Sample records for narrow strip clear-cuts

  1. Strip cutting in northern hardwoods

    Treesearch

    Richard M. Godman

    1992-01-01

    Interest in clearcutting young northern hardwood stands in strips is running high, especially now that mechanical fellers and skidders have been developed to harvest these stands. Strip cutting has several advantages-no overstory to worry about when treating the site, no overstory to remove later, and the economic advantage of cutting the strip only once.

  2. Qualification of submerged-arc narrow strip cladding process

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

    Ayres, P.S.; Gottschling, J.D.; Jeffers, G.K.

    1975-08-01

    An unique narrow strip cladding process for use on both plate and forging material for nuclear components was developed. The qualification testing of this low-heat input process for cladding nuclear components, including those of SA508 Class 2 material is described. The theory that explains the acceptable results of these tests is also given. (auth)

  3. Qualification of submerged-arc narrow strip cladding process

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

    Ayres, P.S.; Gottschling, J.D.; Jeffers, G.K.

    1976-03-01

    Babcock and Wilcox has developed an unique narrow strip cladding process for use on both plate and forging material for nuclear components. The qualification testing of this low-heat input process for cladding nuclear components is described, including those of SA508 Class 2 material. The theory that explains the acceptable results of these tests is also given.

  4. Revegetation after strip cutting and block clearcutting in northern hardwoods: a 10-year history

    Treesearch

    C. Wayne Martin; Hornbeck James W.; Hornbeck James W.

    1989-01-01

    Changes in the density and biomass of trees, shrubs, and herbs were measured periodically over 10 years following a progressive strip cutting and block clearcutting of northern hardwoods. At 10 years after clearcutting, yellow birch was the most numerous commercial or uncommercial tree on the block clearcut; sugar maple on the strip cut. Pin cherry dominated the...

  5. High pressure water jet cutting and stripping

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hoppe, David T.; Babai, Majid K.

    1991-01-01

    High pressure water cutting techniques have a wide range of applications to the American space effort. Hydroblasting techniques are commonly used during the refurbishment of the reusable solid rocket motors. The process can be controlled to strip a thermal protective ablator without incurring any damage to the painted surface underneath by using a variation of possible parameters. Hydroblasting is a technique which is easily automated. Automation removes personnel from the hostile environment of the high pressure water. Computer controlled robots can perform the same task in a fraction of the time that would be required by manual operation.

  6. Cottonwood Seeds - In on Bulldozed Strips

    Treesearch

    R. L. Johnson

    1961-01-01

    In a stand of cutover hardwood near Vicksburg, Mississippi, cottonwood has been regenerated naturally by clearing or deadening the overstory and then cutting shallow strips or trenches into the ground with a bulldozer. The method was successful because it exposed mineral soil, controlled competing plants, and increased soil moisture.

  7. High Energy Cutting and Stripping Utilizing Liquid Nitrogen

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hume, Howard; Noah, Donald E.; Hayes, Paul W.

    2005-01-01

    The Aerospace Industry has endeavored for decades to develop hybrid materials that withstand the rigors of mechanized flight both within our atmosphere and beyond. The development of these high performance materials has led to the need for environmentally friendly technologies for material re-work and removal. The NitroJet(TM) is a fluid jet technology that represents an evolution of the widely used, large-scale water jet fluid jet technology. It involves the amalgamation of fluid jet technology and cryogenics technology to create a new capability that is applicable where water jet or abrasive jet (water jet plus entrained abrasive) are not suitable or acceptable because of technical constraints such as process or materials compatibility, environmental concerns and aesthetic or legal requirements. The NitroJet(TM) uses ultra high-pressure nitrogen to cut materials, strip numerous types of coatings such as paint or powder coating, clean surfaces and profile metals. Liquid nitrogen (LN2) is used as the feed stream and is pressurized in two stages. The first stage pressurizes sub cooled LN2 to an intermediate pressure of between 15,000 and 20,000 psi at which point the temperature of the LN2 is about -250 F. The discharge from this stage is then introduced as feed to a dual intensifier system, which boosts the pressure from 15,000 - 20,000 psi up to the maximum operating pressure of 55,000 psi. A temperature of about -220 F is achieved at which point the nitrogen is supercritical. In this condition the nitrogen cuts, strips and abrades much like ultra high-pressure water would but without any residual liquid to collect, remove or be contaminated. Once the nitrogen has performed its function it harmlessly flashes back into the atmosphere as pure nitrogen gas. The system uses heat exchangers to control and modify the temperature of the various intake and discharge nitrogen streams. Since the system is hydraulically operated, discharge pressures can be easily varied over

  8. Regeneration after clear-cutting second-growth northern hardwoods

    Treesearch

    Robert W. Wilson; Victor S. Jensen

    1954-01-01

    Regeneration after clear-cutting second-growth northern hardwoods is often unsatisfactory, in both quantity and species composition. A small area on the Bartlett Experimental Forest near Bartlett, N.H., provides a good example.

  9. Nitrate and Aluminum Transport Through Soil Layers in a Clear-Cut Watershed

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    McHale, M. R.; Murdoch, P. S.; Burns, D. A.

    2002-12-01

    The 24-ha Dry Creek watershed in the Catskill Mountains of New York State was clear-cut during 1997 to evaluate nutrient release to New York City reservoirs due to forest harvesting. The Dry Creek watershed is in the headwaters of the Neversink watershed, which is part of the New York City Reservoir system that supplies drinking water to over 20 million people. Soil water, groundwater seeps, and stream water chemistry were monitored to trace the transport of solutes before and after the timber harvest. Automated sequential zero-tension lysimeters and standard zero-tension lysimeters were installed at depths of 70, 300, and 500 mm to sample soil water in the O, B, and C-horizons, respectively. Pre-cut (water years 1993-1996) mean soil water concentrations from zero tension lysimeters indicate that O-horizon soil water (70 mm depth) had the highest nitrate (NO3-) and monomeric aluminum (Alm) concentrations (73 and 18 μmoles l-1, respectively). During that same time period water from ground-water seeps had lower NO3- and Alm concentrations (22 and 0.88 μmoles l-1, respectively) than any soil waters sampled. During the two years following the clear-cut, groundwater seep NO3- concentrations were 138-123 μmoles l-1 and Alm concentrations were 50-30 μmoles l-1 lower than that measured in soil water. Throughout the same time period, B-horizon soil water had the highest mean NO3- concentration (345 μmoles l-1) while C-horizon soil water had the highest mean Alm concentrations (51 μmoles l-1). But during storms in the first year after the clear-cut O-horizon soil water NO3- and Alm concentrations often peaked at more than twice those measured in the B-horizon. During the second year after the clear-cut, B-horizon storm NO3- concentrations were consistently greater than O-horizon concentrations. During the fourth and fifth years following the clear-cut, soil water NO3- concentrations had dropped below pre-cut concentrations however NO3- in groundwater seeps remained

  10. On Clear-Cut Mapping with Time-Series of Sentinel-1 Data in Boreal Forest

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rauste, Yrjo; Antropov, Oleg; Mutanen, Teemu; Hame, Tuomas

    2016-08-01

    Clear-cutting is the most drastic and wide-spread change that affects the hydrological and carbon-balance proper- ties of forested land in the Boreal forest zone1.A time-series of 36 Sentinel-1 images was used to study the potential for mapping clear-cut areas. The time series covered one and half year (2014-10-09 ... 2016-03-20) in a 200-km-by-200-km study site in Finland. The Sentinel- 1 images were acquired in Interferometric Wide-swath (IW), dual-polarized mode (VV+VH). All scenes were acquired in the same orbit configuration. Amplitude im- ages (GRDH product) were used. The Sentinel-1 scenes were ortho-rectified with in-house software using a digi- tal elevation model (DEM) produced by the Land Survey of Finland. The Sentinel-1 amplitude data were radio- metrically corrected for topographic effects.The temporal behaviour of C-band backscatter was stud- ied for areas representing 1) areas clear-cut during the ac- quisition of the Sentinel-1 time-series, 2) areas remaining forest during the acquisition of the Sentinel-1 time-series, and 3) areas that had been clear-cut before the acquisition of the Sentinel-1 time-series.The following observations were made:1. The separation between clear-cut areas and forest was generally low;2. Under certain acquisition conditions, clear-cut areas were well separable from forest;3. The good scenes were acquired: 1) in winter during thick snow cover, and 2) in late summer towards the end of a warm and dry period;4. The separation between clear-cut and forest was higher in VH polarized data than in VV-polarized data.5. The separation between clear-cut and forest was higher in the winter/snow scenes than in the dry summer scenes.

  11. Effect of forest clear-cutting on landslide occurrences: Analysis of rainfall thresholds at Mt. Ichifusa, Japan

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Saito, Hitoshi; Murakami, Wataru; Daimaru, Hiromu; Oguchi, Takashi

    2017-01-01

    Vegetation cover is an important factor for rainfall-induced landslides. We analyzed the effect of forest clear-cutting on the initiation of landslides using empirical rainfall intensity-duration (I-D) thresholds at Mt. Ichifusa, Japan, which is characterized by granitic rocks. Extensive clear-cutting was conducted for the forest industry during the late 1960s in the northern part of Mt. Ichifusa. This single episode of clear-cutting caused frequent shallow landslides triggered by rainfall. We interpreted orthorectified aerial photographs from 1969, 1976, 1980, 1985, 1990, 1995, 1999, and 2005 using GIS and mapped landslides based on these photographs. We then analyzed all rainfall events of the warm seasons (Apr.-Oct.) of 1952-2011 (60 years) based on hourly rain gauge data. We used basic rainfall parameters such as mean rainfall intensity (I, mm/h) and duration (D, h) and estimated the return periods of these rainfall conditions. We investigated rainfall I-D thresholds for landslide occurrences in each period represented by the aerial photographs and assessed the relationships between landslide occurrences and topographic characteristics from 10-m DEMs. The results show that several landslides occurred after clear-cutting before 1976 but that they have occurred most frequently during the periods 1976-1980, 1980-1985, and 1990-1995. Numerous landslides occurred in these years at steeper and gentler slopes in the clear-cut area, but few landslides occurred in the non-clear-cut area. Rainfall analysis demonstrates that rainfall I-D thresholds after clear-cutting declined to half of those of the non-clear-cut area. The return periods of these rainfall I-D thresholds also declined to 1 year for short durations of < 12 h and to < 3 years for 72 h in the clear-cut area. Our findings underscore the substantial hysteresis effects between clear-cutting and landslide occurrences at Mt. Ichifusa.

  12. An assessment of buffer strips for improving damage tolerance of composite laminates at elevated temperature

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bigelow, C. A.

    1981-01-01

    Buffer strips greatly improve the damage tolerance of graphite/epoxy laminates loaded in tension. Graphite/polyimide buffer strip panels were made and tested to determine their residual strength at ambient and elevated (177 C) temperature. Each panel was cut in the center to represent damage. Panels were radiographed and crack-opening displacements were recorded to indicate fracture, fracture arrest, and the extent of damage in the buffer strip after arrest. All panels had the same buffer strip spacing and width. The buffer strip material was 0 deg S-glass/PMR-15. The buffer strips were made by replacing narrow strips of the 0 deg graphite plies with strips of the 0 deg S-glass on either a one-for-one or a two-for-one basis. Half of the panels were heated to 177 + or - 3 C before and during the testing. Elevated temperature did not alter the fracture behavior of the buffer configuration.

  13. Wooded strips in Iowa

    Treesearch

    A.L. Hartong; K.E. Moessner

    1956-01-01

    The recent Forest Survey of Iowa reported as forest land only those areas larger than 1 acre in size and more than 120 feet wide. In farming states like Iowa, however, such small patches and narrow strips of wooded land take on greater significance than in more heavily forested states. Reasons for this are that small woodlands, especially in the form of narrow strips,...

  14. Strips, Clearcuts, And Deferment Cuts: Harvest Costs And Site Impacts For Alternative Prescriptions In Upland Hardwoods

    Treesearch

    Robert B. Rummer; Emily Carter; Bryce Stokes; John Klepac

    1997-01-01

    Clearcutting upland hardwood stands is a common management prescription in the South which maximizes harvest efficiency. However, with increasing concerns about esthetics and ecological impacts, a better understanding of alternative treatments is needed. This study compared conventional block clearcutting, strip clearcutting, and deferment cutting in replicated...

  15. Consequences of forest clear-cuts for native and nonindigenous ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Zettler, J.A.; Taylor, M.D.; Allen, Craig R.; Spira, T.P.

    2004-01-01

    Currently, the southern United States produces more timber than any other region in the world. Entire timber stands are removed through a harvesting method called clear-cutting. This common forestry practice may lead to the replacement of native ant communities with invasive, nonindigenous species. In four deciduous forest sites in South Carolina, we monitored the change in ant species richness, diversity, and abundance immediately after forest clearing for a period of 15 mo to 2 yr and determined the incidence of colonization of the red imported fire ant Solenopsis invicta into these four newly disturbed sites. Each site consisted of an uncut, forested plot and a logged, pine-planted plot. Fire ants were collected in clear-cuts as early as 3 mo postcutting, and by the end of the experiment, they were found in all four treatment sites. Our study is the first to document, through a controlled experiment, that clear-cutting alters ant species assemblages by increasing S. invicta and Pheidole spp. populations and significantly reducing native ant numbers. Long-term studies are needed to assess how replacing native deciduous forests with pine monocultures affects ant assemblages. ?? 2004 Entomological Society of America.

  16. Changes of soil prokaryotic communities after clear-cutting in a karst forest: evidences for cutting-based disturbance promoting deterministic processes.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Xiao; Liu, Shirong; Li, Xiangzhen; Wang, Jingxin; Ding, Qiong; Wang, Hui; Tian, Chao; Yao, Minjie; An, Jiaxing; Huang, Yongtao

    2016-03-01

    To understand the temporal responses of soil prokaryotic communities to clear-cutting disturbance, we examined the changes in soil bacterial and archaeal community composition, structure and diversity along a chronosequence of forest successional restoration using high-throughput 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Our results demonstrated that clear-cutting significantly altered soil bacterial community structure, while no significant shifts of soil archaeal communities were observed. The hypothesis that soil bacterial communities would become similar to those of surrounding intact primary forest with natural regeneration was supported by the shifts in the bacterial community composition and structure. Bacterial community diversity patterns induced by clear-cutting were consistent with the intermediate disturbance hypothesis. Dynamics of bacterial communities was mostly driven by soil properties, which collectively explained more than 70% of the variation in bacterial community composition. Community assembly data revealed that clear-cutting promoted the importance of the deterministic processes in shaping bacterial communities, coinciding with the resultant low resource environments. But assembly processes in the secondary forest returned a similar level compared to the intact primary forest. These findings suggest that bacterial community dynamics may be predictable during the natural recovery process. © FEMS 2016. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  17. THE HYDROLOGIC RESPONSE OF A SMALL CATCHMENT TO CLEAR-CUTTING

    EPA Science Inventory

    We simulated how a landscape disturbance (e.g., fire or clear-cutting) alters hillslope and catchment hydrologic processes. Specifically, we simulated how the pattern and magnitude of tree removal in a catchment increases downslope transport of water and alters catchment soil moi...

  18. Visual illusion in mass estimation of cut food.

    PubMed

    Wada, Yuji; Tsuzuki, Daisuke; Kobayashi, Naoki; Hayakawa, Fumiyo; Kohyama, Kaoru

    2007-07-01

    We investigated the effect of the appearance of cut food on visual mass estimation. In this experiment, we manipulated the shape (e.g., a block, fine strips, or small cubes) of food samples of various masses, and presented them on a CRT display as stimuli. Eleven subjects participated in tasks to choose the picture of the food sample which they felt indicated a target mass. We used raw carrots and surimi (ground fish) gel as hard and soft samples, respectively. The results clearly confirm an existence of an illusion, and this indicates that the appearance of food interferes with visual mass estimation. Specifically, participants often overestimated the mass of finely cut food, especially fine strips, whereas they could accurately estimate the mass of block samples, regardless of the physical characteristics of the foods. The overestimation of the mass of cut food increased with the food's actual mass, and was particularly obvious with increases of apparent volume when cut into fine strips. These results suggest that the apparent volume of a food sample effects the visual estimation of its mass. Hence we can conclude that there are illusions associated with the visual presentation of food that may influence various food impressions, including satisfaction and eating behaviour.

  19. Damage tolerance of woven graphite-epoxy buffer strip panels

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kennedy, John M.

    1990-01-01

    Graphite-epoxy panels with S glass buffer strips were tested in tension and shear to measure their residual strengths with crack-like damage. The buffer strips were regularly spaced narrow strips of continuous S glass. Panels were made with a uniweave graphite cloth where the S glass buffer material was woven directly into the cloth. Panels were made with different width and thickness buffer strips. The panels were loaded to failure while remote strain, strain at the end of the slit, and crack opening displacement were monitoring. The notched region and nearby buffer strips were radiographed periodically to reveal crack growth and damage. Except for panels with short slits, the buffer strips arrested the propagating crack. The strength (or failing strain) of the panels was significantly higher than the strength of all-graphite panels with the same length slit. Panels with wide, thick buffer strips were stronger than panels with thin, narrow buffer strips. A shear-lag model predicted the failing strength of tension panels with wide buffer strips accurately, but over-estimated the strength of the shear panels and the tension panels with narrow buffer strips.

  20. Bird Responses to burns and clear cuts in the boreal forest of Canada

    Treesearch

    Susan J. Hannon; Pierre Drapeau

    2005-01-01

    Unlike many other ecosystems in North America, the boreal forest in Canada still retains a natural fire regime. However, increasing industrial forestry, primarily clear cutting, could alter natural fire dynamics and adversely affect some species. A possible solution to this, promoted by many forest managers, is to cut the forest in a way that emulates natural fire...

  1. Increased impedance near cut-off in plasma-like media leading to emission of high-power, narrow-bandwidth radiation

    PubMed Central

    Hur, M. S.; Ersfeld, B.; Noble, A.; Suk, H.; Jaroszynski, D. A.

    2017-01-01

    Ultra-intense, narrow-bandwidth, electromagnetic pulses have become important tools for exploring the characteristics of matter. Modern tuneable high-power light sources, such as free-electron lasers and vacuum tubes, rely on bunching of relativistic or near-relativistic electrons in vacuum. Here we present a fundamentally different method for producing narrow-bandwidth radiation from a broad spectral bandwidth current source, which takes advantage of the inflated radiation impedance close to cut-off in a medium with a plasma-like permittivity. We find that by embedding a current source in this cut-off region, more than an order of magnitude enhancement of the radiation intensity is obtained compared with emission directly into free space. The method suggests a simple and general way to flexibly use broadband current sources to produce broad or narrow bandwidth pulses. As an example, we demonstrate, using particle-in-cell simulations, enhanced monochromatic emission of terahertz radiation using a two-colour pumped current source enclosed by a tapered waveguide. PMID:28071681

  2. Increased impedance near cut-off in plasma-like media leading to emission of high-power, narrow-bandwidth radiation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hur, M. S.; Ersfeld, B.; Noble, A.; Suk, H.; Jaroszynski, D. A.

    2017-01-01

    Ultra-intense, narrow-bandwidth, electromagnetic pulses have become important tools for exploring the characteristics of matter. Modern tuneable high-power light sources, such as free-electron lasers and vacuum tubes, rely on bunching of relativistic or near-relativistic electrons in vacuum. Here we present a fundamentally different method for producing narrow-bandwidth radiation from a broad spectral bandwidth current source, which takes advantage of the inflated radiation impedance close to cut-off in a medium with a plasma-like permittivity. We find that by embedding a current source in this cut-off region, more than an order of magnitude enhancement of the radiation intensity is obtained compared with emission directly into free space. The method suggests a simple and general way to flexibly use broadband current sources to produce broad or narrow bandwidth pulses. As an example, we demonstrate, using particle-in-cell simulations, enhanced monochromatic emission of terahertz radiation using a two-colour pumped current source enclosed by a tapered waveguide.

  3. Science Comic Strips

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kim, Dae Hyun; Jang, Hae Gwon; Shin, Dong Sun; Kim, Sun-Ja; Yoo, Chang Young; Chung, Min Suk

    2012-01-01

    Science comic strips entitled Dr. Scifun were planned to promote science jobs and studies among professionals (scientists, graduate and undergraduate students) and children. To this end, the authors collected intriguing science stories as the basis of scenarios, and drew four-cut comic strips, first on paper and subsequently as computer files.…

  4. 21 CFR 882.5900 - Preformed craniosynostosis strip.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-04-01

    ... craniosynostosis strip. (a) Identification. A preformed craniosynostosis strip is a plastic strip used to cover bone edges of craniectomy sites (sites where the skull has been cut) to prevent the bone from regrowing...

  5. 21 CFR 882.5900 - Preformed craniosynostosis strip.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-04-01

    ... craniosynostosis strip. (a) Identification. A preformed craniosynostosis strip is a plastic strip used to cover bone edges of craniectomy sites (sites where the skull has been cut) to prevent the bone from regrowing...

  6. 21 CFR 882.5900 - Preformed craniosynostosis strip.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-04-01

    ... craniosynostosis strip. (a) Identification. A preformed craniosynostosis strip is a plastic strip used to cover bone edges of craniectomy sites (sites where the skull has been cut) to prevent the bone from regrowing...

  7. 21 CFR 882.5900 - Preformed craniosynostosis strip.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-04-01

    ... craniosynostosis strip. (a) Identification. A preformed craniosynostosis strip is a plastic strip used to cover bone edges of craniectomy sites (sites where the skull has been cut) to prevent the bone from regrowing...

  8. Natural regeneration of Douglas-fir and associated species using modified clear-cutting systems in the Oregon Cascades.

    Treesearch

    Jerry F. Franklin

    1963-01-01

    Clear cutting is the standard harvesting system in old-growth Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) forests in the Pacific Northwest. Usually these clear cuts are in "staggered settings" of 15 to 80 acres with the surrounding stand left uncut to provide seed and serve as a firebreak. However, satisfactory natural regeneration of Douglas-fir...

  9. High resolution He I 10830 angstrom narrow-band imaging of an M-class flare.I-analysis of sunspot dynamics during flaring

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Ya; Su, Yingna; Hong, Zhenxiang; Zeng, Zhicheng; Ji, Kaifan; Goode, Philip R.; Cao, Wenda; Ji, Haisheng

    2016-10-01

    We report our first-step results of high resolution He I 1083 nm narrow-band imaging of an M 1.8 class two-ribbon flare on July 5,2012. The flare was observed with the 1.6 meter aperture New Solar Telescope at Big Bear Solar Observatory. For this unique data set, sunspot dynamics during flaring were analyzed for the first time. By directly imaging the upper chromosphere, running penumbral waves are clearly seen as an outward extention of umbral flashes, both take the form of absorption in our 1083 nm narrow-band images. From a space-time image made of a slit cutting across the ribbon and the sunspot, we find that dark lanes for umbral flashes and penumbral waves are obviously broadened after the flare. The most prominent feature is the sudden appearance of an oscillating absorption strip inside one ribbon of the flare when it sweeps into sunspot's penumbral and umbral regions. During each oscillation, outwardly propagating umbral flashes and subsequent penumbral waves rush out into the inwardly sweeping ribbon, followed by a returning of the absorption strip with similar speed. We tentatively explain the phenomenon as the result of a sudden increase in the density of ortho-Helium atoms in the area of the sunspot area being excited by the flare's EUV illumination. This explanation is based on the obsevation that 1083 nm absorption in the sunspot area gets enhanced during the flare. Nevertheless, questions are still open and we need further well-devised observations to investigate the behavior of sunspot dynamics during flares.

  10. Organic horizon and mineral soil mercury along three clear-cut forest chronosequences across the northeastern USA.

    PubMed

    Richardson, Justin B; Petrenko, Chelsea L; Friedland, Andrew J

    2017-12-01

    Mercury (Hg) is a globally distributed pollutant trace metal that has been increasing in terrestrial environments due to rising anthropogenic emissions. Vegetation plays an important role in Hg sequestration in forested environments, but increasing tree removal for biofuels and wood products may affect this process. The long-term effect of clear-cutting on forest soil Hg remains uncertain, since most studies are limited to measuring changes for < 10 years following a single harvest event. The chronosequence approach, which substitutes space for time using forest stands of different ages since clear-cutting, allows for investigation of processes occurring over decades to centuries. Here, we utilized three clear-cut forest soil chronosequences across the northeastern USA to understand Hg accumulation and retention over several decades. Total Hg concentrations and pools were quantified for five soil depth increments along three chronosequences. Our results showed Hg concentrations and pools decreased in the initial 20 years following clear-cutting. Mineral soil Hg pools decreased 21-53% (7-14 mg m -2 ) between 1-5-year-old stands and 15-25-year-old stands but mineral soil Hg pools recovered in 55-140-year-old stands to similar values as measured in 1-5-year-old stands. Our study is one of the first to demonstrate a decrease and recovery in Hg pool size. These changes in Hg did not correspond with changes in bulk density, soil C, or pH. We utilized a simple two-box model to determine how different Hg fluxes affected organic and mineral soil horizon Hg pools. Our simple model suggests that changes in litterfall and volatilization rates could have caused the observed changes in organic horizon Hg pools. However, only increases in leaching could reproduce observed decreases to mineral soil Hg pools. Further studies are needed to determine the mechanism of Hg loss from forest soils following clear-cutting.

  11. Effect of forest clear-cutting on subtropical bryophyte communities in waterfalls, on dripping walls, and along streams.

    PubMed

    Patiño, Jairo; Hylander, Kristoffer; González-Mancebo, Juana M

    2010-09-01

    Forested freshwater ecosystems worldwide are threatened by a number of anthropogenic disturbances, such as water pollution and canalization. Transient or permanent deforestation can also be a serious threat to organisms in forested watersheds, but its effects on different types of freshwater systems has been little studied. We investigated lotic bryophyte communities on rock and soil in subtropical cloud laurel forests on La Gomera Island in the Canary Islands, Spain, and asked whether the response to forest clear-cutting varied among the communities associated with dripping walls, streams, and waterfalls. We compared three successional forest stages: ancient forests (> 250 years), young forests (20-50 years after clear-cutting), and open stands (5-15 years after clear-cutting). In each of 56 study sites we sampled general vegetation and substrate data in a 0.01-ha plot and took composition data of bryophyte species in 3 + 3 subplots of 1 x 1 m. The general pattern of decline in species richness and change in species composition after forest clear-cutting was stronger for streamside assemblages compared to assemblages on dripping walls and in waterfalls. The change in species numbers on rocks was larger than that on soils, because a guild of species growing on soil (but not on rocks) were favored by disturbance and thus increased in the disturbed sites. Most of the sensitive species could be classified as typical laurel forest species. Mosses were generally more tolerant to forest clear-cutting than were liverworts. We suggest that streamsides are more sensitive to disturbance than waterfalls and dripping walls because of a larger variation in microclimate before than after clear-cutting and because they are more easily invaded by early-successional species (both bryophytes and highly competitive vascular plants). We propose that special care should be taken along small streams within disturbed watersheds if bryophyte assemblages and threatened species should be

  12. CO2 and heat fluxes in a recently clear-cut spruce forest in European Russia: experimental and modeling studies

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mamkin, Vadim; Kurbatova, Julia; Avilov, Vitaly; Mukhartova, Yulia; Krupenko, Alexander; Ivanov, Dmitry; Levashova, Natalia; Olchev, Alexander

    2017-04-01

    Ecosystem carbon dioxide, energy, and water fluxes were measured using eddy covariance and portable chambers in a fresh clear-cut surrounded by a mixed spruce-birch-aspen forest in the boreal zone of European Russia. Measurements were initiated in spring 2016 following timber harvest and continued for seven months until the end of October. The influence of surrounding forest on air flow and turbulent fluxes within the clear-cut were examined using a process-based two-dimensional (2D) hydrodynamic turbulent exchange model. Clear-cut was a permanent source of CO2 to the atmosphere. During the period the mean daily latent (LE) and sensible (H) heat fluxes were very similar and the Bowen ratio (β=H/LE) averaged about 1.0. During the late spring and summer months the net ecosystem exchange of CO2 (NEE) remained slightly positive following onset of vegetation growth, while β was changing in the range from 0.6 to 4.0. There was strong diurnal variability in NEE, LE and H over the measurement period that was governed by solar radiation and temperature as well as the leaf area index (LAI) of regrown vegetation. Modeled vertical CO2 and H2O fluxes along a transect that crossed the clear-cut and coincided with the dominate wind direction showed that the clear-cut strongly influenced turbulent fluxes within the atmospheric surface layer. Furthermore, modeled atmospheric dynamics suggested that the clear-cut had a large influence on turbulent fluxes in the downwind forest, but little impact on the upwind side. An aggregated approach including field measurements and process-based models can be used to estimate energy, water and carbon dioxide fluxes in non-uniform forest landscapes. This study was supported by a grant from the Russian Science Foundation (14-14-00956).

  13. Bird community response to filter strips in Maryland

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Blank, P.J.; Dively, G.P.; Gill, D.E.; Rewa, C.A.

    2011-01-01

    Filter strips are strips of herbaceous vegetation planted along agricultural field margins adjacent to streams or wetlands and are designed to intercept sediment, nutrients, and agrichemicals. Roughly 16,000 ha of filter strips have been established in Maryland through the United States Department of Agriculture's Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program. Filter strips often represent the only uncultivated herbaceous areas on farmland in Maryland and therefore may be important habitat for early-successional bird species. Most filter strips in Maryland are planted to either native warm-season grasses or cool-season grasses and range in width from 10.7 m to 91.4 m. From 2004 to 2007 we studied the breeding and wintering bird communities in filter strips adjacent to wooded edges and non-buffered field edges and the effect that grass type and width of filter strips had on bird community composition. We used 5 bird community metrics (total bird density, species richness, scrub-shrub bird density, grassland bird density, and total avian conservation value), species-specific densities, nest densities, and nest survival estimates to assess the habitat value of filter strips for birds. Breeding and wintering bird community metrics were greater in filter strips than in non-buffered field edges but did not differ between cool-season and warm-season grass filter strips. Most breeding bird community metrics were negatively related to the percent cover of orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata) in ???1 yr. Breeding bird density was greater in narrow (60 m) filter strips. Our results suggest that narrow filter strips adjacent to wooded edges can provide habitat for many bird species but that wide filter strips provide better habitat for grassland birds, particularly obligate grassland species. If bird conservation is an objective, avoid planting orchardgrass in filter strips and reduce or eliminate orchardgrass from filter strips through management practices. Copyright ?? 2011 The

  14. Wide field strip-imaging optical system

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Vaughan, Arthur H. (Inventor)

    1994-01-01

    A strip imaging wide angle optical system is provided. The optical system is provided with a 'virtual' material stop to avoid aberrational effects inherent in wide angle optical systems. The optical system includes a spherical mirror section for receiving light from a 180-degree strip or arc of a target image. Light received by the spherical mirror section is reflected to a frusto-conical mirror section for subsequent rereflection to a row of optical fibers. Each optical fiber transmits a portion of the received light to a detector. The optical system exploits the narrow cone of acceptance associated with optical fibers to substantially eliminate vignetting effects inherent in wide-angle systems. Further, the optical system exploits the narrow cone of acceptance of the optical fibers to substantially limit spherical aberration. The optical system is ideally suited for any application wherein a 180-degree strip image need be detected, and is particularly well adapted for use in hostile environments such as in planetary exploration.

  15. Ecological indicators of forest degradation after forest fire and clear-cutting in the Siberian larch (Larix sibirica) stand of Mongolia

    Treesearch

    Y.D. Park; D.K. Lee; J.A. Stanturf; S.Y. Woo; D. Zoyo

    2009-01-01

    This study was conducted to investigate ecological indicators of forest degradation after forest fire and clear-cutting in the Siberian larch (Larix sibirica Ledeb.) stand of Mongolia. The species abundance and biodiversity indices were higher in burned and clear-cut stands than those of reference stand, but boreal understory species, such as Vaccinium vitis-idaea,...

  16. Measurement of the residual stress in hot rolled strip using strain gauge method

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kumar, Lokendra; Majumdar, Shrabani; Sahu, Raj Kumar

    2017-07-01

    Measurement of the surface residual stress in a flat hot rolled steel strip using strain gauge method is considered in this paper. Residual stresses arise in the flat strips when the shear cut and laser cut is applied. Bending, twisting, central buckled and edge waviness is the common defects occur during the cutting and uncoiling process. These defects arise due to the non-uniform elastic-plastic deformation, phase transformation occurring during cooling and coiling-uncoiling process. The residual stress analysis is very important because with early detection it is possible to prevent an object from failure. The goal of this paper is to measure the surface residual stress in flat hot rolled strip using strain gauge method. The residual stress was measured in the head and tail end of hot rolled strip considering as a critical part of the strip.

  17. Diversity, density, and development of early vegetation in a small clear-cut environment

    Treesearch

    Philip M. McDonald

    1999-01-01

    On a high quality site in northern California, frequency, density, foliar cover, and height were measured on every plant species present in an 8-acre clear-cut opening each year from 1976 through 1980. Plant species numbered 71, although no more than 62 were present during a given year. Categories of vegetation with the most plants per acre initially were shrubs,...

  18. Response of subalpine grasslands communities to clear-cut and prescribed burnt to control shrub encroachment in Pyrenees

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Alados, Concepción L.; Gartzia, Maite; Nuche, Paloma; Saiz, Hugo; Pueyo, Yolanda

    2017-04-01

    Anthropogenic activities have modified vegetation in subalpine belts for long time, lowering treeline ecotone and influencing landscape mainly through grazing and fire. During the last decades the abandonment of traditional land use practices and global warming are contributing largely to the colonization of woody species in subalpine grasslands causing irreversible changes in ecosystem functioning. To prevent those changes a variety of management strategies are carried out to stop the expansion of the highly encroaching shrubs, which require the use of fire and/or clear-cutting, particularly for the conservation of grasslands in subhumid high productive ecosystems. However, it is still poorly understood how different management strategies affect the recovery of subalpine grasslands. Using a field experiment we tested the impact of management treatments on soil properties and vegetation characteristics, including species richness, community structure, interspecies interaction, and complexity of network association. Vegetation was monitored during four years in eight stands (two stands per treatment) where the vegetation was removed by prescribed fire (Burnt treatment), or by mechanical removal (Clear-cut treatment). Two undisturbed E. horridum stands were used as a control (C-Erizón) and two grassland communities regularly grazed (C-Grass) were used as a control for subalpine grassland. Soils nutrients declined in Burnt treatment 3 years after fire, but not differences between Clear-cut and C-Erizón were observed. Species richness and diversity were larger in C-Grass and lower in C-Erizón. Burnt and Clear-cut treatments increased species diversity and richness gradually after 4 year treatment. The proportion of legume forbs, grasses and non-legume forbs did not reach the levels of C-Grass after 4 years of Clear-cut or Burnt treatments. Shrubs and sub-shrubs increased faster after 4 years of burning than after 4 years of clearing, although they did not reach the

  19. Wood-inhabiting beetles in low stumps, high stumps and logs on boreal clear-cuts: implications for dead wood management.

    PubMed

    Andersson, Jon; Hjältén, Joakim; Dynesius, Mats

    2015-01-01

    The increasing demand for biofuels from logging residues require serious attention on the importance of dead wood substrates on clear-cuts for the many forestry-intolerant saproxylic (wood-inhabiting) species. In particular, the emerging harvest of low stumps motivates further study of these substrates. On ten clear-cuts we compared the species richness, abundance and species composition of saproxylic beetles hatching from four to nine year old low stumps, high stumps and logs of Norway spruce. By using emergence traps we collected a total of 2,670 saproxylic beetles among 195 species during the summers of 2006, 2007 and 2009. We found that the species assemblages differed significantly between high stumps and logs all three years. The species assemblages of low stumps, on the other hand, were intermediate to those found in logs and high stumps. There were also significant difference in species richness between the three examined years, and we found significant effect of substrate type on richness of predators and fungivores. As shown in previous studies of low stumps on clear-cuts they can sustain large numbers of different saproxylic beetles, including red-listed species. Our study does, in addition to this fact, highlight a possible problem in creating just one type of substrate as a tool for conservation in forestry. Species assemblages in high stumps did not differ significantly from those found in low stumps. Instead logs, which constitute a scarcer substrate type on clear-cuts, provided habitat for a more distinct assemblage of saproxylic species than high stumps. It can therefore be questioned whether high stumps are an optimal tool for nature conservation in clear-cutting forestry. Our results also indicate that low stumps constitute an equally important substrate as high stumps and logs, and we therefore suggest that stump harvesting is done after carefully evaluating measures to provide habitat for saproxylic organisms.

  20. Aboveground biomass and nutrient accumulation 20 years after clear-cutting a southern Appalachian watershed

    Treesearch

    Katherine J. Elliott; Lindsay R. Boring; Wayne T. Swank

    2002-01-01

    In 1975, we initiated a long-term interdisciplinary study of forest watershed ecosystem response to clear- cutting and cable logging in watershed 7 at the Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory in the southern Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina. This paper describes ~20 years of change in species composition, aboveground biomass, leaf area index (LAI),...

  1. Herbaceous-layer and overstory species in clear-cut and mature central Appalachian hardwood forests

    Treesearch

    Frank S. Gilliam; Nicole L. Turrill; Mary Beth Adams

    1995-01-01

    The current interest among resource managers in ecosystem management necessitates a better understanding of the response of plant species diversity to forest management practices. This study attempted to assess the effects of one forest management practice—clear-cutting—on plant biodiversity in a mid-Appalachian hardwood forest by comparing species composition and...

  2. Laser Cutting of Thin Nickel Bellows

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Butler, C. L.

    1986-01-01

    Laser cutting technique produces narrow, precise, fast, and repeatable cuts in thin nickel-allow bellows material. Laser cutting operation uses intense focused beam to melt material and assisting gas to force melted material through part thickness, creating void. When part rotated or moved longitudinally, melting and material removal continuous and creates narrow, fast, precise, and repeatable cut. Technique used to produce cuts of specified depths less than material thickness. Avoids distortion, dents, and nicks produced in delicate materials during lathe trimming operations, which require high cutting-tool pressure and holding-fixture forces.

  3. CUTTING AND WEDGING JACKET REMOVER

    DOEpatents

    Freedman, M.; Raynor, S.

    1959-04-01

    A tool is presented for stripping cladded jackets from fissionable fuel elements. The tool is a tube which fits closely around the jacket and which has two cutting edges at opposite sides of one end. These cutting edges are adjusted to penetrate only the jacket so that by moving the edges downward the jacket is cut into two pieces.

  4. The impact of strip clearcutting on red oak seedling development

    Treesearch

    Jamie L. Schuler; Michael Boyce; Gary W. Miller

    2017-01-01

    A mature upland yellow-poplar/red oak stand was harvested using an alternating strip clearcut method. Red oak seedlings were planted across a light gradient between the cut and residual strips to assess the potential ability of the residual strips to foster the development of competitive oak seedlings over time. After one growing season, no differences in seedling...

  5. Optical clearing: impact of optical and dielectric properties of clearing solutions on pulmonary tissue mechanics.

    PubMed

    Schwenninger, David; Priebe, Hans-Joachim; Schneider, Matthias; Runck, Hanna; Guttmann, Josef

    2017-07-01

    Optical clearing allows tissue visualization under preservation of organ integrity. Optical clearing of organs with a physiological change in three-dimensional geometry (such as the lung) would additionally allow visualization of macroscopic and microscopic tissue geometry. A prerequisite, however, is the preservation of the native tissue mechanics of the optically cleared lung tissue. We investigated the impact of optical and dielectric properties of clearing solutions on biomechanics and clearing potency in porcine tissue strips of healthy lungs. After fixation, bleaching, and rehydration, four methods of optical clearing were investigated using eight different protocols. The mechanical and optical properties of the cleared lung tissue strips were investigated by uniaxial tensile testing and by analyzing optical transparency and translucency for red, green, and blue light before, during, and after the biochemical optical clearing process. Fresh tissue strips were used as controls. Best balance between efficient clearing and preserved mechanics was found for clearing with a 1:1 mixture of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and aniline. Our findings show that 1 ) the degree of tissue transparency and translucency correlated with the refractive index of the clearing solution index ( r = 0.976, P = 0.0004; and r = 0.91, P = 0.0046, respectively), 2 ) tissue mechanics were affected by dehydration and the type of clearing solution, and 3 ) tissue biomechanics and geometry correlated with the dielectric constant of the clearing solution ( r = -0.98, P < 0.00001; and r = 0.69, P = 0.013, respectively). We show that the lower the dielectric constant of the clearing solutions, the larger the effect on tissue stiffness. This suggests that the dielectric constant is an important measure in determining the effect of a clearing solution on lung tissue biomechanics. Optimal tissue transparency requires complete tissue dehydration and a refractive index of 1.55 of the clearing solution

  6. Decreased airway narrowing and smooth muscle contraction in hyperresponsive pigs.

    PubMed

    Turner, Debra J; Noble, Peter B; Lucas, Matthew P; Mitchell, Howard W

    2002-10-01

    Increased smooth muscle contractility or reduced smooth muscle mechanical loads could account for the excessive airway narrowing and hyperresponsiveness seen in asthma. These mechanisms were investigated by using an allergen-induced porcine model of airway hyperresponsiveness. Airway narrowing to electric field stimulation was measured in isolated bronchial segments, over a range of transmural pressures (0-20 cmH(2)O). Contractile responses to ACh were measured in bronchial segments and in isolated tracheal smooth muscle strips isolated from control and test (ovalbumin sensitized and challenged) pigs. Test airways narrowed less than controls (P < 0.0001). Test pigs showed reduced contractility to ACh, both in isolated bronchi (P < 0.01) and smooth muscle strips (P < 0.01). Thus isolated airways from pigs exhibiting airway hyperresponsiveness in vivo are hyporesponsive in vitro. The decreased narrowing in bronchi from hyperresponsive pigs may be related to decreased smooth muscle contractility. These data suggest that mechanisms external to the airway wall may be important to the hyperresponsive nature of sensitized lungs.

  7. Positive edge effects on forest-interior cryptogams in clear-cuts.

    PubMed

    Caruso, Alexandro; Rudolphi, Jörgen; Rydin, Håkan

    2011-01-01

    Biological edge effects are often assessed in high quality focal habitats that are negatively influenced by human-modified low quality matrix habitats. A deeper understanding of the possibilities for positive edge effects in matrix habitats bordering focal habitats (e.g. spillover effects) is, however, essential for enhancing landscape-level resilience to human alterations. We surveyed epixylic (dead wood inhabiting) forest-interior cryptogams (lichens, bryophytes, and fungi) associated with mature old-growth forests in 30 young managed Swedish boreal forest stands bordering a mature forest of high conservation value. In each young stand we registered species occurrences on coarse dead wood in transects 0-50 m from the border between stand types. We quantified the effect of distance from the mature forest on the occurrence of forest-interior species in the young stands, while accounting for local environment and propagule sources. For comparison we also surveyed epixylic open-habitat (associated with open forests) and generalist cryptogams. Species composition of epixylic cryptogams in young stands differed with distance from the mature forest: the frequency of occurrence of forest-interior species decreased with increasing distance whereas it increased for open-habitat species. Generalists were unaffected by distance. Epixylic, boreal forest-interior cryptogams do occur in matrix habitats such as clear-cuts. In addition, they are associated with the matrix edge because of a favourable microclimate closer to the mature forest on southern matrix edges. Retention and creation of dead wood in clear-cuts along the edges to focal habitats is a feasible way to enhance the long-term persistence of epixylic habitat specialists in fragmented landscapes. The proposed management measures should be performed in the whole stand as it matures, since microclimatic edge effects diminish as the matrix habitat matures. We argue that management that aims to increase habitat quality

  8. Positive Edge Effects on Forest-Interior Cryptogams in Clear-Cuts

    PubMed Central

    Caruso, Alexandro; Rudolphi, Jörgen; Rydin, Håkan

    2011-01-01

    Biological edge effects are often assessed in high quality focal habitats that are negatively influenced by human-modified low quality matrix habitats. A deeper understanding of the possibilities for positive edge effects in matrix habitats bordering focal habitats (e.g. spillover effects) is, however, essential for enhancing landscape-level resilience to human alterations. We surveyed epixylic (dead wood inhabiting) forest-interior cryptogams (lichens, bryophytes, and fungi) associated with mature old-growth forests in 30 young managed Swedish boreal forest stands bordering a mature forest of high conservation value. In each young stand we registered species occurrences on coarse dead wood in transects 0–50 m from the border between stand types. We quantified the effect of distance from the mature forest on the occurrence of forest-interior species in the young stands, while accounting for local environment and propagule sources. For comparison we also surveyed epixylic open-habitat (associated with open forests) and generalist cryptogams. Species composition of epixylic cryptogams in young stands differed with distance from the mature forest: the frequency of occurrence of forest-interior species decreased with increasing distance whereas it increased for open-habitat species. Generalists were unaffected by distance. Epixylic, boreal forest-interior cryptogams do occur in matrix habitats such as clear-cuts. In addition, they are associated with the matrix edge because of a favourable microclimate closer to the mature forest on southern matrix edges. Retention and creation of dead wood in clear-cuts along the edges to focal habitats is a feasible way to enhance the long-term persistence of epixylic habitat specialists in fragmented landscapes. The proposed management measures should be performed in the whole stand as it matures, since microclimatic edge effects diminish as the matrix habitat matures. We argue that management that aims to increase habitat quality

  9. Preparation of pre-cut corneas from fresh donated whole globes for Descemet's stripping automated keratoplasty: 3-year results at the Central Eye Bank of Iran.

    PubMed

    Kanavi, Mozhgan Rezaei; Javadi, Mohammad Ali; Javadi, Fatemeh; Chamani, Tahereh

    2014-09-01

    To describe the technique and the results of the preparation of pre-cut corneas for Descemet's stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK) during a 3-year period at the Central Eye Bank of Iran (CEBI). The method of preparation of pre-cut corneas from donated whole globes at the CEBI is described and the frequency and percentage of pre-cut corneas prepared for DSAEK, between April 2009 and March 2012, are specified. Moreover, post-operative reports are reviewed for any complaints about using pre-cut tissues for DSAEK. Out of the 1,518 donated whole globes appropriate for DSAEK, 1,478 (97.4 %) pre-cut corneas were successfully prepared. The method of preparation failed in 40 (2.6 %) cases. Based on the eye bank post-operative reports, thickness of pre-cut tissues for DSAEK was deemed unacceptable in only 6 (0.4 %) cases prior to surgery; five of these were too thick and one was too thin. Preparation of pre-cut corneas, for DSAEK from donated whole globes, in the CEBI is a safe and easy method, with very good preservation of endothelial cells after the preparation of the pre-cut corneas and reduced risks from corneal manipulation.

  10. Regenerating the last strips in strip-cuttings in Virginia pine

    Treesearch

    Edward I. Sucoff

    1961-01-01

    When Virginia pine (Pinus virginiana Mill.) is logged, even in pure stands, its natural regeneration is not readily achieved. This is because the species is intolerant and commonly functions in nature as a transitory pioneer; hardwoods become established under its canopy and tend to dominate the reproduction after the pine is cut. Experience indicates that the most...

  11. A Strip Cell in Pyroelectric Devices

    PubMed Central

    Siao, An-Shen; Chao, Ching-Kong; Hsiao, Chun-Ching

    2016-01-01

    The pyroelectric effect affords the opportunity to convert temporal temperature fluctuations into usable electrical energy in order to develop abundantly available waste heat. A strip pyroelectric cell, used to enhance temperature variation rates by lateral temperature gradients and to reduce cell capacitance to further promote the induced voltage, is described as a means of improving pyroelectric energy transformation. A precision dicing saw was successfully applied in fabricating the pyroelectric cell with a strip form. The strip pyroelectric cell with a high-narrow cross section is able to greatly absorb thermal energy via the side walls of the strips, thereby inducing lateral temperature gradients and increasing temperature variation rates in a thicker pyroelectric cell. Both simulation and experimentation show that the strip pyroelectric cell improves the electrical outputs of pyroelectric cells and enhances the efficiency of pyroelectric harvesters. The strip-type pyroelectric cell has a larger temperature variation when compared to the trenched electrode and the original type, by about 1.9 and 2.4 times, respectively. The measured electrical output of the strip type demonstrates a conspicuous increase in stored energy as compared to the trenched electrode and the original type, by of about 15.6 and 19.8 times, respectively. PMID:26999134

  12. An assessment of buffer strips for improving damage tolerance

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Poe, C. C., Jr.; Kennedy, J. M.

    1981-01-01

    Graphite/epoxy panels with buffer strips were tested in tension to measure their residual strength with crack-like damage. Panels were made with 45/0/-45/90(2S) and 45/0/450(2S) layups. The buffer strips were parallel to the loading directions. They were made by replacing narrow strips of the 0 deg graphite plies with strips of either 0 deg S-Glass/epoxy or Kevlar-49/epoxy on either a one for one or a two for one basis. In a third case, O deg graphite/epoxy was used as the buffer material and thin, perforated Mylar strips were placed between the 0 deg piles and the cross-plies to weaken the interfaces and thus to isolate the 0 deg plies. Some panels were made with buffer strips of different widths and spacings. The buffer strips arrested the cracks and increased the residual strengths significantly over those plain laminates without buffer strips. A shear-lag type stress analysis correctly predicted the effects of layups, buffer material, buffer strip width and spacing, and the number of plies of buffer material.

  13. Forests regenerating after clear-cutting function as habitat for bryophyte and lichen species of conservation concern.

    PubMed

    Rudolphi, Jörgen; Gustafsson, Lena

    2011-04-07

    The majority of managed forests in Fennoscandia are younger than 70 years old but yet little is known about their potential to host rare and threatened species. In this study, we examined red-listed bryophytes and lichens in 19 young stands originating from clear-cutting (30-70 years old) in the boreal region, finding 19 red-listed species (six bryophytes and 13 lichens). We used adjoining old stands, which most likely never had been clear-cut, as reference. The old stands contained significantly more species, but when taking the amount of biological legacies (i.e., remaining deciduous trees and dead wood) from the previous forest generation into account, bryophyte species number did not differ between old and young stands, and lichen number was even higher in young stands. No dispersal effect could be detected from the old to the young stands. The amount of wetlands in the surroundings was important for bryophytes, as was the area of old forest for both lichens and bryophytes. A cardinal position of young stands to the north of old stands was beneficial to red-listed bryophytes as well as lichens. We conclude that young forest plantations may function as habitat for red-listed species, but that this depends on presence of structures from the previous forest generation, and also on qualities in the surrounding landscape. Nevertheless, at repeated clear-cuttings, a successive decrease in species populations in young production stands is likely, due to increased fragmentation and reduced substrate amounts. Retention of dead wood and deciduous trees might be efficient conservation measures. Although priority needs to be given to preservation of remnant old-growth forests, we argue that young forests rich in biological legacies and located in landscapes with high amounts of old forests may have a conservation value.

  14. Forests Regenerating after Clear-Cutting Function as Habitat for Bryophyte and Lichen Species of Conservation Concern

    PubMed Central

    Rudolphi, Jörgen; Gustafsson, Lena

    2011-01-01

    The majority of managed forests in Fennoscandia are younger than 70 years old but yet little is known about their potential to host rare and threatened species. In this study, we examined red-listed bryophytes and lichens in 19 young stands originating from clear-cutting (30–70 years old) in the boreal region, finding 19 red-listed species (six bryophytes and 13 lichens). We used adjoining old stands, which most likely never had been clear-cut, as reference. The old stands contained significantly more species, but when taking the amount of biological legacies (i.e., remaining deciduous trees and dead wood) from the previous forest generation into account, bryophyte species number did not differ between old and young stands, and lichen number was even higher in young stands. No dispersal effect could be detected from the old to the young stands. The amount of wetlands in the surroundings was important for bryophytes, as was the area of old forest for both lichens and bryophytes. A cardinal position of young stands to the north of old stands was beneficial to red-listed bryophytes as well as lichens. We conclude that young forest plantations may function as habitat for red-listed species, but that this depends on presence of structures from the previous forest generation, and also on qualities in the surrounding landscape. Nevertheless, at repeated clear-cuttings, a successive decrease in species populations in young production stands is likely, due to increased fragmentation and reduced substrate amounts. Retention of dead wood and deciduous trees might be efficient conservation measures. Although priority needs to be given to preservation of remnant old-growth forests, we argue that young forests rich in biological legacies and located in landscapes with high amounts of old forests may have a conservation value. PMID:21490926

  15. Changes in soil nitrogen cycling under Norway spruce logging residues on a clear-cut

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Smolander, Aino; Lindroos, Antti-Jussi; Kitunen, Veikko

    2016-04-01

    In Europe, forest biomass is increasingly being used as a source of energy to replace fossil fuels. In practice, this means that logging residues, consisting of green branches and stem tops, are more commonly harvested. In 2012 logging residues were harvested from about one third of clear-cuts in Finland. Our aim was to study how logging residues affect soil organic matter quality, in particular soil N cycling processes and composition of certain groups of plant secondary compounds, tannins and terpenes. Compounds in these groups were of interest because they are abundant in logging residues, and they have been shown to control soil N cycling. In connection with clear-cutting a Norway spruce stand in southern Finland, we established a controlled field experiment by building logging residue piles (40 kg/m2) on study plots. The piles consisted of fresh spruce branches and tops with green foliage. Control plots with no residues were included (0 kg/m2). Changes in soil organic matter properties have now been monitored for three growing seasons. Logging residues affected organic layer properties strongly. For example, they increased net nitrification and nitrate concentrations. There were also increases in the concentrations of certain terpenes and condensed tannins due to the residues. The significance of logging residues on soil processes and properties will be shown.

  16. Effects of a clear-cut harvest on soil respiration in a jack pine - Lichen woodland

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Striegl, Robert G.; Wickland, K.P.

    1998-01-01

    Quantification of the components of ecosystem respiration is essential to understanding carbon (C) cycling of natural and disturbed landscapes. Soil respiration, which includes autotrophic and heterotrophic respiration from throughout the soil profile, is the second largest flux in the global carbon cycle. We measured soil respiration (soil CO2 emission) at an undisturbed mature jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.) stand in Saskatchewan (old jack pine, OJP), and at a formerly continuous portion of the stand that was clear-cut during the previous winter (clear-cut, CC). Tree harvesting reduced soil CO2 emission from ???22.5 to ???9.1 mol CO2??m2 for the 1994 growing season. OJP was a small net sink of atmospheric CO2, while CC was a net source of CO2. Winter emissions were similar at both sites. Reduction of soil respiration was attributed to disruption of the soil surface and to the death of tree roots. Flux simulations for CC and OJP identify 40% of CO2 emission at the undisturbed OJP site as near-surface respiration, 25% as deep-soil respiration, and 35% as tree-root respiration. The near-surface component was larger than the estimated annual C input to soil, suggesting fast C turnover and no net C accumulation in these boreal uplands in 1994.

  17. Long-term effects of clear cutting and intensive biomass harvesting on the nitrogen leaching to groundwater in the boreal forest environment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kubin, Eero

    2013-04-01

    Clear-cutting and site preparation cause the greatest changes in site conditions and to the environment. The oldest research carried out within the boreal coniferous forest zone on the leaching of nutrients into watercourses was conducted in Sweden in the early 1970s. Also in Finland, the effect of clear-cutting and site preparation on the quality of surface runoff has been monitored since 1974 and into the groundwater, after waste wood harvesting, since 1986. Recently intensive biomass harvest has been rapidly increasing and nowadays about seven percent of the total consumption of energy in Finland comes from forest energy. The consumption derived from wood-based fuels is as much as 23 per cent of the total energy. Thus study and understanding forest ecosystems function is nowadays facing new challenges, especially when harvested forest energy, especially stumps, course disturbances and more water penetrating into the soil and groundwater in addition to other ecosystem changes. According the long term-monitoring results nitrate nitrogen seems to be the foremost nutrient leached into the groundwater as a consequence of forestry operations. The effects of clear-cutting on nitrate nitrogen leaching and concentrations in surface water have been shown to last only a few years, but the long-term property of increasing groundwater concentrations, have persisted 25 years which has not reported earlier from other sites. Clear-cutting increases the input of precipitation, but in northern areas this cannot be the main reason for the higher values. The greater part of the increased concentrations is due to the decomposition of cutting waste and humus. This is interesting in relation to intensive biomass harvesting. The availability and the quality of water are strongly influenced by forests. The relationship between forests and water is therefore a critical issue that must be accorded high priority also when developing forest biomass harvesting for energy. To develop best

  18. UV laser-assisted wire stripping and micro-machining

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Martyniuk, Jerry

    1994-02-01

    Results are reported for the use of a 266 nm frequency quadrupled Nd:YAG ultraviolet laser in the areas of wire stripping of small coaxial type transmission lines and for micro-machining of various materials including copper, glass, polyimide and DuPont TEFLONTM. This new laser is typically run with a 2 KHz repetition rate, 40 ns FWHM pulse and a fluence of about 50 joules/cm2 which makes it possible to micro-machine metals, polymers, glasses and ceramics. The high fluence of this laser allows shielding structures such as Al-MylarTM, Al-KaptonTM or the plated copper used in small coaxial cables to be precisely cut. Cut rates are reported for the above materials as well as results and photos of wire stripping and micro- machining.

  19. Does gang ripping hold the potential for higher clear cutting yields

    Treesearch

    Hiram Hallock; Pamela Giese

    1980-01-01

    Cutting yields from gang ripping hardwood lumber graded by the National Hardwood Lumber Association standard grades are determined using the technique of mathematical modeling. The lumber used is the same as that in an earlier mathematically modeled determination of cutting yields from traditional rough mill procedures. Mechanical cutting factors such as kerf, cutting...

  20. Successful natural regeneration cuttings in California true firs.

    Treesearch

    Donald T. Gordon

    1979-01-01

    In stands of mixed white and red fir in northeastern California, cuttings for natural regeneration became well stocked with seedlings within 2 to 5 years after cutting. Seed tree and shelterwood cuttings, clearcut strips not more than 3 chains (60 m) wide, and patches not exceeding 4 chains (80 m) width were studied. Incidence of damage among residual trees in or...

  1. Gated strip proportional detector

    DOEpatents

    Morris, C.L.; Idzorek, G.C.; Atencio, L.G.

    1985-02-19

    A gated strip proportional detector includes a gas tight chamber which encloses a solid ground plane, a wire anode plane, a wire gating plane, and a multiconductor cathode plane. The anode plane amplifies the amount of charge deposited in the chamber by a factor of up to 10/sup 6/. The gating plane allows only charge within a narrow strip to reach the cathode. The cathode plane collects the charge allowed to pass through the gating plane on a set of conductors perpendicular to the open-gated region. By scanning the open-gated region across the chamber and reading out the charge collected on the cathode conductors after a suitable integration time for each location of the gate, a two-dimensional image of the intensity of the ionizing radiation incident on the detector can be made.

  2. Gated strip proportional detector

    DOEpatents

    Morris, Christopher L.; Idzorek, George C.; Atencio, Leroy G.

    1987-01-01

    A gated strip proportional detector includes a gas tight chamber which encloses a solid ground plane, a wire anode plane, a wire gating plane, and a multiconductor cathode plane. The anode plane amplifies the amount of charge deposited in the chamber by a factor of up to 10.sup.6. The gating plane allows only charge within a narrow strip to reach the cathode. The cathode plane collects the charge allowed to pass through the gating plane on a set of conductors perpendicular to the open-gated region. By scanning the open-gated region across the chamber and reading out the charge collected on the cathode conductors after a suitable integration time for each location of the gate, a two-dimensional image of the intensity of the ionizing radiation incident on the detector can be made.

  3. Boulders increase resistance to clear-cut logging but not subsequent recolonization rates of boreal bryophytes.

    PubMed

    Schmalholz, Martin; Hylander, Kristoffer

    2011-12-01

    The extent to which a plant assemblage might recolonize a disturbed system is in general related to the availability of propagule sources and sites with appropriate conditions for establishment. Both these factors might be sensitive to aspects of spatial heterogeneity. Microtopographic variation may enhance initial resistance by reducing the impact of the disturbance and facilitating establishment of incoming propagules by providing shaded "safe-sites". This study explores the influence of microtopographic heterogeneity (caused by variation in surface boulder cover) on the recolonization of closed-canopy forest floor bryophytes using a chronosequence of 75 spruce-dominated forests in south-central Sweden (2-163 years after clear-cutting). We found that high boulder cover did increase survival and subsequent persistence in young forests at both investigated scales (i.e. 1,000 and 100 m(2)), although this pattern became less evident on the smaller spatial scale. Species accumulation in boulder-poor subplots was not different when surrounded by boulder-rich compared with boulder-poor subplots suggesting short-distance recolonization from boulder-created refugia to be of little importance during recolonization. To conclude, it seems that boulders increase initial resistance to clear-cutting for this bryophyte guild, but that the subsequent recolonization process is more likely to depend on external propagule sources and factors affecting establishment such as the microclimate in the developing stand.

  4. Urine specific gravity measurement: reagent strip versus refractometer.

    PubMed

    Brandon, C A

    1994-01-01

    To compare the results of urinalysis screenings for specific gravity (SG) using the reagent strip and the refractometer. United Hospital, Grand Forks, North Dakota. United Hospital is a 384-bed teaching hospital. PRODUCT COMPARISON: The Ames Multistix 10 SG reagent strip (Miles, Inc., Elkhart, IN 46515) was compared with the TS Meter (Leica, Inc., Deerfield, IL 60015). The degree of correlation between the results produced by each method. The percentage of difference between the means of the direct strip readings and the refractometer readings was 9.68%. The percentage of difference between the means of the adjusted strip readings and the refractometer readings was 22.58%, which was significantly different. When the direct strip readings and the refractometer readings were plotted together on a graph, the points were widely scattered; this fact, and a correlation coefficient of 0.725, suggest that random error occurred in both methods. Analysis of the slope and intercept of the correlation indicated systematic error. The reagent strip method of measuring SG is accurate only in a narrow range of "average" values, and should not be used as the basis for medical diagnoses.

  5. Strip malls, city trees, and community values

    Treesearch

    Kathleen L. Wolf

    2009-01-01

    Strip malls (also known as mini-malls) are a common urban land use, historically promoted by U.S. zoning practices that concentrate retail and commercial development in a narrow band along arterials and major streets. More recently, communities are redeveloping mini-mall zones, expanding landscape plantings as biotechnology, and attempting to create a sense of place....

  6. Fatigue of graphite/epoxy buffer strip panels with center cracks

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bigelow, C. A.

    1985-01-01

    The effects of fatigue loading on the behavior of graphite/epoxy panels with either S-Glass or Kevlar-49 buffer strips is studied. Buffer strip panels are fatigued and tested in tension to measure their residual strength with crack-like damage. Panels are made with 45/0/-45/90 sub 2s layup with either S-Glass or Kevlar-49 buffer strip material. The buffer strips are parallel to the loading direction and made by replacing narrow strips of the 0-degree graphite plies with strips of either 0-degree S-Glass/epoxy or Kevlar-49/epoxy on a one-for-one basis. The panels are subjected to a fatigue loading spectrum MINITWIST, the shortened version of the standardized load program for the wing lower surface of a transport aircraft. Two levels of maximum strain are used in the spectrum with three durations of the fatigue spectrum. One group of panels is preloaded prior to the application of the fatigue cycling. The preload consists of statistically loading the spectrum in tension until the crack-tip damage zone reaches the ajacent buffer strips. After fatigue loading, all specimens are statistically loaded in tension to failure to determine their residual strengths.

  7. Photosynthesis of boreal ground vegetation after a forest clear-cut

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kulmala, L.; Pumpanen, J.; Vesala, T.; Hari, P.

    2009-11-01

    Heather (Calluna vulgaris), rosebay willowherb (Epilobium angustifolium), wavy hair-grass (Deschampsia flexuosa) and raspberry (Rubus idaeus) are typical species at boreal clear-cut sites. In this study, we measured their photosynthesis separately in the growing season of 2005 using a manual chamber. All measured species showed clear and species-specific seasonal cycles of photosynthetic activity (Pmax). The maxima of C. vulgaris and E. angustifolium occurred around June and July, while that of R. idaeus occurred as late as August. A simple model of photosynthetic activity is presented, addressing the photosynthesis of C. vulgaris was mainly explained by temperature history when the soil moisture is high. The activity of deciduous D. flexuosa also followed the temperature history, unlike the activities of E. angustifolium and R. idaeus. During a short drought, some shoots decreased their Pmax levels but none of the species showed similar reactions between individuals. We also observed that the comparison of the whole-plant Pmax or respiration of different-sized individuals were less scattered than the results based on full-grown leaf mass, implying that species-specific rates of photosynthesis at ground level are rather similar regardless of the plant size. Using species composition and continuous temperature and light measurements, we upscaled the species-specific process rates and integrated fixed and respired CO2 of ground vegetation for the entire 2005 growing season. The photosynthetic production per surface area of soil was 760 g C m-2 y-1 at the fertile site and 300 g C m-2 y-1 at the infertile site. During the snow-free period (18 April-21 November), the above ground parts of measured species released 75 g C m-2 y-1 at the infertile site. At the fertile site, E. angustifolium and R. idaeus respired 22 and 12 g C m-2 y-1, respectively.

  8. An assessment of buffer strips for improving damage tolerance of composite laminates

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Poe, C. C., Jr.; Kennedy, J. M.

    1980-01-01

    Graphite/epoxy panels with buffer strips were tested in tension to measure their residual strength with crack-like damage. Panels were made with (45/0/-45/90)2S and (45/0/-45/0)2S layups. The buffer strips were parallel to the loading direction. They were made by replacing narrow strips of the 0 deg graphite plies with strips of either 0 deg S-Glass/epoxy or Kevlar-90/epoxy on either a one-for-one or a two-for-one basis. In a third case, 0 deg graphite/epoxy was used as the buffer material and thin, perforated Mylar strips were placed between the 0 deg plies and the cross-plies to weaken the interfaces and thus to isolate the 0 deg plies. Some panels were made with buffer strips of different width and spacings. The buffer strips arrested the cracks and increased the residual strengths significantly over those of plain laminates without buffer strips. A shear-lag type stress analysis correctly predicted the effects of layup, buffer material, buffer strip width and spacing, and the number of plies of buffer material

  9. Oak Regeneration Following Three Cutting Treatments on Mountain Slopes in Northern Alabama

    Treesearch

    Michael S. Golden; Mark R. Dubois; Jeffery L. Stockman

    1999-01-01

    Early regeneration success of upland oaks (Quercus spp. L.) was compared for three regeneration cutting treatments in the Sandstone Mountain Region of northern Alabama. Two 4-acre replications each of block dearcutting, strip cutting, and deferment cutting were established on north-facing slopes. The three harvesting treatments were applied in...

  10. An alternative to clear-cutting in the boreal forest of Alaska: a 27-year study of regeneration after shelterwood harvesting.

    Treesearch

    T.L. Wurtz; J.C. Zasada

    2001-01-01

    We present 27-year results from a comparison of clear-cutting and shelterwood harvesting in the boreal forest of Alaska. Three patch clearcut and three shelterwood units were harvested in 1972; about 100 dispersed white spruce (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss) leave trees per hectare were retained in the shelterwoods. Units were mechanically scarified...

  11. Using pad‐stripped acausally filtered strong‐motion data

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Boore, David; Sisi, Aida Azari; Akkar, Sinan

    2012-01-01

    Most strong‐motion data processing involves acausal low‐cut filtering, which requires the addition of sometimes lengthy zero pads to the data. These padded sections are commonly removed by organizations supplying data, but this can lead to incompatibilities in measures of ground motion derived in the usual way from the padded and the pad‐stripped data. One way around this is to use the correct initial conditions in the pad‐stripped time series when computing displacements, velocities, and linear oscillator response. Another way of ensuring compatibility is to use postprocessing of the pad‐stripped acceleration time series. Using 4071 horizontal and vertical acceleration time series from the Turkish strong‐motion database, we show that the procedures used by two organizations—ITACA (ITalian ACcelerometric Archive) and PEER NGA (Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research Center–Next Generation Attenuation)—lead to little bias and distortion of derived seismic‐intensity measures.

  12. Welding And Cutting A Nickel Alloy By Laser

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Banas, C. M.

    1990-01-01

    Technique effective and energy-efficient. Report describes evaluation of laser welding and cutting of Inconel(R) 718. Notes that electron-beam welding processes developed for In-718, but difficult to use on large or complex structures. Cutting of In-718 by laser fast and produces only narrow kerf. Cut edge requires dressing, to endure fatigue.

  13. Fibre laser cutting stainless steel: Fluid dynamics and cut front morphology

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pocorni, Jetro; Powell, John; Deichsel, Eckard; Frostevarg, Jan; Kaplan, Alexander F. H.

    2017-01-01

    In this paper the morphology of the laser cut front generated by fibre lasers was investigated by observation of the 'frozen' cut front, additionally high speed imaging (HSI) was employed to study the fluid dynamics on the cut front while cutting. During laser cutting the morphology and flow properties of the melt film on the cut front affect cut quality parameters such as cut edge roughness and dross (residual melt attached to the bottom of the cut edge). HSI observation of melt flow down a laser cutting front using standard cutting parameters is experimentally problematic because the cut front is narrow and surrounded by the kerf walls. To compensate for this, artificial parameters are usually chosen to obtain wide cut fronts which are unrepresentative of the actual industrial process. This paper presents a new experimental cutting geometry which permits HSI of the laser cut front using standard, commercial parameters. These results suggest that the cut front produced when cutting medium section (10 mm thick) stainless steel with a fibre laser and a nitrogen assist gas is covered in humps which themselves are covered by a thin layer of liquid. HSI observation and theoretical analysis reveal that under these conditions the humps move down the cut front at an average speed of approximately 0.4 m/s while the covering liquid flows at an average speed of approximately 1.1 m/s, with an average melt depth at the bottom of the cut zone of approximately 0.17 mm.

  14. Carbon balance of a partially harvested mixed conifer forest following mountain pine beetle attack and its comparison to a clear-cut

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mathys, A.; Black, T. A.; Nesic, Z.; Nishio, G.; Brown, M.; Spittlehouse, D. L.; Fredeen, A. L.; Bowler, R.; Jassal, R. S.; Grant, N. J.; Burton, P. J.; Trofymow, J. A.; Meyer, G.

    2013-08-01

    The recent mountain pine beetle (MPB) outbreak has had an impact on the carbon (C) cycling of lodgepole pine forests in British Columbia. This study examines how partial harvesting as a forest management response to MPB infestation affects the net ecosystem production (NEP) of a mixed conifer forest (MPB-09) in Interior BC. MPB-09 is a 70-year-old stand that was partially harvested in 2009 after it had been attacked by MPB. Using the eddy-covariance technique, the C dynamics of the stand were studied over two years and compared to an adjacent clear-cut (MPB-09C) over the summertime. The annual NEP at MPB-09 increased from -108 g C m-2 in 2010 to -57 g C m-2 in 2011. The increase of NEP was due to the associated increase in annual gross ecosystem photosynthesis (GEP) from 812 g C m-2 in 2010 to 954 g C m-2 in 2011, exceeding the increase in annual respiration (Re) from 920 g C m-2 to 1011 g C m-2 during the two years. During the four month period between June and September 2010, NEP at MPB-09C was -103 g C m-2, indicating high C losses in the clear-cut. MPB-09 was a C sink during the growing season of both years, increasing from 9 g C m-2 in 2010 to 47 g C m-2 in 2011. The increase of NEP in the partially harvested stand amounted to a recovery corresponding to a 26% increase in the maximum assimilation rate in the second year. This study shows that retaining the healthy residual forest can result in higher C sequestration of MPB-attacked stands compared to clear-cut harvesting.

  15. Development of an immunochromatographic strip test for rapid detection of citrus yellow vein clearing virus.

    PubMed

    Bin, Yu; Li, Zhongan; Wu, Jianxiang; Wang, Xuefeng; Zhou, Yan; Li, Taisheng; Yang, Fangyun; Zhou, Changyong; Song, Zhen

    2018-02-01

    A rapid immunochromatographic strip (ICS) test for detection of citrus yellow vein clearing virus (CYVCV) was developed. The test is based on an antibody sandwich format and uses the monoclonal antibody (MAb) 1E1, which is specific for CYVCV. MAb 1E1 labeled with 30-nm colloidal gold particles was coated on a gold conjugate pad. A secondary goat anti-mouse IgG was coated on the surface of a nitrocellulose filter membrane (NC) as the control (C) line, while 1E1 was coated on the surface of the NC as the test (T) line. The ICS test was evaluated for specificity and sensitivity and then applied for virus detection in field samples. There was no cross-reaction with citrus tristeza virus (CTV), satsuma dwarf virus (SDV), citrus tatter leaf virus (CTLV), citrus exocortis viroid (CEVd), citrus mosaic virus (CiMV), citrus psorosis virus (CPV), citrus ringspot virus (RSV) or 'Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus' (CLas). The ICS test was still able to detect CYVCV in tissue extracts at a dilution of 1: 320 (w/v), which is as efficient as the dot-ELISA assay. In general, the ICS assay is less expensive, faster and simpler to conduct than conventional CYVCV detection methods, so it may be useful for large-scale detection or monitoring of CYVCV.

  16. Application of the Finite Element Method to Reveal the Causes of Loss of Planeness of Hot-Rolled Steel Sheets during Laser Cutting

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Garber, E. A.; Bolobanova, N. L.; Trusov, K. A.

    2018-01-01

    A finite element technique is developed to simulate the stresses and the strains during strip flattening to reveal the causes of the cutting-assisted loss of planeness of hot-rolled steel sheets processed in roller levelers. The loss of planeness is found to be caused by a nonuniform distribution of the flattening-induced longitudinal tensile stresses over the strip thickness and width. The application of tensile forces to a strip in a roller leveler decreases this nonuniformity and prevents loss of planeness in cutting.

  17. Clear-cutting affects habitat connectivity for a forest amphibian by decreasing permeability to juvenile movements.

    PubMed

    Popescu, Viorel D; Hunter, Malcolm L

    2011-06-01

    Conservation of forest amphibians is dependent on finding the right balance between management for timber production and meeting species' habitat requirements. For many pond-breeding amphibians, successful dispersal of the juvenile stage is essential for long-term population persistence. We investigated the influence of timber-harvesting practices on the movements of juvenile wood frogs (Lithobates sylvaticus). We used a chronosequence of stands produced by clear-cutting to evaluate how stand age affects habitat permeability to movements. We conducted experimental releases of juveniles in 2008 (n = 350) and 2009 (n = 528) in unidirectional runways in four treatments: mature forest, recent clearcut, 11-year-old, and 20-year-old regeneration. The runways were 50 x 2.5-m enclosures extending into each treatment, perpendicular to a distinct edge, with four tracking stations at 10, 20, 30, and 40 m from the edge. We recorded the number of animals reaching each tracking station, and the proportion of animals changing their direction of movement at each distance. We found that the mature forest was 3.1 and 3.7 times more permeable than the 11-year-old regeneration and the recent clearcut, respectively. Animals actively avoided open-canopy habitats and sharp edges; significantly more animals returned toward the closed-canopy forest at 0 m and 10 m in the less permeable treatments. There were no significant differences in habitat permeability between the mature forest and the 20-year-old regeneration. Our study is the first to directly assess habitat permeability to juvenile amphibian movement in relation to various forestry practices. We argue that habitat permeability at this scale is largely driven by the behavior of animals in relation to habitat disturbance and that caution needs to be used when using spatial modeling and expert-derived permeability values to assess connectivity of amphibian populations. The effects of clear-cutting on the migratory success of juvenile

  18. Analysis of a unidirectional, symmetric buffer strip laminate with damage

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Dharani, L. R.; Goree, J. G.

    1984-01-01

    A method for predicting the fracture behavior of hybrid buffer strip laminates is presented in which the classical shear-lag model is used to represent the shear stress distribution between adjacent fibers. The method is demonstrated by applying it to a notched graphite/epoxy laminate, and the results show clearly the manner in which the most efficient combination of buffer strip properties can be selected in order to arrest the crack. The ultimate failure stress of the laminate is plotted vs the buffer strip width. It is shown that in the case of graphite-epoxy and S-glass epoxy laminates, the optimum buffer strip spacing to width ratio should be about four to one.

  19. Community context and strip mall retail: public response to the roadside landscape

    Treesearch

    Kathleen Wolf

    2008-01-01

    Strip malls (or mini-malls) are a common land use, historically promoted by U.S. zoning practices that concentrate retail and commercial development in a narrow band along urban arterials and major streets. They are an entry-level retail niche offering opportunity for independent, start-up businesses that serve a limited market....

  20. Selected developments in laser wire stripping. [cutting insulation from aerospace-type wires and cables

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    1977-01-01

    The operation of mechanical and thermal strippers and the early development of laser wire strippers are reviewed. NASA sponsored development of laser wire stripping for space shuttle includes bench-type strippers as well as an advanced portable hand-held stripper which incorporates a miniaturized carbon dioxide laser and a rotating optics unit with a gas-jet assist and debris exhaust. Drives and controls girdle the wire and slit the remaining slug without manual assistance. This unit can strip wire sizes 26 through 12 gage. A larger-capacity hand-held unit for wire sizes through 1/0 gage was built using a neodynium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (Nd:YAG) laser. The hand-held units have a flexible umbilical cable to an accompanying cart that carries the power supply, gas supply, cooling unit, and the controls.

  1. A Virgo Environmental Survey Tracing Ionised Gas Emission (VESTIGE). II. Constraining the quenching time in the stripped galaxy NGC 4330

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fossati, M.; Mendel, J. T.; Boselli, A.; Cuillandre, J. C.; Vollmer, B.; Boissier, S.; Consolandi, G.; Ferrarese, L.; Gwyn, S.; Amram, P.; Boquien, M.; Buat, V.; Burgarella, D.; Cortese, L.; Côté, P.; Côté, S.; Durrell, P.; Fumagalli, M.; Gavazzi, G.; Gomez-Lopez, J.; Hensler, G.; Koribalski, B.; Longobardi, A.; Peng, E. W.; Roediger, J.; Sun, M.; Toloba, E.

    2018-06-01

    The Virgo Environmental Survey Tracing Ionised Gas Emission (VESTIGE) is a blind narrow-band Hα + [NII] imaging survey carried out with MegaCam at the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope. During pilot observations taken in the spring of 2016 we observed NGC 4330, an intermediate mass (M* ≃ 109.8 M⊙) edge-on star forming spiral currently falling into the core of the Virgo cluster. While previous Hα observations showed a clumpy complex of ionised gas knots outside the galaxy disc, new deep observations revealed a low surface brightness 10 kpc tail exhibiting a peculiar filamentary structure. The filaments are remarkably parallel to one another and clearly indicate the direction of motion of the galaxy in the Virgo potential. Motivated by the detection of these features which indicate ongoing gas stripping, we collected literature photometry in 15 bands from the far-UV to the far-IR and deep optical long-slit spectroscopy using the FORS2 instrument at the ESO Very Large Telescope. Using a newly developed Monte Carlo code that jointly fits spectroscopy and photometry, we reconstructed the star formation histories in apertures along the major axis of the galaxy. Our results have been validated against the output of CIGALE, a fitting code which has been previously used for similar studies. We found a clear outside-in gradient with radius of the time when the quenching event started: the outermost radii were stripped 500 Myr ago, while the stripping reached the inner 5 kpc from the centre in the last 100 Myr. Regions at even smaller radii are currently still forming stars fueled by the presence of HI and H2 gas. When compared to statistical studies of the quenching timescales in the local Universe we find that ram pressure stripping of the cold gas is an effective mechanism to reduce the transformation times for galaxies falling into massive clusters. Future systematic studies of all the active galaxies observed by VESTIGE in the Virgo cluster will extend these results

  2. Lozenge Tilings of Hexagons with Cuts and Asymptotic Fluctuations: a New Universality Class

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Adler, Mark; Johansson, Kurt; van Moerbeke, Pierre

    2018-03-01

    This paper investigates lozenge tilings of non-convex hexagonal regions and more specifically the asymptotic fluctuations of the tilings within and near the strip formed by opposite cuts in the regions, when the size of the regions tend to infinity, together with the cuts. It leads to a new kernel, which is expected to have universality properties.

  3. [Penile augmentation and elongation using autologous dermal-fat strip grafting].

    PubMed

    Yang, Zhe; Li, Yang-qun; Tang, Yong; Chen, Wen; Li, Qiang; Zhou, Chuan-de; Zhao, Mu-xin; Hu, Chun-mei

    2012-05-01

    To investigate the effect of autologous dermal-fat strip grafting in penile augmentation and elongation. From May 2004 to December 2010, 24 patients underwent penile enhancement with free dermal-fat strip grafting. Through suprapubic incision, the superior suspensory ligament and part deep suspensory ligament are cutted off to lengthen the penis. The resulted dead space is filled with the autologous dermal-fat strip (6.0-9.5 cm in length, 1.2-1.5 cm in width and 0.6-0.8 cm in depth) to enhance the penis. Primary healing was achieved in 23 cases. Incisional fat liquefaction happened in one case which healed after dressing change. The penile appearance was satisfactory both at rest or erection. The penile length and circumference increased by 2.5-4.8 cm (average, 3.2 cm) and 1.8-3.0 cm (average, 2.4 cm), respectively. 18 patients were followed up for 3 months to 5 years. All the patients were satisfactory on the cosmetic and functional results. No complication happened. It is safe and effective for penile augmention and elongation with autologous dermal-fat strip grafting and disconnection of penile suspensory ligament.

  4. Centerline rumble strips on rural highways shown to cut crashes by half : research spotlight.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2015-03-01

    In 2008, Michigan launched a major systemwide installation of both : centerline and shoulder rumble strips on 5,400 miles of its rural, : non-freeway highway system. This unprecedented initiative was : accomplished during a three-year period ending i...

  5. Analysis of capillary drainage from a flat solid strip

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ramé, Enrique; Zimmerli, Gregory A.

    2014-06-01

    A long and narrow solid strip coated with a thin liquid layer is used as a model of a generic fluid mass probe in a spacecraft propellant tank just after a small thruster firing. The drainage dynamics of the initial coating layer into the settled bulk fluid affects the interpretation of probe measurements as the sensors' signal depends strongly on whether a sensor is in contact with vapor or with liquid. We analyze the drainage under various conditions of zero-gravity (i.e., capillary drainage) and with gravity aligned with the strip length, corresponding to the thruster acceleration. Long-time analytical solutions are found for zero and non-zero gravity. In the case with gravity, an approximate solution is found using matched asymptotics. Estimates show that a thrust of 10-3g0 significantly reduces drainage times.

  6. Investigation of charge stripping scheme for uranium ions at 1-20 MeV/nucleon

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kuboki, Hironori; Harada, Hiroyuki; Saha, Pranab K.

    2018-05-01

    We investigated a possibility to obtain charge distributions of uranium ions under the conditions to meet the requirements of the booster synchrotron proposed for heavy ion acceleration at J-PARC. The charge distribution is expected to have a width as narrow as possible to realize multi-charge acceleration. The main candidate of stripping material is a carbon foil because we can obtain narrower distributions than gas stripper and a lot of data is available. Besides that, the thickness of the stripping material should be less than 142 μg cm-2 because the energy loss in the stripping material would be compensated by an auxiliary accelerating cavity in the synchrotron ring. We studied the impact energy with which the charge distribution attains equilibrium within this thickness and has the narrowest width. The width is estimated over 1-20 MeV/nucleon by the calculation using the ionization and electron capture cross sections. Scaling factors are introduced to reproduce the experimental data and are determined to be 2.0 and 0.08 for the cross sections of ionization and electron capture, respectively. We concluded that the narrowest width can be obtained at 5.5 MeV/nucleon with a 109-μg cm-2-thick carbon foil.

  7. Approximate strip exchanging.

    PubMed

    Roy, Swapnoneel; Thakur, Ashok Kumar

    2008-01-01

    Genome rearrangements have been modelled by a variety of primitives such as reversals, transpositions, block moves and block interchanges. We consider such a genome rearrangement primitive Strip Exchanges. Given a permutation, the challenge is to sort it by using minimum number of strip exchanges. A strip exchanging move interchanges the positions of two chosen strips so that they merge with other strips. The strip exchange problem is to sort a permutation using minimum number of strip exchanges. We present here the first non-trivial 2-approximation algorithm to this problem. We also observe that sorting by strip-exchanges is fixed-parameter-tractable. Lastly we discuss the application of strip exchanges in a different area Optical Character Recognition (OCR) with an example.

  8. Neptune Through a Clear Filter

    NASA Image and Video Library

    1999-07-25

    On July 23, 1989, NASA Voyager 2 spacecraft took this picture of Neptune through a clear filter on its narrow-angle camera. The image on the right has a latitude and longitude grid added for reference. Neptune Great Dark Spot is visible on the left.

  9. Sprouting of thinned hybrid poplars on bituminous strip-mine spoils in Pennsylvania

    Treesearch

    Walter H. Davidson; Grant Davis

    1972-01-01

    Various thinning techniques were applied to 5-year old hybrid poplar stands on bituminous strip-mine spoils. Basal and stump sprays of 2, 4, 5-T in diesel oil were effective for killing the trees. There was no evidence that chemical treatments affected adjacent trees. Where trees were cut and stumps were not chemically treated, all clones sprouted prolifically....

  10. Exploiting differential electrochemical stripping behaviors of Fe3O4 nanocrystals toward heavy metal ions by crystal cutting.

    PubMed

    Yao, Xian-Zhi; Guo, Zheng; Yuan, Qing-Hong; Liu, Zhong-Gang; Liu, Jin-Huai; Huang, Xing-Jiu

    2014-08-13

    This study attempts to understand the intrinsic impact of different morphologies of nanocrystals on their electrochemical stripping behaviors toward heavy metal ions. Two differently shaped Fe3O4 nanocrystals, i.e., (100)-bound cubic and (111)-bound octahedral, have been synthesized for the experiments. Electrochemical results indicate that Fe3O4 nanocrystals with different shapes show different stripping behaviors toward heavy metal ions. Octahedral Fe3O4 nanocrystals show better electrochemical sensing performances toward the investigated heavy metal ions such as Zn(II), Cd(II), Pb(II), Cu(II), and Hg(II), in comparison with cubic ones. Specifically, Pb(II) is found to have the best stripping performance on both the (100) and (111) facets. To clarify these phenomena, adsorption abilities of as-prepared Fe3O4 nanocrystals have been investigated toward heavy metal ions. Most importantly, combined with theoretical calculations, their different electrochemical stripping behaviors in view of facet effects have been further studied and enclosed at the level of molecular/atom. Finally, as a trial to find a disposable platform completely free from noble metals, the potential application of the Fe3O4 nanocrystals for electrochemical detection of As(III) in drinking water is demonstrated.

  11. High resolution scanning of radial strips cut from increment cores by near infrared spectroscopy

    Treesearch

    P. David Jones; Laurence R. Schimleck; Chi-Leung So; Alexander III Clark; Richard F. Daniels

    2007-01-01

    Near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy provides a rapid method for the determination of wood properties of radial strips. The spatial resolution of the NIR measurements has generally been limited to sections 10 mm wide and as a consequence the estimation of wood properties of individual rings or within rings has not been possible. Many different NIR instruments can be used...

  12. Efficient content-based low-altitude images correlated network and strips reconstruction

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    He, Haiqing; You, Qi; Chen, Xiaoyong

    2017-01-01

    The manual intervention method is widely used to reconstruct strips for further aerial triangulation in low-altitude photogrammetry. Clearly the method for fully automatic photogrammetric data processing is not an expected way. In this paper, we explore a content-based approach without manual intervention or external information for strips reconstruction. Feature descriptors in the local spatial patterns are extracted by SIFT to construct vocabulary tree, in which these features are encoded in terms of TF-IDF numerical statistical algorithm to generate new representation for each low-altitude image. Then images correlated network is reconstructed by similarity measure, image matching and geometric graph theory. Finally, strips are reconstructed automatically by tracing straight lines and growing adjacent images gradually. Experimental results show that the proposed approach is highly effective in automatically rearranging strips of lowaltitude images and can provide rough relative orientation for further aerial triangulation.

  13. Effect of pH Test-Strip Characteristics on Accuracy of Readings.

    PubMed

    Metheny, Norma A; Gunn, Emily M; Rubbelke, Cynthia S; Quillen, Terrilynn Fox; Ezekiel, Uthayashanker R; Meert, Kathleen L

    2017-06-01

    Little is known about characteristics of colorimetric pH test strips that are most likely to be associated with accurate interpretations in clinical situations. To compare the accuracy of 4 pH test strips with varying characteristics (ie, multiple vs single colorimetric squares per calibration, and differing calibration units [1.0 vs 0.5]). A convenience sample of 100 upper-level nursing students with normal color vision was recruited to evaluate the accuracy of the test strips. Six buffer solutions (pH range, 3.0 to 6.0) were used during the testing procedure. Each of the 100 participants performed 20 pH tests in random order, providing a total of 2000 readings. The sensitivity and specificity of each test strip was computed. In addition, the degree to which the test strips under- or overestimated the pH values was analyzed using descriptive statistics. Our criterion for correct readings was an exact match with the pH buffer solution being evaluated. Although none of the test strips evaluated in our study was 100% accurate at all of the measured pH values, those with multiple squares per pH calibration were clearly superior overall to those with a single test square. Test strips with multiple squares per calibration were associated with greater overall accuracy than test strips with a single square per calibration. However, because variable degrees of error were observed in all of the test strips, use of a pH meter is recommended when precise readings are crucial. ©2017 American Association of Critical-Care Nurses.

  14. Outcomes of Phacoemulsification Using Different Size of Clear Corneal Incision in Eyes with Previous Radial Keratotomy.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Jing Shang; Liu, Xue; Wang, Jin Da; Xiong, Ying; Li, Jing; Li, Xiao Xia; Zhao, Jing; You, Qi Sheng; Huang, Yao; Tsai, Frank; Baum, Larry; Jhanji, Vishal; Wan, Xiu Hua

    2016-01-01

    To evaluate visual outcomes and complications after phacoemulsification in eyes with cataract and previous radial keratotomy (RK) cuts using different sizes of clear corneal incisions. The study was a retrospective study. Thirty eyes with cataract and previous RK underwent phacoemulsification and intraocular lens (IOL) implantation. Among them 7 eyes had 8 RK cuts, 13 eyes had 12 RK cuts, and 10 eyes had 16 RK cuts. Phacoemulsification and IOL implantation were performed through a 2.0-3.2 mm clear corneal incision by a single surgeon. In the 8 RK cuts group, 3.2 mm clear corneal incisions were used in 4 eyes, and 3.0 mm clear corneal incisions were used in 3 eyes. In the 12 RK cuts group, 3.2 mm clear corneal incisions were used in 6 eyes, and 2.2 mm clear corneal incisions were used in 7 eyes. In the 16 RK cuts group, 3.2 mm clear corneal incisions were used in 5 eyes, and 2.0 mm clear corneal incisions were used in 5 eyes. Patients were followed up 1 day, 1 week, 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, 1 year, 2 years, and 3 years postoperatively and were examined for the dehiscence of RK cuts during or after the surgery, post-operative best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), corneal astigmatism, corneal endothelial cell density and complications. Successful phacoemulsification with IOL implantation was performed in all eyes. No wound dehiscence was noted in any eyes with 8 or 12 RK cuts. Wound dehiscence was noted in 2 eyes with 16 RK cuts. The dehiscence of RK cuts was closed successfully by injecting an air bubble with or without viscoelastic agent into the anterior chamber at the end of surgery. During the follow-up, the cuts were well apposed in all eyes, and no new dehiscence of RK cuts was noted. At the last follow-up, mean BCVA (0.2 ± 0.18 logMAR) was better than preoperative BCVA(0.45±0.19 logMAR) (P < 0.001). There was no significant difference between the long-term preoperative and postoperative mean corneal astigmatism (P = 0.3). However, there was a significant

  15. How clear-cutting affects fire severity and soil properties in a Mediterranean ecosystem.

    PubMed

    Francos, Marcos; Pereira, Paulo; Mataix-Solera, Jorge; Arcenegui, Victoria; Alcañiz, Meritxell; Úbeda, Xavier

    2018-01-15

    Forest management practices in Mediterranean ecosystems are frequently employed to reduce both the risk and severity of wildfires. However, these pre-fire treatments may influence the effects of wildfire events on soil properties. The aim of this study is to examine the short-term effects of a wildfire that broke out in 2015 on the soil properties of three sites: two exposed to management practices in different years - 2005 (site M05B) and 2015 (site M15B) - and one that did not undergo any management (NMB) and to compare their properties with those recorded in a plot (Control) unaffected by the 2015 wildfire. We analyzed aggregate stability (AS), soil organic matter (SOM) content, total nitrogen (TN), carbon/nitrogen ratio (C/N), inorganic carbon (IC), pH, electrical conductivity (EC), extractable calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), sodium (Na), and potassium (K), microbial biomass carbon (C mic ) and basal soil respiration (BSR). In the managed plots, a clear-cutting operation was conducted, whereby part of the vegetation was cut and left covering the soil surface. The AS values recorded at the Control site were significantly higher than those recorded at M05B, whereas the TN and SOM values at NMB were significantly higher than those recorded at M05B. IC was significantly higher at M05B than at the other plots. There were no significant differences in C/N ratio between the analyzed sites. Soil pH at M05B was significantly higher than the value recorded at the Control plot. Extractable Ca was significantly higher at NMB than at both M05B and the Control, while extractable Mg was significantly lower at M05B than at NMB. Extractable K was significantly lower at the Control than at the three fire-affected plots. C mic was significantly higher at NMB than at the Control. BSR, BSR/C and BSR/C mic values at the fire-affected sites were significantly lower than those recorded at the Control. No significant differences were identified in C mic /C. Overall, a comparison of the

  16. The lateral tarsal strip revisited. The enhanced tarsal strip.

    PubMed

    Jordan, D R; Anderson, R L

    1989-04-01

    The lateral tarsal strip procedure was originally designed for the treatment of upper and lower eyelid laxity, or lateral canthal tendon laxity or malposition. Despite the excellent results with a standard tarsal strip procedure for those eyelids with laxity and excess skin, we have encountered a number of patients with lower eyelid or canthal malpositions or both who would benefit from a tarsal strip, but who do not have lax tissues (especially skin), and may in fact have a shortage of skin. These include cases of lower lid retraction or canthal malposition following trauma, blepharoplasty, or other operations, and patients with tendency toward or having cicatricial ectropion. Any anterior lamella removal in such patients would aggravate the lid malposition and weaken the lateral canthal tissues to be sutured. We suggest a modification of the tarsal strip (developed by one of us [R.L.A.]) to treat many such patients without requiring additional anterior lamella (skin graft) or more formidable procedures. We refer to this technique as the "enhanced tarsal strip" technique, and we use this technique more frequently than the original tarsal strip procedure.

  17. Effect of rapid thawing on the meat quality attributes of USDA Select beef strip loin steaks

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    The objective of this study was to determine the meat quality effects of rapidly thawing steaks in a water bath. Frozen beef strip loins (n = 24) were cut into steaks sequentially from the rib end and identified by anatomical location (anterior, middle, posterior) within the loin. Within location,...

  18. Comparison between different interdental stripping methods and evaluation of abrasive strips: SEM analysis.

    PubMed

    Grippaudo, Cristina; Cancellieri, Daniela; Grecolini, Maria E; Deli, Roberto

    2010-01-01

    The aim of this study was to evaluate the morphological effects and the surface irregularities produced by different methods of mechanical stripping (abrasive strips and burs) and chemical stripping (37% orthophosphoric acid) and the surface changes following the finishing procedures (polishing strips) or the subsequent application of sealants, in order to establish the right stripping method that can guarantee the smoothest surface. We have also analysed the level of wear on the different abrasive strips employed, according to their structure. 160 proximal surfaces of 80 sound molar teeth extracted for orthodontic and periodontal reasons, were divided into: 1 control group with non-treated enamel proximal surfaces and 5 different groups according to the stripping method used, were observed with scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Each one of the 5 treated groups was also divided into 3 different subgroups according to the finishing procedures or the subsequent application of sealants. The finishing stage following the manual reduction proves to be fundamental in reducing the number and depth of grooves created by the stripping. After the air rotor stripping method, the use of sealants is advised in order to obtain a smoother surface. The analysis of the combinations of mechanical and chemical stripping showed unsatisfactory results. Concerning the wear of the strips, we have highlighted a different abrasion degree for the different types of strips analysed with SEM. The enamel damages are limited only if the finishing procedure is applied, independently of the type of abrasive strip employed. It would be advisable, though clinically seldom possible, the use of sealants after the air rotor stripping technique. Copyright © 2010 Società Italiana di Ortodonzia SIDO. Published by Elsevier Srl. All rights reserved.

  19. Retrograde Endopyelotomy with Cutting Balloon™ for Treatment of Ureteropelvic Junction Obstruction in Infants.

    PubMed

    Parente, Alberto; Perez-Egido, Laura; Romero, Rosa Maria; Ortiz, Ruben; Burgos, Laura; Angulo, Jose Maria

    2016-01-01

    The aim of this study is to analyze results of retrograde endopyelotomy with cutting balloon for treatment of ureteropelvic junction obstruction (UPJO) in infants. We routinely treat patients with UPJO under 18 months of age with retrograde high-pressure balloon dilatation of the pelviureteric junction (PUJ). During the procedure, in these cases where narrowing at the PUJ persists, endopyelotomy with cutting balloon is performed. Endopyelotomy is performed over guidewire with 5-mm Cutting Balloon™ under fluoroscopic control. Double-J stents is left in situ for 4 weeks. We retrospectively analyzed the postoperative, clinical, and radiological outcome infants treated with cutting balloon endopyelotomy between 2007 and 2015. Sixteen patients required cutting balloon endopyelotomy to achieve complete resolution of narrowing of the waist observed during high-pressure balloon dilatation of the PUJ. Mean operative time was 35 ± 21 min (mean ± SD) and hospital stay was <24 h in all patients. Complete resolution of the narrowing at the PUJ under fluoroscopy was achieved in all cases, with no perioperative complications. One patient presented with urinary tract infection, postoperatively (Clavien grade II). Preoperatively, all cases had grade IV SFU hydronephrosis with parenchymal thinning. During follow-up, resolution of the hydronephrosis was observed in 11 patients (grade I SFU). In four infants, there was an improvement of the hydronephrosis (grade II SFU) and the renogram curve. In one case, an open pyeloplasty was required due to persistent hydronephrosis and obstructive curve. We believe that endopyelotomy with cutting balloon could be a valid and safe option in minimally invasive management of UPJO in infants.

  20. Prescribed Burning and Clear-Cutting Effects on Understory Vegetation in a Pinus canariensis Stand (Gran Canaria)

    PubMed Central

    Arévalo, José Ramón; García-Domínguez, Celia; Naranjo-Cigala, Agustín; Grillo, Federico

    2014-01-01

    Prescribed fires are a powerful tool for reducing fire hazards by decreasing amounts of fuel. The main objective is to analyze the effects of prescribed burning on the understory vegetation composition as well as on the soil characteristics of a reforested stand of Pinus canariensis. The study attempts to identify the effects of the preburning treatment of cutting understory vegetation on the floristic parameters of the vegetation community. This study was carried out for two years following a prescribed fire in a Canarian pine stand. Cutting and burning treatment affected species composition and increased diversity. Burnt and cut plots were characterized by a diverse array of herbaceous species and by a lower abundance of Teline microphylla (endemic legume), although burning apparently induced its germination. Cut treatment was more consistently differentiated from the control plots than burnt treatment. Soil K decreased after both treatments, pH slightly decreased after cutting, while P and Ca increased after fire. From an ecological point of view, prescribed burning is a better management practice than cutting the woody species of the understory. However, long-term studies would be necessary to evaluate the effects of fire intensity, season and frequency in which the prescribed burning is applied. PMID:25147839

  1. Prescribed burning and clear-cutting effects on understory vegetation in a Pinus canariensis stand (Gran Canaria).

    PubMed

    Arévalo, José Ramón; Fernández-Lugo, Silvia; García-Domínguez, Celia; Naranjo-Cigala, Agustín; Grillo, Federico; Calvo, Leonor

    2014-01-01

    Prescribed fires are a powerful tool for reducing fire hazards by decreasing amounts of fuel. The main objective is to analyze the effects of prescribed burning on the understory vegetation composition as well as on the soil characteristics of a reforested stand of Pinus canariensis. The study attempts to identify the effects of the preburning treatment of cutting understory vegetation on the floristic parameters of the vegetation community. This study was carried out for two years following a prescribed fire in a Canarian pine stand. Cutting and burning treatment affected species composition and increased diversity. Burnt and cut plots were characterized by a diverse array of herbaceous species and by a lower abundance of Teline microphylla (endemic legume), although burning apparently induced its germination. Cut treatment was more consistently differentiated from the control plots than burnt treatment. Soil K decreased after both treatments, pH slightly decreased after cutting, while P and Ca increased after fire. From an ecological point of view, prescribed burning is a better management practice than cutting the woody species of the understory. However, long-term studies would be necessary to evaluate the effects of fire intensity, season and frequency in which the prescribed burning is applied.

  2. Anatomy comic strips.

    PubMed

    Park, Jin Seo; Kim, Dae Hyun; Chung, Min Suk

    2011-01-01

    Comics are powerful visual messages that convey immediate visceral meaning in ways that conventional texts often cannot. This article's authors created comic strips to teach anatomy more interestingly and effectively. Four-frame comic strips were conceptualized from a set of anatomy-related humorous stories gathered from the authors' collective imagination. The comics were drawn on paper and then recreated with digital graphics software. More than 500 comic strips have been drawn and labeled in Korean language, and some of them have been translated into English. All comic strips can be viewed on the Department of Anatomy homepage at the Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, Republic of Korea. The comic strips were written and drawn by experienced anatomists, and responses from viewers have generally been favorable. These anatomy comic strips, designed to help students learn the complexities of anatomy in a straightforward and humorous way, are expected to be improved further by the authors and other interested anatomists. Copyright © 2011 American Association of Anatomists.

  3. Study of surface properties of ATLAS12 strip sensors and their radiation resistance

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mikestikova, M.; Allport, P. P.; Baca, M.; Broughton, J.; Chisholm, A.; Nikolopoulos, K.; Pyatt, S.; Thomas, J. P.; Wilson, J. A.; Kierstead, J.; Kuczewski, P.; Lynn, D.; Hommels, L. B. A.; Ullan, M.; Bloch, I.; Gregor, I. M.; Tackmann, K.; Hauser, M.; Jakobs, K.; Kuehn, S.; Mahboubi, K.; Mori, R.; Parzefall, U.; Clark, A.; Ferrere, D.; Sevilla, S. Gonzalez; Ashby, J.; Blue, A.; Bates, R.; Buttar, C.; Doherty, F.; McMullen, T.; McEwan, F.; O'Shea, V.; Kamada, S.; Yamamura, K.; Ikegami, Y.; Nakamura, K.; Takubo, Y.; Unno, Y.; Takashima, R.; Chilingarov, A.; Fox, H.; Affolder, A. A.; Casse, G.; Dervan, P.; Forshaw, D.; Greenall, A.; Wonsak, S.; Wormald, M.; Cindro, V.; Kramberger, G.; Mandić, I.; Mikuž, M.; Gorelov, I.; Hoeferkamp, M.; Palni, P.; Seidel, S.; Taylor, A.; Toms, K.; Wang, R.; Hessey, N. P.; Valencic, N.; Hanagaki, K.; Dolezal, Z.; Kodys, P.; Bohm, J.; Stastny, J.; Bevan, A.; Beck, G.; Milke, C.; Domingo, M.; Fadeyev, V.; Galloway, Z.; Hibbard-Lubow, D.; Liang, Z.; Sadrozinski, H. F.-W.; Seiden, A.; To, K.; French, R.; Hodgson, P.; Marin-Reyes, H.; Parker, K.; Jinnouchi, O.; Hara, K.; Sato, K.; Hagihara, M.; Iwabuchi, S.; Bernabeu, J.; Civera, J. V.; Garcia, C.; Lacasta, C.; Marti i Garcia, S.; Rodriguez, D.; Santoyo, D.; Solaz, C.; Soldevila, U.

    2016-09-01

    A radiation hard n+-in-p micro-strip sensor for the use in the Upgrade of the strip tracker of the ATLAS experiment at the High Luminosity Large Hadron Collider (HL-LHC) has been developed by the "ATLAS ITk Strip Sensor collaboration" and produced by Hamamatsu Photonics. Surface properties of different types of end-cap and barrel miniature sensors of the latest sensor design ATLAS12 have been studied before and after irradiation. The tested barrel sensors vary in "punch-through protection" (PTP) structure, and the end-cap sensors, whose stereo-strips differ in fan geometry, in strip pitch and in edge strip ganging options. Sensors have been irradiated with proton fluences of up to 1×1016 neq/cm2, by reactor neutron fluence of 1×1015 neq/cm2 and by gamma rays from 60Co up to dose of 1 MGy. The main goal of the present study is to characterize the leakage current for micro-discharge breakdown voltage estimation, the inter-strip resistance and capacitance, the bias resistance and the effectiveness of PTP structures as a function of bias voltage and fluence. It has been verified that the ATLAS12 sensors have high breakdown voltage well above the operational voltage which implies that different geometries of sensors do not influence their stability. The inter-strip isolation is a strong function of irradiation fluence, however the sensor performance is acceptable in the expected range for HL-LHC. New gated PTP structure exhibits low PTP onset voltage and sharp cut-off of effective resistance even at the highest tested radiation fluence. The inter-strip capacitance complies with the technical specification required before irradiation and no radiation-induced degradation was observed. A summary of ATLAS12 sensors tests is presented including a comparison of results from different irradiation sites. The measured characteristics are compared with the previous prototype of the sensor design, ATLAS07.

  4. Spectral deconvolution and operational use of stripping ratios in airborne radiometrics.

    PubMed

    Allyson, J D; Sanderson, D C

    2001-01-01

    Spectral deconvolution using stripping ratios for a set of pre-defined energy windows is the simplest means of reducing the most important part of gamma-ray spectral information. In this way, the effective interferences between the measured peaks are removed, leading, through a calibration, to clear estimates of radionuclide inventory. While laboratory measurements of stripping ratios are relatively easy to acquire, with detectors placed above small-scale calibration pads of known radionuclide concentrations, the extrapolation to measurements at altitudes where airborne survey detectors are used bring difficulties such as air-path attenuation and greater uncertainties in knowing ground level inventories. Stripping ratios are altitude dependent, and laboratory measurements using various absorbers to simulate the air-path have been used with some success. Full-scale measurements from an aircraft require a suitable location where radionuclide concentrations vary little over the field of view of the detector (which may be hundreds of metres). Monte Carlo simulations offer the potential of full-scale reproduction of gamma-ray transport and detection mechanisms. Investigations have been made to evaluate stripping ratios using experimental and Monte Carlo methods.

  5. Continued Development of an Ultra-Narrow Bandpass Filter for Solar Research

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Rust, David M.

    1993-01-01

    The objective of work under this task was to develop ultranarrow optical bandpass filters and related technology necessary for construction of a compact solar telescope capable of operating unattended in space. The scientific problems to which such a telescope could be applied include solar seismology, solar activity monitoring, solar irradiance variations, solar magnetic field evolution, and the location of targets for narrow-field specialized telescopes. We have demonstrated a Y-cut lithium-niobate Fabry-Perot etalon. This filter will be used on the Flare Genesis Experiment. We also obtained solar images with a Z-cut etalon. The technical report on etalon filters is attached to this final report. We believe that work under this grant will lead to the commercial availability of a universal optical filter with approximately 0.1 A bandwidth. Progress was made toward making a suitable 1-2 A tunable blocker filter, but it now appears that the best approach is to make a double-cavity etalon that will not require such a narrow blocker. Broader band blockers are commercially available.

  6. Implementation of pattern generation algorithm in forming Gilmore and Gomory model for two dimensional cutting stock problem

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Octarina, Sisca; Radiana, Mutia; Bangun, Putra B. J.

    2018-01-01

    Two dimensional cutting stock problem (CSP) is a problem in determining the cutting pattern from a set of stock with standard length and width to fulfill the demand of items. Cutting patterns were determined in order to minimize the usage of stock. This research implemented pattern generation algorithm to formulate Gilmore and Gomory model of two dimensional CSP. The constraints of Gilmore and Gomory model was performed to assure the strips which cut in the first stage will be used in the second stage. Branch and Cut method was used to obtain the optimal solution. Based on the results, it found many patterns combination, if the optimal cutting patterns which correspond to the first stage were combined with the second stage.

  7. Nutrient analysis of the Beef Alternative Merchandising cuts.

    PubMed

    Desimone, T L; Acheson, R A; Woerner, D R; Engle, T E; Douglass, L W; Belk, K E

    2013-03-01

    The objective of this study was to generate raw and cooked nutrient composition data to identify Quality Grade differences in proximate values for eight Beef Alternative Merchandising (BAM) cuts. The data generated will be used to update the nutrient data in the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference (SR). Beef Rib, Oven-Prepared, Beef Loin, Strip Loin, and Beef Loin, Top Sirloin Butt subprimals were collected from a total of 24 carcasses from four packing plants. The carcasses were a combination of USDA Yield Grades 2 (n=12) and 3 (n=12), USDA Quality Grades upper two-thirds Choice (n=8), low Choice (n=8), and Select (n=8), and two genders, steer (n=16) and heifer (n=8). After aging, subprimals were fabricated into the BAM cuts, dissected, and nutrient analysis was performed. Sample homogenates from each animal were homogenized and composited for analysis of the following: proximate analysis, long chain and trans-fatty acids, conjugated linoleic acid, total cholesterol, vitamin B-12, and selenium. This study identified seven BAM cuts from all three Quality Grades that qualify for USDA Lean; seven Select cuts that qualify for USDA Extra Lean; and three Select cuts that qualify for the American Heart Association's Heart Healthy Check. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. Lateral flow strip assay

    DOEpatents

    Miles, Robin R [Danville, CA; Benett, William J [Livermore, CA; Coleman, Matthew A [Oakland, CA; Pearson, Francesca S [Livermore, CA; Nasarabadi, Shanavaz L [Livermore, CA

    2011-03-08

    A lateral flow strip assay apparatus comprising a housing; a lateral flow strip in the housing, the lateral flow strip having a receiving portion; a sample collection unit; and a reagent reservoir. Saliva and/or buccal cells are collected from an individual using the sample collection unit. The sample collection unit is immersed in the reagent reservoir. The tip of the lateral flow strip is immersed in the reservoir and the reagent/sample mixture wicks up into the lateral flow strip to perform the assay.

  9. Analysis/design of strip reinforced random composites (strip hybrids)

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Chamis, C. C.; Sinclair, J. H.

    1978-01-01

    Advanced analysis methods and composite mechanics were applied to a strip-reinforced random composite square panel with fixed ends to illustrate the use of these methods for the a priori assessment of the composite panel when subjected to complex loading conditions. The panel was assumed to be of E-glass random composite. The strips were assumed to be of three advanced unidirectional composites to cover a range of low, intermediate, and high modulus stiffness. The panels were assumed to be subjected to complex loadings to assess their adequacy as load-carrying members in auto body, aircraft engine nacelle and windmill blade applications. The results show that strip hybrid panels can be several times more structurally efficient than the random composite base materials. Some of the results are presented in graphical form and procedures are described for use of these graphs as guides for preliminary design of strip hybrids.

  10. Is the WBE model appropriate for semi-arid shrubs subjected to clear cutting?

    PubMed

    Issoufou, Hassane Bil-Assanou; Rambal, Serge; Le Dantec, Valérie; Oï, Monique; Laurent, Jean-Paul; Saadou, Mahamane; Seghieri, Josiane

    2015-02-01

    It is crucial to understand the adaptive mechanisms of woody plants facing periodic drought to assess their vulnerability to the increasing climate variability predicted in the Sahel. Guiera senegalensis J.F.Gmel is a semi-evergreen Combretaceae commonly found in Sahelian rangelands, fallows and crop fields because of its value as an agroforestry species. We compared canopy leafing, and allometric measurements of leaf area, stem area and stem length and their relationships with leaf water potential, stomatal conductance (gs) and soil-to-leaf hydraulic conductance (KS-L), in mature and current-year resprouts of G. senegalensis in Sahelian Niger. In mature shrubs, seasonal drought reduced the ratio of leaf area to cross-sectional stem area (AL : AS), mainly due to leaf shedding. The canopy of the current-year resprouts remained permanently leafed as the shrubs produced leaves and stems continuously, and their AL : AS ratio increased throughout the dry season. Their KS-L increased, whereas gs decreased. West, Brown and Enquist's (WBE) model can thus describe allometric trends in the seasonal life cycle of undisturbed mature shrubs, but not that of resprouts. Annual clear cutting drives allometric scaling relationships away from theoretical WBE predictions in the current-year resprouts, with scaling exponents 2.5 times greater than those of mature shrubs. High KS-L (twice that of mature shrubs) supports this intensive regeneration process. The adaptive strategy described here is probably common to many woody species that have to cope with both severe seasonal drought and regular disturbance over the long term. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  11. Evaluation of site impacts associated with three silvicultural prescriptions in an upland hardwood stand in northern Alabama, USA

    Treesearch

    Emily A. Carter; Robert B. Rummer; Bryce J. Stokes

    2006-01-01

    Soil disturbance patterns and associated changes in soil physical status were measured in a study that evaluated the implementation of three alternative management prescriptions in an upland hardwood stand in northern Alabama, USA. Management prescriptions applied in this study consisted of a clear-cut, strip cut, and deferment cut that were compared to a non-harvested...

  12. Stripping Voltammetry

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lovrić, Milivoj

    Electrochemical stripping means the oxidative or reductive removal of atoms, ions, or compounds from an electrode surface (or from the electrode body, as in the case of liquid mercury electrodes with dissolved metals) [1-5]. In general, these atoms, ions, or compounds have been preliminarily immobilized on the surface of an inert electrode (or within it) as the result of a preconcentration step, while the products of the electrochemical stripping will dissolve in the electrolytic solution. Often the product of the electrochemical stripping is identical to the analyte before the preconcentration. However, there are exemptions to these rules. Electroanalytical stripping methods comprise two steps: first, the accumulation of a dissolved analyte onto, or in, the working electrode, and, second, the subsequent stripping of the accumulated substance by a voltammetric [3, 5], potentiometric [6, 7], or coulometric [8] technique. In stripping voltammetry, the condition is that there are two independent linear relationships: the first one between the activity of accumulated substance and the concentration of analyte in the sample, and the second between the maximum stripping current and the accumulated substance activity. Hence, a cumulative linear relationship between the maximum response and the analyte concentration exists. However, the electrode capacity for the analyte accumulation is limited and the condition of linearity is satisfied only well below the electrode saturation. For this reason, stripping voltammetry is used mainly in trace analysis. The limit of detection depends on the factor of proportionality between the activity of the accumulated substance and the bulk concentration of the analyte. This factor is a constant in the case of a chemical accumulation, but for electrochemical accumulation it depends on the electrode potential. The factor of proportionality between the maximum stripping current and the analyte concentration is rarely known exactly. In fact

  13. Development of a computer method for predicting lumber cutting yields.

    Treesearch

    Daniel E. Dunmire; George H. Englerth

    1967-01-01

    A system of locating defects in a board by intersecting coordinate points was developed and a computer program devised that used these points to locate all possible clear areas in the board. The computer determined the yields by placing any given size or sizes of cuttings in these clear areas, and furthermore stated the type, location, and number of saw cuts. The...

  14. Long length cuttings from no. 2 common hardwood lumber

    Treesearch

    Edwin L. Lucas; Edwin L. Lucas

    1973-01-01

    Long length cuttings (up to 60 inches) are obtainable in abundance from No. 2 Common oak lumber. Cutting for the maximum area of clear one face (ClF) parts 18 to 60 inches in length, we found that 46 percent of all the cuttings were 36 inches long or longer. The recovery of the long length cuttings did not reduce the overall yield of parts produced from the lumber....

  15. Computer optimization of cutting yield from multiple ripped boards

    Treesearch

    A.R. Stern; K.A. McDonald

    1978-01-01

    RIPYLD is a computer program that optimizes the cutting yield from multiple-ripped boards. Decisions are based on automatically collected defect information, cutting bill requirements, and sawing variables. The yield of clear cuttings from a board is calculated for every possible permutation of specified rip widths and both the maximum and minimum percent yield...

  16. "Taste Strips" - a rapid, lateralized, gustatory bedside identification test based on impregnated filter papers.

    PubMed

    Landis, Basile Nicolas; Welge-Luessen, Antje; Brämerson, Annika; Bende, Mats; Mueller, Christian Albert; Nordin, Steven; Hummel, Thomas

    2009-02-01

    To elaborate normative values for a clinical psychophysical taste test ("Taste Strips"). The "Taste Strips" are a psychophysical chemical taste test. So far, no definitive normative data had been published and only a fairly small sample size has been investigated. In light of this shortcoming for this easy, reliable and quick taste testing device, we attempted to provide normative values suitable for the clinical use. Normative value acquisition study, multicenter study. The investigation involved 537 participants reporting a normal sense of smell and taste (318 female, 219 male, mean age 44 years, age range 18-87 years). The taste test was based on spoon-shaped filter paper strips ("Taste Strips") impregnated with the four (sweet, sour, salty, and bitter) taste qualities in four different concentrations. The strips were placed on the left or right side of the anterior third of the extended tongue, resulting in a total of 32 trials. With their tongue still extended, patients had to identify the taste from a list of four descriptors, i. e., sweet, sour, salty, and bitter (multiple forced-choice). To obtain an impression of overall gustatory function, the number of correctly identified tastes was summed up for a "taste score". Taste function decreased significantly with age. Women exhibited significantly higher taste scores than men which was true for all age groups. The taste score at the 10(th) percentile was selected as a cut-off value to distinguish normogeusia from hypogeusia. Results from a small series of patients with ageusia confirmed the clinical usefulness of the proposed normative values. The present data provide normative values for the "Taste Strips" based on over 500 subjects tested.

  17. Stripcut-thinning of ponderosa pine stands: An Arizona case study

    Treesearch

    Peter F. Ffolliott; Malchus Baker

    2001-01-01

    Growth and structural changes in ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) stands were studied over a 25-year posttreatment period to determine the impacts of a combined stripcut-thinning treatment. Trees on one-third of a watershed in north-central Arizona had been removed in clear-cut strips. Trees in the "leave" strips were thinned. Number of...

  18. High power narrow-band fiber-based ASE source.

    PubMed

    Schmidt, O; Rekas, M; Wirth, C; Rothhardt, J; Rhein, S; Kliner, A; Strecker, M; Schreiber, T; Limpert, J; Eberhardt, R; Tünnermann, A

    2011-02-28

    In this paper we describe a high power narrow-band amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) light source at 1030 nm center wavelength generated in an Yb-doped fiber-based experimental setup. By cutting a small region out of a broadband ASE spectrum using two fiber Bragg gratings a strongly constrained bandwidth of 12±2 pm (3.5±0.6 GHz) is formed. A two-stage high power fiber amplifier system is used to boost the output power up to 697 W with a measured beam quality of M2≤1.34. In an additional experiment we demonstrate a stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) suppression of at least 17 dB (theoretically predicted ~20 dB), which is only limited by the dynamic range of the measurement and not by the onset of SBS when using the described light source. The presented narrow-band ASE source could be of great interest for brightness scaling applications by beam combination, where SBS is known as a limiting factor.

  19. Stripping by laser

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Malavallon, Olivier

    1995-04-01

    Laser beam stripping can be achieved using several active materials: YAG, CO2 Tea, or Excimer. The YAG laser appears to be the most efficient laser assessed in this report. However, the results obtained for productivity, quality, and type of stripping were very poor. Also, for stripping and on account of its specifications, the laser beam can only be used in an automated manner. In spite of these results, it seems that certain companies in Europe have recently developed technical solutions allowing better results to be obtained.

  20. Bismuth-based electrochemical stripping analysis

    DOEpatents

    Wang, Joseph

    2004-01-27

    Method and apparatus for trace metal detection and analysis using bismuth-coated electrodes and electrochemical stripping analysis. Both anodic stripping voltammetry and adsorptive stripping analysis may be employed.

  1. The influence of assist gas on magnetic properties of electrotechnical steel sheets cut with laser

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gaworska-Koniarek, Dominika; Szubzda, Bronisław; Wilczyński, Wiesław; Drosik, Jerzy; Karaś, Kazimierz

    2011-07-01

    The paper presents the influence of assist gas (air and nitrogen) during laser cutting on magnetization, magnetic permeability and loss characteristics of non-oriented electrical steels. The research was made on an non-oriented M330-50A grade electrical steels by means of single sheet tester. In order to enhance the effect of cutting and the same degradation zone on magnetic properties, strips with different width were achieved. Measurements results indicate that application of air as assist gas has more destructive effect on magnetic properties of electrical steels than nitrogen one.

  2. NASA Space Science and a Search for Ram-Pressure Stripping in the Hydra I Cluster

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Brown, Beth

    2005-01-01

    The NASA Goddard Space Flight Center's Sciences and Exploration Directorate seeks to expand scientific knowledge through observational and theoretical research in the study of the Earth-Sun system, the solar system and the origins of life, and the birth and evolution of the universe. This talk will discuss some of the cutting-edge space science research being conducted at Goddard. In addition, I will discuss my research on ram-pressure stripping in cluster elliptical galaxies. Ram-pressure stripping is a method by which hot interstellar gas can be removed from a galaxy moving through a group or cluster of galaxies. Indirect evidence of ram-pressure stripping includes lowered X-ray brightness in a galaxy due to less X-ray emitting gas remaining in the galaxy. Here we present the initial results of our program to determine whether cluster elliptical galaxies have lower hot gas masses than their counterparts in less rich environments. This test requires the use of the high-resolution imaging of the Chandra Observatory and we present our analysis of the galaxies in the nearby cluster Hydra I.

  3. Subsurface Thermal and Hydrological Changes Between a Forested and a Clear-Cut Site in the Oregon Cascades: Observations and Models

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Davis, M. G.; Harris, R. N.; Chapman, D. S.

    2013-12-01

    We report a comparison of temperature and related observations between a set of paired meteorological stations at the Soapgrass Mountain site, Santiam Pass, Cascades Mountains, Oregon, USA. This site contains two separate meteorological towers; one under the old-growth coniferous forest canopy and the other in a nearby forest opening that was clear cut. The open area has warmer air and soil temperatures and receives greater amounts of incoming radiation. These conditions are contrasted with the muted conditions under the forest canopy. A comparison of the sites shows that between 2000 and 2004, differences in air temperature decrease from 1.7 °C to 1.1 °C. Ground temperature differences are nearly cut in half in the leaf litter from 2.8 °C to 1.5 °C over the same time period. We link this change directly to the change in incoming radiation, with an observed decrease from 295 μmol m-2 sec-1 to 233 μmol m-2 sec-1, that is a result of the forest regrowth at the open area site. Subsurface temperatures are reproducible at the open area site using the Noah land surface model, but larger discrepancies exist at the mature forest site. At the mature forest site, the incoming solar radiation is too low to reproduce the observations using the Noah land surface model. Using the incoming solar radiation from the open area allows for much better agreement between the Noah model results and the observations.

  4. Effects of moisture, elevated temperature, and fatigue loading on the behavior of graphite/epoxy buffer strip panels with center cracks

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bigelow, C. A.

    1988-01-01

    The effects of fatigue loading combined with moisture and heat on the behavior of graphite epoxy panels with either Kevlar-49 or S-glass buffer strips were studied. Buffer strip panels, that had a slit in the center to represent damage, were moisture conditioned or heated, fatigue loaded, and then tested in tension to measure their residual strength. The buffer strips were parallel to the loading direction and were made by replacing narrow strips of the 0 deg graphite plies with Kevlar-49 epoxy or S-glass epoxy on a 1-for-1 basis. The panels were subjected to a fatigue loading spectrum. One group of panels was preconditioned by soaking in 60 C water to produce a 1 percent weight gain then tested at room temperature. One group was heated to 82 C during the fatigue loading. Another group was moisture conditioned and then tested at 82 C. The residual strengths of the buffer panels were not highly affected by the fatigue loading, the number of repetitions of the loading spectrum, or the maximum strain level. The moisture conditioning reduced the residual strengths of the S-glass buffer strip panel by 10 to 15 percent below the ambient results. The moisture conditioning did not have a large effect on the Kevlar-49 panels.

  5. Colorimetric and Spectroradiometric Characteristics of Narrow-Field-of-View Clear Skylight in Granada, Spain

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2001-02-01

    yield chromaticities typical of the blues observed in clear daytime skies. Thus none of our measurements re- flect the far wider chromaticity gamut ...y 5 20.24770 1 2.72203x 2 2.77935x2. (1) The chromaticity gamut of our experimental clear-sky measurements is broader than earlier ones,15–28 despite...chromaticity curves in Figs. 4–7 are typical of those measured on many other days. Not surprisingly, as h0 decreases, the chromaticity gamut measured

  6. Regioregular narrow-bandgap-conjugated polymers for plastic electronics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ying, Lei; Huang, Fei; Bazan, Guillermo C.

    2017-03-01

    Progress in the molecular design and processing protocols of semiconducting polymers has opened significant opportunities for the fabrication of low-cost plastic electronic devices. Recent studies indicate that field-effect transistors and organic solar cells fabricated using narrow-bandgap regioregular polymers with translational symmetries in the direction of the backbone vector often outperform those containing analogous regiorandom polymers. This review addresses the cutting edge of regioregularity chemistry, in particular how to control the spatial distribution in the molecular structures and how this order translates to more ordered bulk morphologies. The effect of regioregularity on charge transport and photovoltaic properties is also outlined.

  7. Why Hart found narrow ecospheres--a minor science mystery solved.

    PubMed

    Levenson, Barton Paul

    2015-05-01

    To explain why two NASA computer simulation studies in the 1970s (Hart, 1978 , 1979 ) briefly rocked the subfield of astrobiology and SETI studies by showing very narrow habitable zones (HZs) for solar-type stars. Although other studies later supported wider HZs, it was never clear why the Hart simulations found the narrow limits they did. Investigation of the state of climate studies and radiative transfer models in the period 1960-1970 provides a likely explanation. Hart's findings were in line with earlier results, preventing him from noticing that his radiation model was inadequate.

  8. Retractable barrier strip

    DOEpatents

    Marts, Donna J.; Barker, Stacey G.; McQueen, Miles A.

    1996-01-01

    A portable barrier strip having retractable tire-puncture means for puncturing a vehicle tire. The tire-puncture means, such as spikes, have an armed position for puncturing a tire and a retracted position for not puncturing a tire. The strip comprises a plurality of barrier blocks having the tire-puncture means removably disposed in a shaft that is rotatably disposed in each barrier block. The shaft removably and pivotally interconnects the plurality of barrier blocks. Actuation cables cause the shaft to rotate the tire-puncture means to the armed position for puncturing a vehicle tire and to the retracted position for not puncturing the tire. Each tire-puncture means is received in a hollow-bed portion of its respective barrier block when in the retracted position. The barrier strip rests stable in its deployed position and substantially motionless as a tire rolls thereon and over. The strip is rolled up for retrieval, portability, and storage purposes, and extended and unrolled in its deployed position for use.

  9. PHYSICAL MECHANISMS OF CLEAR-AIR TURBULENCE,

    DTIC Science & Technology

    An attempt was made to test the hypothesis that reports of clear-air turbulence ( CAT ) on March 14-15, 1962, were associated with narrow layers (upper...did not contradict the hypothe sis, as many reports of CAT were made in sloping baroclinic or adiabatic layers. In any case, the Richardson numbers...index of CAT intensity which should be proportional to the energy of CAT is derived from the eddy energy equation. (Author)

  10. Colorimetric and spectroradiometric characteristics of narrow-field-of-view clear skylight in Granada, Spain.

    PubMed

    Hernández-Andrés, J; Romero, J; Lee, R L

    2001-02-01

    As part of our ongoing research into the clear daytime sky's visible structure, we analyze over 1,500 skylight spectra measured during a seven-month period in Granada, Spain. We use spectral radiances measured within 3 degrees fields of view (FOV's) to define colorimetric characteristics along four sky meridians: the solar meridian and three meridians at azimuths of 45 degrees, 90 degrees, and 315 degrees relative to it. The resulting clear-sky chromaticities in 44 different view directions (1) are close to but do not coincide with the CIE daylight locus, (2) form V-shaped meridional chromaticity curves along it (as expected from theory), and (3) have correlated color temperatures (CCT's) ranging from 3,800 K to infinity K. We also routinely observe that sky color and luminance are asymmetric about the solar meridian, usually perceptibly so. A principal-components analysis shows that three vectors are required for accurate clear-sky colorimetry, whereas six are needed for spectral analyses.

  11. Bicycle-Friendly Shoulder Rumble Strips

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2000-03-01

    Shoulder rumble strips have proven to be an effective way to reduce run-off-the-road (ROR) crashes on urban and rural freeways. As the use of shoulder rumble strips is being extended to non-freeway facilities, bicyclists will encounter rumble strips ...

  12. Anatomy Comic Strips

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Park, Jin Seo; Kim, Dae Hyun; Chung, Min Suk

    2011-01-01

    Comics are powerful visual messages that convey immediate visceral meaning in ways that conventional texts often cannot. This article's authors created comic strips to teach anatomy more interestingly and effectively. Four-frame comic strips were conceptualized from a set of anatomy-related humorous stories gathered from the authors' collective…

  13. Influence of the narrow {111} planes on axial and planar ion channeling.

    PubMed

    Motapothula, M; Dang, Z Y; Venkatesan, T; Breese, M B H; Rana, M A; Osman, A

    2012-05-11

    We report channeling patterns where clearly resolved effects of the narrow {111} planes are observed in axial and planar alignments for 2 MeV protons passing through a 55 nm [001] silicon membrane. At certain axes, such as <213> and <314>, the offset in atomic rows forming the narrow {111} planes results in shielding from the large potential at the wide {111} planes, producing a region of shallow, asymmetric potential from which axial channeling patterns have no plane of symmetry. At small tilts from such axes, different behavior is observed from the wide and narrow {111} planes. At planar alignment, distinctive channeling effects due to the narrow planes are observed. As a consequence of the shallow potential well at the narrow planes, incident protons suffer dechanneled trajectories which are excluded from channeling within the wide planes, resulting in an anomalously large scattered beam at {111} alignment.

  14. Comparison of the relaxation effect in vitro of nitroglycerin vs. fenoterol on human myometrial strips.

    PubMed

    David, M; Hamann, C; Chen, F C; Bruch, L; Lichtenegger, W

    2000-01-01

    Substance dose-related comparison of relaxation effect of nitroglycerin (GTN) and the beta 2-mimetic substance fenoterol in human myometrial tissue. Test criterion is the isometric force development of isolated human myometrial strips. These muscle strips were removed from the lower uterine segment at cesarean section. Fenoterol in concentrations of 3 x 10(-8)-10(-5) mol/l or GTN in concentrations of 1.7 x 10(-8)-5.8 x 10(-4) mol/l were applied to the 2 x 2 x 10-mm strips, which were fixed and maintained in tissue baths. The curves were plotted on line. The integral or the "area under the curve" (AUC) served as the parameter for muscle strip activity. A total of 100 strips from 20 patients were used. GTN demonstrated a significant relaxation effect in the in vitro model on human myometrial strips from pregnant women already treated with oxytocin. The effect was able to be enhanced to a point where oxytocin-induced contractions were completely absent. A relatively clear connection was demonstrated between dose and effect whereby increased muscle relaxation resulted at increased concentrations. Compared to GTN application, muscle strip relaxation was less pronounced under fenoterol; a complete inhibition of myometrial activity was not achieved under fenoterol. With respect to relaxation of the myometrial tissue samples the NO donor GTN is at least as potent as the standard tocolytic agent fenoterol in the in vitro model.

  15. Herbaceous or Salix miyabeana 'SX64' narrow buffer strips as a means to minimize glyphosate and aminomethylphosphonic acid leaching from row crop fields.

    PubMed

    Hénault-Ethier, Louise; Lucotte, Marc; Moingt, Matthieu; Paquet, Serge; Maccario, Sophie; Smedbol, Élise; Gomes, Marcelo Pedrosa; Lepage, Laurent; Juneau, Philippe; Labrecque, Michel

    2017-11-15

    Glyphosate is the most widely used herbicide worldwide and is now frequently detected in surface waters of agricultural regions, notably in Quebec (Canada). Numerous legislations require vegetated riparian buffer strips (RBS) along agricultural streams. Quebec policy requires 3-meter-wide RBS. The present study evaluates the efficiency of narrow herbaceous and low- or high-density (33,333 and 55,556stumps/ha) willow, Salix miyabeana 'SX64', RBS, to minimize leaching of glyphosate and its main degradation product (AMPA) from agricultural fields to streams. Our study compared triplicate treatments of herbaceous and willow-planted RBS located in an organic-rich soil at Boisbriand (BB) and in a mineral soil at Saint-Roch-de-l'Achigan (SR). Runoff water was sampled with surface collectors and interstitial water was collected with 35cm or 70cm tension lysimeters. Potential efficiency of the RBS is reported as the percent reduction between edge-of-field and edge-of-stream concentrations in runoff and interstitial waters. Neither glyphosate nor AMPA in runoff were significantly intercepted by the RBS. After field herbicide spraying, glyphosate measured in SR surface soils (0-20cm) was on average 210μg·kg -1 dw (range from undetected to ≤317μg·kg -1 dw). Glyphosate was found to be persistent and its infiltration towards groundwater may be enhanced by the RBS. Contrary to runoff trends, soil glyphosate was significantly less concentrated on the SR edge-of-stream compared to edge-of-field (27-54% potential efficiency). The potential efficiency of herbaceous, low- and high-density willow RBS were undifferentiated. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  16. Retractable barrier strip

    DOEpatents

    Marts, D.J.; Barker, S.G.; McQueen, M.A.

    1996-04-16

    A portable barrier strip is described having retractable tire-puncture means for puncturing a vehicle tire. The tire-puncture means, such as spikes, have an armed position for puncturing a tire and a retracted position for not puncturing a tire. The strip comprises a plurality of barrier blocks having the tire-puncture means removably disposed in a shaft that is rotatably disposed in each barrier block. The shaft removably and pivotally interconnects the plurality of barrier blocks. Actuation cables cause the shaft to rotate the tire-puncture means to the armed position for puncturing a vehicle tire and to the retracted position for not puncturing the tire. Each tire-puncture means is received in a hollow-bed portion of its respective barrier block when in the retracted position. The barrier strip rests in its deployed position and substantially motionless as a tire rolls thereon and over. The strip is rolled up for retrieval, portability, and storage purposes, and extended and unrolled in its deployed position for use. 13 figs.

  17. High-speed fiber laser cutting of thick stainless steel for dismantling tasks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shin, Jae Sung; Oh, Seong Yong; Park, Hyunmin; Chung, Chin-Man; Seon, Sangwoo; Kim, Taek-Soo; Lee, Lim; Choi, Byung-Seon; Moon, Jei-Kwon

    2017-09-01

    A high-speed fiber laser cutting technology of thick steels for dismantling tasks was achieved using a 6-kW fiber laser system. At first, a new cutting head for efficient cutting of thick steels was developed, which was composed by a collimator with a focal length of 160 mm and mirror-type focusing objects with a long focal length of 600 mm. The long focal length of the focusing object made it possible for the beam size to be small through the thick cutting material and the cutting efficiency was expected to increase compared with the short focal length. In addition, folding the beam facilitated the compact cutting head with a size of 160 mm (width) × 80 mm (height) × 640 mm (length) and a weight of 6.9 kg. In the cutting experiment, the laser beam was delivered to the cutting head by a 25-m long process fiber with a core diameter of 100 μm. The cutting performances were studied against the thicknesses of stainless steel plates. A maximum cutting speed of 72 mm/min was obtained for the 60-mm thick stainless steel plate cutting and the cut specimen showed an excellent kerf shape and a narrow kerf width. To the best of our knowledge, this cutting speed was higher than other previously reported results when cutting with a 6-kW laser power.

  18. Reviews on laser cutting technology for industrial applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Muangpool, T.; Pullteap, S.

    2018-03-01

    In this paper, an overview of the laser technology applied for the industrial has been reviewed. In general, this technology was used in several engineering applications such as industrial, medical, science, research sectors, etc. Focusing on the laser technology in the industrial section, it was, normally, employed for many purposes i.e. target marking, welding, drilling, and also cutting. Consequently, the laser cutting technology was, however, divided into three classifications YAG, CO2, and fiber laser, respectively. Each laser types have different advantages and disadvantages depending on the material type. The advantages by using laser cutting compared with the general cutting machines were exploited in terms of narrow kerf, high cutting speed, low heat-affected zone (HAZ), improve efficiency of the cutting process, high accuracy, etc. However, the main objectives from the technology used were increasing of the products and also decreasing the production cost. In the opposite way, some disadvantages of the technology were summarized by complexity to operate, high maintenance cost, and also high power consumption. In Thailand industry, there were many factories used this technology as a cutting process. Unfortunately, only few researches were published. It might explains that this technology were difficulty to develop, high investment, and also easy to import from aboard. For becoming to the Thailand 4.0 community, the Thailand industry might awareness to reduce the importing machine and boosting some policies to create novel innovative / know-how from the own country.

  19. Strip casting apparatus and method

    DOEpatents

    Williams, Robert S.; Baker, Donald F.

    1988-01-01

    Strip casting apparatus including a molten-metal-holding container and a nozzle to deposit molten metal onto a moving chill drum to directly cast continuous metallic strip. The nozzle body includes a slot bounded between a back and a front lip. The slot width exceeds about 20 times the gap distance between the nozzle and the chill drum surface. Preferably, the slot width exceeds 0.5 inch. This method of strip casting minimizes pressure drop, insuring better metal-to-chill-drum contact which promotes heat transfer and results in a better quality metallic strip.

  20. Range gated strip proximity sensor

    DOEpatents

    McEwan, T.E.

    1996-12-03

    A range gated strip proximity sensor uses one set of sensor electronics and a distributed antenna or strip which extends along the perimeter to be sensed. A micro-power RF transmitter is coupled to the first end of the strip and transmits a sequence of RF pulses on the strip to produce a sensor field along the strip. A receiver is coupled to the second end of the strip, and generates a field reference signal in response to the sequence of pulse on the line combined with received electromagnetic energy from reflections in the field. The sensor signals comprise pulses of radio frequency signals having a duration of less than 10 nanoseconds, and a pulse repetition rate on the order of 1 to 10 MegaHertz or less. The duration of the radio frequency pulses is adjusted to control the range of the sensor. An RF detector feeds a filter capacitor in response to received pulses on the strip line to produce a field reference signal representing the average amplitude of the received pulses. When a received pulse is mixed with a received echo, the mixing causes a fluctuation in the amplitude of the field reference signal, providing a range-limited Doppler type signature of a field disturbance. 6 figs.

  1. Range gated strip proximity sensor

    DOEpatents

    McEwan, Thomas E.

    1996-01-01

    A range gated strip proximity sensor uses one set of sensor electronics and a distributed antenna or strip which extends along the perimeter to be sensed. A micro-power RF transmitter is coupled to the first end of the strip and transmits a sequence of RF pulses on the strip to produce a sensor field along the strip. A receiver is coupled to the second end of the strip, and generates a field reference signal in response to the sequence of pulse on the line combined with received electromagnetic energy from reflections in the field. The sensor signals comprise pulses of radio frequency signals having a duration of less than 10 nanoseconds, and a pulse repetition rate on the order of 1 to 10 MegaHertz or less. The duration of the radio frequency pulses is adjusted to control the range of the sensor. An RF detector feeds a filter capacitor in response to received pulses on the strip line to produce a field reference signal representing the average amplitude of the received pulses. When a received pulse is mixed with a received echo, the mixing causes a fluctuation in the amplitude of the field reference signal, providing a range-limited Doppler type signature of a field disturbance.

  2. [USING URINARY STRIPS].

    PubMed

    Barbeito García, Ana; Sampayo Montenegro, Ana

    2015-10-01

    Urinalysis using reactive strip is a commonly used in clinical practice. Although mainly indicated as first step test when a urine infection it suspected, it may also be a helpful tool in the management of a wide range of disorders. Standard urine test strips may comprise of up to 10 different chemical pads or reagents (leukocytes, nitrites, pH, glucose, proteins, ketones, bilirubin, urobilinogen, density and blood) that allow a qualitative and semiquantitative analysis of a urine sample. The test method consists of immersing the strip completely in a well-mixed sample of urine and left to stand for the time necessary for the reactions to occur (which is variable depending on the manufacturer). Finally the colors that appear are compared against a specific chromatic scale provided. Several factors may influence the results causing a significant number of false positives and negatives. Such limitations should always be taken into account when reading the test. Despite clinical features lead to the suspicion of an infection, urine test strips is a fast screening test that may reinforce the diagnosis. The combination of dysuria, frequency and emergency, hematuria, pain and sensibility in the pelvis reaches a positive predictive value to identified a urine infection of 90 %. When only dysuria and emergency or high frequency are present, the such probability diminishes to 70-80%, and, when dysuria is the only symptom, it drops to 25%. Despite urine test strips is a fast, easy and cheap method for the diagnosis and follow-up of several diseases, results are fairly heterogeneous and may be influenced by external factors. Therefore a cautious interpretation if advised. Sensibility and specificity of urine test strips is widely variable (S 46%-86% and E 17%-93%). Although the highest diagnostic values are obtained at primary care centers, where such tests are routinely used in a diverse population, the number of false positives is still high. This issue should be taken into

  3. Characteristics of laminates with delamination control strips

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Sun, C. T.; Goering, J. C.; Alper, J. M.; Gause, L. W.

    1992-01-01

    Tough resin is needed to resist delamination crack propagation. However, modulus often has to be compromised because it is difficult to retain both high modulus and toughness in a matrix material. A potential solution is to use a hybrid system in which tough resin strips are included within a conventional matrix composite. By adjusting the spacing of the tough resin strips, maximum delamination size can be controlled. Experimental results for impact damage and subsequent damage propagation in laminates containing tough resin strips are reported. Plain adhesive strips and fiber-reinforced tough resin composite strips were used in constructing the hybrid laminates. Test results indicated that size of delamination inflicted by impact was confined between the tough resin strips. As a result, significantly increased residual compressive strength was obtained. Impacted laminates containing tough resin strips were also fatigue tested. It was found that these strips reduced the growth of the impact damage area relative to the growth seen in coupons with no tough resin strips. Damage growth from an open hole under tension fatigue was evaluated using both tough resin strips and glass fiber reinforced tough resin strips. Unreinforced tough resin strips retarded delamination growth from the open hole, but did not stop matrix cracks growing in the fiber direction. Fiber reinforced tough resin strips did not contain axial delamination growth from the open hole. However, they did act as crack arresters, stopping the through-the-thickness tension crack originating from the hole.

  4. To Make Long Character-Marked Cuttings From Low-Grade Yellow-Poplar Lumber - Rip First

    Treesearch

    Philip A. Araman

    1979-01-01

    Long, character-marked furniture cuttings are easily obtained when low-grade (2A and 2B Common) yellow-poplar lumber is first ripped into strips and then crosscut to remove objectionable defects. Overall yields of character-marked material using this procedure were 78% from 1 Common and 2A Common and 70% from 2B Common yellow-poplar lumber. Furthermore, 82% of the 1...

  5. Think before You Cut

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pettifor, Ann

    2010-01-01

    With the main political parties set on reducing public spending, one might be forgiven for supposing that "savage" cuts are the only way forward. However, the author believes there are alternatives, and that is why public education about the financial system is so important. Today, UK is trying to clear up a mess--a mess made by the…

  6. Tool for cutting insulation from electrical cables

    DOEpatents

    Harless, Charles E.; Taylor, Ward G.

    1978-01-01

    This invention is an efficient hand tool for precisely slitting the sheath of insulation on an electrical cable--e.g., a cable two inches in diameter--in a manner facilitating subsequent peeling or stripping of the insulation. The tool includes a rigid frame which is slidably fitted on an end section of the cable. The frame carries a rigidly affixed handle and an opposed, elongated blade-and-handle assembly. The blade-and-handle assembly is pivotally supported by a bracket which is slidably mounted on the frame for movement toward and away from the cable, thus providing an adjustment for the depth of cut. The blade-and-handle assembly is mountable to the bracket in two pivotable positions. With the assembly mounted in the first position, the tool is turned about the cable to slit the insulation circumferentially. With the assembly mounted in the second position, the tool is drawn along the cable to slit the insulation axially. When cut both circumferentially and axially, the insulation can easily be peeled from the cable.

  7. Strip casting apparatus and method

    DOEpatents

    Williams, R.S.; Baker, D.F.

    1988-09-20

    Strip casting apparatus including a molten-metal-holding container and a nozzle to deposit molten metal onto a moving chill drum to directly cast continuous metallic strip. The nozzle body includes a slot bounded between a back and a front lip. The slot width exceeds about 20 times the gap distance between the nozzle and the chill drum surface. Preferably, the slot width exceeds 0.5 inch. This method of strip casting minimizes pressure drop, insuring better metal-to-chill-drum contact which promotes heat transfer and results in a better quality metallic strip. 6 figs.

  8. Clinical value of rapid urine trypsinogen-2 test strip, urinary trypsinogen activation peptide, and serum and urinary activation peptide of carboxypeptidase B in acute pancreatitis

    PubMed Central

    Sáez, Jesús; Martínez, Juan; Trigo, Celia; Sánchez-Payá, José; Compañy, Luis; Laveda, Raquel; Griñó, Pilar; García, Cristina; Pérez-Mateo, Miguel

    2005-01-01

    AIM: To assess the usefulness of urinary trypsinogen-2 test strip, urinary trypsinogen activation peptide (TAP), and serum and urine concentrations of the activation peptide of carboxypeptidase B (CAPAP) in the diagnosis of acute pancreatitis. METHODS: Patients with acute abdominal pain and hospitalized within 24 h after the onset of symptoms were prospectively studied. Urinary trypsinogen-2 was considered positive when a clear blue line was observed (detection limit 50 μg/L). Urinary TAP was measured using a quantitative solid-phase ELISA, and serum and urinary CAPAP by a radioimmunoassay method. RESULTS: Acute abdominal pain was due to acute pancreatitis in 50 patients and turned out to be extrapancreatic in origin in 22 patients. Patients with acute pancreatitis showed significantly higher median levels of serum and urinary CAPAP levels, as well as amylase and lipase than extrapancreatic controls. Median TAP levels were similar in both groups. The urinary trypsinogen-2 test strip was positive in 68% of patients with acute pancreatitis and 13.6% in extrapancreatic controls (P<0.01). Urinary CAPAP was the most reliable test for the diagnosis of acute pancreatitis (sensitivity 66.7%, specificity 95.5%, positive and negative predictive values 96.6% and 56.7%, respectively), with a 14.6 positive likelihood ratio for a cut-off value of 2.32 nmol/L. CONCLUSION: In patients with acute abdominal pain, hospitalized within 24 h of symptom onset, CAPAP in serum and urine was a reliable diagnostic marker of acute pancreatitis. Urinary trypsinogen-2 test strip showed a clinical value similar to amylase and lipase. Urinary TAP was not a useful screening test for the diagnosis of acute pancreatitis. PMID:16437625

  9. Effects of immersion solution on corneal tissue strip hydration and thickness during thermal shrinkage

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Borja, David; Manns, Fabrice; Lamar, Peggy D.; Rosen, Alexander; Parel, Jean-Marie A.

    2003-07-01

    Purpose: To assess the effects of immersion solutions with different Dextran concentrations on the hydration of cornea tissue strips at normal body temperature. Methods: A 20% Dextran-BSS solution was injected via a self sealing limbal-transcorneal tunnel incision using a 30ga needle into the anterior chamber of human donor eyes until the globe was hard. The eyes were then immersed cornea down overnight in the same solution. Corneal thickness was measured by ultrasound pachymetry after the eyes were re-inflated and at regular intervals to assess dehydration. When the central cornea thickness reached 400-500μm corneal buttons were removed using a 10mm trephine. The buttons were then cut into 6x6mm strips using a custom-made jig and immediately immersed in solutions of Dextran (15 to 20% in increments of 2.5%) at 35degC. The edge thickness of the immersed strip was measured every 5 min for one hour using an optical comparator (Topcon, Japan) modified for tissue shadowphotogrammetry. Results: For five Florida Lions Eye Bank donated eyes after one hour in the Dextran solution the mean final measured thickness of corneas in 20%, 17.5% and 15% Dextran-BSS solutions were 570 (+/-75) μm, 680 (+/-70) μm, and 1080 (+/-95) μm respectively. These measured thicknesses changes correspond to an average swelling of 1.2, 1.4 and 2.2 times the initial thickness of each cornea strip in the 20%, 17.5% and 15% Dextran-BSS solutions respectively. Conclusion: We will conduct experiments at higher Dextran concentrations but our current results indicate that 20% Dextran-BSS solution was the best solution tested at keeping corneal tissue strips at or close to physiological thickness.

  10. Stripping and splicing polyimide-coated fibers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Duke, Douglas; Kanda, Yoshiharu; Tobita, Kenyo; Yamauchi, Ryozo

    2011-05-01

    Polyimide is often used as a coating material for optical fibers used in high temperature environments such as aerospace or oil and gas sensor applications. Unfortunately, polyimide coating is very difficult to strip by conventional mechanical stripping methods. The glass fiber is easily damaged if the stripping process is not extremely well controlled. Stripping the polyimide coating by heating with a flame or arc typically results in a significant reduction in fiber strength. Strength may be maintained by using hot acid stripping, however the use of the strong hot acid presents safety hazards and also requires controlled and safe waste disposal. Another issue with polyimide coating is variability of the coating diameter from various manufacturers or due to different polyimide coating processes. This not only complicates the polyimide stripping issue, but also presents problems with precise clamping and alignment during splicing, especially when it is necessary to splice with a short cleave length. In this paper, we present new polyimide coating stripping technology. The significant feature of this stripping technology is achievement of good strength while avoiding the use of hot acid or heating. We also developed a new specialty fiber fusion splicer that enables precise alignment and splicing regardless of the variability of polyimide coating diameter, even when clamping on the coating.

  11. Evaluation of rumble strips.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1974-01-01

    Rumble strips have been used for a number of years at locations where a physical stimulus was needed to alert a motorist to some hazard. However, little study has been done to determine the optimum spacings for the strips. Through testing existing Vi...

  12. Femtosecond laser cutting of multiple thin corneal stromal lamellae for endothelial bioengineering.

    PubMed

    Bernard, Aurélien; He, Zhiguo; Forest, Fabien; Gauthier, Anne-Sophie; Peocʼh, Michel; Dumollard, Jean-Marc; Acquart, Sophie; Montard, Romain; Delbosc, Bernard; Gain, Philippe; Thuret, Gilles

    2015-02-01

    To assess the feasibility of cutting multiple thin stromal lamellae in human donor corneas using a commercial femtosecond laser (FSL) to provide cell carriers for future endothelial graft bioengineering. Eight edematous organ-cultured corneas not suitable for grafting for endothelial reasons were mounted on a Ziemer anterior chamber and cut with a Z6 FSL with 6 successive parallel cuts, from depth to surface. Target thickness of each lamella ranged from 100 to 150 μm depending on initial corneal thickness. Thickness was measured using anterior segment optical coherence tomography before and after cutting on mounted corneas, and on each stromal lamella after detachment. Scanning electron microscopy observation was performed on 4 lamellae and histological cross sections on 1 cornea before detachment. A median of 5 (minimum 3, maximum 7) lamellae was obtained per cornea. All lamellae still attached were the most posterior ones, suggesting that FSL was less efficient because of light scattering by edematous stroma. Cut precision and postdetachment swelling were correlated with anterior-posterior position within the cornea. Median lamella thickness was 127 μm (56-222 μm) before detachment and 196 μm (80-304 μm) after detachment. Surface state was consistent with previously reported FSL lamellar cuts during Descemet stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty. Up to 7 thin lamellae can be cut in stored corneas with an FSL. This method, once optimized primarily by using deswelled, more transparent corneas, could prove effective for recycling unsuitable donor corneas in corneal bioengineering processes.

  13. The Dark Side of the Moebius Strip.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Schwarz, Gideon E.

    1990-01-01

    Discussed are various models proposed for the Moebius strip. Included are a discussion of a smooth flat model and two smooth flat algebraic models, some results concerning the shortest Moebius strip, the Moebius strip of least elastic energy, and some observations on real-world Moebius strips. (KR)

  14. Roll Casting of Aluminum Alloy Clad Strip

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

    Nakamura, R.; Tsuge, H.; Haga, T.

    2011-01-17

    Casting of aluminum alloy three layers of clad strip was tried using the two sets of twin roll casters, and effects of the casting parameters on the cladding conditions were investigated. One twin roll caster was mounted on the other twin roll caster. Base strip was 8079 aluminum alloy and overlay strips were 6022 aluminum alloy. Effects of roll-load of upper and lower casters and melt temperature of the lower caster were investigated. When the roll-load of the upper and lower caster was large enough, the overlay strip could be solidified and be connected. The overlay strip could be connectedmore » when the melt of the overlay strip cast by the lower caster was low enough. Sound three layers of clad strip could be cast by proper conditions.« less

  15. Automated Laser Paint Stripping (ALPS) update

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lovoi, Paul

    1993-03-01

    To date, the DoD has played a major role in funding a number of paint stripping programs. Some technologies have proven less effective than contemplated. Others are still in the validation phase. Paint stripping is one of the hottest issues being addressed by the finishing industry since the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has mandated that chemical stripping using methylene chloride/phenolic type strippers be stopped. The DoD and commercial aircraft companies are hard-pressed to find an alternative. Automated laser paint stripping has been identified as a technique for removing coatings from aircraft surfaces. International Technical Associates (InTA) was awarded a Navy contract for an automated laser paint stripping system (ALPS) that will remove paint from metallic and composite substrates. For the program, which will validate laser paint stripping, InTA will design, build, test, and install a system for fighter-sized aircraft at both the Norfolk and North Island (San Diego) Aviation Depots.

  16. UVIT view of ram-pressure stripping in action: Star formation in the stripped gas of the GASP jellyfish galaxy JO201 in Abell 85

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    George, K.; Poggianti, B. M.; Gullieuszik, M.; Fasano, G.; Bellhouse, C.; Postma, J.; Moretti, A.; Jaffé, Y.; Vulcani, B.; Bettoni, D.; Fritz, J.; Côté, P.; Ghosh, S. K.; Hutchings, J. B.; Mohan, R.; Sreekumar, P.; Stalin, C. S.; Subramaniam, A.; Tandon, S. N.

    2018-06-01

    Jellyfish are cluster galaxies that experience strong ram-pressure effects that strip their gas. Their Hα images reveal ionized gas tails up to 100 kpc, which could be hosting ongoing star formation. Here we report the ultraviolet (UV) imaging observation of the jellyfish galaxy JO201 obtained at a spatial resolution ˜ 1.3 kpc. The intense burst of star formation happening in the tentacles is the focus of the present study. JO201 is the "UV-brightest cluster galaxy" in Abell 85 (z ˜ 0.056) with knots and streams of star formation in the ultraviolet. We identify star forming knots both in the stripped gas and in the galaxy disk and compare the UV features with the ones traced by Hα emission. Overall, the two emissions remarkably correlate, both in the main body and along the tentacles. Similarly, also the star formation rates of individual knots derived from the extinction-corrected FUV emission agree with those derived from the Hα emission and range from ˜ 0.01 -to- 2.07 M⊙ yr-1. The integrated star formation rate from FUV flux is ˜ 15 M⊙ yr-1. The unprecedented deep UV imaging study of the jellyfish galaxy JO201 shows clear signs of extraplanar star-formation activity due to a recent/ongoing gas stripping event.

  17. Method for maintaining precise suction strip porosities

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Gallimore, Frank H. (Inventor)

    1989-01-01

    This invention relates to a masking method generally and, more particularly to a method of masking perforated titanium sheets having laminar control suction strips. As illustrated in the drawings, a nonaerodynamic surface of a perforated sheet has alternating suction strip areas and bonding land areas. Suction strip tapes overlie the bonding land areas during application of a masking material to an upper surface of the suction strip tapes. Prior to bonding the perforated sheet to a composite structure, the bonding land tapes are removed. The entire opposite aerodynamic surface is masked with tape before bonding. This invention provides a precise control of suction strip porosities by ensuring that no chemicals penetrate the suction strip areas during bonding.

  18. Using Comic Strips in Language Classes

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Csabay, Noémi

    2006-01-01

    The author believes that using comic strips in language-learning classes has three main benefits. First, comic strips motivate younger learners. Second, they provide a context and logically connected sentences to help language learning. Third, their visual information is helpful for comprehension. The author argues that comic strips can be used in…

  19. Buffer strips in composites at elevated temperature

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bigelow, C. A.

    1983-01-01

    The composite material 'buffer strip' concept is presently investigated at elevated temperatures for the case of graphite/polyimide buffer strip panels using a (45/0/45/90)2S layup, where the buffer strip material was 0-deg S-glass/polyimide. Each panel was loaded in tension until it failed, and radiographs and crack opening displacements were recorded during the tests to determine fracture onset, fracture arrest, and the extent of damage in the buffer strip after crack arrest. At 177 + or - 3 C, the buffer strips increased the panel strength by at least 40 percent in comparison with panels without buffer strips. Compared to similar panels tested at room temperature, those tested at elevated temperature had lower residual strengths, but higher failure strains.

  20. Photoluminescence from narrow InAs-AlSb quantum wells

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Brar, Berinder; Kroemer, Herbert; Ibbetson, James; English, John H.

    1993-01-01

    We report on photoluminescence spectra from narrow InAs-AlSb quantum wells. Strong, clearly resolved peaks for well widths from 2 to 8 monolayers were observed. Transmission electron micrographs show direct evidence for the structural quality of the quantum well structures. The transition energies of the narrowest wells suggest a strong influence of the AlSb X-barrier on the electronic states in the conduction band.

  1. Reagent Strips as an Aid to Diagnosis of Neonatal Meningitis in a Resource-limited Setting.

    PubMed

    Burgoine, Kathy; Ikiror, Juliet; Naizuli, Ketty; Achom, Linda; Akol, Sylivia; Olupot-Olupot, Peter

    2018-01-29

    Without early recognition and treatment, neonatal meningitis (NM) has a high mortality and morbidity. Although some neonates have features of NM, many do not. In many low-resource settings, the laboratory support to diagnose NM is not available, and bedside diagnostics are needed. This retrospective study was conducted in a neonatal unit in Uganda. Clear cerebrospinal fluid samples were routinely screened for glucose, protein and leukocytes on a Combur®-10 urinalysis reagent strip. A definitive diagnosis was made using laboratory analysis. The results of the screening and definitive tests were compared. The reagent strip showed moderate sensitivity and high specificity for leukocytes ≥10×106 cells/l, high sensitivity for protein ≥100 mg/dl and high specificity for glucose <50 mg/dl. The use of reagent strips has the potential to improve and hasten the diagnosis of probable NM in settings where adequate or timely laboratory support is not available. © The Author(s) [2018]. Published by Oxford University Press.

  2. Retractable barrier strip

    DOEpatents

    Marts, Donna J.; Barker, Stacey G.; Wowczuk, Andrew; Vellenoweth, Thomas E.

    2002-01-01

    A portable barrier strip having retractable tire-puncture spikes for puncturing a vehicle tire. The tire-puncture spikes have an armed position for puncturing a tire and a retracted position for not puncturing a tire. The strip comprises a plurality of barrier blocks having the tire-puncture spikes removably disposed in a shaft that is rotatably disposed in each barrier block. The plurality of barrier blocks hare hingedly interconnected by complementary hinges integrally formed into the side of each barrier block which allow the strip to be rolled for easy storage and retrieval, but which prevent irregular or back bending of the strip. The shafts of adjacent barrier blocks are pivotally interconnected via a double hinged universal joint to accommodate irregularities in a roadway surface and to transmit torsional motion of the shaft from block to block. A single flexshaft cable is connected to the shaft of an end block to allow a user to selectively cause the shafts of a plurality of adjacently connected barrier blocks to rotate the tire-puncture spikes to the armed position for puncturing a vehicle tire, and to the retracted position for not puncturing the tire. The flexshaft is provided with a resiliently biased retracting mechanism, and a release latch for allowing the spikes to be quickly retracted after the intended vehicle tire is punctured.

  3. Alternative to xylene as a clearing agent in histopathology

    PubMed Central

    Alwahaibi, Nasar; Aljaradi, Shaima; Alazri, Horiyah

    2018-01-01

    INTRODUCTION: Clearing is an essential step in processing tissue for light microscopy. Xylene is the clearing agent used most commonly worldwide. Xylene is toxic and therefore a threat to personnel working in histopathology laboratories. We evaluated a safer alternative clearing agent for use in the histopathology laboratory. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We used 230 formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue blocks from 19 different tissues. Half of the specimens were processed using xylene and half were processed using UltraClear™. Tissues were evaluated for eight parameters: sectioning, nuclear staining, cytoplasmic staining, overall cell morphology, clarity of staining, uniformity of staining, quality of immunohistochemistry (IHC), and cost. RESULTS: Both UltraClear™ and xylene processed sections scored 100% for IHC. Sections processed using UltraClear™ were easy to cut (81.7%) as were xylene processed sections (96.5%). UltraClear™ processed sections showed 67%, 60.9%, 52.2%, 63.5%, and 67% for nuclear staining, cytoplasmic staining, cell morphology, clarity of staining, and uniformity of staining, respectively. UltraClear™ is twice as expensive as xylene. We found that tissues processed using UltraClear™ were easy to cut and worked well for both hematoxylin and eosin and IHC staining. CONCLUSION: UltraClear™ is less toxic, less flammable, friendlier to the environment, and easy to handle, but it is two times expensive than xylene. The findings of this study recommend the use of UltraClear™ solution as a routine clearing agent in histopathology laboratories. However, further studies are required. PMID:29692586

  4. Intraply Hybrid Composites Would Contain Control Strips

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Chamis, Christos C.; Shiao, Chi-Yu

    1996-01-01

    "Smart" structural components with sensors and/or actuators distributed throughout their volumes made of intraply hybrid composite materials, according to proposal. Strips of hybrid control material interspersed with strips of ordinary (passive) composite material in some layers, providing distributed control capability. For example, near and far edges of plate bent upward by commanding bottom control strips to expand and simultaneously commanding upper control strips to contract.

  5. Occultation Predictions Using CCD Strip-Scanning Astrometry

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Dunham, Edward W.; Ford, C. H.; Stone, R. P. S.; McDonald, S. W.; Olkin, C. B.; Elliot, J. L.; Witteborn, Fred C. (Technical Monitor)

    1994-01-01

    We are developing the method of CCD strip-scanning astrometry for the purpose of deriving reliable advance predictions for occultations involving small objects in the outer solar system. We are using a camera system based on a Ford/Loral 2Kx2K CCD with the Crossley telescope at Lick Observatory for this work. The columns of die CCD are aligned East-West, the telescope drive is stopped, and the CCD is clocked at the same rate that the stars drift across it. In this way we obtain arbitrary length strip images 20 arcmin wide with 0.58" pixels. Since planets move mainly in RA, it is possible to obtain images of the planet and star to be occulted on the same strip well before the occultation occurs. The strip-to-strip precision (i.e. reproducibility) of positions is limited by atmospheric image motion to about 0.1" rms per strip. However, for objects that are nearby in R.A., the image motion is highly correlated and their relative positions are good to 0.02" rms per strip. We will show that the effects of atmospheric image motion on a given strip can be removed if a sufficient number of strips of a given area have been obtained. Thus, it is possible to reach an rms precision of 0.02" per strip, corresponding to about 0.3 of Pluto or Triton's angular radius. The ultimate accuracy of a prediction based on strip-scanning astrometry is currently limited by the accuracy of the positions of the stars in the astrometric network used and by systematic errors most likely due to the optical system. We will show the results of . the prediction of some recent occultations as examples of the current capabilities and limitations of this technique.

  6. Guidelines for the application of removeable rumble strips

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2006-08-01

    This work was initiated to assess the viability of removable rumble strips as replacements for asphalt rumble strips, particularly in short term highway work zones. The two rumble strips tested were the Orange Rumble Strip from Advanced Traffic Marki...

  7. Fixture for multiple-FCC chemical stripping and plating

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Angele, W.; Norton, W. E.

    1971-01-01

    For chemical stripping, lead tape applied near ends to be stripped protects insulation. Taped ends are submerged half way in stripping solution. For electroplating, both ends of FCC are stripped - top ends for electric contact, others for submersion in electroplating solution.

  8. Industrial 2-kW TEA CO2 laser for paint stripping of aircraft

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Schweizer, Gerhard; Werner, L.

    1995-03-01

    Paint stripping of aircraft with pulsed laser radiation has several advantages compared to traditional methods of depainting: selective removal of individual layers possible, suitable for sensitive surfaces, workpiece ready for immediate repainting, and considerable reduction of contaminated waste. For paint stripping of large aircraft pulsed lasers with average power of at least 2 kW are required. Amongst the various types of pulsed lasers technical and economical considerations clearly favor TEA CO2 lasers for this application. The first commercially available TEA CO2 laser with an average power in excess of 2 kW, especially designed for depainting, has been developed by Urenco. The key data of this laser are: pulse energy up to 9 J, repetition rate up to 330 Hz, and beam quality: `flat top'.

  9. Risk factors for donor endothelial loss in eye bank-prepared posterior lamellar corneal tissue for descemet stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty.

    PubMed

    Liu, Yu-Chi; Alvarez Paraz, Carisa M; Cajucom-Uy, Howard Yu; Agahari, Djoni; Sethuraman, Selvam; Tan, Donald T-H; Mehta, Jodhbir S

    2014-07-01

    The aim of this study was to investigate donor, tissue, and precut procedure risk factors for endothelial cell density (ECD) loss in posterior lamellar corneal tissue preparation by an eye bank for Descemet stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty. A total of 259 corneoscleral rims precut by the Singapore Eye Bank from October 2011 to August 2013 were evaluated. Donor characteristics, tissue characteristics, and precut procedure parameters were analyzed. The mean donor age was 57.18 ± 11.35 years, and the mean cutting transition time was 4.16 ± 0.75 seconds. The mean ECD was 2826 ± 225 and 2787 ± 224 cells per square millimeter before and after precutting, respectively, with an average ECD change of -1.38% ± 3.28%. The precutting procedure failure rate was 1.2%. Mutivariate regression analysis showed that an older donor age, a higher ECD before cutting, and a slower cutting transition speed were significant factors. Corneas with an ECD >2800 cells per square millimeter before precutting, cutting transition time >5.5 seconds, and corneas with donor age >65 years were significantly more likely to have greater than 5% ECD loss after precutting (odds ratio, 6.42, 1.66, and 1.62; 95% confidence interval, 1.44-29.43, 1.45-2.72, and 1.66-5.82, respectively). Donor source, death-to-preservation time (range, 0.67-10.88 hours), death-to-precutting time (range, 0-7 days), and graft thickness (range, 43-232 μm) were not statistically significant factors. The ECD loss in the precut tissue prepared by the eye bank was very low. The risk factors identified provide better understanding of how to improve the quality and safety profiles when preparing graft tissue for Descemet stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty.

  10. Design of portable rumble strips.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2006-12-01

    "In 2003, the states involved in the Midwest Smart Work Zone Deployment Initiative identified : portable rumble strips (i.e., rumble strips that require no adhesive or fasteners, making them : applicable for very short term work zones) as a high prio...

  11. Injection of beef strip loins with solutions containing sodium tripolyphosphate, sodium lactate, and sodium chloride to enhance palatability.

    PubMed

    Vote, D J; Platter, W J; Tatum, J D; Schmidt, G R; Belk, K E; Smith, G C; Speer, N C

    2000-04-01

    Beef strip loins (46 U.S. Choice loins and 49 U.S. Select loins) were used to evaluate the potential for enhancing beef tenderness, juiciness, and flavor by injecting fresh cuts with solutions containing sodium tripolyphosphate, sodium lactate, and sodium chloride. One half of each loin served as an untreated control, and the other half was injected with either distilled water (110% of raw weight) or a solution containing phosphate/lactate/chloride solution (107.5, 110, 112.5, or 115% of raw weight). All phosphate/lactate/chloride solutions were formulated to produce injected product concentrations of .25% sodium tripolyphosphate, .5% sodium chloride, and 2.5% sodium lactate. Ten additional U.S. Select loins were injected to 110% of raw weight with a phosphate-only solution (final product concentration of .25% sodium tripolyphosphate) for comparison with Select loins injected to 110% with phosphate/lactate/chloride and with distilled water. Steaks from each control and treated loin section were cooked to two final internal temperatures (66 degrees C and 77 degrees C) for sensory panel evaluation and shear force measurement. Injection of subprimal cuts with phosphate/lactate/chloride solutions improved tenderness (P < .05), juiciness (P < .05), and cooked beef flavor (P < .10) of strip loin steaks and was especially effective for maintaining tenderness and juiciness of steaks cooked to the higher final internal temperature. Injection of Select loins with a solution containing only sodium tripolyphosphate was not effective for improving beef tenderness or juiciness and tended to impart off-flavors characterized by sensory panelists as soapy and sour. Injection of fresh cuts with phosphate/lactate/chloride solutions could assist the beef industry's efforts to improve product quality and consistency.

  12. Association of intraventricular mechanical dyssynchrony with response to cardiac resynchronization therapy in heart failure patients with a narrow QRS complex

    PubMed Central

    van Bommel, Rutger J.; Tanaka, Hidekazu; Delgado, Victoria; Bertini, Matteo; Borleffs, Carel Jan Willem; Ajmone Marsan, Nina; Holzmeister, Johannes; Ruschitzka, Frank; Schalij, Martin J.; Bax, Jeroen J.; Gorcsan, John

    2010-01-01

    Aims Current criteria for cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) are restricted to patients with a wide QRS complex (>120 ms). Overall, only 30% of heart failure patients demonstrate a wide QRS complex, leaving the majority of heart failure patients without this treatment option. However, patients with a narrow QRS complex exhibit left ventricular (LV) mechanical dyssynchrony, as assessed with echocardiography. To further elucidate the possible beneficial effect of CRT in heart failure patients with a narrow QRS complex, this two-centre, non-randomized observational study focused on different echocardiographic parameters of LV mechanical dyssynchrony reflecting atrioventricular, interventricular and intraventricular dyssynchrony, and the response to CRT in these patients. Methods and results A total of 123 consecutive heart failure patients with a narrow QRS complex (<120 ms) undergoing CRT was included at two centres. Several widely accepted measures of mechanical dyssynchrony were evaluated: LV filling ratio (LVFT/RR), LV pre-ejection time (LPEI), interventricular mechanical dyssynchrony (IVMD), opposing wall delay (OWD), and anteroseptal posterior wall delay with speckle tracking (ASPWD). Response to CRT was defined as a reduction ≥15% in left ventricular end-systolic volume at 6 months follow-up. Measures of dyssynchrony can frequently be observed in patients with a narrow QRS complex. Nonetheless, for LVFT/RR, LPEI, and IVMD, presence of predefined significant dyssynchrony is <20%. Significant intraventricular dyssynchrony is more widely observed in these patients. With receiver operator characteristic curve analyses, both OWD and ASPWD demonstrated usefulness in predicting response to CRT in narrow QRS patients with a cut-off value of 75 and 107 ms, respectively. Conclusion Mechanical dyssynchrony can be widely observed in heart failure patients with a narrow QRS complex. In particular, intraventricular measures of mechanical dyssynchrony may be useful in

  13. Walk-through survey report: Control of methylene chloride in furniture stripping at jet strip, Boulder, Colorado, August 1, 1991

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

    Hall, R.M.; Sheehy, J.W.

    1992-12-01

    A walk through survey was made of the furniture stripping process at Jet Strip (SIC-7641), Boulder, Colorado to examine the effectiveness of a unique, enclosed, automated furniture stripping spray system which featured a gasket sealed lid which was in place while furniture was being stripped. Stripping was performed continuously throughout the workday. The enclosed spray system tank was 6 feet wide, 10 feet long and 4.5 feet deep. Furniture to be stripped was placed on a metal grid hung from the top of the enclosed spray system. The rack was lowered into the tank and the lip dropped to formmore » the cover of the enclosed system. A hole in the lid was connected to a water bed mattress which lays on top of the lip. During the stripping process, vapors were emitted through the hole, causing the mattress to expand. At the completion of the stripping process the vapors slowly dissipated into the tank, leaving the mattress in its original form. A single personal sample collected during the stripping and rinsing operations showed a methylene-chloride concentration of 68 parts per million (ppm). If the rinse area were also controlled, the enclosed system could keep the concentration below the 25ppm level. The system was homemade and not commercially available. The authors conclude that the system, while apparently effective, was also expensive. It is not recommended for further study at this time.« less

  14. The impacts of selective logging and clear-cutting on woody plant diversity after 40years of natural recovery in a tropical montane rain forest, south China.

    PubMed

    Ding, Yi; Zang, Runguo; Lu, Xinghui; Huang, Jihong

    2017-02-01

    Historically, clear-cutting and selective logging have been the commercial logging practices. However, the effect of these pervasive timber extraction methods on biodiversity in tropical forests is still poorly understood. In this study, we compared abiotic factors, species diversity, community composition, and structure between ca. 40-year-old clear-cut (MCC); ca. 40-year-old selectively logged (MSL); and tropical old growth montane rain forests (MOG) on Hainan Island, China. Results showed that there were a large number of trees with a diameter at breast height (DBH) <30cm in the two logged forests. Additionally, the two logged forests only had 40% of the basal area of the large trees (DBH≥30cm) found in the old growth forest. The species richness and Shannon-Wiener diversity indices generally showed no difference among the three forest types. MCC had 70% of the species richness of the large trees in the MOG, whereas MSL and MOG had similar species richness. High value timber species had similar species richness among the three forest types, but a lower abundance and basal area of large trees in MCC. The species composition was distinct between the three forests. Large trees belonging to the family Fagaceae dominated in the logged forests and played a more important role in the old growth forest. Huge trees (DBH≥70cm) were rare in MCC, but were frequently found in MSL. Most abiotic factors varied inconsistently among the three forest types and few variables related to species diversity, community structure and composition. Our study indicated that MSL had a relatively faster recovery rate than MCC in a tropical montane rain forest after 40years, but both logged forests had a high recovery potential over a long-term. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. Aeroelastic deformation of a perforated strip

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Guttag, M.; Karimi, H. H.; Falcón, C.; Reis, P. M.

    2018-01-01

    We perform a combined experimental and numerical investigation into the static deformation of perforated elastic strips under uniform aerodynamic loading at high-Reynolds-number conditions. The static shape of the porous strips, clamped either horizontally or vertically, is quantified as they are deformed by wind loading, induced by a horizontal flow. The experimental profiles are compared to numerical simulations using a reduced model that takes into account the normal drag force on the deformed surface. For both configurations (vertical and horizontal clamping), we compute the drag coefficient of the strip, by fitting the experimental data to the model, and find that it decreases as a function of porosity. Surprisingly, we find that, for every value of porosity, the drag coefficients for the horizontal configuration are larger than those of the vertical configuration. For all data in both configurations, with the exception of the continuous strip clamped vertically, a linear relation is found between the porosity and drag. Making use of this linearity, we can rescale the drag coefficient in a way that it becomes constant as a function of the Cauchy number, which relates the force due to fluid loading on the elastic strip to its bending rigidity, independently of the material properties and porosity of the strip and the flow speed. Our findings on flexible strips are contrasted to previous work on rigid perforated plates. These results highlight some open questions regarding the usage of reduced models to describe the deformation of flexible structures subjected to aerodynamic loading.

  16. Vapor-melt Ratio in Laser Fine Cutting of Slot Arrays

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

    Wang Xuyue; Meng Qingxuan; Kang Renke

    In order to improve cut quality for slot arrays, a new method of laser fine cutting under the consideration of the ratio of vapor to melt is presented. Laser cutting of 6063 aluminum alloy sheet, 0.5 mm in thickness, was carried out on a JK701H Nd:YAG pulse laser cutting system. The effects of vapor-melt ratio on kerf width, surface roughness and recast layer were studied which relate cutting qualities. Observation on the cut samples with different vapor-melt ratios (0.687, 1.574, 3.601 varied with laser power increasing, and 1.535, 3.601, 7.661 with decreasing of beam cutting speed) shows that high vapor-meltmore » ratio improves laser cut quality clearly. Kerf width 0.2 mm of smooth area on kerf top area and thickness 2.03 {mu}m of recast layer are obtained. No dross was found on the kerf bottom and the percentage of the smooth area is up to 40% out of whole kerf side. The research on vapor-melt ratio provides a deeper understanding of laser cutting and improves laser cut quality effectively.« less

  17. Effect of cutting fluids and cutting conditions on surface integrity and tool wear in turning of Inconel 713C

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hikiji, R.

    2018-01-01

    The trend toward downsizing of engines helps to increase the number of turbochargers around Europe. As for the turbocharger, the temperature of the exhaust gas is so high that the parts made of nickel base super alloy Inconel 713C are used as high temperature strength metals. External turning of Inconel 713C which is used as the actual automotive parts was carried out. The effect of the cutting fluids and cutting conditions on the surface integrity and tool wear was investigated, considering global environment and cost performance. As a result, in the range of the cutting conditions used this time, when the depth of cut was small, the good surface integrity and tool life were obtained. However, in the case of the large corner radius, it was found that the more the cutting length increased, the more the tool wear increased. When the cutting length is so large, the surface integrity and tool life got worse. As for the cutting fluids, it was found that the synthetic type showed better performance in the surface integrity and tool life than the conventional emulsion. However, it was clear that the large corner radius made the surface roughness and tool life good, but it affected the size error etc. in machining the workpiece held in a cantilever style.

  18. Quantifiable Lateral Flow Assay Test Strips

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    2003-01-01

    As easy to read as a home pregnancy test, three Quantifiable Lateral Flow Assay (QLFA) strips used to test water for E. coli show different results. The brightly glowing control line on the far right of each strip indicates that all three tests ran successfully. But the glowing test line on the middle left and bottom strips reveal their samples were contaminated with E. coli bacteria at two different concentrations. The color intensity correlates with concentration of contamination.

  19. Antenna with distributed strip and integrated electronic components

    DOEpatents

    Rodenbeck, Christopher T [Albuquerque, NM; Payne, Jason A [Albuquerque, NM; Ottesen, Cory W [Albuquerque, NM

    2008-08-05

    An antenna comprises electrical conductors arranged to form a radiating element including a folded line configuration and a distributed strip configuration, where the radiating element can be in proximity to a ground conductor and/or arranged as a dipole. Embodiments of the antenna include conductor patterns formed on a printed wiring board, having a ground plane, spacedly adjacent to and coplanar with the radiating element. An antenna can comprise a distributed strip patterned on a printed wiring board, integrated with electronic components mounted on top of or below the distributed strip, and substantially within the extents of the distributed strip. Mounting of electronic components on top of or below the distributed strip has little effect on the performance of the antenna, and allows for realizing the combination of the antenna and integrated components in a compact form. An embodiment of the invention comprises an antenna including a distributed strip, integrated with a battery mounted on the distributed strip.

  20. Robust Skull-Stripping Segmentation Based on Irrational Mask for Magnetic Resonance Brain Images.

    PubMed

    Moldovanu, Simona; Moraru, Luminița; Biswas, Anjan

    2015-12-01

    This paper proposes a new method for simple, efficient, and robust removal of the non-brain tissues in MR images based on an irrational mask for filtration within a binary morphological operation framework. The proposed skull-stripping segmentation is based on two irrational 3 × 3 and 5 × 5 masks, having the sum of its weights equal to the transcendental number π value provided by the Gregory-Leibniz infinite series. It allows maintaining a lower rate of useful pixel loss. The proposed method has been tested in two ways. First, it has been validated as a binary method by comparing and contrasting with Otsu's, Sauvola's, Niblack's, and Bernsen's binary methods. Secondly, its accuracy has been verified against three state-of-the-art skull-stripping methods: the graph cuts method, the method based on Chan-Vese active contour model, and the simplex mesh and histogram analysis skull stripping. The performance of the proposed method has been assessed using the Dice scores, overlap and extra fractions, and sensitivity and specificity as statistical methods. The gold standard has been provided by two neurologist experts. The proposed method has been tested and validated on 26 image series which contain 216 images from two publicly available databases: the Whole Brain Atlas and the Internet Brain Segmentation Repository that include a highly variable sample population (with reference to age, sex, healthy/diseased). The approach performs accurately on both standardized databases. The main advantage of the proposed method is its robustness and speed.

  1. Approximation of super-ions for single-file diffusion of multiple ions through narrow pores.

    PubMed

    Kharkyanen, Valery N; Yesylevskyy, Semen O; Berezetskaya, Natalia M

    2010-11-01

    The general theory of the single-file multiparticle diffusion in the narrow pores could be greatly simplified in the case of inverted bell-like shape of the single-particle energy profile, which is often observed in biological ion channels. There is a narrow and deep groove in the energy landscape of multiple interacting ions in such profiles, which corresponds to the pre-defined optimal conduction pathway in the configurational space. If such groove exists, the motion of multiple ions can be reduced to the motion of single quasiparticle, called the superion, which moves in one-dimensional effective potential. The concept of the superions dramatically reduces the computational complexity of the problem and provides very clear physical interpretation of conduction phenomena in the narrow pores.

  2. Computerized Machine for Cutting Space Shuttle Thermal Tiles

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Ramirez, Luis E.; Reuter, Lisa A.

    2009-01-01

    A report presents the concept of a machine aboard the space shuttle that would cut oversized thermal-tile blanks to precise sizes and shapes needed to replace tiles that were damaged or lost during ascent to orbit. The machine would include a computer-controlled jigsaw enclosed in a clear acrylic shell that would prevent escape of cutting debris. A vacuum motor would collect the debris into a reservoir and would hold a tile blank securely in place. A database stored in the computer would contain the unique shape and dimensions of every tile. Once a broken or missing tile was identified, its identification number would be entered into the computer, wherein the cutting pattern associated with that number would be retrieved from the database. A tile blank would be locked into a crib in the machine, the shell would be closed (proximity sensors would prevent activation of the machine while the shell was open), and a "cut" command would be sent from the computer. A blade would be moved around the crib like a plotter, cutting the tile to the required size and shape. Once the tile was cut, an astronaut would take a space walk for installation.

  3. Effects of watershed management practices on sediment concentrations in the southwestern United States: Management implications

    Treesearch

    Vicente L. Lopes; Peter F. Ffolliott; Malchus B. Baker

    2000-01-01

    Effects of watershed management practices on suspended sediment concentrations from ponderosa pine forests and pinyon-juniper woodlands in the Southwestern United States are examined. Completely cleared and strip-cut ponderosa pine watersheds produced higher sediment concentrations than the control. Likewise, cabled and herbicide-treated pinyon-juniper watersheds...

  4. Novel fungal FAD glucose dehydrogenase derived from Aspergillus niger for glucose enzyme sensor strips.

    PubMed

    Sode, Koji; Loew, Noya; Ohnishi, Yosuke; Tsuruta, Hayato; Mori, Kazushige; Kojima, Katsuhiro; Tsugawa, Wakako; LaBelle, Jeffrey T; Klonoff, David C

    2017-01-15

    In this study, a novel fungus FAD dependent glucose dehydrogenase, derived from Aspergillus niger (AnGDH), was characterized. This enzyme's potential for the use as the enzyme for blood glucose monitor enzyme sensor strips was evaluated, especially by investigating the effect of the presence of xylose during glucose measurements. The substrate specificity of AnGDH towards glucose was investigated, and only xylose was found as a competing substrate. The specific catalytic efficiency for xylose compared to glucose was 1.8%. The specific activity of AnGDH for xylose at 5mM concentration compared to glucose was 3.5%. No other sugars were used as substrate by this enzyme. The superior substrate specificity of AnGDH was also demonstrated in the performance of enzyme sensor strips. The impact of spiking xylose in a sample with physiological glucose concentrations on the sensor signals was investigated, and it was found that enzyme sensor strips using AnGDH were not affected at all by 5mM (75mg/dL) xylose. This is the first report of an enzyme sensor strip using a fungus derived FADGDH, which did not show any positive bias at a therapeutic level xylose concentration on the signal for a glucose sample. This clearly indicates the superiority of AnGDH over other conventionally used fungi derived FADGDHs in the application for SMBG sensor strips. The negligible activity of AnGDH towards xylose was also explained on the basis of a 3D structural model, which was compared to the 3D structures of A. flavus derived FADGDH and of two glucose oxidases. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. Stripping without a stripper.

    PubMed

    Singh, D R; Shrestha, S K; Shretha, S K

    2004-01-01

    Varicose veins afflict some 10 to 20% of the population in the west. It is believed to be less prevalent in the developing nations. Though there are absolute indications of surgery for varicose veins, people in Nepal come for treatment of the varicose veins either to join the army or to work abroad. Not all hospitals in Nepal are equipped with a vein stripper. In KMCTH, we studied 29 patients who had their long Saphenous veins stripped either with a stripper or by tunnelling around the Saphenous vein. We found that the long Saphenous vein could be stripped via the tunnelling method with an additional incision above the knee joint which is cosmetically accepted by our patients Moreover the patients were much satisfied because of minimal or no bruises in the post operative period as compared to those who had the long Saphenous vein stripped with a stripper.

  6. Selective Electron Beam Manufacturing of Ti-6Al-4V Strips: Effect of Build Orientation, Columnar Grain Orientation, and Hot Isostatic Pressing on Tensile Properties

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, J.; Tang, H. P.; Yang, K.; Liu, N.; Jia, L.; Qian, M.

    2018-03-01

    Many novel designs for additive manufacturing (AM) contain thin-walled (≤ 3 mm) sections in different orientations. Selective electron beam melting (SEBM) is particularly suited to AM of such thin-walled titanium components because of its high preheating temperature and high vacuum. However, experimental data on SEBM of Ti-6Al-4V thin sections remains scarce because of the difficulty and high cost of producing long, thin and smooth strip tensile specimens (see Fig. 1). In this study, 80 SEBM Ti-6Al-4V strips (180 mm long, 42 mm wide, 3 mm thick) were built both vertically (V-strips) and horizontally (H-strips). Their density, microstructure and tensile properties were investigated. The V-strips showed clearly higher tensile strengths but lower elongation than the H-strips. Hot isostatic pressing (HIP) produced the same lamellar α-β microstructures in terms of the average α-lath thickness in both types of strips. The retained prior-β columnar grain boundaries after HIP showed no measurable influence on the tensile properties, irrespective of their length and orientation, because of the formation of randomly distributed fine α-laths.[Figure not available: see fulltext.

  7. Riparian buffer strips as a multifunctional management tool in agricultural landscapes: introduction.

    PubMed

    Stutter, Marc I; Chardon, Wim J; Kronvang, Brian

    2012-01-01

    Catchment riparian areas are considered key zones to target mitigation measures aimed at interrupting the movement of diffuse substances from agricultural land to surface waters. Hence, unfertilized buffer strips have become a widely studied and implemented "edge of field" mitigation measure assumed to provide an effective physical barrier against nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and sediment transfer. To ease the legislative process, these buffers are often narrow mandatory strips along streams and rivers, across different riparian soil water conditions, between bordering land uses of differing pollution burdens, and without prescribed buffer management. It would be easy to criticize such regulation for not providing the opportunity for riparian ecosystems to maximize their provision for a wider range of ecosystem goods and services. The scientific basis for judging the best course of action in designing and placing buffers to enhance their multifunctionality has slowly increased over the last five years. This collection of papers aims to add to this body of knowledge by giving examples of studies related to riparian buffer management and assessment throughout Europe. This introductory paper summarizes discussion sessions and 13 selected papers from a workshop held in Ballater, UK, highlighting research on riparian buffers brought together under the EU COST Action 869 knowledge exchange program. The themes addressed are (i) evidence of catchment- to national-scale effectiveness, (ii) ecological functioning linking terrestrial and aquatic habitats, (iii) modeling tools for assessment of effectiveness and costs, and (iv) process understanding enabling management and manipulation to enhance pollutant retention in buffers. The combined understanding led us to consider four principle key questions to challenge buffer strip research and policy. Copyright © by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, Inc.

  8. Analysis of a hybrid, unidirectional buffer strip laminate

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Dharani, L. R.; Goree, J. G.

    1983-01-01

    A method of analysis capable of predicting accurately the fracture behavior of a unidirectional composite laminate containing symmetrically placed buffer strips is presented. As an example, for a damaged graphite/epoxy laminate, the results demonstrate the manner in which to select the most efficient combination of buffer strip properties necessary to inhibit crack growth. Ultimate failure of the laminate after crack arrest can occur under increasing load either by continued crack extension through the buffer strips or the crack can jump the buffer strips. For some typical hybrid materials it is found that a buffer strip spacing-to-width ratio of about four to one is the most efficient.

  9. Analysis of a hybrid-undirectional buffer strip laminate

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Dharani, L. R.; Goree, J. G.

    1983-01-01

    A method of analysis capable of predicting accurately the fracture behavior of a unidirectional composite laminate containing symmetrically placed buffer strips is presented. As an example, for a damaged graphite/epoxy laminate, the results demonstrate the manner in which to select the most efficient combination of buffer strip properties necessary to inhibit crack growth. Ultimate failure of the laminate after the arrest can occur under increasing load either by continued crack extension through the buffer strips or the crack can jump the buffer strips. For some typical hybrid materials it is found that a buffer strip spacing to width ratio of about four to one is the most efficient.

  10. Effects of aging on the fundamental color chemistry of dark-cutting beef.

    PubMed

    English, A R; Wills, K M; Harsh, B N; Mafi, G G; VanOverbeke, D L; Ramanathan, R

    2016-09-01

    The objective of the current study was to evaluate the effects of aging on myoglobin chemistry of dark-cutting beef. Ten USDA Choice (mean pH = 5.6; normal pH beef) and 10 no-roll dark cutter (mean pH = 6.4) strip loins were obtained from a commercial packing plant within 3 d of harvest. Loins were cut into 4 sections, vacuum packaged, randomly assigned to 0-, 21-, 42-, and 62-d aging at 2°C in the dark. Following aging, loin sections were cut into 2.5-cm-thick steaks and were used to determine bloom development, oxygen consumption (OC), metmyoglobin reducing activity (MRA), and lipid oxidation. Surface color readings were measured using a HunterLab Miniscan XE Plus spectrophotometer. A significant muscle type × aging time interaction resulted for OC ( < 0.001). Normal pH steaks declined more ( < 0.001) in OC during aging than dark-cutting beef. On d 0, dark-cutting beef had a greater OC ( < 0.001) than normal pH beef. There was a significant muscle type × oxygenation time × aging period interaction for L* values, deoxymyoglobin (DeoxyMb), and oxymyoglobin (OxyMb). When dark-cutting sections were aged for 62 d, both 0 and 60 min bloom development L* values were greater ( < 0.0001) than 0 min dark-cutting sections aged for 21 or 42 d. At all aging periods, normal pH beef had greater OxyMb content and lower DeoxyMb ( < 0.0001) during bloom development than dark-cutting beef. An aging period × muscle type interaction was significant for % overall reflectance ( = 0.0017) and absorbance ( = 0.0038). Dark cutting and normal pH beef loin sections aged for 62 d had greater reflectance ( < 0.0001) than 21 d. On d 0, dark-cutting beef had greater ( < 0.0001) MRA than normal pH beef. There were no significant ( = 0.14) differences in MRA between 42 and 62 d between dark-cutting and normal pH beef. Dark cutting steaks had lower thiobarbituric acid reactive substances values ( < 0.0001) than normal pH steaks. The results indicate that characterizing the myoglobin chemistry

  11. Safety evaluation of centerline rumble strips

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2003-11-10

    A study of centerline rumble strips was undertaken as part of the Massachusetts Highway Department Research Program. The objective of this research was to evaluate the effectiveness of centerline rumble strips in reducing crossover crashes and improv...

  12. Synthesis of Shoulder Rumble Strip Practices and Policies.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2001-12-07

    This synthesis provides a review of shoulder rumble strip research and the rumble strips' crash reduction record. A discussion of shoulder rumble strips as perceived by the motorist and the bicyclist is followed by the presentation of results of thre...

  13. Bimetallic strip for low temperature use

    DOEpatents

    Bussiere, Jean F.; Welch, David O.; Suenaga, Masaki

    1981-01-01

    There is provided a class of mechanically pre-stressed structures, suitably bi-layer strips comprising a layer of group 5 transition metals in intimate contact with a layer of an intermetallic compound of said transition metals with certain group 3A, 4A or 5A metals or metalloids suitably gallium, indium, silicon, germanium, tin, arsenic or antimony. The changes of Young's modulus of these bi-layered combinations at temperatures in the region of but somewhat above absolute zero provides a useful means of sensing temperature changes. Such bi-metallic strips may be used as control strips in thermostats, in direct dial reading instruments, or the like. The structures are made by preparing a sandwich of a group 5B transition metal strip between the substantially thicker strips of an alloy between copper and a predetermined group 3A, 4A or 5A metal or metalloid, holding the three layers of the sandwich in intimate contact heating the same, cooling the same and removing the copper alloy and then removing one of the two thus formed interlayer alloys between said transition metal and the metal previously alloyed with copper.

  14. Bianisotropic-critical-state model to study flux cutting in type-II superconductors at parallel geometry

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Romero-Salazar, C.

    2016-04-01

    A critical-state model is postulated that incorporates, for the first time, the structural anisotropy and flux-line cutting effect in a type-II superconductor. The model is constructed starting from the theoretical scheme of Romero-Salazar and Pérez-Rodríguez to study the anisotropy induced by flux cutting. Here, numerical calculations of the magnetic induction and static magnetization are presented for samples under an alternating magnetic field, orthogonal to a static dc-bias one. The interplay of the two anisotropies is analysed by comparing the numerical results with available experimental data for an yttrium barium copper oxide (YBCO) plate, and a vanadium-titanium (VTi) strip, subjected to a slowly oscillating field {H}y({H}z) in the presence of a static field {H}z({H}y).

  15. CATALYTIC OXIDATION OF GROUNDWATER STRIPPING EMISSIONS

    EPA Science Inventory

    The paper reviews the applicability of catalytic oxidation to control ground-water air stripping gaseous effluents, with special attention to system designs and case histories. The variety of contaminants and catalyst poisons encountered in stripping operations are also reviewed....

  16. Enhancing cuttings removal with gas blasts while drilling on Mars

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zacny, K. A.; Quayle, M. C.; Cooper, G. A.

    2005-04-01

    Future missions to Mars envision use of drills for subsurface exploration. Since the Martian atmosphere precludes the use of liquids for cuttings removal, proposed drilling machines utilize mechanical cuttings removal systems such as augers. However, an auger can substantially contribute to the total power requirements, and in the worst scenario it can choke. A number of experiments conducted under Martian pressures showed that intermittent blasts of gas at low differential pressures can effectively lift the cuttings out of the hole. A gas flushing system could be incorporated into the drill assembly for assistance in clearing the holes of rock cuttings or for redundancy in case of auger jamming. A number of variables such as the particle size distribution of the rock powder, the type of gas used, the bit and auger side clearances, the initial mass of cuttings, and the ambient pressure were investigated and found to affect the efficiency. In all tests the initial volume of gas was close to 1 L and the differential pressure was varied to achieve desired clearing efficiencies. Particles were being lifted out of the hole at a maximum speed of 6 m/s at a differential pressure of 25 torr and ambient pressure of 5 torr. Flushing tests lasted on average for 2 s. The power required to compress the thin Martian atmosphere to achieve a sufficient gas blast every minute or so at 10% efficiency was calculated to be of the order of a few watts.

  17. Whey protein solution coating for fat-uptake reduction in deep-fried chicken breast strips.

    PubMed

    Dragich, Ann M; Krochta, John M

    2010-01-01

    This study investigated the use of whey protein, as an additional coating, in combination with basic, well-described predust, batter, and breading ingredients, for fat-uptake reduction in fried chicken. Chicken breasts were cut into strips (1 x 5 x 10 cm) and coated with wheat flour (WF) as a predust, dipped in batter, coated with WF as a breading, then dipped in 10% denatured whey protein isolate (DWPI) aqueous solution (wet basis). A WF-batter-WF treatment with no DWPI solution dip was included as a control. Coated chicken strips were deep-fried at 160 degrees C for 5 min. A Soxhlet-type extraction was performed to determine the fat content of the meat fraction of fried samples, the coating fraction of fried samples, raw chicken, and raw coating ingredients. The WF-batter-WF-10% DWPI solution had significantly lower fat uptake than the WF-batter-WF control, by 30.67% (dry basis). This article describes applied research involving fat reduction in coated deep-fried chicken. The methods used in this article were intended to achieve maximized fat reduction while maintaining a simple procedure applicable to actual food processing lines.

  18. Transfusion and blood donation in comic strips.

    PubMed

    Lefrère, Jean-Jacques; Danic, Bruno

    2013-07-01

    The representation of blood transfusion and donation of blood in the comic strip has never been studied. The comic strip, which is a relatively recent art, emerged in the 19th century before becoming a mass medium during the 20th century. We have sought, by calling on collectors and using the resources of Internet, comic strips devoted, wholly or in part, to the themes of transfusion and blood donation. We present some of them here in chronologic order, indicating the title, country of origin, year of publication, and names of authors. The theme of the superhero using transfusion to transmit his virtues or his powers is repeated throughout the 20th century in North American comic strips. More recently, comic strips have been conceived from the outset with a promotional aim. They perpetuate positive images and are directed toward a young readership, wielding humor to reduce the fear of venipuncture. Few comic strips denounce the abuse of the commercialization of products derived from the human body. The image of transfusion and blood donation given by the comic strips is not to be underestimated because their readership is primarily children, some of whom will become blood donors. Furthermore, if some readers are transfused during their lives, the impact of a memory more or less conscious of these childhood readings may resurface, both in hopes and in fears. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  19. Genome-scale strain designs based on regulatory minimal cut sets.

    PubMed

    Mahadevan, Radhakrishnan; von Kamp, Axel; Klamt, Steffen

    2015-09-01

    Stoichiometric and constraint-based methods of computational strain design have become an important tool for rational metabolic engineering. One of those relies on the concept of constrained minimal cut sets (cMCSs). However, as most other techniques, cMCSs may consider only reaction (or gene) knockouts to achieve a desired phenotype. We generalize the cMCSs approach to constrained regulatory MCSs (cRegMCSs), where up/downregulation of reaction rates can be combined along with reaction deletions. We show that flux up/downregulations can virtually be treated as cuts allowing their direct integration into the algorithmic framework of cMCSs. Because of vastly enlarged search spaces in genome-scale networks, we developed strategies to (optionally) preselect suitable candidates for flux regulation and novel algorithmic techniques to further enhance efficiency and speed of cMCSs calculation. We illustrate the cRegMCSs approach by a simple example network and apply it then by identifying strain designs for ethanol production in a genome-scale metabolic model of Escherichia coli. The results clearly show that cRegMCSs combining reaction deletions and flux regulations provide a much larger number of suitable strain designs, many of which are significantly smaller relative to cMCSs involving only knockouts. Furthermore, with cRegMCSs, one may also enable the fine tuning of desired behaviours in a narrower range. The new cRegMCSs approach may thus accelerate the implementation of model-based strain designs for the bio-based production of fuels and chemicals. MATLAB code and the examples can be downloaded at http://www.mpi-magdeburg.mpg.de/projects/cna/etcdownloads.html. krishna.mahadevan@utoronto.ca or klamt@mpi-magdeburg.mpg.de Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  20. ERTS-1 data applied to strip mining

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Anderson, A. T.; Schubert, J.

    1976-01-01

    Two coal basins within the western region of the Potomac River Basin contain the largest strip-mining operations in western Maryland and West Virginia. The disturbed strip-mine areas were delineated along with the surrounding geological and vegetation features by using ERTS-1 data in both analog and digital form. The two digital systems employed were (1) the ERTS analysis system, a point-by-point digital analysis of spectral signatures based on known spectral values and (2) the LARS automatic data processing system. These two systems aided in efforts to determine the extent and state of strip mining in this region. Aircraft data, ground-verification information, and geological field studies also aided in the application of ERTS-1 imagery to perform an integrated analysis that assessed the adverse effects of strip mining. The results indicated that ERTS can both monitor and map the extent of strip mining to determine immediately the acreage affected and to indicate where future reclamation and revegetation may be necessary.

  1. Is Perceptual Narrowing Too Narrow?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cashon, Cara H.; Denicola, Christopher A.

    2011-01-01

    There is a growing list of examples illustrating that infants are transitioning from having earlier abilities that appear more "universal," "broadly tuned," or "unconstrained" to having later abilities that appear more "specialized," "narrowly tuned," or "constrained." Perceptual narrowing, a well-known phenomenon related to face, speech, and…

  2. Method of stripping metals from organic solvents

    DOEpatents

    Todd, Terry A [Aberdeen, ID; Law, Jack D [Pocatello, ID; Herbst, R Scott [Idaho Falls, ID; Romanovskiy, Valeriy N [St. Petersburg, RU; Smirnov, Igor V [St.-Petersburg, RU; Babain, Vasily A [St-Petersburg, RU; Esimantovski, Vyatcheslav M [St-Petersburg, RU

    2009-02-24

    A new method to strip metals from organic solvents in a manner that allows for the recycle of the stripping agent. The method utilizes carbonate solutions of organic amines with complexants, in low concentrations, to strip metals from organic solvents. The method allows for the distillation and reuse of organic amines. The concentrated metal/complexant fraction from distillation is more amenable to immobilization than solutions resulting from current practice.

  3. The retail display life of steaks prepared from chill stored vacuum and carbon dioxide-packed sub-primal beef cuts.

    PubMed

    Bell, R G; Penney, N; Moorhead, S M

    1996-01-01

    Chilled striploins and cube rolls from ten Australian steers (grain-fed for 150 days) were trimmed of external fat and cut transversely into portions approximately 10 cm thick, each weighing between 750 and 1000 g. These 'retailer-ready' cuts were each wrapped in drip saver pads and slid inside a plastic sleeve before being individually placed into a clear plastic high oxygen barrier film, metallized film or conventional vacuum bag. Cuts in clear plastic and metallized film packs were packaged in an oxygen-free saturated carbon dioxide atmosphere (CO(2)-CAP), those in vacuum bags were conventionally vacuum-packed. All packs were returned to the chiller for further cooling. After 24 hr, half the clear plastic and metallized CO(2)-CAP packs were carbon dioxide master-packed in groups of eight. Retailer-ready cuts in both clear plastic and metallized film single unit and master-packed CO(2)-CAP packs were air freighted to New Zealand and sea freighted to Japan for assessment. The control vacuum packs were all consigned to New Zealand. Assessments in both countries after 39-89 days storage at between 0 °C and -1.0 °C indicated that fat colour stability limited the retail display life of steaks cut from meat in these retailer-ready packs to approximately 48 hr. In this regard, meat from single unit CO(2)-CAP, master pack CO(2)-CAP and vacuum packs performed similarly. Lean meat colour and sensory attributes remained acceptable for up to 48 hr after displayed product was rejected because of grey-green fat discoloration. The microbiological status of retailer-ready cuts removed from CO(2)-CAP packs after 89 days chilled storage was superior to that of cuts from vacuum packs. Clear plastic and metallized film CO(2)-CAP packs performed comparably.

  4. Strip clearcutting to regenerate northern hardwoods.

    Treesearch

    Frederick T. Metzger

    1980-01-01

    Describes results of strip clearcutting trials in mature northern hardwood and hemlock-hardwood stands in the Lake States. Two strip width and orientations were tested, with and without herbicide treatment of the advance regeneration. Establishment, growth, and species composition of the regeneration were assessed.

  5. Combined use of a femtosecond laser and a microkeratome in obtaining thin grafts for Descemet stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty: an eye bank study.

    PubMed

    Murta, Joaquim N; Rosa, Andreia M; Quadrado, Maria Joao C; Russo, Ana D; Brito, Sergio S; Silva, Maria Fátima L

    2013-01-01

    To evaluate the use of a femtosecond laser combined with a microkeratome in the preparation of posterior corneal disks for Descemet stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK). This experimental study involved ultrathin DSAEK tissue preparation of 22 donor corneas unsuitable for transplantation. The first cut was performed with an Intralase® FS60 laser and the second cut with a Moria CBm 300-µm microkeratome. The thickness of the first cut was modified for each cornea to obtain a final graft thickness of less than 110 µm. Precut and postcut central pachymetry were performed with an ultrasonic pachymeter. Central endothelial cell density (ECD) was calculated before and 24 hours after tissue preparation. Final graft thickness was 105.0 ± 26.1 (SD) µm (range 65-117). The mean microkeratome head cut thickness was 324.5 ± 10.9 µm (range 310-345). Precut and postcut ECDs averaged 2250 ± 222 and 2093 ± 286 cells/mm2, respectively, representing 6.9% of cell loss. No corneas were perforated. Femtosecond FS60 lasers and Moria CBm 300-µm microkeratomes can be used sequentially to prepare consistently thin DSAEK grafts with no irregular cuts or cornea perforations.

  6. Furniture Cuttings Made from Logging Residue: The Three-Sided Cant System

    Treesearch

    Hugh W. Reynolds; James Schroeder

    1978-01-01

    A new method to make furniture cuttings from the best of logging residues was tested. Bolts 4 through 8 feet long were sawed to three-sided cants. The cants were then resawed to boards and dried. The dried boards were gang ripped and defects removed to obtain clear-one-face cuttings of random width and length. The 6-, 7-, and 8-foot long bolts gave good yields by this...

  7. Magnetic Fe3O4@TiO2 Nanoparticles-based Test Strip Immunosensing Device for Rapid Detection of Phosphorylated Butyrylcholinesterase

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

    Ge, Xiaoxiao; Zhang, Weiying; Lin, Yuehe

    2013-12-15

    An integrated magnetic nanoparticles-based test-strip immunosensing device was developed for rapid and sensitive quantification of phosphorylated butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), the biomarker of exposure to organophosphous pesticides (OP), in human plasma. In order to overcome the difficulty in scarce availability of OP-specific antibody, here magnetic Fe3O4@TiO2 nanoparticles were used and adsorbed on the test strip through a small magnet inserted in the device to capture target OP-BChE through selective binding between TiO2 and OP moiety. Further recognition was completed by horseradish peroxidase (HRP) and anti-BChE antibody (Ab) co-immobilized gold nanoparticles (GNPs). Their strong affinities among Fe3O4@TiO2, OP-BChE and HRP/Ab-GNPs were characterized bymore » quartz crystal microbalance (QCM), surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and square wave voltammetry (SWV) measurements. After cutting off from test strip, the resulted immunocomplex (HRP/Ab-GNPs/OP-BChE/Fe3O4@TiO2) was measured by SWV using a screen printed electrode under the test zone. Greatly enhanced sensitivity was achieved by introduction of GNPs to link enzyme and antibody at high ratio, which amplifies electrocatalytic signal significantly. Moreover, the use of test strip for fast immunoreactions reduces analytical time remarkably. Coupling with a portable electrochemical detector, the integrated device with advanced nanotechnology displays great promise for sensitive, rapid and in-filed on-site evaluation of OP poisoning.« less

  8. Cutting

    MedlinePlus

    ... Staying Safe Videos for Educators Search English Español Cutting KidsHealth / For Teens / Cutting What's in this article? ... Getting Help Print en español Cortarse What Is Cutting? Emma's mom first noticed the cuts when Emma ...

  9. Electronic characterization of defects in narrow gap semiconductors

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Patterson, James D.

    1993-01-01

    The study of point defects in semiconductors has a long and honorable history. In particular, the detailed understanding of shallow defects in common semiconductors traces back to the classic work of Kohn and Luttinger. However, the study of defects in narrow gap semiconductors represents a much less clear story. Here, both shallow defects (caused by long range potentials) and deep defects (from short range potentials) are far from being completely understood. In this study, all results are calculational and our focus is on the chemical trend of deep levels in narrow gap semiconductors. We study substitutional (including antisite), interstitial and ideal vacancy defects. For substitutional and interstitial impurities, the efects of relaxation are included. For materials like Hg(1-x)Cd(x)Te, we study how the deep levels vary with x, of particular interest is what substitutional and interstitial atoms yield energy levels in the gap i.e. actually produce deep ionized levels. Also, since the main technique utilized is Green's functions, we include some summary of that method.

  10. Stability of barotropic vortex strip on a rotating sphere.

    PubMed

    Sohn, Sung-Ik; Sakajo, Takashi; Kim, Sun-Chul

    2018-02-01

    We study the stability of a barotropic vortex strip on a rotating sphere, as a simple model of jet streams. The flow is approximated by a piecewise-continuous vorticity distribution by zonal bands of uniform vorticity. The linear stability analysis shows that the vortex strip becomes stable as the strip widens or the rotation speed increases. When the vorticity constants in the upper and the lower regions of the vortex strip have the same positive value, the inner flow region of the vortex strip becomes the most unstable. However, when the upper and the lower vorticity constants in the polar regions have different signs, a complex pattern of instability is found, depending on the wavenumber of perturbations, and interestingly, a boundary far away from the vortex strip can be unstable. We also compute the nonlinear evolution of the vortex strip on the rotating sphere and compare with the linear stability analysis. When the width of the vortex strip is small, we observe a good agreement in the growth rate of perturbation at an early time, and the eigenvector corresponding to the unstable eigenvalue coincides with the most unstable part of the flow. We demonstrate that a large structure of rolling-up vortex cores appears in the vortex strip after a long-time evolution. Furthermore, the geophysical relevance of the model to jet streams of Jupiter, Saturn and Earth is examined.

  11. Are we all doing it wrong? Influence of stripping and cleaving methods of laser fibers on laser lithotripsy performance.

    PubMed

    Kronenberg, Peter; Traxer, Olivier

    2015-03-01

    We assessed whether stripping and cleaving the laser fiber tip with specialized tools, namely laser fiber strippers, or ceramic or metal scissors, would influence lithotripsy performance. Laser fiber tips were stripped with a specialized laser fiber stripper or remained coated. The tips were then cleaved with metal or ceramic scissors. Laser lithotripsy experiments were performed with the 4 fiber tip combinations using an automated laser fragmentation testing system with artificial stones made of plaster of Paris or BegoStone Plus (Bego, Lincoln, Rhode Island). High frequency-low pulse energy (20 Hz and 0.5 J) and low frequency-high pulse energy (5 Hz and 2.0 J) settings were used for 30 seconds. Fissure width, depth and volume, and laser fiber tip photos were analyzed. Coated laser fiber tips always achieved significantly higher ablation volumes (sometimes greater than 50%) than stripped laser fiber tips (p <0.00001) regardless of cleaving scissor type, stone material or lithotripter setting. Coated fiber tips cleaved with metal scissors ablated as well as those cleaved with ceramic scissors (p = 0.16). However, stripped fibers were much less ablative when they were cut with metal scissors compared to ceramic scissors (p <0.00001). Harder stone material decreased ablation volume (p <0.00001). Low frequency-high pulse energy settings were an average of 3 times more ablative than high frequency-low pulse energy settings (p <0.00001). Stripping the fibers, a harder stone material and low frequency-high pulse energy settings were associated with increased fiber tip degradation. Coated laser fibers provided better lithotripsy performance and metal scissors were as good as ceramic scissors to cleave coated fibers. This knowledge may improve and simplify the way that laser lithotripsy procedures are done worldwide. Copyright © 2015 American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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

    Wang, Ya; Su, Yingna; Hong, Zhenxiang

    In this paper, we report our first-step results of high resolution He i 10830 Å narrow-band imaging (bandpass: 0.5 Å) of an M1.8 class two-ribbon flare on 2012 July 5. The flare was observed with the 1.6 m aperture New Solar Telescope at Big Bear Solar Observatory. For this unique data set, sunspot dynamics during flaring were analyzed for the first time. By directly imaging the upper chromosphere, running penumbral waves are clearly seen as an outward extension of umbral flashes; both take the form of absorption in the 10830 Å narrow-band images. From a space–time image made of amore » slit cutting across a flare ribbon and the sunspot, we find that the dark lanes for umbral flashes and penumbral waves are obviously broadened after the flare. The most prominent feature is the sudden appearance of an oscillating absorption strip inside the ribbon when it sweeps into the sunspot’s penumbral and umbral regions. During each oscillation, outwardly propagating umbral flashes and subsequent penumbral waves rush out into the inwardly sweeping ribbon, followed by a return of the absorption strip with similar speed. We tentatively explain the phenomena as the result of a sudden increase in the density of ortho-helium atoms in the area of the sunspot being excited by the flare’s extreme ultraviolet illumination. This explanation is based on the observation that 10830 Å absorption around the sunspot area gets enhanced during the flare. Nevertheless, questions are still open and we need further well-devised observations to investigate the behavior of sunspot dynamics during flares.« less

  13. 30 CFR 77.1001 - Stripping; loose material.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... Ground Control § 77.1001 Stripping; loose material. Loose hazardous material shall be stripped for a safe... angle of repose, or barriers, baffle boards, screens, or other devices be provided that afford...

  14. Single strip lesions radiofrequency denervation for treatment of sacroiliac joint pain: two years' results.

    PubMed

    Bellini, Martina; Barbieri, Massimo

    2016-01-01

    Sacroiliac joint pain can be managed by intra-articular injections or radiofrequency of its innervation. Single strip lesions radiofrequency denervation is a new system. The objective of this study was to present one of the first utilizations of this innovative technique. 60 patients who met the diagnostic criteria for sacroiliac joint syndrome were enrolled in the study. In total, 102 single strip lesions radiofrequency denervations were performed. Pain intensity was measured with the Oswestry low back pain disability questionnaire and the Oswestry Disability Index whose scores were assessed at 1, 3, 6 and 12 months after the procedure. 91.8 % of the 102 radiofrequency treatments resulted in a reduction of more than 50% pain intensity relief at 1 month, 81.6% at 3 months and 59.16% at 6 months. In 35.7% of cases, the relief was continuative up to 1 year. No relief was observed in 12.24% of cases. The ODI scores improved significantly 1 month after the procedure, compared with the baseline scores. The ODI scores after 6 months improved very clearly compared with the baseline scores and with the 3-month scores. Single strip lesions radiofrequency denervation using the Simplicity III probe is a potential modality for intermediate term relief for patients with sacroiliac pain.

  15. 26 CFR 1.1286-2 - Stripped inflation-protected debt instruments.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-04-01

    ... 26 Internal Revenue 11 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Stripped inflation-protected debt instruments... Losses § 1.1286-2 Stripped inflation-protected debt instruments. Stripped inflation-protected debt instruments. If a Treasury Inflation-Protected Security is stripped under the Department of the Treasury's...

  16. 26 CFR 1.1286-2 - Stripped inflation-protected debt instruments.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-04-01

    ... 26 Internal Revenue 11 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Stripped inflation-protected debt instruments... Losses § 1.1286-2 Stripped inflation-protected debt instruments. Stripped inflation-protected debt instruments. If a Treasury Inflation-Protected Security is stripped under the Department of the Treasury's...

  17. 26 CFR 1.1286-2 - Stripped inflation-indexed debt instruments.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-04-01

    ... 26 Internal Revenue 11 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 true Stripped inflation-indexed debt instruments. 1....1286-2 Stripped inflation-indexed debt instruments. Stripped inflation-indexed debt instruments. If a Treasury Inflation-Indexed Security is stripped under the Department of the Treasury's Separate Trading of...

  18. Stability of barotropic vortex strip on a rotating sphere

    PubMed Central

    Sohn, Sung-Ik; Kim, Sun-Chul

    2018-01-01

    We study the stability of a barotropic vortex strip on a rotating sphere, as a simple model of jet streams. The flow is approximated by a piecewise-continuous vorticity distribution by zonal bands of uniform vorticity. The linear stability analysis shows that the vortex strip becomes stable as the strip widens or the rotation speed increases. When the vorticity constants in the upper and the lower regions of the vortex strip have the same positive value, the inner flow region of the vortex strip becomes the most unstable. However, when the upper and the lower vorticity constants in the polar regions have different signs, a complex pattern of instability is found, depending on the wavenumber of perturbations, and interestingly, a boundary far away from the vortex strip can be unstable. We also compute the nonlinear evolution of the vortex strip on the rotating sphere and compare with the linear stability analysis. When the width of the vortex strip is small, we observe a good agreement in the growth rate of perturbation at an early time, and the eigenvector corresponding to the unstable eigenvalue coincides with the most unstable part of the flow. We demonstrate that a large structure of rolling-up vortex cores appears in the vortex strip after a long-time evolution. Furthermore, the geophysical relevance of the model to jet streams of Jupiter, Saturn and Earth is examined. PMID:29507524

  19. Emission reduction by multipurpose buffer strips on arable fields.

    PubMed

    Sloots, K; van der Vlies, A W

    2007-01-01

    In the area managed by Hollandse Delta, agriculture is under great pressure and the social awareness of the agricultural sector is increasing steadily. In recent years, a stand-still has been observed in water quality, in terms of agrochemicals, and concentrations even exceed the standard. To improve the waterquality a multi-purpose Field Margin Regulation was drafted for the Hoeksche Waard island in 2005. The regulation prescribes a crop-free strip, 3.5 m wide, alongside wet drainage ditches. The strip must be sown with mixtures of grasses, flowers or herbs. No crop protection chemicals or fertilizer may be used on the strips. A total length of approximately 200 km of buffer strip has now been laid. Besides reducing emissions, the buffer strips also stimulate natural pest control methods and encourage local tourism. Finally, the strips should lead to an improvement in the farmers' image. The regulation has proved to be successful. The buffer strips boosted both local tourism and the image of the agricultural sector. Above all, the strips provided a natural shield for emission to surface water, which will lead to an improvement of the water quality and raise the farmers' awareness of water quality and the environment.

  20. Buffer strip design for protecting water quality and fish habitat

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

    Belt, G.H.; O'Laughlin, J.

    1994-04-01

    Buffer strips are protective areas adjacent to streams or lakes. Among other functions, they protect water quality and fish habitat. A typical buffer strip is found in western Oregon, where they are called Riparian Management Areas (RMAs). The authors use the term buffer strip to include functional descriptions such as filter, stabilization, or leave strips, and administrative designations such as Idaho's Stream Protection Zone (SPZ), Washington's Riparian Management Zone (RMZ), and the USDA Forest Service's Streamside Management Zone (SMZ). They address water quality and fishery protective functions of buffer strips on forestlands, pointing out improvements in buffer strip design possiblemore » through research or administrative changes. Buffer strip design requirements found in some western Forest Practices Act (FPA) regulations are also compared and related to findings in the scientific literature.« less

  1. 33 CFR 157.128 - Stripping system.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ...) POLLUTION RULES FOR THE PROTECTION OF THE MARINE ENVIRONMENT RELATING TO TANK VESSELS CARRYING OIL IN BULK Crude Oil Washing (COW) System on Tank Vessels Design, Equipment, and Installation § 157.128 Stripping...) must have a stripping system that is designed to remove crude oil from— (1) Each cargo tank at 1.25...

  2. 33 CFR 157.128 - Stripping system.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ...) POLLUTION RULES FOR THE PROTECTION OF THE MARINE ENVIRONMENT RELATING TO TANK VESSELS CARRYING OIL IN BULK Crude Oil Washing (COW) System on Tank Vessels Design, Equipment, and Installation § 157.128 Stripping...) must have a stripping system that is designed to remove crude oil from— (1) Each cargo tank at 1.25...

  3. 33 CFR 157.128 - Stripping system.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ...) POLLUTION RULES FOR THE PROTECTION OF THE MARINE ENVIRONMENT RELATING TO TANK VESSELS CARRYING OIL IN BULK Crude Oil Washing (COW) System on Tank Vessels Design, Equipment, and Installation § 157.128 Stripping...) must have a stripping system that is designed to remove crude oil from— (1) Each cargo tank at 1.25...

  4. 33 CFR 157.128 - Stripping system.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ...) POLLUTION RULES FOR THE PROTECTION OF THE MARINE ENVIRONMENT RELATING TO TANK VESSELS CARRYING OIL IN BULK Crude Oil Washing (COW) System on Tank Vessels Design, Equipment, and Installation § 157.128 Stripping...) must have a stripping system that is designed to remove crude oil from— (1) Each cargo tank at 1.25...

  5. High Pressure Water Stripping Using Multi-Orifice Nozzles

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hoppe, David

    1999-01-01

    The use of multi-orifice rotary nozzles greatly increases the speed and stripping effectiveness of high pressure water blasting systems, but also greatly increases the complexity of selecting and optimizing the operating parameters. The rotational speed of the nozzle must be coupled with its transverse velocity as it passes across the surface of the substrate being stripped. The radial and angular positions of each orifice must be included in the analysis of the nozzle configuration. Orifices at the outer edge of the nozzle head move at a faster rate than the orifices located near the center. The energy transmitted to the surface from the impact force of the water stream from an outer orifice is therefore spread over a larger area than energy from an inner orifice. Utilizing a larger diameter orifice in the outer radial positions increases the total energy transmitted from the outer orifice to compensate for the wider distribution of energy. The total flow rate from the combination of all orifices must be monitored and should be kept below the pump capacity while choosing orifice to insert in each position. The energy distribution from the orifice pattern is further complicated since the rotary path of all the orifices in the nozzle head pass through the center section. All orifices contribute to the stripping in the center of the path while only the outer most orifice contributes to the stripping at the edge of the nozzle. Additional orifices contribute to the stripping from the outer edge toward the center section. With all these parameters to configure and each parameter change affecting the others, a computer model was developed to track and coordinate these parameters. The computer simulation graphically indicates the cumulative affect from each parameter selected. The result from the proper choices in parameters is a well designed, highly efficient stripping system. A poorly chosen set of parameters will cause the nozzle to strip aggressively in some areas

  6. High Pressure Water Stripping Using Multi-Orifice Nozzles

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Hoppe, David T.

    1998-01-01

    The use of multi-orifice rotary nozzles not only increases the speed and stripping effectiveness of high pressure water blasting systems, but also greatly increases the complexity of selecting and optimizing the operating parameters. The rotational speed of the nozzle must be coupled with the transverse velocity of the nozzle as it passes across the surface of the substrate being stripped. The radial and angular positions of each orifice must be included in the analysis of the nozzle configuration. Since orifices at the outer edge of the nozzle head move at a faster rate than the orifice located near the center, the energy impact force of the water stream from the outer orifice is spread over a larger area than the water streams from the inner orifice. Utilizing a larger diameter orifice in the outer radial positions increases the energy impact to compensate for its wider force distribution. The total flow rate from the combination of orifices must be monitored and kept below the pump capacity while choosing an orifice to insert in each position. The energy distribution from the orifice pattern is further complicated since the rotary path of all orifices in the nozzle head pass through the center section, contributing to the stripping in this area while only the outer most orifice contributes to the stripping in the shell area at the extreme outside edge of the nozzle. From t he outer most shell to the center section, more orifices contribute to the stripping in each progressively reduced diameter shell. With all these parameters to configure and each parameter change affecting the others, a computer model was developed to track and coordinate these parameters. The computer simulation responds by graphically indicating the cumulative affect from each parameter selected. The results from the proper choices in parameters is a well designed, highly efficient stripping system. A poorly chosen set of parameters will cause the nozzle to strip aggressively in some areas

  7. The role of heat transfer in strip casting

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Misra, Paretosh

    The last few years have witnessed rapid developments in the area of strip casting of steel. It involves smaller capital and operating cost, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and an opportunity to create newer products due to a faster solidification rate that leads to a different solidification structure. Thus, ample reasons for interest in the technology exist. At the same time, it needs to be determined if the properties of a strip cast product can match those of a conventional product and if it is possible to produce steel strip at high production rates. The first objective of this work was to characterize the quality, structure, and properties of strip cast material of different chemistries and cast at different machines, to identify the critical operating conditions that would result in the best properties. Determination of the possible range of properties was also aimed, given that the structure of the material is different from the traditional material. The second objective was to investigate ways to increase the rate of heat transfer in strip casting, as that will also enhance the productivity of a strip caster. It was also envisaged to see what effect a high rate of heat transfer will have on the properties of the strip cast material. Results from the strip cast material characterization that was carried out to achieve the first objective indicated that an effective control of heat transfer is very important to get the best properties. Samples that showed best properties had a uniform solidification structure consisting of columnar grains running from the edge of a strip to the centerline, indicating a good control of heat transfer, and their dendrite spacings pointed towards a relatively faster rate of cooling between the rolls. These findings indicated that heat transfer is a core issue in strip casting. The mechanism of increase in the rate of heat transfer in strip casting due to the presence of liquid oxide films at the metal-mold interface was examined

  8. Wooded Strips and Windbreaks in Kansas, 1981

    Treesearch

    Thomas L. Castonguay; Mark H. Hansen

    1984-01-01

    In 1981 wooded strips and windbreaks in Kansas coverd 336,000 acres and were more than 54,000 miles long. Wooded strips contained 300 million board feet of sawtimber and 92 million cubic feet of growing stock.

  9. Centerline Rumble Strips Safety And Maintenance Impacts

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2014-09-01

    Soon after implementation of centerline rumble strips in Georgia around 2005-2006, GDOT observed pavement distress and deterioration at one of the centerline rumble strips sites. As no definitive correlation has been drawn between centerline rumble s...

  10. Understanding tree growth responses after partial cuttings: A new approach

    PubMed Central

    Rossi, Sergio; Lussier, Jean-Martin; Walsh, Denis; Morin, Hubert

    2017-01-01

    Forest ecosystem management heads towards the use of partial cuttings. However, the wide variation in growth response of residual trees remains unexplained, preventing a suitable prediction of forest productivity. The aim of the study was to assess individual growth and identify the driving factors involved in the responses of residual trees. Six study blocks in even-aged black spruce [Picea mariana (Mill.) B.S.P.] stands of the eastern Canadian boreal forest were submitted to experimental shelterwood and seed-tree treatments. Individual-tree models were applied to 1039 trees to analyze their patterns of radial growth during the 10 years after partial cutting by using the nonlinear Schnute function on tree-ring series. The trees exhibited different growth patterns. A sigmoid growth was detected in 32% of trees, mainly in control plots of older stands. Forty-seven percent of trees located in the interior of residual strips showed an S-shape, which was influenced by stand mortality, harvested intensity and dominant height. Individuals showing an exponential pattern produced the greatest radial growth after cutting and were edge trees of younger stands with higher dominant height. A steady growth decline was observed in 4% of trees, represented by the individuals suppressed and insensitive to the treatment. The analyses demonstrated that individual nonlinear models are able to assess the variability in growth within the stand and the factors involved in the occurrence of the different growth patterns, thus improving understanding of the tree responses to partial cutting. This new approach can sustain forest management strategies by defining the best conditions to optimize the growth yield of residual trees. PMID:28222200

  11. Understanding tree growth responses after partial cuttings: A new approach.

    PubMed

    Montoro Girona, Miguel; Rossi, Sergio; Lussier, Jean-Martin; Walsh, Denis; Morin, Hubert

    2017-01-01

    Forest ecosystem management heads towards the use of partial cuttings. However, the wide variation in growth response of residual trees remains unexplained, preventing a suitable prediction of forest productivity. The aim of the study was to assess individual growth and identify the driving factors involved in the responses of residual trees. Six study blocks in even-aged black spruce [Picea mariana (Mill.) B.S.P.] stands of the eastern Canadian boreal forest were submitted to experimental shelterwood and seed-tree treatments. Individual-tree models were applied to 1039 trees to analyze their patterns of radial growth during the 10 years after partial cutting by using the nonlinear Schnute function on tree-ring series. The trees exhibited different growth patterns. A sigmoid growth was detected in 32% of trees, mainly in control plots of older stands. Forty-seven percent of trees located in the interior of residual strips showed an S-shape, which was influenced by stand mortality, harvested intensity and dominant height. Individuals showing an exponential pattern produced the greatest radial growth after cutting and were edge trees of younger stands with higher dominant height. A steady growth decline was observed in 4% of trees, represented by the individuals suppressed and insensitive to the treatment. The analyses demonstrated that individual nonlinear models are able to assess the variability in growth within the stand and the factors involved in the occurrence of the different growth patterns, thus improving understanding of the tree responses to partial cutting. This new approach can sustain forest management strategies by defining the best conditions to optimize the growth yield of residual trees.

  12. Place of partial cutting in old-growth stands of the Douglas-fir region.

    Treesearch

    Leo A. Isaac

    1956-01-01

    During the early 1930's, as use of the logging truck and tractor increased, a form of partial harvesting mature and overmature virgin stands developed in the Douglas-fir region (2). The cutting pattern varied from taking a few scattered high-grade trees per acre to clear cutting small areas. Partial harvesting caught on quickly because at that time only the high-...

  13. Enhancement Of Water-Jet Stripping Of Foam

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cosby, Steven A.; Shockney, Charles H.; Bates, Keith E.; Shalala, John P.; Daniels, Larry S.

    1995-01-01

    Improved robotic high-pressure-water-jet system strips foam insulation from parts without removing adjacent coating materials like paints, primers, and sealants. Even injects water into crevices and blind holes to clean out foam, without harming adjacent areas. Eliminates both cost of full stripping and recoating and problem of disposing of toxic solutions used in preparation for coating. Developed for postflight refurbishing of aft skirts of booster rockets. System includes six-axis robot provided with special end effector and specially written control software, called Aftfoam. Adaptable to cleaning and stripping in other industrial settings.

  14. Micro-strip sensors based on CVD diamond

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Adam, W.; Berdermann, E.; Bergonzo, P.; Bertuccio, G.; Bogani, F.; Borchi, E.; Brambilla, A.; Bruzzi, M.; Colledani, C.; Conway, J.; D'Angelo, P.; Dabrowski, W.; Delpierre, P.; Deneuville, A.; Dulinski, W.; van Eijk, B.; Fallou, A.; Fizzotti, F.; Foulon, F.; Friedl, M.; Gan, K. K.; Gheeraert, E.; Hallewell, G.; Han, S.; Hartjes, F.; Hrubec, J.; Husson, D.; Kagan, H.; Kania, D.; Kaplon, J.; Kass, R.; Koeth, T.; Krammer, M.; Logiudice, A.; Lu, R.; mac Lynne, L.; Manfredotti, C.; Meier, D.; Mishina, M.; Moroni, L.; Oh, A.; Pan, L. S.; Pernicka, M.; Peitz, A.; Perera, L.; Pirollo, S.; Procario, M.; Riester, J. L.; Roe, S.; Rousseau, L.; Rudge, A.; Russ, J.; Sala, S.; Sampietro, M.; Schnetzer, S.; Sciortino, S.; Stelzer, H.; Stone, R.; Suter, B.; Tapper, R. J.; Tesarek, R.; Trischuk, W.; Tromson, D.; Vittone, E.; Walsh, A. M.; Wedenig, R.; Weilhammer, P.; Wetstein, M.; White, C.; Zeuner, W.; Zoeller, M.; RD42 Collaboration

    2000-10-01

    In this article we present the performance of recent chemical vapour deposition (CVD) diamond micro-strip sensors in beam tests. In addition, we present the first comparison of a CVD diamond micro-strip sensor before and after proton irradiation.

  15. Throughfall Monitoring Of Old Growth, Second Growth, And Cleared Vegetation Plots On Prince of Wales Island, Alaska

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Prussian, K. M.

    2006-12-01

    The density of forest canopy affects the amount of rain reaching the forest floor in forested environments of Southeast Alaska. Less throughfall occurs in the second growth sites than in the old growth site and greater throughfall occurs in the clear-cut sites. More specifically, preliminary data show that SG sites received between 38 and 87% of the OG throughfall and the clear-cut sites experienced between 145 and 248% of the OG throughfall. Precipitation gages were used to monitor throughfall in each of the forested vegetation sites on Prince of Wales Island, Alaska, as an indicator of the amount of water reaching the forest floor in these different forest types. Data collected during 2004 and 2005 included 23 storms ranging from 0.2 to 10.6 inches of rain in the clear-cut forest. This monitoring is an effort to determine the affect, if any, that forest management could have on throughfall, and furthermore, lend information to forest management effects on the water balance within a watershed. Site selection focused on similarities in location, elevation, aspect, and accessibility while accounting for the three varying vegetation conditions. Data collected during 2004 and 2005 sampling seasons were in the same sampling plots, while data collected in 2006 is a duplicate set of sites. Twenty-three storms were used to determine the affect, if any, that forest management could have on throughfall, and furthermore, lend information to forest management effects on the water balance within a watershed. The second growth stand was harvested in 1979 and is currently in stem re-initiation phase with thick conifer regeneration. The clear-cut site was harvested in 1999 and contains conifer vegetation, blueberry, and salmonberry vegetation less than five feet in height. Storms were defined as events that were clearly delineated by lack of rainfall for a period of time, or similar antecedent conditions, and totaled at least .2 inches of rain at the CC site. Analysis of a storm

  16. In vitro and in vivo evaluation of diamond-coated strips.

    PubMed

    Lione, Roberta; Gazzani, Francesca; Pavoni, Chiara; Guarino, Stefano; Tagliaferri, Vincenzo; Cozza, Paola

    2017-05-01

    To test in vitro and in vivo the wear performance of diamond-coated strips by means of tribological testing and scanning electronic microscope (SEM). To evaluate the in vitro wear performance, a tribological test was performed by a standard tribometer. The abrasive strips slid against stationary, freshly extracted premolars fixed in resin blocks, at a 2-newton load. At the end of the tribological test, the residual surface of the strip was observed by means of SEM analysis, which was performed every 50 meters until reaching 300 meters. For the in vivo analysis, the strip was used for 300 seconds, corresponding to 250 meters. The strips presented a fenestrated structure characterized by diamond granules alternating with voids. After the first 50 meters, it was possible to observe tooth material deposited on the surface of the strips and a certain number of abrasive grains detached. The surface of the strip after 250 meters appeared smoother and therefore less effective in its abrasive power. After 300 seconds of in vivo utilization of the strip, it was possible to observe the detachment of diamond abrasive grains, the near absence of the grains and, therefore, loss of abrasive power. Under ideal conditions, after 5 minutes (30 meters) of use, the strip loses its abrasive capacity by about 60%. In vivo, a more rapid loss of abrasive power was observed due to the greater load applied by the clinician in forcing the strip into the contact point.

  17. Comparing reliabilities of strip and conventional patch testing.

    PubMed

    Dickel, Heinrich; Geier, Johannes; Kreft, Burkhard; Pfützner, Wolfgang; Kuss, Oliver

    2017-06-01

    The standardized protocol for performing the strip patch test has proven to be valid, but evidence on its reliability is still missing. To estimate the parallel-test reliability of the strip patch test as compared with the conventional patch test. In this multicentre, prospective, randomized, investigator-blinded reliability study, 132 subjects were enrolled. Simultaneous duplicate strip and conventional patch tests were performed with the Finn Chambers ® on Scanpor ® tape test system and the patch test preparations nickel sulfate 5% pet., potassium dichromate 0.5% pet., and lanolin alcohol 30% pet. Reliability was estimated by the use of Cohen's kappa coefficient. Parallel-test reliability values of the three standard patch test preparations turned out to be acceptable, with slight advantages for the strip patch test. The differences in reliability were 9% (95%CI: -8% to 26%) for nickel sulfate and 23% (95%CI: -16% to 63%) for potassium dichromate, both favouring the strip patch test. The standardized strip patch test method for the detection of allergic contact sensitization in patients with suspected allergic contact dermatitis is reliable. Its application in routine clinical practice can be recommended, especially if the conventional patch test result is presumably false negative. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  18. Novel air-injection technique to locate the medial cut end of lacerated canaliculus.

    PubMed

    Liu, Bingqian; Li, Yonghao; Long, Chongde; Wang, Zhonghao; Liang, Xuanwei; Ge, Jian; Wang, Zhichong

    2013-12-01

    Locating the medial cut end of the severed canaliculus is the most difficult aspect of canalicular repair, especially in patients with more medial laceration, severe oedema, persistent errhysis and a narrow canaliculus. Irrigation is a widely used technique to identify the cut end; however, we found that air injected through the intact canaliculus with a straight needle failed to reflux when the common canaliculus or lacrimal sac was not blocked. We describe a simple, safe and efficient air-injection technique to identify the medial cut edge of a lacerated canaliculus. In this method, we initially submersed the medial canthus under normal saline, then injected filtered air through the intact canaliculus using a side port stainless steel probe with a closed round tip. The tip was designed to block the common canaliculus to form a relatively closed system. The efficiency of this novel air-injection technique was equivalent to the traditional technique but does not require the cooperation of the patient to blow air. Using this technique, the medial cut end was successfully identified by locating the air-bubble exit within minutes in 19 cases of mono-canalicular laceration without any complication.

  19. Core Cutting Test with Vertical Rock Cutting Rig (VRCR)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yasar, Serdar; Osman Yilmaz, Ali

    2017-12-01

    Roadheaders are frequently used machines in mining and tunnelling, and performance prediction of roadheaders is important for project economics and stability. Several methods were proposed so far for this purpose and, rock cutting tests are the best choice. Rock cutting tests are generally divided into two groups which are namely, full scale rock cutting tests and small scale rock cutting tests. These two tests have some superiorities and deficiencies over themselves. However, in many cases, where rock sampling becomes problematic, small scale rock cutting test (core cutting test) is preferred for performance prediction, since small block samples and core samples can be conducted to rock cutting testing. Common problem for rock cutting tests are that they can be found in very limited research centres. In this study, a new mobile rock cutting testing equipment, vertical rock cutting rig (VRCR) was introduced. Standard testing procedure was conducted on seven rock samples which were the part of a former study on cutting rocks with another small scale rock cutting test. Results showed that core cutting test can be realized successfully with VRCR with the validation of paired samples t-test.

  20. Cost Minimization Analysis of Precut Cornea Grafts in Descemet Stripping Automated Endothelial Keratoplasty

    PubMed Central

    Yong, Kai-Ling; Nguyen, Hai V.; Cajucom-Uy, Howard Y.; Foo, Valencia; Tan, Donald; Finkelstein, Eric A.; Mehta, Jodhbir S.

    2016-01-01

    Abstract Descemet stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK) is the most common corneal transplant procedure. A key step in the procedure is preparing the donor cornea for transplantation. This can be accomplished via 1 of 3 alternatives: surgeon cuts the cornea on the day of surgery, the cornea is precut ahead of time in an offsite facility by a trained technician, or a precut cornea is purchased from an eye bank. Currently, there is little evidence on the costs and effectiveness of these 3 strategies to allow healthcare providers decide upon the preferred method to prepare grafts. The aim of this study was to compare the costs and relative effectiveness of each strategy. The Singapore National Eye Centre and Singapore Eye Bank performed both precut cornea and surgeon-cut cornea transplant services between 2009 and 2013. This study included 110 subjects who received precut cornea and 140 who received surgeon-cut cornea. Clinical outcomes and surgical duration were compared across the strategies using the propensity score matching. The cost of each strategy was estimated using the microcosting and consisted of facility costs and procedural costs including surgical duration. One-way sensitivity analysis and threshold analysis were performed. The cost for DSAEK was highest for the surgeon-cut approach ($13,965 per procedure), followed by purchasing precut corneas ($12,659) and then setting up precutting ($12,421). The higher procedural cost of the surgeon-cut approach was largely due to the longer duration of the procedure (surgeon-cut = 72.54 minutes, precut = 59.45 minutes, P < 0.001) and the higher surgeon fees. There was no evidence of differences in clinical outcomes between grafts that were precut or surgeon-cut. Threshold analysis demonstrated that if the number of cases was below 31 a year, the strategy that yielded the lowest cost was purchasing precut cornea from eye bank. If there were more than 290 cases annually, the cheapest

  1. Stripping voltammetry in environmental and food analysis.

    PubMed

    Brainina, K Z; Malakhova, N A; Stojko, N Y

    2000-10-01

    The review covers over 230 papers published mostly in the last 5 years. The goal of the review is to attract the attention of researchers and users to stripping voltammetry in particular, its application in environmental monitoring and analysis of foodstuffs. The sensors employed are impregnated graphite, carbon paste, thick film carbon/graphite and thin film metallic electrodes modified in-situ or beforehand. Hanging mercury drop electrodes and mercury coated glassy carbon electrodes are also mentioned. Strip and long-lived sensors for portable instruments and flow through systems are discussed as devices for future development and application of stripping voltammetry.

  2. A Novel Mobile Testing Equipment for Rock Cuttability Assessment: Vertical Rock Cutting Rig (VRCR)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yasar, Serdar; Yilmaz, Ali Osman

    2017-04-01

    In this study, a new mobile rock cutting testing apparatus was designed and produced for rock cuttability assessment called vertical rock cutting rig (VRCR) which was designed specially to fit into hydraulic press testing equipment which are available in almost every rock mechanics laboratory. Rock cutting trials were initiated just after the production of VRCR along with calibration of the measuring load cell with an external load cell to validate the recorded force data. Then, controlled rock cutting tests with both relieved and unrelieved cutting modes were implemented on five different volcanic rock samples with a standard simple-shaped wedge tool. Additionally, core cutting test which is an important approach for roadheader performance prediction was simulated with VRCR. Mini disc cutters and point attack tools were used for execution of experimental trials. Results clearly showed that rock cutting tests were successfully realized and measuring system is delicate to rock strength, cutting depth and other variables. Core cutting test was successfully simulated, and it was also shown that rock cutting tests with mini disc cutters and point attack tools are also successful with VRCR.

  3. Development of Rust Stripping System using High Power Laser

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shirakawa, Kazuomi; Ohashi, Katsuaki; Ashidate, Shuichi; Kurosawa, Kiyoshi; Nakayama, Michio; Uchida, Yutaka; Nobusada, Yuuji

    The repainting cycle depends on removal of rust in maintenance of outdoor steel-frame structural facilities. However existing stripping process, which is usually made by hands with brushes, cannot strip the rust completely in maintenance of power transmission towers, for example. To solve this problem, we investigated laser fluence and pulse width for removal of rust using DPSSL (Diode Pumped Solid State Laser), and selected optimum laser supply. Then we checked the effect of laser stripping on prolongation of the repainting cycle compared with the conventional stripping process. Utilizing results of the research, we developed rust stripping system using DPSSL. From the results of field trial of rust removal operation using this system at high places of a power transmission tower, possibility of practical use of the system for the maintenance was confirmed.

  4. High-Rate Capable Floating Strip Micromegas

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bortfeldt, Jonathan; Bender, Michael; Biebel, Otmar; Danger, Helge; Flierl, Bernhard; Hertenberger, Ralf; Lösel, Philipp; Moll, Samuel; Parodi, Katia; Rinaldi, Ilaria; Ruschke, Alexander; Zibell, André

    2016-04-01

    We report on the optimization of discharge insensitive floating strip Micromegas (MICRO-MEsh GASeous) detectors, fit for use in high-energy muon spectrometers. The suitability of these detectors for particle tracking is shown in high-background environments and at very high particle fluxes up to 60 MHz/cm2. Measurement and simulation of the microscopic discharge behavior have demonstrated the excellent discharge tolerance. A floating strip Micromegas with an active area of 48 cm × 50 cm with 1920 copper anode strips exhibits in 120 GeV pion beams a spatial resolution of 50 μm at detection efficiencies above 95%. Pulse height, spatial resolution and detection efficiency are homogeneous over the detector. Reconstruction of particle track inclination in a single detector plane is discussed, optimum angular resolutions below 5° are observed. Systematic deviations of this μTPC-method are fully understood. The reconstruction capabilities for minimum ionizing muons are investigated in a 6.4 cm × 6.4 cm floating strip Micromegas under intense background irradiation of the whole active area with 20 MeV protons at a rate of 550 kHz. The spatial resolution for muons is not distorted by space charge effects. A 6.4 cm × 6.4 cm floating strip Micromegas doublet with low material budget is investigated in highly ionizing proton and carbon ion beams at particle rates between 2 MHz and 2 GHz. Stable operation up to the highest rates is observed, spatial resolution, detection efficiencies, the multi-hit and high-rate capability are discussed.

  5. Generating Fiducial Cuts for CLAS E5

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Greenholt, Kristen

    2005-04-01

    The Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, located in Newport News, Virginia, is home to CLAS (CEBAF Large Acceptance Spectrometer) which observes the scattering effects of high-energy collisions of an electron beam and a proton or deuteron target. When data are collected with CLAS, one of the properties measured is the cross-section, which is proportional to the number of events and the efficiency and inversely proportional to the solid angle. The efficiency, or acceptance of the detector, is the ratio between the data one expects to observe in an ideal detector and the data that we actually measure with the real CLAS detector. In outlying azimuthal regions, the efficiency is less clearly understood, which leads to measurements which are reliant on the conditions of the detector itself. In order to analyze data which fall in regions of stable and well-understood efficiency, we generated fiducial cuts on CLAS. Our fiducial cuts fit a function to the edges of regions of stable efficiency. These cuts enable us to focus on the data with good acceptance/efficiency. When examining at the fiducial cuts, we required stable efficiency, or flat regions, a good visual fit, a minimized chi squared, and a reasonable behavior in each in azimuthal versus polar angle plane for each electron-momentum bin. Generating these fiducial cuts enables us to focus on data from CLAS where the efficiency of the detector is well understood.

  6. A design aid for determining width of filter strips

    Treesearch

    M.G. Dosskey; M.J. Helmers; D.E. Eisenhauer

    2008-01-01

    watershed planners need a tool for determining width of filter strips that is accurate enough for developing cost-effective site designs and easy enough to use for making quick determinations on a large number and variety of sites.This study employed the process-based Vegetative Filter Strip Model to evaluate the relationship between filter strip width and trapping...

  7. One-neutron stripping processes to excited states of *90Y in the 89Y(6Li,5Li )*90Y reaction

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, G. L.; Zhang, G. X.; Hu, S. P.; Yao, Y. J.; Xiang, J. B.; Zhang, H. Q.; Lubian, J.; Ferreira, J. L.; Paes, B.; Cardozo, E. N.; Sun, H. B.; Valiente-Dobón, J. J.; Testov, D.; Goasduff, A.; John, P. R.; Siciliano, M.; Galtarossa, F.; Francesco, R.; Mengoni, D.; Bazzacco, D.; Li, E. T.; Hao, X.; Qu, W. W.

    2018-01-01

    The measurement of one-neutron stripping cross sections for the 89Y(6Li,5Li )*90Y reaction at 22 MeV and 34 MeV is reported, using both in-beam and off-beam γ -ray spectroscopy methods. Characteristic γ lines of 90Y are clearly identified by both the γ -γ and proton-γ coincidence methods. The obtained cross section of one-neutron stripping at 34 MeV is found to be much smaller than that at 22 MeV. The one-neutron stripping cross sections measured for this system have the same order of magnitude as the one measured for the same reaction for the 6Li+96Zr system at energies around the Coulomb barrier. Parameter-free coupled reaction channel calculations agree quite well with the experimental data. Theoretical study of the effect of the one-neutron transfer on the elastic total fusion cross section is performed.

  8. Fractal characteristic in the wearing of cutting tool

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mei, Anhua; Wang, Jinghui

    1995-11-01

    This paper studies the cutting tool wear with fractal geometry. The wearing image of the flank has been collected by machine vision which consists of CCD camera and personal computer. After being processed by means of preserving smoothing, binary making and edge extracting, the clear boundary enclosing the worn area has been obtained. The fractal dimension of the worn surface is calculated by the methods called `Slit Island' and `Profile'. The experiments and calciating give the conclusion that the worn surface is enclosed by a irregular boundary curve with some fractal dimension and characteristics of self-similarity. Furthermore, the relation between the cutting velocity and the fractal dimension of the worn region has been submitted. This paper presents a series of methods for processing and analyzing the fractal information in the blank wear, which can be applied to research the projective relation between the fractal structure and the wear state, and establish the fractal model of the cutting tool wear.

  9. Twice cutting method reduces tibial cutting error in unicompartmental knee arthroplasty.

    PubMed

    Inui, Hiroshi; Taketomi, Shuji; Yamagami, Ryota; Sanada, Takaki; Tanaka, Sakae

    2016-01-01

    Bone cutting error can be one of the causes of malalignment in unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA). The amount of cutting error in total knee arthroplasty has been reported. However, none have investigated cutting error in UKA. The purpose of this study was to reveal the amount of cutting error in UKA when open cutting guide was used and clarify whether cutting the tibia horizontally twice using the same cutting guide reduced the cutting errors in UKA. We measured the alignment of the tibial cutting guides, the first-cut cutting surfaces and the second cut cutting surfaces using the navigation system in 50 UKAs. Cutting error was defined as the angular difference between the cutting guide and cutting surface. The mean absolute first-cut cutting error was 1.9° (1.1° varus) in the coronal plane and 1.1° (0.6° anterior slope) in the sagittal plane, whereas the mean absolute second-cut cutting error was 1.1° (0.6° varus) in the coronal plane and 1.1° (0.4° anterior slope) in the sagittal plane. Cutting the tibia horizontally twice reduced the cutting errors in the coronal plane significantly (P<0.05). Our study demonstrated that in UKA, cutting the tibia horizontally twice using the same cutting guide reduced cutting error in the coronal plane. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  10. Collisional stripping of planetary crusts

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Carter, Philip J.; Leinhardt, Zoë M.; Elliott, Tim; Stewart, Sarah T.; Walter, Michael J.

    2018-02-01

    Geochemical studies of planetary accretion and evolution have invoked various degrees of collisional erosion to explain differences in bulk composition between planets and chondrites. Here we undertake a full, dynamical evaluation of 'crustal stripping' during accretion and its key geochemical consequences. Crusts are expected to contain a significant fraction of planetary budgets of incompatible elements, which include the major heat producing nuclides. We present smoothed particle hydrodynamics simulations of collisions between differentiated rocky planetesimals and planetary embryos. We find that the crust is preferentially lost relative to the mantle during impacts, and we have developed a scaling law based on these simulations that approximates the mass of crust that remains in the largest remnant. Using this scaling law and a recent set of N-body simulations of terrestrial planet formation, we have estimated the maximum effect of crustal stripping on incompatible element abundances during the accretion of planetary embryos. We find that on average approximately one third of the initial crust is stripped from embryos as they accrete, which leads to a reduction of ∼20% in the budgets of the heat producing elements if the stripped crust does not reaccrete. Erosion of crusts can lead to non-chondritic ratios of incompatible elements, but the magnitude of this effect depends sensitively on the details of the crust-forming melting process on the planetesimals. The Lu/Hf system is fractionated for a wide range of crustal formation scenarios. Using eucrites (the products of planetesimal silicate melting, thought to represent the crust of Vesta) as a guide to the Lu/Hf of planetesimal crust partially lost during accretion, we predict the Earth could evolve to a superchondritic 176Hf/177Hf (3-5 parts per ten thousand) at present day. Such values are in keeping with compositional estimates of the bulk Earth. Stripping of planetary crusts during accretion can lead to

  11. Narrow linewidth picosecond UV pulsed laser with mega-watt peak power.

    PubMed

    Huang, Chunning; Deibele, Craig; Liu, Yun

    2013-04-08

    We demonstrate a master oscillator power amplifier (MOPA) burst mode laser system that generates 66 ps/402.5 MHz pulses with mega-watt peak power at 355 nm. The seed laser consists of a single frequency fiber laser (linewidth < 5 KHz), a high bandwidth electro-optic modulator (EOM), a picosecond pulse generator, and a fiber based preamplifier. A very high extinction ratio (45 dB) has been achieved by using an adaptive bias control of the EOM. The multi-stage Nd:YAG amplifier system allows a uniformly temporal shaping of the macropulse with a tunable pulse duration. The light output from the amplifier is converted to 355 nm, and over 1 MW peak power is obtained when the laser is operating in a 5-μs/10-Hz macropulse mode. The laser output has a transform-limited spectrum with a very narrow linewidth of individual longitudinal modes. The immediate application of the laser system is the laser-assisted hydrogen ion beam stripping for the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS).

  12. Evaluation of breast tissue with confocal strip-mosaicking microscopy: a test approach emulating pathology-like examination

    PubMed Central

    Abeytunge, Sanjee; Larson, Bjorg; Peterson, Gary; Morrow, Monica; Rajadhyaksha, Milind

    2017-01-01

    Abstract. Confocal microscopy is an emerging technology for rapid imaging of freshly excised tissue without the need for frozen- or fixed-section processing. Initial studies have described imaging of breast tissue using fluorescence confocal microscopy with small regions of interest, typically 750×750  μm2. We present exploration with a microscope, termed confocal strip-mosaicking microscope (CSM microscope), which images an area of 2×2  cm2 of tissue with cellular-level resolution in 10 min of excision. Using the CSM microscope, we imaged 34 fresh, human, large breast tissue specimens from 18 patients, blindly analyzed by a board-certified pathologist and subsequently correlated with the corresponding standard fixed histopathology. Invasive tumors and benign tissue were clearly identified in CSM strip-mosaic images. Thirty specimens were concordant for image-to-histopathology correlation while four were discordant. PMID:28327961

  13. The Narrow-Line Region of Narrow-Line Seyfert 1 Galaxies

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rodríguez-Ardila, A.; Binette, Luc; Pastoriza, Miriani G.; Donzelli, Carlos J.

    2000-08-01

    This work studies the optical emission-line properties and physical conditions of the narrow-line region (NLR) of seven narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxies (NLS1's) for which high signal-to-noise ratio spectroscopic observations were available. The resolution is 340 km s-1 (at Hα) over the wavelength interval 3700-9500 Å, enabling us to separate the broad and narrow components of the permitted emission lines. Our results show that the flux carried out by the narrow component of Hβ is, on average, 50% of the total line flux. As a result, the [O III] λ5007/Hβ ratio emitted in the NLR varies from 1 to 5, instead of the universally adopted value of 10. This has strong implications for the required spectral energy distribution that ionizes the NLR gas. Photoionization models that consider a NLR composed of a combination of matter-bounded and ionization-bounded clouds are successful at explaining the low [O III] λ5007/Hβ ratio and the weakness of low-ionization lines of NLS1's. Variation of the relative proportion of these two type of clouds nicely reproduces the dispersion of narrow-line ratios found among the NLS1 sample. Assuming similar physical model parameters of both NLS1's and the normal Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 5548, we show that the observed differences of emission-line ratios between these two groups of galaxies can be explained, to a first approximation, in terms of the shape of the input ionizing continuum. Narrow emission-line ratios of NLS1's are better reproduced by a steep power-law continuum in the EUV-soft X-ray region, with spectral index α~-2. Flatter spectral indices (α~-1.5) match the observed line ratios of NGC 5548 but are unable to provide a good match to the NLS1 ratios. This result is consistent with ROSAT observations of NLS1's, which show that these objects are characterized by steeper power-law indices than those of Seyfert 1 galaxies with strong broad optical lines. Based on observations made at CASLEO. Complejo Astronómico El Leoncito

  14. Self-Harm through Cutting: Evidence from a Sample of Schools in the North of England

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hall, Brian; Elliott, Joe; Place, Maurice

    2010-01-01

    This project explored the prevalence of self-harm by cutting in a geographically circumscribed area of the North of England, using a school-based survey. Twenty-three per cent of the young people reported they had cut themselves at least once, with no major changes evident at different age groups or with gender. There were clear differences in…

  15. The telescoping suture--Part II: A novel method to improve the mechanical behavior of a new biomaterial: ostrich pericardium.

    PubMed

    García Páez, J M; Jorge Herrero, E; Rocha, A; Martín-Maestro, M; Castillo-Olivares, J L; Millán, I; Carrera Sanmartín, A; Cordón, A

    2002-10-01

    Ostrich pericardium, sutured using a telescoping or overlapping technique, was studied to determine its mechanical behavior. From each of 12 pericardial sacs, four contiguous strips were cut longitudinally, from root to apex, and another four contiguous strips were cut in transverse direction. One of the strips in each set of four was used as an unsutured control and the remaining three were sutured by overlapping 0.5 cm of the tissue and sewing with Gore-tex, Prolene or Pronova. These 96 samples were then subjected to tensile testing along their major axes until rupture. The tensile stresses recorded in the suture materials at the moment tears appeared in the pericardium ranged between 55.99 MPa and 70.23 MPa for Gore-tex in samples cut in the two directions. Shear stress became ostensible at 56 MPa, with clearly evident tears. However, microfracture of the collagen fibers must be produced at much lower stress levels. The comparison of the resistance in kilograms (machine-imposed), without taking into account the sections in which the load was applied, demonstrated only a slight loss of load when the telescoping suture was employed in ostrich pericardium samples. Ostrich pericardium may continue to be an alternative biological material for the construction of heart valve leaflets.

  16. Chest tube stripping in pediatric oncology patients: an experimental study.

    PubMed

    Oakes, L L; Hinds, P; Rao, B; Bozeman, P; Taylor, B; Stokes, D; Fairclough, D

    1993-07-01

    Stripping of chest tubes to promote drainage of the thorax of postthoracotomy patients has been routine practice, based on tradition. Recent published findings indicate that significant negative pressures are generated in the tube during stripping that could cause pain, bleeding and possible damage to the patient's lung tissue. To determine whether pediatric oncology patients whose chest tubes were not stripped would differ in frequency of pain, fever or lung complications from patients who underwent routine tube stripping. Data were collected at multiple points during the first 72-hour postoperative period from 16 patients assigned to the stripped or unstripped groups. Pain was measured by the Faces Pain Scale and the Visual Analogue Scale; temperature, by electronic thermometer; and lung complications, by stethoscope and radiographs. Both groups, which were comparable for age, primary diagnosis and prior history of lung problems, received identical supportive nursing and medical care, with the physicians blind to group assignment. The two groups did not differ significantly in frequency of pain, incidence of fever, breath sounds or radiographic findings across measurement points. A strong correlation was found between the pain scores using the two instruments. Patients whose tubes were not stripped did not have an increased risk of infection or lung complications. Study findings indicated that stripping did not increase the frequency of pain. Stripping of chest tubes as a routine postoperative measure is questioned.

  17. Guidelines for using centerline rumble strips in Virginia.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2005-01-01

    Following the wide and successful use of continuous shoulder rumble strips, many state departments of transportations (DOTs) installed centerline rumble strips (CLRS) on rural two-lane and undivided multilane highways in an effort to reduce cross-ove...

  18. Invaginated axial saphenectomy by a semirigid stripper: perforate-invaginate stripping.

    PubMed

    Goren, G; Yellin, A E

    1994-12-01

    This study was designed to evaluate a recently introduced form of stripping of primary varicose veins by the technique of perforate-invaginate (PIN) stripping. One hundred twelve consecutive limbs presenting with 91 long and 21 short saphenous varicosities displaying saphenofemoral or saphenopopliteal junctional escapes with varying length of greater or lesser saphenous (axial) reflux underwent operation in 1 year. All surgeries were performed in an office setting with the patient receiving locoregional anesthetic with use of the invaginated PIN stripping in conjunction with tributary hook-stab avulsion. In the 112 procedures performed, there were no tract hematomas or dysesthesias caused by nerve damage. Postoperative morbidity was nonexistent, permitting all patients to resume normal daily occupational and sporting activities immediately. PIN stripping is an excellent method of invagination stripping. There is a minimal likelihood of vein tearing. Compared with conventional ankle-to-groin (or popliteal fossa) stripping, PIN stripping is minimally invasive, does not cause damage to structures around the vein, does not require convalescence, eliminates the need for a lengthy distal second incision, can be performed in an office setting with the patient receiving locoregional anesthetic, and is most cost-efficient.

  19. Prototyping of Silicon Strip Detectors for the Inner Tracker of the ALICE Experiment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sokolov, Oleksiy

    2006-04-01

    The ALICE experiment at CERN will study heavy ion collisions at a center-of-mass energy 5.5˜TeV per nucleon. Particle tracking around the interaction region at radii r<45 cm is done by the Inner Tracking System (ITS), consisting of six cylindrical layers of silicon detectors. The outer two layers of the ITS use double-sided silicon strip detectors. This thesis focuses on testing of these detectors and performance studies of the detector module prototypes at the beam test. Silicon strip detector layers will require about 20 thousand HAL25 front-end readout chips and about 3.5 thousand hybrids each containing 6 HAL25 chips. During the assembly procedure, chips are bonded on a patterned TAB aluminium microcables which connect to all the chip input and output pads, and then the chips are assembled on the hybrids. Bonding failures at the chip or hybrid level may either render the component non-functional or deteriorate its the performance such that it can not be used for the module production. After each bonding operation, the component testing is done to reject the non-functional or poorly performing chips and hybrids. The LabView-controlled test station for this operation has been built at Utrecht University and was successfully used for mass production acceptance tests of chips and hybrids at three production labs. The functionality of the chip registers, bonding quality and analogue functionality of the chips and hybrids are addressed in the test. The test routines were optimized to minimize the testing time to make sure that testing is not a bottleneck of the mass production. For testing of complete modules the laser scanning station with 1060 nm diode laser has been assembled at Utrecht University. The testing method relies of the fact that a response of the detector module to a short collimated laser beam pulse resembles a response to a minimum ionizing particle. A small beam spot size (˜7 μm ) allows to deposit the charge in a narrow region and measure the

  20. Biomass of coastal cutthroat trout in unlogged and previously clear-cut basins in the central Coast Range of Oregon

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Connolly, P.J.; Hall, J.D.

    1999-01-01

    Populations of coastal cutthroat trout Oncorhynchus clarki clarki were sampled in 16 Oregon headwater streams during 1991-1993. These streams were above upstream migration barriers and distributed among basins that had been logged 20-30 and 40-60 years ago and basins that had not been logged but had burned 125-150 years ago. The objective of our study was to characterize the populations and habitats of age-1 or older cutthroat trout within these three forest management types. Streams within unlogged basins had relatively low levels and a small range of trout biomass (g/m2). Streams in basins logged 40-60 years ago supported low levels but an intermediate range of trout biomass. Streams in basins logged 20-30 years ago supported the widest range of biomass, including the lowest and highest biomasses among all streams sampled. The variable thai best explained the variation of trout biomass among all 16 streams was the amount of large woody debris (LWD). All streams were heavily shaded during at least part of the year by mostly closed tree canopies. Deciduous trees were more prominent in canopies over streams in logged basins, while conifers were more prominent in the stream canopies of unlogged basins. Our results suggest that trout production in basins extensively clear-cut 20-60 years ago may generally decrease or remain low over the next 50 or more years because of decreasing loads of remnant LWD, persistent low recruitment potential for new LWD, and persistent heavy shading by conifers. These logged basins are not likely to show an increase in trout biomass over the next 50 years unless reset by favorable natural disturbances or by habitat restoration efforts.

  1. Screening for tinea unguium by Dermatophyte Test Strip.

    PubMed

    Tsunemi, Y; Takehara, K; Miura, Y; Nakagami, G; Sanada, H; Kawashima, M

    2014-02-01

    The direct microscopy, fungal culture and histopathology that are necessary for the definitive diagnosis of tinea unguium are disadvantageous in that detection sensitivity is affected by the level of skill of the person who performs the testing, and the procedures take a long time. The Dermatophyte Test Strip, which was developed recently, can simply and easily detect filamentous fungi in samples in a short time, and there are expectations for its use as a method for tinea unguium screening. With this in mind, we examined the detection capacity of the Dermatophyte Test Strip for tinea unguium. The presence or absence of fungal elements was judged by direct microscopy and Dermatophyte Test Strip in 165 nail samples obtained from residents in nursing homes for the elderly. Moreover, the minimum sample amount required for positive determination was estimated using 32 samples that showed positive results by Dermatophyte Test Strip. The Dermatophyte Test Strip showed 98% sensitivity, 78% specificity, 84·8% positive predictive value, 97% negative predictive value and a positive and negative concordance rate of 89·1%. The minimum sample amount required for positive determination was 0·002-0·722 mg. The Dermatophyte Test Strip showed very high sensitivity and negative predictive value, and was considered a potentially useful method for tinea unguium screening. Positive determination was considered to be possible with a sample amount of about 1 mg. © 2013 British Association of Dermatologists.

  2. Laboratory testing of Alcoscan saliva-alcohol test strips

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1986-10-01

    This report describes a laboratory evaluation of Alcoscan saliva-alcohol test strips. The objectives of this work were: (1) to determine the precision and accuracy of the Alcoscan strips; and (2) to determine what effect extreme ambient temperatures ...

  3. Nanoscale Test Strips for Multiplexed Blood Analysis

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Chan, Eugene

    2015-01-01

    A critical component of the DNA Medicine Institute's Reusable Handheld Electrolyte and Lab Technology for Humans (rHEALTH) sensor are nanoscale test strips, or nanostrips, that enable multiplexed blood analysis. Nanostrips are conceptually similar to the standard urinalysis test strip, but the strips are shrunk down a billionfold to the microscale. Each nanostrip can have several sensor pads that fluoresce in response to different targets in a sample. The strips carry identification tags that permit differentiation of a specific panel from hundreds of other nanostrip panels during a single measurement session. In Phase I of the project, the company fabricated, tested, and demonstrated functional parathyroid hormone and vitamin D nanostrips for bone metabolism, and thrombin aptamer and immunoglobulin G antibody nanostrips. In Phase II, numerous nanostrips were developed to address key space flight-based medical needs: assessment of bone metabolism, immune response, cardiac status, liver metabolism, and lipid profiles. This unique approach holds genuine promise for space-based portable biodiagnostics and for point-of-care (POC) health monitoring and diagnostics here on Earth.

  4. Effects of chilling rate and spray-chilling on weight loss and tenderness in beef strip loin steaks.

    PubMed

    Prado, C S; de Felício, P E

    2010-10-01

    We evaluated the effects of chilling rate and the use of a spray-chilling system on the weight loss by evaporation on carcasses. We also evaluated the effects on meat purge in vacuum package, cooking losses, and on parameters related to the tenderness of strip loin steaks (M. longissimus lumborum). Forty non-castrated males of approximately 12 months old, finished in feed-lot were harvested in 16 Montana cattle (a composite breed), and 24 SimmentalxNellore crossbred cattle. After bleeding, the bodies were electrically stimulated and assigned to one of the four treatments: conventional air-chilling (CAC), conventional spray-chilling (CSC), slow air-chilling (SAC), and slow spray-chilling (SSC). Strip loin steaks (M. longissimus lumborum) of approximately 2.5 cm thick were removed, vacuum packed and aged for 7, 14, 30 or 60 days. Samples were analyzed for sarcomere length, myofibrillar fragmentation index, Warner-Bratzler shear force, and weight losses by purge and cooking. Spraying was efficient in reducing weight loss by evaporation (P<0.05). Effects of treatments and aging period on purge losses were observed, where samples from sprayed carcasses or aged cuts showed higher losses. Cooking losses were not affected either by spraying or aging. The slow chilling, with or without spraying, was more efficient in producing strip loin steaks with lower average shear force and longer sarcomere. The myofibrillar fragmentation index increased with aging time, but was not affected by carcasses spraying. Copyright (c) 2010 The American Meat Science Association. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Testing Of Choiced Ceramics Cutting Tools At Irregular Interrupted Cut

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kyncl, Ladislav; Malotová, Šárka; Nováček, Pavel; Nicielnik, Henryk; Šoková, Dagmar; Hemžský, Pavel; Pitela, David; Holubjak, Jozef

    2015-12-01

    This article discusses the test of removable ceramic cutting inserts during machining irregular interrupted cut. Tests were performed on a lathe, with the preparation which simulated us the interrupted cut. By changing the number of plates mounted in a preparation it simulate us a regular or irregular interrupted cut. When with four plates it was regular interrupted cut, the remaining three variants were already irregular cut. It was examined whether it will have the irregular interrupted cutting effect on the insert and possibly how it will change life of inserts during irregular interrupted cut (variable delay between shocks).

  6. Tree planting - strip-mined area in Maryland

    Treesearch

    Fred L. Bagley

    1980-01-01

    This report is written to elucidate some of the problems encountered in the planting of trees on strip-mined areas in Maryland. When problems are recognized, normally a solution (or at least, an improvement) can be instituted to alleviate the problem. The methods cited herein are those of experienced foresters engaged in strip-mine planting during the past seventeen...

  7. The looped adhesive strip: An example of coplanar delamination interaction

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Bottega, W. J.

    1990-01-01

    The phenomenon of peeling and debonding of thin layers is a subject of interest to those concerned with adhesives, thin films, and layered materials. In recent years much attention has been focused on such problems as a result of increased interest and application of advanced composites and thin film coatings. A related problem which is of interest for its own sake but also represents a simple example of a tangled adhesive strip and of coplanar delamination interaction, is the problem of a looped adhesive strip. This is the subject of the present study. Researchers consider here the problem of an elastic strip which possesses an adherend on (at least) one of its surfaces. If the strip is deformed so that two portions of such a surface are brought into contact, a position of the strip becomes bonded and a loop is formed. Researchers are interested in determining the equilibrium configuration of such a strip and investigating the behavior of the strip when its edges are pulled apart. The problem is approached as a moving interior boundary problem in the calculus of variations with the strip modeled as an inextensible elastica and the bond strength characterized by its surface energy. A Griffith type energy criterion is employed for debonding, and solutions corresponding to the problem of interest obtained. The solution obtained will be seen to predict the interesting phenomenon of bond point propagation, as well as the more standard peeling type behavior. Numerical results demonstrating the phenomena of interest are presented as well and will be seen to reveal both stable and unstable propagation of the boundaries of the bonded portion of the strip, depending upon the loading conditions.

  8. The water crisis in the gaza strip: prospects for resolution.

    PubMed

    Weinthal, E; Vengosh, A; Marei, A; Kloppmann, W

    2005-01-01

    Israel and the Palestinian Authority share the southern Mediterranean coastal aquifer. Long-term overexploitation in the Gaza Strip has resulted in a decreasing water table, accompanied by the degradation of its water quality. Due to high levels of salinity and nitrate and boron pollution, most of the ground water is inadequate for both domestic and agricultural consumption. The rapid rate of population growth in the Gaza Strip and dependence upon ground water as a single water source present a serious challenge for future political stability and economic development. Here, we integrate the results of geochemical studies and numerical modeling to postulate different management scenarios for joint management between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. The chemical and isotopic data show that most of the salinity phenomena in the Gaza Strip are derived from the natural flow of saline ground water from Israel toward the Gaza Strip. As a result, the southern coastal aquifer does not resemble a classic "upstream-downstream" dispute because Israel's pumping of the saline ground water reduces the salinization rates of ground water in the Gaza Strip. Simulation of different pumping scenarios using a monolayer, hydrodynamic, two-dimensional model (MARTHE) confirms the hypothesis that increasing pumping along the Gaza Strip border combined with a moderate reduction of pumping within the Gaza Strip would improve ground water quality within the Gaza Strip. We find that pumping the saline ground water for a source of reverse-osmosis desalination and then supplying the desalinated water to the Gaza Strip should be an essential component of a future joint management strategy between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.

  9. A Preference Test for Sweet Taste That Uses Edible Strips

    PubMed Central

    Smutzer, Gregory; Patel, Janki Y.; Stull, Judith C.; Abarintos, Ray A.; Khan, Neiladri K.; Park, Kevin C.

    2014-01-01

    A novel delivery method is described for the rapid determination of taste preferences for sweet taste in humans. This forced-choice paired comparison approach incorporates the non-caloric sweetener sucralose into a set of one-inch square edible strips for the rapid determination of sweet taste preferences. When compared to aqueous sucrose solutions, significantly lower amounts of sucralose were required to identify the preference for sweet taste. The validity of this approach was determined by comparing sweet taste preferences obtained with five different sucralose-containing edible strips to a set of five intensity-matched sucrose solutions. When compared to the solution test, edible strips required approximately the same number of steps to identify the preferred amount of sweet taste stimulus. Both approaches yielded similar distribution patterns for the preferred amount of sweet taste stimulus. In addition, taste intensity values for the preferred amount of sucralose in strips were similar to that of sucrose in solution. The hedonic values for the preferred amount of sucralose were lower than for sucrose, but the taste quality of the preferred sucralose strip was described as sweet. When taste intensity values between sucralose strips and sucralose solutions containing identical amounts of taste stimulus were compared, sucralose strips produced a greater taste intensity and more positive hedonic response. A preference test that uses edible strips for stimulus delivery should be useful for identifying preferences for sweet taste in young children, and in clinical populations. This test should also be useful for identifying sweet taste preferences outside of the lab or clinic. Finally, edible strips should be useful for developing preference tests for other primary taste stimuli and for taste mixtures. PMID:24225255

  10. Evaluation of non-freeway rumble strips - phase II.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2015-03-01

    MDOTs rumble strip program for two-lane high speed rural highways was initiated in 2008 and : continued through 2010. This program included implementation of centerline rumble strips (CLRS) : on nearly 5,400 miles of two-lane high speed roads that...

  11. Strip-tillage: A conservation alternative to full-width tillage systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wolkowski, Richard

    2015-04-01

    Historically no-till management has been a challenge for maize production in the Midwestern USA because crop residue slows the warming of the soil in the spring and can physically impair planting by plugging the planter. After trying no-till, producers often return to more aggressive tillage operations to address residue concerns; however these systems can cause soil erosion and can increase the cost of production. An alternative system known as strip-tillage has been suggested as a compromise between no-till and full-width tillage. This practice utilizes implements that loosen the soil and allow warming in the row area, yet maintain nearly as much residue as no-till. Strip-tillage is generally understood to be a single pass with a separate implement in the fall, although spring strip-tillage is possible if soil moisture and conditions permit. Strip-tillage can be accomplished in a shorter time, with lower energy and equipment inputs compared to full-width tillage. The first of two studies that examined the merits of strip-tillage was conducted the University of Wisconsin Lancaster Agricultural Research Station (42.84, -90.80). Natural runoff collectors were installed in a field having a silt loam soil with an 8% slope in fall chisel and fall strip-tillage system. The measured soil loss in a year that experienced substantial rainfall prior to canopy closure was 10.6 Mg ha-1 in chisel vs. 0.64 Mg ha-1 in strip-tillage. Soil loss was much less for both systems in the second year when early season rainfall was minimal. A second, ten year study was conducted at the University of Wisconsin Arlington Agricultural Research Station (43.30, -89.36) that compared fall strip-tillage with fall chisel/spring field cultivator and no-till systems in both a continuous maize and soybean-maize rotation. This work showed equal maize grain yield in maize after soybean when comparing chisel and strip-tillage. No-till yield was about 5 % lower. Yield in continuous maize was highest in

  12. Automatic Extraction of High-Resolution Rainfall Series from Rainfall Strip Charts

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Saa-Requejo, Antonio; Valencia, Jose Luis; Garrido, Alberto; Tarquis, Ana M.

    2015-04-01

    those have been scanned in two parts, detect and cut the borders of bands not used (demanded by the software). Also some variations in which colour system is tried basing in HUE or RGB colour have been included. Thanks to apply this digitization rainfall strip charts 209 station-years of three locations in the centre of Spain have been transformed to long-term rainfall time series with 5-min resolution. References van Piggelen, H.E., T. Brandsma, H. Manders, and J. F. Lichtenauer, 2011: Automatic Curve Extraction for Digitizing Rainfall Strip Charts. J. Atmos. Oceanic Technol., 28, 891-906. Acknowledgements Financial support for this research by DURERO Project (Env.C1.3913442) is greatly appreciated.

  13. Energetics of the multi-phase fluid flow in a narrow kerf in laser cutting conditions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Golyshev, A. A.; Orishich, A. M.; Shulyatyev, V. B.

    2016-10-01

    The energy balance of the multi-phase medium flow is studied experimentally under the laser cutting. Experimental data are generalized due to the condition of minimal roughness of the created surface used as a quality criterion of the melt flow, and also due to the application of dimensionless parameters: Peclet number and dimensionless absorbed laser power. For the first time ever it is found that, regardless the assistant gas (oxygen or nitrogen), laser type (the fiber one with the wavelength of 1.07 µm or CO2-laser with the wavelength of 10.6 µm), the minimal roughness is provided at a certain energy input in a melt unit, about 26 J/mm3. With oxygen, 50% of this input is provided by the radiation, the other 50% - by the exothermic reaction of iron oxidation.

  14. Physical and mechanical properties of flakeboard reinforced with bamboo strips

    Treesearch

    Ge Wang; Zhehui Jiang; Chung Y. Hse; Todd F. Shupe

    2009-01-01

    The objective of this study was to investigate the physical and mechanical performance of flakeboard reinforced with bamboo strips. The study investigated three different bamboo strip alignment patterns and an experimental control. All panels were tested in static bending both along parallel and perpendicular to the lengths of the bamboo strips. Internal bond...

  15. Development of a screen-printed carbon electrode based disposable enzyme sensor strip for the measurement of glycated albumin.

    PubMed

    Hatada, Mika; Tsugawa, Wakako; Kamio, Eri; Loew, Noya; Klonoff, David C; Sode, Koji

    2017-02-15

    Glycated proteins, such as glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) or glycated albumin (GA) in the blood, are essential indicators of glycemic control for diabetes mellitus. Since GA, compared to HbA1c, is more sensitive to short term changes in glycemic levels, GA is expected to be used as an alternative or together with HbA1c as a surrogate marker indicator for glycemic control. In this paper we report the development of a sensing system for measuring GA by combining an enzyme analysis method, which is already used in clinical practice, with electrochemical principles. We used fructosyl amino acid oxidase, hexaammineruthenium(III) chloride as the electron mediator, and an inexpensive and economically attractive screen-printed carbon electrode. We used chronoamperometry to measure protease-digested GA samples. The developed sensor strips were able to measure protease-digested samples containing GA in very small sample volumes (1.3μL) within about 1min. We also prepared enzyme sensor strips suitable for clinical use in which the enzyme and the mediator were deposited and dried on. This sensor system showed a clear correlation between the GA concentration and the resulting current. The strips were stable following 3 months of storage at 37°C. We conclude that this disposable enzyme sensor strip system for measuring GA is suitable for point-of-care test (POCT) applications. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  16. A preference test for sweet taste that uses edible strips.

    PubMed

    Smutzer, Gregory; Patel, Janki Y; Stull, Judith C; Abarintos, Ray A; Khan, Neiladri K; Park, Kevin C

    2014-02-01

    A novel delivery method is described for the rapid determination of taste preferences for sweet taste in humans. This forced-choice paired comparison approach incorporates the non-caloric sweetener sucralose into a set of one-inch square edible strips for the rapid determination of sweet taste preferences. When compared to aqueous sucrose solutions, significantly lower amounts of sucralose were required to identify the preference for sweet taste. The validity of this approach was determined by comparing sweet taste preferences obtained with five different sucralose-containing edible strips to a set of five intensity-matched sucrose solutions. When compared to the solution test, edible strips required approximately the same number of steps to identify the preferred amount of sweet taste stimulus. Both approaches yielded similar distribution patterns for the preferred amount of sweet taste stimulus. In addition, taste intensity values for the preferred amount of sucralose in strips were similar to that of sucrose in solution. The hedonic values for the preferred amount of sucralose were lower than for sucrose, but the taste quality of the preferred sucralose strip was described as sweet. When taste intensity values between sucralose strips and sucralose solutions containing identical amounts of taste stimulus were compared, sucralose strips produced a greater taste intensity and more positive hedonic response. A preference test that uses edible strips for stimulus delivery should be useful for identifying preferences for sweet taste in young children, and in clinical populations. This test should also be useful for identifying sweet taste preferences outside of the lab or clinic. Finally, edible strips should be useful for developing preference tests for other primary taste stimuli and for taste mixtures. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Electrostatics of crossed arrays of strips.

    PubMed

    Danicki, Eugene

    2010-07-01

    The BIS-expansion method is widely applied in analysis of SAW devices. Its generalization is presented for two planar periodic systems of perfectly conducting strips arranged perpendicularly on both sides of a dielectric layer. The generalized method can be applied in the evaluation of capacitances of strips on printed circuits boards and certain microwave devices, but primarily it may help in evaluation of 2-D piezoelectric sensors and actuators, with row and column addressing their elements, and also piezoelectric bulk wave resonators.

  18. Adequate model complexity for scenario analysis of VOC stripping in a trickling filter.

    PubMed

    Vanhooren, H; Verbrugge, T; Boeije, G; Demey, D; Vanrolleghem, P A

    2001-01-01

    Two models describing the stripping of volatile organic contaminants (VOCs) in an industrial trickling filter system are developed. The aim of the models is to investigate the effect of different operating conditions (VOC loads and air flow rates) on the efficiency of VOC stripping and the resulting concentrations in the gas and liquid phases. The first model uses the same principles as the steady-state non-equilibrium activated sludge model Simple Treat, in combination with an existing biofilm model. The second model is a simple mass balance based model only incorporating air and liquid and thus neglecting biofilm effects. In a first approach, the first model was incorporated in a five-layer hydrodynamic model of the trickling filter, using the carrier material design specifications for porosity, water hold-up and specific surface area. A tracer test with lithium was used to validate this approach, and the gas mixing in the filters was studied using continuous CO2 and O2 measurements. With the tracer test results, the biodegradation model was adapted, and it became clear that biodegradation and adsorption to solids can be neglected. On this basis, a simple dynamic mass balance model was built. Simulations with this model reveal that changing the air flow rate in the trickling filter system has little effect on the VOC stripping efficiency at steady state. However, immediately after an air flow rate change, quite high flux and concentration peaks of VOCs can be expected. These phenomena are of major importance for the design of an off-gas treatment facility.

  19. 31 CFR 356.31 - How does the STRIPS program work?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-07-01

    ... 31 Money and Finance: Treasury 2 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false How does the STRIPS program work? 356... than Treasury inflation-protected securities or Treasury floating rate notes)—(1) Minimum par amounts required for STRIPS. The minimum par amount of a non-indexed security that may be stripped is $100. Any par...

  20. 31 CFR 356.31 - How does the STRIPS program work?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 31 Money and Finance: Treasury 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false How does the STRIPS program work? 356.31 Section 356.31 Money and Finance: Treasury Regulations Relating to Money and Finance (Continued...) Miscellaneous Provisions § 356.31 How does the STRIPS program work? (a) General. Notes or bonds may be “stripped...

  1. Using Comic Strips as a Book Report Alternative

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Reading Teacher, 2012

    2012-01-01

    Comic strips are great to share with parents, younger students, and peers. This article presents an activity where students use a six-paneled comic strip to summarize a story. This activity allows for multiple interpretations and enhances comprehension by drawing attention to story elements.

  2. ANALYSIS OF DEUTERON STRIPPING EXPERIMENTS

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

    Amado, R.D.

    1959-05-01

    Deuteron stripping experiments analyzed according to the theory of Butter are a nearly unique source of information on the orbital angular momentum and single-particle widths of nuclear bound states. A number of problems in the Butter theory remain. Chew and Low show that in reactions in which there is a contribution from thc exchange of a single particles there can appear isolated poles in the normalized Born approximation to the cross section and that the residue at these poles can be related to quantities of physical interest. Stripping is such a reactions and the Butter theory is the renormalized Bornmore » approximation. (A.C.)« less

  3. Narrow band gap amorphous silicon semiconductors

    DOEpatents

    Madan, A.; Mahan, A.H.

    1985-01-10

    Disclosed is a narrow band gap amorphous silicon semiconductor comprising an alloy of amorphous silicon and a band gap narrowing element selected from the group consisting of Sn, Ge, and Pb, with an electron donor dopant selected from the group consisting of P, As, Sb, Bi and N. The process for producing the narrow band gap amorphous silicon semiconductor comprises the steps of forming an alloy comprising amorphous silicon and at least one of the aforesaid band gap narrowing elements in amount sufficient to narrow the band gap of the silicon semiconductor alloy below that of amorphous silicon, and also utilizing sufficient amounts of the aforesaid electron donor dopant to maintain the amorphous silicon alloy as an n-type semiconductor.

  4. Enhanced absorption of graphene strips with a multilayer subwavelength grating structure

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

    Hu, Jin-Hua; Huang, Yong-Qing, E-mail: yqhuang@bupt.edu.cn; Duan, Xiao-Feng

    2014-12-01

    The optical absorption of graphene strips covered on a multilayer subwavelength grating (MSG) surface is theoretically investigated. The absorption of graphene strips with MSG is enhanced in the wavelength range of 1500 nm to 1600 nm by critical coupling, which is associated with the combined effects of a guided resonance of MSG and its photonic band gap effect. The critical coupling of the graphene strips can be controlled by adjusting the incident angle without changing the structural parameters of MSG. The absorption of graphene strips can also be tuned by varying key parameters, such as grating period, strip width, and incident angle.

  5. The use of the Micral-Test strip to identify the presence of microalbuminuria in people with insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) participating in the EUCLID study.

    PubMed

    Webb, D J; Newman, D J; Chaturvedi, N; Fuller, J H

    1996-03-01

    In IDDM, microalbuminuria (urinary albumin excretion rate (AER) of 20-200 micrograms/min) is a predictor of persistent proteinuria and diabetic nephropathy. Early intervention may prevent or reduce the rate of progression of renal complications. The Micral-Test strip can be used to establish a semi-quantitative estimate of AER. We assessed the field performance of the Micral-Test strip in detecting microalbuminuria in the EUCLID study, an European wide, 18 centre study of 530 IDDM participants, aged 20 to 59 years. People with macroalbuminuria were excluded. On entry, all participants had albumin concentrations from two overnight urine collections measured by a central laboratory, and the corresponding Micral-Test performed on the two collections locally. a cut off of > or = mg/l albumin from the first Micral-Test, to detect a centrally measured albumin concentration > or = 20 mg/l, yielded 29 (5.8%) false negative results and 58 (11.6%) false positive results (sensitivity 70%, specificity 87%). The mean AER, from two collections, was compared with the corresponding 'pooled' Micral-Test results (mean of the two readings). Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves were used to assess if there was a suitable 'pooled' Micral-Test result for screening microalbuminuria. A 'pooled' Micral-Test result (> or = 15 mg/l) was used to detect mean AER > or = 20 micrograms/min (sensitivity 78%, specificity 77%). This 'pooled cut-off' had already been used for screening on to the study and led to an over-estimate (154 vs. 77) of the true number of microalbuminuric participants on the study. In conclusion, our findings suggest that the Micral-Test strip is not an effective screening tool for microalbuminuria, using the 'pooled' result from two measurements did not improve the sensitivity of the test.

  6. 7 CFR 29.6128 - Straight Stripped (X Group).

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Straight Stripped (X Group). 29.6128 Section 29.6128 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Standards... REGULATIONS TOBACCO INSPECTION Standards Grades § 29.6128 Straight Stripped (X Group). This group consists of...

  7. 7 CFR 29.6128 - Straight Stripped (X Group).

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Straight Stripped (X Group). 29.6128 Section 29.6128 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Standards... REGULATIONS TOBACCO INSPECTION Standards Grades § 29.6128 Straight Stripped (X Group). This group consists of...

  8. 7 CFR 29.6128 - Straight Stripped (X Group).

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Straight Stripped (X Group). 29.6128 Section 29.6128 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Standards... REGULATIONS TOBACCO INSPECTION Standards Grades § 29.6128 Straight Stripped (X Group). This group consists of...

  9. 7 CFR 29.6128 - Straight Stripped (X Group).

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

    2014-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Straight Stripped (X Group). 29.6128 Section 29.6128 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Standards... REGULATIONS TOBACCO INSPECTION Standards Grades § 29.6128 Straight Stripped (X Group). This group consists of...

  10. 7 CFR 29.6128 - Straight Stripped (X Group).

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 2 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Straight Stripped (X Group). 29.6128 Section 29.6128 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (Standards... REGULATIONS TOBACCO INSPECTION Standards Grades § 29.6128 Straight Stripped (X Group). This group consists of...

  11. Narrow-field-of-view bathymetrical lidar: theory and field test

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Feygels, Viktor I.; Wright, C. Wayne; Kopilevich, Yuri I.; Surkov, Alexey I.

    2003-11-01

    The purpose of this paper is to derive a reliable theory to predict the performance of a narrow-FOV bathymetric lidar. A fundamental discrepancy between the theoretical estimate and experimental results was the inspiration for the work presented here Meeting oceanographic mapping requirements is a critically important goal for littoral laser bathymetry. In contrast to traditional airborne lidar system which are optimized for recovering signals from the deepest possible waters , the above challenge may be met with a radical narrowing to the lidar transmit beam and receiver field of view (FOV) employed in EAARL (Experimental Advanced Airborne Research Lidar, NASA). In this paper we discuss theoretical analysis carried out on the basis of a sophisticated "multiple-forward scattering and single-backscattering model" for lidar return signals allows a quantitative estimation of the advantages of a narrow-FOV system over traditional bathymetric lidars (SHOALS-400, SHOALS-100, LADS Mk II) when used in clear shallow-water cases. Some of those advantages are: ¸ Increase in bottom definition (or reduced false-alarm probability) due to the enhanced contrast of the bottom return over the background backscatter from the water column, ¸ Enhancement in depth measurement accuracy resulting from narrower bottom return pulse width, ¸ Reduction of post-surface return effects in the lidar photo-multiplier detector due to a more rapid decay of water column backscatter, ¸ Greatly improved rejection of ambient light permitting lidar operations in all zenith sun angles and flight directions. The model computations make it possible to estimate the maximal operational depth for the system under consideration by the implementation of statistical theory of detectability. These computations depend on the prevailing seawater optical properties and lidar parameters. The theoretical predictions are compared with results obtained in the field test of the EAARL system carried out in Florida Keys

  12. The Differences in Chemical Composition, Physical Quality Traits and Nutritional Values of Horse Meat as Affected by Various Retail Cut Types

    PubMed Central

    Seong, Pil Nam; Park, Kyoung Mi; Kang, Geun Ho; Cho, Soo Hyun; Park, Beom Young; Chae, Hyun Seok; Van Ba, Hoa

    2016-01-01

    The effects of retail cut type on chemical, quality and nutritional characteristics of horse meat were studied. Jeju female breed horses (n = 9) at 32-mo-old were slaughtered and the carcasses at 24 h post-mortem were fabricated into 10 retail cuts including: tender-loin, loin, strip-loin, shoulder-chuck-roll, shoulder-clod, top-round, outside-round, brisket, short-plate-brisket, and shank. The results revealed that all of parameters (chemical, meat quality and nutritional composition) examined significantly (p<0.05) differed between the cuts. The chemical composition range (minimum to maximum) of cuts was found as such: moisture 65.06% to 71.69%; protein 19.07% to 21.28%; collagen 1.40% to 2.45%; fat 2.56% to 12.14% and cholesterol 55.76 to 79.50 mg/100 g. Shoulder-chuck-roll had the highest pH and water-holding capacity, while top-round had the highest cooking loss. Shear force ranged between the cuts from 2.80 kg/cm2 to 4.98 kg/cm2. The Cu, Fe, and Zn contents ranged between the cuts from 1.52 mg/kg to 2.75 mg/kg, 21.25 mg/kg to 30.85 mg/kg, and 16.51 mg/kg to 40.42 mg/kg, respectively. Additionally, most of the cuts studied showed favorable polyunsaturated fatty acid/saturated fatty acid, n-3/n-6 and essential amino acid/non-essential amino acid ratios. PMID:26732332

  13. The Differences in Chemical Composition, Physical Quality Traits and Nutritional Values of Horse Meat as Affected by Various Retail Cut Types.

    PubMed

    Seong, Pil Nam; Park, Kyoung Mi; Kang, Geun Ho; Cho, Soo Hyun; Park, Beom Young; Chae, Hyun Seok; Van Ba, Hoa

    2016-01-01

    The effects of retail cut type on chemical, quality and nutritional characteristics of horse meat were studied. Jeju female breed horses (n = 9) at 32-mo-old were slaughtered and the carcasses at 24 h post-mortem were fabricated into 10 retail cuts including: tender-loin, loin, strip-loin, shoulder-chuck-roll, shoulder-clod, top-round, outside-round, brisket, short-plate-brisket, and shank. The results revealed that all of parameters (chemical, meat quality and nutritional composition) examined significantly (p<0.05) differed between the cuts. The chemical composition range (minimum to maximum) of cuts was found as such: moisture 65.06% to 71.69%; protein 19.07% to 21.28%; collagen 1.40% to 2.45%; fat 2.56% to 12.14% and cholesterol 55.76 to 79.50 mg/100 g. Shoulder-chuck-roll had the highest pH and water-holding capacity, while top-round had the highest cooking loss. Shear force ranged between the cuts from 2.80 kg/cm(2) to 4.98 kg/cm(2). The Cu, Fe, and Zn contents ranged between the cuts from 1.52 mg/kg to 2.75 mg/kg, 21.25 mg/kg to 30.85 mg/kg, and 16.51 mg/kg to 40.42 mg/kg, respectively. Additionally, most of the cuts studied showed favorable polyunsaturated fatty acid/saturated fatty acid, n-3/n-6 and essential amino acid/non-essential amino acid ratios.

  14. Magnetic-Force-Assisted Straightening of Bent Mild Steel Strip by Laser Irradiation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Dutta, Polash P.; Kalita, Karuna; Dixit, Uday S.; Liao, Hengcheng

    2017-12-01

    This study proposes a technique to straighten bent metallic strips with magnetic-force-assisted laser irradiation. Experiments were conducted for three different types of mechanically-bent mild strips. The first type was bent strips without any heat treatment. The second type was stress-relieved and third type was subcritical-annealed bent strips. These strips were straightened following different schemes of laser irradiation sequence to understand the performance of straightening. A parametric study was conducted by varying laser power and scanning speed. Micro-hardness, tensile test, Charpy impact test and microstructure after straightening were also studied. Different scanning schemes provided different microstructures and mechanical properties. Any serious deterioration in the quality of straightened strips was not noticed. Overall, subcritical-annealed bent strips provided the best performance in straightening. The proposed straightening scheme has potential of becoming an industrial practice.

  15. SAW parameters on Y-cut langasite structured materials.

    PubMed

    Puccio, Derek; Malocha, Donald C; Saldanha, Nancy; da Cunha, Mauricio Pereira

    2007-09-01

    This paper presents results and investigations of several new, man-made piezoelectric single crystal, Czochralski-grown substrate materials for surface acoustic waves (SAW) applications. These materials, langanite (LGN), langatate (LGT), Sr3TaGa3Si2O14 (STGS), Sr3NbGa3Si2O14 (SNGS), Ca3TaGa3Si2O14 (CTGS), and Ca3NbGa3Si2O14 (CNGS), have the same structure as langasite (LGS) and are of the same crystal class as quartz. These compounds are denser than quartz, resulting in lower phase velocities. They also have higher coupling. Unlike quartz and lithium niobate, there is no degradation of material properties below the material melting points resulting in the possibility of extreme high-temperature operation (> 1000 degrees C). This paper gives a summary of extracted SAW material parameters for various propagation angles on Y-cut substrates of the six materials. Parameters included are electromechanical coupling, phase velocity, transducer capacitance, metal strip reflectivity, and temperature coefficient of frequency. Using previously published fundamental material constants, extracted parameters are compared with predictions for LGT and LGN. In addition, power flow angle and fractional frequency curvature data are reported for propagation angles on CTGS and CNGS Y-cut substrates that exhibit temperature compensation near room temperature. Detailed descriptions of the SAW parameter extraction techniques are given. A discussion of the results is provided, including a comparison of extracted parameters and an overview of possible SAW applications.

  16. Evaluation of anatomy comic strips for further production and applications

    PubMed Central

    Shin, Dong Sun; Kim, Dae Hyun; Park, Jin Seo; Jang, Hae Gwon

    2013-01-01

    The corresponding author of the study has been sketching comic strips to explain anatomy in a humorous manner. All the anatomy comic strips, including those in Korean (650 episodes) and English (451 episodes), can be viewed on the homepage (http://anatomy.co.kr). Such comic strips were created with the aim of assisting medical students. However, their impact was unknown, and therefore, we surveyed the students' responses. We noted that anatomy grades were better in the students who read the comic strips. The comics helped the trainees chat with individuals with and without a medical background. The authors also considered comments on the problems with the comic strips and attempted to find solutions. The episodes are being currently used and further produced for educational purposes. To support this effort, the readers' valuable opinions will be continuously collected and assessed. PMID:24179697

  17. Evaluation of anatomy comic strips for further production and applications.

    PubMed

    Shin, Dong Sun; Kim, Dae Hyun; Park, Jin Seo; Jang, Hae Gwon; Chung, Min Suk

    2013-09-01

    The corresponding author of the study has been sketching comic strips to explain anatomy in a humorous manner. All the anatomy comic strips, including those in Korean (650 episodes) and English (451 episodes), can be viewed on the homepage (http://anatomy.co.kr). Such comic strips were created with the aim of assisting medical students. However, their impact was unknown, and therefore, we surveyed the students' responses. We noted that anatomy grades were better in the students who read the comic strips. The comics helped the trainees chat with individuals with and without a medical background. The authors also considered comments on the problems with the comic strips and attempted to find solutions. The episodes are being currently used and further produced for educational purposes. To support this effort, the readers' valuable opinions will be continuously collected and assessed.

  18. Discovery of Ram-pressure Stripped Gas around an Elliptical Galaxy in Abell 2670

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sheen, Yun-Kyeong; Smith, Rory; Jaffé, Yara; Kim, Minjin; Yi, Sukyoung K.; Duc, Pierre-Alain; Nantais, Julie; Candlish, Graeme; Demarco, Ricardo; Treister, Ezequiel

    2017-05-01

    Studies of cluster galaxies are increasingly finding galaxies with spectacular one-sided tails of gas and young stars, suggestive of intense ram-pressure stripping. These so-called “jellyfish” galaxies typically have late-type morphology. In this paper, we present Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) observations of an elliptical galaxy in Abell 2670 with long tails of material visible in the optical spectra, as well as blobs with tadpole-like morphology. The spectra in the central part of the galaxy reveal a stellar component as well as ionized gas. The stellar component does not have significant rotation, while the ionized gas defines a clear star-forming gas disk. We argue, based on deep optical images of the galaxy, that the gas was most likely acquired during a past wet merger. It is possible that the star-forming blobs are also remnants of the merger. In addition, the direction and kinematics of the one-sided ionized tails, combined with the tadpole morphology of the star-forming blobs, strongly suggests that the system is undergoing ram pressure from the intracluster medium. In summary, this paper presents the discovery of a post-merger elliptical galaxy undergoing ram-pressure stripping.

  19. Synthesizing 3D Surfaces from Parameterized Strip Charts

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Robinson, Peter I.; Gomez, Julian; Morehouse, Michael; Gawdiak, Yuri

    2004-01-01

    We believe 3D information visualization has the power to unlock new levels of productivity in the monitoring and control of complex processes. Our goal is to provide visual methods to allow for rapid human insight into systems consisting of thousands to millions of parameters. We explore this hypothesis in two complex domains: NASA program management and NASA International Space Station (ISS) spacecraft computer operations. We seek to extend a common form of visualization called the strip chart from 2D to 3D. A strip chart can display the time series progression of a parameter and allows for trends and events to be identified. Strip charts can be overlayed when multiple parameters need to visualized in order to correlate their events. When many parameters are involved, the direct overlaying of strip charts can become confusing and may not fully utilize the graphing area to convey the relationships between the parameters. We provide a solution to this problem by generating 3D surfaces from parameterized strip charts. The 3D surface utilizes significantly more screen area to illustrate the differences in the parameters and the overlayed strip charts, and it can rapidly be scanned by humans to gain insight. The selection of the third dimension must be a parallel or parameterized homogenous resource in the target domain, defined using a finite, ordered, enumerated type, and not a heterogeneous type. We demonstrate our concepts with examples from the NASA program management domain (assessing the state of many plans) and the computers of the ISS (assessing the state of many computers). We identify 2D strip charts in each domain and show how to construct the corresponding 3D surfaces. The user can navigate the surface, zooming in on regions of interest, setting a mark and drilling down to source documents from which the data points have been derived. We close by discussing design issues, related work, and implementation challenges.

  20. Online aptitude automatic surface quality inspection system for hot rolled strips steel

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lin, Jin; Xie, Zhi-jiang; Wang, Xue; Sun, Nan-Nan

    2005-12-01

    Defects on the surface of hot rolled steel strips are main factors to evaluate quality of steel strips, an improved image recognition algorithm are used to extract the feature of Defects on the surface of steel strips. Base on the Machine vision and Artificial Neural Networks, establish a defect recognition method to select defect on the surface of steel strips. Base on these research. A surface inspection system and advanced algorithms for image processing to hot rolled strips is developed. Preparing two different fashion to lighting, adopting line blast vidicon of CCD on the surface steel strips on-line. Opening up capacity-diagnose-system with level the surface of steel strips on line, toward the above and undersurface of steel strips with ferric oxide, injure, stamp etc of defects on the surface to analyze and estimate. Miscarriage of justice and alternate of justice rate not preponderate over 5%.Geting hold of applications on some big enterprises of steel at home. Experiment proved that this measure is feasible and effective.

  1. Descemet’s stripping and non-Descemet’s stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty for microcornea using 6.0 mm donor grafts

    PubMed Central

    Yokogawa, Hideaki; Kobayashi, Akira; Yamazaki, Natsuko; Ueta, Yoshiki; Hashimoto, Yoshihiro; Tachi, Naoko; Sugiyama, Kazuhisa

    2013-01-01

    Background The purpose of this paper is to report our experience of Descemet’s stripping and non-Descemet’s stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK/nDSAEK) for microcorneas using 6.0 mm donor grafts. Methods Three eyes of two patients (a 56-year-old woman and a 59-year-old woman) with microcornea and suffering from bullous keratopathy were treated with either DSAEK or nDSAEK. A small donor graft (6.0 mm) was inserted into the anterior chamber using a double glide (Busin glide and intraocular lens sheet glide) donor insertion technique. Both patients were followed for at least 12 months. Clinical outcomes, including intraoperative and postoperative complications, visual acuity, and endothelial cell density were evaluated. Results In all three cases (100%), no intraoperative complications were noted. In one case with a flat keratometry value (32.13 D), a partial donor detachment was noted one day postoperatively, but it was reattached by rebubbling. In another case, rejection was noted 8 months postoperatively, but treatment with systemic corticosteroids was successful. A clear cornea remained in all three cases (100%), with best-corrected visual acuity greater than 20/100 (mean 20/50) at 12 months. Mean postoperative endothelial cell counts were 2,603 ± 18 cells/mm2 at 6 months (7.4% decrease from preoperative donor cell counts) and 1,799 ± 556 cells/mm2 at 12 months (36.5% decrease). Conclusion We report for the first time the successful use of a small donor graft (6.0 mm) for DSAEK/nDSAEK in cases of microcornea. Additional stud ies using a large number of patients are required to evaluate fully the potential advantages and drawbacks of small diameter donor grafts for microcornea. PMID:24109176

  2. Refuges, flower strips, biodiversity and agronomic interest.

    PubMed

    Roy, Grégory; Wateau, Karine; Legrand, Mickaël; Oste, Sandrine

    2008-01-01

    Several arthropods are natural predators of pests, and they are able to reduce and control their population development. FREDON Nord Pas-de-Calais (Federation Regionate de Defense contre les Organismes Nuisibles = Regional Federation for Pest Control) has begun for a long time to form farmers to the recognition of beneficial arthropods and to show them their usefulness. These beneficial insects or arachnids are present everywhere, in orchards and even in fields which are areas relatively poor in biodiversity. Adults feed in the flower strips instead larvae and some adults feed on preys such as aphids or caterpillars. Most of the time, beneficial insects can regulate pest but sometimes, in agricultural area, they can't make it early enough and efficiently. Their action begin too late and there biodiversity and number are too low. It's possible to enhance their action by manipulating the ecological infrastructures, like sewing flower strips or installing refuges. Flower strips increase the density of natural enemies and make them be present earlier in the field in order to control pests. Refuges permit beneficial's to spend winter on the spot. So they're able to be active and to grow in number earlier. From 2004 to 2007, on the one hand, FREDON Nord Pas-de-Calais has developed a research program. Its purpose was to inventory practices and also tools and means available and to judge the advisability of using such or such beneficial refuge in orchards. On the second hand, it studied the impact in orchard of refuges on population of beneficial's and the difference there were between manufactured refuges and homemade refuges. Interesting prospects were obtained with some of them. Otherwise, since 2003, FREDON has studied flower strips influence on beneficial population and their impact on pest control. In cabbage fields, results of trials have shown that flower strips lead to a reduction of aphid number under acceptable economic level, up to 50 meters from flower strips

  3. Light-curve and spectral properties of ultra-stripped core-collapse supernovae

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Moriya, Takashi J.

    2017-11-01

    We discuss light-curve and spectral properties of ultra-stripped core-collapse supernovae. Ultra-stripped supernovae are supernovae with ejecta masses of only ~0.1M ⊙ whose progenitors lose their envelopes due to binary interactions with their compact companion stars. We follow the evolution of an ultra-stripped supernova progenitor until core collapse and perform explosive nucleosynthesis calculations. We then synthesize light curves and spectra of ultra-stripped supernovae based on the nucleosynthesis results. We show that ultra-stripped supernovae synthesize ~0.01M ⊙ of the radioactive 56Ni, and their typical peak luminosity is around 1042 erg s-1 or -16 mag. Their typical rise time is 5 - 10 days. By comparing synthesized and observed spectra, we find that SN 2005ek and some of so-called calcium-rich gap transients like PTF10iuv may be related to ultra-stripped supernovae.

  4. Simultaneous band-gap narrowing and carrier-lifetime prolongation of organic–inorganic trihalide perovskites

    PubMed Central

    Kong, Lingping; Liu, Gang; Gong, Jue; Hu, Qingyang; Schaller, Richard D.; Dera, Przemyslaw; Zhang, Dongzhou; Liu, Zhenxian; Yang, Wenge; Zhu, Kai; Tang, Yuzhao; Wang, Chuanyi; Wei, Su-Huai; Xu, Tao; Mao, Ho-kwang

    2016-01-01

    The organic–inorganic hybrid lead trihalide perovskites have been emerging as the most attractive photovoltaic materials. As regulated by Shockley–Queisser theory, a formidable materials science challenge for improvement to the next level requires further band-gap narrowing for broader absorption in solar spectrum, while retaining or even synergistically prolonging the carrier lifetime, a critical factor responsible for attaining the near-band-gap photovoltage. Herein, by applying controllable hydrostatic pressure, we have achieved unprecedented simultaneous enhancement in both band-gap narrowing and carrier-lifetime prolongation (up to 70% to ∼100% increase) under mild pressures at ∼0.3 GPa. The pressure-induced modulation on pure hybrid perovskites without introducing any adverse chemical or thermal effect clearly demonstrates the importance of band edges on the photon–electron interaction and maps a pioneering route toward a further increase in their photovoltaic performance. PMID:27444014

  5. Reproduction following small group cuttings in virgin Douglas-fir.

    Treesearch

    Norman P. Worthington

    1953-01-01

    Quick and adequate regeneration of Douglas-fir forests as they are harvested is a major forest management problem in the Puget Sound region. Clear-cutting by staggered settings has not always resulted in adequate regeneration even where no part of the area is more than one-fourth mile from a seed source. Single tree selection, experimented with extensively, has many...

  6. Ultra-stripped supernovae: progenitors and fate

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tauris, Thomas M.; Langer, Norbert; Podsiadlowski, Philipp

    2015-08-01

    The explosion of ultra-stripped stars in close binaries can lead to ejecta masses <0.1 M⊙ and may explain some of the recent discoveries of weak and fast optical transients. In Tauris et al., it was demonstrated that helium star companions to neutron stars (NSs) may experience mass transfer and evolve into naked ˜1.5 M⊙ metal cores, barely above the Chandrasekhar mass limit. Here, we elaborate on this work and present a systematic investigation of the progenitor evolution leading to ultra-stripped supernovae (SNe). In particular, we examine the binary parameter space leading to electron-capture (EC SNe) and iron core-collapse SNe (Fe CCSNe), respectively, and determine the amount of helium ejected with applications to their observational classification as Type Ib or Type Ic. We mainly evolve systems where the SN progenitors are helium star donors of initial mass MHe = 2.5-3.5 M⊙ in tight binaries with orbital periods of Porb = 0.06-2.0 d, and hosting an accreting NS, but we also discuss the evolution of wider systems and of both more massive and lighter - as well as single - helium stars. In some cases, we are able to follow the evolution until the onset of silicon burning, just a few days prior to the SN explosion. We find that ultra-stripped SNe are possible for both EC SNe and Fe CCSNe. EC SNe only occur for MHe = 2.60-2.95 M⊙ depending on Porb. The general outcome, however, is an Fe CCSN above this mass interval and an ONeMg or CO white dwarf for smaller masses. For the exploding stars, the amount of helium ejected is correlated with Porb - the tightest systems even having donors being stripped down to envelopes of less than 0.01 M⊙. We estimate the rise time of ultra-stripped SNe to be in the range 12 h-8 d, and light-curve decay times between 1 and 50 d. A number of fitting formulae for our models are provided with applications to population synthesis. Ultra-stripped SNe may produce NSs in the mass range 1.10-1.80 M⊙ and are highly relevant for

  7. The effect of branding on consumer palatability ratings of beef strip loin steaks.

    PubMed

    Wilfong, A K; McKillip, K V; Gonzalez, J M; Houser, T A; Unruh, J A; Boyle, E A E; O'Quinn, T G

    2016-11-01

    The objective of this study was to determine the influence of knowing the brand or USDA grade on consumer palatability ratings of beef strip loin steaks. Strip loins were selected to represent 5 USDA grades and brands, USDA Select, Choice, Prime, Certified Angus Beef (CAB; upper 2/3 Choice), and Select, from carcasses of cattle classified as Angus on the basis of phenotype. After 21 d of aging, 2.5-cm-thick steaks were cut, consecutively cut steaks were paired for consumer evaluation. Consumer panelists ( = 112) evaluated samples for tenderness, juiciness, flavor liking, and overall liking. Additionally, consumers rated each palatability trait as either acceptable or unacceptable. Samples were fed in 2 rounds on the same day: blind and informed testing. In the first round, blind testing, consumers were served 1 sample from each treatment, with no product information provided. In the second round, consumers were informed of the brand or quality grade prior to sampling. During blind testing, CAB rated similar ( > 0.05) to Choice for all palatability traits; however, CAB rated greater ( < 0.05) than Choice for all traits during informed testing. Additionally, Angus Select and Select were rated similar > 0.05) for all traits when tested blind, but Angus Select was rated greater ( < 0.05) than Select for flavor and overall liking when brand was declared. When comparing blind and informed ratings, Angus Select and CAB had greater ( < 0.05) ratings for juiciness, flavor liking, and overall liking, and Prime had increased ( < 0.05) ratings for flavor liking and overall liking because of brand disclosure. However, ratings for Choice and Select samples were unaffected ( > 0.05) when brand was disclosed. Brand knowledge increased ( < 0.05) the percentage of Prime samples rated as acceptable for flavor and the percentage of Angus Select samples rated as acceptable for flavor and overall liking. Conversely, there was no difference ( > 0.05) in the percentage of Choice and

  8. Electrode/Dielectric Strip For High-Energy-Density Capacitor

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Yen, Shiao-Ping S.

    1994-01-01

    Improved unitary electrode/dielectric strip serves as winding in high-energy-density capacitor in pulsed power supply. Offers combination of qualities essential for high energy density: high permittivity of dielectric layers, thinness, and high resistance to breakdown of dielectric at high electric fields. Capacitors with strip material not impregnated with liquid.

  9. Validity of HydraTrend reagent strips for the assessment of hydration status.

    PubMed

    Abbey, Bryce M; Heelan, Kate A; Brown, Gregory A; Bartee, Rodrick T

    2014-09-01

    Hydration is used by athletic governing organizations for weight class eligibility. The measurement of urine specific gravity (USG) as a measure of hydration by reagent strips is a controversial issue. The purpose of this study was to determine the validity of HydraTrend reagent strips that facilitate the correction of USG for alkaline urine samples against refractometry for the assessment of USG. Fifty-one participants (33 males, age = 22.3 ± 1.3 years; 18 females, age = 22.4 ± 1.2 years) provided 84 urine samples. The samples were tested for USG using refractometry and reagent strips and for pH using reagent strips and a digital pH meter. Strong correlation coefficients were found between refractometry and reagent strips for USG (rs(82) = 0.812, p < 0.01) and between reagent strips and pH meter for pH (rs(82) = 0.939, p < 0.01). It was observed that false negative results for National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) requirements (fail refractometry with USG >1.020, pass reagent strips with USG ≤1.020) occurred 39% (33/84) of the time and false negative results for National Federation of State High School Association (NFHS) requirements (fail refractometry with USG >1.025, pass reagent strips with USG ≤1.025) occurred 14% (12/84) of the time. There were no false positives (pass refractometry and fail reagent strips) for NCAA or NFHS requirements. These data show that refractometry and reagent strips have strong positive correlations. However, the risk of a false negative result leading to incorrect certification of euhydration status outweighs the benefits of the HydraTrend reagent strips for the measurement of USG.

  10. Elastic rubber strips to heal large wounds of the body wall.

    PubMed

    Petroianu, Andy

    2013-12-01

    Closure of large wounds is a difficult surgical challenge. This article reports on the effective closure of large surgical wounds using elastic rubber strips. One to 3 circular elastic rubber strips were sutured by applying moderate tension to the opposite edges of 30 large wounds in 28 patients. The strips were sutured in a successive "X" fashion by crossing one over the other. These rubber strips were replaced when they ruptured or after their tension had reduced because of the closure of the wounds. Complete closure of the wounds was achieved with no further need for any surgical procedure or device. One patient with laparostomy and colostomy presented with difficulty on adapting the colostomic bag, and the rubber strips were removed. The rubber strip had little effect on a large wound of the skull. In the late postoperative follow-up, 3 of the 15 closed laparostomies developed incisional hernias, and all these patients were subjected to hernioplasties with good results. The use of circular elastic rubber strips maintained at moderate tension is a simple, effective, and inexpensive surgical option for healing large wounds. It is readily available at any hospital and requires no extensive surgical experience.

  11. Wedge cutting of mild steel by CO 2 laser and cut-quality assessment in relation to normal cutting

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yilbas, B. S.; Karatas, C.; Uslan, I.; Keles, O.; Usta, Y.; Yilbas, Z.; Ahsan, M.

    2008-10-01

    In some applications, laser cutting of wedge surfaces cannot be avoided in sheet metal processing and the quality of the end product defines the applicability of the laser-cutting process in such situations. In the present study, CO 2 laser cutting of the wedge surfaces as well as normal surfaces (normal to laser beam axis) is considered and the end product quality is assessed using the international standards for thermal cutting. The cut surfaces are examined by the optical microscopy and geometric features of the cut edges such as out of flatness and dross height are measured from the micrographs. A neural network is introduced to classify the striation patterns of the cut surfaces. It is found that the dross height and out of flatness are influenced significantly by the laser output power, particularly for wedge-cutting situation. Moreover, the cut quality improves at certain value of the laser power intensity.

  12. Grain size control of rhenium strip

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Schuster, Gary B.

    1991-01-01

    Ensuring the desired grain size in the pure Re strip employed by the SP-100 space nuclear reactor design entails the establishment of an initial grain size in the as-received strip and the avoidance of excessive grain growth during subsequent fabrication. Pure Re tapered tensile specimens have been fabricated and tested in order to quantify the effects of grain-boundary migration. Grain size could be rendered fine and uniform by means of a rolling procedure that uses rather large reductions between short intermediate anneals. The critical strain regime varies inversely with annealing temperature.

  13. In-depth survey report: Assisting furniture strippers in reducing the risk from methylene chloride stripping formulations at Los Angeles Stripping and Refinishing Center, Los Angeles, California

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

    Estill, C.F.; Kovein, R.J.; Jones, J.H.

    1999-03-26

    The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is currently conducting research on ventilation controls to reduce furniture stripping exposures to methylene chloride to the OSHA PEL of 25 ppm. Low cost ventilation systems were designed by NIOSH researchers along with Benny Bixenman of Benco Sales, Inc. (Forney, TX). The controls were constructed and installed by Benco Sales. This report compares the methylene chloride levels of one worker stripping furniture using the recently installed ventilation controls and using the existing controls. During the survey, two different chemical stripping solutions (a standard formulation and a low methylene chloride content formulation)more » were used and compared. This survey tested three control combinations: (1) new ventilation, low methylene chloride stripper, (2) new ventilation, standard stripping solution, and (3) old ventilation, standard stripping solution. During each test, sorbent tube sampling and real-time sampling were employed. Sorbent tube, data collected in the worker's breathing zone, ranged from 300 to 387 ppm. Real-time data showed breathing zone exposures to range from 211 to 383 ppm while stripping and 164 to 230 ppm while rinsing. Data were inconclusive to determine which ventilation system or stripping solution produced the lowest exposures. Recommendations are made in the report to improve the newly installed ventilation controls.« less

  14. The Vertex on a Strip

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

    Kashani-Poor, A.

    2004-11-03

    We demonstrate that for a broad class of local Calabi-Yau geometries built around a string of IP{sup 1}s--those whose toric diagrams are given by triangulations of a strip--we can derive simple rules, based on the topological vertex, for obtaining expressions for the topological string partition function in which the sums over Young tableaux have been performed. By allowing non-trivial tableaux on the external legs of the corresponding web diagrams, these strips can be used as building blocks for more general geometries. As applications of our result, we study the behavior of topological string amplitudes under flops, as well as checkmore » Nekrasov's conjecture in its most general form.« less

  15. FIBER AND INTEGRATED OPTICS: Waveguide characteristics of real optical strip waveguides

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shmal'ko, A. V.; Frolov, V. V.

    1990-01-01

    A study is reported of the influence of the parameters of real thin-film optical strip waveguides on their waveguide characteristics (propagation constants, localization of the mode field, etc.) allowing for the presence of transition layers in a transverse cross section of the base planar waveguide, for the real geometry of this section (which is nearly trapezoidal), and for the thickness of the guiding strip. Analytic expressions are obtained for the optical confinement coefficient and the effective mode format of a weakly guiding symmetric strip waveguide. It is shown that the coefficient representing the fundamental E11x(y) mode is practically independent of the relative thickness t /h (h is the thickness of the base planar waveguide) of the guiding strip provided t /h>=0.5. The corrections to the normalized effective refractive indices of the base planar and strip waveguides are found in order to allow for the real geometry and for the refractive index profile in the strip waveguide.

  16. Chemical characteristics of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in relation to heavy metal concentrations in soil water from boreal peatlands after clear-cut harvesting

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kiikkilä, O.; Nieminen, T.; Starr, M.; Ukonmaanaho, L.

    2012-04-01

    Boreal peatlands form an important terrestrial carbon reserve and are a major source of dissolved organic matter (DOM) to surface waters, particularly when disturbed through forestry practices such as draining or timber harvesting. Heavy metals show a strong affinity to organic matter and so, along with DOM, heavy metals can be mobilized and transported from the soil to surface waters and sediments where they may become toxic to aquatic organisms and pass up the food chain. The complexation of heavy metals with DOM can be expected to be related and determined by the chemical characteristics of DOM and oxidation/reducing conditions in the peat. We extracted interstitial water from peat samples and determined the concentrations of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) and Al, Cu, Zn and Fe in various fractions of DOM isolated by adsorption properties (XAD-8 fractionation) and molecular-weight (ultrafiltration). The peat samples were taken from 0-30 and 30-50 cm depth in drained peatland catchments two years after whole-tree or stem-only clear-cut harvesting (Scots pine or Norway spruce) had been carried out. The samples from the upper layer had been subject to alternating saturation/aeration conditions while the deeper layer had been continuously under the water table. The fractionation of DOC and DON according to both adsorption properties and molecular-weight fractions clearly differed between the upper and lower peat layers. While the hydrophobic acid fraction contained proportionally more DOC and DON than the hydrophilic acid fraction in the upper peat layer the results were vice versa in the lower peat layer. High-molecular-weight compounds (> 100 kDa) were proportionally more abundant in the upper and low-molecular-weight compounds (< 1 kDa) in the lower peat layer. These differences are assumed to reflect differences in the aerobic/ anaerobic conditions and degree of decomposition between the two layers. The concentrations of Zn, Al

  17. Impedance of strip-traveling waves on an elastic half space - Asymptotic solution

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Crandall, S. H.; Nigam, A. K.

    1973-01-01

    The dynamic normal-load distribution across a strip that is required to maintain a plane progressive wave along its length is studied for the case where the strip is of infinite length and lies on the surface of a homogeneous isotropic elastic half space. This configuration is proposed as a preliminary idealized model for analyzing the dynamic interaction between soils and flexible foundations. The surface load distribution across the strip and the motion of the strip are related by a pair of dual integral equations. An asymptotic solution is obtained for the limiting case of small wavelength. The nature of this solution depends importantly on the propagation velocity of the strip-traveling wave in comparison with the Rayleigh wave speed, the shear wave speed and the dilatational wave speed. When the strip-traveling wave propagates faster than the Rayleigh wave speed, a pattern of trailing Rayleigh waves is shed from the strip. The limiting amplitude of the trailing waves is provided by the asymptotic solution.

  18. Cardiovascular, diabetes, and cancer strips: evidences, mechanisms, and classifications

    PubMed Central

    Wu, Qing-Hua; Hu, Da-Yi

    2014-01-01

    Objectives To report and name firstly that there are cardiovascular disease (CVD), diabetes mellitus (DM) and cancers (CDC) strips; and disclose their mechanisms, classifications, and clinical significances. Study design Narrative and systematic review study and interpretive analysis. Methods Data sources and study selection: to collect and present related evidences on CDC strips from evidence-based, open-access, both Chinese- and English-language literatures in recent 10 years on clinical trials from PubMed according to keywords “CVD, DM and cancers” as well as authors’ extensive clinical experience with the treatment of more than fifty thousands of patients with CVD, diabetes and cancers over the past decades, and analyze their related mechanisms and categories which based on authors’ previous works. Data extraction: data were mainly extracted from 48 articles which are listed in the reference section of this review. Qualitative, quantitative and mixed data were included, narratively and systematically reviewed. Results With several conceptual and technical breakthrough, authors present related evidences on CDC strips, these are, CVD and DM, DM and cancers, cancers and CVD linked, respectively; And “Bad SEED” +/– “bad soil” theory or doctrine may explain this phenomenon due to “internal environmental injure, abnormal or unbalance” in human body resulting from the role of risk factors (RFs) related multi-pathways and multi-targets, which including organ & tissue (e.g., vascular-specific), cell and gene-based mechanisms. Their classifications include main strips/type B, and Branches/type A as showed by tables and figures in this article. Conclusions There are CDC strips and related mechanisms and classifications. CDC strips may help us to understand, prevent, and control related common non-communicable diseases (NCDs) as well as these high risk strips. PMID:25276377

  19. Sensitive albuminuria analysis using dye-binding based test strips.

    PubMed

    Delanghe, Joris R; Himpe, Jonas; De Cock, Naomi; Delanghe, Sigurd; De Herde, Kevin; Stove, Veronique; Speeckaert, Marijn M

    2017-08-01

    Populations at increased risk for chronic kidney disease should be screened for albuminuria. Possibilities of advanced urine strip readers based on complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) sensor technology were investigated for obtaining quantitative albuminuria results. Reflectance data of test strips (Sysmex UFC 3500 reader+CMOS) were compared with albuminuria (BNII) and with proteinuria (Cobas 8000). Urinary creatinine was assayed using a Jaffe-based creatinine assay (Cobas 8000). Calibration curve was made between 11.5 and 121.5mg/L with detection limit of 5.5mg/L. Within-run CV values of reflectance data were 0.21% (UC-Control L; 10mg/L) and 0.37% (UC-Control H; >150mg/L) for albumin, and 0.71%/3.97% for creatinine. Between-run CV values were 0.24%/0.42% for albumin and 0.93%/5.13% for creatinine. A strong correlation (r=0.92) was obtained between albuminuria (BNII) and protein strip reflectance data. Creatinine reflectance data correlated well with Jaffe-based urinary creatinine data (r=0.90). Albumin:creatinine ratio obtained by test strip and by wet chemistry showed a good correlation (r=0.59). Carbamylated, glycated and partially hydrolyzed isoforms of albumin could be detected by test strip. Dye-binding based albumin test strip assay in combination with a CMOS based reader would potentially allow quantitative analysis of albuminuria and determination of albumin:creatinine ratio. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  20. Low-resistance strip sensors for beam-loss event protection

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ullán, M.; Benítez, V.; Quirion, D.; Zabala, M.; Pellegrini, G.; Lozano, M.; Lacasta, C.; Soldevila, U.; García, C.; Fadeyev, V.; Wortman, J.; DeFilippis, J.; Shumko, M.; Grillo, A. A.; Sadrozinski, H. F.-W.

    2014-11-01

    AC-coupled silicon strip sensors can be damaged in case of a beam loss due to the possibility of a large charge accumulation in the bulk, developing very high voltages across the coupling capacitors which can destroy them. Punch-through structures are currently used to avoid this problem helping to evacuate the accumulated charge as large voltages are developing. Nevertheless, previous experiments, performed with laser pulses, have shown that these structures can become ineffective in relatively long strips. The large value of the implant resistance can effectively isolate the "far" end of the strip from the punch-through structure leading to large voltages. We present here our developments to fabricate low-resistance strip sensors to avoid this problem. The deposition of a conducting material in contact with the implants drastically reduces the strip resistance, assuring the effectiveness of the punch-through structures. First devices have been fabricated with this new technology. Initial results with laser tests show the expected reduction in peak voltages on the low resistivity implants. Other aspects of the sensor performance, including the signal formation, are not affected by the new technology.

  1. Stripped interstellar gas in cluster cooling flows

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Soker, Noam; Bregman, Joel N.; Sarazin, Craig L.

    1991-01-01

    It is suggested that nonlinear perturbations which lead to thermal instabilities in cooling flows might start as blobs of interstellar gas which are stipped out of cluster galaxies. Assuming that most of the gas produced by stellar mass loss in cluster galaxies is stripped from the galaxies, the total rate of such stripping is roughly 100 solar masses/yr, which is similar to the rates of cooling in cluster cooling flows. It is possible that a substantial portion of the cooling gas originates as blobs of interstellar gas stripped from galaxies. The magnetic fields within and outside of the low-entropy perturbations may help to maintain their identities by suppressing both thermal conduction and Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities. These density fluctuations may disrupt the propagation of radio jets through the intracluster gas, which may be one mechanism for producing wideangle-tail radio galaxies.

  2. High chemical abundances in stripped Virgo spiral galaxies

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Skillman, E. D.; Kennicutt, R. C.; Shields, G. A.

    1993-01-01

    Based on a comparison of the oxygen abundances in H 2 regions in field and Virgo cluster late type spiral galaxies, Shields, Skillman, & Kennicutt (1991) suggested that the highly stripped spiral galaxies in the Virgo cluster have systematically higher abundances than comparable field galaxies. In April 1991 and May 1992 we used the blue channel spectrograph on the MMT to obtain new observations of 30 H 2 regions in Virgo spiral galaxies. These spectra cover the wavelength range from (O II) lambda 3727 to (S II) lambda 6731. We now have observed at least 4 H II regions in 9 spiral galaxies in the Virgo cluster. Combining (O II) and (O III) line strengths, we calculate the H II region oxygen abundances based on the empirical calibration of Edmunds & Pagel (1984). These observations show: (1) The stripped, low luminosity Virgo spirals (N4689, N4571) truly have abundances characteristic of much more luminous field spirals; (2) Virgo spirals which show no evidence of stripping (N4651, N4713) have abundances comparable to field galaxies; and (3) Evidence for transition galaxies (e.g., N4254, N4321), with marginally stripped disks and marginal abundance enhancements. The new observations presented here confirm the validity of the oxygen over-abundances in the stripped Virgo spirals. Shields et al. (1991) discussed two different mechanisms for producing the higher abundances in the disks of stripped galaxies in Virgo. The first is the supression of infall of near-primordial material, the second is the suppression of radial inflow of metal-poor gas. Distinguishing between the two cases will require more observations of the Virgo cluster spirals and a better understanding of which parameters determine the variation of abundance with radius in field spirals (cf., Garnett & Shields 1987).

  3. Containing Hair During Cutting In Zero Gravity

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Haines, Richard F.

    1992-01-01

    Proposed device collects loose hair during barbering and shaving in zero gravity to prevent hair clippings from contaminating cabin of spacecraft. Folds for storage, opens into clear, bubblelike plastic dome surrounding user's head, tray fits around user's throat, and fanlike ring surrounds back of neck. Device fits snugly but comfortably around neck, preventing hair from escaping to outside. Flow of air into hose connected to suction pump removes hair from bubble as cut. Filter at end of hose collects hair.

  4. Red Pine Seedling Establishment after Shelterwood-Strip Harvesting

    Treesearch

    John W. Benzie; Alvin A. Alm

    1977-01-01

    Shelterwood-strip harvesting in a mature red pine stand provided favorable growing conditions for red pine seedlings established by planting nursery stock, by planting 10-week-old to 1-year-old tubelings, and by direct seeding. How long the shelterwood-strips can be left standing before they seriously affect seedling development to be determined

  5. Ram Pressure Stripping: Observations Meet Simulations

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Past, Matthew; Ruszkowski, Mateusz; Sharon, Keren

    2017-01-01

    Ram pressure stripping occurs when a galaxy falls into the potential well of a cluster, removing gas and dust as the galaxy travels through the intracluster medium. This interaction leads to filamentary gas tails stretching behind the galaxy and plays an important role in galaxy evolution. Previously, these “jellyfish” galaxies had only been observed in nearby clusters, but recently, higher redshift (z > 0.3) examples have been found from HST data imaging.Recent work has shown that cosmic rays injected by supernovae can cause galactic disks to thicken due to cosmic ray pressure. We run three-dimensional magneto-hydrodynamical simulations of ram pressure stripping including cosmic rays to compare to previous models. We study how the efficiency of the ram pressure stripping of the gas, and the morphology of the filamentary tails, depend on the magnitude of the cosmic ray pressure support. We generate mock X-ray images and radio polarization data. Simultaneously, we perform an exhaustive search of the HST archive to increase the sample of jellyfish galaxies and compare selected cases to simulations.

  6. Reforestation of strip-mined lands in West Virginia

    Treesearch

    H. Spencer Potter; Sidney Weitzman; George R., Jr. Trimble

    1951-01-01

    The early 1940's witnessed a striking increase in strip-mining throughout the eastern coal region. West Virginia, with its extensive coal resources, naturally was caught in the full current of this shift in mining methods. Today the raw gash on the hillside - almost infallibly the mark of a strip-mine operation - is a familiar sight in the State.

  7. Change in filter strip performance over ten years

    Treesearch

    M.G. Dosskey; K.D. Hoagland; J.R. Brandle

    2007-01-01

    Effectiveness of filter strips may change over a period of years because key soil and vegetation conditions change after conversion of cultivated farmland to permanent vegetation. the main objectives of this study were to : 1) determine if effectiveness of a filter strip changes over years since establishment, and 2) determine if temporal change depends on vegetation...

  8. A new strips tracker for the upgraded ATLAS ITk detector

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    David, C.

    2018-01-01

    The ATLAS detector has been designed and developed to function in the environment of the present Large Hadron Collider (LHC). At the next-generation tracking detector proposed for the High Luminosity LHC (HL-LHC), the so-called ATLAS Phase-II Upgrade, the fluences and radiation levels will be higher by as much as a factor of ten. The new sub-detectors must thus be faster, of larger area, more segmented and more radiation hard while the amount of inactive material should be minimized and the power supply to the front-end systems should be increased. For those reasons, the current inner tracker of the ATLAS detector will be fully replaced by an all-silicon tracking system that consists of a pixel detector at small radius close to the beam line and a large area strip tracker surrounding it. This document gives an overview of the design of the strip inner tracker (Strip ITk) and summarises the intensive R&D activities performed over the last years by the numerous institutes within the Strips ITk collaboration. These studies are accompanied with a strong prototyping effort to contribute to the optimisation of the Strip ITk's structure and components. This effort culminated recently in the release of the ATLAS Strips ITk Technical Design Report (TDR).

  9. Effect of Cutting Tool Properties and Depth of Cut in Rock Cutting: An Experimental Study

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rostamsowlat, Iman

    2018-06-01

    The current paper is designed to investigate the effect of worn (blunt) polycrystalline diamond compact cutter properties on both the contact stress (σ) and friction coefficient ( μ) mobilized at the wear flat-rock interface at different inclination angles of the wear flat surface and at a wide range of depths of cut. An extensive and comprehensive set of cutting experiments is carried out on two sedimentary rocks (one limestone and one sandstone) using a state-of-the-art rock cutting equipment (Wombat) and various blunt cutters. Experiments with blunt cutters are characterized by different wear flat inclination angles (β), different wear flat surface roughness (Ra), different wear flat material, and different cutting tool velocities ({\\varvec{v}}) were conducted. The experimental results show that both the contact stress and friction coefficient are predominantly affected by the wear flat roughness at all inclination angles of the wear flat; however, the cutting tool velocity has a negligible influence on both the contact stress and friction coefficient. Further investigations suggest that the contact stress is greatly affected by the depth of cut within the plastic regime of frictional contact while the contact stress is insensitive to the depth of cut within the elastic regime.

  10. HMMER Cut-off Threshold Tool (HMMERCTTER): Supervised classification of superfamily protein sequences with a reliable cut-off threshold.

    PubMed

    Pagnuco, Inti Anabela; Revuelta, María Victoria; Bondino, Hernán Gabriel; Brun, Marcel; Ten Have, Arjen

    2018-01-01

    Protein superfamilies can be divided into subfamilies of proteins with different functional characteristics. Their sequences can be classified hierarchically, which is part of sequence function assignation. Typically, there are no clear subfamily hallmarks that would allow pattern-based function assignation by which this task is mostly achieved based on the similarity principle. This is hampered by the lack of a score cut-off that is both sensitive and specific. HMMER Cut-off Threshold Tool (HMMERCTTER) adds a reliable cut-off threshold to the popular HMMER. Using a high quality superfamily phylogeny, it clusters a set of training sequences such that the cluster-specific HMMER profiles show cluster or subfamily member detection with 100% precision and recall (P&R), thereby generating a specific threshold as inclusion cut-off. Profiles and thresholds are then used as classifiers to screen a target dataset. Iterative inclusion of novel sequences to groups and the corresponding HMMER profiles results in high sensitivity while specificity is maintained by imposing 100% P&R self detection. In three presented case studies of protein superfamilies, classification of large datasets with 100% precision was achieved with over 95% recall. Limits and caveats are presented and explained. HMMERCTTER is a promising protein superfamily sequence classifier provided high quality training datasets are used. It provides a decision support system that aids in the difficult task of sequence function assignation in the twilight zone of sequence similarity. All relevant data and source codes are available from the Github repository at the following URL: https://github.com/BBCMdP/HMMERCTTER.

  11. HMMER Cut-off Threshold Tool (HMMERCTTER): Supervised classification of superfamily protein sequences with a reliable cut-off threshold

    PubMed Central

    Pagnuco, Inti Anabela; Revuelta, María Victoria; Bondino, Hernán Gabriel; Brun, Marcel

    2018-01-01

    Background Protein superfamilies can be divided into subfamilies of proteins with different functional characteristics. Their sequences can be classified hierarchically, which is part of sequence function assignation. Typically, there are no clear subfamily hallmarks that would allow pattern-based function assignation by which this task is mostly achieved based on the similarity principle. This is hampered by the lack of a score cut-off that is both sensitive and specific. Results HMMER Cut-off Threshold Tool (HMMERCTTER) adds a reliable cut-off threshold to the popular HMMER. Using a high quality superfamily phylogeny, it clusters a set of training sequences such that the cluster-specific HMMER profiles show cluster or subfamily member detection with 100% precision and recall (P&R), thereby generating a specific threshold as inclusion cut-off. Profiles and thresholds are then used as classifiers to screen a target dataset. Iterative inclusion of novel sequences to groups and the corresponding HMMER profiles results in high sensitivity while specificity is maintained by imposing 100% P&R self detection. In three presented case studies of protein superfamilies, classification of large datasets with 100% precision was achieved with over 95% recall. Limits and caveats are presented and explained. Conclusions HMMERCTTER is a promising protein superfamily sequence classifier provided high quality training datasets are used. It provides a decision support system that aids in the difficult task of sequence function assignation in the twilight zone of sequence similarity. All relevant data and source codes are available from the Github repository at the following URL: https://github.com/BBCMdP/HMMERCTTER. PMID:29579071

  12. Buffers and vegetative filter strips

    Treesearch

    Matthew J. Helmers; Thomas M. Isenhart; Michael G. Dosskey; Seth M. Dabney

    2008-01-01

    This chapter describes the use of buffers and vegetative filter strips relative to water quality. In particular, we primarily discuss the herbaceous components of the following NRCS Conservation Practice Standards.

  13. Temperature dynamics of soft tissues during diode laser cutting by different types of fiber opto-thermal converters

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Belikov, Andrey V.; Skrypnik, Alexei V.; Smirnov, Sergey N.; Semyashkina, Yulia V.

    2017-03-01

    The results of in vitro study of the soft tissue temperature dynamics during 980 nm diode laser cutting by different types (CLEAR, FILM, VOLUMETRIC) of fiber opto-thermal converters (FOTC) are presented. It was found that the use of CLEAR fiber end (tip) at the laser power below 8.5 W doesn't lead to the soft tissue (chicken meat) destruction. The chicken meat destruction (cutting) begins when irradiated by 8.5 W laser radiation for approximately 9.0 s. At the power of 9.0 W this time decreases up to 7.0 s, at 9.5 W - to 6.0 s, at 10.0 W - to 3.5 s. The moment of soft tissue cutting start correlates with the moment of black layer (absorber) formation at the fiber end and appearance of visually identifiable laser cut walls on the photos; the temperature in this case rapidly increases up to 850 °C. It was determined that the FILM FOTC begins to cut the soft tissue immediately after exposure of laser radiation with power of 4.0 W, the temperature in this case reaches 900 °C. It was determined that the VOLUMETRIC FOTC begins to cut the tissue immediately after exposure at the power of 1.0 W, the temperature in this case reaches 600 °C. VOLUMETRIC FOTC can produce more effective cuts of the soft tissue at the laser power of 4.0 W, in this case, the temperature is above 1200 °C.

  14. Performance of strip seals in Iowa bridges, pilot study.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2001-01-01

    A pilot study was conducted on the premature failures of neoprene strip seals in : expansion joints in Iowa bridges. In a relatively large number of bridges, strip seals have : pulled out of the steel extrusions or otherwise failed well before the ex...

  15. Efficacy of adhesive strips to reduce postoperative periorbital edema and ecchymosis following rhinoplasty

    PubMed

    Tatar, Sedat; Bulam, Mehmet Hakan; Özmen, Selahattin

    2018-02-23

    Background/aim: Periorbital edema and ecchymosis may develop following rhinoplasty. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of adhesive strip application on the upper and lower eyelids to reduce postoperative edema and ecchymosis following rhinoplasty. Materials and methods: The eyelids of one side were randomly selected, and an adhesive strip of standard size and number was applied at the end of the operation. The strips were removed at postoperative day 3; photos of the eyes were taken at days 3 and 7. Edema and ecchymosis were graded on a scale from 1 to 4. The ecchymosis areas on the lower and upper eyelids were measured and compared in square centimeters. Results: The mean ecchymosis area of the lower eyelid on the side of the adhesive strip and on the side without the strip was 1.63 cm2 and 3.32 cm2 in the early period, respectively. It was 1.15 cm2 on the upper eyelid on the side of the adhesive strip, and 1.87 cm2 on the side without the strip. It was 0.224 cm2 on the side of the adhesive strip, and 0.498 cm2 on the side without the adhesive strip in the late period. Conclusion: Applying adhesive strips reduces periorbital edema and ecchymosis.

  16. Research on tessellation with triangle strip

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yu, Li; Zhang, Huaisheng

    2018-04-01

    The tessellation module of graphics pipeline can generate many triangles to specify surface detail characteristics, which are usually organized in triangle lists. However, the number of generated vertices is large and there are many repeated vertices. This paper proposes a new tessellation approach of triangle strips, which makes use of the adjacent relationship among triangles. It decreases the number of generated vertices which will benefits latter computation and storage. Experiments show that the number of generated vertices by the strip approach is about 51% of traditional triangle lists, which can improve the performance of GPU tessellation.

  17. A GEM readout with radial zigzag strips and linear charge-sharing response

    DOE PAGES

    Zhang, Aiwu; Hohlmann, Marcus; Azmoun, Babak; ...

    2018-01-10

    Here, we study the position sensitivity of radial zigzag strips intended to read out large GEM detectors for tracking at future experiments. Zigzag strips can cover a readout area with fewer strips than regular straight strips while maintaining good spatial resolution. Consequently, they can reduce the number of required electronic channels and related cost for large-area GEM detector systems. A non-linear relation between incident particle position and hit position measured from charge sharing among zigzag strips was observed in a previous study. We significantly reduce this non-linearity by improving the interleaving of adjacent physical zigzag strips. Zigzag readout structures aremore » implemented on PCBs and on a flexible foil and are tested using a 10 cm × 10 cm triple-GEM detector scanned with a strongly collimated X-ray gun on a 2D motorized stage. Lastly, angular resolutions of 60–84 μrad are achieved with a 1.37 mrad angular strip pitch at a radius of 784 mm. On a linear scale this corresponds to resolutions below 100 μm.« less

  18. A GEM readout with radial zigzag strips and linear charge-sharing response

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, Aiwu; Hohlmann, Marcus; Azmoun, Babak; Purschke, Martin L.; Woody, Craig

    2018-04-01

    We study the position sensitivity of radial zigzag strips intended to read out large GEM detectors for tracking at future experiments. Zigzag strips can cover a readout area with fewer strips than regular straight strips while maintaining good spatial resolution. Consequently, they can reduce the number of required electronic channels and related cost for large-area GEM detector systems. A non-linear relation between incident particle position and hit position measured from charge sharing among zigzag strips was observed in a previous study. We significantly reduce this non-linearity by improving the interleaving of adjacent physical zigzag strips. Zigzag readout structures are implemented on PCBs and on a flexible foil and are tested using a 10 cm × 10 cm triple-GEM detector scanned with a strongly collimated X-ray gun on a 2D motorized stage. Angular resolutions of 60-84 μrad are achieved with a 1.37 mrad angular strip pitch at a radius of 784 mm. On a linear scale this corresponds to resolutions below 100 μm.

  19. Studies on the stripping of cerium from the loaded tbp-kerosene solution

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

    Rizk, S.E.; Abdel Rahman, N.; Daoud, J.A.

    2008-07-01

    The reductive stripping of Ce(IV) from the loaded organic phase (30% TBP in kerosene) was investigated, using two stripping agents, EDTA and H{sub 2}O{sub 2}, in nitric acid. The results are compared to determine the optimum conditions for the reduction of Ce(IV) in the organic phase to Ce(III) in the aqueous phase. For each of the two stripping agents, the effect of different parameters affecting the reduction process was investigated: stripping-agent concentration, nitric acid concentration, phase ratio, shaking time, and temperature. The results are compared and discussed in terms of the conditions required for maximum reductive stripping of Ce(IV). (authors)

  20. Electronic rumble strip

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Stauffer, Donald R.; Lenz, James

    1997-02-01

    Single vehicle run-off-road accidents are responsible for significant numbers of injuries and fatalities, and significant property damage. This fact spurs interest in warning systems to alert drivers that vehicles are drifting towards the edge of the road, and that a run-off road accident is imminent. An early attempt at such a warning system is the use of machined grooves on the shoulder to create a rumble strip. Such a system only provides warning, however, as the vehicle actually leaves the traffic lane. More desirable is a system that warns in anticipation of such departure. Honeywell has under development a magnetic lateral guidance system that couples a sensitive magnetoresistive transducer with a magnetic traffic marking tape being developed by 3M. While this development was initially undertaken for use in automated highways, or for special tasks such as guiding snowplow owners, the system can provide an effective, all-weather warning system to provide alert of impending departure from the roadway. This electronic rumble strip is actually a simpler system than the baseline guidance system, and can monitor both distance from the traffic lane edge and the speed of approach to the edge with a low cost sensor.

  1. Sediment removal by prairie filter strips in row-cropped ephemeral watersheds

    Treesearch

    Matthew J. Helmers; Xiaobo Zhou; Heidi Asbjornsen; Randy Kolka; Mark D. Tomer; Richard M. Cruse

    2012-01-01

    Twelve small watersheds in central Iowa were used to evaluate the eff ectiveness of prairie filter strips (PFS) in trapping sediment from agricultural runoff. Four treatments with PFS of different size and location (100% rowcrop, 10% PFS of total watershed area at footslope, 10% PFS at footslope and in contour strips, 20% PFS at footslope and in contour strips)...

  2. Overlooked destinations : suburban nodes, centers, and trips to strips.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2013-08-01

    This study looks at travel to typical suburban commercial strips by residents living within one-third of a mile of the strip by : focusing on six sites four in the Portland, OR., metro area and two in the Atlanta, GA., metro area. The study mappe...

  3. Establishment of a high-resolution 2-D reference map of human spermatozoal proteins from 12 fertile sperm-bank donors.

    PubMed

    Li, Ling-Wei; Fan, Li-Qing; Zhu, Wen-Bing; Nien, Hong-Chuan; Sun, Bo-Lan; Luo, Ke-Li; Liao, Ting-Ting; Tang, Le; Lu, Guang-Xiu

    2007-05-01

    To extend the analysis of the proteome of human spermatozoa and establish a 2-D gel electrophoresis (2-DE) reference map of human spermatozoal proteins in a pH range of 3.5-9.0. In order to reveal more protein spots, immobilized pH gradient strips (24 cm) of broad range of pH 3-10 and the narrower range of pH 6-9, as well as different overlapping narrow range pH immobilized pH gradient (IPG) strips, including 3.5-4.5, 4.0-5.0, 4.5-5.5, 5.0-6.0 and 5.5-6.7, were used. After 2-DE, several visually identical spots between the different pH range 2-D gel pairs were cut from the gels and confirmed by mass spectrometry and used as landmarks for computer analysis. The 2-D reference map with pH value from 3.5 to 9.0 was synthesized by using the ImageMaster analysis software. The overlapping spots were excluded, so that every spot was counted only once. A total of 3872 different protein spots were identified from the reference map, an approximately 3-fold increase compared to the broad range pH 3-10 IPG strip (1306 spots). The present 2-D pattern is a high resolution 2-D reference map for human fertile spermatozoal protein spots. A comprehensive knowledge of the protein composition of human spermatozoa is very meaningful in studying dysregulation of male fertility.

  4. Feasibility and energetic evaluation of air stripping for bioethanol production.

    PubMed

    Schläfle, Sandra; Senn, Thomas; Gschwind, Peter; Kohlus, Reinhard

    2017-05-01

    Stripping of mashes with air as stripping gas and low ethanol contents between 3 and 5wt% was investigated in terms of its suitability for continuous bioethanol production. Experiments in a Blenke cascade system were carried out and the results were compared with values obtained from theoretical vapour-liquid-equilibrium calculations. The whole stripping process was energetically evaluated by a simulation in ChemCAD and compared to conventional distillation. Therefore several parameters such as temperature, air volume flow and initial ethanol load of the mash were varied. Air stripping was found to be a suitable separation method for bioethanol from mashes with low concentrations. However, energetic aspects have to be considered, when developing a new process. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Reductive stripping process for uranium recovery from organic extracts

    DOEpatents

    Hurst, F.J. Jr.

    1983-06-16

    In the reductive stripping of uranium from an organic extractant in a uranium recovery process, the use of phosphoric acid having a molarity in the range of 8 to 10 increases the efficiency of the reductive stripping and allows the strip step to operate with lower aqueous to organic recycle ratios and shorter retention time in the mixer stages. Under these operating conditions, less solvent is required in the process, and smaller, less expensive process equipment can be utilized. The high strength H/sub 3/PO/sub 4/ is available from the evaporator stage of the process.

  6. Reductive stripping process for uranium recovery from organic extracts

    DOEpatents

    Hurst, Jr., Fred J.

    1985-01-01

    In the reductive stripping of uranium from an organic extractant in a uranium recovery process, the use of phosphoric acid having a molarity in the range of 8 to 10 increases the efficiency of the reductive stripping and allows the strip step to operate with lower aqueous to organic recycle ratios and shorter retention time in the mixer stages. Under these operating conditions, less solvent is required in the process, and smaller, less expensive process equipment can be utilized. The high strength H.sub.3 PO.sub.4 is available from the evaporator stage of the process.

  7. Optical fiber stripper positioning apparatus

    DOEpatents

    Fyfe, Richard W.; Sanchez, Jr., Amadeo

    1990-01-01

    An optical fiber positioning apparatus for an optical fiber stripping device is disclosed which is capable of providing precise axial alignment between an optical fiber to be stripped of its outer jacket and the cutting blades of a stripping device. The apparatus includes a first bore having a width approximately equal to the diameter of an unstripped optical fiber and a counter bore axially aligned with the first bore and dimensioned to precisely receive a portion of the stripping device in axial alignment with notched cutting blades within the stripping device to thereby axially align the notched cutting blades of the stripping device with the axis of the optical fiber to permit the notched cutting blades to sever the jacket on the optical fiber without damaging the cladding on the optical fiber. In a preferred embodiment, the apparatus further includes a fiber stop which permits determination of the length of jacket to be removed from the optical fiber.

  8. Histologically proven epithelial ingrowth in failed Descemet stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK) managed by repeat DSAEK

    PubMed Central

    Ghosh, Saurabh; Bonshek, Richard; Morgan, Stephen J

    2013-01-01

    Purpose To report a case of corneal graft failure due to epithelial ingrowth after an uneventful combined Descemet stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK) and phacoemulsification cataract surgery with intraocular lens implant treated successfully with a repeat DSAEK. Methods A 77-year-old male patient underwent combined DSAEK and phacoemulsification with intraocular lens implant implantation for Fuchs’ endothelial dystrophy plus cataract in the right eye. The donor cornea was cut on the Moria ALTK system and introduced using a suture pull-through technique. After an episode of endothelial rejection, the graft failed, with signs suggesting epithelial ingrowth. It was stripped from the host cornea using a Descemet’s membrane stripper, and a Simcoe irrigation-aspiration cannula was used to remove all traces of interface material. The excised lenticule was examined histologically using a hematoxylin and eosin stain. Result The patient regained and maintained excellent visual acuity with no sign of recurrence of epithelial ingrowth. Histopathological evaluation of the donor tissue of the first graft showed epithelial ingrowth on the stromal surface of the graft and very few endothelial cells, in keeping with the diagnosis of graft failure. Conclusion Epithelial ingrowth is a possible cause of endothelial graft failure, but histologically proven cases are rare. Surgical intervention can achieve successful clearance, with the potential for cure and an excellent outcome. PMID:23754868

  9. Effect of Fructus Psoraleae on motility of gallbladder isolated smooth muscle strips from guinea pigs

    PubMed Central

    Jin, Shan; Li, Mei; Lin, Mei-Ling; Ding, Yong-Hui; Qu, Song-Yi; Li, Wei; Zheng, Tian-Zhen

    2006-01-01

    AIM: To observe the effect of Fructus Psoraleae on motility of isolated gallbladder muscle strips of guinea pigs and its mechanism. METHODS: Guinea pigs were hit to lose consciousness and the whole gallbladder was removed quickly. Two or three smooth muscle strips (8 mm × 3 mm) were cut along a longitudinal direction. The mucosa was gently removed. Every longitudinal muscle strip was suspended in a tissue chamber which was continuously perfused with 5 mL Krebs solution (37°C), pH 7.4, and aerated with 950 mL/L O2 and 50 mL /L CO2. The isometric response was recorded with an ink-writing recorder. After 2 h equilibration under 1 g-load, 50 μL Fructus Psoraleae (10, 20, 70, 200, 700, 1000 g/L) was added cumulatively into the tissue chamber in turn every 2 min to observe their effects on gallbladder muscle strips (cumulating final concentration of Fructus Psoraleae was 0.1, 0.3, 1.0, 3.0, 10.0, 20.0 g/L). The antagonists, including 4-DAMP, benzhydramine, hexamethonium, phentolamine, verapamil and idomethine were given 2 min before Fructus Psoraleae respectively to investigate the mechanisms involved. RESULTS: Fructus Psoraleae dose-dependently increased the resting tension (r = 0.992, P < 0.001), decreased the mean contractile amplitude (r = 0.970, P < 0.001) and meanwhile increased the contractile frequency of the gallbladder muscle strip in vitro (r = 0.965, P < 0.001). The exciting action of Fructus Psoraleae on the resting tension could be partially blocked by 4-DAMP (the resting tension decreased from 1.37 ± 0.41 to 0.70 ± 0.35, P < 0.001), benzhydramine (from 1.37 ± 0.41 to 0.45 ± 0.38, P < 0.001), hexamethonium (from 1.37 ± 0.41 to 0.94 ± 0.23, P < 0.05), phentolamine ( from 1.37 ± 0.41 to 0.89 ± 0.22, P < 0.01) and verapamil (from 1.37 ± 0.41 to 0.94 ± 0.26, P < 0.05). But the above antagonists had no significant effect on the action of Fructus Psoraleae–induced mean contractile amplitude (P > 0.05). Moreover, the increase of the contractile

  10. A reagent strip for measuring the specific gravity of urine.

    PubMed

    Burkhardt, A E; Johnston, K G; Waszak, C E; Jackson, C E; Shafer, S R

    1982-10-01

    A solid-phase reagent for determination of urinary specific gravity (relative density) is described. This reagent strip, similar to others in the "N-Multistix" series (Ames), contains a polyacid whose acidity is sensitive to the ionic concentration in the urine in which it is immersed. As the acidity of the polyacid changes, pH changes are detected by a pH indicator within the reagent strip. In comparison studies, 84.4% of relative densities as measured with these reagent strips were within 0.005 of the corresponding results with a total-solids meter, and 89.9% were within 0.005 of the corresponding urinometer results. Adding a correction of +0.005 to the reagent-strip results for urines with high pH increased the percentage of results within 0.005 of the comparison method to 90.7% (TS meter) and 92.9% (urinometer). Lot-to-lot variability and reader-to-reader variability were both low. Reagent strip results are not affected by glucose, may be increased by albumin, and correlate with urea concentrations.

  11. Performance of a new test strip for freestyle blood glucose monitoring systems.

    PubMed

    Lock, John Paul; Brazg, Ronald; Bernstein, Robert M; Taylor, Elizabeth; Patel, Mona; Ward, Jeanne; Alva, Shridhara; Chen, Ting; Welsh, Zoë; Amor, Walter; Bhogal, Claire; Ng, Ronald

    2011-01-01

    a new strip, designed to enhance the ease of use and minimize interference of non-glucose sugars, has been developed to replace the current FreeStyle (Abbott Diabetes Care, Alameda, CA) blood glucose test strip. We evaluated the performance of this new strip. laboratory evaluation included precision, linearity, dynamic range, effects of operating temperature, humidity, altitude, hematocrit, interferents, and blood reapplication. System accuracy, lay user performance, and ease of use for finger capillary blood testing and accuracy for venous blood testing were evaluated at clinics. Lay users also compared the speed and ease of use between the new strip and the current FreeStyle strip. for glucose concentrations <75 mg/dL, 73%, 100%, and 100% of the individual capillary blood glucose results obtained by lay users fell within ± 5, 10, and 15 mg/dL, respectively, of the reference. For glucose concentrations ≥75 mg/dL, 68%, 95%, 99%, and 99% of the lay user results fell within  ±  5%, 10%, 15%, and 20%, respectively, of the reference. Comparable accuracy was obtained in the venous blood study. Lay users found the new test strip easy to use and faster and easier to use than the current FreeStyle strip. The new strip maintained accuracy under various challenging conditions, including high concentrations of various interferents, sample reapplication up to 60 s, and extremes in hematocrit, altitude, and operating temperature and humidity. our results demonstrated excellent accuracy of the new FreeStyle test strip and validated the improvements in minimizing interference and enhancing ease of use.

  12. Preliminary Design and Evaluation of Portable Electronic Flight Progress Strips

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Doble, Nathan A.; Hansman, R. John

    2002-01-01

    There has been growing interest in using electronic alternatives to the paper Flight Progress Strip (FPS) for air traffic control. However, most research has been centered on radar-based control environments, and has not considered the unique operational needs of the airport air traffic control tower. Based on an analysis of the human factors issues for control tower Decision Support Tool (DST) interfaces, a requirement has been identified for an interaction mechanism which replicates the advantages of the paper FPS (e.g., head-up operation, portability) but also enables input and output with DSTs. An approach has been developed which uses a Portable Electronic FPS that has attributes of both a paper strip and an electronic strip. The prototype flight strip system uses Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) to replace individual paper strips in addition to a central management interface which is displayed on a desktop computer. Each PDA is connected to the management interface via a wireless local area network. The Portable Electronic FPSs replicate the core functionality of paper flight strips and have additional features which provide a heads-up interface to a DST. A departure DST is used as a motivating example. The central management interface is used for aircraft scheduling and sequencing and provides an overview of airport departure operations. This paper will present the design of the Portable Electronic FPS system as well as preliminary evaluation results.

  13. A design aid for sizing filter strips using buffer area ratio

    Treesearch

    M.G. Dosskey; M.J. Helmers; D.E. Eisenhauer

    2011-01-01

    Nonuniform field runoff can reduce the effectiveness of filter strips that are a uniform size along a field margin. Effectiveness can be improved by placing more filter strip where the runoff load is greater and less where the load is smaller. A modeling analysis was conducted of the relationship between pollutant trapping efficiency and the ratio of filter strip area...

  14. Health in strip cartoons.

    PubMed

    Videlier, P; Piras, P

    1990-01-01

    Strip cartoons are among the most vivid means of communication at our disposal, and they are particularly popular with the young. Medical matters have featured in many stories, though usually in a peripheral role. Could more be done to use this powerful medium, or would deliberate exploitation destroy it?

  15. 77 FR 37803 - Customer Clearing Documentation, Timing of Acceptance for Clearing, and Clearing Member Risk...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-06-25

    ... COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION 17 CFR Part 38 RIN 3038-0092, -0094 Customer Clearing Documentation, Timing of Acceptance for Clearing, and Clearing Member Risk Management; Core Principles and Other... for Clearing, and Clearing Member Risk Management, and Core Principles and Other Requirements for...

  16. Discovery of Ram-pressure Stripped Gas around an Elliptical Galaxy in Abell 2670

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

    Sheen, Yun-Kyeong; Kim, Minjin; Smith, Rory

    Studies of cluster galaxies are increasingly finding galaxies with spectacular one-sided tails of gas and young stars, suggestive of intense ram-pressure stripping. These so-called “jellyfish” galaxies typically have late-type morphology. In this paper, we present Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) observations of an elliptical galaxy in Abell 2670 with long tails of material visible in the optical spectra, as well as blobs with tadpole-like morphology. The spectra in the central part of the galaxy reveal a stellar component as well as ionized gas. The stellar component does not have significant rotation, while the ionized gas defines a clear star-forming gasmore » disk. We argue, based on deep optical images of the galaxy, that the gas was most likely acquired during a past wet merger. It is possible that the star-forming blobs are also remnants of the merger. In addition, the direction and kinematics of the one-sided ionized tails, combined with the tadpole morphology of the star-forming blobs, strongly suggests that the system is undergoing ram pressure from the intracluster medium. In summary, this paper presents the discovery of a post-merger elliptical galaxy undergoing ram-pressure stripping.« less

  17. Improvement of cutting performance for thick stainless steel plates by step-like cutting speed increase in high-power fiber laser cutting

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Seon, Sangwoo; Shin, Jae Sung; Oh, Seong Yong; Park, Hyunmin; Chung, Chin-Man; Kim, Taek-Soo; Lee, Lim; Lee, Jonghwan

    2018-07-01

    A study was conducted to improve the cutting performance of a 60-mm thick stainless steel plate using a 6-kW fiber laser. Two techniques for improving the initial cutting performance were evaluated by preheating the work piece with a waiting time and step-like cutting speed increase. Both techniques showed improved cutting results compared to constant speed cutting. Among them, the method with a step-like cutting speed increase showed the better result in terms of cutting performance. As a result, a 60-mm thick stainless steel plate was cut at a maximum cutting speed of 72 mm/min with a preheating cutting speed of 24 mm/min. In order to confirm the effect of preheating, an additional experiment was performed to measure the temperature variation during the cutting process. Through this experiment, preheating temperature conditions were found to allow the specimen to be cut. It is expected that the results of this work will contribute to improving the cutting performance of thick metal structures in various industrial fields, as well as the dismantling of nuclear facilities using lasers in the future.

  18. Narrow band imaging in the diagnosis of intra-epithelial and invasive laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma: a preliminary report of two cases.

    PubMed

    Masaki, Takashi; Katada, Chikatoshi; Nakayama, Meijin; Takeda, Masahiko; Miyamoto, Shunsuke; Seino, Yutomo; Koizumi, Wasaburo; Tanabe, Satoshi; Horiguchi, Satoshi; Okamoto, Makito

    2009-12-01

    Narrow band imaging (NBI) is a novel optical technique that enhances the diagnostic capability of the gastrointestinal endoscope (GIE) by illuminating the intraepithelial papillary capillary loop (IPCL) using narrow bandwidth filters in a red-green-blue sequential illumination system (CV-260SL processor and CLV-260SL light source, Olympus Optical Co. Ltd, Tokyo, Japan). The NBI filter sets (415 nm and 540 nm) are selected to obtain fine images of the microvascular structure. Because 415 nm is the hemoglobin absorption band, capillaries on the mucosal surface can be seen most clearly at this wavelength. NBI is able to represent more clearly both capillary patterns and the boundary between different types of tissue, which are necessary for diagnosing a tumor in its early stage (Gono K, Yamazaki K, Doguchi N, Nonami T, Obi T, Yamaguchi M, et al. Endoscopic observation of tissue by narrow band illumination. Opt Rev 2003;10:211-215, Gono K, Obi T, Yamaguchi M, Ohyama N, Machida H, Sano Y, et al. Appearance of enhanced tissue feature in narrow-band endoscopic imaging. J Biomed Opt 2004;9:568-577). We present two patients with laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma in whom the spread and the depth of invasion was evaluated with transnasal GIE equipped with NBI. Based on our results, the vascular neoplastic changes of carcinoma in situ of the larynx could be similar to carcinoma in situ of the esophagus.

  19. Inverse cutting of posterior lamellar corneal grafts by a femtosecond laser.

    PubMed

    Hjortdal, Jesper; Nielsen, Esben; Vestergaard, Anders; Søndergaard, Anders

    2012-01-01

    Posterior lamellar grafting of the cornea has become the preferred technique for treatment of corneal endothelial dysfunction. Posterior lamellar grafts are usually cut by a micro-keratome or a femto-second laser after the epithelial side of the donor cornea has been applanated. This approach often results in variable central graft thickness in different grafts and an increase in graft thickness towards the periphery in every graft. The purpose of this study was to evaluate if posterior lamellar grafts can be prepared from the endothelial side by a femto-second laser, resulting in reproducible, thin grafts of even thickness. A CZM 500 kHz Visumax femto-second laser was used. Organ cultured donor grafts were mounted in an artifical anterior chamber with the endothelial side up and out. Posterior grafts of 7.8 mm diameter and 130 micron thickness were prepared by femto-second laser cutting. A standard DSAEK procedure was performed in 10 patients with Fuchs endothelial dystrophy. Patients were followed-up regularly and evaluated by measurement of complications, visual acuity, corneal thickness (Pentacam HR), and endothelial cell density. Femto-laser cutting of grafts and surgery was uncomplicated. Rebubbling was necessary in 5 of 10 cases (normally only in 1 of 20 cases). All grafts were attached and cleared up during the first few weeks. After six months, the average visual acuity was 0.30 (range: 0.16 to 0.50), corneal thickness was 0.58 mm (range 0.51 to 0.63), and endothelial cell density was 1.570 per sq. mm (range: 1.400 to 2.000 cells per sq. mm). The grafts were of uniform thickness, but substantial interface haze was present in most grafts. Posterior lamellar corneal grafts can be prepared from the endothelial side using a femto-second laser. All grafts were clear after 6 months with satisfying endothelial cell counts. Poor visual acuity caused by interface scatter was observed in most patients. Femto-second laser cutting parameters needs to be optimised to

  20. Inverse Cutting of Posterior Lamellar Corneal Grafts by a Femtosecond Laser

    PubMed Central

    Hjortdal, Jesper; Nielsen, Esben; Vestergaard, Anders; Søndergaard, Anders

    2012-01-01

    Purpose Posterior lamellar grafting of the cornea has become the preferred technique for treatment of corneal endothelial dysfunction. Posterior lamellar grafts are usually cut by a micro-keratome or a femto-second laser after the epithelial side of the donor cornea has been applanated. This approach often results in variable central graft thickness in different grafts and an increase in graft thickness towards the periphery in every graft. The purpose of this study was to evaluate if posterior lamellar grafts can be prepared from the endothelial side by a femto-second laser, resulting in reproducible, thin grafts of even thickness. Methods A CZM 500 kHz Visumax femto-second laser was used. Organ cultured donor grafts were mounted in an artifical anterior chamber with the endothelial side up and out. Posterior grafts of 7.8 mm diameter and 130 micron thickness were prepared by femto-second laser cutting. A standard DSAEK procedure was performed in 10 patients with Fuchs endothelial dystrophy. Patients were followed-up regularly and evaluated by measurement of complications, visual acuity, corneal thickness (Pentacam HR), and endothelial cell density. Results Femto-laser cutting of grafts and surgery was uncomplicated. Rebubbling was necessary in 5 of 10 cases (normally only in 1 of 20 cases). All grafts were attached and cleared up during the first few weeks. After six months, the average visual acuity was 0.30 (range: 0.16 to 0.50), corneal thickness was 0.58 mm (range 0.51 to 0.63), and endothelial cell density was 1.570 per sq. mm (range: 1.400 to 2.000 cells per sq. mm). The grafts were of uniform thickness, but substantial interface haze was present in most grafts. Conclusions Posterior lamellar corneal grafts can be prepared from the endothelial side using a femto-second laser. All grafts were clear after 6 months with satisfying endothelial cell counts. Poor visual acuity caused by interface scatter was observed in most patients. Femto-second laser cutting

  1. A versatile new technique to clear mouse and human brain

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Costantini, Irene; Di Giovanna, Antonino Paolo; Allegra Mascaro, Anna Letizia; Silvestri, Ludovico; Müllenbroich, Marie Caroline; Sacconi, Leonardo; Pavone, Francesco S.

    2015-07-01

    Large volumes imaging with microscopic resolution is limited by light scattering. In the last few years based on refractive index matching, different clearing approaches have been developed. Organic solvents and water-based optical clearing agents have been used for optical clearing of entire mouse brain. Although these methods guarantee high transparency and preservation of the fluorescence, though present other non-negligible limitations. Tissue transformation by CLARITY allows high transparency, whole brain immunolabelling and structural and molecular preservation. This method however requires a highly expensive refractive index matching solution limiting practical applicability. In this work we investigate the effectiveness of a water-soluble clearing agent, the 2,2'-thiodiethanol (TDE) to clear mouse and human brain. TDE does not quench the fluorescence signal, is compatible with immunostaining and does not introduce any deformation at sub-cellular level. The not viscous nature of the TDE make it a suitable agent to perform brain slicing during serial two-photon (STP) tomography. In fact, by improving penetration depth it reduces tissue slicing, decreasing the acquisition time and cutting artefacts. TDE can also be used as a refractive index medium for CLARITY. The potential of this method has been explored by imaging a whole transgenic mouse brain with the light sheet microscope. Moreover we apply this technique also on blocks of dysplastic human brain tissue transformed with CLARITY and labeled with different antibody. This clearing approach significantly expands the application of single and two-photon imaging, providing a new useful method for quantitative morphological analysis of structure in mouse and human brain.

  2. Portable cutting apparatus

    DOEpatents

    Gilmore, Richard F.

    1986-01-01

    A remotely operable, portable cutting apparatus detachably secured to the workpiece by laterally spaced clamp assemblies engageable with the workpiece on opposite sides of the intended line of cut. A reciprocal cutter head is mounted between the clamp assemblies and is provided with a traveling abrasive cutting wire adapted to sever the workpiece normal to the longitudinal axis thereof. Dust and debris are withdrawn from the cutting area by a vacuum force through a nozzle mounted on the cutting head.

  3. Portable cutting apparatus

    DOEpatents

    Gilmore, R.F.

    1984-07-17

    A remotely operable, portable cutting apparatus detachably secured to the workpiece by laterally spaced clamp assemblies engagable with the workpiece on opposite sides of the intended line of cut. A reciprocal cutter head is mounted between the clamp assemblies and is provided with a traveling abrasive cutting wire adapted to sever the workpiece normal to the longitudinal axis thereof. Dust and debris are withdrawn from the cutting area by a vacuum force through a nozzle mounted on the cutting head.

  4. Portable cutting apparatus

    DOEpatents

    Gilmore, Richard F.

    1986-04-01

    A remotely operable, portable cutting apparatus detachably secured to the workpiece by laterally spaced clamp assemblies engageable with the workpiece on opposite sides of the intended line of cut. A reciprocal cutter head is mounted between the clamp assemblies and is provided with a traveling abrasive cutting wire adapted to sever the workpiece normal to the longitudinal axis thereof. Dust and debris are withdrawn from the cutting area by a vacuum force through a nozzle mounted on the cutting head.

  5. Comparisons of boll weevil (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) pheromone traps with and without kill strips.

    PubMed

    Suh, C P C; Armstrong, J S; Spurgeon, D W; Duke, S

    2009-02-01

    Boll weevil, Anthonomus grandis grandis Boheman (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), eradication programs typically equip pheromone traps with an insecticide-impregnated kill strip. These strips are intended to kill captured insects, thereby simplifying trap servicing and reducing the loss of weevils from predation and escape. However, the effectiveness of kill strips has not been extensively evaluated. We examined the influences of kill strips on weevil captures, trap servicing, and the incidences of weevil predation and trap obstruction (e.g., by spider webs). Evaluations were conducted weekly during three different production periods (pre- to early-, late-, and postseason) of cotton, Gossypium hirsutum L., to represent different environmental conditions and weevil population levels. Within each period, mean weekly captures of weevils in traps with and without kill strips were statistically similar. On average, traps with kill strips took 9 s longer to service than traps without kill strips, but statistical differences were only detected during the late-season period. Overall, the mean weekly proportion of traps with evidence of weevil predation or trap obstruction was significantly lower for traps with kill strips (0.25) than for traps without kill strips (0.37). However, this reduction in the frequency of weevil predation or trap obstruction was too small to produce a corresponding increase in the numbers of weevils captured. In light of these findings, the use of kill strips is likely unnecessary in eradication programs, but may be a consideration in situations when the numbers of deployed traps are reduced and chronic problems with weevil predation or trap obstruction exist.

  6. The 1987 Whittier Narrows, California, earthquake: A Metropolitan shock

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hauksson, Egill; Stein, Ross S.

    1989-07-01

    Just 3 hours after the Whittier Narrows earthquake struck, it became clear that a heretofore unseen geological structure was seismically active beneath metropolitan Los Angeles. Contrary to initial expectations of strike-slip or oblique-slip motion on the Whittier fault, whose north end abuts the aftershock zone, the focal mechanism of the mainshock showed pure thrust faulting on a deep gently inclined surface [Hauksson et al., 1988]. This collection of nine research reports spans the spectrum of seismological, geodetic, and geological investigations carried out as a result of the Whittier Narrows earthquake. Although unseen, the structure was not unforeseen. Namson [1987] had published a retrodeformable geologic cross section (meaning that the sedimentary strata could be restored to their original depositional position) 100 km to the west of the future earthquake epicenter in which blind, or subsurface, thrust faults were interpreted to be active beneath the folded southern Transverse Ranges. Working 25 km to the west, Hauksson [1987] had also found a surprising number of microearthquakes with thrust focal mechanisms south of the Santa Monica mountains, another clue to a subsurface system of thrust faults. Finally, Davis [1987] had presented a preliminary cross section only 18 km to the west of Whittier Narrows that identified as "fault B" the thrust that would rupture later that year. Not only was the earthquake focus and its orientation compatible with the 10-15 km depth and north dipping orientation of Davis' proposed thrust, but fault B appears to continue beneath the northern flank of the Los Angeles basin, skirting within 5 km of downtown Los Angeles, an area of dense commercial high-rise building development. These results are refined and extended by Davis et al. [this issue].

  7. Thermodynamic Behavior Research Analysis of Twin-roll Casting Lead Alloy Strip Process

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jiang, Chengcan; Rui, Yannian

    2017-03-01

    The thermodynamic behavior of twin-roll casting (TRC) lead alloy strip process directly affects the forming of the lead strip, the quality of the lead strip and the production efficiency. However, there is little research on the thermodynamics of lead alloy strip at home and abroad. The TRC lead process is studied in four parameters: the pouring temperature of molten lead, the depth of molten pool, the roll casting speed, and the rolling thickness of continuous casting. Firstly, the thermodynamic model for TRC lead process is built. Secondly, the thermodynamic behavior of the TRC process is simulated with the use of Fluent. Through the thermodynamics research and analysis, the process parameters of cast rolling lead strip can be obtained: the pouring temperature of molten lead: 360-400 °C, the depth of molten pool: 250-300 mm, the roll casting speed: 2.5-3 m/min, the rolling thickness: 8-9 mm. Based on the above process parameters, the optimal parameters(the pouring temperature of molten lead: 375-390 °C, the depth of molten pool: 285-300 mm, the roll casting speed: 2.75-3 m/min, the rolling thickness: 8.5-9 mm) can be gained with the use of the orthogonal experiment. Finally, the engineering test of TRC lead alloy strip is carried out and the test proves the thermodynamic model is scientific, necessary and correct. In this paper, a detailed study on the thermodynamic behavior of lead alloy strip is carried out and the process parameters of lead strip forming are obtained through the research, which provide an effective theoretical guide for TRC lead alloy strip process.

  8. Control strip study : interim report.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1972-01-01

    This report is concerned with the application of the "control strip" technique using nuclear devices for compaction control of certain base courses and asphaltic concrete surface course. The technique, as evaluated here, consisted of applying increas...

  9. Evaluation of the effectiveness of pavement rumble strips : final report.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2008-01-01

    This report analyzes the effectiveness of continuous shoulder rumble strips (CSRS) and center line rumble strips (CLRS) on rural two lane roads in Kentucky. This study evaluates the safety benefits, and design details associated with the application ...

  10. A Study to Investigate Whether Consistent Cognitive Functioning Cuts across Number, Space, and Time Conceptualization.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brittan, Elizabeth

    1979-01-01

    Provides data incongruent with Piaget's idea of a concrete operational stage. Shows no clear-cut termination of preconceptual thinking and no simultaneous conceptual development in the three content areas (number, space, and time). (Author/RL)

  11. Generalized thick strip modelling for vortex-induced vibration of long flexible cylinders

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

    Bao, Y., E-mail: ybao@sjtu.edu.cn; Department of Aeronautics, Imperial College London, South Kensington Campus, London; Palacios, R., E-mail: r.palacios@imperial.ac.uk

    2016-09-15

    We propose a generalized strip modelling method that is computationally efficient for the VIV prediction of long flexible cylinders in three-dimensional incompressible flow. In order to overcome the shortcomings of conventional strip-theory-based 2D models, the fluid domain is divided into “thick” strips, which are sufficiently thick to locally resolve the small scale turbulence effects and three dimensionality of the flow around the cylinder. An attractive feature of the model is that we independently construct a three-dimensional scale resolving model for individual strips, which have local spanwise scale along the cylinder's axial direction and are only coupled through the structural modelmore » of the cylinder. Therefore, this approach is able to cover the full spectrum for fully resolved 3D modelling to 2D strip theory. The connection between these strips is achieved through the calculation of a tensioned beam equation, which is used to represent the dynamics of the flexible body. In the limit, however, a single “thick” strip would fill the full 3D domain. A parallel Fourier spectral/hp element method is employed to solve the 3D flow dynamics in the strip-domain, and then the VIV response prediction is achieved through the strip–structure interactions. Numerical tests on both laminar and turbulent flows as well as the comparison against the fully resolved DNS are presented to demonstrate the applicability of this approach.« less

  12. 360-degrees profilometry using strip-light projection coupled to Fourier phase-demodulation.

    PubMed

    Servin, Manuel; Padilla, Moises; Garnica, Guillermo

    2016-01-11

    360 degrees (360°) digitalization of three dimensional (3D) solids using a projected light-strip is a well-established technique in academic and commercial profilometers. These profilometers project a light-strip over the digitizing solid while the solid is rotated a full revolution or 360-degrees. Then, a computer program typically extracts the centroid of this light-strip, and by triangulation one obtains the shape of the solid. Here instead of using intensity-based light-strip centroid estimation, we propose to use Fourier phase-demodulation for 360° solid digitalization. The advantage of Fourier demodulation over strip-centroid estimation is that the accuracy of phase-demodulation linearly-increases with the fringe density, while in strip-light the centroid-estimation errors are independent. Here we proposed first to construct a carrier-frequency fringe-pattern by closely adding the individual light-strip images recorded while the solid is being rotated. Next, this high-density fringe-pattern is phase-demodulated using the standard Fourier technique. To test the feasibility of this Fourier demodulation approach, we have digitized two solids with increasing topographic complexity: a Rubik's cube and a plastic model of a human-skull. According to our results, phase demodulation based on the Fourier technique is less noisy than triangulation based on centroid light-strip estimation. Moreover, Fourier demodulation also provides the amplitude of the analytic signal which is a valuable information for the visualization of surface details.

  13. Design, Analysis, and On-Sun Evaluation of Reflective Strips Under Controlled Buckling

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Jaworske, Donald A.; Sechkar, Edward A.; Colozza, Anthony J.

    2014-01-01

    Solar concentrators are envisioned for use in a variety of space-based applications, including applications involving in situ resource utilization. Identifying solar concentrators that minimize mass and cost are of great interest, especially since launch cost is driven in part by the mass of the payload. Concentrators must also be able to survive the wide temperature excursions on the lunar surface. Identifying smart structures which compensate for changes in concentrator geometry brought about by temperature extremes are of interest. Some applications may benefit from the ability to change the concentrators focal pattern at will. This paper addresses a method of designing a single reflective strip to produce a desired focal pattern through the use of controlled buckling. Small variations in the cross section over the length of the reflective strip influence the distribution of light in the focal region. A finite element method of analysis is utilized here which calculates the curve produced for a given strip cross section and axial load. Varying axial force and strip cross section over the length of the reflective strip provide a means of optimizing ray convergence in the focal region. Careful selection of a tapered cross section yields a reflective strip that approximates a parabola. An array of reflective strips under controlled buckling produces a light weight concentrator and adjustments in the compression of individual strips provide a means of compensating for temperature excursions or changing the focal pattern at will.

  14. Design, Analysis, and On-Sun Evaluation of Reflective Strips Under Controlled Buckling

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Jaworske, D. A.; Sechkar, E. A.; Colozza, A. J.

    2014-01-01

    Solar concentrators are envisioned for use in a variety of space-based applications, including applications involving in situ resource utilization. Identifying solar concentrators that minimize mass and cost are of great interest, especially since launch cost is driven in part by the mass of the payload. Concentrators must also be able to survive the wide temperature excursions on the lunar surface. Identifying smart structures which compensate for changes in concentrator geometry brought about by temperature extremes are of interest. Some applications may benefit from the ability to change the concentrator's focal pattern at will. This paper addresses a method of designing a single reflective strip to produce a desired focal pattern through the use of controlled buckling. Small variations in the cross section over the length of the reflective strip influence the distribution of light in the focal region. A finite element method of analysis is utilized here which calculates the curve produced for a given strip cross section and axial load. Varying axial force and strip cross section over the length of the reflective strip provide a means of optimizing ray convergence in the focal region. Careful selection of a tapered cross section yields a reflective strip that approximates a parabola. An array of reflective strips under controlled buckling produces a light weight concentrator and adjustments in the compression of individual strips provide a means of compensating for temperature excursions or changing the focal pattern at will.

  15. Ignition Delay Associated with a Strained Strip

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Gerk, T. J.; Karagozian, A. R.

    1996-01-01

    Ignition processes associated with two adjacent fuel-oxidizer interferences bounding a strained fuel strip are explored here using single-step activation energy asymptotics. Calculations are made for constant as well as temporally decaying strain fields. There possible models of ignition are determined: one in which the two interfaces ignite independently as diffusion flames; one in which the two interfaces ignite dependently and in which ignition occurs to form a single , premixed flame at very high strain rates before ignition is completely prevented. In contrast to a single, isolated interface in which ignition can be prevented by overmatching heat production with heat convection due to strain, ignition of a strained fuel strip can also be prevented if the finite extend of fuel is diluted by oxidizer more quickly than heat production can cause a positive feedback thermal runaway. These behaviors are dependent on the relative sizes of timescales associated with species and heat diffusion, with convection due to strain, and with the chemical reaction. The result here indicate that adjacent, strained species interfaces may ignite quite differently in nature from ignition of a single, strained intrface and that their interdependence should be considered as the interfaces are brought closer together in complex strain fields. Critical strain rates leading to complete ignition delay are found to be considerably smaller for the fuel strip than those for single interfaces as the fuel strip is made thin in comparison to diffusion and chemical length scales.

  16. Efficient hybrid evolutionary algorithm for optimization of a strip coiling process

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pholdee, Nantiwat; Park, Won-Woong; Kim, Dong-Kyu; Im, Yong-Taek; Bureerat, Sujin; Kwon, Hyuck-Cheol; Chun, Myung-Sik

    2015-04-01

    This article proposes an efficient metaheuristic based on hybridization of teaching-learning-based optimization and differential evolution for optimization to improve the flatness of a strip during a strip coiling process. Differential evolution operators were integrated into the teaching-learning-based optimization with a Latin hypercube sampling technique for generation of an initial population. The objective function was introduced to reduce axial inhomogeneity of the stress distribution and the maximum compressive stress calculated by Love's elastic solution within the thin strip, which may cause an irregular surface profile of the strip during the strip coiling process. The hybrid optimizer and several well-established evolutionary algorithms (EAs) were used to solve the optimization problem. The comparative studies show that the proposed hybrid algorithm outperformed other EAs in terms of convergence rate and consistency. It was found that the proposed hybrid approach was powerful for process optimization, especially with a large-scale design problem.

  17. Calibrating ultrasonic test equipment for checking thin metal strip stock

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Peterson, R. M.

    1967-01-01

    Calibration technique detects minute laminar-type discontinuities in thin metal strip stock. Patterns of plastic tape are preselected to include minutely calculated discontinuities and the tape is applied to the strip stock to intercept the incident sonic beam.

  18. Postrigor citric acid enhancement can alter cooked color but not fresh color of dark-cutting beef.

    PubMed

    Stackhouse, R J; Apple, J K; Yancey, J W S; Keys, C A; Johnson, T M; Mehall, L N

    2016-04-01

    In 2 experiments, dark-cutting (DC) beef strip loins were used to test the effects of citric acid-enhancement pH on visual and instrumental color of fresh and cooked steaks. In Exp. 1 and 2, each DC (mean pH = 6.57 and 6.65, respectively) and normal-pH, low USDA Choice (CH; mean pH = 5.48 and 5.51, respectively) strip loin was cut into 2 equal-length sections, and DC sections were injected to 111% of raw section weight with pH 3.5 to 5.0 (Exp. 1) or pH 2.0 to 3.5 (Exp. 2) solutions made by mixing citric acid in either 0.05% orthophosphate (PO) solution or tap water (HO) base solutions (Exp. 1) and 0.5% PO or 0.5% tripolyphosphate solution base solutions (Exp. 2). After enhancement, sections were cut into steaks, which were assigned to either 5 d of simulated retail display or cooked to 71°C for cooked color measurement. Postenhancement pH of DC steaks enhanced with pH 3.5 to 5.0 solutions did not ( ≥ 0.180) differ from that of nonenhanced DC steaks (Exp. 1) but linearly decreased ( < 0.001) as solution pH decreased from 3.5 to 2.0 (Exp. 2). Even though fresh color scores were increased ( < 0.001) by citric acid enhancement over untreated DC steaks during the first 3 d of display, fresh steak color never ( < 0.001) approached that of nonenhanced CH steaks. When compared with nonenhanced DC steaks, enhancement with pH 3.5 to 5.0 solutions received lower cooked color scores, whereas enhancing DC sections with pH 2.5 solutions produced cooked color and degree-of-doneness scores similar ( ≥ 0.113) to those of nonenhanced CH steaks (Exp. 2). Results indicated that the pH of citric acid enhancement solutions, regardless of base solution, were insufficient to improve the fresh color of DC beef; however, enhancement with pH 2.5 citric acid solutions effectively eliminated the persistent red cooked color typically associated with DC beef comparable with that of normal-pH beef.

  19. Wide Strip Casting Technology of Magnesium Alloys

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Park, W.-J.; Kim, J. J.; Kim, I. J.; Choo, D.

    Extensive investigations relating to the production of high performance and low cost magnesium sheet by strip casting have been performed for the application to automotive parts and electronic devices. Research on magnesium sheet production technology started in 2004 by Research Institute of Industrial Science and Technology (RIST) with support of Pohang Iron and Steel Company (POSCO). POSCO has completed the world's first plant to manufacture magnesium coil. Another big project in order to develop wide strip casting technology for the automotive applications of magnesium sheets was started in succession.

  20. Optimization of Dimensional accuracy in plasma arc cutting process employing parametric modelling approach

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Naik, Deepak kumar; Maity, K. P.

    2018-03-01

    Plasma arc cutting (PAC) is a high temperature thermal cutting process employed for the cutting of extensively high strength material which are difficult to cut through any other manufacturing process. This process involves high energized plasma arc to cut any conducting material with better dimensional accuracy in lesser time. This research work presents the effect of process parameter on to the dimensional accuracy of PAC process. The input process parameters were selected as arc voltage, standoff distance and cutting speed. A rectangular plate of 304L stainless steel of 10 mm thickness was taken for the experiment as a workpiece. Stainless steel is very extensively used material in manufacturing industries. Linear dimension were measured following Taguchi’s L16 orthogonal array design approach. Three levels were selected to conduct the experiment for each of the process parameter. In all experiments, clockwise cut direction was followed. The result obtained thorough measurement is further analyzed. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Analysis of means (ANOM) were performed to evaluate the effect of each process parameter. ANOVA analysis reveals the effect of input process parameter upon leaner dimension in X axis. The results of the work shows that the optimal setting of process parameter values for the leaner dimension on the X axis. The result of the investigations clearly show that the specific range of input process parameter achieved the improved machinability.

  1. High effectiveness of tailored flower strips in reducing pests and crop plant damage

    PubMed Central

    Tschumi, Matthias; Albrecht, Matthias; Entling, Martin H.; Jacot, Katja

    2015-01-01

    Providing key resources to animals may enhance both their biodiversity and the ecosystem services they provide. We examined the performance of annual flower strips targeted at the promotion of natural pest control in winter wheat. Flower strips were experimentally sown along 10 winter wheat fields across a gradient of landscape complexity (i.e. proportion non-crop area within 750 m around focal fields) and compared with 15 fields with wheat control strips. We found strong reductions in cereal leaf beetle (CLB) density (larvae: 40%; adults of the second generation: 53%) and plant damage caused by CLB (61%) in fields with flower strips compared with control fields. Natural enemies of CLB were strongly increased in flower strips and in part also in adjacent wheat fields. Flower strip effects on natural enemies, pests and crop damage were largely independent of landscape complexity (8–75% non-crop area). Our study demonstrates a high effectiveness of annual flower strips in promoting pest control, reducing CLB pest levels below the economic threshold. Hence, the studied flower strip offers a viable alternative to insecticides. This highlights the high potential of tailored agri-environment schemes to contribute to ecological intensification and may encourage more farmers to adopt such schemes. PMID:26311668

  2. High effectiveness of tailored flower strips in reducing pests and crop plant damage.

    PubMed

    Tschumi, Matthias; Albrecht, Matthias; Entling, Martin H; Jacot, Katja

    2015-09-07

    Providing key resources to animals may enhance both their biodiversity and the ecosystem services they provide. We examined the performance of annual flower strips targeted at the promotion of natural pest control in winter wheat. Flower strips were experimentally sown along 10 winter wheat fields across a gradient of landscape complexity (i.e. proportion non-crop area within 750 m around focal fields) and compared with 15 fields with wheat control strips. We found strong reductions in cereal leaf beetle(CLB) density (larvae: 40%; adults of the second generation: 53%) and plant damage caused by CLB (61%) in fields with flower strips compared with control fields. Natural enemies of CLB were strongly increased in flower strips and in part also in adjacent wheat fields. Flower strip effects on natural enemies, pests and crop damage were largely independent of landscape complexity(8-75% non-crop area). Our study demonstrates a high effectiveness of annual flower strips in promoting pest control, reducing CLB pest levels below the economic threshold. Hence, the studied flower strip offers a viable alternative to insecticides. This highlights the high potential of tailored agri-environment schemes to contribute to ecological intensification and may encourage more farmers to adopt such schemes.

  3. Bonded orthotropic strips with cracks

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Delale, F.; Erdogan, F.

    1978-01-01

    The elastostatic problem for a nonhomogeneous plane which consists of two sets of periodically arranged dissimilar orthotropic strips is considered. First, the problem of cracks fully imbedded into the homogeneous strips is considered. Then, the singular behavior of the stresses for two special crack geometries is studied in some detail. The first is the case of a broken laminate in which the crack tips touch the interfaces. The second is the case of cracks crossing the interfaces. A number of numerical examples are worked out in order to separate the primary material parameters influencing the stress intensity factors and the powers of stress singularity, and to determine the trends regarding the influence of the secondary parameters. Finally, some numerical results are given for the stress intensity factors in certain basic crack geometries and for typical material combinations.

  4. How controllers compensate for the lack of flight progress strips.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1996-02-01

    The role of the Flight Progress Strip, currently used to display important flight data, has been debated because of long range plans to automate the air traffic control (ATC) human-computer interface. Currently, the Fight Progress Strip is viewed by ...

  5. Study on airflow characteristics in the semi-closed irregular narrow flow channel

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jin, Yuzhen; Hu, Xiaodong; Zhu, Linhang; Hu, Xudong; Jin, Yingzi

    2016-04-01

    The air-jet loom is widely used in the textile industry. The interaction mechanism of airflow and yarn is not clear in such a narrow flow channel, the gas consumption is relatively large, the yarn motion is unstable and the weft insertion is often interrupted during the operation. In order to study the characteristics of the semi-closed flow field in profiled dents, the momentum conservation equation is modified and the model parameters and boundary conditions are set. Compared with the different r, the ratio of profiled dent's thickness and gap, the results show that the smaller the r is, the smaller the velocity fluctuations of the airflow is. When the angle of profiled dents α is close to zero, the diffusion of the airflow will be less. The experiment is also conducted to verify the result of the simulation with a high-speed camera and pressure sensor in profiled dents. The airflow characteristics in the semi-closed irregular narrow flow channel in the paper would provide the theoretical basis for optimizing the weft insertion process of the air-jet loom.

  6. Stress intensity factors and COD in an orthotropic strip

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kaya, A. C.; Erdogan, F.

    1980-01-01

    The elasticity problem for an orthotropic strip or a beam with an internal or an edge crack under general loading conditions is considered. The numerical results are given for four basic loading conditions, namely, uniform tension, pure bending, three point bending, and concentrated surface shear loading. For the strip with an edge crack additional results regarding the crack opening displacements are obtained by using the plastic strip model. A critical quantity which is tabulated is the maximum compressive stress in the plane of the crack. It is shown that this stress may easily exceed the yield limit in compression and hence may severely limit the range of application of the plasticity results.

  7. ITCS Test Strip Development and Certification

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Carrigan, Caitlin; Adam, Niklas; Pickering, Karen; Gazda, Daniel; Piowaty, Hailey

    2011-01-01

    Internal coolant loops used for International Space Station thermal control must be periodically monitored for system health, including pH, biocide levels and any indication of ammonia. The presence of ammonia, possible via a microleak in the interface between the internal and external thermal control systems, could be a danger to the crew. The Internal Thermal Control System (ITCS) Sampling Kit uses test strips as a colorimetric indicator of pH and concentrations of biocide and free ammonia. This paper describes the challenges in designing an ammonia colorimetric indicator in a variable pH environment, as well as lessons learned, ultimately resulting in a robust test strip to indicate a hazardous ammonia leak.

  8. Improving the lean muscle color of dark-cutting beef by aging, antioxidant-enhancement, and modified atmospheric packaging.

    PubMed

    Wills, K M; Mitacek, R M; Mafi, G G; VanOverbeke, D L; Jaroni, D; Jadeja, R; Ramanathan, R

    2017-12-01

    The objective was to evaluate the effects of wet-aging, rosemary-enhancement, and modified atmospheric packaging on the color of dark-cutting beef during simulated retail display. No-roll dark-cutting strip loins ( = 12; pH > 6.0) were selected from a commercial packing plant within 3 d postharvest. Using a balanced incomplete block design, dark-cutting loins were sectioned in half, and assigned to 1 of 3 aging periods: 7, 14, or 21 d. After respective aging, each aged section was divided into 3 equal parts, and randomly assigned to 1 of 3 enhancement treatments: nonenhanced dark-cutting, dark-cutter enhanced with 0.1% rosemary, and dark-cutter enhanced with 0.2% rosemary. Following enhancement, steaks were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 packaging treatments: high-oxygen modified atmospheric packaging (HiOx-MAP; 80% O and 20% CO), carbon monoxide modified atmospheric packaging (CO-MAP; 0.4% CO, 69.6% N, and 30% CO), and polyvinyl chloride overwrap (PVC; 20% O). Instrumental and visual color measurements were recorded during 5 d simulated retail display. Lipid oxidation was determined utilizing the thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) method. There was a significant packaging × enhancement × display time interaction for values and chroma ( 0.001). On d 0 of display, dark-cutting steaks enhanced with 0.1% and 0.2% rosemary and packaged in HiOx-MAP had greater ( 0.001) values and chroma than other dark-cutting packaging/enhancement treatments. A significant packaging × enhancement × display time interaction resulted for values ( 0.001). Dark-cutting steaks enhanced with 0.2% rosemary and packaged in HiOx-MAP was lighter ( 0.001; greater values) than other dark-cutting treatments on d 5 of display. There were no differences ( 0.34) in discoloration scores on d 5 among different dark-cutting treatments when steaks were packaged in HiOx- and CO-MAP. There was an aging period × enhancement × packaging interaction ( < 0.0033) for lipid oxidation. On d 0 of

  9. Flexible Faraday Cage with a Twist: Surface Charge on a Mobius Strip

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stewart, Sean

    2007-01-01

    Once an intriguing topological novelty known only to mathematicians, the Mobius strip has become a source of fascination and inspiration to the layperson and artist alike. Principal among its features are the two strange properties that the Mobius strip is a surface with only one side and one edge. A Mobius strip is readily formed by taking a long…

  10. Trees for strip-mined lands

    Treesearch

    George Hart; William R. Byrnes

    1960-01-01

    Open-pit or strip mining has become an important method of mining bituminous coal in Pennsylvania. In 1958 some 19.5 million tons of soft coal - 29 percent of the total bituminous production in the State - were produced by this method.

  11. Assessment of stripped asphalt pavement.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1989-01-01

    Many miles of stripped pavement need to be restored to a serviceable condition, but there is no accepted procedure to determine whether the pavement should remain in place or be removed during the rehabilitation process. This report describes the att...

  12. Stripping potential of bituminous concrete.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1978-01-01

    Laboratory data were gathered with a newly developed stripping test in anticipation that the test would be adopted for use by the Department. In addition to providing experience in the performance of the test and interpretation of test results, the i...

  13. Spatially distinct responses within willow to bark stripping by deer: effects on insect herbivory

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Tanaka, Motonobu; Nakamura, Masahiro

    2015-10-01

    Within individual plants, cervid herbivory may cause positive or negative plant-mediated effects on insect herbivores, depending on where it occurs. Using a combination of field observations and artificial bark-stripping experiments in Hokkaido, Japan, we examined the plant-mediated effects of bark stripping by sika deer ( Cervus nippon yesoensis) on insect herbivory in two spatially distinct parts of willow ( Salix udensis) trees: resprouting leaves below bark-stripping wounds and canopy leaves above. Natural and artificial bark stripping stimulated resprouting from trunks below wounds. Resprouting leaves on bark-stripped trees had lower total phenolics, condensed tannin, and C/N ratios than did canopy leaves on control trees. Herbivory rates were higher in resprouting leaves on bark-stripped trees than in canopy leaves on controls. Conversely, above-wound canopy leaves on bark-stripped trees had higher total phenolics than did those on controls, while herbivory rates were lower in the canopy leaves of bark-stripped trees than in those on controls. These results demonstrate that plant-mediated effects of bark stripping diverge between plant tissues below and above wounds in individual willow trees. We submit that focusing on multiple plant parts can elucidate plant-mediated effects at the whole-plant scale.

  14. Fluorimetric Mercury Test Strips with Suppressed "Coffee Stains" by a Bio-inspired Fabrication Strategy.

    PubMed

    Qiao, Yuchun; Shang, Jizhen; Li, Shuying; Feng, Luping; Jiang, Yao; Duan, Zhiqiang; Lv, Xiaoxia; Zhang, Chunxian; Yao, Tiantian; Dong, Zhichao; Zhang, Yu; Wang, Hua

    2016-11-04

    A fluorimetric Hg 2+ test strip has been developed using a lotus-inspired fabrication method for suppressing the "coffee stains" toward the uniform distribution of probe materials through creating a hydrophobic drying pattern for fast solvent evaporation. The test strips were first loaded with the model probes of fluorescent gold-silver nanoclusters and then dried in vacuum on the hydrophobic pattern. On the one hand, here, the hydrophobic constraining forces from the lotus surface-like pattern could control the exterior transport of dispersed nanoclusters on strips leading to the minimized "coffee stains". On the other hand, the vacuum-aided fast solvent evaporation could boost the interior Marangoni flow of probe materials on strips to expect the further improved probe distribution on strips. High aqueous stability and enhanced fluorescence of probes on test strips were realized by the hydrophilic treatment with amine-derivatized silicane. A test strips-based fluorimetry has thereby been developed for probing Hg 2+ ions in wastewater, showing the detection performances comparable to the classic instrumental analysis ones. Such a facile and efficient fabrication route for the bio-inspired suppression of "coffee stains" on test strips may expand the scope of applications of test strips-based "point-of-care" analysis methods or detection devices in the biomedical and environmental fields.

  15. Snap-buckling in asymmetrically constrained elastic strips

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sano, Tomohiko G.; Wada, Hirofumi

    2018-01-01

    When a flat elastic strip is compressed along its axis, it is bent in one of two possible directions via spontaneous symmetry breaking, forming a cylindrical arc. This is a phenomenon well known as Euler buckling. When this cylindrical section is pushed in the other direction, the bending direction can suddenly reverse. This instability is called "snap-through buckling" and is one of the elementary shape transitions in a prestressed thin structure. Combining experiments and theory, we study snap-buckling of an elastic strip with one end hinged and the other end clamped. These asymmetric boundary constraints break the intrinsic symmetry of the strip, generating mechanical behaviors, including largely hysteretic but reproducible force responses and switchlike discontinuous shape changes. We establish the set of exact analytical solutions to fully explain all our major experimental and numerical findings. Asymmetric boundary conditions arise naturally in diverse situations when a thin object is in contact with a solid surface at one end. The introduction of asymmetry through boundary conditions yields new insight into complex and programmable functionalities in material and industrial design.

  16. Integration of stripping of fines slurry in a coking and gasification process

    DOEpatents

    DeGeorge, Charles W.

    1980-01-01

    In an integrated fluid coking and gasification process wherein a stream of fluidized solids is passed from a fluidized bed coking zone to a second fluidized bed and wherein entrained solid fines are recovered by a wet scrubbing process and wherein the resulting solids-liquid slurry is stripped to remove acidic gases, the stripped vapors of the stripping zone are sent to the gas cleanup stage of the gasification product gas. The improved stripping integration is particularly useful in the combination coal liquefaction process, fluid coking of bottoms of the coal liquefaction zone and gasification of the product coke.

  17. Interpretation of the human skin biotribological behaviour after tape stripping.

    PubMed

    Pailler-Mattei, C; Guerret-Piécourt, C; Zahouani, H; Nicoli, S

    2011-07-06

    The present study deals with the modification of the human skin biotribological behaviour after tape stripping. The tape-stripping procedure consists in the sequential application and removal of adhesive tapes on the skin surface in order to remove stratum corneum (SC) layers, which electrically charges the skin surface. The skin electric charges generated by tape stripping highly change the skin friction behaviour by increasing the adhesion component of the skin friction coefficient. It has been proposed to rewrite the friction adhesion component as the sum of two terms: the first classical adhesion term depending on the intrinsic shear strength, τ(0), and the second term depending on the electric shear strength, τ(elec). The experimental results allowed to estimate a numerical value of the electric shear strength τ(elec). Moreover, a plan capacitor model with a dielectric material inside was used to modelize the experimental system. This physical model permitted to evaluate the friction electric force and the electric shear strength values to calculate the skin friction coefficient after the tape stripping. The comparison between the experimental and the theoretical value of the skin friction coefficient after the tape stripping has shown the importance of the electric charges on skin biotribological behaviour. The static electric charges produced by tape stripping on the skin surface are probably able to highly modify the interaction of formulations with the skin surface and their spreading properties. This phenomenon, generally overlooked, should be taken into consideration as it could be involved in alteration of drug absorption.

  18. Interpretation of the human skin biotribological behaviour after tape stripping

    PubMed Central

    Pailler-Mattei, C.; Guerret-Piécourt, C.; Zahouani, H.; Nicoli, S.

    2011-01-01

    The present study deals with the modification of the human skin biotribological behaviour after tape stripping. The tape-stripping procedure consists in the sequential application and removal of adhesive tapes on the skin surface in order to remove stratum corneum (SC) layers, which electrically charges the skin surface. The skin electric charges generated by tape stripping highly change the skin friction behaviour by increasing the adhesion component of the skin friction coefficient. It has been proposed to rewrite the friction adhesion component as the sum of two terms: the first classical adhesion term depending on the intrinsic shear strength, τ0, and the second term depending on the electric shear strength, τelec. The experimental results allowed to estimate a numerical value of the electric shear strength τelec. Moreover, a plan capacitor model with a dielectric material inside was used to modelize the experimental system. This physical model permitted to evaluate the friction electric force and the electric shear strength values to calculate the skin friction coefficient after the tape stripping. The comparison between the experimental and the theoretical value of the skin friction coefficient after the tape stripping has shown the importance of the electric charges on skin biotribological behaviour. The static electric charges produced by tape stripping on the skin surface are probably able to highly modify the interaction of formulations with the skin surface and their spreading properties. This phenomenon, generally overlooked, should be taken into consideration as it could be involved in alteration of drug absorption. PMID:21227961

  19. Improved dielectric functions in metallic films obtained via template stripping

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hyuk Park, Jong; Nagpal, Prashant; Oh, Sang-Hyun; Norris, David J.

    2012-02-01

    We compare the dielectric functions of silver interfaces obtained via thermal evaporation with those obtained with template stripping. Ellipsometry measurements show that the smoother template-stripped surfaces exhibit effective dielectric functions with a more negative real component and a smaller imaginary component, implying higher conductivity and less energy loss, respectively. These results agree with the relation between dielectric function and surface roughness derived from combining the effective-medium model and the Drude-Lorentz model. The improvement in the effective dielectric properties shows that metallic films prepared via template stripping can be favorable for applications in electronics, nanophotonics, and plasmonics.

  20. Wavelength dependency in high power laser cutting and welding

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Havrilla, David; Ziermann, Stephan; Holzer, Marco

    2012-03-01

    Laser cutting and welding have been around for more than 30 years. Within those three decades there has never been a greater variety of high power laser types and wavelengths to choose from than there is today. There are many considerations when choosing the right laser for any given application - capital investment, cost of ownership, footprint, serviceability, along with a myriad of other commercial & economic considerations. However, one of the most fundamental questions that must be asked and answered is this - "what type of laser is best suited for the application?". Manufacturers and users alike are realizing what, in retrospect, may seem obvious - there is no such thing as a universal laser. In many cases there is one laser type and wavelength that clearly provides the highest quality application results. This paper will examine the application fields of high power, high brightness 10.6 & 1 micron laser welding & cutting and will provide guidelines for selecting the laser that is best suited for the application. Processing speed & edge quality serve as key criteria for cutting. Whereas speed, seam quality & spatter ejection provide the paradigm for welding.

  1. The Preferential Tidal Stripping of Dark Matter versus Stars in Galaxies

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Smith, Rory; Choi, Hoseung; Lee, Jaehyun; Rhee, Jinsu; Sanchez-Janssen, Ruben; Yi, Sukyoung K.

    2016-12-01

    Using high-resolution hydrodynamical cosmological simulations, we conduct a comprehensive study of how tidal stripping removes dark matter and stars from galaxies. We find that dark matter is always stripped far more significantly than the stars—galaxies that lose ˜80% of their dark matter, typically lose only 10% of their stars. This is because the dark matter halo is initially much more extended than the stars. As such, we find that the stellar-to-halo size-ratio (measured using r eff/r vir) is a key parameter controlling the relative amounts of dark matter and stellar stripping. We use simple fitting formulae to measure the relation between the fraction of bound dark matter and the fraction of bound stars. We measure a negligible dependence on cluster mass or galaxy mass. Therefore, these formulae have general applicability in cosmological simulations, and are ideal to improve stellar stripping recipes in semi-analytical models, and/or to estimate the impact that tidal stripping would have on galaxies when only their halo mass evolution is known.

  2. Bimetallic strip for low temperature use. [4-300/sup 0/K

    DOEpatents

    Bussiee, J.F.; Welch, D.O.; Suenaga, M.

    A class of mechanically pre-stressed structures is provided suitably bi-layer strips, consisting of a layer of group 5 transition metals in intimate contact with a layer of an intermetallic compound of transition metals with certain group 3A, 4A or 5A metals or metalloids such as Ga, In, Si, Ge, Sn, As or Sb. The changes of Young's modulus of these bi-layered combinations at temperatures in the region of somewhat above absolute zero provides a useful means of sensing temperature changes. Such bi-metallic strips may be used as control strips in thermostats, or in direct dial reading instruments. The structures are made by preparing a sandwich of a group 5B transition metal strip between the substantially thicker strips of an alloy between copper and a predetermined group 3A, 4A or 5A metal or metalloid, holding the three layers are heated, cooled the copper alloys and is removed. Removing one of the two formed interlayer alloys between the transition metal and the metal previously alloyed with copper remain.

  3. The Northern hardwood forest ecosystem: ten years of recovery from clearcutting

    Treesearch

    J.W. Hornbeck; C.W. Martin; R.S. Pierce; F.H. Bormann; G.E. Likens; J.S. Eaton; J.S. Eaton

    1987-01-01

    Two even-age management systems, progressive strip cutting and block clearcutting, have been studied since 1970 on small watersheds at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, New Hampshire. In the strip cutting, all merchantable trees were harvested in a series of three strips over 4 years (1970-74). In the block clearcutting, all trees were harvested in a single...

  4. Cutting roller

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

    Best, G.; Weikert, N.B.

    1984-05-29

    A cutting roller for a mining machine, having a substantially conical closure member arranged to face the workings and a tubular body member which has a larger diameter at the end nearer the face working face than at the discharge end. The tubular member carries at least one cutting blade, and the closure member mounts at least one cutting blade; each blade is provided at its edge region with a plurality of bit holders for the attachment of cutter bits. The outer surface of the body member merges into the substantially conical closure member in a smooth, even curve, somore » that the outside diameter of the body member in the region of the working face is substantially greater than the diameter in the region of the discharge end of the cutting roller. The roller is provided with liquid distribution channels on each cutting blade, which channels are connected to a single liquid distribution ring channel in the region of the substantially conical closure member.« less

  5. Antenna structure with distributed strip

    DOEpatents

    Rodenbeck, Christopher T.

    2008-10-21

    An antenna comprises electrical conductors arranged to form a radiating element including a folded line configuration and a distributed strip configuration, where the radiating element is in proximity to a ground conductor. The folded line and the distributed strip can be electrically interconnected and substantially coplanar. The ground conductor can be spaced from, and coplanar to, the radiating element, or can alternatively lie in a plane set at an angle to the radiating element. Embodiments of the antenna include conductor patterns formed on a printed wiring board, having a ground plane, spacedly adjacent to and coplanar with the radiating element. Other embodiments of the antenna comprise a ground plane and radiating element on opposed sides of a printed wiring board. Other embodiments of the antenna comprise conductors that can be arranged as free standing "foils". Other embodiments include antennas that are encapsulated into a package containing the antenna.

  6. Antenna structure with distributed strip

    DOEpatents

    Rodenbeck, Christopher T [Albuquerque, NM

    2008-03-18

    An antenna comprises electrical conductors arranged to form a radiating element including a folded line configuration and a distributed strip configuration, where the radiating element is in proximity to a ground conductor. The folded line and the distributed strip can be electrically interconnected and substantially coplanar. The ground conductor can be spaced from, and coplanar to, the radiating element, or can alternatively lie in a plane set at an angle to the radiating element. Embodiments of the antenna include conductor patterns formed on a printed wiring board, having a ground plane, spacedly adjacent to and coplanar with the radiating element. Other embodiments of the antenna comprise a ground plane and radiating element on opposed sides of a printed wiring board. Other embodiments of the antenna comprise conductors that can be arranged as free standing "foils". Other embodiments include antennas that are encapsulated into a package containing the antenna.

  7. On the Formation of Ultra-Difuse Galaxies as Tidally-Stripped Systems

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Carleton, Timothy; Cooper, Michael; Kaplinghat, Manoj; Errani, Raphael; Penarrubia, Jorge

    2018-01-01

    The recent identification of a large population of so-called 'Ultra-Diffuse' Galaxies (UDGs), with stellar masses ~108 M⊙, but half light radii over 1.5 kpc, has challenged our understanding of galaxy evolution. Motivated by the environmental dependence of UDG properties and abundance, I present a model for the formation of UDGs through tidal-stripping of dwarf galaxies in cored dark matter halos. To test this scenario, I utilize results from simulations of tidal stripping, which demonstrate that changes in the stellar profile of a tidally stripped galaxy can be written as a function of the amount of tidal stripping experienced by the halo (tidal tracks). These tracks, however, are different for cored and cuspy halos. Additional simulations show how the halo responds to tidal interactions given the halo orbit within a cluster.In particular, dwarf elliptical galaxies, born in 1010-10.5 M⊙ halos, expand significantly as a result of tidal stripping and produce UDGs. Applying these models to the population of halos in the Bolshoi simulation, I am able to follow the effects of tidal stripping on the dwarf galaxy population in clusters. Using tidal tracks for cuspy halos does not reproduce the observed properties of UDGs. However, using the tidal tracks for cored halos, I reproduce the distribution of sizes, stellar masses, and abundance of UDGs in clusters remarkably well.

  8. Influence of cutting strains and magnetic anisotropy of electrical steel on the air gap flux distribution of an induction motor

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hribernik, Božo

    1984-02-01

    This paper describes an iterative algorithm for the simulation of various real magnetic materials in a small induction motor and their influence on the flux distribution in the air gap. Two standard materials, fully-, and semi-processed steel strips were used. The nonlinearity of the magnetization curve, the influence of cutting strains and magnetic anisotropy are also considered. All these influences bring out the facts that the uniformly rotated and sine form exitation causes a nonuniformly rotated and deformed magnetic field in the air gap of the machine and that the magnetization current is winding place dependent.

  9. Approaching total absorption of graphene strips using a c-Si subwavelength periodic membrane

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sang, Tian; Wang, Rui; Li, Junlang; Zhou, Jianyu; Wang, Yueke

    2018-04-01

    Approaching total absorption of graphene strips at near infrared using a crystalline-silicon (c-Si) subwavelength periodic membrane (SPM) is presented. The absorption in graphene strips in a c-Si SPM is enhanced by a resonant tip, which is resulted from the coupling between the guided mode and the radiation mode through symmetry breaking of the structure at near-normal incidence. The enhancement of the electric field intensity is increased 1939 times and the group velocity of light is decreased to 3.55 ×10-4c at resonance, and 99.3% absorption in graphene strips can be achieved by critical coupling at the incident angle of 2°. High absorption of the graphene strips can be maintained as the etching thickness, the strip width, and the period are altered. When this type of c-Si SPM with graphene strips is used in refractive index sensors, it shows excellent sensing properties due to its stable near-unity absorption.

  10. A prospective randomised trial of PIN versus conventional stripping in varicose vein surgery.

    PubMed Central

    Durkin, M. T.; Turton, E. P.; Scott, D. J.; Berridge, D. C.

    1999-01-01

    A prospective, randomised trial was carried out to examine the efficacy of perforate invagination (PIN, Credenhill Ltd, Derbyshire, UK) stripping of the long saphenous vein (LSV) in comparison to conventional stripping (Astratech AB, Sweden) in the surgical management of primary varicose veins. Eighty patients with primary varicosities secondary to sapheno-femoral junction (SFJ) incompetence and LSV reflux were recruited. Patients were randomised to PIN or conventional stripping with all other operative techniques remaining constant. Follow-up was performed at 1 and 6 weeks postoperatively. There were no statistically significant differences between the two techniques in terms of time taken to strip the vein, percentage of vein stripped or the area of bruising at 1 week. The size of the exit site was significantly smaller with the PIN device (P < or = 0.01). Optimal use of the conventional stripper provides results comparable to the PIN device. Choice of stripping device remains the surgeon's, bearing in mind that the PIN stripper achieves slightly better cosmesis. PMID:10364948

  11. Integrated Joule switches for the control of current dynamics in parallel superconducting strips

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Casaburi, A.; Heath, R. M.; Cristiano, R.; Ejrnaes, M.; Zen, N.; Ohkubo, M.; Hadfield, R. H.

    2018-06-01

    Understanding and harnessing the physics of the dynamic current distribution in parallel superconducting strips holds the key to creating next generation sensors for single molecule and single photon detection. Non-uniformity in the current distribution in parallel superconducting strips leads to low detection efficiency and unstable operation, preventing the scale up to large area sensors. Recent studies indicate that non-uniform current distributions occurring in parallel strips can be understood and modeled in the framework of the generalized London model. Here we build on this important physical insight, investigating an innovative design with integrated superconducting-to-resistive Joule switches to break the superconducting loops between the strips and thus control the current dynamics. Employing precision low temperature nano-optical techniques, we map the uniformity of the current distribution before- and after the resistive strip switching event, confirming the effectiveness of our design. These results provide important insights for the development of next generation large area superconducting strip-based sensors.

  12. Template-Stripped Tunable Plasmonic Devices on Stretchable and Rollable Substrates

    PubMed Central

    2015-01-01

    We use template stripping to integrate metallic nanostructures onto flexible, stretchable, and rollable substrates. Using this approach, high-quality patterned metals that are replicated from reusable silicon templates can be directly transferred to polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) substrates. First we produce stretchable gold nanohole arrays and show that their optical transmission spectra can be modulated by mechanical stretching. Next we fabricate stretchable arrays of gold pyramids and demonstrate a modulation of the wavelength of light resonantly scattered from the tip of the pyramid by stretching the underlying PDMS film. The use of a flexible transfer layer also enables template stripping using a cylindrical roller as a substrate. As an example, we demonstrate roller template stripping of metallic nanoholes, nanodisks, wires, and pyramids onto the cylindrical surface of a glass rod lens. These nonplanar metallic structures produced via template stripping with flexible and stretchable films can facilitate many applications in sensing, display, plasmonics, metasurfaces, and roll-to-roll fabrication. PMID:26402066

  13. Ammonia removal from landfill leachate by air stripping and absorption.

    PubMed

    Ferraz, Fernanda M; Povinelli, Jurandyr; Vieira, Eny Maria

    2013-01-01

    An old landfill leachate was pre-treated in a pilot-scale aerated packed tower operated in batch mode for total ammoniacal nitrogen (TAN) removal. The stripped ammonia was recovered with a 0.4 mol L(-1) H2SO4 solution, deionized water and tap water. Ca(OH)2 (95% purity) or commercial hydrated lime was added to the raw leachate to adjust its pH to 11, causing removal of colour (82%) and heavy metals (70-90% for Zn, Fe and Mn). The 0.4 molL(-1) H2SO4 solution was able to neutralize 80% of the stripped ammonia removed from 12 L of leachate. The effectiveness of the neutralization of ammonia with deionized water was 75%. Treating 100 L of leachate, the air stripping tower removed 88% of TAN after 72 h of aeration, and 87% of the stripped ammonia was recovered in two 31 L pilot-scale absorption units filled with 20 L of tap water.

  14. Upconversion fluorescent strip sensor for rapid determination of Vibrio anguillarum

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhao, Peng; Wu, Yuanyuan; Zhu, Yihua; Yang, Xiaoling; Jiang, Xin; Xiao, Jingfan; Zhang, Yuanxing; Li, Chunzhong

    2014-03-01

    Here, we report a simple and ultrasensitive upconversion fluorescent strip sensor based on NaYF4:Yb,Er nanoparticles (NPs) and the lateral flow immunochromatographic assay (LFIA). Carboxyl-modified β-NaYF4:Yb,Er NPs were successfully synthesized by a facile one-pot solvothermal approach, upon further coupling with monoclonal antibody, the resultant UCNPs-antibody conjugates probes were used in LFIA and served as signal vehicles for the fluorescent reporters. V. anguillarum was used as a model analyte to demonstrate the use of this strip sensor. The limit of the detection for the fluorescent strip was determined as 102 CFU mL-1, which is 100 times lower than those displayed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, while the time needed for the detection was only 15 min. Furthermore, no cross-reaction with other eight pathogens was found, indicating the good specificity of the strip. This developed LFIA would offer the potential as a useful tool for the quantification of pathogens analysis in the future.

  15. Laser-based ultrasonics by dual-probe interferometer detection and narrow-band ultrasound generation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Huang, Jin

    1993-01-01

    Despite the advantages of laser-based ultrasonic (LBU) systems, the overall sensitivity of LBU systems needs to be improved for practical applications. Progress is reported to achieve better LBU detection accuracy and sensitivity for applications with surface waves and Lamb waves. A novel dual-probe laser interferometer has been developed to measure the same signal at two points. The dual-probe interferometer is a modification of a conventional single-probe interferometer in that the reference beam is guided to a second detecting point on the specimen surface to form a differential measurement mode, which measure the difference of the displacements at the two points. This dual-probe interferometer is particularly useful for accurate measurements of the speed and attenuation of surface waves and Lamb waves. The dual-probe interferometer has been applied to obtain accurate measurements of the surface wave speed and attenuation on surfaces of increasing surface roughness. It has also been demonstrated that with an appropriate signal processing method, namely, the power cepstrum method, the dual-probe interferometer is applicable to measure the local surface wave speed even when the probe separation is so small that the two waveforms in the interferometer output signal overlap in the time domain. Narrow-band signal generation and detection improve the sensitivity of LBU systems. It is proposed to use a diffraction grating to form an array of illuminating strips which form a source of narrowband surface and Lamb waves. The line-array of thermoelastic sources generates narrow-band signals whose frequency and bandwidth can be easily controlled. The optimum line-array parameters, such as width, spacing and the number of lines in the array have been derived theoretically and verified experimentally. Narrow-band signal generation with optimum parameters has been demonstrated. The enhanced LBU system with dual-probe detection and narrowband signal generation has been

  16. Narrow-headed garter snake (Thamnophis rufipunctatus)

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Nowak, Erika M.

    2006-01-01

    The narrow-headed garter snake is a harmless, nonvenomous snake that is distinguished by its elongated, triangular-shaped head and the red or dark spots on its olive to tan body. Today, the narrow-headed garter snake is a species of special concern in the United States because of its decline over much of its historic range. Arizona's Oak Creek has historically contained the largest population of narrow-headed garter snakes in the United States. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the Arizona Game and Fish Department jointly funded research by USGS scientists in Oak Creek to shed light on the factors causing declining population numbers. The research resulted in better understanding of the snake's habitat needs, winter and summer range, and dietary habits. Based on the research findings, the U.S. Forest Service has developed recommendations that visitors and local residents can adopt to help slow the decline of the narrow-headed garter snake in Oak Creek.

  17. Pumping tests in non-uniform aquifers - the linear strip case

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Butler, J.J.; Liu, W.Z.

    1991-01-01

    Many pumping tests are performed in geologic settings that can be conceptualized as a linear infinite strip of one material embedded in a matrix of differing flow properties. A semi-analytical solution is presented to aid the analysis of drawdown data obtained from pumping tests performed in settings that can be represented by such a conceptual model. Integral transform techniques are employed to obtain a solution in transform space that can be numerically inverted to real space. Examination of the numerically transformed solution reveals several interesting features of flow in this configuration. If the transmissivity of the strip is much higher than that of the matrix, linear and bilinear flow are the primary flow regimes during a pumping test. If the contrast between matrix and strip properties is not as extreme, then radial flow should be the primary flow mechanism. Sensitivity analysis is employed to develop insight into the controls on drawdown in this conceptual model and to demonstrate the importance of temporal and spatial placement of observations. Changes in drawdown are sensitive to the transmissivity of the strip for a limited time duration. After that time, only the total drawdown remains a function of strip transmissivity. In the case of storativity, both the total drawdown and changes in drawdown are sensitive to the storativity of the strip for a time of quite limited duration. After that time, essentially no information can be gained about the storage properties of the strip from drawdown data. An example analysis is performed using data previously presented in the literature to demonstrate the viability of the semi-analytical solution and to illustrate a general procedure for analysis of drawdown data in complex geologic settings. This example reinforces the importance of observation well placement and the time of data collection in constraining parameter correlation, a major source of the uncertainty that arises in the parameter estimation

  18. Portable propellant cutting assembly, and method of cutting propellant with assembly

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Sharp, Roger A. (Inventor); Hoskins, Shawn W. (Inventor); Payne, Brett D. (Inventor)

    2002-01-01

    A propellant cutting assembly and method of using the assembly to cut samples of solid propellant in a repeatable and consistent manner is disclosed. The cutting assembly utilizes two parallel extension beams which are shorter than the diameter of a central bore of an annular solid propellant grain and can be loaded into the central bore. The assembly is equipped with retaining heads at its respective ends and an adjustment mechanism to position and wedge the assembly within the central bore. One end of the assembly is equipped with a cutting blade apparatus which can be extended beyond the end of the extension beams to cut into the solid propellant.

  19. Optimization of Focusing by Strip and Pixel Arrays

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

    Burke, G J; White, D A; Thompson, C A

    Professor Kevin Webb and students at Purdue University have demonstrated the design of conducting strip and pixel arrays for focusing electromagnetic waves [1, 2]. Their key point was to design structures to focus waves in the near field using full wave modeling and optimization methods for design. Their designs included arrays of conducting strips optimized with a downhill search algorithm and arrays of conducting and dielectric pixels optimized with the iterative direct binary search method. They used a finite element code for modeling. This report documents our attempts to duplicate and verify their results. We have modeled 2D conducting stripsmore » and both conducting and dielectric pixel arrays with moment method and FDTD codes to compare with Webb's results. New designs for strip arrays were developed with optimization by the downhill simplex method with simulated annealing. Strip arrays were optimized to focus an incident plane wave at a point or at two separated points and to switch between focusing points with a change in frequency. We also tried putting a line current source at the focus point for the plane wave to see how it would work as a directive antenna. We have not tried optimizing the conducting or dielectric pixel arrays, but modeled the structures designed by Webb with the moment method and FDTD to compare with the Purdue results.« less

  20. Controlling forebody asymmetries in flight: Experience with boundary layer transition strips

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Fisher, David F.; Cobleigh, Brent R.

    1994-01-01

    The NASA Dryden Flight Research Center has an ongoing program to investigate aircraft flight characteristics at high angles of attack. As part of this investigation, longitudinal boundary layer transition strips were installed on the F-18 HARV forebody, a preproduction F/A-18 radome with a nose-slice tendency, and the X-31 aircraft forebody and noseboom to reduce asymmetric yawing moments at high angles of attack. The transition strips were effective on the F-18 HARV at angles of attack above 60 deg. On the preproduction F/A-18 radome at an angle of attack near 50 deg the strips were not effective. When the transition strips were installed on the X-31 noseboom, a favorable effect was observed on the yawing moment dynamics but the magnitude of the yawing moment was not decreased.

  1. Reductive stripping process for the recovery of uranium from wet-process phosphoric acid

    DOEpatents

    Hurst, Fred J.; Crouse, David J.

    1984-01-01

    A reductive stripping flow sheet for recovery of uranium from wet-process phosphoric acid is described. Uranium is stripped from a uranium-loaded organic phase by a redox reaction converting the uranyl to uranous ion. The uranous ion is reoxidized to the uranyl oxidation state to form an aqueous feed solution highly concentrated in uranium. Processing of this feed through a second solvent extraction cycle requires far less stripping reagent as compared to a flow sheet which does not include the reductive stripping reaction.

  2. Let's Create a Comic Strip.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wright, Gary; Sherman, Ross

    1999-01-01

    Considers how teachers can help students become literate, critical, creative thinkers by aligning curricula, teaching strategies, and instructional resources. Promotes literacy, higher-level thinking, and writing skills through the interdisciplinary approach of combining language and art. Suggests that creating a comic strip stimulates and…

  3. New Groups Give Teachers Alternative Voice: Organizations Help Educators Cut Policy Teeth

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sawchuk, Steven

    2012-01-01

    In times of great uncertainty for U.S. teachers, who speaks for them? The question is almost axiomatic in its simplicity, but the answer is far less clear-cut. The teachers' unions remain the most visible, powerful, and probably the most important advocates for teachers. But over the past few years, a number of new efforts have sprung up…

  4. Distillation and Air Stripping Designs for the Lunar Surface

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Boul, Peter J.; Lange, Kevin E.; Conger, Bruce; Anderson, Molly

    2009-01-01

    Air stripping and distillation are two different gravity-based methods, which may be applied to the purification of wastewater on the lunar base. These gravity-based solutions to water processing are robust physical separation techniques, which may be advantageous to many other techniques for their simplicity in design and operation. The two techniques can be used in conjunction with each other to obtain high purity water. The components and feed compositions for modeling waste water streams are presented in conjunction with the Aspen property system for traditional stage distillation models and air stripping models. While the individual components for each of the waste streams will vary naturally within certain bounds, an analog model for waste water processing is suggested based on typical concentration ranges for these components. Target purity levels for the for recycled water are determined for each individual component based on NASA s required maximum contaminant levels for potable water Distillation processes are modeled separately and in tandem with air stripping to demonstrate the potential effectiveness and utility of these methods in recycling wastewater on the Moon. Optimum parameters such as reflux ratio, feed stage location, and processing rates are determined with respect to the power consumption of the process. Multistage distillation is evaluated for components in wastewater to determine the minimum number of stages necessary for each of 65 components in humidity condensate and urine wastewater mixed streams. Components of the wastewater streams are ranked by Henry s Law Constant and the suitability of air stripping in the purification of wastewater in terms of component removal is evaluated. Scaling factors for distillation and air stripping columns are presented to account for the difference in the lunar gravitation environment. Commercially available distillation and air stripping units which are considered suitable for Exploration Life Support

  5. Fabrication of double-sided thallium bromide strip detectors

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hitomi, Keitaro; Nagano, Nobumichi; Onodera, Toshiyuki; Kim, Seong-Yun; Ito, Tatsuya; Ishii, Keizo

    2016-07-01

    Double-sided strip detectors were fabricated from thallium bromide (TlBr) crystals grown by the traveling-molten zone method using zone-purified materials. The detectors had three 3.4-mm-long strips with 1-mm widths and a surrounding electrode placed orthogonally on opposite surfaces of the crystals at approximately 6.5×6.5 mm2 in area and 5 mm in thickness. Excellent charge transport properties for both electrons and holes were observed from the TlBr crystals. The mobility-lifetime products for electrons and holes in the detector were measured to be ~3×10-3 cm2/V and ~1×10-3 cm2/V, respectively. The 137Cs spectra corresponding to the gamma-ray interaction position were obtained from the detector. An energy resolution of 3.4% of full width at half maximum for 662-keV gamma rays was obtained from one "pixel" (an intersection of the strips) of the detector at room temperature.

  6. Robotic Stripping

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    2000-01-01

    UltraStrip Systems, Inc.'s M-200 removes paint from the hulls of ships faster than traditional grit-blasting methods. And, it does so without producing toxic airborne particles common to traditional methods. The M-2000 magnetically attaches itself to the hull of the ship. Its water jets generate 40,000 pounds of pressure per square inch, blasting away paint down to the ships steel substrate. The only by product is water and dried paint chips and these are captured by a vacuum system so no toxic residue can escape. It was built out of a partnership between the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the National Robotics Engineering Consortium.

  7. Stripped-Down Poker: A Classroom Game with Signaling and Bluffing

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Reiley, David H.; Urbancic, Michael B.; Walker, Mark

    2008-01-01

    The authors present a simplified, "stripped-down" version of poker as an instructional classroom game. Although Stripped-Down Poker is extremely simple, it nevertheless provides an excellent illustration of a number of topics: signaling, bluffing, mixed strategies, the value of information, and Bayes's Rule. The authors begin with a description of…

  8. CLOSED-LOOP STRIPPING ANALYSIS (CLSA) OF ...

    EPA Pesticide Factsheets

    Synthetic musk compounds have been found in surface water, fish tissues, and human breast milk. Current techniques for separating these compounds from fish tissues require tedious sample clean-upprocedures A simple method for the deterrnination of these compounds in fish tissues has been developed. Closed-loop stripping of saponified fish tissues in a I -L Wheaton purge-and-trap vessel is used to strip compounds with high vapor pressures such as synthetic musks from the matrix onto a solid sorbent (Abselut Nexus). This technique is useful for screening biological tissues that contain lipids for musk compounds. Analytes are desorbed from the sorbent trap sequentially with polar and nonpolar solvents, concentrated, and directly analyzed by high resolution gas chromatography coupled to a mass spectrometer operating in the selected ion monitoring mode. In this paper, we analyzed two homogenized samples of whole fish tissues with spiked synthetic musk compounds using closed-loop stripping analysis (CLSA) and pressurized liquid extraction (PLE). The analytes were not recovered quantitatively but the extraction yield was sufficiently reproducible for at least semi-quantitative purposes (screening). The method was less expensive to implement and required significantly less sample preparation than the PLE technique. The research focused on in the subtasks is the development and application of state-of the-art technologies to meet the needs of the public, Office of Water,

  9. Effect of laser incidence angle on cut quality of 4 mm thick stainless steel sheet using fiber laser

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mullick, Suvradip; Agrawal, Arpit Kumar; Nath, Ashish Kumar

    2016-07-01

    Fiber laser has potential to outperform the more traditionally used CO2 lasers in sheet metal cutting applications due to its higher efficiency, better beam quality, reliability and ease of beam delivery through optical fiber. It has been however, reported that the higher focusability and shorter wavelength are advantageous for cutting thin metal sheets up to about 2 mm only. Better focasability results in narrower kerf-width, which leads to an earlier flow separation in the flow of assist gas within the kerf, resulting in uncontrolled material removal and poor cut quality. However, the advarse effect of tight focusability can be taken care by shifting the focal point position towards the bottom surface of work-piece, which results in a wider kerf size. This results in a more stable flow within the kerf for a longer depth, which improves the cut quality. It has also been reported that fiber laser has an unfavourable angle of incidence during cutting of thick sections, resulting in poor absorption at the metal surface. Therefore, the effect of laser incidence angle, along with other process parameters, viz. cutting speed and assist gas pressure on the cut quality of 4 mm thick steel sheet has been investigated. The change in laser incidence angle has been incorporated by inclining the beam towards and away from the cut front, and the quality factors are taken as the ratio of kerf width and the striation depth. Besides the absorption of laser radiation, beam inclination is also expected to influence the gas flow characteristics inside the kerf, shear force phenomena on the molten pool, laser beam coupling and laser power distribution at the inclined cut surface. Design of experiment has been used by implementing response surface methodology (RSM) to study the parametric dependence of cut quality, as well as to find out the optimum cut quality. An improvement in quality has been observed for both the inclination due to the combined effect of multiple phenomena.

  10. The crack and wedging problem for an orthotropic strip

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cinar, A.; Erdogan, F.

    1982-01-01

    The plane elasticity problem for an orthotropic strip containing a crack parallel to its boundaries is considered. The problem is formulated under general mixed mode loading conditions. The stress intensity factors depend on two dimensionless orthotropic constants only. For the crack problem the results are given for a single crack and two collinear cracks. The calculated results show that of the two orthotropic constants the influence of the stiffness ratio on the stress intensity factors is much more significant than that of the shear parameter. The problem of loading the strip by a rigid rectangular lengths continuous contact is maintained along the wedge strip interface; at a certain critical wedge length the separation starts at the midsection of the wedge, and the length of the separation zone increases rapidly with increasing wedge length.

  11. The problem of a finite strip compressed between two rough rigid stamps

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Gupta, G. D.

    1975-01-01

    A finite strip compressed between two rough rigid stamps is considered. The elastostatic problem is formulated in terms of a singular integral equation from which the proper stress singularities at the corners are determined. The singular integral equation is solved numerically to determine the stresses along the fixed ends of the strip. The effect of material properties and strip geometry on the stress-intensity factor is presented graphically.

  12. Gas stripping in galaxy clusters: a new SPH simulation approach

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jáchym, P.; Palouš, J.; Köppen, J.; Combes, F.

    2007-09-01

    Aims:The influence of a time-varying ram pressure on spiral galaxies in clusters is explored with a new simulation method based on the N-body SPH/tree code GADGET. Methods: We have adapted the code to describe the interaction of two different gas phases, the diffuse hot intracluster medium (ICM) and the denser and colder interstellar medium (ISM). Both the ICM and ISM components are introduced as SPH particles. As a galaxy arrives on a highly radial orbit from outskirts to cluster center, it crosses the ICM density peak and experiences a time-varying wind. Results: Depending on the duration and intensity of the ISM-ICM interaction, early and late type galaxies in galaxy clusters with either a large or small ICM distribution are found to show different stripping efficiencies, amounts of reaccretion of the extra-planar ISM, and final masses. We compare the numerical results with analytical approximations of different complexity and indicate the limits of the Gunn & Gott simple stripping formula. Conclusions: Our investigations emphasize the role of the galactic orbital history to the stripping amount. We discuss the contribution of ram pressure stripping to the origin of the ICM and its metallicity. We propose gas accumulations like tails, filaments, or ripples to be responsible for stripping in regions with low overall ICM occurrence. Appendix A is only available in electronic form at http://www.aanda.org

  13. Therapeutic surfactant-stripped frozen micelles

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, Yumiao; Song, Wentao; Geng, Jumin; Chitgupi, Upendra; Unsal, Hande; Federizon, Jasmin; Rzayev, Javid; Sukumaran, Dinesh K.; Alexandridis, Paschalis; Lovell, Jonathan F.

    2016-05-01

    Injectable hydrophobic drugs are typically dissolved in surfactants and non-aqueous solvents which can induce negative side-effects. Alternatives like `top-down' fine milling of excipient-free injectable drug suspensions are not yet clinically viable and `bottom-up' self-assembled delivery systems usually substitute one solubilizing excipient for another, bringing new issues to consider. Here, we show that Pluronic (Poloxamer) block copolymers are amenable to low-temperature processing to strip away all free and loosely bound surfactant, leaving behind concentrated, kinetically frozen drug micelles containing minimal solubilizing excipient. This approach was validated for phylloquinone, cyclosporine, testosterone undecanoate, cabazitaxel and seven other bioactive molecules, achieving sizes between 45 and 160 nm and drug to solubilizer molar ratios 2-3 orders of magnitude higher than current formulations. Hypertonic saline or co-loaded cargo was found to prevent aggregation in some cases. Use of surfactant-stripped micelles avoided potential risks associated with other injectable formulations. Mechanistic insights are elucidated and therapeutic dose responses are demonstrated.

  14. Sustainable Water and Energy in Gaza Strip

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hamdan, L.; Zarei, M.; Chianelli, R.; Gardner, E.

    2007-12-01

    Shortage of fresh water is a common problem in different areas of the world including the Middle East. Desalination of seawater and brackish water is the cheapest way to obtain fresh water in many regions. This research focuses on the situation in Gaza Strip where there is a severe shortage in the energy and water supply. The depletion of fresh water supplies and lack of wastewater treatments result in environmental problems. A solar powered cogeneration plant producing water and energy is proposed to be a suitable solution for Gaza Strip. Solar energy, using Concentrating Solar thermal Power (CSP) technologies, is used to produce electricity by a steam cycle power plant. Then the steam is directed to a desalination plant where it is used to heat the seawater to obtain freshwater. The main objective of this research is to outline a solution for the water problems in Gaza Strip, which includes a cogeneration (power and water) solar powered plant. The research includes four specific objectives: 1- an environmental and economic comparison between solar and fossil fuel energies; 2- technical details for the cogeneration plant; 3- cost and funding, 4- the benefits.

  15. Energy-Efficient Bioalcohol Recovery by Gel Stripping

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Godbole, Rutvik; Ma, Lan; Hedden, Ronald

    2014-03-01

    Design of energy-efficient processes for recovering butanol and ethanol from dilute fermentations is a key challenge facing the biofuels industry due to the high energy consumption of traditional multi-stage distillation processes. Gel stripping is an alternative purification process by which a dilute alcohol is stripped from the fermentation product by passing it through a packed bed containing particles of a selectively absorbent polymeric gel material. The gel must be selective for the alcohol, while swelling to a reasonable degree in dilute alcohol-water mixtures. To accelerate materials optimization, a combinatorial approach is taken to screen a matrix of copolymer gels having orthogonal gradients in crosslinker concentration and hydrophilicity. Using a combination of swelling in pure solvents, the selectivity and distribution coefficients of alcohols in the gels can be predicted based upon multi-component extensions of Flory-Rehner theory. Predictions can be validated by measuring swelling in water/alcohol mixtures and conducting h HPLC analysis of the external liquid. 95% + removal of butanol from dilute aqueous solutions has been demonstrated, and a mathematical model of the unsteady-state gel stripping process has been developed. NSF CMMI Award 1335082.

  16. Anodic stripping voltammetry enhancement by redox magnetohydrodynamics.

    PubMed

    Clark, Emily A; Fritsch, Ingrid

    2004-04-15

    The effect of an external magnetic field on linear scan anodic stripping voltammetry (ASV) in solutions of 10(-6)-10(-7) M concentrations of lead, cadmium, and copper at mercury films on glassy carbon electrodes has been investigated. A high concentration of Hg(2+) was added to the analyte solution to induce a large cathodic current during the deposition step. Therefore, a large Lorentz force from the net flux of charge through the magnetic field resulted in convection due to magnetohydrodynamics. The faster delivery of analytes to the mercury film electrode during deposition caused an increase in the anodic stripping peaks. The effect of varying Hg(2+) concentrations (0-60 mM) and magnetic field strengths (0-1.77 T) on the enhancement of the stripping peaks was investigated. Enhancements as large as 129% for peak currents and 167% for peak areas were observed. An enhancement of approximately 100% was observed when 60 mM Fe(3+) replaced high concentrations of Hg(2+). This method of convection exhibits promise for small-volume ASV analysis with possible improved limits of detection and decreased preconcentration times.

  17. Cutting assembly

    DOEpatents

    Racki, Daniel J.; Swenson, Clark E.; Bencloski, William A.; Wineman, Arthur L.

    1984-01-01

    A cutting apparatus includes a support table mounted for movement toward and away from a workpiece and carrying a mirror which directs a cutting laser beam onto the workpiece. A carrier is rotatably and pivotally mounted on the support table between the mirror and workpiece and supports a conduit discharging gas toward the point of impingement of the laser beam on the workpiece. Means are provided for rotating the carrier relative to the support table to place the gas discharging conduit in the proper positions for cuts made in different directions on the workpiece.

  18. Rotary stripper for shielded and unshielded FCC

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Angele, W.; Chambers, C. M.

    1971-01-01

    Rotary stripper removes narrow strips of insulation and shielding to any desired depth. Unshielded cables are stripped on both sides with one stroke, shielded cables are stripped in steps of different depths.

  19. 31 CFR 356.31 - How does the STRIPS program work?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

    2013-07-01

    ... $100. Any par amount to be stripped above $100 must be in a multiple of $100. (2) Principal components... 31 Money and Finance:Treasury 2 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false How does the STRIPS program work? 356...-principal securities (notes and bonds other than Treasury inflation-protected securities—(1) Minimum par...

  20. 31 CFR 356.31 - How does the STRIPS program work?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

    2012-07-01

    ... $100. Any par amount to be stripped above $100 must be in a multiple of $100. (2) Principal components... 31 Money and Finance:Treasury 2 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false How does the STRIPS program work? 356...-principal securities (notes and bonds other than Treasury inflation-protected securities—(1) Minimum par...

  1. 31 CFR 356.31 - How does the STRIPS program work?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ... $100. Any par amount to be stripped above $100 must be in a multiple of $100. (2) Principal components... 31 Money and Finance:Treasury 2 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false How does the STRIPS program work? 356...-principal securities (notes and bonds other than Treasury inflation-protected securities—(1) Minimum par...

  2. The BIPM flexure-strip balance FB-2

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Picard, A.

    2004-08-01

    A mass comparator for 1 kg weights has been designed and built at the BIPM based on our experience with a prototype flexure-strip balance named FB-1. The flexure-strip balance FB-2 is fully automated and mainly used for research. It consistently achieves a repeatability of weighings in air or in vacuum of 1 kg artefacts at least ten times better than that obtainable with the best knife-edge balances. The aim of this paper is to describe the design and capabilities of the FB-2, drawing on theoretical studies already published. Finally, results obtained with the FB-2 are given to illustrate its metrological possibilities.

  3. Growth and branching habit of rooted cuttings collected from epicormic shoots of Betula pendula Roth.

    PubMed

    Cameron, A D; Sani, H

    1994-04-01

    Patterns of shoot growth and branching were studied over two growing seasons in rooted cuttings collected from both epicormic shoots and seedlings of Betula pendula Roth. Epicormic shoots were induced to sprout on stumps and small logs of 5-, 10- and 30-year-old trees. The use of epicormic shoots enhanced the rooting capacity of stem cuttings collected from these shoots but did not appear to reverse the process of maturation. In this study, maturation was based on characteristics typical of mature trees but not necessarily those of the mother plant, because it was not possible to root cuttings, for comparison, from 5-, 10- and 30-year-old ortets, other than from epicormic shoots. There was evidence of the persistence of mature characteristics through an increase in shoot plagiotropism with increasing ortet age. Rooted cuttings from both seedlings and epicormic shoots, however, assumed an increasingly orthotropic habit with a smaller shoot angle at the end of the first growing season than at the beginning and this continued into the second growing season. Other indications of maturation, such as delayed bud flushing and the incidence of flowering with increasing ortet age, were also evident in rooted cuttings from epicormic shoots. There was a clear difference in branching habit depending on cutting source. Rooted cuttings derived from epicormic shoots produced nearly twice as many lateral branches compared with rooted cuttings collected from seedlings, but this was not an effect of maturation. There was some evidence that rooted cuttings derived from seedlings grew taller than rooted cuttings from epicormic shoots.

  4. Improving lumber yield using a dual system

    Treesearch

    R. Edward Thomas; Omar Espinoza; Urs Buehlmann

    2015-01-01

    Rough mills embody the process of cutting up kiln-dried lumber to components used by discrete wood products manufacturers to manufacture products like furniture, kitchen cabinets, flooring, or other items. Rough mills traditionally have either ripped the lumber first (e.g., the lumber is first cut into strips lengthwise) then cut the strips to the required part lengths...

  5. A study of metalized electrode self-clearing in electroactive polymer (EAP) based actuators

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ahmed, Saad; Ounaies, Zoubeida

    2016-04-01

    Electroactive polymer (EAP) based technologies have shown promise in areas such as artificial muscles, actuator, aerospace, medical and soft robotics. Still challenges remain such as low induced forces and defects-driven electrical breakdown, which impede the practical implementation of this technology. Multilayered or stacked configuration can address the low induced force issue whereas self-clearing can be a technique to improve breakdown limit of EAP based actuators. Self-clearing refers to the partial local breakdown of dielectric medium due to the presence of impurities, which in turn results in the evaporation of some of the metalized electrode. After this evaporation, the impurity is cleared and any current path would be safely cut off, which means the actuator continues to perform. It is a widely studied concept in the capacitor community, while it has not been studied much for EAP technologies. In this paper we report a systematic approach to precondition a silver-metalized electroactive polymer (EAP), more specifically P(VDF-TrFE-CTFE) terpolymer, using self-clearing concept. First, we show improvement in the dielectric breakdown strength of EAP based unimorph actuators after pre-clearing the impurities using low electric field (lower than dielectric breakdown of the terpolymer). Inspired by this improvement, we used Weibull statistics to systematically estimate the self-clearing/ preconditioning field needed to clear the defects. Then electrical breakdown experiments are conducted with and without preconditioning the samples to investigate its effect on the breakdown strength of the sample.

  6. AIS/DOE Technology Roadmap Program: Strip Casting: Anticipating New Routes To Steel Sheet

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

    Prof. Alan W. Camb; Prof. Anthony Rollett

    2001-08-31

    To determine the potential for strip casting in the steel industry and to develop the fundamental knowledge necessary to allow the role of strip casting in the modern steel industry to be understood. Based upon a study of carbon steel strip castings that were either produced for the program at British Steel or were received from a pre-commercial production machine, the following conclusions were made. Strip casting of carbon steels is technically feasible for sheet material from slightly less than 1 mm thick to 3 mm thick, and, assuming that it is economically viable, it will be first applied inmore » carbon steel markets that do not require stringent surface quality or extensive forming. The potential of strip casting as a casting process to be developed for steel castings is very high as the cast strip has some very novel characteristics. Direct cast carbon strip has better surface quality, shape and profile than any other casting process currently available. The more rapidly solidified structure of direct cast strip tends to be strong with low ductility; however, with adequate thermal treatment, it is possible to develop a variety of properties from the same grade. The process is more amenable at this time to production tonnages per year of the order of 500,000 tons and as such will first find niche type applications. This technology is an additional technology for steel production and will be in addition to, rather than a replacement for, current casting machines.« less

  7. Experimental evidence that wildflower strips increase pollinator visits to crops.

    PubMed

    Feltham, Hannah; Park, Kirsty; Minderman, Jeroen; Goulson, Dave

    2015-08-01

    Wild bees provide a free and potentially diverse ecosystem service to farmers growing pollination-dependent crops. While many crops benefit from insect pollination, soft fruit crops, including strawberries are highly dependent on this ecosystem service to produce viable fruit. However, as a result of intensive farming practices and declining pollinator populations, farmers are increasingly turning to commercially reared bees to ensure that crops are adequately pollinated throughout the season. Wildflower strips are a commonly used measure aimed at the conservation of wild pollinators. It has been suggested that commercial crops may also benefit from the presence of noncrop flowers; however, the efficacy and economic benefits of sowing flower strips for crops remain relatively unstudied. In a study system that utilizes both wild and commercial pollinators, we test whether wildflower strips increase the number of visits to adjacent commercial strawberry crops by pollinating insects. We quantified this by experimentally sowing wildflower strips approximately 20 meters away from the crop and recording the number of pollinator visits to crops with, and without, flower strips. Between June and August 2013, we walked 292 crop transects at six farms in Scotland, recording a total of 2826 pollinators. On average, the frequency of pollinator visits was 25% higher for crops with adjacent flower strips compared to those without, with a combination of wild and commercial bumblebees (Bombus spp.) accounting for 67% of all pollinators observed. This effect was independent of other confounding effects, such as the number of flowers on the crop, date, and temperature. Synthesis and applications. This study provides evidence that soft fruit farmers can increase the number of pollinators that visit their crops by sowing inexpensive flower seed mixes nearby. By investing in this management option, farmers have the potential to increase and sustain pollinator populations over time.

  8. Experimental evidence that wildflower strips increase pollinator visits to crops

    PubMed Central

    Feltham, Hannah; Park, Kirsty; Minderman, Jeroen; Goulson, Dave

    2015-01-01

    Wild bees provide a free and potentially diverse ecosystem service to farmers growing pollination-dependent crops. While many crops benefit from insect pollination, soft fruit crops, including strawberries are highly dependent on this ecosystem service to produce viable fruit. However, as a result of intensive farming practices and declining pollinator populations, farmers are increasingly turning to commercially reared bees to ensure that crops are adequately pollinated throughout the season. Wildflower strips are a commonly used measure aimed at the conservation of wild pollinators. It has been suggested that commercial crops may also benefit from the presence of noncrop flowers; however, the efficacy and economic benefits of sowing flower strips for crops remain relatively unstudied. In a study system that utilizes both wild and commercial pollinators, we test whether wildflower strips increase the number of visits to adjacent commercial strawberry crops by pollinating insects. We quantified this by experimentally sowing wildflower strips approximately 20 meters away from the crop and recording the number of pollinator visits to crops with, and without, flower strips. Between June and August 2013, we walked 292 crop transects at six farms in Scotland, recording a total of 2826 pollinators. On average, the frequency of pollinator visits was 25% higher for crops with adjacent flower strips compared to those without, with a combination of wild and commercial bumblebees (Bombus spp.) accounting for 67% of all pollinators observed. This effect was independent of other confounding effects, such as the number of flowers on the crop, date, and temperature. Synthesis and applications. This study provides evidence that soft fruit farmers can increase the number of pollinators that visit their crops by sowing inexpensive flower seed mixes nearby. By investing in this management option, farmers have the potential to increase and sustain pollinator populations over time

  9. Cutting thread at flexible endoscopy.

    PubMed

    Gong, F; Swain, P; Kadirkamanathan, S; Hepworth, C; Laufer, J; Shelton, J; Mills, T

    1996-12-01

    New thread-cutting techniques were developed for use at flexible endoscopy. A guillotine was designed to follow and cut thread at the endoscope tip. A new method was developed for guiding suture cutters. Efficacy of Nd: YAG laser cutting of threads was studied. Experimental and clinical experience with thread-cutting methods is presented. A 2.4 mm diameter flexible thread-cutting guillotine was constructed featuring two lateral holes with sharp edges through which sutures to be cut are passed. Standard suture cutters were guided by backloading thread through the cutters extracorporeally. A snare cutter was constructed to retrieve objects sewn to tissue. Efficacy and speed of Nd: YAG laser in cutting twelve different threads were studied. The guillotine cut thread faster (p < 0.05) than standard suture cutters. Backloading thread shortened time taken to cut thread (p < 0.001) compared with free-hand cutting. Nd: YAG laser was ineffective in cutting uncolored threads and slower than mechanical cutters. Results of thread cutting in clinical studies using sewing machine (n = 77 cutting episodes in 21 patients), in-vivo experiments (n = 156), and postsurgical cases (n = 15 over 15 years) are presented. New thread-cutting methods are described and their efficacy demonstrated in experimental and clinical studies.

  10. Raised BMI cut-off for overweight in Greenland Inuit--a review.

    PubMed

    Andersen, Stig; Fleischer Rex, Karsten; Noahsen, Paneeraq; Sørensen, Hans Christian Florian; Mulvad, Gert; Laurberg, Peter

    2013-01-01

    Obesity is associated with increased morbidity and premature death. Obesity rates have increased worldwide and the WHO recommends monitoring. A steep rise in body mass index (BMI), a measure of adiposity, was detected in Greenland from 1963 to 1998. Interestingly, the BMI starting point was in the overweight range. This is not conceivable in a disease-free, physically active, pre-western hunter population. This led us to reconsider the cut-off point for overweight among Inuit in Greenland. We found 3 different approaches to defining the cut-off point of high BMI in Inuit. First, the contribution to the height by the torso compared to the legs is relatively high. This causes relatively more kilograms per centimetre of height that increases the BMI by approximately 10% compared to Caucasian whites. Second, defining the cut-off by the upper 90-percentile of BMI from height and weight in healthy young Inuit surveyed in 1963 estimated the cut-off point to be around 10% higher compared to Caucasians. Third, if similar LDL-cholesterol and triglycerides are assumed for a certain BMI in Caucasians, the corresponding BMI in Inuit in both Greenland and Canada is around 10% higher. However, genetic admixture of Greenland Inuit and Caucasian Danes will influence this difference and hamper a clear distinction with time. Defining overweight according to the WHO cut-off of a BMI above 25 kg/m(2) in Greenland Inuit may overestimate the number of individuals with elevated BMI.

  11. Study of the technics of coating stripping and FBG writing on polyimide fiber

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Song, ZhiQiang; Qi, HaiFeng; Ni, JiaSheng; Wang, Chang

    2017-10-01

    Compared with ordinary optical fiber, polyimide fiber has the characteristics of high temperature resistance and high strength, which has important application in the field of optical fiber sensing. The common methods of polyimide coating stripping were introduced in this paper, including high temperature stripping, chemical stripping and arc ablation. In order to meet the requirements of FBG writing technology, a method using argon ion laser ablation coating was proposed. The method can precisely control the stripping length of the coating and completely does not affect the tensile strength of the optical fiber. According to the experiment, the fabrication process of polyimide FBG is stripping-hydrogen loadingwriting. Under the same conditions, 10 FBG samples were fabricated with good uniformity of wavelength bandwidth and reflectivity. UV laser ablation of polyimide coating has been proved to be a safe, reliable and efficient method.

  12. Fabrication of narrow pulse passively Q-switched self-stimulated Raman laser with c-cut Nd:GdVO4

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shen, Gao; Li, Zuo-han; Han, Ming

    2016-11-01

    Combining the self-stimulated Raman scattering technology and saturable absorber of Cr4+:YAG, a 1.17 μm c-cut Nd:GdVO4 picosecond Q-switched laser is demonstrated in this paper. With an incident pump power of 10 W, the Q-switched laser with average power of 430 mW for 1.17 μm, pulse width of 270 ps, repetition rate of 13 kHz and the first order Stokes conversion efficiency of 4.3% is obtained. The Q-switched pulse width can be the narrowest in our research. In addition, the yellow laser at 0.58 μm is also achieved by using the LiB3O5 frequency doubling crystal.

  13. Can human eyes prevent perceptual narrowing for monkey faces in human infants?

    PubMed

    Damon, Fabrice; Bayet, Laurie; Quinn, Paul C; Hillairet de Boisferon, Anne; Méary, David; Dupierrix, Eve; Lee, Kang; Pascalis, Olivier

    2015-07-01

    Perceptual narrowing has been observed in human infants for monkey faces: 6-month-olds can discriminate between them, whereas older infants from 9 months of age display difficulty discriminating between them. The difficulty infants from 9 months have processing monkey faces has not been clearly identified. It could be due to the structural characteristics of monkey faces, particularly the key facial features that differ from human faces. The current study aimed to investigate whether the information conveyed by the eyes is of importance. We examined whether the presence of Caucasian human eyes in monkey faces allows recognition to be maintained in 6-month-olds and facilitates recognition in 9- and 12-month-olds. Our results revealed that the presence of human eyes in monkey faces maintains recognition for those faces at 6 months of age and partially facilitates recognition of those faces at 9 months of age, but not at 12 months of age. The findings are interpreted in the context of perceptual narrowing and suggest that the attenuation of processing of other-species faces is not reversed by the presence of human eyes. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  14. Paint stripping with high power flattened Gaussian beams

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Forbes, Andrew; du Preez, Neil C.; Belyi, Vladimir; Botha, Lourens R.

    2009-08-01

    In this paper we present results on improved paint stripping performance with an intra-cavity generated Flattened Gaussian Beam (FGB). A resonator with suitable diffractive optical elements was designed in order to produce a single mode flat-top like laser beam as the output. The design was implemented in a TEA CO2 laser outputting more than 5 J per pulse in the desired mode. The FGB showed improved performance in a paint stripping application due to its uniformity of intensity, and high energy extraction from the cavity.

  15. HST Imaging of Dust Structures and Stars in the Ram Pressure Stripped Virgo Spirals NGC 4402 and NGC 4522: Stripped from the Outside In with Dense Cloud Decoupling

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Abramson, A.; Kenney, J.; Crowl, H.; Tal, T.

    2016-08-01

    We describe and constrain the origins of interstellar medium (ISM) structures likely created by ongoing intracluster medium (ICM) ram pressure stripping in two Virgo Cluster spirals, NGC 4522 and NGC 4402, using Hubble Space Telescope (HST) BVI images of dust extinction and stars, as well as supplementary H I, Hα, and radio continuum images. With a spatial resolution of ˜10 pc in the HST images, this is the highest-resolution study to date of the physical processes that occur during an ICM-ISM ram pressure stripping interaction, ram pressure stripping's effects on the multi-phase, multi-density ISM, and the formation and evolution of ram-pressure-stripped tails. In dust extinction, we view the leading side of NGC 4402 and the trailing side of NGC 4522, and so we see distinct types of features in both. In both galaxies, we identify some regions where dense clouds are decoupling or have decoupled and others where it appears that kiloparsec-sized sections of the ISM are moving coherently. NGC 4522 has experienced stronger, more recent pressure and has the “jellyfish” morphology characteristic of some ram-pressure-stripped galaxies. Its stripped tail extends up from the disk plane in continuous upturns of dust and stars curving up to ˜2 kpc above the disk plane. On the other side of the galaxy, there is a kinematically and morphologically distinct extraplanar arm of young, blue stars and ISM above a mostly stripped portion of the disk, and between it and the disk plane are decoupled dust clouds that have not been completely stripped. The leading side of NGC 4402 contains two kiloparsec-scale linear dust filaments with complex substructure that have partially decoupled from the surrounding ISM. NGC 4402 also contains long dust ridges, suggesting that large parts of the ISM are being pushed out at once. Both galaxies contain long ridges of polarized radio continuum emission indicating the presence of large-scale, ordered magnetic fields. We propose that magnetic

  16. HST IMAGING OF DUST STRUCTURES AND STARS IN THE RAM PRESSURE STRIPPED VIRGO SPIRALS NGC 4402 AND NGC 4522: STRIPPED FROM THE OUTSIDE IN WITH DENSE CLOUD DECOUPLING

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

    Abramson, A.; Kenney, J.; Crowl, H.

    We describe and constrain the origins of interstellar medium (ISM) structures likely created by ongoing intracluster medium (ICM) ram pressure stripping in two Virgo Cluster spirals, NGC 4522 and NGC 4402, using Hubble Space Telescope (HST) BVI images of dust extinction and stars, as well as supplementary H i, H α , and radio continuum images. With a spatial resolution of ∼10 pc in the HST images, this is the highest-resolution study to date of the physical processes that occur during an ICM–ISM ram pressure stripping interaction, ram pressure stripping's effects on the multi-phase, multi-density ISM, and the formation andmore » evolution of ram-pressure-stripped tails. In dust extinction, we view the leading side of NGC 4402 and the trailing side of NGC 4522, and so we see distinct types of features in both. In both galaxies, we identify some regions where dense clouds are decoupling or have decoupled and others where it appears that kiloparsec-sized sections of the ISM are moving coherently. NGC 4522 has experienced stronger, more recent pressure and has the “jellyfish” morphology characteristic of some ram-pressure-stripped galaxies. Its stripped tail extends up from the disk plane in continuous upturns of dust and stars curving up to ∼2 kpc above the disk plane. On the other side of the galaxy, there is a kinematically and morphologically distinct extraplanar arm of young, blue stars and ISM above a mostly stripped portion of the disk, and between it and the disk plane are decoupled dust clouds that have not been completely stripped. The leading side of NGC 4402 contains two kiloparsec-scale linear dust filaments with complex substructure that have partially decoupled from the surrounding ISM. NGC 4402 also contains long dust ridges, suggesting that large parts of the ISM are being pushed out at once. Both galaxies contain long ridges of polarized radio continuum emission indicating the presence of large-scale, ordered magnetic fields. We propose

  17. The crack and wedging problem for an orthotropic strip

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cinar, A.; Erdogan, F.

    1983-01-01

    The plane elasticity problem for an orthotropic strip containing a crack parallel to its boundaries is considered. The problem is formulated under general mixed mode loading conditions. The stress intensity factors depend on two dimensionless orthotropic constants only. For the crack problem the results are given for a single crack and two collinear cracks. The calculated results show that of the two orthotropic constants the influence of the stiffness ratio on the stress intensity factors is much more significant than that of the shear parameter. The problem of loading the strip by a rigid rectangular lengths continuous contact is maintained along the wedge strip interface; at a certain critical wedge length the separation starts at the midsection of the wedge, and the length of the separation zone increases rapidly with increasing wedge length. Previously announced in STAR as N82-26707

  18. Strip casting with fluxing agent applied to casting roll

    DOEpatents

    Williams, R.S.; O`Malley, R.J.; Sussman, R.C.

    1997-07-29

    A strip caster for producing a continuous strip includes a tundish for containing a melt, a pair of horizontally disposed water cooled casting rolls and devices for electrostatically coating the outer peripheral chill surfaces of the casting rolls with a powder flux material. The casting rolls are juxtaposed relative to one another for forming a pouting basin for receiving the melt through a teeming tube thereby establishing a meniscus between the rolls for forming the strip. The melt is protected from the outside air by a non-oxidizing gas passed through a supply line to a sealing chamber. A preferred flux is boron oxide having a melting point of about 550 C. The flux coating enhances wetting of the steel melt to the casting roll and dissolves any metal oxide formed on the roll. 3 figs.

  19. The bacterial contamination rate of glucose meter test strips in the hospital setting

    PubMed Central

    Al-Rubeaan, Khalid A.; Saeb, Amr T. M.; AlNaqeb, Dhekra M.; AlQumaidi, Hamed M.; AlMogbel, Turki A.

    2016-01-01

    Objectives: To assess the rate of bacterial contamination of the multi-use vial and single-use packed glucose meter strips, and to identify the type and frequency of various bacterial contamination in different hospital wards. Methods: This prospective observational study was conducted by a team from the Strategic Center for Diabetes Research in 7 general hospitals in the Central region of Saudi Arabia during the period from August to September 2014 to assess the bacterial contamination rate of the unused strips. A total of 10,447 strips were cultured using proper agar media and incubated both aerobically and anaerobically. Results: The total bacterial contamination rate for the multi-use vials glucose strips was 31.7%, while single-use packed strips were not contaminated at all. Ministry of Health hospitals had the highest contamination rates compared with other hospitals. Critical, obstetric, and surgical wards had the highest bacterial isolates number, where most were in the risk group 3 according to the National Institute of Health guidelines. Staphylococcus species were the most common bacteria found. Conclusion: Glucose meter strips should be recognized as a source of bacterial contamination that could be behind serious hospital acquired infections. The hospital infection control team should adopt proper measures to implement protocols for glucose meter cleaning and glucose strips handling. PMID:27570855

  20. Forced genital cutting in North America: feminist theory and nursing considerations.

    PubMed

    Antinuk, Kira

    2013-09-01

    This article will examine forced nontherapeutic genital cutting (FNGC) through the lens of feminist theory and in relation to the concept of social justice in nursing. I will address the underlying assumptions of feminism and how they apply to the two currently legal forms of FNGC in North America: male infant circumcision and intersex infant/child genital cutting. Through a literature review and critical analysis of these practices, I will illustrate the challenges they present when considering the role of nurses in promoting social justice. If feminism asserts that bodily integrity, autonomy, and fundamental human rights are essential components of gender equality, it follows that these must be afforded to all genders without discrimination. Historically, there have been few feminists who have made this connection, yet a growing and diverse movement of people is challenging the frameworks in which we consider genital cutting in our society. Nurses are positioned well to be at the forefront of this cause and have a clear ethical duty to advocate for the elimination of all forms of FNGC.

  1. Innovative and water based stripping approach for thick and bulk photoresists

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rudolph, Matthias; Schumann, Dirk; Thrun, Xaver; Esche, Silvio; Hohle, Christoph

    2014-10-01

    The usage of phase fluid based stripping agents to remove photoresists from silicon substrates was studied. Photoresists are required for many silicon based technologies such as MEMS patterning, 3D-Integration or frontend and backend of line semiconductor applications [1]. Although the use of resists is very common, their successful integration often depends on the ability to remove the resist after certain processing steps. On the one hand the resist is changing during subsequent process steps that can cause a thermally activated cross-linking which increases the stripping complexity. Resist removal is also challenging after the formation of a hard polymer surface layer during plasma or implant processes which is called skin or crust [2]. On the other hand the choice of stripping chemistry is often limited due to the presence of functional materials such as metals which can be damaged by aggressive stripping chemistries [3].

  2. Stress intensity factors for an inclined crack in an orthotropic strip

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Delale, F.; Bakirtas, I.; Erdogan, F.

    1978-01-01

    The elastostatic problem for an infinite orthotropic strip containing a crack is considered. It is assumed that the orthogonal axes of material orthotropy may have an arbitrary angular orientation with respect to the orthogonal axes of geometric symmetry of the uncracked strip. The crack is located along an axis of orthotropy, hence at an arbitrary angle with respect to the sides of the strip. The general problem is formulated in terms of a system of singular integral equations for arbitrary crack surface tractions. As examples Modes I and II stress intensity factors are calculated for the strip having an internal or an edge crack with various lengths and angular orientations. In most calculations uniform tension or uniform bending away from the crack region is used as the external load. Limited results are also given for uniform normal or shear tractions on the crack surface.

  3. Choosing order of operations to accelerate strip structure analysis in parameter range

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kuksenko, S. P.; Akhunov, R. R.; Gazizov, T. R.

    2018-05-01

    The paper considers the issue of using iteration methods in solving the sequence of linear algebraic systems obtained in quasistatic analysis of strip structures with the method of moments. Using the analysis of 4 strip structures, the authors have proved that additional acceleration (up to 2.21 times) of the iterative process can be obtained during the process of solving linear systems repeatedly by means of choosing a proper order of operations and a preconditioner. The obtained results can be used to accelerate the process of computer-aided design of various strip structures. The choice of the order of operations to accelerate the process is quite simple, universal and could be used not only for strip structure analysis but also for a wide range of computational problems.

  4. Fundamentals of cutting.

    PubMed

    Williams, J G; Patel, Y

    2016-06-06

    The process of cutting is analysed in fracture mechanics terms with a view to quantifying the various parameters involved. The model used is that of orthogonal cutting with a wedge removing a layer of material or chip. The behaviour of the chip is governed by its thickness and for large radii of curvature the chip is elastic and smooth cutting occurs. For smaller thicknesses, there is a transition, first to plastic bending and then to plastic shear for small thicknesses and smooth chips are formed. The governing parameters are tool geometry, which is principally the wedge angle, and the material properties of elastic modulus, yield stress and fracture toughness. Friction can also be important. It is demonstrated that the cutting process may be quantified via these parameters, which could be useful in the study of cutting in biology.

  5. Effects of physical guidance on short-term learning of walking on a narrow beam

    PubMed Central

    Domingo, Antoinette; Ferris, Daniel P.

    2009-01-01

    Physical guidance is often used in rehabilitation when teaching patients to re-learn movements. However, the effects of guidance on motor learning of complex skills, such as walking balance, are not clear. We tested four groups of healthy subjects that practiced walking on a narrow (1.27 cm) or wide (2.5 cm) treadmill-mounted balance beam, with or without physical guidance. Assistance was given by springs attached to a hip belt that applied restoring forces towards beam center. Subjects were evaluated while walking unassisted before and after training by calculating the number of times subjects stepped off of the beam per minute of successful walking on the beam (Failures per Minute). Subjects in Unassisted groups had greater performance improvements in walking balance from pre to post compared to subjects in Assisted groups. During training, Unassisted groups had more Failures per Minute than Assisted groups. Performance improvements were smaller in Narrow Beam groups than in Wide Beam groups. The Unassisted-Wide and Assisted-Narrow groups had similar Failures per Minute during training, but the Unassisted-Wide group had much greater performance gains after training. These results suggest that physical assistance can hinder motor learning of walking balance, assistance appears less detrimental for more difficult tasks, and task-specific dynamics are important to learning independent of error experience. PMID:19674900

  6. Effects of physical guidance on short-term learning of walking on a narrow beam.

    PubMed

    Domingo, Antoinette; Ferris, Daniel P

    2009-11-01

    Physical guidance is often used in rehabilitation when teaching patients to re-learn movements. However, the effects of guidance on motor learning of complex skills, such as walking balance, are not clear. We tested four groups of healthy subjects that practiced walking on a narrow (1.27 cm) or wide (2.5 cm) treadmill-mounted balance beam, with or without physical guidance. Assistance was given by springs attached to a hip belt that applied restoring forces towards beam center. Subjects were evaluated while walking unassisted before and after training by calculating the number of times subjects stepped off of the beam per minute of successful walking on the beam (Failures per Minute). Subjects in Unassisted groups had greater performance improvements in walking balance from pre to post compared to subjects in Assisted groups. During training, Unassisted groups had more Failures per Minute than Assisted groups. Performance improvements were smaller in Narrow Beam groups than in Wide Beam groups. The Unassisted-Wide and Assisted-Narrow groups had similar Failures per Minute during training, but the Unassisted-Wide group had much greater performance gains after training. These results suggest that physical assistance can hinder motor learning of walking balance, assistance appears less detrimental for more difficult tasks, and task-specific dynamics are important to learning independent of error experience.

  7. Health, safety, and ecological implications of using biobased floor-stripping products.

    PubMed

    Massawe, Ephraim; Geiser, Kenneth; Ellenbecker, Michael; Marshall, Jason

    2007-05-01

    The main objective of the study reported here was to investigate the ecological, health, and safety (EHS) implications of using biobased floor strippers as alternatives to solvent-based products such as Johnson Wax Professional (Pro Strip). The authors applied a quick EHS-scoring technique developed by the Surface Solution Laboratory (SSL) of the Toxics Use Reduction Institute (TURI) to some alternative, biobased products that had previously performed as well as or close to as well as the currently used product. The quick technique is considered an important step in EHS assessment, particularly for toxics use reduction planners and advocates who may not have the resources to subject many alternative products or processes at once to detailed EHS analysis. Taking this step narrows available options to a manageable number. (Technical-performance experiments were also conducted, but the results are not discussed or reported in this paper). The cost of switching to biobased floor strippers was assessed and compared with the cost of using the traditional product, both at full strength and at the dilution ratios recommended by the respective manufacturers. The EHS analysis was based on a framework consisting of five parameters: volatile organic compounds (VOCs); pH; global-warming potential (GWP); ozone depletion potential (ODP); and safety scores in areas such as flammability, stability, and special hazards, based on ratings from the Hazardous Material Classification System (HMIS) and the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). Total EHS scores were calculated with data derived from the material safety data sheets. For most cleaning products previously investigated by the TURI SSL, the investigators have demonstrated that the five key parameters used in the study reported here can successfully be used for quick screening of the EHS impacts of cleaning alternatives. All eight biobased, or green, products evaluated in the study had better EHS-screening scores than did

  8. Emergent perversions in the buckling of heterogeneous elastic strips

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

    Liu, Shuangping; Yao, Zhenwei; Chiou, Kevin

    A perversion in an otherwise uniform helical structure, such as a climbing plant tendril, refers to a kink that connects two helices with opposite chiralities. Such singularity structures are widely seen in natural and artificial mechanical systems, and they provide the fundamental mechanism of helical symmetry breaking. However, it is still not clear how perversions arise in various helical structures and which universal principles govern them. As such, a heterogeneous elastic bistrip system provides an excellent model to address these questions. In this paper, we investigate intrinsic perversion properties which are independent of strip shapes. This study reveals the richmore » physics of perversions in the 3D elastic system, including the condensation of strain energy over perversions during their formation, the repulsive nature of the perversion–perversion interaction, and the coalescence of perversions that finally leads to a linear defect structure. Finally, this study may have implications for understanding relevant biological motifs and for use of perversions as energy storers in the design of micromuscles and soft robotics.« less

  9. Emergent perversions in the buckling of heterogeneous elastic strips

    DOE PAGES

    Liu, Shuangping; Yao, Zhenwei; Chiou, Kevin; ...

    2016-06-14

    A perversion in an otherwise uniform helical structure, such as a climbing plant tendril, refers to a kink that connects two helices with opposite chiralities. Such singularity structures are widely seen in natural and artificial mechanical systems, and they provide the fundamental mechanism of helical symmetry breaking. However, it is still not clear how perversions arise in various helical structures and which universal principles govern them. As such, a heterogeneous elastic bistrip system provides an excellent model to address these questions. In this paper, we investigate intrinsic perversion properties which are independent of strip shapes. This study reveals the richmore » physics of perversions in the 3D elastic system, including the condensation of strain energy over perversions during their formation, the repulsive nature of the perversion–perversion interaction, and the coalescence of perversions that finally leads to a linear defect structure. Finally, this study may have implications for understanding relevant biological motifs and for use of perversions as energy storers in the design of micromuscles and soft robotics.« less

  10. Narrow Networks on the Individual Marketplace in 2017.

    PubMed

    Polski, Daniel; Weiner, Janet; Zhang, Yuehan

    2017-09-01

    This Issue Brief describes the breadth of physician networks on the ACA marketplaces in 2017. We find that the overall rate of narrow networks is 21%, which is a decline since 2014 (31%) and 2016 (25%). Narrow networks are concentrated in plans sold on state-based marketplaces, at 42%, compared to 10% of plans on federally-facilitated marketplaces. Issuers that have traditionally offered Medicaid coverage have the highest prevalence of narrow network plans at 36%, with regional/local plans and provider-based plans close behind at 27% and 30%. We also find large differences in narrow networks by state and by plan type.

  11. On the Cutting Performance of Segmented Diamond Blades when Dry-Cutting Concrete

    PubMed Central

    Martynenko, V.; Martínez Krahmer, D.; Benítez, A.; Genovese, G.

    2018-01-01

    The objective of the present study is to analyze and compare the cutting performance of segmented diamond blades when dry-cutting concrete. A cutting criteria is proposed to characterize the wear of the blades by measuring the variation of the external diameter and the weight loss of the blade. The results exhibit the cutting blade SB-A, which has twice the density of diamonds and large contact area, exhibits less wear even though the material removal rate is higher compared with the other two cutting blades. Additionally, the surface topography of the different blades is evaluated to examine the impact of wear depending on the surface profile and the distribution of the diamonds in the blade’s matrix. Large number of diamonds pull-out are found in blades type SB-C, which additionally shows the worst wear resistant capability. As a conclusion, the cutting efficiency of the blade is found to be related to the density of embedded diamonds and the type of the surface profile of the cutting blade after reaching the stop criteria. PMID:29425125

  12. On the Cutting Performance of Segmented Diamond Blades when Dry-Cutting Concrete.

    PubMed

    Sánchez Egea, A J; Martynenko, V; Martínez Krahmer, D; López de Lacalle, L N; Benítez, A; Genovese, G

    2018-02-09

    The objective of the present study is to analyze and compare the cutting performance of segmented diamond blades when dry-cutting concrete. A cutting criteria is proposed to characterize the wear of the blades by measuring the variation of the external diameter and the weight loss of the blade. The results exhibit the cutting blade SB-A, which has twice the density of diamonds and large contact area, exhibits less wear even though the material removal rate is higher compared with the other two cutting blades. Additionally, the surface topography of the different blades is evaluated to examine the impact of wear depending on the surface profile and the distribution of the diamonds in the blade's matrix. Large number of diamonds pull-out are found in blades type SB-C, which additionally shows the worst wear resistant capability. As a conclusion, the cutting efficiency of the blade is found to be related to the density of embedded diamonds and the type of the surface profile of the cutting blade after reaching the stop criteria.

  13. Prevention of Stripping under Chip Seals

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2017-10-01

    Eighteen chip-sealed roadways in eight cities and counties in Minnesota were evaluated both in the field (for condition surveys and density tests) and in the laboratory (for permeability, stripping, tensile-strength ratio, asphalt film thickness, and...

  14. Chemical Strips Anodic Film From Aluminum

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Eichinger, Eric C.

    1993-01-01

    Phosphoric acid solution offers advantages over other stripping solutions. More effective than other strippers and safer to use. Relatively environmentally benign, phosphoric acid stripper ceases its chemical attack so less process control is needed in its use.

  15. The combined use of corticotomy and clear aligners: A case report.

    PubMed

    Cassetta, Michele; Altieri, Federica; Barbato, Ersilia

    2016-09-01

    To describe an orthodontic treatment that combines an esthetic approach (clear aligners) with surgery (alveolar corticotomy). A patient with moderate dental crowding and Class I skeletal and molar relationships was selected. Orthodontic records of the patient were taken. Periodontal indexes, oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL), and treatment time were evaluated. After we reflected a full-thickness flap beyond the teeth apices, the cortical bone was exposed on the buccal aspect and a modified corticotomy procedure was performed. Interproximal corticotomy cuts were extended through the entire thickness of the cortical layer, just barely penetrating into medullary bone. Orthodontic force was applied on the teeth immediately after surgery. Total treatment time was 2 months. Periodontal indexes were improved after correction of crowding. A deterioration of OHRQoL was limited to 3 days following surgery. This case report may encourage the use, limited to selected cases, of corticotomy associated with clear aligners to treat moderate crowding.

  16. Fluorimetric Mercury Test Strips with Suppressed “Coffee Stains” by a Bio-inspired Fabrication Strategy

    PubMed Central

    Qiao, Yuchun; Shang, Jizhen; Li, Shuying; Feng, Luping; Jiang, Yao; Duan, Zhiqiang; Lv, Xiaoxia; Zhang, Chunxian; Yao, Tiantian; Dong, Zhichao; Zhang, Yu; Wang, Hua

    2016-01-01

    A fluorimetric Hg2+ test strip has been developed using a lotus-inspired fabrication method for suppressing the “coffee stains” toward the uniform distribution of probe materials through creating a hydrophobic drying pattern for fast solvent evaporation. The test strips were first loaded with the model probes of fluorescent gold-silver nanoclusters and then dried in vacuum on the hydrophobic pattern. On the one hand, here, the hydrophobic constraining forces from the lotus surface-like pattern could control the exterior transport of dispersed nanoclusters on strips leading to the minimized “coffee stains”. On the other hand, the vacuum-aided fast solvent evaporation could boost the interior Marangoni flow of probe materials on strips to expect the further improved probe distribution on strips. High aqueous stability and enhanced fluorescence of probes on test strips were realized by the hydrophilic treatment with amine-derivatized silicane. A test strips-based fluorimetry has thereby been developed for probing Hg2+ ions in wastewater, showing the detection performances comparable to the classic instrumental analysis ones. Such a facile and efficient fabrication route for the bio-inspired suppression of “coffee stains” on test strips may expand the scope of applications of test strips-based “point-of-care” analysis methods or detection devices in the biomedical and environmental fields. PMID:27812040

  17. Laser cutting of Kevlar laminates and thermal stress formed at cutting sections

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yilbas, B. S.; Akhtar, S. S.

    2012-02-01

    Laser cutting of Kevlar laminates is carried out and thermal stress field developed in the cutting region is predicted using the finite element code. Temperature predictions are validated through the thermocouple data. The morphological changes in the cutting section are examined by incorporating optical and scanning electron microscopes. It is found that temperature predictions agree well with the thermocouple data. High values of von Mises stress are observed at the cutting edges and at the mid-thickness of the Kevlar laminate due to thermal compression formed in this region. The laser cut edges are free from whiskers; however, striation formation and some small sideways burning is observed at the kerf edges.

  18. X-Z-Theta cutting method

    DOEpatents

    Bieg, Lothar F.

    1993-01-12

    A method for machining a workpiece. The method includes the use of a rotary cutting tool mounted on the end of a movable arm. The arm is adapted to move in a plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the cutting tool. The cutting tool has cutting teeth to cut chips of material off of the workpiece in a predetermined size and shape to facilitate better removal of the chips from the workpiece. The teeth can be of different type and length to permit the tool to both rough cut and finish cut the workpiece during machining. The total depth of cut is divided by the number of tool teeth, so that the longest tool always performs the finishing cut.

  19. Strip-Bark Morphology and Radial Growth Trends in Ancient Pinus sibirica Trees From Central Mongolia

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Leland, Caroline; Cook, Edward R.; Andreu-Hayles, Laia; Pederson, Neil; Hessl, Amy; Anchukaitis, Kevin J.; Byambasuren, Oyunsanaa; Nachin, Baatarbileg; Davi, Nicole; D'Arrigo, Rosanne; Griffin, Kevin; Bishop, Daniel A.; Rao, Mukund Palat

    2018-03-01

    Some of the oldest and most important trees used for dendroclimatic reconstructions develop strip-bark morphology, in which only a portion of the stem contains living tissue. Yet the ecophysiological factors initiating strip bark and the potential effect of cambial dieback on annual ring widths and tree-ring estimates of past climate remain poorly understood. Using a combination of field observations and tree-ring data, we investigate the causes and timing of cambial dieback events in Pinus sibirica strip-bark trees from central Mongolia and compare the radial growth rates and trends of strip-bark and whole-bark trees over the past 515 years. Results indicate that strip bark is more common on the southern aspect of trees, and dieback events were most prevalent in the 19th century, a cold and dry period. Further, strip-bark and whole-bark trees have differing centennial trends, with strip-bark trees exhibiting notably large increases in ring widths at the beginning of the 20th century. We find a steeper positive trend in the strip-bark chronology relative to the whole-bark chronology when standardizing with age-dependent splines. We hypothesize that localized warming on the southern side of stems due to solar irradiance results in physiological damage and dieback and leads to increasing tree-ring increment along the living portion of strip-bark trees. Because the impact of cambial dieback on ring widths likely varies depending on species and site, we suggest conducting a comparison of strip-bark and whole-bark ring widths before statistically treating ring-width data for climate reconstructions.

  20. Reducing crossover accidents on Kansas highways using milled centerline rumble strips

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2006-09-01

    In the USA, shoulder rumble strips are very common. It is estimated that they reduce run-of-the-road crashes up to 25%. The Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) has installed rumble strips on the shoulders of almost all state highways in the st...

  1. Acute radiation impacts contractility of guinea-pig bladder strips affecting mucosal-detrusor interactions.

    PubMed

    McDonnell, Bronagh M; Buchanan, Paul J; Prise, Kevin M; McCloskey, Karen D

    2018-01-01

    Radiation-induced bladder toxicity is associated with radiation therapy for pelvic malignancies, arising from unavoidable irradiation of neighbouring normal bladder tissue. This study aimed to investigate the acute impact of ionizing radiation on the contractility of bladder strips and identify the radiation-sensitivity of the mucosa vs the detrusor. Guinea-pig bladder strips (intact or mucosa-free) received ex vivo sham or 20Gy irradiation and were studied with in vitro myography, electrical field stimulation and Ca2+-fluorescence imaging. Frequency-dependent, neurogenic contractions in intact strips were reduced by irradiation across the force-frequency graph. The radiation-difference persisted in atropine (1μM); subsequent addition of PPADs (100μM) blocked the radiation effect at higher stimulation frequencies and decreased the force-frequency plot. Conversely, neurogenic contractions in mucosa-free strips were radiation-insensitive. Radiation did not affect agonist-evoked contractions (1μM carbachol, 5mM ATP) in intact or mucosa-free strips. Interestingly, agonist-evoked contractions were larger in irradiated mucosa-free strips vs irradiated intact strips suggesting that radiation may have unmasked an inhibitory mucosal element. Spontaneous activity was larger in control intact vs mucosa-free preparations; this difference was absent in irradiated strips. Spontaneous Ca2+-transients in smooth muscle cells within tissue preparations were reduced by radiation. Radiation affected neurogenic and agonist-evoked bladder contractions and also reduced Ca2+-signalling events in smooth muscle cells when the mucosal layer was present. Radiation eliminated a positive modulatory effect on spontaneous activity by the mucosa layer. Overall, the findings suggest that radiation impairs contractility via mucosal regulatory mechanisms independent of the development of radiation cystitis.

  2. ARC-1986-A86-7022

    NASA Image and Video Library

    1986-01-25

    P-29506BW Range: 1.12 million kilometers (690,000 miles) This high-resolution image of the epsilon ring of Uranus is a clear-filter picture from Voyager's narrow-angle camera and has a resolution of about 10 km (6 mi). The epsilon ring, approx. 100 km (60 mi) wide at this location, clearly shows a structural variation. Visible here are a broad, bright outer component about 40 km (25 mi) wide; a darker, middle region of comparable width; and a narrow, bright inner strip about 15 km (9 mi) wide. The epsilon-ring structure seen by Voyager is similiar to that observed from the ground with stellar-occultation techniques. This frame represents the first Voyager image that resolves these features within the epsilon ring. The occasional fuzzy splotches on the outer and innerparts of the ring are artifacts left by the removal of reseau marks (used for making measurements on the image).

  3. Air Stripping Designs and Reactive Water Purification Processes for the Lunar Surface

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Boul, Peter J.; Lange, Kevin; Conger, Bruce; Anderson, Molly

    2010-01-01

    Air stripping designs are considered to reduce the presence of volatile organic compounds in the purified water. Components of the wastewater streams are ranked by Henry's Law Constant and the suitability of air stripping in the purification of wastewater in terms of component removal is evaluated. Distillation processes are modeled in tandem with air stripping to demonstrate the potential effectiveness and utility of these methods in recycling wastewater on the Moon. Scaling factors for distillation and air stripping columns are presented to account for the difference in the lunar gravitation environment. Commercially available distillation and air stripping units which are considered suitable for Exploration Life Support are presented. The advantages to the various designs are summarized with respect to water purity levels, power consumption, and processing rates. An evaluation of reactive distillation and air stripping is presented with regards to the reduction of volatile organic compounds in the contaminated water and air. Among the methods presented, an architecture is presented for the evaluation of the simultaneous oxidation of organics in air and water. These and other designs are presented in light of potential improvements in power consumptions and air and water purities for architectures which include catalytic activity integrated into the water processor. In particular, catalytic oxidation of organics may be useful as a tool to remove contaminants that more traditional distillation and/or air stripping columns may not remove. A review of the current leading edge at the commercial level and at the research frontier in catalytically active materials is presented. Themes and directions from the engineering developments in catalyst design are presented conceptually in light of developments in the nanoscale chemistry of a variety of catalyst materials.

  4. In-situ conditioning of a strip casting roll

    DOEpatents

    Williams, Robert S.; Campbell, Steven L.

    1997-01-01

    A strip caster (10) for producing a continuous strip (24) has a tundish (12) for containing a melt (14) and a pair of horizontally disposed water cooled casting rolls (22). The casting rolls are juxtaposed relative to one another for forming a pouring basin (18) for receiving the melt through a teeming tube (16) thereby establishing a meniscus (20) between the rolls for forming a strip (24). The melt is protected from the outside air by a non-oxidizing gas passed through a supply line (28) to a sealing chamber (26). Devices (29) for conditioning the outer peripheral chill surfaces of the casting rolls includes grit blasting nozzles (30A, 30B, 30C, 30D), a collection trough (32) for gathering the grit, a line (34) for recycling the grit to a bag house (36), a feeder (38) and a pressurized distributor (40) for delivering the grit to the nozzles. The conditioning nozzles remove dirt, metal oxides and surface imperfections providing a clean surface readily wetted by the melt.

  5. In-situ conditioning of a strip casting roll

    DOEpatents

    Williams, R.S.; Campbell, S.L.

    1997-07-29

    A strip caster (10) for producing a continuous strip (24) has a tundish (12) for containing a melt (14) and a pair of horizontally disposed water cooled casting rolls (22). The casting rolls are juxtaposed relative to one another for forming a pouring basin (18) for receiving the melt through a teeming tube (16) thereby establishing a meniscus (20) between the rolls for forming a strip (24). The melt is protected from the outside air by a non-oxidizing gas passed through a supply line (28) to a sealing chamber (26). Devices (29) for conditioning the outer peripheral chill surfaces of the casting rolls includes grit blasting nozzles (30A, 30B, 30C, 30D), a collection trough (32) for gathering the grit, a line (34) for recycling the grit to a bag house (36), a feeder (38) and a pressurized distributor (40) for delivering the grit to the nozzles. The conditioning nozzles remove dirt, metal oxides and surface imperfections providing a clean surface readily wetted by the melt.

  6. Outcomes of endothelial keratoplasty in pseudophakic corneal oedema: with or without Descemet's membrane stripping.

    PubMed

    Mohamed, Ashik; Ks, Anil Raj; Chaurasia, Sunita; Ramappa, Muralidhar

    2016-06-01

    To evaluate and compare outcomes of Descemet's stripping endothelial keratoplasty (DSEK) with non-DSEK (nDSEK) in pseudophakic corneal oedema (PCE). The study was a prospective, non-consecutive, comparative, interventional case series. Twenty-six patients with PCE were randomised into two groups. Group 1 comprised of those cases that had undergone conventional DSEK, and group 2 consisted of those that had nDSEK for PCE between 2010 and 2012. The data on demographics and clinical characteristics were collected from all patients. Any intraoperative and early and late postoperative complications were also noted. The primary outcome measure was postoperative functional success. Graft survival and complications were analysed as secondary outcomes. The median best-corrected visual acuities at 6 months postoperatively in groups 1 and 2 were 0.18 (IQR 0.10-0.30) and 0.44 (IQR 0.18-0.51), respectively (p=0.11). Corneal oedema cleared in all patients. During the early postoperative period, a patient in group 2 had lenticule detachment managed by rebubbling. nDSEK has outcomes similar to DSEK in PCE with advantages of decreased surgical time and avoidance of inadvertent pull on the posterior stromal fibres that may occur during Descemet's stripping. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

  7. Device for cutting protrusions

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

    Bzorgi, Fariborz M

    An apparatus for clipping a protrusion of material is provided. The protrusion may, for example, be a bolt head, a nut, a rivet, a weld bead, or a temporary assembly alignment tab protruding from a substrate surface of assembled components. The apparatus typically includes a cleaver having a cleaving edge and a cutting blade having a cutting edge. Generally, a mounting structure configured to confine the cleaver and the cutting blade and permit a range of relative movement between the cleaving edge and the cutting edge is provided. Also typically included is a power device coupled to the cutting blade.more » The power device is configured to move the cutting edge toward the cleaving edge. In some embodiments the power device is activated by a momentary switch. A retraction device is also generally provided, where the retraction device is configured to move the cutting edge away from the cleaving edge.« less

  8. Development of Temporary Rumble Strip Specifications

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2016-02-01

    The objective of this study was to develop specifications for portable reusable temporary rumble strips for their applications in different work zone settings in Kansas. A detailed literature review, a survey of practice, and a closed-course test wer...

  9. Experimental Investigation on Cutting Characteristics in Nanometric Plunge-Cutting of BK7 and Fused Silica Glasses

    PubMed Central

    An, Qinglong; Ming, Weiwei; Chen, Ming

    2015-01-01

    Ductile cutting are most widely used in fabricating high-quality optical glass components to achieve crack-free surfaces. For ultra-precision machining of brittle glass materials, critical undeformed chip thickness (CUCT) commonly plays a pivotal role in determining the transition point from ductile cutting to brittle cutting. In this research, cutting characteristics in nanometric cutting of BK7 and fused silica glasses, including machined surface morphology, surface roughness, cutting force and specific cutting energy, were investigated with nanometric plunge-cutting experiments. The same cutting speed of 300 mm/min was used in the experiments with single-crystal diamond tool. CUCT was determined according to the mentioned cutting characteristics. The results revealed that 320 nm was found as the CUCT in BK7 cutting and 50 nm was determined as the size effect of undeformed chip thickness. A high-quality machined surface could be obtained with the undeformed chip thickness between 50 and 320 nm at ductile cutting stage. Moreover, no CUCT was identified in fused silica cutting with the current cutting conditions, and brittle-fracture mechanism was confirmed as the predominant chip-separation mode throughout the nanometric cutting operation. PMID:28788010

  10. Experimental Investigation on Cutting Characteristics in Nanometric Plunge-Cutting of BK7 and Fused Silica Glasses.

    PubMed

    An, Qinglong; Ming, Weiwei; Chen, Ming

    2015-03-27

    Ductile cutting are most widely used in fabricating high-quality optical glass components to achieve crack-free surfaces. For ultra-precision machining of brittle glass materials, critical undeformed chip thickness (CUCT) commonly plays a pivotal role in determining the transition point from ductile cutting to brittle cutting. In this research, cutting characteristics in nanometric cutting of BK7 and fused silica glasses, including machined surface morphology, surface roughness, cutting force and specific cutting energy, were investigated with nanometric plunge-cutting experiments. The same cutting speed of 300 mm/min was used in the experiments with single-crystal diamond tool. CUCT was determined according to the mentioned cutting characteristics. The results revealed that 320 nm was found as the CUCT in BK7 cutting and 50 nm was determined as the size effect of undeformed chip thickness. A high-quality machined surface could be obtained with the undeformed chip thickness between 50 and 320 nm at ductile cutting stage. Moreover, no CUCT was identified in fused silica cutting with the current cutting conditions, and brittle-fracture mechanism was confirmed as the predominant chip-separation mode throughout the nanometric cutting operation.

  11. Detection of Bacteria Using Inkjet-Printed Enzymatic Test Strips

    PubMed Central

    2015-01-01

    Low-cost diagnostics for drinking water contamination have the potential to save millions of lives. We report a method that uses inkjet printing to copattern an enzyme–nanoparticle sensor and substrate on a paper-based test strip for rapid detection of bacteria. A colorimetric response is generated on the paper substrate that allows visual detection of contamination without the need for expensive instrumentation. These strips demonstrate a viable nanomanufacturing strategy for low-cost bacterial detection. PMID:25318086

  12. Stress-anneal-induced magnetic anisotropy in highly textured Fe-Ga and Fe-Al magnetostrictive strips for bending-mode vibrational energy harvesters

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Park, Jung Jin; Na, Suok-Min; Raghunath, Ganesh; Flatau, Alison B.

    2016-05-01

    Magnetostrictive Fe-Ga and Fe-Al alloys are promising materials for use in bending-mode vibrational energy harvesters. For this study, 50.8 mm × 5.0 mm × 0.5 mm strips of Fe-Ga and Fe-Al were cut from 0.50-mm thick rolled sheet. An atmospheric anneal was used to develop a Goss texture through an abnormal grain growth process. The anneal lead to large (011) grains that covered over 90% of sample surface area. The resulting highly-textured Fe-Ga and Fe-Al strips exhibited saturation magnetostriction values (λsat = λ∥ - λ⊥) of ˜280 ppm and ˜130 ppm, respectively. To maximize 90° rotation of magnetic moments during bending of the strips, we employed compressive stress annealing (SA). Samples were heated to 500°C, and a 100-150 MPa compressive stress was applied while at 500°C for 30 minutes and while being cooled. The effectiveness of the SA on magnetic moment rotation was inferred by comparing post-SA magnetostriction with the maximum possible yield of rotated magnetic moments, which is achieved when λ∥ = λsat and λ⊥ = 0. The uniformity of the SA along the sample length and the impact of the SA on sensing/energy harvesting performance were then assessed by comparing pre- and post-SA bending-stress-induced changes in magnetization at five different locations along the samples. The SA process with a 150 MPa compressive load improved Fe-Ga actuation along the sample length from 170 to 225 ppm (from ˜60% to within ˜80% of λsat). The corresponding sensing/energy harvesting performance improved by as much as a factor of eight in the best sample, however the improvement was not at all uniform along the sample length. The SA process with a 100 MPa compressive load improved Fe-Al actuation along the sample length from 60 to 73 ppm (from ˜46% to ˜56% of λsat, indicating only a marginally effective SA and suggesting the need for modification of the SA protocol. In spite of this, the SA was effective at improving the sensing/energy harvesting

  13. Investigation of Mercury Reduction in Gold Stripping Process at Elevated Temperature

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pramudya, Irawan

    Mercury is present in many gold ores. By processing these ores, there is a potential of emitting mercury to the environment. Carbon regeneration kiln stacks have been observed as one of the primary source of mercury emission into the atmosphere. Before it is recycled back into the carbon in leach (CIL) or carbon in columns (CIC), carbon used in the gold extraction process needs to be reactivated thermally. Emission of mercury can be minimized by keeping the mercury left in the carbon low before it goes to the carbon regeneration kiln stacks. The objective of this study is establishing the optimum elution conditions of mercury cyanide from loaded carbon (which includes the eluent, concentration, temperature and elution time) with respect to gold stripping. Several methods such as acid washing (UNR-100, HCl or ethanol/UNR-100) were investigated prior to the stripping process. Furthermore, conventional pressurized Zadra and modified Zadra were also studied with regards to mercury concentration in the solution and vapor state as well as maximizing the gold stripping from industrial loaded carbon. 7% UNR-100 acid washing of loaded carbon at 80°C was able to wash out approximately 90% of mercury while maintaining the gold adsorption on the carbon (selective washing). The addition of alcohol in the UNR-100 acid washing solution was able to enhance mercury washing from 90% to 97%. Furthermore, mercury stripping using conventional pressurized (cyanide-alkaline) Zadra was best performed at 80°C (minimal amount of mercury reduced and volatilized) whereas using the same process only 40% of gold was stripped, which makes this process not viable. When alcohol was added to the stripping solution, at 80°C, 95% of gold was detected in the solution while keeping the reduction and volatilization of mercury low. The outcome of this study provides a better understanding of mercury behavior during the acid washing and stripping processes so that the risk of mercury exposure and

  14. Strip casting with fluxing agent applied to casting roll

    DOEpatents

    Williams, Robert S.; O'Malley, Ronald J.; Sussman, Richard C.

    1997-01-01

    A strip caster (10) for producing a continuous strip (24) includes a tundish (12) for containing a melt (14), a pair of horizontally disposed water cooled casting rolls (22) and devices (29) for electrostatically coating the outer peripheral chill surfaces (44) of the casting rolls with a powder flux material (56). The casting rolls are juxtaposed relative to one another for forming a pouting basin (18) for receiving the melt through a teeming tube (16) thereby establishing a meniscus (20) between the rolls for forming the strip. The melt is protected from the outside air by a non-oxidizing gas passed through a supply line (28) to a sealing chamber (26). A preferred flux is boron oxide having a melting point of about 550.degree. C. The flux coating enhances wetting of the steel melt to the casting roll and dissolves any metal oxide formed on the roll.

  15. Radiographic Severity of Rheumatoid Arthritis in African-Americans: Results from the CLEAR Registry

    PubMed Central

    Bridges, S. Louis; Causey, Zenoria L.; Burgos, Paula I.; Huynh, B. Quynh N.; Hughes, Laura B.; Danila, Maria I.; van Everdingen, Amalia; Ledbetter, Stephanie; Conn, Doyt L.; Tamhane, Ashutosh; Westfall, Andrew O.; Jonas, Beth L.; Callahan, Leigh F.; Smith, Edwin A.; Brasington, Richard; Moreland, Larry W.; Alarcón, Graciela S.; van der Heijde, Désirée M.

    2010-01-01

    Objective To describe radiographic changes in African-Americans with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) from the CLEAR (Consortium for the Longitudinal Evaluation of African-Americans with Early Rheumatoid Arthritis) Registry, a multicenter observational study. Methods Self-declared African-American patients, were enrolled in CLEAR I, a longitudinal cohort of early RA (disease duration <2 years) from 2000 to 2005; or in CLEAR II, a cross-sectional cohort (any disease duration), from 2006 to the present. Demographic and clinical data were obtained, and sets of hand/wrist and foot radiographs were scored using the modified Sharp/van der Heijde scoring system. Results A total of 357 and 418 patients, respectively, have been enrolled into CLEAR I and CLEAR II. We report here an interim analysis of radiographic severity in these patients. For the CLEAR I cohort, 294 patients had a mean radiographic score of 2.89 at the baseline visit; 32.0% showed either erosions (25.9%) or joint space narrowing (JSN) (19.4%). At the 36-month visit the mean score was 5.65; 44.2% had erosions, 41.5% JSN and 55.4% had either. Among those patients without radiographic damage at baseline, 18.9% had progressed at the 36-month visit, compared to 57.1% of those with baseline damage (p<0.0001). For the CLEAR II cohort, 167 patients with RA of any duration, 65.3% exhibited joint erosions, 65.3% JSN and 74.8% exhibited either. The mean radiographic score was 33.42. Conclusion This is the largest radiographic study of African American RA patients. Damage occurs early in the disease and is associated with radiographic progression at 3 years of disease duration. The CLEAR Registry will provide a valuable resource for future analyses of genetic, clinical, and environmental factors associated with radiographic severity of RA in African-Americans. PMID:20461784

  16. Si-strip photon counting detectors for contrast-enhanced spectral mammography

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chen, Buxin; Reiser, Ingrid; Wessel, Jan C.; Malakhov, Nail; Wawrzyniak, Gregor; Hartsough, Neal E.; Gandhi, Thulasi; Chen, Chin-Tu; Iwanczyk, Jan S.; Barber, William C.

    2015-08-01

    We report on the development of silicon strip detectors for energy-resolved clinical mammography. Typically, X-ray integrating detectors based on scintillating cesium iodide CsI(Tl) or amorphous selenium (a-Se) are used in most commercial systems. Recently, mammography instrumentation has been introduced based on photon counting Si strip detectors. The required performance for mammography in terms of the output count rate, spatial resolution, and dynamic range must be obtained with sufficient field of view for the application, thus requiring the tiling of pixel arrays and particular scanning techniques. Room temperature Si strip detector, operating as direct conversion x-ray sensors, can provide the required speed when connected to application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) operating at fast peaking times with multiple fixed thresholds per pixel, provided that the sensors are designed for rapid signal formation across the X-ray energy ranges of the application. We present our methods and results from the optimization of Si-strip detectors for contrast enhanced spectral mammography. We describe the method being developed for quantifying iodine contrast using the energy-resolved detector with fixed thresholds. We demonstrate the feasibility of the method by scanning an iodine phantom with clinically relevant contrast levels.

  17. Low material budget floating strip Micromegas for ion transmission radiography

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bortfeldt, J.; Biebel, O.; Flierl, B.; Hertenberger, R.; Klitzner, F.; Lösel, Ph.; Magallanes, L.; Müller, R.; Parodi, K.; Schlüter, T.; Voss, B.; Zibell, A.

    2017-02-01

    Floating strip Micromegas are high-accuracy and discharge insensitive gaseous detectors, able to track single particles at fluxes of 7 MHz/cm2 with 100 μm resolution. We developed low-material-budget detectors with one-dimensional strip readout, suitable for tracking at highest particle rates as encountered in medical ion transmission radiography or inner tracker applications. Recently we additionally developed Kapton-based floating strip Micromegas with two-dimensional strip readout, featuring an overall thickness of 0.011 X0. These detectors were tested in high-rate proton and carbon-ion beams at the tandem accelerator in Garching and the Heidelberg Ion-Beam Therapy Center, operated with an optimized Ne:CF4 gas mixture. By coupling the Micromegas detectors to a new scintillator based range detector, ion transmission radiographies of PMMA and tissue-equivalent phantoms were acquired. The range detector with 18 layers is read out via wavelength shifting fibers, coupled to a multi-anode photomultiplier. We present the performance of the Micromegas detectors with respect to timing and single plane track reconstruction using the μTPC method. We discuss the range resolution of the scintillator range telescope and present the image reconstruction capabilities of the combined system.

  18. Circuit Models for Inductive Strips in Fin-Line

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1989-12-01

    9875 SE523 35.9875 Ma6 12S.9075 12.0 .7975 120.1500 . 6034 30.1500 . 6034 30.1500 .7975 120.1SO0 13 9.~~~- - M II I I’ IT I II f j a I ; a ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ I I...42.553.1 .8174 132.55371 34 Table 12. Touchstone data file containing the computed scattering coefficients of anl inductive strip of length T= 200 mnils...6283 45.0422 .628H 45.0422 .7780 13S.0422 42 Table 20. Touchstone data file containing the computed scattering coefficients of anl inductive strip of

  19. Beam test of CSES silicon strip detector module

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhang, Da-Li; Lu, Hong; Wang, Huan-Yu; Li, Xin-Qiao; Xu, Yan-Bing; An, Zheng-Hua; Yu, Xiao-xia; Wang, Hui; Shi, Feng; Wang, Ping; Zhao, Xiao-Yun

    2017-05-01

    The silicon-strip tracker of the China Seismo-Electromagnetic Satellite (CSES) consists of two double-sided silicon strip detectors (DSSDs) which provide incident particle tracking information. A low-noise analog ASIC VA140 was used in this study for DSSD signal readout. A beam test on the DSSD module was performed at the Beijing Test Beam Facility of the Beijing Electron Positron Collider (BEPC) using a 400-800 MeV/c proton beam. The pedestal analysis results, RMSE noise, gain correction, and intensity distribution of incident particles of the DSSD module are presented. Supported by the XXX Civil Space Programme

  20. Occurrence and characterization of Salmonella from chicken nuggets, strips, and pelleted broiler feed.

    PubMed

    Bucher, O; Holley, R A; Ahmed, R; Tabor, H; Nadon, C; Ng, L K; D'Aoust, J Y

    2007-10-01

    Raw, frozen chicken nuggets and strips have been identified as a significant risk factor in contracting foodborne salmonellosis. Cases of salmonellosis as a result of consuming partly cooked chicken nuggets may be due in part to Salmonella strains originating in broiler feed. This study was undertaken to determine the occurrence and characterize the strains of Salmonella contaminating chicken nuggets, strips, and pelleted feeds, in an attempt to demonstrate whether the same Salmonella strains present in broiler feed could be isolated from raw, frozen chicken nuggets and strips available for human consumption. Salmonellae were recovered using the Health Canada MFHPB-20 method for the isolation and identification of Salmonella from foods. Strains were characterized by serotyping, phage typing, antimicrobial resistance typing (R-typing), and by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Salmonellae were isolated from 25-g samples in 27% (n=92) of nugget and strip samples, 95% (n=20) of chicken nugget meat samples, and from 9% (n=111) of pelleted feed samples. Salmonella Heidelberg, Salmonella Enteritidis, and Salmonella Orion were the most commonly isolated serovars from chicken nuggets and strips, nugget and strip meat, and pelleted broiler feeds, respectively. Salmonella Enteritidis phage type (PT) 13a with PFGE pattern SENXAI.0006 and R-type sensitive as well as Salmonella Enteritidis PT13a with PFGE pattern SENXAI.0068 and R-type sensitive were isolated from pelleted feed, and chicken nugget and strip meat in two separate instances. Data showed that Salmonella strains isolated from broiler feed were indistinguishable from strains isolated from packaged raw, frozen chicken nuggets and strips. However, results did not rule out the possibility that breeding stock or contamination during processing may have contributed to chicken meat contamination by Salmonella.