Sample records for ac surface photovoltage

  1. Surface photovoltage in exciton absorption range in CdS

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Morawski, A.; Banisch, R.; Lagowski, J.

    1977-01-01

    The high resolution, intrinsic spectra of surface photovoltage are reported for semiconducting n-type CdS single crystals. At reduced temperatures (120-160 K) the spectra exhibit three sharp maxima due to A, B and C free exciton transitions. Energy positions of these lines and valence band parameters (spin-orbit and crystal field splittings) estimated from surface photovoltage are in good agreement with values obtained by other methods. The excitonic transitions are very sensitive to surface treatment, i.e. polishing, etching, background illumination and surface doping. The mechanism of direct interaction of free excitons with surface states is proposed to explain exciton lines in surface photovoltage.

  2. Surface photovoltage spectroscopy applied to gallium arsenide surfaces

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bynik, C. E.

    1975-01-01

    The experimental and theoretical basis for surface photovoltage spectroscopy is outlined. Results of this technique applied to gallium arsenide surfaces, are reviewed and discussed. The results suggest that in gallium arsenide the surface voltage may be due to deep bulk impurity acceptor states that are pinned at the Fermi level at the surface. Establishment of the validity of this model will indicate the direction to proceed to increase the efficiency of gallium arsenide solar cells.

  3. Controlling the surface photovoltage on WSe2 by surface chemical modification

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liu, Ro-Ya; Ozawa, Kenichi; Terashima, Naoya; Natsui, Yuto; Feng, Baojie; Ito, Suguru; Chen, Wei-Chuan; Cheng, Cheng-Maw; Yamamoto, Susumu; Kato, Hiroo; Chiang, Tai-Chang; Matsuda, Iwao

    2018-05-01

    The surface photovoltage (SPV) effect is key to the development of opto-electronic devices such as solar-cells and photo-detectors. For the prototypical transition metal dichalcogenide WSe2, core level and valence band photoemission measurements show that the surface band bending of pristine cleaved surfaces can be readily modified by adsorption with K (an electron donor) or C60 (an electron acceptor). Time-resolved pump-probe photoemission measurements reveal that the SPV for pristine cleaved surfaces is enhanced by K adsorption, but suppressed by C60 adsorption, and yet the SPV relaxation time is substantially shortened in both cases. Evidently, adsorbate-induced electronic states act as electron-hole recombination centers that shorten the carrier lifetime.

  4. Surface photovoltage method extended to silicon solar cell junction

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wang, E. Y.; Baraona, C. R.; Brandhorst, H. W., Jr.

    1974-01-01

    The conventional surface photovoltage (SPV) method is extended to the measurement of the minority carrier diffusion length in diffused semiconductor junctions of the type used in a silicon solar cell. The minority carrier diffusion values obtained by the SPV method agree well with those obtained by the X-ray method. Agreement within experimental error is also obtained between the minority carrier diffusion lengths in solar cell diffusion junctions and in the same materials with n-regions removed by etching, when the SPV method was used in the measurements.

  5. Enhanced photovoltage on the surface of topological insulator via optical aging

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yoshikawa, Tomoki; Ishida, Yukiaki; Sumida, Kazuki; Chen, Jiahua; Kokh, Konstantin A.; Tereshchenko, Oleg E.; Shin, Shik; Kimura, Akio

    2018-05-01

    The efficient generation of spin-polarized current is one of the keys to realizing spintronic devices with a low power consumption. Topological insulators are strong candidates for this purpose. A surface photovoltaic effect can be utilized on the surface of a topological insulator, where a surface spin-polarized current can flow upon illumination. Here, we used time- and angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy on the surface of Bi2Te3 to demonstrate that the magnitude of the surface photovoltage is almost doubled in optically aged samples, i.e., samples whose surface has been exposed to intense infrared light illumination. Our findings pave the way for optical control of the spin-polarized current by utilizing topological insulators.

  6. Surface photovoltage measurements and finite element modeling of SAW devices.

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Donnelly, Christine

    2012-03-01

    Over the course of a Summer 2011 internship with the MEMS department of Sandia National Laboratories, work was completed on two major projects. The first and main project of the summer involved taking surface photovoltage measurements for silicon samples, and using these measurements to determine surface recombination velocities and minority carrier diffusion lengths of the materials. The SPV method was used to fill gaps in the knowledge of material parameters that had not been determined successfully by other characterization methods. The second project involved creating a 2D finite element model of a surface acoustic wave device. A basic form ofmore » the model with the expected impedance response curve was completed, and the model is ready to be further developed for analysis of MEMS photonic resonator devices.« less

  7. Photoemission studies of CdTe(100) and the Ag-CdTe(100) interface: Surface structure, growth behavior, Schottky barrier, and surface photovoltage

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    John, P.; Miller, T.; Hsieh, T. C.; Shapiro, A. P.; Wachs, A. L.; Chiang, T.-C.

    1986-11-01

    The clean CdTe(100) surface prepared by sputtering and annealing was studied with high-energy electron diffraction (HEED) and photoemission. HEED showed the surface to be a one-domain, (2×1) reconstruction. Photoemission spectra showed two surface-shifted components for the Cd 4d core level, with an intensity ratio of about 1:3, accounting for nearly an entire atomic layer. No surface-induced shifts for the Te 4d core level were detected. A model is proposed for the surface structure in which the surface layer is free of Te, and Cd atoms form dimers resulting in a (2×1) reconstruction; in addition, about (1/4) of the surface area is covered by excess loosely attached Cd atoms. Ag was evaporated on the surface at room temperature and found to grow three dimensionally in the [111] direction. The Ag was found to interact only weakly with the substrate, although the Cd atoms originally loosely bound on top of the surface were found to float on the evaporated Ag islands. A small coverage-dependent surface photovoltage, induced by the synchrotron radiation used for photoemission, was observed; with this effect taken into account, band bending was monitored, the final Fermi-level position being near 0.96 eV above the valence-band maximum. This corresponds to a Schottky-barrier height of about 0.60 eV for the n-type sample used in this experiment. The mechanism for generation of the surface photovoltage will be discussed.

  8. Surface photovoltage in heavily doped GaN:Si,Zn

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    McNamara, J. D.; Behrends, A.; Mohajerani, M. S.; Bakin, A.; Waag, A.; Baski, A. A.; Reshchikov, M. A.

    2014-02-01

    In n-type GaN, an upward band bending of about 1 eV is caused by negative charge at the surface. UV light reduces the band bending by creating a surface photovoltage (SPV), which can be measured by a Kelvin probe. Previously, we reported a fast SPV signal of about 0.6 eV in undoped and moderately doped GaN. In this work, we have studied degenerate GaN co-doped with Zn and Si, with a Si concentration of about 1019 cm-3 and a Zn concentration of 6×1017 cm-3. At room temperature, a fast component of about 0.6 eV was observed. However, after preheating the sample at 600 K for one hour and subsequently cooling the sample to 300 K (all steps performed in vacuum), the fast component disappeared. Instead, a very slow (minutes) and logarithmic in time rise of the SPV was observed with UV illumination. The total change in SPV was about 0.4 eV. This slow SPV transient can be reversibly converted into the "normal" fast (subsecond) rise by letting air or dry oxygen in at room temperature. Possible explanations of the observed unusual SPV transients are discussed.

  9. Pump-probe surface photovoltage spectroscopy measurements on semiconductor epitaxial layers.

    PubMed

    Jana, Dipankar; Porwal, S; Sharma, T K; Kumar, Shailendra; Oak, S M

    2014-04-01

    Pump-probe Surface Photovoltage Spectroscopy (SPS) measurements are performed on semiconductor epitaxial layers. Here, an additional sub-bandgap cw pump laser beam is used in a conventional chopped light geometry SPS setup under the pump-probe configuration. The main role of pump laser beam is to saturate the sub-bandgap localized states whose contribution otherwise swamp the information related to the bandgap of material. It also affects the magnitude of Dember voltage in case of semi-insulating (SI) semiconductor substrates. Pump-probe SPS technique enables an accurate determination of the bandgap of semiconductor epitaxial layers even under the strong influence of localized sub-bandgap states. The pump beam is found to be very effective in suppressing the effect of surface/interface and bulk trap states. The overall magnitude of SPV signal is decided by the dependence of charge separation mechanisms on the intensity of the pump beam. On the contrary, an above bandgap cw pump laser can be used to distinguish the signatures of sub-bandgap states by suppressing the band edge related feature. Usefulness of the pump-probe SPS technique is established by unambiguously determining the bandgap of p-GaAs epitaxial layers grown on SI-GaAs substrates, SI-InP wafers, and p-GaN epilayers grown on Sapphire substrates.

  10. Surface photovoltage studies of p-type AlGaN layers after reactive-ion etching

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    McNamara, J. D.; Phumisithikul, K. L.; Baski, A. A.; Marini, J.; Shahedipour-Sandvik, F.; Das, S.; Reshchikov, M. A.

    2016-10-01

    The surface photovoltage (SPV) technique was used to study the surface and electrical properties of Mg-doped, p-type AlxGa1-xN (0.06 < x < 0.17) layers. SPV measurements reveal significant deviation from previous SPV studies on p-GaN:Mg thin films and from the predictions of a thermionic model for the SPV behavior. In particular, the SPV of the p-AlGaN:Mg layers exhibited slower-than-expected transients under ultraviolet illumination and delayed restoration to the initial dark value. The slow transients and delayed restorations can be attributed to a defective surface region which interferes with normal thermionic processes. The top 45 nm of the p-AlGaN:Mg layer was etched using a reactive-ion etch which caused the SPV behavior to be substantially different. From this study, it can be concluded that a defective, near-surface region is inhibiting the change in positive surface charge by allowing tunneling or hopping conductivity of holes from the bulk to the surface, or by the trapping of electrons traveling to the surface by a high concentration of defects in the near-surface region. Etching removes the defective layer and reveals a region of presumably higher quality, as evidenced by substantial changes in the SPV behavior.

  11. Photovoltage field-effect transistors

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Adinolfi, Valerio; Sargent, Edward H.

    2017-02-01

    The detection of infrared radiation enables night vision, health monitoring, optical communications and three-dimensional object recognition. Silicon is widely used in modern electronics, but its electronic bandgap prevents the detection of light at wavelengths longer than about 1,100 nanometres. It is therefore of interest to extend the performance of silicon photodetectors into the infrared spectrum, beyond the bandgap of silicon. Here we demonstrate a photovoltage field-effect transistor that uses silicon for charge transport, but is also sensitive to infrared light owing to the use of a quantum dot light absorber. The photovoltage generated at the interface between the silicon and the quantum dot, combined with the high transconductance provided by the silicon device, leads to high gain (more than 104 electrons per photon at 1,500 nanometres), fast time response (less than 10 microseconds) and a widely tunable spectral response. Our photovoltage field-effect transistor has a responsivity that is five orders of magnitude higher at a wavelength of 1,500 nanometres than that of previous infrared-sensitized silicon detectors. The sensitization is achieved using a room-temperature solution process and does not rely on traditional high-temperature epitaxial growth of semiconductors (such as is used for germanium and III-V semiconductors). Our results show that colloidal quantum dots can be used as an efficient platform for silicon-based infrared detection, competitive with state-of-the-art epitaxial semiconductors.

  12. Cu(In,Ga)Se2 surface treatment with Na and NaF: A combined photoelectron spectroscopy and surface photovoltage study in ultra-high vacuum

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Parvan, V.; Mizrak, A.; Majumdar, I.; Ümsür, B.; Calvet, W.; Greiner, D.; Kaufmann, C. A.; Dittrich, T.; Avancini, E.; Lauermann, I.

    2018-06-01

    Either metallic Na or NaF were deposited onto Cu(In,Ga)Se2 surfaces and studied by photoelectron spectroscopy and surface photovoltage spectroscopy without breaking the ultra-high vacuum. The deposition of elemental Na at room temperature led to the formation of an intermediate Cu and Ga rich layer at the CIGSe surface, whereas for NaF the composition of the CIGSe surface remained unchanged. A metal like surface induced by an inverted near surface region with a reduced number of defect states was formed after the deposition of Na. Under the chosen experimental conditions, the near surface layer was independent on the amount of Na and stable in time. In contrast, the usage of NaF weakened the inversion and led to an increased band bending compared to the untreated CIGSe sample. The SPV signals decreased with proceeding time after the deposition of NaF.

  13. Improved sensitivity of polychlorinated-biphenyl-orientated porous-ZnO surface photovoltage sensors from chemisorption-formed ZnO-CuPc composites

    PubMed Central

    Li, Mingtao; Meng, Guowen; Huang, Qing; Zhang, Shile

    2014-01-01

    We report a new mechanism for the enhancement of porous-ZnO surface photovoltage (SPV) response to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs, a notorious class of persistent organic pollutants as global environmental hazard) based on copper phthalocyanine (CuPc) chemisorptive bonding on porous-ZnO. A new ZnO-CuPc composite is formed on the porous-ZnO surface due to the interaction between the surface ZnO and CuPc, with its valence band (VB) energy level being higher than that of the pristine porous-ZnO. So that the efficiency of the photogenerated-electron transfer from the composite VB to the adjacent ZnO's surface states is drastically increased due to the reduced energy gap between the transition states. As a result, the sensitivity of the PCB-orientated SPV sensor is much improved by showing amplified variation of the SPV-signals perturbed by PCBs adsorbed on the ZnO-CuPc@porous-ZnO sensitive material. PMID:24594662

  14. A hole inversion layer at the BiVO4/Bi4V2O11 interface produces a high tunable photovoltage for water splitting

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dos Santos, Wayler S.; Rodriguez, Mariandry; Afonso, André S.; Mesquita, João P.; Nascimento, Lucas L.; Patrocínio, Antônio O. T.; Silva, Adilson C.; Oliveira, Luiz C. A.; Fabris, José D.; Pereira, Márcio C.

    2016-08-01

    The conversion of solar energy into hydrogen fuel by splitting water into photoelectrochemical cells (PEC) is an appealing strategy to store energy and minimize the extensive use of fossil fuels. The key requirement for efficient water splitting is producing a large band bending (photovoltage) at the semiconductor to improve the separation of the photogenerated charge carriers. Therefore, an attractive method consists in creating internal electrical fields inside the PEC to render more favorable band bending for water splitting. Coupling ferroelectric materials exhibiting spontaneous polarization with visible light photoactive semiconductors can be a likely approach to getting higher photovoltage outputs. The spontaneous electric polarization tends to promote the desirable separation of photogenerated electron- hole pairs and can produce photovoltages higher than that obtained from a conventional p-n heterojunction. Herein, we demonstrate that a hole inversion layer induced by a ferroelectric Bi4V2O11 perovskite at the n-type BiVO4 interface creates a virtual p-n junction with high photovoltage, which is suitable for water splitting. The photovoltage output can be boosted by changing the polarization by doping the ferroelectric material with tungsten in order to produce the relatively large photovoltage of 1.39 V, decreasing the surface recombination and enhancing the photocurrent as much as 180%.

  15. A hole inversion layer at the BiVO4/Bi4V2O11 interface produces a high tunable photovoltage for water splitting

    PubMed Central

    dos Santos, Wayler S.; Rodriguez, Mariandry; Afonso, André S.; Mesquita, João P.; Nascimento, Lucas L.; Patrocínio, Antônio O. T.; Silva, Adilson C.; Oliveira, Luiz C. A.; Fabris, José D.; Pereira, Márcio C.

    2016-01-01

    The conversion of solar energy into hydrogen fuel by splitting water into photoelectrochemical cells (PEC) is an appealing strategy to store energy and minimize the extensive use of fossil fuels. The key requirement for efficient water splitting is producing a large band bending (photovoltage) at the semiconductor to improve the separation of the photogenerated charge carriers. Therefore, an attractive method consists in creating internal electrical fields inside the PEC to render more favorable band bending for water splitting. Coupling ferroelectric materials exhibiting spontaneous polarization with visible light photoactive semiconductors can be a likely approach to getting higher photovoltage outputs. The spontaneous electric polarization tends to promote the desirable separation of photogenerated electron- hole pairs and can produce photovoltages higher than that obtained from a conventional p-n heterojunction. Herein, we demonstrate that a hole inversion layer induced by a ferroelectric Bi4V2O11 perovskite at the n-type BiVO4 interface creates a virtual p-n junction with high photovoltage, which is suitable for water splitting. The photovoltage output can be boosted by changing the polarization by doping the ferroelectric material with tungsten in order to produce the relatively large photovoltage of 1.39 V, decreasing the surface recombination and enhancing the photocurrent as much as 180%. PMID:27503274

  16. Cl(-) concentration dependence of photovoltage generation by halorhodopsin from Halobacterium salinarum.

    PubMed Central

    Muneyuki, Eiro; Shibazaki, Chie; Wada, Yoichiro; Yakushizin, Manabu; Ohtani, Hiroyuki

    2002-01-01

    The photovoltage generation by halorhodopsin from Halobacterium salinarum (shR) was examined by adsorbing shR-containing membranes onto a thin polymer film. The photovoltage consisted of two major components: one with a sub-millisecond range time constant and the other with a millisecond range time constant with different amplitudes, as previously reported. These components exhibited different Cl(-) concentration dependencies (0.1-9 M). We found that the time constant for the fast component was relatively independent of the Cl(-) concentration, whereas the time constant for the slow component increased sigmoidally at higher Cl(-) concentrations. The fast and the slow processes were attributed to charge (Cl(-)) movements within the protein and related to Cl(-) ejection, respectively. The laser photolysis studies of shR-membrane suspensions revealed that they corresponded to the formation and the decay of the N intermediate. The photovoltage amplitude of the slow component exhibited a distorted bell-shaped Cl(-) concentration dependence, and the Cl(-) concentration dependence of its time constant suggested a weak and highly cooperative Cl(-)-binding site(s) on the cytoplasmic side (apparent K(D) of approximately 5 M and Hill coefficient > or =5). The Cl(-) concentration dependence of the photovoltage amplitude and the time constant for the slow process suggested a competition between spontaneous relaxation and ion translocation. The time constant for the relaxation was estimated to be >100 ms. PMID:12324398

  17. Nonlinear AC susceptibility, surface and bulk shielding

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    van der Beek, C. J.; Indenbom, M. V.; D'Anna, G.; Benoit, W.

    1996-02-01

    We calculate the nonlinear AC response of a thin superconducting strip in perpendicular field, shielded by an edge current due to the geometrical barrier. A comparison with the results for infinite samples in parallel field, screened by a surface barrier, and with those for screening by a bulk current in the critical state, shows that the AC response due to a barrier has general features that are independent of geometry, and that are significantly different from those for screening by a bulk current in the critical state. By consequence, the nonlinear (global) AC susceptibility can be used to determine the origin of magnetic irreversibility. A comparison with experiments on a Bi 2Sr 2CaCu 2O 8+δ crystal shows that in this material, the low-frequency AC screening at high temperature is mainly due to the screening by an edge current, and that this is the unique source of the nonlinear magnetic response at temperatures above 40 K.

  18. Bio-wave change photo-voltages of the solar cells at same changed rate by probability effect of spacetime structure

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cao, Dayong

    In our experiment, when light (of ``lamp LED'' 3W, 20cm away from the solar cells) simultaneous radiated on four solar cells, they would produce their photo-voltages which are called as background photo-voltages. And then, the author used thought wave to remotely (wireless) act on the four solar cells and increase four background photo-voltages at the same rates which is about 64%. After that, Adding the other light (of ``lamp CFL'') to simultaneous radiate on the four solar cells to changed their background photo-voltages. But there are different changed rates which will appear in the general experiments because the luminous sensitivities of the solar cell are different and the photo-voltages is a nonlinear function. The probability effects of the spacetime structure (of Confined Structural non-Newtonian Fluids) of brain wave (because the wave is spacetime) to change a balance structure between Electron Clouds and electron holes of P-N Junction, and change the background photo-voltages of the solar cells. In the experiments, the consciousness effect, and the relationship between brain wave and consciousness effect will be considered. After the decade of the brain research and the ``BRAIN'' Initiative, a decade of the consciousness need be taken. http://meetings.aps.org/Meeting/APR16/Session/M13.8 AEEA.

  19. Studies of surface states in zinc oxide nanopowders

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Peters, Raul Mugabe

    The surface of ZnO semiconductor nanosystems is a key performance-defining factor in numerous applications. In this work we present experimental results for the surface defect-related properties of ZnO nanoscale systems. Surface photovoltage spectroscopy was used to determine the defect level energies within the band gap, the conduction vs. valence band nature of the defect-related transitions, and to probe key dynamic parameters of the surface on a number of commercially available ZnO nanopowders. In our experimental setup, surface photovoltage characterization is conducted in high vacuum in tandem with in situ oxygen remote plasma treatments. Surface photovoltage investigations of the as-received and plasma-processed samples revealed a number of common spectral features related to surface states. Furthermore, we observed significant plasma-induced changes in the surface defect properties. Ex situ positron annihilation and photoluminescence measurements were performed on the studied samples and correlated with surface photovoltage results. The average positron lifetimes were found to be substantially longer than in a bulk single crystalline sample, which is consistent with the model of grains with defect-rich surface and subsurface layers. Compression of the powders into pellets yielded reduction of the average positron lifetimes. Surface photovoltage, positron annihilation, and photoluminescence spectra consistently showed sample-to-sample differences due to the variation in the overall quality of the nanopowders, which partially obscures observation of the scaling effects. However, the results demonstrated that our approach is efficient in detecting specific surface states in nanoscale ZnO specimens and in elucidating their nature.

  20. Junction formation of Cu3BiS3 investigated by Kelvin probe force microscopy and surface photovoltage measurements

    PubMed Central

    Mesa, Fredy; Chamorro, William; Vallejo, William; Baier, Robert; Dittrich, Thomas; Grimm, Alexander; Lux-Steiner, Martha C

    2012-01-01

    Summary Recently, the compound semiconductor Cu3BiS3 has been demonstrated to have a band gap of ~1.4 eV, well suited for photovoltaic energy harvesting. The preparation of polycrystalline thin films was successfully realized and now the junction formation to the n-type window needs to be developed. We present an investigation of the Cu3BiS3 absorber layer and the junction formation with CdS, ZnS and In2S3 buffer layers. Kelvin probe force microscopy shows the granular structure of the buffer layers with small grains of 20–100 nm, and a considerably smaller work-function distribution for In2S3 compared to that of CdS and ZnS. For In2S3 and CdS buffer layers the KPFM experiments indicate negatively charged Cu3BiS3 grain boundaries resulting from the deposition of the buffer layer. Macroscopic measurements of the surface photovoltage at variable excitation wavelength indicate the influence of defect states below the band gap on charge separation and a surface-defect passivation by the In2S3 buffer layer. Our findings indicate that Cu3BiS3 may become an interesting absorber material for thin-film solar cells; however, for photovoltaic application the band bending at the charge-selective contact has to be increased. PMID:22497001

  1. Junction formation of Cu(3)BiS(3) investigated by Kelvin probe force microscopy and surface photovoltage measurements.

    PubMed

    Mesa, Fredy; Chamorro, William; Vallejo, William; Baier, Robert; Dittrich, Thomas; Grimm, Alexander; Lux-Steiner, Martha C; Sadewasser, Sascha

    2012-01-01

    Recently, the compound semiconductor Cu(3)BiS(3) has been demonstrated to have a band gap of ~1.4 eV, well suited for photovoltaic energy harvesting. The preparation of polycrystalline thin films was successfully realized and now the junction formation to the n-type window needs to be developed. We present an investigation of the Cu(3)BiS(3) absorber layer and the junction formation with CdS, ZnS and In(2)S(3) buffer layers. Kelvin probe force microscopy shows the granular structure of the buffer layers with small grains of 20-100 nm, and a considerably smaller work-function distribution for In(2)S(3) compared to that of CdS and ZnS. For In(2)S(3) and CdS buffer layers the KPFM experiments indicate negatively charged Cu(3)BiS(3) grain boundaries resulting from the deposition of the buffer layer. Macroscopic measurements of the surface photovoltage at variable excitation wavelength indicate the influence of defect states below the band gap on charge separation and a surface-defect passivation by the In(2)S(3) buffer layer. Our findings indicate that Cu(3)BiS(3) may become an interesting absorber material for thin-film solar cells; however, for photovoltaic application the band bending at the charge-selective contact has to be increased.

  2. Identification of the spatial location of deep trap states in AlGaN/GaN heterostructures by surface photovoltage spectroscopy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jana, Dipankar; Porwal, S.; Sharma, T. K.

    2017-12-01

    Spatial and spectral origin of deep level defects in molecular beam epitaxy grown AlGaN/GaN heterostructures are investigated by using surface photovoltage spectroscopy (SPS) and pump-probe SPS techniques. A deep trap center ∼1 eV above the valence band is observed in SPS measurements which is correlated with the yellow luminescence feature in GaN. Capture of electrons and holes is resolved by performing temperature dependent SPS and pump-probe SPS measurements. It is found that the deep trap states are distributed throughout the sample while their dominance in SPS spectra depends on the density, occupation probability of deep trap states and the background electron density of GaN channel layer. Dynamics of deep trap states associated with GaN channel layer is investigated by performing frequency dependent photoluminescence (PL) and SPS measurements. A time constant of few millisecond is estimated for the deep defects which might limit the dynamic performance of AlGaN/GaN based devices.

  3. Analysis of Electrokinetic Mixing Using AC Electric Field and Patchwise Surface Heterogeneities

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Luo, Win-Jet; Yarn, Kao-Feng; Hsu, Shou-Ping

    2007-04-01

    In this paper, the authors investigate the use of an applied AC electric field and microchannel surface heterogeneities to carry out the microfluidic mixing of two-dimensional, time-dependent electroosmotic flows. The time-dependent flow fields within the microchannel are simulated using the backwards-Euler time-stepping numerical method. The mixing efficiencies obtained in microchannels with two different patchwise surface heterogeneity patterns are investigated. In general, the results show that the application of an AC electric field significantly reduces the required mixing length compared with the use of a DC electric field. Furthermore, the presence of oppositely charged surface heterogeneities on the microchannel walls results in the formation of localized flow circulation regions within the bulk flow. These circulation regions grow and decay periodically in accordance with the periodic variation of the AC electric field intensity and provide an effective means of enhancing species mixing in the microchannel. Consequently, the use of an AC electric field together with patchwise surface heterogeneities permits a significant reduction in both the mixing channel length and the retention time required to attain a homogeneous solution.

  4. Overcoming the Photovoltage Plateau in Large Bandgap Perovskite Photovoltaics

    DOE PAGES

    Rajagopal, Adharsh; Stoddard, Ryan J.; Jo, Sae Byeok; ...

    2018-05-07

    Development of large bandgap (1.80−1.85 eV Eg) perovskite is crucial for perovskite−perovskite tandem solar cells. However, the performance of 1.80−1.85 eV Eg perovskite solar cells (PVKSCs) are significantly lagging their counterparts in the 1.60−1.75 eV Eg range. This is because the photovoltage (Voc) does not proportionally increase with Eg due to lower optoelectronic quality of conventional (MA,FA,Cs)Pb(I,Br)3 and results in a photovoltage plateau (Voc limited to 80% of the theoretical limit for ∼1.8 eV Eg). Here, we incorporate phenyl- ethylammonium (PEA) in a mixed-halide perovskite composition to solve the inherent material-level challenges in 1.80−1.85 eV Eg perovskites. The amount ofmore » PEA incorporation governs the topography and optoelectronic properties of resultant films. Detailed structural and spectroscopic characterization reveal the characteristic trends in crystalline size, orientation, and charge carrier recombination dynamics and rationalize the origin of improved material quality with higher luminescence. With careful interface optimization, the improved material characteristics were translated to devices and Voc values of 1.30−1.35 V were achieved, which correspond to 85−87% of the theoretical limit. Using an optimal amount of PEA incorporation to balance the increase in Voc and the decrease in charge collection, a highest power conversion efficiency of 12.2% was realized. Our results clearly overcome the photovoltage plateau in the 1.80−1.85 eV Eg range and represent the highest Voc achieved for mixed-halide PVKSCs. This study provides widely translatable insights, an important breakthrough, and a promising platform for next- generation perovskite tandems.« less

  5. Overcoming the Photovoltage Plateau in Large Bandgap Perovskite Photovoltaics

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Rajagopal, Adharsh; Stoddard, Ryan J.; Jo, Sae Byeok

    Development of large bandgap (1.80−1.85 eV Eg) perovskite is crucial for perovskite−perovskite tandem solar cells. However, the performance of 1.80−1.85 eV Eg perovskite solar cells (PVKSCs) are significantly lagging their counterparts in the 1.60−1.75 eV Eg range. This is because the photovoltage (Voc) does not proportionally increase with Eg due to lower optoelectronic quality of conventional (MA,FA,Cs)Pb(I,Br)3 and results in a photovoltage plateau (Voc limited to 80% of the theoretical limit for ∼1.8 eV Eg). Here, we incorporate phenyl- ethylammonium (PEA) in a mixed-halide perovskite composition to solve the inherent material-level challenges in 1.80−1.85 eV Eg perovskites. The amount ofmore » PEA incorporation governs the topography and optoelectronic properties of resultant films. Detailed structural and spectroscopic characterization reveal the characteristic trends in crystalline size, orientation, and charge carrier recombination dynamics and rationalize the origin of improved material quality with higher luminescence. With careful interface optimization, the improved material characteristics were translated to devices and Voc values of 1.30−1.35 V were achieved, which correspond to 85−87% of the theoretical limit. Using an optimal amount of PEA incorporation to balance the increase in Voc and the decrease in charge collection, a highest power conversion efficiency of 12.2% was realized. Our results clearly overcome the photovoltage plateau in the 1.80−1.85 eV Eg range and represent the highest Voc achieved for mixed-halide PVKSCs. This study provides widely translatable insights, an important breakthrough, and a promising platform for next- generation perovskite tandems.« less

  6. Overcoming the Photovoltage Plateau in Large Bandgap Perovskite Photovoltaics.

    PubMed

    Rajagopal, Adharsh; Stoddard, Ryan J; Jo, Sae Byeok; Hillhouse, Hugh W; Jen, Alex K-Y

    2018-05-09

    Development of large bandgap (1.80-1.85 eV E g ) perovskite is crucial for perovskite-perovskite tandem solar cells. However, the performance of 1.80-1.85 eV E g perovskite solar cells (PVKSCs) are significantly lagging their counterparts in the 1.60-1.75 eV E g range. This is because the photovoltage ( V oc ) does not proportionally increase with E g due to lower optoelectronic quality of conventional (MA,FA,Cs)Pb(I,Br) 3 and results in a photovoltage plateau ( V oc limited to 80% of the theoretical limit for ∼1.8 eV E g ). Here, we incorporate phenylethylammonium (PEA) in a mixed-halide perovskite composition to solve the inherent material-level challenges in 1.80-1.85 eV E g perovskites. The amount of PEA incorporation governs the topography and optoelectronic properties of resultant films. Detailed structural and spectroscopic characterization reveal the characteristic trends in crystalline size, orientation, and charge carrier recombination dynamics and rationalize the origin of improved material quality with higher luminescence. With careful interface optimization, the improved material characteristics were translated to devices and V oc values of 1.30-1.35 V were achieved, which correspond to 85-87% of the theoretical limit. Using an optimal amount of PEA incorporation to balance the increase in V oc and the decrease in charge collection, a highest power conversion efficiency of 12.2% was realized. Our results clearly overcome the photovoltage plateau in the 1.80-1.85 eV E g range and represent the highest V oc achieved for mixed-halide PVKSCs. This study provides widely translatable insights, an important breakthrough, and a promising platform for next-generation perovskite tandems.

  7. Origin of Photovoltage Enhancement via Interfacial Modification with Silver Nanoparticles Embedded in an a-SiC:H p-Type Layer in a-Si:H Solar Cells.

    PubMed

    Li, Tiantian; Zhang, Qixing; Ni, Jian; Huang, Qian; Zhang, Dekun; Li, Baozhang; Wei, Changchun; Yan, Baojie; Zhao, Ying; Zhang, Xiaodan

    2017-03-29

    We used silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) embedded in the p-type semiconductor layer of hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) solar cells in the Schottky barrier contact design to modify the interface between aluminum-doped ZnO (ZnO:Al, AZO) and p-type hydrogenated amorphous silicon carbide (p-a-SiC:H) without plasmonic absorption. The high work function of the Ag-NPs provided a good channel for the transport of photogenerated holes. A p-type nanocrystalline SiC:H layer was used to compensate for the real surface defects and voids on the surface of Ag-NPs to reduce recombination at the AZO/p-type layer interface, which then enhanced the photovoltage of single-junction a-Si:H solar cells to values as high as 1.01 V. The Ag-NPs were around 10 nm in diameter and thermally stable in the p-type a-SiC:H film at the solar-cell process temperature. We will also show that a wide range of photovoltages between 1.01 and 2.89 V could be obtained with single-, double-, and triple-junction solar cells based on the single-junction a-Si:H solar cells with tunable high photovoltage. These solar cells are suitable photocathodes for solar water-splitting applications.

  8. Droplet condensation on superhydrophobic surfaces with enhanced dewetting under a tangential AC electric field

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yan, Xinzhu; Li, Jian; Li, Licheng; Huang, Zhengyong; Wang, Feipeng; Wei, Yuan

    2016-10-01

    In this Letter, the dewetting behavior of superhydrophobic condensing surfaces under a tangential AC electric field is reported. The surface coverage of condensed droplets only exhibits a negligible increase with time. The jumping frequency of droplets is enhanced. The AC electric field motivates the dynamic transition of droplets from stretch to recoil, resulting in the counterforce propelling droplet jumping. The considerable horizontal component of jumping velocity facilitates droplet departure from superhydrophobic surfaces. Both the amplitude and frequency of AC voltage are important factors for droplet departure and dewetting effect. Thereby, the tangential electric field provides a unique and easily implementable approach to enhance droplet removal from superhydrophobic condensing surfaces.

  9. Effects of Activated Carbon Surface Property on Structure and Activity of Ru/AC Catalysts

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Xu, S. K.; Li, L. M.; Guo, N. N.

    2018-05-01

    The activated carbon (AC) was modified by supercritical (SC) methanol, HNO3 oxidation, or HNO3 oxidation plus SC methanol, respectively. Then, the original and the modified AC were used as supports for Ru/AC catalysts prepared via the impregnation method. The results showed that the SC methanol modification decreased the content of surface acidic groups of AC. While HNO3 oxidation displayed the opposite behavior. Furthermore, the dispersion of ruthenium and the activity of catalysts were highly dependent on the content of surface acidic groups, and the SC methanol modified sample exhibited the highest activity for hydrogenation of glucose.

  10. Intrinsic and Extrinsic Stability of Formamidinium Lead Bromide Perovskite Solar Cells Yielding High Photovoltage.

    PubMed

    Arora, Neha; Dar, M Ibrahim; Abdi-Jalebi, Mojtaba; Giordano, Fabrizio; Pellet, Norman; Jacopin, Gwénolé; Friend, Richard H; Zakeeruddin, Shaik Mohammed; Grätzel, Michael

    2016-11-09

    We report on both the intrinsic and the extrinsic stability of a formamidinium lead bromide [CH(NH 2 ) 2 PbBr 3 = FAPbBr 3 ] perovskite solar cell that yields a high photovoltage. The fabrication of FAPbBr 3 devices, displaying an outstanding photovoltage of 1.53 V and a power conversion efficiency of over 8%, was realized by modifying the mesoporous TiO 2 -FAPbBr 3 interface using lithium treatment. Reasons for improved photovoltaic performance were revealed by a combination of techniques, including photothermal deflection absorption spectroscopy (PDS), transient-photovoltage and charge-extraction analysis, and time-integrated and time-resolved photoluminescence. With lithium-treated TiO 2 films, PDS reveals that the TiO 2 -FAPbBr 3 interface exhibits low energetic disorder, and the emission dynamics showed that electron injection from the conduction band of FAPbBr 3 into that of mesoporous TiO 2 is faster than for the untreated scaffold. Moreover, compared to the device with pristine TiO 2 , the charge carrier recombination rate within a device based on lithium-treated TiO 2 film is 1 order of magnitude lower. Importantly, the operational stability of perovskites solar cells examined at a maximum power point revealed that the FAPbBr 3 material is intrinsically (under nitrogen) as well as extrinsically (in ambient conditions) stable, as the unsealed devices retained over 95% of the initial efficiency under continuous full sun illumination for 150 h in nitrogen and dry air and 80% in 60% relative humidity (T = ∼60 °C). The demonstration of high photovoltage, a record for FAPbBr 3 , together with robust stability renders our work of practical significance.

  11. Spectrally dependent photovoltages in Schottky photodiode based on (100) B-doped diamond

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Čermák, Jan; Koide, Yasuo; Takeuchi, Daisuke; Rezek, Bohuslav

    2014-02-01

    Spectrally and spatially resolved photovoltages were measured by Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM) on a Schottky photo-diode made of a 4 nm thin tungsten-carbide (WC) layer on a 500 nm oxygen-terminated boron-doped diamond epitaxial layer (O-BDD) that was grown on a Ib (100) diamond substrate. The diode was grounded by the sideways ohmic contact (Ti/WC), and the semitransparent Schottky contact was let unconnected. The electrical potentials across the device were measured in dark (only 650 nm LED of KPFM being on), under broad-band white light (halogen lamp), UV (365 nm diode), and deep ultraviolet (deuterium lamp) illumination. Illumination induced shift of the electrical potential remains within 210 mV. We propose that the photovoltage actually corresponds to a shift of Fermi level inside the BDD channel and thereby explains orders of magnitude changes in photocurrent.

  12. Simultaneous enhancement of photovoltage and charge transfer in Cu{sub 2}O-based photocathode using buffer and protective layers

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Li, Changli; Delaunay, Jean-Jacques, E-mail: jean@mech.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp; Hisatomi, Takashi

    2016-07-18

    Coating n-type buffer and protective layers on Cu{sub 2}O may be an effective means to improve the photoelectrochemical (PEC) water-splitting performance of Cu{sub 2}O-based photocathodes. In this letter, the functions of the buffer layer and protective layer on Cu{sub 2}O are examined. It is found that a Ga{sub 2}O{sub 3} buffer layer can form a buried junction with Cu{sub 2}O, which inhibits Cu{sub 2}O self-reduction as well as increases the photovoltage through a small conduction band offset between the two semiconductors. The introduction of a TiO{sub 2} thin protective layer not only improves the stability of the photocathode but alsomore » enhances the electron transfer from the photocathode surface into the electrolyte, thus resulting in an increase in photocurrent at positive potentials. These results show that the selection of overlayers with appropriate conduction band positions provides an effective strategy for obtaining a high photovoltage and high photocurrent in PEC systems.« less

  13. Computational Simulations of the Lateral-Photovoltage-Scanning-Method

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kayser, S.; Lüdge, A.; Böttcher, K.

    2018-05-01

    The major task for the Lateral-Photovoltage-Scanning-Method is to detect doping striations and the shape of the solid-liquid-interface of an indirect semiconductor crystal. This method is sensitive to the gradient of the charge carrier density. Attempting to simulate the signal generation of the LPS-Method, we are using a three dimensional Finite Volume approach for solving the van Roosbroeck equations with COMSOL Multiphysics in a silicon sample. We show that the simulated LPS-voltage is directly proportional to the gradient of a given doping distribution, which is also the case for the measured LPS-voltage.

  14. Electrokinetically driven microfluidic mixing with patchwise surface heterogeneity and AC applied electric field

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Luo, Win-Jet; Yue, Cheng-Feng

    2004-12-01

    This paper investigates two-dimensional, time-dependent electroosmotic flows driven by an AC electric field via patchwise surface heterogeneities distributed along the microchannel walls. The time-dependent flow fields through the microchannel are simulated for various patchwise heterogeneous surface patterns using the backwards-Euler time stepping numerical method. Different heterogeneous surface patterns are found to create significantly different electrokinetic transport phenomena. It is shown that the presence of oppositely charged surface heterogeneities on the microchannel walls results in the formation of localized flow circulations within the bulk flow. These circulation regions grow and decay periodically in accordance with the applied periodic AC electric field intensity. The circulations provide an effective means of enhancing species mixing in the microchannel. A suitable design of the patchwise heterogeneous surface pattern permits the mixing channel length and the retention time required to attain a homogeneous solution to be reduced significantly.

  15. Transient electroosmotic flow induced by AC electric field in micro-channel with patchwise surface heterogeneities.

    PubMed

    Luo, Win-Jet

    2006-03-15

    This paper investigates two-dimensional, time-dependent electroosmotic flow driven by an AC electric field via patchwise surface heterogeneities distributed along the micro-channel walls. The time-dependent flow fields through the micro-channel are simulated for various patchwise heterogeneous surface patterns using the backwards-Euler time stepping numerical method. Different heterogeneous surface patterns are found to create significantly different electrokinetic transport phenomena. The transient behavior characteristics of the generated electroosmotic flow are then discussed in terms of the influence of the patchwise surface heterogeneities, the direction of the applied AC electric field, and the velocity of the bulk flow. It is shown that the presence of oppositely charged surface heterogeneities on the micro-channel walls results in the formation of localized flow circulations within the bulk flow. These circulation regions grow and decay periodically in phase with the applied periodic AC electric field intensity. The location and rotational direction of the induced circulations are determined by the directions of the bulk flow velocity and the applied electric field.

  16. Electronic transitions and band offsets in C60:SubPc and C60:MgPc on MoO3 studied by modulated surface photovoltage spectroscopy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fengler, S.; Dittrich, Th.; Rusu, M.

    2015-07-01

    Electronic transitions at interfaces between MoO3 layers and organic layers of C60, SubPc, MgPc, and nano-composite layers of SubPc:C60 and MgPc:C60 have been studied by modulated surface photovoltage (SPV) spectroscopy. For all systems, time dependent and modulated SPV signals pointed to dissociation of excitons at the MoO3/organic layer interfaces with a separation of holes towards MoO3. The highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO)-lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) gaps (EHL) of C60, SubPc, and MgPc and the effective EHL of SubPc:C60 and MgPc:C60 were measured. The offsets between the LUMO (ΔEL) or HOMO (ΔEH) bands were obtained with high precision and amounted to 0.33 or 0.73 eV for SubPc:C60, respectively, and to -0.33 or 0.67 eV for MgPc:C60, respectively. Exponential tails below EHL and most pronounced sub-bandgap transitions were characterized and ascribed to disorder and transitions from HOMO bands to unoccupied defect states.

  17. New edge magnetoplasmon interference like photovoltage oscillations and their amplitude enhancement in the presence of an antidot lattice

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Bisotto, I., E-mail: isabelle.bisotto@lncmi.cnrs.fr; Portal, J.-C.; Institut National des Sciences Appliquées, 31077 Toulouse Cedex 4

    2015-11-15

    We present new photovoltage oscillation in a pure two dimensional electron gas (2DEG) and in the presence of circular or semicircular antidot lattices. Results were interpreted as EMPs-like photovoltage oscillations. We observed and explained the photovoltage oscillation amplitude enhancement in the presence of an antidot lattice with regard to the pure 2DEG. The microwave frequency excitation range is 139 – 350 GHz. The cyclotron and magnetoplasmon resonances take place in the magnetic field range 0.4 – 0.8 T. This original experimental condition allows edge magnetoplasmons EMPs interference like observation at low magnetic field, typically B < B{sub c} where B{submore » c} is the magnetic field at which the cyclotron resonance takes place. The different oscillation periods observed and their microwave frequency dependence were discussed. For 139 and 158 GHz microwave excitation frequencies, a unique EMPs-like interference period was found in the presence of antidots whereas two periods were extracted for 295 or 350 GHz. An explanation of this effect is given taking account of strong electron interaction with antidot at low magnetic field. Indeed, electrons involved in EMPs like phenomenon interact strongly with antidots when electron cyclotron orbits are larger than or comparable to the antidot diameter.« less

  18. The effect of surface grain reversal on the AC losses of sintered Nd-Fe-B permanent magnets

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Moore, Martina; Roth, Stefan; Gebert, Annett; Schultz, Ludwig; Gutfleisch, Oliver

    2015-02-01

    Sintered Nd-Fe-B magnets are exposed to AC magnetic fields in many applications, e.g. in permanent magnet electric motors. We have measured the AC losses of sintered Nd-Fe-B magnets in a closed circuit arrangement using AC fields with root mean square-values up to 80 mT (peak amplitude 113 mT) over the frequency range 50 to 1000 Hz. Two magnet grades with different dysprosium content were investigated. Around the remanence point the low grade material (1.7 wt% Dy) showed significant hysteresis losses; whereas the losses in the high grade material (8.9 wt% Dy) were dominated by classical eddy currents. Kerr microscopy images revealed that the hysteresis losses measured for the low grade magnet can be mainly ascribed to grains at the sample surface with multiple domains. This was further confirmed when the high grade material was subsequently exposed to DC and AC magnetic fields. Here a larger number of surface grains with multiple domains are also present once the step in the demagnetization curve attributed to the surface grain reversal is reached and a rise in the measured hysteresis losses is evident. If in the low grade material the operating point is slightly offset from the remanence point, such that zero field is not bypassed, its AC losses can also be fairly well described with classical eddy current theory.

  19. Origin of photovoltage in perovskite solar cells probed by first-principles calculations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Echeverría-Arrondo, C.

    2018-06-01

    Hybrid halide perovskite solar cells hold great potential for photovoltaic applications, but suffer, however, from anomalous current density-voltage characteristics. With a view to further understanding the performance of these optoelectronic devices, we investigate a prototypical electron selective contact with density functional theory methods. Our computations on a TiO2/CH3NH3PbI3 heterojunction doped with Schottky defects at open circuit reveal a consistent picture of ions and interlayer excitons at the origin of photovoltage formation.

  20. Experimental visualization of the cathode layer in AC surface dielectric barrier discharge

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kim, Sang-You; Lho, Taihyeop; Chung, Kyu-Sun

    2018-06-01

    A narrow etched polyimide line at the bottom edge of a biased electrode (BE) and a non-etched dielectric surface near the biased electrode were observed in an atmospheric AC flexible surface dielectric barrier discharge of polyimide dielectric. These findings are attributed to the bombardment of positive oxygen ions on the bottom edge of the BE and the electron breakdown trajectory not contacting the polyimide surface following the electric field lines formed between the BE edge and the surface charge layer on the dielectric. The length of the non-etched dielectric surface during the first micro-discharge was observed as 22 μm. This occurred, regardless of three different operating durations, which is in good agreement with the length of the cathode layer according to Paschen's law.

  1. Surface photoelectric and visible light driven photocatalytic properties of zinc antimonate-based photocatalysts

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Wu, Shaojun; Li, Guoqiang; Zhang, Yang

    2013-03-15

    Highlights: ► N-doped and pristine ZnSb{sub 2}O{sub 6} photocatalysts were synthesized by a facile method. ► N-doped ZnSb{sub 2}O{sub 6} shows a significant enhanced visible light photocatalytic activity. ► The N-doped ZnSb{sub 2}O{sub 6} shows the reduced surface photovoltage signals. - Abstract: The N-doped and pristine ZnSb{sub 2}O{sub 6} photocatalysts were synthesized by a facile method. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV–vis spectroscopy, surface photovoltage spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The photocatalytic activities of the prepared samples were evaluated from the degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) under full arc and visible light irradiation of Xe lamp. Themore » XRD and UV–vis results indicated that the N-doping did not change the crystal structure, but decrease the band gap in comparison with the pristine one. The N-doped ZnSb{sub 2}O{sub 6} shows the reduced surface photovoltage signals and the significantly enhanced photocatalytic activity under two irradiation conditions.« less

  2. Anomalous surface potential behavior observed in InN by photoassisted Kelvin probe force microscopy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sun, Xiaoxiao; Wei, Jiandong; Wang, Xinqiang; Wang, Ping; Li, Shunfeng; Waag, Andreas; Li, Mo; Zhang, Jian; Ge, Weikun; Shen, Bo

    2017-05-01

    Lattice-polarity dependence of InN surface photovoltage has been identified by an anomalous surface potential behavior observed via photoassisted Kelvin probe force microscopy. Upon above bandgap light illumination in the ambient atmosphere, the surface photovoltage of the In-polar InN shows a pronounced decrease, while that of the N-polar one keeps almost constant. Those different behaviors between N-polar and In-polar surfaces are attributed to a polarity-related surface reactivity, which is found not to be influenced by Mg-doping. These findings provide a simple and non-destructive approach to determine the lattice polarity and allow us to suggest that the In-polar InN, especially that with buried p-type conduction, should be chosen for sensing application.

  3. Comparison of high-voltage ac and pulsed operation of a surface dielectric barrier discharge

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Williamson, James M.; Trump, Darryl D.; Bletzinger, Peter; Ganguly, Biswa N.

    2006-10-01

    A surface dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) in atmospheric pressure air was excited either by low frequency (0.3-2 kHz) high-voltage ac or by short, high-voltage pulses at repetition rates from 50 to 600 pulses s-1. The short-pulse excited discharge was more diffuse and did not have the pronounced bright multiple cathode spots observed in the ac excited discharge. The discharge voltage, current and average power deposited into the discharge were calculated for both types of excitation. As a measure of plasma-chemical efficiency, the ozone number density was measured by UV absorption as a function of average deposited power. The density of ozone produced by ac excitation did not increase so rapidly as that produced by short-pulse excitation as a function of average power, with a maximum measured density of ~3 × 1015 cm-3 at 25 W. The maximum ozone production achieved by short-pulse excitation was ~8.5 × 1015 cm-3 at 20 W, which was four times greater than that achieved by ac excitation at the same power level.

  4. Using electric pulse and laser to trigger a sharp and nonvolatile change of lateral photovoltage in nano-carbon film

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Gan, Zhikai; Zhou, Peiqi; Huang, Xu

    A greatly enhanced lateral photovoltage (LPV) triggered by electric pulse has been observed in nano-carbon oxide semiconductor (COS) structures. The original maximal output signal of lateral photovoltage achieved in these structures is 9.8 mV. However, by combining the application of a 60 V voltage pulse with laser illumination, the LPV can reach a very high value of 183 mV and the change ratio after 60 V pulse is nearly 1800%. In addition, the states of these light and electric-pulse triggered COSs are permanently changed, showing a non-volatile characteristic. We attribute this phenomenon to the trapping effect of stimulated electrons in COSs. The work suggestsmore » an approach for tailoring LPV-based devices by electric pulse and will be useful for the development of electric pulse modulated photodetectors.« less

  5. Development of AC impedance methods for evaluating corroding metal surfaces and coatings

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Knockemus, Ward

    1986-01-01

    In an effort to investigate metal surface corrosion and the breakdown of metal protective coatings the AC Impedance Method was applied to zinc chromate primer coated 2219-T87 aluminum. The model 368-1 AC Impedance Measurement System recently acquired by the MSFC Corrosion Research Branch was used to monitor changing properties of coated aluminum disks immersed in 3.5% NaCl buffered at ph 5.5 over three to four weeks. The DC polarization resistance runs were performed on the same samples. The corrosion system can be represented by an electronic analog called an equivalent circuit that consists of transistors and capacitors in specific arrangements. This equivalent circuit parallels the impedance behavior of the corrosion system during a frequency scan. Values for resistances and capacities that can be assigned in the equivalent circuit following a least squares analysis of the data describe changes that occur on the corroding metal surface and in the protective coating. A suitable equivalent circuit was determined that predicts the correct Bode phase and magnitude for the experimental sample. The DC corrosion current density data are related to equivalent circuit element parameters.

  6. Influence of surface oxygenated groups on the formation of active Cu species and the catalytic activity of Cu/AC catalyst for the synthesis of dimethyl carbonate

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, Guoqiang; Li, Zhong; Zheng, Huayan; Hao, Zhiqiang; Wang, Xia; Wang, Jiajun

    2016-12-01

    Activated carbon (AC) supported Cu catalysts are employed to study the influence of surface oxygenated groups on the formation of active Cu species and the catalytic activity of Cu/AC catalyst for oxidative carbonylation of methanol to dimethyl carbonate (DMC). The AC supports are thermal treated under different temperatures in order to adjust the levels of surface oxygenated groups. The AC supports are characterized by BET, TPD-MS and XRD, and the Cu/AC catalysts are characterized by BET, XRD, TEM, XPS, AAS, CH3OH-TPD and N2O chemisorption. The results show that as the treatment temperature is below 800 °C, the BET surface area of the corresponding AC supports are nearly unchanged and close to that of the original AC (1529.6 m2/g). But as the thermal treatment temperature is elevated from 1000 to 1600 °C, the BET surface area of AC supports gradually decreases from 1407.6 to 972.2 m2/g. After loading of Cu, the BET surface area of copper catalysts is in the range of 834.4 to 1545.3 m2/g, which is slightly less than that of the respective supports. When AC is thermal treated at 400 and 600 °C, the unstable carboxylic acid and anhydrides groups are selectively removed, which has weakened the mobility and agglomeration of Cu species during the calcination process, and thus improve the Cu species dispersion over AC support. But as the treatment temperature is elevated from 600 °C to 1200 °C, the Cu species dispersion begins to decline suggesting further removal of stable surface oxygenated groups is unfavorable for Cu species dispersion. Moreover, higher thermal treatment temperature (above 1200 °C) promotes the graphitization degree of AC and leds to the decrease of Cu loading on AC support. Meanwhile, the removal of surface oxygenated groups by thermal treatment is conducive to the formation of more π-sites, and thus promote the reduction of Cu2+ to Cu+ and Cu0 as active centers. The specific surface area of (Cu+ + Cu0) is improved by thermal treatment of AC

  7. Statistical theory and applications of lock-in carrierographic image pixel brightness dependence on multi-crystalline Si solar cell efficiency and photovoltage

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mandelis, Andreas; Zhang, Yu; Melnikov, Alexander

    2012-09-01

    A solar cell lock-in carrierographic image generation theory based on the concept of non-equilibrium radiation chemical potential was developed. An optoelectronic diode expression was derived linking the emitted radiative recombination photon flux (current density), the solar conversion efficiency, and the external load resistance via the closed- and/or open-circuit photovoltage. The expression was shown to be of a structure similar to the conventional electrical photovoltaic I-V equation, thereby allowing the carrierographic image to be used in a quantitative statistical pixel brightness distribution analysis with outcome being the non-contacting measurement of mean values of these important parameters averaged over the entire illuminated solar cell surface. This is the optoelectronic equivalent of the electrical (contacting) measurement method using an external resistor circuit and the outputs of the solar cell electrode grid, the latter acting as an averaging distribution network over the surface. The statistical theory was confirmed using multi-crystalline Si solar cells.

  8. Band engineering in core/shell ZnTe/CdSe for photovoltage and efficiency enhancement in exciplex quantum dot sensitized solar cells.

    PubMed

    Jiao, Shuang; Shen, Qing; Mora-Seró, Iván; Wang, Jin; Pan, Zhenxiao; Zhao, Ke; Kuga, Yuki; Zhong, Xinhua; Bisquert, Juan

    2015-01-27

    Even though previously reported CdTe/CdSe type-II core/shell QD sensitizers possess intrinsic superior optoelectronic properties (such as wide absorption range, fast charge separation, and slow charge recombination) in serving as light absorbers, the efficiency of the resultant solar cell is still limited by the relatively low photovoltage. To further enhance photovoltage and cell efficiency accordingly, ZnTe/CdSe type-II core/shell QDs with much larger conduction band (CB) offset in comparison with that of CdTe/CdSe (1.22 eV vs 0.27 eV) are adopted as sensitizers in the construction of quantum dot sensitized solar cells (QDSCs). The augment of band offset produces an increase of the charge accumulation across the QD/TiO2 interface under illumination and induces stronger dipole effects, therefore bringing forward an upward shift of the TiO2 CB edge after sensitization and resulting in enhancement of the photovoltage of the resultant cell devices. The variation of relative chemical capacitance, Cμ, between ZnTe/CdSe and reference CdTe/CdSe cells extracted from impedance spectroscopy (IS) characterization under dark and illumination conditions clearly demonstrates that, under light irradiation conditions, the sensitization of ZnTe/CdSe QDs upshifts the CB edge of TiO2 by the level of ∼ 50 mV related to that in the reference cell and results in the enhancement of V(oc) of the corresponding cell devices. In addition, charge extraction measurements have also confirmed the photovoltage enhancement in the ZnTe/CdSe cell related to reference CdTe/CdSe cell. Furthermore, transient grating (TG) measurements have revealed a faster electron injection rate for the ZnTe/CdSe-based QDSCs in comparison with the CdSe cells. The resultant ZnTe/CdSe QD-based QDSCs exhibit a champion power conversion efficiency of 7.17% and a certified efficiency of 6.82% under AM 1.5 G full one sun illumination, which is, as far as we know, one of the highest efficiencies for liquid-junction QDSCs.

  9. Dwell Time and Surface Parameter Effects on Removal of Silicone Oil From D6ac Steel Using TCA

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Boothe, R. E.

    2003-01-01

    This study was conducted to evaluate the impact of dwell time, surface roughness, and the surface activation state on 1,1,1-trichloroethane's (TCA's) effectiveness for removing silicone oil from D6ac steel. Silicone-contaminated test articles were washed with TCA solvent, and then the surfaces were analyzed for residue, using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The predominant factor affecting the ability to remove the silicone oil was surface roughness.

  10. Research notes : AC/CRC adjacent lane surfacing.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1991-10-01

    Asphaltic Concrete (AC) and Portland Cement Concrete (PCC) are common roadway materials used in Oregon. In a recent construction project, Poverty Flats - Mecham Section, the Oregon State Highway Division (OSHD) designed a "test section" consisting of...

  11. AC/CRC adjacent lane surfacing : construction report.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1991-06-01

    Asphaltic Concrete (AC) and Portland Cement Concrete (PCC) are common roadway materials used in Oregon. In a recent construction project -- Poverty Flats/Mecham Section -- the Oregon State Highway Division (OSHD) designed, as part of the project, a "...

  12. Photovoltage detection of edge magnetoplasmon oscillations and giant magnetoplasmon resonances in a two-dimensional hole system

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mi, Jian; Wang, Jianli; Pfeiffer, Loren N.; West, Ken W.; Baldwin, Kirk W.; Zhang, Chi

    In our high mobility p-type AlGaAs/GaAs two-dimensional hole samples, we originally observe the B - periodic oscillation induced by microwave (MW) in photovoltage (PV) measurements. In the frequency range of our measurements (5 - 40 GHz), the period is inversely proportional to the microwave frequency (f). The distinct oscillations come from the edge magnetoplasmon (EMP) in the high quality heavy hole system. Simultaneously, we observe the giant plasmon resonance signals in our measurements on the shallow two-dimensional hole system (2DHS).

  13. Aragonite coating solutions (ACS) based on artificial seawater

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tas, A. Cuneyt

    2015-03-01

    Aragonite (CaCO3, calcium carbonate) is an abundant biomaterial of marine life. It is the dominant inorganic phase of coral reefs, mollusc bivalve shells and the stalactites or stalagmites of geological sediments. Inorganic and initially precipitate-free aragonite coating solutions (ACS) of pH 7.4 were developed in this study to deposit monolayers of aragonite spherules or ooids on biomaterial (e.g., UHMWPE, ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene) surfaces soaked in ACS at 30 °C. The ACS solutions of this study have been developed for the surface engineering of synthetic biomaterials. The abiotic ACS solutions, enriched with calcium and bicarbonate ions at different concentrations, essentially mimicked the artificial seawater composition and started to deposit aragonite after a long (4 h) incubation period at the tropical sea surface temperature of 30 °C. While numerous techniques for the solution deposition of calcium hydroxyapatite (Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2), of low thermodynamic solubility, on synthetic biomaterials have been demonstrated, procedures related to the solution-based surface deposition of high solubility aragonite remained uncommon. Monolayers of aragonite ooids deposited at 30 °C on UHMWPE substrates soaked in organic-free ACS solutions were found to possess nano-structures similar to the mortar-and-brick-type botryoids observed in biogenic marine shells. Samples were characterized using SEM, XRD, FTIR, ICP-AES and contact angle goniometry.

  14. Optical Helicity-Manipulated Photocurrents and Photovoltages in Organic Solar Cells

    DOE PAGES

    Wei, Mengmeng; Hao, Xiaotao; Saxena, Avadh Behari; ...

    2018-05-29

    The performance of an organic functional device can be effectively improved through external field manipulation. In this study, we experimentally demonstrate the optical polarization manipulation of the photocurrent or photovoltage in organic solar cells. Through switching the incident light from a linearly polarized light to a circularly polarized one, we find a pronounced change in the photocurrent, which is not observable in normal inorganic cells. There are two competing hypotheses for the primary process underlying the circular polarization-dependent phenomena in organic materials, one involving the inverse Faraday effect (IFE) and the other a direct photon spin–electron spin interaction. By waymore » of ingenious device design and external magnetic field-induced stimuli, it is expected that the organic IFE can be a powerful experimental tool in revealing and elucidating excited-state processes occurring in organic spintronic and optoelectronic devices. Therefore, we believe that our results will potentially lead to the development of new multifunctional organic devices with integrated electronic, optical, and magnetic properties for energy conversion, optical communication, and sensing technologies.« less

  15. Optical Helicity-Manipulated Photocurrents and Photovoltages in Organic Solar Cells

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Wei, Mengmeng; Hao, Xiaotao; Saxena, Avadh Behari

    The performance of an organic functional device can be effectively improved through external field manipulation. In this study, we experimentally demonstrate the optical polarization manipulation of the photocurrent or photovoltage in organic solar cells. Through switching the incident light from a linearly polarized light to a circularly polarized one, we find a pronounced change in the photocurrent, which is not observable in normal inorganic cells. There are two competing hypotheses for the primary process underlying the circular polarization-dependent phenomena in organic materials, one involving the inverse Faraday effect (IFE) and the other a direct photon spin–electron spin interaction. By waymore » of ingenious device design and external magnetic field-induced stimuli, it is expected that the organic IFE can be a powerful experimental tool in revealing and elucidating excited-state processes occurring in organic spintronic and optoelectronic devices. Therefore, we believe that our results will potentially lead to the development of new multifunctional organic devices with integrated electronic, optical, and magnetic properties for energy conversion, optical communication, and sensing technologies.« less

  16. Surface Plasmon Resonance Effect in Inverted Perovskite Solar Cells.

    PubMed

    Cui, Jin; Chen, Cheng; Han, Junbo; Cao, Kun; Zhang, Wenjun; Shen, Yan; Wang, Mingkui

    2016-03-01

    This work reports on incorporation of spectrally tuned gold/silica (Au/SiO 2 ) core/shell nanospheres and nanorods into the inverted perovskite solar cells (PVSC). The band gap of hybrid lead halide iodide (CH 3 NH 3 PbI 3 ) can be gradually increased by replacing iodide with increasing amounts of bromide, which can not only offer an appreciate solar radiation window for the surface plasmon resonance effect utilization, but also potentially result in a large open circuit voltage. The introduction of localized surface plasmons in CH 3 NH 3 PbI 2.85 Br 0.15 -based photovoltaic system, which occur in response to electromagnetic radiation, has shown dramatic enhancement of exciton dissociation. The synchronized improvement in photovoltage and photocurrent leads to an inverted CH 3 NH 3 PbI 2.85 Br 0.15 planar PVSC device with power conversion efficiency of 13.7%. The spectral response characterization, time resolved photoluminescence, and transient photovoltage decay measurements highlight the efficient and simple method for perovskite devices.

  17. Mechanochemical synthesis of nanostructured Sr(Ti{sub 1-x}Fe{sub x})O{sub 3-{delta}} solid-solution powders and their surface photovoltage responses

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Chen Xiaofeng; Luo Qiong; GlobalFoundries Singapore Pte Ltd, 60 Woodlands Industrial Park D Street 2, Singapore 738406

    2012-05-15

    A series of nanostructure Sr(Ti{sub 1-x}Fe{sub x})O{sub 3-{delta}} (STFx, x=0.4, 0.6, 0.8) solid-solution powders were synthesized by mechanochemical approach milling from the mixture of SrO, Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} and TiO{sub 2} metal oxides at room temperature. The XRD results revealed that the perovskite STFx nanoparticles were finally formed with few residual {alpha}-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} detected dependent on the milling conditions. The structure evolution suggested that the mechanochemical synthesis underwent via a solid-state reaction route to initially form Ti-rich perovskite and then incorporate with the residual {alpha}-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} to achieve the estimated composition. The synthesized STF08 powders exhibited the significantmore » Surface Photovoltage (SPV) spectrum response both in UV and in visible-light region with p-type semiconductor behavior. This finding suggested that the synthesized STF nanopowders could potentially utilize more solar spectrum energy effectively for photo-oxidation and photo-catalysis applications. - Graphical abstract: It is demonstrated that Sr(Ti{sub 1-x}Fe{sub x})O{sub 3-{delta}} perovskite nanopowders were successfully synthesized by mechanochemical reaction approach at room temerpature, and the synthesized STF08 powders showed the significant SPV response in UV-VIS region with p-type semiconductor behaviors. Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Sr(Ti{sub 1-x}Fe{sub x})O{sub 3-{delta}} nanopowders synthesized by mechanochemical reaction approach. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The reaction process was shorten by introduce high impact energy. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Synthesized STF08 powders show the significant SPV response in UV-VIS region. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Synthesized STFx powders show p-type semiconductor behaviors.« less

  18. Implant Monitoring Measurements On Ultra Shallow Implants Before And After Anneal Using Photomodulated Reflection And Junction Photovoltage Measurement Techniques

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tallian, M.; Pap, A.; Mocsar, K.; Somogyi, A.; Nadudvari, Gy.; Kosztka, D.; Pavelka, T.

    2011-01-01

    Ultra shallow junctions are becoming widely used in the micro- and nanoelectronic devices, and novel measurement methods are needed to monitor the manufacturing processes. Photomodulated Reflection measurements before anneal and Junction Photovoltage-based sheet resistance measurements after anneal are non-contact, nondestructive techniques suitable for characterizing both the implantation and the annealing process. Tests verify that these methods are consistent with each other and by using them together, defects originating in the implantation and anneal steps can be separated.

  19. Improved Tribological Performance of Amorphous Carbon (a-C) Coating by ZrO₂ Nanoparticles.

    PubMed

    Tang, Jinzhu; Ding, Qi; Zhang, Songwei; Wu, Guizhi; Hu, Litian

    2016-09-22

    Nanomaterials, such as Graphene, h-BN nanoparticles and MoS₂ nanotubes, have shown their ability in improving the tribological performance of amorphous carbon (a-C) coatings. In the current study, the effectiveness of ZrO₂ nanoparticles (ZrO₂-NPs) in lubricating the self-mated nonhydrogenated a-C contacts was investigated in boundary lubrication regime. The results showed that 13% less friction and 50% less wear compared to the base oil were achieved by employing ZrO₂-NPs in the base oil in self-mated a-C contacts. Via analyzing the ZrO₂-NPs and the worn a-C surface after tests, it was found that the improved lubrication by ZrO₂-NPs was based on "polishing effects", which is a new phenomenon observed between a-C and nanoparticles. Under the "polishing effect", micro-plateaus with extremely smooth surface and uniform height were produced on the analyzed a-C surface. The resulting topography of the a-C coating is suitable for ZrO₂-NPs to act as nano-bearings between rubbing surfaces. Especially, the ZrO₂-NPs exhibited excellent mechanical and chemical stability, even under the severe service condition, suggesting that the combination of nonhydrogenated a-C coating with ZrO₂-NPs is an effective, long lasting and environment-friendly lubrication solution.

  20. AC-electric field dependent electroformation of giant lipid vesicles.

    PubMed

    Politano, Timothy J; Froude, Victoria E; Jing, Benxin; Zhu, Yingxi

    2010-08-01

    Giant vesicles of larger than 5 microm, which have been of intense interest for their potential as drug delivery vehicles and as a model system for cell membranes, can be rapidly formed from a spin-coated lipid thin film under an electric field. In this work, we explore the AC-field dependent electroformation of giant lipid vesicles in aqueous media over a wide range of AC-frequency from 1 Hz to 1 MHz and peak-to-peak field strength from 0.212 V/mm to 40 V/mm between two parallel conducting electrode surfaces. By using fluorescence microscopy, we perform in-situ microscopic observations of the structural evolution of giant vesicles formed from spin-coated lipid films under varied uniform AC-electric fields. The real-time observation of bilayer bulging from the lipid film, vesicle growth and fusing further examine the critical role of AC-induced electroosmotic flow of surrounding fluids for giant vesicle formation. A rich AC-frequency and field strength phase diagram is obtained experimentally to predict the AC-electroformation of giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) of l-alpha-phosphatidylcholine, where a weak dependence of vesicle size on AC-frequency is observed at low AC-field voltages, showing decreased vesicle size with a narrowed size distribution with increased AC-frequency. Formation of vesicles was shown to be constrained by an upper field strength of 10 V/mm and an upper AC-frequency of 10 kHz. Within these parameters, giant lipid vesicles were formed predominantly unilamellar and prevalent across the entire electrode surfaces. Copyright 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  1. Mathematical analysis of the Photovoltage Decay (PVD) method for minority carrier lifetime measurements

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Vonroos, O. H.

    1982-01-01

    When the diffusion length of minority carriers becomes comparable with or larger than the thickness of a p-n junction solar cell, the characteristic decay of the photon-generated voltage results from a mixture of contributions with different time constants. The minority carrier recombination lifetime tau and the time constant l(2)/D, where l is essentially the thickness of the cell and D the minority carrier diffusion length, determine the signal as a function of time. It is shown that for ordinary solar cells (n(+)-p junctions), particularly when the diffusion length L of the minority carriers is larger than the cell thickness l, the excess carrier density decays according to exp (-t/tau-pi(2)Dt/4l(2)), tau being the lifetime. Therefore, tau can be readily determined by the photovoltage decay method once D and L are known.

  2. Photoassisted Kelvin probe force microscopy at GaN surfaces: The role of polarity

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wei, J. D.; Li, S. F.; Atamuratov, A.; Wehmann, H.-H.; Waag, A.

    2010-10-01

    The behavior of GaN surfaces during photoassisted Kelvin probe force microscopy is demonstrated to be strongly dependant on surface polarity. The surface photovoltage of GaN surfaces illuminated with above-band gap light is analyzed as a function of time and light intensity. Distinct differences between Ga-polar and N-polar surfaces could be identified, attributed to photoinduced chemisorption of oxygen during illumination. These differences can be used for a contactless, nondestructive, and easy-performable analysis of the polarity of GaN surfaces.

  3. New Composites LnBDC@AC and CB[6]@AC: From Design toward Selective Adsorption of Methylene Blue or Methyl Orange

    PubMed Central

    Santos, Guilherme de C.; Barros, Amanda L.; de Oliveira, Carlos A. F.; da Luz, Leonis L.; da Silva, Fausthon F.; Demets, Grégoire J.-F.; Alves Júnior, Severino

    2017-01-01

    New porous composites LnBDC@AC (AC = Activated carbon, Ln = Eu and Gd and BDC = 1,4-benzenedicaboxylate) and CB[6]@AC (CB[6] = Cucurbit[6]uril) were obtained using hydrothermal route. The LnBDC and CB[B] are located inside the pore of the carbon materials as was observed in SEM-EDS, XRPD and FT-IR analysis. Porosimetry analysis showed values typically between AC and LnBDC material, with pore size and surface area, respectively, 29,56 Å and 353.98 m2g-1 for LnBDC@AC and 35,53 Å and 353.98 m2g-1 for CB[6]@AC. Both materials showed good absorptive capacity of metil orange (MO) and methylene blue (MB) with selectivity as a function of pH. For acid pH, both materials present selectivity by MB and alkaline pH for MO, with notable performance for CB[6]@AC. Additionally, europium luminescence was used as structural probe to investigate the coordination environment of Eu3+ ions in the EuBDC@AC composite after adsorption experiment. PMID:28107440

  4. The rare earth element geochemistry on surface sediments, shallow cores and lithological units of Lake Acıgöl basin, Denizli, Turkey

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Budakoglu, Murat; Abdelnasser, Amr; Karaman, Muhittin; Kumral, Mustafa

    2015-11-01

    The sediments in Lake Acıgöl, located in SW Anatolia, Turkey, were formed under tectono-sedimentary events. REE geochemical investigations of the Lake Acıgöl sediments, from surface and shallow core sediments at different depths (0-10 cm, 10-20 cm and 20-30 cm) are presented to clarify the characteristics of REE and the nature of source rocks in the lake sediments' and to deduce their paleoenvironmental proxies. The chondrite-normalized REE patterns of these sediments are shown as light enrichment in LREE and flat HREE with a negative Eu anomaly that is close to the continental collision basin (CCB) in its profile; this is not comparable with PAAS and UCC. Inorganic detrital materials control the REE characteristics of the Lake Acıgöl sediments and these sediments were accumulated in oxic and dysoxic depositional conditions and/or at passive margins derived from oceanic island arc rocks. They were affected by low chemical weathering, either at the original source or during transport, before deposition under arid or subtropical humid climatic conditions. In addition, we used GIS techniques (such as Inverse Distance Weighted (IDW) and Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR)) to investigate the spatial interpolation and spatial correlation of the REEs from the lake surface sediments in Lake Acıgöl and its surrounding lithological units. GIS techniques showed that the lithological units (e.g., Hayrettin Formation) north of Lake Acıgöl have high REE contents; however, Eu/Eu∗ values were higher in some lake surface sediments than in lithological units, and that refers to a negative Eu-anomaly. Therefore, Lake Acıgöl sediments are derived from the weathered products, mainly from local, highly basic bedrock around the lake from the Archean crust. The chronology of Lake Acıgöl sediment was conducted using the Constant Rate of Supply (CRS) model. Using the CRS methods for the calculation of sedimentation rate, we obtained a 0.012 g/cm2/year value which is an

  5. The AC-120: The advanced commercial transport

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Duran, David; Griffin, Ernest; Mendoza, Saul; Nguyen, Son; Pickett, Tim; Noernberg, Clemm

    1993-01-01

    The main objective of this design was to fulfill a need for a new airplane to replace the aging 100 to 150 passenger, 1500 nautical mile range aircraft such as the Douglas DC9 and Boeing 737-100 airplanes. After researching the future aircraft market, conducting extensive trade studies, and analysis on different configurations, the AC-120 Advanced Commercial Transport final design was achieved. The AC-120's main design features include the incorporation of a three lifting surface configuration which is powered by two turboprop engines. The AC-120 is an economically sensitive aircraft which meets the new FM Stage Three noise requirements, and has lower NO(x) emissions than current turbofan powered airplanes. The AC-120 also improves on its contemporaries in passenger comfort, manufacturing, and operating cost.

  6. Improved Tribological Performance of Amorphous Carbon (a-C) Coating by ZrO2 Nanoparticles

    PubMed Central

    Tang, Jinzhu; Ding, Qi; Zhang, Songwei; Wu, Guizhi; Hu, Litian

    2016-01-01

    Nanomaterials, such as Graphene, h-BN nanoparticles and MoS2 nanotubes, have shown their ability in improving the tribological performance of amorphous carbon (a-C) coatings. In the current study, the effectiveness of ZrO2 nanoparticles (ZrO2-NPs) in lubricating the self-mated nonhydrogenated a-C contacts was investigated in boundary lubrication regime. The results showed that 13% less friction and 50% less wear compared to the base oil were achieved by employing ZrO2-NPs in the base oil in self-mated a-C contacts. Via analyzing the ZrO2-NPs and the worn a-C surface after tests, it was found that the improved lubrication by ZrO2-NPs was based on “polishing effects”, which is a new phenomenon observed between a-C and nanoparticles. Under the “polishing effect”, micro-plateaus with extremely smooth surface and uniform height were produced on the analyzed a-C surface. The resulting topography of the a-C coating is suitable for ZrO2-NPs to act as nano-bearings between rubbing surfaces. Especially, the ZrO2-NPs exhibited excellent mechanical and chemical stability, even under the severe service condition, suggesting that the combination of nonhydrogenated a-C coating with ZrO2-NPs is an effective, long lasting and environment-friendly lubrication solution. PMID:28773916

  7. Opto-electro-modulated transient photovoltage and photocurrent system for investigation of charge transport and recombination in solar cells.

    PubMed

    Shi, Jiangjian; Li, Dongmei; Luo, Yanhong; Wu, Huijue; Meng, Qingbo

    2016-12-01

    An opto-electro-modulated transient photovoltage/photocurrent system has been developed to probe microscopic charge processes of a solar cell in its adjustable operating conditions. The reliability of this system is carefully determined by electric circuit simulations and experimental measurements. Using this system, the charge transport, recombination and storage properties of a conventional multicrystalline silicon solar cell under different steady-state bias voltages, and light illumination intensities are investigated. This system has also been applied to study the influence of the hole transport material layer on charge extraction and the microscopic charge processes behind the widely considered photoelectric hysteresis in perovskite solar cells.

  8. ac electroosmotic pumping induced by noncontact external electrodes

    PubMed Central

    Wang, Shau-Chun; Chen, Hsiao-Ping; Chang, Hsueh-Chia

    2007-01-01

    Electroosmotic (EO) pumps based on dc electroosmosis is plagued by bubble generation and other electrochemical reactions at the electrodes at voltages beyond 1 V for electrolytes. These disadvantages limit their throughput and offset their portability advantage over mechanical syringe or pneumatic pumps. ac electroosmotic pumps at high frequency (>100 kHz) circumvent the bubble problem by inducing polarization and slip velocity on embedded electrodes,1 but they require complex electrode designs to produce a net flow. We report a new high-throughput ac EO pump design based on induced-polarization on the entire channel surface instead of just on the electrodes. Like dc EO pumps, our pump electrodes are outside of the load section and form a cm-long pump unit consisting of three circular reservoirs (3 mm in diameter) connected by a 1×1 mm channel. The field-induced polarization can produce an effective Zeta potential exceeding 1 V and an ac slip velocity estimated as 1 mm∕sec or higher, both one order of magnitude higher than earlier dc and ac pumps, giving rise to a maximum throughput of 1 μl∕sec. Polarization over the entire channel surface, quadratic scaling with respect to the field and high voltage at high frequency without electrode bubble generation are the reasons why the current pump is superior to earlier dc and ac EO pumps. PMID:19693362

  9. ac electroosmotic pumping induced by noncontact external electrodes.

    PubMed

    Wang, Shau-Chun; Chen, Hsiao-Ping; Chang, Hsueh-Chia

    2007-09-21

    Electroosmotic (EO) pumps based on dc electroosmosis is plagued by bubble generation and other electrochemical reactions at the electrodes at voltages beyond 1 V for electrolytes. These disadvantages limit their throughput and offset their portability advantage over mechanical syringe or pneumatic pumps. ac electroosmotic pumps at high frequency (>100 kHz) circumvent the bubble problem by inducing polarization and slip velocity on embedded electrodes,1 but they require complex electrode designs to produce a net flow. We report a new high-throughput ac EO pump design based on induced-polarization on the entire channel surface instead of just on the electrodes. Like dc EO pumps, our pump electrodes are outside of the load section and form a cm-long pump unit consisting of three circular reservoirs (3 mm in diameter) connected by a 1x1 mm channel. The field-induced polarization can produce an effective Zeta potential exceeding 1 V and an ac slip velocity estimated as 1 mmsec or higher, both one order of magnitude higher than earlier dc and ac pumps, giving rise to a maximum throughput of 1 mulsec. Polarization over the entire channel surface, quadratic scaling with respect to the field and high voltage at high frequency without electrode bubble generation are the reasons why the current pump is superior to earlier dc and ac EO pumps.

  10. Successful enrichment of the ubiquitous freshwater acI Actinobacteria.

    PubMed

    Garcia, Sarahi L; McMahon, Katherine D; Grossart, Hans-Peter; Warnecke, Falk

    2014-02-01

    Actinobacteria of the acI lineage are often the numerically dominant bacterial phylum in surface freshwaters, where they can account for > 50% of total bacteria. Despite their abundance, there are no described isolates. In an effort to obtain enrichment of these ubiquitous freshwater Actinobacteria, diluted freshwater samples from Lake Grosse Fuchskuhle, Germany, were incubated in 96-well culture plates. With this method, a successful enrichment containing high abundances of a member of the lineage acI was established. Phylogenetic classification showed that the acI Actinobacteria of the enrichment belonged to the acI-B2 tribe, which seems to prefer acidic lakes. This enrichment grows to low cell densities and thus the oligotrophic nature of acI-B2 was confirmed. © 2013 Society for Applied Microbiology and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  11. In situ surface transfer process of Cry1Ac protein on SiO2: The effect of biosurfactants for desorption.

    PubMed

    Miao, Shuzhou; Yuan, Xingzhong; Liang, Yunshan; Wang, Hou; Leng, Lijian; Wu, Zhibin; Jiang, Longbo; Li, Yifu; Mo, Dan; Zeng, Guangming

    2018-01-05

    Genetically modified Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) crops, which have been widely used in agricultural transgenic plants, express insecticidal Cry proteins and release the toxin into soils. Taking into consideration the environmental risk of Cry proteins, biosurfactant-rhamnolipids were applied to desorb Cry proteins from soil environment, which has not been elucidated before. Quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D) was used in this article to investigate the adsorption and desorption behaviors of Cry1Ac on SiO 2 surface (model soil). Results showed that patch-controlled electrostatic attraction (PCEA) governed Cry1Ac adsorption to SiO 2, and the solution pH or ionic strength can affect PCEA. The adsorption kinetics could be fitted by the pseudo-second-order model, and the adsorption isotherm was fitted to Langmuir model with correlation coefficients higher than 0.999. The desorption characteristics of Cry1Ac from SiO 2 were assessed in the presence of mono-rhamnolipid, di-rhamnolipid or complex-rhamnolipid. Mono-rhamnolipid exhibited the most significant positive effect on desorption performance. With a complete removal of Cry1Ac reached when mono-rhamnolipid concentration was up to 50mgL -1 . Additionally, the desorption was enhanced at alkaline pH range, and Cry1Ac can be completely and rapidly desorbed by rhamnolipids from SiO 2 at ionic strength of 5×10 -2 M. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  12. The Macrophage Activation Induced by Bacillus thuringiensis Cry1Ac Protoxin Involves ERK1/2 and p38 Pathways and the Interaction with Cell-Surface-HSP70.

    PubMed

    Rubio-Infante, Nestor; Ilhuicatzi-Alvarado, Damaris; Torres-Martínez, Marilu; Reyes-Grajeda, Juan Pablo; Nava-Acosta, Raúl; González-González, Edith; Moreno-Fierros, Leticia

    2018-01-01

    Here, we aimed to further characterize the mechanisms involved in protoxin (p) Cry1Ac-induced macrophage activation. We demonstrated that pCry1Ac induces MAPK ERK1/2, p38, and JNK phosphorylation in RAW264.7 macrophages. Because MAPK activation is mainly triggered via ligand-receptor interactions, we focused on the identification of potential pCry1Ac-receptor proteins. Flow cytometry and confocal analysis showed specific saturable pCry1Ac-binding to the macrophage surface and evidenced its internalization via the clathrin-pathway. We performed immunoprecipitation assays and identified by MALDI-TOF-TOF several possible pCry1Ac-binding proteins, such as heat shock proteins (HSPs), vimentin, α-enolase, and actin; whose interaction and presence was confirmed, respectively, by ligand blot and Western blot assays. We also detected cell-surface (cs) pCry1Ac-HSP70 colocalization, so HSP70 was chosen for further characterization. Co-immunoprecipitation with HSP70 antibodies followed by Western blot confirmed the pCry1Ac-HSP70 interaction. Furthermore, pretreatment of RAW264.7 cells with HSP70 antibodies reduced pCry1Ac-induced ERK1 phosphorylation and MCP-1 production; thus suggest the functional participation of csHSP70 in pCry1Ac-induced macrophage activation. csHSP70 also was evaluated in peritoneal-cavity (PerC) macrophages of untreated BALB/c mice, interestingly it was found that the predominant population namely large-peritoneal-macrophages (LPM) displayed csHSP70 + hi. Furthermore, the dynamics of PerC macrophage subsets, LPM, and small-peritoneal macrophages (SPM) were evaluated in response to in vivo pCry1Ac stimuli in presence or not of phenylethynesulfonamide (PES) a functional HSP70 inhibitor. It was found that pCry1Ac increased the proportion of SPM CD11b + F4/80 + lowMHCII + csHSP70 + low and markedly reduced the amount of LPM CD11b + F4/80 + hiMHCII-csHSP70 + hi; while PES, partially suppressed this pCry1Ac-induced effect

  13. AC Initiation System.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    An ac initiation system is described which uses three ac transmission signals interlocked for safety by frequency, phase, and power discrimination...The ac initiation system is pre-armed by the application of two ac signals have the proper phases, and activates a load when an ac power signal of the proper frequency and power level is applied. (Author)

  14. Study of the Effect of Lubricant Emulsion Percentage and Tool Material on Surface Roughness in Machining of EN-AC 48000 Alloy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Soltani, E.; Shahali, H.; Zarepour, H.

    2011-01-01

    In this paper, the effect of machining parameters, namely, lubricant emulsion percentage and tool material on surface roughness has been studied in machining process of EN-AC 48000 aluminum alloy. EN-AC 48000 aluminum alloy is an important alloy in industries. Machining of this alloy is of vital importance due to built-up edge and tool wear. A L9 Taguchi standard orthogonal array has been applied as experimental design to investigate the effect of the factors and their interaction. Nine machining tests have been carried out with three random replications resulting in 27 experiments. Three type of cutting tools including coated carbide (CD1810), uncoated carbide (H10), and polycrystalline diamond (CD10) have been used in this research. Emulsion percentage of lubricant is selected at three levels including 3%, 5% and 10%. Statistical analysis has been employed to study the effect of factors and their interactions using ANOVA method. Moreover, the optimal factors level has been achieved through signal to noise ratio (S/N) analysis. Also, a regression model has been provided to predict the surface roughness. Finally, the results of the confirmation tests have been presented to verify the adequacy of the predictive model. In this research, surface quality was improved by 9% using lubricant and statistical optimization method.

  15. AC Electric Field Communication for Human-Area Networking

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kado, Yuichi; Shinagawa, Mitsuru

    We have proposed a human-area networking technology that uses the surface of the human body as a data transmission path and uses an AC electric field signal below the resonant frequency of the human body. This technology aims to achieve a “touch and connect” intuitive form of communication by using the electric field signal that propagates along the surface of the human body, while suppressing both the electric field radiating from the human body and mutual interference. To suppress the radiation field, the frequency of the AC signal that excites the transmitter electrode must be lowered, and the sensitivity of the receiver must be raised while reducing transmission power to its minimally required level. We describe how we are developing AC electric field communication technologies to promote the further evolution of a human-area network in support of ubiquitous services, focusing on three main characteristics, enabling-transceiver technique, application-scenario modeling, and communications quality evaluation. Special attention is paid to the relationship between electro-magnetic compatibility evaluation and regulations for extremely low-power radio stations based on Japan's Radio Law.

  16. Characterizing superconducting thin films using AC Magnetic Susceptibility

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mahoney, C. H.; Porzio, J.; Sullivan, M. C.

    2014-03-01

    We present our work on using ac magnetic susceptibility to determine the critical temperature of superconducting thin films. In ac magnetic susceptibility, the thin film is placed between two coils. One coil carries an ac signal, creating a varying external magnetic field. We measure the voltage induced in the pick-up coil on the opposite side of the sample and measure how the sample magnetization changes as the temperature changes. We will present our work to use ac susceptibility to determine critical temperature and superconducting volume fraction. Using our own analysis program, we are able to accurately locate the critical temperatures of the samples and determine the transition width. For the superconducting volume fraction, we etch samples in order to control the thicknesses of the sample and measure how much of the material grown on the surface is superconducting. Supported by NFS grant DMR-1305637.

  17. Ac electroosmotic flows above coplanar electrodes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kweon Suh, Yong

    2009-03-01

    Interactive numerical method has been proposed to calculate the ac electroosmotic flows above a pair of coplanar electrodes. The thin electrical triple layer (ETL) has been modeled by an asymptotic theory developed by the authors. The model corresponds to a simple dynamic equation for the surface charge density representing the integrated charge over the inner layer. Interactive calculation of the dynamic equation and the Laplace equation for several periods of ac frequency then yielded steady-state distribution of potential and the potential drop across the Stern and inner layers. The Smoluchowski's slip velocity was then determined from those two set of data and used as the boundary condition for the calculation of the Stokes' flow above the electrodes. We have shown that our solutions compared well with the experimental data reported in the literature. We investigated the effect of various parameters on the slip velocity distribution, such as the ac frequency, the electrode length, the effective Stern-layer thickness and the adsorption coefficients.

  18. Advances in the theory and application of BSF cells. [Back Surface Field solar cells

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mandelkorn, J.; Lamneck, J. H.

    1975-01-01

    A study to determine the influence of fabrication processes and bulk material properties on the behavior of back surface field (BSF) cells is reported. It is concluded that a photovoltage is generated at the p(+), p back junction of the cell. The concept of majority carrier collection is proposed as a possible mechanism for this generation. Advantages accruing to the advent of BSF cells are outlined.

  19. Gigantic 2D laser-induced photovoltaic effect in magnetically doped topological insulators for surface zero-bias spin-polarized current generation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shikin, A. M.; Voroshin, V. Yu; Rybkin, A. G.; Kokh, K. A.; Tereshchenko, O. E.; Ishida, Y.; Kimura, A.

    2018-01-01

    A new kind of 2D photovoltaic effect (PVE) with the generation of anomalously large surface photovoltage up to 210 meV in magnetically doped topological insulators (TIs) has been studied by the laser time-resolved pump-probe angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy. The PVE has maximal efficiency for TIs with high occupation of the upper Dirac cone (DC) states and the Dirac point located inside the fundamental energy gap. For TIs with low occupation of the upper DC states and the Dirac point located inside the valence band the generated surface photovoltage is significantly reduced. We have shown that the observed giant PVE is related to the laser-generated electron-hole asymmetry followed by accumulation of the photoexcited electrons at the surface. It is accompanied by the 2D relaxation process with the generation of zero-bias spin-polarized currents flowing along the topological surface states (TSSs) outside the laser beam spot. As a result, the spin-polarized current generates an effective in-plane magnetic field that is experimentally confirmed by the k II-shift of the DC relative to the bottom non-spin-polarized conduction band states. The realized 2D PVE can be considered as a source for the generation of zero-bias surface spin-polarized currents and the laser-induced local surface magnetization developed in such kind 2D TSS materials.

  20. Soliton motion in a parametrically ac-driven damped Toda lattice

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Rasmussen, K.O.; Malomed, B.A.; Bishop, A.R.

    We demonstrate that a staggered parametric ac driving term can support stable progressive motion of a soliton in a Toda lattice with friction, while an unstaggered driving force cannot. A physical context of the model is that of a chain of anharmonically coupled particles adsorbed on a solid surface of a finite size. The ac driving force is generated by a standing acoustic wave excited on the surface. Simulations demonstrate that the state left behind the moving soliton, with the particles shifted from their equilibrium positions, gradually relaxes back to the equilibrium state that existed before the passage of themore » soliton. The perturbation theory predicts that the ac-driven soliton exists if the amplitude of the drive exceeds a certain threshold. The analytical prediction for the threshold is in reasonable agreement with that found numerically. Collisions between two counterpropagating solitons is also simulated, demonstrating that the collisions are, effectively, fully elastic. {copyright} {ital 1998} {ital The American Physical Society}« less

  1. AC-130 Employment

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2006-01-01

    1 AC -130 Employment Subject Area Aviation EWS 2006 Author Captain Robert Hornick, USMC Report Documentation Page Form ApprovedOMB No. 0704...00-2006 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE AC -130 Employment 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 6. AUTHOR(S) 5d. PROJECT NUMBER... AC -130 gunship is an aircraft that can provide all of these needs. Regrettably, there are too few AC -130’s in the inventory to cover all the needs

  2. Functionalized TiO2 nanoparticles labelled with 225Ac for targeted alpha radionuclide therapy.

    PubMed

    Cędrowska, Edyta; Pruszynski, Marek; Majkowska-Pilip, Agnieszka; Męczyńska-Wielgosz, Sylwia; Bruchertseifer, Frank; Morgenstern, Alfred; Bilewicz, Aleksander

    2018-01-01

    The 225 Ac radioisotope exhibits very attractive nuclear properties for application in radionuclide therapy. Unfortunately, the major challenge for radioconjugates labelled with 225 Ac is that traditional chelating moieties are unable to sequester the radioactive daughters in the bioconjugate which is critical to minimize toxicity to healthy, non-targeted tissues. In the present work, we propose to apply TiO 2 nanoparticles (NPs) as carrier for 225 Ac and its decay products. The surface of TiO 2 nanoparticles with 25 nm diameter was modified with Substance P (5-11), a peptide fragment which targets NK1 receptors on the glioma cells, through the silan-PEG-NHS linker. Nanoparticles functionalized with Substance P (5-11) were synthesized with high yield in a two-step procedure, and the products were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The obtained results show that one TiO 2 -bioconjugate nanoparticle contains in average 80 peptide molecules on its surface. The synthesized TiO 2 -PEG-SP(5-11) conjugates were labelled with 225 Ac by ion-exchange reaction on hydroxyl (OH) functional groups on the TiO 2 surface. The labelled bioconjugates almost quantitatively retain 225 Ac in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), physiological salt and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) for up to 10 days. The leaching of 221 Fr, a first decay daughter of 225 Ac, in an amount of 30% was observed only in CSF after 10 days. The synthesized 225 Ac-TiO 2 -PEG-SP(5-11) has shown high cytotoxic effect in vitro in T98G glioma cells; therefore, it is a promising new radioconjugate for targeted radionuclide therapy of brain tumours.

  3. Functionalized TiO2 nanoparticles labelled with 225Ac for targeted alpha radionuclide therapy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cędrowska, Edyta; Pruszynski, Marek; Majkowska-Pilip, Agnieszka; Męczyńska-Wielgosz, Sylwia; Bruchertseifer, Frank; Morgenstern, Alfred; Bilewicz, Aleksander

    2018-03-01

    The 225Ac radioisotope exhibits very attractive nuclear properties for application in radionuclide therapy. Unfortunately, the major challenge for radioconjugates labelled with 225Ac is that traditional chelating moieties are unable to sequester the radioactive daughters in the bioconjugate which is critical to minimize toxicity to healthy, non-targeted tissues. In the present work, we propose to apply TiO2 nanoparticles (NPs) as carrier for 225Ac and its decay products. The surface of TiO2 nanoparticles with 25 nm diameter was modified with Substance P (5-11), a peptide fragment which targets NK1 receptors on the glioma cells, through the silan-PEG-NHS linker. Nanoparticles functionalized with Substance P (5-11) were synthesized with high yield in a two-step procedure, and the products were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The obtained results show that one TiO2-bioconjugate nanoparticle contains in average 80 peptide molecules on its surface. The synthesized TiO2-PEG-SP(5-11) conjugates were labelled with 225Ac by ion-exchange reaction on hydroxyl (OH) functional groups on the TiO2 surface. The labelled bioconjugates almost quantitatively retain 225Ac in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), physiological salt and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) for up to 10 days. The leaching of 221Fr, a first decay daughter of 225Ac, in an amount of 30% was observed only in CSF after 10 days. The synthesized 225Ac-TiO2-PEG-SP(5-11) has shown high cytotoxic effect in vitro in T98G glioma cells; therefore, it is a promising new radioconjugate for targeted radionuclide therapy of brain tumours.

  4. Charge-carrier relaxation in sonochemically fabricated dendronized CaSiO3-SiO2-Si nanoheterostructures

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Savkina, Rada; Smirnov, Aleksey; Kirilova, Svitlana; Shmid, Volodymyr; Podolian, Artem; Nadtochiy, Andriy; Odarych, Volodymyr; Korotchenkov, Oleg

    2018-04-01

    We present systematic studies of charge-carrier relaxation processes in sonochemically nanostructured silicon wafers. Impedance spectroscopy and transient photovoltage techniques are employed. It is found that interface potential in Si wafers remarkably increases upon their exposure to sonochemical treatments in Ca-rich environments. In contrast, the density of fast interface electron states remains almost unchanged. It is found that the initial photovoltage decay, taken before ultrasonic treatments, exhibits the involvement of shorter- and longer time recombination and trapping centers. The decay speeds up remarkably due to cavitation treatments, which is accompanied by a substantial quenching of the photovoltage magnitude. It is also found that, before the treatments, the photovoltage magnitude is markedly non-uniform over the wafer surface, implying the existence of distributed sites affecting distribution of photoexcited carriers. The treatments cause an overall broadening of the photovoltage distribution. Furthermore, impedance measurements monitor the progress in surface structuring relevant to several relaxation processes. We believe that sonochemical nanostructuring of silicon wafers with dendronized CaSiO3 may enable new promising avenue towards low-cost solar energy efficiency multilayered solar cell device structures.

  5. Sterilization of Long Tube Inner Surface Using Oxygen and Water Vapor Plasmas Produced by AC HV Discharge

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kitazaki, Satoshi; Hayashi, Nobuya

    2009-10-01

    Oxygen and water vapor plasmas inside a narrow long tube were produced using an AC HV glow discharge at low pressure in order to sterilize the inner surface of a tube. In order to produce plasma inside a narrow tube, an AC high voltage was adopted. The material of the tube used in this experiment was silicon rubber. The length and diameter of the tubes ranged from 300 to 1,000 mm and from 1 to 4 mm, respectively. The tube was placed in a stainless steel vacuum chamber and was evacuated to 10 Pa using a rotary pump. The material gas for plasma and radical productions was pure oxygen or water vapor, which was introduced to the chamber from a gas cylinder or water reservoir. Light emission spectral lines of oxygen and OH radicals were observed at 777 nm and 306 nm, respectively. The chemical indicator was inserted into the tube and turned to a yellowish color (from the original red) after a treatment, which indicates the generation of sufficient oxygen on OH radicals for sterilization. A tube with the length of 500 mm and diameter of 4 mm is sterilized using oxygen plasma by 10 minutes treatment. Also a tube with the length of 300 mm and diameter of 2 mm is sterilized using water vapor plasma by 5 minutes treatment.

  6. Experimental investigation of SDBD plasma actuator driven by AC high voltage with a superimposed positive pulse bias voltage

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Qi, Xiao-Hua; Yan, Hui-Jie; Yang, Liang; Hua, Yue; Ren, Chun-Sheng

    2017-08-01

    In this work, a driven voltage consisting of AC high voltage with a superimposed positive pulse bias voltage ("AC+ Positive pulse bias" voltage) is adopted to study the performance of a surface dielectric barrier discharge plasma actuator under atmospheric conditions. To compare the performance of the actuator driven by single-AC voltage and "AC+ Positive pulse bias" voltage, the actuator-induced thrust force and power consumption are measured as a function of the applied AC voltage, and the measured results indicate that the thrust force can be promoted significantly after superimposing the positive pulse bias voltage. The physical mechanism behind the thrust force changes is analyzed by measuring the optical properties, electrical characteristics, and surface potential distribution. Experimental results indicate that the glow-like discharge in the AC voltage half-cycle, next to the cycle where a bias voltage pulse has been applied, is enhanced after applying the positive pulse bias voltage, and this perhaps is the main reason for the thrust force increase. Moreover, surface potential measurement results reveal that the spatial electric field formed by the surface charge accumulation after positive pulse discharge can significantly affect the applied external electric field, and this perhaps can be responsible for the experimental phenomenon that the decrease of thrust force is delayed by pulse bias voltage action after the filament discharge occurs in the glow-like discharge region. The schlieren images further verify that the actuator-induced airflow velocity increases with the positive pulse voltage.

  7. Photoelectrochemical Complexes of Fucoxanthin-Chlorophyll Protein for Bio-Photovoltaic Conversion with a High Open-Circuit Photovoltage.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Tianning; Liu, Cheng; Dong, Wenjing; Wang, Wenda; Sun, Yan; Chen, Xin; Yang, Chunhong; Dai, Ning

    2017-12-05

    Open-circuit photovoltage (V oc ) is among the critical parameters for achieving an efficient light-to-charge conversion in existing solar photovoltaic devices. Natural photosynthesis exploits light-harvesting chlorophyll (Chl) protein complexes to transfer sunlight energy efficiently. We describe the exploitation of photosynthetic fucoxanthin-chlorophyll protein (FCP) complexes for realizing photoelectrochemical cells with a high V oc . An antenna-dependent photocurrent response and a V oc up to 0.72 V are observed and demonstrated in the bio-photovoltaic devices fabricated with photosynthetic FCP complexes and TiO 2 nanostructures. Such high V oc is determined by fucoxanthin in FCP complexes, and is rarely found in photoelectrochemical cells with other natural light-harvesting antenna. We think that the FCP-based bio-photovoltaic conversion will provide an opportunity to fabricate environmental benign photoelectrochemical cells with high V oc , and also help improve the understanding of the essential physics behind the light-to-charge conversion in photosynthetic complexes. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  8. Magnetic domain structure imaging near sample surface with alternating magnetic force microscopy by using AC magnetic field modulated superparamagnetic tip.

    PubMed

    Cao, Yongze; Nakayama, Shota; Kumar, Pawan; Zhao, Yue; Kinoshita, Yukinori; Yoshimura, Satoru; Saito, Hitoshi

    2018-05-03

    For magnetic domain imaging with a very high spatial resolution by magnetic force microscopy the tip-sample distance should be as small as possible. However, magnetic imaging near sample surface is very difficult with conventional MFM because the interactive forces between tip and sample includes van der Waals and electrostatic forces along with magnetic force. In this study, we proposed an alternating magnetic force microscopy (A-MFM) which extract only magnetic force near sample surface without any topographic and electrical crosstalk. In the present method, the magnetization of a FeCo-GdOx superparamagnetic tip is modulated by an external AC magnetic field in order to measure the magnetic domain structure without any perturbation from the other forces near the sample surface. Moreover, it is demonstrated that the proposed method can also measure the strength and identify the polarities of the second derivative of the perpendicular stray field from a thin-film permanent magnet with DC demagnetized state and remanent state. © 2018 IOP Publishing Ltd.

  9. Aligned Immobilization of Proteins Using AC Electric Fields.

    PubMed

    Laux, Eva-Maria; Knigge, Xenia; Bier, Frank F; Wenger, Christian; Hölzel, Ralph

    2016-03-01

    Protein molecules are aligned and immobilized from solution by AC electric fields. In a single-step experiment, the enhanced green fluorescent proteins are immobilized on the surface as well as at the edges of planar nanoelectrodes. Alignment is found to follow the molecules' geometrical shape with their longitudinal axes parallel to the electric field. Simultaneous dielectrophoretic attraction and AC electroosmotic flow are identified as the dominant forces causing protein movement and alignment. Molecular orientation is determined by fluorescence microscopy based on polarized excitation of the proteins' chromophores. The chromophores' orientation with respect to the whole molecule supports X-ray crystal data. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  10. Low Offset AC Correlator.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    This patent describes a low offset AC correlator avoids DC offset and low frequency noise by frequency operating the correlation signal so that low...noise, low level AC amplification can be substituted for DC amplification. Subsequently, the high level AC signal is demodulated to a DC level. (Author)

  11. Solvent selection and optimization of α-chymotrypsin-catalyzed synthesis of N-Ac-Phe-Tyr-NH2 using mixture design and response surface methodology.

    PubMed

    Hu, Shih-Hao; Kuo, Chia-Hung; Chang, Chieh-Ming J; Liu, Yung-Chuan; Chiang, Wen-Dee; Shieh, Chwen-Jen

    2012-01-01

    A peptide, N-Ac-Phe-Tyr-NH(2) , with angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor activity was synthesized by an α-chymotrypsin-catalyzed condensation reaction of N-acetyl phenylalanine ethyl ester (N-Ac-Phe-OEt) and tyrosinamide (Tyr-NH(2) ). Three kinds of solvents: a Tris-HCl buffer (80 mM, pH 9.0), dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO), and acetonitrile were employed in this study. The optimum reaction solvent component was determined by simplex centroid mixture design. The synthesis efficiency was enhanced in an organic-aqueous solvent (Tris-HCl buffer: DMSO: acetonitrile = 2:1:1) in which 73.55% of the yield of N-Ac-Phe-Tyr-NH(2) could be achieved. Furthermore, the effect of reaction parameters on the yield was evaluated by response surface methodology (RSM) using a central composite rotatable design (CCRD). Based on a ridge max analysis, the optimum condition for this peptide synthesis included a reaction time of 7.4 min, a reaction temperature of 28.1°C, an enzyme activity of 98.9 U, and a substrate molar ratio (Phe:Tyr) of 1:2.8. The predicted and the actual (experimental) yields were 87.6 and 85.5%, respectively. The experimental design and RSM performed well in the optimization of synthesis of N-Ac-Phe-Tyr-NH(2) , so it is expected to be an effective method for obtaining a good yield of enzymatic peptide. © 2012 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 2012. Copyright © 2012 American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE).

  12. Alternating current (AC) iontophoretic transport across human epidermal membrane: effects of AC frequency and amplitude.

    PubMed

    Yan, Guang; Xu, Qingfang; Anissimov, Yuri G; Hao, Jinsong; Higuchi, William I; Li, S Kevin

    2008-03-01

    As a continuing effort to understand the mechanisms of alternating current (AC) transdermal iontophoresis and the iontophoretic transport pathways in the stratum corneum (SC), the objectives of the present study were to determine the interplay of AC frequency, AC voltage, and iontophoretic transport of ionic and neutral permeants across human epidermal membrane (HEM) and use AC as a means to characterize the transport pathways. Constant AC voltage iontophoresis experiments were conducted with HEM in 0.10 M tetraethyl ammonium pivalate (TEAP). AC frequencies ranging from 0.0001 to 25 Hz and AC applied voltages of 0.5 and 2.5 V were investigated. Tetraethyl ammonium (TEA) and arabinose (ARA) were the ionic and neutral model permeants, respectively. In data analysis, the logarithm of the permeability coefficients of HEM for the model permeants was plotted against the logarithm of the HEM electrical resistance for each AC condition. As expected, linear correlations between the logarithms of permeability coefficients and the logarithms of resistances of HEM were observed, and the permeability data were first normalized and then compared at the same HEM electrical resistance using these correlations. Transport enhancement of the ionic permeant was significantly larger than that of the neutral permeant during AC iontophoresis. The fluxes of the ionic permeant during AC iontophoresis of 2.5 V in the frequency range from 5 to 1,000 Hz were relatively constant and were approximately 4 times over those of passive transport. When the AC frequency decreased from 5 to 0.001 Hz at 2.5 V, flux enhancement increased to around 50 times over passive transport. While the AC frequency for achieving the full effect of iontophoretic enhancement at low AC frequency was lower than anticipated, the frequency for approaching passive diffusion transport at high frequency was higher than expected from the HEM morphology. These observations are consistent with a transport model of multiple

  13. Intra-particle migration of mercury in granular polysulfide-rubber-coated activated carbon (PSR-AC)

    PubMed Central

    Kim, Eun-Ah; Masue-Slowey, Yoko; Fendorf, Scott; Luthy, Richard G.

    2011-01-01

    The depth profile of mercuric ion after the reaction with polysulfide-rubber-coated activated carbon (PSR-AC) was investigated using micro-x-ray fluorescence (μ-XRF) imaging techniques and mathematical modeling. The μ-XRF results revealed that mercury was concentrated at 0~100 μm from the exterior of the particle after three months of treatment with PSR-AC in 10 ppm HgCl2 aqueous solution. The μ-X-ray absorption near edge spectroscopic (μ-XANES) analyses indicated HgS as a major mercury species, and suggested that the intra-particle mercury transport involved a chemical reaction with PSR polymer. An intra-particle mass transfer model was developed based on either a Langmuir sorption isotherm with liquid phase diffusion (Langmuir model) or a kinetic sorption with surface diffusion (kinetic sorption model). The Langmuir model predicted the general trend of mercury diffusion, although at a slower rate than observed from the μ-XRF map. A kinetic sorption model suggested faster mercury transport, which overestimated the movement of mercuric ions through an exchange reaction between the fast and slow reaction sites. Both μ-XRF and mathematical modeling results suggest mercury removal occurs not only at the outer surface of the PSR-AC particle but also at some interior regions due to a large PSR surface area within an AC particle. PMID:22133913

  14. (AC)3: A German Initiative to Study Arctic Amplification—Climate Relevant Atmospheric and Surface Processes and Feedback Mechanisms

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Spreen, G.; Wendisch, M.; Brückner, M.

    2016-12-01

    Within the last 25 years a remarkable increase of the Arctic near-surface air temperature exceeding the global warming by a factor of at least two has been observed. This phenomenon is commonly referred to as Arctic Amplification. The warming results in rather dramatic changes of a variety of climate parameters. For example, the Arctic sea ice has declined significantly. This ice retreat has been well identified by satellite measurements. Over recent decades, significant progress has been made in two main scientific areas: (i) the capabilities of in-situ measurements and remote sensing techniques to observe key physico-chemical atmospheric constituents and surface parameters at high latitudes have advanced impressively, and (ii) the computational skills and power used to model individual feedback mechanisms on small scales have improved notably. It is, therefore, timely to exploit synergistically these new developments to enhance our knowledge of the origins of the observed Arctic climate changes. To achieve this aim a new Transregional Collaborative Research Center (TR 172) was launched in January 2016 called "ArctiC Amplification: Climate Relevant Atmospheric and SurfaCe Processes, and Feedback Mechanisms" with the acronym (AC)3. Observations from instrumentation on satellites, aircraft, tethered balloons, research vessels, and a selected set of ground-based sites will be integrated in dedicated campaigns, as well as being combined with long-term measurements. The field studies will be conducted in different seasons and meteorological conditions, covering a suitably wide range of spatial and temporal scales. They will be performed in an international context and in close collaboration with modelling activities. The latter utilize a hierarchy of process, meso-scale, regional, and global models to bridge the spatio-temporal scales from local individual processes to appropriate climate signals. The models will serve to guide the campaigns, to analyse the

  15. FLUIDIC AC AMPLIFIERS.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    Several fluidic tuned AC Amplifiers were designed and tested. Interstage tuning and feedback designs are considered. Good results were obtained...corresponding Q’s as high as 12. Element designs and test results of one, two, and three stage amplifiers are presented. AC Modulated Carrier Systems

  16. Development of a hardware-based AC microgrid for AC stability assessment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Swanson, Robert R.

    As more power electronic-based devices enable the development of high-bandwidth AC microgrids, the topic of microgrid power distribution stability has become of increased interest. Recently, researchers have proposed a relatively straightforward method to assess the stability of AC systems based upon the time-constants of sources, the net bus capacitance, and the rate limits of sources. In this research, a focus has been to develop a hardware test system to evaluate AC system stability. As a first step, a time domain model of a two converter microgrid was established in which a three phase inverter acts as a power source and an active rectifier serves as an adjustable constant power AC load. The constant power load can be utilized to create rapid power flow transients to the generating system. As a second step, the inverter and active rectifier were designed using a Smart Power Module IGBT for switching and an embedded microcontroller as a processor for algorithm implementation. The inverter and active rectifier were designed to operate simultaneously using a synchronization signal to ensure each respective local controller operates in a common reference frame. Finally, the physical system was created and initial testing performed to validate the hardware functionality as a variable amplitude and variable frequency AC system.

  17. Activated carbon with excellent chromium(VI) adsorption performance prepared by acid-base surface modification.

    PubMed

    Liu, S X; Chen, X; Chen, X Y; Liu, Z F; Wang, H L

    2007-03-06

    In the present work, activated carbon (AC) with excellent Cr(VI) adsorption performance especially at low concentrations was prepared by an acid-base surface modification method. Raw activated carbon (AC(0)) was first oxidized in boiling HNO(3) (AC(1)), then treated with a mixture of NaOH and NaCl (AC(2)). Batch equilibrium and continuous column adsorption were conducted to evaluate the adsorption performance. Boehm titration, elemental analysis, and N(2)/77K adsorption isotherm methods were used to characterize the surface properties and pore structure of modified ACs. The results revealed that the modified AC exhibited excellent Cr(VI) adsorption performance in terms of adsorption capacity and adsorption rate: AC(2)>AC(1)>AC(0). Modification caused S(BET) to decrease and the total number of surface oxygen acidic groups to increase. HNO(3) oxidization produced positive acid groups, and subsequently NaOH treatment replaced H(+) of surface acid groups by Na(+), and the acidity of AC decreased. The main cause of higher Cr(VI) adsorption capacity and rate for AC(2) was the presence of more oxygen surface acidic groups and suitable surface acidity. HNO(3)-NaOH modification shows potential for the preparation of high quality AC for the effective removal of low concentrations of Cr(VI).

  18. Performance trends of rehabilitated AC pavements

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2000-10-01

    The General Pavement Study (GPS) 6 experiment, "AC Overlay of AC Pavements," involves pavement test sections where an asphalt concrete (AC) overlay was placed on an existing AC pavement. This TechBrief summarizes the results of a study of the GPS-6 e...

  19. Preparation of a new adsorbent from activated carbon and carbon nanofiber (AC/CNF) for manufacturing organic-vacbpour respirator cartridge

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    In this study a composite of activated carbon and carbon nanofiber (AC/CNF) was prepared to improve the performance of activated carbon (AC) for adsorption of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and its utilization for respirator cartridges. Activated carbon was impregnated with a nickel nitrate catalyst precursor and carbon nanofibers (CNF) were deposited directly on the AC surface using catalytic chemical vapor deposition. Deposited CNFs on catalyst particles in AC micropores, were activated by CO2 to recover the surface area and micropores. Surface and textural characterizations of the prepared composites were investigated using Brunauer, Emmett and Teller’s (BET) technique and electron microscopy respectively. Prepared composite adsorbent was tested for benzene, toluene and xylene (BTX) adsorption and then employed in an organic respirator cartridge in granular form. Adsorption studies were conducted by passing air samples through the adsorbents in a glass column at an adjustable flow rate. Finally, any adsorbed species not retained by the adsorbents in the column were trapped in a charcoal sorbent tube and analyzed by gas chromatography. CNFs with a very thin diameter of about 10-20 nm were formed uniformly on the AC/CNF. The breakthrough time for cartridges prepared with CO2 activated AC/CNF was 117 minutes which are significantly longer than for those cartridges prepared with walnut shell- based activated carbon with the same weight of adsorbents. This study showed that a granular form CO2 activated AC/CNF composite could be a very effective alternate adsorbent for respirator cartridges due to its larger adsorption capacities and lower weight. PMID:23369424

  20. Comparison of Short-Term Effects of Diquafosol and Rebamipide on Mucin 5AC Level on the Rabbit Ocular Surface.

    PubMed

    Hori, Yuichi; Kageyama, Tomofumi; Sakamoto, Asuka; Shiba, Tomoaki; Nakamura, Masatsugu; Maeno, Takatoshi

    To investigate the short-term effects of 2 new secretagogue eye drops for dry eye, 3% diquafosol tetrasodium ophthalmic solution (diquafosol) and 2% rebamipide ophthalmic suspension (rebamipide), on the concentration of mucin 5AC (MUC5AC) in rabbit tear fluid and conjunctival goblet cells. One dose of artificial tears, diquafosol or rebamipide, was instilled into 8 eyes of Japanese white rabbits. MUC5AC concentration in the tear fluid was examined using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay 15 min after instillation and compared with 8 untreated controls. Impression cytology was performed to measure the number of periodic acid Schiff (PAS)-positive cells and the ratio of the PAS-positive area using image analysis software. Statistical comparison was performed using ANOVA with post hoc analysis with the Tukey's test. After 15 min, only diquafosol significantly (P ≤ 0.01) increased the MUC5AC level in the tear fluid. Although no drug affected the number of PAS-positive cells, the ratio of the PAS-positive area decreased significantly (P ≤ 0.01) only in the diquafosol group. These data indicated that more PAS-positive MUC5AC was released into the tear fluid from the goblet cells by diquafosol than by rebamipide. There is a difference in the induction pattern of MUC5AC into the tears from the goblet cells between these eye drops.

  1. Estimating BrAC from transdermal alcohol concentration data using the BrAC estimator software program.

    PubMed

    Luczak, Susan E; Rosen, I Gary

    2014-08-01

    Transdermal alcohol sensor (TAS) devices have the potential to allow researchers and clinicians to unobtrusively collect naturalistic drinking data for weeks at a time, but the transdermal alcohol concentration (TAC) data these devices produce do not consistently correspond with breath alcohol concentration (BrAC) data. We present and test the BrAC Estimator software, a program designed to produce individualized estimates of BrAC from TAC data by fitting mathematical models to a specific person wearing a specific TAS device. Two TAS devices were worn simultaneously by 1 participant for 18 days. The trial began with a laboratory alcohol session to calibrate the model and was followed by a field trial with 10 drinking episodes. Model parameter estimates and fit indices were compared across drinking episodes to examine the calibration phase of the software. Software-generated estimates of peak BrAC, time of peak BrAC, and area under the BrAC curve were compared with breath analyzer data to examine the estimation phase of the software. In this single-subject design with breath analyzer peak BrAC scores ranging from 0.013 to 0.057, the software created consistent models for the 2 TAS devices, despite differences in raw TAC data, and was able to compensate for the attenuation of peak BrAC and latency of the time of peak BrAC that are typically observed in TAC data. This software program represents an important initial step for making it possible for non mathematician researchers and clinicians to obtain estimates of BrAC from TAC data in naturalistic drinking environments. Future research with more participants and greater variation in alcohol consumption levels and patterns, as well as examination of gain scheduling calibration procedures and nonlinear models of diffusion, will help to determine how precise these software models can become. Copyright © 2014 by the Research Society on Alcoholism.

  2. Simulation of the AC corona phenomenon with experimental validation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Villa, Andrea; Barbieri, Luca; Marco, Gondola; Malgesini, Roberto; Leon-Garzon, Andres R.

    2017-11-01

    The corona effect, and in particular the Trichel phenomenon, is an important aspect of plasma physics with many technical applications, such as pollution reduction, surface and medical treatments. This phenomenon is also associated with components used in the power industry where it is, in many cases, the source of electro-magnetic disturbance, noise and production of undesired chemically active species. Despite the power industry to date using mainly alternating current (AC) transmission, most of the studies related to the corona effect have been carried out with direct current (DC) sources. Therefore, there is technical interest in validating numerical codes capable of simulating the AC phenomenon. In this work we describe a set of partial differential equations that are comprehensive enough to reproduce the distinctive features of the corona in an AC regime. The model embeds some selectable chemical databases, comprising tens of chemical species and hundreds of reactions, the thermal dynamics of neutral species and photoionization. A large set of parameters—deduced from experiments and numerical estimations—are compared, to assess the effectiveness of the proposed approach.

  3. AC/RC Force Integration

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1991-05-01

    ib qeocie. Thki document may not be rdeaed for open publicado. untit hu been deared by die appropriate military seavice or a veunent agency. AC /RC...A N/A N/A 11. TITLE (Include Security Classification) AC /RC Force Structure Integraticn 12. PERSONAL AUTHOR(S) Russell A. Eggers 13a. TYPE OF REPORT... AC ) and Reserve Components (RC) Force Integration is critical in today’s Total Army. The Army of soldiers, Active and Reserve, exists to play a key

  4. Gigantic Surface Lifetime of an Intrinsic Topological Insulator

    DOE PAGES

    Neupane, Madhab; Xu, Su-Yang; Ishida, Yukiaki; ...

    2015-09-09

    We report that the interaction between light and novel two-dimensional electronic states holds promise to realize new fundamental physics and optical devices. Here, we use pump-probe photoemission spectroscopy to study the optically excited Dirac surface states in the bulk-insulating topological insulator Bi 2Te 2Se and reveal optical properties that are in sharp contrast to those of bulk-metallic topological insulators. We observe a gigantic optical lifetime exceeding 4 μs (1 μs=10 more » $${-}$$6 s) for the surface states in Bi 2Te 2Se, whereas the lifetime in most topological insulators, such as Bi2Se3, has been limited to a few picoseconds (1 ps=10 $${-}$$12 s). Moreover, we discover a surface photovoltage, a shift of the chemical potential of the Dirac surface states, as large as 100 mV. Lastly, our results demonstrate a rare platform to study charge excitation and relaxation in energy and momentum space in a two-dimensional system.« less

  5. Characterizing fiber-reinforced composite structures using AC-impedance spectroscopy (AC-IS)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Woo, Leta Y.

    Property enhancement in composites depends largely on the reinforcement. For fiber-reinforced composites, the distribution of fibers is crucial in determining the electrical and mechanical performance. Image analysis methods for characterization can be time-consuming and/or destructive. This work explores the capability of AC-impedance spectroscopy (AC-IS), an electrical measurement technique, to serve as a rapid, non-destructive tool for characterizing composite microstructure. The composite requirements include a filler that is electrically conducting or semi-conducting with higher conductivity than the matrix, and a high-impedance interface or coating between the filler and the matrix. To establish an AC-IS characterization method, cement-matrix composites with steel reinforcement were employed as both a technologically important and a model system to investigate how fibers affect the electrical response. Beginning with spherical particulates and then fibers, composites were examined using composite theory and an "intrinsic conductivity" approach. The intrinsic conductivity approach applies to composites with low volume fractions of fibers (i.e., in the dilute regime) and relates how the composite conductivity varies relative to the matrix as a function of volume fraction. A universal equivalent circuit model was created to understand the AC-IS response of composites based on the geometry and volume fraction of the filler. Deviation from predicted behavior was assessed using a developed f-function, which quantifies how fibers contribute to the overall electrical response of the composite. Using the f-function, an AC-IS method for investigating fiber dispersion was established to characterize alignment, settling/segregation, and aggregation. Alignment was investigated using measurements made in three directions. A point-probe technique characterized settling and/or large-scale inhomogeneous mixing in samples. Aggregation was quantified using a "dispersion factor

  6. Absorption and Attenuation Coefficients Using the WET Labs ac-s in the Mid-Atlantic Bight: Field Measurements and Data Analysis

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ohi, Nobuaki; Makinen, Carla P.; Mitchell, Richard; Moisan, Tiffany A.

    2008-01-01

    Ocean color algorithms are based on the parameterization of apparent optical properties as a function of inherent optical properties. WET Labs underwater absorption and attenuation meters (ac-9 and ac-s) measure both the spectral beam attenuation [c (lambda)] and absorption coefficient [a (lambda)]. The ac-s reports in a continuous range of 390-750 nm with a band pass of 4 nm, totaling approximately 83 distinct wavelengths, while the ac-9 reports at 9 wavelengths. We performed the ac-s field measurements at nine stations in the Mid-Atlantic Bight from water calibrations to data analysis. Onboard the ship, the ac-s was calibrated daily using Milli Q-water. Corrections for the in situ temperature and salinity effects on optical properties of water were applied. Corrections for incomplete recovery of the scattered light in the ac-s absorption tube were performed. The fine scale of spectral and vertical distributions of c (lambda) and a (lambda) were described from the ac-s. The significant relationships between a (674) and that of spectrophotometric analysis and chlorophyll a concentration of discrete water samples were observed.

  7. Surface modification and electrochemical properties of activated carbons for supercapacitor electrodes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yang, Dan; Qiu, Wenmei; Xu, Jingcai; Han, Yanbing; Jin, Hongxiao; Jin, Dingfeng; Peng, Xiaoling; Hong, Bo; Li, Ji; Ge, Hongliang; Wang, Xinqing

    2015-12-01

    Modifications with different acids (HNO3, H2SO4, HCl and HF, respectively) were introduced to treat the activated carbons (ACs) surface. The microstructures and surface chemical properties were discussed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), ASAP, Raman spectra and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra. The ACs electrode-based supercapacitors were assembled with 6 mol ṡ L-1 KOH electrolyte. The electrochemical properties were studied by galvanostatic charge-discharge and cyclic voltammetry. The results indicated that although the BET surface area of modified ACs decreased, the functional groups were introduced and the ash contents were reduced on the surface of ACs, receiving larger specific capacitance to initial AC. The specific capacitance of ACs modified with HCl, H2SO4, HF and HNO3 increased by 31.4%, 23%, 21% and 11.6%, respectively.

  8. Early Observations with the ACS Ramp Filters

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tsvetanov, Z.; Hartig, G.; Bohlin, R.; Tran, H. D.; Martel, A.; Sirianni, M.; Clampin, M.

    2002-05-01

    The Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) on-board the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) is equipped with a set of ramp filters which provide imaging capability at 2% and 9% bandwidth in the range 3700-10700 Å. Each ramp filter consist of three segments where the middle segment can be used with both the Wide Field Channel (WFC) and High Resolution Channel (HRC), while the inner and outer segments can be used only with WFC. The monochromatic field of view is approximately 40'' by 80''. We will present observations of the planetary nebula (PN) NGC6543 (the Cat's Eye) taken with the ACS ramp filetrs in several key emission lines - [O II] 3727, [O III] 5007, H-alpha+[N II], and [S II] 6725. These four emission lines fall onto three separate middle ramp segments - FR388N, FR505N, and FR656N - and will allow inter-comparison between the ACS ramp filters and fixed bandpass narrow-band filters F502N and F658N for both the WFC and HRC detectors. These observations were taken as part of the HST Servicing Mission Orbital Verification program and were designed to test ramp filters performance. We will demostrate our ability to obtain monochromatic (i.e., emission line) images at arbitrary wavelength and recover the surface brightness distribution. This work was supported by a NASA contract and a NASA grant.

  9. AC/DC Power Systems with Applications for future Lunar/Mars base and Crew Exploration Vehicle

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Chowdhury, Badrul H.

    2005-01-01

    ABSTRACT The Power Systems branch at JSC faces a number of complex issues as it readies itself for the President's initiative on future space exploration beyond low earth orbit. Some of these preliminary issues - those dealing with electric power generation and distribution on board Mars-bound vehicle and that on Lunar and Martian surface may be summarized as follows: Type of prime mover - Because solar power may not be readily available on parts of the Lunar/Mars surface and also during the long duration flight to Mars, the primary source of power will most likely be nuclear power (Uranium fuel rods) with a secondary source of fuel cell (Hydrogen supply). The electric power generation source - With nuclear power being the main prime mover, the electric power generation source will most likely be an ac generator at a yet to be determined frequency. Thus, a critical issue is whether the generator should generate at constant or variable frequency. This will decide what type of generator to use - whether it is a synchronous machine, an asynchronous induction machine or a switched reluctance machine. The type of power distribution system - the distribution frequency, number of wires (3- wire, 4-wire or higher), and ac/dc hybridization. Building redundancy and fault tolerance in the generation and distribution sub-systems so that the system is safe; provides 100% availability to critical loads; continues to operate even with faulted sub-systems; and requires minimal maintenance. This report descril_es results of a summer faculty fellowship spent in the Power Systems Branch with the specific aim of investigating some of the lessons learned in electric power generation and usage from the terrestrial power systems industry, the aerospace industry as well as NASA's on-going missions so as to recommend novel surface and vehicle-based power systems architectures in support of future space exploration initiatives. A hybrid ac/dc architecture with source side and load side

  10. 570 mV photovoltage, stabilized n-Si/CoO x heterojunction photoanodes fabricated using atomic layer deposition

    DOE PAGES

    Zhou, Xinghao; Liu, Rui; Sun, Ke; ...

    2016-01-08

    Heterojunction photoanodes, consisting of n-type crystalline Si(100) substrates coated with a thin ~50 nm film of cobalt oxide fabricated using atomic-layer deposition (ALD), exhibited photocurrent-onset potentials of -205 ± 20 mV relative to the formal potential for the oxygen-evolution reaction (OER), ideal regenerative solar-to-O 2(g) conversion efficiencies of 1.42 ± 0.20%, and operated continuously for over 100 days (~2500 h) in 1.0 M KOH(aq) under simulated solar illumination. The ALD CoO x thin film: (i) formed a heterojunction with the n-Si(100) that provided a photovoltage of 575 mV under 1 Sun of simulated solar illumination; (ii) stabilized Si photoanodes thatmore » are otherwise unstable when operated in aqueous alkaline electrolytes; and, (iii) catalyzed the oxidation of water, thereby reducing the kinetic overpotential required for the reaction and increasing the overall efficiency relative to electrodes that do not have an inherently electrocatalytic coating. The process provides a simple, effective method for enabling the use of planar n-Si(100) substrates as efficient and durable photoanodes in fully integrated, photovoltaic-biased solar fuels generators.« less

  11. The ACS statistical analyzer

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2010-03-01

    This document provides guidance for using the ACS Statistical Analyzer. It is an Excel-based template for users of estimates from the American Community Survey (ACS) to assess the precision of individual estimates and to compare pairs of estimates fo...

  12. The AC photovoltaic module is here!

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Strong, Steven J.; Wohlgemuth, John H.; Wills, Robert H.

    1997-02-01

    This paper describes the design, development, and performance results of a large-area photovoltaic module whose electrical output is ac power suitable for direct connection to the utility grid. The large-area ac PV module features a dedicated, integrally mounted, high-efficiency dc-to-ac power inverter with a nominal output of 250 watts (STC) at 120 Vac, 60 H, that is fully compatible with utility power. The module's output is connected directly to the building's conventional ac distribution system without need for any dc wiring, string combiners, dc ground-fault protection or additional power-conditioning equipment. With its advantages, the ac photovoltaic module promises to become a universal building block for use in all utility-interactive PV systems. This paper discusses AC Module design aspects and utility interface issues (including islanding).

  13. Preliminary Therapy Evaluation of 225Ac-DOTA-c(RGDyK) Demonstrates that Cerenkov Radiation Derived from 225Ac Daughter Decay Can Be Detected by Optical Imaging for In Vivo Tumor Visualization

    PubMed Central

    Pandya, Darpan N.; Hantgan, Roy; Budzevich, Mikalai M.; Kock, Nancy D.; Morse, David L.; Batista, Izadora; Mintz, Akiva; Li, King C.; Wadas, Thaddeus J.

    2016-01-01

    The theranostic potential of 225Ac-based radiopharmaceuticals continues to increase as researchers seek innovative ways to harness the nuclear decay of this radioisotope for therapeutic and imaging applications. This communication describes the evaluation of 225Ac-DOTA-c(RGDyK) in both biodistribution and Cerenkov luminescence imaging (CLI) studies. Initially, La-DOTA-c(RGDyK) was prepared as a non-radioactive surrogate to evaluate methodologies that would contribute to an optimized radiochemical synthetic strategy and estimate the radioactive conjugate's affinity for αvβ3, using surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy. Surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy studies revealed the IC50 and Ki of La-DOTA-c(RGDyK) to be 33 ± 13 nM and 26 ± 11 nM, respectively, and suggest that the complexation of the La3+ ion to the conjugate did not significantly alter integrin binding. Furthermore, use of this surrogate allowed optimization of radiochemical synthesis strategies to prepare 225Ac-DOTA-c(RGDyK) with high radiochemical purity and specific activity similar to other 225Ac-based radiopharmaceuticals. This radiopharmaceutical was highly stable in vitro. In vivo biodistribution studies confirmed the radiotracer's ability to target αvβ3 integrin with specificity; specificity was detected in tumor-bearing animals using Cerenkov luminescence imaging. Furthermore, tumor growth control was achieved using non-toxic doses of the radiopharmaceutical in U87mg tumor-bearing nude mice. To our knowledge, this is the first report to describe the CLI of αvβ3+ tumors in live animals using the daughter products derived from 225Ac decay in situ. This concept holds promise to further enhance development of targeted alpha particle therapy. PMID:27022417

  14. Preliminary Therapy Evaluation of (225)Ac-DOTA-c(RGDyK) Demonstrates that Cerenkov Radiation Derived from (225)Ac Daughter Decay Can Be Detected by Optical Imaging for In Vivo Tumor Visualization.

    PubMed

    Pandya, Darpan N; Hantgan, Roy; Budzevich, Mikalai M; Kock, Nancy D; Morse, David L; Batista, Izadora; Mintz, Akiva; Li, King C; Wadas, Thaddeus J

    2016-01-01

    The theranostic potential of (225)Ac-based radiopharmaceuticals continues to increase as researchers seek innovative ways to harness the nuclear decay of this radioisotope for therapeutic and imaging applications. This communication describes the evaluation of (225)Ac-DOTA-c(RGDyK) in both biodistribution and Cerenkov luminescence imaging (CLI) studies. Initially, La-DOTA-c(RGDyK) was prepared as a non-radioactive surrogate to evaluate methodologies that would contribute to an optimized radiochemical synthetic strategy and estimate the radioactive conjugate's affinity for αvβ3, using surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy. Surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy studies revealed the IC50 and Ki of La-DOTA-c(RGDyK) to be 33 ± 13 nM and 26 ± 11 nM, respectively, and suggest that the complexation of the La(3+) ion to the conjugate did not significantly alter integrin binding. Furthermore, use of this surrogate allowed optimization of radiochemical synthesis strategies to prepare (225)Ac-DOTA-c(RGDyK) with high radiochemical purity and specific activity similar to other (225)Ac-based radiopharmaceuticals. This radiopharmaceutical was highly stable in vitro. In vivo biodistribution studies confirmed the radiotracer's ability to target αvβ3 integrin with specificity; specificity was detected in tumor-bearing animals using Cerenkov luminescence imaging. Furthermore, tumor growth control was achieved using non-toxic doses of the radiopharmaceutical in U87mg tumor-bearing nude mice. To our knowledge, this is the first report to describe the CLI of αvβ3 (+) tumors in live animals using the daughter products derived from (225)Ac decay in situ. This concept holds promise to further enhance development of targeted alpha particle therapy.

  15. Slow-onset and fast-onset symptom presentations in acute coronary syndrome (ACS): new perspectives on prehospital delay in patients with ACS.

    PubMed

    O'Donnell, Sharon; McKee, Gabrielle; Mooney, Mary; O'Brien, Frances; Moser, Debra K

    2014-04-01

    Patient decision delay is the main reason why many patients fail to receive timely medical intervention for symptoms of acute coronary syndrome (ACS). This study examines the validity of slow-onset and fast-onset ACS presentations and their influence on ACS prehospital delay times. A fast-onset ACS presentation is characterized by sudden, continuous, and severe chest pain, and slow-onset ACS pertains to all other ACS presentations. Baseline data pertaining to medical profiles, prehospital delay times, and ACS symptoms were recorded for all ACS patients who participated in a large multisite randomized control trial (RCT) in Dublin, Ireland. Patients were interviewed 2-4 days after their ACS event, and data were gathered using the ACS Response to Symptom Index. Only baseline data from the RCT, N = 893 patients, were analyzed. A total of 65% (n = 577) of patients experienced slow-onset ACS presentation, whereas 35% (n = 316) experienced fast-onset ACS. Patients who experienced slow-onset ACS were significantly more likely to have longer prehospital delays than patients with fast-onset ACS (3.5 h vs. 2.0 h, respectively, t = -5.63, df 890, p < 0.001). A multivariate analysis of delay revealed that, in the presence of other known delay factors, the only independent predictors of delay were slow-onset and fast-onset ACS (β = -.096, p < 0.002) and other factors associated with patient behavior. Slow-onset ACS and fast-onset ACS presentations are associated with distinct behavioral patterns that significantly influence prehospital time frames. As such, slow-onset ACS and fast-onset ACS are legitimate ACS presentation phenomena that should be seriously considered when examining the factors associated with prehospital delay. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  16. Multiple piezo-patch energy harvesters on a thin plate with respective AC-DC conversion

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Aghakhani, Amirreza; Basdogan, Ipek

    2018-03-01

    Piezoelectric patch energy harvesters can be directly integrated to plate-like structures which are widely used in automotive, marine and aerospace applications, to convert vibrational energy to electrical energy. This paper presents two different AC-DC conversion techniques for multiple patch harvesters, namely single rectifier and respective rectifiers. The first case considers all the piezo-patches are connected in parallel to a single rectifier, whereas in the second case, each harvester is respectively rectified and then connected in parallel to a smoothing capacitor and a resistive load. The latter configuration of AC-DC conversion helps to avoid the electrical charge cancellation which is a problem with the multiple harvesters attached to different locations of the host plate surface. Equivalent circuit model of the multiple piezo-patch harvesters is developed in the SPICE software to simulate the electrical response. The system parameters are obtained from the modal analysis solution of the plate. Simulations of the voltage frequency response functions (FRFs) for the standard AC input - AC output case are conducted and validated by experimental data. Finally, for the AC input - DC output case, numerical simulation and experimental results of the power outputs of multiple piezo-patch harvesters with multiple AC-DC converters are obtained for a wide range of resistive loads and compared with the same array of harvesters connected to a single AC-DC converter.

  17. Transient AC voltage related phenomena for HVDC schemes connected to weak AC systems

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Pilotto, L.A.S.; Szechtman, M.; Hammad, A.E.

    1992-07-01

    In this paper a didactic explanation of voltage stability associated phenomena at HVDC terminals is presented. Conditions leading to ac voltage collapse problems are identified. A mechanism that excites control-induced voltage oscillations is shown. The voltage stability factor is used for obtaining the maximum power limits of ac/dc systems operating with different control strategies. Correlation to Pd {times} Id curves is given. Solutions for eliminating the risks of voltage collapse and for avoiding control-induced oscillations are discussed. The results are supported by detailed digital simulations of a weak ac/dc system using EMTP.

  18. Microfabricated AC impedance sensor

    DOEpatents

    Krulevitch, Peter; Ackler, Harold D.; Becker, Frederick; Boser, Bernhard E.; Eldredge, Adam B.; Fuller, Christopher K.; Gascoyne, Peter R. C.; Hamilton, Julie K.; Swierkowski, Stefan P.; Wang, Xiao-Bo

    2002-01-01

    A microfabricated instrument for detecting and identifying cells and other particles based on alternating current (AC) impedance measurements. The microfabricated AC impedance sensor includes two critical elements: 1) a microfluidic chip, preferably of glass substrates, having at least one microchannel therein and with electrodes patterned on both substrates, and 2) electrical circuits that connect to the electrodes on the microfluidic chip and detect signals associated with particles traveling down the microchannels. These circuits enable multiple AC impedance measurements of individual particles at high throughput rates with sufficient resolution to identify different particle and cell types as appropriate for environmental detection and clinical diagnostic applications.

  19. High voltage AC/AC electrochemical capacitor operating at low temperature in salt aqueous electrolyte

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Abbas, Qamar; Béguin, François

    2016-06-01

    We demonstrate that an activated carbon (AC)-based electrochemical capacitor implementing aqueous lithium sulfate electrolyte in 7:3 vol:vol water/methanol mixture can operate down to -40 °C with good electrochemical performance. Three-electrode cell investigations show that the faradaic contributions related with hydrogen chemisorption in the negative AC electrode are thermodynamically unfavored at -40 °C, enabling the system to work as a typical electrical double-layer (EDL) capacitor. After prolonged floating of the AC/AC capacitor at 1.6 V and -40°C, the capacitance, equivalent series resistance and efficiency remain constant, demonstrating the absence of ageing related with side redox reactions at this temperature. Interestingly, when temperature is increased back to 24 °C, the redox behavior due to hydrogen storage reappears and the system behaves as a freshly prepared one.

  20. 21 CFR 886.4440 - AC-powered magnet.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false AC-powered magnet. 886.4440 Section 886.4440 Food... DEVICES OPHTHALMIC DEVICES Surgical Devices § 886.4440 AC-powered magnet. (a) Identification. An AC-powered magnet is an AC-powered device that generates a magnetic field intended to find and remove...

  1. Highly Efficient Perovskite-Perovskite Tandem Solar Cells Reaching 80% of the Theoretical Limit in Photovoltage.

    PubMed

    Rajagopal, Adharsh; Yang, Zhibin; Jo, Sae Byeok; Braly, Ian L; Liang, Po-Wei; Hillhouse, Hugh W; Jen, Alex K-Y

    2017-09-01

    Organic-inorganic hybrid perovskite multijunction solar cells have immense potential to realize power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) beyond the Shockley-Queisser limit of single-junction solar cells; however, they are limited by large nonideal photovoltage loss (V oc,loss ) in small- and large-bandgap subcells. Here, an integrated approach is utilized to improve the V oc of subcells with optimized bandgaps and fabricate perovskite-perovskite tandem solar cells with small V oc,loss . A fullerene variant, Indene-C 60 bis-adduct, is used to achieve optimized interfacial contact in a small-bandgap (≈1.2 eV) subcell, which facilitates higher quasi-Fermi level splitting, reduces nonradiative recombination, alleviates hysteresis instabilities, and improves V oc to 0.84 V. Compositional engineering of large-bandgap (≈1.8 eV) perovskite is employed to realize a subcell with a transparent top electrode and photostabilized V oc of 1.22 V. The resultant monolithic perovskite-perovskite tandem solar cell shows a high V oc of 1.98 V (approaching 80% of the theoretical limit) and a stabilized PCE of 18.5%. The significantly minimized nonideal V oc,loss is better than state-of-the-art silicon-perovskite tandem solar cells, which highlights the prospects of using perovskite-perovskite tandems for solar-energy generation. It also unlocks opportunities for solar water splitting using hybrid perovskites with solar-to-hydrogen efficiencies beyond 15%. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  2. Impurities or a neutral Fermi surface? A further examination of the low-energy ac optical conductivity of SmB6

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Laurita, N. J.; Morris, C. M.; Koohpayeh, S. M.; Phelan, W. A.; McQueen, T. M.; Armitage, N. P.

    2018-05-01

    Recent experiments have uncovered evidence of low energy excitations in the bulk of SmB6 that are perhaps associated with unconventional quasiparticles, bringing into question whether this Kondo "insulator" is truly insulating in the bulk. Recently, we demonstrated that SmB6 possesses significant in-gap bulk ac conduction far in excess of typical disordered semiconductors. Whether such conduction is an intrinsic feature of SmB6, suggesting the formation of an exotic state, or residual conduction from impurities continues to be a topic of debate. Here, we further examine the origin of the ac optical conductivity of SmB6 in light of recent experimental and theoretical developments. The optical conductivity of SmB6 is shown to possess distinct regimes of either dominant free carrier or localized response contributions. The free carrier response is found to be in good qualitative agreement with previous literature, although quantitative differences are revealed and discussed. The localized response, which dominates at the lowest temperatures, is analyzed in the context of models of either in-gap impurity states or an exotic neutral Fermi surface. The charge density or effective mass of this low temperature in-gap conductivity is extracted through a conductivity sum rule analysis and found to be in general alignment with both models in the appropriate limits. Our results shed further light on the nature of the in-gap states of SmB6.

  3. The AC 2000.2 Catalogue

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Urban, S. E.; Corbin, T. E.; Wycoff, G. L.; Makarov, V. V.; Høg, E.; Fabricius, C.

    2001-12-01

    For over 100 years, the international project known as the Astrographic Catalogue -- which involved 20 observatories tasked to photograph the sky -- has held an unfulfilled promised of yielding a wealth of astrometric information. This promise was not realized due to the inadequate reductions of the project's plates. However, in 1997 the U.S. Naval Observatory (USNO) completed the reductions of the 22,660 plates. That catalogue, named the AC 2000, contained positions and magnitudes for 4.6 million stars down to about v magnitude 12.5. Due to the early epochs of the data -- averaging 1907 -- and the positional accuracies -- between 150 and 400 milliarcseconds -- the data are extremely valuable in computing proper motions. In 1997, these positions were used to form the proper motions of the ACT Reference Catalogue. In 1999, USNO and Copenhagen University Observatory (CUO) partnered to create the Tycho-2 Catalogue. The CUO group re-analyzed the data from the Tycho experiment on the Hipparcos satellite. The USNO group re-analyzed over 140 positional catalogs which were combined with the expanded Tycho positions from the CUO group to compute the Tycho-2 proper motions. The largest contributor to these proper motions was the re-analyzed Astrographic Catalogue; the latest version being known as the AC 2000.2 Catalogue. There are two major differences between the AC 2000 and the AC 2000.2. First, the reference catalog used in AC 2000.2 was an expanded version of the Astrographic Catalogue Reference Stars that was rigorously derived on the Hipparcos Celestial Reference Frame. The second is that AC 2000.2 contains photometry from Tycho-2, where available. A description of the AC 2000.2 Catalogue, the reduction techniques used, how it compares with the 1997 version, and information on obtaining the data will be presented.

  4. Electrodeposition of Au/Ag bimetallic dendrites assisted by Faradaic AC-electroosmosis flow

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Ji, Jianlong; Li, Pengwei; Sang, Shengbo, E-mail: sbsang@tyut.edu.cn

    2014-03-15

    Au/Ag bimetallic dendrites were synthesized successfully from the corresponding aqueous solution via the AC electrodeposition method. Both of the morphologies and compositions could be tuned by the electrolyte concentration and AC frequency. The prepared bimetallic dendrites were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and UV–vis spectroscopy. The underlying dendrite growth mechanism was then proposed in the context of the Directed Electrochemical Nanowires Assembly (DENA) models. Owing to the unscreened voltage dropping in the electrolyte bulk, electromigration dominates the species flux process, and cations tend to accumulate in areas with strong electricmore » field intensity, such as electrode edges. Moreover, Faradaic AC-electro-osmosis (ACEO) flow could increase the effective diffusion layer thickness in these areas during the electrochemical reaction, and leads to dendrite growth. Further Micro-Raman observations illustrated that the Au/Ag bimetallic dendrites exhibited pronounced surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) activity, using 4-mercaptopyridine (4-MP) as model molecules.« less

  5. Initial NIST AC QHR Measurements

    PubMed Central

    Cage, M. E.; Shields, S. H.; Jeffery, A.

    2004-01-01

    We demonstrate that dc quantized Hall resistance (dc QHR) guideline properties and dc and ac QHR values can be measured without changing sample probe lead connections at the QHR device, and report ac QHR values that converge to the dc QHR value when using four-terminal-pair ac QHR measurements. This was accomplished during one cooldown using single-series and quadruple-series connections outside the sample probe. The QHR was measured from 0 Hz to 5500 Hz in 1:1 ratio at 20 µA to ±1 part in 107 uncertainties with a poor-quality QHR device. A good device would allow an order of magnitude smaller uncertainties over this frequency range. We exchanged positions of the QHR device and reference resistor in the bridge and remeasured the resistance ratios to remove dominant ac bridge effects. PMID:27366620

  6. Simultaneous distribution of AC and DC power

    DOEpatents

    Polese, Luigi Gentile

    2015-09-15

    A system and method for the transport and distribution of both AC (alternating current) power and DC (direct current) power over wiring infrastructure normally used for distributing AC power only, for example, residential and/or commercial buildings' electrical wires is disclosed and taught. The system and method permits the combining of AC and DC power sources and the simultaneous distribution of the resulting power over the same wiring. At the utilization site a complementary device permits the separation of the DC power from the AC power and their reconstruction, for use in conventional AC-only and DC-only devices.

  7. Electrospray mass spectrometry of NeuAc oligomers associated with the C fragment of the tetanus toxin

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Prieto, M C; Whittal, R M; Baldwin, M A

    2005-04-03

    The Clostridial neurotoxins, botulinum and tetanus, gain entry into neuronal cells by protein recognition involving cell specific binding sites. The sialic or N-acetylneuraminic acid (NeuAc) residues of gangliosides attached to the surface of motor neurons are the suspected recognition and interaction points with Clostridial neurotoxins, although not necessarily the only ones. We have used electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESIMS) to examine formation of complexes between the tetanus toxin C fragment, or targeting domain, and carbohydrates containing NeuAc groups to determine how NeuAc residues contribute to ganglioside binding. ESI-MS was used to rapidly and efficiently measure dissociation constants for a numbermore » of related NeuAc-containing carbohydrates and NeuAc oligomers, information that has helped identify the structural features of gangliosides that determine their binding to tetanus toxin. The strength of the interactions between the C fragment and (NeuAc){sub n}, are consistent with the topography of the targeting domain of tetanus toxin and the nature of its carbohydrate binding sites. The results suggest that the targeting domain of tetanus toxin contains two binding sites that can accommodate NeuAc (or a dimer). This study also shows that NeuAc must play an important role in ganglioside binding and molecular recognition, a process critical for normal cell function and one frequently exploited by toxins, bacteria and viruses to facilitate their entrance into cells.« less

  8. Dynamic characteristics of corona discharge generated under rainfall condition on AC charged conductors

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Xu, Pengfei; Zhang, Bo; Wang, Zezhong; Chen, Shuiming; He, Jinliang

    2017-12-01

    By synchronous measurement of corona current and the water droplet deformation process on a conductor surface, different types of corona discharge are visualized when AC voltage is applied on a line-ground electrode system. The corona characteristics are closely related to the applied voltage and water supply rate. With the increase of AC voltage, the positive Taylor cone discharge firstly appears and then disappears, replaced by the dripping and crashing discharge. Furthermore, the number of pulses in each pulse train increases with the increase of applied voltage. The mechanism of the transfer from the positive Taylor cone discharge to the dripping and crashing discharge is found to be related to the oscillation process of the water droplet. The water supply rate also has a great influence on the characteristics of corona currents. The number of positive pulse trains increases linearly when the water supply rate gets larger, leading to a higher audible noise and radio interference level from the AC corona, which is quite different from that of the DC corona. The difference between the AC and DC coronas under rainfall conditions is analyzed finally.

  9. 21 CFR 886.1850 - AC-powered slitlamp biomicroscope.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false AC-powered slitlamp biomicroscope. 886.1850... (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES OPHTHALMIC DEVICES Diagnostic Devices § 886.1850 AC-powered slitlamp biomicroscope. (a) Identification. An AC-powered slitlamp biomicroscope is an AC-powered device that is a...

  10. In-vitro cytotoxicity assessment of carbon-nanodot-conjugated Fe-aminoclay (CD-FeAC) and its bio-imaging applications.

    PubMed

    Kang, Kyoung Suk; Lee, Hyun Uk; Kim, Moon Il; Park, So Young; Chang, Sung-Jin; Park, Ji-Ho; Huh, Yun Suk; Lee, Jouhahn; Yang, Mino; Lee, Young-Chul; Park, Hyun Gyu

    2015-11-26

    We have investigated the cytotoxic assay of Fe-aminoclay (FeAC) nanoparticles (NPs) and simultaneous imaging in HeLa cells by photoluminescent carbon nanodots (CD) conjugation. Non-cytotoxic, photostable, and CD NPs are conjugated with cationic FeAC NPs where CD NPs play a role in bio-imaging and FeAC NPs act as a substrate for CD conjugation and help to uptake of NPs into cancer cells due to positively charged surface of FeAC NPs in physiological media. As increase of CD-FeAC NPs loading in HeLa cell in vitro, it showed slight cytotoxicity at 1000 μg/mL but no cytotoxicity for normal cells up to concentration of 1000 μg/mL confirmed by two 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) and neutral red (NR) assays, with further observations by 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) stained confocal microscopy images, possessing that CD-FeAC NPs can be used as potential drug delivery platforms in cancer cells with simultaneous imaging. Graphical abstract CD conjugation with organo-building blocks of delaminated FeAC NPs.

  11. Eddy Current Probe for Surface and Sub-Surface Inspection

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wincheski, Russell A. (Inventor); Simpson, John W. (Inventor)

    2014-01-01

    An eddy current probe includes an excitation coil for coupling to a low-frequency alternating current (AC) source. A magneto-resistive sensor is centrally disposed within and at one end of the excitation coil to thereby define a sensing end of the probe. A tubular flux-focusing lens is disposed between the excitation coil and the magneto-resistive sensor. An excitation wire is spaced apart from the magneto-resistive sensor in a plane that is perpendicular to the sensor's axis of sensitivity and such that, when the sensing end of the eddy current probe is positioned adjacent to the surface of a structure, the excitation wire is disposed between the magneto-resistive sensor and the surface of the structure. The excitation wire is coupled to a high-frequency AC source. The excitation coil and flux-focusing lens can be omitted when only surface inspection is required.

  12. Interfacial engineering of metal-insulator-semiconductor junctions for efficient and stable photoelectrochemical water oxidation

    PubMed Central

    Digdaya, Ibadillah A.; Adhyaksa, Gede W. P.; Trześniewski, Bartek J.; Garnett, Erik C.; Smith, Wilson A.

    2017-01-01

    Solar-assisted water splitting can potentially provide an efficient route for large-scale renewable energy conversion and storage. It is essential for such a system to provide a sufficiently high photocurrent and photovoltage to drive the water oxidation reaction. Here we demonstrate a photoanode that is capable of achieving a high photovoltage by engineering the interfacial energetics of metal–insulator–semiconductor junctions. We evaluate the importance of using two metals to decouple the functionalities for a Schottky contact and a highly efficient catalyst. We also illustrate the improvement of the photovoltage upon incidental oxidation of the metallic surface layer in KOH solution. Additionally, we analyse the role of the thin insulating layer to the pinning and depinning of Fermi level that is responsible to the resulting photovoltage. Finally, we report the advantage of using dual metal overlayers as a simple protection route for highly efficient metal–insulator–semiconductor photoanodes by showing over 200 h of operational stability. PMID:28660883

  13. High-Frequency ac Power-Distribution System

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hansen, Irving G.; Mildice, James

    1987-01-01

    Loads managed automatically under cycle-by-cycle control. 440-V rms, 20-kHz ac power system developed. System flexible, versatile, and "transparent" to user equipment, while maintaining high efficiency and low weight. Electrical source, from dc to 2,200-Hz ac converted to 440-V rms, 20-kHz, single-phase ac. Power distributed through low-inductance cables. Output power either dc or variable ac. Energy transferred per cycle reduced by factor of 50. Number of parts reduced by factor of about 5 and power loss reduced by two-thirds. Factors result in increased reliability and reduced costs. Used in any power-distribution system requiring high efficiency, high reliability, low weight, and flexibility to handle variety of sources and loads.

  14. 78 FR 39345 - ACS Wireless, Inc.; Notice of Application

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-07-01

    ... on July 31, 1995 under the name MACTEL INC. Alaska Communications Systems Group, Inc. (``ACS Group...-owned subsidiary of ACS Group, held through ACS Group's wholly-owned subsidiary Alaska Communications... presently an investment company as defined in section 3(a) of the Act. 2. On June 4, 2012, ACS Group, ACS...

  15. Optoelectrofluidic enhanced immunoreaction based on optically-induced dynamic AC electroosmosis.

    PubMed

    Han, Dongsik; Park, Je-Kyun

    2016-04-07

    We report a novel optoelectrofluidic immunoreaction system based on electroosmotic flow for enhancing antibody-analyte binding efficiency on a surface-based sensing system. Two conventional indium tin oxide glass slides are assembled to provide a reaction chamber for a tiny volume of sample droplet (∼5 μL), in which the top layer is employed as an antibody-immobilized substrate and the bottom layer acts as a photoconductive layer of an optoelectrofluidic device. Under the application of an AC voltage, an illuminated light pattern on the photoconductive layer causes strong counter-rotating vortices to transport analytes from the bulk solution to the vicinity of the assay spot on the glass substrate. This configuration overcomes the slow immunoreaction problem of a diffusion-based sensing system, resulting in the enhancement of binding efficiency via an optoelectrofluidic method. Furthermore, we investigate the effect of optically-induced dynamic AC electroosmotic flow on optoelectrofluidic enhancement for surface-based immunoreaction with a mathematical simulation study and real experiments using immunoglobulin G (IgG) and anti-IgG. As a result, dynamic light patterns provided better immunoreaction efficiency than static light patterns due to effective mass transport of the target analyte, resulting in an achievement of 2.18-fold enhancement under a growing circular light pattern compared to the passive mode.

  16. Bone regeneration performance of surface-treated porous titanium.

    PubMed

    Amin Yavari, Saber; van der Stok, Johan; Chai, Yoke Chin; Wauthle, Ruben; Tahmasebi Birgani, Zeinab; Habibovic, Pamela; Mulier, Michiel; Schrooten, Jan; Weinans, Harrie; Zadpoor, Amir Abbas

    2014-08-01

    The large surface area of highly porous titanium structures produced by additive manufacturing can be modified using biofunctionalizing surface treatments to improve the bone regeneration performance of these otherwise bioinert biomaterials. In this longitudinal study, we applied and compared three types of biofunctionalizing surface treatments, namely acid-alkali (AcAl), alkali-acid-heat treatment (AlAcH), and anodizing-heat treatment (AnH). The effects of treatments on apatite forming ability, cell attachment, cell proliferation, osteogenic gene expression, bone regeneration, biomechanical stability, and bone-biomaterial contact were evaluated using apatite forming ability test, cell culture assays, and animal experiments. It was found that AcAl and AnH work through completely different routes. While AcAl improved the apatite forming ability of as-manufactured (AsM) specimens, it did not have any positive effect on cell attachment, cell proliferation, and osteogenic gene expression. In contrast, AnH did not improve the apatite forming ability of AsM specimens but showed significantly better cell attachment, cell proliferation, and expression of osteogenic markers. The performance of AlAcH in terms of apatite forming ability and cell response was in between both extremes of AnH and AsM. AcAl resulted in significantly larger volumes of newly formed bone within the pores of the scaffold as compared to AnH. Interestingly, larger volumes of regenerated bone did not translate into improved biomechanical stability as AnH exhibited significantly better biomechanical stability as compared to AcAl suggesting that the beneficial effects of cell-nanotopography modulations somehow surpassed the benefits of improved apatite forming ability. In conclusion, the applied surface treatments have considerable effects on apatite forming ability, cell attachment, cell proliferation, and bone ingrowth of the studied biomaterials. The relationship between these properties and the bone

  17. Note: A phase synchronization photography method for AC discharge.

    PubMed

    Wu, Zhicheng; Zhang, Qiaogen; Ma, Jingtan; Pang, Lei

    2018-05-01

    To research discharge physics under AC voltage, a phase synchronization photography method is presented. By using a permanent-magnet synchronous motor to drive a photography mask synchronized with a discharge power supply, discharge images in a specific phase window can be recorded. Some examples of discharges photographed by this method, including the corona discharge in SF 6 and the corona discharge along the air/epoxy surface, demonstrate the feasibility of this method. Therefore, this method provides an effective tool for discharge physics researchers.

  18. Note: A phase synchronization photography method for AC discharge

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wu, Zhicheng; Zhang, Qiaogen; Ma, Jingtan; Pang, Lei

    2018-05-01

    To research discharge physics under AC voltage, a phase synchronization photography method is presented. By using a permanent-magnet synchronous motor to drive a photography mask synchronized with a discharge power supply, discharge images in a specific phase window can be recorded. Some examples of discharges photographed by this method, including the corona discharge in SF6 and the corona discharge along the air/epoxy surface, demonstrate the feasibility of this method. Therefore, this method provides an effective tool for discharge physics researchers.

  19. AC conductivity and dielectric behavior of bulk Furfurylidenemalononitrile

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    El-Nahass, M. M.; Ali, H. A. M.

    2012-06-01

    AC conductivity and dielectric behavior for bulk Furfurylidenemalononitrile have been studied over a temperature range (293-333 K) and frequency range (50-5×106 Hz). The frequency dependence of ac conductivity, σac, has been investigated by the universal power law, σac(ω)=Aωs. The variation of the frequency exponent (s) with temperature was analyzed in terms of different conduction mechanisms, and it was found that the correlated barrier hopping (CBH) model is the predominant conduction mechanism. The temperature dependence of σac(ω) showed a linear increase with the increase in temperature at different frequencies. The ac activation energy was determined at different frequencies. Dielectric data were analyzed using complex permittivity and complex electric modulus for bulk Furfurylidenemalononitrile at various temperatures.

  20. Pixel-based CTE Correction of ACS/WFC: Modifications To The ACS Calibration Pipeline (CALACS)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Smith, Linda J.; Anderson, J.; Armstrong, A.; Avila, R.; Bedin, L.; Chiaberge, M.; Davis, M.; Ferguson, B.; Fruchter, A.; Golimowski, D.; Grogin, N.; Hack, W.; Lim, P. L.; Lucas, R.; Maybhate, A.; McMaster, M.; Ogaz, S.; Suchkov, A.; Ubeda, L.

    2012-01-01

    The Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) was installed on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) nearly ten years ago. Over the last decade, continuous exposure to the harsh radiation environment has degraded the charge transfer efficiency (CTE) of the CCDs. The worsening CTE impacts the science that can be obtained by altering the photometric, astrometric and morphological characteristics of sources, particularly those farthest from the readout amplifiers. To ameliorate these effects, Anderson & Bedin (2010, PASP, 122, 1035) developed a pixel-based empirical approach to correcting ACS data by characterizing the CTE profiles of trails behind warm pixels in dark exposures. The success of this technique means that it is now possible to correct full-frame ACS/WFC images for CTE degradation in the standard data calibration and reduction pipeline CALACS. Over the past year, the ACS team at STScI has developed, refined and tested the new software. The details of this work are described in separate posters. The new code is more effective at low flux levels (< 50 electrons) than the original Anderson & Bedin code, and employs a more accurate time and temperature dependence for CTE. The new CALACS includes the automatic removal of low-level bias stripes (produced by the post-repair ACS electronics) and pixel-based CTE correction. In addition to the standard cosmic ray corrected, flat-fielded and drizzled data products (crj, flt and drz files) there are three new equivalent files (crc, flc and drc) which contain the CTE-corrected data products. The user community will be able to choose whether to use the standard or CTE-corrected products.

  1. Assay Methods for ACS Activity and ACS Phosphorylation by MAP Kinases In Vitro and In Vivo.

    PubMed

    Han, Xiaomin; Li, Guojing; Zhang, Shuqun

    2017-01-01

    Ethylene, a gaseous phytohormone, has profound effects on plant growth, development, and adaptation to the environment. Ethylene-regulated processes begin with the induction of ethylene biosynthesis. There are two key steps in ethylene biosynthesis. The first is the biosynthesis of 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) from S-Adenosyl-Methionine (SAM), a common precursor in many metabolic pathways, which is catalyzed by ACC synthase (ACS). The second is the oxidative cleavage of ACC to form ethylene under the action of ACC oxidase (ACO). ACC biosynthesis is the committing and generally the rate-limiting step in ethylene biosynthesis. As a result, characterizing the cellular ACS activity and understanding its regulation are important. In this chapter, we detail the methods used to measure, (1) the enzymatic activity of both recombinant and native ACS proteins, and (2) the phosphorylation of ACS protein by mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) in vivo and in vitro.

  2. Photomechanical vibration of thin crystals of polar semiconductors

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Lagowski, J.; Gatos, H. C.

    1974-01-01

    It was found that thin crystals of polar (non-centrosymmetric) semiconductors constitute a new type of photosensitive system in which incident illumination is converted into mechanical energy: thus, illumination-induced elastic deformation (bending) was observed on thin (00.1) CdS and (111) GaAs crystals; furthermore, by employing chopped light the crystals were excited to their resonant vibration (photomechanical vibration); the dependence of the amplitude of this vibration on the energy of the incident radiation was found to be similar to the dependence of the surface photovoltage on the energy of the incident radiation (surface photovoltage spectrum). The present findings are consistent with a model based on light-induced modulation of the piezoelectric surface stresses.

  3. Adsorption of naphthenic acids on high surface area activated carbons.

    PubMed

    Iranmanesh, Sobhan; Harding, Thomas; Abedi, Jalal; Seyedeyn-Azad, Fakhry; Layzell, David B

    2014-01-01

    In oil sands mining extraction, water is an essential component; however, the processed water becomes contaminated through contact with the bitumen at high temperature, and a portion of it cannot be recycled and ends up in tailing ponds. The removal of naphthenic acids (NAs) from tailing pond water is crucial, as they are corrosive and toxic and provide a substrate for microbial activity that can give rise to methane, which is a potent greenhouse gas. In this study, the conversion of sawdust into an activated carbon (AC) that could be used to remove NAs from tailings water was studied. After producing biochar from sawdust by a slow-pyrolysis process, the biochar was physically activated using carbon dioxide (CO2) over a range of temperatures or prior to producing biochar, and the sawdust was chemically activated using phosphoric acid (H3PO4). The physically activated carbon had a lower surface area per gram than the chemically activated carbon. The physically produced ACs had a lower surface area per gram than chemically produced AC. In the adsorption tests with NAs, up to 35 mg of NAs was removed from the water per gram of AC. The chemically treated ACs showed better uptake, which can be attributed to its higher surface area and increased mesopore size when compared with the physically treated AC. Both the chemically produced and physically produced AC provided better uptake than the commercially AC.

  4. Augmentation of Antitumor T-Cell Responses by Increasing APC T-Cell C5a/C3a-C5aR/C3aR Interactions

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2013-03-01

    the surface of cells after incorporation of decay-accelerating factor (DAF) into their membranes. The Journal of experimental medicine . 1984;160(5...cell immunity. The Journal of experimental medicine . 2005;201(10):1523-30. PubMed PMID: 15883171. 3. Vogel CW, Wilkie SD, Morgan AC. In vivo studies...with covalent conjugates of cobra venom factor and monoclonal antibodies to human tumors. Haematology and blood transfusion. 1985;29:514- 7. Epub

  5. Gamma-irradiation produces active chlorine species (ACS) in physiological solutions: Secoisolariciresinol diglucoside (SDG) scavenges ACS - A novel mechanism of DNA radioprotection

    PubMed Central

    Mishra, Om P.; Popov, Anatoliy V.; Pietrofesa, Ralph A.; Christofidou-Solomidou, Melpo

    2017-01-01

    Background Secoisolariciresinol diglucoside (SDG), the main lignan in whole grain flaxseed, is a potent antioxidant and free radical scavenger with known radioprotective properties. However, the exact mechanism of SDG radioprotection is not well understood. The current study identified a novel mechanism of DNA radioprotection by SDG in physiological solutions by scavenging active chlorine species (ACS) and reducing chlorinated nucleobases. Methods The ACS scavenging activity of SDG was determined using two highly specific fluoroprobes: hypochlorite-specific 3′-(p-aminophenyl) fluorescein (APF) and hydroxyl radical-sensitive 3′-(p-hydroxyphenyl) fluorescein (HPF). Dopamine, an SDG structural analog, was used for proton 1H NMR studies to trap primary ACS radicals. Taurine N-chlorination was determined to demonstrate radiation-induced generation of hypochlorite, a secondary ACS. DNA protection was assessed by determining the extent of DNA fragmentation and plasmid DNA relaxation following exposure to ClO− and radiation. Purine base chlorination by ClO− and γ-radiation was determined by using 2-aminopurine (2-AP), a fluorescent analog of 6-aminopurine. Results: Chloride anions (Cl−) consumed >90% of hydroxyl radicals in physiological solutions produced by γ-radiation resulting in ACS formation, which was detected by 1H NMR. Importantly, SDG scavenged hypochlorite- and γ-radiation-induced ACS. In addition, SDG blunted ACS-induced fragmentation of calf thymus DNA and plasmid DNA relaxation. SDG treatment before or after ACS exposure decreased the ClO− or γ-radiation-induced chlorination of 2-AP. Exposure to γ-radiation resulted in increased taurine chlorination, indicative of ClO− generation. NMR studies revealed formation of primary ACS radicals (chlorine atoms (Cl•) and dichloro radical anions (Cl2−•)), which were trapped by SDG and its structural analog dopamine. Conclusion We demonstrate that γ-radiation induces the generation of ACS in

  6. Gamma-irradiation produces active chlorine species (ACS) in physiological solutions: Secoisolariciresinol diglucoside (SDG) scavenges ACS - A novel mechanism of DNA radioprotection.

    PubMed

    Mishra, Om P; Popov, Anatoliy V; Pietrofesa, Ralph A; Christofidou-Solomidou, Melpo

    2016-09-01

    Secoisolariciresinol diglucoside (SDG), the main lignan in whole grain flaxseed, is a potent antioxidant and free radical scavenger with known radioprotective properties. However, the exact mechanism of SDG radioprotection is not well understood. The current study identified a novel mechanism of DNA radioprotection by SDG in physiological solutions by scavenging active chlorine species (ACS) and reducing chlorinated nucleobases. The ACS scavenging activity of SDG was determined using two highly specific fluoroprobes: hypochlorite-specific 3'-(p-aminophenyl) fluorescein (APF) and hydroxyl radical-sensitive 3'-(p-hydroxyphenyl) fluorescein (HPF). Dopamine, an SDG structural analog, was used for proton (1)H NMR studies to trap primary ACS radicals. Taurine N-chlorination was determined to demonstrate radiation-induced generation of hypochlorite, a secondary ACS. DNA protection was assessed by determining the extent of DNA fragmentation and plasmid DNA relaxation following exposure to ClO(-) and radiation. Purine base chlorination by ClO(-) and γ-radiation was determined by using 2-aminopurine (2-AP), a fluorescent analog of 6-aminopurine. Chloride anions (Cl(-)) consumed >90% of hydroxyl radicals in physiological solutions produced by γ-radiation resulting in ACS formation, which was detected by (1)H NMR. Importantly, SDG scavenged hypochlorite- and γ-radiation-induced ACS. In addition, SDG blunted ACS-induced fragmentation of calf thymus DNA and plasmid DNA relaxation. SDG treatment before or after ACS exposure decreased the ClO(-) or γ-radiation-induced chlorination of 2-AP. Exposure to γ-radiation resulted in increased taurine chlorination, indicative of ClO(-) generation. NMR studies revealed formation of primary ACS radicals (chlorine atoms (Cl) and dichloro radical anions (Cl2¯)), which were trapped by SDG and its structural analog dopamine. We demonstrate that γ-radiation induces the generation of ACS in physiological solutions. SDG treatment scavenged

  7. Superconductor coil geometry and ac losses

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Pierce, T. V., Jr.; Zapata, R. N.

    1976-01-01

    An empirical relation is presented which allows simple computation of volume-averaged winding fields from central fields for coils of small rectangular cross sections. This relation suggests that, in certain applications, ac-loss minimization can be accomplished by use of low winding densities, provided that hysteresis losses are independent of winding density. The ac-loss measurements on coils wound of twisted multifilamentary composite superconductors show no significant dependence on ac losses on winding density, thus permitting the use of winding density as an independent design parameter in loss minimization.

  8. DC-biased AC-electroosmotic and AC-electrothermal flow mixing in microchannels.

    PubMed

    Ng, Wee Yang; Goh, Shireen; Lam, Yee Cheong; Yang, Chun; Rodríguez, Isabel

    2009-03-21

    This paper presents a novel approach of mixing two laminar flowing streams in microchannels. The mixer consists of a pair of electrodes disposed along a fluidic channel. By energizing the electrodes with a DC-biased (2.5 V) AC voltage (20 Vpp), an electrokinetic flow is induced with a flow profile perpendicular to that of the incoming laminar streams of liquids to be mixed. As a result, the flow lines of the incoming streams and the induced flow are forced to crossover and very efficient stirring and mixing at short mixing length can be achieved. The mixer can be operated from the AC-electroosmotic (ACEO) (sigma=1 mS/m, f=100 kHz) to the AC-electrothermal (ACET) (sigma=500 mS/m, f=500 kHz) flow regimes. The mixing efficiency in the ACEO regime was 92%, with a mixing length of 600 microm (Q=2 microL/min), an estimated mixing time of 69 ms and an induced ACEO flow velocity of approximately 725 microm/s. The mixing efficiency in the ACET regime was 65% for a mixing length of approximately 1200 microm. The mixer is efficient and suitable for mixing reagents in a fluid media from low to high conductivity as required in diverse microfluidic applications.

  9. Hamiltonian methods of modeling and control of AC microgrids with spinning machines and inverters

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Matthews, Ronald C.; Weaver, Wayne W.; Robinett, Rush D.

    This study presents a novel approach to the modeling and control of AC microgrids that contain spinning machines, power electronic inverters and energy storage devices. The inverters in the system can adjust their frequencies and power angles very quickly, so the modeling focuses on establishing a common reference frequency and angle in the microgrid based on the spinning machines. From this dynamic model, nonlinear Hamiltonian surface shaping and power flow control method is applied and shown to stabilize. From this approach the energy flow in the system is used to show the energy storage device requirements and limitations for themore » system. This paper first describes the model for a single bus AC microgrid with a Hamiltonian control, then extends this model and control to a more general class of multiple bus AC microgrids. Finally, simulation results demonstrate the efficacy of the approach in stabilizing and optimization of the microgrid.« less

  10. Hamiltonian methods of modeling and control of AC microgrids with spinning machines and inverters

    DOE PAGES

    Matthews, Ronald C.; Weaver, Wayne W.; Robinett, Rush D.; ...

    2017-12-22

    This study presents a novel approach to the modeling and control of AC microgrids that contain spinning machines, power electronic inverters and energy storage devices. The inverters in the system can adjust their frequencies and power angles very quickly, so the modeling focuses on establishing a common reference frequency and angle in the microgrid based on the spinning machines. From this dynamic model, nonlinear Hamiltonian surface shaping and power flow control method is applied and shown to stabilize. From this approach the energy flow in the system is used to show the energy storage device requirements and limitations for themore » system. This paper first describes the model for a single bus AC microgrid with a Hamiltonian control, then extends this model and control to a more general class of multiple bus AC microgrids. Finally, simulation results demonstrate the efficacy of the approach in stabilizing and optimization of the microgrid.« less

  11. AuRu/AC as an effective catalyst for hydrogenation reactions

    DOE PAGES

    Villa, Alberto; Chan-Thaw, Carine E.; Campisi, Sebastiano; ...

    2015-03-23

    AuRu bimetallic catalysts have been prepared by sequential deposition of Au on Ru or vice versa obtaining different nanostructures: when Ru has been deposited on Au, a Au core–Ru shell has been observed, whereas the deposition of Au on Ru leads to a bimetallic phase with Ru enrichment on the surface. In the latter case, the unexpected Ru enrichment could be attributed to the weak adhesion of Ru on the carbon support, thus allowing Ru particles to diffuse on Au particles. Both structures result very active in catalysing the liquid phase hydrogenolysis of glycerol and levulinic acid but the activity,more » the selectivity and the stability depend on the structure of the bimetallic nanoparticles. Ru@Au/AC core–shell structure mostly behaved as the monometallic Ru, whereas the presence of bimetallic AuRu phase in Au@Ru/AC provides a great beneficial effect on both activity and stability.« less

  12. Application of lateral photovoltage towards contactless light beam induced current measurements and its dependence on the finite beam size

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Abhale, Atul Prakash; Rao, K. S. R. Koteswara, E-mail: ksrkrao@physics.iisc.erent.in

    2014-07-15

    The nature of the signal due to light beam induced current (LBIC) at the remote contacts is verified as a lateral photovoltage for non-uniformly illuminated planar p-n junction devices; simulation and experimental results are presented. The limitations imposed by the ohmic contacts are successfully overcome by the introduction of capacitively coupled remote contacts, which yield similar results without any significant loss in the estimated material and device parameters. It is observed that the LBIC measurements introduce artefacts such as shift in peak position with increasing laser power. Simulation of LBIC signal as a function of characteristic length L{sub c} ofmore » photo-generated carriers and for different beam diameters has resulted in the observed peak shifts, thus attributed to the finite size of the beam. Further, the idea of capacitively coupled contacts has been extended to contactless measurements using pressure contacts with an oxidized aluminium electrodes. This technique avoids the contagious sample processing steps, which may introduce unintentional defects and contaminants into the material and devices under observation. Thus, we present here, the remote contact LBIC as a practically non-destructive tool in the evaluation of device parameters and welcome its use during fabrication steps.« less

  13. A key parameter on the adsorption of diluted aniline solutions with activated carbons: The surface oxygen content.

    PubMed

    Pardo, Beatrice; Ferrer, Nabí; Sempere, Julià; Gonzalez-Olmos, Rafael

    2016-11-01

    A total of 11 different commercial activated carbons (AC) with well characterized textural properties and oxygen surface content were tested as adsorbents for the removal of aniline as a target water pollutant. The maximum adsorption capacity of aniline for the studied AC was from 138.9 to 257.9 mg g(-1) at 296.15 K and it was observed to be strongly related to the textural properties of the AC, mainly with the BET surface area and the micropore volume. It was not observed any influence of the oxygen surface content of the AC on the maximum adsorption capacity. However, it was found that at low aniline aqueous concentration, the presence of oxygen surface groups plays a dominant role during the adsorption. A high concentration of oxygen surface groups, mainly carboxylic and phenolic groups, decreases the aniline adsorption regardless of the surface area of the AC. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. Spectroscopic Determination of the AC Voltammetric Response.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1984-01-06

    characterization of electrode processes. More recently, with the advent of linear sweep cyclic AC voltanmetry(12’ 13), it has been shown that AC methods...implemented with the same instrumentation ( 7 ) as previously used in MSRS and retains both the qualitative and quantitative utility of linear sweep ...voltammetric response (eg. peak width at balf-height, peak separation and cross-over potential in cyclic AC voltametry ) apply equally well to the SACRS

  15. THERMIONIC AC GENERATION

    DTIC Science & Technology

    is shown that the maximum ac efficiency is equal to approximately 70% of the corresponding dc value. An illustrative example, including a proposed design for a rather unconventional transformer, is appended. (Author)

  16. 78 FR 49318 - Availability of Draft Advisory Circular (AC) 90-106A and AC 20-167A

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-08-13

    ... DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Federal Aviation Administration [Docket No FAA-2013-0485] Availability of Draft Advisory Circular (AC) 90-106A and AC 20- 167A AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration..., Federal Aviation Administration, 800 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20591; telephone (202) 385...

  17. AC electrokinetic manipulation of selenium nanoparticles for potential nanosensor applications

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Mahmoodi, Seyed Reza; Bayati, Marzieh, E-mail: m-bayati@tums.ac.ir; Hosseinirad, Somayeh

    2013-03-15

    Highlights: ► Se nanoparticles were synthesized using a reverse-microemulsion process. ► AC osmotic fluid flow repulses the particles from electrode edges. ► Dielectrophoretic force attracts the particles to electrode edges. ► Dielectrophoresis electrode showed non-ohmic behavior. ► The device can potentially be used as a nanosensor. - Abstract: We report the AC electrokinetic behavior of selenium (Se) nanoparticles for electrical characterization and possible application as micro/nano devices. selenium Se nanoparticles were successfully synthesized using a reverse-microemulsion process and investigated structurally using X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscope. Interdigitated castellated ITO and non-castellated platinum electrodes were employed for manipulation of suspendedmore » materials in the fluid. Using ITO electrodes at low frequency limits resulted in deposition of Se particles on electrode surface. When Se particles exposed to platinum electrodes in the 10 Hz–1 kHz range and V {sub p−p}> 8, AC osmotic fluid flow repulses the particles from electrode edges. However, in 10 kHz–10 MHz range and V {sub p−p}> 5, dielectrophoretic force attracts the particles to electrode edges. As the Se particle concentration increased, the trapped Se particles were aligned along the electric field line and bridged the electrode gap. The device was characterized and can potentially be useful in making micro/nano electronic devices.« less

  18. Electro-optic investigation of the n-alkanethiol GaAs(001) interface: Surface phenomena and applications to photoluminescence-based biosensing

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Marshall, Gregory M.

    Semiconductor surfaces coupled to molecular structures derived from organic chemistry form the basis of an emerging class of field-effect devices. In addition to molecular electronics research, these interfaces are developed for a variety of sensor applications in the electronic and optical domains. Of practical interest are self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) comprised of n-alkanethiols [HS(CH2)n], which couple to the GaAs(001) surface through S-GaAs covalent bond formation. These SAMs offer potential functionality in terms of the requisite sensor chemistry and the passivation effect such coupling is known to afford. In this thesis, the SAM-GaAs interface is investigated in the context of a photonic biosensor based on photoluminescence (PL) variation. The scope of the work is categorized into three parts: i) the structural and compositional analysis of the surface using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), ii) the investigation of electronic properties at the interface under equilibrium conditions using infrared (IR) spectroscopy, the Kelvin probe method, and XPS, and iii) the analysis of the electro-optic response under steady-state photonic excitation, specifically, the surface photovoltage (SPV) and PL intensity. Using a partial overlayer model of angle-resolved XPS spectra in which the component assignments are shown to be quantitatively valid, the coverage fraction of methyl-terminated SAMs is shown to exceed 90%. Notable among the findings are a low-oxide, Ga-rich surface with elemental As present in sub-monolayer quantities consistent with theoretical surface morphologies. Modal analysis of transmission IR spectra show that the SAM molecular order is sufficient to support a Beer-Lambert determination of the IR optical constants, which yields the observation of a SAM-specific absorbance enhancement. By correlation of the IR absorbance with the SAM dipole layer potential, the enhancement mechanism is attributed to the vibrational moments added by the

  19. Differential Roles of AC2 and AC4 of Cassava Geminiviruses in Mediating Synergism and Suppression of Posttranscriptional Gene Silencing

    PubMed Central

    Vanitharani, Ramachandran; Chellappan, Padmanabhan; Pita, Justin S.; Fauquet, Claude M.

    2004-01-01

    Posttranscriptional gene silencing (PTGS) in plants is a natural defense mechanism against virus infection. In mixed infections, virus synergism is proposed to result from suppression of the host defense mechanism by the viruses. Synergistic severe mosaic disease caused by simultaneous infection with isolates of the Cameroon strain of African cassava mosaic virus (ACMV-[CM]) and East African cassava mosaic Cameroon virus (EACMCV) in cassava and tobacco is characterized by a dramatic increase in symptom severity and a severalfold increase in viral-DNA accumulation by both viruses compared to that in singly infected plants. Here, we report that synergism between ACMV-[CM] and EACMCV is a two-way process, as the presence of the DNA-A component of ACMV-[CM] or EACMCV in trans enhanced the accumulation of viral DNA of EACMCV and ACMV-[CM], respectively, in tobacco BY-2 protoplasts. Furthermore, transient expression of ACMV-[CM] AC4 driven by the Cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter (p35S-AC4) enhanced EACMCV DNA accumulation by ∼8-fold in protoplasts, while p35S-AC2 of EACMCV enhanced ACMV-[CM] DNA accumulation, also by ∼8-fold. An Agrobacterium-based leaf infiltration assay determined that ACMV-[CM] AC4 and EACMCV AC2, the putative synergistic genes, were able to suppress PTGS induced by green fluorescent protein (GFP) and eliminated the short interfering RNAs associated with PTGS, with a correlated increase in GFP mRNA accumulation. In addition, we have identified AC4 of Sri Lankan cassava mosaic virus and AC2 of Indian cassava mosaic virus as suppressors of PTGS, indicating that geminiviruses evolved differently in regard to interaction with the host. The specific and different roles played by these AC2 and AC4 proteins of cassava geminiviruses in regulating anti-PTGS activity and their relation to synergism are discussed. PMID:15308741

  20. 21 CFR 880.6320 - AC-powered medical examination light.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false AC-powered medical examination light. 880.6320... Miscellaneous Devices § 880.6320 AC-powered medical examination light. (a) Identification. An AC-powered medical examination light is an AC-powered device intended for medical purposes that is used to illuminate body...

  1. Concentrations of MUC16 and MUC5AC using three tear collection methods

    PubMed Central

    Nichols, Jason J.

    2017-01-01

    Purpose To determine the optimal tear collection method for analysis of ocular surface mucins MUC5AC and MUC16. Methods Fifteen subjects without ocular surface disease were recruited. Subjects presented for tear collection on three separate days for three different tear collection methods with the order of method randomized. Methods used to collect tears from right and left eyes included Schirmer’s strip, basal tear collection, and flush tear collection. All samples from the right eyes were individually analyzed for MUC5AC whereas the left eye samples were individually analyzed for MUC16. For each individual sample, 10 μg of protein were loaded per lane into a 1% (w/v) agarose gel and run in electrophoresis buffer for 2 h. After overnight capillary transfer, membranes were incubated with either MUC5AC antibody CLH2 or MUC16 antibody OC125 for western blot analysis. Blots were developed with enhanced chemiluminescence (ECL) and signals captured with the Odyssey Fc (LI-COR). The relative amounts of MUC5AC and MUC16 were quantified with densitometry using software and compared for statistically significant differences between tear collection methods using the Kruskal–Wallis test in SPSS 22 and GraphPad Prism 7.02. Dunn’s multiple comparisons test was used for pairwise post-hoc comparisons. Results Samples containing less than 10 μg of total protein were not used for analysis which left eight samples (out of 45) unusable. The calculated MUC5AC median signal intensities from Schirmer’s strip, basal tears, and flush tears were 2.86 (n = 15, the interquartile range [IQR] = 2.54–3.21), 1.65 (n = 14, IQR = 1.34–3.1), and 1.67 (n = 9, IQR = 1.42–1.72), respectively (H = 9.5, p = 0.009). Post-hoc pairwise comparisons showed a statistically significant difference between Schirmer’s strip and flush tears (p = 0.01). The calculated MUC16 median signal intensities from Schirmer’s strip, basal tears, and flush tears were 1.88 (n = 14, IQR = 1.43–2.61), 5

  2. High-frequency ac power distribution in Space Station

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Tsai, Fu-Sheng; Lee, Fred C. Y.

    1990-01-01

    A utility-type 20-kHz ac power distribution system for the Space Station, employing resonant power-conversion techniques, is presented. The system converts raw dc voltage from photovoltaic cells or three-phase LF ac voltage from a solar dynamic generator into a regulated 20-kHz ac voltage for distribution among various loads. The results of EASY5 computer simulations of the local and global performance show that the system has fast response and good transient behavior. The ac bus voltage is effectively regulated using the phase-control scheme, which is demonstrated with both line and load variations. The feasibility of paralleling the driver-module outputs is illustrated with the driver modules synchronized and sharing a common feedback loop. An HF sinusoidal ac voltage is generated in the three-phase ac input case, when the driver modules are phased 120 deg away from one another and their outputs are connected in series.

  3. High Temperature Microwave Dielectric Properties of JSC-1AC Lunar Simulant

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Allan, Shawn M.; Merritt, Brandon J.; Griffin, Brittany F.; Hintze, Paul E.; Shulman, Holly S.

    2011-01-01

    Microwave heating has many potential lunar applications including sintering regolith for lunar surface stabilization and heating regolith for various oxygen production reactors. The microwave properties of lunar simulants must be understood so this technology can be applied to lunar operations. Dielectric properties at microwave frequencies for a common lunar simulant, JSC-1AC, were measured up to 1100 C, which is approximately the melting point. The experimentally determined dielectric properties included real and imaginary permittivity (epsilon', epsilon"), loss tangent (tan delta), and half-power depth, the di stance at which a material absorbs 50% of incident microwave energy. Measurements at 2.45 GHz revealed tan delta of JSC-1A increases from 0.02 at 25 C to 0.31 at 110 C. The corresponding half-power depth decreases from a peak of 286 mm at 110 C, to 13 mm at 1100 C. These data indicate that JSC-1AC becomes more absorbing, and thus a better microwave heater as temperature increases. A half-power depth maximum at 100-200 C presents a barrier to direct microwave heating at low temperatures. Microwave heating experiments confirm the sluggish heating effect of weak absorption below 200 C, and increasingly strong absorption above 200 C, leading to rapid heating and melting of JSC-1AC.

  4. A nanomedicine to treat ocular surface inflammation: performance on an experimental dry eye murine model.

    PubMed

    Contreras-Ruiz, L; Zorzi, G K; Hileeto, D; López-García, A; Calonge, M; Seijo, B; Sánchez, A; Diebold, Y

    2013-05-01

    MUC5AC is a glycoprotein with gel-forming properties, whose altered expression has been implicated in the pathogenesis of dry eye disease. The aim of our study was to achieve an efficient in vivo transfection of MUC5AC, restore its normal levels in an inflamed ocular surface and determine whether restored MUC5AC levels improve ocular surface inflammation. Cationized gelatin-based nanoparticles (NPs) loaded with a plasmid coding a modified MUC5AC protein (pMUC5AC) were instilled in healthy and experimental dry eye (EDE) mice. MUC5AC expression, clinical signs, corneal fluorescein staining and tear production were evaluated. Ocular specimens were processed for histopathologic evaluation, including goblet cell count and CD4 immunostaining. Neither ocular discomfort nor irritation was observed in vivo after NP treatment. Expression of modified MUC5AC was significantly higher in ocular surface tissue of pMUC5AC-NP-treated animals than that of controls. In healthy mice, pMUC5AC-NPs had no effect on fluorescein staining or tear production. In EDE mice, both parameters significantly improved after pMUC5AC-NP treatment. Anterior eye segment of treated mice showed normal architecture and morphology with lack of remarkable inflammatory changes, and a decrease in CD4+ T-cell infiltration. Thus, pMUC5AC-NPs were well tolerated and able to induce the expression of modified MUC5A in ocular surface tissue, leading to reduction of the inflammation and, consequently improving the associated clinical parameters, such as tear production and fluorescein staining. These results identify a potential application of pMUC5AC-NPs as a new therapeutic modality for the treatment of dry eye disease.

  5. Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation (tACS) Mechanisms and Protocols

    PubMed Central

    Tavakoli, Amir V.; Yun, Kyongsik

    2017-01-01

    Perception, cognition and consciousness can be modulated as a function of oscillating neural activity, while ongoing neuronal dynamics are influenced by synaptic activity and membrane potential. Consequently, transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) may be used for neurological intervention. The advantageous features of tACS include the biphasic and sinusoidal tACS currents, the ability to entrain large neuronal populations, and subtle control over somatic effects. Through neuromodulation of phasic, neural activity, tACS is a powerful tool to investigate the neural correlates of cognition. The rapid development in this area requires clarity about best practices. Here we briefly introduce tACS and review the most compelling findings in the literature to provide a starting point for using tACS. We suggest that tACS protocols be based on functional brain mechanisms and appropriate control experiments, including active sham and condition blinding. PMID:28928634

  6. Challenges and solutions in medically managed ACS in the Asia-Pacific region: expert recommendations from the Asia-Pacific ACS Medical Management Working Group.

    PubMed

    Huo, Yong; Thompson, Peter; Buddhari, Wacin; Ge, Junbo; Harding, Scott; Ramanathan, Letchuman; Reyes, Eugenio; Santoso, Anwar; Tam, Li-Wah; Vijayaraghavan, Govindan; Yeh, Hung-I

    2015-03-15

    Acute coronary syndromes (ACS) remain a leading cause of mortality and morbidity in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region. International guidelines advocate invasive procedures in all but low-risk ACS patients; however, a high proportion of ACS patients in the APAC region receive solely medical management due to a combination of unique geographical, socioeconomic, and population-specific barriers. The APAC ACS Medical Management Working Group recently convened to discuss the ACS medical management landscape in the APAC region. Local and international ACS guidelines and the global and APAC clinical evidence-base for medical management of ACS were reviewed. Challenges in the provision of optimal care for these patients were identified and broadly categorized into issues related to (1) accessibility/systems of care, (2) risk stratification, (3) education, (4) optimization of pharmacotherapy, and (5) cost/affordability. While ACS guidelines clearly represent a valuable standard of care, the group concluded that these challenges can be best met by establishing cardiac networks and individual hospital models/clinical pathways taking into account local risk factors (including socioeconomic status), affordability and availability of pharmacotherapies/invasive facilities, and the nature of local healthcare systems. Potential solutions central to the optimization of ACS medical management in the APAC region are outlined with specific recommendations. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Infrequent transposition of Ac in lettuce, Lactuca sativa.

    PubMed

    Yang, C H; Ellis, J G; Michelmore, R W

    1993-08-01

    The maize transposable element Activator (Ac) is being used to develop a transposon mutagenesis system in lettuce, Lactuca sativa. Two constructs containing the complete Ac from the waxy-m7 locus of maize were introduced into lettuce and monitored for activity using Southern analysis and PCR amplification of the excision site. No transposition of Ac was detected in over 32 transgenic R1 plants, although these constructs were known to provide frequent transposition in other species. Also, no transposition was observed in later generations. In subsequent experiments, transposition was detected in lettuce calli using constructs that allowed selection for excision events. In these constructs, the neomycin phosphotransferase II gene was interrupted by either Ac or Ds. Excision was detected as the ability of callus to grow on kanamycin. Synthesis of the transposase from the cDNA of Ac expressed from the T-DNA 2' promoter resulted in more frequent excision of Ds than was observed with the wild-type Ac. No excision was observed with Ds in the absence of the transposase. The excision events were confirmed by amplification of the excision site by PCR followed by DNA sequencing. Excision and reintegration were also confirmed by Southern analysis. Ac/Ds is therefore capable of transposition in at least calli of lettuce.

  8. Adventitious Carbon on Primary Sample Containment Metal Surfaces

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Calaway, M. J.; Fries, M. D.

    2015-01-01

    Future missions that return astromaterials with trace carbonaceous signatures will require strict protocols for reducing and controlling terrestrial carbon contamination. Adventitious carbon (AC) on primary sample containers and related hardware is an important source of that contamination. AC is a thin film layer or heterogeneously dispersed carbonaceous material that naturally accrues from the environment on the surface of atmospheric exposed metal parts. To test basic cleaning techniques for AC control, metal surfaces commonly used for flight hardware and curating astromaterials at JSC were cleaned using a basic cleaning protocol and characterized for AC residue. Two electropolished stainless steel 316L (SS- 316L) and two Al 6061 (Al-6061) test coupons (2.5 cm diameter by 0.3 cm thick) were subjected to precision cleaning in the JSC Genesis ISO class 4 cleanroom Precision Cleaning Laboratory. Afterwards, the samples were analyzed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Raman spectroscopy.

  9. Method of controllong the deposition of hydrogenated amorphous silicon and apparatus therefor

    DOEpatents

    Hanak, Joseph J.

    1985-06-25

    An improved method and apparatus for the controlled deposition of a layer of hydrogenated amorphous silicon on a substrate. Means is provided for the illumination of the coated surface of the substrate and measurement of the resulting photovoltage at the outermost layer of the coating. Means is further provided for admixing amounts of p type and n type dopants to the reactant gas in response to the measured photovoltage to achieve a desired level and type of doping of the deposited layer.

  10. Obtaining continuous BrAC/BAC estimates in the field: A hybrid system integrating transdermal alcohol biosensor, Intellidrink smartphone app, and BrAC Estimator software tools.

    PubMed

    Luczak, Susan E; Hawkins, Ashley L; Dai, Zheng; Wichmann, Raphael; Wang, Chunming; Rosen, I Gary

    2018-08-01

    Biosensors have been developed to measure transdermal alcohol concentration (TAC), but converting TAC into interpretable indices of blood/breath alcohol concentration (BAC/BrAC) is difficult because of variations that occur in TAC across individuals, drinking episodes, and devices. We have developed mathematical models and the BrAC Estimator software for calibrating and inverting TAC into quantifiable BrAC estimates (eBrAC). The calibration protocol to determine the individualized parameters for a specific individual wearing a specific device requires a drinking session in which BrAC and TAC measurements are obtained simultaneously. This calibration protocol was originally conducted in the laboratory with breath analyzers used to produce the BrAC data. Here we develop and test an alternative calibration protocol using drinking diary data collected in the field with the smartphone app Intellidrink to produce the BrAC calibration data. We compared BrAC Estimator software results for 11 drinking episodes collected by an expert user when using Intellidrink versus breath analyzer measurements as BrAC calibration data. Inversion phase results indicated the Intellidrink calibration protocol produced similar eBrAC curves and captured peak eBrAC to within 0.0003%, time of peak eBrAC to within 18min, and area under the eBrAC curve to within 0.025% alcohol-hours as the breath analyzer calibration protocol. This study provides evidence that drinking diary data can be used in place of breath analyzer data in the BrAC Estimator software calibration procedure, which can reduce participant and researcher burden and expand the potential software user pool beyond researchers studying participants who can drink in the laboratory. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  11. Bioinformatics and Astrophysics Cluster (BinAc)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Krüger, Jens; Lutz, Volker; Bartusch, Felix; Dilling, Werner; Gorska, Anna; Schäfer, Christoph; Walter, Thomas

    2017-09-01

    BinAC provides central high performance computing capacities for bioinformaticians and astrophysicists from the state of Baden-Württemberg. The bwForCluster BinAC is part of the implementation concept for scientific computing for the universities in Baden-Württemberg. Community specific support is offered through the bwHPC-C5 project.

  12. 7 CFR 1737.31 - Area Coverage Survey (ACS).

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 11 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Area Coverage Survey (ACS). 1737.31 Section 1737.31... Studies-Area Coverage Survey and Loan Design § 1737.31 Area Coverage Survey (ACS). (a) The Area Coverage Survey (ACS) is a market forecast of service requirements of subscribers in a proposed service area. (b...

  13. 7 CFR 1737.31 - Area Coverage Survey (ACS).

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 11 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Area Coverage Survey (ACS). 1737.31 Section 1737.31... Studies-Area Coverage Survey and Loan Design § 1737.31 Area Coverage Survey (ACS). (a) The Area Coverage Survey (ACS) is a market forecast of service requirements of subscribers in a proposed service area. (b...

  14. 7 CFR 1737.31 - Area Coverage Survey (ACS).

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 11 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Area Coverage Survey (ACS). 1737.31 Section 1737.31... Studies-Area Coverage Survey and Loan Design § 1737.31 Area Coverage Survey (ACS). (a) The Area Coverage Survey (ACS) is a market forecast of service requirements of subscribers in a proposed service area. (b...

  15. 7 CFR 1737.31 - Area Coverage Survey (ACS).

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 11 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Area Coverage Survey (ACS). 1737.31 Section 1737.31... Studies-Area Coverage Survey and Loan Design § 1737.31 Area Coverage Survey (ACS). (a) The Area Coverage Survey (ACS) is a market forecast of service requirements of subscribers in a proposed service area. (b...

  16. 7 CFR 1737.31 - Area Coverage Survey (ACS).

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... Studies-Area Coverage Survey and Loan Design § 1737.31 Area Coverage Survey (ACS). (a) The Area Coverage Survey (ACS) is a market forecast of service requirements of subscribers in a proposed service area. (b... 7 Agriculture 11 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Area Coverage Survey (ACS). 1737.31 Section 1737.31...

  17. 21 CFR 880.5500 - AC-powered patient lift.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false AC-powered patient lift. 880.5500 Section 880.5500... Devices § 880.5500 AC-powered patient lift. (a) Identification. An AC-powered lift is an electrically powered device either fixed or mobile, used to lift and transport patients in the horizontal or other...

  18. 21 CFR 880.5500 - AC-powered patient lift.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false AC-powered patient lift. 880.5500 Section 880.5500... Devices § 880.5500 AC-powered patient lift. (a) Identification. An AC-powered lift is an electrically powered device either fixed or mobile, used to lift and transport patients in the horizontal or other...

  19. Cross-Sectional Investigations on Epitaxial Silicon Solar Cells by Kelvin and Conducting Probe Atomic Force Microscopy: Effect of Illumination.

    PubMed

    Narchi, Paul; Alvarez, Jose; Chrétien, Pascal; Picardi, Gennaro; Cariou, Romain; Foldyna, Martin; Prod'homme, Patricia; Kleider, Jean-Paul; I Cabarrocas, Pere Roca

    2016-12-01

    Both surface photovoltage and photocurrent enable to assess the effect of visible light illumination on the electrical behavior of a solar cell. We report on photovoltage and photocurrent measurements with nanometer scale resolution performed on the cross section of an epitaxial crystalline silicon solar cell, using respectively Kelvin probe force microscopy and conducting probe atomic force microscopy. Even though two different setups are used, the scans were performed on locations within 100-μm distance in order to compare data from the same area and provide a consistent interpretation. In both measurements, modifications under illumination are observed in accordance with the theory of PIN junctions. Moreover, an unintentional doping during the deposition of the epitaxial silicon intrinsic layer in the solar cell is suggested from the comparison between photovoltage and photocurrent measurements.

  20. Photogenerated carriers transport behaviors in L-cysteine capped ZnSe core-shell quantum dots

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shan, Qingsong; Li, Kuiying; Xue, Zhenjie; Lin, Yingying; Yin, Hua; Zhu, Ruiping

    2016-02-01

    The photoexcited carrier transport behavior of zinc selenide (ZnSe) quantum dots (QDs) with core-shell structure is studied because of their unique photoelectronic characteristics. The surface photovoltaic (SPV) properties of self-assembled ZnSe/ZnS/L-Cys core-shell QDs were probed via electric field induced surface photovoltage and transient photovoltage (TPV) measurements supplemented by Fourier transform infrared, laser Raman, absorption, and photoluminescence spectroscopies. The ZnSe QDs displayed p-type SPV characteristics with a broader stronger SPV response over the whole ultraviolet-to-near-infrared range compared with those of other core-shell QDs in the same group. The relationship between the SPV phase value of the QDs and external bias was revealed in their SPV phase spectrum. The wide transient photovoltage response region from 3.3 × 10-8 to 2 × 10-3 s was closely related to the long diffusion distance of photoexcited free charge carriers in the interfacial space-charge region of the QDs. The strong SPV response corresponding to the ZnSe core mainly originated from an obvious quantum tunneling effect in the QDs.

  1. Cry1Ac production is costly for native plants attacked by non-Cry1Ac-targeted herbivores in the field.

    PubMed

    McGale, Erica; Diezel, Celia; Schuman, Meredith C; Baldwin, Ian T

    2018-05-13

    Plants are the primary producers in most terrestrial ecosystems and have complex defense systems to protect their produce. Defense-deficient, high-yielding agricultural monocultures attract abundant nonhuman consumers, but are alternatively defended through pesticide application and genetic engineering to produce insecticidal proteins such as Cry1Ac (Bacillus thuringiensis). These approaches alter the balance between yield protection and maximization but have been poorly contextualized to known yield-defense trade-offs in wild plants. The native plant Nicotiana attenuata was used to compare yield benefits of plants transformed to be defenseless to those with a full suite of naturally evolved defenses, or additionally transformed to ectopically produce Cry1Ac. An insecticide treatment allowed us to examine yield under different herbivore loads in N. attenuata's native habitat. Cry1Ac, herbivore damage, and growth parameters were monitored throughout the season. Biomass and reproductive correlates were measured at season end. Non-Cry1Ac-targeted herbivores dominated on noninsecticide-treated plants, and increased the yield drag of Cry1Ac-producing plants in comparison with endogenously defended or undefended plants. Insecticide-sprayed Cry1Ac-producing plants lagged less in stalk height, shoot biomass, and flower production. In direct comparison with the endogenous defenses of a native plant, Cry1Ac production did not provide yield benefits for plants under observed herbivore loads in a field study. © 2018 The Authors New Phytologist © 2018 New Phytologist Trust.

  2. Analysis of AC and DC Lighting Systems with 150-Watt Peak Solar Panel in Denpasar Based on NASA Data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Narottama, A. A. N. M.; Amerta Yasa, K.; Suwardana, I. W.; Sapteka, A. A. N. G.; Priambodo, P. S.

    2018-01-01

    Solar energy on the Earth’s surface has different magnitudes on every longitude and latitude. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) provides surface meteorology and solar energy database which can be accessed openly online. This database delivers information about Monthly Averaged Insolation Incident On A Horizontal Surface, Monthly Averaged Insolation Incident On A Horizontal Surface At Indicated GMT Times and also data about Equivalent Number Of No-Sun Or Black Days for any latitude and longitude. Therefore, we investigate the lighting systems with 150-Watt peak solar panel in Denpasar City, the capital province of Bali. Based on NASA data, we analyse the received wattage by a unit of 150-Watt peak solar panel in Denpasar City and the sustainability of 150-Watt peak solar panel to supply energy for 432-Watt hour/day AC and 360-Watt hour/day DC lighting systems using 1.2 kWh battery. The result shows that the maximum received wattage by a unit of 150-Watt peak solar panel is 0.76 kW/day in October. We concluded that the 1.2 kWh installed battery has higher capacity than the battery capacity needed in March, the month with highest no-sun days, for both AC and DC lighting systems. We calculate that the installed battery can be used to store the sustainable energy from sun needed by AC and DC lighting system for about 2.78 days and 3.51 days, consecutively.

  3. AC Electric-Field-Induced Fluid Flow in Microelectrodes.

    PubMed

    Ramos; Morgan; Green; Castellanos

    1999-09-15

    During the AC electrokinetic manipulation of particles in suspension on microelectrode structures, strong frequency-dependent fluid flow is observed. The fluid movement is predominant at frequencies below the reciprocal charge relaxation time, with a reproducible pattern occurring close to and across the electrode surface. This paper reports measurements of the fluid velocity as a function of frequency and position across the electrode. Evidence is presented indicating that the flow occurs due to electroosmotic stress arising from the interaction of the electric field and the electrical double layer on the electrodes. The electrode polarization plays a significant role in controlling the frequency dependence of the flow. Copyright 1999 Academic Press.

  4. Method of driving liquid flow at or near the free surface using magnetic microparticles

    DOEpatents

    Snezhko, Oleksiy [Woodridge, IL; Aronson, Igor [Darien, IL; Kwok, Wai-Kwong [Evanston, IL; Belkin, Maxim V [Woodridge, IL

    2011-10-11

    The present invention provides a method of driving liquid flow at or near a free surface using self-assembled structures composed of magnetic particles subjected to an external AC magnetic field. A plurality of magnetic particles are supported at or near a free surface of liquid by surface tension or buoyancy force. An AC magnetic field traverses the free surface and dipole-dipole interaction between particles produces in self-assembled snake structures which oscillate at the frequency of the traverse AC magnetic field. The snake structures independently move across the free surface and may merge with other snake structures or break up and coalesce into additional snake structures experiencing independent movement across the liquid surface. During this process, the snake structures produce asymmetric flow vortices across substantially the entirety of the free surface, effectuating liquid flow across the free surface.

  5. Surface charge mapping with a nanopipette.

    PubMed

    McKelvey, Kim; Kinnear, Sophie L; Perry, David; Momotenko, Dmitry; Unwin, Patrick R

    2014-10-01

    Nanopipettes are emerging as simple but powerful tools for probing chemistry at the nanoscale. In this contribution the use of nanopipettes for simultaneous surface charge mapping and topographical imaging is demonstrated, using a scanning ion conductance microscopy (SICM) format. When a nanopipette is positioned close to a surface in electrolyte solution, the direct ion current (DC), driven by an applied bias between a quasi-reference counter electrode (QRCE) in the nanopipette and a second QRCE in the bulk solution, is sensitive to surface charge. The charge sensitivity arises because the diffuse double layers at the nanopipette and the surface interact, creating a perm-selective region which becomes increasingly significant at low ionic strengths (10 mM 1:1 aqueous electrolyte herein). This leads to a polarity-dependent ion current and surface-induced rectification as the bias is varied. Using distance-modulated SICM, which induces an alternating ion current component (AC) by periodically modulating the distance between the nanopipette and the surface, the effect of surface charge on the DC and AC is explored and rationalized. The impact of surface charge on the AC phase (with respect to the driving sinusoidal signal) is highlighted in particular; this quantity shows a shift that is highly sensitive to interfacial charge and provides the basis for visualizing charge simultaneously with topography. The studies herein highlight the use of nanopipettes for functional imaging with applications from cell biology to materials characterization where understanding surface charge is of key importance. They also provide a framework for the design of SICM experiments, which may be convoluted by topographical and surface charge effects, especially for small nanopipettes.

  6. ACS from development to operations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Caproni, Alessandro; Colomer, Pau; Jeram, Bogdan; Sommer, Heiko; Chiozzi, Gianluca; Mañas, Miguel M.

    2016-08-01

    The ALMA Common Software (ACS), provides the infrastructure of the distributed software system of ALMA and other projects. ACS, built on top of CORBA and Data Distribution Service (DDS) middleware, is based on a Component- Container paradigm and hides the complexity of the middleware allowing the developer to focus on domain specific issues. The transition of the ALMA observatory from construction to operations brings with it that ACS effort focuses primarily on scalability, stability and robustness rather than on new features. The transition came together with a shorter release cycle and a more extensive testing. For scalability, the most problematic area has been the CORBA notification service, used to implement the publisher subscriber pattern because of the asynchronous nature of the paradigm: a lot of effort has been spent to improve its stability and recovery from run time errors. The original bulk data mechanism, implemented using the CORBA Audio/Video Streaming Service, showed its limitations and has been replaced with a more performant and scalable DDS implementation. Operational needs showed soon the difference between releases cycles for Online software (i.e. used during observations) and Offline software, which requires much more frequent releases. This paper attempts to describe the impact the transition from construction to operations had on ACS, the solution adopted so far and a look into future evolution.

  7. Response surface methodology approach for optimization of adsorption of Janus Green B from aqueous solution onto ZnO/Zn(OH)2-NP-AC: Kinetic and isotherm study

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ghaedi, M.; Khafri, H. Zare; Asfaram, A.; Goudarzi, A.

    2016-01-01

    The Janus Green B (JGB) adsorption onto homemade ZnO/Zn(OH)2 nanoparticles loaded on activated carbon (AC) which characterized by FESEM and XRD analysis has been reported. Combination of response surface methodology (RSM) and central composite design (CCD) has been employed to model and optimize variables using STATISTICA 10.0 software. The influence of parameters over pH (2.0-8.0), adsorbent (0.004-0.012 g), sonication time (4-8 min) and JGB concentration (3-21 mg L-1) on JGB removal percentage was investigated and their main and interaction contribution was examined. It was revealed that 21 mg L-1 JGB, 0.012 g ZnO/Zn(OH)2-NP-AC at pH 7.0 and 7 min sonication time permit to achieve removal percentage more than 99%. Finally, a good agreement between experimental and predicted values after 7 min was achieved using pseudo-second-order rate equation. The Langmuir adsorption is appropriate for correlation of equilibrium data. The small amount of adsorbent (0.008-0.015 g) is applicable for successful removal of JGB (RE > 99%) in short time (7 min) with high adsorption capacity (81.3-98.03 mg g-1).

  8. Encouragement of Enzyme Reaction Utilizing Heat Generation from Ferromagnetic Particles Subjected to an AC Magnetic Field.

    PubMed

    Suzuki, Masashi; Aki, Atsushi; Mizuki, Toru; Maekawa, Toru; Usami, Ron; Morimoto, Hisao

    2015-01-01

    We propose a method of activating an enzyme utilizing heat generation from ferromagnetic particles under an ac magnetic field. We immobilize α-amylase on the surface of ferromagnetic particles and analyze its activity. We find that when α-amylase/ferromagnetic particle hybrids, that is, ferromagnetic particles, on which α-amylase molecules are immobilized, are subjected to an ac magnetic field, the particles generate heat and as a result, α-amylase on the particles is heated up and activated. We next prepare a solution, in which α-amylase/ferromagnetic particle hybrids and free, nonimmobilized chitinase are dispersed, and analyze their activities. We find that when the solution is subjected to an ac magnetic field, the activity of α-amylase immobilized on the particles increases, whereas that of free chitinase hardly changes; in other words, only α-amylase immobilized on the particles is selectively activated due to heat generation from the particles.

  9. Enhancing Efficiency of Perovskite Solar Cells via Surface Passivation with Graphene Oxide Interlayer.

    PubMed

    Li, Hao; Tao, Leiming; Huang, Feihong; Sun, Qiang; Zhao, Xiaojuan; Han, Junbo; Shen, Yan; Wang, Mingkui

    2017-11-08

    Perovskite solar cells have been demonstrated as promising low-cost and highly efficient next-generation solar cells. Enhancing V OC by minimization the interfacial recombination kinetics can further improve device performance. In this work, we for the first time reported on surface passivation of perovskite layers with chemical modified graphene oxides, which act as efficient interlayer to reduce interfacial recombination and enhance hole extraction as well. Our modeling points out that the passivation effect mainly comes from the interaction between functional group (4-fluorophenyl) and under-coordinated Pb ions. The resulting perovskite solar cells achieved high efficient power conversion efficiency of 18.75% with enhanced high open circuit V OC of 1.11 V. Ultrafast spectroscopy, photovoltage/photocurrent transient decay, and electronic impedance spectroscopy characterizations reveal the effective passivation effect and the energy loss mechanism. This work sheds light on the importance of interfacial engineering on the surface of perovskite layers and provides possible ways to improve device efficiency.

  10. Switch contact device for interrupting high current, high voltage, AC and DC circuits

    DOEpatents

    Via, Lester C.; Witherspoon, F. Douglas; Ryan, John M.

    2005-01-04

    A high voltage switch contact structure capable of interrupting high voltage, high current AC and DC circuits. The contact structure confines the arc created when contacts open to the thin area between two insulating surfaces in intimate contact. This forces the arc into the shape of a thin sheet which loses heat energy far more rapidly than an arc column having a circular cross-section. These high heat losses require a dramatic increase in the voltage required to maintain the arc, thus extinguishing it when the required voltage exceeds the available voltage. The arc extinguishing process with this invention is not dependent on the occurrence of a current zero crossing and, consequently, is capable of rapidly interrupting both AC and DC circuits. The contact structure achieves its high performance without the use of sulfur hexafluoride.

  11. ACS and STEMI treatment: gender-related issues.

    PubMed

    Chieffo, Alaide; Buchanan, Gill Louise; Mauri, Fina; Mehilli, Julinda; Vaquerizo, Beatriz; Moynagh, Anouska; Mehran, Roxana; Morice, Marie-Claude

    2012-08-01

    Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death amongst women, with acute coronary syndromes (ACS) representing a significant proportion. It has been reported that in women presenting with ACS there is underdiagnosis and consequent undertreatment leading to an increase in hospital and long-term mortality. Several factors have to be taken into account, including lack of awareness both at patient and at physician level. Women are generally not aware of the cardiovascular risk and symptoms, often atypical, and therefore wait longer to seek medical attention. In addition, physicians often underestimate the risk of ACS in women leading to a further delay in accurate diagnosis and timely appropriate treatment, including cardiac catheterisation and primary percutaneous coronary intervention, with consequent delayed revascularisation times. It has been acknowledged by the European Society of Cardiology that gender disparities do exist, with a Class I, Level of Evidence B recommendation that both genders should be treated in the same way when presenting with ACS. However, there is still a lack of awareness and the mission of Women in Innovation, in association with Stent for Life, is to change the perception of women with ACS and to achieve prompt diagnosis and treatment.

  12. Electrostatic coalescence system with independent AC and DC hydrophilic electrodes

    DOEpatents

    Hovarongkura, A. David; Henry, Jr., Joseph D.

    1981-01-01

    An improved electrostatic coalescence system is provided in which independent AC and DC hydrophilic electrodes are employed to provide more complete dehydration of an oil emulsion. The AC field is produced between an AC electrode array and the water-oil interface wherein the AC electrode array is positioned parallel to the interface which acts as a grounded electrode. The emulsion is introduced into the AC field in an evenly distributed manner at the interface. The AC field promotes drop-drop and drop-interface coalescence of the water phase in the entering emulsion. The continuous oil phase passes upward through the perforated AC electrode array and enters a strong DC field produced between closely spaced DC electrodes in which small dispersed droplets of water entrained in the continuous phase are removed primarily by collection at hydrophilic DC electrodes. Large droplets of water collected by the electrodes migrate downward through the AC electrode array to the interface. All phase separation mechanisms are utilized to accomplish more complete phase separation.

  13. Photochemistry of Inorganic Nanomaterials for Solar Energy Conversion

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shelton, Timothy L.

    As our world's population is constantly growing, so also is the need to power the growth and spread of technology. The conversion of abundant solar energy into useable sources of fuel is an area of significant and vital research. Photocatalytic water splitting via suspended nanomaterials or photoelectrochemical cells has great promise for this purpose. This research focuses on the preparation and analysis of nanomaterials utilizing simple methods and earth abundant chemicals that will lead to cost-competitive methods to convert solar energy into an easily stored and transported fuel source. Specifically, our research seeks to better understand the methods of charge generation and separation in nanomaterial films and to quantify the limits of activity in suspended photocatalysts. Chapter 2 introduces a study on the nature of photovoltage generation in well-ordered hematite films under zero applied bias. The thickness of Fe 2O3 nanorod films is varied by a simple hydrothermal synthesis and confirmed with TEM and profilometry measurements. Surface photovoltage spectroscopy (SPS) in the presence of air, water, nitrogen, oxygen, and under vacuum confirms photovoltages are associated with oxidation of surface water and hydroxyl groups and with reversible surface hole trapping on the 1 minute time scale and de-trapping on the 1 hour time scale with a maximum photovoltage of -130 mW under 2.0 eV - 4.5 eV illumination. Sacrificial donors (KI, H2O2, KOH) increase the voltage to -240 and -400 mW, due to improved hole transfer. The photovoltage is quenched with the addition of co-catalysts CoOx and Co-Pi, possibly due to the removal of surface states and enhanced e/h recombination. Chapter 3 outlines a methodical exploration of the limits of water oxidation from illuminated beta-FeO(OH) suspensions. Well-defined akaganeite nanocrystals are able to produce oxygen gas from aqueous solutions in the presence of an appropriate electron acceptor. Optimal conditions were achieved by

  14. Use of an AC/DC/AC Electrochemical Technique to Assess the Durability of Protection Systems for Magnesium Alloys

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Song, Sen; McCune, Robert C.; Shen, Weidian; Wang, Yar-Ming

    One task under the U.S. Automotive Materials Partnership (USAMP) "Magnesium Front End Research and Development" (MFERD) Project has been the evaluation of methodologies for the assessment of protective capability for a variety of proposed protection schemes for this hypothesized multi-material, articulated structure. Techniques which consider the entire protection system, including both pretreatments and topcoats are of interest. In recent years, an adaptation of the classical electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) approach using an intermediate cathodic DC polarization step (viz. AC/DC/AC) has been employed to accelerate breakdown of coating protection, specifically at the polymer-pretreatment interface. This work reports outcomes of studies to employ the AC/DC/AC approach for comparison of protective coatings to various magnesium alloys considered for front end structures. In at least one instance, the protective coating system breakdown could be attributed to the poorer intrinsic corrosion resistance of the sheet material (AZ31) relative to die-cast AM60B.

  15. Should fee-for-service be for all guideline-advocated acute coronary syndrome (ACS) care? Observations from the Snapshot ACS study.

    PubMed

    Briffa, Thomas G; Hammett, Christopher J; Cross, David B; Macisaac, Andrew I; Rankin, James M; Board, Neville; Carr, Bridie; Hyun, Karice K; French, John; Brieger, David B; Chew, Derek P

    2015-09-01

    The aim of the present study was to explore the association of health insurance status on the provision of guideline-advocated acute coronary syndrome (ACS) care in Australia. Consecutive hospitalisations of suspected ACS from 14 to 27 May 2012 enrolled in the Snapshot study of Australian and New Zealand patients were evaluated. Descriptive and logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate the association of patient risk and insurance status with the receipt of care. In all, 3391 patients with suspected ACS from 247 hospitals (23 private) were enrolled in the present study. One-third of patients declared private insurance coverage; of these, 27.9% (304/1088) presented to private facilities. Compared with public patients, privately insured patients were more likely to undergo in-patient echocardiography and receive early angiography; furthermore, in those with a discharge diagnosis of ACS, there was a higher rate of revascularisation (P < 0.001). Each of these attracts potential fee-for-service. In contrast, proportionately fewer privately insured ACS patients were discharged on selected guideline therapies and were referred to a secondary prevention program (P = 0.056), neither of which directly attracts a fee. Typically, as GRACE (the Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events) risk score rose, so did the level of ACS care; however, propensity-adjusted analyses showed lower in-hospital adverse events among the insured group (odds ratio 0.68; 95% confidence interval 0.52-0.88; P = 0.004). Fee-for-service reimbursement may explain differences in the provision of selected guideline-advocated components of ACS care between privately insured and public patients.

  16. Effects of bio-functionalizing surface treatments on the mechanical behavior of open porous titanium biomaterials.

    PubMed

    Amin Yavari, S; Ahmadi, S M; van der Stok, J; Wauthle, R; Riemslag, A C; Janssen, M; Schrooten, J; Weinans, H; Zadpoor, A A

    2014-08-01

    Bio-functionalizing surface treatments are often applied for improving the bioactivity of biomaterials that are based on otherwise bioinert titanium alloys. When applied on highly porous titanium alloy structures intended for orthopedic bone regeneration purposes, such surface treatments could significantly change the static and fatigue properties of these structures and, thus, affect the application of the biomaterial as bone substitute. Therefore, the interplay between biofunctionalizing surface treatments and mechanical behavior needs to be controlled. In this paper, we studied the effects of two bio-functionalizing surface treatments, namely alkali-acid heat treatment (AlAcH) and acid-alkali (AcAl), on the static and fatigue properties of three different highly porous titanium alloy implants manufactured using selective laser melting. It was found that AlAcH treatment results in minimal mass loss. The static and fatigue properties of AlAcH specimens were therefore not much different from as-manufactured (AsM) specimens. In contrast, AcAl resulted in substantial mass loss and also in significantly less static and fatigue properties particularly for porous structures with the highest porosity. The ratio of the static mechanical properties of AcAl specimens to that of AsM specimen was in the range of 1.5-6. The fatigue lives of AcAl specimens were much more severely affected by the applied surface treatments with fatigue lives up to 23 times smaller than that of AsM specimens particularly for the porous structures with the highest porosity. In conclusion, the fatigue properties of surface treated porous titanium are dependent not only on the type of applied surface treatment but also on the porosity of the biomaterial. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Cadmium-induced ethylene production and responses in Arabidopsis thaliana rely on ACS2 and ACS6 gene expression

    PubMed Central

    2014-01-01

    Background Anthropogenic activities cause metal pollution worldwide. Plants can absorb and accumulate these metals through their root system, inducing stress as a result of excess metal concentrations inside the plant. Ethylene is a regulator of multiple plant processes, and is affected by many biotic and abiotic stresses. Increased ethylene levels have been observed after exposure to excess metals but it remains unclear how the increased ethylene levels are achieved at the molecular level. In this study, the effects of cadmium (Cd) exposure on the production of ethylene and its precursor 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC), and on the expression of the ACC Synthase (ACS) and ACC Oxidase (ACO) multigene families were investigated in Arabidopsis thaliana. Results Increased ethylene release after Cd exposure was directly measurable in a system using rockwool-cultivated plants; enhanced levels of the ethylene precursor ACC together with higher mRNA levels of ethylene responsive genes: ACO2, ETR2 and ERF1 also indicated increased ethylene production in hydroponic culture. Regarding underlying mechanisms, it was found that the transcript levels of ACO2 and ACO4, the most abundantly expressed members of the ACO multigene family, were increased upon Cd exposure. ACC synthesis is the rate-limiting step in ethylene biosynthesis, and transcript levels of both ACS2 and ACS6 showed the highest increase and became the most abundant isoforms after Cd exposure, suggesting their importance in the Cd-induced increase of ethylene production. Conclusions Cadmium induced the biosynthesis of ACC and ethylene in Arabidopsis thaliana plants mainly via the increased expression of ACS2 and ACS6. This was confirmed in the acs2-1acs6-1 double knockout mutants, which showed a decreased ethylene production, positively affecting leaf biomass and resulting in a delayed induction of ethylene responsive gene expressions without significant differences in Cd contents between wild-type and

  18. Modelling ac ripple currents in HTS coated conductors

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Xu, Zhihan; Grilli, Francesco

    2015-10-01

    Dc transmission using high temperature superconducting (HTS) coated conductors (CCs) offers a promising solution to the globally growing demand for effective, reliable and economic transmission of green energy up to the gigawatt level over very long distances. The credible estimation of the losses and thereby the heat dissipation involved, where ac ripples (introduced in rectification/ac-dc conversion) are viewed as a potential source of notable contribution, is highly essential for the rational design of practical HTS dc transmission cables and corresponding cryogenic systems to fulfil this demand. Here we report a targeted modelling study into the ac losses in a HTS CC subject to dc and ac ripple currents simultaneously, by solving Maxwell’s equations using the finite element method (FEM) in the commercial software package COMSOL. It is observed that the instantaneous loss exhibits only one peak per cycle in the HTS CC subject to sinusoidal ripples, given that the amplitude of the ac ripples is smaller than approximately 20% of that of the dc current. This is a distinct contrast to the usual observation of two peaks per cycle in a HTS CC subject to ac currents only. The unique mechanism is also revealed, which is directly associated with the finding that, around any local minima of the applied ac ripples, the critical state of -J c is never reached at the edges of the HTS CC, as it should be according to the Bean model. When running further into the longer term, it is discovered that the ac ripple loss of the HTS CC in full-wave rectification decays monotonically, at a speed which is found to be insensitive to the frequency of the applied ripples within our targeted situations, to a relatively low level of approximately 1.38 × 10-4 W m-1 in around 1.7 s. Comparison between this level and other typical loss contributions in a HTS dc cable implies that ac ripple currents in HTS CCs should only be considered as a minor source of dissipation in superconducting dc

  19. ACS Data Handbook v.6.0

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gonzaga, S.; et al.

    2011-03-01

    ACS was designed to provide a deep, wide-field survey capability from the visible to near-IR using the Wide Field Camera (WFC), high resolution imaging from the near-UV to near-IR with the now-defunct High Resolution Camera (HRC), and solar-blind far-UV imaging using the Solar Blind Camera (SBC). The discovery efficiency of ACS's Wide Field Channel (i.e., the product of WFC's field of view and throughput) is 10 times greater than that of WFPC2. The failure of ACS's CCD electronics in January 2007 brought a temporary halt to CCD imaging until Servicing Mission 4 in May 2009, when WFC functionality was restored. Unfortunately, the high-resolution optical imaging capability of HRC was not recovered.

  20. The effect of mechanical and chemical polishing techniques on the surface roughness of denture base acrylic resins.

    PubMed

    Al-Rifaiy, Mohammed Q

    2010-01-01

    Smooth polished surface of dental prostheses is important to prevent bacterial colonization and plaque accumulation. The acrylic base of prosthodontic appliances needs to be adjusted by grinding which often alters the surface of the denture base. It is therefore important to know how different polishing techniques affect surface roughness of acrylic resin. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of mechanical polishing (MP) and chemical polishing (CP) on the surface roughness of heat cured (HC) and auto cured (AC) denture base acrylic resins. Sixty acrylic resin specimens (30 × 15 × 3 mm) were made for each of the two types of acrylic resins. Thirty HC specimens received mechanical conventional lathe polishing using cone with pumice slurry and soft brush with chalk powder. The other thirty HC specimens received chemical polishing by immersing in methyl-methacrylate monomer heated to 75 °C ± 1 °C for 10 s. The sixty AC specimens received mechanical and chemical polishing in the same manner. Surface roughness was measured using surface analyzing instrument in microns. The data were statistically analyzed by two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by post hoc Tukey's test (α = 0.05). THE SURFACE ROUGHNESS MEAN IN MICRONS IN ORDER OF DECREASING VALUES WERE: CP-HC: 1.4132 μm; CP-AC: 1.3494 μm; MP-AC: 0.7364 μm and MP-HC: 0.6333 μm. Two-way ANOVA revealed that the MP-HC was significantly different from CP-HC and CP-AC (P < 0.05). The MP-AC is also significantly different from CP-HC and CP-AC (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference between MP and CP of HC and AC acrylic resin groups. It can be concluded that MP produced significantly smoother surfaces than CP. The surface roughness obtained by MP was not influenced by acrylic resin type where as this was not true for CP.

  1. p-Chlorophenol adsorption on activated carbons with basic surface properties

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lorenc-Grabowska, Ewa; Gryglewicz, Grażyna; Machnikowski, Jacek

    2010-05-01

    The adsorption of p-chlorophenol (PCP) from aqueous solution on activated carbons (ACs) with basic surface properties has been studied. The ACs were prepared by two methods. The first method was based on the modification of a commercial CWZ AC by high temperature treatment in an atmosphere of ammonia, nitrogen and hydrogen. The second approach comprised the carbonization followed by activation of N-enriched polymers and coal tar pitch using CO 2 and steam as activation agent. The resultant ACs were characterized in terms of porous structure, elemental composition and surface chemistry (pH PZC, acid/base titration, XPS). The adsorption of PCP was carried out from an aqueous solution in static conditions. Equilibrium adsorption isotherm was of L2 type for polymer-based ACs, whereas L3-type isotherm was observed for CWZ ACs series. The Langmuir monolayer adsorption capacity was related to the porous structure and the amount of basic sites. A good correlation was found between the adsorption capacity and the volume of micropores with a width < 1.4 nm for polymer-based ACs. Higher nitrogen content, including that in basic form, did not correspond to the enhanced adsorption of PCP from aqueous solution. The competitive effect of water molecule adsorption on the PCP uptake is discussed.

  2. Charge transport and ac response under light illumination in gate-modulated DNA molecular junctions.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Yan; Zhu, Wen-Huan; Ding, Guo-Hui; Dong, Bing; Wang, Xue-Feng

    2015-05-22

    Using a two-strand tight-binding model and within nonequilibrium Green's function approach, we study charge transport through DNA sequences (GC)NGC and (GC)1(TA)NTA (GC)3 sandwiched between two Pt electrodes. We show that at low temperature DNA sequence (GC)NGC exhibits coherent charge carrier transport at very small bias, since the highest occupied molecular orbital in the GC base pair can be aligned with the Fermi energy of the metallic electrodes by a gate voltage. A weak distance dependent conductance is found in DNA sequence (GC)1(TA)NTA (GC)3 with large NTA. Different from the mechanism of thermally induced hopping of charges proposed by the previous experiments, we find that this phenomenon is dominated by quantum tunnelling through discrete quantum well states in the TA base pairs. In addition, ac response of this DNA junction under light illumination is also investigated. The suppression of ac conductances of the left and right lead of DNA sequences at some particular frequencies is attributed to the excitation of electrons in the DNA to the lead Fermi surface by ac potential, or the excitation of electrons in deep DNA energy levels to partially occupied energy levels in the transport window. Therefore, measuring ac response of DNA junctions can reveal a wealth of information about the intrinsic dynamics of DNA molecules.

  3. ACS-Hach Programs: Supporting Excellence in High School Chemistry Teaching

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Taylor, Terri

    2009-05-01

    In January 2009, the ACS received a gift of approximately $33 million from the Hach Scientific Foundation, the largest gift in the society's 133-year history. The foundation's programs will be continued by the ACS and will complement pre-existing ACS resources that support high school chemistry teaching. Three activities serve as the pillars of the ACS-Hach programs—the High School Chemistry Grant Program, the Second Career Teacher Scholarship Program, and the Land Grant University Scholars Program. Collectively, the ACS-Hach programs support high school chemistry teaching and learning by responding to the needs of both in-service and pre-service secondary teachers. The goals of each of the ACS-Hach programs align well with the ACS Mission—to advance the broader chemistry enterprise and its practitioners for the benefit of Earth and its people.

  4. ACS Presents Science Education Report to Congress.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Krieger, James

    1989-01-01

    Discusses an American Chemical Society (ACS)'s report on science education which is a synthesis of a series of policies developed by ACS. Summarizes recommendations in four areas: elementary teacher education; pre-high school curricula; university research funding; and underrepresented populations. (YP)

  5. A dry-cooled AC quantum voltmeter

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Schubert, M.; Starkloff, M.; Peiselt, K.; Anders, S.; Knipper, R.; Lee, J.; Behr, R.; Palafox, L.; Böck, A. C.; Schaidhammer, L.; Fleischmann, P. M.; Meyer, H.-G.

    2016-10-01

    The paper describes a dry-cooled AC quantum voltmeter system operated up to kilohertz frequencies and 7 V rms. A 10 V programmable Josephson voltage standard (PJVS) array was installed on a pulse tube cooler (PTC) driven with a 4 kW air-cooled compressor. The operating margins at 70 GHz frequencies were investigated in detail and found to exceed 1 mA Shapiro step width. A key factor for the successful chip operation was the low on-chip power consumption of 65 mW in total. A thermal interface between PJVS chip and PTC cold stage was used to avoid a significant chip overheating. By installing the cryocooled PJVS array into an AC quantum voltmeter setup, several calibration measurements of dc standards and calibrator ac voltages up to 2 kHz frequencies were carried out to demonstrate the full functionality. The results are discussed and compared to systems with standard liquid helium cooling. For dc voltages, a direct comparison measurement between the dry-cooled AC quantum voltmeter and a liquid-helium based 10 V PJVS shows an agreement better than 1 part in 1010.

  6. Graphene assisted effective hole-extraction on In2O3:H/CH3NH3PbI3 interface: Studied by modulated surface spectroscopy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Vinoth Kumar, Sri Hari Bharath; Muydinov, Ruslan; Kol'tsova, Tat‘yana; Erfurt, Darja; Steigert, Alexander; Tolochko, Oleg; Szyszka, Bernd

    2018-01-01

    Charge separation in CH3NH3PbI3 (MAPbI3) films deposited on a hydrogen doped indium oxide (In2O3:H) photoelectrode was investigated by modulated surface photovoltage (SPV) spectroscopy in a fixed capacitor arrangement. It was found that In2O3:H reproducibly extracts photogenerated-holes from MAPbI3 films. The oxygen-plasma treatment of the In2O3:H surface is suggested to be a reason for this phenomenon. Introducing graphene interlayer increased charge separation nearly 6 times as compared to that on the In2O3:H/MAPbI3 interface. Furthermore, it is confirmed by SPV spectroscopy that the defects of the MAPbI3 interface are passivated by graphene.

  7. From Beamline to Scanner with 225Ac

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Robertson, Andrew K. H.; Ramogida, Caterina F.; Kunz, Peter; Rodriguez-Rodriguez, Cristina; Schaffer, Paul; Sossi, Vesna

    2016-09-01

    Due to the high linear energy transfer and short range of alpha-radiation, targeted radiation therapy using alpha-emitting pharmaceuticals that successfully target small disease clusters will kill target cells with limited harm to healthy tissue, potentially treating the most aggressive forms of cancer. As the parent of a decay chain with four alpha- and two beta-decays, 225Ac is a promising candidate for such a treatment. However, this requires retention of the entire decay chain at the target site, preventing the creation of freely circulating alpha-emitters that reduce therapeutic effect and increase toxicity to non-target tissues. Two major challenges to 225Ac pharmaceutical development exist: insufficient global supply, and the difficulty of preventing toxicity by retaining the entire decay chain at the target site. While TRIUMF works towards large-scale (C i amounts) production of 225Ac, we already use our Isotope Separation On-Line facility to provide small (< 1 mCi) quantities for in-house chemistry and imaging research that aims to improve and assess 225Ac radiopharmaceutical targeting. This presentation provides an overview of this research program and the journey of 225Ac from the beamline to the scanner. This research is funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.

  8. 21 CFR 880.5100 - AC-powered adjustable hospital bed.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false AC-powered adjustable hospital bed. 880.5100... (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES GENERAL HOSPITAL AND PERSONAL USE DEVICES General Hospital and Personal Use Therapeutic Devices § 880.5100 AC-powered adjustable hospital bed. (a) Identification. An AC-powered...

  9. 21 CFR 880.5100 - AC-powered adjustable hospital bed.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false AC-powered adjustable hospital bed. 880.5100... (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES GENERAL HOSPITAL AND PERSONAL USE DEVICES General Hospital and Personal Use Therapeutic Devices § 880.5100 AC-powered adjustable hospital bed. (a) Identification. An AC-powered...

  10. 21 CFR 880.5100 - AC-powered adjustable hospital bed.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false AC-powered adjustable hospital bed. 880.5100... (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES GENERAL HOSPITAL AND PERSONAL USE DEVICES General Hospital and Personal Use Therapeutic Devices § 880.5100 AC-powered adjustable hospital bed. (a) Identification. An AC-powered...

  11. 21 CFR 880.5100 - AC-powered adjustable hospital bed.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false AC-powered adjustable hospital bed. 880.5100... (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES GENERAL HOSPITAL AND PERSONAL USE DEVICES General Hospital and Personal Use Therapeutic Devices § 880.5100 AC-powered adjustable hospital bed. (a) Identification. An AC-powered...

  12. A Case Study of Wind-PV-Thermal-Bundled AC/DC Power Transmission from a Weak AC Network

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Xiao, H. W.; Du, W. J.; Wang, H. F.; Song, Y. T.; Wang, Q.; Ding, J.; Chen, D. Z.; Wei, W.

    2017-05-01

    Wind power generation and photovoltaic (PV) power generation bundled with the support by conventional thermal generation enables the generation controllable and more suitable for being sent over to remote load centre which are beneficial for the stability of weak sending end systems. Meanwhile, HVDC for long-distance power transmission is of many significant technique advantages. Hence the effects of wind-PV-thermal-bundled power transmission by AC/DC on power system have become an actively pursued research subject recently. Firstly, this paper introduces the technical merits and difficulties of wind-photovoltaic-thermal bundled power transmission by AC/DC systems in terms of meeting the requirement of large-scale renewable power transmission. Secondly, a system model which contains a weak wind-PV-thermal-bundled sending end system and a receiving end system in together with a parallel AC/DC interconnection transmission system is established. Finally, the significant impacts of several factors which includes the power transmission ratio between the DC and AC line, the distance between the sending end system and receiving end system, the penetration rate of wind power and the sending end system structure on system stability are studied.

  13. Encouragement of Enzyme Reaction Utilizing Heat Generation from Ferromagnetic Particles Subjected to an AC Magnetic Field

    PubMed Central

    Suzuki, Masashi; Aki, Atsushi; Mizuki, Toru; Maekawa, Toru; Usami, Ron; Morimoto, Hisao

    2015-01-01

    We propose a method of activating an enzyme utilizing heat generation from ferromagnetic particles under an ac magnetic field. We immobilize α-amylase on the surface of ferromagnetic particles and analyze its activity. We find that when α-amylase/ferromagnetic particle hybrids, that is, ferromagnetic particles, on which α-amylase molecules are immobilized, are subjected to an ac magnetic field, the particles generate heat and as a result, α-amylase on the particles is heated up and activated. We next prepare a solution, in which α-amylase/ferromagnetic particle hybrids and free, nonimmobilized chitinase are dispersed, and analyze their activities. We find that when the solution is subjected to an ac magnetic field, the activity of α-amylase immobilized on the particles increases, whereas that of free chitinase hardly changes; in other words, only α-amylase immobilized on the particles is selectively activated due to heat generation from the particles. PMID:25993268

  14. 21 CFR 888.1240 - AC-powered dynamometer.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false AC-powered dynamometer. 888.1240 Section 888.1240 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES ORTHOPEDIC DEVICES Diagnostic Devices § 888.1240 AC-powered dynamometer. (a...

  15. 21 CFR 888.1240 - AC-powered dynamometer.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false AC-powered dynamometer. 888.1240 Section 888.1240 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES ORTHOPEDIC DEVICES Diagnostic Devices § 888.1240 AC-powered dynamometer. (a...

  16. 21 CFR 888.1240 - AC-powered dynamometer.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false AC-powered dynamometer. 888.1240 Section 888.1240 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL DEVICES ORTHOPEDIC DEVICES Diagnostic Devices § 888.1240 AC-powered dynamometer. (a...

  17. 21 CFR 880.5100 - AC-powered adjustable hospital bed.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false AC-powered adjustable hospital bed. 880.5100 Section 880.5100 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES... Therapeutic Devices § 880.5100 AC-powered adjustable hospital bed. (a) Identification. An AC-powered...

  18. AC BREAKDOWN IN GASES

    DTIC Science & Technology

    electron- emission (multipactor) region, and (3) the low-frequency region. The breakdown mechanism in each of these regions is explained. An extensive bibliography on AC breakdown in gases is included.

  19. Cd(II) removal on surface-modified activated carbon: equilibrium, kinetics and mechanism.

    PubMed

    Liang, Jianjun; Liu, Meiling; Zhang, Yufei

    2016-10-01

    Commercial pulverous activated carbon (AC-0) was modified through two steps: oxidize AC-0 acid firstly, impregnate it with iron using ferric chloride secondly. Orthogonal experiment was conducted then to prepare modified activated carbon with high Cd(II) adsorption capacity (ACNF). Batch adsorption experiments were undertaken to determine the adsorption characteristics of Cd(II) from aqueous solution onto AC-0 and ACNF and the effect of pH, contact time and initial Cd(II) concentration. The results indicate that: the adsorption behavior of Cd(II) on ACNF can be well fitted with Langmuir model, and the maximum adsorption capacity of ACNF was 2.3 times higher than that of AC-0, supporting a monolayer coverage of Cd(II) on the surface. The kinetics of the adsorption process can be described by pseudo-second-order rate equation very well, and the adsorption capacity increased from 0.810 mg/g to 0.960 mg/g after modification. Compared with AC-0, the kinetic parameters of ACNF showed a higher adsorption rate through the aqueous solution to the solid surface and a lower intraparticle diffusion rate. Surface modification resulted in a lower Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area and pore size because of the collapse and blockage of pores, according to the X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, while the total number of surface oxygen acid groups increased, and this was supposed to contribute to the enhanced adsorption capacity of modified activated carbon.

  20. Assessing the allelotypic effect of two aminocyclopropane carboxylic acid synthase-encoding genes MdACS1 and MdACS3a on fruit ethylene production and softening in Malus

    PubMed Central

    Dougherty, Laura; Zhu, Yuandi; Xu, Kenong

    2016-01-01

    Phytohormone ethylene largely determines apple fruit shelf life and storability. Previous studies demonstrated that MdACS1 and MdACS3a, which encode 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid synthases (ACS), are crucial in apple fruit ethylene production. MdACS1 is well-known to be intimately involved in the climacteric ethylene burst in fruit ripening, while MdACS3a has been regarded a main regulator for ethylene production transition from system 1 (during fruit development) to system 2 (during fruit ripening). However, MdACS3a was also shown to have limited roles in initiating the ripening process lately. To better assess their roles, fruit ethylene production and softening were evaluated at five time points during a 20-day post-harvest period in 97 Malus accessions and in 34 progeny from 2 controlled crosses. Allelotyping was accomplished using an existing marker (ACS1) for MdACS1 and two markers (CAPS866 and CAPS870) developed here to specifically detect the two null alleles (ACS3a-G289V and Mdacs3a) of MdACS3a. In total, 952 Malus accessions were allelotyped with the three markers. The major findings included: The effect of MdACS1 was significant on fruit ethylene production and softening while that of MdACS3a was less detectable; allele MdACS1–2 was significantly associated with low ethylene and slow softening; under the same background of the MdACS1 allelotypes, null allele Mdacs3a (not ACS3a-G289V) could confer a significant delay of ethylene peak; alleles MdACS1–2 and Mdacs3a (excluding ACS3a-G289V) were highly enriched in M. domestica and M. hybrid when compared with those in M. sieversii. These findings are of practical implications in developing apples of low and delayed ethylene profiles by utilizing the beneficial alleles MdACS1-2 and Mdacs3a. PMID:27231553

  1. Visualization of plasmon-enhanced photocarrier generation in ZnO/Ag nanogratings (Conference Presentation)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gwon, Minji; Sohn, Ahrum; Cho, Yunae; Kim, Dong-Wook

    2017-03-01

    ZnO has attracted growing research attention as a strong candidate material for various optoelectronic device applications. It is important to understand and control the interactions between surface plasmons (SPs) and charge carriers in metal-ZnO hybrid nanostructures to improve the optical characteristics. In this work, we fabricated ZnO/Ag nanogratings using patterned polymer and Si templates. Excitation of the surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) well explained the optical reflectance and photoluminescence spectra of the ZnO/Ag nanogratings [1,2]. Nanoscopic mapping of surface photovoltage (SPV), i.e., changes in the surface potential under illumination, obtained by Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM) enabled us to investigate the local behaviors of the photo-generated carriers. The magnitude and relaxation time of the measured SPV depended on the wavelength and polarization of the incident light [3]. This showed that the SP excitation in the nanogratings directly affected the creation and recombination processes of the charge carriers. All of these results suggested that SPV measurements using KPFM should be very useful for studying the SP effects in metal/semiconductor hybrid nanostructures. References [1] Gwon et al., Opt. Express 19, 5895 (2011). [2] Gwon et al., ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces. 6, 8602 (2014). [3] Gwon et al., Sci. Rep. 5, 16727; doi: 10.1038/srep16727 (2015).

  2. 21 CFR 880.5510 - Non-AC-powered patient lift.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Non-AC-powered patient lift. 880.5510 Section 880... Devices § 880.5510 Non-AC-powered patient lift. (a) Identification. A non-AC-powered patient lift is a hydraulic, battery, or mechanically powered device, either fixed or mobile, used to lift and transport a...

  3. 21 CFR 880.5510 - Non-AC-powered patient lift.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Non-AC-powered patient lift. 880.5510 Section 880... Devices § 880.5510 Non-AC-powered patient lift. (a) Identification. A non-AC-powered patient lift is a hydraulic, battery, or mechanically powered device, either fixed or mobile, used to lift and transport a...

  4. Nuclear structure of 231Ac

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Boutami, R.; Borge, M. J. G.; Mach, H.; Kurcewicz, W.; Fraile, L. M.; Gulda, K.; Aas, A. J.; García-Raffi, L. M.; Løvhøiden, G.; Martínez, T.; Rubio, B.; Taín, J. L.; Tengblad, O.

    2008-10-01

    The low-energy structure of 231Ac has been investigated by means of γ ray spectroscopy following the β decay of 231Ra. Multipolarities of 28 transitions have been established by measuring conversion electrons with a MINI-ORANGE electron spectrometer. The decay scheme of 231Ra → 231Ac has been constructed for the first time. The Advanced Time Delayed βγγ(t) method has been used to measure the half-lives of five levels. The moderately fast B(E1) transition rates derived suggest that the octupole effects, albeit weak, are still present in this exotic nucleus.

  5. Autographa californica multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus ac53 plays a role in nucleocapsid assembly

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Liu Chao; Li Zhaofei; Wu Wenbi

    2008-12-05

    Autographa californica multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus (AcMNPV) orf53 (ac53) is a highly conserved gene existing in all sequenced Lepidoptera and Hymenoptera baculoviruses, but its function remains unknown. To investigate its role in the baculovirus life cycle, an ac53 deletion virus (vAc{sup ac53KO-PH-GFP}) was generated through homologous recombination in Escherichia coli. Fluorescence and light microscopy and titration analysis revealed that vAc{sup ac53KO-PH-GFP} could not produce infectious budded virus in infected Sf9 cells. Real-time PCR demonstrated that the ac53 deletion did not affect the levels of viral DNA replication. Electron microscopy showed that many lucent tubular shells devoid of the nucleoprotein core are presentmore » in the virogenic stroma and ring zone, indicating that the ac53 knockout affected nucleocapsid assembly. With a recombinant virus expressing an Ac53-GFP fusion protein, we observed that Ac53 was distributed within the cytoplasm and nucleus at 24 h post-infection, but afterwards accumulated predominantly near the nucleus-cytoplasm boundary. These data demonstrate that ac53 is involved in nucleocapsid assembly and is an essential gene for virus production.« less

  6. Effect of superhydrophobicity on surface damage of silicone rubber under AC voltage

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, Yufeng; Jin, Haiyun; Nie, Shichao; Tong, Cheng; Gao, Naikui

    2018-03-01

    In this paper, the influence of superhydrophobicity on the surface damage of silicone rubber is studied. On a common silicone rubber surface, a droplet can become elongated, and arc discharge induced by the droplet can cause tracking on the silicone rubber surface. However, for a superhydrophobic silicone rubber surface, a droplet can leave the silicone rubber due to the low adhesion of the superhydrophobic surface. Accordingly, arc discharge caused by the droplet does not occur, and the surface of the silicone rubber is not affected. Results demonstrate that using a superhydrophobic surface has a significant effect on limiting the surface damage of silicone rubber.

  7. Optimization of spin-torque switching using AC and DC pulses

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Dunn, Tom; Kamenev, Alex; Fine Theoretical Physics Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455

    2014-06-21

    We explore spin-torque induced magnetic reversal in magnetic tunnel junctions using combined AC and DC spin-current pulses. We calculate the optimal pulse times and current strengths for both AC and DC pulses as well as the optimal AC signal frequency, needed to minimize the Joule heat lost during the switching process. The results of this optimization are compared against numeric simulations. Finally, we show how this optimization leads to different dynamic regimes, where switching is optimized by either a purely AC or DC spin-current, or a combination AC/DC spin-current, depending on the anisotropy energies and the spin-current polarization.

  8. Organization of K88ac-encoded polypeptides in the Escherichia coli cell envelope: use of minicells and outer membrane protein mutants for studying assembly of pili.

    PubMed

    Dougan, G; Dowd, G; Kehoe, M

    1983-01-01

    Escherichia coli K-12 minicells, harboring recombinant plasmids encoding polypeptides involved in the expression of K88ac adhesion pili on the bacterial cell surface, were labeled with [35S]methionine and fractionated by a variety of techniques. A 70,000-dalton polypeptide, the product of the K88ac adhesion cistron adhA, was primarily located in the outer membrane of minicells, although it was less clearly associated with this membrane than the classical outer membrane proteins OmpA and matrix protein. Two polypeptides of molecular weights 26,000 and 17,000 (the products of adhB and adhC, respectively) were located in significant amounts in the periplasmic space. The 29,000-dalton polypeptide was shown to be processed in E. coli minicells. The 23.500-dalton K88ac pilus subunit (the product of adhD) was detected in both inner and outer membrane fractions. E. coli mutants defective in the synthesis of murein lipoprotein or the major outer membrane polypeptide OmpA were found to express normal amounts of K88ac antigen on the cell surface, whereas expression of the K88ac antigen was greatly reduced in perA mutants. The possible functions of the adh cistron products are discussed.

  9. AC power generation from microbial fuel cells

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lobo, Fernanda Leite; Wang, Heming; Forrestal, Casey; Ren, Zhiyong Jason

    2015-11-01

    Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) directly convert biodegradable substrates to electricity and carry good potential for energy-positive wastewater treatment. However, the low and direct current (DC) output from MFC is not usable for general electronics except small sensors, yet commercial DC-AC converters or inverters used in solar systems cannot be directly applied to MFCs. This study presents a new DC-AC converter system for MFCs that can generate alternating voltage in any desired frequency. Results show that AC power can be easily achieved in three different frequencies tested (1, 10, 60 Hz), and no energy storage layer such as capacitors was needed. The DC-AC converter efficiency was higher than 95% when powered by either individual MFCs or simple MFC stacks. Total harmonic distortion (THD) was used to investigate the quality of the energy, and it showed that the energy could be directly usable for linear electronic loads. This study shows that through electrical conversion MFCs can be potentially used in household electronics for decentralized off-grid communities.

  10. Reduction of Fermi level pinning and recombination at polycrystalline CdTe surfaces by laser irradiation

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Simonds, Brian J.; Kheraj, Vipul; Department of Applied Physics, S. V. National Institute of Technology, Surat 395 007

    2015-06-14

    Laser processing of polycrystalline CdTe is a promising approach that could potentially increase module manufacturing throughput while reducing capital expenditure costs. For these benefits to be realized, the basic effects of laser irradiation on CdTe must be ascertained. In this study, we utilize surface photovoltage spectroscopy (SPS) to investigate the changes to the electronic properties of the surface of polycrystalline CdTe solar cell stacks induced by continuous-wave laser annealing. The experimental data explained within a model consisting of two space charge regions, one at the CdTe/air interface and one at the CdTe/CdS junction, are used to interpret our SPS results.more » The frequency dependence and phase spectra of the SPS signal are also discussed. To support the SPS findings, low-temperature spectrally-resolved photoluminescence and time-resolved photoluminescence were also measured. The data show that a modest laser treatment of 250 W/cm{sup 2} with a dwell time of 20 s is sufficient to reduce the effects of Fermi level pinning at the surface due to surface defects.« less

  11. Human preocular mucins reflect changes in surface physiology.

    PubMed

    Berry, M; Ellingham, R B; Corfield, A P

    2004-03-01

    Mucin function is associated with both peptide core and glycosylation characteristics. The authors assessed whether structural alterations occurring during mucin residence in the tear film reflect changes in ocular surface physiology. Ocular surface mucus was collected from normal volunteers as N-acetyl cysteine (NAcCys) washes or directly from the speculum after cataract surgery. To assess the influence of surface health on mucins, NAcCys washings were also obtained from patients with symptoms, but no clinical signs of dry eye (symptomatics). Mucins were extracted in guanidine hydrochloride (GuHCl) with protease inhibitors. Buoyant density of mucin species, a correlate of glycosylation density, was followed by reactivity with anti-peptide core antibodies. Mucin hydrodynamic volume was assessed by gel filtration on Sepharose CL2B. Surface fluid and mucus contained soluble forms of MUC1, MUC2, MUC4, and MUC5AC and also the same species requiring DTT solubilisation. Reactivity with antibodies to MUC2 and MUC5AC peaked at 1.3-1.5 g/ml in normals, while dominated by underglycosylated forms in symptomatics. Surface mucins were predominantly smaller than intracellular species. MUC2 size distributions were different in symptomatics and normals, while those of MUC5AC were similar in these two groups. A reduction in surface mucin size indicates post-secretory cleavage. Dissimilarities in surface mucin glycosylation and individual MUC size distributions in symptomatics suggest changes in preocular mucin that might precede dry eye signs.

  12. A Single-Phase Embedded Z-Source DC-AC Inverter

    PubMed Central

    Kim, Se-Jin; Lim, Young-Cheol

    2014-01-01

    In the conventional DC-AC inverter consisting of two DC-DC converters with unipolar output capacitors, the output capacitor voltages of the DC-DC converters must be higher than the DC input voltage. To overcome this weakness, this paper proposes a single-phase DC-AC inverter consisting of two embedded Z-source converters with bipolar output capacitors. The proposed inverter is composed of two embedded Z-source converters with a common DC source and output AC load. Though the output capacitor voltages of the converters are relatively low compared to those of a conventional inverter, an equivalent level of AC output voltages can be obtained. Moreover, by controlling the output capacitor voltages asymmetrically, the AC output voltage of the proposed inverter can be higher than the DC input voltage. To verify the validity of the proposed inverter, experiments were performed with a DC source voltage of 38 V. By controlling the output capacitor voltages of the converters symmetrically or asymmetrically, the proposed inverter can produce sinusoidal AC output voltages. The experiments show that efficiencies of up to 95% and 97% can be achieved with the proposed inverter using symmetric and asymmetric control, respectively. PMID:25133241

  13. A single-phase embedded Z-source DC-AC inverter.

    PubMed

    Kim, Se-Jin; Lim, Young-Cheol

    2014-01-01

    In the conventional DC-AC inverter consisting of two DC-DC converters with unipolar output capacitors, the output capacitor voltages of the DC-DC converters must be higher than the DC input voltage. To overcome this weakness, this paper proposes a single-phase DC-AC inverter consisting of two embedded Z-source converters with bipolar output capacitors. The proposed inverter is composed of two embedded Z-source converters with a common DC source and output AC load. Though the output capacitor voltages of the converters are relatively low compared to those of a conventional inverter, an equivalent level of AC output voltages can be obtained. Moreover, by controlling the output capacitor voltages asymmetrically, the AC output voltage of the proposed inverter can be higher than the DC input voltage. To verify the validity of the proposed inverter, experiments were performed with a DC source voltage of 38 V. By controlling the output capacitor voltages of the converters symmetrically or asymmetrically, the proposed inverter can produce sinusoidal AC output voltages. The experiments show that efficiencies of up to 95% and 97% can be achieved with the proposed inverter using symmetric and asymmetric control, respectively.

  14. Application of Box-Behnken experimental design to optimize the extraction of insecticidal Cry1Ac from soil.

    PubMed

    Li, Yan-Liang; Fang, Zhi-Xiang; You, Jing

    2013-02-20

    A validated method for analyzing Cry proteins is a premise to study the fate and ecological effects of contaminants associated with genetically engineered Bacillus thuringiensis crops. The current study has optimized the extraction method to analyze Cry1Ac protein in soil using a response surface methodology with a three-level-three-factor Box-Behnken experimental design (BBD). The optimum extraction conditions were at 21 °C and 630 rpm for 2 h. Regression analysis showed a good fit of the experimental data to the second-order polynomial model with a coefficient of determination of 0.96. The method was sensitive and precise with a method detection limit of 0.8 ng/g dry weight and relative standard deviations at 7.3%. Finally, the established method was applied for analyzing Cry1Ac protein residues in field-collected soil samples. Trace amounts of Cry1Ac protein were detected in the soils where transgenic crops have been planted for 8 and 12 years.

  15. Post-Flash Validation of the new ACS/WFC Subarrays

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bellini, A.; Grogin, N. A.; Lim, P. L.; Golimowski, D.

    2017-05-01

    We made use of the new ACS/WFC subarray images of CAL-14410, taken taken with a large range of flash exposure times (0.1-30 seconds), to probe the temporal stability of the reference flash file and to validate the current post-flash correction pipeline of CALACS and ACS DESTRIPE PLUS on the new subarray modes. No statistically-significant deviations are found between the new post-flashed subarray exposures and the flash reference file, indicating that the LED lamp used to post-flash ACS images has been stable over several years. The current calibration pipelines (both CALACS and ACS DESTRIPE PLUS can be successfully used with the new subarray modes.

  16. Flexible, polymer gated, AC-driven organic electroluminescence devices

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Xu, Junwei; Carroll, David L.

    2017-08-01

    Comparing rigid inorganic layer, polymeric semiconducting gate layer exhibits superior flexibility as well as efficient carrier manipulation in high frequency AC cycles. Mechanism of the carrier manipulation at the gate in forward and reversed bias of AC cycle is studied. The flexible PET-based AC-OEL device with poly[(9,9-bis(3'-((N,N-dimethyl)-Nethylammonium)- propyl)-2,7-fluorene)-alt-2,7-(9,9-dioctylfluorene)] (PFN-Br) gate shows a stable electroluminescent performance in frequency sweep with a color rendering index (CRI) over 81 at 2800K color temperature.

  17. dc Arc Fault Effect on Hybrid ac/dc Microgrid

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fatima, Zahra

    The advent of distributed energy resources (DER) and reliability and stability problems of the conventional grid system has given rise to the wide spread deployment of microgrids. Microgrids provide many advantages by incorporating renewable energy sources and increasing the reliability of the grid by isolating from the main grid in case of an outage. AC microgrids have been installed all over the world, but dc microgrids have been gaining interest due to the advantages they provide over ac microgrids. However the entire power network backbone is still ac and dc microgrids require expensive converters to connect to the ac power network. As a result hybrid ac/dc microgrids are gaining more attention as it combines the advantages of both ac and dc microgrids such as direct integration of ac and dc systems with minimum number of conversions which increases the efficiency by reducing energy losses. Although dc electric systems offer many advantages such as no synchronization and no reactive power, successful implementation of dc systems requires appropriate protection strategies. One unique protection challenge brought by the dc systems is dc arc faults. A dc arc fault is generated when there is a gap in the conductor due to insulation degradation and current is used to bridge the gap, resulting in an arc with very high temperature. Such a fault if it goes undetected and is not extinguished can cause damage to the entire system and cause fires. The purpose of the research is to study the effect of the dc arc fault at different locations in the hybrid ac/dc microgrid and provide insight on the reliability of the grid components when it is impacted by arc faults at various locations in the grid. The impact of dc arc fault at different locations on the performance of the PV array, wind generation, and constant power loads (CPL) interfaced with dc/dc converters is studied. MATLAB/Simulink is used to model the hybrid ac/dc microgrid and arc fault.

  18. Frequency-dependent tACS modulation of BOLD signal during rhythmic visual stimulation.

    PubMed

    Chai, Yuhui; Sheng, Jingwei; Bandettini, Peter A; Gao, Jia-Hong

    2018-05-01

    Transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) has emerged as a promising tool for modulating cortical oscillations. In previous electroencephalogram (EEG) studies, tACS has been found to modulate brain oscillatory activity in a frequency-specific manner. However, the spatial distribution and hemodynamic response for this modulation remains poorly understood. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has the advantage of measuring neuronal activity in regions not only below the tACS electrodes but also across the whole brain with high spatial resolution. Here, we measured fMRI signal while applying tACS to modulate rhythmic visual activity. During fMRI acquisition, tACS at different frequencies (4, 8, 16, and 32 Hz) was applied along with visual flicker stimulation at 8 and 16 Hz. We analyzed the blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) signal difference between tACS-ON vs tACS-OFF, and different frequency combinations (e.g., 4 Hz tACS, 8 Hz flicker vs 8 Hz tACS, 8 Hz flicker). We observed significant tACS modulation effects on BOLD responses when the tACS frequency matched the visual flicker frequency or the second harmonic frequency. The main effects were predominantly seen in regions that were activated by the visual task and targeted by the tACS current distribution. These findings bridge different scientific domains of tACS research and demonstrate that fMRI could localize the tACS effect on stimulus-induced brain rhythms, which could lead to a new approach for understanding the high-level cognitive process shaped by the ongoing oscillatory signal. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  19. Apple MdACS6 Regulates Ethylene Biosynthesis During Fruit Development Involving Ethylene-Responsive Factor.

    PubMed

    Li, Tong; Tan, Dongmei; Liu, Zhi; Jiang, Zhongyu; Wei, Yun; Zhang, Lichao; Li, Xinyue; Yuan, Hui; Wang, Aide

    2015-10-01

    Ethylene biosynthesis in plants involves different 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid synthase (ACS) genes. The regulation of each ACS gene during fruit development is unclear. Here, we characterized another apple (Malus×domestica) ACS gene, MdACS6. The transcript of MdACS6 was observed not only in fruits but also in other tissues. During fruit development, MdACS6 was initiated at a much earlier stage, whereas MdACS3a and MdACS1 began to be expressed at 35 d before harvest and immediateley after harvest, respectively. Moreover, the enzyme activity of MdACS6 was significantly lower than that of MdACS3a and MdACS1, accounting for the low ethylene biosynthesis in young fruits. Overexpression of MdACS6 (MdACS6-OE) by transient assay in apple showed enhanced ethylene production, and MdACS3a was induced in MdACS6-OE fruits but not in control fruits. In MdACS6 apple fruits silenced by the virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) system (MdACS6-AN), neither ethylene production nor MdACS3a transcript was detectable. In order to explore the mechanism through which MdACS3a was induced in MdACS6-OE fruits, we investigated the expression of apple ethylene-responsive factor (ERF) genes. The results showed that the expression of MdERF2 was induced in MdACS6-OE fruits and inhibited in MdACS6-AN fruits. Yeast one-hybrid assay showed that MdERF2 protein could bind to the promoter of MdACS3a. Moreover, down-regulation of MdERF2 in apple flesh callus led to a decrease of MdACS3a expression, demonstrating the regulation of MdERF2 on MdACS3a. The mechanism through which MdACS6 regulates the action of MdACS3a was discussed. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Japanese Society of Plant Physiologists. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  20. An AC electroosmotic micropump for circular chromatographic applications.

    PubMed

    Debesset, S; Hayden, C J; Dalton, C; Eijkel, J C T; Manz, A

    2004-08-01

    Flow rates of up to 50 microm s(-1) have been successfully achieved in a closed-loop channel using an AC electroosmotic pump. The AC electroosmotic pump is made of an interdigitated array of unequal width electrodes located at the bottom of a channel, with an AC voltage applied between the small and the large electrodes. The flow rate was found to increase linearly with the applied voltage and to decrease linearly with the applied frequency. The pump is expected to be suitable for circular chromatography for the following reasons: the driving forces are distributed over the channel length and the pumping direction is set by the direction of the interdigitated electrodes. Pumping in a closed-loop channel can be achieved by arranging the electrode pattern in a circle. In addition the inherent working principle of AC electroosmotic pumping enables the independent optimisation of the channel height or the flow velocity.

  1. Aspergillus terreus accessory conidia are unique in surface architecture, cell wall composition and germination kinetics.

    PubMed

    Deak, Eszter; Wilson, Selwyn D; White, Elizabeth; Carr, Janice H; Balajee, S Arunmozhi

    2009-10-30

    Infection with Aspergillus terreus is more likely to result in invasive, disseminated disease when compared to other Aspergillus species; importantly this species appears to be less susceptible to the antifungal drug amphotericin B. Unique to this species is the ability to produce specialized structures denoted as accessory conidia (AC) directly on hyphae both in vitro and in vivo. With the hypothesis that production of AC by A. terreus may enhance virulence of this organism, we analyzed the phenotype, structure and metabolic potential of these conidia. Comparison of A. terreus phialidic conidia (conidia that arise from conidiophores, PC) and AC architecture by electron microscopy revealed distinct morphological differences between the two conidial forms; AC have a smoother, thicker outer cell surface with no apparent pigment-like layer. Further, AC germinated rapidly, had enhanced adherence to microspheres, and were metabolically more active compared to PC. Additionally, AC contained less cell membrane ergosterol, which correlated with decreased susceptibility to AMB as determined using a flow cytometry based analysis. Furthermore, AC exhibited surface patches of beta1-3 glucan, suggestive of attachment scarring. Collectively, the findings of this study suggest a possible role for AC in A. terreus pathogenesis.

  2. Introducing high performance distributed logging service for ACS

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Avarias, Jorge A.; López, Joao S.; Maureira, Cristián; Sommer, Heiko; Chiozzi, Gianluca

    2010-07-01

    The ALMA Common Software (ACS) is a software framework that provides the infrastructure for the Atacama Large Millimeter Array and other projects. ACS, based on CORBA, offers basic services and common design patterns for distributed software. Every properly built system needs to be able to log status and error information. Logging in a single computer scenario can be as easy as using fprintf statements. However, in a distributed system, it must provide a way to centralize all logging data in a single place without overloading the network nor complicating the applications. ACS provides a complete logging service infrastructure in which every log has an associated priority and timestamp, allowing filtering at different levels of the system (application, service and clients). Currently the ACS logging service uses an implementation of the CORBA Telecom Log Service in a customized way, using only a minimal subset of the features provided by the standard. The most relevant feature used by ACS is the ability to treat the logs as event data that gets distributed over the network in a publisher-subscriber paradigm. For this purpose the CORBA Notification Service, which is resource intensive, is used. On the other hand, the Data Distribution Service (DDS) provides an alternative standard for publisher-subscriber communication for real-time systems, offering better performance and featuring decentralized message processing. The current document describes how the new high performance logging service of ACS has been modeled and developed using DDS, replacing the Telecom Log Service. Benefits and drawbacks are analyzed. A benchmark is presented comparing the differences between the implementations.

  3. Particle Line Assembly/Patterning by Microfluidic AC Electroosmosis

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lian, Meng; Islam, Nazmul; Wu, Jie

    2006-04-01

    Recently AC electroosmosis has attracted research interests worldwide. This paper is the first to investigate particle line assembly/patterning by AC electroosmosis. Since AC electroosmotic force has no dependence on particle sizes, this technique is particularly useful for manipulating nanoscale substance, and hopefully constructs functional nanoscale devices. Two types of ACEO devices, in the configurations of planar interdigitated electrodes and parallel plate electrodes, and a biased ACEO technique are studied, which provides added flexibility in particle manipulation and line assembly. The paper also investigates the effects of electrical field distributions on generating microflows for particle assembly. The results are corroborated experimentally.

  4. High surface area mesoporous activated carbon-alginate beads for efficient removal of methylene blue.

    PubMed

    Nasrullah, Asma; Bhat, A H; Naeem, Abdul; Isa, Mohamed Hasnain; Danish, Mohammed

    2018-02-01

    High surface area mesoporous activated carbon-alginate (AC-alginate) beads were successfully synthesized by entrapping activated carbon powder derived from Mangosteen fruit peel into calcium-alginate beads for methylene blue (MB) removal from aqueous solution. The structure and surface characteristics of AC-alginate beads were analyzed using Fourier transform infra-red (FTIR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and surface area analysis (S BET ), while thermal properties were tested using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The effect of AC-alginate dose, pH of solution, contact time, initial concentration of MB solution and temperature on MB removal was elucidated. The results showed that the maximum adsorption capacity of 230mg/g was achieved for 100mg/L of MB solution at pH 9.5 and temperature 25°C. Furthermore, the adsorption of MB on AC-alginate beads followed well pseudo-second order equation and equilibrium adsorption data were better fitted by the Freundlich isotherm model. The findings reveal the feasibility of AC-alginate beads composite to be used as a potential and low cost adsorbent for removal of cationic dyes. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. AC transport in p-Ge/GeSi quantum well in high magnetic fields

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Drichko, I. L.; Malysh, V. A.; Smirnov, I. Yu.

    2014-08-20

    The contactless surface acoustic wave technique is implemented to probe the high-frequency conductivity of a high-mobility p-Ge/GeSi quantum well structure in the regime of integer quantum Hall effect (IQHE) at temperatures 0.3–5.8 K and magnetic fields up to 18 T. It is shown that, in the IQHE regime at the minima of conductivity, holes are localized and ac conductivity is of hopping nature and can be described within the “two-site” model. The analysis of the temperature and magnetic-field-orientation dependence of the ac conductivity at odd filing factors enables us to determine the effective hole g-factor, |g{sub zz}|≈4.5. It is shownmore » that the in-plane component of the magnetic field leads to a decrease in the g-factor as well as increase in the cyclotron mass, which is explained by orbital effects in the complex valence band of germanium.« less

  6. Oxide-free aC/Zr0.65Al0.075Cu0.275/aC phase plates for transmission electron microscopy.

    PubMed

    Dries, M; Obermair, M; Hettler, S; Hermann, P; Seemann, K; Seifried, F; Ulrich, S; Fischer, R; Gerthsen, D

    2018-06-01

    Thin-film phase plates (PP) have become a valuable tool for the imaging of organic objects in transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The thin film usually consists of amorphous carbon (aC), which undergoes rapid aging under intense illumination with high-energy electrons. The limited lifetime of aC film PPs calls for alternative PP materials with improved material stability. This work presents thin-film PPs fabricated from the metallic glass alloy Zr 0.65 Al 0.075 Cu 0.275 (ZAC), which was identified as a promising PP material with beneficial properties, such as a large inelastic mean free path. An adverse effect of the ZAC alloy is the formation of a surface oxide layer in ambient air, which reduces the electrical conductivity and causes electrostatic charging in the electron beam. To avoid surface oxidation, the ZAC alloy is enclosed by thin aC layers. The resulting aC/ZAC/aC layer system is used to fabricate Zernike and Hilbert PPs. Phase-contrast TEM imaging is demonstrated for a sample of carbon nanotubes, which show strong contrast enhancement in PP TEM images. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  7. The effect of activation agent on surface morphology, density and porosity of palm shell and coconut shell activated carbon

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Leman, A. M.; Zakaria, S.; Salleh, M. N. M.; Sunar, N. M.; Feriyanto, D.; Nazri, A. A.

    2017-09-01

    Activated carbon (AC) has one of the promising alternative technology for filtration and adsorption process. It inexpensive material because the sources is abundant especially in Malaysia. Main purpose of this project is to develop AC by chemical activation process to improve adsorption capacity by improving porosity of AC. AC developed via carbonization using designed burner at temperature of 650°C to 850 °C and activated by Potassium Hydroxide (KOH) in 12 hour and then dried at temperature of 300°C. Characterization and analysis is conducted by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) for surface morphology analysis, Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) for composition analysis, density and porosity analysis. Results shows that uneven surface has been observed both of AC and non-AC and also AC shows higher porosity as compared to non-AC materials. Density value of raw material has lower than AC up to 11.67% and 47.54% and porosity of raw material has higher than AC up to 31.45% and 45.69% for palm shell and coconut shell AC. It can be concluded that lower density represent higher porosity of material and higher porosity indicated higher adsorption capacity as well.

  8. Human preocular mucins reflect changes in surface physiology

    PubMed Central

    Berry, M; Ellingham, R B; Corfield, A P

    2004-01-01

    Background/aims: Mucin function is associated with both peptide core and glycosylation characteristics. The authors assessed whether structural alterations occurring during mucin residence in the tear film reflect changes in ocular surface physiology. Methods: Ocular surface mucus was collected from normal volunteers as N-acetyl cysteine (NAcCys) washes or directly from the speculum after cataract surgery. To assess the influence of surface health on mucins, NAcCys washings were also obtained from patients with symptoms, but no clinical signs of dry eye (symptomatics). Mucins were extracted in guanidine hydrochloride (GuHCl) with protease inhibitors. Buoyant density of mucin species, a correlate of glycosylation density, was followed by reactivity with anti-peptide core antibodies. Mucin hydrodynamic volume was assessed by gel filtration on Sepharose CL2B. Results: Surface fluid and mucus contained soluble forms of MUC1, MUC2, MUC4, and MUC5AC and also the same species requiring DTT solubilisation. Reactivity with antibodies to MUC2 and MUC5AC peaked at 1.3–1.5 g/ml in normals, while dominated by underglycosylated forms in symptomatics. Surface mucins were predominantly smaller than intracellular species. MUC2 size distributions were different in symptomatics and normals, while those of MUC5AC were similar in these two groups. Conclusions: A reduction in surface mucin size indicates post-secretory cleavage. Dissimilarities in surface mucin glycosylation and individual MUC size distributions in symptomatics suggest changes in preocular mucin that might precede dry eye signs. PMID:14977773

  9. AC Coupled Interconnect for Low Power Spaceborne Electronics

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2006-09-30

    Final Report 3. DATES COVERED (From - To) 20/05/2003 to 30/09/2006 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE AC COUPLED INTERCONNECT FOR LOW POWER SPACEBORNE...14. ABSTRACT The primary objective of this effort was to establish that AC Coupled Interconnect could be used to create multiple solutions to...

  10. [Ru/AC catalyzed ozonation of recalcitrant organic compounds].

    PubMed

    Wang, Jian-Bing; Hou, Shao-Pei; Zhou, Yun-Rui; Zhu, Wan-Peng; He, Xu-Wen

    2009-09-15

    Ozonation and Ru/AC catalyzed ozonation of dimethyl phthalate (DMP), phenols and disinfection by-products precursors were studied. It shows that Ru/AC catalyst can obviously enhance the mineralization of organic compounds. In the degradation of DMP, TOC removal was 28.84% by ozonation alone while it was 66.13% by catalytic ozonation. In the oxidation of 23 kinds of phenols, TOC removals were 9.57%-56.08% by ozonation alone while they were 41.81%-82.32% by catalytic ozonation. Compared to ozonation alone, Ru/AC catalyzed ozonation was more effective for the reduction of disinfection by-products formation potentials in source water. The reduction of haloacetic acids formation potentials was more obvious than thichlomethane formation potentials. After the treatment by catalytic ozonation, the haloacetic acids formation potentials decreased from 144.02 microg/L to 58.50 microg/L, which was below the standard value of EPA. However ozonation alone could not make it reach the standard. The treatments of source water by BAC, O3 + BAC, O3/AC + BAC and Ru/AC + O3 + BAC were also studied. In the four processes, TOC removal was 3.80%, 20.14%, 27.45% and 48.30% respectively, COD removal was 4.37%, 27.22%, 39.91% and 50.00% respectively, UV254 removal was 8.16%, 62.24%, 67.03% and 84.95% respectively. Ru/AC + O3 + BAC process is more effective than the other processes for the removal of TOC, COD and UV254 and no ruthenium leaching observed in the solution. It is a promising process for the treatment of micro polluted source water.

  11. Methods for Addressing Missing Data with Applications from ACS Exams

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brandriet, Alexandra; Holme, Thomas

    2015-01-01

    As part of the ACS Examinations Institute (ACS-EI) national norming process, student performance data sets are collected from professors at colleges and universities from around the United States. Because the data sets are collected on a volunteer basis, the ACS-EI often receives data sets with only students' total scores and without the students'…

  12. Diagnostics of the Fermilab Tevatron using an AC dipole

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Miyamoto, Ryoichi

    2008-08-01

    The Fermilab Tevatron is currently the world's highest energy colliding beam facility. Its counter-rotating proton and antiproton beams collide at 2 TeV center-of-mass. Delivery of such intense beam fluxes to experiments has required improved knowledge of the Tevatron's beam optical lattice. An oscillating dipole magnet, referred to as an AC dipole, is one of such a tool to non-destructively assess the optical properties of the synchrotron. We discusses development of an AC dipole system for the Tevatron, a fast-oscillating (f ~ 20 kHz) dipole magnet which can be adiabatically turned on and off to establish sustained coherent oscillations of themore » beam particles without affecting the transverse emittance. By utilizing an existing magnet and a higher power audio amplifier, the cost of the Tevatron AC dipole system became relatively inexpensive. We discuss corrections which must be applied to the driven oscillation measurements to obtain the proper interpretation of beam optical parameters from AC dipole studies. After successful operations of the Tevatron AC dipole system, AC dipole systems, similar to that in the Tevatron, will be build for the CERN LHC. We present several measurements of linear optical parameters (beta function and phase advance) for the Tevatron, as well as studies of non-linear perturbations from sextupole and octupole elements.« less

  13. High surface area bio-waste based carbon as a superior electrode for vanadium redox flow battery

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Maharjan, Makhan; Bhattarai, Arjun; Ulaganathan, Mani; Wai, Nyunt; Oo, Moe Ohnmar; Wang, Jing-Yuan; Lim, Tuti Mariana

    2017-09-01

    Activated carbon (AC) with high surface area (1901 m2 g-1) is synthesized from low cost bio-waste orange (Citrus sinensis) peel for vanadium redox flow battery (VRB). The composition, structure and electrochemical properties of orange peel derived AC (OP-AC) are characterized by elemental analyzer, field emission-scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry (CV), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. CV results show that OP-AC coated bipolar plate demonstrates improved electro-catalytic activity in both positive and negative side redox couples than the pristine bipolar plate electrode and this is ascribed to the high surface area of OP-AC which provides effective electrode area and better contact between the porous electrode and bipolar plate. Consequently, the performance of VRB in a static cell shows higher energy efficiency for OP-AC electrode than the pristine electrode at all current densities tested. The results suggest the OP-AC to be a promising electrode for VRB applications and can be incorporated into making conducting plastics electrode to lower the VRB cell stack weight and cost.

  14. Design principle for improved three-dimensional ac electro-osmotic pumps.

    PubMed

    Burch, Damian; Bazant, Martin Z

    2008-05-01

    Three-dimensional (3D) ac electro-osmotic (ACEO) pumps have recently been developed that are much faster and more robust than previous planar designs. The basic idea is to create a "fluid conveyor belt" by placing opposing ACEO slip velocities at different heights. Current designs involve electrodes with electroplated steps, whose heights have been optimized in simulations and experiments. Here, we consider changing the boundary conditions-rather than the geometry-and predict that flow rates can be further doubled by fabricating 3D features with nonpolarizable materials. This amplifies the fluid conveyor belt by removing opposing flows on the vertical surfaces, and it increases the slip velocities that drive the flow.

  15. Scaling laws for AC gas breakdown and implications for universality

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Loveless, Amanda M.; Garner, Allen L.

    2017-10-01

    The reduced dependence on secondary electron emission and electrode surface properties makes radiofrequency (RF) and microwave (MW) plasmas advantageous over direct current (DC) plasmas for various applications, such as microthrusters. Theoretical models relating molecular constants to alternating current (AC) breakdown often fail due to incomplete understanding of both the constants and the mechanisms involved. This work derives simple analytic expressions for RF and MW breakdown, demonstrating the transition between these regimes at their high and low frequency limits, respectively. We further show that the limiting expressions for DC, RF, and MW breakdown voltage all have the same universal scaling dependence on pressure and gap distance at high pressure, agreeing with experiment.

  16. Method to protect charge recombination in the back-contact dye-sensitized solar cell.

    PubMed

    Yoo, Beomjin; Kim, Kang-Jin; Lee, Doh-Kwon; Kim, Kyungkon; Ko, Min Jae; Kim, Yong Hyun; Kim, Won Mok; Park, Nam-Gyu

    2010-09-13

    We prepared a back-contact dye-sensitized solar cell and investigated effect of the sputter deposited thin TiO₂ film on the back-contact ITO electrode on photovoltaic property. The nanocrystalline TiO₂ layer with thickness of about 11 μm formed on a plain glass substrate in the back-contact structure showed higher optical transmittance than that formed on an ITO-coated glass substrate, which led to an improved photocurrent density by about 6.3%. However, photovoltage was found to decrease from 817 mV to 773 mV. The photovoltage recovered after deposition of a 35 nm-thick thin TiO₂ film on the surface of the back-contact ITO electrode. Little difference in time constant for electron transport was found for the back-contact ITO electrodes with and without the sputter deposited thin TiO₂ film. Whereas, time constant for charge recombination increased after introduction of the thin TiO₂ film, indicating that such a thin TiO₂ film protected back electron transfer, associated with the recovery of photovoltage. As the result of the improved photocurrent density without deterioration of photovoltage, the back-contact dye-sensitized solar cell exhibited 13.6% higher efficiency than the ITO-coated glass substrate-based dye-sensitized solar cell.

  17. [Influence of surface chemical properties and pore structure characteristics of activated carbon on the adsorption of nitrobenzene from aqueous solution].

    PubMed

    Liu, Shou-Xin; Chen, Xi; Zhang, Xian-Quan

    2008-05-01

    Commercial activated carbon was treated by HNO3 oxidation and then subsequently heat treated under N2 atmosphere. Effect of surface chemical properties and pore structure on the adsorption performance of nitrobenzene was investigated. N2/77K adsorption isotherm and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to characterize the pore structure and surface morphology of carbon. Boehm titration, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), the point of zero charge (pH(PZC)) measurement and elemental analysis were used to characterize the surface properties. The results reveal that HNO3 oxidation can modify the surface chemical properties, increase the number of acidic surface oxygen-containing groups and has trivial effect on the pore structure of carbon. Further heat treatment can cause the decomposition of surface oxygen-containing groups, and increase the external surface area and the number of mesopores. Adsorption capacity of nitrobenzene on AC(NO-T), AC(raw) and AC(NO) was 1011.31, 483.09 and 321.54 mg x g(-1), respectively. Larger external surface area and the number of meso-pores, together with the less acid surface oxygen-containing groups were the main reason for the larger adsorption capacity AC(NO-T).

  18. ac propulsion system for an electric vehicle

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Geppert, S.

    1980-01-01

    It is pointed out that dc drives will be the logical choice for current production electric vehicles (EV). However, by the mid-80's, there is a good chance that the price and reliability of suitable high-power semiconductors will allow for a competitive ac system. The driving force behind the ac approach is the induction motor, which has specific advantages relative to a dc shunt or series traction motor. These advantages would be an important factor in the case of a vehicle for which low maintenance characteristics are of primary importance. A description of an EV ac propulsion system is provided, taking into account the logic controller, the inverter, the motor, and a two-speed transmission-differential-axle assembly. The main barrier to the employment of the considered propulsion system in EV is not any technical problem, but inverter transistor cost.

  19. AC Resistance measuring instrument

    DOEpatents

    Hof, Peter J.

    1983-01-01

    An auto-ranging AC resistance measuring instrument for remote measurement of the resistance of an electrical device or circuit connected to the instrument includes a signal generator which generates an AC excitation signal for application to a load, including the device and the transmission line, a monitoring circuit which provides a digitally encoded signal representing the voltage across the load, and a microprocessor which operates under program control to provide an auto-ranging function by which range resistance is connected in circuit with the load to limit the load voltage to an acceptable range for the instrument, and an auto-compensating function by which compensating capacitance is connected in shunt with the range resistance to compensate for the effects of line capacitance. After the auto-ranging and auto-compensation functions are complete, the microprocessor calculates the resistance of the load from the selected range resistance, the excitation signal, and the load voltage signal, and displays of the measured resistance on a digital display of the instrument.

  20. Modeling and Correcting the Time-Dependent ACS PSF

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Rhodes, Jason; Massey, Richard; Albert, Justin; Taylor, James E.; Koekemoer, Anton M.; Leauthaud, Alexie

    2006-01-01

    The ability to accurately measure the shapes of faint objects in images taken with the Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) depends upon detailed knowledge of the Point Spread Function (PSF). We show that thermal fluctuations cause the PSF of the ACS Wide Field Camera (WFC) to vary over time. We describe a modified version of the TinyTim PSF modeling software to create artificial grids of stars across the ACS field of view at a range of telescope focus values. These models closely resemble the stars in real ACS images. Using 10 bright stars in a real image, we have been able to measure HST s apparent focus at the time of the exposure. TinyTim can then be used to model the PSF at any position on the ACS field of view. This obviates the need for images of dense stellar fields at different focus values, or interpolation between the few observed stars. We show that residual differences between our TinyTim models and real data are likely due to the effects of Charge Transfer Efficiency (CTE) degradation. Furthermore, we discuss stochastic noise that is added to the shape of point sources when distortion is removed, and we present MultiDrizzle parameters that are optimal for weak lensing science. Specifically, we find that reducing the MultiDrizzle output pixel scale and choosing a Gaussian kernel significantly stabilizes the resulting PSF after image combination, while still eliminating cosmic rays/bad pixels, and correcting the large geometric distortion in the ACS. We discuss future plans, which include more detailed study of the effects of CTE degradation on object shapes and releasing our TinyTim models to the astronomical community.

  1. AC conductivity of a quantum Hall line junction

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Agarwal, Amit; Sen, Diptiman

    2009-09-01

    We present a microscopic model for calculating the AC conductivity of a finite length line junction made up of two counter- or co-propagating single mode quantum Hall edges with possibly different filling fractions. The effect of density-density interactions and a local tunneling conductance (σ) between the two edges is considered. Assuming that σ is independent of the frequency ω, we derive expressions for the AC conductivity as a function of ω, the length of the line junction and other parameters of the system. We reproduce the results of Sen and Agarwal (2008 Phys. Rev. B 78 085430) in the DC limit (\\omega \\to 0 ), and generalize those results for an interacting system. As a function of ω, the AC conductivity shows significant oscillations if σ is small; the oscillations become less prominent as σ increases. A renormalization group analysis shows that the system may be in a metallic or an insulating phase depending on the strength of the interactions. We discuss the experimental implications of this for the behavior of the AC conductivity at low temperatures.

  2. Experimental investigations of an AC pulse heating method for vehicular high power lithium-ion batteries at subzero temperatures

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhu, Jiangong; Sun, Zechang; Wei, Xuezhe; Dai, Haifeng; Gu, Weijun

    2017-11-01

    Effect of the AC (alternating current) pulse heating method on battery SoH (state of health) for large laminated power lithium-ion batteries at low temperature is investigated experimentally. Firstly, excitation current frequencies, amplitudes, and voltage limitations on cell temperature evolution are studied. High current amplitudes facilitate the heat accumulation and temperature rise. Low frequency region serves as a good innovation to heat the battery because of the large impedance. Wide voltage limitations also enjoy better temperature evolution owing to the less current modulation, but the temperature difference originated from various voltage limitations attenuates due to the decrement of impedance resulting from the temperature rise. Experiments with the thermocouple-embedded cell manifest good temperature homogeneity between the battery surface and interior during the AC heating process. Secondly, the cell capacity, Direct Current resistance and Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy are all calibrated to assess the battery SoH after the hundreds of AC pulse heating cycles. Also, all cells are disassembled to investigate the battery internal morphology with the employment of Scanning Electron Microscope and Energy-Dispersive x-ray Spectroscopy techniques. The results indicate that the AC heating method does not aggravate the cell degradation even in the low frequency range (0.5 Hz) under the normal voltage protection limitation.

  3. AC propulsion system for an electric vehicle, phase 2

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Slicker, J. M.

    1983-06-01

    A second-generation prototype ac propulsion system for a passenger electric vehicle was designed, fabricated, tested, installed in a modified Mercury Lynx vehicle and track tested at the Contractor's site. The system consisted of a Phase 2, 18.7 kw rated ac induction traction motor, a 192-volt, battery powered, pulse-width-modulated, transistorized inverter packaged for under rear seat installation, a 2-axis, 2-speed, automatically-shifted mechanical transaxle and a microprocessor-based powertrain/vehicle controller. A diagnostics computer to assist tuning and fault finding was fabricated. Dc-to-mechanical-system efficiency varied from 78% to 82% as axle speed/torque ranged from 159 rpm/788 nm to 65 rpm/328 nm. Track test efficiency results suggest that the ac system will be equal or superior to dc systems when driving urban cycles. Additional short-term work is being performed under a third contract phase (AC-3) to raise transaxle efficiency to predicted levels, and to improve starting and shifting characteristics. However, the long-term challenge to the system's viability remains inverter cost. A final report on the Phase 2 system, describing Phase 3 modifications, will be issued at the conclusion of AC-3.

  4. AC propulsion system for an electric vehicle, phase 2

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Slicker, J. M.

    1983-01-01

    A second-generation prototype ac propulsion system for a passenger electric vehicle was designed, fabricated, tested, installed in a modified Mercury Lynx vehicle and track tested at the Contractor's site. The system consisted of a Phase 2, 18.7 kw rated ac induction traction motor, a 192-volt, battery powered, pulse-width-modulated, transistorized inverter packaged for under rear seat installation, a 2-axis, 2-speed, automatically-shifted mechanical transaxle and a microprocessor-based powertrain/vehicle controller. A diagnostics computer to assist tuning and fault finding was fabricated. Dc-to-mechanical-system efficiency varied from 78% to 82% as axle speed/torque ranged from 159 rpm/788 nm to 65 rpm/328 nm. Track test efficiency results suggest that the ac system will be equal or superior to dc systems when driving urban cycles. Additional short-term work is being performed under a third contract phase (AC-3) to raise transaxle efficiency to predicted levels, and to improve starting and shifting characteristics. However, the long-term challenge to the system's viability remains inverter cost. A final report on the Phase 2 system, describing Phase 3 modifications, will be issued at the conclusion of AC-3.

  5. Probable alpha and 14C cluster emission from hyper Ac nuclei

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Santhosh, K. P.

    2013-10-01

    A systematic study on the probability for the emission of 4He and 14C cluster from hyper {Λ/207-234}Ac and non-strange normal 207-234Ac nuclei are performed for the first time using our fission model, the Coulomb and proximity potential model (CPPM). The predicted half lives show that hyper {Λ/207-234}Ac nuclei are unstable against 4He emission and 14C emission from hyper {Λ/217-228}Ac are favorable for measurement. Our study also show that hyper {Λ/207-234}Ac are stable against hyper {Λ/4}He and {Λ/14}C emission. The role of neutron shell closure ( N = 126) in hyper {Λ/214}Fr daughter and role of proton/neutron shell closure ( Z ≈ 82, N = 126) in hyper {Λ/210}Bi daughter are also revealed. As hyper-nuclei decays to normal nuclei by mesonic/non-mesonic decay and since most of the predicted half lives for 4He and 14C emission from normal Ac nuclei are favourable for measurement, we presume that alpha and 14C cluster emission from hyper Ac nuclei can be detected in laboratory in a cascade (two-step) process.

  6. Arthroscopically Assisted Reconstruction of Acute Acromioclavicular Joint Dislocations: Anatomic AC Ligament Reconstruction With Protective Internal Bracing—The “AC-RecoBridge” Technique

    PubMed Central

    Izadpanah, Kaywan; Jaeger, Martin; Ogon, Peter; Südkamp, Norbert P.; Maier, Dirk

    2015-01-01

    An arthroscopically assisted technique for the treatment of acute acromioclavicular joint dislocations is presented. This pathology-based procedure aims to achieve anatomic healing of both the acromioclavicular ligament complex (ACLC) and the coracoclavicular ligaments. First, the acromioclavicular joint is reduced anatomically under macroscopic and radiologic control and temporarily transfixed with a K-wire. A single-channel technique using 2 suture tapes provides secure coracoclavicular stabilization. The key step of the procedure consists of the anatomic repair of the ACLC (“AC-Reco”). Basically, we have observed 4 patterns of injury: clavicular-sided, acromial-sided, oblique, and midportion tears. Direct and/or transosseous ACLC repair is performed accordingly. Then, an X-configured acromioclavicular suture tape cerclage (“AC-Bridge”) is applied under arthroscopic assistance to limit horizontal clavicular translation to a physiological extent. The AC-Bridge follows the principle of internal bracing and protects healing of the ACLC repair. The AC-Bridge is tightened on top of the repair, creating an additional suture-bridge effect and promoting anatomic ACLC healing. We refer to this combined technique of anatomic ACLC repair and protective internal bracing as the “AC-RecoBridge.” A detailed stepwise description of the surgical technique, including indications, technical pearls and pitfalls, and potential complications, is given. PMID:26052493

  7. Mathematical model for the dc-ac inverter for the Space Shuttle

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Berry, Frederick C.

    1987-01-01

    The reader is informed of what was done for the mathematical modeling of the dc-ac inverter for the Space Shuttle. The mathematical modeling of the dc-ac inverter is an essential element in the modeling of the electrical power distribution system of the Space Shuttle. The electrical power distribution system which is present on the Space Shuttle is made up to 3 strings each having a fuel cell which provides dc to those systems which require dc, and the inverters which convert the dc to ac for those elements which require ac. The inverters are units which are 2 wire structures for the main dc inputs and 2 wire structures for the ac output. When 3 are connected together a 4 wire wye connection results on the ac side. The method of modeling is performed by using a Least Squares curve fitting method. A computer program is presented for implementation of the model along with graphs and tables to demonstrate the accuracy of the model.

  8. [Expression of AC133 vs. CD34 in acute childhood leukemias].

    PubMed

    Ebener, U; Brinkmann, A; Zotova, V; Niegemann, E; Wehner, S

    2000-01-01

    AC133, a newly discovered antigen on human progenitor cells, demonstrating 5-transmembranous domains is expressed by 30-60% out of all CD34+ cells. Our aim therefore was to investigate the extent of human stem-/progenitor cells expressing AC133 antigen in umbilical cord blood, peripheral blood without or following an application of granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (rhG-CSF). The main task was the investigation of bone marrow aspirates derived from children suffering from newly diagnosed acute leukemias, as well as from patients with a relapse or during a complete remission. The determination of antigen expression was done by application of flow cytometry (FACScan analysis) and the usage of newly developed monoclonal antibodies (AC133/1 and AC133/2; Miltenyi Biotec GmbH) in combination with monoclonal antibody directed against CD34-antigens (HPCA-2; BD). Our studies till now show average percentages in umbilical cord blood derived from 43 newborns about 0.294 +/- 0.165% AC133+ vs. 0.327 +/- 0.156% CD34+ hematopoietic stem-/progenitor cells (HSPC). In peripheral blood from 11 healthy donors we verified up to 0.15% CD34+ as well as AC133+ HSPC's. The concentration of progenitor cells was found to be obviously higher in peripheral blood from children with various diseases (neuroblastoma, rhabdomyosarcoma, ALL/AML) and undergoing application with rhG-CSF in order to be prepared for PBSC-transplantation. In those cases we found up to 3.51% AC133+ cells as well as slightly higher values (3.94%) for CD34 antigens. Additionally we quantified 128 bone marrow (BM) samples for AC133+ and CD34+ cells. In 10 BM samples, derived from patients without any neoplasia, the CD34+ cells were about 0.03% and 1.49%, whereas AC133 values were up to 0.64%. Bone marrow aspirates from 53 children with acute leukemias at time of diagnosis (ALL: n = 41/AML: n = 12) have been immunophenotyped and leukemic blast cells have been proved for AC133- and CD34 antigen expression. 32/41 (78%) of

  9. System and method for determining stator winding resistance in an AC motor

    DOEpatents

    Lu, Bin [Kenosha, WI; Habetler, Thomas G [Snellville, GA; Zhang, Pinjia [Atlanta, GA; Theisen, Peter J [West Bend, WI

    2011-05-31

    A system and method for determining stator winding resistance in an AC motor is disclosed. The system includes a circuit having an input connectable to an AC source and an output connectable to an input terminal of an AC motor. The circuit includes at least one contactor and at least one switch to control current flow and terminal voltages in the AC motor. The system also includes a controller connected to the circuit and configured to modify a switching time of the at least one switch to create a DC component in an output of the system corresponding to an input to the AC motor and determine a stator winding resistance of the AC motor based on the injected DC component of the voltage and current.

  10. Lamin A/C might be involved in the EMT signalling pathway.

    PubMed

    Zuo, Lingkun; Zhao, Huanying; Yang, Ronghui; Wang, Liyong; Ma, Hui; Xu, Xiaoxue; Zhou, Ping; Kong, Lu

    2018-07-15

    We have previously reported a heterogeneous expression pattern of the nuclear membrane protein lamin A/C in low- and high-Gleason score (GS) prostate cancer (PC) tissues, and we have now found that this change is not associated with LMNA mutations. This expression pattern appears to be similar to the process of epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) or to that of mesenchymal to epithelial transition (MET). The role of lamin A/C in EMT or MET in PC remains unclear. Therefore, we first investigated the expression levels of and the associations between lamin A/C and several common EMT markers, such as E-cadherin, N-cadherin, β-catenin, snail, slug and vimentin in PC tissues with different GS values and in different cell lines with varying invasion abilities. Our results suggest that lamin A/C might constitute a type of epithelial marker that better signifies EMT and MET in PC tissue, since a decrease in lamin A/C expression in GS 4 + 5 cases is likely associated with the EMT process, while the re-expression of lamin A/C in GS 5 + 4 cases is likely linked with MET. The detailed GS better exhibited the changes in lamin A/C and the EMT markers examined. Lamin A/C overexpression or knockdown had an impact on EMT biomarkers in a cell model by direct regulation of β-catenin. Hence, we suggest that lamin A/C might serve as a reliable epithelial biomarker for the distinction of PC cell differentiation and might also be a fundamental factor in the occurrence of EMT or MET in PC. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  11. The Cryogenic Anti-Coincidence detector for ATHENA X-IFU: pulse analysis of the AC-S7 single pixel prototype

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    D'Andrea, M.; Argan, A.; Lotti, S.; Macculi, C.; Piro, L.; Biasotti, M.; Corsini, D.; Gatti, F.; Torrioli, G.

    2016-07-01

    The ATHENA observatory is the second large-class mission in ESA Cosmic Vision 2015-2025, with a launch foreseen in 2028 towards the L2 orbit. The mission addresses the science theme "The Hot and Energetic Universe", by coupling a high-performance X-ray Telescope with two complementary focal-plane instruments. One of these is the X-ray Integral Field Unit (X-IFU): it is a TES based kilo-pixel order array able to provide spatially resolved high-resolution spectroscopy (2.5 eV at 6 keV) over a 5 arcmin FoV. The X-IFU sensitivity is degraded by the particles background expected at L2 orbit, which is induced by primary protons of both galactic and solar origin, and mostly by secondary electrons. To reduce the background level and enable the mission science goals, a Cryogenic Anticoincidence (CryoAC) detector is placed < 1 mm below the TES array. It is a 4- pixel TES based detector, with wide Silicon absorbers sensed by Ir:Au TESes. The CryoAC development schedule foresees by Q1 2017 the delivery of a Demonstration Model (DM) to the X-IFU FPA development team. The DM is a single-pixel detector that will address the final design of the CryoAC. It will verify some representative requirements at single-pixel level, especially the detector operation at 50 mK thermal bath and the threshold energy at 20 keV. To reach the final DM design we have developed and tested the AC-S7 prototype, with 1 cm2 absorber area sensed by 65 Ir TESes. Here we will discuss the pulse analysis of this detector, which has been illuminated by the 60 keV line from a 241Am source. First, we will present the analysis performed to investigate pulses timings and spectrum, and to disentangle the athermal component of the pulses from the thermal one. Furthermore, we will show the application to our dataset of an alternative method of pulse processing, based upon Principal Component Analysis (PCA). This kind of analysis allow us to recover better energy spectra than achievable with traditional methods

  12. Bcl-2△21 and Ac-DEVD-CHO Inhibit Death of Wheat Microspores

    PubMed Central

    Sinha, Rakesh K.; Pospíšil, Pavel; Maheshwari, Priti; Eudes, François

    2016-01-01

    Microspore cell death and low green plant production efficiency are an integral obstacle in the development of doubled haploid production in wheat. The aim of the current study was to determine the effect of anti-apoptotic recombinant human B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2△21) and caspase-3-inhibitor (Ac-DEVD-CHO) in microspore cell death in bread wheat cultivars AC Fielder and AC Andrew. Induction medium containing Bcl-2△21 and Ac-DEVD-CHO yielded a significantly higher number of viable microspores, embryo-like structures and total green plants in wheat cultivars AC Fielder and AC Andrew. Total peroxidase activity was lower in Bcl-2△21 treated microspore cultures at 96 h of treatment compared to control and Ac-DEVD-CHO. Electron paramagnetic resonance study of total microspore protein showed a different scavenging activity for Bcl-2△21 and Ac-DEVD-CHO. Bcl-2△21 scavenged approximately 50% hydroxyl radical (HO•) formed, whereas Ac-DEVD-CHO scavenged approximately 20% of HO•. Conversely, reduced caspase-3-like activities were detected in the presence of Bcl-2△21 and Ac-DEVD-CHO, supporting the involvement of Bcl-2△21 and Ac-DEVD-CHO in increasing microspore viability by reducing oxidative stress and caspase-3-like activity. Our results indicate that Bcl-2△21 and Ac-DEVD-CHO protects cells from cell death following different pathways. Bcl-2△21 prevents cell damage by detoxifying HO• and suppressing caspase-3-like activity, while Ac-DEVD-CHO inhibits the cell death pathways by modulating caspase-like activity. PMID:28082995

  13. US/Australia Collaborative Research Project on Corrosion Fatigue in D6AC Steel Joints

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1978-12-01

    Life of Exposure Groups at 80,000 psi Max Load Level (R=0.1) 77 10 Location of Observable Fatigue Cracks on Failed D6AC Steel Specimen Surfaces 78 11...ing the machining and assembly process. Such liquids might have a serious deleterious effect on the fatigue life of the aircraft. Further, there was...control tests were to provide a base for determining the various corrosion effects on fatigue life , and to deter- mine any differences in laboratory

  14. Cascaded Quadruple Active Bridge Structures for Multilevel DC to Three-Phase AC Conversion

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Johnson, Brian B; Achanta, Prasanta K; Maksimovic, Dragan

    This paper introduces a multilevel architecture comprised of interconnected dc to three-phase ac converter units. To enable series connected operation, each converter unit contains a quadruple active bridge (QAB) converter that provides isolation between the dc side and each of the three ac sides. Since each converter unit transfers dc-side power as constant balanced three-phase power on the ac side, this implies instantaneous input-output power balance and allows elimination of bulk capacitive energy storage. In addition to minimizing required capacitance, the proposed approach simultaneously enables simplified dc-link controllers amenable to decentralized implementation, supports bidirectional power transfer, and exhibits a modularmore » structure to enhance scalability. Isolation provided by the QAB allows a wide range of electrical configurations among multiple units in various dc-ac, ac-dc or ac-ac applications. In this paper, the focus is on series connections on the ac side to emphasize multilevel operation, and the approach is experimentally validated in a dc-ac system containing two cascaded converter units.« less

  15. Non-oxidized porous silicon-based power AC switch peripheries.

    PubMed

    Menard, Samuel; Fèvre, Angélique; Valente, Damien; Billoué, Jérôme; Gautier, Gaël

    2012-10-11

    We present in this paper a novel application of porous silicon (PS) for low-power alternating current (AC) switches such as triode alternating current devices (TRIACs) frequently used to control small appliances (fridge, vacuum cleaner, washing machine, coffee makers, etc.). More precisely, it seems possible to benefit from the PS electrical insulation properties to ensure the OFF state of the device. Based on the technological aspects of the most commonly used AC switch peripheries physically responsible of the TRIAC blocking performances (leakage current and breakdown voltage), we suggest to isolate upper and lower junctions through the addition of a PS layer anodically etched from existing AC switch diffusion profiles. Then, we comment the voltage capability of practical samples emanating from the proposed architecture. Thanks to the characterization results of simple Al-PS-Si(P) structures, the experimental observations are interpreted, thus opening new outlooks in the field of AC switch peripheries.

  16. Coupling molecular catalysts with nanostructured surfaces for efficient solar fuel production

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jin, Tong

    photosensitizers. In Chapter 3, effective coupling of the macrocyclic Co(III) complex with titanium dioxide (TiO¬2) nanoparticles was achieved by two deposition methods. The synthesized hybrid photocatalysts were thoroughly characterized with a variety of techniques. Upon UV light irradiation, photoexcited electrons in TiO2 nanoparticles were transferred to the surface Co(III) catalyst for CO2 reduction. Production of carbon monoxide (CO) from CO2 was confirmed by isotope labeling combined with infrared spectroscopy. Deposition of the Co(III) catalyst through Ti-O-Co linkages was essential for the photo-induced electron transfer and CO2-reduction activity using the hybrid photocatalysts. In Chapter 4, molecular Re(I) and Co(II) catalysts were coupled with silicon-based photoelectrodes, including a silicon nanowire (SiNW) photoelectrode, to achieve photoelectrochemical CO2 reduction. Photovoltages between 300-600 mV were obtained using the molecular catalysts on the silicon photoelectrodes. SiNWs exhibited enhanced properties, including significantly higher photovoltages than a planar silicon photoelectrode, the ability to protect one of the molecular catalysts from photo-induced decomposition, and excellent selectivity towards CO production in CO2 reduction. Recent theoretical and experimental work have demonstrated low-energy, binuclear pathways for CO2-to-CO conversion using several molecular catalysts. In such binuclear pathways, two metal centers work cooperatively to achieve two-electron CO2 reduction. Chapter 5 describes our effort to promote the binuclear pathway by grafting the molecular Co(III) catalyst onto silica surfaces. Different linking strategies were attempted to achieve this goal by planting the surface Co(III) sites in close proximity.

  17. The Effects of Theta and Gamma tACS on Working Memory and Electrophysiology

    PubMed Central

    Pahor, Anja; Jaušovec, Norbert

    2018-01-01

    A single blind sham-controlled study was conducted to explore the effects of theta and gamma transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) on offline performance on working memory tasks. In order to systematically investigate how specific parameters of tACS affect working memory, we manipulated the frequency of stimulation (theta frequency vs. gamma frequency), the type of task (n-back vs. change detection task) and the content of the tasks (verbal vs. figural stimuli). A repeated measures design was used that consisted of three sessions: theta tACS, gamma tACS and sham tACS. In total, four experiments were conducted which differed only with respect to placement of tACS electrodes (bilateral frontal, bilateral parietal, left fronto-parietal and right-fronto parietal). Healthy female students (N = 72) were randomly assigned to one of these groups, hence we were able to assess the efficacy of theta and gamma tACS applied over different brain areas, contrasted against sham stimulation. The pre-post/sham resting electroencephalogram (EEG) analysis showed that theta tACS significantly affected theta amplitude, whereas gamma tACS had no significant effect on EEG amplitude in any of the frequency bands of interest. Gamma tACS did not significantly affect working memory performance compared to sham, and theta tACS led to inconsistent changes in performance on the n-back tasks. Active theta tACS significantly affected P3 amplitude and latency during performance on the n-back tasks in the bilateral parietal and right-fronto parietal protocols. PMID:29375347

  18. Development of a Portable AC/DC Welding Power Supply Module

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1975-03-01

    REPORT DATE MAR 1975 2. REPORT TYPE N/A 3. DATES COVERED - 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Development of a Portable AC /DC Welding Power Supply...achieved. Additional bypass capacitors were added to reduce further switch heating and voltage transients. November AC welding was achieved with...Investigate the conversion of inversion frequency back to 60 Hz for AC welding. 4) Investigate a 120V single phase mini supply. VI I Objectives A) Goals

  19. X-ray fluorescence surface contaminant analyzer: A feasibility study

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Eldridge, Hudson B.

    1988-01-01

    The bonding of liner material to the inner metal surfaces of solid rocket booster cases is adversely affected by minute amounts of impurities on the metal surface. Suitable non-destructive methods currently used for detecting these surface contaminants do not provide the means of identifying their elemental composition. The feasibility of using isotopic source excited energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence as a possible technique for elemental analysis of such contaminants is investigated. A survey is made of the elemental compositions of both D-6ac steel, a common construction material for the booster cases, and Conoco HD-2 grease, a common surface contamination. Source and detector choices that maximize signal to noise ratio in a Recessed Source Geometry are made. A Monte Carlo simulation is then made of the optimized device incorporating the latest available X-ray constants at the energy of the chosen source to determine the device's response to a D-6ac steel surface contained with Conoco HD-2 grease.

  20. Design principle for improved three-dimensional ac electro-osmotic pumps

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Burch, Damian; Bazant, Martin Z.

    2008-05-01

    Three-dimensional (3D) ac electro-osmotic (ACEO) pumps have recently been developed that are much faster and more robust than previous planar designs. The basic idea is to create a “fluid conveyor belt” by placing opposing ACEO slip velocities at different heights. Current designs involve electrodes with electroplated steps, whose heights have been optimized in simulations and experiments. Here, we consider changing the boundary conditions—rather than the geometry—and predict that flow rates can be further doubled by fabricating 3D features with nonpolarizable materials. This amplifies the fluid conveyor belt by removing opposing flows on the vertical surfaces, and it increases the slip velocities that drive the flow.

  1. Kinetics of optically excited charge carriers at the GaN surface: Influence of catalytic Pt nanostructures

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Winnerl, Andrea, E-mail: andrea.winnerl@wsi.tum.de; Pereira, Rui N.; Stutzmann, Martin

    2015-10-21

    In this work, we use GaN with different deposited Pt nanostructures as a controllable model system to investigate the kinetics of photo-generated charge carriers in hybrid photocatalysts. We combine conductance and contact potential difference measurements to investigate the influence of Pt on the processes involved in the capture and decay of photo-generated charge carriers at and close to the GaN surface. We found that in the presence of Pt nanostructures the photo-excitation processes are similar to those found in Pt free GaN. However, in GaN with Pt nanostructures, photo-generated holes are preferentially trapped in surface states of the GaN coveredmore » with Pt and/or in electronic states of the Pt and lead to an accumulation of positive charge there, whereas negative charge is accumulated in localized states in a shallow defect band of the GaN covered with Pt. This preferential accumulation of photo-generated electrons close to the surface is responsible for a dramatic acceleration of the turn-off charge transfer kinetics and a stronger dependence of the surface photovoltage on light intensity when compared to a Pt free GaN surface. Our study shows that in hybrid photocatalysts, the metal nanostructures induce a spatially inhomogeneous surface band bending of the semiconductor that promotes a lateral drift of photogenerated charges towards the catalytic nanostructures.« less

  2. Study on AC loss measurements of HTS power cable for standardizing

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mukoyama, Shinichi; Amemiya, Naoyuki; Watanabe, Kazuo; Iijima, Yasuhiro; Mido, Nobuhiro; Masuda, Takao; Morimura, Toshiya; Oya, Masayoshi; Nakano, Tetsutaro; Yamamoto, Kiyoshi

    2017-09-01

    High-temperature superconducting power cables (HTS cables) have been developed for more than 20 years. In addition of the cable developments, the test methods of the HTS cables have been discussed and proposed in many laboratories and companies. Recently the test methods of the HTS cables is required to standardize and to common in the world. CIGRE made the working group (B1-31) for the discussion of the test methods of the HTS cables as a power cable, and published the recommendation of the test method. Additionally, IEC TC20 submitted the New Work Item Proposal (NP) based on the recommendation of CIGRE this year, IEC TC20 and IEC TC90 started the standardization work on Testing of HTS AC cables. However, the individual test method that used to measure a performance of HTS cables hasn’t been established as world’s common methods. The AC loss is one of the most important properties to disseminate low loss and economical efficient HTS cables in the world. We regard to establish the method of the AC loss measurements in rational and in high accuracy. Japan is at a leading position in the AC loss study, because Japanese researchers have studied on the AC loss technically and scientifically, and also developed the effective technologies for the AC loss reduction. The JP domestic commission of TC90 made a working team to discussion the methods of the AC loss measurements for aiming an international standard finally. This paper reports about the AC loss measurement of two type of the HTS conductors, such as a HTS conductor without a HTS shield and a HTS conductor with a HTS shield. The AC loss measurement method is suggested by the electrical method..

  3. In Situ Investigation the Photolysis of the PAHs Adsorbed on Mangrove Leaf Surfaces by Synchronous Solid Surface Fluorimetry

    PubMed Central

    Wang, Ping; Wu, Tun-Hua; Zhang, Yong

    2014-01-01

    An established synchronous solid surface fluorimetry (S-SSF) was utilized for in situ study the photolysis processes of anthracene (An) and pyrene (Py) adsorbed on the leaf surfaces of Kandelia obovata seedlings (Ko) and Aegiceras corniculata (L.) Blanco seedlings (Ac). Experimental results demonstrated that the photolysis of An and Py adsorbed on the leaf surfaces of two mangrove species under the laboratory conditions, followed first-order kinetics with their photolysis rates in the order of Ac>Ko. In addition, with the same amount of substances, the photolysis rate of An adsorbed on the same mangrove leaf surfaces was much faster than the adsorbed Py. In order to investigate further, the photolysis processes of An and Py in water were also studied for comparison. And the photolysis of An and Py in water also followed first-order kinetics. Moreover, for the same initial amount, the photolysis rate of the PAH in water was faster than that adsorbed on the leaf surfaces of two mangrove species. Therefore, photochemical behaviors of PAHs were dependent not only on their molecular structures but also the physical-chemical properties of the substrates on which they are adsorbed. PMID:24404158

  4. AC resistance measuring instrument

    DOEpatents

    Hof, P.J.

    1983-10-04

    An auto-ranging AC resistance measuring instrument for remote measurement of the resistance of an electrical device or circuit connected to the instrument includes a signal generator which generates an AC excitation signal for application to a load, including the device and the transmission line, a monitoring circuit which provides a digitally encoded signal representing the voltage across the load, and a microprocessor which operates under program control to provide an auto-ranging function by which range resistance is connected in circuit with the load to limit the load voltage to an acceptable range for the instrument, and an auto-compensating function by which compensating capacitance is connected in shunt with the range resistance to compensate for the effects of line capacitance. After the auto-ranging and auto-compensation functions are complete, the microprocessor calculates the resistance of the load from the selected range resistance, the excitation signal, and the load voltage signal, and displays of the measured resistance on a digital display of the instrument. 8 figs.

  5. 40 CFR Appendixes A-C to Part 403 - [Reserved

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 30 2013-07-01 2012-07-01 true [Reserved] A Appendixes A-C to Part 403 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) EFFLUENT GUIDELINES AND STANDARDS GENERAL PRETREATMENT REGULATIONS FOR EXISTING AND NEW SOURCES OF POLLUTION Appendixes A-C to Part 403...

  6. Exenatide: AC 2993, AC002993, AC2993A, exendin 4, LY2148568.

    PubMed

    2004-01-01

    Exenatide [AC002993, AC2993A, AC 2993, LY2148568, exendin 4], a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonist, is a synthetic exendin 4 compound under development with Amylin Pharmaceuticals for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Both exendin 4 and its analogue, exendin 3, are 39-amino acid peptides isolated from Heloderma horridum lizard venom that have different amino acids at positions 2 and 3, respectively. Exendins are able to stimulate insulin secretion in response to rising blood glucose levels, and modulate gastric emptying to slow the entry of ingested sugars into the bloodstream. Amylin Pharmaceuticals acquired exclusive patent rights for the two exendin compounds (exendin 3 and exendin 4) from the originator, Dr John Eng (Bronx, NY, US). On 20 September 2002, Amylin and Eli Lilly signed a collaborative agreement for the development and commercialisation of exenatide for type 2 diabetes. Under the terms of the agreement, Eli Lilly has paid Amylin a licensing fee of 80 million US dollars and bought Amylin's stock worth 30 million US dollars at 18.69 US dollars a share. After the initial payment, Eli Lilly will pay Amylin up to 85 US dollars million upon reaching certain milestones and also make an additional payment of up to 130 million US dollars upon global commercialisation of exenatide. Both companies will share the US development and commercialisation costs, while Eli Lilly will pick up up to 80% of development costs and all commercialisation costs outside the US. Amylin and Eli Lilly will equally share profit from sales in the US, while Eli Lilly will get 80% of the profit outside the US and Amylin will get the rest. This agreement has also enabled Amylin to train its sales force to co-promote Lilly's human growth hormone Humatrope. Alkermes will receive research and development funding and milestone payments, and also a combination of royalty payments and manufacturing fees based on product sales. Alkermes undertakes the responsibility for the development

  7. Surface Movement Guidance and Control System

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1996-12-12

    This Advisory Circular (AC) describes the standards and provides guidance in the : development of a Surface Movement Guidance and Control System (SMGCS) plan for : U.S. airports where scheduled Air Carriers are authorized to conduct operations : when...

  8. Autographa californica Nucleopolyhedrovirus AC141 (Exon0), a Potential E3 Ubiquitin Ligase, Interacts with Viral Ubiquitin and AC66 To Facilitate Nucleocapsid Egress.

    PubMed

    Biswas, Siddhartha; Willis, Leslie G; Fang, Minggang; Nie, Yingchao; Theilmann, David A

    2018-02-01

    During the infection cycle of Autographa californica multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus (AcMNPV), two forms of virions are produced, budded virus (BV) and occlusion-derived virus (ODV). Nucleocapsids that form BV have to egress from the nucleus, whereas nucleocapsids that form ODV remain inside the nucleus. The molecular mechanism that determines whether nucleocapsids remain inside or egress from the nucleus is unknown. AC141 (a predicted E3 ubiquitin ligase) and viral ubiquitin (vUbi) have both been shown to be required for efficient BV production. In this study, it was hypothesized that vUbi interacts with AC141, and in addition, that this interaction was required for BV production. Deletion of both ac141 and vubi restricted viral infection to a single cell, and BV production was completely eliminated. AC141 was ubiquitinated by either vUbi or cellular Ubi, and this interaction was required for optimal BV production. Nucleocapsids in BV, but not ODV, were shown to be specifically ubiquitinated by vUbi, including a 100-kDa protein, as well as high-molecular-weight conjugates. The viral ubiquitinated 100-kDa BV-specific nucleocapsid protein was identified as AC66, which is known to be required for BV production and was shown by coimmunoprecipitation and mass spectrometry to interact with AC141. Confocal microscopy also showed that AC141, AC66, and vUbi interact at the nuclear periphery. These results suggest that ubiquitination of nucleocapsid proteins by vUbi functions as a signal to determine if a nucleocapsid will egress from the nucleus and form BV or remain in the nucleus to form ODV. IMPORTANCE Baculoviruses produce two types of virions called occlusion-derived virus (ODV) and budded virus (BV). ODVs are required for oral infection, whereas BV enables the systemic spread of virus to all host tissues, which is critical for killing insects. One of the important steps for BV production is the export of nucleocapsids out of the nucleus. This study investigated the

  9. Cell cycle-dependent changes in H3K56ac in human cells

    PubMed Central

    Stejskal, Stanislav; Stepka, Karel; Tesarova, Lenka; Stejskal, Karel; Matejkova, Martina; Simara, Pavel; Zdrahal, Zbynek; Koutna, Irena

    2015-01-01

    The incorporation of histone H3 with an acetylated lysine 56 (H3K56ac) into the nucleosome is important for chromatin remodeling and serves as a marker of new nucleosomes during DNA replication and repair in yeast. However, in human cells, the level of H3K56ac is greatly reduced, and its role during the cell cycle is controversial. Our aim was to determine the potential of H3K56ac to regulate cell cycle progression in different human cell lines. A significant increase in the number of H3K56ac foci, but not in H3K56ac protein levels, was observed during the S and G2 phases in cancer cell lines, but was not observed in embryonic stem cell lines. Despite this increase, the H3K56ac signal was not present in late replication chromatin, and H3K56ac protein levels did not decrease after the inhibition of DNA replication. H3K56ac was not tightly associated with the chromatin and was primarily localized to active chromatin regions. Our results support the role of H3K56ac in transcriptionally active chromatin areas but do not confirm H3K56ac as a marker of newly synthetized nucleosomes in DNA replication. PMID:26645646

  10. Defects in the C. elegans acyl-CoA Synthase, acs-3, and Nuclear Hormone Receptor, nhr-25, Cause Sensitivity to Distinct, but Overlapping Stresses

    PubMed Central

    Ward, Jordan D.; Mullaney, Brendan; Schiller, Benjamin J.; He, Le D.; Petnic, Sarah E.; Couillault, Carole; Pujol, Nathalie; Bernal, Teresita U.; Van Gilst, Marc R.; Ashrafi, Kaveh; Ewbank, Jonathan J.; Yamamoto, Keith R.

    2014-01-01

    Metazoan transcription factors control distinct networks of genes in specific tissues, yet understanding how these networks are integrated into physiology, development, and homeostasis remains challenging. Inactivation of the nuclear hormone receptor nhr-25 ameliorates developmental and metabolic phenotypes associated with loss of function of an acyl-CoA synthetase gene, acs-3. ACS-3 activity prevents aberrantly high NHR-25 activity. Here, we investigated this relationship further by examining gene expression patterns following acs-3 and nhr-25 inactivation. Unexpectedly, we found that the acs-3 mutation or nhr-25 RNAi resulted in similar transcriptomes with enrichment in innate immunity and stress response gene expression. Mutants of either gene exhibited distinct sensitivities to pathogens and environmental stresses. Only nhr-25 was required for wild-type levels of resistance to the bacterial pathogen P. aeruginosa and only acs-3 was required for wild-type levels of resistance to osmotic stress and the oxidative stress generator, juglone. Inactivation of either acs-3 or nhr-25 compromised lifespan and resistance to the fungal pathogen D. coniospora. Double mutants exhibited more severe defects in the lifespan and P. aeruginosa assays, but were similar to the single mutants in other assays. Finally, acs-3 mutants displayed defects in their epidermal surface barrier, potentially accounting for the observed sensitivities. Together, these data indicate that inactivation of either acs-3 or nhr-25 causes stress sensitivity and increased expression of innate immunity/stress genes, most likely by different mechanisms. Elevated expression of these immune/stress genes appears to abrogate the transcriptional signatures relevant to metabolism and development. PMID:24651852

  11. The importance of surface functional groups in the adsorption of copper onto walnut shell derived activated carbon.

    PubMed

    Xie, Ruzhen; Jin, Yan; Chen, Yao; Jiang, Wenju

    2017-12-01

    In this study, activated carbon (AC) was prepared from walnut shell using chemical activation. The surface chemistry of the prepared AC was modified by introducing or blocking certain functional groups, and the role of the different functional groups involved in the copper uptake was investigated. The structural and chemical heterogeneity of the produced carbons are characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectrometry, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Boehm titration method and N 2 /77 K adsorption isotherm analysis. The equilibrium and the kinetics of copper adsorption onto AC were studied. The results demonstrated that the functional groups on AC played an important role in copper uptake. Among various surface functional groups, the oxygen-containing group was found to play a critical role in the copper uptake, and oxidation is the most effective way to improve Cu (II) adsorption onto AC. Ion-exchange was identified to be the dominant mechanism in the copper uptake by AC. Some other types of interactions, like complexation, were also proven to be involved in the adsorption process, while physical force was found to play a small role in the copper uptake. The regeneration of copper-loaded AC and the recovery of copper were also studied to evaluate the reusability of the oxidized AC.

  12. Energy saving in ac generators

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Nola, F. J.

    1980-01-01

    Circuit cuts no-load losses, without sacrificing full-load power. Phase-contro circuit includes gate-controlled semiconductor switch that cuts off applied voltage for most of ac cycle if generator idling. Switch "on" time increases when generator is in operation.

  13. Function analysis of Ac-PCNA and Sf-PCNA during the Autographa californica multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus infection process.

    PubMed

    Fu, Yuejun; Wang, Ruisheng; Liang, Aihua

    2018-06-01

    The baculovirus Autographa californica multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus (AcMNPV) possesses a gene, ac-pcna or ac49, which encodes a protein with similarity to proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA). Homologs of this gene code for DNA polymerase processivity factors and are essential in the DNA replication systems. But the function of ac-pcna still remains unclear. To define the function of Ac-pcna in AcMNPV and Sf-pcna in host Sf9 cells, Bac-to-Bac baculovirus expression system was used to generate two recombinant baculoviruses: AcMNPV-Ac-pcna-EGFP and AcMNPV-Sf-pcna-EGFP. Results indicated that AcMNPV-mediated overexpression of Ac-PCNA and Sf-PCNA could stimulate replication of AcMNPV genome in the host Sf9 cells. Meanwhile, either AcMNPV-Ac-pcna-EGFP or AcMNPV-Sf-pcna-EGFP had a significant stimulating effect on Sf9 genome replication during infection. We also found that Ac-PCNA and Sf-PCNA could promote the production of budded virus. Ac-PCNA could improve the transcription level of ie2 gene dramatically and further improved the transcription of late gene, for example 38 K and vp39, at 12 h p.i.. Moreover, insecticidal potency test showed that the larvae of Beet armyworm in the AcMNPV-Ac-pcna-EGFP and AcMNPV-Sf-pcna-EGFP groups had a higher mortality rate (83.33 and 91.67%), a lower pupation rate (16.67 and 8.33%), and a lower emergence rate (6.67 and 3.33%), compared with those in AcMNPV-EGFP group. The function of Ac-PCNA and Sf-PCNA was confirmed in this study, which provided the theoretical foundation for using and modifying AcMNPV.

  14. Comparison on surface properties and desulfurization of MnO2 and pyrolusite blended activated carbon by steam activation.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Guochen; Zhao, Xin; Ning, Ping; Yang, Danni; Jiang, Xia; Jiang, Wenju

    2018-04-18

    In this study, MnO 2 and pyrolusite were used as the catalysts to prepare modified activated carbon, i.e., AC-Mn and AC-P, respectively, from coals by blending method and steam activation. The BET results indicated that the AC-P had higher surface areas and micropore volumes than the AC-Mn with the same blending ratio. The relative contents of basic functional groups (i.e. C = O, π-π*) on AC-P were slightly lower than those on AC-Mn, while both contained the same main metal species, i.e. MnO. The desulfurization results showed that with 3 wt% of blending ratio, AC-Mn3 and AC-P3 had higher sulfur capacities at 220 and 205 mg/g, respectively, which were much higher than blank one (149.6 mg/g). Moreover, the AC-P had relatively higher sulfur capacity than the AC-Mn with the same contents of Mn, which might be attributed to the existence of other metals in pyrolusite. After desulfurization process, MnO were gradually transferred into MnSO 4 , and the relative contents of basic functional groups decreased evidently for both AC-Mn3 and AC-P3. The results demonstrated that pyrolusite could be one good alternative of MnO 2 to prepare modified activated carbon for desulfurization. Implication statement MnO 2 and pyrolusite were used as the additives to prepare the modified activated carbon from coals by blending method and steam activation, i.e., AC-Mn and AC-P, respectively. The AC-P had higher surface areas and micropore volumes than the AC-Mn with the same blending ratio. The AC-Mn and AC-P had higher sulfur capacities than blank one. Moreover, the AC-P had relatively higher sulfur capacity than the AC-Mn with the same contents of Mn. The results demonstrated that pyrolusite could be one good alternative of MnO 2 to prepare modified activated carbon for desulfurization.

  15. Context based computational analysis and characterization of ARS consensus sequences (ACS) of Saccharomyces cerevisiae genome.

    PubMed

    Singh, Vinod Kumar; Krishnamachari, Annangarachari

    2016-09-01

    Genome-wide experimental studies in Saccharomyces cerevisiae reveal that autonomous replicating sequence (ARS) requires an essential consensus sequence (ACS) for replication activity. Computational studies identified thousands of ACS like patterns in the genome. However, only a few hundreds of these sites act as replicating sites and the rest are considered as dormant or evolving sites. In a bid to understand the sequence makeup of replication sites, a content and context-based analysis was performed on a set of replicating ACS sequences that binds to origin-recognition complex (ORC) denoted as ORC-ACS and non-replicating ACS sequences (nrACS), that are not bound by ORC. In this study, DNA properties such as base composition, correlation, sequence dependent thermodynamic and DNA structural profiles, and their positions have been considered for characterizing ORC-ACS and nrACS. Analysis reveals that ORC-ACS depict marked differences in nucleotide composition and context features in its vicinity compared to nrACS. Interestingly, an A-rich motif was also discovered in ORC-ACS sequences within its nucleosome-free region. Profound changes in the conformational features, such as DNA helical twist, inclination angle and stacking energy between ORC-ACS and nrACS were observed. Distribution of ACS motifs in the non-coding segments points to the locations of ORC-ACS which are found far away from the adjacent gene start position compared to nrACS thereby enabling an accessible environment for ORC-proteins. Our attempt is novel in considering the contextual view of ACS and its flanking region along with nucleosome positioning in the S. cerevisiae genome and may be useful for any computational prediction scheme.

  16. [Analysis of AC/A ratio after myopic excimer laser in situ keratomileusis].

    PubMed

    Wu, Xiao-ying; Liu, Shuang-zhen

    2003-03-01

    To study the changes of AC/A ratio of myopia after excimer laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK). 135 myopia patients were treated by LASIK, their AC/A ratios were measured with synoptohore before surgery and 3 months after surgery. The average AC/A ratios of naked eyes or eyes wearing glasses before surgery and the naked after surgery were (0.724 +/- 0.587) (Delta)/D, (2.754 +/- 1.565) (Delta)/D, (1.618 +/- 1.027) (Delta)/D in turn. There were significant difference among those groups (P < 0.001). That also appeared in different degree of myopia naked before surgery (P < 0.01). We found no significant difference between the groups wearing glasses before surgery and naked after surgery (P > 0.05). A positive correlation was built up between postoperative AC/A ratio and AC/A ratio of wearing glasses or refractive diopter before surgery (r = 0.550, P < 0.001; r = 0.185, P < 0.005). And the postoperative AC/A ratios had a negative correlation to age or length of ocular axis (r = -0.340, P < 0.001; r = -0.192, P < 0.002). The regression equation for postoperative AC/A ratios was figured out as Y((Delta)/D) = 4.080 0 - 0.031 8X(1) - 0.097 1X(2) + 0.325 0X(3) (P < 0.001). X(1) = age (year), X(2) = length of ocular axis (mm), X(3) = preoperative AC/A ratio with weaning glasses ((Delta)/D). The naked AC/A ratios are higher than the preoperative's after LASIK, but lower than the wearing glasses's before surgery. It is influenced by the factors, such as: the preoperative AC/A ratio of wearing glasses, the length of ocular axis and the age.

  17. The application of Halbach cylinders to brushless ac servo motors

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Atallah, K.; Howe, D.

    1998-07-01

    Halbach cylinders are applied to brushless ac servo motors. It is shown that a sinusoidal back-emf waveform and a low cogging torque can be achieved without recourse to conventional design features such as distributed windings and/or stator/rotor skew. A technique for imparting a multipole Halbach magnetization distribution on an isotropic permanent magnet cylinder is described, and it is shown that the torque capability of a Halbach ac servo motor can be up to 33% higher than conventional brushless permanent magnet ac motors.

  18. Reconstitutional Mutagenesis of the Maize P Gene by Short-Range Ac Transpositions

    PubMed Central

    Moreno, M. A.; Chen, J.; Greenblatt, I.; Dellaporta, S. L.

    1992-01-01

    The tendency for Ac to transpose over short intervals has been utilized to develop insertional mutagenesis and fine structure genetic mapping strategies in maize. We recovered excisions of Ac from the P gene and insertions into nearby chromosomal sites. These closely linked Ac elements reinserted into the P gene, reconstituting over 250 unstable variegated alleles. Reconstituted alleles condition a variety of variegation patterns that reflect the position and orientation of Ac within the P gene. Molecular mapping and DNA sequence analyses have shown that reinsertion sites are dispersed throughout a 12.3-kb chromosomal region in the promoter, exons and introns of the P gene, but in some regions insertions sites were clustered in a nonrandom fashion. Transposition profiles and target site sequence data obtained from these studies have revealed several features of Ac transposition including its preference for certain target sites. These results clearly demonstrate the tendency of Ac to transpose to nearby sites in both proximal and distal directions from the donor site. With minor modifications, reconstitutional mutagenesis should be applicable to many Ac-induced mutations in maize and in other plant species and can possibly be extended to other eukaryotic transposon systems as well. PMID:1325389

  19. Hybrid inverter for HVDC/weak AC system interconnection

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Tam, K.S.

    1985-01-01

    The concept of the hybrid converter is introduced. By independently controlling a naturally commutated converter (NCC) and an artificially commutated converter (ACC), real power and reactive power can be controlled independently. Alternatively, the ac bus voltage can be regulated without affecting the real power transfer. Independent control is feasible only within certain operating boundaries. Twelve pulse operation, sequential control, and complementary circuits may be viewed as variations of the hybrid converter. The concept of the hybrid converter is demonstrated by digital simulation. At the current state of technology, the NCC is best implemented by a 6-pulse bridge using thyristors asmore » the switching elements. A survey of power electronics applicable to HVDC applications reveals that the capacitively commutated current-sourced converters are either technically or economically better than the other alternatives for the implementation of the ACC. The digital simulation results show that the problems of operating an HVDC system into a weak ac system can be solved by using a hybrid inverter. A new control scheme, the zero Q control, is developed. With no reactive power interaction between the dc system and the ac system, the stability of the HVDC/weak ac system operation is significantly improved. System start-up and fault recovery is fast and stable.« less

  20. Abscisic Acid Antagonizes Ethylene Production through the ABI4-Mediated Transcriptional Repression of ACS4 and ACS8 in Arabidopsis.

    PubMed

    Dong, Zhijun; Yu, Yanwen; Li, Shenghui; Wang, Juan; Tang, Saijun; Huang, Rongfeng

    2016-01-04

    Increasing evidence has revealed that abscisic acid (ABA) negatively modulates ethylene biosynthesis, although the underlying mechanism remains unclear. To identify the factors involved, we conducted a screen for ABA-insensitive mutants with altered ethylene production in Arabidopsis. A dominant allele of ABI4, abi4-152, which produces a putative protein with a 16-amino-acid truncation at the C-terminus of ABI4, reduces ethylene production. By contrast, two recessive knockout alleles of ABI4, abi4-102 and abi4-103, result in increased ethylene evolution, indicating that ABI4 negatively regulates ethylene production. Further analyses showed that expression of the ethylene biosynthesis genes ACS4, ACS8, and ACO2 was significantly decreased in abi4-152 but increased in the knockout mutants, with partial dependence on ABA. Chromatin immunoprecipitation-quantitative PCR assays showed that ABI4 directly binds the promoters of these ethylene biosynthesis genes and that ABA enhances this interaction. A fusion protein containing the truncated ABI4-152 peptide accumulated to higher levels than its full-length counterpart in transgenic plants, suggesting that ABI4 is destabilized by its C terminus. Therefore, our results demonstrate that ABA negatively regulates ethylene production through ABI4-mediated transcriptional repression of the ethylene biosynthesis genes ACS4 and ACS8 in Arabidopsis. Copyright © 2016 The Author. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  1. Here Be Dragons: Characterization of ACS/WFC Scattered Light Anomalies

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Porterfield, B.; Coe, D.; Gonzaga, S.; Anderson, J.; Grogin, N.

    2016-11-01

    We present a study characterizing scattered light anomalies that occur near the edges of Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) Wide Field Channel (WFC) images. We inspected all 8,573 full-frame ACS/WFC raw images with exposure times longer than 350 seconds obtained in the F606W and F814W filters from 2002 to October 2013. We visually identified two particular scattered light artifacts known as "dragon's breath" and edge glow. Using the 2MASS point source catalog and Hubble Guide Star Catalog (GSC II), we identified the stars that caused these artifacts. The stars are all located in narrow bands ( 3" across) just outside the ACS/WFC field of view (2" - 16" away). We provide a map of these risky areas around the ACS/WFC detectors - users should avoid positioning bright stars in these regions when designing ACS/WFC imaging observations. We also provide interactive webpages which display all the image artifacts we identified, allowing users to see examples of the severity of artifacts they might expect for a given stellar magnitude at a given position relative to the ACS/WFC field of view. On average, 10th (18th) magnitude stars produce artifacts about 1,000 (100) pixels long. But the severity of these artifacts can vary strongly with small positional shifts (∼ 1"). The results are similar for both filters (F606W and F814W) when expressed in total fluence, or flux multiplied by exposure time.

  2. Characterization on performance of micromixer using DC-biased AC electroosmosis

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Park, Bi-O.; Song, Simon

    2010-11-01

    An active micromixer using DC-biased AC-Electroosmosis (ACEO) is investigated to figure out the effects of design parameters on the mixing performance. The mixer consists of a straight microchannel, with a cross section of 60 x 100 μm, and gold electrode pairs fabricated in the microchannel. The design parameters include the number of electrode pairs, flow rate, DC-biased voltage, AC voltage and AC frequency. First, we found that a mixing index became 80% 100 μm downstream of a single electrode pair with a length of 2 mm when applying a 25Vpp, 2.0 VDC, 100 kHz sine signal to the electrodes. With decreasing AC frequency, the mixing index is affected little. But the mixing index significantly increases with increasing either DC-biased voltage or AC voltage. Also, we were able to increase the mixing index up to 90% by introducing alternating vortices with multiple electrode pairs. Finally, we discovered that the mixing index decreases as the flow rate increases in the microchannel, and there is an optimal number of electrode pairs with respect to a flow rate. Detailed quantitative measurement results will be presented at the meeting.

  3. Hybrid AC-High Voltage DC Grid Stability and Controls

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yu, Jicheng

    The growth of energy demands in recent years has been increasing faster than the expansion of transmission facility construction. This tendency cooperating with the continuous investing on the renewable energy resources drives the research, development, and construction of HVDC projects to create a more reliable, affordable, and environmentally friendly power grid. Constructing the hybrid AC-HVDC grid is a significant move in the development of the HVDC techniques; the form of dc system is evolving from the point-to-point stand-alone dc links to the embedded HVDC system and the multi-terminal HVDC (MTDC) system. The MTDC is a solution for the renewable energy interconnections, and the MTDC grids can improve the power system reliability, flexibility in economic dispatches, and converter/cable utilizing efficiencies. The dissertation reviews the HVDC technologies, discusses the stability issues regarding the ac and HVDC connections, proposes a novel power oscillation control strategy to improve system stability, and develops a nonlinear voltage droop control strategy for the MTDC grid. To verify the effectiveness the proposed power oscillation control strategy, a long distance paralleled AC-HVDC transmission test system is employed. Based on the PSCAD/EMTDC platform simulation results, the proposed power oscillation control strategy can improve the system dynamic performance and attenuate the power oscillations effectively. To validate the nonlinear voltage droop control strategy, three droop controls schemes are designed according to the proposed nonlinear voltage droop control design procedures. These control schemes are tested in a hybrid AC-MTDC system. The hybrid AC-MTDC system, which is first proposed in this dissertation, consists of two ac grids, two wind farms and a five-terminal HVDC grid connecting them. Simulation studies are performed in the PSCAD/EMTDC platform. According to the simulation results, all the three design schemes have their unique salient

  4. Study of dielectric relaxation and AC conductivity of InP:S single crystal

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    El-Nahass, M. M.; Ali, H. A. M.; El-Shazly, E. A.

    2012-07-01

    The dielectric relaxation and AC conductivity of InP:S single crystal were studied in the frequency range from 100 to 5.25 × 105 Hz and in the temperature range from 296 to 455 K. The dependence of the dielectric constant (ɛ1) and the dielectric loss (ɛ2) on both frequency and temperature was investigated. Since no peak was observed on the dielectric loss, we used a method based on the electric modulus to evaluate the activation energy of the dielectric relaxation. Scaling of the electric modulus spectra showed that the charge transport dynamics is independent of temperature. The AC conductivity (σAC) was found to obey the power law: Aωs. Analysis of the AC conductivity data and the frequency exponent showed that the correlated barrier hopping (CBH) model is the dominant mechanism for the AC conduction. The variation of AC conductivity with temperature at different frequencies showed that σAC is a thermally activated process.

  5. AC conductivity and Dielectric Study of Chalcogenide Glasses of Se-Te-Ge System

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Salman, Fathy

    2004-01-01

    The ac conductivity and dielectric properties of glassy system SexTe79 - xGe21, with x = 11, 14, 17 at.%, has been studied at temperatures 300 to 450 K and over a wide range of frequencies (50 Hz to 500 kHz). Experimental results indicate that the ac conductivity and the dielectric constants depend on temperature, frequency and Se content. The conductivity as a function of frequency exhibited two components: dc conductivity s dc, and ac conductivity s ac, where s ac ˜ w s. The mechanism of ac conductivity can be reasonably interpreted in terms of the correlated barrier hopping model (CBH). The activation energies are estimated and discussed. The dependence of ac conductivity and dielectric constants on the Se content x can be interpreted as the effect of Se fraction on the positional disorder. The impedance plot at each temperature appeared as a semicircle passes through the origin. Each semicircle is represented by an equivalent circuit of parallel resistance Rb and capacitance Cb.

  6. Control of effect on the nucleation rate for hen egg white lysozyme crystals under application of an external ac electric field.

    PubMed

    Koizumi, H; Uda, S; Fujiwara, K; Nozawa, J

    2011-07-05

    The effect of an external ac electric field on the nucleation rate of hen egg white lysozyme crystals increased with an increase in the concentration of the precipitant used, which enabled the design of an electric double layer (EDL) formed at the inner surface of the drop in the oil. This is attributed to the thickness of the EDL controlled by the ionic strength of the precipitant used. Control of the EDL formed at the interface between the two phases is important to establishing this novel technique for the crystallization of proteins under the application of an external ac electric field. © 2011 American Chemical Society

  7. Dielectric behavior of AC aged polyethylene in humid environment

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Scarpa, P.C.N.; Das-Gupta, D.K.; Bulinski, A.T.

    1996-12-31

    The present paper reports the results of a study of electrical aging of low density polyethylene (LDPE) aged in humid environment (0.1M NaCl) at an AC stress of 6kV/mm, 1kHz, at room temperature (RT) and at 65 C, and cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) AC aged in humid environment (water) at an AC stress of 6kV/mm, 50Hz, at RT, for an extended period of time. For this study the dielectric spectroscopy data in the frequency range of 10{sup {minus}5}Hz to 10{sup 6}Hz and their comparative analysis, have been used to provide electrical analog models of the aging.

  8. Numerical and theoretical evaluations of AC losses for single and infinite numbers of superconductor strips with direct and alternating transport currents in external AC magnetic field

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kajikawa, K.; Funaki, K.; Shikimachi, K.; Hirano, N.; Nagaya, S.

    2010-11-01

    AC losses in a superconductor strip are numerically evaluated by means of a finite element method formulated with a current vector potential. The expressions of AC losses in an infinite slab that corresponds to a simple model of infinitely stacked strips are also derived theoretically. It is assumed that the voltage-current characteristics of the superconductors are represented by Bean's critical state model. The typical operation pattern of a Superconducting Magnetic Energy Storage (SMES) coil with direct and alternating transport currents in an external AC magnetic field is taken into account as the electromagnetic environment for both the single strip and the infinite slab. By using the obtained results of AC losses, the influences of the transport currents on the total losses are discussed quantitatively.

  9. Optimal Power Scheduling for a Medium Voltage AC/DC Hybrid Distribution Network

    DOE PAGES

    Zhu, Zhenshan; Liu, Dichen; Liao, Qingfen; ...

    2018-01-26

    With the great increase of renewable generation as well as the DC loads in the distribution network; DC distribution technology is receiving more attention; since the DC distribution network can improve operating efficiency and power quality by reducing the energy conversion stages. This paper presents a new architecture for the medium voltage AC/DC hybrid distribution network; where the AC and DC subgrids are looped by normally closed AC soft open point (ACSOP) and DC soft open point (DCSOP); respectively. The proposed AC/DC hybrid distribution systems contain renewable generation (i.e., wind power and photovoltaic (PV) generation); energy storage systems (ESSs); softmore » open points (SOPs); and both AC and DC flexible demands. An energy management strategy for the hybrid system is presented based on the dynamic optimal power flow (DOPF) method. The main objective of the proposed power scheduling strategy is to minimize the operating cost and reduce the curtailment of renewable generation while meeting operational and technical constraints. The proposed approach is verified in five scenarios. The five scenarios are classified as pure AC system; hybrid AC/DC system; hybrid system with interlinking converter; hybrid system with DC flexible demand; and hybrid system with SOPs. Results show that the proposed scheduling method can successfully dispatch the controllable elements; and that the presented architecture for the AC/DC hybrid distribution system is beneficial for reducing operating cost and renewable generation curtailment.« less

  10. Optimal Power Scheduling for a Medium Voltage AC/DC Hybrid Distribution Network

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Zhu, Zhenshan; Liu, Dichen; Liao, Qingfen

    With the great increase of renewable generation as well as the DC loads in the distribution network; DC distribution technology is receiving more attention; since the DC distribution network can improve operating efficiency and power quality by reducing the energy conversion stages. This paper presents a new architecture for the medium voltage AC/DC hybrid distribution network; where the AC and DC subgrids are looped by normally closed AC soft open point (ACSOP) and DC soft open point (DCSOP); respectively. The proposed AC/DC hybrid distribution systems contain renewable generation (i.e., wind power and photovoltaic (PV) generation); energy storage systems (ESSs); softmore » open points (SOPs); and both AC and DC flexible demands. An energy management strategy for the hybrid system is presented based on the dynamic optimal power flow (DOPF) method. The main objective of the proposed power scheduling strategy is to minimize the operating cost and reduce the curtailment of renewable generation while meeting operational and technical constraints. The proposed approach is verified in five scenarios. The five scenarios are classified as pure AC system; hybrid AC/DC system; hybrid system with interlinking converter; hybrid system with DC flexible demand; and hybrid system with SOPs. Results show that the proposed scheduling method can successfully dispatch the controllable elements; and that the presented architecture for the AC/DC hybrid distribution system is beneficial for reducing operating cost and renewable generation curtailment.« less

  11. Operation of AC Adapters Visualized Using Light-Emitting Diodes

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Regester, Jeffrey

    2016-01-01

    A bridge rectifier is a diamond-shaped configuration of diodes that serves to convert alternating current(AC) into direct current (DC). In our world of AC outlets and DC electronics, they are ubiquitous. Of course, most bridge rectifiers are built with regular diodes, not the light-emitting variety, because LEDs have a number of disadvantages. For…

  12. AC Loss Measurements on a 2G YBCO Coil

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Rey, Christopher M; Duckworth, Robert C; Schwenterly, S W

    2011-01-01

    The Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is collaborating with Waukesha Electric Systems (WES) to continue development of HTS power transformers. For compatibility with the existing power grid, a commercially viable HTS transformer will have to operate at high voltages in the range of 138 kV and above, and will have to withstand 550-kV impulse voltages as well. Second-generation (2G) YBCO coated conductors will be required for an economically-competitive design. In order to adequately size the refrigeration system for these transformers, the ac loss of these HTS coils must be characterized. Electrical AC loss measurements were conducted on a prototype highmore » voltage (HV) coil with co-wound stainless steel at 60 Hz in a liquid nitrogen bath using a lock-in amplifier technique. The prototype HV coil consisted of 26 continuous (without splice) single pancake coils concentrically centered on a stainless steel former. For ac loss measurement purposes, voltage tap pairs were soldered across each set of two single pancake coils so that a total of 13 separate voltage measurements could be made across the entire length of the coil. AC loss measurements were taken as a function of ac excitation current. Results show that the loss is primarily concentrated at the ends of the coil where the operating fraction of critical current is the highest and show a distinct difference in current scaling of the losses between low current and high current regimes.« less

  13. Two Patients with Dry Eye Disease Followed Up Using an Expression Assay of Ocular Surface Mucin.

    PubMed

    Machida, Yumiko; Shoji, Jun; Harada, Natsuko; Inada, Noriko

    2016-01-01

    We report 2 patients with dry eye disease followed up using the expression levels of ocular surface mucin. Patient 1: a 57-year-old woman with Sjögren's syndrome-associated dry eyes experienced severe dryness and foreign body sensation in both her eyes, and instilled sodium hyaluronate ophthalmic solution 0.3% about 10-15 times daily. We measured the expression levels of MUC5AC mRNA (MUC5AC) and MUC16 mRNA (MUC16) by using real-time reversed transcription polymerase chain reaction for the specimens of modified impression cytology. Expression levels of MUC5AC and MUC16 on her ocular surface were very low. Subjective symptoms and expression levels of ocular surface mucin improved after combined treatment of rebamipide (4 times daily) and fluorometholone (once daily) ophthalmic suspension. Patient 2: a 62-year-old man with chronic graft-versus-host disease-associated dry eye experienced severe foreign body sensation and developed superficial punctate keratopathy with mucous thread and filamentary keratitis. Expression level of MUC5AC was very high at baseline. Subjective symptoms and expression levels of ocular surface mucin improved by combined treatment of rebamipide (4 times daily) and fluorometholone (once daily) ophthalmic suspension. Clinical test for MUC gene expression on the ocular surface was found to be useful in the follow-up of dry eye treatment.

  14. The FL/AC ratio for prediction of shoulder dystocia in women with gestational diabetes.

    PubMed

    Duryea, Elaine L; Casey, Brian M; McIntire, Donald D; Twickler, Diane M

    2017-10-01

    To determine if sonographic variables, including fetal femur length to abdominal circumference (FL/AC) ratio, are associated with shoulder dystocia in women with gestational diabetes. This was a retrospective cohort study of women with gestational diabetes who delivered singleton infants at Parkland Hospital from 1997 to 2015. Diagnosis and treatment of gestational diabetes were uniform including sonography at 32-36 weeks. Biometric calculations were evaluated for correlation with shoulder dystocia. During the study period, 6952 women with gestational diabetes underwent a sonogram at a mean gestation of 34.8 ± 1.8 weeks. Of 4183 vaginal deliveries, 66 experienced shoulder dystocia (16/1000). The FL/AC was associated with shoulder dystocia (p < 0.001) with an AUC of 0.70 (95% CI: 0.64-0.77). This was similar to age-adjusted AC and head circumference to AC ratio (HC/AC) (both with an AUC of 0.72). All other measurements, including estimated fetal weight, were inferior. When examining the 257 women with multiple sonograms after 32 weeks' gestation, FL/AC was stable with advancing gestational age (p = 0.54) whereas age-adjusted AC and HC/AC were not (p < 0.001). The FL/AC is associated with shoulder dystocia in women with gestational diabetes. Additionally, it is a simple ratio that is independent of the reference used and remains stable, unlike age-adjusted AC and HC/AC ratio.

  15. Early function of the Abutilon mosaic virus AC2 gene as a replication brake.

    PubMed

    Krenz, Björn; Deuschle, Kathrin; Deigner, Tobias; Unseld, Sigrid; Kepp, Gabi; Wege, Christina; Kleinow, Tatjana; Jeske, Holger

    2015-04-01

    The C2/AC2 genes of monopartite/bipartite geminiviruses of the genera Begomovirus and Curtovirus encode important pathogenicity factors with multiple functions described so far. A novel function of Abutilon mosaic virus (AbMV) AC2 as a replication brake is described, utilizing transgenic plants with dimeric inserts of DNA B or with a reporter construct to express green fluorescent protein (GFP). Their replicational release upon AbMV superinfection or the individual and combined expression of epitope-tagged AbMV AC1, AC2, and AC3 was studied. In addition, the effects were compared in the presence and in the absence of an unrelated tombusvirus suppressor of silencing (P19). The results show that AC2 suppresses replication reproducibly in all assays and that AC3 counteracts this effect. Examination of the topoisomer distribution of supercoiled DNA, which indicates changes in the viral minichromosome structure, did not support any influence of AC2 on transcriptional gene silencing and DNA methylation. The geminiviral AC2 protein has been detected here for the first time in plants. The experiments revealed an extremely low level of AC2, which was slightly increased if constructs with an intron and a hemagglutinin (HA) tag in addition to P19 expression were used. AbMV AC2 properties are discussed with reference to those of other geminiviruses with respect to charge, modification, and size in order to delimit possible reasons for the different behaviors. The (A)C2 genes encode a key pathogenicity factor of begomoviruses and curtoviruses in the plant virus family Geminiviridae. This factor has been implicated in the resistance breaking observed in agricultural cotton production. AC2 is a multifunctional protein involved in transcriptional control, gene silencing, and regulation of basal biosynthesis. Here, a new function of Abutilon mosaic virus AC2 in replication control is added as a feature of this protein in viral multiplication, providing a novel finding on

  16. [Adsorption and removal of gas-phase Hg(0) over a V2O5/AC catalyst in the presence of SO2].

    PubMed

    Wang, Jun-wei; Yang, Jian-li; Liu, Zhen-yu

    2009-12-01

    The adsorption and removal behaviors of gas-phase Hg(0) over V2O5/AC and AC were studied under a simulated flue gas (containing N2, SO2, O2) in a fixed-bed reactor. The influences of the V2O5, loading, SO2 concentration and adsorption temperature on Hg0 adsorption were investigated. The speciation of mercury adsorbed was determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). It was found that the V2O5/AC catalyst has a much higher capability than AC for Hg(0) adsorption and removal, mainly because of the catalytic oxidation activity of V2O5. The Hg(0) adsorption capability depends on the V2O5 content of the V2O5/AC catalyst. The amounts of mercury adsorbed increase from 75.9 microg x g(-1) to 89.6 microg x g(-1) (in the absence of O2) and from 115.9 microg x g(-1) to 185.5 microg x g(-1) (in the presence of O2) as the V2O5 loading increases from 0.5% to 1.0%, which are much higher than those over AC under the same conditions (9.6 microg x g(-1) and 23.3 microg x g(-1)). SO2 in the flue gas enhances Hg(0) adsorption over the V2O5/AC catalyst, which is due to the reaction of SO2 and Hg(0) on V2O3/AC. But as the SO2 concentration increases from 500 x 10(-6) to 2000 x 10(-6), the amount of mercury adsorbed has only a slight increase. The optimal temperature for Hg(0) adsorption over the V2O5/AC catalyst is around 150 degrees C, at which the amounts of mercury adsorbed are up to 98.5 microg x g(-1) (in the absence of O2) and 187.7 microg x g(-1) (in the presence of O2). The XPS results indicate the formation of Hg(0) and HgSO4 on the surface of the V2O5/AC catalyst, which confirms the role of V2O5 and SO2.

  17. pH sensing via bicarbonate-regulated “soluble” adenylyl cyclase (sAC)

    PubMed Central

    Rahman, Nawreen; Buck, Jochen; Levin, Lonny R.

    2013-01-01

    Soluble adenylyl cyclase (sAC) is a source of the second messenger cyclic adenosine 3′, 5′ monophosphate (cAMP). sAC is directly regulated by bicarbonate (HCO−3) ions. In living cells, HCO−3 ions are in nearly instantaneous equilibrium with carbon dioxide (CO2) and pH due to the ubiquitous presence of carbonic anhydrases. Numerous biological processes are regulated by CO2, HCO−3, and/or pH, and in a number of these, sAC has been shown to function as a physiological CO2/HCO3/pH sensor. In this review, we detail the known pH sensing functions of sAC, and we discuss two highly-studied, pH-dependent pathways in which sAC might play a role. PMID:24324443

  18. Improved transistorized AC motor controller for battery powered urban electric passenger vehicles

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Peak, S. C.

    1982-01-01

    An ac motor controller for an induction motor electric vehicle drive system was designed, fabricated, tested, evaluated, and cost analyzed. A vehicle performance analysis was done to establish the vehicle tractive effort-speed requirements. These requirements were then converted into a set of ac motor and ac controller requirements. The power inverter is a three-phase bridge using power Darlington transistors. The induction motor was optimized for use with an inverter power source. The drive system has a constant torque output to base motor speed and a constant horsepower output to maximum speed. A gear shifting transmission is not required. The ac controller was scaled from the base 20 hp (41 hp peak) at 108 volts dec to an expanded horsepower and battery voltage range. Motor reversal was accomplished by electronic reversal of the inverter phase sequence. The ac controller can also be used as a boost chopper battery charger. The drive system was tested on a dynamometer and results are presented. The current-controlled pulse width modulation control scheme yielded improved motor current waveforms. The ac controller favors a higher system voltage.

  19. System and method for determining stator winding resistance in an AC motor using motor drives

    DOEpatents

    Lu, Bin; Habetler, Thomas G; Zhang, Pinjia

    2013-02-26

    A system and method for determining the stator winding resistance of AC motors is provided. The system includes an AC motor drive having an input connectable to an AC source and an output connectable to an input terminal of an AC motor, a pulse width modulation (PWM) converter having switches therein to control current flow and terminal voltages in the AC motor, and a control system connected to the PWM converter. The control system generates a command signal to cause the PWM converter to control an output of the AC motor drive corresponding to an input to the AC motor, selectively generates a modified command signal to cause the PWM converter to inject a DC signal into the output of the AC motor drive, and determines a stator winding resistance of the AC motor based on the DC signal of at least one of the voltage and current.

  20. Exploring the mechanism how AF9 recognizes and binds H3K9ac by molecular dynamics simulations and free energy calculations.

    PubMed

    Wang, Quan; Zheng, Qing-Chuan; Zhang, Hong-Xing

    2016-11-01

    Histone acetylation is a very important regulatory mechanism in gene expression in the chromatin context. A new protein family-YEATS domains have been found as a novel histone acetylation reader, which could specific recognize the histone lysine acetylation. AF9 is an important one in the YEATS family. Focused on the AF9-H3K9ac (K9 acetylation) complex (ALY) (PDB code: 4TMP) and a serials of mutants, MUT (the acetyllsine of H3K9ac was mutated to lysine), F59A, G77A, and D103A, we applied molecular dynamics simulation and molecular mechanics Poisson-Boltzmann (MM-PBSA) free energy calculations to examine the role of AF9 protein in recognition interaction. The simulation results and analysis indicate that some residues of the protein have significant influence on recognition and binding to H3K9ac peptides and hydrophobic surface show the hydrophobic interactions play an important role in the binding. Our work can give important information to understand how the protein AF9 recognizes the peptides H3K9ac. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Biopolymers 105: 779-786, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  1. Dielectrophoretic particle-particle interaction under AC electrohydrodynamic flow conditions.

    PubMed

    Lee, Doh-Hyoung; Yu, Chengjie; Papazoglou, Elisabeth; Farouk, Bakhtier; Noh, Hongseok M

    2011-09-01

    We used the Maxwell stress tensor method to understand dielectrophoretic particle-particle interactions and applied the results to the interpretation of particle behaviors under alternating current (AC) electrohydrodynamic conditions such as AC electroosmosis (ACEO) and electrothermal flow (ETF). Distinct particle behaviors were observed under ACEO and ETF. Diverse particle-particle interactions observed in experiments such as particle clustering, particles keeping a certain distance from each other, chain and disc formation and their rotation, are explained based on the numerical simulation data. The improved understanding of particle behaviors in AC electrohydrodynamic flows presented here will enable researchers to design better particle manipulation strategies for lab-on-a-chip applications. Copyright © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  2. Promising efficacy of novel BTK inhibitor AC0010 in mantle cell lymphoma.

    PubMed

    Yan, Xiao; Zhou, Yile; Huang, Shujuan; Li, Xia; Yu, Mengxia; Huang, Jiansong; Wang, Jinghan; Ma, Zhixin; Jin, Jingrui; Pan, Jiajia; Li, Chenying; Li, Fenglin; Jin, Jie

    2018-04-01

    We researched into the effect and mechanism of AC0010, a novel BTK inhibitor, in MCL, and compared its efficacy and safety with Ibrutinib to develop a preclinical study for the future therapy of MCL. MTS assay was used to detect the growth inhibition caused by AC0010 and Ibrutinib, respectively, in MCL cell lines (Jeko-1 and JVM-2), primary MCL cells, and normal peripheral lymphocytes. Apoptosis of Jeko-1 and JVM-2 after exposure into AC0010 and Ibrutinib was conducted by flow cytometry; the expression of apoptosis-related proteins was checked by Western blot. q-PCR and Western blot were applied to examine the expression of BTK and p-BTK at mRNA and protein level as well as the BTK-ralated signaling pathways. MCL xenograft was developed to testify the efficacy and safety of AC0010 in vivo. In contrast with Ibrutinib, AC0010 proved to be more toxic to MCL cells in vitro (p < 0.01) with no augment in cytotoxicity to normal peripheral lymphocytes, and it can induce obvious apoptosis in MCL cell lines (p < 0.01) through caspase family and Bcl-2 family. AC0010 at 300 mg/kg can prolong the survival rate in MCL xenograft (p < 0.01). The phosphorylation of BTK is inhibited by AC0010 following simultaneously inhibition of BCR-BTK and PI3K/AKT signaling pathway in MCL cells. AC0010 is a novel BTK inhibitor of great efficacy and safety in MCL.

  3. AC to DC Bridgeless Boost Converter for Ultra Low Input Energy Harvesting

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dawam, A. H. A.; Muhamad, M.

    2018-03-01

    This paper presents design of circuit which converts low input AC voltage to a higher output DC voltage. A buck-boost topology and boost topology are combined to condition cycle of an AC input voltage. the unique integration of a combining circuit of buck-boost and boost circuit have been proposed in order to introduce a new direct ac-dc power converter topology without conventional diode bridge rectifier. The converter achieved to convert a milli-volt scale of input AC voltage into a volt scale of output DC voltages which is from 400mV to 3.3V.

  4. Analytical theory and possible detection of the ac quantum spin Hall effect

    DOE PAGES

    Deng, W. Y.; Ren, Y. J.; Lin, Z. X.; ...

    2017-07-11

    Here, we develop an analytical theory of the low-frequency ac quantum spin Hall (QSH) effect based upon the scattering matrix formalism. It is shown that the ac QSH effect can be interpreted as a bulk quantum pumping effect. When the electron spin is conserved, the integer-quantized ac spin Hall conductivity can be linked to the winding numbers of the reflection matrices in the electrodes, which also equal to the bulk spin Chern numbers of the QSH material. Furthermore, a possible experimental scheme by using ferromagnetic metals as electrodes is proposed to detect the topological ac spin current by electrical means.

  5. The Hubble Legacy Archive ACS grism data

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kümmel, M.; Rosati, P.; Fosbury, R.; Haase, J.; Hook, R. N.; Kuntschner, H.; Lombardi, M.; Micol, A.; Nilsson, K. K.; Stoehr, F.; Walsh, J. R.

    2011-06-01

    A public release of slitless spectra, obtained with ACS/WFC and the G800L grism, is presented. Spectra were automatically extracted in a uniform way from 153 archival fields (or "associations") distributed across the two Galactic caps, covering all observations to 2008. The ACS G800L grism provides a wavelength range of 0.55-1.00 μm, with a dispersion of 40 Å/pixel and a resolution of ~80 Å for point-like sources. The ACS G800L images and matched direct images were reduced with an automatic pipeline that handles all steps from archive retrieval, alignment and astrometric calibration, direct image combination, catalogue generation, spectral extraction and collection of metadata. The large number of extracted spectra (73,581) demanded automatic methods for quality control and an automated classification algorithm was trained on the visual inspection of several thousand spectra. The final sample of quality controlled spectra includes 47 919 datasets (65% of the total number of extracted spectra) for 32 149 unique objects, with a median iAB-band magnitude of 23.7, reaching 26.5 AB for the faintest objects. Each released dataset contains science-ready 1D and 2D spectra, as well as multi-band image cutouts of corresponding sources and a useful preview page summarising the direct and slitless data, astrometric and photometric parameters. This release is part of the continuing effort to enhance the content of the Hubble Legacy Archive (HLA) with highly processed data products which significantly facilitate the scientific exploitation of the Hubble data. In order to characterize the slitless spectra, emission-line flux and equivalent width sensitivity of the ACS data were compared with public ground-based spectra in the GOODS-South field. An example list of emission line galaxies with two or more identified lines is also included, covering the redshift range 0.2 - 4.6. Almost all redshift determinations outside of the GOODS fields are new. The scope of science projects

  6. A MEMS sensor for AC electric current

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Leland, Eli Sidney

    This manuscript describes the development of a new MEMS sensor for the measurement of AC electric current. The sensor is comprised of a MEMS piezoelectric cantilever with a microscale permanent magnet mounted to the cantilever's free end. When placed near a wire carrying AC current, the magnet couples to the oscillating magnetic field surrounding the wire, causing the cantilever to deflect, and piezoelectric coupling produces a sinusoidal voltage proportional to the current in the wire. The sensor is itself passive, requiring no power supply to operate. It also operates on proximity and need only be placed near a current carrier in order to function. The sensor does not need to encircle the current carrier and it therefore can measure current in two-wire zip-cords without necessitating the separation of the two conductors. Applications for tins sensor include measuring residential and commercial electricity use and monitoring electric power distribution networks. An analytical model describing the behavior of the current sensor was developed. This model was also adapted to describe the power output of an energy scavenger coupled to a wire carrying AC current. A mesoscale sensor exhibited a sensitivity of 75 mV/A when measuring AC electric current in a zip-cord. A mesoscale energy scavenger produced 345 muW when coupled to a zip-cord carrying 13 A. MEMS current sensors were fabricated from aluminum nitride piezoelectric cantilevers and composite permanent magnets. The cantilevers were fabricated using a four-mask process. Microscale permanent magnets were dispenser-printed using NdFeB magnetic powder with an epoxy binder. The MEMS AC current sensor was interfaced with amplification circuitry and packaged inside an almninum enclosure. The sensor was also integrated with a mesoscale energy scavenger and power conditioning circuitry to create a fully self-powered current sensor. Unamplified sensitivity of the sensor was 0.1-1.1 mV/A when measuring currents in single

  7. On-Chip AC self-test controller

    DOEpatents

    Flanagan, John D [Rhinebeck, NY; Herring, Jay R [Poughkeepsie, NY; Lo, Tin-Chee [Fishkill, NY

    2009-09-29

    A system for performing AC self-test on an integrated circuit that includes a system clock for normal operation is provided. The system includes the system clock, self-test circuitry, a first and second test register to capture and launch test data in response to a sequence of data pulses, and a logic circuit to be tested. The self-test circuitry includes an AC self-test controller and a clock splitter. The clock splitter generates the sequence of data pulses including a long data capture pulse followed by an at speed data launch pulse and an at speed data capture pulse followed by a long data launch pulse. The at speed data launch pulse and the at speed data capture pulse are generated for a common cycle of the system clock.

  8. The Use of AC-DC-AC Methods in Assessing Corrosion Resistance Performance of Coating Systems for Magnesium Alloys

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    McCune, Robert C.; Upadhyay, Vinod; Wang, Yar-Ming; Battocchi, Dante

    The potential utility of AC-DC-AC electrochemical methods in comparative measures of corrosion-resisting coating system performance for magnesium alloys under consideration for the USAMP "Magnesium Front End Research and Development" project was previously shown in this forum [1]. Additional studies of this approach using statistically-designed experiments have been conducted with focus on alloy types, pretreatment, topcoat material and topcoat thickness as the variables. Additionally, sample coupons made for these designed experiments were also subjected to a typical automotive cyclic corrosion test cycle (SAE J2334) as well as ASTM B117 for comparison of relative performance. Results of these studies are presented along with advantages and limitations of the proposed methodology.

  9. Superconducting shielded core reactor with reduced AC losses

    DOEpatents

    Cha, Yung S.; Hull, John R.

    2006-04-04

    A superconducting shielded core reactor (SSCR) operates as a passive device for limiting excessive AC current in a circuit operating at a high power level under a fault condition such as shorting. The SSCR includes a ferromagnetic core which may be either closed or open (with an air gap) and extends into and through a superconducting tube or superconducting rings arranged in a stacked array. First and second series connected copper coils each disposed about a portion of the iron core are connected to the circuit to be protected and are respectively wound inside and outside of the superconducting tube or rings. A large impedance is inserted into the circuit by the core when the shielding capability of the superconducting arrangement is exceeded by the applied magnetic field generated by the two coils under a fault condition to limit the AC current in the circuit. The proposed SSCR also affords reduced AC loss compared to conventional SSCRs under continuous normal operation.

  10. Scanning AC Nanocalorimetry and Its Applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Xiao, Kechao

    This thesis presents an AC nanocalorimetry technique that enables calorimetry measurements on very small quantities of materials over a wide range of scanning rates (from isothermal to 3x10. 3 K/s), temperatures(up to 1200 K), and environments. Such working range bridges the gap between traditional scanning calorimetry of bulk materials and nanocalorimetry. The method relies on a micromachined nanocalorimeter with negligible thermal lags between heater, thermometer, and sample. The ability to perform calorimetry measurements over such a broad range of scanning rates makes it an ideal tool to characterize the kinetics of phase transformations, reactions at elevated temperatures or to explore the behavior of materials far from equilibrium. We demonstrate the technique by performing measurements on thin-film samples of Sn, In, and Bi with thicknesses ranging from 100 to 300 nm. The experimental heat capacities and melting temperatures agree well with literature values. The measured heat capacities are insensitive to the applied AC frequency, scan rate, and heat loss to the environment over a broad range of experimental conditions. The dynamic range of scanning AC nanocalorimetry enables the combination of nanocalorimetry with in-situ x-ray diffraction (XRD) to facilitate interpretation of the calorimetry measurements. Time-resolved XRD during in-situ operation of nanocalorimetry sensors using intense, high-energy synchrotron radiation allows unprecedented characterization of thermal and structural material properties. We demonstrate this experiment with detailed characterization of the melting and solidification of elemental Bi, In and Sn thin-film samples, using heating and cooling rates up to 300 K/s. By combining scanning DC and AC nano-calorimetry techniques, we study the nucleation behavior of undercooled liquid Bi at cooling rates ranging from 10. 1 to 10. 4 K/s. Upon initial melting, the Bi thin-film sample breaksup into isolated islands. The number of islands

  11. Roebel assembled coated conductor cables (RACC): Ac-Losses and current carrying potential

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Frank, A.; Heller, R.; Goldacker, W.; Kling, A.; Schmidt, C.

    2008-02-01

    Low ac-loss HTS cables for transport currents well above 1 kA are required for application in transformers and generators and are taken into consideration for future generations of fusion reactor coils. Coated conductors (CC) are suitable candidates for high field application at an operation temperature in the range 50-77 K. Ac-field applications require cables with low ac-losses and hence twisting of the individual strands. We solved this problem using the Roebel technique. Short lengths of Roebel bar cables were prepared from industrial DyBCO and YBCO-CC. Meander shaped tapes of 4 or 5 mm width with twist pitches of 123 or 127 mm were cut from the 10 or 12 mm wide CC tapes using a specially designed tool. Eleven or twelve of these strands were assembled to a cable. The electrical and mechanical connection of the tapes was achieved using a silver powder filled conductive epoxy resin. Ac-losses of a short sample in an external ac-field were measured as a function of frequency and field amplitude as well as the coupling current decay time constant. We discuss the results in terms of available theories and compare measured time constants in transverse field with measured coupling losses. Finally the potential of this cable type for ac-use is discussed with respect to ac-losses and current carrying capability.

  12. Theoretical study of chlordecone and surface groups interaction in an activated carbon model under acidic and neutral conditions.

    PubMed

    Gamboa-Carballo, Juan José; Melchor-Rodríguez, Kenia; Hernández-Valdés, Daniel; Enriquez-Victorero, Carlos; Montero-Alejo, Ana Lilian; Gaspard, Sarra; Jáuregui-Haza, Ulises Javier

    2016-04-01

    Activated carbons (ACs) are widely used in the purification of drinking water without almost any knowledge about the adsorption mechanisms of the persistent organic pollutants. Chlordecone (CLD, Kepone) is an organochlorinated synthetic compound that has been used mainly as agricultural insecticide. CLD has been identified and listed as a persistent organic pollutant by the Stockholm Convention. The selection of the best suited AC for this type of contaminants is mainly an empirical and costly process. A theoretical study of the influence of AC surface groups (SGs) on CLD adsorption is done in order to help understanding the process. This may provide a first selection criteria for the preparation of AC with suitable surface properties. A model of AC consisting of a seven membered ring graphene sheet (coronene) with a functional group on the edge was used to evaluate the influence of the SGs over the adsorption. Multiple Minima Hypersurface methodology (MMH) coupled with PM7 semiempirical Hamiltonian was employed in order to study the interactions of the chlordecone with SGs (hydroxyl and carboxyl) at acidic and neutral pH and different hydration conditions. Selected structures were re-optimized using CAM-B3LYP to achieve a well-defined electron density to characterize the interactions by the Quantum Theory of Atoms in Molecules approach. The deprotonated form of surface carboxyl and hydroxyl groups of AC models show the strongest interactions, suggesting a chemical adsorption. An increase in carboxylic SGs content is proposed to enhance CLD adsorption onto AC at neutral pH conditions. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  13. Comparative single-cell genomics reveals potential ecological niches for the freshwater acI Actinobacteria lineage.

    PubMed

    Ghylin, Trevor W; Garcia, Sarahi L; Moya, Francisco; Oyserman, Ben O; Schwientek, Patrick; Forest, Katrina T; Mutschler, James; Dwulit-Smith, Jeffrey; Chan, Leong-Keat; Martinez-Garcia, Manuel; Sczyrba, Alexander; Stepanauskas, Ramunas; Grossart, Hans-Peter; Woyke, Tanja; Warnecke, Falk; Malmstrom, Rex; Bertilsson, Stefan; McMahon, Katherine D

    2014-12-01

    Members of the acI lineage of Actinobacteria are the most abundant microorganisms in most freshwater lakes; however, our understanding of the keys to their success and their role in carbon and nutrient cycling in freshwater systems has been hampered by the lack of pure cultures and genomes. We obtained draft genome assemblies from 11 single cells representing three acI tribes (acI-A1, acI-A7, acI-B1) from four temperate lakes in the United States and Europe. Comparative analysis of acI SAGs and other available freshwater bacterial genomes showed that acI has more gene content directed toward carbohydrate acquisition as compared to Polynucleobacter and LD12 Alphaproteobacteria, which seem to specialize more on carboxylic acids. The acI genomes contain actinorhodopsin as well as some genes involved in anaplerotic carbon fixation indicating the capacity to supplement their known heterotrophic lifestyle. Genome-level differences between the acI-A and acI-B clades suggest specialization at the clade level for carbon substrate acquisition. Overall, the acI genomes appear to be highly streamlined versions of Actinobacteria that include some genes allowing it to take advantage of sunlight and N-rich organic compounds such as polyamines, di- and oligopeptides, branched-chain amino acids and cyanophycin. This work significantly expands the known metabolic potential of the cosmopolitan freshwater acI lineage and its ecological and genetic traits.

  14. Insights into the Membrane Interactions of the Saposin-Like Proteins Na-SLP-1 and Ac-SLP-1 from Human and Dog Hookworm

    PubMed Central

    Willis, Charlene; Wang, Conan K.; Osman, Asiah; Simon, Anne; Pickering, Darren; Mulvenna, Jason; Riboldi-Tunicliffe, Alan; Jones, Malcolm K.; Loukas, Alex; Hofmann, Andreas

    2011-01-01

    Saposin-like proteins (SAPLIPs) from soil-transmitted helminths play pivotal roles in host-pathogen interactions and have a high potential as targets for vaccination against parasitic diseases. We have identified two non-orthologous SAPLIPs from human and dog hookworm, Na-SLP-1 and Ac-SLP-1, and solved their three-dimensional crystal structures. Both proteins share the property of membrane binding as monitored by liposome co-pelleting assays and monolayer adsorption. Neither SAPLIP displayed any significant haemolytic or bactericidal activity. Based on the structural information, as well as the results from monolayer adsorption, we propose models of membrane interactions for both SAPLIPs. Initial membrane contact of the monomeric Na-SLP-1 is most likely by electrostatic interactions between the membrane surface and a prominent basic surface patch. In case of the dimeric Ac-SLP-1, membrane interactions are most likely initiated by a unique tryptophan residue that has previously been implicated in membrane interactions in other SAPLIPs. PMID:21991310

  15. Insights into the membrane interactions of the saposin-like proteins Na-SLP-1 and Ac-SLP-1 from human and dog hookworm.

    PubMed

    Willis, Charlene; Wang, Conan K; Osman, Asiah; Simon, Anne; Pickering, Darren; Mulvenna, Jason; Riboldi-Tunicliffe, Alan; Jones, Malcolm K; Loukas, Alex; Hofmann, Andreas

    2011-01-01

    Saposin-like proteins (SAPLIPs) from soil-transmitted helminths play pivotal roles in host-pathogen interactions and have a high potential as targets for vaccination against parasitic diseases. We have identified two non-orthologous SAPLIPs from human and dog hookworm, Na-SLP-1 and Ac-SLP-1, and solved their three-dimensional crystal structures. Both proteins share the property of membrane binding as monitored by liposome co-pelleting assays and monolayer adsorption. Neither SAPLIP displayed any significant haemolytic or bactericidal activity. Based on the structural information, as well as the results from monolayer adsorption, we propose models of membrane interactions for both SAPLIPs. Initial membrane contact of the monomeric Na-SLP-1 is most likely by electrostatic interactions between the membrane surface and a prominent basic surface patch. In case of the dimeric Ac-SLP-1, membrane interactions are most likely initiated by a unique tryptophan residue that has previously been implicated in membrane interactions in other SAPLIPs.

  16. AC magnetic field measurement using a small flip coil system for rapid cycling AC magnets at the China Spallation Neutron Source (CSNS)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhou, Jianxin; Kang, Wen; Li, Shuai; Liu, Yudong; Liu, Yiqin; Xu, Shouyan; Guo, Xiaoling; Wu, Xi; Deng, Changdong; Li, Li; Wu, Yuwen; Wang, Sheng

    2018-02-01

    The China Spallation Neutron Source (CSNS) has two major accelerator systems, a linear accelerator and a rapid cycling synchrotron (RCS). The RCS accelerator is used to accumulate and accelerate protons from the energy of 80 MeV to the design energy of 1.6 GeV at the repetition rate of 25 Hz, and extract the high energy beam to the target. The main magnets of the RCS accelerator are excited by AC current with DC bias. The magnetic field quality is very important for the RCS accelerator operation, since it should guarantee and focus a circulating beam. In order to characterize the AC magnets, a small flip coil measurement system has been developed and one of each type of AC magnets has been studied. The measurement system and selected measurement results are presented in this paper.

  17. Ion trajectory simulations of axial ac dipolar excitation in the Orbitrap

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wu, Guangxiang; Noll, Robert J.; Plass, Wolfgang R.; Hu, Qizhi; Perry, Richard H.; Cooks, R. Graham

    2006-07-01

    The newly developed version of the multi-particle ion trajectory simulation program, ITSIM 6.0, was applied to simulate ac dipolar excitation of ion axial motion in the Orbitrap. The Orbitrap inner and outer electrodes were generated in AutoCAD, a 3D drawing program. The electrode geometry was imported into the 3D field solver COMSOL; the field array was then imported into ITSIM 6.0. Ion trajectories were calculated by solving Newton's equations using Runge-Kutta integration methods. Compared to the analytical solution, calculated radial components of the field at the device's "equator" (z = 0) were within 0.5% and calculated axial components midway between the inner and outer electrodes were within 0.2%. The experiments simulated here involved the control of axial motion of ions in the Orbitrap by the application of dipolar ac signals to the split outer electrodes, as described in a recently published paper from this laboratory [Hu et al., J. Phys. Chem. A 110 (2006) 2682]. In these experiments, ac signal was applied at the axial resonant frequency of a selected ion. Axial excitation and eventual ion ejection resulted when the ac was in phase with, i.e., had 0° phase relative to ion axial motion. De-excitation of ion axial motion until the ions were at z = 0 and at rest with respect to the z-axis resulted if the applied ac was out of phase with ion motion, with re-excitation of ion axial motion occurring if the dipolar ac was continued beyond this point. Both de-excitation and re-excitation could be achieved mass-selectively and depended on the amplitude and duration (number of cycles) of the applied ac. The effects of ac amplitude, frequency, phase relative to ion motion, and bandwidth of applied waveform were simulated. All simulation results were compared directly with the experimental data and good agreement was observed. Such ion motion control experiments and their simulation provide the possibility to improve Orbitrap performance and to develop tandem mass

  18. Mucin genes (MUC2, MUC4, MUC5AC, and MUC6) detection in normal and pathological endometrial tissues.

    PubMed

    Alameda, Francesc; Mejías-Luque, Raquel; Garrido, Marta; de Bolós, Carme

    2007-01-01

    Changes in the composition and physical properties of the mucous gel covering the endometrial surface are detected during the menstrual cycle and in pathological conditions. The aim of this study is to analyze the expression patterns of the 11p15 secreted mucins, MUC2, MUC5AC, and MUC6, and the membrane-bound mucin MUC4 in proliferative and secretory normal endometrium, simple and complex hyperplasia, and endometrial adenocarcinoma. A total of 98 samples, 19 of normal endometrium (11 proliferative and 8 secretor), 44 of endometrial hyperplasia (23 simple, 21 complex), and 35 of endometrial endometrioid adenocarcinomas were analyzed by immunohistochemical techniques using specific antimucin antibodies. In the endometrial proliferative glandular epithelium, only MUC4 is detected (36.3% cases). During the secretory phase, increased levels of MUC2 are found (37.5%), whereas MUC4 is less detected (12.5%). In simple hyperplasia, higher levels of mucins are expressed in the endometrial glands: MUC2 is detected in 8.7%, MUC4 in 43.4%, and MUC5AC and MUC6 in 13% of the samples, whereas in complex hyperplasia, decreased levels of mucin expression are found: MUC2 and MUC5AC are not detected, and MUC4 (28.5%) and MUC6 (20.4%) are positive. In endometrial adenocarcinoma, MUC4 is highly detected (77.1%) and increased levels of MUC5AC and MUC6 are found (61.7% and 48.5%), whereas MUC2 is poorly detected (8.5%). These findings suggest that during endometrial neoplasic transformation, increased levels of MUC4, MUC5AC, and MUC6 are detected, whereas MUC2 is only significantly detected in the secretory endometrium.

  19. Transposition of the maize transposable element Ac in barley (Hordeum vulgare L.).

    PubMed

    Scholz, S; Lörz, H; Lütticke, S

    2001-01-01

    Transposition of the maize autonomous element Ac (Activator) was investigated in barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) with the aim of developing a transposon tagging system for the latter. The Ac element was introduced into meristematic tissue of barley by microprojectile bombardment. Transposon activity was then examined in the resulting transgenic plants. Multiple excision events were detected in leaf tissue of all plant lines. The mobile elements generated empty donor sites with small DNA sequence alterations, similar to those found in maize. Reintegration of Ac at independent genomic loci in somatic tissue was demonstrated by isolation of new element-flanking regions by AIMS-PCR (amplification of insertion-mutagenized sites). In addition, transmission of transposed Ac elements to progeny plants was confirmed. The results indicate that the introduced Ac element is able to transpose in barley. This is a first step towards the establishment of a transposon tagging system in this economically important crop.

  20. ACS (Alma Common Software) operating a set of robotic telescopes

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Westhues, C.; Ramolla, M.; Lemke, R.; Haas, M.; Drass, H.; Chini, R.

    2014-07-01

    We use the ALMA Common Software (ACS) to establish a unified middleware for robotic observations with the 40cm Optical, 80cm Infrared and 1.5m Hexapod telescopes located at OCA (Observatorio Cerro Armazones) and the ESO 1-m located at La Silla. ACS permits to hide from the observer the technical specifications, like mount-type or camera-model. Furthermore ACS provides a uniform interface to the different telescopes, allowing us to run the same planning program for each telescope. Observations are carried out for long-term monitoring campaigns to study the variability of stars and AGN. We present here the specific implementation to the different telescopes.

  1. Determination of bulk and surface superconducting properties of N 2-doped cold worked, heat treated and electro-polished SRF grade niobium

    DOE PAGES

    Chetri, Santosh; Larbalestier, David C.; Lee, Peter J.; ...

    2015-12-01

    In this study, nitrogen-doped cavities show significant performance improvement in the medium accelerating field regime due to a lowered RF surface resistivity. However, the mechanism of enhancement has not been clearly explained. Our experiments explore how N 2-doping influences Nb bulk and surface superconducting properties, and compare the N 2-doped properties with those obtained previously with conventionally treated samples. High purity Nb-rod was mechanically deformed and post treated based on a typical SRF cavity treatment recipe. The onset of flux penetration at H c1, and the upper and the surface critical fields, H c2 and H c3, were characterized bymore » magnetic hysteresis and AC susceptibility techniques. The surface depth profile responsible for superconductivity was examined by changing AC amplitude in AC susceptibility, and the microstructure was directly observed with EBSD-OIM. We are also investigating surface chemistry for detailed composition using XPS. We have found that N 2-doping at 800 °C significantly reduces the H c3/H c2 ratio towards the ideal value of ~1.7, and conclude that AC susceptibility is capable of following changes to the surface properties induced by N 2-doping.« less

  2. I-BIEM calculations of the frequency dispersion and ac current distribution at disk and ring-disk electrodes

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cahan, Boris D.

    1991-01-01

    The Iterative Boundary Integral Equation Method (I-BIEM) has been applied to the problem of frequency dispersion at a disk electrode in a finite geometry. The I-BIEM permits the direct evaluation of the AC potential (a complex variable) using complex boundary conditions. The point spacing was made highly nonuniform, to give extremely high resolution in those regions where the variables change most rapidly, i.e., in the vicinity of the edge of the disk. Results are analyzed with respect to IR correction, equipotential surfaces, and reference electrode placement. The current distribution is also examined for a ring-disk configuration, with the ring and the disk at the same AC potential. It is shown that the apparent impedance of the disk is inductive at higher frequencies. The results are compared to analytic calculations from the literature, and usually agree to better than 0.001 percent.

  3. I-BIEM calculations of the frequency dispersion and AC current distribution at disk and ring-disk electrodes

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cahan, Boris D.

    1991-01-01

    The Iterative Boundary Integral Equation Method (I-BIEM) has been applied to the problem of frequency dispersion at a disk electrode in a finite geometry. The I-BIEM permits the direct evaluation of the AC potential (a complex variable) using complex boundary conditions. The point spacing was made highly nonuniform, to give extremely high resolution in those regions where the variables change most rapidly, i.e., in the vicinity of the edge of the disk. Results are analyzed with respect to IR correction, equipotential surfaces, and reference electrode placement. The current distribution is also examined for a ring-disk configuration, with the ring and the disk at the same AC potential. It is shown that the apparent impedance of the disk is inductive at higher frequencies. The results are compared to analytic calculations from the literature, and usually agree to better than 0.001 percent.

  4. Preparation of Semiconducting Materials in the Laboratory, Part 3: The One-Penny Photovoltaic Cell

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ibanez, Jorge G.; Finck-Pastrana, Adolfo; Mugica-Barrera, Alejandra; Balderas-Hernandez, Patricia; Ibarguengoitia-Cervantes, Martha E.; Garcia-Pintor, Elizabeth; Hartasanchez-Frenk, Jose Miguel; Bonilla-Jaurez, Cesar E.; Maldonado-Cordero, Casandra; Struck-Garza, Adelwart; Suberbie-Rocha, Felipe

    2011-01-01

    Copper(I) oxide photoresponsive layers are prepared on copper surfaces (e.g., U.S. pre-1982 pennies) by simple thermal, chemical, and electrochemical procedures. An easily measurable photovoltage (up to 100 mV) is obtained in each case under visible light illumination. (Contains 2 figures.)

  5. Numerical minimization of AC losses in coaxial coated conductor cables

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rostila, L.; Suuriniemi, S.; Lehtonen, J.; Grasso, G.

    2010-02-01

    Power cables are one of the most promising applications for the superconducting coated conductors. In the AC use, only small resistive loss is generated, but the removal of the dissipated heat from the cryostat is inefficient due to the large temperature difference. The aim of this work is to minimize the AC losses in a multilayer coaxial cable, in which the tapes form current carrying cylinders. The optimized parameters are the tape numbers and lay angles in these cylinders. This work shows how to cope with the mechanical constraints for the lay angles and discrete tape number in optimization. Three common types of coaxial cables are studied here to demonstrate the feasibility of optimization, in which the AC losses were computed with a circuit analysis model formulated here for arbitrary phase currents, number of phases, and layers. Because the current sharing is practically determined by the inductances of the layers, the optima were obtained much faster by neglecting the nonlinear resistances caused by the AC losses. In addition, the example calculations show that the optimal cable structure do not usually depend on the AC loss model for the individual tapes. On the other hand, depending on the cable type, the losses of the optimized cables may be sensitive to the lay angles, and therefore, we recommend to study the sensitivity for the new cable designs individually.

  6. Charge transfer from TiO2 into adsorbed benzene diazonium compounds

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Merson, A.; Dittrich, Th.; Zidon, Y.; Rappich, J.; Shapira, Yoram

    2004-08-01

    Electron transfer from sol-gel-prepared TiO2 into adsorbed benzene diazonium compounds has been investigated using cyclic voltammetry, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, contact potential difference, and surface photovoltage spectroscopy. The results show that the potential of maximum electron transfer depends strongly on the dipole moment of the benzene compound. Two reactive surface sites at which electron transfer occurs have been identified.

  7. Travel Support for Scientists to Participate in ACS Symposium

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2017-08-31

    Report: Travel Support for Scientists to Participate in ACS Symposium The views, opinions and/or findings contained in this report are those of the...to average 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data...Number: W911NF-16-1-0110 Organization: University of Notre Dame Title: Travel Support for Scientists to Participate in ACS Symposium Report Term

  8. Investigation of the transition of multicycle AC operation in ISTTOK under edge electrode biasing

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Malaquias, A.; Henriques, R. B.; Silva, C.; Figueiredo, H.; Nedzelskiy, I. S.; Fernandes, H.; Sharma, R.; Plyusnin, V. V.

    2017-11-01

    In this paper we present recent results obtained on plasma edge electrode biasing during AC discharges. The goal is to obtain experimental evidence on a number of plasma parameters that can play a role during the AC transition on the repeatability and reproducibility of AC operation. The control of the plasma density in the quiescent phase is made just before the AC transition by means of positive edge biasing leading to a transitory improved of density (30%-40%). Gas puff experiments show that the increase of background gas pressure during discharge led to a better success of the AC transition. The experimental results indicate that the increase of density during the AC transition induced by edge biasing is followed by an electron temperature drop. The drop in electron temperature leads in most cases the formation of runaway electrons. It has been observed that the runaway population during discharge flattop depends on the interplay between gas content and plasma density and temperature. The results also confirm that the correct balance of external magnetic fields is crucial during the AC transition phase where drift electron currents are formed. The results from the heavy ion beam diagnostic show that the formation of plasma current during consecutive AC transitions is asymmetric. Numerical simulations indicate that for some particular conditions this result could be reproduced from assuming the presence of two counter-currents during AC transition.

  9. Introducing AC inductive reactance with a power tool

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bryant, Wesley; Baker, Blane

    2016-09-01

    The concept of reactance in AC electrical circuits is often non-intuitive and difficult for students to grasp. In order to address this lack of conceptual understanding, classroom exercises compare the predicted resistance of a power tool, based on electrical specifications, to measured resistance. Once students discover that measured resistance is smaller than expected, they are asked to explain these observations using previously studied principles of magnetic induction. Exercises also introduce the notion of inductive reactance and impedance in AC circuits and, ultimately, determine self-inductance of the motor windings within the power tool.

  10. AC electrothermal technique in microchannels

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Salari, Alinaghi; Navi, Maryam; Dalton, Colin

    2017-02-01

    Electrokinetic techniques have a wide range of applications in droplet, particle, and fluid manipulation systems. In general, they can be categorized into different subgroups including electroosmosis, electrothermal, electrophoresis, dielectrophoresis, etc. The AC electrothermal (ACET) technique has been shown to be very effective in applications which involve high conductivity fluids, such as blood, which are typically used in biomedical applications. In the past few years, the ACET effect has received considerable attention. Unlike AC electroosmosis (ACEO), the ACET effect shows plateaus in force in a wide frequency range. In other words, with electrothermal force, velocity is more steady and predictable at different frequencies, compared to ACEO and dielectrophoresis (DEP). Although electrothermal microflows form as a result of Joule heating in the fluid, due to high conduction of heat to the ambience, the temperature rise in the fluid is not so high as to threaten the nature of the biofluids. The average temperature rise resulting from the ACET effect is below 5 °K. In order to generate high strength AC electric fields, microfabricated electrode arrays are commonly used in microchannels. For pumping applications, it is essential to create asymmetry in the electric field, typically by having asymmetrical electrode pairs. There is no defined border between many electrokinetic techniques, and as such the point where electrothermal processes interferes with other electrokinetic techniques is not clear in the literature. In addition, there have been comprehensive reviews on micropumps, electrokinetics, and their subcategories, but the literature lacks a detailed up-to-date review on electrothermal microdevices. In this paper, a brief review is made specifically on electric fields in ACET devices, in order to provide an insight for the reader about the importance of this aspect of ACET devices and the improvements made to date.

  11. Modeling AC ripple currents in HTS coated conductors by integral equations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Grilli, Francesco; Xu, Zhihan

    2016-12-01

    In several HTS applications, the superconducting tapes experience the simultaneous presence of DC and AC excitations. For example in high-current DC cables, where the transport current is not perfectly constant, but it exhibits some ripples at different frequencies introduced by the rectification process (AC-DC conversion). These ripples give rise to dissipation, whose magnitude and possible influence on the device's cooling requirements need to be evaluated. Here we report a study of the AC losses in a HTS coated conductor subjected to DC currents and AC ripples simultaneously. The modeling approach is based on an integral equation method for thin superconductors: the superconducting tape is modeled as a 1-D object with a non-linear resistivity, which includes the dependence of the critical current density Jc on the magnetic field. The model, implemented in a commercial finite-element program, runs very fast (the simulation of one AC cycle typically takes a few seconds on standard desktop workstation): this allows simulating a large number of cycles and estimating when the AC ripple losses stabilize to a constant value. The model is used to study the influence of the flux creep power index n on the stabilization speed and on the AC loss values, as well as the effect of using a field-dependent Jc instead of a constant one. The simulations confirm that the dissipation level should not be a practical concern in HTS DC cables. At the same time, however, they reveal a strong dependence of the results upon the power index n and the form of Jc , which spurs the question whether the power-law is the most suitable description of the superconductor's electrical behavior for this kind of analysis.

  12. Cosmic shear analysis of archival HST/ACS data. I. Comparison of early ACS pure parallel data to the HST/GEMS survey

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Schrabback, T.; Erben, T.; Simon, P.; Miralles, J.-M.; Schneider, P.; Heymans, C.; Eifler, T.; Fosbury, R. A. E.; Freudling, W.; Hetterscheidt, M.; Hildebrandt, H.; Pirzkal, N.

    2007-06-01

    Context: This is the first paper of a series describing our measurement of weak lensing by large-scale structure, also termed “cosmic shear”, using archival observations from the Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) on board the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). Aims: In this work we present results from a pilot study testing the capabilities of the ACS for cosmic shear measurements with early parallel observations and presenting a re-analysis of HST/ACS data from the GEMS survey and the GOODS observations of the Chandra Deep Field South (CDFS). Methods: We describe the data reduction and, in particular, a new correction scheme for the time-dependent ACS point-spread-function (PSF) based on observations of stellar fields. This is currently the only technique which takes the full time variation of the PSF between individual ACS exposures into account. We estimate that our PSF correction scheme reduces the systematic contribution to the shear correlation functions due to PSF distortions to <2 × 10-6 for galaxy fields containing at least 10 stars, which corresponds to ⪉5% of the cosmological signal expected on scales of a single ACS field. Results: We perform a number of diagnostic tests indicating that the remaining level of systematics is consistent with zero for the GEMS and GOODS data confirming the success of our PSF correction scheme. For the parallel data we detect a low level of remaining systematics which we interpret to be caused by a lack of sufficient dithering of the data. Combining the shear estimate of the GEMS and GOODS observations using 96 galaxies arcmin-2 with the photometric redshift catalogue of the GOODS-MUSIC sample, we determine a local single field estimate for the mass power spectrum normalisation σ8, CDFS=0.52+0.11-0.15 (stat) ± 0.07(sys) (68% confidence assuming Gaussian cosmic variance) at a fixed matter density Ω_m=0.3 for a ΛCDM cosmology marginalising over the uncertainty of the Hubble parameter and the redshift distribution. We

  13. Comparing the ACS/WFC and WFC3/UVIS Calibration and Photometry

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Deustua, S. E.; Mack, J.

    2018-03-01

    A study was undertaken using synthetic photometry of CALSPEC stars to compare the ACS Wide Field Channel (WFC) photometry to the WFC3 UVIS imaging channel in eight similarly named passbands corresponding to the broadband filters F435W (ACS/WFC) F438W (WFC3/UVIS) and F475W, F555W, F606W, F625W, F775W, F814W and F850LP (both ACS/WFC and WFC3/UVIS). The uncertainty of the photometric calibration of ACS/WFC and WFC3/UVIS with respect to the white dwarf standard stars is within ± 0.5% for F814W, F775W, F606W and F475W, and within ±1% for F625W and F850LP. For F555W the apparent difference in the calibration is 2% for F555W and 6% for UVIS/F438W and ACS/F435W due to inherent differences in the filter passbands. Comparing the ACS/WFC to WFC3/UVIS mean flux for stars having a range of spectral types shows a color dependence. The WFC to UVIS F814W color dependence is ± 0.02 mags for F814W, F775W, F475W and F606W. For the other filters the range is -0.06 to +0.02 mags. Aperture photometry of the 47 Tucanae cluster confirm the results from using synthetic photometry of CALSPEC stars.

  14. Established and potential physiological roles of bicarbonate-sensing soluble adenylyl cyclase (sAC) in aquatic animals

    PubMed Central

    Tresguerres, Martin; Barott, Katie L.; Barron, Megan E.; Roa, Jinae N.

    2014-01-01

    Soluble adenylyl cyclase (sAC) is a recently recognized source of the signaling molecule cyclic AMP (cAMP) that is genetically and biochemically distinct from the classic G-protein-regulated transmembrane adenylyl cyclases (tmACs). Mammalian sAC is distributed throughout the cytoplasm and it may be present in the nucleus and inside mitochondria. sAC activity is directly stimulated by HCO3−, and sAC has been confirmed to be a HCO3− sensor in a variety of mammalian cell types. In addition, sAC can functionally associate with carbonic anhydrases to act as a de facto sensor of pH and CO2. The two catalytic domains of sAC are related to HCO3−-regulated adenylyl cyclases from cyanobacteria, suggesting the cAMP pathway is an evolutionarily conserved mechanism for sensing CO2 levels and/or acid/base conditions. Reports of sAC in aquatic animals are still limited but are rapidly accumulating. In shark gills, sAC senses blood alkalosis and triggers compensatory H+ absorption. In the intestine of bony fishes, sAC modulates NaCl and water absorption. And in sea urchin sperm, sAC may participate in the initiation of flagellar movement and in the acrosome reaction. Bioinformatics and RT-PCR results reveal that sAC orthologs are present in most animal phyla. This review summarizes the current knowledge on the physiological roles of sAC in aquatic animals and suggests additional functions in which sAC may be involved. PMID:24574382

  15. Superconducting ac cable

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Schmidt, F.

    1980-11-01

    The components of a superconducting 110 kV ac cable for power ratings or = 2000 MVA were developed. The cable design is of the semiflexible type, with a rigid cryogenic envelope containing a flexible hollow coaxial cable core. The cable core consists of spirally wound Nb-A1 composite wires electrically insulated by high pressure polyethylene tape wrappings. A 35 m long single phase test cable with full load terminals rated at 110 kV and 10 kA was constructed and successfully tested. The results obtained prove the technical feasibility and capability of this cable design.

  16. Diode-rectified multiphase AC arc for the improvement of electrode erosion characteristics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tanaka, Manabu; Hashizume, Taro; Saga, Koki; Matsuura, Tsugio; Watanabe, Takayuki

    2017-11-01

    An innovative multiphase AC arc (MPA) system was developed on the basis of a diode-rectification technique to improve electrode erosion characteristics. Conventionally, electrode erosion in AC arc is severer than that in DC arc. This originated from the fact that the required properties for the cathode and anode are different, although an AC electrode works as the cathode and the anode periodically. To solve this problem, a separation of AC electrodes into pairs of thoriated tungsten cathode and copper anode by diode-rectification was attempted. A diode-rectified multiphase AC arc (DRMPA) system was then successfully established, resulting in a drastic improvement of the erosion characteristics. The electrode erosion rate in the DRMPA was less than one-third of that in the conventional MPA without the diode rectification. In order to clarify its erosion mechanism, electrode phenomena during discharge were visualized by a high-speed camera system with appropriate band-pass filters. Fluctuation characteristics of the electrode temperature in the DRMPA were revealed.

  17. Faradaic AC Electrokinetic Flow and Particle Traps

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ben, Yuxing; Chang, Hsueh-Chia

    2004-11-01

    Faradaic reaction at higher voltages can produce co-ion polarization at AC electrodes instead of counter-ion polarization due to capacitive charging from the bulk. The Faradaic co-ion polarization also does not screen the external field and hence can produce large net electro-kinetic flows at frequencies lower than the inverse RC time of the double layer. Due to the opposite polarization of capacitve and Faradaic charging, we can reverse the direction of AC flows on electrodes by changing the voltage and frequency. Particles and bacteria are trapped and then dispersed at stagnation lines, at locations predicted by our theory, by using these two flows sequentially. This technique offers a good way to concentrate and detect bacteria.

  18. AC application of second generation HTS wire

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Thieme, C. L. H.; Gagnon, K.; Voccio, J.; Aized, D.; Claassen, J.

    2008-02-01

    For the production of Second Generation (2G) YBCO High Temperature Superconductor wire American Superconductor uses a wide-strip MOD-YBCO/RABiTSTM process, a low-cost approach for commercial manufacturing. It can be engineered with a high degree of flexibility to manufacture practical 2G conductors with architectures and properties tailored for specific applications and operating conditions. For ac applications conductor and coil design can be geared towards low hysteretic losses. For applications which experience high frequency ac fields, the stabilizer needs to be adjusted for low eddy current losses. For these applications a stainless-steel laminate is used. An example is a Low Pass Filter Inductor which was developed and built in this work.

  19. AC Application of HTS Conductors in Highly Dynamic Electric Motors

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Oswald, B.; Best, K.-J.; Setzer, M.; Duffner, E.; Soell, M.; Gawalek, W.; Kovalev, L. K.

    2006-06-01

    Based on recent investigations we design highly dynamic electric motors up to 400 kW and linear motors up to 120 kN linear force using HTS bulk material and HTS tapes. The introduction of HTS tapes into AC applications in electric motors needs fundamental studies on double pancake coils under transversal magnetic fields. First theoretical and experimental results on AC field distributions in double-pancake-coils and corresponding AC losses will be presented. Based on these results the simulation of the motor performance confirms extremely high power density and efficiency of both types of electric motors. Improved characteristics of rare earth permanent magnets used in our motors at low temperatures give an additional technological benefit.

  20. AC-Induced Bias Potential Effect on Corrosion of Steels

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2009-02-05

    induction, variable conduction Experimental Setup Super- martensitic stainless steel composition Analysis: C Mn Si Cr Ni Mo Cu N Typical 13 Cr ɘ.01 0.6... stainless steel used in pipelines. •Low carbon (ɘ.01): allows the formation of a “soft” martensite that is more resistant than standard martensitic ...Proposed AC Corrosion Models  AC Simulated Corrosion testing  Stainless steel pipe and coating  Cathodic protection  Experimental Setup  Preliminary

  1. Exploring the extremely low surface brightness sky: distances to 23 newly discovered objects in Dragonfly fields

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    van Dokkum, Pieter

    2016-10-01

    We are obtaining deep, wide field images of nearby galaxies with the Dragonfly Telephoto Array. This telescope is optimized for low surface brightness imaging, and we are finding many low surface brightness objects in the Dragonfly fields. In Cycle 22 we obtained ACS imaging for 7 galaxies that we had discovered in a Dragonfly image of the galaxy M101. Unexpectedly, the ACS data show that only 3 of the galaxies are members of the M101 group, and the other 4 are very large Ultra Diffuse Galaxies (UDGs) at much greater distance. Building on our Cycle 22 program, here we request ACS imaging for 23 newly discovered low surface brightness objects in four Dragonfly fields centered on the galaxies NGC 1052, NGC 1084, NGC 3384, and NGC 4258. The immediate goals are to construct the satellite luminosity functions in these four fields and to constrain the number density of UDGs that are not in rich clusters. More generally, this complete sample of extremely low surface brightness objects provides the first systematic insight into galaxies whose brightness peaks at >25 mag/arcsec^2.

  2. AC losses in horizontally parallel HTS tapes for possible wireless power transfer applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shen, Boyang; Geng, Jianzhao; Zhang, Xiuchang; Fu, Lin; Li, Chao; Zhang, Heng; Dong, Qihuan; Ma, Jun; Gawith, James; Coombs, T. A.

    2017-12-01

    This paper presents the concept of using horizontally parallel HTS tapes with AC loss study, and the investigation on possible wireless power transfer (WPT) applications. An example of three parallel HTS tapes was proposed, whose AC loss study was carried out both from experiment using electrical method; and simulation using 2D H-formulation on the FEM platform of COMSOL Multiphysics. The electromagnetic induction around the three parallel tapes was monitored using COMSOL simulation. The electromagnetic induction and AC losses generated by a conventional three turn coil was simulated as well, and then compared to the case of three parallel tapes with the same AC transport current. The analysis demonstrates that HTS parallel tapes could be potentially used into wireless power transfer systems, which could have lower total AC losses than conventional HTS coils.

  3. AC Conductivity and Dielectric Properties of Borotellurite Glass

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Taha, T. A.; Azab, A. A.

    2016-10-01

    Borotellurite glasses with formula 60B2O3-10ZnO-(30 - x)NaF- xTeO2 ( x = 0 mol.%, 5 mol.%, 10 mol.%, and 15 mol.%) have been synthesized by thermal melting. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis confirmed that the glasses were amorphous. The glass density ( ρ) was determined by the Archimedes method at room temperature. The density ( ρ) and molar volume ( V m) were found to increase with increasing TeO2 content. The direct-current (DC) conductivity was measured in the temperature range from 473 K to 623 K, in which the electrical activation energy of ionic conduction increased from 0.27 eV to 0.48 eV with increasing TeO2 content from 0 mol.% to 15 mol.%. The dielectric parameters and alternating-current (AC) conductivity ( σ ac) were investigated in the frequency range from 1 kHz to 1 MHz and temperature range from 300 K to 633 K. The AC conductivity and dielectric constant decreased with increasing TeO2 content from 0 mol.% to 15 mol.%.

  4. Dielectric Breakdown Characteristics of Oil-pressboard Insulation System against AC/DC Superposed Voltage

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ebisawa, Yoshihito; Yamada, Shin; Mori, Shigekazu; Ikeda, Masami

    This paper describes breakdown characteristics of an oil-pressboard insulation system to a superposition voltage of AC and DC voltages. Although AC electric field is decided by the ratio of the relative permittivity of a pressboard and insulating oil, DC electric field is decided by ratio α of volume resistivities. From the measurement in this study, 13—78 and 1.8—5.7 are obtained as the volume resistivity ratios α at temperature of 30°C and 80°C, respectively. The breakdown voltages against AC, DC, and those superposition voltages are surveyed to insulation models. In normal temperature, the breakdown voltage to the superposition voltage of AC and DC is determined by AC electric field applied to the oil duct. Since the α becomes as low as 2-3 at temperature of 80°C, AC and DC voltages almost equally contribute to the electric field of the oil duct as a result. That is, it became clear that superposed DC voltage boosts the electric field across oil ducts at operating high temperature.

  5. ARC-1978-AC78-1040-172

    NASA Image and Video Library

    1978-11-14

    Lockheed YO-3A (USA 69-18010 NASA 718) A/C & BELL COBRA HELICOPTER FLIGHT & GROUND TESTS AT EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE. Rotorcraft Research. NASA SP-1998-3300 Flight Research at Ames: 57 Years of Development and Validation of Aeronautical Technology Fig. 143

  6. Photovoltaic system with improved AC connections and method of making same

    DOEpatents

    Cioffi, Philip Michael; Todorovic, Maja Harfman; Herzog, Michael Scott; Korman, Charles Steven; Doherty, Donald M.; Johnson, Neil Anthony

    2018-02-13

    An alternating current (AC) harness for a photovoltaic (PV) system includes a wire assembly having a first end and a second end, the wire assembly having a plurality of lead wires, and at least one AC connection module positioned at a location along a length of the wire assembly between the first end and the second end. Further, the at least one AC connection module includes a first connection terminal electrically coupled to the plurality of lead wires of the wire assembly and constructed to electrically couple the wire assembly with an output of a first PV module of the PV system. The at least one AC connection module also includes a second connection terminal electrically coupled to the plurality of lead wires of the wire assembly and constructed to electrically couple the wire assembly with an output of a second PV module of the PV system.

  7. Chance-Constrained AC Optimal Power Flow for Distribution Systems With Renewables

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    DallAnese, Emiliano; Baker, Kyri; Summers, Tyler

    This paper focuses on distribution systems featuring renewable energy sources (RESs) and energy storage systems, and presents an AC optimal power flow (OPF) approach to optimize system-level performance objectives while coping with uncertainty in both RES generation and loads. The proposed method hinges on a chance-constrained AC OPF formulation where probabilistic constraints are utilized to enforce voltage regulation with prescribed probability. A computationally more affordable convex reformulation is developed by resorting to suitable linear approximations of the AC power-flow equations as well as convex approximations of the chance constraints. The approximate chance constraints provide conservative bounds that hold for arbitrarymore » distributions of the forecasting errors. An adaptive strategy is then obtained by embedding the proposed AC OPF task into a model predictive control framework. Finally, a distributed solver is developed to strategically distribute the solution of the optimization problems across utility and customers.« less

  8. Facile synthesis of bismuth oxyhalide nanosheet films with distinct conduction type and photo-induced charge carrier behavior

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jia, Huimin; He, Weiwei; Zhang, Beibei; Yao, Lei; Yang, Xiaokai; Zheng, Zhi

    2018-05-01

    A modified successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) method was developed to fabricate 2D ordered BiOX (X = CI, Br, I) nanosheet array films on FTO substrates at room temperature. The formation of BiOX films were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), UV-vis absorption spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The semiconductor surface states determine the type of semiconductor. Although BiOCI, BiOBr and BiOI belong to the bismuth oxyhalide semiconductor family and possess similar crystal and electronic structures, they show different conductivity types due to their respective surface states. Mott-Schottky curve results demonstrate that the BiOCl and BiOI nanosheet arrays display n-type semiconductor properties, while the BiOBr films exhibit p-type semiconductor properties. Assisted by surface photovoltage (SPV) and transient photovoltage (TPV) techniques, the photoinduced charge transfer dynamics on the surface/interface of the BiOX/FTO nanosheet films were systematically and comparatively investigated. As revealed by the results, both the separation and transfer dynamics of the photo-induced carrier are influenced by film thickness.

  9. Calorimetric method of ac loss measurement in a rotating magnetic field.

    PubMed

    Ghoshal, P K; Coombs, T A; Campbell, A M

    2010-07-01

    A method is described for calorimetric ac-loss measurements of high-T(c) superconductors (HTS) at 80 K. It is based on a technique used at 4.2 K for conventional superconducting wires that allows an easy loss measurement in parallel or perpendicular external field orientation. This paper focuses on ac loss measurement setup and calibration in a rotating magnetic field. This experimental setup is to demonstrate measuring loss using a temperature rise method under the influence of a rotating magnetic field. The slight temperature increase of the sample in an ac-field is used as a measure of losses. The aim is to simulate the loss in rotating machines using HTS. This is a unique technique to measure total ac loss in HTS at power frequencies. The sample is mounted on to a cold finger extended from a liquid nitrogen heat exchanger (HEX). The thermal insulation between the HEX and sample is provided by a material of low thermal conductivity, and low eddy current heating sample holder in vacuum vessel. A temperature sensor and noninductive heater have been incorporated in the sample holder allowing a rapid sample change. The main part of the data is obtained in the calorimetric measurement is used for calibration. The focus is on the accuracy and calibrations required to predict the actual ac losses in HTS. This setup has the advantage of being able to measure the total ac loss under the influence of a continuous moving field as experienced by any rotating machines.

  10. Influence of Relative Humidity on AC Corona Discharge from Algae Attached on the Silicone Rubber

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sato, Daisuke; Hara, Yoshiaki; Kokufu, Morihide; Higashiyama, Yoshio

    To make clear the influence of algae growth at the surface of a polymer insulator in a practical transmission line, the characteristics of ac corona discharge from an aggregate algae particle were investigated. The aggregate algae particle was made of Protococcus viridis. Corona onset voltage from an aggregate algae particle was decreased as relative humidity increased. Under the condition of relatively higher relative humidity, luminous channel of corona discharge became more strongly and the number of corona pulses in the current waveform was increased. For an aggregate algae particle contaminated with sea salt including MgCl2, corona onset voltage decreased drastically at relative humidity above 40%. This property would result from deliquescence of MgCl2. Corona discharge was strongly affected by existence of MgCl2 in an aggregate algae particle. Surface resistance of algae attached to the surface of the silicone rubber sheet decreased in fourth figures for relative humidity from 20 to 90%. Therefore, the existence of algae on the polymer insulator inevitably affects the electric property and the surface property of the polymer insulator.

  11. Enabling unassisted solar water splitting by iron oxide and silicon

    DOE PAGES

    Jang, Ji-Wook; Du, Chun; Ye, Yifan; ...

    2015-06-16

    A solution for large-scale solar energy storage is photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting. However, its development has been impeded by the poor performance of photoanodes, particularly in their capability for photovoltage generation. Many examples employing photovoltaic modules to correct the deficiency for unassisted solar water splitting have been reported to-date. We show that, by using the prototypical photoanode material of haematite as a study tool, structural disorders on or near the surfaces are important causes of the low photovoltages. We develop a facile re-growth strategy to reduce surface disorders and as a consequence, a turn-on voltage of 0.45 V (versus reversiblemore » hydrogen electrode) is achieved. In conclusion, this result permits us to construct a photoelectrochemical device with a haematite photoanode and Si photocathode to split water at an overall efficiency of 0.91%, with NiFeOx and TiO2/Pt overlayers, respectively.« less

  12. High reduction of interfacial charge recombination in colloidal quantum dot solar cells by metal oxide surface passivation.

    PubMed

    Chang, Jin; Kuga, Yuki; Mora-Seró, Iván; Toyoda, Taro; Ogomi, Yuhei; Hayase, Shuzi; Bisquert, Juan; Shen, Qing

    2015-03-12

    Bulk heterojunction (BHJ) solar cells based on colloidal QDs and metal oxide nanowires (NWs) possess unique and outstanding advantages in enhancing light harvesting and charge collection in comparison to planar architectures. However, the high surface area of the NW structure often brings about a large amount of recombination (especially interfacial recombination) and limits the open-circuit voltage in BHJ solar cells. This problem is solved here by passivating the surface of the metal oxide component in PbS colloidal quantum dot solar cells (CQDSCs). By coating thin TiO2 layers onto ZnO-NW surfaces, the open-circuit voltage and power conversion efficiency have been improved by over 40% in PbS CQDSCs. Characterization by transient photovoltage decay and impedance spectroscopy indicated that the interfacial recombination was significantly reduced by the surface passivation strategy. An efficiency as high as 6.13% was achieved through the passivation approach and optimization for the length of the ZnO-NW arrays (device active area: 16 mm2). All solar cells were tested in air, and exhibited excellent air storage stability (without any performance decline over more than 130 days). This work highlights the significance of metal oxide passivation in achieving high performance BHJ solar cells. The charge recombination mechanism uncovered in this work could shed light on the further improvement of PbS CQDSCs and/or other types of solar cells.

  13. Microwave ac Zeeman force for ultracold atoms

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fancher, C. T.; Pyle, A. J.; Rotunno, A. P.; Aubin, S.

    2018-04-01

    We measure the ac Zeeman force on an ultracold gas of 87Rb due to a microwave magnetic field targeted to the 6.8 GHz hyperfine splitting of these atoms. An atom chip produces a microwave near field with a strong amplitude gradient, and we observe a force over three times the strength of gravity. Our measurements are consistent with a simple two-level theory for the ac Zeeman effect and demonstrate its resonant, bipolar, and spin-dependent nature. We observe that the dressed-atom eigenstates gradually mix over time and have mapped out this behavior as a function of magnetic field and detuning. We demonstrate the practical spin selectivity of the force by pushing or pulling a specific spin state while leaving other spin states unmoved.

  14. A type III ACC synthase, ACS7, is involved in root gravitropism in Arabidopsis thaliana

    PubMed Central

    Chang, Ing-Feng

    2013-01-01

    Ethylene is an important plant hormone that regulates developmental processes in plants. The ethylene biosynthesis pathway is a highly regulated process at both the transcriptional and post-translational level. The transcriptional regulation of these ethylene biosynthesis genes is well known. However, post-translational modifications of the key ethylene biosynthesis enzyme 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) synthase (ACS) are little understood. In vitro kinase assays were conducted on the type III ACS, AtACS7, fusion protein and peptides to determine whether the AtACS7 protein can be phosphorylated by calcium-dependent protein kinase (CDPK). AtACS7 was phosphorylated at Ser216, Thr296, and Ser299 by AtCDPK16 in vitro. To investigate further the function of the ACS7 gene in Arabidopsis, an acs7-1 loss-of-function mutant was isolated. The acs7-1 mutant exhibited less sensitivity to the inhibition of root gravitropism by treatment with the calcium chelator ethylene glycol tetraacetic acid (EGTA). Seedlings were treated with gradient concentrations of ACC. The results showed that a certain concentration of ethylene enhanced the gravity response. Moreover, the acs7-1 mutant was less sensitive to inhibition of the gravity response by treatment with the auxin polar transport inhibitor 1-naphthylphthalamic acid, but exogenous ACC application recovered root gravitropism. Altogether, the results indicate that AtACS7 is involved in root gravitropism in a calcium-dependent manner in Arabidopsis. PMID:23943848

  15. A type III ACC synthase, ACS7, is involved in root gravitropism in Arabidopsis thaliana.

    PubMed

    Huang, Shih-Jhe; Chang, Chia-Lun; Wang, Po-Hsun; Tsai, Min-Chieh; Hsu, Pang-Hung; Chang, Ing-Feng

    2013-11-01

    Ethylene is an important plant hormone that regulates developmental processes in plants. The ethylene biosynthesis pathway is a highly regulated process at both the transcriptional and post-translational level. The transcriptional regulation of these ethylene biosynthesis genes is well known. However, post-translational modifications of the key ethylene biosynthesis enzyme 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) synthase (ACS) are little understood. In vitro kinase assays were conducted on the type III ACS, AtACS7, fusion protein and peptides to determine whether the AtACS7 protein can be phosphorylated by calcium-dependent protein kinase (CDPK). AtACS7 was phosphorylated at Ser216, Thr296, and Ser299 by AtCDPK16 in vitro. To investigate further the function of the ACS7 gene in Arabidopsis, an acs7-1 loss-of-function mutant was isolated. The acs7-1 mutant exhibited less sensitivity to the inhibition of root gravitropism by treatment with the calcium chelator ethylene glycol tetraacetic acid (EGTA). Seedlings were treated with gradient concentrations of ACC. The results showed that a certain concentration of ethylene enhanced the gravity response. Moreover, the acs7-1 mutant was less sensitive to inhibition of the gravity response by treatment with the auxin polar transport inhibitor 1-naphthylphthalamic acid, but exogenous ACC application recovered root gravitropism. Altogether, the results indicate that AtACS7 is involved in root gravitropism in a calcium-dependent manner in Arabidopsis.

  16. DC and AC conductivity properties of bovine dentine hydroxyapatite (BDHA)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dumludag, F.; Gunduz, O.; Kılıc, O.; Ekren, N.; Kalkandelen, C.; Ozbek, B.; Oktar, F. N.

    2017-12-01

    Bovine dentine bio-waste may be used as a potential natural source of hydroxyapatite (BDHA), thus extraction of bovine dentin hydroxyapatite (BDHA) from bio-waste is significantly important to fabricate in a simple, economically and environmentally preferable. DC and AC conductivity properties of BDHA were investigated depending on sintering temperature (1000ºC - 1300°C) in air and vacuum (<10-2 mbar) ambient at room temperature. DC conductivity measurements performed between -1 and 1 V. AC conductivity measurements performed in the frequency range of 40 Hz - 100 kHz. DC conductivity results showed that dc conductivity values of the BDHA decrease with increasing sintering temperature in air ambient. It is not observed remarkable/systematic behavior for ac conductivity depending on sintering temperature.

  17. Changes in stimulus and response AC/A ratio with vision therapy in Convergence Insufficiency.

    PubMed

    Singh, Neeraj Kumar; Mani, Revathy; Hussaindeen, Jameel Rizwana

    To evaluate the changes in the stimulus and response Accommodative Convergence to Accommodation (AC/A) ratio following vision therapy (VT) in Convergence Insufficiency (CI). Stimulus and response AC/A ratio were measured on twenty five CI participants, pre and post 10 sessions of VT. Stimulus AC/A ratio was measured using the gradient method and response AC/A ratio was calculated using modified Thorington technique with accommodative responses measured using WAM-5500 open-field autorefractor. The gradient stimulus and response AC/A cross-link ratios were compared with thirty age matched controls. Mean age of the CI and control participants were 23.3±5.2 years and 22.7±4.2 years, respectively. The mean stimulus and response AC/A ratio for CI pre therapy was 2.2±0.72 and 6.3±2.0 PD/D that changed to 4.2±0.9 and 8.28±3.31 PD/D respectively post vision therapy and these changes were statistically significant (paired t-test; p<0.001). The mean stimulus and response AC/A ratio for controls was 3.1±0.81 and 8.95±2.5 PD/D respectively. Stimulus and response AC/A ratio increased following VT, accompanied by clinically significant changes in vergence and accommodation parameters in subjects with convergence insufficiency. This represents the plasticity of the AC/A crosslink ratios that could be achieved with vision therapy in CI. Copyright © 2016 Spanish General Council of Optometry. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

  18. Accelerated detection of viral particles by combining AC electric field effects and micro-Raman spectroscopy.

    PubMed

    Tomkins, Matthew Robert; Liao, David Shiqi; Docoslis, Aristides

    2015-01-08

    A detection method that combines electric field-assisted virus capture on antibody-decorated surfaces with the "fingerprinting" capabilities of micro-Raman spectroscopy is demonstrated for the case of M13 virus in water. The proof-of-principle surface mapping of model bioparticles (protein coated polystyrene spheres) captured by an AC electric field between planar microelectrodes is presented with a methodology for analyzing the resulting spectra by comparing relative peak intensities. The same principle is applied to dielectrophoretically captured M13 phage particles whose presence is indirectly confirmed with micro-Raman spectroscopy using NeutrAvidin-Cy3 as a labeling molecule. It is concluded that the combination of electrokinetically driven virus sampling and micro-Raman based signal transduction provides a promising approach for time-efficient and in situ detection of viruses.

  19. Accelerated Detection of Viral Particles by Combining AC Electric Field Effects and Micro-Raman Spectroscopy

    PubMed Central

    Tomkins, Matthew Robert; Liao, David Shiqi; Docoslis, Aristides

    2015-01-01

    A detection method that combines electric field-assisted virus capture on antibody-decorated surfaces with the “fingerprinting” capabilities of micro-Raman spectroscopy is demonstrated for the case of M13 virus in water. The proof-of-principle surface mapping of model bioparticles (protein coated polystyrene spheres) captured by an AC electric field between planar microelectrodes is presented with a methodology for analyzing the resulting spectra by comparing relative peak intensities. The same principle is applied to dielectrophoretically captured M13 phage particles whose presence is indirectly confirmed with micro-Raman spectroscopy using NeutrAvidin-Cy3 as a labeling molecule. It is concluded that the combination of electrokinetically driven virus sampling and micro-Raman based signal transduction provides a promising approach for time-efficient and in situ detection of viruses. PMID:25580902

  20. MicroPPT-Based Secondary/Backup ACS for a 160-m, 450-kg Solar Sail Spacecraft

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Wie, Bong; Murphy, David

    2005-01-01

    Solar sail tip-mounted, lightweight pulsed plasma thrusters (PPTs) are proposed for a secondary (or backup) attitude control system (ACS) of a 160-m, 450-kg solar sail spacecraft of the Solar Polar Imager (SPI) mission. A propellantless primary ACS of the SPI sailcraft employs trim control masses running along mast lanyards for pitch/yaw control together with roll stabilizer bars at the mast tips for quadrant tilt (roll) control. The robustness of such a propellantless primary ACS would be further enhanced by a secondary ACS utilizing tip-mounted, lightweight PPTs. The microPPT-based ACS is intended mainly for attitude recovery maneuvers from various off-nominal conditions that cannot be reliably handled by the propellantless primary ACS. However, it can also be employed for: i) the checkout or standby mode prior to and during sail deployment, ii) the post-deployment transition mode (prior to the propellantless primary ACS mode operation), iii) the solar sailing cruise mode of a trimmed sailcraft, and iv) the spin-stabilized, sun-pointing, safe mode. Although a conventional bus ACS is required for the SPI mission as the sail is jettisoned at the start of its science mission phase, the microPPT-based ACS option promises greater redundancy and robustness for the SPI mission. For other sailing missions, where the sail is never jettisoned, this secondary ACS provides a lower-cost, lower-mass propulsion for deployment control and greater redundancy than any traditional reaction-jet control system. This paper presents an overview nf the state--of-the--art microPPT technology, the design requirements of microPPTs for solar sail attitude control, and the preliminary ACS design and simulation results.

  1. Inhibition of motor cortex excitability with 15Hz transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS).

    PubMed

    Zaghi, Soroush; de Freitas Rezende, Larissa; de Oliveira, Laís Machado; El-Nazer, Rasheda; Menning, Sanne; Tadini, Laura; Fregni, Felipe

    2010-08-02

    There remains a lack of solid evidence showing whether transcranial stimulation with weak alternating current (transcranial alternating current stimulation, tACS) can in fact induce significant neurophysiological effects. Previously, a study in which tACS was applied for 2 and 5min with current density=0.16-0.25A/m(2) was unable to show robust effects on cortical excitability. Here we applied tACS at a significantly higher current density (0.80A/m(2)) for a considerably longer duration (20min) and were indeed able to demonstrate measurable changes to cortical excitability. Our results show that active 15Hz tACS of the motor cortex (electrodes placed at C3 and C4) significantly diminished the amplitude of motor evoked potentials and decreased intracortical facilitation (ICF) as compared to baseline and sham stimulation. In addition, we show that our method of sham tACS is a reliable control condition. These results support the notion that AC stimulation with weak currents can induce significant changes in brain excitability; in this case, 15Hz tACS led to a pattern of inhibition of cortical excitability. We propose that tACS may have a dampening effect on cortical networks and perhaps interfere with the temporal and spatial summation of weak subthreshold electric potentials. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Recovery of consciousness in broilers following combined dc and ac stunning

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Broilers in the United States are typically electrically stunned using low voltage-high frequency pulsed DC water bath stunners and in the European Union broilers are electrocuted using high voltage-low frequency AC. DC stunned broilers regain consciousness in the absence of exsanguination and AC st...

  3. Atomic oxygen behavior at downstream of AC excited atmospheric pressure He plasma jet

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Takeda, Keigo; Ishikawa, Kenji; Tanaka, Hiromasa; Sekine, Makoto; Hori, Masaru

    2016-09-01

    Applications of atmospheric pressure plasma jets (APPJ) have been investigated in the plasma medical fields such as cancer therapy, blood coagulation, etc. Reactive species generated by the plasma jet interacts with the biological surface. Therefore, the issue attracts much attentions to investigate the plasma effects on targets. In our group, a spot-size AC excited He APPJ have been used for the plasma medicine. From diagnostics of the APPJ using optical emission spectroscopy, the gas temperature and the electron density was estimated to be 299 K and 3.4 ×1015 cm-3. The AC excited He APPJ which affords high density plasma at room temperature is considered to be a powerful tool for the medical applications. In this study, by using vacuum ultraviolet absorption spectroscopy, the density of atomic oxygen on a floating copper as a target irradiated by the He APPJ was measured as a function of the distance between the plasma source and the copper wire. The measured density became a maximum value around 8 ×1013 cm-3 at 12 mm distance, and then decreased over the distance. It is considered that the behavior was due to the changes in the plasma density on the copper wire and influence of ambient air.

  4. The Response AC/A Ratio Before and After the Onset of Myopia

    PubMed Central

    Mutti, Donald O.; Mitchell, G. Lynn; Jones-Jordan, Lisa A.; Cotter, Susan A.; Kleinstein, Robert N.; Manny, Ruth E.; Twelker, J. Daniel; Zadnik, Karla

    2017-01-01

    Purpose To investigate the ratio of accommodative convergence per diopter of accommodative response (AC/A ratio) before, during, and after myopia onset. Methods Subjects were 698 children aged 6 to 14 years who became myopic and 430 emmetropic children participating in the Collaborative Longitudinal Evaluation of Ethnicity and Refractive Error. Refractive error was measured using cycloplegic autorefraction, near work by parent survey, and the AC/A ratio by simultaneously monitoring convergence and accommodative response. The response AC/A ratios of children who became myopic were compared with age-, sex-, and ethnicity-matched model estimates for emmetropic children from 5 years before through 5 years after the onset of myopia. Results The response AC/A ratio was not significantly different between the two groups 5 years before onset, then increased monotonically in children who became myopic until reaching a plateau at myopia onset of about 7 Δ/D compared to about 4 Δ/D for children who remained emmetropic (differences between groups significant at P < 0.01 from 4 years before onset through 5 years after onset). A higher AC/A ratio was associated with greater accommodative lag but not with the rate of myopia progression regardless of the level of near work. Conclusions An increasing AC/A ratio is an early sign of becoming myopic, is related to greater accommodative lag, but does not affect the rate of myopia progression. The association with accommodative lag suggests that the AC/A ratio increase is from greater neural effort needed per diopter of accommodation rather than change in the accommodative convergence crosslink gain relationship. PMID:28291868

  5. Design and implementation of co-operative control strategy for hybrid AC/DC microgrids

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mahmud, Rasel

    This thesis is mainly divided in two major sections: 1) Modeling and control of AC microgrid, DC microgrid, Hybrid AC/DC microgrid using distributed co-operative control, and 2) Development of a four bus laboratory prototype of an AC microgrid system. At first, a distributed cooperative control (DCC) for a DC microgrid considering the state-of-charge (SoC) of the batteries in a typical plug-in-electric-vehicle (PEV) is developed. In DC microgrids, this methodology is developed to assist the load sharing amongst the distributed generation units (DGs), according to their ratings with improved voltage regulation. Subsequently, a DCC based control algorithm for AC microgrid is also investigated to improve the performance of AC microgrid in terms of power sharing among the DGs, voltage regulation and frequency deviation. The results validate the advantages of the proposed methodology as compared to traditional droop control of AC microgrid. The DCC-based control methodology for AC microgrid and DC microgrid are further expanded to develop a DCC-based power management algorithm for hybrid AC/DC microgrid. The developed algorithm for hybrid microgrid controls the power flow through the interfacing converter (IC) between the AC and DC microgrids. This will facilitate the power sharing between the DGs according to their power ratings. Moreover, it enables the fixed scheduled power delivery at different operating conditions, while maintaining good voltage regulation and improved frequency profile. The second section provides a detailed explanation and step-by-step design and development of an AC/DC microgrid testbed. Controllers for the three-phase inverters are designed and tested on different generation units along with their corresponding inductor-capacitor-inductor (LCL) filters to eliminate the switching frequency harmonics. Electric power distribution line models are developed to form the microgrid network topology. Voltage and current sensors are placed in the proper

  6. Hidden Surface Removal through Object Space Decomposition.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1982-01-01

    12 2.1 Methods of Subdividing the Object Space ..................................................... 14 2.2 Accessing...AC.AIIA TO5ASK FORCE MNT OF TECH WRIONT-PATTERSON AFB 0O4 P/O 1a/I 64100(6 SURFACE REMOVAL THROWN4 OBJECT SPACE 0(COMPOSIT109d.(U UiCLASIFIEC AFZITNl...Surface Removal Through Object Space THESlS/ J AJ;I Decomposition 6. PERFORMING ORG. REPORT NUMBER 7. AUTHOR() a. CONTRACT OR GRANT NUMBER(s) Robert

  7. Characterization and expression profiles of MaACS and MaACO genes from mulberry (Morus alba L.)*

    PubMed Central

    Liu, Chang-ying; Lü, Rui-hua; Li, Jun; Zhao, Ai-chun; Wang, Xi-ling; Diane, Umuhoza; Wang, Xiao-hong; Wang, Chuan-hong; Yu, Ya-sheng; Han, Shu-mei; Lu, Cheng; Yu, Mao-de

    2014-01-01

    1-Aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid synthase (ACS) and 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid oxidase (ACO) are encoded by multigene families and are involved in fruit ripening by catalyzing the production of ethylene throughout the development of fruit. However, there are no reports on ACS or ACO genes in mulberry, partly because of the limited molecular research background. In this study, we have obtained five ACS gene sequences and two ACO gene sequences from Morus Genome Database. Sequence alignment and phylogenetic analysis of MaACO1 and MaACO2 showed that their amino acids are conserved compared with ACO proteins from other species. MaACS1 and MaACS2 are type I, MaACS3 and MaACS4 are type II, and MaACS5 is type III, with different C-terminal sequences. Quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) expression analysis showed that the transcripts of MaACS genes were strongly expressed in fruit, and more weakly in other tissues. The expression of MaACO1 and MaACO2 showed different patterns in various mulberry tissues. MaACS and MaACO genes demonstrated two patterns throughout the development of mulberry fruit, and both of them were strongly up-regulated by abscisic acid (ABA) and ethephon. PMID:25001221

  8. Mucin gene expression is not regulated by estrogen and/or progesterone in the ocular surface epithelia of mice.

    PubMed

    Lange, Christine; Fernandez, Jolene; Shim, David; Spurr-Michaud, Sandra; Tisdale, Ann; Gipson, Ilene K

    2003-07-01

    Dry eye syndrome is prevalent in post-menopausal women, and post-menopausal women secrete less mucus in their reproductive tracts. Using a mouse model, the purpose of this study was to determine if estrogen and/or progesterone regulates Muc4 and Muc5AC gene expression in the ocular surface epithelia, as the hormones do in reproductive tract epithelia. Adult C57BL/6 mice were ovariectomized, and 19 days later, pellets containing estrogen, progesterone, or a combination were inserted subcutaneously. Ocular surface and reproductive tract tissues were harvested following seven days of hormone treatment. A control group consisted of ovariectomized mice that received no hormone treatment. Real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction was used to determine the tissue expression levels of mucin mRNA of each treatment group relative to the control. Muc4 mRNA expression levels were determined for the reproductive tract, and both Muc4 and Muc5AC expression levels were determined for the ocular surface epithelia. Muc4 and Muc5AC gene expression in ocular surface and Muc4 in reproductive tract epithelia was demonstrated by In Situ hybridization, and Muc4 and Muc5AC protein was demonstrated in the epithelia of animals in the experimental groups. The mRNA expression levels of Muc4 and Muc5AC and the immunofluorescence localization pattern in the ocular surface epithelia were not significantly different in any hormone treatment group when compared to the control ovariectomized group. By comparison, mice that were administered estrogen had a significant increase of Muc4 mRNA in the reproductive tract epithelia, progesterone given in combination with estrogen antagonized the upregulatory effects of estrogen in the reproductive tract, and the amount of Muc4 mRNA in the reproductive tract of progesterone-treated animals was not different from ovariectomized controls. Immunofluorescence localization of Muc4 in the reproductive tract epithelia of the experimental groups

  9. Measuring Gravitational Flexion in ACS Clusters

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Goldberg, David

    2005-07-01

    We propose measurement of the gravitational "Flexion" signal in ACS cluster images. The flexion, or "arciness" of a lensed background galaxy arises from variations in the lensing field. As a result, it is extremely sensitive to small scale perturbations in the field, and thus, to substructure in clusters. Moreover, because flexion represents gravitationally induced asymmetries in the lensed image, it is completely separable from traditional measurements of shear, which focus on the induced ellipticity of the image, and thus, the two signals may be extracted simultaneously. Since typical galaxies are roughly symmetric upon 180 degree rotation, even a small induced flexion can potentially produce a noticeable effect {Goldberg & Bacon, 2005}. We propose the measurement of substructure within approximately 4 clusters with high-quality ACS data, and will further apply a test of a new tomographic technique whereby comparisons of lensed arcs at different redshifts may be used to estimate the background cosmology, and thus place constraints on the equation of state of dark energy.

  10. 4-O-Acetyl-sialic acid (Neu4,5Ac2) in acidic milk oligosaccharides of the platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) and its evolutionary significance.

    PubMed

    Urashima, Tadasu; Inamori, Hiroaki; Fukuda, Kenji; Saito, Tadao; Messer, Michael; Oftedal, Olav T

    2015-06-01

    Monotremes (echidnas and platypus) retain an ancestral form of reproduction: egg-laying followed by secretion of milk onto skin and hair in a mammary patch, in the absence of nipples. Offspring are highly immature at hatching and depend on oligosaccharide-rich milk for many months. The primary saccharide in long-beaked echidna milk is an acidic trisaccharide Neu4,5Ac2(α2-3)Gal(β1-4)Glc (4-O-acetyl 3'-sialyllactose), but acidic oligosaccharides have not been characterized in platypus milk. In this study, acidic oligosaccharides purified from the carbohydrate fraction of platypus milk were characterized by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry and (1)H-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. All identified structures, except Neu5Ac(α2-3)Gal(β1-4)Glc (3'-sialyllactose) contained Neu4,5Ac2 (4-O-acetyl-sialic acid). These include the trisaccharide 4-O-acetyl 3'-sialyllactose, the pentasaccharide Neu4,5Ac2(α2-3)Gal(β1-4)GlcNAc(β1-3)Gal(β1-4)Glc (4-O-acetyl-3'-sialyllacto-N-tetraose d) and the hexasaccharide Neu4,5Ac2(α2-3)Gal(β1-4)[Fuc(α1-3)]GlcNAc(β1-3)Gal(β1-4)Glc (4-O-acetyl-3'-sialyllacto-N-fucopentaose III). At least seven different octa- to deca-oligosaccharides each contained a lacto-N-neohexaose core (LNnH) and one or two Neu4,5Ac2 and one to three fucose residues. We conclude that platypus milk contains a diverse (≥ 20) array of neutral and acidic oligosaccharides based primarily on lactose, lacto-N-neotetraose (LNnT) and LNnH structural cores and shares with echidna milk the unique feature that all identified acidic oligosaccharides (other than 3'-sialyllactose) contain the 4-O-acetyl-sialic acid moiety. We propose that 4-O-acetylation of sialic acid moieties protects acidic milk oligosaccharides secreted onto integumental surfaces from bacterial hydrolysis via steric interference with bacterial sialidases. This may be of evolutionary significance since taxa ancestral to monotremes and other mammals are

  11. Impairment of liver synthetic function and the production of plasma proteins in primary breast cancer patients on doxorubicincyclophosphamide (AC) protocol.

    PubMed

    Saleem, Zikria; Ahmad, Mobasher; Hashmi, Furqan Khurshid; Saeed, Hamid; Aziz, Muhammad Tahir

    2016-09-01

    Doxorubicin and Cyclophosphamide (AC protocol) combination is usually considered as a first line therapy in newly diagnosed breast cancer patients. Thus, a retrospective observational study was conducted to monitor the effect of AC protocol on liver synthetic functions and production of plasma proteins in breast cancer patients, reporting to specialized cancer care hospital of Lahore, Pakistan. A total of 75 patients (n=75) on AC protocol with breast cancer were observed in this study. The patient data including age, gender, body surface area, dosage, disease status and laboratory biochemical values were recorded by reviewing historical treatment records. Pre-treatment values were taken as baseline values for albumin, globulin, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), albumin/globulin (A/G) ratio and total proteins. The baseline values were compared after each cycle of by applying ANOVA using statistical tool SPSS® version 21. The plasma levels of blood urea nitrogen (BUN), total protein and globulin dropped significantly (p<0.05) in patients of all age groups. However, the albumin levels were not significantly changed (p>0.05). The A/G ratio level increased (p<0.05) as a result of reduction in globulin levels. Significant changes in plasma protein levels were observed in the elderly patients (50 to 65 years) than patients between 20 to 50 years of age. AC protocol impairs liver synthetic functions as observed by decreased blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and plasma protein levels.

  12. Influences of internal resistance and specific surface area of electrode materials on characteristics of electric double layer capacitors

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Suda, Yoshiyuki; Mizutani, Akitaka; Harigai, Toru; Takikawa, Hirofumi; Ue, Hitoshi; Umeda, Yoshito

    2017-01-01

    We fabricated electric double layer capacitors (EDLCs) using particulate and fibrous types of carbon nanomaterials with a wide range of specific surface areas and resistivity as an active material. The carbon nanomaterials used in this study are carbon nanoballoons (CNBs), onion-like carbon (OLC), and carbon nanocoils (CNCs). A commercially used activated carbon (AC) combined with a conductive agent was used as a comparison. We compared the EDLC performance using cyclic voltammetry (CV), galvanostatic charge/discharge testing, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). OLC showed a poor EDLC performance, although it has the lowest resistivity among the carbon nanomaterials. CNB, which has a 1/16 lower specific surface area than AC but higher specific surface area than CNC and OLC, had a higher specific capacitance than CNC and OLC. Moreover, at current densities of 1.5 Ag-1 and larger, the specific capacitance of the EDLC using CNB was almost the same as that using AC. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy of the EDLCs revealed that the CNB and CNC electrodes had a much lower internal resistance than the AC electrode, which correlated with a low capacitance maintenance factor as the current density increased.

  13. Influences of Cry1Ac broccoli on larval survival and oviposition of diamondback moth.

    PubMed

    Yi, Dengxia; Cui, Shusong; Yang, Limei; Fang, Zhiyuan; Liu, Yumei; Zhuang, Mu; Zhang, Yangyong

    2015-01-01

    Larval survival and oviposition behavior of three genotypes of diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella L. (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae), (homozygous Cry1Ac-susceptibile, Cry1Ac-resistant, and their F1 hybrids), on transgenic Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) broccoli expressing different levels of Cry1Ac protein were evaluated in laboratory. These Bt broccoli lines were designated as relative low, medium, and high, respectively, according to the Cry1Ac content. Untransformed brocccoli plants were used as control. Larval survival of diamondback moth on non-Bt leaves was not significantly different among the three genotypes. The Cry1Ac-resistant larvae could survive on the low level of Bt broccoli plants, while Cry1Ac-susceptible and F1 larvae could not survive on them. The three genotypes of P. xylostella larvae could not survive on medium and high levels of Bt broccoli. In oviposition choice tests, there was no significant difference in the number of eggs laid by the three P. xylostella genotypes among different Bt broccoli plants. The development of Cry1Ac-susceptible and Cry1Ac-resistant P. xylostella on intact Bt plants was also tested in greenhouse. All susceptible P. xylostella larvae died on all Bt plants, while resistant larvae could survive on broccoli, which expresses low Cry1Ac protein under greenhouse conditions. The results of the greenhouse trials were similar to that of laboratory tests. This study indicated that high dose of Bt toxins in broccoli cultivars or germplasm lines is required for effective resistance management. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Entomological Society of America.

  14. A Computer Model for Teaching the Dynamic Behavior of AC Contactors

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ruiz, J.-R. R.; Espinosa, A. G.; Romeral, L.

    2010-01-01

    Ac-powered contactors are extensively used in industry in applications such as automatic electrical devices, motor starters, and heaters. In this work, a practical session that allows students to model and simulate the dynamic behavior of ac-powered electromechanical contactors is presented. Simulation is carried out using a rigorous parametric…

  15. A Cloud-Based Scavenger Hunt: Orienting Undergraduates to ACS National Meetings

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kubasik, Matthew A.; Van Dyke, Aaron R.; Harper-Leatherman, Amanda S.; Miecznikowski, John R.; Steffen, L. Kraig; Smith-Carpenter, Jillian

    2016-01-01

    American Chemical Society (ACS) National Meetings are valuable for the development of undergraduate researchers but can be overwhelming for first-time attendees. To orient and engage students with the range of offerings at an ACS meeting, we developed a cloud-based scavenger hunt. Using their mobile devices, teams of undergraduates…

  16. AC losses and stability on large cable-in-conduit superconductors

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bruzzone, Pierluigi

    1998-12-01

    The cable-in-conduit superconductors are preferred for applications where the AC losses and stability are a major concern, e.g., fusion magnets and SMES. A review of coupling currents loss results for both NbTi and Nb 3Sn cable-in-conduit conductors (CICC) is presented and the AC loss relevant features are listed, with special emphasis for the role of the interstrand resistance and strand coating. The transient stability approach for CICCs is discussed and the analytical models are quoted as well as the relevant experimental database. The likely spectrum of transient disturbance in CICC is reviewed and the need to account for interstrand current sharing in the design is outlined. Eventually a practical criterion for the interstrand resistance is proposed to link the stability and AC loss design.

  17. Thermal modification of activated carbon surface chemistry improves its capacity as redox mediator for azo dye reduction.

    PubMed

    Pereira, L; Pereira, R; Pereira, M F R; van der Zee, F P; Cervantes, F J; Alves, M M

    2010-11-15

    The surface chemistry of a commercial AC (AC(0)) was selectively modified, without changing significantly its textural properties, by chemical oxidation with HNO(3) (AC(HNO3)) and O(2) (AC(O2)), and thermal treatments under H(2) (AC(H2)) or N(2) (AC(N2)) flow. The effect of modified AC on anaerobic chemical dye reduction was assayed with sulphide at different pH values 5, 7 and 9. Four dyes were tested: Acid Orange 7, Reactive Red 2, Mordant Yellow 10 and Direct Blue 71. Batch experiments with low amounts of AC (0.1 g L(-1)) demonstrated an increase of the first-order reduction rate constants, up to 9-fold, as compared with assays without AC. Optimum rates were obtained at pH 5 except for MY10, higher at pH 7. In general, rates increased with increasing the pH of point zero charge (pH(pzc)), following the trend AC(HNO3) < AC(O2) < AC(0) < AC(N2) < AC(H2). The highest reduction rate was obtained for MY10 with AC(H2) at pH 7, which corresponded to the double, as compared with non-modified AC. In a biological system using granular biomass, AC(H2) also duplicated and increase 4.5-fold the decolourisation rates of MY10 and RR2, respectively. In this last experiment, reaction rate was independent of AC concentration in the tested range 0.1-0.6 g L(-1). Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  18. Lunar Surface-to-Surface Power Transfer

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kerslake, Thomas W.

    2007-01-01

    A human lunar outpost, under NASA study for construction in the 2020's, has potential requirements to transfer electric power up to 50-kW across the lunar surface from 0.1 to 10-km distances. This power would be used to operate surface payloads located remotely from the outpost and/or outpost primary power grid. This paper describes concept designs for state-of-the-art technology power transfer subsystems including AC or DC power via cables, beamed radio frequency power and beamed laser power. Power transfer subsystem mass and performance are calculated and compared for each option. A simplified qualitative assessment of option operations, hazards, costs and technology needs is also described. Based on these concept designs and performance analyses, a DC power cabling subsystem is recommended to minimize subsystem mass and to minimize mission and programmatic costs and risks. Avenues for additional power transfer subsystem studies are recommended.

  19. Calibration of low-temperature ac susceptometers with a copper cylinder standard

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Chen, D.-X.; Skumryev, V.

    2010-02-15

    A high-quality low-temperature ac susceptometer is calibrated by comparing the measured ac susceptibility of a copper cylinder with its eddy-current ac susceptibility accurately calculated. Different from conventional calibration techniques that compare the measured results with the known property of a standard sample at certain fixed temperature T, field amplitude H{sub m}, and frequency f, to get a magnitude correction factor, here, the electromagnetic properties of the copper cylinder are unknown and are determined during the calibration of the ac susceptometer in the entire T, H{sub m}, and f range. It is shown that the maximum magnitude error and the maximummore » phase error of the susceptometer are less than 0.7% and 0.3 deg., respectively, in the region T=5-300 K and f=111-1111 Hz at H{sub m}=800 A/m, after a magnitude correction by a constant factor as done in a conventional calibration. However, the magnitude and phase errors can reach 2% and 4.3 deg. at 10 000 and 11 Hz, respectively. Since the errors are reproducible, a large portion of them may be further corrected after a calibration, the procedure for which is given. Conceptual discussions concerning the error sources, comparison with other calibration methods, and applications of ac susceptibility techniques are presented.« less

  20. ac aging and space-charge characteristics in low-density polyethylene polymeric insulation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chen, G.; Fu, M.; Liu, X. Z.; Zhong, L. S.

    2005-04-01

    In the present work efforts have been made to investigate the influence of ac aging on space-charge dynamics in low-density polyethylene (LDPE). LDPE films with 200 μm were aged under various electric stress levels at 50 Hz for various times at ambient temperature. Space-charge dynamics in the samples after aging were monitored using the pulsed electroacoustic technique. It has been revealed that the space charge under ac aging conditions is related to the level of the applied field, duration of the voltage application, as well as the electrode materials. By comparing with the results of unaged sample the results from aged sample provide a direct evidence of changing trapping characteristics after ac aging. Negative space charge is present in the bulk of the material and the total amount of charge increases with the aging time. The amount of charge increases with the applied field. Charge decay test indicates that the charges are captured in deep traps. These deep traps are believed to form during the aging and related to change caused by injected charge. By using different electrode materials such as gold, brass alloy, and polyethylene loaded with carbon black, it was found that the electrode has an important role in the formation of charge, hence subsequent changes caused by charge. The charge dynamics of the aged samples under dc bias differ from the sample without ac aging, indicating changes brought in by ac aging. Chemical analysis by Fourier transform infrared spectroscope and Raman microscope reveals no detectable chemical changes taken place in the bulk of the material after ac aging. Finally, the consequence of the accumulation of space charge under ac conditions on the lifetime of the material has been discussed. The presence of deeply trapped space charge leads to an electric stress enhancement which may shorten the lifetime of the insulation system.

  1. Research on key technology of planning and design for AC/DC hybrid distribution network

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shen, Yu; Wu, Guilian; Zheng, Huan; Deng, Junpeng; Shi, Pengjia

    2018-04-01

    With the increasing demand of DC generation and DC load, the development of DC technology, AC and DC distribution network integrating will become an important form of future distribution network. In this paper, the key technology of planning and design for AC/DC hybrid distribution network is proposed, including the selection of AC and DC voltage series, the design of typical grid structure and the comprehensive evaluation method of planning scheme. The research results provide some ideas and directions for the future development of AC/DC hybrid distribution network.

  2. Germinal and Somatic Activity of the Maize Element Activator (Ac) in Arabidopsis

    PubMed Central

    Keller, J.; Lim, E.; James-Jr., D. W.; Dooner, H. K.

    1992-01-01

    We have investigated the germinal and somatic activity of the maize Activator (Ac) element in Arabidopsis with the objective of developing an efficient transposon-based system for gene isolation in that plant. Transposition activity was assayed with a chimeric marker that consists of the cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter and a bacterial streptomycin phosphotransferase gene (SPT). Somatic activity was detected in seedlings germinated on plates containing streptomycin as green-resistant sectors against a background of white-sensitive cells. Germinal excisions resulted in fully green seedlings. The transposition frequency was extremely low when a single copy of the transposon was present, but appeared to increase with an increase in Ac copy number. Plants that were selected as variegated produced an increased number of green progeny. The methylation state of the Ac elements in lines with either low or high levels of excision was assessed by restriction analysis. No difference was found between these lines, indicating that the degree of methylation did not contribute to the level of Ac activity. Germinal excision events were analyzed molecularly and shown to carry reinserted transposons in about 50% of the cases. In several instances, streptomycin-resistant siblings carried the same transposed Ac element, indicating that excision had occurred prior to meiosis in the parent. We discuss parameters that need to be considered to optimize the use of Ac as a transposon tag in Arabidopsis. PMID:1322854

  3. Ongoing Capacity Building in the American Cancer Society (ACS) 1995-2001.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Compton, Donald W.; Glover-Kudon, Rebecca; Smith, Iris E.; Avery, Mary Eden

    2002-01-01

    Describes how the first evaluation practitioner for the American Cancer Society (ACS) came to do evaluation capacity building (ECB) because of the need for evaluation following changes in the organizational structure. Provides a brief history of these changes as a background for understanding the seven principles of ECB at the ACS. (Author/SLD)

  4. 17 CFR 240.17Ac2-2 - Annual reporting requirement for registered transfer agents.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-04-01

    ... inaccurate, incomplete, or misleading. A transfer agent may file an amendment at any time; however, in order... for registered transfer agents. 240.17Ac2-2 Section 240.17Ac2-2 Commodity and Securities Exchanges... Organizations § 240.17Ac2-2 Annual reporting requirement for registered transfer agents. (a) Every transfer...

  5. Student Measurements of STFA 14 AC at Vanguard Preparatory School

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gillette, Sean; Archuleta, Alex; Diaz, Lizbeth; Gillespie, Kyle; Gosney, Timothy; Johnson, Stephen; Mohan, Nikita; Rajacich, Jacob; Roehl, Nathaniel; Sharpe, Scotty; Whitt, Kahaloha

    2016-01-01

    Eighth grade students at Vanguard Preparatory School measured the double star STFA 14 AC using a Bader Planetarium Micro Guide eyepiece. Navi (Gamma Cassiopeiae) was used as the ca libration star. The calculated means of multiple observations of STFA 14 AC resulted in a separation of 53.3" and a position angle of 2.0°. These measurements were compared to the most recent values in the Washington Double Star Catalog.

  6. Test plan for performance testing of the Eaton AC-3 electric vehicle

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Crumley, R.; Heiselmann, H. W.

    1985-04-01

    An alternating current (ac) propulsion system for an electric vehicle was developed and tested. The test bed vehicle is a modified 1981 Mercury Lynx. The test plan was prepared specifically for the third modification to this test bed and identified as the Eaton AC-3. The scope of the testing done on the Eaton AC-3 includes coastdown and dynamometer tests but does not include environmental, on-road, or track testing. Coastdown testing is performed in accordance with SAE J-1263 (SAE Recommended Practice for Road Load Measurement and Dynamometer Simulation Using Coastdown Techniques).

  7. Project CHECO Southeast Asia Report. OV-1/AC-119 Hunter-Killer Team

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1972-10-10

    between Phan Rang, Phu Cat , and Danang in order to provide best coverage of the Vietnamese conflict. -- On 16 February 1970, three AC -ll9Ks and 70...SOUTHEAST ASIA D D DDiv AY/XDOSQA I OV-1/ AC -119 " i IWB I HUNTER-KILLER TEAM 19’.1’ CONTINUING REPORT CLASSIFIED Ey 7AFIDOOC DOWNGRADE TjU SECRET...xamination of C urrent, 0 per’tions I~ I fF!lr T I TII TIIII I OV=1/ AC -119 HUNTER-KILLER TEAMI 1 10 OCTOBER 1972 HQ PACAF Directorate of Operations

  8. Patterning of a-C DLC films: exploration of an aqueous electro-oxidative mechanism

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mühl, Thomas; Myhra, Sverre

    2007-06-01

    Conducting ion-beam assisted CVD deposited a-C type DLC films can be patterned electro-oxidatively by masked and maskless probe-induced STM-based lithography. The former constitutes a parallel rapid processing technology, with the tip acting as a distant stationary electrode. The latter is a higher spatial resolution serial technology, with the tip defining a travelling local electro-chemical cell. The mechanism is based on electro-oxidative conversion of solid carbon to gaseous CO or CO2 in the presence of an aqueous phase, either as a bulk fluid or as a thin adsorbed film. The process is constrained kinetically in the early stages by limitations on charge transport through the surface barrier at the fluid-to-solid interface and subsequently by the availability of oxidants and by their transport to reactive sites. The as-received surface is terminated by chemisorbed oxygen, leading to the formation of an insulating surface barrier. The threshold potential for initiation of conversion depends on the width of the barrier. The results may have implications for new technologies exploiting the properties of carbon-based materials, but may also add to the present understanding of the electrochemistry of carbon solids.

  9. Neutrophil elastase increases MUC5AC mRNA and protein expression in respiratory epithelial cells.

    PubMed

    Voynow, J A; Young, L R; Wang, Y; Horger, T; Rose, M C; Fischer, B M

    1999-05-01

    Chronic neutrophil-predominant inflammation and hypersecretion of mucus are common pathophysiological features of cystic fibrosis, chronic bronchitis, and viral- or pollution-triggered asthma. Neutrophils release elastase, a serine protease, that causes increased mucin production and secretion. The molecular mechanisms of elastase-induced mucin production are unknown. We hypothesized that as part of this mechanism, elastase upregulates expression of a major respiratory mucin gene, MUC5AC. A549, a human lung carcinoma cell line that expresses MUC5AC mRNA and protein, and normal human bronchial epithelial cells in an air-liquid interface culture were stimulated with neutrophil elastase. Neutrophil elastase increased MUC5AC mRNA levels in a time-dependent manner in both cell culture systems. Neutrophil elastase treatment also increased MUC5AC protein levels in A549 cells. The mechanism of MUC5AC gene regulation by elastase was determined in A549 cells. The induction of MUC5AC gene expression required serine protease activity; other classes of proteases had no effect on MUC5AC gene expression. Neutrophil elastase increased MUC5AC mRNA levels by enhancing mRNA stability. This is the first report of mucin gene regulation by this mechanism.

  10. Surface diffusion of a carbon-adatom on Au(110) surfaces

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kim, E.; Safavi-Naini, A.; Hite, D. A.; McKay, K. S.; Pappas, D. P.; Weck, P. F.; Sadeghpour, H. R.

    We have investigated the surface diffusion of carbon-adatom on gold surfaces using density functional theory and detailed scanning probe microscopy. The decoherence of trapped-ion quantum gates due to heating of their motional modes is a fundamental science and engineering problem. In an effort to understand heating at the trap-electrode surfaces, we investigate the possible source of noise by focusing on the diffusion of carbon-containing adsorbates onto the Au(110) surface. In this study, we show how the diffusive motion of carbon adatom on gold surface significantly affects the energy landscape and adatom dipole moment variation. A simple model for the diffusion noise, which varies quadratically with the variation of the dipole moment, qualitatively reproduces the measured noise spectrum, and the estimate of the noise spectral density is in accord with measured values. Sandia National Laboratories is a multiprogram laboratory operated by Sandia Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lockheed Martin Company, for the United States Department of Energy's NNSA under Contract DE-AC04-94AL85000.

  11. Distinct intracellular sAC-cAMP domains regulate ER Ca2+ signaling and OXPHOS function.

    PubMed

    Valsecchi, Federica; Konrad, Csaba; D'Aurelio, Marilena; Ramos-Espiritu, Lavoisier S; Stepanova, Anna; Burstein, Suzanne R; Galkin, Alexander; Magranè, Jordi; Starkov, Anatoly; Buck, Jochen; Levin, Lonny R; Manfredi, Giovanni

    2017-11-01

    cAMP regulates a wide variety of physiological functions in mammals. This single second messenger can regulate multiple, seemingly disparate functions within independently regulated cell compartments. We have previously identified one such compartment inside the matrix of the mitochondria, where soluble adenylyl cyclase (sAC) regulates oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS). We now show that sAC knockout fibroblasts have a defect in OXPHOS activity and attempt to compensate for this defect by increasing OXPHOS proteins. Importantly, sAC knockout cells also exhibit decreased probability of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) Ca 2+ release associated with diminished phosphorylation of the inositol 3-phosphate receptor. Restoring sAC expression exclusively in the mitochondrial matrix rescues OXPHOS activity and reduces mitochondrial biogenesis, indicating that these phenotypes are regulated by intramitochondrial sAC. In contrast, Ca 2+ release from the ER is only rescued when sAC expression is restored throughout the cell. Thus, we show that functionally distinct, sAC-defined, intracellular cAMP signaling domains regulate metabolism and Ca 2+ signaling. © 2017. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

  12. Factors influencing soil-surface bulk density on oak savanna rangeland in the southern Sierra Nevada foothills

    Treesearch

    Dennis M. Dudley; Kenneth W. Tate; Neil K. McDougald; Melvin R. George

    2002-01-01

    The objectives of this study were to compare soil-surface bulk density between rangeland pastures not grazed since 1935, 1975, and 1995 to grazed areas with a 15-year record of light (>1,000 lbs ac-1 RDM), moderate (600-800 lbs ac-1 RDM), and heavy (-1 RDM) grazing by beef cattle; and...

  13. N-Doped Dual Carbon-Confined 3D Architecture rGO/Fe3O4/AC Nanocomposite for High-Performance Lithium-Ion Batteries.

    PubMed

    Ding, Ranran; Zhang, Jie; Qi, Jie; Li, Zhenhua; Wang, Chengyang; Chen, Mingming

    2018-04-25

    To address the issues of low electrical conductivity, sluggish lithiation kinetics and dramatic volume variation in Fe 3 O 4 anodes of lithium ion battery, herein, a double carbon-confined three-dimensional (3D) nanocomposite architecture was synthesized by an electrostatically assisted self-assembly strategy. In the constructed architecture, the ultrafine Fe 3 O 4 subunits (∼10 nm) self-organize to form nanospheres (NSs) that are fully coated by amorphous carbon (AC), formatting core-shell structural Fe 3 O 4 /AC NSs. By further encapsulation by reduced graphene oxide (rGO) layers, a constructed 3D architecture was built as dual carbon-confined rGO/Fe 3 O 4 /AC. Such structure restrains the adverse reaction of the electrolyte, improves the electronic conductivity and buffers the mechanical stress of the entire electrode, thus performing excellent long-term cycling stability (99.4% capacity retention after 465 cycles relevant to the second cycle at 5 A g -1 ). Kinetic analysis reveals that a dual lithium storage mechanism including a diffusion reaction mechanism and a surface capacitive behavior mechanism coexists in the composites. Consequently, the resulting rGO/Fe 3 O 4 /AC nanocomposite delivers a high reversible capacity (835.8 mA h g -1 for 300 cycles at 1 A g -1 ), as well as remarkable rate capability (436.7 mA h g -1 at 10 A g -1 ).

  14. Critical frequency for coalescence of emulsions in an AC electric field

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Liu, Zhou; Ali, Faizi Hammad; Shum, Ho Cheung

    2017-11-01

    Applying an electric field to trigger the coalescence of emulsions has been applied in various applications which include crude oil recovery, emulsion stability characterization as well as pico-injection and droplet-based chemical reaction in microfluidics. In this work, we systematically investigated the responses of surfactant-stabilized emulsions to a controlled AC electric field using a customer-built chip. At a given amplitude of the AC voltage, we found a critical frequency beyond which the emulsions remain stable. When the frequency is decreased to below the critical value, emulsions coalesce immediately. Such critical frequency is found to be dependent of amplitude of the AC voltage, viscosity of the fluids, concentration and type of the surfactant as well as the electric conductivity of the droplet phase. Using a model based on the drainage of thin film, we have explored the mechanism behind and interpret this phenomenon systematically. Our work extends the understanding of the electro-coalescence of emulsions and can be beneficial for any applications involve the coalescence of droplets in an AC electric field.

  15. Different effects of surface heterogeneous atoms of porous and non-porous carbonaceous materials on adsorption of 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane in aqueous environment.

    PubMed

    Chen, Weifeng; Ni, Jinzhi

    2017-05-01

    The surface heterogeneous atoms of carbonaceous materials (CMs) play an important role in adsorption of organic pollutants. However, little is known about the surface heterogeneous atoms of CMs might generate different effect on adsorption of hydrophobic organic compounds by porous carbonaceous materials - activated carbons (ACs) and non-porous carbonaceous materials (NPCMs). In this study, we observed that the surface oxygen and nitrogen atoms could decrease the adsorption affinity of both ACs and NPCMs for 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane (TeCA), but the degree of decreasing effects were very different. The increasing content of surface oxygen and nitrogen ([O + N]) caused a sharper decrease in adsorption affinity of ACs (slope of lg (k d /SA) vs [O + N]: -0.098∼-0.16) than that of NPCMs (slope of lg (k d /SA) vs [O + N]: -0.025∼-0.059) for TeCA. It was due to the water cluster formed by the surface hydrophilic atoms that could block the micropores and generate massive invalid adsorption sites in the micropores of ACs, while the water cluster only occupied the surface adsorption sites of NPCMs. Furthermore, with the increasing concentration of dissolved TeCA, the effect of surface area on adsorption affinity of NPCMs for TeCA kept constant while the effect of [O + N] decreased due to the competitive adsorption between water molecule and TeCA on the surface of NPCMs, meanwhile, both the effects of micropore volume and [O + N] on adsorption affinity of ACs for TeCA were decreased due to the mechanism of micropore volume filling. These findings are valuable for providing a deep insight into the adsorption mechanisms of CMs for TeCA. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Low AC Loss YBCO Coated Conductor Geometry by Direct Inkjet Printing

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Rupich, Martin, Dr.; Duckworth, Robert, Dr.

    The second generation (2G) high temperature superconductors (HTS) wire offers potential benefits for many electric power applications, including ones requiring filamentized conductors with low ac loss, such as transformers and fault current limiters. However, the use of 2G wire in these applications requires the development of both novel multi-filamentary conductor designs with lower ac losses and the development of advanced manufacturing technologies that enable the low-cost manufacturing of these filamentized architectures. This Phase I SBIR project focused on testing inkjet printing as a potential low-cost, roll-to-roll manufacturing technique to fabricate potential low ac loss filamentized architectures directly on the 2Gmore » template strips.« less

  17. The HST/ACS Coma Cluster Survey. II. Data Description and Source Catalogs

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hammer, Derek; Kleijn, Gijs Verdoes; Hoyos, Carlos; Den Brok, Mark; Balcells, Marc; Ferguson, Henry C.; Goudfrooij, Paul; Carter, David; Guzman, Rafael; Peletier, Reynier F.; hide

    2010-01-01

    The Coma cluster, Abell 1656, was the target of a HST-ACS Treasury program designed for deep imaging in the F475W and F814W passbands. Although our survey was interrupted by the ACS instrument failure in early 2007, the partially-completed survey still covers approximately 50% of the core high density region in Coma. Observations were performed for twenty-five fields with a total coverage area of 274 aremin(sup 2), and extend over a wide range of cluster-centric radii (approximately 1.75 Mpe or 1 deg). The majority of the fields are located near the core region of Coma (19/25 pointings) with six additional fields in the south-west region of the cluster. In this paper we present SEXTRACTOR source catalogs generated from the processed images, including a detailed description of the methodology used for object detection and photometry, the subtraction of bright galaxies to measure faint underlying objects, and the use of simulations to assess the photometric accuracy and completeness of our catalogs. We also use simulations to perform aperture corrections for the SEXTRACTOR Kron magnitudes based only on the measured source flux and its half-light radius. We have performed photometry for 76,000 objects that consist of roughly equal numbers of extended galaxies and unresolved objects. Approximately two-thirds of all detections are brighter than F814W=26.5 mag (AB), which corresponds to the 10sigma, point-source detection limit. We estimate that Coma members are 5-10% of the source detections, including a large population of compact objects (primarily GCs, but also cEs and UCDs), and a wide variety of extended galaxies from cD galaxies to dwarf low surface brightness galaxies. The initial data release for the HST-ACS Coma Treasury program was made available to the public in August 2008. The images and catalogs described in this study relate to our second data release.

  18. An H2A Histone Isotype, H2ac, Associates with Telomere and Maintains Telomere Integrity

    PubMed Central

    Tzeng, Tsai-Yu; Lin, I-Hsuan; Hsu, Ming-Ta

    2016-01-01

    Telomeres are capped at the ends of eukaryotic chromosomes and are composed of TTAGGG repeats bound to the shelterin complex. Here we report that a replication-dependent histone H2A isotype, H2ac, was associated with telomeres in human cells and co-immunoprecipitates with telomere repeat factor 2 (TRF2) and protection of telomeres protein 1 (POT1), whereas other histone H2A isotypes and mutations of H2ac did not bind to telomeres or these two proteins. The amino terminal basic domain of TRF2 was necessary for the association with H2ac and for the recruitment of H2ac to telomeres. Depletion of H2ac led to loss of telomeric repeat sequences, the appearance of dysfunctional telomeres, and chromosomal instability, including chromosomal breaks and anaphase bridges, as well as accumulation of telomere-associated DNA damage factors in H2ac depleted cells. Additionally, knockdown of H2ac elicits an ATM-dependent DNA damage response at telomeres and depletion of XPF protects telomeres against H2ac-deficiency-induced G-strand overhangs loss and DNA damage response, and prevents chromosomal instability. These findings suggest that the H2A isotype, H2ac, plays an essential role in maintaining telomere functional integrity. PMID:27228173

  19. Simultaneous Nanoscale Surface Charge and Topographical Mapping.

    PubMed

    Perry, David; Al Botros, Rehab; Momotenko, Dmitry; Kinnear, Sophie L; Unwin, Patrick R

    2015-07-28

    Nanopipettes are playing an increasingly prominent role in nanoscience, for sizing, sequencing, delivery, detection, and mapping interfacial properties. Herein, the question of how to best resolve topography and surface charge effects when using a nanopipette as a probe for mapping in scanning ion conductance microscopy (SICM) is addressed. It is shown that, when a bias modulated (BM) SICM scheme is used, it is possible to map the topography faithfully, while also allowing surface charge to be estimated. This is achieved by applying zero net bias between the electrode in the SICM tip and the one in bulk solution for topographical mapping, with just a small harmonic perturbation of the potential to create an AC current for tip positioning. Then, a net bias is applied, whereupon the ion conductance current becomes sensitive to surface charge. Practically this is optimally implemented in a hopping-cyclic voltammetry mode where the probe is approached at zero net bias at a series of pixels across the surface to reach a defined separation, and then a triangular potential waveform is applied and the current response is recorded. Underpinned with theoretical analysis, including finite element modeling of the DC and AC components of the ionic current flowing through the nanopipette tip, the powerful capabilities of this approach are demonstrated with the probing of interfacial acid-base equilibria and high resolution imaging of surface charge heterogeneities, simultaneously with topography, on modified substrates.

  20. The a.c. Josephson effect without superconductivity

    PubMed Central

    Gaury, Benoit; Weston, Joseph; Waintal, Xavier

    2015-01-01

    Superconductivity derives its most salient features from the coherence of the associated macroscopic wave function. The related physical phenomena have now moved from exotic subjects to fundamental building blocks for quantum circuits such as qubits or single photonic modes. Here we predict that the a.c. Josephson effect—which transforms a d.c. voltage Vb into an oscillating signal cos (2eVbt/ħ)—has a mesoscopic counterpart in normal conductors. We show that when a d.c. voltage Vb is applied to an electronic interferometer, there exists a universal transient regime where the current oscillates at frequency eVb/h. This effect is not limited by a superconducting gap and could, in principle, be used to produce tunable a.c. signals in the elusive 0.1–10-THz ‘terahertz gap’. PMID:25765929

  1. [Accidents of the everyday life (AcVC) in children in Dakar: about 201 cases].

    PubMed

    Mohamed, Azhar Salim; Sagna, Aloïse; Fall, Mbaye; Ndoye, Ndeye Aby; Mbaye, Papa Alassane; Fall, Aimé Lakh; Diaby, Alou; Ndour, Oumar; Ngom, Gabriel

    2017-01-01

    Accidents of everyday life (AcVC) are common in children and can led to disabling injuries and death. This study aimed to analyze the epidemiological aspects of AcVC and the related injury mechanisms in Dakar. We conducted a descriptive, cross-sectional study conducted from 1 January 2013 to 30 June 2013. All the children victims of domestic accidents, sport and leisure accidents or school accidents were included. We studied some general parameters and some parameters related to each type of AcVC. Two hundred and one children were included, accounting for 27% of emergency consultations. There were 148 boys and 53 girls. Children less than 5 years of age were most affected (37.8%). Football and wrestling game were the main causes of AcVC. AcVC occur mainly at home (58.2%) and in the areas of sport and recreation (31.8%). The fractures predominated in the different types of AcVC: 54.9% of domestic accidents, 68.8% of sport and recreation accidents and 40% of school accidents. From an epidemiological perspective, our results are superimposable to literature. Fractures predominated contrary to literature where bruises were preponderant. Wrestling game is the main cause of these fractures, after football. The acquisition of knowledge about the epidemiological aspects of AcVC and the related injury mechanisms will allow for prevention campaigns in Dakar.

  2. The baculovirus core gene ac83 is required for nucleocapsid assembly and per os infectivity of Autographa californica nucleopolyhedrovirus.

    PubMed

    Zhu, Shimao; Wang, Wei; Wang, Yan; Yuan, Meijin; Yang, Kai

    2013-10-01

    Autographa californica multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus (AcMNPV) ac83 is a baculovirus core gene whose function in the AcMNPV life cycle is unknown. In the present study, an ac83-knockout AcMNPV (vAc83KO) was constructed to investigate the function of ac83 through homologous recombination in Escherichia coli. No budded virions were produced in vAc83KO-transfected Sf9 cells, although viral DNA replication was unaffected. Electron microscopy revealed that nucleocapsid assembly was aborted due to the ac83 deletion. Domain-mapping studies revealed that the expression of Ac83 amino acid residues 451 to 600 partially rescued the ability of AcMNPV to produce infectious budded virions. Bioassays indicated that deletion of the chitin-binding domain of Ac83 resulted in the failure of oral infection of Trichoplusia ni larvae by AcMNPV, but AcMNPV remained infectious following intrahemocoelic injection, suggesting that the domain is involved in the binding of occlusion-derived virions to the peritrophic membrane and/or to other chitin-containing insect tissues. It has been demonstrated that Ac83 is the only component with a chitin-binding domain in the per os infectivity factor complex on the occlusion-derived virion envelope. Interestingly, a functional inner nuclear membrane sorting motif, which may facilitate the localization of Ac83 to the envelopes of occlusion-derived virions, was identified by immunofluorescence analysis. Taken together, these results demonstrate that Ac83 plays an important role in nucleocapsid assembly and the establishment of oral infection.

  3. Chondroitin sulfate immobilization at the surface of electrospun nanofiber meshes for cartilage tissue regeneration approaches

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Piai, Juliana Francis; da Silva, Marta Alves; Martins, Albino; Torres, Ana Bela; Faria, Susana; Reis, Rui L.; Muniz, Edvani Curti; Neves, Nuno M.

    2017-05-01

    Aiming at improving the biocompatibility of biomaterial scaffolds, surface modification presents a way to preserve their mechanical properties and to improve the surface bioactivity. In this work, chondroitin sulfate (CS) was immobilized at the surface of electrospun poly(caprolactone) nanofiber meshes (PCL NFMs), previously functionalized by UV/O3 exposure and aminolysis. Contact angle, SEM, optical profilometry, FTIR, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy techniques confirmed the success of CS-immobilization in PCL NFMs. Furthermore, CS-immobilized PCL NFMs showed lower roughness and higher hydrophilicity than the samples without CS. Human articular chondrocytes (hACs) were cultured on electrospun PCL NFMs with or without CS immobilization. It was observed that hACs proliferated through the entire time course of the experiment in both types of nanofibrous scaffolds, as well as for the production of glycosaminoglycans. Quantitative-PCR results demonstrated over-expression of cartilage-related genes such as Aggrecan, Collagen type II, COMP and Sox9 on both types of nanofibrous scaffolds. Morphological observations from SEM and LSCM revealed that hACs maintained their characteristic round shape and cellular agglomeration exclusively on PCL NFMs with CS immobilization. In conclusion, CS immobilization at the surface of PCL NFMs was achieved successfully and provides a valid platform enabling further surface functionalization methods in scaffolds to be developed for cartilage tissue engineering.

  4. DC response of dust to low frequency AC signals

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    McKinlay, Michael; Konopka, Uwe; Thomas, Edward

    2017-10-01

    Macroscopic changes in the shape and equilibrium position of clouds of charged microparticles suspended in a plasma have been observed in response to low frequency AC signals. In these experiments, dusty plasmas consisting of 2-micron diameter silica microspheres suspended between an anode and cathode in an argon, DC glow discharge plasma are produced in a grounded, 6-way cross vacuum chamber. An AC signal, produced by a function generator and amplified by a bipolar op-amp, is superimposed onto the potential from the cathode. The frequencies of the applied AC signals, ranging from tens to hundreds of kHz, are comparable to the ion-neutral collision frequency; well below the ion/electron plasma frequencies, but also considerably higher than the dust plasma frequency. This presentation will detail the experimental setup, present documentation and categorization of observations of the dust response, and present an initial model of the response. This work is supported by funding from the US Dept. of Energy, Grant Number DE-SC0016330, and by the National Science Foundation, Grant Number PHY-1613087.

  5. JBP485 promotes tear and mucin secretion in ocular surface epithelia

    PubMed Central

    Nakamura, Takahiro; Hata, Yuiko; Nagata, Maho; Yokoi, Norihiko; Yamaguchi, Shumpei; Kaku, Taiichi; Kinoshita, Shigeru

    2015-01-01

    Dry eye syndrome (DES), a multifactorial disease of the tears and ocular surface, is one of the most common ocular disorders. Tear film contains ocular mucins and is essential for maintaining the homeostasis of the wet ocular surface. Since there are a limited number of clinical options for the treatment of DES, additional novel treatments are needed to improve the clinical results. In this study, we found that placental extract-derived dipeptide (JBP485) clearly promoted the expression and secretion of gel-forming mucin 5ac (Muc5ac) in rabbit conjunctival epithelium. JBP485 also elevated the expression level of cell surface-associated mucins (Muc1/4/16) in rabbit corneal epithelium. The Schirmer tear test results indicated that JBP485 induced tear secretion in the rabbit model. Moreover, JBP485 clinically improved corneal epithelial damage in a mouse dry eye model. Thus, our data indicate that JBP485 efficiently promoted mucin and aqueous tear secretion in rabbit ocular surface epithelium and has the potential to be used as a novel treatment for DES. PMID:25996902

  6. JBP485 promotes tear and mucin secretion in ocular surface epithelia.

    PubMed

    Nakamura, Takahiro; Hata, Yuiko; Nagata, Maho; Yokoi, Norihiko; Yamaguchi, Shumpei; Kaku, Taiichi; Kinoshita, Shigeru

    2015-05-21

    Dry eye syndrome (DES), a multifactorial disease of the tears and ocular surface, is one of the most common ocular disorders. Tear film contains ocular mucins and is essential for maintaining the homeostasis of the wet ocular surface. Since there are a limited number of clinical options for the treatment of DES, additional novel treatments are needed to improve the clinical results. In this study, we found that placental extract-derived dipeptide (JBP485) clearly promoted the expression and secretion of gel-forming mucin 5ac (Muc5ac) in rabbit conjunctival epithelium. JBP485 also elevated the expression level of cell surface-associated mucins (Muc1/4/16) in rabbit corneal epithelium. The Schirmer tear test results indicated that JBP485 induced tear secretion in the rabbit model. Moreover, JBP485 clinically improved corneal epithelial damage in a mouse dry eye model. Thus, our data indicate that JBP485 efficiently promoted mucin and aqueous tear secretion in rabbit ocular surface epithelium and has the potential to be used as a novel treatment for DES.

  7. Negative effect of the 5'-untranslated leader sequence on Ac transposon promoter expression.

    PubMed

    Scortecci, K C; Raina, R; Fedoroff, N V; Van Sluys, M A

    1999-08-01

    Transposable elements are used in heterologous plant hosts to clone genes by insertional mutagenesis. The Activator (Ac) transposable element has been cloned from maize, and introduced into a variety of plants. However, differences in regulation and transposition frequency have been observed between different host plants. The cause of this variability is still unknown. To better understand the activity of the Ac element, we analyzed the Ac promoter region and its 5'-untranslated leader sequence (5' UTL). Transient assays in tobacco NT1 suspension cells showed that the Ac promoter is a weak promoter and its activity was localized by deletion analyses. The data presented here indicate that the core of the Ac promoter is contained within 153 bp fragment upstream to transcription start sites. An important inhibitory effect (80%) due to the presence of the 5' UTL was found on the expression of LUC reporter gene. Here we demonstrate that the presence of the 5' UTL in the constructs reduces the expression driven by either strong or weak promoters.

  8. Calibration of mass spectrometric measurements of gas phase reactions on steel surfaces

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Falk, H.; Falk, M.; Wuttke, T.

    2015-03-01

    The sampling of the surface-near gas composition using a mass spectrometer (MS-Probe) is a valuable tool within a hot dip process simulator. Since reference samples with well characterized surface coverage are usually not available, steel samples can deliver quantifiable amounts of the process relevant species H2O, CO and H2 using the decarburization reaction with water vapor. Such "artificial calibration samples" (ACS) can be used for the calibration of the MS-Probe measurements. The carbon release rate, which is governed by the diffusion law, was determined by GDOES, since the diffusion coefficients of carbon in steel samples are usually not known. The measured carbon concentration profiles in the ACS after the thermal treatment confirmed the validity of the diffusion model described in this paper. The carbon bulk concentration > 100 ppm is sufficient for the use of a steel material as ACS. The experimental results reported in this paper reveal, that with the MS-Probe the LOQ of less than one monolayer of iron oxide can be achieved.

  9. Transmission Technologies and Operational Characteristic Analysis of Hybrid UHV AC/DC Power Grids in China

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tian, Zhang; Yanfeng, Gong

    2017-05-01

    In order to solve the contradiction between demand and distribution range of primary energy resource, Ultra High Voltage (UHV) power grids should be developed rapidly to meet development of energy bases and accessing of large-scale renewable energy. This paper reviewed the latest research processes of AC/DC transmission technologies, summarized the characteristics of AC/DC power grids, concluded that China’s power grids certainly enter a new period of large -scale hybrid UHV AC/DC power grids and characteristics of “strong DC and weak AC” becomes increasingly pro minent; possible problems in operation of AC/DC power grids was discussed, and interaction or effect between AC/DC power grids was made an intensive study of; according to above problems in operation of power grids, preliminary scheme is summarized as fo llows: strengthening backbone structures, enhancing AC/DC transmission technologies, promoting protection measures of clean energ y accessing grids, and taking actions to solve stability problems of voltage and frequency etc. It’s valuable for making hybrid UHV AC/DC power grids adapt to operating mode of large power grids, thus guaranteeing security and stability of power system.

  10. Reforesting unused surface mined lands by replanting with native trees

    Treesearch

    Patrick N. Angel; James A. Burger; Carl E. Zipper; Scott Eggerud

    2012-01-01

    More than 600,000 ha (1.5 million ac) of mostly forested land in the Appalachian region were surface mined for coal under the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act. Today, these lands are largely unmanaged and covered with persistent herbaceous species, such as fescue (Festuca spp.) and sericea lespedeza (Lespedeza cuneata [Dum. Cours.] G. Don,) and a mix of...

  11. Functional Regulation of an Autographa californica Nucleopolyhedrovirus-Encoded MicroRNA, AcMNPV-miR-1, in Baculovirus Replication

    PubMed Central

    Zhu, Mengxiao; Deng, Riqiang

    2016-01-01

    ABSTRACT An Autographa californica nucleopolyhedrovirus-encoded microRNA (miRNA), AcMNPV-miR-1, downregulates the ac94 gene, reducing the production of infectious budded virions and accelerating the formation of occlusion-derived virions. In the current study, four viruses that constitutively overexpress AcMNPV-miR-1 were constructed to further explore the function of the miRNA. In addition to the ac94 gene, two new viral gene targets (ac18 and ac95) of AcMNPV-miR-1 were identified, and the possible interacting proteins were verified and tested. In the context of AcMNPV-miR-1 overexpression, ac18 was slightly upregulated, and ac95 was downregulated. Several interacting proteins were identified, and a functional pathway for AcMNPV-miR-1 was deduced. AcMNPV-miR-1 overexpression decreased budded virus infectivity, reduced viral DNA replication, accelerated polyhedron formation, and promoted viral infection efficiency in Trichoplusia ni larvae, suggesting that AcMNPV-miR-1 restrains virus infection of cells but facilitates virus infection of larvae. IMPORTANCE Recently, microRNAs (miRNAs) have been widely reported as moderators or regulators of mammalian cellular processes, especially disease-related pathways in humans. However, the roles played by miRNAs encoded by baculoviruses, which infect numerous beneficial insects and agricultural pests, have rarely been described. To explore the actions of virus-encoded miRNAs, we investigated an miRNA encoded by Autographa californica nucleopolyhedrovirus (AcMNPV-miR-1). We previously identified this miRNA through the exogenous addition of AcMNPV-miR-1 mimics. In the current study, we constitutively overexpressed AcMNPV-miR-1 and analyzed the resultant effects to more comprehensively assess what is indeed the function of this miRNA during viral infection. In addition, we widely explored the target genes for the miRNA in the viral and host genomes and proposed a possible functional network for AcMNPV-miR-1, which provides a

  12. Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation (tACS) Enhances Mental Rotation Performance during and after Stimulation

    PubMed Central

    Kasten, Florian H.; Herrmann, Christoph S.

    2017-01-01

    Transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) has been repeatedly demonstrated to modulate endogenous brain oscillations in a frequency specific manner. Thus, it is a promising tool to uncover causal relationships between brain oscillations and behavior or perception. While tACS has been shown to elicit a physiological aftereffect for up to 70 min, it remains unclear whether the effect can still be elicited if subjects perform a complex task interacting with the stimulated frequency band. In addition, it has not yet been investigated whether the aftereffect is behaviorally relevant. In the current experiment, participants performed a Shepard-like mental rotation task for 80 min. After 10 min of baseline measurement, participants received either 20 min of tACS at their individual alpha frequency (IAF) or sham stimulation (30 s tACS in the beginning of the stimulation period). Afterwards another 50 min of post-stimulation EEG were recorded. Task performance and EEG were acquired during the whole experiment. While there were no effects of tACS on reaction times or event-related-potentials (ERPs), results revealed an increase in mental rotation performance in the stimulation group as compared to sham both during and after stimulation. This was accompanied by increased ongoing alpha power and coherence as well as event-related-desynchronization (ERD) in the alpha band in the stimulation group. The current study demonstrates a behavioral and physiological aftereffect of tACS in parallel. This indicates that it is possible to elicit aftereffects of tACS during tasks interacting with the alpha band. Therefore, the tACS aftereffect is suitable to achieve an experimental manipulation. PMID:28197084

  13. Structural, ac conductivity and dielectric properties of 3-formyl chromone

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ali, H. A. M.

    2017-07-01

    The structure for the powder of 3-formyl chromone was examined by X-ray diffraction technique in the 2θ° range ( 4° - 60° . The configuration of Al/3-formyl chromone/Al samples was designed. The electrical and dielectric properties were studied as a function of frequency (42- 5 × 106 Hz) and temperature (298-408K). The ac conductivity data of bulk of 3-formyl chromone varies as a power law with the frequency at different temperatures. The predominant mechanism for ac conduction was deduced. The ac conductivity shows a thermally activated process at different frequencies. The dielectric constant and dielectric loss were determined using the capacitance and dissipation factor measurements at different temperatures. The dielectric loss shows a peak of relaxation time that shifted to higher frequency with an increase in the temperature. The activation energy of the relaxation process was estimated.

  14. Transgenic cotton coexpressing Vip3A and Cry1Ac has a broad insecticidal spectrum against lepidopteran pests.

    PubMed

    Chen, Wen-Bo; Lu, Guo-Qing; Cheng, Hong-Mei; Liu, Chen-Xi; Xiao, Yu-Tao; Xu, Chao; Shen, Zhi-Cheng; Wu, Kong-Ming

    2017-10-01

    Although farmers in China have grown transgenic Bt-Cry1Ac cotton to resist the major pest Helicoverpa armigera since 1997 with great success, many secondary lepidopteran pests that are tolerant to Cry1Ac are now reported to cause considerable economic damage. Vip3AcAa, a chimeric protein with the N-terminal part of Vip3Ac and the C-terminal part of Vip3Aa, has a broad insecticidal spectrum against lepidopteran pests and has no cross resistance to Cry1Ac. In the present study, we tested insecticidal activities of Vip3AcAa against Spodoptera litura, Spodoptera exigua, and Agrotis ipsilon, which are relatively tolerant to Cry1Ac proteins. The bioassay results showed that insecticidal activities of Vip3AcAa against these three pests are superior to Cry1Ac, and after an activation pretreatment, Vip3AcAa retained insecticidal activity against S. litura, S. exigua and A. ipsilon that was similar to the unprocessed protein. The putative receptor for this chimeric protein in the brush border membrane vesicle (BBMV) in the three pests was also identified using biotinylated Vip3AcAa toxin. To broaden Bt cotton activity against a wider spectrum of pests, we introduced the vip3AcAa and cry1Ac genes into cotton. Larval mortality rates for S. litura, A. ipsilon and S. exigua that had fed on this new cotton increased significantly compared with larvae fed on non-Bt cotton and Bt-Cry1Ac cotton in a laboratory experiment. These results suggested that the Vip3AcAa protein is an excellent option for a "pyramid" strategy for integrated pest management in China. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. Catalytic ozonation of dimethyl phthalate and chlorination disinfection by-product precursors over Ru/AC.

    PubMed

    Wang, Jianbing; Zhou, Yunrui; Zhu, Wanpeng; He, Xuwen

    2009-07-15

    Catalytic ozonation of dimethyl phthalate (DMP) in aqueous solution (5mg/L) under various reactions was performed to examine the effect of catalyst dosage, catalyst particle size, ozone dosage, and gas flow rate on the mineralization of DMP. The mineralization of DMP can be achieved via ozonation and the presence of Ru/AC could greatly accelerate the mineralization rate of DMP in ozonation process. In the continuous experiment of the Ru/AC catalyzed ozonation of DMP, total organic carbon (TOC) removals were kept stable around 75% during 42 h reaction. No leaching of ruthenium was observed in the treated water samples. The treatment of natural water using Ru/AC+O(3), Ru/AC+O(2) and ozonation alone was studied. In the Ru/AC+O(3) process, TOC removals, the reductions of the haloacetic acid formation potentials (HAAFPs), and the reductions of the trihalomethane formation potentials (THMFPs) of 11 water samples were 22-44%, 39-61% and 50-65%, respectively. Ru/AC+O(3) process was much more effective than ozonation alone for TOC removal and the reduction of disinfection by-product formation potential (DBPFP) in the treatment of natural water. It is a promising water treatment technology.

  16. AC conductivity and dielectric properties of bulk tungsten trioxide (WO3)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    El-Nahass, M. M.; Ali, H. A. M.; Saadeldin, M.; Zaghllol, M.

    2012-11-01

    AC conductivity and dielectric properties of tungsten trioxide (WO3) in a pellet form were studied in the frequency range from 42 Hz to 5 MHz with a variation of temperature in the range from 303 K to 463 K. AC conductivity, σac(ω) was found to be a function of ωs where ω is the angular frequency and s is the frequency exponent. The values of s were found to be less than unity and decrease with increasing temperature, which supports the correlated barrier hopping mechanism (CBH) as the dominant mechanism for the conduction in WO3. The dielectric constant (ε‧) and dielectric loss (ε″) were measured. The Cole-Cole diagram determined complex impedance for different temperatures.

  17. Residential Proximity to Major Roadways Is Associated With Increased Levels of AC133+ Circulating Angiogenic Cells.

    PubMed

    DeJarnett, Natasha; Yeager, Ray; Conklin, Daniel J; Lee, Jongmin; O'Toole, Timothy E; McCracken, James; Abplanalp, Wes; Srivastava, Sanjay; Riggs, Daniel W; Hamzeh, Ihab; Wagner, Stephen; Chugh, Atul; DeFilippis, Andrew; Ciszewski, Tiffany; Wyatt, Brad; Becher, Carrie; Higdon, Deirdre; Ramos, Kenneth S; Tollerud, David J; Myers, John A; Rai, Shesh N; Shah, Jasmit; Zafar, Nagma; Krishnasamy, Sathya S; Prabhu, Sumanth D; Bhatnagar, Aruni

    2015-11-01

    Previous studies have shown that residential proximity to a roadway is associated with increased cardiovascular disease risk. Yet, the nature of this association remains unclear, and its effect on individual cardiovascular disease risk factors has not been assessed. The objective of this study was to determine whether residential proximity to roadways influences systemic inflammation and the levels of circulating angiogenic cells. In a cross-sectional study, cardiovascular disease risk factors, blood levels of C-reactive protein, and 15 antigenically defined circulating angiogenic cell populations were measured in participants (n=316) with moderate-to-high cardiovascular disease risk. Attributes of roadways surrounding residential locations were assessed using geographic information systems. Associations between road proximity and cardiovascular indices were analyzed using generalized linear models. Close proximity (<50 m) to a major roadway was associated with lower income and higher rates of smoking but not C-reactive protein levels. After adjustment for potential confounders, the levels of circulating angiogenic cells in peripheral blood were significantly elevated in people living in close proximity to a major roadway (CD31(+)/AC133(+), AC133(+), CD34(+)/AC133(+), and CD34(+)/45(dim)/AC133(+) cells) and positively associated with road segment distance (CD31(+)/AC133(+), AC133(+), and CD34(+)/AC133(+) cells), traffic intensity (CD31(+)/AC133(+) and AC133(+) cells), and distance-weighted traffic intensity (CD31(+)/34(+)/45(+)/AC133(+) cells). Living close to a major roadway is associated with elevated levels of circulating cells positive for the early stem marker AC133(+). This may reflect an increased need for vascular repair. Levels of these cells in peripheral blood may be a sensitive index of cardiovascular injury because of residential proximity to roadways. © 2015 American Heart Association, Inc.

  18. Thermal and ac electrical properties of N-methylanthranilic acid below room temperature

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Abdel-Kader, M. M.; Basha, M. A. F.; Ramzy, G. H.; Aboud, A. I.

    2018-06-01

    In this study, we investigated the thermal and alternating current (ac) electrical properties of N-methylanthranilic acid. Based on data obtained by differential scanning calorimetry, we detected two endothermic transitions at ≈ 213 K and ≈265.41 K. The weakening of hydrogen bonds as the temperature increased appeared to be the main cause of these phase transitions. We also recorded the melting point at about 475.5 K. Both the ac conductivity (σac) and complex dielectric constant (ε∗ = ε ' - jε ' ') were studied as functions of temperature over the frequency range from 1 kHz to 100 kHz. We observed significant variations in the thermal and electrical properties before and after the transition temperature at 265.41 K. The conduction mechanism responsible for the ac electrical properties before this transition was due to overlapping large polarons. These novel results are expected to have impacts on the application of organic semiconductors and dielectrics.

  19. Grain Refinement of AZ31 Magnesium Alloy Weldments by AC Pulsing Technique

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kishore Babu, N.; Cross, C. E.

    2012-11-01

    The current study has investigated the influence of alternating current pulsing on the structure and mechanical properties of AZ31 magnesium alloy gas tungsten arc (GTA) weldments. Autogenous full penetration bead-on-plate GTA welds were made under a variety of conditions including variable polarity (VP), variable polarity mixed (VPM), alternating current (AC), and alternating current pulsing (ACPC). AC pulsing resulted in significant refinement of weld metal when compared with the unpulsed conditions. AC pulsing leads to relatively finer and more equiaxed grain structure in GTA welds. In contrast, VP, VPM, and AC welding resulted in predominantly columnar grain structures. The reason for this grain refinement may be attributed to the periodic variations in temperature gradient and solidification rate associated with pulsing as well as weld pool oscillation observed in the ACPC welds. The observed grain refinement was shown to result in an appreciable increase in fusion zone hardness, tensile strength, and ductility.

  20. Thrust distribution for attitude control in a variable thrust propulsion system with four ACS nozzles

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lim, Yeerang; Lee, Wonsuk; Bang, Hyochoong; Lee, Hosung

    2017-04-01

    A thrust distribution approach is proposed in this paper for a variable thrust solid propulsion system with an attitude control system (ACS) that uses a reduced number of nozzles for a three-axis attitude maneuver. Although a conventional variable thrust solid propulsion system needs six ACS nozzles, this paper proposes a thrust system with four ACS nozzles to reduce the complexity and mass of the system. The performance of the new system was analyzed with numerical simulations, and the results show that the performance of the system with four ACS nozzles was similar to the original system while the mass of the whole system was simultaneously reduced. Moreover, a feasibility analysis was performed to determine whether a thrust system with three ACS nozzles is possible.

  1. In vitro and in vivo comparisons of constant resistance AC iontophoresis and DC iontophoresis.

    PubMed

    Li, S Kevin; Higuchi, William I; Zhu, Honggang; Kern, Steven E; Miller, David J; Hastings, Matthew S

    2003-09-04

    A previous in vitro constant electrical resistance alternating current (AC) iontophoresis study with human epidermal membrane (HEM) and a model neutral permeant has shown less inter- and intra-sample variability in iontophoretic transport relative to conventional constant direct current (DC) iontophoresis. The objectives of the present study were to address the following questions. (1) Can the skin electrical resistance be maintained at a constant level by AC in humans in vivo? (2) Are the in vitro data with HEM representative of those in vivo? (3) Does constant skin resistance AC iontophoresis have less inter- and intra-sample variability than conventional constant current DC iontophoresis in vivo? (4) What are the electrical and the barrier properties of skin during iontophoresis in vivo? In the present study, in vitro HEM experiments were carried out with the constant resistance AC and the conventional constant current DC methods using mannitol and glucose as the neutral model permeants. In vivo human experiments were performed using glucose as the permeant with a constant skin resistance AC only protocol and two conventional constant current DC methods (continuous constant current DC and constant current DC with its polarity alternated every 10 min with a 3:7 on:off duty cycle). Constant current DC iontophoresis was conducted with commercial constant current DC devices, and constant resistance AC iontophoresis was carried out by reducing and maintaining the skin resistance at a constant target value with AC supplied from a function generator. This study shows that (1) skin electrical resistance can be maintained at a constant level during AC iontophoresis in vivo; (2) HEM in vitro and human skin in vivo demonstrate similar electrical and barrier properties, and these properties are consistent with our previous findings; (3) there is general qualitative and semi-quantitative agreement between the HEM data in vitro and human skin data in vivo; and (4) constant

  2. Combined AC electroosmosis and dielectrophoresis for controlled rotation of microparticles

    PubMed Central

    Walid Rezanoor, Md.; Dutta, Prashanta

    2016-01-01

    Electrorotation is widely used for characterization of biological cells and materials using a rotating electric field. Generally, multiphase AC electric fields and quadrupolar electrode configuration are needed to create a rotating electric field for electrorotation. In this study, we demonstrate a simple method to rotate dielectrophoretically trapped microparticles using a stationary AC electric field. Coplanar interdigitated electrodes are used to create a linearly polarized nonuniform AC electric field. This nonuniform electric field is employed for dielectrophoretic trapping of microparticles as well as for generating electroosmotic flow in the vicinity of the electrodes resulting in rotation of microparticles in a microfluidic device. The rotation of barium titanate microparticles is observed in 2-propanol and methanol solvent at a frequency below 1 kHz. A particle rotation rate as high as 240 revolutions per minute is observed. It is demonstrated that precise manipulation (both rotation rate and equilibrium position) of the particles is possible by controlling the frequency of the applied electric field. At low frequency range, the equilibrium positions of the microparticles are observed between the electrode edge and electrode center. This method of particle manipulation is different from electrorotation as it uses induced AC electroosmosis instead of electric torque as in the case of electrorotation. Moreover, it has been shown that a microparticle can be rotated along its own axis without any translational motion. PMID:27014394

  3. Combined AC electroosmosis and dielectrophoresis for controlled rotation of microparticles.

    PubMed

    Walid Rezanoor, Md; Dutta, Prashanta

    2016-03-01

    Electrorotation is widely used for characterization of biological cells and materials using a rotating electric field. Generally, multiphase AC electric fields and quadrupolar electrode configuration are needed to create a rotating electric field for electrorotation. In this study, we demonstrate a simple method to rotate dielectrophoretically trapped microparticles using a stationary AC electric field. Coplanar interdigitated electrodes are used to create a linearly polarized nonuniform AC electric field. This nonuniform electric field is employed for dielectrophoretic trapping of microparticles as well as for generating electroosmotic flow in the vicinity of the electrodes resulting in rotation of microparticles in a microfluidic device. The rotation of barium titanate microparticles is observed in 2-propanol and methanol solvent at a frequency below 1 kHz. A particle rotation rate as high as 240 revolutions per minute is observed. It is demonstrated that precise manipulation (both rotation rate and equilibrium position) of the particles is possible by controlling the frequency of the applied electric field. At low frequency range, the equilibrium positions of the microparticles are observed between the electrode edge and electrode center. This method of particle manipulation is different from electrorotation as it uses induced AC electroosmosis instead of electric torque as in the case of electrorotation. Moreover, it has been shown that a microparticle can be rotated along its own axis without any translational motion.

  4. Capabilities of the new “Universal” AC-DC monitor for electropenetrography (EPG)

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Electropenetrography (EPG), invented over 50 years ago, is the most rigorous and important means of studying the feeding of piercing-sucking crop pests. The 1st-generation monitor (or AC monitor) used AC applied signal voltage and had fixed amplifier sensitivity (input resistor or Ri) of 106 Ohms. T...

  5. AC Loss Analysis of MgB2-Based Fully Superconducting Machines

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Feddersen, M.; Haran, K. S.; Berg, F.

    2017-12-01

    Superconducting electric machines have shown potential for significant increase in power density, making them attractive for size and weight sensitive applications such as offshore wind generation, marine propulsion, and hybrid-electric aircraft propulsion. Superconductors exhibit no loss under dc conditions, though ac current and field produce considerable losses due to hysteresis, eddy currents, and coupling mechanisms. For this reason, many present machines are designed to be partially superconducting, meaning that the dc field components are superconducting while the ac armature coils are conventional conductors. Fully superconducting designs can provide increases in power density with significantly higher armature current; however, a good estimate of ac losses is required to determine the feasibility under the machines intended operating conditions. This paper aims to characterize the expected losses in a fully superconducting machine targeted towards aircraft, based on an actively-shielded, partially superconducting machine from prior work. Various factors are examined such as magnet strength, operating frequency, and machine load to produce a model for the loss in the superconducting components of the machine. This model is then used to optimize the design of the machine for minimal ac loss while maximizing power density. Important observations from the study are discussed.

  6. Electrodeformation of multi-bilayer spherical concentric membranes by AC electric fields

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lira-Escobedo, J.; Arauz-Lara, J.; Aranda-Espinoza, H.; Adlerz, K.; Viveros-Mendez, P. X.; Aranda-Espinoza, S.

    2017-09-01

    It is now well established that external stresses alter the behaviour of cells, where such alterations can be as profound as changes in gene expression. A type of stresses of particular interest are those due to alternating-current (AC) electric fields. The effect of AC fields on cells is still not well understood, in particular it is not clear how these fields affect the cell nucleus and other organelles. Here, we propose that one possible mechanism is through the deformation of the membranes. In order to investigate the effect of AC fields on the morphological changes of the cell organelles, we modelled the cell as two concentric bilayer membranes. This model allows us to obtain the deformations induced by the AC field by balancing the elastic energy and the work done by the Maxwell stresses. Morphological phase diagrams are obtained as a function of the frequency and the electrical properties of the media and membranes. We demonstrate that the organelle shapes can be changed without modifying the shape of the external cell membrane and that the organelle deformation transitions can be used to measure, for example, the conductivity of the nucleus.

  7. Substituted Phthalimide AC94377 Is a Selective Agonist of the Gibberellin Receptor GID11[OPEN

    PubMed Central

    Otani, Masato; Shimotakahara, Hiroaki; Yoon, Jung-Min; Park, Seung-Hyun; Miyaji, Tomoko; Nakano, Takeshi; Nakamura, Hidemitsu; Nakajima, Masatoshi

    2017-01-01

    Gibberellin (GA) is a major plant hormone that regulates plant growth and development and is widely used as a plant growth regulator in agricultural production. There is an increasing demand for function-limited GA mimics due to the limitations on the agronomical application of GA to crops, including GA’s high cost of producing and its leading to the crops’ lodging. AC94377, a substituted phthalimide, is a chemical that mimics the growth-regulating activity of GAs in various plants, despite its structural difference. Although AC94377 is widely studied in many weeds and crops, its mode of action as a GA mimic is largely unknown. In this study, we confirmed that AC94377 displays GA-like activities in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) and demonstrated that AC94377 binds to the Arabidopsis GIBBERELLIN INSENSITIVE DWARF1 (GID1) receptor (AtGID1), forms the AtGID1-AC94377-DELLA complex, and induces the degradation of DELLA protein. Our results also indicated that AC94377 is selective for a specific subtype among three AtGID1s and that the selectivity of AC94377 is attributable to a single residue at the entrance to the hydrophobic pocket of GID1. We conclude that AC94377 is a GID1 agonist with selectivity for a specific subtype of GID1, which could be further developed and used as a function-limited regulator of plant growth in both basic study and agriculture. PMID:27899534

  8. Acquisition of Cry1Ac Protein by Non-Target Arthropods in Bt Soybean Fields

    PubMed Central

    Yu, Huilin; Romeis, Jörg; Li, Yunhe; Li, Xiangju; Wu, Kongming

    2014-01-01

    Soybean tissue and arthropods were collected in Bt soybean fields in China at different times during the growing season to investigate the exposure of arthropods to the plant-produced Cry1Ac toxin and the transmission of the toxin within the food web. Samples from 52 arthropod species/taxa belonging to 42 families in 10 orders were analysed for their Cry1Ac content using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Among the 22 species/taxa for which three samples were analysed, toxin concentration was highest in the grasshopper Atractomorpha sinensis and represented about 50% of the concentration in soybean leaves. Other species/taxa did not contain detectable toxin or contained a concentration that was between 1 and 10% of that detected in leaves. These Cry1Ac-positive arthropods included a number of mesophyll-feeding Hemiptera, a cicadellid, a curculionid beetle and, among the predators, a thomisid spider and an unidentified predatory bug belonging to the Anthocoridae. Within an arthropod species/taxon, the Cry1Ac content sometimes varied between life stages (nymphs/larvae vs. adults) and sampling dates (before, during, and after flowering). Our study is the first to provide information on Cry1Ac-expression levels in soybean plants and Cry1Ac concentrations in non-target arthropods in Chinese soybean fields. The data will be useful for assessing the risk of non-target arthropod exposure to Cry1Ac in soybean. PMID:25110881

  9. Power dissipation in HTS coated conductor coils under the simultaneous action of AC and DC currents and fields

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shen, Boyang; Li, Chao; Geng, Jianzhao; Zhang, Xiuchang; Gawith, James; Ma, Jun; Liu, Yingzhen; Grilli, Francesco; Coombs, T. A.

    2018-07-01

    This paper presents a comprehensive alternating current (AC) loss study of a circular high temperature superconductor (HTS) coated conductor coil. The AC losses from a circular double pancake coil were measured using the electrical method. A 2D axisymmetric H -formulation model using the FEM package in COMSOL Multiphysics has been established to match the circular geometry of the coil used in the experiment. Three scenarios have been analysed: Scenario 1 with AC transport current and DC magnetic field (experiment and simulation); Scenario 2 with DC transport current and AC magnetic field (simulation); and Scenario 3 with AC transport current and AC magnetic field (simulation and experimental data support). The angular dependence analysis on the coil under a magnetic field with different orientation angle θ has been carried out for all three scenarios. For Scenario 3, the effect of the relative phase difference Δφ between the AC current and the AC field on the total AC loss of the coil has been investigated. In summary, a current/field/angle/phase dependent AC loss ( I , B , θ, Δφ) study of a circular HTS coil has been carried out. The obtained results provide useful indications for the future design and research of HTS AC systems.

  10. [Pharmaceutical services for patients receiving AC chemotherapy].

    PubMed

    Higuchi, Minako; Matsuo, Koichi; Ureshino, Yuko; Ogata, Kentaro; Futagami, Koujiro; Kitamura, Kaoru; Nishino, Hiroaki

    2009-02-01

    General treatments for breast cancer patients, such as surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and lymphatic edema drainage, are performed at the Department of Breast Surgery in Kyushu Central Hospital. In those treatments, pharmacists provide the pharmaceutical treatment. Combination chemotherapy of doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide (AC therapy) is one of the standard regimens for breast cancer. In breast cancer patients who received AC therapy, we carried out investigations on side effects, and prepared pamphlets to support patients' self-management in their daily lives. In the process of preparing pamphlets, we made check sheets to monitor the severity and incidence of side effects. Based on the results of analysis and patients' opinions as well as staff remarks, we prepared pamphlets. According to the evaluation survey, pamphlets are regarded as useful. To meet the needs of patients, we intend to periodically revise pamphlets by continuing investigations on side effects, and provide up-to-date information.

  11. Bulk data transfer distributer: a high performance multicast model in ALMA ACS

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cirami, R.; Di Marcantonio, P.; Chiozzi, G.; Jeram, B.

    2006-06-01

    A high performance multicast model for the bulk data transfer mechanism in the ALMA (Atacama Large Millimeter Array) Common Software (ACS) is presented. The ALMA astronomical interferometer will consist of at least 50 12-m antennas operating at millimeter wavelength. The whole software infrastructure for ALMA is based on ACS, which is a set of application frameworks built on top of CORBA. To cope with the very strong requirements for the amount of data that needs to be transported by the software communication channels of the ALMA subsystems (a typical output data rate expected from the Correlator is of the order of 64 MB per second) and with the potential CORBA bottleneck due to parameter marshalling/de-marshalling, usage of IIOP protocol, etc., a transfer mechanism based on the ACE/TAO CORBA Audio/Video (A/V) Streaming Service has been developed. The ACS Bulk Data Transfer architecture bypasses the CORBA protocol with an out-of-bound connection for the data streams (transmitting data directly in TCP or UDP format), using at the same time CORBA for handshaking and leveraging the benefits of ACS middleware. Such a mechanism has proven to be capable of high performances, of the order of 800 Mbits per second on a 1Gbit Ethernet network. Besides a point-to-point communication model, the ACS Bulk Data Transfer provides a multicast model. Since the TCP protocol does not support multicasting and all the data must be correctly delivered to all ALMA subsystems, a distributer mechanism has been developed. This paper focuses on the ACS Bulk Data Distributer, which mimics a multicast behaviour managing data dispatching to all receivers willing to get data from the same sender.

  12. Antibacterial Ag/a-C nanocomposite coatings: The influence of nano-galvanic a-C and Ag couples on Ag ionization rates

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Manninen, N. K.; Calderon, S.; Carvalho, I.; Henriques, M.; Cavaleiro, A.; Carvalho, S.

    2016-07-01

    Biofilm formation has been pointed as a major concern in different industrial applications, namely on biomedical implants and surgical instruments, which has prompted the development of new strategies for production of efficient antimicrobial surfaces. In this work, nano-galvanic couples were created to enhance the antibacterial properties of silver, by embedding it into amorphous carbon (a-C) matrix. The developed Ag/a-C nanocomposite coatings, deposited by magnetron sputtering, revealed an outstanding antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus epidermidis, promoting a total reduction in biofilm formation with no bacteria counts in all dilution. The open circuit potential (OCP) tests in 0.9% NaCl confirmed that a-C shows a positive OCP value, in contrast to Ag coating, thus enhancing the ionization of biocidal Ag+ due to the nano-galvanic couple activation. This result was confirmed by the inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES), which revealed a higher Ag ionization rate in the nanocomposite coating in comparison with the Ag coating. The surface of Ag/a-C and Ag coatings immersed in 0.9% NaCl were monitored by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) over a period of 24 h, being found that the Ag ionization determined by ICP-OES was accompanied by an Ag nanoparticles coalescence and agglomeration in Ag/a-C coating.

  13. Ac-immobilized, a stable source of Activator transposase that mediates sporophytic and gametophytic excision of Dissociation elements in maize.

    PubMed

    Conrad, Liza J; Brutnell, Thomas P

    2005-12-01

    We have identified and characterized a novel Activator (Ac) element that is incapable of excision yet contributes to the canonical negative dosage effect of Ac. Cloning and sequence analysis of this immobilized Ac (Ac-im) revealed that it is identical to Ac with the exception of a 10-bp deletion of sequences at the left end of the element. In screens of approximately 6800 seeds, no germinal transpositions of Ac-im were detected. Importantly, Ac-im catalyzes germinal excisions of a Ds element resident at the r1 locus resulting in the recovery of independent transposed Ds insertions in approximately 4.5% of progeny kernels. Many of these transposition events occur during gametophytic development. Furthermore, we demonstrate that Ac-im transactivates multiple Ds insertions in somatic tissues including those in reporter alleles at bronze1, anthocyaninless1, and anthocyaninless2. We propose a model for the generation of Ac-im as an aberrant transposition event that failed to generate an 8-bp target site duplication and resulted in the deletion of Ac end sequences. We also discuss the utility of Ac-im in two-component Ac/Ds gene-tagging programs in maize.

  14. Oxygen surface exchange kinetics measurement by simultaneous optical transmission relaxation and impedance spectroscopy: Sr(Ti,Fe)O3-x thin film case study.

    PubMed

    Perry, Nicola H; Kim, Jae Jin; Tuller, Harry L

    2018-01-01

    We compare approaches to measure oxygen surface exchange kinetics, by simultaneous optical transmission relaxation (OTR) and AC-impedance spectroscopy (AC-IS), on the same mixed conducting SrTi 0.65 Fe 0.35 O 3-x film. Surface exchange coefficients were evaluated as a function of oxygen activity in the film, controlled by gas partial pressure and/or DC bias applied across the ionically conducting yttria-stabilized zirconia substrate. Changes in measured light transmission through the film over time (relaxations) resulted from optical absorption changes in the film corresponding to changes in its oxygen and oxidized Fe (~Fe 4+ ) concentrations; such relaxation profiles were successfully described by the equation for surface exchange-limited kinetics appropriate for the film geometry. The k chem values obtained by OTR were significantly lower than the AC-IS derived k chem values and k q values multiplied by the thermodynamic factor (bulk or thin film), suggesting a possible enhancement in k by the metal current collectors (Pt, Au). Long-term degradation in k chem and k q values obtained by AC-IS was also attributed to deterioration of the porous Pt current collector, while no significant degradation was observed in the optically derived k chem values. The results suggest that, while the current collector might influence measurements by AC-IS, the OTR method offers a continuous, in situ , and contact-free method to measure oxygen exchange kinetics at the native surfaces of thin films.

  15. Oxygen surface exchange kinetics measurement by simultaneous optical transmission relaxation and impedance spectroscopy: Sr(Ti,Fe)O3-x thin film case study

    PubMed Central

    Perry, Nicola H.; Kim, Jae Jin; Tuller, Harry L.

    2018-01-01

    Abstract We compare approaches to measure oxygen surface exchange kinetics, by simultaneous optical transmission relaxation (OTR) and AC-impedance spectroscopy (AC-IS), on the same mixed conducting SrTi0.65Fe0.35O3-x film. Surface exchange coefficients were evaluated as a function of oxygen activity in the film, controlled by gas partial pressure and/or DC bias applied across the ionically conducting yttria-stabilized zirconia substrate. Changes in measured light transmission through the film over time (relaxations) resulted from optical absorption changes in the film corresponding to changes in its oxygen and oxidized Fe (~Fe4+) concentrations; such relaxation profiles were successfully described by the equation for surface exchange-limited kinetics appropriate for the film geometry. The kchem values obtained by OTR were significantly lower than the AC-IS derived kchem values and kq values multiplied by the thermodynamic factor (bulk or thin film), suggesting a possible enhancement in k by the metal current collectors (Pt, Au). Long-term degradation in kchem and kq values obtained by AC-IS was also attributed to deterioration of the porous Pt current collector, while no significant degradation was observed in the optically derived kchem values. The results suggest that, while the current collector might influence measurements by AC-IS, the OTR method offers a continuous, in situ, and contact-free method to measure oxygen exchange kinetics at the native surfaces of thin films. PMID:29511391

  16. Developpement d'une methode calorimetrique de mesure des pertes ac pour des rubans supraconducteurs a haute temperature critique

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dolez, Patricia

    Le travail de recherche effectue dans le cadre de ce projet de doctorat a permis la mise au point d'une methode de mesure des pertes ac destinee a l'etude des supraconducteurs a haute temperature critique. Pour le choix des principes de cette methode, nous nous sommes inspires de travaux anterieurs realises sur les supraconducteurs conventionnels, afin de proposer une alternative a la technique electrique, presentant lors du debut de cette these des problemes lies a la variation du resultat des mesures selon la position des contacts de tension sur la surface de l'echantillon, et de pouvoir mesurer les pertes ac dans des conditions simulant la realite des futures applications industrielles des rubans supraconducteurs: en particulier, cette methode utilise la technique calorimetrique, associee a une calibration simultanee et in situ. La validite de la methode a ete verifiee de maniere theorique et experimentale: d'une part, des mesures ont ete realisees sur des echantillons de Bi-2223 recouverts d'argent ou d'alliage d'argent-or et comparees avec les predictions theoriques donnees par Norris, nous indiquant la nature majoritairement hysteretique des pertes ac dans nos echantillons; d'autre part, une mesure electrique a ete realisee in situ dont les resultats correspondent parfaitement a ceux donnes par notre methode calorimetrique. Par ailleurs, nous avons compare la dependance en courant et en frequence des pertes ac d'un echantillon avant et apres qu'il ait ete endommage. Ces mesures semblent indiquer une relation entre la valeur du coefficient de la loi de puissance modelisant la dependance des pertes avec le courant, et les inhomogeneites longitudinales du courant critique induites par l'endommagement. De plus, la variation en frequence montre qu'au niveau des grosses fractures transverses creees par l'endommagement dans le coeur supraconducteur, le courant se partage localement de maniere a peu pres equivalente entre les quelques grains de matiere

  17. Historical Analysis of the Inorganic Chemistry Curriculum Using ACS Examinations as Artifacts

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Srinivasan, Shalini; Reisner, Barbara A.; Smith, Sheila R.; Stewart, Joanne L.; Johnson, Adam R.; Lin, Shirley; Marek, Keith A.; Nataro, Chip; Murphy, Kristen L.; Raker, Jeffrey R.

    2018-01-01

    ACS Examinations provide a lens through which to examine historical changes in topic coverage via analyses of course-specific examinations. This study is an extension of work completed previously by the ACS Exams Research Staff and collaborators in general chemistry, organic chemistry, and physical chemistry to explore content changes in the…

  18. Structure and stability of pyrophyllite edge surfaces: Effect of temperature and water chemical potential

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kwon, Kideok D.; Newton, Aric G.

    2016-10-01

    The surfaces of clay minerals, which are abundant in atmospheric mineral dust, serve as an important medium to catalyze ice nucleation. The lateral edge surface of 2:1 clay minerals is postulated to be a potential site for ice nucleation. However, experimental investigations of the edge surface structure itself have been limited compared to the basal planes of clay minerals. Density functional theory (DFT) computational studies have provided insights into the pyrophyllite edge surface. Pyrophyllite is an ideal surrogate mineral for the edge surfaces of 2:1 clay minerals as it possesses no or little structural charge. Of the two most-common hydrated edge surfaces, the AC edge, (1 1 0) surface in the monoclinic polytype notation, is predicted to be more stable than the B edge, (0 1 0) surface. These stabilities, however, were determined based on the total energies calculated at 0 K and did not consider environmental effects such as temperature and humidity. In this study, atomistic thermodynamics based on periodic DFT electronic calculations was applied to examine the effects of environmental variables on the structure and thermodynamic stability of the common edge surfaces in equilibrium with bulk pyrophyllite and water vapor. We demonstrate that the temperature-dependent vibrational energy of sorbed water molecules at the edge surface is a significant component of the surface free energy and cannot be neglected when determining the surface stability of pyrophyllite. The surface free energies were calculated as a function of temperature from 240 to 600 K and water chemical potential corresponding to conditions from ultrahigh vacuum to the saturation vapor pressure of water. We show that at lower water chemical potentials (dry conditions), the AC and B edge surfaces possessed similar stabilities; at higher chemical potentials (humid conditions) the AC edge surface was more stable than the B edge surface. At high temperatures, both surfaces showed similar stabilities

  19. The Ethylene Biosynthesis Gene CitACS4 Regulates Monoecy/Andromonoecy in Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus)

    PubMed Central

    Manzano, Susana; Aguado, Encarnación; Martínez, Cecilia; Megías, Zoraida; García, Alicia; Jamilena, Manuel

    2016-01-01

    Monoecious and andromonoecious cultivars of watermelon are characterised by the production of male and female flower or male and hermaphrodite flowers, respectively. The segregation analysis in the offspring of crosses between monoecious and andromonoecious lines has demonstrated that this trait is controlled by a single gene pair, being the monoecious allele M semi-dominant to the andromonoecious allele A. The two studied F1 hybrids (MA) had a predominantly monoecious phenotype since both produced not only female flowers, but also bisexual flowers with incomplete stamens, and hermaphrodite flowers with pollen. Given that in other cucurbit species andromonoecy is conferred by mutations in the ethylene biosynthesis genes CmACS7, CsACS2 and CpACS27A we have cloned and characterised CitACS4, the watermelon gene showing the highest similarity with the formers. CitACS4 encoded for a type ACS type III enzyme that is predominantly expressed in pistillate flowers of watermelon. In the andromonoecious line we have detected a missense mutation in a very conserved residue of CitACS4 (C364W) that cosegregates with the andromonoecious phenotype in two independent F2 populations, concomitantly with a reduction in ethylene production in the floral buds that will develop as hermaphrodite flowers. The gene does not however co-segregates with other sex expression traits regulated by ethylene in this species, including pistillate flowering transition and the number of pistillate flowers per plant. These data indicate that CitAC4 is likely to be involved in the biosynthesis of the ethylene required for stamen arrest during the development of female flowers. The C364W mutation would reduce the production of ethylene in pistillate floral buds, promoting the conversion of female into hermaphrodite flowers, and therefore of monoecy into andromonoecy. PMID:27149159

  20. Effect of Alkali-Acid-Heat Chemical Surface Treatment on Electron Beam Melted Porous Titanium and Its Apatite Forming Ability

    PubMed Central

    Bsat, Suzan; Amin Yavari, Saber; Munsch, Maximilian; Valstar, Edward R.; Zadpoor, Amir A.

    2015-01-01

    Advanced additive manufacturing techniques such as electron beam melting (EBM), can produce highly porous structures that resemble the mechanical properties and structure of native bone. However, for orthopaedic applications, such as joint prostheses or bone substitution, the surface must also be bio-functionalized to promote bone growth. In the current work, EBM porous Ti6Al4V alloy was exposed to an alkali acid heat (AlAcH) treatment to bio-functionalize the surface of the porous structure. Various molar concentrations (3, 5, 10M) and immersion times (6, 24 h) of the alkali treatment were used to determine optimal parameters. The apatite forming ability of the samples was evaluated using simulated body fluid (SBF) immersion testing. The micro-topography and surface chemistry of AlAcH treated samples were evaluated before and after SBF testing using scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The AlAcH treatment successfully modified the topographical and chemical characteristics of EBM porous titanium surface creating nano-topographical features ranging from 200–300 nm in size with a titania layer ideal for apatite formation. After 1 and 3 week immersion in SBF, there was no Ca or P present on the surface of as manufactured porous titanium while both elements were present on all AlAcH treated samples except those exposed to 3M, 6 h alkali treatment. An increase in molar concentration and/or immersion time of alkali treatment resulted in an increase in the number of nano-topographical features per unit area as well as the amount of titania on the surface. PMID:28788021

  1. Effect of Alkali-Acid-Heat Chemical Surface Treatment on Electron Beam Melted Porous Titanium and Its Apatite Forming Ability.

    PubMed

    Bsat, Suzan; Yavari, Saber Amin; Munsch, Maximilian; Valstar, Edward R; Zadpoor, Amir A

    2015-04-08

    Advanced additive manufacturing techniques such as electron beam melting (EBM), can produce highly porous structures that resemble the mechanical properties and structure of native bone. However, for orthopaedic applications, such as joint prostheses or bone substitution, the surface must also be bio-functionalized to promote bone growth. In the current work, EBM porous Ti6Al4V alloy was exposed to an alkali acid heat (AlAcH) treatment to bio-functionalize the surface of the porous structure. Various molar concentrations (3, 5, 10M) and immersion times (6, 24 h) of the alkali treatment were used to determine optimal parameters. The apatite forming ability of the samples was evaluated using simulated body fluid (SBF) immersion testing. The micro-topography and surface chemistry of AlAcH treated samples were evaluated before and after SBF testing using scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The AlAcH treatment successfully modified the topographical and chemical characteristics of EBM porous titanium surface creating nano-topographical features ranging from 200-300 nm in size with a titania layer ideal for apatite formation. After 1 and 3 week immersion in SBF, there was no Ca or P present on the surface of as manufactured porous titanium while both elements were present on all AlAcH treated samples except those exposed to 3M, 6 h alkali treatment. An increase in molar concentration and/or immersion time of alkali treatment resulted in an increase in the number of nano-topographical features per unit area as well as the amount of titania on the surface.

  2. AC and DC conductivity study on Ca substituted bismuth ferrite

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pandey, Rabichandra; Pradhan, Lagen Kumar; Kumar, Sunil; Kar, Manoranjan

    2018-05-01

    Bi0.95Ca0.05FeO3 multiferroic compound was synthesized by the citric acid modified sol-gel method. Crystal structure of Bi0.95Ca0.05FeO3 is studied by the X-ray diffraction (XRD) technique. The ac impedance analysis of the compound has been carried out in a wide range of frequency (100 Hz - 1MHz) as well as temperature (40-2500C). Frequency variation of dielectric constant at different temperatures can be understood by the modified Debye formula. The activation energy was found to be 0.48eV, which was obtained by employing Arrhenius equation. The AC conductivity of the sample follows the Johnscher's power law which indicates the presence of hopping type conduction in localized charged states. To understand the conduction mechanism with localized charge states, the DC resistivity data were analyzed by Mott's variable range hopping (VRH) model. The activation energy calculated from Debye relaxation time, AC conductivity and DC resistivity are comparable to each other.

  3. Chance-Constrained AC Optimal Power Flow: Reformulations and Efficient Algorithms

    DOE PAGES

    Roald, Line Alnaes; Andersson, Goran

    2017-08-29

    Higher levels of renewable electricity generation increase uncertainty in power system operation. To ensure secure system operation, new tools that account for this uncertainty are required. Here, in this paper, we adopt a chance-constrained AC optimal power flow formulation, which guarantees that generation, power flows and voltages remain within their bounds with a pre-defined probability. We then discuss different chance-constraint reformulations and solution approaches for the problem. Additionally, we first discuss an analytical reformulation based on partial linearization, which enables us to obtain a tractable representation of the optimization problem. We then provide an efficient algorithm based on an iterativemore » solution scheme which alternates between solving a deterministic AC OPF problem and assessing the impact of uncertainty. This more flexible computational framework enables not only scalable implementations, but also alternative chance-constraint reformulations. In particular, we suggest two sample based reformulations that do not require any approximation or relaxation of the AC power flow equations.« less

  4. 21 CFR 886.4440 - AC-powered magnet.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-04-01

    ... metallic foreign bodies from eye tissue. (b) Classification. Class II. ... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false AC-powered magnet. 886.4440 Section 886.4440 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL...

  5. 21 CFR 886.4440 - AC-powered magnet.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-04-01

    ... metallic foreign bodies from eye tissue. (b) Classification. Class II. ... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false AC-powered magnet. 886.4440 Section 886.4440 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL...

  6. 21 CFR 886.4440 - AC-powered magnet.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... metallic foreign bodies from eye tissue. (b) Classification. Class II. ... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false AC-powered magnet. 886.4440 Section 886.4440 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL...

  7. 21 CFR 886.4440 - AC-powered magnet.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-04-01

    ... metallic foreign bodies from eye tissue. (b) Classification. Class II. ... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false AC-powered magnet. 886.4440 Section 886.4440 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) MEDICAL...

  8. Effects of surface chemical properties of activated carbon modified by amino-fluorination for electric double-layer capacitor.

    PubMed

    Jung, Min-Jung; Jeong, Euigyung; Cho, Seho; Yeo, Sang Young; Lee, Young-Seak

    2012-09-01

    The surface of phenol-based activated carbon (AC) was seriatim amino-fluorinated with solution of ammonium hydroxide and hydrofluoric acid in varying ratio to fabricate electrode materials for use in an electric double-layer capacitor (EDLC). The specific capacitance of the amino-fluorinated AC-based EDLC was measured in a 1 M H(2)SO(4) electrolyte, in which it was observed that the specific capacitances increased from 215 to 389 Fg(-1) and 119 and 250 Fg(-1) with the current densities of 0.1 and 1.0 Ag(-1), respectively, in comparison with those of an untreated AC-based EDLC when the amino-fluorination was optimized via seriatim mixed solution of 7.43 mol L(-1) ammonium hydroxide and 2.06 mol L(-1) hydrofluoric acid. This enhancement of capacitance was attributed to the synergistic effects of an increased electrochemical activity due to the formation of surface N- and F-functional groups and increased, specific surface area, and mesopore volumes, all of which resulted from the amino-fluorination of the electrode material. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. System for transmitting low frequency analog signals over AC power lines

    DOEpatents

    Baker, Steven P.; Durall, Robert L.; Haynes, Howard D.

    1989-01-01

    A system for transmitting low frequency analog signals over AC power lines using FM modulation. A low frequency analog signal to be transmitted is first applied to a voltage-to-frequency converter where it is converted to a signal whose frequency varies in proportion to the analog signal amplitude. This signal is then used to modulate the carrier frequency of an FM transmitter coupled to an AC power line. The modulation signal frequency range in selected to be within the response band of the FM transmitter. The FM modulated carrier signal is received by an FM receiver coupled to the AC power line, demodulated and the demodulated signal frequency is converted by a frequency-to-voltage converter back to the form of the original low frequency analog input signal.

  10. System for transmitting low frequency analog signals over AC power lines

    DOEpatents

    Baker, Steven P.; Durall, Robert L.; Haynes, Howard D.

    1989-09-05

    A system for transmitting low frequency analog signals over AC power lines using FM modulation. A low frequency analog signal to be transmitted is first applied to a voltage-to-frequency converter where it is converted to a signal whose frequency varies in proportion to the analog signal amplitude. This signal is then used to modulate the carrier frequency of an FM transmitter coupled to an AC power line. The modulation signal frequency range in selected to be within the response band of the FM transmitter. The FM modulated carrier signal is received by an FM receiver coupled to the AC power line, demodulated and the demodulated signal frequency is converted by a frequency-to-voltage converter back to the form of the original low frequency analog input signal.

  11. Methods, systems and apparatus for controlling operation of two alternating current (AC) machines

    DOEpatents

    Gallegos-Lopez, Gabriel [Torrance, CA; Nagashima, James M [Cerritos, CA; Perisic, Milun [Torrance, CA; Hiti, Silva [Redondo Beach, CA

    2012-02-14

    A system is provided for controlling two AC machines. The system comprises a DC input voltage source that provides a DC input voltage, a voltage boost command control module (VBCCM), a five-phase PWM inverter module coupled to the two AC machines, and a boost converter coupled to the inverter module and the DC input voltage source. The boost converter is designed to supply a new DC input voltage to the inverter module having a value that is greater than or equal to a value of the DC input voltage. The VBCCM generates a boost command signal (BCS) based on modulation indexes from the two AC machines. The BCS controls the boost converter such that the boost converter generates the new DC input voltage in response to the BCS. When the two AC machines require additional voltage that exceeds the DC input voltage required to meet a combined target mechanical power required by the two AC machines, the BCS controls the boost converter to drive the new DC input voltage generated by the boost converter to a value greater than the DC input voltage.

  12. Electroporation of cells using EM induction of ac fields by a magnetic stimulator

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chen, C.; Evans, J. A.; Robinson, M. P.; Smye, S. W.; O'Toole, P.

    2010-02-01

    This paper describes a method of effectively electroporating mammalian cell membranes with pulsed alternating-current (ac) electric fields at field strengths of 30-160 kV m-1. Although many in vivo electroporation protocols entail applying square wave or monotonically decreasing pulses via needles or electrode plates, relatively few have explored the use of pulsed ac fields. Following our previous study, which established the effectiveness of ac fields for electroporating cell membranes, a primary/secondary coil system was constructed to produce sufficiently strong electric fields by electromagnetic induction. The primary coil was formed from the applicator of an established transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) system, while the secondary coil was a purpose-built device of a design which could eventually be implanted into tissue. The effects of field strength, pulse interval and cumulative exposure time were investigated using microscopy and flow cytometry. Results from experiments on concentrated cell suspensions showed an optimized electroporation efficiency of around 50%, demonstrating that electroporation can be practicably achieved by inducing such pulsed ac fields. This finding confirms the possibility of a wide range of in vivo applications based on magnetically coupled ac electroporation.

  13. Autographa californica Multiple Nucleopolyhedrovirus ac75 Is Required for the Nuclear Egress of Nucleocapsids and Intranuclear Microvesicle Formation.

    PubMed

    Shi, Anqi; Hu, Zhaoyang; Zuo, Yachao; Wang, Yan; Wu, Wenbi; Yuan, Meijin; Yang, Kai

    2018-02-15

    Autographa californica multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus (AcMNPV) orf75 ( ac75 ) is a highly conserved gene of unknown function. In this study, we constructed an ac75 knockout AcMNPV bacmid and investigated the role of ac75 in the baculovirus life cycle. The expression and distribution of the Ac75 protein were characterized, and its interaction with another viral protein was analyzed to further understand its function. Our data indicated that ac75 was required for the nuclear egress of nucleocapsids, intranuclear microvesicle formation, and subsequent budded virion (BV) formation, as well as occlusion-derived virion (ODV) envelopment and embedding of ODVs into polyhedra. Western blot analyses showed that two forms, of 18 and 15 kDa, of FLAG-tagged Ac75 protein were detected. Ac75 was associated with both nucleocapsid and envelope fractions of BVs but with only the nucleocapsid fraction of ODVs; the 18-kDa form was associated with only BVs, whereas the 15-kDa form was associated with both types of virion. Ac75 was localized predominantly in the intranuclear ring zone during infection and exhibited a nuclear rim distribution during the early phase of infection. A phase separation assay suggested that Ac75 was not an integral membrane protein. A coimmunoprecipitation assay revealed an interaction between Ac75 and the integral membrane protein Ac76, and bimolecular fluorescence complementation assays identified the sites of the interaction within the cytoplasm and at the nuclear membrane and ring zone in AcMNPV-infected cells. Our results have identified ac75 as a second gene that is required for both the nuclear egress of nucleocapsids and the formation of intranuclear microvesicles. IMPORTANCE During the baculovirus life cycle, the morphogenesis of both budded virions (BVs) and occlusion-derived virions (ODVs) is proposed to involve a budding process at the nuclear membrane, which occurs while nucleocapsids egress from the nucleus or when intranuclear microvesicles are

  14. Hybrid immersed interface-immersed boundary methods for AC dielectrophoresis

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Hossan, Mohammad Robiul; Department of Engineering and Physics, University of Central Oklahoma, Edmond, OK 73034-5209; Dillon, Robert

    2014-08-01

    Dielectrophoresis, a nonlinear electrokinetic transport mechanism, has become popular in many engineering applications including manipulation, characterization and actuation of biomaterials, particles and biological cells. In this paper, we present a hybrid immersed interface–immersed boundary method to study AC dielectrophoresis where an algorithm is developed to solve the complex Poisson equation using a real variable formulation. An immersed interface method is employed to obtain the AC electric field in a fluid media with suspended particles and an immersed boundary method is used for the fluid equations and particle transport. The convergence of the proposed algorithm as well as validation of themore » hybrid scheme with experimental results is presented. In this paper, the Maxwell stress tensor is used to calculate the dielectrophoretic force acting on particles by considering the physical effect of particles in the computational domain. Thus, this study eliminates the approximations used in point dipole methods for calculating dielectrophoretic force. A comparative study between Maxwell stress tensor and point dipole methods for computing dielectrophoretic forces are presented. The hybrid method is used to investigate the physics of dielectrophoresis in microfluidic devices using an AC electric field. The numerical results show that with proper design and appropriate selection of applied potential and frequency, global electric field minima can be obtained to facilitate multiple particle trapping by exploiting the mechanism of negative dielectrophoresis. Our numerical results also show that electrically neutral particles form a chain parallel to the applied electric field irrespective of their initial orientation when an AC electric field is applied. This proposed hybrid numerical scheme will help to better understand dielectrophoresis and to design and optimize microfluidic devices.« less

  15. AC instrumentation amplifier for bioimpedance measurements.

    PubMed

    Pallás-Areny, R; Webster, J G

    1993-08-01

    We analyze the input impedance and CMRR requirements for an amplifier for bioimpedance measurements when considering the capacitive components of the electrode-skin contact impedance. We describe an ac-coupled instrumentation amplifier (IA) that, in addition to fulfilling those requirements, both provides interference and noise reduction, and yields a zero phase shift over a wide frequency band without using broadband op amps.

  16. The ac propulsion system for an electric vehicle, phase 1

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Geppert, S.

    1981-08-01

    A functional prototype of an electric vehicle ac propulsion system was built consisting of a 18.65 kW rated ac induction traction motor, pulse width modulated (PWM) transistorized inverter, two speed mechanically shifted automatic transmission, and an overall drive/vehicle controller. Design developmental steps, and test results of individual components and the complex system on an instrumented test frame are described. Computer models were developed for the inverter, motor and a representative vehicle. A preliminary reliability model and failure modes effects analysis are given.

  17. The ac propulsion system for an electric vehicle, phase 1

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Geppert, S.

    1981-01-01

    A functional prototype of an electric vehicle ac propulsion system was built consisting of a 18.65 kW rated ac induction traction motor, pulse width modulated (PWM) transistorized inverter, two speed mechanically shifted automatic transmission, and an overall drive/vehicle controller. Design developmental steps, and test results of individual components and the complex system on an instrumented test frame are described. Computer models were developed for the inverter, motor and a representative vehicle. A preliminary reliability model and failure modes effects analysis are given.

  18. Polaron conductivity mechanism in oxalic acid dihydrate: ac conductivity experiment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Levstik, Adrijan; Filipič, Cene; Bobnar, Vid; Levstik, Iva; Hadži, Dušan

    2006-10-01

    The ac electrical conductivity of the oxalic acid dihydrate ( α -POX) was investigated as a function of the frequency and temperature. The real part of the complex ac electrical conductivity was found to follow the universal dielectric response σ'∝νs , indicating that hopping or tunneling of localized charge carriers governs the electrical transport. A detailed analysis of the temperature dependence of the exponent s revealed that in a broad temperature range 50-200K the tunneling of polarons is the dominating charge transport mechanism.

  19. System and method for monitoring and controlling stator winding temperature in a de-energized AC motor

    DOEpatents

    Lu, Bin [Kenosha, WI; Luebke, Charles John [Sussex, WI; Habetler, Thomas G [Snellville, GA; Zhang, Pinjia [Atlanta, GA; Becker, Scott K [Oak Creek, WI

    2011-12-27

    A system and method for measuring and controlling stator winding temperature in an AC motor while idling is disclosed. The system includes a circuit having an input connectable to an AC source and an output connectable to an input terminal of a multi-phase AC motor. The circuit further includes a plurality of switching devices to control current flow and terminal voltages in the multi-phase AC motor and a controller connected to the circuit. The controller is configured to activate the plurality of switching devices to create a DC signal in an output of the motor control device corresponding to an input to the multi-phase AC motor, determine or estimate a stator winding resistance of the multi-phase AC motor based on the DC signal, and estimate a stator temperature from the stator winding resistance. Temperature can then be controlled and regulated by DC injection into the stator windings.

  20. Multi-isotope SPECT imaging of the 225Ac decay chain: feasibility studies

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Robertson, A. K. H.; Ramogida, C. F.; Rodríguez-Rodríguez, C.; Blinder, Stephan; Kunz, Peter; Sossi, Vesna; Schaffer, Paul

    2017-06-01

    Effective use of the {}225Ac decay chain in targeted internal radioimmunotherapy requires the retention of both {}225Ac and progeny isotopes at the target site. Imaging-based pharmacokinetic tests of these pharmaceuticals must therefore separately yet simultaneously image multiple isotopes that may not be colocalized despite being part of the same decay chain. This work presents feasibility studies demonstrating the ability of a microSPECT/CT scanner equipped with a high energy collimator to simultaneously image two components of the {}225Ac decay chain: {}221Fr (218 keV) and {}213Bi (440 keV). Image quality phantoms were used to assess the performance of two collimators for simultaneous {}221Fr and {}213Bi imaging in terms of contrast and noise. A hotrod resolution phantom containing clusters of thin rods with diameters ranging between 0.85 and 1.70 mm was used to assess resolution. To demonstrate ability to simultaneously image dynamic {}221Fr and {}213Bi activity distributions, a phantom containing a {}213Bi generator from {}225Ac was imaged. These tests were performed with two collimators, a high-energy ultra-high resolution (HEUHR) collimator and an ultra-high sensitivity (UHS) collimator. Values consistent with activity concentrations determined independently via gamma spectroscopy were observed in high activity regions of the images. In hotrod phantom images, the HEUHR collimator resolved all rods for both {}221Fr and {}213Bi images. With the UHS collimator, no rods were resolvable in {}213Bi images and only rods  ⩾1.3 mm were resolved in {}221Fr images. After eluting the {}213Bi generator, images accurately visualized the reestablishment of transient equilibrium of the {}225Ac decay chain. The feasibility of evaluating the pharmacokinetics of the {}225Ac decay chain in vivo has been demonstrated. This presented method requires the use of a high-performance high-energy collimator.

  1. l-Glucitol Catabolism in Stenotrophomonas maltophilia Ac

    PubMed Central

    Brechtel, Elke; Huwig, Alexander; Giffhorn, Friedrich

    2002-01-01

    The carbohydrate catabolism of the bacterium Stenotrophomonas maltophilia Ac (previously named Pseudomonas sp. strain Ac), which is known to convert the unnatural polyol l-glucitol to d-sorbose during growth on the former as the sole source of carbon and energy, was studied in detail. All enzymes operating in a pathway that channels l-glucitol via d-sorbose into compounds of the intermediary metabolism were demonstrated, and for some prominent reactions the products of conversion were identified. d-Sorbose was converted by C-3 epimerization to d-tagatose, which, in turn, was isomerized to d-galactose. d-Galactose was the initial substrate of the De Ley-Doudoroff pathway, involving reactions of NAD-dependent oxidation of d-galactose to d-galactonate, its dehydration to 2-keto-3-deoxy-d-galactonate, and its phosphorylation to 2-keto-3-deoxy-d-galactonate 6-phosphate. Finally, aldol cleavage yielded pyruvate and d-glycerate 3-phosphate as the central metabolic intermediates. PMID:11823194

  2. Input current shaped ac-to-dc converters

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1985-01-01

    Input current shaping techniques for ac-to-dc converters were investigated. Input frequencies much higher than normal, up to 20 kHz were emphasized. Several methods of shaping the input current waveform in ac-to-dc converters were reviewed. The simplest method is the LC filter following the rectifier. The next simplest method is the resistor emulation approach in which the inductor size is determined by the converter switching frequency and not by the line input frequency. Other methods require complicated switch drive algorithms to construct the input current waveshape. For a high-frequency line input, on the order of 20 kHz, the simple LC cannot be discarded so peremptorily, since the inductor size can be compared with that for the resistor emulation method. In fact, since a dc regulator will normally be required after the filter anyway, the total component count is almost the same as for the resistor emulation method, in which the filter is effectively incorporated into the regulator.

  3. Accounting for Dark Current Accumulated during Readout of Hubble's ACS/WFC Detectors

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ryon, Jenna E.; Grogin, Norman A.; Coe, Dan A.; ACS Team

    2018-06-01

    We investigate the properties of excess dark current accumulated during the 100-second full-frame readout of the Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) Wide Field Channel (WFC) detectors. This excess dark current, called "readout dark", gives rise to ambient background gradients and hot columns in each ACS/WFC image. While readout dark signal is removed from science images during the bias correction step in CALACS, the additional noise from the readout dark is currently not taken into account. We develop a method to estimate the readout dark noise properties in ACS/WFC observations. We update the error (ERR) extensions of superbias images to include the appropriate noise from the ambient readout dark gradient and stable hot columns. In recent data, this amounts to about 5 e-/pixel added variance in the rows farthest from the WFC serial registers, and about 7 to 30 e-/pixel added variance along the stable hot columns. We also flag unstable hot columns in the superbias data quality (DQ) extensions. The new reference file pipeline for ACS/WFC implements these updates to our superbias creation process.

  4. Charging in the ac Conductance of a Double Barrier Resonant Tunneling Structure

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Anantram, M. P.; Saini, Subhash (Technical Monitor)

    1998-01-01

    There have been many studies of the linear response ac conductance of a double barrier resonant tunneling structure (DBRTS), both at zero and finite dc biases. While these studies are important, they fail to self consistently include the effect of the time dependent charge density in the well. In this paper, we calculate the ac conductance at both zero and finite do biases by including the effect of the time dependent charge density in the well in a self consistent manner. The charge density in the well contributes to both the flow of displacement currents in the contacts and the time dependent potential in the well. We find that including these effects can make a significant difference to the ac conductance and the total ac current is not equal to the simple average of the non-selfconsistently calculated conduction currents in the two contacts. This is illustrated by comparing the results obtained with and without the effect of the time dependent charge density included correctly. Some possible experimental scenarios to observe these effects are suggested.

  5. Exploiting the flexibility and the polarization of ferroelectric perovskite surfaces to achieve efficient photochemistry and enantiospecificity

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Rappe, Andrew

    This research project explored the catalytic properties of complex surfaces of functional materials. The PI used first-principles density functional theory (DFT) calculations to explore a tightly integrated set of properties. The physical properties of complex functional materials that influence surface chemistry were explored, including bulk and surface electric dipoles, and surface conductivity. The energetic, compositional, electronic, and chemical properties of the surfaces of these materials were explored in detail, and connections between material properties and chemical reactivity were established. This project led to 28 publications, including Nat. Comm., JACS, 3 PRL, 7 PRB, 2 ACS Nano, 2 Nano Lett., 4more » JPCL, 2 JCP, Chem. Mater., ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces, Phys. Rev. Appl., and a U.S. Patent on surface catalysts. The key accomplishments in this project involved work in six coordinated areas: pioneering ways to control bulk dipoles in order to dynamically affect catalysis, exploring novel ways of bringing charge to the surface for redox catalysis, nonstoichiometric surfaces offering new sites for heterogeneous catalysis, illustrating how surface catalysis responds to applied pressure, catalytic growth of carbon-based materials, and new computational methods allowing more accurate exploration of molecule-surface interactions« less

  6. Role of HSF1-upregulated AC6 in ameliorating heart failure in mice.

    PubMed

    The, Erlinda; Du, Peizhao; Chang, Yaowei; Dai, Fangjie; Wei, Chunyan; Li, Jiming

    2016-10-01

    Our previous studies discovered that Heat shock factor 1(HSF1) can alleviate pressure overload induced heart failure in mice. However, its molecular mechanisms are yet to be further explained. Many studies have already verified that Adenylyl Cyclase 6 (AC6) can ameliorate heart failure, but it is still unknown whether or not the pathway HSF1 is involved in the process. Our preliminary experiment showed that the expression level of AC6 is positively associated with HSF1. Therefore, in the present study, we aimed to explore whether HSF1 can play its role in ameliorating heart failure by regulating AC6, and how the potential internal mechanisms work. We applied the Transverse Aortic Constriction (TAC) for 4 weeks to develop the C57BL/6 mice pressure overload induced heart failure model. First, the mice were divided into TAC group and SHAM group. Changes in the cardiac function and morphology of the mice were observed by an ultrasonic device and Masson staining slices, expressions of AC6 mRNA were observed by RT-QPCR, expressions of HSF1 and proteinkinase A (PKA) were examined by Western Blotting, and the levels of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) from aortic blood were measured by ELISA. Second, the TAC group were further divided into subgroups of HSF1 transgene mice, HSF1 knockout mice and wild type mice, followed by the aforesaid observations. In the SHAM group, no obvious variations of cardiac function, AC6 mRNAHSF1, PKA, cAMP and other test results were found among each of the subgroups. Compared to the SHAM group, the TAC group presented clearly weakened heart functions, while, expressions of AC6 mRNA, HSF1, PKA and cAMP all recorded obvious increases. In the TAC group, compared to the WT subgroup, the HSF1 KO subgroup presented decreases in expressions of AC6 mRNA, HSF1, PKA and cAMP, and at the same time, the heart functions were weaker, while, the HSF1 TG subgroup recorded the contrary results. In the pressure overload heart failure model, HSF1 can

  7. Structure of A-C Type Intervariant Interface in Nonmodulated Martensite in a Ni-Mn-Ga Alloy.

    PubMed

    Ouyang, S; Yang, Y Q; Han, M; Xia, Z H; Huang, B; Luo, X; Zhao, G M; Chen, Y X

    2016-07-06

    The structure of A-C type intervariant interface in nonmodulated martensite in the Ni54Mn25Ga21 alloy was studied using high resolution transmission electron microscopy. The A-C interface is between the martensitic variants A and C, each of which has a nanoscale substructure of twin-related lamellae. According to their different thicknesses, the nanoscale lamellae in each variant can be classified into major and minor lamellae. It is the boundaries between these lamellae in different variants that constitute the A-C interface, which is thus composed of major-major, minor-minor, and major-minor lamellar boundaries. The volume fraction of the minor lamellae, λ, plays an important role in the structure of A-C interfaces. For major-major and minor-minor lamellar boundaries, they are symmetrical or asymmetrical tilt boundaries; for major-minor boundary, as λ increases, it changes from a symmetrical tilt boundary to two asymmetrical microfacets. Moreover, both lattice and misfit dislocations were observed in the A-C interfaces. On the basis of experimental observations and dislocation theory, we explain how different morphologies of the A-C interface are formed and describe the formation process of the A-C interfaces from λ ≈ 0 to λ ≈ 0.5 in terms of dislocation-boundary interaction, and we infer that low density of interfacial dislocations would lead to high mobility of the A-C interface.

  8. AC signal characterization for optimization of a CMOS single-electron pump

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Murray, Roy; Perron, Justin K.; Stewart, M. D., Jr.; Zimmerman, Neil M.

    2018-02-01

    Pumping single electrons at a set rate is being widely pursued as an electrical current standard. Semiconductor charge pumps have been pursued in a variety of modes, including single gate ratchet, a variety of 2-gate ratchet pumps, and 2-gate turnstiles. Whether pumping with one or two AC signals, lower error rates can result from better knowledge of the properties of the AC signal at the device. In this work, we operated a CMOS single-electron pump with a 2-gate ratchet style measurement and used the results to characterize and optimize our two AC signals. Fitting this data at various frequencies revealed both a difference in signal path length and attenuation between our two AC lines. Using this data, we corrected for the difference in signal path length and attenuation by applying an offset in both the phase and the amplitude at the signal generator. Operating the device as a turnstile while using the optimized parameters determined from the 2-gate ratchet measurement led to much flatter, more robust charge pumping plateaus. This method was useful in tuning our device up for optimal charge pumping, and may prove useful to the semiconductor quantum dot community to determine signal attenuation and path differences at the device.

  9. Artificial neural networks for AC losses prediction in superconducting round filaments

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Leclerc, J.; Makong Hell, L.; Lorin, C.; Masson, P. J.

    2016-06-01

    An extensive and fast method to estimate superconducting AC losses within a superconducting round filament carrying an AC current and subjected to an elliptical magnetic field (both rotating and oscillating) is presented. Elliptical fields are present in rotating machine stators and being able to accurately predict AC losses in fully superconducting machines is paramount to generating realistic machine designs. The proposed method relies on an analytical scaling law (ASL) combined with two artificial neural network (ANN) estimators taking 9 input parameters representing the superconductor, external field and transport current characteristics. The ANNs are trained with data generated by finite element (FE) computations with a commercial software (FlexPDE) based on the widely accepted H-formulation. After completion, the model is validated through comparison with additional randomly chosen data points and compared for simple field configurations to other predictive models. The loss estimation discrepancy is about 3% on average compared to the FEA analysis. The main advantages of the model compared to FE simulations is the fast computation time (few milliseconds) which allows it to be used in iterated design processes of fully superconducting machines. In addition, the proposed model provides a higher level of fidelity than the scaling laws existing in literature usually only considering pure AC field.

  10. ac-driven vortices and the Hall effect in a superconductor with a tilted washboard pinning potential

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shklovskij, Valerij A.; Dobrovolskiy, Oleksandr V.

    2008-09-01

    The Langevin equation for a two-dimensional (2D) nonlinear guided vortex motion in a tilted cosine pinning potential in the presence of an ac is exactly solved in terms of a matrix continued fraction at arbitrary value of the Hall effect. The influence of an ac of arbitrary amplitude and frequency on the dc and ac magnetoresistivity tensors is analyzed. The ac density and frequency dependence of the overall shape and the number and position of the Shapiro steps on the anisotropic current-voltage characteristics are considered. The influence of a subcritical or overcritical dc on the time-dependent stationary ac longitudinal and transverse resistive vortex responses (on the frequency of an ac drive Ω ) in terms of the nonlinear impedance tensor Ẑ and the nonlinear ac response at Ω harmonics are studied. Analytical formulas for 2D temperature-dependent linear impedance tensor ẐL in the presence of a dc which depend on the angle α between the current-density vector and the guiding direction of the washboard planar pinning potential are derived and analyzed. Influence of α anisotropy and the Hall effect on the nonlinear power absorption by vortices is discussed.

  11. Investigation of Surface Sulfurization in CuIn1-x Gax S2-y Sey Thin Films by Using Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy.

    PubMed

    Kim, Haeri; Park, Se Jin; Kim, Byungwoo; Hwang, Yun Jeong; Min, Byoung Koun

    2018-02-05

    CuIn 1-x Ga x S 2-y Se y (CIGSSe) thin films have attracted a great deal of attention as promising absorbing materials for solar cell applications, owing to their favorable optical properties (e.g. a direct band gap and high absorption coefficients) and stable structure. Many studies have sought to improve the efficiency of solar cells using these films, and it has been found that surface modification through post-heat treatment can lead to surface passivation of surface defects and a subsequent increase in efficiency. The surface properties of solution-processed CIGSSe films are considered to be particularly important in this respect, owing to the fact that they are more prone to defects. In this work, CIGSSe thin films with differing S/Se ratios at their surface were synthesized by using a precursor solution and post-sulfurization heat treatment. These CIGSSe thin films were investigated with current-voltage and Kelvin probe force microscope (KPFM) analyses. Surface photovoltage (SPV), which is the difference in the work function in the dark and under illumination, was measured by using KPFM, which can examine the screening and the modification of surface charge through carrier trapping. As the concentration of S increases on the CIGSSe film surface, higher work functions and more positive SPV values were observed. Based on these measurements, we inferred the band-bending behavior of CIGSSe absorber films and proposed reasons for the improvement in solar cell performance. © 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  12. EdTrAc Teacher Education Program: First-Year Implementation Evaluation (2005-2006)

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pittman, Brian; Shelton, Ellen

    2006-01-01

    The Educational Training Academy (EdTrAc) is an NSF-funded project of Normandale Community College to increase the number, diversity, and skills of students preparing to be elementary and middle school teachers with a specialty in math and science. Overall, this evaluation indicates that the EdTrAc implementation is on track after its first year…

  13. Variable-frequency inverter controls torque, speed, and braking in ac induction motors

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Nola, F. J.

    1974-01-01

    Dc to ac inverter provides optimum frequency and voltage to ac induction motor, in response to different motor-load and speed requirements. Inverter varies slip frequency of motor in proportion to required torque. Inverter protects motor from high current surges, controls negative slip to apply braking, and returns energy stored in momentum of load to dc power source.

  14. The Group Selection or Assessment Centre (AC) Approach to Personnel Selection: An Annotated Bibliography,

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1988-02-01

    sponsors of ACs, e.g. their cost in terms of the time lost by senior managers because of their partici.nnts as assessors. Emhasises the need to address...American Psychologist. 37, 180-189. Reports use of the AC method to study the progress of a group of managers over a period of time . The study included...on 254 managers attending an AC, for changes in validities over time . Peer and assessor ratings, along with linear combinations, were found

  15. 21 CFR 886.1630 - AC-powered photostimulator.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false AC-powered photostimulator. 886.1630 Section 886.1630 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED... allows measurement of retinal or visual function by perceptual or electrical methods (e.g., stroboscope...

  16. Construction and characterisation of near-isogenic Plutella xylostella (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae) strains resistant to Cry1Ac toxin.

    PubMed

    Zhu, Xun; Lei, Yanyuan; Yang, Yanjv; Baxter, Simon W; Li, Jianhong; Wu, Qingjun; Wang, Shaoli; Xie, Wen; Guo, Zhaojiang; Fu, Wei; Zhang, Youjun

    2015-02-01

    Resistance to insecticidal Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) toxins has arisen in multiple populations of the worldwide Brassica pest Plutella xylostella (L.). To help elucidate the mechanism of resistance to Bt Cry1Ac toxin in a population from Florida, two pairs of near-isogenic lines (NILs) were developed. NILs were generated using either backcross or recombinant inbred line methodologies and evaluated for near-isogenicity with inter-simple-sequence-repeat (ISSR) markers. Backcross line BC6F4 maintained a similar level of Cry1Ac resistance to parental strain DBM1Ac-R (>5000-fold) yet showed 98.24% genetic similarity to the susceptible parental strain DBM1Ac-S. Single-pair backcrosses between DBM1Ac-S and BC6F4 revealed that Cry1Ac resistance was controlled by one recessive autosomal locus. BC6F4 exhibited high levels of cross-resistance to Cry1Ab and Cry1Ah but not to Cry1Ca or Cry1Ie. Near-isogenic strains were constructed to provide a reliable biological system to investigate the mechanism of Cry1Ac resistance in P. xylostella. These data suggest that resistance to Cry1Ac, Cry1Ab and Cry1Ah is probably caused by the alteration of a common receptor not recognised by Cry1Ca or Cry1Ie. Understanding Bt toxin cross-resistance provides valuable information to consider when developing pest control strategies to delay resistance evolution. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry.

  17. Molecular modeling of methyl-α-Neu5Ac analogues docked against cholera toxin--a molecular dynamics study.

    PubMed

    Blessy, J Jino; Sharmila, D Jeya Sundara

    2015-02-01

    Molecular modeling of synthetic methyl-α-Neu5Ac analogues modified in C-9 position was investigated by molecular docking and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation methods. Methyl-α-Neu5Ac analogues were docked against cholera toxin (CT) B subunit protein and MD simulations were carried out for three Methyl-α-Neu5Ac analogue-CT complexes (30, 10 and 10 ns) to estimate the binding activity of cholera toxin-Methyl-α-Neu5Ac analogues using OPLS_2005 force field. In this study, direct and water mediated hydrogen bonds play a vital role that exist between the methyl-α-9-N-benzoyl-amino-9-deoxy-Neu5Ac (BENZ)-cholera toxin active site residues. The Energy plot, RMSD and RMSF explain that the simulation was stable throughout the simulation run. Transition of phi, psi and omega angle for the complex was calculated. Molecular docking studies could be able to identify the binding mode of methyl-α-Neu5Ac analogues in the binding site of cholera toxin B subunit protein. MD simulation for Methyl-α-9-N-benzoyl-amino-9-deoxy-Neu5Ac (BENZ), Methyl-α-9-N-acetyl-9-deoxy-9-amino-Neu5Ac and Methyl-α-9-N-biphenyl-4-acetyl-deoxy-amino-Neu5Ac complex with CT B subunit protein was carried out, which explains the stable nature of interaction. These methyl-α-Neu5Ac analogues that have computationally acceptable pharmacological properties may be used as novel candidates for drug design for cholera disease.

  18. Protective and control relays as coal-mine power-supply ACS subsystem

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kostin, V. N.; Minakova, T. E.

    2017-10-01

    The paper presents instantaneous selective short-circuit protection for the cabling of the underground part of a coal mine and central control algorithms as a Coal-Mine Power-Supply ACS Subsystem. In order to improve the reliability of electricity supply and reduce the mining equipment down-time, a dual channel relay protection and central control system is proposed as a subsystem of the coal-mine power-supply automated control system (PS ACS).

  19. Non-compliance with ACS-COT recommended criteria for full trauma team activation is associated with undertriage deaths.

    PubMed

    Tignanelli, Christopher J; Vander Kolk, Wayne E; Mikhail, Judy N; Delano, Matthew J; Hemmila, Mark R

    2017-11-21

    The appropriate triage of acutely injured patients within a trauma system is associated with improved rates of mortality and optimal resource utilization. The American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma (ACS-COT) put forward six minimum criteria (ACS-6) for full trauma team activation (TTA). We hypothesized that ACS-COT verified trauma center compliance with these criteria is associated with low under-triage rates and improved overall mortality. Data from a state-wide collaborative quality initiative was utilized. We used data collected from 2014 through 2016 at 29 ACS verified level 1 and 2 trauma centers. Inclusion criteria were: adult patients (≥16 years) and ISS ≥5. Quantitative data existed to analyze four of the ACS-6 criteria (ED SBP≤90 mmHg, respiratory compromise/intubation, central GSW, and GCS<9). Patients were considered to be under-triaged if they had major trauma (ISS>15) and did not receive a full TTA. 51,792 patients were included in the study. Compliance with ACS-6 minimum criteria for full TTA varied from 51% to 82%. Presence of any ACS-6 criteria was associated with a high intervention rate and significant risk of mortality (OR 16.7, 95% CI 15.2-18.3, p<0.001). Of the 1004 deaths that were not a full activation, 433 (43%) were classified as under-triaged, and 301 (30%) had at least one ACS-6 criteria present. Under-triaged patients with any ACS-6 criteria were more likely to die than those who were not under-triaged (30% vs 21%, p=0.001). GCS<9 and need for emergent intubation were the ACS-6 criteria most frequently associated with under-triage mortality. Compliance with ACS-COT minimum criteria for full TTA remains sub-optimal and undertriage is associated with increased mortality. This data suggests that the most efficient quality improvement measure around triage should be ensuring compliance with the ACS-6 criteria. This study suggests that practice pattern modification to more strictly adhere to the minimum ACS-COT criteria for

  20. Baculovirus AC102 Is a Nucleocapsid Protein That Is Crucial for Nuclear Actin Polymerization and Nucleocapsid Morphogenesis.

    PubMed

    Hepp, Susan E; Borgo, Gina M; Ticau, Simina; Ohkawa, Taro; Welch, Matthew D

    2018-06-01

    The baculovirus Autographa californica multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus (AcMNPV), the type species of alphabaculoviruses, is an enveloped DNA virus that infects lepidopteran insects and is commonly known as a vector for protein expression and cell transduction. AcMNPV belongs to a diverse group of viral and bacterial pathogens that target the host cell actin cytoskeleton during infection. AcMNPV is unusual, however, in that it absolutely requires actin translocation into the nucleus early in infection and actin polymerization within the nucleus late in infection coincident with viral replication. Of the six viral factors that are sufficient, when coexpressed, to induce the nuclear localization of actin, only AC102 is essential for viral replication and the nuclear accumulation of actin. We therefore sought to better understand the role of AC102 in actin mobilization in the nucleus early and late in infection. Although AC102 was proposed to function early in infection, we found that AC102 is predominantly expressed as a late protein. In addition, we observed that AC102 is required for F-actin assembly in the nucleus during late infection, as well as for proper formation of viral replication structures and nucleocapsid morphogenesis. Finally, we found that AC102 is a nucleocapsid protein and a newly recognized member of a complex consisting of the viral proteins EC27, C42, and the actin polymerization protein P78/83. Taken together, our findings suggest that AC102 is necessary for nucleocapsid morphogenesis and actin assembly during late infection through its role as a component of the P78/83-C42-EC27-AC102 protein complex. IMPORTANCE The baculovirus Autographa californica multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus (AcMNPV) is an important biotechnological tool for protein expression and cell transduction, and related nucleopolyhedroviruses are also used as environmentally benign insecticides. One impact of our work is to better understand the fundamental mechanisms through which Ac