POSITIONING DEVICE

DOEpatents

McCorkle, W.H.

1959-07-14

A positioner for a control rod for a nuclear reactor is described. The positioner includes a spur gear and rack for adjusting the control rod slowly and in small ainounts as well as a piston and cylinder for moving the control rod rapidly thrcugh larger distances. The positioner also has associsted with it a worm wheel and gear for rotating it out of engagement with the control rod.

Control rod system useable for fuel handling in a gas-cooled nuclear reactor

DOEpatents

Spurrier, Francis R.

1976-11-30

A control rod and its associated drive are used to elevate a complete stack of fuel blocks to a position above the core of a gas-cooled nuclear reactor. A fuel-handling machine grasps the control rod and the drive is unlatched from the rod. The stack and rod are transferred out of the reactor, or to a new location in the reactor, by the fuel-handling machine.

Hydraulic Actuator for Ganged Control Rods

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thompson, D. C.; Robey, R. M.

1986-01-01

Hydraulic actuator moves several nuclear-reactor control rods in unison. Electromagnetic pump pushes liquid lithium against ends of control rods, forcing them out of or into nuclear reactor. Color arrows show lithium flow for reactor startup and operation. Flow reversed for shutdown. Conceived for use aboard spacecraft, actuator principle applied to terrestrial hydraulic machinery involving motion of ganged rods.

Inverted Control Rod Lock-In Device

DOEpatents

Brussalis, W. G.; Bost, G. E.

1962-12-01

A mechanism which prevents control rods from dropping out of the reactor core in the event the vessel in which the reactor is mounted should capsize is described. The mechanism includes a pivoted toothed armature which engages the threaded control rod lead screw and prevents removal of the rod whenever the armature is not attracted by the provided electromagnetic means. (AEC)

Maintaining a Critical Spectra within Monteburns for a Gas-Cooled Reactor Array by Way of Control Rod Manipulation

DOE PAGES

Adigun, Babatunde John; Fensin, Michael Lorne; Galloway, Jack D.; ...

2016-10-01

Our burnup study examined the effect of a predicted critical control rod position on the nuclide predictability of several axial and radial locations within a 4×4 graphite moderated gas cooled reactor fuel cluster geometry. To achieve this, a control rod position estimator (CRPE) tool was developed within the framework of the linkage code Monteburns between the transport code MCNP and depletion code CINDER90, and four methodologies were proposed within the tool for maintaining criticality. Two of the proposed methods used an inverse multiplication approach - where the amount of fissile material in a set configuration is slowly altered until criticalitymore » is attained - in estimating the critical control rod position. Another method carried out several MCNP criticality calculations at different control rod positions, then used a linear fit to estimate the critical rod position. The final method used a second-order polynomial fit of several MCNP criticality calculations at different control rod positions to guess the critical rod position. The results showed that consistency in prediction of power densities as well as uranium and plutonium isotopics was mutual among methods within the CRPE tool that predicted critical position consistently well. Finall, while the CRPE tool is currently limited to manipulating a single control rod, future work could be geared toward implementing additional criticality search methodologies along with additional features.« less

NUCLEAR REACTOR

DOEpatents

Moore, R.V.; Bowen, J.H.; Dent, K.H.

1958-12-01

A heterogeneous, natural uranium fueled, solid moderated, gas cooled reactor is described, in which the fuel elements are in the form of elongated rods and are dlsposed within vertical coolant channels ln the moderator symmetrically arranged as a regular lattice in groups. This reactor employs control rods which operate in vertical channels in the moderator so that each control rod is centered in one of the fuel element groups. The reactor is enclosed in a pressure vessel which ls provided with access holes at the top to facilitate loading and unloadlng of the fuel elements, control rods and control rod driving devices.

CONTROL ROD DRIVE MECHANISM FOR A NUCLEAR REACTOR

DOEpatents

Hawke, B.C.; Liederbach, F.J.; Lones, W.

1963-05-14

A lead-screw-type control rod drive featuring an electric motor and a fluid motor arranged to provide a selectably alternative driving means is described. The electric motor serves to drive the control rod slowly during normal operation, while the fluid motor, assisted by an automatic declutching of the electric motor, affords high-speed rod insertion during a scram. (AEC)

77 FR 46940 - Airworthiness Directives; Glasflugel Gliders

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-08-07

... condition as corrosion damage to the elevator control rod that could lead to failure of the elevator control... into the elevator control rod through a control bore hole and resulted in corrosion damage. The investigation concluded as well that the corrosion cannot be detected from outside the elevator control rod...

Control rod for a nuclear reactor

DOEpatents

Roman, Walter G.; Sutton, Jr., Harry G.

1979-01-01

A control rod assembly for a nuclear reactor is disclosed having a remotely disengageable coupling between the control rod and the control rod drive shaft. The coupling is actuated by first lowering then raising the drive shaft. The described motion causes axial repositioning of a pin in a grooved rotatable cylinder, each being attached to different parts of the drive shaft which are axially movable relative to each other. In one embodiment, the relative axial motion of the parts of the drive shaft is used either to couple or to uncouple the connection by forcing resilient members attached to the drive shaft into or out of shouldered engagement, respectively, with an indentation formed in the control rod.

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

Adigun, Babatunde John; Fensin, Michael Lorne; Galloway, Jack D.

Our burnup study examined the effect of a predicted critical control rod position on the nuclide predictability of several axial and radial locations within a 4×4 graphite moderated gas cooled reactor fuel cluster geometry. To achieve this, a control rod position estimator (CRPE) tool was developed within the framework of the linkage code Monteburns between the transport code MCNP and depletion code CINDER90, and four methodologies were proposed within the tool for maintaining criticality. Two of the proposed methods used an inverse multiplication approach - where the amount of fissile material in a set configuration is slowly altered until criticalitymore » is attained - in estimating the critical control rod position. Another method carried out several MCNP criticality calculations at different control rod positions, then used a linear fit to estimate the critical rod position. The final method used a second-order polynomial fit of several MCNP criticality calculations at different control rod positions to guess the critical rod position. The results showed that consistency in prediction of power densities as well as uranium and plutonium isotopics was mutual among methods within the CRPE tool that predicted critical position consistently well. Finall, while the CRPE tool is currently limited to manipulating a single control rod, future work could be geared toward implementing additional criticality search methodologies along with additional features.« less

COAXIAL CONTROL ROD DRIVE MECHANISM FOR NEUTRONIC REACTORS

DOEpatents

Fox, R.J.; Oakes, L.C.

1959-04-14

A drive mechanism is presented for the control rod or a nuclear reactor. In this device the control rod is coupled to a drive shaft which extends coaxially through the rotor of an electric motor for relative rotation with respect thereto. A gear reduction mehanism is coupled between the rotor and the drive shaft to convert the rotary motion of the motor into linear motion of the shaft with a comparatively great reduction in speed, thereby providing relatively glow linear movement of the shaft and control rod for control purposes.

SPRING DRIVEN ACTUATING MECHANISM FOR NUCLEAR REACTOR CONTROL

DOEpatents

Bevilacqua, F.; Uecker, D.F.; Groh, E.F.

1962-01-23

l962. rod in a nuclear reactor to shut it down. The control rod or an extension thereof is wound on a drum as it is withdrawn from the reactor. When an emergency occurs requiring the reactor to be shut down, the drum is released so as to be free to rotate, and the tendency of the control rod or its extension coiled on the drum to straighten itself is used for quickly returning the control rod to the reactor. (AEC)

Flexible growing rods: a pilot study to determine if polymer rod constructs may provide stability to skeletally immature spines

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

Background Surgical treatments for early onset scoliosis (EOS), including growing rod constructs, involve many complications. Some are due to biomechanical factors. A construct that is more flexible than current instrumentation systems may reduce complications. The purpose of this preliminary study was to determine spine range of motion (ROM) after implantation of simulated growing rod constructs with a range of clinically relevant structural properties. The hypothesis was that ROM of spines instrumented with polyetheretherketone (PEEK) rods would be greater than metal rods and lower than noninstrumented controls. Further, adjacent segment motion was expected to be lower with polymer rods compared to conventional systems. Methods Biomechanical tests were conducted on 6 skeletally immature porcine thoracic spines (domestic swine, 35-40 kg). Spines were harvested after death from swine that had been utilized for other studies (IACUC approved) which had not involved the spine. Paired pedicle screws were used as anchors at proximal and distal levels. Specimens were tested under the following conditions: control, then dual rods of PEEK (6.25 mm), titanium (4 mm), and CoCr (5 mm) alloy. Lateral bending (LB) and flexion-extension (FE) moments of ±5 Nm were applied. Vertebral rotations were measured using video. Differences were determined by two-tailed t-tests and Bonferroni correction with four primary comparisons: PEEK vs control and PEEK vs CoCr, in LB and FE (α=0.05/4). Results In LB, ROM of specimens with PEEK rods was lower than control at each instrumented level. ROM was greater for PEEK rods than both Ti and CoCr at every instrumented level. Mean ROM at proximal and distal noninstrumented levels was lower for PEEK than for Ti and CoCr. In FE, mean ROM at proximal and distal noninstrumented levels was lower for PEEK than for metal. Combining treated levels, in LB, ROM for PEEK rods was 35% of control (p<0.0001) and 270% of CoCr rods (p<0.01). In FE, ROM with PEEK was 27% of control (p<0.001) and 180% of CoCr (p<0.01). Conclusions PEEK rods decreased flexibility versus noninstumented controls, and increased flexibility versus metal rods. Smaller increases in ROM at proximal and distal adjacent motion segments occurred with PEEK compared to metal rods, which may help decrease junctional kyphosis. Flexible growing rods may eventually help improve treatment options for young patients with severe deformity. PMID:25810752

Electrical servo actuator bracket. [fuel control valves on jet engines

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sawyer, R. V. (Inventor)

1981-01-01

An electrical servo actuator is mounted on a support arm which is allowed to pivot on a bolt through a fixed mounting bracket. The actuator is pivotally connected to the end of the support arm by a bolt which has an extension allowed to pass through a slot in the fixed mounting bracket. An actuator rod extends from the servo actuator to a crank arm which turns a control shaft. A short linear thrust of the rod pivots the crank arm through about 90 for full-on control with the rod contracted into the servo actuator, and full-off control when the rod is extended from the actuator. A spring moves the servo actuator and actuator rod toward the control crank arm once the actuator rod is fully extended in the full-off position. This assures the turning of the control shaft to a full-off position. A stop bolt and slot are provided to limit pivot motion. Once fully extended, the spring pivots the motion.

Multi-function magnetic jack control drive mechanism

DOEpatents

Bollinger, L.R.; Crawford, D.C.

1983-10-06

A multi-function magnetic jack control drive mechanism for controlling a nuclear reactor is provided. The mechanism includes an elongate pressure housing in which a plurality of closely spaced drive rods are located. Each drive rod is connected to a rod which is insertable in the reactor core. An electromechanical stationary latch device is provided which is actuatable to hold each drive rod stationary with respect to the pressure housing. An electromechanical movable latch device is also provided for each one of the drive rods. Each movable latch device is provided with a base and is actuatable to hold a respective drive rod stationary with respect to the base. An electromechanical lift device is further provided for each base which is actuatable for moving a respective base longitudinally along the pressure housing. In this manner, one or more drive rods can be moved in the pressure housing by sequentially and repetitively operating the electromechanical devices. Preferably, each latch device includes a pair of opposed latches which grip teeth located on the respective drive rod. Two, three, or four drive rods can be located symmetrically about the longitudinal axis of the pressure housing.

Multi-function magnetic jack control drive mechanism

DOEpatents

Bollinger, Lawrence R.; Crawford, Donald C.

1986-01-01

A multi-function magnetic jack control drive mechanism for controlling a nuclear reactor is provided. The mechanism includes an elongate pressure housing in which a plurality of closely spaced drive rods are located. Each drive rod is connected to a rod which is insertable in the reactor core. An electromechanical stationary latch device is provided which is actuatable to hold each drive rod stationary with respect to the pressure housing. An electromechanical movable latch device is also provided for each one of the drive rods. Each movable latch device is provided with a base and is actuatable to hold a respective drive rod stationary with respect to the base. An electromechanical lift device is further provided for each base which is actuatable for moving a respective base longitudinally along the pressure housing. In this manner, one or more drive rods can be moved in the pressure housing by sequentially and repetitively operating the electromechanical devices. Preferably, each latch device includes a pair of opposed latches which grip teeth located on the respective drive rod. Two, three, or four drive rods can be located symmetrically about the longitudinal axis of the pressure housing.

CONTROL IN NUCLEAR REACTORS

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

Bell, F.R.

1963-01-16

An arrangement was described for scramming a reactor in an emergency. Control rods were position adjusted by an electric motor and transmission. A locking system kept the control rods in position but was arranged to be released in an emergency to allow the rods to drop into their shutdown position. (C.E.S.)

Final Report: Contractor Readiness Assessment (CRA) for TREAT Fuel Movement and Control Rod Drives Isolation

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

Rowsell, David Leon

This report documents the Contractor Readiness Assessment (CRA) for TREAT Fuel Movement and Control Rod Drives Isolation. The review followed the approved Plan of Action (POA) and Implementation Plan (IP) using the identified core requirements. The activity was limited scope focusing on the control rod drives functional isolation and fuel element movement. The purpose of this review is to ensure the facility's readiness to move fuel elements thus supporting inspection and functionally isolate the control rod drives to maintain the required shutdown margin.

HWCTR CONTROL ROD AND SAFETY ROD DRIVE SYSTEMS

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

Kale, S.H.

1963-07-01

The Heavy Water Components Test Reactor (HWCTR) is a pressurized, D/sub 2/O reactor designed for operation up to 70 Mw at 1500 psig and 3l5 deg C. It has 18 control rods and six safety rods, each driven by an electric motor through a rack and pinion gear train. Racks, pinions, and bearings are located inside individual pressure housings that are penetrated by means of floating ring labyrinth seals. The drives are mounted on the reactor vessel top head. Safety rods have electromagnetic clutches and fall into the reactor when scrammed. The reliability and performance of the rod drives aremore » very good. Seal leakage is well within design limits. Recent inspections of seals and control rod plants showed no evidence of crud buildup or stress corrosion cracking of type 17- 4PH'' stainless steel components. (auth)« less

Ultrasound control of magnet growing rod distraction in early onset scoliosis.

PubMed

Pérez Cervera, T; Lirola Criado, J F; Farrington Rueda, D M

2016-01-01

The growing rod technique is currently one of the most common procedures used in the management of early onset scoliosis. However, in order to preserve spine growth and control the deformity it requires frequent surgeries to distract the rods. Magnetically driven growing rods have recently been introduced with same treatment goal, but without the inconvenience of repeated surgical distractions. One of the limitations of this technical advance is an increase in radiation exposure due to the increase in distraction frequency compared to conventional growing rods. An improvement of the original technique is presented, proposing a solution to the inconvenience of multiple radiation exposure using ultrasound technology to control the distraction process of magnetically driven growing rods. Copyright © 2014 SECOT. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

NEUTRONIC REACTORS

DOEpatents

Anderson, H.L.

1958-10-01

The design of control rods for nuclear reactors are described. In this design the control rod consists essentially of an elongated member constructed in part of a neutron absorbing material and having tube means extending therethrough for conducting a liquid to cool the rod when in use.

Magnetic switch for reactor control rod. [LMFBR

DOEpatents

Germer, J.H.

1982-09-30

A magnetic reed switch assembly is described for activating an electromagnetic grapple utilized to hold a control rod in position above a reactor core. In normal operation the magnetic field of a permanent magnet is short-circuited by a magnetic shunt, diverting the magnetic field away from the reed switch. The magnetic shunt is made of a material having a Curie-point at the desired release temperature. Above that temperature the material loses its ferromagnetic properties, and the magnetic path is diverted to the reed switch which closes and short-circuits the control circuit for the control rod electro-magnetic grapple which allows the control rod to drop into the reactor core for controlling the reactivity of the core.

Magnetic switch for reactor control rod

DOEpatents

Germer, John H.

1986-01-01

A magnetic reed switch assembly for activating an electromagnetic grapple utilized to hold a control rod in position above a reactor core. In normal operation the magnetic field of a permanent magnet is short-circuited by a magnetic shunt, diverting the magnetic field away from the reed switch. The magnetic shunt is made of a material having a Curie-point at the desired release temperature. Above that temperature the material loses its ferromagnetic properties, and the magnetic path is diverted to the reed switch which closes and short-circuits the control circuit for the control rod electromagnetic grapple which allows the control rod to drop into the reactor core for controlling the reactivity of the core.

CONTROL RODS FOR NUCLEAR REACTOR CORES

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

Bell, F.R.

1961-11-15

A reactor control rod is designed which has increased effectiveness as compared with the width of the aperture in the pressure vessel through which it passes. The control rod carries six fins, three on each side, and two of the fins are fixed while the other, being adjustable, is capable of movement from between the fixed fins to an extended position. Thus, the control rod assembly can be arranged so that the parts within the core form a substantially complete shell around the reactor central axis, while the apertures on the pressure vessel wall are well spaced for strength. (D.L.C.)

CONTROL ROD FOR A NUCLEAR REACTOR AND METHOD OF PREPARATION

DOEpatents

Hausner, H.H.

1958-12-30

BS>An improved control rod is presented for a nuclear reactor. This control rod is comprised of a rare earth metal oxide or rare earth metal carbide such as gadolinium oxide or gadolinium carbide, uniformly distributed in a metal matrix having a low cross sectional area of absorption for thermal neutrons, such as aluminum, beryllium, and zirconium.

Optimal Navigation of Self-Propelled Colloids in Microstructured Mazes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Yuguang; Bevan, Michael

Controlling navigation of self-propelled microscopic `robots' subject to random Brownian motion in complex microstructured environments (e.g., porous media, tumor vasculature) is important to many emerging applications (e.g., enhanced oil recovery, drug delivery). In this work, we design an optimal feedback policy to navigate an active self-propelled colloidal rod in complex mazes with various obstacle types. Actuation of the rods is modelled based on a light-controlled osmotic flow mechanism, which produces different propulsion velocities along the rod's long axis. Actuator-parameterized Langevin equations, with soft rod-obstacle repulsive interactions, are developed to describe the system dynamics. A Markov decision process (MDP) framework is used for optimal policy calculations with design goals of colloidal rods reaching target end points in minimum time. Simulations show that optimal MDP-based policies are able to control rod trajectories to reach target regions order-of-magnitudes faster than uncontrolled rods, which diverges as maze complexity increases. An efficient multi-graph based implementation for MDP is also presented, which scales linearly with the maze dimension.

VARIABLE AREA CONTROL ROD FOR NUCLEAR REACTOR

DOEpatents

Huston, N.E.

1960-05-01

A control rod is described which permits continual variation of its absorbing strength uniformly along the length of the rod. The rod is fail safe and is fully inserted into the core but changes in its absorbing strength do not produce axial flux distortion. The control device comprises a sheet containing a material having a high thermal-neutron absorption cross section. A pair of shafts engage the sheet along the longitudinal axis of the shafts and gears associated with the shafts permit winding and unwinding of the sheet around the shafts.

Control rod calibration and reactivity effects at the IPEN/MB-01 reactor

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

Pinto, Letícia Negrão; Gonnelli, Eduardo; Santos, Adimir dos

2014-11-11

Researches that aim to improve the performance of neutron transport codes and quality of nuclear cross section databases are very important to increase the accuracy of simulations and the quality of the analysis and prediction of phenomena in the nuclear field. In this context, relevant experimental data such as reactivity worth measurements are needed. Control rods may be made of several neutron absorbing materials that are used to adjust the reactivity of the core. For the reactor operation, these experimental data are also extremely important: with them it is possible to estimate the reactivity worth by the movement of themore » control rod, understand the reactor response at each rod position and to operate the reactor safely. This work presents a temperature correction approach for the control rod calibration problem. It is shown the control rod calibration data of the IPEN/MB-01 reactor, the integral and differential reactivity curves and a theoretical analysis, performed by the MCNP-5 reactor physics code, developed and maintained by Los Alamos National Laboratory, using the ENDF/B-VII.0 nuclear data library.« less

Final report, PT IP-535-C: Test of smaller VSR`s in DR reactor

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

Vaughn, A.D.

1963-04-17

Because of rod-sticking problems at DR Reactor, a knuckle rod of B Reactor design was installed in vertical safety channel number 28. The substitute VSR, which has a smaller diameter than the original DR rod, has been tested for its operational feasibility including both drop time and reactivity effect. The reactivity effect of the rod was estimated by comparison of the reactivity transient caused by insertion of the specific B-type rod after scramming into the pile, with similar transients caused by normal vertical safety rod in an adjacent channel. This document lists the indicated relative control strength of the rodmore » as an empirical basis for future safety calculations. Results indicate that the B-type knuckel rod in DR reactor is about 80% as strong as a normal DR vertical safety rod if used in equivalent flux distribution and location; this makes it reasonable to assume that the local control strength of the B-type knuckel rod is 98 {mu}b.« less

Advanced gray rod control assembly

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

Drudy, Keith J; Carlson, William R; Conner, Michael E

An advanced gray rod control assembly (GRCA) for a nuclear reactor. The GRCA provides controlled insertion of gray rod assemblies into the reactor, thereby controlling the rate of power produced by the reactor and providing reactivity control at full power. Each gray rod assembly includes an elongated tubular member, a primary neutron-absorber disposed within the tubular member said neutron-absorber comprising an absorber material, preferably tungsten, having a 2200 m/s neutron absorption microscopic capture cross-section of from 10 to 30 barns. An internal support tube can be positioned between the primary absorber and the tubular member as a secondary absorber tomore » enhance neutron absorption, absorber depletion, assembly weight, and assembly heat transfer characteristics.« less

Method for producing solid or hollow spherical particles of chosen chemical composition and of uniform size

DOEpatents

Hendricks, Charles D.

1988-01-01

A method is provided for producing commercially large quantities of high melting temperature solid or hollow spherical particles of a predetermined chemical composition and having a uniform and controlled size distribution. An end (18, 50, 90) of a solid or hollow rod (20, 48, 88) of the material is rendered molten by a laser beam (14, 44, 82). Because of this, there is no possibility of the molten rod material becoming contaminated with extraneous material. In various aspects of the invention, an electric field is applied to the molten rod end (18, 90), and/or the molten rod end (50, 90) is vibrated. In a further aspect of the invention, a high-frequency component is added to the electric field applied to the molten end of the rod (90). By controlling the internal pressure of the rod, the rate at which the rod is introduced into the laser beam, the environment of the process, the vibration amplitude and frequency of the molten rod end, the electric field intensity applied to the molten rod end, and the frequency and intensity of the component added to the electric field, the uniformity and size distribution of the solid or hollow spherical particles (122) produced by the inventive method is controlled. The polarity of the electric field applied to the molten rod end can be chosen to eliminate backstreaming electrons, which tend to produce run-away heating in the rod, from the process.

Measurement of Diffusion in Entangled Rod-Coil Triblock Copolymers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Olsen, B. D.; Wang, M.

2012-02-01

Although rod-coil block copolymers have attracted increasing attention for functional nanomaterials, their dynamics relevant to self-assembly and processing have not been widely investigated. Because the rod and coil blocks have different reptation behavior and persistence lengths, the mechanism by which block copolymers will diffuse is unclear. In order to understand the effect of the rigid block on reptation, tracer diffusion of a coil-rod-coil block copolymer through an entangled coil polymer matrix was experimentally measured. A monodisperse, high molecular weight coil-rod-coil triblock was synthesized using artificial protein engineering to prepare the helical rod and bioconjugaiton of poly(ethylene glycol) coils to produce the final triblock. Diffusion measurements were performed using Forced Rayleigh scattering (FRS), at varying ratios of the rod length to entanglement length, where genetic engineering is used to control the protein rod length and the polymer matrix concentration controls the entanglement length. As compared to PEO homopolymer tracers, the coil-rod-coil triblocks show markedly slower diffusion, suggesting that the mismatch between rod and coil reptation mechanisms results in hindered diffusion of these molecules in the entangled state.

POSITIONING DEVICE

DOEpatents

Wall, R.R.; Peterson, D.L.

1959-09-15

A positioner is described for a vertical reactor-control rod. The positioner comprises four grooved friction rotatable members that engage the control rod on all sides and shift it longitudinally. The four friction members are drivingly interconnected for conjoint rotation and comprise two pairs of coaxial members. The members of each pair are urged toward one another by hydraulic or pneumatic pressure and thus grip the control rod so as to hold it in any position or adjust it. Release of the by-draulic or pneumatic pressure permits springs between the friction members of each pair to force them apart, whereby the control rod moves quickly by gravity into the reactor.

QUICK RELEASABLE DRIVE

DOEpatents

Dickson, J.J.

1958-07-01

A quick releasable mechanical drive system suitable for use in a nuclear reactor is described. A small reversible motor positions a control rod by means of a worm and gear speed reducer, a magnetic torque clutch, and a bell crank. As the control rod is raised to the operating position, a heavy coil spring is compressed. In the event of an emergency indicated by either a''scram'' signal or a power failure, the current to the magnetic clutch is cut off, thereby freeing the coil spring and the bell crank positioner from the motor and speed reduction gearing. The coil spring will immediately act upon the bell crank to cause the insertion of the control rod. This arrangement will allow the slow, accurate positioning of the control rod during reactor operation, while providing an independent force to rapidly insert the rod in the event of an emergency.

Fission control system for nuclear reactor

DOEpatents

Conley, G.H.; Estes, G.P.

Control system for nuclear reactor comprises a first set of reactivity modifying rods fixed in a reactor core with their upper ends stepped in height across the core, and a second set of reactivity modifying rods movable vertically within the reactor core and having their lower ends stepped to correspond with the stepped arrangement of the first set of rods, pairs of the rods of the first and second sets being in coaxial alignment.

Neutron economic reactivity control system for light water reactors

DOEpatents

Luce, Robert G.; McCoy, Daniel F.; Merriman, Floyd C.; Gregurech, Steve

1989-01-01

A neutron reactivity control system for a LWBR incorporating a stationary seed-blanket core arrangement. The core arrangement includes a plurality of contiguous hexagonal shaped regions. Each region has a central and a peripheral blanket area juxapositioned an annular seed area. The blanket areas contain thoria fuel rods while the annular seed area includes seed fuel rods and movable thoria shim control rods.

Analysis of dose rates received around the storage pool for irradiated control rods in a BWR nuclear power plant.

PubMed

Ródenas, J; Abarca, A; Gallardo, S

2011-08-01

BWR control rods are activated by neutron reactions in the reactor. The dose produced by this activity can affect workers in the area surrounding the storage pool, where activated rods are stored. Monte Carlo (MC) models for neutron activation and dose assessment around the storage pool have been developed and validated. In this work, the MC models are applied to verify the expected reduction of dose when the irradiated control rod is hanged in an inverted position into the pool. 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

CONTROL ROD DRIVE

DOEpatents

Chapellier, R.A.

1960-05-24

BS>A drive mechanism was invented for the control rod of a nuclear reactor. Power is provided by an electric motor and an outside source of fluid pressure is utilized in conjunction with the fluid pressure within the reactor to balance the loadings on the motor. The force exerted on the drive mechanism in the direction of scramming the rod is derived from the reactor fluid pressure so that failure of the outside pressure source will cause prompt scramming of the rod.

Automatic safety rod for reactors. [LMFBR

DOEpatents

Germer, J.H.

1982-03-23

An automatic safety rod for a nuclear reactor containing neutron absorbing material and designed to be inserted into a reactor core after a loss-of-flow. Actuation is based upon either a sudden decrease in core pressure drop or the pressure drop decreases below a predetermined minimum value. The automatic control rod includes a pressure regulating device whereby a controlled decrease in operating pressure due to reduced coolant flow does not cause the rod to drop into the core.

Automatic safety rod for reactors

DOEpatents

Germer, John H.

1988-01-01

An automatic safety rod for a nuclear reactor containing neutron absorbing material and designed to be inserted into a reactor core after a loss-of-core flow. Actuation is based upon either a sudden decrease in core pressure drop or the pressure drop decreases below a predetermined minimum value. The automatic control rod includes a pressure regulating device whereby a controlled decrease in operating pressure due to reduced coolant flow does not cause the rod to drop into the core.

Neutronic reactor

DOEpatents

Wende, Charles W. J.; Babcock, Dale F.; Menegus, Robert L.

1983-01-01

A nuclear reactor includes an active portion with fissionable fuel and neutron moderating material surrounded by neutron reflecting material. A control element in the active portion includes a group of movable rods constructed of neutron-absorbing material. Each rod is movable with respect to the other rods to vary the absorption of neutrons and effect control over neutron flux.

Controllability of semi-infinite rod heating by a point source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khurshudyan, A.

2018-04-01

The possibility of control over heating of a semi-infinite thin rod by a point source concentrated at an inner point of the rod, is studied. Quadratic and piecewise constant solutions of the problem are derived, and the possibilities of solving appropriate problems of optimal control are indicated. Determining of the parameters of the piecewise constant solution is reduced to a problem of nonlinear programming. Numerical examples are considered.

POSITIONING MEANS FOR THE CONTROL ROD IN A NUCLEAR REACTOR

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

Bell, F.R.

1963-09-26

An electric motor and transmission means for adjusting the position of the control rod in relation to the reactor core to control the level of activity in either sense and a lock that is retained in a locking condition by a longitudinal force derived electrically from the motor but arranged to be released when the electrical force is removed to allow the control rod in an emergency to drop into its shut-down position are described. (Gmelin Inst.)

Layered reactive particles with controlled geometries, energies, and reactivities, and methods for making the same

DOEpatents

Fritz, Gregory M.; Weihs, Timothy P.; Grzyb, Justin A.

2016-07-05

An energetic composite having a plurality of reactive particles each having a reactive multilayer construction formed by successively depositing reactive layers on a rod-shaped substrate having a longitudinal axis, dividing the reactive-layer-deposited rod-shaped substrate into a plurality of substantially uniform longitudinal segments, and removing the rod-shaped substrate from the longitudinal segments, so that the reactive particles have a controlled, substantially uniform, cylindrically curved or otherwise rod-contoured geometry which facilitates handling and improves its packing fraction, while the reactant multilayer construction controls the stability, reactivity and energy density of the energetic composite.

Layered reactive particles with controlled geometries, energies, and reactivities, and methods for making the same

DOEpatents

Fritz, Gregory M; Knepper, Robert Allen; Weihs, Timothy P; Gash, Alexander E; Sze, John S

2013-04-30

An energetic composite having a plurality of reactive particles each having a reactive multilayer construction formed by successively depositing reactive layers on a rod-shaped substrate having a longitudinal axis, dividing the reactive-layer-deposited rod-shaped substrate into a plurality of substantially uniform longitudinal segments, and removing the rod-shaped substrate from the longitudinal segments, so that the reactive particles have a controlled, substantially uniform, cylindrically curved or otherwise rod-contoured geometry which facilitates handling and improves its packing fraction, while the reactant multilayer construction controls the stability, reactivity and energy density of the energetic composite.

LOGIC CIRCUIT

DOEpatents

Strong, G.H.; Faught, M.L.

1963-12-24

A device for safety rod counting in a nuclear reactor is described. A Wheatstone bridge circuit is adapted to prevent de-energizing the hopper coils of a ball backup system if safety rods, sufficient in total control effect, properly enter the reactor core to effect shut down. A plurality of resistances form one arm of the bridge, each resistance being associated with a particular safety rod and weighted in value according to the control effect of the particular safety rod. Switching means are used to switch each of the resistances in and out of the bridge circuit responsive to the presence of a particular safety rod in its effective position in the reactor core and responsive to the attainment of a predetermined velocity by a particular safety rod enroute to its effective position. The bridge is unbalanced in one direction during normal reactor operation prior to the generation of a scram signal and the switching means and resistances are adapted to unbalance the bridge in the opposite direction if the safety rods produce a predetermined amount of control effect in response to the scram signal. The bridge unbalance reversal is then utilized to prevent the actuation of the ball backup system, or, conversely, a failure of the safety rods to produce the predetermined effect produces no unbalance reversal and the ball backup system is actuated. (AEC)

26. A typical outer rod room, or rack room, showing ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

26. A typical outer rod room, or rack room, showing the racks for the nine horizontal control rods (HCRs) that would be inserted or withdrawn from the pile to control the rate of reaction. In this case, it is the 105-F Reactor in February 1945. The view is looking away from the pile, which is out of the picture on the left. Several of the cooling water hose reels for the rods can be seen at the end of the racks near the wall. D-8323 - B Reactor, Richland, Benton County, WA

Parallel Operation of Multiple Closely Spaced Small Aspect Ratio Rod Pinches

DOE PAGES

Harper-Slaboszewicz, Victor J.; Leckbee, Joshua; Bennett, Nichelle; ...

2014-12-10

A series of simulations and experiments to resolve questions about the operation of arrays of closely spaced small aspect ratio rod pinches has been performed. Design and post-shot analysis of the experimental results are supported by 3D particle-in-cell simulations. Both simulations and experiments support these conclusions. Penetration of current to the interior of the array appears to be efficient, as the current on the center rods is essentially equal to the current on the outer rods. Current loss in the feed due to the formation of magnetic nulls was avoided in these experiments by design of the feed surface ofmore » the cathode and control of the gap to keep the electric fields on the cathode below the emission threshold. Some asymmetry in the electron flow to the rod was observed, but the flow appeared to symmetrize as it reached the end of the rod. Interaction between the rod pinches can be controlled to allow the stable and consistent operation of arrays of rod pinches.« less

COMPOSITE CONTROL ROD

DOEpatents

Rock, H.R.

1963-12-24

A composite control rod for use in controlling a nuclear reactor is described. The control rod is of sandwich construction in which finned dowel pins are utilized to hold together sheets of the neutron absorbing material and nonabsorbing structural material thereby eliminating the need for being dependent on the absorbing material for structural support. The dowel pins perform the function of absorbing the forces due to differential thermal expansion, seating further with the fins into the sheets of material and crushing before damage is done either to the absorbing or non-absorbing material. (AEC)

Control rod drive for reactor shutdown

DOEpatents

McKeehan, Ernest R.; Shawver, Bruce M.; Schiro, Donald J.; Taft, William E.

1976-01-20

A means for rapidly shutting down or scramming a nuclear reactor, such as a liquid metal-cooled fast breeder reactor, and serves as a backup to the primary shutdown system. The control rod drive consists basically of an in-core assembly, a drive shaft and seal assembly, and a control drive mechanism. The control rod is driven into the core region of the reactor by gravity and hydraulic pressure forces supplied by the reactor coolant, thus assuring that common mode failures will not interfere with or prohibit scramming the reactor when necessary.

VIEW OF CABLES AND TAPES ASSOCIATED WITH ADRIVE CONTROL ROD ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

VIEW OF CABLES AND TAPES ASSOCIATED WITH A-DRIVE CONTROL ROD SYSTEM, AT LEVEL +15’, DIRECTLY ABOVE PDP CONTROL ROOM, LOOKING NORTH - Physics Assembly Laboratory, Area A/M, Savannah River Site, Aiken, Aiken County, SC

ELECTROMAGNETIC APPARATUS FOR MOVING A ROD

DOEpatents

Young, J.N.

1958-04-22

An electromagnetic apparatus for moving a rod-like member in small steps in either direction is described. The invention has particular application in the reactor field where the reactor control rods must be moved only a small distance and where the use of mechanical couplings is impractical due to the high- pressure seals required. A neutron-absorbing rod is mounted in a housing with gripping uaits that engage the rod, and coils for magnetizing the gripping units to make them grip, shift, and release the rod are located outside the housing.

System for fuel rod removal from a reactor module

DOEpatents

Matchett, R.L.; Fodor, G.; Kikta, T.J.; Bacvinsicas, W.S.; Roof, D.R.; Nilsen, R.J.; Wilczynski, R.

1988-07-28

A robotic system for remote underwater withdrawal of the fuel rods from fuel modules of a light water breeder reactor includes a collet/grapple assembly for gripping and removing fuel rods in each module, which is positioned by use of a winch and a radial support means attached to a vertical support tube which is mounted over the fuel module. A programmable logic controller in conjunction with a microcomputer, provides control for the accurate positioning and pulling force of the rod grapple assembly. Closed circuit television cameras are provided which aid in operator interface with the robotic system. 7 figs.

System for fuel rod removal from a reactor module

DOEpatents

Matchett, Richard L.; Roof, David R.; Kikta, Thomas J.; Wilczynski, Rosemarie; Nilsen, Roy J.; Bacvinskas, William S.; Fodor, George

1990-01-01

A robotic system for remote underwater withdrawal of the fuel rods from fuel modules of a light water breeder reactor includes a collet/grapple assembly for gripping and removing fuel rods in each module, which is positioned by use of a winch and a radial support means attached to a vertical support tube which is mounted over the fuel module. A programmable logic controller in conjunction with a microcomputer, provides control for the accurate positioning and pulling force of the rod grapple assembly. Closed circuit television cameras are provided which aid in operator interface with the robotic system.

Simulation of parameters of hydraulic drive with volumetric type controller

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mulyukin, V. L.; Boldyrev, A. V.; Karelin, D. L.; Belousov, A. M.

2017-09-01

The article presents a mathematical model of volumetric type hydraulic drive controller that allows to calculate the parameters of forward and reverse motion. According to the results of simulation static characteristics of rod’s speed and the force of the hydraulic cylinder rod were built and the influence of the angle of swash plate of the controller at the characteristics profile is shown. The results analysis showed that the proposed controller allows steplessly adjust the speed□ц of hydraulic cylinder’s rod motion and the force developed on the rod without the use of flow throttling.

Neural net controlled tag gas sampling system for nuclear reactors

DOEpatents

Gross, Kenneth C.; Laug, Matthew T.; Lambert, John D. B.; Herzog, James P.

1997-01-01

A method and system for providing a tag gas identifier to a nuclear fuel rod and analyze escaped tag gas to identify a particular failed nuclear fuel rod. The method and system include disposing a unique tag gas composition into a plenum of a nuclear fuel rod, monitoring gamma ray activity, analyzing gamma ray signals to assess whether a nuclear fuel rod has failed and is emitting tag gas, activating a tag gas sampling and analysis system upon sensing tag gas emission from a failed nuclear rod and evaluating the escaped tag gas to identify the particular failed nuclear fuel rod.

Pulsed ultrasonic stir welding method

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ding, R. Jeffrey (Inventor)

2013-01-01

A method of performing ultrasonic stir welding uses a welding head assembly to include a plate and a rod passing through the plate. The rod is rotatable about a longitudinal axis thereof. In the method, the rod is rotated about its longitudinal axis during a welding operation. During the welding operation, a series of on-off ultrasonic pulses are applied to the rod such that they propagate parallel to the rod's longitudinal axis. At least a pulse rate associated with the on-off ultrasonic pulses is controlled.

Dynamic Rod Worth Measurement

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

Chao, Y.A.; Chapman, D.M.; Hill, D.J.

2000-12-15

The dynamic rod worth measurement (DRWM) technique is a method of quickly validating the predicted bank worth of control rods and shutdown rods. The DRWM analytic method is based on three-dimensional, space-time kinetic simulations of the rapid rod movements. Its measurement data is processed with an advanced digital reactivity computer. DRWM has been used as the method of bank worth validation at numerous plant startups with excellent results. The process and methodology of DRWM are described, and the measurement results of using DRWM are presented.

77 FR 36137 - Airworthiness Directives; AGUSTA S.p.A. Helicopters

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-06-18

... the upper end of collective control rod C2 to torque tube C3 is properly installed. This AD is... prevent separation of the collective control rod from the torque tube, loss of control of the collective... helicopters because the production quality control procedures did not require recording the applied torque on...

Urea controlled hydrothermal synthesis of ammonium aluminum carbonate hydroxide rods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Fang; Zhu, Jianfeng; Liu, Hui

2018-03-01

In this study, ammonium aluminum carbonate hydroxide (AACH) rods were controllably prepared using the hydrothermal method by manipulating the amount of urea in the reaction system. The experimental results showed that AACH in rod shape was able to be gradually transformed from γ-AlOOH in cluster shape during the molar ratios of urea to Al in the reactants were ranged from 8 to 10, and the yield of AACH has increased accordingly. When the molar ratio of urea to Al reaches 11, pure AACH rods with a diameter of 500 nm and a length of 10 μm approximately was able to be produced. Due to the slow decomposition of urea during the hydrothermal reaction, the nucleation and growth of AACH crystal proceed step by step. Therefore, the crystal can fully grow on each crystal plane and eventually produce a highly crystalline rod-shaped product. The role of urea in controlling the morphology and yield of AACH was also discussed in this paper systematically.

A prospective randomized controlled trial comparing early postoperative complications in patients undergoing loop colostomy with and without a stoma rod.

PubMed

Franklyn, J; Varghese, G; Mittal, R; Rebekah, G; Jesudason, M R; Perakath, B

2017-07-01

A stoma rod or bridge has been traditionally placed under the bowel loop while constructing a loop colostomy. This is believed to prevent stomal retraction and provide better faecal diversion. However, the rod can cause complications such as mucosal congestion, oedema and necrosis. This single-centre prospective randomized controlled trial compared outcomes after creation of loop colostomy with and without a supporting stoma rod. The primary outcome studied was stoma retraction rate; other stoma-related complications were studied as secondary outcomes. One hundred and fifty-one patients were randomly allotted to one of two arms, colostomy with or without a supporting rod. Postoperative complications such as retraction, mucocutaneous separation, congestion and re-exploration for stoma-related complications were recorded. There was no difference in the stoma retraction rate between the two arms (8.1% in the rod arm and 6.6% in the no-rod arm; P = 0.719). Stomal necrosis (10.7% vs 1.3%; P = 0.018), oedema (23% vs 3.9%; P = 0.001), congestion (20.3% vs 2.6%; P = 0.001) and re-admission rates (8.5% vs 0%; P = 0.027) were significantly increased in the arm randomized to the rod. The stoma rod does not prevent stomal retraction. However, complication rates are significantly higher when a stoma rod is used. Routine use of a stoma rod for construction of loop colostomy can be avoided. Colorectal Disease © 2017 The Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland.

Nuclear reactor safety device

DOEpatents

Hutter, E.

1983-08-15

A safety device is described for use in a nuclear reactor for axially repositioning a control rod with respect to the reactor core in the event of a thermal excursion. It comprises a laminated strip helically configured to form a tube, said tube being in operative relation to said control rod. The laminated strip is formed of at least two materials having different thermal coefficients of expansion, and is helically configured such that the material forming the outer lamina of the tube has a greater thermal coefficient of expansion than the material forming the inner lamina of said tube. In the event of a thermal excursion the laminated strip will tend to curl inwardly so that said tube will increase in length, whereby as said tube increases in length it exerts a force on said control rod to axially reposition said control rod with respect to said core.

Homeostatic Plasticity Mediated by Rod-Cone Gap Junction Coupling in Retinal Degenerative Dystrophic RCS Rats

PubMed Central

Hou, Baoke; Fu, Yan; Weng, Chuanhuang; Liu, Weiping; Zhao, Congjian; Yin, Zheng Qin

2017-01-01

Rod-cone gap junctions open at night to allow rod signals to pass to cones and activate the cone-bipolar pathway. This enhances the ability to detect large, dim objects at night. This electrical synaptic switch is governed by the circadian clock and represents a novel form of homeostatic plasticity that regulates retinal excitability according to network activity. We used tracer labeling and ERG recording in the retinae of control and retinal degenerative dystrophic RCS rats. We found that in the control animals, rod-cone gap junction coupling was regulated by the circadian clock via the modulation of the phosphorylation of the melatonin synthetic enzyme arylalkylamine N-acetyltransferase (AANAT). However, in dystrophic RCS rats, AANAT was constitutively phosphorylated, causing rod-cone gap junctions to remain open. A further b/a-wave ratio analysis revealed that dystrophic RCS rats had stronger synaptic strength between photoreceptors and bipolar cells, possibly because rod-cone gap junctions remained open. This was despite the fact that a decrease was observed in the amplitude of both a- and b-waves as a result of the progressive loss of rods during early degenerative stages. These results suggest that electric synaptic strength is increased during the day to allow cone signals to pass to the remaining rods and to be propagated to rod bipolar cells, thereby partially compensating for the weak visual input caused by the loss of rods. PMID:28473754

REACTOR CONTROL

DOEpatents

Fortescue, P.; Nicoll, D.

1962-04-24

A control system employed with a high pressure gas cooled reactor in which a control rod is positioned for upward and downward movement into the neutron field from a position beneath the reactor is described. The control rod is positioned by a coupled piston cylinder releasably coupled to a power drive means and the pressurized coolant is directed against the lower side of the piston. The coolant pressure is offset by a higher fiuid pressure applied to the upper surface of the piston and means are provided for releasing the higher pressure on the upper side of the piston so that the pressure of the coolant drives the piston upwardly, forcing the coupled control rod into the ncutron field of the reactor. (AEC)

Neural net controlled tag gas sampling system for nuclear reactors

DOEpatents

Gross, K.C.; Laug, M.T.; Lambert, J.B.; Herzog, J.P.

1997-02-11

A method and system are disclosed for providing a tag gas identifier to a nuclear fuel rod and analyze escaped tag gas to identify a particular failed nuclear fuel rod. The method and system include disposing a unique tag gas composition into a plenum of a nuclear fuel rod, monitoring gamma ray activity, analyzing gamma ray signals to assess whether a nuclear fuel rod has failed and is emitting tag gas, activating a tag gas sampling and analysis system upon sensing tag gas emission from a failed nuclear rod and evaluating the escaped tag gas to identify the particular failed nuclear fuel rod. 12 figs.

Sample Federal Facility Land Use Control ROD Checklist and Suggested Language (LUC Checklist)

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The LUC Checklist provides direction on describing and documenting land use controls (LUCs) in federal facility actrions under CERCLA in Records of Decision (RODs), remedial designs (RDs), and remedial action work plans (RAWPs).

ADVANCED DESIGNS OF MAGNETIC JACK-TYPE CONTROL ROD DRIVE

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

Young, J.N.

1959-11-01

The magnetic jack is a device for positioning the control rods In a nuclear reactor, especially in a reactor containing water under pressure. Magnetic actuation precludes the need for shaft seals and eliminates the problems associated with mechanisms operating in water. It consists of a pressure shell, four sets of external stationary magnet coils (hold, grip, lift, pull down), and one Internal moving part (ammature) that impants linear motion to a cluster of rods. (W.L.H.)

HIGH STRENGTH CONTROL RODS FOR NEUTRONIC REACTORS

DOEpatents

Lustman, B.; Losco, E.F.; Cohen, I.

1961-07-11

Nuclear reactor control rods comprised of highly compressed and sintered finely divided metal alloy panticles and fine metal oxide panticles substantially uniformly distributed theretbrough are described. The metal alloy consists essentially of silver, indium, cadmium, tin, and aluminum, the amount of each being present in centain percentages by weight. The oxide particles are metal oxides of the metal alloy composition, the amount of oxygen being present in certain percentages by weight and all the oxygen present being substantially in the form of metal oxide. This control rod is characterized by its high strength and resistance to creep at elevated temperatures.

Integrated head package for top mounted nuclear instrumentation

DOEpatents

Malandra, Louis J.; Hornak, Leonard P.; Meuschke, Robert E.

1993-01-01

A nuclear reactor such as a pressurized water reactor has an integrated head package providing structural support and increasing shielding leading toward the vessel head. A reactor vessel head engages the reactor vessel, and a control rod guide mechanism over the vessel head raises and lowers control rods in certain of the thimble tubes, traversing penetrations in the reactor vessel head, and being coupled to the control rods. An instrumentation tube structure includes instrumentation tubes with sensors movable into certain thimble tubes disposed in the fuel assemblies. Couplings for the sensors also traverse penetrations in the reactor vessel head. A shroud is attached over the reactor vessel head and encloses the control rod guide mechanism and at least a portion of the instrumentation tubes when retracted. The shroud forms a structural element of sufficient strength to support the vessel head, the control rod guide mechanism and the instrumentation tube structure, and includes radiation shielding material for limiting passage of radiation from retracted instrumentation tubes. The shroud is thicker at the bottom adjacent the vessel head, where the more irradiated lower ends of retracted sensors reside. The vessel head, shroud and contents thus can be removed from the reactor as a unit and rested safely and securely on a support.

Boiling water reactor radiation shielded Control Rod Drive Housing Supports

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

Baversten, B.; Linden, M.J.

1995-03-01

The Control Rod Drive (CRD) mechanisms are located in the area below the reactor vessel in a Boiling Water Reactor (BWR). Specifically, these CRDs are located between the bottom of the reactor vessel and above an interlocking structure of steel bars and rods, herein identified as CRD Housing Supports. The CRD Housing Supports are designed to limit the travel of a Control Rod and Control Rod Drive in the event that the CRD vessel attachement went to fail, allowing the CRD to be ejected from the vessel. By limiting the travel of the ejected CRD, the supports prevent a nuclearmore » overpower excursion that could occur as a result of the ejected CRD. The Housing Support structure must be disassembled in order to remove CRDs for replacement or maintenance. The disassembly task can require a significant amount of outage time and personnel radiation exposure dependent on the number and location of the CRDs to be changed out. This paper presents a way to minimize personal radiation exposure through the re-design of the Housing Support structure. The following paragraphs also delineate a method of avoiding the awkward, manual, handling of the structure under the reactor vessel during a CRD change out.« less

Pleiotropic function of DLX3 in amelogenesis: from regulating pH and keratin expression to controlling enamel rod decussation.

PubMed

Duverger, Olivier; Morasso, Maria I

2018-12-01

DLX3 is essential for tooth enamel development and is so far the only transcription factor known to be mutated in a syndromic form of amelogenesis imperfecta. Through conditional deletion of Dlx3 in the dental epithelium in mouse, we have previously established the involvement of DLX3 in enamel pH regulation, as well as in controlling the expression of sets of keratins that contribute to enamel rod sheath formation. Here, we show that the decussation pattern of enamel rods was lost in conditional knockout animals, suggesting that DLX3 controls the coordinated migration of ameloblasts during enamel secretion. We further demonstrate that DLX3 regulates the expression of some components of myosin II complexes potentially involved in driving the movement of ameloblasts that leads to enamel rod decussation.

CONTROL ROD

DOEpatents

Walker, D.E.; Matras, S.

1963-04-30

This patent shows a method of making a fuel or control rod for a nuclear reactor. Fuel or control material is placed within a tube and plugs of porous metal wool are inserted at both ends. The metal wool is then compacted and the tube compressed around it as by swaging, thereby making the plugs liquid- impervious but gas-pervious. (AEC)

Genetic algorithm based active vibration control for a moving flexible smart beam driven by a pneumatic rod cylinder

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qiu, Zhi-cheng; Shi, Ming-li; Wang, Bin; Xie, Zhuo-wei

2012-05-01

A rod cylinder based pneumatic driving scheme is proposed to suppress the vibration of a flexible smart beam. Pulse code modulation (PCM) method is employed to control the motion of the cylinder's piston rod for simultaneous positioning and vibration suppression. Firstly, the system dynamics model is derived using Hamilton principle. Its standard state-space representation is obtained for characteristic analysis, controller design, and simulation. Secondly, a genetic algorithm (GA) is applied to optimize and tune the control gain parameters adaptively based on the specific performance index. Numerical simulations are performed on the pneumatic driving elastic beam system, using the established model and controller with tuned gains by GA optimization process. Finally, an experimental setup for the flexible beam driven by a pneumatic rod cylinder is constructed. Experiments for suppressing vibrations of the flexible beam are conducted. Theoretical analysis, numerical simulation and experimental results demonstrate that the proposed pneumatic drive scheme and the adopted control algorithms are feasible. The large amplitude vibration of the first bending mode can be suppressed effectively.

Thermoreversible Gels Composed of Colloidal Silica Rods with Short-Range Attractions

DOE PAGES

Murphy, Ryan P.; Hong, Kunlun; Wagner, Norman J.

2016-07-28

Dynamic arrest transitions of colloidal suspensions containing non-spherical particles are of interest for the design and processing of various particle technologies. To better understand the effects of particle shape anisotropy and attraction strength on gel and glass formation, we present a colloidal model system of octadecyl-coated silica rods, termed as adhesive hard rods (AHR), which enables control of rod aspect ratio and temperature-dependent interactions. The aspect ratios of silica rods were controlled by varying the initial TEOS concentration following the work of Kuijk et al. (J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2011, 133, 2346–2349) and temperature-dependent attractions were introduced by coating themore » calcined silica rods with an octadecyl-brush and suspending in tetradecane. The rod length and aspect ratio were found to increase with TEOS concentration as expected, while other properties such as the rod diameter, coating coverage, density, and surface roughness were nearly independent of the aspect ratio. Ultra-small angle X-ray scattering measurements revealed temperature-dependent attractions between octadecyl-coated silica rods in tetradecane, as characterized by a low-q upturn in the scattered intensity upon thermal quenching. Lastly, the rheology of a concentrated AHR suspension in tetradecane demonstrated thermoreversible gelation behavior, displaying a nearly 5 orders of magnitude change in the dynamic moduli as the temperature was cycled between 15 and 40 °C. We find the adhesive hard rod model system serves as a tunable platform to explore the combined influence of particle shape anisotropy and attraction strength on the dynamic arrest transitions in colloidal suspensions with thermoreversible, short-range attractions.« less

NEUTRONIC REACTOR CONTROL ROD AND METHOD OF FABRICATION

DOEpatents

Porembka, S.W. Jr.

1961-06-27

A reactor control rod formed from a compacted powder dispersion is patented. The rod consists of titanium sheathed with a cladding alloy. The cladding alloy contains 1.3% to 1.6% by weight of tin, 0.07% to 0.12% by weight of chromium, 0.04% to 0.08% by weight of nickel, 0.09% to 0.16% by weight of iron, carbon not exceeding 0.05%, less than 0.5% by weight of incidental impurities, and the balance zirconium.

Controlled self-assembly of conjugated rod-coil block copolymers for applications in organic optoelectronics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tao, Yuefei

Organic electronics are of great interest in manufacturing light weight, mechanical flexible, and inexpensive large area devices. While significant improvements have been made over the last several years and it is now clear that morphology on the lengthscale of exciton diffusion (10nm) is of crucial importance, a clear relationship between structure and device properties has not emerged. This lack of understanding largely emerges from an inability to control morphology on this lengthscale. This thesis will center around an approach, based on block copolymer self-assembly, to generate equilibrium nanostructures on the 10 nm lengthscale of exciton diffusion and study their effects on device performance. Self-assembly of semiconducting block copolymers is complicated by the non-classical chain shape of conjugated polymers. Unlike classical polymers, the chains do not assume a Gaussian coil shape which is stretched near block copolymer interfaces, instead the chains are elongated and liquid crystalline. Previous work has demonstrated how these new molecular interactions and shapes control the phase diagram of so-called rod-coil block copolymers. Here, we will focus on controlling domain size, orientation, and chemical structure. While domain size can be controlled directly through molecular weight, this requires significant additional synthesis of domain size is to be varied. Here, the domain size is controlled by blending homopolymers into a self-assembling rod-coil block copolymer. When coil-like blocks are incorporated, the domains swell, as expected. When rod-like blocks are incorporated, they interdigitate with the rods of the block copolymers. This results in an increase in interfacial area which forces the coils to rearrange and an overall decrease in domain size with increasing rod content. Control over lamellar orientation is crucial in order to design and control charge transport pathways and exciton recombination or separation interfaces. While numerous techniques have been demonstrated for classical block copolymers, the pi conjugation in the rod blocks allow for additional control mechanisms. Liquid crystals are traditionally aligned in magnetic fields. Here, it is demonstrated that if the rod-like blocks are aligned unidirectionally, the block copolymer interfaces follow to create macroscopic alignment of the nanostructures. Organic Light Emitting Diodes (OLEDs) are generally composed of electron transporting and hole transporting moieties to balance charge recombination. Here, a new multifunctional bipolar rod-coil block copolymer containing the hole transporting and electron transporting materials is synthesized. Self-assembly of this new block copolymer results in 15nm lamellae oriented in grains both parallel and perpendicula to the anode. The self-assembled block copolymer shows superior device performance to controls consisting of a luminescent, analogous homopolymer, and a blend of the two component homopolymers. The effects of the morphologies and chemical structure on photovoltaics is explored with a rod-coil block copolymer, (poly(3-hexylthiophene-b-acrylic perylene)). By varying the kinetics of self-assembly through processing, the block copolymer can be disordered, ordered with only short range registry between the nanodomains, or with long-range order. The short range ordered samples showed the best device performance suggesting that the connectivity that is a biproduct of poor order is beneficial for device performance.

Correlated cone noise decreases rod signal contributions to the post-receptoral pathways.

PubMed

Hathibelagal, Amithavikram R; Feigl, Beatrix; Zele, Andrew J

2018-04-01

This study investigated how invisible extrinsic temporal white noise that correlates with the activity of one of the three [magnocellular (MC), parvocellular (PC), or koniocellular (KC)] post-receptoral pathways alters mesopic rod signaling. A four-primary photostimulator provided independent control of the rod and three cone photoreceptor excitations. The rod contributions to the three post-receptoral pathways were estimated by perceptually matching a 20% contrast rod pulse by independently varying the LMS (MC pathway), +L-M (PC pathway), and S-cone (KC pathway) excitations. We show that extrinsic cone noise caused a predominant decrease in the overall magnitude and ratio of the rod contributions to each pathway. Thus, the relative cone activity in the post-receptoral pathways determines the relative mesopic rod inputs to each pathway.

Reactivity control assembly for nuclear reactor. [LMFBR

DOEpatents

Bollinger, L.R.

1982-03-17

This invention, which resulted from a contact with the United States Department of Energy, relates to a control mechanism for a nuclear reactor and, more particularly, to an assembly for selectively shifting different numbers of reactivity modifying rods into and out of the core of a nuclear reactor. It has been proposed heretofore to control the reactivity of a breeder reactor by varying the depth of insertion of control rods (e.g., rods containing a fertile material such as ThO/sub 2/) in the core of the reactor, thereby varying the amount of neutron-thermalizing coolant and the amount of neutron-capturing material in the core. This invention relates to a mechanism which can advantageously be used in this type of reactor control system.

RECOVERY OF ROD PHOTORESPONSES IN ABCR-DEFICIENT MICE

PubMed Central

Pawar, Ambarish S.; Qtaishat, Nasser M.; Little, Deborah M.; Pepperberg, David R.

2010-01-01

Purpose ABCR protein in the rod outer segment is thought to facilitate movement of the all-trans retinal photoproduct of rhodopsin bleaching out of the disk lumen. We investigated the extent to which ABCR deficiency affects post-bleach recovery of the rod photoresponse in ABCR-deficient (abcr−/−) mice. Methods Electroretinographic (ERG) a-wave responses were recorded from abcr−/− mice and two control strains. Using a bright probe flash, we examined the course of rod recovery following fractional rhodopsin bleaches of ~10−6, ~3×10−5, ~0.03 and ~0.30–0.40. Results Dark-adapted abcr−/− mice and controls exhibited similar normalized near-peak amplitudes of the paired-flash-ERG-derived, weak-flash response. Response recovery following ~10−6 bleaching exhibited an average exponential time constant of 319, 171 and 213 ms, respectively, in the abcr−/− and the two control strains. Recovery time constants determined for ~3×10−5 bleaching did not differ significantly among strains. However, those determined for the ~0.03 bleach indicated significantly faster recovery in abcr−/− (2.34 ± 0.74 min) than in the controls (5.36 ± 2.20 min, and 5.92 ± 2.44 min). Following ~0.30–0.40 bleaching, the initial recovery in the abcr−/− was on average faster than in controls. Conclusions By comparison with controls, abcr−/− mice exhibit faster rod recovery following a bleach of ~0.03. The data suggest that ABCR in normal rods may directly or indirectly prolong all-trans retinal clearance from the disk lumen over a significant bleaching range, and that the essential function of ABCR may be to promote the clearance of residual amounts of all-trans retinal that remain in the disks long after bleaching. PMID:18263807

Surface properties of sprayed and electrodeposited ZnO rod layers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gromyko, I.; Krunks, M.; Dedova, T.; Katerski, A.; Klauson, D.; Oja Acik, I.

2017-05-01

Herein we present a comparative study on as-deposited, two-month-stored, and heat-treated ZnO rods obtained by spray pyrolysis (SP) at 550 °C, and electrodeposition (ED) at 80 °C. The aim of the study is to establish the reason for different behaviour of wettability and photocatalytic activity (PA) of SP and ED rods. Samples were studied using XPS, SEM, XRD, Raman, contact angle (CA) measurements and photocatalytic oxidation of doxycycline. Wettability and PA are mainly controlled by surface composition rather than by morphology. The relative amount of hydroxyl groups on the surface of as-deposited ED rods is four times higher compared to as-deposited SP rods. Opposite to SP rods, ED rods contain oxygen vacancy defects (Vo). Therefore, as-deposited ED rods are superhydrophilic (CA ∼ 3°) and show highest PA among studied samples, being three times higher compared to SP rods (removing of 75% of doxycycline after 30 min). It was revealed that as-deposited ED rods are inclined to faster contamination. The amount of Cdbnd C groups on the surface of aged ED rods is six times higher compared to aged SP rods. Stored ED samples become hydrophobic (CA ∼ 120°) and PA decreases sharply while SP rods remain hydrophilic (CA ∼ 50°), being more resistive to the contamination.

MEANS FOR CONTROLLING REACTIONS

DOEpatents

Nordheim, L.W.; Wigner, E.P.

1961-06-27

The patented means is described for controlling a nuclear reactor which comprises a tank containing a dispersion of a thermally fissionable material in a liquid moderator and a material convertible to a thermally fissionable material in a container disposed about the tank. The control means comprises a control rod chamber, containing only a liquid moderator, disposed within the container and adjacent to the tank and a control rod designed to be inserted into the chamber.

Method of targeted delivery of laser beam to isolated retinal rods by fiber optics.

PubMed

Sim, Nigel; Bessarab, Dmitri; Jones, C Michael; Krivitsky, Leonid

2011-11-01

A method of controllable light delivery to retinal rod cells using an optical fiber is described. Photo-induced current of the living rod cells was measured with the suction electrode technique. The approach was tested with measurements relating the spatial distribution of the light intensity to photo-induced current. In addition, the ion current responses of rod cells to polarized light at two different orientation geometries of the cells were studied.

NUT SCREW MECHANISMS

DOEpatents

Glass, J.A.F.

1958-07-01

A reactor control mechanism is described wherein the control is achieved by the partial or total withdrawal of the fissile material which is in the form of a fuel rod. The fuel rod is designed to be raised and lowered from the reactor core area by means of two concentric ball nut and screw assemblies that may telescope one within the other. These screw mechanisms are connected through a magnetic clutch to a speed reduction gear and an accurately controllable prime motive source. With the clutch energized, the fuel rod may be moved into the reactor core area, and fine adjustments may be made through the reduction gearing. However, in the event of a power failure or an emergency signal, the magnetic clutch will become deenergized, and the fuel rod will drop out of the core area by the force of gravity, thus shutting down the operation of the reactor.

VIEW OF CABLES AND TAPES ASSOCIATED WITH ADRIVE CONTROL ROD ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

VIEW OF CABLES AND TAPES ASSOCIATED WITH A-DRIVE CONTROL ROD SYSTEM, AT LEVEL +15’, DIRECTLY ABOVE PDP CONTROL ROOM, LOOKING NORTHWEST. THE CABLES FROM THE PDP ROOM GO THROUGH THE CONCRETE WALL, MAKE A RIGHT ANGLE TURN DOWNWARD, AND DESCEND INTO THE PDP CONTROL ROOM AS VERTICAL TAPES - Physics Assembly Laboratory, Area A/M, Savannah River Site, Aiken, Aiken County, SC

Fabrication of light water reactor tritium targets

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

Pilger, J.P.

1991-11-01

The mission of the Fabrication Development Task of the Tritium Target Development Project is: to produce a documented technology basis, including specifications and procedures for target rod fabrication; to demonstrate that light water tritium targets can be manufactured at a rate consistent with tritium production requirements; and to develop quality control methods to evaluate target rod components and assemblies, and establish correlations between evaluated characteristics and target rod performance. Many of the target rod components: cladding tubes, end caps, plenum springs, etc., have similar counterparts in LWR fuel rods. High production rate manufacture and inspection of these components has beenmore » adequately demonstrated by nuclear fuel rod manufacturers. This summary describes the more non-conventional manufacturing processes and inspection techniques developed to fabricate target rod components whose manufacturability at required production rates had not been previously demonstrated.« less

Nuclear reactor control apparatus

DOEpatents

Sridhar, Bettadapur N.

1983-10-25

Nuclear reactor safety rod release apparatus comprises a ring which carries detents normally positioned in an annular recess in outer side of the rod, the ring being held against the lower end of a drive shaft by magnetic force exerted by a solenoid carried by the drive shaft. When the solenoid is de-energized, the detent-carrying ring drops until the detents contact a cam surface associated with the lower end of the drive shaft, at which point the detents are cammed out of the recess in the safety rod to release the rod from the drive shaft. In preferred embodiments of the invention, an additional latch is provided to release a lower portion of a safety rod under conditions that may interfere with movement of the entire rod.

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

Hannan, N. A.; Matos, J. E.; Stillman, J. A.

At the request of the Czech Technical University (CTU) in Prague, ANL has performed independent verification calculations using the MCNP Monte Carlo code for three core configurations of the VR-1 reactor: a current core configuration B1 with HEU (36%) IRT-3M fuel assemblies and planned core configurations C1 and C2 with LEU (19.7%) IRT-4M fuel assemblies. Details of these configurations were provided to ANL by CTU. For core configuration B1, criticality calculations were performed for two sets of control rod positions provided to ANL by CTU. Fore core configurations C1 and C2, criticality calculations were done for cases with all controlmore » rods at the top positions, all control rods at the bottom positions, and two critical states of the reactor for different control rod positions. In addition, sensitivity studies for variation of the {sup 235}U mass in each fuel assembly and variation of the fuel meat and cladding thicknesses in each of the fuel tubes were doe for the C1 core configuration. The reactivity worth of the individual control rods was calculated for the B1, C1, and C2 core configurations. Finally, the reactivity feedback coefficients, the prompt neutron lifetime, and the total effective delay neutron fraction were calculated for each of the three cores.« less

Controlling Tensegrity Robots through Evolution using Friction based Actuation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kothapalli, Tejasvi; Agogino, Adrian K.

2017-01-01

Traditional robotic structures have limitations in planetary exploration as their rigid structural joints are prone to damage in new and rough terrains. In contrast, robots based on tensegrity structures, composed of rods and tensile cables, offer a highly robust, lightweight, and energy efficient solution over traditional robots. In addition tensegrity robots can be highly configurable by rearranging their topology of rods, cables and motors. However, these highly configurable tensegrity robots pose a significant challenge for locomotion due to their complexity. This study investigates a control pattern for successful locomotion in tensegrity robots through an evolutionary algorithm. A twelve-rod hardware model is rapidly prototyped to utilize a new actuation method based on friction. A web-based physics simulation is created to model the twelve-rod tensegrity ball structure. Square-waves are used as control policies for the actuators of the tensegrity structure. Monte Carlo trials are run to find the most successful number of amplitudes for the square-wave control policy. From the results, an evolutionary algorithm is implemented to find the most optimized solution for locomotion of the twelve-rod tensegrity structure. The software pattern coupled with the new friction based actuation method can serve as the basis for highly efficient tensegrity robots in space exploration.

Solid State Welding Development at Marshall Space Flight Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ding, Robert J.; Walker, Bryant

2012-01-01

What is TSW and USW? TSW is a solid state weld process consisting of an induction coil heating source, a stir rod, and non-rotating containment plates Independent heating, stirring and forging controls Decouples the heating, stirring and forging process elements of FSW. USW is a solid state weld process consisting of an induction coil heating source, a stir rod, and a non-rotating containment plate; Ultrasonic energy integrated into non-rotating containment plate and stir rod; Independent heating, stirring and forging controls; Decouples the heating, stirring and forging process elements of FSW.

Bounded parametric control of plane motions of space tethered system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bezglasnyi, S. P.; Mukhametzyanova, A. A.

2018-05-01

This paper is focused on the problem of control of plane motions of a space tethered system (STS). The STS is modeled as a heavy rod with two point masses. Point masses are fixed on the rod. A third point mass can move along the rod. The control is realized as a continuous change of the distance from the centre of mass of the tethered system to the movable mass. New limited control laws processes of excitation and damping are built. Diametric reorientation and gravitational stabilization to the local vertical of an STS were obtained. The problem is solved by the method of Lyapunov's functions of the classical theory of stability. The theoretical results are confirmed by numerical calculations.

Is An Ostomy Rod Useful for Bridging the Retraction During the Creation of a Loop Ileostomy? A Randomized Control Trial.

PubMed

Uchino, Motoi; Ikeuchi, Hiroki; Bando, Toshihiro; Chohno, Teruhiro; Sasaki, Hirofumi; Horio, Yuki

2017-08-01

A loop ileostomy is generally created during restorative proctocolectomy (RPC) for treating ulcerative colitis (UC), and an ostomy rod is often used to prevent stoma retraction. However, its usefulness or harmfulness has not been proven. We performed a prospective randomized control study to investigate the non-inferiority of ostomy creation without a rod to prevent stoma retraction. Patients with UC who underwent RPC were enrolled and randomly divided into groups either with or without ostomy rod use. Incidences of stoma retraction and dermatitis were compared. Of the 320 patients in the study groups, 308 qualified for the intention-to-treat (ITT) analysis, and 257 were included in the per-protocol (PP) analysis. Ostomy retraction was recognized in 6 patients, 3 with a rod and 3 without. The difference with rod use (95% confidence interval) was 0.1 (-2.9 to 3.1)% in the PP analysis and 0.0 (-2.2 to 2.2)% in the ITT analysis. There were no significant differences in stoma retraction regardless of whether an ostomy rod was used in either analysis. Dermatitis was more common in patients with rod use (84/154) than in those without (40/154) (p < 0.01). Although median body mass indices were extremely low (20 kg/m 2 ), an ostomy rod is not routinely needed as it may increase the risk of dermatitis. However, results in obese patients may differ from those shown here, which should be clarified via further studies.

Rod electrical coupling is controlled by a circadian clock and dopamine in mouse retina

PubMed Central

Jin, Nan Ge; Chuang, Alice Z; Masson, Philippe J; Ribelayga, Christophe P

2015-01-01

Key points Rod photoreceptors play a key role in vision in dim light; in the mammalian retina, although rods are anatomically connected or coupled by gap junctions, a type of electrical synapse, the functional importance and regulation of rod coupling has remained elusive. We have developed a new technique in the mouse: perforated patch-clamp recording of rod inner segments in isolated intact retinae maintained by superfusion. We find that rod electrical coupling is controlled by a circadian clock and dopamine, and is weak during the day and stronger at night. The results also indicate that the signal-to-noise ratio for a dim light response is increased at night because of coupling. Our observations will provide a framework for understanding the daily variations in human vision as well as the basis of specific retinal malfunctions. Abstract Rod single-photon responses are critical for vision in dim light. Electrical coupling via gap junction channels shapes the light response properties of vertebrate photoreceptors, but the regulation of rod coupling and its impact on the single-photon response have remained unclear. To directly address these questions, we developed a perforated patch-clamp recording technique and recorded from single rod inner segments in isolated intact neural mouse retinae, maintained by superfusion. Experiments were conducted at different times of the day or under constant environmental conditions, at different times across the circadian cycle. We show that rod electrical coupling is regulated by a circadian clock and dopamine, so that coupling is weak during the day and strong at night. Altogether, patch-clamp recordings of single-photon responses in mouse rods, tracer coupling, receptive field measurements and pharmacological manipulations of gap junction and dopamine receptor activity provide compelling evidence that rod coupling is modulated in a circadian manner. These data are consistent with computer modelling. At night, single-photon responses are smaller due to coupling, but the signal-to-noise ratio for a dim (multiphoton) light response is increased at night because of signal averaging between coupled rods. PMID:25616058

DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT REPORT ON TREAT CONTROL ROD DRIVE II

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

Batch, R.V.

1961-05-01

A discussion is given of the development of TREAT control rod drive II, which describes the basic design, the problems involved with the design, the various design methods pursued, the testing procedures, and the evaluation of the performance characteristics of the final drive. (B.O.G.)

75 FR 68548 - Airworthiness Directives; Airbus Model A318, A319, A320, and A321 Series Airplanes

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-11-08

...: One case of elevator servo-control disconnection has been experienced on an aeroplane of the A320 family. Investigation has revealed that the failure occurred at the servo-control rod eye-end. Further to... servo-control rod eye-ends. In several cases, both actuators of the same elevator surface were affected...

Combustion of solid carbon rods in zero and normal gravity. Ph.D. Thesis - Toledo Univ., Ohio

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Spuckler, C. M.

1981-01-01

In order to investigate the mechanism of carbon combustion and to assess the importance of gravitational induced convection on the process, zero and normal gravity experiments were conducted in which spectroscopic carbon rods were resistance ignitied and burned in dry oxygen environments. In the zero-gravity drop tower tests, a blue flame surrounded the rod, showing that a gas phase reaction in which carbon monoxide was oxidized to carbon dioxide was taking place. The ratio of flame diameter to rod diameter was obtained as a function of time. It was found that this ratio was inversely proportional to both the oxygen pressure and the rod diameter. In the normal gravity tests, direct mass spectrometric sampling was used to measure gas phase concentrations. The gas sampling probe was positioned near the circumference of a horizontally mounted 0.615 cm diameter carbon rod, either at the top or at angles of 45 deg to 90 deg from the top, and yielded concentration profiles of CO2, CO, and O2 as a function of distance from the surface. The mechanism controlling the combustion process was found to change from chemical process control at the 90 deg and 45 deg probe positions to mass transfer control at the 0 deg probe position at the top of the rod. Under the experimental conditions used, carbon combustion was characterized by two surface reactions, 2C + O2 yields 2CO and CO2 + C yields 2CO, and a gas phase reaction, 2CO + O2 yields 2CO2.

Development of an ATCA IPMI controller mezzanine board to be used in the ATCA developments for the ATLAS Liquid Argon upgrade

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dumont Dayot, Nicolas

2012-01-01

In the context of the LHC upgrade, we develop a new Read Out Driver (ROD) for the ATLAS Liquid Argon (LAr) community. ATCA and μTCA (Advanced/Micro Telecom Computing Architecture) is becoming a standard in high energy physics and a strong candidate to be used for boards and crates. We work to master ATCA and to integrate a large number of high speed links (96 links at 8.5 Gbps) on a ROD evaluation ATCA board. A versatile ATCA IPMI controller for ATCA boards which is FPGA Mezzanine Card (FMC) compliant has been developed to control the ROD evaluation board.

The biomechanical consequences of rod reduction on pedicle screws: should it be avoided?

PubMed

Paik, Haines; Kang, Daniel G; Lehman, Ronald A; Gaume, Rachel E; Ambati, Divya V; Dmitriev, Anton E

2013-11-01

Rod contouring is frequently required to allow for appropriate alignment of pedicle screw-rod constructs. When residual mismatch is still present, a rod persuasion device is often used to achieve further rod reduction. Despite its popularity and widespread use, the biomechanical consequences of this technique have not been evaluated. To evaluate the biomechanical fixation strength of pedicle screws after attempted reduction of a rod-pedicle screw mismatch using a rod persuasion device. Fifteen 3-level, human cadaveric thoracic specimens were prepared and scanned for bone mineral density. Osteoporotic (n=6) and normal (n=9) specimens were instrumented with 5.0-mm-diameter pedicle screws; for each pair of comparison level tested, the bilateral screws were equal in length, and the screw length was determined by the thoracic level and size of the vertebra (35 to 45 mm). Titanium 5.5-mm rods were contoured and secured to the pedicle screws at the proximal and distal levels. For the middle segment, the rod on the right side was intentionally contoured to create a 5-mm residual gap between the inner bushing of the pedicle screw and the rod. A rod persuasion device was then used to engage the setscrew. The left side served as a control with perfect screw/rod alignment. After 30 minutes, constructs were disassembled and vertebrae individually potted. The implants were pulled in-line with the screw axis with peak pullout strength (POS) measured in Newton (N). For the proximal and distal segments, pedicle screws on the right side were taken out and reinserted through the same trajectory to simulate screw depth adjustment as an alternative to rod reduction. Pedicle screws reduced to the rod generated a 48% lower mean POS (495±379 N) relative to the controls (954±237 N) (p<.05) and significantly decreased work energy to failure (p<.05). Nearly half (n=7) of the pedicle screws had failed during the reduction attempt with visible pullout of the screw. After reduction, decreased POS was observed in both normal (p<.05) and osteoporotic (p<.05) bone. Back out and reinsertion of the screw resulted in no significant difference in mean POS, stiffness, and work energy to failure (p>.05). In circumstances where a rod is not fully seated within the pedicle screw, the use of a rod persuasion device decreases the overall POS and work energy to failure of the screw or results in outright failure. Further rod contouring or correction of pedicle screw depth of insertion may be warranted to allow for appropriate alignment of the longitudinal rods. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Mutations in cell elongation genes mreB, mrdA and mrdB suppress the shape defect of RodZ-deficient cells.

PubMed

Shiomi, Daisuke; Toyoda, Atsushi; Aizu, Tomoyuki; Ejima, Fumio; Fujiyama, Asao; Shini, Tadasu; Kohara, Yuji; Niki, Hironori

2013-03-01

RodZ interacts with MreB and both factors are required to maintain the rod shape of Escherichia coli. The assembly of MreB into filaments regulates the subcellular arrangement of a group of enzymes that synthesizes the peptidoglycan (PG) layer. However, it is still unknown how polymerization of MreB determines the rod shape of bacterial cells. Regulatory factor(s) are likely to be involved in controlling the function and dynamics of MreB. We isolated suppressor mutations to partially recover the rod shape in rodZ deletion mutants and found that some of the suppressor mutations occurred in mreB. All of the mreB mutations were in or in the vicinity of domain IA of MreB. Those mreB mutations changed the property of MreB filaments in vivo. In addition, suppressor mutations were found in the periplasmic regions in PBP2 and RodA, encoded by mrdA and mrdB genes. Similar to MreB and RodZ, PBP2 and RodA are pivotal to the cell wall elongation process. Thus, we found that mutations in domain IA of MreB and in the periplasmic domain of PBP2 and RodA can restore growth and rod shape to ΔrodZ cells, possibly by changing the requirements of MreB in the process. © 2013 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Mutations in cell elongation genes mreB, mrdA and mrdB suppress the shape defect of RodZ-deficient cells

PubMed Central

Shiomi, Daisuke; Toyoda, Atsushi; Aizu, Tomoyuki; Ejima, Fumio; Fujiyama, Asao; Shini, Tadasu; Kohara, Yuji; Niki, Hironori

2013-01-01

RodZ interacts with MreB and both factors are required to maintain the rod shape of Escherichia coli. The assembly of MreB into filaments regulates the subcellular arrangement of a group of enzymes that synthesizes the peptidoglycan (PG) layer. However, it is still unknown how polymerization of MreB determines the rod shape of bacterial cells. Regulatory factor(s) are likely to be involved in controlling the function and dynamics of MreB. We isolated suppressor mutations to partially recover the rod shape in rodZ deletion mutants and found that some of the suppressor mutations occurred in mreB. All of the mreB mutations were in or in the vicinity of domain IA of MreB. Those mreB mutations changed the property of MreB filaments in vivo. In addition, suppressor mutations were found in the periplasmic regions in PBP2 and RodA, encoded by mrdA and mrdB genes. Similar to MreB and RodZ, PBP2 and RodA are pivotal to the cell wall elongation process. Thus, we found that mutations in domain IA of MreB and in the periplasmic domain of PBP2 and RodA can restore growth and rod shape to ΔrodZ cells, possibly by changing the requirements of MreB in the process. PMID:23301723

CONTROL ROD

DOEpatents

Zinn, W.H.; Ross, H.V.

1958-11-18

A control rod is described for a nuclear reactor. In certaln reactor designs it becomes desirable to use a control rod having great width but relatively llttle thickness. This patent is addressed to such a need. The neutron absorbing material is inserted in a triangular tube, leaving volds between the circular insert and the corners of the triangular tube. The material is positioned within the tube by the use of dummy spacers to achleve the desired absorption pattern, then the ends of the tubes are sealed with suitable plugs. The tubes may be welded or soldered together to form two flat surfaces of any desired width, and covered with sheetmetal to protect the tubes from damage. This design provides a control member that will not distort under the action of outside forces or be ruptured by gases generated within the jacketed control member.

COUPLING

DOEpatents

Hawke, B.C.

1963-02-26

This patent relates to a releasable coupling connecting a control rod to a control rod drive. This remotely operable coupling mechanism can connect two elements which are laterally and angviarly misaligned, and provides a means for sensing the locked condition of the elements. The coupling utilizes a spherical bayonet joint which is locked against rotation by a ball detent lock. (AEC)

Time-delay control of a magnetic levitated linear positioning system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tarn, J. H.; Juang, K. Y.; Lin, C. E.

1994-01-01

In this paper, a high accuracy linear positioning system with a linear force actuator and magnetic levitation is proposed. By locating a permanently magnetized rod inside a current-carrying solenoid, the axial force is achieved by the boundary effect of magnet poles and utilized to power the linear motion, while the force for levitation is governed by Ampere's Law supplied with the same solenoid. With the levitation in a radial direction, there is hardly any friction between the rod and the solenoid. The high speed motion can hence be achieved. Besides, the axial force acting on the rod is a smooth function of rod position, so the system can provide nanometer resolution linear positioning to the molecule size. Since the force-position relation is highly nonlinear, and the mathematical model is derived according to some assumptions, such as the equivalent solenoid of the permanently magnetized rod, so there exists unknown dynamics in practical application. Thus 'robustness' is an important issue in controller design. Meanwhile the load effect reacts directly on the servo system without transmission elements, so the capability of 'disturbance rejection; is also required. With the above consideration, a time-delay control scheme is chosen and applied. By comparing the input-output relation and the mathematical model, the time-delay controller calculates an estimation of unmodeled dynamics and disturbances and then composes the desired compensation into the system. Effectiveness of the linear positioning system and control scheme are illustrated with simulation results.

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

Hanan, N. A.; Matos, J. E.

At The request of the Czech Technical University in Prague, ANL has performed independent verification calculations using the MCNP Monte Carlo code for three core configurations of the VR-1 reactor: a current core configuration B1 with HEU (36%) IRT-3M fuel assemblies and planned core configurations C1 and C2 with LEU (19.7%) IRT-4M fuel assemblies. Details of these configurations were provided to ANL by CTU. For core configuration B1, criticality calculations were performed for two sets of control rod positions provided to ANL by CTU. For core configurations C1 and C2, criticality calculations were done for cases with all control rodsmore » at the top positions, all control rods at the bottom positions, and two critical states of the reactor for different control rod positions. In addition, sensitivity studies for variation of the {sup 235}U mass in each fuel assembly and variation of the fuel meat and cladding thicknesses in each of the fuel tubes were done for the C1 core configuration. Finally the reactivity worth of the individual control rods was calculated for the B1, C1, and C2 core configurations.« less

The Effects of Diabetic Retinopathy and Pan-Retinal Photocoagulation on Photoreceptor Cell Function as Assessed by Dark Adaptometry

PubMed Central

Bavinger, J. Clay; Dunbar, Grace E.; Stem, Maxwell S.; Blachley, Taylor S.; Kwark, Leon; Farsiu, Sina; Jackson, Gregory R.; Gardner, Thomas W.

2016-01-01

Purpose The pathophysiology of vision loss in persons with diabetic retinopathy (DR) is complex and incompletely defined. We hypothesized that retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and rod and cone photoreceptor dysfunction, as measured by dark adaptometry, would increase with severity of DR, and that pan-retinal photocoagulation (PRP) would exacerbate this dysfunction. Methods Dark adaptation (DA) was measured in subjects with diabetes mellitus and healthy controls. Dark adaptation was measured at 5° superior to the fovea following a flash bleach, and the data were analyzed to yield cone and rod sensitivity curves. Retinal layer thicknesses were quantified using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (OCT). Results The sample consisted of 23 controls and 73 diabetic subjects. Subjects with moderate nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR) exhibited significant impairment of rod recovery rate compared with control subjects (P = 0.04). Cone sensitivity was impaired in subjects with proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) (type 1 diabetes mellitus [T1DM]: P = 0.0047; type 2 diabetes mellitus [T2DM]: P < 0.001). Subjects with untreated PDR compared with subjects treated with PRP exhibited similar rod recovery rates and cone sensitivities. Thinner RPE as assessed by OCT was associated with slower rod recovery and lower cone sensitivity, and thinner photoreceptor inner segment/outer segment layer was associated with lower cone sensitivity. Conclusions The results suggest that RPE and photoreceptor cell dysfunction, as assessed by cone sensitivity level and rod- and RPE-mediated dark adaptation, progresses with worsening DR, and rod recovery dysfunction occurs earlier than cone dysfunction. Function was preserved following PRP. The findings suggest multiple defects in retinoid function and provide potential points to improve visual function in persons with PDR. PMID:26803796

Development of burnup dependent fuel rod model in COBRA-TF

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yilmaz, Mine Ozdemir

The purpose of this research was to develop a burnup dependent fuel thermal conductivity model within Pennsylvania State University, Reactor Dynamics and Fuel Management Group (RDFMG) version of the subchannel thermal-hydraulics code COBRA-TF (CTF). The model takes into account first, the degradation of fuel thermal conductivity with high burnup; and second, the fuel thermal conductivity dependence on the Gadolinium content for both UO2 and MOX fuel rods. The modified Nuclear Fuel Industries (NFI) model for UO2 fuel rods and Duriez/Modified NFI Model for MOX fuel rods were incorporated into CTF and fuel centerline predictions were compared against Halden experimental test data and FRAPCON-3.4 predictions to validate the burnup dependent fuel thermal conductivity model in CTF. Experimental test cases from Halden reactor fuel rods for UO2 fuel rods at Beginning of Life (BOL), through lifetime without Gd2O3 and through lifetime with Gd 2O3 and a MOX fuel rod were simulated with CTF. Since test fuel rod and FRAPCON-3.4 results were based on single rod measurements, CTF was run for a single fuel rod surrounded with a single channel configuration. Input decks for CTF were developed for one fuel rod located at the center of a subchannel (rod-centered subchannel approach). Fuel centerline temperatures predicted by CTF were compared against the measurements from Halden experimental test data and the predictions from FRAPCON-3.4. After implementing the new fuel thermal conductivity model in CTF and validating the model with experimental data, CTF model was applied to steady state and transient calculations. 4x4 PWR fuel bundle configuration from Purdue MOX benchmark was used to apply the new model for steady state and transient calculations. First, one of each high burnup UO2 and MOX fuel rods from 4x4 matrix were selected to carry out single fuel rod calculations and fuel centerline temperatures predicted by CTF/TORT-TD were compared against CTF /TORT-TD /FRAPTRAN predictions. After confirming that the new fuel thermal conductivity model in CTF worked and provided consistent results with FRAPTRAN predictions for a single fuel rod configuration, the same type of analysis was carried out for a bigger system which is the 4x4 PWR bundle consisting of 15 fuel pins and one control guide tube. Steady- state calculations at Hot Full Power (HFP) conditions for control guide tube out (unrodded) were performed using the 4x4 PWR array with CTF/TORT-TD coupled code system. Fuel centerline, surface and average temperatures predicted by CTF/TORT-TD with and without the new fuel thermal conductivity model were compared against CTF/TORT-TD/FRAPTRAN predictions to demonstrate the improvement in fuel centerline predictions when new model was used. In addition to that constant and CTF dynamic gap conductance model were used with the new thermal conductivity model to show the performance of the CTF dynamic gap conductance model and its impact on fuel centerline and surface temperatures. Finally, a Rod Ejection Accident (REA) scenario using the same 4x4 PWR array was run both at Hot Zero Power (HZP) and Hot Full Power (HFP) condition, starting at a position where half of the control rod is inserted. This scenario was run using CTF/TORT-TD coupled code system with and without the new fuel thermal conductivity model. The purpose of this transient analysis was to show the impact of thermal conductivity degradation (TCD) on feedback effects, specifically Doppler Reactivity Coefficient (DRC) and, eventually, total core reactivity.

Methodology of the Westinghouse dynamic rod worth measurement technique

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

Chao, Y.A.; Chapman, D.M.; Easter, M.E.

1992-01-01

During zero-power physics testing, plant operations personnel use one of various techniques to measure the reactivity worth of the control rods to confirm shutdown margin. A simple and fast procedure for measuring rod worths called dynamic rod worth measurement (DRWM) has been developed at Westinghouse. This procedure was tested at the recent startups of Point Beach Nuclear Power Plant Unit 1 cycle 20 and Unit 2 cycle 18. The results of these tests show that DRWM measures rod worths with accuracy comparable to that of both boron dilution and rod bank exchange measurements. The DRWM procedure is a fast processmore » of measuring the reactivity worth of individual banks by inserting and withdrawing the bank continuously at the maximum stepping speed without changing the boron concentration and recording the signals of the ex-core detectors.« less

Domain and network aggregation of CdTe quantum rods within Langmuir Blodgett monolayers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zimnitsky, Dmitry; Xu, Jun; Lin, Zhiqun; Tsukruk, Vladimir V.

2008-05-01

Control over the organization of quantum rods was demonstrated by changing the surface area at the air-liquid interface by means of the Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) technique. The LB isotherm of CdTe quantum rods capped with a mixture of alkylphosphines shows a transition point in the liquid-solid state, which is caused by the inter-rod reorganization. As we observed, at low surface pressure the quantum rods are assembled into round-shaped aggregates composed of a monolayer of nanorods packed in limited-size clusters with random orientation. The increase of the surface pressure leads to the rearrangement of these aggregates into elongated bundles composed of uniformly oriented nanorod clusters. Further compression results in denser packing of nanorods aggregates and in the transformation of monolayered domains into a continuous network of locally ordered quantum rods.

Light Water Breeder Reactor fuel rod design and performance characteristics (LWBR Development Program)

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

Campbell, W.R.; Giovengo, J.F.

1987-10-01

Light Water Breeder Reactor (LWBR) fuel rods were designed to provide a reliable fuel system utilizing thorium/uranium-233 mixed-oxide fuel while simultaneously minimizing structural material to enhance fuel breeding. The fuel system was designed to be capable of operating successfully under both load follow and base load conditions. The breeding objective required thin-walled, low hafnium content Zircaloy cladding, tightly spaced fuel rods with a minimum number of support grid levels, and movable fuel rod bundles to supplant control rods. Specific fuel rod design considerations and their effects on performance capability are described. Successful completion of power operations to over 160 percentmore » of design lifetime including over 200 daily load follow cycles has proven the performance capability of the fuel system. 68 refs., 19 figs., 44 tabs.« less

Subplane-based Control Rod Decusping Techniques for the 2D/1D Method in MPACT

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

Graham, Aaron M; Collins, Benjamin S; Downar, Thomas

2017-01-01

The MPACT transport code is being jointly developed by Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the University of Michigan to serve as the primary neutron transport code for the Virtual Environment for Reactor Applications Core Simulator. MPACT uses the 2D/1D method to solve the transport equation by decomposing the reactor model into a stack of 2D planes. A fine mesh flux distribution is calculated in each 2D plane using the Method of Characteristics (MOC), then the planes are coupled axially through a 1D NEM-Pmore » $$_3$$ calculation. This iterative calculation is then accelerated using the Coarse Mesh Finite Difference method. One problem that arises frequently when using the 2D/1D method is that of control rod cusping. This occurs when the tip of a control rod falls between the boundaries of an MOC plane, requiring that the rodded and unrodded regions be axially homogenized for the 2D MOC calculations. Performing a volume homogenization does not properly preserve the reaction rates, causing an error known as cusping. The most straightforward way of resolving this problem is by refining the axial mesh, but this can significantly increase the computational expense of the calculation. The other way of resolving the partially inserted rod is through the use of a decusping method. This paper presents new decusping methods implemented in MPACT that can dynamically correct the rod cusping behavior for a variety of problems.« less

DEVICE FOR CONTROLLING INSERTION OF ROD

DOEpatents

Beaty, B.J.

1958-10-14

A device for rapidly inserting a safety rod into a nuclear reactor upon a given signal or in the event of a power failure in order to prevent the possibility of extensive damage caused by a power excursion is described. A piston is slidably mounted within a vertical cylinder with provision for an electromagnetic latch at the top of the cylinder. This assembly, with a safety rod attached to the piston, is mounted over an access port to the core region of the reactor. The piston is normally latched at the top of the cylinder with the safety rod clear of the core area, however, when the latch is released, the piston and rod drop by their own weight to insert the rod. Vents along the side of the cylinder permit the escape of the air entrapped under the piston over the greater part of the distance, however, at the end of the fall the entrapped air is compressed thereby bringing the safety rod gently to rest, thus providing for a rapid automatic insertion of the rod with a minimum of structural shock.

CONTROL ROD ALLOY CONTAINING NOBLE METAL ADDITIONS

DOEpatents

Anderson, W.K.; Ray, W.E.

1960-05-01

Silver-base alloys suitable for use in the fabrication of control rods for neutronic reactors are given. The alloy consists of from 0.5 wt.% to about 1.5 wt.% of a noble metal of platinum, ruthenium, rhodium, osmium, or palladium, up to 10 wt.% of cadmium, from 2 to 20 wt.% indium, the balance being silver.

NUCLEAR REACTOR FUEL ELEMENT

DOEpatents

Currier, E.L. Jr.; Nicklas, J.H.

1963-06-11

A fuel plate is designed for incorporation into control rods of the type utilized in high-flux test reactors. The fuel plate is designed so that the portion nearest the poison section of the control rod contains about one-half as much fissionable material as in the rest of the plate, thereby eliminating dangerous flux peaking in that portion. (AEC)

Light responses in rods of vitamin A-deprived Xenopus.

PubMed

Solessio, Eduardo; Umino, Yumiko; Cameron, David A; Loew, Ellis; Engbretson, Gustav A; Knox, Barry E; Barlow, Robert B

2009-09-01

Accumulation of free opsin by mutations in rhodopsin or insufficiencies in the visual cycle can lead to retinal degeneration. Free opsin activates phototransduction; however, the link between constitutive activation and retinal degeneration is unclear. In this study, the photoresponses of Xenopus rods rendered constitutively active by vitamin A deprivation were examined. Unlike their mammalian counterparts, Xenopus rods do not degenerate. Contrasting phototransduction in vitamin A-deprived Xenopus rods with phototransduction in constitutively active mammalian rods may provide new understanding of the mechanisms that lead to retinal degeneration. The photocurrents of Xenopus tadpole rods were measured with suction electrode recordings, and guanylate cyclase activity was measured with the IBMX (3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine) jump technique. The amount of rhodopsin in rods was determined by microspectrophotometry. The vitamin A-deprived rod outer segments were 60% to 70% the length and diameter of the rods in age-matched animals. Approximately 90% of its opsin content was in the free or unbound form. Analogous to bleaching adaptation, the photoresponses were desensitized (10- to 20-fold) and faster. Unlike bleaching adaptation, the vitamin A-deprived rods maintained near normal saturating (dark) current densities by developing abnormally high rates of cGMP synthesis. Their rate of cGMP synthesis in the dark (15 seconds(-1)) was twofold greater than the maximum levels attainable by control rods ( approximately 7 seconds(-1)). Preserving circulating current density and response range appears to be an important goal for rod homeostasis. However, the compensatory changes associated with vitamin A deprivation in Xenopus rods come at the high metabolic cost of a 15-fold increase in basal ATP consumption.

Summary of the thermal evaluation of LWBR (LWBR Development Program)

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

Lerner, S.; McWilliams, K.D.; Stout, J.W.

1980-03-01

This report describes the thermal evaluation of the core for the Shippingport Light Water Breeder Reactor. This core contains unique thermal-hydraulic features such as (1) close rod-to-rod proximity, (2) an open-lattice array of fuel rods with two different diameters and rod-to-rod spacings in the same flow region, (3) triplate orifices located at both the entrance and exit of fuel modules and (4) a hydraulically-balanced movable-fuel system coupled with (5) axial-and-radial fuel zoning for reactivity control. Performance studies used reactor thermal principles such as the hot-and-nominal channel concept and related nuclear/engineering design allowances. These were applied to models of three-dimensional roddedmore » arrays comprising the core fuel regions.« less

Landing gear energy absorption system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hansen, Christopher P. (Inventor)

1994-01-01

A landing pad system is described for absorbing horizontal and vertical impact forces upon engagement with a landing surface where circumferentially arranged landing struts respectively have a clevis which receives a slidable rod member and where the upper portion of a slidable rod member is coupled to the clevis by friction washers which are force fit onto the rod member to provide for controlled constant force energy absorption when the rod member moves relative to the clevis. The lower end of the friction rod is pivotally attached by a ball and socket to a support plate where the support plate is arranged to slide in a transverse direction relative to a housing which contains an energy absorption material for absorbing energy in a transverse direction.

OVERALL CONTROL SYSTEM FOR HIGH FLUX PILE

DOEpatents

Newson, H.W.; Durham, N.C.; Wigner, E.P.; Princeton, N.J.; Epler, E.P.

1961-05-23

A control system is given for a high fiux reactor incorporating an anti- scram control feature whereby a neutron absorbing control rod acts as a fine adjustment while a neutron absorbing shim rod, actuated upon a command received from reactor period and level signals, has substantially greater effect on the neutron level and is moved prior to scram conditions to alter the reactor activity before a scram condition is created. Thus the probability that a scram will have to be initiated is substantially decreased.

Defect scriber

DOEpatents

Russell, Harold C.

1979-01-01

This disclosure describes a device for repeatably scribing a V-shaped scratch having sharply defined dimensions on the interior surface of a nuclear reactor fuel rod tube. A cutting tool having a V-shaped cutting tip is supported within the fuel rod tube so that the V-shaped cutting tip can be pivoted about an axis and scribe a scratch on the interior surface of the fuel rod tube. Lengthwise the scratch runs parallel to a line drawn through the axis of the fuel rod tube and is in the shape of an arc, and widthwise the scratch is V-shaped. This shape is used because the dimensions of the scratch can be plugged into appropriate formulas to calculate stress intensity of cracks in fuel rod tubes. Since the fuel rod tubes which are to be scribed may be radioactive, the scratching assembly is designed for use in a fixture which allows it to be operated in a cave by remote control handling devices.

Safety control circuit for a neutronic reactor

DOEpatents

Ellsworth, Howard C.

2004-04-27

A neutronic reactor comprising an active portion containing material fissionable by neutrons of thermal energy, means to control a neutronic chain reaction within the reactor comprising a safety device and a regulating device, a safety device including means defining a vertical channel extending into the reactor from an aperture in the upper surface of the reactor, a rod containing neutron-absorbing materials slidably disposed within the channel, means for maintaining the safety rod in a withdrawn position relative to the active portion of the reactor including means for releasing said rod on actuation thereof, a hopper mounted above the active portion of the reactor having a door disposed at the bottom of the hopper opening into the vertical channel, a plurality of bodies of neutron-absorbing materials disposed within the hopper, and means responsive to the failure of the safety rod on actuation thereof to enter the active portion of the reactor for opening the door in the hopper.

A two-step method for developing a control rod program for boiling water reactors

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

Taner, M.S.; Levine, S.H.; Hsiao, M.Y.

1992-01-01

This paper reports on a two-step method that is established for the generation of a long-term control rod program for boiling water reactors (BWRs). The new method assumes a time-variant target power distribution in core depletion. In the new method, the BWR control rod programming is divided into two steps. In step 1, a sequence of optimal, exposure-dependent Haling power distribution profiles is generated, utilizing the spectral shift concept. In step 2, a set of exposure-dependent control rod patterns is developed by using the Haling profiles generated at step 1 as a target. The new method is implemented in amore » computer program named OCTOPUS. The optimization procedure of OCTOPUS is based on the method of approximation programming, in which the SIMULATE-E code is used to determine the nucleonics characteristics of the reactor core state. In a test in cycle length over a time-invariant, target Haling power distribution case because of a moderate application of spectral shift. No thermal limits of the core were violated. The gain in cycle length could be increased further by broadening the extent of the spetral shift.« less

28. A typical main control panel in a 105 reactor ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

28. A typical main control panel in a 105 reactor building, in this case 105-F in February 1945. A single operator sat at the controls to regulate the pile's rate of reaction and monitor it for safety. The galvanometer screens (the two horizontal bars just below the nine round gauges that showed the positions of the control rods) showed the pile's current power setting. With that information, the operator could set the control rod positions to increase, decrease, or maintain the power. D-8310 - B Reactor, Richland, Benton County, WA

Experimental Study on Surrogate Nuclear Fuel Rods under Reversed Cyclic Bending

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

Wang, Hong; Wang, Jy-An John

The mechanical behavior of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) rods under reversed cyclic bending or bending fatigue must be understood to evaluate their vibration integrity in a transportation environment. This is especially important for high-burnup fuels (>45 GWd/MTU), which have the potential for increased structural damage. It has been demonstrated that the bending fatigue of SNF rods can be effectively studied using surrogate rods. In this investigation, surrogate rods made of stainless steel (SS) 304 cladding and aluminum oxide pellets were tested under load or moment control at a variety of amplitude levels at 5 Hz using the Cyclic Integrated Reversible-Bendingmore » Fatigue Tester developed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The behavior of the rods was further characterized using flexural rigidity and hysteresis data, and fractography was performed on the failed rods. The proposed surrogate rods captured many of the characteristics of deformation and failure mode observed in SNF, including the linear-to-nonlinear deformation transition and large residual curvature in static tests, PPI and PCMI failure mechanisms, and large variation in the initial structural condition. Rod degradation was measured and characterized by measuring the flexural rigidity; the degradation of the rigidity depended on both the moment amplitude applied and the initial structural condition of the rods. It was also shown that a cracking initiation site can be located on the internal surface or the external surface of cladding. Finally, fatigue damage to the bending rods can be described in terms of flexural rigidity, and the fatigue life of rods can be predicted once damage model parameters are properly evaluated. The developed experimental approach, test protocol, and analysis method can be used to study the vibration integrity of SNF rods in the future.« less

ELECTROMAGNETIC APPARATUS FOR MOVING A ROD

DOEpatents

Young, J.N.

1957-08-20

An electromagnetic device for moving an object in a linear path by increments is described. The device is specifically adapted for moving a neutron absorbing control rod into and out of the core of a reactor and consists essentially of an extension member made of magnetic material connected to one end of the control rod and mechanically flexible to grip the walls of a sleeve member when flexed, a magnetic sleeve member coaxial with and slidable between limit stops along the flexible extension, electromagnetic coils substantially centrally located with respect to the flexible extension to flex the extension member into gripping engagement with the sleeve member when ener gized, moving electromagnets at each end of the sleeve to attract the sleeve when energized, and a second gripping electromagnet positioned along the flexible extension at a distance from the previously mentioned electromagnets for gripping the extension member when energized. In use, the second gripping electromagnet is deenergized, the first gripping electromagnet is energized to fix the extension member in the sleeve, and one of the moving electromagnets is energized to attract the sleeve member toward it, thereby moving the control rod.

Fission gas release restrictor for breached fuel rod

DOEpatents

Kadambi, N. Prasad; Tilbrook, Roger W.; Spencer, Daniel R.; Schwallie, Ambrose L.

1986-01-01

In the event of a breach in the cladding of a rod in an operating liquid metal fast breeder reactor, the rapid release of high-pressure gas from the fission gas plenum may result in a gas blanketing of the breached rod and rods adjacent thereto which impairs the heat transfer to the liquid metal coolant. In order to control the release rate of fission gas in the event of a breached rod, the substantial portion of the conventional fission gas plenum is formed as a gas bottle means which includes a gas pervious means in a small portion thereof. During normal reactor operation, as the fission gas pressure gradually increases, the gas pressure interiorly of and exteriorly of the gas bottle means equalizes. In the event of a breach in the cladding, the gas pervious means in the gas bottle means constitutes a sufficient restriction to the rapid flow of gas therethrough that under maximum design pressure differential conditions, the fission gas flow through the breach will not significantly reduce the heat transfer from the affected rod and adjacent rods to the liquid metal heat transfer fluid flowing therebetween.

Development of control system of coating of rod hydraulic cylinders

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aizhambaeva, S. Zh; Maximova, A. V.

2018-01-01

In this article, requirements to materials of hydraulic cylinders and methods of eliminating the main factors affecting the quality of the applied coatings rod hydraulic cylinders. The chromium plating process - one of ways of increase of anti-friction properties of coatings rods, stability to the wear and corrosion. The article gives description of differences of the stand-speed chromium plating process from other types of chromium plating that determines a conclusion about cutting time of chromium plating process. Conducting the analysis of technological equipment suggested addressing the modernization of high-speed chromium plating processes by automation and mechanization. Control system developed by design of schematic block diagram of a modernized and stand-speed chromium plating process.

A new mouse model for stationary night blindness with mutant Slc24a1 explains the pathophysiology of the associated human disease

PubMed Central

Vinberg, Frans; Wang, Tian; Molday, Robert S.; Chen, Jeannie; Kefalov, Vladimir J.

2015-01-01

Mutations that affect calcium homeostasis (Ca2+) in rod photoreceptors are linked to retinal degeneration and visual disorders such as retinitis pigmentosa and congenital stationary night blindness (CSNB). It is thought that the concentration of Ca2+ in rod outer segments is controlled by a dynamic balance between influx via cGMP-gated (CNG) channels and extrusion via Na+/Ca2+, K+ exchangers (NCKX1). The extrusion-driven lowering of rod [Ca2+]i following light exposure controls their light adaptation and response termination. Mutant NCKX1 has been linked to autosomal-recessive stationary night blindness. However, whether NCKX1 contributes to light adaptation has not been directly tested and the mechanisms by which human NCKX1 mutations cause night blindness are not understood. Here, we report that the deletion of NCKX1 in mice results in malformed outer segment disks, suppressed expression and function of rod CNG channels and a subsequent 100-fold reduction in rod responses, while preserving normal cone responses. The compensating loss of CNG channel function in the absence of NCKX1-mediated Ca2+ extrusion may prevent toxic Ca2+ buildup and provides an explanation for the stationary nature of the associated disorder in humans. Surprisingly, the lack of NCKX1 did not compromise rod background light adaptation, suggesting additional Ca2+-extruding mechanisms exist in these cells. PMID:26246500

Chemical State Mapping of Degraded B4C Control Rod Investigated with Soft X-ray Emission Spectrometer in Electron Probe Micro-analysis.

PubMed

Kasada, R; Ha, Y; Higuchi, T; Sakamoto, K

2016-05-10

B4C is widely used as control rods in light water reactors, such as the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, because it shows excellent neutron absorption and has a high melting point. However, B4C can melt at lower temperatures owing to eutectic interactions with stainless steel and can even evaporate by reacting with high-temperature steam under severe accident conditions. To reduce the risk of recriticality, a precise understanding of the location and chemical state of B in the melt core is necessary. Here we show that a novel soft X-ray emission spectrometer in electron probe microanalysis can help to obtain a chemical state map of B in a modeled control rod after a high-temperature steam oxidation test.

A study to compare the efficacy of polyether ether ketone rod device with titanium devices in posterior spinal fusion in a canine model.

PubMed

Wang, Nanxiang; Xie, Huanxin; Xi, Chunyang; Zhang, Han; Yan, Jinglong

2017-03-09

The benefits of posterior lumbar fusion surgery with orthotopic paraspinal muscle-pediculated bone flaps are well established. However, the problem of non-union due to mechanical support is not completely resolved. The aim of the study was to compare the efficacy of polyether ether ketone (PEEK) rod device with conventional titanium devices in the posterior lumbar fusion surgery with orthotopic paraspinal muscle-pediculated bone flaps. This was a randomized controlled study with an experimental animal model. Thirty-two mongrel dogs were randomly divided into two groups-control group (n = 16), which received the titanium device and the treatment group (n = 16), which received PEEK rods. The animals were sacrificed 8 or 16 weeks after surgery. Lumbar spines of dogs in both groups were removed, harvested, and assessed for radiographic, biomechanical, and histological changes. Results in the current study indicated that there was no significant difference in the lumbar spine of the control and treatment groups in terms of radiographic, manual palpation, and gross examination. However, certain parameters of biomechanical testing showed significant differences (p < 0.05) in stiffness and displacement, revealing a better fusion (treatment group showed decreased stiffness with decreased displacement) of the bone graft. Similarly, the histological analysis also revealed a significant fusion mass in both treatment and control groups (p < 0.05). These findings revealed that fixation using PEEK connecting rod could improve the union of the bone graft in the posterior lumbar spine fusion surgery compared with that of the titanium rod fixation.

Process-based tolerance assessment of connecting rod machining process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharma, G. V. S. S.; Rao, P. Srinivasa; Surendra Babu, B.

2016-06-01

Process tolerancing based on the process capability studies is the optimistic and pragmatic approach of determining the manufacturing process tolerances. On adopting the define-measure-analyze-improve-control approach, the process potential capability index ( C p) and the process performance capability index ( C pk) values of identified process characteristics of connecting rod machining process are achieved to be greater than the industry benchmark of 1.33, i.e., four sigma level. The tolerance chain diagram methodology is applied to the connecting rod in order to verify the manufacturing process tolerances at various operations of the connecting rod manufacturing process. This paper bridges the gap between the existing dimensional tolerances obtained via tolerance charting and process capability studies of the connecting rod component. Finally, the process tolerancing comparison has been done by adopting a tolerance capability expert software.

A preliminary investigation of shape memory alloys in the surgical correction of scoliosis.

PubMed

Sanders, J O; Sanders, A E; More, R; Ashman, R B

1993-09-15

Nitinol, a shape memory alloy, is flexible at low temperatures but retains its original shape when heated. This offers interesting possibilities for scoliosis correction. Of the shape memory alloys, nitinol is the most promising medically because of biocompatibility and the ability to control transition temperature. In vivo: Six goats with experimental scoliosis were instrumented with 6-mm nitinol rods. The rods were transformed, and the scoliosis corrected, in the awakened goats by 450-kHz radio frequency induction heating. The curves averaged 41 degrees before instrumentation, 33 degrees after instrumentation, and 11 degrees after rod transformation. The animals tolerated the heating without discomfort, neurologic injury, or evidence of thermal injury to the tissues or the spinal cord. In vitro: Nitinol rods were tested under both constant deflection and constant loading conditions and plotted temperature versus either force or displacement. The 6-mm rod generated forces of 200 N. The 9-mm rod generated up to 500 N. We safely coupled shape memory alloy transformation to the spine and corrected an experimental spinal deformity in awake animals. The forces generated can be estimated by the rod's curvature and temperature. The use of shape memory alloys allows continuous neurologic monitoring during awake correction, true rotational correction by rod torsion, and the potential option of periodic correction to take advantage of spinal viscoelasticity and the potential of true rotational correction by rod torsion.

Hypoxic preconditioning protects photoreceptors against light damage independently of hypoxia inducible transcription factors in rods.

PubMed

Kast, Brigitte; Schori, Christian; Grimm, Christian

2016-05-01

Hypoxic preconditioning protects photoreceptors against light-induced degeneration preserving retinal morphology and function. Although hypoxia inducible transcription factors 1 and 2 (HIF1, HIF2) are the main regulators of the hypoxic response, photoreceptor protection does not depend on HIF1 in rods. Here we used rod-specific Hif2a single and Hif1a;Hif2a double knockout mice to investigate the potential involvement of HIF2 in rods for protection after hypoxic preconditioning. To identify potential HIF2 target genes in rods we determined the retinal transcriptome of hypoxic control and rod-specific Hif2a knockouts by RNA sequencing. We show that rods do not need HIF2 for hypoxia-induced increased survival after light exposure. The transcriptomic analysis revealed a number of genes that are potentially regulated by HIF2 in rods; among those were Htra1, Timp3 and Hmox1, candidates that are interesting due to their connection to human degenerative diseases of the retina. We conclude that neither HIF1 nor HIF2 are required in photoreceptors for protection by hypoxic preconditioning. We hypothesize that HIF transcription factors may be needed in other cells to produce protective factors acting in a paracrine fashion on photoreceptor cells. Alternatively, hypoxic preconditioning induces a rod-intrinsic response that is independent of HIF transcription factors. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Mechatronic Aeropendulum: Demonstration of Linear and Nonlinear Feedback Control Principles with MATLAB/Simulink Real-Time Windows Target

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Enikov, E. T.; Campa, G.

2012-01-01

This paper presents a low-cost hands-on experiment for a classical undergraduate controls course for non-electrical engineering majors. The setup consists of a small dc electrical motor attached to one of the ends of a light rod. The motor drives a 2-in propeller and allows the rod to swing. Angular position is measured by a potentiometer attached…

Probabilistic analysis on the failure of reactivity control for the PWR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sony Tjahyani, D. T.; Deswandri; Sunaryo, G. R.

2018-02-01

The fundamental safety function of the power reactor is to control reactivity, to remove heat from the reactor, and to confine radioactive material. The safety analysis is used to ensure that each parameter is fulfilled during the design and is done by deterministic and probabilistic method. The analysis of reactivity control is important to be done because it will affect the other of fundamental safety functions. The purpose of this research is to determine the failure probability of the reactivity control and its failure contribution on a PWR design. The analysis is carried out by determining intermediate events, which cause the failure of reactivity control. Furthermore, the basic event is determined by deductive method using the fault tree analysis. The AP1000 is used as the object of research. The probability data of component failure or human error, which is used in the analysis, is collected from IAEA, Westinghouse, NRC and other published documents. The results show that there are six intermediate events, which can cause the failure of the reactivity control. These intermediate events are uncontrolled rod bank withdrawal at low power or full power, malfunction of boron dilution, misalignment of control rod withdrawal, malfunction of improper position of fuel assembly and ejection of control rod. The failure probability of reactivity control is 1.49E-03 per year. The causes of failures which are affected by human factor are boron dilution, misalignment of control rod withdrawal and malfunction of improper position for fuel assembly. Based on the assessment, it is concluded that the failure probability of reactivity control on the PWR is still within the IAEA criteria.

Weld Nugget Temperature Control in Thermal Stir Welding

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ding, R. Jeffrey (Inventor)

2014-01-01

A control system for a thermal stir welding system is provided. The control system includes a sensor and a controller. The sensor is coupled to the welding system's containment plate assembly and generates signals indicative of temperature of a region adjacent and parallel to the welding system's stir rod. The controller is coupled to the sensor and generates at least one control signal using the sensor signals indicative of temperature. The controller is also coupled to the welding system such that at least one of rotational speed of the stir rod, heat supplied by the welding system's induction heater, and feed speed of the welding system's weld material feeder are controlled based on the control signal(s).

Ordering of Glass Rods in Nematic and Cholesteric Liquid Crystals

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-12-01

3), 483–508 (2007). 2. M. D. Lynch and D. L. Patrick, “Controlling the orientation of micron-sized rod-shaped SiC particles with nematic liquid...Elastic torque and the levitation of metal wires by a nematic liquid crystal,” Science 303(5658), 652–655 (2004). 17. R. Eelkema, M. M. Pollard, J...Building Blocks for Iterative Methods, 2nd ed. (SIAM, 1994). 1. Introduction Incorporating rod-like particles into liquid crystal (LC) media can lead

Formation of gold nanorods by a stochastic "popcorn" mechanism.

PubMed

Edgar, Jonathan A; McDonagh, Andrew M; Cortie, Michael B

2012-02-28

Gold nanorods have significant technological potential and are of broad interest to the nanotechnology community. The discovery of the seeded, wet-chemical synthetic process to produce them may be regarded as a landmark in the control of metal nanoparticle shape. However, the mechanism by which the initial spherical gold seeds acquire anisotropy is a critical, yet poorly understood, factor. Here we examine the very early stages of rod growth using a combination of techniques including cryogenic transmission electron microscopy, optical spectroscopy, and computational modeling. Reconciliation of the available experimental observations can only be achieved by invoking a stochastic, "popcorn"-like mechanism of growth, in which individual seeds lie quiescent for some time before suddenly and rapidly growing into rods. This is quite different from the steady, concurrent growth of nanorods that has been previously generally assumed. Furthermore we propose that the shape is controlled by the ratio of surface energy of rod sides to rod ends, with values of this quantity in the range of 0.3-0.8 indicated for typical growth solutions.

An analytical approach to thermal modeling of Bridgman-type crystal growth. I - One-dimensional analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Naumann, R. J.

1982-01-01

A relatively simple one-dimensional thermal model of the Bridgman growth process has been developed which is applicable to the growth of small diameter samples with conductivities similar to those of metallic alloys. The heat flow in a translating rod is analyzed in a way that is applicable to Biot numbers less than unity. The model accommodates an adiabatic zone, different heat transfer coefficients in the hot and cold zones, and changes in sample material properties associated with phase change. The analysis is applied to several simplified cases. The effect of the rod's motion is studied in a three-zone furnace for a rod sufficiently long that end effects can be neglected; end effects are then investigated for a motionless rod. Finally, the addition of a fourth zone, an independently controlled booster heater between the main heater and the adiabatic zone, is evaluated for its ability to increase the gradient in the sample at the melt interface and to control the position of the interface.

Samd7 is a cell type-specific PRC1 component essential for establishing retinal rod photoreceptor identity

PubMed Central

Omori, Yoshihiro; Kubo, Shun; Kon, Tetsuo; Furuhashi, Mayu; Narita, Hirotaka; Kominami, Taro; Ueno, Akiko; Tsutsumi, Ryotaro; Chaya, Taro; Yamamoto, Haruka; Suetake, Isao; Ueno, Shinji; Koseki, Haruhiko; Furukawa, Takahisa

2017-01-01

Precise transcriptional regulation controlled by a transcription factor network is known to be crucial for establishing correct neuronal cell identities and functions in the CNS. In the retina, the expression of various cone and rod photoreceptor cell genes is regulated by multiple transcription factors; however, the role of epigenetic regulation in photoreceptor cell gene expression has been poorly understood. Here, we found that Samd7, a rod-enriched sterile alpha domain (SAM) domain protein, is essential for silencing nonrod gene expression through H3K27me3 regulation in rod photoreceptor cells. Samd7-null mutant mice showed ectopic expression of nonrod genes including S-opsin in rod photoreceptor cells and rod photoreceptor cell dysfunction. Samd7 physically interacts with Polyhomeotic homologs (Phc proteins), components of the Polycomb repressive complex 1 (PRC1), and colocalizes with Phc2 and Ring1B in Polycomb bodies. ChIP assays showed a significant decrease of H3K27me3 in the genes up-regulated in the Samd7-deficient retina, showing that Samd7 deficiency causes the derepression of nonrod gene expression in rod photoreceptor cells. The current study suggests that Samd7 is a cell type-specific PRC1 component epigenetically defining rod photoreceptor cell identity. PMID:28900001

Samd7 is a cell type-specific PRC1 component essential for establishing retinal rod photoreceptor identity.

PubMed

Omori, Yoshihiro; Kubo, Shun; Kon, Tetsuo; Furuhashi, Mayu; Narita, Hirotaka; Kominami, Taro; Ueno, Akiko; Tsutsumi, Ryotaro; Chaya, Taro; Yamamoto, Haruka; Suetake, Isao; Ueno, Shinji; Koseki, Haruhiko; Nakagawa, Atsushi; Furukawa, Takahisa

2017-09-26

Precise transcriptional regulation controlled by a transcription factor network is known to be crucial for establishing correct neuronal cell identities and functions in the CNS. In the retina, the expression of various cone and rod photoreceptor cell genes is regulated by multiple transcription factors; however, the role of epigenetic regulation in photoreceptor cell gene expression has been poorly understood. Here, we found that Samd7, a rod-enriched sterile alpha domain (SAM) domain protein, is essential for silencing nonrod gene expression through H3K27me3 regulation in rod photoreceptor cells. Samd7- null mutant mice showed ectopic expression of nonrod genes including S-opsin in rod photoreceptor cells and rod photoreceptor cell dysfunction. Samd7 physically interacts with Polyhomeotic homologs (Phc proteins), components of the Polycomb repressive complex 1 (PRC1), and colocalizes with Phc2 and Ring1B in Polycomb bodies. ChIP assays showed a significant decrease of H3K27me3 in the genes up-regulated in the Samd7 -deficient retina, showing that Samd7 deficiency causes the derepression of nonrod gene expression in rod photoreceptor cells. The current study suggests that Samd7 is a cell type-specific PRC1 component epigenetically defining rod photoreceptor cell identity.

METHOD FOR SENSING DEGREE OF FLUIDIZATION IN FLUIDIZED BED

DOEpatents

Levey, R.P. Jr.; Fowler, A.H.

1961-12-12

A method is given for detecting, indicating, and controlling the degree of fluidization in a fluid-bed reactor into which powdered material is fed. The method comprises admitting of gas into the reactor, inserting a springsupported rod into the powder bed of the reactor, exciting the rod to vibrate at its resonant frequency, deriving a signal responsive to the amplitude of vibi-ation of the rod and spring, the signal being directiy proportional to the rate of flow of the gas through the reactor, displaying the signal to provide an indication of the degree of fluidization within the reactor, and controlling the rate of gas flow into the reactor until said signal stabilizes at a constant value to provide substantially complete fluidization within the reactor. (AEC)

NEUTRONIC REACTOR MANIPULATING DEVICE

DOEpatents

Ohlinger, L.A.

1962-08-01

A cable connecting a control rod in a reactor with a motor outside the reactor for moving the rod, and a helical conduit in the reactor wall, through which the cable passes are described. The helical shape of the conduit prevents the escape of certain harmful radiations from the reactor. (AEC)

Validation of updated neutronic calculation models proposed for Atucha-II PHWR. Part I: Benchmark comparisons of WIMS-D5 and DRAGON cell and control rod parameters with MCNP5

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

Mollerach, R.; Leszczynski, F.; Fink, J.

2006-07-01

In 2005 the Argentine Government took the decision to complete the construction of the Atucha-II nuclear power plant, which has been progressing slowly during the last ten years. Atucha-II is a 745 MWe nuclear station moderated and cooled with heavy water, of German (Siemens) design located in Argentina. It has a pressure-vessel design with 451 vertical coolant channels, and the fuel assemblies (FA) are clusters of 37 natural UO{sub 2} rods with an active length of 530 cm. For the reactor physics area, a revision and update calculation methods and models (cell, supercell and reactor) was recently carried out coveringmore » cell, supercell (control rod) and core calculations. As a validation of the new models some benchmark comparisons were done with Monte Carlo calculations with MCNP5. This paper presents comparisons of cell and supercell benchmark problems based on a slightly idealized model of the Atucha-I core obtained with the WIMS-D5 and DRAGON codes with MCNP5 results. The Atucha-I core was selected because it is smaller, similar from a neutronic point of view, and more symmetric than Atucha-II Cell parameters compared include cell k-infinity, relative power levels of the different rings of fuel rods, and some two-group macroscopic cross sections. Supercell comparisons include supercell k-infinity changes due to the control rods (tubes) of steel and hafnium. (authors)« less

Nuclear reactor safety device

DOEpatents

Hutter, Ernest

1986-01-01

A safety device is disclosed for use in a nuclear reactor for axially repositioning a control rod with respect to the reactor core in the event of an upward thermal excursion. Such safety device comprises a laminated helical ribbon configured as a tube-like helical coil having contiguous helical turns with slidably abutting edges. The helical coil is disclosed as a portion of a drive member connected axially to the control rod. The laminated ribbon is formed of outer and inner laminae. The material of the outer lamina has a greater thermal coefficient of expansion than the material of the inner lamina. In the event of an upward thermal excursion, the laminated helical coil curls inwardly to a smaller diameter. Such inward curling causes the total length of the helical coil to increase by a substantial increment, so that the control rod is axially repositioned by a corresponding amount to reduce the power output of the reactor.

Measuring the efficiency of control rods in the RBMK critical assembly using a model of RKI-1 reactimeter

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

Zhitarev, V. E., E-mail: vejitarev@yandex.ru; Lebedev, G. V.; Sergevnin, A. Yu.

2016-12-15

The efficiency of control rods of the RBMK critical assembly is measured in a series of experiments. The aim of measurements is to determine the characteristics of the model of an RKI-1 reactimeter. The RKI-1 reactimeter is intended for measuring the efficiency of control rods when, according to conditions of operation, the metrological certification of results of an experiment is required. Complications with the metrological certification of reactimeters arise owing to the fact that usually calculated corrections to the results of measurements are required. When the RKI-1 reactimeter is used, there is no need to introduce calculated corrections; the resultmore » of measurements is given with the indication of substantiated errors. In connection with this, the metrological certification of the results of measurements using the RKI-1 reactimeter is simplified.« less

Pm-1 Reactor Core Final Design Report

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

Bagley, R. O.; Cox, F. H.; Carnasale, A.

1962-01-01

The PM-1 water cooled and moderated core contains 741 highly enriched stainless steel cermet tubular fuel elements and 90 lumped B stainless steel burnable poison elements, and it is controlled by 6 Y-shaped europium titanate movable control rods. The core has a lifetime of 1.95 years when operated at its design power level of 9.37 mw of thermal energy. The control of the core is designed so that there is a positive shutdown margin at all times with either one rod stuck completely out or the core or with two rods stuck in the operating condition. The core power ismore » removed by 2125 gpm of pressurized water at an average temperature of 463 deg F and pressure of 1300 psia. In reactors of this type, the core is stable with a negative temperature coefficient of approximately 2.5 x 10/sup -4/ DELTA K/K/ deg F.« less

Choice of mathematical models for technological process of glass rod drawing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alekseeva, L. B.

2017-10-01

The technological process of drawing glass rods (light guides) is considered. Automated control of the drawing process is reduced to the process of making decisions to ensure a given quality. The drawing process is considered as a control object, including the drawing device (control device) and the optical fiber forming zone (control object). To study the processes occurring in the formation zone, mathematical models are proposed, based on the continuum mechanics basics. To assess the influence of disturbances, a transfer function is obtained from the basis of the wave equation. Obtaining the regression equation also adequately describes the drawing process.

CNGA3 deficiency affects cone synaptic terminal structure and function and leads to secondary rod dysfunction and degeneration.

PubMed

Xu, Jianhua; Morris, Lynsie M; Michalakis, Stylianos; Biel, Martin; Fliesler, Steven J; Sherry, David M; Ding, Xi-Qin

2012-03-01

To investigate rod function and survival after cone dysfunction and degeneration in a mouse model of cone cyclic nucleotide-gated (CNG) channel deficiency. Rod function and survival in mice with cone CNG channel subunit CNGA3 deficiency (CNGA3-/- mice) were evaluated by electroretinographic (ERG), morphometric, and Western blot analyses. The arrangement, integrity, and ultrastructure of photoreceptor terminals were investigated by immunohistochemistry and electron microscopy. The authors found loss of cone function and cone death accompanied by impairment of rods and rod-driven signaling in CNGA3-/- mice. Scotopic ERG b-wave amplitudes were reduced by 15% at 1 month, 30% at 6 months, and 40% at 9 months and older, while scotopic a-wave amplitudes were decreased by 20% at 9 months, compared with ERGs of age-matched wild-type mice. Outer nuclear layer thickness in CNGA3-/- retina was reduced by 15% at 12 months compared with age-matched wild-type controls. This was accompanied by a 30%-40% reduction in expression of rod-specific proteins, including rhodopsin, rod transducin α-subunit, and glutamic acid-rich protein (GARP). Cone terminals in the CNGA3-/- retina showed a progressive loss of neurochemical and ultrastructural integrity. Abnormalities were observed as early as 1 month. Disorganized rod terminal ultrastructure was noted by 12 months. These findings demonstrate secondary rod impairment and degeneration after cone degeneration in mice with cone CNG channel deficiency. Loss of cone phototransduction accompanies the compromised integrity of cone terminals. With time, rod synaptic structure, function, and viability also become compromised.

Thermionic switched self-actuating reactor shutdown system

DOEpatents

Barrus, Donald M.; Shires, Charles D.; Brummond, William A.

1989-01-01

A self-actuating reactor shutdown system incorporating a thermionic switched electromagnetic latch arrangement which is responsive to reactor neutron flux changes and to reactor coolant temperature changes. The system is self-actuating in that the sensing thermionic device acts directly to release (scram) the control rod (absorber) without reference or signal from the main reactor plant protective and control systems. To be responsive to both temperature and neutron flux effects, two detectors are used, one responsive to reactor coolant temperatures, and the other responsive to reactor neutron flux increase. The detectors are incorporated into a thermionic diode connected electrically with an electromagnetic mechanism which under normal reactor operating conditions holds the the control rod in its ready position (exterior of the reactor core). Upon reaching either a specified temperature or neutron flux, the thermionic diode functions to short-circuit the electromagnetic mechanism causing same to lose its holding power and release the control rod, which drops into the reactor core region under gravitational force.

46 CFR 32.65-20 - Pumprooms-TB/ALL.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... bulkhead between the pumproom and the pump-engine compartment may be pierced by fixed lights, drive shaft and pump-engine control rods, provided that the shafts and rods are fitted with stuffing boxes where... their cargo pumps isolated from all sources of vapor ignition by gastight bulkheads. Totally enclosed...

46 CFR 32.65-20 - Pumprooms-TB/ALL.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... bulkhead between the pumproom and the pump-engine compartment may be pierced by fixed lights, drive shaft and pump-engine control rods, provided that the shafts and rods are fitted with stuffing boxes where... their cargo pumps isolated from all sources of vapor ignition by gastight bulkheads. Totally enclosed...

46 CFR 32.65-20 - Pumprooms-TB/ALL.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... bulkhead between the pumproom and the pump-engine compartment may be pierced by fixed lights, drive shaft and pump-engine control rods, provided that the shafts and rods are fitted with stuffing boxes where... their cargo pumps isolated from all sources of vapor ignition by gastight bulkheads. Totally enclosed...

46 CFR 32.65-20 - Pumprooms-TB/ALL.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... bulkhead between the pumproom and the pump-engine compartment may be pierced by fixed lights, drive shaft and pump-engine control rods, provided that the shafts and rods are fitted with stuffing boxes where... their cargo pumps isolated from all sources of vapor ignition by gastight bulkheads. Totally enclosed...

46 CFR 32.65-20 - Pumprooms-TB/ALL.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... bulkhead between the pumproom and the pump-engine compartment may be pierced by fixed lights, drive shaft and pump-engine control rods, provided that the shafts and rods are fitted with stuffing boxes where... their cargo pumps isolated from all sources of vapor ignition by gastight bulkheads. Totally enclosed...

The actin-activated ATPase of co-polymer filaments of myosin and myosin-rod.

PubMed Central

Stepkowski, D; Orlova, A A; Moos, C

1994-01-01

The actin activated ATPase of myosin at low ionic strength shows a complex dependence on actin concentration, in contrast with the simple hyperbolic actin activation kinetics of heavy meromyosin and subfragment-1. To investigate how the aggregation of myosin influences the actomyosin ATPase kinetics, we have studied the actin-activated ATPase of mixed filaments in which the myosin molecules are separated from each other by copolymerization with myosin rod. Electron microscopy of copolymer filaments, alone and bound to actin, indicates that the myosin heads are distributed randomly along the co-polymer filaments. The actin-activated ATPase of myosin decreases with increasing rod, approaching a plateau of about 30% of the control at a rod/myosin molar ratio of 4:1. The decrease in ATPase persists even at Vmax, the extrapolated limit at infinite actin, indicating that it is not due merely to the loss of cooperative actin binding. Furthermore, the actin dependence of the ATPase still shows a biphasic character like that of control myosin, even at rod/myosin ratio of 12:1, so this complexity is not probably due solely to the structural proximity of myosin molecules, but may involve a non-equivalence of myosin heads or myosin molecules in the filament environment. Images Figure 1 Figure 2 PMID:8198528

Role of recoverin in rod photoreceptor light adaptation.

PubMed

Morshedian, Ala; Woodruff, Michael L; Fain, Gordon L

2018-04-15

Recoverin is a small molecular-weight, calcium-binding protein in rod outer segments that can modulate the rate of rhodopsin phosphorylation. We describe two additional and perhaps more important functions during photoreceptor light adaptation. Recoverin influences the rate of change of adaptation. In wild-type rods, sensitivity and response integration time adapt with similar time constants of 150-200 ms. In Rv-/- rods lacking recoverin, sensitivity declines faster and integration time is already shorter and not significantly altered. During steady light exposure, rod circulating current slowly increases during a time course of tens of seconds, gradually extending the operating range of the rod. In Rv-/- rods, this mechanism is deleted, steady-state currents are already larger and rods saturate at brighter intensities. We propose that recoverin modulates spontaneous and light-activated phophodiesterase-6, the phototransduction effector enzyme, to increase sensitivity in dim light but improve responsiveness to change in brighter illumination. Recoverin is a small molecular-weight, calcium-binding protein in rod outer segments that binds to G-protein receptor kinase 1 and can alter the rate of rhodopsin phosphorylation. A change in phosphorylation should change the lifetime of light-activated rhodopsin and the gain of phototransduction, but deletion of recoverin has little effect on the sensitivity of rods either in the dark or in dim-to-moderate background light. We describe two additional functions perhaps of greater physiological significance. (i) When the ambient intensity increases, sensitivity and integration time decrease in wild-type (WT) rods with similar time constants of 150-200 ms. Recoverin is part of the mechanism controlling this process because, in Rv-/- rods lacking recoverin, sensitivity declines more rapidly and integration time is already shorter and not further altered. (ii) During steady light exposure, WT rod circulating current slowly increases during a time course of tens of seconds, gradually extending the operating range of the rod. In Rv-/- rods, this mechanism is also deleted, steady-state currents are already larger and rods saturate at brighter intensities. We argue that neither (i) nor (ii) can be caused by modulation of rhodopsin phosphorylation but may instead be produced by direct modulation of phophodiesterase-6 (PDE6), the phototransduction effector enzyme. We propose that recoverin in dark-adapted rods keeps the integration time long and the spontaneous PDE6 rate relatively high to improve sensitivity. In background light, the integration time is decreased to facilitate detection of change and motion and the spontaneous PDE6 rate decreases to augment the rod working range. © 2018 The Authors. The Journal of Physiology © 2018 The Physiological Society.

Robust technology and system for management of sucker rod pumping units in oil wells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aliev, T. A.; Rzayev, A. H.; Guluyev, G. A.; Alizada, T. A.; Rzayeva, N. E.

2018-01-01

We propose a technology for calculating the robust, normalized correlation functions of the signal from the force sensor on the rod string attached to the hanger of the sucker rod pumping unit. The robust normalized correlation functions are used to form sets of informative attribute combinations, each of which corresponds to a technical condition of the sucker rod pumping unit. We demonstrate how these sets can be used to solve identification and management problems in the oil production process in real time using inexpensive controllers. The results obtained from using the system on real objects are also presented in this paper. It was determined that the energy saved and prolonged overhaul period substantially increased the cost-effectiveness.

Clip gage attachment for frictionless measurement of displacement during high-temperature mechanical testing

DOEpatents

Alexander, David J.

1994-01-01

An attachment for placement between a test specimen and a remote clip gage extensometer providing improved fracture toughness tests of materials at elevated temperature. Using a cylindrical tube and axial rod in new relationship, the device transfers the displacement signal of the fracture toughness test specimen directly to a clip gage extensometer located outside the high temperature furnace. Virtually frictionless operation is assured by having the test specimen center one end of the rod in one end of the tube, while the clip gage extensometer arms center the other end of the rod in the other end of the tube. By providing positive control over both ends of both rod and tube, the attachment may be operated in orientations other than vertical.

Autofusion in the immature spine treated with growing rods.

PubMed

Cahill, Patrick J; Marvil, Sean; Cuddihy, Laury; Schutt, Corey; Idema, Jocelyn; Clements, David H; Antonacci, M Darryl; Asghar, Jahangir; Samdani, Amer F; Betz, Randal R

2010-10-15

Retrospective case review of skeletally immature patients treated with growing rods. Patients received an average of 9.6 years follow-up care. (1) to identify the rate of autofusion in the growing spine with the use of growing rods; (2) to quantify how much correction can be attained with definitive instrumented fusion after long-term treatment with growing rods; and (3) to describe the extent of Smith-Petersen osteotomies required to gain correction of an autofused spine following growing rod treatment. The safety and use of growing rods for curve correction and maintenance in the growing spine population has been established in published reports. While autofusion has been reported, the prevalence and sequelae are not known. Nine skeletally immature children with scoliosis were identified who had been treated using growing rods. A retrospective review of the medical records and radiographs was conducted and the following data collected: complications, pre- and postoperative Cobb angles at time of initial surgery (growing rod placement), pre- and postoperative Cobb angles at time of final surgery (growing rod removal and definitive fusion), total spine length as measured from T1-S1, % correction since initiation of treatment and at definitive fusion, total number of surgeries, and number of patients found to have autofusion at the time of device removal. The rate of autofusion in children treated with growing rods was 89%. The average percent of the Cobb angle correction obtained at definitive fusion was 44%. On average, 7 osteotomies per patient were required at the time of definitive fusion due to autofusion. Although growing rods have efficacy in the control of deformity within the growing spine, they also have adverse effects on the spine. Immature spines treated with a growing rod have high rates of unintended autofusion which can possibly lead to difficult and only moderate correction at the time of definitive fusion.

Single-Mode WGM Resonators Fabricated by Diamond Turning

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Grudinin, Ivan; Maleki, Lute; Savchenkov, Anatoliy; Matsko, Andrewy; Strekalov, Dmitry; Iltchenko, Vladimir

2008-01-01

A diamond turning process has made possible a significant advance in the art of whispering-gallery-mode (WGM) optical resonators. By use of this process, it is possible to fashion crystalline materials into WGM resonators that have ultrahigh resonance quality factors (high Q values), are compact (ranging in size from millimeters down to tens of microns), and support single electromagnetic modes. This development combines and extends the developments reported in "Few- Mode Whispering-Gallery-Mode Resonators" (NPO-41256), NASA Tech Briefs, Vol. 30, No. 1 (January 2006), page 16a and "Fabrication of Submillimeter Axisymmetric Optical Components" (NPO-42056), NASA Tech Briefs, Vol. 31, No. 5 (May 2007), page 10a. To recapitulate from the first cited prior article: A WGM resonator of this special type consists of a rod, made of a suitable transparent material, from which protrudes a thin circumferential belt of the same material. The belt is integral with the rest of the rod and acts as a circumferential waveguide. If the depth and width of the belt are made appropriately small, then the belt acts as though it were the core of a single-mode optical fiber: the belt and the rod material adjacent to it support a single, circumferentially propagating mode or family of modes. To recapitulate from the second cited prior article: A major step in the fabrication of a WGM resonator of this special type is diamond turning or computer numerically controlled machining of a rod of a suitable transparent crystalline material on an ultrahigh-precision lathe. During the rotation of a spindle in which the rod is mounted, a diamond tool is used to cut the rod. A computer program is used to control stepping motors that move the diamond tool, thereby controlling the shape cut by the tool. Because the shape can be controlled via software, it is possible to choose a shape designed to optimize a resonator spectrum, including, if desired, to limit the resonator to supporting a single mode. After diamond turning, a resonator can be polished to increase its Q. By virtue of its largely automated, computer-controlled nature, the process is suitable for mass production of nominally identical single-mode WGM resonators. In a demonstration of the capabilities afforded by this development, a number of WGM resonators of various designs were fabricated side by side on the surface of a single CaF2 rod (see figure).

Casting technology for manufacturing metal rods from simulated metallic spent fuels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leeand, Y. S.; Lee, D. B.; Kim, C. K.; Shin, Y. J.; Lee, J. H.

2000-09-01

A uranium metal rod 13.5 mm in diameter and 1,150 mm long was produced from simulated metallic spent fuels with advanced casting equipment using the directional-solidification method. A vacuum casting furnace equipped with a four-zone heater to prevent surface oxidation and the formation of surface shrinkage holes was designed. By controlling the axial temperature gradient of the casting furnace, deformation by the surface shrinkage phenomena was diminished, and a sound rod was manufactured. The cooling behavior of the molten uranium was analyzed using the computer software package MAGMAsoft.

High frequency magnetostrictive transducers for waveguide applications

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

Daw, Joshua Earl; Taylor, Steven Cheney; Rempe, Joy Lynn

A high frequency magnetostrictive transducer includes a magnetostrictive rod or wire inserted co-axially into a driving coil, wherein the driving coil includes a coil arrangement with a plurality of small coil segments along the magnetostrictive rod or wire; wherein frequency operation of the high frequency magnetostrictive transducer is controlled by a length of the small coil segments and a material type of the magnetostrictive rod or wire. This design of the high frequency magnetostrictive transducer retains the beneficial aspects of the magnetostrictive design, while reducing its primary drawback, lower frequency operation.

CNGA3 Deficiency Affects Cone Synaptic Terminal Structure and Function and Leads to Secondary Rod Dysfunction and Degeneration

PubMed Central

Xu, Jianhua; Morris, Lynsie M.; Michalakis, Stylianos; Biel, Martin; Fliesler, Steven J.; Sherry, David M.

2012-01-01

Purpose. To investigate rod function and survival after cone dysfunction and degeneration in a mouse model of cone cyclic nucleotide-gated (CNG) channel deficiency. Methods. Rod function and survival in mice with cone CNG channel subunit CNGA3 deficiency (CNGA3−/− mice) were evaluated by electroretinographic (ERG), morphometric, and Western blot analyses. The arrangement, integrity, and ultrastructure of photoreceptor terminals were investigated by immunohistochemistry and electron microscopy. Results. The authors found loss of cone function and cone death accompanied by impairment of rods and rod-driven signaling in CNGA3−/− mice. Scotopic ERG b-wave amplitudes were reduced by 15% at 1 month, 30% at 6 months, and 40% at 9 months and older, while scotopic a-wave amplitudes were decreased by 20% at 9 months, compared with ERGs of age-matched wild-type mice. Outer nuclear layer thickness in CNGA3−/− retina was reduced by 15% at 12 months compared with age-matched wild-type controls. This was accompanied by a 30%–40% reduction in expression of rod-specific proteins, including rhodopsin, rod transducin α-subunit, and glutamic acid-rich protein (GARP). Cone terminals in the CNGA3−/− retina showed a progressive loss of neurochemical and ultrastructural integrity. Abnormalities were observed as early as 1 month. Disorganized rod terminal ultrastructure was noted by 12 months. Conclusions. These findings demonstrate secondary rod impairment and degeneration after cone degeneration in mice with cone CNG channel deficiency. Loss of cone phototransduction accompanies the compromised integrity of cone terminals. With time, rod synaptic structure, function, and viability also become compromised. PMID:22247469

Variable gas leak rate valve

DOEpatents

Eernisse, Errol P.; Peterson, Gary D.

1976-01-01

A variable gas leak rate valve which utilizes a poled piezoelectric element to control opening and closing of the valve. The gas flow may be around a cylindrical rod with a tubular piezoelectric member encircling the rod for seating thereagainst to block passage of gas and for reopening thereof upon application of suitable electrical fields.

Inhibitory masking controls the threshold sensitivity of retinal ganglion cells

PubMed Central

Pan, Feng; Toychiev, Abduqodir; Zhang, Yi; Atlasz, Tamas; Ramakrishnan, Hariharasubramanian; Roy, Kaushambi; Völgyi, Béla; Akopian, Abram

2016-01-01

Key points Retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) in dark‐adapted retinas show a range of threshold sensitivities spanning ∼3 log units of illuminance.Here, we show that the different threshold sensitivities of RGCs reflect an inhibitory mechanism that masks inputs from certain rod pathways.The masking inhibition is subserved by GABAC receptors, probably on bipolar cell axon terminals.The GABAergic masking inhibition appears independent of dopaminergic circuitry that has been shown also to affect RGC sensitivity.The results indicate a novel mechanism whereby inhibition controls the sensitivity of different cohorts of RGCs. This can limit and thereby ensure that appropriate signals are carried centrally in scotopic conditions when sensitivity rather than acuity is crucial. Abstract The responses of rod photoreceptors, which subserve dim light vision, are carried through the retina by three independent pathways. These pathways carry signals with largely different sensitivities. Retinal ganglion cells (RGCs), the output neurons of the retina, show a wide range of sensitivities in the same dark‐adapted conditions, suggesting a divergence of the rod pathways. However, this organization is not supported by the known synaptic morphology of the retina. Here, we tested an alternative idea that the rod pathways converge onto single RGCs, but inhibitory circuits selectively mask signals so that one pathway predominates. Indeed, we found that application of GABA receptor blockers increased the sensitivity of most RGCs by unmasking rod signals, which were suppressed. Our results indicate that inhibition controls the threshold responses of RGCs under dim ambient light. This mechanism can ensure that appropriate signals cross the bottleneck of the optic nerve in changing stimulus conditions. PMID:27350405

In vitro degradation, flexural, compressive and shear properties of fully bioresorbable composite rods.

PubMed

Felfel, R M; Ahmed, I; Parsons, A J; Walker, G S; Rudd, C D

2011-10-01

Several studies have investigated self-reinforced polylactic acid (SR-PLA) and polyglycolic acid (SR-PGA) rods which could be used as intramedullary (IM) fixation devices to align and stabilise bone fractures. This study investigated totally bioresorbable composite rods manufactured via compression moulding at ~100 °C using phosphate glass fibres (of composition 50P(2)O(5)-40CaO-5Na(2)O-5Fe(2)O(3) in mol%) to reinforce PLA with an approximate fibre volume fraction (v(f)) of 30%. Different fibre architectures (random and unidirectional) were investigated and pure PLA rods were used as control samples. The degradation profiles and retention of mechanical properties were investigated and PBS was selected as the degradation medium. Unidirectional (P50 UD) composite rods had 50% higher initial flexural strength as compared to PLA and 60% higher in comparison to the random mat (P50 RM) composite rods. Similar initial profiles for flexural modulus were also seen comparing the P50 UD and P50 RM rods. Higher shear strength properties were seen for P50 UD in comparison to P50 RM and PLA rods. However, shear stiffness values decreased rapidly (after a week) whereas the PLA remained approximately constant. For the compressive strength studies, P50 RM and PLA rods remained approximately constant, whilst for the P50 UD rods a significantly higher initial value was obtained, which decreased rapidly after 3 days immersion in PBS. However, the mechanical properties decreased after immersion in PBS as a result of the plasticisation effect of water within the composite and degradation of the fibres. The fibres within the random and unidirectional composite rods (P50 RM and P50 UD) degraded leaving behind microtubes as seen from the SEM micrographs (after 28 days degradation) which in turn created a porous structure within the rods. This was the main reason attributed for the increase seen in mass loss and water uptake for the composite rods (~17% and ~16%, respectively). Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Immunomodulation-accelerated neuronal regeneration following selective rod photoreceptor cell ablation in the zebrafish retina.

PubMed

White, David T; Sengupta, Sumitra; Saxena, Meera T; Xu, Qingguo; Hanes, Justin; Ding, Ding; Ji, Hongkai; Mumm, Jeff S

2017-05-02

Müller glia (MG) function as inducible retinal stem cells in zebrafish, completely repairing the eye after damage. The innate immune system has recently been shown to promote tissue regeneration in which classic wound-healing responses predominate. However, regulatory roles for leukocytes during cellular regeneration-i.e., selective cell-loss paradigms akin to degenerative disease-are less well defined. To investigate possible roles innate immune cells play during retinal cell regeneration, we used intravital microscopy to visualize neutrophil, macrophage, and retinal microglia responses to induced rod photoreceptor apoptosis. Neutrophils displayed no reactivity to rod cell loss. Peripheral macrophage cells responded to rod cell loss, as evidenced by morphological transitions and increased migration, but did not enter the retina. Retinal microglia displayed multiple hallmarks of immune cell activation: increased migration, translocation to the photoreceptor cell layer, proliferation, and phagocytosis of dying cells. To test function during rod cell regeneration, we coablated microglia and rod cells or applied immune suppression and quantified the kinetics of ( i ) rod cell clearance, ( ii ) MG/progenitor cell proliferation, and ( iii ) rod cell replacement. Coablation and immune suppressants applied before cell loss caused delays in MG/progenitor proliferation rates and slowed the rate of rod cell replacement. Conversely, immune suppressants applied after cell loss had been initiated led to accelerated photoreceptor regeneration kinetics, possibly by promoting rapid resolution of an acute immune response. Our findings suggest that microglia control MG responsiveness to photoreceptor loss and support the development of immune-targeted therapeutic strategies for reversing cell loss associated with degenerative retinal conditions.

Immunomodulation-accelerated neuronal regeneration following selective rod photoreceptor cell ablation in the zebrafish retina

PubMed Central

White, David T.; Sengupta, Sumitra; Saxena, Meera T.; Xu, Qingguo; Hanes, Justin; Ding, Ding; Ji, Hongkai

2017-01-01

Müller glia (MG) function as inducible retinal stem cells in zebrafish, completely repairing the eye after damage. The innate immune system has recently been shown to promote tissue regeneration in which classic wound-healing responses predominate. However, regulatory roles for leukocytes during cellular regeneration—i.e., selective cell-loss paradigms akin to degenerative disease—are less well defined. To investigate possible roles innate immune cells play during retinal cell regeneration, we used intravital microscopy to visualize neutrophil, macrophage, and retinal microglia responses to induced rod photoreceptor apoptosis. Neutrophils displayed no reactivity to rod cell loss. Peripheral macrophage cells responded to rod cell loss, as evidenced by morphological transitions and increased migration, but did not enter the retina. Retinal microglia displayed multiple hallmarks of immune cell activation: increased migration, translocation to the photoreceptor cell layer, proliferation, and phagocytosis of dying cells. To test function during rod cell regeneration, we coablated microglia and rod cells or applied immune suppression and quantified the kinetics of (i) rod cell clearance, (ii) MG/progenitor cell proliferation, and (iii) rod cell replacement. Coablation and immune suppressants applied before cell loss caused delays in MG/progenitor proliferation rates and slowed the rate of rod cell replacement. Conversely, immune suppressants applied after cell loss had been initiated led to accelerated photoreceptor regeneration kinetics, possibly by promoting rapid resolution of an acute immune response. Our findings suggest that microglia control MG responsiveness to photoreceptor loss and support the development of immune-targeted therapeutic strategies for reversing cell loss associated with degenerative retinal conditions. PMID:28416692

The MAGEC system for spinal lengthening in children with scoliosis: A NICE Medical Technology Guidance.

PubMed

Jenks, Michelle; Craig, Joyce; Higgins, Joanne; Willits, Iain; Barata, Teresa; Wood, Hannah; Kimpton, Christine; Sims, Andrew

2014-12-01

Scoliosis-structural lateral curvature of the spine-affects around four children per 1,000. The MAGEC system comprises a magnetically distractible spinal rod implant and an external remote controller, which lengthens the rod; this system avoids repeated surgical lengthening. Rod implants brace the spine internally and are lengthened as the child grows, preventing worsening of scoliosis and delaying the need for spinal fusion. The Medical Technologies Advisory Committee at the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) selected the MAGEC system for evaluation in a NICE medical technologies guidance. Six studies were identified by the sponsor (Ellipse Technologies Inc.) as being relevant to the decision problem. Meta-analysis was used to compare the clinical evidence results with those of one conventional growth rod study, and equal efficacy of the two devices was concluded. The key weakness was selection of a single comparator study. The External Assessment Centre (EAC) identified 16 conventional growth rod studies and undertook meta-analyses of relevant outcomes. Its critique highlighted limitations around study heterogeneity and variations in baseline characteristics and follow-up duration, precluding the ability to draw firm conclusions. The sponsor constructed a de novo costing model showing that MAGEC rods generated cost savings of £9,946 per patient after 6 years, compared with conventional rods. The EAC critiqued and updated the model structure and inputs, calculating robust cost savings of £12,077 per patient with MAGEC rods compared with conventional rods over 6 years. The year of valuation was 2012. NICE issued a positive recommendation as supported by the evidence (Medical Technologies Guidance 18).

Clip gage attachment for frictionless measurement of displacement during high-temperature mechanical testing

DOEpatents

Alexander, D.J.

1994-01-04

An attachment for placement between a test specimen and a remote clip gage extensometer providing improved fracture toughness tests of materials at elevated temperature is described. Using a cylindrical tube and axial rod in new relationship, the device transfers the displacement signal of the fracture toughness test specimen directly to a clip gage extensometer located outside the high temperature furnace. Virtually frictionless operation is assured by having the test specimen center one end of the rod in one end of the tube, while the clip gage extensometer arms center the other end of the rod in the other end of the tube. By providing positive control over both ends of both rod and tube, the attachment may be operated in orientations other than vertical. 1 figure.

Learned arbitrary responses to light in mice without rods or cones

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mrosovsky, N.; Salmon, Peggy

2002-10-01

The aim of this investigation was to discover whether mice lacking classical photoreceptors (rods and cones) can nevertheless be trained to respond to light. Mice with the coneless (cl) transgene have an attenuated diphtheria toxin fused to a cone opsin promotor. Mutant mice homozygous for the retinal degeneration (rd) gene undergo loss of their rods. By mating these two strains, mice lacking both cones and rods can be generated (Lucas et al. 1999). Such coneless-rodless mice were able to use light as a signal to make a behavioural response to avoid impending shock. Nevertheless, especially initially, they used the light as a cue less often than wildtype controls, indicating that normally the rods and cones are used for such responses. However, other photoreceptors are able to take over this role to some extent. When the lights were covered with opaque material, the performance of rodless-coneless mice dropped to chance level, indicating that they had been using the light as a cue for avoidance.

Aerobic Glycolysis Is Essential for Normal Rod Function and Controls Secondary Cone Death in Retinitis Pigmentosa.

PubMed

Petit, Lolita; Ma, Shan; Cipi, Joris; Cheng, Shun-Yun; Zieger, Marina; Hay, Nissim; Punzo, Claudio

2018-05-29

Aerobic glycolysis accounts for ∼80%-90% of glucose used by adult photoreceptors (PRs); yet, the importance of aerobic glycolysis for PR function or survival remains unclear. Here, we further established the role of aerobic glycolysis in murine rod and cone PRs. We show that loss of hexokinase-2 (HK2), a key aerobic glycolysis enzyme, does not affect PR survival or structure but is required for normal rod function. Rods with HK2 loss increase their mitochondrial number, suggesting an adaptation to the inhibition of aerobic glycolysis. In contrast, cones adapt without increased mitochondrial number but require HK2 to adapt to metabolic stress conditions such as those encountered in retinitis pigmentosa, where the loss of rods causes a nutrient shortage in cones. The data support a model where aerobic glycolysis in PRs is not a necessity but rather a metabolic choice that maximizes PR function and adaptability to nutrient stress conditions. Copyright © 2018 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Nonlinear stability research on the hydraulic system of double-side rolling shear.

PubMed

Wang, Jun; Huang, Qingxue; An, Gaocheng; Qi, Qisong; Sun, Binyu

2015-10-01

This paper researches the stability of the nonlinear system taking the hydraulic system of double-side rolling shear as an example. The hydraulic system of double-side rolling shear uses unsymmetrical electro-hydraulic proportional servo valve to control the cylinder with single piston rod, which can make best use of the space and reduce reversing shock. It is a typical nonlinear structure. The nonlinear state-space equations of the unsymmetrical valve controlling cylinder system are built first, and the second Lyapunov method is used to evaluate its stability. Second, the software AMEsim is applied to simulate the nonlinear system, and the results indicate that the system is stable. At last, the experimental results show that the system unsymmetrical valve controlling the cylinder with single piston rod is stable and conforms to what is deduced by theoretical analysis and simulation. The construction and application of Lyapunov function not only provide the theoretical basis for using of unsymmetrical valve controlling cylinder with single piston rod but also develop a new thought for nonlinear stability evaluation.

Nonlinear stability research on the hydraulic system of double-side rolling shear

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Jun; Huang, Qingxue; An, Gaocheng; Qi, Qisong; Sun, Binyu

2015-10-01

This paper researches the stability of the nonlinear system taking the hydraulic system of double-side rolling shear as an example. The hydraulic system of double-side rolling shear uses unsymmetrical electro-hydraulic proportional servo valve to control the cylinder with single piston rod, which can make best use of the space and reduce reversing shock. It is a typical nonlinear structure. The nonlinear state-space equations of the unsymmetrical valve controlling cylinder system are built first, and the second Lyapunov method is used to evaluate its stability. Second, the software AMEsim is applied to simulate the nonlinear system, and the results indicate that the system is stable. At last, the experimental results show that the system unsymmetrical valve controlling the cylinder with single piston rod is stable and conforms to what is deduced by theoretical analysis and simulation. The construction and application of Lyapunov function not only provide the theoretical basis for using of unsymmetrical valve controlling cylinder with single piston rod but also develop a new thought for nonlinear stability evaluation.

Experience using individually supplied heater rods in critical power testing of advanced BWR fuel

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

Majed, M.; Morback, G.; Wiman, P.

1995-09-01

The ABB Atom FRIGG loop located in Vasteras Sweden has during the last six years given a large experience of critical power measurements for BWR fuel designs using indirectly heated rods with individual power supply. The loop was built in the sixties and designed for maximum 100 bar pressure. Testing up to the mid eighties was performed with directly heated rods using a 9 MW, 80 kA power supply. Providing test data to develop critical power correlations for BWR fuel assemblies requires testing with many radial power distributions over the full range of hydraulic conditions. Indirectly heated rods give largemore » advantages for the testing procedure, particularly convenient for variation of individual rod power. A test method being used at Stern Laboratories (formerly Westinghouse Canada) since the early sixties, allows one fuel assembly to simulate all required radial power distributions. This technique requires reliable indirectly heated rods with independently controlled power supplies and uses insulated electric fuel rod simulators with built-in instrumentation. The FRIGG loop was adapted to this system in 1987. A 4MW power supply with 10 individual units was then installed, and has since been used for testing 24 and 25 rod bundles simulating one subbundle of SVEA-96/100 type fuel assemblies. The experience with the system is very good, as being presented, and it is selected also for a planned upgrading of the facility to 15 MW.« less

The effect of boron and gadolinium burnable poisons on the hot-to-cold reactivity swing of a pressurized water reactor assembly

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

Galperin, A.; Segev, M.; Radkowsky, A.

1986-11-01

Control requirements for advanced pressurized water reactor designs must be met with heavy loadings of burnable poison rods, the required reactivity hold-down typically amounting to 30% or more in a poisoned subassembly. Two apparent choices for poisons are natural boron rods and natural gadolinium rods. Studied and analyzed is the effect of these two poisons on the hot-to-cold reactivity upswing. Compared with an upswing of 2.9% in a nonpoisoned assembly, the upswing in the gadolinium-poisoned assembly is 3.0%, and the upswing in the boron-poisoned assembly is 8.8%. Thus the hot-to-cold control penalty is almost nil for the choice of gadoliniummore » and is considerable for the choice of boron.« less

Verification of Spin Magnetic Attitude Control System using air-bearing-based attitude control simulator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ousaloo, H. S.; Nodeh, M. T.; Mehrabian, R.

2016-09-01

This paper accomplishes one goal and it was to verify and to validate a Spin Magnetic Attitude Control System (SMACS) program and to perform Hardware-In-the-Loop (HIL) air-bearing experiments. A study of a closed-loop magnetic spin controller is presented using only magnetic rods as actuators. The magnetic spin rate control approach is able to perform spin rate control and it is verified with an Attitude Control System (ACS) air-bearing MATLAB® SIMULINK® model and a hardware-embedded LABVIEW® algorithm that controls the spin rate of the test platform on a spherical air bearing table. The SIMULINK® model includes dynamic model of air-bearing, its disturbances, actuator emulation and the time delays caused by on-board calculations. The air-bearing simulator is employed to develop, improve, and carry out objective tests of magnetic torque rods and spin rate control algorithm in the experimental framework and to provide a more realistic demonstration of expected performance of attitude control as compared with software-based architectures. Six sets of two torque rods are used as actuators for the SMACS. It is implemented and simulated to fulfill mission requirement including spin the satellite up to 12 degs-1 around the z-axis. These techniques are documented for the full nonlinear equations of motion of the system and the performances of these techniques are compared in several simulations.

Thresholds and noise limitations of colour vision in dim light.

PubMed

Kelber, Almut; Yovanovich, Carola; Olsson, Peter

2017-04-05

Colour discrimination is based on opponent photoreceptor interactions, and limited by receptor noise. In dim light, photon shot noise impairs colour vision, and in vertebrates, the absolute threshold of colour vision is set by dark noise in cones. Nocturnal insects (e.g. moths and nocturnal bees) and vertebrates lacking rods (geckos) have adaptations to reduce receptor noise and use chromatic vision even in very dim light. In contrast, vertebrates with duplex retinae use colour-blind rod vision when noisy cone signals become unreliable, and their transition from cone- to rod-based vision is marked by the Purkinje shift. Rod-cone interactions have not been shown to improve colour vision in dim light, but may contribute to colour vision in mesopic light intensities. Frogs and toads that have two types of rods use opponent signals from these rods to control phototaxis even at their visual threshold. However, for tasks such as prey or mate choice, their colour discrimination abilities fail at brighter light intensities, similar to other vertebrates, probably limited by the dark noise in cones.This article is part of the themed issue 'Vision in dim light'. © 2017 The Author(s).

Retinal Degeneration in a Rodent Model of Smith-Lemli-Opitz Syndrome

PubMed Central

Fliesler, Steven J.; Peachey, Neal S.; Richards, Michael J.; Nagel, Barbara A.; Vaughan, Dana K.

2010-01-01

Objective To assess the electrophysiologic, histologic, and biochemical features of an animal model of Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome (SLOS). Methods Sprague-Dawley rats were treated with AY9944, a selective inhibitor of 3β-hydroxysterol-Δ7-reductase (the affected enzyme in SLOS). Dark- and light-adapted electroretinograms were obtained from treated and control animals. From each animal, 1 retina was analyzed by microscopy, and the contralateral retina plus serum samples were analyzed for sterol composition. The main outcome measures were rod and cone electroretinographic amplitudes and implicit times, outer nuclear layer (ONL) thickness, rod outer segment length, pyknotic ONL nucleus counts, and the 7-dehydrocholesterol/ cholesterol mole ratio in the retina and serum. Results By 10 weeks’ postnatal age, rod and cone electroretinographic wave amplitudes in AY9944-treated animals were significantly reduced and implicit times were significantly increased relative to controls. Maximal rod photoresponse and gain values were reduced approximately 2-fold in treated animals relative to controls. The ONL thickness and average rod outer segment length were reduced by approximately 18% and 33%, respectively, and ONL pyknotic nucleus counts were approximately 4.5-fold greater in treated animals relative to controls. The retinal pigment epithelium of treated animals contained massive amounts of membranous/lipid inclusions not routinely observed in controls. The 7-dehydrocholesterol/cholesterol mole ratios in treated retinas and serum samples were approximately 5:1 and 9:1, respectively, whereas the ratios in control tissues were essentially zero. Conclusions This rodent model exhibits the key biochemical hallmarks associated with SLOS and displays electrophysiologic deficits comparable to or greater than those observed in the human disease. Clinical Relevance These results predict retinal degeneration in patients with SLOS, particularly those with the more severe (type II) form of the disease, and may be more broadly relevant to other inborn errors of cholesterol biosynthesis. This animal model may also be of use in evaluating therapeutic treatments for SLOS and in understanding the slow phototransduction kinetics observed in patients with SLOS. PMID:15302661

Quick release latch for reactor scram

DOEpatents

Johnson, Melvin L.; Shawver, Bruce M.

1976-01-01

A simple, reliable, and fast-acting means for releasing a control element and allowing it to be inserted rapidly into the core region of a nuclear reactor for scram purposes. A latch mechanism grips a coupling head on a nuclear control element to connect the control element to the control drive assembly. The latch mechanism is closed by tensioning a cable or rod with an actuator. The control element is released by de-energizing the actuator, providing fail-safe, rapid release of the control element to effect reactor shutdown. A sensing rod provides indication that the control element is properly positioned in the latch. Two embodiments are illustrated, one involving a collet-type latch mechanism, the other a pliers-type latch mechanism with the actuator located inside the reactor vessel.

Quick release latch for reactor scram

DOEpatents

Johnson, M.L.; Shawver, B.M.

1975-09-16

A simple, reliable, and fast-acting means for releasing a control element and allowing it to be inserted rapidly into the core region of a nuclear reactor for scram purposes is described. A latch mechanism grips a coupling head on a nuclear control element to connect the control element to the control drive assembly. The latch mechanism is closed by tensioning a cable or rod with an actuator. The control element is released by de-energizing the actuator, providing fail-safe, rapid release of the control element to effect reactor shutdown. A sensing rod provides indication that the control element is properly positioned in the latch. Two embodiments are illustrated, one involving a collet- type latch mechanism, the other a pliers-type latch mechanism with the actuator located inside the reactor vessel. (auth)

Competing mechanisms in the wear resistance behavior of biomineralized rod-like microstructures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Escobar de Obaldia, Enrique; Herrera, Steven; Grunenfelder, Lessa Kay; Kisailus, David; Zavattieri, Pablo

2016-11-01

The remarkable mechanical properties observed in biological composite materials relative to those of their individual constituents distinguish them from common engineering materials. Some naturally occurring high-performance ceramics, like the external veneer of the Chiton (Cryptochiton stelleri) tooth, have been shown to have superior hardness and impressive abrasion resistance properties. The mechanical performance of the chiton tooth has been attributed to a hierarchical arrangement of nanostructured magnetite rods surrounded with organic material. While nanoindentation tests provide useful information about the overall performance of this biological composite, understanding the key microstructural features and energy dissipation mechanisms at small scales remains a challenging task. We present a combined experimental/numerical approach to elucidate the role of material deformation in the rods, debonding at the rod interfaces and the influence of energy dissipation mechanisms on the ability of the microstructure to distribute damage under extreme loading conditions. We employ a 3D finite element-based micromechanical model to simulate the nanoindentation tests performed in geological magnetite and cross-sections of the chiton tooth. This proposed model is capable of capturing the inelastic deformation of the rods and the failure of their interfaces, while damage, fracture and fragmentation of the mineralized rods is assessed using a probabilistic function. Our results show that these natural materials achieve their abrasion resistant properties by controlling the interface strength between rods, alleviating the tensile stress on the rods near the indentation tip and therefore decreasing the probability of catastrophic failure without significantly sacrificing resistance to penetration. The understanding of these competing energy dissipating mechanisms provides a path to the prediction of new combination of materials. In turns, these results suggest certain guidelines for abrasion resistance rod-like microstructures in composites with high volume fraction of brittle minerals or ceramics with tailored performance for specific applications.

Incidence of proximal junctional kyphosis with magnetic expansion control rods in early onset scoliosis.

PubMed

Inaparthy, P; Queruz, J C; Bhagawati, D; Thakar, C; Subramanian, T; Nnadi, C

2016-10-01

The introduction of magnetic expansion control growth rods for the surgical management of EOS has gained popularity. However, there are no published studies on the incidence of proximal junctional kyphosis (PJK) using this technique. The aim of this study is to report the incidence of PJK following treatment with magnetic growth rods in EOS. Retrospective review of data from 21 cases (12 males, 9 females) over 3 years. PJK was obtained from whole spine X-rays pre-op, immediate post-op and last follow-up. Cobb angle was measured between the superior end plate of vertebra two levels above the upper instrumented vertebra (UIV) and the inferior end plate of the UIV. A difference of >10° between the pre-operative x-rays and the last follow-up X-rays was recorded as PJK. 6/21 (28.6 %) had proximal junctional kyphosis of more than 10° at last follow-up. Average age was 5.3. Average follow-up was 32.5 months. All the patients with PJK were syndromic. Four out of these six patients were males (66 %). Average PJK angle was 25.55°. Average pre-operative kyphosis was 52.5°. Average number of distractions was 7.4. All six patients had syndromic association. 3/6 patients (50 %) were conversion cases treated with traditional growth rods previously (TGR). None of the patients required unplanned surgery for PJK. The incidence of PJK in EOS patients treated with magnetic rods is favourably comparable to that reported with traditional growth rods. Also, children who are male, syndromic, hyperkyphotic, and younger must be monitored closely.

Fluid intensifier having a double acting power chamber with interconnected signal rods

DOEpatents

Whitehead, John C.

2001-01-01

A fluid driven reciprocating apparatus having a double acting power chamber with signal rods serving as high pressure pistons, or to transmit mechanical power. The signal rods are connected to a double acting piston in the power chamber thereby eliminating the need for pilot valves, with the piston being controlled by a pair of intake-exhaust valves. The signal rod includes two spaced seals along its length with a vented space therebetween so that the driving fluid and driven fluid can't mix, and performs a switching function to eliminate separate pilot valves. The intake-exhaust valves can be integrated into a single housing with the power chamber, or these valves can be built into the cylinder head only of the power chamber, or they can be separate from the power chamber.

HTR-PROTEUS Pebble Bed Experimental Program Cores 1, 1A, 2, and 3: Hexagonal Close Packing with a 1:2 Moderator-to-Fuel Pebble Ratio

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

John D. Bess; Barbara H. Dolphin; James W. Sterbentz

2013-03-01

In its deployment as a pebble bed reactor (PBR) critical facility from 1992 to 1996, the PROTEUS facility was designated as HTR-PROTEUS. This experimental program was performed as part of an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Coordinated Research Project (CRP) on the Validation of Safety Related Physics Calculations for Low Enriched HTGRs. Within this project, critical experiments were conducted for graphite moderated LEU systems to determine core reactivity, flux and power profiles, reaction-rate ratios, the worth of control rods, both in-core and reflector based, the worth of burnable poisons, kinetic parameters, and the effects of moisture ingress on these parameters.more » Four benchmark experiments were evaluated in this report: Cores 1, 1A, 2, and 3. These core configurations represent the hexagonal close packing (HCP) configurations of the HTR-PROTEUS experiment with a moderator-to-fuel pebble ratio of 1:2. Core 1 represents the only configuration utilizing ZEBRA control rods. Cores 1A, 2, and 3 use withdrawable, hollow, stainless steel control rods. Cores 1 and 1A are similar except for the use of different control rods; Core 1A also has one less layer of pebbles (21 layers instead of 22). Core 2 retains the first 16 layers of pebbles from Cores 1 and 1A and has 16 layers of moderator pebbles stacked above the fueled layers. Core 3 retains the first 17 layers of pebbles but has polyethylene rods inserted between pebbles to simulate water ingress. The additional partial pebble layer (layer 18) for Core 3 was not included as it was used for core operations and not the reported critical configuration. Cores 1, 1A, 2, and 3 were determined to be acceptable benchmark experiments.« less

HTR-PROTEUS Pebble Bed Experimental Program Cores 1, 1A, 2, and 3: Hexagonal Close Packing with a 1:2 Moderator-to-Fuel Pebble Ratio

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

John D. Bess; Barbara H. Dolphin; James W. Sterbentz

2012-03-01

In its deployment as a pebble bed reactor (PBR) critical facility from 1992 to 1996, the PROTEUS facility was designated as HTR-PROTEUS. This experimental program was performed as part of an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Coordinated Research Project (CRP) on the Validation of Safety Related Physics Calculations for Low Enriched HTGRs. Within this project, critical experiments were conducted for graphite moderated LEU systems to determine core reactivity, flux and power profiles, reaction-rate ratios, the worth of control rods, both in-core and reflector based, the worth of burnable poisons, kinetic parameters, and the effects of moisture ingress on these parameters.more » Four benchmark experiments were evaluated in this report: Cores 1, 1A, 2, and 3. These core configurations represent the hexagonal close packing (HCP) configurations of the HTR-PROTEUS experiment with a moderator-to-fuel pebble ratio of 1:2. Core 1 represents the only configuration utilizing ZEBRA control rods. Cores 1A, 2, and 3 use withdrawable, hollow, stainless steel control rods. Cores 1 and 1A are similar except for the use of different control rods; Core 1A also has one less layer of pebbles (21 layers instead of 22). Core 2 retains the first 16 layers of pebbles from Cores 1 and 1A and has 16 layers of moderator pebbles stacked above the fueled layers. Core 3 retains the first 17 layers of pebbles but has polyethylene rods inserted between pebbles to simulate water ingress. The additional partial pebble layer (layer 18) for Core 3 was not included as it was used for core operations and not the reported critical configuration. Cores 1, 1A, 2, and 3 were determined to be acceptable benchmark experiments.« less

Designed synthesis and supramolecular architectures of furan-substituted perylene diimide.

PubMed

Yu, Yanwen; Li, Yongjun; Qin, Zhihong; Jiang, Runsheng; Liu, Huibiao; Li, Yuliang

2013-06-01

Novel furan-substituted perylene diimides are successfully synthesized and an efficient supramolecular architecture approach to construct zero/one-dimensional nano- and micro-structures by controlling solvents has been demonstrated. The aggregate structure conversion in different molecular structures can be controlled in the form of sphere-like, rod-like, and vesicle-like structures. As expected, these solid supramolecular rod-like architectures displayed interesting optical waveguide behavior, which indicates the aggregate structure materials of furan-substituted perylene diimides have the potential application as micro-scale photonic elements. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Study on Locally Confined Deposition of Si Nanocrystals in High-Aspect-Ratio Si Nano-Pillar Arrays for Nano-Electronic and Nano-Photonic Applications II

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-12-03

photoluminescence characteristics of equivalent-size controlled silicon quantum dots by employing a nano-porous aluminum oxide membrane as the template for growing...synthesis of Si quantum dots (Si-QDs) embedded in low-temperature (500oC) annealed Si-rich SiOx nano-rod deposited in nano-porous anodic aluminum oxide ...characteristics of the equivalent-size controlled Si-QDs by employing the nano-porous AAO membrane as the template for growing Si-rich SiOx nano-rods

Impact of nonabsorbing control rod tips on kinetics feedback for BWR turbine trip without bypass RETRAN-03 analyses

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

Feltus, M.A.; Knerr, R.; Shoop, U.

1993-01-01

RETRAN-03 studies were performed for the boiling water reactor (BWR) turbine trip without bypass (TTWOB) event to investigate how the non-neutron-absorbing material on control rod tips affect scram delay timing and reactivity feedback. Scram delay, Doppler temperature, and moderator void (density) feedback were varied to assess their relative impact on kinetics behavior. Although a generic point-kinetics RETRAN-03 TTWOB model 2 was employed, actual plant information was used to develop the basic and parametric cases.

46 CFR 111.106-13 - Cargo handling devices or cargo pump rooms handling flammable or combustible cargoes.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... pierced by fixed lights, drive shafts, and pump-engine control rods, provided that the shafts and rods are... 46 Shipping 4 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Cargo handling devices or cargo pump rooms handling... OSVs § 111.106-13 Cargo handling devices or cargo pump rooms handling flammable or combustible cargoes...

EPA Concurrence/Approval of Federal Facility Proposed Plans and Records of Decision and other Documents

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The purpose of this memorandum is to ensure that EPA Regions scrutinize all proposed plans, draft and final RODs, and post-ROD documents that address institutional controls (ICs) in order to verify that they adequately document the objectives of the ICs and clearly identify who has responsibility for implementation, monitoring, reporting, and enforcement of the IC.

Surface decarburization behavior and its adverse effects of air-cooled forging steel C70S6 for fracture splitting connecting rod

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Chao-lei; Xie, li-yao; Liu, Guang-lei; Chen, lie; Liu, Ya-zheng; Li, Jian

2016-09-01

Surface decarburization behavior and its adverse effects of air-cooled forging steel C70S6 for automobile engine fracture splitting connecting rod were investigated comprehensively by mechanical properties, microstructure and fracture morphology analysis. The results show that the surface decarburization in the outer surface of the fracture splitting at the big end bore and the micro-cracks in the decarburized layer are result in the uneven and spalling fracture surfaces of the waster connecting rod product. Besides, partial decarburization is produced between 900 °C and 1250 °C for heating 2 h, and decarburization sensitivity reach maximum at 1150 °C, but no complete decarburization forms for heating 2 h at 650-1250 °C. The decarburized depth follows a parabolic law with the increase of the heating time from 0.5 h to 12 h, and the decarburization sensitivity coefficient is 2.05×10-5 m·s-1/2 at 1200 °C. For the connecting rod manufacturing, surface decarburization must be under effective control during the hot forging process but not the control cooling process.

Neutronic safety parameters and transient analyses for Poland's MARIA research reactor.

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

Bretscher, M. M.; Hanan, N. A.; Matos, J. E.

1999-09-27

Reactor kinetic parameters, reactivity feedback coefficients, and control rod reactivity worths have been calculated for the MARIA Research Reactor (Swierk, Poland) for M6-type fuel assemblies with {sup 235}U enrichments of 80% and 19.7%. Kinetic parameters were evaluated for family-dependent effective delayed neutron fractions, decay constants, and prompt neutron lifetimes and neutron generation times. Reactivity feedback coefficients were determined for fuel Doppler coefficients, coolant (H{sub 2}O) void and temperature coefficients, and for in-core and ex-core beryllium temperature coefficients. Total and differential control rod worths and safety rod worths were calculated for each fuel type. These parameters were used to calculate genericmore » transients for fast and slow reactivity insertions with both HEU and LEU fuels. The analyses show that the HEU and LEU cores have very similar responses to these transients.« less

Luminance and chromatic signals interact differently with melanopsin activation to control the pupil light response.

PubMed

Barrionuevo, Pablo A; Cao, Dingcai

2016-09-01

Intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs) express the photopigment melanopsin. These cells receive afferent inputs from rods and cones, which provide inputs to the postreceptoral visual pathways. It is unknown, however, how melanopsin activation is integrated with postreceptoral signals to control the pupillary light reflex. This study reports human flicker pupillary responses measured using stimuli generated with a five-primary photostimulator that selectively modulated melanopsin, rod, S-, M-, and L-cone excitations in isolation, or in combination to produce postreceptoral signals. We first analyzed the light adaptation behavior of melanopsin activation and rod and cones signals. Second, we determined how melanopsin is integrated with postreceptoral signals by testing with cone luminance, chromatic blue-yellow, and chromatic red-green stimuli that were processed by magnocellular (MC), koniocellular (KC), and parvocellular (PC) pathways, respectively. A combined rod and melanopsin response was also measured. The relative phase of the postreceptoral signals was varied with respect to the melanopsin phase. The results showed that light adaptation behavior for all conditions was weaker than typical Weber adaptation. Melanopsin activation combined linearly with luminance, S-cone, and rod inputs, suggesting the locus of integration with MC and KC signals was retinal. The melanopsin contribution to phasic pupil responses was lower than luminance contributions, but much higher than S-cone contributions. Chromatic red-green modulation interacted with melanopsin activation nonlinearly as described by a "winner-takes-all" process, suggesting the integration with PC signals might be mediated by a postretinal site.

SP-100 Control System Design

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shukla, Jaikaran N.; Halfen, Frank J.; Brynsvold, Glen V.; Syed, Akbar; Jiang, Thomas J.; Wong, Kwok K.; Otwell, Robert L.

1994-07-01

Recent work in lower power generic early applications for the SP-100 have resulted in control system design simplification for a 20 kWe design with thermoelectric power conversion. This paper presents the non-mission-dependent control system features for this design. The control system includes a digital computer based controller, dual purpose control rods and drives, temperature sensors, and neutron flux monitors. The thaw system is mission dependent and can be either electrical or based on NaK trace lines. Key features of the control system and components are discussed. As was the case for higher power applications, the initial on-orbit approach to criticality involves the relatively fast withdrawal of the control-rods to a near-critical position followed by slower movement through critical and into the power range. The control system performs operating maneuvers as well as providing for automatic startup, shutdown, restart, and reactor protection.

Bending testing and characterization of surrogate nuclear fuel rods made of Zircaloy-4 cladding and aluminum oxide pellets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Hong; Wang, Jy-An John

2016-10-01

Behavior of surrogate nuclear fuel rods made of Zircaloy-4 (Zry-4) cladding with alumina pellets under reversed cyclic bending was studied. Tests were performed under load or moment control at 5 Hz. The surrogate rods fractured under moment amplitudes greater than 10.16 Nm with fatigue lives between 2.4 × 103 and 2.2 × 106 cycles. Fatigue response of Zry-4 cladding was characterized by using flexural rigidity. Degradation of flexural rigidity was shown to depend on the moment and the prefatigue condition of specimens. Pellet-to-pellet interface (PPI), pellet-to-cladding interface (PCI), and pellet condition affect surrogate rod failure. Both debonding of PPI/PCI and pellet fracturing contribute to surrogate rod bending fatigue. The effect of sensor spacing on curvature measurement using three-point deflections was studied; the method based on effective gauge length is effective in sensor spacing correction. The database developed and the understanding gained in this study can serve as input to analysis of SNF (spent nuclear fuel) vibration integrity.

Thresholds and noise limitations of colour vision in dim light

PubMed Central

Yovanovich, Carola

2017-01-01

Colour discrimination is based on opponent photoreceptor interactions, and limited by receptor noise. In dim light, photon shot noise impairs colour vision, and in vertebrates, the absolute threshold of colour vision is set by dark noise in cones. Nocturnal insects (e.g. moths and nocturnal bees) and vertebrates lacking rods (geckos) have adaptations to reduce receptor noise and use chromatic vision even in very dim light. In contrast, vertebrates with duplex retinae use colour-blind rod vision when noisy cone signals become unreliable, and their transition from cone- to rod-based vision is marked by the Purkinje shift. Rod–cone interactions have not been shown to improve colour vision in dim light, but may contribute to colour vision in mesopic light intensities. Frogs and toads that have two types of rods use opponent signals from these rods to control phototaxis even at their visual threshold. However, for tasks such as prey or mate choice, their colour discrimination abilities fail at brighter light intensities, similar to other vertebrates, probably limited by the dark noise in cones. This article is part of the themed issue 'Vision in dim light’. PMID:28193810

Bending testing and characterization of surrogate nuclear fuel rods made of Zircaloy-4 cladding and aluminum oxide pellets

DOE PAGES

Wang, Hong; Wang, Jy-An John

2016-07-20

We studied behavior of surrogate nuclear fuel rods made of Zircaloy-4 (Zry-4) cladding with alumina pellets under reversed cyclic bending. Tests were performed under load or moment control at 5 Hz, and an empirical correlation was established between rod fatigue life and amplitude of the applied moment. Fatigue response of Zry-4 cladding was further characterized by using flexural rigidity. Degradation of flexural rigidity was shown to depend on the moment applied and the prefatigue condition of specimens. Pellet-to-pellet interface (PPI), pellet-to-cladding interface (PCI), and pellet condition all affect surrogate rod failure. Bonding/debonding of PPI/PCI and pellet fracturing contribute to surrogatemore » rod bending fatigue. Also, the effect of sensor spacing on curvature measurement using three-point deflections was studied; the method based on effective specimen gauge length is effective in sensor spacing correction. Finally, we developed the database and gained understanding in this study such that it will serve as input to analysis of SNF vibration integrity.« less

Translocation of "rod-coil" polymers: probing the structure of single molecules within nanopores.

PubMed

de Haan, Hendrick W; Slater, Gary W

2013-01-25

Using simulation and analytical techniques, we demonstrate that it is possible to extract structural information about biological molecules by monitoring the dynamics as they translocate through nanopores. From Langevin dynamics simulations of polymers exhibiting discrete changes in flexibility (rod-coil polymers), distinct plateaus are observed in the progression towards complete translocation. Characterizing these dynamics via an incremental mean first passage approach, the large steps are shown to correspond to local barriers preventing the passage of the coils while the rods translocate relatively easily. Analytical replication of the results provides insight into the corrugated nature of the free energy landscape as well as the dependence of the effective barrier heights on the length of the coil sections. Narrowing the width of the pore or decreasing the charge on either the rod or the coil segments are both shown to enhance the resolution of structural details. The special case of a single rod confined within a nanopore is also studied. Here, sufficiently long flexible sections attached to either end are demonstrated to act as entropic anchors which can effectively trap the rod within the pore for an extended period of time. Both sets of results suggest new experimental approaches for the control and study of biological molecules within nanopores.

Coiling of elastic rods on rigid substrates

PubMed Central

Jawed, Mohammad K.; Da, Fang; Joo, Jungseock; Grinspun, Eitan; Reis, Pedro M.

2014-01-01

We investigate the deployment of a thin elastic rod onto a rigid substrate and study the resulting coiling patterns. In our approach, we combine precision model experiments, scaling analyses, and computer simulations toward developing predictive understanding of the coiling process. Both cases of deposition onto static and moving substrates are considered. We construct phase diagrams for the possible coiling patterns and characterize them as a function of the geometric and material properties of the rod, as well as the height and relative speeds of deployment. The modes selected and their characteristic length scales are found to arise from a complex interplay between gravitational, bending, and twisting energies of the rod, coupled to the geometric nonlinearities intrinsic to the large deformations. We give particular emphasis to the first sinusoidal mode of instability, which we find to be consistent with a Hopf bifurcation, and analyze the meandering wavelength and amplitude. Throughout, we systematically vary natural curvature of the rod as a control parameter, which has a qualitative and quantitative effect on the pattern formation, above a critical value that we determine. The universality conferred by the prominent role of geometry in the deformation modes of the rod suggests using the gained understanding as design guidelines, in the original applications that motivated the study. PMID:25267649

Fundus-controlled two-color dark adaptometry with the Microperimeter MP1.

PubMed

Bowl, Wadim; Stieger, Knut; Lorenz, Birgit

2015-06-01

The aim of this study was to provide fundus-controlled two-color adaptometry with an existing device. A quick and easy approach extends the application possibilities of a commercial fundus-controlled perimeter. An external filter holder was placed in front the objective lens of the MP1 (Nidek, Italy) and fitted with filters to modify background, stimulus intensity, and color. Prior to dark adaptometry, the subject's visual sensitivity profile was measured for red and blue stimuli to determine whether rods or cones or both mediated the absolute threshold. After light adaptation, 20 healthy subjects were investigated with a pattern covering six spots at the posterior pole of the retina up to 45 min of dark adaptation. Thresholds were determined using a 200 ms red Goldmann IV and a blue Goldmann II stimulus. The pre-test sensitivity showed a typical distribution of values along the meridian, with high peripheral light increment sensitivity (LIS) and low central LIS for rods and the reverse for cones. After bleach, threshold recovery had a classic biphasic shape. The absolute threshold was reached after approximately 10 min for the red and 15 min for the blue stimulus. Two-color fundus-controlled adaptometry with a commercial MP1 without internal changes to the device provides a quick and easy examination of rod and cone function during dark adaptation at defined retinal loci of the posterior pole. This innovative method will be helpful to measure rod vs. cone function at known loci of the posterior pole in early stages of retinal degenerations.

Vibration Method for Tracking the Resonant Mode and Impedance of a Microwave Cavity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barmatz, M.; Iny, O.; Yiin, T.; Khan, I.

1995-01-01

A vibration technique his been developed to continuously maintain mode resonance and impedance much between a constant frequency magnetron source and resonant cavity. This method uses a vibrating metal rod to modulate the volume of the cavity in a manner equivalent to modulating an adjustable plunger. A similar vibrating metal rod attached to a stub tuner modulates the waveguide volume between the source and cavity. A phase sensitive detection scheme determines the optimum position of the adjustable plunger and stub turner during processing. The improved power transfer during the heating of a 99.8% pure alumina rod was demonstrated using this new technique. Temperature-time and reflected power-time heating curves are presented for the cases of no tracking, impedance tracker only, mode tracker only and simultaneous impedance and mode tracking. Controlled internal melting of an alumina rod near 2000 C using both tracking units was also demonstrated.

Partial preservation of rod and cone ERG function following subretinal injection of ARPE-19 cells in RCS rats.

PubMed

Sauvé, Y; Pinilla, I; Lund, R D

2006-04-01

We quantified rod- and cone-related electroretinogram (ERG) responses following subretinal injections of the human-derived retinal pigment epithelial (hRPE) cell line ARPE-19 at age P23 to prevent progressive photoreceptor loss in the Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) rat. Culture medium-injected eyes served as sham controls. At P60, in comparison with sham-injected eyes, all recordings from hRPE-injected eyes showed preserved scotopic a- and b-waves, oscillatory potentials, double-flash-derived rod b-waves and photopic cone b-waves, and flicker critical fusion frequencies and amplitudes. Although the actual preservation did not exceed 10% of a-wave and 20% of b-wave amplitude values in non-dystrophic RCS and deteriorated rapidly by P90, rod- and cone-related ERG parameters were still recordable up to P120 unlike the virtually unresponsive sham-injected eyes.

Vibrational Power Flow Analysis of Rods and Beams

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wohlever, James Christopher; Bernhard, R. J.

1988-01-01

A new method to model vibrational power flow and predict the resulting energy density levels in uniform rods and beams is investigated. This method models the flow of vibrational power in a manner analogous to the flow of thermal power in a heat conduction problem. The classical displacement solutions for harmonically excited, hysteretically damped rods and beams are used to derive expressions for the vibrational power flow and energy density in the rod and beam. Under certain conditions, the power flow in these two structural elements will be shown to be proportional to the energy density gradient. Using the relationship between power flow and energy density, an energy balance on differential control volumes in the rod and beam leads to a Poisson's equation which models the energy density distribution in the rod and beam. Coupling the energy density and power flow solutions for rods and beams is also discussed. It is shown that the resonant behavior of finite structures complicates the coupling of solutions, especially when the excitations are single frequency inputs. Two coupling formulations are discussed, the first based on the receptance method, and the second on the travelling wave approach used in Statistical Energy Analysis. The receptance method is the more computationally intensive but is capable of analyzing single frequency excitation cases. The traveling wave approach gives a good approximation of the frequency average of energy density and power flow in coupled systems, and thus, is an efficient technique for use with broadband frequency excitation.

Rod- versus cone-driven ERGs at different stimulus sizes in normal subjects and retinitis pigmentosa patients.

PubMed

Aher, Avinash J; McKeefry, Declan J; Parry, Neil R A; Maguire, John; Murray, I J; Tsai, Tina I; Huchzermeyer, Cord; Kremers, Jan

2018-02-01

To study how rod- and cone-driven responses depend on stimulus size in normal subjects and patients with retinitis pigmentosa (RP), and to show that comparisons between responses to full-field (FF) and smaller stimuli can be useful in diagnosing and monitoring disorders of the peripheral retina without the need for lengthy dark adaptation periods. The triple silent substitution technique was used to isolate L-cone-, M-cone- and rod-driven ERGs with 19, 18 and 33% photoreceptor contrasts, respectively, under identical mean luminance conditions. Experiments were conducted on five normal subjects and three RP patients. ERGs on control subjects were recorded at nine different temporal frequencies (between 2 and 60 Hz) for five different stimulus sizes: FF, 70°, 60°, 50° and 40° diameter circular stimuli. Experiments on RP patients involved rod- and L-cone-driven ERG measurements with FF and 40° stimuli at 8 and 48 Hz. Response amplitudes were defined as those of the first harmonic component after Fourier analysis. In normal subjects, rod-driven responses displayed a fundamentally different behavior than cone-driven responses, particularly at low temporal frequencies. At low and intermediate temporal frequencies (≤ 12 Hz), rod-driven signals increased by a factor of about four when measured with smaller stimuli. In contrast, L- and M-cone-driven responses in this frequency region did not change substantially with stimulus size. At high temporal frequencies (≥ 24 Hz), both rod- and cone-driven response amplitudes decreased with decreasing stimulus size. Signals obtained from rod-isolating stimuli under these conditions are likely artefactual. Interestingly, in RP patients, both rod-driven and L-cone-driven ERGs were similar using 40° and FF stimuli. The increased responses with smaller stimuli in normal subjects to rod-isolating stimuli indicate that a fundamentally different mechanism drives the ERGs in comparison with the cone-driven responses. We propose that the increased responses are caused by stray light stimulating the peripheral retina, thereby allowing peripheral rod-driven function to be studied using the triple silent substitution technique at photopic luminances. The method is effective in studying impaired peripheral rod- and cone- function in RP patients.

Automated power control system for reactor TRIGA PUSPATI

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghazali, Anith Khairunnisa; Minhat, Mohd Sabri; Hassan, Mohd Khair

2017-01-01

Reactor TRIGA PUSPATI (RTP) Mark II type undergoes safe operation for more than 30 years and the only research reactor exists in Malaysia. The main safety feature of Instrumentation and Control (I&C) system design is such that any failure in the electronic, or its associated components, does not lead to an uncontrolled rate of reactivity. The existed controller using feedback approach to control the reactor power. This paper introduces proposed controllers such as Model Reference Adaptive Control (MRAC) and Proportional Integral Derivatives (PID) controller for the RTP simulation. In RTP, the most important considered parameter is the reactor power and act as nervous system. To design a controller for complex plant like RTP is quite difficult due to high cost and safety factors cause by the failure of the controller. Furthermore, to overcome these problems, a simulator can be used to replace functions the hardware and test could then be simulated using this simulator. In order to find the best controller, several controllers were proposed and the result will be analysed for study the performances of the controller. The output result will be used to find out the best RTP power controller using MATLAB/Simulink and gives result as close as the real RTP performances. Currently, the structures of RTP was design using MATLAB/Simulink tool that consist of fission chamber, controller, control rod position, height-to-worth of control rods and a RTP model. The controller will control the control rod position to make sure that the reactivity still under the limitation parameter. The results given from each controller will be analysed and validated through experiment data collected from RTP.

High-Powered, Ultrasonically Assisted Thermal Stir Welding

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ding, Robert

2013-01-01

This method is a solid-state weld process capable of joining metallic alloys without melting. The weld workpieces to be joined by thermal stir welding (TSW) are drawn, by heavy forces, between containment plates past the TSW stir tool that then causes joining of the weld workpiece. TSW is similar to friction stir welding (FSW) in that material is heated into a plastic state (not melted) and stirred using a stir rod. The FSW pin tool is an integrated geometrical structure consisting of a large-diameter shoulder, and a smaller-diameter stir pin protruding from the shoulder. When the pin is plunged into a weld workpiece, the shoulder spins on the surface of the weld workpiece, thus inducing frictional heat into the part. The pin stirs the fraying surfaces of the weld joint, thus joining the weld workpiece into one structure. The shoulder and stir pin of the FSW pin tool must rotate together at a desired rotational speed. The induced frictional energy control and stir pin control of the pin tool cannot be de-coupled. The two work as one integrated unit. TSW, on the other hand, de-couples the heating and stirring of FSW, and allows for independent control of each process element. A uniquely designed induction coil heats the weld workpiece to a desired temperature, and once heated, the part moves into a stir rod whose RPM is also independently controlled. As the weld workpiece moves into the stir rod, the piece is positioned, or sandwiched, between upper and lower containment plates. The plate squeezes together, thus compressing the upper and lower surfaces of the weld workpiece. This compressive force, also called consolidation force, consolidates the plastic material within the weld nugget material as it is being stirred by the stir rod. The stir rod is positioned through the center of the top containment plate and protrudes midway through the opposite lower containment plate where it is mechanically captured. The upper and lower containment plates are separated by a distance equal to the thickness of the material being welded. The TSW process can be significantly improved by reducing the draw forces. This can be achieved by reducing the friction forces between the weld workpieces and the containment plates. High-power ultrasonic (HPU) vibrations of the containment plates achieve friction reduction in the TSW process. Furthermore, integration of the HPU energy into the TSW stir rod can increase tool life of the stir rod, and can reduce shear forces to which the stir rod is subjected during the welding process. TSW has been used to successfully join 0.500-in (˜13-mm) thick commercially pure (CP) titanium, titanium 6AL- 4V, and titanium 6AL-4V ELI in weld joint lengths up to 9 ft (˜2.75-m) long. In addition, the TSW process was used to fabricate a sub-scale hexagonally shaped gun turret component for the U.S. Navy. The turret is comprised of six 0.5000-in (˜13-mm) thick angled welds. Each angled weld joint was prepared by machining the mating surfaces to 120deg. The angled weld joint was then fixtured using an upper and lower containment plate of the same geometry of the angled weld joint. The weld joint was then stirred by the stir rod as it and the upper and lower containment plates traverse through the angled joint prep.

Nuclear reactor with low-level core coolant intake

DOEpatents

Challberg, Roy C.; Townsend, Harold E.

1993-01-01

A natural-circulation boiling-water reactor has skirts extending downward from control rod guide tubes to about 10 centimeters from the reactor vessel bottom. The skirts define annular channels about control rod drive housings that extend through the reactor vessel bottom. Recirculating water is forced in through the low-level entrances to these channels, sweeping bottom water into the channels in the process. The sweeping action prevents cooler water from accumulating at the bottom. This in turn minimizes thermal shock to bottom-dwelling components as would occur when accumulated cool water is swept away and suddenly replaced by warmer water.

Forwardly-placed firearm fire control assembly

DOEpatents

Frickey, Steven J.

2001-12-22

A firearm fire control assembly for disposition in a forwardly placed support-hand operative relationship within a firearm having a combination of a firing pin and a firearm hammer adapted to engage and fire a cartridge, a sear assembly to alternately engage and disengage the combination of the firearm hammer and firing pin, and a trigger assembly including a movable trigger mechanism that is operable to engage the sear assembly to cause the firearm hammer firing pin combination to fire the firearm, a fire control assembly including a fire control depression member and a fire control rod operably connected to the depression member, and being positioned in a forward disposition disposed within a forestock of the firearm, and the depression member adapted to be operably engaged and depressed by the user's conventional forwardly placed support hand to maneuver the fire control rod to provide firing control of the firing of the firearm.

Correlation of Mechanical Properties with Diameter and Cooling Rate of 1080 Wire-Rod

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kohli, A.; Poirier, D. R.

2017-12-01

More than 540 heats of 1080 wire-rod were statistically analyzed by regression analyses to see whether tensile strength and percent reduction in area (%RA) relate to wire-rod diameter and composition. As diameter increases from 5.6 to 12.7 mm, the trend in %RA shows a decrease with negligible effect on the trend of the tensile strength. It was found that the estimated cooling rate at 700 °C during controlled cooling is responsible for the "diameter effect." The effect of composition on %RA is minor when contrasted to the "diameter effect." In particular, the effect of the concentrations of the residual elements on %RA within the compositional range studied is negligible.

ETR CRITICAL FACILITY, TRA654. SCIENTISTS STAND AT EDGE OF TANK ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

ETR CRITICAL FACILITY, TRA-654. SCIENTISTS STAND AT EDGE OF TANK AND LIFT REMOVABLE BRIDGE ABOVE THE REACTOR. CONTROL RODS AND FUEL RODS ARE BELOW ENOUGH WATER TO SHIELD WORKERS ABOVE. NOTE CRANE RAILS ALONG WALLS, PUMICE BLOCK WALLS. INL NEGATIVE NO. 57-3690. R.G. Larsen, Photographer, 7/29/1957 - Idaho National Engineering Laboratory, Test Reactor Area, Materials & Engineering Test Reactors, Scoville, Butte County, ID

Anticipatory control of xenon in a pressurized water reactor

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

Impink, A.J. Jr.

1987-02-10

A method is described for automatically dampening xenon-135 spatial transients in the core of a pressurized water reactor having control rods which regulate reactor power level, comprising the steps of: measuring the neutron flu in the reactor core at a plurality of axially spaced locations on a real-time, on-line basis; repetitively generating from the neutron flux measurements, on a point-by-point basis, signals representative of the current axial distribution of xenon-135, and signals representative of the current rate of change of the axial distribution of xenon-135; generating from the xenon-135 distribution signals and the rate of change of xenon distribution signals,more » control signals for reducing the xenon transients; and positioning the control rods as a function of the control signals to dampen the xenon-135 spatial transients.« less

MEANS FOR CONTROLLING A NUCLEAR REACTOR

DOEpatents

Wilson, V.C.; Overbeck, W.P.; Slotin, L.; Froman, D.K.

1957-12-17

This patent relates to nuclear reactors of the type using a solid neutron absorbing material as a means for controlling the reproduction ratio of the system and thereby the power output. Elongated rods of neutron absorbing material, such as boron steel for example, are adapted to be inserted and removed from the core of tae reactor by electronic motors and suitable drive means. The motors and drive means are controlled by means responsive to the neutron density, such as ionization chambers. The control system is designed to be responsive also to the rate of change in neutron density to automatically maintain the total power output at a substantially constant predetermined value. A safety rod means responsive to neutron density is also provided for keeping the power output below a predetermined maximum value at all times.

Material test machine for tension-compression tests at high temperature

DOEpatents

Cioletti, Olisse C.

1988-01-01

Apparatus providing a device for testing the properties of material specimens at high temperatures and pressures in controlled water chemistries includes, inter alia, an autoclave housing the specimen which is being tested. The specimen is connected to a pull rod which couples out of the autoclave to an external assembly which includes one or more transducers, a force balance chamber and a piston type actuator. The pull rod feeds through the force balance chamber and is compensated thereby for the pressure conditions existing within the autoclave and tending to eject the pull rod therefrom. The upper end of the push rod is connected to the actuator through elements containing a transducer comprising a linear variable differential transformer (LVDT). The housing and coil assembly of the LVDT is coupled to a tube which runs through a central bore of the pull rod into the autoclave where it is connected to one side of the specimen. The movable core of the LVDT is coupled to a stem which runs through the tube where it is then connected to the other side of the specimen through a coupling member. A transducer in the form of a load cell including one or more strain gages is located on a necked-down portion of the upper part of the pull rod intermediate the LVDT and force balance chamber.

Pedicle screw-rod fixation: a feasible treatment for dogs with severe degenerative lumbosacral stenosis.

PubMed

Tellegen, Anna R; Willems, Nicole; Tryfonidou, Marianna A; Meij, Björn P

2015-12-07

Degenerative lumbosacral stenosis is a common problem in large breed dogs. For severe degenerative lumbosacral stenosis, conservative treatment is often not effective and surgical intervention remains as the last treatment option. The objective of this retrospective study was to assess the middle to long term outcome of treatment of severe degenerative lumbosacral stenosis with pedicle screw-rod fixation with or without evidence of radiological discospondylitis. Twelve client-owned dogs with severe degenerative lumbosacral stenosis underwent pedicle screw-rod fixation of the lumbosacral junction. During long term follow-up, dogs were monitored by clinical evaluation, diagnostic imaging, force plate analysis, and by using questionnaires to owners. Clinical evaluation, force plate data, and responses to questionnaires completed by the owners showed resolution (n = 8) or improvement (n = 4) of clinical signs after pedicle screw-rod fixation in 12 dogs. There were no implant failures, however, no interbody vertebral bone fusion of the lumbosacral junction was observed in the follow-up period. Four dogs developed mild recurrent low back pain that could easily be controlled by pain medication and an altered exercise regime. Pedicle screw-rod fixation offers a surgical treatment option for large breed dogs with severe degenerative lumbosacral stenosis with or without evidence of radiological discospondylitis in which no other treatment is available. Pedicle screw-rod fixation alone does not result in interbody vertebral bone fusion between L7 and S1.

Melanopsin Phototransduction Contributes to Light-Evoked Choroidal Expansion and Rod L-Type Calcium Channel Function In Vivo.

PubMed

Berkowitz, Bruce A; Schmidt, Tiffany; Podolsky, Robert H; Roberts, Robin

2016-10-01

In humans, rodents, and pigeons, the dark → light transition signals nonretinal brain tissue to increase choroidal thickness, a major control element of choroidal blood flow, and thus of photoreceptor and retinal pigment epithelium function. However, it is unclear which photopigments in the retina relay the light signal to the brain. Here, we test the hypothesis that melanopsin (Opn4)-regulated phototransduction modulates light-evoked choroidal thickness expansion in mice. Two-month-old C57Bl/6 wild-type (B6), 4- to 5-month-old C57Bl/6/129S6 wild-type (B6 + S6), and 2-month-old melanopsin knockout (Opn4-/-) on a B6 + S6 background were studied. Retinal anatomy was evaluated in vivo by optical coherence tomography and MRI. Choroidal thickness in dark and light were measured by diffusion-weighted MRI. Rod cell L-type calcium channel (LTCC) function in dark and light (manganese-enhanced MRI [MEMRI]) was also measured. Opn4-/- mice did not show the light-evoked expansion of choroidal thickness observed in B6 and B6 + S6 controls. Additionally, Opn4-/- mice had lower than normal rod cell and inner retinal LTCC function in the dark but not in the light. These deficits were not due to structural abnormalities because retinal laminar architecture and thickness, and choroidal thickness in the Opn4-/- mice were similar to controls. First time evidence is provided that melanopsin phototransduction contributes to dark → light control of murine choroidal thickness. The data also highlight a contribution in vivo of melanopsin phototransduction to rod cell and inner retinal depolarization in the dark.

High temperature control rod assembly

DOEpatents

Vollman, Russell E.

1991-01-01

A high temperature nuclear control rod assembly comprises a plurality of substantially cylindrical segments flexibly joined together in succession by ball joints. The segments are made of a high temperature graphite or carbon-carbon composite. The segment includes a hollow cylindrical sleeve which has an opening for receiving neutron-absorbing material in the form of pellets or compacted rings. The sleeve has a threaded sleeve bore and outer threaded surface. A cylindrical support post has a threaded shaft at one end which is threadably engaged with the sleeve bore to rigidly couple the support post to the sleeve. The other end of the post is formed with a ball portion. A hollow cylindrical collar has an inner threaded surface engageable with the outer threaded surface of the sleeve to rigidly couple the collar to the sleeve. the collar also has a socket portion which cooperates with the ball portion to flexibly connect segments together to form a ball and socket-type joint. In another embodiment, the segment comprises a support member which has a threaded shaft portion and a ball surface portion. The threaded shaft portion is engageable with an inner threaded surface of a ring for rigidly coupling the support member to the ring. The ring in turn has an outer surface at one end which is threadably engageably with a hollow cylindrical sleeve. The other end of the sleeve is formed with a socket portion for engagement with a ball portion of the support member. In yet another embodiment, a secondary rod is slidably inserted in a hollow channel through the center of the segment to provide additional strength. A method for controlling a nuclear reactor utilizing the control rod assembly is also included.

10 CFR 55.41 - Written examination: Operators.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... elements, control rods, core instrumentation, and coolant flow. (3) Mechanical components and design..., and functions of reactivity control mechanisms and instrumentation. (7) Design, components, and functions of control and safety systems, including instrumentation, signals, interlocks, failure modes, and...

10 CFR 55.41 - Written examination: Operators.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... elements, control rods, core instrumentation, and coolant flow. (3) Mechanical components and design..., and functions of reactivity control mechanisms and instrumentation. (7) Design, components, and functions of control and safety systems, including instrumentation, signals, interlocks, failure modes, and...

Reactivity control assembly for nuclear reactor

DOEpatents

Bollinger, Lawrence R.

1984-01-01

Reactivity control assembly for nuclear reactor comprises supports stacked above reactor core for holding control rods. Couplers associated with the supports and a vertically movable drive shaft have lugs at their lower ends for engagement with the supports.

Fast-spectrum space-power-reactor concepts using boron control devices

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mayo, W.

1973-01-01

Several fast-spectrum space power reactor concepts that use boron carbide control devices were examined to determine the neutronic feasibility of the designs. The designs considered were (1) a 199-fuel-pin, 12-poison-reflector-control-drum reactor; (2) a 232-fuel-pin reactor with 12 reflector drums and three in-core control rods; (3) a 337-fuel-pin design with 12 incore control rods; and a 181-fuel-pin design with six drums closely coupled to the core to increase reactivity per drum. Adequate reactivity control and excess reactivity could be obtained for each concept, and the goals of 50,000 hours at 2.17 thermal megawatts with a lithium-7 coolant outlet temperature of 1222 K could be met without exceeding the 1-percent-clad-creep criterion. Heating rates in the boron carbide were calculated, but a heat transfer analysis was not done.

Rasch-built Overall Disability Scale (R-ODS) for immune-mediated peripheral neuropathies.

PubMed

van Nes, S I; Vanhoutte, E K; van Doorn, P A; Hermans, M; Bakkers, M; Kuitwaard, K; Faber, C G; Merkies, I S J

2011-01-25

To develop a patient-based, linearly weighted scale that captures activity and social participation limitations in patients with Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP), and gammopathy-related polyneuropathy (MGUSP). A preliminary Rasch-built Overall Disability Scale (R-ODS) containing 146 activity and participation items was constructed, based on the WHO International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health, literature search, and patient interviews. The preliminary R-ODS was assessed twice (interval: 2-4 weeks; test-retest reliability studies) in 294 patients who experienced GBS in the past (n = 174) or currently have stable CIDP (n = 80) or MGUSP (n = 40). Data were analyzed using the Rasch unidimensional measurement model (RUMM2020). The preliminary R-ODS did not meet the Rasch model expectations. Based on disordered thresholds, misfit statistics, item bias, and local dependency, items were systematically removed to improve the model fit, regularly controlling the class intervals and model statistics. Finally, we succeeded in constructing a 24-item scale that fulfilled all Rasch requirements. "Reading a newspaper/book" and "eating" were the 2 easiest items; "standing for hours" and "running" were the most difficult ones. Good validity and reliability were obtained. The R-ODS is a linearly weighted scale that specifically captures activity and social participation limitations in patients with GBS, CIDP, and MGUSP. Compared to the Overall Disability Sum Score, the R-ODS represents a wider range of item difficulties, thereby better targeting patients with different ability levels. If responsive, the R-ODS will be valuable for future clinical trials and follow-up studies in these conditions.

A technique for efficiently generating bimetallic clusters

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

Wagner, R.L.; Vann, W.D.; Castleman, A.W. , Jr.

1997-08-01

Reactivities of bimetallic clusters can be controlled by varying their composition, making them potentially valuable as catalysts and for use in elucidating the reactivities of such subnanoscale surfaces. A dual rod laser vaporization source coupled to a fast flow reactor is developed for the study of bimetallic clusters and their reactions. In order to establish the versatility of the technique, the results of studies are presented in which Nb/Al clusters are formed in two plasmas induced by the second harmonic (532 nm photons) of a single Nd:YAG laser and then detected by a quadrupole mass spectrometer. The beam from themore » laser is split and then focused onto each rod, allowing the mixing ratio within the cluster to vary by altering the laser fluence on each rod. With a low fluence on the Nb rod and a high fluence on the Al rod, an Al rich cluster distribution is formed, NbAl{sub m}{sup {minus}} (m=2{endash}20), and Al{sub m}{sup {minus}} (m=5{endash}31). By increasing the fluence on the Nb rod and decreasing the fluence on the Al rod, a Nb rich cluster distribution is formed, Nb{sub n}Al{sub m}{sup {minus}} (n=3{endash}8 and m=1{endash}3), Nb{sub n}OAl{sub m}{sup {minus}} (n=3{endash}8 and m=1{endash}5), and Nb{sub n}O{sup {minus}} (n=3{endash}8). Additional characterization is also performed on V/Al clusters. {copyright} {ital 1997 American Institute of Physics.}« less

An Experimental Study of Fan Inflow Distortion Tone Noise

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Koch, L. Danielle

2010-01-01

The tone noise generated when a fan ingests circumferentially distorted flow was studied by an experiment conducted with the Advanced Noise Control Fan at the NASA Glenn Research Center. The inflow was distorted by inserting cylindrical rods radially into the duct. The rods were arranged in circumferentially irregular patterns in three of the five configurations tested. Rods were held in place using a mounting ring with 30 equally spaced holes placed at an axial location one rotor chordlength upstream of the fan. Acoustic pressure was measured in the inlet and exhaust duct of the fan using the Rotating Rake fan tone measurement system. Sound power levels, calculated from the measured data, were plotted as a function of circumferential mode. An analytic description of the unsteady pressure distribution at the interaction plane between the stationary rods and the fan rotor is presented in a form suitable for representing the circumferentially irregularly placed rods. Terms in the analytical description for sound power were proven to be useful in determining the dominant circumferential modes measured in the experiment and the differences in mode power level between the configurations tested. Insight gained through this work will be useful in the development of tools to compute fan inflow distortion tone noise.

Cost analysis of a growth guidance system compared with traditional and magnetically controlled growing rods for early-onset scoliosis: a US-based integrated health care delivery system perspective.

PubMed

Luhmann, Scott J; McAughey, Eoin M; Ackerman, Stacey J; Bumpass, David B; McCarthy, Richard E

2018-01-01

Treating early-onset scoliosis (EOS) with traditional growing rods (TGR) is effective but requires periodic surgical lengthening, risking complications. Alternatives include magnetically controlled growing rods (MCGR) that lengthen noninvasively and the growth guidance system (GGS), which obviate the need for active, distractive lengthenings. Previous studies have reported promising clinical effectiveness for GGS; however the direct medical costs of GGS compared to TGR and MCGR have not yet been explored. To estimate the cost of GGS compared with MCGR and TGR for EOS an economic model was developed from the perspective of a US integrated health care delivery system. Using dual-rod constructs, the model estimated the cumulative costs associated with initial implantation, rod lengthenings (TGR, MCGR), revisions due to device failure, surgical-site infections, device exchange, and final spinal fusion over a 6-year episode of care. Model parameters were from peer-reviewed, published literature. Medicare payments were used as a proxy for provider costs. Costs (2016 US$) were discounted 3% annually. Over a 6-year episode of care, GGS was associated with fewer invasive surgeries per patient than TGR (GGS: 3.4; TGR: 14.4) and lower cumulative costs than MCGR and TGR, saving $25,226 vs TGR. Sensitivity analyses showed that results were sensitive to changes in construct costs, rod breakage rates, months between lengthenings, and TGR lengthening setting of care. Within the model, GGS resulted in fewer invasive surgeries and deep surgical site infections than TGR, and lower cumulative costs per patient than both MCGR and TGR, over a 6-year episode of care. The analysis did not account for family disruption, pain, psychological distress, or compromised health-related quality of life associated with invasive TGR lengthenings, nor for potential patient anxiety surrounding the frequent MCGR lengthenings. Further analyses focusing strictly on current generation technologies should be considered for future research.

Cost analysis of a growth guidance system compared with traditional and magnetically controlled growing rods for early-onset scoliosis: a US-based integrated health care delivery system perspective

PubMed Central

Luhmann, Scott J; McAughey, Eoin M; Ackerman, Stacey J; Bumpass, David B; McCarthy, Richard E

2018-01-01

Purpose Treating early-onset scoliosis (EOS) with traditional growing rods (TGR) is effective but requires periodic surgical lengthening, risking complications. Alternatives include magnetically controlled growing rods (MCGR) that lengthen noninvasively and the growth guidance system (GGS), which obviate the need for active, distractive lengthenings. Previous studies have reported promising clinical effectiveness for GGS; however the direct medical costs of GGS compared to TGR and MCGR have not yet been explored. Methods To estimate the cost of GGS compared with MCGR and TGR for EOS an economic model was developed from the perspective of a US integrated health care delivery system. Using dual-rod constructs, the model estimated the cumulative costs associated with initial implantation, rod lengthenings (TGR, MCGR), revisions due to device failure, surgical-site infections, device exchange, and final spinal fusion over a 6-year episode of care. Model parameters were from peer-reviewed, published literature. Medicare payments were used as a proxy for provider costs. Costs (2016 US$) were discounted 3% annually. Results Over a 6-year episode of care, GGS was associated with fewer invasive surgeries per patient than TGR (GGS: 3.4; TGR: 14.4) and lower cumulative costs than MCGR and TGR, saving $25,226 vs TGR. Sensitivity analyses showed that results were sensitive to changes in construct costs, rod breakage rates, months between lengthenings, and TGR lengthening setting of care. Conclusion Within the model, GGS resulted in fewer invasive surgeries and deep surgical site infections than TGR, and lower cumulative costs per patient than both MCGR and TGR, over a 6-year episode of care. The analysis did not account for family disruption, pain, psychological distress, or compromised health-related quality of life associated with invasive TGR lengthenings, nor for potential patient anxiety surrounding the frequent MCGR lengthenings. Further analyses focusing strictly on current generation technologies should be considered for future research. PMID:29588607

Cost analysis of magnetically controlled growing rods compared with traditional growing rods for early-onset scoliosis in the US: an integrated health care delivery system perspective

PubMed Central

Polly, David W; Ackerman, Stacey J; Schneider, Karen; Pawelek, Jeff B; Akbarnia, Behrooz A

2016-01-01

Purpose Traditional growing rod (TGR) for early-onset scoliosis (EOS) is effective but requires repeated invasive surgical lengthenings under general anesthesia. Magnetically controlled growing rod (MCGR) is lengthened noninvasively using a hand-held magnetic external remote controller in a physician office; however, the MCGR implant is expensive, and the cumulative cost savings have not been well studied. We compared direct medical costs of MCGR and TGR for EOS from the US integrated health care delivery system perspective. We hypothesized that over time, the MCGR implant cost will be offset by eliminating repeated TGR surgical lengthenings. Methods For both TGR and MCGR, the economic model estimated the cumulative costs for initial implantation, lengthenings, revisions due to device failure, surgical-site infections, device exchanges (at 3.8 years), and final fusion, over a 6-year episode of care. Model parameters were estimated from published literature, a multicenter EOS database of US institutions, and interviews. Costs were discounted at 3.0% annually and represent 2015 US dollars. Results Of 1,000 simulated patients over 6 years, MCGR was associated with an estimated 270 fewer deep surgical-site infections and 197 fewer revisions due to device failure compared with TGR. MCGR was projected to cost an additional $61 per patient over the 6-year episode of care compared with TGR. Sensitivity analyses indicated that the results were sensitive to changes in the percentage of MCGR dual rod use, months between TGR lengthenings, percentage of hospital inpatient (vs outpatient) TGR lengthenings, and MCGR implant cost. Conclusion Cost neutrality of MCGR to TGR was achieved over the 6-year episode of care by eliminating repeated TGR surgical lengthenings. To our knowledge, this is the first cost analysis comparing MCGR to TGR – from the US provider perspective – which demonstrates the efficient provision of care with MCGR. PMID:27695352

Mineralization and growth of cultured embryonic skeletal tissue in microgravity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Klement, B. J.; Spooner, B. S.

1999-01-01

Microgravity provides a unique environment in which to study normal and pathological phenomenon. Very few studies have been done to examine the effects of microgravity on developing skeletal tissue such as growth plate formation and maintenance, elongation of bone primordia, or the mineralization of growth plate cartilage. Embryonic mouse premetatarsal triads were cultured on three space shuttle flights to study cartilage growth, differentiation, and mineralization, in a microgravity environment. The premetatarsal triads that were cultured in microgravity all formed cartilage rods and grew in length. However, the premetatarsal cartilage rods cultured in microgravity grew less in length than the ground control cartilage rods. Terminal chondrocyte differentiation also occurred during culture in microgravity, as well as in the ground controls, and the matrix around the hypertrophied chondrocytes was capable of mineralizing in both groups. The same percentage of premetatarsals mineralized in the microgravity cultures as mineralized in the ground control cultures. In addition, the sizes of the mineralized areas between the two groups were very similar. However, the amount of 45Ca incorporated into the mineralized areas was significantly lower in the microgravity cultures, suggesting that the composition or density of the mineralized regions was compromised in microgravity. There was no significant difference in the amount of 45Ca liberated from prelabeled explants in microgravity or in the ground controls.

Design and fabrication of a basic mass analyzer and vacuum system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Judson, C. M.; Josias, C.; Lawrence, J. L., Jr.

1977-01-01

A two-inch hyperbolic rod quadrupole mass analyzer with a mass range of 400 to 200 amu and a sensitivity exceeding 100 packs per billion has been developed and tested. This analyzer is the basic hardware portion of a microprocessor-controlled quadrupole mass spectrometer for a Gas Analysis and Detection System (GADS). The development and testing of the hyperbolic-rod quadrupole mass spectrometer and associated hardware are described in detail.

Rod stiffness as a risk factor of proximal junctional kyphosis after adult spinal deformity surgery: comparative study between cobalt chrome multiple-rod constructs and titanium alloy two-rod constructs.

PubMed

Han, Sanghyun; Hyun, Seung-Jae; Kim, Ki-Jeong; Jahng, Tae-Ahn; Lee, Subum; Rhim, Seung-Chul

2017-07-01

Little is known about the effect of rod stiffness as a risk factor of proximal junctional kyphosis (PJK) after adult spinal deformity (ASD) surgery. The aim of this study was to compare radiographic outcomes after the use of cobalt chrome multiple-rod constructs (CoCr MRCs) and titanium alloy two-rod constructs (Ti TRCs) for ASD surgery with a minimum 1-year follow-up. Retrospective case-control study in two institutes. We included 54 patients who underwent ASD surgery with fusion to the sacrum in two academic institutes between 2002 and 2015. Radiographic outcomes were measured on the standing lateral radiographs before surgery, 1 month postoperatively, and at ultimate follow-up. The outcome measures were composed of pre- and postoperative sagittal vertical axis (SVA), pre- and postoperative lumbar lordosis (LL), pre- and postoperative thoracic kyphosis (TK)+LL+pelvic incidence (PI), pre- and postoperative PI minus LL, level of uppermost instrumented vertebra (UIV), evaluation of fusion after surgery, the presence of PJK, and the occurrence of rod fracture. We reviewed the medical records of 54 patients who underwent ASD surgery. Of these, 20 patients had CoCr MRC and 34 patients had Ti TRC. Baseline data and radiographic measurements were compared between the two groups. The Mann-Whitney U test, the chi-square test, and the Fisher exact test were used to compare outcomes between the groups. The patients of the groups were similar in terms of age, gender, diagnosis, number of three-column osteotomy, levels fused, bone mineral density, preoperative TK, pre- and postoperative TK+LL+PI, SVA difference, LL change, pre- and postoperative PI minus LL, and location of UIV (upper or lower thoracic level). However, there were significant differences in the occurrence of PJK and rod breakage (PJK: CoCr MRC: 12 [60%] vs. Ti TRC: 9 [26.5%], p=.015; occurrence of rod breakage: CoCr MRC: 0 [0%] vs. Ti TRC: 11 [32.4%], p=.004). The time of PJK was less than 12 months after surgery in the CoCr MRC group. However, 55.5% (5/9) of PJK developed over 12 months after surgery in the Ti TRC group. Increasing the rod stiffness by the use of cobalt chrome rod and can prevent rod breakage but adversely affects the occurrence and the time of PJK. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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

Wang, Hong; Wang, Jy-An John

We studied behavior of surrogate nuclear fuel rods made of Zircaloy-4 (Zry-4) cladding with alumina pellets under reversed cyclic bending. Tests were performed under load or moment control at 5 Hz, and an empirical correlation was established between rod fatigue life and amplitude of the applied moment. Fatigue response of Zry-4 cladding was further characterized by using flexural rigidity. Degradation of flexural rigidity was shown to depend on the moment applied and the prefatigue condition of specimens. Pellet-to-pellet interface (PPI), pellet-to-cladding interface (PCI), and pellet condition all affect surrogate rod failure. Bonding/debonding of PPI/PCI and pellet fracturing contribute to surrogatemore » rod bending fatigue. Also, the effect of sensor spacing on curvature measurement using three-point deflections was studied; the method based on effective specimen gauge length is effective in sensor spacing correction. Finally, we developed the database and gained understanding in this study such that it will serve as input to analysis of SNF vibration integrity.« less

Bacterial Flagella as a Model Rigid Rod of Tunable Shape

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schwenger, Walter; Yardimci, Sevim; Gibaud, Thomas; Snow, Henry; Urbach, Jeff; Dogic, Zvonimir

In this research, we study the physical properties of suspensions of bacterial flagella from Salmonella typhimurium prepared in a variety of rigid polymorphic shapes. Flagella act as a rigid colloidal particle that can exhibit non-trivial geometry including helices of varying dimensions, straight rods, or a combination of the two in the same filament. By controlling the conditions in which flagella are prepared, the polymorphic shape assumed by the filament can be controlled. Utilizing different polymorphic shapes, we combine results from optical microscopy observations of single filaments with bulk rheological measurements to help understand the role that constituent colloidal geometry plays in complex bulk behavior.

Method for depleting BWRs using optimal control rod patterns

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

Taner, M.S.; Levine, S.H.; Hsiao, M.Y.

1991-01-01

Control rod (CR) programming is an essential core management activity for boiling water reactors (BWRs). After establishing a core reload design for a BWR, CR programming is performed to develop a sequence of exposure-dependent CR patterns that assure the safe and effective depletion of the core through a reactor cycle. A time-variant target power distribution approach has been assumed in this study. The authors have developed OCTOPUS to implement a new two-step method for designing semioptimal CR programs for BWRs. The optimization procedure of OCTOPUS is based on the method of approximation programming and uses the SIMULATE-E code for nucleonicsmore » calculations.« less

Nuclear reactor shutdown control rod assembly

DOEpatents

Bilibin, Konstantin

1988-01-01

A temperature responsive, self-actuated nuclear reactor shutdown control rod assembly 10. The upper end 18 of a lower drive line 17 fits within the lower end of an upper drive line 12. The lower end (not shown) of the lower drive line 17 is connected to a neutron absorber. During normal temperature conditions the lower drive line 17 is supported by detent means 22,26. When an overtemperature condition occurs thermal actuation means 34 urges ring 26 upwardly sufficiently to allow balls 22 to move radially outwardly thereby allowing lower drive line 17 to move downwardly toward the core of the nuclear reactor resulting in automatic reduction of the reactor powder.

Ultrasonic Stir Welding

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nabors, Sammy

2015-01-01

NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) developed Ultrasonic Stir Welding (USW) to join large pieces of very high-strength metals such as titanium and Inconel. USW, a solid-state weld process, improves current thermal stir welding processes by adding high-power ultrasonic (HPU) energy at 20 kHz frequency. The addition of ultrasonic energy significantly reduces axial, frictional, and shear forces; increases travel rates; and reduces wear on the stir rod, which results in extended stir rod life. The USW process decouples the heating, stirring, and forging elements found in the friction stir welding process allowing for independent control of each process element and, ultimately, greater process control and repeatability. Because of the independent control of USW process elements, closed-loop temperature control can be integrated into the system so that a constant weld nugget temperature can be maintained during welding.

Fasudil, a Clinically Used ROCK Inhibitor, Stabilizes Rod Photoreceptor Synapses after Retinal Detachment.

PubMed

Townes-Anderson, Ellen; Wang, Jianfeng; Halász, Éva; Sugino, Ilene; Pitler, Amy; Whitehead, Ian; Zarbin, Marco

2017-06-01

Retinal detachment disrupts the rod-bipolar synapse in the outer plexiform layer by retraction of rod axons. We showed that breakage is due to RhoA activation whereas inhibition of Rho kinase (ROCK), using Y27632, reduces synaptic damage. We test whether the ROCK inhibitor fasudil, used for other clinical applications, can prevent synaptic injury after detachment. Detachments were made in pigs by subretinal injection of balanced salt solution (BSS) or fasudil (1, 10 mM). In some animals, fasudil was injected intravitreally after BSS-induced detachment. After 2 to 4 hours, retinae were fixed for immunocytochemistry and confocal microscopy. Axon retraction was quantified by imaging synaptic vesicle label in the outer nuclear layer. Apoptosis was analyzed using propidium iodide staining. For biochemical analysis by Western blotting, retinal explants, detached from retinal pigmented epithelium, were cultured for 2 hours. Subretinal injection of fasudil (10 mM) reduced retraction of rod spherules by 51.3% compared to control detachments ( n = 3 pigs, P = 0.002). Intravitreal injection of 10 mM fasudil, a more clinically feasible route of administration, also reduced retraction (28.7%, n = 5, P < 0.05). Controls had no photoreceptor degeneration at 2 hours, but by 4 hours apoptosis was evident. Fasudil 10 mM reduced pyknotic nuclei by 55.7% ( n = 4, P < 0.001). Phosphorylation of cofilin and myosin light chain, downstream effectors of ROCK, was decreased with 30 μM fasudil ( n = 8-10 explants, P < 0.05). Inhibition of ROCK signaling with fasudil reduced photoreceptor degeneration and preserved the rod-bipolar synapse after retinal detachment. These results support the possibility, previously tested with Y27632, that ROCK inhibition may attenuate synaptic damage in iatrogenic detachments.

JPRS Report Science and Technology, Japan: Atomic Energy Society 1989 Annual Meeting.

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-10-13

Control Rod Hole in VHTRC-1 Core [F, Akino, T, Yamane, et al.] ,,, 5 Measurement of MEU [Medium Enriched Uranium ] Fuel Element Characteristics in...K. Yoshida, K. Kobayashi, I. Kimura , C. Yamanaka, and S. Nakai, Laser Laboratory,, Osaka University. Nuclear Reactor Laboratory, Kyoto University...1 core loaded with 278 fuel rods (4 percent enriched uranium ). The PNS target was placed at the back center of the 1/2 assembly on the fixed side

Thermal control of high energy nuclear waste, space option. [mathematical models

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Peoples, J. A.

1979-01-01

Problems related to the temperature and packaging of nuclear waste material for disposal in space are explored. An approach is suggested for solving both problems with emphasis on high energy density waste material. A passive cooling concept is presented which utilized conduction rods that penetrate the inner core. Data are presented to illustrate the effectiveness of the rods and the limit of their capability. A computerized thermal model is discussed and developed for the cooling concept.

Tamoxifen and vitamin E treatments delay symptoms in the mouse model of Niemann-Pick C.

PubMed

Bascuñan-Castillo, Eric C; Erickson, Robert P; Howison, Christy M; Hunter, Robert J; Heidenreich, Randall H; Hicks, Chad; Trouard, Theodore P; Gillies, Robert J

2004-01-01

Niemann-Pick C disease (NPC) is an irreversible neurodegenerative disorder without current treatment. It is the result of deficient intracellular cholesterol movement. We investigated the effects of tamoxifen and vitamin E (D-alpha tocopherol) treatment on patterns of weight loss and motor function in the mouse model of Niemann-Pick C disease (Npc1-/- mice). Tamoxifen has multiple metabolic effects, including reducing oxidative damage, while vitamin E primarily has this property. Npc1-/- mice were identified and treatment was initiated at an approximate age of 21 days. Tamoxifen suspended in peanut oil was administered via intraperitoneal injection (weekly, at a dose calculated to deliver 0.023 microg/g/day). Vitamin E (25 IU) was administered orally via gavage once a week. Weight loss and Rota-Rod performance were analyzed by using Kaplan-Meyer survival curves. Tamoxifen treatment by itself significantly delayed weight loss (an endpoint of neurodegeneration) in male and female mice compared to untreated controls. Motor function was evaluated by performance on a Rota-Rod. Tamoxifen maintained Rota-Rod performance for about an extra week. Vitamin E treatment significantly delayed weight loss in females only. Rota-Rod performance was maintained slightly longer in mice treated with vitamin E. Simultaneous use of both treatments did not delay weight loss longer than tamoxifen-only treatment but had a greater effect than either treatment alone on Rota-Rod performance and demonstrated a significant positive effect on the early "learning curve" portion of the Rota-Rod evaluations. We found significant but relatively small improvements in rate of disease progression by treating Npc1-/- mice with tamoxifen and/or vitamin E. Some sex differences in response and an early improvement in Rota-Rod performance suggest areas for further study.

Stability and failure analysis of steering tie-rod

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, GongFeng; Zhang, YiLiang; Xu, XueDong; Ding, DaWei

2008-11-01

A new car in operation of only 8,000 km, because of malfunction, resulting in lost control and rammed into the edge of the road, and then the basic vehicle scrapped. According to the investigation of the site, it was found that the tie-rod of the car had been broken. For the subjective analysis of the accident and identifying the true causes of rupture of the tierod, a series of studies, from the angle of theory to experiment on the bended broken tie-rod, were conducted. The mechanical model was established; the stability of the defective tie-rod was simulated based on ANSYS software. Meanwhile, the process of the accident was simulated considering the effect of destabilization of different vehicle speed and direction of the impact. Simultaneously, macro graphic test, chemical composition analysis, microstructure analysis and SEM analysis of the fracture were implemented. The results showed that: 1) the toughness of the tie-rod is at a normal level, but there is some previous flaws. One quarter of the fracture surface has been cracked before the accident. However, there is no relationship between the flaw and this incident. The direct cause is the dynamic instability leading to the large deformation of impact loading. 2) The declining safety factor of the tie-rod greatly due to the previous flaws; the result of numerical simulation shows that previous flaw is the vital factor of structure instability, on the basis of the comparison of critical loads of the accident tie-rod and normal. The critical load can decrease by 51.3% when the initial defect increases 19.54% on the cross-sectional area, which meets the Theory of Koiter.

Surviving bacterial sibling rivalry: inducible and reversible phenotypic switching in Paenibacillus dendritiformis.

PubMed

Be'er, Avraham; Florin, E-L; Fisher, Carolyn R; Swinney, Harry L; Payne, Shelley M

2011-01-01

Natural habitats vary in available nutrients and room for bacteria to grow, but successful colonization can lead to overcrowding and stress. Here we show that competing sibling colonies of Paenibacillus dendritiformis bacteria survive overcrowding by switching between two distinct vegetative phenotypes, motile rods and immotile cocci. Growing colonies of the rod-shaped bacteria produce a toxic protein, Slf, which kills cells of encroaching sibling colonies. However, sublethal concentrations of Slf induce some of the rods to switch to Slf-resistant cocci, which have distinct metabolic and resistance profiles, including resistance to cell wall antibiotics. Unlike dormant spores of P. dendritiformis, the cocci replicate. If cocci encounter conditions that favor rods, they secrete a signaling molecule that induces a switch to rods. Thus, in contrast to persister cells, P. dendritiformis bacteria adapt to changing environmental conditions by inducible and reversible phenotypic switching. In favorable environments, species may face space and nutrient limits due to overcrowding. Bacteria provide an excellent model for analyzing principles underlying overcrowding and regulation of density in nature, since their population dynamics can be easily and accurately assessed under controlled conditions. We describe a newly discovered mechanism for survival of a bacterial population during overcrowding. When competing with sibling colonies, Paenibacillus dendritiformis produces a lethal protein (Slf) that kills cells at the interface of encroaching colonies. Slf also induces a small proportion of the cells to switch from motile, rod-shaped cells to nonmotile, Slf-resistant, vegetative cocci. When crowding is reduced and nutrients are no longer limiting, the bacteria produce a signal that induces cocci to switch back to motile rods, allowing the population to spread. Genes encoding components of this phenotypic switching pathway are widespread among bacterial species, suggesting that this survival mechanism is not unique to P. dendritiformis.

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

Chen Shuguang, E-mail: hustcsg@sohu.com; Zeng Kai; Li Haibin

Dispersed rhombohedral NiS rods with high aspect ratios and rhombic dodecahedron-like cubic NiS{sub 2} crystals were prepared by solvothermal routes using NiCl{sub 2}.6H{sub 2}O and Na{sub 2}S{sub 2}O{sub 3}.5H{sub 2}O as reagents and ethylenediamine as a solvent, and 3D blossoming flower-like rhombohedral NiS microstructures were synthesized using different sulfur sources of thiourea. The products were characterized by X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersion spectrometry and selected area electronic diffraction. All the products were pure and had good single crystalline nature. The synthesis parameters were of great importance on the purity and morphology of themore » products. The possible growth mechanisms have been discussed based on the analyses of the effects of sulfur sources and solvent on the crystal structures and detailed configurations of the products. The present work is likely to help the phase-controlled synthesis of other metal chalcogenides. - Graphical abstract: Rhombohedral NiS dispersed rods and 3D flower-like microstructures are evolved from dispersed nucleus and aggregate of nucleus, respectively, and the cross-sections of such rods are in equilateral triangle-like shape. Highlights: > 3D blossoming flower-like r-NiS microstructures are obtained. > Equilateral triangle-like cross-sections of r-NiS rods are observed. > Approach based on XRD analysis to phase-controlled synthesis is presented.« less

Rotating Rod Renewable Microcolumns for Automated, Solid-Phase DNA Hybridization

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

Bruckner-Lea, Cynthia J.; Stottlemyre, Mark R.; Holman, David A.

1999-12-01

The development of a new temperature-controlled renewable microcolumn flow cell for solid-phase nucleic acid analysis in a sequential injection system is described. The flow cell includes a stepper motor-driven rotating rod with the working end cut to a 45 degree angle. In one position, the end of the rod prevents passage of microbeads while allowing fluid flow; rotation of the rod by 180 degrees release the beads. This system was used to rapidly test many hybridization and elution protocols to examine the temperature and solution conditions required for sequence specific nucleic acid hybridization. Target nucleic acids labeled with a near-infraredmore » fluorescent dye were detected immediately post-column using a flow-through fluorescence detector, with a detection limit of 40 pM dye concentration at a flow rate of 5 mu l/s. Temperature control of the column and the presence of Triton X-100 surfactant were critical for specific hybridization. Perfusion of the column with complementary oligonucleotide (200 mu l, 10nM) resulted in hybridization with 8% of the DNA binding sites on the microbeads with a solution residence time of less than a second and a total sample perfusion time of 40 seconds. The use of the renewable column system for detection of an unlabeled PCR product in a sandwich assay was also demonstrated.« less

Occupancy of the Chromophore Binding Site of Opsin Activates Visual Transduction in Rod Photoreceptors

PubMed Central

Kefalov, Vladimir J.; Carter Cornwall, M.; Crouch, Rosalie K.

1999-01-01

The retinal analogue β-ionone was used to investigate possible physiological effects of the noncovalent interaction between rod opsin and its chromophore 11-cis retinal. Isolated salamander rod photoreceptors were exposed to bright light that bleached a significant fraction of their pigment, were allowed to recover to a steady state, and then were exposed to β-ionone. Our experiments show that in bleach-adapted rods β-ionone causes a decrease in light sensitivity and dark current and an acceleration of the dim flash photoresponse and the rate constants of guanylyl cyclase and cGMP phosphodiesterase. Together, these observations indicate that in bleach-adapted rods β-ionone activates phototransduction in the dark. Control experiments showed no effect of β-ionone in either fully dark-adapted or background light-adapted cells, indicating direct interaction of β-ionone with the free opsin produced by bleaching. We speculate that β-ionone binds specifically in the chromophore pocket of opsin to produce a complex that is more catalytically potent than free opsin alone. We hypothesize that a similar reaction may occur in the intact retina during pigment regeneration. We propose a model of rod pigment regeneration in which binding of 11-cis retinal to opsin leads to activation of the complex accompanied by a decrease in light sensitivity. The subsequent covalent attachment of retinal to opsin completely inactivates opsin and leads to the recovery of sensitivity. Our findings resolve the conflict between biochemical and physiological data concerning the effect of the occupancy of the chromophore binding site on the catalytic potency of opsin. We show that binding of β-ionone to rod opsin produces effects opposite to its previously described effects on cone opsin. We propose that this distinction is due to a fundamental difference in the interaction of rod and cone opsins with retinal, which may have implications for the different physiology of the two types of photoreceptors. PMID:10051522

Autonomous motion of metallic microrods propelled by ultrasound.

PubMed

Wang, Wei; Castro, Luz Angelica; Hoyos, Mauricio; Mallouk, Thomas E

2012-07-24

Autonomously moving micro-objects, or micromotors, have attracted the attention of the scientific community over the past decade, but the incompatibility of phoretic motors with solutions of high ionic strength and the use of toxic fuels have limited their applications in biologically relevant media. In this letter we demonstrate that ultrasonic standing waves in the MHz frequency range can levitate, propel, rotate, align, and assemble metallic microrods (2 μm long and 330 nm diameter) in water as well as in solutions of high ionic strength. Metallic rods levitated to the midpoint plane of a cylindrical cell when the ultrasonic frequency was tuned to create a vertical standing wave. Fast axial motion of metallic microrods at ~200 μm/s was observed at the resonant frequency using continuous or pulsed ultrasound. Segmented metal rods (AuRu or AuPt) were propelled unidirectionally with one end (Ru or Pt, respectively) consistently forward. A self-acoustophoresis mechanism based on the shape asymmetry of the metallic rods is proposed to explain this axial propulsion. Metallic rods also aligned and self-assembled into long spinning chains, which in the case of bimetallic rods had a head-to-tail alternating structure. These chains formed ring or streak patterns in the levitation plane. The diameter or distance between streaks was roughly half the wavelength of the ultrasonic excitation. The ultrasonically driven movement of metallic rods was insensitive to the addition of salt to the solution, opening the possibility of driving and controlling metallic micromotors in biologically relevant media using ultrasound.

Interference of two codirectional exclusion processes in the presence of a static bottleneck: A biologically motivated model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mishra, Bhavya; Chowdhury, Debashish

2017-06-01

We develop a two-species exclusion process with a distinct pair of entry and exit sites for each species of rigid rods. The relatively slower forward stepping of the rods in an extended bottleneck region, located in between the two entry sites, controls the extent of interference of the codirectional flow of the two species of rods. The relative positions of the sites of entry of the two species of rods with respect to the location of the bottleneck are motivated by a biological phenomenon. However, the primary focus of the study here is to explore the effects of the interference of the flow of the two species of rods on their spatiotemporal organization and the regulations of this interference by the extended bottleneck. By a combination of mean-field theory and computer simulation, we calculate the flux of both species of rods and their density profiles as well as the composite phase diagrams of the system. If the bottleneck is sufficiently stringent, then some of the phases become practically unrealizable, although not ruled out on the basis of any fundamental physical principle. Moreover, the extent of suppression of flow of the downstream entrants by the flow of the upstream entrants can also be regulated by the strength of the bottleneck. We speculate on the possible implications of the results in the context of the biological phenomenon that motivated the formulation of the theoretical model.

77 FR 74170 - Foreign-Trade Zone 84-Houston, TX; Notification of Proposed Production Activity; Mitsubishi...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-12-13

..., tubes, pipes, hoses, tires, rods, containers, handles, belts), pallets, wood packing boxes, cases, other..., wrenches, hand tools, flexible tubing, engines, parts of engines, water boilers, control panels, control...

Increased proliferation of late-born retinal progenitor cells by gestational lead exposure delays rod and bipolar cell differentiation.

PubMed

Chaney, Shawnta Y; Mukherjee, Shradha; Giddabasappa, Anand; Rueda, Elda M; Hamilton, W Ryan; Johnson, Jerry E; Fox, Donald A

2016-01-01

Studies of neuronal development in the retina often examine the stages of proliferation, differentiation, and synaptic development, albeit independently. Our goal was to determine if a known neurotoxicant insult to a population of retinal progenitor cells (RPCs) would affect their eventual differentiation and synaptic development. To that end, we used our previously published human equivalent murine model of low-level gestational lead exposure (GLE). Children and animals with GLE exhibit increased scotopic electroretinogram a- and b-waves. Adult mice with GLE exhibit an increased number of late-born RPCs, a prolonged period of RPC proliferation, and an increased number of late-born rod photoreceptors and rod and cone bipolar cells (BCs), with no change in the number of late-born Müller glial cells or early-born neurons. The specific aims of this study were to determine whether increased and prolonged RPC proliferation alters the spatiotemporal differentiation and synaptic development of rods and BCs in early postnatal GLE retinas compared to control retinas. C57BL/6N mouse pups were exposed to lead acetate via drinking water throughout gestation and until postnatal day 10, which is equivalent to the human gestation period for retinal neurogenesis. RT-qPCR, immunohistochemical analysis, and western blots of well-characterized, cell-specific genes and proteins were performed at embryonic and early postnatal ages to assess rod and cone photoreceptor differentiation, rod and BC differentiation and synaptic development, and Müller glial cell differentiation. Real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) with the rod-specific transcription factors Nrl , Nr2e3 , and Crx and the rod-specific functional gene Rho , along with central retinal confocal studies with anti-recoverin and anti-rhodopsin antibodies, revealed a two-day delay in the differentiation of rod photoreceptors in GLE retinas. Rhodopsin immunoblots supported this conclusion. No changes in glutamine synthetase gene or protein expression, a marker for late-born Müller glial cells, were observed in the developing retinas. In the retinas from the GLE mice, anti-PKCα, - Chx10 (Vsx2) and -secretagogin antibodies revealed a two- to three-day delay in the differentiation of rod and cone BCs, whereas the expression of the proneural and BC genes Otx2 and Chx10 , respectively, increased. In addition, confocal studies of proteins associated with functional synapses (e.g., vesicular glutamate transporter 1 [VGluT1], plasma membrane calcium ATPase [PMCA], transient receptor potential channel M1 [TRPM1], and synaptic vesicle glycoprotein 2B [SV2B]) revealed a two-day delay in the formation of the outer and inner plexiform layers of the GLE retinas. Moreover, several markers revealed that the initiation of the differentiation and intensity of the labeling of early-born cells in the retinal ganglion cell and inner plexiform layers were not different in the control retinas. Our combined gene, confocal, and immunoblot findings revealed that the onset of rod and BC differentiation and their subsequent synaptic development is delayed by two to three days in GLE retinas. These results suggest that perturbations during the early proliferative stages of late-born RPCs fated to be rods and BCs ultimately alter the coordinated time-dependent progression of rod and BC differentiation and synaptic development. These GLE effects were selective for late-born neurons. Although the molecular mechanisms are unknown, alterations in soluble neurotrophic factors and/or their receptors are likely to play a role. Since neurodevelopmental delays and altered synaptic connectivity are associated with neuropsychiatric and behavioral disorders as well as cognitive deficits, future work is needed to determine if similar effects occur in the brains of GLE mice and whether children with GLE experience similar delays in retinal and brain neuronal differentiation and synaptic development.

49 CFR 236.732 - Controller, circuit; switch.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 49 Transportation 4 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Controller, circuit; switch. 236.732 Section 236... § 236.732 Controller, circuit; switch. A device for opening and closing electric circuits, operated by a rod connected to a switch, derail or movable-point frog. ...

49 CFR 236.732 - Controller, circuit; switch.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 49 Transportation 4 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Controller, circuit; switch. 236.732 Section 236... § 236.732 Controller, circuit; switch. A device for opening and closing electric circuits, operated by a rod connected to a switch, derail or movable-point frog. ...

49 CFR 236.732 - Controller, circuit; switch.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 49 Transportation 4 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Controller, circuit; switch. 236.732 Section 236... § 236.732 Controller, circuit; switch. A device for opening and closing electric circuits, operated by a rod connected to a switch, derail or movable-point frog. ...

49 CFR 236.732 - Controller, circuit; switch.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 49 Transportation 4 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Controller, circuit; switch. 236.732 Section 236... § 236.732 Controller, circuit; switch. A device for opening and closing electric circuits, operated by a rod connected to a switch, derail or movable-point frog. ...

Structures Self-Assembled Through Directional Solidification

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dynys, Frederick W.; Sayir, Ali

2005-01-01

Nanotechnology has created a demand for new fabrication methods with an emphasis on simple, low-cost techniques. Directional solidification of eutectics (DSE) is an unconventional approach in comparison to low-temperature biomimetic approaches. A technical challenge for DSE is producing microstructural architectures on the nanometer scale. In both processes, the driving force is the minimization of Gibb's free energy. Selfassembly by biomimetic approaches depends on weak interaction forces between organic molecules to define the architectural structure. The architectural structure for solidification depends on strong chemical bonding between atoms. Constituents partition into atomic-level arrangements at the liquid-solid interface to form polyphase structures, and this atomic-level arrangement at the liquid-solid interface is controlled by atomic diffusion and total undercooling due to composition (diffusion), kinetics, and curvature of the boundary phases. Judicious selection of the materials system and control of the total undercooling are the keys to producing structures on the nanometer scale. The silicon-titanium silicide (Si-TiSi2) eutectic forms a rod structure under isothermal cooling conditions. At the NASA Glenn Research Center, directional solidification was employed along with a thermal gradient to promote uniform rods oriented with the thermal gradient. The preceding photomicrograph shows the typical transverse microstructure of a solidified Si-TiSi2 eutectic composition. The dark and light gray regions are Si and TiSi2, respectively. Preferred rod orientation along the thermal gradient was poor. The ordered TiSi2 rods have a narrow distribution in diameter of 2 to 3 m, as shown. The rod diameter showed a weak dependence on process conditions. Anisotropic etch behavior between different phases provides the opportunity to fabricate structures with high aspect ratios. The photomicrographs show the resulting microstructure after a wet chemical etch and a dry plasma etch. The wet chemical etches the silicon away, exposing the TiSi2 rods, whereas plasma etching preferentially etches the Si-TiSi2 interface to form a crater. The porous architectures are applicable to fabricating microdevices or creating templates for part fabrication. The porous rod structure can serve as a platform for fabricating microplasma devices for propulsion or microheat exchangers and for fabricating microfilters for miniatured chemical reactors. Although more work is required, self-assembly from DSE can have a role in microdevice fabrication.

Compatibility of refractory materials for nuclear reactor poison control systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sinclair, J. H.

1974-01-01

Metal-clad poison rods have been considered for the control system of an advanced space power reactor concept studied at the NASA Lewis Research Center. Such control rods may be required to operate at temperatures of about 140O C. Selected poison materials (including boron carbide and the diborides of zirconium, hafnium, and tantalum) were subjected to 1000-hour screening tests in contact with candidate refractory metal cladding materials (including tungsten and alloys of tantalum, niobium, and molybdenum) to assess the compatibility of these materials combinations at the temperatures of interest. Zirconium and hafnium diborides were compatible with refractory metals at 1400 C, but boron carbide and tantalum diboride reacted with the refractory metals at this temperature. Zirconium diboride also showed promise as a reaction barrier between boron carbide and tungsten.

Visual function in patients with cone-rod dystrophy (CRD) associated with mutations in the ABCA4(ABCR) gene.

PubMed

Birch, D G; Peters, A Y; Locke, K L; Spencer, R; Megarity, C F; Travis, G H

2001-12-01

Mutations in the ABCA4(ABCR) gene cause autosomal recessive Stargardt disease (STGD). ABCR mutations were identified in patients with cone-rod dystrophy (CRD) and retinitis pigmentosa (RP) by direct sequencing of all 50 exons in 40 patients. Of 10 patients with RP, one contained two ABCR mutations suggesting a compound heterozygote. This patient had a characteristic fundus appearance with attenuated vessels, pale disks and bone-spicule pigmentation. Rod electroretinograms (ERGs) were non-detectable, cone ERGs were greatly reduced in amplitude and delayed in implicit time, and visual fields were constricted to 10 degrees diameter. Eleven of 30 (37%) patients with CRD had mutations in ABCR. In general, these patients showed reduced but detectable rod ERG responses, reduced and delayed cone responses, and poor visual acuity. Rod photoresponses to high intensity flashes were of reduced maximum amplitude but showed normal values for the gain of phototransduction. Most CRD patients with mutations in ABCR showed delayed recovery of sensitivity (dark adaptation) following exposure to bright light. Pupils were also significantly smaller in these patients compared to controls at 30 min following light exposure, consistent with a persistent 'equivalent light' background due to the accumulation of a tentatively identified 'noisy' photoproduct. Copyright 2001 Academic Press.

Head-Tail Asymmetry Determines the Formation of Polymer Cubosomes or Hexasomes in a Rod-Coil Amphiphilic Block Copolymer.

PubMed

Lyu, Xiaolin; Xiao, Anqi; Zhang, Wei; Hou, Pingping; Gu, Kehua; Tang, Zhehao; Pan, Hongbing; Wu, Fan; Shen, Zhihao; Fan, Xinghe

2018-06-08

In this report, Im-3m and Pn-3m polymer cubosomes and p6mm polymer hexasomes are obtained through the self-assembly of a rod-coil amphiphilic block copolymer (ABCP). This is the first time that these structures are observed in a rod-coil system. By varying the hydrophobic chain length, the initial concentration of the polymer solution, or the solubility parameter of the mixed solvent, head-tail asymmetry is adjusted to control the formation of polymer cubosomes or hexasomes. The formation mechanism of the polymer cubosomes was also studied. This research opens up a new way for further study of the bicontinuous and inverse phases in different ABCP systems. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Finite-sized one-dimensional silica microstructures (rods): Synthesis, assembly, and applications

DOE PAGES

Sharma, Jaswinder

2017-01-28

Colloidal silica structures are highly important for applications ranging from surface modifications such as superhydrophobic, oleophobic, icephobic, and anti-biofouling coatings, as reinforcements in polymer-ceramic or metal-matrix composites, and phonon management. In addition to various types of silica structures, a unique structure silica rods has been synthesized by employing the emulsion droplets made by dissolving polyvinlypyrrolidone in pentanol. While a significant progress has been made in further modifying their shape and chemistry, in their assembly, and in their applications, however, no review article compiled the progress in this field. Furthermore, this minireview intends to highlight the development in the synthesis, assembly,more » and application of these rods, and discuss the remaining challenges for precise control of size and shape, possible solutions, and potential applications.« less

NUCLEAR REACTOR

DOEpatents

Miller, H.I.; Smith, R.C.

1958-01-21

This patent relates to nuclear reactors of the type which use a liquid fuel, such as a solution of uranyl sulfate in ordinary water which acts as the moderator. The reactor is comprised of a spherical vessel having a diameter of about 12 inches substantially surrounded by a reflector of beryllium oxide. Conventionnl control rods and safety rods are operated in slots in the reflector outside the vessel to control the operation of the reactor. An additional means for increasing the safety factor of the reactor by raising the ratio of delayed neutrons to prompt neutrons, is provided and consists of a soluble sulfate salt of beryllium dissolved in the liquid fuel in the proper proportion to obtain the result desired.

An Overview of Reactor Concepts, a Survey of Reactor Designs.

DTIC Science & Technology

1985-02-01

may be very different. HTGRs may use highly enriched uranium, thereby yielding better fuel economy and a reduc- tion of the actual core size for a...specific power level. The HTGR core may have fuel and control rods placed in graphite arrays similar to PWR core con- figuration, or they may have fuel ...rods are pulled out. A Peach Bottom core design is another HTGR design. This design is featured by the fuel pin’s ability to purge itself of fission

ALLOY COMPOSITION FOR NEUTRONIC REACTOR CONTROL RODS

DOEpatents

Lustman, B.; Losco, E.F.; Snyder, H.J.; Eggleston, R.R.

1963-01-22

This invention relates to alloy compositons suitable as cortrol rod material consisting of, by weight, from 85% to 85% Ag, from 2% to 20% In, from up to 10% of Cd, from up to 5% Sn, and from up to 1.5% Al, the amount of each element employed being determined by the equation X + 2Y + 3Z + 3W + 4V = 1.4 and less, where X, Y, Z, W, and V represent the atom fractions of the elements Ag, Cd, In, Al and Sn. (AEC)

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

Edgue, E.

The point kinetics approach is a classical useful method for a reactor transient analysis. It is helpful to known, however, when a more elaborate transient analysis, involving the space-dependence change of the flux through a given transient, should be considered. In this paper, the authors present a rather elegant and quick method to check the need for a space-dependent flux analysis through a control rod transient in a given nuclear reactor. The method is applied to a series of rod ejection experiments in the TRIGA MARK-II reactor of Istanbul Technical University (ITU).

Controlled synthesis and facets-dependent photocatalysis of TiO2 nanocrystals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roy, Nitish; Park, Yohan; Sohn, Youngku; Pradhan, Debabrata

2015-04-01

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) is a wide band gap semiconductor that has been extensively used in several environmental applications including degradation of organic hazardous chemicals, water splitting to generate hydrogen, dye sensitized solar cells, self cleaning agents, and pigments. Herein we demonstrate the synthesis of TiO2 nanocrystals (NCs) with the shapes of ellipsoids, rods, cuboids, and sheets with different exposed facets using a noncorrosive and nontoxic chemical (i.e. diethanolamine) as the shape controlling agent, unlike hydrofluoric acid commonly used. The TiO2 NCs of diverse shapes with different exposed facets were tested for photocatalytic hydroxyl radical (OH•) formation, which determines their photocatalytic behavior and the results were compared with the standard P-25 Degussa. The formation rate of OH• per specific surface area was found to be >6 fold higher for rod-shaped TiO2 NCs than that of commercial Degussa P25 catalyst. The highest photocatalytic activity of rod-shaped TiO2 NCs is ascribed to the unique chemical environment of {010} exposed facets which facilitates the electron/hole separation in presence of {101} facets.

Effect of rod gap spacing on a suction panel for laminar flow and noise control in supersonic wind tunnels. M.S. Thesis - Old Dominion Univ.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Harvey, W. D.

1975-01-01

Results are presented of a coordinated experimental and theoretical study of a sound shield concept which aims to provide a means of noise reduction in the test section of supersonic wind tunnels at high Reynolds numbers. The model used consists of a planar array of circular rods aligned with the flow, with adjustable gaps between them for boundary layer removal by suction, i.e., laminar flow control. One of the basic requirements of the present sound shield concept is to achieve sonic cross flow through the gaps in order to prevent lee-side flow disturbances from penetrating back into the shielded region. Tests were conducted at Mach 6 over a local unit Reynolds number range from about 1.2 x 10 to the 6th power to 13.5 x 10 to the 6th power per foot. Measurements of heat transfer, static pressure, and sound levels were made to establish the transition characteristics of the boundary layer on the rod array and the sound shielding effectiveness.

Bilateral Symmetry of Visual Function Loss in Cone-Rod Dystrophies.

PubMed

Galli-Resta, Lucia; Falsini, Benedetto; Rossi, Giuseppe; Piccardi, Marco; Ziccardi, Lucia; Fadda, Antonello; Minnella, Angelo; Marangoni, Dario; Placidi, Giorgio; Campagna, Francesca; Abed, Edoardo; Bertelli, Matteo; Zuntini, Monia; Resta, Giovanni

2016-07-01

To investigate bilateral symmetry of visual impairment in cone-rod dystrophy (CRD) patients and understand the feasibility of clinical trial designs treating one eye and using the untreated eye as an internal control. This was a retrospective study of visual function loss measures in 436 CRD patients followed at the Ophthalmology Department of the Catholic University in Rome. Clinical measures considered were best-corrected visual acuity, focal macular cone electroretinogram (fERG), and Ganzfeld cone-mediated and rod-mediated electroretinograms. Interocular agreement in each of these clinical indexes was assessed by t- and Wilcoxon tests for paired samples, structural (Deming) regression analysis, and intraclass correlation. Baseline and follow-up measures were analyzed. A separate analysis was performed on the subset of 61 CRD patients carrying likely disease-causing mutations in the ABCA4 gene. Statistical tests show a very high degree of bilateral symmetry in the extent and progression of visual impairment in the fellow eyes of CRD patients. These data contribute to a better understanding of CRDs and support the feasibility of clinical trial designs involving unilateral eye treatment with the use of fellow eye as internal control.

Homeobox genes and melatonin synthesis: regulatory roles of the cone-rod homeobox transcription factor in the rodent pineal gland.

PubMed

Rohde, Kristian; Møller, Morten; Rath, Martin Fredensborg

2014-01-01

Nocturnal synthesis of melatonin in the pineal gland is controlled by a circadian rhythm in arylalkylamine N-acetyltransferase (AANAT) enzyme activity. In the rodent, Aanat gene expression displays a marked circadian rhythm; release of norepinephrine in the gland at night causes a cAMP-based induction of Aanat transcription. However, additional transcriptional control mechanisms exist. Homeobox genes, which are generally known to encode transcription factors controlling developmental processes, are also expressed in the mature rodent pineal gland. Among these, the cone-rod homeobox (CRX) transcription factor is believed to control pineal-specific Aanat expression. Based on recent advances in our understanding of Crx in the rodent pineal gland, we here suggest that homeobox genes play a role in adult pineal physiology both by ensuring pineal-specific Aanat expression and by facilitating cAMP response element-based circadian melatonin production.

Parametric control of maneuver of a space tether system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bezglasnyi, S. P.; Piyakina, E. E.

2015-07-01

Planar motion of a space tether system (STS) simulated by a massless rod with two masses fixed on its edges and a third mass moving along the rod is considered. An equation of the pendulum-controlled motion of the system in an elliptical orbit is obtained. Problems of parametric control that takes the STS from one stable radial equilibrium state to another and stabilizes it with respect to planar excitations of two diametrically opposite positions of the relative equilibrium of the STS in a circular orbit are investigated. The control is a continuous law of motion for a moving mass along the tether on the swing principle. The solution is obtained in a closed form based on the second method of the classical stability theory by the construction of the corresponding Lyapunov functions. Asymptotic convergence of solutions is confirmed by the results of numerical modeling of the system motion.

Homeobox Genes and Melatonin Synthesis: Regulatory Roles of the Cone-Rod Homeobox Transcription Factor in the Rodent Pineal Gland

PubMed Central

Rath, Martin Fredensborg

2014-01-01

Nocturnal synthesis of melatonin in the pineal gland is controlled by a circadian rhythm in arylalkylamine N-acetyltransferase (AANAT) enzyme activity. In the rodent, Aanat gene expression displays a marked circadian rhythm; release of norepinephrine in the gland at night causes a cAMP-based induction of Aanat transcription. However, additional transcriptional control mechanisms exist. Homeobox genes, which are generally known to encode transcription factors controlling developmental processes, are also expressed in the mature rodent pineal gland. Among these, the cone-rod homeobox (CRX) transcription factor is believed to control pineal-specific Aanat expression. Based on recent advances in our understanding of Crx in the rodent pineal gland, we here suggest that homeobox genes play a role in adult pineal physiology both by ensuring pineal-specific Aanat expression and by facilitating cAMP response element-based circadian melatonin production. PMID:24877149

Performance prediction for a magnetostrictive actuator using a simplified model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yoo, Jin-Hyeong; Jones, Nicholas J.

2018-03-01

Iron-Gallium alloys (Galfenol) are promising transducer materials that combine high magnetostriction, desirable mechanical properties, high permeability, and a wide operational temperature range. Most of all, the material is capable of operating under tensile stress, and is relatively resistant to shock. These materials are generally characterized using a solid, cylindrically-shaped specimen under controlled compressive stress and magnetization conditions. Because the magnetostriction strongly depends on both the applied stress and magnetization, the characterization of the material is usually conducted under controlled conditions so each parameter is varied independently of the other. However, in a real application the applied stress and magnetization will not be maintained constant during operation. Even though the controlled characterization measurement gives insight into standard material properties, usage of this data in an application, while possible, is not straight forward. This study presents an engineering modeling methodology for magnetostrictive materials based on a piezo-electric governing equation. This model suggests phenomenological, nonlinear, three-dimensional functions for strain and magnetic flux density responses as functions of applied stress and magnetic field. Load line performances as a function of maximum magnetic field input were simulated based on the model. To verify the modeling performance, a polycrystalline magnetostrictive rod (Fe-Ga alloy, Galfenol) was characterized under compressive loads using a dead-weight test setup, with strain gages on the rod and a magnetic field driving coil around the sample. The magnetic flux density through the Galfenol rod was measured with a sensing coil; the compressive loads were measured using a load cell on the bottom of the Galfenol rod. The experimental results are compared with the simulation results using the suggested model, showing good agreement.

Integrated control of transporter endocytosis and recycling by the arrestin-related protein Rod1 and the ubiquitin ligase Rsp5.

PubMed

Becuwe, Michel; Léon, Sébastien

2014-11-07

After endocytosis, membrane proteins can recycle to the cell membrane or be degraded in lysosomes. Cargo ubiquitylation favors their lysosomal targeting and can be regulated by external signals, but the mechanism is ill-defined. Here, we studied the post-endocytic trafficking of Jen1, a yeast monocarboxylate transporter, using microfluidics-assisted live-cell imaging. We show that the ubiquitin ligase Rsp5 and the glucose-regulated arrestin-related trafficking adaptors (ART) protein Rod1, involved in the glucose-induced internalization of Jen1, are also required for the post-endocytic sorting of Jen1 to the yeast lysosome. This new step takes place at the trans-Golgi network (TGN), where Rod1 localizes dynamically upon triggering endocytosis. Indeed, transporter trafficking to the TGN after internalization is required for their degradation. Glucose removal promotes Rod1 relocalization to the cytosol and Jen1 deubiquitylation, allowing transporter recycling when the signal is only transient. Therefore, nutrient availability regulates transporter fate through the localization of the ART/Rsp5 ubiquitylation complex at the TGN.

Development of model hydroxyapatite bone scaffolds with multiscale porosity for potential load bearing applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dellinger, Jennifer Gwynne

2005-11-01

Model hydroxyapatite (HA) bone scaffolds consisting of a latticed pattern of rods were fabricated by a solid freeform fabrication (SFF) technique based on the robotic deposition of colloidal pastes. An optimal HA paste formulation for this method was developed. Local porosity, i.e. microporosity (1--30 mum) and sintering porosity (less than 1 mum), were produced by including polymer microsphere porogens in the HA pastes and by controlling the sintering of the scaffolds. Scaffolds with and without local porosity were evaluated with and without in vitro accelerated degradation. Percent weight loss of the scaffolds and calcium and phosphorus concentrations in solution increased with degradation time. After degradation, compressive strength and modulus decreased significantly for scaffolds with local porosity, but did not change significantly for scaffolds without local porosity. The compressive strength and modulus of scaffolds without local porosity were comparable to human cortical bone and were significantly greater than the scaffolds with local porosity. Micropores in HA disks caused surface pits that increased the surface roughness as compared to non-microporous HA disks. Mouse mesenchymal stem cells extended their cell processes into these microporous pits on HA disks in vitro. ALP expression was prolonged, cell attachment strength increased, and ECM production appeared greater on microporous HA disks compared to non-microporous HA disks and tissue culture treated polystyrene controls. Scaffolds with and without microporosity were implanted in goats bones. Microporous scaffolds with rhBMP-2 increased the percent of the scaffold filled with bone tissue compared to microporous scaffolds without rhBMP-2. Lamellar bone inside scaffolds was aligned near the rods junctions whereas lamellar bone was aligned in a more random configuration away from the rod junctions. Microporous scaffolds stained darkly with toluidine blue beneath areas of contact with new bone. This staining might indicate either extracellular matrix (ECM) in the rods or dye bound to the degrading scaffold. Although the presence of microporous topography alone did not influence bone healing in vivo, micropores were shown to provide tailorability of scaffold mechanical properties, provide a location for the storage and controlled release of a growth factor, and provide a location for bone integration inside the scaffold rods.

Long-term effects of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) on rod and rod-driven function.

PubMed

Harris, Maureen E; Moskowitz, Anne; Fulton, Anne B; Hansen, Ronald M

2011-02-01

The purpose of this study was to determine whether recovery of scotopic sensitivity occurs in human ROP, as it does in the rat models of ROP. Following a cross-sectional design, scotopic electroretinographic (ERG) responses to full-field stimuli were recorded from 85 subjects with a history of preterm birth. In 39 of these subjects, dark adapted visual threshold was also measured. Subjects were tested post-term as infants (median age 2.5 months) or at older ages (median age 10.5 years) and stratified by severity of ROP: severe, mild, or none. Rod photoreceptor sensitivity, S (ROD), was derived from the a-wave, and post-receptor sensitivity, log σ, was calculated from the b-wave stimulus-response function. Dark adapted visual threshold was measured using a forced-choice preferential procedure. For S (ROD), the deficit from normal for age varied significantly with ROP severity but not with age group. For log σ, in mild ROP, the deficit was smaller in older subjects than in infants, while in severe ROP, the deficit was quite large in both age groups. In subjects who never had ROP, S (ROD) and log σ in both age groups were similar to those in term born controls. Deficits in dark adapted threshold and log σ were correlated in mild but not in severe ROP. The data are evidence that sensitivity of the post-receptor retina improves in those with a history of mild ROP. We speculate that beneficial reorganization of the post-receptor neural circuitry occurs in mild but not in severe ROP.

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

Wang, Jy-An John; Wang, Hong; Jiang, Hao

The objective of this project is to perform a systematic study of SNF/UNF (spent nuclear fuel/or used nuclear fuel) integrity under simulated transportation environments by using hot cell testing technology developed recently at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), CIRFT (Cyclic Integrated Reversible-Bending Fatigue Tester). Under Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) sponsorship, ORNL completed four benchmarking tests, four static tests, and twelve dynamic or cycle tests on H. B. Robinson (HBR) high burn-up (HBU) fuel. With support from the US Department of Energy and the NRC, CIRFT testing has been continued. The CIRFT testing was conducted on three HBR rods (R3, R4,more » and R5), with two specimens failed and one specimen un-failed. The total number of cycles in the test of un-failed specimens went over 2.23 107; the test was stopped as because the specimen did not show any sign of failure. The data analysis on all the HBR SNF rods demonstrated that it is necessary to characterize the fatigue life of used fuel rods in terms of both the curvature amplitude and the maximum of absolute of curvature extremes. The latter is significant because the maxima of extremes signify the maximum of tensile stress of the outer fiber of the bending rod. So far, a large variety of hydrogen contents has been covered in the CIRFT testing on HBR rods. It has been shown that the load amplitude is the dominant factor that controls the lifetime of bending rods, but the hydrogen content also has an important effect on the lifetime attained, according to the load range tested.« less

Spatially confined synthesis of SiOx nano-rod with size-controlled Si quantum dots in nano-porous anodic aluminum oxide membrane.

PubMed

Pai, Yi-Hao; Lin, Gong-Ru

2011-01-17

By depositing Si-rich SiOx nano-rod in nano-porous anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) membrane using PECVD, the spatially confined synthesis of Si quantum-dots (Si-QDs) with ultra-bright photoluminescence spectra are demonstrated after low-temperature annealing. Spatially confined SiOx nano-rod in nano-porous AAO membrane greatly increases the density of nucleated positions for Si-QD precursors, which essentially impedes the route of thermally diffused Si atoms and confines the degree of atomic self-aggregation. The diffusion controlled growth mechanism is employed to determine the activation energy of 6.284 kJ mole(-1) and diffusion length of 2.84 nm for SiO1.5 nano-rod in nano-porous AAO membrane. HRTEM results verify that the reduced geometric dimension of the SiOx host matrix effectively constrain the buried Si-QD size at even lower annealing temperature. The spatially confined synthesis of Si-QD essentially contributes the intense PL with its spectral linewidth shrinking from 210 to 140 nm and its peak intensity enhancing by two orders of magnitude, corresponding to the reduction on both the average Si-QD size and its standard deviation from 2.6 to 2.0 nm and from 25% to 12.5%, respectively. The red-shifted PL wavelength of the Si-QD reveals an inverse exponential trend with increasing temperature of annealing, which is in good agree with the Si-QD size simulation via the atomic diffusion theory.

Finite element predictions of active buckling control of stiffened panels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thompson, Danniella M.; Griffin, O. H., Jr.

1993-04-01

Materials systems and structures that can respond 'intelligently' to their environment are currently being proposed and investigated. A series of finite element analyses was performed to investigate the potential for active buckling control of two different stiffened panels by embedded shape memory alloy (SMA) rods. Changes in the predicted buckling load increased with the magnitude of the actuation level for a given structural concept. Increasing the number of actuators for a given concept yielded greater predicted increases in buckling load. Considerable control authority was generated with a small number of actuators, with greater authority demonstrated for those structural concepts where the activated SMA rods could develop greater forces and moments on the structure. Relatively simple and inexpensive analyses were performed with standard finite elements to determine such information, indicating the viability of these types of models for design purposes.

Oil well pump drive

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

Sanford, G.A.

1980-02-12

An oil well pump drive is disclosed including a drive unit that is hydraulically actuated by a double-acting hydraulic cylinder to reciprocate vertically. An endless chain is entrained over vertically spaced sprockets carried by the unit, with one flight of the chain anchored against vertical movement and the other flight is secured to the pump polish rod so that the vertical motion imparted to the polish rod is double that hydraulically imparted to the drive unit. The polish rod load on the chain is opposed by a counterweight connected thereto by a chain extending over an elevated pulley. The outputmore » of the hydraulic pump supplying the hydraulic cylinder is cam controlled so that the motion of the drive unit is smoothly decelerated and accelerated as the unit approaches and moves from the upper and lower limits of its movement.« less

Statistical properties of a folded elastic rod

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bayart, Elsa; Deboeuf, Stéphanie; Boué, Laurent; Corson, Francis; Boudaoud, Arezki; Adda-Bedia, Mokhtar

2010-03-01

A large variety of elastic structures naturally seem to be confined into environments too small to accommodate them; the geometry of folded structures span a wide range of length-scales. The elastic properties of these confined systems are further constrained by self-avoidance as well as by the dimensionality of both structures and container. To mimic crumpled paper, we devised an experimental setup to study the packing of a dimensional elastic object in 2D geometries: an elastic rod is folded at the center of a circular Hele-Shaw cell by a centripetal force. The initial configuration of the rod and the acceleration of the rotating disk allow to span different final folded configurations while the final rotation speed controls the packing intensity. Using image analysis we measure geometrical and mechanical properties of the folded configurations, focusing on length, curvature and energy distributions.

NUCLEAR REACTOR CONTROL SYSTEM

DOEpatents

Epler, E.P.; Hanauer, S.H.; Oakes, L.C.

1959-11-01

A control system is described for a nuclear reactor using enriched uranium fuel of the type of the swimming pool and other heterogeneous nuclear reactors. Circuits are included for automatically removing and inserting the control rods during the course of normal operation. Appropriate safety circuits close down the nuclear reactor in the event of emergency.

Percolation, phase separation, and gelation in fluids and mixtures of spheres and rods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jadrich, Ryan; Schweizer, Kenneth S.

2011-12-01

The relationship between kinetic arrest, connectivity percolation, structure and phase separation in protein, nanoparticle, and colloidal suspensions is a rich and complex problem. Using a combination of integral equation theory, connectivity percolation methods, naïve mode coupling theory, and the activated dynamics nonlinear Langevin equation approach, we study this problem for isotropic one-component fluids of spheres and variable aspect ratio rigid rods, and also percolation in rod-sphere mixtures. The key control parameters are interparticle attraction strength and its (short) spatial range, total packing fraction, and mixture composition. For spherical particles, formation of a homogeneous one-phase kinetically stable and percolated physical gel is predicted to be possible, but depends on non-universal factors. On the other hand, the dynamic crossover to activated dynamics and physical bond formation, which signals discrete cluster formation below the percolation threshold, almost always occurs in the one phase region. Rods more easily gel in the homogeneous isotropic regime, but whether a percolation or kinetic arrest boundary is reached first upon increasing interparticle attraction depends sensitively on packing fraction, rod aspect ratio and attraction range. Overall, the connectivity percolation threshold is much more sensitive to attraction range than either the kinetic arrest or phase separation boundaries. Our results appear to be qualitatively consistent with recent experiments on polymer-colloid depletion systems and brush mediated attractive nanoparticle suspensions.

GUCY2D Cone-Rod Dystrophy-6 Is a "Phototransduction Disease" Triggered by Abnormal Calcium Feedback on Retinal Membrane Guanylyl Cyclase 1.

PubMed

Sato, Shinya; Peshenko, Igor V; Olshevskaya, Elena V; Kefalov, Vladimir J; Dizhoor, Alexander M

2018-03-21

The Arg838Ser mutation in retinal membrane guanylyl cyclase 1 (RetGC1) has been linked to autosomal dominant cone-rod dystrophy type 6 (CORD6). It is believed that photoreceptor degeneration is caused by the altered sensitivity of RetGC1 to calcium regulation via guanylyl cyclase activating proteins (GCAPs). To determine the mechanism by which this mutation leads to degeneration, we investigated the structure and function of rod photoreceptors in two transgenic mouse lines, 362 and 379, expressing R838S RetGC1. In both lines, rod outer segments became shorter than in their nontransgenic siblings by 3-4 weeks of age, before the eventual photoreceptor degeneration. Despite the shortening of their outer segments, the dark current of transgenic rods was 1.5-2.2-fold higher than in nontransgenic controls. Similarly, the dim flash response amplitude in R838S + rods was larger, time to peak was delayed, and flash sensitivity was increased, all suggesting elevated dark-adapted free cGMP in transgenic rods. In rods expressing R838S RetGC1, dark-current noise increased and the exchange current, detected after a saturating flash, became more pronounced. These results suggest disrupted Ca 2+ phototransduction feedback and abnormally high free-Ca 2+ concentration in the outer segments. Notably, photoreceptor degeneration, which typically occurred after 3 months of age in R838S RetGC1 transgenic mice in GCAP1,2 +/+ or GCAP1,2 +/- backgrounds, was prevented in GCAP1,2 -/- mice lacking Ca 2+ feedback to guanylyl cyclase. In summary, the dysregulation of guanylyl cyclase in RetGC1-linked CORD6 is a "phototransduction disease," which means it is associated with increased free-cGMP and Ca 2+ levels in photoreceptors. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT In a mouse model expressing human membrane guanylyl cyclase 1 (RetGC1, GUCY2D ), a mutation associated with early progressing congenital blindness, cone-rod dystrophy type 6 (CORD6), deregulates calcium-sensitive feedback of phototransduction to the cyclase mediated by guanylyl cyclase activating proteins (GCAPs), which are calcium-sensor proteins. The abnormal calcium sensitivity of the cyclase increases cGMP-gated dark current in the rod outer segments, reshapes rod photoresponses, and triggers photoreceptor death. This work is the first to demonstrate a direct physiological effect of GUCY2D CORD6-linked mutation on photoreceptor physiology in vivo It also identifies the abnormal regulation of the cyclase by calcium-sensor proteins as the main trigger for the photoreceptor death. Copyright © 2018 the authors 0270-6474/18/382990-11$15.00/0.

STABILIZED RARE EARTH OXIDES FOR A CONTROL ROD AND METHOD OF PREPARATION

DOEpatents

McNees, R.A.; Potter, R.A.

1964-01-14

A method is given for preparing mixed oxides of the formula MR/sub x/O/ sub 12/ wherein M is tungsten or molybdenum and R is a rare earth in the group consisting of samarium, europium, dysprosium, and gadolinium and x is 4 to 5. Oxides of this formula, and particularly the europiumcontaining species, are useful as control rod material for water-cooled nuclear reactors owing to their stability, favorable nuclear properties, and resistance to hydration. These oxides may be utilized as a dispersion in a stainlesssteel matrix. Preparation of these oxides is effected by blending tungsten oxide or molybdenum oxide with a rare earth oxide, compressing the mixture, and firing at an elevated temperature in an oxygen-containing atmosphere. (AEC)

Stress analysis in a pedicle screw fixation system with flexible rods in the lumbar spine.

PubMed

Kim, Kyungsoo; Park, Won Man; Kim, Yoon Hyuk; Lee, SuKyoung

2010-01-01

Breakage of screws has been one of the most common complications in spinal fixation systems. However, no studies have examined the breakage risk of pedicle screw fixation systems that use flexible rods, even though flexible rods are currently being used for dynamic stabilization. In this study, the risk of breakage of screws for the rods with various flexibilities in pedicle screw fixation systems is investigated by calculating the von Mises stress as a breakage risk factor using finite element analysis. Three-dimensional finite element models of the lumbar spine with posterior one-level spinal fixations at L4-L5 using four types of rod (a straight rod, a 4 mm spring rod, a 3 mm spring rod, and a 2 mm spring rod) were developed. The von Mises stresses in both the pedicle screws and the rods were analysed under flexion, extension, lateral bending, and torsion moments of 10 Nm with a follower load of 400 N. The maximum von Mises stress, which was concentrated on the neck region of the pedicle screw, decreased as the flexibility of the rod increased. However, the ratio of the maximum stress in the rod to the yield stress increased substantially when a highly flexible rod was used. Thus, the level of rod flexibility should be considered carefully when using flexible rods for dynamic stabilization because the intersegmental motion facilitated by the flexible rod results in rod breakage.

Superfund record of decision (EPA Region 1): Tansitor Electronics, Inc., Bennington, VT, September 29, 1995

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

NONE

1996-03-01

This Decision Document presents the selected remedial action for the Tansitor Electronics, Inc. Superfund Site in Bennington, Vermont. This ROD sets forth the selected remedy for the Tansitor Electronics, Inc. Superfund Site, which includes management of migration components to obtain a comprehensive remedy. This ROD does not include any source control component because EPA`s risk assessment concluded that the surface and subsurface soils did not present an unacceptable risk either under current conditions or under a potential future residential scenario.

Controlled laser production of elongated articles from particulates

DOEpatents

Dixon, Raymond D.; Lewis, Gary K.; Milewski, John O.

2002-01-01

It has been discovered that wires and small diameter rods can be produced using laser deposition technology in a novel way. An elongated article such as a wire or rod is constructed by melting and depositing particulate material into a deposition zone which has been designed to yield the desired article shape and dimensions. The article is withdrawn from the deposition zone as it is formed, thus enabling formation of the article in a continuous process. Alternatively, the deposition zone is moved along any of numerous deposition paths away from the article being formed.

Improvement in Jc performance below liquid nitrogen temperature for SmBa2Cu3Oy superconducting films with BaHfO3 nano-rods controlled by low-temperature growth

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miura, S.; Yoshida, Y.; Ichino, Y.; Xu, Q.; Matsumoto, K.; Ichinose, A.; Awaji, S.

2016-01-01

For use in high-magnetic-field coil-based applications, the critical current density (Jc) of REBa2Cu3Oy (REBCO, where RE = rare earth) coated conductors must be isotropically improved, with respect to the direction of the magnetic field; these improvements must be realized at the operating conditions of these applications. In this study, improvement of the Jc for various applied directions of magnetic field was achieved by controlling the morphology of the BaHfO3 (BHO) nano-rods in a SmBCO film. We fabricated the 3.0 vol. % BHO-doped SmBCO film at a low growth temperature of 720 °C, by using a seed layer technique (Ts = 720 °C film). The low-temperature growth resulted in a morphological change in the BHO nano-rods. In fact, a high number density of (3.1 ± 0.1) × 103 μm-2 of small (diameter: 4 ± 1 nm), discontinuous nano-rods that grew in various directions, was obtained. In Jc measurements, the Jc of the Ts = 720 °C film in all directions of the applied magnetic field was higher than that of the non-doped SmBCO film. The Jcmin (6.4 MA/cm2) of the former was more than 6 times higher than that (1.0 MA/cm2) of the latter at 40 K, under 3 T. The aforementioned results indicated that the discontinuous BHO nano-rods, which occurred with a high number density, exerted a 3D-like flux pinning at the measurement conditions considered. Moreover, at 4.2 K and under 17 T, a flux pinning force density of 1.6 TN/m3 was realized; this value was comparable to the highest value recorded, to date.

Modeling and simulation performance of sucker rod beam pump

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

Aditsania, Annisa, E-mail: annisaaditsania@gmail.com; Rahmawati, Silvy Dewi, E-mail: silvyarahmawati@gmail.com; Sukarno, Pudjo, E-mail: psukarno@gmail.com

2015-09-30

Artificial lift is a mechanism to lift hydrocarbon, generally petroleum, from a well to surface. This is used in the case that the natural pressure from the reservoir has significantly decreased. Sucker rod beam pumping is a method of artificial lift. Sucker rod beam pump is modeled in this research as a function of geometry of the surface part, the size of sucker rod string, and fluid properties. Besides its length, sucker rod string also classified into tapered and un-tapered. At the beginning of this research, for easy modeling, the sucker rod string was assumed as un-tapered. The assumption provedmore » non-realistic to use. Therefore, the tapered sucker rod string modeling needs building. The numerical solution of this sucker rod beam pump model is computed using finite difference method. The numerical result shows that the peak of polished rod load for sucker rod beam pump unit C-456-D-256-120, for non-tapered sucker rod string is 38504.2 lb, while for tapered rod string is 25723.3 lb. For that reason, to avoid the sucker rod string breaks due to the overload, the use of tapered sucker rod beam string is suggested in this research.« less

10 CFR 54.21 - Contents of application-technical information.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

...), motors, diesel generators, air compressors, snubbers, the control rod drive, ventilation dampers..., the reactor vessel, the reactor coolant system pressure boundary, steam generators, the pressurizer...

10 CFR 54.21 - Contents of application-technical information.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

...), motors, diesel generators, air compressors, snubbers, the control rod drive, ventilation dampers..., the reactor vessel, the reactor coolant system pressure boundary, steam generators, the pressurizer...

Superfund Record of Decision (EPA Region 5): Enviro-Chem (Northside Sanitary Landfill), Zionsville, IN. (First remedial action), (Amendment), June 1991. Final report

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

Not Available

The Enviro-chem site is a former waste recovery/reclamation/brokerage facility in Boone County, Indiana. Adjacent to the site is another Superfund site, the Northside Sanitary Landfill (NSL) which, prior to the Record of Decision (ROD) amendment, was to be remediated in a combined remedy for both sites. Land use in the area is agricultural and residential to the north and west. In May 1982, the State ordered Enviro-Chem to close and environmentally secure the site because it failed to reduce hazardous waste inventories. Subsequently, two emergency removal actions were conducted to remove the major sources of contamination. The ROD amends themore » 1987 ROD and provides a comprehensive site remedy for the Enviro-Chem site addressing source control instead of ground water remediation. The primary contaminants of concern affecting the soil are VOCs including PCE, TCE, toluene; and other organics including phenols. The amended remedial action for the site includes treating contaminated soil onsite using soil vapor extraction with a granulated activated carbon system to control the extracted vapor and implementing a contingent remedy for a subsurface ground water collection and treatment system.« less

Induction of cytochrome P450-associated monooxygenases in northern leopard frogs, Rana pipiens, by 3,3',4,4',5-pentachlorobiphenyl

USGS Publications Warehouse

Huang, Y.-W.; Melancon, M.J.; Jung, R.E.; Karasov, W.H.

1998-01-01

Northern leopard frogs (Rana pipiens) were injected intraperitoneally either with a solution of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) 126 in corn oil at a concentration of 0.2, 0.7, 2.3 and 7.8 mg/kg body weight or with corn oil alone. Appropriate assay conditions with hepatic microsomes were determined for four cytochrome P450-associated monooxygenases: ethoxyresorufin-O-dealkylase (EROD), methoxy-ROD (MROD), benzyloxy-ROD (BROD) and pentoxy-ROD (PROD). One week after PCB administration, the specific activities of EROD, MROD, BROD and PROD were not elevated at doses ? 0.7 mg/kg (p > 0.05), but were significantly increased at doses ? 2.3 mg/kg compared to the control groups (p < 0.05). The increased activity of these four enzymes ranged from 3to 6.4fold relative to control levels. The increased activities were maintained for at least four weeks. Due to a lack of induction at low doses of PCB 126, which were still relatively high compared to currentlyknown environmental concentrations, we suspect that EROD, MROD, BROD, and PROD activities are not sensitive biomarkers for coplanar PCB exposure in leopard frogs.

Retinal instrument

DOEpatents

Britton, Charles L; D& #x27; Urso, Brian R; Chaum, Edward; Simpson, John T; Baba, Justin S; Ericson, M. Nance; Warmack, Robert J

2013-04-23

In one embodiment, the present invention provides a method of removing scar tissue from an eye that includes inserting a device including an array of micro-rods into an eye, wherein at least one glass micro-rod of the array of glass micro-rods includes a sharp feature; contacting a scar tissue with the array of micro-rods; and removing the array of micro-rods and the scar tissue from the eye. In another embodiment, the present invention provides a medical device for engaging a tissue including and an array of glass micro-rods, wherein at least one glass micro-rod of the array of glass micro-rods includes a sharp feature opposite a base of the array of glass micro-rods that is connected to the cannula, wherein the sharp feature of the at least one micro-rod is angled from a plane that is normal to a face of the base of the array of glass micro-rods.

Localization of antibody binding sites in ultrathin sections of unembedded frog retinal tissue.

PubMed

Pease, D C; Nir, I; Clark, V; Hall, M

1983-01-01

Much ultrastructural detail is retained in tissue fixed only with aldehydes and subsequently air-dried after suspension in a polyvinyl acetate emulsion. The latter provides an external support only, but permits ultrathin sectioning; thus, an exposure of intracellular contents for potential immunocytochemical reactions is achieved. Sections of unembedded frog retina so prepared have been studied with success. The tissue was incubated first with a rabbit antiserum prepared against gradient purified bovine rod outer segments. Following incubation, reacted sites were labeled with ferritin-conjugated goat anti-rabbit IgG and stained with phosphotungstic acid. Intense labeling of the rod outer segments was clearly achieved, whereas the cone outer segments were without label. Other parts of the retina, including the ellipsoid region of both rods and cones, were also without significant label. These regions provided an intrinsic control for the specificity of the antiserum and established the validity of the general technique.

Measuring the equation of state for a 2D colloidal membrane: A microfluidic approach to buffer exchange

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Balchunas, Andrew; Cabanas, Rafael; Fraden, Seth; Dogic, Zvonimir

Previous work has shown that monodisperse rod-like colloidal particles, such as a filamentous bacteriophage, self assemble into a 2D monolayer smectic in the presence of a non-adsorbing depleting polymer. These structures have the same functional form of bending rigidity and lateral compressibility as conventional lipid bi-layers, so we name the monolayer smectic a colloidal membrane. We have developed a microfluidic device such that the osmotic pressure acting on a colloidal membrane may be controlled via a full in situ buffer exchange. Rod density within individual colloidal membranes was measured as a function of osmotic pressure and a first order phase transition, from 2D fluid to 2D solid, was observed. kon and koff rates of rod to membrane binding were measured by lowering the osmotic pressure until membrane evaporation occurred.

The effect of the shape and size of gold seeds irradiated with ultrasound on the bio-heat transfer in tissue.

PubMed

Gkigkitzis, Ioannis; Austerlitz, Carlos; Haranas, Ioannis; Campos, Diana

2015-01-01

The aim of this report is to propose a new methodology to treat prostate cancer with macro-rod-shaped gold seeds irradiated with ultrasound and develop a new computational method for temperature and thermal dose control of hyperthermia therapy induced by the proposed procedure. A computer code representation, based on the bio-heat diffusion equation, was developed to calculate the heat deposition and temperature elevation patterns in a gold rod and in the tissue surrounding it as a result of different therapy durations and ultrasound power simulations. The numerical results computed provide quantitative information on the interaction between high-energy ultrasound, gold seeds and biological tissues and can replicate the pattern observed in experimental studies. The effect of differences in shapes and sizes of gold rod targets irradiated with ultrasound is calculated and the heat enhancement and the bio-heat transfer in tissue are analyzed.

MOX fuel arrangement for nuclear core

DOEpatents

Kantrowitz, M.L.; Rosenstein, R.G.

1998-10-13

In order to use up a stockpile of weapons-grade plutonium, the plutonium is converted into a mixed oxide (MOX) fuel form wherein it can be disposed in a plurality of different fuel assembly types. Depending on the equilibrium cycle that is required, a predetermined number of one or more of the fuel assembly types are selected and arranged in the core of the reactor in accordance with a selected loading schedule. Each of the fuel assemblies is designed to produce different combustion characteristics whereby the appropriate selection and disposition in the core enables the resulting equilibrium cycle to closely resemble that which is produced using urania fuel. The arrangement of the MOX rods and burnable absorber rods within each of the fuel assemblies, in combination with a selective control of the amount of plutonium which is contained in each of the MOX rods, is used to tailor the combustion characteristics of the assembly. 38 figs.

Mox fuel arrangement for nuclear core

DOEpatents

Kantrowitz, Mark L.; Rosenstein, Richard G.

2001-05-15

In order to use up a stockpile of weapons-grade plutonium, the plutonium is converted into a mixed oxide (MOX) fuel form wherein it can be disposed in a plurality of different fuel assembly types. Depending on the equilibrium cycle that is required, a predetermined number of one or more of the fuel assembly types are selected and arranged in the core of the reactor in accordance with a selected loading schedule. Each of the fuel assemblies is designed to produce different combustion characteristics whereby the appropriate selection and disposition in the core enables the resulting equilibrium cycle to closely resemble that which is produced using urania fuel. The arrangement of the MOX rods and burnable absorber rods within each of the fuel assemblies, in combination with a selective control of the amount of plutonium which is contained in each of the MOX rods, is used to tailor the combustion. characteristics of the assembly.

MOX fuel arrangement for nuclear core

DOEpatents

Kantrowitz, Mark L.; Rosenstein, Richard G.

2001-07-17

In order to use up a stockpile of weapons-grade plutonium, the plutonium is converted into a mixed oxide (MOX) fuel form wherein it can be disposed in a plurality of different fuel assembly types. Depending on the equilibrium cycle that is required, a predetermined number of one or more of the fuel assembly types are selected and arranged in the core of the reactor in accordance with a selected loading schedule. Each of the fuel assemblies is designed to produce different combustion characteristics whereby the appropriate selection and disposition in the core enables the resulting equilibrium cycle to closely resemble that which is produced using urania fuel. The arrangement of the MOX rods and burnable absorber rods within each of the fuel assemblies, in combination with a selective control of the amount of plutonium which is contained in each of the MOX rods, is used to tailor the combustion characteristics of the assembly.

MOX fuel arrangement for nuclear core

DOEpatents

Kantrowitz, Mark L.; Rosenstein, Richard G.

1998-01-01

In order to use up a stockpile of weapons-grade plutonium, the plutonium is converted into a mixed oxide (MOX) fuel form wherein it can be disposed in a plurality of different fuel assembly types. Depending on the equilibrium cycle that is required, a predetermined number of one or more of the fuel assembly types are selected and arranged in the core of the reactor in accordance with a selected loading schedule. Each of the fuel assemblies is designed to produce different combustion characteristics whereby the appropriate selection and disposition in the core enables the resulting equilibrium cycle to closely resemble that which is produced using urania fuel. The arrangement of the MOX rods and burnable absorber rods within each of the fuel assemblies, in combination with a selective control of the amount of plutonium which is contained in each of the MOX rods, is used to tailor the combustion characteristics of the assembly.

Statistical analysis of QC data and estimation of fuel rod behaviour

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heins, L.; Groβ, H.; Nissen, K.; Wunderlich, F.

1991-02-01

The behaviour of fuel rods while in reactor is influenced by many parameters. As far as fabrication is concerned, fuel pellet diameter and density, and inner cladding diameter are important examples. Statistical analyses of quality control data show a scatter of these parameters within the specified tolerances. At present it is common practice to use a combination of superimposed unfavorable tolerance limits (worst case dataset) in fuel rod design calculations. Distributions are not considered. The results obtained in this way are very conservative but the degree of conservatism is difficult to quantify. Probabilistic calculations based on distributions allow the replacement of the worst case dataset by a dataset leading to results with known, defined conservatism. This is achieved by response surface methods and Monte Carlo calculations on the basis of statistical distributions of the important input parameters. The procedure is illustrated by means of two examples.

Influence of implant rod curvature on sagittal correction of scoliosis deformity.

PubMed

Salmingo, Remel Alingalan; Tadano, Shigeru; Abe, Yuichiro; Ito, Manabu

2014-08-01

Deformation of in vivo-implanted rods could alter the scoliosis sagittal correction. To our knowledge, no previous authors have investigated the influence of implanted-rod deformation on the sagittal deformity correction during scoliosis surgery. To analyze the changes of the implant rod's angle of curvature during surgery and establish its influence on sagittal correction of scoliosis deformity. A retrospective analysis of the preoperative and postoperative implant rod geometry and angle of curvature was conducted. Twenty adolescent idiopathic scoliosis patients underwent surgery. Average age at the time of operation was 14 years. The preoperative and postoperative implant rod angle of curvature expressed in degrees was obtained for each patient. Two implant rods were attached to the concave and convex side of the spinal deformity. The preoperative implant rod geometry was measured before surgical implantation. The postoperative implant rod geometry after surgery was measured by computed tomography. The implant rod angle of curvature at the sagittal plane was obtained from the implant rod geometry. The angle of curvature between the implant rod extreme ends was measured before implantation and after surgery. The sagittal curvature between the corresponding spinal levels of healthy adolescents obtained by previous studies was compared with the implant rod angle of curvature to evaluate the sagittal curve correction. The difference between the postoperative implant rod angle of curvature and normal spine sagittal curvature of the corresponding instrumented level was used to evaluate over or under correction of the sagittal deformity. The implant rods at the concave side of deformity of all patients were significantly deformed after surgery. The average degree of rod deformation Δθ at the concave and convex sides was 15.8° and 1.6°, respectively. The average preoperative and postoperative implant rod angle of curvature at the concave side was 33.6° and 17.8°, respectively. The average preoperative and postoperative implant rod angle of curvature at the convex side was 25.5° and 23.9°, respectively. A significant relationship was found between the degree of rod deformation and preoperative implant rod angle of curvature (r=0.60, p<.005). The implant rods at the convex side of all patients did not have significant deformation. The results indicate that the postoperative sagittal outcome could be predicted from the initial rod shape. Changes in implant rod angle of curvature may lead to over- or undercorrection of the sagittal curve. Rod deformation at the concave side suggests that corrective forces acting on that side are greater than the convex side. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Nylon and teflon scribe effect on NBR to Chemlok 233 and NBR to NBR bond interfaces

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jensen, S. K.

1990-01-01

A study was requested by Manufacturing Engineering to determine what effects marking with nylon (6/6) and Teflon scribes may have on subsequent bonding. Witness panel bond specimens were fabricated by the development lab to test both acrylonitrile butadiene rubber (NBR) to Chemlok and NBR to NBR after controlled exposure. The nylon rod used as a scribe tool demonstrates virtually no bond deterioration when used to scribe lines on either the Chemlok to NBR surfaces or the NBR to NBR interface. Lab test results indicate that the nylon rod-exposed samples produce tensile and peel values very similar to the control samples and the Teflon exposed samples produce tensile and peel values much lower than the control samples. Visual observation of the failure surfaces of the tested samples shows that Teflon scribing produces an obvious contamination to the surface and the nylon produces no effect. Photographs of test samples are provided. It is concluded that Teflon stock used as a scribe tool on a Chemlok 233 to NBR surface or an NBR to NBR surface has a detrimental effect on the bond integrity on either of these bond interfaces. Therefore, it is recommended that the nylon rod continue to be used where a scribe line is required in the redesigned solid rocket motor segment insulation layup operations. The use of Teflon scribes should not be considered.

Parareal in time 3D numerical solver for the LWR Benchmark neutron diffusion transient model

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

Baudron, Anne-Marie, E-mail: anne-marie.baudron@cea.fr; CEA-DRN/DMT/SERMA, CEN-Saclay, 91191 Gif sur Yvette Cedex; Lautard, Jean-Jacques, E-mail: jean-jacques.lautard@cea.fr

2014-12-15

In this paper we present a time-parallel algorithm for the 3D neutrons calculation of a transient model in a nuclear reactor core. The neutrons calculation consists in numerically solving the time dependent diffusion approximation equation, which is a simplified transport equation. The numerical resolution is done with finite elements method based on a tetrahedral meshing of the computational domain, representing the reactor core, and time discretization is achieved using a θ-scheme. The transient model presents moving control rods during the time of the reaction. Therefore, cross-sections (piecewise constants) are taken into account by interpolations with respect to the velocity ofmore » the control rods. The parallelism across the time is achieved by an adequate use of the parareal in time algorithm to the handled problem. This parallel method is a predictor corrector scheme that iteratively combines the use of two kinds of numerical propagators, one coarse and one fine. Our method is made efficient by means of a coarse solver defined with large time step and fixed position control rods model, while the fine propagator is assumed to be a high order numerical approximation of the full model. The parallel implementation of our method provides a good scalability of the algorithm. Numerical results show the efficiency of the parareal method on large light water reactor transient model corresponding to the Langenbuch–Maurer–Werner benchmark.« less

Dispersion of Rod-like Particles of Nafion in Salt-Free Water/1-Propanol and Water/Ethanol Solutions.

PubMed

Yamaguchi, Makoto; Matsunaga, Takuro; Amemiya, Kazuki; Ohira, Akihiro; Hasegawa, Naoki; Shinohara, Kazuhiko; Ando, Masaki; Yoshida, Toshihiko

2014-12-26

The dispersion of perfluorinated sulfonic acid ionomers in catalyst inks is an important factor controlling the performance of catalyst layers in membrane electrode assemblies of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). The effect of water/alcohol composition on the dispersion of H-Nafion in water/1-propanol and water/ethanol solutions was studied by dynamic light scattering (DLS), small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), and (19)F nuclear magnetic resonance ((19)F NMR) spectroscopy. Hydrodynamic radii calculated from DLS decay profiles and the radii and interparticle distance of rod-like particles derived from SAXS profiles showed almost the same dependence on alcohol concentration. 1-Propanol was more effective than ethanol to induce changes in the characteristic lengths of the rod-like particles. The motional narrowing in the (19)F NMR spectra by addition of 1-propanol indicates selective solvation of the rod-like particles. We suppose this might have decreased their radii and induced their elongation, which eventually led to extension of the ordered regions as observed in the hydrodynamic radii. Our study helps to clarify the dispersion of Nafion in aqueous alcohol solutions, which has implications for the performance of PEMFCs.

Estimation of free carrier concentrations in high-quality heavily doped GaN:Si micro-rods by photoluminescence and Raman spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mohajerani, M. S.; Khachadorian, S.; Nenstiel, C.; Schimpke, T.; Avramescu, A.; Strassburg, M.; Hoffmann, A.; Waag, A.

2016-03-01

The controlled growth of highly n-doped GaN micro rods is one of the major challenges in the fabrication of recently developed three-dimensional (3D) core-shell light emitting diodes (LEDs). In such structures with a large active area, higher electrical conductivity is needed to achieve higher current density. In this contribution, we introduce high quality heavily-doped GaN:Si micro-rods which are key elements of the newly developed 3D core-shell LEDs. These structures were grown by metal-organic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE) using selective area growth (SAG). We employed spatially resolved micro-Raman and micro-photoluminescence (PL) in order to directly determine a free-carrier concentration profile in individual GaN micro-rods. By Raman spectroscopy, we analyze the low-frequency branch of the longitudinal optical (LO)-phonon-plasmon coupled modes and estimate free carrier concentrations from ≍ 2.4 × 1019 cm-3 up to ≍ 1.5 × 1020 cm-3. Furthermore, free carrier concentrations are determined by estimating Fermi energy level from the near band edge emission measured by low-temperature PL. The results from both methods reveal a good consistency.

Bound states in the continuum and polarization singularities in periodic arrays of dielectric rods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bulgakov, Evgeny N.; Maksimov, Dmitrii N.

2017-12-01

We consider optical bound states in the continuum (BICs) in periodic arrays of dielectric rods. The full classification of BICs in the above system is provided, including the modes propagating along the axes of the rods and bidirectional BICs propagating both along the axes of the rods and the axis of periodicity. It is shown that the leaky zones supporting the BICs generally have elliptically polarized far-field radiation patterns, with the polarization ellipses collapsing on approach to the BICs in momentum space. That allowed us to apply the concept of polarization singularities and demonstrate that the BICs possess a topological charge defined as the winding number of the polarization direction [Phys. Rev. Lett. 113, 257401 (2014), 10.1103/PhysRevLett.113.257401]. It is found that the evolution of the BICs, including their creation and annihilation, under variation of geometric parameters is controlled by the topological charge. Three scenarios of such evolution for different leaky zones are described. Finally, it is shown that the topological properties of the BICs can be extracted from transmission spectra when the system is illuminated by a plane wave of circular polarization.

Control rod drive hydraulic system

DOEpatents

Ose, Richard A.

1992-01-01

A hydraulic system for a control rod drive (CRD) includes a variable output-pressure CR pump operable in a charging mode for providing pressurized fluid at a charging pressure, and in a normal mode for providing the pressurized fluid at a purge pressure, less than the charging pressure. Charging and purge lines are disposed in parallel flow between the CRD pump and the CRD. A hydraulic control unit is disposed in flow communication in the charging line and includes a scram accumulator. An isolation valve is provided in the charging line between the CRD pump and the scram accumulator. A controller is operatively connected to the CRD pump and the isolation valve and is effective for opening the isolation valve and operating the CRD pump in a charging mode for charging the scram accumulator, and closing the isolation valve and operating the CRD pump in a normal mode for providing to the CRD through the purge line the pressurized fluid at a purge pressure lower than the charging pressure.

Ionic liquids-mediated interactions between nanorods

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

Yu, Zhou; Zhang, Fei; Huang, Jingsong

Surface forces mediated by room-temperature ionic liquids (RTILs) play an essential role in diverse applications including self-assembly, lubrication, and electrochemical energy storage. In this work, using molecular simulations we study the interactions between two nanorods immersed in model RTILs at rod-rod separations where both structural and double layer forces are important. The interaction force between neutral rods oscillates as the two rods approach each other, similar to the classical structural forces. Such oscillatory force originates from the density oscillation of RTILs near each rod and is affected by the packing constraints imposed by the neighboring rods. The oscillation period andmore » decay length of the oscillatory force are mainly dictated by the ion density distribution near isolated nanorods. When charges are introduced on the rods, the interaction force remains short-range and oscillatory, similar to the interactions between planar walls mediated by some protic RTILs reported earlier. Nevertheless, introducing net charges to the rods greatly changes the rod-rod interactions, e.g., by delaying the appearance of the first force trough and increasing the oscillation period and decay length of the interaction force. The oscillation period and decay length of the oscillatory force and free energy are commensurate with those of the space charge density near an isolated, charged rod. The free energy of rod-rod interactions reaches local minima (maxima) at rod-rod separations when the space charges near the two rods interfere constructively (destructively). Here, the insight on the short-range interactions between nanorods in RTILs helps guide the design of novel materials, e.g., crystalline ion gels based on rigid-rod polyanions and RTILs.« less

Ionic liquids-mediated interactions between nanorods

DOE PAGES

Yu, Zhou; Zhang, Fei; Huang, Jingsong; ...

2017-10-06

Surface forces mediated by room-temperature ionic liquids (RTILs) play an essential role in diverse applications including self-assembly, lubrication, and electrochemical energy storage. In this work, using molecular simulations we study the interactions between two nanorods immersed in model RTILs at rod-rod separations where both structural and double layer forces are important. The interaction force between neutral rods oscillates as the two rods approach each other, similar to the classical structural forces. Such oscillatory force originates from the density oscillation of RTILs near each rod and is affected by the packing constraints imposed by the neighboring rods. The oscillation period andmore » decay length of the oscillatory force are mainly dictated by the ion density distribution near isolated nanorods. When charges are introduced on the rods, the interaction force remains short-range and oscillatory, similar to the interactions between planar walls mediated by some protic RTILs reported earlier. Nevertheless, introducing net charges to the rods greatly changes the rod-rod interactions, e.g., by delaying the appearance of the first force trough and increasing the oscillation period and decay length of the interaction force. The oscillation period and decay length of the oscillatory force and free energy are commensurate with those of the space charge density near an isolated, charged rod. The free energy of rod-rod interactions reaches local minima (maxima) at rod-rod separations when the space charges near the two rods interfere constructively (destructively). Here, the insight on the short-range interactions between nanorods in RTILs helps guide the design of novel materials, e.g., crystalline ion gels based on rigid-rod polyanions and RTILs.« less

A Novel Real-Time Path Servo Control of a Hardware-in-the-Loop for a Large-Stroke Asymmetric Rod-Less Pneumatic System under Variable Loads.

PubMed

Lin, Hao-Ting

2017-06-04

This project aims to develop a novel large stroke asymmetric pneumatic servo system of a hardware-in-the-loop for path tracking control under variable loads based on the MATLAB Simulink real-time system. High pressure compressed air provided by the air compressor is utilized for the pneumatic proportional servo valve to drive the large stroke asymmetric rod-less pneumatic actuator. Due to the pressure differences between two chambers, the pneumatic actuator will operate. The highly nonlinear mathematical models of the large stroke asymmetric pneumatic system were analyzed and developed. The functional approximation technique based on the sliding mode controller (FASC) is developed as a controller to solve the uncertain time-varying nonlinear system. The MATLAB Simulink real-time system was a main control unit of a hardware-in-the-loop system proposed to establish driver blocks for analog and digital I/O, a linear encoder, a CPU and a large stroke asymmetric pneumatic rod-less system. By the position sensor, the position signals of the cylinder will be measured immediately. The measured signals will be viewed as the feedback signals of the pneumatic servo system for the study of real-time positioning control and path tracking control. Finally, real-time control of a large stroke asymmetric pneumatic servo system with measuring system, a large stroke asymmetric pneumatic servo system, data acquisition system and the control strategy software will be implemented. Thus, upgrading the high position precision and the trajectory tracking performance of the large stroke asymmetric pneumatic servo system will be realized to promote the high position precision and path tracking capability. Experimental results show that fifth order paths in various strokes and the sine wave path are successfully implemented in the test rig. Also, results of variable loads under the different angle were implemented experimentally.

A Novel Real-Time Path Servo Control of a Hardware-in-the-Loop for a Large-Stroke Asymmetric Rod-Less Pneumatic System under Variable Loads

PubMed Central

Lin, Hao-Ting

2017-01-01

This project aims to develop a novel large stroke asymmetric pneumatic servo system of a hardware-in-the-loop for path tracking control under variable loads based on the MATLAB Simulink real-time system. High pressure compressed air provided by the air compressor is utilized for the pneumatic proportional servo valve to drive the large stroke asymmetric rod-less pneumatic actuator. Due to the pressure differences between two chambers, the pneumatic actuator will operate. The highly nonlinear mathematical models of the large stroke asymmetric pneumatic system were analyzed and developed. The functional approximation technique based on the sliding mode controller (FASC) is developed as a controller to solve the uncertain time-varying nonlinear system. The MATLAB Simulink real-time system was a main control unit of a hardware-in-the-loop system proposed to establish driver blocks for analog and digital I/O, a linear encoder, a CPU and a large stroke asymmetric pneumatic rod-less system. By the position sensor, the position signals of the cylinder will be measured immediately. The measured signals will be viewed as the feedback signals of the pneumatic servo system for the study of real-time positioning control and path tracking control. Finally, real-time control of a large stroke asymmetric pneumatic servo system with measuring system, a large stroke asymmetric pneumatic servo system, data acquisition system and the control strategy software will be implemented. Thus, upgrading the high position precision and the trajectory tracking performance of the large stroke asymmetric pneumatic servo system will be realized to promote the high position precision and path tracking capability. Experimental results show that fifth order paths in various strokes and the sine wave path are successfully implemented in the test rig. Also, results of variable loads under the different angle were implemented experimentally. PMID:28587220

Morphological Diversity of the Rod Spherule: A Study of Serially Reconstructed Electron Micrographs

PubMed Central

Li, Shuai; Mitchell, Joe; Briggs, Deidrie J.; Young, Jaime K.; Long, Samuel S.; Fuerst, Peter G.

2016-01-01

Purpose Rod spherules are the site of the first synaptic contact in the retina’s rod pathway, linking rods to horizontal and bipolar cells. Rod spherules have been described and characterized through electron micrograph (EM) and other studies, but their morphological diversity related to retinal circuitry and their intracellular structures have not been quantified. Most rod spherules are connected to their soma by an axon, but spherules of rods on the surface of the Mus musculus outer plexiform layer often lack an axon and have a spherule structure that is morphologically distinct from rod spherules connected to their soma by an axon. Retraction of the rod axon and spherule is often observed in disease processes and aging, and the retracted rod spherule superficially resembles rod spherules lacking an axon. We hypothesized that retracted spherules take on an axonless spherule morphology, which may be easier to maintain in a diseased state. To test our hypothesis, we quantified the spatial organization and subcellular structures of rod spherules with and without axons. We then compared them to the retracted spherules in a disease model, mice that overexpress Dscam (Down syndrome cell adhesion molecule), to gain a better understanding of the rod synapse in health and disease. Methods We reconstructed serial EM images of wild type and DscamGoF (gain of function) rod spherules at a resolution of 7 nm in the X-Y axis and 60 nm in the Z axis. Rod spherules with and without axons, and retracted spherules in the DscamGoF retina, were reconstructed. The rod spherule intracellular organelles, the invaginating dendrites of rod bipolar cells and horizontal cell axon tips were also reconstructed for statistical analysis. Results Stereotypical rod (R1) spherules occupy the outer two-thirds of the outer plexiform layer (OPL), where they present as spherical terminals with large mitochondria. This spherule group is highly uniform and composed more than 90% of the rod spherule population. Rod spherules lacking an axon (R2) were also described and characterized. This rod spherule group consists of a specific spatial organization that is strictly located at the apical OPL-facing layer of the Outer Nuclear Layer (ONL). The R2 spherule displays a large bowl-shaped synaptic terminal that hugs the rod soma. Retracted spherules in the DscamGoF retina were also reconstructed to test if they are structurally similar to R2 spherules. The misplaced rod spherules in DscamGoF have a gross morphology that is similar to R2 spherules but have significant disruption in internal synapse organization. Conclusion We described a morphological diversity within Mus musculus rod spherules. This diversity is correlated with rod location in the ONL and contributes to the intracellular differences within spherules. Analysis of the DscamGoF retina indicated that their R2 spherules are not significantly different than wild type R2 spherules, but that their retracted rod spherules have abnormal synaptic organization. PMID:26930660

Morphological Diversity of the Rod Spherule: A Study of Serially Reconstructed Electron Micrographs.

PubMed

Li, Shuai; Mitchell, Joe; Briggs, Deidrie J; Young, Jaime K; Long, Samuel S; Fuerst, Peter G

2016-01-01

Rod spherules are the site of the first synaptic contact in the retina's rod pathway, linking rods to horizontal and bipolar cells. Rod spherules have been described and characterized through electron micrograph (EM) and other studies, but their morphological diversity related to retinal circuitry and their intracellular structures have not been quantified. Most rod spherules are connected to their soma by an axon, but spherules of rods on the surface of the Mus musculus outer plexiform layer often lack an axon and have a spherule structure that is morphologically distinct from rod spherules connected to their soma by an axon. Retraction of the rod axon and spherule is often observed in disease processes and aging, and the retracted rod spherule superficially resembles rod spherules lacking an axon. We hypothesized that retracted spherules take on an axonless spherule morphology, which may be easier to maintain in a diseased state. To test our hypothesis, we quantified the spatial organization and subcellular structures of rod spherules with and without axons. We then compared them to the retracted spherules in a disease model, mice that overexpress Dscam (Down syndrome cell adhesion molecule), to gain a better understanding of the rod synapse in health and disease. We reconstructed serial EM images of wild type and DscamGoF (gain of function) rod spherules at a resolution of 7 nm in the X-Y axis and 60 nm in the Z axis. Rod spherules with and without axons, and retracted spherules in the DscamGoF retina, were reconstructed. The rod spherule intracellular organelles, the invaginating dendrites of rod bipolar cells and horizontal cell axon tips were also reconstructed for statistical analysis. Stereotypical rod (R1) spherules occupy the outer two-thirds of the outer plexiform layer (OPL), where they present as spherical terminals with large mitochondria. This spherule group is highly uniform and composed more than 90% of the rod spherule population. Rod spherules lacking an axon (R2) were also described and characterized. This rod spherule group consists of a specific spatial organization that is strictly located at the apical OPL-facing layer of the Outer Nuclear Layer (ONL). The R2 spherule displays a large bowl-shaped synaptic terminal that hugs the rod soma. Retracted spherules in the DscamGoF retina were also reconstructed to test if they are structurally similar to R2 spherules. The misplaced rod spherules in DscamGoF have a gross morphology that is similar to R2 spherules but have significant disruption in internal synapse organization. We described a morphological diversity within Mus musculus rod spherules. This diversity is correlated with rod location in the ONL and contributes to the intracellular differences within spherules. Analysis of the DscamGoF retina indicated that their R2 spherules are not significantly different than wild type R2 spherules, but that their retracted rod spherules have abnormal synaptic organization.

78 FR 76815 - Steel Threaded Rod From India: Preliminary Affirmative Countervailing Duty Determination and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-12-19

... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE International Trade Administration [C-533-856] Steel Threaded Rod From... exporters of steel threaded rod from India. The period of investigation (``POI'') is January 1, 2012... this investigation is steel threaded rod. Steel threaded rod is certain threaded rod, bar, or studs, of...

Magnetomechanical properties of composites and fibers made from thermoplastic elastomers (TPE) and carbonyl iron powder (CIP)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schrödner, Mario; Pflug, Günther

2018-05-01

Magnetoactive elastomers (MAE) made from composites of five thermoplastic elastomers (TPE) of different stiffness with carbonyl iron powder (CIP) as magnetic component were investigated. The composites were produced by melt blending of the magnetic particles with the TPEs in a twin-screw extruder. The resulting materials were characterized by ac permeability testing, stress-strain measurements with and without external magnetic field and magnetically controlled bending of long cylindrical rods in a homogenous magnetic field. The magnetic field necessary for deflection of the rods decreases with decreasing modulus and increasing iron particle content. This effect can be used e.g. for magnetically controlled actuation. Some highly filled MAE show a magnetic field induced increase of Young's modulus. Filaments could be spun from some of the composites.

Fatigue Analysis of the Piston Rod in a Kaplan Turbine Based on Crack Propagation under Unsteady Hydraulic Loads

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, X.; Y Luo, Y.; Wang, Z. W.

2014-03-01

As an important component of the blade-control system in Kaplan turbines, piston rods are subjected to fluctuating forces transferred by the turbines blades from hydraulic pressure oscillations. Damage due to unsteady hydraulic loads might generate unexpected down time and high repair cost. In one running hydropower plant, the fracture failure of the piston rod was found twice at the same location. With the transient dynamic analysis, the retainer ring structure of the piston rod existed a relative high stress concentration. This predicted position of the stress concentration agreed well with the actual fracture position in the plant. However, the local strain approach was not able to explain why this position broke frequently. Since traditional structural fatigue analyses use a local stress strain approach to assess structural integrity, do not consider the effect of flaws which can significantly degrade structural life. Using linear elastic fracture mechanism (LEFM) approaches that include the effect of flaws is becoming common practice in many industries. In this research, a case involving a small semi-ellipse crack was taken into account at the stress concentration area, crack growth progress was calculated by FEM. The relationship between crack length and remaining life was obtained. The crack propagation path approximately agreed with the actual fracture section. The results showed that presence of the crack had significantly changed the local stress and strain distributions of the piston rod compared with non-flaw assumption.

EBR-II high-ramp transients under computer control

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

Forrester, R.J.; Larson, H.A.; Christensen, L.J.

1983-01-01

During reactor run 122, EBR-II was subjected to 13 computer-controlled overpower transients at ramps of 4 MWt/s to qualify the facility and fuel for transient testing of LMFBR oxide fuels as part of the EBR-II operational-reliability-testing (ORT) program. A computer-controlled automatic control-rod drive system (ACRDS), designed by EBR-II personnel, permitted automatic control on demand power during the transients.

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

Tamburello, David A.; McWilliams, Anthony J.; Hardy, Bruce J.

Vessel assemblies, heat transfer units for prefabricated vessels, and methods for heat transfer prefabricated vessel are provided. A heat transfer unit includes a central rod, and a plurality of peripheral rods surrounding the central rod and connected to the central rod. The plurality of peripheral rods are movable between a first collapsed position and a second bowed position, wherein in the second bowed position a midpoint of each of the plurality of peripheral rods is spaced from the central rod relative to in the first position. The heat transfer unit further includes a heat transfer element connected to one ofmore » the plurality of peripheral rods.« less

Intraoperative implant rod three-dimensional geometry measured by dual camera system during scoliosis surgery.

PubMed

Salmingo, Remel Alingalan; Tadano, Shigeru; Abe, Yuichiro; Ito, Manabu

2016-05-12

Treatment for severe scoliosis is usually attained when the scoliotic spine is deformed and fixed by implant rods. Investigation of the intraoperative changes of implant rod shape in three-dimensions is necessary to understand the biomechanics of scoliosis correction, establish consensus of the treatment, and achieve the optimal outcome. The objective of this study was to measure the intraoperative three-dimensional geometry and deformation of implant rod during scoliosis corrective surgery.A pair of images was obtained intraoperatively by the dual camera system before rotation and after rotation of rods during scoliosis surgery. The three-dimensional implant rod geometry before implantation was measured directly by the surgeon and after surgery using a CT scanner. The images of rods were reconstructed in three-dimensions using quintic polynomial functions. The implant rod deformation was evaluated using the angle between the two three-dimensional tangent vectors measured at the ends of the implant rod.The implant rods at the concave side were significantly deformed during surgery. The highest rod deformation was found after the rotation of rods. The implant curvature regained after the surgical treatment.Careful intraoperative rod maneuver is important to achieve a safe clinical outcome because the intraoperative forces could be higher than the postoperative forces. Continuous scoliosis correction was observed as indicated by the regain of the implant rod curvature after surgery.

Postoperative magnetic resonance imaging artifact with cobalt-chromium versus titanium spinal instrumentation: presented at the 2013 Joint Spine Section Meeting. Clinical article.

PubMed

Ahmad, Faiz U; Sidani, Charif; Fourzali, Roberto; Wang, Michael Y

2013-11-01

Cobalt-chromium alloy (CoCr) rods haves some preferred biomechanical properties over titanium rods for spinal fixation. The use of CoCr rods in spinal fusion is relatively new, and there is no study in the existing world literature assessing the artifact caused by these rods in patients undergoing postoperative MRI. The purpose of this study is to compare the amount of imaging artifact caused by these implants and to assess its impact on the visualization of neighboring neural structures. This study investigated MR images in patients who underwent implantation of thoracolumbar instrumentation using 5.5-mm-diameter CoCr rods between November 2009 and March 2011 and images obtained in a comparison group of patients who had 5.5-mm titanium rods implanted during the same time period. Axial measurements of the artifact created by the rods between the screw heads were compared between the groups. Two blinded board-certified radiologists performed the measurements independently. They scored the visualization of the spinal canal using a subjective scoring system of 1-3, with 1 representing very good visualization and 2 and 3 representing reduced (good or suboptimal, respectively) visualization as a result of rod-related artifact. All measurements and scores were independently provided for T1-weighted and T2-weighted fast spin echo sequences (1.5-T magnet, 5-mm slice thickness). A total of 40 levels from the CoCr group (6 patients) and 30 levels from the titanium group (9 patients) were included in the analysis. Visualization of the canal at all levels was rated a score of 1 (very good) by both evaluators for both the CoCr and titanium groups. The average artifact on T1-weighted images measured 11.8 ± 1.8 mm for the CoCr group and 8.5 ± 1.2 mm for the titanium group (p < 0.01). The corresponding measurements on T2-weighted images were 11.0 ± 2.3 mm and 8.3 ± 1.7 mm (p < 0.01), respectively. In a mixed regression model, the mean artifact measurement for the CoCr group was, on average, 3.5 mm larger than for the control group. There was no significant difference between the measurements of the 2 evaluators (p = 0.99). The artifact caused by CoCr rods is approximately 3.5 mm larger than that caused by titanium rods on axial T1- and T2-weighted MRI. However, artifact from either CoCr or titanium was not found to interfere with the evaluation of the spinal canal and surrounding neural elements.

76 FR 78882 - Carbon and Certain Alloy Steel Wire Rod From Mexico: Affirmative Preliminary Determination of...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-12-20

... Steel Wire Rod From Mexico: Affirmative Preliminary Determination of Circumvention of the Antidumping.... SUMMARY: We preliminarily determine that carbon and certain alloy steel wire rod (wire rod) with an actual.... de C.V. (Deacero) is circumventing the antidumping duty order on wire rod from Mexico (Wire Rod Order...

Biomechanical advantages of supplemental accessory and satellite rods with and without interbody cages implantation for the stabilization of pedicle subtraction osteotomy.

PubMed

La Barbera, Luigi; Brayda-Bruno, Marco; Liebsch, Christian; Villa, Tomaso; Luca, Andrea; Galbusera, Fabio; Wilke, Hans-Joachim

2018-05-08

To investigate the effect of anterior interbody cages, accessory and satellite rods usage on primary stability and rod strains for PSO stabilization. Seven human cadaveric spine segments (T12-S1) underwent PSO at L4 with posterior fixation from L2 to S1. In vitro flexibility tests were performed under pure moments in flexion/extension (FE), lateral bending (LB) and axial rotation (AR) to determine the range of motion, while measuring the strains on the primary rods with strain gauge rosettes. Six constructs with 2, 3 and 4 rods, with and without interbody cages implantation adjacent to the PSO site, were compared. All constructs had comparable effects in reducing spine kinematics compared to the intact condition (- 94% in FE and LB; - 80% in AR). Supplementation of 2 rods with lateral accessory rods (4 rods) was the most effective strategy in minimizing primary rod strains, particularly when coupled to cages (p ≤ 0.005; - 50% in FE, - 42% in AR and - 11% in LB); even without cages, the strains were significantly reduced (p ≤ 0.009; - 26%, - 37%, - 9%). The addition of a central satellite rod with laminar hooks (3 rods) effectively reduced rod strains in FE (p ≤ 0.005; - 30%) only in combination with cages. The study supports the current clinical practice providing a strong biomechanical rationale to recommend 4-rod constructs based on accessory rods combined with cages adjacent to PSO site. Although weaker, the usage of accessory rods without cages and of a central satellite rod with hooks in combination with interbody spacers may also be justified. These slides can be retrieved under Electronic Supplementary Material.

Conidial Hydrophobins of Aspergillus fumigatus

PubMed Central

Paris, Sophie; Debeaupuis, Jean-Paul; Crameri, Reto; Carey, Marilyn; Charlès, Franck; Prévost, Marie Christine; Schmitt, Christine; Philippe, Bruno; Latgé, Jean Paul

2003-01-01

The surface of Aspergillus fumigatus conidia, the first structure recognized by the host immune system, is covered by rodlets. We report that this outer cell wall layer contains two hydrophobins, RodAp and RodBp, which are found as highly insoluble complexes. The RODA gene was previously characterized, and ΔrodA conidia do not display a rodlet layer (N. Thau, M. Monod, B. Crestani, C. Rolland, G. Tronchin, J. P. Latgé, and S. Paris, Infect. Immun. 62:4380-4388, 1994). The RODB gene was cloned and disrupted. RodBp was highly homologous to RodAp and different from DewAp of A. nidulans. ΔrodB conidia had a rodlet layer similar to that of the wild-type conidia. Therefore, unlike RodAp, RodBp is not required for rodlet formation. The surface of ΔrodA conidia is granular; in contrast, an amorphous layer is present at the surface of the conidia of the ΔrodA ΔrodB double mutant. These data show that RodBp plays a role in the structure of the conidial cell wall. Moreover, rodletless mutants are more sensitive to killing by alveolar macrophages, suggesting that RodAp or the rodlet structure is involved in the resistance to host cells. PMID:12620846

CONTROL SYSTEM

DOEpatents

Shannon, R.H.; Williamson, H.E.

1962-10-30

A boiling water type nuclear reactor power system having improved means of control is described. These means include provisions for either heating the coolant-moderator prior to entry into the reactor or shunting the coolantmoderator around the heating means in response to the demand from the heat engine. These provisions are in addition to means for withdrawing the control rods from the reactor. (AEC)

Nuclear Technology. Course 28: Welding Inspection. Module 28-8, Filler Metal Control.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Espy, John

This eighth in a series of ten modules for a course titled Welding Inspection describes controls necessary to place the proper electrode or rod at each welding station. More specifically, the module describes use of the American Welding Society specifications, control of weld filler material after receipt from the supplier, and methods of ensuring…

Master-slave micromanipulator apparatus

DOEpatents

Morimoto, A.K.; Kozlowski, D.M.; Charles, S.T.; Spalding, J.A.

1999-08-31

An apparatus is disclosed based on precision X-Y stages that are stacked. Attached to arms projecting from each X-Y stage are a set of two axis gimbals. Attached to the gimbals is a rod, which provides motion along the axis of the rod and rotation around its axis. A dual-planar apparatus that provides six degrees of freedom of motion precise to within microns of motion. Precision linear stages along with precision linear motors, encoders, and controls provide a robotics system. The motors can be positioned in a remote location by incorporating a set of bellows on the motors and can be connected through a computer controller that will allow one to be a master and the other one to be a slave. Position information from the master can be used to control the slave. Forces of interaction of the slave with its environment can be reflected back to the motor control of the master to provide a sense of force sensed by the slave. Forces import onto the master by the operator can be fed back into the control of the slave to reduce the forces required to move it. 12 figs.

Master-slave micromanipulator method

DOEpatents

Morimoto, Alan K.; Kozlowski, David M.; Charles, Steven T.; Spalding, James A.

1999-01-01

A method based on precision X-Y stages that are stacked. Attached to arms projecting from each X-Y stage are a set of two axis gimbals. Attached to the gimbals is a rod, which provides motion along the axis of the rod and rotation around its axis. A dual-planar apparatus that provides six degrees of freedom of motion precise to within microns of motion. Precision linear stages along with precision linear motors, encoders, and controls provide a robotics system. The motors can be remotized by incorporating a set of bellows on the motors and can be connected through a computer controller that will allow one to be a master and the other one to be a slave. Position information from the master can be used to control the slave. Forces of interaction of the slave with its environment can be reflected back to the motor control of the master to provide a sense of force sensed by the slave. Forces import onto the master by the operator can be fed back into the control of the slave to reduce the forces required to move it.

Master-slave micromanipulator apparatus

DOEpatents

Morimoto, Alan K.; Kozlowski, David M.; Charles, Steven T.; Spalding, James A.

1999-01-01

An apparatus based on precision X-Y stages that are stacked. Attached to arms projecting from each X-Y stage are a set of two axis gimbals. Attached to the gimbals is a rod, which provides motion along the axis of the rod and rotation around its axis. A dual-planar apparatus that provides six degrees of freedom of motion precise to within microns of motion. Precision linear stages along with precision linear motors, encoders, and controls provide a robotics system. The motors can be positioned in a remote location by incorporating a set of bellows on the motors and can be connected through a computer controller that will allow one to be a master and the other one to be a slave. Position information from the master can be used to control the slave. Forces of interaction of the slave with its environment can be reflected back to the motor control of the master to provide a sense of force sensed by the slave. Forces import onto the master by the operator can be fed back into the control of the slave to reduce the forces required to move it.

Epitaxial growth of quantum rods with high aspect ratio and compositional contrast

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

Li, L. H.; Patriarche, G.; Fiore, A.

2008-12-01

The epitaxial growth of quantum rods (QRs) on GaAs was investigated. It was found that GaAs thickness in the GaAs/InAs superlattice used for QR formation plays a key role in improving the QR structural properties. Increasing the GaAs thickness results in both an increased In compositional contrast between the QRs and surrounding layer, and an increased QR length. QRs with an aspect ratio of up to 10 were obtained, representing quasiquantum wires in a GaAs matrix. Due to modified confinement and strain potential, such nanostructure is promising for controlling gain polarization.

FUEL ROD ASSEMBLY

DOEpatents

Hutter, E.

1959-09-01

A cluster of nuclear fuel rods aod a tubular casing through which a coolant flows in heat-change contact with the ruel rods are described. The casting is of trefoil section and carries the fuel rods, each of which has two fin engaging the serrated fins of the other two fuel rods, whereby the fuel rods are held in the casing and are interlocked against relative longitudinal movement.

Heat transfer unit and method for prefabricated vessel

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

Tamburello, David A.; Kesterson, Matthew R; Hardy, Bruce J.

Vessel assemblies, heat transfer units for prefabricated vessels, and methods for heat transfer prefabricated vessel are provided. A heat transfer unit includes a central rod, and a plurality of peripheral rods surrounding the central rod and connected to the central rod. The plurality of peripheral rods are movable between a first collapsed position and a second bowed position, wherein in the second bowed position a midpoint of each of the plurality of peripheral rods is spaced from the central rod relative to in the first position. The heat transfer unit further includes a heat transfer element connected to one ofmore » the plurality of peripheral rods.« less

Contactless heater floating zone refining and crystal growth

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lan, Chung-Wen (Inventor); Kou, Sindo (Inventor)

1993-01-01

Floating zone refining or crystal growth is carried out by providing rapid relative rotation of a feed rod and finish rod while providing heat to the junction between the two rods so that significant forced convection occurs in the melt zone between the two rods. The forced convection distributes heat in the melt zone to allow the rods to be melted through with a much shorter melt zone length than possible utilizing conventional floating zone processes. One of the rods can be rotated with respect to the other, or both rods can be counter-rotated, with typical relative rotational speeds of the rods ranging from 200 revolutions per minute (RPM) to 400 RPM or greater. Zone refining or crystal growth is carried out by traversing the melt zone through the feed rod.

20. ENGINE/PUMP HOUSE EXTENSION, PUMP NO. 4, HOUSING FOR ECCENTRICS ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

20. ENGINE/PUMP HOUSE EXTENSION, PUMP NO. 4, HOUSING FOR ECCENTRICS THAT CONTROL THE STEAM FOR EAST PISTON LOCATED BELOW THE PISTON CRANKSHAFT HUB AND ABOVE THE THRUST BEARING; CONTROL RODS FOR PISTON NO. 3 LOCATED AT RIGHT. - Deer Island Pumping Station, Boston, Suffolk County, MA

MOLTEN PLUTONIUM FUELED FAST BREEDER REACTOR

DOEpatents

Kiehn, R.M.; King, L.D.P.; Peterson, R.E.; Swickard, E.O. Jr.

1962-06-26

A description is given of a nuclear fast reactor fueled with molten plutonium containing about 20 kg of plutonium in a tantalum container, cooled by circulating liquid sodium at about 600 to 650 deg C, having a large negative temperature coefficient of reactivity, and control rods and movable reflector for criticality control. (AEC)

Stimulus-evoked outer segment changes in rod photoreceptors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Xiaohui; Thapa, Damber; Wang, Benquan; Lu, Yiming; Gai, Shaoyan; Yao, Xincheng

2016-06-01

Rod-dominated transient retinal phototropism (TRP) has been recently observed in freshly isolated mouse and frog retinas. Comparative confocal microscopy and optical coherence tomography revealed that the TRP was predominantly elicited from the rod outer segment (OS). However, the biophysical mechanism of rod OS dynamics is still unknown. Mouse and frog retinal slices, which displayed a cross-section of retinal photoreceptors and other functional layers, were used to test the effect of light stimulation on rod OSs. Time-lapse microscopy revealed stimulus-evoked conformational changes of rod OSs. In the center of the stimulated region, the length of the rod OS shrunk, while in the peripheral region, the rod OS swung toward the center region. Our experimental observation and theoretical analysis suggest that the TRP may reflect unbalanced rod disc-shape changes due to localized visible light stimulation.

Stimulus-evoked outer segment changes in rod photoreceptors

PubMed Central

Zhao, Xiaohui; Thapa, Damber; Wang, Benquan; Lu, Yiming; Gai, Shaoyan; Yao, Xincheng

2016-01-01

Abstract. Rod-dominated transient retinal phototropism (TRP) has been recently observed in freshly isolated mouse and frog retinas. Comparative confocal microscopy and optical coherence tomography revealed that the TRP was predominantly elicited from the rod outer segment (OS). However, the biophysical mechanism of rod OS dynamics is still unknown. Mouse and frog retinal slices, which displayed a cross-section of retinal photoreceptors and other functional layers, were used to test the effect of light stimulation on rod OSs. Time-lapse microscopy revealed stimulus-evoked conformational changes of rod OSs. In the center of the stimulated region, the length of the rod OS shrunk, while in the peripheral region, the rod OS swung toward the center region. Our experimental observation and theoretical analysis suggest that the TRP may reflect unbalanced rod disc-shape changes due to localized visible light stimulation. PMID:27334933

Variation in sensitivity, absorption and density of the central rod distribution with eccentricity.

PubMed

Tornow, R P; Stilling, R

1998-01-01

To assess the human rod photopigment distribution and sensitivity with high spatial resolution within the central +/-15 degrees and to compare the results of pigment absorption, sensitivity and rod density distribution (number of rods per square degree). Rod photopigment density distribution was measured with imaging densitometry using a modified Rodenstock scanning laser ophthalmoscope. Dark-adapted sensitivity profiles were measured with green stimuli (17' arc diameter, 1 degrees spacing) using a T ubingen manual perimeter. Sensitivity profiles were plotted on a linear scale and rod photopigment optical density distribution profiles were converted to absorption profiles of the rod photopigment layer. Both the absorption profile of the rod photopigment and the linear sensitivity profile for green stimuli show a minimum at the foveal center and increase steeply with eccentricity. The variation with eccentricity corresponds to the rod density distribution. Rod photopigment absorption profiles, retinal sensitivity profiles, and the rod density distribution are linearly related within the central +/-15 degrees. This is in agreement with theoretical considerations. Both methods, imaging retinal densitometry using a scanning laser ophthalmoscope and dark-adapted perimetry with small green stimuli, are useful for assessing the central rod distribution and sensitivity. However, at present, both methods have limitations. Suggestions for improving the reliability of both methods are given.

Tapered laser rods as a means of minimizing the path length of trapped barrel mode rays

DOEpatents

Beach, Raymond J.; Honea, Eric C.; Payne, Stephen A.; Mercer, Ian; Perry, Michael D.

2005-08-30

By tapering the diameter of a flanged barrel laser rod over its length, the maximum trapped path length of a barrel mode can be dramatically reduced, thereby reducing the ability of the trapped spontaneous emission to negatively impact laser performance through amplified spontaneous emission (ASE). Laser rods with polished barrels and flanged end caps have found increasing application in diode array end-pumped laser systems. The polished barrel of the rod serves to confine diode array pump light within the rod. In systems utilizing an end-pumping geometry and such polished barrel laser rods, the pump light that is introduced into one or both ends of the laser rod, is ducted down the length of the rod via the total internal reflections (TIRs) that occur when the light strikes the rod's barrel. A disadvantage of using polished barrel laser rods is that such rods are very susceptible to barrel mode paths that can trap spontaneous emission over long path lengths. This trapped spontaneous emission can then be amplified through stimulated emission resulting in a situation where the stored energy available to the desired lasing mode is effectively depleted, which then negatively impacts the laser's performance, a result that is effectively reduced by introducing a taper onto the laser rod.

Fuel rod assembly to manifold attachment

DOEpatents

Donck, Harry A.; Veca, Anthony R.; Snyder, Jr., Harold J.

1980-01-01

A fuel element is formed with a plurality of fuel rod assemblies detachably connected to an overhead support with each of the fuel rod assemblies having a gas tight seal with the support to allow internal fission gaseous products to flow without leakage from the fuel rod assemblies into a vent manifold passageway system on the support. The upper ends of the fuel rod assemblies are located at vertically extending openings in the support and upper threaded members are threaded to the fuel rod assemblies to connect the latter to the support. The preferred threaded members are cap nuts having a dome wall encircling an upper threaded end on the fuel rod assembly and having an upper sealing surface for sealing contact with the support. Another and lower seal is achieved by abutting a sealing surface on each fuel rod assembly with the support. A deformable portion on the cap nut locks the latter against inadvertent turning off the fuel rod assembly. Orienting means on the fuel rod and support primarily locates the fuel rods azimuthally for reception of a deforming tool for the cap nut. A cross port in the fuel rod end plug discharges into a sealed annulus within the support, which serves as a circumferential chamber, connecting the manifold gas passageways in the support.

A scanned focused ultrasound device for hyperthermia: numerical simulation and prototype implementation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meaney, Paul M.; Raynolds, Timothy; Geimer, Shireen D.; Potwin, Lincoln; Paulsen, Keith D.

2004-07-01

We are developing a scanned focused ultrasound system for hyperthermia treatment of breast cancer. Focused ultrasound has significant potential as a therapy delivery device because it can focus sufficient heating energy below the skin surface with minimal damage to intervening tissue. However, as a practical therapy system, the focal zone is generally quite small and requires either electronic (in the case of a phased array system) or mechanical steering (for a fixed bowl transducer) to cover a therapeutically useful area. We have devised a simple automated steering system consisting of a focused bowl transducer supported by three vertically movable rods which are connected to computer controlled linear actuators. This scheme is particularly attractive for breast cancer hyperthermia where the support rods can be fed through the base of a liquid coupling tank to treat tumors within the breast while coupled to our noninvasive microwave thermal imaging system. A MATLAB routine has been developed for controlling the rod motion such that the beam focal point scans a horizontal spiral and the subsequent heating zone is cylindrical. In coordination with this effort, a 3D finite element thermal model has been developed to evaluate the temperature distributions from the scanned focused heating. In this way, scanning protocols can be optimized to deliver the most uniform temperature rise to the desired location.

Pupillary responses in non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy.

PubMed

Park, Jason C; Chen, Yi-Fan; Blair, Norman P; Chau, Felix Y; Lim, Jennifer I; Leiderman, Yannek I; Shahidi, Mahnaz; McAnany, J Jason

2017-03-23

The goal of this study was to determine the extent of rod-, cone-, and melanopsin-mediated pupillary light reflex (PLR) abnormalities in diabetic patients who have non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR). Fifty diabetic subjects who have different stages of NPDR and 25 age-equivalent, non-diabetic controls participated. PLRs were measured in response to full-field, brief-flash stimuli under conditions that target the rod, cone, and intrinsically-photosensitive (melanopsin) retinal ganglion cell pathways. Pupil responses were compared among the subjects groups using age-corrected linear mixed models. Compared to control, the mean baseline pupil diameters were significantly smaller for all patient groups in the dark (all p < 0.001) and for the moderate-severe NPDR group in the light (p = 0.003). Pairwise comparisons indicated: (1) the mean melanopsin-mediated PLR was significantly reduced in the mild and moderate-severe groups (both p < 0.001); (2) the mean cone-mediated PLR was reduced significantly in the moderate-severe group (p = 0.008); (3) no significant differences in the mean rod-mediated responses. The data indicate abnormalities in NPDR patients under conditions that separately assess pupil function driven by different photoreceptor classes. The results provide evidence for compromised neural function in these patients and provide a promising approach for quantifying their neural abnormalities.

Benchmark of Atucha-2 PHWR RELAP5-3D control rod model by Monte Carlo MCNP5 core calculation

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

Pecchia, M.; D'Auria, F.; Mazzantini, O.

2012-07-01

Atucha-2 is a Siemens-designed PHWR reactor under construction in the Republic of Argentina. Its geometrical complexity and peculiarities require the adoption of advanced Monte Carlo codes for performing realistic neutronic simulations. Therefore core models of Atucha-2 PHWR were developed using MCNP5. In this work a methodology was set up to collect the flux in the hexagonal mesh by which the Atucha-2 core is represented. The scope of this activity is to evaluate the effect of obliquely inserted control rod on neutron flux in order to validate the RELAP5-3D{sup C}/NESTLE three dimensional neutron kinetic coupled thermal-hydraulic model, applied by GRNSPG/UNIPI formore » performing selected transients of Chapter 15 FSAR of Atucha-2. (authors)« less

Nuclear fuel element nut retainer cup. [PWR

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

Walton, L.A.

1977-07-19

A typical embodiment has an end fitting for a nuclear reactor fuel element that is joined to the control rod guide tubes by means of a nut plate assembly. The nut plate assembly has an array of nuts, each engaging the respective threaded end of the control rod guide tubes. The nuts, moreover, are retained on the plate during handling and before fuel element assembly by means of hollow cylindrical locking cups that are brazed to the plate and loosely circumscribe the individual enclosed nuts. After the nuts are threaded onto the respective guide tube ends, the locking cups aremore » partially deformed to prevent one or more of the nuts from working loose during reactor operation. The locking cups also prevent loose or broken end fitting parts from becoming entrained in the reactor coolant.« less

Preparation of monotectic alloys having a controlled microstructure by directional solidification under dopant-induced interface breakdown

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Parr, R. A.; Johnston, M. H.; Mcclure, J. C.

1980-01-01

Monotectic alloys having aligned spherical particles of rods of the minor component dispersed in a matrix of the major component are prepared by forming a melt containing predetermined amounts of the major and minor components of a chosen monotectic system, providing in the melt a dopant capable of breaking down the liquid solid interface for the chosen alloy, and directionally solidfying the melt at a selected temperature gradient and a selected rate of movement of the liquid-solid interface (growth rate). Shaping of the minor component into spheres or rods and the spacing between them are controlled by the amount of dopant and the temperature gradient and growth rate values. Specific alloy systems include Al Bi, Al Pb and Zn Bi, using a transition element such as iron.

Experimental study on the strength of double shear timber connection using bamboo dowel fastener

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anshari, Buan; Sugiartha, Wayan; Mahmud, Fathmah; Rofaida, Aryani; Pathurrahman

2017-11-01

Utilization of timber and bamboo as building materials was very promising for now and future. As renewable resources they have high mechanical properties, lightweight, environmentally friendly and economic. Utilization of bamboo as connector was rarely published. Therefore, this study focused on utilization of non-metal material as connector in timber structure especially for beam and column. This research was conducted in the laboratory to examine the strength of double shear timber connection by using glued in rods (bamboo dowel) as connector with variation of adhesive thickness. As control specimen was used bamboo dowel Ø14 mm without adhesive in double shear connection. The results showed that the strength of double shear timber connection by using glued in rods (bamboo dowel) as connector could increased by 41% to resist axial force higher than the control one.

Application of the Monte Carlo method to estimate doses due to neutron activation of different materials in a nuclear reactor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ródenas, José

2017-11-01

All materials exposed to some neutron flux can be activated independently of the kind of the neutron source. In this study, a nuclear reactor has been considered as neutron source. In particular, the activation of control rods in a BWR is studied to obtain the doses produced around the storage pool for irradiated fuel of the plant when control rods are withdrawn from the reactor and installed into this pool. It is very important to calculate these doses because they can affect to plant workers in the area. The MCNP code based on the Monte Carlo method has been applied to simulate activation reactions produced in the control rods inserted into the reactor. Obtained activities are introduced as input into another MC model to estimate doses produced by them. The comparison of simulation results with experimental measurements allows the validation of developed models. The developed MC models have been also applied to simulate the activation of other materials, such as components of a stainless steel sample introduced into a training reactors. These models, once validated, can be applied to other situations and materials where a neutron flux can be found, not only nuclear reactors. For instance, activation analysis with an Am-Be source, neutrography techniques in both medical applications and non-destructive analysis of materials, civil engineering applications using a Troxler, analysis of materials in decommissioning of nuclear power plants, etc.

Spinel and orthopyroxene exsolved from clinopyroxene in the Haladala pluton in the middle Tianshan (Xinjiang, China)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Yongfeng; Chen, Jing; Xue, Yunxin; Feng, Wanyi; Jiang, Jiuyang

2017-12-01

The Haladala pluton, consisting of troctolite, olivine gabbro and gabbro with zircon SHRIMP U-Pb age of 309 ± 2 Ma (MSWD = 0.72), intruded the Devonian-Carboniferous arc segments in the middle Tianshan. Amphibole, coexisting with magnetite, amphibole, and phlogopite, crystallized in a magma chamber at depth of 20 km (6.9-7.4 kbar, 934-943 °C) based on various thermobaramoters. Two kinds of exsolution textures (spinel rods in clinopyroxene, orthopyroxene lamellae in clinopyroxene) occur in troctolite and olivine gabbro. We describe oriented spinel rods and orthopyroxene lamellae exsolved from the host clinopyroxene based on optical and high-resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM) observations. The spinel rods (100) are parallel to their host clinopyroxene (010). Orthopyroxene lamellae (010) are coherent and strictly parallel to their host clinopyroxene (010). Exsolution of spinel rods from the host clinopyroxene is controlled by the reaction of (Ca0.5M2+ 0.5)Fe3+[AlSiO6]in clinopyroxene → (Ca0.86-0.17M2+ 0.14-0.17)(M2 + 1.00-0.96Al0-0.04)[Al0.17-0.10Si1.83-1.90O6] + Fe3O4 + O2.

The Moment of Inertia of a Rectangular Rod

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takeuchi, Takao

2007-11-01

Recently an inexpensive setup to obtain the moment of inertia of a rotating system was proposed by Peter E. Banks. An equally simple and inexpensive experiment to obtain the moment of inertia of a uniform rod is proposed in this paper. A rectangular rod with a hole somewhere in the rod was used for this purpose. The moment of inertia of a rectangular rod around the hole location was attempted. The experimental setup is shown in Fig. 1. Various supporting rods, clamps, and rubber stoppers to hold the rectangular rod in place at point p are not shown.

Nuclear thermionic converter. [tungsten-thorium oxide rods

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Phillips, W. M.; Mondt, J. F. (Inventor)

1977-01-01

Efficient nuclear reactor thermionic converter units are described which can be constructed at low cost and assembled in a reactor which requires a minimum of fuel. Each converter unit utilizes an emitter rod with a fluted exterior, several fuel passages located in the bulges that are formed in the rod between the flutes, and a collector receiving passage formed through the center of the rod. An array of rods is closely packed in an interfitting arrangement, with the bulges of the rods received in the recesses formed between the bulges of other rods, thereby closely packing the nuclear fuel. The rods are constructed of a mixture of tungsten and thorium oxide to provide high power output, high efficiency, high strength, and good machinability.

Lightning discharge protection rod

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bryan, Charles F., Jr. (Inventor)

1987-01-01

A system for protecting an in-air vehicle from damage due to a lighning strike is disclosed. It is an extremely simple device consisting of a sacrificial graphite composite rod, approximately the diameter of a pencil with a length of about five inches. The sacrificial rod is constructed with the graphite fibers running axially within the rod in a manner that best provides a path of conduction axially from the trailing edge of an aircraft to the trailing end of the rod. The sacrificial rod is inserted into an attachment hole machined into trailing edges of aircraft flight surfaces, such as a vertical fin cap and attached with adhesive in a manner not prohibiting the conduction path between the rod and the aircraft. The trailing end of the rod may be tapered for aerodynamic and esthetic requirements. This rod is sacrificial but has the capability to sustain several lightning strikes and still provide protection.

Thermomechanical effects of spine surgery rods composed of different metals and alloys.

PubMed

Noshchenko, Andriy; Patel, Vikas V; Baldini, Todd; Yun, Lu; Lindley, Emily M; Burger, Evalina L

2011-05-15

A basic science study monitoring changes in the curvature of hand contoured commercially pure titanium (CPTi), titanium-aluminum-vanadium alloy (Ti-6Al-4V), and stainless steel (SS) rods maintained at different temperature conditions. To quantify changes in rod-shape at temperatures representative of those used in clinical practice. The shape of implanted rods can be displaced due to thermo-mechanical properties of the materials. Warmer temperatures likely initiate this effect. A study of shape loss characteristics of various rod implants may help eliminate undesirable outcomes caused by shape displacement. Three different types of rods (CPTi, SS, and Ti-6Al-4V) were hand contoured and then maintained in one of following temperature conditions for 35 days: (1) room temperature (20 °C-25 °C) without autoclaving before contouring; (2) preliminary autoclaving (1, 5, 10, 20 cycles) at 135.0 °C ± 2 °C before contouring followed by body temperature (37.2 °C ± 2 °C). Each rod was 5 mm in diameter and 200 mm long. The rods were mounted over graph paper in fixed positions and photographed to measure displacement of the tip as a function of the curvature. RESULTS.: Statistically significant shape loss of the rods manufactured from all the tested materials was found. The hand contoured CPTi rods displayed considerably higher loss of curvature over time than Ti-6Al-4V and SS rods at all tested temperature conditions. Preliminary autoclaving at 135 °C before contouring tended to amplify this effect, in particular 1 cycle of autoclaving. If the number of preliminary autoclaving cycles was higher (5-10), a tendency of decrease of shape loss effect was observed in Ti-6Al-4V and CPTi rods. The shape of the hand contoured CPTi rods was the least stable of the rods across all applied temperature conditions. The SS and Ti-6Al-4V rods were more stable than CPTi rods. Autoclaving before handcontouring tended to increase rods' shape loss.

Spatiotemporal regulation of ATP and Ca2+ dynamics in vertebrate rod and cone ribbon synapses

PubMed Central

Johnson, Jerry E.; Perkins, Guy A.; Giddabasappa, Anand; Chaney, Shawntay; Xiao, Weimin; White, Andrew D.; Brown, Joshua M.; Waggoner, Jenna; Ellisman, Mark H.

2007-01-01

Purpose In conventional neurons, Ca2+ enters presynaptic terminals during an action potential and its increased local concentration triggers transient exocytosis. In contrast, vertebrate photoreceptors are nonspiking neurons that maintain sustained depolarization and neurotransmitter release from ribbon synapses in darkness and produce light-dependent graded hyperpolarizing responses. Rods transmit single photon responses with high fidelity, whereas cones are less sensitive and exhibit faster response kinetics. These differences are likely due to variations in presynaptic Ca2+ dynamics. Metabolic coupling and cross-talk between mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum (ER), plasma membrane Ca2+ ATPase (PMCA), and Na+-Ca2+ exchanger (NCX) coordinately control presynaptic ATP production and Ca2+ dynamics. The goal of our structural and functional studies was to determine the spatiotemporal regulation of ATP and Ca2+ dynamics in rod spherules and cone pedicles. Methods Central retina tissue from C57BL/6 mice was used. Laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM) experiments were conducted on fixed-frozen vertical sections. Primary antibodies were selected for their tissue/cellular specificity and ability to recognize single, multiple or all splice variants of selected isoforms. Electron microscopy (EM) and 3-D electron tomography (ET) studies used our standard procedures on thin- and thick-sectioned retinas, respectively. Calibrated fluo-3-Ca2+ imaging experiments of dark- and light-adapted rod and cone terminals in retinal slices were conducted. Results Confocal microscopy showed that mitochondria, ER, PMCA, and NCX1 exhibited distinct retinal lamination patterns and differential distribution in photoreceptor synapses. Antibodies for three distinct mitochondrial compartments differentially labeled retinal areas with high metabolic demand: rod and cone inner segments, previously undescribed cone juxtanuclear mitochondria and the two plexiform layers. Rod spherule membranes uniformly and intensely stained for PMCA, whereas the larger cone pedicles preferentially stained for NCX1 at their active zones and PMCA near their mitochondria. EM and ET revealed that mitochondria in rod spherules and cone pedicles differed markedly in their number, location, size, volume, and total cristae surface area, and cristae junction diameter. Rod spherules had one large ovoid mitochondrion located near its active zone, whereas cone pedicles averaged five medium-sized mitochondria clustered far from their active zones. Most spherules had one ribbon synapse, whereas pedicles contained numerous ribbon synapses. Fluo-3 imaging studies revealed that during darkness rod spherules maintained a lower [Ca2+] than cone pedicles, whereas during light adaptation pedicles rapidly lowered their [Ca2+] below that observed in spherules. Conclusions These findings indicate that ATP demand and mitochondrial ATP production are greater in cone pedicles than rod spherules. Rod spherules employ high affinity/low turnover PMCA and their mitochondrion to maintain a relatively low [Ca2+] in darkness, which increases their sensitivity and signal-to-noise ratio. In contrast, cone pedicles utilize low affinity/high turnover NCX to rapidly lower their high [Ca2+] during light adaptation, which increases their response kinetics. Spatiotemporal fluo-3-Ca2+ imaging results support our immunocytochemical results. The clustering of cone pedicle mitochondria likely provides increased protection from Ca2+ overload and permeability transition. In summary, these novel studies reveal that several integrated cellular and subcellular components interact to regulate ATP and Ca2+ dynamics in rod and cone synaptic terminals. These results should provide a greater understanding of in vivo photoreceptor synaptic terminal exocytosis/endocytosis, Ca2+ overload and therapies for retinal degenerations. PMID:17653034

Spatiotemporal regulation of ATP and Ca2+ dynamics in vertebrate rod and cone ribbon synapses.

PubMed

Johnson, Jerry E; Perkins, Guy A; Giddabasappa, Anand; Chaney, Shawntay; Xiao, Weimin; White, Andrew D; Brown, Joshua M; Waggoner, Jenna; Ellisman, Mark H; Fox, Donald A

2007-06-15

In conventional neurons, Ca2+ enters presynaptic terminals during an action potential and its increased local concentration triggers transient exocytosis. In contrast, vertebrate photoreceptors are nonspiking neurons that maintain sustained depolarization and neurotransmitter release from ribbon synapses in darkness and produce light-dependent graded hyperpolarizing responses. Rods transmit single photon responses with high fidelity, whereas cones are less sensitive and exhibit faster response kinetics. These differences are likely due to variations in presynaptic Ca2+ dynamics. Metabolic coupling and cross-talk between mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum (ER), plasma membrane Ca2+ ATPase (PMCA), and Na+-Ca2+ exchanger (NCX) coordinately control presynaptic ATP production and Ca2+ dynamics. The goal of our structural and functional studies was to determine the spatiotemporal regulation of ATP and Ca2+ dynamics in rod spherules and cone pedicles. Central retina tissue from C57BL/6 mice was used. Laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM) experiments were conducted on fixed-frozen vertical sections. Primary antibodies were selected for their tissue/cellular specificity and ability to recognize single, multiple or all splice variants of selected isoforms. Electron microscopy (EM) and 3-D electron tomography (ET) studies used our standard procedures on thin- and thick-sectioned retinas, respectively. Calibrated fluo-3-Ca2+ imaging experiments of dark- and light-adapted rod and cone terminals in retinal slices were conducted. Confocal microscopy showed that mitochondria, ER, PMCA, and NCX1 exhibited distinct retinal lamination patterns and differential distribution in photoreceptor synapses. Antibodies for three distinct mitochondrial compartments differentially labeled retinal areas with high metabolic demand: rod and cone inner segments, previously undescribed cone juxtanuclear mitochondria and the two plexiform layers. Rod spherule membranes uniformly and intensely stained for PMCA, whereas the larger cone pedicles preferentially stained for NCX1 at their active zones and PMCA near their mitochondria. EM and ET revealed that mitochondria in rod spherules and cone pedicles differed markedly in their number, location, size, volume, and total cristae surface area, and cristae junction diameter. Rod spherules had one large ovoid mitochondrion located near its active zone, whereas cone pedicles averaged five medium-sized mitochondria clustered far from their active zones. Most spherules had one ribbon synapse, whereas pedicles contained numerous ribbon synapses. Fluo-3 imaging studies revealed that during darkness rod spherules maintained a lower [Ca2+] than cone pedicles, whereas during light adaptation pedicles rapidly lowered their [Ca2+] below that observed in spherules. These findings indicate that ATP demand and mitochondrial ATP production are greater in cone pedicles than rod spherules. Rod spherules employ high affinity/low turnover PMCA and their mitochondrion to maintain a relatively low [Ca2+] in darkness, which increases their sensitivity and signal-to-noise ratio. In contrast, cone pedicles utilize low affinity/high turnover NCX to rapidly lower their high [Ca2+] during light adaptation, which increases their response kinetics. Spatiotemporal fluo-3-Ca2+ imaging results support our immunocytochemical results. The clustering of cone pedicle mitochondria likely provides increased protection from Ca2+ overload and permeability transition. In summary, these novel studies reveal that several integrated cellular and subcellular components interact to regulate ATP and Ca2+ dynamics in rod and cone synaptic terminals. These results should provide a greater understanding of in vivo photoreceptor synaptic terminal exocytosis/endocytosis, Ca2+ overload and therapies for retinal degenerations.

A novel four-bar linkage prosthetic knee based on magnetorheological effect: principle, structure, simulation and control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Lei; Wang, Dai-Hua; Fu, Qiang; Yuan, Gang; Hu, Lei-Zi

2016-11-01

In this paper, the principle and structure of the four-bar linkage prosthetic knee based on the magnetorheological effect (FLPKME) are proposed and realized by individually integrating the upper and lower link rods of the four-bar linkage with the piston rod and the outer cylinder of the magnetorheological (MR) damper. The integrated MR damper, in which the MR fluid is operated in the shear mode, has a double-ended structure. The prototype of the FLPKME is designed and fabricated. Utilizing the developed FLPKME, the lower limb prosthesis is developed, modeled, and simulated. On these bases, the control algorithm for the FLPKME is developed. A test platform for the FLPKME is developed and the performance of the FLPKME with seven constant currents and controlled currents by the control algorithm developed in this paper are experimentally tested. The results show that the FLPKME with a constant current of 1.6 A possesses the basic stable gait, and the FLPKME with the controlled currents by the control algorithm developed in this paper is able to track the motions well and to imitate the natural motions of a healthy human knee joint.

Cell Death Pathways in Mutant Rhodopsin Rat Models Identifies Genotype-Specific Targets Controlling Retinal Degeneration.

PubMed

Viringipurampeer, Ishaq A; Gregory-Evans, Cheryl Y; Metcalfe, Andrew L; Bashar, Emran; Moritz, Orson L; Gregory-Evans, Kevin

2018-06-18

Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a group of inherited neurological disorders characterized by rod photoreceptor cell death, followed by secondary cone cell death leading to progressive blindness. Currently, there are no viable treatment options for RP. Due to incomplete knowledge of the molecular signaling pathways associated with RP pathogenesis, designing therapeutic strategies remains a challenge. In particular, preventing secondary cone photoreceptor cell loss is a key goal in designing potential therapies. In this study, we identified the main drivers of rod cell death and secondary cone loss in the transgenic S334ter rhodopsin rat model, tested the efficacy of specific cell death inhibitors on retinal function, and compared the effect of combining drugs to target multiple pathways in the S334ter and P23H rhodopsin rat models. The primary driver of early rod cell death in the S334ter model was a caspase-dependent process, whereas cone cell death occurred though RIP3-dependent necroptosis. In comparison, rod cell death in the P23H model was via necroptotic signaling, whereas cone cell loss occurred through inflammasome activation. Combination therapy of four drugs worked better than the individual drugs in the P23H model but not in the S334ter model. These differences imply that treatment modalities need to be tailored for each genotype. Taken together, our data demonstrate that rationally designed genotype-specific drug combinations will be an important requisite to effectively target primary rod cell loss and more importantly secondary cone survival.

Chain Reacting System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fermi, Enrico; Leverett, Miles C.

This Patent focuses mainly on the description of an automatic system for the control rods in a nuclear reactor (in the present case made of natural uranium and graphite) reporting, aside from several related theoretical points (already considered in previous Patents), a detailed description of it. Since the reproduction ratio of a lattice structure is reduced by the presence of neutron absorbing impurities, such impurities can be introduced in the lattice in the form of control rods, made of a material such as boron or cadmium, which will absorb large amounts of neutrons. The control procedure is based on the fact that the depth to which the control rod penetrates into the lattice will determine the value of the neutron density in the system. This relatively simple task faces the fact that the reproduction ratio of the structure can change due to changes in temperature and pressure in the system. So, a connection of the control rods with an ionization chamber, measuring neutron density, can give an automatic control of the stability of the chain reaction. Moreover, an emergency circuit for operating the safety rods is illustrated in this Patent, and, in case of failure of both the control and emergency circuits, a third automatic circuit is depicted which causes the dump of a portion of the lattice structure for interrupting the neutron density rise. In a system of the type considered, about 92 percent of the total heat generated originates in the uranium toward the center of the lattice, about 6 percent originates in the graphite used as slowing medium, and the remaining 2 percent is generated in the structures surrounding the pile. Accordingly, the permissible power output of the reactor is limited by the rate of heat removal, so that, to prevent the accumulation of heat in the chain reaction pile, a coolant into contact with the uranium must be employed. However, the corrosive effect on uranium of the possible coolants has to be taken into account, because the presence in the system of high temperatures and intense neutron densities causes an acceleration of any normal rate of corrosion, resulting in the physical deterioration of the uranium in the system. It is essential, then, that the circulating medium be of such a character as not to destroy the uranium bodies in the system. In the present case, the cooling medium is gaseous helium circulating in the active regions of the reactor, which has the advantage of minimizing the possible corrosion of the fissile material, since it is an inert gas, and the absorption of neutrons. However, other possible choices, affecting the determination of the multiplication factor, for the coolant gas (such as air, oxigen or water vapor) are discussed as well in terms of their "danger coefficients", defined in terms of the ratio of the weight of impurity per unit mass of uranium and based on the cross section for absorption of thermal neutrons of the various elements [Fermi (1942a)]. The discussion of some methods of cooling chain reacting piles was initiated in [Fermi (1942g)], but no reference published paper exists of the material presented here.

Developing rods transplanted into the degenerating retina of Crx-knockout mice exhibit neural activity similar to native photoreceptors

PubMed Central

Homma, Kohei; Okamoto, Satoshi; Mandai, Michiko; Gotoh, Norimoto; Rajasimha, Harsha K.; Chang, Yi-Sheng; Chen, Shan; Li, Wei; Cogliati, Tiziana; Swaroop, Anand; Takahashi, Masayo

2013-01-01

Replacement of dysfunctional or dying photoreceptors offers a promising approach for retinal neurodegenerative diseases, including age-related macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa. Several studies have demonstrated the integration and differentiation of developing rod photoreceptors when transplanted in wild type or degenerating retina; however, the physiology and function of the donor cells are not adequately defined. Here, we describe the physiological properties of developing rod photoreceptors that are tagged with GFP driven by the promoter of rod differentiation factor, Nrl. GFP-tagged developing rods show Ca2+ responses and rectifier outward currents that are smaller than those observed in fully developed photoreceptors, suggesting their immature developmental state. These immature rods also exhibit hyperpolarization-activated current (Ih) induced by the activation of hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated (HCN) channels. When transplanted into the subretinal space of wild type or retinal degeneration mice, GFP-tagged developing rods can integrate into the photoreceptor outer nuclear layer in wild-type mouse retina, and exhibit Ca2+ responses and membrane current comparable to native rod photoreceptors. A proportion of grafted rods develop rhodopsin-positive outer segment-like structures within two weeks after transplantation into the retina of Crx-knockout mice, and produce rectifier outward current and Ih upon membrane depolarization and hyperpolarization. GFP-positive rods derived from induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells also display similar membrane current Ih as native developing rod photoreceptors, express rod-specific phototransduction genes, and HCN-1 channels. We conclude that Nrl-promoter driven GFP-tagged donor photoreceptors exhibit physiological characteristics of rods and that iPS cell-derived rods in vitro may provide a renewable source for cell replacement therapy. PMID:23495178

Analysis of the causes of recurrence after frontalis suspension using silicone rods for congenital ptosis

PubMed Central

Kim, Chang Yeom; Son, Byeong Jae; Son, Jangyup; Hong, Jongill; Lee, Sang Yeul

2017-01-01

Background Silicone rod is a commonly used synthetic suspension material in frontalis suspension surgery to correct blepharoptosis. The most challenging problem and a decisive drawback of the use of silicone rod is a considerable rate of ptosis recurrence after surgery. We examined patients with recurred ptosis and assessed the physical and micromorphological properties of implanted silicone rods to determine the causative mechanisms of recurred ptosis after frontalis suspension using silicone rod. Methods This is a prospective observational case series of 22 pediatric patients with recurred ptosis after frontalis suspension using silicone rods for congenital ptosis. Implanted silicone rods were observed and removed during the operation for correction of recurred ptosis. The removed silicone rods were physically and micromorphologically evaluated to determine the cause of recurrence. Results Pretarsal fixation positions migrated upward, whereas suprabrow fixation positions migrated downward during ptosis recurrence. The breaking strength of implanted silicone rods was reduced by approximately 50% during 3 years. Cracks, debris, and loss of homogenous structure with disintegration were observed on scanning electron micrographs of implanted silicone rods in patients with recurred ptosis. Preoperative severe degree of ptosis also contributed to recurred ptosis. Conclusions Recurrence of ptosis after frontalis suspension using silicone rod was associated with physical changes of implanted silicone rods, including positional migration, weakened tensile strength, and micromorphological changes in combination with patients’ characteristics. PMID:28207846

Improvement in J{sub c} performance below liquid nitrogen temperature for SmBa{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub y} superconducting films with BaHfO{sub 3} nano-rods controlled by low-temperature growth

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

Miura, S., E-mail: miura-syun12@ees.nagoya-u.ac.jp; Yoshida, Y.; Ichino, Y.

For use in high-magnetic-field coil-based applications, the critical current density (J{sub c}) of REBa{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub y} (REBCO, where RE = rare earth) coated conductors must be isotropically improved, with respect to the direction of the magnetic field; these improvements must be realized at the operating conditions of these applications. In this study, improvement of the J{sub c} for various applied directions of magnetic field was achieved by controlling the morphology of the BaHfO{sub 3} (BHO) nano-rods in a SmBCO film. We fabricated the 3.0 vol. % BHO-doped SmBCO film at a low growth temperature of 720 °C, by using amore » seed layer technique (T{sub s} = 720 °C film). The low-temperature growth resulted in a morphological change in the BHO nano-rods. In fact, a high number density of (3.1 ± 0.1) × 10{sup 3} μm{sup −2} of small (diameter: 4 ± 1 nm), discontinuous nano-rods that grew in various directions, was obtained. In J{sub c} measurements, the J{sub c} of the T{sub s} = 720 °C film in all directions of the applied magnetic field was higher than that of the non-doped SmBCO film. The J{sub c}{sup min} (6.4 MA/cm{sup 2}) of the former was more than 6 times higher than that (1.0 MA/cm{sup 2}) of the latter at 40 K, under 3 T. The aforementioned results indicated that the discontinuous BHO nano-rods, which occurred with a high number density, exerted a 3D-like flux pinning at the measurement conditions considered. Moreover, at 4.2 K and under 17 T, a flux pinning force density of 1.6 TN/m{sup 3} was realized; this value was comparable to the highest value recorded, to date.« less

78 FR 79670 - Steel Threaded Rod From Thailand: Preliminary Determination of Sales at Less Than Fair Value and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-12-31

... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE International Trade Administration [A-549-831] Steel Threaded Rod From... ``Department'') preliminarily determines that steel threaded rod from Thailand is being, or is likely to be... Investigation The merchandise covered by this investigation is steel threaded rod. Steel threaded rod is certain...

Controlled release of vancomycin from thin sol-gel films on implant surfaces successfully controls osteomyelitis.

PubMed

Adams, Christopher S; Antoci, Valentin; Harrison, Gerald; Patal, Payal; Freeman, Terry A; Shapiro, Irving M; Parvizi, Javad; Hickok, Noreen J; Radin, Shula; Ducheyne, Paul

2009-06-01

Peri-prosthetic infection remains a serious complication of joint replacement surgery. Herein, we demonstrate that a vancomycin-containing sol-gel film on Ti alloy rods can successfully treat bacterial infections in an animal model. The vancomycin-containing sol-gel films exhibited predictable release kinetics, while significantly inhibiting S. aureus adhesion. When evaluated in a rat osteomyelitis model, microbiological analysis indicated that the vancomycin-containing sol-gel film caused a profound decrease in S. aureus number. Radiologically, while the control side showed extensive bone degradation, including abscesses and an extensive periosteal reaction, rods coated with the vancomycin-containing sol-gel film resulted in minimal signs of infection. MicroCT analysis confirmed the radiological results, while demonstrating that the vancomycin-containing sol-gel film significantly protected dense bone from resorption and minimized remodeling. These results clearly demonstrate that this novel thin sol-gel technology can be used for the targeted delivery of antibiotics for the treatment of periprosthetic as well as other bone infections. Copyright 2008 Orthopaedic Research Society

Management of lower-extremity deformities in osteogenesis imperfecta with extensible intramedullary rod technique: a 20-year experience.

PubMed

Luhmann, S J; Sheridan, J J; Capelli, A M; Schoenecker, P L

1998-01-01

Twelve patients (seven boys, five girls) who had osteogenesis imperfecta were treated with an extensible-rod system in 21 femurs and 15 tibias. Indications for use of extensible rods were multiple fractures, long-bone deformity prohibiting bracing and ambulation, and significant remaining linear growth. The average patient age at the time of placement of the extensible rods was 6 + 8 years (range, 2 + 4-10 + 10). Six femurs were treated with overlapping Rush rods; Bailey-Dubow rods were used in the remaining femurs and in all tibias. The average length of follow-up was 5 + 9 years (range, 2 + 0-3 + 2). Preoperatively, four of the 12 patients had never walked; postoperatively, all were ambulators with varying levels of assistance. Fourteen complications occurred, 12 of which required operative revision of the extensible rods. The average time between primary extensible rodding and revision was 5 + 1 years. No complications have occurred to date related to the use of overlapping Rush rods. No growth disturbance resulted from the use of the extensible-rod systems.

Extended linear ion trap frequency standard apparatus

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Prestage, John D. (Inventor)

1995-01-01

A linear ion trap for frequency standard applications is provided with a plurality of trapping rods equally spaced and applied quadruple rf voltages for radial confinement of atomic ions and biased level pins at each end for axial confinement of the ions. The trapping rods are divided into two linear ion trap regions by a gap in each rod in a common radial plane to provide dc discontinuity, thus dc isolating one region from the other. A first region for ion-loading and preparation fluorescence is biased with a dc voltage to transport ions into a second region for resonance frequency comparison with a local oscillator derived frequency while the second region is held at zero voltage. The dc bias voltage of the regions is reversed for transporting the ions back into the first region for fluorescence measurement. The dual mode cycle is repeated continuously for comparison and feedback control of the local oscillator derived frequency. Only the second region requires magnetic shielding for the resonance function which is sensitive to any ambient magnetic fields.

1×3 optical drop splitter in a rod-type silicon photonic crystal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhuang, Dongxia; Chen, Xiyao; Li, Junjun; Lin, Guimin; Qiang, Zexuan; Qiu, Yishen; Li, Hui

2011-12-01

We report an 1×3 optical drop splitter (ODS) based on a self-collimation ring resonator (SCRR) in a rod-type silicon photonic crystal. The proposed 1×3 ODS consists of four beam splitters which are formed by changing the radius of one row of silicon rods. When the self-collimated light with resonance frequency is launched into the ODS, the light beam can be split into three parts come out from three drop ports while no light coming out from the through port. The splitting ratio of the three drop beams can be controlled by tuning the radii of the beam splitters. The FDTD method is employed to calculate the transmission of the 1×3 ODS. For the drop wavelength of 1550 nm, the free spectral range is 28.7 nm, which almost covers the whole optical communication C-band window. This 1×3 ODS may have applications in photonic integrated circuits.

Pre-metatarsal skeletal development in tissue culture at unit- and microgravity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Klement, B. J.; Spooner, B. S.

1994-01-01

Explant organ culture was used to demonstrate that isolated embryonic mouse pre-metatarsal mesenchyme is capable of undergoing a series of differentiative and morphogenetic developmental events. Mesenchyme differentiation into chondrocytes, and concurrent morphogenetic patterning of the cartilage tissue, and terminal chondrocyte differentiation with subsequent matrix mineralization show that cultured tissue closely parallels in vivo development. Whole mount alizarin red staining of the cultured tissue demonstrates that the extracellular matrix around the hypertrophied chondrocytes is competent to support mineralization. Intensely stained mineralized bands are similar to those formed in pre-metatarsals developing in vivo. We have adapted the culture strategy for experimentation in a reduced gravity environment on the Space Shuttle. Spaceflight culture of pre-metatarsals, which have already initiated chondrogenesis and morphogenetic patterning, results in an increase in cartilage rod size and maintenance of rod shape, compared to controls. Older pre-metatarsal tissue, already terminally differentiated to hypertrophied cartilage, maintained rod structure and cartilage phenotype during spaceflight culture.

Assembly of Nanorods into Designer Superstructures: The Role of Templating, Capillary Forces, Adhesion, and Polymer Hydration

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

Ciszek, Jacob W.; Huang, Ling; Tsonchev, Stefan

The assembly mechanism by which hundreds of thousands of two-segment gold-polypyrrole nanorods are assembled into kinetically controlled shape-directed superstructures is examined to predict the range of nanoparticle sizes and materials that can be utilized in their formation. Four processes are responsible for assembly: templating, capillary force assembly, adhesion, and polymer hydration. It is shown that templating, where rods are prepositioned for assembly, is scale invariant and that the energy-minimized state after this step is highly disordered. In addition, we predict that superstructures can be made independently from patterns of rods separated by a distance as small as six times themore » inter-rod spacing. Both modeling and experiment show that adhesion and polymer dehydration, which induces curvature in the superstructures, are applicable to other materials. However, the high surface energy and low elastic modulus of polypyrrole are advantageous toward generating three-dimensional structures, inducing curvature at gold/polypyrrole length ratios as large as 7:1.« less

Lasing characteristics of refractive-index-matched composite Y3Al5O12 rods employing transparent ceramics for solar-pumped lasers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hasegawa, Kazuo; Ichikawa, Tadashi; Takeda, Yasuhiko; Ikesue, Akio; Ito, Hiroshi; Motohiro, Tomoyoshi

2018-04-01

We have proposed a new configuration of solar-pumped lasers employing transparent ceramic rods. The laser rod has a composite structure consisting of a Nd/Cr:YAG gain domain surrounded by Gd:YAG with the same refractive index as that of Nd/Cr:YAG. The lasing mode is well controlled by the output coupler, and the parasitic oscillation is suppressed, owing to the refractive index matching. A high laser slope efficiency and a low laser oscillation threshold were achieved owing to the suppressed absorption outside the lasing mode, which was previously a serious issue for the end-pumping configuration using a high-NA focusing optics. The laser oscillation threshold of 136 mW and the slope efficiency of 25.3% were derived. Thus, we have resolved the issue of useless absorption associated with the high-NA end-pumping, and achieved significant improvements compared with the conventional structure of uniform Nd/Cr:YAG.

Light-Dependent Redistribution of Arrestin in Vertebrate Rods Is an Energy-Independent Process Governed by Protein-Protein Interactions

PubMed Central

Nair, K. Saidas; Hanson, Susan M.; Mendez, Ana; Gurevich, Eugenia V.; Kennedy, Matthew J.; Shestopalov, Valery I.; Vishnivetskiy, Sergey A.; Chen, Jeannie; Hurley, James B.; Gurevich, Vsevolod V.; Slepak, Vladlen Z.

2009-01-01

Summary In rod photoreceptors, arrestin localizes to the outer segment (OS) in the light and to the inner segment (IS) in the dark. Here, we demonstrate that redistribution of arrestin between these compartments can proceed in ATP-depleted photoreceptors. Translocation of transducin from the IS to the OS also does not require energy, but depletion of ATP or GTP inhibits its reverse movement. A sustained presence of activated rhodopsin is required for sequestering arrestin in the OS, and the rate of arrestin relocalization to the OS is determined by the amount and the phosphorylation status of photolyzed rhodopsin. Interaction of arrestin with microtubules is increased in the dark. Mutations that enhance arrestin-microtubule binding attenuate arrestin translocation to the OS. These results indicate that the distribution of arrestin in rods is controlled by its dynamic interactions with rhodopsin in the OS and microtubules in the IS and that its movement occurs by simple diffusion. PMID:15944125

Changes in wall teichoic acid during the rod-sphere transition of Bacillus subtilis 168.

PubMed Central

Pollack, J H; Neuhaus, F C

1994-01-01

Wall teichoic acid (WTA) is essential for the growth of Bacillus subtilis 168. To clarify the function of this polymer, the WTAs of strains 168, 104 rodB1, and 113 tagF1 (rodC1) grown at 32 and 42 degrees C were characterized. At the restrictive temperature, the rodB1 and tagF1 (rodC1) mutants undergo a rod-to-sphere transition that is correlated with changes in the WTA content of the cell wall. The amount of WTA decreased 33% in strain 104 rodB1 and 84% in strain 113 tagF1 (rodC1) when they were grown at the restrictive temperature. The extent of alpha-D-glucosylation (0.84) was not affected by growth at the higher temperature in these strains. The degree of D-alanylation decreased from 0.22 to 0.10 in the rodB1 mutant but remained constant (0.12) in the tagF1 (rodC1) mutant at both temperatures. Under these conditions, the degree of D-alanylation in the parent strain decreased from 0.27 to 0.21. The chain lengths of WTA in strains 168 and 104 rodB1 grown at both temperatures were approximately 53 residues, with a range of 45 to 60. In contrast, although the chain length of WTA from the tagF1 (rodC1) mutant at 32 degrees C was similar to that of strains 168 and 104 rodB1, it was approximately eight residues at the restrictive temperature. The results suggested that the rodB1 mutant is partially deficient in completed poly(glycerophosphate) chains. The precise biochemical defect in this mutant remains to be determined. The results for strain 113 tagF1(rodC1) are consistent with the temperature-sensitive defect in the CDP-glycerol:poly(glycerophosphate) glycerophosphotransferase (H. M. Pooley, F.-X. Abellan, and D. Karamata, J. Bacteriol. 174:646-649, 1992). Images PMID:7961496

Outcomes of support rod usage in loop stoma formation.

PubMed

Whiteley, Ian; Russell, Michael; Nassar, Natasha; Gladman, Marc A

2016-06-01

Traditionally, support rods have been used when creating loop stomas in the hope of preventing retraction. However, their effectiveness has not been clearly established. This study aimed to investigate the rate of stoma rod usage and its impact on stoma retraction and complication rates. A prospective cohort of 515 consecutive patients who underwent loop ileostomy/colostomy formation at a tertiary referral colorectal unit in Sydney, Australia were studied. Mortality and unplanned return to theatre rates were calculated. The primary outcome measure of interest was stoma retraction, occurring within 30 days of surgery. Secondary outcome measures included early stoma complications. The 10-year temporal trends for rod usage, stoma retraction, and complications were examined. Mortality occurred in 23 patients (4.1 %) and unplanned return to theatre in 4 patients (0.8 %). Stoma retraction occurred in four patients (0.78 %), all without rods. However, the rate of retraction was similar, irrespective of whether rods were used (P = 0.12). There was a significant decline in the use of rods during the study period (P < 0.001) but this was not associated with an increase in stoma retraction rates. Early complications occurred in 94/432 patients (21.8 %) and were more likely to occur in patients with rods (64/223 versus 30/209 without rods, P < 0.001). Stoma retraction is a rare complication and its incidence is not significantly affected by the use of support rods. Further, complications are common post-operatively, and the rate appears higher when rods are used. The routine use of rods warrants judicious application. WHAT DOES THIS PAPER ADD TO THE LITERATURE?: It remains unclear whether support rods prevent stoma retraction. This study, the largest to date, confirms that stoma retraction is a rare complication and is not significantly affected by the use of rods. Consequently, routine rod usage cannot be recommended, particularly as it is associated with increased stoma complications.

Method and means of packaging nuclear fuel rods for handling

DOEpatents

Adam, Milton F.

1979-01-01

Nuclear fuel rods, especially spent nuclear fuel rods that may show physical distortion, are encased within a metallic enclosing structure by forming a tube about the fuel rod. The tube has previously been rolled to form an overlapping tubular structure and then unrolled and coiled about an axis perpendicular to the tube. The fuel rod is inserted into the tube as the rolled tube is removed from a coiled strip and allowed to reassume its tubular shape about the fuel rod. Rollers support the coiled strip in an open position as the coiled strip is uncoiled and allowed to roll about the fuel rod.

PBF (PER620) interior. Detail view of actuator platform and control ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

PBF (PER-620) interior. Detail view of actuator platform and control rod mechanism. Camera facing easterly from floor level. Reactor pool at lower left of view. Date: March 2004. INEEL negative no. HD-41-3-3 - Idaho National Engineering Laboratory, SPERT-I & Power Burst Facility Area, Scoville, Butte County, ID

49 CFR 236.780 - Plunger, facing point lock.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

..., INSPECTION, MAINTENANCE, AND REPAIR OF SIGNAL AND TRAIN CONTROL SYSTEMS, DEVICES, AND APPLIANCES Definitions § 236.780 Plunger, facing point lock. That part of a facing point lock which secures the lock rod to the...

49 CFR 236.780 - Plunger, facing point lock.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

..., INSPECTION, MAINTENANCE, AND REPAIR OF SIGNAL AND TRAIN CONTROL SYSTEMS, DEVICES, AND APPLIANCES Definitions § 236.780 Plunger, facing point lock. That part of a facing point lock which secures the lock rod to the...

49 CFR 236.780 - Plunger, facing point lock.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

..., INSPECTION, MAINTENANCE, AND REPAIR OF SIGNAL AND TRAIN CONTROL SYSTEMS, DEVICES, AND APPLIANCES Definitions § 236.780 Plunger, facing point lock. That part of a facing point lock which secures the lock rod to the...

49 CFR 236.780 - Plunger, facing point lock.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

..., INSPECTION, MAINTENANCE, AND REPAIR OF SIGNAL AND TRAIN CONTROL SYSTEMS, DEVICES, AND APPLIANCES Definitions § 236.780 Plunger, facing point lock. That part of a facing point lock which secures the lock rod to the...

49 CFR 236.780 - Plunger, facing point lock.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

..., INSPECTION, MAINTENANCE, AND REPAIR OF SIGNAL AND TRAIN CONTROL SYSTEMS, DEVICES, AND APPLIANCES Definitions § 236.780 Plunger, facing point lock. That part of a facing point lock which secures the lock rod to the...

Locked-wrap fuel rod

DOEpatents

Kaplan, Samuel; Chertock, Alan J.; Punches, James R.

1977-01-01

A method for spacing fast reactor fuel rods using a wire wrapper improved by orienting the wire-wrapped fuel rods in a unique manner which introduces desirable performance characteristics not attainable by previous wire-wrapped designs. Use of this method in a liquid metal fast breeder reactor results in: (a) improved mechanical performance, (b) improved rod-to-rod contact, (c) reduced steel volume, and (d) improved thermal-hydraulic performance. The method produces a "locked wrap" design which tends to lock the rods together at each of the wire cluster locations.

Lightning protection using energized Franklin rods

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

Abdel-Salam, M.; Al-Abdul-Latif, U.

1995-12-31

In this paper, the onset criterion of the upward streamers from an energized Franklin rod is formulated as a function of the geometry of the rod and the height and current of the downward leader. The electric field in the vicinity of the lightning rod is calculated using the charge simulation technique. The dependency of the radius of protection on the amplitude of the pulse voltage applied to Franklin rod, the downward leader current and the tip radius and height of the rod is investigated.

Structural Integrity Testing Method for PRSEUS Rod-Wrap Stringer Design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wang, John T.; Grenoble, Ray W.; Pickell, Robert D.

2012-01-01

NASA Langley Research Center and The Boeing Company are developing an innovative composite structural concept, called PRSEUS, for the flat center section of a future environmentally friendly hybrid wing body (HWB) aircraft. The PRSEUS (Pultruded Rod Stitched Efficient Unitized Structure) concept uses dry textile preforms for the skins, frames, and stiffener webs. The highly loaded stiffeners are made from precured unidirectional carbon/epoxy rods and dry fiber preforms. The rods are wrapped with the dry fiber preforms and a resin infusion process is used to form the rod-wrap stiffeners. The structural integrity of the rod-wrap interface is critical for maintaining the panel s high strength and bending rigidity. No standard testing method exists for testing the strength of the rod-wrap bondline. Recently, Boeing proposed a rod push-out testing method and conducted some preliminary tests using this method. This paper details an analytical study of the rod-wrap bondline. The rod-wrap interface is modeled as a cohesive zone for studying the initiation and growth of interfacial debonding during push-out testing. Based on the correlations of analysis results and Boeing s test data, the adequacy of the rod-wrap testing method is evaluated, and potential approaches for improvement of the test method are proposed.

Optimization of a rod pinch diode radiography source at 2.3 MV

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Menge, P. R.; Johnson, D. L.; Maenchen, J. E.; Rovang, D. C.; Oliver, B. V.; Rose, D. V.; Welch, D. R.

2003-08-01

Rod pinch diodes have shown considerable capability as high-brightness flash x-ray sources for penetrating dynamic radiography. The rod pinch diode uses a small diameter (0.4-2 mm) anode rod extended through a cathode aperture. When properly configured, the electron beam born off of the aperture edge can self-insulate and pinch onto the tip of the rod creating an intense, small x-ray source. Sandia's SABRE accelerator (2.3 MV, 40 Ω, 70 ns) has been utilized to optimize the source experimentally by maximizing the figure of merit (dose/spot diameter2) and minimizing the diode impedance droop. Many diode parameters have been examined including rod diameter, rod length, rod material, cathode aperture diameter, cathode thickness, power flow gap, vacuum quality, and severity of rod-cathode misalignment. The configuration producing the greatest figure of merit uses a 0.5 mm diameter gold rod, a 6 mm rod extension beyond the cathode aperture (diameter=8 mm), and a 10 cm power flow gap to produce up to 3.5 rad (filtered dose) at 1 m from a 0.85 mm x-ray on-axis spot (1.02 mm at 3° off axis). The resultant survey of parameter space has elucidated several physics issues that are discussed.

Ultrasonic Structural Health Monitoring to Assess the Integrity of Spinal Growing Rods In Vitro.

PubMed

Oetgen, Matthew E; Goodley, Addison; Yoo, Byungseok; Pines, Darryll J; Hsieh, Adam H

2016-01-01

Rod fracture is a common complication of growing rods and can result in loss of correction, patient discomfort, and unplanned revision surgery. The ability to quantitate rod integrity at each lengthening would be advantageous to avoid this complication. We investigate the feasibility of applying structural health monitoring to evaluate the integrity of growing rods in vitro. Single-rod titanium 4.5-mm growing rod constructs (n = 9), one screw proximally and one distally connected by in-line connectors, were assembled with pedicle screws fixed in polyethylene blocks. Proximal and distal ends were loaded and constructs subjected to cyclic axial compression (0-100 N at 1 Hz), with incrementally increasing maximum compressive loads of 10 N every 9k cycles until failure. Four piezoceramic transducers (PZTs) were mounted along the length the constructs to interrogate the integrity of the rods with an ultrasonic, guided lamb wave approach. Every 9k cycles, an 80 V excitatory voltage was applied to a PZT to generate high-frequency vibrations, which, after propagating through the construct, was detected by the remaining PZTs. Amplitude differences between pre- and postload waveform signals were calculated until rod failure. Average construct lifetime was 88,991 ± 13,398 cycles. All constructs failed due to rod fracture within 21 mm (mean = 15 ± 4.5 mm) of a screw or connector. Amplitude differences between pre- and postload increased in a stepwise fashion as constructs were cycled. Compared to baseline, we found a 1.8 ± 0.6-fold increase in amplitude 18k cycles before failure, a 2.2 ± 1.0-fold increase in amplitude 9k cycles before failure, and a 2.75 ± 1.5-fold increase in amplitude immediately before rod fracture. We describe a potential method for assessing the structural integrity of growing rods using ultrasonic structural health monitoring. These preliminary data demonstrate the ability of periodic rod assessment to detect structural changes in cycled growing rods, which appear to correspond to subclinical rod fatigue before rod fracture. Copyright © 2016 Scoliosis Research Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Superfund Record of Decision (EPA Region 8): Sand Creek Industrial Site, operable unit 5, Commerce City, CO, (amendment), September 1993

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

Not Available

This decision document is an amendment to the Record of Decision (ROD) signed September 28, 1990 (PB94-921479) and presents the new selected remedial action for cleanup of contaminated shallow soils at OU5 at the Sand Creek Industrial Superfund Site. OU5 is located immediately north of 52nd and Dahlia Street in Commerce City, Colorado. Based on new technical data and cost information obtained subsequent to the September 1990 ROD, EPA has reconsidered its decision to employ soil washing and incineration of the generated residuals as a source control measure for OU5.

75 FR 21658 - Carbon and Certain Alloy Steel Wire Rod From Trinidad and Tobago

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-04-26

... Certain Alloy Steel Wire Rod From Trinidad and Tobago AGENCY: United States International Trade Commission... Investigation No. 731-TA-961 concerning carbon and certain alloy steel wire rod (``wire rod'') from Trinidad and... of imports of wire rod from Trinidad and Tobago that were sold in the United States at less than fair...

78 FR 2658 - Carbon and Certain Alloy Steel Wire Rod From Mexico: Rescission of Antidumping Duty...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-01-14

... Steel Wire Rod From Mexico: Rescission of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review; 2011-2012 AGENCY... order on carbon and certain alloy steel wire rod (``wire rod'') from Mexico for the period October 1... order on wire rod from Mexico for the period of review, October 1, 2011, through September 30, 2012.\\1...

Adaptive control method for core power control in TRIGA Mark II reactor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sabri Minhat, Mohd; Selamat, Hazlina; Subha, Nurul Adilla Mohd

2018-01-01

The 1MWth Reactor TRIGA PUSPATI (RTP) Mark II type has undergone more than 35 years of operation. The existing core power control uses feedback control algorithm (FCA). It is challenging to keep the core power stable at the desired value within acceptable error bands to meet the safety demand of RTP due to the sensitivity of nuclear research reactor operation. Currently, the system is not satisfied with power tracking performance and can be improved. Therefore, a new design core power control is very important to improve the current performance in tracking and regulate reactor power by control the movement of control rods. In this paper, the adaptive controller and focus on Model Reference Adaptive Control (MRAC) and Self-Tuning Control (STC) were applied to the control of the core power. The model for core power control was based on mathematical models of the reactor core, adaptive controller model, and control rods selection programming. The mathematical models of the reactor core were based on point kinetics model, thermal hydraulic models, and reactivity models. The adaptive control model was presented using Lyapunov method to ensure stable close loop system and STC Generalised Minimum Variance (GMV) Controller was not necessary to know the exact plant transfer function in designing the core power control. The performance between proposed adaptive control and FCA will be compared via computer simulation and analysed the simulation results manifest the effectiveness and the good performance of the proposed control method for core power control.

RodZ links MreB to cell wall synthesis to mediate MreB rotation and robust morphogenesis

PubMed Central

Morgenstein, Randy M.; Bratton, Benjamin P.; Nguyen, Jeffrey P.; Ouzounov, Nikolay; Shaevitz, Joshua W.; Gitai, Zemer

2015-01-01

The rod shape of most bacteria requires the actin homolog, MreB. Whereas MreB was initially thought to statically define rod shape, recent studies found that MreB dynamically rotates around the cell circumference dependent on cell wall synthesis. However, the mechanism by which cytoplasmic MreB is linked to extracytoplasmic cell wall synthesis and the function of this linkage for morphogenesis has remained unclear. Here we demonstrate that the transmembrane protein RodZ mediates MreB rotation by directly or indirectly coupling MreB to cell wall synthesis enzymes. Furthermore, we map the RodZ domains that link MreB to cell wall synthesis and identify mreB mutants that suppress the shape defect of ΔrodZ without restoring rotation, uncoupling rotation from rod-like growth. Surprisingly, MreB rotation is dispensable for rod-like shape determination under standard laboratory conditions but is required for the robustness of rod shape and growth under conditions of cell wall stress. PMID:26396257

RodZ links MreB to cell wall synthesis to mediate MreB rotation and robust morphogenesis.

PubMed

Morgenstein, Randy M; Bratton, Benjamin P; Nguyen, Jeffrey P; Ouzounov, Nikolay; Shaevitz, Joshua W; Gitai, Zemer

2015-10-06

The rod shape of most bacteria requires the actin homolog, MreB. Whereas MreB was initially thought to statically define rod shape, recent studies found that MreB dynamically rotates around the cell circumference dependent on cell wall synthesis. However, the mechanism by which cytoplasmic MreB is linked to extracytoplasmic cell wall synthesis and the function of this linkage for morphogenesis has remained unclear. Here we demonstrate that the transmembrane protein RodZ mediates MreB rotation by directly or indirectly coupling MreB to cell wall synthesis enzymes. Furthermore, we map the RodZ domains that link MreB to cell wall synthesis and identify mreB mutants that suppress the shape defect of ΔrodZ without restoring rotation, uncoupling rotation from rod-like growth. Surprisingly, MreB rotation is dispensable for rod-like shape determination under standard laboratory conditions but is required for the robustness of rod shape and growth under conditions of cell wall stress.

Truss beam having convex-curved rods, shear web panels, and self-aligning adapters

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fernandez, Ian M. (Inventor)

2013-01-01

A truss beam comprised of a plurality of joined convex-curved rods with self-aligning adapters (SAA) adhesively attached at each end of the truss beam is disclosed. Shear web panels are attached to adjacent pairs of rods, providing buckling resistance for the truss beam. The rods are disposed adjacent to each other, centered around a common longitudinal axis, and oriented so that adjacent rod ends converge to at least one virtual convergence point on the common longitudinal axis, with the rods' curvature designed to increase prevent buckling for the truss beam. Each SAA has longitudinal bores that provide self-aligning of the rods in the SAA, the self-aligning feature enabling creation of strong adhesive bonds between each SAA and the rods. In certain embodiments of the present invention, pultruded unidirectional carbon fiber rods are coupled with carbon fiber shear web panels and metal SAA(s), resulting in a lightweight, low-cost but strong truss beam that is highly resistant to buckling.

Techniques and equipment for assessing the structural integrity of subterranean tower anchor rods

DOEpatents

Hinz, William R.; Parker, Matthew J.

2001-01-01

Techniques and equipment for evaluating structural integrity of buried anchor rods in situ are disclosed. The techniques avoid excavation of soil and avoid, or at least reduce, the possibility of damage to the rods or the concrete in which they may be embedded when evaluations are conducted. Instead, ultrasonic energy is transmitted through the rod from a portable transducer, and returned energy (in either or both of direct and mode-converted states) may be analyzed to assist in detecting flaws, corrosion, wastage, or other degradation of the rod. Data from a field evaluation may be compared with baseline data maintained either for a specific rod or for rods of similar composition and length (or both), and periodic field evaluations of a rod may be used to analyze trends in its structure over time.

Underwater characterization of control rods for waste disposal using SMOPY

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

Gallozzi-Ulmann, A.; Couturier, P.; Amgarou, K.

Storage of spent fuel assemblies in cooling ponds requires careful control of the geometry and proximity of adjacent assemblies. Measurement of the fuel burnup makes it possible to optimise the storage arrangement of assemblies taking into account the effect of the burnup on the criticality safety margins ('burnup credit'). Canberra has developed a measurement system for underwater measurement of spent fuel assemblies. This system, known as 'SMOPY', performs burnup measurements based on gamma spectroscopy (collimated CZT detector) and neutron counting (fission chamber). The SMOPY system offers a robust and waterproof detection system as well as the needed capability of performingmore » radiometric measurements in the harsh high dose - rate environments of the cooling ponds. The gamma spectroscopy functionality allows powerful characterization measurements to be performed, in addition to burnup measurement. Canberra has recently performed waste characterisation measurements at a Nuclear Power Plant. Waste activity assessment is important to control costs and risks of shipment and storage, to ensure that the activity level remains in the range allowed by the facility, and to declare activity data to authorities. This paper describes the methodology used for the SMOPY measurements and some preliminary results of a radiological characterisation of AIC control rods. After describing the features and normal operation of the SMOPY system, we describe the approach used for establishing an optimum control rod geometric scanning approach (optimum count time and speed) and the method of the gamma spectrometry measurements as well as neutron check measurements used to verify the absence of neutron sources in the waste. We discuss the results obtained including {sup 60}Co, {sup 110m}Ag and {sup 108m}Ag activity profiles (along the length of the control rods) and neutron results including Total Measurement Uncertainty evaluations. Full self-consistency checks were performed and these demonstrate the validity of the techniques. The results are described and analysed in the context of the measurement performance of the equipment. Different casks were fully characterized using a 60 mm{sup 3} CZT detector, to determine the total activities and spatial profiles. A total activity range measurement of 1x10{sup 8} - 1x10{sup 13} Bq/cm was found to be achievable. Finally, comments are made, based on our measurements, on the ability of this equipment for performing in-situ characterisation of wastes in the harsh environments typical of fuel assembly and waste storage ponds and silos. (authors)« less

77 FR 13545 - Carbon and Certain Alloy Steel Wire Rod From Mexico: Notice of Final Results of Antidumping Duty...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-07

... Steel Wire Rod From Mexico: Notice of Final Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review AGENCY... results of the administrative review of the antidumping duty order on carbon and certain alloy steel wire rod (wire rod) from Mexico.\\1\\ This review covers imports of wire rod from ArcelorMittal Las Truchas...

78 FR 63450 - Carbon and Certain Alloy Steel Wire Rod From Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico, Moldova, Trinidad and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-10-24

...-805, A-274-804, A-823-812] Carbon and Certain Alloy Steel Wire Rod From Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico... on carbon and certain alloy steel wire rod (``wire rod'') from Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico, Moldova... published the notice of initiation of the sunset reviews of the antidumping duty orders on wire rod from...

Summary report, Flexible VSR`s and VSR channel sleeve development programs

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

Kempf, F.J.

1963-11-15

(VSR = vertical safety rod.) This report summarizes results of development programs which have evaluated vertical rod channel sleeving materials and provided flexible vertical rods, acceptable for both interim use before rod channel sleeving, and for subsequent use in sleeved channels. B{sub 4}C is the rod material; graphite and Al oxide are among the sleeve materials.

[Experimental study of recovery force of surface-modified TiNi memory alloy rod].

PubMed

Wang, Aiyuan; Peng, Jiang; Zhang, Xian; Xu, Wenjin; Wang, Xing; Sun, Minxue; Lu, Shibi

2006-08-01

The recovery force of Ti-Nb coated and uncoated TiNi shape memory alloy rods was investigated. The rods were 6.0 mm, 6.5 mm and 7.0 mm in diameter respectively. The mean transition temperature was 33.0 degrees C. The rods were stored at -18 degrees C and pre-bent with a three-point bending fixture, the span was 20. 0 centimeters and the deflections were 5.0 mm, 10.0 mm, 15.0 mm and 20.0 mm, respectively. The rods were then heated in a constant temperature saline solution chamber. The experimental temperature was 37.0 C and 50.0 C respectively. The recovery force was measured in a constant displacement mode on biomaterial test machine. The results showed that the recovery force of the memory alloy rod increased with increasing recovery temperature, rod diameter and deformation of both Ti-Nb coated and uncoated surface. The recovery force of Ti-Nb coated rods of 6.0 and 6.5 millimeter in diameter was lower than the uncoated rods in the same diameter. However, the recovery force of 7.0-mm-diameter rods showed no significant difference between coated and uncoated surface.

46 CFR 56.50-1 - General (replaces 122).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... liquids, except that tank barges having plug cocks inside cargo tanks may have reach rods of extra-heavy...-indicating lines at the control boards which indicate the desired valve positions, i.e., open or closed. (h...

46 CFR 56.50-1 - General (replaces 122).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... liquids, except that tank barges having plug cocks inside cargo tanks may have reach rods of extra-heavy...-indicating lines at the control boards which indicate the desired valve positions, i.e., open or closed. (h...

46 CFR 56.50-1 - General (replaces 122).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... liquids, except that tank barges having plug cocks inside cargo tanks may have reach rods of extra-heavy...-indicating lines at the control boards which indicate the desired valve positions, i.e., open or closed. (h...

78 FR 41118 - Biweekly Notice; Applications and Amendments to Facility Operating Licenses and Combined Licenses...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-07-09

..., such as social security numbers, home addresses, or home phone numbers in their filings, unless an NRC... range monitoring (APRM) system ``Upscale'' and ``Inoperative'' scram and control rod withdrawal block...

Bacteriological aspects of selective decontamination of the digestive tract as a method of infection prevention in granulocytopenic patients.

PubMed Central

de Vries-Hospers, H G; Sleijfer, D T; Mulder, N H; van der Waaij, D; Neiweg, H O; van Saene, H K

1981-01-01

We describe the bacteriological results of a controlled clinical trial of selective decontamination of the digestive tract as a method of infection prevention in granulocytopenic patients. Selective elimination of Enterobacteriaceae and Pseudomonadaceae species was accomplished by the oral administration of nalidixic acid, co-trimoxazole, or polymyxin. Yeasts were eliminated selectively by amphotericin B or nystatin treatment. The drugs used in this study were chosen because of their capacities to selectively eliminate gram-negative rods and yeast without affecting the anaerobic part of the gut flora which is responsible for colonization resistance. Compared with the control group, the selectively decontaminated patients had significantly fewer (P less than 0.0005) gram-negative rods or yeasts or both in their throat swab cultures and in their feces. This reduction may explain the clinical effectiveness of selective decontamination. PMID:7027923

Neural stem cell implantation extends life in Niemann-Pick C1 mice.

PubMed

Ahmad, Iram; Hunter, Robert E; Flax, Jonathan D; Snyder, Evan Y; Erickson, Robert P

2007-01-01

In order to evaluate the phenotypic effects of implanted neural stem cells (NSCs) in the mouse model of Niemann-Pick C (NPC) disease, we injected a well-characterized clone of murine NSCs into the cerebella of neonatal Npc1(-/-) and control mice. The implanted cells survived and were abundant in some regions of the cerebellum. Life span was lengthened in NPC mice with the implanted NSCs. However, the rate of weight gain and subsequent weight loss, resulting from neurodegeneration, was not significantly different from un-injected controls. Ataxia was measured by Rota-Rod performance. The overall rate of decline in time on the Rota-Rod was not significantly slowed down. Thus, in this small group of NPC mice, a single administration in the neonatal period of the NSCs (which were not engineered to over-express the missing gene and not directed into the parenchyma) was only partially therapeutic.

Effect of Controlled Rolling and Cooling On Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of 30crmnti Wire Rod

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ruan, Shipeng; Dong, Qing; Zhang, Lei; Wang, Lijun

2017-09-01

The effect of controlled rolling and cooling on microstructure and mechanical properties of alloy structure steel 30CrMnTi wire rod with diameter 6.5mm was studied. The results show that the lower finish rolling temperature resulted in a decrease in tensile strength but an increase in elongation and reduction of area. When the finish rolling temperature decreases from 950°C to 850°C, the tensile strength value decreases from 750MPa to 660MPa, and the elongation increases from 21% to 30%, the reduction of area increases from 64% to 71%. The grain size also refines from 20μm to 9.9μm when the finish rolling temperature decreases from 950°C to 850°C. The decrease of tensile strength is due to the change of microstructure which evolved from more bainite to ferrite and pearlite.

Improvement of foam breaking and oxygen-transfer performance in a stirred-tank fermenter.

PubMed

Takesono, Satoshi; Onodera, Masayuki; Toda, Kiyoshi; Yoshida, Masanori; Yamagiwa, Kazuaki; Ohkawa, Akira

2006-03-01

This study examined a stirred-tank fermenter (STF) containing low-viscosity foaming liquids with an agitation impeller and foam-breaking impeller mounted on the same shaft. Results showed that the performance of the foam-breaking impeller can be improved by changing a conventional six-blade turbine impeller into a rod impeller as the agitation impeller. The volumetric oxygen-transfer coefficient, kLa, in the mechanical foam-control method (MFM) using a six-blade vaned disk as the foam-breaking impeller in the STF with the rod impeller was approximately five times greater than that of the chemical foam-control method (CFM) adding an anti-foaming agent in the STF with the six-blade turbine impeller. Application of the present method to the cultivation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae K-7 demonstrated that the cultivation time up to the maximum cell concentration was remarkably shorter than that achieved using a conventional CFM.

Controllable rotating behavior of individual dielectric microrod in a rotating electric field.

PubMed

Liu, Weiyu; Ren, Yukun; Tao, Ye; Li, Yanbo; Chen, Xiaoming

2017-06-01

We report herein controllable rotating behavior of an individual dielectric microrod driven by a background rotating electric field. By disposing or removing structured floating microelectrode, the rigid rod suspended in electrolyte solution accordingly exhibits cofield or antifield rotating motion. In the absence of the ideally polarizable metal surface, the dielectric rod rotates opposite to propagation of electric field, with the measured rotating rate much larger than predicted by Maxwell-Wager interfacial polarization theory incorporating surface conduction of fixed bond charge. Surprisingly, with floating electrode embedded, a novel kind of cofield rotation mode occurs in the presence of induced double-layer polarization, due to the action of hydrodynamic torque from rotating induced-charge electroosmosis. This method of achieving switchable spin modes of dielectric particles would direct implications in constructing flexible electrokinetic framework for analyzing 3D profile of on-chip biomicrofluidic samples. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Extrapolation techniques applied to matrix methods in neutron diffusion problems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mccready, Robert R

1956-01-01

A general matrix method is developed for the solution of characteristic-value problems of the type arising in many physical applications. The scheme employed is essentially that of Gauss and Seidel with appropriate modifications needed to make it applicable to characteristic-value problems. An iterative procedure produces a sequence of estimates to the answer; and extrapolation techniques, based upon previous behavior of iterants, are utilized in speeding convergence. Theoretically sound limits are placed on the magnitude of the extrapolation that may be tolerated. This matrix method is applied to the problem of finding criticality and neutron fluxes in a nuclear reactor with control rods. The two-dimensional finite-difference approximation to the two-group neutron fluxes in a nuclear reactor with control rods. The two-dimensional finite-difference approximation to the two-group neutron-diffusion equations is treated. Results for this example are indicated.

Calcium-induced calcium release in rod photoreceptor terminals boosts synaptic transmission during maintained depolarization

PubMed Central

Cadetti, Lucia; Bryson, Eric J.; Ciccone, Cory A.; Rabl, Katalin; Thoreson, Wallace B.

2008-01-01

We examined the contribution of calcium-induced calcium release (CICR) to synaptic transmission from rod photoreceptor terminals. Whole-cell recording and confocal calcium imaging experiments were conducted on rods with intact synaptic terminals in a retinal slice preparation from salamander. Low concentrations of ryanodine stimulated calcium increases in rod terminals, consistent with the presence of ryanodine receptors. Application of strong depolarizing steps (−70 to −10 mV) exceeding 200 ms or longer in duration evoked a wave of calcium that spread across the synaptic terminals of voltage-clamped rods. This secondary calcium increase was blocked by high concentrations of ryanodine, indicating it was due to CICR. Ryanodine (50 μM) had no significant effect on rod calcium current (Ica) although it slightly diminished rod light-evoked voltage responses. Bath application of 50 μM ryanodine strongly inhibited light-evoked currents in horizontal cells. Whether applied extracellularly or delivered into the rod cell through the patch pipette, ryanodine (50 μM) also inhibited excitatory post-synaptic currents (EPSCs) evoked in horizontal cells by depolarizing steps applied to rods. Ryanodine caused a preferential reduction in the later portions of EPSCs evoked by depolarizing steps of 200 ms or longer. These results indicate that CICR enhances calcium increases in rod terminals evoked by sustained depolarization, which in turn acts to boost synaptic exocytosis from rods. PMID:16819987

The effect of different screw-rod design on the anti-rotational torque: a biomechanical comparison of three conventional screw-rod constructs.

PubMed

Huang, Zifang; Wang, Chongwen; Fan, Hengwei; Sui, Wenyuan; Li, Xueshi; Wang, Qifei; Yang, Junlin

2017-07-28

Screw-rod constructs have been widely used to correct spinal deformities, but the effects of different screw-rod systems on anti-rotational torque have not been determined. This study aimed to analyze the biomechanical effect of different rod-screw constructs on anti-rotational torque. Three conventional spinal screw-rod systems (Legacy, RF-F-10 and USSII) were used to test the anti-rotational torque in the material test machine. ANOVA was performed to evaluate the anti-rotational capacity of different pedicle screws-rod constructs. The anti-rotational torque of Legacy group, RF-F-10 group and USSII group were 12.3 ± 1.9 Nm, 6.8 ± 0.4 Nm, and 3.9 ± 0.8 Nm, with a P value lower than 0.05. This results indicated that the Legacy screws-rod construct could provide a highest anti-rotation capacity, which is 68% and 210% greater than RF-F-10 screw-rod construct and USSII screw-rod respectively. The anti-rotational torque may be mainly affected by screw cap and groove design. Our result showed the anti-rotational torque are: Legacy system > RF-F-10 system > USSII system, suggesting that appropriate rod-screw constructs selection in surgery may be vital for anti-rotational torque improvement and preventing derotation correction loss.

Simultaneous double-rod rotation technique in posterior instrumentation surgery for correction of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis.

PubMed

Ito, Manabu; Abumi, Kuniyoshi; Kotani, Yoshihisa; Takahata, Masahiko; Sudo, Hideki; Hojo, Yoshihiro; Minami, Akio

2010-03-01

The authors present a new posterior correction technique consisting of simultaneous double-rod rotation using 2 contoured rods and polyaxial pedicle screws with or without Nesplon tapes. The purpose of this study is to introduce the basic principles and surgical procedures of this new posterior surgery for correction of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis. Through gradual rotation of the concave-side rod by 2 rod holders, the convex-side rod simultaneously rotates with the the concave-side rod. This procedure does not involve any force pushing down the spinal column around the apex. Since this procedure consists of upward pushing and lateral translation of the spinal column with simultaneous double-rod rotation maneuvers, it is simple and can obtain thoracic kyphosis as well as favorable scoliosis correction. This technique is applicable not only to a thoracic single curve but also to double major curves in cases of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis.

Measurements of lightning rod responses to nearby strikes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moore, C. B.; Aulich, G. D.; Rison, W.

2000-05-01

Following Benjamin Franklin's invention of the lightning rod, based on his discovery that electrified objects could be discharged by approaching them with a metal needle in hand, conventional lightning rods in the U.S. have had sharp tips. In recent years, the role of the sharp tip in causing a lightning rod to act as a strike receptor has been questioned leading to experiments in which pairs of various sharp-tipped and blunt rods have been exposed beneath thunderclouds to determine the better strike receptor. After seven years of tests, none of the sharp Franklin rods or of the so-called “early streamer emitters” has been struck, but 12 blunt rods with tip diameters ranging from 12.7 mm to 25.4 mm have taken strikes. Our field experiments and our analyses indicate that the strike-reception probabilities of Franklin's rods are greatly increased when their tips are made moderately blunt.

Fuel bundle design for enhanced usage of plutonium fuel

DOEpatents

Reese, Anthony P.; Stachowski, Russell E.

1995-01-01

A nuclear fuel bundle includes a square array of fuel rods each having a concentration of enriched uranium and plutonium. Each rod of an interior array of the rods also has a concentration of gadolinium. The interior array of rods is surrounded by an exterior array of rods void of gadolinium. By this design, usage of plutonium in the nuclear reactor is enhanced.

Fuel bundle design for enhanced usage of plutonium fuel

DOEpatents

Reese, A.P.; Stachowski, R.E.

1995-08-08

A nuclear fuel bundle includes a square array of fuel rods each having a concentration of enriched uranium and plutonium. Each rod of an interior array of the rods also has a concentration of gadolinium. The interior array of rods is surrounded by an exterior array of rods void of gadolinium. By this design, usage of plutonium in the nuclear reactor is enhanced. 10 figs.

Fretting corrosion behavior of nitinol spinal rods in conjunction with titanium pedicle screws.

PubMed

Lukina, Elena; Kollerov, Mikhail; Meswania, Jay; Khon, Alla; Panin, Pavel; Blunn, Gordon W

2017-03-01

Untypical corrosion damage including erosions combined with the build-up of titanium oxide as a corrosion product on the surface of explanted Nitinol spinal rods in the areas where it was in contact with titanium pedicle screw head is reported. It was suggested that Nitinol rods might have inferior fretting corrosion resistance compared with that made of titanium or CoCr. Fretting corrosion of Nitinol spinal rods with titanium (Ti6Al4V) pedicle screws were tested in-vitro by conducting a series of potentiostatic measurements of the peak-to-peak values of fretting corrosion current under bending in a 10% solution of calf serum in PBS. The test included Nitinol rods locked in titanium pedicle screws of different designs. Performance of commercially available titanium (Ti6Al4V) and CoCr spinal rods was also investigated for a comparison. Corrosion damage observed after the in-vitro tests was studied using SEM and EDAX analysis and was compared with patterns on Nitinol rods retrieved 12months after initial surgery. Metal ions level was measured in the test media after in-vitro experiments and in the blood and tissues of the patients who had the rods explanted. The results of this study revealed that Nitinol spinal rods locked in Ti pedicle screws are susceptible to fretting corrosion demonstrating higher fretting corrosion current compared with commercially used Ti6Al4V and CoCr rods. On the surface of Nitinol rods after in-vitro tests and on those retrieved from the patients similar corrosion patterns were observed. Improved resistance to fretting corrosion was observed with Nitinol rods in the in-vitro tests where pedicle screws were used with a stiffer locking mechanism. Since the development of the localized corrosion damage might increase the risk of premature fatigue failure of the rods and result in leaching of Ni ions, it is concluded that Nitinol rods should not be used in conjunction with Ti pedicle screws without special protection especially where the design provides a high degree of mobility to the rods. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Nuclear core and fuel assemblies

DOEpatents

Downs, Robert E.

1981-01-01

A fast flux nuclear core of a plurality of rodded, open-lattice assemblies having a rod pattern rotated relative to a rod support structure pattern. Elongated fuel rods are oriented on a triangular array and laterally supported by grid structures positioned along the length of the assembly. Initial inter-assembly contact is through strongbacks at the corners of the support pattern and peripheral fuel rods between adjacent assemblies are nested so as to maintain a triangular pitch across a clearance gap between the other portions of adjacent assemblies. The rod pattern is rotated relative to the strongback support pattern by an angle .alpha. equal to sin .sup.-1 (p/2c), where p is the intra-assembly rod pitch and c is the center-to-center spacing among adjacent assemblies.

Convergent synthesis of multiporphyrin light-harvesting rods

DOEpatents

Lindsey, Jonathan S.; Loewe, Robert S.

2003-08-05

The present invention provides a convergent method for the synthesis of light harvesting rods. The rods are oligomers of the formula A.sup.1 (A.sup.b+1).sub.b, wherein b is at least 1, A.sup.1 through A.sup.b+1 are covalently coupled rod segments, and each rod segment A.sup.1 through A.sup.1+b comprises a compound of the formula X.sup.1 (X.sup.m+1).sub.m wherein m is at least 1 and X.sup.1 through X.sup.m+1 are covalently coupled porphyrinic macrocycles. Light harvesting arrays and solar cells containing such light harvesting rods are also described, along with intermediates useful in such methods and rods produced by such methods.

Birefringence-balanced polarimetric optical fiber sensor for high-temperature measurements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wang, Anbo; Wang, George Z.; Murphy, Kent A.; Claus, Richard O.

1992-01-01

A birefringence-balanced polarimetric multimode fiber temperature sensor is proposed and demonstrated. Two single-crystal sapphire rods are incorporated into the sensor head. They are connected end to end in such a way that the slow axis of the first rod is aligned with the fast axis of the second rod, referred to as the referencing rod. Since the lengths of the two rods are chosen to be almost the same, the original birefringence of the first rod is balanced by that of the second rod. A light-emitting diode serves as the light source. This sensor has been experimentally demonstrated for high-temperature measurements as high as 1500 C. A sensitivity of 5 C has been obtained.

Slip-spring model of entangled rod-coil block copolymers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Muzhou; Likhtman, Alexei E.; Olsen, Bradley D.

2015-03-01

Understanding the dynamics of rod-coil block copolymers is important for optimal design of functional nanostructured materials for organic electronics and biomaterials. Recently, we proposed a reptation theory of entangled rod-coil block copolymers, predicting the relaxation mechanisms of activated reptation and arm retraction that slow rod-coil dynamics relative to coil and rod homopolymers, respectively. In this work, we introduce a coarse-grained slip-spring model of rod-coil block copolymers to further explore these mechanisms. First, parameters of the coarse-grained model are tuned to match previous molecular dynamics simulation results for coils, rods, and block copolymers. For activated reptation, rod-coil copolymers are shown to disfavor configurations where the rod occupies curved portions of the entanglement tube of randomly varying curvature created by the coil ends. The effect of these barriers on diffusion is quantitatively captured by considering one-dimensional motion along an entanglement tube with a rough free energy potential. Finally, we analyze the crossover between the two mechanisms. The resulting dynamics from both mechanisms acting in combination is faster than from each one individually.

Superfund record of decision amendment (EPA Region 5): Allied Chemical and Ironton Coke, Ironton, OH, September 30, 1998

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

Not Available

This decision document, together with the Allied Chemical/Ironton Coke Record of Decision (ROD) dated December 28, 1990, the first Allied Chemical/Ironton Coke ROD Amendment dated July 31, 1995 (ROD Amendment No 1), and the second ROD Amendment dated September 4, 1997 (ROD Amendment No 2), presents the selected remedial action for the Allied Chemical/Ironton Coke site. The remedy selected in the 1990 ROD, 1995 ROD Amendment No. 1, and 1997 ROD Amendment No. 2 for the site is a final remedial action. Through ROD Amendment No. 3 the following components of the selected remedy are being modified: Replace in-situ bioremediationmore » of 457,000 cubic yards of soil in Lagoons 1--4 with hot spot excavation and wetland development; and Replace incineration of Lagoon 5 materials with recycling, treatment, and/or disposal of the K087 listed waste in an approved off-site hazardous waste facility and the use of the remaining material, excluding debris, as an alternative fuel.« less

Large Deformation of an Elastic Rod with Structural Anisotropy Subjected to Fluid Flow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hassani, Masoud; Mureithi, Njuki; Gosselin, Frederick

2015-11-01

In the present work, we seek to understand the fundamental mechanisms of three-dimensional reconfiguration of plants by studying the large deformation of a flexible rod in fluid flow. Flexible rods made of Polyurethane foam and reinforced with Nylon fibers are tested in a wind tunnel. The rods have bending-torsion coupling which induces a torsional deformation during asymmetric bending. A mathematical model is also developed by coupling the Kirchhoff rod theory with a semi-empirical drag formulation. Different alignments of the material frame with respect to the flow direction and a range of structural properties are considered to study their effect on the deformation of the flexible rod and its drag scaling. Results show that twisting causes the flexible rods to reorient and bend with the minimum bending rigidity. It is also found that the drag scaling of the rod in the large deformation regime is not affected by torsion. Finally, using a proper set of dimensionless numbers, the state of a bending and twisting rod is characterized as a beam undergoing a pure bending deformation.

Experimental measurement of coil-rod-coil block copolymer tracer diffusion through entangled coil homopolymers

PubMed Central

Wang, Muzhou; Timachova, Ksenia; Olsen, Bradley D.

2014-01-01

The diffusion of coil-rod-coil triblock copolymers in entangled coil homopolymers is experimentally measured and demonstrated to be significantly slower than rod or coil homopolymers of the same molecular weight. A model coil-rod-coil triblock was prepared by expressing rodlike alanine-rich α-helical polypeptides in E. coli and conjugating coillike poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) to both ends to form coil-rod-coil triblock copolymers. Tracer diffusion through entangled PEO homopolymer melts was measured using forced Rayleigh scattering at various rod lengths, coil molecular weights, and coil homopolymer concentrations. For rod lengths, L, that are close to the entanglementh length, a, the ratio between triblock diffusivity and coil homopolymer diffusivity decreases monotonically and is only a function of L/a, in quantitative agreement with previous simulation results. For large rod lengths, diffusion follows an arm retraction scaling, which is also consistent with previous theoretical predictions. These experimental results support the key predictions of theory and simulation, suggesting that the mismatch in curvature between rod and coil entanglement tubes leads to the observed diffusional slowing. PMID:25484454

Preparation of novel layer-stack hexagonal CdO micro-rods by a pre-oxidation and subsequent evaporation process

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

Peng, Kun, E-mail: kpeng@hnu.edu.cn; Hunan Province Key Laboratory for Spray Deposition Technology and Application, Hunan University, Changsha 410082; Jiang, Pan

2014-12-15

Graphical abstract: Layer-stack hexagonal cadmium oxide (CdO) micro-rods were prepared. - Highlights: • Novel hexagonal layer-stack structure CdO micro-rods were synthesized by a thermal evaporation method. • The pre-oxidation, vapor pressure and substrate nature play a key role on the formation of CdO rods. • The formation mechanism of CdO micro-rods was explained. - Abstract: Novel layer-stack hexagonal cadmium oxide (CdO) micro-rods were prepared by pre-oxidizing Cd granules and subsequent thermal oxidation under normal atmospheric pressure. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were performed to characterize the phase structure and microstructure. The pre-oxidation process, vapor pressure and substratemore » nature were the key factors for the formation of CdO micro-rods. The diameter of micro-rod and surface rough increased with increasing of thermal evaporation temperature, the length of micro-rod increased with the increasing of evaporation time. The formation of hexagonal layer-stack structure was explained by a vapor–solid mechanism.« less

[Novel Device for Creating Multiple Artificial Chordae Loops in Mitral Valve Repair].

PubMed

Shimamura, Yoshiei; Maisawa, Kazuma

2017-08-01

A novel device to create multiple artificial chordae loops for mitral repair is developed. The device consists of a circular metal base with a removable central rod on one end, which can easily be attached or removed by screwing into a hole located on the base, and 51 fixed rods placed radially around the central rod at distances of 10~60 mm from the central rod. A needle with CV-4 e-polytetrafluoroethylene suture is passed through a pledget, and the suture is looped from the central rod around the fixed rod located at the desired loop length. The needle is then passed back through the pledget. The suture is tied over the pledget, bringing it in contact with the central rod. When multiple loops of various lengths are required, different fixed rods located at distances corresponding to the required loop lengths are used. Following creation of the necessary loops, the central rod is unscrewed, and the loops are released from the device. Construction of artificial chordae with this device is quick, reliable, reproducible, and increases the technical possibilities for mitral valve repair.

Fabrication of Nanosized Island-Like CdO Crystallites-Decorated TiO₂ Rod Nanocomposites via a Combinational Methodology and Their Low-Concentration NO₂ Gas-Sensing Behavior.

PubMed

Liang, Yuan-Chang; Xu, Nian-Cih; Wang, Chein-Chung; Wei, Da-Hua

2017-07-10

TiO₂-CdO composite rods were synthesized through a hydrothermal method and sputtering thin-film deposition. The hydrothermally derived TiO₂ rods exhibited a rectangular cross-sectional crystal feature with a smooth surface, and the as-synthesized CdO thin film exhibited a rounded granular surface feature. Structural analyses revealed that the CdO thin film sputtered onto the surfaces of the TiO₂ rods formed a discontinuous shell layer comprising many island-like CdO crystallites. The TiO₂-CdO composite rods were highly crystalline, and their surfaces were rugged. A comparison of the NO₂ gas-sensing properties of the CdO thin film, TiO₂ rods, and TiO₂-CdO composite rods revealed that the composite rods exhibited superior gas-sensing responses to NO₂ gas than did the CdO thin film and TiO 2 rods, which can be attributed to the microstructural differences and the formation of heterojunctions between the TiO₂ core and CdO crystallites.

Suppressing turbulence of self-propelling rods by strongly coupled passive particles.

PubMed

Su, Yen-Shuo; Wang, Hao-Chen; I, Lin

2015-03-01

The strong turbulence suppression, mainly for large-scale modes, of two-dimensional self-propelling rods, by increasing the long-range coupling strength Γ of low-concentration passive particles, is numerically demonstrated. It is found that large-scale collective rod motion in forms of swirls or jets is mainly contributed from well-aligned dense patches, which can push small poorly aligned rod patches and uncoupled passive particles. The more efficient momentum transfer and dissipation through increasing passive particle coupling leads to the formation of a more ordered and slowed down network of passive particles, which competes with coherent dense active rod clusters. The frustration of active rod alignment ordering and coherent motion by the passive particle network, which interrupt the inverse cascading of forming large-scale swirls, is the key for suppressing collective rod motion with scales beyond the interpassive distance, even in the liquid phase of passive particles. The loosely packed active rods are weakly affected by increasing passive particle coupling due to the weak rod-particle interaction. They mainly contribute to the small-scale modes and high-speed motion.

Tauroursodeoxycholic acid preserves photoreceptor structure and function in the rd10 mouse through post-natal day 30

PubMed Central

Phillips, M. Joe; Walker, Tiffany A.; Choi, Hee-young; Faulkner, Amanda E.; Kim, Moon K.; Sidney, Sheree; Boyd, Amber; Nickerson, John M.; Boatright, Jeffrey H.; Pardue, Machelle T.

2008-01-01

Purpose Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease resulting in blindness for which there is no current treatment. While the members of the family of RP diseases differ in etiology, their outcomes are the same: apoptosis of rods followed by cones. Recently, the bile acid, tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA), has been shown to have anti-apoptotic properties in neurodegenerative diseases, including those of the retina. In this study we examine the efficacy of TUDCA on preserving rod and cone function and morphology at post-natal day 30 (P30) in the rd10 mouse, a model of RP. Methods Wild-type C57BL/6J and rd10 mice were systemically injected with TUDCA (500 mg/kg) every three days from P6-P30 and compared to vehicle (0.15M NaHCO3). At P30, retinal function was measured with electroretinography (ERG) and morphological preservation of the rods and cones assessed with immunohistochemistry. Results Dark-adapted ERG responses were two-fold greater in rd10 mice treated with TUDCA compared to vehicle, while light-adapted responses were two-fold larger in TUDCA-treated mice compared to controls, at the brightest ERG flash intensities. TUDCA-treated rd10 retinas had five-fold more photoreceptors than vehicle-treated. TUDCA treatments did not alter retinal function or morphology of wild-type mice when administered to age-matched mice. Conclusions TUDCA is efficacious and safe in preserving vision in the rd10 mouse model of RP when treated between P6 and P30. At P30, a developmental stage at which nearly all rods are absent in the rd10 mouse model of RP, TUDCA treatment preserved both rod and cone function and greatly preserved overall photoreceptor numbers. PMID:18436848

Group III metabotropic glutamate receptors and exocytosed protons inhibit L-type calcium currents in cones but not in rods.

PubMed

Hosoi, Nobutake; Arai, Itaru; Tachibana, Masao

2005-04-20

Light responses of photoreceptors (rods and cones) are transmitted to the second-order neurons (bipolar cells and horizontal cells) via glutamatergic synapses located in the outer plexiform layer of the retina. Although it has been well established that postsynaptic group III metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) of ON bipolar cells contribute to generating the ON signal, presynaptic roles of group III mGluRs remain to be elucidated at this synaptic connection. We addressed this issue by applying the slice patch-clamp technique to the newt retina. OFF bipolar cells and horizontal cells generate a steady inward current in the dark and a transient inward current at light offset, both of which are mediated via postsynaptic non-NMDA receptors. A group III mGluR-specific agonist, L-2-amino-4-phosphonobutyric acid (L-AP-4), inhibited both the steady and off-transient inward currents but did not affect the glutamate-induced current in these postsynaptic neurons. L-AP-4 inhibited the presynaptic L-type calcium current (ICa) in cones by shifting the voltage dependence of activation to more positive membrane potentials. The inhibition of ICa was most prominent around the physiological range of cone membrane potentials. In contrast, L-AP-4 did not affect L-type ICa in rods. Paired recordings from photoreceptors and the synaptically connected second-order neurons confirmed that L-AP-4 inhibited both ICa and glutamate release in cones but not in rods. Furthermore, we found that exocytosed protons also inhibited ICa in cones but not in rods. Selective modulation of ICa in cones may help broaden the dynamic range of synaptic transfer by controlling the amount of transmitter release from cones.

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

Spencer, B. W.; Williamson, R. L.; Stafford, D. S.

One of the important roles of cladding in light water reactor fuel rods is to prevent the release of fission products. To that end, it is essential that the cladding maintain its integrity under a variety of thermal and mechanical loading conditions. Local geometric irregularities in fuel pellets caused by manufacturing defects known as missing pellet surfaces (MPS) can in some circumstances lead to elevated cladding stresses that are sufficiently high to cause cladding failure. Accurate modeling of these defects can help prevent these types of failures. The BISON nuclear fuel performance code developed at Idaho National Laboratory can bemore » used to simulate the global thermo-mechanical fuel rod behavior, as well as the local response of regions of interest, in either 2D or 3D. In either case, a full set of models to represent the thermal and mechanical properties of the fuel, cladding and plenum gas is employed. A procedure for coupling 2D full-length fuel rod models to detailed 3D models of the region of the rod containing a MPS defect is detailed in this paper. The global and local model each contain appropriate physics and behavior models for nuclear fuel. This procedure is demonstrated on a simulation of a boiling water reactor (BWR) fuel rod containing a pellet with an MPS defect, subjected to a variety of transient events, including a control blade withdrawal and a ramp to high power. The importance of modeling the local defect using a 3D model is highlighted by comparing 3D and 2D representations of the defective pellet region. Finally, parametric studies demonstrate the effects of the choice of gaseous swelling model and of the depth and geometry of the MPS defect on the response of the cladding adjacent to the defect.« less

Platelet-Derived Growth Factor-BB Lessens Light-Induced Rod Photoreceptor Damage in Mice.

PubMed

Takahashi, Kei; Shimazawa, Masamitsu; Izawa, Hiroshi; Inoue, Yuki; Kuse, Yoshiki; Hara, Hideaki

2017-12-01

Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-BB is known to have neuroprotective effects against various neurodegenerative disorders. The purpose of this study was to determine whether PDGF-BB can be neuroprotective against light-induced photoreceptor damage in mice. Mice were exposed to 8000-lux luminance for 3 hours to induce phototoxicity. Two hours before light exposure, the experimental mice were injected with PDGF-BB intravitreally, and the control mice were injected with phosphate-buffered saline. The light-exposed PDGF-BB-injected mice and saline-injected mice were evaluated electroretinographically and histologically. The site and expression levels of PDGFR-β and PDGF-BB were determined by immunostaining and Western blotting, respectively. The effect of PDGF-BB on light-induced cone and rod photoreceptor damage was also evaluated in vitro in 661W cells, a murine cone photoreceptor cell line, and in primary retinal cell cultures. An intravitreal injection of PDGF-BB significantly reduced the decrease in the amplitudes of the electroretinograms (ERGs) and the thinning of the outer nuclear layer (ONL) induced by the light exposure. It also reduced the number of TUNEL-positive cells in the ONL. PDGFR-β was expressed in the rod outer segments (OSs) but not the cone OSs. The levels of PDGF-BB and PDGFR-β were decreased after light irradiation. In addition, PDGF-BB had protective effects against light-induced damage to cells of rod photoreceptors but had no effect on the 661W cells in vitro. These findings indicate that PDGF-BB reduces the degree of light-induced retinal damage by activating PDGFR-β in rod photoreceptors. These findings suggest that PDGF-BB could play a role in the prevention of degeneration in eyes susceptible to phototoxicity.

76 FR 34770 - Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Critical Experiments Facility; Environmental Assessment and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-06-14

...)) stainless steel tank with an inner diameter of 2.1 m (7 ft). The reactor is fueled with low enriched uranium SPERT fuel pins. Reactivity control is provided by four Boron-10 control rods. A detailed description of... moderator are stainless steel, thus eliminating the need for routine filtration and demineralization of the...

CADMIUM-RARE EARTH BORATE GLASS AS REACTOR CONTROL MATERIAL

DOEpatents

Ploetz, G.L.; Ray, W.E.

1958-11-01

A reactor control rod fabricated from a cadmiumrare earth-borate glass is presented. The rare earth component of this glass is selected from among those rare earths having large neutron capture cross sections, such as samarium, gadolinium or europium. Partlcles of this glass are then dispersed in a metal matrix by standard powder metallurgy techniques.

77 FR 41973 - Record of Decision for the Entry Control Reconfiguration and Base Perimeter Fence Relocation in...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-07-17

... Reconfiguration and Base Perimeter Fence Relocation in area A Wright-Patterson AF Base, Ohio, Final Environmental..., 2012, the United States Air Force signed the ROD for the Entry Control Reconfiguration and Base Perimeter Fence Relocation in Area A Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB), Ohio Final Environmental...

Extensions of the MCNP5 and TRIPOLI4 Monte Carlo Codes for Transient Reactor Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hoogenboom, J. Eduard; Sjenitzer, Bart L.

2014-06-01

To simulate reactor transients for safety analysis with the Monte Carlo method the generation and decay of delayed neutron precursors is implemented in the MCNP5 and TRIPOLI4 general purpose Monte Carlo codes. Important new variance reduction techniques like forced decay of precursors in each time interval and the branchless collision method are included to obtain reasonable statistics for the power production per time interval. For simulation of practical reactor transients also the feedback effect from the thermal-hydraulics must be included. This requires coupling of the Monte Carlo code with a thermal-hydraulics (TH) code, providing the temperature distribution in the reactor, which affects the neutron transport via the cross section data. The TH code also provides the coolant density distribution in the reactor, directly influencing the neutron transport. Different techniques for this coupling are discussed. As a demonstration a 3x3 mini fuel assembly with a moving control rod is considered for MCNP5 and a mini core existing of 3x3 PWR fuel assemblies with control rods and burnable poisons for TRIPOLI4. Results are shown for reactor transients due to control rod movement or withdrawal. The TRIPOLI4 transient calculation is started at low power and includes thermal-hydraulic feedback. The power rises about 10 decades and finally stabilises the reactor power at a much higher level than initial. The examples demonstrate that the modified Monte Carlo codes are capable of performing correct transient calculations, taking into account all geometrical and cross section detail.

Rod Has High Tensile Strength And Low Thermal Expansion

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, D. E.; Everton, R. L.; Howe, E.; O'Malley, M.

1996-01-01

Thoriated tungsten extension rod fabricated to replace stainless-steel extension rod attached to linear variable-differential transformer in gap-measuring gauge. Threads formed on end of rod by machining with special fixtures and carefully chosen combination of speeds and feeds.

Solid-state-laser-rod holder

DOEpatents

Gettemy, D.J.; Barnes, N.P.; Griggs, J.E.

1981-08-11

The disclosure relates to a solid state laser rod holder comprising Invar, copper tubing, and epoxy joints. Materials and coefficients of expansion of the components of the holder combine with the rod to produce a joint which will give before the rod itself will. The rod may be lased at about 70 to 80/sup 0/K and returned from such a temperature to room temperature repeatedly without its or the holder's destruction.

Fastening of a High-Strength Composite rod with a Splitted and Wedged end in a Potted Anchor 1. Experimental Investigation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arnautov, A. K.; Terrasi, G. P.; Kulakov, V. L.; Portnov, G. G.

2014-01-01

The effectiveness of fastening of high-strength unidirectional CFRP/epoxy rods in potted anchors was investigated experimentally. The rods had splitted ends, in which duralumin wedges were glued. The experiments, performed for three types of contact between the composite rods and the potted material, showed that the most effective were full adhesion and adhesion-friction contacts, when the maximum load-carrying capacity of CFRP rods under tension could be reached. The full friction contact was ineffective because of the shear failure of CFRP rods inside the anchorage zone.

The retinal rod Na(+)/Ca(2+),K(+) exchanger contains a noncleaved signal sequence required for translocation of the N terminus.

PubMed

McKiernan, C J; Friedlander, M

1999-12-31

The retinal rod Na(+)/Ca(2+),K(+) exchanger (RodX) is a polytopic membrane protein found in photoreceptor outer segments where it is the principal extruder of Ca(2+) ions during light adaptation. We have examined the role of the N-terminal 65 amino acids in targeting, translocation, and integration of the RodX using an in vitro translation/translocation system. cDNAs encoding human RodX and bovine RodX through the first transmembrane domain were correctly targeted and integrated into microsomal membranes; deletion of the N-terminal 65 amino acids (aa) resulted in a translation product that was not targeted or integrated. Deletion of the first 65 aa had no effect on membrane targeting of full-length RodX, but the N-terminal hydrophilic domain no longer translocated. Chimeric constructs encoding the first 65 aa of bovine RodX fused to globin were translocated across microsomal membranes, demonstrating that the sequence could function heterologously. Studies of fresh bovine retinal extracts demonstrated that the first 65 aa are present in the native protein. These data demonstrate that the first 65 aa of RodX constitute an uncleaved signal sequence required for the efficient membrane targeting and proper membrane integration of RodX.

Hierarchically porous and heteroatom doped carbon derived from tobacco rods for supercapacitors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Yong-Qing; Lu, Min; Tao, Peng-Yu; Zhang, Yun-Jie; Gong, Xiao-Ting; Yang, Zhi; Zhang, Guo-Qing; Li, Hu-Lin

2016-03-01

A novel tobacco rods-derived carbon (TC) has been prepared by hydrothermal carbonization and potassium hydroxide activation strategy for supercapacitors application. The physicochemical properties of TC are investigated by X-ray diffraction, Raman spectra, Scanning electron microscopy, Nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherms, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and four-probe tests. Results show TC derived from different tobacco rods possesses similar properties, such as amorphous state, high specific surface area, hierarchical porous structure, numerous heteroatom groups, and good electrical conductivity. The electrochemical characteristics of TC are examined via cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge-discharge, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements. In a three-electrode system, TC exhibits high capacitance with 286.6 F g-1 at 0.5 A g-1, excellent rate performance with 212.1 F g-1 even at 30 A g-1, and outstanding cyclic stability with 96% capacitance retention after 10,000 cycles at 5 A g-1. Furthermore, TC supercapacitor devices can deliver an energy density of 31.3 Wh kg-1 at 0.5 A g-1 and power density of 11.8 kW kg-1 at 15 A g-1. Therefore, this novel concept of tobacco use, namely tobacco rods from cigarette (the harmful) to high-performance carbon for supercapacitors (the beneficial), is an extremely promising strategy for developing high-performance carbon from renewable sources, and supporting the tobacco control.

Higher order parametric excitation modes for spaceborne quadrupole mass spectrometers

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

Gershman, D. J.; Block, B. P.; Rubin, M.

This paper describes a technique to significantly improve upon the mass peak shape and mass resolution of spaceborne quadrupole mass spectrometers (QMSs) through higher order auxiliary excitation of the quadrupole field. Using a novel multiresonant tank circuit, additional frequency components can be used to drive modulating voltages on the quadrupole rods in a practical manner, suitable for both improved commercial applications and spaceflight instruments. Auxiliary excitation at frequencies near twice that of the fundamental quadrupole RF frequency provides the advantages of previously studied parametric excitation techniques, but with the added benefit of increased sensed excitation amplitude dynamic range and themore » ability to operate voltage scan lines through the center of upper stability islands. Using a field programmable gate array, the amplitudes and frequencies of all QMS signals are digitally generated and managed, providing a robust and stable voltage control system. These techniques are experimentally verified through an interface with a commercial Pfeiffer QMG422 quadrupole rod system. When operating through the center of a stability island formed from higher order auxiliary excitation, approximately 50% and 400% improvements in 1% mass resolution and peak stability were measured, respectively, when compared with traditional QMS operation. Although tested with a circular rod system, the presented techniques have the potential to improve the performance of both circular and hyperbolic rod geometry QMS sensors.« less

The Neural Retina in Retinopathy of Prematurity

PubMed Central

Hansen, Ronald M.; Moskowitz, Anne; Akula, James D.; Fulton, Anne B.

2016-01-01

Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a neurovascular disease that affects prematurely born infants and is known to have significant long term effects on vision. We conducted the studies described herein not only to learn more about vision but also about the pathogenesis of ROP. The coincidence of ROP onset and rapid developmental elongation of the rod photoreceptor outer segments motivated us to consider the role of the rods in this disease. We used noninvasive electroretinographic (ERG), psychophysical, and retinal imaging procedures to study the function and structure of the neurosensory retina. Rod photoreceptor and post-receptor responses are significantly altered years after the preterm days during which ROP is an active disease. The alterations include persistent rod dysfunction, and evidence of compensatory remodeling of the post-receptor retina is found in ERG responses to full-field stimuli and in psychophysical thresholds that probe small retinal regions. In the central retina, both Mild and Severe ROP delay maturation of parafoveal scotopic thresholds and are associated with attenuation of cone mediated multifocal ERG responses, significant thickening of post-receptor retinal laminae, and dysmorphic cone photoreceptors. These results have implications for vision and control of eye growth and refractive development and suggest future research directions. These results also lead to a proposal for noninvasive management using light that may add to the currently invasive therapeutic armamentarium against ROP. PMID:27671171

Thermal lensing effects in rod-based Tm3+: YLF amplifiers versus pump and cooling conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jolly, A.; Vidal, S.; Boullet, J.

2018-06-01

We report on a comprehensive study of the thermal-lensing penalties in rod-based, end-pumped amplifiers made of thulium-doped YLF. Aiming to optimize the beam quality under optimized pump and cooling conditions, this applies to the definition of highly efficient laser designs with operation up to the saturation of the gain. Single-pass and double-pass pump schemes are benchmarked by means of an innovative modeling process, to determine the appropriate rod’s length and the complete set of input data which determines the spatial transfer function of a given rod. This is done in the form of an equivalent, pump-dependent, thick GRIN lens. The characteristics of this highly astigmatic and basically divergent lens are computed thanks to complementary 3D-FEM thermo-mechanical modeling. To benchmark the different contributors to natural thermal-lensing phenomena, we refer to the situation of uniform side-cooling. The computational results are parameterized in a broad range of operating conditions. Then we suggest non-uniform side-cooling, as a possible option of interest for cancelling the astigmatism. The development of YLF-based amplifiers of a new generation taking advantage of a highly stable and easily controllable beam quality, either using rod-based or slab-based architectures, will be part of the potential applications of this fairly generic modeling approach.

Induction of cytochrome P450-associated monooxygenases in northern leopard frogs, Rana pipiens, by 3,3{prime},4,4{prime},5-pentachlorobiphenyl

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

Huang, Y.; Jung, R.E.; Karasov, W.H.

1998-08-01

In the past decade, biochemical and physiological characteristics such as hepatic detoxifying system. DNA adducts, thyroid malfunction, and acetylcholinesterase inhibition have been used extensively as biomarkers for contaminant exposure. Northern leopard frogs (Rana pipiens) were injected intraperitoneally either with a solution of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) 126 m corn oil at a concentration of 0.2, 0.7, 2.3, or 7.8 mg/kg body weight or with corn oil alone. Appropriate assay conditions with hepatic microsomes were determined for four cytochrome P450-associated monooxygenases: ethoxyresorufin-O-dealkylase (EROD), methoxy-ROD (MROD), benzyloxy-ROD (BROD), and pentoxy-ROD (PROD). One week after PCB administration, the specific activities of EROD, MROD, BROD,more » and PROD were not elevated at doses {le}0.7 mg/kg (p > 0.05) but were significantly increased at doses {ge}2.3 mg/kg compared to the control groups (p < 0.05). The increased activities of these four enzymes were 3 to 6.4 times those in the control groups. The increased activities were maintained for at least 4 weeks. Because of a lack of induction at low doses of PCB 126, which were still relatively high compared to currently known environmental concentration, the authors suspect that EROD, MROD, BROD, and PROD activities are not sensitive biomarkers for coplanar PCB exposure in leopard frogs.« less

Inventory Control.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Byrum, David L., Ed.

1984-01-01

Presents three ideas to help hold costs down in purchasing and using science equipment. These include (1) use of pencils and other graphite rods as sensors in potentiometric titrations, (2) rubber bulb modification for pipetting, and (3) a heater for a glassware bath. (JM)

Luminescent Properties of Eu(III) Chelates on Metal Nanorods

PubMed Central

Zhang, Jian; Fu, Yi; Ray, Krishanu; Wang, Yuan; Lakowicz, Joseph. R.

2013-01-01

In this article, we report the change of optical properties for europium chelates on silver nanorods by near-field interactions. The silver rods were fabricated in a seed-growth method followed by depositing thin layers of silica on the surfaces. The europium chelates were physically absorbed in the silica layers on the silver rods. The silver rods were observed to exhibit two plasmon absorption bands from longitudinal and transverse directions, respectively, centered at 394 and 675 nm, close to absorption and emission bands from the Eu(III) chelates. As a result, the immobilized Eu(III) chelates on the silver rods should have strong interactions with the silver nanorods and lead to greatly improved optical properties. The Eu–Ag rod complexes were observed to have enhanced emission intensity up to 240-fold in comparison with the Eu(III) chelates in the metal-free silica templates. This enhancement is much larger than the value for the Eu(III) chelates on the gold rods or silver spheres indicating the presence of stronger interactions for the Eu(III) chelates with the silver rods. The interactions of Eu(III) chelates with the silver rods were also proven by extremely reduced lifetime. Moreover, the Eu–Ag rod complexes exhibited a polarized emission, which was also due to strong interactions of the Eu(III) chelates with the silver rods. All of these features may promise that the Eu(III)–Ag rod complexes have great potential for use as fluorescence imaging agents in biological assays. PMID:24363816

Eulerian Formulation of Spatially Constrained Elastic Rods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huynen, Alexandre

Slender elastic rods are ubiquitous in nature and technology. For a vast majority of applications, the rod deflection is restricted by an external constraint and a significant part of the elastic body is in contact with a stiff constraining surface. The research work presented in this doctoral dissertation formulates a computational model for the solution of elastic rods constrained inside or around frictionless tube-like surfaces. The segmentation strategy adopted to cope with this complex class of problems consists in sequencing the global problem into, comparatively simpler, elementary problems either in continuous contact with the constraint or contact-free between their extremities. Within the conventional Lagrangian formulation of elastic rods, this approach is however associated with two major drawbacks. First, the boundary conditions specifying the locations of the rod centerline at both extremities of each elementary problem lead to the establishment of isoperimetric constraints, i.e., integral constraints on the unknown length of the rod. Second, the assessment of the unilateral contact condition requires, in principle, the comparison of two curves parametrized by distinct curvilinear coordinates, viz. the rod centerline and the constraint axis. Both conspire to burden the computations associated with the method. To streamline the solution along the elementary problems and rationalize the assessment of the unilateral contact condition, the rod governing equations are reformulated within the Eulerian framework of the constraint. The methodical exploration of both types of elementary problems leads to specific formulations of the rod governing equations that stress the profound connection between the mechanics of the rod and the geometry of the constraint surface. The proposed Eulerian reformulation, which restates the rod local equilibrium in terms of the curvilinear coordinate associated with the constraint axis, describes the rod deformed configuration by means of either its relative position with respect to the constraint axis (contact-free segments) or its angular position on the constraint surface (continuous contacts.) This formulation circumvents both drawbacks that afflict the conventional Lagrangian approach associated with the segmentation strategy. As the a priori unknown domain, viz. the rod length, is substituted for the known constraint axis, the free boundary problem and the associated isoperimetric constraints are converted into a classical two-point boundary value problem. Additionally, the description of the rod deflection by means of its eccentricity with respect to the constraint axis trivializes the assessment of the unilateral contact condition. Along continuous contacts, this formulation expresses the strain variables, measuring the rod change of shape, in terms of the geometric invariants of the constraint surface, and emphasizes the influence of the constraint local geometry on the reaction pressure. Formalizing the segmentation strategy, a computational model that exploits the Eulerian formulation of the rod governing equations is devised. To solve the quasi-static deflection of elastic rods constrained inside or around a tube-like surface, this computational model identifies the number of contacts, their nature (either discrete or continuous), and the rod configuration at the connections that satisfies the unilateral contact condition and preserves the rod integrity along the sequence of elementary problems.

35. INTERIOR VIEW, SAME AS ABOVE WITH THE FEEDER ROD ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

35. INTERIOR VIEW, SAME AS ABOVE WITH THE FEEDER ROD INSERTED INTO THE MACHINE; NOTE THE WOOD FEEDER ROD AND FEEDER ROD REST ON THE BACK OF THE STOOL - LaBelle Iron Works, Thirtieth & Wood Streets, Wheeling, Ohio County, WV

Grid-to-rod flow-induced impact study for PWR fuel in reactor

DOE PAGES

Jiang, Hao; Qu, Jun; Lu, Roger Y.; ...

2016-06-10

The source for grid-to-rod fretting in a pressurized water nuclear reactor (PWR) is the dynamic contact impact from hydraulic flow-induced fuel assembly vibration. In order to support grid-to-rod fretting wear mitigation research, finite element analysis (FEA) was used to evaluate the hydraulic flow-induced impact intensity between the fuel rods and the spacer grids. Three-dimensional FEA models, with detailed geometries of the dimple and spring of the actual spacer grids along with fuel rods, were developed for flow impact simulation. The grid-to-rod dynamic impact simulation provided insights of the contact phenomena at grid-rod interface. Finally, it is an essential and effectivemore » way to evaluate contact forces and provide guidance for simulative bench fretting-impact tests.« less

Influence of ethylene oxide exposure on the extraction of indomethacin from dimethicone polymeric rods.

PubMed

Hurst, P R; Peplow, P V; von Dadelszen, P

1982-05-01

Dimethicone polymeric rods were made to contain 0.3, 2.0, or 3.3% by weight of indomethacin. For each different loading of indomethacin, some of the rods were treated with ethylene oxide at 55 degrees for 1 hr, while others were not exposed to the gas. Treated and untreated rods were sliced, placed in ethanol to extract the indomethacin, and the concentrations of indomethacin in the extracts determined by fluorometry and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). After ethylene oxide treatment, the quantity of indomethacin in the extracts was significantly reduced in rods containing 0.3 and 2.0% indomethacin. For the rods containing 3.3% indomethacin, the recovery of the drug from treated rods was not significantly different from those not exposed.

Phosphorylation-independent Suppression of Light-activated Visual Pigment by Arrestin in Carp Rods and Cones*

PubMed Central

Tomizuka, Junko; Tachibanaki, Shuji; Kawamura, Satoru

2015-01-01

Visual pigment in photoreceptors is activated by light. Activated visual pigment (R*) is believed to be inactivated by phosphorylation of R* with subsequent binding of arrestin. There are two types of photoreceptors, rods and cones, in the vertebrate retina, and they express different subtypes of arrestin, rod and cone type. To understand the difference in the function between rod- and cone-type arrestin, we first identified the subtype of arrestins expressed in rods and cones in carp retina. We found that two rod-type arrestins, rArr1 and rArr2, are co-expressed in a rod and that a cone-type arrestin, cArr1, is expressed in blue- and UV-sensitive cones; the other cone-type arrestin, cArr2, is expressed in red- and green-sensitive cones. We quantified each arrestin subtype and estimated its concentration in the outer segment of a rod or a cone in the dark; they were ∼0.25 mm (rArr1 plus rArr2) in a rod and 0.6–0.8 mm (cArr1 or cArr2) in a cone. The effect of each arrestin was examined. In contrast to previous studies, both rod and cone arrestins suppressed the activation of transducin in the absence of visual pigment phosphorylation, and all of the arrestins examined (rArr1, rArr2, and cArr2) bound transiently to most probably nonphosphorylated R*. One rod arrestin, rArr2, bound firmly to phosphorylated pigment, and the other two, rArr1 and cArr2, once bound to phosphorylated R* but dissociated from it during incubation. Our results suggested a novel mechanism of arrestin effect on the suppression of the R* activity in both rods and cones. PMID:25713141

Method of increasing magnetostrictive response of rare earth-iron alloy rods

DOEpatents

Verhoeven, John D.; McMasters, O. Dale; Gibson, Edwin D.; Ostenson, Jerome E.; Finnemore, Douglas K.

1989-04-04

This invention comprises a method of increasing the magnetostrictive response of rare earth-iron (RFe) magnetostrictive alloy rods by a thermal-magnetic treatment. The rod is heated to a temperature above its Curie temperature, viz. from 400.degree. to 600.degree. C.; and, while the rod is at that temperature, a magnetic field is directionally applied and maintained while the rod is cooled, at least below its Curie temperature.

Method of increasing magnetostrictive response of rare earth-iron alloy rods

DOEpatents

Verhoeven, J.D.; McMasters, O.D.; Gibson, E.D.; Ostenson, J.E.; Finnemore, D.K.

1989-04-04

This invention comprises a method of increasing the magnetostrictive response of rare earth-iron (RFe) magnetostrictive alloy rods by a thermal-magnetic treatment. The rod is heated to a temperature above its Curie temperature, viz. from 400 to 600 C; and, while the rod is at that temperature, a magnetic field is directionally applied and maintained while the rod is cooled, at least below its Curie temperature. 2 figs.

Dark-Adapted Chromatic Perimetry for Measuring Rod Visual Fields in Patients with Retinitis Pigmentosa

PubMed Central

Bennett, Lea D.; Klein, Martin; Locke, Kirsten G.; Kiser, Kelly; Birch, David G.

2017-01-01

Purpose Although rod photoreceptors are initially affected in retinitis pigmentosa (RP), the full-field of rod vision is not routinely characterized due to the unavailability of commercial devices detecting rod sensitivity. The purpose of this study was to quantify rod-mediated vision in the peripheral field from patients with RP using a new commercially available perimeter. Methods Participants had one eye dilated and dark-adapted for 45 minutes. A dark-adapted chromatic (DAC) perimeter tested 80 loci 144° horizontally and 72° vertically with cyan stimuli. The number of rod-mediated loci (RML) were analyzed based on normal cone sensitivity (method 1) and associated with full-field electroretinography (ERG) responses by Pearson's r correlation and linear regression. In a second cohort of patients with RP, RML were identified by two-color perimetry (cyan and red; method 2). The two methods for ascribing rod function were compared by Bland-Altman analysis. Results Method 1 RML were correlated with responses to the 0.01 cd.s/m2 flash (P < 0.001), while total sensitivity to the cyan stimulus showed correlation with responses to the 3.0 cd.s/m2 flash (P < 0.0001). Method 2 detected a mean of 10 additional RML compared to method 1. Conclusions Scotopic fields measured with the DAC detected rod sensitivity across the full visual field, even in some patients who had nondetectable rod ERGs. Two-color perimetry is warranted when sensitivity to the cyan stimulus is reduced to ≤20 dB to get a true estimation of rod function. Translational Relevance Many genetic forms of retinitis pigmentosa (RP) are caused by mutations in rod-specific genes. However, treatment trials for patients with RP have relied primarily on photopic (cone-mediated) tests as outcome measures because there are a limited number of available testing methods designed to evaluate rod function. Thus, efficient methods for quantifying rod-mediated vision are needed for the rapidly increasing numbers of clinical trials. PMID:28798898

Piston rod seal

DOEpatents

Lindskoug, Stefan

1984-01-01

In a piston rod seal of the type comprising a gland through which the piston rod is passed the piston is provided with a sleeve surrounding the piston rod and extending axially so as to axially partly overlap the gland when the piston is in its bottom dead center position.

Test Fixture for Determination of Energy Absorbing Capabilities of Composite Materials

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lavoie, J. Andre (Inventor); Jackson, Karen E. (Inventor); Morton, John (Inventor)

1998-01-01

The present invention provides a fixture for supporting an elongated specimen for crush testing. The fixture comprises a base plate. four guiding rods, a sliding plate, four support rods and two collars. The guiding rods connect to the base plate and extend in a direction substantially perpendicular to the base plate. The sliding plate has linear bearings which encircle the guiding rods and enable translation of the sliding plate along the axis of each guiding rod. The four supporting rods mount to the base plate and also extend in a direction substantially perpendicular to the base plate. Each support rod has a keyway for a wedge which contacts the elongated specimen and holds the specimen in place during crushing. Each collar lies above the sliding plate and holds a pair of support rods on their ends opposite the ends connected to the base plate. A spherical bearing sits on top of the sliding plate and transfers an applied load to the sliding plate, which moves downward and crushes the elongated specimen.

Test fixture for determination of energy absorbing capabilities of composite materials

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lavoie, J. Andre (Inventor); Jackson, Karen E. (Inventor); Morton, John (Inventor)

1994-01-01

The present invention provides a fixture for supporting an elongated specimen for crush testing. The fixture comprises a base plate, four guiding rods, a sliding plate, four support rods and two collars. The guiding rods connect to the base plate and extend in a direction substantially perpendicular to the base plate. The sliding plate has linear bearings which encircle the guiding rods and enable translation of the sliding plate along the axis of each guiding rod. The four supporting rods mount to the base plate and also extend in a direction substantially perpendicular to the base plate. Each support rod has a keyway for a wedge which contacts the elongated specimen and holds the specimen in place during crushing. Each collar lies above the sliding plate and holds a pair of support rods on their ends opposite the ends connected to the base plate. A spherical bearing sits on top of the sliding plate and transfers an applied load to the sliding plate, which moves downward and crushes the elongated specimen.

High sensitivity rod photoreceptor input to the blue-yellow color opponent pathway in macaque retina

PubMed Central

Field, Greg D.; Greschner, Martin; Gauthier, Jeffrey L.; Rangel, Carolina; Shlens, Jonathon; Sher, Alexander; Marshak, David W.; Litke, Alan M.; Chichilnisky, E.J.

2009-01-01

Small bistratified cells (SBCs) in the primate retina carry a major blue-yellow opponent signal to the brain. Here we show that SBCs also carry signals from rod photoreceptors, with the same sign as S cone input. SBCs exhibited robust responses under low scotopic conditions (<0.01 P*/rod/s). Physiological and anatomical experiments indicated that this rod input arose from the AII amacrine cell mediated rod pathway. Rod and cone signals were both present in SBCs at mesopic light levels. We discuss three implications of these findings. First, more retinal circuits than previously thought may multiplex rod and cone signals, efficiently exploiting the limited number of optic nerve fibers. Second, signals from AII amacrine cells may diverge to most or all of the <20 RGC types in the peripheral primate retina. Third, rod input to SBCs may be the substrate for behavioral biases toward perception of blue at mesopic light levels. PMID:19668201

Recruitment of Rod Photoreceptors from Short-Wavelength-Sensitive Cones during the Evolution of Nocturnal Vision in Mammals.

PubMed

Kim, Jung-Woong; Yang, Hyun-Jin; Oel, Adam Phillip; Brooks, Matthew John; Jia, Li; Plachetzki, David Charles; Li, Wei; Allison, William Ted; Swaroop, Anand

2016-06-20

Vertebrate ancestors had only cone-like photoreceptors. The duplex retina evolved in jawless vertebrates with the advent of highly photosensitive rod-like photoreceptors. Despite cones being the arbiters of high-resolution color vision, rods emerged as the dominant photoreceptor in mammals during a nocturnal phase early in their evolution. We investigated the evolutionary and developmental origins of rods in two divergent vertebrate retinas. In mice, we discovered genetic and epigenetic vestiges of short-wavelength cones in developing rods, and cell-lineage tracing validated the genesis of rods from S cones. Curiously, rods did not derive from S cones in zebrafish. Our study illuminates several questions regarding the evolution of duplex retina and supports the hypothesis that, in mammals, the S-cone lineage was recruited via the Maf-family transcription factor NRL to augment rod photoreceptors. We propose that this developmental mechanism allowed the adaptive exploitation of scotopic niches during the nocturnal bottleneck early in mammalian evolution. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Modern Protection Against Lightning Strikes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moore, C.

2005-05-01

The application of science to provide protection against lightning strikes began around 1750 when Benjamin Franklin who invented the lightning rod in an effort to discharge thunderclouds. Instead of preventing lightning as he expected, his rods have been quite successful as strike receptors, intercepting cloud-to ground discharges and conducting them to Earth without damage to the structures on which they are mounted. In the years since Franklin's invention there has been little attention paid to the rod configuration that best serves as a strike receptor but Franklin's original ideas continue to be rediscovered and promoted. Recent measurements of the responses of variously configured rods to nearby strikes indicate that sharp-tipped rods are not the optimum configuration to serve as strike receptors since the ionization of the air around their tips limits the strength of the local electric fields created by an approaching lightning leader. In these experiments, fourteen blunt-tipped rods exposed in strike-reception competitions with nearby sharp-tipped rods were struck by lightning but none of the sharp-tipped rods were struck.

Cupric oxide inclusions in cuprous oxide crystals grown by the floating zone method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frazer, Laszlo; Chang, Kelvin B.; Poeppelmeier, Kenneth R.; Ketterson, John B.

2015-06-01

Phase-pure cuprous oxide (Cu2O) crystals are difficult to grow since cupric oxide can form within the crystal as the crystal is cooled to ambient conditions. Vacancies are the solute which causes precipitation of macroscopic defects. Therefore, even when a mostly phase-pure single crystal is used as a feed rod, cupric oxide inclusions persist in the recrystallized solid. Control of the thermal profile during crystal growth, however, can improve phase-purity; a slow counter-rotation rate of the feed and seed rods results in fewer inclusions. Cupric oxide can be removed by annealing, which produces a factor of 540 ± 70 increase in phase-purity.

Stable glow discharge detector

DOEpatents

Koo, Jackson C.; Yu, Conrad M.

2004-05-18

A highly sensitive electronic ion cell for the measurement of trace elements in He carrier gas which involves glow discharge. A constant wave (CW) stable glow discharge detector which is controlled through a biased resistor, can detect the change of electron density caused by impurities in the He carrier gas by many orders of magnitude larger than that caused by direct ionization or electron capture. The stable glow discharge detector utilizes a floating pseudo-electrode to form a probe in or near the plasma and a solid rod electrode. By using this probe, the large variation of electron density due to trace amounts of impurities can be directly measured. The solid rod electrode provides greater stability and thus easier alignment.

Cupric oxide inclusions in cuprous oxide crystals grown by the floating zone method

PubMed Central

Frazer, Laszlo; Chang, Kelvin B; Poeppelmeier, Kenneth R; Ketterson, John B

2015-01-01

Phase-pure cuprous oxide (Cu2O) crystals are difficult to grow since cupric oxide can form within the crystal as the crystal is cooled to ambient conditions. Vacancies are the solute which causes precipitation of macroscopic defects. Therefore, even when a mostly phase-pure single crystal is used as a feed rod, cupric oxide inclusions persist in the recrystallized solid. Control of the thermal profile during crystal growth, however, can improve phase-purity; a slow counter-rotation rate of the feed and seed rods results in fewer inclusions. Cupric oxide can be removed by annealing, which produces a factor of 540 ± 70 increase in phase-purity. PMID:27877798

SU-E-T-328: Dosimetric Impact of Cobalt-Chrome Stabilization Hardware in Paraspinal Radiation Therapy

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

Tang, G; LoSasso, T; Saleh, Z

2015-06-15

Purpose: Due to saturation, high density materials Result in an apparent density of 3.2 g/cm{sup 3} in CT images. The true density of traditional titanium stabilization rods (∼4.4 g/cm{sup 3}) is typically ignored in treatment planning. This may not be acceptable for new cobalt-chrome rods with a density of 8.5 g/cm{sup 3}. This study reports the dosimetric impact of cobalt-chrome rods in paraspinal radiotherapy. Methods: For titanium and cobalt-chrome rods, two planning studies were done for both IMRT and VMAT in Varian Eclipse using AAA. 1) The effect of planning without assigning the true rod density was assessed by comparingmore » plans generated with the apparent density and recalculated with the true density for titanium and cobalt-chrome. 2) To test if TPS can compensate for high density rods during optimization. Furthermore, TPS calculation accuracy was verified using MapCheck for a single 20 x 10 cm{sup 2} field. The MapCheck was incrementally shifted to achieve measurement resolution of 1 mm. Results: PTV coverage was ∼0.3% and ∼4.7% lower in plans that were recalculated with the true rod density of titanium and cobalt-chrome, respectively. PTV coverage can be maintained if the correct density is used in optimization. Measurements showed that TPS overestimated the dose locally by up to 11% for cobalt-chrome rods and up to 4% for titanium rods if the density is incorrect. With density corrected, maximum local differences of 6% and 3% were seen for cobalt-chrome and titanium rods, respectively. At 2 cm beneath a rod, electrons scattered from the side of the rod increased the lateral dose and diminished as depth increases. TPS was not able to account for this effect properly even with the true rod density assigned. Conclusion: Neglecting the true density of cobalt-chrome rods can cause under coverage to the PTV. Assigning the correct density during treatment planning can minimize unexpected decrease in PTV dose.« less

High quality factor whispering gallery modes from self-assembled hexagonal GaN rods grown by metal-organic vapor phase epitaxy.

PubMed

Tessarek, C; Sarau, G; Kiometzis, M; Christiansen, S

2013-02-11

Self-assembled GaN rods were grown on sapphire by metal-organic vapor phase epitaxy using a simple two-step method that relies first on a nitridation step followed by GaN epitaxy. The mask-free rods formed without any additional catalyst. Most of the vertically aligned rods exhibit a regular hexagonal shape with sharp edges and smooth sidewall facets. Cathodo- and microphotoluminescence investigations were carried out on single GaN rods. Whispering gallery modes with quality factors greater than 4000 were measured demonstrating the high morphological and optical quality of the self-assembled GaN rods.

Device and method for redirecting electromagnetic signals

DOEpatents

Garcia, Ernest J.

1999-01-01

A device fabricated to redirect electromagnetic signals, the device including a primary driver adapted to provide a predetermined force, a linkage system coupled to the primary driver, a pusher rod rotationally coupled to the linkage system, a flexible rod element attached to the pusher rod and adapted to buckle upon the application of the predetermined force, and a mirror structure attached to the flexible rod element at one end and to the substrate at another end. When the predetermined force buckles the flexible rod element, the mirror structure and the flexible rod element both move to thereby allow a remotely-located electromagnetic signal directed towards the device to be redirected.

Development of Rod Function in Term Born and Former Preterm Subjects

PubMed Central

Fulton, Anne B.; Hansen, Ronald M.; Moskowitz, Anne

2009-01-01

Purpose Provide an overview of some of our electroretinographic and psychophysical studies of normal development of rod function and their application to retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). Methods Electroretinographic (ERG) responses to full-field stimuli were recorded from dark adapted subjects. Rod photoreceptor sensitivity, SROD, was calculated by fit of a biochemical model of the activation of phototransduction to the ERG a-wave. Dark adapted psychophysical thresholds for detecting 2° spots in parafoveal (10° eccentric) and peripheral (30° eccentric) retina were measured and the difference between the thresholds, Δ10-30, was examined as a function of age. SROD and Δ10-30 in term born and former preterm subjects were compared. Results In term born infants, (1) the normal developmental increase in SROD changes proportionately with the amount of rod visual pigment, rhodopsin, and (2) rod mediated function in central retina is immature compared to that in peripheral retina. In subjects born prematurely, deficits in rod photoreceptor sensitivity persist long after active ROP has resolved. Maturation of rod mediated thresholds in the central retina is prolonged by mild ROP. Conclusions Characterization of the development of normal rod and rod mediated function provides a foundation for understanding ROP. PMID:19483509

Possibilities and limitations of rod-beam theories. [nonlinear distortion tensor and nonlinear stress tensors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Peterson, D.

1979-01-01

Rod-beam theories are founded on hypotheses such as Bernouilli's suggesting flat cross-sections under deformation. These assumptions, which make rod-beam theories possible, also limit the accuracy of their analysis. It is shown that from a certain order upward terms of geometrically nonlinear deformations contradict the rod-beam hypotheses. Consistent application of differential geometry calculus also reveals differences from existing rod theories of higher order. These differences are explained by simple examples.

Kinetics of Exocytosis Is Faster in Cones Than in Rods

PubMed Central

Rabl, Katalin; Cadetti, Lucia; Thoreson, Wallace B.

2006-01-01

Cone-driven responses of second-order retinal neurons are considerably faster than rod-driven responses. We examined whether differences in the kinetics of synaptic transmitter release from rods and cones may contribute to differences in postsynaptic response kinetics. Exocytosis from rods and cones was triggered by membrane depolarization and monitored in two ways: (1) by measuring EPSCs evoked in second-order neurons by depolarizing steps applied to presynaptic rods or cones during simultaneous paired whole-cell recordings or (2) by direct measurements of exocytotic increases in membrane capacitance. The kinetics of release was assessed by varying the length of the depolarizing test step. Both measures of release revealed two kinetic components to the increase in exocytosis as a function of the duration of a step depolarization. In addition to slow sustained components in both cell types, the initial fast component of exocytosis had a time constant of <5 ms in cones, >10-fold faster than that of rods. Rod/cone differences in the kinetics of release were substantiated by a linear correlation between depolarization-evoked capacitance increases and EPSC charge transfer. Experiments on isolated rods indicate that the slower kinetics of exocytosis from rods was not a result of rod–rod coupling. The initial rapid release of vesicles from cones can shape the postsynaptic response and may contribute to the faster responses of cone-driven cells observed at light offset. PMID:15872111

Effect of compressibility on the hypervelocity penetration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Song, W. J.; Chen, X. W.; Chen, P.

2018-02-01

We further consider the effect of rod strength by employing the compressible penetration model to study the effect of compressibility on hypervelocity penetration. Meanwhile, we define different instances of penetration efficiency in various modified models and compare these penetration efficiencies to identify the effects of different factors in the compressible model. To systematically discuss the effect of compressibility in different metallic rod-target combinations, we construct three cases, i.e., the penetrations by the more compressible rod into the less compressible target, rod into the analogously compressible target, and the less compressible rod into the more compressible target. The effects of volumetric strain, internal energy, and strength on the penetration efficiency are analyzed simultaneously. It indicates that the compressibility of the rod and target increases the pressure at the rod/target interface. The more compressible rod/target has larger volumetric strain and higher internal energy. Both the larger volumetric strain and higher strength enhance the penetration or anti-penetration ability. On the other hand, the higher internal energy weakens the penetration or anti-penetration ability. The two trends conflict, but the volumetric strain dominates in the variation of the penetration efficiency, which would not approach the hydrodynamic limit if the rod and target are not analogously compressible. However, if the compressibility of the rod and target is analogous, it has little effect on the penetration efficiency.

Method of measuring a profile of the density of charged particles in a particle beam

DOEpatents

Hyman, L.G.; Jankowski, D.J.

1975-10-01

A profile of the relative density of charged particles in a beam is obtained by disposing a number of rods parallel to each other in a plane perpendicular to the beam and shadowing the beam. A second number of rods is disposed perpendicular to the first rods in a plane perpendicular to the beam and also shadowing the beam. Irradiation of the rods by the beam of charged particles creates radioactive isotopes in a quantity proportional to the number of charged particles incident upon the rods. Measurement of the radioactivity of each of the rods provides a measure of the quantity of radioactive material generated thereby and, together with the location of the rods, provides information sufficient to identify a profile of the density of charged particles in the beam.

10 CFR 55.41 - Written examination: Operators.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... coefficients, and poison effects. (2) General design features of the core, including core structure, fuel elements, control rods, core instrumentation, and coolant flow. (3) Mechanical components and design... changes, and operating limitations and reasons for these operating characteristics. (6) Design, components...

10 CFR 55.41 - Written examination: Operators.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... coefficients, and poison effects. (2) General design features of the core, including core structure, fuel elements, control rods, core instrumentation, and coolant flow. (3) Mechanical components and design... changes, and operating limitations and reasons for these operating characteristics. (6) Design, components...

10 CFR 55.41 - Written examination: Operators.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... coefficients, and poison effects. (2) General design features of the core, including core structure, fuel elements, control rods, core instrumentation, and coolant flow. (3) Mechanical components and design... changes, and operating limitations and reasons for these operating characteristics. (6) Design, components...

Microporous rod metal-organic frameworks with diverse Zn/Cd-triazolate ribbons as secondary building units for CO2 uptake and selective adsorption of hydrocarbons.

PubMed

Zhang, Jian-Wei; Hu, Man-Cheng; Li, Shu-Ni; Jiang, Yu-Cheng; Zhai, Quan-Guo

2017-01-17

The synthetic design of new porous open-framework materials with pre-designed pore properties for desired applications such as gas adsorption and separation remains challenging. We proposed one such class of materials, rod metal-organic frameworks (rod MOFs), which can be tuned by using rod secondary building units (rod SBUs) with different geometrical and chemical features. Our approach takes advantage of the readily accessible metal-triazolate 1-D motifs as rod SBUs to combine with dicarboxylate ligands to prepare target rod MOFs. Herein we report three such metal-triazolate-dicarboxylate frameworks (SNNU-21, -22 and -23). During the formation of these three MOFs, Cd or Zn ions are firstly connected by 1,2,4-triazole through the N1,N2,N4-mode to form 1-D metal-organic ribbon-like rod SBUs, which further joint four adjacent rod SBUs via eight BDC linkers to give 3-D microporous frameworks. However, tuned by the different NH 2 groups from metal-triazolate rod SBUs, different space groups, pore sizes and shapes are observed for SNNU-21-23. All of these rod MOFs show not only remarkable CO 2 uptake capacity, but also high CO 2 over CH 4 and C 2 -hydrocarbons over CH 4 selectivity under ambient conditions. Specially, SNNU-23 exhibits a very high isosteric heat of adsorption (Q st ) for C 2 H 2 (62.2 kJ mol -1 ), which outperforms the values of all MOF materials reported to date including the famous MOF-74-Co.

Increased visual sensitivity following periods of dim illumination.

PubMed

McKeown, Alex S; Kraft, Timothy W; Loop, Michael S

2015-02-19

We measured changes in the sensitivity of the human rod pathway by testing visual reaction times before and after light adaptation. We targeted a specific range of conditioning light intensities to see if a physiological adaptation recently discovered in mouse rods is observable at the perceptual level in humans. We also measured the noise spectrum of single mouse rods due to the importance of the signal-to-noise ratio in rod to rod bipolar cell signal transfer. Using the well-defined relationship between stimulus intensity and reaction time (Piéron's law), we measured the reaction times of eight human subjects (ages 24-66) to scotopic test flashes of a single intensity before and after the presentation of a 3-minute background. We also made recordings from single mouse rods and processed the cellular noise spectrum before and after similar conditioning exposures. Subject reaction times to a fixed-strength stimulus were fastest 5 seconds after conditioning background exposure (79% ± 1% of the preconditioning mean, in darkness) and were significantly faster for the first 12 seconds after background exposure (P < 0.01). During the period of increased rod sensitivity, the continuous noise spectrum of individual mouse rods was not significantly increased. A decrease in human reaction times to a dim flash after conditioning background exposure may originate in rod photoreceptors through a transient increase in the sensitivity of the phototransduction cascade. There is no accompanying increase in rod cellular noise, allowing for reliable transmission of larger rod signals after conditioning exposures and the observed increase in perceptual sensitivity. Copyright 2015 The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, Inc.

Mechanisms that limit the light stimulus frequency following through the APB sensitive and insensitive rod Off-pathways

PubMed Central

Bai, Xia; Zhu, Junling; Yang, Jinnan; Savoie, Brian T.; Wang, Guo-Yong

2009-01-01

In the retina, rod signal pathways process scotopic visual information. Light decrements are mediated by two distinct groups of rod pathways in the dark adapted retina that can be differentiated on the basis of their sensitivity to the glutamate agonist DL-2-amino-4-phosphonobutyric acid (APB). We have found that the APB sensitive and insensitive rod Off-pathways signal different light decrement information: the APB sensitive rod Off-pathway conveys slow and low frequency light signals, whereas the APB insensitive rod Off-pathways mediate fast and high frequency light signals (Wang, 2006). However, the mechanisms which limit the frequency following through the APB sensitive and insensitive rod Off-pathways remain unknown. In the current study, whole-cell patch-clamp recordings were made from ganglion cells in dark and light adapted mouse retina to identify the mechanisms that limit the frequency following through the APB sensitive and insensitive rod Off-pathways. The results showed that the sites from AII amacrine cells to Off cone bipolar cells are the major mechanisms that limit the frequency following through the APB sensitive rod Off-pathway. In the APB insensitive rod Off-pathways, rods themselves limited the frequency following through these pathways. Moreover, ganglion cells were able to follow higher frequencies under photopic conditions than under scotopic conditions. The Off responses followed lower frequencies than On responses under photopic conditions. This finding was observed in cells that yielded On or Off responses only as well as in On-Off cells. PMID:19406212

Corona discharges and their effect on lightning attachment revisited: Upward leader initiation and downward leader interception

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Becerra, Marley

2014-11-01

Previous studies have suggested the possibility of using glow corona discharges to control the frequency of lightning flashes to grounded objects. In order to revisit the theoretical basis of this proposal, the self-consistent leader inception and propagation model - SLIM - is used together with a two-dimensional glow corona drift model. The analysis is performed to quantify the effect of glow corona generated at the tip of ground-based objects on the initiation and propagation of upward positive connecting leaders under the influence of downward lightning leaders. It is found that the presence of glow corona does not influence the performance of Franklin lightning rods shorter than 15 m, while it slightly reduces the lateral distance of rods up to 60 m tall by a maximum of 10%. Furthermore, the results indicate that it is not possible to suppress the initiation of upward connecting leaders by means of glow corona. It is found instead that unconventional lightning protection systems based on the generation of glow corona attract downward lightning flashes in a similar way as a standard lightning rod with the same height.

Usher syndrome type 1–associated cadherins shape the photoreceptor outer segment

PubMed Central

Parain, Karine; Aghaie, Asadollah; Picaud, Serge

2017-01-01

Usher syndrome type 1 (USH1) causes combined hearing and sight defects, but how mutations in USH1 genes lead to retinal dystrophy in patients remains elusive. The USH1 protein complex is associated with calyceal processes, which are microvilli of unknown function surrounding the base of the photoreceptor outer segment. We show that in Xenopus tropicalis, these processes are connected to the outer-segment membrane by links composed of protocadherin-15 (USH1F protein). Protocadherin-15 deficiency, obtained by a knockdown approach, leads to impaired photoreceptor function and abnormally shaped photoreceptor outer segments. Rod basal outer disks displayed excessive outgrowth, and cone outer segments were curved, with lamellae of heterogeneous sizes, defects also observed upon knockdown of Cdh23, encoding cadherin-23 (USH1D protein). The calyceal processes were virtually absent in cones and displayed markedly reduced F-actin content in rods, suggesting that protocadherin-15–containing links are essential for their development and/or maintenance. We propose that calyceal processes, together with their associated links, control the sizing of rod disks and cone lamellae throughout their daily renewal. PMID:28495838

Usher syndrome type 1-associated cadherins shape the photoreceptor outer segment.

PubMed

Schietroma, Cataldo; Parain, Karine; Estivalet, Amrit; Aghaie, Asadollah; Boutet de Monvel, Jacques; Picaud, Serge; Sahel, José-Alain; Perron, Muriel; El-Amraoui, Aziz; Petit, Christine

2017-06-05

Usher syndrome type 1 (USH1) causes combined hearing and sight defects, but how mutations in USH1 genes lead to retinal dystrophy in patients remains elusive. The USH1 protein complex is associated with calyceal processes, which are microvilli of unknown function surrounding the base of the photoreceptor outer segment. We show that in Xenopus tropicalis , these processes are connected to the outer-segment membrane by links composed of protocadherin-15 (USH1F protein). Protocadherin-15 deficiency, obtained by a knockdown approach, leads to impaired photoreceptor function and abnormally shaped photoreceptor outer segments. Rod basal outer disks displayed excessive outgrowth, and cone outer segments were curved, with lamellae of heterogeneous sizes, defects also observed upon knockdown of Cdh23 , encoding cadherin-23 (USH1D protein). The calyceal processes were virtually absent in cones and displayed markedly reduced F-actin content in rods, suggesting that protocadherin-15-containing links are essential for their development and/or maintenance. We propose that calyceal processes, together with their associated links, control the sizing of rod disks and cone lamellae throughout their daily renewal. © 2017 Schietroma et al.

Extending calibration-free force measurements to optically-trapped rod-shaped samples

PubMed Central

Català, Frederic; Marsà, Ferran; Montes-Usategui, Mario; Farré, Arnau; Martín-Badosa, Estela

2017-01-01

Optical trapping has become an optimal choice for biological research at the microscale due to its non-invasive performance and accessibility for quantitative studies, especially on the forces involved in biological processes. However, reliable force measurements depend on the calibration of the optical traps, which is different for each experiment and hence requires high control of the local variables, especially of the trapped object geometry. Many biological samples have an elongated, rod-like shape, such as chromosomes, intracellular organelles (e.g., peroxisomes), membrane tubules, certain microalgae, and a wide variety of bacteria and parasites. This type of samples often requires several optical traps to stabilize and orient them in the correct spatial direction, making it more difficult to determine the total force applied. Here, we manipulate glass microcylinders with holographic optical tweezers and show the accurate measurement of drag forces by calibration-free direct detection of beam momentum. The agreement between our results and slender-body hydrodynamic theoretical calculations indicates potential for this force-sensing method in studying protracted, rod-shaped specimens. PMID:28220855

Surgical treatment of secondary peritonitis : A continuing problem.

PubMed

van Ruler, O; Boermeester, M A

2017-01-01

Secondary peritonitis remains associated with high mortality and morbidity rates. Treatment of secondary peritonitis is challenging even in modern medicine. Surgical intervention for source control remains the cornerstone of treatment, beside adequate antimicrobial therapy and resuscitation. A randomized clinical trial showed that relaparotomy on demand (ROD) after initial emergency surgery is the preferred treatment strategy, irrespective of the severity and extent of peritonitis. The effective and safe use of ROD requires intensive monitoring of the patient in a setting where diagnostic tests and decision making about relaparotomy are guaranteed round the clock. The lack of knowledge on timely and adequate patient selection, together with the lack of use of easy but reliable monitoring tools, seems to hamper full implementation of ROD. The accuracy of the relap decision tool is reasonable for prediction of ongoing peritonitis and selection for computer tomography (CT). The value of CT in an early postoperative phase is unclear. Future research and innovative technologies should focus on the additive value of CT in cases of operated secondary peritonitis and on the further optimization of bedside prediction tools to enhance adequate patient selection for intervention in a multidisciplinary setting.

Reproducible and sustained regulation of Gαs signalling using a metazoan opsin as an optogenetic tool.

PubMed

Bailes, Helena J; Zhuang, Ling-Yu; Lucas, Robert J

2012-01-01

Originally developed to regulate neuronal excitability, optogenetics is increasingly also used to control other cellular processes with unprecedented spatiotemporal resolution. Optogenetic modulation of all major G-protein signalling pathways (Gq, Gi and Gs) has been achieved using variants of mammalian rod opsin. We show here that the light response driven by such rod opsin-based tools dissipates under repeated exposure, consistent with the known bleaching characteristics of this photopigment. We continue to show that replacing rod opsin with a bleach resistant opsin from Carybdea rastonii, the box jellyfish, (JellyOp) overcomes this limitation. Visible light induced high amplitude, reversible, and reproducible increases in cAMP in mammalian cells expressing JellyOp. While single flashes produced a brief cAMP spike, repeated stimulation could sustain elevated levels for 10s of minutes. JellyOp was more photosensitive than currently available optogenetic tools, responding to white light at irradiances ≥1 µW/cm(2). We conclude that JellyOp is a promising new tool for mimicking the activity of Gs-coupled G protein coupled receptors with fine spatiotemporal resolution.

78 FR 12718 - Certain Steel Threaded Rod From the People's Republic of China: Affirmative Final Determination...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-02-25

... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE International Trade Administration [A-570-932] Certain Steel Threaded Rod... Preliminary Determination of the circumvention inquiry concerning the antidumping duty order on certain steel threaded rod (``steel threaded rod'') from the People's Republic of China (``PRC'').\\1\\ The period of...

Synthesis and Microstructural Characterization of Manganese Oxide Electrodes for Application as Electrochemical Supercapacitors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Babakhani, Banafsheh

The aim of this thesis work was to synthesize Mn-based oxide electrodes with high surface area structures by anodic electrodeposition for application as electrochemical capacitors. Rod-like structures provide large surface areas leading to high specific capacitances. Since templated electrosynthesis of rods is not easy to use in practical applications, it is more desirable to form rod-like structures without using any templates. In this work, Mn oxide electrodes with rod-like structures (˜1.5 µm in diameter) were synthesized from a solution of 0.01 M Mn acetate under galvanostatic control without any templates, on Au coated Si substrates. The electrochemical properties of the synthesized nanocrystalline electrodes were investigated to determine the effect of morphology, chemistry and crystal structure on the corresponding electrochemical behavior of Mn oxide electrodes. Mn oxides prepared at different current densities showed a defective antifluoritetype crystal structure. The rod-like Mn oxide electrodes synthesized at low current densities (5 mAcm.2) exhibited a high specific capacitance due to their large surface areas. Also, specific capacity retention after 250 cycles in an aqueous solution of 0.5 M Na2SO4 at 100 mVs -1 was about 78% of the initial capacity (203 Fg-1 ). To improve the electrochemical capacitive behavior of Mn oxide electrodes, a sequential approach and a one-step method were adopted to synthesize Mn oxide/PEDOT electrodes through anodic deposition on Au coated Si substrates from aqueous solutions. In the former case, free standing Mn oxide rods (about 10 µm long and less than 1.5 µm in diameter) were first synthesized, then coated by electro-polymerization of a conducting polymer (PEDOT) giving coaxial rods. The one-step, co-electrodeposition method produced agglomerated Mn oxide/PEDOT particles. The electrochemical behavior of the deposits depended on the morphology and crystal structure of the fabricated electrodes, which were affected by the composition and pH of the electrolyte, temperature, current density and polymer deposition time. Mn oxide/PEDOT coaxial core/shell rods consisted of MnO2 with an antifluorite-type structure coated with amorphous PEDOT. The Mn oxide/PEDOT coaxial core/shell electrodes prepared by the sequential method showed significantly better specific capacity and redox performance properties relative to both uncoated Mn oxide rods and co- electrodeposited Mn oxide/PEDOT electrodes. The best specific capacitance for Mn oxide/PEDOT rods produced sequentially was ˜295 F g-1 with ˜92% retention after 250 cycles in 0.5 M Na2SO4 at 100 mV s-1. To further improve the electrochemical capacitive behavior of Mn oxide electrodes, Co-doped and Fe-doped Mn oxide electrodes with a rod-like morphology and antifluorite-type crystal structure were synthesized by anodic electrodeposition, on Au coated Si substrates, from dilute solutions of Mn acetate and Co sulphate and Mn acetate and Fe chloride. Also, Mn-Co oxide/PEDOT coaxial core/shell rods were synthesized by applying a shell of PEDOT on Mn-Co oxide electrodes. Mn-Co oxide/PEDOT electrodes consisted of MnO2, with partial Co 2+ and Co3+ ion substitution for Mn4+, and amorphous PEDOT. Mn-Fe oxide electrodes consisted of MnO2, with partial Fe2+ and Fe3+ ion substitution for Mn4+. Electrochemical analysis showed that the capacitance values for all deposits increased with increasing scan rate to 100 mVs -1, and then decreased after 100 mVs-1. The Mn-Co oxide/PEDOT electrodes showed improved specific capacity and electrochemical cyclability relative to uncoated Mn-Co oxides and Mn-Fe oxides. Mn-Co oxide/PEDOT electrodes with rod-like structures had high capacitances (up to 310 Fg -1) at a scan rate of 100 mVs-1 and maintained their capacitance after 500 cycles in 0.5 M Na2SO4 (91% retention). Capacitance reduction for the deposits was mainly due to the loss of Mn ions by dissolution in the electrolyte solution. To better understand the nucleation and growth mechanisms of Mn oxide electrodes, the effects of supersaturation ratio on the morphology and crystal structure of electrodeposited Mn oxide were studied. By changing deposition parameters, including deposition current density, electrolyte composition, pH and temperature, a series of nanocrystalline Mn oxide electrodes with various morphologies (continuous coatings, rod-like structures, aggregated rods and thin sheets) and an antifluorite-type crystal structure was obtained. Mn oxide thin sheets showed instantaneous nucleation and single crystalline growth; rods had a mix of instantaneous/progressive nucleation and polycrystalline growth and continuous coatings formed by progressive nucleation and polycrystalline growth. Electrochemical analysis revealed the best capacitance behaviour obtained for Mn oxide thin sheets followed by Mn oxide rods, with dimensions on the microscale, and then continuous coatings. The highest specific capacitance (˜230 Fg-1) and capacitance retention rates (˜88%) were obtained for Mn oxide thin sheets after 250 cycles in 0.5 M Na2 SO4 at 20 mVs-1.

APPARATUS FOR CONTROL OF A BOILING REACTOR RESPONSIVE TO STEAM DEMAND

DOEpatents

Treshow, M.

1963-07-23

A method of controlling a fuel-rod-in-tube-type boilingwater reactor having nozzles at the point of water entry into the tube is described. Water is pumped into the nozzles by an auxiliary pump operated by steam from an interstage position of the associated turbine, so that the pumping speed is responsive to turbine demand. (AEC)

Phenomenology of BWR fuel assembly degradation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kurata, Masaki; Barrachin, Marc; Haste, Tim; Steinbrueck, Martin

2018-03-01

Severe accidents occurred at the Fukushima-Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (FDNPS) which required an immediate re-examination of fuel degradation phenomenology. The present paper reviews the updated knowledge on the phenomenology of the fuel degradation, focusing mainly on the BWR fuel assembly degradation at the macroscopic scale and that of the individual interactions at the meso-scale. Oxidation of boron carbide (B4C) control rods potentially generates far larger amounts of heat and hydrogen under BWR accident conditions. All integral tests with B4C control rods or control blades have shown early failure, liquefaction, relocation and oxidation of B4C starting at temperatures around 1250 °C, well below the significant interaction temperatures of UO2-Zry. These interactions or reactions potentially influence the progress of fuel degradation in the early phase. The steam-starved conditions, which are being discussed as a likely scenario at the FDNPS accident, highly influence the individual interactions and potentially lead the fuel degradation in non-prototypical directions. The detailed phenomenology of individual interactions and their influence on the transient and on the late phase of the severe accidents are also discussed.

Nonlinear finite element modeling of vibration control of plane rod-type structural members with integrated piezoelectric patches

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chróścielewski, Jacek; Schmidt, Rüdiger; Eremeyev, Victor A.

2018-05-01

This paper addresses modeling and finite element analysis of the transient large-amplitude vibration response of thin rod-type structures (e.g., plane curved beams, arches, ring shells) and its control by integrated piezoelectric layers. A geometrically nonlinear finite beam element for the analysis of piezolaminated structures is developed that is based on the Bernoulli hypothesis and the assumptions of small strains and finite rotations of the normal. The finite element model can be applied to static, stability, and transient analysis of smart structures consisting of a master structure and integrated piezoelectric actuator layers or patches attached to the upper and lower surfaces. Two problems are studied extensively: (i) FE analyses of a clamped semicircular ring shell that has been used as a benchmark problem for linear vibration control in several recent papers are critically reviewed and extended to account for the effects of structural nonlinearity and (ii) a smart circular arch subjected to a hydrostatic pressure load is investigated statically and dynamically in order to study the shift of bifurcation and limit points, eigenfrequencies, and eigenvectors, as well as vibration control for loading conditions which may lead to dynamic loss of stability.