (iii) selection is generalized to a polychotomous case. We propose a two-stage estimator. Given consistent parameter estimates from the selection equation obta...

Effect of material parameters on the compactibility of backfill materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Keto, P.; Kuula-Vaeisaenen, P.; Ruuskanen, J.

2006-05-01

The effect of different parameters on compactibility of mixture of bentonite and ballast as well as Friedland-clay was studied in laboratory with two different types of compaction tests. The material parameters varied were grain size distribution of the ballast material, grain shape, water ratio and bentonite content (15/30%). The other parameters varied were salinity of the mixing water, mixing process and compaction method and energy. Ballast materials with varying grain size distributions were produced from Olkiluoto mica-gneiss with different type of crushing processes. In addition, sand was chosen for ballast material due to its uniform grain size distribution and rounded grain shape. The maximum grain size of the ballast materials was between 5-10 mm. When comparing the compactibility of ballast materials, the highest dry densities were gained for ballast materials with graded grain size distribution. The compaction behaviour of the tested bentonite ballast mixtures is dominated by the bentonite content. The other parameters varied did not have significant effect on the compactibility of the mixtures with bentonite content of 30%. This can be explained with the amount of bentonite that is higher than what is needed to fill up the volume between the ballast grains. The results gained with the two different compaction tests are comparable. Both the bentonite/ballast mixtures and the Friedland clay behaved similarly when compacted with three different compaction pressures (180, 540 and 980 kPa). (orig.)

External non-white noise and nonequilibrium phase transitions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sancho, J.M.; San Miguel, M.

1980-01-01

Langevin equations with external non-white noise are considered. A Fokker Planck equation valid in general in first order of the correlation time tau of the noise is derived. In some cases its validity can be extended to any value of tau. The effect of a finite tau in the nonequilibrium phase transitions induced by the noise is analyzed, by means of such Fokker Planck equation, in general, for the Verhulst equation under two different kind of fluctuations, and for a genetic model. It is shown that new transitions can appear and that the threshold value of the parameter can be changed. (orig.)

External Cost Assessment of Nuclear Power Plant Accident considering Public Risk Aversion Behavior: the Korean Case

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Sang Hun; Kang, Hyun Gook [KAIST, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2016-05-15

The conventional approach for monetary valuation of NPP accident consequence consists of calculating the expected value of various accident scenarios. However, the main criticism of the conventional approach is that there is a discrepancy between the social acceptability of the risk and the estimated expected value of NPP accident. Therefore, an integrated framework for the estimation of the external cost associated with an NPP accident considering the public risk aversion behavior was proposed in this study based on the constructed theoretical framework for estimating both the value of statistical life (VSL) and the risk aversion coefficient associated with an NPP accident to take account of the accident cost into the unit electricity generation cost of NPP. To estimate both parameters, an individual-level survey was conducted on a sample of 1,364 participants in Korea. Based on the collected survey responses, both parameters were estimated based on the proposed framework and the external cost of NPP accident was estimated based on the consequence analysis and considering the direct cost factors for NPP accident. Internalization of external costs into the comprehensive energy production cost has been considered as a potentially efficient policy instrument for a more sustainable energy supply and use. However, the internalization of externalities, such as public health damage, have raised a number of generic policy issues in a nuclear energy sector, with specific challenges resulting from the distinct characteristics of external cost estimation. Especially, the major challenge remained to address the public safety concerns regarding a nuclear accident, which can be specified as low-probability high-consequence accident, driven by the aspects of public risk aversion.

External Cost Assessment of Nuclear Power Plant Accident considering Public Risk Aversion Behavior: the Korean Case

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Sang Hun; Kang, Hyun Gook

2016-01-01

The conventional approach for monetary valuation of NPP accident consequence consists of calculating the expected value of various accident scenarios. However, the main criticism of the conventional approach is that there is a discrepancy between the social acceptability of the risk and the estimated expected value of NPP accident. Therefore, an integrated framework for the estimation of the external cost associated with an NPP accident considering the public risk aversion behavior was proposed in this study based on the constructed theoretical framework for estimating both the value of statistical life (VSL) and the risk aversion coefficient associated with an NPP accident to take account of the accident cost into the unit electricity generation cost of NPP. To estimate both parameters, an individual-level survey was conducted on a sample of 1,364 participants in Korea. Based on the collected survey responses, both parameters were estimated based on the proposed framework and the external cost of NPP accident was estimated based on the consequence analysis and considering the direct cost factors for NPP accident. Internalization of external costs into the comprehensive energy production cost has been considered as a potentially efficient policy instrument for a more sustainable energy supply and use. However, the internalization of externalities, such as public health damage, have raised a number of generic policy issues in a nuclear energy sector, with specific challenges resulting from the distinct characteristics of external cost estimation. Especially, the major challenge remained to address the public safety concerns regarding a nuclear accident, which can be specified as low-probability high-consequence accident, driven by the aspects of public risk aversion

Prevention Services for Externalizing and Anxiety Symptoms in Low-Income Children: the Role of Parent Preferences in Early Childhood.

Science.gov (United States)

Mian, Nicholas D; Godoy, Leandra; Eisenhower, Abbey S; Heberle, Amy E; Carter, Alice S

2016-01-01

Dissemination of prevention programs targeting young children is impeded by challenges with parent engagement. Matching program characteristics to parent preferences is associated with increased retention in clinical/intervention settings, but little is known about the types of prevention programs that interest parents. The objectives of this study were to better understand parents' preferences for services designed to prevent externalizing and anxiety disorders and to identify factors associated with preferences. Ethnically diverse, low-income caregivers (n = 485) of young children (11-60 months) completed surveys on child anxiety and externalizing symptoms, parental worry about their children, parent anxiety symptoms, and preferences for prevention group topics. Parents were more likely to prefer a group targeting externalizing behaviors compared to anxiety. Cluster analysis revealed four groups of children: low symptoms, moderate anxiety-low externalizing, moderate externalizing-low anxiety, and high anxiety and externalizing. Parents' preferences varied according to co-occurrence of child anxiety and externalizing symptoms; interest in a program targeting externalizing problems was associated with elevated externalizing problems (regardless of anxiety symptom level), parent anxiety symptoms, and parent worry about their child. Only parent anxiety symptoms predicted parents' interest in an anxiety-focused program, and preference for an anxiety-focused program was actually reduced if children had co-occurring anxiety and externalizing symptoms versus only anxiety symptoms. Results suggest that parents' interest in a program to prevent externalizing problems was well-aligned with the presenting problem, whereas preferences for anxiety programming suggest a more complex interplay among factors. Parent preferences for targeted programming are discussed within a broader framework of parent engagement.

Development and chemical characterization of flour obtained from the external mesocarp of "pequizeiro" fruit

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Manoel Soares Soares Júnior

2010-12-01

Full Text Available The objective of this work was to develop a recommendation for the chemical peeling of pequi fruit and characterize the flour obtained from the external mesocarp of "Pequizeiro", pequi tree (Caryocar brasiliense Camb.. The technology applied to obtain the external mesocarp pequi flour included the epicarp removal with NaOH solution. The Response Surface Method was used to optimize the chemical peeling process by applying the Central Composite Rotatable Design, with eleven trials including three replicates at the central point, varying the NaOH aqueous solution concentration and fruit immersion time. The mass loss was evaluated through the analysis of variance and using bi and three dimensional graphs. The chemical characteristics of the external mesocarp pequi flour evaluated were: moisture content, ashes, proteins, lipids, total carbohydrates, dietary fiber, and some minerals. The best combination for an efficient removal of the fruit peel with the lowest mass loss was reached with 7.05 minutes of immersion in a 5.08 g.L-1 NaOH aqueous solution. This study indicated that the external mesocarp pequi flour is a food source rich in dietary fiber, carbohydrates, ashes, magnesium, calcium, manganese, and copper, but it is poor in lipids, zinc, and iron.

External corners as heat bridges

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Berber, J.

1984-08-01

The maximum additional heat loss in vertical external corners depending on wall thickness is determined. In order to amire at a low k-value, a much smaller wall thickness is required in externally insulated walls than in monolithic constructions; the greater loss of heat bridge with external insulation stands in contrast to a higher loss in thick, monolithic walls. In relation to total losses, the additional losses through external corners are practically negligible.

Feasibility of external rhythmic cueing with the Google Glass for improving gait in people with Parkinson's disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Yan; Nonnekes, Jorik; Storcken, Erik J M; Janssen, Sabine; van Wegen, Erwin E H; Bloem, Bastiaan R; Dorresteijn, Lucille D A; van Vugt, Jeroen P P; Heida, Tjitske; van Wezel, Richard J A

2016-06-01

New mobile technologies like smartglasses can deliver external cues that may improve gait in people with Parkinson's disease in their natural environment. However, the potential of these devices must first be assessed in controlled experiments. Therefore, we evaluated rhythmic visual and auditory cueing in a laboratory setting with a custom-made application for the Google Glass. Twelve participants (mean age = 66.8; mean disease duration = 13.6 years) were tested at end of dose. We compared several key gait parameters (walking speed, cadence, stride length, and stride length variability) and freezing of gait for three types of external cues (metronome, flashing light, and optic flow) and a control condition (no-cue). For all cueing conditions, the subjects completed several walking tasks of varying complexity. Seven inertial sensors attached to the feet, legs and pelvis captured motion data for gait analysis. Two experienced raters scored the presence and severity of freezing of gait using video recordings. User experience was evaluated through a semi-open interview. During cueing, a more stable gait pattern emerged, particularly on complicated walking courses; however, freezing of gait did not significantly decrease. The metronome was more effective than rhythmic visual cues and most preferred by the participants. Participants were overall positive about the usability of the Google Glass and willing to use it at home. Thus, smartglasses like the Google Glass could be used to provide personalized mobile cueing to support gait; however, in its current form, auditory cues seemed more effective than rhythmic visual cues.

Influence of external action and structural factors on radiation blistering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kalin, B.A.; Chernov, I.I.; Fomina, E.P.; Korshunov, S.H.; Polsky, V.I.; Skorov, D.M.; Yakushin, V.L.

1985-01-01

A survey of experimental results is presented, pertaining to radiation blistering of a considerable number of materials (stainless steels, alloys with high nickel content, alloys of refractory metals) under helium ion irradiation with energies of 20-100 keV under conditions corresponding to the plasma-wall interaction: bombardment at various angles of incidence and cyclic irradiation in a wide spectrum of ion incidence angles; influence of external action, including thermocyclic; influence of preceding neutron and proton irradiation. It has been shown that external factors have a complex influence on blister parameters and erosion coefficients of materials. A study has been carried out on the influence of aluminium coatings, alloying additions, phase state of material and microstructure on the nature and degree of surface erosion. Complex influence of element and phase composition, as well as microstructural changes during heat treatment and welding on radiation erosion have been established. (orig.)

Correlation of dynamic parameter modification and ASET sensitivity in a shunt voltage reference

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roche, N.J.H.; Buchner, S.P.; Warner, J.H.; McMorrow, D.; Dusseau, L.; Boch, J.; Saigne, F.; Kruckmeyer, K.; Auriel, G.; Azais, B.

2012-01-01

Analog Single Event Transients (ASETs) in two different shunt voltage references used in power management systems are investigated. Little has been published regarding how the dynamic parameter changes induced by external circuit design, such as time constant, damping coefficient or natural frequency affect ASET shapes. Modifications of the dynamic parameters of the circuit are measured by step response measurement. A correlation between dynamic parameters and ASET laser testing results is proposed. This study establishes the correlation between the dynamic parameters of a shunt voltage reference and ASET parameters such as pulse duration, and positive and negative amplitude. (authors)

Action-reaction based parameters identification and states estimation of flexible systems

OpenAIRE

Khalil, Islam Shoukry Mohammed; Şabanoviç, Asif; Sabanovic, Asif

2010-01-01

This work attempts to identify and estimate flexible system’s parameters and states by a simple utilization of the Action-Reaction law of dynamical systems. Attached actuator to a dynamical system or environmental interaction imposes an action that is instantaneously followed by a dynamical system reaction. The dynamical system’s reaction carries full information about the dynamical system including system parameters, dynamics and externally applied forces that arise due to system interaction...

On changing the size of the atmosphere of a vortex pair embedded in a periodic external shear flow

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ryzhov, E.A.

2011-01-01

The dynamics of fluid particles in the vicinity of a self-propagating vortex pair, embedded in a nonstationary shear flow, is studied. When the shear flow is steady, the vicinity of the pair, which is called as a vortex atmosphere, consists of closed stream-lines, which coincide with fluid particles' trajectories. When the shear flow is nonstationary, the trajectories' behaviour changes drastically, then chaotic advection occurs. It is shown in the Letter that the vortex pair propagation velocity varies with the parameters (amplitude, and frequency) of the nonstationary shear flow. It is demonstrated, that changing of the mean velocity leads to changing of the size of the atmosphere. -- Highlights: → A three-layered model of an inviscid incompressible geophysical flow is formulated. → A vortex pair is studied in the middle layer when a periodic shear flow is superimposed. → Dynamics of fluid particles inside the vortex atmosphere of the pair on it is studied. → When the external flow is nonstationary, then chaotic advection of fluid particles emerges. → Vortex pair's mean velocity of self-propelling changes depending on amplitude and frequency.

Scale effects on spatially varying relationships between urban landscape patterns and water quality.

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Yanwei; Guo, Qinghai; Liu, Jian; Wang, Run

2014-08-01

Scientific interpretation of the relationships between urban landscape patterns and water quality is important for sustainable urban planning and watershed environmental protection. This study applied the ordinary least squares regression model and the geographically weighted regression model to examine the spatially varying relationships between 12 explanatory variables (including three topographical factors, four land use parameters, and five landscape metrics) and 15 water quality indicators in watersheds of Yundang Lake, Maluan Bay, and Xinglin Bay with varying levels of urbanization in Xiamen City, China. A local and global investigation was carried out at the watershed-level, with 50 and 200 m riparian buffer scales. This study found that topographical features and landscape metrics are the dominant factors of water quality, while land uses are too weak to be considered as a strong influential factor on water quality. Such statistical results may be related with the characteristics of land use compositions in our study area. Water quality variations in the 50 m buffer were dominated by topographical variables. The impact of landscape metrics on water quality gradually strengthen with expanding buffer zones. The strongest relationships are obtained in entire watersheds, rather than in 50 and 200 m buffer zones. Spatially varying relationships and effective buffer zones were verified in this study. Spatially varying relationships between explanatory variables and water quality parameters are more diversified and complex in less urbanized areas than in highly urbanized areas. This study hypothesizes that all these varying relationships may be attributed to the heterogeneity of landscape patterns in different urban regions. Adjustment of landscape patterns in an entire watershed should be the key measure to successfully improving urban lake water quality.

Volumes and doses for external radiotherapy - Definitions and recommendations; Volum og doser i ekstern straaleterapi - Definisjoner og anbefalinger

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Levernes, Sverre (ed.)

2012-07-01

The report contains definitions of volume and dose parameters for external radiotherapy. In addition the report contains recommendations for use, documentation and minimum reporting for radiotherapy of the individual patient.(Author)

External fuel vaporization study, phase 2

Science.gov (United States)

Szetela, E. J.; Chiappetta, L.

1981-01-01

An analytical study was conducted to evaluate the effect of variations in fuel properties on the design of an external fuel vaporizaton system. The fuel properties that were considered included thermal stability, critical temperature, enthalpy a critical conditions, volatility, and viscosity. The design parameters that were evaluated included vaporizer weight and the impact on engine requirement such as maintenance, transient response, performance, and altitude relight. The baseline fuel properties were those of Jet A. The variation in thermal stability was taken as the thermal stability variation for Experimental Referee Broad Specification (ERBS) fuel. The results of the analysis indicate that a change in thermal stability equivalent to that of ERBS would increase the vaporization system weight by 20 percent, decrease oprating time between cleaning by 40 percent and make altitude relight more difficult. An increase in fuel critical temperature of 39 K would require a 40 percent increase in vaporization system weight. The assumed increase in enthalpy and volatility would also increase vaporizer weight by 40 percent and make altitude relight extremely difficult. The variation in fuel viscosity would have a negligible effect on the design parameters.

Modeling external constraints: Applying expert systems to nuclear plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beck, C.E.; Behera, A.K.

1993-01-01

Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications in nuclear plants have received much attention over the past decade. Specific applications that have been addressed include development of models and knowledge-bases, plant maintenance, operations, procedural guidance, risk assessment, and design tools. This paper examines the issue of external constraints, with a focus on the use of Al and expert systems as design tools. It also provides several suggested methods for addressing these constraints within the Al framework. These methods include a State Matrix scheme, a layered structure for the knowledge base, and application of the dynamic parameter concept

Flexural behaviour of RCC beams with externally bonded FRP

Science.gov (United States)

Vignesh, S. Arun; Sumathi, A.; Saravana Raja Mohan, K.

2017-07-01

The increasing use of carbon and glass fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) sheets for strengthening existing reinforced concrete beams has generated considerable interest in understanding the behavior of the FRP sheets when subjected to bending. The study on flexure includes various parameters like percentage of increase in strength of the member due to the externally bonded Fiber reinforced polymer, examining the crack patterns, reasons of debonding of the fibre from the structure, scaling, convenience of using the fibres, cost effectiveness etc. The present work aims to study experimentally about the reasons behind the failure due to flexure of an EB-FRP concrete beam by studying the various parameters. Deflection control may become as important as flexural strength for the design of FRPreinforced concrete structures. A numerical model is created using FEM software and the results are compared with that of the experiment.

External dose assessment in the Ukraine following the Chernobyl accident

Science.gov (United States)

Frazier, Remi Jordan Lesartre

While the physiological effects of radiation exposure have been well characterized in general, it remains unclear what the relationship is between large-scale radiological events and psychosocial behavior outcomes in individuals or populations. To investigate this, the National Science Foundation funded a research project in 2008 at the University of Colorado in collaboration with Colorado State University to expand the knowledge of complex interactions between radiation exposure, perception of risk, and psychosocial behavior outcomes by modeling outcomes for a representative sample of the population of the Ukraine which had been exposed to radiocontaminant materials released by the reactor accident at Chernobyl on 26 April 1986. In service of this project, a methodology (based substantially on previously published models specific to the Chernobyl disaster and the Ukrainian population) was developed for daily cumulative effective external dose and dose rate assessment for individuals in the Ukraine for as a result of the Chernobyl disaster. A software platform was designed and produced to estimate effective external dose and dose rate for individuals based on their age, occupation, and location of residence on each day between 26 April 1986 and 31 December 2009. A methodology was developed to transform published 137Cs soil deposition contour maps from the Comprehensive Atlas of Caesium Deposition on Europe after the Chernobyl Accident into a geospatial database to access these data as a radiological source term. Cumulative effective external dose and dose rate were computed for each individual in a 703-member cohort of Ukrainians randomly selected to be representative of the population of the country as a whole. Error was estimated for the resulting individual dose and dose rate values with Monte Carlo simulations. Distributions of input parameters for the dose assessment methodology were compared to computed dose and dose rate estimates to determine which

Investigation and Taguchi Optimization of Microbial Fuel Cell Salt Bridge Dimensional Parameters

Science.gov (United States)

Sarma, Dhrupad; Barua, Parimal Bakul; Dey, Nabendu; Nath, Sumitro; Thakuria, Mrinmay; Mallick, Synthia

2018-01-01

One major problem of two chamber salt bridge microbial fuel cells (MFCs) is the high resistance offered by the salt bridge to anion flow. Many researchers who have studied and optimized various parameters related to salt bridge MFC, have not shed much light on the effect of salt bridge dimensional parameters on the MFC performance. Therefore, the main objective of this research is to investigate the effect of length and cross sectional area of salt bridge and the effect of solar radiation and atmospheric temperature on MFC current output. An experiment has been designed using Taguchi L9 orthogonal array, taking length and cross sectional area of salt bridge as factors having three levels. Nine MFCs were fabricated as per the nine trial conditions. Trials were conducted for 3 days and output current of each of the MFCs along with solar insolation and atmospheric temperature were recorded. Analysis of variance shows that salt bridge length has significant effect both on mean (with 53.90% contribution at 95% CL) and variance (with 56.46% contribution at 87% CL), whereas the effect of cross sectional area of the salt bridge and the interaction of these two factors is significant on mean only (with 95% CL). Optimum combination was found at 260 mm salt bridge length and 506.7 mm2 cross sectional area with 4.75 mA of mean output current. The temperature and solar insolation data when correlated with each of the MFCs average output current, revealed that both external factors have significant impact on MFC current output but the correlation coefficient varies from MFC to MFC depending on salt bridge dimensional parameters.

Robust stability analysis of uncertain stochastic neural networks with interval time-varying delay

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Feng Wei; Yang, Simon X.; Fu Wei; Wu Haixia

2009-01-01

This paper addresses the stability analysis problem for uncertain stochastic neural networks with interval time-varying delays. The parameter uncertainties are assumed to be norm bounded, and the delay factor is assumed to be time-varying and belong to a given interval, which means that the lower and upper bounds of interval time-varying delays are available. A sufficient condition is derived such that for all admissible uncertainties, the considered neural network is robustly, globally, asymptotically stable in the mean square. Some stability criteria are formulated by means of the feasibility of a linear matrix inequality (LMI), which can be effectively solved by some standard numerical packages. Finally, numerical examples are provided to demonstrate the usefulness of the proposed criteria.

On the interaction between the external magnetic field and nanofluid inside a vertical square duct

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kashif Ali

2015-10-01

Full Text Available In this paper, we numerically study how the external magnetic field influences the flow and thermal characteristics of nanofluid inside a vertical square duct. The flow is considered to be laminar and hydrodynamically as well as thermally developed, whereas the thermal boundary condition of constant heat flux per unit axial length with constant peripheral temperature at any cross section, is assumed. The governing equations are solved using the spectral method and the finite difference method. Excellent comparison is noted in the numerical results given by the two methods but the spectral method is found to be superior in terms of both efficiency and accuracy. We have noted that the flow reversal due to high Raleigh number may be controlled by applying an external magnetic field of suitable strength. Moreover, the Nusselt number is found to be almost a linear function of the nanoparticle volume fraction parameter, for different values of the Raleigh number and the magnetic parameter.

The influence of an external magnetic axial field on the autocompression of a plasma column

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zoler, D.

1979-01-01

The results of theoretical research on the autocompression of a plasma column under the influence of its own azimuthal field, in the presence of an external magnetic axial field are presented in this paper. Focussed plasma installations are important both for the fundamental researches which can be undertaken on great density and high temperature plasma and for their possible applications since they can be used as sources of neutrons, Roentgen radiations and to obtain heavy ions. The important parameters of plasma have been studied comparatively in the presence or absence of the external magnetic axial field by means of a method of numerical simulation of phenomena from focussed plasma in a complex MHD system taking into account the dissipative and transport phenomena. The numerical data used in chapter 5 are in agreement with the parameters of the experimental installation produced at IFTAR-Bucharest, which have been indicated to us by the members of the focussed plasma staff. (author)

Self-assembly of colloidal bands driven by a periodic external field

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nunes, André S.; Araújo, Nuno A. M., E-mail: nmaraujo@fc.ul.pt; Telo da Gama, Margarida M. [Departamento de Física, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, P-1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal and Centro de Física Teórica e Computacional, Universidade de Lisboa, P-1749-016 Lisboa (Portugal)

2016-01-21

We study the formation of bands of colloidal particles driven by periodic external fields. Using Brownian dynamics, we determine the dependence of the band width on the strength of the particle interactions and on the intensity and periodicity of the field. We also investigate the switching (field-on) dynamics and the relaxation times as a function of the system parameters. The observed scaling relations were analyzed using a simple dynamic density-functional theory of fluids.

Operational parameters and their influence on particle-side mass transfer resistance in a packed bed bioreactor.

Science.gov (United States)

Hussain, Amir; Kangwa, Martin; Yumnam, Nivedita; Fernandez-Lahore, Marcelo

2015-12-01

The influence of internal mass transfer on productivity as well as the performance of packed bed bioreactor was determined by varying a number of parameters; chitosan coating, flow rate, glucose concentration and particle size. Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells were immobilized in chitosan and non-chitosan coated alginate beads to demonstrate the effect on particle side mass transfer on substrate consumption time, lag phase and ethanol production. The results indicate that chitosan coating, beads size, glucose concentration and flow rate have a significant effect on lag phase duration. The duration of lag phase for different size of beads (0.8, 2 and 4 mm) decreases by increasing flow rate and by decreasing the size of beads. Moreover, longer lag phase were found at higher glucose medium concentration and also with chitosan coated beads. It was observed that by increasing flow rates; lag phase and glucose consumption time decreased. The reason is due to the reduction of external (fluid side) mass transfer as a result of increase in flow rate as glucose is easily transported to the surface of the beads. Varying the size of beads is an additional factor: as it reduces the internal (particle side) mass transfer by reducing the size of beads. The reason behind this is the distance for reactants to reach active site of catalyst (cells) and the thickness of fluid created layer around alginate beads is reduced. The optimum combination of parameters consisting of smaller beads size (0.8 mm), higher flow rate of 90 ml/min and glucose concentration of 10 g/l were found to be the maximum condition for ethanol production.

Commissioning of a DT fusion reactor without external supply of tritium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Asaoka, Y.; Konishi, S.; Nishio, S.; Hiwatari, R.; Okano, K.; Yoshida, T.; Tomabechi, K.

2001-01-01

Commissioning of a DT fusion reactor without external supply of tritium is discussed. The DD reactions in a DT-oriented fusion reactor with external power injection by neutral beams produce tritium and neutrons. Tritium produced by the DD reaction together with that produced in the blanket by the 2.45 MeV neutron is re-circulated into the plasma. Then, the DT reaction rate increases gradually, as tritium concentration in plasma builds up towards the level of nominal operation. Time required to reach the nominal operational condition, i.e. 50 % tritium in plasma, is estimated with assumptions based on a model of fusion power plant. As a result, the start-up period of a DT fusion reactor without external supply of tritium is estimated to be approximately 55 days, with the plasma parameters of CREST having a high performance blanket and tritium processing systems. Major factors to determine the start-up period are DD and DT reaction rates, net tritium breeding gain of the plant and dead inventory in/on facing materials. Elimination of a constraint for fusion reactor deployment and operation without any tritium transportation in and out of plant through its entire life may be possible. (author)

Response-only modal identification using random decrement algorithm with time-varying threshold level

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lin, Chang Sheng; Tseng, Tse Chuan

2014-01-01

Modal Identification from response data only is studied for structural systems under nonstationary ambient vibration. The topic of this paper is the estimation of modal parameters from nonstationary ambient vibration data by applying the random decrement algorithm with time-varying threshold level. In the conventional random decrement algorithm, the threshold level for evaluating random dec signatures is defined as the standard deviation value of response data of the reference channel. The distortion of random dec signatures may be, however, induced by the error involved in noise from the original response data in practice. To improve the accuracy of identification, a modification of the sampling procedure in random decrement algorithm is proposed for modal-parameter identification from the nonstationary ambient response data. The time-varying threshold level is presented for the acquisition of available sample time history to perform averaging analysis, and defined as the temporal root-mean-square function of structural response, which can appropriately describe a wide variety of nonstationary behaviors in reality, such as the time-varying amplitude (variance) of a nonstationary process in a seismic record. Numerical simulations confirm the validity and robustness of the proposed modal-identification method from nonstationary ambient response data under noisy conditions.

Modelling Conditional and Unconditional Heteroskedasticity with Smoothly Time-Varying Structure

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Amado, Christina; Teräsvirta, Timo

multiplier type misspecification tests. Finite-sample properties of these procedures and tests are examined by simulation. An empirical application to daily stock returns and another one to daily exchange rate returns illustrate the functioning and properties of our modelling strategy in practice......In this paper, we propose two parametric alternatives to the standard GARCH model. They allow the conditional variance to have a smooth time-varying structure of either ad- ditive or multiplicative type. The suggested parameterizations describe both nonlinearity and structural change...... in the conditional and unconditional variances where the transition between regimes over time is smooth. A modelling strategy for these new time-varying parameter GARCH models is developed. It relies on a sequence of Lagrange multiplier tests, and the adequacy of the estimated models is investigated by Lagrange...

Performance Targets and External Benchmarking

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Friis, Ivar; Hansen, Allan; Vámosi, Tamás S.

Research on relative performance measures, transfer pricing, beyond budgeting initiatives, target costing, piece rates systems and value based management has for decades underlined the importance of external benchmarking in performance management. Research conceptualises external benchmarking...... as a market mechanism that can be brought inside the firm to provide incentives for continuous improvement and the development of competitive advances. However, whereas extant research primarily has focused on the importance and effects of using external benchmarks, less attention has been directed towards...... the conditions upon which the market mechanism is performing within organizations. This paper aims to contribute to research by providing more insight to the conditions for the use of external benchmarking as an element in performance management in organizations. Our study explores a particular type of external...

Optimal Laser Phototherapy Parameters for Pain Relief.

Science.gov (United States)

Kate, Rohit J; Rubatt, Sarah; Enwemeka, Chukuka S; Huddleston, Wendy E

2018-03-27

Studies on laser phototherapy for pain relief have used parameters that vary widely and have reported varying outcomes. The purpose of this study was to determine the optimal parameter ranges of laser phototherapy for pain relief by analyzing data aggregated from existing primary literature. Original studies were gathered from available sources and were screened to meet the pre-established inclusion criteria. The included articles were then subjected to meta-analysis using Cohen's d statistic for determining treatment effect size. From these studies, ranges of the reported parameters that always resulted into large effect sizes were determined. These optimal ranges were evaluated for their accuracy using leave-one-article-out cross-validation procedure. A total of 96 articles met the inclusion criteria for meta-analysis and yielded 232 effect sizes. The average effect size was highly significant: d = +1.36 (confidence interval [95% CI] = 1.04-1.68). Among all the parameters, total energy was found to have the greatest effect on pain relief and had the most prominent optimal ranges of 120-162 and 15.36-20.16 J, which always resulted in large effect sizes. The cross-validation accuracy of the optimal ranges for total energy was 68.57% (95% CI = 53.19-83.97). Fewer and less-prominent optimal ranges were obtained for the energy density and duration parameters. None of the remaining parameters was found to be independently related to pain relief outcomes. The findings of meta-analysis indicate that laser phototherapy is highly effective for pain relief. Based on the analysis of parameters, total energy can be optimized to yield the largest effect on pain relief.

Modelling and Control of Ionic Electroactive Polymer Actuators under Varying Humidity Conditions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Sunjai Nakshatharan

2018-02-01

Full Text Available In this work, we address the problem of position control of ionic electroactive polymer soft actuators under varying relative humidity conditions. The impact of humidity on the actuation performance of ionic actuators is studied through frequency response and impedance spectroscopy analysis. Considering the uncertain performance of the actuator under varying humidity conditions, an adaptable model using the neural network method is developed. The model uses relative humidity magnitude as one of the model parameters, making it robust to different environmental conditions. Utilizing the model, a closed-loop controller based on the model predictive controller is developed for position control of the actuator. The developed model and controller are experimentally verified and found to be capable of predicting and controlling the actuators with excellent tracking accuracy under relative humidity conditions varying in the range of 10–90%.

External details revisited - A new taxonomy for coding 'non-episodic' content during autobiographical memory retrieval.

Science.gov (United States)

Strikwerda-Brown, Cherie; Mothakunnel, Annu; Hodges, John R; Piguet, Olivier; Irish, Muireann

2018-04-24

Autobiographical memory (ABM) is typically held to comprise episodic and semantic elements, with the vast majority of studies to date focusing on profiles of episodic details in health and disease. In this context, 'non-episodic' elements are often considered to reflect semantic processing or are discounted from analyses entirely. Mounting evidence suggests that rather than reflecting one unitary entity, semantic autobiographical information may contain discrete subcomponents, which vary in their relative degree of semantic or episodic content. This study aimed to (1) review the existing literature to formally characterize the variability in analysis of 'non-episodic' content (i.e., external details) on the Autobiographical Interview and (2) use these findings to create a theoretically grounded framework for coding external details. Our review exposed discrepancies in the reporting and interpretation of external details across studies, reinforcing the need for a new, consistent approach. We validated our new external details scoring protocol (the 'NExt' taxonomy) in patients with Alzheimer's disease (n = 18) and semantic dementia (n = 13), and 20 healthy older Control participants and compared profiles of the NExt subcategories across groups and time periods. Our results revealed increased sensitivity of the NExt taxonomy in discriminating between ABM profiles of patient groups, when compared to traditionally used internal and external detail metrics. Further, remote and recent autobiographical memories displayed distinct compositions of the NExt detail types. This study is the first to provide a fine-grained and comprehensive taxonomy to parse external details into intuitive subcategories and to validate this protocol in neurodegenerative disorders. © 2018 The British Psychological Society.

Lumped Parameter Modeling for Rapid Vibration Response Prototyping and Test Correlation for Electronic Units

Science.gov (United States)

Van Dyke, Michael B.

2013-01-01

Present preliminary work using lumped parameter models to approximate dynamic response of electronic units to random vibration; Derive a general N-DOF model for application to electronic units; Illustrate parametric influence of model parameters; Implication of coupled dynamics for unit/board design; Demonstrate use of model to infer printed wiring board (PWB) dynamics from external chassis test measurement.

In-vivo dosimetric study of carcinoma of uterine cervix with FBX solution in external beam therapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Srinivas, Challapalli; Shenoy, K. Kamalaksh; Dinesh, M.; Savitha, K.S.; Kasturi, Dinesh Pai; Supe, S.S.; Nagesha, Y.N.

1999-01-01

To ensure accurate dose delivery to target site in external beam therapy and brachytherapy, various authors have conducted tests to assess the process of manual dose calculations. In vivo dosimetric measurement is one of these methods to verify these calculations. In this study, an attempt has been made to compare the manually calculated dose to dose estimated using a chemical dosimeter (FBX) solution (in-vivo method, using polypropylene vials), on 12 patients of carcinoma of uterine cervix in external beam therapy. Dose measured by FBX vial varies in the range of ± 2 to 6.75%, as compared with manual calculations. These variations seen may be attributed to the location of the vial position in the vagina, with reference to the beam axis (may not be horizontal), off axis position, manual calculation variations and reproducibility of the FBX system etc. FBX dosimetry offers itself as an in-vivo method to estimate the dose delivered to the target site in external beam therapy. (author)

External Otitis (Swimmer's Ear)

Science.gov (United States)

... otitis. Fungal external otitis (otomycosis), typically caused by Aspergillus niger or Candida albicans, is less common. Boils are ... in the ear. Fungal external otitis caused by Aspergillus niger usually causes grayish black or yellow dots (called ...

Ecosystem services in grassland associated with biotic and abiotic soil parameters

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Eekeren, van N.J.M.; Boer, de Herman; Hanegraaf, M.C.; Bokhorst, J.; Nierop, D.; Bloem, J.; Schouten, T.; Goede, de R.G.M.; Brussaard, L.

2010-01-01

Biotic soil parameters have so far seldom played a role in practical soil assessment and management of grasslands. However, the ongoing reduction of external inputs in agriculture would imply an increasing reliance on ecosystem self-regulating processes. Since soil biota play an important role in

Desiccant Dewpoint Cooling System Independent of External Water Sources

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bellemo, Lorenzo; Elmegaard, Brian; Markussen, Wiebke B.

2015-01-01

the air that regenerates the desiccant dehumidifier, and using it for running the evaporative coolers in the system. A closed regeneration circuit is used for maximizing the amount of condensed water. This solution is applied to a system with a desiccant wheel dehumidifier and a dew point cooler, termed...... desiccant dew-point cooling system, for demonstrating its function and applicability. Simulations are carried out for varying outdoor conditions under constant supply conditions. The results show that the system is independent of external water supply for the majority of simulated conditions. In comparison...... to the desiccant dew-point system without water recovery, the required regeneration temperature increases and the system thermal efficiency decreases....

Hydropower externalities: A meta-analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mattmann, Matteo; Logar, Ivana; Brouwer, Roy

2016-01-01

This paper presents a meta-analysis of existing research related to the economic valuation of the external effects of hydropower. A database consisting of 81 observations derived from 29 studies valuing the non-market impacts of hydropower electricity generation is constructed with the main aim to quantify and explain the economic values for positive and negative hydropower externalities. Different meta-regression model specifications are used to test the robustness of significant determinants of non-market values, including different types of hydropower impacts. The explanatory and predictive power of the estimated models is relatively high. Whilst controlling for sample and study characteristics, we find significant evidence for public aversion towards deteriorations of landscape, vegetation and wildlife caused by hydropower projects. There is however only weak evidence of willingness to pay for mitigating these effects. The main positive externality of hydropower generation, the avoidance of greenhouse gas emission, positively influences welfare estimates when combined with the share of hydropower in national energy production. Sensitivity to scope is detected, but not linked to specific externalities or non-market valuation methods. - Highlights: • A global meta-analysis of valuation studies of hydropower externalities is presented. • Positive and negative externalities are distinguished. • Welfare losses due to environmental deteriorations outweigh gains of GHG reductions. • There is only weak evidence of public WTP for mitigating negative externalities. • The non-market values of hydropower externalities are sensitive to scope.

Integration of external estimated breeding values and associated reliabilities using correlations among traits and effects.

Science.gov (United States)

Vandenplas, J; Colinet, F G; Glorieux, G; Bertozzi, C; Gengler, N

2015-12-01

Based on a Bayesian view of linear mixed models, several studies showed the possibilities to integrate estimated breeding values (EBV) and associated reliabilities (REL) provided by genetic evaluations performed outside a given evaluation system into this genetic evaluation. Hereafter, the term "internal" refers to this given genetic evaluation system, and the term "external" refers to all other genetic evaluations performed outside the internal evaluation system. Bayesian approaches integrate external information (i.e., external EBV and associated REL) by altering both the mean and (co)variance of the prior distributions of the additive genetic effects based on the knowledge of this external information. Extensions of the Bayesian approaches to multivariate settings are interesting because external information expressed on other scales, measurement units, or trait definitions, or associated with different heritabilities and genetic parameters than the internal traits, could be integrated into a multivariate genetic evaluation without the need to convert external information to the internal traits. Therefore, the aim of this study was to test the integration of external EBV and associated REL, expressed on a 305-d basis and genetically correlated with a trait of interest, into a multivariate genetic evaluation using a random regression test-day model for the trait of interest. The approach we used was a multivariate Bayesian approach. Results showed that the integration of external information led to a genetic evaluation for the trait of interest for, at least, animals associated with external information, as accurate as a bivariate evaluation including all available phenotypic information. In conclusion, the multivariate Bayesian approaches have the potential to integrate external information correlated with the internal phenotypic traits, and potentially to the different random regressions, into a multivariate genetic evaluation. This allows the use of different

External audit on the clinical practice and medical decision-making at the departments of radiotherapy in Budapest and Vienna

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Esik, O.; Seitz, W.; Loevey, J.; Knocke, T.H.; Gaudi, I.; Nemeth, G.; Poetter, R.

1999-01-01

between those of cases with scores 1 and 3. Non-performance of the necessary radiotherapeutic procedures was penalized by the highest score of 4. Statistical evaluation was performed with the BMDP software package, using variance analysis.Results: Bimonthly audits (six with a duration of 4-6 h in each institution) were carried out by three auditors from the evaluating departments; they reviewed a total of 452 cases in Department A, and 265 cases in Department B. Despite the comparable staffing and instrumental conditions, a markedly higher number (1.5 times) of new cases were treated in Department A, but with a lower quality of radiotherapy, as adequate values of qualifying parameters (1-6) were more frequent for the cases treated in Department B (85.3%, 94%, 83.4%, 28.3%, 41.9% and 81.1%) than for those in Department A (67%, 83.4%, 87.8%, 26.1%, 33.2% and 17.7%). The responsible division (including staff and instrumentation), the responsible physician and the type of the disease each exerted a highly significant effect on the quality level of the treatment. Statistical analysis revealed a positive influence of the curative (relative to the palliative/symptomatic) intention of the treatment on the level of quality, but the effect of the first radiotherapy (relative to the second or further one) was statistically significant in only one department. At the same time, the quality parameters did not vary with the referring institution, the auditing person or the serial number of the audit.Conclusion: The external audit relating to the provision of radiotherapeutic care proved feasible with the basic conformity and compliance of the staff and resulted in valuable information to take correction measures. (Copyright (c) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam. All rights reserved.)

External audit on the clinical practice and medical decision-making at the departments of radiotherapy in Budapest and Vienna.

Science.gov (United States)

Esik, O; Seitz, W; Lövey, J; Knocke, T H; Gaudi, I; Németh, G; Pötter, R

1999-04-01

with scores 1 and 3. Non-performance of the necessary radiotherapeutic procedures was penalized by the highest score of 4. Statistical evaluation was performed with the BMDP software package, using variance analysis. Bimonthly audits (six with a duration of 4-6 h in each institution) were carried out by three auditors from the evaluating departments; they reviewed a total of 452 cases in Department A, and 265 cases in Department B. Despite the comparable staffing and instrumental conditions, a markedly higher number (1.5 times) of new cases were treated in Department A, but with a lower quality of radiotherapy, as adequate values of qualifying parameters (1-6) were more frequent for the cases treated in Department B (85.3%, 94%, 83.4%, 28.3%, 41.9% and 81.1%) than for those in Department A (67%, 83.4%, 87.8%, 26.1%, 33.2% and 17.7%). The responsible division (including staff and instrumentation), the responsible physician and the type of the disease each exerted a highly significant effect on the quality level of the treatment. Statistical analysis revealed a positive influence of the curative (relative to the palliative/symptomatic) intention of the treatment on the level of quality, but the effect of the first radiotherapy (relative to the second or further one) was statistically significant in only one department. At the same time, the quality parameters did not vary with the referring institution, the auditing person or the serial number of the audit. The external audit relating to the provision of radiotherapeutic care proved feasible with the basic conformity and compliance of the staff and resulted in valuable information to take correction measures.

A hybrid approach for quantizing complicated motion of a charged particle in time-varying magnetic field

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Menouar, Salah; Choi, Jeong Ryeol

2015-01-01

Quantum characteristics of a charged particle subjected to a singular oscillator potential under an external magnetic field is investigated via SU(1,1) Lie algebraic approach together with the invariant operator and the unitary transformation methods. The system we managed is somewhat complicated since we considered not only the time-variation of the effective mass of the system but also the dependence of the external magnetic field on time in an arbitrary fashion. In this case, the system is a kind of time-dependent Hamiltonian systems which require more delicate treatment when we study it. The complete wave functions are obtained without relying on the methods of perturbation and/or approximation, and the global phases of the system are identified. To promote the understanding of our development, we applied it to a particular case, assuming that the effective mass slowly varies with time under a time-dependent magnetic field

Effects of internal and external scatter on the build-up characteristics of Monte Carlo calculated absorbed dose for electron irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lin, H.; Wu, DS.; Wu, AD.

2005-01-01

The effects of internal and external scatter on surface, build-up and depth dose characteristics simulated by Monte Carlo code EGSnrc for varying field size and SSD for a 10 MeV monoenergetic electron beam with and without an accelerator model are extensively studied in this paper. In particular, sub-millimetre surface PDD was investigated. The percentage depth doses affected significantly by the external scatter show a larger build-up dose. A forward shifted Dmax depth and a sharper fall-off region compared to PDDs with only internal scatter considered. The surface dose with both internal and external scatter shows a marked decrease at 110 cm SSD, and then slight further changes with the increasing SSD since few external scattered particles from accelerator model can reach the phantom for large SSDs. The sharp PDD increase for the 5 cm x 5 cm field compared to other fields seen when only internal scatter is considered is significantly less when external scatter is also present. The effect of external scatter on surface PDD is more pronounced for large fields than small fields (5 cm x 5 cm field)

Congenital External Carotid-External Jugular Arteriovenous Fistula: Diagnosis With Contrast-Enhanced Computed Tomography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Faghihi Langroudi, Taraneh; Arjmand Shabestari, Abbas; Pourghorban, Ramin; Khalili Pouya, Ensi

2015-01-01

Arteriovenous fistula (AVF) between the external carotid artery and external jugular vein is extremely rare, with only few cases reported in the literature so far. Most of these AVFs have been either iatrogenic or secondary to previous trauma. Herein, we report a 42-year-old woman with congenital AVF between the external carotid artery and external jugular vein, presenting with palpitation and dyspnea. The patient was suffering from mitral and tricuspid regurgitation. On physical examination, a thrill on the left side of the neck and an audible bruit over the left mandibular angle were detected. The possibility of abnormal AVF was considered and it was confirmed on contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT), inferring that this modality is not only fast and non-invasive, but also accurate in detecting vascular abnormalities

Differences between self-assessment and external rating of voice with regard to sex characteristics, age, and attractiveness.

Science.gov (United States)

Sandmann, Katja; am Zehnhoff-Dinnesen, Antoinette; Schmidt, Claus-Michael; Rosslau, Ken; Lang-Roth, Ruth; Burgmer, Markus; Knief, Arne; Matulat, Peter; Vauth, Melanie; Deuster, Dirk

2014-01-01

This study investigates differences between the self-assessment and external rating of a person's voice with regard to sex characteristics, age, and attractiveness of the voice and mean fundamental frequency (F0). Cross-sectional study. A group of 47 participants with a balanced sex distribution was recruited and the following data were collected: videostroboscopy, voice range profile, F0, self-assessment questionnaire (attractiveness, masculinity or femininity of voice, and appearance), Voice Handicap Index, and questionnaires to determine levels of depression and quality of life. External rating was performed by four experts and four laymen. In both sexes, fair to moderate significant correlations between the self-assessment of masculinity (men)/femininity (women) of voice and masculinity/femininity of appearance could be found, but not between the self-assessment of attractiveness of voice and appearance. In men, a statistically significant correlation was found between external ratings and self-assessment of attractiveness and, with the exception of the female rating group, of masculinity. In women, self-assessment of femininity and attractiveness of voice did not correlate to a statistically significant extent with the evaluation of the external rater. Additionally, the statistical correlation between estimated and real ages was high. Although the objective parameters of age and gender identification could be rated with a high degree of accuracy, subjective parameters showed significant differences between self-assessment and external rating, in particular in rating women's voices. Taking these findings into account in treatments for modifying voice could impede successful interventions. As one consequence, we recommend summarizing target agreements in detail before the treatment. Copyright © 2014 The Voice Foundation. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Models and parameters for environmental radiological assessments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miller, C.W.

1983-01-01

This article reviews the forthcoming book Models and Parameters for Environmental Radiological Assessments, which presents a unified compilation of models and parameters for assessing the impact on man of radioactive discharges, both routine and accidental, into the environment. Models presented in this book include those developed for the prediction of atmospheric and hydrologic transport and deposition, for terrestrial and aquatic food-chain bioaccumulation, and for internal and external dosimetry. Summaries are presented for each of the transport and dosimetry areas previously for each of the transport and dosimetry areas previously mentioned, and details are available in the literature cited. A chapter of example problems illustrates many of the methodologies presented throughout the text. Models and parameters presented are based on the results of extensive literature reviews and evaluations performed primarily by the staff of the Health and Safety Research Division of Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Change in lattice parameter of tantalum due to dissolved hydrogen

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gyanendra P. Tiwari

2012-06-01

Full Text Available The volume expansion of tantalum due to the dissolved hydrogen has been determined using Bragg equation. The hydrogen was dissolved in the pure tantalum metal at constant temperature (360 °C and constant pressure (132 mbar by varying the duration of hydrogen charging. The amount of dissolved hydrogen was within the solid solubility limit. The samples with different hydrogen concentration were analyzed by X-ray diffraction technique. Slight peak shifts as well as peak broadening were observed. The relative changes of lattice parameters plotted against the hydrogen concentration revealed that the lattice parameters varied linearly with the hydrogen concentration.

Energy policy and externalities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bertel, E.; Fraser, P.

2002-01-01

External costs of energy have been assessed in a number of authoritative and reliable studies based upon widely accepted methodologies such as life cycle analysis (LCA). However, although those costs are recognised by most stakeholders and decision makers, results from analytical work on externalities and LCA studies are seldom used in policy making. The International Energy Agency (IEA) and the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) convened a joint workshop in November 2001 to offer experts and policy makers an opportunity to present state-of-the-art results from analytical work on externalities and debate issues related to the relevance of external costs and LCA for policy-making purposes. The findings from the workshop highlight the need for further work in the field and the potential rote of international organisations like the IEA and the NEA in this context. (authors)

Externally Verifiable Oblivious RAM

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gancher Joshua

2017-04-01

Full Text Available We present the idea of externally verifiable oblivious RAM (ORAM. Our goal is to allow a client and server carrying out an ORAM protocol to have disputes adjudicated by a third party, allowing for the enforcement of penalties against an unreliable or malicious server. We give a security definition that guarantees protection not only against a malicious server but also against a client making false accusations. We then give modifications of the Path ORAM [15] and Ring ORAM [9] protocols that meet this security definition. These protocols both have the same asymptotic runtimes as the semi-honest original versions and require the external verifier to be involved only when the client or server deviates from the protocol. Finally, we implement externally verified ORAM, along with an automated cryptocurrency contract to use as the external verifier.

Malignant external otitis: CT evaluation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Curtin, H.D.; Wolfe, P.; May, M.

1982-01-01

Malignant external otitis is an aggressive infection caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa that most often occurs in elderly diabetics. Malignant external otitis often spreads inferiorly from the external canal to involve the subtemporal area and progresses medially towards the petrous apex leading to multiple cranial nerve palsies. The computed tomographic (CT) findings in malignant external otitis include obliteration of the normal fat planes in the subtemporal area as well as patchy destruction of the bony cortex of the mastoid. The point of exit of the various cranial nerves can be identified on CT scans, and the extent of the inflammatory mass correlates well with the clinical findings. Four cases of malignant external otitis are presented. In each case CT provided a good demonstration of involvement of the soft tissues at the base of the skull

Electron spin resonance in Yb-based Kondo-lattice systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wykhoff, Jan

2010-01-01

The systems Yb 1-w A 1-w (Rh 1-x Co x )(Si 1-y Ge y ) 2 with A=La respectively Lu, as well as YbIr 2 Si 2 are studied. The measurements are presented sortedly for systems, dopings, and external parameters. Beside these external parameters furthermore the orientation of the sample related to the quasistatic magnetic field and the microwave magnetic field was varied.

External costs of electricity; Les couts externes de l'electricite

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rabl, A. [Ecole des Mines de Paris, 75 (France); Spadaro, J.V. [International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Vienna (Austria)

2005-07-01

This article presents a synthesis of the ExternE project (External costs of Energy) of the European community about the external costs of power generation. Pollution impacts are calculated using an 'impact pathways' analysis, i.e. an analysis of the emission - dispersion - dose-response function - cost evaluation chain. Results are presented for different fuel cycles (with several technological variants) with their confidence intervals. The environmental impact costs are particularly high for coal: for instance, in France, for coal-fired power plants it is of the same order as the electricity retail price. For natural gas, this cost is about a third of the one for coal. On the contrary, the environmental impact costs for nuclear and renewable energies are low, typically of few per cent of the electricity price. The main part of these costs corresponds to the sanitary impacts, in particular the untimely mortality. In order to avoid any controversy about the cost evaluation of mortality, the reduction of the expectation of life due to the different fuel cycles is also indicated and the risks linked with nuclear energy are presented using several comparisons. (J.S.)

Relation of external surface to internal tumor motion studied with cine CT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chi, P.-C.M.; Balter, Peter; Luo Dershan; Mohan, Radhe; Pan Tinsu

2006-01-01

The accuracy of delivering gated-radiation therapy to lung tumors using an external respiratory surrogate relies on not only interfractional and intrafractional reproducibility, but also a strong correlation between external motion and internal tumor motion. The purpose of this work was to use the cine images acquired by four-dimensional computed tomography acquisition protocol to study the relation between external surface motion and internal tumor motion. The respiratory phase information of tumor motion and chest wall motion was measured on the cine images using a proposed region-of-interest (ROI) method and compared to measurement of an external respiratory monitoring device. On eight lung patient data sets, the phase shifts were measured between (1) the signal of a real-time positioning-management (RPM) respiratory monitoring device placed in the abdominal region and four surface locations on the chest wall (2) the RPM signal in the abdominal region and tumor motions, and (3) chest wall surface motions and tumor motions. Respiratory waveforms measured at different surface locations during the same respiratory cycle often varied and had significant phase shifts. Seven of the 8 patients showed the abdominal motion leading chest wall motion. The best correlation (smallest phase shift) was found between the abdominal motion and the superior-inferior (S-I) tumor motion. A wide range of phase shifts was observed between external surface motion and tumor anterior-posterior (A-P)/lateral motion. The result supported the placement of the RPM block in the abdominal region and suggested that during a gated therapy utilizing the RPM system, it is necessary to place the RPM block at the same location as it is during treatment simulation in order to reduce potential errors introduced by the position of the RPM block. Correlations between external motions and lateral/A-P tumor motions were inconclusive due to a combination of patient selection and the limitation of the ROI

IRI profile parameters at equatorial latitudes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reinisch, B.W.; Huang Xueqin; Conway, J.

2002-01-01

The IRI bottom-side electron density profile is specified as a function of three parameters B0, B1, and D1 describing the F2 layer thickness and shape, and the shape of the F1 layer, respectively. Together with the URSI or CCIR coefficients for the F2 layer peak density and height, they completely specify the profiles as function of time, season and solar activity. In support of the international effort of determining the best set of parameters we have analyzed the diurnal variations of B0, B1, and D1 for Jicamarca for high solar activity during 1999 and 2000 for different seasons and magnetic activity. The B0 values vary from a minimum of ∼95 km at 0300 LT to ∼250 km at local noon (1700 UT). The diurnal variation is similar to the IRI2000 prediction. B1 varies from ∼1.9 at daytime to ∼2.2 at night. The value of D1 is ∼0.5. The parameters show little Kp dependence. Standard deviations are shown. We calculated the ionospheric total electron contents for March and April 1998 from the ionogram profiles at Jicamarca and compared them with IRI predictions using the IRI 2000 parameters. While there is fair agreement, a significant time shift of 1 to 2 hours occurs in the transition from night to daytime values. (author)

Slope stability susceptibility evaluation parameter (SSEP) rating scheme - An approach for landslide hazard zonation

Science.gov (United States)

Raghuvanshi, Tarun Kumar; Ibrahim, Jemal; Ayalew, Dereje

2014-11-01

In this paper a new slope susceptibility evaluation parameter (SSEP) rating scheme is presented which is developed as an expert evaluation approach for landslide hazard zonation. The SSEP rating scheme is developed by considering intrinsic and external triggering parameters that are responsible for slope instability. The intrinsic parameters which are considered are; slope geometry, slope material (rock or soil type), structural discontinuities, landuse and landcover and groundwater. Besides, external triggering parameters such as, seismicity, rainfall and manmade activities are also considered. For SSEP empirical technique numerical ratings are assigned to each of the intrinsic and triggering parameters on the basis of logical judgments acquired from experience of studies of intrinsic and external triggering factors and their relative impact in inducing instability to the slope. Further, the distribution of maximum SSEP ratings is based on their relative order of importance in contributing instability to the slope. Finally, summation of all ratings for intrinsic and triggering parameter based on actual observation will provide the expected degree of landslide in a given land unit. This information may be utilized to develop a landslide hazard zonation map. The SSEP technique was applied in the area around Wurgessa Kebelle of North Wollo Zonal Administration, Amhara National Regional State in northern Ethiopia, some 490 km from Addis Ababa. The results obtained indicates that 8.33% of the area fall under Moderately hazard and 83.33% fall within High hazard whereas 8.34% of the area fall under Very high hazard. Further, in order to validate the LHZ map prepared during the study, active landslide activities and potential instability areas, delineated through inventory mapping was overlain on it. All active landslide activities and potential instability areas fall within very high and high hazard zone. Thus, the satisfactory agreement confirms the rationality of

The computation of dynamic fractional difference parameter for S&P500 index

Science.gov (United States)

Pei, Tan Pei; Cheong, Chin Wen; Galagedera, Don U. A.

2015-10-01

This study evaluates the time-varying long memory behaviors of the S&P500 volatility index using dynamic fractional difference parameters. Time-varying fractional difference parameter shows the dynamic of long memory in volatility series for the pre and post subprime mortgage crisis triggered by U.S. The results find an increasing trend in the S&P500 long memory volatility for the pre-crisis period. However, the onset of Lehman Brothers event reduces the predictability of volatility series following by a slight fluctuation of the factional differencing parameters. After that, the U.S. financial market becomes more informationally efficient and follows a non-stationary random process.

Internal Motion Estimation by Internal-external Motion Modeling for Lung Cancer Radiotherapy.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Haibin; Zhong, Zichun; Yang, Yiwei; Chen, Jiawei; Zhou, Linghong; Zhen, Xin; Gu, Xuejun

2018-02-27

The aim of this study is to develop an internal-external correlation model for internal motion estimation for lung cancer radiotherapy. Deformation vector fields that characterize the internal-external motion are obtained by respectively registering the internal organ meshes and external surface meshes from the 4DCT images via a recently developed local topology preserved non-rigid point matching algorithm. A composite matrix is constructed by combing the estimated internal phasic DVFs with external phasic and directional DVFs. Principle component analysis is then applied to the composite matrix to extract principal motion characteristics, and generate model parameters to correlate the internal-external motion. The proposed model is evaluated on a 4D NURBS-based cardiac-torso (NCAT) synthetic phantom and 4DCT images from five lung cancer patients. For tumor tracking, the center of mass errors of the tracked tumor are 0.8(±0.5)mm/0.8(±0.4)mm for synthetic data, and 1.3(±1.0)mm/1.2(±1.2)mm for patient data in the intra-fraction/inter-fraction tracking, respectively. For lung tracking, the percent errors of the tracked contours are 0.06(±0.02)/0.07(±0.03) for synthetic data, and 0.06(±0.02)/0.06(±0.02) for patient data in the intra-fraction/inter-fraction tracking, respectively. The extensive validations have demonstrated the effectiveness and reliability of the proposed model in motion tracking for both the tumor and the lung in lung cancer radiotherapy.

Technical basis document for external events

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

OBERG, B.D.

2003-01-01

This document supports the Tank Farms Documented Safety Analysis and presents the technical basis for the FR-equencies of externally initiated accidents. The consequences of externally initiated events are discussed in other documents that correspond to the accident that was caused by the external event. The external events include aircraft crash, vehicle accident, range fire, and rail accident

Improving the security of optoelectronic delayed feedback system by parameter modulation and system coupling

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Lingfeng; Miao, Suoxia; Cheng, Mengfan; Gao, Xiaojing

2016-02-01

A coupled system with varying parameters is proposed to improve the security of optoelectronic delayed feedback system. This system is coupled by two parameter-varied optoelectronic delayed feedback systems with chaotic modulation. Dynamics performance results show that this system has a higher complexity compared to the original one. Furthermore, this system can conceal the time delay effectively against the autocorrelation function and delayed mutual information method and can increase the dimension space of secure parameters to resist brute-force attack by introducing the digital chaotic systems.

Elliptic annular Josephson tunnel junctions in an external magnetic field: the statics

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Monaco, Roberto; Granata, Carmine; Vettoliere, Antonio

2015-01-01

We have investigated the static properties of one-dimensional planar Josephson tunnel junctions (JTJs) in the most general case of elliptic annuli. We have analyzed the dependence of the critical current in the presence of an external magnetic field applied either in the junction plane...... symmetric electrodes a transverse magnetic field is equivalent to an in-plane field applied in the direction of the current flow. Varying the ellipse eccentricity we reproduce all known results for linear and ring-shaped JTJs. Experimental data on high-quality Nb/Al-AlOx/Nb elliptic annular junctions...

Synchronizing a single-electron shuttle to an external drive

Science.gov (United States)

Moeckel, Michael J.; Southworth, Darren R.; Weig, Eva M.; Marquardt, Florian

2014-04-01

The nanomechanical single-electron shuttle is a resonant system in which a suspended metallic island oscillates between and impacts at two electrodes. This setup holds promise for one-by-one electron transport and the establishment of an absolute current standard. While the charge transported per oscillation by the nanoscale island will be quantized in the Coulomb blockade regime, the frequency of such a shuttle depends sensitively on many parameters, leading to drift and noise. Instead of considering the nonlinearities introduced by the impact events as a nuisance, here we propose to exploit the resulting nonlinear dynamics to realize a highly precise oscillation frequency via synchronization of the shuttle self-oscillations to an external signal. We link the established phenomenological description of synchronization based on the Adler equation to the microscopic nonlinear dynamics of the electron shuttle by calculating the effective Adler constant analytically in terms of the microscopic parameters.

Synchronizing a single-electron shuttle to an external drive

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moeckel, Michael J; Southworth, Darren R; Weig, Eva M; Marquardt, Florian

2014-01-01

The nanomechanical single-electron shuttle is a resonant system in which a suspended metallic island oscillates between and impacts at two electrodes. This setup holds promise for one-by-one electron transport and the establishment of an absolute current standard. While the charge transported per oscillation by the nanoscale island will be quantized in the Coulomb blockade regime, the frequency of such a shuttle depends sensitively on many parameters, leading to drift and noise. Instead of considering the nonlinearities introduced by the impact events as a nuisance, here we propose to exploit the resulting nonlinear dynamics to realize a highly precise oscillation frequency via synchronization of the shuttle self-oscillations to an external signal. We link the established phenomenological description of synchronization based on the Adler equation to the microscopic nonlinear dynamics of the electron shuttle by calculating the effective Adler constant analytically in terms of the microscopic parameters

Noise-sustained and controlled synchronization of stirred excitable media by external forcing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhou Changsong; Kurths, Juergen

2005-01-01

Most of the previous studies on constructive effects of noise in spatially extended systems have focused on static media, e.g., of the reaction-diffusion type. Because many active chemical or biological processes occur in a fluid environment with mixing, we investigate here the interplay among noise, excitability, mixing and external forcing in excitable media advected by a chaotic flow, in a two-dimensional FitzHugh-Nagumo model described by a set of reaction-advection-diffusion equations. In the absence of external forcing, noise may generate sustained coherent oscillations of the media in a range of noise intensities and stirring rates. We find that these noise-sustained oscillations can be synchronized by external periodic signals much smaller than the threshold. Analysis of the locking regions in the parameter space of the signal period, stirring rate and noise intensity reveals that the mechanism underlying the synchronization behaviour is a matching between the time scales of the forcing signal and the noise-sustained oscillations. The results demonstrate that, in the presence of a suitable level of noise, the stirred excitable media act as self-sustained oscillatory systems and become much easier to be entrained by weak external forcing. Our results may be verified in experiments and are useful to understand the synchronization of population dynamics of oceanic ecological systems by annual cycles

Noise-sustained and controlled synchronization of stirred excitable media by external forcing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhou Changsong; Kurths, Juergen [Institute of Physics, University of Potsdam, PF 601553, 14415 Potsdam (Germany)

2005-01-01

Most of the previous studies on constructive effects of noise in spatially extended systems have focused on static media, e.g., of the reaction-diffusion type. Because many active chemical or biological processes occur in a fluid environment with mixing, we investigate here the interplay among noise, excitability, mixing and external forcing in excitable media advected by a chaotic flow, in a two-dimensional FitzHugh-Nagumo model described by a set of reaction-advection-diffusion equations. In the absence of external forcing, noise may generate sustained coherent oscillations of the media in a range of noise intensities and stirring rates. We find that these noise-sustained oscillations can be synchronized by external periodic signals much smaller than the threshold. Analysis of the locking regions in the parameter space of the signal period, stirring rate and noise intensity reveals that the mechanism underlying the synchronization behaviour is a matching between the time scales of the forcing signal and the noise-sustained oscillations. The results demonstrate that, in the presence of a suitable level of noise, the stirred excitable media act as self-sustained oscillatory systems and become much easier to be entrained by weak external forcing. Our results may be verified in experiments and are useful to understand the synchronization of population dynamics of oceanic ecological systems by annual cycles.

Collective modes of the Nambu--Jona-Lasinio model with an external U(1) gauge field

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Klevansky, S.P.; Jaenicke, J.; Lemmer, R.H.

1991-01-01

The effect of external color fields on the collective modes of the SU L (2)xSU R (2) chiral flavor version of the Nambu--Jona-Lasinio model is studied analytically in a U(1) approximation to the gauge fields. We show that the scalar and pseudoscalar modes respond differently to external chromomagnetic and -electric fields. In the former case, in which chiral asymmetry is enhanced, the modes remain well separated and vary slowly with the field, while in the latter case the scalar mode drops rapidly to become degenerate with the pseudoscalar mode in the chiral limit. In this regime, both modes are weakly coupled to quark matter, and the pseudoscalar pion mode in particular survives as a well-defined excitation as it enters the pair continuum. The Goldberger-Treiman relation, which is shown to hold in the presence of external fields, is responsible for this behavior. Chromoelectric and -magnetic polarizabilities are seen to be equal and opposite with absolute values β σ =2.0α s and β π =0.03α s for the scalar and pseudoscalar modes respectively

Externalizing behaviors in preadolescents: Familial risk to externalizing behaviors and perceived parenting styles

NARCIS (Netherlands)

C.J.M. Buschgens (Cathelijne); M.A.G. van Aken (Marcel); S.H.N. Swinkels (Sophie); J. Ormel (Johan Hans); F.C. Verhulst (Frank); J.K. Buitelaar (Jan)

2010-01-01

textabstractThe aim was to investigate the contribution of familial risk to externalizing behaviors (FR-EXT), perceived parenting styles, and their interactions to the prediction of externalizing behaviors in preadolescents. Participants were preadolescents aged 10-12 years who participated in

Protection of nuclear power plants against external disasters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cottrell, W.B.

1975-04-01

A bibliography and a compilation of articles on the protection of nuclear power plants from external disasters are presented. The subject matter includes tornadoes and high winds, floods and high waves, earthquakes, plane crashes, sabotage and diversion, acts of war, and other disasters. The articles included in this compilation are primarily review articles on various topics selected from Nuclear Safety. Relevant AEC regulations, rulings, and regulatory guides are also included where appropriate. The bibliography with each section includes all recent literature on each topic, each with its own key-word, author, and permured title index. In addition, a brief commentary serves as an introduction to the report as well as to place its varied contents in perspective. An overall index to all textural material is also provided. (U.S.)

Effect of an external magnetic field on particle acceleration by a rotating black hole surrounded with quintessential energy

Science.gov (United States)

Shaymatov, Sanjar; Ahmedov, Bobomurat; Stuchlík, Zdeněk; Abdujabbarov, Ahmadjon

We investigate particle motion and collisions in the vicinity of rotating black holes immersed in combined cosmological quintessential scalar field and external magnetic field. The quintessential dark-energy field governing the spacetime structure is characterized by the quintessential state parameter ωq ∈ (‑1; ‑1/3) characterizing its equation of state, and the quintessential field-intensity parameter c determining the static radius where the black hole attraction is just balanced by the quintessential repulsion. The magnetic field is assumed to be test field that is uniform close to the static radius, where the spacetime is nearly flat, being characterized by strength B there. Deformations of the test magnetic field in vicinity of the black hole, caused by the Ricci non-flat spacetime structure are determined. General expression of the center-of-mass energy of the colliding charged or uncharged particles near the black hole is given and discussed in several special cases. In the case of nonrotating black holes, we discuss collisions of two particles freely falling from vicinity of the static radius, or one such a particle colliding with charged particle revolving at the innermost stable circular orbit. In the case of rotating black holes, we discuss briefly particles falling in the equatorial plane and colliding in close vicinity of the black hole horizon, concentrating attention to the interplay of the effects of the quintessential field and the external magnetic field. We demonstrate that the ultra-high center-of-mass energy can be obtained for black holes placed in an external magnetic field for an infinitesimally small quintessential field-intensity parameter c; the center-of-mass energy decreases if the quintessential field-intensity parameter c increases.

Robust stabilisation of time-varying delay systems with probabilistic uncertainties

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Ning; Xiong, Junlin; Lam, James

2016-09-01

For robust stabilisation of time-varying delay systems, only sufficient conditions are available to date. A natural question is as follows: if the existing sufficient conditions are not satisfied, and hence no controllers can be found, what can one do to improve the stability performance of time-varying delay systems? This question is addressed in this paper when there is a probabilistic structure on the parameter uncertainty set. A randomised algorithm is proposed to design a state-feedback controller, which stabilises the system over the uncertainty domain in a probabilistic sense. The capability of the designed controller is quantified by the probability of stability of the resulting closed-loop system. The accuracy of the solution obtained from the randomised algorithm is also analysed. Finally, numerical examples are used to illustrate the effectiveness and advantages of the developed controller design approach.

First-principles calculations of Moessbauer hyperfine parameters for solids and large molecules

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guenzburger, Diana; Ellis, D.E.; Zeng, Z.

1997-10-01

Electronic structure calculations based on Density Functional theory were performed for solids and large molecules. The solids were represented by clusters of 60-100 atoms embedded in the potential of the external crystal. Magnetic moments and Moessbauer hyperfine parameters were derived. (author)

Finite-Time Reentry Attitude Control Using Time-Varying Sliding Mode and Disturbance Observer

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xuzhong Wu

2015-01-01

Full Text Available This paper presents the finite-time attitude control problem for reentry vehicle with redundant actuators in consideration of planet uncertainties and external disturbances. Firstly, feedback linearization technique is used to cancel the nonlinearities of equations of motion to construct a basic mode for attitude controller. Secondly, two kinds of time-varying sliding mode control methods with disturbance observer are integrated with the basic mode in order to enhance the control performance and system robustness. One method is designed based on boundary layer technique and the other is a novel second-order sliding model control method. The finite-time stability analyses of both resultant closed-loop systems are carried out. Furthermore, after attitude controller produces the torque commands, an optimization control allocation approach is introduced to allocate them into aerodynamic surface deflections and on-off reaction control system thrusts. Finally, the numerical simulation results demonstrate that both of the time-varying sliding mode control methods are robust to uncertainties and disturbances without chattering phenomenon. Moreover, the proposed second-order sliding mode control method possesses better control accuracy.

Comparison of infection between internal-external and external percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage in treating patients with malignant obstructive jaundice.

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Chuan; Huang, Xin-En; Wang, Shu-Xiang; Lv, Peng-Hua; Sun, Ling; Wang, Fu-An

2015-01-01

Percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage (PTBD) is a form of palliative care for patients with malignant obstructive jaundice. We here compared the infection incidence between internal-external and external drainage for patients with malignant obstructive jaundice. Patients with malignant obstructive jaundice without infection before surgery receiving internal-external or external drainage from January 2008 to July 2014 were recruited. According to percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography (PTC), if the guide wire could pass through the occlusion and enter the duodenum, we recommended internal-external drainage, and external drainage biliary drainage was set up if the occlusion was not crossed. All patients with infection after procedure received a cultivation of blood and a bile bacteriological test. Among 110 patients with malignant obstructive jaundice, 22 (52.4%) were diagnosed with infection after the procedure in the internal-external drainage group, whereas 19 (27.9%) patients were so affected in the external drainage group, the difference being significant (pinternal-external group infection was controlled, as compared to 12 (63.1%) in the external group (pinternal-external group in one month was 42.8%, while this rate in external group was 28.6% (pExternal drainage is a good choice, which could significantly reduce the chance of biliary infection caused by bacteria, and decrease the mortality rate at one month and improve the long-term prognosis.

Externalizing behaviors in preadolescents : familial risk to externalizing behaviors and perceived parenting styles

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Buschgens, Cathelijne J. M.; van Aken, Marcel A. G.; Swinkels, Sophie H. N.; Ormel, Johan; Verhulst, Frank C.; Buitelaar, Jan K.

The aim was to investigate the contribution of familial risk to externalizing behaviors (FR-EXT), perceived parenting styles, and their interactions to the prediction of externalizing behaviors in preadolescents. Participants were preadolescents aged 10-12 years who participated in TRAILS, a large

Externalizing behaviors in preadolescents: familial risk to externalizing behaviors and perceived parenting styles.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Buschgens, C.J.M.; Aken, M.A.G. van; Swinkels, S.H.N.; Ormel, J.; Verhulst, F.C.; Buitelaar, J.K.

2010-01-01

The aim was to investigate the contribution of familial risk to externalizing behaviors (FR-EXT), perceived parenting styles, and their interactions to the prediction of externalizing behaviors in preadolescents. Participants were preadolescents aged 10-12 years who participated in TRAILS, a large

Externalizing behaviors in preadolescents: familial risk to externalizing behaviors and perceived parenting styles

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Buschgens, C.J.M.; van Aken, M.A.G.; Swinkels, S.H.N.; Ormel, J.; Verhulst, F.C.; Buitelaar, J.K.

2010-01-01

The aim was to investigate the contribution of familial risk to externalizing behaviors (FR-EXT), perceived parenting styles, and their interactions to the prediction of externalizing behaviors in preadolescents. Participants were preadolescents aged 10-12 years who participated in TRAILS, a large

Dynamics of a physiologically structured population in a time-varying environment

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Heilmann, Irene Louise Torpe; Starke, Jens; Andersen, Ken Haste

2016-01-01

Physiologically structured population models have become a valuable tool to model the dynamics of populations. In a stationary environment such models can exhibit equilibrium solutions as well as periodic solutions. However, for many organisms the environment is not stationary, but varies more...... or less regularly. In order to understand the interaction between an external environmental forcing and the internal dynamics in a population, we examine the response of a physiologically structured population model to a periodic variation in the food resource. We explore the addition of forcing in two...... cases: (A) where the population dynamics is in equilibrium in a stationary environment, and (B) where the population dynamics exhibits a periodic solution in a stationary environment. When forcing is applied in case A, the solutions are mainly periodic. In case B the forcing signal interacts...

Energy policy and externalities: an overview

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pearce, D.

2002-01-01

Substantial progress has been made in estimating the monetary value of the environmental impacts of different energy systems. Perhaps the best known study in Europe is that sponsored by the European Commission and known as the ExternE programme. In the USA a comparable project is that jointly sponsored by the US Department of Energy and the European Commission. There are many others. In each case what is sought is a monetary value of an environmental impact arising from a unit of energy, usually standardised as a kilowatt hour. These environmental impacts are usually termed 'externalities'. An externality exists if two conditions are met. First, some negative (or positive) impact is generated by an economic activity and imposed on third parties. Second, that impact must not be priced in the market place, i.e. if the effect is negative, no compensation is paid by the generator of the externality to the sufferer. If the effect is positive, the generator of the externality must not appropriate the gains to the third party, e.g. via some price that is charged. In the energy externality literature, the procedure of expressing the externalities in, say, cents or milli-euros (1000 th of an Euro = m-euro) per kWh results in an 'adder'. An adder is simply the unit externality cost added to the standard resource cost of energy. Thus, if an electricity source costs X m/euros to produce or deliver, the final social cost of it is (X+y) m-euros where y is the externality adder. While externality adders have been researched most in the context of energy, they are increasingly being estimated for other economic sectors, notably transport and agriculture. This paper presents the uses of such figures. (author)

Evaluation of single- and dual-porosity models for reproducing the release of external and internal tracers from heterogeneous waste-rock piles.

Science.gov (United States)

Blackmore, S; Pedretti, D; Mayer, K U; Smith, L; Beckie, R D

2018-05-30

Accurate predictions of solute release from waste-rock piles (WRPs) are paramount for decision making in mining-related environmental processes. Tracers provide information that can be used to estimate effective transport parameters and understand mechanisms controlling the hydraulic and geochemical behavior of WRPs. It is shown that internal tracers (i.e. initially present) together with external (i.e. applied) tracers provide complementary and quantitative information to identify transport mechanisms. The analysis focuses on two experimental WRPs, Piles 4 and Pile 5 at the Antamina Mine site (Peru), where both an internal chloride tracer and externally applied bromide tracer were monitored in discharge over three years. The results suggest that external tracers provide insight into transport associated with relatively fast flow regions that are activated during higher-rate recharge events. In contrast, internal tracers provide insight into mechanisms controlling solutes release from lower-permeability zones within the piles. Rate-limited diffusive processes, which can be mimicked by nonlocal mass-transfer models, affect both internal and external tracers. The sensitivity of the mass-transfer parameters to heterogeneity is higher for external tracers than for internal tracers, as indicated by the different mean residence times characterizing the flow paths associated with each tracer. The joint use of internal and external tracers provides a more comprehensive understanding of the transport mechanisms in WRPs. In particular, the tracer tests support the notion that a multi-porosity conceptualization of WRPs is more adequate for capturing key mechanisms than a dual-porosity conceptualization. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Inverse kinetics for subcritical systems with external neutron source

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carvalho Gonçalves, Wemerson de; Martinez, Aquilino Senra; Carvalho da Silva, Fernando

2017-01-01

Highlights: • It was developed formalism for reactivity calculation. • The importance function is related to the system subcriticality. • The importance function is also related with the value of the external source. • The equations were analyzed for seven different levels of sub criticality. • The results are physically consistent with others formalism discussed in the paper. - Abstract: Nuclear reactor reactivity is one of the most important properties since it is directly related to the reactor control during the power operation. This reactivity is influenced by the neutron behavior in the reactor core. The time-dependent neutrons behavior in response to any change in material composition is important for the reactor operation safety. Transient changes may occur during the reactor startup or shutdown and due to accidental disturbances of the reactor operation. Therefore, it is very important to predict the time-dependent neutron behavior population induced by changes in neutron multiplication. Reactivity determination in subcritical systems driven by an external neutron source can be obtained through the solution of the inverse kinetics equation for subcritical nuclear reactors. The main purpose of this paper is to find the solution of the inverse kinetics equation the main purpose of this paper is to device the inverse kinetics equations for subcritical systems based in a previous paper published by the authors (Gonçalves et al., 2015) and by (Gandini and Salvatores, 2002; Dulla et al., 2006). The solutions of those equations were also obtained. Formulations presented in this paper were tested for seven different values of k eff with external neutrons source constant in time and for a powers ratio varying exponentially over time.

Externality-correcting taxes and regulation

OpenAIRE

Christiansen, V.; Smith, S.

2009-01-01

Much of the literature on externalities has considered taxes and direct regulation as alternative policy instruments. Both instruments may in practice be imperfect, reflecting informational deficiencies and other limitations. We analyse the use of taxes and regulation in combination, to control externalities arising from individual consumption behaviour. We consider cases where taxes are either imperfectly differentiated to reflect individual differences in externalities, or where some consum...

Effect of static deformation and external forces on the oscillations of levitated droplets

Science.gov (United States)

Suryanarayana, P. V. R.; Bayazitoglu, Y.

1991-01-01

The oscillations of an aspherical droplet subjected to different external forces are considered. For an arbitrary shape deformation, it is shown that the frequency spectrum splits into (2l - 1) peaks for a mode l oscillation, and the splitting of the frequency spectrum is calculated for mode 2, 3, and 4 oscillations. The deformation is then treated as a consequence of a general external force, and the frequency split is obtained in terms of the external force parameters. Droplets levitated by acoustic, electromagnetic, and combined acoustic-electromagnetic forces are considered in particular, and it is shown that the effects of asphericity adequately explain the splitting of the frequency spectrum observed commonly in experiments. The interpretation of spectra with regard to accurate surface tension measurement using the oscillations of levitated droplets is discussed, and the results applied to some previous experimental results. It is shown that the accuracy of surface tension measurements can improve if the asphericity caused by the levitating force, and the resulting frequency split, are taken into account.

Human Sound Externalization in Reverberant Environments

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Catic, Jasmina

In everyday environments, listeners perceive sound sources as externalized. In listening conditions where the spatial cues that are relevant for externalization are not represented correctly, such as when listening through headphones or hearing aids, a degraded perception of externalization may...... occur. In this thesis, the spatial cues that arise from a combined effect of filtering due to the head, torso, and pinna and the acoustic environment were analysed and the impact of such cues for the perception of externalization in different frequency regions was investigated. Distant sound sources...... were simulated via headphones using individualized binaural room impulse responses (BRIRs). An investigation of the influence of spectral content of a sound source on externalization showed that effective externalization cues are present across the entire frequency range. The fluctuation of interaural...

Piezo activated mode tracking system for widely tunable mode-hop-free external cavity mid-IR semiconductor lasers

Science.gov (United States)

Wysocki, Gerard (Inventor); Tittel, Frank K. (Inventor); Curl, Robert F. (Inventor)

2010-01-01

A widely tunable, mode-hop-free semiconductor laser operating in the mid-IR comprises a QCL laser chip having an effective QCL cavity length, a diffraction grating defining a grating angle and an external cavity length with respect to said chip, and means for controlling the QCL cavity length, the external cavity length, and the grating angle. The laser of claim 1 wherein said chip may be tuned over a range of frequencies even in the absence of an anti-reflective coating. The diffraction grating is controllably pivotable and translatable relative to said chip and the effective QCL cavity length can be adjusted by varying the injection current to the chip. The laser can be used for high resolution spectroscopic applications and multi species trace-gas detection. Mode-hopping is avoided by controlling the effective QCL cavity length, the external cavity length, and the grating angle so as to replicate a virtual pivot point.

Solvent effects on ion-receptor interactions in the presence of an external electric field.

Science.gov (United States)

Novák, Martin; Foroutan-Nejad, Cina; Marek, Radek