Field programmable gate arrays-based number plate binarization and adjustment for automatic number plate recognition systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhai, Xiaojun; Bensaali, Faycal; Sotudeh, Reza

2013-01-01

Number plate (NP) binarization and adjustment are important preprocessing stages in automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) systems and are used to link the number plate localization (NPL) and character segmentation stages. Successfully linking these two stages will improve the performance of the entire ANPR system. We present two optimized low-complexity NP binarization and adjustment algorithms. Efficient area/speed architectures based on the proposed algorithms are also presented and have been successfully implemented and tested using the Mentor Graphics RC240 FPGA development board, which together require only 9% of the available on-chip resources of a Virtex-4 FPGA, run with a maximum frequency of 95.8 MHz and are capable of processing one image in 0.07 to 0.17 ms.

Litter-Spinning Retarders

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilson, John C.

1995-01-01

Aerodynamic plates stop litter from spinning during hoisting by helicopter. Features of proposed litter-spinning retarders include convenience of deployment and independence from ground restraint. Retarder plate(s) folded flat against bottom of litter during storage or while litter is loaded. Plate(s) held in storage position by latch that releases manually or automatically as litter is hoisted. Upon release, springs move plates into deployed position.

The Automatic Measuring Machines and Ground-Based Astrometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sergeeva, T. P.

The introduction of the automatic measuring machines into the astronomical investigations a little more then a quarter of the century ago has increased essentially the range and the scale of projects which the astronomers could capable to realize since then. During that time, there have been dozens photographic sky surveys, which have covered all of the sky more then once. Due to high accuracy and speed of automatic measuring machines the photographic astrometry has obtained the opportunity to create the high precision catalogs such as CpC2. Investigations of the structure and kinematics of the stellar components of our Galaxy has been revolutionized in the last decade by the advent of automated plate measuring machines. But in an age of rapidly evolving electronic detectors and space-based catalogs, expected soon, one could think that the twilight hours of astronomical photography have become. On opposite of that point of view such astronomers as D.Monet (U.S.N.O.), L.G.Taff (STScI), M.K.Tsvetkov (IA BAS) and some other have contended the several ways of the photographic astronomy evolution. One of them sounds as: "...special efforts must be taken to extract useful information from the photographic archives before the plates degrade and the technology required to measure them disappears". Another is the minimization of the systematic errors of ground-based star catalogs by employment of certain reduction technology and a dense enough and precise space-based star reference catalogs. In addition to that the using of the higher resolution and quantum efficiency emulsions such as Tech Pan and some of the new methods of processing of the digitized information hold great promise for future deep (B<25) surveys (Bland-Hawthorn et al. 1993, AJ, 106, 2154). Thus not only the hard working of all existing automatic measuring machines is apparently needed but the designing, development and employment of a new generation of portable, mobile scanners is very necessary. The classification, main parameters of some modern automatic measuring machines, developed with them scientific researches and some of the used methods of high accuracy, reliability and certainly ensuring are reported in that paper. This work are supported by Grant N U4I000 from International Science Foundation.

The "Smart Dining Table": Automatic Behavioral Tracking of a Meal with a Multi-Touch-Computer.

PubMed

Manton, Sean; Magerowski, Greta; Patriarca, Laura; Alonso-Alonso, Miguel

2016-01-01

Studying how humans eat in the context of a meal is important to understanding basic mechanisms of food intake regulation and can help develop new interventions for the promotion of healthy eating and prevention of obesity and eating disorders. While there are a number of methodologies available for behavioral evaluation of a meal, there is a need for new tools that can simplify data collection through automatic and online analysis. Also, there are currently no methods that leverage technology to add a dimension of interactivity to the meal table. In this study, we examined the feasibility of a new technology for automatic detection and classification of bites during a laboratory meal. We used a SUR40 multi-touch tabletop computer, powered by an infrared camera behind the screen. Tags were attached to three plates, allowing their positions to be tracked, and the saturation (a measure of the infrared intensity) in the surrounding region was measured. A Kinect camera was used to record the meals for manual verification and provide gesture detection for when the bites were taken. Bite detections triggered classification of the source plate by the SUR40 based on saturation flux in the preceding time window. Five healthy subjects (aged 20-40 years, one female) were tested, providing a total sample of 320 bites. Sensitivity, defined as the number of correctly detected bites out of the number of actual bites, was 67.5%. Classification accuracy, defined as the number of correctly classified bites out of those detected, was 82.4%. Due to the poor sensitivity, a second experiment was designed using a single plate and a Myo armband containing a nine-axis accelerometer as an alternative method for bite detection. The same subjects were tested (sample: 195 bites). Using a simple threshold on the pitch reading of the magnetometer, the Myo data achieved 86.1% sensitivity vs. 60.5% with the Kinect. Further, the precision of positive predictive value was 72.1% for the Myo vs. 42.8% for the Kinect. We conclude that the SUR40 + Myo combination is feasible for automatic detection and classification of bites with adequate accuracy for a range of applications.

[Medical image elastic registration smoothed by unconstrained optimized thin-plate spline].

PubMed

Zhang, Yu; Li, Shuxiang; Chen, Wufan; Liu, Zhexing

2003-12-01

Elastic registration of medical image is an important subject in medical image processing. Previous work has concentrated on selecting the corresponding landmarks manually and then using thin-plate spline interpolating to gain the elastic transformation. However, the landmarks extraction is always prone to error, which will influence the registration results. Localizing the landmarks manually is also difficult and time-consuming. We the optimization theory to improve the thin-plate spline interpolation, and based on it, used an automatic method to extract the landmarks. Combining these two steps, we have proposed an automatic, exact and robust registration method and have gained satisfactory registration results.

A novel automatic full-scale inspecting system for banknote printing plates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Jian; Feng, Li; Lu, Jibing; Qin, Qingwang; Liu, Liquan; Liu, Huina

2018-01-01

Quality assurance of banknote printing plates is an important issue for the corporation which produces them. Every plate must be checked carefully and entirely before it's sent to the banknote printing factory. Previously the work is done by specific workers, usually with the help of powder and magnifiers, and often lasts for 3 to 4 hours for a 5*7 plate with the size of about 650*500 square millimeters. Now we have developed an automatic inspecting system to replace human work. The system mainly includes a stable platform, an electrical subsystem and an inspecting subsystem. A microscope held by the crossbeam can move around in the x-y-z space over the platform. A digital camera combined with the microscope captures gray digital images of the plate. The size of each digital image is 2672*4008, and each pixel corresponds to about 2.9*2.9 square microns area of the plate. The plate is inspected by each unit, and corresponding images are captured at the same relative position. Thousands of images are captured for one plate (for example, 4200 (120*5*7) for a 5*7 plate). The inspecting model images are generated from images of qualified plates, and then used to inspect indeterminate plates. The system costs about 64 minutes to inspect a plate, and identifies obvious defects.

Improvement in automatic postural coordination following alexander technique lessons in a person with low back pain.

PubMed

Cacciatore, Timothy W; Horak, Fay B; Henry, Sharon M

2005-06-01

The relationship between abnormal postural coordination and back pain is unclear. The Alexander Technique (AT) aims to improve postural coordination by using conscious processes to alter automatic postural coordination and ongoing muscular activity, and it has been reported to reduce low back pain. This case report describes the use of the AT with a client with low back pain and the observed changes in automatic postural responses and back pain. The client was a 49-year-old woman with a 25-year history of left-sided, idiopathic, lumbrosacral back pain. Automatic postural coordination was measured using a force plate during horizontal platform translations and one-legged standing. The client was tested monthly for 4 months before AT lessons and for 3 months after lessons. Before lessons, she consistently had laterally asymmetric automatic postural responses to translations. After AT lessons, the magnitude and asymmetry of her responses and balance improved and her low back pain decreased. Further research is warranted to study whether AT lessons improve low back pain-associated abnormalities in automatic postural coordination and whether improving automatic postural coordination helps to reduce low back pain.

Empirical study on neural network based predictive techniques for automatic number plate recognition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shashidhara, M. S.; Indrakumar, S. S.

2011-10-01

The objective of this study is to provide an easy, accurate and effective technology for the Bangalore city traffic control. This is based on the techniques of image processing and laser beam technology. The core concept chosen here is an image processing technology by the method of automatic number plate recognition system. First number plate is recognized if any vehicle breaks the traffic rules in the signals. The number is fetched from the database of the RTO office by the process of automatic database fetching. Next this sends the notice and penalty related information to the vehicle owner email-id and an SMS sent to vehicle owner. In this paper, we use of cameras with zooming options & laser beams to get accurate pictures further applied image processing techniques such as Edge detection to understand the vehicle, Identifying the location of the number plate, Identifying the number plate for further use, Plain plate number, Number plate with additional information, Number plates in the different fonts. Accessing the database of the vehicle registration office to identify the name and address and other information of the vehicle number. The updates to be made to the database for the recording of the violation and penalty issues. A feed forward artificial neural network is used for OCR. This procedure is particularly important for glyphs that are visually similar such as '8' and '9' and results in training sets of between 25,000 and 40,000 training samples. Over training of the neural network is prevented by Bayesian regularization. The neural network output value is set to 0.05 when the input is not desired glyph, and 0.95 for correct input.

Development of software for computing forming information using a component based approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ko, Kwang Hee; Park, Jiing Seo; Kim, Jung; Kim, Young Bum; Shin, Jong Gye

2009-12-01

In shipbuilding industry, the manufacturing technology> has advanced at an unprecedented pace for the last decade. As a result, many automatic systems for cutting, welding, etc. have been developed and employed in the manufacturing process and accordingly the productivity has been increased drastically. Despite such improvement in the manufacturing technology', however, development of an automatic system for fabricating a curved hull plate remains at the beginning stage since hardware and software for the automation of the curved hull fabrication process should be developed differently depending on the dimensions of plates, forming methods and manufacturing processes of each shipyard. To deal with this problem, it is necessary> to create a "plug-in ''framework, which can adopt various kinds of hardware and software to construct a full automatic fabrication system. In this paper, a frame-work for automatic fabrication of curved hull plates is proposed, which consists of four components and related software. In particular the software module for computing fabrication information is developed by using the ooCBD development methodology; which can interface with other hardware and software with minimum effort. Examples of the proposed framework applied to medium and large shipyards are presented.

Extraction of guided wave dispersion curve in isotropic and anisotropic materials by Matrix Pencil method.

PubMed

Chang, C Y; Yuan, F G

2018-05-16

Guided wave dispersion curves in isotropic and anisotropic materials are extracted automatically from measured data by Matrix Pencil (MP) method investigating through k-t or x-ω domain with a broadband signal. A piezoelectric wafer emits a broadband excitation, linear chirp signal to generate guided waves in the plate. The propagating waves are measured at discrete locations along the lines for one-dimensional laser Doppler vibrometer (1-D LDV). Measurements are first Fourier transformed into either wavenumber-time k-t domain or space-frequency x-ω domain. MP method is then employed to extract the dispersion curves explicitly associated with different wave modes. In addition, the phase and group velocity are deduced by the relations between wavenumbers and frequencies. In this research, the inspections for dispersion relations on an aluminum plate by MP method from k-t or x-ω domain are demonstrated and compared with two-dimensional Fourier transform (2-D FFT). Other experiments on a thicker aluminum plate for higher modes and a composite plate are analyzed by MP method. Extracted relations of composite plate are confirmed by three-dimensional (3-D) theoretical curves computed numerically. The results explain that the MP method not only shows more accuracy for distinguishing the dispersion curves on isotropic material, but also obtains good agreements with theoretical curves on anisotropic and laminated materials. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Cost/benefit analysis of electronic license plates

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2008-06-01

The objective of this report is to determine whether electronic vehicle recognition systems (EVR) or automatic license plate recognition systems (ALPR) would be beneficial to the Arizona Department of Transportation (AZDOT). EVR uses radio frequency ...

Automatic locking orthotic knee device

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Weddendorf, Bruce C. (Inventor)

1993-01-01

An articulated tang in clevis joint for incorporation in newly manufactured conventional strap-on orthotic knee devices or for replacing such joints in conventional strap-on orthotic knee devices is discussed. The instant tang in clevis joint allows the user the freedom to extend and bend the knee normally when no load (weight) is applied to the knee and to automatically lock the knee when the user transfers weight to the knee, thus preventing a damaged knee from bending uncontrollably when weight is applied to the knee. The tang in clevis joint of the present invention includes first and second clevis plates, a tang assembly and a spacer plate secured between the clevis plates. Each clevis plate includes a bevelled serrated upper section. A bevelled shoe is secured to the tank in close proximity to the bevelled serrated upper section of the clevis plates. A coiled spring mounted within an oblong bore of the tang normally urges the shoes secured to the tang out of engagement with the serrated upper section of each clevic plate to allow rotation of the tang relative to the clevis plate. When weight is applied to the joint, the load compresses the coiled spring, the serrations on each clevis plate dig into the bevelled shoes secured to the tang to prevent relative movement between the tang and clevis plates. A shoulder is provided on the tang and the spacer plate to prevent overextension of the joint.

Study of the time and effort signal in cutting operations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grosset, E.; Maillard, A.; Bouhelier, C.; Gasnier, J.

1990-02-01

Perception and treatment of an effort signal by computer methods is discussed. An automatic control system used to measure the wear of machine tools and carry out quality control throughout the cutting process is described. The testing system is used to evaluate the performance of tools which have been vacuum plated. The system is used as part of the BRITE study, the goal of which is to develop an expert system for measuring the wear of tools used during drilling and perforation operations.

Thermal monitoring, measurement, and control system for a Volatile Condensable Materials (VCM) test apparatus

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ives, R. E.

1982-01-01

A thermal monitoring and control concept is described for a volatile condensable materials (VCM) test apparatus where electric resistance heaters are employed. The technique is computer based, but requires only proportioning ON/OFF relay control signals supplied through a programmable scanner and simple quadrac power controllers. System uniqueness is derived from automatic temperature measurements and the averaging of these measurements in discrete overlapping temperature zones. Overall control tolerance proves to be better than + or - 0.5 C from room ambient temperature to 150 C. Using precisely calibrated thermocouples, the method provides excellent temperature control of a small copper VCM heating plate at 125 + or - 0.2 C over a 24 hr test period. For purposes of unattended operation, the programmable computer/controller provides a continual data printout of system operation. Real time operator command is also provided for, as is automatic shutdown of the system and operator alarm in the event of malfunction.

SHIELD: FITGALAXY -- A Software Package for Automatic Aperture Photometry of Extended Sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marshall, Melissa

2013-01-01

Determining the parameters of extended sources, such as galaxies, is a common but time-consuming task. Finding a photometric aperture that encompasses the majority of the flux of a source and identifying and excluding contaminating objects is often done by hand - a lengthy and difficult to reproduce process. To make extracting information from large data sets both quick and repeatable, I have developed a program called FITGALAXY, written in IDL. This program uses minimal user input to automatically fit an aperture to, and perform aperture and surface photometry on, an extended source. FITGALAXY also automatically traces the outlines of surface brightness thresholds and creates surface brightness profiles, which can then be used to determine the radial properties of a source. Finally, the program performs automatic masking of contaminating sources. Masks and apertures can be applied to multiple images (regardless of the WCS solution or plate scale) in order to accurately measure the same source at different wavelengths. I present the fluxes, as measured by the program, of a selection of galaxies from the Local Volume Legacy Survey. I then compare these results with the fluxes given by Dale et al. (2009) in order to assess the accuracy of FITGALAXY.

49 CFR 238.119 - Rim-stamped straight-plate wheels.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... input to the wheel during braking. (b) A rim-stamped straight-plate wheel shall not be used as a... that is periodically tread-braked for a short duration by automatic circuitry for the sole purpose of...

Corner detection and sorting method based on improved Harris algorithm in camera calibration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiao, Ying; Wang, Yonghong; Dan, Xizuo; Huang, Anqi; Hu, Yue; Yang, Lianxiang

2016-11-01

In traditional Harris corner detection algorithm, the appropriate threshold which is used to eliminate false corners is selected manually. In order to detect corners automatically, an improved algorithm which combines Harris and circular boundary theory of corners is proposed in this paper. After detecting accurate corner coordinates by using Harris algorithm and Forstner algorithm, false corners within chessboard pattern of the calibration plate can be eliminated automatically by using circular boundary theory. Moreover, a corner sorting method based on an improved calibration plate is proposed to eliminate false background corners and sort remaining corners in order. Experiment results show that the proposed algorithms can eliminate all false corners and sort remaining corners correctly and automatically.

Identification of damage in plates using full-field measurement with a continuously scanning laser Doppler vibrometer system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Da-Ming; Xu, Y. F.; Zhu, W. D.

2018-05-01

An effective and reliable damage identification method for plates with a continuously scanning laser Doppler vibrometer (CSLDV) system is proposed. A new constant-speed scan algorithm is proposed to create a two-dimensional (2D) scan trajectory and automatically scan a whole plate surface. Full-field measurement of the plate can be achieved by applying the algorithm to the CSLDV system. Based on the new scan algorithm, the demodulation method is extended from one dimension for beams to two dimensions for plates to obtain a full-field operating deflection shape (ODS) of the plate from velocity response measured by the CSLDV system. The full-field ODS of an associated undamaged plate is obtained by using polynomials with proper orders to fit the corresponding full-field ODS from the demodulation method. A curvature damage index (CDI) using differences between curvatures of ODSs (CODSs) associated with ODSs that are obtained by the demodulation method and the polynomial fit is proposed to identify damage. An auxiliary CDI obtained by averaging CDIs at different excitation frequencies is defined to further assist damage identification. An experiment of an aluminum plate with damage in the form of 10.5% thickness reduction in a damage area of 0.86% of the whole scan area is conducted to investigate the proposed method. Six frequencies close to natural frequencies of the plate and one randomly selected frequency are used as sinusoidal excitation frequencies. Two 2D scan trajectories, i.e., a horizontally moving 2D scan trajectory and a vertically moving 2D scan trajectory, are used to obtain ODSs, CODSs, and CDIs of the plate. The damage is successfully identified near areas with consistently high values of CDIs at different excitation frequencies along the two 2D scan trajectories; the damage area is also identified by auxiliary CDIs.

Demonstration of accuracy and clinical versatility of mutual information for automatic multimodality image fusion using affine and thin-plate spline warped geometric deformations.

PubMed

Meyer, C R; Boes, J L; Kim, B; Bland, P H; Zasadny, K R; Kison, P V; Koral, K; Frey, K A; Wahl, R L

1997-04-01

This paper applies and evaluates an automatic mutual information-based registration algorithm across a broad spectrum of multimodal volume data sets. The algorithm requires little or no pre-processing, minimal user input and easily implements either affine, i.e. linear or thin-plate spline (TPS) warped registrations. We have evaluated the algorithm in phantom studies as well as in selected cases where few other algorithms could perform as well, if at all, to demonstrate the value of this new method. Pairs of multimodal gray-scale volume data sets were registered by iteratively changing registration parameters to maximize mutual information. Quantitative registration errors were assessed in registrations of a thorax phantom using PET/CT and in the National Library of Medicine's Visible Male using MRI T2-/T1-weighted acquisitions. Registrations of diverse clinical data sets were demonstrated including rotate-translate mapping of PET/MRI brain scans with significant missing data, full affine mapping of thoracic PET/CT and rotate-translate mapping of abdominal SPECT/CT. A five-point thin-plate spline (TPS) warped registration of thoracic PET/CT is also demonstrated. The registration algorithm converged in times ranging between 3.5 and 31 min for affine clinical registrations and 57 min for TPS warping. Mean error vector lengths for rotate-translate registrations were measured to be subvoxel in phantoms. More importantly the rotate-translate algorithm performs well even with missing data. The demonstrated clinical fusions are qualitatively excellent at all levels. We conclude that such automatic, rapid, robust algorithms significantly increase the likelihood that multimodality registrations will be routinely used to aid clinical diagnoses and post-therapeutic assessment in the near future.

The “Smart Dining Table”: Automatic Behavioral Tracking of a Meal with a Multi-Touch-Computer

PubMed Central

Manton, Sean; Magerowski, Greta; Patriarca, Laura; Alonso-Alonso, Miguel

2016-01-01

Studying how humans eat in the context of a meal is important to understanding basic mechanisms of food intake regulation and can help develop new interventions for the promotion of healthy eating and prevention of obesity and eating disorders. While there are a number of methodologies available for behavioral evaluation of a meal, there is a need for new tools that can simplify data collection through automatic and online analysis. Also, there are currently no methods that leverage technology to add a dimension of interactivity to the meal table. In this study, we examined the feasibility of a new technology for automatic detection and classification of bites during a laboratory meal. We used a SUR40 multi-touch tabletop computer, powered by an infrared camera behind the screen. Tags were attached to three plates, allowing their positions to be tracked, and the saturation (a measure of the infrared intensity) in the surrounding region was measured. A Kinect camera was used to record the meals for manual verification and provide gesture detection for when the bites were taken. Bite detections triggered classification of the source plate by the SUR40 based on saturation flux in the preceding time window. Five healthy subjects (aged 20–40 years, one female) were tested, providing a total sample of 320 bites. Sensitivity, defined as the number of correctly detected bites out of the number of actual bites, was 67.5%. Classification accuracy, defined as the number of correctly classified bites out of those detected, was 82.4%. Due to the poor sensitivity, a second experiment was designed using a single plate and a Myo armband containing a nine-axis accelerometer as an alternative method for bite detection. The same subjects were tested (sample: 195 bites). Using a simple threshold on the pitch reading of the magnetometer, the Myo data achieved 86.1% sensitivity vs. 60.5% with the Kinect. Further, the precision of positive predictive value was 72.1% for the Myo vs. 42.8% for the Kinect. We conclude that the SUR40 + Myo combination is feasible for automatic detection and classification of bites with adequate accuracy for a range of applications. PMID:26903934

Development of a microbial high-throughput screening instrument based on elastic light scatter patterns

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bae, Euiwon; Patsekin, Valery; Rajwa, Bartek; Bhunia, Arun K.; Holdman, Cheryl; Davisson, V. Jo; Hirleman, E. Daniel; Robinson, J. Paul

2012-04-01

A microbial high-throughput screening (HTS) system was developed that enabled high-speed combinatorial studies directly on bacterial colonies. The system consists of a forward scatterometer for elastic light scatter (ELS) detection, a plate transporter for sample handling, and a robotic incubator for automatic incubation. To minimize the ELS pattern-capturing time, a new calibration plate and correction algorithms were both designed, which dramatically reduced correction steps during acquisition of the circularly symmetric ELS patterns. Integration of three different control software programs was implemented, and the performance of the system was demonstrated with single-species detection for library generation and with time-resolved measurement for understanding ELS colony growth correlation, using Escherichia coli and Listeria. An in-house colony-tracking module enabled researchers to easily understand the time-dependent variation of the ELS from identical colony, which enabled further analysis in other biochemical experiments. The microbial HTS system provided an average scan time of 4.9 s per colony and the capability of automatically collecting more than 4000 ELS patterns within a 7-h time span.

Implementation Plan for Flexible Automation in U.S. Shipyards

DTIC Science & Technology

1985-01-01

process steps, cramped work sites, interrupted geometries , irregular or novel shapes, and other factors that affect automatability. We also try to...held by 2 hands in awkward places. Interrupt geometry of plates and beams. Cannot predict outcome. Creates need to measure and recut. Automation, if...of standard. enough over time I every job. I Rearrange work.Redefine work units. Too many interruptions Time, space, geometry only a little work gets

The Effect of Nozzle Design and Operating Conditions on the Atomization and Distribution of Fuel Sprays

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, Dana W

1933-01-01

The atomization and distribution characteristics of fuel sprays from automatic injection valves for compression-ignition engines were determined by catching the fuel drops on smoked-glass plates, and then measuring and counting the impressions made in the lampblack. The experiments were made in an air-tight chamber in which the air density was raised to values corresponding to engine conditions.

Reduction of astrographic catalogues

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stock, J.; Prugna, F. D.; Cova, J.

1984-01-01

An automatic program for the reduction of overlapping Carte du Ciel plates is described. The projection and transformation equations are given and the RAA subprogram flow is outlined. The program was applied to two different sets of data, namely to nine overlapping plates of the Cape Zone of the CdC, and to fifteen plates taken with the CIDA-refractor of the open cluster Tr10.

Hybrid neuro-fuzzy approach for automatic vehicle license plate recognition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Hsi-Chieh; Jong, Chung-Shi

1998-03-01

Most currently available vehicle identification systems use techniques such as R.F., microwave, or infrared to help identifying the vehicle. Transponders are usually installed in the vehicle in order to transmit the corresponding information to the sensory system. It is considered expensive to install a transponder in each vehicle and the malfunction of the transponder will result in the failure of the vehicle identification system. In this study, novel hybrid approach is proposed for automatic vehicle license plate recognition. A system prototype is built which can be used independently or cooperating with current vehicle identification system in identifying a vehicle. The prototype consists of four major modules including the module for license plate region identification, the module for character extraction from the license plate, the module for character recognition, and the module for the SimNet neuro-fuzzy system. To test the performance of the proposed system, three hundred and eighty vehicle image samples are taken by a digital camera. The license plate recognition success rate of the prototype is approximately 91% while the character recognition success rate of the prototype is approximately 97%.

Finite Element Analysis of Osteosynthesis Screw Fixation in the Bone Stock: An Appropriate Method for Automatic Screw Modelling

PubMed Central

Wieding, Jan; Souffrant, Robert; Fritsche, Andreas; Mittelmeier, Wolfram; Bader, Rainer

2012-01-01

The use of finite element analysis (FEA) has grown to a more and more important method in the field of biomedical engineering and biomechanics. Although increased computational performance allows new ways to generate more complex biomechanical models, in the area of orthopaedic surgery, solid modelling of screws and drill holes represent a limitation of their use for individual cases and an increase of computational costs. To cope with these requirements, different methods for numerical screw modelling have therefore been investigated to improve its application diversity. Exemplarily, fixation was performed for stabilization of a large segmental femoral bone defect by an osteosynthesis plate. Three different numerical modelling techniques for implant fixation were used in this study, i.e. without screw modelling, screws as solid elements as well as screws as structural elements. The latter one offers the possibility to implement automatically generated screws with variable geometry on arbitrary FE models. Structural screws were parametrically generated by a Python script for the automatic generation in the FE-software Abaqus/CAE on both a tetrahedral and a hexahedral meshed femur. Accuracy of the FE models was confirmed by experimental testing using a composite femur with a segmental defect and an identical osteosynthesis plate for primary stabilisation with titanium screws. Both deflection of the femoral head and the gap alteration were measured with an optical measuring system with an accuracy of approximately 3 µm. For both screw modelling techniques a sufficient correlation of approximately 95% between numerical and experimental analysis was found. Furthermore, using structural elements for screw modelling the computational time could be reduced by 85% using hexahedral elements instead of tetrahedral elements for femur meshing. The automatically generated screw modelling offers a realistic simulation of the osteosynthesis fixation with screws in the adjacent bone stock and can be used for further investigations. PMID:22470474

Directional emittance surface measurement system and process

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Puram, Chith K. (Inventor); Daryabeigi, Kamran (Inventor); Wright, Robert (Inventor); Alderfer, David W. (Inventor)

1994-01-01

Apparatus and process for measuring the variation of directional emittance of surfaces at various temperatures using a radiometric infrared imaging system. A surface test sample is coated onto a copper target plate provided with selective heating within the desired incremental temperature range to be tested and positioned onto a precision rotator to present selected inclination angles of the sample relative to the fixed positioned and optically aligned infrared imager. A thermal insulator holder maintains the target plate on the precision rotator. A screen display of the temperature obtained by the infrared imager, and inclination readings are provided with computer calculations of directional emittance being performed automatically according to equations provided to convert selected incremental target temperatures and inclination angles to relative target directional emittance values. The directional emittance of flat black lacquer and an epoxy resin measurements obtained are in agreement with the predictions of the electromagnetic theory and with directional emittance data inferred from directional reflectance measurements made on a spectrophotometer.

License Plate Recognition System for Indian Vehicles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sanap, P. R.; Narote, S. P.

2010-11-01

We consider the task of recognition of Indian vehicle number plates (also called license plates or registration plates in other countries). A system for Indian number plate recognition must cope with wide variations in the appearance of the plates. Each state uses its own range of designs with font variations between the designs. Also, vehicle owners may place the plates inside glass covered frames or use plates made of nonstandard materials. These issues compound the complexity of automatic number plate recognition, making existing approaches inadequate. We have developed a system that incorporates a novel combination of image processing and artificial neural network technologies to successfully locate and read Indian vehicle number plates in digital images. Commercial application of the system is envisaged.

Automatic thermal control switches. [for use in Space Shuttle borne Get Away Special container

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wing, L. D.

1982-01-01

Two automatic, flexible connection thermal control switches have been designed and tested in a thermal vacuum facility and in the Get Away Special (GAS) container flown on the third Shuttle flight. The switches are complementary in that one switch passes heat when the plate on which it is mounted exceeds some selected temperature and the other switch will pass heat only when the mounting plate temperature is below the selected value. Both switches are driven and controlled by phase-change capsule motors and require no other power source or thermal sensors.

FRACTIONATING COLUMN PRODUCT COLLECTOR CONTROL

DOEpatents

Paxson, G.D. Jr.

1964-03-10

Means for detecting minute fluid products from a chemical separation column and for advancing a collector tube rack in order to automatically separate and collect successive fractionated products are described. A charge is imposed on the forming drops at the column orifice to create an electric field as the drop falls in the vicinity of a sensing plate. The field is detected by an electrometer tube coupled to the plate causing an output signal to actuate rotation of a collector turntable rack, thereby positioning new collectors under the orifice. The invention provides reliable automatic collection independent of drop size, rate of fall, or chemical composition. (AEC)

In Vivo Precision of Digital Topological Skeletonization Based Individual Trabecula Segmentation (ITS) Analysis of Trabecular Microstructure at the Distal Radius and Tibia by HR-pQCT.

PubMed

Zhou, Bin; Zhang, Zhendong; Wang, Ji; Yu, Y Eric; Liu, Xiaowei Sherry; Nishiyama, Kyle K; Rubin, Mishaela R; Shane, Elizabeth; Bilezikian, John P; Guo, X Edward

2016-06-01

Trabecular plate and rod microstructure plays a dominant role in the apparent mechanical properties of trabecular bone. With high-resolution computed tomography (CT) images, digital topological analysis (DTA) including skeletonization and topological classification was applied to transform the trabecular three-dimensional (3D) network into surface and curve skeletons. Using the DTA-based topological analysis and a new reconstruction/recovery scheme, individual trabecula segmentation (ITS) was developed to segment individual trabecular plates and rods and quantify the trabecular plate- and rod-related morphological parameters. High-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography (HR-pQCT) is an emerging in vivo imaging technique to visualize 3D bone microstructure. Based on HR-pQCT images, ITS was applied to various HR-pQCT datasets to examine trabecular plate- and rod-related microstructure and has demonstrated great potential in cross-sectional and longitudinal clinical applications. However, the reproducibility of ITS has not been fully determined. The aim of the current study is to quantify the precision errors of ITS plate-rod microstructural parameters. In addition, we utilized three different frequently used contour techniques to separate trabecular and cortical bone and to evaluate their effect on ITS measurements. Overall, good reproducibility was found for the standard HR-pQCT parameters with precision errors for volumetric BMD and bone size between 0.2%-2.0%, and trabecular bone microstructure between 4.9%-6.7% at the radius and tibia. High reproducibility was also achieved for ITS measurements using all three different contour techniques. For example, using automatic contour technology, low precision errors were found for plate and rod trabecular number (pTb.N, rTb.N, 0.9% and 3.6%), plate and rod trabecular thickness (pTb.Th, rTb.Th, 0.6% and 1.7%), plate trabecular surface (pTb.S, 3.4%), rod trabecular length (rTb.ℓ, 0.8%), and plate-plate junction density (P-P Junc.D, 2.3%) at the tibia. The precision errors at the radius were similar to those at the tibia. In addition, precision errors were affected by the contour technique. At the tibia, precision error by the manual contour method was significantly different from automatic and standard contour methods for pTb.N, rTb.N and rTb.Th. Precision error using the manual contour method was also significantly different from the standard contour method for rod trabecular number (rTb.N), rod trabecular thickness (rTb.Th), rod-rod and plate-rod junction densities (R-R Junc.D and P-R Junc.D) at the tibia. At the radius, the precision error was similar between the three different contour methods. Image quality was also found to significantly affect the ITS reproducibility. We concluded that ITS parameters are highly reproducible, giving assurance that future cross-sectional and longitudinal clinical HR-pQCT studies are feasible in the context of limited sample sizes.

Variable thickness double-refracting plate

DOEpatents

Hadeishi, Tetsuo

1976-01-01

This invention provides an A.C., cyclic, current-controlled, phase retardation plate that uses a magnetic clamp to produce stress birefringence. It was developed for an Isotope-Zeeman Atomic Absorption Spectrometer that uses polarization modulation to effect automatic background correction in atomic absorption trace-element measurements. To this end, the phase retardation plate of the invention is a variable thickness, photoelastic, double-refracting plate that is alternately stressed and released by the magnetic clamp selectively to modulate specific components selected from the group consisting of circularly and plane polarized Zeeman components that are produced in a dc magnetic field so that they correspond respectively to Zeeman reference and transmission-probe absorption components. The polarization modulation changes the phase of these polarized Zeeman components, designated as .sigma. reference and .pi. absorption components, so that every half cycle the components change from a transmission mode to a mode in which the .pi. component is blocked and the .sigma. components are transmitted. Thus, the Zeeman absorption component, which corresponds in amplitude to the amount of the trace element to be measured in a sample, is alternately transmitted and blocked by a linear polarizer, while the circularly polarized reference components are continuously transmitted thereby. The result is a sinusoidally varying output light amplitude whose average corresponds to the amount of the trace element present in the sample.

Automatic counting and classification of bacterial colonies using hyperspectral imaging

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Detection and counting of bacterial colonies on agar plates is a routine microbiology practice to get a rough estimate of the number of viable cells in a sample. There have been a variety of different automatic colony counting systems and software algorithms mainly based on color or gray-scale pictu...

Automatic knee cartilage delineation using inheritable segmentation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dries, Sebastian P. M.; Pekar, Vladimir; Bystrov, Daniel; Heese, Harald S.; Blaffert, Thomas; Bos, Clemens; van Muiswinkel, Arianne M. C.

2008-03-01

We present a fully automatic method for segmentation of knee joint cartilage from fat suppressed MRI. The method first applies 3-D model-based segmentation technology, which allows to reliably segment the femur, patella, and tibia by iterative adaptation of the model according to image gradients. Thin plate spline interpolation is used in the next step to position deformable cartilage models for each of the three bones with reference to the segmented bone models. After initialization, the cartilage models are fine adjusted by automatic iterative adaptation to image data based on gray value gradients. The method has been validated on a collection of 8 (3 left, 5 right) fat suppressed datasets and demonstrated the sensitivity of 83+/-6% compared to manual segmentation on a per voxel basis as primary endpoint. Gross cartilage volume measurement yielded an average error of 9+/-7% as secondary endpoint. For cartilage being a thin structure, already small deviations in distance result in large errors on a per voxel basis, rendering the primary endpoint a hard criterion.

Array Automated Assembly Task Low Cost Silicon Solar Array Project, Phase 2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rhee, S. S.; Jones, G. T.; Allison, K. L.

1978-01-01

Progress in the development of solar cells and module process steps for low-cost solar arrays is reported. Specific topics covered include: (1) a system to automatically measure solar cell electrical performance parameters; (2) automation of wafer surface preparation, printing, and plating; (3) laser inspection of mechanical defects of solar cells; and (4) a silicon antireflection coating system. Two solar cell process steps, laser trimming and holing automation and spray-on dopant junction formation, are described.

Pc-based car license plate reading

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tanabe, Katsuyoshi; Marubayashi, Eisaku; Kawashima, Harumi; Nakanishi, Tadashi; Shio, Akio

1994-03-01

A PC-based car license plate recognition system has been developed. The system recognizes Chinese characters and Japanese phonetic hiragana characters as well as six digits on Japanese license plates. The system consists of a CCD camera, vehicle sensors, a strobe unit, a monitoring center, and an i486-based PC. The PC includes in its extension slots: a vehicle detector board, a strobe emitter board, and an image grabber board. When a passing vehicle is detected by the vehicle sensors, the strobe emits a pulse of light. The light pulse is synchronized with the time the vehicle image is frozen on an image grabber board. The recognition process is composed of three steps: image thresholding, character region extraction, and matching-based character recognition. The recognition software can handle obscured characters. Experimental results for hundreds of outdoor images showed high recognition performance within relatively short performance times. The results confirmed that the system is applicable to a wide variety of applications such as automatic vehicle identification and travel time measurement.

FON: From Start to Finish

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pakuliak, L. K.; Andruk, V. M.; Golovnia, V. V.; Shatokhina, S. V.; Yizhakevych, O. M.; Ivanov, G. A.; Yatsenko, A. I.; Sergeeva, T. P.

Almost 40-year history of FON project ended with the creation of the whole northern sky catalog of objects down to B ≤ 16.5m. The idea of 4-fold overlapping of the northern sky with 6 wide-field astrographs has not been realized in full. For historical reasons it has been transformed into the 2-fold overlapping observational program of MAO NAS of Ukraine, resulted in three versions of the multimillion catalog of positions, proper motions, and B-magnitudes of stars. The first version of 1.2 million stars had been finished before the 2000s and is based on the AC object list. The measurements of plates were made by automatic measuring complex PARSEC, specially developed for massive photographic reviews. As the input list was limited by AC objects, the most part of stars on the FON plates remained unmeasured. Principles of workflow organization of such works formed the basis for the further development of the project using the latest IT-technologies. For the creation of the second and the third versions of the catalog, the list of objects was obtained as a result of total digitizing of plates and their image processing. The final third version contains 19.5 million stars and galaxies with the maximum possible for the photographic astrometry accuracy. The collection of plates, obtained in other observatories - participants of the project, are partially safe and can be used for the same astrometric tasks.

A new license plate extraction framework based on fast mean shift

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pan, Luning; Li, Shuguang

2010-08-01

License plate extraction is considered to be the most crucial step of Automatic license plate recognition (ALPR) system. In this paper, a region-based license plate hybrid detection method is proposed to solve practical problems under complex background in which existing large quantity of disturbing information. In this method, coarse license plate location is carried out firstly to get the head part of a vehicle. Then a new Fast Mean Shift method based on random sampling of Kernel Density Estimate (KDE) is adopted to segment the color vehicle images, in order to get candidate license plate regions. The remarkable speed-up it brings makes Mean Shift segmentation more suitable for this application. Feature extraction and classification is used to accurately separate license plate from other candidate regions. At last, tilted license plate regulation is used for future recognition steps.

Benchmark for license plate character segmentation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gonçalves, Gabriel Resende; da Silva, Sirlene Pio Gomes; Menotti, David; Shwartz, William Robson

2016-09-01

Automatic license plate recognition (ALPR) has been the focus of many researches in the past years. In general, ALPR is divided into the following problems: detection of on-track vehicles, license plate detection, segmentation of license plate characters, and optical character recognition (OCR). Even though commercial solutions are available for controlled acquisition conditions, e.g., the entrance of a parking lot, ALPR is still an open problem when dealing with data acquired from uncontrolled environments, such as roads and highways when relying only on imaging sensors. Due to the multiple orientations and scales of the license plates captured by the camera, a very challenging task of the ALPR is the license plate character segmentation (LPCS) step, because its effectiveness is required to be (near) optimal to achieve a high recognition rate by the OCR. To tackle the LPCS problem, this work proposes a benchmark composed of a dataset designed to focus specifically on the character segmentation step of the ALPR within an evaluation protocol. Furthermore, we propose the Jaccard-centroid coefficient, an evaluation measure more suitable than the Jaccard coefficient regarding the location of the bounding box within the ground-truth annotation. The dataset is composed of 2000 Brazilian license plates consisting of 14000 alphanumeric symbols and their corresponding bounding box annotations. We also present a straightforward approach to perform LPCS efficiently. Finally, we provide an experimental evaluation for the dataset based on five LPCS approaches and demonstrate the importance of character segmentation for achieving an accurate OCR.

A procedure for automating CFD simulations of an inlet-bleed problem

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chyu, Wei J.; Rimlinger, Mark J.; Shih, Tom I.-P.

1995-01-01

A procedure was developed to improve the turn-around time for computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations of an inlet-bleed problem involving oblique shock-wave/boundary-layer interactions on a flat plate with bleed into a plenum through one or more circular holes. This procedure is embodied in a preprocessor called AUTOMAT. With AUTOMAT, once data for the geometry and flow conditions have been specified (either interactively or via a namelist), it will automatically generate all input files needed to perform a three-dimensional Navier-Stokes simulation of the prescribed inlet-bleed problem by using the PEGASUS and OVERFLOW codes. The input files automatically generated by AUTOMAT include those for the grid system and those for the initial and boundary conditions. The grid systems automatically generated by AUTOMAT are multi-block structured grids of the overlapping type. Results obtained by using AUTOMAT are presented to illustrate its capability.

Automatic software correction of residual aberrations in reconstructed HRTEM exit waves of crystalline samples

DOE PAGES

Ophus, Colin; Rasool, Haider I.; Linck, Martin; ...

2016-11-30

We develop an automatic and objective method to measure and correct residual aberrations in atomic-resolution HRTEM complex exit waves for crystalline samples aligned along a low-index zone axis. Our method uses the approximate rotational point symmetry of a column of atoms or single atom to iteratively calculate a best-fit numerical phase plate for this symmetry condition, and does not require information about the sample thickness or precise structure. We apply our method to two experimental focal series reconstructions, imaging a β-Si 3N 4 wedge with O and N doping, and a single-layer graphene grain boundary. We use peak and latticemore » fitting to evaluate the precision of the corrected exit waves. We also apply our method to the exit wave of a Si wedge retrieved by off-axis electron holography. In all cases, the software correction of the residual aberration function improves the accuracy of the measured exit waves.« less

Automatic software correction of residual aberrations in reconstructed HRTEM exit waves of crystalline samples

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

Ophus, Colin; Rasool, Haider I.; Linck, Martin

We develop an automatic and objective method to measure and correct residual aberrations in atomic-resolution HRTEM complex exit waves for crystalline samples aligned along a low-index zone axis. Our method uses the approximate rotational point symmetry of a column of atoms or single atom to iteratively calculate a best-fit numerical phase plate for this symmetry condition, and does not require information about the sample thickness or precise structure. We apply our method to two experimental focal series reconstructions, imaging a β-Si 3N 4 wedge with O and N doping, and a single-layer graphene grain boundary. We use peak and latticemore » fitting to evaluate the precision of the corrected exit waves. We also apply our method to the exit wave of a Si wedge retrieved by off-axis electron holography. In all cases, the software correction of the residual aberration function improves the accuracy of the measured exit waves.« less

Subminiature eddy-current transducers designed to study welded joints of titanium alloys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Malikov, V. N.; Dmitriev, S. F.; Katasonov, A. O.; Sagalakov, A. M.; Ishkov, A. V.

2017-12-01

Eddy current transducers (ECT) are used to construct a sensor for investigating titanium sheets connected by a welded joint. The paper provides key technical information about the eddy current transducer used and describes the procedure of measurements that makes it possible to control defects in welded joints of titanium alloys. It is capable of automatically changing the filtering cutoff frequency and operating frequency of the device. Experiments were conducted on welded VT1-0 titanium plates. The paper contains the results of these measurements. The dependence data facilitates the assessment of the quality of the welded joints and helps make an educated conclusion about welding quality.

Automatic cortical thickness analysis on rodent brain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Joohwi; Ehlers, Cindy; Crews, Fulton; Niethammer, Marc; Budin, Francois; Paniagua, Beatriz; Sulik, Kathy; Johns, Josephine; Styner, Martin; Oguz, Ipek

2011-03-01

Localized difference in the cortex is one of the most useful morphometric traits in human and animal brain studies. There are many tools and methods already developed to automatically measure and analyze cortical thickness for the human brain. However, these tools cannot be directly applied to rodent brains due to the different scales; even adult rodent brains are 50 to 100 times smaller than humans. This paper describes an algorithm for automatically measuring the cortical thickness of mouse and rat brains. The algorithm consists of three steps: segmentation, thickness measurement, and statistical analysis among experimental groups. The segmentation step provides the neocortex separation from other brain structures and thus is a preprocessing step for the thickness measurement. In the thickness measurement step, the thickness is computed by solving a Laplacian PDE and a transport equation. The Laplacian PDE first creates streamlines as an analogy of cortical columns; the transport equation computes the length of the streamlines. The result is stored as a thickness map over the neocortex surface. For the statistical analysis, it is important to sample thickness at corresponding points. This is achieved by the particle correspondence algorithm which minimizes entropy between dynamically moving sample points called particles. Since the computational cost of the correspondence algorithm may limit the number of corresponding points, we use thin-plate spline based interpolation to increase the number of corresponding sample points. As a driving application, we measured the thickness difference to assess the effects of adolescent intermittent ethanol exposure that persist into adulthood and performed t-test between the control and exposed rat groups. We found significantly differing regions in both hemispheres.

Field Calibration of the Saltation-Abrasion Model Using Measurements of the Energy Delivered to the Channel Bed

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Turowski, J. M.; Wyss, C. R.; Beer, A. R.

2014-12-01

The saltation-abrasion model (SAM) is one of the highest-developed process models for fluvial bedrock erosion, describing bedrock erosion due to the impact of saltating bedload particles. The fundamental assumption in the model is a proportionality of the erosion rate and the energy delivered to the channel bed by these impacts. So far, the SAM has been calibrated on laboratory data, but field tests are rare. Here, we exploit the availability of high-quality field data at the Erlenbach bedload observatory to test and calibrate the SAM. The Erlenbach is a small, steep stream in the Swiss Prealps that hosts a well-instrumented observatory for bedload transport and erosion. Bedload samples can be taken during floods with automatic basket samplers and bedload transport rates are measured continuously with Swiss plate geophones, a surrogate method for bedload monitoring. The geophone plates can also be used to measure the energy transferred to the bed by passingbedload. Thus, we can calibrate the SAM by exploiting independent data on particle impacts, the energy they transfer to the bed, and bedload samples including grain size distributions. We find that the dimensionless pre-factor to the model is dependent on grain size. Predictions of bedrock erosion can be compared to spatial erosion data obtained from successive scans of bedrock slabs installed in the channel bed immediately upstream of the plate geophones.

Electromagnetic attachment mechanism

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Monford, Leo G., Jr. (Inventor)

1992-01-01

An electromagnetic attachment mechanism is disclosed for use as an end effector of a remote manipulator system. A pair of electromagnets, each with a U-shaped magnetic core with a pull-in coil and two holding coils, are mounted by a spring suspension system on a base plate of the mechanism housing with end pole pieces adapted to move through openings in the base plate when the attractive force of the electromagnets is exerted on a strike plate of a grapple fixture affixed to a target object. The pole pieces are spaced by an air gap from the strike plate when the mechanism first contacts the grapple fixture. An individual control circuit and power source is provided for the pull-in coil and one holding coil of each electromagnet. A back-up control circuit connected to the two power sources and a third power source is provided for the remaining holding coils. When energized, the pull-in coils overcome the suspension system and air gap and are automatically de-energized when the pole pieces move to grapple and impose a preload force across the grapple interface. A battery backup is a redundant power source for each electromagnet in each individual control circuit and is automatically connected upon failure of the primary source. A centerline mounted camera and video monitor are used in cooperation with a target pattern on the reflective surface of the strike plate to effect targeting and alignment.

Modulus design multiwavelength polarization microscope for transmission Mueller matrix imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Jialing; He, Honghui; Chen, Zhenhua; Wang, Ye; Ma, Hui

2018-01-01

We have developed a polarization microscope based on a commercial transmission microscope. We replace the halogen light source by a collimated LED light source module of six different colors. We use achromatic polarized optical elements that can cover the six different wavelength ranges in the polarization state generator (PSG) and polarization state analyzer (PSA) modules. The dual-rotating wave plate method is used to measure the Mueller matrix of samples, which requires the simultaneous rotation of the two quarter-wave plates in both PSG and PSA at certain angular steps. A scientific CCD detector is used as the image receiving module. A LabView-based software is developed to control the rotation angels of the wave plates and the exposure time of the detector to allow the system to run fully automatically in preprogrammed schedules. Standard samples, such as air, polarizers, and quarter-wave plates, are used to calibrate the intrinsic Mueller matrix of optical components, such as the objectives, using the eigenvalue calibration method. Errors due to the images walk-off in the PSA are studied. Errors in the Mueller matrices are below 0.01 using air and polarizer as standard samples. Data analysis based on Mueller matrix transformation and Mueller matrix polarization decomposition is used to demonstrate the potential application of this microscope in pathological diagnosis.

Heat transfer enhancement of flow insulator by combined stainless steel fibrous and wire net porous materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khantikomol, P.; Polsongkram, M.; Apisitpinyo, W.; Poowadin, T.

2018-01-01

The present research article aims to propose the heat transfer enhancement of the flow insulator using combined fibrous and wire net stainless steel porous material. The stainless fibrous plate with porosity of 0.9292 was combined to the stainless steel wire net having pore per inch (PPI) of 16 and total thickness of 30 mm. Two models of the arranging porous plates were prepared, which were model BA and model AB. Each porous plate segment had the same thickness. The examined porous plate model have porosities of 0.8452. The porous plate was placed normal to the flow direction. The air was used as working fluid heated by 5 kW electric heater, which was controlled by the automatic temperature control. Type-K thermocouples were employed to measure the air temperatures. The temperature at front of the porous plate was varied to be 350, 450, and 550°C. The air flow rate was varied in the range of 4-12 m3/hr. The experimental result showed that the temperature drop across the porous plate and the thermal efficiency increase with the inlet temperature. The air velocity slightly affects the temperature profile inside the test section at the upstream side of the porous plate but greatly affects temperature inside the porous plate. In consideration of the arranging porous plate, placing of the stainless steel wire net at the upstream side and placing the stainless steel fibrous at downstream side (model BA) results in the highest temperature drop and the highest thermal efficiency. At Re 733 and inlet temperature 550°C for model BA at 30 mm thickness, the thermal efficiency was 50%. It was shown that the combined stainless steel fibrous and stainless steel wire net porous material could be a good flow insulator.

Total reduction of distorted echelle spectrograms - An automatic procedure. [for computer controlled microdensitometer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Peterson, R. C.; Title, A. M.

1975-01-01

A total reduction procedure, notable for its use of a computer-controlled microdensitometer for semi-automatically tracing curved spectra, is applied to distorted high-dispersion echelle spectra recorded by an image tube. Microdensitometer specifications are presented and the FORTRAN, TRACEN and SPOTS programs are outlined. The intensity spectrum of the photographic or electrographic plate is plotted on a graphic display. The time requirements are discussed in detail.

Cross sections for the production of fragments with Z greater than or equal to 8 by fragmentation of Z greater than or equal to 9 and less than or equal to 26 nuclei

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Heinrich, W.; Drechsel, H.; Brechtmann, C.; Beer, J.

1985-01-01

Charge changing nuclear collisions in plastic nuclear track detectors were studied using a new experimental technique of automatic track measurement for etched tracks in plastic detectors. Partial cross sections for the production of fragments of charge Z approximately 8 were measured for projectile nuclei of charge 9 approximately Z approximately 26 in the detector material CR39 and in silver. for this purpose three independent experiments were performed using Bevalac beams. The first one was an exposure of a stack of CR39 plastic plates to 1.8 GeV/nucl. Ar-40 nuclei. The second one was an exposure of another CR39 stack of 1.7 GeV/nucl. Fe-56 projectiles. In the third experiment a mixed stack of CR39 plates and silver foils was irradiated with 1.7 GeV/nucl. Fe-56 nuclei. Thus the measurement of nuclear cross sections in a light target (CR39 = C12H18O7) and as well in a heavy target (silver) was possible.

Dual current readout for precision plating

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Iceland, W. F.

1970-01-01

Bistable amplifier prevents damage in the low range circuitry of a dual scale ammeter. It senses the current and switches automatically to the high range circuitry as the current rises above a preset level.

SU-F-T-552: A One-Year Evaluation of the QABeamChecker+ for Use with the CyberKnife System

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

Gersh, J; Spectrum Medical Physics, LLC, Greenville, SC

Purpose: By attaching an adapter plate with fiducial markers to the QA BeamChecker+ (Standard Imaging, Inc., Middleton, WI), the output of the CyberKnife can be accurately, efficiently, and consistently evaluated. The adapter plate, known as the Cutting Board, allows for automated alignment of the QABC+ using the CK’s stereoscopic kV image-based treatment localization system (TLS). Described herein is an evaluation of the system following a year of clinical utilization. Methods: Based on a CT scan of the QABC+ and CB, a treatment plan is generated which delivers a beam to each of the 5 plane-parallel ionization chambers. Following absolute calibrationmore » of the CK, the QA plan is delivered, and baseline measurements are acquired (and automatically corrected for temperature and pressure). This test was performed at the beginning of each treatment day for a year. A calibration evaluation (using a water-equivalent slab and short thimble chamber) is performed every four weeks, or whenever the QABC+ detects a deviation of more than 1.0%. Results: During baseline evaluation, repeat measurements (n=10) were performed, with an average output of 0.25% with an SD of 0.11%. As a test of the reposition of the QABC+ and CB, ten additional measurements were performed where between each acquisition, the entire system was removed and re-positioned using the TLS. The average output deviation was 0.30% with a SD of 0.13%. During the course of the year, 187 QABC+ measurements and 13 slab-based measurements were performed. The output measurements of the QABC+ correlated well with slab-based measurements (R2=0.909). Conclusion: By using the QABC+ and CB, daily output was evaluated accurately, efficiently, and consistently. From setup to break-down (including analysis), this test required 5 minutes instead of approximately 15 using traditional techniques (collimator-mounted ionization chambers). Additionally, by automatically saving resultant output deviation to a database, trend analysis was simplified. Spectrum Medical Physics, LLC of Greenville, SC has a consulting contract with Standard Imaging of Middleton, WI.« less

An automatic locating system for cloud-to-ground lightning. [which utilizes a microcomputer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Krider, E. P.; Pifer, A. E.; Uman, M. A.

1980-01-01

Automatic locating systems which respond to cloud to ground lightning and which discriminate against cloud discharges and background noise are described. Subsystems of the locating system, which include the direction finder and the position analyzer, are discussed. The direction finder senses the electromagnetic fields radiated by lightning on two orthogonal magnetic loop antennas and on a flat plate electric antenna. The position analyzer is a preprogrammed microcomputer system which automatically computes, maps, and records lightning locations in real time using data inputs from the direction finder. The use of the locating systems for wildfire management and fire weather forecasting is discussed.

Rapid and automatic on-plate desalting protocol for MALDI-MS: using imprinted hydrophobic polymer template.

PubMed

Jia, Weitao; Wu, Huixia; Lu, Haojie; Li, Na; Zhang, Yang; Cai, Ruifang; Yang, Pengyuan

2007-08-01

A novel protocol of rapid and automatic on-plate desalting (OPD) and peptide concentration for 2-DE-MALDI-MS has been developed by the approach of templating the hydrophobic polymer solution over Kapton-etched mask. For the template technique, small hydrophobic polymer [linear poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), PMMA derivatized with fullerene-C60 (PMMA-C60), linear polystyrene (PSt), or PSt derivatized with fullerene-C60 (PSt-C60)] spots (990 microm od) are patterned at the centers of stainless MALDI plate wells (1400 microm id). Tryptic-peptide solution with no predesalting was dropped onto the central hydrophobic spots, resulting in a concentration of proteolytic peptides on the hydrophobic polymer surface with a reduced spot size. The dried peptide layer was then covered subsequently with over-volume matrix solution, causing the removal of redissolved salts from the spot center to the spot edge by means of a natural "outward flow." The proposed OPD protocol exhibited a dramatic enhancement in S/N up to 850 for 14 fmol BSA digests in the coexistence of 100 mM salts, compared with barely detectable peaks in ordinary way. This analysis has shown that the success rate of identification was increased by two-fold for low abundance proteins in the human liver tissue with no need for the conventional ZipPlate desalting strategy.

Studies of asteroids, comets, and Jupiter's outer satellites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bowell, Edward

1988-01-01

The work comprises observational, theoretical, and computational research on asteroids, together with a smaller effort concerning the astrometry of comets and Jupiter's satellites JVI through JXIII. Two principal areas of research, centering on astrometry and photometry, are interrelated in their aim to study the overall structure of the asteroid belt and the physical and orbital properties of individual asteroids. About 2000 accurate photographic positions of asteroids and comets, including a number from the Lowell, Palomar, and Goethe-Link archival plate collections, the last of which was donated to us last winter by Indiana University were measured and published. Charge coupled device (CCD) astrometry of 36 faint targets was undertaken, including 4 comets; JVI, JVII, JVIII, JLX, JXI, and JXII; and 26 asteroids, most of which are Earth-approachers. A deep, bias-correctable asteroid survey (LUKAS), the aim of which is to determine the true spatial distribution of asteroids down to subkilometer diameters was started. A series of eight plates at the UK Schmidt telescope that contain images of asteroids as faint as V approximately 22 mag was obtained. Analysis of microdensitometric scans of two plates has shown that about 98 percent of the asteroid images could be identified completely automatically.

Grapple fixture for use with electromagnetic attachment mechanism

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Monford, Jr., Leo G. (Inventor)

1995-01-01

An electromagnetic attachment mechanism for use as an end effector of a remote manipulator system. A pair of electromagnets 15A,15B, each with a U-shaped magnetic core with a pull-in coil 34 and two holding coils 35,36 are mounted by a spring suspension system 38,47 on a base plate 25 of the mechanism housing 30 with end pole pieces 21,22 adapted to move through openings in the base plate when the attractive force of the electromagnets is exerted on a strike plate 65 of a grapple fixture 20 affixed to a target object 14. The pole pieces are spaced by an air gap from the strike plate when the mechanism first contacts the grapple fixture. An individual control circuit and power source is provided for the pull-in coil and one holding coil of each electromagnet. A back-up control circuit connected to the two power sources and a third power source is provided for the remaining holding coils. When energized, the pull-in coils overcome the suspension system and air gap and are automatically de-energized when the pole pieces move to grapple and impose a preload force across the grapple interface. A battery back-up 89A,89B is a redundant power source for each electromagnet in each individual control circuit and is automatically connected upon failure of the primary power source. A centerline mounted camera 31 and video monitor 70 are used in cooperation with a target pattern 19 on the reflective surface 67 of the strike plate to effect targeting and alignment.

Modulus design multiwavelength polarization microscope for transmission Mueller matrix imaging.

PubMed

Zhou, Jialing; He, Honghui; Chen, Zhenhua; Wang, Ye; Ma, Hui

2018-01-01

We have developed a polarization microscope based on a commercial transmission microscope. We replace the halogen light source by a collimated LED light source module of six different colors. We use achromatic polarized optical elements that can cover the six different wavelength ranges in the polarization state generator (PSG) and polarization state analyzer (PSA) modules. The dual-rotating wave plate method is used to measure the Mueller matrix of samples, which requires the simultaneous rotation of the two quarter-wave plates in both PSG and PSA at certain angular steps. A scientific CCD detector is used as the image receiving module. A LabView-based software is developed to control the rotation angels of the wave plates and the exposure time of the detector to allow the system to run fully automatically in preprogrammed schedules. Standard samples, such as air, polarizers, and quarter-wave plates, are used to calibrate the intrinsic Mueller matrix of optical components, such as the objectives, using the eigenvalue calibration method. Errors due to the images walk-off in the PSA are studied. Errors in the Mueller matrices are below 0.01 using air and polarizer as standard samples. Data analysis based on Mueller matrix transformation and Mueller matrix polarization decomposition is used to demonstrate the potential application of this microscope in pathological diagnosis. (2018) COPYRIGHT Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE).

Can we safely deform a plate to fit every bone? Population-based fit assessment and finite element deformation of a distal tibial plate.

PubMed

Harith, Hazreen; Schmutz, Beat; Malekani, Javad; Schuetz, Michael A; Yarlagadda, Prasad K

2016-03-01

Anatomically precontoured plates are commonly used to treat periarticular fractures. A well-fitting plate can be used as a tool for anatomical reduction of the fractured bone. Recent studies highlighted that some plates fit poorly for many patients due to considerable shape variations between bones of the same anatomical site. While it is impossible to design one shape that fits all, it is also burdensome for the manufacturers and hospitals to produce, store and manage multiple plate shapes without the certainty of utilization by a patient population. In this study, we investigated the number of shapes required for maximum fit within a given dataset, and if they could be obtained by manually deforming the original plate. A distal medial tibial plate was automatically positioned on 45 individual tibiae, and the optimal deformation was determined iteratively using finite element analysis simulation. Within the studied dataset, we found that: (i) 89% fit could be achieved with four shapes, (ii) 100% fit was impossible through mechanical deformation, and (iii) the deformations required to obtain the four plate shapes were safe for the stainless steel plate for further clinical use. The proposed framework is easily transferable to other orthopaedic plates. Copyright © 2015 IPEM. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Miniaturization of the Clonogenic Assay Using Confluence Measurement

PubMed Central

Mayr, Christian; Beyreis, Marlena; Dobias, Heidemarie; Gaisberger, Martin; Pichler, Martin; Ritter, Markus; Jakab, Martin; Neureiter, Daniel; Kiesslich, Tobias

2018-01-01

The clonogenic assay is a widely used method to study the ability of cells to ‘infinitely’ produce progeny and is, therefore, used as a tool in tumor biology to measure tumor-initiating capacity and stem cell status. However, the standard protocol of using 6-well plates has several disadvantages. By miniaturizing the assay to a 96-well microplate format, as well as by utilizing the confluence detection function of a multimode reader, we here describe a new and modified protocol that allows comprehensive experimental setups and a non-endpoint, label-free semi-automatic analysis. Comparison of bright field images with confluence images demonstrated robust and reproducible detection of clones by the confluence detection function. Moreover, time-resolved non-endpoint confluence measurement of the same well showed that semi-automatic analysis was suitable for determining the mean size and colony number. By treating cells with an inhibitor of clonogenic growth (PTC-209), we show that our modified protocol is suitable for comprehensive (broad concentration range, addition of technical replicates) concentration- and time-resolved analysis of the effect of substances or treatments on clonogenic growth. In summary, this protocol represents a time- and cost-effective alternative to the commonly used 6-well protocol (with endpoint staining) and also provides additional information about the kinetics of clonogenic growth. PMID:29510509

Droplet Impact on a Heated Surface under a Depressurized Environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hatakenaka, Ryuta; Tagawa, Yoshiyuki

2016-11-01

Behavior of a water droplet of the diameter 1-3mm impacting on a heated surface under depressurized environment (100kPa -1kPa) has been studied. A syringe pump for droplet generation and a heated plate are set into a transparent acrylic vacuum chamber. The internal pressure of the chamber is automatically controlled at a target pressure with a rotary pump, a pressure transducer, and an electrical valve. A silicon wafer of the thickness 0.28 mm is mounted on the heater plate, whose temperature is directly measured by attaching a thermocouple on the backside. The droplet behavior is captured using a high-speed camera in a direction perpendicular to droplet velocity. Some unique behaviors of droplet are observed by decreasing the environmental pressure, which are considered to be due to two basic elements: Enhancement of evaporation due to the lowered saturation temperature, and shortage of pneumatic spring effect between the droplet and heated wall due to the lowered pressure of the air.

An application of computer image-processing and filmy replica technique to the copper electroplating method of stress analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sugiura, M.; Seika, M.

1994-02-01

In this study, a new technique to measure the density of slip-bands automatically is developed, namely, a TV image of the slip-bands observed through a microscope is directly processed by an image-processing system using a personal computer and an accurate value of the density of slip-bands is measured quickly. In the case of measuring the local stresses in machine parts of large size with the copper plating foil, the direct observation of slip-bands through an optical microscope is difficult. In this study, to facilitate a technique close to the direct microscopic observation of slip-bands in the foil attached to a large-sized specimen, the replica method using a platic film of acetyl cellulose is applied to replicate the slip-bands in the attached foil.

Laser Dew-Point Hygrometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matsumoto, Shigeaki; Toyooka, Satoru

1995-01-01

A rough-surface-type automatic dew-point hygrometer was developed using a laser diode and an optical fiber cable. A gold plate with 0.8 µ m average surface roughness was used as a surface for deposition of dew to facilitate dew deposition and prevent supersaturation of water vapor at the dew point. It was shown experimentally that the quantity of dew deposited can be controlled to be constant at any predetermined level, and is independent of the dew point to be measured. The dew points were measured in the range from -15° C to 54° C in which the temperature ranged from 0° C to 60° C. The measurement error of the dew point was ±0.5° C which was equal to below ±2% in relative humidity in the above dew-point range.

Automated Track Recognition and Event Reconstruction in Nuclear Emulsion

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Deines-Jones, P.; Cherry, M. L.; Dabrowska, A.; Holynski, R.; Jones, W. V.; Kolganova, E. D.; Kudzia, D.; Nilsen, B. S.; Olszewski, A.; Pozharova, E. A.;

Development of Portable Automatic Number Plate Recognition System on Android Mobile Phone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mutholib, Abdul; Gunawan, Teddy S.; Chebil, Jalel; Kartiwi, Mira

2013-12-01

The Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) System has performed as the main role in various access control and security, such as: tracking of stolen vehicles, traffic violations (speed trap) and parking management system. In this paper, the portable ANPR implemented on android mobile phone is presented. The main challenges in mobile application are including higher coding efficiency, reduced computational complexity, and improved flexibility. Significance efforts are being explored to find suitable and adaptive algorithm for implementation of ANPR on mobile phone. ANPR system for mobile phone need to be optimize due to its limited CPU and memory resources, its ability for geo-tagging image captured using GPS coordinates and its ability to access online database to store the vehicle's information. In this paper, the design of portable ANPR on android mobile phone will be described as follows. First, the graphical user interface (GUI) for capturing image using built-in camera was developed to acquire vehicle plate number in Malaysia. Second, the preprocessing of raw image was done using contrast enhancement. Next, character segmentation using fixed pitch and an optical character recognition (OCR) using neural network were utilized to extract texts and numbers. Both character segmentation and OCR were using Tesseract library from Google Inc. The proposed portable ANPR algorithm was implemented and simulated using Android SDK on a computer. Based on the experimental results, the proposed system can effectively recognize the license plate number at 90.86%. The required processing time to recognize a license plate is only 2 seconds on average. The result is consider good in comparison with the results obtained from previous system that was processed in a desktop PC with the range of result from 91.59% to 98% recognition rate and 0.284 second to 1.5 seconds recognition time.

Illumination estimation via thin-plate spline interpolation.

PubMed

Shi, Lilong; Xiong, Weihua; Funt, Brian

2011-05-01

Thin-plate spline interpolation is used to interpolate the chromaticity of the color of the incident scene illumination across a training set of images. Given the image of a scene under unknown illumination, the chromaticity of the scene illumination can be found from the interpolated function. The resulting illumination-estimation method can be used to provide color constancy under changing illumination conditions and automatic white balancing for digital cameras. A thin-plate spline interpolates over a nonuniformly sampled input space, which in this case is a training set of image thumbnails and associated illumination chromaticities. To reduce the size of the training set, incremental k medians are applied. Tests on real images demonstrate that the thin-plate spline method can estimate the color of the incident illumination quite accurately, and the proposed training set pruning significantly decreases the computation.

Automatic sample Dewar for MX beam-line

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

Charignon, T.; Tanchon, J.; Trollier, T.

2014-01-29

It is very common for crystals of large biological macromolecules to show considerable variation in quality of their diffraction. In order to increase the number of samples that are tested for diffraction quality before any full data collections at the ESRF*, an automatic sample Dewar has been implemented. Conception and performances of the Dewar are reported in this paper. The automatic sample Dewar has 240 samples capability with automatic loading/unloading ports. The storing Dewar is capable to work with robots and it can be integrated in a full automatic MX** beam-line. The samples are positioned in the front of themore » loading/unloading ports with and automatic rotating plate. A view port has been implemented for data matrix camera reading on each sample loaded in the Dewar. At last, the Dewar is insulated with polyurethane foam that keeps the liquid nitrogen consumption below 1.6 L/h. At last, the static insulation also makes vacuum equipment and maintenance unnecessary. This Dewar will be useful for increasing the number of samples tested in synchrotrons.« less

A Pressure Plate-Based Method for the Automatic Assessment of Foot Strike Patterns During Running.

PubMed

Santuz, Alessandro; Ekizos, Antonis; Arampatzis, Adamantios

2016-05-01

The foot strike pattern (FSP, description of how the foot touches the ground at impact) is recognized to be a predictor of both performance and injury risk. The objective of the current investigation was to validate an original foot strike pattern assessment technique based on the numerical analysis of foot pressure distribution. We analyzed the strike patterns during running of 145 healthy men and women (85 male, 60 female). The participants ran on a treadmill with integrated pressure plate at three different speeds: preferred (shod and barefoot 2.8 ± 0.4 m/s), faster (shod 3.5 ± 0.6 m/s) and slower (shod 2.3 ± 0.3 m/s). A custom-designed algorithm allowed the automatic footprint recognition and FSP evaluation. Incomplete footprints were simultaneously identified and corrected from the software itself. The widely used technique of analyzing high-speed video recordings was checked for its reliability and has been used to validate the numerical technique. The automatic numerical approach showed a good conformity with the reference video-based technique (ICC = 0.93, p < 0.01). The great improvement in data throughput and the increased completeness of results allow the use of this software as a powerful feedback tool in a simple experimental setup.

Smart hybrid rotary damper

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, C. S. Walter; DesRoches, Reginald

2014-03-01

This paper develops a smart hybrid rotary damper using a re-centering smart shape memory alloy (SMA) material as well as conventional energy-dissipating metallic plates that are easy to be replaced. The ends of the SMA and steel plates are inserted in the hinge. When the damper rotates, all the plates bend, providing energy dissipating and recentering characteristics. Such smart hybrid rotary dampers can be installed in structures to mitigate structural responses and to re-center automatically. The damaged energy-dissipating plates can be easily replaced promptly after an external excitation, reducing repair time and costs. An OpenSEES model of a smart hybrid rotary was established and calibrated to reproduce the realistic behavior measured from a full-scale experimental test. Furthermore, the seismic performance of a 3-story moment resisting model building with smart hybrid rotary dampers designed for downtown Los Angeles was also evaluated in the OpenSEES structural analysis software. Such a smart moment resisting frame exhibits perfect residual roof displacement, 0.006", extremely smaller than 18.04" for the conventional moment resisting frame subjected to a 2500 year return period ground motion for the downtown LA area (an amplified factor of 1.15 on Kobe earthquake). The smart hybrid rotary dampers are also applied into an eccentric braced steel frame, which combines a moment frame system and a bracing system. The results illustrate that adding smart hybrid rotaries in this braced system not only completely restores the building after an external excitation, but also significantly reduces peak interstory drifts.

Turbine Engine Component Analysis: Cantilevered Composite Flat Plate Analysis

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-11-01

4/5 element which translates into the ADIN. shell element (Type 7) with thickness correction. PATADI automatically generates midsurface normal vectors...for each node referenced by a shell element. Using thickness correction, the element thickness will be oriented along the midsurface direction. If no

Automatic lung lobe segmentation using particles, thin plate splines, and maximum a posteriori estimation.

PubMed

Ross, James C; San José Estépar, Rail; Kindlmann, Gordon; Díaz, Alejandro; Westin, Carl-Fredrik; Silverman, Edwin K; Washko, George R

2010-01-01

We present a fully automatic lung lobe segmentation algorithm that is effective in high resolution computed tomography (CT) datasets in the presence of confounding factors such as incomplete fissures (anatomical structures indicating lobe boundaries), advanced disease states, high body mass index (BMI), and low-dose scanning protocols. In contrast to other algorithms that leverage segmentations of auxiliary structures (esp. vessels and airways), we rely only upon image features indicating fissure locations. We employ a particle system that samples the image domain and provides a set of candidate fissure locations. We follow this stage with maximum a posteriori (MAP) estimation to eliminate poor candidates and then perform a post-processing operation to remove remaining noise particles. We then fit a thin plate spline (TPS) interpolating surface to the fissure particles to form the final lung lobe segmentation. Results indicate that our algorithm performs comparably to pulmonologist-generated lung lobe segmentations on a set of challenging cases.

Automatic Lung Lobe Segmentation Using Particles, Thin Plate Splines, and Maximum a Posteriori Estimation

PubMed Central

Ross, James C.; Estépar, Raúl San José; Kindlmann, Gordon; Díaz, Alejandro; Westin, Carl-Fredrik; Silverman, Edwin K.; Washko, George R.

2011-01-01

We present a fully automatic lung lobe segmentation algorithm that is effective in high resolution computed tomography (CT) datasets in the presence of confounding factors such as incomplete fissures (anatomical structures indicating lobe boundaries), advanced disease states, high body mass index (BMI), and low-dose scanning protocols. In contrast to other algorithms that leverage segmentations of auxiliary structures (esp. vessels and airways), we rely only upon image features indicating fissure locations. We employ a particle system that samples the image domain and provides a set of candidate fissure locations. We follow this stage with maximum a posteriori (MAP) estimation to eliminate poor candidates and then perform a post-processing operation to remove remaining noise particles. We then fit a thin plate spline (TPS) interpolating surface to the fissure particles to form the final lung lobe segmentation. Results indicate that our algorithm performs comparably to pulmonologist-generated lung lobe segmentations on a set of challenging cases. PMID:20879396

An automated wide-field time-gated optically sectioning fluorescence lifetime imaging multiwell plate reader for high-content analysis of protein-protein interactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alibhai, Dominic; Kumar, Sunil; Kelly, Douglas; Warren, Sean; Alexandrov, Yuriy; Munro, Ian; McGinty, James; Talbot, Clifford; Murray, Edward J.; Stuhmeier, Frank; Neil, Mark A. A.; Dunsby, Chris; French, Paul M. W.

2011-03-01

We describe an optically-sectioned FLIM multiwell plate reader that combines Nipkow microscopy with wide-field time-gated FLIM, and its application to high content analysis of FRET. The system acquires sectioned FLIM images in <10 s/well, requiring only ~11 minutes to read a 96 well plate of live cells expressing fluorescent protein. It has been applied to study the formation of immature HIV virus like particles (VLPs) in live cells by monitoring Gag-Gag protein interactions using FLIM FRET of HIV-1 Gag transfected with CFP or YFP. VLP formation results in FRET between closely packed Gag proteins, as confirmed by our FLIM analysis that includes automatic image segmentation.

Strain Library Imaging Protocol for high-throughput, automated single-cell microscopy of large bacterial collections arrayed on multiwell plates.

PubMed

Shi, Handuo; Colavin, Alexandre; Lee, Timothy K; Huang, Kerwyn Casey

2017-02-01

Single-cell microscopy is a powerful tool for studying gene functions using strain libraries, but it suffers from throughput limitations. Here we describe the Strain Library Imaging Protocol (SLIP), which is a high-throughput, automated microscopy workflow for large strain collections that requires minimal user involvement. SLIP involves transferring arrayed bacterial cultures from multiwell plates onto large agar pads using inexpensive replicator pins and automatically imaging the resulting single cells. The acquired images are subsequently reviewed and analyzed by custom MATLAB scripts that segment single-cell contours and extract quantitative metrics. SLIP yields rich data sets on cell morphology and gene expression that illustrate the function of certain genes and the connections among strains in a library. For a library arrayed on 96-well plates, image acquisition can be completed within 4 min per plate.

[Non-rigid medical image registration based on mutual information and thin-plate spline].

PubMed

Cao, Guo-gang; Luo, Li-min

2009-01-01

To get precise and complete details, the contrast in different images is needed in medical diagnosis and computer assisted treatment. The image registration is the basis of contrast, but the regular rigid registration does not satisfy the clinic requirements. A non-rigid medical image registration method based on mutual information and thin-plate spline was present. Firstly, registering two images globally based on mutual information; secondly, dividing reference image and global-registered image into blocks and registering them; then getting the thin-plate spline transformation according to the shift of blocks' center; finally, applying the transformation to the global-registered image. The results show that the method is more precise than the global rigid registration based on mutual information and it reduces the complexity of getting control points and satisfy the clinic requirements better by getting control points of the thin-plate transformation automatically.

Quantitative Folding Pattern Analysis of Early Primary Sulci in Human Fetuses with Brain Abnormalities.

PubMed

Im, K; Guimaraes, A; Kim, Y; Cottrill, E; Gagoski, B; Rollins, C; Ortinau, C; Yang, E; Grant, P E

2017-07-01

Aberrant gyral folding is a key feature in the diagnosis of many cerebral malformations. However, in fetal life, it is particularly challenging to confidently diagnose aberrant folding because of the rapid spatiotemporal changes of gyral development. Currently, there is no resource to measure how an individual fetal brain compares with normal spatiotemporal variations. In this study, we assessed the potential for automatic analysis of early sulcal patterns to detect individual fetal brains with cerebral abnormalities. Triplane MR images were aligned to create a motion-corrected volume for each individual fetal brain, and cortical plate surfaces were extracted. Sulcal basins were automatically identified on the cortical plate surface and compared with a combined set generated from 9 normal fetal brain templates. Sulcal pattern similarities to the templates were quantified by using multivariate geometric features and intersulcal relationships for 14 normal fetal brains and 5 fetal brains that were proved to be abnormal on postnatal MR imaging. Results were compared with the gyrification index. Significantly reduced sulcal pattern similarities to normal templates were found in all abnormal individual fetuses compared with normal fetuses (mean similarity [normal, abnormal], left: 0.818, 0.752; P < .001; right: 0.810, 0.753; P < .01). Altered location and depth patterns of sulcal basins were the primary distinguishing features. The gyrification index was not significantly different between the normal and abnormal groups. Automated analysis of interrelated patterning of early primary sulci could outperform the traditional gyrification index and has the potential to quantitatively detect individual fetuses with emerging abnormal sulcal patterns. © 2017 by American Journal of Neuroradiology.

Automated pinhole-aperture diagnostic for the current profiling of TWT electron beams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wei, Yu-Xiang; Huang, Ming-Guang; Liu, Shu-Qing; Liu, Jin-Yue; Hao, Bao-Liang; Du, Chao-Hai; Liu, Pu-Kun

2013-02-01

The measurement system reported here is intended for use in determining the current density distribution of electron beams from Pierce guns for use in TWTs. The system was designed to automatically scan the cross section of the electron beam and collect the high-resolution data with a Faraday cup probe mounted on a multistage manipulator using the LabVIEW program. A 0.06 mm thick molybdenum plate with a pinhole and a Faraday cup mounted as a probe assembly was employed to sample the electron beam current with 0.5 µm space resolution. The thermal analysis of the probe with pulse beam heating was discussed. A 0.45 µP electron gun with the expected minimum beam radius 0.42 mm was measured and the three-dimensional current density distribution, beam envelope and phase space were presented.

Model-based measurement of food portion size for image-based dietary assessment using 3D/2D registration

PubMed Central

Chen, Hsin-Chen; Jia, Wenyan; Yue, Yaofeng; Li, Zhaoxin; Sun, Yung-Nien; Fernstrom, John D.; Sun, Mingui

2013-01-01

Dietary assessment is important in health maintenance and intervention in many chronic conditions, such as obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. However, there is currently a lack of convenient methods for measuring the volume of food (portion size) in real-life settings. We present a computational method to estimate food volume from a single photographical image of food contained in a typical dining plate. First, we calculate the food location with respect to a 3D camera coordinate system using the plate as a scale reference. Then, the food is segmented automatically from the background in the image. Adaptive thresholding and snake modeling are implemented based on several image features, such as color contrast, regional color homogeneity and curve bending degree. Next, a 3D model representing the general shape of the food (e.g., a cylinder, a sphere, etc.) is selected from a pre-constructed shape model library. The position, orientation and scale of the selected shape model are determined by registering the projected 3D model and the food contour in the image, where the properties of the reference are used as constraints. Experimental results using various realistically shaped foods with known volumes demonstrated satisfactory performance of our image based food volume measurement method even if the 3D geometric surface of the food is not completely represented in the input image. PMID:24223474

Development of a Method to Assess the Precision Of the z-axis X-ray Beam Collimation in a CT Scanner

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Yon-Min

2018-05-01

Generally X-ray equipment specifies the beam collimator for the accuracy measurement as a quality control item, but the computed tomography (CT) scanner with high dose has no collimator accuracy measurement item. If the radiation dose is to be reduced, an important step is to check if the beam precisely collimates at the body part for CT scan. However, few ways are available to assess how precisely the X-ray beam is collimated. In this regard, this paper provides a way to assess the precision of z-axis X-ray beam collimation in a CT scanner. After the image plate cassette had been exposed to the X-ray beam, the exposed width was automatically detected by using a computer program developed by the research team to calculate the difference between the exposed width and the imaged width (at isocenter). The result for the precision of z-axis X-ray beam collimation showed that the exposed width was 3.8 mm and the overexposure was high at 304% when a narrow beam of a 1.25 mm imaged width was used. In this study, the precision of the beam collimation of the CT scanner, which is frequently used for medical services, was measured in a convenient way by using the image plate (IP) cassette.

Model-based measurement of food portion size for image-based dietary assessment using 3D/2D registration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Hsin-Chen; Jia, Wenyan; Yue, Yaofeng; Li, Zhaoxin; Sun, Yung-Nien; Fernstrom, John D.; Sun, Mingui

2013-10-01

Dietary assessment is important in health maintenance and intervention in many chronic conditions, such as obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. However, there is currently a lack of convenient methods for measuring the volume of food (portion size) in real-life settings. We present a computational method to estimate food volume from a single photographic image of food contained on a typical dining plate. First, we calculate the food location with respect to a 3D camera coordinate system using the plate as a scale reference. Then, the food is segmented automatically from the background in the image. Adaptive thresholding and snake modeling are implemented based on several image features, such as color contrast, regional color homogeneity and curve bending degree. Next, a 3D model representing the general shape of the food (e.g., a cylinder, a sphere, etc) is selected from a pre-constructed shape model library. The position, orientation and scale of the selected shape model are determined by registering the projected 3D model and the food contour in the image, where the properties of the reference are used as constraints. Experimental results using various realistically shaped foods with known volumes demonstrated satisfactory performance of our image-based food volume measurement method even if the 3D geometric surface of the food is not completely represented in the input image.

Experimental Study for Automatic Colony Counting System Based Onimage Processing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fang, Junlong; Li, Wenzhe; Wang, Guoxin

Colony counting in many colony experiments is detected by manual method at present, therefore it is difficult for man to execute the method quickly and accurately .A new automatic colony counting system was developed. Making use of image-processing technology, a study was made on the feasibility of distinguishing objectively white bacterial colonies from clear plates according to the RGB color theory. An optimal chromatic value was obtained based upon a lot of experiments on the distribution of the chromatic value. It has been proved that the method greatly improves the accuracy and efficiency of the colony counting and the counting result is not affected by using inoculation, shape or size of the colony. It is revealed that automatic detection of colony quantity using image-processing technology could be an effective way.

Theoretical Study of Various Airplane Motions After Initial Disturbance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Haus, FR

1938-01-01

The present investigation may be considered as preliminary to the study of automatic stabilizers. We have sought to determine first how an airplane of average characteristics reacts against the principal disturbances it may encounter. Without entering into the general study of automatic stabilizers, the present work suggests the idea of a stabilizer whose sensitive member would be a wind vane or pressure plate. The elements considered as variable were the coefficients of static stability - that is, the derivatives of the coefficients of the moments with respect to the angles of attack and of yaw; these angles may be determined by the vanes.

Development of an economic solar heating system with cost efficient flat plate collectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eder-Milchgeisser, W.; Burkart, R.

1980-10-01

Mass produced flat plate solar collectors were worked into the design of a system for heating a swimming pool and/or providing domestic hot water. The collector characteristics, including physical and mechanical data as well as theoretical energy conversion efficiency, are presented. The collector was tested and service life efficiency was determined. The mounting of the collector, depending on roof type, is explained. Both in service and laboratory test results demonstrate the cost effectiveness of the system. Further improvement of efficiency is envisaged with automatic flow control in the solar collector and hot water circuits.

Paver automation for road surfacing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tihonov, A.; Velichkin, V.

2017-10-01

The paper discusses factors that bear on the quality of motor road pavement as access roads and highways are built and used. A block diagram is proposed to organize elements of the automatic control system to control the asphalt paver’s mechanisms; the system is based on a microprocessor onboard controller to maintain preset elevation of the finishing plate; description of its operation principle is offered. The paper names primary converters to control the finishing plate elevation. A new control method is described to control the machine’s straight-line movement with GLONASS Satellite Positioning System (SPS) during operation.

Search-free license plate localization based on saliency and local variance estimation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Safaei, Amin; Tang, H. L.; Sanei, S.

2015-02-01

In recent years, the performance and accuracy of automatic license plate number recognition (ALPR) systems have greatly improved, however the increasing number of applications for such systems have made ALPR research more challenging than ever. The inherent computational complexity of search dependent algorithms remains a major problem for current ALPR systems. This paper proposes a novel search-free method of localization based on the estimation of saliency and local variance. Gabor functions are then used to validate the choice of candidate license plate. The algorithm was applied to three image datasets with different levels of complexity and the results compared with a number of benchmark methods, particularly in terms of speed. The proposed method outperforms the state of the art methods and can be used for real time applications.

Growth plate cartilage shows different strain patterns in response to static versus dynamic mechanical modulation.

PubMed

Kaviani, Rosa; Londono, Irene; Parent, Stefan; Moldovan, Florina; Villemure, Isabelle

2016-08-01

Longitudinal growth of long bones and vertebrae occurs in growth plate cartilage. This process is partly regulated by mechanical forces, which are one of the underlying reasons for progression of growth deformities such as idiopathic adolescent scoliosis and early-onset scoliosis. This concept of mechanical modulation of bone growth is also exploited in the development of fusionless treatments of these deformities. However, the optimal loading condition for the mechanical modulation of growth plate remains to be identified. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of in vitro static versus dynamic modulation and of dynamic loading parameters, such as frequency and amplitude, on the mechanical responses and histomorphology of growth plate explants. Growth plate explants from distal ulnae of 4-week-old swines were extracted and randomly distributed among six experimental groups: baseline ([Formula: see text]), control ([Formula: see text]), static ([Formula: see text]) and dynamic ([Formula: see text]). For static and dynamic groups, mechanical modulation was performed in vitro using an Indexed CartiGen bioreactor. A stress relaxation test combined with confocal microscopy and digital image correlation was used to characterize the mechanical responses of each explant in terms of peak stress, equilibrium stress, equilibrium modulus of elasticity and strain pattern. Histomorphometrical measurements were performed on toluidine blue tissue sections using a semi-automatic custom-developed MATLAB toolbox. Results suggest that compared to dynamic modulation, static modulation changes the strain pattern of the tissue and thus is more detrimental for tissue biomechanics, while the histomorphological parameters are not affected by mechanical modulation. Also, under dynamic modulation, changing the frequency or amplitude does not affect the biomechanical response of the tissue. Results of this study will be useful in finding optimal and non-damaging parameters for the mechanical modulation of growth plate in fusionless treatments.

Precise 3D Lug Pose Detection Sensor for Automatic Robot Welding Using a Structured-Light Vision System

PubMed Central

Park, Jae Byung; Lee, Seung Hun; Lee, Il Jae

2009-01-01

In this study, we propose a precise 3D lug pose detection sensor for automatic robot welding of a lug to a huge steel plate used in shipbuilding, where the lug is a handle to carry the huge steel plate. The proposed sensor consists of a camera and four laser line diodes, and its design parameters are determined by analyzing its detectable range and resolution. For the lug pose acquisition, four laser lines are projected on both lug and plate, and the projected lines are detected by the camera. For robust detection of the projected lines against the illumination change, the vertical threshold, thinning, Hough transform and separated Hough transform algorithms are successively applied to the camera image. The lug pose acquisition is carried out by two stages: the top view alignment and the side view alignment. The top view alignment is to detect the coarse lug pose relatively far from the lug, and the side view alignment is to detect the fine lug pose close to the lug. After the top view alignment, the robot is controlled to move close to the side of the lug for the side view alignment. By this way, the precise 3D lug pose can be obtained. Finally, experiments with the sensor prototype are carried out to verify the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed sensor. PMID:22400007

Automatic HDL firmware generation for FPGA-based reconfigurable measurement and control systems with mezzanines in FMC standard

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wojenski, Andrzej; Kasprowicz, Grzegorz; Pozniak, Krzysztof T.; Romaniuk, Ryszard

2013-10-01

The paper describes a concept of automatic firmware generation for reconfigurable measurement systems, which uses FPGA devices and measurement cards in FMC standard. Following sections are described in details: automatic HDL code generation for FPGA devices, automatic communication interfaces implementation, HDL drivers for measurement cards, automatic serial connection between multiple measurement backplane boards, automatic build of memory map (address space), automatic generated firmware management. Presented solutions are required in many advanced measurement systems, like Beam Position Monitors or GEM detectors. This work is a part of a wider project for automatic firmware generation and management of reconfigurable systems. Solutions presented in this paper are based on previous publication in SPIE.

SkICAT: A cataloging and analysis tool for wide field imaging surveys

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Weir, N.; Fayyad, U. M.; Djorgovski, S. G.; Roden, J.

1992-01-01

We describe an integrated system, SkICAT (Sky Image Cataloging and Analysis Tool), for the automated reduction and analysis of the Palomar Observatory-ST ScI Digitized Sky Survey. The Survey will consist of the complete digitization of the photographic Second Palomar Observatory Sky Survey (POSS-II) in three bands, comprising nearly three Terabytes of pixel data. SkICAT applies a combination of existing packages, including FOCAS for basic image detection and measurement and SAS for database management, as well as custom software, to the task of managing this wealth of data. One of the most novel aspects of the system is its method of object classification. Using state-of-theart machine learning classification techniques (GID3* and O-BTree), we have developed a powerful method for automatically distinguishing point sources from non-point sources and artifacts, achieving comparably accurate discrimination a full magnitude fainter than in previous Schmidt plate surveys. The learning algorithms produce decision trees for classification by examining instances of objects classified by eye on both plate and higher quality CCD data. The same techniques will be applied to perform higher-level object classification (e.g., of galaxy morphology) in the near future. Another key feature of the system is the facility to integrate the catalogs from multiple plates (and portions thereof) to construct a single catalog of uniform calibration and quality down to the faintest limits of the survey. SkICAT also provides a variety of data analysis and exploration tools for the scientific utilization of the resulting catalogs. We include initial results of applying this system to measure the counts and distribution of galaxies in two bands down to Bj is approximately 21 mag over an approximate 70 square degree multi-plate field from POSS-II. SkICAT is constructed in a modular and general fashion and should be readily adaptable to other large-scale imaging surveys.

Landmark-based elastic registration using approximating thin-plate splines.

PubMed

Rohr, K; Stiehl, H S; Sprengel, R; Buzug, T M; Weese, J; Kuhn, M H

2001-06-01

We consider elastic image registration based on a set of corresponding anatomical point landmarks and approximating thin-plate splines. This approach is an extension of the original interpolating thin-plate spline approach and allows to take into account landmark localization errors. The extension is important for clinical applications since landmark extraction is always prone to error. Our approach is based on a minimizing functional and can cope with isotropic as well as anisotropic landmark errors. In particular, in the latter case it is possible to include different types of landmarks, e.g., unique point landmarks as well as arbitrary edge points. Also, the scheme is general with respect to the image dimension and the order of smoothness of the underlying functional. Optimal affine transformations as well as interpolating thin-plate splines are special cases of this scheme. To localize landmarks we use a semi-automatic approach which is based on three-dimensional (3-D) differential operators. Experimental results are presented for two-dimensional as well as 3-D tomographic images of the human brain.

Image acquisition system for traffic monitoring applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Auty, Glen; Corke, Peter I.; Dunn, Paul; Jensen, Murray; Macintyre, Ian B.; Mills, Dennis C.; Nguyen, Hao; Simons, Ben

1995-03-01

An imaging system for monitoring traffic on multilane highways is discussed. The system, named Safe-T-Cam, is capable of operating 24 hours per day in all but extreme weather conditions and can capture still images of vehicles traveling up to 160 km/hr. Systems operating at different remote locations are networked to allow transmission of images and data to a control center. A remote site facility comprises a vehicle detection and classification module (VCDM), an image acquisition module (IAM) and a license plate recognition module (LPRM). The remote site is connected to the central site by an ISDN communications network. The remote site system is discussed in this paper. The VCDM consists of a video camera, a specialized exposure control unit to maintain consistent image characteristics, and a 'real-time' image processing system that processes 50 images per second. The VCDM can detect and classify vehicles (e.g. cars from trucks). The vehicle class is used to determine what data should be recorded. The VCDM uses a vehicle tracking technique to allow optimum triggering of the high resolution camera of the IAM. The IAM camera combines the features necessary to operate consistently in the harsh environment encountered when imaging a vehicle 'head-on' in both day and night conditions. The image clarity obtained is ideally suited for automatic location and recognition of the vehicle license plate. This paper discusses the camera geometry, sensor characteristics and the image processing methods which permit consistent vehicle segmentation from a cluttered background allowing object oriented pattern recognition to be used for vehicle classification. The image capture of high resolution images and the image characteristics required for the LPRMs automatic reading of vehicle license plates, is also discussed. The results of field tests presented demonstrate that the vision based Safe-T-Cam system, currently installed on open highways, is capable of producing automatic classification of vehicle class and recording of vehicle numberplates with a success rate around 90 percent in a period of 24 hours.

Synthesis method for ultrananocrystalline diamond in powder employing a coaxial arc plasma gun

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Naragino, Hiroshi; Tominaga, Aki; Hanada, Kenji; Yoshitake, Tsuyoshi

2015-07-01

A new method that enables us to synthesize ultrananocrystalline diamond (UNCD) in powder is proposed. Highly energetic carbon species ejected from a graphite cathode of a coaxial arc plasma gun were provided on a quartz plate at a high density by repeated arc discharge in a compact vacuum chamber, and resultant films automatically peeled from the plate were aggregated and powdered. The grain size was easily controlled from 2.4 to 15.0 nm by changing the arc discharge energy. It was experimentally demonstrated that the proposed method is a new and promising method that enables us to synthesize UNCD in powder easily and controllably.

Multimodal inspection in power engineering and building industries: new challenges and solutions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kujawińska, Małgorzata; Malesa, Marcin; Malowany, Krzysztof

2013-09-01

Recently the demand and number of applications of full-field, optical measurement methods based on noncoherent light sources increased significantly. They include traditional image processing, thermovision, digital image correlation (DIC) and structured light methods. However, there are still numerous challenges connected with implementation of these methods to in-situ, long-term monitoring in industrial, civil engineering and cultural heritage applications, multimodal measurements of a variety of object features or simply adopting instruments to work in hard environmental conditions. In this paper we focus on 3D DIC method and present its enhancements concerning software modifications (new visualization methods and a method for automatic merging of data distributed in time) and hardware improvements. The modified 3D DIC system combined with infrared camera system is applied in many interesting cases: measurements of boiler drum during annealing and of pipelines in heat power stations and monitoring of different building steel struts at construction site and validation of numerical models of large building structures constructed of graded metal plate arches.

Phase conjugate Twyman-Green interferometer for testing spherical surfaces and lenses and for measuring refractive indices of liquids or solid transparent materials

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shukla, R. P.; Dokhanian, Mostafa; Venkateswarlu, Putcha; George, M. C.

1990-01-01

The present paper describes an application of a phase conjugate Twyman-Green interferometer using barium titanate as a self-pumping mirror for testing optical components like concave and convex spherical mirrors and lenses. The aberrations introduced by the beam splitter while testing concave or convex spherical mirrors of large aperture are automatically eliminated due to self-focussing property of the phase conjugate mirror. There is no necessity for a good spherical surface as a reference surface unlike in classical Twyman-Green interferometer or Williams interferometer. The phase conjugate Twyman Green interferometer with a divergent illumination can be used as a test plate for checking spherical surfaces. A nondestructive technique for measuring the refractive indices of a Fabry Perot etalon by using a phase conjugate interferometer is also suggested. The interferometer is found to be useful for measuring the refractive indices of liquids and solid transparent materials with an accuracy of the order of + or - 0.0004.

Characteristics of a new automatic hail recorder

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Löffler-Mang, Martin; Schön, Dominik; Landry, Markus

2011-06-01

An automatic hail sensor was developed, based on signal production with microphones, a quick signal analysis and recording possibility. For this hail recorder (HARE) small piezo-electric microphones inside a Makrolon body are used to detect hailstones. The prototype has an octagonal shape, two microphones on the top and bottom plates situated in the middle of the device, and an electronic board. A hailstone striking the surface produces waves on the sensor body and a voltage in the piezo-electric microphones. Each hail event is stored in the internal memory including the time and date. The memory can be read out via a USB port at any time after one or more hail events. HARE was tested and calibrated with the help of a newly constructed pneumatic hail gun. The voltage signal at the top plate microphone of HARE increases linearly proportional to hailstone momentum, whereas at the bottom plate it increases linearly proportional to hailstone kinetic energy. For large hailstones the accuracy of HARE is in the order of 10%. Calibration of HARE is still in progress and it has not been tested in real hailfalls as yet. An online device as well as an autonomous one is available for a large number of possible applications. Lately there has been interest to use HARE at solar power plants in Southern Europe to prevent the expensive modules from becoming damaged. Perhaps HARE could also participate in new and existing hail observing networks.

Automated Quantitative Spectral Classification of Stars in Areas of the main Meridional Section of the Galaxy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shvelidze, Teimuraz; Malyuto, Valeri

2015-08-01

Quantitative spectral classification of F, G and K stars with the 70-cm telescope of the Ambastumani Astrophysical Observatory in areas of the main meridional section of the Galaxy, and for which proper motion data are available, has been performed. Fundamental parameters have been obtained for several hundred stars. Space densities of stars of different spectral types, the stellar luminosity function and the relationships between the kinematics and metallicity of stars have been studied. The results have confirmed and completed the conclusions made on the basis of some previous spectroscopic and photometric surveys. Many plates have been obtained for other important directions in the sky: the Kapteyn areas, the Galactic anticentre, the main meridional section of the Galaxy and etc. Very rich collection of photographic objective spectral plates (30,000 were accumulated during last 60 years) is available at Abastumani Observatory-wavelength range 3900-4900 A, about 2A resolution. Availability of new devices for automatic registration of spectra from photographic plates as well as some recently developed classification techniques may allow now to create a modern system of automatic spectral classification and with expension of classification techniques to additional types (B-A, M spectral classes). The data can be treated with the same quantitative method applied here. This method may also be applied to other available and future spectroscopic data of similar resolution, notably that obtained with large format CCD detectors on Schmidt-type telescopes.

Roughness Effects on the Formation of a Leading Edge Vortex

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elliott, Cassidy; Lang, Amy; Wahidi, Redha; Wilroy, Jacob

2016-11-01

Microscopic scales cover the wings of Monarch butterflies, creating a patterned surface. This patterning is an important natural flow control mechanism that is thought to delay the growth of the leading edge vortex (LEV) produced by the flapping motion of a wing. The increased skin friction caused by the scales leads to a weaker LEV being shed into the butterfly's wake, lessening drag and increasing flight efficiency. To test this theory, a plate of random roughness was designed in SolidWorks and printed on the Objet 30 Pro 3D printer. A 2x3x5 cubic foot tow tank was used to test the rough plate at Reynold's numbers of 1500, 3000, and 6000 (velocities of 8, 16, and 32 mm/s) at an angle of attack of 45 degrees. Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) captured images of the LEV generated by the plate when towed upwards through the particle-seeded flow. Codes written in MatLab were used to automatically track and determine the strength of the LEV. Circulation values for the randomly-rough plate were then compared to the same values generated in a previous experiment that used a smooth plate and a grooved plate to determine the effect of the patterning on vortex development. Funding provided by NSF REU site Grant EEC 1358991 and CBET 1628600.

Evaluation of the Sequential Spot Sampler (S3) for time-resolved measurement of PM2.5 sulfate and nitrate through lab and field measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hecobian, A.; Evanoski-Cole, A.; Eiguren-Fernandez, A.; Sullivan, A. P.; Lewis, G. S.; Hering, S. V.; Collett, J. L., Jr.

2016-02-01

The Sequential Spot Sampler (S3), a newly developed instrument to collect aerosols for time-resolved chemical composition measurements, was evaluated in the laboratory and field for the measurement of particulate sulfate and nitrate. The S3 uses a multi-temperature condensation growth tube to grow individual aerosols to droplets which are then deposited as a ˜ 1 mm diameter dry spot at the end of the growth tube in a 100 µL well of a multi-well plate. The well plate advances automatically to provide a sequence of time-resolved samples. The collected aerosols are subsequently analyzed in the laboratory. The sample is concentrated during the collection process, and the laboratory extraction and analysis steps can be automated. The well plate, as received from the field, is placed onto a needle-based autosampler that adds liquid for sample extraction and injects sample extract from each well onto an ion chromatograph for analysis. Laboratory evaluation for sulfate and nitrate ions showed that poly ether ether ketone (PEEK) used as well plate material does not contribute any artifacts; a 60 min extraction procedure leads to the recovery of sulfate and nitrate from the dry spots at above 95 % extraction efficiency; and samples stored frozen and analyzed up to 23 months later show less than a 10 % change in sulfate and nitrate concentrations. The limit of detection was 0.5 µg m-3 for sulfate and 0.2 µg m-3 for nitrate for a 1 h sampling period. In a month-long field study conducted in southern California, two S3s were deployed alongside a URG denuder-filter-pack and a Particle-Into-Liquid Sampler combined with an Ion Chromatograph (PILS-IC). Collocated S3 sampler concentrations compared by linear regression show good agreement, with r2 = 0.99 and slope = 0.99 (±0.004) µg m-3 for sulfate and r2 = 0.99 and slope = 1.0 (±0.006) µg m-3 for nitrate. When compared to the URG denuder-filter-pack and the PILS-IC, the S3 sulfate and nitrate concentrations yielded correlations above 0.84 for the square of the correlation coefficient and regression slopes close to 1.

In-Situ Waviness Characterization of Metal Plates by a Lateral Shearing Interferometric Profilometer

PubMed Central

Frade, María; Enguita, José María; Álvarez, Ignacio

2013-01-01

Characterizing waviness in sheet metal is a key process for quality control in many industries, such as automotive and home appliance manufacturing. However, there is still no known technique able to work in an automated in-floor inspection system. The literature describes many techniques developed in the last three decades, but most of them are either slow, only able to work in laboratory conditions, need very short (unsafe) working distances, or are only able to estimate certain waviness parameters. In this article we propose the use of a lateral shearing interferometric profilometer, which is able to obtain a 19 mm profile in a single acquisition, with sub-micron precision, in an uncontrolled environment, and from a working distance greater than 90 mm. This system allows direct measurement of all needed waviness parameters even with objects in movement. We describe a series of experiments over several samples of steel plates to validate the sensor and the processing method, and the results are in close agreement with those obtained with a contact stylus device. The sensor is an ideal candidate for on-line or in-machine fast automatic waviness assessment, reducing delays and costs in many metalworking processes. PMID:23584120

In-situ waviness characterization of metal plates by a lateral shearing interferometric profilometer.

PubMed

Frade, María; Enguita, José María; Alvarez, Ignacio

2013-04-12

Characterizing waviness in sheet metal is a key process for quality control in many industries, such as automotive and home appliance manufacturing. However, there is still no known technique able to work in an automated in-floor inspection system. The literature describes many techniques developed in the last three decades, but most of them are either slow, only able to work in laboratory conditions, need very short (unsafe) working distances, or are only able to estimate certain waviness parameters. In this article we propose the use of a lateral shearing interferometric profilometer, which is able to obtain a 19 mm profile in a single acquisition, with sub-micron precision, in an uncontrolled environment, and from a working distance greater than 90 mm. This system allows direct measurement of all needed waviness parameters even with objects in movement. We describe a series of experiments over several samples of steel plates to validate the sensor and the processing method, and the results are in close agreement with those obtained with a contact stylus device. The sensor is an ideal candidate for on-line or in-machine fast automatic waviness assessment, reducing delays and costs in many metalworking processes.

Measurement and research on the appearance of tongue board based on modification to discuss centrifugal fan air performance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jwo, Ching-Song; Cheng, Tseng-Tang; Cho, Hung-Pin; Chiang, Wei-Tang; Chen, Sih-Li; Chen, Chien-Wei; Jian, Ling-You

2011-12-01

This paper presents a reduced fan noise method, with increased fan-benefit analysis of various performances. The experimental approach adopts changes in the outlet in the form of two fans (flat tongue and a V-Type tongue plate) in order to measure the noise under the two forms of value and volume of supply air fan, shaft power consumption, operating current, and static pressure. The results showed that the tongue plate and the V-plane tongue plate noise between the value of the measurement location of 6.7 in the tongue plate in the plane below the noise level is about V-tongue plate 1 ~ 1.5dB (A). Air flow rate testing showed that the flat plate and the V-Type tongue plate between the tongue plate V-Type flow rate value, the measurement location of 3.4 in the tongue plate in the plane was more than the V-Type flow rate tongue plate 5 to 5.5%. Shaft power testing of measurement model 3, and measurement model 4, showed that the tongue plate in the plane V-tongue plate was more than 8%, 5%. The measurement models 3 and 4 and 5 showed more than the V-Type plane tongue plate 1%, 2.7%, and 2.6%. The measurement models 6 and 8 showed that, the flat tongue plate is less than the V-tongue plate of 2.9% and 2.3%. Static pressure testing showed that the flat tongue plate in particular measurement models (3,4,8,9), the static value of V-tongue plate than the 11.1% higher, respectively, 9%, 4.3%, and 3.7%. The results summarized above suggest that, in the specific measurement points, when parallel to the tongue plate the V-tongue board has better performance.

A square-wave wavelength modulation system for automatic background correction in carbon furnace atomic emission spectrometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bezur, L.; Marshall, J.; Ottaway, J. M.

A square-wave wavelength modulation system, based on a rotating quartz chopper with four quadrants of different thicknesses, has been developed and evaluated as a method for automatic background correction in carbon furnace atomic emission spectrometry. Accurate background correction is achieved for the residual black body radiation (Rayleigh scatter) from the tube wall and Mie scatter from particles generated by a sample matrix and formed by condensation of atoms in the optical path. Intensity modulation caused by overlap at the edges of the quartz plates and by the divergence of the optical beam at the position of the modulation chopper has been investigated and is likely to be small.

Development of methods for skin barrier peeling tests.

PubMed

Omura, Yuko; Kazuharu, Seki; Kenji, Oishi

2006-01-01

We sought to develop a more effective method to evaluate the adhesive properties of skin barriers. The experimental design used was based on 3 principles: partial control, randomization, and repetition. Using these principles, the 180-degree peeling tests were conducted as specified in a standardized methodology (JIS Z0297) to the extent possible. However, the use of a stainless steel plate as a proxy for skin barrier application may result in the stretching and breaking of the skin barrier, making it impossible to obtain suitable measurements. Tests were conducted in constant temperature/ humidity chambers using a Tensilon Automatic Elongation Tester, where a sample was fixed on the side of a sample immobilization device, a sturdy metal (aluminum) box from which the air in the box was drawn off with a vacuum pump. A fluorocarbon polymer film was applied to the adhesive surface of a sample skin barrier. The film was peeled off in the volte-face (180-degree) direction in order to measure adhesive strengths. The films exhibit such properties as (a) ease of removal from the adhesive surface, (b) no resistance to a 180-degree fold back due to the thinness and flexibility of the material, and (c) tolerance of elongation. The adhesive properties of skin barriers were measured by peeling the fluorocarbon polymers in a 180-degree direction. Twelve specimen skin barrier products were selected for measurement, providing results with satisfactory reproducibility. Results based on the conventional stainless steel plate-based testing method acted as a control. The newly developed testing method enables chronological measurement results for skin barriers applied to fluorocarbon polymer films after 24 hours, 48 hours, and longer period.

Submerged arc welding of heavy plate

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilson, R. A.

1972-01-01

The submerged arc process is particularly suitable for heavy plate welding because of its ability to combine very high deposit rates along with excellent quality. It does these things without the smoke and spatter often accompanying other processes. It is available today in several forms that are pointed to the fabricators of heavy sections with long, short or round about welds. Tandem arc full automatic equipment is particularly suitable for those long heavy welds where speed and deposit rate are of the first order. An attachment called long stick-out which makes use of the IR drop on long electrode extensions can be included on this equipment to increase deposition rates 50% or more.

Response Evaluation of Malignant Liver Lesions After TACE/SIRT: Comparison of Manual and Semi-Automatic Measurement of Different Response Criteria in Multislice CT.

PubMed

Höink, Anna Janina; Schülke, Christoph; Koch, Raphael; Löhnert, Annika; Kammerer, Sara; Fortkamp, Rasmus; Heindel, Walter; Buerke, Boris

2017-11-01

Purpose  To compare measurement precision and interobserver variability in the evaluation of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and liver metastases in MSCT before and after transarterial local ablative therapies. Materials and Methods  Retrospective study of 72 patients with malignant liver lesions (42 metastases; 30 HCCs) before and after therapy (43 SIRT procedures; 29 TACE procedures). Established (LAD; SAD; WHO) and vitality-based parameters (mRECIST; mLAD; mSAD; EASL) were assessed manually and semi-automatically by two readers. The relative interobserver difference (RID) and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) were calculated. Results  The median RID for vitality-based parameters was lower from semi-automatic than from manual measurement of mLAD (manual 12.5 %; semi-automatic 3.4 %), mSAD (manual 12.7 %; semi-automatic 5.7 %) and EASL (manual 10.4 %; semi-automatic 1.8 %). The difference in established parameters was not statistically noticeable (p > 0.05). The ICCs of LAD (manual 0.984; semi-automatic 0.982), SAD (manual 0.975; semi-automatic 0.958) and WHO (manual 0.984; semi-automatic 0.978) are high, both in manual and semi-automatic measurements. The ICCs of manual measurements of mLAD (0.897), mSAD (0.844) and EASL (0.875) are lower. This decrease cannot be found in semi-automatic measurements of mLAD (0.997), mSAD (0.992) and EASL (0.998). Conclusion  Vitality-based tumor measurements of HCC and metastases after transarterial local therapies should be performed semi-automatically due to greater measurement precision, thus increasing the reproducibility and in turn the reliability of therapeutic decisions. Key points   · Liver lesion measurements according to EASL and mRECIST are more precise when performed semi-automatically.. · The higher reproducibility may facilitate a more reliable classification of therapy response.. · Measurements according to RECIST and WHO offer equivalent precision semi-automatically and manually.. Citation Format · Höink AJ, Schülke C, Koch R et al. Response Evaluation of Malignant Liver Lesions After TACE/SIRT: Comparison of Manual and Semi-Automatic Measurement of Different Response Criteria in Multislice CT. Fortschr Röntgenstr 2017; 189: 1067 - 1075. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Precision positioning device

DOEpatents

McInroy, John E.

2005-01-18

A precision positioning device is provided. The precision positioning device comprises a precision measuring/vibration isolation mechanism. A first plate is provided with the precision measuring mean secured to the first plate. A second plate is secured to the first plate. A third plate is secured to the second plate with the first plate being positioned between the second plate and the third plate. A fourth plate is secured to the third plate with the second plate being positioned between the third plate and the fourth plate. An adjusting mechanism for adjusting the position of the first plate, the second plate, the third plate, and the fourth plate relative to each other.

SU-E-I-24: Method for CT Automatic Exposure Control Verification

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

Gracia, M; Olasolo, J; Martin, M

Purpose: Design of a phantom and a simple method for the automatic exposure control (AEC) verification in CT. This verification is included in the computed tomography (CT) Spanish Quality Assurance Protocol. Methods: The phantom design is made from the head and the body phantom used for the CTDI measurement and PMMA plates (35×35 cm2) of 10 cm thickness. Thereby, three different thicknesses along the longitudinal axis are obtained which permit to evaluate the longitudinal AEC performance. Otherwise, the existent asymmetry in the PMMA layers helps to assess angular and 3D AEC operation.Recent acquisition in our hospital (August 2014) of Nomexmore » electrometer (PTW), together with the 10 cm pencil ionization chamber, led to register dose rate as a function of time. Measurements with this chamber fixed at 0° and 90° on the gantry where made on five multidetector-CTs from principal manufacturers. Results: Individual analysis of measurements shows dose rate variation as a function of phantom thickness. The comparative analysis shows that dose rate is kept constant in the head and neck phantom while the PMMA phantom exhibits an abrupt variation between both results, being greater results at 90° as the thickness of the phantom is 3.5 times larger than in the perpendicular direction. Conclusion: Proposed method is simple, quick and reproducible. Results obtained let a qualitative evaluation of the AEC and they are consistent with the expected behavior. A line of future development is to quantitatively study the intensity modulation and parameters of image quality, and a possible comparative study between different manufacturers.« less

Congruency of scapula locking plates: implications for implant design.

PubMed

Park, Andrew Y; DiStefano, James G; Nguyen, Thuc-Quyen; Buckley, Jenni M; Montgomery, William H; Grimsrud, Chris D

2012-04-01

We conducted a study to evaluate the congruency of fit of current scapular plate designs. Three-dimensional image-processing and -analysis software, and computed tomography scans of 12 cadaveric scapulae were used to generate 3 measurements: mean distance from plate to bone, maximum distance, and percentage of plate surface within 2 mm of bone. These measurements were used to quantify congruency. The scapular spine plate had the most congruent fit in all 3 measured variables. The lateral border and glenoid plates performed statistically as well as the scapular spine plate in at least 1 of the measured variables. The medial border plate had the least optimal measurements in all 3 variables. With locking-plate technology used in a wide variety of anatomical locations, the locking scapula plate system can allow for a fixed-angle construct in this region. Our study results showed that the scapular spine, glenoid, and lateral border plates are adequate in terms of congruency. However, design improvements may be necessary for the medial border plate. In addition, we describe a novel method for quantifying hardware congruency, a method that can be applied to any anatomical location.

Geodetic Secor Satellite

DTIC Science & Technology

1974-06-01

retrans- minied modulation signals. A phase-lock loop was used to provide correlation detection, allowing automatic acquisition and phase tracking at...steel strips, 0.5-inch-wide by 0.009-inch-thick, and formed to a 0.75-inch radius. Each antenne -was plated with silver to imprive con- dutivity...Telemetry Requirements k. Phase Detector Output Requirements 1. Primary Power Requirements m. AM Suppression Requirements n. Data Feedback Loop Gain

Automated assessment of bone changes in cross-sectional micro-CT studies of murine experimental osteoarthritis.

PubMed

Das Neves Borges, Patricia; Vincent, Tonia L; Marenzana, Massimo

2017-01-01

The degradation of articular cartilage, which characterises osteoarthritis (OA), is usually paired with excessive bone remodelling, including subchondral bone sclerosis, cysts, and osteophyte formation. Experimental models of OA are widely used to investigate pathogenesis, yet few validated methodologies for assessing periarticular bone morphology exist and quantitative measurements are limited by manual segmentation of micro-CT scans. The aim of this work was to chart the temporal changes in periarticular bone in murine OA by novel, automated micro-CT methods. OA was induced by destabilisation of the medial meniscus (DMM) in 10-week old male mice and disease assessed cross-sectionally from 1- to 20-weeks post-surgery. A novel approach was developed to automatically segment subchondral bone compartments into plate and trabecular bone in micro-CT scans of tibial epiphyses. Osteophyte volume, as assessed by shape differences using 3D image registration, and by measuring total epiphyseal volume was performed. Significant linear and volumetric structural modifications in subchondral bone compartments and osteophytes were measured from 4-weeks post-surgery and showed progressive changes at all time points; by 20 weeks, medial subchondral bone plate thickness increased by 160±19.5 μm and the medial osteophyte grew by 0.124±0.028 μm3. Excellent agreement was found when automated measurements were compared with manual assessments. Our automated methods for assessing bone changes in murine periarticular bone are rapid, quantitative, and highly accurate, and promise to be a useful tool in future preclinical studies of OA progression and treatment. The current approaches were developed specifically for cross-sectional micro-CT studies but could be applied to longitudinal studies.

Automated assessment of bone changes in cross-sectional micro-CT studies of murine experimental osteoarthritis

PubMed Central

Vincent, Tonia L.; Marenzana, Massimo

2017-01-01

Objective The degradation of articular cartilage, which characterises osteoarthritis (OA), is usually paired with excessive bone remodelling, including subchondral bone sclerosis, cysts, and osteophyte formation. Experimental models of OA are widely used to investigate pathogenesis, yet few validated methodologies for assessing periarticular bone morphology exist and quantitative measurements are limited by manual segmentation of micro-CT scans. The aim of this work was to chart the temporal changes in periarticular bone in murine OA by novel, automated micro-CT methods. Methods OA was induced by destabilisation of the medial meniscus (DMM) in 10-week old male mice and disease assessed cross-sectionally from 1- to 20-weeks post-surgery. A novel approach was developed to automatically segment subchondral bone compartments into plate and trabecular bone in micro-CT scans of tibial epiphyses. Osteophyte volume, as assessed by shape differences using 3D image registration, and by measuring total epiphyseal volume was performed. Results Significant linear and volumetric structural modifications in subchondral bone compartments and osteophytes were measured from 4-weeks post-surgery and showed progressive changes at all time points; by 20 weeks, medial subchondral bone plate thickness increased by 160±19.5 μm and the medial osteophyte grew by 0.124±0.028 μm3. Excellent agreement was found when automated measurements were compared with manual assessments. Conclusion Our automated methods for assessing bone changes in murine periarticular bone are rapid, quantitative, and highly accurate, and promise to be a useful tool in future preclinical studies of OA progression and treatment. The current approaches were developed specifically for cross-sectional micro-CT studies but could be applied to longitudinal studies. PMID:28334010

Validation of automatic landmark identification for atlas-based segmentation for radiation treatment planning of the head-and-neck region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leavens, Claudia; Vik, Torbjørn; Schulz, Heinrich; Allaire, Stéphane; Kim, John; Dawson, Laura; O'Sullivan, Brian; Breen, Stephen; Jaffray, David; Pekar, Vladimir

2008-03-01

Manual contouring of target volumes and organs at risk in radiation therapy is extremely time-consuming, in particular for treating the head-and-neck area, where a single patient treatment plan can take several hours to contour. As radiation treatment delivery moves towards adaptive treatment, the need for more efficient segmentation techniques will increase. We are developing a method for automatic model-based segmentation of the head and neck. This process can be broken down into three main steps: i) automatic landmark identification in the image dataset of interest, ii) automatic landmark-based initialization of deformable surface models to the patient image dataset, and iii) adaptation of the deformable models to the patient-specific anatomical boundaries of interest. In this paper, we focus on the validation of the first step of this method, quantifying the results of our automatic landmark identification method. We use an image atlas formed by applying thin-plate spline (TPS) interpolation to ten atlas datasets, using 27 manually identified landmarks in each atlas/training dataset. The principal variation modes returned by principal component analysis (PCA) of the landmark positions were used by an automatic registration algorithm, which sought the corresponding landmarks in the clinical dataset of interest using a controlled random search algorithm. Applying a run time of 60 seconds to the random search, a root mean square (rms) distance to the ground-truth landmark position of 9.5 +/- 0.6 mm was calculated for the identified landmarks. Automatic segmentation of the brain, mandible and brain stem, using the detected landmarks, is demonstrated.

Galaxy clusters and cold dark matter - A low-density unbiased universe?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bahcall, Neta A.; Cen, Renyue

1992-01-01

Large-scale simulations of a universe dominated by cold dark matter (CDM) are tested against two fundamental properties of clusters of galaxies: the cluster mass function and the cluster correlation function. We find that standard biased CDM models are inconsistent with these observations for any bias parameter b. A low-density, low-bias CDM-type model, with or without a cosmological constant, appears to be consistent with both the cluster mass function and the cluster correlations. The low-density model agrees well with the observed correlation function of the Abell, Automatic Plate Measuring Facility (APM), and Edinburgh-Durham cluster catalogs. The model is in excellent agreement with the observed dependence of the correlation strength on cluster mean separation, reproducing the measured universal dimensionless cluster correlation. The low-density model is also consistent with other large-scale structure observations, including the APM angular galaxy-correlations, and for lambda = 1-Omega with the COBE results of the microwave background radiation fluctuations.

CONTINUOUS, AUTOMATED AND SIMULTANEOUS MEASUREMENT OF OXYGEN UPTAKE AND CARBON DIOXIDE EVOLUTION IN BIOLOGICAL SYSTEMS

EPA Science Inventory

Commercial respirometers are capable of continuously and automatically measuring oxygen uptake in bioreactors. A method for continuously and automatically measuring carbon dioxide evolution can be retrofitted to commercial respirometers. Continuous and automatic measurements of...

Channel Measurements for Automatic Vehicle Monitoring Systems

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1974-03-01

Co-channel and adjacent channel electromagnetic interference measurements were conducted on the Sierra Research Corp. and the Chicago Transit Authority automatic vehicle monitoring systems. These measurements were made to determine if the automatic v...

Automatic yield-line analysis of slabs using discontinuity layout optimization

PubMed Central

Gilbert, Matthew; He, Linwei; Smith, Colin C.; Le, Canh V.

2014-01-01

The yield-line method of analysis is a long established and extremely effective means of estimating the maximum load sustainable by a slab or plate. However, although numerous attempts to automate the process of directly identifying the critical pattern of yield-lines have been made over the past few decades, to date none has proved capable of reliably analysing slabs of arbitrary geometry. Here, it is demonstrated that the discontinuity layout optimization (DLO) procedure can successfully be applied to such problems. The procedure involves discretization of the problem using nodes inter-connected by potential yield-line discontinuities, with the critical layout of these then identified using linear programming. The procedure is applied to various benchmark problems, demonstrating that highly accurate solutions can be obtained, and showing that DLO provides a truly systematic means of directly and reliably automatically identifying yield-line patterns. Finally, since the critical yield-line patterns for many problems are found to be quite complex in form, a means of automatically simplifying these is presented. PMID:25104905

Design of mechanical arm for an automatic sorting system of recyclable cans

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Resti, Y.; Mohruni, A. S.; Burlian, F.; Yani, I.; Amran, A.

2018-04-01

The use of a mechanical arm for an automatic sorting system of used cans should be designed carefully. The right design will result in a high precision sorting rate and a short sorting time. The design includes first; design manipulator,second; determine link and joint specifications, and third; build mechanical systems and control systems. This study aims to design the mechanical arm as a hardware system for automatic cans sorting system. The material used for the manipulator is the aluminum plate. The manipulator is designed using 6 links and 6 join where the 6th link is the end effectorand the 6th join is the gripper. As a driving motor used servo motor, while as a microcontroller used Arduino Uno which is connected with Matlab programming language. Based on testing, a mechanical arm designed for this recyclable canned recycling system has a precision sorting rate at 93%, where the average total time required for sorting is 10.82 seconds.

Redshifts in the Southern Abell Redshift Survey Clusters. I. The Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Way, M. J.; Quintana, H.; Infante, L.; Lambas, D. G.; Muriel, H.

2005-11-01

The Southern Abell Redshift Survey (SARS) contains 39 clusters of galaxies with redshifts in the range 0.021h (while avoiding the LMC and SMC), with |b|>40°. Cluster locations were chosen from the Abell and Abell-Corwin-Olowin catalogs, while galaxy positions were selected from the Automatic Plate Measuring Facility galaxy catalog with extinction-corrected magnitudes in the range 15<=bJ<19. SARS used the Las Campanas 2.5 m du Pont telescope, observing either 65 or 128 objects concurrently over a 1.5 deg2 field. New redshifts for 3440 galaxies are reported in the fields of these 39 clusters of galaxies.

A new simple cone-plate viscometer for hemorheology.

PubMed

Wang, X; Liao, F L; Stoltz, J F

1998-09-01

The aim of this work was to evaluate a new automatic cone-plate viscometer (LBY-N6, PRECIL, Beijing, China) which was designed for clinical measurements of blood and plasma viscosities. Standard calibrating oils of viscosity varying from 1.85 to 20.5 mPas (conforming to ASTM Standard) were used to test the precision and reproducibility of the device. Then the viscometer was used to measure blood and plasma viscosities. The results were compared with those obtained with a conventional Couette viscometer and a capillary viscometer. The results showed that this new viscometer gave good values of viscosity for standard oils with relative errors lower than 10% at shear rates ranging from 20 to 200 s(-1). It also had a good reproducibility (standard deviations < 3% in most cases). Only the results at low shear rates (< 10 s(-1)) were less identical. As for blood, the relative difference between the results given by LBY-N6 and those obtained by Low Shear 30 was less than 10% at high shear rates. This difference decreased with shear rate and could be partly caused by viscoelastic and thixotropic properties of human blood. A small difference between the values of plasma viscosity obtained by LBY-N6 and the capillary viscometer AMTEC was also observed. In conclusion, this new viscometer can be used a routine tool to determine quickly plasma and blood viscosities in clinical practice at shear rates higher than 20 s(-1).

A full-wave Helmholtz model for continuous-wave ultrasound transmission.

PubMed

Huttunen, Tomi; Malinen, Matti; Kaipio, Jari P; White, Phillip Jason; Hynynen, Kullervo

2005-03-01

A full-wave Helmholtz model of continuous-wave (CW) ultrasound fields may offer several attractive features over widely used partial-wave approximations. For example, many full-wave techniques can be easily adjusted for complex geometries, and multiple reflections of sound are automatically taken into account in the model. To date, however, the full-wave modeling of CW fields in general 3D geometries has been avoided due to the large computational cost associated with the numerical approximation of the Helmholtz equation. Recent developments in computing capacity together with improvements in finite element type modeling techniques are making possible wave simulations in 3D geometries which reach over tens of wavelengths. The aim of this study is to investigate the feasibility of a full-wave solution of the 3D Helmholtz equation for modeling of continuous-wave ultrasound fields in an inhomogeneous medium. The numerical approximation of the Helmholtz equation is computed using the ultraweak variational formulation (UWVF) method. In addition, an inverse problem technique is utilized to reconstruct the velocity distribution on the transducer which is used to model the sound source in the UWVF scheme. The modeling method is verified by comparing simulated and measured fields in the case of transmission of 531 kHz CW fields through layered plastic plates. The comparison shows a reasonable agreement between simulations and measurements at low angles of incidence but, due to mode conversion, the Helmholtz model becomes insufficient for simulating ultrasound fields in plates at large angles of incidence.

Using machine learning techniques to automate sky survey catalog generation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fayyad, Usama M.; Roden, J. C.; Doyle, R. J.; Weir, Nicholas; Djorgovski, S. G.

1993-01-01

We describe the application of machine classification techniques to the development of an automated tool for the reduction of a large scientific data set. The 2nd Palomar Observatory Sky Survey provides comprehensive photographic coverage of the northern celestial hemisphere. The photographic plates are being digitized into images containing on the order of 10(exp 7) galaxies and 10(exp 8) stars. Since the size of this data set precludes manual analysis and classification of objects, our approach is to develop a software system which integrates independently developed techniques for image processing and data classification. Image processing routines are applied to identify and measure features of sky objects. Selected features are used to determine the classification of each object. GID3* and O-BTree, two inductive learning techniques, are used to automatically learn classification decision trees from examples. We describe the techniques used, the details of our specific application, and the initial encouraging results which indicate that our approach is well-suited to the problem. The benefits of the approach are increased data reduction throughput, consistency of classification, and the automated derivation of classification rules that will form an objective, examinable basis for classifying sky objects. Furthermore, astronomers will be freed from the tedium of an intensely visual task to pursue more challenging analysis and interpretation problems given automatically cataloged data.

High precision dual-axis tracking solar wireless charging system based on the four quadrant photoelectric sensor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Zhilong; Wang, Biao; Tong, Weichao

2015-08-01

This paper designs a solar automatic tracking wireless charging system based on the four quadrant photoelectric sensor. The system track the sun's rays automatically in real time to received the maximum energy and wireless charging to the load through electromagnetic coupling. Four quadrant photoelectric sensor responsive to the solar spectrum, the system could get the current azimuth and elevation angle of the light by calculating the solar energy incident on the sensor profile. System driver the solar panels by the biaxial movement mechanism to rotate and tilt movement until the battery plate and light perpendicular to each other. Maximize the use of solar energy, and does not require external power supply to achieve energy self-sufficiency. Solar energy can be collected for portable devices and load wireless charging by close electromagnetic field coupling. Experimental data show that: Four quadrant photoelectric sensor more sensitive to light angle measurement. when track positioning solar light, Azimuth deviation is less than 0.8°, Elevation angle deviation is less than 0.6°. Use efficiency of a conventional solar cell is only 10% -20%.The system uses a Four quadrant dual-axis tracking to raise the utilization rate of 25% -35%.Wireless charging electromagnetic coupling efficiency reached 60%.

Development of an automated large-scale protein-crystallization and monitoring system for high-throughput protein-structure analyses.

PubMed

Hiraki, Masahiko; Kato, Ryuichi; Nagai, Minoru; Satoh, Tadashi; Hirano, Satoshi; Ihara, Kentaro; Kudo, Norio; Nagae, Masamichi; Kobayashi, Masanori; Inoue, Michio; Uejima, Tamami; Oda, Shunichiro; Chavas, Leonard M G; Akutsu, Masato; Yamada, Yusuke; Kawasaki, Masato; Matsugaki, Naohiro; Igarashi, Noriyuki; Suzuki, Mamoru; Wakatsuki, Soichi

2006-09-01

Protein crystallization remains one of the bottlenecks in crystallographic analysis of macromolecules. An automated large-scale protein-crystallization system named PXS has been developed consisting of the following subsystems, which proceed in parallel under unified control software: dispensing precipitants and protein solutions, sealing crystallization plates, carrying robot, incubators, observation system and image-storage server. A sitting-drop crystallization plate specialized for PXS has also been designed and developed. PXS can set up 7680 drops for vapour diffusion per hour, which includes time for replenishing supplies such as disposable tips and crystallization plates. Images of the crystallization drops are automatically recorded according to a preprogrammed schedule and can be viewed by users remotely using web-based browser software. A number of protein crystals were successfully produced and several protein structures could be determined directly from crystals grown by PXS. In other cases, X-ray quality crystals were obtained by further optimization by manual screening based on the conditions found by PXS.

Model parameter extraction of lateral propagating surface acoustic waves with coupling on SiO2/grating/LiNbO3 structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Benfeng; Han, Tao; Li, Xinyi; Huang, Yulin; Omori, Tatsuya; Hashimoto, Ken-ya

2018-07-01

This paper investigates how lateral propagation of Rayleigh and shear horizontal (SH) surface acoustic waves (SAWs) changes with rotation angle θ and SiO2 and electrode thicknesses, h SiO2 and h Cu, respectively. The extended thin plate model is used for purpose. First, the extraction method is presented for determining parameters appearing in the extended thin plate model. Then, the model parameters are expressed in polynomials in terms of h SiO2, h Cu, and θ. Finally, a piston mode structure without phase shifters is designed using the extracted parameters. The possible piston mode structures can be searched automatically by use of the polynomial expression. The resonance characteristics are analyzed by both the extended thin plate model and three-dimensional (3D) finite element method (FEM). Agreement between the results of both methods confirms validity and effectiveness of the parameter extraction process and the design technique.

Protocols and programs for high-throughput growth and aging phenotyping in yeast.

PubMed

Jung, Paul P; Christian, Nils; Kay, Daniel P; Skupin, Alexander; Linster, Carole L

2015-01-01

In microorganisms, and more particularly in yeasts, a standard phenotyping approach consists in the analysis of fitness by growth rate determination in different conditions. One growth assay that combines high throughput with high resolution involves the generation of growth curves from 96-well plate microcultivations in thermostated and shaking plate readers. To push the throughput of this method to the next level, we have adapted it in this study to the use of 384-well plates. The values of the extracted growth parameters (lag time, doubling time and yield of biomass) correlated well between experiments carried out in 384-well plates as compared to 96-well plates or batch cultures, validating the higher-throughput approach for phenotypic screens. The method is not restricted to the use of the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, as shown by consistent results for other species selected from the Hemiascomycete class. Furthermore, we used the 384-well plate microcultivations to develop and validate a higher-throughput assay for yeast Chronological Life Span (CLS), a parameter that is still commonly determined by a cumbersome method based on counting "Colony Forming Units". To accelerate analysis of the large datasets generated by the described growth and aging assays, we developed the freely available software tools GATHODE and CATHODE. These tools allow for semi-automatic determination of growth parameters and CLS behavior from typical plate reader output files. The described protocols and programs will increase the time- and cost-efficiency of a number of yeast-based systems genetics experiments as well as various types of screens.

A new code for automatic detection and analysis of the lineament patterns for geophysical and geological purposes (ADALGEO)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soto-Pinto, C.; Arellano-Baeza, A.; Sánchez, G.

2013-08-01

We present a new numerical method for automatic detection and analysis of changes in lineament patterns caused by seismic and volcanic activities. The method is implemented as a series of modules: (i) normalization of the image contrast, (ii) extraction of small linear features (stripes) through convolution of the part of the image in the vicinity of each pixel with a circular mask or through Canny algorithm, and (iii) posterior detection of main lineaments using the Hough transform. We demonstrate that our code reliably detects changes in the lineament patterns related to the stress evolution in the Earth's crust: specifically, a significant number of new lineaments appear approximately one month before an earthquake, while one month after the earthquake the lineament configuration returns to its initial state. Application of our software to the deformations caused by volcanic activity yields the opposite results: the number of lineaments decreases with the onset of microseismicity. This discrepancy can be explained assuming that the plate tectonic earthquakes are caused by the compression and accumulation of stress in the Earth's crust due to subduction of tectonic plates, whereas in the case of volcanic activity we deal with the inflation of a volcano edifice due to elevation of pressure and magma intrusion and the resulting stretching of the surface.

Haptic computer-assisted patient-specific preoperative planning for orthopedic fractures surgery.

PubMed

Kovler, I; Joskowicz, L; Weil, Y A; Khoury, A; Kronman, A; Mosheiff, R; Liebergall, M; Salavarrieta, J

2015-10-01

The aim of orthopedic trauma surgery is to restore the anatomy and function of displaced bone fragments to support osteosynthesis. For complex cases, including pelvic bone and multi-fragment femoral neck and distal radius fractures, preoperative planning with a CT scan is indicated. The planning consists of (1) fracture reduction-determining the locations and anatomical sites of origin of the fractured bone fragments and (2) fracture fixation-selecting and placing fixation screws and plates. The current bone fragment manipulation, hardware selection, and positioning processes based on 2D slices and a computer mouse are time-consuming and require a technician. We present a novel 3D haptic-based system for patient-specific preoperative planning of orthopedic fracture surgery based on CT scans. The system provides the surgeon with an interactive, intuitive, and comprehensive, planning tool that supports fracture reduction and fixation. Its unique features include: (1) two-hand haptic manipulation of 3D bone fragments and fixation hardware models; (2) 3D stereoscopic visualization and multiple viewing modes; (3) ligaments and pivot motion constraints to facilitate fracture reduction; (4) semiautomatic and automatic fracture reduction modes; and (5) interactive custom fixation plate creation to fit the bone morphology. We evaluate our system with two experimental studies: (1) accuracy and repeatability of manual fracture reduction and (2) accuracy of our automatic virtual bone fracture reduction method. The surgeons achieved a mean accuracy of less than 1 mm for the manual reduction and 1.8 mm (std [Formula: see text] 1.1 mm) for the automatic reduction. 3D haptic-based patient-specific preoperative planning of orthopedic fracture surgery from CT scans is useful and accurate and may have significant advantages for evaluating and planning complex fractures surgery.

An automated multiplex specific IgE assay system using a photoimmobilized microarray.

PubMed

Ito, Yoshihiro; Moritsugu, Nozomi; Matsue, Takahisa; Mitsukoshi, Kiyomi; Ayame, Hirohito; Okochi, Norihiko; Hattori, Hideshi; Tashiro, Hideo; Sato, Sakura; Ebisawa, Motohiro

2012-11-15

An automated microarray diagnostic system for specific IgE using photoimmobilized allergen has been developed. Photoimmobilization is useful for preparing microarrays, where various types of biological components are covalently immobilized on a plate. Because the immobilization is based on a photo-induced radical cross-linking reaction, it does not require specific functional groups on the immobilized components. Here, an aqueous solution of a photoreactive poly(ethylene glycol)-based polymer was spin-coated on a plate, and an aqueous solution of each allergen was microspotted on the coated plate and allowed to dry in air. Finally, the plate was irradiated with an ultraviolet lamp for covalent immobilization. An automated machine using these plates was developed for the assay of antigen-specific IgE. Initially, the patient serum was added to the microarray plate, and after reaction of the microspotted allergen with IgE, the adsorbed IgE was detected by a peroxidase-conjugated anti-IgE-antibody. The chemical luminescence intensity of the substrate decomposed by the peroxidase was automatically detected using a sensitive charge-coupled device camera. All the allergens were immobilized stably using this method, which was used to screen for allergen-specific IgE. The results were comparable with those using conventional specific IgE. Using this system, six different allergen-specific IgE were assayed using 10 μL of serum within a period of 20 min. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Distal radius osteotomy with volar locking plates based on computer simulation.

PubMed

Miyake, Junichi; Murase, Tsuyoshi; Moritomo, Hisao; Sugamoto, Kazuomi; Yoshikawa, Hideki

2011-06-01

Corrective osteotomy using dorsal plates and structural bone graft usually has been used for treating symptomatic distal radius malunions. However, the procedure is technically demanding and requires an extensive dorsal approach. Residual deformity is a relatively frequent complication of this technique. We evaluated the clinical applicability of a three-dimensional osteotomy using computer-aided design and manufacturing techniques with volar locking plates for distal radius malunions. Ten patients with metaphyseal radius malunions were treated. Corrective osteotomy was simulated with the help of three-dimensional bone surface models created using CT data. We simulated the most appropriate screw holes in the deformed radius using computer-aided design data of a locking plate. During surgery, using a custom-made surgical template, we predrilled the screw holes as simulated. After osteotomy, plate fixation using predrilled screw holes enabled automatic reduction of the distal radial fragment. Autogenous iliac cancellous bone was grafted after plate fixation. The median volar tilt, radial inclination, and ulnar variance improved from -20°, 13°, and 6 mm, respectively, before surgery to 12°, 24°, and 1 mm, respectively, after surgery. The median wrist flexion improved from 33° before surgery to 60° after surgery. The median wrist extension was 70° before surgery and 65° after surgery. All patients experienced wrist pain before surgery, which disappeared or decreased after surgery. Surgeons can operate precisely and easily using this advanced technique. It is a new treatment option for malunion of distal radius fractures.

Development of an automated MODS plate reader to detect early growth of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

PubMed

Comina, G; Mendoza, D; Velazco, A; Coronel, J; Sheen, P; Gilman, R H; Moore, D A J; Zimic, M

2011-06-01

In this work, an automated microscopic observation drug susceptibility (MODS) plate reader has been developed. The reader automatically handles MODS plates and after autofocussing digital images are acquired of the characteristic microscopic cording structures of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which are the identification method utilized in the MODS technique to detect tuberculosis and multidrug resistant tuberculosis. In conventional MODS, trained technicians manually move the MODS plate on the stage of an inverted microscope while trying to locate and focus upon the characteristic microscopic cording colonies. In centres with high tuberculosis diagnostic demand, sufficient time may not be available to adequately examine all cultures. An automated reader would reduce labour time and the handling of M. tuberculosis cultures by laboratory personnel. Two hundred MODS culture images (100 from tuberculosis positive and 100 from tuberculosis negative sputum samples confirmed by a standard MODS reading using a commercial microscope) were acquired randomly using the automated MODS plate reader. A specialist analysed these digital images with the help of a personal computer and designated them as M. tuberculosis present or absent. The specialist considered four images insufficiently clear to permit a definitive reading. The readings from the 196 valid images resulted in a 100% agreement with the conventional nonautomated standard reading. The automated MODS plate reader combined with open-source MODS pattern recognition software provides a novel platform for high throughput automated tuberculosis diagnosis. © 2011 The Authors Journal of Microscopy © 2011 Royal Microscopical Society.

Pulmonary lobar volumetry using novel volumetric computer-aided diagnosis and computed tomography

PubMed Central

Iwano, Shingo; Kitano, Mariko; Matsuo, Keiji; Kawakami, Kenichi; Koike, Wataru; Kishimoto, Mariko; Inoue, Tsutomu; Li, Yuanzhong; Naganawa, Shinji

2013-01-01

OBJECTIVES To compare the accuracy of pulmonary lobar volumetry using the conventional number of segments method and novel volumetric computer-aided diagnosis using 3D computed tomography images. METHODS We acquired 50 consecutive preoperative 3D computed tomography examinations for lung tumours reconstructed at 1-mm slice thicknesses. We calculated the lobar volume and the emphysematous lobar volume < −950 HU of each lobe using (i) the slice-by-slice method (reference standard), (ii) number of segments method, and (iii) semi-automatic and (iv) automatic computer-aided diagnosis. We determined Pearson correlation coefficients between the reference standard and the three other methods for lobar volumes and emphysematous lobar volumes. We also compared the relative errors among the three measurement methods. RESULTS Both semi-automatic and automatic computer-aided diagnosis results were more strongly correlated with the reference standard than the number of segments method. The correlation coefficients for automatic computer-aided diagnosis were slightly lower than those for semi-automatic computer-aided diagnosis because there was one outlier among 50 cases (2%) in the right upper lobe and two outliers among 50 cases (4%) in the other lobes. The number of segments method relative error was significantly greater than those for semi-automatic and automatic computer-aided diagnosis (P < 0.001). The computational time for automatic computer-aided diagnosis was 1/2 to 2/3 than that of semi-automatic computer-aided diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS A novel lobar volumetry computer-aided diagnosis system could more precisely measure lobar volumes than the conventional number of segments method. Because semi-automatic computer-aided diagnosis and automatic computer-aided diagnosis were complementary, in clinical use, it would be more practical to first measure volumes by automatic computer-aided diagnosis, and then use semi-automatic measurements if automatic computer-aided diagnosis failed. PMID:23526418

High-throughput cultivation and screening platform for unicellular phototrophs.

PubMed

Tillich, Ulrich M; Wolter, Nick; Schulze, Katja; Kramer, Dan; Brödel, Oliver; Frohme, Marcus

2014-09-16

High-throughput cultivation and screening methods allow a parallel, miniaturized and cost efficient processing of many samples. These methods however, have not been generally established for phototrophic organisms such as microalgae or cyanobacteria. In this work we describe and test high-throughput methods with the model organism Synechocystis sp. PCC6803. The required technical automation for these processes was achieved with a Tecan Freedom Evo 200 pipetting robot. The cultivation was performed in 2.2 ml deepwell microtiter plates within a cultivation chamber outfitted with programmable shaking conditions, variable illumination, variable temperature, and an adjustable CO2 atmosphere. Each microtiter-well within the chamber functions as a separate cultivation vessel with reproducible conditions. The automated measurement of various parameters such as growth, full absorption spectrum, chlorophyll concentration, MALDI-TOF-MS, as well as a novel vitality measurement protocol, have already been established and can be monitored during cultivation. Measurement of growth parameters can be used as inputs for the system to allow for periodic automatic dilutions and therefore a semi-continuous cultivation of hundreds of cultures in parallel. The system also allows the automatic generation of mid and long term backups of cultures to repeat experiments or to retrieve strains of interest. The presented platform allows for high-throughput cultivation and screening of Synechocystis sp. PCC6803. The platform should be usable for many phototrophic microorganisms as is, and be adaptable for even more. A variety of analyses are already established and the platform is easily expandable both in quality, i.e. with further parameters to screen for additional targets and in quantity, i.e. size or number of processed samples.

Development of Geometry Normalized Electromagnetic System (GNES) instrument for metal defect detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zakaria, Zakaria; Surbakti, Muhammad Syukri; Syahreza, Saumi; Mat Jafri, Mohd. Zubir; Tan, Kok Chooi

2017-10-01

It has been already made, calibrated and tested a geometry normalized electromagnetic system (GNES) for metal defect examination. The GNES has an automatic data acquisition system which supporting the efficiency and accuracy of the measurement. The data will be displayed on the computer monitor as a graphic display then saved automatically in the Microsoft Excel format. The transmitter will transmit the frequency pair (FP) signals i.e. 112.5 Hz and 337.5 Hz; 112.5 Hz and 1012.5 Hz; 112.5 Hz and 3037.5 Hz; 337.5 Hz and 1012.5 Hz; 337.5 Hz and 3037.5 Hz. Simultaneous transmissions of two electromagnetic waves without distortions by the transmitter will induce an eddy current in the metal. This current, in turn, will produce secondary electromagnetic fields which are measured by the receiver together with the primary fields. Measurement of percent change of a vertical component of the fields will give the percent response caused by the metal or the defect. The response examinations were performed by the models with various type of defect for the master curves. The materials of samples as a plate were using Aluminum, Brass, and Copper. The more of the defects is the more reduction of the eddy current response. The defect contrasts were tended to decrease when the more depth of the defect position. The magnitude and phase of the eddy currents will affect the loading on the coil thus its impedance. The defect must interrupt the surface eddy current flow to be detected. Defect lying parallel to the current path will not cause any significant interruption and may not be detected. The main factors which affect the eddy current response are metal conductivity, permeability, frequency, and geometry.

Revisit of Criteria and Evidence for the Tectonic Erosion vs Accretion in East Asian Margin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kimura, G.; Hamahashi, M.

2015-12-01

Accretionary and erosive margins provide tectonic end-members in subduction zone and how these tectonic processes might be recorded and recognizable in ancient subduction complexes remains a challenging issue. Tectonic erosion includes sediment subduction and basal erosion along the plate boundary megathrust and drags down the crust of the upper plate into the mantle. Geologic evidence for the erosion is commonly based on lost geological tectono-stratigraphic data, i.e. gaps in the record and indirect phenomena such as subsidence of the forearc slopes. A topographically rough surface such as seamount has been suggested to work like an erosive saw carving the upper plate. Another mechanism of basal erosion has been suggested to be hydrofracturing of upper plate materials due to dehydration-induced fluid pressures, resulting in entrainment of upper plate materials into the basal décollement. Considering the interaction between the ~30 km thick crust of the upper plate and subducting oceanic plate, a subduction dip angle of ~15°, and convergent rate of ~10 cm/year, at least ~1 Ma of continuous basal erosion is necessary to induce clear subsidence of the forearc because the width of plate interface between the upper crustal and subducting plates is about 115 km (30/cos15°). In several examples of subduction zones, for example the Japan Trench and the Middle America Trench off Costa Rica, the subsidence of a few thousand metres of the forearc, combined with a lack of accretionary prism over a period of several million years, suggest that the erosive condition needs to be maintained for several to tens of million years.Such age gaps in the accretionary complex, however, do not automatically imply that tectonic erosion has taken place, as other interpretations such as no accretion, cessation of subduction, and/or later tectonic modification, are also possible. Recent drilling in the forearc of the Nankai Trough suggests that the accretion was ceased between ~12 Ma to ~8 Ma due to the transference of subduction from the Pacific Plate to the Philippine Sea Plate, as opposed to the continuous subduction of the Phillipine Sea Plate with subduction erosion.

Plate measurement techniques and reduction methods used by the West German satellite observers, and resulting consequences for the observation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Deker, H.

1971-01-01

The West German tracking stations are equipped with ballistic cameras. Plate measurement and plate reduction must therefore follow photogrammetric methods. Approximately 100 star positions and 200 satellite positions are measured on each plate. The mathematical model for spatial rotation of the bundle of rays is extended by including terms for distortion and internal orientation of the camera as well as by providing terms for refraction which are computed for the measured coordinates of the star positions on the plate. From the measuring accuracy of the plate coordinates it follows that the timing accuracy for the exposures has to be about one millisecond, in order to obtain a homogeneous system.

Parallel Plate System for Collecting Data Used to Determine Viscosity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ethridge, Edwin C. (Inventor); Kaukler, William (Inventor)

2013-01-01

A parallel-plate system collects data used to determine viscosity. A first plate is coupled to a translator so that the first plate can be moved along a first direction. A second plate has a pendulum device coupled thereto such that the second plate is suspended above and parallel to the first plate. The pendulum device constrains movement of the second plate to a second direction that is aligned with the first direction and is substantially parallel thereto. A force measuring device is coupled to the second plate for measuring force along the second direction caused by movement of the second plate.

10 CFR 431.134 - Uniform test methods for the measurement of energy consumption and water consumption of automatic...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... consumption and water consumption of automatic commercial ice makers. 431.134 Section 431.134 Energy... EQUIPMENT Automatic Commercial Ice Makers Test Procedures § 431.134 Uniform test methods for the measurement of energy consumption and water consumption of automatic commercial ice makers. (a) Scope. This...

Method of ultrasonic measurement of texture

DOEpatents

Thompson, R. Bruce; Smith, John F.; Lee, Seung S.; Li, Yan

1993-10-12

A method for measuring texture of metal plates or sheets using non-destructive ultrasonic investigation includes measuring the velocity of ultrasonic energy waves in lower order plate modes in one or more directions, and measuring phase velocity dispersion of higher order modes of the plate or sheet if needed. Texture or preferred grain orientation can be derived from these measurements with improves reliability and accuracy. The method can be utilized in production on moving metal plate or sheet.

Method of ultrasonic measurement of texture

DOEpatents

Thompson, R.B.; Smith, J.F.; Lee, S.S.; Taejon Ch'ungmam; Yan Li.

1993-10-12

A method for measuring texture of metal plates or sheets using non-destructive ultrasonic investigation includes measuring the velocity of ultrasonic energy waves in lower order plate modes in one or more directions, and measuring phase velocity dispersion of higher order modes of the plate or sheet if needed. Texture or preferred grain orientation can be derived from these measurements with improves reliability and accuracy. The method can be utilized in production on moving metal plate or sheet. 9 figures.

[Wearable Automatic External Defibrillators].

PubMed

Luo, Huajie; Luo, Zhangyuan; Jin, Xun; Zhang, Leilei; Wang, Changjin; Zhang, Wenzan; Tu, Quan

2015-11-01

Defibrillation is the most effective method of treating ventricular fibrillation(VF), this paper introduces wearable automatic external defibrillators based on embedded system which includes EGG measurements, bioelectrical impedance measurement, discharge defibrillation module, which can automatic identify VF signal, biphasic exponential waveform defibrillation discharge. After verified by animal tests, the device can realize EGG acquisition and automatic identification. After identifying the ventricular fibrillation signal, it can automatic defibrillate to abort ventricular fibrillation and to realize the cardiac electrical cardioversion.

The Process of Developing a Multi-Cell KEMS Instrument

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Copland, E. H.; Auping, J. V.; Jacobson, N. S.

2012-01-01

Multi-cell KEMS offers many advantages over single cell instruments in regard to in-situ temperature calibration and studies on high temperature alloys and oxides of interest to NASA. The instrument at NASA Glenn is a 90 deg magnetic sector instrument originally designed for single cell operation. The conversion of this instrument to a multi-cell instrument with restricted collimation is discussed. For restricted collimation, the 'field aperture' is in the copper plate separating the Knudsen Cell region and the ionizer and the 'source aperture' is adjacent to the ionizer box. A computer controlled x-y table allows positioning of one of the three cells into the sampling region. Heating is accomplished via a Ta sheet element and temperature is measured via an automatic pyrometer from the bottom of the cells. The computer control and data system have been custom developed for this instrument and are discussed. Future improvements are also discussed.

Tectonic pumping: earthquake-induced chemical flux detected in situ by a submarine cable experiment in Sagami Bay, Japan

PubMed Central

Gamo, Toshitaka; Okamura, Kei; Mitsuzawa, Kyohiko; Asakawa, Kenichi

2007-01-01

We successfully deployed an in situ automatic chemical analyzer sensitive to manganese (Mn) in seawater for a period of 81 days for the first time on the deep seafloor of Sagami Bay along a convergent plate boundary south of Japan. The in situ Mn analyzer (GAMOS-IV) was connected to a submarine cable as a means to supply power and to relay real time data. During the observation period from April 5 till June 25, 2006, the amount of measured Mn was seen to increase abruptly up to 10 times that of the background level only on April 21, probably triggered by a M5.8 earthquake which occurred ∼7 km south-southwest of the observation site. This study demonstrates the suitability of submarine cables for the long-term geochemical monitoring of deep sea environments. PMID:24367146

10 CFR 431.134 - Uniform test methods for the measurement of energy and water consumption of automatic commercial...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... water consumption of automatic commercial ice makers. 431.134 Section 431.134 Energy DEPARTMENT OF... Automatic Commercial Ice Makers Test Procedures § 431.134 Uniform test methods for the measurement of energy and water consumption of automatic commercial ice makers. (a) Scope. This section provides the test...

10 CFR 431.134 - Uniform test methods for the measurement of energy and water consumption of automatic commercial...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... water consumption of automatic commercial ice makers. 431.134 Section 431.134 Energy DEPARTMENT OF... Automatic Commercial Ice Makers Test Procedures § 431.134 Uniform test methods for the measurement of energy and water consumption of automatic commercial ice makers. (a) Scope. This section provides the test...

Balancing the plate motion budget in the South Island, New Zealand using GPS, geological and seismological data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wallace, Laura M.; Beavan, John; McCaffrey, Robert; Berryman, Kelvin; Denys, Paul

2007-01-01

The landmass of New Zealand exists as a consequence of transpressional collision between the Australian and Pacific plates, providing an excellent opportunity to quantify the kinematics of deformation at this type of tectonic boundary. We interpret GPS, geological and seismological data describing the active deformation in the South Island, New Zealand by using an elastic, rotating block approach that automatically balances the Pacific/Australia relative plate motion budget. The data in New Zealand are fit to within uncertainty when inverted simultaneously for angular velocities of rotating tectonic blocks and the degree of coupling on faults bounding the blocks. We find that most of the plate motion budget has been accounted for in previous geological studies, although we suggest that the Porter's Pass/Amberley fault zone in North Canterbury, and a zone of faults in the foothills of the Southern Alps may have slip rates about twice that of the geological estimates. Up to 5 mm yr-1 of active deformation on faults distributed within the Southern Alps <100 km to the east of the Alpine Fault is possible. The role of tectonic block rotations in partitioning plate boundary deformation is less pronounced in the South Island compared to the North Island. Vertical axis rotation rates of tectonic blocks in the South Island are similar to that of the Pacific Plate, suggesting that edge forces dominate the block kinematics there. The southward migrating Chatham Rise exerts a major influence on the evolution of the New Zealand plate boundary; we discuss a model for the development of the Marlborough fault system and Hikurangi subduction zone in the context of this migration.

Barrel organ of plate tectonics - a new tool for outreach and education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Broz, Petr; Machek, Matěj; Šorm, Zdar

2016-04-01

Plate tectonics is the major geological concept to explain dynamics and structure of Earth's outer shell, the lithosphere. In the plate tectonic theory processes in the Earth lithosphere and its dynamics is driven by the relative motion and interaction of lithospheric plates. Geologically most active regions on Earth often correlate with the lithospheric plate boundaries. Thus for explaining the earth surface evolution, mountain building, volcanism and earthquake origin it is important to understand processes at the plate boundaries. However these processes associated with plate tectonics usually require significant period of time to take effects, therefore, their entire cycles cannot be directly observed in the nature by humans. This makes a challenge for scientists studying these processes, but also for teachers and popularizers trying to explain them to students and to the general public. Therefore, to overcome this problem, we developed a mechanical model of plate tectonics enabling demonstration of most important processes associated with plate tectonics in real time. The mechanical model is a wooden box, more specifically a special type of barrel organ, with hand painted backdrops in the front side. These backdrops are divided into several components representing geodynamic processes associated with plate tectonics, specifically convective currents occurring in the mantle, sea-floor spreading, a subduction of the oceanic crust under the continental crust, partial melting and volcanism associated with subduction, a formation of magmatic stripes, an ascent of mantle plume throughout the mantle, a volcanic activity associated with hot spots, and a formation and degradation of volcanic islands on moving lithospheric plate. All components are set in motion by a handle controlled by a human operator, and the scene is illuminated with colored lights controlled automatically by an electric device embedded in the box. Operation of the model may be seen on www.geologyinexperiments.com where additional pictures and details about the construction are available. This mechanical model represents a unique outreach tool how to present processes, normally taking eons to occur, to students and to the public in easy and funny way, and how to attract their attention to the most important concept in geology.

Cone of Darkness: Finding Blank-sky Positions for Multi-object Wide-field Observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lorente, N. P. F.

2014-05-01

We present the Cone of Darkness, an application to automatically configure blank-sky positions for a series of stacked, wide-field observations, such as those carried out by the SAMI instrument on the Anglo-Australian Telescope (AAT). The Sydney-AAO Multi-object Integral field spectrograph (SAMI) uses a plug-plate to mount its 13×61 core imaging fibre bundles (hexabundles) in the optical plane at the telescope's prime focus. To make the most efficient use of each plug-plate, several observing fields are typically stacked to produce a single plate. When choosing blank-sky positions for the observations it is most effective to select these such that one set of 26 holes gives valid sky positions for all fields on the plate. However, when carried out manually this selection process is tedious and includes a significant risk of error. The Cone of Darkness software aims to provide uniform blank-sky position coverage over the field of observation, within the limits set by the distribution of target positions and the chosen input catalogs. This will then facilitate the production of the best representative median sky spectrum for use in sky subtraction. The application, written in C++, is configurable, making it usable for a range of instruments. Given the plate characteristics and the positions of target holes, the software segments the unallocated space on the plate and determines the position which best fits the uniform distribution requirement. This position is checked, for each field, against the selected catalog using a TAP ADQL search. The process is then repeated until the desired number of sky positions is attained.

Farm-specific economic value of automatic lameness detection systems in dairy cattle: From concepts to operational simulations.

PubMed

Van De Gucht, Tim; Saeys, Wouter; Van Meensel, Jef; Van Nuffel, Annelies; Vangeyte, Jurgen; Lauwers, Ludwig

2018-01-01

Although prototypes of automatic lameness detection systems for dairy cattle exist, information about their economic value is lacking. In this paper, a conceptual and operational framework for simulating the farm-specific economic value of automatic lameness detection systems was developed and tested on 4 system types: walkover pressure plates, walkover pressure mats, camera systems, and accelerometers. The conceptual framework maps essential factors that determine economic value (e.g., lameness prevalence, incidence and duration, lameness costs, detection performance, and their relationships). The operational simulation model links treatment costs and avoided losses with detection results and farm-specific information, such as herd size and lameness status. Results show that detection performance, herd size, discount rate, and system lifespan have a large influence on economic value. In addition, lameness prevalence influences the economic value, stressing the importance of an adequate prior estimation of the on-farm prevalence. The simulations provide first estimates for the upper limits for purchase prices of automatic detection systems. The framework allowed for identification of knowledge gaps obstructing more accurate economic value estimation. These include insights in cost reductions due to early detection and treatment, and links between specific lameness causes and their related losses. Because this model provides insight in the trade-offs between automatic detection systems' performance and investment price, it is a valuable tool to guide future research and developments. Copyright © 2018 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Adjoint tomography of Europe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, H.; Bozdag, E.; Peter, D. B.; Tromp, J.

2010-12-01

We use spectral-element and adjoint methods to image crustal and upper mantle heterogeneity in Europe. The study area involves the convergent boundaries of the Eurasian, African and Arabian plates and the divergent boundary between the Eurasian and North American plates, making the tectonic structure of this region complex. Our goal is to iteratively fit observed seismograms and improve crustal and upper mantle images by taking advantage of 3D forward and inverse modeling techniques. We use data from 200 earthquakes with magnitudes between 5 and 6 recorded by 262 stations provided by ORFEUS. Crustal model Crust2.0 combined with mantle model S362ANI comprise the initial 3D model. Before the iterative adjoint inversion, we determine earthquake source parameters in the initial 3D model by using 3D Green functions and their Fréchet derivatives with respect to the source parameters (i.e., centroid moment tensor and location). The updated catalog is used in the subsequent structural inversion. Since we concentrate on upper mantle structures which involve anisotropy, transversely isotropic (frequency-dependent) traveltime sensitivity kernels are used in the iterative inversion. Taking advantage of the adjoint method, we use as many measurements as can obtain based on comparisons between observed and synthetic seismograms. FLEXWIN (Maggi et al., 2009) is used to automatically select measurement windows which are analyzed based on a multitaper technique. The bandpass ranges from 15 second to 150 second. Long-period surface waves and short-period body waves are combined in source relocations and structural inversions. A statistical assessments of traveltime anomalies and logarithmic waveform differences is used to characterize the inverted sources and structure.

Integrating LPR with CCTV systems: problems and solutions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bissessar, David; Gorodnichy, Dmitry O.

2011-06-01

A new generation of high-resolution surveillance cameras makes it possible to apply video processing and recognition techniques on live video feeds for the purpose of automatically detecting and identifying objects and events of interest. This paper addresses a particular application of detecting and identifying vehicles passing through a checkpoint. This application is of interest to border services agencies and is also related to many other applications. With many commercial automated License Plate Recognition (LPR) systems available on the market, some of which are available as a plug-in for surveillance systems, this application still poses many unresolved technological challenges, the main two of which are: i) multiple and often noisy license plate readings generated for the same vehicle, and ii) failure to detect a vehicle or license plate altogether when the license plate is occluded or not visible. This paper presents a solution to both of these problems. A data fusion technique based on the Levenshtein distance is used to resolve the first problem. An integration of a commercial LPR system with the in-house built Video Analytic Platform is used to solve the latter. The developed solution has been tested in field environments and has been shown to yield a substantial improvement over standard off-the-shelf LPR systems.

Optimizing a spectral element for modeling PZT-induced Lamb wave propagation in thin plates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ha, Sungwon; Chang, Fu-Kuo

2010-01-01

Use of surface-mounted piezoelectric actuators to generate acoustic ultrasound has been demonstrated to be a key component of built-in nondestructive detection evaluation (NDE) techniques, which can automatically inspect and interrogate damage in hard-to-access areas in real time without disassembly of the structural parts. However, piezoelectric actuators create complex waves, which propagate through the structure. Having the capability to model piezoelectric actuator-induced wave propagation and understanding its physics are essential to developing advanced algorithms for the built-in NDE techniques. Therefore, the objective of this investigation was to develop an efficient hybrid spectral element for modeling piezoelectric actuator-induced high-frequency wave propagation in thin plates. With the hybrid element we take advantage of both a high-order spectral element in the in-plane direction and a linear finite element in the thickness direction in order to efficiently analyze Lamb wave propagation in thin plates. The hybrid spectral element out-performs other elements in terms of leading to significantly faster computation and smaller memory requirements. Use of the hybrid spectral element is proven to be an efficient technique for modeling PZT-induced (PZT: lead zirconate titanate) wave propagation in thin plates. The element enables fundamental understanding of PZT-induced wave propagation.

VizieR Online Data Catalog: LaCoSSPAr in the Southern Galactic Cap. I. (Yang+, 2018)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, M.; Wu, H.; Yang, F.; Lam, M. I.; Cao, T.-W.; Wu, C.-J.; Zhao, P.-S.; Zhang, T.-M.; Zhou, Z.-M.; Wu, X.-B.; Zhang, Y.-X.; Shao, Z.-Y.; Jing, Y.-P.; Shen, S.-Y.; Zhu, Y.-N.; Du, W.; Lei, F.-J.; He, M.; Jin, J.-J.; Shi, J.-R.; Zhang, W.; Wang, J.-L.; Wu, Y.-Z.; Zhang, H.-T.; Luo, A.-L.; Yuan, H.-L.; Bai, Z.-R.; Kong, X.; Gu, Q.-S.; Zhou, X.; Ma, J.; Hu, Z.; Nie, J.-D.; Wang, J.-L.; Zhang, Y.; Hou, Y.-H.; Zhao, Y.-H.

2018-03-01

We have selected two FOVs according to the distribution of galaxy clusters from the Abell rich galaxy clusters catalog (Abell+ 1989, VII/110) in the region of the South Galactic Cap u-band Sky Survey (SCUSS, Zhou+ 2016RAA....16....7Z). The central coordinates of the two FOVs we selected are RA=37.88°,DE=3.44° (Field A) and RA=21.53,DE=-2.20° (Field B) as shown in Figure 1. The observation of LAMOST is automatically managed by the Survey Strategy System (SSS). We conduct the observation from 2012 September to 2014 January (except July through August, which is the maintain period of the telescope). Field A contains 2519 galaxies and 13930 stars in which 2447 (~97%) and 13278 (~95%) of them have been observed with 5 B and 12 F plates (redundant F plates are caused by a technical issue), respectively. Field B contains 3104 galaxies and 11381 stars in which 2995 (~97%) and 10224 (~90%) of them have been observed with six B and five F plates, respectively. (2 data files).

Detection and evaluation of weld defects in stainless steel using alternating current field measurement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wei-Li, Ma, Weiping; Pan-Qi, Wen-jiao, Dou; Yuan, Xin'an; Yin, Xiaokang

2018-04-01

Stainless steel is widely used in nuclear power plants, such as various high-radioactive pool, tools storage and fuel transportation channel, and serves as an important barrier to stop the leakage of high-radioactive material. NonDestructive Evaluation (NDE) methods, eddy current testing (ET), ultrasonic examination (UT), penetration testing (PT) and hybrid detection method, etc., have been introduced into the inspection of a nuclear plant. In this paper, the Alternating Current Field Measurement (ACFM) was fully applied to detect and evaluate the defects in the welds of the stainless steel. Simulations were carried out on different defect types, crack lengths, and orientation to reveal the relationship between the signals and dimensions to determine whether methods could be validated by the experiment. A 3-axis ACFM probe was developed and three plates including 16 defects, which served in nuclear plant before, were examined by automatic detection equipment. The result shows that the minimum detectable crack length on the surface is 2mm and ACFM shows excellent inspection results for a weld in stainless steel and gives an encouraging prospect of broader application.

Determination of near-saturated hydraulic conductivity by automated minidisk infiltrometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klipa, Vladimir; Snehota, Michal; Dohnal, Michal; Zumr, David

2013-04-01

Numerical models in surface and subsurface hydrology require knowledge of infiltration properties of soils for their routine use in the field of water management, environmental protection or agriculture. A new automated tension infiltration module has been designed at the Faculty of Civil Engineering, Czech Technical University in Prague to facilitate the measurements of near-saturated hydraulic conductivity. In the proposed infiltration module the amount of infiltrated water is registered via changes of buoyant force of stationary float attached to the load cell. Presented setup consists of six mini-disk infiltrometer modules held in the light aluminum frame and two Mariotte's bottles. Three infiltrometer modules connected to each Mariotte's bottle allow performing six simultaneous measurements at two different pressure heads. Infiltration modules are connected to the automatic data logging system and consist of: plastic cover with the integrated load cell and the float, reservoir tube (external diameter of 50 mm), and sintered stainless steel plate (diameter of 44.5 mm). The newly developed device was used for determination of near-saturated hydraulic conductivity of soils in experimental catchments Uhlirska (Jizera Mountains, Northern Bohemia) and Kopaninsky creek (Bohemian-Moravian Highlands). The acquired data show a good agreement with the data obtained from previous measurements.

Identification of nonlinear modes using phase-locked-loop experimental continuation and normal form

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Denis, V.; Jossic, M.; Giraud-Audine, C.; Chomette, B.; Renault, A.; Thomas, O.

2018-06-01

In this article, we address the model identification of nonlinear vibratory systems, with a specific focus on systems modeled with distributed nonlinearities, such as geometrically nonlinear mechanical structures. The proposed strategy theoretically relies on the concept of nonlinear modes of the underlying conservative unforced system and the use of normal forms. Within this framework, it is shown that without internal resonance, a valid reduced order model for a nonlinear mode is a single Duffing oscillator. We then propose an efficient experimental strategy to measure the backbone curve of a particular nonlinear mode and we use it to identify the free parameters of the reduced order model. The experimental part relies on a Phase-Locked Loop (PLL) and enables a robust and automatic measurement of backbone curves as well as forced responses. It is theoretically and experimentally shown that the PLL is able to stabilize the unstable part of Duffing-like frequency responses, thus enabling its robust experimental measurement. Finally, the whole procedure is tested on three experimental systems: a circular plate, a chinese gong and a piezoelectric cantilever beam. It enable to validate the procedure by comparison to available theoretical models as well as to other experimental identification methods.

Feedback control of thermal lensing in a high optical power cavity.

PubMed

Fan, Y; Zhao, C; Degallaix, J; Ju, L; Blair, D G; Slagmolen, B J J; Hosken, D J; Brooks, A F; Veitch, P J; Munch, J

2008-10-01

This paper reports automatic compensation of strong thermal lensing in a suspended 80 m optical cavity with sapphire test mass mirrors. Variation of the transmitted beam spot size is used to obtain an error signal to control the heating power applied to the cylindrical surface of an intracavity compensation plate. The negative thermal lens created in the compensation plate compensates the positive thermal lens in the sapphire test mass, which was caused by the absorption of the high intracavity optical power. The results show that feedback control is feasible to compensate the strong thermal lensing expected to occur in advanced laser interferometric gravitational wave detectors. Compensation allows the cavity resonance to be maintained at the fundamental mode, but the long thermal time constant for thermal lensing control in fused silica could cause difficulties with the control of parametric instabilities.

Comparison of automatic and visual methods used for image segmentation in Endodontics: a microCT study.

PubMed

Queiroz, Polyane Mazucatto; Rovaris, Karla; Santaella, Gustavo Machado; Haiter-Neto, Francisco; Freitas, Deborah Queiroz

2017-01-01

To calculate root canal volume and surface area in microCT images, an image segmentation by selecting threshold values is required, which can be determined by visual or automatic methods. Visual determination is influenced by the operator's visual acuity, while the automatic method is done entirely by computer algorithms. To compare between visual and automatic segmentation, and to determine the influence of the operator's visual acuity on the reproducibility of root canal volume and area measurements. Images from 31 extracted human anterior teeth were scanned with a μCT scanner. Three experienced examiners performed visual image segmentation, and threshold values were recorded. Automatic segmentation was done using the "Automatic Threshold Tool" available in the dedicated software provided by the scanner's manufacturer. Volume and area measurements were performed using the threshold values determined both visually and automatically. The paired Student's t-test showed no significant difference between visual and automatic segmentation methods regarding root canal volume measurements (p=0.93) and root canal surface (p=0.79). Although visual and automatic segmentation methods can be used to determine the threshold and calculate root canal volume and surface, the automatic method may be the most suitable for ensuring the reproducibility of threshold determination.

Calibration of Fuji BAS-SR type imaging plate as high spatial resolution x-ray radiography recorder

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yan, Ji; Zheng, Jianhua; Zhang, Xing; Chen, Li; Wei, Minxi

2017-05-01

Image Plates as x-ray recorder have advantages including reusable, high dynamic range, large active area, and so on. In this work, Fuji BAS-SR type image plate combined with BAS-5000 scanner is calibrated. The fade rates of Image Plates has been measured using x-ray diffractometric in different room temperature; the spectral response of Image Plates has been measured using 241Am radioactive sealed source and fitting with linear model; the spatial resolution of Image Plates has been measured using micro-focus x-ray tube. The results show that Image Plates has an exponent decade curve and double absorption edge response curve. The spatial resolution of Image Plates with 25μ/50μ scanner resolution is 6.5lp/mm, 11.9lp/mm respectively and gold grid radiography is collected with 80lp/mm spatial resolution using SR-type Image Plates. BAS-SR type Image Plates can do high spatial resolution and quantitative radiographic works. It can be widely used in High energy density physics (HEDP), inertial confinement fusion (ICF) and laboratory astronomy physics.

Real time monitoring of electroless nickel plating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rains, Aaron E.; Kline, Ronald A.

2013-01-01

This work deals with the design and manufacturing of the heat and chemical resistant transducer case required for on-line immersion testing, experimental design, data acquisition and signal processing. Results are presented for several depositions with an accuracy of two ten-thousandths of an inch in coating thickness obtained. Monitoring the deposition rate of Electroless Nickel (EN) plating in-situ will provide measurement of the accurate dimensions of the component being plated, in real time. EN is used as for corrosion and wear protection for automotive an - Electroless Nickel (EN) plating is commonly used for corrosion and wear protection for automotive and aerospace components. It plates evenly and symmetrically, theoretically allowing the part to be plated to its final dimension. Currently the standard approach to monitoring the thickness of the deposited nickel is to remove the component from the plating bath and physically measure the part. This can lead to plating problems such as pitting, non-adhesion of the deposit and contamination of the plating solution. The goal of this research effort is to demonstrate that plating thickness can be rapidly and accurately measured using ultrasonic testing. Here a special housing is designed to allow immersion of the ultrasonic transducers directly into the plating bath. An FFT based signal processing algorithm was developed to resolve closely spaced echoes for precise thickness determination. The technique in this research effort was found to be capable of measuring plating thicknesses to within 0.0002 inches. It is expected that this approach will lead to cost savings in many EN plating operations.

Electrostatic and Small-Signal Analysis of CMUTs With Circular and Square Anisotropic Plates.

PubMed

Funding la Cour, Mette; Christiansen, Thomas Lehrmann; Jensen, Jørgen Arendt; Thomsen, Erik Vilain

2015-08-01

Traditionally, capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducers (CMUTs) are modeled using the isotropic plate equation, and this leads to deviations between analytical calculations and finite element modeling (FEM). In this paper, the deflection is calculated for both circular and square plates using the full anisotropic plate equation. It is shown that the anisotropic calculations match excellently with FEM, whereas an isotropic approach causes up to 10% deviations in deflection. For circular plates, an exact solution can be found. For square plates using the Galerkin method, and utilizing the symmetry of the silicon crystal, a compact and accurate expression for the deflection can be obtained. The deviation from FEM in center deflection is <0.1%. The theory of multilayer plates is also applied to the CMUT. The deflection of a square plate was measured on fabricated CMUTs using a white light interferometer. Fitting the plate parameter for the anisotropic calculated deflection to the measurement, a deviation of 0.07% is seen. Electrostatic and small-signal dynamic analysis are performed using energy considerations including anisotropy. The stable position, effective spring constant, pullin distance, and pull-in voltage are found for both circular and square anisotropic plates, and the pressure dependence is included by comparison with the corresponding analysis for a parallel plate. Measurements on fabricated devices with both circular and square plates subjected to increasing bias voltage are performed, and it is observed that the models including anisotropic effects are within the uncertainty interval of the measurements. Finally, a lumped element small-signal model for both circular and square anisotropic plates is derived to describe the dynamics of the CMUT.

Does the use of automated fetal biometry improve clinical work flow efficiency?

PubMed

Espinoza, Jimmy; Good, Sara; Russell, Evie; Lee, Wesley

2013-05-01

This study was designed to compare the work flow efficiency of manual measurements of 5 fetal parameters with a novel technique that automatically measures these parameters from 2-dimensional sonograms. This prospective study included 200 singleton pregnancies between 15 and 40 weeks' gestation. Patients were randomly allocated to either manual (n = 100) or automatic (n = 100) fetal biometry. The automatic measurement was performed using a commercially available software application. A digital video recorder captured all on-screen activity associated with the sonographic examination. The examination time and number of steps required to obtain fetal measurements were compared between manual and automatic methods. The mean time required to obtain the biometric measurements was significantly shorter using the automated technique than the manual approach (P < .001 for all comparisons). Similarly, the mean number of steps required to perform these measurements was significantly fewer with automatic measurements compared to the manual technique (P < .001). In summary, automated biometry reduced the examination time required for standard fetal measurements. This approach may improve work flow efficiency in busy obstetric sonography practices.

Plate mode velocities in graphite/epoxy plates

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Prosser, W. H.; Gorman, M. R.

1994-01-01

Measurements of the velocities of the extensional and flexural plate modes were made along three directions of propagation in four graphite/epoxy composite plates. The acoustic signals were generated by simulated acoustic emission events (pencil lead breaks or Hsu-Neilson sources) and detected by by broadband ultrasonic transducers. The first arrival of the extensional plate mode, which is nondispersive at low frequencies, was measured at a number of different distances from the source along the propagation direction of interest. The velocity was determined by plotting the distance versus arrival time and computing its slope. Because of the large dispersion of the flexural mode, a Fourier phase velocity technique was used to characterize this mode. The velocity was measured up to a frequency of 160 kHz. Theoretical predictions of the velocities of these modes were also made and compared with experimental observations. Classical plate theory yields good agreement with the measured extensional velocities. For predictions of the dispersion of the flexural mode, Mindlin plates theory, which includes the effects of shear deformation and rotatory inertia was shown to give better agreement with the experimental measurements.

Physical optics for oven-plate scattering prediction

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Baldauf, J.; Lambert, K.

1991-01-01

An oven assembly design is described, which will be used to determine the effects of temperature on the electrical properties of materials which are used as coatings for metal plates. Experimentally, these plates will be heated to a very high temperature in the oven assembly, and measured using a microwave reflectance measurement system developed for the NASA Lewis Research Center, Near-Field Facility. One unknown in this measurement is the effect that the oven assembly will have on the reflectance properties of the plate. Since the oven will be much larger than the plate, the effect could potentially be significant as the size of the plate becomes smaller. Therefore, it is necessary to predict the effect of the oven on the measurement of the plate. A method for predicting the oven effect is described, and the theoretical oven effect is compared to experimental results of the oven material. The computer code which is used to predict the oven effect is also described.

Sound absorption by clamped poroelastic plates.

PubMed

Aygun, H; Attenborough, K

2008-09-01

Measurements and predictions have been made of the absorption coefficient and the surface acoustic impedance of poroelastic plates clamped in a large impedance tube and separated from the rigid termination by an air gap. The measured and predicted absorption coefficient and surface impedance spectra exhibit low frequency peaks. The peak frequencies observed in the absorption coefficient are close to those predicted and measured in the deflection spectra of the clamped poroelastic plates. The influences of the rigidity of the clamping conditions and the width of the air gap have been investigated. Both influences are found to be important. Increasing the rigidity of clamping reduces the low frequency absorption peaks compared with those measured for simply supported plates or plates in an intermediate clamping condition. Results for a closed cell foam plate and for two open cell foam plates made from recycled materials are presented. For identical clamping conditions and width of air gap, the results for the different materials differ as a consequence mainly of their different elasticity, thickness, and cell structure.

Preliminary clinical evaluation of semi-automated nailfold capillaroscopy in the assessment of patients with Raynaud's phenomenon.

PubMed

Murray, Andrea K; Feng, Kaiyan; Moore, Tonia L; Allen, Phillip D; Taylor, Christopher J; Herrick, Ariane L

2011-08-01

  Nailfold capillaroscopy is well established in screening patients with Raynaud's phenomenon for underlying SSc-spectrum disorders, by identifying abnormal capillaries. Our aim was to compare semi-automatic feature measurement from newly developed software with manual measurements, and determine the degree to which semi-automated data allows disease group classification.   Images from 46 healthy controls, 21 patients with PRP and 49 with SSc were preprocessed, and semi-automated measurements of intercapillary distance and capillary width, tortuosity, and derangement were performed. These were compared with manual measurements. Features were used to classify images into the three subject groups.   Comparison of automatic and manual measures for distance, width, tortuosity, and derangement had correlations of r=0.583, 0.624, 0.495 (p<0.001), and 0.195 (p=0.040). For automatic measures, correlations were found between width and intercapillary distance, r=0.374, and width and tortuosity, r=0.573 (p<0.001). Significant differences between subject groups were found for all features (p<0.002). Overall, 75% of images correctly matched clinical classification using semi-automated features, compared with 71% for manual measurements.   Semi-automatic and manual measurements of distance, width, and tortuosity showed moderate (but statistically significant) correlations. Correlation for derangement was weaker. Semi-automatic measurements are faster than manual measurements. Semi-automatic parameters identify differences between groups, and are as good as manual measurements for between-group classification. © 2011 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Fringe Capacitance of a Parallel-Plate Capacitor.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hale, D. P.

1978-01-01

Describes an experiment designed to measure the forces between charged parallel plates, and determines the relationship among the effective electrode area, the measured capacitance values, and the electrode spacing of a parallel plate capacitor. (GA)

Combining Facial Recognition, Automatic License Plate Readers and Closed Circuit Television to Create an Interstate Identification System for Wanted Subjects

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-12-01

IPSFRP search request. The candidate list will contain the agency’s requested number (minimum of2) of candidates or a default number of 20 candidates if...INTERSTATE IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM FOR WANTED SUBJECTS 5. FUNDING NUMBERS 6. AUTHOR(S) Michael J. Thomas 7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES...Naval Postgraduate School Monterey, CA 93943-5000 8. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION REPORT NUMBER 9. SPONSORING /MONITORING AGENCY NAME(S) AND

Pilot solar power plant

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wolf, D.

A fully functionally efficient solar-thermal power plant (10 kW electric) was built. The operating principle of thermomechanical conversion of solar energy into mechanical or electrical energy is presented. The equipment is completely automatic. Flat plate collectors absorb solar energy and convert it into heat which is transmitted by water to a heat exchanger. A closed cycle machine uses the heat to boil a working fluid (C2C12F4). A screw, powered by gas expansion in the working fluid, converts mechanical energy into electrical energy.

Effect of the plate surface characteristics and gap height on yield stresses of a magnetorheological fluid

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jonkkari, I.; Kostamo, E.; Kostamo, J.; Syrjala, S.; Pietola, M.

2012-07-01

Effects of the plate material, surface roughness and measuring gap height on static and dynamic yield stresses of a magnetorheological (MR) fluid were investigated with a commercial plate-plate magnetorheometer. Magnetic and non-magnetic plates with smooth (Ra ˜ 0.3 μm) and rough (Ra ˜ 10 μm) surface finishes were used. It was shown by Hall probe measurements and finite element simulations that the use of magnetic plates or higher gap heights increases the level of magnetic flux density and changes the shape of the radial flux density profile. The yield stress increase caused by these factors was determined and subtracted from the measured values in order to examine only the effect of the wall characteristics or the gap height. Roughening of the surfaces offered a significant increase in the yield stresses for non-magnetic plates. With magnetic plates the yield stresses were higher to start with, but roughening did not increase them further. A significant part of the difference in measured stresses between rough non-magnetic and magnetic plates was caused by changes in magnetic flux density rather than by better contact of the particles to the plate surfaces. In a similar manner, an increase in gap height from 0.25 to 1.00 mm can lead to over 20% increase in measured stresses due to changes in the flux density profile. When these changes were compensated the dynamic yield stresses generally remained independent of the gap height, even in the cases where it was obvious that the wall slip was present. This suggests that with MR fluids the wall slip cannot be reliably detected by comparison of flow curves measured at different gap heights.

Determining the wedge angle and optical homogeneity of a glass plate by statistically analyzing the deformation in the wavefront surface.

PubMed

Yang, Pao-Keng

2017-08-01

By using a light-emitting diode as the probing light source and a Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor as the recorder for the wavefront surface to execute a relative measurement, we present a useful method for determining the small wedge angle and optical homogeneity of a nominally planar glass plate from the wavefront measurements. The measured wavefront surface from the light source was first calibrated to be a horizontal plane before the plate under test was inserted. The wedge angle of the plate can be determined from the inclining angle of the regression plane of the measured wavefront surface after the plate was inserted between the light source and the wavefront sensor. Despite the annoying time-dependent altitude fluctuation in measured wavefront topography, the optical homogeneity of the plate can be estimated from the increment on the average variance of the wavefront surface to its regression plane after the light passes through it by using the Bienaymé formula.

Measurement of the Casimir Force between Two Spheres

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garrett, Joseph L.; Somers, David A. T.; Munday, Jeremy N.

2018-01-01

Complex interaction geometries offer a unique opportunity to modify the strength and sign of the Casimir force. However, measurements have traditionally been limited to sphere-plate or plate-plate configurations. Prior attempts to extend measurements to different geometries relied on either nanofabrication techniques that are limited to only a few materials or slight modifications of the sphere-plate geometry due to alignment difficulties of more intricate configurations. Here, we overcome this obstacle to present measurements of the Casimir force between two gold spheres using an atomic force microscope. Force measurements are alternated with topographical scans in the x -y plane to maintain alignment of the two spheres to within approximately 400 nm (˜1 % of the sphere radii). Our experimental results are consistent with Lifshitz's theory using the proximity force approximation (PFA), and corrections to the PFA are bounded using nine sphere-sphere and three sphere-plate measurements with spheres of varying radii.

Benchmarks of simple, generic, shaped plates for validation of low-frequency electromagnetic computational codes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Deshpande, M. D.; Cockrell, C. R.; Beck, F. B.; Nguyen, T. X.

1993-01-01

The validation of low-frequency measurements and electromagnetic (EM) scattering computations for several simple, generic shapes, such as an equilateral-triangular plate, an equilateral-triangular plate with a concentric equilateral-triangular hole, and diamond- and hexagonal-shaped plates, is discussed. The plates were constructed from a thin aluminum sheet with a thickness of 0.08 cm. EM scattering by the planar plates was measured in the experimental test range (ETR) facility of NASA Langley Research Center. The dimensions of the plates were selected such that, over the frequency range of interest, the dimensions were in the range of lambda0 to 3(lambda0). In addition, the triangular plate with a triangular hole was selected to study internal-hole resonances.

Photometric calibration of NGS/POSS and ESO/SRC plates using the NOAO PDS measuring engine. I - Stellar photometry

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cutri, Roc M.; Low, Frank J.; Marvel, Kevin B.

1992-01-01

The PDS/Monet measuring engine at the National Optical Astronomy Observatory was used to obtain photometry of nearly 10,000 stars on the NGS/POSS and 2000 stars on the ESO/SRC Survey glass plates. These measurements have been used to show that global transformation functions exist that allow calibration of stellar photometry from any blue or red plate to equivalent Johnson B and Cousins R photoelectric magnitudes. The four transformation functions appropriate for the POSS O and E and ESO/SRC J and R plates were characterized, and it was found that, within the measurement uncertainties, they vary from plate to plate only by photometric zero-point offsets. A method is described to correct for the zero-point shifts and to obtain calibrated B and R photometry of stellar sources to an average accuracy of 0.3-0.4 mag within the range R between values of 8 and 19.5 for red plates in both surveys, B between values of 9 and 20.5 on POSS blue plates, and B between values of 10 and 20.5 on ESO/SRC blue plates. This calibration procedure makes it possible to obtain rapid photometry of very large numbers of stellar sources.

Reduced dynamical model of the vibrations of a metal plate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moreno, D.; Barrientos, Bernardino; Perez-Lopez, Carlos; Mendoza-Santoyo, Fernando; Guerrero, J. A.; Funes, M.

2005-02-01

The Proper Orthogonal Decomposition (POD) method is applied to the vibrations analysis of a metal plate. The data obtained from the metal plate under vibrations were measured with a laser vibrometer. The metal plate was subject to vibrations with an electrodynamical shaker in a range of frequencies from 100 to 5000 Hz. The deformation measurements were taken on a quarter of the plate in a rectangular grid of 7 x 8 points. The plate deformation measurements were used to calculate the eigenfunctions and the eigenvalues. It was found that a large fraction of the total energy of the deformation is contained within the first six POD modes. The essential features of the deformation are thus described by only the six first eigenfunctions. A reduced order model for the dynamical behavior is then constructed using Galerkin projection of the equation of motion for the vertical displacement of a plate.

Computerized detection of vertebral compression fractures on lateral chest radiographs: Preliminary results with a tool for early detection of osteoporosis

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

Kasai, Satoshi; Li Feng; Shiraishi, Junji

Vertebral fracture (or vertebral deformity) is a very common outcome of osteoporosis, which is one of the major public health concerns in the world. Early detection of vertebral fractures is important because timely pharmacologic intervention can reduce the risk of subsequent additional fractures. Chest radiographs are used routinely for detection of lung and heart diseases, and vertebral fractures can be visible on lateral chest radiographs. However, investigators noted that about 50% of vertebral fractures visible on lateral chest radiographs were underdiagnosed or under-reported, even when the fractures were severe. Therefore, our goal was to develop a computerized method for detectionmore » of vertebral fractures on lateral chest radiographs in order to assist radiologists' image interpretation and thus allow the early diagnosis of osteoporosis. The cases used in this study were 20 patients with severe vertebral fractures and 118 patients without fractures, as confirmed by the consensus of two radiologists. Radiologists identified the locations of fractured vertebrae, and they provided morphometric data on the vertebral shape for evaluation of the accuracy of detecting vertebral end plates by computer. In our computerized method, a curved search area, which included a number of vertebral end plates, was first extracted automatically, and was straightened so that vertebral end plates became oriented horizontally. Edge candidates were enhanced by use of a horizontal line-enhancement filter in the straightened image, and a multiple thresholding technique, followed by feature analysis, was used for identification of the vertebral end plates. The height of each vertebra was determined from locations of identified vertebral end plates, and fractured vertebrae were detected by comparison of the measured vertebral height with the expected height. The sensitivity of our computerized method for detection of fracture cases was 95% (19/20), with 1.03 (139/135) false-positive fractures per image. The accuracy of identifying vertebral end plates, marked by radiologists in a morphometric study, was 76.6% (400/522) and 70.9% (420/592) for cases used for training and those for testing, respectively. We prepared 32 additional fracture cases for a validation test, and we examined the detection accuracy of our computerized method. The sensitivity for these cases was 75% (24/32) at 1.03 (33/32) false-positive fractures per image. Our preliminary results show that the automated computerized scheme for detecting vertebral fractures on lateral chest radiographs has the potential to assist radiologists in detecting vertebral fractures.« less

High-speed measurements of steel-plate deformations during laser surface processing.

PubMed

Jezersek, Matija; Gruden, Valter; Mozina, Janez

2004-10-04

In this paper we present a novel approach to monitoring the deformations of a steel plate's surface during various types of laser processing, e.g., engraving, marking, cutting, bending, and welding. The measuring system is based on a laser triangulation principle, where the laser projector generates multiple lines simultaneously. This enables us to measure the shape of the surface with a high sampling rate (80 Hz with our camera) and high accuracy (+/-7 microm). The measurements of steel-plate deformations for plates of different thickness and with different illumination patterns are presented graphically and in an animation.

Rapid Characterization of Large Earthquakes in Chile

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barrientos, S. E.; Team, C.

2015-12-01

Chile, along 3000 km of it 4200 km long coast, is regularly affected by very large earthquakes (up to magnitude 9.5) resulting from the convergence and subduction of the Nazca plate beneath the South American plate. These megathrust earthquakes exhibit long rupture regions reaching several hundreds of km with fault displacements of several tens of meters. Minimum delay characterization of these giant events to establish their rupture extent and slip distribution is of the utmost importance for rapid estimations of the shaking area and their corresponding tsunami-genic potential evaluation, particularly when there are only few minutes to warn the coastal population for immediate actions. The task of a rapid evaluation of large earthquakes is accomplished in Chile through a network of sensors being implemented by the National Seismological Center of the University of Chile. The network is mainly composed approximately by one hundred broad-band and strong motion instruments and 130 GNSS devices; all will be connected in real time. Forty units present an optional RTX capability, where satellite orbits and clock corrections are sent to the field device producing a 1-Hz stream at 4-cm level. Tests are being conducted to stream the real-time raw data to be later processed at the central facility. Hypocentral locations and magnitudes are estimated after few minutes by automatic processing software based on wave arrival; for magnitudes less than 7.0 the rapid estimation works within acceptable bounds. For larger events, we are currently developing automatic detectors and amplitude estimators of displacement coming out from the real time GNSS streams. This software has been tested for several cases showing that, for plate interface events, the minimum magnitude threshold detectability reaches values within 6.2 and 6.5 (1-2 cm coastal displacement), providing an excellent tool for earthquake early characterization from a tsunamigenic perspective.

Measurement of the residual stress distribution in a thick pre-stretched aluminum plate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yuan, S. X.; Li, X. Q.; M, S.; Zhang, Y. C.; Gong, Y. D.

2008-12-01

Thick pre-stretched aluminum alloy plates are widely used in aircraft, while machining distortion caused by initial residual stress release in thick plates is a common and serious problem. To reduce the distortion, the residual stress distribution in thick plate must be measured. According to the characteristics of the thick pre-stretched aluminum alloy plate, based the elastic mechanical theory, this article deduces the modified layer-removal strain method adapting two different strain situations, which are caused by tensile and compressive stress. To validate this method, the residual stresses distribution along the thick direction of plate 2D70T351 is measured by this method, it is shown that the new method deduced in this paper is simple and accurate, and is very useful in engineering.

Application of coordinate transform on ball plate calibration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wei, Hengzheng; Wang, Weinong; Ren, Guoying; Pei, Limei

2015-02-01

For the ball plate calibration method with coordinate measurement machine (CMM) equipped with laser interferometer, it is essential to adjust the ball plate parallel to the direction of laser beam. It is very time-consuming. To solve this problem, a method based on coordinate transformation between machine system and object system is presented. With the fixed points' coordinates of the ball plate measured in the object system and machine system, the transformation matrix between the coordinate systems is calculated. The laser interferometer measurement data error due to the placement of ball plate can be corrected with this transformation matrix. Experimental results indicate that this method is consistent with the handy adjustment method. It avoids the complexity of ball plate adjustment. It also can be applied to the ball beam calibration.

Automatic Evaluations and Exercising: Systematic Review and Implications for Future Research.

PubMed

Schinkoeth, Michaela; Antoniewicz, Franziska

2017-01-01

The general purpose of this systematic review was to summarize, structure and evaluate the findings on automatic evaluations of exercising. Studies were eligible for inclusion if they reported measuring automatic evaluations of exercising with an implicit measure and assessed some kind of exercise variable. Fourteen nonexperimental and six experimental studies (out of a total N = 1,928) were identified and rated by two independent reviewers. The main study characteristics were extracted and the grade of evidence for each study evaluated. First, results revealed a large heterogeneity in the applied measures to assess automatic evaluations of exercising and the exercise variables. Generally, small to large-sized significant relations between automatic evaluations of exercising and exercise variables were identified in the vast majority of studies. The review offers a systematization of the various examined exercise variables and prompts to differentiate more carefully between actually observed exercise behavior (proximal exercise indicator) and associated physiological or psychological variables (distal exercise indicator). Second, a lack of transparent reported reflections on the differing theoretical basis leading to the use of specific implicit measures was observed. Implicit measures should be applied purposefully, taking into consideration the individual advantages or disadvantages of the measures. Third, 12 studies were rated as providing first-grade evidence (lowest grade of evidence), five represent second-grade and three were rated as third-grade evidence. There is a dramatic lack of experimental studies, which are essential for illustrating the cause-effect relation between automatic evaluations of exercising and exercise and investigating under which conditions automatic evaluations of exercising influence behavior. Conclusions about the necessity of exercise interventions targeted at the alteration of automatic evaluations of exercising should therefore not be drawn too hastily.

Automatic Evaluations and Exercising: Systematic Review and Implications for Future Research

PubMed Central

Schinkoeth, Michaela; Antoniewicz, Franziska

2017-01-01

The general purpose of this systematic review was to summarize, structure and evaluate the findings on automatic evaluations of exercising. Studies were eligible for inclusion if they reported measuring automatic evaluations of exercising with an implicit measure and assessed some kind of exercise variable. Fourteen nonexperimental and six experimental studies (out of a total N = 1,928) were identified and rated by two independent reviewers. The main study characteristics were extracted and the grade of evidence for each study evaluated. First, results revealed a large heterogeneity in the applied measures to assess automatic evaluations of exercising and the exercise variables. Generally, small to large-sized significant relations between automatic evaluations of exercising and exercise variables were identified in the vast majority of studies. The review offers a systematization of the various examined exercise variables and prompts to differentiate more carefully between actually observed exercise behavior (proximal exercise indicator) and associated physiological or psychological variables (distal exercise indicator). Second, a lack of transparent reported reflections on the differing theoretical basis leading to the use of specific implicit measures was observed. Implicit measures should be applied purposefully, taking into consideration the individual advantages or disadvantages of the measures. Third, 12 studies were rated as providing first-grade evidence (lowest grade of evidence), five represent second-grade and three were rated as third-grade evidence. There is a dramatic lack of experimental studies, which are essential for illustrating the cause-effect relation between automatic evaluations of exercising and exercise and investigating under which conditions automatic evaluations of exercising influence behavior. Conclusions about the necessity of exercise interventions targeted at the alteration of automatic evaluations of exercising should therefore not be drawn too hastily. PMID:29250022

Calculation of stress intensity factors in an isotropic multicracked plate: Part 2: Symbolic/numeric implementation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Arnold, S. M.; Binienda, W. K.; Tan, H. Q.; Xu, M. H.

1992-01-01

Analytical derivations of stress intensity factors (SIF's) of a multicracked plate can be complex and tedious. Recent advances, however, in intelligent application of symbolic computation can overcome these difficulties and provide the means to rigorously and efficiently analyze this class of problems. Here, the symbolic algorithm required to implement the methodology described in Part 1 is presented. The special problem-oriented symbolic functions to derive the fundamental kernels are described, and the associated automatically generated FORTRAN subroutines are given. As a result, a symbolic/FORTRAN package named SYMFRAC, capable of providing accurate SIF's at each crack tip, was developed and validated. Simple illustrative examples using SYMFRAC show the potential of the present approach for predicting the macrocrack propagation path due to existing microcracks in the vicinity of a macrocrack tip, when the influence of the microcrack's location, orientation, size, and interaction are taken into account.

Precise GPS/Acoustic Positioning of Seafloor Reference Points for Tectonic Studies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Spiess, F. N.; Chadwell, C.; Hildebrand, J. A.; Young, L. E.; Purcell, G. H., Jr.; Dragert, H.

1998-01-01

Global networks for crustal strain measurement provide important constraints for studies of tectonic plate motion and deformation. To date, crustal strain measurements have been possible only in terrestrial settings: on continental plates and island sites within oceanic plates.

The unbalanced signal measuring of automotive brake drum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Xiao-Dong; Ye, Sheng-Hua; Zhang, Bang-Cheng

2005-04-01

For the purpose of the research and development of automatic balancing system by mass removing, the dissertation deals with the measuring method of the unbalance signal, the design the automatic balance equipment and the software. This paper emphases the testing system of the balancer of automotive brake drum. The paper designs the band-pass filter product with favorable automatic follow of electronic product, and with favorable automatic follow capability, filtration effect and stability. The system of automatic balancing system by mass removing based on virtual instrument is designed in this paper. A lab system has been constructed. The results of contrast experiments indicate the notable effect of 1-plane automatic balance and the high precision of dynamic balance, and demonstrate the application value of the system.

Ductile Tearing of Thin Aluminum Plates Under Blast Loading. Predictions with Fully Coupled Models and Biaxial Material Response Characterization

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

Corona, Edmundo; Gullerud, Arne S.; Haulenbeek, Kimberly K.

2015-06-01

The work presented in this report concerns the response and failure of thin 2024- T3 aluminum alloy circular plates to a blast load produced by the detonation of a nearby spherical charge. The plates were fully clamped around the circumference and the explosive charge was located centrally with respect to the plate. The principal objective was to conduct a numerical model validation study by comparing the results of predictions to experimental measurements of plate deformation and failure for charges with masses in the vicinity of the threshold between no tearing and tearing of the plates. Stereo digital image correlation datamore » was acquired for all tests to measure the deflection and strains in the plates. The size of the virtual strain gage in the measurements, however, was relatively large, so the strain measurements have to be interpreted accordingly as lower bounds of the actual strains in the plate and of the severity of the strain gradients. A fully coupled interaction model between the blast and the deflection of the structure was considered. The results of the validation exercise indicated that the model predicted the deflection of the plates reasonably accurately as well as the distribution of strain on the plate. The estimation of the threshold charge based on a critical value of equivalent plastic strain measured in a bulge test, however, was not accurate. This in spite of efforts to determine the failure strain of the aluminum sheet under biaxial stress conditions. Further work is needed to be able to predict plate tearing with some degree of confidence. Given the current technology, at least one test under the actual blast conditions where the plate tears is needed to calibrate the value of equivalent plastic strain when failure occurs in the numerical model. Once that has been determined, the question of the explosive mass value at the threshold could be addressed with more confidence.« less

A magnetic levitation rotating plate model based on high-Tc superconducting technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, Jun; Li, Jipeng; Sun, Ruixue; Qian, Nan; Deng, Zigang

2017-09-01

With the wide requirements of the training aids and display models of science, technology and even industrial products for the public like schools, museums and pleasure grounds, a simple-structure and long-term stable-levitation technology is needed for these exhibitions. Opportunely, high temperature superconducting (HTS) technology using bulk superconductors indeed has prominent advantages on magnetic levitation and suspension for its self-stable characteristic in an applied magnetic field without any external power or control. This paper explores the feasibility of designing a rotatable magnetic levitation (maglev) plate model with HTS bulks placed beneath a permanent magnet (PM) plate. The model is featured with HTS bulks together with their essential cryogenic equipment above and PMs below, therefore it eliminates the unclear visual effects by spray due to the low temperature coolant such as liquid nitrogen (LN2) and additional levitation weight of the cryogenic equipment. Besides that, a matched LN2 automation filling system is adopted to help achieving a long-term working state of the rotatable maglev plate. The key low-temperature working condition for HTS bulks is maintained by repeatedly opening a solenoid valve and automatically filling LN2 under the monitoring of a temperature sensor inside the cryostat. With the support of the cryogenic devices, the HTS maglev system can meet all requirements of the levitating display model for exhibitions, and may enlighten the research work on HTS maglev applications.

A Retrospective Analysis of Post-Stroke Berg Balance Scale Scores: How Should Normal and At-Risk Scores Be Interpreted?

PubMed Central

Inness, Elizabeth; McIlroy, William E.; Mansfield, Avril

2017-01-01

Purpose: The Berg Balance Scale (BBS) is a performance-based measure of standing balance commonly used by clinicians working with individuals post-stroke. Performance on the BBS can be influenced by compensatory strategies, but measures derived from two force plates can isolate compensatory strategies and thus better indicate balance impairment. This study examined BBS scores that reflect “normal” and disordered balance with respect to dual force-plate measures of standing balance in individuals post-stroke. Methods: BBS and force-plate measures were extracted from 75 patient charts. Individuals were classified by BBS score with respect to (1) age-matched normative values and (2) values that suggested increased risk of falls. Multiple analysis of variance was used to examine the effect of group assignment on force-plate measures of standing balance. Results: Individuals with BBS scores within and below normative values did not differ in force-plate measures. Individuals with BBS scores below the falls risk cutoff loaded their affected leg less than individuals with BBS scores above the cutoff. There were no other differences in force-plate measures between these two groups. Conclusions: BBS scores indicating either normal or disordered balance function are not necessarily associated with normal or disordered quiet standing-balance control measured by two force plates. This finding suggests that the BBS may reflect a capacity for compensation rather than any underlying impairments. PMID:28539694

Thickness Measurement of Surface Attachment on Plate with Lamb Wave

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

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

2017-12-01

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

The calibration of specular gloss meters and gloss plates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Tiecheng; Lai, Lei; Yin, Dejin; Ji, Muyao; Lin, Fangsheng; Shi, Leibing; Xia, Ming; Fu, Yi

2017-10-01

Specular gloss is the perception by an observer of the mirror-like appearance of a surface. Specular gloss is usually measured by a glossmeter, which can be calibrated by a group of gloss plates according to JJG 696-2015. The characteristics of a gloss meter include stability, zero error, and error of indication. The characteristics of a gloss plate include roughness and spectral transmissivity of a high gloss plate, spectral reflectivity of a ceramic gloss plate. The experiment results indicate that calibration of both gloss meters and gloss plates should be carefully performed according to the latest verification regulation in order to reduce the measurement error.

Application of laser ranging and VLBI data to a study of plate tectonic driving forces. [finite element method

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Solomon, S. C.

1980-01-01

The measurability of changes in plate driving or resistive forces associated with plate boundary earthquakes by laser rangefinding or VLBI is considered with emphasis on those aspects of plate forces that can be characterized by such measurements. Topics covered include: (1) analytic solutions for two dimensional stress diffusion in a plate following earthquake faulting on a finite fault; (2) two dimensional finite-element solutions for the global state of stress at the Earth's surface for possible plate driving forces; and (3) finite-element solutions for three dimensional stress diffusion in a viscoelastic Earth following earthquake faulting.

Experimental studies on the tripping behavior of narrow T-stiffened flat plates subjected to hydrostatic pressure and underwater shock

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Budweg, H. L.; Shin, Y. S.

1987-01-01

An experimental investigation was conducted to determine the static and dynamic responses of a specific stiffened flat plate design. The air-backed rectangular flat plates of 6061-T6 aluminum with an externally machined longitudinal narrow-flanged T-stiffener and clamped boundary conditions were subjected to static loading by water hydropump pressure and shock loading from an eight pound TNT charge detonated underwater. The dynamic test plate was instrumented to measure transient strains and free field pressure. The static test plate was instrumented to measure transient strains, plate deflection, and pressure. Emphasis was placed upon forcing static and dynamic stiffener tripping, obtaining relevant strain and pressure data, and studying the associated plate-stiffener behavior.

S-F graphic representation analysis of photoelectric facula focometer poroo-plate glass

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tong, Yilin; Han, Xuecai

2016-10-01

Optical system focal length is usually based on the magnification method with focal length measurement poroo-plate glass is used as base element measuring focal length of focometer. On the basis of using analysis of magnification method to measure the accuracy of optical lens focal length, an expression between the ruling span of poroo-plate glass and the focal length of measured optical system was deduced, an efficient method to work out S-F graph with AUTOCAD was developed, the selecting principle of focometer parameter was analyzed, and Applied examples for designing poroo-plate glass in S-F figure was obtained.

A Method for Preparing DNA Sequencing Templates Using a DNA-Binding Microplate

PubMed Central

Yang, Yu; Hebron, Haroun R.; Hang, Jun

2009-01-01

A DNA-binding matrix was immobilized on the surface of a 96-well microplate and used for plasmid DNA preparation for DNA sequencing. The same DNA-binding plate was used for bacterial growth, cell lysis, DNA purification, and storage. In a single step using one buffer, bacterial cells were lysed by enzymes, and released DNA was captured on the plate simultaneously. After two wash steps, DNA was eluted and stored in the same plate. Inclusion of phosphates in the culture medium was found to enhance the yield of plasmid significantly. Purified DNA samples were used successfully in DNA sequencing with high consistency and reproducibility. Eleven vectors and nine libraries were tested using this method. In 10 μl sequencing reactions using 3 μl sample and 0.25 μl BigDye Terminator v3.1, the results from a 3730xl sequencer gave a success rate of 90–95% and read-lengths of 700 bases or more. The method is fully automatable and convenient for manual operation as well. It enables reproducible, high-throughput, rapid production of DNA with purity and yields sufficient for high-quality DNA sequencing at a substantially reduced cost. PMID:19568455

Automatization of hardware configuration for plasma diagnostic system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wojenski, A.; Pozniak, K. T.; Kasprowicz, G.; Kolasinski, P.; Krawczyk, R. D.; Zabolotny, W.; Linczuk, P.; Chernyshova, M.; Czarski, T.; Malinowski, K.

2016-09-01

Soft X-ray plasma measurement systems are mostly multi-channel, high performance systems. In case of the modular construction it is necessary to perform sophisticated system discovery in parallel with automatic system configuration. In the paper the structure of the modular system designed for tokamak plasma soft X-ray measurements is described. The concept of the system discovery and further automatic configuration is also presented. FCS application (FMC/ FPGA Configuration Software) is used for running sophisticated system setup with automatic verification of proper configuration. In order to provide flexibility of further system configurations (e.g. user setup), common communication interface is also described. The approach presented here is related to the automatic system firmware building presented in previous papers. Modular construction and multichannel measurements are key requirement in term of SXR diagnostics with use of GEM detectors.

Towards parsimony in habit measurement: Testing the convergent and predictive validity of an automaticity subscale of the Self-Report Habit Index

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background The twelve-item Self-Report Habit Index (SRHI) is the most popular measure of energy-balance related habits. This measure characterises habit by automatic activation, behavioural frequency, and relevance to self-identity. Previous empirical research suggests that the SRHI may be abbreviated with no losses in reliability or predictive utility. Drawing on recent theorising suggesting that automaticity is the ‘active ingredient’ of habit-behaviour relationships, we tested whether an automaticity-specific SRHI subscale could capture habit-based behaviour patterns in self-report data. Methods A content validity task was undertaken to identify a subset of automaticity indicators within the SRHI. The reliability, convergent validity and predictive validity of the automaticity item subset was subsequently tested in secondary analyses of all previous SRHI applications, identified via systematic review, and in primary analyses of four raw datasets relating to energy‐balance relevant behaviours (inactive travel, active travel, snacking, and alcohol consumption). Results A four-item automaticity subscale (the ‘Self-Report Behavioural Automaticity Index’; ‘SRBAI’) was found to be reliable and sensitive to two hypothesised effects of habit on behaviour: a habit-behaviour correlation, and a moderating effect of habit on the intention-behaviour relationship. Conclusion The SRBAI offers a parsimonious measure that adequately captures habitual behaviour patterns. The SRBAI may be of particular utility in predicting future behaviour and in studies tracking habit formation or disruption. PMID:22935297

Ultrasound influence on the activation step before electroless coating.

PubMed

Touyeras, F; Hihn, J Y; Delalande, S; Viennet, R; Doche, M L

2003-10-01

This paper is devoted to the electroless plating of non-conductive substrates under ultrasound at 530 kHz. The ultrasonic irradiation is applied to the activation and to the plating steps. Effects are measured by following the final copper thickness obtained in 1 h of plating time, easily correlated to the average plating rate. It appears that ultrasound has a strong influence on the plating rates enhancement, and assumptions can be made that this increase could be linked to the catalyst cleaning. This is confirmed by XPS measurements.

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

Takagi, H., E-mail: takagih@post.kek.jp; Igarashi, N.; Mori, T.

BL-6A has been operational since 2011 as a small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) beamline at the Photon Factory (PF), and beginning in 2013 its old components and systems, which were mainly inside the experimental hutch, have been extensively updated. Both the vacuum-passes located between the sample stage and the detector and the fixed surface plate have been replaced by a new semi-automatic diffractometer. These upgrades allow simultaneous SAXS/WAXS experiments and grazing-incidence small angle X-ray scattering (GISAXS) measurements to be conducted. The hybrid pixel detector PILATUS3 1M is installed for SAXS, and PILATUS 100K is available as a WAXS detector. Additionally,more » a pinhole equipped with a micro-ion chamber is available to realize a lower-background and higher-resolution of low angles. Moreover, in a simultaneous SAXS/WAXS experiment, we developed a new beam stop with an embedded photodiode. Thus, BL-6A has evolved into a multipurpose beamline capable of dealing with various types of samples and experimental techniques.« less

Automated peroperative assessment of stents apposition from OCT pullbacks.

PubMed

Dubuisson, Florian; Péry, Emilie; Ouchchane, Lemlih; Combaret, Nicolas; Kauffmann, Claude; Souteyrand, Géraud; Motreff, Pascal; Sarry, Laurent

2015-04-01

This study's aim was to control the stents apposition by automatically analyzing endovascular optical coherence tomography (OCT) sequences. Lumen is detected using threshold, morphological and gradient operators to run a Dijkstra algorithm. Wrong detection tagged by the user and caused by bifurcation, struts'presence, thrombotic lesions or dissections can be corrected using a morphing algorithm. Struts are also segmented by computing symmetrical and morphological operators. Euclidian distance between detected struts and wall artery initializes a stent's complete distance map and missing data are interpolated with thin-plate spline functions. Rejection of detected outliers, regularization of parameters by generalized cross-validation and using the one-side cyclic property of the map also optimize accuracy. Several indices computed from the map provide quantitative values of malapposition. Algorithm was run on four in-vivo OCT sequences including different incomplete stent apposition's cases. Comparison with manual expert measurements validates the segmentation׳s accuracy and shows an almost perfect concordance of automated results. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

What Automaticity Deficit? Activation of Lexical Information by Readers with Dyslexia in a Rapid Automatized Naming Stroop-Switch Task

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, Manon W.; Snowling, Margaret J.; Moll, Kristina

2016-01-01

Reading fluency is often predicted by rapid automatized naming (RAN) speed, which as the name implies, measures the automaticity with which familiar stimuli (e.g., letters) can be retrieved and named. Readers with dyslexia are considered to have less "automatized" access to lexical information, reflected in longer RAN times compared with…

Measurement of large steel plates based on linear scan structured light scanning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiao, Zhitao; Li, Yaru; Lei, Geng; Xi, Jiangtao

2018-01-01

A measuring method based on linear structured light scanning is proposed to achieve the accurate measurement of the complex internal shape of large steel plates. Firstly, by using a calibration plate with round marks, an improved line scanning calibration method is designed. The internal and external parameters of camera are determined through the calibration method. Secondly, the images of steel plates are acquired by line scan camera. Then the Canny edge detection method is used to extract approximate contours of the steel plate images, the Gauss fitting algorithm is used to extract the sub-pixel edges of the steel plate contours. Thirdly, for the problem of inaccurate restoration of contour size, by measuring the distance between adjacent points in the grid of known dimensions, the horizontal and vertical error curves of the images are obtained. Finally, these horizontal and vertical error curves can be used to correct the contours of steel plates, and then combined with the calibration parameters of internal and external, the size of these contours can be calculated. The experiments results demonstrate that the proposed method can achieve the error of 1 mm/m in 1.2m×2.6m field of view, which has satisfied the demands of industrial measurement.

Sub-Plate Overlap Code Documentation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Taff, L. G.; Bucciarelli, B.; Zarate, N.

1997-01-01

An expansion of the plate overlap method of astrometric data reduction to a single plate has been proposed and successfully tested. Each plate is (artificially) divided into sub-plates which can then be overlapped. This reduces the area of a 'plate' over which a plate model needs to accurately represent the relationship between measured coordinates and standard coordinates. Application is made to non-astrographic plates such as Schmidt plates and to wide-field astrographic plates. Indeed, the method is completely general and can be applied to any type of recording media.

Multiplexed chemiluminescent assays in ArrayPlates for high-throughput measurement of gene expression

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martel, Ralph R.; Rounseville, Matthew P.; Botros, Ihab W.; Seligmann, Bruce E.

2002-06-01

Multiplexed Molecular Profiling (MMP) assays for drug discovery are performed in ArrayPlates. ArrayPlates are 96- well microtiter plates that contain a 16-element array at the bottom of each well. Each element within an array measures one analyte in a sample. A CCD imager records the quantitative chemiluminescent readout of all 1,536 elements in a 96-well plate simultaneously. Since array elements are reagent modifiable by the end-user, ArrayPlates can be adapted to a broad range of nucleic acid- and protein-based assays. Such multiplexed assays are rapidly established, flexible, robust, automation-friendly and cost-effective. Nucleic acid assays in ArrayPlates can detect DNA and RNA, including SNPs and ESTs. A multiplexed mRNA assay to measure the expression of 16 genes is described. The assay combines a homogeneous nuclease protection assay with subsequent probe immobilization to the array by means of a sandwich hybridization followed with chemiluminescent detection. This assay was used to examine cells grown and treated in microplates and avoided cloning, transfection, RNA insolation, reverse transcription, amplification and fluorochrome labeling. Standard deviations for the measurement of 16 genes ranged from 3 percent to 13 percent in samples of 30,000 cells. Such ArrayPlates transcription assays are useful in drug discovery and development for target validation, screening, lead optimization, metabolism and toxicity profiling. Chemiluminescent detection provides ArrayPlates assays with high signal-to-noise readout and simplifies imager requirements. Imaging a 2D surface that contains arrays simplifies lens requirements relative to imaging columns of liquid in microtiter plate wells. The Omix imager for ArrayPlates is described.

Biomechanical performance of rigid compared to dynamic anterior cervical plating: analysis of adjacent upper and lower level compressive forces.

PubMed

Connor, David E; Shamieh, Khader Samer; Ogden, Alan L; Mukherjee, Debi P; Sin, Anthony; Nanda, Anil

2012-12-01

Dynamic anterior cervical plating is well established as a means of enhancing graft loading and subsequent arthrodesis. Current concerns center on the degree of adjacent-level stress induced by these systems. The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare the load transferred to adjacent levels for single-level anterior cervical discectomy and fusion utilizing rigid compared to dynamic anterior plating systems. Nine cadaveric adult human cervical spine specimens were subjected to range-of-motion testing prior to and following C5-C6 anterior cervical discectomy and fusion procedures. Interbody grafting was performed with human fibula tissue. Nondestructive biomechanical testing included flexion/extension and lateral bending loading modes. A constant displacement of 5mm was applied in each direction and the applied load was measured in newtons (N). Specimens were tested in the following order: intact, following discectomy, after rigid plating, then after dynamic plating. Adjacent level (C4-C5 [L(S)] and C6-C7 [L(I)]) compressive forces were measured using low profile load cells inserted into each disc space. The measured load values for plating systems were then normalized using values measured for the intact specimens. Mean loads transferred to L(S) and L(I) during forced flexion in specimens with rigid plating were 23.47 N and 8.76 N, respectively; while the corresponding values in specimens with dynamic plating were 18.55 N and 1.03 N, respectively. Dynamic plating yielded no significant change at L(I) and a 21.0% decrease in load at L(S) when compared with rigid plating, although the difference was not significant. The observed trend suggests that dynamic plating may diminish superior adjacent level compressive stresses. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

10 CFR 431.134 - Uniform test methods for the measurement of energy consumption and water consumption of automatic...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 10 Energy 3 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Uniform test methods for the measurement of energy consumption and water consumption of automatic commercial ice makers. 431.134 Section 431.134 Energy DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY ENERGY CONSERVATION ENERGY EFFICIENCY PROGRAM FOR CERTAIN COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL EQUIPMENT Automatic Commercial Ice Makers Test...

10 CFR 431.134 - Uniform test methods for the measurement of energy consumption and water consumption of automatic...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 10 Energy 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Uniform test methods for the measurement of energy consumption and water consumption of automatic commercial ice makers. 431.134 Section 431.134 Energy DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY ENERGY CONSERVATION ENERGY EFFICIENCY PROGRAM FOR CERTAIN COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL EQUIPMENT Automatic Commercial Ice Makers Test...

Measurement of Kirchhoff's stress intensity factors in bending plates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bäcker, D.; Kuna, M.; Häusler, C.

2014-03-01

A measurement method of the stress intensity factors defined by KIRCHHOFF's theory for a crack in a bending plate is shown. For this purpose, a thin piezoelectric polyvinylidene fluoride film (PVDF) is attached to the surface of the cracked plate. The measured electrical voltages are coupled with the load type and the crack tip position relative to the sensor film. Stress intensity factors and the crack tip position can be determined by solving the non-linear inverse problem based on the measured signals. To guarantee solvability of the problem, more measuring electrodes on the film have to be taken in to account. To the developed sensor concept the KIRCHHOFF's plate theory has been applied. In order to connect the electrical signals and the stress intensity factors the stresses near the crack tip have to be written in eigenfunctions (see WILLIAMS [1]). The presented method was verified by means of the example of a straight crack of the length 2a in an infinite isotropic plate under all- side bending. It was found that the positioning of the electrodes is delimited by two radii. On one hand, the measurement points should not be too close to the crack tip. In this area, the Kirchhoff's plate theory cannot be used effectively. On the other hand, the measuring electrodes should be placed at a smaller distance to each other and not too far from the crack tip regarding the convergence radius of the WILLIAMS series expansion. Test calculations on a straight crack in an infinite isotropic plate showed the general applicability of the measurement method.

Results of the NIST National Ball Plate Round Robin.

PubMed

Caskey, G W; Phillips, S D; Borchardt, B R

1997-01-01

This report examines the results of the ball plate round robin administered by NIST. The round robin was part of an effort to assess the current state of industry practices for measurements made using coordinate measuring machines. Measurements of a two-dimensional ball plate (240 mm by 240 mm) on 41 coordinate measuring machines were collected and analyzed. Typically, the deviations of the reported X and Y coordinates from the calibrated values were within ± 5 μm, with some coordinate deviations exceeding 20.0 μm. One of the most significant observations from these data was that over 75 % of the participants failed to correctly estimate their measurement error on one or more of the ball plate spheres.

The analysis of the accuracy of the wheel alignment inspection method on the side-slip plate stand

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gajek, A.; Strzępek, P.

2016-09-01

The article presents the theoretical basis and the results of the examination of the wheel alignment inspection method on the slide slip plate stand. It is obligatory test during periodic technical inspection of the vehicle. The measurement is executed in the dynamic conditions. The dependence between the lateral displacement of the plate and toe-in of the tested wheels has been shown. If the diameter of the wheel rim is known then the value of the toe-in can be calculated. The comparison of the toe-in measurements on the plate stand and on the four heads device for the wheel alignment inspection has been carried out. The accuracy of the measurements and the influence of the conditions of the tests on the plate stand (the way of passing through the plate) were estimated. The conclusions about the accuracy of this method are presented.

Cosmic Ray Energy Determination by the Reduced-Opening Angle Method

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gregory, John C.

1998-01-01

The reduced opening angle technique offers a simple way with minimal model dependence to measure cosmic ray energies over a broad range with out any normalization uncertainties. The emulsion film and CR39 detectors proposed are well established techniques and should perform adequately. The analysis method depends on accurate automatic scanning of the CR39 plates. UAH have developed such a capability. With the proposed geometry energy measurements to approx. 5 TeV/a can be made. The expected iron event rate (E greater than or equal to 500 GeV/a) is 10/sq m day. The expected energy resolution, from accelerator calibrations at 200 GeV/a, is -50% to +80%. Since the absolute flux has some sensitivity to the assumed power law index it is essential that good energy resolution is obtained. The expected charge resolution is approx. 0.3 charge units for the CNO group falling to approx. 1 charge unit for the iron group. A suitable event trigger would be a measurable (greater than 2 micrometer) deflected heavy (Z greater than 2) fragment. One potential background is electromagnetic dissociation that predominantly couples to individual protons or alphas. Although the cross- sections can be appreciable such events will not pass the event trigger.

Comparison of quartz tuning forks and AlN-based extensional microresonators for viscosity measurements in oil/fuel mixtures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Toledo, J.; Manzaneque, T.; Hernando-García, J.; Vazquez, J.; Ababneh, A.; Seidel, H.; Lapuerta, M.; Sánchez-Rojas, J. L.

2013-05-01

In-situ monitoring of the physical properties of liquids is of great interest in the automotive industry. For example, lubricants are subject to dilution with diesel fuel as a consequence of late-injection processes, which are necessary for regenerating diesel particulate filters. This dilution can be determined by tracking the viscosity and the density of the lubricant. Here we report the test of two in-plane movement based resonators to explore their capability to monitor oil dilution with diesel and biodiesel. One of the resonators is the commercially available millimeter-sized quartz tuning fork, working at 32.7 kHz. The second resonator is a state-of-the-art micron-sized AlN-based rectangular plate, actuated in the first extensional mode in the MHz range. Electrical impedance measurements were carried out to characterize the performance of the structures in various liquid media in a wide range of viscosities. These measurements were completed with the development of low-cost electronic circuits to track the resonance frequency and the quality factor automatically, these two parameters allow to obtain the viscosity of various fluids under investigation, as in the case of dilution of lubricant SAE 15W40 and biodiesel.

Improvement of Nonlinearity Correction for BESIII ETOF Upgrade

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Weijia; Cao, Ping; Ji, Xiaolu; Fan, Huanhuan; Dai, Hongliang; Zhang, Jie; Liu, Shubin; An, Qi

2015-08-01

An improved scheme to implement integral non-linearity (INL) correction of time measurements in the Beijing Spectrometer III Endcap Time-of-Flight (BESIII ETOF) upgrade system is presented in this paper. During upgrade, multi-gap resistive plate chambers (MRPC) are introduced as ETOF detectors which increases the total number of time measurement channels to 1728. The INL correction method adopted in BESIII TOF proved to be of limited use, because the sharply increased number of electronic channels required for reading out the detector strips degrade the system configuration efficiency severely. Furthermore, once installed into the spectrometer, BESIII TOF electronics do not support the TDCs' nonlinearity evaluation online. In this proposed method, INL data used for the correction algorithm are automatically imported from a non-volatile read-only memory (ROM) instead of from data acquisition software. This guarantees the real-time performance and system efficiency of the INL correction, especially for the ETOF upgrades with massive number of channels. Besides, a signal that is not synchronized to the system 41.65 MHz clock from BEPCII is sent to the frontend electronics (FEE) to simulate pseudo-random test pulses for the purpose of online nonlinearity evaluation. Test results show that the time measuring INL errors in one module with 72 channels can be corrected online and in real time.

Characterization of cement-based materials using a reusable piezoelectric impedance-based sensor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tawie, R.; Lee, H. K.

2011-08-01

This paper proposes a reusable sensor, which employs a piezoceramic (PZT) plate as an active sensing transducer, for non-destructive monitoring of cement-based materials based on the electromechanical impedance (EMI) sensing technique. The advantage of the sensor design is that the PZT can be easily removed from the set-up and re-used for repetitive tests. The applicability of the sensor was demonstrated for monitoring of the setting of cement mortar. EMI measurements were performed using an impedance analyzer and the transformation of the specimen from the plastic to solid state was monitored by automatically measuring the changes in the PZT conductance spectra with respect to curing time using the root mean square deviation (RMSD) algorithm. In another experiment, drying-induced moisture loss of a hardened mortar specimen at saturated surface dry (SSD) condition was measured, and monitored using the reusable sensor to establish a correlation between the RMSD values and moisture loss rate. The reusable sensor was also demonstrated for detecting progressive damages imparted on a mortar specimen attached with the sensor under several loading levels before allowing it to load to failure. Overall, the reusable sensor is an effective and efficient monitoring device that could possibly be used for field application in characterization of cement-based materials.

In-depth survey report of American Airlines plating facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mortimer, V. D., Jr.

1982-12-01

An in depth survey was conducted at the American Airlines Maintenance and Engineering Center as part of National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) study evaluating measures to control occupational health hazards associated with the metal plating industry. This American Airlines plating facility, employing approximately 25 workers, is primarily engaged in plating hard chromium, nickel and cadmium on aircraft engine and landing gear parts. Six tanks were studied, including an electroless nickel tank. Area and personal samples for chromium, nickel, cadmium, and cyanide were collected. Ventilation airflow and tank dimensions were measured and data recorded on plating operations. The relationships between air contaminants emitted, local exhaust ventilation flow rate, tank size, and plating activity were evaluated.

Negative Life Events and Antenatal Depression among Pregnant Women in Rural China: The Role of Negative Automatic Thoughts.

PubMed

Wang, Yang; Wang, Xiaohua; Liu, Fangnan; Jiang, Xiaoning; Xiao, Yun; Dong, Xuehan; Kong, Xianglei; Yang, Xuemei; Tian, Donghua; Qu, Zhiyong

2016-01-01

Few studies have looked at the relationship between psychological and the mental health status of pregnant women in rural China. The current study aims to explore the potential mediating effect of negative automatic thoughts between negative life events and antenatal depression. Data were collected in June 2012 and October 2012. 495 rural pregnant women were interviewed. Depressive symptoms were measured by the Edinburgh postnatal depression scale, stresses of pregnancy were measured by the pregnancy pressure scale, negative automatic thoughts were measured by the automatic thoughts questionnaire, and negative life events were measured by the life events scale for pregnant women. We used logistic regression and path analysis to test the mediating effect. The prevalence of antenatal depression was 13.7%. In the logistic regression, the only socio-demographic and health behavior factor significantly related to antenatal depression was sleep quality. Negative life events were not associated with depression in the fully adjusted model. Path analysis showed that the eventual direct and general effects of negative automatic thoughts were 0.39 and 0.51, which were larger than the effects of negative life events. This study suggested that there was a potentially significant mediating effect of negative automatic thoughts. Pregnant women who had lower scores of negative automatic thoughts were more likely to suffer less from negative life events which might lead to antenatal depression.

Numerical Simulation of Flow Field Within Parallel Plate Plastometer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Antar, Basil N.

2002-01-01

Parallel Plate Plastometer (PPP) is a device commonly used for measuring the viscosity of high polymers at low rates of shear in the range 10(exp 4) to 10(exp 9) poises. This device is being validated for use in measuring the viscosity of liquid glasses at high temperatures having similar ranges for the viscosity values. PPP instrument consists of two similar parallel plates, both in the range of 1 inch in diameter with the upper plate being movable while the lower one is kept stationary. Load is applied to the upper plate by means of a beam connected to shaft attached to the upper plate. The viscosity of the fluid is deduced from measuring the variation of the plate separation, h, as a function of time when a specified fixed load is applied on the beam. Operating plate speeds measured with the PPP is usually in the range of 10.3 cm/s or lower. The flow field within the PPP can be simulated using the equations of motion of fluid flow for this configuration. With flow speeds in the range quoted above the flow field between the two plates is certainly incompressible and laminar. Such flows can be easily simulated using numerical modeling with computational fluid dynamics (CFD) codes. We present below the mathematical model used to simulate this flow field and also the solutions obtained for the flow using a commercially available finite element CFD code.

Performance enhancement of an air-coupled multiple moving membrane capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer using an optimized middle plate configuration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Emadi, Arezoo; Buchanan, Douglas

2016-10-01

A multiple moving membrane capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer has been developed. This transducer cell structure includes a second flexible plate suspended between the transducer top plate and the fixed bottom electrode. The added plate influences the transducer top plate deflection map and, therefore, the transducer properties. Three series of individual air-coupled, dual deflectable plate transducers and two 1×27 element transducer arrays were fabricated using multiuser microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) processes (MUMPs). Each set of transducers included devices with middle plate radii from 22% to 65% of the corresponding transducer top plate radius. The effect of the transducer middle plate configuration has been investigated. Electrical, optical, and acoustic characterizations were conducted and the results were compared with the simulation findings. It was found that the transducer top plate amplitude of vibration is significantly enhanced with a wider middle deflectable plate. The electrical and optical measurement results are shown to be in good agreement with simulation results. The acoustic measurement results indicated a 37% increase in the amplitude of transmitted signal by the 1-MHz air-couple transducer when its middle plate radius was increased by 35%.

Mechanical design and analysis of focal plate for gravity deformation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Jianping; Chu, Jiaru; Hu, Hongzhuan; Li, Kexuan; Zhou, Zengxiang

2014-07-01

The surface accuracy of astronomical telescope focal plate is a key indicator to precision stellar observation. To conduct accurate deformation measurement for focal plate in different status, a 6-DOF hexapod platform was used for attitude adjustment. For the small adjustment range of a classic 6-DOF hexapod platform, an improved structural arrangement method was proposed in the paper to achieve ultimate adjustment of the focal plate in horizontal and vertical direction. To validate the feasibility of this method, an angle change model which used ball hinge was set up for the movement and base plate. Simulation results in MATLAB suggested that the ball hinge angle change of movement and base plate is within the range of the limiting angle in the process of the platform plate adjusting to ultimate attitude. The proposed method has some guiding significance for accurate surface measurement of focal plate.

Solar hot water system installed at Day's Inn Motel, Dallas, Texas (Valley View)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1980-01-01

The solar system was designed to provide 65 percent of the total domestic hot water (DHW) demand. A liquid (water) flat plate collector (1,000 square feet) system automatically drains into the 1,000 gallon steel storage tank when the solar pump is not running. Heat is transferred from the DHW tanks through a shell and tube heat exchanger. A circulating pump between the DHW tanks and heat exchanger enables solar heated water to help make up standby losses. All pumps are controlled by differential temperature controllers.

Proceedings of the IREAPS Technical Symposium (9th) Held in San Diego, California on September 14-16, 1982. Volume 1 (The National Shipbuilding Research Program)

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-01-01

templates. Bends plate to radius of forming cylinder. One sided butt welds up through 5/8" using magnet bed for alignment. Automatically fits and welds...up to nine stiffeners per panel. Exit Butt Weld One sided butt welds stiffened bottom panels to Tank Top Fitting Area each other using magnet bed for...be over-emphasized! Benefits derived from the model are somewhat like magnetism . Model usage is inversely proportional to the square of the distance

Solar hot water system installed at Days Inn Motel, Jacksonville, Florida

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1980-01-01

The solar system was designed to provide 65 percent of the hot water demand. Water in the liquid flat plate collector (900 square feet) system automatically drains into the 1000 gallon lined and vented steel storage tank when the pump is not running. Heat is transferred from storage to Domestic Hot Water (DHW) tanks through a tube and shell heat exchanger. A circulating pump between the DHW tanks and heat exchanger enables solar heated water to help make up DHW standby losses. All pumps are controlled by differential temperature.

A new method of field MRTD test

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Zhibin; Song, Yan; Liu, Xianhong; Xiao, Wenjian

2014-09-01

MRTD is an important indicator to measure the imaging performance of infrared camera. In the traditional laboratory test, blackbody is used as simulated heat source which is not only expensive and bulky but also difficult to meet field testing requirements of online automatic infrared camera MRTD. To solve this problem, this paper introduces a new detection device for MRTD, which uses LED as a simulation heat source and branded plated zinc sulfide glass carved four-bar target as a simulation target. By using high temperature adaptability cassegrain collimation system, the target is simulated to be distance-infinite so that it can be observed by the human eyes to complete the subjective test, or collected to complete objective measurement by image processing. This method will use LED to replace blackbody. The color temperature of LED is calibrated by thermal imager, thereby, the relation curve between the LED temperature controlling current and the blackbody simulation temperature difference is established, accurately achieved the temperature control of the infrared target. Experimental results show that the accuracy of the device in field testing of thermal imager MRTD can be limited within 0.1K, which greatly reduces the cost to meet the project requirements with a wide application value.

Evaluation of Thin Plate Hydrodynamic Stability through a Combined Numerical Modeling and Experimental Effort

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

Tentner, A.; Bojanowski, C.; Feldman, E.

An experimental and computational effort was undertaken in order to evaluate the capability of the fluid-structure interaction (FSI) simulation tools to describe the deflection of a Missouri University Research Reactor (MURR) fuel element plate redesigned for conversion to lowenriched uranium (LEU) fuel due to hydrodynamic forces. Experiments involving both flat plates and curved plates were conducted in a water flow test loop located at the University of Missouri (MU), at conditions and geometries that can be related to the MURR LEU fuel element. A wider channel gap on one side of the test plate, and a narrower on the othermore » represent the differences that could be encountered in a MURR element due to allowed fabrication variability. The difference in the channel gaps leads to a pressure differential across the plate, leading to plate deflection. The induced plate deflection the pressure difference induces in the plate was measured at specified locations using a laser measurement technique. High fidelity 3-D simulations of the experiments were performed at MU using the computational fluid dynamics code STAR-CCM+ coupled with the structural mechanics code ABAQUS. Independent simulations of the experiments were performed at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) using the STAR-CCM+ code and its built-in structural mechanics solver. The simulation results obtained at MU and ANL were compared with the corresponding measured plate deflections.« less

Astrometric observations of Saturn's satellites from McDonald Observatory, 1972. [using reference stars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Abbot, R. I.; Mulholland, J. D.; Shelus, P. J.

1974-01-01

Observations of Saturn's satellites were reduced by means of secondary reference stars obtained by reduction of Palomar Sky Survey (PSS) plates. This involved the use of 39 SAO stars and plate overlap technique to determine the coordinates of 59 fainter stars in the satellite field. Fourteen plate constants were determined for each of the two PSS plates. Comparison of two plate measurement and reduction techniques on the satellite measurements demonstrate the existence of a serious background gradient effect and the utility of microdensitometry to eliminate this error source in positional determinations of close satellites.

Astrometric observations of Saturn's satellites from McDonald Observatory, 1972

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Abbot, R. I.; Mulholland, J. D.; Shelus, P. J.

1975-01-01

Observations of Saturn's satellites have been reduced by means of secondary reference stars obtained by reduction of Palomar Sky Survey plates. This involved the use of 29 SAO stars and plate overlap technique to determine the coordinates of 59 fainter stars in the satellite field. Fourteen plate constants were determined for each of the two PSS plates. Comparison of two plate measurement and reduction techniques on the satellite measures appears to demonstrate the existence of a serious background gradient effect and the utility of microdensitometry to eliminate this error source in positional determinations of close satellites.

Amplitude and Wavelength Measurement of Sound Waves in Free Space using a Sound Wave Phase Meter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ham, Sounggil; Lee, Kiwon

2018-05-01

We developed a sound wave phase meter (SWPM) and measured the amplitude and wavelength of sound waves in free space. The SWPM consists of two parallel metal plates, where the front plate was operated as a diaphragm. An aluminum perforated plate was additionally installed in front of the diaphragm, and the same signal as that applied to the sound source was applied to the perforated plate. The SWPM measures both the sound wave signal due to the diaphragm vibration and the induction signal due to the electric field of the aluminum perforated plate. Therefore, the two measurement signals interfere with each other due to the phase difference according to the distance between the sound source and the SWPM, and the amplitude of the composite signal that is output as a result is periodically changed. We obtained the wavelength of the sound wave from this periodic amplitude change measured in the free space and compared it with the theoretically calculated values.

Cerebral Oxygenation and Pain of Heel Blood Sampling Using Manual and Automatic Lancets in Premature Infants.

PubMed

Hwang, Mi-Jung; Seol, Geun Hee

2015-01-01

Heel blood sampling is a common but painful procedure for neonates. Automatic lancets have been shown to be more effective, with reduced pain and tissue damage, than manual lancets, but the effects of lancet type on cortical activation have not yet been compared. The study aimed to compare the effects of manual and automatic lancets on cerebral oxygenation and pain of heel blood sampling in 24 premature infants with respiratory distress syndrome. Effectiveness was measured by assessing numbers of pricks and squeezes and duration of heel blood sampling. Pain responses were measured using the premature infant pain profile score, heart rate, and oxygen saturation (SpO2). Regional cerebral oxygen saturation (rScO2) was measured using near-infrared spectroscopy, and cerebral fractional tissue oxygen extraction was calculated from SpO2 and rScO. Measures of effectiveness were significantly better with automatic than with manual lancing, including fewer heel punctures (P = .009) and squeezes (P < .001) and shorter duration of heel blood sampling (P = .002). rScO2 was significantly higher (P = .013) and cerebral fractional tissue oxygen extraction after puncture significantly lower (P = .040) with automatic lancing. Premature infant pain profile scores during (P = .004) and after (P = .048) puncture were significantly lower in the automatic than in the manual lancet group. Automatic lancets for heel blood sampling in neonates with respiratory distress syndrome significantly reduced pain and enhanced cerebral oxygenation, suggesting that heel blood should be sampled routinely using an automatic lancet.

Determination of refractive index of a simple negative, positive, or zero power lens using wedged plated interferometer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shukla, R. P.; Perera, G. M.; George, M. C.; Venkateswarlu, P.

1990-01-01

A nondestructive technique for measuring the refractive index of a negative lens using a wedged plate interferometer is described. The method can be also used for measuring the refractive index of convex or zero power lenses. Schematic diagrams are presented for the use of a wedged plate interferometer for measuring the refractive index of a concave lens and of a convex lens.

RADIATION MEASURING DEVICES

DOEpatents

Bouricius, G.M.B.; Rusch, G.K.

1960-03-22

A radiation-measuring device is described having an a-c output. The apparatus has a high-energy particle source responsive to radiation flux disposed within a housing having a pair of collector plates. A potential gradient between the source and collector plates causes ions to flow to the plates. By means of electrostatic or magnetic deflection elements connected to an alternating potential, the ions are caused to flow alternately to each of the collector plates causing an a-c signal thereon.

Aerodynamic Measurements on a Large Splitter Plate for the NASA Langley Transonic Dynamics Tunnel

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schuster, David M.

2001-01-01

Tests conducted in the NASA Langley Research Center Transonic Dynamics Tunnel (TDT) assess the aerodynamic characteristics of a splitter plate used to test some semispan models in this facility. Aerodynamic data are analyzed to determine the effect of the splitter plate on the operating characteristics of the TDT, as well as to define the range of conditions over which the plate can be reasonably used to obtain aerodynamic data. Static pressures measurements on the splitter plate surface and the equipment fairing between the wind tunnel wall and the splitter plate are evaluated to determine the flow quality around the apparatus over a range of operating conditions. Boundary layer rake data acquired near the plate surface define the viscous characteristics of the flow over the plate. Data were acquired over a range of subsonic, transonic and supersonic conditions at dynamic pressures typical for models tested on this apparatus. Data from this investigation should be used as a guide for the design of TDT models and tests using the splitter plate, as well as to guide future splitter plate design for this facility.

Numerical simulation of present day tectonic stress across the Indian subcontinent

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yadav, R.; Tiwari, V. M.

2018-04-01

In situ measurements of maximum horizontal stress (S Hmax) in the Indian subcontinent are limited and do not present regional trends of intraplate stress orientation. The observed orientations of S Hmax vary considerably and often differ from the plate velocity direction. We have simulated orientation and magnitude of S Hmax through finite element modeling incorporating heterogeneities in elastic property of the Indian continent and plain stress approximation to understand the variability of S Hmax. Four different scenarios are tested in simulation: (1) homogeneous plate with fixed plate boundary (2) homogeneous plate with boundary forces (3) heterogeneous plate with fixed boundary (4) heterogeneous plate with boundary forces. The estimated orientation and magnitude of S Hmax with a heterogeneous plate with boundary forces in the Himalayan region and an eastern plate boundary comprising the Indo-Burmese arc and Andaman subduction zone are consistent with measured maximum horizontal stress. This study suggests that plate boundary force varies along the northern Indian plate margin and also provides a constraint on the intraplate stress field in the Indian subcontinent.

Differences between automatically detected and steady-state fractional flow reserve.

PubMed

Härle, Tobias; Meyer, Sven; Vahldiek, Felix; Elsässer, Albrecht

2016-02-01

Measurement of fractional flow reserve (FFR) has become a standard diagnostic tool in the catheterization laboratory. FFR evaluation studies were based on pressure recordings during steady-state maximum hyperemia. Commercially available computer systems detect the lowest Pd/Pa ratio automatically, which might not always be measured during steady-state hyperemia. We sought to compare the automatically detected FFR and true steady-state FFR. Pressure measurement traces of 105 coronary lesions from 77 patients with intermediate coronary lesions or multivessel disease were reviewed. In all patients, hyperemia had been achieved by intravenous adenosine administration using a dosage of 140 µg/kg/min. In 42 lesions (40%) automatically detected FFR was lower than true steady-state FFR. Mean bias was 0.009 (standard deviation 0.015, limits of agreement -0.02, 0.037). In 4 lesions (3.8%) both methods lead to different treatment recommendations, in all 4 cases instantaneous wave-free ratio confirmed steady-state FFR. Automatically detected FFR was slightly lower than steady-state FFR in more than one-third of cases. Consequently, interpretation of automatically detected FFR values closely below the cutoff value requires special attention.

When wanting to change is not enough: automatic appetitive processes moderate the effects of a brief alcohol intervention in hazardous-drinking college students.

PubMed

Ostafin, Brian D; Palfai, Tibor P

2012-12-07

Research indicates that brief motivational interventions are efficacious treatments for hazardous drinking. Little is known, however, about the psychological processes that may moderate intervention success. Based on growing evidence that drinking behavior may be influenced by automatic (nonvolitional) mental processes, the current study examined whether automatic alcohol-approach associations moderated the effect of a brief motivational intervention. Specifically, we examined whether the efficacy of a single-session intervention designed to increase motivation to reduce alcohol consumption would be moderated by the strength of participants' automatic alcohol-approach associations. Eighty-seven undergraduate hazardous drinkers participated for course credit. Participants completed an Implicit Association Test to measure automatic alcohol-approach associations, a baseline measure of readiness to change drinking behavior, and measures of alcohol involvement. Participants were then randomly assigned to either a brief (15-minute) motivational intervention or a control condition. Participants completed a measure of readiness to change drinking at the end of the first session and returned for a follow-up session six weeks later in which they reported on their drinking over the previous month. Compared with the control group, those in the intervention condition showed higher readiness to change drinking at the end of the baseline session but did not show decreased drinking quantity at follow-up. Automatic alcohol-approach associations moderated the effects of the intervention on change in drinking quantity. Among participants in the intervention group, those with weak automatic alcohol-approach associations showed greater reductions in the amount of alcohol consumed per occasion at follow-up compared with those with strong automatic alcohol-approach associations. Automatic appetitive associations with alcohol were not related with change in amount of alcohol consumed per occasion in control participants. Furthermore, among participants who showed higher readiness to change, those who exhibited weaker alcohol-approach associations showed greater reductions in drinking quantity compared with those who exhibited stronger alcohol-approach associations. The results support the idea that automatic mental processes may moderate the influence of brief motivational interventions on quantity of alcohol consumed per drinking occasion. The findings suggest that intervention efficacy may be improved by utilizing implicit measures to identify those who may be responsive to brief interventions and by developing intervention elements to address the influence of automatic processes on drinking behavior.

Stress measurement in thick plates using nonlinear ultrasonics

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

Abbasi, Zeynab, E-mail: zabbas5@uic.edu, E-mail: dozevin@uic.edu; Ozevin, Didem, E-mail: zabbas5@uic.edu, E-mail: dozevin@uic.edu

2015-03-31

In this paper the interaction between nonlinear ultrasonic characteristics and stress state of complex loaded thick steel plates using fundamental theory of nonlinear ultrasonics is investigated in order to measure the stress state at a given cross section. The measurement concept is based on phased array placement of ultrasonic transmitter-receiver to scan three angles of a given cross section using Rayleigh waves. The change in the ultrasonic data in thick steel plates is influenced by normal and shear stresses; therefore, three measurements are needed to solve the equations simultaneously. Different thickness plates are studied in order to understand the interactionmore » of Rayleigh wave penetration depth and shear stress. The purpose is that as the thickness becomes smaller, the shear stress becomes negligible at the angled measurement. For thicker cross section, shear stress becomes influential if the depth of penetration of Rayleigh wave is greater than the half of the thickness. The influences of plate thickness and ultrasonic frequency on the identification of stress tensor are numerically studied in 3D structural geometry and Murnaghan material model. The experimental component of this study includes uniaxial loading of the plate while measuring ultrasonic wave at three directions (perpendicular, parallel and angled to the loading direction). Instead of rotating transmitter-receiver pair for each test, a device capable of measuring the three angles is designed.« less

High precision refractometry based on Fresnel diffraction from phase plates.

PubMed

Tavassoly, M Taghi; Naraghi, Roxana Rezvani; Nahal, Arashmid; Hassani, Khosrow

2012-05-01

When a transparent plane-parallel plate is illuminated at a boundary region by a monochromatic parallel beam of light, Fresnel diffraction occurs because of the abrupt change in phase imposed by the finite change in refractive index at the plate boundary. The visibility of the diffraction fringes varies periodically with changes in incident angle. The visibility period depends on the plate thickness and the refractive indices of the plate and the surrounding medium. Plotting the phase change versus incident angle or counting the visibility repetition in an incident-angle interval provides, for a given plate thickness, the refractive index of the plate very accurately. It is shown here that the refractive index of a plate can be determined without knowing the plate thickness. Therefore, the technique can be utilized for measuring plate thickness with high precision. In addition, by installing a plate with known refractive index in a rectangular cell filled with a liquid and following the described procedures, the refractive index of the liquid is obtained. The technique is applied to measure the refractive indices of a glass slide, distilled water, and ethanol. The potential and merits of the technique are also discussed.

Biasing and High-Order Statistics from the Southern-Sky Redshift Survey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Benoist, C.; Cappi, A.; da Costa, L. N.; Maurogordato, S.; Bouchet, F. R.; Schaeffer, R.

1999-04-01

We analyze different volume-limited samples extracted from the Southern-Sky Redshift Survey (SSRS2), using counts-in-cells to compute the count probability distribution function (CPDF). From the CPDF we derive volume-averaged correlation functions to fourth order and the normalized skewness and kurtosis S3=ξ3¯/ξ¯22 and S4=ξ4¯/ξ¯32. We find that the data satisfies the hierarchical relations in the range 0.3<~ξ2¯<~10. In this range we find S3 to be scale independent, with a value of ~1.8, in good agreement with the values measured from other optical redshift surveys probing different volumes, but significantly smaller than that inferred from the Automatic Plate Measuring Facility (APM) angular catalog. In addition, the measured values of S3 do not show a significant dependence on the luminosity of the galaxies considered. This result is supported by several tests of systematic errors that could affect our measures and estimates of the cosmic variance determined from mock catalogs extracted from N-body simulations. This result is in marked contrast to what would be expected from the strong dependence of the two-point correlation function on luminosity in the framework of a linear biasing model. We discuss the implications of our results and compare them to some recent models of the galaxy distribution that address the problem of bias.

Inductance and resistance measurement method for vessel detection and coil powering in all-surface inductive heating systems composed of outer squircle coils

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kilic, Veli Tayfun; Unal, Emre; Demir, Hilmi Volkan

2017-05-01

In this work, we investigate a method proposed for vessel detection and coil powering in an all-surface inductive heating system composed of outer squircle coils. Besides conventional circular coils, coils with different shapes such as outer squircle coils are used for and enable efficient all-surface inductive heating. Validity of the method, which relies on measuring inductance and resistance values of a loaded coil at different frequencies, is experimentally demonstrated for a coil with shape different from conventional circular coil. Simple setup was constructed with a small coil to model an all-surface inductive heating system. Inductance and resistance maps were generated by measuring coil's inductance and resistance values at different frequencies loaded by a plate made of different materials and located at various positions. Results show that in an induction hob for various coil geometries it is possible to detect a vessel's presence, to identify its material type and to specify its position on the hob surface by considering inductance and resistance of the coil measured on at least two different frequencies. The studied method is important in terms of enabling safe, efficient and user flexible heating in an all-surface inductive heating system by automatically detecting the vessel's presence and powering on only the coils that are loaded by the vessel with predetermined current levels.

Material migration studies with an ITER first wall panel proxy on EAST

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ding, R.; Pitts, R. A.; Borodin, D.; Carpentier, S.; Ding, F.; Gong, X. Z.; Guo, H. Y.; Kirschner, A.; Kocan, M.; Li, J. G.; Luo, G.-N.; Mao, H. M.; Qian, J. P.; Stangeby, P. C.; Wampler, W. R.; Wang, H. Q.; Wang, W. Z.

2015-02-01

The ITER beryllium (Be) first wall (FW) panels are shaped to protect leading edges between neighbouring panels arising from assembly tolerances. This departure from a perfectly cylindrical surface automatically leads to magnetically shadowed regions where eroded Be can be re-deposited, together with co-deposition of tritium fuel. To provide a benchmark for a series of erosion/re-deposition simulation studies performed for the ITER FW panels, dedicated experiments have been performed on the EAST tokamak using a specially designed, instrumented test limiter acting as a proxy for the FW panel geometry. Carbon coated molybdenum plates forming the limiter front surface were exposed to the outer midplane boundary plasma of helium discharges using the new Material and Plasma Evaluation System (MAPES). Net erosion and deposition patterns are estimated using ion beam analysis to measure the carbon layer thickness variation across the surface after exposure. The highest erosion of about 0.8 µm is found near the midplane, where the surface is closest to the plasma separatrix. No net deposition above the measurement detection limit was found on the proxy wall element, even in shadowed regions. The measured 2D surface erosion distribution has been modelled with the 3D Monte Carlo code ERO, using the local plasma parameter measurements together with a diffusive transport assumption. Excellent agreement between the experimentally observed net erosion and the modelled erosion profile has been obtained.

Fabrication and testing of scatter plates for interferometry

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pour, J. J., Sr.; Pitts, J. R.

1972-01-01

Scatter plate interferometry has become a reliable method of measuring surface configurations of telescope mirrors and other optical components. The scatter plate used in an instrument should be of optimum quality if the surface it is being used to measure is to be of high accuracy. Tests were performed and results show that, although many scatter plates would function, few were of the optimum quality necessary. These few were of the 180 grit group, using 35- and 30-s exposures, which are figures derived from calculations.

Hydrophilic-treated plastic plates for wide-range analysis of Giemsa-stained red blood cells and automated Plasmodium infection rate counting.

PubMed

Hashimoto, Muneaki; Yatsushiro, Shouki; Yamamura, Shohei; Tanaka, Masato; Sakamoto, Hirokazu; Ido, Yusuke; Kajimoto, Kazuaki; Bando, Mika; Kido, Jun-Ichi; Kataoka, Masatoshi

2017-08-08

Malaria is a red blood cell (RBC) infection caused by Plasmodium parasites. To determine RBC infection rate, which is essential for malaria study and diagnosis, microscopic evaluation of Giemsa-stained thin blood smears on glass slides ('Giemsa microscopy') has been performed as the accepted gold standard for over 100 years. However, only a small area of the blood smear provides a monolayer of RBCs suitable for determination of infection rate, which is one of the major reasons for the low parasite detection rate by Giemsa microscopy. In addition, because Giemsa microscopy is exacting and time-consuming, automated counting of infection rates is highly desirable. A method that allows for microscopic examination of Giemsa-stained cells spread in a monolayer on almost the whole surface of hydrophilic-treated cyclic olefin copolymer (COC) plates was established. Because wide-range Giemsa microscopy can be performed on a hydrophilic-treated plate, the method may enable more reliable diagnosis of malaria in patients with low parasitaemia burden. Furthermore, the number of RBCs and parasites stained with a fluorescent nuclear staining dye could be counted automatically with a software tool, without Giemsa staining. As a result, researchers studying malaria may calculate the infection rate easily, rapidly, and accurately even in low parasitaemia. Because the running cost of these methods is very low and they do not involve complicated techniques, the use of hydrophilic COC plates may contribute to improved and more accurate diagnosis and research of malaria.

SU-E-T-161: SOBP Beam Analysis Using Light Output of Scintillation Plate Acquired by CCD Camera.

PubMed

Cho, S; Lee, S; Shin, J; Min, B; Chung, K; Shin, D; Lim, Y; Park, S

2012-06-01

To analyze Bragg-peak beams in SOBP (spread-out Bragg-peak) beam using CCD (charge-coupled device) camera - scintillation screen system. We separated each Bragg-peak beam using light output of high sensitivity scintillation material acquired by CCD camera and compared with Bragg-peak beams calculated by Monte Carlo simulation. In this study, CCD camera - scintillation screen system was constructed with a high sensitivity scintillation plate (Gd2O2S:Tb) and a right-angled prismatic PMMA phantom, and a Marlin F-201B, EEE-1394 CCD camera. SOBP beam irradiated by the double scattering mode of a PROTEUS 235 proton therapy machine in NCC is 8 cm width, 13 g/cm 2 range. The gain, dose rate and current of this beam is 50, 2 Gy/min and 70 nA, respectively. Also, we simulated the light output of scintillation plate for SOBP beam using Geant4 toolkit. We evaluated the light output of high sensitivity scintillation plate according to intergration time (0.1 - 1.0 sec). The images of CCD camera during the shortest intergration time (0.1 sec) were acquired automatically and randomly, respectively. Bragg-peak beams in SOBP beam were analyzed by the acquired images. Then, the SOBP beam used in this study was calculated by Geant4 toolkit and Bragg-peak beams in SOBP beam were obtained by ROOT program. The SOBP beam consists of 13 Bragg-peak beams. The results of experiment were compared with that of simulation. We analyzed Bragg-peak beams in SOBP beam using light output of scintillation plate acquired by CCD camera and compared with that of Geant4 simulation. We are going to study SOBP beam analysis using more effective the image acquisition technique. © 2012 American Association of Physicists in Medicine.

Design and analysis of the Gemini chain system in dual clutch transmission of automobile

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheng, Yabing; Guo, Haitao; Fu, Zhenming; Wan, Nen; Li, Lei; Wang, Yang

2015-01-01

Chain drive system is widely used in the conditions of high-speed, overload, variable speed and load. Many studies are focused on the meshing theory and wear characteristics of chain drive system, but system design, analysis, and noise characteristics of the chain drive system are weak. System design and noise characteristic are studied for a new type Gemini chain of dual-clutch automatic transmission. Based on the meshing theory of silent chain, the design parameters of the Gemini chain system are calculated and the mathematical models and dynamic analysis models of the Gemini chain system are established. Dynamic characteristics of the Gemini chain system is simulated and the contact force of plate and pin, plate and sprockets, the chain tension forces, the transmission error and the stress of plates and pins are analyzed. According to the simulation results of the Gemini chain system, the noise experiment about system is carried out. The noise values are tested at different speed and load and spectral characteristics are analyzed. The results of simulation and experimental show that the contact forces of plate and pin, plate and sprockets are smaller than the allowable stress values, the chain tension force is less than ultimate tension and transmission error is limited in 1.2%. The noise values can meet the requirements of industrial design, and it is proved that the design and analysis method of the Gemini chain system is scientific and feasible. The design and test system is built from analysis to test of Gemini chain system. This research presented will provide a corresponding theoretical guidance for the design and dynamic characteristics and noise characteristics of chain drive system.

Design of automatic leveling and centering system of theodolite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Chun-tong; He, Zhen-Xin; Huang, Xian-xiang; Zhan, Ying

2012-09-01

To realize the theodolite automation and improve the azimuth Angle measurement instrument, the theodolite automatic leveling and centering system with the function of leveling error compensation is designed, which includes the system solution, key components selection, the mechanical structure of leveling and centering, and system software solution. The redesigned leveling feet are driven by the DC servo motor; and the electronic control center device is installed. Using high precision of tilt sensors as horizontal skew detection sensors ensures the effectiveness of the leveling error compensation. Aiming round mark center is located using digital image processing through surface array CCD; and leveling measurement precision can reach the pixel level, which makes the theodolite accurate centering possible. Finally, experiments are conducted using the automatic leveling and centering system of the theodolite. The results show the leveling and centering system can realize automatic operation with high centering accuracy of 0.04mm.The measurement precision of the orientation angle after leveling error compensation is improved, compared with that of in the traditional method. Automatic leveling and centering system of theodolite can satisfy the requirements of the measuring precision and its automation.

Direct measurements of local bed shear stress in the presence of pressure gradients

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pujara, Nimish; Liu, Philip L.-F.

2014-07-01

This paper describes the development of a shear plate sensor capable of directly measuring the local mean bed shear stress in small-scale and large-scale laboratory flumes. The sensor is capable of measuring bed shear stress in the range 200 Pa with an accuracy up to 1 %. Its size, 43 mm in the flow direction, is designed to be small enough to give spatially local measurements, and its bandwidth, 75 Hz, is high enough to resolve time-varying forcing. Typically, shear plate sensors are restricted to use in zero pressure gradient flows because secondary forces on the edge of the shear plate caused by pressure gradients can introduce large errors. However, by analysis of the pressure distribution at the edges of the shear plate in mild pressure gradients, we introduce a new methodology for correcting for the pressure gradient force. The developed sensor includes pressure tappings to measure the pressure gradient in the flow, and the methodology for correction is applied to obtain accurate measurements of bed shear stress under solitary waves in a small-scale wave flume. The sensor is also validated by measurements in a turbulent flat plate boundary layer in open channel flow.

Uav-Based Automatic Tree Growth Measurement for Biomass Estimation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karpina, M.; Jarząbek-Rychard, M.; Tymków, P.; Borkowski, A.

2016-06-01

Manual in-situ measurements of geometric tree parameters for the biomass volume estimation are time-consuming and economically non-effective. Photogrammetric techniques can be deployed in order to automate the measurement procedure. The purpose of the presented work is an automatic tree growth estimation based on Unmanned Aircraft Vehicle (UAV) imagery. The experiment was conducted in an agriculture test field with scots pine canopies. The data was collected using a Leica Aibotix X6V2 platform equipped with a Nikon D800 camera. Reference geometric parameters of selected sample plants were measured manually each week. In situ measurements were correlated with the UAV data acquisition. The correlation aimed at the investigation of optimal conditions for a flight and parameter settings for image acquisition. The collected images are processed in a state of the art tool resulting in a generation of dense 3D point clouds. The algorithm is developed in order to estimate geometric tree parameters from 3D points. Stem positions and tree tops are identified automatically in a cross section, followed by the calculation of tree heights. The automatically derived height values are compared to the reference measurements performed manually. The comparison allows for the evaluation of automatic growth estimation process. The accuracy achieved using UAV photogrammetry for tree heights estimation is about 5cm.

True Shear Parallel Plate Viscometer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ethridge, Edwin; Kaukler, William

2010-01-01

This viscometer (which can also be used as a rheometer) is designed for use with liquids over a large temperature range. The device consists of horizontally disposed, similarly sized, parallel plates with a precisely known gap. The lower plate is driven laterally with a motor to apply shear to the liquid in the gap. The upper plate is freely suspended from a double-arm pendulum with a sufficiently long radius to reduce height variations during the swing to negligible levels. A sensitive load cell measures the shear force applied by the liquid to the upper plate. Viscosity is measured by taking the ratio of shear stress to shear rate.

Application of Laser Ranging and VLBI Data to a Study of Plate Tectonic Driving Forces

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Solomon, S. C.

1980-01-01

The conditions under which changes in plate driving or resistive forces associated with plate boundary earthquakes are measurable with laser ranging or very long base interferometry were investigated. Aspects of plate forces that can be characterized by such measurements were identified. Analytic solutions for two dimensional stress diffusion in a viscoelastic plate following earthquake faulting on a finite fault, finite element solutions for three dimensional stress diffusion in a viscoelastic Earth following earthquake faulting, and quantitative constraints from modeling of global intraplate stress on the magnitude of deviatoric stress in the lithosphere are among the topics discussed.

Design parameters of stainless steel plates for maximizing high frequency ultrasound wave transmission.

PubMed

Michaud, Mark; Leong, Thomas; Swiergon, Piotr; Juliano, Pablo; Knoerzer, Kai

2015-09-01

This work validated, in a higher frequency range, the theoretical predictions made by Boyle around 1930, which state that the optimal transmission of sound pressure through a metal plate occurs when the plate thickness equals a multiple of half the wavelength of the sound wave. Several reactor design parameters influencing the transmission of high frequency ultrasonic waves through a stainless steel plate were examined. The transmission properties of steel plates of various thicknesses (1-7 mm) were studied for frequencies ranging from 400 kHz to 2 MHz and at different distances between plates and transducers. It was shown that transmission of sound pressure through a steel plate showed high dependence of the thickness of the plate to the frequency of the sound wave (thickness ratio). Maximum sound pressure transmission of ∼ 60% of the incident pressure was observed when the ratio of the plate thickness to the applied frequency was a multiple of a half wavelength (2 MHz, 6mm stainless steel plate). In contrast, minimal sound pressure transmission (∼ 10-20%) was measured for thickness ratios that were not a multiple of a half wavelength. Furthermore, the attenuation of the sound pressure in the transmission region was also investigated. As expected, it was confirmed that higher frequencies have more pronounced sound pressure attenuation than lower frequencies. The spatial distribution of the sound pressure transmitted through the plate characterized by sonochemiluminescence measurements using luminol emission, supports the validity of the pressure measurements in this study. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Relative range error evaluation of terrestrial laser scanners using a plate, a sphere, and a novel dual-sphere-plate target.

PubMed

Muralikrishnan, Bala; Rachakonda, Prem; Lee, Vincent; Shilling, Meghan; Sawyer, Daniel; Cheok, Geraldine; Cournoyer, Luc

2017-12-01

Terrestrial laser scanners (TLS) are a class of 3D imaging systems that produce a 3D point cloud by measuring the range and two angles to a point. The fundamental measurement of a TLS is range. Relative range error is one component of the overall range error of TLS and its estimation is therefore an important aspect in establishing metrological traceability of measurements performed using these systems. Target geometry is an important aspect to consider when realizing the relative range tests. The recently published ASTM E2938-15 mandates the use of a plate target for the relative range tests. While a plate target may reasonably be expected to produce distortion free data even at far distances, the target itself needs careful alignment at each of the relative range test positions. In this paper, we discuss relative range experiments performed using a plate target and then address the advantages and limitations of using a sphere target. We then present a novel dual-sphere-plate target that draws from the advantages of the sphere and the plate without the associated limitations. The spheres in the dual-sphere-plate target are used simply as fiducials to identify a point on the surface of the plate that is common to both the scanner and the reference instrument, thus overcoming the need to carefully align the target.

A convective forecast experiment of global tectonics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coltice, Nicolas; Giering, Ralf

2016-04-01

Modeling jointly the deep convective motions in the mantle and the deformation of the lithosphere in a self-consistent way is a long-standing quest, for which significant advances have been made in the late 1990's. The complexities used in lithospheric models are making their way into the models of mantle convection (density variations, pseudo-plasticity, elasticity, free surface), hence global models of mantle motions can now display tectonics at their surface, evolving self-consistantly and showing some of the most important properties of plate tectonics on Earth (boundaries, types of boundaries, plate sizes, seafloor spreading properties, continental drift). The goal of this work is to experiment the forecasting power of such convection models with plate-like behavior, being here StagYY (Tackley, 2008). We generate initial conditions for a 3D spherical model in the past (50Ma and younger), using models with imposed plate velocities from 200Ma. By doing this, we introduce errors in the initial conditions that propagate afterwards. From these initial conditions, we run the convection models free, without imposing any sort of motion, letting the self-organization take place. We compare the forecast to the present-day plate velocities and plate boundaries. To investigate the optimal parameterization, and also have a flavor of the sensitivity of the results to rheological parameters, we compute the derivatives of the misfit of the surface velocities relative to the yield stress, the magnitude of the viscosity jump at 660km and the properties of a weak crust. These derivates are computed thanks to the tangent linear model of StagYY, that is built through the automatic differentiation software TAF (Giering and Kaminski, 2003). References Tackley, P. J., Modeling compressible mantle convection with large viscosity contrasts in a three-dimensional spherical shell using the yin-yang grid, Phys. Earth Planet. Inter. 171, 7-18 (2008). Giering, R., Kaminski, T., Applying TAF to generate efficient derivative code of Fortran 77-95 programs, PAMM 2, 54-57 (2003).

Dual resolution, vacuum compatible optical mount

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

Halpin, John Michael

2011-10-04

An optical mount for an optical element includes a mounting plate, a lever arm pivot coupled to mounting plate, and an adjustment plate. The optical mount also includes a flexure pivot mechanically coupling the adjustment plate to the mounting plate and a lever arm. The optical mount further includes a first adjustment device extending from the adjustment plate to make contact with the lever arm at a first contact point. A projection of a line from the first contact point to a pivot point, measured along the lever arm, is a first predetermined distance. The optical mount additionally includes amore » second adjustment device extending from the adjustment plate to make contact with the lever arm at a second contact point. A projection of a line from the second contact point to the pivot point, measured along the lever arm, is a second predetermined distance greater than the first predetermined distance.« less

Study on application of adaptive fuzzy control and neural network in the automatic leveling system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Xiping; Zhao, Zizhao; Lan, Weiyong; Sha, Lei; Qian, Cheng

2015-04-01

This paper discusses the adaptive fuzzy control and neural network BP algorithm in large flat automatic leveling control system application. The purpose is to develop a measurement system with a flat quick leveling, Make the installation on the leveling system of measurement with tablet, to be able to achieve a level in precision measurement work quickly, improve the efficiency of the precision measurement. This paper focuses on the automatic leveling system analysis based on fuzzy controller, Use of the method of combining fuzzy controller and BP neural network, using BP algorithm improve the experience rules .Construct an adaptive fuzzy control system. Meanwhile the learning rate of the BP algorithm has also been run-rate adjusted to accelerate convergence. The simulation results show that the proposed control method can effectively improve the leveling precision of automatic leveling system and shorten the time of leveling.

Automatic selection of landmarks in T1-weighted head MRI with regression forests for image registration initialization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Jianing; Liu, Yuan; Noble, Jack H.; Dawant, Benoit M.

2017-02-01

Medical image registration establishes a correspondence between images of biological structures and it is at the core of many applications. Commonly used deformable image registration methods are dependent on a good preregistration initialization. The initialization can be performed by localizing homologous landmarks and calculating a point-based transformation between the images. The selection of landmarks is however important. In this work, we present a learning-based method to automatically find a set of robust landmarks in 3D MR image volumes of the head to initialize non-rigid transformations. To validate our method, these selected landmarks are localized in unknown image volumes and they are used to compute a smoothing thin-plate splines transformation that registers the atlas to the volumes. The transformed atlas image is then used as the preregistration initialization of an intensity-based non-rigid registration algorithm. We show that the registration accuracy of this algorithm is statistically significantly improved when using the presented registration initialization over a standard intensity-based affine registration.

Automated phenotype pattern recognition of zebrafish for high-throughput screening.

PubMed

Schutera, Mark; Dickmeis, Thomas; Mione, Marina; Peravali, Ravindra; Marcato, Daniel; Reischl, Markus; Mikut, Ralf; Pylatiuk, Christian

2016-07-03

Over the last years, the zebrafish (Danio rerio) has become a key model organism in genetic and chemical screenings. A growing number of experiments and an expanding interest in zebrafish research makes it increasingly essential to automatize the distribution of embryos and larvae into standard microtiter plates or other sample holders for screening, often according to phenotypical features. Until now, such sorting processes have been carried out by manually handling the larvae and manual feature detection. Here, a prototype platform for image acquisition together with a classification software is presented. Zebrafish embryos and larvae and their features such as pigmentation are detected automatically from the image. Zebrafish of 4 different phenotypes can be classified through pattern recognition at 72 h post fertilization (hpf), allowing the software to classify an embryo into 2 distinct phenotypic classes: wild-type versus variant. The zebrafish phenotypes are classified with an accuracy of 79-99% without any user interaction. A description of the prototype platform and of the algorithms for image processing and pattern recognition is presented.

Use of a tibial accelerometer to measure ground reaction force in running: A reliability and validity comparison with force plates.

PubMed

Raper, Damian P; Witchalls, Jeremy; Philips, Elissa J; Knight, Emma; Drew, Michael K; Waddington, Gordon

2018-01-01

The use of microsensor technologies to conduct research and implement interventions in sports and exercise medicine has increased recently. The objective of this paper was to determine the validity and reliability of the ViPerform as a measure of load compared to vertical ground reaction force (GRF) as measured by force plates. Absolute reliability assessment, with concurrent validity. 10 professional triathletes ran 10 trials over force plates with the ViPerform mounted on the mid portion of the medial tibia. Calculated vertical ground reaction force data from the ViPerform was matched to the same stride on the force plate. Bland-Altman (BA) plot of comparative measure of agreement was used to assess the relationship between the calculated load from the accelerometer and the force plates. Reliability was calculated by intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC) with 95% confidence intervals. BA plot indicates minimal agreement between the measures derived from the force plate and ViPerform, with variation at an individual participant plot level. Reliability was excellent (ICC=0.877; 95% CI=0.825-0.917) in calculating the same vertical GRF in a repeated trial. Standard error of measure (SEM) equalled 99.83 units (95% CI=82.10-119.09), which, in turn, gave a minimum detectable change (MDC) value of 276.72 units (95% CI=227.32-330.07). The ViPerform does not calculate absolute values of vertical GRF similar to those measured by a force plate. It does provide a valid and reliable calculation of an athlete's lower limb load at constant velocity. Copyright © 2017 Sports Medicine Australia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Vehicle brake testing system

DOEpatents

Stevens, Samuel S [Harriman, TN; Hodgson, Jeffrey W [Lenoir City, TN

2002-11-19

This invention relates to a force measuring system capable of measuring forces associated with vehicle braking and of evaluating braking performance. The disclosure concerns an invention which comprises a first row of linearly aligned plates, a force bearing surface extending beneath and beside the plates, vertically oriented links and horizontally oriented links connecting each plate to a force bearing surface, a force measuring device in each link, a transducer coupled to each force measuring device, and a computing device coupled to receive an output signal from the transducer indicative of measured force in each force measuring device. The present invention may be used for testing vehicle brake systems.

Automatic and strategic measures as predictors of mirror gazing among individuals with body dysmorphic disorder symptoms.

PubMed

Clerkin, Elise M; Teachman, Bethany A

2009-08-01

The current study tests cognitive-behavioral models of body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) by examining the relationship between cognitive biases and correlates of mirror gazing. To provide a more comprehensive picture, we investigated both relatively strategic (i.e., available for conscious introspection) and automatic (i.e., outside conscious control) measures of cognitive biases in a sample with either high (n = 32) or low (n = 31) BDD symptoms. Specifically, we examined the extent that (1) explicit interpretations tied to appearance, as well as (2) automatic associations and (3) strategic evaluations of the importance of attractiveness predict anxiety and avoidance associated with mirror gazing. Results indicated that interpretations tied to appearance uniquely predicted self-reported desire to avoid, whereas strategic evaluations of appearance uniquely predicted peak anxiety associated with mirror gazing, and automatic appearance associations uniquely predicted behavioral avoidance. These results offer considerable support for cognitive models of BDD, and suggest a dissociation between automatic and strategic measures.

Automatic and Strategic Measures as Predictors of Mirror Gazing Among Individuals with Body Dysmorphic Disorder Symptoms

PubMed Central

Clerkin, Elise M.; Teachman, Bethany A.

2011-01-01

The current study tests cognitive-behavioral models of body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) by examining the relationship between cognitive biases and correlates of mirror gazing. To provide a more comprehensive picture, we investigated both relatively strategic (i.e., available for conscious introspection) and automatic (i.e., outside conscious control) measures of cognitive biases in a sample with either high (n=32) or low (n=31) BDD symptoms. Specifically, we examined the extent that 1) explicit interpretations tied to appearance, as well as 2) automatic associations and 3) strategic evaluations of the importance of attractiveness predict anxiety and avoidance associated with mirror gazing. Results indicated that interpretations tied to appearance uniquely predicted self-reported desire to avoid, while strategic evaluations of appearance uniquely predicted peak anxiety associated with mirror gazing, and automatic appearance associations uniquely predicted behavioral avoidance. These results offer considerable support for cognitive models of BDD, and suggest a dissociation between automatic and strategic measures. PMID:19684496

Carotid stenosis assessment with multi-detector CT angiography: comparison between manual and automatic segmentation methods.

PubMed

Zhu, Chengcheng; Patterson, Andrew J; Thomas, Owen M; Sadat, Umar; Graves, Martin J; Gillard, Jonathan H

2013-04-01

Luminal stenosis is used for selecting the optimal management strategy for patients with carotid artery disease. The aim of this study is to evaluate the reproducibility of carotid stenosis quantification using manual and automated segmentation methods using submillimeter through-plane resolution Multi-Detector CT angiography (MDCTA). 35 patients having carotid artery disease with >30 % luminal stenosis as identified by carotid duplex imaging underwent contrast enhanced MDCTA. Two experienced CT readers quantified carotid stenosis from axial source images, reconstructed maximum intensity projection (MIP) and 3D-carotid geometry which was automatically segmented by an open-source toolkit (Vascular Modelling Toolkit, VMTK) using NASCET criteria. Good agreement among the measurement using axial images, MIP and automatic segmentation was observed. Automatic segmentation methods show better inter-observer agreement between the readers (intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC): 0.99 for diameter stenosis measurement) than manual measurement of axial (ICC = 0.82) and MIP (ICC = 0.86) images. Carotid stenosis quantification using an automatic segmentation method has higher reproducibility compared with manual methods.

Planar Laser-Induced Iodine Fluorescence Measurements in Rarefied Hypersonic Flow

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cecil, Eric; McDaniel, James C.

2005-01-01

A planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) technique is discussed and applied to measurement of time-averaged values of velocity and temperature in an I(sub 2)-seeded N(sub 2) hypersonic free jet facility. Using this technique, a low temperature, non-reacting, hypersonic flow over a simplified model of a reaction control system (RCS) was investigated. Data are presented of rarefied Mach 12 flow over a sharp leading edge flat plate at zero incidence, both with and without an interacting jet issuing from a nozzle built into the plate. The velocity profile in the boundary layer on the plate was resolved. The slip velocity along the plate, extrapolated from the velocity profile data, varied from nearly 100% down to 10% of the freestream value. These measurements are compared with results of a DSMC solution. The velocity variation along the centerline of a jet issuing from the plate was measured and found to match closely with the correlation of Ashkenas and Sherman. The velocity variation in the oblique shock terminating the jet was resolved sufficiently to measure the shock wave thickness.

Automatically-Activated Attitudes as Mechanisms for Message Effects: The Case of Alcohol Advertisements

PubMed Central

Goodall, Catherine E.; Slater, Michael D.

2010-01-01

Alcohol advertisements may influence impulsive, risky behaviors indirectly, via automatically-activated attitudes toward alcohol. Results from an experiment in which participants were exposed to either four alcohol advertisements, four control advertisements, or four drunk driving public service advertisements, suggested that alcohol advertisements had more measurable effects on implicit, than on explicit attitude measures. Moreover, there were significant indirect paths from alcohol advertisement exposure through automatically-activated alcohol attitudes on willingness to engage in risky alcohol-related behaviors, notably drinking and driving. A mechanism that may explain how these advertisements activate automatic, non-deliberative alcohol attitudes was investigated. Associative evidence was found supportive of an evaluative conditioning mechanism, in which positive responses to an alcohol advertisement may lead to more positive automatically-activated attitudes toward alcohol itself. PMID:21258609

Automatically-Activated Attitudes as Mechanisms for Message Effects: The Case of Alcohol Advertisements.

PubMed

Goodall, Catherine E; Slater, Michael D

2010-10-01

Alcohol advertisements may influence impulsive, risky behaviors indirectly, via automatically-activated attitudes toward alcohol. Results from an experiment in which participants were exposed to either four alcohol advertisements, four control advertisements, or four drunk driving public service advertisements, suggested that alcohol advertisements had more measurable effects on implicit, than on explicit attitude measures. Moreover, there were significant indirect paths from alcohol advertisement exposure through automatically-activated alcohol attitudes on willingness to engage in risky alcohol-related behaviors, notably drinking and driving. A mechanism that may explain how these advertisements activate automatic, non-deliberative alcohol attitudes was investigated. Associative evidence was found supportive of an evaluative conditioning mechanism, in which positive responses to an alcohol advertisement may lead to more positive automatically-activated attitudes toward alcohol itself.

Performance Assessment of a Plate Beam Splitter for Deep-Ultraviolet Raman Measurements with a Spatial Heterodyne Raman Spectrometer.

PubMed

Lamsal, Nirmal; Angel, S Michael

2017-06-01

In earlier works, we demonstrated a high-resolution spatial heterodyne Raman spectrometer (SHRS) for deep-ultraviolet (UV) Raman measurements, and showed its ability to measure UV light-sensitive compounds using a large laser spot size. We recently modified the SHRS by replacing the cube beam splitter (BS) with a custom plate beam splitter with higher light transmission, an optimized reflectance/transmission ratio, higher surface flatness, and better refractive index homogeneity than the cube beam splitter. Ultraviolet Raman measurements were performed using a SHRS modified to use the plate beam splitter and a matching compensator plate and compared to the previously described cube beam splitter setup. Raman spectra obtained using the modified SHRS exhibit much higher signals and signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio and show fewer spectral artifacts. In this paper, we discuss the plate beam splitter SHRS design features, the advantages over previous designs, and discuss some general SHRS issues such as spectral bandwidth, S/N ratio characteristics, and optical efficiency.

Development of LEDs-based microplate reader for bioanalytical assay measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alaruri, Sami D.; Katzlinger, Michael; Schinwald, Bernhard; Kronberger, Georg; Atzler, Joseph

2013-10-01

The optical design for an LEDs-based microplate reader that can perform fluorescence intensity (top and bottom), absorbance, luminescence and time-resolved fluorescence measurements is described. The microplate reader is the first microplate reader in the marketplace that incorporates LEDs as excitation light sources. Absorbance measurements over the 0-3.5 optical density range for caffeine solution are presented. Additionally, fluorescence intensity readings collected at 535 and 625 nm from a green and a red RediPlateTM are reported. Furthermore, fluorescence decay lifetime measurements obtained for Eu (europium) and Sm (samarium) standard solutions using 370 nm excitation are presented. The microplate reader detection limits for the fluorescence intensity top, fluorescence intensity bottom, fluorescence polarization and time-resolved fluorescence modes are 1.5 fmol 100 µL-1 fluorescein (384-well plate), 25 fmol 100 µL-1 fluorescein (384-well plate), 5 mP at 10 nM fluorescein (black 384-well plate) and 30 amol 100 µL-1 europium solution (white 384-well plate), respectively.

Automatic detection of cardiac cycle and measurement of the mitral annulus diameter in 4D TEE images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Graser, Bastian; Hien, Maximilian; Rauch, Helmut; Meinzer, Hans-Peter; Heimann, Tobias

2012-02-01

Mitral regurgitation is a wide spread problem. For successful surgical treatment quantification of the mitral annulus, especially its diameter, is essential. Time resolved 3D transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) is suitable for this task. Yet, manual measurement in four dimensions is extremely time consuming, which confirms the need for automatic quantification methods. The method we propose is capable of automatically detecting the cardiac cycle (systole or diastole) for each time step and measuring the mitral annulus diameter. This is done using total variation noise filtering, the graph cut segmentation algorithm and morphological operators. An evaluation took place using expert measurements on 4D TEE data of 13 patients. The cardiac cycle was detected correctly on 78% of all images and the mitral annulus diameter was measured with an average error of 3.08 mm. Its full automatic processing makes the method easy to use in the clinical workflow and it provides the surgeon with helpful information.

Fetal head detection and measurement in ultrasound images by an iterative randomized Hough transform

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Wei; Tan, Jinglu; Floyd, Randall C.

2004-05-01

This paper describes an automatic method for measuring the biparietal diameter (BPD) and head circumference (HC) in ultrasound fetal images. A total of 217 ultrasound images were segmented by using a K-Mean classifier, and the head skull was detected in 214 of the 217 cases by an iterative randomized Hough transform developed for detection of incomplete curves in images with strong noise without user intervention. The automatic measurements were compared with conventional manual measurements by sonographers and a trained panel. The inter-run variations and differences between the automatic and conventional measurements were small compared with published inter-observer variations. The results showed that the automated measurements were as reliable as the expert measurements and more consistent. This method has great potential in clinical applications.

Four years experience in APMS star plate processing - Results and future plans. [Automated Proper Motion Study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Newcomb, J. S.

1975-01-01

The present paper describes an automated system for measuring stellar proper motions on the basis of information contained in photographic plates. In this system, the images on a star plate are digitized by a scanning microdensitometer using light from a He-Ne gas laser, and a special-purpose computer arranges the measurements in computer-compatible form on magnetic tape. The scanning and image-reconstruction processes are briefly outlined, and the image-evaluation techniques are discussed. It is shown that the present system has been especially successful in measuring the proper motions of low-luminosity stars, including 119 stars with less than 1/10,000 of the solar bolometric luminosity. Plans for measurements of high-density Milky Way star plates are noted.

Development of a new microtiter plate format for clinically relevant assays.

PubMed

Piletska, Elena V; Piletsky, Stanislav S; Whitcombe, Michael J; Chianella, Iva; Piletsky, Sergey A

2012-02-21

A new format for the microtiter plate-based assays was proposed. The novelty involves the use of disk-shaped inserts for immobilization of biological and chemical reagents. The internal opening of the disks allows measurements of the reactions by standard microtiter plate readers without any additional steps involving liquid handling. Ideally the plate end-users just have to add the sample and take the measurement without any need of multiple reagent additions or transfer of the liquid to a different plate. The novel assay format also allows handling of reagents which are not soluble in an aqueous environment. As a proof of concept we describe here several model reactions which are compatible with microtiter plate format, such as monitoring enzymatic reactions catalyzed by glucose oxidase (GOx) and urease, measurements of proteins by BCA assay, analysis of pH, and concentration of antioxidants. The "mix and match" approach in the disk-shape format allows multiplexing and could be particularly useful for high throughput screening. One of the potential application areas for this novel assay format could be in a multianalyte system for measurement of clinically relevant analytes in primary care.

Weld repair of carbon-moly coke drums without postweld heat treatment

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

Moore, D.E.

1996-06-01

Investigations to evaluate weld repair of C-{1/2}Mo coke drums without postweld heat treatment (PWHT) are discussed in this paper. These investigations showed that shielded metal-arc welding (SMAW) without PWHT produced heat-affected zones (HAZ) and weld deposits with Charpy V-notch (CVN) impact toughness that exceeded the toughness of ex-service plate material. PWHT de-embrittles strain age-embrittled ex-service plate material. However, warming of drums to 200 F before putting in feed compensates for the omission of the de-embrittling PWHT. Additional testing showed that the de-embrittling PWHT did not significantly improve the fatigue properties of the ex-service plate material. As-welded SMAW repairs were foundmore » to be feasible for coke drums, and repairs have now been in service successfully for up to 2 years. The as-welded SMAW repairs were qualified on the basis of a 300 F preheat using small diameter electrodes for the first pass followed by larger diameter electrodes to temper the HAZ of the first pass. A half-bead technique was not used. Heat input is not precisely controlled as would be required for controlled deposition welding. Following the implementation of SMAW repairs without PWHT, the author extended the work to include as-welded repairs with automatic gas metal-arc welding (GMAW).« less

Cortical surface registration using spherical thin-plate spline with sulcal lines and mean curvature as features.

PubMed

Park, Hyunjin; Park, Jun-Sung; Seong, Joon-Kyung; Na, Duk L; Lee, Jong-Min

2012-04-30

Analysis of cortical patterns requires accurate cortical surface registration. Many researchers map the cortical surface onto a unit sphere and perform registration of two images defined on the unit sphere. Here we have developed a novel registration framework for the cortical surface based on spherical thin-plate splines. Small-scale composition of spherical thin-plate splines was used as the geometric interpolant to avoid folding in the geometric transform. Using an automatic algorithm based on anisotropic skeletons, we extracted seven sulcal lines, which we then incorporated as landmark information. Mean curvature was chosen as an additional feature for matching between spherical maps. We employed a two-term cost function to encourage matching of both sulcal lines and the mean curvature between the spherical maps. Application of our registration framework to fifty pairwise registrations of T1-weighted MRI scans resulted in improved registration accuracy, which was computed from sulcal lines. Our registration approach was tested as an additional procedure to improve an existing surface registration algorithm. Our registration framework maintained an accurate registration over the sulcal lines while significantly increasing the cross-correlation of mean curvature between the spherical maps being registered. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Detection of M. tuberculosis using DNA chips combined with an image analysis system.

PubMed

Huang, T-S; Liu, Y-C; Bair, C-H; Sy, C-L; Chen, Y-S; Tu, H-Z; Chen, B-C

2008-01-01

To develop a packaged DNA chip assay (the DR. MTBC Screen assay) for direct detection of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex. We described a DNA chip assay based on the IS6110 gene that can be used for the detection of M. tuberculosis complex. Probes were spotted onto the polystyrene strips in the wells of 96-well microtitre plates and used for hybridisation with biotin-labelled amplicon to yield a pattern of visualised positive spots. The plate image was scanned, analysed and interpreted automatically. The results corresponded well with those obtained by conventional culture as well as clinical diagnosis, with sensitivity and specificity rates of respectively 83.8% and 94.2%, and 84.6% and 96.3%. We conclude that the DR. MTBC Screen assay can detect M. tuberculosis complex rapidly in respiratory specimens, readily adapts to routine work and provides a flexible choice to meet different cost-effectiveness and automation needs in TB-endemic countries. The cost for reagents is around US$10 per sample.

Measurement of thickness or plate velocity using ambient vibrations.

PubMed

Ing, Ros K; Etaix, Nicolas; Leblanc, Alexandre; Fink, Mathias

2010-06-01

Assuming the Green's function is linear with respect to the boundary conditions, it is demonstrated that flexural waves detected by a point receiver and a circular array of point receivers centered on the previous receiver are proportional regardless location of the source and geometry of the plate. Therefore determination of plate velocity or thickness is done from the measurement of ambient vibrations without using any emitter. Experimental results obtained with a plate of non regular geometry excited with a single transducer or a remote loudspeaker are shown to verify the theoretical approach.

The Astronomical Photographic Data Archive

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cline, J. Donald; Barker, T.; Castelaz, M.

2010-01-01

Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute is the home of the Astronomical Photographic Data Archive (APDA), a national effort to preserve, archive, and digitize astronomical photographic plate collections. APDA was formed in 2007 and presently holds more than 100,000 plates and films from more than a dozen observatory collections. While the photographic data pre-dates modern observational data taken with electronic instruments, it is nevertheless of extremely high quality. When one considers 100,000 plates and films in the APDA collection, some with 100's or 1000's of objects per plate, and plates taken over 100 years the value of the data in APDA becomes apparent. In addition to the astronomical photographic data collections, APDA also possesses two high precision glass plate measuring machines, GAMMA I and GAMMA II that were built for NASA and the Space Telescope Science Institute. The measuring machines were used by a team of scientists under the leadership of the late Dr. Barry Lasker to develop the Guide Star Catalog and Digitized Sky Survey that guide and direct the Hubble Space Telescope. We will describe the current set of collections, plans for the measuring machines, and the efforts that have been made to assure preservation of plate collections.

Prediction and measurement of heat transfer rates for the shock-induced unsteady laminar boundary layer on a flat plate

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cook, W. J.

1972-01-01

The unsteady laminar boundary layer induced by the flow-initiating shock wave passing over a flat plate mounted in a shock tube was theoretically and experimentally studied in terms of heat transfer rates to the plate for shock speeds ranging from 1.695 to 7.34 km/sec. The theory presented by Cook and Chapman for the shock-induced unsteady boundary layer on a plate is reviewed with emphasis on unsteady heat transfer. A method of measuring time-dependent heat-transfer rates using thin-film heat-flux gages and an associated data reduction technique are outlined in detail. Particular consideration is given to heat-flux measurement in short-duration ionized shocktube flows. Experimental unsteady plate heat transfer rates obtained in both air and nitrogen using thin-film heat-flux gages generally agree well with theoretical predictions. The experimental results indicate that the theory continues to predict the unsteady boundary layer behavior after the shock wave leaves the trailing edge of the plate even though the theory is strictly applicable only for the time interval in which the shock remains on the plate.

Particle response to shock waves in solids: dynamic witness plate/PIV method for detonations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Murphy, Michael J.; Adrian, Ronald J.

2007-08-01

Studies using transparent, polymeric witness plates consisting of polydimethlysiloxane (PDMS) have been conducted to measure the output of exploding bridge wire (EBW) detonators and exploding foil initiators (EFI). Polymeric witness plates are utilized to alleviate particle response issues that arise in gaseous flow fields containing shock waves and to allow measurements of shock-induced material velocities to be made using particle image velocimetry (PIV). Quantitative comparisons of velocity profiles across the shock waves in air and in PDMS demonstrate the improved response achieved by the dynamic witness plate method. Schlieren photographs complement the analysis through direct visualization of detonator-induced shock waves in the witness plates.

Digitization and reduction of old astronomical plates of natural satellites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yan, D.; Qiao, R. C.; Dourneau, G.; Yu, Y.; Zhang, H. Y.; Cheng, X.; Xi, X. J.

2016-04-01

Old astrophotographic plates are precious sources of historical data for astronomical studies, especially regarding the improvement of natural satellite orbits. Today, with the advent of new, accurate techniques, these old data can be re-processed so as to give positions that are much more accurate than those initially obtained. Various recent projects, including our Chinese project, have involved measuring and reducing these old plates again. Here we present a method for measurement and reduction that involves the digitization of plates using an advanced commercial scanner, namely the EPSON 10000 XL. We selected a set of 27 plates of the satellites of Jupiter, Saturn and Uranus taken from 1987 to 1990. A total of 125 satellite positions were derived from the new measurement and reduction of these plates using the UCAC4 catalogue. A comparison of the new observed positions with recent ephemerides has shown a general consistency with satellite theory of about 100 mas. The new positions present an accuracy equivalent to the most recent CCD observations, and better than the original positions. Moreover, nearly 30 per cent of the 125 positions obtained in this work are published for the first time here. This paper is a preliminary contribution to the larger project of new measurements and reductions of all the old Chinese plates of natural satellites, which should allow further improvements in the knowledge of the orbits of these satellites.

Paper microzone plates.

PubMed

Carrilho, Emanuel; Phillips, Scott T; Vella, Sarah J; Martinez, Andres W; Whitesides, George M

2009-08-01

This paper describes 96- and 384-microzone plates fabricated in paper as alternatives to conventional multiwell plates fabricated in molded polymers. Paper-based plates are functionally related to plastic well plates, but they offer new capabilities. For example, paper-microzone plates are thin (approximately 180 microm), require small volumes of sample (5 microL per zone), and can be manufactured from inexpensive materials ($0.05 per plate). The paper-based plates are fabricated by patterning sheets of paper, using photolithography, into hydrophilic zones surrounded by hydrophobic polymeric barriers. This photolithography used an inexpensive formulation photoresist that allows rapid (approximately 15 min) prototyping of paper-based plates. These plates are compatible with conventional microplate readers for quantitative absorbance and fluorescence measurements. The limit of detection per zone loaded for fluorescence was 125 fmol for fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled bovine serum albumin, and this level corresponds to 0.02 the quantity of analyte per well used to achieve comparable signal-to-noise in a 96-well plastic plate (using a solution of 25 nM labeled protein). The limits of detection for absorbance on paper was approximately 50 pmol per zone for both Coomassie Brilliant Blue and Amaranth dyes; these values were 0.4 that required for the plastic plate. Demonstration of quantitative colorimetric correlations using a scanner or camera to image the zones and to measure the intensity of color, makes it possible to conduct assays without a microplate reader.

Analysis of classical guitars' vibrational behavior based on scanning laser vibrometer measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Czajkowska, Marzena

2012-06-01

One of the main goals in musical acoustics research is to link measurable, physical properties of a musical instrument with subjective assessments of its tone quality. The aim of the research discussed in this paper was to observe the structural vibrations of different class classical guitars in relation to their quality. This work focuses on mid-low-and low-class classical (nylon-stringed) guitars. The main source of guitar body vibrations come from top and back plate vibrations therefore these were the objects of structural mode measurements and analysis. Sixteen classical guitars have been investigated, nine with cedar and seven with spruce top plate. Structural modes of top and back plates have been measured with the aid of a scanning laser vibrometer and the instruments were excited with a chirp signal transferred by bone vibrator. The issues related to excitor selection have been discussed. Correlation and descriptive statistics of top and back plates measurement results have been investigated in relation to guitar quality. The frequency range of 300 Hz to 5 kHz as well as selected narrowed frequency bands have been analyzed for cedar and spruce guitars. Furthermore, the influence of top plate wood type on vibration characteristics have been observed on three pairs of guitars. The instruments were of the same model but different top plate material. Determination and visualization of both guitar plates' modal patterns in relation to frequency are a significant attainment of the research. Scanning laser vibrometer measurements allow particular mode observation and therefore mode identification, as opposed to sound pressure response measurements. When correlating vibration characteristics of top and back plates it appears that Pearson productmoment correlation coefficient is not a parameter that associates with guitar quality. However, for best instruments with cedar top, top-back correlation coefficient has relatively greater value in 1-2 kHz band and lower in the range of 2,5-5 kHz in comparison with low-class instruments. The study showed that variance, which is a measure of statistical dispersion, is a relevant parameter. The better the quality of the guitar the greater the variance value in 1-2 kHz band. It was observed that higher-quality instruments are characterized by stronger structural resonances of top plate in the range of 4-5 kHz, which means that luthiers should pay special attention to top plate vibrational behaviour in this particular frequency band. Additionally, the result analysis show that best spruce guitars are distinguished by greater top plate vibrations in the range of 2-3 kHz in opposite to best cedar instruments. It can be assumed that top plate vibrations in this particular frequency band may be associated with subjective impression of tone brightness, as commonly known opinion indicates that guitars with spruce tops sound relatively "brighter" in comparison to cedar-top instruments.

Viscoelastic material properties' identification using high speed full field measurements on vibrating plates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giraudeau, A.; Pierron, F.

2010-06-01

The paper presents an experimental application of a method leading to the identification of the elastic and damping material properties of isotropic vibrating plates. The theory assumes that the searched parameters can be extracted from curvature and deflection fields measured on the whole surface of the plate at two particular instants of the vibrating motion. The experimental application consists in an original excitation fixture, a particular adaptation of an optical full-field measurement technique, a data preprocessing giving the curvature and deflection fields and finally in the identification process using the Virtual Fields Method (VFM). The principle of the deflectometry technique used for the measurements is presented. First results of identification on an acrylic plate are presented and compared to reference values. Details about a new experimental arrangement, currently in progress, is presented. It uses a high speed digital camera to over sample the full-field measurements.

Multiple-Diode-Laser Gas-Detection Spectrometer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Webster, Christopher R.; Beer, Reinhard; Sander, Stanley P.

1988-01-01

Small concentrations of selected gases measured automatically. Proposed multiple-laser-diode spectrometer part of system for measuring automatically concentrations of selected gases at part-per-billion level. Array of laser/photodetector pairs measure infrared absorption spectrum of atmosphere along probing laser beams. Adaptable to terrestrial uses as monitoring pollution or control of industrial processes.

An Experimentally Validated Numerical Modeling Technique for Perforated Plate Heat Exchangers

PubMed Central

Nellis, G. F.; Kelin, S. A.; Zhu, W.; Gianchandani, Y.

2010-01-01

Cryogenic and high-temperature systems often require compact heat exchangers with a high resistance to axial conduction in order to control the heat transfer induced by axial temperature differences. One attractive design for such applications is a perforated plate heat exchanger that utilizes high conductivity perforated plates to provide the stream-to-stream heat transfer and low conductivity spacers to prevent axial conduction between the perforated plates. This paper presents a numerical model of a perforated plate heat exchanger that accounts for axial conduction, external parasitic heat loads, variable fluid and material properties, and conduction to and from the ends of the heat exchanger. The numerical model is validated by experimentally testing several perforated plate heat exchangers that are fabricated using microelectromechanical systems based manufacturing methods. This type of heat exchanger was investigated for potential use in a cryosurgical probe. One of these heat exchangers included perforated plates with integrated platinum resistance thermometers. These plates provided in situ measurements of the internal temperature distribution in addition to the temperature, pressure, and flow rate measured at the inlet and exit ports of the device. The platinum wires were deposited between the fluid passages on the perforated plate and are used to measure the temperature at the interface between the wall material and the flowing fluid. The experimental testing demonstrates the ability of the numerical model to accurately predict both the overall performance and the internal temperature distribution of perforated plate heat exchangers over a range of geometry and operating conditions. The parameters that were varied include the axial length, temperature range, mass flow rate, and working fluid. PMID:20976021

An Experimentally Validated Numerical Modeling Technique for Perforated Plate Heat Exchangers.

PubMed

White, M J; Nellis, G F; Kelin, S A; Zhu, W; Gianchandani, Y

2010-11-01

Cryogenic and high-temperature systems often require compact heat exchangers with a high resistance to axial conduction in order to control the heat transfer induced by axial temperature differences. One attractive design for such applications is a perforated plate heat exchanger that utilizes high conductivity perforated plates to provide the stream-to-stream heat transfer and low conductivity spacers to prevent axial conduction between the perforated plates. This paper presents a numerical model of a perforated plate heat exchanger that accounts for axial conduction, external parasitic heat loads, variable fluid and material properties, and conduction to and from the ends of the heat exchanger. The numerical model is validated by experimentally testing several perforated plate heat exchangers that are fabricated using microelectromechanical systems based manufacturing methods. This type of heat exchanger was investigated for potential use in a cryosurgical probe. One of these heat exchangers included perforated plates with integrated platinum resistance thermometers. These plates provided in situ measurements of the internal temperature distribution in addition to the temperature, pressure, and flow rate measured at the inlet and exit ports of the device. The platinum wires were deposited between the fluid passages on the perforated plate and are used to measure the temperature at the interface between the wall material and the flowing fluid. The experimental testing demonstrates the ability of the numerical model to accurately predict both the overall performance and the internal temperature distribution of perforated plate heat exchangers over a range of geometry and operating conditions. The parameters that were varied include the axial length, temperature range, mass flow rate, and working fluid.

Recent Research on the Automated Mass Measuring System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yao, Hong; Ren, Xiao-Ping; Wang, Jian; Zhong, Rui-Lin; Ding, Jing-An

The research development of robotic measurement system as well as the representative automatic system were introduced in the paper, and then discussed a sub-multiple calibration scheme adopted on a fully-automatic CCR10 system effectively. Automatic robot system can be able to perform the dissemination of the mass scale without any manual intervention as well as the fast speed calibration of weight samples against a reference weight. At the last, evaluation of the expanded uncertainty was given out.

Electrochemical Assay of Gold-Plating Solutions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chiodo, R.

1982-01-01

Gold content of plating solution is assayed by simple method that required only ordinary electrochemical laboratory equipment and materials. Technique involves electrodeposition of gold from solution onto electrode, the weight gain of which is measured. Suitable fast assay methods are economically and practically necessary in electronics and decorative-plating industries. If gold content in plating bath is too low, poor plating may result, with consequent economic loss to user.

Automatic transducer switching provides accurate wide range measurement of pressure differential

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yoder, S. K.

1967-01-01

Automatic pressure transducer switching network sequentially selects any one of a number of limited-range transducers as gas pressure rises or falls, extending the range of measurement and lessening the chances of damage due to high pressure.

Ultrasonic guided wave interpretation for structural health inspections

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bingham, Jill Paisley

Structural Health Management (SHM) combines the use of onboard sensors with artificial intelligence algorithms to automatically identify and monitor structural health issues. A fully integrated approach to SHM systems demands an understanding of the sensor output relative to the structure, along with sophisticated prognostic systems that automatically draw conclusions about structural integrity issues. Ultrasonic guided wave methods allow us to examine the interaction of multimode signals within key structural components. Since they propagate relatively long distances within plate- and shell-like structures, guided waves allow inspection of greater areas with fewer sensors, making this technique attractive for a variety of applications. This dissertation describes the experimental development of automatic guided wave interpretation for three real world applications. Using the guided wave theories for idealized plates we have systematically developed techniques for identifying the mass loading of underwater limpet mines on US Navy ship hulls, characterizing type and bonding of protective coatings on large diameter pipelines, and detecting the thinning effects of corrosion on aluminum aircraft structural stringers. In each of these circumstances the signals received are too complex for interpretation without knowledge of the guided wave physics. We employ a signal processing technique called the Dynamic Wavelet Fingerprint Technique (DFWT) in order to render the guided wave mode information in two-dimensional binary images. The use of wavelets allows us to keep track of both time and scale features from the original signals. With simple image processing we have developed automatic extraction algorithms for features that correspond to the arrival times of the guided wave modes of interest for each of the applications. Due to the dispersive nature of the guided wave modes, the mode arrival times give details of the structure in the propagation path. For further understanding of how the guided wave modes propagate through the real structures, we have developed parallel processing, 3D elastic wave simulations using the finite integration technique (EFIT). This full field, numeric simulation technique easily examines models too complex for analytical solutions. We have developed the algorithm to handle built up 3D structures as well as layers with different material properties and surface detail. The simulations produce informative visualizations of the guided wave modes in the structures as well as the output from sensors placed in the simulation space to mimic the placement from experiment. Using the previously developed mode extraction algorithms we were then able to compare our 3D EFIT data to their experimental counterparts with consistency.

A novel scheme for automatic nonrigid image registration using deformation invariant feature and geometric constraint

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deng, Zhipeng; Lei, Lin; Zhou, Shilin

2015-10-01

Automatic image registration is a vital yet challenging task, particularly for non-rigid deformation images which are more complicated and common in remote sensing images, such as distorted UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) images or scanning imaging images caused by flutter. Traditional non-rigid image registration methods are based on the correctly matched corresponding landmarks, which usually needs artificial markers. It is a rather challenging task to locate the accurate position of the points and get accurate homonymy point sets. In this paper, we proposed an automatic non-rigid image registration algorithm which mainly consists of three steps: To begin with, we introduce an automatic feature point extraction method based on non-linear scale space and uniform distribution strategy to extract the points which are uniform distributed along the edge of the image. Next, we propose a hybrid point matching algorithm using DaLI (Deformation and Light Invariant) descriptor and local affine invariant geometric constraint based on triangulation which is constructed by K-nearest neighbor algorithm. Based on the accurate homonymy point sets, the two images are registrated by the model of TPS (Thin Plate Spline). Our method is demonstrated by three deliberately designed experiments. The first two experiments are designed to evaluate the distribution of point set and the correctly matching rate on synthetic data and real data respectively. The last experiment is designed on the non-rigid deformation remote sensing images and the three experimental results demonstrate the accuracy, robustness, and efficiency of the proposed algorithm compared with other traditional methods.

Unobtrusive Estimation of Cardiac Contractility and Stroke Volume Changes Using Ballistocardiogram Measurements on a High Bandwidth Force Plate

PubMed Central

Ashouri, Hazar; Orlandic, Lara; Inan, Omer T.

2016-01-01

Unobtrusive and inexpensive technologies for monitoring the cardiovascular health of heart failure (HF) patients outside the clinic can potentially improve their continuity of care by enabling therapies to be adjusted dynamically based on the changing needs of the patients. Specifically, cardiac contractility and stroke volume (SV) are two key aspects of cardiovascular health that change significantly for HF patients as their condition worsens, yet these parameters are typically measured only in hospital/clinical settings, or with implantable sensors. In this work, we demonstrate accurate measurement of cardiac contractility (based on pre-ejection period, PEP, timings) and SV changes in subjects using ballistocardiogram (BCG) signals detected via a high bandwidth force plate. The measurement is unobtrusive, as it simply requires the subject to stand still on the force plate while holding electrodes in the hands for simultaneous electrocardiogram (ECG) detection. Specifically, we aimed to assess whether the high bandwidth force plate can provide accuracy beyond what is achieved using modified weighing scales we have developed in prior studies, based on timing intervals, as well as signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) estimates. Our results indicate that the force plate BCG measurement provides more accurate timing information and allows for better estimation of PEP than the scale BCG (r2 = 0.85 vs. r2 = 0.81) during resting conditions. This correlation is stronger during recovery after exercise due to more significant changes in PEP (r2 = 0.92). The improvement in accuracy can be attributed to the wider bandwidth of the force plate. ∆SV (i.e., changes in stroke volume) estimations from the force plate BCG resulted in an average error percentage of 5.3% with a standard deviation of ±4.2% across all subjects. Finally, SNR calculations showed slightly better SNR in the force plate measurements among all subjects but the small difference confirmed that SNR is limited by motion artifacts rather than instrumentation. PMID:27240380

Purity test for copper-plating solutions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mansfeld, F. B.

1977-01-01

Electrode configuration can be used to measure extent of impurities in acid-copper plating solution. It can be inserted into any plating tank and will show whether bath is clean or contaminated, within fifteen minutes.

Impact damage of composite plates

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lal, K. M.; Goglia, G. L.

1983-01-01

A simple model to study low velocity transverse impact of thin plates made of fiber-reinforced composite material, in particular T300/5208 graphite-epoxy was discussed. This model predicts the coefficient of restitution, which is a measure of the energy absorbed by the target during an impact event. The model is constructed on the assumption that the plate is inextensible in the fiber direction and that the material is incompressible in the z-direction. Such a plate essentially deforms by shear, hence this model neglects bending deformations of the plate. The coefficient of restitution is predicted to increase with large interlaminar shear strength and low transverse shear modulus of the laminate. Predictions are compared with the test results of impacted circular and rectangular clamped plates. Experimentally measured values of the coefficient of restitution are found to agree with the predicted values within a reasonable error.

Solar hot water system installed at Days Inn Motel, Dallas, Texas (Forrest Lane)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1980-01-01

The solar system was designed to provide 65 percent of the total Domestic Hot Water (DHW) demand. The liquid flat plate (water) collector (1,000 square feet) system automatically drains into the 1,000 gallon steel storage tank located in the mechanical room when the pump is not running. Heat is transferred from the storage tank to DHW tanks through a tube and shell heat exchanger. A circulating pump between the DHW tanks and the heat exchanger enables solar heated water to help make DHW tank standby losses. All pumps are controlled by differential temperature.

Proceedings of the U.S. Army Symposium on Gun Dynamics (7th) Held in Newport, Rhode Island on 11-13 May 1993

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-09-01

A single link case study ," IEEE Trans- actions on Automatic Control, Vol.35, No.10, pp.1145-1149, 1990. [26] D.S.Kwon and W.J.Book, "Tracking control...by the authors on thenonlinear dynamical behavior of thin elastic plates. In [101, the authors studied the case of primaryexternal resonance with 1: 1...Report For Army Contract N,•. DAAA •291-C-I149, Nov. 3991. 3. Fagen, W. and Henry, L. R., "Bore Scavengir•g Study for Case --Loaded Cannon Mounted • I in

Extended electrode technique. [gas metal arc welding of metal plates

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schaper, V. D.; Pollack, A.

1972-01-01

The extended electrode technique is a unique welding process which utilizes manual gas-metal-arc (GMAW) semi-automatic equipment and close, square butt joints to effectively produce a weld. The technique takes advantage of the resistance heating of the electode extension to effect the root pass. Weldments as large as 72-X30-X2-inch have been fabricated with this technique under normal shipyard welding conditions. Mechanical properties and explosion bulge tests indicate that satisfactory results are obtained with this process. Potential savings of approximately 50 percent can be achieved in flat welding and repair of heavy structural steel members.

Qualification process of CR system and quantification of digital image quality

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garnier, P.; Hun, L.; Klein, J.; Lemerle, C.

2013-01-01

CEA Valduc uses several X-Ray generators to carry out many inspections: void search, welding expertise, gap measurements, etc. Most of these inspections are carried out on silver based plates. For several years, the CEA/Valduc has decided to qualify new devices such as digital plates or CCD/flat panel plates. On one hand, the choice of this technological orientation is to forecast the assumed and eventual disappearance of silver based plates; on the other hand, it is also to keep our skills mastering up-to-date. The main improvement brought by numerical plates is the continuous progress of the measurement accuracy, especially with image data processing. It is now common to measure defects thickness or depth position within a part. In such applications, data image processing is used to obtain complementary information compared to scanned silver based plates. This scanning procedure is harmful for measurements which imply a data corruption of the resolution, the adding of numerical noise and is time expensive. Digital plates enable to suppress the scanning procedure and to increase resolution. It is nonetheless difficult to define, for digital images, single criteria for the image quality. A procedure has to be defined in order to estimate quality of the digital data itself; the impact of the scanning device and the configuration parameters are also to be taken into account. This presentation deals with the qualification process developed by CEA/Valduc for digital plates (DUR-NDT) based on the study of quantitative criteria chosen to define a direct numerical image quality that could be compared with scanned silver based pictures and the classical optical density. The versatility of the X-Ray parameters is also discussed (X-ray tension, intensity, time exposure). The aim is to be able to transfer the year long experience of CEA/Valduc with silver-based plates inspection to these new digital plates supports. This is an industrial stake.

Affective Evaluations of Exercising: The Role of Automatic-Reflective Evaluation Discrepancy.

PubMed

Brand, Ralf; Antoniewicz, Franziska

2016-12-01

Sometimes our automatic evaluations do not correspond well with those we can reflect on and articulate. We present a novel approach to the assessment of automatic and reflective affective evaluations of exercising. Based on the assumptions of the associative-propositional processes in evaluation model, we measured participants' automatic evaluations of exercise and then shared this information with them, asked them to reflect on it and rate eventual discrepancy between their reflective evaluation and the assessment of their automatic evaluation. We found that mismatch between self-reported ideal exercise frequency and actual exercise frequency over the previous 14 weeks could be regressed on the discrepancy between a relatively negative automatic and a more positive reflective evaluation. This study illustrates the potential of a dual-process approach to the measurement of evaluative responses and suggests that mistrusting one's negative spontaneous reaction to exercise and asserting a very positive reflective evaluation instead leads to the adoption of inflated exercise goals.

Automatic lumbar spine measurement in CT images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mao, Yunxiang; Zheng, Dong; Liao, Shu; Peng, Zhigang; Yan, Ruyi; Liu, Junhua; Dong, Zhongxing; Gong, Liyan; Zhou, Xiang Sean; Zhan, Yiqiang; Fei, Jun

2017-03-01

Accurate lumbar spine measurement in CT images provides an essential way for quantitative spinal diseases analysis such as spondylolisthesis and scoliosis. In today's clinical workflow, the measurements are manually performed by radiologists and surgeons, which is time consuming and irreproducible. Therefore, automatic and accurate lumbar spine measurement algorithm becomes highly desirable. In this study, we propose a method to automatically calculate five different lumbar spine measurements in CT images. There are three main stages of the proposed method: First, a learning based spine labeling method, which integrates both the image appearance and spine geometry information, is used to detect lumbar and sacrum vertebrae in CT images. Then, a multiatlases based image segmentation method is used to segment each lumbar vertebra and the sacrum based on the detection result. Finally, measurements are derived from the segmentation result of each vertebra. Our method has been evaluated on 138 spinal CT scans to automatically calculate five widely used clinical spine measurements. Experimental results show that our method can achieve more than 90% success rates across all the measurements. Our method also significantly improves the measurement efficiency compared to manual measurements. Besides benefiting the routine clinical diagnosis of spinal diseases, our method also enables the large scale data analytics for scientific and clinical researches.

Validation of a new noniterative method for accurate position determination of a scanning laser vibrometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pauwels, Steven; Boucart, Nick; Dierckx, Benoit; Van Vlierberghe, Pieter

2000-05-01

The use of a scanning laser Doppler vibrometer for vibration testing is becoming a popular instrument. The scanning laser Doppler vibrometer is a non-contacting transducer that can measure many points at a high spatial resolution in a short time. Manually aiming the laser beam at the points that need to be measured is very time consuming. In order to use it effectively, the position of the laser Doppler vibrometer needs to be determined relative to the structure. If the position of the laser Doppler vibrometer is known, any visible point on the structure can be hit and measured automatically. A new algorithm for this position determination is developed, based on a geometry model of the structure. After manually aiming the laser beam at 4 or more known points, the laser position and orientation relative to the structure is determined. Using this calculated position and orientation a list with the mirror angles for every measurement point is generated, which is used during the measurement. The algorithm is validated using 3 practical cases. In the first case a plate is used of which the points are measured very accurately, so the geometry model is assumed to be perfect. The second case is a brake disc. Here the geometry points are measured with a ruler, thus not so accurate. The final validation is done on a body in white of a car. A reduced finite element model is used as geometry model. This calibration shows that the new algorithm is very effective and practically usable.

Robo-Lector - a novel platform for automated high-throughput cultivations in microtiter plates with high information content.

PubMed

Huber, Robert; Ritter, Daniel; Hering, Till; Hillmer, Anne-Kathrin; Kensy, Frank; Müller, Carsten; Wang, Le; Büchs, Jochen

2009-08-01

In industry and academic research, there is an increasing demand for flexible automated microfermentation platforms with advanced sensing technology. However, up to now, conventional platforms cannot generate continuous data in high-throughput cultivations, in particular for monitoring biomass and fluorescent proteins. Furthermore, microfermentation platforms are needed that can easily combine cost-effective, disposable microbioreactors with downstream processing and analytical assays. To meet this demand, a novel automated microfermentation platform consisting of a BioLector and a liquid-handling robot (Robo-Lector) was sucessfully built and tested. The BioLector provides a cultivation system that is able to permanently monitor microbial growth and the fluorescence of reporter proteins under defined conditions in microtiter plates. Three examplary methods were programed on the Robo-Lector platform to study in detail high-throughput cultivation processes and especially recombinant protein expression. The host/vector system E. coli BL21(DE3) pRhotHi-2-EcFbFP, expressing the fluorescence protein EcFbFP, was hereby investigated. With the method 'induction profiling' it was possible to conduct 96 different induction experiments (varying inducer concentrations from 0 to 1.5 mM IPTG at 8 different induction times) simultaneously in an automated way. The method 'biomass-specific induction' allowed to automatically induce cultures with different growth kinetics in a microtiter plate at the same biomass concentration, which resulted in a relative standard deviation of the EcFbFP production of only +/- 7%. The third method 'biomass-specific replication' enabled to generate equal initial biomass concentrations in main cultures from precultures with different growth kinetics. This was realized by automatically transferring an appropiate inoculum volume from the different preculture microtiter wells to respective wells of the main culture plate, where subsequently similar growth kinetics could be obtained. The Robo-Lector generates extensive kinetic data in high-throughput cultivations, particularly for biomass and fluorescence protein formation. Based on the non-invasive on-line-monitoring signals, actions of the liquid-handling robot can easily be triggered. This interaction between the robot and the BioLector (Robo-Lector) combines high-content data generation with systematic high-throughput experimentation in an automated fashion, offering new possibilities to study biological production systems. The presented platform uses a standard liquid-handling workstation with widespread automation possibilities. Thus, high-throughput cultivations can now be combined with small-scale downstream processing techniques and analytical assays. Ultimately, this novel versatile platform can accelerate and intensify research and development in the field of systems biology as well as modelling and bioprocess optimization.

An Accelerometer as an Alternative to a Force Plate for the Step-Up-and-Over Test.

PubMed

Bailey, Christopher A; Costigan, Patrick A

2015-12-01

The step-up-and-over test has been used successfully to examine knee function after knee injury. Knee function is quantified using the following variables extracted from force plate data: the maximal force exerted during the lift, the maximal impact force at landing, and the total time to complete the step. For various reasons, including space and cost, it is unlikely that all clinicians will have access to a force plate. The purpose of the study was to determine if the step-up-and-over test could be simplified by using an accelerometer. The step-up-and-over test was performed by 17 healthy young adults while being measured with both a force plate and a 3-axis accelerometer mounted at the low back. Results showed that the accelerometer and force plate measures were strongly correlated for all 3 variables (r = .90-.98, Ps < .001) and that the accelerometer values for the lift and impact indices were 6-7% higher (Ps < .01) and occurred 0.07-0.1 s later than the force plate (Ps < .05). The accelerometer returned values highly correlated to those from a force plate. Compared with a force plate, a wireless, 3-axis accelerometer is a less expensive and more portable system with which to measure the step-up-and-over test.

Exact-solution for cone-plate viscometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giacomin, A. J.; Gilbert, P. H.

2017-11-01

The viscosity of a Newtonian fluid is often measured by confining the fluid to the gap between a rotating cone that is perpendicular to a fixed disk. We call this experiment cone-plate viscometry. When the cone angle approaches π/2 , the viscometer gap is called narrow. The shear stress in the fluid, throughout a narrow gap, hardly departs from the shear stress exerted on the plate, and we thus call cone-plate flow nearly homogeneous. In this paper, we derive an exact solution for this slight heterogeneity, and from this, we derive the correction factors for the shear rate on the cone and plate, for the torque, and thus, for the measured Newtonian viscosity. These factors thus allow the cone-plate viscometer to be used more accurately, and with cone-angles well below π/2 . We find cone-plate flow field heterogeneity to be far slighter than previously thought. We next use our exact solution for the velocity to arrive at the exact solution for the temperature rise, due to viscous dissipation, in cone-plate flow subject to isothermal boundaries. Since Newtonian viscosity is a strong function of temperature, we expect our new exact solution for the temperature rise be useful to those measuring Newtonian viscosity, and especially so, to those using wide gaps. We include two worked examples to teach practitioners how to use our main results.

Mounting Thin Samples For Electrical Measurements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Matus, L. G.; Summers, R. L.

1988-01-01

New method for mounting thin sample for electrical measurements involves use of vacuum chuck to hold a ceramic mounting plate, which holds sample. Contacts on mounting plate establish electrical connection to sample. Used to make electrical measurements over temperature range from 77 to 1,000 K and does not introduce distortions into magnetic field during Hall measurements.

Vertical repositioning accuracy of magnetic mounting systems on 4 articulator models.

PubMed

Lee, Wonsup; Kwon, Ho-Beom

2018-03-01

Research of the ability of a cast mounted on an articulator on maintaining the identical position of a cast mounted on an articulator after repeated repositioning is lacking, despite the possible effects this may have on the occlusion of a mounted cast. The purpose of this in vitro study was to verify and compare the vertical repositioning accuracy of 4 different, commercially available articulator magnetic mounting plate systems. Four articulators and their associated magnetic mounting plates were selected for the study. These were the Artex AR articulator (Amann Girrbach AG), the Denar Mark II articulator (Whip Mix Corp), the Kavo Protar Evo articulator (Kavo Dental GmbH), and the SAM3 articulator (SAM Präzisionstechnik GmbH). Three new magnetic mounting plates were prepared for each articulator system. The repositioning accuracy of each mounting plate was evaluated by comparing the standard deviation of the vertical distances measured between the mounting plate and a laser displacement sensor. The lower arm of the articulator was secured, and the vertical distance was measured by positioning the laser displacement sensor positioned vertically above the mounting plate. Once the vertical distance was measured, the mounting plate was detached from the articulator and reattached manually to prepare for the next measurement. This procedure was repeated 30 times for each of the 3 magnetic mounting plates. Data were analyzed by ANOVA for 2-stage nested design and the Levene test (α=.05). Significant differences were detected among articulator systems and between magnetic mounting plates of the same type. The standard deviations of the measurements made with the Artex AR articulator, Denar Mark II articulator, Kavo Protar Evo articulator, and SAM3 articulator were 0.0027, 0.0308, 0.0214, and 0.0215 mm, respectively. Thus, the repositioning accuracy could be ranked in the order as follows: Artex AR, Kavo Protar Evo, SAM3, and Denar Mark II. The position of the magnetic mounting plate after repositioning did not maintain an identical position in the vertical dimension on any of the 4 articulator models tested. The repositioning accuracy of the mounting plates showed significant differences among the articulators tested in this study. Copyright © 2017 Editorial Council for the Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

India plate angular velocity and contemporary deformation rates from continuous GPS measurements from 1996 to 2015.

PubMed

Jade, Sridevi; Shrungeshwara, T S; Kumar, Kireet; Choudhury, Pallabee; Dumka, Rakesh K; Bhu, Harsh

2017-09-12

We estimate a new angular velocity for the India plate and contemporary deformation rates in the plate interior and along its seismically active margins from Global Positioning System (GPS) measurements from 1996 to 2015 at 70 continuous and 3 episodic stations. A new India-ITRF2008 angular velocity is estimated from 30 GPS sites, which include stations from western and eastern regions of the plate interior that were unrepresented or only sparsely sampled in previous studies. Our newly estimated India-ITRF2008 Euler pole is located significantly closer to the plate with ~3% higher angular velocity than all previous estimates and thus predicts more rapid variations in rates and directions along the plate boundaries. The 30 India plate GPS site velocities are well fit by the new angular velocity, with north and east RMS misfits of only 0.8 and 0.9 mm/yr, respectively. India fixed velocities suggest an approximate of 1-2 mm/yr intra-plate deformation that might be concentrated along regional dislocations, faults in Peninsular India, Kachchh and Indo-Gangetic plain. Relative to our newly-defined India plate frame of reference, the newly estimated velocities for 43 other GPS sites along the plate margins give insights into active deformation along India's seismically active northern and eastern boundaries.

Postural control and ventilatory drive during voluntary hyperventilation and carbon dioxide rebreathing.

PubMed

David, Pascal; Laval, David; Terrien, Jérémy; Petitjean, Michel

2012-01-01

The present study sought to establish links between hyperventilation and postural stability. Eight university students were asked to stand upright under two hyperventilation conditions applied randomly: (1) a metabolic hyperventilation induced by 5 min of hypercapnic-hyperoxic rebreathing (CO(2)-R); and, (2) a voluntary hyperventilation (VH) of 3 min imposed by a metronome set at 25 cycles per min. Recordings were obtained with eyes open, with the subjects standing on a force plate over 20-s periods. Ventilatory response, displacements in the centre of pressure in both the frontal and sagittal planes and fluctuations in the three planes of the ground reaction force were monitored in the time and frequency domains. Postural changes related to respiratory variations were quantified by coherence analysis. Myoelectric activities of the calf muscles were recorded using surface electromyography. Force plate measurements revealed a reduction in postural stability during both CO(2)-R and VH conditions, mainly in the sagittal plane. Coherence analysis provided evidence of a ventilatory origin in the vertical ground reaction force fluctuations during VH. Electromyographic analyses showed different leg muscles strategies, assuming the existence of links between the control of respiration and the control of posture. Our results suggest that the greater disturbing effects caused by voluntary hyperventilation on body balance are more compensated when respiration is under automatic control. These findings may have implications for understanding the organisation of postural and respiratory activities and suggest that stability of the body may be compromised in situations in which respiratory demand increases and requires voluntary control.

High-content image analysis (HCIA) assay has the highest correlation with direct counting cell suspension compared to the ATP, WST-8 and Alamar blue assays for measurement of cytotoxicity.

PubMed

Tahara, Haruna; Matsuda, Shun; Yamamoto, Yusuke; Yoshizawa, Hiroe; Fujita, Masaharu; Katsuoka, Yasuhiro; Kasahara, Toshihiko

2017-11-01

Various cytotoxicity assays measuring indicators such as enzyme activity, dye uptake, or cellular ATP content are often performed using 96-well microplates. However, recent reports show that cytotoxicity assays such as the ATP assay and MTS assay underestimate cytotoxicity when compounds such as anti-cancer drugs or mutagens induce cell hypertrophy whilst increasing intracellular ATP content. Therefore, we attempted to evaluate the reliability of a high-content image analysis (HCIA) assay to count cell number in a 96-well microplate automatically without using a cell-number indicator. We compared cytotoxicity results of 25 compounds obtained from ATP, WST-8, Alamar blue, and HCIA assays with those directly measured using an automatic cell counter, and repeating individual experiments thrice. The number of compounds showing low correlation in cell viability measured using cytotoxicity assays compared to automatic cell counting (r 2 <0.8, at least 2 of 3 experiments) were follows: ATP assay; 7; WST-8 assay, 2; Alamar blue assay, 3; HCIA cytotoxicity assay, 0. Compounds for which correlation was poor in 3 assays, except the HCIA assay, induced an increase in nuclear and cell size. However, correlation between cell viability measured by automatic cell counter and the HCIA assay was strong regardless of nuclear and cell size. Additionally, correlation coefficients between IC 50 values obtained from automatic cell counter and from cytotoxicity assays were as follows: ATP assay, 0.80; WST-8 assay, 0.84; Alamar blue assay, 0.84; and HCIA assay, 0.98. From the above, we showed that the HCIA cytotoxicity assay produces similar data to the automatic cell counter and is highly accurate in measuring cytotoxicity. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

An automatic bolus injector for use in radiotracer studies of blood flow: design and evaluation.

PubMed

Snyder, R E; Overton, T R; Boisvert, D P; Petruk, K C

1976-12-01

An electromechanical device is described which automatically injects the radiotracer bolus used in the measurement of cerebral blood flow. It consists of two electronically controlled, solenoid operated syringes, one containing the radiotracer solution and the other heparinized saline. Results are presented which show that use of the automatic bolus injector in place of hand injection leads to an improvement in the precision of measured flow values. Additional advantages of the device are discussed.

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

Zhang, Dongbo; Zhao, Jinfeng, E-mail: jinfeng.zhao@tongji.edu.cn; Li, Libing

In this work, we applied a robust and fully air-coupled method to investigate the propagation of the lowest-order antisymmetric Lamb (A{sub 0}) mode in both a stubbed and an air-drilled phononic-crystal (PC) plate. By measuring simply the radiative acoustic waves of A{sub 0} mode close to the plate surface, we observed the band gaps for the stubbed PC plate caused by either the local resonance or the Bragg scattering, in frequency ranges in good agreement with theoretical predictions. We measured then the complete band gap of A{sub 0} mode for the air-drilled PC plate, in good agreement with the bandmore » structures. Finally, we compared the measurements made using the air-coupled method with those obtained by the laser ultrasonic technique.« less

An automatic tracking system for phase-noise measurement.

PubMed

Yuen, Chung Ming; Tsang, Kim Fung

2005-05-01

A low cost, automatic tracking system for phase noise measurement has been implemented successfully. The tracking system is accomplished by applying a charge pump phase-locked loop as an external reference source to a digital spectrum analyzer. Measurement of a 2.5 GHz, free-running, voltage-controlled oscillator demonstrated the tracking accuracy, thus verifying the feasibility of the system.

Study of Adaptive Mathematical Models for Deriving Automated Pilot Performance Measurement Techniques. Volume I. Model Development.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Connelly, Edward A.; And Others

A new approach to deriving human performance measures and criteria for use in automatically evaluating trainee performance is documented in this report. The ultimate application of the research is to provide methods for automatically measuring pilot performance in a flight simulator or from recorded in-flight data. An efficient method of…

Study of Adaptive Mathematical Models for Deriving Automated Pilot Performance Measurement Techniques. Volume II. Appendices. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Connelly, E. M.; And Others

A new approach to deriving human performance measures and criteria for use in automatically evaluating trainee performance is described. Ultimately, this approach will allow automatic measurement of pilot performance in a flight simulator or from recorded in-flight data. An efficient method of representing performance data within a computer is…

The Role of Work Habits in the Motivation of Food Safety Behaviors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hinsz, Verlin B.; Nickell, Gary S.; Park, Ernest S.

2007-01-01

The authors considered work habits within an integrated framework of motivated behavior. A distinction made between automatic and controlled action led to 2 measures of work habits: a habit strength measure reflecting the 4 characteristics of automaticity and a measure of work routines under conscious control. Workers at a turkey processing plant…

Automatic Method of Pause Measurement for Normal and Dysarthric Speech

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rosen, Kristin; Murdoch, Bruce; Folker, Joanne; Vogel, Adam; Cahill, Louise; Delatycki, Martin; Corben, Louise

2010-01-01

This study proposes an automatic method for the detection of pauses and identification of pause types in conversational speech for the purpose of measuring the effects of Friedreich's Ataxia (FRDA) on speech. Speech samples of [approximately] 3 minutes were recorded from 13 speakers with FRDA and 18 healthy controls. Pauses were measured from the…

Automatic tracking of labeled red blood cells in microchannels.

PubMed

Pinho, Diana; Lima, Rui; Pereira, Ana I; Gayubo, Fernando

2013-09-01

The current study proposes an automatic method for the segmentation and tracking of red blood cells flowing through a 100- μm glass capillary. The original images were obtained by means of a confocal system and then processed in MATLAB using the Image Processing Toolbox. The measurements obtained with the proposed automatic method were compared with the results determined by a manual tracking method. The comparison was performed by using both linear regressions and Bland-Altman analysis. The results have shown a good agreement between the two methods. Therefore, the proposed automatic method is a powerful way to provide rapid and accurate measurements for in vitro blood experiments in microchannels. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A new type industrial total station based on target automatic collimation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lao, Dabao; Zhou, Weihu; Ji, Rongyi; Dong, Dengfeng; Xiong, Zhi; Wei, Jiang

2018-01-01

In the case of industrial field measurement, the present measuring instruments work with manual operation and collimation, which give rise to low efficiency for field measurement. In order to solve the problem, a new type industrial total station is presented in this paper. The new instrument can identify and trace cooperative target automatically, in the mean time, coordinate of the target is measured in real time. For realizing the system, key technology including high precision absolutely distance measurement, small high accuracy angle measurement, target automatic collimation with vision, and quick precise controlling should be worked out. After customized system assemblage and adjustment, the new type industrial total station will be established. As the experiments demonstrated, the coordinate accuracy of the instrument is under 15ppm in the distance of 60m, which proved that the measuring system is feasible. The result showed that the total station can satisfy most industrial field measurement requirements.

Comparison of submuscular and open plating of pediatric femur fractures: a retrospective review.

PubMed

Abbott, Matthew D; Loder, Randall T; Anglen, Jeffrey O

2013-01-01

Plate osteosynthesis is an accepted method of treatment of pediatric femur fractures. Historically, open plating has been used. Submuscular bridge plating has gained recent popularity due to the theoretical advantages of decreased operative time, decreased blood loss, and decreased risk for infection. The purpose of this study was to compare submuscular bridge plating to open plating of pediatric femur fractures. We retrospectively reviewed 79 patients (80 treated femur fractures) between 1999 and 2011 that underwent either open plating (58 femur fractures) or submuscular bridge plating (22 femur fractures). The outcome measures evaluated were operative time, estimated blood loss, malunion, leg length discrepancy, time to union, infection, unplanned return to the operating room, and length of hospital stay after surgery. Among our outcome measures, there was no difference between the 2 groups in terms of operative time, leg length discrepancy, time to union, infection, or length of hospital stay after surgery. There was greater estimated blood loss in the open plating group (P≤0.0001) and greater rotational asymmetry in the submuscular bridge plating group (P=0.005). There was a trend of increased unplanned return to the operating room in the open plating group (5/58 vs. 0/22) although not statistically significant (P=0.32). Submuscular bridge plating and open plating seem to be equally viable options for the management of pediatric diaphyseal femur fractures. In this study, open plating had an increase in estimated blood loss and a trend of more unplanned returns to the operating room, whereas submuscular bridge plating had an increase in asymptomatic rotational asymmetry. Further larger, prospective, randomized studies are necessary to further evaluate these operative techniques. Therapeutic Level III.

Calibration of a laboratory spectrophotometer for specular light by means of stacked glass plates.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Allen, W. A.; Richardson, A. J.

1971-01-01

Stacked glass plates have been used to calibrate a laboratory spectrophotometer, over the spectral range 0.5-2.5 microns, for specular light. The uncalibrated instrument was characterized by systematic errors when used to measure the reflectance and transmittance of stacked glass plates. Calibration included first, a determination of the reflectance of a standard composed of barium sulfate paint deposited on an aluminum plate; second, the approximation of the reflectance and transmittance residuals between observed and computed values by means of cubic equations; and, finally, the removal of the systematic errors by a computer. The instrument, after calibration, was accurate to 1% when used to measure the reflectance and transmittance of stacked glass plates.

Trapped Field Characteristics of Stacked YBCO Thin Plates for Compact NMR Magnets: Spatial Field Distribution and Temporal Stability

PubMed Central

Hahn, Seungyong; Kim, Seok Beom; Ahn, Min Cheol; Voccio, John; Bascuñán, Juan; Iwasa, Yukikazu

2010-01-01

This paper presents experimental and analytical results of trapped field characteristics of a stack of square YBCO thin film plates for compact NMR magnets. Each YBCO plate, 40 mm × 40 mm × 0.08 mm, has a 25-mm diameter hole at its center. A total of 500 stacked plates were used to build a 40-mm long magnet. Its trapped field, in a bath of liquid nitrogen, was measured for spatial field distribution and temporal stability. Comparison of measured and analytical results is presented: the effects on trapped field characteristics of the unsaturated nickel substrate and the non-uniform current distribution in the YBCO plate are discussed. PMID:20585463

Unsteady heat-flux measurements of second-mode instability waves in a hypersonic flat-plate boundary layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kegerise, Michael A.; Rufer, Shann J.

2016-08-01

In this paper, we report on the application of the atomic layer thermopile (ALTP) heat-flux sensor to the measurement of laminar-to-turbulent transition in a hypersonic flat-plate boundary layer. The centerline of the flat-plate model was instrumented with a streamwise array of ALTP sensors, and the flat-plate model was exposed to a Mach 6 freestream over a range of unit Reynolds numbers. Here, we observed an unstable band of frequencies that are associated with second-mode instability waves in the laminar boundary layer that forms on the flat-plate surface. The measured frequencies, group velocities, phase speeds, and wavelengths of these instability waves are consistent with data previously reported in the literature. Heat flux time series, and the Morlet wavelet transforms of them, revealed the wave-packet nature of the second-mode instability waves. In addition, a laser-based radiative heating system was used to measure the frequency response functions (FRF) of the ALTP sensors used in the wind tunnel test. These measurements were used to assess the stability of the sensor FRFs over time and to correct spectral estimates for any attenuation caused by the finite sensor bandwidth.

Effects of Volar Tilt, Wrist Extension, and Plate Position on Contact Between Flexor Pollicis Longus Tendon and Volar Plate.

PubMed

Wurtzel, Caroline N Wolfe; Burns, Geoffrey T; Zhu, Andy F; Ozer, Kagan

2017-12-01

Volar plates positioned at, or distal to, the watershed line have been shown to have a higher incidence of attritional rupture of the flexor pollicis longus (FPL). In this study, we aimed to evaluate the effect of wrist extension and volar tilt on the contact between the plate and the FPL tendon in a cadaver model. We hypothesized that, following volar plate application, loss of native volar tilt increases the contact between the FPL and the plate at lower degrees of wrist extension. A volar locking plate was applied on 6 fresh-frozen cadavers. To determine the contact between the plate and the FPL tendon, both structures were wrapped with copper wire and circuit conductivity was monitored throughout wrist motion. A lateral wrist radiograph was obtained at each circuit closure, indicating tendon-plate contact. Baseline measurements were obtained with plate positioned at Soong grades 0, 1, and 2. An extra-articular osteotomy was made and contact was recorded at various volar tilt angles (+5°, 0°, -5°, -10°, -15°, and -20°) in 3 different plate positions. A blinded observer measured the degree of wrist extension on all lateral radiographs. Data were analyzed using linear mixed-effects regression model. Plates placed distal to the watershed line had the most contact throughout wrist range of motion. Significantly, less wrist extension was required for contact in wrists with neutral or dorsal tilt and in distally placed volar plates. Volar tilt, wrist extension, and plate position were 3 independent risk factors determining contact between plate and tendon. Loss of volar tilt, increased wrist extension, and higher Soong grade plate position result in greater contact between wire-wrapped FPL tendon and plate. The FPL/plate contact chart generated in this study may be used to assess the risk of rupture in the clinical setting. Copyright © 2017 American Society for Surgery of the Hand. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A novel microfluidic valve controlledby induced charge electro-osmotic flow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Chengfa; Song, Yongxin; Pan, Xinxiang; Li, Dongqing

2016-07-01

In this paper, a novel microfluidic valve by utilizing induced charge electro-osmotic flow (ICEOF) is proposed and analyzed. The key part of the microfluidic valve is a Y-shaped microchannel. A small metal plate is placed at each corner of the junction of the Y-shaped microchannel. When a DC electrical field is applied through the channels, electro-osmotic flows occur in the channels, and two vortices will be formed near each of the metal plates due to the ICEOF. The two vortices behave like virtual ‘blocking columns’ to restrain and direct the flow in the Y-channel. In this paper, effects of the length of the metal plates, the applied voltages, the width of the microchannel, the zeta potential of the non-metal microchannel wall, and the orientation of the branch channels on the flow switching between two outlet channels are numerically investigated. The results show that the flow switching between the two outlet channels can be flexibly achieved by adjusting the applied DC voltages. The critical switching voltage (CSV), under which one outlet channel is closed, decreases with the increase in the metal plate length and the orientation angle of the outlet channels. The CSV, however, increases with the increase in the inlet voltage, the width of the microchannel, and the absolute value of the zeta potential of the non-metal microchannel wall. Compared with other types of micro-valves, the proposed micro-valve is simple in structure without any moving parts. Only a DC power source is needed for its actuation, thus it can operate automatically by controlling the applied voltages.

Rigid two-axis MEMS force plate for measuring cellular traction force

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takahashi, Hidetoshi; Jung, Uijin G.; Kan, Tetsuo; Tsukagoshi, Takuya; Matsumoto, Kiyoshi; Shimoyama, Isao

2016-10-01

Cellular traction force is one of the important factors for understanding cell behaviors, such as spreading, migration and differentiation. Cells are known to change their behavior according to the mechanical stiffness of the environment. However, the measurement of cell traction forces on a rigid environment has remained difficult. This paper reports a micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) force plate that provides a cellular traction force measurement on a rigid substrate. Both the high force sensitivity and high stiffness of the substrate were obtained using piezoresistive sensing elements. The proposed force plate consists of a 70 µm  ×  15 µm  ×  5 µm base as the substrate for cultivating a bovine aortic smooth muscle cell, and the supporting beams with piezoresistors on the sidewall and the surface were used to measure the forces in both the horizontal and vertical directions. The spring constant and force resolution of the fabricated force plate in the horizontal direction were 0.2 N m-1 and less than 0.05 µN, respectively. The cell traction force was measured, and the traction force increased by approximately 1 µN over 30 min. These results demonstrate that the proposed force plate is applicable as an effective traction force measurement.

GPS measurement of relative motion of the Cocos and Caribbean Plates and strain accumulation across the Middle America Trench

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dixon, Timothy H.

1993-10-01

Global Positioning System (GPS) measurements in 1988 and 1991 on Cocos Island (Cocos plate), San Andres Island (Caribbean plate), and Liberia (Caribbean plate, mainland Costa Rica) provide an estimate of relative motion between the Cocos and Caribbean plates. The data for Cocos and San Andres Islands, both located more than 400 km from the Middle America Trench, define a velocity that is equivalent within two standard errors (7 mm/yr rate, 5 degrees azimuth) to the NUVEL-1 plate motion model. The data for Liberia, 120 km from the trench, define a velocity that is similar in azimuth but substantially different in rate from NUVEL-1. The discrepancy can be explained with a simple model of elastic strain accumulation with a subduction zone that is locked to a relatively shallow (20±5 km) depth.

Global Positioning System offers evidence of plate motions in eastern Mediterranean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burc Oral, M.; Reilinger, Robert E.; Nafi Toksöz, M.; King, Robert W.; Aykut Barka, A.; Kinik, Ibrahim; Lenk, Onur

Geophysicists are using the Global Positioning System (GPS), a highly precise satellite navigation system, to monitor the slow movements (cm/yr) of the crustal plates composing the Earth's surface and the deformations where such plates interact. We report the results of repeated GPS measurements in the complex zone of interaction between the Eurasian, Arabian, and African plates in Turkey. The GPS observations made between 1988 and 1992 indicate that western, central, and east central Turkey are decoupled from the Eurasian plate and are moving as a more or less coherent unit about an axis located north of the Sinai peninsula. Other space-based measurements of crustal motion in Greece and along the Hellenic arc [Smith et al., 1994] suggest that this coherent motion includes southern Greece and the south central Aegean Sea. We refer to this region (shaded in Figure 1) as the Anatolian plate.

Convenient mounting method for electrical measurements of thin samples

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Matus, L. G.; Summers, R. L.

1986-01-01

A method for mounting thin samples for electrical measurements is described. The technique is based on a vacuum chuck concept in which the vacuum chuck simultaneously holds the sample and established electrical contact. The mounting plate is composed of a glass-ceramic insulating material and the surfaces of the plate and vacuum chuck are polished. The operation of the vacuum chuck is examined. The contacts on the sample and mounting plate, which are sputter-deposited through metal masks, are analyzed. The mounting method was utilized for van der Pauw measurements.

Investigation of the sound generation mechanisms for in-duct orifice plates.

PubMed

Tao, Fuyang; Joseph, Phillip; Zhang, Xin; Stalnov, Oksana; Siercke, Matthias; Scheel, Henning

2017-08-01

Sound generation due to an orifice plate in a hard-walled flow duct which is commonly used in air distribution systems (ADS) and flow meters is investigated. The aim is to provide an understanding of this noise generation mechanism based on measurements of the source pressure distribution over the orifice plate. A simple model based on Curle's acoustic analogy is described that relates the broadband in-duct sound field to the surface pressure cross spectrum on both sides of the orifice plate. This work describes careful measurements of the surface pressure cross spectrum over the orifice plate from which the surface pressure distribution and correlation length is deduced. This information is then used to predict the radiated in-duct sound field. Agreement within 3 dB between the predicted and directly measured sound fields is obtained, providing direct confirmation that the surface pressure fluctuations acting over the orifice plates are the main noise sources. Based on the developed model, the contributions to the sound field from different radial locations of the orifice plate are calculated. The surface pressure is shown to follow a U 3.9 velocity scaling law and the area over which the surface sources are correlated follows a U 1.8 velocity scaling law.

Application of automatic image analysis in wood science

Treesearch

Charles W. McMillin

1982-01-01

In this paper I describe an image analysis system and illustrate with examples the application of automatic quantitative measurement to wood science. Automatic image analysis, a powerful and relatively new technology, uses optical, video, electronic, and computer components to rapidly derive information from images with minimal operator interaction. Such instruments...

Semi-automatic, octave-spanning optical frequency counter.

PubMed

Liu, Tze-An; Shu, Ren-Huei; Peng, Jin-Long

2008-07-07

This work presents and demonstrates a semi-automatic optical frequency counter with octave-spanning counting capability using two fiber laser combs operated at different repetition rates. Monochromators are utilized to provide an approximate frequency of the laser under measurement to determine the mode number difference between the two laser combs. The exact mode number of the beating comb line is obtained from the mode number difference and the measured beat frequencies. The entire measurement process, except the frequency stabilization of the laser combs and the optimization of the beat signal-to-noise ratio, is controlled by a computer running a semi-automatic optical frequency counter.

Method for measuring retardation of infrared wave-plate by modulated-polarized visible light

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Ying; Song, Feijun

2012-11-01

A new method for precisely measuring the optical phase retardation of wave-plates in the infrared spectral region is presented by using modulated-polarized visible light. An electro-optic modulator is used to accurately determine the zero point by the frequency-doubled signal of the Modulated-polarized light. A Babinet-Soleil compensator is employed to make the phase delay compensation. Based on this method, an instrument is set up to measure the retardations of the infrared wave-plates with visible region laser. Measurement results with high accuracy and sound repetition are obtained by simple calculation. Its measurement precision is less than and repetitive precision is within 0.3%.

A new measurement method of profile tolerance for the LAMOST focal plane

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Zengxiang; Jin, Yi; Zhai, Chao; Xing, Xiaozheng

2008-07-01

There were a few methods taken in the profile tolerance measurement of the LAMOST Focal Plane Plate. One of the methods was to use CMM (Coordinate Measurement Machine) to measure the points on the small Focal Plane Plate and calculate the points whether or not in the tolerance zone. In this process there are some small shortcomings. The measuring point positions on the Focal Plane Plate are not the actual installation location of the optical fiber positioning system. In order to eliminate these principle errors, a measuring mandrel is inserted into the unit-holes, and the precision for the mandrel with the hole is controlled in the high level. Then measure the center of the precise target ball which is placed on the measuring mandrel by CMM. At last, fit a sphere surface with the measuring center points of the target ball and analyze the profile tolerance of the Focal Plane Plate. This process will be more in line with the actual installation location of the optical fiber positioning system. When use this method to judge the profile tolerance can provide the reference date for maintaining the ultra error unit-holes on the Focal Plane Plate. But when insert the measuring mandrel into the unit hole, there are manufacturing errors in the measuring mandrel, target ball and assembly errors. All these errors will bring the influence in the measurement. In the paper, an impact evaluation assesses the intermediate process with all these errors through experiments. And the experiment results show that there are little influence when use the target ball and the measuring mandrel in the measurement of the profile tolerance. Instead, there are more advantages than many past use of measuring methods.

Measurements on a Circular Plate Immersed in Muzzle Flow

DTIC Science & Technology

1977-06-01

center of the plate. Six pressure taps 11. E. If. Schmidt, E. J. Gion, and D. D. Shear, "Acoustic Thermometric Measurements of Propellant Gas...Shear, "Acoustic Thermometric Measurements of Propellant Gas Temperatures in Guns," AIAA J., Vol. 15, No. 2, February 1977, pp. 222-226. 38

Non-contact ultrasonic gas flow metering using air-coupled leaky Lamb waves.

PubMed

Fan, Zichuan; Jiang, Wentao; Wright, William M D

2018-04-23

This paper describes a completely non-contact ultrasonic method of gas flow metering using air-coupled leaky Lamb waves. To show proof of principle, a simplified representation of gas flow in a duct, comprising two separated thin isotropic plates with a gas flowing between them, has been modelled and investigated experimentally. An airborne compression wave emitted from an air-coupled capacitive ultrasonic transducer excited a leaky Lamb wave in the first plate in a non-contact manner. The leakage of this Lamb wave crossed the gas flow at an angle between the two plates as a compression wave, and excited a leaky Lamb wave in the second plate. An air-coupled capacitive ultrasonic transducer on the opposite side of this second plate then detected the airborne compression wave leakage from the second Lamb wave. As the gas flow shifted the wave field between the two plates, the point of Lamb wave excitation in the second plate was displaced in proportion to the gas flow rate. Two such measurements, in opposite directions, formed a completely non-contact contra-propagating Lamb wave flow meter, allowing measurement of the flow velocity between the plates. A COMSOL Multiphysics® model was used to visualize the wave fields, and accurately predicted the time differences that were then measured experimentally. Experiments using different Lamb wave frequencies and plate materials were also similarly verified. This entirely non-contact airborne approach to Lamb wave flow metering could be applied in place of clamp-on techniques in thin-walled ducts or pipes. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Method and apparatus for deflection measurements using eddy current effects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chern, Engmin J.

1993-05-01

A method and apparatus for inserting and moving a sensing assembly with a mechanical positioning assembly to a desired remote location of a surface of a specimen under test and measuring angle and/or deflection by sensing the change in the impedance of at least one sensor coil located in a base plate which has a rotatable conductive plate pivotally mounted thereon so as to uncover the sensor coil(s) whose impedance changes as a function of deflection away from the center line of the base plate in response to the movement of the rotator plate when contacting the surface of the specimen under test is presented. The apparatus includes the combination of a system controller, a sensing assembly, an eddy current impedance measuring apparatus, and a mechanical positioning assembly driven by the impedance measuring apparatus to position the sensing assembly at a desired location of the specimen.

Methods for measuring plating thicknesses on TAB lead frames

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hagen, M. P.

1977-01-01

Plating three layer tape lead frames, used for tape automated bonding, offers a challenge to the electroplater because of nonuniform topography. Each lead frame contains large (typically .05 x. .05 inch) flat test pads located around the perimeter of the frame. These test pads are electrically connected to the bondable lead frame fingers which extend into an area in the center of the frame called the feature hole. The feature hole exposes these fingers to plating on all sides, while the test pads are exposed on only one side. In addition, the fingers are small in cross section (typically .003 x .0015 inches). Recent thickness measurements indicate that plating around the lead frame fingers is nearly twice as thick as that on test pad areas. Procedures and equipment were developed for measuring the thickness of the deposited material. Discussion was centered on the data obtained using the various measurement techniques and equipment.

Method and apparatus for deflection measurements using eddy current effects

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chern, Engmin J. (Inventor)

1993-01-01

A method and apparatus for inserting and moving a sensing assembly with a mechanical positioning assembly to a desired remote location of a surface of a specimen under test and measuring angle and/or deflection by sensing the change in the impedance of at least one sensor coil located in a base plate which has a rotatable conductive plate pivotally mounted thereon so as to uncover the sensor coil(s) whose impedance changes as a function of deflection away from the center line of the base plate in response to the movement of the rotator plate when contacting the surface of the specimen under test is presented. The apparatus includes the combination of a system controller, a sensing assembly, an eddy current impedance measuring apparatus, and a mechanical positioning assembly driven by the impedance measuring apparatus to position the sensing assembly at a desired location of the specimen.

No spreading across the southern Juan de Fuca ridge axial cleft during 1994-1996

USGS Publications Warehouse

Chadwell, C.D.; Hildebrand, J.A.; Spiess, Fred N.; Morton, J.L.; Normark, W.R.; Reiss, C.A.

1999-01-01

Direct-path acoustic measurements between seafloor transponders observed no significant extension (-10 ?? 14 mm/yr) from August 1994 to September 1996 at the southern Juan de Fuca Ridge (44??40' N and 130??20' W). The acoustic path for the measurement is a 691-m baseline straddling the axial cleft, which bounds the Pacific and Juan de Fuca plates. Given an expected full-spreading rate of 56 mm/yr, these data suggest that extension across this plate boundary occurs episodically within the narrow (~1 km) region of the axial valley floor, and that active deformation is occurring between the axial cleft and the plate interior. A cleft-parallel 714-m baseline located 300 m to the west of the cleft on the Pacific plate monitored system performance and, as expected, observed no motion (+5??7 mm/yr) between the 1994 and 1996 surveys.Direct-path acoustic measurements between seafloor transponders observed no significant extension (-10 ?? 14 mm/yr) from August 1994 to September 1996 at the southern Juan de Fuca Ridge (44??40 minutes N and 130??20 minutes W). The acoustic path for the measurement is a 691-m baseline straddling the axial cleft, which bounds the Pacific and Juan de Fuca plates. Given an expected full-spreading rate of 56 mm/yr, these data suggest that extension across this plate boundary occurs episodically within the narrow (approx. 1 km) region of the axial valley floor, and that active deformation is occurring between the axial cleft and the plate interior. A cleft-parallel 714-m baseline located 300 m to the west of the cleft on the Pacific plate monitored system performance and, as expected, observed no motion (+5 ?? 7 mm/yr) between the 1994 and 1996 surveys.

Nondestructive microimaging during preclinical pin-on-plate testing of novel materials for arthroplasty.

PubMed

Teeter, Matthew G; Langohr, G Daniel G; Medley, John B; Holdsworth, David W

2014-02-01

The purpose of this study was to determine the ability of micro-computed tomography to quantify wear in preclinical pin-on-plate testing of materials for use in joint arthroplasty. Wear testing of CoCr pins articulating against six polyetheretherketone plates was performed using a pin-on-plate apparatus over 2 million cycles. Change in volume due to wear was quantified with gravimetric analysis and with micro-computed tomography, and the volumes were compared. Separately, the volume of polyetheretherketone pin-on-plate specimens that had been soaking in fluid for 52 weeks was quantified with both gravimetric analysis and micro-computed tomography, and repeated after drying. The volume change with micro-computed tomography was compared to the mass change with gravimetric analysis. The mean wear volume measured was 8.02 ± 6.38 mm(3) with gravimetric analysis and 6.76 ± 5.38 mm(3) with micro-computed tomography (p = 0.06). Micro-computed tomography volume measurements did not show a statistically significant change with drying for either the plates (p = 0.60) or the pins (p = 0.09), yet drying had a significant effect on the gravimetric mass measurements for both the plates (p = 0.03) and the pins (p = 0.04). Micro-computed tomography provided accurate measurements of wear in polyetheretherketone pin-on-plate test specimens, and no statistically significant change was caused by fluid uptake. Micro-computed tomography quantifies wear depth and wear volume, mapped to the specific location of damage on the specimen, and is also capable of examining subsurface density as well as cracking. Its noncontact, nondestructive nature makes it ideal for preclinical testing of materials, in which further additional analysis techniques may be utilized.

Mid-sagittal plane and mid-sagittal surface optimization in brain MRI using a local symmetry measure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stegmann, Mikkel B.; Skoglund, Karl; Ryberg, Charlotte

2005-04-01

This paper describes methods for automatic localization of the mid-sagittal plane (MSP) and mid-sagittal surface (MSS). The data used is a subset of the Leukoaraiosis And DISability (LADIS) study consisting of three-dimensional magnetic resonance brain data from 62 elderly subjects (age 66 to 84 years). Traditionally, the mid-sagittal plane is localized by global measures. However, this approach fails when the partitioning plane between the brain hemispheres does not coincide with the symmetry plane of the head. We instead propose to use a sparse set of profiles in the plane normal direction and maximize the local symmetry around these using a general-purpose optimizer. The plane is parameterized by azimuth and elevation angles along with the distance to the origin in the normal direction. This approach leads to solutions confirmed as the optimal MSP in 98 percent of the subjects. Despite the name, the mid-sagittal plane is not always planar, but a curved surface resulting in poor partitioning of the brain hemispheres. To account for this, this paper also investigates an optimization strategy which fits a thin-plate spline surface to the brain data using a robust least median of squares estimator. Albeit computationally more expensive, mid-sagittal surface fitting demonstrated convincingly better partitioning of curved brains into cerebral hemispheres.

Relative motions of the Australian, Pacific and Antarctic plates estimated by the Global Positioning System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Larson, Kristine M.; Freymueller, Jeff

1995-01-01

Global Positioning System (GPS) measurements spanning approximately 3 years have been used to determine velocities for 7 sites on the Australian, Pacific and Antarctic plates. The site velocities agree with both plate model predictions and other space geodetic techniques. We find no evidence for internal deformation of the interior of the Australian plate. Wellington, New Zealand, located in the Australian-Pacific plate boundary zone, moves 20 +/- 5 mm/yr west-southwest relative to the Australian plate. Its velocity lies midway between the predicted velocities of the two plates. Relative Euler vectors for the Australia-Antarctica and Pacific-Antarctica plates agree within one standard deviation with the NUVEL-1A predictions.

The Validity and Reliability of Rhythm Measurements in Automatically Scoring the English Rhythm Proficiency of Chinese EFL Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Jin; Lin, Jianghao; Li, Xinguang

2015-01-01

This article aims to find out the validity of rhythm measurements to capture the rhythmic features of Chinese English. Besides, the reliability of the valid rhythm measurements applied in automatically scoring the English rhythm proficiency of Chinese EFL learners is also explored. Thus, two experiments were carried out. First, thirty students of…

Quasi-one-dimensional modes in strip plates: Theory and experiment

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

Arreola, A.; Báez, G.; Méndez-Sánchez, R. A.

2014-01-14

Using acoustic resonance spectroscopy we measure the elastic resonances of a strip rectangular plate with all its ends free. The experimental setup consist of a vector network analyzer, a high-fidelity audio amplifier, and electromagnetic-acoustic transducers. The one-dimensional modes are identified from the measured spectra by comparing them with theoretical predictions of compressional and bending modes of the plate modeled as a beam. The agreement between theory and experiment is excellent.

Survey and Testing of Archaeological Resources at Clinton Lake, Kansas, 1978-1979.

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-08-01

Lake area. Some sites appear to be special purpose camps, while others may be more permanently or regularly occupied base camps or villages. The...96 Plate 15. Clovis-like Point Base from 14D0137. ........ 101 Plate 16. Core from Site 14D0140................110 Plate 17...that effort required for testing and evaluation should be based on some measurable parameter in order to protect both parties. A volumetric measure of

Optical residual stress measurement in TFT-LCD panels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Wei-Chung; Sung, Po-Chi

2017-06-01

The residual stress of the glass substrate might be one of causes to produce the non-uniform light distribution defect, i.e. Mura, in thin film transistor-liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD) panels. Glass is a birefringent material with very low birefringence. Furthermore, the thinner and thinner thickness request from the market makes the traditional photoelasticity almost impossible to measure the residual stresses produced in thin glass plates. Recently, a low-level stress measurement method called transmissivity extremities theory of photoelasticity (TEToP) was successfully developed to measure the residual stress in glass plate. Besides, to measure the stress of the glass plate in the TFT-LCD panel whose rear surface may has different kinds of coatings, an advanced reflection photoelasticity was also developed. In this paper, three commercially available glass plates with 0.33mm nominal thickness and three glass circular disks with different coatings were inspected to verify the feasibility of the TEToP and the advanced reflection photoelasticity, respectively.

Material migration studies with an ITER first wall panel proxy on EAST

DOE PAGES

Ding, R.; Pitts, R. A.; Borodin, D.; ...

2015-01-23

The ITER beryllium (Be) first wall (FW) panels are shaped to protect leading edges between neighbouring panels arising from assembly tolerances. This departure from a perfectly cylindrical surface automatically leads to magnetically shadowed regions where eroded Be can be re-deposited, together with co-deposition of tritium fuel. To provide a benchmark for a series of erosion/re-deposition simulation studies performed for the ITER FW panels, dedicated experiments have been performed on the EAST tokamak using a specially designed, instrumented test limiter acting as a proxy for the FW panel geometry. Carbon coated molybdenum plates forming the limiter front surface were exposed tomore » the outer midplane boundary plasma of helium discharges using the new Material and Plasma Evaluation System (MAPES). Net erosion and deposition patterns are estimated using ion beam analysis to measure the carbon layer thickness variation across the surface after exposure. The highest erosion of about 0.8 µm is found near the midplane, where the surface is closest to the plasma separatrix. No net deposition above the measurement detection limit was found on the proxy wall element, even in shadowed regions. The measured 2D surface erosion distribution has been modelled with the 3D Monte Carlo code ERO, using the local plasma parameter measurements together with a diffusive transport assumption. In conclusion, excellent agreement between the experimentally observed net erosion and the modelled erosion profile has been obtained.« less

Design and construction of a guarded hot plate apparatus operating down to liquid nitrogen temperature.

PubMed

Li, Manfeng; Zhang, Hua; Ju, Yonglin

2012-07-01

A double-sided guarded hot plate apparatus (GHP) is specifically designed, fabricated, and constructed for the measurement of thermal conductivities of insulation specimens operated down to liquid nitrogen temperature (-196 °C), at different controlled pressures from 0.005 Pa to 0.105 MPa. The specimens placed in this apparatus are 300 mm in diameter at various thicknesses ranging from 4 mm to 40 mm. The apparatus is different from traditional GHP in terms of structure, supporting and heating method. The details of the design and construction of the hot plate, the cold plates, the suspensions, the clampings, and the vacuum chamber of the system are presented. The measurement methods of the temperatures, the input power, the meter area, and the thickness of the specimens are given. The apparatus is calibrated with teflon plates as sample and the maximum deviation from the published data is about 6% for thermal conductivity. The uncertainties for the measurement are also discussed in this paper.

Instabilities of mixed convection flows adjacent to inclined plates

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

Abu-Mulaweh, H.I.; Armaly, B.F.; Chen, T.S.

1987-11-01

The measurements by Sparrow and Husar and by Lloyd and Sparrow established that the onset of instability (transition from laminar to turbulent) in free convection boundary layer flow above an inclined heated plate is predominated by the wave mode of instability for inclination angles less than 14 deg, as measured from the vertical, and by the vortex mode of instability for angles greater than 17 deg. The transition Grashof number deceased as the angle of inclination increased. The predictions of Chen and Tzuoo for this flow provide trends that are similar to measured values, but the predicted critical Grashof numbersmore » deviate significantly (three orders of magnitude smaller) from measured values. The instability of mixed convection boundary layer flow adjacent to inclined heated plates have also been treated numerically by Chen and Mucoglu for wave instability and by Chen et al. for vortex instability. Comparisons with measurements of instability in mixed convection flow adjacent to inclined plates were not available in the literature. It is anticipated, however, that these predictions will underestimate the actual onset of instability, as in the free convection case. The lack of measurements in this flow domain for this geometry has motivated the present study. The onset of instability in mixed convection flow adjacent to an isothermally heated inclined plate was determined in this study through flow visualization. The buoyancy-assisting and buoyancy-opposing flow cases were examined for the flow both above and below the heated plate. The critical Grashof-Reynolds number relationships for the onset of instability in this flow domain are reported in this paper.« less

Design and analysis of an automatic method of measuring silicon-controlled-rectifier holding current

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Maslowski, E. A.

1971-01-01

The design of an automated SCR holding-current measurement system is described. The circuits used in the measurement system were designed to meet the major requirements of automatic data acquisition, reliability, and repeatability. Performance data are presented and compared with calibration data. The data verified the accuracy of the measurement system. Data taken over a 48-hr period showed that the measurement system operated satisfactorily and met all the design requirements.

The influence of finite cavities on the sound insulation of double-plate structures.

PubMed

Brunskog, Jonas

2005-06-01

Lightweight walls are often designed as frameworks of studs with plates on each side--a double-plate structure. The studs constitute boundaries for the cavities, thereby both affecting the sound transmission directly by short-circuiting the plates, and indirectly by disturbing the sound field between the plates. The paper presents a deterministic prediction model for airborne sound insulation including both effects of the studs. A spatial transform technique is used, taking advantage of the periodicity. The acoustic field inside the cavities is expanded by means of cosine-series. The transmission coefficient (angle-dependent and diffuse) and transmission loss are studied. Numerical examples are presented and comparisons with measurement are performed. The result indicates that a reasonably good agreement between theory and measurement can be achieved.

Design, analysis, and fabrication of a piezoelectric force plate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hoummadi, Elias; Safaei, Mohsen; Anton, Steven R.

2017-04-01

Force plates are used to detect static and dynamic reaction forces due to presence of stationary or moving objects as well as the location of applied forces. The application of force plates in various biomechanical fields, such as gait analysis, has been widely suggested and investigated in the past. Several sensor technologies like piezoelectrics, capacitance gauges, and piezoresistive sensors are utilized to develop force plates with special characteristics. Among the technologies employed in force plate designs, piezoelectrics present the ability of providing a self-powered sensory system. Recently, it has been suggested to implement piezoelectric transducers as sensors in the tibial bearing of total knee replacement (TKR) implants in order to transform the knee bearing into a force plate with the ability to detect force and contact point location for in vivo knee load analysis. Considering this application, a simplified design of a force plate instrumented with six piezoelectric transducers is presented in this study. The force plate is modeled using a finite element (FE) model to investigate the sensing performance of the system. In order to validate the simulation, a prototype force plate is fabricated and tested under the same loading condition applied on the FE model. The results are presented in terms of measured location and amplitude of applied force measured by the piezoelectric transducers. For the FE simulation, the deviation of the measured location of the applied force from the actual location is obtained as 0.62 mm in the x-direction and 0.13 mm in the y-direction, and the error in the amplitude of the measured force is 0.03% of the applied force. On the other hand, the deviation in the measured location of the force from the experimental test is 0.53 mm in the x-direction and 0.1 mm in the y-direction, while the error in force is 3.6% of the applied force. The small quantities of error in both sensed location and amplitude of applied force obtained from the FE simulation and experimental test results demonstrates the potential of the proposed design to be utilized as the sensor in the knee bearing of TKR implants.

ENTRAINMENT AND EFFICIENCY STUDIES IN A SMALL DIAMETER BUBBLECAP PLATE COLUMN

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

Chrones, J.

1952-07-01

Efficiency and entrainment studies were made in a 4inch diameter bubblecap plate column using a plate spacing of 4 inches. The plates contained one bubblecap each, and were designed so taat they could be easily inserted in a single length of 4 inch OD stainless steel tubing. An entrainment of 10% was obtained for the water-steam system at a column vapor velocity of 1.9 fps or a vapor mass rate of 255 pounds of steam per hour per square foot. This entraimnent value is gener ally accepted as the maximum allowable without impairing the plate efficiency appreciably. This low entrainmentmore » may be partly due to the small column diameter with the walls acting as entrainanent separators. The Murphree vapor plate efficiency, as measured for alcohol-water, was found to depend on the slope of the equilibrium line and the mass velocity factor V / sub v//sup 0.5/. An empirical equation was developed relating these factors. Fow low values of the slope of the equilibrium line (2 or less it was noted, that for practical purposes, the actual point efficiency on the plates was equal to the measured Murphree vapor plate efficiency regardless of the degree of mixing on the plate. (auth)« less

Automatically Scoring Short Essays for Content. CRESST Report 836

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kerr, Deirdre; Mousavi, Hamid; Iseli, Markus R.

2013-01-01

The Common Core assessments emphasize short essay constructed response items over multiple choice items because they are more precise measures of understanding. However, such items are too costly and time consuming to be used in national assessments unless a way is found to score them automatically. Current automatic essay scoring techniques are…

Compact and Light-Weight Solar Spaceflight Instrument Designs Utilizing Newly Developed Miniature Free-Standing Zone Plates: EUV Radiometer and Limb-Scanning Monochromator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seely, J. F.; McMullin, D. R.; Bremer, J.; Chang, C.; Sakdinawat, A.; Jones, A. R.; Vest, R.

2014-12-01

Two solar instrument designs are presented that utilize newly developed miniature free-standing zone plates having interconnected Au opaque bars and no support membrane resulting in excellent long-term stability in space. Both instruments are based on a zone plate having 4 mm outer diameter and 1 to 2 degree field of view. The zone plate collects EUV radiation and focuses a narrow bandpass through a pinhole aperture and onto a silicon photodiode detector. As a miniature radiometer, EUV irradiance is accurately determined from the zone plate efficiency and the photodiode responsivity that are calibrated at the NIST SURF synchrotron facility. The EUV radiometer is pointed to the Sun and measures the absolute solar EUV irradiance in high time cadence suitable for solar physics and space weather applications. As a limb-scanning instrument in low earth orbit, a miniature zone-plate monochromator measures the extinction of solar EUV radiation by scattering through the upper atmosphere which is a measure of the variability of the ionosphere. Both instruments are compact and light-weight and are attractive for CubeSats and other missions where resources are extremely limited.

Automatized alignment control of wing mechanization in aerodynamic contour of aircraft

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Odnokurtsev, K. A.

2018-05-01

The method of automatized control of accuracy of an aircraft aerodynamic contour when mounting wing mechanization elements is described in the article. A control device in the stand of the wing assembling, equipped with the distance sensors, is suggested to be used. The measurement of control points’ inaccuracies is made automatically in a special computer program. Two kinds of sensor calibration are made in advance in order to increase the accuracy of measurements. As a result, the duration of control and adjustment of mechanization elements is reduced.

Motor automaticity in Parkinson’s disease

PubMed Central

Wu, Tao; Hallett, Mark; Chan, Piu

2017-01-01

Bradykinesia is the most important feature contributing to motor difficulties in Parkinson’s disease (PD). However, the pathophysiology underlying bradykinesia is not fully understood. One important aspect is that PD patients have difficulty in performing learned motor skills automatically, but this problem has been generally overlooked. Here we review motor automaticity associated motor deficits in PD, such as reduced arm swing, decreased stride length, freezing of gait, micrographia and reduced facial expression. Recent neuroimaging studies have revealed some neural mechanisms underlying impaired motor automaticity in PD, including less efficient neural coding of movement, failure to shift automated motor skills to the sensorimotor striatum, instability of the automatic mode within the striatum, and use of attentional control and/or compensatory efforts to execute movements usually performed automatically in healthy people. PD patients lose previously acquired automatic skills due to their impaired sensorimotor striatum, and have difficulty in acquiring new automatic skills or restoring lost motor skills. More investigations on the pathophysiology of motor automaticity, the effect of L-dopa or surgical treatments on automaticity, and the potential role of using measures of automaticity in early diagnosis of PD would be valuable. PMID:26102020

Automatic Earthquake Shear Stress Measurement Method Developed for Accurate Time- Prediction Analysis of Forthcoming Major Earthquakes Along Shallow Active Faults

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Serata, S.

2006-12-01

The Serata Stressmeter has been developed to measure and monitor earthquake shear stress build-up along shallow active faults. The development work made in the past 25 years has established the Stressmeter as an automatic stress measurement system to study timing of forthcoming major earthquakes in support of the current earthquake prediction studies based on statistical analysis of seismological observations. In early 1982, a series of major Man-made earthquakes (magnitude 4.5-5.0) suddenly occurred in an area over deep underground potash mine in Saskatchewan, Canada. By measuring underground stress condition of the mine, the direct cause of the earthquake was disclosed. The cause was successfully eliminated by controlling the stress condition of the mine. The Japanese government was interested in this development and the Stressmeter was introduced to the Japanese government research program for earthquake stress studies. In Japan the Stressmeter was first utilized for direct measurement of the intrinsic lateral tectonic stress gradient G. The measurement, conducted at the Mt. Fuji Underground Research Center of the Japanese government, disclosed the constant natural gradients of maximum and minimum lateral stresses in an excellent agreement with the theoretical value, i.e., G = 0.25. All the conventional methods of overcoring, hydrofracturing and deformation, which were introduced to compete with the Serata method, failed demonstrating the fundamental difficulties of the conventional methods. The intrinsic lateral stress gradient determined by the Stressmeter for the Japanese government was found to be the same with all the other measurements made by the Stressmeter in Japan. The stress measurement results obtained by the major international stress measurement work in the Hot Dry Rock Projects conducted in USA, England and Germany are found to be in good agreement with the Stressmeter results obtained in Japan. Based on this broad agreement, a solid geomechanical basis to disclose an acting earthquake shear stress S at top of the tectonic plate is established at the depth of 600-800m (Window). This concept is supported by outcome of the Japanese government stress measurement made at the epicenter of the Kobe earthquake of 1995, where S is found to be less than 5 MPa. At the same time S at the earthquake active Ashio mining district was found to be 36 MPa (90 percent of maximum S) at Window. These findings led to formulation of a quantitative method proposed to monitor earthquake triggering potential in and around any growing earthquake stress nucleus along shallow active faults. For future earthquake time prediction, the Stressmeter can be applied first to survey general distribution of earthquake shear stress S along major active faults. A site with its shear stress greater than 30 MPa may be identified as a site of growing stress nucleus. A Stressmeter must be permanently buried at the site to monitor future stress growth toward a possible triggering by mathematical analysis of the stress excursion dynamics. This is made possible by the automatic stress measurement capability of the Stressmeter at a frequency up to 100 times per day. The significance of this approach is a possibility to save lives by time-prediction of a forthcoming major earthquake with accuracy in hours and minutes.

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

Heusinkveld, Harm J.; Westerink, Remco H.S., E-mail: R.Westerink@uu.nl

Calcium plays a crucial role in virtually all cellular processes, including neurotransmission. The intracellular Ca{sup 2+} concentration ([Ca{sup 2+}]{sub i}) is therefore an important readout in neurotoxicological and neuropharmacological studies. Consequently, there is an increasing demand for high-throughput measurements of [Ca{sup 2+}]{sub i}, e.g. using multi-well microplate readers, in hazard characterization, human risk assessment and drug development. However, changes in [Ca{sup 2+}]{sub i} are highly dynamic, thereby creating challenges for high-throughput measurements. Nonetheless, several protocols are now available for real-time kinetic measurement of [Ca{sup 2+}]{sub i} in plate reader systems, though the results of such plate reader-based measurements have beenmore » questioned. In view of the increasing use of plate reader systems for measurements of [Ca{sup 2+}]{sub i} a careful evaluation of current technologies is warranted. We therefore performed an extensive set of experiments, using two cell lines (PC12 and B35) and two fluorescent calcium-sensitive dyes (Fluo-4 and Fura-2), for comparison of a linear plate reader system with single cell fluorescence microscopy. Our data demonstrate that the use of plate reader systems for high-throughput real-time kinetic measurements of [Ca{sup 2+}]{sub i} is associated with many pitfalls and limitations, including erroneous sustained increases in fluorescence, limited sensitivity and lack of single cell resolution. Additionally, our data demonstrate that probenecid, which is often used to prevent dye leakage, effectively inhibits the depolarization-evoked increase in [Ca{sup 2+}]{sub i}. Overall, the data indicate that the use of current plate reader-based strategies for high-throughput real-time kinetic measurements of [Ca{sup 2+}]{sub i} is associated with caveats and limitations that require further investigation. - Research Highlights: > The use of plate readers for high-throughput screening of intracellular Ca{sup 2+} is associated with many pitfalls and limitations. > Single cell fluorescent microscopy is recommended for measurements of intracellular Ca{sup 2+}. > Dual-wavelength dyes (Fura-2) are preferred over single-wavelength dyes (Fluo-4) for measurements of intracellular Ca{sup 2+}. > Probenecid prevents dye leakage but abolishes depolarization-evoked Ca{sup 2+} influx, severely hampering measurements of Ca{sup 2+}. > In general, care should be taken when interpreting data from high-throughput kinetic measurements.« less

Semi-Automatic Extraction Algorithm for Images of the Ciliary Muscle

PubMed Central

Kao, Chiu-Yen; Richdale, Kathryn; Sinnott, Loraine T.; Ernst, Lauren E.; Bailey, Melissa D.

2011-01-01

Purpose To development and evaluate a semi-automatic algorithm for segmentation and morphological assessment of the dimensions of the ciliary muscle in Visante™ Anterior Segment Optical Coherence Tomography images. Methods Geometric distortions in Visante images analyzed as binary files were assessed by imaging an optical flat and human donor tissue. The appropriate pixel/mm conversion factor to use for air (n = 1) was estimated by imaging calibration spheres. A semi-automatic algorithm was developed to extract the dimensions of the ciliary muscle from Visante images. Measurements were also made manually using Visante software calipers. Interclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and Bland-Altman analyses were used to compare the methods. A multilevel model was fitted to estimate the variance of algorithm measurements that was due to differences within- and between-examiners in scleral spur selection versus biological variability. Results The optical flat and the human donor tissue were imaged and appeared without geometric distortions in binary file format. Bland-Altman analyses revealed that caliper measurements tended to underestimate ciliary muscle thickness at 3 mm posterior to the scleral spur in subjects with the thickest ciliary muscles (t = 3.6, p < 0.001). The percent variance due to within- or between-examiner differences in scleral spur selection was found to be small (6%) when compared to the variance due to biological difference across subjects (80%). Using the mean of measurements from three images achieved an estimated ICC of 0.85. Conclusions The semi-automatic algorithm successfully segmented the ciliary muscle for further measurement. Using the algorithm to follow the scleral curvature to locate more posterior measurements is critical to avoid underestimating thickness measurements. This semi-automatic algorithm will allow for repeatable, efficient, and masked ciliary muscle measurements in large datasets. PMID:21169877

Quantification of regional fat volume in rat MRI

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sacha, Jaroslaw P.; Cockman, Michael D.; Dufresne, Thomas E.; Trokhan, Darren

2003-05-01

Multiple initiatives in the pharmaceutical and beauty care industries are directed at identifying therapies for weight management. Body composition measurements are critical for such initiatives. Imaging technologies that can be used to measure body composition noninvasively include DXA (dual energy x-ray absorptiometry) and MRI (magnetic resonance imaging). Unlike other approaches, MRI provides the ability to perform localized measurements of fat distribution. Several factors complicate the automatic delineation of fat regions and quantification of fat volumes. These include motion artifacts, field non-uniformity, brightness and contrast variations, chemical shift misregistration, and ambiguity in delineating anatomical structures. We have developed an approach to deal practically with those challenges. The approach is implemented in a package, the Fat Volume Tool, for automatic detection of fat tissue in MR images of the rat abdomen, including automatic discrimination between abdominal and subcutaneous regions. We suppress motion artifacts using masking based on detection of implicit landmarks in the images. Adaptive object extraction is used to compensate for intensity variations. This approach enables us to perform fat tissue detection and quantification in a fully automated manner. The package can also operate in manual mode, which can be used for verification of the automatic analysis or for performing supervised segmentation. In supervised segmentation, the operator has the ability to interact with the automatic segmentation procedures to touch-up or completely overwrite intermediate segmentation steps. The operator's interventions steer the automatic segmentation steps that follow. This improves the efficiency and quality of the final segmentation. Semi-automatic segmentation tools (interactive region growing, live-wire, etc.) improve both the accuracy and throughput of the operator when working in manual mode. The quality of automatic segmentation has been evaluated by comparing the results of fully automated analysis to manual analysis of the same images. The comparison shows a high degree of correlation that validates the quality of the automatic segmentation approach.

Research on large spatial coordinate automatic measuring system based on multilateral method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miao, Dongjing; Li, Jianshuan; Li, Lianfu; Jiang, Yuanlin; Kang, Yao; He, Mingzhao; Deng, Xiangrui

2015-10-01

To measure the spatial coordinate accurately and efficiently in large size range, a manipulator automatic measurement system which based on multilateral method is developed. This system is divided into two parts: The coordinate measurement subsystem is consists of four laser tracers, and the trajectory generation subsystem is composed by a manipulator and a rail. To ensure that there is no laser beam break during the measurement process, an optimization function is constructed by using the vectors between the laser tracers measuring center and the cat's eye reflector measuring center, then an orientation automatically adjust algorithm for the reflector is proposed, with this algorithm, the laser tracers are always been able to track the reflector during the entire measurement process. Finally, the proposed algorithm is validated by taking the calibration of laser tracker for instance: the actual experiment is conducted in 5m × 3m × 3.2m range, the algorithm is used to plan the orientations of the reflector corresponding to the given 24 points automatically. After improving orientations of some minority points with adverse angles, the final results are used to control the manipulator's motion. During the actual movement, there are no beam break occurs. The result shows that the proposed algorithm help the developed system to measure the spatial coordinates over a large range with efficiency.

Plate motions and deformations from geologic and geodetic data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jordan, T. H.

1986-01-01

A satellite laser ranging experiment conducted by NASA since 1972 has measured the relative motion between the North America and Pacific plates in California. Based on these measurements, the 896-km distance between San Diego and Quincy, California, is shortening at 62 + or - 9 mm/yr. This geodetic estimate is consistent with the rate of motion between the two plates, calculated from geological data to be 53 + or - 3 mm/yr averaged over the past few million years.

Development of a surface topography instrument for automotive textured steel plate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Zhen; Wang, Shenghuai; Chen, Yurong; Xie, Tiebang

2010-08-01

The surface topography of automotive steel plate is decisive to its stamping, painting and image clarity performances. For measuring this kind of surface topography, an instrument has been developed based on the principle of vertical scanning white light microscopy interference principle. The microscopy interference system of this instrument is designed based on the structure of Linnik interference microscopy. The 1D worktable of Z direction is designed and introduced in details. The work principle of this instrument is analyzed. In measuring process, the interference microscopy is derived as a whole and the measured surface is scanned in vertical direction. The measurement accuracy and validity is verified by templates. Surface topography of textured steel plate is also measured by this instrument.

Automatic system for ionization chamber current measurements.

PubMed

Brancaccio, Franco; Dias, Mauro S; Koskinas, Marina F

2004-12-01

The present work describes an automatic system developed for current integration measurements at the Laboratório de Metrologia Nuclear of Instituto de Pesquisas Energéticas e Nucleares. This system includes software (graphic user interface and control) and a module connected to a microcomputer, by means of a commercial data acquisition card. Measurements were performed in order to check the performance and for validating the proposed design.

Non-rigid registration of 3D ultrasound for neurosurgery using automatic feature detection and matching.

PubMed

Machado, Inês; Toews, Matthew; Luo, Jie; Unadkat, Prashin; Essayed, Walid; George, Elizabeth; Teodoro, Pedro; Carvalho, Herculano; Martins, Jorge; Golland, Polina; Pieper, Steve; Frisken, Sarah; Golby, Alexandra; Wells, William

2018-06-04

The brain undergoes significant structural change over the course of neurosurgery, including highly nonlinear deformation and resection. It can be informative to recover the spatial mapping between structures identified in preoperative surgical planning and the intraoperative state of the brain. We present a novel feature-based method for achieving robust, fully automatic deformable registration of intraoperative neurosurgical ultrasound images. A sparse set of local image feature correspondences is first estimated between ultrasound image pairs, after which rigid, affine and thin-plate spline models are used to estimate dense mappings throughout the image. Correspondences are derived from 3D features, distinctive generic image patterns that are automatically extracted from 3D ultrasound images and characterized in terms of their geometry (i.e., location, scale, and orientation) and a descriptor of local image appearance. Feature correspondences between ultrasound images are achieved based on a nearest-neighbor descriptor matching and probabilistic voting model similar to the Hough transform. Experiments demonstrate our method on intraoperative ultrasound images acquired before and after opening of the dura mater, during resection and after resection in nine clinical cases. A total of 1620 automatically extracted 3D feature correspondences were manually validated by eleven experts and used to guide the registration. Then, using manually labeled corresponding landmarks in the pre- and post-resection ultrasound images, we show that our feature-based registration reduces the mean target registration error from an initial value of 3.3 to 1.5 mm. This result demonstrates that the 3D features promise to offer a robust and accurate solution for 3D ultrasound registration and to correct for brain shift in image-guided neurosurgery.

Experimental determination of forces applied by liquid water drops at high drop velocities impacting a glass plate with and without a shallow water layer using wavelet deconvolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Y.; Hopkins, C.

2018-05-01

Time-dependent forces applied by 2 and 4.5 mm diameter drops of water (with velocities up to terminal velocity) impacting upon a glass plate with or without a water layer (up to 10 mm depth) have been measured using two different approaches, force transduction and wavelet deconvolution. Both approaches are in close agreement for drops falling on dry glass. However, only the wavelet approach is able to measure natural features of the splash on shallow water layers that impart forces to the plate after the initial impact. At relatively high velocities (including terminal velocity) the measured peak force from the initial impact is significantly higher than that predicted by idealised drop shape models and models from Roisman et al. and Marengo et al. Hence empirical formulae are developed for the initial time-dependent impact force from drops falling at (a) different velocities up to and including terminal velocity onto a dry glass surface, (b) terminal velocity onto dry glass or glass with a water layer and (c) different velocities below terminal velocity onto dry glass or glass with a water layer. For drops on dry glass, the empirical formulae are applicable to a glass plate or a composite layered plate with a glass surface, although they apply to other plate thicknesses and are applicable to any plate material with a similar surface roughness and wettability. The measurements also indicate that after the initial impact there can be high level forces when bubbles are entrained in the water layer.

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

Schneider, T

Purpose: Since 2008 the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) has been offering the calibration of {sup 125}I-brachytherapy sources in terms of the reference air-kerma rate (RAKR). The primary standard is a large air-filled parallel-plate extrapolation chamber. The measurement principle is based on the fact that the air-kerma rate is proportional to the increment of ionization per increment of chamber volume at chamber depths greater than the range of secondary electrons originating from the electrode x{sub 0}. Methods: Two methods for deriving the RAKR from the measured ionization charges are: (1) to determine the RAKR from the slope of the linear fit tomore » the so-called ’extrapolation curve’, the measured ionization charges Q vs. plate separations x or (2) to differentiate Q(x) and to derive the RAKR by a linear extrapolation towards zero plate separation. For both methods, correcting the measured data for all known influencing effects before the evaluation method is applied is a precondition. However, the discrepancy of their results is larger than the uncertainty given for the determination of the RAKR with both methods. Results: A new approach to derive the RAKR from the measurements is investigated as an alternative. The method was developed from the ground up, based on radiation transport theory. A conversion factor C(x{sub 1}, x{sub 2}) is applied to the difference of charges measured at the two plate separations x{sub 1} and x{sub 2}. This factor is composed of quotients of three air-kerma values calculated for different plate separations in the chamber: the air kerma Ka(0) for plate separation zero, and the mean air kermas at the plate separations x{sub 1} and x{sub 2}, respectively. The RAKR determined with method (1) yields 4.877 µGy/h, and with method (2) 4.596 µGy/h. The application of the alternative approach results in 4.810 µGy/h. Conclusion: The alternative method shall be established in the future.« less

TH-C-19A-09: Quantification of Transmission and Backscatter Factors as a function of Distance to Inhomogeneity Interface for Three Types of Surgical Implant Plates

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

Wilson, D; Mills, M; Wang, B

Purpose: Carbon fiber materials have been increasingly used clinically, mainly in orthopedics, as an alternative to metallic implants because of their minimal artifacts on CT and MRI images. This study characterizes the transmission and backscatter property of carbon fiber plates (CarboFix Orthopedics, Herzeliya, Israel) with measurements for radiation therapy applications, and compares them to traditional Stainless Steel (SS) and Titanium (Ti) metal materials. Methods: For the transmission measurements, 1-mm-thick test plate was placed upstream from a plane parallel Markus chamber, separated by various thicknesses of polystyrene plates in 0.5 cm increments between 0 and 5 cm. With this setup, wemore » quantified the radiation transmission as a function of distance to the inhomogeneity interface. The LINAC source to detector distance was maintained at 100 cm and 200 MU was delivered for each measurement. Two 3-cm solid water phantoms were placed at the top and bottom to provide build up. All the measurements were performed for 6 MV and 18 MV photons. The backscatter measurements had the identical setup, except that the test plate was downstream of the chamber from radiation. Results: The carbon fiber plates did not introduce any measureable inhomogeneity effect on the transmission and backscatter factor because of its low atomic number. In contrast, traditional metal implant materials caused up to 15% dose difference at upstream and 25% backscatter at downstream from radiation. Such differences decrease as the distance to the inhomogeneity interface increases and become unmeasurable at distance of 3 cm and 1 cm for upstream and downstream, respectively. Conclusion: A new type of carbon fiber implant plate was evaluated and found to have minimal inhomogeneity effect in MV radiation beams. Patients would benefit from a carbon based implant over metal for radiation therapy due to their minimal backscatter and imaging artifacts.« less

Automatic instrument for chemical processing to detect microorganism in biological samples by measuring light reactions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kelbaugh, B. N.; Picciolo, G. L.; Chappelle, E. W.; Colburn, M. E. (Inventor)

1973-01-01

An automated apparatus is reported for sequentially assaying urine samples for the presence of bacterial adenosine triphosphate (ATP) that comprises a rotary table which carries a plurality of sample containing vials and automatically dispenses fluid reagents into the vials preparatory to injecting a light producing luciferase-luciferin mixture into the samples. The device automatically measures the light produced in each urine sample by a bioluminescence reaction of the free bacterial adenosine triphosphate with the luciferase-luciferin mixture. The light measured is proportional to the concentration of bacterial adenosine triphosphate which, in turn, is proportional to the number of bacteria present in the respective urine sample.

Meteorological Automatic Weather Station (MAWS) Instrument Handbook

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

Holdridge, Donna J; Kyrouac, Jenni A

The Meteorological Automatic Weather Station (MAWS) is a surface meteorological station, manufactured by Vaisala, Inc., dedicated to the balloon-borne sounding system (BBSS), providing surface measurements of the thermodynamic state of the atmosphere and the wind speed and direction for each radiosonde profile. These data are automatically provided to the BBSS during the launch procedure and included in the radiosonde profile as the surface measurements of record for the sounding. The MAWS core set of measurements is: Barometric Pressure (hPa), Temperature (°C), Relative Humidity (%), Arithmetic-Averaged Wind Speed (m/s), and Vector-Averaged Wind Direction (deg). The sensors that collect the core variablesmore » are mounted at the standard heights defined for each variable.« less

Glass-bead peen plating

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Graves, J. R.

1974-01-01

Peen plating of aluminum, copper, and nickel powders was investigated. Only aluminum was plated successfully within the range of peen plating conditions studied. Optimum plating conditions for aluminum were found to be: (1) bead/powder mixture containing 25 to 35% powder by weight, (2) peening intensity of 0.007A as measured by Almen strip, and (3) glass impact bead diameter of at least 297 microns (0.0117 inches) for depositing-100 mesh aluminum powder. No extensive cleaning or substrate preparation is required beyond removing loose dirt or heavy oil.

Variation of solar-selective properties of black chrome with plating time

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mcdonald, G. E.; Curtis, H. B.

1975-01-01

The spectral reflectance properties of a commercially prepared black chrome over dull nickel, both plated on steel, for various plating times of the black chrome were measured. The plating current was 180 amperes per square foot. Values of absorptance integrated over the solar spectrum, and of infrared emittance integrated over black-body radiation at 250 F were obtained. It is shown that plating between one and two minutes produces the optimum combination of highest heat absorbed and lowest heat lost by radiation.

Non-model-based damage identification of plates using principal, mean and Gaussian curvature mode shapes

DOE PAGES

Xu, Yongfeng F.; Zhu, Weidong D.; Smith, Scott A.

2017-07-01

Mode shapes (MSs) have been extensively used to identify structural damage. This paper presents a new non-model-based method that uses principal, mean and Gaussian curvature MSs (CMSs) to identify damage in plates; the method is applicable and robust to MSs associated with low and high elastic modes on dense and coarse measurement grids. A multi-scale discrete differential-geometry scheme is proposed to calculate principal, mean and Gaussian CMSs associated with a MS of a plate, which can alleviate adverse effects of measurement noise on calculating the CMSs. Principal, mean and Gaussian CMSs of a damaged plate and those of an undamagedmore » one are used to yield four curvature damage indices (CDIs), including Maximum-CDIs, Minimum-CDIs, Mean-CDIs and Gaussian-CDIs. Damage can be identified near regions with consistently higher values of the CDIs. It is shown that a MS of an undamaged plate can be well approximated using a polynomial with a properly determined order that fits a MS of a damaged one, provided that the undamaged plate has a smooth geometry and is made of material that has no stiffness and mass discontinuities. New fitting and convergence indices are proposed to quantify the level of approximation of a MS from a polynomial fit to that of a damaged plate and to determine the proper order of the polynomial fit, respectively. A MS of an aluminum plate with damage in the form of a machined thickness reduction area was measured to experimentally investigate the effectiveness of the proposed CDIs in damage identification; the damage on the plate was successfully identified.« less

Non-model-based damage identification of plates using principal, mean and Gaussian curvature mode shapes

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

Xu, Yongfeng F.; Zhu, Weidong D.; Smith, Scott A.

Mode shapes (MSs) have been extensively used to identify structural damage. This paper presents a new non-model-based method that uses principal, mean and Gaussian curvature MSs (CMSs) to identify damage in plates; the method is applicable and robust to MSs associated with low and high elastic modes on dense and coarse measurement grids. A multi-scale discrete differential-geometry scheme is proposed to calculate principal, mean and Gaussian CMSs associated with a MS of a plate, which can alleviate adverse effects of measurement noise on calculating the CMSs. Principal, mean and Gaussian CMSs of a damaged plate and those of an undamagedmore » one are used to yield four curvature damage indices (CDIs), including Maximum-CDIs, Minimum-CDIs, Mean-CDIs and Gaussian-CDIs. Damage can be identified near regions with consistently higher values of the CDIs. It is shown that a MS of an undamaged plate can be well approximated using a polynomial with a properly determined order that fits a MS of a damaged one, provided that the undamaged plate has a smooth geometry and is made of material that has no stiffness and mass discontinuities. New fitting and convergence indices are proposed to quantify the level of approximation of a MS from a polynomial fit to that of a damaged plate and to determine the proper order of the polynomial fit, respectively. A MS of an aluminum plate with damage in the form of a machined thickness reduction area was measured to experimentally investigate the effectiveness of the proposed CDIs in damage identification; the damage on the plate was successfully identified.« less

Manual vs. automatic capture management in implantable cardioverter defibrillators and cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillators.

PubMed

Murgatroyd, Francis D; Helmling, Erhard; Lemke, Bernd; Eber, Bernd; Mewis, Christian; van der Meer-Hensgens, Judith; Chang, Yanping; Khalameizer, Vladimir; Katz, Amos

2010-06-01

The Secura ICD and Consulta CRT-D are the first defibrillators to have automatic right atrial (RA), right ventricular (RV), and left ventricular (LV) capture management (CM). Complete CM was evaluated in an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) population. Two prospective clinical studies were conducted in 28 centres in Europe and Israel. Automatic CM data were compared with manual threshold measurements, the CM applicability was determined, and adjustments to pacing outputs were analysed. In total, 160 patients [age 64.6 +/- 10.4 years, 77% male, 80 ICD and 80 cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillator (CRT-D)] were included. The differences between automatic and manual measurements were 2.5 V) due to raised RA threshold in seven (4.4%), high RV threshold in nine (5.6%), and high LV threshold in three patients (3.8%). All high threshold detections and all automatic modulations of pacing output were adjudicated appropriate. Complete CM adjusts pacing output appropriately, permitting a reduction in office visits while it may maximize device longevity. The study was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov identifiers: NCT00526227 and NCT00526162.

Automated assay for screening the enzymatic release of reducing sugars from micronized biomass.

PubMed

Navarro, David; Couturier, Marie; da Silva, Gabriela Ghizzi Damasceno; Berrin, Jean-Guy; Rouau, Xavier; Asther, Marcel; Bignon, Christophe

2010-07-16

To reduce the production cost of bioethanol obtained from fermentation of the sugars provided by degradation of lignocellulosic biomass (i.e., second generation bioethanol), it is necessary to screen for new enzymes endowed with more efficient biomass degrading properties. This demands the set-up of high-throughput screening methods. Several methods have been devised all using microplates in the industrial SBS format. Although this size reduction and standardization has greatly improved the screening process, the published methods comprise one or more manual steps that seriously decrease throughput. Therefore, we worked to devise a screening method devoid of any manual steps. We describe a fully automated assay for measuring the amount of reducing sugars released by biomass-degrading enzymes from wheat-straw and spruce. The method comprises two independent and automated steps. The first step is the making of "substrate plates". It consists of filling 96-well microplates with slurry suspensions of micronized substrate which are then stored frozen until use. The second step is an enzymatic activity assay. After thawing, the substrate plates are supplemented by the robot with cell-wall degrading enzymes where necessary, and the whole process from addition of enzymes to quantification of released sugars is autonomously performed by the robot. We describe how critical parameters (amount of substrate, amount of enzyme, incubation duration and temperature) were selected to fit with our specific use. The ability of this automated small-scale assay to discriminate among different enzymatic activities was validated using a set of commercial enzymes. Using an automatic microplate sealer solved three main problems generally encountered during the set-up of methods for measuring the sugar-releasing activity of plant cell wall-degrading enzymes: throughput, automation, and evaporation losses. In its present set-up, the robot can autonomously process 120 triplicate wheat-straw samples per day. This throughput can be doubled if the incubation time is reduced from 24 h to 4 h (for initial rates measurements, for instance). This method can potentially be used with any insoluble substrate that is micronizable. A video illustrating the method can be seen at the following URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFg6TxjuMWU.

Measurement of toroidal vessel eddy current during plasma disruption on J-TEXT.

PubMed

Liu, L J; Yu, K X; Zhang, M; Zhuang, G; Li, X; Yuan, T; Rao, B; Zhao, Q

2016-01-01

In this paper, we have employed a thin, printed circuit board eddy current array in order to determine the radial distribution of the azimuthal component of the eddy current density at the surface of a steel plate. The eddy current in the steel plate can be calculated by analytical methods under the simplifying assumptions that the steel plate is infinitely large and the exciting current is of uniform distribution. The measurement on the steel plate shows that this method has high spatial resolution. Then, we extended this methodology to a toroidal geometry with the objective of determining the poloidal distribution of the toroidal component of the eddy current density associated with plasma disruption in a fusion reactor called J-TEXT. The preliminary measured result is consistent with the analysis and calculation results on the J-TEXT vacuum vessel.

Simultaneous Automatic Electrochemical Detection of Zinc, Cadmium, Copper and Lead Ions in Environmental Samples Using a Thin-Film Mercury Electrode and an Artificial Neural Network

PubMed Central

Kudr, Jiri; Nguyen, Hoai Viet; Gumulec, Jaromir; Nejdl, Lukas; Blazkova, Iva; Ruttkay-Nedecky, Branislav; Hynek, David; Kynicky, Jindrich; Adam, Vojtech; Kizek, Rene

2015-01-01

In this study a device for automatic electrochemical analysis was designed. A three electrodes detection system was attached to a positioning device, which enabled us to move the electrode system from one well to another of a microtitre plate. Disposable carbon tip electrodes were used for Cd(II), Cu(II) and Pb(II) ion quantification, while Zn(II) did not give signal in this electrode configuration. In order to detect all mentioned heavy metals simultaneously, thin-film mercury electrodes (TFME) were fabricated by electrodeposition of mercury on the surface of carbon tips. In comparison with bare electrodes the TMFEs had lower detection limits and better sensitivity. In addition to pure aqueous heavy metal solutions, the assay was also performed on mineralized rock samples, artificial blood plasma samples and samples of chicken embryo organs treated with cadmium. An artificial neural network was created to evaluate the concentrations of the mentioned heavy metals correctly in mixture samples and an excellent fit was observed (R2 = 0.9933). PMID:25558996

Higher-order neural network software for distortion invariant object recognition

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reid, Max B.; Spirkovska, Lilly

1991-01-01

The state-of-the-art in pattern recognition for such applications as automatic target recognition and industrial robotic vision relies on digital image processing. We present a higher-order neural network model and software which performs the complete feature extraction-pattern classification paradigm required for automatic pattern recognition. Using a third-order neural network, we demonstrate complete, 100 percent accurate invariance to distortions of scale, position, and in-plate rotation. In a higher-order neural network, feature extraction is built into the network, and does not have to be learned. Only the relatively simple classification step must be learned. This is key to achieving very rapid training. The training set is much smaller than with standard neural network software because the higher-order network only has to be shown one view of each object to be learned, not every possible view. The software and graphical user interface run on any Sun workstation. Results of the use of the neural software in autonomous robotic vision systems are presented. Such a system could have extensive application in robotic manufacturing.

Automated Data Handling And Instrument Control Using Low-Cost Desktop Computers And An IEEE 488 Compatible Version Of The ODETA V.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van Leunen, J. A. J.; Dreessen, J.

1984-05-01

The result of a measurement of the modulation transfer function is only useful as long as it is accompanied by a complete description of all relevant measuring conditions involved. For this reason it is necessary to file a full description of the relevant measuring conditions together with the results. In earlier times some of our results were rendered useless because some of the relevant measuring conditions were accidentally not written down and were forgotten. This was mainly due to the lack of concensus about which measuring conditions had to be filed together with the result of a measurement. One way to secure uniform and complete archiving of measuring conditions and results is to automate the data handling. An attendent advantage of automation of data handling is that it does away with the time-consuming correction of rough measuring results. The automation of the data handling was accomplished with rather cheap desktop computers, which were powerfull enough, however, to allow us to automate the measurement as well. After automation of the data handling we started with automatic collection of rough measurement data. Step by step we extended the automation by letting the desktop computer control more and more of the measuring set-up. At present the desktop computer controls all the electrical and most of the mechanical measuring conditions. Further it controls and reads the MTF measuring instrument. Focussing and orientation optimization can be fully automatic, semi-automatic or completely manual. MTF measuring results can be collected automatically but they can also be typed in by hand. Due to the automation we are able to implement proper archival of measuring results together with all necessary measuring conditions. The improved measuring efficiency made it possible to increase the number of routine measurements done in the same time period by an order of magnitude. To our surprise the measuring accuracy also improved by a factor of two. This was due to the much better reproducibility of the automatic optimization, which resulted in better reproducibility of the measurement result. Another advantage of the automation is that the programs that control the data handling and the automatic measurement are "user friendly". They guide the operator through the measuring procedure using information from earlier measurements of equivalent test specimens. This makes it possible to let routine measurements be done by much less skilled assistants. It also removes much of the tedious routine labour normally involved in MTF measurements. It can be concluded that automation of MTF measurements as described in the foregoing enhances the usefulness of MTF results as well as reducing the cost of MTF measurements.

The emergence of automaticity in reading: Effects of orthographic depth and word decoding ability on an adjusted Stroop measure.

PubMed

Megherbi, Hakima; Elbro, Carsten; Oakhill, Jane; Segui, Juan; New, Boris

2018-02-01

How long does it take for word reading to become automatic? Does the appearance and development of automaticity differ as a function of orthographic depth (e.g., French vs. English)? These questions were addressed in a longitudinal study of English and French beginning readers. The study focused on automaticity as obligatory processing as measured in the Stroop test. Measures of decoding ability and the Stroop effect were taken at three time points during first grade (and during second grade in the United Kingdom) in 84 children. The study is the first to adjust the classic Stroop effect for inhibition (of distracting colors). The adjusted Stroop effect was zero in the absence of reading ability, and it was found to develop in tandem with decoding ability. After a further control for decoding, no effects of age or orthography were found on the adjusted Stroop measure. The results are in line with theories of the development of whole word recognition that emphasize the importance of the acquisition of the basic orthographic code. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

APPARENT BIAS IN RIVER WATER INOCULUM FOLLOWING CENTRIFUGATION

EPA Science Inventory

We collected four measures of viable bacterial concentration (heterotrophic plate count, total coliform, fecal coliform, and Escherichia coli) and three measures of well color development in Biolog GN2 microtiter plates from water samples that were collected on two or three separ...

A novel pre-surgical maxillary orthodontic device using β-titanium wire for wide unilateral cleft lip and palate patients: preliminary study of its efficacy and impact for the maxillary formation.

PubMed

Taniguchi, Maki; Oyama, Tomoki; Kiya, Koichiro; Sone, Yumiko; Ishii, Nobuyuki; Hosokawa, Ko

2014-02-01

For patients with a wide, complete, unilateral cleft lip and palate, pre-surgical maxillary orthodontic treatments have been used to reduce the alveolar gap before cheiloplasty. However, most of these treatments are complicated and laborious for patients and for medical professionals. Thus, we developed an original pre-surgical orthodontic device made with two separate acrylic resin plates connected with a spring-shaped β-titanium wire (β-TW). When the device was applied on the palate, each segment of the maxilla was automatically aligned for our target formation with the elastic force of β-titanium alloy. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of the new device and the size of the maxilla in comparison with the conventional Hotz procedures. A total of 47 patients with a wide unilateral cleft lip and palate were retrospectively evaluated; 33 patients were treated with our new device (β-TW plate group) and 14 were treated with a Hotz plate (HP group). We evaluated the alveolar gap reduction and the size of the maxilla between the two groups, obtaining intraoral maxillary impressions at birth, at 3 months and 1 year. The width of the alveolar gap in the β-TW plate group was significantly reduced compared with that in the HP group 1 month after the treatment (p < 0.001). The alveolar gap reduction continued until the age of 1 year (p = 0.02). By contrast, no significant difference in the maxillary size was observed between the two groups at any examination period. Our treatment protocol using the β-TW plate was not only easy and simple to apply but it was also cost-effective, with highly predictable outcomes. Moreover, it provided the ideal alveolar cleft reduction without detrimental collapse of the alveolar segments. Therefore, we consider our β-TW plate device to be useful for application in pre-surgical orthodontic treatments. Copyright © 2013 British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Numerical Simulations of Near-Field Blast Effects using Kinetic Plates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Neuscamman, Stephanie; Manner, Virginia; Brown, Geoffrey; Glascoe, Lee

2013-06-01

Numerical simulations using two hydrocodes were compared to near-field measurements of blast impulse associated with ideal and non-ideal explosives to gain insight into testing results and predict untested configurations. The recently developed kinetic plate test was designed to measure blast impulse in the near-field by firing spherical charges in close range from steel plates and probing plate acceleration using laser velocimetry. Plate velocities for ideal, non-ideal and aluminized explosives tests were modeled using a three dimensional hydrocode. The effects of inert additives in the explosive formulation were modeled using a 1-D hydrocode with multiphase flow capability using Lagrangian particles. The relative effect of particle impact on the plate compared to the blast wave impulse is determined and modeling is compared to free field pressure results. This work is performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344. This is abstract LLNL-ABS-622152.

Solar heating system at Security State Bank, Starkville, Mississippi

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1980-01-01

The 312 square feet of Solaron flat plate air collectors provide for 788 square feet of space heating, an estimated 55 percent of the heating load. Solar heated air is distributed to the 96 cubic foot steel cylinder, which contains two inch diameter rocks. An air handler unit moves the air over the collector and into the steel cylinder. Four motorized dampers and two gravity dampers are also part of the system. A Solaron controller which has sensors located at the collectors, rock storage, and at the return air, automatically controls the system. Auxiliary heating energy is provided by electric resistance duct heaters.

Gis-Based Route Finding Using ANT Colony Optimization and Urban Traffic Data from Different Sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Davoodi, M.; Mesgari, M. S.

2015-12-01

Nowadays traffic data is obtained from multiple sources including GPS, Video Vehicle Detectors (VVD), Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR), Floating Car Data (FCD), VANETs, etc. All such data can be used for route finding. This paper proposes a model for finding the optimum route based on the integration of traffic data from different sources. Ant Colony Optimization is applied in this paper because the concept of this method (movement of ants in a network) is similar to urban road network and movements of cars. The results indicate that this model is capable of incorporating data from different sources, which may even be inconsistent.

Automatic real time evaluation of red blood cell elasticity by optical tweezers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moura, Diógenes S.; Silva, Diego C. N.; Williams, Ajoke J.; Bezerra, Marcos A. C.; Fontes, Adriana; de Araujo, Renato E.

2015-05-01

Optical tweezers have been used to trap, manipulate, and measure individual cell properties. In this work, we show that the association of a computer controlled optical tweezers system with image processing techniques allows rapid and reproducible evaluation of cell deformability. In particular, the deformability of red blood cells (RBCs) plays a key role in the transport of oxygen through the blood microcirculation. The automatic measurement processes consisted of three steps: acquisition, segmentation of images, and measurement of the elasticity of the cells. An optical tweezers system was setup on an upright microscope equipped with a CCD camera and a motorized XYZ stage, computer controlled by a Labview platform. On the optical tweezers setup, the deformation of the captured RBC was obtained by moving the motorized stage. The automatic real-time homemade system was evaluated by measuring RBCs elasticity from normal donors and patients with sickle cell anemia. Approximately 150 erythrocytes were examined, and the elasticity values obtained by using the developed system were compared to the values measured by two experts. With the automatic system, there was a significant time reduction (60 × ) of the erythrocytes elasticity evaluation. Automated system can help to expand the applications of optical tweezers in hematology and hemotherapy.

Relationships among Rapid Digit Naming, Phonological Processing, Motor Automaticity, and Speech Perception in Poor, Average, and Good Readers and Spellers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Savage, Robert S.; Frederickson, Norah; Goodwin, Roz; Patni, Ulla; Smith, Nicola; Tuersley, Louise

2005-01-01

In this article, we explore the relationship between rapid automatized naming (RAN) and other cognitive processes among below-average, average, and above-average readers and spellers. Nonsense word reading, phonological awareness, RAN, automaticity of balance, speech perception, and verbal short-term and working memory were measured. Factor…

Volumetric breast density affects performance of digital screening mammography.

PubMed

Wanders, Johanna O P; Holland, Katharina; Veldhuis, Wouter B; Mann, Ritse M; Pijnappel, Ruud M; Peeters, Petra H M; van Gils, Carla H; Karssemeijer, Nico

2017-02-01

To determine to what extent automatically measured volumetric mammographic density influences screening performance when using digital mammography (DM). We collected a consecutive series of 111,898 DM examinations (2003-2011) from one screening unit of the Dutch biennial screening program (age 50-75 years). Volumetric mammographic density was automatically assessed using Volpara. We determined screening performance measures for four density categories comparable to the American College of Radiology (ACR) breast density categories. Of all the examinations, 21.6% were categorized as density category 1 ('almost entirely fatty') and 41.5, 28.9, and 8.0% as category 2-4 ('extremely dense'), respectively. We identified 667 screen-detected and 234 interval cancers. Interval cancer rates were 0.7, 1.9, 2.9, and 4.4‰ and false positive rates were 11.2, 15.1, 18.2, and 23.8‰ for categories 1-4, respectively (both p-trend < 0.001). The screening sensitivity, calculated as the proportion of screen-detected among the total of screen-detected and interval tumors, was lower in higher density categories: 85.7, 77.6, 69.5, and 61.0% for categories 1-4, respectively (p-trend < 0.001). Volumetric mammographic density, automatically measured on digital mammograms, impacts screening performance measures along the same patterns as established with ACR breast density categories. Since measuring breast density fully automatically has much higher reproducibility than visual assessment, this automatic method could help with implementing density-based supplemental screening.

Detection and measurement of fetal anatomies from ultrasound images using a constrained probabilistic boosting tree.

PubMed

Carneiro, Gustavo; Georgescu, Bogdan; Good, Sara; Comaniciu, Dorin

2008-09-01

We propose a novel method for the automatic detection and measurement of fetal anatomical structures in ultrasound images. This problem offers a myriad of challenges, including: difficulty of modeling the appearance variations of the visual object of interest, robustness to speckle noise and signal dropout, and large search space of the detection procedure. Previous solutions typically rely on the explicit encoding of prior knowledge and formulation of the problem as a perceptual grouping task solved through clustering or variational approaches. These methods are constrained by the validity of the underlying assumptions and usually are not enough to capture the complex appearances of fetal anatomies. We propose a novel system for fast automatic detection and measurement of fetal anatomies that directly exploits a large database of expert annotated fetal anatomical structures in ultrasound images. Our method learns automatically to distinguish between the appearance of the object of interest and background by training a constrained probabilistic boosting tree classifier. This system is able to produce the automatic segmentation of several fetal anatomies using the same basic detection algorithm. We show results on fully automatic measurement of biparietal diameter (BPD), head circumference (HC), abdominal circumference (AC), femur length (FL), humerus length (HL), and crown rump length (CRL). Notice that our approach is the first in the literature to deal with the HL and CRL measurements. Extensive experiments (with clinical validation) show that our system is, on average, close to the accuracy of experts in terms of segmentation and obstetric measurements. Finally, this system runs under half second on a standard dual-core PC computer.

Fully automatic measurements of axial vertebral rotation for assessment of spinal deformity in idiopathic scoliosis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Forsberg, Daniel; Lundström, Claes; Andersson, Mats; Vavruch, Ludvig; Tropp, Hans; Knutsson, Hans

2013-03-01

Reliable measurements of spinal deformities in idiopathic scoliosis are vital, since they are used for assessing the degree of scoliosis, deciding upon treatment and monitoring the progression of the disease. However, commonly used two dimensional methods (e.g. the Cobb angle) do not fully capture the three dimensional deformity at hand in scoliosis, of which axial vertebral rotation (AVR) is considered to be of great importance. There are manual methods for measuring the AVR, but they are often time-consuming and related with a high intra- and inter-observer variability. In this paper, we present a fully automatic method for estimating the AVR in images from computed tomography. The proposed method is evaluated on four scoliotic patients with 17 vertebrae each and compared with manual measurements performed by three observers using the standard method by Aaro-Dahlborn. The comparison shows that the difference in measured AVR between automatic and manual measurements are on the same level as the inter-observer difference. This is further supported by a high intraclass correlation coefficient (0.971-0.979), obtained when comparing the automatic measurements with the manual measurements of each observer. Hence, the provided results and the computational performance, only requiring approximately 10 to 15 s for processing an entire volume, demonstrate the potential clinical value of the proposed method.

Black chrome on commercially electroplated tin as a solar selecting coating

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mcdonald, G. E.

1977-01-01

The reflectance properties of black chrome electroplated on commercially electroplated tin were measured for various black chrome plating times for both the solar and infrared spectrum. The values of absorptance and emittance were calculated from the measured reflectance values. The results indicate that the optimum combination of the highest absorptance in the solar region and the lowest emittance in the infrared of the black chrome plated on commercially electroplated tin is obtained for a black chrome plating time of between one and two minutes.

Air-coupled ultrasonic through-transmission thickness measurements of steel plates.

PubMed

Waag, Grunde; Hoff, Lars; Norli, Petter

2015-02-01

Non-destructive ultrasonic testing of steel structures provide valuable information in e.g. inspection of pipes, ships and offshore structures. In many practical applications, contact measurements are cumbersome or not possible, and air-coupled ultrasound can provide a solution. This paper presents air-coupled ultrasonic through-transmission measurements on a steel plate with thicknesses 10.15 mm; 10.0 mm; 9.8 mm. Ultrasound pulses were transmitted from a piezoelectric transducer at normal incidence, through the steel plate, and were received at the opposite side. The S1, A2 and A3 modes of the plate are excited, with resonance frequencies that depend on the material properties and the thickness of the plate. The results show that the resonances could be clearly identified after transmission through the steel plate, and that the frequencies of the resonances could be used to distinguish between the three plate thicknesses. The S1-mode resonance was observed to be shifted 10% down compared to a simple plane wave half-wave resonance model, while the A2 and S2 modes were found approximately at the corresponding plane-wave resonance frequencies. A model based on the angular spectrum method was used to predict the response of the through-transmission setup. This model included the finite aperture of the transmitter and receiver, and compressional and shear waves in the solid. The model predicts the frequencies of the observed modes of the plate to within 1%, including the down-shift of the S1-mode. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Minimally invasive plating osteosynthesis for mid-distal third humeral shaft fractures.

PubMed

Lian, Kejian; Wang, Lei; Lin, Dasheng; Chen, Zhiwen

2013-08-01

Mid-distal third humeral shaft fractures can be effectively treated with minimally invasive plating osteosynthesis and intramedullary nailing (IMN). However, these 2 treatments have not been adequately compared. Forty-seven patients (47 fractures) with mid-distal third humeral shaft fractures were randomly allocated to undergo either minimally invasive plating osteosynthesis (n=24) or IMN (n=23). The 2 groups were similar in terms of fracture patterns, fracture location, age, and associated injuries. Intraoperative measurements included blood loss and operative time. Clinical outcome measurements included fracture healing, radial nerve recovery, and elbow and shoulder discomfort. Radiographic measurements included fracture alignment, time to healing, delayed union, and nonunion. Functional outcome was satisfactory in both groups. Mean American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons score and Mayo score were both better for the minimally invasive plating osteosynthesis group than for the IMN group (98.2 vs 97.6, respectively, and 93.5 vs 94.1, respectively; P<.001). Operative time was shorter and less intraoperative blood loss occurred in the minimally invasive plating osteosynthesis group than in the IMN group. Average time to union was similar in both groups. Primary union was achieved in 23 of 24 patients in the minimally invasive plating osteosynthesis group and in 22 of 23 in the IMN group. Minimally invasive plating osteosynthesis may have outcomes comparable with IMN for the management of mid-distal third humeral shaft fractures. Minimally invasive plating osteosynthesis is more suitable for complex fractures, especially for radial protection and motion recovery of adjacent joints, compared with IMN for simple fractures. Copyright 2013, SLACK Incorporated.

Drag Measurements of Porous Plate Acoustic Liners

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wolter, John D.

2005-01-01

This paper presents the results of direct drag measurements on a variety of porous plate acoustic liners. The existing literature describes numerous studies of drag on porous walls with injection or suction, but relatively few of drag on porous plates with neither injection nor suction. Furthermore, the porosity of the porous plate in existing studies is much lower than typically used in acoustic liners. In the present work, the acoustic liners consisted of a perforated face sheet covering a bulk acoustic absorber material. Factors that were varied in the experiment were hole diameter, hole pattern, face sheet thickness, bulk material type, and size of the gap (if any) between the face sheet and the absorber material.

Impact of the lateral boundary conditions resolution on dynamical downscaling of precipitation in mediterranean spain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amengual, A.; Romero, R.; Homar, V.; Ramis, C.; Alonso, S.

2007-08-01

Studies using transparent, polymeric witness plates consisting of polydimethlysiloxane (PDMS) have been conducted to measure the output of exploding bridge wire (EBW) detonators and exploding foil initiators (EFI). Polymeric witness plates are utilized to alleviate particle response issues that arise in gaseous flow fields containing shock waves and to allow measurements of shock-induced material velocities to be made using particle image velocimetry (PIV). Quantitative comparisons of velocity profiles across the shock waves in air and in PDMS demonstrate the improved response achieved by the dynamic witness plate method. Schlieren photographs complement the analysis through direct visualization of detonator-induced shock waves in the witness plates.

Torsional Growth Modulation of Long Bones by Oblique Plating in a Rabbit Model.

PubMed

Lazarus, David E; Farnsworth, Christine L; Jeffords, Megan E; Marino, Nikolas; Hallare, Jericho; Edmonds, Eric W

2018-02-01

There is evidence that oblique tension band plating can affect torsional growth in long bones. This study sought to determine if the torsional growth could be modulated based on the angles of the tension band plating and whether or not oblique plating affected overall longitudinal growth. New Zealand White rabbits (10.5 wk old) had one screw placed on the metaphyseal side and one on the epiphyseal side of both medial and lateral sides of the right knee distal femoral physis. The sham group (n=5) included screw placement only. For the plate group (n=13), unlocked plates, angled from 0 to 76 degrees, connected the screws and spanned the physis. Radiographs were taken at biweekly intervals. After 6 weeks of growth, hindlimbs were harvested and microCT scans performed. Femoral length, distances between screw heads and angle between the plates were measured on radiographs. Femoral length differences were compared between groups. Femoral version was measured from 3D microCT. Plate angle changes were correlated to the difference in femoral version between limbs using Pearson correlation (significance was set to P<0.05 for all comparisons). Femur length difference between the contralateral and the operative side was significantly greater in the plate group compared with the sham group over time (P=0.049). Medial and lateral screw distances changed significantly more in the sham group than the plate group on both sides (P<0.001). A greater initial angle between plates resulted in a greater change in the angle between plates (P<0.001). Significant correlations were found between right-left side femoral version differences and initial plate angle (P=0.003) and plate angle change (P=0.014). The torsional effect of oblique plating seems to correlate with the amount of initial plate angle, with an additional, not negligible, longitudinal growth effect. Placing plates at given angles across open physes may result in predictable changes in bone torsion allowing for a safer and less invasive option when treating childhood torsional deformities, but the resulting shortening of the ipsilateral femur must be considered.

Dynamics of a flexible splitter plate in the wake of a circular cylinder

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shukla, S.; Govardhan, R. N.; Arakeri, J. H.

2013-08-01

Rigid splitter plates in the wake of bluff bodies are known to suppress the primary vortex shedding. In the present work, we experimentally study the problem of a flexible splitter plate in the wake of a circular cylinder. In this case, the splitter plate is free to continuously deform along its length due to the fluid forces acting on it; the flexural rigidity (EI) of the plate being an important parameter. Direct visualizations of the splitter plate motions, for very low values of flexural rigidity (EI), indicate periodic traveling wave type deformations of the splitter plate with maximum tip amplitudes of the order of 1 cylinder diameter. As the Reynolds number based on cylinder diameter is varied, two regimes of periodic splitter plate motions are found that are referred to as mode I and mode II, with a regime of aperiodic motions between them. The frequency of plate motions in both periodic modes is found to be close to the plane cylinder Strouhal number of about 0.2, while the average frequencies in the non-periodic regime are substantially lower. The measured normalized phase speed of the traveling wave for both periodic modes is also close to the convection speed of vortices in the plane cylinder wake. As the flexural rigidity of the plate (EI) is increased, the response of the plate was found to shift to the right when plotted with flow speed or Re. To better capture the effect of varying EI, we define and use a non-dimensional bending stiffness, K*, similar to the ones used in the flag flutter problem, K=EI/(0.5ρUL), where U is the free-stream velocity and L is the splitter plate length. Amplitude data for different EI cases when plotted against this parameter appear to collapse on to a single curve for a given splitter plate length. Measurements of the splitter plate motions for varying splitter plate lengths indicate that plates that are substantially larger than the formation length of the plane cylinder wake have similar responses, while shorter plates show significant differences.

An experimental attenuation plate to improve the dose distribution in intraoperative electron beam radiotherapy for breast cancer.

PubMed

Oshima, T; Aoyama, Y; Shimozato, T; Sawaki, M; Imai, T; Ito, Y; Obata, Y; Tabushi, K

2009-06-07

Intraoperative electron beam radiotherapy (IOERT) is a technique in which a single-fraction high dose is intraoperatively delivered to subclinical tumour cells using an electron beam after breast-conserving surgery. In IOERT, an attenuation plate consisting of a pair of metal disks is commonly used to protect the normal tissues posterior to the breast. However, the dose in front of the plate is affected by backscatter, resulting in an unpredictable delivered dose to the tumour cells. In this study, an experimental attenuation plate, termed a shielding plate, was designed using Monte Carlo simulation, which significantly diminished the electron beam without introducing any backscatter radiation. The plate's performance was verified by measurements. It was made of two layers, a first layer (source side) of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) and a second layer of copper, which was selected from among other metals (aluminium, copper and lead) after testing for shielding capability and the range and magnitude of backscatter. The optimal thicknesses of the PMMA (0.71 cm) and copper (0.3 cm) layers were determined by changing their thicknesses during simulations. On the basis of these results, a shielding plate was prototyped and depth doses with and without the plate were measured by radiophotoluminescence glass dosimeters using a conventional stationary linear accelerator and a mobile linear accelerator dedicated for IOERT. The trial shielding plate functioned as intended, indicating its applicability in clinical practice.

Passive control of coherent structures in a modified backwards-facing step flow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ormonde, Pedro C.; Cavalieri, André V. G.; Silva, Roberto G. A. da; Avelar, Ana C.

2018-05-01

We study a modified backwards-facing step flow, with the addition of two different plates; one is a baseline, impermeable plate and the second a perforated one. An experimental investigation is carried out for a turbulent reattaching shear layer downstream of the two plates. The proposed setup is a model configuration to study how the plate characteristics affect the separated shear layer and how turbulent kinetic energies and large-scale coherent structures are modified. Measurements show that the perforated plate changes the mean flow field, mostly by reducing the intensity of reverse flow close to the bottom wall. Disturbance amplitudes are significantly reduced up to five step heights downstream of the trailing edge of the plate, more specifically in the recirculation region. A loudspeaker is then used to introduce phase-locked, low-amplitude perturbations upstream of the plates, and phase-averaged measurements allow a quantitative study of large-scale structures in the shear-layer. The evolution of such coherent structures is evaluated in light of linear stability theory, comparing the eigenfunction of the Kelvin-Helmholtz mode to the experimental results. We observe a close match of linear-stability eigenfunctions with phase-averaged amplitudes for the two tested Strouhal numbers. The perforated plate is found to reduce the amplitude of the Kelvin-Helmholtz coherent structures in comparison to the baseline, impermeable plate, a behavior consistent with the predicted amplification trends from linear stability.

Image plates as x-ray detectors in plasma physics experiments

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

Gales, S.G.; Bentley, C.D.

2004-10-01

The performance of image plates based on the photostimulable phosphor BaF(Br,l):Eu{sup 2+} has been investigated and compared with x-ray film. Evaluation of detective quantum efficiency (DQE), sensitivity, dynamic range, and linearity was carried out for several types of commercially available image plate, using the Excalibur soft x-ray calibration facility at AWE. Image plate response was found to be linear over a dynamic range of 5 orders of magnitude. One type of image plate was found to have a number of advantages for soft x-ray detection, with a measured sensitivity 1 order of magnitude greater than that of Kodak Industrex CXmore » and DEF-5 x-ray film. The DQE of this plate was found to be superior to that of film at low [less than 10{sup 3} photons/(50 {mu}m){sup 2}] and high fluxes [greater than 10{sup 4} photons/(50 {mu}m){sup 2}]. The spatial resolution of image plates, scanned with several models of commercial image plate readers, has been evaluated using a USAF resolution test target. The highest spatial resolution measured is 35 {mu}m. Though this is significantly lower than the resolution possible with film, it is sufficient for many applications. Image plates were fielded in a refractive x-ray lens imaging diagnostic on the 1 TW Helen laser and these results are discussed.« less

Validation of balance-quality assessment using a modified bathroom scale.

PubMed

Hewson, D J; Duchêne, J; Hogrel, J-Y

2015-02-01

The balance quality tester (BQT), based on a standard electronic bathroom scale has been developed in order to assess balance quality. The BQT includes automatic detection of the person to be tested by means of an infrared detector and bluetooth communication capability for remote assessment when linked to a long-distance communication device such as a mobile phone. The BQT was compared to a standard force plate for validity and agreement. The two most widely reported parameters in balance literature, the area of the centre of pressure (COP) displacement and the velocity of the COP displacement, were compared for 12 subjects, each of whom was tested on ten occasions on each of the 2 days. No significant differences were observed between the BQT and the force plate for either of the two parameters. In addition a high level of agreement was observed between both devices. The BQT is a valid device for remote assessment of balance quality, and could provide a useful tool for long-term monitoring of people with balance problems, particularly during home monitoring.

Combined multiphoton imaging and automated functional enucleation of porcine oocytes using femtosecond laser pulses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuetemeyer, Kai; Lucas-Hahn, Andrea; Petersen, Bjoern; Lemme, Erika; Hassel, Petra; Niemann, Heiner; Heisterkamp, Alexander

2010-07-01

Since the birth of ``Dolly'' as the first mammal cloned from a differentiated cell, somatic cell cloning has been successful in several mammalian species, albeit at low success rates. The highly invasive mechanical enucleation step of a cloning protocol requires sophisticated, expensive equipment and considerable micromanipulation skill. We present a novel noninvasive method for combined oocyte imaging and automated functional enucleation using femtosecond (fs) laser pulses. After three-dimensional imaging of Hoechst-labeled porcine oocytes by multiphoton microscopy, our self-developed software automatically identified the metaphase plate. Subsequent irradiation of the metaphase chromosomes with the very same laser at higher pulse energies in the low-density-plasma regime was used for metaphase plate ablation (functional enucleation). We show that fs laser-based functional enucleation of porcine oocytes completely inhibited the parthenogenetic development without affecting the oocyte morphology. In contrast, nonirradiated oocytes were able to develop parthenogenetically to the blastocyst stage without significant differences to controls. Our results indicate that fs laser systems have great potential for oocyte imaging and functional enucleation and may improve the efficiency of somatic cell cloning.

Performance analysis of ultrasono-therapy transducer with contact detection.

PubMed

Moreno, Eduardo; González, Gilberto; Leija, Lorenzo; Rodríguez, Orlando; Castillo, Martha; Fuentes, Martín

2003-06-01

The performance of ultrasono-therapy transducer with contact detection by using the impedance phase change is described. Usually a therapy transducer is designed with a lambda/2 frontal plate glued to a PZT-4 piezoceramic. This plate ensures a good mechanical protection of the piezoceramic with a corresponding high-transmission energy. Normally this transducer is operated at the minimum at the frequency of the impedance module of its input electric impedance, but this operation point is affected by the shift caused by the expected temperature increase. This shift could be higher than the narrow bandwidth presented. As a result we obtain a decrease in the power level for medical treatment. Usually it is designed electronic drivers with automatic control that follow the frequency change, but the relatively narrow bandwidth introduces difficulty in the design. Another frequency operation point is presented here and analyzed using the criteria of the maximum of the impedance phase with a wider bandwidth than in the previous case. Simulation with mechanical losses are presented with experimental results that show the convenience of this criteria for practical application.

Separating Automatic and Intentional Inhibitory Mechanisms of Attention in Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

PubMed Central

Roberts, Walter; Fillmore, Mark T.; Milich, Richard

2011-01-01

Researchers in the cognitive sciences recognize a fundamental distinction between automatic and intentional mechanisms of inhibitory control. The use of eye-tracking tasks to assess selective attention has led to a better understanding of this distinction in specific populations such as children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This study examined automatic and intentional inhibitory control mechanisms in adults with ADHD using a saccadic interference (SI) task and a delayed ocular response (DOR) task. Thirty adults with ADHD were compared to 27 comparison adults on measures of inhibitory control. The DOR task showed that adults with ADHD were less able than comparison adults to inhibit a reflexive saccade towards the sudden appearance of a stimulus in the periphery. However, SI task performance showed that the ADHD group did not differ significantly from the comparison group on a measure of automatic inhibitory control. These findings suggest a dissociation between automatic and intentional inhibitory deficits in adults with ADHD. PMID:21058752

Shear wave splitting observations across the Juan de Fuca plate system: Ridge- to-trench constraints on mantle flow from 2 years of Cascadia Initiative OBS data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bodmer, M.; Toomey, D. R.; Hooft, E. E. E.

2014-12-01

We present SKS splitting measurements for the first two years of data collected by the Cascadia Initiative (CI) amphibious array. Our analysis includes observations from over 100 ocean bottom seismometers (OBS), as well as 31 onshore stations, and spans both the Juan de Fuca and Gorda plates. The CI dataset is unique in that it includes several regions that can distinctly influence anisotropic fabric development such as: the upwelling mantle beneath the Juan de Fuca and Gorda ridges, the young evolving oceanic lithosphere of the plate interior, the Blanco transform fault, and the Cascadia subduction zone. For the first time, we are able to analyze these regions with a single dataset, and using a common methodology. Splitting measurements are routinely done on land sites, but have been completed on relatively few OBS stations. This is largely due to the low signal to noise present in OBS data, which can obscure the splitting results. To address that nearly all the OBS data exceeds the global high noise limit at the frequencies used for splitting, we implement a rigorous quality control scheme. Our method specifically takes into account the response of common splitting methods to high noise data and addresses known issues such as cycle skipping, false minima, low transverse energy, and near-null measurements. Individual measurements are filtered at 0.03-0.1 Hz, manually checked for quality, and stacked. Preliminary results show trench perpendicular onshore measurements consistent with previous studies. Oceanic measurements in the plate interior show a coherent fast axis roughly aligned with absolute plate motion. Several measurements near the ridge and trench appear to be rotated in the ridge and trench parallel directions. Continuing work will integrate splitting measurements from the final two years of the CI with these findings, which will be used to characterize the ridge-to-trench mantle flow across the Juan de Fuca plate system.

Digitization and Position Measurement of Astronomical Plates of Saturnian Satellites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yan, D.; Yu, Y.; Zhang, H. Y.; Qiao, R. C.

2014-05-01

Using the advanced commercial scanners to digitize astronomical plates may be a simple and effective way. In this paper, we discuss the method of digitizing and astrometrically reducing six astronomical plates of Saturnian satellites, which were taken from the 1 m RCC (Ritchey Chretien Coude) telescope of Yunnan Observatory in 1988, by using the 10000XL scanner of Epson. The digitized images of the astronomical plates of Saturnian satellites are re-reduced, and the positions of Saturnian satellites based on the UCAC2 (The Second US Naval Observatory CCD Astrograph Catalog) catalogue are given. A comparison of our measured positions with the IMCCE (Institut de Mecanique Celeste et de Calcul des Ephemerides) ephemeris of Saturnian satellites shows the high quality of our measurements, which have an accuracy of 106 mas in right ascension and 89 mas in declination. Moreover, our measurements appear to be consistent with this ephemeris within only about 56 mas in right ascension and 9 mas in declination.

A Wide Field of View Plasma Spectrometer

DOE PAGES

Skoug, Ruth M.; Funsten, Herbert O.; Moebius, Eberhard; ...

2016-07-01

Here we present a fundamentally new type of space plasma spectrometer, the wide field of view plasma spectrometer, whose field of view is >1.25π ster using fewer resources than traditional methods. The enabling component is analogous to a pinhole camera with an electrostatic energy-angle filter at the image plane. Particle energy-per-charge is selected with a tunable bias voltage applied to the filter plate relative to the pinhole aperture plate. For a given bias voltage, charged particles from different directions are focused by different angles to different locations. Particles with appropriate locations and angles can transit the filter plate and aremore » measured using a microchannel plate detector with a position-sensitive anode. Full energy and angle coverage are obtained using a single high-voltage power supply, resulting in considerable resource savings and allowing measurements at fast timescales. Lastly, we present laboratory prototype measurements and simulations demonstrating the instrument concept and discuss optimizations of the instrument design for application to space measurements.« less

Robust automatic measurement of 3D scanned models for the human body fat estimation.

PubMed

Giachetti, Andrea; Lovato, Christian; Piscitelli, Francesco; Milanese, Chiara; Zancanaro, Carlo

2015-03-01

In this paper, we present an automatic tool for estimating geometrical parameters from 3-D human scans independent on pose and robustly against the topological noise. It is based on an automatic segmentation of body parts exploiting curve skeleton processing and ad hoc heuristics able to remove problems due to different acquisition poses and body types. The software is able to locate body trunk and limbs, detect their directions, and compute parameters like volumes, areas, girths, and lengths. Experimental results demonstrate that measurements provided by our system on 3-D body scans of normal and overweight subjects acquired in different poses are highly correlated with the body fat estimates obtained on the same subjects with dual-energy X-rays absorptiometry (DXA) scanning. In particular, maximal lengths and girths, not requiring precise localization of anatomical landmarks, demonstrate a good correlation (up to 96%) with the body fat and trunk fat. Regression models based on our automatic measurements can be used to predict body fat values reasonably well.

Several years of experience with automatic DI-flux systems: theory, validation and results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Poncelet, Antoine; Gonsette, Alexandre; Rasson, Jean

2017-09-01

The previous release of our automatic DI-flux instrument, called AutoDIF mk2.2, has now been running continuously since June 2012 in the absolute house of Dourbes magnetic observatory performing measurement every 30 min. A second one has been working in the tunnel of Conrad observatory (Austria) since December 2013. After this proof of concept, we improved the AutoDIF to version mk2.3, which was presented at the 16th IAGA workshop in Hyderabad. As of publication, we have successfully deployed six AutoDIFs in various environments: two in Dourbes (DOU), one in Manhay (MAB), one in Conrad (CON), one in Daejeon (South Korea) and one is used for tests. The latter was installed for 10 months in Chambon-la-Forêt (CLF) and, since 2016, has been in Kakioka (KAK). In this paper, we will compare the automatic to the human-made measurements and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of automatic measurements.

AMBULATORY BLOOD PRESSURE MONITORING: THE NEED OF 7-DAY RECORD

PubMed Central

HALBERG, F.; KATINAS, G.; CORNÉLISSEN, G.; SCHWARTZKOPFF, O.; FIŠER, B.; SIEGELOVÁ, J.; DUŠEK, J.; JANČÍK, J.

2008-01-01

The need for systematic around-the-clock self-measurements of blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR), or preferably for automatic monitoring as the need arises and can be met by inexpensive tools, is illustrated in two case reports. Miniaturized unobtrusive, as yet unavailable instrumentation for the automatic measurement of BP and HR should be a high priority for both government and industry. Automatic ambulatorily functioning monitors already represent great progress, enabling us to introduce the concept of eventually continuous or, as yet, intermittent home ABPM. On BP and HR records, gliding spectra aligned with global spectra visualize the changing dynamics involved in health and disease, and can be part of an eventually automated system of therapy adjusted to the ever-present variability of BP. In the interim, with tools already available, chronomics on self- or automatic measurements can be considered, with analyses provided by the Halberg Chronobiology Center, as an alternative to “flying blind”, as an editor put it. Chronomics assessing variability has to be considered. PMID:19018289

Local earthquake tomography of the Jalisco, Mexico region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Watkins, W. David; Thurber, Clifford H.; Abbott, Elizabeth R.; Brudzinski, Michael R.

2018-01-01

The states of Jalisco, Colima, and Michoacán in western Mexico overlie the boundary of the subducting Rivera and Cocos plates, presenting an ideal target for seismological inquiry to better understand the resulting mantle flow and regional volcanism. The different dips between the two subducting plates are thought to provide a mantle conduit that has contributed to the Colima Volcanic Complex (CVC), but there is considerable debate on the depth of the Rivera plate and width of the resulting conduit. With data from the Mapping the Rivera Subduction Zone (MARS) and Colima Deep Seismic Experiment (CODEX) networks, two temporary broadband arrays deployed in the region between 2006 and 2008, we inverted for three-dimensional P- and S-wave velocity as well as Vp/Vs structure of the upper 70 km of the crust and mantle in the Jalisco region. Using a newly-developed automatic P- and S-wave picker, we increased P picks by 74% and S picks by more than a factor of four compared to a database of manual picks for the 803 earthquakes used in the inversion. Additional relocated earthquakes extending to the trench are consistent with previous interpretations of the Rivera and Cocos plate interfaces. Areas of high Vp/Vs above both subducting slabs suggest the presence of fluids resulting from dehydration of subducted material. Extensive crustal seismicity occurs near these anomalies. A zone of high Vp/Vs is also present under the CVC. We also compare the results of different methods for obtaining Vp/Vs: a direct inversion for Vp/Vs from S minus P times versus simply dividing the Vp model by the Vs model. We find direct inversions of S minus P times to be more reliable.

Analysis of the Seismicity Associated to the Subduction of the Rivera Plate using OBS and Onland Stations.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nuñez-Cornu, F. J.; Barba, D. C., Sr.; Danobeitia, J.; Bandy, W. L.; Zamora-Camacho, A.; Marquez-Ramirez, V. H.; Ambros, M.; Gomez, A.; Sandoval, J. M.; Mortera-Gutierrez, C. A.

2016-12-01

The second stage of TsuJal Project includes the study of passive seismic activity in the region of the plate Rivera and Jalisco block by anchoring OBS and densifying the network of seismic stations on land for at least four months. This stage began in April 2016 with the deployment of 25 Obsidian stations with sensor Le-3D MkIII from the northern part of Nayarit state to the south of Colima state, including the Marias Islands. This temporal seismic network complements the Jalisco Seismic Network (RESAJ) for a total of 50 stations. Offshore, ten OBS type LCHEAPO 2000 with 4 channel (3 seismic short period and 1 pressure) were deployed, in the period from 19 to 30 April 2016 using the BO El Puma from UNAM. The OBS were deployed in an array from the Marias Islands to offcoast of the border of Colima and Michoacan states. On May 4, an earthquake with Ml = 4.2 took place in the contact area of the Rivera Plate, Cocos Plate and the Middle America Trench, subsequently occurred a seismic swarm with over 200 earthquakes until May 16, including an earthquake with Ml = 5.0 on May 7. A second swarm took place between May 28 and Jun 4 including an earthquake with Ml = 4.8 on Jun 1. An analysis of the quality of different location methods is presented: automatic preliminary RESAJ location using Antelope; location with revised RESAJ phases in Antelope; relocation of RESAJ data with hypo and a regional velocity model; relocation of RESAJ data with hypo adding data from the temporal seismic network stations; and finally the relocation adding the data from the OBS network. Moreover, the tectonic implications of these earthquakes are discussed.

Design Guideline for New Generation of High-Temperature Guarded Hot Plate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, J.; Hameury, J.; Failleau, G.; Blahut, A.; Vachova, T.; Strnad, R.; Krause, M.; Rafeld, E.; Hammerschmidt, U.

2018-02-01

This paper complements the existing measurement standards and literature for high-temperature guarded hot plates (HTGHPs) by addressing specific issues relating to thermal conductivity measurement of technical insulation at high temperatures. The examples given are focused on the designs of HTGHPs for measuring thin thermal insulation. The sensitivity studies have been carried out on major influencing factors that affect the thermal conductivity measurements using HTGHPs, e.g., the uncertainty of temperature measurements, plate flatness and center-guard gap design and imbalance. A new configuration of center-guard gap with triangular shape cross section has been optimized to obtain the same thermal resistance as a 2 mm wide gap with rectangular shape cross section that has been used in the HTGHPs at NPL and LNE. Recommendations have been made on the selections of heater plate materials, high-temperature high-emissivity coatings and miniature temperature sensors. For the first time, thermal stress analysis method has been applied to the field of HTGHPs, in order to estimate the effect of differential thermal expansion on the flatness of thin rigid specimens during thermal conductivity tests in a GHP.

Capacitively readout multi-element sensor array with common-mode cancellation

DOEpatents

Britton, Jr., Charles L.; Warmack, Robert J.; Bryan, William L.; Jones, Robert L.; Oden, Patrick Ian; Thundat, Thomas

2001-01-01

An improved multi-element apparatus for detecting the presence of at least one chemical, biological or physical component in a monitored area comprising an array or single set of the following elements: a capacitive transducer having at least one cantilever spring element secured thereto, the cantilever element having an area thereof coated with a chemical having an affinity for the component to be detected; a pick-up plate positioned adjacent to the cantilever element at a distance such that a capacitance between the cantilever element and the pick-up plate changes as the distance between the cantilever element and the pick-up plate varies, the change in capacitance being a measurable variation; a detection means for measuring the measurable variation in the capacitance between the cantilever element and the pick-up plate that forms a measurement channel signal; and at least one feedback cantilever spring element positioned apart from the coated cantilever element, the cantilever element substantially unaffected by the component being monitored and providing a reference channel signal to the detection means that achieves a common mode cancellation between the measurement channel signal and reference channel signal.

Coordinate measuring machine test standard apparatus and method

DOEpatents

Bieg, L.F.

1994-08-30

A coordinate measuring machine test standard apparatus and method are disclosed which includes a rotary spindle having an upper phase plate and an axis of rotation, a kinematic ball mount attached to the phase plate concentric with the axis of rotation of the phase plate, a groove mounted at the circumference of the phase plate, and an arm assembly which rests in the groove. The arm assembly has a small sphere at one end and a large sphere at the other end. The small sphere may be a coordinate measuring machine probe tip and may have variable diameters. The large sphere is secured in the kinematic ball mount and the arm is held in the groove. The kinematic ball mount includes at least three mounting spheres and the groove is an angular locating groove including at least two locking spheres. The arm may have a hollow inner core and an outer layer. The rotary spindle may be a ratio reducer. The device is used to evaluate the measuring performance of a coordinate measuring machine for periodic recertification, including 2 and 3 dimensional accuracy, squareness, straightness, and angular accuracy. 5 figs.

Coordinate measuring machine test standard apparatus and method

DOEpatents

Bieg, Lothar F.

1994-08-30

A coordinate measuring machine test standard apparatus and method which iudes a rotary spindle having an upper phase plate and an axis of rotation, a kinematic ball mount attached to the phase plate concentric with the axis of rotation of the phase plate, a groove mounted at the circumference of the phase plate, and an arm assembly which rests in the groove. The arm assembly has a small sphere at one end and a large sphere at the other end. The small sphere may be a coordinate measuring machine probe tip and may have variable diameters. The large sphere is secured in the kinematic ball mount and the arm is held in the groove. The kinematic ball mount includes at least three mounting spheres and the groove is an angular locating groove including at least two locking spheres. The arm may have a hollow inner core and an outer layer. The rotary spindle may be a ratio reducer. The device is used to evaluate the measuring performance of a coordinate measuring machine for periodic recertification, including 2 and 3 dimensional accuracy, squareness, straightness, and angular accuracy.

Individual Trabecula Segmentation (ITS)-Based Morphological Analyses and Micro Finite Element Analysis of HR-pQCT Images Discriminate Postmenopausal Fragility Fractures Independent of DXA Measurements

PubMed Central

Liu, X. Sherry; Stein, Emily M.; Zhou, Bin; Zhang, Chiyuan A.; Nickolas, Thomas L.; Cohen, Adi; Thomas, Valerie; McMahon, Donald J.; Cosman, Felicia; Nieves, Jeri; Shane, Elizabeth; Guo, X. Edward

2011-01-01

Osteoporosis is typically diagnosed by dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) measurements of areal bone mineral density (aBMD). Emerging technologies, such as high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography (HR-pQCT), may increase the diagnostic accuracy of DXA and enhance our mechanistic understanding of decreased bone strength in osteoporosis. Women with (n=68) and without (n=101) a history of postmenopausal fragility fracture had aBMD measured by DXA, trabecular plate and rod microarchitecture measured by HR-pQCT image-based individual trabeculae segmentation (ITS) analysis, and whole bone and trabecular bone stiffness by micro finite element analysis (μFEA) of HR-pQCT images at the radius and tibia. DXA T-scores were similar in women with and without fractures at the spine, hip and 1/3 radius, but lower in fracture subjects at the ultradistal radius. Trabecular microarchitecture of fracture subjects was characterized by preferential reductions in trabecular plate bone volume, number, and connectivity over rod trabecular parameters, loss of axially aligned trabeculae, and a more rod-like trabecular network. In addition, decreased thickness and size of trabecular plates were observed at the tibia. The differences between groups were greater at the radius than the tibia for plate number, rod bone volume fraction and number and plate-rod and rod-rod junction densities. Most differences between groups remained after adjustment for T-score by DXA. At a fixed bone volume fraction, trabecular plate volume, number and connectivity were directly associated with bone stiffness. In contrast, rod volume, number and connectivity were inversely associated with bone stiffness. In summary, HR-pQCT-based ITS and μFEA measurements discriminate fracture status in postmenopausal women independent of DXA measurements. Moreover, these results suggest that preferential loss of plate-like trabeculae contribute to lower trabecular bone and whole bone stiffness in women with fractures. We conclude that HR-pQCT-based ITS and μFEA measurements increase our understanding of the microstructural pathogenesis of fragility fracture in postmenopausal women. PMID:22072446

Automatic Topography Using High Precision Digital Moire Methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yatagai, T.; Idesawa, M.; Saito, S.

1983-07-01

Three types of moire topographic methods using digital techniques are proposed. Deformed gratings obtained by projecting a reference grating onto an object under test are subjected to digital analysis. The electronic analysis procedures of deformed gratings described here enable us to distinguish between depression and elevation of the object, so that automatic measurement of 3-D shapes and automatic moire fringe interpolation are performed. Based on the digital moire methods, we have developed a practical measurement system, with a linear photodiode array on a micro-stage as a scanning image sensor. Examples of fringe analysis in medical applications are presented.

X-ray evaluation of SEM technique for determining the crystallography of echinoid skeletons.

PubMed

Dillaman, R M; Hart, H V

1981-01-01

Coronal plates of the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus have a microstructure typified by smooth textured trabeculae. When plates were decorated with calcite crystals each rhombohedron had the same orientation regardless of its location on the plate. When the sample was oriented so that the three edges of the rhombohedron formed equal 120 degrees angles and the three crystal faces appeared to form equal angles with the plane of the photograph, the c-axis of the plate paralleled the electron beam and the three a-axes were 30 degrees counterclockwise from the edges. These a-axes were then related to a plate edge recorded in a low magnification micrograph. Directions of the a-axes of each plate were also measured using a back-reflection Laue x-ray diffraction camera. A comparison of a-axes measured by the two techniques showed an average difference of 3 degrees, indicating that decorated crystal grew in crystallographic continuity with the plate. Assuming this relationship remains constant, the decoration technique appears to be an accurate and efficient method for evaluating the crystallography of echinoid skeletal units. Analysis of a polar plot of a-axes for 11 plates indicated that the a-axes were not randomly oriented; however, definitive relationships must await more extensive investigations.

The interpretation of crustal dynamics data in terms of plate interactions and active tectonics of the Anatolian plate and surrounding regions in the Middle East

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Toksoz, M. Nafi; Reilinger, Robert

1992-01-01

A detailed study was made of the consequences of the Arabian plate convergence against Eurasia and its effects on the tectonics of Anatolia and surrounding regions of the eastern Mediterranean. A primary source of information is time rates of change of baseline lengths and relative heights determined by repeated SLR measurements. These SLR observations are augmented by a network of GPS stations in Anatolia, Aegea, and Greece, established and twice surveyed since 1988. The existing SLR and GPS networks provide the spatial resolution necessary to reveal the details of ongoing tectonic processes in this area of continental collision. The effort has involved examining the state of stress in the lithosphere and relative plate motions as revealed by these space based geodetic measurements, seismicity, and earthquake mechanisms as well as the aseismic deformations of the plates from conventional geodetic data and geological evidence. These observations are used to constrain theoretical calculations of the relative effects of: (1) the push of the Arabian plate; (2) high topography of Eastern Anatolia; (3) the geometry and properties of African-Eurasian plate boundary; (4) subduction under the Hellenic Arc and southwestern Turkey; and (5) internal deformation and rotation of the Anatolian plate.

Ultrasonometry evaluation of axial compression osteosinthesis. An experimental study

PubMed Central

Bezuti, Márcio Takey; Mandarano, Luiz Garcia; Barbieri, Giuliano; Mazzer, Nilton; Barbieri, Cláudio Henrique

2013-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To measure the ultrasound propagation velocity (UV) through a tibial transverse osteotomy in sheep, before and after the fixation with a DCP plate. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Ten assemblies of a DCP plate with the diaphyseal segment of tibiae, in which a transverse osteotomy was made, were used. Both coronal and sagittal transverse and the axial UV were measured, first with the intact bone assembled with the plate and then with the uncompressed and compressed osteotomy; statistical comparisons were made at the 1% (p<0.01) level of significance. RESULTS: Compared with the intact bone assembly, axial UV significantly decreased with the addition of the osteotomy and significantly increased with compression, presenting the same behavior for the other modalities, although not significantly. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: In accordance with the literature data on the ultrasonometric evaluation of fracture healing, underwater UV measurement was able to demonstrate the efficiency of DCP plate fixation. The authors conclude that the method has a potential for clinical application in the postoperative follow-up of DCP plate osteosinthesis, with a capability to demonstrate when it becomes ineffective. Laboratory investigation. PMID:24453644

Design and fabrication of a freeform phase plate for high-order ocular aberration correction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yi, Allen Y.; Raasch, Thomas W.

2005-11-01

In recent years it has become possible to measure and in some instances to correct the high-order aberrations of human eyes. We have investigated the correction of wavefront error of human eyes by using phase plates designed to compensate for that error. The wavefront aberrations of the four eyes of two subjects were experimentally determined, and compensating phase plates were machined with an ultraprecision diamond-turning machine equipped with four independent axes. A slow-tool servo freeform trajectory was developed for the machine tool path. The machined phase-correction plates were measured and compared with the original design values to validate the process. The position of the phase-plate relative to the pupil is discussed. The practical utility of this mode of aberration correction was investigated with visual acuity testing. The results are consistent with the potential benefit of aberration correction but also underscore the critical positioning requirements of this mode of aberration correction. This process is described in detail from optical measurements, through machining process design and development, to final results.

Does plate type influence the clinical outcomes and implant removal in midclavicular fractures fixed with 2.7-mm anteroinferior plates? A retrospective cohort study

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background The purpose of this study was to evaluate surgical healing rates, implant failure, implant removal, and the need for surgical revision with regards to plate type in midshaft clavicle fractures fixed with 2.7-mm anteroinferior plates utilizing modern plating techniques. Methods This retrospective exploratory cohort review took place at a level I teaching trauma center and a single large private practice office. A total of 155 skeletally mature individuals with 156 midshaft clavicle fractures between March 2002 and March 2012 were included in the final results. Fractures were identified by mechanism of injury and classified based on OTA/AO criteria. All fractures were fixed with 2.7-mm anteroinferior plates. Primary outcome measurements included implant failure, malunion, nonunion, and implant removal. Secondary outcome measurements included pain with the visual analog scale and range of motion. Statistically significant testing was set at 0.05, and testing was performed using chi-square, Fisher’s exact, Mann–Whitney U, and Kruskall-Wallis. Results Implant failure occurred more often in reconstruction plates as compared to dynamic compression plates (p = 0.029). Malunions and nonunions occurred more often in fractures fixed with reconstruction plates as compared to dynamic compression plates, but it was not statistically significant. Implant removal attributed to irritation or implant prominence was observed in 14 patients. Statistically significant levels of pain were seen in patients requiring implant removal (p = 0.001) but were not associated with the plate type. Conclusions Anteroinferior clavicular fracture fixation with 2.7-mm dynamic compression plates results in excellent healing rates with low removal rates in accordance with the published literature. Given higher rates of failure, 2.7-mm reconstruction plates should be discouraged in comparison to stiffer and more reliable 2.7-mm dynamic compression plates. PMID:24993508

Automatic stereotyping against people with schizophrenia, schizoaffective and affective disorders

PubMed Central

Rüsch, Nicolas; Corrigan, Patrick W.; Todd, Andrew R.; Bodenhausen, Galen V.

2010-01-01

Similar to members of the public, people with mental illness may exhibit general negative automatic prejudice against their own group. However, it is unclear whether more specific negative stereotypes are automatically activated among diagnosed individuals and how such automatic stereotyping may be related to self-reported attitudes and emotional reactions. We therefore studied automatically activated reactions toward mental illness among 85 people with schizophrenia, schizoaffective or affective disorders as well as among 50 members of the general public, using a Lexical Decision Task to measure automatic stereotyping. Deliberately endorsed attitudes and emotional reactions were assessed by self-report. Independent of diagnosis, people with mental illness showed less negative automatic stereotyping than did members of the public. Among members of the public, stronger automatic stereotyping was associated with more self-reported shame about a potential mental illness and more anger toward stigmatized individuals. Reduced automatic stereotyping in the diagnosed group suggests that people with mental illness might not entirely internalize societal stigma. Among members of the public, automatic stereotyping predicted negative emotional reactions to people with mental illness. Initiatives to reduce the impact of public stigma and internalized stigma should take automatic stereotyping and related emotional aspects of stigma into account. PMID:20843560

Segmentation of stereo terrain images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

George, Debra A.; Privitera, Claudio M.; Blackmon, Theodore T.; Zbinden, Eric; Stark, Lawrence W.

2000-06-01

We have studied four approaches to segmentation of images: three automatic ones using image processing algorithms and a fourth approach, human manual segmentation. We were motivated toward helping with an important NASA Mars rover mission task -- replacing laborious manual path planning with automatic navigation of the rover on the Mars terrain. The goal of the automatic segmentations was to identify an obstacle map on the Mars terrain to enable automatic path planning for the rover. The automatic segmentation was first explored with two different segmentation methods: one based on pixel luminance, and the other based on pixel altitude generated through stereo image processing. The third automatic segmentation was achieved by combining these two types of image segmentation. Human manual segmentation of Martian terrain images was used for evaluating the effectiveness of the combined automatic segmentation as well as for determining how different humans segment the same images. Comparisons between two different segmentations, manual or automatic, were measured using a similarity metric, SAB. Based on this metric, the combined automatic segmentation did fairly well in agreeing with the manual segmentation. This was a demonstration of a positive step towards automatically creating the accurate obstacle maps necessary for automatic path planning and rover navigation.

RF current sensor

DOEpatents

Moore, James A.; Sparks, Dennis O.

1998-11-10

An RF sensor having a novel current sensing probe and a voltage sensing probe to measure voltage and current. The current sensor is disposed in a transmission line to link all of the flux generated by the flowing current in order to obtain an accurate measurement. The voltage sensor is a flat plate which operates as a capacitive plate to sense voltage on a center conductor of the transmission line, in which the measured voltage is obtained across a resistance leg of a R-C differentiator circuit formed by the characteristic impedance of a connecting transmission line and a capacitance of the plate, which is positioned proximal to the center conductor.

The interpretation of crustal dynamics data in terms of plate interactions and active tectonics of the Anatolian Plate and surrounding regions in the Middle East

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Toksoz, M. Nafi

1987-01-01

The long term objective of this project is to interpret NASA's Crustal Dynamics measurements (SLR) in the Eastern Mediterranean region in terms of relative plate motions and intraplate deformation. The approach is to combine realistic modeling studies with an analysis of available geophysical and geological observations to provide a framework for interpreting NASA's measurements. This semi-annual report concentrates on recent results regarding the tectonics of Anatolia and surrounding regions from ground based observations. Also briefly reported on is progress made in using GPS measurements to densify SLR observations in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Sentence Similarity Analysis with Applications in Automatic Short Answer Grading

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mohler, Michael A. G.

2012-01-01

In this dissertation, I explore unsupervised techniques for the task of automatic short answer grading. I compare a number of knowledge-based and corpus-based measures of text similarity, evaluate the effect of domain and size on the corpus-based measures, and also introduce a novel technique to improve the performance of the system by integrating…

Automatic Scaffolding and Measurement of Concept Mapping for EFL Students to Write Summaries

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yang, Yu-Fen

2015-01-01

An incorrect concept map may obstruct a student's comprehension when writing summaries if they are unable to grasp key concepts when reading texts. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of automatic scaffolding and measurement of three-layer concept maps on improving university students' writing summaries. The automatic…

Psychrometric measurement of soil water potential: Stability of calibration and test of pressure-plate samples

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

Jones, T.L.; Gee, G.W.; Heller, P.R.

1990-08-01

A commercially available thermocouple psychrometer sample changer (Decagon SC-10A) was used to measure the water potential of field soils ranging in texture from sand to silty clay loam over a range of {minus}0.5 to {minus}20.0 MPa. The standard error of prediction based on regression statistics was generally between 0.04 and 0.14 MPa at {minus}5 MPa. Replacing the measuring junction of the unit changed the calibration slightly; however, it did not significantly alter measurement accuracy. Calibration curves measured throughout a year of testing are consistent and indicate no systematic drift in calibration. Most measurement uncertainty is produced by shifts in themore » intercept in the calibration equation rather than the slope. Both the variability in intercept and the regression error seem to be random. Measurements taken with the SC-10A show that water potential in both sand and silt loam samples removed from 1.5-MPa pressure plates was often 0.5 to 1.0 MPa greater than the 1.5-MPa applied pressure. Limited data from 0.5-MPa pressure plates show close agreement between SC-10A measurements and pressure applied to these more permeable plates.« less

Automatic three-dimensional measurement of large-scale structure based on vision metrology.

PubMed

Zhu, Zhaokun; Guan, Banglei; Zhang, Xiaohu; Li, Daokui; Yu, Qifeng

2014-01-01

All relevant key techniques involved in photogrammetric vision metrology for fully automatic 3D measurement of large-scale structure are studied. A new kind of coded target consisting of circular retroreflective discs is designed, and corresponding detection and recognition algorithms based on blob detection and clustering are presented. Then a three-stage strategy starting with view clustering is proposed to achieve automatic network orientation. As for matching of noncoded targets, the concept of matching path is proposed, and matches for each noncoded target are found by determination of the optimal matching path, based on a novel voting strategy, among all possible ones. Experiments on a fixed keel of airship have been conducted to verify the effectiveness and measuring accuracy of the proposed methods.

NDT inspections exploiting invariances on scale transformations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramos, Helena Geirinhas; Torres, João; Ribeiro, Artur L.; Rebello, João

2015-03-01

The aim of this paper is to show the invariance on the giant magneto-resistor sensor (GMR) output response in the measurement of different plate thicknesses when the problem is resized. To resize the problem, two different probes were projected, implemented and tested: one, with all the dimensions resized by four times the other. Both probes include a pancake coil for magnetic field sinusoidal excitation and measurements are taken with a sensitive bridge fabricated from four giant magneto-resistors (GMR). It is demonstrated, experimentally and with numerical simulation, that the same response value is obtained for two diferent plate thicknesses if dilation principle is kept in the probe's dimensions and electrical quantities. The paper uses the dilation principle to show the invariance of the magnetic field measured by a similar magnetic sensors when data is acquired with the bigger probe on a plate with a thickness four times of the plate thickness used with the smaller probe.

Measurement of toroidal vessel eddy current during plasma disruption on J-TEXT

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

Liu, L. J.; Yu, K. X.; Zhang, M., E-mail: zhangming@hust.edu.cn

2016-01-15

In this paper, we have employed a thin, printed circuit board eddy current array in order to determine the radial distribution of the azimuthal component of the eddy current density at the surface of a steel plate. The eddy current in the steel plate can be calculated by analytical methods under the simplifying assumptions that the steel plate is infinitely large and the exciting current is of uniform distribution. The measurement on the steel plate shows that this method has high spatial resolution. Then, we extended this methodology to a toroidal geometry with the objective of determining the poloidal distributionmore » of the toroidal component of the eddy current density associated with plasma disruption in a fusion reactor called J-TEXT. The preliminary measured result is consistent with the analysis and calculation results on the J-TEXT vacuum vessel.« less

Static properties of hydrostatic thrust gas bearings with curved surfaces.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rehsteiner, F. H.; Cannon, R. H., Jr.

1971-01-01

The classical treatment of circular, hydrostatic, orifice-regulated thrust gas bearings, in which perfectly plane bearing plates are assumed, is extended to include axisymmetric, but otherwise arbitrary, plate profiles. Plate curvature has a strong influence on bearing load capability, static stiffness, tilting stiffness, and side force per unit misalignment angle. By a suitable combination of gas inlet impedance and concave plate profile, the static stiffness can be made almost constant over a wide load range, and to remain positive at the closure load. Extensive measurements performed with convex and concave plates agree with theory to within the experimental error throughout and demonstrate the practical feasibility of using curved plates.

On the strain energy of laminated composite plates

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Atilgan, Ali R.; Hodges, Dewey H.

1991-01-01

The present effort to obtain the asymptotically correct form of the strain energy in inhomogeneous laminated composite plates proceeds from the geometrically nonlinear elastic theory-based three-dimensional strain energy by decomposing the nonlinear three-dimensional problem into a linear, through-the-thickness analysis and a nonlinear, two-dimensional analysis analyzing plate formation. Attention is given to the case in which each lamina exhibits material symmetry about its middle surface, deriving closed-form analytical expressions for the plate elastic constants and the displacement and strain distributions through the plate's thickness. Despite the simplicity of the plate strain energy's form, there are no restrictions on the magnitudes of displacement and rotation measures.

Automatic phase aberration compensation for digital holographic microscopy based on deep learning background detection.

PubMed

Nguyen, Thanh; Bui, Vy; Lam, Van; Raub, Christopher B; Chang, Lin-Ching; Nehmetallah, George

2017-06-26

We propose a fully automatic technique to obtain aberration free quantitative phase imaging in digital holographic microscopy (DHM) based on deep learning. The traditional DHM solves the phase aberration compensation problem by manually detecting the background for quantitative measurement. This would be a drawback in real time implementation and for dynamic processes such as cell migration phenomena. A recent automatic aberration compensation approach using principle component analysis (PCA) in DHM avoids human intervention regardless of the cells' motion. However, it corrects spherical/elliptical aberration only and disregards the higher order aberrations. Traditional image segmentation techniques can be employed to spatially detect cell locations. Ideally, automatic image segmentation techniques make real time measurement possible. However, existing automatic unsupervised segmentation techniques have poor performance when applied to DHM phase images because of aberrations and speckle noise. In this paper, we propose a novel method that combines a supervised deep learning technique with convolutional neural network (CNN) and Zernike polynomial fitting (ZPF). The deep learning CNN is implemented to perform automatic background region detection that allows for ZPF to compute the self-conjugated phase to compensate for most aberrations.

S/Ka Dichroic Plate with Rounded Corners for NASA's 34-m Beam-Waveguide Antenna

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Veruttipong, W.; Khayatian, B.; Imbriale, W.

2016-02-01

An S-/Ka-band frequency selective surface (FSS) or a dichroic plate is designed, manufactured, and tested for use in NASA's Deep Space Network (DSN) 34-m beam-waveguide (BWG) antennas. Due to its large size, the proposed dichroic incorporates a new design feature: waveguides with rounded corners to cut cost and allow ease of manufacturing the plate. The dichroic is designed using an analysis that combines the finite-element method (FEM) for arbitrarily shaped guides with the method of moments and Floquet mode theory for periodic structures. The software was verified by comparison with previously measured and computed dichroic plates. The large plate was manufactured with end-mill machining. The RF performance was measured and is in excellent agreement with the analytical results. The dichroic has been successfully installed and is operational at DSS-24, DSS-34, and DSS-54.

An experimental investigation of a turbulent shear flow with separation, reverse flow, and reattachment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ruderich, R.; Fernholz, H. H.

1986-02-01

Attention is given to the turbulent and disturbed flow over a bluff plate having a long splitter plate in its plane-of-symmetry, so that the flow separates at the sharp bevelled edge of the bluff plate, forms a free shear layer above the reverse flow region, and reattaches on the splitter plate over a narrow region that is curved in spanwise direction. Hot wire and pulsed wire anemometry were used to measure mean velocity, Reynolds shear stress and Reynolds normal stress distributions, and spectra and integral length-scales were measured to investigate the state and structure of the flow. Mean and fluctuating qualities showed a self-similar behavior in a short region upstream of the reattachment, as well as 'profile-similarity' in the separated shear layer and along the splitter plate downstream from reattachment. No flapping or reattaching shear layer was observed.

Combining Space-Based and In-Situ Measurements to Track Flooding in Thailand

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chien, Steve; Doubleday, Joshua; Mclaren, David; Tran, Daniel; Tanpipat, Veerachai; Chitradon, Royal; Boonya-aaroonnet, Surajate; Thanapakpawin, Porranee; Khunboa, Chatchai; Leelapatra, Watis;

The use of computed radiography plates to determine light and radiation field coincidence.

PubMed

Kerns, James R; Anand, Aman

2013-11-01

Photo-stimulable phosphor computed radiography (CR) has characteristics that allow the output to be manipulated by both radiation and optical light. The authors have developed a method that uses these characteristics to carry out radiation field and light field coincidence quality assurance on linear accelerators. CR detectors from Kodak were used outside their cassettes to measure both radiation and light field edges from a Varian linear accelerator. The CR detector was first exposed to a radiation field and then to a slightly smaller light field. The light impinged on the detector's latent image, removing to an extent the portion exposed to the light field. The detector was then digitally scanned. A MATLAB-based algorithm was developed to automatically analyze the images and determine the edges of the light and radiation fields, the vector between the field centers, and the crosshair center. Radiographic film was also used as a control to confirm the radiation field size. Analysis showed a high degree of repeatability with the proposed method. Results between the proposed method and radiographic film showed excellent agreement of the radiation field. The effect of varying monitor units and light exposure time was tested and found to be very small. Radiation and light field sizes were determined with an uncertainty of less than 1 mm, and light and crosshair centers were determined within 0.1 mm. A new method was developed to digitally determine the radiation and light field size using CR photo-stimulable phosphor plates. The method is quick and reproducible, allowing for the streamlined and robust assessment of light and radiation field coincidence, with no observer interpretation needed.

Balanced Flow Measurement and Conditioning Technology (Balanced Orifice Plate 7,051,765 B1) for NASA Inventions and Contributions Board Invention of the Year Evaluation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kelley, Anthony R.

2008-01-01

This viewgraph document reviews the Balanced Flow Measurement (BFM) and Conditioning Technology, and makes the case for this as the NASA Invention of the Year. The BFM technology makes use of a thin, multi-hole orifice plate with holes sized and placed per a unique set of equations. It produces mass flow, volumetric flow,kinelic energy,or momentum BALANCE across the face of the plate. The flow is proportional.to the square root of upstream to downstream differential pressure. Multiple holes lead to smoother pressure measurement. Measures and conditions or can limit fluid flow. This innovation has many uses in and out of NASA.

Vibration analysis of angle-ply laminated composite plates with an embedded piezoceramic layer.

PubMed

Lin, Hsien-Yang; Huang, Jin-Hung; Ma, Chien-Ching

2003-09-01

An optical full-field technique, called amplitude-fluctuation electronic speckle pattern interferometry (AF-ESPI), is used in this study to investigate the force-induced transverse vibration of an angle-ply laminated composite embedded with a piezoceramic layer (piezolaminated plates). The piezolaminated plates are excited by applying time-harmonic voltages to the embedded piezoceramic layer. Because clear fringe patterns will appear only at resonant frequencies, both the resonant frequencies and mode shapes of the vibrating piezolaminated plates with five different fiber orientation angles are obtained by the proposed AF-ESPI method. A laser Doppler vibrometer (LDV) system that has the advantage of high resolution and broad dynamic range also is applied to measure the frequency response of piezolaminated plates. In addition to the two proposed optical techniques, numerical computations based on a commercial finite element package are presented for comparison with the experimental results. Three different numerical formulations are used to evaluate the vibration characteristics of piezolaminated plates. Good agreements of the measured data by the optical method and the numerical results predicted by the finite element method (FEM) demonstrate that the proposed methodology in this study is a powerful tool for the vibration analysis of piezolaminated plates.

Global tectonics and space geodesy.

PubMed

Gordon, R G; Stein, S

1992-04-17

Much of the success of plate tectonics can be attributed to the near rigidity of tectonic plates and the availability of data that describe the rates and directions of motion across narrow plate boundaries \\m=~\\1 to 60 kilometers wide. Nonetheless, many plate boundaries in both continental and oceanic lithosphere are not narrow but are hundreds to thousands of kilometers wide. Wide plate boundary zones cover \\m=~\\15 percent of Earth's surface area. Space geodesy, which includes very long baseline radio interferometry, satellite laser ranging, and the global positioning system, is providing the accurate long-distance measurements needed to estimate the present motion across and within wide plate boundary zones. Space geodetic data show that plate velocities averaged over years are remarkably similar to velocities averaged over millions of years.

High-throughput measurements of biochemical responses using the plate::vision multimode 96 minilens array reader.

PubMed

Huang, Kuo-Sen; Mark, David; Gandenberger, Frank Ulrich

2006-01-01

The plate::vision is a high-throughput multimode reader capable of reading absorbance, fluorescence, fluorescence polarization, time-resolved fluorescence, and luminescence. Its performance has been shown to be quite comparable with other readers. When the reader is integrated into the plate::explorer, an ultrahigh-throughput screening system with event-driven software and parallel plate-handling devices, it becomes possible to run complicated assays with kinetic readouts in high-density microtiter plate formats for high-throughput screening. For the past 5 years, we have used the plate::vision and the plate::explorer to run screens and have generated more than 30 million data points. Their throughput, performance, and robustness have speeded up our drug discovery process greatly.

Global tectonics and space geodesy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gordon, Richard G.; Stein, Seth

1992-01-01

Much of the success of plate tectonics can be attributed to the near rigidity of tectonic plates and the availability of data that describe the rates and directions of motion across narrow plate boundaries of about 1 to 60 kilometers. Nonetheless, many plate boundaries in both continental and oceanic lithosphere are not narrow but are hundreds to thousands of kilometers wide. Wide plate boundary zones cover approximately 15 percent of earth's surface area. Space geodesy, which includes very long baseline radio interferometry, satellite laser ranging, and the global positioning system, provides the accurate long-distance measurements needed to estimate the present motion across and within wide plate boundary zones. Space geodetic data show that plate velocities averaged over years are remarkably similar to velocities avaraged over millions of years.

Automated measurement of retinal vascular tortuosity.

PubMed Central

Hart, W. E.; Goldbaum, M.; Côté, B.; Kube, P.; Nelson, M. R.

1997-01-01

Automatic measurement of blood vessel tortuosity is a useful capability for automatic ophthalmological diagnostic tools. We describe a suite of automated tortuosity measures for blood vessel segments extracted from RGB retinal images. The tortuosity measures were evaluated in two classification tasks: (1) classifying the tortuosity of blood vessel segments and (2) classifying the tortuosity of blood vessel networks. These tortuosity measures were able to achieve a classification rate of 91% for the first problem and 95% on the second problem, which confirms that they capture much of the ophthalmologists' notion of tortuosity. Images Figure 1 PMID:9357668

Kinematics of the New Zealand plate boundary: Relative motion by GPS across networks of 1000 km and 50 km spacing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Meertens, Charles M.; Rocken, Christian; Perin, Barbara; Walcott, Richard

1993-01-01

The NASA/DOSE 'Kinematics of the New Zealand Plate Boundary' experiment is a four-year cooperative Global Positioning System (GPS) experiment involving 6 universities and institutions in New Zealand and the United States. The investigation covers two scales, the first on the scale of plates (approximately 1000 km) and the second is on the scale of the plate boundary zone (approximately 50 km). In the first portion of the experiment, phase A, the objective is to make direct measurements of tectonic plate motion between the Australian and Pacific plates using GPS in order to determine the Euler vector of this plate pair. The phase A portion of this experiment was initiated in December 1992 with the first-epoch baseline measurements on the large scale network. The network will be resurveyed two years later to obtain velocities. The stations which were observed for phase A are shown and listed. Additional regional stations which will be used for this study are listed and are part of either CIGNET or other global tracking networks. The phase A portion of the experiment is primarily the responsibility of the UNAVCO investigators. Therefore, this report concentrates on phase A. The first year of NASA funding for phase A included only support for the field work. Processing and analysis will take place with the second year of funding. The second part of the experiemnt measured relative motion between the Australian and Pacific plates across the pate boundary zone between Hokitika and Christchurch on the South Island of New Zealand. The extent and rate of deformation will be determined by comparisons with historical, conventional surveys and by repeated GPS measurements to be made in two years. This activity was the emphasis of the LDGO portion of the study. An ancillary experiment, phase C, concentrated on plate boundary deformation in the vicinity of Wellington and was done as part of training during the early portion of the field campaign. Details of the objectives of the field investigations are given in the appendix. An overview of the 1992 GPS field program is also given in the appendix.

Calibration of AN Acoustic Sensor (geophone) for Continuous Bedload Monitoring in Mountainous Streams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsakiris, A. G.; Papanicolaou, T.

2010-12-01

Measurement of bedload rates is a crucial component in the study of alluvial processes in mountainous streams. Stream restoration efforts, the validation of morphodynamic models and the calibration empirical transport formulae rely on accurate bedload transport measurements. Bedload measurements using traditional methods (e.g. samplers, traps) are time consuming, resource intensive and not always feasible, especially at higher flow conditions. These limitations could potentially be addressed by acoustic instruments, which may provide unattended, continuous bedload measurements even at higher flow conditions, provided that these instruments are properly calibrated. The objective of this study is to calibrate an acoustic instrument (geophone) for performing bedload measurements in a well-monitored laboratory environment at conditions corresponding to low flow regime in mountainous streams. The geophone was manufactured by ClampOn® and was attached to the bottom of a steel plate with dimensions 0.15x0.15 m. The geophone registers the energy of the acoustic signal produced by the movement of the bedload particles over the steel plate with time resolution of one second. The plate-sensor system was installed in an acrylic housing such that the steel plate top surface was at the same level with the surface of a flat porous bed consisting of unisize spheres with diameter 19.1 mm. Unisize spherical glass particles, 15.9 mm in diameter, were preplaced along a 2 m long section upstream of the sensor, and were entrained over the steel plate. In these experiments, the geophone records spanned the complete experiment duratio. Plan view video of the particle movement over the steel plate was recorded via an overhead camera, and was used to calculate the actual bedload rate over the steel plate. Synchronized analysis of this plan view video and the geophone time series revealed that the geophone detected 62% of the bedload particles passing over the steel plate, which triggered discernable peaks in the time series. The bedload rate over the plate correlated as a power law relation with the magnitude of the registered peaks. This relation can be used for estimating the temporal variations of bedload from the record of the geophones records, which can produce continuous records and thus bedload measurements over extended time periods. Future research on the geophones is guaranteed and will aim on calibrating the geophones for particle movement at higher flow conditions where general sediment movement and possibly particle saltation occur.

Three-dimensional high-speed optical coherence tomography imaging of lamina cribrosa in glaucoma.

PubMed

Inoue, Ryo; Hangai, Masanori; Kotera, Yuriko; Nakanishi, Hideo; Mori, Satoshi; Morishita, Shiho; Yoshimura, Nagahisa

2009-02-01

To evaluate the appearance of the optic nerve head and lamina cribrosa in patients with glaucoma using spectral/Fourier-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) and to test for a correlation between lamina cribrosa thickness measured on SD-OCT images and visual field loss. Observational case series. We evaluated 52 eyes of 30 patients with glaucoma or ocular hypertension. The high-speed SD-OCT equipment used was a prototype system developed for 3-dimensional (3D) imaging. It had a sensitivity of 98 decibels (dB), a tissue axial resolution of 4.3 mum, and an acquisition rate of approximately 18,700 axial scans per second. For 3D analyses, a raster scan protocol of 256 x 256 axial scans covering a 2.8 x 2.8 mm disc area was used. Lamina cribrosa thickness was measured on 3D images using 3D image processing software. Correlation between lamina cribrosa thickness and mean deviation (MD) values obtained using static automatic perimetry were tested for statistical significance. Clarity of lamina cribrosa features, lamina cribrosa thickness, and MD values on static automatic perimetry. On 3D images, the lamina cribrosa appeared clearly as a highly reflective plate that was bowed posteriorly and contained many circular areas of low reflectivity. The dots of low reflectivity visible just beneath the anterior surface of the lamina cribrosa in en face cross-sections corresponded with dots representing lamina pores in color fundus photographs. The mean (+/-1 standard deviation) thickness of the lamina cribrosa was 190.5+/-52.7 mum (range, 80.5-329.0). Spearman rank testing and linear regression analysis showed that lamina cribrosa thickness correlated significantly with MD (Spearman sigma = 0.744; P<0.001; r(2) = 0.493; P<0.001). Different observers performed measurements of the lamina cribrosa thickness in SD-OCT cross-sectional images with high reproducibility (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.784). These 3D SD-OCT imaging clearly demonstrated the 3D structure of the lamina cribrosa and allowed measurement of its thickness, which correlated significantly with visual field loss, in living patients with glaucoma. This noninvasive imaging technique should facilitate investigations of structural changes in the optic nerve head lamina cribrosa in eyes with optic nerve damage due to glaucoma. The authors have no proprietary or commercial interest in any materials discussed in this article.

Robo-Lector – a novel platform for automated high-throughput cultivations in microtiter plates with high information content

PubMed Central

Huber, Robert; Ritter, Daniel; Hering, Till; Hillmer, Anne-Kathrin; Kensy, Frank; Müller, Carsten; Wang, Le; Büchs, Jochen

2009-01-01

Background In industry and academic research, there is an increasing demand for flexible automated microfermentation platforms with advanced sensing technology. However, up to now, conventional platforms cannot generate continuous data in high-throughput cultivations, in particular for monitoring biomass and fluorescent proteins. Furthermore, microfermentation platforms are needed that can easily combine cost-effective, disposable microbioreactors with downstream processing and analytical assays. Results To meet this demand, a novel automated microfermentation platform consisting of a BioLector and a liquid-handling robot (Robo-Lector) was sucessfully built and tested. The BioLector provides a cultivation system that is able to permanently monitor microbial growth and the fluorescence of reporter proteins under defined conditions in microtiter plates. Three examplary methods were programed on the Robo-Lector platform to study in detail high-throughput cultivation processes and especially recombinant protein expression. The host/vector system E. coli BL21(DE3) pRhotHi-2-EcFbFP, expressing the fluorescence protein EcFbFP, was hereby investigated. With the method 'induction profiling' it was possible to conduct 96 different induction experiments (varying inducer concentrations from 0 to 1.5 mM IPTG at 8 different induction times) simultaneously in an automated way. The method 'biomass-specific induction' allowed to automatically induce cultures with different growth kinetics in a microtiter plate at the same biomass concentration, which resulted in a relative standard deviation of the EcFbFP production of only ± 7%. The third method 'biomass-specific replication' enabled to generate equal initial biomass concentrations in main cultures from precultures with different growth kinetics. This was realized by automatically transferring an appropiate inoculum volume from the different preculture microtiter wells to respective wells of the main culture plate, where subsequently similar growth kinetics could be obtained. Conclusion The Robo-Lector generates extensive kinetic data in high-throughput cultivations, particularly for biomass and fluorescence protein formation. Based on the non-invasive on-line-monitoring signals, actions of the liquid-handling robot can easily be triggered. This interaction between the robot and the BioLector (Robo-Lector) combines high-content data generation with systematic high-throughput experimentation in an automated fashion, offering new possibilities to study biological production systems. The presented platform uses a standard liquid-handling workstation with widespread automation possibilities. Thus, high-throughput cultivations can now be combined with small-scale downstream processing techniques and analytical assays. Ultimately, this novel versatile platform can accelerate and intensify research and development in the field of systems biology as well as modelling and bioprocess optimization. PMID:19646274

High intensity acoustic tests of a thermally stressed aluminum plate in TAFA

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ng, Chung Fai; Clevenson, Sherman A.

1989-01-01

An investigation was conducted in the Thermal Acoustic Fatigue Apparatus at the Langley Research Center to study the acoustically excited random motion of an aluminum plate which is buckled due to thermal stresses. The thermal buckling displacements were measured and compared with theory. The general trends of the changes in resonances frequencies and random responses of the plate agree with previous theoretical prediction and experimental results for a mechanically buckled plate.

Detailed measurements of local thickness changes for U-7Mo dispersion fuel plates with Al-3.5Si matrix after irradiation at different powers in the RERTR-9B experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Keiser, Dennis D.; Williams, Walter; Robinson, Adam; Wachs, Dan; Moore, Glenn; Crawford, Doug

2017-10-01

The Materials Management and Minimization program is developing fuel designs to replace highly enriched fuel with fuels of low enrichment. Swelling is an important irradiation behavior that needs to be well understood. Data from high resolution thickness measurements performed on U-7Mo dispersion fuel plates with Al-Si alloy matrices that were irradiated at high power is sparse. This paper reports the results of detailed thickness measurements performed on two dispersion fuel plates that were irradiated at relatively high power to high fission densities in the Advanced Test Reactor in the same RERTR-9B experiment. Both plates were irradiated to similar fission densities, but one was irradiated at a higher power than the other. The goal of this work is to identify any differences in the swelling behavior when fuel plates are irradiated at different powers to the same fission densities. Based on the results of detailed thickness measurments, more swelling occurs when a U-7Mo dispersion fuel with Al-3.5Si matrix is irradiated to a high fission density at high power compared to one irradiated at a lower power to high fission density.

Apparatus for Use in Determining Surface Conductivity at Microwave Frequencies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hearn, Chase P. (Inventor)

1995-01-01

An apparatus is provided for use in determining surface conductivity of a flat or shaped conductive material at microwave frequencies. A plate has an electrically conductive surface with first and second holes passing through the plate. An electrically conductive material under test (MUT) is maintained in a spaced apart relationship with the electrically conductive surface of the plate by one or more nonconductive spacers. A first coupling loop is electrically shielded within the first hole while a second coupling loop is electrically shielded within the second hole. A dielectric resonator element is positioned between the first and second coupling loops, while also being positioned closer to the MUT than the electrically conductive surface of the plate. Microwave energy at an operating frequency f is supplied from a signal source to the first coupling loop while microwave energy received at the second coupling loop is measured. The apparatus is capable of measuring the Q-factor of the dielectric resonator situated in the 'cavity' existing between the electrically conductive surface of the plate and the MUT. Surface conductivity of the electrically conductive surface can be determined via interpolation using: 1 ) the measured Q-factor with the electrically conductive surface in place, and 2) the measured Q-factor when the MUT is replaced with reference standards having known surface conductivities.

Measurement of energy deposited by charged particle beams in composite targets. [0. 5 to 28. 5 GeV

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

Crase, K.; Farley, W.E.; Kruger, H.

1977-11-03

The energies deposited in composite targets by proton beams from 0.8 to 28.5 GeV energy and by an electron beam at 0.5 GeV energy were measured. The targets consisted of various thicknesses of /sup 238/U shower plates backed by a composite detector plate consisting of a 5-cm-thick CH/sub 2/ moderator and a 0.635-cm /sup 238/U plate. The spacing between the shower and detector plates was varied to allow different spreading of the shower between plates. Passive detectors (thermoluminescence dosimeters, Lexan fission track recorders, photographic emulsions, and removable /sup 238/U pieces) were used to measure the fission-fragment dose and the nonfissionmore » dose at various depths and radial positions in the targets. Plots and numerical values of the measured doses are presented for comparison with computer code calculations. To provide a basis for comparison of the effects of different particle beam energies, data along the beam axes are presented as specific dose (cal/g per incident integrated kJ/cm/sup 2/). In general, the higher the incident proton energy, the larger is the dose in the back of the target relative to that in the front.« less

Automatic Tuning Matching Cycler (ATMC) in situ NMR spectroscopy as a novel approach for real-time investigations of Li- and Na-ion batteries

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

Pecher, Oliver; Bayley, Paul M.; Liu, Hao

We have developed and explored the use of a new Automatic Tuning Matching Cycler (ATMC) in situ NMR probe system to track the formation of intermediate phases and investigate electrolyte decomposition during electrochemical cycling of Li- and Na-ion batteries (LIBs and NIBs). The new approach addresses many of the issues arising during in situ NMR, e.g., significantly different shifts of the multi-component samples, changing sample conditions (such as the magnetic susceptibility and conductivity) during cycling, signal broadening due to paramagnetism as well as interferences between the NMR and external cycler circuit that might impair the experiments. We provide practical insightmore » into how to conduct ATMC in situ NMR experiments and discuss applications of the methodology to LiFePO4 (LFP) and Na3V2(PO4)2F3 cathodes as well as Na metal anodes. Automatic frequency sweep 7Li in situ NMR reveals significant changes of the strongly paramagnetic broadened LFP line shape in agreement with the structural changes due to delithiation. Additionally, 31P in situ NMR shows a full separation of the electrolyte and cathode NMR signals and is a key feature for a deeper understanding of the processes occurring during charge/discharge on the local atomic scale of NMR. 31P in situ NMR with “on-the-fly” re-calibrated, varying carrier frequencies on Na3V2(PO4)2F3 as a cathode in a NIB enabled the detection of different P signals within a huge frequency range of 4000 ppm. The experiments show a significant shift and changes in the number as well as intensities of 31P signals during desodiation/sodiation of the cathode. The in situ experiments reveal changes of local P environments that in part have not been seen in ex situ NMR investigations. Furthermore, we applied ATMC 23Na in situ NMR on symmetrical Na–Na cells during galvanostatic plating. An automatic adjustment of the NMR carrier frequency during the in situ experiment ensured on-resonance conditions for the Na metal and electrolyte peak, respectively. Thus, interleaved measurements with different optimal NMR set-ups for the metal and electrolyte, respectively, became possible. This allowed the formation of different Na metal species as well as a quantification of electrolyte consumption during the electrochemical experiment to be monitored. The new approach is likely to benefit a further understanding of Na-ion battery chemistries.« less

Automatic Tuning Matching Cycler (ATMC) in situ NMR spectroscopy as a novel approach for real-time investigations of Li- and Na-ion batteries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pecher, Oliver; Bayley, Paul M.; Liu, Hao; Liu, Zigeng; Trease, Nicole M.; Grey, Clare P.

2016-04-01

We have developed and explored the use of a new Automatic Tuning Matching Cycler (ATMC) in situ NMR probe system to track the formation of intermediate phases and investigate electrolyte decomposition during electrochemical cycling of Li- and Na-ion batteries (LIBs and NIBs). The new approach addresses many of the issues arising during in situ NMR, e.g., significantly different shifts of the multi-component samples, changing sample conditions (such as the magnetic susceptibility and conductivity) during cycling, signal broadening due to paramagnetism as well as interferences between the NMR and external cycler circuit that might impair the experiments. We provide practical insight into how to conduct ATMC in situ NMR experiments and discuss applications of the methodology to LiFePO4 (LFP) and Na3V2(PO4)2F3 cathodes as well as Na metal anodes. Automatic frequency sweep 7Li in situ NMR reveals significant changes of the strongly paramagnetic broadened LFP line shape in agreement with the structural changes due to delithiation. Additionally, 31P in situ NMR shows a full separation of the electrolyte and cathode NMR signals and is a key feature for a deeper understanding of the processes occurring during charge/discharge on the local atomic scale of NMR. 31P in situ NMR with "on-the-fly" re-calibrated, varying carrier frequencies on Na3V2(PO4)2F3 as a cathode in a NIB enabled the detection of different P signals within a huge frequency range of 4000 ppm. The experiments show a significant shift and changes in the number as well as intensities of 31P signals during desodiation/sodiation of the cathode. The in situ experiments reveal changes of local P environments that in part have not been seen in ex situ NMR investigations. Furthermore, we applied ATMC 23Na in situ NMR on symmetrical Na-Na cells during galvanostatic plating. An automatic adjustment of the NMR carrier frequency during the in situ experiment ensured on-resonance conditions for the Na metal and electrolyte peak, respectively. Thus, interleaved measurements with different optimal NMR set-ups for the metal and electrolyte, respectively, became possible. This allowed the formation of different Na metal species as well as a quantification of electrolyte consumption during the electrochemical experiment to be monitored. The new approach is likely to benefit a further understanding of Na-ion battery chemistries.

Studies of Aerodynamic Drag.

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-12-01

31. Strouhal number vs Reynolds number - Effect of Wind tunnel Blockage. 150- P ecrit 100- 50k- o present d Qta o Mitry (1977) --Shair et ati (1963) 0...forces measured by the balance. 4.12 Final Tests A comprehensive set of drag measurements was taken with the new drag plates, the drag plates being

The San Andreas fault experiment. [gross tectonic plates relative velocity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, D. E.; Vonbun, F. O.

1973-01-01

A plan was developed during 1971 to determine gross tectonic plate motions along the San Andreas Fault System in California. Knowledge of the gross motion along the total fault system is an essential component in the construction of realistic deformation models of fault regions. Such mathematical models will be used in the future for studies which will eventually lead to prediction of major earthquakes. The main purpose of the experiment described is the determination of the relative velocity of the North American and the Pacific Plates. This motion being so extremely small, cannot be measured directly but can be deduced from distance measurements between points on opposite sites of the plate boundary taken over a number of years.

Anatomic Considerations for Plating of the Distal Ulna

PubMed Central

Hazel, Antony; Nemeth, Nicole; Bindra, Randy

2015-01-01

Purpose The purpose of our study was to examine the anatomy of the distal ulna and identify an interval that would be amenable to plating and would not cause impingement during wrist rotation nor irritation to the extensor carpi ulnaris (ECU) tendon. Methods Six cadaveric forearms were dissected and the arc of the articular surface of the distal ulna was measured. The distal ulna was divided up as a clock face, with the ulnar styloid being assigned the 12 o'clock position, and the location of the ECU was identified accordingly. The distance from the ulnar styloid to where the dorsal sensory ulnar nerve crosses from volar to dorsal was also measured. Based on these measurements a safe zone was defined. Results A safe zone was identified between the 12 and 2 o'clock position on the right wrist, and between the 10 and 12 o'clock on the left wrist. The dorsal sensory branch of the ulnar nerve crossed from volar to dorsal position at a variable location near the ulnar styloid. Two commercially available plates were utilized and could be placed in our designated interval and did not cause impingement when the forearm was rotated fully. Conclusion Our study demonstrates a location for plating of the distal ulna that avoids impingement during forearm rotation and that is outside of the footprint of the ECU subsheath. Clinical Relevance Plating of the distal ulna may be necessary with distal ulna fracture, and although plate placement may be dictated by the fracture pattern, it is important to understand the implications of plate placement. Although the ideal plate may not be possible because of comminution, the patient can be educated in regards to potential for tendon irritation, loss of motion, or need for hardware removal. PMID:26261745

Cell killing and chromatid damage in primary human bronchial epithelial cells irradiated with accelerated 56Fe ions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Suzuki, M.; Piao, C.; Hall, E. J.; Hei, T. K.

2001-01-01

We examined cell killing and chromatid damage in primary human bronchial epithelial cells irradiated with high-energy 56Fe ions. Cells were irradiated with graded doses of 56Fe ions (1 GeV/nucleon) accelerated with the Alternating Gradient Synchrotron at Brookhaven National Laboratory. The survival curves for cells plated 1 h after irradiation (immediate plating) showed little or no shoulder. However, the survival curves for cells plated 24 h after irradiation (delayed plating) had a small initial shoulder. The RBE for 56Fe ions compared to 137Cs gamma rays was 1.99 for immediate plating and 2.73 for delayed plating at the D10. The repair ratio (delayed plating/immediate plating) was 1.67 for 137Cs gamma rays and 1.22 for 56Fe ions. The dose-response curves for initially measured and residual chromatid fragments detected by the Calyculin A-mediated premature chromosome condensation technique showed a linear response. The results indicated that the induction frequency for initially measured fragments was the same for 137Cs gamma rays and 56Fe ions. On the other hand, approximately 85% of the fragments induced by 137Cs gamma rays had rejoined after 24 h of postirradiation incubation; the corresponding amount for 56Fe ions was 37%. Furthermore, the frequency of chromatid exchanges induced by gamma rays measured 24 h after irradiation was higher than that induced by 56Fe ions. No difference in the amount of chromatid damage induced by the two types of radiations was detected when assayed 1 h after irradiation. The results suggest that high-energy 56Fe ions induce a higher frequency of complex, unrepairable damage at both the cellular and chromosomal levels than 137Cs gamma rays in the target cells for radiation-induced lung cancers.

Automatic and strategic effects in the guidance of attention by working memory representations

PubMed Central

Carlisle, Nancy B.; Woodman, Geoffrey F.

2010-01-01

Theories of visual attention suggest that working memory representations automatically guide attention toward memory-matching objects. Some empirical tests of this prediction have produced results consistent with working memory automatically guiding attention. However, others have shown that individuals can strategically control whether working memory representations guide visual attention. Previous studies have not independently measured automatic and strategic contributions to the interactions between working memory and attention. In this study, we used a classic manipulation of the probability of valid, neutral, and invalid cues to tease apart the nature of such interactions. This framework utilizes measures of reaction time (RT) to quantify the costs and benefits of attending to memory-matching items and infer the relative magnitudes of automatic and strategic effects. We found both costs and benefits even when the memory-matching item was no more likely to be the target than other items, indicating an automatic component of attentional guidance. However, the costs and benefits essentially doubled as the probability of a trial with a valid cue increased from 20% to 80%, demonstrating a potent strategic effect. We also show that the instructions given to participants led to a significant change in guidance distinct from the actual probability of events during the experiment. Together, these findings demonstrate that the influence of working memory representations on attention is driven by both automatic and strategic interactions. PMID:20643386

Automatic and strategic effects in the guidance of attention by working memory representations.

PubMed

Carlisle, Nancy B; Woodman, Geoffrey F

2011-06-01

Theories of visual attention suggest that working memory representations automatically guide attention toward memory-matching objects. Some empirical tests of this prediction have produced results consistent with working memory automatically guiding attention. However, others have shown that individuals can strategically control whether working memory representations guide visual attention. Previous studies have not independently measured automatic and strategic contributions to the interactions between working memory and attention. In this study, we used a classic manipulation of the probability of valid, neutral, and invalid cues to tease apart the nature of such interactions. This framework utilizes measures of reaction time (RT) to quantify the costs and benefits of attending to memory-matching items and infer the relative magnitudes of automatic and strategic effects. We found both costs and benefits even when the memory-matching item was no more likely to be the target than other items, indicating an automatic component of attentional guidance. However, the costs and benefits essentially doubled as the probability of a trial with a valid cue increased from 20% to 80%, demonstrating a potent strategic effect. We also show that the instructions given to participants led to a significant change in guidance distinct from the actual probability of events during the experiment. Together, these findings demonstrate that the influence of working memory representations on attention is driven by both automatic and strategic interactions. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

User Interaction in Semi-Automatic Segmentation of Organs at Risk: a Case Study in Radiotherapy.

PubMed

Ramkumar, Anjana; Dolz, Jose; Kirisli, Hortense A; Adebahr, Sonja; Schimek-Jasch, Tanja; Nestle, Ursula; Massoptier, Laurent; Varga, Edit; Stappers, Pieter Jan; Niessen, Wiro J; Song, Yu

2016-04-01

Accurate segmentation of organs at risk is an important step in radiotherapy planning. Manual segmentation being a tedious procedure and prone to inter- and intra-observer variability, there is a growing interest in automated segmentation methods. However, automatic methods frequently fail to provide satisfactory result, and post-processing corrections are often needed. Semi-automatic segmentation methods are designed to overcome these problems by combining physicians' expertise and computers' potential. This study evaluates two semi-automatic segmentation methods with different types of user interactions, named the "strokes" and the "contour", to provide insights into the role and impact of human-computer interaction. Two physicians participated in the experiment. In total, 42 case studies were carried out on five different types of organs at risk. For each case study, both the human-computer interaction process and quality of the segmentation results were measured subjectively and objectively. Furthermore, different measures of the process and the results were correlated. A total of 36 quantifiable and ten non-quantifiable correlations were identified for each type of interaction. Among those pairs of measures, 20 of the contour method and 22 of the strokes method were strongly or moderately correlated, either directly or inversely. Based on those correlated measures, it is concluded that: (1) in the design of semi-automatic segmentation methods, user interactions need to be less cognitively challenging; (2) based on the observed workflows and preferences of physicians, there is a need for flexibility in the interface design; (3) the correlated measures provide insights that can be used in improving user interaction design.

Automatic evaluation of the Valsalva sinuses from cine-MRI

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blanchard, Cédric; Sliwa, Tadeusz; Lalande, Alain; Mohan, Pauliah; Bouchot, Olivier; Voisin, Yvon

2011-03-01

MRI appears to be particularly attractive for the study of the Sinuses of Valsalva (SV), however there is no global consensus on their suitable measurements. In this paper, we propose a new method, based on the mathematical morphology and combining a numerical geodesic reconstruction with an area estimation, to automatically evaluate the SV from a cine-MRI in a cross-sectional orientation. It consists in the extraction of the shape of the SV, the detection of relevant points (commissures, cusps and the centre of the SV), the measurement of relevant distances and in a classification of the valve as bicuspid or tricuspid by a metric evaluation of the SV. Our method was tested on 23 patient examinations and radii calculations were compared with a manual measurement. The classification of the valve as tricuspid or bicuspid was correct for all the cases. Moreover, there are an excellent correlation and an excellent concordance between manual and automatic measurements for images at diastolic phase (r= 0.97; y = x - 0.02; p=NS; mean of differences = -0.1 mm; standard deviation of differences = 2.3 mm) and at systolic phase (r= 0.96; y = 0.97 x + 0.80; p=NS ; mean of differences = -0.1 mm; standard deviation of differences = 2.4 mm). The cross-sectional orientation of the image acquisition plane conjugated with our automatic method provides a reliable morphometric evaluation of the SV, based on the automatic location of the centre of the SV, the commissure and the cusp positions. Measurements of distances between relevant points allow a precise evaluation of the SV.

Quantitative phase retrieval with arbitrary pupil and illumination

DOE PAGES

Claus, Rene A.; Naulleau, Patrick P.; Neureuther, Andrew R.; ...

2015-10-02

We present a general algorithm for combining measurements taken under various illumination and imaging conditions to quantitatively extract the amplitude and phase of an object wave. The algorithm uses the weak object transfer function, which incorporates arbitrary pupil functions and partially coherent illumination. The approach is extended beyond the weak object regime using an iterative algorithm. Finally, we demonstrate the method on measurements of Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography (EUV) multilayer mask defects taken in an EUV zone plate microscope with both a standard zone plate lens and a zone plate implementing Zernike phase contrast.

Using Plates and Trays with MyPlate Images to Encourage Healthy Food Choices: A Pilot Study at Military Dining Facilities

DTIC Science & Technology

dairy consumption . Future research should investigate the effectiveness of the MyPlate intervention for improving diet quality and nutrition knowledge in larger military dining facilities at different locations....introduced the new food labeling system. Dietary intake of facility patrons was measured during 12 lunch meals using the food photography method. Repeated...measures ANOVA, one-way ANOVA, paired t-test, and McNemars test were used. Results: Dairy consumption increased from baseline to intervention (0.50.4

Integrated optical sensing of dissolved oxygen in microtiter plates: a novel tool for microbial cultivation.

PubMed

John, Gernot T; Klimant, Ingo; Wittmann, Christoph; Heinzle, Elmar

2003-03-30

Microtiter plates with integrated optical sensing of dissolved oxygen were developed by immobilization of two fluorophores at the bottom of 96-well polystyrene microtiter plates. The oxygen-sensitive fluorophore responded to dissolved oxygen concentration, whereas the oxygen-insensitive one served as an internal reference. The sensor measured dissolved oxygen accurately in optically well-defined media. Oxygen transfer coefficients, k(L)a, were determined by a dynamic method in a commercial microtiter plate reader with an integrated shaker. For this purpose, the dissolved oxygen was initially depleted by the addition of sodium dithionite and, by oxygen transfer from air, it increased again after complete oxidation of dithionite. k(L)a values in one commercial reader were about 10 to 40 h(-1). k(L)a values were inversely proportional to the filling volume and increased with increasing shaking intensity. Dissolved oxygen was monitored during cultivation of Corynebacterium glutamicum in another reader that allowed much higher shaking intensity. Growth rates determined from optical density measurement were identical to those observed in shaking flasks and in a stirred fermentor. Oxygen uptake rates measured in the stirred fermentor and dissolved oxygen concentrations measured during cultivation in the microtiter plate were used to estimate k(L)a values in a 96-well microtiter plate. The resulting values were about 130 h(-1), which is in the lower range of typical stirred fermentors. The resulting maximum oxygen transfer rate was 26 mM h(-1). Simulations showed that the errors caused by the intermittent measurement method were insignificant under the prevailing conditions. Copyright 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Biotechnol Bioeng 81: 829-836, 2003.

Visual Data Exploration for Balance Quantification in Real-Time During Exergaming.

PubMed

Soancatl Aguilar, Venustiano; J van de Gronde, Jasper; J C Lamoth, Claudine; van Diest, Mike; M Maurits, Natasha; B T M Roerdink, Jos

2017-01-01

Unintentional injuries are among the ten leading causes of death in older adults; falls cause 60% of these deaths. Despite their effectiveness to improve balance and reduce the risk of falls, balance training programs have several drawbacks in practice, such as lack of engaging elements, boring exercises, and the effort and cost of travelling, ultimately resulting in low adherence. Exergames, that is, digital games controlled by body movements, have been proposed as an alternative to improve balance. One of the main challenges for exergames is to automatically quantify balance during game-play in order to adapt the game difficulty according to the skills of the player. Here we perform a multidimensional exploratory data analysis, using visualization techniques, to find useful measures for quantifying balance in real-time. First, we visualize exergaming data, derived from 400 force plate recordings of 40 participants from 20 to 79 years and 10 trials per participant, as heat maps and violin plots to get quick insight into the nature of the data. Second, we extract known and new features from the data, such as instantaneous speed, measures of dispersion, turbulence measures derived from speed, and curvature values. Finally, we analyze and visualize these features using several visualizations such as a heat map, overlapping violin plots, a parallel coordinate plot, a projection of the two first principal components, and a scatter plot matrix. Our visualizations and findings suggest that heat maps and violin plots can provide quick insight and directions for further data exploration. The most promising measures to quantify balance in real-time are speed, curvature and a turbulence measure, because these measures show age-related changes in balance performance. The next step is to apply the present techniques to data of whole body movements as recorded by devices such as Kinect.

Visual Data Exploration for Balance Quantification in Real-Time During Exergaming

PubMed Central

J. van de Gronde, Jasper; J. C. Lamoth, Claudine; van Diest, Mike; M. Maurits, Natasha; B. T. M. Roerdink, Jos

2017-01-01

Unintentional injuries are among the ten leading causes of death in older adults; falls cause 60% of these deaths. Despite their effectiveness to improve balance and reduce the risk of falls, balance training programs have several drawbacks in practice, such as lack of engaging elements, boring exercises, and the effort and cost of travelling, ultimately resulting in low adherence. Exergames, that is, digital games controlled by body movements, have been proposed as an alternative to improve balance. One of the main challenges for exergames is to automatically quantify balance during game-play in order to adapt the game difficulty according to the skills of the player. Here we perform a multidimensional exploratory data analysis, using visualization techniques, to find useful measures for quantifying balance in real-time. First, we visualize exergaming data, derived from 400 force plate recordings of 40 participants from 20 to 79 years and 10 trials per participant, as heat maps and violin plots to get quick insight into the nature of the data. Second, we extract known and new features from the data, such as instantaneous speed, measures of dispersion, turbulence measures derived from speed, and curvature values. Finally, we analyze and visualize these features using several visualizations such as a heat map, overlapping violin plots, a parallel coordinate plot, a projection of the two first principal components, and a scatter plot matrix. Our visualizations and findings suggest that heat maps and violin plots can provide quick insight and directions for further data exploration. The most promising measures to quantify balance in real-time are speed, curvature and a turbulence measure, because these measures show age-related changes in balance performance. The next step is to apply the present techniques to data of whole body movements as recorded by devices such as Kinect. PMID:28135284

A Laser-Based Measuring System for Online Quality Control of Car Engine Block.

PubMed

Li, Xing-Qiang; Wang, Zhong; Fu, Lu-Hua

2016-11-08

For online quality control of car engine production, pneumatic measurement instrument plays an unshakeable role in measuring diameters inside engine block because of its portability and high-accuracy. To the limitation of its measuring principle, however, the working space between the pneumatic device and measured surface is too small to require manual operation. This lowers the measuring efficiency and becomes an obstacle to perform automatic measurement. In this article, a high-speed, automatic measuring system is proposed to take the place of pneumatic devices by using a laser-based measuring unit. The measuring unit is considered as a set of several measuring modules, where each of them acts like a single bore gauge and is made of four laser triangulation sensors (LTSs), which are installed on different positions and in opposite directions. The spatial relationship among these LTSs was calibrated before measurements. Sampling points from measured shaft holes can be collected by the measuring unit. A unified mathematical model was established for both calibration and measurement. Based on the established model, the relative pose between the measuring unit and measured workpiece does not impact the measuring accuracy. This frees the measuring unit from accurate positioning or adjustment, and makes it possible to realize fast and automatic measurement. The proposed system and method were finally validated by experiments.

Automatic cell cloning assay for determining the clonogenic capacity of cancer and cancer stem-like cells.

PubMed

Fedr, Radek; Pernicová, Zuzana; Slabáková, Eva; Straková, Nicol; Bouchal, Jan; Grepl, Michal; Kozubík, Alois; Souček, Karel

2013-05-01

The clonogenic assay is a well-established in vitro method for testing the survival and proliferative capability of cells. It can be used to determine the cytotoxic effects of various treatments including chemotherapeutics and ionizing radiation. However, this approach can also characterize cells with different phenotypes and biological properties, such as stem cells or cancer stem cells. In this study, we implemented a faster and more precise method for assessing the cloning efficiency of cancer stem-like cells that were characterized and separated using a high-speed cell sorter. Cell plating onto a microplate using an automatic cell deposition unit was performed in a single-cell or dilution rank mode by the fluorescence-activated cell sorting method. We tested the new automatic cell-cloning assay (ACCA) on selected cancer cell lines and compared it with the manual approach. The obtained results were also compared with the results of the limiting dilution assay for different cell lines. We applied the ACCA to analyze the cloning capacity of different subpopulations of prostate and colon cancer cells based on the expression of the characteristic markers of stem (CD44 and CD133) and cancer stem cells (TROP-2, CD49f, and CD44). Our results revealed that the novel ACCA is a straightforward approach for determining the clonogenic capacity of cancer stem-like cells identified in both cell lines and patient samples. Copyright © 2013 International Society for Advancement of Cytometry.

Immediate Implant Placement into Extraction Sockets with Labial Plate Dehiscence Defects: A Clinical Case Series.

PubMed

Sarnachiaro, Guido O; Chu, Stephen J; Sarnachiaro, Evangelina; Gotta, Sergio Luis; Tarnow, Dennis P

2016-08-01

To measure the buccal plate reconstruction of extraction sockets with labial plate dehiscence defects using a bone allograft in combination with an absorbable collagen membrane and a custom-healing abutment at the time of tooth removal. Ten patients underwent immediate implant placement and reconstruction of the buccal plate. Cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) was performed preextraction, immediately after bone grafting and implant placement (day 0), and between 6 and 9 months following implant surgery. Measurements were taken at three levels: coronal (L1), middle (L2), and apical (L3) level. Implants placed into sockets with labial plate dehiscence defects demonstrated radiographic reformation of the labial plate dehiscence defect at 6 to 9 months posttreatment. The net gain in labial plate on cone beam computerized tomography (CBCT) in L1 and L2 was 3.0 mm, where 0 mm existed at pretreatment. The minimum amount of labial plate thickness of 2.0 mm was achieved in all treated sites, evaluated radiographically at 6 to 9 months postoperatively, in a single procedure, without flap elevation and maintaining the gingival architecture and satisfactory esthetics. Placing an absorbable membrane, bone graft, and custom-healing abutment at the time of flapless anterior tooth extraction and immediate implant placement into a socket with a labial osseous dehiscence is a viable clinical technique to reconstitute the absence of the labial bone plate. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

A comparison of field-dependent rheological properties between spherical and plate-like carbonyl iron particles-based magneto-rheological fluids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tan Shilan, Salihah; Amri Mazlan, Saiful; Ido, Yasushi; Hajalilou, Abdollah; Jeyadevan, Balachandran; Choi, Seung-Bok; Azhani Yunus, Nurul

2016-09-01

This work proposes different sizes of the plate-like particles from conventional spherical carbonyl iron (CI) particles by adjusting milling time in the ball mill process. The ball mill process to make the plate-like particles is called a solid-state powder processing technique which involves repeated welding, fracturing and re-welding of powder particles in a high-energy ball mill. The effect of ball milling process on the magnetic behavior of CI particles is firstly investigated by vibrating sample magnetometer. It is found form this investigation that the plate-like particles have higher saturation magnetization (about 8%) than that of the spherical particles. Subsequently, for the investigation on the sedimentation behavior the cylindrical measurement technique is used. It is observed from this measurement that the plate-like particles show slower sedimentation rate compared to the spherical particles indicating higher stability of the MR fluid. The field-dependent rheological properties of MR fluids based on the plate-like particles are then investigated with respect to the milling time which is directly connected to the size of the plate-like particles. In addition, the field-dependent rheological properties such as the yield stress are evaluated and compared between the plate-like particles based MR fluids and the spherical particles based MR fluid. It is found that the yield shear stress of the plate-like particles based MR fluid is increased up to 270% compared to the spherical particles based MR fluid.

Air flow in the boundary layer near a plate

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dryden, Hugh L

1937-01-01

The published data on the distribution of speed near a thin flat plate with sharp leading edge placed parallel to the flow (skin friction plate) are reviewed and the results of some additional measurements are described. The purpose of the experiments was to study the basic phenomena of boundary-layer flow under simple conditions.

A Stack of Cards Rebuilt with Calculus

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kazachkov, Alexander; Kireš, Marián

2017-01-01

Previous work covers building a tower from a stack of homogeneous rectangular plates, each with a maximum shift in displacement. We suggest using plates shaped as curvilinear triangles bounded by segments of power-law functions. The masses of the plates and the position of their center of mass are calculated and measured experimentally after…

Laboratory calibration of impact plates for measuring gravel size and mass

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Continuous monitoring of gravel transport in rivers is necessary for understanding the impact of dam removal on river systems. Impact plates, such as those deployed on the Elwha River in the state of Washington, USA, are a promising technique; however, relating the data generated by the plates to s...

A simple and convenient microtiter plate assay for the detection of bactericidal antibodies to Vibrio cholerae O1 and Vibrio cholerae O139.

PubMed

Boutonnier, Alain; Dassy, Bruno; Duménil, Rémy; Guénolé, Alain; Ratsitorahina, Maherisoa; Migliani, René; Fournier, Jean-Michel

2003-12-01

It is believed that the correlate of protection for cholera can be determined by the serum vibriocidal assay. The currently available vibriocidal assays, based on the conventional agar plating technique, are labor intensive. We developed a simple and convenient microtiter plate assay for the detection of vibriocidal antibodies that is equally as efficient for Vibrio cholerae O1 and for V. cholerae O139. The addition of succinate and neotetrazolium made it possible to measure the growth of surviving bacterial target cells by monitoring a color change. We evaluated assay parameters (target strains, growth of target cells, complement source and concentration) that may affect the reproducibility of the method for V. cholerae O139. The results obtained with the microtiter plate assay were uniformly similar to those obtained with the conventional agar plating assay, when testing both the Inaba and Ogawa serotypes of V. cholerae O1. The microtiter plate assay was also convenient for measuring the activity of animal sera and mouse monoclonal antibodies.

Evaluation of resolution and periodic errors of a flatbed scanner used for digitizing spectroscopic photographic plates

PubMed Central

Wyatt, Madison; Nave, Gillian

2017-01-01

We evaluated the use of a commercial flatbed scanner for digitizing photographic plates used for spectroscopy. The scanner has a bed size of 420 mm by 310 mm and a pixel size of about 0.0106 mm. Our tests show that the closest line pairs that can be resolved with the scanner are 0.024 mm apart, only slightly larger than the Nyquist resolution of 0.021 mm expected by the 0.0106 mm pixel size. We measured periodic errors in the scanner using both a calibrated length scale and a photographic plate. We find no noticeable periodic errors in the direction parallel to the linear detector in the scanner, but errors with an amplitude of 0.03 mm to 0.05 mm in the direction perpendicular to the detector. We conclude that large periodic errors in measurements of spectroscopic plates using flatbed scanners can be eliminated by scanning the plates with the dispersion direction parallel to the linear detector by placing the plate along the short side of the scanner. PMID:28463262

Automatic Short Essay Scoring Using Natural Language Processing to Extract Semantic Information in the Form of Propositions. CRESST Report 831

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kerr, Deirdre; Mousavi, Hamid; Iseli, Markus R.

2013-01-01

The Common Core assessments emphasize short essay constructed-response items over multiple-choice items because they are more precise measures of understanding. However, such items are too costly and time consuming to be used in national assessments unless a way to score them automatically can be found. Current automatic essay-scoring techniques…

Comparison of computer systems and ranking criteria for automatic melanoma detection in dermoscopic images.

PubMed

Møllersen, Kajsa; Zortea, Maciel; Schopf, Thomas R; Kirchesch, Herbert; Godtliebsen, Fred

2017-01-01

Melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer, and early detection is crucial for patient survival. Computer systems can assist in melanoma detection, but are not widespread in clinical practice. In 2016, an open challenge in classification of dermoscopic images of skin lesions was announced. A training set of 900 images with corresponding class labels and semi-automatic/manual segmentation masks was released for the challenge. An independent test set of 379 images, of which 75 were of melanomas, was used to rank the participants. This article demonstrates the impact of ranking criteria, segmentation method and classifier, and highlights the clinical perspective. We compare five different measures for diagnostic accuracy by analysing the resulting ranking of the computer systems in the challenge. Choice of performance measure had great impact on the ranking. Systems that were ranked among the top three for one measure, dropped to the bottom half when changing performance measure. Nevus Doctor, a computer system previously developed by the authors, was used to participate in the challenge, and investigate the impact of segmentation and classifier. The diagnostic accuracy when using an automatic versus the semi-automatic/manual segmentation is investigated. The unexpected small impact of segmentation method suggests that improvements of the automatic segmentation method w.r.t. resemblance to semi-automatic/manual segmentation will not improve diagnostic accuracy substantially. A small set of similar classification algorithms are used to investigate the impact of classifier on the diagnostic accuracy. The variability in diagnostic accuracy for different classifier algorithms was larger than the variability for segmentation methods, and suggests a focus for future investigations. From a clinical perspective, the misclassification of a melanoma as benign has far greater cost than the misclassification of a benign lesion. For computer systems to have clinical impact, their performance should be ranked by a high-sensitivity measure.

Aortic Curvature Instead of Angulation Allows Improved Estimation of the True Aorto-iliac Trajectory.

PubMed

Schuurmann, R C L; Kuster, L; Slump, C H; Vahl, A; van den Heuvel, D A F; Ouriel, K; de Vries, J-P P M

2016-02-01

Supra- and infrarenal aortic neck angulation have been associated with complications after endovascular aortic aneurysm repair. However, a uniform angulation measurement method is lacking and the concept of angulation suggests a triangular oversimplification of the aortic anatomy. (Semi-)automated calculation of curvature along the center luminal line describes the actual trajectory of the aorta. This study proposes a methodology for calculating aortic (neck) curvature and suggests an additional method based on available tools in current workstations: curvature by digital calipers (CDC). Proprietary custom software was developed for automatic calculation of the severity and location of the largest supra- and infrarenal curvature over the center luminal line. Twenty-four patients with severe supra- or infrarenal angulations (≥45°) and 11 patients with small to moderate angulations (<45°) were included. Both CDC and angulation were measured by two independent observers on the pre- and postoperative computed tomographic angiography scans. The relationships between actual curvature and CDC and angulation were visualized and tested with Pearson's correlation coefficient. The CDC was also fully automatically calculated with proprietary custom software. The difference between manual and automatic determination of CDC was tested with a paired Student t test. A p-value was considered significant when two-tailed α < .05. The correlation between actual curvature and manual CDC is strong (.586-.962) and even stronger for automatic CDC (.865-.961). The correlation between actual curvature and angulation is much lower (.410-.737). Flow direction angulation values overestimate CDC measurements by 60%, with larger variance. No significant difference was found in automatically calculated CDC values and manually measured CDC values. Curvature calculation of the aortic neck improves determination of the true aortic trajectory. Automatic calculation of the actual curvature is preferable, but measurement or calculation of the curvature by digital calipers is a valid alternative if actual curvature is not at hand. Copyright © 2015 European Society for Vascular Surgery. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Measurement of mismatch loss in CPV modul

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Mingguo; Kinsey, Geoffrey S.; Bagienski, Will; Nayak, Adi; Garboushian, Vahan

2012-10-01

A setup capable of simultaneously measuring I-V curves of a full string and its individual cells has been developed. This setup enables us to measure mismatch loss from individual cells in concert with various string combinations under varying field conditions. Mismatch loss from cells to plates at different off-track angles and mismatch from plates to strings in Amonix system during normal operation have been investigated.

Automatically activated shame reactions and perceived legitimacy of discrimination: A longitudinal study among people with mental illness

PubMed Central

Rüsch, Nicolas; Todd, Andrew R.; Bodenhausen, Galen V.; Olschewski, Manfred; Corrigan, Patrick W.

2009-01-01

Perceived legitimacy of discrimination shapes reactions to mental illness stigma among stigmatized individuals. We assessed deliberately endorsed versus automatic shame-related reactions to mental illness as predictors of change in perceived legitimacy of discrimination over six months among 75 people with mental illness. Automatically activated shame-related associations with mental illness were measured using the Brief Implicit Association Test, deliberately endorsed beliefs via self-report. Controlling for depression and perceived stigma, stronger baseline automatic shame-related associations, but not deliberately endorsed beliefs, predicted higher perceived legitimacy of discrimination after six months. Automatically activated shame reactions may increase vulnerability to mental illness stigma. PMID:19897173

Research progress of on-line automatic monitoring of chemical oxygen demand (COD) of water

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cai, Youfa; Fu, Xing; Gao, Xiaolu; Li, Lianyin

2018-02-01

With the increasingly stricter control of pollutant emission in China, the on-line automatic monitoring of water quality is particularly urgent. The chemical oxygen demand (COD) is a comprehensive index to measure the contamination caused by organic matters, and thus it is taken as one important index of energy-saving and emission reduction in China’s “Twelve-Five” program. So far, the COD on-line automatic monitoring instrument has played an important role in the field of sewage monitoring. This paper reviews the existing methods to achieve on-line automatic monitoring of COD, and on the basis, points out the future trend of the COD on-line automatic monitoring instruments.