An integrated approach to monitoring the calibration stability of operational dual-polarization radars

DOE PAGES

Vaccarono, Mattia; Bechini, Renzo; Chandrasekar, Chandra V.; ...

2016-11-08

The stability of weather radar calibration is a mandatory aspect for quantitative applications, such as rainfall estimation, short-term weather prediction and initialization of numerical atmospheric and hydrological models. Over the years, calibration monitoring techniques based on external sources have been developed, specifically calibration using the Sun and calibration based on ground clutter returns. In this paper, these two techniques are integrated and complemented with a self-consistency procedure and an intercalibration technique. The aim of the integrated approach is to implement a robust method for online monitoring, able to detect significant changes in the radar calibration. The physical consistency of polarimetricmore » radar observables is exploited using the self-consistency approach, based on the expected correspondence between dual-polarization power and phase measurements in rain. This technique allows a reference absolute value to be provided for the radar calibration, from which eventual deviations may be detected using the other procedures. In particular, the ground clutter calibration is implemented on both polarization channels (horizontal and vertical) for each radar scan, allowing the polarimetric variables to be monitored and hardware failures to promptly be recognized. The Sun calibration allows monitoring the calibration and sensitivity of the radar receiver, in addition to the antenna pointing accuracy. It is applied using observations collected during the standard operational scans but requires long integration times (several days) in order to accumulate a sufficient amount of useful data. Finally, an intercalibration technique is developed and performed to compare colocated measurements collected in rain by two radars in overlapping regions. The integrated approach is performed on the C-band weather radar network in northwestern Italy, during July–October 2014. The set of methods considered appears suitable to establish an online tool to monitor the stability of the radar calibration with an accuracy of about 2 dB. In conclusion, this is considered adequate to automatically detect any unexpected change in the radar system requiring further data analysis or on-site measurements.« less

Lockheed L-1101 avionic flight control redundant systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Throndsen, E. O.

1976-01-01

The Lockheed L-1011 automatic flight control systems - yaw stability augmentation and automatic landing - are described in terms of their redundancies. The reliability objectives for these systems are discussed and related to in-service experience. In general, the availability of the stability augmentation system is higher than the original design requirement, but is commensurate with early estimates. The in-service experience with automatic landing is not sufficient to provide verification of Category 3 automatic landing system estimated availability.

14 CFR 23.672 - Stability augmentation and automatic and power-operated systems.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... CATEGORY AIRPLANES Design and Construction Control Systems § 23.672 Stability augmentation and automatic... systems must not activate the control system. (b) The design of the stability augmentation system or of... thereof, or by overriding the failure by movement of the flight controls in the normal sense. (c) It must...

14 CFR 23.672 - Stability augmentation and automatic and power-operated systems.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... CATEGORY AIRPLANES Design and Construction Control Systems § 23.672 Stability augmentation and automatic... systems must not activate the control system. (b) The design of the stability augmentation system or of... thereof, or by overriding the failure by movement of the flight controls in the normal sense. (c) It must...

14 CFR 23.672 - Stability augmentation and automatic and power-operated systems.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... CATEGORY AIRPLANES Design and Construction Control Systems § 23.672 Stability augmentation and automatic... systems must not activate the control system. (b) The design of the stability augmentation system or of... thereof, or by overriding the failure by movement of the flight controls in the normal sense. (c) It must...

14 CFR 23.672 - Stability augmentation and automatic and power-operated systems.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... CATEGORY AIRPLANES Design and Construction Control Systems § 23.672 Stability augmentation and automatic... systems must not activate the control system. (b) The design of the stability augmentation system or of... thereof, or by overriding the failure by movement of the flight controls in the normal sense. (c) It must...

14 CFR 23.672 - Stability augmentation and automatic and power-operated systems.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... CATEGORY AIRPLANES Design and Construction Control Systems § 23.672 Stability augmentation and automatic... systems must not activate the control system. (b) The design of the stability augmentation system or of... thereof, or by overriding the failure by movement of the flight controls in the normal sense. (c) It must...

Enhanced performance of polybenzimidazole-based high temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cell with gas diffusion electrodes prepared by automatic catalyst spraying under irradiation technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Su, Huaneng; Pasupathi, Sivakumar; Bladergroen, Bernard Jan; Linkov, Vladimir; Pollet, Bruno G.

2013-11-01

Gas diffusion electrodes (GDEs) prepared by a novel automatic catalyst spraying under irradiation (ACSUI) technique are investigated for improving the performance of phosphoric acid (PA)-doped polybenzimidazole (PBI) high temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC). The physical properties of the GDEs are characterized by pore size distribution and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The electrochemical properties of the membrane electrode assembly (MEA) with the GDEs are evaluated and analyzed by polarization curve, cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemistry impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Effects of PTFE binder content, PA impregnation and heat treatment on the GDEs are investigated to determine the optimum performance of the single cell. At ambient pressure and 160 °C, the maximum power density can reach 0.61 W cm-2, and the current density at 0.6 V is up to 0.38 A cm-2, with H2/air and a platinum loading of 0.5 mg cm-2 on both electrodes. The MEA with the GDEs shows good stability for fuel cell operating in a short term durability test.

The Breakthrough Listen Search for Intelligent Life: Data Calibration using Pulsars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brinkman-Traverse, Casey Lynn; Gajjar, Vishal; BSRC

2018-01-01

The ability to distinguish ET signals requires a deep understanding of the radio telescopes with which we search; therefore, before we observe stars of interest, the Breathrough Listen scientists at Berkeley SETI Research Center first observe a Pulsar with well-documented flux and polarization properties. The process of calibrating the flux and polarization is a lengthy process by hand, so we produced a pipeline code that will automatically calibrate the pulsar in under an hour. Using PSRCHIVE the code coherently dedisperses the pulsed radio signals, and then calibrates the flux using observation files with a noise diode turning on and off. The code was developed using PSR B1937+ 21 and is primarily used on PSR B0329+54. This will expedite the process of assessing the quality of data collected from the Green Bank Telescope in West Virginia and will allow us to more efficiently find life beyond Planet Earth. Additionally, the stability of the B0329+54 calibration data will allow us to analyze data taken on FRB's with confidence of its cosmic origin.

Effect of polarization on the stability of a helix dimer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Xing Y.; Zhang, John Z. H.

2011-01-01

Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations have been carried out to study helix-helix interaction using both standard AMBER and polarized force fields. Comparison of the two simulations shows that electrostatic polarization of intra-protein hydrogen bonds plays a significant role in stabilizing the structure of helix dimer. This stabilizing effect is clearly demonstrated by examining the monomer structure, helix crossing angle and stability of backbone hydrogen bonds under AMBER and PPC. Since reliable prediction of protein-protein structure is a significant challenge, the current study should help shed light on the importance of electrostatic polarization of protein in helix-helix interaction and helix bundle structures.

14 CFR 29.672 - Stability augmentation, automatic, and power-operated systems.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

..., DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AIRCRAFT AIRWORTHINESS STANDARDS: TRANSPORT CATEGORY ROTORCRAFT Design and Construction Control Systems § 29.672 Stability augmentation, automatic, and power-operated systems. If the... unsafe condition if the pilot is unaware of the failure. Warning systems must not activate the control...

14 CFR 27.672 - Stability augmentation, automatic, and power-operated systems.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

..., DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AIRCRAFT AIRWORTHINESS STANDARDS: NORMAL CATEGORY ROTORCRAFT Design and Construction Control Systems § 27.672 Stability augmentation, automatic, and power-operated systems. If the... unsafe condition if the pilot is unaware of the failure. Warning systems must not activate the control...

An efficient shooting algorithm for Evans function calculations in large systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Humpherys, Jeffrey; Zumbrun, Kevin

2006-08-01

In Evans function computations of the spectra of asymptotically constant-coefficient linear operators, a basic issue is the efficient and numerically stable computation of subspaces evolving according to the associated eigenvalue ODE. For small systems, a fast, shooting algorithm may be obtained by representing subspaces as single exterior products [J.C. Alexander, R. Sachs, Linear instability of solitary waves of a Boussinesq-type equation: A computer assisted computation, Nonlinear World 2 (4) (1995) 471-507; L.Q. Brin, Numerical testing of the stability of viscous shock waves, Ph.D. Thesis, Indiana University, Bloomington, 1998; L.Q. Brin, Numerical testing of the stability of viscous shock waves, Math. Comp. 70 (235) (2001) 1071-1088; L.Q. Brin, K. Zumbrun, Analytically varying eigenvectors and the stability of viscous shock waves, in: Seventh Workshop on Partial Differential Equations, Part I, 2001, Rio de Janeiro, Mat. Contemp. 22 (2002) 19-32; T.J. Bridges, G. Derks, G. Gottwald, Stability and instability of solitary waves of the fifth-order KdV equation: A numerical framework, Physica D 172 (1-4) (2002) 190-216]. For large systems, however, the dimension of the exterior-product space quickly becomes prohibitive, growing as (n/k), where n is the dimension of the system written as a first-order ODE and k (typically ˜n/2) is the dimension of the subspace. We resolve this difficulty by the introduction of a simple polar coordinate algorithm representing “pure” (monomial) products as scalar multiples of orthonormal bases, for which the angular equation is a numerically optimized version of the continuous orthogonalization method of Drury-Davey [A. Davey, An automatic orthonormalization method for solving stiff boundary value problems, J. Comput. Phys. 51 (2) (1983) 343-356; L.O. Drury, Numerical solution of Orr-Sommerfeld-type equations, J. Comput. Phys. 37 (1) (1980) 133-139] and the radial equation is evaluable by quadrature. Notably, the polar-coordinate method preserves the important property of analyticity with respect to parameters.

14 CFR 25.672 - Stability augmentation and automatic and power-operated systems.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

..., DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AIRCRAFT AIRWORTHINESS STANDARDS: TRANSPORT CATEGORY AIRPLANES Design and Construction Control Systems § 25.672 Stability augmentation and automatic and power-operated systems. If the... the pilot were not aware of the failure. Warning systems must not activate the control systems. (b...

14 CFR 25.672 - Stability augmentation and automatic and power-operated systems.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

..., DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AIRCRAFT AIRWORTHINESS STANDARDS: TRANSPORT CATEGORY AIRPLANES Design and Construction Control Systems § 25.672 Stability augmentation and automatic and power-operated systems. If the... the pilot were not aware of the failure. Warning systems must not activate the control systems. (b...

14 CFR 25.672 - Stability augmentation and automatic and power-operated systems.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

..., DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AIRCRAFT AIRWORTHINESS STANDARDS: TRANSPORT CATEGORY AIRPLANES Design and Construction Control Systems § 25.672 Stability augmentation and automatic and power-operated systems. If the... the pilot were not aware of the failure. Warning systems must not activate the control systems. (b...

14 CFR 25.672 - Stability augmentation and automatic and power-operated systems.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

..., DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AIRCRAFT AIRWORTHINESS STANDARDS: TRANSPORT CATEGORY AIRPLANES Design and Construction Control Systems § 25.672 Stability augmentation and automatic and power-operated systems. If the... the pilot were not aware of the failure. Warning systems must not activate the control systems. (b...

Faraday rotation of Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast (ADS-B) signals as a method of ionospheric characterization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cushley, A. C.; Kabin, K.; Noel, J. M. A.

2017-12-01

Radio waves propagating through plasma in the Earth's ambient magnetic field experience Faraday rotation; the plane of the electric field of a linearly polarized wave changes as a function of the distance travelled through a plasma. Linearly polarized radio waves at 1090 MHz frequency are emitted by Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast (ADS-B) devices which are installed on most commercial aircraft. These radio waves can be detected by satellites in low earth orbits, and the change of the polarization angle caused by propagation through the terrestrial ionosphere can be measured. In this work we discuss how these measurements can be used to characterize the ionospheric conditions. In the present study, we compute the amount of Faraday rotation from a prescribed total electron content value and two of the profile parameters of the NeQuick model.

Longitudinal stability in relation to the use of an automatic pilot

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Klemin, Alexander; Pepper, Perry A; Wittner, Howard A

1938-01-01

The effect of restraint in pitching introduced by an automatic pilot upon the longitudinal stability of an airplane has been studied. Customary simplifying assumptions have been made in setting down the equations of motion, and the results of computations based on the simplified equations are presented to show the effect of an automatic pilot installed in an airplane of known dimensions and characteristics. The equations developed have been applied by making calculations for a Clark biplane and a Fairchild 22 monoplane.

Inter-comparison of Methods for Extracting Subsurface Layers from SHARAD Radargrams over Martian polar regions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiong, S.; Muller, J.-P.; Carretero, R. C.

2017-09-01

Subsurface layers are preserved in the polar regions on Mars, representing a record of past climate changes on Mars. Orbital radar instruments, such as the Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionosphere Sounding (MARSIS) onboard ESA Mars Express (MEX) and the SHAllow RADar (SHARAD) onboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), transmit radar signals to Mars and receive a set of return signals from these subsurface regions. Layering is a prominent subsurface feature, which has been revealed by both MARSIS and SHARAD radargrams over both polar regions on Mars. Automatic extraction of these subsurface layering is becoming increasingly important as there is now over ten years' of data archived. In this study, we investigate two different methods for extracting these subsurface layers from SHARAD data and compare the results against delineated layers derived manually to validate which methods is better for extracting these layers automatically.

Faraday Rotation of Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) Signals as a Method of Ionospheric Characterization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cushley, A. C.; Kabin, K.; Noël, J.-M.

2017-10-01

Radio waves propagating through plasma in the Earth's ambient magnetic field experience Faraday rotation; the plane of the electric field of a linearly polarized wave changes as a function of the distance travelled through a plasma. Linearly polarized radio waves at 1090 MHz frequency are emitted by Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast (ADS-B) devices that are installed on most commercial aircraft. These radio waves can be detected by satellites in low Earth orbits, and the change of the polarization angle caused by propagation through the terrestrial ionosphere can be measured. In this manuscript we discuss how these measurements can be used to characterize the ionospheric conditions. In the present study, we compute the amount of Faraday rotation from a prescribed total electron content value and two of the profile parameters of the NeQuick ionospheric model.

Wavelength-switched phase interrogator for EFPI sensors with polarization self-calibrated

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xia, Ji; Wang, Fuyin; Luo, Hong; Xiong, Shuidong

2017-10-01

The stability of the demodulation system for extrinsic Fabry-Perot interferometric(EFPI) sensors is significant to dynamic signal recovery. In the wavelength-switched demodulation system, a phase interrogation with a wavelength-switched structure has been presented. Two reflected peaks were in perpendicular polarization direction and switched in the time-domain. However, the operation point of system affected output of the linearly-polarized beams seriously, and the stability of the system decreased and even failed to work. In order to solve this problem, a polarization control unit is added into the system in this paper. The modified demodulation system has been demonstrated to have a higher stability.

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.

Polarization switching detection method using a ferroelectric liquid crystal for dichroic atomic vapor laser lock frequency stabilization techniques.

PubMed

Dudzik, Grzegorz; Rzepka, Janusz; Abramski, Krzysztof M

2015-04-01

We present a concept of the polarization switching detection method implemented for frequency-stabilized lasers, called the polarization switching dichroic atomic vapor laser lock (PSDAVLL) technique. It is a combination of the well-known dichroic atomic vapor laser lock method for laser frequency stabilization with a synchronous detection system based on the surface-stabilized ferroelectric liquid crystal (SSFLC).The SSFLC is a polarization switch and quarter wave-plate component. This technique provides a 9.6 dB better dynamic range ratio (DNR) than the well-known two-photodiode detection configuration known as the balanced polarimeter. This paper describes the proposed method used practically in the VCSEL laser frequency stabilization system. The applied PSDAVLL method has allowed us to obtain a frequency stability of 2.7×10⁻⁹ and a reproducibility of 1.2×10⁻⁸, with a DNR of detected signals of around 81 dB. It has been shown that PSDAVLL might be successfully used as a method for spectra-stable laser sources.

Experimental demonstration of polarization encoding quantum key distribution system based on intrinsically stable polarization-modulated units.

PubMed

Wang, Jindong; Qin, Xiaojuan; Jiang, Yinzhu; Wang, Xiaojing; Chen, Liwei; Zhao, Feng; Wei, Zhengjun; Zhang, Zhiming

2016-04-18

A proof-of-principle demonstration of a one-way polarization encoding quantum key distribution (QKD) system is demonstrated. This approach can automatically compensate for birefringence and phase drift. This is achieved by constructing intrinsically stable polarization-modulated units (PMUs) to perform the encoding and decoding, which can be used with four-state protocol, six-state protocol, and the measurement-device-independent (MDI) scheme. A polarization extinction ratio of about 30 dB was maintained for several hours over a 50 km optical fiber without any adjustments to our setup, which evidences its potential for use in practical applications.

Retention of intermediate polarization states in ferroelectric materials enabling memories for multi-bit data storage

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

Zhao, Dong; Asadi, Kamal; Blom, Paul W. M.

A homogeneous ferroelectric single crystal exhibits only two remanent polarization states that are stable over time, whereas intermediate, or unsaturated, polarization states are thermodynamically instable. Commonly used ferroelectric materials however, are inhomogeneous polycrystalline thin films or ceramics. To investigate the stability of intermediate polarization states, formed upon incomplete, or partial, switching, we have systematically studied their retention in capacitors comprising two classic ferroelectric materials, viz. random copolymer of vinylidene fluoride with trifluoroethylene, P(VDF-TrFE), and Pb(Zr,Ti)O{sub 3}. Each experiment started from a discharged and electrically depolarized ferroelectric capacitor. Voltage pulses were applied to set the given polarization states. The retention wasmore » measured as a function of time at various temperatures. The intermediate polarization states are stable over time, up to the Curie temperature. We argue that the remarkable stability originates from the coexistence of effectively independent domains, with different values of polarization and coercive field. A domain growth model is derived quantitatively describing deterministic switching between the intermediate polarization states. We show that by using well-defined voltage pulses, the polarization can be set to any arbitrary value, allowing arithmetic programming. The feasibility of arithmetic programming along with the inherent stability of intermediate polarization states makes ferroelectric materials ideal candidates for multibit data storage.« less

Performance comparison of polarized white light emitting diodes using wire-grid polarizers with polymeric and glass substrates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Su, Jung-Chieh; Chou, Shih-Chieh

2018-03-01

Polarized white light emitting diodes (WLEDs) packaged with reflective metal wire-grid polarizer of polymeric and glass substrates were investigated. The performance comparison of polymeric wire-grid polarizer film (WGF) and nano wire-grid polarizer (NWGP) with glass substrate was evaluated. The transverse electric field (TE) polarization transmittance of WGF is less than that of NWGP due to its smaller grid parameters. Despite of the higher duty cycle of WGF, the angular-dependent extinction ratio (ER) of the polarized WLEDs (PWLEDs) with WGF is higher than that of with NWGP. Regarding increasing drive currents, the PWLEDs with NWGP had better color stability than that with WGF due to better substrate thermal stability. In summary, linewidth, period and substrate material are the crucial factors for the PWLED packaging using wire grid polarizer.

How CBO Estimates Automatic Stabilizers

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-11-01

the economy. Most types of revenues—mainly personal, corporate, and social insurance taxes —are sensitive to the business cycle and account for most of...Medicare taxes for self-employed people, taxes on production and imports, and unemployment insurance taxes . Those six categories account for the bulk of...federal tax revenues.6 Individual taxes account for most of the automatic stabilizers from revenues, followed by Social Security plus Medicare

Robotic and automatic welding development at the Marshall Space Flight Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jones, C. S.; Jackson, M. E.; Flanigan, L. A.

1988-01-01

Welding automation is the key to two major development programs to improve quality and reduce the cost of manufacturing space hardware currently undertaken by the Materials and Processes Laboratory of the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center. Variable polarity plasma arc welding has demonstrated its effectiveness on class 1 aluminum welding in external tank production. More than three miles of welds were completed without an internal defect. Much of this success can be credited to automation developments which stabilize the process. Robotic manipulation technology is under development for automation of welds on the Space Shuttle's main engines utilizing pathfinder systems in development of tooling and sensors for the production applications. The overall approach to welding automation development undertaken is outlined. Advanced sensors and control systems methodologies are described that combine to make aerospace quality welds with a minimum of dependence on operator skill.

Rocket Spectroheliograph for the Mg II Line at 2802.7 A.

PubMed

Fredga, K

1969-02-01

A rocket-borne spectroheliograph designed to take monochromatic pictures of the sun in the Mg II line at 2802.7 A is described in detail. The photographic system consists of a Questar telescope, a Solc type birefringent filter, and an automatic Robot camera. The double Solc filter has a spectral bandwidth of 3.5 A. The two units in the double filter have been thoroughly tested and are compared with theoretically calculated transmission curves. Two new types of linear film polarizers for the uv region have been tested and used in the filter. A temperature control unit was developed which stabilized the filter temperature in flight to within +/-0.2 degrees C. The instrument has been tested in vacuum and to the Aerobee 150 vibration specifications. It has been flown and successfully recovered three times and performed excellently during each fight.

Acceleration of polarized protons and deuterons in the ion collider ring of JLEIC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kondratenko, A. M.; Kondratenko, M. A.; Filatov, Yu N.; Derbenev, Ya S.; Lin, F.; Morozov, V. S.; Zhang, Y.

2017-07-01

The figure-8-shaped ion collider ring of Jefferson Lab Electron-Ion Collider (JLEIC) is transparent to the spin. It allows one to preserve proton and deuteron polarizations using weak stabilizing solenoids when accelerating the beam up to 100 GeV/c. When the stabilizing solenoids are introduced into the collider’s lattice, the particle spins precess about a spin field, which consists of the field induced by the stabilizing solenoids and the zero-integer spin resonance strength. During acceleration of the beam, the induced spin field is maintained constant while the resonance strength experiences significant changes in the regions of “interference peaks”. The beam polarization depends on the field ramp rate of the arc magnets. Its component along the spin field is preserved if acceleration is adiabatic. We present the results of our theoretical analysis and numerical modeling of the spin dynamics during acceleration of protons and deuterons in the JLEIC ion collider ring. We demonstrate high stability of the deuteron polarization in figure-8 accelerators. We analyze a change in the beam polarization when crossing the transition energy.

Acceleration of polarized protons and deuterons in the ion collider ring of JLEIC

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

Kondratenko, A.; Kondratenko, M.; Filatov, Yu. N.

2017-07-01

The figure-8-shaped ion collider ring of Jefferson Lab Electron-Ion Collider (JLEIC) is transparent to the spin. It allows one to preserve proton and deuteron polarizations using weak stabilizing solenoids when accelerating the beam up to 100 GeV/c. When the stabilizing solenoids are introduced into the collider's lattice, the particle spins precess about a spin field, which consists of the field induced by the stabilizing solenoids and the zero-integer spin resonance strength. During acceleration of the beam, the induced spin field is maintained constant while the resonance strength experiences significant changes in the regions of "interference peaks". The beam polarization dependsmore » on the field ramp rate of the arc magnets. Its component along the spin field is preserved if acceleration is adiabatic. We present the results of our theoretical analysis and numerical modeling of the spin dynamics during acceleration of protons and deuterons in the JLEIC ion collider ring. We demonstrate high stability of the deuteron polarization in figure-8 accelerators. We analyze a change in the beam polarization when crossing the transition energy.« less

Final results of the PERSEE experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Le Duigou, J. M.; Lozi, J.; Cassaing, F.; Houairi, K.; Sorrente, B.; Montri, J.; Jacquinod, S.; Reess, J.-M.; Pham, L.; Lhome, E.; Buey, T.; Hénault, F.; Marcotto, A.; Girard, P.; Mauclert, N.; Barillot, M.; Coudé du Foresto, V.; Ollivier, M.

2012-07-01

The PERSEE breadboard, developed by a consortium including CNES, IAS, LESIA, OCA, ONERA and TAS since 2005, is a nulling demonstrator that couples an infrared nulling interferometer with a formation flying simulator able to introduce realistic disturbances in the set-up. The general idea is to prove that an adequate optical design can considerably relax the constraints applying at the spacecrafts level of a future interferometric space mission like Darwin/TPF or one of its precursors. The breadboard is now fully operational and the measurements sequences are managed from a remote control room using automatic procedures. A set of excellent results were obtained in 2011. The measured polychromatic nulling depth with non polarized light is 8.8 10-6 stabilized at 9 10-8 in the 1.65-2.45 μm spectral band (37 % bandwidth) during 100 s. This result was extended to a 7h duration thanks to an automatic calibration process. The various contributors are identified and the nulling budget is now well mastered. We also proved that harmonic disturbances in the 1-100 Hz up to several ten’s of nm rms can be very efficiently corrected by a Linear Quadratic Control (LQG) if a sufficient flux is available. These results are important contributions to the feasibility of a future space based nulling interferometer.

Final results of the PERSEE experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Le Duigou, J.-M.; Lozi, J.; Cassaing, F.; Houairi, K.; Sorrente, B.; Montri, J.; Jacquinod, S.; Réess, J.-M.; Pham, L.; Lhomé, E.; Buey, T.; Hénault, F.; Marcotto, A.; Girard, P.; Mauclert, N.; Barillot, M.; Coudé du Foresto, V.; Ollivier, M.

2017-11-01

The PERSEE breadboard, developed by a consortium including CNES, IAS, LESIA, OCA, ONERA and TAS since 2006, is a nulling demonstrator that couples an infrared nulling interferometer with a formation flying simulator able to introduce realistic disturbances in the set-up. The general idea is to prove that an adequate optical design can considerably release the constraints applied at the spacecrafts level of a future interferometric space mission like Darwin/TPF or one of its precursors. The breadboard is now fully operational and the measurements sequences are managed from a remote control room using automatic procedures. A set of excellent results were obtained in 2011: the measured polychromatic nulling depth with non polarized light is 8.8x10-6 stabilized at 9x10-8 in the [1.65-2.45] μm spectral band (37% bandwidth) during 100s. This result was extended to a 7h duration thanks to an automatic calibration process. The various contributors are identified and the nulling budget is now well mastered. We also proved that harmonic disturbances in the 1-100Hz up to several tens of nm rms can be very efficiently corrected by a Linear Quadratic Control (LQG) if a sufficient flux is available. These results are important contributions to the feasibility of a future space based nulling interferometer.

Integrating machine learning to achieve an automatic parameter prediction for practical continuous-variable quantum key distribution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Weiqi; Huang, Peng; Peng, Jinye; Fan, Jianping; Zeng, Guihua

2018-02-01

For supporting practical quantum key distribution (QKD), it is critical to stabilize the physical parameters of signals, e.g., the intensity, phase, and polarization of the laser signals, so that such QKD systems can achieve better performance and practical security. In this paper, an approach is developed by integrating a support vector regression (SVR) model to optimize the performance and practical security of the QKD system. First, a SVR model is learned to precisely predict the time-along evolutions of the physical parameters of signals. Second, such predicted time-along evolutions are employed as feedback to control the QKD system for achieving the optimal performance and practical security. Finally, our proposed approach is exemplified by using the intensity evolution of laser light and a local oscillator pulse in the Gaussian modulated coherent state QKD system. Our experimental results have demonstrated three significant benefits of our SVR-based approach: (1) it can allow the QKD system to achieve optimal performance and practical security, (2) it does not require any additional resources and any real-time monitoring module to support automatic prediction of the time-along evolutions of the physical parameters of signals, and (3) it is applicable to any measurable physical parameter of signals in the practical QKD system.

New Tools for Hybrid Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-05-02

stability of a class of discrete event systems ", IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control , vol. 39, no. 2... stability , input/output stability , external stability and incremental input/output stability , as they apply to deterministic finite state machine systems ... class of systems , incremental 1/0 stability and external stability are equivalent notions, stronger than the notion of I/O stability . 15. SUBJECT

[Automatic adjustment control system for DC glow discharge plasma source].

PubMed

Wan, Zhen-zhen; Wang, Yong-qing; Li, Xiao-jia; Wang, Hai-zhou; Shi, Ning

2011-03-01

There are three important parameters in the DC glow discharge process, the discharge current, discharge voltage and argon pressure in discharge source. These parameters influence each other during glow discharge process. This paper presents an automatic control system for DC glow discharge plasma source. This system collects and controls discharge voltage automatically by adjusting discharge source pressure while the discharge current is constant in the glow discharge process. The design concept, circuit principle and control program of this automatic control system are described. The accuracy is improved by this automatic control system with the method of reducing the complex operations and manual control errors. This system enhances the control accuracy of glow discharge voltage, and reduces the time to reach discharge voltage stability. The glow discharge voltage stability test results with automatic control system are provided as well, the accuracy with automatic control system is better than 1% FS which is improved from 4% FS by manual control. Time to reach discharge voltage stability has been shortened to within 30 s by automatic control from more than 90 s by manual control. Standard samples like middle-low alloy steel and tin bronze have been tested by this automatic control system. The concentration analysis precision has been significantly improved. The RSDs of all the test result are better than 3.5%. In middle-low alloy steel standard sample, the RSD range of concentration test result of Ti, Co and Mn elements is reduced from 3.0%-4.3% by manual control to 1.7%-2.4% by automatic control, and that for S and Mo is also reduced from 5.2%-5.9% to 3.3%-3.5%. In tin bronze standard sample, the RSD range of Sn, Zn and Al elements is reduced from 2.6%-4.4% to 1.0%-2.4%, and that for Si, Ni and Fe is reduced from 6.6%-13.9% to 2.6%-3.5%. The test data is also shown in this paper.

Integrated polarizers based on tapered highly birefringent photonic crystal fibers.

PubMed

Romagnoli, Priscila; Biazoli, Claudecir R; Franco, Marcos A R; Cordeiro, Cristiano M B; de Matos, Christiano J S

2014-07-28

This paper proposes and demonstrates the creation of sections with a high polarization dependent loss (PDL) in a commercial highly birefringent (polarization maintaining) photonic crystal fiber (PCF), via tapering with pressure applied to the holes. The tapers had a 1-cm-long uniform section with a 66% scale reduction, in which the original microstructure aspect ratio was kept by the pressure application. The resulting waveguides show polarizing action across the entire tested wavelength range, 1510-1600 nm, with a peak PDL of 35.3 dB/cm (c.f. ~1 dB/cm for a typical commercial polarizing fiber). The resulting structure, as well as its production, is extremely simple, and enable a small section with a high PDL to be obtained in a polarization maintaining PCF, meaning that the polarization axes in the polarizing and polarization maintaining sections are automatically aligned.

Design concepts using ring lasers for frequency stabilization

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mocker, H.

1967-01-01

Laser frequency stabilization methods are based on a frequency discriminant which generates an unambiguous deviation signal used for automatic stabilization. Closed-loop control stabilizes cavity length at a null point. Some systems have a stabilized ring laser using a piezoelectric dither and others use a Doppler gain tube.

Surface functionalization of microwave plasma-synthesized silica nanoparticles for enhancing the stability of dispersions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sehlleier, Yee Hwa; Abdali, Ali; Schnurre, Sophie Marie; Wiggers, Hartmut; Schulz, Christof

2014-08-01

Gas phase-synthesized silica nanoparticles were functionalized with three different silane coupling agents (SCAs) including amine, amine/phosphonate and octyltriethoxy functional groups and the stability of dispersions in polar and non-polar dispersing media such as water, ethanol, methanol, chloroform, benzene, and toluene was studied. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy showed that all three SCAs are chemically attached to the surface of silica nanoparticles. Amine-functionalized particles using steric dispersion stabilization alone showed limited stability. Thus, an additional SCA with sufficiently long hydrocarbon chains and strong positively charged phosphonate groups was introduced in order to achieve electrosteric stabilization. Steric stabilization was successful with hydrophobic octyltriethoxy-functionalized silica nanoparticles in non-polar solvents. The results from dynamic light scattering measurements showed that in dispersions of amine/phosphonate- and octyltriethoxy-functionalized silica particles are dispersed on a primary particle level. Stable dispersions were successfully prepared from initially agglomerated nanoparticles synthesized in a microwave plasma reactor by designing the surface functionalization.

Word-Level and Sentence-Level Automaticity in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) Learners: a Comparative Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ma, Dongmei; Yu, Xiaoru; Zhang, Haomin

2017-01-01

The present study aimed to investigate second language (L2) word-level and sentence-level automatic processing among English as a foreign language students through a comparative analysis of students with different proficiency levels. As a multidimensional and dynamic construct, automaticity is conceptualized as processing speed, stability, and…

Strain-engineering stabilization of BaTi O3 -based polar metals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Chao; Jin, Kui-juan; Ge, Chen; Yang, Guo-zhen

2018-03-01

Polar metals, which possess ferroelectriclike polar structure and conductivity simultaneously, have attracted wide interest since the first solid example, LiOs O3 (below 140 K), was discovered. However, the lack of room-temperature polar metals hinders further research and applications. Thus abundant properties of polar metals are unexplored. Here, with first-principles calculations, we report that the polar metal phase can be stabilized in the strain-engineered BaTi O3 with electron doping. The mechanism relates to the competition between the shifting of the t2 g energy levels and the narrowing of their bandwidth. Surprisingly, it is predicted that the ferroelectric-to-paraelectric transition temperature can be increased by electron doping when the strain is large enough, which holds potential for room-temperature polar metals. Our results indicate that strain engineering is a promising way to achieve BaTi O3 -based polar metals, and they should have practical significance for obtaining easily accessible, ecofriendly, and potential room-temperature polar metals.

Invariants of polarization transformations.

PubMed

Sadjadi, Firooz A

2007-05-20

The use of polarization-sensitive sensors is being explored in a variety of applications. Polarization diversity has been shown to improve the performance of the automatic target detection and recognition in a significant way. However, it also brings out the problems associated with processing and storing more data and the problem of polarization distortion during transmission. We present a technique for extracting attributes that are invariant under polarization transformations. The polarimetric signatures are represented in terms of the components of the Stokes vectors. Invariant algebra is then used to extract a set of signature-related attributes that are invariant under linear transformation of the Stokes vectors. Experimental results using polarimetric infrared signatures of a number of manmade and natural objects undergoing systematic linear transformations support the invariancy of these attributes.

Arabidopsis  SABRE and CLASP interact to stabilize cell division plane orientation and planar polarity.

PubMed

Pietra, Stefano; Gustavsson, Anna; Kiefer, Christian; Kalmbach, Lothar; Hörstedt, Per; Ikeda, Yoshihisa; Stepanova, Anna N; Alonso, Jose M; Grebe, Markus

2013-01-01

The orientation of cell division and the coordination of cell polarity within the plane of the tissue layer (planar polarity) contribute to shape diverse multicellular organisms. The root of Arabidopsis thaliana displays regularly oriented cell divisions, cell elongation and planar polarity providing a plant model system to study these processes. Here we report that the SABRE protein, which shares similarity with proteins of unknown function throughout eukaryotes, has important roles in orienting cell division and planar polarity. SABRE localizes at the plasma membrane, endomembranes, mitotic spindle and cell plate. SABRE stabilizes the orientation of CLASP-labelled preprophase band microtubules predicting the cell division plane, and of cortical microtubules driving cell elongation. During planar polarity establishment, sabre is epistatic to clasp at directing polar membrane domains of Rho-of-plant GTPases. Our findings mechanistically link SABRE to CLASP-dependent microtubule organization, shedding new light on the function of SABRE-related proteins in eukaryotes.

Entropic contributions enhance polarity compensation for CeO2(100) surfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Capdevila-Cortada, Marçal; López, Núria

2017-03-01

Surface structure controls the physical and chemical response of materials. Surface polar terminations are appealing because of their unusual properties but they are intrinsically unstable. Several mechanisms, namely metallization, adsorption, and ordered reconstructions, can remove thermodynamic penalties rendering polar surfaces partially stable. Here, for CeO2(100), we report a complementary stabilization mechanism based on surface disorder that has been unravelled through theoretical simulations that: account for surface energies and configurational entropies; show the importance of the ion distribution degeneracy; and identify low diffusion barriers between conformations that ensure equilibration. Disordered configurations in oxides might also be further stabilized by preferential adsorption of water. The entropic stabilization term will appear for surfaces with a high number of empty sites, typically achieved when removing part of the ions in a polar termination to make the layer charge zero. Assessing the impact of surface disorder when establishing new structure-activity relationships remains a challenge.

Quantitative characterization of non-classic polarization of cations on clay aggregate stability.

PubMed

Hu, Feinan; Li, Hang; Liu, Xinmin; Li, Song; Ding, Wuquan; Xu, Chenyang; Li, Yue; Zhu, Longhui

2015-01-01

Soil particle interactions are strongly influenced by the concentration, valence and ion species and the pH of the bulk solution, which will also affect aggregate stability and particle transport. In this study, we investigated clay aggregate stability in the presence of different alkali ions (Li+, Na+, K+, and Cs+) at concentrations from10-5 to 10-1 mol L-1. Strong specific ion effects on clay aggregate stability were observed, and showed the order Cs+>K+>Na+>Li+. We found that it was not the effects of ion size, hydration, and dispersion forces in the cation-surface interactions but strong non-classic polarization of adsorbed cations that resulted in these specific effects. In this study, the non-classic dipole moments of each cation species resulting from the non-classic polarization were estimated. By comparing non-classic dipole moments with classic values, the observed dipole moments of adsorbed cations were up to 104 times larger than the classic values for the same cation. The observed non-classic dipole moments sharply increased with decreasing electrolyte concentration. We conclude that strong non-classic polarization could significantly suppress the thickness of the diffuse layer, thereby weakening the electric field near the clay surface and resulting in improved clay aggregate stability. Even though we only demonstrated specific ion effects on aggregate stability with several alkali ions, our results indicate that these effects could be universally important in soil aggregate stability.

Quantitative Characterization of Non-Classic Polarization of Cations on Clay Aggregate Stability

PubMed Central

Hu, Feinan; Li, Hang; Liu, Xinmin; Li, Song; Ding, Wuquan; Xu, Chenyang; Li, Yue; Zhu, Longhui

2015-01-01

Soil particle interactions are strongly influenced by the concentration, valence and ion species and the pH of the bulk solution, which will also affect aggregate stability and particle transport. In this study, we investigated clay aggregate stability in the presence of different alkali ions (Li+, Na+, K+, and Cs+) at concentrations from10−5 to 10−1 mol L−1. Strong specific ion effects on clay aggregate stability were observed, and showed the order Cs+>K+>Na+>Li+. We found that it was not the effects of ion size, hydration, and dispersion forces in the cation–surface interactions but strong non-classic polarization of adsorbed cations that resulted in these specific effects. In this study, the non-classic dipole moments of each cation species resulting from the non-classic polarization were estimated. By comparing non-classic dipole moments with classic values, the observed dipole moments of adsorbed cations were up to 104 times larger than the classic values for the same cation. The observed non-classic dipole moments sharply increased with decreasing electrolyte concentration. We conclude that strong non-classic polarization could significantly suppress the thickness of the diffuse layer, thereby weakening the electric field near the clay surface and resulting in improved clay aggregate stability. Even though we only demonstrated specific ion effects on aggregate stability with several alkali ions, our results indicate that these effects could be universally important in soil aggregate stability. PMID:25874864

Misfit strain-temperature phase diagrams and domain stability of asymmetric ferroelectric capacitors: Thermodynamic calculation and phase-field simulation

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

Chen, W. J.; Zheng, Yue, E-mail: zhengy35@mail.sysu.edu.cn; Wu, C. M.

Thermodynamic calculation and phase-field simulation have been conducted to investigate the misfit strain-temperature phase diagrams, dielectric property, and domain stability of asymmetric ferroelectric capacitors (FCs), with considering the effects of dissimilar screening properties and work function steps at the two interfaces. The distinct features of asymmetric FCs from their symmetric counterparts have been revealed and discussed. Polar states with nonzero out-of-plane polarization in parallel with the built-in field are found preferential to form in asymmetric FCs. Meanwhile, the built-in field breaks the degeneracy of states with out-of-plane polarization in anti-directions. This leads to the necessity of redefining phases according tomore » the bistability of out-of-plane polarization. Moreover, the phase stability as well as the dielectric behavior can be significantly controlled by the properties of electrodes, misfit strain, and temperature. The phase-field simulation result also shows that polydomain instability would happen in asymmetric FCs as the equivalence of domain stability in anti-directions is destroyed.« less

Self-adaptive demodulation for polarization extinction ratio in distributed polarization coupling.

PubMed

Zhang, Hongxia; Ren, Yaguang; Liu, Tiegen; Jia, Dagong; Zhang, Yimo

2013-06-20

A self-adaptive method for distributed polarization extinction ratio (PER) demodulation is demonstrated. It is characterized by dynamic PER threshold coupling intensity (TCI) and nonuniform PER iteration step length (ISL). Based on the preset PER calculation accuracy and original distribution coupling intensity, TCI and ISL can be made self-adaptive to determine contributing coupling points inside the polarizing devices. Distributed PER is calculated by accumulating those coupling points automatically and selectively. Two different kinds of polarization-maintaining fibers are tested, and PERs are obtained after merely 3-5 iterations using the proposed method. Comparison experiments with Thorlabs commercial instrument are also conducted, and results show high consistency. In addition, the optimum preset PER calculation accuracy of 0.05 dB is obtained through many repeated experiments.

Substrate polarization in enzyme catalysis: QM/MM analysis of the effect of oxaloacetate polarization on acetyl-CoA enolization in citrate synthase.

PubMed

van der Kamp, Marc W; Perruccio, Francesca; Mulholland, Adrian J

2007-11-15

Citrate synthase is an archetypal carbon-carbon bond forming enzyme. It promotes the conversion of oxaloacetate (OAA) to citrate by catalyzing the deprotonation (enolization) of acetyl-CoA, followed by nucleophilic attack of the enolate form of this substrate on OAA to form a citryl-CoA intermediate and subsequent hydrolysis. OAA is strongly bound to the active site and its alpha-carbonyl group is polarized. This polarization has been demonstrated spectroscopically, [(Kurz et al., Biochemistry 1985;24:452-457; Kurz and Drysdale, Biochemistry 1987;26:2623-2627)] and has been suggested to be an important catalytic strategy. Substrate polarization is believed to be important in many enzymes. The first step, formation of the acetyl-CoA enolate intermediate, is thought to be rate-limiting in the mesophilic (pig/chicken) enzyme. We have examined the effects of substrate polarization on this key step using quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical (QM/MM) methods. Free energy profiles have been calculated by AM1/CHARMM27 umbrella sampling molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, together with potential energy profiles. To study the influence of OAA polarization, profiles were calculated with different polarization of the OAA alpha-carbonyl group. The results indicate that OAA polarization influences catalysis only marginally but has a larger effect on intermediate stabilization. Different levels of treatment of OAA are compared (MM or QM), and its polarization in the protein and in water analyzed at the B3LYP/6-31+G(d)/CHARMM27 level. Analysis of stabilization by individual residues shows that the enzyme mainly stabilizes the enolate intermediate (not the transition state) through electrostatic (including hydrogen bond) interactions: these contribute much more than polarization of OAA. (c) 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Quantitative polarization and flow evaluation of choroid and sclera by multifunctional Jones matrix optical coherence tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sugiyama, S.; Hong, Y.-J.; Kasaragod, D.; Makita, S.; Miura, M.; Ikuno, Y.; Yasuno, Y.

2016-03-01

Quantitative evaluation of optical properties of choroid and sclera are performed by multifunctional optical coherence tomography. Five normal eyes, five glaucoma eyes and one choroidal atrophy eye are examined. The refractive error was found to be correlated with choroidal birefringence, polarization uniformity, and flow in addition to scleral birefringence among normal eyes. The significant differences were observed between the normal and the glaucoma eyes, as for choroidal polarization uniformity, flow and scleral birefringence. An automatic segmentation algorithm of retinal pigment epithelium and chorioscleral interface based on multifunctional signals is also presented.

Distributed automatic control of technological processes in conditions of weightlessness

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kukhtenko, A. I.; Merkulov, V. I.; Samoylenko, Y. I.; Ladikov-Royev, Y. P.

1986-01-01

Some problems associated with the automatic control of liquid metal and plasma systems under conditions of weightlessness are examined, with particular reference to the problem of stability of liquid equilibrium configurations. The theoretical fundamentals of automatic control of processes in electrically conducting continuous media are outlined, and means of using electromagnetic fields for simulating technological processes in a space environment are discussed.

The effect of a sheared flow on magnetic islands in plasmas with non-axisymetric geometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cancino, M. Stefany; Martinell, Julio J.

2018-02-01

The stability of a magnetic island in a toroidal magnetic confinement device depends on various factors besides the usual tearing-mode stability parameter ?, determined by the local current profile.The presence of a sheared flow in the vicinity of the rational surface that supports the island is one of the factors that affects its stability since it can give rise to a polarization current around the island position. The contribution of the polarization current to the stability has been computed for a tokamak geometry. Here, we consider the case of magnetic islands with a shear flow in a stellarator which has a non-axisymmetric magnetic geometry. The main difference is a contribution to the polarization current from the toroidal electrostatic oscillation. A correction due to the global toroidal magnetic geometry is also present. It is found that the regime where the stability is affected corresponds to the large island width relative to the ion gyroradius. Thus, the contribution is relevant for low-temperature regimes. In that case, the polarization current is destabilizing for frequencies larger than the ion diamagnetic frequency. Our results imply that the sheared flow can produce a growth of the magnetic island in a cold plasma but it can become narrower as the temperature rises.

Feedback module for evaluating optical-power stabilization methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Downing, John

2016-03-01

A feedback module for evaluating the efficacy of optical-power stabilization without thermoelectric coolers (TECs) is described. The module comprises a pickoff optic for sampling a light beam, a photodiode for converting the sample power to electrical current, and a temperature sensor. The components are mounted on an optical bench that makes accurate (0.05°) beam alignment practical as well as providing high thermal-conductivity among the components. The module can be mounted on existing light sources or the components can be incorporated in new designs. Evaluations of optical and electronic stabilization methods are also reported. The optical method combines a novel, weakly reflective, weakly polarizing coating on the pickoff optic with a photodiode and an automatic-power-control (APC) circuit in a closed loop. The shift of emitter wavelength with temperature, coupled with the wavelength-dependent reflectance of the pickoff optic, enable the APC circuit to compensate for temperature errors. In the electronic method, a mixed-signal processor in a quasiclosed loop generates a control signal from temperature and photocurrent inputs and feeds it back to an APC circuit to compensate for temperature errors. These methods result in temperature coefficients less than 20 ppm/°C and relative rms power equal to 05% for the optical method and 0.02% for the electronic method. The later value represents an order of magnitude improvement over rms specifications for cooled, laser-diode modules and a five-fold improvement in wall-plug efficiency is achieved by eliminating TECs.

Highly sensitive rotation sensing based on orthogonal fiber-optic structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Yi; Wang, Zi-nan; Xu, Lian-yu; Wang, Cui-yun; Jia, Lei; Yu, Xiao-qi; Shao, Shan; Li, Zheng-bin

2011-08-01

In traditional fiber-optic gyroscopes (FOG), the polarization state of counter propagating waves is critically controlled, and only the mode polarized along one particular direction survives. This is important for a traditional single mode fiber gyroscope as the requirement of reciprocity. However, there are some fatal defects such as low accuracy and poor bias stability in traditional structures. In this paper, based on the idea of polarization multiplexing, a double-polarization structure is put forward and experimentally studied. In highly birefringent fibers or standard single mode fibers with induced anisotropy, two orthogonal polarization modes can be used at the same time. Therefore, in polarization maintaining fibers (PMF), each pair of counter propagating beams preserve reciprocity within their own polarization state. Two series of sensing results are gotten in the fast and slow axes in PMF. The two sensing results have their own systematic drifts and the correlation of random noise in them is approximately zero. So, beams in fast and slow axes work as two independent and orthogonal gyroscopes. In this way, amount of information is doubled, providing opportunity to eliminate noise and improve sensitivity. Theoretically, this double-polarization structure can achieve a sensitivity of 10-18 deg/h. Computer simulation demonstrates that random noise and systematic drifts are largely reduced in this novel structure. In experiment, a forty-hour stability test targeting the earth's rotation velocity is carried out. Experiment result shows that the orthogonal fiber-optic structure has two big advantages compared with traditional ones. Firstly, the structure gets true value without any bias correction in any axis and even time-varying bias does not affect the acquisition of true value. The unbiasedness makes the structure very attractive when sudden disturbances or temperature drifts existing in working environment. Secondly, the structure lowers bias for more than two orders and enhances bias stability for an order higher (compared with single axis result), achieving a bias stability of 0.01 deg/h. The evidences from all aspects convincingly show that the orthogonal fiber-optic structure is robust against environmental disturbance and material defects, achieving high stability and sensitivity.

Polarization Stability of Amorphous Piezoelectric Polyimides

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Park, C.; Ounaies, Z.; Su, J.; Smith, J. G., Jr.; Harrison, J. S.

2000-01-01

Amorphous polyimides containing polar functional groups have been synthesized and investigated for potential use as high temperature piezoelectric sensors. The thermal stability of the piezoelectric effect of one polyimide was evaluated as a function of various curing and poling conditions under dynamic and static thermal stimuli. First, the polymer samples were thermally cycled under strain by systematically increasing the maximum temperature from 50 C to 200 C while the piezoelectric strain coefficient was being measured. Second, the samples were isothermally aged at an elevated temperature in air, and the isothermal decay of the remanent polarization was measured at room temperature as a function of time. Both conventional and corona poling methods were evaluated. This material exhibited good thermal stability of the piezoelectric properties up to 100 C.

Arabidopsis  SABRE and CLASP interact to stabilize cell division plane orientation and planar polarity

PubMed Central

Pietra, Stefano; Gustavsson, Anna; Kiefer, Christian; Kalmbach, Lothar; Hörstedt, Per; Ikeda, Yoshihisa; Stepanova, Anna N.; Alonso, Jose M.; Grebe, Markus

2013-01-01

The orientation of cell division and the coordination of cell polarity within the plane of the tissue layer (planar polarity) contribute to shape diverse multicellular organisms. The root of Arabidopsis thaliana displays regularly oriented cell divisions, cell elongation and planar polarity providing a plant model system to study these processes. Here we report that the SABRE protein, which shares similarity with proteins of unknown function throughout eukaryotes, has important roles in orienting cell division and planar polarity. SABRE localizes at the plasma membrane, endomembranes, mitotic spindle and cell plate. SABRE stabilizes the orientation of CLASP-labelled preprophase band microtubules predicting the cell division plane, and of cortical microtubules driving cell elongation. During planar polarity establishment, sabre is epistatic to clasp at directing polar membrane domains of Rho-of-plant GTPases. Our findings mechanistically link SABRE to CLASP-dependent microtubule organization, shedding new light on the function of SABRE-related proteins in eukaryotes. PMID:24240534

Polarization stable plasmonic sensor based on tilted fiber Bragg grating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tomyshev, Kirill A.; Chamorovskiy, Yuriy K.; Ustimchik, Vasily E.; Butov, Oleg V.

2017-04-01

This paper presents a solution to one of the major problems of plasmonic fiber Bragg grating sensors concerning their high sensitivity to changes in the polarization state of light propagating through optical fiber. For the first time these kind of sensors have been produced using polarization maintaining fibers, thereby stabilization has been achieved using mechanical action and bending the supplied fiber. Comparative experiments have demonstrated that the sensor readings stability is at least an order of magnitude higher relative to other sensors, which record in a standard fiber with an isotropic structure.

Effects of Atmospheric Dust on Residual South Polar Cap Stability

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bonrv, B. P.; Bjorkman, J. E.; Hansen, G. B.; James, P. B.; Wolff, M. J.

2005-01-01

The Martian polar caps have been studied from the time of Herschel. Neither polar cap normally disappears in summer. The Residual North Polar Cap (portion that remains through summer) is composed of a mixture of water ice and dust, and its interannual stability is due to its low sublimation rate at the summer temperatures in the North Polar Region. The Residual South Polar Cap (RSPC) is more enigmatic, surviving the relatively hot perihelic summer season despite being composed of much more volatile CO2. It is able to do so because of its unusually high albedo, which is larger than that of other bright regions in the seasonal cap (e.g. Mountains of Mitchel). The proximity of the albedo of the RSPC to the critical albedo for stability raises the question of whether the RSPC exists in every Martian year. The ground based record is somewhat ambivalent. Douglass and Lowell reported that RSPC suddenly vanished at Ls=297deg in 1894 and did not reappear until Ls=0deg [1], and Kuiper reported that it disappeared in 1956 [2]; but both observations were questioned by contemporaries, who tended to attribute them to obscuring dust. Barker [3] reported a large amount of water vapor over the south polar cap in 1969 that could be attributed to exposure of near surface water ice during partial removal of the CO2 in the RSPC in 1969.

Investigation of numerical simulation on all-optical flip-flop stability maps of 1550nm vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Jun; Xia, Qing; Wang, Xiaofa

2017-10-01

Based on the extended spin-flip model, the all-optical flip-flop stability maps of the 1550nm vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser have been studied. Theoretical results show that excellent agreement is found between theoretical and the reported experimental results in polarization switching point current which is equal to 1.95 times threshold. Furthermore, the polarization bistable region is wide which is from 1.05 to 1.95 times threshold. A new method is presented that uses power difference between two linear polarization modes as the judging criterion of trigger degree and stability maps of all-optical flip-flop operation under different injection parameters are obtained. By alternately injecting set and reset pulse with appropriate parameters, the mutual conversion switching between two polarization modes is realized, the feasibility of all-optical flip-flop operation is checked theoretically. The results show certain guiding significance on the experimental study on all optical buffer technology.

Development of a Predictive Model for the Long-Term Stability Assessment of Drug-In-Adhesive Transdermal Films Using Polar Pressure-Sensitive Adhesives as Carrier/Matrix.

PubMed

Chenevas-Paule, Clémence; Wolff, Hans-Michael; Ashton, Mark; Schubert, Martin; Dodou, Kalliopi

2017-05-01

Drug crystallization in transdermal drug delivery systems is a critical quality defect. The impact of drug load and hydration on the physical stability of polar (acrylic) drug-in-adhesive (DIA) films was investigated with the objective to identify predictive formulation parameters with respect to drug solubility and long-term stability. Medicated acrylic films were prepared over a range of drug concentrations below and above saturation solubility and were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, polarized microscopy, and dynamic vapor sorption (DVS) analysis. Physical stability of medicated films was monitored over 4 months under different storage conditions and was dependent on solubility parameters, Gibbs free energy for drug phase transition from the amorphous to the crystalline state, and relative humidity. DVS data, for assessing H-bonding capacity experimentally, were essential to predict physical stability at different humidities and were used together with Gibbs free energy change and the Hoffman equation to develop a new predictive thermodynamic model to estimate drug solubility and stability in DIA films taking into account relative humidity. Copyright © 2017 American Pharmacists Association®. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of the use of performance reference compounds in an oasis-HLB adsorbent based passive sampler for improving water concentration estimates of polar herbicides in freshwater

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mazzella, N.; Lissalde, S.; Moreira, S.; Delmas, F.; Mazellier, P.; Huckins, J.N.

2010-01-01

Passive samplers such as the Polar Organic Chemical Integrative Sampler (POCIS) are useful tools for monitoring trace levels of polar organic chemicals in aquatic environments. The use of performance reference compounds (PRC) spiked into the POCIS adsorbent for in situ calibration may improve the semiquantitative nature of water concentration estimates based on this type of sampler. In this work, deuterium labeled atrazine-desisopropyl (DIA-d5) was chosen as PRC because of its relatively high fugacity from Oasis HLB (the POCIS adsorbent used) and our earlier evidence of its isotropic exchange. In situ calibration of POCIS spiked with DIA-d5was performed, and the resulting time-weighted average concentration estimates were compared with similar values from an automatic sampler equipped with Oasis HLB cartridges. Before PRC correction, water concentration estimates based on POCIS data sampling ratesfrom a laboratory calibration exposure were systematically lower than the reference concentrations obtained with the automatic sampler. Use of the DIA-d5 PRC data to correct POCIS sampling rates narrowed differences between corresponding values derived from the two methods. Application of PRCs for in situ calibration seems promising for improving POCIS-derived concentration estimates of polar pesticides. However, careful attention must be paid to the minimization of matrix effects when the quantification is performed by HPLC-ESI-MS/MS. ?? 2010 American Chemical Society.

Influence of Picual olive ripening on virgin olive oil alteration and stability during potato frying.

PubMed

Olivero-David, Raul; Mena, Carmen; Pérez-Jimenez, M Angeles; Sastre, Blanca; Bastida, Sara; Márquez-Ruiz, Gloria; Sánchez-Muniz, Francisco J

2014-12-03

Ripening modifies oil attributes and composition. However, the influence of olive ripening on virgin olive oil (VOO) thermal oxidative stability on food-frying has not been studied yet. Oils from Picual olives of low (VOO1), medium (VOO2), and high (VOO3) ripeness were obtained, and their thermal oxidative stability during 40 potato-fryings was tested. Unused VOO1 showed higher antioxidant content and oxidative stability than VOO2 and VOO3. Polar compounds (PC), oligomers, and altered fatty acid methyl esters (polar-FAME) increased, whereas linoleic acid, polyphenols, and tocopherols decreased in the three VOOs through frying. The alteration was lower in VOO1, followed by VOO2 (0.105, 0.117, and 0.042 g/100 g oil less of PC, oligomers and polar-FAME per frying, respectively, in VOO1 than in VOO3). In conclusion, VOO obtained from low-ripeness Picual olives should be preferred when frying fresh-potatoes due to its higher thermal and oxidative stability, permitting a higher number of potato-frying uses.

Automatic identification of fault zone head waves and direct P waves and its application in the Parkfield section of the San Andreas Fault, California

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Zefeng; Peng, Zhigang

2016-06-01

Fault zone head waves (FZHWs) are observed along major strike-slip faults and can provide high-resolution imaging of fault interface properties at seismogenic depth. In this paper, we present a new method to automatically detect FZHWs and pick direct P waves secondary arrivals (DWSAs). The algorithm identifies FZHWs by computing the amplitude ratios between the potential FZHWs and DSWAs. The polarities, polarizations and characteristic periods of FZHWs and DSWAs are then used to refine the picks or evaluate the pick quality. We apply the method to the Parkfield section of the San Andreas Fault where FZHWs have been identified before by manual picks. We compare results from automatically and manually picked arrivals and find general agreement between them. The obtained velocity contrast at Parkfield is generally 5-10 per cent near Middle Mountain while it decreases below 5 per cent near Gold Hill. We also find many FZHWs recorded by the stations within 1 km of the background seismicity (i.e. the Southwest Fracture Zone) that have not been reported before. These FZHWs could be generated within a relatively wide low velocity zone sandwiched between the fast Salinian block on the southwest side and the slow Franciscan Mélange on the northeast side. Station FROB on the southwest (fast) side also recorded a small portion of weak precursory signals before sharp P waves. However, the polarities of weak signals are consistent with the right-lateral strike-slip mechanisms, suggesting that they are unlikely genuine FZHW signals.

Fast and sensitive method to determine parabens by capillary electrophoresis using automatic reverse electrode polarity stacking mode: application to hair samples.

PubMed

Sako, Alysson V F; Dolzan, Maressa D; Micke, Gustavo Amadeu

2015-09-01

This paper describes a fast and sensitive method for the determination of methyl, ethyl, propyl, and butylparaben in hair samples by capillary electrophoresis using automatic reverse electrode polarity stacking mode. In the proposed method, solutions are injected using the flush command of the analysis software (940 mbar) and the polarity switching is carried out automatically immediately after the sample injection. The advantages compared with conventional stacking methods are the increased analytical frequency, repeatability, and inter-day precision. All analyses were performed in a fused silica capillary (50 cm, 41.5 cm in effective length, 50 μm i.d.), and the background electrolyte was composed of 20 mmol L(-1) sodium tetraborate in 10 % of methanol, pH 9.3. For the reverse polarity, -25 kV/35 s was applied followed by application of +30 kV for the electrophoretic run. Temperature was set at 20 °C, and all analytes were monitored at 297 nm. The method showed acceptable linearity (r (2) > 0.997) in the studied range of 0.1-5.0 mg L(-1), limits of detection below 0.017 mg L(-1), and inter-day, intra-day, and instrumental precision better than 6.2, 3.6, and 4.6 %, respectively. Considering parabens is widely used as a preservative in many products and the reported possibility of damage to the hair and also to human health caused by these compounds, the proposed method was applied to evaluate the adsorption of parabens in hair samples. The results indicate that there is a greater adsorption of methylparaben compared to the other parabens tested and also dyed hairs had a greater adsorption capacity for parabens than natural hairs.

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.

Polarization feedback laser stabilization

DOEpatents

Esherick, Peter; Owyoung, Adelbert

1988-01-01

A system for locking two Nd:YAG laser oscillators includes an optical path for feeding the output of one laser into the other with different polarizations. Elliptical polarization is incorporated into the optical path so that the change in polarization that occurs when the frequencies coincide may be detected to provide a feedback signal to control one laser relative to the other.

A polarization converting device for an interfering enhanced CPT atomic clock.

PubMed

Wang, Kewei; Tian, Yuan; Yin, Yi; Wang, Yuanchao; Gu, Sihong

2017-11-01

With interfering enhanced coherent population trapping (CPT) signals, a CPT atomic clock with improved frequency stability performance can be realized. We explore an optical device that converts single-polarized bichromatic light to left and right circularly polarized superposed bichromatic light to generate interfering enhanced CPT resonance with atoms. We have experimentally studied a tabletop CPT atomic clock apparatus with a microfabricated 87 Rb atomic chip-scale cell, and the study results show that it is promising to realize a compact CPT atomic clock, even a chip-scale CPT atomic clock through microfabrication, with improved frequency stability performance.

A polarization converting device for an interfering enhanced CPT atomic clock

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Kewei; Tian, Yuan; Yin, Yi; Wang, Yuanchao; Gu, Sihong

2017-11-01

With interfering enhanced coherent population trapping (CPT) signals, a CPT atomic clock with improved frequency stability performance can be realized. We explore an optical device that converts single-polarized bichromatic light to left and right circularly polarized superposed bichromatic light to generate interfering enhanced CPT resonance with atoms. We have experimentally studied a tabletop CPT atomic clock apparatus with a microfabricated 87Rb atomic chip-scale cell, and the study results show that it is promising to realize a compact CPT atomic clock, even a chip-scale CPT atomic clock through microfabrication, with improved frequency stability performance.

Gels with exceptional thermal stability formed by bis(amino acid) oxalamide gelators and solvents of low polarity.

PubMed

Makarević, Janja; Jokić, Milan; Frkanec, Leo; Katalenić, Darinka; Zinić, Mladen

2002-10-07

Some bis (amino acid) oxalamide gelators form common thermo-reversible gels with various organic solvents but also gels of exceptional thermal stability with some solvents of medium and low polarity; the latter gels can be heated up to 50 degrees C higher temperatures than the bp of the solvent without apparent gel-to-sol transition.

Automated exploitation of sky polarization imagery.

PubMed

Sadjadi, Firooz A; Chun, Cornell S L

2018-03-10

We propose an automated method for detecting neutral points in the sunlit sky. Until now, detecting these singularities has been done manually. Results are presented that document the application of this method on a limited number of polarimetric images of the sky captured with a camera and rotating polarizer. The results are significant because a method for automatically detecting the neutral points may aid in the determination of the solar position when the sun is obscured and may have applications in meteorology and pollution detection and characterization.

Compensation for first-order polarization-mode dispersion by using a novel tunable compensator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qiu, Feng; Ning, Tigang; Pei, Shanshan; Xing, Yujun; Jian, Shuisheng

2005-01-01

Polarization-related impairments have become a critical issue for high-data-rate optical systems, particularly when considering polarization-mode dispersion (PMD). Consequently, compensation of PMD, especially for the first-order PMD is necessary to maintain adequate performance in long-haul systems at a high bit rate of 10 Gb/s or beyond. In this paper, we successfully demonstrated automatic and tunable compensation for first-order polarization-mode dispersion. Furthermore, we reported the statistical assessment of this tunable compensator at 10 Gbit/s. Experimental results, including bit error rate measurements, are successfully compared with theory, therefore demonstrating the compensator efficiency at 10 Gbit/s. The first-order PMD was max 274 ps before PMD compensation, and it was lower than 7ps after PMD compensation.

Pulsed recording of anisotropy and holographic polarization gratings in azo-polymethacrylates with different molecular architectures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Forcén, Patricia; Oriol, Luis; Sánchez, Carlos; Alcalá, Rafael; Jankova, Katja; Hvilsted, Søren

2008-06-01

Recording of anisotropy and holographic polarization gratings using 532nm, 4ns light pulses has been carried out in thin films of polymers with the same azobenzene content (20wt%) and different molecular architectures. Random and block copolymers comprising azobenzene and methylmethacrylate (MMA) moieties as well as statistical terpolymers with azobenzene, biphenyl, and MMA units have been compared in terms of recording sensitivity and stability upon pulsed excitation. Photoinduced anisotropy just after the pulse was significantly higher in the case of the block copolymers than in the two statistical copolymers. The stability of the recorded anisotropy has also been studied. While a stationary value of the photoinduced anisotropy (approximately 50% of the initial photoinduced value) is reached for the block copolymer, photoinduced anisotropy almost vanished after a few hours in the statistical copolymers. Polarization holographic gratings have been registered using two orthogonally circularly polarized light beams. The results are qualitatively similar to those of photoinduced anisotropy, that is, stability of the registered grating and larger values of diffraction efficiency for the block copolymer as compared with the random copolymers. The recording of holographic gratings with submicron period in films several microns thick, showing both polarization and angular selectivity, has also been demonstrated. Block copolymers showed a lamellar block nanosegregated morphology. The interaction among azo chromophores within the nanosegregated azo blocks seems to be the reason for the stability and the photoresponse enhancement in the block copolymer as compared with the statistical ones.

Anion-π aromatic neutral tweezers complexes: are they stable in polar solvents?

PubMed

Sánchez-Lozano, Marta; Otero, Nicolás; Hermida-Ramón, Jose M; Estévez, Carlos M; Mandado, Marcos

2011-03-17

The impact of the solvent environment on the stabilization of the complexes formed by fluorine (T-F) and cyanide (T-CN) substituted tweezers with halide anions has been investigated theoretically. The study was carried out using computational methodologies based on density functional theory (DFT) and symmetry adapted perturbation theory (SAPT). Interaction energies were obtained at the M05-2X/6-31+G* level. The obtained results show a large stability of the complexes in solvents with large dielectric constant and prove the suitability of these molecular tweezers as potential hosts for anion recognition in solution. A detailed analysis of the effects of the solvent on the electron withdrawing ability of the substituents and its influence on the complex stability has been performed. In particular, the interaction energy in solution was split up into intermonomer and solvent-complex terms. In turn, the intermonomer interaction energy was partitioned into electrostatic, exchange, and polarization terms. Polar resonance structures in T-CN complexes are favored by polar solvents, giving rise to a stabilization of the intermonomer interaction, the opposite is found for T-F complexes. The solvent-complex energy increases with the polarity of the solvent in T-CN complexes, nonetheless the energy reaches a maximum and then decreases slowly in T-F complexes. An electron density analysis was also performed before and after complexation, providing an explanation to the trends followed by the interaction energies and their different components in solution.

Atomic-Scale Origin of Long-Term Stability and High Performance of p-GaN Nanowire Arrays for Photocatalytic Overall Pure Water Splitting.

PubMed

Kibria, Md Golam; Qiao, Ruimin; Yang, Wanli; Boukahil, Idris; Kong, Xianghua; Chowdhury, Faqrul Alam; Trudeau, Michel L; Ji, Wei; Guo, Hong; Himpsel, F J; Vayssieres, Lionel; Mi, Zetian

2016-10-01

The atomic-scale origin of the unusually high performance and long-term stability of wurtzite p-GaN oriented nanowire arrays is revealed. Nitrogen termination of both the polar (0001¯) top face and the nonpolar (101¯0) side faces of the nanowires is essential for long-term stability and high efficiency. Such a distinct atomic configuration ensures not only stability against (photo) oxidation in air and in water/electrolyte but, as importantly, also provides the necessary overall reverse crystal polarization needed for efficient hole extraction in p-GaN. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Converting S-limonene synthase to pinene or phellandrene synthases reveals the plasticity of the active site.

PubMed

Xu, Jinkun; Ai, Ying; Wang, Jianhui; Xu, Jingwei; Zhang, Yongkang; Yang, Dong

2017-05-01

S-limonene synthase is a model monoterpene synthase that cyclizes geranyl pyrophosphate (GPP) to form S-limonene. It is a relatively specific enzyme as the majority of its products are composed of limonene. In this study, we converted it to pinene or phellandrene synthases after introducing N345A/L423A/S454A or N345I mutations. Further studies on N345 suggest the polarity of this residue plays a critical role in limonene production by stabilizing the terpinyl cation intermediate. If it is mutated to a non-polar residue, further cyclization or hydride shifts occurs so the carbocation migrates towards the pyrophosphate, leading to the production of pinene or phellandrene. On the other hand, mutant enzymes that still possess a polar residue at this position produce limonene as the major product. N345 is not the only polar residue that may stabilize the terpinyl cation because it is not strictly conserved among limonene synthases across species and there are also several other polar residues in this area. These residues could form a "polar pocket" that may collectively play this stabilizing role. Our study provides important insights into the catalytic mechanism of limonene synthases. Furthermore, it also has wider implications on the evolution of terpene synthases. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Polarization feedback laser stabilization

DOEpatents

Esherick, P.; Owyoung, A.

1987-09-28

A system for locking two Nd:YAG laser oscillators includes an optical path for feeding the output of one laser into the other with different polarizations. Elliptical polarization is incorporated into the optical path so that the change in polarization that occurs when the frequencies coincide may be detected to provide a feedback signal to control one laser relative to the other. 4 figs.

Multifold polar states in Zn-doped Sr0.9Ba0.1TiO3 ceramics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Yan-Yan; Guo, Yun-Jun; Wei, Tong; Liu, Jun-Ming

2015-12-01

We investigate the effect of Zn doping on the dielectricity and ferroelectricity of a series of polycrystalline Sr0.9-xZnxBa0.1TiO3 (0.0% ≤ x ≤ 5.0%) ceramics. It is surprisingly observed that the Zn doping will produce the multifold polar states, i.e., the Zn-doped ceramic will convert a reduced polar state into an enhanced polar state, and eventually into a stabilized polar state with increasing the doping level x. It is revealed that in the background of quantum fluctuations, the competition between the Zn-doping-induced lattice contraction and the Ba-doping-induced lattice expansion is responsible for both the reduced polar state and the enhanced polar state coming into being. Also, the addition of the antiferrodistortive effect, which is the antipolar interaction originating from the opposite tilted-TiO6 octahedra rotation, represents the core physics behind the stabilized polar state. Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 11304158, 51431006, 51102277, and 11104118), the Scientific Research Foundation of Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications, China (Grant No. NY213020), and the Qing Lan Project of Jiangsu Province, China.

Single shot polarization characterization of XUV FEL pulses from crossed polarized undulators

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

Ferrari, E.; Allaria, E.; Buck, J.

Polarization control is a key feature of light generated by short-wavelength free-electron lasers. In this work, we report the first experimental characterization of the polarization properties of an extreme ultraviolet high gain free-electron laser operated with crossed polarized undulators. We research the average degree of polarization and the shot-to-shot stability and we analyze aspects such as existing possibilities for controlling and switching the polarization state of the emitted light. The results are in agreement with predictions based on Gaussian beams propagation.

Single shot polarization characterization of XUV FEL pulses from crossed polarized undulators

DOE PAGES

Ferrari, E.; Allaria, E.; Buck, J.; ...

2015-08-28

Polarization control is a key feature of light generated by short-wavelength free-electron lasers. In this work, we report the first experimental characterization of the polarization properties of an extreme ultraviolet high gain free-electron laser operated with crossed polarized undulators. We research the average degree of polarization and the shot-to-shot stability and we analyze aspects such as existing possibilities for controlling and switching the polarization state of the emitted light. The results are in agreement with predictions based on Gaussian beams propagation.

Geometric stability spectra of dipolar Bose gases in tunable optical lattices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Corson, John P.; Wilson, Ryan M.; Bohn, John L.

2013-07-01

We examine the stability of quasi-two-dimensional dipolar Bose-Einstein condensates in the presence of weak optical lattices of various geometries. We find that when the condensate possesses a roton-maxon quasiparticle dispersion, the conditions for stability exhibit a strong dependence both on the lattice geometry and the polarization tilt. This results in rich structures in the system's stability diagram akin to spectroscopic signatures. We show how these structures originate from the mode matching of rotons to the perturbing lattice. In the case of a one-dimensional lattice, some of the features emerge only when the polarization axis is tilted into the plane of the condensate. Our results suggest that the stability diagram may be used as a novel means to spectroscopically measure rotons in dipolar condensates.

Advanced AFCS developments on the XV-15 tilt rotor research aircraft. [Automatic Flight Control System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Churchill, G. B.; Gerdes, R. M.

1984-01-01

The design criteria and control and handling qualities of the Automatic Flight Control System (AFCS), developed in the framework of the XV-15 tilt-rotor research aircraft, are evaluated, differentiating between the stability and control criteria. A technically aggressive SCAS control law was implemented, demonstrating that significant benefits accrue when stability criteria are separated from design criteria; the design analyses for application of the control law are presented, and the limit bandwidth for stabilization in hovering flight is shown to be defined by rotor or control lag functions. Flight tests of the aircraft resulted in a rating of 3 on the Cooper-Harper scale; a possibility of achieving a rating of 2 is expected if the system is applied to the yaw and heave control modes.

Selective Solvent-Induced Stabilization of Polar Oxide Surfaces in an Electrochemical Environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yoo, Su-Hyun; Todorova, Mira; Neugebauer, Jörg

2018-02-01

The impact of an electrochemical environment on the thermodynamic stability of polar oxide surfaces is investigated for the example of ZnO(0001) surfaces immersed in water using density functional theory calculations. We show that solvation effects are highly selective: They have little effect on surfaces showing a metallic character, but largely stabilize semiconducting structures, particularly those that have a high electrostatic penalty in vacuum. The high selectivity is shown to have direct consequences for the surface phase diagram and explains, e.g., why certain surface structures could be observed only in an electrochemical environment.

Evaluation of VIIRS and MODIS Thermal Emissive Band Calibration Stability Using Ground Target

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Madhavan, Sriharsha; Brinkmann, Jake; Wenny, Brian N.; Wu, Aisheng; Xiong, Xiaoxiong

2017-01-01

The S-NPP Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instrument, a polar orbiting Earth remote sensing instrument built using a strong MODIS background, employs a similarly designed on-board calibrating source - a V-grooved blackbody for the thermal emissive bands (TEB). The central wavelengths of most VIIRS TEBs are very close to those of MODIS with the exception of the 10.7 micron channel. To ensure the long term continuity of climate data records derived using VIIRS and MODIS TEB, it is necessary to assess any systematic differences between the two instruments, including scenes with temperatures significantly lower than blackbody operating temperatures at approximately 290 K. Previous work performed by the MODIS Characterization Support Team (MCST) at NASAGSFC used the frequent observations of the Dome Concordia site located in Antarctica to evaluate the calibration stability and consistency of Terra and Aqua MODIS over the mission lifetime. The near-surface temperature measurements from an automatic weather station (AWS) provide a direct reference useful for tracking the stability and determining the relative bias between the two MODIS instruments. In this study, the same technique is applied to the VIIRS TEB and the results are compared with those from the matched MODIS TEB. The results of this study show a small negative bias when comparing the matching VIIRS and Aqua MODIS TEB, implying a higher scene temperature retrieval for S-VIIRS at the cold end. Statistically no significant drift is observed for VIIRS TEB performance over the first 3.5 years of the mission.

SiC/Si diode trigger circuit provides automatic range switching for log amplifier

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1967-01-01

SiC/Si diode pair provides automatic range change to extend the operating range of a logarithmic amplifier-conversion circuit and assures stability at or near the range switch-over point. the diode provides hysteresis for a trigger circuit that actuates a relay at the desired range extension point.

Feasibility study ASCS remote sensing/compliance determination system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Duggan, I. E.; Minter, T. C., Jr.; Moore, B. H.; Nosworthy, C. T.

1973-01-01

A short-term technical study was performed by the MSC Earth Observations Division to determine the feasibility of the proposed Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service Automatic Remote Sensing/Compliance Determination System. For the study, the term automatic was interpreted as applying to an automated remote-sensing system that includes data acquisition, processing, and management.

Stable azodye photo-alignment layer for liquid crystal devices achieved by "turning off" dye photosensitivity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McGinty, C.; Finnemeyer, V.; Reich, R.; Clark, H.; Berry, S.; Bos, P.

2017-11-01

We have previously proposed a low cost, versatile process for stabilizing azodye photo-alignment layers for liquid crystal devices by utilizing a surface localized reactive mesogen (RM) layer. The RM is applied by dissolving the monomer in a liquid crystal material prior to filling the cell. In this paper, we show the significant effect of azodye layer thickness on the long term stability of these alignment layers when exposed to polarized light. We demonstrate, surprisingly, that thin azodye layers (˜3 nm) provide improved stability over thicker (˜40 nm) layers. Using this process, we show cells which have been stable to exposure with polarized light through one month. Additionally, we demonstrate the use of a photo-alignment layer to align the liquid crystals that afterwards can be rendered insensitive to polarized light. This was accomplished by using the process described above with the additional step of eliminating the photosensitivity of the azodye layer through photo-bleaching; the result is an RM alignment layer that will be stable when exposed to polarized light in the dye absorption band.

Practical gigahertz quantum key distribution robust against channel disturbance.

PubMed

Wang, Shuang; Chen, Wei; Yin, Zhen-Qiang; He, De-Yong; Hui, Cong; Hao, Peng-Lei; Fan-Yuan, Guan-Jie; Wang, Chao; Zhang, Li-Jun; Kuang, Jie; Liu, Shu-Feng; Zhou, Zheng; Wang, Yong-Gang; Guo, Guang-Can; Han, Zheng-Fu

2018-05-01

Quantum key distribution (QKD) provides an attractive solution for secure communication. However, channel disturbance severely limits its application when a QKD system is transferred from the laboratory to the field. Here a high-speed Faraday-Sagnac-Michelson QKD system is proposed that can automatically compensate for the channel polarization disturbance, which largely avoids the intermittency limitations of environment mutation. Over a 50 km fiber channel with 30 Hz polarization scrambling, the practicality of this phase-coding QKD system was characterized with an interference fringe visibility of 99.35% over 24 h and a stable secure key rate of 306 k bits/s over seven days without active polarization alignment.

WhitebalPR: automatic white balance by polarized reflections

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fischer, Gregor; Kolbe, Karin; Sajjaa, Matthias

2008-02-01

This new color constancy method is based on the polarization degree of that light which is reflected at the surface of an object. The subtraction of at least two images taken under different polarization directions detects the polarization degree of the neutrally reflected portions and eliminates the remitted non-polarized colored portions. Two experiments have been designed to clarify the performance of the procedure, one to multicolored objects and another to objects of different surface characteristics. The results show that the mechanism of eliminating the remitted, non-polarized colored portions of light works very fine. Independent from its color, different color pigments seem to be suitable for measuring the color of the illumination. The intensity and also the polarization degree of the reflected light depend on the surface properties significantly. The results exhibit a high accuracy of measuring the color of the illumination for glossy and matt surfaces. Only strongly scattering surfaces account for a weak signal level of the difference image and a reduced accuracy. An embodiment is proposed to integrate the new method into digital cameras.

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

Vaccarono, Mattia; Bechini, Renzo; Chandrasekar, Chandra V.

The stability of weather radar calibration is a mandatory aspect for quantitative applications, such as rainfall estimation, short-term weather prediction and initialization of numerical atmospheric and hydrological models. Over the years, calibration monitoring techniques based on external sources have been developed, specifically calibration using the Sun and calibration based on ground clutter returns. In this paper, these two techniques are integrated and complemented with a self-consistency procedure and an intercalibration technique. The aim of the integrated approach is to implement a robust method for online monitoring, able to detect significant changes in the radar calibration. The physical consistency of polarimetricmore » radar observables is exploited using the self-consistency approach, based on the expected correspondence between dual-polarization power and phase measurements in rain. This technique allows a reference absolute value to be provided for the radar calibration, from which eventual deviations may be detected using the other procedures. In particular, the ground clutter calibration is implemented on both polarization channels (horizontal and vertical) for each radar scan, allowing the polarimetric variables to be monitored and hardware failures to promptly be recognized. The Sun calibration allows monitoring the calibration and sensitivity of the radar receiver, in addition to the antenna pointing accuracy. It is applied using observations collected during the standard operational scans but requires long integration times (several days) in order to accumulate a sufficient amount of useful data. Finally, an intercalibration technique is developed and performed to compare colocated measurements collected in rain by two radars in overlapping regions. The integrated approach is performed on the C-band weather radar network in northwestern Italy, during July–October 2014. The set of methods considered appears suitable to establish an online tool to monitor the stability of the radar calibration with an accuracy of about 2 dB. In conclusion, this is considered adequate to automatically detect any unexpected change in the radar system requiring further data analysis or on-site measurements.« less

Detection and characterization of lightning-based sources using continuous wavelet transform: application to audio-magnetotellurics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Larnier, H.; Sailhac, P.; Chambodut, A.

2018-01-01

Atmospheric electromagnetic waves created by global lightning activity contain information about electrical processes of the inner and the outer Earth. Large signal-to-noise ratio events are particularly interesting because they convey information about electromagnetic properties along their path. We introduce a new methodology to automatically detect and characterize lightning-based waves using a time-frequency decomposition obtained through the application of continuous wavelet transform. We focus specifically on three types of sources, namely, atmospherics, slow tails and whistlers, that cover the frequency range 10 Hz to 10 kHz. Each wave has distinguishable characteristics in the time-frequency domain due to source shape and dispersion processes. Our methodology allows automatic detection of each type of event in the time-frequency decomposition thanks to their specific signature. Horizontal polarization attributes are also recovered in the time-frequency domain. This procedure is first applied to synthetic extremely low frequency time-series with different signal-to-noise ratios to test for robustness. We then apply it on real data: three stations of audio-magnetotelluric data acquired in Guadeloupe, oversea French territories. Most of analysed atmospherics and slow tails display linear polarization, whereas analysed whistlers are elliptically polarized. The diversity of lightning activity is finally analysed in an audio-magnetotelluric data processing framework, as used in subsurface prospecting, through estimation of the impedance response functions. We show that audio-magnetotelluric processing results depend mainly on the frequency content of electromagnetic waves observed in processed time-series, with an emphasis on the difference between morning and afternoon acquisition. Our new methodology based on the time-frequency signature of lightning-induced electromagnetic waves allows automatic detection and characterization of events in audio-magnetotelluric time-series, providing the means to assess quality of response functions obtained through processing.

Diode-laser frequency stabilization based on the resonant Faraday effect

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wanninger, P.; Valdez, E. C.; Shay, T. M.

1992-01-01

The authors present the results of a method for frequency stabilizing laser diodes based on the resonant Faraday effects. A Faraday cell in conjunction with a polarizer crossed with respect to the polarization of the laser diode comprises the intracavity frequency selective element. In this arrangement, a laser pull-in range of 9 A was measured, and the laser operated at a single frequency with a linewidth less than 6 MHz.

Interference substructure of above-threshold ionization peaks in the stabilization regime

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Toyota, Koudai; Tolstikhin, Oleg I.; Morishita, Toru; Watanabe, Shinichi

2008-09-01

The photoelectron spectra produced in the photodetachment of H- (treated in the single-active-electron approximation) by strong high-frequency laser pulses with adequately chosen laser parameters in the stabilization regime are theoretically studied for elliptic polarization over an extended parameter range. An oscillating substructure in the above-threshold ionization peaks is observed, which confirms similar findings in the one-dimensional (1D) [K. Toyota , Phys. Rev. A 76, 043418 (2007)] and 3D calculations for linear polarization [O. I. Tolstikhin, Phys. Rev. A 77, 032712 (2008)]. The mechanism is an interference between the photoelectron wave packets created in the rising and falling parts of the pulse which is specific to the stabilization regime. We thus conclude that this interference substructure is robust for any polarization and over a wide range of the laser parameters, and hence should be observable experimentally.

Polarity in GaN and ZnO: Theory, measurement, growth, and devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zúñiga-Pérez, Jesús; Consonni, Vincent; Lymperakis, Liverios; Kong, Xiang; Trampert, Achim; Fernández-Garrido, Sergio; Brandt, Oliver; Renevier, Hubert; Keller, Stacia; Hestroffer, Karine; Wagner, Markus R.; Reparaz, Juan Sebastián; Akyol, Fatih; Rajan, Siddharth; Rennesson, Stéphanie; Palacios, Tomás; Feuillet, Guy

2016-12-01

The polar nature of the wurtzite crystalline structure of GaN and ZnO results in the existence of a spontaneous electric polarization within these materials and their associated alloys (Ga,Al,In)N and (Zn,Mg,Cd)O. The polarity has also important consequences on the stability of the different crystallographic surfaces, and this becomes especially important when considering epitaxial growth. Furthermore, the internal polarization fields may adversely affect the properties of optoelectronic devices but is also used as a potential advantage for advanced electronic devices. In this article, polarity-related issues in GaN and ZnO are reviewed, going from theoretical considerations to electronic and optoelectronic devices, through thin film, and nanostructure growth. The necessary theoretical background is first introduced and the stability of the cation and anion polarity surfaces is discussed. For assessing the polarity, one has to make use of specific characterization methods, which are described in detail. Subsequently, the nucleation and growth mechanisms of thin films and nanostructures, including nanowires, are presented, reviewing the specific growth conditions that allow controlling the polarity of such objects. Eventually, the demonstrated and/or expected effects of polarity on the properties and performances of optoelectronic and electronic devices are reported. The present review is intended to yield an in-depth view of some of the hot topics related to polarity in GaN and ZnO, a fast growing subject over the last decade.

Spontaneous growth of polarizing refractory metal ‘nano-fins’

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tai, M. C.; Gentle, A. R.; Arnold, M. D.; Cortie, M. B.

2018-03-01

Traditional polymer polarizers degrade in harsh environments and at high temperatures, reducing the polarization effect. In contrast, polarizers produced with refractory metals have vastly improved thermal stability and resistance to harsh environments but are expensive to fabricate. Here we demonstrate prototype refractory metal wire grid polarizers produced by co-sputtering molybdenum and aluminum under specific conditions. Removal of the aluminum through selective dissolution enables the nanostructure array to transmit light. The polarization spans 500-1100 nm and the extinction ratio significantly increases to >100. Possessing broadband polarization and sufficient extinction ratios, the new polarizing film has potential applications in coatings for sunglasses, windows, pyrometers, scientific instruments, and LCD panels.

A method for automatic grain segmentation of multi-angle cross-polarized microscopic images of sandstone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Feng; Gu, Qing; Hao, Huizhen; Li, Na; Wang, Bingqian; Hu, Xiumian

2018-06-01

Automatic grain segmentation of sandstone is to partition mineral grains into separate regions in the thin section, which is the first step for computer aided mineral identification and sandstone classification. The sandstone microscopic images contain a large number of mixed mineral grains where differences among adjacent grains, i.e., quartz, feldspar and lithic grains, are usually ambiguous, which make grain segmentation difficult. In this paper, we take advantage of multi-angle cross-polarized microscopic images and propose a method for grain segmentation with high accuracy. The method consists of two stages, in the first stage, we enhance the SLIC (Simple Linear Iterative Clustering) algorithm, named MSLIC, to make use of multi-angle images and segment the images as boundary adherent superpixels. In the second stage, we propose the region merging technique which combines the coarse merging and fine merging algorithms. The coarse merging merges the adjacent superpixels with less evident boundaries, and the fine merging merges the ambiguous superpixels using the spatial enhanced fuzzy clustering. Experiments are designed on 9 sets of multi-angle cross-polarized images taken from the three major types of sandstones. The results demonstrate both the effectiveness and potential of the proposed method, comparing to the available segmentation methods.

Frequency control of wind turbine in power system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Huawei

2018-06-01

In order to improve the stability of the overall frequency of the power system, automatic power generation control and secondary frequency adjustment were applied. Automatic power generation control was introduced into power generation planning. A dual-fed wind generator power regulation model suitable for secondary frequency regulation was established. The results showed that this method satisfied the basic requirements of frequency regulation control of large-scale wind power access power systems and improved the stability and reliability of power system operation. Therefore, this system frequency control method and strategy is relatively simple. The effect is significant. The system frequency can quickly reach a steady state. It is worth applying and promoting.

Investigations of Lateral Stability of a Glide Bomb Using Automatic Control Having No Time Lag

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sponder, E. W.

1950-01-01

The investigation of the lateral stability of an automatically controlled glide bomb led also to the attempt of clarifying the influence of a phugoid oscillation or of any general longitudinal oscillation on the lateral stability of a glide bomb. Under the assumption that its period of oscillation considerably exceeds the rolling and yawing oscillation and that c(sub a) is, at least in sections, practically constant, the result of this test is quite simple. It becomes clear that the influence of the phugoid oscillation may be replaced by suitable variation of the rolling-yawing moment on a rectilinear flight path instead of the phugoid oscillation. If the flying weight of the glide bomb of unchanged dimensions is increased, an increase of the flight velocity will be more favorable than an increase of the lift coefficient. The arrangement of the control permits lateral stability to be achieved in every case; a minimum rolling moment due to sideslip proves of great help.

Stabilization of Polar Nanoregions in Pb-free Ferroelectrics

DOE PAGES

Pramanick, A.; Dmowski, Wojciech; Egami, Takeshi; ...

2018-05-18

In this study, the formation of polar nanoregions through solid-solution additions is known to enhance significantly the functional properties of ferroelectric materials. Despite considerable progress in characterizing the microscopic behavior of polar nanoregions (PNR), understanding their real-space atomic structure and dynamics of their formation remains a considerable challenge. Here, using the method of dynamic pair distribution function, we provide direct insights into the role of solid-solution additions towards the stabilization of polar nanoregions in the Pb-free ferroelectric of Ba(Zr,Ti)O 3. It is shown that for an optimum level of substitution of Ti by larger Zr ions, the dynamics of atomicmore » displacements for ferroelectric polarization are slowed sufficiently below THz frequencies, which leads to increased local correlation among dipoles within PNRs. The dynamic pair distribution function technique demonstrates a unique capability to obtain insights into locally correlated atomic dynamics in disordered materials, including new Pb-free ferroelectrics, which is necessary to understand and control their functional properties.« less

Femoral fracture repair using a locking plate technique in an adult captive polar bear (Ursus maritimus).

PubMed

Zimmerman, Dawn M; Dew, Terry; Douglass, Michael; Perez, Edward

2010-02-01

To report successful femoral fracture repair in a polar bear. Case report. Female polar bear (Ursus maritimus) 5 years and approximately 250 kg. A closed, complete, comminuted fracture of the distal midshaft femur was successfully reduced and stabilized using a compression plating technique with 2 specialized human femur plates offering axial, rotational, and bending support, and allowing the bone to share loads with the implant. Postoperative radiographs were obtained at 11.5 weeks, 11 months, and 24 months. Bone healing characterized by marked periosteal reaction was evident at 11 months with extensive remodeling evident at 24 months. No complications were noted. Distal mid shaft femoral fracture was reduced, stabilized, and healed in an adult polar bear with a locking plate technique using 2 plates. Previously, femoral fractures in polar bears were considered irreparable. Use of 2 plates applied with a locking plate technique can result in successful fracture repair despite large body weight and inability to restrict postoperative activity.

Stabilization of Polar Nanoregions in Pb-free Ferroelectrics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pramanick, A.; Dmowski, W.; Egami, T.; Budisuharto, A. Setiadi; Weyland, F.; Novak, N.; Christianson, A. D.; Borreguero, J. M.; Abernathy, D. L.; Jørgensen, M. R. V.

2018-05-01

The formation of polar nanoregions through solid-solution additions is known to enhance significantly the functional properties of ferroelectric materials. Despite considerable progress in characterizing the microscopic behavior of polar nanoregions (PNR), understanding their real-space atomic structure and dynamics of their formation remains a considerable challenge. Here, using the method of dynamic pair distribution function, we provide direct insights into the role of solid-solution additions towards the stabilization of polar nanoregions in the Pb-free ferroelectric of Ba (Zr ,Ti )O3 . It is shown that for an optimum level of substitution of Ti by larger Zr ions, the dynamics of atomic displacements for ferroelectric polarization are slowed sufficiently below THz frequencies, which leads to increased local correlation among dipoles within PNRs. The dynamic pair distribution function technique demonstrates a unique capability to obtain insights into locally correlated atomic dynamics in disordered materials, including new Pb-free ferroelectrics, which is necessary to understand and control their functional properties.

Stabilization of Polar Nanoregions in Pb-free Ferroelectrics

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

Pramanick, A.; Dmowski, Wojciech; Egami, Takeshi

In this study, the formation of polar nanoregions through solid-solution additions is known to enhance significantly the functional properties of ferroelectric materials. Despite considerable progress in characterizing the microscopic behavior of polar nanoregions (PNR), understanding their real-space atomic structure and dynamics of their formation remains a considerable challenge. Here, using the method of dynamic pair distribution function, we provide direct insights into the role of solid-solution additions towards the stabilization of polar nanoregions in the Pb-free ferroelectric of Ba(Zr,Ti)O 3. It is shown that for an optimum level of substitution of Ti by larger Zr ions, the dynamics of atomicmore » displacements for ferroelectric polarization are slowed sufficiently below THz frequencies, which leads to increased local correlation among dipoles within PNRs. The dynamic pair distribution function technique demonstrates a unique capability to obtain insights into locally correlated atomic dynamics in disordered materials, including new Pb-free ferroelectrics, which is necessary to understand and control their functional properties.« less

Formal Solutions for Polarized Radiative Transfer. III. Stiffness and Instability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Janett, Gioele; Paganini, Alberto

2018-04-01

Efficient numerical approximation of the polarized radiative transfer equation is challenging because this system of ordinary differential equations exhibits stiff behavior, which potentially results in numerical instability. This negatively impacts the accuracy of formal solvers, and small step-sizes are often necessary to retrieve physical solutions. This work presents stability analyses of formal solvers for the radiative transfer equation of polarized light, identifies instability issues, and suggests practical remedies. In particular, the assumptions and the limitations of the stability analysis of Runge–Kutta methods play a crucial role. On this basis, a suitable and pragmatic formal solver is outlined and tested. An insightful comparison to the scalar radiative transfer equation is also presented.

Snapshot polarization-sensitive plug-in optical module for a Fourier-domain optical coherence tomography system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marques, Manuel J.; Rivet, Sylvain; Bradu, Adrian; Podoleanu, Adrian

2018-02-01

In this communication, we present a proof-of-concept polarization-sensitive Optical Coherence Tomography (PS-OCT) which can be used to characterize the retardance and the axis orientation of a linear birefringent sample. This module configuration is an improvement from our previous work1, 2 since it encodes the two polarization channels on the optical path difference, effectively carrying out the polarization measurements simultaneously (snapshot measurement), whilst retaining all the advantages (namely the insensitivity to environmental parameters when using SM fibers) of these two previous configurations. Further progress consists in employing Master Slave OCT technology,3 which is used to automatically compensate for the dispersion mismatch introduced by the elements in the module. This is essential given the encoding of the polarization states on two different optical path lengths, each of them having dissimilar dispersive properties. By utilizing this method instead of the commonly used re-linearization and numerical dispersion compensation methods an improvement in terms of the calculation time required can be achieved.

Automated polarization control for the precise alignment of laser-induced self-organized nanostructures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hermens, Ulrike; Pothen, Mario; Winands, Kai; Arntz, Kristian; Klocke, Fritz

2018-02-01

Laser-induced periodic surface structures (LIPSS) found in particular applications in the fields of surface functionalization have been investigated since many years. The direction of these ripple structures with a periodicity in the nanoscale can be manipulated by changing the laser polarization. For industrial use, it is useful to manipulate the direction of these structures automatically and to obtain smooth changes of their orientation without any visible inhomogeneity. However, currently no system solution exists that is able to control the polarization direction completely automated in one software solution so far. In this paper, a system solution is presented that includes a liquid crystal polarizer to control the polarization direction. It is synchronized with a scanner, a dynamic beam expander and a five axis-system. It provides fast switching times and small step sizes. First results of fabricated structures are also presented. In a systematic study, the conjunction of LIPSS with different orientation in two parallel line scans has been investigated.

Operational algorithm for ice-water classification on dual-polarized RADARSAT-2 images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zakhvatkina, Natalia; Korosov, Anton; Muckenhuber, Stefan; Sandven, Stein; Babiker, Mohamed

2017-01-01

Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data from RADARSAT-2 (RS2) in dual-polarization mode provide additional information for discriminating sea ice and open water compared to single-polarization data. We have developed an automatic algorithm based on dual-polarized RS2 SAR images to distinguish open water (rough and calm) and sea ice. Several technical issues inherent in RS2 data were solved in the pre-processing stage, including thermal noise reduction in HV polarization and correction of angular backscatter dependency in HH polarization. Texture features were explored and used in addition to supervised image classification based on the support vector machines (SVM) approach. The study was conducted in the ice-covered area between Greenland and Franz Josef Land. The algorithm has been trained using 24 RS2 scenes acquired in winter months in 2011 and 2012, and the results were validated against manually derived ice charts of the Norwegian Meteorological Institute. The algorithm was applied on a total of 2705 RS2 scenes obtained from 2013 to 2015, and the validation results showed that the average classification accuracy was 91 ± 4 %.

Nuclear Spin Nanomagnet in an Optically Excited Quantum Dot

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Korenev, V. L.

2007-12-01

Linearly polarized light tuned slightly below the optical transition of the negatively charged exciton (trion) in a single quantum dot causes the spontaneous nuclear spin polarization (self-polarization) at a level close to 100%. The effective magnetic field of spin-polarized nuclei shifts the optical transition energy close to resonance with photon energy. The resonantly enhanced Overhauser effect sustains the stability of the nuclear self-polarization even in the absence of spin polarization of the quantum dot electron. As a result the optically selected single quantum dot represents a tiny magnet with the ferromagnetic ordering of nuclear spins—the nuclear spin nanomagnet.

Nuclear spin nanomagnet in an optically excited quantum dot.

PubMed

Korenev, V L

2007-12-21

Linearly polarized light tuned slightly below the optical transition of the negatively charged exciton (trion) in a single quantum dot causes the spontaneous nuclear spin polarization (self-polarization) at a level close to 100%. The effective magnetic field of spin-polarized nuclei shifts the optical transition energy close to resonance with photon energy. The resonantly enhanced Overhauser effect sustains the stability of the nuclear self-polarization even in the absence of spin polarization of the quantum dot electron. As a result the optically selected single quantum dot represents a tiny magnet with the ferromagnetic ordering of nuclear spins-the nuclear spin nanomagnet.

Enhanced ferroelectric polarization and possible morphotrophic phase boundary in PZT-based alloys

DOE PAGES

Parker, David S.; Singh, David; McGuire, Michael A.; ...

2016-05-16

We present a combined theoretical and experimental study of alloys of the high performance piezoelectric PZT (PbZr 0.5Ti 0.5O 3) with BZnT (BiZn 0.5Ti 0.5O 3) and BZnZr (BiZn 0.5Zr 0.5O 3), focusing on atomic displacements, ferroelectric polarization, and elastic stability. From theory we find that the 75-25 PZT-BZnT alloy has substantially larger cation displacements, and hence ferroelectric polarization than the PZT base material, on the tetragonal side of the phase diagram. We also find a possible morphotrophic phase boundary in this system by comparing displacement patterns and optimized c/a ratios. Elastic stability calculations find the structures to be essentiallymore » stable. Lastly, experiments indicate the feasibility of sample synthesis within this alloy system, although measurements do not find significant polarization, probably due to a large coercive field.« less

ZIFL1.1 transporter modulates polar auxin transport by stabilizing membrane abundance of multiple PINs in Arabidopsis root tip

PubMed Central

Remy, Estelle; Baster, Pawel; Friml, Jiří; Duque, Paula

2013-01-01

Cell-to-cell directional flow of the phytohormone auxin is primarily established by polar localization of the PIN auxin transporters, a process tightly regulated at multiple levels by auxin itself. We recently reported that, in the context of strong auxin flows, activity of the vacuolar ZIFL1.1 transporter is required for fine-tuning of polar auxin transport rates in the Arabidopsis root. In particular, ZIFL1.1 function protects plasma-membrane stability of the PIN2 carrier in epidermal root tip cells under conditions normally triggering PIN2 degradation. Here, we show that ZIFL1.1 activity at the root tip also promotes PIN1 plasma-membrane abundance in central cylinder cells, thus supporting the notion that ZIFL1.1 acts as a general positive modulator of polar auxin transport in roots. PMID:23857365

Energy Gaps and Layer Polarization of Integer and Fractional Quantum Hall States in Bilayer Graphene.

PubMed

Shi, Yanmeng; Lee, Yongjin; Che, Shi; Pi, Ziqi; Espiritu, Timothy; Stepanov, Petr; Smirnov, Dmitry; Lau, Chun Ning; Zhang, Fan

2016-02-05

Owing to the spin, valley, and orbital symmetries, the lowest Landau level in bilayer graphene exhibits multicomponent quantum Hall ferromagnetism. Using transport spectroscopy, we investigate the energy gaps of integer and fractional quantum Hall (QH) states in bilayer graphene with controlled layer polarization. The state at filling factor ν=1 has two distinct phases: a layer polarized state that has a larger energy gap and is stabilized by high electric field, and a hitherto unobserved interlayer coherent state with a smaller gap that is stabilized by large magnetic field. In contrast, the ν=2/3 quantum Hall state and a feature at ν=1/2 are only resolved at finite electric field and large magnetic field. These results underscore the importance of controlling layer polarization in understanding the competing symmetries in the unusual QH system of BLG.

Cognitive tasks promote automatization of postural control in young and older adults.

PubMed

Potvin-Desrochers, Alexandra; Richer, Natalie; Lajoie, Yves

2017-09-01

Researchers looking at the effects of performing a concurrent cognitive task on postural control in young and older adults using traditional center-of-pressure measures and complexity measures found discordant results. Results of experiments showing improvements of stability have suggested the use of strategies such as automatization of postural control or stiffening strategy. This experiment aimed to confirm in healthy young and older adults that performing a cognitive task while standing leads to improvements that are due to automaticity of sway by using sample entropy. Twenty-one young adults and twenty-five older adults were asked to stand on a force platform while performing a cognitive task. There were four cognitive tasks: simple reaction time, go/no-go reaction time, equation and occurrence of a digit in a number sequence. Results demonstrated decreased sway area and variability as well as increased sample entropy for both groups when performing a cognitive task. Results suggest that performing a concurrent cognitive task promotes the adoption of an automatic postural control in young and older adults as evidenced by an increased postural stability and postural sway complexity. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

An Automated Ab Initio Framework for Identifying New Ferroelectrics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smidt, Tess; Reyes-Lillo, Sebastian E.; Jain, Anubhav; Neaton, Jeffrey B.

Ferroelectric materials have a wide-range of technological applications including non-volatile RAM and optoelectronics. In this work, we present an automated first-principles search for ferroelectrics. We integrate density functional theory, crystal structure databases, symmetry tools, workflow software, and a custom analysis toolkit to build a library of known and proposed ferroelectrics. We screen thousands of candidates using symmetry relations between nonpolar and polar structure pairs. We use two search strategies 1) polar-nonpolar pairs with the same composition and 2) polar-nonpolar structure type pairs. Results are automatically parsed, stored in a database, and accessible via a web interface showing distortion animations and plots of polarization and total energy as a function of distortion. We benchmark our results against experimental data, present new ferroelectric candidates found through our search, and discuss future work on expanding this search methodology to other material classes such as anti-ferroelectrics and multiferroics.

Development of dual-wavelength Mie polarization Raman lidar for aerosol and cloud vertical structure probing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Zhenzhu; Liu, Dong; Wang, Yingjian; Wang, Bangxin; Zhong, Zhiqing; Xie, Chenbo; Wu, Decheng; Bo, Guangyu; Shao, Jie

2014-11-01

A Dual-wavelength Mie Polarization Raman Lidar has been developed for cloud and aerosol optical properties measurement. This idar system has built in Hefei and passed the performance assessment in 2012, and then moved to Jinhua city to carry out the long-term continuous measurements of vertical distribution of regional cloud and aerosol. A double wavelengths (532 and 1064 nm) Nd-YAG laser is employed as emitting source and four channels are used for detecting back-scattering signals from atmosphere aerosol and cloud including 1064 nm Mie, 607 nm N2 Raman, two 532 nm Orthogonal Polarization channels. The temporal and spatial resolutions for this system, which is operating with a continuing mode (24/7) automatically, are 30s and 7.5m, respectively. The measured data are used for investigating the aerosol and cloud vertical structure and cloud phase from combining of cloud signal intensity, polarization ratio and color ratio.

Stability in the Social Percolation Models for Two to Four Dimensions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Zhi-Feng

The social percolation model proposed by Solomon et al. as well as its modification are studied in two to four dimensions for the phenomena of self-organized criticality. Stability in the models is obtained and the systems are shown to automatically drift towards the percolation threshold.

Conceptual design of X band waveguide dual circular polarizer

DOE PAGES

Xu, Chen; Tantawi, Sami; Wang, Juwen

2016-06-01

We present in this paper a new design of dual circular polarizer. This innovative design converts radiofrequency (rf) energy from TE10 mode in a rectangular waveguide to two polarized TE11 modes in a circular waveguide. A reflection less than ₋20 db is achieved and breakdown field is less than 42 MV/m at input of 1 MW. Meanwhile, this polarizer has a megahertz bandwidth, and the thermal stability is also discussed. This device can be used for broadcasting and receiving the circular polarized signals.

Watching the electronic motions driven by a conical intersection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jonas, David

2007-03-01

In chemistry, the fastest electronic rearrangements proceed through ``conical intersections'' between electronic potential energy surfaces. With sufficiently short pulses, the electronic motion can be isolated by polarized excitation of aligned electronic wavepackets at a conical intersection. Polarized femtosecond probing reveals signatures of electronic wavepacket motion (due to the energy gaps) and of electron transfer between orbitals (due to the couplings) driven by the conical intersection. After exciting a D4h symmetry silicon naphthalocyanine molecule onto a Jahn-Teller conical intersection in the first excited state, electronic motions cause a ˜100 fs drop in the pump-probe polarization anisotropy. The polarized vibrational modulations of the signal can be used to deduce the symmetry and stabilization energies for each vibration. The initial decay of the polarization anisotropy can be quantitatively predicted from these vibrational parameters. Both coupling and energy gap variations are important on the ˜100 fs timescale. A 1 meV stabilization drives electrons from orbital to orbital in 100 fs, and the theory indicates that a chemically reactive conical intersection with 1000x greater stabilization energy could cause electronic equilibration within 2 fs. We have recently carried out experiments on a nominally D2h symmetry free-base naphthalocyanine for which the splitting between x and y polarized transitions is not resolved in the linear spectrum. For this molecule, the anisotropy also decays on a similar timescale and exhibits damped modulations whose origin (vibrational or electronic) has not yet been determined. The role of the central protons and nominal D2h symmetry in the electronic dynamics will be discussed.

Generalized procrustean image deformation for subtraction of mammograms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Good, Walter F.; Zheng, Bin; Chang, Yuan-Hsiang; Wang, Xiao Hui; Maitz, Glenn S.

1999-05-01

This project is a preliminary evaluation of two simple fully automatic nonlinear transformations which can map any mammographic image onto a reference image while guaranteeing registration of specific features. The first method automatically identifies skin lines, after which each pixel is given coordinates in the range [0,1] X [0,1], where the actual value of a coordinate is the fractional distance of the pixel between tissue boundaries in either the horizontal or vertical direction. This insures that skin lines are put in registration. The second method, which is the method of primary interest, automatically detects pectoral muscles, skin lines and nipple locations. For each image, a polar coordinate system is established with its origin at the intersection of the nipple axes line (NAL) and a line indicating the pectoral muscle. Points within a mammogram are identified by the angle of their position vector, relative to the NAL, and by their fractional distance between the origin and the skin line. This deforms mammograms in such a way that their pectoral lines, NALs and skin lines are all in registration. After images are deformed, their grayscales are adjusted by applying linear regression to pixel value pairs for corresponding tissue pixels. In a comparison of these methods to a previously reported 'translation/rotation' technique, evaluation of difference images clearly indicates that the polar coordinates method results in the most accurate registration of the transformations considered.

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

Xu, Chen; Tantawi, Sami; Wang, Juwen

We present in this paper a new design of dual circular polarizer. This innovative design converts radiofrequency (rf) energy from TE10 mode in a rectangular waveguide to two polarized TE11 modes in a circular waveguide. A reflection less than ₋20 db is achieved and breakdown field is less than 42 MV/m at input of 1 MW. Meanwhile, this polarizer has a megahertz bandwidth, and the thermal stability is also discussed. This device can be used for broadcasting and receiving the circular polarized signals.

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

Su, Minfei; Li, Yue; Wyborny, Shane

ATG14 binding to BECN/Beclin homologs is essential for autophagy, a critical catabolic homeostasis pathway. Here, we show that the α-helical, coiled-coil domain (CCD) of BECN2, a recently identified mammalian BECN1 paralog, forms an antiparallel, curved homodimer with seven pairs of nonideal packing interactions, while the BECN2 CCD and ATG14 CCD form a parallel, curved heterodimer stabilized by multiple, conserved polar interactions. Compared to BECN1, the BECN2 CCD forms a weaker homodimer, but binds more tightly to the ATG14 CCD. Mutation of nonideal BECN2 interface residues to more ideal pairs improves homodimer self-association and thermal stability. Unlike BECN1, all BECN2 CCDmore » mutants bind ATG14, although more weakly than wild type. Thus, polar BECN2 CCD interface residues result in a metastable homodimer, facilitating dissociation, but enable better interactions with polar ATG14 residues stabilizing the BECN2:ATG14 heterodimer. These structure-based mechanistic differences in BECN1 and BECN2 homodimerization and heterodimerization likely dictate competitive ATG14 recruitment.« less

Inducing electric polarization in ultrathin insulating layers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martinez-Castro, Jose; Piantek, Marten; Persson, Mats; Serrate, David; Hirjibehedin, Cyrus F.

Studies of ultrathin polar oxide films have attracted the interest of researchers for a long time due to their different properties compared to bulk materials. However they present several challenges such as the difficulty in the stabilization of the polar surfaces and the limited success in tailoring their properties. Moreover, recently developed Van der Waals materials have shown that the stacking of 2D-layers trigger new collective states thanks to the interaction between layers. Similarly, interface phenomena emerge in polar oxides, like induced ferroelectricity. This represents a promising way for the creation of new materials with customized properties that differ from those of the isolated layers. Here we present a new approach for the fabrication and study of atomically thin insulating films. We show that the properties of insulating polar layers of sodium chloride (NaCl) can be engineered when they are placed on top of a charge modulated template of copper nitride (Cu2N). STM studies carried out in ultra-high vacuum and at low temperatures over NaCl/Cu2N/Cu(001) show that we are able to build up and stabilize interfaces of polar surface at the limit of one atomic layer showing new properties not present before at the atomic scale.

Ferroelectricity in d0 double perovskite fluoroscandates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Charles, Nenian; Rondinelli, James M.

2015-08-01

Ferroelectricity in strain-free and strained double perovskite fluorides, Na3ScF6 and K2NaScF6 , is investigated using first-principles density functional theory. Although the experimental room temperature crystal structures of these fluoroscandates are centrosymmetric, i.e., Na3ScF6 (P 21/n ) and K2NaScF6 (F m 3 ¯m ), lattice dynamical calculations reveal that soft polar instabilities exist in each prototypical cubic phase and that the modes harden as the tolerance factor approaches unity. Thus the double fluoroperovskites bear some similarities to A B O3 perovskite oxides; however, in contrast, these fluorides exhibit large acentric displacements of alkali metal cations (Na, K) rather than polar displacements of the transition metal cations. Biaxial strain investigations of the centrosymmetric and polar Na3ScF6 and K2NaScF6 phases reveal that the paraelectric structures are favored under compressive strain, whereas polar structures with in-plane electric polarizations (˜5 -18 μ C cm-2 ) are realized at sufficiently large tensile strains. The electric polarization and stability of the polar structures for both chemistries are found to be further enhanced and stabilized by a coexisting single octahedral tilt system. Our results suggest that polar double perovskite fluorides may be realized by suppression of octahedral rotations about more than one Cartesian axis; structures exhibiting in- or out-of-phase octahedral rotations about the c axis are more susceptible to polar symmetries.

Determination of Stability and Control Derivatives using Computational Fluid Dynamics and Automatic Differentiation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Park, Michael A.; Green, Lawrence L.; Montgomery, Raymond C.; Raney, David L.

1999-01-01

With the recent interest in novel control effectors there is a need to determine the stability and control derivatives of new aircraft configurations early in the design process. These derivatives are central to most control law design methods and would allow the determination of closed-loop control performance of the vehicle. Early determination of the static and dynamic behavior of an aircraft may permit significant improvement in configuration weight, cost, stealth, and performance through multidisciplinary design. The classical method of determining static stability and control derivatives - constructing and testing wind tunnel models - is expensive and requires a long lead time for the resultant data. Wind tunnel tests are also limited to the preselected control effectors of the model. To overcome these shortcomings, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) solvers are augmented via automatic differentiation, to directly calculate the stability and control derivatives. The CFD forces and moments are differentiated with respect to angle of attack, angle of sideslip, and aircraft shape parameters to form these derivatives. A subset of static stability and control derivatives of a tailless aircraft concept have been computed by two differentiated inviscid CFD codes and verified for accuracy with central finite-difference approximations and favorable comparisons to a simulation database.

Use of stabilizing mutations to engineer a charged group within a ligand-binding hydrophobic cavity in T4 lysozyme.

PubMed

Liu, Lijun; Baase, Walter A; Michael, Miya M; Matthews, Brian W

2009-09-22

Both large-to-small and nonpolar-to-polar mutations in the hydrophobic core of T4 lysozyme cause significant loss in stability. By including supplementary stabilizing mutations we constructed a variant that combines the cavity-creating substitution Leu99 --> Ala with the buried charge mutant Met102 --> Glu. Crystal structure determination confirmed that this variant has a large cavity with the side chain of Glu102 located within the cavity wall. The cavity includes a large disk-shaped region plus a bulge. The disk-like region is essentially nonpolar, similar to L99A, while the Glu102 substituent is located in the vicinity of the bulge. Three ordered water molecules bind within this part of the cavity and appear to stabilize the conformation of Glu102. Glu102 has an estimated pKa of about 5.5-6.5, suggesting that it is at least partially charged in the crystal structure. The polar ligands pyridine, phenol and aniline bind within the cavity, and crystal structures of the complexes show one or two water molecules to be retained. Nonpolar ligands of appropriate shape can also bind in the cavity and in some cases exclude all three water molecules. This disrupts the hydrogen-bond network and causes the Glu102 side chain to move away from the ligand by up to 0.8 A where it remains buried in a completely nonpolar environment. Isothermal titration calorimetry revealed that the binding of these compounds stabilizes the protein by 4-6 kcal/mol. For both polar and nonpolar ligands the binding is enthalpically driven. Large negative changes in entropy adversely balance the binding of the polar ligands, whereas entropy has little effect on the nonpolar ligand binding.

Fluorine Gauche Effect Explained by Electrostatic Polarization Instead of Hyperconjugation: An Interacting Quantum Atoms (IQA) and Relative Energy Gradient (REG) Study.

PubMed

Thacker, Joseph C R; Popelier, Paul L A

2018-02-08

We present an interacting quantum atoms (IQA) study of the gauche effect by comparing 1,2-difluoroethane, 1,2-dichloroethane, and three conformers of 1,2,3,4,5,6-hexafluorocyclohexane. In the 1,2-difluoroethane, the gauche effect is observed in that the gauche conformation is more stable than the anti, whereas in 1,2-dichloroethane the opposite is true. The analysis performed here is exhaustive and unbiased thanks to using the recently introduced relative energy gradient (REG) method [ Thacker , J. C. R. ; Popelier , P. L. A. Theor. Chem. Acc . 2017 , 136 , 86 ], as implemented in the in-house program ANANKE. We challenge the common explanation that hyperconjugation is responsible for the gauche stability in 1,2-difluoroethane and instead present electrostatics as the cause of gauche stability. Our explanation of the gauche effect is also is seen in other molecules displaying local gauche conformations, such as the recently synthesized "all-cis" hexafluorocyclohexane and its conformers where all the fluorine atoms are in the equatorial positions. Using our extension of the traditional IQA methodology that allows for the partitioning of electrostatic terms into polarization and charge transfer, we propose that the cause of gauche stability is 1,3 C···F electrostatic polarization interactions. In other words, if a number of fluorine atoms are aligned, then the stability due to polarization of nearby carbon atoms is increased.

Compact polarization beam splitter for silicon photonic integrated circuits with a 340-nm-thick silicon core layer.

PubMed

Li, Chenlei; Dai, Daoxin

2017-11-01

A polarization beam splitter (PBS) is proposed and realized for silicon photonic integrated circuits with a 340-nm-thick silicon core layer by introducing an asymmetric directional coupler (ADC), which consists of a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) nanowire and a subwavelength grating (SWG) waveguide. The SWG is introduced to provide an optical waveguide which has much higher birefringence than a regular 340-nm-thick SOI nanowire, so that it is possible to make the phase-matching condition satisfied for TE polarization only in the present design when the waveguide dimensions are optimized. Meanwhile, there is a significant phase mismatching for TM polarization automatically. In this way, the present ADC enables strong polarization selectivity to realize a PBS that separates TE and TM polarizations to the cross and through ports, respectively. The realized PBS has a length of ∼2  μm for the coupling region. For the fabricated PBS, the extinction ratio (ER) is 15-30 dB and the excess loss is 0.2-2.6 dB for TE polarization while the ER is 20-27 dB and the excess loss is 0.3-2.8 dB for TM polarization when operating in the wavelength range of 1520-1580 nm.

Target recognition of log-polar ladar range images using moment invariants

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xia, Wenze; Han, Shaokun; Cao, Jie; Yu, Haoyong

2017-01-01

The ladar range image has received considerable attentions in the automatic target recognition field. However, previous research does not cover target recognition using log-polar ladar range images. Therefore, we construct a target recognition system based on log-polar ladar range images in this paper. In this system combined moment invariants and backpropagation neural network are selected as shape descriptor and shape classifier, respectively. In order to fully analyze the effect of log-polar sampling pattern on recognition result, several comparative experiments based on simulated and real range images are carried out. Eventually, several important conclusions are drawn: (i) if combined moments are computed directly by log-polar range images, translation, rotation and scaling invariant properties of combined moments will be invalid (ii) when object is located in the center of field of view, recognition rate of log-polar range images is less sensitive to the changing of field of view (iii) as object position changes from center to edge of field of view, recognition performance of log-polar range images will decline dramatically (iv) log-polar range images has a better noise robustness than Cartesian range images. Finally, we give a suggestion that it is better to divide field of view into recognition area and searching area in the real application.

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.

Loop gain stabilizing with an all-digital automatic-gain-control method for high-precision fiber-optic gyroscope.

PubMed

Zheng, Yue; Zhang, Chunxi; Li, Lijing; Song, Lailiang; Chen, Wen

2016-06-10

For a fiber-optic gyroscope (FOG) using electronic dithers to suppress the dead zone, without a fixed loop gain, the deterministic compensation for the dither signals in the control loop of the FOG cannot remain accurate, resulting in the dither residuals in the FOG rotation rate output and the navigation errors in the inertial navigation system. An all-digital automatic-gain-control method for stabilizing the loop gain of the FOG is proposed. By using a perturbation square wave to measure the loop gain of the FOG and adding an automatic gain control loop in the conventional control loop of the FOG, we successfully obtain the actual loop gain and make the loop gain converge to the reference value. The experimental results show that in the case of 20% variation in the loop gain, the dither residuals are successfully eliminated and the standard deviation of the FOG sampling outputs is decreased from 2.00  deg/h to 0.62  deg/h (sampling period 2.5 ms, 10 points smoothing). With this method, the loop gain of the FOG can be stabilized over the operation temperature range and in the long-time application, which provides a solid foundation for the engineering applications of the high-precision FOG.

Electrode stabilizing materials

DOEpatents

Amine, Khalil; Abouimrane, Ali; Moore, Jeffrey S.; Odom, Susan A.

2015-11-03

An electrolyte includes a polar aprotic solvent; an alkali metal salt; and an electrode stabilizing compound that is a monomer, which when polymerized forms an electrically conductive polymer. The electrode stabilizing compound is a thiophene, a imidazole, a anilines, a benzene, a azulene, a carbazole, or a thiol. Electrochemical devices may incorporate such electrolytes.

The effect of geometric and electric constraints on the performance of polymer-stabilized cholesteric liquid crystals with a double-handed circularly polarized light reflection band

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Relaix, Sabrina; Mitov, Michel

2008-08-01

Polymer-stabilized cholesteric liquid crystals (PSCLCs) with a double-handed circularly polarized reflection band are fabricated. The geometric and electric constraints appear to be relevant parameters in obtaining a single-layer CLC structure with a clear-cut double-handed circularly polarized reflection band since light scattering phenomena can alter the reflection properties when the PSCLC is cooled from the elaboration temperature to the operating one. A compromise needs to be found between the LC molecule populations, which are bound to the polymer network due to strong surface effects or not. Besides, a monodomain texture is preserved if the PSCLC is subjected to an electric field at the same time as the thermal process intrinsic to the elaboration process. As a consequence, the light scattering is reduced and both kinds of circularly polarized reflected light beams are put in evidence. Related potential applications are smart reflective windows for the solar light management or reflective polarizer-free displays with higher brightness.

Dependence of locked mode behavior on frequency and polarity of a rotating external magnetic perturbation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Inoue, S.; Shiraishi, J.; Takechi, M.; Matsunaga, G.; Isayama, A.; Hayashi, N.; Ide, S.

2018-02-01

Active control and stabilization of locked modes (LM) via rotating external magnetic perturbations are numerically investigated under a realistic low resistivity condition. To explore plasma responses to rotating and/or static external magnetic perturbations, we have developed a resistive magnetohydrodynamic code ‘AEOLUS-IT’. By using AEOLUS-IT, dependencies of mode behavior on frequency and polarity of the rotating magnetic perturbation are successfully clarified. Here, the rotational direction of the rotating magnetic perturbation to the equilibrium plasma rotation in the laboratory frame is referred to as ‘polarity’. The rotating magnetic perturbation acts on the background rotating plasma in the presence of a static field. Under such circumstances, there exist bifurcated states of the background rotating plasma, which should be taken into account when studying the dependence of the mode behavior on the rotating magnetic perturbation. It is found that there exist an optimum frequency and polarity of the rotating magnetic perturbation to control the LM, and that the LM is effectively stabilized by a co-polarity magnetic perturbation in comparison with a counter-polarity one.

Jeans instability in collisional strongly coupled dusty plasma with radiative condensation and polarization force

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

Prajapati, R. P., E-mail: prajapati-iter@yahoo.co.in; Bhakta, S.; Chhajlani, R. K.

2016-05-15

The influence of dust-neutral collisions, polarization force, and electron radiative condensation is analysed on the Jeans (gravitational) instability of partially ionized strongly coupled dusty plasma (SCDP) using linear perturbation (normal mode) analysis. The Boltzmann distributed ions, dynamics of inertialess electrons, charged dust and neutral particles are considered. Using the plane wave solutions, a general dispersion relation is derived which is modified due to the presence of dust-neutral collisions, strong coupling effect, polarization force, electron radiative condensation, and Jeans dust/neutral frequencies. In the long wavelength perturbations, the Jeans instability criterion depends upon strong coupling effect, polarization interaction parameter, and thermal loss,more » but it is independent of dust-neutral collision frequency. The stability of the considered configuration is analysed using the Routh–Hurwitz criterion. The growth rates of Jeans instability are illustrated, and stabilizing influence of viscoelasticity and dust-neutral collision frequency while destabilizing effect of electron radiative condensation, polarization force, and Jeans dust-neutral frequency ratio is observed. This work is applied to understand the gravitational collapse of SCDP with dust-neutral collisions.« less

Optimization of a pressure control valve for high power automatic transmission considering stability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jian, Hongchao; Wei, Wei; Li, Hongcai; Yan, Qingdong

2018-02-01

The pilot-operated electrohydraulic clutch-actuator system is widely utilized by high power automatic transmission because of the demand of large flowrate and the excellent pressure regulating capability. However, a self-excited vibration induced by the inherent non-linear characteristics of valve spool motion coupled with the fluid dynamics can be generated during the working state of hydraulic systems due to inappropriate system parameters, which causes sustaining instability in the system and leads to unexpected performance deterioration and hardware damage. To ensure a stable and fast response performance of the clutch actuator system, an optimal design method for the pressure control valve considering stability is proposed in this paper. A non-linear dynamic model of the clutch actuator system is established based on the motion of the valve spool and coupling fluid dynamics in the system. The stability boundary in the parameter space is obtained by numerical stability analysis. Sensitivity of the stability boundary and output pressure response time corresponding to the valve parameters are identified using design of experiment (DOE) approach. The pressure control valve is optimized using particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm with the stability boundary as constraint. The simulation and experimental results reveal that the optimization method proposed in this paper helps in improving the response characteristics while ensuring the stability of the clutch actuator system during the entire gear shift process.

Arcmancer: Geodesics and polarized radiative transfer library

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pihajoki, Pauli; Mannerkoski, Matias; Nättilä, Joonas; Johansson, Peter H.

2018-05-01

Arcmancer computes geodesics and performs polarized radiative transfer in user-specified spacetimes. The library supports Riemannian and semi-Riemannian spaces of any dimension and metric; it also supports multiple simultaneous coordinate charts, embedded geometric shapes, local coordinate systems, and automatic parallel propagation. Arcmancer can be used to solve various problems in numerical geometry, such as solving the curve equation of motion using adaptive integration with configurable tolerances and differential equations along precomputed curves. It also provides support for curves with an arbitrary acceleration term and generic tools for generating ray initial conditions and performing parallel computation over the image, among other tools.

Radially polarized conical beam from an embedded etched fiber.

PubMed

Kalaidji, Djamel; Spajer, Michel; Marthouret, Nadège; Grosjean, Thierry

2009-06-15

We propose a method for producing a conical beam based on the lateral refraction of the TM(01) mode from a two-mode fiber after chemical etching of the cladding, and for controlling its radial polarization. The whole power of the guided mode is transferred to the refracted beam with low diffraction. Polarization control by a series of azimuthal detectors and a stress controller affords the transmission of a stabilized radial polarization through an optical fiber. A solid component usable for many applications has been obtained.

Polarization spectroscopy of atomic erbium in a hollow cathode lamp

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ang'ong'a, Jackson; Gadway, Bryce

2018-02-01

In this work we perform polarization spectroscopy of erbium atoms in a hollow cathode lamp (HCL). We review the theory behind Doppler-free polarization spectroscopy, theoretically model the expected erbium polarization spectra, and compare the numerically calculated spectra to our experimental data. We further analyze the dependence of the measured spectra on the HCL current and the peak intensities of our pump and probe lasers to determine conditions. Applications include wavelength stabilization of diode laser radiation to the 400.91 nm erbium transition.

3 CFR - Providing Stability and Security for Medicare Reimbursements

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 3 The President 1 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Providing Stability and Security for Medicare... Beneficiaries and Pension Relief Act of 2010”, which averts a 21.3 percent reduction in the Medicare physician... contractors to automatically reprocess, to the extent feasible, any claims reflecting the 21.3 percent fee...

76 FR 55829 - Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards; Electronic Stability Control Systems

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-09-09

.... Benefits of ESC Electronic stability control (ESC) systems use automatic computer- controlled braking of... demonstrated that these systems reduce fatal single-vehicle crashes of passenger cars by 55 percent and fatal... potential to prevent 56 percent of the fatal passenger car rollovers and 74 percent of the fatal LTV first...

Study of the Polarization Strategy for Electron Cyclotron Heating Systems on HL-2M

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, F.; Huang, M.; Xia, D. H.; Song, S. D.; Wang, J. Q.; Huang, B.; Wang, H.

2016-06-01

As important components integrated in transmission lines of electron cyclotron heating systems, polarizers are mainly used to obtain the desired polarization for highly efficient coupling between electron cyclotron waves and plasma. The polarization strategy for 105-GHz electron cyclotron heating systems of HL-2M tokamak is studied in this paper. Considering the polarizers need high efficiency, stability, and low loss to realize any polarization states, two sinusoidal-grooved polarizers, which include a linear polarizer and an elliptical polarizer, are designed with the coordinate transformation method. The parameters, the period p and the depth d, of two sinusoidal-grooved polarizers are optimized by a phase difference analysis method to achieve an almost arbitrary polarization. Finally, the optimized polarizers are manufactured and their polarization characteristics are tested with a low-power test platform. The experimental results agree well with the numerical calculations, indicating that the designed polarizers can meet the polarization requirements of the electron cyclotron heating systems of HL-2M tokamak.

Distributions in Spherical Coordinates with Applications to Classical Electrodynamics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gsponer, Andre

2007-01-01

A general and rigorous method to deal with singularities at the origin of a polar coordinate system is presented. Its power derives from a clear distinction between the radial distance and the radial coordinate variable, which makes that all delta functions and their derivatives are automatically generated, and ensures that the Gauss theorem is…

Polarization manipulation in single refractive prism based holography lithography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiong, Wenjie; Xu, Yi; Xiao, Yujian; Lv, Xiaoxu; Wu, Lijun

2015-01-01

We propose theoretically and demonstrate experimentally a simple but effective strategy for polarization manipulation in single refractive prism based holographic lithography. By tuning the polarization of a single laser beam, we can obtain the pill shape interference pattern with a high-contrast where a complex optical setup and multiple polarizers are needed in the conventional holography lithography. Fabrication of pill shape two-dimensional polymer photonic crystals using one beam and one shoot holography lithography is shown as an example to support our theoretical results. This integrated polarization manipulation technique can release the crucial stability restrictions imposed on the multiple beams holography lithography.

Integrating a Motion Base into a CAVE Automatic Virtual Environment: Phase 1

DTIC Science & Technology

2001-07-01

this, a CAVE system must perform well in the following motion-related areas: visual gaze stability, simulator sickness, realism (or face validity...and performance validity. Visual Gaze Stability Visual gaze stability, the ability to maintain eye fixation on a particular target, depends upon human...reflexes such as the vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) and the optokinetic nystagmus (OKN). VOR is a reflex that counter-rotates the eye relative to the

PCP Signaling between Migrating Neurons and their Planar-Polarized Neuroepithelial Environment Controls Filopodial Dynamics and Directional Migration

PubMed Central

Moens, Cecilia B.

2016-01-01

The planar cell polarity (PCP) pathway is a cell-contact mediated mechanism for transmitting polarity information between neighboring cells. PCP “core components” (Vangl, Fz, Pk, Dsh, and Celsr) are essential for a number of cell migratory events including the posterior migration of facial branchiomotor neurons (FBMNs) in the plane of the hindbrain neuroepithelium in zebrafish and mice. While the mechanism by which PCP signaling polarizes static epithelial cells is well understood, how PCP signaling controls highly dynamic processes like neuronal migration remains an important outstanding question given that PCP components have been implicated in a range of directed cell movements, particularly during vertebrate development. Here, by systematically disrupting PCP signaling in a rhombomere-restricted manner we show that PCP signaling is required both within FBMNs and the hindbrain rhombomere 4 environment at the time when they initiate their migration. Correspondingly, we demonstrate planar polarized localization of PCP core components Vangl2 and Fzd3a in the hindbrain neuroepithelium, and transient localization of Vangl2 at the tips of retracting FBMN filopodia. Using high-resolution timelapse imaging of FBMNs in genetic chimeras we uncover opposing cell-autonomous and non-cell-autonomous functions for Fzd3a and Vangl2 in regulating FBMN protrusive activity. Within FBMNs, Fzd3a is required to stabilize filopodia while Vangl2 has an antagonistic, destabilizing role. However, in the migratory environment Fzd3a acts to destabilize FBMN filopodia while Vangl2 has a stabilizing role. Together, our findings suggest a model in which PCP signaling between the planar polarized neuroepithelial environment and FBMNs directs migration by the selective stabilization of FBMN filopodia. PMID:26990447

Numerical simulation and stability analysis of solutocapillary effect in ultrathin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gordeeva, V. Yu.; Lyushnin, A. V.

2017-04-01

Polar fluids, like water or polydimethylsiloxane, are widely used in technical and medical applications. Capillary effects arising from surface tension gradients can be significant in thin liquid films. The present paper is dedicated to investigation of capillary flow due to a surfactant added to a polar liquid under conditions when intermolecular forces and disjoining pressure play an important role. Evolution equations are formulated for a film profile and the surfactant concentration. Stability analysis shows that the Marangoni effect destabilizes the film, and oscillatory modes appear at slow evaporation rates. We find that the film has four stability modes of at slow evaporation: monotonic stable, monotonic unstable, oscillatory stable, and oscillatory unstable, depending on the wave number of disturbances.

Polarized emission from CsPbX3 perovskite quantum dots

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Dan; Wu, Dan; Dong, Di; Chen, Wei; Hao, Junjie; Qin, Jing; Xu, Bing; Wang, Kai; Sun, Xiaowei

2016-06-01

Compared to organic/inorganic hybrid perovskites, full inorganic perovskite quantum dots (QDs) exhibit higher stability. In this study, full inorganic CsPbX3 (X = Br, I and mixed halide systems Br/I) perovskite QDs have been synthesized and interestingly, these QDs showed highly polarized photoluminescence which is systematically studied for the first time. Furthermore, the polarization of CsPbI3 was as high as 0.36 in hexane and 0.40 as a film. The CsPbX3 perovskite QDs with high polarization properties indicate that they possess great potential for application in new generation displays with wide colour gamut and low power consumption.Compared to organic/inorganic hybrid perovskites, full inorganic perovskite quantum dots (QDs) exhibit higher stability. In this study, full inorganic CsPbX3 (X = Br, I and mixed halide systems Br/I) perovskite QDs have been synthesized and interestingly, these QDs showed highly polarized photoluminescence which is systematically studied for the first time. Furthermore, the polarization of CsPbI3 was as high as 0.36 in hexane and 0.40 as a film. The CsPbX3 perovskite QDs with high polarization properties indicate that they possess great potential for application in new generation displays with wide colour gamut and low power consumption. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c6nr01915c

DFT investigations on mechanical stability, electronic structure and magnetism in Co2TaZ (Z = Al, Ga, In) heusler alloys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khandy, Shakeel Ahmad; Gupta, Dinesh C.

2017-12-01

Ferromagnetic Heusler compounds have vast and imminent applications for novel devices, smart materials thanks to density functional theory (DFT) based simulations, which have scored out a new approach to study these materials. We forecast the structural stability of Co2TaZ alloys on the basis of total energy calculations and mechanical stability criteria. The elastic constants, robust spin-polarized ferromagnetism and electron densities in these half-metallic alloys are also discussed. The observed structural aspects calculated to predict the stability and equilibrium lattice parameters agree well with the experimental results. The elastic parameters like elastic constants, bulk, Young’s and shear moduli, poison’s and Pugh ratios, melting temperatures, etc have been put together to establish their mechanical properties. The elaborated electronic band structures along with indirect band gaps and spin polarization favour the application of these materials in spintronics and memory device technology.

Folding of a helix is critically stabilized by polarization of backbone hydrogen bonds: study in explicit water.

PubMed

Duan, Li L; Gao, Ya; Mei, Ye; Zhang, Qing G; Tang, Bo; Zhang, John Z H

2012-03-15

Multiple single-trajectory molecular dynamics (MD) simulation at room temperature (300 K) in explicit water was carried out to study the folding dynamics of an α-helix (PDB 2I9M ) using a polarized charge scheme that includes electronic polarization of backbone hydrogen bonds. Starting from an extended conformation, the 17-residue peptide was successfully folded into the native structure (α-helix) between 80 and 130 ns with a root-mean-square deviation of ~1.0 Å. Analysis of the time-dependent trajectories revealed that helix formation of the peptide started at the terminals and progressed toward the center of the peptide. For comparison, MD trajectories generated under various versions of standard AMBER force fields failed to show any significant or stable helix formation in our simulation. Our result shows clear evidence that the electronic polarization of backbone hydrogen bonds energetically stabilizes the helix formation and is critical to the stable folding of the short helix structure. © 2012 American Chemical Society

Role of polarizer-tilting-angle in zero-field spin-transfer nano-oscillators with perpendicular anisotropy

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

Gonzalez-Fuentes, C.; Gallardo, R. A., E-mail: rodolfo.gallardo@usm.cl; Landeros, P.

2015-10-05

An analytical model for studying the stability of a single domain ferromagnetic layer under the influence of a spin-polarized current is presented. The theory is applied to bias-field-free nano-oscillators with perpendicular anisotropy, which allows to obtain a polarizer-angle vs. current phase diagram that describes the stability of magnetic states. Explicit formulae for the critical current densities unveil the influence of the relative orientation between free and polarizer layers, allowing the emergence of precessional steady-states, and also the possibility to reduce the magnitude of the threshold current density to produce microwave oscillations. It is shown that oscillating steady-states arise in amore » broad angular region, and the dependence of their boundaries is fully specified by the model. The reliability of the analytical results has been corroborated by comparison to numerical calculations. Such structures are currently under intense research because of remarkable properties offering new prospects for microwave applications in communication technologies.« less

Postural Stabilization Strategies to Motor Contagion Induced by Action Observation Are Impaired in Parkinson’s Disease

PubMed Central

Pelosin, Elisa; Bisio, Ambra; Pozzo, Thierry; Lagravinese, Giovanna; Crisafulli, Oscar; Marchese, Roberta; Abbruzzese, Giovanni; Avanzino, Laura

2018-01-01

Postural reactions can be influenced by concomitant tasks or different contexts and are modulated by a higher order motor control. Recent studies investigated postural changes determined by motor contagion induced by action observation (chameleon effect) showing that observing a model in postural disequilibrium induces an increase in healthy subjects’ body sway. Parkinson’s disease (PD) is associated with postural instability and impairments in cognitively controlled balance tasks. However, no studies investigated if viewing postural imbalance might influence postural stability in PD and if patients are able to inhibit a visual postural perturbation. In this study, an action observation paradigm for assessing postural reaction to motor contagion in PD subjects and healthy older adults was used. Postural stability changes were measured during the observation of a static stimulus (control condition) and during a point-light display of a gymnast balancing on a rope (biological stimulus). Our results showed that, during the observation of the biological stimulus, sway area and antero-posterior and medio-lateral displacements of center of pressure significantly increased only in PD participants, whereas correct stabilization reactions were present in elderly subjects. These results demonstrate that PD leads to a decreased capacity to control automatic imitative tendencies induced by motor contagion. This behavior could be the consequence either of an inability to inhibit automatic imitative tendencies or of the cognitive load requested by the task. Whatever the case, the issue about the ability to inhibit automatic imitative tendencies could be crucial for PD patients since it might increase falls risk and injuries. PMID:29545771

An Evaluation Method of Words Tendency Depending on Time-Series Variation and Its Improvements.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Atlam, El-Sayed; Okada, Makoto; Shishibori, Masami; Aoe, Jun-ichi

2002-01-01

Discussion of word frequency and keywords in text focuses on a method to estimate automatically the stability classes that indicate a word's popularity with time-series variations based on the frequency change in past electronic text data. Compares the evaluation of decision tree stability class results with manual classification results.…

Impact of automatic adjustment of stimulation outputs on pacemaker longevity in a new dual-chamber pacing system.

PubMed

Brockes, Christiane; Rahn-Schönbeck, Mariette; Duru, Firat; Candinas, Reto; Turina, Marko

2003-02-01

Automatic capture verification using the Autocapture (AC) feature enabled by paced evoked response detection and delivery of high energy back-up pulses intends to increase patient safety. Furthermore, adjustment of stimulation outputs can save energy and potentially improve pacemaker (PM) longevity. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the theoretical longevity of a new dual chamber PM with the integrated AC feature (Affinity DR, St. Jude Medical) in comparison to the longevity of a previous model from the same manufacturer without AC (Trilogy DR). Affinity PMs were implanted in 16 patients and connected to a compatible lead with low polarization properties. AC was activated when the evoked response was significantly higher than the polarization voltage. Theoretical PM longevity was calculated with and without AC during follow-up. The measured and calculated values were compared to measurements in 19 patients, who consecutively received Trilogy-PMs during the same time period. In only one patient the evoked response was not adequate, and as a result, AC was not programmed. The calculated longevity of the Affinity-PMs 79 +/- 28 days after implantation was significantly higher in comparison to the Trilogy-PMs (Affinity-PMs: 8.9 +/- 1.2 years without and 9.5 +/- 1.1 years with AC; Trilogy-PMs: 6.5 +/- 0.8 years) (p < 0.005). The AC feature is an optional algorithm that can be activated in most patients and it significantly prolongs predicted battery longevity due to automatic adjustment of stimulation outputs.

A hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HILIC-MS) based metabolomics study on colour stability of ovine meat.

PubMed

Subbaraj, Arvind K; Kim, Yuan H Brad; Fraser, Karl; Farouk, Mustafa M

2016-07-01

Meat colour is one of the cues available to the consumer to gauge overall meat quality and wholesomeness. Colour stability of meat is determined by several factors both inherent to the animal and post-slaughter conditions, including ageing, storage/packaging and display times. A hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HILIC-MS) based metabolomics study was undertaken to identify and compare polar metabolites between ovine meat samples that were exposed to different durations of ageing, storage conditions, and display times. Primary metabolites comprising amino acids, sugars, nucleotides, nucleosides, organic acids and their breakdown products were mainly identified as discriminating factors. For the first time, boron complexes of sugar and malic acid were also tentatively identified. As expected, most compounds identified were related to myoglobin chemistry, and compounds with antioxidant properties were found in higher levels in colour stable samples. Supplementary studies identifying semi-polar, non-polar and volatile compounds will provide a holistic understanding of the chemical basis of colour stability in ovine meat. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Polarized Power Spectra from HERA-19 Commissioning Data: Instrument Stability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fox Fortino, Austin; Chichura, Paul; Igarashi, Amy; Kohn, Saul; Aguirre, James; HERA Collaboration

2018-01-01

The Epoch of Reionization (EoR) is a key period in the universe’s history, containing the formation of the first galaxies and large scale structures. Foreground emission is the limiting factor in detecting the 21 cm emission from the Epoch of Reionization (EoR). The HERA-19 low frequency radio interferometer aims to reduce the obfuscation from the foreground emission with its dish shaped antennae. We generate polarized 2D (cylindrically averaged) power spectra from seven days of observation from the HERA-19 2016 observation season in each of the four Stokes parameters I, Q, U, and V. These power spectra serve as a potent diagnostic tool that allow us to understand the instrument stability by comparison between nominally redundant baselines, and between observations of nominally the same astrophysical sky on successive days. The power spectra are expected to vary among nominally redundant measurements due to ionosphere fluctuations and thermal changes in the electronics and instrument beam patterns, as well as other factors. In this work we investigate the stability over time of these polarized power spectra, and use them to quantify the variation due to these effects.

Optical power of VCSELs stabilized to 35 ppm/°C without a TEC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Downing, John

2015-03-01

This paper reports a method and system comprising a light source, an electronic method, and a calibration procedure for stabilizing the optical power of vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) and laser diodes (LDs) without the use thermoelectric coolers (TECs). The system eliminates the needs for custom interference coatings, polarization adjustments, and the exact alignment required by the optical method reported in 2013 [1]. It can precisely compensate for the effects of temperature and wavelength drift on photodiode responsivity as well as changes in VCSEL beam quality and polarization angle over a 50°C temperature range. Data obtained from light sources built with single-mode polarization-locked VCSELs demonstrate that 30 ppm/°C stability can be readily obtained. The system has advantages over TECstabilized laser modules that include: 1) 90% lower relative RMS optical power and temperature sensitivity, 2) a five-fold enhancement of wall-plug efficiency, 3) less component testing and sorting, 4) lower manufacturing costs, and 5) automated calibration in batches at time of manufacture is practical. The system is ideally suited for battery-powered environmental and in-home medical monitoring applications.

Thermodynamics and instability of dielectric elastomer (Conference Presentation)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Liwu; Liu, Yanju; Leng, Jinsong; Mu, Tong

2017-04-01

Dielectric elastomer is a kind of typical soft active material. It can deform obviously when subjected to an external voltage. When a dielectric elastomer with randomly oriented dipoles is subject to an electric field, the dipoles will rotate to and align with the electric field. The polarization of the dielectric elastomer may be saturated when the voltage is high enough. When subjected to a mechanical force, the end-to-end distance of each polymer chain, which has a finite contour length, will approach the finite value, reaching a limiting stretch. On approaching the limiting stretch, the elastomer stiffens steeply. Here, we develop a thermodynamic constitutive model of dielectric elastomers undergoing polarization saturation and strain-stiffening, and then investigate the stability (electromechanical stability, snap-through stability) and voltage induced deformation of dielectric elastomers. Analytical solution has been obtained and it reveals the marked influence of the extension limit and polarization saturation limit on its instability. The developed thermodynamic constitutive model and simulation results would be helpful in future to the research of dielectric elastomer based high-performance transducers.

How ion properties determine the stability of a lipase enzyme in ionic liquids: a molecular dynamics study.

PubMed

Klähn, Marco; Lim, Geraldine S; Wu, Ping

2011-11-07

The influence of eight different ionic liquid (IL) solvents on the stability of the lipase Candida antarctica lipase B (CAL-B) is investigated with molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Considered ILs contain cations that are based either on imidazolium or guanidinium as well as nitrate, tetrafluoroborate or hexafluorophosphate anions. Partial unfolding of CAL-B is observed during high-temperature MD simulations and related changes of CAL-B regarding its radius of gyration, surface area, secondary structure, amount of solvent close to the backbone and interaction strength with the ILs are evaluated. CAL-B stability is influenced primarily by anions in the order NO(3)(-)≪ BF(4)(-) < PF(6)(-) of increasing stability, which agrees with experiments. Cations influence protein stability less than anions but still substantially. Long decyl side chains, polar methoxy groups and guanidinium-based cations destabilize CAL-B more than short methyl groups, other non-polar groups and imidazolium-based cations, respectively. Two distinct causes for CAL-B destabilization are identified: a destabilization of the protein surface is facilitated mostly by strong Coulomb interactions of CAL-B with anions that exhibit a localized charge and strong polarization as well as with polar cation groups. Surface instability is characterized by an unraveling of α-helices and an increase of surface area, radius of gyration and protein-IL total interaction strength of CAL-B, all of which describe a destabilization of the folded protein state. On the other hand, a destabilization of the protein core is facilitated when direct core-IL interactions are feasible. This is the case when long alkyl chains are involved or when particularly hydrophobic ILs induce major conformational changes that enable ILs direct access to the protein core. This core instability is characterized by a disintegration of β-sheets, diffusion of ions into CAL-B and increasing protein-IL van der Waals interactions. This process describes a stabilization of the unfolded protein state. Both of these processes reduce the folding free energy and thus destabilize CAL-B. The results of this work clarify the impact of ions on CAL-B stabilization. An extrapolation of the observed trends enables proposing novel ILs in which protein stability could be enhanced further. This journal is © the Owner Societies 2011

Steady-State Computation of Constant Rotational Rate Dynamic Stability Derivatives

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Park, Michael A.; Green, Lawrence L.

2000-01-01

Dynamic stability derivatives are essential to predicting the open and closed loop performance, stability, and controllability of aircraft. Computational determination of constant-rate dynamic stability derivatives (derivatives of aircraft forces and moments with respect to constant rotational rates) is currently performed indirectly with finite differencing of multiple time-accurate computational fluid dynamics solutions. Typical time-accurate solutions require excessive amounts of computational time to complete. Formulating Navier-Stokes (N-S) equations in a rotating noninertial reference frame and applying an automatic differentiation tool to the modified code has the potential for directly computing these derivatives with a single, much faster steady-state calculation. The ability to rapidly determine static and dynamic stability derivatives by computational methods can benefit multidisciplinary design methodologies and reduce dependency on wind tunnel measurements. The CFL3D thin-layer N-S computational fluid dynamics code was modified for this study to allow calculations on complex three-dimensional configurations with constant rotation rate components in all three axes. These CFL3D modifications also have direct application to rotorcraft and turbomachinery analyses. The modified CFL3D steady-state calculation is a new capability that showed excellent agreement with results calculated by a similar formulation. The application of automatic differentiation to CFL3D allows the static stability and body-axis rate derivatives to be calculated quickly and exactly.

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).

Demonstration of a vectorial optical field generator with adaptive close loop control.

PubMed

Chen, Jian; Kong, Lingjiang; Zhan, Qiwen

2017-12-01

We experimentally demonstrate a vectorial optical field generator (VOF-Gen) with an adaptive close loop control. The close loop control capability is illustrated with the calibration of polarization modulation of the system. To calibrate the polarization ratio modulation, we generate 45° linearly polarized beam and make it propagate through a linear analyzer whose transmission axis is orthogonal to the incident beam. For the retardation calibration, circularly polarized beam is employed and a circular polarization analyzer with the opposite chirality is placed in front of the CCD as the detector. In both cases, the close loop control automatically changes the value of the corresponding calibration parameters in the pre-set ranges to generate the phase patterns applied to the spatial light modulators and records the intensity distribution of the output beam by the CCD camera. The optimized calibration parameters are determined corresponding to the minimum total intensity in each case. Several typical kinds of vectorial optical beams are created with and without the obtained calibration parameters, and the full Stokes parameter measurements are carried out to quantitatively analyze the polarization distribution of the generated beams. The comparisons among these results clearly show that the obtained calibration parameters could remarkably improve the accuracy of the polarization modulation of the VOF-Gen, especially for generating elliptically polarized beam with large ellipticity, indicating the significance of the presented close loop in enhancing the performance of the VOF-Gen.

Reconfigurable all-dielectric metasurface based on tunable chemical systems in aqueous solution.

PubMed

Yang, Xiaoqing; Zhang, Di; Wu, Shiyue; Yin, Yang; Li, Lanshuo; Cao, Kaiyuan; Huang, Kama

2017-06-09

Dynamic control transmission and polarization properties of electromagnetic (EM) wave propagation is investigated using chemical reconfigurable all-dielectric metasurface. The metasurface is composed of cross-shaped periodical teflon tubes and inner filled chemical systems (i.e., mixtures and chemical reaction) in aqueous solution. By tuning the complex permittivity of chemical systems, the reconfigurable metasurface can be easily achieved. The transmission properties of different incident polarized waves (i.e., linear and circular polarization) were simulated and experimentally measured for static ethanol solution as volume ratio changed. Both results indicated this metasurface can serve as either tunable FSS (Frequency Selective Surface) or tunable linear-to-circular/cross Polarization Converter at required frequency range. Based on the reconfigurable laws obtained from static solutions, we developed a dynamic dielectric system and researched a typical chemical reaction with time-varying permittivity filled in the tubes experimentally. It provides new ways for realizing automatic reconfiguration of metasurface by chemical reaction system with given variation laws of permittivity.

Automatic generation of the non-holonomic equations of motion for vehicle stability analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Minaker, B. P.; Rieveley, R. J.

2010-09-01

The mathematical analysis of vehicle stability has been utilised as an important tool in the design, development, and evaluation of vehicle architectures and stability controls. This paper presents a novel method for automatic generation of the linearised equations of motion for mechanical systems that is well suited to vehicle stability analysis. Unlike conventional methods for generating linearised equations of motion in standard linear second order form, the proposed method allows for the analysis of systems with non-holonomic constraints. In the proposed method, the algebraic constraint equations are eliminated after linearisation and reduction to first order. The described method has been successfully applied to an assortment of classic dynamic problems of varying complexity including the classic rolling coin, the planar truck-trailer, and the bicycle, as well as in more recent problems such as a rotor-stator and a benchmark road vehicle with suspension. This method has also been applied in the design and analysis of a novel three-wheeled narrow tilting vehicle with zero roll-stiffness. An application for determining passively stable configurations using the proposed method together with a genetic search algorithm is detailed. The proposed method and software implementation has been shown to be robust and provides invaluable conceptual insight into the stability of vehicles and mechanical systems.

Linear and nonlinear stability characteristics of whistlers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brinca, A. L.

1972-01-01

Linear and nonlinear propagating characteristics of right-hand polarized, slow electromagnetic, magnetoplasma waves (whistlers) are discussed in terms of stability and dispersion. An analysis of the stability of whistlers propagating at an angle to the static magnetic field is presented. A new mechanism is derived for the onset of stimulated emissions, and modulational instability for nonlinear whistlers are discussed.

Kinetic effects on the currents determining the stability of a magnetic island in tokamaks

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

Poli, E., E-mail: emanuele.poli@ipp.mpg.de; Bergmann, A.; Casson, F. J.

The role of the bootstrap and polarization currents for the stability of neoclassical tearing modes is investigated employing both a drift kinetic and a gyrokinetic approach. The adiabatic response of the ions around the island separatrix implies, for island widths below or around the ion thermal banana width, density flattening for islands rotating at the ion diamagnetic frequency, while for islands rotating at the electron diamagnetic frequency the density is unperturbed and the only contribution to the neoclassical drive arises from electron temperature flattening. As for the polarization current, the full inclusion of finite orbit width effects in the calculationmore » of the potential developing in a rotating island leads to a smoothing of the discontinuous derivatives exhibited by the analytic potential on which the polarization term used in the modeling is based. This leads to a reduction of the polarization-current contribution with respect to the analytic estimate, in line with other studies. Other contributions to the perpendicular ion current, related to the response of the particles around the island separatrix, are found to compete or even dominate the polarization-current term for realistic island rotation frequencies.« less

Myosin IIA/IIB restrict adhesive and protrusive signaling to generate front-back polarity in migrating cells.

PubMed

Vicente-Manzanares, Miguel; Newell-Litwa, Karen; Bachir, Alexia I; Whitmore, Leanna A; Horwitz, Alan Rick

2011-04-18

Migratory front-back polarity emerges from the cooperative effect of myosin IIA (MIIA) and IIB (MIIB) on adhesive signaling. We demonstrate here that, during polarization, MIIA and MIIB coordinately promote localized actomyosin bundling, which generates large, stable adhesions that do not signal to Rac and thereby form the cell rear. MIIA formed dynamic actomyosin proto-bundles that mark the cell rear during spreading; it also bound to actin filament bundles associated with initial adhesion maturation in protrusions. Subsequent incorporation of MIIB stabilized the adhesions and actomyosin filaments with which it associated and formed a stable, extended rear. These adhesions did not turn over and no longer signal to Rac. Microtubules fine-tuned the polarity by positioning the front opposite the MIIA/MIIB-specified rear. Decreased Rac signaling in the vicinity of the MIIA/MIIB-stabilized proto-bundles and adhesions was accompanied by the loss of Rac guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEFs), like βPIX and DOCK180, and by inhibited phosphorylation of key residues on adhesion proteins that recruit and activate Rac GEFs. These observations lead to a model for front-back polarity through local GEF depletion.

Accurate, fast, and secure biometric fingerprint recognition system utilizing sensor fusion of fingerprint patterns

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

El-Saba, Aed; Alsharif, Salim; Jagapathi, Rajendarreddy

2011-04-01

Fingerprint recognition is one of the first techniques used for automatically identifying people and today it is still one of the most popular and effective biometric techniques. With this increase in fingerprint biometric uses, issues related to accuracy, security and processing time are major challenges facing the fingerprint recognition systems. Previous work has shown that polarization enhancementencoding of fingerprint patterns increase the accuracy and security of fingerprint systems without burdening the processing time. This is mainly due to the fact that polarization enhancementencoding is inherently a hardware process and does not have detrimental time delay effect on the overall process. Unpolarized images, however, posses a high visual contrast and when fused (without digital enhancement) properly with polarized ones, is shown to increase the recognition accuracy and security of the biometric system without any significant processing time delay.

Application of passive imaging polarimetry in the discrimination and detection of different color targets of identical shapes using color-blind imaging sensors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

El-Saba, A. M.; Alam, M. S.; Surpanani, A.

2006-05-01

Important aspects of automatic pattern recognition systems are their ability to efficiently discriminate and detect proper targets with low false alarms. In this paper we extend the applications of passive imaging polarimetry to effectively discriminate and detect different color targets of identical shapes using color-blind imaging sensor. For this case of study we demonstrate that traditional color-blind polarization-insensitive imaging sensors that rely only on the spatial distribution of targets suffer from high false detection rates, especially in scenarios where multiple identical shape targets are present. On the other hand we show that color-blind polarization-sensitive imaging sensors can successfully and efficiently discriminate and detect true targets based on their color only. We highlight the main advantages of using our proposed polarization-encoded imaging sensor.

Tracking the Martian CO2 Polar Ice Caps in Infrared Images

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wagstaff, Kiri L.; Castano, Rebecca; Chien, Steve

2006-01-01

Researchers at NASA s Jet Propulsion Laboratory have developed a method for automatically tracking the polar caps on Mars as they advance and recede each year (see figure). The seasonal Mars polar caps are composed mainly of CO2 ice and are therefore cold enough to stand out clearly in infrared data collected by the Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) onboard the Mars Odyssey spacecraft. The Bimodal Image Temperature (BIT) histogram analysis algorithm analyzes raw, uncalibrated data to identify images that contain both "cold" ("polar cap") and "warm" ("not polar cap") pixels. The algorithm dynamically identifies the temperature that separates these two regions. This flexibility is critical, because in the absence of any calibration, the threshold temperature can vary significantly from image to image. Using the identified threshold, the algorithm classifies each pixel in the image as "polar cap" or "not polar cap," then identifies the image row that contains the spatial transition from "polar cap" to "not polar cap." While this method is useful for analyzing data that has already been returned by THEMIS, it has even more significance with respect to data that has not yet been collected. Instead of seeking the polar cap only in specific, targeted images, the simplicity and efficiency of this method makes it feasible for direct, onboard use. That is, THEMIS could continuously monitor its observations for any detections of the polar-cap edge, producing detections over a wide range of spatial and temporal conditions. This effort can greatly contribute to our understanding of long-term climatic change on Mars.

Automatic Design of a Maglev Controller in State Space

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-12-01

Design of a Maglev Controller in State Space Feng Zhao Richard Thornton Abstract We describe the automatic synthesis of a global nonlinear controller for...the global switching points of the controller is presented. The synthesized control system can stabilize the maglev vehicle with large initial displace...NUMBERS Automation Desing of a Maglev Controller in State Space N00014-89-J-3202 MIP-9001651 6. AUTHOR(S) Feng Zhao and Richard Thornton 7. PERFORMING

Control of a 30 cm diameter mercury bombardment thruster

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Terdan, F. F.; Bechtel, R. T.

1973-01-01

Increased thruster performance has made closed-loop automatic control more difficult than previously. Specifically, high perveance optics tend to make reliable recycling more difficult. Control logic functions were established for three automatic modes of operation of a 30-cm thruster using a power conditioner console with flight-like characteristics. The three modes provide (1) automatic startup to reach thermal stability, (2) steady-state closed-loop control, and (3) the reliable recycling of the high voltages following an arc breakdown to reestablish normal operation. Power supply impedance characteristics necessary for stable operation and the effect of the magnetic baffle on the reliable recycling was studied.

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.

Autofocusing and Polar Body Detection in Automated Cell Manipulation.

PubMed

Wang, Zenan; Feng, Chen; Ang, Wei Tech; Tan, Steven Yih Min; Latt, Win Tun

2017-05-01

Autofocusing and feature detection are two essential processes for performing automated biological cell manipulation tasks. In this paper, we have introduced a technique capable of focusing on a holding pipette and a mammalian cell under a bright-field microscope automatically, and a technique that can detect and track the presence and orientation of the polar body of an oocyte that is rotated at the tip of a micropipette. Both algorithms were evaluated by using mouse oocytes. Experimental results show that both algorithms achieve very high success rates: 100% and 96%. As robust and accurate image processing methods, they can be widely applied to perform various automated biological cell manipulations.

Principles for the dynamic maintenance of cortical polarity

PubMed Central

Marco, Eugenio; Wedlich-Soldner, Roland; Li, Rong; Altschuler, Steven J.; Wu, Lani F.

2007-01-01

Summary Diverse cell types require the ability to dynamically maintain polarized membrane protein distributions through balancing transport and diffusion. However, design principles underlying dynamically maintained cortical polarity are not well understood. Here we constructed a mathematical model for characterizing the morphology of dynamically polarized protein distributions. We developed analytical approaches for measuring all model parameters from single-cell experiments. We applied our methods to a well-characterized system for studying polarized membrane proteins: budding yeast cells expressing activated Cdc42. We found that balanced diffusion and colocalized transport to and from the plasma membrane were sufficient for accurately describing polarization morphologies. Surprisingly, the model predicts that polarized regions are defined with a precision that is nearly optimal for measured transport rates, and that polarity can be dynamically stabilized through positive feedback with directed transport. Our approach provides a step towards understanding how biological systems shape spatially precise, unambiguous cortical polarity domains using dynamic processes. PMID:17448998

The polar T1 interface is linked to conformational changes that open the voltage-gated potassium channel.

PubMed

Minor, D L; Lin, Y F; Mobley, B C; Avelar, A; Jan, Y N; Jan, L Y; Berger, J M

2000-09-01

Kv voltage-gated potassium channels share a cytoplasmic assembly domain, T1. Recent mutagenesis of two T1 C-terminal loop residues implicates T1 in channel gating. However, structural alterations of these mutants leave open the question concerning direct involvement of T1 in gating. We find in mammalian Kv1.2 that gating depends critically on residues at complementary T1 surfaces in an unusually polar interface. An isosteric mutation in this interface causes surprisingly little structural alteration while stabilizing the closed channel and increasing the stability of T1 tetramers. Replacing T1 with a tetrameric coiled-coil destabilizes the closed channel. Together, these data suggest that structural changes involving the buried polar T1 surfaces play a key role in the conformational changes leading to channel opening.

Magnetization dynamics driven by spin-polarized current in nanomagnets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carpentieri, M.; Torres, L.; Azzerboni, B.; Finocchio, G.; Consolo, G.; Lopez-Diaz, L.

2007-09-01

In this report, micromagnetic simulations of magnetization dynamics driven by spin-polarized currents (SPCs) on magnetic nanopillars of permalloy/Cu/permalloy with different rectangular cross-sections are presented. Complete dynamical stability diagrams from initial parallel and antiparallel states have been computed for 100 ns. The effects of a space-dependent polarization function together with the presence of magnetostatic coupling from the fixed layer and classical Ampere field have been taken into account.

Intensity-Stabilized Fast-Scanned Direct Absorption Spectroscopy Instrumentation Based on a Distributed Feedback Laser with Detection Sensitivity down to 4 × 10−6

PubMed Central

Zhao, Gang; Tan, Wei; Jia, Mengyuan; Hou, Jiajuan; Ma, Weiguang; Dong, Lei; Zhang, Lei; Feng, Xiaoxia; Wu, Xuechun; Yin, Wangbao; Xiao, Liantuan; Axner, Ove; Jia, Suotang

2016-01-01

A novel, intensity-stabilized, fast-scanned, direct absorption spectroscopy (IS-FS-DAS) instrumentation, based on a distributed feedback (DFB) diode laser, is developed. A fiber-coupled polarization rotator and a fiber-coupled polarizer are used to stabilize the intensity of the laser, which significantly reduces its relative intensity noise (RIN). The influence of white noise is reduced by fast scanning over the spectral feature (at 1 kHz), followed by averaging. By combining these two noise-reducing techniques, it is demonstrated that direct absorption spectroscopy (DAS) can be swiftly performed down to a limit of detection (LOD) (1σ) of 4 × 10−6, which opens up a number of new applications. PMID:27657082

Automated assessment of the remineralization of artificial enamel lesions with polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography

PubMed Central

Lee, Robert C.; Kang, Hobin; Darling, Cynthia L.; Fried, Daniel

2014-01-01

Accurate measurement of the highly mineralized transparent surface layer that forms on caries lesions is important for diagnosis of the lesion activity because chemical intervention can slow or reverse the caries process via remineralization. Previous in-vitro and in-vivo studies have demonstrated that polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography (PS-OCT) can nondestructively image the subsurface lesion structure and the highly mineralized transparent surface zone of caries lesions. The purpose of this study was to develop an approach to automatically process 3-dimensional PS-OCT images and to accurately assess the remineralization process in simulated enamel lesions. Artificial enamel lesions were prepared on twenty bovine enamel blocks using two models to produce varying degree of demineralization and remineralization. The thickness of the transparent surface layer and the integrated reflectivity of the subsurface lesion were measured using PS-OCT. The automated transparent surface layer detection algorithm was able to successfully detect the transparent surface layers with high sensitivity ( = 0.92) and high specificity ( = 0.97). The estimated thickness of the transparent surface layer showed a strong correlation with polarized light microscopy (PLM) measurements of all regions (R2 = 0.90). The integrated reflectivity, ΔR, and the integrated mineral loss, ΔZ, showed a moderate correlation (R2 = 0.32). This study demonstrates that PS-OCT can automatically measure the changes in artificial enamel lesion structure and severity upon exposure to remineralization solutions. PMID:25401009

Generation-V dual-Purkinje-image eyetracker

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Crane, H. D.; Steele, C. M.

1985-01-01

Major advances characterize the Generation-V dual-Purkinje-image eyetracker compared with the Generation-III version previously described. These advances include a large reduction in size, major improvements in frequency response and noise level, automatic alignment to a subject, and automatic adjustment for different separation between the visual and optic axes, which can vary considerably from subject to subject. In a number of applications described in the paper, the eyetracker is coupled with other highly specialized optical devices. These applications include accurately stabilizing an image on a subject's retina; accurately simulating a visually dead retinal region (i.e., a scotoma) of arbitrary shape, size, and position; and, for clinical purposes, stabilizing the position of a laser coagulator beam on a patient's retina so that the point of contact is unaffected by the patient's own eye movements.

The effect of shear flow and the density gradient on the Weibel instability growth rate in the dense plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amininasab, S.; Sadighi-Bonabi, R.; Khodadadi Azadboni, F.

2018-02-01

Shear stress effect has been often neglected in calculation of the Weibel instability growth rate in laser-plasma interactions. In the present work, the role of the shear stress in the Weibel instability growth rate in the dense plasma with density gradient is explored. By increasing the density gradient, the shear stress threshold is increasing and the range of the propagation angles of growing modes is limited. Therefore, by increasing steps of the density gradient plasma near the relativistic electron beam-emitting region, the Weibel instability occurs at a higher stress flow. Calculations show that the minimum value of the stress rate threshold for linear polarization is greater than that of circular polarization. The Wiebel instability growth rate for linear polarization is 18.3 times circular polarization. One sees that for increasing stress and density gradient effects, there are smaller maximal growth rates for the range of the propagation angles of growing modes /π 2 < θ m i n < π and /3 π 2 < θ m i n < 2 π in circular polarized plasma and for /k c ω p < 4 in linear polarized plasma. Therefore, the shear stress and density gradient tend to stabilize the Weibel instability for /k c ω p < 4 in linear polarized plasma. Also, the shear stress and density gradient tend to stabilize the Weibel instability for the range of the propagation angles of growing modes /π 2 < θ m i n < π and /3 π 2 < θ m i n < 2 π in circular polarized plasma.

Melt dumping in string stabilized ribbon growth

DOEpatents

Sachs, Emanuel M.

1986-12-09

A method and apparatus for stabilizing the edge positions of a ribbon drawn from a melt includes the use of wettable strings drawn in parallel up through the melt surface, the ribbon being grown between the strings. A furnace and various features of the crucible used therein permit continuous automatic growth of flat ribbons without close temperature control or the need for visual inspection.

Longitudinal Waves Drive the Solar Cycle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wagner, Orvin

2000-05-01

In Physics Essays 12: 3-10 I explain the placement of the planets in terms of low velocity waves emitted by the sun. Evidence for the wave pulse generated near the center of the sun is indicated by the initial high latitude sunspots observed on the butterfly diagram. The wave pulse carries charge with it as observed for similar waves in plants (W-waves). For the first half cycle negative charge is carried to the surface of the sun where much of the wave pulse radiates a wave crest into space while the charge slowly redistributes itself. Meanwhile the next wave pulse carrying excess positive charge moves outward. Rotating charge determines the polarity of the sun's magnetic poles so they reverse as the pulse moves outward. The wave pulse, which interacts strongly with force fields, is guided by centripetal force and gravity so that the pulse comes out near the sun's equator. W-waves produce an automatic return wave in the vacuum so that standing waves are produced in the space around the sun providing a template for the formation and stabilization planets. W-waves are hypothesized to provide self organization for both the universe and life. See the

Challenge '95 - The Ariane 5 Development Programme

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vedrenne, M.; van Gaver, M.

1987-10-01

The Ariane-5 launcher has been assigned to the following types of missions: (1) launching geostationary and sun-synchronous commercial satellites, and scientific and trial applications satellites; (2) launching the Hermes spaceplane, and (3) launching elements of the Columbus system such as the man-tended free-flyer module, and the polar platform. A new launch complex, the ELA-3, is being built for the Ariane-5 launcher close to ESA's ELA-1 and ELA-2 launch complexes at Kourou. After two qualification flights in the automatic version in 1995 (501 and 502), it is expected that Ariane-5 will be declared operational with its first commercial flight planned for early 1996 to put an automatic payload into orbit.

Simulation and visualization of fundamental optics phenomenon by LabVIEW

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lyu, Bohan

2017-08-01

Most instructors teach complex phenomenon by equation and static illustration without interactive multimedia. Students usually memorize phenomenon by taking note. However, only note or complex formula can not make user visualize the phenomenon of the photonics system. LabVIEW is a good tool for in automatic measurement. However, the simplicity of coding in LabVIEW makes it not only suit for automatic measurement, but also suitable for simulation and visualization of fundamental optics phenomenon. In this paper, five simple optics phenomenon will be discuss and simulation with LabVIEW. They are Snell's Law, Hermite-Gaussian beam transverse mode, square and circular aperture diffraction, polarization wave and Poincare sphere, and finally Fabry-Perrot etalon in spectrum domain.

Molecular basis for competitive solvation of the Burkholderia cepacia lipase by sorbitol and urea.

PubMed

Oliveira, Ivan P; Martínez, Leandro

2016-08-21

Increasing the stability of proteins is important for their application in industrial processes. In the intracellular environment many small molecules, called osmolytes, contribute to protein stabilization under physical or chemical stress. Understanding the nature of the interactions of these osmolytes with proteins can help the design of solvents and mutations to increase protein stability in extracellular media. One of the most common stabilizing osmolyes is sorbitol and one of the most common chemical denaturants is urea. In this work, we use molecular dynamics simulations to obtain a detailed picture of the solvation of the Burkholderia cepacia lipase (BCL) in the presence of the protecting osmolyte sorbitol and of the urea denaturant. We show that both sorbitol and urea compete with water for interactions with the protein surface. Overall, sorbitol promotes the organization of water in the first solvation shell and displaces water from the second solvation shell, while urea causes opposite effects. These effects are, however, highly heterogeneous among residue types. For instance, the depletion of water from the first protein solvation shell by urea can be traced down essentially to the side chain of negatively charged residues. The organization of water in the first solvation shell promoted by sorbitol occurs at polar (but not charged) residues, where the urea effect is minor. By contrast, sorbitol depletes water from the second solvation shell of polar residues, while urea promotes water organization at the same distances. The interactions of urea with negatively charged residues are insensitive to the presence of sorbitol. This osmolyte removes water and urea particularly from the second solvation shell of polar and non-polar residues. In summary, we provide a comprehensive description of the diversity of protein-solvent interactions, which can guide further investigations on the stability of proteins in non-conventional media, and assist solvent and protein design.

PolarHub: A Global Hub for Polar Data Discovery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, W.

2014-12-01

This paper reports the outcome of a NSF project in developing a large-scale web crawler PolarHub to discover automatically the distributed polar dataset in the format of OGC web services (OWS) in the cyberspace. PolarHub is a machine robot; its goal is to visit as many webpages as possible to find those containing information about polar OWS, extract this information and store it into the backend data repository. This is a very challenging task given huge data volume of webpages on the Web. Three unique features was introduced in PolarHub to make it distinctive from earlier crawler solutions: (1) a multi-task, multi-user, multi-thread support to the crawling tasks; (2) an extensive use of thread pool and Data Access Object (DAO) design patterns to separate persistent data storage and business logic to achieve high extendibility of the crawler tool; (3) a pattern-matching based customizable crawling algorithm to support discovery of multi-type geospatial web services; and (4) a universal and portable client-server communication mechanism combining a server-push and client pull strategies for enhanced asynchronous processing. A series of experiments were conducted to identify the impact of crawling parameters to the overall system performance. The geographical distribution pattern of all PolarHub identified services is also demonstrated. We expect this work to make a major contribution to the field of geospatial information retrieval and geospatial interoperability, to bridge the gap between data provider and data consumer, and to accelerate polar science by enhancing the accessibility and reusability of adequate polar data.

A meridional structure of static stability and ozone vertical gradient around the tropopause in the Southern Hemisphere extratropics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tomikawa, Y.; Yamanouchi, T.

2010-08-01

An analysis of the static stability and ozone vertical gradient in the ozone tropopause based (OTB) coordinate is applied to the ozonesonde data at 10 stations in the Southern Hemisphere (SH) extratropics. The tropopause inversion layer (TIL) with a static stability maximum just above the tropopause shows similar seasonal variations at two Antarctic stations, which are latitudinally far from each other. Since the sunshine hour varies with time in a quite different way between these two stations, it implies that the radiative heating due to solar ultraviolet absorption of ozone does not contribute to the seasonal variation of the TIL. A meridional section of the static stability in the OTB coordinate shows that the static stability just above the tropopause has a large latitudinal gradient between 60° S and 70° S in austral winter because of the absence of the TIL over the Antarctic. It is accompanied by an increase of westerly shear with height above the tropopause, so that the polar-night jet is formed above this latitude region. This result suggests a close relationship between the absence of the TIL and the stratospheric polar vortex in the Antarctic winter. A vertical gradient of ozone mixing ratio, referred to as ozone vertical gradient, around the tropopause shows similar latitudinal and seasonal variations with the static stability in the SH extratropics. In a height region above the TIL, a small ozone vertical gradient in the midlatitudes associated with the Antarctic ozone hole is observed in a height region of the subvortex but not around the polar vortex. This is a clear evidence of active latitudinal mixing between the midlatitudes and subvortex.

Magneto-optical polarization rotation in a ladder-type atomic system for tunable offset locking

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

Parniak, Michał, E-mail: michal.parniak@fuw.edu.pl; Leszczyński, Adam; Wasilewski, Wojciech

2016-04-18

We demonstrate an easily tunable locking scheme for stabilizing frequency-sum of two lasers on a two-photon ladder transition based on polarization rotation in warm rubidium vapors induced by magnetic field and circularly polarized drive field. Unprecedented tunability of the two-photon offset frequency is due to strong splitting and shifting of magnetic states in external field. In our experimental setup, we achieve two-photon detuning of up to 700 MHz.

Spatial memory during the tropism of maize (Zea mays L.) coleoptiles.

PubMed

Nick, P; Schafer, E

1988-09-01

Photo- or gravitropic stimulation of graminean coleoptiles involves the formation of putative tropistic transverse polarities. It had been postulated that these polarities can be extended by stabilization to developmentally active polarities. Such polarities are known from unicellular spores and zygotes of lower plants and regeneration experiments in dicotyledonous plants. In coleoptiles, photo- or gravitropic stimulation results in stability to counterstimulation of equal strength (with only transient bending in the direction of the second stimulus), as a result of a directional memory, if the time interval between both stimuli exceeds 90 min. This directional memory develops from a labile precursor, which is present from at least 20 min after induction. Once it is stable, spatial memory is conserved for many hours. The formation of spatial memory involves at least one step not present in the common tropistic transduction chain. The spatial expression of memory as curvature is restricted to three distinct responses: (i) curving in the direction of the first stimulus (for time intervals exceeding 90 min); (ii) curving in the direction of the second stimulus (for time intervals shorter than 65 min); and (iii) zero-curvature (for time intervals between 65 and 90 min). This can be interpreted in terms of a stable transverse polarity, which is not identical with the putative tropistic transverse polarity, but might be an extension of it.

Structure-property relationship of supramolecular ferroelectric [H-66dmbp][Hca] accompanied by high polarization, competing structural phases, and polymorphs.

PubMed

Kobayashi, Kensuke; Horiuchi, Sachio; Ishibashi, Shoji; Kagawa, Fumitaka; Murakami, Youichi; Kumai, Reiji

2014-12-22

Three polymorphic forms of 6,6'-dimethyl-2,2'-bipyridinium chloranilate crystals were characterized to understand the origin of polarization properties and the thermal stability of ferroelectricity. According to the temperature-dependent permittivity, differential scanning calorimetry, and X-ray diffraction, structural phase transitions were found in all polymorphs. Notably, the ferroelectric α-form crystal, which has the longest hydrogen bond (2.95 Å) among the organic acid/base-type supramolecular ferroelectrics, transformed from a polar structure (space group, P21) into an anti-polar structure (space group, P21/c) at 378 K. The non-ferroelectric β- and γ-form crystals also exhibited structural rearrangements around hydrogen bonds. The hydrogen-bonded geometry and ferroelectric properties were compared with other supramolecular ferroelectrics. A positive relationship between the phase-transition temperature (TC ) and hydrogen-bond length () was observed, and was attributed to the potential barrier height for proton off-centering or order/disorder phenomena. The optimized spontaneous polarization (Ps ) agreed well with the results of the first-principles calculations, and could be amplified by separating the two equilibrium positions of protons with increasing . These data consistently demonstrated that stretching is a promising way to enhance the polarization performance and thermal stability of hydrogen-bonded organic ferroelectrics. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Polarization locked vector solitons and axis instability in optical fiber.

PubMed

Cundiff, Steven T.; Collings, Brandon C.; Bergman, Keren

2000-09-01

We experimentally observe polarization-locked vector solitons in optical fiber. Polarization locked-vector solitons use nonlinearity to preserve their polarization state despite the presence of birefringence. To achieve conditions where the delicate balance between nonlinearity and birefringence can survive, we studied the polarization evolution of the pulses circulating in a laser constructed entirely of optical fiber. We observe two distinct states with fixed polarization. This first state occurs for very small values birefringence and is elliptically polarized. We measure the relative phase between orthogonal components along the two principal axes to be +/-pi/2. The relative amplitude varies linearly with the magnitude of the birefringence. This state is a polarization locked vector soliton. The second, linearly polarized, state occurs for larger values of birefringence. The second state is due to the fast axis instability. We provide complete characterization of these states, and present a physical explanation of both of these states and the stability of the polarization locked vector solitons. (c) 2000 American Institute of Physics.

Polarization locked vector solitons and axis instability in optical fiber

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cundiff, Steven T.; Collings, Brandon C.; Bergman, Keren

2000-09-01

We experimentally observe polarization-locked vector solitons in optical fiber. Polarization locked-vector solitons use nonlinearity to preserve their polarization state despite the presence of birefringence. To achieve conditions where the delicate balance between nonlinearity and birefringence can survive, we studied the polarization evolution of the pulses circulating in a laser constructed entirely of optical fiber. We observe two distinct states with fixed polarization. This first state occurs for very small values birefringence and is elliptically polarized. We measure the relative phase between orthogonal components along the two principal axes to be ±π/2. The relative amplitude varies linearly with the magnitude of the birefringence. This state is a polarization locked vector soliton. The second, linearly polarized, state occurs for larger values of birefringence. The second state is due to the fast axis instability. We provide complete characterization of these states, and present a physical explanation of both of these states and the stability of the polarization locked vector solitons.

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.

Quantum dot spin-V(E)CSELs: polarization switching and periodic oscillations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Nianqiang; Alexandropoulos, Dimitris; Susanto, Hadi; Henning, Ian; Adams, Michael

2017-09-01

Spin-polarized vertical (external) cavity surface-emitting lasers [Spin-V(E)CSELs] using quantum dot (QD) material for the active region, can display polarization switching between the right- and left-circularly polarized fields via control of the pump polarization. In particular, our previous experimental results have shown that the output polarization ellipticity of the spin-V(E)CSEL emission can exhibit either the same handedness as that of the pump polarization or the opposite, depending on the experimental operating conditions. In this contribution, we use a modified version of the spin-flip model in conjunction with combined time-independent stability analysis and direct time integration. With two representative sets of parameters our simulation results show good agreement with experimental observations. In addition periodic oscillations provide further insight into the dynamic properties of spin-V(E)CSELs.

Spin-orbit torque induced magnetic vortex polarity reversal utilizing spin-Hall effect

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Cheng; Cai, Li; Liu, Baojun; Yang, Xiaokuo; Cui, Huanqing; Wang, Sen; Wei, Bo

2018-05-01

We propose an effective magnetic vortex polarity reversal scheme that makes use of spin-orbit torque introduced by spin-Hall effect in heavy-metal/ferromagnet multilayers structure, which can result in subnanosecond polarity reversal without endangering the structural stability. Micromagnetic simulations are performed to investigate the spin-Hall effect driven dynamics evolution of magnetic vortex. The mechanism of magnetic vortex polarity reversal is uncovered by a quantitative analysis of exchange energy density, magnetostatic energy density, and their total energy density. The simulation results indicate that the magnetic vortex polarity is reversed through the nucleation-annihilation process of topological vortex-antivortex pair. This scheme is an attractive option for ultra-fast magnetic vortex polarity reversal, which can be used as the guidelines for the choice of polarity reversal scheme in vortex-based random access memory.

Selected Growth of Cubic and Hexagonal GaN Epitaxial Films on Polar MgO(111)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lazarov, V. K.; Zimmerman, J.; Cheung, S. H.; Li, L.; Weinert, M.; Gajdardziska-Josifovska, M.

2005-06-01

Selected molecular beam epitaxy of zinc blende (111) or wurtzite (0001) GaN films on polar MgO(111) is achieved depending on whether N or Ga is deposited first. The cubic stacking is enabled by nitrogen-induced polar surface stabilization, which yields a metallic MgO(111)-(1×1)-ON surface. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy and density functional theory studies indicate that the atomically abrupt semiconducting GaN(111)/MgO(111) interface has a Mg-O-N-Ga stacking, where the N atom is bonded to O at a top site. This specific atomic arrangement at the interface allows the cubic stacking to more effectively screen the substrate and film electric dipole moment than the hexagonal stacking, thus stabilizing the zinc blende phase even though the wurtzite phase is the ground state in the bulk.

Tagging motor memories with transcranial direct current stimulation allows later artificially-controlled retrieval

PubMed Central

Nozaki, Daichi; Yokoi, Atsushi; Kimura, Takahiro; Hirashima, Masaya; Orban de Xivry, Jean-Jacques

2016-01-01

We demonstrate that human motor memories can be artificially tagged and later retrieved by noninvasive transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). Participants learned to adapt reaching movements to two conflicting dynamical environments that were each associated with a different tDCS polarity (anodal or cathodal tDCS) on the sensorimotor cortex. That is, we sought to determine whether divergent background activity levels within the sensorimotor cortex (anodal: higher activity; cathodal: lower activity) give rise to distinct motor memories. After a training session, application of each tDCS polarity automatically resulted in the retrieval of the motor memory corresponding to that polarity. These results reveal that artificial modulation of neural activity in the sensorimotor cortex through tDCS can act as a context for the formation and recollection of motor memories. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.15378.001 PMID:27472899

Preliminary flight-determined subsonic lift and drag characteristics of the X-29A forward-swept-wing airplane

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hicks, John W.; Huckabine, Thomas

1989-01-01

The X-29A subsonic lift and drag characteristics determined, met, or exceeded predictions, particularly with respect to the drag polar shapes. Induced drag levels were as great as 20 percent less than wind tunnel estimates, particularly at coefficients of lift above 0.8. Drag polar shape comparisons with other modern fighter aircraft showed the X-29A to have a better overall aircraft aerodynamic Oswald efficiency factor for the same aspect ratio. Two significant problems arose in the data reduction and analysis process. These included uncertainties in angle of attack upwash calibration and effects of maneuver dynamics on drag levels. The latter problem resulted from significantly improper control surface automatic camber control scheduling. Supersonic drag polar results were not obtained during this phase because of a lack of engine instrumentation to measure afterburner fuel flow.

A Polarization-Diversity Simultaneous-Lobing Angle-Tracking Receiver

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Renhult, W. B.

1961-01-01

This report describes a simultaneous-lobing angle-tracking receiver operating in the 225-260 milli-cycle-per-second telemetry band and employing polarization diversity. Its operation is considered primarily in the context of the Mercury range and tracking of the Mercury capsule. Several methods of providing diversity are briefly considered, and a number of ways of implementing the phase shifts required at one polarization for coherent signal addition are discussed. A prototype receiver is briefly described although circuitry which may be somewhat novel is covered in greater detail. No attempt has been made to include all of the sophistication one might expect in a receiver of this type; circuits have been simplified in some areas where, for example, a manual control can replace an automatic function and reduce complexity. Some conclusions are drawn as to how this receiver might perform in the Mercury environment.

Polarization Perception Device

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Whitehead, Victor S. (Inventor); Coulson, Kinsell L. (Inventor)

1997-01-01

A polarization perception device comprises a base and a polarizing filter having opposite broad sides and a centerline perpendicular thereto. The filter is mounted on the base for relative rotation and with a major portion of the area of the filter substantially unobstructed on either side. A motor on the base automatically moves the filter angularly about its centerline at a speed slow enough to permit changes in light transmission by virtue of such movement to be perceived as light-dark pulses by a human observer, but fast enough so that the light phase of each such pulse occurs prior to fading of the light phase image of the preceding pulse from the observer's retina. In addition to an observer viewing a scene in real time through the filter while it is so angularly moved, or instead of such observation, the scene can be photographed, filmed or taped by a camera whose lens is positioned behind the filter.

Polarization perception device

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Whitehead, Victor S. (Inventor); Coulson, Kinsel L. (Inventor)

1992-01-01

A polarization perception device comprises a base and a polarizing filter having opposite broad sides and a centerline perpendicular thereto. The filter is mounted on the base for relative rotation and with a major portion of the area of the filter substantially unobstructed on either side. A motor on the base automatically moves the filter angularly about its centerline at a speed slow enough to permit changes in light transmission by virtue of such movement to be perceived as light-dark pulses by a human observer, but fast enough so that the light phase of each such pulse occurs prior to fading of the light phase image of the preceding pulse from the observer's retina. In addition to an observer viewing a scene in real time through the filter while it is so angularly moved, or instead of such observation, the scene can be photographed, filmed or taped by a camera whose lens is positioned behind the filter.

Semi-supervised word polarity identification in resource-lean languages.

PubMed

Dehdarbehbahani, Iman; Shakery, Azadeh; Faili, Heshaam

2014-10-01

Sentiment words, as fundamental constitutive parts of subjective sentences, have a substantial effect on analysis of opinions, emotions and beliefs. Most of the proposed methods for identifying the semantic orientations of words exploit rich linguistic resources such as WordNet, subjectivity corpora, or polarity tagged words. Shortage of such linguistic resources in resource-lean languages affects the performance of word polarity identification in these languages. In this paper, we present a method which exploits a language with rich subjectivity analysis resources (English) to identify the polarity of words in a resource-lean foreign language. The English WordNet and a sparse foreign WordNet infrastructure are used to create a heterogeneous, multilingual and weighted semantic network. To identify the semantic orientation of foreign words, a random walk based method is applied to the semantic network along with a set of automatically weighted English positive and negative seeds. In a post-processing phase, synonym and antonym relations in the foreign WordNet are used to filter the random walk results. Our experiments on English and Persian languages show that the proposed method can outperform state-of-the-art word polarity identification methods in both languages. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Robust output tracking control of a laboratory helicopter for automatic landing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Hao; Lu, Geng; Zhong, Yisheng

2014-11-01

In this paper, robust output tracking control problem of a laboratory helicopter for automatic landing in high seas is investigated. The motion of the helicopter is required to synchronise with that of an oscillating platform, e.g. the deck of a vessel subject to wave-induced motions. A robust linear time-invariant output feedback controller consisting of a nominal controller and a robust compensator is designed. The robust compensator is introduced to restrain the influences of parametric uncertainties, nonlinearities and external disturbances. It is shown that robust stability and robust tracking property can be achieved simultaneously. Experimental results on the laboratory helicopter for automatic landing demonstrate the effectiveness of the designed control approach.

Design and implementation of online automatic judging system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liang, Haohui; Chen, Chaojie; Zhong, Xiuyu; Chen, Yuefeng

2017-06-01

For lower efficiency and poorer reliability in programming training and competition by currently artificial judgment, design an Online Automatic Judging (referred to as OAJ) System. The OAJ system including the sandbox judging side and Web side, realizes functions of automatically compiling and running the tested codes, and generating evaluation scores and corresponding reports. To prevent malicious codes from damaging system, the OAJ system utilizes sandbox, ensuring the safety of the system. The OAJ system uses thread pools to achieve parallel test, and adopt database optimization mechanism, such as horizontal split table, to improve the system performance and resources utilization rate. The test results show that the system has high performance, high reliability, high stability and excellent extensibility.

Photoinduced intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) reaction in trans-methyl p-(dimethylamino) cinnamate: A combined fluorescence measurement and quantum chemical calculations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chakraborty, Amrita; Kar, Samiran; Guchhait, Nikhil

2006-01-01

The photophysical behaviour of trans-methyl p-(dimethylamino) cinnamate ( t-MDMAC) donor-acceptor system has been investigated by steady-state absorption and emission spectroscopy and quantum chemical calculations. The molecule t-MDMAC shows an emission from the locally excited state in non-polar solvents. In addition to weak local emission, a strong solvent dependent red shifted fluorescence in polar aprotic solvents is attributed to highly polar intramolecular charge transfer state. However, the formation of hydrogen-bonded clusters with polar protic solvents has been suggested from a linear correlation between the observed red shifted fluorescence band maxima with hydrogen bonding parameters ( α). Calculations by ab initio and density functional theory show that the lone pair electron at nitrogen center is out of plane of the benzene ring in the global minimum ground state structure. In the gas phase, a potential energy surface along the twist coordinate at the donor (-NMe 2) and acceptor (-CH = CHCOOMe) sites shows stabilization of S 1 state and destabilization S 2 and S 0 states. A similar potential energy calculation along the twist coordinate in acetonitrile solvent using non-equilibrium polarized continuum model also shows more stabilization of S 1 state relative to other states and supports solvent dependent red shifted emission properties. In all types of calculations it is found that the nitrogen lone pair is delocalized over the benzene ring in the global minimum ground state and is localized on the nitrogen centre at the 90° twisted configuration. The S 1 energy state stabilization along the twist coordinate at the donor site and localized nitrogen lone pair at the perpendicular configuration support well the observed dual fluorescence in terms of proposed twisted intramolecular charge transfer (TICT) model.

Thermal Stability of Frozen Volatiles in the North Polar Region of Mercury

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Paige, David A.; Siegler, Matthew A.; Harmon, John K.; Smith, David E.; Zuber, Maria T.; Neumann, Gregory A.; Solomon, Sean C.

2012-01-01

Earth-based radar observations have revealed the presence on Mercury of anomalously bright, depolarizing features that appear to be localized in the permanently shadowed regions of high-latitude impact craters [1]. Observations of similar radar signatures over a range of radar wavelengths implies that they correspond to deposits that are highly transparent at radar wavelengths and extend to depths of several meters below the surface [1]. Thermal models using idealized crater topographic profiles have predicted the thermal stability of surface and subsurface water ice at these same latitudes [2]. One of the major goals of the MESSENGER mission is to characterize the nature of radar-bright craters and presumed associated frozen volatile deposits at the poles of Mercury through complementary orbital observations by a suite of instruments [3]. Here we report on an examination of the thermal stability of water ice and other frozen volatiles in the north polar region of Mercury using topographic profiles obtained by the Mercury Laser Altimeter (MLA) instrument [4] in conjunction with a three-dimensional ray-tracing thermal model previously used to study the thermal environment of polar craters on the Moon [5].

Primary stability of a cementless acetabular cup in a cohort of patient-specific finite element models.

PubMed

O'Rourke, Dermot; Al-Dirini, Rami Ma; Taylor, Mark

2018-03-01

The primary stability achieved during total hip arthroplasty determines the long-term success of cementless acetabular cups. Pre-clinical finite element testing of cups typically use a model of a single patient and assume the results can be extrapolated to the general population. This study explored the variability in predicted primary stability of a Pinnacle ® cementless acetabular cup in 103 patient-specific finite element models of the hemipelvis and examined the association between patient-related factors and the observed variability. Cups were inserted by displacement-control into the FE models and then a loading configuration simulating a complete level gait cycle was applied. The cohort showed a range of polar gap of 284-1112 μm and 95th percentile composite peak micromotion (CPM) of 18-624 μm. Regression analysis was not conclusive on the relationship between patient-related factors and primary stability. No relationship was found between polar gap and micromotion. However, when the patient-related factors were categorised into quartile groups, trends suggested higher polar gaps occurred in subjects with small and shallow acetabular geometries and cup motion during gait was affected most by low elastic modulus and high bodyweight. The variation in primary stability in the cohort for an acetabular cup with a proven clinical track record may provide benchmark data when evaluating new cup designs. © 2017 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 36:1012-1023, 2018. © 2017 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Graphene based widely-tunable and singly-polarized pulse generation with random fiber lasers

PubMed Central

Yao, B. C.; Rao, Y. J.; Wang, Z. N.; Wu, Y.; Zhou, J. H.; Wu, H.; Fan, M. Q.; Cao, X. L.; Zhang, W. L.; Chen, Y. F.; Li, Y. R.; Churkin, D.; Turitsyn, S.; Wong, C. W.

2015-01-01

Pulse generation often requires a stabilized cavity and its corresponding mode structure for initial phase-locking. Contrastingly, modeless cavity-free random lasers provide new possibilities for high quantum efficiency lasing that could potentially be widely tunable spectrally and temporally. Pulse generation in random lasers, however, has remained elusive since the discovery of modeless gain lasing. Here we report coherent pulse generation with modeless random lasers based on the unique polarization selectivity and broadband saturable absorption of monolayer graphene. Simultaneous temporal compression of cavity-free pulses are observed with such a polarization modulation, along with a broadly-tunable pulsewidth across two orders of magnitude down to 900 ps, a broadly-tunable repetition rate across three orders of magnitude up to 3 MHz, and a singly-polarized pulse train at 41 dB extinction ratio, about an order of magnitude larger than conventional pulsed fiber lasers. Moreover, our graphene-based pulse formation also demonstrates robust pulse-to-pulse stability and wide-wavelength operation due to the cavity-less feature. Such a graphene-based architecture not only provides a tunable pulsed random laser for fiber-optic sensing, speckle-free imaging, and laser-material processing, but also a new way for the non-random CW fiber lasers to generate widely tunable and singly-polarized pulses. PMID:26687730

Graphene based widely-tunable and singly-polarized pulse generation with random fiber lasers.

PubMed

Yao, B C; Rao, Y J; Wang, Z N; Wu, Y; Zhou, J H; Wu, H; Fan, M Q; Cao, X L; Zhang, W L; Chen, Y F; Li, Y R; Churkin, D; Turitsyn, S; Wong, C W

2015-12-21

Pulse generation often requires a stabilized cavity and its corresponding mode structure for initial phase-locking. Contrastingly, modeless cavity-free random lasers provide new possibilities for high quantum efficiency lasing that could potentially be widely tunable spectrally and temporally. Pulse generation in random lasers, however, has remained elusive since the discovery of modeless gain lasing. Here we report coherent pulse generation with modeless random lasers based on the unique polarization selectivity and broadband saturable absorption of monolayer graphene. Simultaneous temporal compression of cavity-free pulses are observed with such a polarization modulation, along with a broadly-tunable pulsewidth across two orders of magnitude down to 900 ps, a broadly-tunable repetition rate across three orders of magnitude up to 3 MHz, and a singly-polarized pulse train at 41 dB extinction ratio, about an order of magnitude larger than conventional pulsed fiber lasers. Moreover, our graphene-based pulse formation also demonstrates robust pulse-to-pulse stability and wide-wavelength operation due to the cavity-less feature. Such a graphene-based architecture not only provides a tunable pulsed random laser for fiber-optic sensing, speckle-free imaging, and laser-material processing, but also a new way for the non-random CW fiber lasers to generate widely tunable and singly-polarized pulses.

Stability and function of a putative microtubule-organizing center in the human parasite Toxoplasma gondii

PubMed Central

Leung, Jacqueline M.; He, Yudou; Zhang, Fangliang; Hwang, Yu-Chen; Nagayasu, Eiji; Liu, Jun; Murray, John M.; Hu, Ke

2017-01-01

The organization of the microtubule cytoskeleton is dictated by microtubule nucleators or organizing centers. Toxoplasma gondii, an important human parasite, has an array of 22 regularly spaced cortical microtubules stemming from a hypothesized organizing center, the apical polar ring. Here we examine the functions of the apical polar ring by characterizing two of its components, KinesinA and APR1, and show that its putative role in templating can be separated from its mechanical stability. Parasites that lack both KinesinA and APR1 (ΔkinesinAΔapr1) are capable of generating 22 cortical microtubules. However, the apical polar ring is fragmented in live ΔkinesinAΔapr1 parasites and is undetectable by electron microscopy after detergent extraction. Disintegration of the apical polar ring results in the detachment of groups of microtubules from the apical end of the parasite. These structural defects are linked to a diminished ability of the parasite to move and invade host cells, as well as decreased secretion of effectors important for these processes. Together the findings demonstrate the importance of the structural integrity of the apical polar ring and the microtubule array in the Toxoplasma lytic cycle, which is responsible for massive tissue destruction in acute toxoplasmosis. PMID:28331073

Evaluation and Synthesis of Polar Aryl- and Heteroaryl Spiroazetidine-Piperidine Acetamides as Ghrelin Inverse Agonists

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Several polar heteroaromatic acetic acids and their piperidine amides were synthesized and evaluated as ghrelin or type 1a growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHS-R1a) inverse agonists. Efforts to improve pharmacokinetic and safety profile was achieved by modulating physicochemical properties and, more specifically, emphasizing increased polarity of our chemical series. ortho-Carboxamide containing compounds provided optimal physicochemical, pharmacologic, and safety profile. pH-dependent chemical stability was also assessed with our series. PMID:25699143

Music psychopathology. II. Assessment of musical expression.

PubMed

Steinberg, R; Raith, L

1985-01-01

A short polarity profile which was well suited for the assessment of the musical expression of performances recorded from mentally ill patients and controls is described. 9 out of 12 polarities showed sufficient differentiating qualities, ranging from professional to poor amateur performances. Only 3 polarities had to be reformulated. The assessments of the 3 experts had a high interrater reliability and retest stability. The very significant correlation between the results of the experts and 50 independent subjects indicates the validity of the experiment.

Hydrogen maser frequency standard computer model for automatic cavity tuning servo simulations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Potter, P. D.; Finnie, C.

1978-01-01

A computer model of the JPL hydrogen maser frequency standard was developed. This model allows frequency stability data to be generated, as a function of various maser parameters, many orders of magnitude faster than these data can be obtained by experimental test. In particular, the maser performance as a function of the various automatic tuning servo parameters may be readily determined. Areas of discussion include noise sources, first-order autotuner loop, second-order autotuner loop, and a comparison of the loops.

[Development of automatic urine monitoring system].

PubMed

Wei, Liang; Li, Yongqin; Chen, Bihua

2014-03-01

An automatic urine monitoring system is presented to replace manual operation. The system is composed of the flow sensor, MSP430f149 single chip microcomputer, human-computer interaction module, LCD module, clock module and memory module. The signal of urine volume is captured when the urine flows through the flow sensor and then displayed on the LCD after data processing. The experiment results suggest that the design of the monitor provides a high stability, accurate measurement and good real-time, and meets the demand of the clinical application.

The theoretical investigation of solvent effects on the relative stability and 15N NMR shielding of antidepressant heterocyclic drug

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tahan, Arezoo; Khojandi, Mahya; Salari, Ali Akbar

2016-01-01

The density functional theory (DFT) and Tomasi's polarized continuum model (PCM) were used for the investigation of solvent polarity and its dielectric constant effects on the relative stability and NMR shielding tensors of antidepressant mirtazapine (MIR). The obtained results indicated that the relative stability in the polar solvents is higher than that in non-polar solvents and the most stable structure was observed in the water at the B3LYP/6-311++G ( d, p) level of theory. Also, natural bond orbital (NBO) interpretation demonstrated that by increase of solvent dielectric constant, negative charge on nitrogen atoms of heterocycles and resonance energy for LP(N10) → σ* and π* delocalization of the structure's azepine ring increase and the highest values of them were observed in water. On the other hand, NMR calculations showed that with an increase in negative charge of nitrogen atoms, isotropic chemical shielding (σiso) around them increase and nitrogen of piperazine ring (N19) has the highest values of negative charge and σiso among nitrogen atoms. NMR calculations also represented that direct solvent effect on nitrogen of pyridine ring (N15) is more than other nitrogens, while its effect on N19 is less than other ones. Based on NMR data and NBO interpretation, it can be deduced that with a decrease in the negative charge on nitrogen atoms, the intramolecular effects on them decrease, while direct solvent effect increases.

Stabilization of highly polar BiFeO 3-like structure: a new interface design route for enhanced ferroelectricity in artificial perovskite superlattices

DOE PAGES

Wang, Hongwei; Wen, Jianguo; Miller, Dean; ...

2016-03-14

In ABO 3 perovskites, oxygen octahedron rotations are common structural distortions that can promote large ferroelectricity in BiFeO 3 with an R3c structure [1] but suppress ferroelectricity in CaTiO 3 with a Pbnm symmetry [2]. For many CaTiO3-like perovskites, the BiFeO 3 structure is a metastable phase. Here, we report the stabilization of the highly polar BiFeO 3-like phase of CaTiO 3 in a BaTiO 3/CaTiO 3 superlattice grown on a SrTiO 3 substrate. The stabilization is realized by a reconstruction of oxygen octahedron rotations at the interface from the pattern of nonpolar bulk CaTiO 3 to a different patternmore » that is characteristic of a BiFeO 3 phase. The reconstruction is interpreted through a combination of amplitude-contrast sub-0.1-nm high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and first-principles theories of the structure, energetics, and polarization of the superlattice and its constituents. We further predict a number of new artificial ferroelectric materials demonstrating that nonpolar perovskites can be turned into ferroelectrics via this interface mechanism. Therefore, a large number of perovskites with the CaTiO 3 structure type, which include many magnetic representatives, are now good candidates as novel highly polar multiferroic materials [3].« less

Effect of hexylene glycol-altered microtubule distributions on cytokinesis and polar lobe formation in fertilized eggs of Ilyanassa obsoleta

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Conrad, A. H.; Stephens, A. P.; Conrad, G. W.; Spooner, B. S. (Principal Investigator)

1994-01-01

Some effects of gravity on early morphogenesis are correlated with microtubule locations within cells. During first cleavage in Ilyanassa obsoleta embryos, a transitory polar lobe constriction forms and then relaxes, allowing the polar lobe to merge with one daughter cell. If the polar lobe is equally divided or removed, morphogenesis is severely disrupted. To examine microtuble locations during early Ilyanassa development, eggs were fixed and stained for polymerized alpha-tubulin during first cleavage. The mitotic apparatus assembles at the animal pole. The cleavage furrow forms between the asters, constricting to a stabilized intercellular bridge encircling midbody-bound microtubules, whereas the polar lobe constriction forms below and parallel to the spindle, constricting to a transitory intercellular bridge encircling no detectable microtubules. At metaphase an alpha-tubulin epitope is distributed throughout the spindle, whereas a beta-tubulin epitope is present predominantly in the asters. Incubation in hexylene glycol, a drug that increases microtubule polymerization, during mitosis causes the polar lobe constriction to tighten around polymerized alpha-tubulin and remain stably constricted. If hexylene glycol is removed, alpha-tubulin staining disappears from the polar lobe constriction, which relaxes, whereas microtubules remain in the cleavage furrow, which remains constricted. These observations suggest that asymmetric distribution of microtubules affects early Ilyanassa cleavage patterns, and that continued presence of microtubules extending through an intercellular bridge is important for stabilization of the bridge constriction prior to completion of cytokinesis. These data provide the basis for further analysis of the role of microtubules in possible microgravity disruptions of Ilyanassa development.

Salting out the polar polymorph: analysis by alchemical solvent transformation.

PubMed

Duff, Nathan; Dahal, Yuba Raj; Schmit, Jeremy D; Peters, Baron

2014-01-07

We computationally examine how adding NaCl to an aqueous solution with α- and γ-glycine nuclei alters the structure and interfacial energy of the nuclei. The polar γ-glycine nucleus in pure aqueous solution develops a melted layer of amorphous glycine around the nucleus. When NaCl is added, a double layer is formed that stabilizes the polar glycine polymorph and eliminates the surface melted layer. In contrast, the non-polar α-glycine nucleus is largely unaffected by the addition of NaCl. To quantify the stabilizing effect of NaCl on γ-glycine nuclei, we alchemically transform the aqueous glycine solution into a brine solution of glycine. The alchemical transformation is performed both with and without a nucleus in solution and for nuclei of α-glycine and γ-glycine polymorphs. The calculations show that adding 80 mg/ml NaCl reduces the interfacial free energy of a γ-glycine nucleus by 7.7 mJ/m(2) and increases the interfacial free energy of an α-glycine nucleus by 3.1 mJ/m(2). Both results are consistent with experimental reports on nucleation rates which suggest: J(α, brine) < J(γ, brine) < J(α, water). For γ-glycine nuclei, Debye-Hückel theory qualitatively, but not quantitatively, captures the effect of salt addition. Only the alchemical solvent transformation approach can predict the results for both polar and non-polar polymorphs. The results suggest a general "salting out" strategy for obtaining polar polymorphs and also a general approach to computationally estimate the effects of solvent additives on interfacial free energies for nucleation.

Plasma stability analysis using Consistent Automatic Kinetic Equilibrium reconstruction (CAKE)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roelofs, Matthijs; Kolemen, Egemen; Eldon, David; Glasser, Alex; Meneghini, Orso; Smith, Sterling P.

2017-10-01

Presented here is the Consistent Automatic Kinetic Equilibrium (CAKE) code. CAKE is being developed to perform real-time kinetic equilibrium reconstruction, aiming to do a reconstruction in less than 100ms. This is achieved by taking, next to real-time Motional Stark Effect (MSE) and magnetics data, real-time Thomson Scattering (TS) and real-time Charge Exchange Recombination (CER, still in development) data in to account. Electron densities and temperature are determined by TS, while ion density and pressures are determined using CER. These form, together with the temperature and density of neutrals, the additional pressure constraints. Extra current constraints are imposed in the core by the MSE diagnostics. The pedestal current density is estimated using Sauters equation for the bootstrap current density. By comparing the behaviour of the ideal MHD perturbed potential energy (δW) and the linear stability index (Δ') of CAKE to magnetics-only reconstruction, it can be seen that the use of diagnostics to reconstruct the pedestal have a large effect on stability. Supported by U.S. DOE DE-SC0015878 and DE-FC02-04ER54698.

Dynamic polarization vision in mantis shrimps

PubMed Central

Daly, Ilse M.; How, Martin J.; Partridge, Julian C.; Temple, Shelby E.; Marshall, N. Justin; Cronin, Thomas W.; Roberts, Nicholas W.

2016-01-01

Gaze stabilization is an almost ubiquitous animal behaviour, one that is required to see the world clearly and without blur. Stomatopods, however, only fix their eyes on scenes or objects of interest occasionally. Almost uniquely among animals they explore their visual environment with a series pitch, yaw and torsional (roll) rotations of their eyes, where each eye may also move largely independently of the other. In this work, we demonstrate that the torsional rotations are used to actively enhance their ability to see the polarization of light. Both Gonodactylus smithii and Odontodactylus scyllarus rotate their eyes to align particular photoreceptors relative to the angle of polarization of a linearly polarized visual stimulus, thereby maximizing the polarization contrast between an object of interest and its background. This is the first documented example of any animal displaying dynamic polarization vision, in which the polarization information is actively maximized through rotational eye movements. PMID:27401817

Predicting the Stability of Hypervalent Molecules

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mitchell, Tracy A.; Finnocchio, Debbie; Kua, Jeremy

2007-01-01

An exercise is described which introduces students to using concepts in thermochemistry to predict relative stability of a hypervalent molecule. Students will compare the energies of formation for both fluoride and the hydride by calculations and they will also explore the issue of partial ionic character in polar covalent bonds.

Classification of M1/M2-polarized human macrophages by label-free hyperspectral reflectance confocal microscopy and multivariate analysis.

PubMed

Bertani, Francesca R; Mozetic, Pamela; Fioramonti, Marco; Iuliani, Michele; Ribelli, Giulia; Pantano, Francesco; Santini, Daniele; Tonini, Giuseppe; Trombetta, Marcella; Businaro, Luca; Selci, Stefano; Rainer, Alberto

2017-08-21

The possibility of detecting and classifying living cells in a label-free and non-invasive manner holds significant theranostic potential. In this work, Hyperspectral Imaging (HSI) has been successfully applied to the analysis of macrophagic polarization, given its central role in several pathological settings, including the regulation of tumour microenvironment. Human monocyte derived macrophages have been investigated using hyperspectral reflectance confocal microscopy, and hyperspectral datasets have been analysed in terms of M1 vs. M2 polarization by Principal Components Analysis (PCA). Following PCA, Linear Discriminant Analysis has been implemented for semi-automatic classification of macrophagic polarization from HSI data. Our results confirm the possibility to perform single-cell-level in vitro classification of M1 vs. M2 macrophages in a non-invasive and label-free manner with a high accuracy (above 98% for cells deriving from the same donor), supporting the idea of applying the technique to the study of complex interacting cellular systems, such in the case of tumour-immunity in vitro models.

Robust decentralized power system controller design: Integrated approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Veselý, Vojtech

2017-09-01

A unique approach to the design of gain scheduled controller (GSC) is presented. The proposed design procedure is based on the Bellman-Lyapunov equation, guaranteed cost and robust stability conditions using the parameter dependent quadratic stability approach. The obtained feasible design procedures for robust GSC design are in the form of BMI with guaranteed convex stability conditions. The obtained design results and their properties are illustrated in the simultaneously design of controllers for simple model (6-order) turbogenerator. The results of the obtained design procedure are a PI automatic voltage regulator (AVR) for synchronous generator, a PI governor controller and a power system stabilizer for excitation system.

Stabilizing operation point technique based on the tunable distributed feedback laser for interferometric sensors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mao, Xuefeng; Zhou, Xinlei; Yu, Qingxu

2016-02-01

We describe a stabilizing operation point technique based on the tunable Distributed Feedback (DFB) laser for quadrature demodulation of interferometric sensors. By introducing automatic lock quadrature point and wavelength periodically tuning compensation into an interferometric system, the operation point of interferometric system is stabilized when the system suffers various environmental perturbations. To demonstrate the feasibility of this stabilizing operation point technique, experiments have been performed using a tunable-DFB-laser as light source to interrogate an extrinsic Fabry-Perot interferometric vibration sensor and a diaphragm-based acoustic sensor. Experimental results show that good tracing of Q-point was effectively realized.

Polar Metals by Geometric Design

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

Kim, T. H.; Puggioni, D.; Yuan, Y.

2016-05-05

Gauss's law dictates that the net electric field inside a conductor in electrostatic equilibrium is zero by effective charge screening; free carriers within a metal eliminate internal dipoles that may arise owing to asymmetric charge distributions(1). Quantum physics supports this view(2), demonstrating that delocalized electrons make a static macroscopic polarization, an ill-defined quantity in metals(3)-it is exceedingly unusual to find a polar metal that exhibits long-range ordered dipoles owing to cooperative atomic displacements aligned from dipolar interactions as in insulating phases(4). Here we describe the quantum mechanical design and experimental realization of room-temperature polar metals in thin-film ANiO(3) perovskite nickelatesmore » using a strategy based on atomic-scale control of inversion-preserving (centric) displacements(5). We predict with ab initio calculations that cooperative polar A cation displacements are geometrically stabilized with a non-equilibrium amplitude and tilt pattern of the corner-connected NiO6 octahedra-the structural signatures of perovskites-owing to geometric constraints imposed by the underlying substrate. Heteroepitaxial thin-films grown on LaAlO3 (111) substrates fulfil the design principles. We achieve both a conducting polar monoclinic oxide that is inaccessible in compositionally identical films grown on (001) substrates, and observe a hidden, previously unreported(6-10), non-equilibrium structure in thin-film geometries. We expect that the geometric stabilization approach will provide novel avenues for realizing new multifunctional materials with unusual coexisting properties.« less

Rheological and Magnetorheological Behaviour of Some Magnetic Fluids on Polar and Nonpolar Carrier Liquids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bălău, Oana; Bica, Doina; Koneracka, Martina; Kopčansky, Peter; Susan-Resiga, Daniela; Vékás, Ladislau

Rheological and magnetorheological behaviour of monolayer and double layer sterically stabilized magnetic fluids, with transformer oil (UTR), diloctilsebacate (DOS), heptanol (Hept), pentanol (Pent) and water (W) as carrier liquids, were investigated. The data for volumic concentration dependence of dynamic viscosity of high colloidal stability UTR, DOS, Hept and Pent samples are particularly well fitted by the formulas given by Vand (1948) and Chow (1994). The Chow type dependence proved its universal character as the viscosity data for dilution series of various magnetic fluids are well fitted by the same curve, regardless the nonpolar or polar charcater of the sample. The magnetorheological effect measured for low and medium concentration water based magnetic fluids is much higher, due to agglomerate formation process, than the corresponding values obtained for the well stabilized UTR, DOS, Hept and Pent samples, even at very high volumic fraction of magnetic nanoparticles.

[Community stability for spruce-fir forest at different succession stages in Changbai Mountains, Northeast China].

PubMed

Zhang, Meng-tao; Zhang, Qing; Kang, Xin-gang; Yang, Ying-jun; Xu, Guang; Zhang, Li-xin

2015-06-01

Based on the analysis of three forest communities (polar-birch secondary forest, spruce-fir mixed forest, spruce-fir near pristine forest) in Changbai Mountains, a total of 22 factors of 5 indices, including the population regeneration, soil fertility (soil moisture and soli nutrient), woodland productivity and species diversity that reflected community characteristics were used to evaluate the stability of forest community succession at different stages by calculating subordinate function values of a model based on fuzzy mathematics. The results that the indices of population regeneration, soli nutrient, woodland productivity and species diversity were the highest in the spruce-fir mixed forest, and the indices of soil moisture were the highest in the spruce-fir near-pristine forest. The stability of three forest communities was in order of natural spruce-fir mixed forest > spruce-fir near pristine forest > polar-birch secondary forest.

Stabilization of Au Monatomic-High Islands on the (2 ×2 )-Nad Reconstructed Surface of Wurtzite AlN(0001)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eydoux, Benoit; Baris, Bulent; Khoussa, Hassan; Guillermet, Olivier; Gauthier, Sébastien; Bouju, Xavier; Martrou, David

2017-10-01

Noncontact atomic force microscopy images show that gold grows on the (2 ×2 )-Nad reconstructed polar (0001) surface of AlN insulating films, in the form of large monatomic islands. High-resolution images and in situ reflection high-energy electron diffraction spectra reveal two moiré patterns from which an atomic model can be built. Density functional theory calculations confirm this model and give insight into the mechanisms that lead to the stabilization of the monolayer. Gold adsorption is accompanied, first, by a global vertical charge transfer from the AlN substrate that fulfills the electrostatic stability criterion for a polar material, and second, by lateral charge transfers that are driven by the local chemical properties of the (2 ×2 )-Nad reconstruction. These results present alternative strategies to grow metal electrodes onto nitride compounds with a better controlled interface, a crucial issue for applications.

Electrically assisted bandedge mode selection of photonic crystal lasing in chiral nematic liquid crystals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Chun-Ta; Chen, Chun-Wei; Yang, Tzu-Hsuan; Nys, Inge; Li, Cheng-Chang; Lin, Tsung-Hsien; Neyts, Kristiaan; Beeckman, Jeroen

2018-01-01

Selection of the bandedge lasing mode of a photonic crystal laser has been realized in a fluorescent dye doped chiral nematic liquid crystal by exerting electrical control over the mode competition. The bandedge lasing can be reversibly switched from the short-wavelength edge mode to the long-wavelength edge mode by applying a voltage of only 20 V, without tuning the bandgap. The underlying mechanism is the field-induced change in the order parameter of the fluorescent dye in the liquid crystal. The orientation of the transition dipole moment determines the polarization state of the dye emission, thereby promoting lasing in the bandedge mode that favors the emission polarization. Moreover, the dynamic mode-selection capability is retained upon polymer-stabilizing the chiral nematic liquid crystal laser. In the polymer-stabilized system, greatly improved stability and lasing performance are observed.

Polarity-driven oxygen vacancy formation in ultrathin LaNiO 3 films on SrTiO 3

DOE PAGES

Tung, I-Cheng; Luo, Guangfu; Lee, June Hyuk; ...

2017-10-18

Oxide heterostructures offer a pathway to control emergent phases in complex oxides, but their creation often leads to boundaries that have a polar discontinuity. In order to fabricate atomic-scale arrangements of dissimilar materials, we need a clear understanding of the pathways by which materials resolve polarity issues. By examining the real-time lattice structure in-situ during growth for the case of polar LaNiO 3 synthesized on non-polar SrTiO 3 (001), we demonstrate how films in ultra-thin limit form as LaNiO 2.5 and then evolve into LaNiO 3 as the thickness increases. Theory explains how the polar energetics drives the formation ofmore » oxygen vacancies and the stability of these phases with thickness and structure.« less

Improved photostability of hydrophobic natural dye incorporated in organo-modified hydrotalcite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kohno, Yoshiumi; Asai, Saeko; Shibata, Masashi; Fukuhara, Choji; Maeda, Yasuhisa; Tomita, Yasumasa; Kobayashi, Kenkichiro

2014-08-01

β-carotene and annatto extract are typical carotenoids used as safe colorants for foods. However, the instability against irradiation limits their wide use. The improvement of stability was investigated by the intercalation of dye into the interlayer space of the anion-exchangeable clay, hydrotalcite. A hydrophobic environment was constructed in the interlayer space of the hydrotalcite by its modification with anionic surfactants (dodecyl sulfate and dodecylbenzene sulfonate). The lipophilic β-carotene and annatto dye were successfully incorporated into the organo-modified hydrotalcite, and the incorporated dyes exhibited improved photostability under visible irradiation from a 100 W halogen lamp (190 klux) in the air. The effect of the stabilization on the anionic annatto dye was higher by the incorporation in the modified hydrotalcite than that in the modified cation exchangeable clay, suggesting that the polarity of the clay sheet had some influence on the stabilization of the incorporated dye. The stabilization effect of β-carotene was not so significant as that of the annatto dye, because sufficient intercalation of non-polar β-carotene might require stronger hydrophobic environment. The π-π interaction between the β-carotene and the benzene ring of dodecylbenzene sulfonate was found to contribute to the stability enhancement.

Lid opening and conformational stability of T1 Lipase is mediated by increasing chain length polar solvents

PubMed Central

Mohamad Ali, Mohd Shukuri; Salleh, Abu Bakar; Rahman, Raja Noor Zaliha Raja Abd; Normi, Yahaya M.; Mohd Shariff, Fairolniza

2017-01-01

The dynamics and conformational landscape of proteins in organic solvents are events of potential interest in nonaqueous process catalysis. Conformational changes, folding transitions, and stability often correspond to structural rearrangements that alter contacts between solvent molecules and amino acid residues. However, in nonaqueous enzymology, organic solvents limit stability and further application of proteins. In the present study, molecular dynamics (MD) of a thermostable Geobacillus zalihae T1 lipase was performed in different chain length polar organic solvents (methanol, ethanol, propanol, butanol, and pentanol) and water mixture systems to a concentration of 50%. On the basis of the MD results, the structural deviations of the backbone atoms elucidated the dynamic effects of water/organic solvent mixtures on the equilibrium state of the protein simulations in decreasing solvent polarity. The results show that the solvent mixture gives rise to deviations in enzyme structure from the native one simulated in water. The drop in the flexibility in H2O, MtOH, EtOH and PrOH simulation mixtures shows that greater motions of residues were influenced in BtOH and PtOH simulation mixtures. Comparing the root mean square fluctuations value with the accessible solvent area (SASA) for every residue showed an almost correspondingly high SASA value of residues to high flexibility and low SASA value to low flexibility. The study further revealed that the organic solvents influenced the formation of more hydrogen bonds in MtOH, EtOH and PrOH and thus, it is assumed that increased intraprotein hydrogen bonding is ultimately correlated to the stability of the protein. However, the solvent accessibility analysis showed that in all solvent systems, hydrophobic residues were exposed and polar residues tended to be buried away from the solvent. Distance variation of the tetrahedral intermediate packing of the active pocket was not conserved in organic solvent systems, which could lead to weaknesses in the catalytic H-bond network and most likely a drop in catalytic activity. The conformational variation of the lid domain caused by the solvent molecules influenced its gradual opening. Formation of additional hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic interactions indicates that the contribution of the cooperative network of interactions could retain the stability of the protein in some solvent systems. Time-correlated atomic motions were used to characterize the correlations between the motions of the atoms from atomic coordinates. The resulting cross-correlation map revealed that the organic solvent mixtures performed functional, concerted, correlated motions in regions of residues of the lid domain to other residues. These observations suggest that varying lengths of polar organic solvents play a significant role in introducing dynamic conformational diversity in proteins in a decreasing order of polarity. PMID:28533982

Polarization Observations with the Cosmic Background Imager

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cartwright, J. K.; Padin, S.; Pearson, T. J.; Readhead, A. C. S.; Shepherd, M. C.; Taylor, G. B.

2001-05-01

We describe polarization observations of the CMBR with the Cosmic Background Imager, a 13 element interferometer which operates in the 26-36 GHz band from a site at 5000m in northern Chile. The array consists of 90-cm Cassegrain antennas mounted on a single, fully steerable platform; this platform can be rotated about the optical axis to facilitate polarization observations. The CBI employs single mode circularly polarized receivers, of which 12 are configured for LCP and one is configured for RCP. The 12 cross polarized baselines sample multipoles from l 600 to l 3500. The instrumental polarization of the CBI was calibrated with observations of 3C279, a bright polarized source which is unresolved by the CBI. Because the centimeter flux of 3C279 is variable, it was monitored twice per month for 8 months in 2000 with the VLA at 22 and 43 GHz. These observations also established the stability of the polarization characteristics of the CBI. This work was made possible by NSF grant AST-9802989

Adjustment of the evoked response sensitivity after hospital discharge in pacemaker patients with automatic ventricular threshold tracking activated.

PubMed

Schuchert, A; Ventura, R; Meinertz, T

2001-02-01

Automatic threshold tracking in cardiac pacemakers allows ventricular capture verification and self-adaptive pacing output regulation. The Autocapture algorithm detects the evoked response (ER) signal immediately after the pacing pulse to verify the efficacy of ventricular pacing. Before hospital delivery, the ER sensitivity must be programmed individually so that the pacemaker detects the ER signal adequately without sensing lead polarization. The aims of the study were to assess the frequency of patients in whom Autocapture could be activated and whether the ER sensitivity had to be adjusted after hospital discharge. The study included 44 patients who received the VVIR pacemaker Regency SR+ (St. Jude Medical) connected to the model 1450 T pacing lead. ER signal, lead polarization, and ER sensitivity were evaluated before hospital discharge and 1, 3, and 6 months after implantation. The system recommended activating Autocapture in 42 of 44 patients. The mean ER signal was 8.4+/-1.2 mV at discharge, 9.0+/-3.9 mV at month 1, 8.9+/-4.9 mV at month 3, and 9.3+/-4.5 mV at month 6. Polarization was 1.0+/-0.1 mV at discharge, 1.1+/-0.5 mV at month 1, 1.1+/-0.2 mV at month 3, and 1.1+/-0.5 mV at month 6. Mean ER sensitivity was 3.7+/-1.8 mV at discharge, 4.0+/-1.8 mV after 1, 4.1+/-2.2 mV after 3, and 4.1+/-1.8 mV after 6 months. ER sensitivity could remain unadjusted in 14 patients. Programming to a less sensitive ER setting from 2.9+/-1.2 mV to 4.3+/-1.5 mV was possible in 21 patients. Programming to a more sensitive ER setting from 4.1+/-1.1 mV to 2.5+/-0.9 mV was required in nine patients because of the decrease of the ER signal. The automatic threshold tracking algorithm Autocapture could be activated in 95% of patients. Programming to more sensitive ER settings was recommended in 21% of the patients after hospital discharge. Therefore, ER signal and polarization must be checked at each follow-up, as a decrease in ER signal amplitude can make reprogramming of the ER sensitivity necessary. There is no risk for the patient if the ER is not sensed, as high voltage backup stimulation is present.

A real-time digital computer program for the simulation of automatic spacecraft reentries

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kaylor, J. T.; Powell, L. F.; Powell, R. W.

1977-01-01

The automatic reentry flight dynamics simulator, a nonlinear, six-degree-of-freedom simulation, digital computer program, has been developed. The program includes a rotating, oblate earth model for accurate navigation calculations and contains adjustable gains on the aerodynamic stability and control parameters. This program uses a real-time simulation system and is designed to examine entries of vehicles which have constant mass properties whose attitudes are controlled by both aerodynamic surfaces and reaction control thrusters, and which have automatic guidance and control systems. The program has been used to study the space shuttle orbiter entry. This report includes descriptions of the equations of motion used, the control and guidance schemes that were implemented, the program flow and operation, and the hardware involved.

Dimensional quantization effects in the thermodynamics of conductive filaments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Niraula, D.; Grice, C. R.; Karpov, V. G.

2018-06-01

We consider the physical effects of dimensional quantization in conductive filaments that underlie operations of some modern electronic devices. We show that, as a result of quantization, a sufficiently thin filament acquires a positive charge. Several applications of this finding include the host material polarization, the stability of filament constrictions, the equilibrium filament radius, polarity in device switching, and quantization of conductance.

Dimensional quantization effects in the thermodynamics of conductive filaments.

PubMed

Niraula, D; Grice, C R; Karpov, V G

2018-06-29

We consider the physical effects of dimensional quantization in conductive filaments that underlie operations of some modern electronic devices. We show that, as a result of quantization, a sufficiently thin filament acquires a positive charge. Several applications of this finding include the host material polarization, the stability of filament constrictions, the equilibrium filament radius, polarity in device switching, and quantization of conductance.

Automatic Implementation of Prony Analysis for Electromechanical Mode Identification from Phasor Measurements

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

Zhou, Ning; Huang, Zhenyu; Tuffner, Francis K.

2010-07-31

Small signal stability problems are one of the major threats to grid stability and reliability. Prony analysis has been successfully applied on ringdown data to monitor electromechanical modes of a power system using phasor measurement unit (PMU) data. To facilitate an on-line application of mode estimation, this paper developed a recursive algorithm for implementing Prony analysis and proposed an oscillation detection method to detect ringdown data in real time. By automatically detect ringdown data, the proposed method helps guarantee that Prony analysis is applied properly and timely on the ringdown data. Thus, the mode estimation results can be performed reliablymore » and timely. The proposed method is tested using Monte Carlo simulations based on a 17-machine model and is shown to be able to properly identify the oscillation data for on-line application of Prony analysis.« less

Studies to enhance the hyperpolarization level in PHIP-SAH-produced C13-pyruvate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cavallari, Eleonora; Carrera, Carla; Aime, Silvio; Reineri, Francesca

2018-04-01

The use of [1-13C]pyruvate, hyperpolarized by dissolution-Dynamic Nuclear Polarization (d-DNP), in in vivo metabolic studies has developed quickly, thanks to the imaging probe's diagnostic relevance. Nevertheless, the cost of a d-DNP polarizer is quite high and the speed of hyperpolarization process is relatively slow, meaning that its use is limited to few research laboratories. ParaHydrogen Induced Polarization Side Arm Hydrogenation (PHIP-SAH) (Reineri et al., 2015) is a cost effective and easy-to-handle method that produces 13C-MR hyperpolarization in [1-13C]pyruvate and other metabolites. This work aims to identify the main determinants of the hyperpolarization levels observed in C13-pyruvate using this method. By dissecting the various steps of the PHIP-SAH procedure, it has been possible to assess the role of several experimental parameters whose optimization must be pursued if this method is to be made suitable for future translational steps. The search for possible solutions has led to improvements in the polarization of sodium [1-13C]pyruvate from 2% to 5%. Moreover, these results suggest that observed polarization levels could be increased considerably by an automatized procedure which would reduce the time required for the work-up passages that are currently carried out manually. The results reported herein mean that the attainment of polarization levels suitable for the metabolic imaging applications of these hyperpolarized substrates show significant promise.

Stabilization of polar Mn3O4(001) film on Ag(001): Interplay between kinetic and structural stability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kundu, Asish K.; Barman, Sukanta; Menon, Krishnakumar S. R.

2017-10-01

Stabilization processes of polar surfaces are often very complex and interesting. Understanding of these processes is crucial as it ultimately determines the properties of the film. Here, by the combined study of Low Energy Electron Diffraction (LEED), X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) and Ultraviolet Photoemission Spectroscopy (UPS) techniques we show that, although there can be many processes involved in the stabilization of the polar surfaces, in case of Mn3O4(001)/Ag(001), it goes through different reconstructions of the Mn2O4 terminated surface which is in good agreements with the theoretical predictions. The complex surface phase diagram has been probed by LEED as a function of film thickness, oxygen partial pressure and substrate temperature during growth, while their chemical compositions have been probed by XPS. Below a critical film thickness of ∼ 1 unit cell height (8 sublayers or 3 ML) of Mn3O4 and oxygen partial pressure range of 2 × 10-8 mbar < P(O2) ≤ 5 × 10-7 mbar, different surface structures are detected and beyond this thickness a constant evolution of apparent p(2 × 2) structure have been observed due to the coexistence of p(2 × 1) and c(2 × 2) structures. Similar apparent p(2 × 2) structure has also observed by the oxidation of Ag(001)-supported MnO(001) surface. Our study also shows that the substrate temperature during growth plays a crucial role in determining the final structure of the polar Mn3O4 film and as a consequence of that a strong interplay between structural and kinetic stability in the Mn3O4 film has been observed. Further, stripe-like LEED pattern has been observed from the Mn3O4(001) surface, for the film grown at higher oxygen partial pressure (> 5 × 10-7 mbar) and higher temperature UHV annealing. The origin of these stripes has been explained with the help of UPS results.

Generation of radially polarized beams based on thermal analysis of a working cavity.

PubMed

He, Guangyuan; Guo, Jing; Wang, Biao; Jiao, Zhongxing

2011-09-12

The laser oscillation and polarization behavior of a side-pumped Nd:YAG laser are studied theoretically and experimentally by a thermal model for a working cavity. We use this model along with the Magni method, which gives a new stability diagram, to show important characteristics of the resonator. High-power radially and azimuthally polarized laser beams are obtained with a Nd:YAG module in a plano-plano cavity. Special regions and thermal hysteresis loops are observed in the experiments, which are concordant with the theoretical predictions.

Realization of optimized quantum controlled-logic gate based on the orbital angular momentum of light.

PubMed

Zeng, Qiang; Li, Tao; Song, Xinbing; Zhang, Xiangdong

2016-04-18

We propose and experimentally demonstrate an optimized setup to implement quantum controlled-NOT operation using polarization and orbital angular momentum qubits. This device is more adaptive to inputs with various polarizations, and can work both in classical and quantum single-photon regime. The logic operations performed by such a setup not only possess high stability and polarization-free character, they can also be easily extended to deal with multi-qubit input states. As an example, the experimental implementation of generalized three-qubit Toffoli gate has been presented.

Single frequency stable VCSEL as a compact source for interferometry and vibrometry

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

Dudzik, Grzegorz; Rzepka, Janusz

2010-05-28

Developing an innovative PS-DAVLL (Polarization Switching DAVLL) method of frequency stabilization, which used a ferroelectric liquid crystal cell as quarter wave plate, rubidium cell and developed ultra-stable current source, allowed to obtain a frequency stability of 10{sup -9}(frequency reproducibility of 1,2centre dot10{sup -8}) and reductions in external dimensions of laser source. The total power consumption is only 1,5 Watt. Because stabilization method used in the frequency standard is insensitive to vibration, the semiconductor laser interferometer was built for measuring range over one meter, which can also be used in industry for the accurate measurement of displacements with an accuracy ofmore » 1[mum/m]. Measurements of the VCSEL laser parameters are important from the standpoint of its use in laser interferometry or vibrometry, like narrow emission line DELTAnu{sub FWHM} = 70[MHz] equivalent of this laser type and stability of linear polarization of VCSEL laser. The undoubted advantage of the constructed laser source is the lack of mode-hopping effect during continuous work of VCSEL.« less

Surface Stability and Growth Kinetics of Compound Semiconductors: An Ab Initio-Based Approach

PubMed Central

Kangawa, Yoshihiro; Akiyama, Toru; Ito, Tomonori; Shiraishi, Kenji; Nakayama, Takashi

2013-01-01

We review the surface stability and growth kinetics of III-V and III-nitride semiconductors. The theoretical approach used in these studies is based on ab initio calculations and includes gas-phase free energy. With this method, we can investigate the influence of growth conditions, such as partial pressure and temperature, on the surface stability and growth kinetics. First, we examine the feasibility of this approach by comparing calculated surface phase diagrams of GaAs(001) with experimental results. In addition, the Ga diffusion length on GaAs(001) during molecular beam epitaxy is discussed. Next, this approach is systematically applied to the reconstruction, adsorption and incorporation on various nitride semiconductor surfaces. The calculated results for nitride semiconductor surface reconstructions with polar, nonpolar, and semipolar orientations suggest that adlayer reconstructions generally appear on the polar and the semipolar surfaces. However, the stable ideal surface without adsorption is found on the nonpolar surfaces because the ideal surface satisfies the electron counting rule. Finally, the stability of hydrogen and the incorporation mechanisms of Mg and C during metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy are discussed. PMID:28811438

Viscosity and sedimentation behaviors of the magnetorheological suspensions with oleic acid/dimer acid as surfactants

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Jianjian; Yan, Hua; Hu, Zhide; Ding, Ding

2016-11-01

This work deals with the role of polar interactions on the viscosity and sedimentation behaviors of magnetorheological suspensions with micro-sized magnetic particles dispersed in oil carriers. The oleic acid and dimer acid were employed to make an adjustment of the hydrophobicity of iron particles, in the interest of performing a comparative evaluation of the contributions of the surface polarity. The viscosity tests show that the adsorbed surfactant layer may impose a hindrance to the movement of iron particles in the oil medium. The polar attractions between dimer acid covered particles gave rise to a considerable increase in viscosity, indicating flocculation structure developed in the suspensions. The observed plateau-like region in the vicinity of 0.1 s-1 for MRF containing dimer acid is possibly due to the flocculation provoked by the carboxylic polar attraction, in which the structure is stable against fragmentation. Moreover, a quick recovery of the viscosity and a higher viscosity-temperature index also suggest the existence of particle-particle polar interaction in the suspensions containing dimer acid. The sedimentation measurements reveal that the steric repulsion of oleic acid plays a limited role in the stability of suspensions only if a large quantity of surfactant was used. The sedimentation results observed in the dimer acid covered particles confirm that loose and open flocculation was formed and enhanced sedimentation stability.

Coupled Lattice Polarization and Ferromagnetism in Multiferroic NiTiO3 Thin Films.

PubMed

Varga, Tamas; Droubay, Timothy C; Kovarik, Libor; Nandasiri, Manjula I; Shutthanandan, Vaithiyalingam; Hu, Dehong; Kim, Bumsoo; Jeon, Seokwoo; Hong, Seungbum; Li, Yulan; Chambers, Scott A

2017-07-05

Polarization-induced weak ferromagnetism (WFM) was demonstrated a few years back in LiNbO 3 -type compounds, MTiO 3 (M = Fe, Mn, Ni). Although the coexistence of ferroelectric polarization and ferromagnetism has been demonstrated in this rare multiferroic family before, first in bulk FeTiO 3 , then in thin-film NiTiO 3 , the coupling of the two order parameters has not been confirmed. Here, we report the stabilization of polar, ferromagnetic NiTiO 3 by oxide epitaxy on a LiNbO 3 substrate utilizing tensile strain and demonstrate the theoretically predicted coupling between its polarization and ferromagnetism by X-ray magnetic circular dichroism under applied fields. The experimentally observed direction of ferroic ordering in the film is supported by simulations using the phase-field approach. Our work validates symmetry-based criteria and first-principles calculations of the coexistence of ferroelectricity and WFM in MTiO 3 transition metal titanates crystallizing in the LiNbO 3 structure. It also demonstrates the applicability of epitaxial strain as a viable alternative to high-pressure crystal growth to stabilize metastable materials and a valuable tuning parameter to simultaneously control two ferroic order parameters to create a multiferroic. Multiferroic NiTiO 3 has potential applications in spintronics where ferroic switching is used, such as new four-stage memories and electromagnetic switches.

Nonequilibrium phase transitions, fluctuations and correlations in an active contractile polar fluid.

PubMed

Gowrishankar, Kripa; Rao, Madan

2016-02-21

We study the patterning, fluctuations and correlations of an active polar fluid consisting of contractile polar filaments on a two-dimensional substrate, using a hydrodynamic description. The steady states generically consist of arrays of inward pointing asters and show a continuous transition from a moving lamellar phase, a moving aster street, to a stationary aster lattice with no net polar order. We next study the effect of spatio-temporal athermal noise, parametrized by an active temperature TA, on the stability of the ordered phases. In contrast to its equilibrium counterpart, we find that the active crystal shows true long range order at low TA. On increasing TA, the asters dynamically remodel, concomitantly we find novel phase transitions characterized by bond-orientational and polar order upon "heating".

Generation and stability of dynamical skyrmions and droplet solitons.

PubMed

Statuto, Nahuel; Hernàndez, Joan Manel; Kent, Andrew D; Macià, Ferran

2018-08-10

A spin-polarized current in a nanocontact to a magnetic film can create collective magnetic oscillations by compensating the magnetic damping. In particular, in materials with uniaxial magnetic anisotropy, droplet solitons have been observed-a self-localized excitation consisting of partially reversed magnetization that precesses coherently in the nanocontact region. It is also possible to generate topological droplet solitons, known as dynamical skyrmions (DSs). Here, we show that spin-polarized current thresholds for DS creation depend not only on the material's parameters but also on the initial magnetization state and the rise time of the spin-polarized current. We study the conditions that promote either droplet or DS formation and describe their stability in magnetic films without Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interactions. The Oersted fields from the applied current, the initial magnetization state, and the rise time of the injected current can determine whether a droplet or a DS forms. DSs are found to be more stable than droplets. We also discuss electrical characteristics that can be used to distinguish these magnetic objects.

Photoalignment and resulting holographic vector grating formation in composites of low molecular weight liquid crystals and photoreactive liquid crystalline polymers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sasaki, Tomoyuki; Shoho, Takashi; Goto, Kohei; Noda, Kohei; Kawatsuki, Nobuhiro; Ono, Hiroshi

2015-08-01

Polarization holographic gratings were formed in liquid crystal (LC) cells fabricated from a mixture of low molecular weight nematic LC and a photoreactive liquid crystalline polymer (PLCP) with 4-(4-methoxycinnamoyloxy)biphenyl side groups. The diffraction properties of the gratings were analyzed using theoretical models which were determined based on the polarization patterns of the polarization holography. The results demonstrated that vector gratings comprised of periodic orientation distributions of the LC molecule were induced in the cells based on the axis-selective photoreaction of the PLCP. The vector gratings were erased by applying a sufficiently high voltage to the cells and then were reformed with no hysteresis after the voltage was removed. This phenomenon suggested that the PLCP molecules were stabilized based on the axis-selective photocrosslink reaction and that the LC molecules were aligned by the photocrosslinked PLCP. This LC composite with axis-selective photoreactivity is useful for various optical applications, because of their stability, transparency, and response to applied voltage.

Optical polarimetric properties of the Echo 2 and PAGEOS 1 engineering surfaces. M.S. Thesis - Virginia Univ.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, R. B., III

1972-01-01

Experimental investigations of the percent polarization of sunlight reflected from the surfaces of each of the Echo 2 Satellite and PAGEOS (Passive Geodetic Earth Orbiting Satellite) were performed to determine the stability of their surfaces in the space environment. The Echo 2 surface material was amorphous phosphate chemically bonded to a rolled aluminum substrate while the PAGEOS 1 surface material is vapor deposited aluminum on a poly (ethylene terephthalate) film. The stability of the satellites' surfaces was analyzed by comparing the light polarizing properties of the satellites, to those of test surfaces representative of the satellites' surfaces. The properties of flat test surfaces were measured experimentally in the laboratory, and the effects of surface strain, surface geometry, and vacuum upon these properties were examined. The laboratory analyses revealed that the polarization properties of the Echo 2 surface were significantly affected by surface geometry and vacuum, and that the properties of the PAGEOS 1 surface were not significantly altered by any of the above mechanisms.

Resonant microsphere gyroscope based on a double Faraday rotator system.

PubMed

Xie, Chengfeng; Tang, Jun; Cui, Danfeng; Wu, Dajin; Zhang, Chengfei; Li, Chunming; Zhen, Yongqiu; Xue, Chenyang; Liu, Jun

2016-10-15

The resonant microsphere gyroscope is proposed based on a double Faraday rotator system for the resonant microsphere gyroscope (RMSG) that is characterized by low insertion losses and does not destroy the reciprocity of the gyroscope system. Use of the echo suppression structure and the orthogonal polarization method can effectively inhibit both the backscattering noise and the polarization error, and reduce them below the system sensitivity limit. The resonance asymmetry rate dropped from 34.2% to 2.9% after optimization of the backscattering noise and the polarization noise, which greatly improved the bias stability and the scale factor linearity of the proposed system. Additionally, based on the optimum parameters for the double Faraday rotator system, a bias stability of 0.04°/s has been established for an integration time of 10 s in 1000 s in a resonator microsphere gyroscope using a microsphere resonator with a diameter of 1 mm and a Q of 7.2×10⁶.

Liquid crystal cells with built-in CdSe nanotubes for chromogenic smart emission devices.

PubMed

Lin, Tsung Ju; Chen, Chin-Chang; Cheng, Soofin; Chen, Yang Fang

2008-01-21

A simple and general approach for controlling optical anisotropy of nanostructured semiconductors is reported. Our design involves the fabrication of liquid crystal devices with built-in semiconductor nanotubes. Quite interestingly, it is found that semiconductor nanotubes can be well aligned along the orientation of liquid crystals molecules automatically, resulting in a very large emission anisotropy with the degree of polarization up to 72%. This intriguing result manifests a way to obtain well aligned semiconductor nanotubes and the emission anisotropy can be easily manipulated by an external bias. The ability to well control the emission anisotropy should open up new opportunities for nanostructured semiconductors, including optical filters, polarized light emitting diodes, flat panel displays, and many other chromogenic smart devices.

Heat flow in variable polarity plasma arc welds

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Abdelmessih, Amanie N.

1992-01-01

The space shuttle external tank and the space station Freedom are fabricated by the variable polarity plasma arc (VPPA) welding. Heat sink effects (taper) are observed when there are irregularities in the work-piece configuration especially if these irregularities are close to the weld bead. These heat sinks affect the geometry of the weld bead, and in extreme cases they could cause defects such as incomplete fusion. Also, different fixtures seem to have varying heat sink effects. The objective of the previous, present, and consecutive research studies is to investigate the effect of irregularities in the work-piece configuration and fixture differences on the weld bead geometry with the ultimate objective to compensate automatically for the heat sink effects and achieve a perfect weld.

Helios-1 Faraday rotation experiment - Results and interpretations of the solar occultations in 1975

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Volland, H.; Bird, M. K.; Levy, G. S.; Stelzried, C. T.; Seidel, B. L.

1977-01-01

The first of two solar occultations of the satellite Helios-1 in 1975 occurred in April when the satellite's ray path approached the west limb of the sun to a minimum distance of 1.63 solar radii. The second occultation took place in late August/early September when Helios-1 was totally eclipsed by the photosphere. Measurements of the polarization angle of the linearly polarized telemetry signal were performed with automatic tracking polarimeters at the 64 m Goldstone Tracking Station in California and also at the 100 m radio telescope in Effelsberg, West Germany. The coronal Faraday rotation as a function of the solar offset for both occultations is shown in graphs. The theoretical significance of the observations is investigated.

Investigation on the separability of slums by multi-aspect TerraSAR-X dual-co-polarized high resolution spotlight images based on the multi-scale evaluation of local distributions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schmitt, Andreas; Sieg, Tobias; Wurm, Michael; Taubenböck, Hannes

2018-02-01

Following recent advances in distinguishing settlements vs. non-settlement areas from latest SAR data, the question arises whether a further automatic intra-urban delineation and characterization of different structural types is possible. This paper studies the appearance of the structural type ;slums; in high resolution SAR images. Geocoded Kennaugh elements are used as backscatter information and Schmittlet indices as descriptor of local texture. Three cities with a significant share of slums (Cape Town, Manila, Mumbai) are chosen as test sites. These are imaged by TerraSAR-X in the dual-co-polarized high resolution spotlight mode in any available aspect angle. Representative distributions are estimated and fused by a robust approach. Our observations identify a high similarity of slums throughout all three test sites. The derived similarity maps are validated with reference data sets from visual interpretation and ground truth. The final validation strategy is based on completeness and correctness versus other classes in relation to the similarity. High accuracies (up to 87%) in identifying morphologic slums are reached for Cape Town. For Manila (up to 60%) and Mumbai (up to 54%), the distinction is more difficult due to their complex structural configuration. Concluding, high resolution SAR data can be suitable to automatically trace potential locations of slums. Polarimetric information and the incidence angle seem to have a negligible impact on the results whereas the intensity patterns and the passing direction of the satellite are playing a key role. Hence, the combination of intensity images (brightness) acquired from ascending and descending orbits together with Schmittlet indices (spatial pattern) promises best results. The transfer from the automatically recognized physical similarity to the semantic interpretation remains challenging.

Dual comb generation from a mode-locked fiber laser with orthogonally polarized interlaced pulses.

PubMed

Akosman, Ahmet E; Sander, Michelle Y

2017-08-07

Ultra-high precision dual-comb spectroscopy traditionally requires two mode-locked, fully stabilized lasers with complex feedback electronics. We present a novel mode-locked operation regime in a thulium-holmium co-doped fiber laser, a frequency-halved state with orthogonally polarized interlaced pulses, for dual comb generation from a single source. In a linear fiber laser cavity, an ultrafast pulse train composed of co-generated, equal intensity and orthogonally polarized consecutive pulses at half of the fundamental repetition rate is demonstrated based on vector solitons. Upon optical interference of the orthogonally polarized pulse trains, two stable microwave RF beat combs are formed, effectively down-converting the optical properties into the microwave regime. These co-generated, dual polarization interlaced pulse trains, from one all-fiber laser configuration with common mode suppression, thus provide an attractive compact source for dual-comb spectroscopy, optical metrology and polarization entanglement measurements.

Parallel Polarization State Generation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

She, Alan; Capasso, Federico

2016-05-01

The control of polarization, an essential property of light, is of wide scientific and technological interest. The general problem of generating arbitrary time-varying states of polarization (SOP) has always been mathematically formulated by a series of linear transformations, i.e. a product of matrices, imposing a serial architecture. Here we show a parallel architecture described by a sum of matrices. The theory is experimentally demonstrated by modulating spatially-separated polarization components of a laser using a digital micromirror device that are subsequently beam combined. This method greatly expands the parameter space for engineering devices that control polarization. Consequently, performance characteristics, such as speed, stability, and spectral range, are entirely dictated by the technologies of optical intensity modulation, including absorption, reflection, emission, and scattering. This opens up important prospects for polarization state generation (PSG) with unique performance characteristics with applications in spectroscopic ellipsometry, spectropolarimetry, communications, imaging, and security.

Effect of ZnO facet on ethanol steam reforming over Co/ZnO

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

Yu, Ning; Zhang, He; Davidson, Stephen D.

2016-01-01

The effects of ZnO facets on ethanol steam reforming (ESR) were investigated over Co/ZnO catalysts synthesized using ZnO with different fractions of (10-10) non-polar facet. Co supported on ZnO with a higher fraction of (10-10) non-polar facet shows higher C-C cleavage activity and higher selectivity to CO2 (lower selectivity to CO) compared with Co supported on ZnO with less (10-10) non-polar facet exposed. The improved ethanol steam reforming performances are attributed to the high fraction of metallic Co stabilized by the ZnO (10-10) non-polar facet, which enhanced C-C cleavage and water-gas-shift (WGS) activities.

Advanced sensors and applications : commercial motor vehicle tire pressure monitoring and maintenance : [technology brief].

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-04-01

Tire pressure monitoring and automatic tire inflation technologies show significant promise for improving safety and reducing costs in the commercial vehicle industry. Improved tire pressure management directly relates to improved vehicle stability, ...

Stabilization of Large Generalized Lotka-Volterra Foodwebs By Evolutionary Feedback

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ackland, G. J.; Gallagher, I. D.

2004-10-01

Conventional ecological models show that complexity destabilizes foodwebs, suggesting that foodwebs should have neither large numbers of species nor a large number of interactions. However, in nature the opposite appears to be the case. Here we show that if the interactions between species are allowed to evolve within a generalized Lotka-Volterra model such stabilizing feedbacks and weak interactions emerge automatically. Moreover, we show that trophic levels also emerge spontaneously from the evolutionary approach, and the efficiency of the unperturbed ecosystem increases with time. The key to stability in large foodwebs appears to arise not from complexity perse but from evolution at the level of the ecosystem which favors stabilizing (negative) feedbacks.

Stabilization of large generalized Lotka-Volterra foodwebs by evolutionary feedback.

PubMed

Ackland, G J; Gallagher, I D

2004-10-08

Conventional ecological models show that complexity destabilizes foodwebs, suggesting that foodwebs should have neither large numbers of species nor a large number of interactions. However, in nature the opposite appears to be the case. Here we show that if the interactions between species are allowed to evolve within a generalized Lotka-Volterra model such stabilizing feedbacks and weak interactions emerge automatically. Moreover, we show that trophic levels also emerge spontaneously from the evolutionary approach, and the efficiency of the unperturbed ecosystem increases with time. The key to stability in large foodwebs appears to arise not from complexity per se but from evolution at the level of the ecosystem which favors stabilizing (negative) feedbacks.

X-29A flight control system performance during flight test

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chin, J.; Chacon, V.; Gera, J.

1987-01-01

An account is given of flight control system performance results for the X-29A forward-swept wing 'Advanced Technology Demonstrator' fighter aircraft, with attention to its software and hardware components' achievement of the requisite levels of system stability and desirable aircraft handling qualities. The Automatic Camber Control Logic is found to be well integrated with the stability loop of the aircraft. A number of flight test support software programs developed by NASA facilitated monitoring of the X-29A's stability in real time, and allowed the test team to clear the envelope with confidence.

Comparison of anaesthetic gas consumption and stability of anaesthesia using automatic and manual control over the course of anaesthesia.

PubMed

Skalec, Tomasz; Górecka-Dolny, Agnieszka; Zieliński, Stanisław; Gibek, Mirosław; Stróżecki, Łukasz; Kübler, Andrzej

2017-01-01

The automatic control module of end-tidal volatile agents (EtC) was designed to reduce the consumption of anaesthetic gases, increase the stability of general anaesthesia and reduce the need for adjustments in the settings of the anaesthesia machine. The aim of this study was to verify these hypotheses. The course of general anaesthesia with the use of the EtC module was analysed for haemodynamic stability, depth of anaesthesia, end-expiratory concentration of anaesthetic, number of ventilator key presses, fentanyl supply, consumption of volatile agents and anaesthesia and operation times. These data were compared with the data obtained during general anaesthesia controlled manually and were processed with statistical tests. Seventy-four patients underwent general anaesthesia for scheduled operations. Group AUTO-ET (n = 35) was anaesthetized with EtC, and group MANUAL-ET (n = 39) was controlled manually. Both populations presented similar anaesthesia stability. No differences were noted in the time of anaesthesia, saturation up to MAC 1.0 or awakening. Data revealed no differences in mean EtAA or the fentanyl dose. The AUTO-ET group exhibited fewer key presses per minute, 0.0603 min⁻¹, whereas the MANUAL-ET exhibited a value of 0.0842 min⁻¹; P = 0.001. The automatic group consumed more anaesthetic and oxygen per minute (sevoflurane 0.1171 mL min⁻¹; IQR: 0.0503; oxygen 1.8286 mL min⁻¹, IQR: 1,3751) than MANUAL-ET (sevoflurane 0.0824 mL min⁻¹, IQR: 0.0305; oxygen 1,288 mL min⁻¹, IQR: 0,6517) (P = 0.0028 and P = 0.0171, respectively). Both methods are equally stable and safe for patients. The consumption of volatile agents was significantly increased in the AUTO-ET group. EtC considerably reduces the number of key presses.

A Robust Symmetry-Based Approach to Exploit Terra-SAR-X Dual-Pol Data for Targets at Sea Observation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Velotto, D.; Nunziata, F.; Migliaccio, M.; Lehner, S.

2013-08-01

In this study a simple physical property, known as reflection symmetry, is exploited to differentiate the objects in marine scenes, i.e. sea surface and metallic targets. First the reflection property is verified and demonstrated against actual SAR images, by measuring the magnitude of the correlation between cross- polarized channels (i.e. HH/HV or VH/VV). Then, a sensitivity study is performed to show the potential of the proposed method in observing man-made metallic target at sea. The robustness of the proposed technique is demonstrated using coherent dual-polarimetric X- band SAR data acquired by the satellite TerraSAR-X in both cross-polarization combinations, with different incidence angle and weather conditions. Co-located ground truth information provided by Automatic Identification System (AIS) reports and harbor charts are used to locate ships, navigation aids and buoys. The proposed method outperforms standard single polarization SAR targets at sea observation independently of the radar geometry and oceanic phenomena.

Automated real-time detection of defects during machining of ceramics

DOEpatents

Ellingson, W.A.; Sun, J.

1997-11-18

Apparatus for the automated real-time detection and classification of defects during the machining of ceramic components employs an elastic optical scattering technique using polarized laser light. A ceramic specimen is continuously moved while being machined. Polarized laser light is directed onto the ceramic specimen surface at a fixed position just aft of the machining tool for examination of the newly machined surface. Any foreign material near the location of the laser light on the ceramic specimen is cleared by an air blast. As the specimen is moved, its surface is continuously scanned by the polarized laser light beam to provide a two-dimensional image presented in real-time on a video display unit, with the motion of the ceramic specimen synchronized with the data acquisition speed. By storing known ``feature masks`` representing various surface and sub-surface defects and comparing measured defects with the stored feature masks, detected defects may be automatically characterized. Using multiple detectors, various types of defects may be detected and classified. 14 figs.

Automated real-time detection of defects during machining of ceramics

DOEpatents

Ellingson, William A.; Sun, Jiangang

1997-01-01

Apparatus for the automated real-time detection and classification of defects during the machining of ceramic components employs an elastic optical scattering technique using polarized laser light. A ceramic specimen is continuously moved while being machined. Polarized laser light is directed onto the ceramic specimen surface at a fixed position just aft of the machining tool for examination of the newly machined surface. Any foreign material near the location of the laser light on the ceramic specimen is cleared by an air blast. As the specimen is moved, its surface is continuously scanned by the polarized laser light beam to provide a two-dimensional image presented in real-time on a video display unit, with the motion of the ceramic specimen synchronized with the data acquisition speed. By storing known "feature masks" representing various surface and sub-surface defects and comparing measured defects with the stored feature masks, detected defects may be automatically characterized. Using multiple detectors, various types of defects may be detected and classified.

Designing non-Hermitian dynamics for conservative state evolution on the Bloch sphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Sunkyu; Piao, Xianji; Park, Namkyoo

2018-03-01

An evolution on the Bloch sphere is the fundamental state transition, including optical polarization controls and qubit operations. Conventional evolution of a polarization state or qubit is implemented within a closed system that automatically satisfies energy conservation from the Hermitian formalism. Although particular forms of static non-Hermitian Hamiltonians, such as parity-time-symmetric Hamiltonians, allow conservative states in an open system, the criteria for the energy conservation in a dynamical open system have not been fully explored. Here, we derive the condition of conservative state evolution in open-system dynamics and its inverse design method, by developing the non-Hermitian modification of the Larmor precession equation. We show that the geometrically designed locus on the Bloch sphere can be realized by different forms of dynamics, leading to the isolocus family of non-Hermitian dynamics. This increased degree of freedom allows the complementary phenomena of error-robust and highly sensitive evolutions on the Bloch sphere, which could be applicable to stable polarizers, quantum gates, and optimized sensors in dynamical open systems.

Organization of Lipids in the Tear Film: A Molecular-Level View

PubMed Central

Wizert, Alicja; Iskander, D. Robert; Cwiklik, Lukasz

2014-01-01

Biophysical properties of the tear film lipid layer are studied at the molecular level employing coarse grain molecular dynamics (MD) simulations with a realistic model of the human tear film. In this model, polar lipids are chosen to reflect the current knowledge on the lipidome of the tear film whereas typical Meibomian-origin lipids are included in the thick non-polar lipids subphase. Simulation conditions mimic those experienced by the real human tear film during blinks. Namely, thermodynamic equilibrium simulations at different lateral compressions are performed to model varying surface pressure, and the dynamics of the system during a blink is studied by non-equilibrium MD simulations. Polar lipids separate their non-polar counterparts from water by forming a monomolecular layer whereas the non-polar molecules establish a thick outermost lipid layer. Under lateral compression, the polar layer undulates and a sorting of polar lipids occurs. Moreover, formation of three-dimensional aggregates of polar lipids in both non-polar and water subphases is observed. We suggest that these three-dimensional structures are abundant under dynamic conditions caused by the action of eye lids and that they act as reservoirs of polar lipids, thus increasing stability of the tear film. PMID:24651175

Quantum polarization fluctuations of an Airy beam in turbulent atmosphere in a slant path.

PubMed

Yin, Xia; Zhang, Licheng

2016-07-01

Polarization of light has many applications in quantum information processing, including quantum teleportation and dense coding. In this paper, we investigate the polarization fluctuations of Airy beams propagating in a slant turbulent channel under the "few-photon" limit. Using the quantum Stokes parameters and the quantum degree of polarization, we demonstrate that the degree of polarization of Airy beams increases significantly with the large number of the detection photons, and a higher photon-number level can retain the stability of polarization. Numerical simulations show that the longer propagation distance and the stronger turbulence will lead to less oscillatory behaviors and a decrease in the polarization degree of Airy beams, but a bigger exponential truncation factor will cause an increase in the polarization degree of Airy beams. In contrast with Gaussian beams, the degree of polarization of Airy beams is less affected by atmospheric turbulence and propagation distance under the same conditions, which means that Airy beams possess a resilient ability against turbulence-induced perturbations. These results indicate that Airy beams have great potential for applications in long-distance free-space optical communications to improve the performance of a polarization-encoded free-space quantum communication system.

Automatic segmentation of brain MRI in high-dimensional local and non-local feature space based on sparse representation.

PubMed

Khalilzadeh, Mohammad Mahdi; Fatemizadeh, Emad; Behnam, Hamid

2013-06-01

Automatic extraction of the varying regions of magnetic resonance images is required as a prior step in a diagnostic intelligent system. The sparsest representation and high-dimensional feature are provided based on learned dictionary. The classification is done by employing the technique that computes the reconstruction error locally and non-locally of each pixel. The acquired results from the real and simulated images are superior to the best MRI segmentation method with regard to the stability advantages. In addition, it is segmented exactly through a formula taken from the distance and sparse factors. Also, it is done automatically taking sparse factor in unsupervised clustering methods whose results have been improved. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Trauma Pod: a semi-automated telerobotic surgical system.

PubMed

Garcia, Pablo; Rosen, Jacob; Kapoor, Chetan; Noakes, Mark; Elbert, Greg; Treat, Michael; Ganous, Tim; Hanson, Matt; Manak, Joe; Hasser, Chris; Rohler, David; Satava, Richard

2009-06-01

The Trauma Pod (TP) vision is to develop a rapidly deployable robotic system to perform critical acute stabilization and/or surgical procedures, autonomously or in a teleoperative mode, on wounded soldiers in the battlefield who might otherwise die before treatment in a combat hospital could be provided. In the first phase of a project pursuing this vision, a robotic TP system was developed and its capability demonstrated by performing selected surgical procedures on a patient phantom. The system demonstrates the feasibility of performing acute stabilization procedures with the patient being the only human in the surgical cell. The teleoperated surgical robot is supported by autonomous robotic arms and subsystems that carry out scrub-nurse and circulating-nurse functions. Tool change and supply delivery are performed automatically and at least as fast as performed manually by nurses. Tracking and counting of the supplies is performed automatically. The TP system also includes a tomographic X-ray facility for patient diagnosis and two-dimensional (2D) fluoroscopic data to support interventions. The vast amount of clinical protocols generated in the TP system are recorded automatically. Automation and teleoperation capabilities form the basis for a more comprehensive acute diagnostic and management platform that will provide life-saving care in environments where surgical personnel are not present.

Fast, automatically darkening welding filter offering an improved level of safety.

PubMed

Palmer, S

1996-03-01

A mode of operation is introduced for the standard 90° twisted nematic (TN) liquid-crystal cell when placed together with an interference filter and positioned between crossed polarizers such that a small stimulating voltage of between ±2.0 and ±13.0 V is required in order to attain the light state. Further incrementation of the driving electronics reverts the system back to a darker phase. Such cells offer advantages over those of the standard 90° TN device operating in the normally white mode, in that the unit maintains the fast response time from the light to the dark state associated with the employment of TN cells placed between crossed polarizers. In addition, a low transmittance state is achieved when the unit is in the inactivated phase; this is an effect usually correlated with the normally black mode of operation. These cells are therefore ideal candidates for incorporation into fast, automatically darkening, welding filters that are designed to change rapidly from the light to the dark protective state, while offering an improved level of safety by not holding in a potentially hazardous light state should the controlling electronics malfunction. The requirement for this phenomenon to be observed is that the cell displays a low optical transmittance over the green wavelengths of the visible spectrum when in the inactivated phase and placed between crossed polarizers. The presence of an interference filter that possesses a peak transmittance over the central part of the visible spectrum is also necessary. It is shown that there are only two possible cell types that satisfy this criteria, and the optical properties of such cells are analyzed in some detail.

SST algorithms in ACSPO reanalysis of AVHRR GAC data from 2002-2013

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petrenko, B.; Ignatov, A.; Kihai, Y.; Zhou, X.; Stroup, J.

2014-05-01

In response to a request from the NOAA Coral Reef Watch Program, NOAA SST Team initiated reprocessing of 4 km resolution GAC data from AVHRRs flown onboard NOAA and MetOp satellites. The objective is to create a longterm Level 2 Advanced Clear-Sky Processor for Oceans (ACSPO) SST product, consistent with NOAA operations. ACSPO-Reanalysis (RAN) is used as input in the NOAA geo-polar blended Level 4 SST and potentially other Level 4 SST products. In the first stage of reprocessing (reanalysis 1, or RAN1), data from NOAA-15, -16, -17, -18, -19, and Metop-A and -B, from 2002-present have been processed with ACSPO v2.20, and matched up with quality controlled in situ data from in situ Quality Monitor (iQuam) version 1. The ~12 years time series of matchups were used to develop and explore the SST retrieval algorithms, with emphasis on minimizing spatial biases in retrieved SSTs, close reproduction of the magnitudes of true SST variations, and maximizing temporal, spatial and inter-platform stability of retrieval metrics. Two types of SST algorithms were considered: conventional SST regressions, and recently developed incremental regressions. The conventional equations were adopted in the EUMETSAT OSI-SAF formulation, which, according to our previous analyses, provide relatively small regional biases and well-balanced combination of precision and sensitivity, in its class. Incremental regression equations were specifically elaborated to automatically correct for model minus observation biases, always present when RTM simulations are employed. Improved temporal stability was achieved by recalculation of SST coefficients from matchups on a daily basis, with a +/-45 day window around the current date. This presentation describes the candidate SST algorithms considered for the next round of ACSPO reanalysis, RAN2.

Flexibility of Expressive Timing in Repeated Musical Performances

PubMed Central

Demos, Alexander P.; Lisboa, Tânia; Chaffin, Roger

2016-01-01

Performances by soloists in the Western classical tradition are normally highly prepared, yet must sound fresh and spontaneous. How do musicians manage this? We tested the hypothesis that they achieve the necessary spontaneity by varying the musical gestures that express their interpretation of a piece. We examined the tempo arches produced by final slowing at the ends of phrases in performances of J. S. Bach’s No. 6 (Prelude) for solo cello (12 performances) and the Italian Concerto (Presto) for solo piano (eight performances). The performances were given by two experienced concert soloists during a short time period (3½ months for the Prelude, 2 weeks for the Presto) after completing their preparations for public performance. We measured the tempo of each bar or half-bar, and the stability of tempo across performances (difference of the tempo of each bar/half bar from each of the other performances). There were phrase arches for both tempo and stability with slower, less stable tempi at beginnings and ends of phrases and faster, more stable tempi mid-phrase. The effects of practice were complex. Tempo decreased overall with practice, while stability increased in some bars and decreased in others. One effect of practice may be to imbue well-learned, automatic motor sequences with freshness and spontaneity through cognitive control at phrase boundaries where slower tempi and decreased stability provide opportunities for slower cognitive processes to modulate rapid automatic motor sequences. PMID:27757089

Recent developments in heterodyne laser interferometry at Harbin Institute of Technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, P. C.; Tan, J. B. B.; Yang, H. X. X.; Fu, H. J. J.; Wang, Q.

2013-01-01

In order to fulfill the requirements for high-resolution and high-precision heterodyne interferometric technologies and instruments, the laser interferometry group of HIT has developed some novel techniques for high-resolution and high-precision heterodyne interferometers, such as high accuracy laser frequency stabilization, dynamic sub-nanometer resolution phase interpolation and dynamic nonlinearity measurement. Based on a novel lock point correction method and an asymmetric thermal structure, the frequency stabilized laser achieves a long term stability of 1.2×10-8, and it can be steadily stabilized even in the air flowing up to 1 m/s. In order to achieve dynamic sub-nanometer resolution of laser heterodyne interferometers, a novel phase interpolation method based on digital delay line is proposed. Experimental results show that, the proposed 0.62 nm, phase interpolator built with a 64 multiple PLL and an 8-tap digital delay line achieves a static accuracy better than 0.31nm and a dynamic accuracy better than 0.62 nm over the velocity ranging from -2 m/s to 2 m/s. Meanwhile, an accuracy beam polarization measuring setup is proposed to check and ensure the light's polarization state of the dual frequency laser head, and a dynamic optical nonlinearity measuring setup is built to measure the optical nonlinearity of the heterodyne system accurately and quickly. Analysis and experimental results show that, the beam polarization measuring setup can achieve an accuracy of 0.03° in ellipticity angles and an accuracy of 0.04° in the non-orthogonality angle respectively, and the optical nonlinearity measuring setup can achieve an accuracy of 0.13°.

Polymer Stabilization of Liquid-Crystal Blue Phase II toward Photonic Crystals.

PubMed

Jo, Seong-Yong; Jeon, Sung-Wook; Kim, Byeong-Cheon; Bae, Jae-Hyun; Araoka, Fumito; Choi, Suk-Won

2017-03-15

The temperature ranges where a pure simple-cubic blue phase (BPII) emerges are quite narrow compared to the body-centered-cubic BP (BPI) such that the polymer stabilization of BPII is much more difficult. Hence, a polymer-stabilized BPII possessing a wide temperature range has been scarcely reported. Here, we fabricate a polymer-stabilized BPII over a temperature range of 50 °C including room temperature. The fabricated polymer-stabilized BPII is confirmed via polarized optical microscopy, Bragg reflection, and Kossel diagram observations. Furthermore, we demonstrate reflective BP liquid-crystal devices utilizing the reflectance-voltage performance as a potential application of the polymer-stabilized BPII. Our work demonstrates the possibility of practical application of the polymer-stabilized BPII to photonic crystals.

Vehicle-to-Grid Automatic Load Sharing with Driver Preference in Micro-Grids

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

Wang, Yubo; Nazaripouya, Hamidreza; Chu, Chi-Cheng

Integration of Electrical Vehicles (EVs) with power grid not only brings new challenges for load management, but also opportunities for distributed storage and generation. This paper comprehensively models and analyzes distributed Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) for automatic load sharing with driver preference. In a micro-grid with limited communications, V2G EVs need to decide load sharing based on their own power and voltage profile. A droop based controller taking into account driver preference is proposed in this paper to address the distributed control of EVs. Simulations are designed for three fundamental V2G automatic load sharing scenarios that include all system dynamics of suchmore » applications. Simulation results demonstrate that active power sharing is achieved proportionally among V2G EVs with consideration of driver preference. In additional, the results also verify the system stability and reactive power sharing analysis in system modelling, which sheds light on large scale V2G automatic load sharing in more complicated cases.« less

A portable liquid crystal-based polarized light system for the detection of organophosphorus nerve gas.

PubMed

He, Feng Jie; Liu, Hui Long; Chen, Long Cong; Xiong, Xing Liang

2018-03-01

Liquid crystal (LC)-based sensors have the advantageous properties of being fast, sensitive, and label-free, the results of which can be accessed directly only through the naked eye. However, the inherent disadvantages possessed by LC sensors, such as relying heavily on polarizing microscopes and the difficulty to quantify, have limited the possibility of field applications. Herein, we have addressed these issues by constructing a portable polarized detection system with constant temperature control. This system is mainly composed of four parts: the LC cell, the optics unit, the automatic temperature control unit, and the image processing unit. The LC cell was based on the ordering transitions of LCs in the presence of analytes. The optics unit based on the imaging principle of LCs was designed to substitute the polarizing microscope for the real-time observation. The image processing unit is expected to quantify the concentration of analytes. The results have shown that the presented system can detect dimethyl methyl phosphonate (a stimulant for organophosphorus nerve gas) within 25 s, and the limit of detection is about 10 ppb. In all, our portable system has potential in field applications.

A portable liquid crystal-based polarized light system for the detection of organophosphorus nerve gas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Feng Jie; Liu, Hui Long; Chen, Long Cong; Xiong, Xing Liang

2018-03-01

Liquid crystal (LC)-based sensors have the advantageous properties of being fast, sensitive, and label-free, the results of which can be accessed directly only through the naked eye. However, the inherent disadvantages possessed by LC sensors, such as relying heavily on polarizing microscopes and the difficulty to quantify, have limited the possibility of field applications. Herein, we have addressed these issues by constructing a portable polarized detection system with constant temperature control. This system is mainly composed of four parts: the LC cell, the optics unit, the automatic temperature control unit, and the image processing unit. The LC cell was based on the ordering transitions of LCs in the presence of analytes. The optics unit based on the imaging principle of LCs was designed to substitute the polarizing microscope for the real-time observation. The image processing unit is expected to quantify the concentration of analytes. The results have shown that the presented system can detect dimethyl methyl phosphonate (a stimulant for organophosphorus nerve gas) within 25 s, and the limit of detection is about 10 ppb. In all, our portable system has potential in field applications.

Cytoskeleton and gravity at work in the establishment of dorso-ventral polarity in the egg of Xenopus laevis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ubbels, Geertje A.; Brom, Tim G.

The establishment of polarities during early embryogenesis is essential for normal development. Amphibian eggs are appropriate models for studies on embryonic pattern formation. The animal-vegetal axis of the axially symmetrical amphibian egg originates during oogenesis and foreshadows the main body axis of the embryo. The dorso-ventral polarity is epigenetically established before first cleavage. Recent experiments strongly suggest that in the monospermic eggs of the anuran Xenopus laevis both the cytoskeleton and gravity act in the determination of the dorso-ventral polarity. In order to test the role of gravity in this process, eggs will be fertilized under microgravity conditions during the SL-D1 flight in 1985. In a fully automatic experiment container eggs will be kept under well-defined conditions and artificially fertilized as soon as microgravity is reached; eggs and embryos at different stages will then be fixed for later examination. Back on earth the material will be analysed and we will know whether fertilization under microgravity conditions is possible. If so, the relation of the dorso-ventral axis to the former sperm entry point will be determined on the whole embryos; in addition eggs and embryos will be analysed cytologically.

AC Resonant charger with charge rate unrelated to primary power frequency

DOEpatents

Watson, Harold

1982-01-01

An AC resonant charger for a capacitive load, such as a PFN, is provided with a variable repetition rate unrelated to the frequency of a multi-phase AC power source by using a control unit to select and couple the phase of the power source to the resonant charger in order to charge the capacitive load with a phase that is the next to begin a half cycle. For optimum range in repetition rate and increased charging voltage, the resonant charger includes a step-up transformer and full-wave rectifier. The next phase selected may then be of either polarity, but is always selected to be of a polarity opposite the polarity of the last phase selected so that the transformer core does not saturate. Thyristors are used to select and couple the correct phase just after its zero crossover in response to a sharp pulse generated by a zero-crossover detector. The thyristor that is turned on then automatically turns off after a full half cycle of its associated phase input. A full-wave rectifier couples the secondary winding of the transformer to the load so that the load capacitance is always charged with the same polarity.

Ac resonant charger with charge rate unrelated to preimary power requency

DOEpatents

Not Available

1979-12-07

An ac resonant charger for a capacitive load, such as a pulse forming network (PFN), is provided with a variable repetition rate unrelated to the frequency of a multi-phase ac power source by using a control unit to select and couple the phase of the power source to the resonant charger in order to charge the capacitive load with a phase that is the next to begin a half cycle. For optimum range in repetition rate and increased charging voltage, the resonant charger includes a step-up transformer and full-wave rectifier. The next phase selected may then be of either polarity, but is always selected to be of a polarity opposite the polarity of the last phase selected so that the transformer core does not saturate. Thyristors are used to select and couple the correct phase just after its zero crossover in response to a sharp pulse generated by a zero-crossover detector. The thyristor that is turned on then automatically turns off after a full half cycle of its associated phase input. A full-wave rectifier couples the secondary winding of the transformer to the load so that the load capacitance is always charged with the same polarity.

Theoretical study of ferroelectric nanoparticles using phase reconstructed electron microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Phatak, C.; Petford-Long, A. K.; Beleggia, M.; De Graef, M.

2014-06-01

Ferroelectric nanostructures are important for a variety of applications in electronic and electro-optical devices, including nonvolatile memories and thin-film capacitors. These applications involve stability and switching of polarization using external stimuli, such as electric fields. We present a theoretical model describing how the shape of a nanoparticle affects its polarization in the absence of screening charges, and quantify the electron-optical phase shift for detecting ferroelectric signals with phase-sensitive techniques in a transmission electron microscope. We provide an example phase shift computation for a uniformly polarized prolate ellipsoid with varying aspect ratio in the absence of screening charges.

Effect of pump polarization direction on power characteristics in monolithic microchip Nd:YAG dual-frequency laser.

PubMed

Chen, Hao; Zhang, Shulian; Tan, Yidong

2016-04-10

The pump polarization direction can greatly influence the characteristics of the laser diode end-pumped monolithic microchip Nd:YAG dual-frequency laser. We experimentally observe the lasing thresholds and the optical powers of two splitting modes versus the pump polarization direction. The effect of the pump-induced gain anisotropy on the mode oscillation sequence is analyzed. And the effect on the intensities of these modes is also proved with a rate equation model. This study contributes to the improvement of the stability and the reliability of the Nd:YAG dual-frequency laser.

Polar CAP Boundary Identification Using Redline Imaging Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spanswick, E.; Roy, E. A.; Gallardo-Lacourt, B.; Donovan, E.; Ridley, A. J.; Gou, D.

2017-12-01

The location of the polar cap boundary is typically detected using low-orbit satellite measurements in which the boundary is identified by its unique signature of a sharp decrease in energy and particle flux poleward of the auroral oval. A previous study based in optical data by Blanchard et al. [1995] suggested that a dramatic gradient in redline aurora may also be an indicator of the polar cap boundary. While this study has been heavily cited, it was only based on few events and its findings have largely gone uncontested. Since the Blanchard study, satellite instrumentation and available auroral data have improved significantly. Auroral imaging has moved well beyond the capabilities of the instrumentation in the previous study in terms of sensitivity and both spatial and temporal resolution. We now have access to decades of optical data from arrays spanning a huge spatial range; none of which was available previously. In this study we have used data from FAST and DMSP satellites in conjunction with the University of Calgary's Narrow-band All-sky Cameras for Auroral Monitoring (NASCAM) ground based auroral imaging array and the REdline Geospace Observatory (REGO) data to assess the viability of automated detection of the polar cap boundary. In our analysis we used redline (630nm) auroral signatures from the ground based imagers around the location of the polar cap boundary observed in satellite data. We have characterized the polar cap boundary luminosity and location using the redline auroral data during different geomagnetic conditions. Our results enable a new tool to automatically identify the polar cap boundary to reach a deeper understanding of the connection between polar cap location and auroral activity.

Neural-network classifiers for automatic real-world aerial image recognition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Greenberg, Shlomo; Guterman, Hugo

1996-08-01

We describe the application of the multilayer perceptron (MLP) network and a version of the adaptive resonance theory version 2-A (ART 2-A) network to the problem of automatic aerial image recognition (AAIR). The classification of aerial images, independent of their positions and orientations, is required for automatic tracking and target recognition. Invariance is achieved by the use of different invariant feature spaces in combination with supervised and unsupervised neural networks. The performance of neural-network-based classifiers in conjunction with several types of invariant AAIR global features, such as the Fourier-transform space, Zernike moments, central moments, and polar transforms, are examined. The advantages of this approach are discussed. The performance of the MLP network is compared with that of a classical correlator. The MLP neural-network correlator outperformed the binary phase-only filter (BPOF) correlator. It was found that the ART 2-A distinguished itself with its speed and its low number of required training vectors. However, only the MLP classifier was able to deal with a combination of shift and rotation geometric distortions.

Neural-network classifiers for automatic real-world aerial image recognition.

PubMed

Greenberg, S; Guterman, H

1996-08-10

We describe the application of the multilayer perceptron (MLP) network and a version of the adaptive resonance theory version 2-A (ART 2-A) network to the problem of automatic aerial image recognition (AAIR). The classification of aerial images, independent of their positions and orientations, is required for automatic tracking and target recognition. Invariance is achieved by the use of different invariant feature spaces in combination with supervised and unsupervised neural networks. The performance of neural-network-based classifiers in conjunction with several types of invariant AAIR global features, such as the Fourier-transform space, Zernike moments, central moments, and polar transforms, are examined. The advantages of this approach are discussed. The performance of the MLP network is compared with that of a classical correlator. The MLP neural-network correlator outperformed the binary phase-only filter (BPOF) correlator. It was found that the ART 2-A distinguished itself with its speed and its low number of required training vectors. However, only the MLP classifier was able to deal with a combination of shift and rotation geometric distortions.

Native and enzymatically modified wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) endogenous lipids in bread making: a focus on gas cell stabilization mechanisms.

PubMed

Gerits, Lien R; Pareyt, Bram; Masure, Hanne G; Delcour, Jan A

2015-04-01

Lipopan F and Lecitase Ultra lipases were used in straight dough bread making to study how wheat lipids affect bread loaf volume (LV) and crumb structure setting. Lipase effects on LV were dose and dough piece weight dependent. The bread quality improving mechanisms exerted by endogenous lipids were studied in terms of gluten network strengthening, which indirectly stabilizes gas cells, and in terms of direct interfacial gas cell stabilization. Unlike diacetyl tartaric esters of mono- and diacylglycerols (DATEM, used as control), lipase use did not impact dough extensibility. The effect on dough extensibility was therefore related to its lipid composition at the start of mixing. Both lipases and DATEM strongly increase the levels of polar lipids in dough liquor and their availability for and potential accumulation at gas cell interfaces. Lipases form lysolipids that emulsify other lipids. We speculate that DATEM competes with (endogenous) polar lipids for interacting with gluten proteins. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Magnetic Radial Vortex Stabilization and Efficient Manipulation Driven by the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya Interaction and Spin-Transfer Torque.

PubMed

Siracusano, G; Tomasello, R; Giordano, A; Puliafito, V; Azzerboni, B; Ozatay, O; Carpentieri, M; Finocchio, G

2016-08-19

Solitons are very promising for the design of the next generation of ultralow power devices for storage and computation. The key ingredient to achieving this goal is the fundamental understanding of their stabilization and manipulation. Here, we show how the interfacial Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya Interaction (IDMI) is able to lift the energy degeneracy of a magnetic vortex state by stabilizing a topological soliton with radial chirality, hereafter called radial vortex. It has a noninteger Skyrmion number S (0.5<|S|<1) due to both the vortex core polarity and the magnetization tilting induced by the IDMI boundary conditions. Micromagnetic simulations predict that a magnetoresistive memory based on the radial vortex state in both free and polarizer layers can be efficiently switched by a threshold current density smaller than 10^{6}  A/cm^{2}. The switching processes occur via the nucleation of topologically connected vortices and vortex-antivortex pairs, followed by spin-wave emissions due to vortex-antivortex annihilations.

Trimethylamine-N-oxide switches from stabilizing nature: A mechanistic outlook through experimental techniques and molecular dynamics simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rani, Anjeeta; Jayaraj, Abhilash; Jayaram, B.; Pannuru, Venkatesu

2016-03-01

In adaptation biology of the discovery of the intracellular osmolytes, the osmolytes are found to play a central role in cellular homeostasis and stress response. A number of models using these molecules are now poised to address a wide range of problems in biology. Here, a combination of biophysical measurements and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation method is used to examine the effect of trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO) on stem bromelain (BM) structure, stability and function. From the analysis of our results, we found that TMAO destabilizes BM hydrophobic pockets and active site as a result of concerted polar and non-polar interactions which is strongly evidenced by MD simulation carried out for 250 ns. This destabilization is enthalpically favourable at higher concentrations of TMAO while entropically unfavourable. However, to the best of our knowledge, the results constitute first detailed unambiguous proof of destabilizing effect of most commonly addressed TMAO on the interactions governing stability of BM and present plausible mechanism of protein unfolding by TMAO.

Genetic selection reveals the role of a buried, conserved polar residue

PubMed Central

Johnson, R. Jeremy; Lin, Shawn R.; Raines, Ronald T.

2007-01-01

The burial of nonpolar surface area is known to enhance markedly the conformational stability of proteins. The contribution from the burial of polar surface area is less clear. Here, we report on the tolerance to substitution of Ser75 of bovine pancreatic ribonuclease (RNase A), a residue that has the unusual attributes of being buried, conserved, and polar. To identify variants that retain biological function, we used a genetic selection based on the intrinsic cytotoxicity of ribonucleolytic activity. Cell growth at 30°C, 37°C, and 44°C correlated with residue size, indicating that the primary attribute of Ser75 is its small size. The side-chain hydroxyl group of Ser75 forms a hydrogen bond with a main-chain nitrogen. The conformational stability of the S75A variant, which lacks this hydrogen bond, was diminished by ΔΔG = 2.5 kcal/mol. Threonine, which can reinstate this hydrogen bond, provided a catalytically active RNase A variant at higher temperatures than did some smaller residues (including aspartate), indicating that a secondary attribute of Ser75 is the ability of its uncharged side chain to accept a hydrogen bond. These results provide insight on the imperatives for the conservation of a buried polar residue. PMID:17656580

Trends in reactivity of electrodeposited 3d transition metals on gold revealed by operando soft x-ray absorption spectroscopy during water splitting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Velasco-Vélez, J. J.; Jones, Travis E.; Pfeifer, Verena; Dong, Chung-Li; Chen, Yu-Xun; Chen, Chieh-Ming; Chen, Hsin-Yu; Lu, Ying-Rui; Chen, Jin-Ming; Schlögl, R.; Knop-Gericke, A.; Chuang, C.-H.

2017-01-01

We activated gold electrodes for their use as electrocatalyst for water splitting by electrodepositing Cu, Ni and Co. A combination of operando x-ray absorption spectroscopy and potentiometric control under aqueous conditions revealed the trends in reactivity yielded by these electrodes, which are directly associated with the cross- and overpotentials as well as the occupancy of the 3d orbitals. It was found that under anodic polarization the materials electrodeposited on gold suffer from a lack of stability, while under cathodic polarization they exhibit stable behavior. The observed activity is strongly related to the lack of stability shown by these composites under anodic polarization revealing a dynamic process ruled by corrosion. By operando x-ray absorption, we established that the overall enhancement of the activity for the oxygen evolution reaction is directly attributable to the cross-potential and corrosion process of the electrodeposited materials. It is associated with the high potential deposition, which is the origin of the incipient oxidation-corrosion resistance of the lattice. We conclude that the observed trends in the total current are directly associated with the loss of oxygen in the metal-oxide lattice and the subsequent dissolution of metallic ions in the electrolyte under anodic polarization.

Fast divide-and-conquer algorithm for evaluating polarization in classical force fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nocito, Dominique; Beran, Gregory J. O.

2017-03-01

Evaluation of the self-consistent polarization energy forms a major computational bottleneck in polarizable force fields. In large systems, the linear polarization equations are typically solved iteratively with techniques based on Jacobi iterations (JI) or preconditioned conjugate gradients (PCG). Two new variants of JI are proposed here that exploit domain decomposition to accelerate the convergence of the induced dipoles. The first, divide-and-conquer JI (DC-JI), is a block Jacobi algorithm which solves the polarization equations within non-overlapping sub-clusters of atoms directly via Cholesky decomposition, and iterates to capture interactions between sub-clusters. The second, fuzzy DC-JI, achieves further acceleration by employing overlapping blocks. Fuzzy DC-JI is analogous to an additive Schwarz method, but with distance-based weighting when averaging the fuzzy dipoles from different blocks. Key to the success of these algorithms is the use of K-means clustering to identify natural atomic sub-clusters automatically for both algorithms and to determine the appropriate weights in fuzzy DC-JI. The algorithm employs knowledge of the 3-D spatial interactions to group important elements in the 2-D polarization matrix. When coupled with direct inversion in the iterative subspace (DIIS) extrapolation, fuzzy DC-JI/DIIS in particular converges in a comparable number of iterations as PCG, but with lower computational cost per iteration. In the end, the new algorithms demonstrated here accelerate the evaluation of the polarization energy by 2-3 fold compared to existing implementations of PCG or JI/DIIS.

Albedo models for the residual south polar cap on Mars: Implications for the stability of the cap under near-perihelion global dust storm conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bonev, Boncho P.; Hansen, Gary B.; Glenar, David A.; James, Philip B.; Bjorkman, Jon E.

2008-02-01

It is uncertain whether the residual (perennial) south polar cap on Mars is a transitory or a permanent feature in the current Martian climate. While there is no firm evidence for complete disappearance of the cap in the past, clearly observable changes have been documented. Observations suggest that the perennial cap lost more CO 2 material in the spring/summer season prior to the Mariner 9 mission than in those same seasons monitored by Viking and Mars Global Surveyor. In this paper we examine one process that may contribute to these changes - the radiative effects of a planet encircling dust storm that starts during late Martian southern spring on the stability of the perennial south polar cap. To approach this, we model the radiative transfer through a dusty planetary atmosphere bounded by a sublimating CO 2 surface. A critical parameter for this modeling is the surface albedo spectrum from the near-UV to the thermal-IR, which was determined from both space-craft and Earth-based observations covering multiple wavelength regimes. Such a multi-wavelength approach is highly desirable since one spectral band by itself cannot tightly constrain the three-parameter space for polar surface albedo models, namely photon "scattering length" in the CO 2 ice and the amounts of intermixed water and dust. Our results suggest that a planet-encircling dust storm with onset near solstice can affect the perennial cap's stability, leading to advanced sublimation in a "dusty" year. Since the total amount of solid CO 2 removed by a single storm may be less than the total CO 2 thickness, a series of dust storms would be required to remove the entire residual CO 2 ice layer from the south perennial cap.

Improved Persistent Scatterer analysis using Amplitude Dispersion Index optimization of dual polarimetry data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Esmaeili, Mostafa; Motagh, Mahdi

2016-07-01

Time-series analysis of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data using the two techniques of Small BAseline Subset (SBAS) and Persistent Scatterer Interferometric SAR (PSInSAR) extends the capability of conventional interferometry technique for deformation monitoring and mitigating many of its limitations. Using dual/quad polarized data provides us with an additional source of information to improve further the capability of InSAR time-series analysis. In this paper we use dual-polarized data and combine the Amplitude Dispersion Index (ADI) optimization of pixels with phase stability criterion for PSInSAR analysis. ADI optimization is performed by using Simulated Annealing algorithm to increase the number of Persistent Scatterer Candidate (PSC). The phase stability of PSCs is then measured using their temporal coherence to select the final sets of pixels for deformation analysis. We evaluate the method for a dataset comprising of 17 dual polarization SAR data (HH/VV) acquired by TerraSAR-X data from July 2013 to January 2014 over a subsidence area in Iran and compare the effectiveness of the method for both agricultural and urban regions. The results reveal that using optimum scattering mechanism decreases the ADI values in urban and non-urban regions. As compared to single-pol data the use of optimized polarization increases initially the number of PSCs by about three times and improves the final PS density by about 50%, in particular in regions with high rate of deformation which suffer from losing phase stability over the time. The classification of PS pixels based on their optimum scattering mechanism revealed that the dominant scattering mechanism of the PS pixels in the urban area is double-bounce while for the non-urban regions (ground surfaces and farmlands) it is mostly single-bounce mechanism.

Polarization Observations with the Cosmic Background Imager

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cartwright, J. K.; Padin, S.; Pearson, T. J.; Readhead, A. C. S.; Shepherd, M. C.; Taylor, G. B.

2000-12-01

The linear polarization of the Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation is a fundamental prediction of the standard model. We report a limit on the polarization of the CMBR for l ~660. This limit was obtained with the Cosmic Background Imager, a 13 element interferometer which operates in the 26-36 GHz band from a site at 5000m in northern Chile. The array consists of 90-cm Cassegrain antennas mounted on a single, fully steerable platform; this platform can be rotated about the optical axis to facilitate polarization observations. The CBI employs single mode circularly polarized receivers, of which 12 are configured for LCP and one is configured for RCP. The 12 cross polarized baselines sample multipoles from l ~600 to l ~3500. The instrumental polarization of the CBI was calibrated with observations of 3C279, a bright polarized source which is unresolved by the CBI. Because the centimeter flux of 3C279 is variable, it was monitored twice per month for 8 months in '00 with the VLA at 22 and 43 GHz. These observations also established the stability of the polarization characteristics of the CBI. This work was made possible by NSF grant AST-9802989

Dispersing surface-modified imogolite nanotubes in polar and non-polar solvents

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Ming; Brant, Jonathan A.

2018-02-01

Furthering the development of nanocomposite structures, namely membranes for water treatment applications, requires that methods be developed to ensure nanoparticle dispersion in polar and non-polar solvents, as both are widely used in associated synthesis techniques. Here, we report on a two-step method to graft polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), and a one-step method for octadecylphosphonic acid (OPA), onto the outer surfaces of imogolite nanotubes. The goal of these approaches was to improve and maintain nanotube dispersion in polymer compatible polar and non-polar solvents. The PVP coating modified the imogolite surface charge from positive to weakly negative at pH ≤ 9; the OPA made it weakly positive at acidic pH values to negative at pH ≥ 7. The PVP surface coating stabilized the nanotubes through steric hindrance in polar protic, dipolar aprotic, and chloroform. In difference to the PVP, the OPA surface coating allowed the nanotubes to be dispersed in n-hexane and chloroform, but not in the polar solvents. The lack of miscibility in the polar solvents, as well as the better dispersion in n-hexane, was attributed to the stronger hydrophobicity of the OPA polymer relative to the PVP. [Figure not available: see fulltext.

Continuous control of chaos based on the stability criterion.

PubMed

Yu, Hong Jie; Liu, Yan Zhu; Peng, Jian Hua

2004-06-01

A method of chaos control based on stability criterion is proposed in the present paper. This method can stabilize chaotic systems onto a desired periodic orbit by a small time-continuous perturbation nonlinear feedback. This method does not require linearization of the system around the stabilized orbit and only an approximate location of the desired periodic orbit is required which can be automatically detected in the control process. The control can be started at any moment by choosing appropriate perturbation restriction condition. It seems that more flexibility and convenience are the main advantages of this method. The discussions on control of attitude motion of a spacecraft, Rössler system, and two coupled Duffing oscillators are given as numerical examples.

Long life lithium batteries with stabilized electrodes

DOEpatents

Amine, Khalil [Downers Grove, IL; Liu, Jun [Naperville, IL; Vissers, Donald R [Naperville, IL; Lu, Wenquan [Darien, IL

2009-03-24

The present invention relates to non-aqueous electrolytes having electrode stabilizing additives, stabilized electrodes, and electrochemical devices containing the same. Thus the present invention provides electrolytes containing an alkali metal salt, a polar aprotic solvent, and an electrode stabilizing additive. In some embodiments the additives include a substituted or unsubstituted cyclic or spirocyclic hydrocarbon containing at least one oxygen atom and at least one alkenyl or alkynyl group. When used in electrochemical devices with, e.g., lithium manganese oxide spinel electrodes or olivine or carbon-coated olivine electrodes, the new electrolytes provide batteries with improved calendar and cycle life.

Ultra-fast switching blue phase liquid crystals diffraction grating stabilized by chiral monomer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Manda, Ramesh; Pagidi, Srinivas; Sarathi Bhattacharya, Surjya; Yoo, Hyesun; T, Arun Kumar; Lim, Young Jin; Lee, Seung Hee

2018-05-01

We have demonstrated an ultra-fast switching and efficient polymer stabilized blue phase liquid crystal (PS-BPLC) diffraction grating utilizing a chiral monomer. We have obtained a 0.5 ms response time by a novel polymer stabilization method which is three times faster than conventional PS-BPLC. In addition, the diffraction efficiency was improved 2% with a much wider phase range and the driving voltage to switch the device is reduced. The polarization properties of the diffracted beam are unaffected by this novel polymer stabilization. This device can be useful for future photonic applications.

Stability and molecular properties of the boron-nitrogen alternating analogs of azulene and naphthalene: a computational study.

PubMed

Catão, Anderson José Lopes; López-Castillo, Alejandro

2017-04-01

In this work, the spectroscopic information, stability and aromaticity of the boron-nitrogen azulene and naphthalene molecules are provided by the use of CC2 (geometry optimization, dipole moment, UV-vis spectrum calculations) and DFT (vibrational spectrum and NMR calculations) methodologies. One isomer of the investigated boron-nitrogen naphthalene (boroazanaphthalene) and two isomers of boron-nitrogen azulene, 1,3,4,6,8-pentaaza-2,3a,5,7,8a-pentaboraazulene (BN-azulene) and 2,3a,5,7,8a-pentaaza-1,3,4,6,8- pentaboraazulene (NB-azulene), are stable systems. However, these molecules have different properties, i.e., different stability, dipole moment, and aromaticity based on the NICS approach. BN-naphthalene has a high dipole moment magnitude showing high polar character, while naphthalene is apolar. BN- and NB-azulene are weakly polar, while ordinary azulene is highly polar in character. Also, substitution of C atoms by B and N atoms decreases the aromaticity. In the case of NB-azulene, the seven-membered ring has anti-aromaticity behavior while both rings of BN-azulene exhibit aromaticity. We expect that the new theoretical data provided in this work will be useful in identifying and characterizing experimentally the compounds investigated, and in helping our understanding of the chemistry of boron-nitrogen molecules. Graphical abstract Boron-nitrogen alternating analogs of azulene. Spectral distinction between isomers.

Effect of ionic liquid properties on lipase stabilization under microwave irradiation

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

Zhao, Hua; Baker, Gary A; Song, Zhiyan

2009-01-01

Ionic liquids (ILs) as neoteric solvents and microwave irradiation as alternative energy source are becoming two important tools for many enzymatic reactions. However, it is not well understood what properties of ILs govern the enzyme stabilization, and whether the microwave irradiation could activate enzymes in ILs. To tackle these two important issues, the synthetic activities of immobilized Candida antarctica lipase B (Novozyme 435) were examined in more than twenty ILs through microwave heating. Under microwave irradiation, enhanced enzyme activities were observed when the enzyme was surrounded by a layer of water molecules. However, such enhancement diminished when the reaction systemmore » was dried. To understand the effect of IL properties, the enzyme activities under microwave irradiation were correlated with the viscosity, polarity and hydrophobicity (log P) of ILs, respectively. The initial reaction rates bear no direct relationship with the viscosity and polarity (in terms of dielectric constant and EN T ) of ILs, but have a loose correlation (a bell curve) with log P values. The enzyme stabilization by ILs was explained from aspects of hydrogen-bond basicity of anions, dissolution of the enzyme, ionic association strength of anions, and substrate ground-state stabilization by ILs.« less

Theoretical and Analog Studies of the Effects of Nonlinear Stability Derivatives on the Longitudinal Motions of an Aircraft in Response to Step Control Deflections and to the Influence of Proportional Automatic Control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Curfman, Howard J , Jr

1955-01-01

Through theoretical and analog results the effects of two nonlinear stability derivatives on the longitudinal motions of an aircraft have been investigated. Nonlinear functions of pitching-moment and lift coefficients with angle of attack were considered. Analog results of aircraft motions in response to step elevator deflections and to the action of the proportional control systems are presented. The occurrence of continuous hunting oscillations was predicted and demonstrated for the attitude stabilization system with proportional control for certain nonlinear pitching-moment variations and autopilot adjustments.

Sustainable energy at the 100 W level for scientific sites on the Antarctic Plateau: Lessons learned from the Polar Experiment Network for Geospace Upper atmosphere Investigations-Automatic Geophysical Observatory project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Melville, R.; Stillinger, A.; Gerrard, A.; Weatherwax, A.

2014-04-01

The need to provide power to unmanned instrumentation over the course of an entire year on the Antarctic plateau presents a large number of engineering and logistical challenges. Designs formulated in ideal laboratory environments often fail in the Antarctic due to the harsh operating conditions, and field experience is necessary to achieve year-round operation in the 100 W power range. In this paper we present our current power design for the Automatic Geophysical Observatories; a design based on over two decades of experience on the ice and allows for relatively continuous operation at the aforementioned power level. We also discuss our various implementation methods, both failures and successes, in an effort assist other unmanned deployments on the ice.

Sustainable energy at the 100 W level for scientific sites on the Antarctic Plateau: lessons learned from the Polar Experiment Network for Geospace Upper atmosphere Investigations-Automatic Geophysical Observatory project.

PubMed

Melville, R; Stillinger, A; Gerrard, A; Weatherwax, A

2014-04-01

The need to provide power to unmanned instrumentation over the course of an entire year on the Antarctic plateau presents a large number of engineering and logistical challenges. Designs formulated in ideal laboratory environments often fail in the Antarctic due to the harsh operating conditions, and field experience is necessary to achieve year-round operation in the 100 W power range. In this paper we present our current power design for the Automatic Geophysical Observatories; a design based on over two decades of experience on the ice and allows for relatively continuous operation at the aforementioned power level. We also discuss our various implementation methods, both failures and successes, in an effort assist other unmanned deployments on the ice.

Holographic radar imaging privacy techniques utilizing dual-frequency implementation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McMakin, Douglas L.; Hall, Thomas E.; Sheen, David M.

2008-04-01

Over the last 15 years, the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory has performed significant research and development activities to enhance the state of the art of holographic radar imaging systems to be used at security checkpoints for screening people for concealed threats hidden under their garments. These enhancement activities included improvements to privacy techniques to remove human features and providing automatic detection of body-worn concealed threats. The enhanced privacy and detection methods used both physical and software imaging techniques. The physical imaging techniques included polarization-diversity illumination and reception, dual-frequency implementation, and high-frequency imaging at 60 GHz. Software imaging techniques to enhance the privacy of the person under surveillance included extracting concealed threat artifacts from the imagery to automatically detect the threat. This paper will focus on physical privacy techniques using dual-frequency implementation.

Computer assisted analysis of auroral images obtained from high altitude polar satellites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Samadani, Ramin; Flynn, Michael

1993-01-01

Automatic techniques that allow the extraction of physically significant parameters from auroral images were developed. This allows the processing of a much larger number of images than is currently possible with manual techniques. Our techniques were applied to diverse auroral image datasets. These results were made available to geophysicists at NASA and at universities in the form of a software system that performs the analysis. After some feedback from users, an upgraded system was transferred to NASA and to two universities. The feasibility of user-trained search and retrieval of large amounts of data using our automatically derived parameter indices was demonstrated. Techniques based on classification and regression trees (CART) were developed and applied to broaden the types of images to which the automated search and retrieval may be applied. Our techniques were tested with DE-1 auroral images.

Holographic Radar Imaging Privacy Techniques Utilizing Dual-Frequency Implementation

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

McMakin, Douglas L.; Hall, Thomas E.; Sheen, David M.

2008-04-18

Over the last 15 years, the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory has performed significant research and development activities to enhance the state of the art of holographic radar imaging systems to be used at security checkpoints for screening people for concealed threats hidden under their garments. These enhancement activities included improvements to privacy techniques to remove human features and providing automatic detection of body-worn concealed threats. The enhanced privacy and detection methods used both physical and software imaging techniques. The physical imaging techniques included polarization-diversity illumination and reception, dual-frequency implementation, and high-frequency imaging at 60 GHz. Software imaging techniques to enhancemore » the privacy of the person under surveillance included extracting concealed threat artifacts from the imagery to automatically detect the threat. This paper will focus on physical privacy techniques using dual-frequency implementation.« less

Multi-q pattern classification of polarization curves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fabbri, Ricardo; Bastos, Ivan N.; Neto, Francisco D. Moura; Lopes, Francisco J. P.; Gonçalves, Wesley N.; Bruno, Odemir M.

2014-02-01

Several experimental measurements are expressed in the form of one-dimensional profiles, for which there is a scarcity of methodologies able to classify the pertinence of a given result to a specific group. The polarization curves that evaluate the corrosion kinetics of electrodes in corrosive media are applications where the behavior is chiefly analyzed from profiles. Polarization curves are indeed a classic method to determine the global kinetics of metallic electrodes, but the strong nonlinearity from different metals and alloys can overlap and the discrimination becomes a challenging problem. Moreover, even finding a typical curve from replicated tests requires subjective judgment. In this paper, we used the so-called multi-q approach based on the Tsallis statistics in a classification engine to separate the multiple polarization curve profiles of two stainless steels. We collected 48 experimental polarization curves in an aqueous chloride medium of two stainless steel types, with different resistance against localized corrosion. Multi-q pattern analysis was then carried out on a wide potential range, from cathodic up to anodic regions. An excellent classification rate was obtained, at a success rate of 90%, 80%, and 83% for low (cathodic), high (anodic), and both potential ranges, respectively, using only 2% of the original profile data. These results show the potential of the proposed approach towards efficient, robust, systematic and automatic classification of highly nonlinear profile curves.

14 CFR 25.21 - Proof of compliance.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... characteristics requirements is dependent upon a stability augmentation system or upon any other automatic or power-operated system, compliance must be shown with §§ 25.671 and 25.672. (f) In meeting the... ice protection system in accordance with the operating limitations and operating procedures...

Skeletonization of Gridded Potential-Field Images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, L.; Morozov, I. B.

2012-12-01

A new approach to skeletonization was developed for gridded potential-field data. Generally, skeletonization is a pattern-recognition technique allowing automatic recognition of near-linear features in the images, measurement of their parameters, and analyzing them for similarities. Our approach decomposes the images into arbitrarily-oriented "wavelets" characterized by positive or negative amplitudes, orientation angles, spatial dimensions, polarities, and other attributes. Orientations of the wavelets are obtained by scanning the azimuths to detect the strike direction of each anomaly. The wavelets are connected according to the similarities of these attributes, which leads to a "skeleton" map of the potential-field data. In addition, 2-D filtering is conducted concurrently with the wavelet-identification process, which allows extracting parameters of background trends and reduces the adverse effects of low-frequency background (which is often strong in potential-field maps) on skeletonization.. By correlating the neighboring wavelets, linear anomalies are identified and characterized. The advantages of this algorithm are the generality and isotropy of feature detection, as well as being specifically designed for gridded data. With several options for background-trend extraction, the stability for identification of lineaments is improved and optimized. The algorithm is also integrated in a powerful processing system which allows combining it with numerous other tools, such as filtering, computation of analytical signal, empirical mode decomposition, and various types of plotting. The method is applied to potential-field data for the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin, in a study area which extends from southern Saskatchewan into southwestern Manitoba. The target is the structure of crystalline basement beneath Phanerozoic sediments. The examples illustrate that skeletonization aid in the interpretation of complex structures at different scale lengths. The results indicate that this method is useful for identifying structures in complex geophysical images and for automatic extraction of their attributes as well as for quantitative characterization and analysis of potential-field images. Skeletonized potential-field images should also be useful for inversion.

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

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

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

2018-05-01

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

Algorithm Summary and Evaluation: Automatic Implementation of Ringdown Analysis for Electromechanical Mode Identification from Phasor Measurements

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

Zhou, Ning; Huang, Zhenyu; Tuffner, Francis K.

2010-02-28

Small signal stability problems are one of the major threats to grid stability and reliability. Prony analysis has been successfully applied on ringdown data to monitor electromechanical modes of a power system using phasor measurement unit (PMU) data. To facilitate an on-line application of mode estimation, this paper develops a recursive algorithm for implementing Prony analysis and proposed an oscillation detection method to detect ringdown data in real time. By automatically detecting ringdown data, the proposed method helps guarantee that Prony analysis is applied properly and timely on the ringdown data. Thus, the mode estimation results can be performed reliablymore » and timely. The proposed method is tested using Monte Carlo simulations based on a 17-machine model and is shown to be able to properly identify the oscillation data for on-line application of Prony analysis. In addition, the proposed method is applied to field measurement data from WECC to show the performance of the proposed algorithm.« less

Design and development of a brushless, direct drive solar array reorientation system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jessee, R. D.

1972-01-01

This report covers the design and development of the laboratory model, and is essentially a compilation of reports covering the system and its various parts. To enhance completeness, the final report of Phase 1 covering circuit development of the controller is also included. A controller was developed for a brushless, direct-drive, single axis solar array reorientation system for earth-pointed, passively-stabilized spacecraft. A control systems was designed and breadboard circuits were built and tested for performance. The controller is designed to take over automatic control of the array on command after the spacecraft is stabilized in orbit. The controller will orient the solar array to the sun vector and automatically track to maintain proper orientation. So long as the orbit is circular, orientation toward the sun is maintained even though the spacecraft goes into the shadow of the earth. Particular attention was given in the design to limit reaction between the array and the spacecraft.

Simultaneous quarter-wave plate and half-mirror operation through a highly flexible single layer anisotropic metasurface.

PubMed

Khan, M Ismail; Tahir, Farooq A

2017-11-22

A highly flexible single-layer metasurface manifesting quarter-wave plate as well as half-mirror (1:1 beam-splitter) operation in the microwave frequency regime is being presented in this research. The designed metasurface reflects half power of the impinging linearly polarized electromagnetic wave as circularly polarized wave while the remaining half power is transmitted as circularly polarized wave at resonance frequency. Similarly, a circularly polarized incident wave is reflected and transmitted as linearly polarized wave with equal half powers. Moreover, the response of the metasurface is quite stable against the variations in the incidence angle up to 45°. The measurements performed on the fabricated prototype exhibit a good agreement with the simulation results. The compact size, flexible structure, angular stability and two in one operation (operating as a quarter-wave plate and beam-splitter at the same time) are the main characteristics of the subject metasurface that makes it a potential candidate for numerous applications in communication and miniaturized and conformal polarization control devices.

Control of endothelial cell polarity and sprouting angiogenesis by non-centrosomal microtubules

PubMed Central

Martin, Maud; Veloso, Alexandra; Wu, Jingchao; Katrukha, Eugene A

2018-01-01

Microtubules control different aspects of cell polarization. In cells with a radial microtubule system, a pivotal role in setting up asymmetry is attributed to the relative positioning of the centrosome and the nucleus. Here, we show that centrosome loss had no effect on the ability of endothelial cells to polarize and move in 2D and 3D environments. In contrast, non-centrosomal microtubules stabilized by the microtubule minus-end-binding protein CAMSAP2 were required for directional migration on 2D substrates and for the establishment of polarized cell morphology in soft 3D matrices. CAMSAP2 was also important for persistent endothelial cell sprouting during in vivo zebrafish vessel development. In the absence of CAMSAP2, cell polarization in 3D could be partly rescued by centrosome depletion, indicating that in these conditions the centrosome inhibited cell polarity. We propose that CAMSAP2-protected non-centrosomal microtubules are needed for establishing cell asymmetry by enabling microtubule enrichment in a single-cell protrusion. PMID:29547120

Hydroxyapatite with Permanent Electrical Polarization: Preparation, Characterization, and Response against Inorganic Adsorbates.

PubMed

Rivas, Manuel; Del Valle, Luis J; Armelin, Elaine; Bertran, Oscar; Turon, Pau; Puiggalí, Jordi; Alemán, Carlos

2018-04-16

Permanently polarized hydroxyapatite (HAp) particles have been prepared by applying a constant DC of 500 V at 1000 °C for 1 h to the sintered mineral. This process causes important chemical changes, as the formation of OH - defects (vacancies), the disappearance of hydrogenophosphate ions at the mineral surface layer, and structural variations reflected by the increment of the crystallinity. As a consequence, the electrochemical properties and electrical conductivity of the polarized mineral increase noticeably compared with as-prepared and sintered samples. Moreover, these increments remain practically unaltered after several months. In addition, permanent polarization favours significantly the ability of HAp to adsorb inorganic bioadsorbates in comparison with as-prepared and sintered samples. The adsorbates cause a significant increment of the electrochemical stability and electrical conductivity with respect to bare polarized HAp, which may have many implications for biomedical applications of permanently polarized HAp. © 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Large polarization gradients and temperature-stable responses in compositionally-graded ferroelectrics

DOE PAGES

Damodaran, Anoop R.; Pandya, Shishir; Qi, Yubo; ...

2017-05-10

A range of modern applications require large and tunable dielectric, piezoelectric or pyroelectric response of ferroelectrics. Such effects are intimately connected to the nature of polarization and how it responds to externally applied stimuli. Ferroelectric susceptibilities are, in general, strongly temperature dependent, diminishing rapidly as one transitions away from the ferroelectric phase transition (T C). In turn, researchers seek new routes to manipulate polarization to simultaneously enhance susceptibilities and broaden operational temperature ranges. Here, we demonstrate such a capability by creating composition and strain gradients in Ba 1-xSr xTiO 3 films which result in spatial polarization gradients as large asmore » 35 μC cm -2 across a 150 nm thick film. These polarization gradients allow for large dielectric permittivity with low loss (ε r≈775, tan δ<0.05), negligible temperature-dependence (13% deviation over 500 °C) and high-dielectric tunability (greater than 70% across a 300 °C range). The role of space charges in stabilizing polarization gradients is also discussed.« less

Sunlight penetration through the Martian polar caps: Effects on the thermal and frost budgets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lindner, Bernhard Lee

1992-01-01

An energy balance model of the seasonal polar caps on Mars is modified to include penetration of solar radiation into and through the ice. Penetration of solar radiation has no effect on subsurface temperature or total frost sublimation if seasonal ice overlies a dust surface. An effect is noted for seasonal ice which overlies the residual polar caps. For the case of an exposed water-ice residual polar cap, the temperature at depth is calculated to be up to several degrees warmer and the calculated lifetime of seasonal CO2 frost is slightly lower when penetration of sunlight is properly treated in the model. For the case of a residual polar cap which is perennially covered by CO2 frost, the calculated lifetime of seasonal CO2 frost is very slightly increased as a result of sunlight penetration through the ice. Hence, penetration of sunlight into the ice helps to stabilize the observed dichotomy in the residual polar caps on Mars, although it is a small effect.

Sunlight penetration through the Martian polar caps - Effects on the thermal and frost budgets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lindner, Bernhard L.

1992-01-01

An energy balance model of the seasonal polar caps on Mars is modified to include penetration of solar radiation into and through the ice. Penetration of solar radiation has no effect on subsurface temperature or total frost sublimation if seasonal ice overlies a dust surface. An effect is noted for seasonal ice which overlies the residual polar caps. For the case of an exposed water-ice residual polar cap, the temperature at depth is calculated to be up to several degrees warmer, and the calculated lifetime of seasonal CO2 frost is slightly lower when penetration of sunlight is properly treated in the model. For the case of a residual polar cap which is perennially covered by CO2 frost, the calculated lifetime of seasonal CO2 frost is very slightly increased as a result of sunlight penetration through the ice. Hence, penetration of sunlight into the ice helps to stabilize the observed dichotomy in the residual polar caps on Mars, although it is a small effect.

Large polarization gradients and temperature-stable responses in compositionally-graded ferroelectrics

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

Damodaran, Anoop R.; Pandya, Shishir; Qi, Yubo

A range of modern applications require large and tunable dielectric, piezoelectric or pyroelectric response of ferroelectrics. Such effects are intimately connected to the nature of polarization and how it responds to externally applied stimuli. Ferroelectric susceptibilities are, in general, strongly temperature dependent, diminishing rapidly as one transitions away from the ferroelectric phase transition (T C). In turn, researchers seek new routes to manipulate polarization to simultaneously enhance susceptibilities and broaden operational temperature ranges. Here, we demonstrate such a capability by creating composition and strain gradients in Ba 1-xSr xTiO 3 films which result in spatial polarization gradients as large asmore » 35 μC cm -2 across a 150 nm thick film. These polarization gradients allow for large dielectric permittivity with low loss (ε r≈775, tan δ<0.05), negligible temperature-dependence (13% deviation over 500 °C) and high-dielectric tunability (greater than 70% across a 300 °C range). The role of space charges in stabilizing polarization gradients is also discussed.« less

Why solid oxide cells can be reversibly operated in solid oxide electrolysis cell and fuel cell modes?

PubMed

Chen, Kongfa; Liu, Shu-Sheng; Ai, Na; Koyama, Michihisa; Jiang, San Ping

2015-12-14

High temperature solid oxide cells (SOCs) are attractive for storage and regeneration of renewable energy by operating reversibly in solid oxide electrolysis cell (SOEC) and solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) modes. However, the stability of SOCs, particularly the deterioration of the performance of oxygen electrodes in the SOEC operation mode, is the most critical issue in the development of high performance and durable SOCs. In this study, we investigate in detail the electrochemical activity and stability of La0.8Sr0.2MnO3 (LSM) oxygen electrodes in cyclic SOEC and SOFC modes. The results show that the deterioration of LSM oxygen electrodes caused by anodic polarization can be partially or completely recovered by subsequent cathodic polarization. Using in situ assembled LSM electrodes without pre-sintering, we demonstrate that the deteriorated LSM/YSZ interface can be repaired and regenerated by operating the cells under cathodic polarization conditions. This study for the first time establishes the foundation for the development of truly reversible and stable SOCs for hydrogen fuel production and electricity generation in cyclic SOEC and SOFC operation modes.

THz Dynamic Nuclear Polarization NMR

PubMed Central

Nanni, Emilio A.; Barnes, Alexander B.; Griffin, Robert G.; Temkin, Richard J.

2013-01-01

Dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) increases the sensitivity of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy by using high frequency microwaves to transfer the polarization of the electrons to the nuclear spins. The enhancement in NMR sensitivity can amount to a factor of well above 100, enabling faster data acquisition and greatly improved NMR measurements. With the increasing magnetic fields (up to 23 T) used in NMR research, the required frequency for DNP falls into the THz band (140–600 GHz). Gyrotrons have been developed to meet the demanding specifications for DNP NMR, including power levels of tens of watts; frequency stability of a few megahertz; and power stability of 1% over runs that last for several days to weeks. Continuous gyrotron frequency tuning of over 1 GHz has also been demonstrated. The complete DNP NMR system must include a low loss transmission line; an optimized antenna; and a holder for efficient coupling of the THz radiation to the sample. This paper describes the DNP NMR process and illustrates the THz systems needed for this demanding spectroscopic application. THz DNP NMR is a rapidly developing, exciting area of THz science and technology. PMID:24639915

All-polarization-maintaining, single-port Er:fiber comb for high-stability comparison of optical lattice clocks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ohmae, Noriaki; Kuse, Naoya; Fermann, Martin E.; Katori, Hidetoshi

2017-06-01

All-polarization-maintaining, single-port Er:fiber combs offer long-term robust operation as well as high stability. We have built two such combs and evaluated the transfer noise for linking optical clocks. A uniformly broadened spectrum over 135-285 THz with a high signal-to-noise ratio enables the optical frequency measurement of the subharmonics of strontium, ytterbium, and mercury optical lattice clocks with the fractional frequency-noise power spectral density of (1-2) × 10-17 Hz-1/2 at 1 Hz. By applying a synchronous clock comparison, the comb enables clock ratio measurements with 10-17 instability at 1 s, which is one order of magnitude smaller than the best instability of the frequency ratio of optical lattice clocks.

Polar phase transitions in heteroepitaxial stabilized La0.5Y0.5AlO3 thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Shenghua; Zhang, Chunfeng; Zhu, Mengya; He, Qian; Chakhalian, Jak; Liu, Xiaoran; Borisevich, Albina; Wang, Xiaoyong; Xiao, Min

2017-10-01

We report on the fabrication of epitaxial La0.5Y0.5AlO3 ultrathin films on (001) LaAlO3 substrates. Structural characterizations by scanning transmission electron microscopy and x-ray diffraction confirm the high quality of the film with a - b + c - AlO6 octahedral tilt pattern. Unlike either of the nonpolar parent compound, LaAlO3 and YAlO3, second harmonic generation measurements on the thin films suggest a nonpolar-polar phase transition at T c near 500 K, and a polar-polar phase transition at T a near 160 K. By fitting the angular dependence of the second harmonic intensities, we further propose that the two polar structures can be assigned to the Pmc2 1 and Pmn2 1 space group, while the high temperature nonpolar structure belongs to the Pbnm space group.

The Effect of Dust on the Martian Polar Vortices

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Guzewich, Scott D.; Toigo, A. D.; Waugh, D. W.

2016-01-01

The influence of atmospheric dust on the dynamics and stability of the martian polar vortices is examined, through analysis of Mars Climate Sounder observations and MarsWRF general circulation model simulations. We show that regional and global dust storms produce transient vortex warming events that partially or fully disrupt the northern winter polar vortex for brief periods. Increased atmospheric dust heating alters the Hadley circulation and shifts the downwelling branch of the circulation poleward, leading to a disruption of the polar vortex for a period of days to weeks. Through our simulations, we find this effect is dependent on the atmospheric heating rate, which can be changed by increasing the amount of dust in the atmosphere or by altering the dust optical properties (e.g., single scattering albedo). Despite this, our simulations show that some level of atmospheric dust is necessary to produce a distinct northern hemisphere winter polar vortex.

Designing magnetic droplet soliton nucleation employing spin polarizer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mohseni, Morteza; Mohseni, Majid

2018-04-01

We show by means of micromagnetic simulations that spin polarizer in nano-contact (NC) spin torque oscillators as the representative of the fixed layer in an orthogonal pseudo-spin valve can be employed to design and to control magnetic droplet soliton nucleation and dynamics. We found that using a tilted spin polarizer layer decreases the droplet nucleation time which is more suitable for high speed applications. However, a tilted spin polarizer increases the nucleation current and decreases the frequency stability of the droplet. Additionally, by driving the magnetization inhomogenously at the NC region, it is found that a tilted spin polarizer reduces the precession angle of the droplet and through an interplay with the Oersted field of the DC current, it breaks the spatial symmetry of the droplet profile. Our findings explore fundamental insight into nano-scale magnetic droplet soliton dynamics with potential tunability parameters for future microwave electronics.

Field trial of differential-phase-shift quantum key distribution using polarization independent frequency up-conversion detectors.

PubMed

Honjo, T; Yamamoto, S; Yamamoto, T; Kamada, H; Nishida, Y; Tadanaga, O; Asobe, M; Inoue, K

2007-11-26

We report a field trial of differential phase shift quantum key distribution (QKD) using polarization independent frequency up-conversion detectors. A frequency up-conversion detector is a promising device for achieving a high key generation rate when combined with a high clock rate QKD system. However, its polarization dependence prevents it from being applied to practical QKD systems. In this paper, we employ a modified polarization diversity configuration to eliminate the polarization dependence. Applying this method, we performed a long-term stability test using a 17.6-km installed fiber. We successfully demonstrated stable operation for 6 hours and achieved a sifted key generation rate of 120 kbps and an average quantum bit error rate of 3.14 %. The sifted key generation rate was not the estimated value but the effective value, which means that the sifted key was continuously generated at a rate of 120 kbps for 6 hours.

The effect of dust on the martian polar vortices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guzewich, Scott D.; Toigo, A. D.; Waugh, D. W.

2016-11-01

The influence of atmospheric dust on the dynamics and stability of the martian polar vortices is examined, through analysis of Mars Climate Sounder observations and MarsWRF general circulation model simulations. We show that regional and global dust storms produce ;transient vortex warming; events that partially or fully disrupt the northern winter polar vortex for brief periods. Increased atmospheric dust heating alters the Hadley circulation and shifts the downwelling branch of the circulation poleward, leading to a disruption of the polar vortex for a period of days to weeks. Through our simulations, we find this effect is dependent on the atmospheric heating rate, which can be changed by increasing the amount of dust in the atmosphere or by altering the dust optical properties (e.g., single scattering albedo). Despite this, our simulations show that some level of atmospheric dust is necessary to produce a distinct northern hemisphere winter polar vortex.

Development of an embedded instrument for autofocus and polarization alignment of polarization maintaining fiber

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feng, Di; Fang, Qimeng; Huang, Huaibo; Zhao, Zhengqi; Song, Ningfang

2017-12-01

The development and implementation of a practical instrument based on an embedded technique for autofocus and polarization alignment of polarization maintaining fiber is presented. For focusing efficiency and stability, an image-based focusing algorithm fully considering the image definition evaluation and the focusing search strategy was used to accomplish autofocus. For improving the alignment accuracy, various image-based algorithms of alignment detection were developed with high calculation speed and strong robustness. The instrument can be operated as a standalone device with real-time processing and convenience operations. The hardware construction, software interface, and image-based algorithms of main modules are described. Additionally, several image simulation experiments were also carried out to analyze the accuracy of the above alignment detection algorithms. Both the simulation results and experiment results indicate that the instrument can achieve the accuracy of polarization alignment <±0.1 deg.

Geophysical Survey of McMurdo Ice Shelf to Determine Infrastructure Stability and for Future Planning

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-01-01

ER D C/ CR RE L TR -1 7- 2 Engineering for Polar Operations, Logistics, and Research (EPOLAR) Geophysical Survey of McMurdo Ice Shelf...Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) solves the nation’s toughest engineering and environmental challenges. ERDC develops...ERDC, visit the ERDC online library at http://acwc.sdp.sirsi.net/client/default. Engineering for Polar Operations, Logistics, and Research (EPOLAR

Fire Safety Analysis of the Polar Icebreaker Replacement Design. Volume 2

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-10-01

report. ; iote : At t tne -3f incident only five or sx men were aboard: therefore, they could not atterrot to attack a fire of this intensmtp t hemse I...fire extinguisher (PKP) AUTOMATIC: A1301 Halon 1301 total flooding system - remotely actuated AF AFFF (3%) sprinkler system - remotely actuated AFM...simulate wind effects, we have found that its judicious use along with the vent and shaft routines allows for the modelling of simple HVAC systems

The Denis-gruson Six-component Wind-tunnel Balance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1935-01-01

The 6.C.1 balance is the first fully automatic balance assuring a continuous and simultaneous record of the aerodynamic characteristics of an airfoil in a wind tunnel. Because of the rapidity of the measurements a complete polar (six components) requires only about three minutes of wind, that is to say, of motive power, which is of interest for wind tunnels with high efficiency factors and may lead to the economical design of large size wind tunnels.

Photospheric Magnetic Diffusion by Measuring Moments of Active Regions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Engell, Alexander; Longcope, D.

2013-07-01

Photospheric magnetic surface diffusion is an important constraint for the solar dynamo. The HMI Active Region Patches (HARPs) program automatically identify all magnetic regions above a certain flux. In our study we measure the moments of ARs that are no longer actively emerging and can thereby give us good statistical constraints on photospheric diffusion. We also present the diffusion properties as a function of latitude, flux density, and single polarity (leading or following) within each HARP.

The Importance of Water for High Fidelity Information Processing and for Life

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hoehler, Tori M.; Pohorille, Andrew

2011-01-01

Is water an absolute prerequisite for life? Life depends on a variety of non-covalent interactions among molecules, the nature of which is determined as much by the solvent in which they occur as by the molecules themselves. Catalysis and information processing, two essential functions of life, require non-covalent molecular recognition with very high specificity. For example, to correctly reproduce a string consisting of 600,000 units of information (e.g ., 600 kilobases, equivalent to the genome of the smallest free living terrestrial organisms) with a 90% success rate requires specificity > 107 : 1 for the target molecule vs. incorrect alternatives. Such specificity requires (i) that the correct molecular association is energetically stabilized by at least 40 kJ/mol relative to alternatives, and (ii) that the system is able to sample among possible states (alternative molecular associations) rapidly enough to allow the system to fall under thermodynamic control and express the energetic stabilization. We argue that electrostatic interactions are required to confer the necessary energetic stabilization vs. a large library of molecular alternatives, and that a solvent with polarity and dielectric properties comparable to water is required for the system to sample among possible states and express thermodynamic control. Electrostatic associations can be made in non-polar solvents, but the resulting complexes are too stable to be "unmade" with sufficient frequency to confer thermodynamic control on the system. An electrostatic molecular complex representing 3 units of information (e.g., 3 base pairs) with specificity > 107 per unit has a stability in non-polar solvent comparable to that of a carbon-carbon bond at room temperature. These considerations suggest that water, or a solvent with properties very like water, is necessary to support high-fidelity information processing, and can therefore be considered a critical prerequisite for life.

Controllable optical steady behavior from nonradiative coherence in GaAs quantum well driven by a single elliptically polarized field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Zhonghu; Chen, Ai-Xi; Bai, Yanfeng; Yang, Wen-Xing; Lee, Ray-Kuang

2014-05-01

In this paper, we analyze theoretically the optical steady behavior in GaAs quantum well structure which interacts with a single elliptically polarized field (EPF) and a π-polarized probe field. Due to the existence of the robust nonradiative coherence, we demonstrate that the controllable optical steady behavior including multi-stability (OM) and optical bistability (OB) can be obtained. More interestingly, our numerical results also illustrate that tuning the phase difference between two components of polarized electric field of the EPF can realize the conversion between OB and OM. Our results illustrate the potential to utilize the optical phase for developing the new all-optical switching devices, as well as a guidance in the design for possible experimental implementations.

Phase diagram and polarization of stable phases of (Ga1- x In x )2O3

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maccioni, Maria Barbara; Fiorentini, Vincenzo

2016-04-01

The full phase diagram of (Ga1- x In x )2O3 is obtained theoretically. The phases competing for the ground state are monoclinic β (low x), hexagonal (x ˜ 0.5), and bixbyite (large x). Three disconnected mixing regions interlace with two distinct phase-separation regions, and at x ˜ 0.5, the coexistence of hexagonal and β alloys with phase-separated binary components is expected. We also explore the permanent polarization of the phases, but none of them are polar. On the other hand, we find that ɛ-Ga2O3, which was stabilized in recent experiments, is pyroelectric with a large polarization and piezoelectric coupling, and could be used to produce high-density electron gases at interfaces.

A Polar Corundum Oxide Displaying Weak Ferromagnetism at Room Temperature

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Combining long-range magnetic order with polarity in the same structure is a prerequisite for the design of (magnetoelectric) multiferroic materials. There are now several demonstrated strategies to achieve this goal, but retaining magnetic order above room temperature remains a difficult target. Iron oxides in the +3 oxidation state have high magnetic ordering temperatures due to the size of the coupled moments. Here we prepare and characterize ScFeO3 (SFO), which under pressure and in strain-stabilized thin films adopts a polar variant of the corundum structure, one of the archetypal binary oxide structures. Polar corundum ScFeO3 has a weak ferromagnetic ground state below 356 K—this is in contrast to the purely antiferromagnetic ground state adopted by the well-studied ferroelectric BiFeO3. PMID:22280499

Evaluating and ranking threats to the long-term persistence of polar bears

USGS Publications Warehouse

Atwood, Todd C.; Marcot, Bruce G.; Douglas, David C.; Amstrup, Steven C.; Rode, Karyn D.; Durner, George M.; Bromaghin, Jeffrey F.

2015-01-01

The polar bear (Ursus maritimus) was listed as a globally threatened species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA) in 2008, mostly due to the significant threat to their future population viability from rapidly declining Arctic sea ice. A core mandate of the ESA is the development of a recovery plan that identifies steps to maintain viable populations of a listed species. A substantive evaluation of the relative influence of putative threats to population persistence is helpful to recovery planning. Because management actions must often be taken in the face of substantial information gaps, a formalized evaluation hypothesizing potential stressors and their relationships with population persistence can improve identification of relevant conservation actions. To this end, we updated a Bayesian network model previously used to forecast the future status of polar bears worldwide. We used new information on actual and predicted sea ice loss and polar bear responses to evaluate the relative influence of plausible threats and their mitigation through management actions on the persistence of polar bears in four ecoregions. We found that polar bear outcomes worsened over time through the end of the century under both stabilized and unabated greenhouse gas (GHG) emission pathways. Under the unabated pathway (i.e., RCP 8.5), the time it took for polar bear populations in two of four ecoregions to reach a dominant probability of greatly decreased was hastened by about 25 years. Under the stabilized GHG emission pathway (i.e., RCP 4.5), where GHG emissions peak around the year 2040, the polar bear population in the Archipelago Ecoregion of High Arctic Canada never reached a dominant probability of greatly decreased, reinforcing earlier suggestions of this ecoregion’s potential to serve as a long-term refugium. The most influential drivers of adverse polar bear outcomes were declines to overall sea ice conditions and to the marine prey base. Improved sea ice conditions substantively lowered the probability of a decreased or greatly decreased outcome, while an elevated marine prey base was slightly less influential in lowering the probability of a decreased or greatly decreased outcome. Stressors associated with in situ human activities exerted considerably less influence on population outcomes. Reduced mortality from hunting and defense of life and property interactions resulted inmodest declines in the probability of a decreased or greatly decreased population outcome. Minimizing other stressors such as trans-Arctic shipping, oil and gas exploration, and point-source pollution had negligible effects on polar bear outcomes, but that could be attributed to uncertainties in the ecological relevance of those specific stressors. Our findings suggest adverse consequences of loss of sea ice habitat become more pronounced as the summer ice-free period lengthens beyond 4 months, which could occur in portions of the Arctic by the middle of this century under the unabated pathway. The long-term persistence of polar bears may be achieved through ameliorating the loss of sea ice habitat, which will likely require stabilizing CO2emissions at or below the ceiling represented by RCP 4.5. Management of other stressors may serve to slow the transition of polar bear populations to progressively worsened outcomes, and improve the prospects of persistence, pending GHG mitigation.

Altered response of the anterolateral abdominal muscles to simulated weight-bearing in subjects with low back pain.

PubMed

Hides, Julie A; Belavý, Daniel L; Cassar, Lana; Williams, Michelle; Wilson, Stephen J; Richardson, Carolyn A

2009-03-01

An important aspect of neuromuscular control at the lumbo-pelvic region is stabilization. Subjects with low back pain (LBP) have been shown to exhibit impairments in motor control of key muscles which contribute to stabilization of the lumbo-pelvic region. However, a test of automatic recruitment that relates to function has been lacking. A previous study used ultrasound imaging to show that healthy subjects automatically recruited the transversus abdominis (TrA) and internal oblique (IO) muscles in response to a simulated weight-bearing task. This task has not been investigated in subjects with LBP. The aim of this study was to compare the automatic recruitment of the abdominal muscles among subjects with and without LBP in response to the simulated weight-bearing task. Twenty subjects with and without LBP were tested. Real-time ultrasound imaging was used to assess changes in thickness of the TrA and internal oblique IO muscles as well as lateral movement ("slide") of the anterior fascial insertion of the TrA muscle. Results showed that subjects with LBP showed significantly less shortening of the TrA muscle (P < 0.0001) and greater increases in thickness of the IO muscle (P = 0.002) with the simulated weight-bearing task. There was no significant difference between groups for changes in TrA muscle thickness (P = 0.055). This study provides evidence of changes in motor control of the abdominal muscles in subjects with LBP. This test may provide a functionally relevant and non-invasive method to investigate the automatic recruitment of the abdominal muscles in people with and without LBP.

Phase stabilization of multidimensional amplification architectures for ultrashort pulses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Müller, M.; Kienel, M.; Klenke, A.; Eidam, T.; Limpert, J.; Tünnermann, A.

2015-03-01

The active phase stabilization of spatially and temporally combined ultrashort pulses is investigated theoretically and experimentally. Particularly, considering a combining scheme applying 2 amplifier channels and 4 divided-pulse replicas a bistable behavior is observed. The reason is mutual influence of the optical error signals that is intrinsic to temporal polarization beam combining. A successful mitigation strategy is proposed and is analyzed theoretically and experimentally.

Comparative evaluation of NeQuick and IRI models over Polar Regions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pietrella, Marco; Nava, Bruno; Pezzopane, Michael; Migoya-Orue, Yenca; Scotto, Carlo

2016-04-01

In the framework of the AUSPICIO (AUtomatic Scaling of Polar Ionograms and Cooperative Ionospheric Observations) project, the ionograms recorded at Hobart (middle latitude), Macquarie Island, Livingstone Island and Comandante Ferraz (middle-high latitude) and those recorded at the ionospheric observatories of Casey, Mawson, Davis, and Scott Base (Antarctic Polar Circle), have been taken into account to study the capability of NeQuick-2 and IRI-2012 models in predicting the behavior of the ionosphere, mainly in the polar region. In particular, the applicability of NeQuick-2 and IRI-2012 models was evaluated under two different modes: a) as assimilative models ingesting the foF2 and hmF2 measurements obtained from the electron density profiles provided by the Adaptive Ionospheric Profiler (AIP); b) as climatological models taking as input F10.7 solar activity index. The results obtained from the large number of comparisons made for each ionospheric observatory when NeQuick-2 and IRI-2012 models work according to the two modes above mentioned, reveal that the best description of the ionosphere electron density at the polar regions is provided when peak parameter data are ingested in near-real-time into NeQuick-2 and IRI-2012 models which, indeed, are not always able to represent efficiently the behavior of the ionosphere over the polar regions when operating in long term prediction mode. The statistical analysis results expressed in terms of root mean square errors (r.m.s.e.) for each ionospheric observatory show that, outside the Antarctic Polar Circle (APC), NeQuick-2 performance is better than the IRI-2012 performance; on the contrary, inside the APC IRI-2012 model performs better than NeQuick-2.

Simulator study of the effectiveness of an automatic control system designed to improve the high-angle-of-attack characteristics of a fighter airplane

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gilbert, W. P.; Nguyen, L. T.; Vangunst, R. W.

1976-01-01

A piloted, fixed-base simulation was conducted to study the effectiveness of some automatic control system features designed to improve the stability and control characteristics of fighter airplanes at high angles of attack. These features include an angle-of-attack limiter, a normal-acceleration limiter, an aileron-rudder interconnect, and a stability-axis yaw damper. The study was based on a current lightweight fighter prototype. The aerodynamic data used in the simulation were measured on a 0.15-scale model at low Reynolds number and low subsonic Mach number. The simulation was conducted on the Langley differential maneuvering simulator, and the evaluation involved representative combat maneuvering. Results of the investigation show the fully augmented airplane to be quite stable and maneuverable throughout the operational angle-of-attack range. The angle-of-attack/normal-acceleration limiting feature of the pitch control system is found to be a necessity to avoid angle-of-attack excursions at high angles of attack. The aileron-rudder interconnect system is shown to be very effective in making the airplane departure resistant while the stability-axis yaw damper provided improved high-angle-of-attack roll performance with a minimum of sideslip excursions.

Automatic feature-based grouping during multiple object tracking.

PubMed

Erlikhman, Gennady; Keane, Brian P; Mettler, Everett; Horowitz, Todd S; Kellman, Philip J

2013-12-01

Contour interpolation automatically binds targets with distractors to impair multiple object tracking (Keane, Mettler, Tsoi, & Kellman, 2011). Is interpolation special in this regard or can other features produce the same effect? To address this question, we examined the influence of eight features on tracking: color, contrast polarity, orientation, size, shape, depth, interpolation, and a combination (shape, color, size). In each case, subjects tracked 4 of 8 objects that began as undifferentiated shapes, changed features as motion began (to enable grouping), and returned to their undifferentiated states before halting. We found that intertarget grouping improved performance for all feature types except orientation and interpolation (Experiment 1 and Experiment 2). Most importantly, target-distractor grouping impaired performance for color, size, shape, combination, and interpolation. The impairments were, at times, large (>15% decrement in accuracy) and occurred relative to a homogeneous condition in which all objects had the same features at each moment of a trial (Experiment 2), and relative to a "diversity" condition in which targets and distractors had different features at each moment (Experiment 3). We conclude that feature-based grouping occurs for a variety of features besides interpolation, even when irrelevant to task instructions and contrary to the task demands, suggesting that interpolation is not unique in promoting automatic grouping in tracking tasks. Our results also imply that various kinds of features are encoded automatically and in parallel during tracking.

Three-dimensional thermal structure of the South Polar Vortex of Venus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hueso, Ricardo; Garate-Lopez, Itziar; Garcia-Muñoz, Antonio; Sánchez-Lavega, Agustín

2014-11-01

We have analyzed thermal infrared images provided by the VIRTIS-M instrument aboard Venus Express (VEX) to obtain high resolution thermal maps of the Venus south polar region between 55 and 85 km altitudes. The maps investigate three different dynamical configurations of the polar vortex including its classical dipolar shape, a regularly oval shape and a transition shape between the different configurations of the vortex. We apply the atmospheric model described by García Muñoz et al. (2013) and a variant of the retrieval algorithm detailed in Grassi et al. (2008) to obtain maps of temperature over the Venus south polar region in the quoted altitude range. These maps are discussed in terms of cloud motions and relative vorticity distribution obtained previously (Garate-Lopez et al. 2013). Temperature maps retrieved at 55 - 63 km show the same structures that are observed in the ~5 µm radiance images. This altitude range coincides with the optimal expected values of the cloud top altitude at polar latitudes and magnitudes derived from the analysis of ~5 µm images are measured at this altitude range. We also study the imprint of the vortex on the thermal field above the cloud level which extends up to 80 km. From the temperature maps, we also study the vertical stability of different atmospheric layers. The cold collar is clearly the most statically stable structure at polar latitudes, while the vortex and subpolar latitudes show lower stability values. Furthermore, the hot filaments present within the vortex at 55-63 km exhibit lower values of static stability than their immediate surroundings.ReferencesGarate-Lopez et al. Nat. Geosci. 6, 254-257 (2013).García Muñoz et al. Planet. Space Sci. 81, 65-73 (2013).Grassi, D. et al. J. Geophys. Res. 113, 1-12 (2008).AcknowledgementsWe thank ESA for supporting Venus Express, ASI, CNES and the other national space agencies supporting VIRTIS on VEX and their principal investigators G. Piccioni and P. Drossart. This work was supported by projects AYA2012-36666 with FEDER support, PRICI-S2009/ESP-1496, Grupos Gobierno Vasco IT-765-13 and by UPV/EHU through program UFI11/55. IGL and AGM acknowledge ESA/RSSD for hospitality and access to ‘The Grid’ computing resources.

Optimal Design of Miniaturized Reflecting Metasurfaces for Ultra-Wideband and Angularly Stable Polarization Conversion.

PubMed

Borgese, Michele; Costa, Filippo; Genovesi, Simone; Monorchio, Agostino; Manara, Giuliano

2018-05-16

An ultra-wideband linear polarization converter based on a reflecting metasurface is presented. The polarizer is composed by a periodic arrangement of miniaturized metallic elements printed on a grounded dielectric substrate. In order to achieve broadband polarization converting properties, the metasurface is optimized by employing a genetic algorithm (GA) which imposes the minimization of the amplitude of the co-polar reflection coefficient over a wide frequency band. The enhanced angular stability of the polarization converter is due to the miniaturized unit cell which is obtained by imposing the maximum periodicity of the metasurface in the GA optimization process. The pixelated polarization converter obtained by the GA exhibits a relative bandwidth of 102% working from 8.12 GHz to 25.16 GHz. The analysis of the surface current distribution of the metasurface led to a methodology for refining the optimized GA solution based on the sequential removal of pixels of the unit cell on which surface currents are not excited. The relative bandwidth of the refined polarizer is extended up to 117.8% with a unit cell periodicity of 0.46 mm, corresponding to λ/20 at the maximum operating frequency. The performance of the proposed ultra-wideband polarization metasurface has been confirmed through full-wave simulations and measurements.

The adsorption, stability and properties of Mn6Cr Single-Molecule-Magnets studied by means of nc-AFM, STM, XAS and Spin-resolved Photoelectron Spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heinzmann, U.; Gryzia, A.; Helmstedt, A.; Dohmeier, N.; Predatsch, H.; Brechling, A.; Müller, N.; Sacher, M.; Hoeke, V.; Krickemeyer, E.; Glaser, T.; Bouvron, S.; Fonin, M.; Neumann, M.

2012-11-01

The ionic single-molecule-magnet [MnIII6CrIII]3 with corresponding three counterions has been deposited on different surfaces and studied with respect to its structure and its electronic and magnetic properties. This is the first time that spin polarization of photoelectrons ejected by means of circularly polarized synchrotron radiation has been measured in a single-molecule-magnet.

Stability of pharmaceuticals and other polar organic compounds stored on polar organic chemical integrative samplers and solid-phase extraction cartridges.

PubMed

Carlson, Jules C; Challis, Jonathan K; Hanson, Mark L; Wong, Charles S

2013-02-01

The stability of 24 chemicals, including pharmaceuticals and personal care products, and some agrochemicals on extraction media was evaluated by preloading them onto Oasis hydrophilic lipophilic balanced solid-phase extraction (SPE) cartridges and polar organic chemical integrative samplers (POCIS) followed by storage at -20°C over time. After 20 months, the average loss was 11% on POCIS, with only 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, atrazine, chlorpyrifos, and gemfibrozil showing a statistically significant decline compared with initial concentrations. Losses on SPE cartridges were below 19%, with an average loss of 9%. In addition to laboratory spiked samples, multiple POCIS deployed in wastewater-impacted surface waters and SPE extracts of these waters were stored in their original coextracted matrix for nearly two years with minimal observed losses. Errors from typical sampling, handling, and concentration estimates from POCIS sampling rates were typically ± 15 to 30% relative standard deviation, so observed storage losses are minimal for most POCIS applications. While losses during storage on SPE cartridges for 20 months were small but statistically significant for many compounds, addition of labeled internal standards prior to freezing should correct for such losses. Thus, storage of processed water samples for analysis of polar organic pollutants is viable for archival purposes or studies for which samples cannot be analyzed in the short term. Copyright © 2012 SETAC.

Intercomparison Between in situ and AVHRR Polar Pathfinder-Derived Surface Albedo over Greenland

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stroeve, Julienne C.; Box, Jason E.; Fowler, Charles; Haran, Terence; Key, Jeffery

2001-01-01

The Advanced Very High Resolution (AVHRR) Polar Pathfinder Data (APP) provides the first long time series of consistent, calibrated surface albedo and surface temperature data for the polar regions. Validations of these products have consisted of individual studies that analyzed algorithm performance for limited regions and or time periods. This paper reports on comparisons made between the APP-derived surface albedo and that measured at fourteen automatic weather stations (AWS) around the Greenland ice sheet from January 1997 to August 1998. Results show that satellite-derived surface albedo values are on average 10% less than those measured by the AWS stations. However, the station measurements tend to be biased high by about 4% and thus the differences in absolute albedo may be less (e.g. 6%). In regions of the ice sheet where the albedo variability is small, such as the dry snow facies, the APP albedo uncertainty exceeds the natural variability. Further work is needed to improve the absolute accuracy of the APP-derived surface albedo. Even so, the data provide temporally and spatially consistent estimates of the Greenland ice sheet albedo.

The variable polarity plasma arc welding process: Characteristics and performance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hung, R. J.; Zhu, G. J.

1991-01-01

Significant advantages of the Variable Polarity Plasma Arc (VPPA) Welding Process include faster welding, fewer repairs, less joint preparation, reduced weldment distortion, and absence of porosity. The power distribution was analyzed for an argon plasma gas flow constituting the fluid in the VPPA Welding Process. The major heat loss at the torch nozzle is convective heat transfer; in the space between the outlet of the nozzle and the workpiece; radiative heat transfer; and in the keyhole in the workpiece, convective heat transfer. The power absorbed at the workpiece produces the molten puddle that solidifies into the weld bead. Crown and root widths, and crown and root heights of the weld bead are predicted. The basis is provided for an algorithm for automatic control of VPPA welding machine parameters to obtain desired weld bead dimensions.

Optical method and apparatus for detection of surface and near-subsurface defects in dense ceramics

DOEpatents

Ellingson, William A.; Brada, Mark P.

1995-01-01

A laser is used in a non-destructive manner to detect surface and near-subsurface defects in dense ceramics and particularly in ceramic bodies with complex shapes such as ceramic bearings, turbine blades, races, and the like. The laser's wavelength is selected based upon the composition of the ceramic sample and the laser can be directed on the sample while the sample is static or in dynamic rotate or translate motion. Light is scattered off surface and subsurface defects using a preselected polarization. The change in polarization angle is used to select the depth and characteristics of surface/subsurface defects. The scattered light is detected by an optical train consisting of a charge coupled device (CCD), or vidicon, television camera which, in turn, is coupled to a video monitor and a computer for digitizing the image. An analyzing polarizer in the optical train allows scattered light at a given polarization angle to be observed for enhancing sensitivity to either surface or near-subsurface defects. Application of digital image processing allows subtraction of digitized images in near real-time providing enhanced sensitivity to subsurface defects. Storing known "feature masks" of identified defects in the computer and comparing the detected scatter pattern (Fourier images) with the stored feature masks allows for automatic classification of detected defects.

Precision digital control systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vyskub, V. G.; Rozov, B. S.; Savelev, V. I.

This book is concerned with the characteristics of digital control systems of great accuracy. A classification of such systems is considered along with aspects of stabilization, programmable control applications, digital tracking systems and servomechanisms, and precision systems for the control of a scanning laser beam. Other topics explored are related to systems of proportional control, linear devices and methods for increasing precision, approaches for further decreasing the response time in the case of high-speed operation, possibilities for the implementation of a logical control law, and methods for the study of precision digital control systems. A description is presented of precision automatic control systems which make use of electronic computers, taking into account the existing possibilities for an employment of computers in automatic control systems, approaches and studies required for including a computer in such control systems, and an analysis of the structure of automatic control systems with computers. Attention is also given to functional blocks in the considered systems.

System automatically supplies precise analytical samples of high-pressure gases

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Langdon, W. M.

1967-01-01

High-pressure-reducing and flow-stabilization system delivers analytical gas samples from a gas supply. The system employs parallel capillary restrictors for pressure reduction and downstream throttling valves for flow control. It is used in conjunction with a sampling valve and minimizes alterations of the sampled gas.

Heat pipes. [technology utilization

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1975-01-01

The development and use of heat pipes are described, including space requirements and contributions. Controllable heat pipes, and designs for automatically maintaining a selected constant temperature, are discussed which would add to the versatility and usefulness of heat pipes in industrial processing, manufacture of integrated circuits, and in temperature stabilization of electronics.

46 CFR 174.015 - Intact stability.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... foot-degrees (4.57 meter-degrees) for ocean and Great Lakes winter service; and (2) 10 foot-degrees (3.05 meter-degrees) for lakes, bays, sounds, and Great Lakes summer service. (b) For the purpose of... centerline and waterline in calm water to the first opening that does not close watertight automatically. ...

Stability of airplanes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Warner, Edward P

1922-01-01

The author attempts to correct the misconception that piloting an airplane requires extraordinary skill and balance. He also tries to show that airplanes are extremely stable in flight. Some of the major points covered in this article include: automatic pilots, airplanes designed to be stable, and the reliance on mathematics to help in designing stable aircraft.

Sensitivity analysis of automatic flight control systems using singular value concepts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Herrera-Vaillard, A.; Paduano, J.; Downing, D.

1985-01-01

A sensitivity analysis is presented that can be used to judge the impact of vehicle dynamic model variations on the relative stability of multivariable continuous closed-loop control systems. The sensitivity analysis uses and extends the singular-value concept by developing expressions for the gradients of the singular value with respect to variations in the vehicle dynamic model and the controller design. Combined with a priori estimates of the accuracy of the model, the gradients are used to identify the elements in the vehicle dynamic model and controller that could severely impact the system's relative stability. The technique is demonstrated for a yaw/roll damper stability augmentation designed for a business jet.

STABILIZED TRANSISTOR AMPLIFIER

DOEpatents

Noe, J.B.

1963-05-01

A temperature stabilized transistor amplifier having a pair of transistors coupled in cascade relation that are capable of providing amplification through a temperature range of - 100 un. Concent 85% F to 400 un. Concent 85% F described. The stabilization of the amplifier is attained by coupling a feedback signal taken from the emitter of second transistor at a junction between two serially arranged biasing resistances in the circuit of the emitter of the second transistor to the base of the first transistor. Thus, a change in the emitter current of the second transistor is automatically corrected by the feedback adjustment of the base-emitter potential of the first transistor and by a corresponding change in the base-emitter potential of the second transistor. (AEC)

Stabilization of polar soils organic matter: insights from 13-C NMR and ESR spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abakumov, Evgeny

2017-04-01

Polar soils play a key role in the global carbon balance, as they contain maximum stocks of soil organic matter (SOM) within the whole pedosphere. Low temperature and severe conditions provides the accumulation of large amounts of organic matter in permafrost soils over thousands of years. The quality and composition of organic matter of polar soils is underestimated. In order to better understand the implication of permafrost SOM to greenhouse gas emissions, an accurate knowledge of its spatial distribution, both in terms of quantity and quality (i.e. biodegradability, chemical composition and humification degree) is needed. The chemical composition of SOM determines its decomposability and, therefore, it determines the rate at which carbon may be transferred from soils to the atmosphere under warming conditions. Biodegradability of SOM has been related to humification degree, as more advanced stages in the humification process imply a depletion of the labile molecules, as well as an increase in the bulk aromaticity, which provides a higher stability of the SOM. Soils from Antarctic and different sectors of Arctic biome were investigated by 13-C NMR and electron spin resonance spectroscopy. It was shown, that the characteristic feature of polar soils humic acids is the dominance of aliphatic compounds on the aromatic one. This is related to the humification precursors component composition, namely to dominance of the remnants of lower plants, especially in Antarctic and low period of biological activity, which regulates the humification rate. Humic acids of Antarctic and various Arctic soils show the portion of aromatic components not more than 30 %. ESR spectroscopy shown that the concentration of free radicals is proportional to the humic acids stabilization degree. Less humified organic materials show the highest portion of free radical content, while the most developed soils and buried organic layers show decreased contents of free radicals. The database on soil organic matter composition of polar soil should be created with aim to evaluate current state of the humosphere and to provide the prognostic scenarios of possible mineralisation of humus.

The effect of solvents on the stabilities (color and Fe) of anthocyanin isolated from the red-color-melinjo peels

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

Tarmizi, Ermiziar, E-mail: uph-ermi@yahoo.com, E-mail: ermitarmizi@gmail.com; Saragih, Raskita, E-mail: raskitasaragih@yahoo.com; Lalasari, Latifa Hanum, E-mail: ifa-sari@yahoo.com, E-mail: lati003@lipi.go.id

Anthocyanin from the red-color-melinjo peels could be isolated using a polar solvent (ethanol) [ermiziar, 2010]. The amount of hydrocarbons in the structure of anthocyanin might cause that anthocyanin could be isolated using a non polar solvent. The purpose of research is to isolate anthocyanin using non polar solvents (hexane and petroleum ether) with maceration steps for 24 hours and separate solvents using rotary evaporator equipment. The stability of anthocyanin could be observed every week (1,2,3 and 4 weeks) in various environmental conditions (with or without light in refrigerator and open or closed storage). The characterization of anthocyanin was analyzed withmore » visual (physic photo) and or using equipments such as Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) for determining functional groups, Ultraviolet–Visible Spectroscopy (UV/Vis) with 500-550 nm wavelengths for deciding absorption of anthocyanin and atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) for analyzing Fe element. The result showed that anthocyanin isolation with hexane solvent has yield higher than petroleum eter solvent. From the results of physic observation for 4 weeks looked that there are changing colors of samples significant after 3 and 4 weeks in cooler with or without light. The stability of anthocyanin color was the best on the storage time until 2 weeks using hexane solvent in refrigerator and closed condition that it has absorption of 0.6740 with 500 nm wavelengths and Fe concentration 6.29 ppm.« less

The role of amino acid side chains in stabilizing dipeptides: the laser ablation Fourier transform microwave spectrum of Ac-Val-NH2.

PubMed

León, I; Alonso, E R; Mata, S; Cabezas, C; Rodríguez, M A; Grabow, J-U; Alonso, J L

2017-09-20

The steric effects imposed by the isopropyl group of valine in the conformational stabilization of the capped dipeptide N-acetyl-l-valinamide (Ac-Val-NH 2 ) have been studied by laser ablation molecular beam Fourier transform microwave (LA-MB-FTMW) spectroscopy. The rotational and quadrupole coupling constants of the two 14 N nuclei determined in this work show that this dipeptide exists as a mixture of C 7 and C 5 conformers in the supersonic expansion. The conformers are stabilized by a C[double bond, length as m-dash]OH-N intramolecular hydrogen bond closing a seven- or a five-membered ring, respectively. The observation of both conformers is in good agreement with previous results on the related dipeptides containing different residues, confirming that the polarity/non-polarity of the side chains of the amino acid is responsible for the conformational locking/unlocking. The voluminous isopropyl group is not able to prevent the less stable C 5 conformer from forming but it destabilizes the C[double bond, length as m-dash]OH-N interaction.

Structure-Activity Relationship of the Antimalarial Ozonide Artefenomel (OZ439).

PubMed

Dong, Yuxiang; Wang, Xiaofang; Kamaraj, Sriraghavan; Bulbule, Vivek J; Chiu, Francis C K; Chollet, Jacques; Dhanasekaran, Manickam; Hein, Christopher D; Papastogiannidis, Petros; Morizzi, Julia; Shackleford, David M; Barker, Helena; Ryan, Eileen; Scheurer, Christian; Tang, Yuanqing; Zhao, Qingjie; Zhou, Lin; White, Karen L; Urwyler, Heinrich; Charman, William N; Matile, Hugues; Wittlin, Sergio; Charman, Susan A; Vennerstrom, Jonathan L

2017-04-13

Building on insights gained from the discovery of the antimalarial ozonide arterolane (OZ277), we now describe the structure-activity relationship (SAR) of the antimalarial ozonide artefenomel (OZ439). Primary and secondary amino ozonides had higher metabolic stabilities than tertiary amino ozonides, consistent with their higher pK a and lower log D 7.4 values. For primary amino ozonides, addition of polar functional groups decreased in vivo antimalarial efficacy. For secondary amino ozonides, additional functional groups had variable effects on metabolic stability and efficacy, but the most effective members of this series also had the highest log D 7.4 values. For tertiary amino ozonides, addition of polar functional groups with H-bond donors increased metabolic stability but decreased in vivo antimalarial efficacy. Primary and tertiary amino ozonides with cycloalkyl and heterocycle substructures were superior to their acyclic counterparts. The high curative efficacy of these ozonides was most often associated with high and prolonged plasma exposure, but exposure on its own did not explain the presence or absence of either curative efficacy or in vivo toxicity.

Soft antimicrobial agents: synthesis and activity of labile environmentally friendly long chain quaternary ammonium compounds.

PubMed

Thorsteinsson, Thorsteinn; Másson, Már; Kristinsson, Karl G; Hjálmarsdóttir, Martha A; Hilmarsson, Hilmar; Loftsson, Thorsteinn

2003-09-11

A series of soft quaternary ammonium antimicrobial agents, which are analogues to currently used quaternary ammonium preservatives such as cetyl pyridinium chloride and benzalkonium chloride, were synthesized. These soft analogues consist of long alkyl chain connected to a polar headgroup via chemically labile spacer group. They are characterized by facile nonenzymatic and enzymatic degradation to form their original nontoxic building blocks. However, their chemical stability has to be adequate in order for them to have antimicrobial effects. Stability studies and antibacterial and antiviral activity measurements revealed relationship between activity, lipophilicity, and stability. Their minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was as low as 1 microg/mL, and their viral reduction was in some cases greater than 6.7 log. The structure-activity studies demonstrate that the bioactive compounds (i.e., MIC for Gram-positive bacteria of <10 microg/mL) have an alkyl chain length between 12 and 18 carbon atoms, with a polar headgroup preferably of a small quaternary ammonium group, and their acquired inactivation half-life must be greater than 3 h at 60 degrees C.

Automation of NLO processes and decays and POWHEG matching in WHIZARD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reuter, Jürgen; Chokoufé, Bijan; Hoang, André; Kilian, Wolfgang; Stahlhofen, Maximilian; Teubner, Thomas; Weiss, Christian

2016-10-01

We give a status report on the automation of next-to-leading order processes within the Monte Carlo event generator WHIZARD, using GoSam and OpenLoops as provider for one- loop matrix elements. To deal with divergences, WHIZARD uses automated FKS subtraction, and the phase space for singular regions is generated automatically. NLO examples for both scattering and decay processes with a focus on e+ e- processes are shown. Also, first NLO- studies of observables for collisions of polarized leptons beams, e.g. at the ILC, will be presented. Furthermore, the automatic matching of the fixed-order NLO amplitudes with emissions from the parton shower within the Powheg formalism inside WHIZARD will be discussed. We also present results for top pairs at threshold in lepton collisions, including matching between a resummed threshold calculation and fixed-order NLO. This allows the investigation of more exclusive differential observables.

Origin and effective reduction of inversion domains in aluminum nitride grown by a sublimation method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shigetoh, Keisuke; Horibuchi, Kayo; Nakamura, Daisuke

2017-11-01

Owing to the large differences in the chemical properties between Al and N polarities in aluminum nitride (AlN), the choice of the polar direction for crystal growth strongly affects not only the quality but also the shape (facet formation) of the grown crystal. In particular, N-polar (0 0 0 -1) has been considered to be a more preferable direction than Al-polar (0 0 0 1) for sublimation growth because compared to Al-polar (0 0 0 1), N-polar (0 0 0 -1) exhibits better stability at high growth rate (high supersaturation) conditions and enables easier lateral enlargement of the crystal. However, some critical growth conditions induce polarity inversion and hinder stable N-polar growth. Furthermore, the origin of the polarity inversion in AlN growth by the sublimation method is still unclear. To ensure stable N-polar growth without polarity inversion, the formation mechanism of the inversion domain during AlN sublimation growth must be elucidated. Therefore, herein, we demonstrate homoepitaxial growth on an N-polar seed and carefully investigate the obtained crystal that shows polarity inversion. Annular bright-field scanning transmission electron microscopy reveals that polarity is completely converted to the Al polarity via the formation of a 30 nm thick mixed polar layer (MPL) just above the seed. Moreover, three-dimensional atom probe tomography shows the segregation of the oxygen impurities in the MPL with a high concentration of about 3 atom%. Finally, by avoiding the incorporation of oxygen impurity into the crystal at the initial stage of the growth, we demonstrate an effective reduction (seven orders of magnitude) of the inversion domain boundary formation.

A lexicon based method to search for extreme opinions

PubMed Central

Gamallo, Pablo

2018-01-01

Studies in sentiment analysis and opinion mining have been focused on many aspects related to opinions, namely polarity classification by making use of positive, negative or neutral values. However, most studies have overlooked the identification of extreme opinions (most negative and most positive opinions) in spite of their vast significance in many applications. We use an unsupervised approach to search for extreme opinions, which is based on the automatic construction of a new lexicon containing the most negative and most positive words. PMID:29799867

A Spherical Electro Optic High Voltage Sensor

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-06-01

electro - optic (EO) crystal is introduced for photonic measurement of pulsed high-voltage fields. A spherical shape is used in order to reduce electric field gradients in the vicinity of the sensor. The sensor is pure dielectric and is interrogated remotely using a laser. The sensor does not require the connection of any conducting components, which results in the highest electrical isolation. The spherical nature of the crystal coupled with the incident laser beam, and crossed polarizers (intensity modulation scheme). automatically produces interference figures. The

Experimental circular quantum secret sharing over telecom fiber network.

PubMed

Wei, Ke-Jin; Ma, Hai-Qiang; Yang, Jian-Hui

2013-07-15

We present a robust single photon circular quantum secret sharing (QSS) scheme with phase encoding over 50 km single mode fiber network using a circular QSS protocol. Our scheme can automatically provide a perfect compensation of birefringence and remain stable for a long time. A high visibility of 99.3% is obtained. Furthermore, our scheme realizes a polarization insensitive phase modulators. The visibility of this system can be maintained perpetually without any adjustment to the system every time we test the system.

Newman-Janis Algorithm Revisited

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brauer, O.; Camargo, H. A.; Socolovsky, M.

2015-01-01

The purpose of the present article is to show that the Newman-Janis and Newman et al algorithm used to derive the Kerr and Kerr-Newman metrics respectively, automatically leads to the extension of the initial non negative polar radial coordinate r to a cartesian coordinate running from to , thus introducing in a natural way the region in the above spacetimes. Using Boyer-Lindquist and ellipsoidal coordinates, we discuss some geometrical aspects of the positive and negative regions of , like horizons, ergosurfaces, and foliation structures

A lexicon based method to search for extreme opinions.

PubMed

Almatarneh, Sattam; Gamallo, Pablo

2018-01-01

Studies in sentiment analysis and opinion mining have been focused on many aspects related to opinions, namely polarity classification by making use of positive, negative or neutral values. However, most studies have overlooked the identification of extreme opinions (most negative and most positive opinions) in spite of their vast significance in many applications. We use an unsupervised approach to search for extreme opinions, which is based on the automatic construction of a new lexicon containing the most negative and most positive words.

Depth-encoded all-fiber swept source polarization sensitive OCT

PubMed Central

Wang, Zhao; Lee, Hsiang-Chieh; Ahsen, Osman Oguz; Lee, ByungKun; Choi, WooJhon; Potsaid, Benjamin; Liu, Jonathan; Jayaraman, Vijaysekhar; Cable, Alex; Kraus, Martin F.; Liang, Kaicheng; Hornegger, Joachim; Fujimoto, James G.

2014-01-01

Polarization sensitive optical coherence tomography (PS-OCT) is a functional extension of conventional OCT and can assess depth-resolved tissue birefringence in addition to intensity. Most existing PS-OCT systems are relatively complex and their clinical translation remains difficult. We present a simple and robust all-fiber PS-OCT system based on swept source technology and polarization depth-encoding. Polarization multiplexing was achieved using a polarization maintaining fiber. Polarization sensitive signals were detected using fiber based polarization beam splitters and polarization controllers were used to remove the polarization ambiguity. A simplified post-processing algorithm was proposed for speckle noise reduction relaxing the demand for phase stability. We demonstrated systems design for both ophthalmic and catheter-based PS-OCT. For ophthalmic imaging, we used an optical clock frequency doubling method to extend the imaging range of a commercially available short cavity light source to improve polarization depth-encoding. For catheter based imaging, we demonstrated 200 kHz PS-OCT imaging using a MEMS-tunable vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) and a high speed micromotor imaging catheter. The system was demonstrated in human retina, finger and lip imaging, as well as ex vivo swine esophagus and cardiovascular imaging. The all-fiber PS-OCT is easier to implement and maintain compared to previous PS-OCT systems and can be more easily translated to clinical applications due to its robust design. PMID:25401008

Self-grown oxy-hydroxide@ nanoporous metal electrode for high-performance supercapacitors.

PubMed

Kang, JianLi; Hirata, Akihiko; Qiu, H-J; Chen, LuYang; Ge, XingBo; Fujita, Takeshi; Chen, MingWei

2014-01-15

A binder-free self-grown oxy-hydroxide@nanoporous Ni-Mn hybrid electrode with high capacitance and cyclic stability is fabricated by electrochemical polarization of a dealloyed nanoporous Ni-Mn alloy. Combined with the low material costs, high electrochemical stability, and environmentally friendly nature, this novel electrode holds great promise for applications in high-capacity commercial supercapacitors. © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

A Sodium-Containing Quasicrystal: Using Gold To Enhance Sodium's Covalency in Intermetallic Compounds

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

Smetana, Volodymyr; Lin, Qisheng; Pratt, Daniel K.

2013-09-26

Gold macht stabil: Na 13Au 12Ga 15, ein natriumhaltiges thermodynamisch stabiles quasikristallines Material, wurde bei einer systematischen Studie des polaren Na-Au-Ga-Intermetallsystems entdeckt. Sein Elektron/Atom-Verhältnis von 1.75 ist für Bergman-Ikosaederphasen extrem klein, doch der substanzielle Au-Anteil sorgt für eine Hume-Rothery-Stabilisierung und neuartige polar-kovalente Na-Au-Wechselwirkungen.

Experimental Performance of a Single-Mode Ytterbium-doped Fiber Ring Laser with Intracavity Modulator

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Numata, Kenji; Camp, Jordan

2012-01-01

We have developed a linearly polarized Ytterbium-doped fiber ring laser with a single longitudinal mode output at 1064 run. A fiber-coupled intracavity phase modulator ensured mode-hop free operation and allowed fast frequency tuning. The fiber laser was locked with high stability to an iodine-stabilized laser, showing a frequency noise suppression of a factor approx 10 (exp 5) at 1 mHz

Research of vibration controlling based on programmable logic controller for electrostatic precipitator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Zisheng; Li, Yanhu; Li, Jiaojiao; Liu, Zhiqiang; Li, Qing

2013-03-01

In order to improve the reliability, stability and automation of electrostatic precipitator, circuits of vibration motor for ESP and vibration control ladder diagram program are investigated using Schneider PLC with high performance and programming software of Twidosoft. Operational results show that after adopting PLC, vibration motor can run automatically; compared with traditional control system of vibration based on single-chip microcomputer, it has higher reliability, better stability and higher dust removal rate, when dust emission concentrations <= 50 mg m-3, providing a new method for vibration controlling of ESP.

Stability analysis of Caisson Cofferdam Based on Strength Reduction Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, B. B.; Zhang, N. S.

2018-05-01

The working mechanism of the caisson cofferdam depends on the self-weight of the structure and internal filling to ensure its skid resistance and overturn resistance stability. Using the strength reduction method, the safety factor of the caisson cofferdam can be obtained. The potential slide surface can be searched automatically without constraining the range of the arc center. According to the results, the slippage surface goes through the bottom of the caisson. Based on the judgement criterion of the strength reduction method, the final safety factor is about 1.65.

Entry dynamics of space shuttle orbiter with longitudinal stability and control uncertainties at supersonic and hypersonic speeds

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stone, H. W.; Powell, R. W.

1977-01-01

A six-degree-of-freedom simulation analysis was conducted to examine the effects of longitudinal static aerodynamic stability and control uncertainties on the performance of the space shuttle orbiter automatic (no manual inputs) entry guidance and control systems. To establish the acceptable boundaries, the static aerodynamic characteristics were varied either by applying a multiplier to the aerodynamic parameter or by adding an increment. With either of two previously identified control system modifications included, the acceptable longitudinal aerodynamic boundaries were determined.

Properties, ageing behavior and stability of bipolar films containing nano-layers of allylamine and acrylic acid plasma polymers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aziz, Gaelle; Asadian, Mahtab; Declercq, Heidi; Morent, Rino; De Geyter, Nathalie

2018-06-01

In this work, a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) has been used for the deposition of bipolar films containing alternating nano-layers of plasma polymerized allylamine (PPAam) and acrylic acid (PPAac). Various films were obtained by varying the single-layer thickness of each plasma polymer while maintaining a constant total film thickness and two kinds of films were fabricated via different depositing sequences (PPAam/Aac and PPAac/Aam). Films properties, ageing in air and stability in water over a 7 days period were investigated. Results showed that, COO- and NH3+ polar entities, generated from the interaction of PPAam and PPAac, are present in the bipolar films. Concerning the films stability, the different reaction mechanisms involved in the formation of each kind of films resulted in a higher amount of polar groups in the PPAam/Aac films; this conferred these films a higher stability than PPAac/Aam. Concerning the films ageing behavior, all prepared samples underwent some kind of ageing which was found to be dependent on the deposition sequence. Results also showed that bipolar coatings exhibited better cell-material interactions compared to PPAam and PPAac films; with a better cell viability observed on PPAam/Aac coatings after 1 and 7 days culture.

Microfluidic on-chip fluorescence-activated interface control system

PubMed Central

Haiwang, Li; Nguyen, N. T.; Wong, T. N.; Ng, S. L.

2010-01-01

A microfluidic dynamic fluorescence-activated interface control system was developed for lab-on-a-chip applications. The system consists of a straight rectangular microchannel, a fluorescence excitation source, a detection sensor, a signal conversion circuit, and a high-voltage feedback system. Aqueous NaCl as conducting fluid and aqueous glycerol as nonconducting fluid were introduced to flow side by side into the straight rectangular microchannel. Fluorescent dye was added to the aqueous NaCl to work as a signal representing the interface position. Automatic control of the liquid interface was achieved by controlling the electroosmotic effect that exists only in the conducting fluid using a high-voltage feedback system. A LABVIEW program was developed to control the output of high-voltage power supply according the actual interface position, and then the interface position is modified as the output of high-voltage power supply. At last, the interface can be moved to the desired position automatically using this feedback system. The results show that the system presented in this paper can control an arbitrary interface location in real time. The effects of viscosity ratio, flow rates, and polarity of electric field were discussed. This technique can be extended to switch the sample flow and droplets automatically. PMID:21173886

A CMOS application-specified-integrated-circuit for 40 GHz high-electron-mobility-transistors automatic biasing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

De Matteis, M.; De Blasi, M.; Vallicelli, E. A.; Zannoni, M.; Gervasi, M.; Bau, A.; Passerini, A.; Baschirotto, A.

2017-02-01

This paper presents the design and the experimental results of a CMOS Automatic Control System (ACS) for the biasing of High-Electron-Mobility-Transistors (HEMT). The ACS is the first low-power mixed-signal Application-Specified-Integrated-Circuit (ASIC) able to automatically set and regulate the operating point of an off-chip 6 HEMT Low-Noise-Amplifiers (LNAs), hence it composes a two-chip system (the ACS+LNAs) to be used in the Large Scale Polarization Explorer (LSPE) stratospheric balloon for Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) signal observation. The hereby presented ACS ASIC provides a reliable instrumentation for gradual and very stable LNAs characterization, switching-on, and operating point (<4 mV accuracy). Moreover, it simplifies the electronic instrumentation needed for biasing the LNAs, since it replaces several off-the-shelf and digital programmable device components. The ASIC prototype has been implemented in a CMOS 0.35 μ m technology (12 mm2 area occupancy). It operates at 4 kHz clock frequency. The power consumption of one-channel ASIC (biasing one LNA) is 3.6 mW, whereas 30 mW are consumed by a single LNA device.

A CMOS application-specified-integrated-circuit for 40 GHz high-electron-mobility-transistors automatic biasing.

PubMed

De Matteis, M; De Blasi, M; Vallicelli, E A; Zannoni, M; Gervasi, M; Bau, A; Passerini, A; Baschirotto, A

2017-02-01

This paper presents the design and the experimental results of a CMOS Automatic Control System (ACS) for the biasing of High-Electron-Mobility-Transistors (HEMT). The ACS is the first low-power mixed-signal Application-Specified-Integrated-Circuit (ASIC) able to automatically set and regulate the operating point of an off-chip 6 HEMT Low-Noise-Amplifiers (LNAs), hence it composes a two-chip system (the ACS+LNAs) to be used in the Large Scale Polarization Explorer (LSPE) stratospheric balloon for Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) signal observation. The hereby presented ACS ASIC provides a reliable instrumentation for gradual and very stable LNAs characterization, switching-on, and operating point (<4 mV accuracy). Moreover, it simplifies the electronic instrumentation needed for biasing the LNAs, since it replaces several off-the-shelf and digital programmable device components. The ASIC prototype has been implemented in a CMOS 0.35 μm technology (12 mm 2 area occupancy). It operates at 4 kHz clock frequency. The power consumption of one-channel ASIC (biasing one LNA) is 3.6 mW, whereas 30 mW are consumed by a single LNA device.

Monoclinic Cc-phase stabilization in magnetically diluted lead free Na1/2Bi1/2TiO3—Evolution of spin glass like behavior with enhanced ferroelectric and dielectric properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thangavelu, Karthik; Asthana, Saket

2015-09-01

The effect of magnetic cation substitution on the phase stabilization, ferroelectric, dielectric and magnetic properties of a lead free Na0.5Bi0.5TiO3 (NBT) system prepared by O2 atmosphere solid state sintering were studied extensively. Cobalt (Co) was chosen as the magnetic cation to substitute at the Ti-site of NBT with optimized 2.5 mol%. Rietveld analysis of x-ray diffraction data favours the monoclinic Cc phase stabilization strongly rather than the parent R3c phase. FE-SEM micrograph supports the single phase characteristics without phase segregation at the grain boundaries. The stabilized Cc space group was explained based on the collective local distortion effects due to spin-orbit stabilization at Co3+ and Co2+ functional centres. The phonon mode changes as observed in the TiO6 octahedral modes also support the Cc phase stabilization. The major Co3+-ion presence was revealed from corresponding crystal field transitions observed through solid state diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. The enhanced spontaneous polarization (Ps) from ≅38 μC cm-2 to 45 μC cm-2 could be due to the easy rotation of polarization vector along the {(1\\bar{1}0)}{{pc}} in Cc phase. An increase in static dielectric response (ɛ) from ɛ ≅ 42 to 60 along with enhanced diffusivity from γ ≅ 1.53 to 1.75 was observed. Magneto-thermal irreversibility and their magnetic field dependent ZFC/FC curves suggest the possibility of a spin glass like behaviour below 50 K. The monoclinic Cc phase stabilization as confirmed from structural studies was well correlated with the observed ferroic properties in magnetically diluted NBT.

The Gaia spectrophotometric standard stars survey: II. Instrumental effects of six ground-based observing campaigns

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Altavilla, G.; Marinoni, S.; Pancino, E.; Galleti, S.; Ragaini, S.; Bellazzini, M.; Cocozza, G.; Bragaglia, A.; Carrasco, J. M.; Castro, A.; Di Fabrizio, L.; Federici, L.; Figueras, F.; Gebran, M.; Jordi, C.; Masana, E.; Schuster, W.; Valentini, G.; Voss, H.

2015-08-01

The Gaia SpectroPhotometric Standard Stars (SPSS) survey started in 2006, was awarded almost 450 observing nights and accumulated almost 100 000 raw data frames with both photometric and spectroscopic observations. Such large observational effort requires careful, homogeneous, and automatic data reduction and quality control procedures. In this paper, we quantitatively evaluate instrumental effects that might have a significant (i.e., ≥ 1 %) impact on the Gaia SPSS flux calibration. The measurements involve six different instruments, monitored over the eight years of observations dedicated to the Gaia flux standards campaigns: DOLORES@TNG in La Palma, EFOSC2@NTT and ROSS@REM in La Silla, CAFOS@2.2 m in Calar Alto, BFOSC@Cassini in Loiano, and LaRuca@1.5 m in San Pedro Mártir. We examine and quantitatively evaluate the following effects: CCD linearity and shutter times, calibration frames stability, lamp flexures, second order contamination, light polarization, and fringing. We present methods to correct for the relevant effects which can be applied to a wide range of observational projects at similar instruments. Based on data obtained with BFOSC@Cassini in Loiano, Italy; EFOSC2@NTT in La Silla, Chile; DOLORES@TNG in La Palma, Spain; CAFOS@2.2 m in Calar Alto, Spain; LaRuca@1.5 m in San Pedro Mártir, Mexico (see acknowledgements for more details).

Rotated waveplates in integrated waveguide optics.

PubMed

Corrielli, Giacomo; Crespi, Andrea; Geremia, Riccardo; Ramponi, Roberta; Sansoni, Linda; Santinelli, Andrea; Mataloni, Paolo; Sciarrino, Fabio; Osellame, Roberto

2014-06-25

Controlling and manipulating the polarization state of a light beam is crucial in applications ranging from optical sensing to optical communications, both in the classical and quantum regime, and ultimately whenever interference phenomena are to be exploited. In addition, many of these applications present severe requirements of phase stability and greatly benefit from a monolithic integrated-optics approach. However, integrated devices that allow arbitrary transformations of the polarization state are very difficult to produce with conventional lithographic technologies. Here we demonstrate waveguide-based optical waveplates, with arbitrarily rotated birefringence axis, fabricated by femtosecond laser pulses. To validate our approach, we exploit this component to realize a compact device for the quantum state tomography of two polarization-entangled photons. This work opens perspectives for integrated manipulation of polarization-encoded information with relevant applications ranging from integrated polarimetric sensing to quantum key distribution.

The Polar Engineering Development Center (PEDC) for Coordinated Geospace Observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gerrard, A. J.; Kim, H.; Weatherwax, A. T.

2016-12-01

The PEDC, housed at the New Jersey Institute, consists of a highly skilled group of collegiate professors, research scientists, electrical and mechanical engineers, and technicians that have decades of experience in instrument and hardware design for deployment at high latitude/polar regions. Now supported by NSF and reaching out to serve the broader astrophysical and geospace scientific communities conducting research in polar environments by providing support in the areas of: (a) sustainable "green" power generation in the 10-W to 500-W range, (b) power conditioning and control, (c) robust engineering for polar climates, (d) data acquisition techniques, units, and transmission services, and (e) general polar field support. The original group was formed in the 1980's as part of the NSF-supported Automatic Geophysical Observatory (AGO) program which operates to this day on projects active across the Antarctic ice shelf. In this paper we present the PEDC Antarctic geospace data portal, which was created in order to host and distribute data and quicklook plots from the instrumentation located at South Pole Station, McMurdo Station, and the Automated Geophysical Observatories in Antarctica. At this time, all fluxgate magnetometer data from all of the stations are posted for a time period covering the late 1990's to today's synoptic data. In the coming months, additional datasets (e.g., searchcoil magnetometers, photometers, and riometers) will be likewise posted. This data portal, linked through antarcticgeospace.org or directly via antarcticgeospace.njit.edu, is now open to community use.

Direct atomic force microscopic evidence of hydrogen bonding interaction in phosphatidic acid Langmuir-Blodgett bilayer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chunbo, Yuan; Ying, Wu; Yueming, Sun; Zuhong, Lu; Juzheng, Liu

1997-12-01

Molecularly resolved atomic force microscopic images of phosphatidic acid Langmuir-Blodgett bilayers show that phosphate groups in polar region of the films are packing in a distorted hexagonal organization with long-range orientational and positional order. Intermolecular hydrogen bonding interactions, which should be responsible for the ordering and stability of bilayers, are visualized directly between adjacent phosphate groups in the polar region of the bilayer. Some adjacent phosphatidic acid molecules link each other through the formation of intermolecular hydrogen bonds between phosphate groups in polar region to form local supramolecules, which provide the bilayer's potential as a functionized film in the investigation on the lateral conductions of protons in the biological bilayers.

Study of poly-L-lysine conformations in aqueous methanol solution by using polarized Raman techniques.

PubMed Central

Shepherd, I W

1976-01-01

Raman polarization measurements of the amide I band are reported in ionized poly-L-lysine dissolved in aqueous methanol. The observed changes with methanol concentration, attributed to changes in coil conformation and to the helix-coil transition, represent a novel method of measuring polymer conformation. Polarization measurements as a function of temperature yield values of the energy differences between rotational isomeric states in the coil. deltaH, of 8.8 +/- 0.7, 10.4 +/- 1.1 and 10.8 +/- 1.5 kJ/mol at methanol concentrations (v/v) of 85, 80 and 70% respectively. The stabilization energy of the helix is estimated at 9.3 kJ/mol. PMID:949317

Optimization of light polarization sensitivity in QWIP detectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berurier, Arnaud; Nedelcu, Alexandru

2013-07-01

The current development of QWIPs (Quantum Well Infrared Photodetectors) at III-V Lab led to the production of 20 μm pitch, mid-format and full TV-format LWIR starring arrays with excellent performances, uniformity and stability. At the present time III-V Lab, together with TOL (Thales Optronics Ltd.) and SOFRADIR (Société Française de Détecteurs Infrarouges), work on the demonstration of a 20 μm pitch, 640 × 512 LWIR focal plane array (FPA) which detects the incident IR light polarization. Manufactured objects present a strong linear polarization signature in thermal emission. It is of high interest to achieve a detector able to measure precisely the degree of linear polarization, in order to distinguish artificial and natural objects in the observed scene. In this paper, we present a theoretical investigation of the optical coupling in polarization sensitive pixels. The QWIP modeling is performed by the Finite Difference Time Domain (FDTD) method. The aim is to optimize the sensitivity to light polarization as well as the performance of the detector.

Impact of molecular packing on electronic polarization in organic crystals: the case of pentacene vs TIPS-pentacene.

PubMed

Ryno, Sean M; Risko, Chad; Brédas, Jean-Luc

2014-04-30

Polarization energy corresponds to the stabilization of the cation or anion state of an atom or molecule when going from the gas phase to the solid state. The decrease in ionization energy and increase in electron affinity in the solid state are related to the (electronic and nuclear) polarization of the surrounding atoms and molecules in the presence of a charged entity. Here, through a combination of molecular mechanics and quantum mechanics calculations, we evaluate the polarization energies in two prototypical organic semiconductors, pentacene and 6,13-bis(2-(tri-isopropylsilyl)ethynyl)pentacene (TIPS-pentacene). Comparison of the results for the two systems reveals the critical role played by the molecular packing configurations in the determination of the polarization energies and provides physical insight into the experimental data reported by Lichtenberger and co-workers (J. Amer. Chem. Soc. 2010, 132, 580; J. Phys. Chem. C 2010, 114, 13838). Our results underline that the impact of packing configurations, well established in the case of the charge-transport properties, also extends to the polarization properties of π-conjugated materials.

Circularly polarized light to study linear magneto-optics for ferrofluids: θ-scan technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meng, Xiangshen; Huang, Yan; He, Zhenghong; Lin, Yueqiang; Liu, Xiaodong; Li, Decai; Li, Jian; Qiu, Xiaoyan

2018-06-01

Circularly polarized light can be divided into two vertically linearly polarized light beams with  ±π/2 phase differences. In the presence of an external magnetic field, when circularly polarized light travels through a ferrofluid film, whose thickness is no more than that of λ/4 plate, magneto-optical, magnetic birefringence and dichroism effects cause the transmitted light to behave as elliptically polarized light. Using angular scan by a continuously rotating polarizer as analyzer, the angular (θ) distribution curve of relative intensity (T) corresponding to elliptically polarized light can be measured. From the T  ‑  θ curve having ellipsometry, the parameters such as the ratio of short to long axis, and angular orientation of the long axis to the vertical field direction can be obtained. Thus, magnetic birefringence and dichroism can be probed simultaneously by measuring magneto-optical, positive or negative birefringence and dichroism features from the transmission mode. The proposed method is called θ-scan technique, and can accurately determine sample stability, magnetic field direction, and cancel intrinsic light source ellipticity. This study may be helpful to further research done to ferrofluids and other similar colloidal samples with anisotropic optics.

Coherent population trapping with polarization modulation

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

Yun, Peter, E-mail: enxue.yun@obspm.fr; Guérandel, Stéphane; Clercq, Emeric de

Coherent population trapping (CPT) is extensively studied for future vapor cell clocks of high frequency stability. In the constructive polarization modulation CPT scheme, a bichromatic laser field with polarization and phase synchronously modulated is applied on an atomic medium. A high contrast CPT signal is observed in this so-called double-modulation configuration, due to the fact that the atomic population does not leak to the extreme Zeeman states, and that the two CPT dark states, which are produced successively by the alternate polarizations, add constructively. Here, we experimentally investigate CPT signal dynamics first in the usual configuration, a single circular polarization.more » The double-modulation scheme is then addressed in both cases: one pulse Rabi interaction and two pulses Ramsey interaction. The impact and the optimization of the experimental parameters involved in the time sequence are reviewed. We show that a simple seven-level model explains the experimental observations. The double-modulation scheme yields a high contrast similar to the one of other high contrast configurations like push-pull optical pumping or crossed linear polarization scheme, with a setup allowing a higher compactness. The constructive polarization modulation is attractive for atomic clock, atomic magnetometer, and high precision spectroscopy applications.« less

Formal Solutions for Polarized Radiative Transfer. II. High-order Methods

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

Janett, Gioele; Steiner, Oskar; Belluzzi, Luca, E-mail: gioele.janett@irsol.ch

When integrating the radiative transfer equation for polarized light, the necessity of high-order numerical methods is well known. In fact, well-performing high-order formal solvers enable higher accuracy and the use of coarser spatial grids. Aiming to provide a clear comparison between formal solvers, this work presents different high-order numerical schemes and applies the systematic analysis proposed by Janett et al., emphasizing their advantages and drawbacks in terms of order of accuracy, stability, and computational cost.

Optical Orientation of Mn2+ Ions in GaAs in Weak Longitudinal Magnetic Fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akimov, I. A.; Dzhioev, R. I.; Korenev, V. L.; Kusrayev, Yu. G.; Sapega, V. F.; Yakovlev, D. R.; Bayer, M.

2011-04-01

We report on optical orientation of Mn2+ ions in bulk GaAs subject to weak longitudinal magnetic fields (B≤100mT). A manganese spin polarization of 25% is directly evaluated by using spin-flip Raman scattering. The dynamical Mn2+ polarization occurs due to the s-d exchange interaction with optically oriented conduction band electrons. Time-resolved photoluminescence reveals a nontrivial electron spin dynamics, where the oriented Mn2+ ions tend to stabilize the electron spins.

Optical orientation of Mn2+ ions in GaAs in weak longitudinal magnetic fields.

PubMed

Akimov, I A; Dzhioev, R I; Korenev, V L; Kusrayev, Yu G; Sapega, V F; Yakovlev, D R; Bayer, M

2011-04-08

We report on optical orientation of Mn2+ ions in bulk GaAs subject to weak longitudinal magnetic fields (B≤100  mT). A manganese spin polarization of 25% is directly evaluated by using spin-flip Raman scattering. The dynamical Mn2+ polarization occurs due to the s-d exchange interaction with optically oriented conduction band electrons. Time-resolved photoluminescence reveals a nontrivial electron spin dynamics, where the oriented Mn2+ ions tend to stabilize the electron spins.

Effect of surface ionization on wetting layers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kayser, R. F.

1986-01-01

A surface ionization model due to Langmuir is generalized to liquid mixtures of polar and nonpolar components in contact with ionizable substrates. When a predominantly nonpolar mixture is near a miscibility gap, thick wetting layers of the conjugate polar phase form on the substrate. Such charged layers can be much thicker than similar wetting layers stabilized by dispersion forces. This model may explain the 0.4- to 0.6-micron-thick wetting layers formed in stirred mixtures of nitromethane and carbon disulfide in contact with glass.

Phenylalanine 445 within oxidosqualene-lanosterol cyclase from Saccharomyces cerevisiae influences C-Ring cyclization and deprotonation reactions.

PubMed

Wu, Tung-Kung; Liu, Yuan-Ting; Chiu, Feng-Hsuan; Chang, Cheng-Hsiang

2006-10-12

[reaction: see text] We describe the Saccharomyces cerevisiae oxidosqualene-lanosterol cyclase Phe445 site-saturated mutants that generate truncated tricyclic and altered deprotonation product profiles. Among these mutants, only polar side-chain group substitutions genetically complemented yeast viability and produced spatially related product diversity, supporting the Johnson model that cation-pi interactions between a carbocationic intermediate and an enzyme can be replaced by an electrostatic or polar side chain to stabilize the cationic intermediate, but with product differentiation.

Polarization of the interference field during reflection of electromagnetic waves from an intermedia boundary

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bulakhov, M. G.; Buyanov, Yu. I.; Yakubov, V. P.

1996-10-01

It has been shown that a full vector measurement of the total field allows one to uniquely distinguish the incident and reflected waves at each observation point without the use of a spatial difference based on an analysis of the polarization structure of the interference pattern which arises during reflection of electromagnetic waves from an intermedia boundary. We have investigated the stability of these procedures with respect to measurement noise by means of numerical modeling.

A global optimization approach to multi-polarity sentiment analysis.

PubMed

Li, Xinmiao; Li, Jing; Wu, Yukeng

2015-01-01

Following the rapid development of social media, sentiment analysis has become an important social media mining technique. The performance of automatic sentiment analysis primarily depends on feature selection and sentiment classification. While information gain (IG) and support vector machines (SVM) are two important techniques, few studies have optimized both approaches in sentiment analysis. The effectiveness of applying a global optimization approach to sentiment analysis remains unclear. We propose a global optimization-based sentiment analysis (PSOGO-Senti) approach to improve sentiment analysis with IG for feature selection and SVM as the learning engine. The PSOGO-Senti approach utilizes a particle swarm optimization algorithm to obtain a global optimal combination of feature dimensions and parameters in the SVM. We evaluate the PSOGO-Senti model on two datasets from different fields. The experimental results showed that the PSOGO-Senti model can improve binary and multi-polarity Chinese sentiment analysis. We compared the optimal feature subset selected by PSOGO-Senti with the features in the sentiment dictionary. The results of this comparison indicated that PSOGO-Senti can effectively remove redundant and noisy features and can select a domain-specific feature subset with a higher-explanatory power for a particular sentiment analysis task. The experimental results showed that the PSOGO-Senti approach is effective and robust for sentiment analysis tasks in different domains. By comparing the improvements of two-polarity, three-polarity and five-polarity sentiment analysis results, we found that the five-polarity sentiment analysis delivered the largest improvement. The improvement of the two-polarity sentiment analysis was the smallest. We conclude that the PSOGO-Senti achieves higher improvement for a more complicated sentiment analysis task. We also compared the results of PSOGO-Senti with those of the genetic algorithm (GA) and grid search method. From the results of this comparison, we found that PSOGO-Senti is more suitable for improving a difficult multi-polarity sentiment analysis problem.

Electric-field-temperature phase diagram of Mn-doped Bi{sub 0.5}(Na{sub 0.9}K{sub 0.1}){sub 0.5}TiO{sub 3} ceramics

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

Ehara, Yoshitaka, E-mail: Ehara@ceramics.tu-darmstadt.de; Novak, Nikola; Yasui, Shintaro

2015-12-28

An electric field–temperature (E-T) phase diagram for a lead-free 0.5 mol. % Mn-doped Bi(Na{sub 0.1}K{sub 0.9})TiO{sub 3} ceramics was investigated. The x-ray diffraction, dielectric and polarization measurements revealed relaxor behavior and were used to characterize the stability regions of the non-ergodic relaxor, ergodic relaxor and electric field induced ferroelectric states. As indicated by the polarization–current density profiles, transformation between two electric fields, induced ferroelectric states with opposite polarization direction arise via a two-step process through an intermediate relaxor state. Interplay between the ferroelectric state conversion and intermediate relaxor state is governed by the dynamics of polarization relaxation. The presented E-T phase diagrammore » revealed the effects of the applied electric field and temperature on stability regions. This is of special interest since the Bi{sub 0.5}(Na{sub 0.1}K{sub 0.9}){sub 0.5}TiO{sub 3} ceramics were proposed as a potential piezoceramic material.« less

An ancient role for nuclear beta-catenin in the evolution of axial polarity and germ layer segregation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wikramanayake, Athula H.; Hong, Melanie; Lee, Patricia N.; Pang, Kevin; Byrum, Christine A.; Bince, Joanna M.; Xu, Ronghui; Martindale, Mark Q.

2003-01-01

The human oncogene beta-catenin is a bifunctional protein with critical roles in both cell adhesion and transcriptional regulation in the Wnt pathway. Wnt/beta-catenin signalling has been implicated in developmental processes as diverse as elaboration of embryonic polarity, formation of germ layers, neural patterning, spindle orientation and gap junction communication, but the ancestral function of beta-catenin remains unclear. In many animal embryos, activation of beta-catenin signalling occurs in blastomeres that mark the site of gastrulation and endomesoderm formation, raising the possibility that asymmetric activation of beta-catenin signalling specified embryonic polarity and segregated germ layers in the common ancestor of bilaterally symmetrical animals. To test whether nuclear translocation of beta-catenin is involved in axial identity and/or germ layer formation in 'pre-bilaterians', we examined the in vivo distribution, stability and function of beta-catenin protein in embryos of the sea anemone Nematostella vectensis (Cnidaria, Anthozoa). Here we show that N. vectensis beta-catenin is differentially stabilized along the oral-aboral axis, translocated into nuclei in cells at the site of gastrulation and used to specify entoderm, indicating an evolutionarily ancient role for this protein in early pattern formation.

Atomic-Scale Mechanisms of Defect-Induced Retention Failure in Ferroelectrics.

PubMed

Li, Linze; Zhang, Yi; Xie, Lin; Jokisaari, Jacob R; Beekman, Christianne; Yang, Jan-Chi; Chu, Ying-Hao; Christen, Hans M; Pan, Xiaoqing

2017-06-14

The ability to switch the ferroelectric polarization using an electric field makes ferroelectrics attractive for application in nanodevices such as high-density memories. One of the major challenges impeding this application, however, has been known as "retention failure", which is a spontaneous process of polarization back-switching that can lead to data loss. This process is generally thought to be caused by the domain instability arising from interface boundary conditions and countered by defects, which can pin the domain wall and impede the back-switching. Here, using in situ transmission electron microscopy and atomic-scale scanning transmission electron microscopy, we show that the polarization retention failure can be induced by commonly observed nanoscale impurity defects in BiFeO 3 thin films. The interaction between polarization and the defects can also lead to the stabilization of novel functional nanodomains with mixed-phase structures and head-to-head polarization configurations. Thus, defect engineering provides a new route for tuning properties of ferroelectric nanosystems.

Simulation studies of nucleation of ferroelectric polarization reversal.

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

Brennecka, Geoffrey L.; Winchester, Benjamin Michael

2014-08-01

Electric field-induced reversal of spontaneous polarization is the defining characteristic of a ferroelectric material, but the process(es) and mechanism(s) associated with the initial nucleation of reverse-polarity domains are poorly understood. This report describes studies carried out using phase field modeling of LiTaO 3, a relatively simple prototype ferroelectric material, in order to explore the effects of either mechanical deformation or optically-induced free charges on nucleation and resulting domain configuration during field-induced polarization reversal. Conditions were selected to approximate as closely as feasible those of accompanying experimental work in order to provide not only support for the experimental work but alsomore » ensure that additional experimental validation of the simulations could be carried out in the future. Phase field simulations strongly support surface mechanical damage/deformation as effective for dramatically reducing the overall coercive field (Ec) via local field enhancements. Further, optically-nucleated polarization reversal appears to occur via stabilization of latent nuclei via the charge screening effects of free charges.« less

Improper magnetic ferroelectricity of nearly pure electronic nature in helicoidal spiral CaMn7O12

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lim, Jin Soo; Saldana-Greco, Diomedes; Rappe, Andrew M.

2018-01-01

Helicoidal magnetic order breaks inversion symmetry in quadruple perovskite CaMn7O12 , generating one of the largest spin-induced ferroelectric polarizations measured to date. Here, the microscopic origin of the polarization, including exchange interactions, coupling to the spin helicity, and charge density redistribution, is explored via first-principles calculations. The B -site Mn4 + (Mn3) spin adopts a noncentrosymmetric configuration, stabilized not only by spin-orbit coupling (SOC), but also by the fully anisotropic Hubbard J parameter in the absence of SOC, to break inversion symmetry and generate polarization. Berry phase computed polarization (Pelec=2169 μ C /m2 ) exhibits nearly pure electronic behavior, with negligible Mn displacements (≈0.7 m Å ). Orbital-resolved density of states shows that p -d orbital mixing is microscopically driven by nonrelativistic exchange striction within the commensurate ionic structure. Persistent electronic polarization induced by helical spin order in the nearly inversion-symmetric ionic crystal lattice suggests opportunities for ultrafast magnetoelectric response.

Bright circularly polarized soft X-ray high harmonics for X-ray magnetic circular dichroism.

PubMed

Fan, Tingting; Grychtol, Patrik; Knut, Ronny; Hernández-García, Carlos; Hickstein, Daniel D; Zusin, Dmitriy; Gentry, Christian; Dollar, Franklin J; Mancuso, Christopher A; Hogle, Craig W; Kfir, Ofer; Legut, Dominik; Carva, Karel; Ellis, Jennifer L; Dorney, Kevin M; Chen, Cong; Shpyrko, Oleg G; Fullerton, Eric E; Cohen, Oren; Oppeneer, Peter M; Milošević, Dejan B; Becker, Andreas; Jaroń-Becker, Agnieszka A; Popmintchev, Tenio; Murnane, Margaret M; Kapteyn, Henry C

2015-11-17

We demonstrate, to our knowledge, the first bright circularly polarized high-harmonic beams in the soft X-ray region of the electromagnetic spectrum, and use them to implement X-ray magnetic circular dichroism measurements in a tabletop-scale setup. Using counterrotating circularly polarized laser fields at 1.3 and 0.79 µm, we generate circularly polarized harmonics with photon energies exceeding 160 eV. The harmonic spectra emerge as a sequence of closely spaced pairs of left and right circularly polarized peaks, with energies determined by conservation of energy and spin angular momentum. We explain the single-atom and macroscopic physics by identifying the dominant electron quantum trajectories and optimal phase-matching conditions. The first advanced phase-matched propagation simulations for circularly polarized harmonics reveal the influence of the finite phase-matching temporal window on the spectrum, as well as the unique polarization-shaped attosecond pulse train. Finally, we use, to our knowledge, the first tabletop X-ray magnetic circular dichroism measurements at the N4,5 absorption edges of Gd to validate the high degree of circularity, brightness, and stability of this light source. These results demonstrate the feasibility of manipulating the polarization, spectrum, and temporal shape of high harmonics in the soft X-ray region by manipulating the driving laser waveform.

Bright circularly polarized soft X-ray high harmonics for X-ray magnetic circular dichroism

PubMed Central

Fan, Tingting; Grychtol, Patrik; Knut, Ronny; Hernández-García, Carlos; Hickstein, Daniel D.; Zusin, Dmitriy; Gentry, Christian; Dollar, Franklin J.; Mancuso, Christopher A.; Hogle, Craig W.; Kfir, Ofer; Legut, Dominik; Carva, Karel; Ellis, Jennifer L.; Dorney, Kevin M.; Chen, Cong; Shpyrko, Oleg G.; Fullerton, Eric E.; Cohen, Oren; Oppeneer, Peter M.; Milošević, Dejan B.; Becker, Andreas; Jaroń-Becker, Agnieszka A.; Popmintchev, Tenio; Murnane, Margaret M.; Kapteyn, Henry C.

2015-01-01

We demonstrate, to our knowledge, the first bright circularly polarized high-harmonic beams in the soft X-ray region of the electromagnetic spectrum, and use them to implement X-ray magnetic circular dichroism measurements in a tabletop-scale setup. Using counterrotating circularly polarized laser fields at 1.3 and 0.79 µm, we generate circularly polarized harmonics with photon energies exceeding 160 eV. The harmonic spectra emerge as a sequence of closely spaced pairs of left and right circularly polarized peaks, with energies determined by conservation of energy and spin angular momentum. We explain the single-atom and macroscopic physics by identifying the dominant electron quantum trajectories and optimal phase-matching conditions. The first advanced phase-matched propagation simulations for circularly polarized harmonics reveal the influence of the finite phase-matching temporal window on the spectrum, as well as the unique polarization-shaped attosecond pulse train. Finally, we use, to our knowledge, the first tabletop X-ray magnetic circular dichroism measurements at the N4,5 absorption edges of Gd to validate the high degree of circularity, brightness, and stability of this light source. These results demonstrate the feasibility of manipulating the polarization, spectrum, and temporal shape of high harmonics in the soft X-ray region by manipulating the driving laser waveform. PMID:26534992

CuInP₂S₆ Room Temperature Layered Ferroelectric.

PubMed

Belianinov, A; He, Q; Dziaugys, A; Maksymovych, P; Eliseev, E; Borisevich, A; Morozovska, A; Banys, J; Vysochanskii, Y; Kalinin, S V

2015-06-10

We explore ferroelectric properties of cleaved 2-D flakes of copper indium thiophosphate, CuInP2S6 (CITP), and probe size effects along with limits of ferroelectric phase stability, by ambient and ultra high vacuum scanning probe microscopy. CITP belongs to the only material family known to display ferroelectric polarization in a van der Waals, layered crystal at room temperature and above. Our measurements directly reveal stable, ferroelectric polarization as evidenced by domain structures, switchable polarization, and hysteresis loops. We found that at room temperature the domain structure of flakes thicker than 100 nm is similar to the cleaved bulk surfaces, whereas below 50 nm polarization disappears. We ascribe this behavior to a well-known instability of polarization due to depolarization field. Furthermore, polarization switching at high bias is also associated with ionic mobility, as evidenced both by macroscopic measurements and by formation of surface damage under the tip at a bias of 4 V-likely due to copper reduction. Mobile Cu ions may therefore also contribute to internal screening mechanisms. The existence of stable polarization in a van-der-Waals crystal naturally points toward new strategies for ultimate scaling of polar materials, quasi-2D, and single-layer materials with advanced and nonlinear dielectric properties that are presently not found in any members of the growing "graphene family".

Asymmetric adiabatic couplers for fully-integrated broadband quantum-polarization state preparation.

PubMed

Chung, Hung-Pin; Huang, Kuang-Hsu; Wang, Kai; Yang, Sung-Lin; Yang, Shih-Yuan; Sung, Chun-I; Solntsev, Alexander S; Sukhorukov, Andrey A; Neshev, Dragomir N; Chen, Yen-Hung

2017-12-04

Spontaneous parametric down-conversion (SPDC) is a widely used method to generate entangled photons, enabling a range of applications from secure communication to tests of quantum physics. Integrating SPDC on a chip provides interferometric stability, allows to reduce a physical footprint, and opens a pathway to true scalability. However, dealing with different photon polarizations and wavelengths on a chip presents a number of challenging problems. In this work, we demonstrate an on-chip polarization beam-splitter based on z-cut titanium-diffused lithium niobate asymmetric adiabatic couplers (AAC) designed for integration with a type-II SPDC source. Our experimental measurements reveal unique polarization beam-splitting regime with the ability to tune the splitting ratios based on wavelength. In particular, we measured a splitting ratio of 17 dB over broadband regions (>60 nm) for both H- and V-polarized lights and a specific 50%/50% splitting ratio for a cross-polarized photon pair from the AAC. The results show that such a system can be used for preparing different quantum polarization-path states that are controllable by changing the phase-matching conditions in the SPDC over a broad band. Furthermore, we propose a fully integrated electro-optically tunable type-II SPDC polarization-path-entangled state preparation circuit on a single lithium niobate photonic chip.

Portable automatic text classification for adverse drug reaction detection via multi-corpus training.

PubMed

Sarker, Abeed; Gonzalez, Graciela

2015-02-01

Automatic detection of adverse drug reaction (ADR) mentions from text has recently received significant interest in pharmacovigilance research. Current research focuses on various sources of text-based information, including social media-where enormous amounts of user posted data is available, which have the potential for use in pharmacovigilance if collected and filtered accurately. The aims of this study are: (i) to explore natural language processing (NLP) approaches for generating useful features from text, and utilizing them in optimized machine learning algorithms for automatic classification of ADR assertive text segments; (ii) to present two data sets that we prepared for the task of ADR detection from user posted internet data; and (iii) to investigate if combining training data from distinct corpora can improve automatic classification accuracies. One of our three data sets contains annotated sentences from clinical reports, and the two other data sets, built in-house, consist of annotated posts from social media. Our text classification approach relies on generating a large set of features, representing semantic properties (e.g., sentiment, polarity, and topic), from short text nuggets. Importantly, using our expanded feature sets, we combine training data from different corpora in attempts to boost classification accuracies. Our feature-rich classification approach performs significantly better than previously published approaches with ADR class F-scores of 0.812 (previously reported best: 0.770), 0.538 and 0.678 for the three data sets. Combining training data from multiple compatible corpora further improves the ADR F-scores for the in-house data sets to 0.597 (improvement of 5.9 units) and 0.704 (improvement of 2.6 units) respectively. Our research results indicate that using advanced NLP techniques for generating information rich features from text can significantly improve classification accuracies over existing benchmarks. Our experiments illustrate the benefits of incorporating various semantic features such as topics, concepts, sentiments, and polarities. Finally, we show that integration of information from compatible corpora can significantly improve classification performance. This form of multi-corpus training may be particularly useful in cases where data sets are heavily imbalanced (e.g., social media data), and may reduce the time and costs associated with the annotation of data in the future. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Portable Automatic Text Classification for Adverse Drug Reaction Detection via Multi-corpus Training

PubMed Central

Gonzalez, Graciela

2014-01-01

Objective Automatic detection of Adverse Drug Reaction (ADR) mentions from text has recently received significant interest in pharmacovigilance research. Current research focuses on various sources of text-based information, including social media — where enormous amounts of user posted data is available, which have the potential for use in pharmacovigilance if collected and filtered accurately. The aims of this study are: (i) to explore natural language processing approaches for generating useful features from text, and utilizing them in optimized machine learning algorithms for automatic classification of ADR assertive text segments; (ii) to present two data sets that we prepared for the task of ADR detection from user posted internet data; and (iii) to investigate if combining training data from distinct corpora can improve automatic classification accuracies. Methods One of our three data sets contains annotated sentences from clinical reports, and the two other data sets, built in-house, consist of annotated posts from social media. Our text classification approach relies on generating a large set of features, representing semantic properties (e.g., sentiment, polarity, and topic), from short text nuggets. Importantly, using our expanded feature sets, we combine training data from different corpora in attempts to boost classification accuracies. Results Our feature-rich classification approach performs significantly better than previously published approaches with ADR class F-scores of 0.812 (previously reported best: 0.770), 0.538 and 0.678 for the three data sets. Combining training data from multiple compatible corpora further improves the ADR F-scores for the in-house data sets to 0.597 (improvement of 5.9 units) and 0.704 (improvement of 2.6 units) respectively. Conclusions Our research results indicate that using advanced NLP techniques for generating information rich features from text can significantly improve classification accuracies over existing benchmarks. Our experiments illustrate the benefits of incorporating various semantic features such as topics, concepts, sentiments, and polarities. Finally, we show that integration of information from compatible corpora can significantly improve classification performance. This form of multi-corpus training may be particularly useful in cases where data sets are heavily imbalanced (e.g., social media data), and may reduce the time and costs associated with the annotation of data in the future. PMID:25451103

Modelling of the automatic stabilization system of the aircraft course by a fuzzy logic method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mamonova, T.; Syryamkin, V.; Vasilyeva, T.

2016-04-01

The problem of the present paper concerns the development of a fuzzy model of the system of an aircraft course stabilization. In this work modelling of the aircraft course stabilization system with the application of fuzzy logic is specified. Thus the authors have used the data taken for an ordinary passenger plane. As a result of the study the stabilization system models were realised in the environment of Matlab package Simulink on the basis of the PID-regulator and fuzzy logic. The authors of the paper have shown that the use of the method of artificial intelligence allows reducing the time of regulation to 1, which is 50 times faster than the time when standard receptions of the management theory are used. This fact demonstrates a positive influence of the use of fuzzy regulation.

Automatic River Network Extraction from LIDAR Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maderal, E. N.; Valcarcel, N.; Delgado, J.; Sevilla, C.; Ojeda, J. C.

2016-06-01

National Geographic Institute of Spain (IGN-ES) has launched a new production system for automatic river network extraction for the Geospatial Reference Information (GRI) within hydrography theme. The goal is to get an accurate and updated river network, automatically extracted as possible. For this, IGN-ES has full LiDAR coverage for the whole Spanish territory with a density of 0.5 points per square meter. To implement this work, it has been validated the technical feasibility, developed a methodology to automate each production phase: hydrological terrain models generation with 2 meter grid size and river network extraction combining hydrographic criteria (topographic network) and hydrological criteria (flow accumulation river network), and finally the production was launched. The key points of this work has been managing a big data environment, more than 160,000 Lidar data files, the infrastructure to store (up to 40 Tb between results and intermediate files), and process; using local virtualization and the Amazon Web Service (AWS), which allowed to obtain this automatic production within 6 months, it also has been important the software stability (TerraScan-TerraSolid, GlobalMapper-Blue Marble , FME-Safe, ArcGIS-Esri) and finally, the human resources managing. The results of this production has been an accurate automatic river network extraction for the whole country with a significant improvement for the altimetric component of the 3D linear vector. This article presents the technical feasibility, the production methodology, the automatic river network extraction production and its advantages over traditional vector extraction systems.

Bent-core fiber structure: Experimental and theoretical studies of fiber stability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bailey, C.; Gartland, E.; Jakli, A.

2007-03-01

Recent studies have shown that bent core liquid crystals in the B7 and B2 phases can form stable freestanding fibers with a so called ``jelly-roll'' layer configuration, which means that the smectic layers would be arranged in concentric cylindrical shells. This configuration shows layer curvature is necessary for fiber stability. Classically this effect would destabilize the fiber configuration because of the energy cost of layer distortions and surface tension. We propose a model that can predict fiber stability in the experimentally observed range of a few micrometers, by assuming that layer curvature can be stabilized by including a term dealing with the linear divergence of the polarization direction if the polarization is allowed to have a component normal to the smectic layers. We show that this term can stabilize the fiber configuration if its strength is larger than the surface tension. We also propose an entropic model to explain the strength of this term by considering steric effects. Finally we will take results from this model and apply them to better understand experimental findings of bent-core fibers. Financial support by NSF FRG under contract DMS-0456221. Prof. Daniel Phillips, Particia Bauman and Jie Shen at Purdue Univ., Prof. Maria Carme Calderer at Univ. of Minnesota, and Prof. Jonathan Selinger at Kent State Univ. Liou Qiu and Dr. O.D. Lavrentovich, Characterization Facilities, Liquid Crystal Institute, Kent State Univ. Julie Kim and Dr. Quan Li, Chemical Synthesis Facilities, Liquid Crystal Institute, Kent State Univ.

On the use of unshielded cables in ionization chamber dosimetry for total-skin electron therapy.

PubMed

Chen, Z; Agostinelli, A; Nath, R

1998-03-01

The dosimetry of total-skin electron therapy (TSET) usually requires ionization chamber measurements in a large electron beam (up to 120 cm x 200 cm). Exposing the chamber's electric cable, its connector and part of the extension cable to the large electron beam will introduce unwanted electronic signals that may lead to inaccurate dosimetry results. While the best strategy to minimize the cable-induced electronic signal is to shield the cables and its connector from the primary electrons, as has been recommended by the AAPM Task Group Report 23 on TSET, cables without additional shielding are often used in TSET dosimetry measurements for logistic reasons, for example when an automatic scanning dosimetry is used. This paper systematically investigates the consequences and the acceptability of using an unshielded cable in ionization chamber dosimetry in a large TSET electron beam. In this paper, we separate cable-induced signals into two types. The type-I signal includes all charges induced which do not change sign upon switching the chamber polarity, and type II includes all those that do. The type-I signal is easily cancelled by the polarity averaging method. The type-II cable-induced signal is independent of the depth of the chamber in a phantom and its magnitude relative to the true signal determines the acceptability of a cable for use under unshielded conditions. Three different cables were evaluated in two different TSET beams in this investigation. For dosimetry near the depth of maximum buildup, the cable-induced dosimetry error was found to be less than 0.2% when the two-polarity averaging technique was applied. At greater depths, the relative dosimetry error was found to increase at a rate approximately equal to the inverse of the electron depth dose. Since the application of the two-polarity averaging technique requires a constant-irradiation condition, it was demonstrated than an additional error of up to 4% could be introduced if the unshielded cable's spatial configuration were altered during the two-polarity measurements. This suggests that automatic scanning systems with unshielded cables should not be used in TSET ionization chamber dosimetry. However, the data did show that an unshielded cable may be used in TSET ionization chamber dosimetry if the size of cable-induced error in a given TSET beam is pre-evaluated and the measurement is carefully conducted. When such an evaluation has not been performed, additional shielding should be applied to the cable being used, making measurements at multiple points difficult.

Multivariable control of a twin lift helicopter system using the LQG/LTR design methodology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rodriguez, A. A.; Athans, M.

1986-01-01

Guidelines for developing a multivariable centralized automatic flight control system (AFCS) for a twin lift helicopter system (TLHS) are presented. Singular value ideas are used to formulate performance and stability robustness specifications. A linear Quadratic Gaussian with Loop Transfer Recovery (LQG/LTR) design is obtained and evaluated.

Longitudinal Stability of Pre-Reading Skill Profiles of Kindergarten Children: Implications for Early Screening and Theories of Reading

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ozernov-Palchik, Ola; Norton, Elizabeth S.; Sideridis, Georgios; Beach, Sara D.; Wolf, Maryanne; Gabrieli, John D. E.; Gaab, Nadine

2017-01-01

Research suggests that early identification of developmental dyslexia is important for mitigating the negative effects of dyslexia, including reduced educational attainment and increased socioemotional difficulties. The strongest pre-literacy predictors of dyslexia are rapid automatized naming (RAN), phonological awareness (PA), letter knowledge,…

Interface and thickness dependent domain switching and stability in Mg doped lithium niobate

DOE PAGES

Neumayer, Sabine M.; Ivanov, Ilia N.; Manzo, Michele; ...

2015-12-08

Controlling ferroelectric switching in Mg doped lithium niobate (Mg: LN) is of fundamental importance for optical device and domain wall electronics applications that require precise domain patterns. Stable ferroelectric switching has been previously observed in undoped LN layers above proton exchanged (PE) phases that exhibit reduced polarization, whereas PE layers have been found to inhibit lateral domain growth. Here, Mg doping, which is known to significantly alter ferroelectric switching properties including coercive field and switching currents, is shown to inhibit domain nucleation and stability in Mg: LN above buried PE phases that allow for precise ferroelectric patterning via domain growthmore » control. Furthermore, piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM) and switching spectroscopy PFM reveal that the voltage at which polarization switches from the "up" to the "down" state increases with increasing thickness in pure Mg: LN, whereas the voltage required for stable back switching to the original "up" state does not exhibit this thickness dependence. This behavior is consistent with the presence of an internal frozen defect field. The inhibition of domain nucleation above PE interfaces, observed in this study, is a phenomenon that occurs in Mg: LN but not in undoped samples and is mainly ascribed to a remaining frozen polarization in the PE phase that opposes polarization reversal. This reduced frozen depolarization field in the PE phase also influences the depolarization field of the Mg: LN layer above due to the presence of uncompensated polarization charge at the PE-Mg: LN boundary. Furthermore, these alterations in internal electric fields within the sample cause long-range lattice distortions in Mg: LN via electromechanical coupling, which were corroborated with complimentary Raman measurements.« less

Interface and thickness dependent domain switching and stability in Mg doped lithium niobate

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

Neumayer, Sabine M.; Rodriguez, Brian J., E-mail: gallo@kth.se, E-mail: brian.rodriguez@ucd.ie; Conway Institute of Biomolecular and Biomedical Research, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4

2015-12-14

Controlling ferroelectric switching in Mg doped lithium niobate (Mg:LN) is of fundamental importance for optical device and domain wall electronics applications that require precise domain patterns. Stable ferroelectric switching has been previously observed in undoped LN layers above proton exchanged (PE) phases that exhibit reduced polarization, whereas PE layers have been found to inhibit lateral domain growth. Here, Mg doping, which is known to significantly alter ferroelectric switching properties including coercive field and switching currents, is shown to inhibit domain nucleation and stability in Mg:LN above buried PE phases that allow for precise ferroelectric patterning via domain growth control. Furthermore,more » piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM) and switching spectroscopy PFM reveal that the voltage at which polarization switches from the “up” to the “down” state increases with increasing thickness in pure Mg:LN, whereas the voltage required for stable back switching to the original “up” state does not exhibit this thickness dependence. This behavior is consistent with the presence of an internal frozen defect field. The inhibition of domain nucleation above PE interfaces, observed in this study, is a phenomenon that occurs in Mg:LN but not in undoped samples and is mainly ascribed to a remaining frozen polarization in the PE phase that opposes polarization reversal. This reduced frozen depolarization field in the PE phase also influences the depolarization field of the Mg:LN layer above due to the presence of uncompensated polarization charge at the PE-Mg:LN boundary. These alterations in internal electric fields within the sample cause long-range lattice distortions in Mg:LN via electromechanical coupling, which were corroborated with complimentary Raman measurements.« less

Effect of occlusal appliances and clenching on the internally deranged TMJ space.

PubMed

Kuboki, T; Takenami, Y; Orsini, M G; Maekawa, K; Yamashita, A; Azuma, Y; Clark, G T

1999-01-01

Stabilization appliances and mandibular anterior repositioning appliances have been used to treat patients with internal derangement of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) based on the assumption that these appliances work by decompressing the TMJ. The purpose of this study was to indirectly test this assumption. Bilateral TMJ tomograms of 7 subjects with unilateral anterior disc displacement without reduction (ADDwor) were taken during comfortable closure and during maximum clenching in maximum intercuspation; tomograms were also taken with the 2 types of occlusal appliances in use. Outlines of the condyle and the temporal fossa were automatically determined by an edge-detection protocol, and the minimum joint space dimension of the joints with and without ADDwor was automatically measured for each experimental condition as the outcome variable. Upon comfortable closure and maximum clenching, the minimum joint space dimensions of the ipsilateral and contralateral joints with the use of stabilization appliances and mandibular anterior repositioning appliances were not significantly different from those seen in maximum intercuspation. These findings do not indicate that these appliances induce an increase in joint space during closing and clenching in joints with ADDwor.

Climatic impact of glacial cycle polar motion: Coupled oscillations of ice sheet mass and rotation pole position

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bills, Bruce G.; James, Thomas S.; Mengel, John G.

1999-01-01

Precessional motion of Earth's rotation axis relative to its orbit is a well-known source of long-period climatic variation. It is less well appreciated that growth and decay of polar ice sheets perturb the symmetry of the global mass distribution enough that the geographic location of the rotation axis will change by at least 15 km and possibly as much as 100 km during a single glacial cycle. This motion of the pole will change the seasonal and latitudinal pattern of temperatures. We present calculations, based on a diurnal average energy balance, which compare the summer and winter temperature anomalies due to a 1° decrease in obliquity with those due to a 1° motion of the rotation pole toward Hudson Bay. Both effects result in peak temperature perturbations of about 1° Celsius. The obliquity change primarily influences the amplitude of the seasonal cycle, while the polar motion primarily changes the annual mean temperatures. The polar motion induced temperature anomaly is such that it will act as a powerful negative feedback on ice sheet growth. We also explore the evolution of the coupled system composed of ice sheet mass and pole position. Oscillatory solutions result from the conflicting constraints of rotational and thermal stability. A positive mass anomaly on an otherwise featureless Earth is in rotational equilibrium only at the poles or the equator. The two polar equilibria are rotationally unstable, and the equatorial equilibrium, though rotationally stable, is thermally unstable. We find that with a plausible choice for the strength of coupling between the thermal and rotational systems, relatively modest external forcing can produce significant response at periods of 104–106 years, but it strongly attenuates polar motion at longer periods. We suggest that these coupled oscillations may contribute to the observed dominance of 100 kyr glacial cycles since the mid-Pleistocene and will tend to stabilize geographic patterns that are suitable to glaciations.

Welding polarity effects on weld spatters and bead geometry of hyperbaric dry GMAW

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xue, Long; Wu, Jinming; Huang, Junfen; Huang, Jiqiang; Zou, Yong; Liu, Jian

2016-03-01

Welding polarity has influence on welding stability to some extent, but the specific relationship between welding polarity and weld quality has not been found, especially under the hyperbaric environment. Based on a hyperbaric dry welding experiment system, gas metal arc welding(GMAW) experiments with direct current electrode positive(DCEP) and direct current electrode negative(DCEN) operations are carried out under the ambient pressures of 0.1 MPa, 0.4 MPa, 0.7 MPa and 1.0 MPa to find the influence rule of different welding polarities on welding spatters and weld bead geometry. The effects of welding polarities on the weld bead geometry such as the reinforcement, the weld width and the penetration are discussed. The experimental results show that the welding spatters gradually grow in quantity and size for GMAW with DCEP, while GMAW with DCEN can produce fewer spatters comparatively with the increase of the ambient pressure. Compared with DCEP, the welding current and arc voltage waveforms for DCEN is more stable and the distribution of welding current probability density for DCEN is more concentrated under the hyperbaric environment. When the ambient pressure is increased from 0.1 MPa to 1.0 MPa, the effects of welding polarities on the reinforcement, the weld width and the penetration are as follows: an increase of 0.8 mm for the weld reinforcement is produced by GMAW with DCEN and 1.3 mm by GMAW with DCEP, a decrease of 7.2 mm for the weld width is produced by DCEN and 6.1 mm by DCEP; and an increase of 3.9 mm for the penetration is produced by DCEN and 1.9 mm by DCEP. The proposed research indicates that the desirable stability in the welding procedure can be achieved by GMAW with DCEN operation under the hyperbaric environment.

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

Jordan, K; University of Western Ontario, London, ON, CA

Purpose: Film densitometers optimized for radiochromic EBT3 film are not commercially available and flatbed document scanners are limited by broad spectral overlap of the red green and blue channels and polarization effects. Non-polarized, narrow bandwith, intensity stabilized light emitting diode (LED) light sources were constructed and transmission measurements compared for point, slot and full aperture geometries. Methods: LED’s with 10 nm bandwidths were focused to 1 mm spots for point scanning. The LED’s back-illuminated a 6 mm diameter diffuser near the focal point of a 25 cm diameter Fresnel lens for slot and full aperture transmission imaging. Films were locatedmore » at the aperture plane, 15 cm from the lens and imaged with a 16 bit digital camera with 50 mm lens. Sheets, 10×8 cm, were irradiated to 25 Gy with a 4×4 cm 6 MV photon beam. Transmission measurements with a 633nm, linearly polarized laser were used as lowacceptance angle reference geometry. Results: LED intensity stabilized to <1% within one minute of startup. The useful transmission range increased as the acceptance angle decreased, laser(∼2%)> spot(∼3%)> slot(∼5%)> full aperture(∼10%). The Fresnel lens introduced a 4-fold polarization symmetry that increased radially causing a 2% change in transmission at 10 cm from the optic axis for EBT3 film. Polarized spot densitometer and laser transmission were similar. Conclusion: Spectrally filtered LED sources were effective for transmission measurements of radiochromic films. Because of polarization sensitivity of EBT3 film, the scanning spot geometry is the most general for measuring unpolarised transmission of larger film sizes, ie > 15×15 cm. Due to EBT3 film scatter, spot scanning should provide the most accurate profiles of high dose gradients, for a given acceptance angle. The spot scanning densitometer provided useful transmission to ∼5, 25, >25 Gy with 635, 590 and 530 nm light respectively.« less

Validation of neural spike sorting algorithms without ground-truth information.

PubMed

Barnett, Alex H; Magland, Jeremy F; Greengard, Leslie F

2016-05-01

The throughput of electrophysiological recording is growing rapidly, allowing thousands of simultaneous channels, and there is a growing variety of spike sorting algorithms designed to extract neural firing events from such data. This creates an urgent need for standardized, automatic evaluation of the quality of neural units output by such algorithms. We introduce a suite of validation metrics that assess the credibility of a given automatic spike sorting algorithm applied to a given dataset. By rerunning the spike sorter two or more times, the metrics measure stability under various perturbations consistent with variations in the data itself, making no assumptions about the internal workings of the algorithm, and minimal assumptions about the noise. We illustrate the new metrics on standard sorting algorithms applied to both in vivo and ex vivo recordings, including a time series with overlapping spikes. We compare the metrics to existing quality measures, and to ground-truth accuracy in simulated time series. We provide a software implementation. Metrics have until now relied on ground-truth, simulated data, internal algorithm variables (e.g. cluster separation), or refractory violations. By contrast, by standardizing the interface, our metrics assess the reliability of any automatic algorithm without reference to internal variables (e.g. feature space) or physiological criteria. Stability is a prerequisite for reproducibility of results. Such metrics could reduce the significant human labor currently spent on validation, and should form an essential part of large-scale automated spike sorting and systematic benchmarking of algorithms. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The system of high accuracy UV spectral radiation system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Guan-yu; Yu, Lei; Xu, Dian; Cao, Dian-sheng; Yu, Yu-Xiang

2016-10-01

UV spectral radiation detecting and visible observation telescope is designed by the coaxial optical. In order to decrease due to the incident light polarization effect, and improve the detection precision, polarizer need to be used in the light path. Four pieces of quartz of high Precision UV radiation depolarizer retarder stack together is placed in front of Seya namioka dispersion unit. The coherent detection principle of modulation of light signal and the reference signal multiplied processing, increase the phase sensitive detector can be adjustment function, ensure the UV spectral radiation detection stability. A lock-in amplifier is used in the electrical system to advance the accuracy of measurement. To ensure the precision measurement detected, the phase-sensitive detector function can be adjustable. the output value is not more than 10mV before each measurement, so it can be ensured that the stability of the measured radiation spectrum is less than 1 percent.

Low Molecular Weight Polymethacrylates as Multi-Functional Lubricant Additives

DOE PAGES

Cosimbescu, Lelia; Vellore, Azhar; Shantini Ramasamy, Uma; ...

2018-04-24

In this study, low molecular weight, moderately polar polymethacrylate polymers are explored as potential multi-functional lubricant additives. The performance of these novel additives in base oil is evaluated in terms of their viscosity index, shear stability, and friction-and-wear. The new compounds are compared to two benchmarks, a typical polymeric viscosity modifier and a fully-formulated oil. Results show that the best performing of the new polymers exhibit viscosity index and friction comparable to that of both benchmarks, far superior shear stability to either benchmark (as much as 15x lower shear loss), and wear reduction significantly better than a typical viscosity modifiermore » (lower wear volume by a factor of 2-3). The findings also suggest that the polarity and molecular weight of the polymers affect their performance which suggests future synthetic strategies may enable this new class of additives to replace multiple additives in typical lubricant formulations.« less

On the vortices for the nonlinear Schrödinger equation in higher dimensions.

PubMed

Feng, Wen; Stanislavova, Milena

2018-04-13

We consider the nonlinear Schrödinger equation in n space dimensions [Formula: see text]and study the existence and stability of standing wave solutions of the form [Formula: see text]and [Formula: see text]For n =2 k , ( r j , θ j ) are polar coordinates in [Formula: see text], j =1,2,…, k ; for n =2 k +1, ( r j , θ j ) are polar coordinates in [Formula: see text], ( r k , θ k , z ) are cylindrical coordinates in [Formula: see text], j =1,2,…, k -1. We show the existence of functions ϕ w , which are constructed variationally as minimizers of appropriate constrained functionals. These waves are shown to be spectrally stable (with respect to perturbations of the same type), if 1< p <1+4/ n This article is part of the theme issue 'Stability of nonlinear waves and patterns and related topics'. © 2018 The Author(s).

Pak4 Is Required during Epithelial Polarity Remodeling through Regulating AJ Stability and Bazooka Retention at the ZA

PubMed Central

Walther, Rhian F.; Nunes de Almeida, Francisca; Vlassaks, Evi; Burden, Jemima J.; Pichaud, Franck

2016-01-01

Summary The ability of epithelial cells to assemble into sheets relies on their zonula adherens (ZA), a circumferential belt of adherens junction (AJ) material, which can be remodeled during development to shape organs. Here, we show that during ZA remodeling in a model neuroepithelial cell, the Cdc42 effector P21-activated kinase 4 (Pak4/Mbt) regulates AJ morphogenesis and stability through β-catenin (β-cat/Arm) phosphorylation. We find that β-catenin phosphorylation by Mbt, and associated AJ morphogenesis, is needed for the retention of the apical determinant Par3/Bazooka at the remodeling ZA. Importantly, this retention mechanism functions together with Par1-dependent lateral exclusion of Par3/Bazooka to regulate apical membrane differentiation. Our results reveal an important functional link between Pak4, AJ material morphogenesis, and polarity remodeling during organogenesis downstream of Par3. PMID:27052178

Low Molecular Weight Polymethacrylates as Multi-Functional Lubricant Additives

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

Cosimbescu, Lelia; Vellore, Azhar; Shantini Ramasamy, Uma

In this study, low molecular weight, moderately polar polymethacrylate polymers are explored as potential multi-functional lubricant additives. The performance of these novel additives in base oil is evaluated in terms of their viscosity index, shear stability, and friction-and-wear. The new compounds are compared to two benchmarks, a typical polymeric viscosity modifier and a fully-formulated oil. Results show that the best performing of the new polymers exhibit viscosity index and friction comparable to that of both benchmarks, far superior shear stability to either benchmark (as much as 15x lower shear loss), and wear reduction significantly better than a typical viscosity modifiermore » (lower wear volume by a factor of 2-3). The findings also suggest that the polarity and molecular weight of the polymers affect their performance which suggests future synthetic strategies may enable this new class of additives to replace multiple additives in typical lubricant formulations.« less

Selective dissolution of halide perovskites as a step towards recycling solar cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Byeong Jo; Kim, Dong Hoe; Kwon, Seung Lee; Park, So Yeon; Li, Zhen; Zhu, Kai; Jung, Hyun Suk

2016-05-01

Most research on perovskite solar cells has focused on improving power-conversion efficiency and stability. However, if one could refurbish perovskite solar cells, their stability might not be a critical issue. From the perspective of cost effectiveness, if failed, perovskite solar cells could be collected and recycled; reuse of their gold electrodes and transparent conducting glasses could reduce the price per watt of perovskite photovoltaic modules. Herein, we present a simple and effective method for removing the perovskite layer and reusing the mesoporous TiO2-coated transparent conducting glass substrate via selective dissolution. We find that the perovskite layer can be easily decomposed in polar aprotic solvents because of the reaction between polar aprotic solvents and Pb2+ cations. After 10 cycles of recycling, a mesoporous TiO2-coated transparent conducting glass substrate-based perovskite solar cell still shows a constant power-conversion efficiency, thereby demonstrating the possibility of recycling perovskite solar cells.

Analysis of Quantum Information Test-Bed by Parametric Down-Converted Photons Interference Measurement

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

To, Wing H.

2005-01-01

Quantum optical experiments require all the components involved to be extremely stable relative to each other. The stability can be "measured" by using an interferometric experiment. A pair of coherent photons produced by parametric down-conversion could be chosen to be orthogonally polarized initially. By rotating the polarization of one of the wave packets, they can be recombined at a beam splitter such that interference will occur. Theoretically, the interference will create four terms in the wave function. Two terms with both photons going to the same detector, and two terms will have the photons each going to different detectors. However, the latter will cancel each other out, thus no photons will arrive at the two detectors simultaneously under ideal conditions. The stability Of the test-bed can then be inferred by the dependence of coincidence count on the rotation angle.

Selective dissolution of halide perovskites as a step towards recycling solar cells.

PubMed

Kim, Byeong Jo; Kim, Dong Hoe; Kwon, Seung Lee; Park, So Yeon; Li, Zhen; Zhu, Kai; Jung, Hyun Suk

2016-05-23

Most research on perovskite solar cells has focused on improving power-conversion efficiency and stability. However, if one could refurbish perovskite solar cells, their stability might not be a critical issue. From the perspective of cost effectiveness, if failed, perovskite solar cells could be collected and recycled; reuse of their gold electrodes and transparent conducting glasses could reduce the price per watt of perovskite photovoltaic modules. Herein, we present a simple and effective method for removing the perovskite layer and reusing the mesoporous TiO2-coated transparent conducting glass substrate via selective dissolution. We find that the perovskite layer can be easily decomposed in polar aprotic solvents because of the reaction between polar aprotic solvents and Pb(2+) cations. After 10 cycles of recycling, a mesoporous TiO2-coated transparent conducting glass substrate-based perovskite solar cell still shows a constant power-conversion efficiency, thereby demonstrating the possibility of recycling perovskite solar cells.

Energy decomposition analysis of single bonds within Kohn-Sham density functional theory.

PubMed

Levine, Daniel S; Head-Gordon, Martin

2017-11-28

An energy decomposition analysis (EDA) for single chemical bonds is presented within the framework of Kohn-Sham density functional theory based on spin projection equations that are exact within wave function theory. Chemical bond energies can then be understood in terms of stabilization caused by spin-coupling augmented by dispersion, polarization, and charge transfer in competition with destabilizing Pauli repulsions. The EDA reveals distinguishing features of chemical bonds ranging across nonpolar, polar, ionic, and charge-shift bonds. The effect of electron correlation is assessed by comparison with Hartree-Fock results. Substituent effects are illustrated by comparing the C-C bond in ethane against that in bis(diamantane), and dispersion stabilization in the latter is quantified. Finally, three metal-metal bonds in experimentally characterized compounds are examined: a [Formula: see text]-[Formula: see text] dimer, the [Formula: see text]-[Formula: see text] bond in dizincocene, and the Mn-Mn bond in dimanganese decacarbonyl.

Limitations on near-surface correction for multicomponent offset VSP

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

Macbeth, C.; Li, X.Y.; Horne, S.

1994-12-31

Multicomponent data are degraded due to near-surface scattering and non-ideal or unexpected source behavior. These effects cannot be neglected when interpreting relative wavefield attributes derived from compressional and shear waves. They confuse analyses based on standard scalar procedures and a prima facia interpretation of the vector wavefield properties. Here, the authors highlight two unique polar matrix decompositions for near-surface correction in offset VSPs, consider their inherent mathematical constraints and how they impact on subsurface interpretation. The first method is applied to a four component subset of a six component field data from a configuration of three concentric rings and walkawaymore » source positions forming offset VSPs in the Cymric field, California. The correction appears successful in automatically converting the wavefield into its ideal form, and the qSl polarizations scatter around N15{degree}E in agreement with the layer stripping of Winterstein and Meadows (1991).« less

Microwave probe stations with three-dimensional control of the magnetic field to study high-frequency dynamics in nanoscale devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Banuazizi, Seyed Amir Hossein; Åkerman, Johan

2018-06-01

We present two microwave probe stations with motorized rotary stages for adjusting the magnitude and angle of the applied magnetic field. In the first system, the magnetic field is provided by an electromagnet and can be adjusted from 0 to ˜1.4 T while its polar angle (θ) can be varied from 0° to 360°. In the second system, the magnetic field is provided by a Halbach array permanent magnet, which can be rotated and translated to cover the full range of polar (θ) and azimuthal (φ) angles with a tunable field magnitude up to ˜1 T. Both systems are equipped with microwave probes, bias-Ts, amplifiers, and spectrum analyzers to allow for microwave characterization up to 40 GHz, as well as software to automatically perform continuous large sets of electrical and microwave measurements.

Ships and Maritime Targets Observation Campaigns Using Available C- and X-Band SAR Satellite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Velotto, Domenico; Bentes, Carlos; Lehner, Susanne

2015-04-01

Obviously, radar resolution and swath width are two very important factors when it comes to synthetic aperture radar (SAR) maritime targets detections. The dilemma of using single polarization SAR imagery with higher resolution and coverage or quad- (or dual- polarimetric) imagery with its richness of information, is still unsolved when it comes to this application.In the framework of ESA project MARISS and EU project DOLPHIN, in situ campaigns aimed at solving this dilemma have been carried out. Single and multi- polarimetric SAR data acquired by TerraSAR-X, RADARSAT-2 and COSMO-SkyMed have been acquired with close time gaps and partial coverage overlap. In this way several moving and non-moving maritime targets have been imaged with different polarization, geometry and working frequency. Available ground truth reports provided by Automatic Identification System (AIS) data, nautical chart and wind farm location are used to validate the different types of maritime targets.

Continuous cognitive task promotes greater postural stability than an internal or external focus of attention.

PubMed

Polskaia, Nadia; Richer, Natalie; Dionne, Eliane; Lajoie, Yves

2015-02-01

Research has demonstrated clear advantages of using an external focus of attention in postural control tasks, presumably since it allows a more automatic control of posture to emerge. However, the influence of cognitive tasks on postural stability has produced discordant results. This study aimed to compare the effects of an internal focus of attention, an external focus of attention and a continuous cognitive task on postural control. Twenty healthy participants (21.4±2.6 years) were recruited for this study. They were asked to stand quietly on a force platform with their feet together in three different attentional focus conditions: an internal focus condition (minimizing movements of the hips), an external focus condition (minimizing movements of markers placed on the hips) and a cognitive task condition (silently counting the total number of times a single digit was verbalized in a 3-digit sequence comprised of 30 numbers). Results demonstrated improved stability while performing the cognitive task as opposed to the internal and external focus conditions, as evidenced by a reduction in sway area, sway variability in the anterior-posterior (AP) and medial-lateral (ML) directions, and mean velocity (ML only). Results suggest that the use of a continuous cognitive task permits attention to be withdrawn from the postural task, thereby facilitating a more automatic control of posture. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Cell-cell bioelectrical interactions and local heterogeneities in genetic networks: a model for the stabilization of single-cell states and multicellular oscillations.

PubMed

Cervera, Javier; Manzanares, José A; Mafe, Salvador

2018-04-04

Genetic networks operate in the presence of local heterogeneities in single-cell transcription and translation rates. Bioelectrical networks and spatio-temporal maps of cell electric potentials can influence multicellular ensembles. Could cell-cell bioelectrical interactions mediated by intercellular gap junctions contribute to the stabilization of multicellular states against local genetic heterogeneities? We theoretically analyze this question on the basis of two well-established experimental facts: (i) the membrane potential is a reliable read-out of the single-cell electrical state and (ii) when the cells are coupled together, their individual cell potentials can be influenced by ensemble-averaged electrical potentials. We propose a minimal biophysical model for the coupling between genetic and bioelectrical networks that associates the local changes occurring in the transcription and translation rates of an ion channel protein with abnormally low (depolarized) cell potentials. We then analyze the conditions under which the depolarization of a small region (patch) in a multicellular ensemble can be reverted by its bioelectrical coupling with the (normally polarized) neighboring cells. We show also that the coupling between genetic and bioelectric networks of non-excitable cells, modulated by average electric potentials at the multicellular ensemble level, can produce oscillatory phenomena. The simulations show the importance of single-cell potentials characteristic of polarized and depolarized states, the relative sizes of the abnormally polarized patch and the rest of the normally polarized ensemble, and intercellular coupling.

Positive and negative ion mode comparison for the determination of DNA/peptide noncovalent binding sites through the formation of "three-body" noncovalent fragment ions.

PubMed

Brahim, Bessem; Tabet, Jean-Claude; Alves, Sandra

2018-02-01

Gas-phase fragmentation of single strand DNA-peptide noncovalent complexes is investigated in positive and negative electrospray ionization modes.Collision-induced dissociation experiments, performed on the positively charged noncovalent complex precursor ions, have confirmed the trend previously observed in negative ion mode, i.e. a high stability of noncovalent complexes containing very basic peptidic residues (i.e. R > K) and acidic nucleotide units (i.e. Thy units), certainly incoming from the existence of salt bridge interactions. Independent of the ion polarity, stable noncovalent complex precursor ions were found to dissociate preferentially through covalent bond cleavages of the partners without disrupting noncovalent interactions. The resulting DNA fragment ions were found to be still noncovalently linked to the peptides. Additionally, the losses of an internal nucleic fragment producing "three-body" noncovalent fragment ions were also observed in both ion polarities, demonstrating the spectacular salt bridge interaction stability. The identical fragmentation patterns (regardless of the relative fragment ion abundances) observed in both polarities have shown a common location of salt bridge interaction certainly preserved from solution. Nonetheless, most abundant noncovalent fragment ions (and particularly three-body ones) are observed from positively charged noncovalent complexes. Therefore, we assume that, independent of the preexisting salt bridge interaction and zwitterion structures, multiple covalent bond cleavages from single-stranded DNA/peptide complexes rely on an excess of positive charges in both electrospray ionization ion polarities.

Novel benzo-15-crown-5 sol-gel coating for solid-phase microextraction.

PubMed

Wang, Danhua; Xing, Jun; Peng, Jiagang; Wu, Caiying

2003-07-11

A novel dihydroxy-terminated benzo-15-crown-5 was synthesized and applied to prepare a solid-phase microextraction (SPME) fiber coating with sol-gel technology. The optimization of the sol-gel process was studied. The coating method with sol-gel was improved and completed in one run, which economized materials and allowed easier control of the fiber thickness. The repeatability of coating fiber to fiber was better than 4.94% (RSD). The surface of the fiber coating was well-distributed and an electron microscopy experiment suggested a porous structure for crown ether coating, providing high surface areas and allowing for high extraction efficiency. The coating has a high thermal stability (350 degrees C), long lifetime and can stand solvent (organic and inorganic) rinsing due to the chemical binding between the coating and the fiber surface. Non-polar benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylenes, chlorobenzenes, polar phenolic compounds and arylamines were used to evaluate the character of the fiber coating by headspace SPME-gas chromatography technology. For phenols, the linear concentrations ranged from 5 to 1000 microg/l, the detection limits were between 0.05 and 1 microg/l, and the RSD was less than 5%. The addition of benzo-crown ether not only increases the thermal stability of the fiber coating, but also enhances the selectivity of the fiber coating. Compared with commercially available SPME fibers poly(dimethylsiloxane) and polyacrylate, the few phases showed better selectivity and sensitivity towards non-polar and polar aromatic compounds.

Clonal expansion of genome-intact HIV-1 in functionally polarized Th1 CD4+ T cells

PubMed Central

Orlova-Fink, Nina; Einkauf, Kevin; Chowdhury, Fatema Z.; Sun, Xiaoming; Harrington, Sean; Kuo, Hsiao-Hsuan; Hua, Stephane; Chen, Hsiao-Rong; Ouyang, Zhengyu; Reddy, Kavidha; Dong, Krista; Ndung’u, Thumbi; Walker, Bruce D.; Rosenberg, Eric S.; Yu, Xu G.

2017-01-01

HIV-1 causes a chronic, incurable disease due to its persistence in CD4+ T cells that contain replication-competent provirus, but exhibit little or no active viral gene expression and effectively resist combination antiretroviral therapy (cART). These latently infected T cells represent an extremely small proportion of all circulating CD4+ T cells but possess a remarkable long-term stability and typically persist throughout life, for reasons that are not fully understood. Here we performed massive single-genome, near-full-length next-generation sequencing of HIV-1 DNA derived from unfractionated peripheral blood mononuclear cells, ex vivo-isolated CD4+ T cells, and subsets of functionally polarized memory CD4+ T cells. This approach identified multiple sets of independent, near-full-length proviral sequences from cART-treated individuals that were completely identical, consistent with clonal expansion of CD4+ T cells harboring intact HIV-1. Intact, near-full-genome HIV-1 DNA sequences that were derived from such clonally expanded CD4+ T cells constituted 62% of all analyzed genome-intact sequences in memory CD4 T cells, were preferentially observed in Th1-polarized cells, were longitudinally detected over a duration of up to 5 years, and were fully replication- and infection-competent. Together, these data suggest that clonal proliferation of Th1-polarized CD4+ T cells encoding for intact HIV-1 represents a driving force for stabilizing the pool of latently infected CD4+ T cells. PMID:28628034

Clonal expansion of genome-intact HIV-1 in functionally polarized Th1 CD4+ T cells.

PubMed

Lee, Guinevere Q; Orlova-Fink, Nina; Einkauf, Kevin; Chowdhury, Fatema Z; Sun, Xiaoming; Harrington, Sean; Kuo, Hsiao-Hsuan; Hua, Stephane; Chen, Hsiao-Rong; Ouyang, Zhengyu; Reddy, Kavidha; Dong, Krista; Ndung'u, Thumbi; Walker, Bruce D; Rosenberg, Eric S; Yu, Xu G; Lichterfeld, Mathias

2017-06-30

HIV-1 causes a chronic, incurable disease due to its persistence in CD4+ T cells that contain replication-competent provirus, but exhibit little or no active viral gene expression and effectively resist combination antiretroviral therapy (cART). These latently infected T cells represent an extremely small proportion of all circulating CD4+ T cells but possess a remarkable long-term stability and typically persist throughout life, for reasons that are not fully understood. Here we performed massive single-genome, near-full-length next-generation sequencing of HIV-1 DNA derived from unfractionated peripheral blood mononuclear cells, ex vivo-isolated CD4+ T cells, and subsets of functionally polarized memory CD4+ T cells. This approach identified multiple sets of independent, near-full-length proviral sequences from cART-treated individuals that were completely identical, consistent with clonal expansion of CD4+ T cells harboring intact HIV-1. Intact, near-full-genome HIV-1 DNA sequences that were derived from such clonally expanded CD4+ T cells constituted 62% of all analyzed genome-intact sequences in memory CD4 T cells, were preferentially observed in Th1-polarized cells, were longitudinally detected over a duration of up to 5 years, and were fully replication- and infection-competent. Together, these data suggest that clonal proliferation of Th1-polarized CD4+ T cells encoding for intact HIV-1 represents a driving force for stabilizing the pool of latently infected CD4+ T cells.

Buried polar residues in coiled-coil interfaces.

PubMed

Akey, D L; Malashkevich, V N; Kim, P S

2001-05-29

Coiled coils, estimated to constitute 3-5% of the encoded residues in most genomes, are characterized by a heptad repeat, (abcdefg)(n), where the buried a and d positions form the interface between multiple alpha-helices. Although generally hydrophobic, a substantial fraction ( approximately 20%) of these a- and d-position residues are polar or charged. We constructed variants of the well-characterized coiled coil GCN4-p1 with a single polar residue (Asn, Gln, Ser, or Thr) at either an a or a d position. The stability and oligomeric specificity of each variant were measured, and crystal structures of coiled-coil trimers with threonine or serine at either an a or a d position were determined. The structures show how single polar residues in the interface affect not only local packing, but also overall coiled-coil geometry as seen by changes in the Crick supercoil parameters and core cavity volumes.

RhoGTPase signalling at epithelial tight junctions: Bridging the GAP between polarity and cancer.

PubMed

Zihni, Ceniz; Terry, Stephen James

2015-07-01

The establishment and maintenance of epithelial polarity must be correctly controlled for normal development and homeostasis. Tight junctions (TJ) in vertebrates define apical and basolateral membrane domains in polarized epithelia via bi-directional, complex signalling pathways between TJ themselves and the cytoskeleton they are associated with. RhoGTPases are central to these processes and evidence suggests that their regulation is coordinated by interactions between GEFs and GAPs with junctional, cytoplasmic adapter proteins. In this InFocus review we determine that the expression, localization or stability of a variety of these adaptor proteins is altered in various cancers, potentially representing an important mechanistic link between loss of polarity and cancer. We focus here, on two well characterized RhoGTPases Cdc42 and RhoA who's GEFs and GAPs are predominantly localized to TJ via cytoplasmic adaptor proteins. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Polarimetric purity and the concept of degree of polarization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gil, José J.; Norrman, Andreas; Friberg, Ari T.; Setälä, Tero

2018-02-01

The concept of degree of polarization for electromagnetic waves, in its general three-dimensional version, is revisited in the light of the implications of the recent findings on the structure of polarimetric purity and of the existence of nonregular states of polarization [J. J. Gil et al., Phys Rev. A 95, 053856 (2017), 10.1103/PhysRevA.95.053856]. From the analysis of the characteristic decomposition of a polarization matrix R into an incoherent convex combination of (1) a pure state Rp, (2) a middle state Rm given by an equiprobable mixture of two eigenstates of R, and (3) a fully unpolarized state Ru -3 D, it is found that, in general, Rm exhibits nonzero circular and linear degrees of polarization. Therefore, the degrees of linear and circular polarization of R cannot always be assigned to the single totally polarized component Rp. It is shown that the parameter P3 D proposed formerly by Samson [J. C. Samson, Geophys. J. R. Astron. Soc. 34, 403 (1973), 10.1111/j.1365-246X.1973.tb02404.x] takes into account, in a proper and objective form, all the contributions to polarimetric purity, namely, the contributions to the linear and circular degrees of polarization of R as well as to the stability of the plane containing its polarization ellipse. Consequently, P3 D constitutes a natural representative of the degree of polarimetric purity. Some implications for the common convention for the concept of two-dimensional degree of polarization are also analyzed and discussed.

Autobalancing of a rigid rotor in viscoelastic orthotropic supports considering eccentricity of the automatic ball balancer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bykov, V. G.; Kovachev, A. S.

2018-05-01

A statically unbalanced rotor in viscoelastic orthotropic supports equipped with an automatic ball balancer (ABB), the axis of symmetry of which does not coincide with the symmetry axis of the rotor, is considered. Based on an analysis of the equations describing the stationary modes of motion of the system, the principal impossibility of complete balancing of the rotor is shown. The possibility of the existence of two types of stationary modes is established, one of which has a constant average amplitude of residual vibration equal to the eccentricity of the ABB. The solution corresponding to this almost balanced mode is constructed analytically. A study is made of its asymptotic stability.

[Development of an automatic pneumatic tourniquet system that determines pressures in synchrony with systolic blood pressure].

PubMed

Liu, Hongyun; Li, Kaiyuan; Zhang, Zhengbo; Guo, Junyan; Wang, Weidong

2012-11-01

The correlation coefficients between arterial occlusion pressure and systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, limb circumference, body mass etc were obtained through healthy volunteer experiments, in which tourniquet were applied on upper/lower extremities. The prediction equations were derived from the data of experiments by multiple regression analysis. Based on the microprocessor C8051F340, a new pneumatic tourniquet system that can determine tourniquet pressure in synchrony with systolic blood pressure was developed and verified the function and stability of designed system. Results showed that the pneumatic tourniquet which automatically adjusts occlusion pressure in accordance with systolic blood pressure could stop the flow of blood to get a bloodless field.

Digital autopilots: Design considerations and simulator evaluations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Osder, S.; Neuman, F.; Foster, J.

1971-01-01

The development of a digital autopilot program for a transport aircraft and the evaluation of that system's performance on a transport aircraft simulator is discussed. The digital autopilot includes three axis attitude stabilization, automatic throttle control and flight path guidance functions with emphasis on the mode progression from descent into the terminal area through automatic landing. The study effort involved a sequence of tasks starting with the definition of detailed system block diagrams of control laws followed by a flow charting and programming phase and concluding with performance verification using the transport aircraft simulation. The autopilot control laws were programmed in FORTRAN 4 in order to isolate the design process from requirements peculiar to an individual computer.

A Surface-Coupled Optical Trap with 1-bp Precision via Active Stabilization

PubMed Central

Okoniewski, Stephen R.; Carter, Ashley R.; Perkins, Thomas T.

2017-01-01

Optical traps can measure bead motions with Å-scale precision. However, using this level of precision to infer 1-bp motion of molecular motors along DNA is difficult, since a variety of noise sources degrade instrumental stability. In this chapter, we detail how to improve instrumental stability by (i) minimizing laser pointing, mode, polarization, and intensity noise using an acousto-optical-modulator mediated feedback loop and (ii) minimizing sample motion relative to the optical trap using a 3-axis piezo-electric-stage mediated feedback loop. These active techniques play a critical role in achieving a surface stability of 1 Å in 3D over tens of seconds and a 1-bp stability and precision in a surface-coupled optical trap over a broad bandwidth (Δf = 0.03–2 Hz) at low force (6 pN). These active stabilization techniques can also aid other biophysical assays that would benefit from improved laser stability and/or Å-scale sample stability, such as atomic force microscopy and super-resolution imaging. PMID:27844426

Preferential Interaction of Na+ over K+ to Carboxylate-functionalized Silver Nanoparticles

EPA Science Inventory

Elucidating mechanistic interactions between specific ions (Na+/ K+) and nanoparticle surfaces to alter particle stability in polar media has received little attention. We investigated relative preferential binding of Na+ and K+ to carboxylate-functionalized silver nanoparticles ...

Integrated-optics heralded controlled-NOT gate for polarization-encoded qubits

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zeuner, Jonas; Sharma, Aditya N.; Tillmann, Max; Heilmann, René; Gräfe, Markus; Moqanaki, Amir; Szameit, Alexander; Walther, Philip

2018-03-01

Recent progress in integrated-optics technology has made photonics a promising platform for quantum networks and quantum computation protocols. Integrated optical circuits are characterized by small device footprints and unrivalled intrinsic interferometric stability. Here, we take advantage of femtosecond-laser-written waveguides' ability to process polarization-encoded qubits and present an implementation of a heralded controlled-NOT gate on chip. We evaluate the gate performance in the computational basis and a superposition basis, showing that the gate can create polarization entanglement between two photons. Transmission through the integrated device is optimized using thermally expanded core fibers and adiabatically reduced mode-field diameters at the waveguide facets. This demonstration underlines the feasibility of integrated quantum gates for all-optical quantum networks and quantum repeaters.

Optical method and apparatus for detection of surface and near-subsurface defects in dense ceramics

DOEpatents

Ellingson, W.A.; Brada, M.P.

1995-06-20

A laser is used in a non-destructive manner to detect surface and near-subsurface defects in dense ceramics and particularly in ceramic bodies with complex shapes such as ceramic bearings, turbine blades, races, and the like. The laser`s wavelength is selected based upon the composition of the ceramic sample and the laser can be directed on the sample while the sample is static or in dynamic rotate or translate motion. Light is scattered off surface and subsurface defects using a preselected polarization. The change in polarization angle is used to select the depth and characteristics of surface/subsurface defects. The scattered light is detected by an optical train consisting of a charge coupled device (CCD), or vidicon, television camera which, in turn, is coupled to a video monitor and a computer for digitizing the image. An analyzing polarizer in the optical train allows scattered light at a given polarization angle to be observed for enhancing sensitivity to either surface or near-subsurface defects. Application of digital image processing allows subtraction of digitized images in near real-time providing enhanced sensitivity to subsurface defects. Storing known ``feature masks`` of identified defects in the computer and comparing the detected scatter pattern (Fourier images) with the stored feature masks allows for automatic classification of detected defects. 29 figs.

Entry dynamics of space shuttle orbiter with lateral-directional stability and control uncertainties at supersonic and hypersonic speeds

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stone, H. W.; Powell, R. W.

1977-01-01

A six-degree-of-freedom simulation analysis was conducted to examine the effects of the lateral-directional static aerodynamic stability and control uncertainties on the performance of the automatic (no manual inputs) entry-guidance and control systems of the space shuttle orbiter. To establish the acceptable boundaries of the uncertainties, the static aerodynamic characteristics were varied either by applying a multiplier to the aerodynamic parameter or by adding an increment. Control-system modifications were identified that decrease the sensitivity to off-nominal aerodynamics. With these modifications, the acceptable aerodynamic boundaries were determined.

Microcontroller-based locking in optics experiments.

PubMed

Huang, K; Le Jeannic, H; Ruaudel, J; Morin, O; Laurat, J

2014-12-01

Optics experiments critically require the stable and accurate locking of relative phases between light beams or the stabilization of Fabry-Perot cavity lengths. Here, we present a simple and inexpensive technique based on a stand-alone microcontroller unit to perform such tasks. Easily programmed in C language, this reconfigurable digital locking system also enables automatic relocking and sequential functioning. Different algorithms are detailed and applied to fringe locking and to low- and high-finesse optical cavity stabilization, without the need of external modulations or error signals. This technique can readily replace a number of analog locking systems advantageously in a variety of optical experiments.

Effect of dynamic surface polarization on the oxidative stability of solvents in nonaqueous Li-O 2 batteries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khetan, Abhishek; Pitsch, Heinz; Viswanathan, Venkatasubramanian

2017-09-01

Polarization-induced renormalization of the frontier energy levels of interacting molecules and surfaces can cause significant shifts in the excitation and transport behavior of electrons. This phenomenon is crucial in determining the oxidative stability of nonaqueous electrolytes in high-energy density electrochemical systems such as the Li-O2 battery. On the basis of partially self-consistent first-principles Sc G W0 calculations, we systematically study how the electronic energy levels of four commonly used solvent molecules, namely, dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO), dimethoxyethane (DME), tetrahydrofuran (THF), and acetonitrile (ACN), renormalize when physisorbed on the different stable surfaces of Li2O2 , the main discharge product. Using band level alignment arguments, we propose that the difference between the solvent's highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) level and the surface's valence-band maximum (VBM) is a refined metric of oxidative stability. This metric and a previously used descriptor, solvent's gas phase HOMO level, agree quite well for physisorbed cases on pristine surfaces where ACN is oxidatively most stable followed by DME, THF, and DMSO. However, this effect is intrinsically linked to the surface chemistry of the solvent's interaction with the surface states and defects, and depends strongly on their nature. We conclusively show that the propensity of solvent molecules to oxidize will be significantly higher on Li2O2 surfaces with defects as compared to pristine surfaces. This suggests that the oxidative stability of a solvent is dynamic and is a strong function of surface electronic properties. Thus, while gas phase HOMO levels could be used for preliminary solvent candidate screening, a more refined picture of solvent stability requires mapping out the solvent stability as a function of the state of the surface under operating conditions.

Stabilization of AuNPs by monofunctional triazole linked to ferrocene, ferricenium, or coumarin and applications to synthesis, sensing, and catalysis.

PubMed

Li, Na; Zhao, Pengxiang; Igartua, María E; Rapakousiou, Amalia; Salmon, Lionel; Moya, Sergio; Ruiz, Jaime; Astruc, Didier

2014-11-03

Monofunctional triazoles linked to ferrocene, ferricenium, or coumarin (Cou), easily synthesized by copper-catalyzed azide alkyne (CuAAC) "click" reactions between the corresponding functional azides and (trimethylsilyl)acetylene followed by silyl group deprotection, provide a variety of convenient neutral ligands for the stabilization of functional gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) in polar organic solvents. These triazole (trz)-AuNPs are very useful toward a variety of applications to synthesis, sensing, and catalysis. Both ferrocenyl (Fc) and isostructural ferricenium linked triazoles give rise to AuNP stabilization, although by different synthetic routes. Indeed, the first direct synthesis and stabilization of AuNPs by ferricenium are obtained by the reduction of HAuCl4 upon reaction with a ferrocene derivative, AuNP stabilization resulting from a synergy between electrostatic and coordination effects. The ferricenium/ferrocene trz-AuNP redox couple is fully reversible, as shown by cyclic voltammograms that were recorded with both redox forms. These trz-AuNPs are stable for weeks in various polar solvents, but at the same time, the advantage of trz-AuNPs is the easy substitution of neutral trz ligands by thiols and other ligands, giving rise to applications. Indeed, this ligand substitution of trz at the AuNP surface yields a stable Fc-terminated nanogold-cored dendrimer upon reaction with a Fc-terminated thiol dendron, substitution of Cou-linked trz with cysteine, homocysteine, and glutathione provides remarkably efficient biothiol sensing, and a ferricenium-linked trz-AuNP catalyst is effective for NaBH4 reduction of 4-nitrophenol to 4-aminophenol. In this catalytic example, the additional electrostatic AuNP stabilization modulates the reaction rate and induction time.

Two Observed Consequences of Penetration Electric Fields

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-10-11

satellites are three- axis stabilized spacecraft that fly in circular. Sun -synchronous, polar ( inclination 98.7 ) orbits at an altitude of ~840km. The...350 km. The orbital period was —10 h. CRRES was spin stabilized at a rate of 2 rpm. Its spin axis always pointed within 15 of the Sun . The line of...satellites with flight designations 10 and higher, orbital ascending nodes are on the dusk side of the Earth . Thus, during the Halloween storm DMSP

Magic Numbers in Small Iron Clusters: A First-Principles Study

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

Kim, Eunja; Mohrland, Andrew B.; Weck, Philippe F.

2014-10-03

We perform ab initio spin-polarized density functional calculations of Fen aggregates with n ≤ 17 atoms to reveal the origin of the observed magic numbers, which indicate particularly high stability of clusters with 7, 13 and 15 atoms. Our results clarify the controversy regarding the ground state geometry of clusters such as Fe5and indicate that magnetism plays an important role in determining the stability and magic numbers in small iron clusters.

How ligands improve the hydrothermal stability and affect the adsorption in the IRMOF family.

PubMed

Bellarosa, Luca; Gutiérrez-Sevillano, Juan J; Calero, Sofía; López, Núria

2013-10-28

Metal-Organic Frameworks are considered to be the next generation of sorbents both because of their synthetic versatility and high selectivity potential. In the first generation (IRMOF), the main drawback for commercial implementation is the lack of hydrothermal stability. Even if several studies have been conducted to elucidate the reasons behind their structural weakness in humid environments, how apparently small changes in the stoichiometry of the building units affect the stability of the lattice is still poorly understood. Using density functional theory and ab initio molecular dynamics we investigated the reason behind the different behaviour of several substituted IRMOF-1 structures. We show that hydrophilic variations in the organic linkers work as new basins of attraction for the incoming water molecules, thus depleting the water content at the metal center. To confirm this, we performed Monte Carlo simulations to provide insights into the adsorption energies and check the effectiveness of the adsorption sites in the substituted structures for a variety of polar and non-polar molecules. The results show that linker modification affects molecular adsorption and can improve the overall stability of the lattice redirecting water to the new sites in the case of hydrophilic units. Three key parameters have been singled out to rationalize this behaviour, and used to predict the favoured adsorption sites in the case of gas mixtures.

Stabilization of apoptotic cells: generation of zombie cells.

PubMed

Oropesa-Ávila, M; Andrade-Talavera, Y; Garrido-Maraver, J; Cordero, M D; de la Mata, M; Cotán, D; Paz, M V; Pavón, A D; Alcocer-Gómez, E; de Lavera, I; Lema, R; Zaderenko, A P; Rodríguez-Moreno, A; Sánchez-Alcázar, J A

2014-08-14

Apoptosis is characterized by degradation of cell components but plasma membrane remains intact. Apoptotic microtubule network (AMN) is organized during apoptosis forming a cortical structure beneath plasma membrane that maintains plasma membrane integrity. Apoptotic cells are also characterized by high reactive oxygen species (ROS) production that can be potentially harmful for the cell. The aim of this study was to develop a method that allows stabilizing apoptotic cells for diagnostic and therapeutic applications. By using a cocktail composed of taxol (a microtubule stabilizer), Zn(2+) (a caspase inhibitor) and coenzyme Q10 (a lipid antioxidant), we were able to stabilize H460 apoptotic cells in cell cultures for at least 72 h, preventing secondary necrosis. Stabilized apoptotic cells maintain many apoptotic cell characteristics such as the presence of apoptotic microtubules, plasma membrane integrity, low intracellular calcium levels and mitochondrial polarization. Apoptotic cell stabilization may open new avenues in apoptosis detection and therapy.

Stabilization of apoptotic cells: generation of zombie cells

PubMed Central

Oropesa-Ávila, M; Andrade-Talavera, Y; Garrido-Maraver, J; Cordero, M D; de la Mata, M; Cotán, D; Paz, M V; Pavón, A D; Alcocer-Gómez, E; de Lavera, I; Lema, R; Zaderenko, A P; Rodríguez-Moreno, A; Sánchez-Alcázar, J A

2014-01-01

Apoptosis is characterized by degradation of cell components but plasma membrane remains intact. Apoptotic microtubule network (AMN) is organized during apoptosis forming a cortical structure beneath plasma membrane that maintains plasma membrane integrity. Apoptotic cells are also characterized by high reactive oxygen species (ROS) production that can be potentially harmful for the cell. The aim of this study was to develop a method that allows stabilizing apoptotic cells for diagnostic and therapeutic applications. By using a cocktail composed of taxol (a microtubule stabilizer), Zn2+ (a caspase inhibitor) and coenzyme Q10 (a lipid antioxidant), we were able to stabilize H460 apoptotic cells in cell cultures for at least 72 h, preventing secondary necrosis. Stabilized apoptotic cells maintain many apoptotic cell characteristics such as the presence of apoptotic microtubules, plasma membrane integrity, low intracellular calcium levels and mitochondrial polarization. Apoptotic cell stabilization may open new avenues in apoptosis detection and therapy. PMID:25118929

Role of CLASP2 in microtubule stabilization and the regulation of persistent motility.

PubMed

Drabek, Ksenija; van Ham, Marco; Stepanova, Tatiana; Draegestein, Katharina; van Horssen, Remco; Sayas, Carmen Laura; Akhmanova, Anna; Ten Hagen, Timo; Smits, Ron; Fodde, Riccardo; Grosveld, Frank; Galjart, Niels

2006-11-21

In motile fibroblasts, stable microtubules (MTs) are oriented toward the leading edge of cells. How these polarized MT arrays are established and maintained, and the cellular processes they control, have been the subject of many investigations. Several MT "plus-end-tracking proteins," or +TIPs, have been proposed to regulate selective MT stabilization, including the CLASPs, a complex of CLIP-170, IQGAP1, activated Cdc42 or Rac1, a complex of APC, EB1, and mDia1, and the actin-MT crosslinking factor ACF7. By using mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) in a wound-healing assay, we show here that CLASP2 is required for the formation of a stable, polarized MT array but that CLIP-170 and an APC-EB1 interaction are not essential. Persistent motility is also hampered in CLASP2-deficient MEFs. We find that ACF7 regulates cortical CLASP localization in HeLa cells, indicating it acts upstream of CLASP2. Fluorescence-based approaches show that GFP-CLASP2 is immobilized in a bimodal manner in regions near cell edges. Our results suggest that the regional immobilization of CLASP2 allows MT stabilization and promotes directionally persistent motility in fibroblasts.

Stability study of cermet-supported solid oxide fuel cells with bi-layered electrolyte

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Xinge; Gazzarri, Javier; Robertson, Mark; Decès-Petit, Cyrille; Kesler, Olivera

Performance and stability of five cermet-supported button-type solid oxide fuel cells featuring a bi-layered electrolyte (SSZ/SDC), an SSC cathode, and a Ni-SSZ anode, were analyzed using polarization curves, impedance spectroscopy, and post-mortem SEM observation. The cell performance degradation at 650 °C in H 2/air both with and without DC bias conditions was manifested primarily as an increase in polarization resistance, approximately at a rate of 2.3 mΩ cm 2 h -1 at OCV, suggesting a decrease in electrochemical kinetics as the main phenomenon responsible for the performance decay. In addition, the initial series resistance was about ten times higher than the calculated resistance corresponding to the electrolyte, reflecting a possible inter-reaction between the electrolyte layers that occurred during the sintering stage. In situ and ex situ sintered cathodes showed no obvious difference in cell performance or decay rate. The stability of the cells with and without electrical load was also investigated and no significant influence of DC bias was recorded. Based on the experimental results presented, we preliminarily attribute the performance degradation to electrochemical and microstructural degradation of the cathode.

Electrochemical behavior and pH stability of artificial salivas for corrosion tests.

PubMed

Queiroz, Gláucia Maria Oliveira de; Silva, Leandro Freitas; Ferreira, José Tarcísio Lima; Gomes, José Antônio da Cunha P; Sathler, Lúcio

2007-01-01

It is assumed that the compositions of artificial salivas are similar to that of human saliva. However, the use of solutions with different compositions in in vitro corrosion studies can lead dissimilar electrolytes to exhibit dissimilar corrosivity and electrochemical stability. This study evaluated four artificial salivas as regards pH stability with time, redox potentials and the polarization response of an inert platinum electrode. The tested solutions were: SAGF medium, Mondelli artificial saliva, UFRJ artificial saliva (prepared at the School of Pharmacy, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil) and USP-RP artificial saliva (prepared at the School of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, SP, Brazil). It was observed that pH variations were less than 1 unit during a 50-hour test. The SAGF medium, and the UFRJ and USP-RP solutions exhibited more oxidizing characteristics, whereas the Mondelli solution presented reducing properties. Anodic polarization revealed oxidation of the evaluated electrolytes at potentials below +600 mV SCE. It was observed that the UFRJ and USP-RP solutions presented more intense oxidation and reduction processes as compared to the Mondelli and SAGF solutions.

Understanding the influence of solvent field and fluctuations on the stability of photo-induced charge-separated state in molecular triad

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Balamurugan, D.; Aquino, Adelia; Lischka, Hans; Dios, Francis; Flores, Lionel; Cheung, Margaret

2013-03-01

Molecular triad composed of fullerene, porphyrin, and carotene is an artificial analogue of natural photosynthetic system and is considered for applications in solar energy conversion because of its ability to produce long-lived photo-induced charge separated state. The goal of the present multiscale simulation is to understand how the stability of photo-induced charge-separated state in molecular triad is influenced by a polar organic solvent, namely tetrahydrofuran (THF). The multiscale approach is based on combined quantum, classical molecular dynamics, and statistical physics calculations. The quantum chemical calculations were performed on the triad using the second order algebraic diagrammatic perturbation and time-dependent density functional theory. Molecular dynamics simulations were performed on triad in a box of THF solvent with the replica exchange method. The two methods on different length and time scales are bridged through an important sampling technique. We have analyzed the free energy landscape, structural fluctuations, and the long- range electrostatic interactions between triad and solvent molecules. The results suggest that the polarity and re-organization of the solvent is critical in stabilization of charge-separated state in triad. Supported by DOE (DE-FG02-10ER16175)

Influence of Tunisian aromatic plants on the prevention of oxidation in soybean oil under heating and frying conditions.

PubMed

Saoudi, Salma; Chammem, Nadia; Sifaoui, Ines; Bouassida-Beji, Maha; Jiménez, Ignacio A; Bazzocchi, Isabel L; Silva, Sandra Diniz; Hamdi, Moktar; Bronze, Maria Rosário

2016-12-01

The aim of this study was to improve the oxidative stability of soybean oil by using aromatic plants. Soybean oil flavored with rosemary (ROS) and soybean oil flavored with thyme (THY) were subjected to heating for 24h at 180°C. The samples were analyzed every 6h for their total polar compounds, anisidine values, oxidative stability and polyphenols content. The tocopherols content was determined and volatile compounds were also analyzed. After 24h of heating, the incorporation of these plants using a maceration process reduced the polar compounds by 69% and 71% respectively, in ROS and THY compared to the control. Until 6h of heating, the ROS kept the greatest oxidative stability. The use of the two extracts preserves approximately 50% of the total tocopherols content until 18h for the rosemary and 24h for the thyme flavored oils. Volatile compounds known for their antioxidant activity were also detected in the formulated oils. Aromatic plants added to the soybean oil improved the overall acceptability of potato crisps (p<0.05) until the fifteenth frying. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Fast, precise, and widely tunable frequency control of an optical parametric oscillator referenced to a frequency comb.

PubMed

Prehn, Alexander; Glöckner, Rosa; Rempe, Gerhard; Zeppenfeld, Martin

2017-03-01

Optical frequency combs (OFCs) provide a convenient reference for the frequency stabilization of continuous-wave lasers. We demonstrate a frequency control method relying on tracking over a wide range and stabilizing the beat note between the laser and the OFC. The approach combines fast frequency ramps on a millisecond timescale in the entire mode-hop free tuning range of the laser and precise stabilization to single frequencies. We apply it to a commercially available optical parametric oscillator (OPO) and demonstrate tuning over more than 60 GHz with a ramping speed up to 3 GHz/ms. Frequency ramps spanning 15 GHz are performed in less than 10 ms, with the OPO instantly relocked to the OFC after the ramp at any desired frequency. The developed control hardware and software are able to stabilize the OPO to sub-MHz precision and to perform sequences of fast frequency ramps automatically.

Large-field-of-view, modular, stabilized, adaptive-optics-based scanning laser ophthalmoscope.

PubMed

Burns, Stephen A; Tumbar, Remy; Elsner, Ann E; Ferguson, Daniel; Hammer, Daniel X

2007-05-01

We describe the design and performance of an adaptive optics retinal imager that is optimized for use during dynamic correction for eye movements. The system incorporates a retinal tracker and stabilizer, a wide-field line scan scanning laser ophthalmoscope (SLO), and a high-resolution microelectromechanical-systems-based adaptive optics SLO. The detection system incorporates selection and positioning of confocal apertures, allowing measurement of images arising from different portions of the double pass retinal point-spread function (psf). System performance was excellent. The adaptive optics increased the brightness and contrast for small confocal apertures by more than 2x and decreased the brightness of images obtained with displaced apertures, confirming the ability of the adaptive optics system to improve the psf. The retinal image was stabilized to within 18 microm 90% of the time. Stabilization was sufficient for cross-correlation techniques to automatically align the images.

Large Field of View, Modular, Stabilized, Adaptive-Optics-Based Scanning Laser Ophthalmoscope

PubMed Central

Burns, Stephen A.; Tumbar, Remy; Elsner, Ann E.; Ferguson, Daniel; Hammer, Daniel X.

2007-01-01

We describe the design and performance of an adaptive optics retinal imager that is optimized for use during dynamic correction for eye movements. The system incorporates a retinal tracker and stabilizer, a wide field line scan Scanning Laser Ophthalmocsope (SLO), and a high resolution MEMS based adaptive optics SLO. The detection system incorporates selection and positioning of confocal apertures, allowing measurement of images arising from different portions of the double pass retinal point spread function (psf). System performance was excellent. The adaptive optics increased the brightness and contrast for small confocal apertures by more than 2x, and decreased the brightness of images obtained with displaced apertures, confirming the ability of the adaptive optics system to improve the pointspread function. The retinal image was stabilized to within 18 microns 90% of the time. Stabilization was sufficient for cross-correlation techniques to automatically align the images. PMID:17429477

Polarization-resolved sensing with tilted fiber Bragg gratings: theory and limits of detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bialiayeu, Aliaksandr; Ianoul, Anatoli; Albert, Jacques

2015-08-01

Polarization based sensing with tilted fiber Bragg grating (TFBG) sensors is analysed theoretically by two alternative approaches. The first method is based on tracking the grating transmission for two orthogonal states of linear polarized light that are extracted from the measured Jones matrix or Stokes vectors of the TFBG transmission spectra. The second method is based on the measurements along the system principle axes and polarization dependent loss (PDL) parameter, also calculated from measured data. It is shown that the frequent crossing of the Jones matrix eigenvalues as a function of wavelength leads to a non-physical interchange of the calculated principal axes; a method to remove this unwanted mathematical artefact and to restore the order of the system eigenvalues and the corresponding principal axes is provided. A comparison of the two approaches reveals that the PDL method provides a smaller standard deviation and therefore lower limit of detection in refractometric sensing. Furthermore, the polarization analysis of the measured spectra allows for the identification of the principal states of polarization of the sensor system and consequentially for the calculation of the transmission spectrum for any incident polarization state. The stability of the orientation of the system principal axes is also investigated as a function of wavelength.

Polarization-sensitive descending neurons in the locust: connecting the brain to thoracic ganglia.

PubMed

Träger, Ulrike; Homberg, Uwe

2011-02-09

Many animal species, in particular insects, exploit the E-vector pattern of the blue sky for sun compass navigation. Like other insects, locusts detect dorsal polarized light via photoreceptors in a specialized dorsal rim area of the compound eye. Polarized light information is transmitted through several processing stages to the central complex, a brain area involved in the control of goal-directed orientation behavior. To investigate how polarized light information is transmitted to thoracic motor circuits, we studied the responses of locust descending neurons to polarized light. Three sets of polarization-sensitive descending neurons were characterized through intracellular recordings from axonal fibers in the neck connectives combined with single-cell dye injections. Two descending neurons from the brain, one with ipsilaterally and the second with contralaterally descending axon, are likely to bridge the gap between polarization-sensitive neurons in the brain and thoracic motor centers. In both neurons, E-vector tuning changed linearly with daytime, suggesting that they signal time-compensated spatial directions, an important prerequisite for navigation using celestial signals. The third type connects the suboesophageal ganglion with the prothoracic ganglion. It showed no evidence for time compensation in E-vector tuning and might play a role in flight stabilization and control of head movements.

Epitaxial engineering of polar ɛ-Ga2O3 for tunable two-dimensional electron gas at the heterointerface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cho, Sung Beom; Mishra, Rohan

2018-04-01

We predict the formation of a polarization-induced two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) at the interface of ɛ-Ga2O3 and CaCO3, wherein the density of the 2DEG can be tuned by reversing the spontaneous polarization in ɛ-Ga2O3, for example, with an applied electric field. ɛ-Ga2O3 is a polar and metastable ultra-wide band-gap semiconductor. We use density-functional theory (DFT) calculations and coincidence-site lattice model to predict the region of epitaxial strain under which ɛ-Ga2O3 can be stabilized over its other competing polymorphs and suggest promising substrates. Using group-theoretical methods and DFT calculations, we show that ɛ-Ga2O3 is a ferroelectric material where the spontaneous polarization can be reversed through a non-polar phase by using an electric field. Based on the calculated band alignment of ɛ-Ga2O3 with various substrates, we show the formation of a 2DEG with a high sheet charge density of 1014 cm-2 at the interface with CaCO3 due to the spontaneous and piezoelectric polarization in ɛ-Ga2O3, which makes the system attractive for high-power and high-frequency applications.

Challenges in modeling the X-29 flight test performance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hicks, John W.; Kania, Jan; Pearce, Robert; Mills, Glen

1987-01-01

Presented are methods, instrumentation, and difficulties associated with drag measurement of the X-29A aircraft. The initial performance objective of the X-29A program emphasized drag polar shapes rather than absolute drag levels. Priorities during the flight envelope expansion restricted the evaluation of aircraft performance. Changes in aircraft configuration, uncertainties in angle-of-attack calibration, and limitations in instrumentation complicated the analysis. Limited engine instrumentation with uncertainties in overall in-flight thrust accuracy made it difficult to obtain reliable values of coefficient of parasite drag. The aircraft was incapable of tracking the automatic camber control trim schedule for optimum wing flaperon deflection during typical dynamic performance maneuvers; this has also complicated the drag polar shape modeling. The X-29A was far enough off the schedule that the developed trim drag correction procedure has proven inadequate. However, good drag polar shapes have been developed throughout the flight envelope. Preliminary flight results have compared well with wind tunnel predictions. A more comprehensive analysis must be done to complete performance models. The detailed flight performance program with a calibrated engine will benefit from the experience gained during this preliminary performance phase.

Challenges in modeling the X-29A flight test performance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hicks, John W.; Kania, Jan; Pearce, Robert; Mills, Glen

1987-01-01

The paper presents the methods, instrumentation, and difficulties associated with drag measurement of the X-29A aircraft. The initial performance objective of the X-29A program emphasized drag polar shapes rather than absolute drag levels. Priorities during the flight envelope expansion restricted the evaluation of aircraft performance. Changes in aircraft configuration, uncertainties in angle-of-attack calibration, and limitations in instrumentation complicated the analysis. Limited engine instrumentation with uncertainties in overall in-flight thrust accuracy made it difficult to obtain reliable values of coefficient of parasite drag. The aircraft was incapable of tracking the automatic camber control trim schedule for optimum wing flaperon deflection during typical dynamic performance maneuvers; this has also complicated the drag polar shape modeling. The X-29A was far enough off the schedule that the developed trim drag correction procedure has proven inadequate. Despite these obstacles, good drag polar shapes have been developed throughout the flight envelope. Preliminary flight results have compared well with wind tunnel predictions. A more comprehensive analysis must be done to complete the performance models. The detailed flight performance program with a calibrated engine will benefit from the experience gained during this preliminary performance phase.

Determining the Depth of Infinite Horizontal Cylindrical Sources from Spontaneous Polarization Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cooper, G. R. J.; Stettler, E. H.

2017-03-01

Previously published semi-automatic interpretation methods that use ratios of analytic signal amplitudes of orders that differ by one to determine the distance to potential field sources are shown also to apply to self-potential (S.P.) data when the source is a horizontal cylinder. Local minima of the distance (when it becomes closest to zero) give the source depth. The method was applied to an S.P. anomaly from the Bourkes Luck potholes district in Mpumalanga Province, South Africa, and gave results that were confirmed by drilling.

Active Deep Learning-Based Annotation of Electroencephalography Reports for Cohort Identification

PubMed Central

Maldonado, Ramon; Goodwin, Travis R; Harabagiu, Sanda M

2017-01-01

The annotation of a large corpus of Electroencephalography (EEG) reports is a crucial step in the development of an EEG-specific patient cohort retrieval system. The annotation of multiple types of EEG-specific medical concepts, along with their polarity and modality, is challenging, especially when automatically performed on Big Data. To address this challenge, we present a novel framework which combines the advantages of active and deep learning while producing annotations that capture a variety of attributes of medical concepts. Results obtained through our novel framework show great promise. PMID:28815135

A graphics package for meteorological data, version 1.5

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moorthi, Shrinivas; Suarez, Max; Phillips, Bill; Schemm, Jae-Kyung; Schubert, Siegfried

1989-01-01

A plotting package has been developed to simplify the task of plotting meteorological data. The calling sequences and examples of high level yet flexible routines which allow contouring, vectors and shading of cylindrical, polar, orthographic and Mollweide (egg) projections are given. Routines are also included for contouring pressure-latitude and pressure-longitude fields with linear or log scales in pressure (interpolation to fixed grid interval is done automatically). Also included is a fairly general line plotting routine. The present version (1.5) produces plots on WMS laser printers and uses graphics primitives from WOLFPLOT.

Analysis of scattering behavior and radar penetration in AIRSAR data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rignot, Eric; Van Zyl, Jakob

1992-01-01

A technique is presented to physically characterize changes in radar backscatter with frequency in multifrequency single polarization radar images that can be used as a first step in the analysis of the data and the retrieval of geophysical parameters. The technique is automatic, relatively independent of the incidence angle, and only requires a good calibration accuracy between the different frequencies. The technique reveals large areas where scattering changes significantly with frequency and whether the surface has the characteristics of a smooth, slightly rough, rough, or very rough surface.

Techniques for Developing an Acquisition Strategy by Profiling Software Risks

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-08-01

Drivers...................................................................................... 13 Figure 8: BMW 745Li Software... BMW 745Li, shown in Figure 8, is a good illustration of the increasing software control of hardware systems in automobiles. Among the many features...roll stabilization, dynamic brake con- trol, coded drive-away protection, an adaptive automatic transmission, and iDrive systems. This list can be

77 FR 20658 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC; Notice of Filing and Immediate...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-04-05

...-Regulatory Organizations; The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC; Notice of Filing and Immediate Effectiveness of... 19b-4 thereunder,\\2\\ notice is hereby given that on March 23, 2012, The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC...-market price stability. Pegged Orders are orders that, once entered, adjust in price automatically, in...

49 CFR 585.88 - Petition to extend period to file report.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 49 Transportation 7 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Petition to extend period to file report. 585.88... Electronic Stability Control System Phase-In Reporting Requirements § 585.88 Petition to extend period to... of the time stated in § 585.86(a). The filing of a petition does not automatically extend the time...

49 CFR 585.88 - Petition to extend period to file report.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 49 Transportation 7 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Petition to extend period to file report. 585.88... Electronic Stability Control System Phase-In Reporting Requirements § 585.88 Petition to extend period to... of the time stated in § 585.86(a). The filing of a petition does not automatically extend the time...

49 CFR 585.88 - Petition to extend period to file report.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 49 Transportation 7 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Petition to extend period to file report. 585.88... Electronic Stability Control System Phase-In Reporting Requirements § 585.88 Petition to extend period to... of the time stated in § 585.86(a). The filing of a petition does not automatically extend the time...