Status of Biology Laboratory and Practical Activities in Some Selected Secondary and Preparatory Schools of Borena Zone, South Ethiopia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Daba, Tolessa Muleta; Anbassa, Baressa; Oda, Bula Kere; Degefa, Itefa

2016-01-01

Science laboratory is a very important resource input for teaching science. Learning science is enhanced and the understanding level is improved when students are engaged in science laboratory for practical experiments. The current study aimed to assess the status of Biology laboratory and practical activities in some selected secondary and…

Differential Amplifier with Current-Mirror Load: Influence of Current Gain, Early Voltage, and Supply Voltage on the DC Output Voltage

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Paulik, G. F.; Mayer, R. P.

2012-01-01

A differential amplifier composed of an emitter-coupled pair is useful as an example in lecture presentations and laboratory experiments in electronic circuit analysis courses. However, in an active circuit with zero input load V[subscript id], both laboratory measurements and PSPICE and LTspice simulation results for the output voltage…

Art, Meet Chemistry; Chemistry, Meet Art: Case Studies, Current Literature, and Instrumental Methods Combined to Create a Hands-On Experience for Nonmajors and Instrumental Analysis Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nivens, Delana A.; Padgett, Clifford W.; Chase, Jeffery M.; Verges, Katie J.; Jamieson, Deborah S.

2010-01-01

Case studies and current literature are combined with spectroscopic analysis to provide a unique chemistry experience for art history students and to provide a unique inquiry-based laboratory experiment for analytical chemistry students. The XRF analysis method was used to demonstrate to nonscience majors (art history students) a powerful…

Currents between tethered electrodes in a magnetized laboratory plasma

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stenzel, R. L.; Urrutia, J. M.

1989-01-01

Laboratory experiments on important plasma physics issues of electrodynamic tethers were performed. These included current propagation, formation of wave wings, limits of current collection, nonlinear effects and instabilities, charging phenomena, and characteristics of transmission lines in plasmas. The experiments were conducted in a large afterglow plasma. The current system was established with a small electron-emitting hot cathode tethered to an electron-collecting anode, both movable across the magnetic field and energized by potential difference up to V approx.=100 T(sub e). The total current density in space and time was obtained from complete measurements of the perturbed magnetic field. The fast spacecraft motion was reproduced in the laboratory by moving the tethered electrodes in small increments, applying delayed current pulses, and reconstructing the net field by a linear superposition of locally emitted wavelets. With this technique, the small-amplitude dc current pattern is shown to form whistler wings at each electrode instead of the generally accepted Alfven wings. For the beam electrode, the whistler wing separates from the field-aligned beam which carries no net current. Large amplitude return currents to a stationary anode generate current-driven microinstabilities, parallel electric fields, ion depletions, current disruptions and time-varying electrode charging. At appropriately high potentials and neutral densities, excess neutrals are ionized near the anode. The anode sheath emits high-frequency electron transit-time oscillations at the sheath-plasma resonance. The beam generates Langmuir turbulence, ion sound turbulence, electron heating, space charge fields, and Hall currents. An insulated, perfectly conducting transmission line embedded in the plasma becomes lossy due to excitation of whistler waves and magnetic field diffusion effects. The implications of the laboratory observations on electrodynamic tethers in space are discussed.

Development of a plasma focus neutron source powered by an explosive magnetic generator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ablesimov, V. E.; Andrianov, A. V.; Bazanov, A. A.; Glybin, A. M.; Dolin, Yu. N.; Drozdov, I. Yu.; Drozdov, Yu. M.; Duday, P. V.; Zimenkov, A. A.; Ivanov, V. A.; Ivanovskii, A. V.; Kalinychev, A. E.; Karpov, G. V.; Kraev, A. I.; Lomtev, S. S.; Nudikov, V. N.; Pak, S. V.; Pozdov, N. I.; Polyushko, S. M.; Rybakov, A. F.; Skobelev, A. N.; Turov, A. N.; Fevralev, A. Yu.

2015-01-01

This paper presents the results of laboratory and explosive experiments with a plasma focus discharge Mather-type chamber at a discharge current amplitude of 1.3-1.4 MA. It has been found that in laboratory experiments, the yield of a deuterium-deuterium neutrons reached 1011, and in an explosive experiment using the chamber filled with a deuterium-tritium gas mixture, the integral yield of a deuterium-tritium neutrons with an energy of 14 MeV was more than 1012 neutrons.

25. CURRENT METERS: GURLEY MODEL NO. 665 AT CENTER, GURLEY ...

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

25. CURRENT METERS: GURLEY MODEL NO. 665 AT CENTER, GURLEY MODEL NO. 625 'PYGMY' CURRENT METER AT LEFT, AND WES MINIATURE PRICE-TYPE CURRENT METER AT RIGHT. - Waterways Experiment Station, Hydraulics Laboratory, Halls Ferry Road, 2 miles south of I-20, Vicksburg, Warren County, MS

Laboratory Experiments Modelling Sediment Transport by River Plumes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sutherland, Bruce; Gingras, Murray; Knudson, Calla; Steverango, Luke; Surma, Chris

2016-11-01

Through lock-release laboratory experiments, the transport of particles by hypopycnal (surface) currents is examined as they flow into a uniform-density and a two-layer ambient fluid. In most cases the tank is tilted so that the current flows over a slope representing an idealization of a sediment-bearing river flowing into the ocean and passing over the continental shelf. When passing into a uniform-density ambient, the hypopycnal current slows and stops as particles rain out, carrying some of the light interstitial fluid with them. Rather than settling on the bottom, in many cases the descending particles accumulate to form a hyperpycnal (turbidity) current that flows downslope. This current then slows and stops as particles both rain out to the bottom and also rise again to the surface, carried upward by the light interstitial fluid. For a hypopycnal current flowing into a two-layer fluid, the current slows as particles rain out and accumulate at the interface of the two-layer ambient. Eventually these particles penetrate through the interface and settle to the bottom with no apparent formation of a hyperpycnal current. Analyses are performed to characterize the speed of the currents and stopping distances as they depend upon experiment parameters. Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council.

Laboratory simulation of field-aligned currents

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wessel, Frank J.; Rostoker, Norman

1993-01-01

A summary of progress during the period Apr. 1992 to Mar. 1993 is provided. Objectives of the research are (1) to simulate, via laboratory experiments, the three terms of the field-aligned current equation; (2) to simulate auroral-arc formation processes by configuring the boundary conditions of the experimental chamber and plasma parameters to produce highly localized return currents at the end of a field-aligned current system; and (3) to extrapolate these results, using theoretical and computational techniques, to the problem of magnetospheric-ionospheric coupling and to compare them with published literature signatures of auroral-arc phenomena.

US Naval Research Laboratory's Current Space Photovoltaic Experiemtns

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jenkins, Phillip; Walters, Robert; Messenger, Scott; Krasowski, Michael

2008-09-01

The US Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) has a rich history conducting space photovoltaic (PV) experiments starting with Vanguard I, the first solar powered satellite in 1958. Today, NRL in collaboration with the NASA Glenn Research Center, is engaged in three flight experiments demonstrating a wide range of PV technologies in both LEO and HEO orbits. The Forward Technology Solar Cell Experiment (FTSCE)[1], part of the 5th Materials on the International Space Station Experiment (MISSE-5), flew for 13 months on the International Space Station in 2005-2006. The FTSCE provided in-situ I-V monitoring of advanced III-V multi-junction cells and laboratory prototypes of thin film and other next generation technologies. Two experiments under development will provide more opportunities to demonstrate advanced solar cells and characterization electronics that are easily integrated on a wide variety of spacecraft bus architectures.

A Three-Stage Counter Current Leaching Rig for the Senior Laboratory.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davies, Wayne A.

1989-01-01

Described is a reliable and predictable laboratory experiment which represents the result of an integrated approach to design with an emphasis on teaching. Notes the flat-celled rig has logged over 100 hours service in 2 years without any problems. (MVL)

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

Leitner, M.; Bieniosek, F.; Kwan, J.

The Heavy Ion Fusion Science Virtual National Laboratory (HIFS-VNL), a collaboration between Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), and Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL), is currently constructing a new induction linear accelerator, called Neutralized Drift Compression eXperiment NDCX-II. The accelerator design makes effective use of existing components from LLNL's decommissioned Advanced Test Accelerator (ATA), especially induction cells and Blumlein voltage sources that have been transferred to LBNL. We have developed an aggressive acceleration 'schedule' that compresses the emitted ion pulse from 500 ns to 1 ns in just 15 meters. In the nominal design concept, 30more » nC of Li{sup +} are accelerated to 3.5 MeV and allowed to drift-compress to a peak current of about 30 A. That beam will be utilized for warm dense matter experiments investigating the interaction of ion beams with matter at high temperature and pressure. Construction of the accelerator will be complete within a period of approximately two and a half years and will provide a worldwide unique opportunity for ion-driven warm dense matter experiments as well as research related to novel beam manipulations for heavy ion fusion drivers.« less

Current experiments in elementary particle physics

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

Wohl, C.G.; Armstrong, F.E., Oyanagi, Y.; Dodder, D.C.

1987-03-01

This report contains summaries of 720 recent and current experiments in elementary particle physics (experiments that finished taking data before 1980 are excluded). Included are experiments at Brookhaven, CERN, CESR, DESY, Fermilab, Moscow Institute of Theoretical and Experimental Physics, Tokyo Institute of Nuclear Studies, KEK, LAMPF, Leningrad Nuclear Physics Institute, Saclay, Serpukhov, SIN, SLAC, and TRIUMF, and also experiments on proton decay. Instructions are given for searching online the computer database (maintained under the SLAC/SPIRES system) that contains the summaries. Properties of the fixed-target beams at most of the laboratories are summarized.

Laboratory Calibration Studies in Support of ORGANICS on the International Space Station: Evolution of Organic Matter in Space

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ruiterkamp, R.; Ehrenfreund, P.; Halasinski, T.; Salama, F.; Foing, B.; Schmidt, W.

2002-01-01

This paper describes the scientific overview and current status of ORGANICS an exposure experiment performed on the International Space Station (ISS) to study the evolution of organic matter in space (PI: P. Ehrenfreund), with supporting laboratory experiments performed at NASA Ames. ORGANICS investigates the chemical evolution of samples submitted to long-duration exposure to space environment in near-Earth orbit. This experiment will provide information on the nature, evolution, and survival of carbon species in the interstellar medium (ISM) and in solar system targets.

Using Experiment and Computer Modeling to Determine the Off-Axis Magnetic Field of a Solenoid

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lietor-Santos, Juan Jose

2014-01-01

The study of the ideal solenoid is a common topic among introductory-based physics textbooks and a typical current arrangement in laboratory hands-on experiences where the magnetic field inside a solenoid is determined at different currents and at different distances from its center using a magnetic probe. It additionally provides a very simple…

26. CURRENT METERS WITH FOLDING SCALE (MEASURED IN INCHES) IN ...

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

26. CURRENT METERS WITH FOLDING SCALE (MEASURED IN INCHES) IN FOREGROUND: GURLEY MODEL NO. 665 AT CENTER, GURLEY MODEL NO. 625 'PYGMY' CURRENT METER AT LEFT, AND WES MINIATURE PRICE-TYPE CURRENT METER AT RIGHT. - Waterways Experiment Station, Hydraulics Laboratory, Halls Ferry Road, 2 miles south of I-20, Vicksburg, Warren County, MS

Discovery & Interaction in Astro 101 Laboratory Experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maloney, Frank Patrick; Maurone, Philip; DeWarf, Laurence E.

2016-01-01

The availability of low-cost, high-performance computing hardware and software has transformed the manner by which astronomical concepts can be re-discovered and explored in a laboratory that accompanies an astronomy course for arts students. We report on a strategy, begun in 1992, for allowing each student to understand fundamental scientific principles by interactively confronting astronomical and physical phenomena, through direct observation and by computer simulation. These experiments have evolved as :a) the quality and speed of the hardware has greatly increasedb) the corresponding hardware costs have decreasedc) the students have become computer and Internet literated) the importance of computationally and scientifically literate arts graduates in the workplace has increased.We present the current suite of laboratory experiments, and describe the nature, procedures, and goals in this two-semester laboratory for liberal arts majors at the Astro 101 university level.

Laboratory experiment on the 3D tide-induced Lagrangian residual current using the PIV technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Yang; Jiang, Wensheng; Chen, Xu; Wang, Tao; Bian, Changwei

2017-12-01

The 3D structure of the tide-induced Lagrangian residual current was studied using the particle image velocimetry (PIV) technique in a long shallow narrow tank in the laboratory. At the mouth of the tank, a wave generator was used to make periodic wave which represents the tide movement, and at the head of the tank, a laterally sloping topography with the length of one fifth of the water tank was installed, above which the tide-induced Lagrangian residual current was studied. Under the weakly nonlinear condition in the present experiment setup, the results show that the Lagrangian residual velocity (LRV) field has a three-layer structure. The residual current flows inwards (towards the head) in the bottom layer and flows outwards in the middle layer, while in the surface layer, it flows inwards along the shallow side of the sloping topography and outwards along the deep side. The depth-averaged and breadth-averaged LRV are also analyzed based on the 3D LRV observations. Our results are in good agreement with the previous experiment studies, the analytical solutions with similar conditions and the observational results in real bays. Moreover, the volume flux comparison between the Lagrangian and Eulerian residual currents shows that the Eulerian residual velocity violates the mass conservation law while the LRV truly represents the inter-tidal water transport. This work enriches the laboratory studies of the LRV and offers valuable references for the LRV studies in real bays.

Professor Created On-line Biology Laboratory Course

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bowman, Arthur W.

2010-01-01

This paper will share the creation, implementation, and modification of an online college level general biology laboratory course offered for non-science majors as a part of a General Education Curriculum. The ability of professors to develop quality online laboratories will address a growing need in Higher Education as more institutions combine course sections and look for suitable alternative course delivery formats due to declining departmental budgets requiring reductions in staffing, equipment, and supplies. Also, there is an equal or greater need for more professors to develop the ability to create online laboratory experiences because many of the currently available online laboratory course packages from publishers do not always adequately parallel on-campus laboratory courses, or are not as aligned with the companion lecture sections. From a variety of scientific simulation and animation web sites, professors can easily identify material that closely fit the specific needs of their courses, instructional environment, and students that they serve. All too often, on-campus laboratory courses in the sciences provide what are termed confirmation experiences that do NOT allow students to experience science as would be carried out by scientists. Creatively developed online laboratory experiences can often provide the type of authentic investigative experiences that are not possible on-campus due to the time constraints of a typical two-hour, once-per-week-meeting laboratory course. In addition, online laboratory courses can address issues related to the need for students to more easily complete missing laboratory assignments, and to have opportunities to extend introductory exercises into more advanced undertakings where a greater sense of scientific discovery can be experienced. Professors are strongly encourages to begin creating online laboratory exercises for their courses, and to consider issues regarding assessment, copyrights, and Intellectual Property concerns.

Physics Notes.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

School Science Review, 1983

1983-01-01

Presented are physics experiments, laboratory procedures, demonstrations, and classroom materials/activities. Experiments include: speed of sound in carbon dioxide; inverse square law; superluminal velocities; and others. Equipment includes: current switch; electronic switch; and pinhole camera. Discussion of mechanics of walking is also included.…

Laboratory Experiment on Electrokinetic Remediation of Soil

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Elsayed-Ali, Alya H.; Abdel-Fattah, Tarek; Elsayed-Ali, Hani E.

2011-01-01

Electrokinetic remediation is a method of decontaminating soil containing heavy metals and polar organic contaminants by passing a direct current through the soil. An undergraduate chemistry laboratory is described to demonstrate electrokinetic remediation of soil contaminated with copper. A 30 cm electrokinetic cell with an applied voltage of 30…

Data collection and evaluation for experimental computer science research

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zelkowitz, Marvin V.

1983-01-01

The Software Engineering Laboratory was monitoring software development at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center since 1976. The data collection activities of the Laboratory and some of the difficulties of obtaining reliable data are described. In addition, the application of this data collection process to a current prototyping experiment is reviewed.

Investigating the dynamics of Vulcanian explosions using scaled laboratory experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clarke, A. B.; Phillips, J. C.; Chojnicki, K. N.

2005-12-01

Laboratory experiments were conducted to investigate the dynamics of Vulcanian eruptions. A reservoir containing a mixture of water and methanol plus solid particles was pressurized and suddenly released via a rapid-release valve into a 2 ft by 2 ft by 4 ft plexiglass tank containing fresh water. Water and methanol created a light interstitial fluid to simulate buoyant volcanic gases in erupted mixtures. The duration of the subsequent experiments was not pre-determined, but instead was limited by the potential energy associated with the pressurized fluid, rather than by the volume of available fluid. Suspending liquid density was varied between 960 and 1000 kg m-3 by changing methanol concentrations from 5 to 20%. Particle size (4 & 45 microns) and concentration (1 to 5 vol%) were varied in order to change particle settling characteristics and control bulk mixture density. Variations in reservoir pressure and vent size allowed exploration of the controlling source parameters, buoyancy flux (Bo) and momentum flux (Mo). The velocity-height relationship of each experiment was documented by high-speed video, permitting classification of the laboratory flows, which ranged from long continuously accelerating jets, to starting plumes, to low-energy thermals, to collapsing fountains generating density currents. Field-documented Vulcanian explosions exhibit this same wide range of behavior (Self et al. 1979, Nature 277; Sparks & Wilson 1982, Geophys. J. R. astr. Soc. 69; Druitt et al. 2002, Geol. Soc. London, 21), demonstrating that flows obtained in the laboratory are relevant to natural systems. A generalized framework of results was defined as follows. Increasing Mo/Bo for small particles (4 microns; settling time > experiment duration) pushes the system from low-energy thermals toward high-energy, continuously accelerating jets; increasing Mo/Bo for large particles (>45 microns; settling time < experiment duration) pushes the system from a low collapsing fountain to a high collapsing fountain; and increasing particle size for collapsing fountains decreases runout distance of gravity currents and increases production of current-generated rising plumes.

Improving the Laboratory Experience for America's High School Students. Hearing before the Subcommittee on Research and Science Education of the Committee on Science and Technology, House of Representatives, One Hundred Tenth Congress, First Session (March 8, 2007). Serial Number 110-9

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

US House of Representatives, 2007

2007-01-01

This hearing discussed how lack of coordination between laboratory exercises and classroom lectures, inadequately trained teachers, languishing facilities, and current high school organization diminish the value these exercises can have or prohibit them all together, and highlighted how a strong hands-on experience can create scientifically…

The UAH Spinning Terrella Experiment: A Laboratory Analog for the Earth's Magnetosphere

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sheldon, R. B.; Gallagher, D. L.; Craven, P. D.; Whitaker, Ann F. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

The UAH Spinning Terrella Experiment has been modified to include the effect of a second magnet. This is a simple laboratory demonstration of the well-known double-dipole approximation to the Earth's magnetosphere. In addition, the magnet has been biassed $\\sim$-400V which generates a DC glow discharge and traps it in a ring current around the magnet. This ring current is easily imaged with a digital camera and illustrates several significant topological properties of a dipole field. In particular, when the two dipoles are aligned, and therefore repel, they emulate a northward IMF Bz magnetosphere. Such a geometry traps plasma in the high latitude cusps as can be clearly seen in the movies. Likewise, when the two magnets are anti-aligned, they emulate a southward IMF Bz magnetosphere with direct feeding of plasma through the x-line. We present evidence for trapping and heating of the plasma, comparing the dipole-trapped ring current to the cusp-trapped population. We also present a peculiar asymmetric ring current produced in by the plasma at low plasma densities. We discuss the similarities and dissimilarities of the laboratory analog to the collisionless Earth plasma, and implications for the interpretation of IMAGE data.

Public outreach at the Soudan Underground Laboratory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gran, Richard

2016-04-01

There are many facets to the outreach program at the Soudan Underground Laboratory, currently host to the MINOS neutrino oscillation experiment and the Cryogenic Dark Matter experiment, plus a number of smaller experiments in the Low Background Counting Facility. The main focus is on twice daily public tours, operated in coordination with the Soudan Underground State Park and Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, who also operate undergound tours of the historical iron mining area. Another important component is the undergraduate interns and high school teachers who lead the tours. They also participate in the operation and/or analysis of the experiments hosted at the mine.

Analytical and experimental investigation of liquid double drop dynamics: Preliminary design for space shuttle experiments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1981-01-01

The preliminary grant assessed the use of laboratory experiments for simulating low g liquid drop experiments in the space shuttle environment. Investigations were begun of appropriate immiscible liquid systems, design of experimental apparatus and analyses. The current grant continued these topics, completed construction and preliminary testing of the experimental apparatus, and performed experiments on single and compound liquid drops. A continuing assessment of laboratory capabilities, and the interests of project personnel and available collaborators, led to, after consultations with NASA personnel, a research emphasis specializing on compound drops consisting of hollow plastic or elastic spheroids filled with liquids.

Simulated and Virtual Science Laboratory Experiments: Improving Critical Thinking and Higher-Order Learning Skills

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Simon, Nicole A.

Virtual laboratory experiments using interactive computer simulations are not being employed as viable alternatives to laboratory science curriculum at extensive enough rates within higher education. Rote traditional lab experiments are currently the norm and are not addressing inquiry, Critical Thinking, and cognition throughout the laboratory experience, linking with educational technologies (Pyatt & Sims, 2007; 2011; Trundle & Bell, 2010). A causal-comparative quantitative study was conducted with 150 learners enrolled at a two-year community college, to determine the effects of simulation laboratory experiments on Higher-Order Learning, Critical Thinking Skills, and Cognitive Load. The treatment population used simulated experiments, while the non-treatment sections performed traditional expository experiments. A comparison was made using the Revised Two-Factor Study Process survey, Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire, and the Scientific Attitude Inventory survey, using a Repeated Measures ANOVA test for treatment or non-treatment. A main effect of simulated laboratory experiments was found for both Higher-Order Learning, [F (1, 148) = 30.32,p = 0.00, eta2 = 0.12] and Critical Thinking Skills, [F (1, 148) = 14.64,p = 0.00, eta 2 = 0.17] such that simulations showed greater increases than traditional experiments. Post-lab treatment group self-reports indicated increased marginal means (+4.86) in Higher-Order Learning and Critical Thinking Skills, compared to the non-treatment group (+4.71). Simulations also improved the scientific skills and mastery of basic scientific subject matter. It is recommended that additional research recognize that learners' Critical Thinking Skills change due to different instructional methodologies that occur throughout a semester.

Development of a solar charged laboratory bench power supply

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ayara, W. A.; Omotosho, T. V.; Usikalu, M. R.; Singh, M. S. J.; Suparta, W.

2017-05-01

This product is an improvement on available DC laboratory bench power supply. It is capable of delivering low voltage Alternating Current (AC) and Direct Current (DC) to carry out basic laboratory experiment for both secondary schools and also at higher education institutions. The power supply is capable of delivering fixed DC voltages of 5V, 9V, 12V, variable voltage of between 1.25-30V and a 12V AC voltage. Also Incorporated is a USB port that allows for charging cell phones and other mobile devices, and a dedicated 12V DC output to power 5-7 Watt LED bulb to provide illumination in the laboratory for the instructor who may need to work at night in the absence of utility power.

The effects of in situ turbulence on the behavior of the predatory ctenophore Mnemiopsis leidyi

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Colin, S.; Bezio, N.; Costello, J.; Jaspers, C.; Gemmell, B.

2016-02-01

Most of our understanding of the feeding mechanics of the lobate ctenophore Mnemiopsis leidyi is based on laboratory experiments with artificially calm conditions because field conditions are seldom as calm as the laboratory. We conducted both laboratory experiments with artificial turbulence and in situ particle image velocimetry (PIV) analyses to evaluate the effects of natural turbulence on the feeding behavior of M. leidyi. We found that even the lowest levels of natural turbulence degraded the feeding current of M. leidyi beyond the tips of the oral lobes. However, both laboratory and field behavioral analyses indicate that M. leidyi alters its swimming behavior in turbulence and is capable of feeding under most turbulence conditions observed.

The student perspective of high school laboratory experiences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lambert, R. Mitch

High school science laboratory experiences are an accepted teaching practice across the nation despite a lack of research evidence to support them. The purpose of this study was to examine the perspective of students---stakeholders often ignored---on these experiences. Insight into the students' perspective was explored progressively using a grounded theory methodology. Field observations of science classrooms led to an open-ended survey of high school science students, garnering 665 responses. Twelve student interviews then focused on the data and questions evolving from the survey. The student perspective on laboratory experiences revealed varied information based on individual experience. Concurrent analysis of the data revealed that although most students like (348/665) or sometimes like (270/665) these experiences, some consistent factors yielded negative experiences and prompted suggestions for improvement. The category of responses that emerged as the core idea focused on student understanding of the experience. Students desire to understand the why do, the how to, and the what it means of laboratory experiences. Lacking any one of these, the experience loses educational value for them. This single recurring theme crossed the boundaries of age, level in school, gender, and even the student view of lab experiences as positive or negative. This study suggests reflection on the current laboratory activities in which science teachers engage their students. Is the activity appropriate (as opposed to being merely a favorite), does it encourage learning, does it fit, does it operate at the appropriate level of inquiry, and finally what can science teachers do to integrate these activities into the classroom curriculum more effectively? Simply stated, what can teachers do so that students understand what to do, what's the point, and how that point fits into what they are learning outside the laboratory?

Current experiments in elementary particle physics

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

Wohl, C.G.; Armstrong, F.E.; Trippe, T.G.

1989-09-01

This report contains summaries of 736 current and recent experiments in elementary particle physics (experiments that finished taking data before 1982 are excluded). Included are experiments at Brookhaven, CERN, CESR, DESY, Fermilab, Tokyo Institute of Nuclear Studies, Moscow Institute of Theoretical and Experimental Physics, Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (Dubna), KEK, LAMPF, Novosibirsk, PSI/SIN, Saclay, Serpukhov, SLAC, and TRIUMF, and also several underground experiments. Also given are instructions for searching online the computer database (maintained under the SLAC/SPIRES system) that contains the summaries. Properties of the fixed-target beams at most of the laboratories are summarized.

Analysis of Currently Available Analgesic Tablets by Modern Liquid Chromatography: An Undergraduate Laboratory Introduction to HPLC.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kagel, R. A.; Farwell, S. O.

1983-01-01

Background information, procedures, and results, are provided for an undergraduate experiment in which analgesic tablets are analyzed using liquid chromatography. The experiment, an improved, modified version of the Waters Associates Inc. experiment, is simple to prepare, requiring little glassware and minimal sample manipulation by students. (JN)

A "Greenhouse Gas" Experiment for the Undergraduate Laboratory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gomez, Elaine; Paul, Melissa; Como, Charles; Barat, Robert

2014-01-01

This experiment and analysis offer an effective experience in greenhouse gas reduction. Ammoniated water is flowed counter-current to a simulated flue gas of air and CO2 in a packed column. The gaseous CO2 concentrations are measured with an on-line, non- dispersive, infrared analyzer. Column operating parameters include total gas flux, dissolved…

Remote Access Laboratories in Australia and Europe

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ku, H.; Ahfock, T.; Yusaf, T.

2011-01-01

Remote access laboratories (RALs) were first developed in 1994 in Australia and Switzerland. The main purposes of developing them are to enable students to do their experiments at their own pace, time and locations and to enable students and teaching staff to get access to facilities beyond their institutions. Currently, most of the experiments…

Laboratory reconnection experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grulke, Olaf

Laboratory experiments dedicated for the study of magnetic reconnection have been contributed considerably to a more detailed understanding of the involved processes. Their strength is to disentangle parameter dependencies, to diagnose in detail the plasma and field response, and to form an excellent testbed for the validation of numerical simulations. In the present paper recent results obtained from the new cylindrical reconnection experiment VINETA II are presented. The experimental setup allows to independently vary plasma parameters, reconnection drive strength/timescale, and current sheet amplitude. Current research objectives focus on two major scientific issues: Guide field effects on magnetic reconnection and the evolution of electromagnetic fluctuations. The superimposed homogeneous magnetic guide field has a strong influence on the spatiotemporal evolution of the current sheet, predominantly due to magnetic pitch angle effects, which leads to a strong elongation of the sheet along the separatrices and results in axial gradients of the reconnection rates. Within the current sheet, incoherent electromagnetic fluctuations are observed. Their magnetic signature is characterized by a broad spectrum somewhat centered around the lower-hybrid frequency and extremely short spatial correlation lengths being typically smaller than the local ion sound radius. The fluctuation amplitude correlates with the local current density and, thus, for low guide fields, displays also axial gradients. Despite the quantitatively different parameter regime and geometry the basic fluctuation properties are in good agreement with studies conducted at the MRX experiment (PPPL).

V-Sipal - a Virtual Laboratory for Satellite Image Processing and Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buddhiraju, K. M.; Eeti, L.; Tiwari, K. K.

2011-09-01

In this paper a virtual laboratory for the Satellite Image Processing and Analysis (v-SIPAL) being developed at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay is described. v-SIPAL comprises a set of experiments that are normally carried out by students learning digital processing and analysis of satellite images using commercial software. Currently, the experiments that are available on the server include Image Viewer, Image Contrast Enhancement, Image Smoothing, Edge Enhancement, Principal Component Transform, Texture Analysis by Co-occurrence Matrix method, Image Indices, Color Coordinate Transforms, Fourier Analysis, Mathematical Morphology, Unsupervised Image Classification, Supervised Image Classification and Accuracy Assessment. The virtual laboratory includes a theory module for each option of every experiment, a description of the procedure to perform each experiment, the menu to choose and perform the experiment, a module on interpretation of results when performed with a given image and pre-specified options, bibliography, links to useful internet resources and user-feedback. The user can upload his/her own images for performing the experiments and can also reuse outputs of one experiment in another experiment where applicable. Some of the other experiments currently under development include georeferencing of images, data fusion, feature evaluation by divergence andJ-M distance, image compression, wavelet image analysis and change detection. Additions to the theory module include self-assessment quizzes, audio-video clips on selected concepts, and a discussion of elements of visual image interpretation. V-SIPAL is at the satge of internal evaluation within IIT Bombay and will soon be open to selected educational institutions in India for evaluation.

Development of Alternating Current Potential Drop (ACPD) Procedures for Crack Detection in Aluminum Aircraft Panels.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1993-12-01

The Alternating Current Potential Drop (ACPD) method is investigated as a means of making measurements in laboratory experiments on the initiation and growth of multiple site damage (MSD) cracks in a common aluminum alloy used for aircraft constructi...

Leaving Their Legacy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beard, Lisa; Ciesielski, Peter; Hijazi, Frederick

2010-01-01

Research Experiences for Teachers (RET), funded by the National Science Foundation, offer teachers an opportunity to participate in current, hands-on scientific research in laboratories across the United States. These experiences provide an avenue for teachers to understand the process of research and gain insight on emerging technologies with the…

Bridging the Gap between Instructional and Research Laboratories: Teaching Data Analysis Software Skills through the Manipulation of Original Research Data

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hansen, Sarah J. R.; Zhu, Jieling; Karch, Jessica M.; Sorrento, Cristina M.; Ulichny, Joseph C.; Kaufman, Laura J.

2016-01-01

The gap between graduate research and introductory undergraduate teaching laboratories is often wide, but the development of teaching activities rooted within the research environment offers an opportunity for undergraduate students to have first-hand experience with research currently being conducted and for graduate students to develop…

iVirtualWorld: A Domain-Oriented End-User Development Environment for Building 3D Virtual Chemistry Experiments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhong, Ying

2013-01-01

Virtual worlds are well-suited for building virtual laboratories for educational purposes to complement hands-on physical laboratories. However, educators may face technical challenges because developing virtual worlds requires skills in programming and 3D design. Current virtual world building tools are developed for users who have programming…

Repeating the Race Experience: John Dewey and the History Curriculum at the University of Chicago Laboratory School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fallace, Thomas

2009-01-01

Despite the vast literature on Dewey and his laboratory school, most scholars have failed to contextualize Dewey's pedagogical ideas in the intellectual currents of the period, particularly the historicist concept of social development known as recapitulation and/or correspondence theory. In this article, the author explores how and why history…

Heart rate variability indicates emotional value during pro-social economic laboratory decisions with large external validity.

PubMed

Fooken, Jonas

2017-03-10

The present study investigates the external validity of emotional value measured in economic laboratory experiments by using a physiological indicator of stress, heart rate variability (HRV). While there is ample evidence supporting the external validity of economic experiments, there is little evidence comparing the magnitude of internal levels of emotional stress during decision making with external stress. The current study addresses this gap by comparing the magnitudes of decision stress experienced in the laboratory with the stress from outside the laboratory. To quantify a large change in HRV, measures observed in the laboratory during decision-making are compared to the difference between HRV during a university exam and other mental activity for the same individuals in and outside of the laboratory. The results outside the laboratory inform about the relevance of laboratory findings in terms of their relative magnitude. Results show that psychologically induced HRV changes observed in the laboratory, particularly in connection with social preferences, correspond to large effects outside. This underscores the external validity of laboratory findings and shows the magnitude of emotional value connected to pro-social economic decisions in the laboratory.

The BDX experiment at Jefferson Laboratory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Celentano, Andrea

2015-06-01

The existence of MeV-GeV dark matter (DM) is theoretically well motivated but remarkably unexplored. The Beam Dump eXperiment (BDX) at Jefferson Laboratory aims to investigate this mass range. Dark matter particles will be detected trough scattering on a segmented, plastic scintillator detector placed downstream of the beam-dump at one of the high intensity JLab experimental Halls. The experiment will collect up to 1022 electrons-on-target (EOT) in a one-year period. For these conditions, BDX is sensitive to the DM-nucleon elastic scattering at the level of a thousand counts per year, and is only limited by cosmogenic backgrounds. The experiment is also sensitive to DM-electron elastic and inelastic scattering, at the level of 10 counts/year. The foreseen signal for these channels is an high-energy (> 100 MeV) electromagnetic shower, with almost no background. The experiment, has been presented in form of a Letter of Intent to the laboratory, receiving positive feedback, and is currently being designed.

Virtual experiments in electronics: beyond logistics, budgets, and the art of the possible

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chapman, Brian

1999-09-01

It is common and correct to suppose that computers support flexible delivery of educational resources by offering virtual experiments that replicate and substitute for experiments traditionally offered in conventional teaching laboratories. However, traditional methods are limited by logistics, costs, and what is physically possible to accomplish on a laboratory bench. Virtual experiments allow experimental approaches to teaching and learning to transcend these limits. This paper analyses recent and current developments in educational software for 1st- year physics, 2nd-year electronics engineering and 3rd-year communication engineering, based on three criteria: (1)Is the virtual experiment possible in a real laboratory? (2)How direct is the link between the experimental manipulation and the reinforcement of theoretical learning? (3) What impact might the virtual experiment have on the learner's acquisition of practical measurement skills? Virtual experiments allow more flexibility in the directness of the link between experimental manipulation and the theoretical message. However, increasing the directness of this link may reduce or even abolish the measurement processes associated with traditional experiments. Virtual experiments thus pose educational challenges: (a) expanding the design of experimentally based curricula beyond traditional boundaries and (b) ensuring that the learner acquires sufficient experience in making practical measurements.

An Undergraduate Experiment on Nuclear Lifetime Measurement Using the Doppler Effect

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Campbell, J. L.; And Others

1972-01-01

While designed for a senior undergraduate laboratory, the experiment illustrates the principles involved in the various Doppler techniques currently used in nuclear lifetime studies and demonstrates the versatility of the Ge(Li) detector in applications other than direct energy or intensity measurement. (Author/TS)

Critical experiments at Sandia National Laboratories : technical meeting on low-power critical facilities and small reactors.

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

Harms, Gary A.; Ford, John T.; Barber, Allison Delo

2010-11-01

Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) has conducted radiation effects testing for the Department of Energy (DOE) and other contractors supporting the DOE since the 1960's. Over this period, the research reactor facilities at Sandia have had a primary mission to provide appropriate nuclear radiation environments for radiation testing and qualification of electronic components and other devices. The current generation of reactors includes the Annular Core Research Reactor (ACRR), a water-moderated pool-type reactor, fueled by elements constructed from UO2-BeO ceramic fuel pellets, and the Sandia Pulse Reactor III (SPR-III), a bare metal fast burst reactor utilizing a uranium-molybdenum alloy fuel. The SPR-IIImore » is currently defueled. The SPR Facility (SPRF) has hosted a series of critical experiments. A purpose-built critical experiment was first operated at the SPRF in the late 1980's. This experiment, called the Space Nuclear Thermal Propulsion Critical Experiment (CX), was designed to explore the reactor physics of a nuclear thermal rocket motor. This experiment was fueled with highly-enriched uranium carbide fuel in annular water-moderated fuel elements. The experiment program was completed and the fuel for the experiment was moved off-site. A second critical experiment, the Burnup Credit Critical Experiment (BUCCX) was operated at Sandia in 2002. The critical assembly for this experiment was based on the assembly used in the CX modified to accommodate low-enriched pin-type fuel in water moderator. This experiment was designed as a platform in which the reactivity effects of specific fission product poisons could be measured. Experiments were carried out on rhodium, an important fission product poison. The fuel and assembly hardware for the BUCCX remains at Sandia and is available for future experimentation. The critical experiment currently in operation at the SPRF is the Seven Percent Critical Experiment (7uPCX). This experiment is designed to provide benchmark reactor physics data to support validation of the reactor physics codes used to design commercial reactor fuel elements in an enrichment range above the current 5% enrichment cap. A first set of critical experiments in the 7uPCX has been completed. More experiments are planned in the 7uPCX series. The critical experiments at Sandia National Laboratories are currently funded by the US Department of Energy Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP). The NCSP has committed to maintain the critical experiment capability at Sandia and to support the development of a critical experiments training course at the facility. The training course is intended to provide hands-on experiment experience for the training of new and re-training of practicing Nuclear Criticality Safety Engineers. The current plans are for the development of the course to continue through the first part of fiscal year 2011 with the development culminating is the delivery of a prototype of the course in the latter part of the fiscal year. The course will be available in fiscal year 2012.« less

Complementing Neurophysiology Education for Developing Countries via Cost-Effective Virtual Labs: Case Studies and Classroom Scenarios.

PubMed

Diwakar, Shyam; Parasuram, Harilal; Medini, Chaitanya; Raman, Raghu; Nedungadi, Prema; Wiertelak, Eric; Srivastava, Sanjeeva; Achuthan, Krishnashree; Nair, Bipin

2014-01-01

Classroom-level neuroscience experiments vary from detailed protocols involving chemical, physiological and imaging techniques to computer-based modeling. The application of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is revolutionizing the current laboratory scenario in terms of active learning especially for distance education cases. Virtual web-based labs are an asset to educational institutions confronting economic issues in maintaining equipment, facilities and other conditions needed for good laboratory practice. To enhance education, we developed virtual laboratories in neuroscience and explored their first-level use in (Indian) University education in the context of developing countries. Besides using interactive animations and remotely-triggered experimental devices, a detailed mathematical simulator was implemented on a web-based software platform. In this study, we focused on the perceptions of technology adoption for a virtual neurophysiology laboratory as a new pedagogy tool for complementing college laboratory experience. The study analyses the effect of virtual labs on users assessing the relationship between cognitive, social and teaching presence. Combining feedback from learners and teachers, the study suggests enhanced motivation for students and improved teaching experience for instructors.

Complementing Neurophysiology Education for Developing Countries via Cost-Effective Virtual Labs: Case Studies and Classroom Scenarios

PubMed Central

Diwakar, Shyam; Parasuram, Harilal; Medini, Chaitanya; Raman, Raghu; Nedungadi, Prema; Wiertelak, Eric; Srivastava, Sanjeeva; Achuthan, Krishnashree; Nair, Bipin

2014-01-01

Classroom-level neuroscience experiments vary from detailed protocols involving chemical, physiological and imaging techniques to computer-based modeling. The application of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is revolutionizing the current laboratory scenario in terms of active learning especially for distance education cases. Virtual web-based labs are an asset to educational institutions confronting economic issues in maintaining equipment, facilities and other conditions needed for good laboratory practice. To enhance education, we developed virtual laboratories in neuroscience and explored their first-level use in (Indian) University education in the context of developing countries. Besides using interactive animations and remotely-triggered experimental devices, a detailed mathematical simulator was implemented on a web-based software platform. In this study, we focused on the perceptions of technology adoption for a virtual neurophysiology laboratory as a new pedagogy tool for complementing college laboratory experience. The study analyses the effect of virtual labs on users assessing the relationship between cognitive, social and teaching presence. Combining feedback from learners and teachers, the study suggests enhanced motivation for students and improved teaching experience for instructors. PMID:24693260

BOW SHOCK FRAGMENTATION DRIVEN BY A THERMAL INSTABILITY IN LABORATORY ASTROPHYSICS EXPERIMENTS

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

Suzuki-Vidal, F.; Lebedev, S. V.; Pickworth, L. A.

The role of radiative cooling during the evolution of a bow shock was studied in laboratory-astrophysics experiments that are scalable to bow shocks present in jets from young stellar objects. The laboratory bow shock is formed during the collision of two counterstreaming, supersonic plasma jets produced by an opposing pair of radial foil Z-pinches driven by the current pulse from the MAGPIE pulsed-power generator. The jets have different flow velocities in the laboratory frame, and the experiments are driven over many times the characteristic cooling timescale. The initially smooth bow shock rapidly develops small-scale nonuniformities over temporal and spatial scalesmore » that are consistent with a thermal instability triggered by strong radiative cooling in the shock. The growth of these perturbations eventually results in a global fragmentation of the bow shock front. The formation of a thermal instability is supported by analysis of the plasma cooling function calculated for the experimental conditions with the radiative packages ABAKO/RAPCAL.« less

A Physical Chemistry Experiment in Polymer Crystallization Kinetics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Singfield, Kathy L.; Chisholm, Roderick A.; King, Thomas L.

2012-01-01

A laboratory experiment currently used in an undergraduate physical chemistry lab to investigate the rates of crystallization of a polymer is described. Specifically, the radial growth rates of typical disc-shaped crystals, called spherulites, growing between microscope glass slides are measured and the data are treated according to polymer…

A search for experiments to exploit the space shuttle environment, volume 2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fenn, J. B.

1979-01-01

Institutions and laboratories in India, Japan, and Western Europe which were visited during a search for experiments to exploit the space shuttle environment are described. The facilities and current research interests of the various centers are discussed with particular emphasis given to the Indian Space Research Organization.

Experimental Confirmation of Lenz's Law

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mayer, V. V.; Varaksina, E. I.

2017-01-01

The paper presents a series of experiments that demonstrate the phenomenon of electromagnetic induction. These make it possible to determine the direction of the induced current and so confirm Lenz's Law. The simple experiments can be reproduced in a school laboratory and can be recommended for students' project activity.

Experimental confirmation of Lenz’s law

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mayer, V. V.; Varaksina, E. I.

2017-11-01

The paper presents a series of experiments that demonstrate the phenomenon of electromagnetic induction. These make it possible to determine the direction of the induced current and so confirm Lenz’s Law. The simple experiments can be reproduced in a school laboratory and can be recommended for students’ project activity.

Analysis of Proton Transport Experiments.

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-09-05

which can inhibit transport, may grow . The abrupt loss of transport at higher currents in the small channel suggests this possibility. Future experiments... Unicorn Park Drive Woburn, MA 01801 Attn: H. Linnerud 1 copy Lawrence Livermore Laboratory P. 0. Box 808 Livermore, CA 94550 Attn: R. J. Briggs 1 copy R

Influence of internal waves on the dispersion and transport of inclined gravity currents

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hogg, C. A. R.; Pietrasz, V. B.; Ouellette, N. T.; Koseff, J. R.

2016-02-01

Brine discharge from desalination facilities presents environmental risks, particularly to benthic organisms. High concentrations of salt and chemical additives, which can be toxic to local ecosystems, are typically mitigated by dilution close to the source. Our laboratory experiments investigate how breaking internal tides can help to dilute gravity currents caused by desalination effluents and direct them away from the benthic layer. In laboratory experiments, internal waves at the pycnocline of an ambient stratification were directed towards a sloping shelf, down which ran a gravity current. The breaking internal waves were seen to increase the proportion of the fluid from the gravity current diverted away from the slope into an intrusion along the pycnocline. In a parametric study, increasing the amplitude of the internal wave was seen to increase the amount of dense fluid in the pycnocline intrusion. The amplitude required to divert the gravity current into the intrusion compares well with an analytical theory that equates the incident energy in the internal wave to the potential energy required to dilute the gravity current. These experimental results suggest that sites of breaking internal waves may be good sites for effluent disposal. Effluent diverted into the intrusion avoids the ecologically sensitive benthic layer.

Hyporheic exchange in gravel bed rivers with pool-riffle morphology: Laboratory experiments and three-dimensional modeling

Treesearch

Daniele Tonina; John M. Buffington

2007-01-01

We report the first laboratory simulations of hyporheic exchange in gravel pool-riffle channels, which are characterized by coarse sediment, steep slopes, and three-dimensional bed forms that strongly influence surface flow. These channels are particularly important habitat for salmonids, many of which are currently at risk worldwide and which incubate their offspring...

An Undergraduate Investigation into the 10-23 DNA Enzyme that Cleaves RNA: DNA Can Cut It in the Biochemistry Laboratory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Flynn-Charlebois, Amber; Burns, Jamie; Chapelliquen, Stephanie; Sanmartino, Holly

2011-01-01

A low-cost biochemistry experiment is described that demonstrates current techniques in the use of catalytic DNA molecules and introduces a nonradioactive, nonfluorescent, inexpensive, fast, and safe method for monitoring these nucleic acid reactions. The laboratory involves the exploration of the 10-23 DNA enzyme as it cleaves a specific RNA…

Developing laboratory networks: a practical guide and application.

PubMed

Kirk, Carol J; Shult, Peter A

2010-01-01

The role of the public health laboratory (PHL) in support of public health response has expanded beyond testing to include a number of other core functions, such as emergency response, training and outreach, communications, laboratory-based surveillance, and laboratory data management. These functions can only be accomplished by a network that includes public health and other agency laboratories and clinical laboratories. It is a primary responsibility of the PHL to develop and maintain such a network. In this article, we present practical recommendations-based on 17 years of network development experience-for the development of statewide laboratory networks. These recommendations, and examples of current laboratory networks, are provided to facilitate laboratory network development in other states. The development of laboratory networks will enhance each state's public health system and is critical to the development of a robust national Laboratory Response Network.

Tracer adsorption in sand-tank experiments of saltwater up-coning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jakovovic, Danica; Post, Vincent E. A.; Werner, Adrian D.; Männicke, Oliver; Hutson, John L.; Simmons, Craig T.

2012-01-01

SummaryThis study aims to substantiate otherwise unresolved double-peaked plumes produced in recent saltwater up-coning experiments (see Jakovovic et al. (2011), Numerical modelling of saltwater up-coning: Comparison with experimental laboratory observations, Journal of Hydrology 402, 261-273) through additional laboratory testing and numerical modelling. Laboratory experimentation successfully reproduced the double-peaked plume demonstrating that this phenomenon was not an experimental nuance in previous experiments. Numerical modelling by Jakovovic et al. (2011) was extended by considering adsorption effects, which were needed to explain the observed up-coning double peaks of both previous and current laboratory experiments. A linear adsorption isotherm was applied in predicting dye tracer (Rhodamine WT) behaviour in the sand-tank experiments using adsorption parameters obtained experimentally. The same adsorption parameters were tested on all laboratory experiments and it was found that adsorption had insignificant effect on experiments with high pumping rates. However, low pumping rates produced pronounced spatial velocity variations within the dense salt plume beneath the pumping well, with velocities within the plume increasing from the centre of the plume towards the interface. The dye tracer was retarded relative to the salt and was transported preferentially along the higher-velocity paths (i.e. along the edges of the salt plume) towards the well forming double-peaked up-coning patterns. This illustrates the sensitive adsorptive nature of Rhodamine WT and that care should be taken when it is used in similar sand-tank experiments. Observations from this study offer insight into the separation of chemicals in natural systems due to different adsorption characteristics and under conditions of density-dependent flow.

[Information system of the national network of public health laboratories in Peru (Netlab)].

PubMed

Vargas-Herrera, Javier; Segovia-Juarez, José; Garro Nuñez, Gladys María

2015-01-01

Clinical laboratory information systems produce improvements in the quality of information, reduce service costs, and diminish wait times for results, among other things. In the construction process of this information system, the National Institute of Health (NIH) of Peru has developed and implemented a web-based application to communicate to health personnel (laboratory workers, epidemiologists, health strategy managers, physicians, etc.) the results of laboratory tests performed at the Peruvian NIH or in the laboratories of the National Network of Public Health Laboratories which is called NETLAB. This article presents the experience of implementing NETLAB, its current situation, perspectives of its use, and its contribution to the prevention and control of diseases in Peru.

Terminology modeling for an enterprise laboratory orders catalog.

PubMed

Zhou, Li; Goldberg, Howard; Pabbathi, Deepika; Wright, Adam; Goldman, Debora S; Van Putten, Cheryl; Barley, Amanda; Rocha, Roberto A

2009-11-14

Laboratory test orders are used in a variety of clinical information systems at Partners HealthCare. At present, each site at Partners manages its own set of laboratory orders with locally defined codes. Our current plan is to implement an enterprise catalog, where laboratory test orders are mapped to reference terminologies and codes from different sites are mapped to each other. This paper describes the terminology modeling effort that preceded the implementation of the enterprise laboratory orders catalog. In particular, we present our experience in adapting HL7's "Common Terminology Services 2 - Upper Level Class Model" as a terminology metamodel for guiding the development of fully specified laboratory orders and related services.

Terminology Modeling for an Enterprise Laboratory Orders Catalog

PubMed Central

Zhou, Li; Goldberg, Howard; Pabbathi, Deepika; Wright, Adam; Goldman, Debora S.; Van Putten, Cheryl; Barley, Amanda; Rocha, Roberto A.

2009-01-01

Laboratory test orders are used in a variety of clinical information systems at Partners HealthCare. At present, each site at Partners manages its own set of laboratory orders with locally defined codes. Our current plan is to implement an enterprise catalog, where laboratory test orders are mapped to reference terminologies and codes from different sites are mapped to each other. This paper describes the terminology modeling effort that preceded the implementation of the enterprise laboratory orders catalog. In particular, we present our experience in adapting HL7’s “Common Terminology Services 2 – Upper Level Class Model” as a terminology metamodel for guiding the development of fully specified laboratory orders and related services. PMID:20351950

Fast laboratory-based micro-computed tomography for pore-scale research: Illustrative experiments and perspectives on the future

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bultreys, Tom; Boone, Marijn A.; Boone, Matthieu N.; De Schryver, Thomas; Masschaele, Bert; Van Hoorebeke, Luc; Cnudde, Veerle

2016-09-01

Over the past decade, the wide-spread implementation of laboratory-based X-ray micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) scanners has revolutionized both the experimental and numerical research on pore-scale transport in geological materials. The availability of these scanners has opened up the possibility to image a rock's pore space in 3D almost routinely to many researchers. While challenges do persist in this field, we treat the next frontier in laboratory-based micro-CT scanning: in-situ, time-resolved imaging of dynamic processes. Extremely fast (even sub-second) micro-CT imaging has become possible at synchrotron facilities over the last few years, however, the restricted accessibility of synchrotrons limits the amount of experiments which can be performed. The much smaller X-ray flux in laboratory-based systems bounds the time resolution which can be attained at these facilities. Nevertheless, progress is being made to improve the quality of measurements performed on the sub-minute time scale. We illustrate this by presenting cutting-edge pore scale experiments visualizing two-phase flow and solute transport in real-time with a lab-based environmental micro-CT set-up. To outline the current state of this young field and its relevance to pore-scale transport research, we critically examine its current bottlenecks and their possible solutions, both on the hardware and the software level. Further developments in laboratory-based, time-resolved imaging could prove greatly beneficial to our understanding of transport behavior in geological materials and to the improvement of pore-scale modeling by providing valuable validation.

Initial performance of the COSINE-100 experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adhikari, G.; Adhikari, P.; de Souza, E. Barbosa; Carlin, N.; Choi, S.; Choi, W. Q.; Djamal, M.; Ezeribe, A. C.; Ha, C.; Hahn, I. S.; Hubbard, A. J. F.; Jeon, E. J.; Jo, J. H.; Joo, H. W.; Kang, W. G.; Kang, W.; Kauer, M.; Kim, B. H.; Kim, H.; Kim, H. J.; Kim, K. W.; Kim, M. C.; Kim, N. Y.; Kim, S. K.; Kim, Y. D.; Kim, Y. H.; Kudryavtsev, V. A.; Lee, H. S.; Lee, J.; Lee, J. Y.; Lee, M. H.; Leonard, D. S.; Lim, K. E.; Lynch, W. A.; Maruyama, R. H.; Mouton, F.; Olsen, S. L.; Park, H. K.; Park, H. S.; Park, J. S.; Park, K. S.; Pettus, W.; Pierpoint, Z. P.; Prihtiadi, H.; Ra, S.; Rogers, F. R.; Rott, C.; Scarff, A.; Spooner, N. J. C.; Thompson, W. G.; Yang, L.; Yong, S. H.

2018-02-01

COSINE is a dark matter search experiment based on an array of low background NaI(Tl) crystals located at the Yangyang underground laboratory. The assembly of COSINE-100 was completed in the summer of 2016 and the detector is currently collecting physics quality data aimed at reproducing the DAMA/LIBRA experiment that reported an annual modulation signal. Stable operation has been achieved and will continue for at least 2 years. Here, we describe the design of COSINE-100, including the shielding arrangement, the configuration of the NaI(Tl) crystal detection elements, the veto systems, and the associated operational systems, and we show the current performance of the experiment.

The ANDES Deep Underground Laboratory in South America: status and prospects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bertou, Xavier

2017-01-01

The construction of the Agua Negra tunnel through the Andes between Argentina and Chile is a unique opportunity to build a world class deep underground laboratory in the southern hemisphere, with 1750 m of rock overburden. At 30 degrees latitude south, far from nuclear power plants, it provides a unique site for Dark Matter searches and Neutrino experiments, and can host multidisciplinary experiments with a specific focus on Earth sciences given its location in a peculiar geoactive region. Its operation is foreseen to be coordinated by an international consortium and to start in 2026. In this presentation the current status of the Agua Negra tunnel and the ANDES initiative will be reviewed, and the scientific programme of the planned laboratory will be discussed.

Teaching a laboratory-intensive online introductory electronics course*

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Markes, Mark

2008-03-01

Most current online courses provide little or no hands-on laboratory content. This talk will describe the development and initial experiences with presenting an introductory online electronics course with significant hands-on laboratory content. The course is delivered using a Linux-based Apache web server, a Darwin Streaming Server, a SMART Board interactive white board, SMART Notebook software and a video camcorder. The laboratory uses primarily the Global Specialties PB-505 trainer and a Tenma 20MHz Oscilloscope that are provided to the students for the duration of the course and then returned. Testing is performed using Course Blackboard course management software.

Laboratory Experiment of Magnetic Reconnection between Merging Flux Tubes with Strong Guide FIeld

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Inomoto, M.; Kamio, S.; Kuwahata, A.; Ono, Y.

2013-12-01

Magnetic reconnection governs variety of energy release events in the universe, such as solar flares, geomagnetic substorms, and sawtooth crash in laboratory nuclear fusion experiments. Differently from the classical steady reconnection models, non-steady behavior of magnetic reconnection is often observed. In solar flares, intermittent enhancement of HXR emission is observed synchronously with multiple ejection of plammoids [1]. In laboratory reconnection experiments, the existence of the guide field, that is perpendicular to the reconnection field, makes significant changes on reconnection process. Generally the guide field will slow down the reconnection rate due to the increased magnetic pressure inside the current sheet. It also brings about asymmetric structure of the separatrices or effective particle acceleration in collisionless conditions. We have conducted laboratory experiments to study the behavior of the guide-field magnetic reconnection using plasma merging technique (push reconnection). Under substantial guide field even larger than the reconnection field, the reconnection generally exhibits non-steady feature which involves intermittent detachment of X-point and reconnection current center[2]. Transient enhancement of reconnection rate is observed simultaneously with the X-point motion[3]. We found two distinct phenomena associated with the guide-field non-steady reconnection. The one is the temporal and localized He II emission from X-point region, suggesting the production of energetic electrons which could excite the He ions in the vicinity of the X-point. The other is the excitation of large-amplitude electromagnetic waves which have similar properties with kinetic Alfven waves, whose amplitude show positive correlation with the enhancement of the reconnection electric field[4]. Electron beam instability caused by the energetic electrons accelerated to more than twice of the electron thermal velocity could be a potential driver of the monochromatic magnetic fluctuations. In conclusion, the laboratory guide field reconnection experiments showed some unique features such as ejection of current sheet, localized enhancement of emission, and excitation of low frequency waves, suggesting intermittent fast reconnection mechanism with significant electron acceleration. [1] N. Nishizuka et al., Astrophysical J. 711, 1062 (2010). [2] Y. Ono et al., Phys. Plasmas 18, 111213 (2011). [3] M. Inomoto et al., Plasma and Fusion Res. 8, 2401112 (2013). [4] M. Inomoto et al., Phys. Plasmas 20, 061209 (2013).

Engineering Education Using a Remote Laboratory through the Internet

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Axaopoulos, Petros J.; Moutsopoulos, Konstantinos N.; Theodoridis, Michael P.

2012-01-01

An experiment using real hardware and under real test conditions can be remotely conducted by engineering students and other interested individuals in the world via the Internet and with the capability of live video streaming from the test site. The presentation of this innovative experiment refers to the determination of the current voltage…

Launch and landing site science processing for ISS utilization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shao, Mimi; van Twest, Jacqueline; van den Ende, Oliver; Gruendel, Douglas; Wells, Deborah; Moyer, Jerry; Heuser, Jan; Etheridge, Guy

2000-01-01

Since 1986, Kennedy Space Center (KSC) has provided support to over 500 spaceflight experiments from NASA, international agencies, academic institutions, commercial entities, and the military sector. The experiments cover a variety of science disciplines including molecular, cellular, developmental biology, chemistry, physiology, and material sciences. KSC supports simulation, pre-flight, in-flight, and post-flight processing of flight hardware, specimens, and data at the primary and secondary landing sites. Science processing activities for spaceflight experiments occurs at the Life Science Support Facility (Hangar L) on the Cape Canaveral Air Station (CCAS) and select laboratories in the Industrial Area at KSC. Planning is underway to meet the challenges of the International Space Station (ISS). ISS support activities are expected to exceed the current launch site capability. KSC plans to replace the current facilities with Space Experiments Research and Processing Laboratory (SERPL), a collaborative effort between NASA and the State of Florida. This facility will be the cornerstone of a larger Research Park at KSC and is expected to foster relations between commercial industry and academia in areas related to space research. .

Measurement of the current and symmetry of the impact liner on the NTLX experiments

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

Stokes, J. L.; Tabaka, L. J.; Parker, J. V.

A series of four liner implosion experiments, denoted the Near Tern Liner Experiments (NTLX) was recently conducted on the Shiva Star capacitor bank at the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL). Measurement of the driving currents in these experiments is required for postshot analysis of the liner implosion and experiments conducted in the target cylinder. A Faraday rotation measurement was fielded on Shiva Star to measure the current and compare with the current measured by a Rogowski coil technique. The Faraday rotation technique measured the 16 MA currents in these experiments with better than 1% precision. In addition, six B-dot probesmore » were fielded at equal angles around a circle in the powerflow channel outside the liner to measure the symmetry of the liner impact on the target cylinder. The B-dot probes measure the local Idot, which has a jump when the liner impacts the target cylinder. A high-pass filter allows one to measure this jump more accurately. From the relative timing of the jump signals, the offset of the liner axis and the circularity of liner are inferred.« less

Multi-pulse power injection and spheromak sustainment in SSPX

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stallard, B. W.; Hill, D. N.; Hooper, E. B.; Bulmer, R. H.; McLean, H. S.; Wood, R. D.; Woodruff, S.; Sspx Team

2000-10-01

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA 94550, USA. Spheromak formation (gun injection phase) and sustainment experiments are now routine in SSPX using a multi-bank power system. Gun voltage, impedance, and power coupling show a clear current threshold dependence on gun flux (I_th~=λ_0φ_gun/μ_0), increasing with current above the threshold, and are compared with CTX results. The characteristic gun inductance, L_gun~=0.6 μH, derived from the gun voltage dependence on di/dt, is larger than expected from Corsica modeling of the spheromak equilibrium. It’s value is consistent with the n=1 ‘doughook’ mode structure reported in SPHEX and believed important for helicity injection and toroidal current drive. Results of helicity and power balance calculations of spheromak poloidal field buildup are compared with experiment and used to project sustainment with a future longer pulse power supply. This work was performed under the auspices of US DOE by the University of California Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract No. W-7405-ENG-48.

Crystal Growth Furnace System Configuration and Planned Experiments on the Second United States Microgravity Laboratory Mission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Srinivas, R.; Hambright, G.; Ainsworth, M.; Fiske, M.; Schaefer, D.

1995-01-01

The Crystal Growth Furnace (CGF) is currently undergoing modifications and refurbishment and is currently undergoing modifications and refurbishment and is manifested to refly on the Second United States Microgravity Laboratory (USML-2) mission scheduled for launch in September 1995. The CGF was developed for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) under the Microgravity Science and Applications Division (MSAD) programs at NASA Headquarters. The refurbishment and reflight program is being managed by the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in Huntsville, Alabama. Funding and program support for the CGF project is provided to MSFC by the office of Life and Microgravity Sciences and Applications at NASA Headquarters. This paper presents an overview of the CGF system configuration for the USML-2 mission, and provides a brief description of the planned on-orbit experiment operation.

Exploring reconnection, current sheets, and dissipation in a laboratory MHD turbulence experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schaffner, D. A.

2015-12-01

The Swarthmore Spheromak Experiment (SSX) can serve as a testbed for studying MHD turbulence in a controllable laboratory setting, and in particular, explore the phenomena of reconnection, current sheets and dissipation in MHD turbulence. Plasma with turbulently fluctuating magnetic and velocity fields can be generated using a plasma gun source and launched into a flux-conserving cylindrical tunnel. No background magnetic field is applied so internal fields are allowed to evolve dynamically. Point measurements of magnetic and velocity fluctuations yield broadband power-law spectra with a steepening breakpoint indicative of the onset of a dissipation scale. The frequency range at which this steepening occurs can be correlated to the ion inertial scale of the plasma, a length which is characteristic of the size of current sheets in MHD plasmas and suggests a connection to dissipation. Observation of non-Gaussian intermittent jumps in magnetic field magnitude and angle along with measurements of ion temperature bursts suggests the presence of current sheets embedded within the turbulent plasma, and possibly even active reconnection sites. Additionally, structure function analysis coupled with appeals to fractal scaling models support the hypothesis that current sheets are associated with dissipation in this system.

Experimental basis for a Titan probe organic analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mckay, C. P.; Scattergood, T. W.; Borucki, W. J.; Kasting, J. F.; Miller, S. L.

1986-01-01

The recent Voyager flyby of Titan produced evidence for at least nine organic compounds in that atmosphere that are heavier than methane. Several models of Titan's atmosphere, as well as laboratory simulations, suggest the presence of organics considerably more complex that those observed. To ensure that the in situ measurements are definitive with respect to Titan's atmosphere, experiment concepts, and the related instrumentation, must be carefully developed specifically for such a mission. To this end, the possible composition of the environment to be analyzed must be bracketed and model samples must be provided for instrumentation development studies. Laboratory studies to define the optimum flight experiment and sampling strategy for a Titan entry probe are currently being conducted. Titan mixtures are being subjected to a variety of energy sources including high voltage electron from a DC discharge, high current electric shock, and laser detonation. Gaseous and solid products are produced which are then analyzed. Samples from these experiements are also provided to candidate flight experiments as models for instrument development studies. Preliminary results show that existing theoretical models for chemistry in Titan's atmosphere cannot adequetely explain the presence and abundance of all trace gases observed in these experiments.

Simulating Astrophysical Jets with Inertial Confinement Fusion Machines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blue, Brent

2005-10-01

Large-scale directional outflows of supersonic plasma, also known as `jets', are ubiquitous phenomena in astrophysics. The traditional approach to understanding such phenomena is through theoretical analysis and numerical simulations. However, theoretical analysis might not capture all the relevant physics and numerical simulations have limited resolution and fail to scale correctly in Reynolds number and perhaps other key dimensionless parameters. Recent advances in high energy density physics using large inertial confinement fusion devices now allow controlled laboratory experiments on macroscopic volumes of plasma of direct relevance to astrophysics. This talk will present an overview of these facilities as well as results from current laboratory astrophysics experiments designed to study hydrodynamic jets and Rayleigh-Taylor mixing. This work is performed under the auspices of the U. S. DOE by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract No. W-7405-ENG-48, Los Alamos National Laboratory under Contract No. W-7405-ENG-36, and the Laboratory for Laser Energetics under Contract No. DE-FC03-92SF19460.

Modeling Supernova Shocks with Intense Lasers.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blue, Brent

2006-04-01

Large-scale directional outflows of supersonic plasma are ubiquitous phenomena in astrophysics, with specific application to supernovae. The traditional approach to understanding such phenomena is through theoretical analysis and numerical simulations. However, theoretical analysis might not capture all the relevant physics and numerical simulations have limited resolution and fail to scale correctly in Reynolds number and perhaps other key dimensionless parameters. Recent advances in high energy density physics using large inertial confinement fusion devices now allow controlled laboratory experiments on macroscopic volumes of plasma of direct relevance to astrophysics. This talk will present an overview of these facilities as well as results from current laboratory astrophysics experiments designed to study hydrodynamic jets and Rayleigh-Taylor mixing. This work is performed under the auspices of the U. S. DOE by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract No. W-7405-ENG-48, Los Alamos National Laboratory under Contract No. W-7405-ENG-36, and the Laboratory for Laser Energetics under Contract No. DE-FC03-92SF19460.

Particle image velocimetry experiments for the IML-I spaceflight. [International Microgravity Laboratory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Trolinger, J. D.; Lal, R. B.; Batra, A. K.; Mcintosh, D.

1991-01-01

The first International Microgravity Laboratory (IML-1), scheduled for spaceflight in early 1992 includes a crystal-growth-from-solution experiment which is equipped with an array of optical diagnostics instrumentation which includes transmission and reflection holography, tomography, schlieren, and particle image displacement velocimetry. During the course of preparation for this spaceflight experiment we have performed both experimentation and analysis for each of these diagnostics. In this paper we describe the work performed in the development of holographic particle image displacement velocimetry for microgravity application which will be employed primarily to observe and quantify minute convective currents in the Spacelab environment and also to measure the value of g. Additionally, the experiment offers a unique opportunity to examine physical phenomena which are normally negligible and not observable. A preliminary analysis of the motion of particles in fluid was performed and supporting experiments were carried out. The results of the analysis and the experiments are reported.

FLARE (Facility for Laboratory Reconnection Experiments): A Major Next-Step for Laboratory Studies of Magnetic Reconnection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ji, Hantao; Bhattacharjee, A.; Prager, S.; Daughton, W.; Bale, Stuart D.; Carter, T.; Crocker, N.; Drake, J.; Egedal, J.; Sarff, J.; Fox, W.; Jara-Almonte, J.; Myers, C.; Ren, Y.; Yamada, M.; Yoo, J.

2015-04-01

A new intermediate-scale plasma experiment, called the Facility for Laboratory Reconnection Experiments or FLARE (flare.pppl.gov), is under construction at Princeton as a joint project by five universities and two national labs to study magnetic reconnection in regimes directly relevant to heliophysical and astrophysical plasmas. The currently existing small-scale experiments have been focusing on the single X-line reconnection process in plasmas either with small effective sizes or at low Lundquist numbers, both of which are typically very large in natural plasmas. These new regimes involve multiple X-lines as guided by a reconnection "phase diagram", in which different coupling mechanisms from the global system scale to the local dissipation scale are classified into different reconnection phases [H. Ji & W. Daughton, Phys. Plasmas 18, 111207 (2011)]. The design of the FLARE device is based on the existing Magnetic Reconnection Experiment (MRX) (mrx.pppl.gov) and is to provide experimental access to the new phases involving multiple X-lines at large effective sizes and high Lundquist numbers, directly relevant to magnetospheric, solar wind, and solar coronal plasmas. After a brief summary of recent laboratory results on the topic of magnetic reconnection, the motivating major physics questions, the construction status, and the planned collaborative research especially with heliophysics communities will be discussed.

The relationship between internet-gaming experience and executive functions measured by virtual environment compared with conventional laboratory multitasks.

PubMed

Chen, Yong-Quan; Hsieh, Shulan

2018-01-01

The aim of this study was to investigate if individuals with frequent internet gaming (IG) experience exhibited better or worse multitasking ability compared with those with infrequent IG experience. The individuals' multitasking abilities were measured using virtual environment multitasks, such as Edinburgh Virtual Errands Test (EVET), and conventional laboratory multitasks, such as the dual task and task switching. Seventy-two young healthy college students participated in this study. They were split into two groups based on the time spent on playing online games, as evaluated using the Internet Use Questionnaire. Each participant performed EVET, dual-task, and task-switching paradigms on a computer. The current results showed that the frequent IG group performed better on EVET compared with the infrequent IG group, but their performance on the dual-task and task-switching paradigms did not differ significantly. The results suggest that the frequent IG group exhibited better multitasking efficacy if measured using a more ecologically valid task, but not when measured using a conventional laboratory multitasking task. The differences in terms of the subcomponents of executive function measured by these task paradigms were discussed. The current results show the importance of the task effect while evaluating frequent internet gamers' multitasking ability.

The relationship between internet-gaming experience and executive functions measured by virtual environment compared with conventional laboratory multitasks

PubMed Central

Chen, Yong-Quan

2018-01-01

The aim of this study was to investigate if individuals with frequent internet gaming (IG) experience exhibited better or worse multitasking ability compared with those with infrequent IG experience. The individuals’ multitasking abilities were measured using virtual environment multitasks, such as Edinburgh Virtual Errands Test (EVET), and conventional laboratory multitasks, such as the dual task and task switching. Seventy-two young healthy college students participated in this study. They were split into two groups based on the time spent on playing online games, as evaluated using the Internet Use Questionnaire. Each participant performed EVET, dual-task, and task-switching paradigms on a computer. The current results showed that the frequent IG group performed better on EVET compared with the infrequent IG group, but their performance on the dual-task and task-switching paradigms did not differ significantly. The results suggest that the frequent IG group exhibited better multitasking efficacy if measured using a more ecologically valid task, but not when measured using a conventional laboratory multitasking task. The differences in terms of the subcomponents of executive function measured by these task paradigms were discussed. The current results show the importance of the task effect while evaluating frequent internet gamers’ multitasking ability. PMID:29879150

Open-Source Low-Cost Wireless Potentiometric Instrument for pH Determination Experiments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jin, Hao; Qin, Yiheng; Pan, Si; Alam, Arif U.; Dong, Shurong; Ghosh, Raja; Deen, M. Jamal

2018-01-01

pH determination is an essential experiment in many chemistry laboratories. It requires a potentiometric instrument with extremely low input bias current to accurately measure the voltage between a pH sensing electrode and a reference electrode. In this technology report, we propose an open-source potentiometric instrument for pH determination…

Advanced Propulsion Physics Lab: Eagleworks Investigations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Scogin, Tyler

2014-01-01

Eagleworks Laboratory is an advanced propulsions physics laboratory with two primary investigations currently underway. The first is a Quantum Vacuum Plasma Thruster (QVPT or Q-thrusters), an advanced electric propulsion technology in the development and demonstration phase. The second investigation is in Warp Field Interferometry (WFI). This is an investigation of Dr. Harold "Sonny" White's theoretical physics models for warp field equations using optical experiments in the Electro Optical laboratory (EOL) at Johnson Space Center. These investigations are pursuing technology necessary to enable human exploration of the solar system and beyond.

A model of electron collecting plasma contractors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Davis, V. A.; Katz, I.; Mandell, M. J.; Parks, D. E.

1989-01-01

A model of plasma contractors is being developed, which can be used to describe electron collection in a laboratory test tank and in the space environment. To validate the model development, laboratory experiments are conducted in which the source plasma is separated from the background plasma by a double layer. Model calculations show that an increase in ionization rate with potential produces a steep rise in collected current with increasing potential.

Practical recommendations for strengthening national and regional laboratory networks in Africa in the Global Health Security era.

PubMed

Best, Michele; Sakande, Jean

2016-01-01

The role of national health laboratories in support of public health response has expanded beyond laboratory testing to include a number of other core functions such as emergency response, training and outreach, communications, laboratory-based surveillance and data management. These functions can only be accomplished by an efficient and resilient national laboratory network that includes public health, reference, clinical and other laboratories. It is a primary responsibility of the national health laboratory in the Ministry of Health to develop and maintain the national laboratory network in the country. In this article, we present practical recommendations based on 17 years of network development experience for the development of effective national laboratory networks. These recommendations and examples of current laboratory networks, are provided to facilitate laboratory network development in other states. The development of resilient, integrated laboratory networks will enhance each state's public health system and is critical to the development of a robust national laboratory response network to meet global health security threats.

Practical recommendations for strengthening national and regional laboratory networks in Africa in the Global Health Security era

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

The role of national health laboratories in support of public health response has expanded beyond laboratory testing to include a number of other core functions such as emergency response, training and outreach, communications, laboratory-based surveillance and data management. These functions can only be accomplished by an efficient and resilient national laboratory network that includes public health, reference, clinical and other laboratories. It is a primary responsibility of the national health laboratory in the Ministry of Health to develop and maintain the national laboratory network in the country. In this article, we present practical recommendations based on 17 years of network development experience for the development of effective national laboratory networks. These recommendations and examples of current laboratory networks, are provided to facilitate laboratory network development in other states. The development of resilient, integrated laboratory networks will enhance each state’s public health system and is critical to the development of a robust national laboratory response network to meet global health security threats. PMID:28879137

Efficient use of recycled concrete in transportation infrastructure

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-01-21

This study examined current national and international practices regarding the use of recycled concrete aggregates (RCA) as engineering materials by the transportation industry as well as a history of Michigan's experience with RCA. In the laboratory...

VHF Data Link Communication Characteristics

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1977-11-01

This report describes the results of a series of laboratory, field, and flight test experiments designed to characterize the performance of current VHF communication equipment and the VHF channel relative to the communication of digital data in the A...

Experimental testing of scattering polarization models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Wenxian; Casini, Roberto; Tomczyk, Steven; Landi Degl'Innocenti, Egidio; Marsell, Brandan

2018-06-01

We realized a laboratory experiment to study the polarization of the Na I doublet at 589.3 nm, in the presence of a magnetic field. The purpose of the experiment is to test the theory of scattering polarization for illumination conditions typical of astrophysical plasmas. This work was stimulated by solar observations of the Na I doublet that have proven particularly challenging to reproduce with current models of polarized line formation, even casting doubts on our very understanding of the physics of scattering polarization on the Sun. The experiment has confirmed the fundamental correctness of the current theory, and demonstrated that the "enigmatic'' polarization of those observations is exclusively of solar origin.

MEASUREMENT OF THE CURRENT AND SYMMETRY OF THE IMPACT LINER ON THE NTLX EXPERIMENTS

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

J. STOKES; J. PARKER; ET AL

A series of four liner implosion experiments, denoted the Near Term Liner Experiments (NTLX) was recently conducted on the Shiva Star capacitor bank at the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL). Measurement of the driving currents in these experiments is required for post-shot analysis of the liner implosion and experiments conducted in the target cylinder. A Faraday rotation measurement was fielded on Shiva Star to measure the current and compare with the current measured by a Rogowski coil technique. The Faraday rotation technique measured the 16 MA currents in these experiments with better than 1% precision. In addition, six B-dot probesmore » were fielded at equal angles around a circle in the powerflow channel outside the liner to measure the symmetry of the liner impact on the target cylinder. The B-dot probes measure the local I-dot, which has a jump when the liner impacts the target cylinder. A high-pass filter allows one to measure this jump more accurately. From the relative timing of the jump signals, the offset of the liner axis and the circularity of liner are inferred.« less

Laboratory-Scale Evidence for Lightning-Mediated Gene Transfer in Soil

PubMed Central

Demanèche, Sandrine; Bertolla, Franck; Buret, François; Nalin, Renaud; Sailland, Alain; Auriol, Philippe; Vogel, Timothy M.; Simonet, Pascal

2001-01-01

Electrical fields and current can permeabilize bacterial membranes, allowing for the penetration of naked DNA. Given that the environment is subjected to regular thunderstorms and lightning discharges that induce enormous electrical perturbations, the possibility of natural electrotransformation of bacteria was investigated. We demonstrated with soil microcosm experiments that the transformation of added bacteria could be increased locally via lightning-mediated current injection. The incorporation of three genes coding for antibiotic resistance (plasmid pBR328) into the Escherichia coli strain DH10B recipient previously added to soil was observed only after the soil had been subjected to laboratory-scale lightning. Laboratory-scale lightning had an electrical field gradient (700 versus 600 kV m−1) and current density (2.5 versus 12.6 kA m−2) similar to those of full-scale lightning. Controls handled identically except for not being subjected to lightning produced no detectable antibiotic-resistant clones. In addition, simulated storm cloud electrical fields (in the absence of current) did not produce detectable clones (transformation detection limit, 10−9). Natural electrotransformation might be a mechanism involved in bacterial evolution. PMID:11472916

Design and testing of a magnetically driven implosion peak current diagnostic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hess, M. H.; Peterson, K. J.; Ampleford, D. J.; Hutsel, B. T.; Jennings, C. A.; Gomez, M. R.; Dolan, D. H.; Robertson, G. K.; Payne, S. L.; Stygar, W. A.; Martin, M. R.; Sinars, D. B.

2018-04-01

A critical component of the magnetically driven implosion experiments at Sandia National Laboratories is the delivery of high-current, 10s of MA, from the Z pulsed power facility to a target. In order to assess the performance of the experiment, it is necessary to measure the current delivered to the target. Recent Magnetized Liner Inertial Fusion (MagLIF) experiments have included velocimetry diagnostics, such as PDV (Photonic Doppler Velocimetry) or Velocity Interferometer System for Any Reflector, in the final power feed section in order to infer the load current as a function of time. However, due to the nonlinear volumetrically distributed magnetic force within a velocimetry flyer, a complete time-dependent load current unfold is typically a time-intensive process and the uncertainties in the unfold can be difficult to assess. In this paper, we discuss how a PDV diagnostic can be simplified to obtain a peak current by sufficiently increasing the thickness of the flyer. This effectively keeps the magnetic force localized to the flyer surface, resulting in fast and highly accurate measurements of the peak load current. In addition, we show the results of experimental peak load current measurements from the PDV diagnostic in recent MagLIF experiments.

The NDCX-II engineering design

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Waldron, W. L.; Abraham, W. J.; Arbelaez, D.; Friedman, A.; Galvin, J. E.; Gilson, E. P.; Greenway, W. G.; Grote, D. P.; Jung, J.-Y.; Kwan, J. W.; Leitner, M.; Lidia, S. M.; Lipton, T. M.; Reginato, L. L.; Regis, M. J.; Roy, P. K.; Sharp, W. M.; Stettler, M. W.; Takakuwa, J. H.; Volmering, J.; Vytla, V. K.

2014-01-01

The Neutralized Drift Compression Experiment (NDCX-II) is a user facility located at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory which is uniquely designed for ion-beam-driven high energy density laboratory physics and heavy ion fusion research. Construction was completed in March 2012 and the facility is now in the commissioning phase. A significant amount of engineering was carried out in order to meet the performance parameters required for a wide range of target heating experiments while making the most cost-effective use of high-value hardware available from a decommissioned high current electron induction accelerator. The technical challenges and design of this new ion induction accelerator facility are described.

The 40 and 50 GHz propagation experiments at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, UK, using the ITALSAT beacons

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Woodroffe, J. M.; Davies, P. G.; Ladd, D. N.; Norbury, John R.

1994-01-01

This paper describes the current experimental program and future plans for the reception of transmissions from the 18.7, 39.6, and 49.5 GHz beacons from the ITALSAT satellite by the Radio Communications Research Unit at Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, UK. The Radio Communications Research Unit, which has had considerable experience in developing experimental millimetric equipment for propagation studies, has initiated the development of a single-channel receiver and a triple-channel receiver to measure propagation effects at 49.5 GHz and 39.6 GHz respectively. The initial location of the receivers will be at Chilbolton, Hampshire, UK.

Challenges to laboratory hematology practice: Egypt perspective.

PubMed

Rizk, S H

2018-05-01

Laboratory hematology is an integral part of all clinical laboratories along the extensive healthcare facilities in Egypt. The aim of this review is to portrait the laboratory hematology practice in Egypt including its unique socioeconomic background, blood disease pattern, education and training, regulatory oversight, and the related challenges. Current practice varies widely between different parts of the healthcare system in terms of the range of tests, applied techniques, workforce experience, and quality of service. The national transfusion service (NBTS) in Egypt has been recently upgraded and standardized according to the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines. Formal postgraduate education roughly follows the British system. Laboratory hematology specialization is achieved through 2-3 years masters' degree followed by 2-4 years doctorate degree in clinical pathology with training and research in hematology. Improvement of laboratory hematology education is recently undergoing a reform as a part of the modernization of higher education policy and following the standards developed by the National Quality Assurance and Accreditation Agency (NQAAA). Accreditation of medical laboratories is recently progressing with the development of the "Egyptian Accreditation Council" (EGAC) as the sole accreditation body system and training of assessors. Current laboratory system has many challenges, some are related to the inadequate system performance, and others are unique to laboratory hematology issues. The rapid technological advances and therapeutic innovations in hematology practice call for an adapting laboratory system with continuous upgrading. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Large Eddy Simulations of Compositional Density Currents Flowing Over a Mobile Bed

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kyrousi, Foteini; Zordan, Jessica; Leonardi, Alessandro; Juez, Carmelo; Zanello, Francesca; Armenio, Vincenzo; Franca, Mário J.

2017-04-01

Density currents are a ubiquitous phenomenon caused by natural events or anthropogenic activities, and play an important role in the global sediment cycle; they are agents of long distance sediment transport in lakes, seas and oceans. Density gradients induced by salinity, temperature differences, or by the presence of suspended material are all possible triggers of a current. Such flows can travel long distances while eroding or depositing bed materials. This can provoke rapid topological changes, which makes the estimation of their transport capacity of prime interest for environmental engineering. Despite their relevance, field data regarding their dynamics is limited due to density currents scattered and unpredictable occurrence in nature. For this reason, laboratory experiments and numerical simulations have been a preferred way to investigate sediment transport processes associated to density currents. The study of entrainment and deposition processes requires detailed data of velocities spatial and temporal distributions in the boundary layer and bed shear stress, which are troublesome to obtain in laboratory. Motivated by this, we present 3D wall-resolved Large Eddy Simulations (LES) of density currents generated by lock-exchange. The currents travel over a smooth flat bed, which includes a section composed by erodible fine sediment susceptible of eroding. Several sediment sizes and initial density gradients are considered. The grid is set to resolve the velocity field within the boundary layer of the current (a tiny fraction of the total height), which in turn allows to obtain predictions of the bed shear stress. The numerical outcomes are compared with experimental data obtained with an analogous laboratory setting. In laboratory experiments salinity was chosen for generating the initial density gradient in order to facilitate the identification of entrained particles, since salt does not hinder the possibility to track suspended particles. Under these circumstances, it is possible to focus alone on the effect of the dynamics of the current on the particles entrainment. To achieve this, LES-filtered Navier-Stokes equations are coupled with two scalar transport equations: one for salinity and one for sediment concentration. We discuss the use of different sediment pick-up and settling formulations, which are key factors in reproducing the correct erosion and sedimentation mechanisms. The simulations show the emergence of longitudinal bed forms, and highlight the role of turbulent structures in the entrainment pattern for different regions within the current.

Fluctuation dynamics in reconnecting current sheets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

von Stechow, Adrian; Grulke, Olaf; Ji, Hantao; Yamada, Masaaki; Klinger, Thomas

2015-11-01

During magnetic reconnection, a highly localized current sheet forms at the boundary between opposed magnetic fields. Its steep perpendicular gradients and fast parallel drifts can give rise to a range of instabilities which can contribute to the overall reconnection dynamics. In two complementary laboratory reconnection experiments, MRX (PPPL, Princeton) and VINETA.II (IPP, Greifswald, Germany), magnetic fluctuations are observed within the current sheet. Despite the large differences in geometries (toroidal vs. linear), plasma parameters (high vs. low beta) and magnetic configuration (low vs. high magnetic guide field), similar broadband fluctuation characteristics are observed in both experiments. These are identified as Whistler-like fluctuations in the lower hybrid frequency range that propagate along the current sheet in the electron drift direction. They are intrinsic to the localized current sheet and largely independent of the slower reconnection dynamics. This contribution characterizes these magnetic fluctuations within the wide parameter range accessible by both experiments. Specifically, the fluctuation spectra and wave dispersion are characterized with respect to the magnetic topology and plasma parameters of the reconnecting current sheet.

A Laboratory Activity on the Eddy Current Brake

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Molina-Bolivar, J. A.; Abella-Palacios, A. J.

2012-01-01

The aim of this paper is to introduce a simple and low-cost experimental setup that can be used to study the eddy current brake, which considers the motion of a sliding magnet on an inclined conducting plane in terms of basic physical principles. We present a set of quantitative experiments performed to study the influence of the geometrical and…

The Accreditation Experience of Clinical Laboratories and Blood Banks in Mexico.

PubMed

Quintana, Sandra

2015-11-01

The accreditation of clinical laboratories and blood banks based on ISO 15189 is now being consolidated in Mexico, and is coordinated by the Mexican accreditation entity innovative strategies, A.C. (ema) and supported by the activities of the committee of clinical laboratories and blood banks. The active participation in working groups formed by the technical committee of clinical laboratories and blood banks in specific areas, has contributed to the formulation of technical documents and criteria of evaluation that strengthen the current accreditation scheme. The national registry of evaluation (PNE) consists of technical experts and evaluators from different disciplines of clinical laboratory; the evaluators actively participate in accreditation assessment, with an ultimate goal to receive training and feedback for continuous improvement of its own performance.

Thermal Expansion: Using Calculator-Based Laboratory Technology to Observe the Anomalous Behavior of Water

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Branco, Mario; Soletta, Isabella

2005-01-01

An experiment that consists of following the changes in temperature at different depths in a precooled liquid while the liquid slowly warms up to the temperature of the surrounding environment is presented. The experiment might be used in a course on temperature, on heat transmission, and in particular in the study of convection currents.

From the Telescope to the Laboratory and Back Again: The Center for Astrophysical Plasma Properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Houston Montgomery, Michael; Winget, Don; Schaeuble, Marc; Hawkins, Keith; Wheeler, Craig

2018-01-01

The Center for Astrophysical Plasma Properties (CAPP) is a new center focusing on the spectroscopic properties of stars and accretion disks using “at-parameter” experiments. Currently, these experiments use the X-ray output of the Z machine at Sandia National Laboratories—the largest X-ray source in the world—to heat plasmas to the same conditions (temperature, density, and radiation environment) as those observed in astronomical objects. Current experiments include measuring (1) density-dependent opacities of iron-peak elements at solar interior conditions, (2) spectral lines of low-Z elements at white dwarf photospheric conditions, (3) atomic population kinetics of neon in a radiation-dominated environment, and (4) resonant Auger destruction (RAD) of silicon at accretion disk conditions around supermassive black holes. We will be moving to new astrophysical environments and additional experimental facilities, such as the National Ignition Facility (NIF) and the OMEGA facility at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics (LLE). We seek students and collaborators to work on these experiments as well as the calculations that complement them. CAPP has funding for 5 years and can support up to six graduate students and three post-docs.

Two Non Linear Dynamics Plasma Astrophysics Experiments At LANL

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Intrator, T.; Weber, T.; Feng, Y.; Sears, J.; Smith, R. J.; Swan, H.; Hutchinson, T.; Boguski, J.; Gao, K.; Chapdelaine, L.; Dunn, J. P.

2013-12-01

Two laboratory experiments at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) have been built to gain access to a wide range of fundamental plasma physics issues germane to astro, space, and fusion plasmas. The over arching theme is magnetized plasma dynamics that include currents, MHD forces and instabilities, sheared flows and shocks, along with creation and annihilation of magnetic field. The Relaxation Scaling Experiment (RSX) creates current sheets and flux ropes that exhibit fully 3D dynamics, that are observed to kink, bounce, merge and reconnect, shred, and reform in complicated ways. We show recent movies from a large detailed data set that describe the 3D magnetic structure and helicity budget of a driven and dissipative system that spontaneously self saturates a kink instability. The Magnetized Shock Experiment (MSX) uses a Field reversed configuration (FRC) that is ejected at high speed and then stagnated onto a stopping mirror field, which drives a collisionless magnetized shock. A plasmoid accelerator will also access super critical shocks at much larger Alfven Mach numbers. Unique features include access to parallel, oblique and perpendicular shocks, in regions much larger than ion gyro radius and inertial length, large magnetic and fluid Reynolds numbers, and volume for turbulence.

Undulator-Based Laser Wakefield Accelerator Electron Beam Energy Spread and Emittance Diagnostic

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

Bakeman, M. S.; University of Nevada Reno, Reno, NV 89557; Van Tilborg, J.

The design and current status of experiments to couple the Tapered Hybrid Undulator (THUNDER) to the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) laser plasma accelerator (LPA) to measure electron beam energy spread and emittance are presented.

Laboratory evaluation of asphalt binder rutting, fracture, and adhesion tests.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-04-01

The current performance grading (PG) specification for asphalt binders was developed based on the Strategic Highway : Research Program (SHRP) and is based primarily on the study of unmodified asphalt binders. Over the years, experience has : proven t...

Fruit Flies Provide New Insights in Low-Radiation Background Biology at the INFN Underground Gran Sasso National Laboratory (LNGS).

PubMed

Morciano, Patrizia; Cipressa, Francesca; Porrazzo, Antonella; Esposito, Giuseppe; Tabocchini, Maria Antonella; Cenci, Giovanni

2018-06-04

Deep underground laboratories (DULs) were originally created to host particle, astroparticle or nuclear physics experiments requiring a low-background environment with vastly reduced levels of cosmic-ray particle interference. More recently, the range of science projects requiring an underground experiment site has greatly expanded, thus leading to the recognition of DULs as truly multidisciplinary science sites that host important studies in several fields, including geology, geophysics, climate and environmental sciences, technology/instrumentation development and biology. So far, underground biology experiments are ongoing or planned in a few of the currently operating DULs. Among these DULs is the Gran Sasso National Laboratory (LNGS), where the majority of radiobiological data have been collected. Here we provide a summary of the current scenario of DULs around the world, as well as the specific features of the LNGS and a summary of the results we obtained so far, together with other findings collected in different underground laboratories. In particular, we focus on the recent results from our studies of Drosophila melanogaster, which provide the first evidence of the influence of the radiation environment on life span, fertility and response to genotoxic stress at the organism level. Given the increasing interest in this field and the establishment of new projects, it is possible that in the near future more DULs will serve as sites of radiobiology experiments, thus providing further relevant biological information at extremely low-dose-rate radiation. Underground experiments can be nicely complemented with above-ground studies at increasing dose rate. A systematic study performed in different exposure scenarios provides a potential opportunity to address important radiation protection questions, such as the dose/dose-rate relationship for cancer and non-cancer risk, the possible existence of dose/dose-rate threshold(s) for different biological systems and/or end points and the possible role of radiation quality in triggering the biological response.

Turbulent magnetic fluctuations in laboratory reconnection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Von Stechow, Adrian; Grulke, Olaf; Klinger, Thomas

2016-07-01

The role of fluctuations and turbulence is an important question in astrophysics. While direct observations in space are rare and difficult dedicated laboratory experiments provide a versatile environment for the investigation of magnetic reconnection due to their good diagnostic access and wide range of accessible plasma parameters. As such, they also provide an ideal chance for the validation of space plasma reconnection theories and numerical simulation results. In particular, we studied magnetic fluctuations within reconnecting current sheets for various reconnection parameters such as the reconnection rate, guide field, as well as plasma density and temperature. These fluctuations have been previously interpreted as signatures of current sheet plasma instabilities in space and laboratory systems. Especially in low collisionality plasmas these may provide a source of anomalous resistivity and thereby contribute a significant fraction of the reconnection rate. We present fluctuation measurements from two complementary reconnection experiments and compare them to numerical simulation results. VINETA.II (Greifswald, Germany) is a cylindrical, high guide field reconnection experiment with an open field line geometry. The reconnecting current sheet has a three-dimensional structure that is predominantly set by the magnetic pitch angle which results from the superposition of the guide field and the in-plane reconnecting field. Within this current sheet, high frequency magnetic fluctuations are observed that correlate well with the local current density and show a power law spectrum with a spectral break at the lower hybrid frequency. Their correlation lengths are found to be extremely short, but propagation is nonetheless observed with high phase velocities that match the Whistler dispersion. To date, the experiment has been run with an external driving field at frequencies higher than the ion cyclotron frequency f_{ci}, which implies that the EMHD framework applies. Recent machine upgrades allow the inclusion of ion dynamics by reducing the drive frequency below f_{ci}. Two numerical codes (EMHD and hybrid, respectively) have been developed at the Max Planck Institute for solar physics and are used to investigate instability mechanisms and scaling laws for the observed results. MRX (PPPL. Princeton) is a zero to medium guide field, toroidal reconnection experiment. Despite the differing plasma parameters, the qualitative magnetic fluctuation behavior (amplitude profiles, spectra and propagation properties) is comparable to VINETA.II. Results from a new measurement campaign at several different guide fields provides partial overlap with VINETA.II guide field ratios and thereby extends the accessible parameter space of our studies.

Modeling Drift Compression in an Integrated Beam Experiment for Heavy-Ion-Fusion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharp, W. M.; Barnard, J. J.; Friedman, A.; Grote, D. P.; Celata, C. M.; Yu, S. S.

2003-10-01

The Integrated Beam Experiment (IBX) is an induction accelerator being designed to further develop the science base for heavy-ion fusion. The experiment is being developed jointly by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory. One conceptual approach would first accelerate a 0.5-1 A beam of singly charged potassium ions to 5 MeV, impose a head-to-tail velocity tilt to compress the beam longitudinally, and finally focus the beam radiallly using a series of quadrupole lenses. The lengthwise compression is a critical step because the radial size must be controlled as the current increases, and the beam emittance must be kept minimal. The work reported here first uses the moment-based model HERMES to design the drift-compression beam line and to assess the sensitivity of the final beam profile to beam and lattice errors. The particle-in-cell code WARP is then used to validate the physics design, study the phase-space evolution, and quantify the emittance growth.

Plans and Recent Developments for Fluid Physics Experiments Aboard the ISS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

McQuillen, John B.; Motil, Brian J.

2016-01-01

From the very first days of human spaceflight, NASA has been conducting experiments in space to understand the effect of weightlessness on physical and chemically reacting systems. NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) in Cleveland, Ohio has been at the forefront of this research looking at both fundamental studies in microgravity as well as experiments targeted at reducing the risks to long duration human missions to the moon, Mars, and beyond. In the current International Space Station (ISS) era, we now have an orbiting laboratory that provides the highly desired condition of long-duration microgravity. This allows continuous and interactive research similar to Earth-based laboratories. Because of these capabilities, the ISS is an indispensable laboratory for low gravity research. NASA GRC has been actively involved in developing and operating facilities and experiments on the ISS since the beginning of a permanent human presence on November 2, 2000. As the lead Center for Fluid Physics, NASA GRC is developing and testing the Pack Bed Reactor Experiment (PBRE), Zero Boil Off (ZBOT) Two Phase Flow Separator Experiment (TPFSE), Multiphase Flow Heat Transfer (MFHT) Experiment and the Electro-HydroDynamic (EHD) experiment. An overview each experiment, including its objectives, concept and status will be presented. In addition, data will be made available after a nominal period to NASAs Physical Science Informatics PSI database to the scientific community to enable additional analyses of results.

Normalized velocity profiles of field-measured turbidity currents

USGS Publications Warehouse

Xu, Jingping

2010-01-01

Multiple turbidity currents were recorded in two submarine canyons with maximum speed as high as 280 cm/s. For each individual turbidity current measured at a fixed station, its depth-averaged velocity typically decreased over time while its thickness increased. Some turbidity currents gained in speed as they traveled downcanyon, suggesting a possible self-accelerating process. The measured velocity profiles, first in this high resolution, allowed normalizations with various schemes. Empirical functions, obtained from laboratory experiments whose spatial and time scales are two to three orders of magnitude smaller, were found to represent the field data fairly well. The best similarity collapse of the velocity profiles was achieved when the streamwise velocity and the elevation were normalized respectively by the depth-averaged velocity and the turbidity current thickness. This normalization scheme can be generalized to an empirical function Y = exp(–αXβ) for the jet region above the velocity maximum. Confirming theoretical arguments and laboratory results of other studies, the field turbidity currents are Froude-supercritical.

Monitoring of well-controlled turbidity currents using the latest technology and a dredger

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vellinga, A. J.; Cartigny, M.; Clare, M. A.; Mastbergen, D. R.; Van den Ham, G.; Koelewijn, A. R.; de Kleine, M.; Hizzett, J. L.; Azpiroz, M.; Simmons, S.; Parsons, D. R.

2017-12-01

Recent advances in technology enable monitoring of turbidity currents at field scale. This now allows us to test models developed at small-scale in the laboratory. However, interpretation of field measurements is complicated, as the instruments used are not bespoke for monitoring turbidity currents. For example, Acoustic Doppler Current Profiles (ADCPs) are developed to measure clear water flows, and 3D multimode multibeam echosounders (M3s) are made to find shoals of fish. Calibration of field-scale measurements is complicated, as we often do not know fundamental information about the measured flows, such as grain size and initial sediment volume. We present field-scale measurements of two turbidity currents for which the pre- and post-flow bathymetry, grain size and initial sediment volume is known precisely. A dredger created two turbidity currents by twice discharging 500m3 of sediment on a slope in the Western Scheldt Estuary, the Netherlands. Flow velocity and echo intensity were directly measured using three frequencies of ADCPs, and two M3 sonars imaged the flow morphology in 3D. This experiment was part of the IJkdijk research program. The turbidity currents formed upstream-migrating crescentic shaped bedforms. The ADCPs measured peak flow velocities of 1-1.5 m/s. The M3s however suggest head velocities are 2-4 m/s. The two measured turbidity currents have thicknesses of about 3m, are up to 50m in width and travel downslope for about 150m. Flow dimensions, duration, and sediment discharge indicate a mean sediment concentration of 1-5 vol. %. Flow morphology evolves from a fast but thin, snout-like head, to a thicker body, and a dilute tail. The initial flow dynamics contrast with many laboratory experiments, but are coherent with direct measurements of much larger flows in the Congo Canyon. Well-constrained field studies, like this one, thus help to understand the validity of scaling from the laboratory to the deep sea.

Selectivity as an Emotion Regulation Strategy: Lessons from Older Adults

PubMed Central

Sims, Tamara; Hogan, Candice; Carstensen, Laura

2015-01-01

Findings based on studies of daily life consistently associate older ages with relatively positive emotional experience, suggesting that older adults may regulate emotions more effectively than younger adults. Findings from laboratory studies are equivocal, however, with mixed evidence for age-related improvements in use of emotion regulatory strategies. In the current paper, we propose that findings may reflect a failure of laboratory-based experiments to capture the regulatory strategies that older people use in their everyday lives. We argue that the advantages older people have are likely due to antecedent emotion regulation as opposed to response-focused strategies. Understanding the regulatory approaches that older people actually use may inform developmental models of emotion regulation throughout adulthood as well as interventions for improving emotional experience across the life span. PMID:25914897

Clinical Education in Athletic Training

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Edler, Jessica R.; Eberman, Lindsey E.; Walker, Stacy

2017-01-01

Context: Clinical education is a foundational component of healthcare education by which students acquire, practice, and demonstrate competency in clinical proficiencies through classroom, laboratory, and clinical experiences. Currently, the most common practice of clinical education in athletic training is clinical integration. Objective: The…

Hydrothermal carbonization of food waste for nutrient recovery and resuse

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Food waste represents a rather large and currently underutilized source of potentially available and reusable nutrients. Laboratory-scale experiments evaluating the hydrothermal carbonization of food wastes collected from restaurants were conducted to understand how changes in feedstock composition ...

Virological diagnosis of Ebolavirus infection.

PubMed

Smith, D W; Rawlinson, W D; Kok, J; Dwyer, D E; Catton, M

2015-08-01

Ebolaviruses, and the other viral causes of haemorrhagic fevers (VHF) have always posed special problems for diagnostic laboratories. These arise from the rarity of human infections, minimal documented experience with test delivery and interpretation, the paucity of established commercial or in-house assays, the lack of clinical material for test development and validation, the high level containment required for handling live virus, the ongoing evolution of the viruses, and the high personal and public health requirements for accurate diagnosis. This article addresses the current situation and the ongoing challenges associated with delivering timely, high quality and safe testing within Australia for people exposed as part of the current major outbreak of Ebolavirus disease (EVD) in Western Africa. The members of the Public Health Laboratory Network have developed deliverable and reliable nucleic acid detection tests, and also have the laboratory capacity to handle the live viruses if necessary. However delivering and maintaining these services necessitates high levels of experience in developing and applying tests for exotic and emerging infections, strong national and international links and collaborations, ongoing monitoring and reassessment of test design and performance, innovative approaches to generation of positive control material, and a regular quality assurance program.

Virological diagnosis of Ebolavirus infection

PubMed Central

Smith, D. W.; Rawlinson, W. D.; Kok, J.; Dwyer, D. E.; Catton, M.

2015-01-01

Summary Ebolaviruses, and the other viral causes of haemorrhagic fevers (VHF) have always posed special problems for diagnostic laboratories. These arise from the rarity of human infections, minimal documented experience with test delivery and interpretation, the paucity of established commercial or in-house assays, the lack of clinical material for test development and validation, the high level containment required for handling live virus, the ongoing evolution of the viruses, and the high personal and public health requirements for accurate diagnosis. This article addresses the current situation and the ongoing challenges associated with delivering timely, high quality and safe testing within Australia for people exposed as part of the current major outbreak of Ebolavirus disease (EVD) in Western Africa. The members of the Public Health Laboratory Network have developed deliverable and reliable nucleic acid detection tests, and also have the laboratory capacity to handle the live viruses if necessary. However delivering and maintaining these services necessitates high levels of experience in developing and applying tests for exotic and emerging infections, strong national and international links and collaborations, ongoing monitoring and reassessment of test design and performance, innovative approaches to generation of positive control material, and a regular quality assurance program. PMID:26126050

Current status of the HAL/S compiler on the Modcomp classic 7870 computer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lytle, P. J.

1981-01-01

A brief history of the HAL/S language, including the experience of other users of the language at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory is presented. The current status of the compiler, as implemented on the Modcomp 7870 Classi computer, and future applications in the Deep Space Network (DSN) are discussed. The primary applications in the DSN will be in the Mark IVA network.

Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory: Annual report, October 1, 1986--September 30, 1987

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

Not Available

1987-01-01

This report contains papers on the following topics: Principle Parameters Achieved in Experimental Devices (FY87); Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor; Princeton Beta Experiment-Modification; S-1 Spheromak; Current-Drive Experiment; X-Ray Laser Studies; Theoretical Division; Tokamak Modeling; Compact Ignition Tokamak; Engineering Department; Project Planning and Safety Office; Quality Assurance and Reliability; Administrative Operations; and PPPL Patent Invention Disclosures (FY87).

An Advanced Analytical Chemistry Experiment Using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry, MATLAB, and Chemometrics to Predict Biodiesel Blend Percent Composition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pierce, Karisa M.; Schale, Stephen P.; Le, Trang M.; Larson, Joel C.

2011-01-01

We present a laboratory experiment for an advanced analytical chemistry course where we first focus on the chemometric technique partial least-squares (PLS) analysis applied to one-dimensional (1D) total-ion-current gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-TIC) separations of biodiesel blends. Then, we focus on n-way PLS (n-PLS) applied to…

The Manuel Lujan, Jr. Neutron Scattering Center, LANSCE experiment reports: 1990 Run Cycle

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

DiStravolo, M.A.

1991-10-01

This year was the third in which LANSCE ran a formal user program. A call for proposals was issued before the scheduled run cycles, and experiment proposals were submitted by scientists from universities, industry, and other research facilities around the world. An external program advisory committee, which LANSCE shares with the Intense Pulsed Neutron Source (IPNS), Argonne National Laboratory examined the proposals and made recommendations. At LANSCE, neutrons are produced by spallation when a pulsed, 800-MeV proton beam impinges on a tungsten target. The proton pulses are provided by the Clinton P. Anderson Meson Physics Facility (LAMPF) accelerator and anmore » associated Proton Storage Ring (PSR), which can alter the intensity, time structure, and repetition rate of the pulses. The LAMPF protons of Line D are shared between the LANSCE target and the Weapons Neutron Research facility, which results in LANSCE spectrometers being available to external users for unclassified research about 80% of each six-month LAMPF run cycle. Measurements of interest to the Los Alamos National Laboratory may also be performed and may occupy up to an additional 20% of the available beam time. These experiments are reviewed by an internal program advisory committee. One hundred thirty-four proposals were submitted for unclassified research and twelve proposals for research of a programmatic nature to the Laboratory. Our definition of beam availability is when the proton current from the PSR exceeds 50% of the planned value. The PSR ran at 65{mu}A current (average) at 20 Hz for most of 1990. All of the scheduled experiments were performed and experiments in support of the LANSCE research program were accomplished during the discretionary periods.« less

The Accreditation Experience of Clinical Laboratories and Blood Banks in Mexico

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

The accreditation of clinical laboratories and blood banks based on ISO 15189 is now being consolidated in Mexico, and is coordinated by the Mexican accreditation entity innovative strategies, A.C. (ema) and supported by the activities of the committee of clinical laboratories and blood banks. The active participation in working groups formed by the technical committee of clinical laboratories and blood banks in specific areas, has contributed to the formulation of technical documents and criteria of evaluation that strengthen the current accreditation scheme. The national registry of evaluation (PNE) consists of technical experts and evaluators from different disciplines of clinical laboratory; the evaluators actively participate in accreditation assessment, with an ultimate goal to receive training and feedback for continuous improvement of its own performance. PMID:27683498

Exclusive Neutrino Charged Current Coherent Pion Production Cross Section Measurements in MINERvA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Higuera, A.

2012-03-01

MINERvA (Main Injector Experiment for v-A) is a neutrino scattering experiment in the 1-10 GeV energy range in the NuMI high-intensity neutrino beam at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. MINERvA is measuring neutrino/antineutrino scattering off a variety of different nuclear materials (C, Fe, Pb, He, H2O) and plans to measure the A-dependence of the Charged Current Coherent Pion Production cross section. We provide an outline of this measurement including the expected event rates and our methods for differentiating signal from background.

Best practices for veterinary toxicologic clinical pathology, with emphasis on the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries.

PubMed

Tomlinson, Lindsay; Boone, Laura I; Ramaiah, Lila; Penraat, Kelley A; von Beust, Barbara R; Ameri, Mehrdad; Poitout-Belissent, Florence M; Weingand, Kurt; Workman, Heather C; Aulbach, Adam D; Meyer, Dennis J; Brown, Diane E; MacNeill, Amy L; Bolliger, Anne Provencher; Bounous, Denise I

2013-09-01

The purpose of this paper by the Regulatory Affairs Committee (RAC) of the American Society for Veterinary Clinical Pathology (ASVCP) is to review the current regulatory guidances (eg, guidelines) and published recommendations for best practices in veterinary toxicologic clinical pathology, particularly in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, and to utilize the combined experience of ASVCP RAC to provide updated recommendations. Discussion points include (1) instrumentation, validation, and sample collection, (2) routine laboratory variables, (3) cytologic laboratory variables, (4) data interpretation and reporting (including peer review, reference intervals and statistics), and (5) roles and responsibilities of clinical pathologists and laboratory personnel. Revision and improvement of current practices should be in alignment with evolving regulatory guidance documents, new technology, and expanding understanding and utility of clinical pathology. These recommendations provide a contemporary guide for the refinement of veterinary toxicologic clinical pathology best practices. © 2013 American Society for Veterinary Clinical Pathology.

Small Barriers Trigger Liftoff of Unconfined Dilute Heated Laboratory Density Currents

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fauria, K.; Andrews, B. J.; Manga, M.

2015-12-01

Dilute pyroclastic density currents (PDCs) are hot, turbulent, particle-laden flows that propagate because they are denser than air. PDCs can traverse tens to hundreds of kilometers and surmount ridges 100s of m tall, yet the effects of complex topography on PDC liftoff and runout distance are uncertain. Here we used scaled laboratory experiments to explore how barriers affect dilute density current dynamics and the occurrence of liftoff. We created dilute density currents by heating and suspending 20 μm diameter talc in air in an 8.5 x 6.1 x 2.6 m tank. We scaled the currents with respect to Froude, densimetric and thermal Richardson, particle Stokes and Settling numbers such that they were dynamically similar to natural PDCs. While currents were fully turbulent, their Reynolds numbers were not as high as those for natural PDCs. We performed the first set of experiments in a laterally unconfined volume, used laser sheets to illuminate the currents, measured bulk sedimentation rates down the current centerlines, and positioned four to twenty-four cm tall ridge-like barriers in the path of the currents. We found that relatively small barriers (~ half the current height) caused PDC liftoff. By comparison, conservation of kinetic and potential energy predicts that incompressible density currents are able to surmount barriers twice their height. Furthermore, we observed increased sedimentation immediately upstream of barriers and conclude that small barriers initiated buoyancy reversal through a combination of increased air entrainment and sedimentation. We conducted a second set of experiments with the same thermal scaling and mass flux rates but where the currents were laterally confined within a 0.6 m wide channel. We found that small barriers also triggered liftoff of confined currents, but that the body of these currents reattached after liftoff. Those results suggest that lateral confinement inhibits buoyancy reversal by limiting the surface area of the current-air interface and air entrainment. Real dilute PDCs that originate in confined valleys may therefore have different fates and longer runout distances than those on unconfined planes.

Mineback Stimulation Research Experiments

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

Warpinski, N.R.

The objective of the Mineback Stimulation Research Experiments is to improve hydraulic fracture stimulation technology by providing an in situ laboratory where basic processes and mechanisms that control and influence fracture propagation can be observed, measured and understood. While previous tests have been instrumental in providing an understanding of the mechanisms controlling fracture height, current experiments are focused on fluid flow through the created fracture and the associated pressure drops and crack widths. Work performed, accomplishments and future plans are presented. 7 refs., 2 figs.

Searching for a dark photon with DarkLight

DOE PAGES

Corliss, R.

2016-07-30

Here, we describe the current status of the DarkLight experiment at Jefferson Laboratory. DarkLight is motivated by the possibility that a dark photon in the mass range 10 to 100 MeV/c 2 could couple the dark sector to the Standard Model. DarkLight will precisely measure electron proton scattering using the 100 MeV electron beam of intensity 5 mA at the Jefferson Laboratory energy recovering linac incident on a windowless gas target of molecular hydrogen. We will detect the complete final state including scattered electron, recoil proton, and e +e - pair. A phase-I experiment has been funded and is expectedmore » to take data in the next eighteen months. The complete phase-II experiment is under final design and could run within two years after phase-I is completed. The DarkLight experiment drives development of new technology for beam, target, and detector and provides a new means to carry out electron scattering experiments at low momentum transfers.« less

Overview of the National Ignition Campaign (NIC)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moses, Edward

2010-11-01

The 192-beam National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) is now operational. NIF has conducted 192-beam implosion experiments with energies as high as 1.2 MJ and has also demonstrated the unprecedented energy and pulse shaping control required for ignition experiments. The successful commissioning of the NIF laser is the first step in demonstrating inertial confinement fusion (ICF) ignition in the laboratory. The NIF ignition program is executed via the National Ignition Campaign (NIC)---a partnership between Los Alamos National Laboratory, Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, LLNL, General Atomics, the University of Rochester Laboratory for Laser Energetics, Sandia National Laboratories, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and other national and international partners. The NIC relies on a novel integrated experimental and computational program to tune the target to the conditions required for indirect-drive ignition. This approach breaks the tuning process into four phases. The first two phases involve tuning of the hohlraum and capsule to produce the correct radiation drive, symmetry, and shock timing conditions. The third phase consists of layered cryogenic implosions conducted with a 50%/49%/1% mixture of tritium, hydrogen, and deuterium (THD) respectively. The reduced yield from these THD targets allows the full diagnostic suite to be employed and the presence of the required temperature and fuel areal density to be verified. The final step is DT ignition implosions with expected gains of 10-20. DT ignition experiments will be conducted with Elaser ˜1.2 MJ. Laser energies of 1.8 MJ should be available for subsequent experiments. This talk will review the multi-phase tuning approach to the ignition effort, including the physics issues associated with the various steps, and current and future plans for the NIF ignition program.

Affordable proteomics: the two-hybrid systems.

PubMed

Gillespie, Marc

2003-06-01

Numerous proteomic methodologies exist, but most require a heavy investment in expertise and technology. This puts these approaches out of reach for many laboratories and small companies, rarely allowing proteomics to be used as a pilot approach for biomarker or target identification. Two proteomic approaches, 2D gel electrophoresis and the two-hybrid systems, are currently available to most researchers. The two-hybrid systems, though accommodating to large-scale experiments, were originally designed as practical screens, that by comparison to current proteomics tools were small-scale, affordable and technically feasible. The screens rapidly generated data, identifying protein interactions that were previously uncharacterized. The foundation for a two-hybrid proteomic investigation can be purchased as separate kits from a number of companies. The true power of the technique lies not in its affordability, but rather in its portability. The two-hybrid system puts proteomics back into laboratories where the output of the screens can be evaluated by researchers with experience in the particular fields of basic research, cancer biology, toxicology or drug development.

SCALE TSUNAMI Analysis of Critical Experiments for Validation of 233U Systems

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

Mueller, Don; Rearden, Bradley T

2009-01-01

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) staff used the SCALE TSUNAMI tools to provide a demonstration evaluation of critical experiments considered for use in validation of current and anticipated operations involving {sup 233}U at the Radiochemical Development Facility (RDF). This work was reported in ORNL/TM-2008/196 issued in January 2009. This paper presents the analysis of two representative safety analysis models provided by RDF staff.

Two non linear dynamics plasma astrophysics experiments at LANL

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Intrator, T. P.; Weber, T. E.; Feng, Y.; Sears, J. A.; Swan, H.; Hutchinson, T.; Boguski, J.; Gao, K.; Chapdelaine, L.; Dunn, J.

2013-10-01

Two laboratory experiments at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) have been built to gain access to a wide range of fundamental plasma physics issues germane astro, space, and fusion plasmas. The over arching theme is magnetized plasma dynamics that include currents, MHD forces and instabilities, sheared flows and shocks, creation and annihilation of magnetic field. The Reconnection Scaling Experiment (RSX) creates current sheets and flux ropes that exhibit fully 3D dynamics, that can kink, bounce, merge and reconnect, shred, and reform in complicated ways. The most recent movies from a large detailed data set describe the 3D magnetic structure and helicity budget of a driven and dissipative system that spontaneously self saturates a kink instability. The Magnetized Shock Experiment (MSX) uses a Field reversed configuration (FRC) that is ejected at high speed and then stagnated onto a stopping mirror field, which drives a collisionless magnetized shock. A plasmoid accelerator will also access super critical shocks at much larger Alfven Mach numbers. Unique features include access to parallel, oblique and perpendicular shocks, in regions much larger than ion gyro radius and inertial length, large magnetic and fluid Reynolds numbers, and volume for turbulence. Center for Magnetic Self Organization, NASA Geospace NNHIOA044I-Basic, Department of Energy DE-AC52-06NA25369.

Education and Outreach with the Northwest Indiana Robotic Telescope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rengstorf, Adam W.; Slavin, S. D.

2011-01-01

The Northwest Indiana Robotic (NIRo) Telescope is being used to completely revise the introductory astronomy laboratory experiments at Purdue University Calumet (PUC). The NIRo telescope is a new 20-inch RC telescope. It was dedicated in Aug 2010, is designed to be operated remotely and/or robotically, and is located 30 miles south of PUC's campus in rural Lake county, IN. A suite of laboratory experiments is being developed and piloted during the 2010-2011 academic year. Lab experiments will progress from introductions to instruments and software, through simple data visualization and analysis, to developing and submitting an observing plan to complete multi-week laboratories. Experiments for both the solar system course and the stars & galaxies are being developed. Students in the solar system course will request and analyze images for such experiments as recreating Aristarchus’ relative size & distance calculations, establishing an observing strategy to monitor the Galilean satellites & determine Jupiter's mass, an ongoing `asteroid hunt', Martian retrograde motion, and Venusian phases. The stars & galaxies course will complete labs on galaxy morphology, eclipsing binaries, building an HR-diagram, cluster aging, and distances to Cepheid variables. The main outreach component is the development of a primary education program. In conjunction with the PUC School of Education and area middle-school science teachers, we are in the process of identifying the subset of laboratory ideas best suited to the State of Indiana Earth & Space Science teaching standards from grades 6 - 8. These laboratories are being developed into finished data products, curricula, and learning modules appropriate for the middle school classroom. The middle school classroom will be able to request observations and retrieve reduced images via an internet portal, currently in development. This project has been funded by NSF award #DUE-0736592.

Design of laboratory experiments to study radiation-driven implosions

DOE PAGES

Keiter, P. A.; Trantham, M.; Malamud, G.; ...

2017-02-03

The interstellar medium is heterogeneous with dense clouds amid an ambient medium. Radiation from young OB stars asymmetrically irradiate the dense clouds. Bertoldi (1989) developed analytic formulae to describe possible outcomes of these clouds when irradiated by hot, young stars. One of the critical parameters that determines the cloud’s fate is the number of photon mean free paths in the cloud. For the extreme cases where the cloud size is either much greater than or much less than one mean free path, the radiation transport should be well understood. However, as one transitions between these limits, the radiation transport ismore » much more complex and is a challenge to solve with many of the current radiation transport models implemented in codes. In this paper, we present the design of laboratory experiments that use a thermal source of x-rays to asymmetrically irradiate a low-density plastic foam sphere. The experiment will vary the density and hence the number of mean free paths of the sphere to study the radiation transport in different regimes. Finally, we have developed dimensionless parameters to relate the laboratory experiment to the astrophysical system and we show that we can perform the experiment in the same transport regime.« less

FLARE (Facility for Laboratory Reconnection Experiments): A Major Next-Step for Laboratory Studies of Magnetic Reconnection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ji, H.; Bhattacharjee, A.; Prager, S.; Daughton, W. S.; Bale, S. D.; Carter, T. A.; Crocker, N.; Drake, J. F.; Egedal, J.; Sarff, J.; Wallace, J.; Belova, E.; Ellis, R.; Fox, W. R., II; Heitzenroeder, P.; Kalish, M.; Jara-Almonte, J.; Myers, C. E.; Que, W.; Ren, Y.; Titus, P.; Yamada, M.; Yoo, J.

2014-12-01

A new intermediate-scale plasma experiment, called the Facility for Laboratory Reconnection Experiments or FLARE, is under construction at Princeton as a joint project by five universities and two national labs to study magnetic reconnection in regimes directly relevant to space, solar and astrophysical plasmas. The currently existing small-scale experiments have been focusing on the single X-line reconnection process in plasmas either with small effective sizes or at low Lundquist numbers, both of which are typically very large in natural plasmas. These new regimes involve multiple X-lines as guided by a reconnection "phase diagram", in which different coupling mechanisms from the global system scale to the local dissipation scale are classified into different reconnection phases [H. Ji & W. Daughton, Phys. Plasmas 18, 111207 (2011)]. The design of the FLARE device is based on the existing Magnetic Reconnection Experiment (MRX) at Princeton (http://mrx.pppl.gov) and is to provide experimental access to the new phases involving multiple X-lines at large effective sizes and high Lundquist numbers, directly relevant to space and solar plasmas. The motivating major physics questions, the construction status, and the planned collaborative research especially with space and solar research communities will be discussed.

Dynamic Shock Compression of Copper to Multi-Megabar Pressure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haill, T. A.; Furnish, M. D.; Twyeffort, L. L.; Arrington, C. L.; Lemke, R. W.; Knudson, M. D.; Davis, J.-P.

2015-11-01

Copper is an important material for a variety of shock and high energy density applications and experiments. Copper is used as a standard reference material to determine the EOS properties of other materials. The high conductivity of copper makes it useful as an MHD driver layer in high current dynamic materials experiments on Sandia National Laboratories Z machine. Composite aluminum/copper flyer plates increase the dwell time in plate impact experiments by taking advantage of the slower wave speeds in copper. This presentation reports on recent efforts to reinstate a composite Al/Cu flyer capability on Z and to extend the range of equation-of-state shock compression data through the use of hyper-velocity composite flyers and symmetric planar impact with copper targets. We will present results from multi-dimensional ALEGRA MHD simulations, as well as experimental designs and methods of composite flyer fabrication. Sandia National Laboratories is a multi-program laboratory managed and operated by Sandia Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lockheed Martin Company, for the U.S. DOE's National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-AC04-94AL85000.

Evaluation of airborne asbestos exposure from routine handling of asbestos-containing wire gauze pads in the research laboratory.

PubMed

Garcia, Ediberto; Newfang, Daniel; Coyle, Jayme P; Blake, Charles L; Spencer, John W; Burrelli, Leonard G; Johnson, Giffe T; Harbison, Raymond D

2018-07-01

Three independently conducted asbestos exposure evaluations were conducted using wire gauze pads similar to standard practice in the laboratory setting. All testing occurred in a controlled atmosphere inside an enclosed chamber simulating a laboratory setting. Separate teams consisting of a laboratory technician, or technician and assistant simulated common tasks involving wire gauze pads, including heating and direct wire gauze manipulation. Area and personal air samples were collected and evaluated for asbestos consistent with the National Institute of Occupational Safety Health method 7400 and 7402, and the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA) method. Bulk gauze pad samples were analyzed by Polarized Light Microscopy and Transmission Electron Microscopy to determine asbestos content. Among air samples, chrysotile asbestos was the only fiber found in the first and third experiments, and tremolite asbestos for the second experiment. None of the air samples contained asbestos in concentrations above the current permissible regulatory levels promulgated by OSHA. These findings indicate that the level of asbestos exposure when working with wire gauze pads in the laboratory setting is much lower than levels associated with asbestosis or asbestos-related lung cancer and mesothelioma. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Space Station Freedom pressurized element interior design process

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hopson, George D.; Aaron, John; Grant, Richard L.

1990-01-01

The process used to develop the on-orbit working and living environment of the Space Station Freedom has some very unique constraints and conditions to satisfy. The goal is to provide maximum efficiency and utilization of the available space, in on-orbit, zero G conditions that establishes a comfortable, productive, and safe working environment for the crew. The Space Station Freedom on-orbit living and working space can be divided into support for three major functions: (1) operations, maintenance, and management of the station; (2) conduct of experiments, both directly in the laboratories and remotely for experiments outside the pressurized environment; and (3) crew related functions for food preparation, housekeeping, storage, personal hygiene, health maintenance, zero G environment conditioning, and individual privacy, and rest. The process used to implement these functions, the major requirements driving the design, unique considerations and constraints that influence the design, and summaries of the analysis performed to establish the current configurations are described. Sketches and pictures showing the layout and internal arrangement of the Nodes, U.S. Laboratory and Habitation modules identify the current design relationships of the common and unique station housekeeping subsystems. The crew facilities, work stations, food preparation and eating areas (galley and wardroom), and exercise/health maintenance configurations, waste management and personal hygiene area configuration are shown. U.S. Laboratory experiment facilities and maintenance work areas planned to support the wide variety and mixtures of life science and materials processing payloads are described.

Practical experience with graphical user interfaces and object-oriented design in the clinical laboratory.

PubMed

Wells, I G; Cartwright, R Y; Farnan, L P

1993-12-15

The computing strategy in our laboratories evolved from research in Artificial Intelligence, and is based on powerful software tools running on high performance desktop computers with a graphical user interface. This allows most tasks to be regarded as design problems rather than implementation projects, and both rapid prototyping and an object-oriented approach to be employed during the in-house development and enhancement of the laboratory information systems. The practical application of this strategy is discussed, with particular reference to the system designer, the laboratory user and the laboratory customer. Routine operation covers five departments, and the systems are stable, flexible and well accepted by the users. Client-server computing, currently undergoing final trials, is seen as the key to further development, and this approach to Pathology computing has considerable potential for the future.

[External quality control system in medical microbiology and parasitology in the Czech Republic].

PubMed

Slosárek, M; Petrás, P; Kríz, B

2004-11-01

The External Quality Control System (EQAS) of laboratory activities in medical microbiology and parasitology was implemented in the Czech Republic in 1993 with coded sera samples for diagnosis of viral hepatitis and bacterial strains for identification distributed to first participating laboratories. The number of sample types reached 31 in 2003 and the number of participating laboratories rised from 79 in 1993 to 421 in 2003. As many as 15.130 samples were distributed to the participating laboratories in 2003. Currently, almost all microbiology and parasitology laboratories in the Czech Republic involved in examination of clinical material participate in the EQAS. Based on the 11-year experience gained with the EQAS in the Czech Republic, the following benefits were observed: higher accuracy of results in different tests, standardisation of methods and the use of most suitable test kits.

Poisson’s Ratio Extrapolation from Digital Image Correlation Experiments

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-03-01

prior to dewetting ). Also, it is often impractical to measure compressibility. Current rocket laboratory methods measure strains in propellants...distribution unlimited. Public Affairs Clearance Number XXXXX. Damage Characterization of Propellants 16 Dewetting Results 0 2 4 6 8 10 0 5 10 15 20

Measurement of a Neutrino-Induced Charged Current Single Neutral Pion Cross Section at MicroBooNE

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

Hackenburg, Ariana

Micro Booster Neutrino Experiment (MicroBooNE) is a Liquid Argon Time Projection Chamber (LArTPC) operating in the Booster Neutrino Beamline at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. MicroBooNE's physics goals include studying short baslinemore » $$\

An industrial approach to design compelling VR and AR experience

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Richir, Simon; Fuchs, Philippe; Lourdeaux, Domitile; Buche, Cédric; Querrec, Ronan

2013-03-01

The convergence of technologies currently observed in the field of VR, AR, robotics and consumer electronic reinforces the trend of new applications appearing every day. But when transferring knowledge acquired from research to businesses, research laboratories are often at a loss because of a lack of knowledge of the design and integration processes in creating an industrial scale product. In fact, the innovation approaches that take a good idea from the laboratory to a successful industrial product are often little known to researchers. The objective of this paper is to present the results of the work of several research teams that have finalized a working method for researchers and manufacturers that allow them to design virtual or augmented reality systems and enable their users to enjoy "a compelling VR experience". That approach, called "the I2I method", present 11 phases from "Establishing technological and competitive intelligence and industrial property" to "Improvements" through the "Definition of the Behavioral Interface, Virtual Environment and Behavioral Software Assistance". As a result of the experience gained by various research teams, this design approach benefits from contributions from current VR and AR research. Our objective is to validate and continuously move such multidisciplinary design team methods forward.

Neutron Activation and Thermoluminescent Detector Responses to a Bare Pulse of the CEA Valduc SILENE Critical Assembly

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

Miller, Thomas Martin; Celik, Cihangir; McMahan, Kimberly L.

This benchmark experiment was conducted as a joint venture between the US Department of Energy (DOE) and the French Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique (CEA). Staff at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in the US and the Centre de Valduc in France planned this experiment. The experiment was conducted on October 11, 2010 in the SILENE critical assembly facility at Valduc. Several other organizations contributed to this experiment and the subsequent evaluation, including CEA Saclay, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), the Y-12 National Security Complex (NSC), Babcock International Group in the United Kingdom, and Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). Themore » goal of this experiment was to measure neutron activation and thermoluminescent dosimeter (TLD) doses from a source similar to a fissile solution critical excursion. The resulting benchmark can be used for validation of computer codes and nuclear data libraries as required when performing analysis of criticality accident alarm systems (CAASs). A secondary goal of this experiment was to qualitatively test performance of two CAAS detectors similar to those currently and formerly in use in some US DOE facilities. The detectors tested were the CIDAS MkX and the Rocky Flats NCD-91. These detectors were being evaluated to determine whether they would alarm, so they were not expected to generate benchmark quality data.« less

River Inflows into Lakes: Basin Temperature Profiles Driven By Peeling Detrainment from Dense Underflows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hogg, C. A. R.; Huppert, H. E.; Imberger, J.; Dalziel, S. B.

2014-12-01

Dense gravity currents from river inflows feed fluid into confined basins in lakes. Large inflows can influence temperature profiles in the basins. Existing parameterisations of the circulation and mixing of such inflows are often based on the entrainment of ambient fluid into the underflowing gravity currents. However, recent observations have suggested that uni-directional entrainment into a gravity current does not fully describe the transfer between such gravity currents and the ambient water. Laboratory experiments visualised peeling detrainment from the gravity current occurring when the ambient fluid was stratified. A theoretical model of the observed peeling detrainment was developed to predict the temperature profile in the basin. This new model gives a better approximation of the temperature profile observed in the experiments than the pre-existing entraining model. The model can now be developed such that it integrates into operational models of lake basins.

Annoyance caused by propeller airplane flyover noise

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mccurdy, D. A.; Powell, C. A.

1984-01-01

Laboratory experiments were conducted to provide information on quantifying the annoyance response of people to propeller airplane noise. The items of interest were current noise metrics, tone corrections, duration corrections, critical band corrections, and the effects of engine type, operation type, maximum takeoff weight, blade passage frequency, and blade tip speed. In each experiment, 64 subjects judged the annoyance of recordings of propeller and jet airplane operations presented at d-weighted sound pressure levels of 70, 80, and 90 dB in a testing room which simulates the outdoor acoustic environment. The first experiment examined 11 propeller airplanes with maximum takeoff weights greater than or equal to 5700 kg. The second experiment examined 14 propeller airplanes weighting 5700 kg or less. Five jet airplanes were included in each experiment. For both the heavy and light propeller airplanes, perceived noise level and perceived level (Stevens Mark VII procedure) predicted annoyance better than other current noise metrics.

The Slow Controls System of the New Muon g-2 Experiment at Fermilab

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eads, Michael; New Muon g-2 Collaboration

2015-04-01

The goal of the new muon g-2 experiment (E-989), currently under construction at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, is to measure the anomalous gyromagnetic ratio of the muon with unprecedented precision. The uncertainty goal of the experiment, 0.14ppm, represents a four-fold improvement over the current best measurement of this value and has the potential to increase the current three standard deviation disagreement with the predicted standard model value to five standard deviations. Measuring the operating conditions of the experiment will be essential to achieving these uncertainty goals. This talk will describe the design and the current status of E-989's slow controls system. This system, based on the MIDAS Slow Control Bus, will be used to measure and record currents, voltages, temperatures, humidities, pressures, flows, and other data which is collected asynchronously with the injection of the muon beam. The system consists of a variety of sensors and front-end electronics which interface to back-end data acquisition, data storage, and data monitoring systems. Parts of the system are all already operational and the full system will be completed before beam commissioning begins in 2017.

Stratospheric controlled perturbation experiment: a small-scale experiment to improve understanding of the risks of solar geoengineering.

PubMed

Dykema, John A; Keith, David W; Anderson, James G; Weisenstein, Debra

2014-12-28

Although solar radiation management (SRM) through stratospheric aerosol methods has the potential to mitigate impacts of climate change, our current knowledge of stratospheric processes suggests that these methods may entail significant risks. In addition to the risks associated with current knowledge, the possibility of 'unknown unknowns' exists that could significantly alter the risk assessment relative to our current understanding. While laboratory experimentation can improve the current state of knowledge and atmospheric models can assess large-scale climate response, they cannot capture possible unknown chemistry or represent the full range of interactive atmospheric chemical physics. Small-scale, in situ experimentation under well-regulated circumstances can begin to remove some of these uncertainties. This experiment-provisionally titled the stratospheric controlled perturbation experiment-is under development and will only proceed with transparent and predominantly governmental funding and independent risk assessment. We describe the scientific and technical foundation for performing, under external oversight, small-scale experiments to quantify the risks posed by SRM to activation of halogen species and subsequent erosion of stratospheric ozone. The paper's scope includes selection of the measurement platform, relevant aspects of stratospheric meteorology, operational considerations and instrument design and engineering.

Collection and processing of plant, animal and soil samples from Bikini, Enewetak and Rongelap Atolls

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

Stuart, M.L.

1995-09-01

The United States used the Marshall Islands for its nuclear weapons program testing site from 1946 to 1958. The BRAVO test was detonated at Bikini Atoll on March 1, 1954. Due to shifting wind conditions at the time of the nuclear detonation, many of the surrounding Atolls became contaminated with fallout (radionuclides carried by the wind currents). Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory`s (LLNL) Marshall Islands Project has been responsible for the collecting, processing, and analyzing of food crops, vegetation, soil, water, animals, and marine species to characterize the radionuclides in the environment, and to estimate dose at atolls that may havemore » been contaminated. Tropical agriculture experiments reducing the uptake of {sup 137}Cs have been conducted on Bikini Atoll. The Marshall Islands field team and laboratory processing team play an important role in the overall scheme of the Marshall Islands Dose Assessment and Radioecology Project. This report gives a general description of the Marshall Islands field sampling and laboratory processing procedures currently used by our staff.« less

Localization of the magnetic field in a plasma flow in laboratory simulations of astrophysical jets at the KPF-4-PHOENIX installation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mitrofanov, K. N.; Anan'ev, S. S.; Voitenko, D. A.; Krauz, V. I.; Astapenko, G. I.; Markoliya, A. I.; Myalton, V. V.

2017-09-01

The results of experiments aimed at investigating axial plasma flows forming during the compression of a current-plasma sheath are presented. These experiments were carried out at the KPF-4-PHOENIX plasma-focus installation, as part of a program of laboratory simulations of astrophysical jets. The plasma flows were generated in a discharge when the chamber was filled with the working gas (argon) at initial pressures of 0.5-2 Torr. Experimental data obtained using a magnetic probe and optical diagnostics are compared. The data obtained can be used to determine the location of trapped magnetic field relative to regions of intense optical glow in the plasma flow.

Multiple-foil microabrasion package (A0023)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mcdonnell, J. A. M.; Ashworth, D. G.; Carey, W. C.; Flavill, R. P.; Jennison, R. C.

1984-01-01

The specific scientific objectives of this experiment are to measure the spatial distribution, size, velocity, radiance, and composition of microparticles in near-Earth space. The technological objectives are to measure erosion rates resulting from microparticle impacts and to evaluate thin-foil meteor 'bumpers'. The combinations of sensitivity and reliability in this experiment will provide up to 1000 impacts per month for laboratory analysis and will extend current sensitivity limits by 5 orders of magnitude in mass.

AAPT Lab Recommendations: Past, Present, and Future

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kozminski, Joseph

The ``AAPT Recommendations for the Undergraduate Physics Laboratory Curriculum'' was endorsed by the American Association of Physics Teachers Executive Board in November 2014. This set of curriculum recommendations focuses on developing skills and competencies that will prepare students for research in graduate school and for jobs in the STEM sector, education, and many other employment sectors. The recommendations can be used to guide changes in laboratory curricula, to assess department laboratory curricula during program reviews, and to educate university officials about the importance of laboratory experiences. The recommendations offer many potential opportunities for collaboration between physics education researchers and laboratory instructors in studying skill development in the lab and how various elements of the laboratory curriculum can best be assessed. There are also discussions underway to create an online resource for laboratory instructors to share implementation ideas and resources. This presentation provides an overview of these recommendations and their development, how the recommendations are currently being used, and opportunities for expanded use of the recommendations going forward.

Investigating Bandgap Energies, Materials, and Design of Light-Emitting Diodes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wagner, Eugene P., II

2016-01-01

A student laboratory experiment to investigate the intrinsic and extrinsic bandgaps, dopant materials, and diode design in light-emitting diodes (LEDs) is presented. The LED intrinsic bandgap is determined by passing a small constant current through the diode and recording the junction voltage variation with temperature. A second visible…

Sequential Dependencies in Driving

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Doshi, Anup; Tran, Cuong; Wilder, Matthew H.; Mozer, Michael C.; Trivedi, Mohan M.

2012-01-01

The effect of recent experience on current behavior has been studied extensively in simple laboratory tasks. We explore the nature of sequential effects in the more naturalistic setting of automobile driving. Driving is a safety-critical task in which delayed response times may have severe consequences. Using a realistic driving simulator, we find…

Scientific data bases on a VAX-11/780 running VMS

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

Benkovitz, C.M.; Tichler, J.L.

At Brookhaven National Laboratory several current projects are developing and applying data management techniques to compile, analyze and distribute scientific data sets that are the result of various multi institutional experiments and data gathering projects. This paper will present an overview of a few of these data management projects.

Combustion, Complex Fluids, and Fluid Physics Experiments on the ISS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Motil, Brian; Urban, David

2012-01-01

From the very early days of human spaceflight, NASA has been conducting experiments in space to understand the effect of weightlessness on physical and chemically reacting systems. NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) in Cleveland, Ohio has been at the forefront of this research looking at both fundamental studies in microgravity as well as experiments targeted at reducing the risks to long duration human missions to the moon, Mars, and beyond. In the current International Space Station (ISS) era, we now have an orbiting laboratory that provides the highly desired condition of long-duration microgravity. This allows continuous and interactive research similar to Earth-based laboratories. Because of these capabilities, the ISS is an indispensible laboratory for low gravity research. NASA GRC has been actively involved in developing and operating facilities and experiments on the ISS since the beginning of a permanent human presence on November 2, 2000. As the lead Center for combustion, complex fluids, and fluid physics; GRC has led the successful implementation of the Combustion Integrated Rack (CIR) and the Fluids Integrated Rack (FIR) as well as the continued use of other facilities on the ISS. These facilities have supported combustion experiments in fundamental droplet combustion; fire detection; fire extinguishment; soot phenomena; flame liftoff and stability; and material flammability. The fluids experiments have studied capillary flow; magneto-rheological fluids; colloidal systems; extensional rheology; pool and nucleate boiling phenomena. In this paper, we provide an overview of the experiments conducted on the ISS over the past 12 years.

Simulation of two-dimensional turbulent flows in a rotating annulus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Storey, Brian D.

2004-05-01

Rotating water tank experiments have been used to study fundamental processes of atmospheric and geophysical turbulence in a controlled laboratory setting. When these tanks are undergoing strong rotation the forced turbulent flow becomes highly two dimensional along the axis of rotation. An efficient numerical method has been developed for simulating the forced quasi-geostrophic equations in an annular geometry to model current laboratory experiments. The algorithm employs a spectral method with Fourier series and Chebyshev polynomials as basis functions. The algorithm has been implemented on a parallel architecture to allow modelling of a wide range of spatial scales over long integration times. This paper describes the derivation of the model equations, numerical method, testing and performance of the algorithm. Results provide reasonable agreement with the experimental data, indicating that such computations can be used as a predictive tool to design future experiments.

Acoustic impulse response method as a source of undergraduate research projects and advanced laboratory experiments.

PubMed

Robertson, W M; Parker, J M

2012-03-01

A straightforward and inexpensive implementation of acoustic impulse response measurement is described utilizing the signal processing technique of coherent averaging. The technique is capable of high signal-to-noise measurements with personal computer data acquisition equipment, an amplifier/speaker, and a high quality microphone. When coupled with simple waveguide test systems fabricated from commercial PVC plumbing pipe, impulse response measurement has proven to be ideal for undergraduate research projects-often of publishable quality-or for advanced laboratory experiments. The technique provides important learning objectives for science or engineering students in areas such as interfacing and computer control of experiments; analog-to-digital conversion and sampling; time and frequency analysis using Fourier transforms; signal processing; and insight into a variety of current research areas such as acoustic bandgap materials, acoustic metamaterials, and fast and slow wave manipulation. © 2012 Acoustical Society of America

Effects of the chemical environment on the spectroscopic properties of clays: Applications for Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bishop, Janice L.; Pieters, Carle M.

1992-01-01

Laboratory studies of Mars soil analogs pose unique problems, since soils interact readily with their environment and exhibit variable characteristics depending on the environment. We have performed a series of experiments focusing on the spectral properties of clays and how they vary as a function of composition and environment, including examination of fundamental as well as overtone absorptions, that occur in the mid- and near-IR, respectively. Smectite clays have been selected in our laboratory experiments as a primary surface analog for Mars because of their compatibility with results of the Viking biology experiments, their stability under current martian conditions, and their compatibility with reflectance spectra of Mars. We prepared a number of monoionic montmorillonites in order to examine the influence of cations on the water molecules in the clay interlayer region. Moessbauer spectra of several montmorillonites with variable amounts of interlayer iron confirm the presence of ferrihydrite.

Observations of nonlinear and nonuniform kink dynamics in a laboratory flux rope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sears, J.; Intrator, T.; Feng, Y.; Swan, H.; Gao, K.; Chapdelaine, L.

2013-12-01

A plasma column with axial magnetic field and current has helically twisted field lines. When current density in the column exceeds the kink instability threshold this magnetic configuration becomes unstable. Flux ropes in the solar wind and some solar prominences exhibit this topology, with their dynamics strongly and nonlinearly coupled to the ratio of axial current to magnetic field. The current-driven kink mode is ubiquitous in laboratory plasmas and well suited to laboratory study. In the Reconnection Scaling Experiment (RSX), nonlinear stability properties beyond the simple perturbative kink model are observed and readily diagnosed. We use a plasma gun to generate a single plasma column 0.50 m in length, in which we then drive an axial plasma current at the limit of marginal kink stability. With plasma current maintained at this threshold, we observe a deformation to a new dynamic equilibrium with finite gyration amplitude, where the currents and magnetic fields that support the force balance have surprising axial structure. Three dimensional measurements of magnetic field, plasma density, plasma potential, and ion flow velocity in the deformed plasma column show variation in the axial direction of the instability parameter and in the terms of the momentum equation. Likewise the pitch of the kink is measured to be nonuniform over the column length. In addition there is a return current antiparallel to the driven plasma current at distances up to 0.30 m from the gun that also modifies the force balance. These axial inhomogeneities, which are not considered in the model of an ideal kink, may be the terms that allow the deformed equilibrium of the RSX plasma to exist. Supported by DOE Office of Fusion Energy Sciences under LANS contract DE-AC52-06NA25369, NASA Geospace NNHIOA044I, Basic. This work performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344.

Updated standards and processes for accreditation of echocardiographic laboratories from The European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging.

PubMed

Popescu, Bogdan A; Stefanidis, Alexandros; Nihoyannopoulos, Petros; Fox, Kevin F; Ray, Simon; Cardim, Nuno; Rigo, Fausto; Badano, Luigi P; Fraser, Alan G; Pinto, Fausto; Zamorano, Jose Luis; Habib, Gilbert; Maurer, Gerald; Lancellotti, Patrizio; Andrade, Maria Joao; Donal, Erwan; Edvardsen, Thor; Varga, Albert

2014-07-01

Standards for echocardiographic laboratories were proposed by the European Association of Echocardiography (now the European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging) 7 years ago in order to raise standards of practice and improve the quality of care. Criteria and requirements were published at that time for transthoracic, transoesophageal, and stress echocardiography. This paper reassesses and updates the quality standards to take account of experience and the technical developments of modern echocardiographic practice. It also discusses quality control, the incentives for laboratories to apply for accreditation, the reaccreditation criteria, and the current status and future prospects of the laboratory accreditation process. Published on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology. All rights reserved. © The Author 2014. For permissions please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

The ideal laboratory information system.

PubMed

Sepulveda, Jorge L; Young, Donald S

2013-08-01

Laboratory information systems (LIS) are critical components of the operation of clinical laboratories. However, the functionalities of LIS have lagged significantly behind the capacities of current hardware and software technologies, while the complexity of the information produced by clinical laboratories has been increasing over time and will soon undergo rapid expansion with the use of new, high-throughput and high-dimensionality laboratory tests. In the broadest sense, LIS are essential to manage the flow of information between health care providers, patients, and laboratories and should be designed to optimize not only laboratory operations but also personalized clinical care. To list suggestions for designing LIS with the goal of optimizing the operation of clinical laboratories while improving clinical care by intelligent management of laboratory information. Literature review, interviews with laboratory users, and personal experience and opinion. Laboratory information systems can improve laboratory operations and improve patient care. Specific suggestions for improving the function of LIS are listed under the following sections: (1) Information Security, (2) Test Ordering, (3) Specimen Collection, Accessioning, and Processing, (4) Analytic Phase, (5) Result Entry and Validation, (6) Result Reporting, (7) Notification Management, (8) Data Mining and Cross-sectional Reports, (9) Method Validation, (10) Quality Management, (11) Administrative and Financial Issues, and (12) Other Operational Issues.

Blending Old Technology With New: Measuring the Mass of the Electron

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brown, Jeremy

2006-10-01

One day back in 1974, I was searching through the equipment storage area, where I found these intriguing-looking solenoids, current balances, and electron tubes sitting in the storeroom all covered with dust, obviously unused for some time, calling out to me to be used in some experiment. Eventually I decided to drag out those dusty coils and tubes. I had my students do two experiments from the PSSC Laboratory Manual (1968 edition) called "The Measurement of a Magnetic Field in Fundamental Units," and its companion experiment, "The Mass of the Electron."

Physics of windblown particles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Greeley, Ronald; Leach, Rodman; Marshall, John R.; White, Bruce; Iversen, James D.; Nickling, William G.; Gillette, Dale; Sorensen, Michael

1987-01-01

A laboratory facility proposed for the Space Station to investigate fundamental aspects of windblown particles is described. The experiments would take advantage of the environment afforded in earth orbit and would be an extension of research currently being conducted on the geology and physics of windblown sediments on earth, Mars, and Venus. Aeolian (wind) processes are reviewed in the planetary context, the scientific rational is given for specific experiments to be conducted, the experiment apparatus (the Carousel Wind Tunnel, or CWT) is described, and a plan presented for implementing the proposed research program.

Experience of quality management system in a clinical laboratory in Nigeria

PubMed Central

Sylvester-Ikondu, Ugochukwu; Onwuamah, Chika K.; Salu, Olumuyiwa B.; Ige, Fehintola A.; Meshack, Emily; Aniedobe, Maureen; Amoo, Olufemi S.; Okwuraiwe, Azuka P.; Okhiku, Florence; Okoli, Chika L.; Fasela, Emmanuel O.; Odewale, Ebenezer. O.; Aleshinloye, Roseline O.; Olatunji, Micheal; Idigbe, Emmanuel O.

2012-01-01

Issues Quality-management systems (QMS) are uncommon in clinical laboratories in Nigeria, and until recently, none of the nation’s 5 349 clinical laboratories have been able to attain the certifications necessary to begin the process of attaining international accreditation. Nigeria’s Human Virology Laboratory (HVL), however, began implementation of a QMS in 2006, and in 2008 it was determined that the laboratory conformed to the requirements of ISO 9001:2000 (now 2008), making it the first diagnostic laboratory to be certified in Nigeria. The HVL has now applied for the World Health Organization (WHO) accreditation preparedness scheme. The experience of the QMS implementation process and the lessons learned therein are shared here. Description In 2005, two personnel from the HVL spent time studying quality systems in a certified clinical laboratory in Dakar, Senegal. Following this peer-to-peer technical assistance, several training sessions were undertaken by HVL staff, a baseline assessment was conducted, and processes were established. The HVL has monitored its quality indicators and conducted internal and external audits; these analyses (from 2007 to 2009) are presented herein. Lessons learned Although there was improvement in the pre-analytical and analytical indicators analysed and although data-entry errors decreased in the post-analytical process, the delay in returning laboratory test results increased significantly. There were several factors identified as causes for this delay and all of these have now been addressed except for an identified need for automation of some high-volume assays (currently being negotiated). Internal and external audits showed a trend of increasing non-conformities which could be the result of personnel simply becoming lax over time. Application for laboratory accreditation, however, could provide the renewed vigour needed to correct these non-conformities. Recommendation This experience shows that sustainability of the QMS at present is a cause for concern. However, the tiered system of accreditation being developed by WHO–Afro may act as a driving force to preserve the spirit of continual improvement. PMID:29062734

Student involvement in learning: Collaboration in science for PreService elementary teachers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roychoudhury, Anita; Roth, Wolff-Michael

1992-03-01

The present study provided insights regarding the interactions that take place in collaborative science laboratory and regarding the outcome of such interactions. Science laboratory experiences structured by teachers have been criticized for allowing very little, if any, meaningful learning. However, this study showed that even structured laboratory experiments can provide insightful experience for students when conducted in a group setting that demanded interactive participation from all its members. The findings of the present study underscored the synergistic and supportive nature of collaborative groups. Here, students patiently repeated explanations to support the meaning construction on the part of their slower peers and elaborated their own understanding in the process; groups negotiated the meaning of observations and the corresponding theoretical explanations; students developed and practiced a range of social skills necessary in today’s workplace; and off-task behavior was thwarted by the group members motivated to work toward understanding rather than simply generating answers for task completion. The current findings suggest an increased use of collaborative learning environments for the teaching of science to elementary education majors. Some teachers have already made use of such settings in their laboratory teaching. However, collaborative learning should not be limited to the laboratory only, but be extended to more traditionally structured classes. The effects of such a switch in activity structures, increased quality of peer interaction, mastery of subject matter content, and decreased anxiety levels could well lead to better attitudes toward science among preservice elementary school teachers and eventually among their own students.

Apparatus and methodology for fire gas characterization by means of animal exposure

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Marcussen, W. H.; Hilado, C. J.; Furst, A.; Leon, H. A.; Kourtides, D. A.; Parker, J. A.; Butte, J. C.; Cummins, J. M.

1976-01-01

While there is a great deal of information available from small-scale laboratory experiments and for relatively simple mixtures of gases, considerable uncertainty exists regarding appropriate bioassay techniques for the complex mixture of gases generated in full-scale fires. Apparatus and methodology have been developed based on current state of the art for determining the effects of fire gases in the critical first 10 minutes of a full-scale fire on laboratory animals. This information is presented for its potential value and use while further improvements are being made.

Current evidence and future perspectives on the effective practice of patient-centered laboratory medicine.

PubMed

Hallworth, Mike J; Epner, Paul L; Ebert, Christoph; Fantz, Corinne R; Faye, Sherry A; Higgins, Trefor N; Kilpatrick, Eric S; Li, Wenzhe; Rana, S V; Vanstapel, Florent

2015-04-01

Systematic evidence of the contribution made by laboratory medicine to patient outcomes and the overall process of healthcare is difficult to find. An understanding of the value of laboratory medicine, how it can be determined, and the various factors that influence it is vital to ensuring that the service is provided and used optimally. This review summarizes existing evidence supporting the impact of laboratory medicine in healthcare and indicates the gaps in our understanding. It also identifies deficiencies in current utilization, suggests potential solutions, and offers a vision of a future in which laboratory medicine is used optimally to support patient care. To maximize the value of laboratory medicine, work is required in 5 areas: (a) improved utilization of existing and new tests; (b) definition of new roles for laboratory professionals that are focused on optimizing patient outcomes by adding value at all points of the diagnostic brain-to-brain cycle; (c) development of standardized protocols for prospective patient-centered studies of biomarker clinical effectiveness or extraanalytical process effectiveness; (d) benchmarking of existing and new tests in specified situations with commonly accepted measures of effectiveness; (e) agreed definition and validation of effectiveness measures and use of checklists for articles submitted for publication. Progress in these areas is essential if we are to demonstrate and enhance the value of laboratory medicine and prevent valuable information being lost in meaningless data. This requires effective collaboration with clinicians, and a determination to accept patient outcome and patient experience as the primary measure of laboratory effectiveness. © 2014 American Association for Clinical Chemistry.

Influence of Internal Waves on Transport by a Gravity Current

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koseff, Jeffrey; Hogg, Charlie; Ouillon, Raphael; Ouellette, Nicholas; Meiburg, Eckart

2017-11-01

Gravity currents moving along the continental slope can be influenced by internal waves shoaling on the slope resulting in mixing between the gravity current and the ambient fluid. Whilst some observations of the potential influence of internal waves on gravity currents have been made, the process has not been studied systematically. We present laboratory experiments, and some initial numerical simulations, in which a gravity current descends down a sloped boundary through a pycnocline at the same time as an internal wave at the pycnocline shoals on the slope. Measurements of the downslope mass flux of the gravity current fluid in cases with different amplitudes of the incident internal wave will be discussed. For the parameter regime considered, the mass flux in the head of the gravity current was found to reduce with increasingly larger incident amplitude waves. This reduction was effectively caused by a ``decapitation'' process whereby the breaking internal wave captures and moves fluid from the head of the gravity current back up the slope. The significance of the impact of the internal waves on gravity current transport, strongly suggests that the local internal wave climate may need to be considered when calculating gravity current transport. The Bob and Norma Street Environmental Fluid Mechanics Laboratory.

Pencil-like mm-size electron beams produced with linear inductive voltage adders

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mazarakis, M. G.; Poukey, J. W.; Rovang, D. C.; Maenchen, J. E.; Cordova, S. R.; Menge, P. R.; Pepping, R.; Bennett, L.; Mikkelson, K.; Smith, D. L.; Halbleib, J.; Stygar, W. A.; Welch, D. R.

1997-02-01

We present the design, analysis, and results of the high brightness electron beam experiments currently under investigation at Sandia National Laboratories. The anticipated beam parameters are the following: energy 12 MeV, current 35-40 kA, rms radius 0.5 mm, and pulse duration 40 ns full width at half-maximum. The accelerator is SABRE, a pulsed linear inductive voltage adder modified to higher impedance, and the electron source is a magnetically immersed foilless electron diode. 20-30 T solenoidal magnets are required to insulate the diode and contain the beam to its extremely small-sized (1 mm) envelope. These experiments are designed to push the technology to produce the highest possible electron current in a submillimeter radius beam. Design, numerical simulations, and experimental results are presented.

WIMP dark matter candidates and searches-current status and future prospects.

PubMed

Roszkowski, Leszek; Sessolo, Enrico Maria; Trojanowski, Sebastian

2018-06-01

We review several current aspects of dark matter theory and experiment. We overview the present experimental status, which includes current bounds and recent claims and hints of a possible signal in a wide range of experiments: direct detection in underground laboratories, gamma-ray, cosmic ray, x-ray, neutrino telescopes, and the LHC. We briefly review several possible particle candidates for a weakly interactive massive particle (WIMP) and dark matter that have recently been considered in the literature. We pay particular attention to the lightest neutralino of supersymmetry as it remains the best motivated candidate for dark matter and also shows excellent detection prospects. Finally we briefly review some alternative scenarios that can considerably alter properties and prospects for the detection of dark matter obtained within the standard thermal WIMP paradigm.

WIMP dark matter candidates and searches—current status and future prospects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roszkowski, Leszek; Sessolo, Enrico Maria; Trojanowski, Sebastian

2018-06-01

We review several current aspects of dark matter theory and experiment. We overview the present experimental status, which includes current bounds and recent claims and hints of a possible signal in a wide range of experiments: direct detection in underground laboratories, gamma-ray, cosmic ray, x-ray, neutrino telescopes, and the LHC. We briefly review several possible particle candidates for a weakly interactive massive particle (WIMP) and dark matter that have recently been considered in the literature. We pay particular attention to the lightest neutralino of supersymmetry as it remains the best motivated candidate for dark matter and also shows excellent detection prospects. Finally we briefly review some alternative scenarios that can considerably alter properties and prospects for the detection of dark matter obtained within the standard thermal WIMP paradigm.

Development of sensorial experiments and their implementation into undergraduate laboratories

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bromfield Lee, Deborah Christina

"Visualization" of chemical phenomena often has been limited in the teaching laboratories to the sense of sight. We have developed chemistry experiments that rely on senses other than eyesight to investigate chemical concepts, make quantitative determinations, and familiarize students with chemical techniques traditionally designed using only eyesight. Multi-sensory learning can benefit all students by actively engaging them in learning through stimulation or an alternative way of experiencing a concept or ideas. Perception of events or concepts usually depends on the information from the different sensory systems combined. The use of multi-sensory learning can take advantage of all the senses to reinforce learning as each sense builds toward a more complete experience of scientific data. Research has shown that multi-sensory representations of scientific phenomena is a valuable tool for enhancing understanding of chemistry as well as displacing misconceptions through experience. Multi-sensory experiences have also been shown to enrich memory performance. There are few experiments published which utilize multiple senses in the teaching laboratory. The sensorial experiments chosen were conceptually similar to experiments currently performed in undergraduate laboratories; however students collect different types of data using multi-sensory observations. The experiments themselves were developed by using chemicals that would provide different sensory changes or capitalizing on sensory observations that were typically overlooked or ignored and obtain similar and precise results as in traditional experiments. Minimizing hazards and using safe practices are especially essential in these experiments as students utilize senses traditionally not allowed to be used in the laboratories. These sensorial experiments utilize typical equipment found in the teaching laboratories as well as inexpensive chemicals in order to aid implementation. All experiments are rigorously tested for accuracy and all chemicals examined for safety prior to implementation. The pedagogical objectives were established of to provide the ability to develop and stimulate students' conceptual understanding. The educational assessments of these experiments are are fashioned using the framework chosen (Marzano and Kendall). All the experiments are designed as collaborative, inquiry-based experiments in aims of enhancing the students understanding of the subject and promote critical thinking skills. These experiments use an investigative approach rather than verification methods. Terminology and misconceptions of the experiment were evaluated to prevent misunderstanding or confusion during the experiment. Interventions to address these misconceptions and learning problems associated with the experiment were developed. We have developed the Learning Lab Report, LLR, as an alternative model for the traditional laboratory reports, with the goal of transforming the traditional reports into something more useful for both students and instructors. The educational strategies are employed to develop this format in order to promote students to think critically about the concepts and take an active involvement in learning. From the results of the LLR, all experiments were reviewed and re-written to address any learning problems. The sensorial experiments study several topics usually covered in the first 2 years of the chemistry curriculum (general and organic chemistry courses). The experiments implemented, organic qualitative analysis, esterification kinetics, Le Chatelier equilibrium, thermometric titrations and ASA kinetics, worked effectively as students were able to draw correct conclusions about the concepts from the data obtained. An olfactory titration using the smell of the rutabaga vegetable has been developed and thoroughly tested. The LLR was utilized with the equilibrium, titration and acetyl salicylic acid experiments. The details of the development, implementation of these sensorial experiments and the LLR and student results are discussed.

Evaluation of the predictive capability of coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical models for a heated bentonite/clay system (HE-E) in the Mont Terri Rock Laboratory

DOE PAGES

Garitte, B.; Shao, H.; Wang, X. R.; ...

2017-01-09

Process understanding and parameter identification using numerical methods based on experimental findings are a key aspect of the international cooperative project DECOVALEX. Comparing the predictions from numerical models against experimental results increases confidence in the site selection and site evaluation process for a radioactive waste repository in deep geological formations. In the present phase of the project, DECOVALEX-2015, eight research teams have developed and applied models for simulating an in-situ heater experiment HE-E in the Opalinus Clay in the Mont Terri Rock Laboratory in Switzerland. The modelling task was divided into two study stages, related to prediction and interpretation ofmore » the experiment. A blind prediction of the HE-E experiment was performed based on calibrated parameter values for both the Opalinus Clay, that were based on the modelling of another in-situ experiment (HE-D), and modelling of laboratory column experiments on MX80 granular bentonite and a sand/bentonite mixture .. After publication of the experimental data, additional coupling functions were analysed and considered in the different models. Moreover, parameter values were varied to interpret the measured temperature, relative humidity and pore pressure evolution. The analysis of the predictive and interpretative results reveals the current state of understanding and predictability of coupled THM behaviours associated with geologic nuclear waste disposal in clay formations.« less

Evaluation of the predictive capability of coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical models for a heated bentonite/clay system (HE-E) in the Mont Terri Rock Laboratory

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

Garitte, B.; Shao, H.; Wang, X. R.

Process understanding and parameter identification using numerical methods based on experimental findings are a key aspect of the international cooperative project DECOVALEX. Comparing the predictions from numerical models against experimental results increases confidence in the site selection and site evaluation process for a radioactive waste repository in deep geological formations. In the present phase of the project, DECOVALEX-2015, eight research teams have developed and applied models for simulating an in-situ heater experiment HE-E in the Opalinus Clay in the Mont Terri Rock Laboratory in Switzerland. The modelling task was divided into two study stages, related to prediction and interpretation ofmore » the experiment. A blind prediction of the HE-E experiment was performed based on calibrated parameter values for both the Opalinus Clay, that were based on the modelling of another in-situ experiment (HE-D), and modelling of laboratory column experiments on MX80 granular bentonite and a sand/bentonite mixture .. After publication of the experimental data, additional coupling functions were analysed and considered in the different models. Moreover, parameter values were varied to interpret the measured temperature, relative humidity and pore pressure evolution. The analysis of the predictive and interpretative results reveals the current state of understanding and predictability of coupled THM behaviours associated with geologic nuclear waste disposal in clay formations.« less

Animal experimentation in Spacelab - Present and future U.S. plans

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Berry, W. E.; Dant, C. C.

1983-01-01

Current development of life-sciences hardware and experiments for the fourth Spacelab mission in the Life Sciences Flight Experiments Program at NASA Ames is reviewed. The research-animal holding facility, the general-purpose work station, and the life sciences laboratory equipment are characterized, and the 14 Ames projects accepted for the mission are listed and discussed. Several hardware systems and experimental procedures will be verified on the Spacelab-3 mission scheduled for late 1984.

Two LANL laboratory astrophysics experiments

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

Intrator, Thomas P.

2014-01-24

Two laboratory experiments are described that have been built at Los Alamos (LANL) to gain access to a wide range of fundamental plasma physics issues germane to astro, space, and fusion plasmas. The overarching theme is magnetized plasma dynamics which includes significant currents, MHD forces and instabilities, magnetic field creation and annihilation, sheared flows and shocks. The Relaxation Scaling Experiment (RSX) creates current sheets and flux ropes that exhibit fully 3D dynamics, and can kink, bounce, merge and reconnect, shred, and reform in complicated ways. Recent movies from a large data set describe the 3D magnetic structure of a drivenmore » and dissipative single flux rope that spontaneously self-saturates a kink instability. Examples of a coherent shear flow dynamo driven by colliding flux ropes will also be shown. The Magnetized Shock Experiment (MSX) uses Field reversed configuration (FRC) experimental hardware that forms and ejects FRCs at 150km/sec. This is sufficient to drive a collision less magnetized shock when stagnated into a mirror stopping field region with Alfven Mach number MA=3 so that super critical shocks can be studied. We are building a plasmoid accelerator to drive Mach numbers MA >> 3 to access solar wind and more exotic astrophysical regimes. Unique features of this experiment include access to parallel, oblique and perpendicular shocks, shock region much larger than ion gyro radii and ion inertial length, room for turbulence, and large magnetic and fluid Reynolds numbers.« less

Dynamic Compression Experiments on Hydrogen and Deuterium in the Warm Dense Liquid.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Desjarlais, Michael; McCoy, Chad; Cochrane, Kyle; Mattsson, Thomas; Knudson, Marcus; Redmer, Ronald

2017-06-01

Recently a shock-ramp platform has been developed on the Z Accelerator to access off-Hugoniot states in liquids. The accelerator delivers a two-step current pulse; the first accelerates the electrode to a constant velocity, which upon impact with the sample cell creates a well-defined shock, the subsequent current rise produces ramp compression from the initially shocked state producing relatively cool (1-2 kK), high pressure (>300 GPa), high compression (10 to 15-fold compression) states. This technique allows experimental access to the region of phase space where hydrogen is predicted to undergo a first-order phase transition from an insulating molecular-like to a conducting atomic-like liquid. Here we discuss the experimental platform, survey various theoretical predictions for the liquid-liquid, insulator-to-metal transition in hydrogen, and present results of experiments on both deuterium and hydrogen that clearly show an abrupt transition to a metallic state. We also present results from recent experiments at higher temperatures (3-4 kK) and compare the observations to both first-principles theory and previous step-wise loading experiments that exhibited a minimum metallic conductivity. Sandia National Laboratories is a multi-program laboratory managed and operated by Sandia Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lockheed Martin Corporation, for the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-AC04-94AL85000.

Status and perspective of the DarkSide experiment at LNGS

DOE PAGES

Agnes, P.

2018-09-01

The DarkSide experiment aims to perform a background-free direct search for dark matter with a dual-phase argon TPC. The current phase of the experiment, DarkSide-50, is acquiring data at Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso and produced the most sensitive limit on the WIMP-nucleon cross section ever obtained with a liquid argon target (2.0 × 10 -44 cm2 for a WIMP mass of 100 GeV/c 2). The future phase of the experiment will be a 20 t fiducial mass detector, designed to reach a sensitivity of ~1 × 10 -47 cm2 (at 1 TeV/c 2 WIMP mass) with a background-free exposuremore » of 100 ty. Here, this work contains a discussion of the current status of the DarkSide-50 WIMP search and of the results which are more relevant for the construction of the future detector.« less

Status and perspective of the DarkSide experiment at LNGS

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

Agnes, P.

The DarkSide experiment aims to perform a background-free direct search for dark matter with a dual-phase argon TPC. The current phase of the experiment, DarkSide-50, is acquiring data at Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso and produced the most sensitive limit on the WIMP-nucleon cross section ever obtained with a liquid argon target (2.0 × 10 -44 cm2 for a WIMP mass of 100 GeV/c 2). The future phase of the experiment will be a 20 t fiducial mass detector, designed to reach a sensitivity of ~1 × 10 -47 cm2 (at 1 TeV/c 2 WIMP mass) with a background-free exposuremore » of 100 ty. Here, this work contains a discussion of the current status of the DarkSide-50 WIMP search and of the results which are more relevant for the construction of the future detector.« less

A three-dimensional stratigraphic model for aggrading submarine channels based on laboratory experiments, numerical modeling, and sediment cores

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Limaye, A. B.; Komatsu, Y.; Suzuki, K.; Paola, C.

2017-12-01

Turbidity currents deliver clastic sediment from continental margins to the deep ocean, and are the main driver of landscape and stratigraphic evolution in many low-relief, submarine environments. The sedimentary architecture of turbidites—including the spatial organization of coarse and fine sediments—is closely related to the aggradation, scour, and lateral shifting of channels. Seismic stratigraphy indicates that submarine, meandering channels often aggrade rapidly relative to lateral shifting, and develop channel sand bodies with high vertical connectivity. In comparison, the stratigraphic architecture developed by submarine, braided is relatively uncertain. We present a new stratigraphic model for submarine braided channels that integrates predictions from laboratory experiments and flow modeling with constraints from sediment cores. In the laboratory experiments, a saline density current developed subaqueous channels in plastic sediment. The channels aggraded to form a deposit with a vertical scale of approximately five channel depths. We collected topography data during aggradation to (1) establish relative stratigraphic age, and (2) estimate the sorting patterns of a hypothetical grain size distribution. We applied a numerical flow model to each topographic surface and used modeled flow depth as a proxy for relative grain size. We then conditioned the resulting stratigraphic model to observed grain size distributions using sediment core data from the Nankai Trough, offshore Japan. Using this stratigraphic model, we establish new, quantitative predictions for the two- and three-dimensional connectivity of coarse sediment as a function of fine-sediment fraction. Using this case study as an example, we will highlight outstanding challenges in relating the evolution of low-relief landscapes to the stratigraphic record.

Lunar exploration rover program developments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Klarer, P. R.

1994-01-01

The Robotic All Terrain Lunar Exploration Rover (RATLER) design concept began at Sandia National Laboratories in late 1991 with a series of small, proof-of-principle, working scale models. The models proved the viability of the concept for high mobility through mechanical simplicity, and eventually received internal funding at Sandia National Laboratories for full scale, proof-of-concept prototype development. Whereas the proof-of-principle models demonstrated the mechanical design's capabilities for mobility, the full scale proof-of-concept design currently under development is intended to support field operations for experiments in telerobotics, autonomous robotic operations, telerobotic field geology, and advanced man-machine interface concepts. The development program's current status is described, including an outline of the program's work over the past year, recent accomplishments, and plans for follow-on development work.

Laboratory unraveling of matter accretion in young stars

PubMed Central

Revet, Guilhem; Chen, Sophia N.; Bonito, Rosaria; Khiar, Benjamin; Filippov, Evgeny; Argiroffi, Costanza; Higginson, Drew P.; Orlando, Salvatore; Béard, Jérôme; Blecher, Marius; Borghesi, Marco; Burdonov, Konstantin; Khaghani, Dimitri; Naughton, Kealan; Pépin, Henri; Portugall, Oliver; Riquier, Raphael; Rodriguez, Rafael; Ryazantsev, Sergei N.; Yu. Skobelev, Igor; Soloviev, Alexander; Willi, Oswald; Pikuz, Sergey; Ciardi, Andrea; Fuchs, Julien

2017-01-01

Accretion dynamics in the formation of young stars is still a matter of debate because of limitations in observations and modeling. Through scaled laboratory experiments of collimated plasma accretion onto a solid in the presence of a magnetic field, we open a first window on this phenomenon by tracking, with spatial and temporal resolution, the dynamics of the system and simultaneously measuring multiband emissions. We observe in these experiments that matter, upon impact, is ejected laterally from the solid surface and then refocused by the magnetic field toward the incoming stream. This ejected matter forms a plasma shell that envelops the shocked core, reducing escaped x-ray emission. This finding demonstrates one possible structure reconciling current discrepancies between mass accretion rates derived from x-ray and optical observations, respectively. PMID:29109974

Laboratory unraveling of matter accretion in young stars

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

Revet, Guilhem; Chen, Sophia N.; Bonito, Rosaria

Accretion dynamics in the formation of young stars is still a matter of debate because of limitations in observations and modeling. Through scaled laboratory experiments of collimated plasma accretion onto a solid in the presence of a magnetic field, we open a first window on this phenomenon by tracking, with spatial and temporal resolution, the dynamics of the system and simultaneously measuring multiband emissions. Here, we observe in these experiments that matter, upon impact, is ejected laterally from the solid surface and then refocused by the magnetic field toward the incoming stream. This ejected matter forms a plasma shell thatmore » envelops the shocked core, reducing escaped x-ray emission. Our finding demonstrates one possible structure reconciling current discrepancies between mass accretion rates derived from x-ray and optical observations, respectively.« less

Aircrew laser eye protection: visual consequences and mission performance.

PubMed

Thomas, S R

1994-05-01

Battlefield laser proliferation poses a mounting risk to aircrew and ground personnel. Laser eye protection (LEP) based on current mature, mass-producible technologies absorbs visible light and can impact visual performance and color identification. These visual consequences account for many of the mission incompatibilities associated with LEP. Laboratory experiments and field investigations that examined the effects of LEP on visual performance and mission compatibility are reviewed. Laboratory experiments assessed the ability of subjects to correctly read and identify the color of head-down display symbology and tactical pilotage charts (TPC's) with three prototype LEP visors. Field investigations included Weapons Systems Trainer (WST), ground, and flight tests of the LEP visors. Recommendations for modifying aviation lighting systems to improve LEP compatibility are proposed. Issues concerning flight safety when using LEP during air operation are discussed.

Laboratory unraveling of matter accretion in young stars

DOE PAGES

Revet, Guilhem; Chen, Sophia N.; Bonito, Rosaria; ...

2017-11-01

Accretion dynamics in the formation of young stars is still a matter of debate because of limitations in observations and modeling. Through scaled laboratory experiments of collimated plasma accretion onto a solid in the presence of a magnetic field, we open a first window on this phenomenon by tracking, with spatial and temporal resolution, the dynamics of the system and simultaneously measuring multiband emissions. Here, we observe in these experiments that matter, upon impact, is ejected laterally from the solid surface and then refocused by the magnetic field toward the incoming stream. This ejected matter forms a plasma shell thatmore » envelops the shocked core, reducing escaped x-ray emission. Our finding demonstrates one possible structure reconciling current discrepancies between mass accretion rates derived from x-ray and optical observations, respectively.« less

Laboratory unraveling of matter accretion in young stars.

PubMed

Revet, Guilhem; Chen, Sophia N; Bonito, Rosaria; Khiar, Benjamin; Filippov, Evgeny; Argiroffi, Costanza; Higginson, Drew P; Orlando, Salvatore; Béard, Jérôme; Blecher, Marius; Borghesi, Marco; Burdonov, Konstantin; Khaghani, Dimitri; Naughton, Kealan; Pépin, Henri; Portugall, Oliver; Riquier, Raphael; Rodriguez, Rafael; Ryazantsev, Sergei N; Yu Skobelev, Igor; Soloviev, Alexander; Willi, Oswald; Pikuz, Sergey; Ciardi, Andrea; Fuchs, Julien

2017-11-01

Accretion dynamics in the formation of young stars is still a matter of debate because of limitations in observations and modeling. Through scaled laboratory experiments of collimated plasma accretion onto a solid in the presence of a magnetic field, we open a first window on this phenomenon by tracking, with spatial and temporal resolution, the dynamics of the system and simultaneously measuring multiband emissions. We observe in these experiments that matter, upon impact, is ejected laterally from the solid surface and then refocused by the magnetic field toward the incoming stream. This ejected matter forms a plasma shell that envelops the shocked core, reducing escaped x-ray emission. This finding demonstrates one possible structure reconciling current discrepancies between mass accretion rates derived from x-ray and optical observations, respectively.

FLARE: A New User Facility for Studies of Multiple-Scale Physics of Magnetic Reconnection and Related Phenomena Through in-situ Measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ji, Hantao; Bhattacharjee, A.; Goodman, A.; Prager, S.; Daughton, W.; Cutler, R.; Fox, W.; Hoffmann, F.; Kalish, M.; Kozub, T.; Jara-Almonte, J.; Myers, C.; Ren, Y.; Sloboda, P.; Yamada, M.; Yoo, J.; Bale, S. D.; Carter, T.; Dorfman, S.; Drake, J.; Egedal, J.; Sarff, J.; Wallace, J.

2017-10-01

The FLARE device (Facility for Laboratory Reconnection Experiments; flare.pppl.gov) is a new laboratory experiment under construction at Princeton for the studies of magnetic reconnection in the multiple X-line regimes directly relevant to space, solar, astrophysical, and fusion plasmas, as guided by a reconnection phase diagram. The whole device have been assembled with first plasmas expected in the fall of 2017. The main diagnostics is an extensive set of magnetic probe arrays, currently under construction, to cover multiple scales from local electron scales ( 2 mm), to intermediate ion scales ( 10 cm), and global MHD scales ( 1 m), simultaneously providing in-situ measurements over all these relevant scales. The planned procedures and example topics as a user facility will be discussed.

Workshop on Plasma Experiments in the Laboratory and in Space. Abstracts

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-01-01

The AMPTE IRM satellite revealed in the region of overlap between plasmaspheric and ring current plasmas a gra- dual decrease of cold plasna density...names UMKD generator, "Alive wine , or 4unipolar Inductor’ For space physics, the breakdown of this tid picture is a( Interest because it results in the

Expression, Purification, and Analysis of Unknown Translation Factors from "Escherichia Coli": A Synthesis Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walter, Justin D.; Littlefield, Peter; Delbecq, Scott; Prody, Gerry; Spiegel, P. Clint

2010-01-01

New approaches are currently being developed to expose biochemistry and molecular biology undergraduates to a more interactive learning environment. Here, we propose a unique project-based laboratory module, which incorporates exposure to biophysical chemistry approaches to address problems in protein chemistry. Each of the experiments described…

EVALUATION OF SOIL WASHING TECHNOLOGY: RESULTS OF BENCH SCALE EXPERIMENTS ON PETROLEUM FUELS CONTAMINATED SOILS - EPA/600/S2-91/023

EPA Science Inventory

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) through its Risk Reduction Engineering Laboratory's Release Control Branch has undertaken research and development efforts to address the problem of leaking underground storage tanks (USTs). Under this effort, EPA is currently eva...

An NMR Experiment Based on Off-the-Shelf Digital Data-Acquisition Equipment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hilty, Christian; Bowen, Sean

2010-01-01

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) poses significant challenges for teaching in the context of an undergraduate laboratory, foremost because of high equipment cost. Current off-the-shelf data-acquisition hardware, however, is sufficiently powerful to constitute the core of a fully digital NMR spectrometer operating at the earth's field. We present…

Waves, Currents, and Sediment Transport in the Surf Zone Along Long, Straight Beaches

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-08-01

e.g., Inman, 1957; Keneddy and Falcon, 1965; Carstens et al., 1969; Mogridge and Kamphuis, 1972; Dingler, 1974; Miller and Komar, 1980; Nielsen, 1981...laboratory experiments and through field observations (e.g., Inman, 1957; Keneddy and Falcon, 1965; Carstens et al., 1969; Mogridge and Kamphuis, 1972; Dingler

Drive Beam Shaping and Witness Bunch Generation for the Plasma Wakefield Accelerator

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

England, R. J.; Frederico, J.; Hogan, M. J.

2010-11-04

High transformer ratio operation of the plasma wake field accelerator requires a tailored drive beam current profile followed by a short witness bunch. We discuss techniques for generating the requisite dual bunches and for obtaining the desired drive beam profile, with emphasis on the FACET experiment at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory.

Numerical magnetohydrodynamic simulations of expanding flux ropes: Influence of boundary driving

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

Tacke, Thomas; Dreher, Jürgen; Sydora, Richard D.

2013-07-15

The expansion dynamics of a magnetized, current-carrying plasma arch is studied by means of time-dependent ideal MHD simulations. Initial conditions model the setup used in recent laboratory experiments that in turn simulate coronal loops [J. Tenfelde et al., Phys. Plasmas 19, 072513 (2012); E. V. Stenson and P. M. Bellan, Plasma Phys. Controlled Fusion 54, 124017 (2012)]. Boundary conditions of the electric field at the “lower” boundary, intersected by the arch, are chosen such that poloidal magnetic flux is injected into the domain, either localized at the arch footpoints themselves or halfway between them. These conditions are motivated by themore » tangential electric field expected to exist in the laboratory experiments due to the external circuit that drives the plasma current. The boundary driving is found to systematically enhance the expansion velocity of the plasma arch. While perturbations at the arch footpoints also deform its legs and create characteristic elongated segments, a perturbation between the footpoints tends to push the entire structure upwards, retaining an ellipsoidal shape.« less

Is the Electron Avalanche Process in a Martian Dust Devil Self-Quenching?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Farrell, William M.; McLain, Jason L.; Collier, M. R.; Keller, J. W.; Jackson, T. J.; Delory, G. T.

2015-01-01

Viking era laboratory experiments show that mixing tribocharged grains in a low pressure CO2 gas can form a discharge that glows, indicating the presence of an excited electron population that persists over many seconds. Based on these early experiments, it has been predicted that martian dust devils and storms may also contain a plasma and new plasma chemical species as a result of dust grain tribo-charging. However, recent results from modeling suggest a contrasting result: that a sustained electron discharge may not be easily established since the increase in gas conductivity would act to short-out the local E-fields and quickly dissipate the charged grains driving the process. In essence, the system was thought to be self-quenching (i.e., turn itself off). In this work, we attempt to reconcile the difference between observation and model via new laboratory measurements. We conclude that in a Mars-like low pressure CO2 atmosphere and expected E-fields, the electron current remains (for the most part) below the expected driving tribo-electric dust currents (approx. 10 microA/m(exp. 2)), thereby making quenching unlikely.

Experiments to be flown in an Earth orbiting laboratory: The US experiments on the first international microgravity laboratory, from concept to flight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Winget, C. M.; Callahan, P. X.; Schaefer, R. L.; Lashbrook, J. J.

1992-01-01

The current life cycle of NASA ARC-managed flight experiments is presented. The two main purposes are: (1) to bring to the attention of biologists, and in particular cell and plant biologists, some of the requirements for flying a life science experiment in space; and (2) to introduce the subject to biologists embarking on studies in the field and to delineate some of the specific requirements that will be encountered by an ARC-managed microgravity experiment. This is not intended to be an exhaustive encyclopedia of all techniques used to prepare an experiment to evaluate the effect of microgravity on plant and animal cells. However, many of the requirements are the same for all biological systems and for other NASA centers. Emphasis is on the principle investigator's (PI's) involvement in the activities required for successful completion of major reviews. The PI support required for activities other than these reviews is also discussed, as are the interactions between ARC and the PI that will be required as problems or questions arise throughout experiment and payload development. It is impossible to predict the extent of this activity because it varies according to the complexity of the experiment and the flight experience of the PI.

Role of Laboratory Plasma Experiments in exploring the Physics of Solar Eruptions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tripathi, S.

2017-12-01

Solar eruptive events are triggered over a broad range of spatio-temporal scales by a variety of fundamental processes (e.g., force-imbalance, magnetic-reconnection, electrical-current driven instabilities) associated with arched magnetoplasma structures in the solar atmosphere. Contemporary research on solar eruptive events is at the forefront of solar and heliospheric physics due to its relevance to space weather. Details on the formation of magnetized plasma structures on the Sun, storage of magnetic energy in such structures over a long period (several Alfven transit times), and their impulsive eruptions have been recorded in numerous observations and simulated in computer models. Inherent limitations of space observations and uncontrolled nature of solar eruptions pose significant challenges in testing theoretical models and developing the predictive capability for space-weather. The pace of scientific progress in this area can be significantly boosted by tapping the potential of appropriately scaled laboratory plasma experiments to compliment solar observations, theoretical models, and computer simulations. To give an example, recent results from a laboratory plasma experiment on arched magnetic flux ropes will be presented and future challenges will be discussed. (Work supported by National Science Foundation, USA under award number 1619551)

Solid laboratory calibration of a nonimaging spectroradiometer.

PubMed

Schaepman, M E; Dangel, S

2000-07-20

Field-based nonimaging spectroradiometers are often used in vicarious calibration experiments for airborne or spaceborne imaging spectrometers. The calibration uncertainties associated with these ground measurements contribute substantially to the overall modeling error in radiance- or reflectance-based vicarious calibration experiments. Because of limitations in the radiometric stability of compact field spectroradiometers, vicarious calibration experiments are based primarily on reflectance measurements rather than on radiance measurements. To characterize the overall uncertainty of radiance-based approaches and assess the sources of uncertainty, we carried out a full laboratory calibration. This laboratory calibration of a nonimaging spectroradiometer is based on a measurement plan targeted at achieving a

Engineering education using a remote laboratory through the Internet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Axaopoulos, Petros J.; Moutsopoulos, Konstantinos N.; Theodoridis, Michael P.

2012-03-01

An experiment using real hardware and under real test conditions can be remotely conducted by engineering students and other interested individuals in the world via the Internet and with the capability of live video streaming from the test site. The presentation of this innovative experiment refers to the determination of the current voltage characteristic curve of a photovoltaic panel installed on the roof of a laboratory, facing south and with the ability to alter its tilt angle, using a closed loop servo motor mounted on the horizontal axis of the panel. The user has the sense of a direct contact with the system since they can intervene and alter the tilt of the panel and get a live visual feedback besides the remote instrumentation panel. The whole procedure takes a few seconds to complete and the characteristic curve is displayed in a chart giving the student and anyone else interested the chance to analyse the results and understand the respective theory; meanwhile, the test data are stored in a file for future use. This type of remote experiment could be used for distance education, training, part-time study and to help students with disabilities to participate in a laboratory environment.

Z a Fast Pulsed Power Generator for Ultra-High Magnetic Field Generation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spielman, R. B.; Stygar, W. A.; Struve, K. W.; Asay, J. R.; Hall, C. A.; Bernard, M. A.; Bailey, J. E.; McDaniel, D. H.

2004-11-01

Advances in fast, pulsed-power technologies have resulted in the development of very high current drivers that have current rise times ~100 ns. The largest such pulsed power driver today is the new Z accelerator located at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Z can deliver more than 20 MA with a time-to-peak of 105 ns to low inductance (~1 nH) loads. Such large drivers are capable of directly generating magnetic fields approaching 3 kT in small, 1 cm3 volumes. In addition to direct field generation, Z can be used to compress an applied, axial seed field with a plasma. Flux compression schemes are not new and are, in fact, the basis of all explosive flux-compression generators, but we propose the use of plasma armatures rather than solid, conducting armatures. We present experimental results from the Z accelerator in which magnetic fields of ~2 kT are generated and measured with several diagnostics. Issues such as energy loss in solid conductors and dynamic response of current-carrying conductors to very large magnetic fields are reviewed in context with Z experiments. We describe planned flux-compression experiments that are expected to create the highest-magnitude uniform-field volumes yet attained in the laboratory.

Experiments and simulations of flux rope dynamics in a plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Intrator, Thomas; Abbate, Sara; Ryutov, Dmitri

2005-10-01

The behavior of flux ropes is a key issue in solar, space and astrophysics. For instance, magnetic fields and currents on the Sun are sheared and twisted as they store energy, experience an as yet unidentified instability, open into interplanetary space, eject the plasma trapped in them, and cause a flare. The Reconnection Scaling Experiment (RSX) provides a simple means to systematically characterize the linear and non-linear evolution of driven, dissipative, unstable plasma-current filaments. Topology evolves in three dimensions, supports multiple modes, and can bifurcate to quasi-helical equilibria. The ultimate saturation to a nonlinear force and energy balance is the link to a spectrum of relaxation processes. RSX has adjustable energy density β1 to β 1, non-negligible equilibrium plasma flows, driven steady-state scenarios, and adjustable line tying at boundaries. We will show magnetic structure of a kinking, rotating single line tied column, magnetic reconnection between two flux ropes, and pictures of three braided flux ropes. We use computed simulation movies to bridge the gap between the solar physics scales and experimental data with computational modeling. In collaboration with Ivo Furno, Tsitsi Madziwa-Nussinovm Giovanni Lapenta, Adam Light, Los Alamos National Laboratory; Sara Abbate, Torino Polytecnico; and Dmitri Ryutov, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

Geophysical monitoring of solute transport in dual-domain environments through laboratory experiments, field-scale solute tracer tests, and numerical simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Swanson, Ryan David

The advection-dispersion equation (ADE) fails to describe non-Fickian solute transport breakthrough curves (BTCs) in saturated porous media in both laboratory and field experiments, necessitating the use of other models. The dual-domain mass transfer (DDMT) model partitions the total porosity into mobile and less-mobile domains with an exchange of mass between the two domains, and this model can reproduce better fits to BTCs in many systems than ADE-based models. However, direct experimental estimation of DDMT model parameters remains elusive and model parameters are often calculated a posteriori by an optimization procedure. Here, we investigate the use of geophysical tools (direct-current resistivity, nuclear magnetic resonance, and complex conductivity) to estimate these model parameters directly. We use two different samples of the zeolite clinoptilolite, a material shown to demonstrate solute mass transfer due to a significant internal porosity, and provide the first evidence that direct-current electrical methods can track solute movement into and out of a less-mobile pore space in controlled laboratory experiments. We quantify the effects of assuming single-rate DDMT for multirate mass transfer systems. We analyze pore structures using material characterization methods (mercury porosimetry, scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray computer tomography), and compare these observations to geophysical measurements. Nuclear magnetic resonance in conjunction with direct-current resistivity measurements can constrain mobile and less-mobile porosities, but complex conductivity may have little value in relation to mass transfer despite the hypothesis that mass transfer and complex conductivity lengths scales are related. Finally, we conduct a geoelectrical monitored tracer test at the Macrodispersion Experiment (MADE) site in Columbus, MS. We relate hydraulic and electrical conductivity measurements to generate a 3D hydraulic conductivity field, and compare to hydraulic conductivity fields estimated through ordinary kriging and sequential Gaussian simulation. Time-lapse electrical measurements are used to verify or dismiss aspects of breakthrough curves for different hydraulic conductivity fields. Our results quantify the potential for geophysical measurements to infer on single-rate DDMT parameters, show site-specific relations between hydraulic and electrical conductivity, and track solute exchange into and out of less-mobile domains.

Scaled laboratory experiments explain the kink behaviour of the Crab Nebula jet

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

Li, C. K.; Tzeferacos, P.; Lamb, D.

X-ray images from the Chandra X-ray Observatory show that the South-East jet in the Crab nebula changes direction every few years. This remarkable phenomenon is also observed in jets associated with pulsar wind nebulae and other astrophysical objects, and therefore is a fundamental feature of astrophysical jet evolution that needs to be understood. Theoretical modeling and numerical simulations have suggested that this phenomenon may be a consequence of magnetic fields (B) and current-driven magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) instabilities taking place in the jet, but until now there has been no verification of this process in a controlled laboratory environment. Here we reportmore » the first such experiments, using scaled laboratory plasma jets generated by high-power lasers to model the Crab jet and monoenergetic-proton radiography to provide direct visualization and measurement of magnetic fields and their behavior. The toroidal magnetic field embedded in the supersonic jet triggered plasma instabilities and resulted in considerable deflections throughout the jet propagation, mimicking the kinks in the Crab jet. We also demonstrated that these kinks are stabilized by high jet velocity, consistent with the observation that instabilities alter the jet orientation but do not disrupt the overall jet structure. We successfully modeled these laboratory experiments with a validated three-dimensional (3D) numerical simulation, which in conjunction with the experiments provide compelling evidence that we have an accurate model of the most important physics of magnetic fields and MHD instabilities in the observed, kinked jet in the Crab nebula. The experiments initiate a novel approach in the laboratory for visualizing fields and instabilities associated with jets observed in various astrophysical objects, ranging from stellar to extragalactic systems. We expect that future work along this line will have important impact on the study and understanding of such fundamental astrophysical phenomena.« less

Scaled laboratory experiments explain the kink behaviour of the Crab Nebula jet

DOE PAGES

Li, C. K.; Tzeferacos, P.; Lamb, D.; ...

2016-10-07

X-ray images from the Chandra X-ray Observatory show that the South-East jet in the Crab nebula changes direction every few years. This remarkable phenomenon is also observed in jets associated with pulsar wind nebulae and other astrophysical objects, and therefore is a fundamental feature of astrophysical jet evolution that needs to be understood. Theoretical modeling and numerical simulations have suggested that this phenomenon may be a consequence of magnetic fields (B) and current-driven magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) instabilities taking place in the jet, but until now there has been no verification of this process in a controlled laboratory environment. Here we reportmore » the first such experiments, using scaled laboratory plasma jets generated by high-power lasers to model the Crab jet and monoenergetic-proton radiography to provide direct visualization and measurement of magnetic fields and their behavior. The toroidal magnetic field embedded in the supersonic jet triggered plasma instabilities and resulted in considerable deflections throughout the jet propagation, mimicking the kinks in the Crab jet. We also demonstrated that these kinks are stabilized by high jet velocity, consistent with the observation that instabilities alter the jet orientation but do not disrupt the overall jet structure. We successfully modeled these laboratory experiments with a validated three-dimensional (3D) numerical simulation, which in conjunction with the experiments provide compelling evidence that we have an accurate model of the most important physics of magnetic fields and MHD instabilities in the observed, kinked jet in the Crab nebula. The experiments initiate a novel approach in the laboratory for visualizing fields and instabilities associated with jets observed in various astrophysical objects, ranging from stellar to extragalactic systems. We expect that future work along this line will have important impact on the study and understanding of such fundamental astrophysical phenomena.« less

The PPPL - Trenton Partnership: Past, Present, Future

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Post-Zwicker, Andrew; Ritter, Christine; Morgan, James; Dejesus, Chris; Guilbert, Nick

2004-11-01

PPPL has an ongoing partnership with the Trenton, NJ public schools that leverages the unique resources of the laboratory in order to improve science education. The district is designated as an Abbott school district, one of 30 in NJ that are urban and poorer than the average. During the past year, PPPL has focused its efforts at the middle school level. A new science laboratory with an emphasis on energy and environmental studies is under construction and will open in 2005. PPPL is acting as a consultant on the design and will then provide scientific training for teachers. A middle school laboratory is a fertile starting ground for systemic change since it has the potential to affect a very susceptible student population. Simultaneously, to address current students' attitudes and encourage them, PPPL hosts the newly created middle school Science Bowl, a single day competition mixing quiz questions and a fuel cell powered car race. Finally, plans are underway to provide enrichment programs for students at PPPL and elsewhere during the summer. PPPL has the resources, expertise, and experience in the area of teacher professional experience, educational programming, and laboratory design to be the perfect agent to facilitate this effort.

The pedagogical value of Disassemble/Analyze/Assemble (DAA) activities: Assessing the potential for motivation and transfer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dalrymple, Odesma Onika

Undergraduate engineering institutions are currently seeking to improve recruiting practices and to retain engineering majors particularly by addressing what many studies document as a major challenge of poor instruction. There is an undisputed need for instructional practices that motivate students in addition to facilitating the transfer of learning beyond the classroom. Reverse engineering and product dissection, more broadly termed Disassemble/Analyze/Assemble (DAA) activities, have shown potential to address these concerns, based on the reviews of students and professors alike. DAA activities involve the systematic deconstruction of an artifact, the subsequent analysis and possible reconstruction of its components for the purpose of understanding the embodied fundamental concepts, design principles and developmental processes. These activities have been part of regular industry practice for some time; however, the systematic analysis of their benefits for learning and instruction is a relatively recent phenomenon. A number of studies have provided highly descriptive accounts of curricula and possible outcomes of DAA activities; but, relatively few have compared participants doing DAA activities to a control group doing more traditional activities. In this respect, two quasi-experiments were conducted as part of a first-year engineering laboratory, and it was hypothesized that students who engaged in the DAA activity would be more motivated and would demonstrate higher frequencies of transfer than the control. A DAA activity that required students to disassemble a single-use camera and analyze its components to discover how it works was compared to a step-by-step laboratory activity in the first experiment and a lecture method of instruction in the second experiment. In both experiments, over forty percent of the students that engaged in the DAA activity demonstrated the ability to transfer the knowledge gained about the functions of the camera's components and their interconnectedness and describe an approach for modifying the camera that involved the adaptation of a current mechanism to add new functionality. This exhibition of transfer was significantly greater than the frequency of transfer yielded by the comparative traditional activities. In addition, the post laboratory surveys indicated that the DAA activities elicited significantly higher levels of motivation than the step-by-step laboratory and the direct instructional method.

Acceptance testing of the prototype electrometer for the SAMPIE flight experiment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hillard, G. Barry

1992-01-01

The Solar Array Module Plasma Interaction Experiment (SAMPIE) has two key instruments at the heart of its data acquisition capability. One of these, the electrometer, is designed to measure both ion and electron current from most of the samples included in the experiment. The accuracy requirement, specified by the project's Principal Investigator, is for agreement within 10 percent with a calibrated laboratory instrument. Plasma chamber testing was performed to assess the capabilities of the prototype design. Agreement was determined to be within 2 percent for electron collection and within 3 percent for ion collection.

Educating Laboratory Science Learners at a Distance Using Interactive Television

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reddy, Christopher

2014-01-01

Laboratory science classes offered to students learning at a distance require a methodology that allows for the completion of tactile activities. Literature describes three different methods of solving the distance laboratory dilemma: kit-based laboratory experience, computer-based laboratory experience, and campus-based laboratory experience,…

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

Heise, J.

The former Homestake gold mine in Lead, South Dakota, has been transformed into a dedicated facility to pursue underground research in rare-process physics, as well as offering research opportunities in other disciplines such as biology, geology and engineering. A key component of the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF) is the Davis Campus, which is in operation at the 4850-foot level (4300 m.w.e.) and currently hosts two main physics projects: the LUX dark matter experiment and the MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR neutrinoless double-beta decay experiment. In addition, two low-background counters currently operate at the Davis Campus in support of current and future experiments. Expansionmore » of the underground laboratory space is underway at the 4850L Ross Campus in order to maintain and enhance low-background assay capabilities as well as to host a unique nuclear astrophysics accelerator facility. Plans to accommodate other future experiments at SURF are also underway and include the next generation of direct-search dark matter experiments and the Fermilab-led international long-baseline neutrino program. Planning to understand the infrastructure developments necessary to accommodate these future projects is well advanced and in some cases have already started. SURF is a dedicated research facility with significant expansion capability.« less

(The effects at ozone on CO sub 2 assimilation by bean plants)

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

Norby, R.J.

The traveler participated in ongoing laboratory experiments on the effects of ozone on Co{sub 2} assimilation by bean plants, providing advice on experimental procedures, assistance with data analysis, and access to current literature. He presented a seminar in which the importance of research on elevated CO{sub 2} and global climate change was emphasized because these are areas of major emphasis at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in which international collaboration would be especially beneficial. The most promising area for future collaboration was identified as the integration of experimental research with a tree growth model developed at Tartu University.

Recent Developments at the Accelerator Laboratory in Jyvaeskylae

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

Trzaska, Wladyslaw Henryk

Recent developments at the Accelerator Laboratory in Jyvaeskylae are described. In addition to the existing K = 130 a new cyclotron has been added. It is capable of producing of high current proton and deuteron beams at 30 and 15 MeV correspondingly. It should be fully operational in 2010. A new development in Jyvaeskylae is the growing commitment to astroparticle physics. Jyvaeskylae took the main scientific responsibility for a new cosmic-ray experiment EMMA and has joined the LAGUNA project working on the design of the next generation of very large volume detectors for underground observatories.

America's Lab Report: Investigations in High School Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Singer, Susan R., Ed.; Hilton, Margaret L., Ed.; Schweingruber, Heidi A., Ed.

2005-01-01

Laboratory experiences as a part of most U.S. high school science curricula have been taken for granted for decades, but they have rarely been carefully examined. What do they contribute to science learning? What can they contribute to science learning? What is the current status of labs in our nation s high schools as a context for learning…

Catalog of Wargaming and Military Simulation Models

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-09-01

and newly developed software models. This system currently (and will in the near term) supports battle force architecture design and evaluation...aborted air refuelings, or replacement aircraft. PLANNED IMPROVEMENTS AND MODIFICATIONS: Completion of model. INPUT: Input fields are required to...vehicle mobility evaluation model). PROPONENT: Mobility Systems Division, Geotechnical Laboratory, U.S. Army Engineer Waterways Experiment Station

qHNMR Analysis of Purity of Common Organic Solvents--An Undergraduate Quantitative Analysis Laboratory Experiment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bell, Peter T.; Whaley, W. Lance; Tochterman, Alyssa D.; Mueller, Karl S.; Schultz, Linda D.

2017-01-01

NMR spectroscopy is currently a premier technique for structural elucidation of organic molecules. Quantitative NMR (qNMR) methodology has developed more slowly but is now widely accepted, especially in the areas of natural product and medicinal chemistry. However, many undergraduate students are not routinely exposed to this important concept.…

Integrating Grant-Funded Research into the Undergraduate Biology Curriculum Using IMG-ACT

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ditty, Jayna L.; Williams, Kayla M.; Keller, Megan M.; Chen, Grischa Y.; Liu, Xianxian; Parales, Rebecca E.

2013-01-01

It has become clear in current scientific pedagogy that the emersion of students in the scientific process in terms of designing, implementing, and analyzing experiments is imperative for their education; as such, it has been our goal to model this active learning process in the classroom and laboratory in the context of a genuine scientific…

Teaching Sustainable Development Concepts in the Laboratory: A Solid-Liquid Extraction Experiment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parajo, Juan Carlos; Dominguez, Herminia; Santos, Valentin; Alonso, Jose Luis; Garrote, Gil

2008-01-01

One of the principles of sustainable development is to replace chemicals traditionally derived from oil with alternative, renewable materials. For example, phenol and phenol derivatives currently used in the manufacture of wood adhesives can be replaced (at least in part) by biopolymers extracted from biomass. In this work, pine bark (a renewable…

Millie Hughes-Fulford, Scientist and Prior Astronaut

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-03-13

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Researcher and former NASA payload specialist Millie Hughes-Fulford, of the Hughes-Fulford Laboratory, San Francisco, Calif., discusses her laboratory's T-cell experiment and the impact the research may have on aging adults and their immune systems with an interviewer in the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The immunology experiment will launch on SpaceX-3 and focus on the effects of microgravity on early T-cell signaling pathways. Current work aims to identify and compare the gene expression of microRNAs miRNAs during T-cell activation under normal gravity and in microgravity, and compare those patterns to changes seen in aging populations. The experiment will be the first flown on SpaceX funded by the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Hughes-Fulford flew aboard space shuttle mission STS-40 in June 1991, the first Spacelab mission dedicated to biomedical studies. For more information on the T-cell experiment, visit http://hughesfulfordlab.com and http://www.nasa.gov/ames/research/space-biosciences/t-cell-activation-in-aging-spacex-3/. Photo credit: NASA/Cory Huston

Laboratory animal science in China: current status and potential for adoption of Three R alternatives.

PubMed

Kong, Qi; Qin, Chuan

2010-03-01

This paper aims to describe the development of laboratory animal science in China on the basis of historical evidence and recent national survey data, and to identify the problems facing the adoption of Three R alternatives. The authors undertook a national survey in 2006, by means of a questionnaire sent to 31 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions, and also compared data from a variety of sources, including several national surveys and published papers. Laboratory animal science in China has developed rapidly over the past 30 years, as a result of a combination of economic, governmental and societal forces. More than 100,000 people work in the field of laboratory animal science, in 2,000 laboratory animal centres, institutes, universities, organisations, and companies. During the year of our survey, more than 19 million laboratory animals were produced from 320 licensed production facilities. Approximately 16 million laboratory animals were used in animal experiments, in 1530 facilities licensed for their use. The scale of the market for the supply and use of laboratory animals is huge, and thus it is very important to improve the level of adoption of these alternatives, in education, research and testing. For China, this presents a significant economic and technological opportunity in the field of biosciences research. The concept of the Three Rs first appeared in China in the 1980s, when the scale of laboratory animal sciences was starting to increase. In the 1990s, the Three Rs concept became commonly accepted among laboratory animal scientists, and began to appear in government documents. In the first decade of the 21st century, the Three Rs principles have become increasingly applied in our day-to-day work. But further time is still needed to achieve the full application of the Three Rs principles, especially the adoption of Three R alternatives. This paper describes the achievements in China relating to laboratory animal science, the use of Three R alternatives, and animal welfare, and shows that there is currently great potential for the adoption of alternatives. The information will help scientists and organisations around the world to gain better insight into the current state of laboratory animal science in China, and hopefully, will enable them to give advice on how we can improve the adoption of Three R alternatives in our country. 2010 FRAME.

Considering whether Medicaid is worth the cost: revisiting the Oregon Health Study.

PubMed

Muennig, Peter A; Quan, Ryan; Chiuzan, Codruta; Glied, Sherry

2015-05-01

The Oregon Health Study was a groundbreaking experiment in which uninsured participants were randomized to either apply for Medicaid or stay with their current care. The study showed that Medicaid produced numerous important socioeconomic and health benefits but had no statistically significant impact on hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, or diabetes. Medicaid opponents interpreted the findings to mean that Medicaid is not a worthwhile investment. Medicaid proponents viewed the experiment as statistically underpowered and, irrespective of the laboratory values, suggestive that Medicaid is a good investment. We tested these competing claims and, using a sensitive joint test and statistical power analysis, confirmed that the Oregon Health Study did not improve laboratory values. However, we also found that Medicaid is a good value, with a cost of just $62 000 per quality-adjusted life-years gained.

Defect Induced Mix Experiments (DIME) for NIF

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schmitt, Mark; Bradley, Paul; Cobble, James; Hsu, Scott; Krasheninnikova, Natalia; Magelssen, Glenn; Murphy, Thomas; Obrey, Kimberly; Tregillis, Ian; Wysocki, Frederick

2011-10-01

Los Alamos National Laboratory will be performing FY12 NIF experiments using polar direct drive to measure the effects of high mode number defects on ICF implosion hydrodynamics and yield. The effect of equatorial groove features will be assessed using both x-ray backlighting and spectrally resolved imaging of higher-Z dopant layers in 2.2 mm diameter (30 microns thick) CH capsules using a multiple monochromatic imager (MMI). By placing thin, 2 micron thick, layers containing ~1.5% of either Ge or Se at different depths in the capsule, we will be able to characterize the mixing and heating of these layers in both perturbed and unperturbed regions of the capsule. Precursor experiments have been performed on Omega to validate these measurement methods using Ti and V layers. An overview of our current results from Omega and design efforts for NIF will be presented. Work performed by Los Alamos National Laboratory under contract DE-AC52-06NA25396 for the National Nuclear Security Administration of the U.S. Department of Energy.

Memory Transmission in Small Groups and Large Networks: An Agent-Based Model.

PubMed

Luhmann, Christian C; Rajaram, Suparna

2015-12-01

The spread of social influence in large social networks has long been an interest of social scientists. In the domain of memory, collaborative memory experiments have illuminated cognitive mechanisms that allow information to be transmitted between interacting individuals, but these experiments have focused on small-scale social contexts. In the current study, we took a computational approach, circumventing the practical constraints of laboratory paradigms and providing novel results at scales unreachable by laboratory methodologies. Our model embodied theoretical knowledge derived from small-group experiments and replicated foundational results regarding collaborative inhibition and memory convergence in small groups. Ultimately, we investigated large-scale, realistic social networks and found that agents are influenced by the agents with which they interact, but we also found that agents are influenced by nonneighbors (i.e., the neighbors of their neighbors). The similarity between these results and the reports of behavioral transmission in large networks offers a major theoretical insight by linking behavioral transmission to the spread of information. © The Author(s) 2015.

Accessing the Asymmetric Collisionless Reconnection Regime in the Terrestrial Reconnection Experiment (TREX)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Greess, S.; Egedal, J.; Olson, J.; Millet-Ayala, A.; Myers, R.; Wallace, J.; Clark, M.; Forest, C.

2017-12-01

Kinetic effects are expected to dominate the collisionless reconnection regime, where the mean free path is large enough that the anisotropic electron pressure can develop without being damped away by collisional pitch angle scattering. In simulations, the anisotropic pressure drives the formation of outflow jets [1]. These jets are expected to play a role in the reconnection layer at the Earth's magnetopause, which is currently being explored by Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission (MMS) [2]. Until recently, this regime of anisotropic pressure was inaccessible by laboratory experiments, but new data from the Terrestrial Reconnection Experiment (TREX) shows that fully collisionless reconnection can now be achieved in the laboratory. Future runs at TREX will delve deeper into this collisionless regime in both the antiparallel and guide-field cases. [1] Le, A. et al. JPP, 81(1). doi: 10.1017/S0022377814000907. [2] Burch, J. L. et al. Space Sci. Rev. 199,5. doi: 10.1007/s11214-015-0164-9 Supported in part by NSF/DOE award DE-SC0013032.

Radiation characteristics of Al wire arrays on Z*

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coverdale, C. A.; Ampleford, D. J.; Jones, B.; Cuneo, M. E.; Hansen, S.; Jennings, C. A.; Moore, N.; Jones, S. C.; Deeney, C.

2011-10-01

Analysis of mixed material nested wire array experiments at Z have shown that the inner wire array dominates the hottest regions of the stagnated z pinch. In those experiments, substantial free-bound continuum radiation was observed when Al was fielded on the inner wire array. Experiments with Al (5% Mg) on both wire arrays have also been fielded, with variations in the free-bound continuum observed. These variations appear to be tied to the initial mass and diameter of the wire array. The results presented here will investigate the trends in the measured emission (Al and Mg K-shell and free-bound continuum) and will compare the measured output to more recent Al wire array experimental results on the refurbished Z accelerator. *Sandia National Laboratories is a multi-program laboratory managed and operated by Sandia Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lockheed Martin Corporation, for the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-AC04-94AL85000. +current address: NNSA/DOE Headquarters, Washington D.C.

Flow-induced vibration analysis of a helical coil steam generator experiment using large eddy simulation

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

Yuan, Haomin; Solberg, Jerome; Merzari, Elia

This paper describes a numerical study of flow-induced vibration in a helical coil steam generator experiment conducted at Argonne National Laboratory in the 1980s. In the experiment, a half-scale sector model of a steam generator helical coil tube bank was subjected to still and flowing air and water, and the vibrational characteristics were recorded. The research detailed in this document utilizes the multi-physics simulation toolkit SHARP developed at Argonne National Laboratory, in cooperation with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, to simulate the experiment. SHARP uses the spectral element code Nek5000 for fluid dynamics analysis and the finite element code DIABLO formore » structural analysis. The flow around the coil tubes is modeled in Nek5000 by using a large eddy simulation turbulence model. Transient pressure data on the tube surfaces is sampled and transferred to DIABLO for the structural simulation. The structural response is simulated in DIABLO via an implicit time-marching algorithm and a combination of continuum elements and structural shells. Tube vibration data (acceleration and frequency) are sampled and compared with the experimental data. Currently, only one-way coupling is used, which means that pressure loads from the fluid simulation are transferred to the structural simulation but the resulting structural displacements are not fed back to the fluid simulation« less

Flow-induced vibration analysis of a helical coil steam generator experiment using large eddy simulation

DOE PAGES

Yuan, Haomin; Solberg, Jerome; Merzari, Elia; ...

2017-08-01

This study describes a numerical study of flow-induced vibration in a helical coil steam generator experiment conducted at Argonne National Laboratory in the 1980 s. In the experiment, a half-scale sector model of a steam generator helical coil tube bank was subjected to still and flowing air and water, and the vibrational characteristics were recorded. The research detailed in this document utilizes the multi-physics simulation toolkit SHARP developed at Argonne National Laboratory, in cooperation with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, to simulate the experiment. SHARP uses the spectral element code Nek5000 for fluid dynamics analysis and the finite element code DIABLOmore » for structural analysis. The flow around the coil tubes is modeled in Nek5000 by using a large eddy simulation turbulence model. Transient pressure data on the tube surfaces is sampled and transferred to DIABLO for the structural simulation. The structural response is simulated in DIABLO via an implicit time-marching algorithm and a combination of continuum elements and structural shells. Tube vibration data (acceleration and frequency) are sampled and compared with the experimental data. Currently, only one-way coupling is used, which means that pressure loads from the fluid simulation are transferred to the structural simulation but the resulting structural displacements are not fed back to the fluid simulation.« less

Flow-induced vibration analysis of a helical coil steam generator experiment using large eddy simulation

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

Yuan, Haomin; Solberg, Jerome; Merzari, Elia

This study describes a numerical study of flow-induced vibration in a helical coil steam generator experiment conducted at Argonne National Laboratory in the 1980 s. In the experiment, a half-scale sector model of a steam generator helical coil tube bank was subjected to still and flowing air and water, and the vibrational characteristics were recorded. The research detailed in this document utilizes the multi-physics simulation toolkit SHARP developed at Argonne National Laboratory, in cooperation with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, to simulate the experiment. SHARP uses the spectral element code Nek5000 for fluid dynamics analysis and the finite element code DIABLOmore » for structural analysis. The flow around the coil tubes is modeled in Nek5000 by using a large eddy simulation turbulence model. Transient pressure data on the tube surfaces is sampled and transferred to DIABLO for the structural simulation. The structural response is simulated in DIABLO via an implicit time-marching algorithm and a combination of continuum elements and structural shells. Tube vibration data (acceleration and frequency) are sampled and compared with the experimental data. Currently, only one-way coupling is used, which means that pressure loads from the fluid simulation are transferred to the structural simulation but the resulting structural displacements are not fed back to the fluid simulation.« less

Two LANL laboratory astrophysics experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Intrator, Thomas; Weber, Thomas; Feng, Yan; Hutchinson, Trevor; Dunn, John; Akcay, Cihan

2014-06-01

Two laboratory experiments are described that have been built at Los Alamos (LANL) to gain access to a wide range of fundamental plasma physics issues germane to astro, space, and fusion plasmas. The over arching theme is magnetized plasma dynamics which includes significant currents, MHD forces and instabilities, magnetic field creation and annihilation, sheared flows and shocks. The Relaxation Scaling Experiment (RSX) creates current sheets and flux ropes that exhibit fully 3D dynamics, and can kink, bounce, merge and reconnect, shred, and reform in complicated ways. Recent movies from a large data set describe the 3D magnetic structure of a driven and dissipative single flux rope that spontaneously self saturates a kink instability. Examples of a coherent shear flow dynamo driven by colliding flux ropes will also be shown.The Magnetized Shock Experiment (MSX) uses Field reversed configuration (FRC) experimental hardware that forms and ejects FRCs at 150km/sec. This is sufficient to drive a collision less magnetized shock when stagnated into a mirror stopping field region with Alfven Mach number MA=3 so that super critical shocks can be studied. We are building a plasmoid accelerator to drive Mach numbers MA >> 3 to access solar wind and more exotic astrophysical regimes. Unique features of this experiment include access to parallel, oblique and perpendicular shocks, shock region much larger than ion gyro radii and ion inertial length, room for turbulence, and large magnetic and fluid Reynolds numbers.*DOE Office of Fusion Energy Sciences under LANS contract DE-AC52-06NA25396, NASA Geospace NNHIOA044I, Basic, Center for Magnetic Self Organization

EDITORIAL: Interrelationship between plasma phenomena in the laboratory and in space

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koepke, Mark

2008-07-01

The premise of investigating basic plasma phenomena relevant to space is that an alliance exists between both basic plasma physicists, using theory, computer modelling and laboratory experiments, and space science experimenters, using different instruments, either flown on different spacecraft in various orbits or stationed on the ground. The intent of this special issue on interrelated phenomena in laboratory and space plasmas is to promote the interpretation of scientific results in a broader context by sharing data, methods, knowledge, perspectives, and reasoning within this alliance. The desired outcomes are practical theories, predictive models, and credible interpretations based on the findings and expertise available. Laboratory-experiment papers that explicitly address a specific space mission or a specific manifestation of a space-plasma phenomenon, space-observation papers that explicitly address a specific laboratory experiment or a specific laboratory result, and theory or modelling papers that explicitly address a connection between both laboratory and space investigations were encouraged. Attention was given to the utility of the references for readers who seek further background, examples, and details. With the advent of instrumented spacecraft, the observation of waves (fluctuations), wind (flows), and weather (dynamics) in space plasmas was approached within the framework provided by theory with intuition provided by the laboratory experiments. Ideas on parallel electric field, magnetic topology, inhomogeneity, and anisotropy have been refined substantially by laboratory experiments. Satellite and rocket observations, theory and simulations, and laboratory experiments have contributed to the revelation of a complex set of processes affecting the accelerations of electrons and ions in the geospace plasma. The processes range from meso-scale of several thousands of kilometers to micro-scale of a few meters to kilometers. Papers included in this special issue serve to synthesise our current understanding of processes related to the coupling and feedback at disparate scales. Categories of topics included here are (1) ionospheric physics and (2) Alfvén-wave physics, both of which are related to the particle acceleration responsible for auroral displays, (3) whistler-mode triggering mechanism, which is relevant to radiation-belt dynamics, (4) plasmoid encountering a barrier, which has applications throughout the realm of space and astrophysical plasmas, and (5) laboratory investigations of the entire magnetosphere or the plasma surrounding the magnetosphere. The papers are ordered from processes that take place nearest the Earth to processes that take place at increasing distances from Earth. Many advances in understanding space plasma phenomena have been linked to insight derived from theoretical modeling and/or laboratory experiments. Observations from space-borne instruments are typically interpreted using theoretical models developed to predict the properties and dynamics of space and astrophysical plasmas. The usefulness of customized laboratory experiments for providing confirmation of theory by identifying, isolating, and studying physical phenomena efficiently, quickly, and economically has been demonstrated in the past. The benefits of laboratory experiments to investigating space-plasma physics are their reproducibility, controllability, diagnosability, reconfigurability, and affordability compared to a satellite mission or rocket campaign. Certainly, the plasma being investigated in a laboratory device is quite different from that being measured by a spaceborne instrument; nevertheless, laboratory experiments discover unexpected phenomena, benchmark theoretical models, develop physical insight, establish observational signatures, and pioneer diagnostic techniques. Explicit reference to such beneficial laboratory contributions is occasionally left out of the citations in the space-physics literature in favor of theory-paper counterparts and, thus, the scientific support that laboratory results can provide to the development of space-relevant theoretical models is often under-recognized. It is unrealistic to expect the dimensional parameters corresponding to space plasma to be matchable in the laboratory. However, a laboratory experiment is considered well designed if the subset of parameters relevant to a specific process shares the same phenomenological regime as the subset of analogous space parameters, even if less important parameters are mismatched. Regime boundaries are assigned by normalizing a dimensional parameter to an appropriate reference or scale value to make it dimensionless and noting the values at which transitions occur in the physical behavior or approximations. An example of matching regimes for cold-plasma waves is finding a 45° diagonal line on the log--log CMA diagram along which lie both a laboratory-observed wave and a space-observed wave. In such a circumstance, a space plasma and a lab plasma will support the same kind of modes if the dimensionless parameters are scaled properly (Bellan 2006 Fundamentals of Plasma Physics (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press) p 227). The plasma source, configuration geometry, and boundary conditions associated with a specific laboratory experiment are characteristic elements that affect the plasma and plasma processes that are being investigated. Space plasma is not exempt from an analogous set of constraining factors that likewise influence the phenomena that occur. Typically, each morphologically distinct region of space has associated with it plasma that is unique by virtue of the various mechanisms responsible for the plasma's presence there, as if the plasma were produced by a unique source. Boundary effects that typically constrain the possible parameter values to lie within one or more restricted ranges are inescapable in laboratory plasma. The goal of a laboratory experiment is to examine the relevant physics within these ranges and extrapolate the results to space conditions that may or may not be subject to any restrictions on the values of the plasma parameters. The interrelationship between laboratory and space plasma experiments has been cultivated at a low level and the potential scientific benefit in this area has yet to be realized. The few but excellent examples of joint papers, joint experiments, and directly relevant cross-disciplinary citations are a direct result of the emphasis placed on this interrelationship two decades ago. Building on this special issue Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion plans to create a dedicated webpage to highlight papers directly relevant to this field published either in the recent past or in the future. It is hoped that this resource will appeal to the readership in the laboratory-experiment and space-plasma communities and improve the cross-fertilization between them.

[Activities of Colorado University

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Snow, Theodore P.; Bierbaum, Veronica

2003-01-01

During the report period we completed several studies and embarked on a new set of laboratory experiments. We also hired a new post-doctoral Research Associate, Momir Stepanovic, who has gradually assumed leadership in the laboratory work. The other person involved has been graduate student Brian Eichelberger, who will complete his Ph.D. based on this work by late spring of this year. We have also continued to collaborate with our previous postdoctoral Research Associate, Valery Le Page, through a consulting arrangement. In the following sections we summarize work that has been completed and either in print, in press, or in final stages of preparation for publication; current work being carried out in the laboratory; and plans for the coming year. Work completed in 2002: 1. Modeling the physical and chemical states of PAHs in the diffuse interstellar medium. 2. Hydrogenation and charge states of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in diffuse clouds. 3. Laboratory studies of chemical reactions involving carbon chain anions.

Neutron Activation Foil and Thermoluminescent Dosimeter Responses to a Polyethylene Reflected Pulse of the CEA Valduc SILENE Critical Assembly

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

Miller, Thomas Martin; Celik, Cihangir; McMahan, Kimberly L.

This benchmark experiment was conducted as a joint venture between the US Department of Energy (DOE) and the French Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique (CEA). Staff at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in the US and the Centre de Valduc in France planned this experiment. The experiment was conducted on October 19, 2010 in the SILENE critical assembly facility at Valduc. Several other organizations contributed to this experiment and the subsequent evaluation, including CEA Saclay, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), the Y-12 National Security Complex (NSC), Babcock International Group in the United Kingdom, and Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). Themore » goal of this experiment was to measure neutron activation and thermoluminescent dosimeter (TLD) doses from a source similar to a fissile solution critical excursion. The resulting benchmark can be used for validation of computer codes and nuclear data libraries as required when performing analysis of criticality accident alarm systems (CAASs). A secondary goal of this experiment was to qualitatively test performance of two CAAS detectors similar to those currently and formerly in use in some US DOE facilities. The detectors tested were the CIDAS MkX and the Rocky Flats NCD-91. The CIDAS detects gammas with a Geiger-Muller tube and the Rocky Flats detects neutrons via charged particles produced in a thin 6LiF disc depositing energy in a Si solid state detector. These detectors were being evaluated to determine whether they would alarm, so they were not expected to generate benchmark quality data.« less

Neutron Activation Foil and Thermoluminescent Dosimeter Responses to a Lead Reflected Pulse of the CEA Valduc SILENE Critical Assembly

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

Miller, Thomas Martin; Celik, Cihangir; Isbell, Kimberly McMahan

This benchmark experiment was conducted as a joint venture between the US Department of Energy (DOE) and the French Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique (CEA). Staff at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in the US and the Centre de Valduc in France planned this experiment. The experiment was conducted on October 13, 2010 in the SILENE critical assembly facility at Valduc. Several other organizations contributed to this experiment and the subsequent evaluation, including CEA Saclay, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), the Y-12 National Security Complex (NSC), Babcock International Group in the United Kingdom, and Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). Themore » goal of this experiment was to measure neutron activation and thermoluminescent dosimeter (TLD) doses from a source similar to a fissile solution critical excursion. The resulting benchmark can be used for validation of computer codes and nuclear data libraries as required when performing analysis of criticality accident alarm systems (CAASs). A secondary goal of this experiment was to qualitatively test performance of two CAAS detectors similar to those currently and formerly in use in some US DOE facilities. The detectors tested were the CIDAS MkX and the Rocky Flats NCD-91. The CIDAS detects gammas with a Geiger-Muller tube, and the Rocky Flats detects neutrons via charged particles produced in a thin 6LiF disc, depositing energy in a Si solid-state detector. These detectors were being evaluated to determine whether they would alarm, so they were not expected to generate benchmark quality data.« less

[Current problems arising from not having biosafety level 4 laboratories in Japan--qualitative study of infectious disease experts].

PubMed

Yamamoto, Yuko; Horiguchi, Itsuko; Marui, Eiji

2009-09-01

No public consensus exists yet on handling Biosafety Level 4 agents and no laboratory is operational at BSL4 in Japan. A discussion that includes neighboring residents and experts should be initiated to communicate risks. In this article, we present the current situation and prioritize problems we presently face. A three-stage Delphi survey was conducted. The subjects were twenty-two persons with extensive experience and knowledge of infectious diseases. Seven projections and issues were made with regard to the problems arising from the lack of an operational BSL4 laboratory. These were tabulated by the KJ method. The top seven projections were scored, such that the top received 7 points and the last received 1 point. A total of 51 projections were obtained for the first part of the survey, 39 for the second, and 29 for the last. The projection with the highest score was that it is impossible to cope with newly emerging infectious diseases. The second was that complete diagnoses are impossible without a BSL4 laboratory. All projections and issues were divided into the following four main groups: issues for researchers and laboratory staff, clinical practice and research on BSL4 agents, domestic and global security, and Japan's international position. We clarified possible problem arising from not having BSL4 laboratories in Japan. The identification of projections by the Delphi survey in this study should be considered as one of many attempts to develop effective risk communication strategies.

Short-term, informal, and low-stakes scientific laboratory and field experiences improve STEM student retention and academic success

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hintz, C.; Pride, C. J.; Cox, T.

2017-12-01

Formal internship experiences strongly improve student success in the STEM fields. Classical programs like NSF's Research Experiences for Undergraduates are highly successful for traditional and non-traditional students. Moreover when early undergraduate and at-risk (e.g., low income, academically-challenged) students engage in these experiences, their career paths are re-enforced or changed, academic progress and retention improves, and they are encouraged to continue into graduate school. Students build connections to their course-based learning and experience the life of a working scientist. However, NSF formal experiences are relatively expensive to provide (>5000 per student per experience) and are available to fewer than 5% of geoscience majors each year. Although other funded formal internship opportunities exist, they are likely available to no more than 10% of total enrolled geoscience students. These high-quality programs cannot impact enough early undergraduate students to encourage their remaining in science and improve the current overall retention and graduation rates in the US. Savannah State University faculty successfully completed multiple grants funding low-stakes undergraduate field-science experiences. These short-term (semester to year), part-time (5-10h/week) experiences provide similar classroom-to-real-world science connections, offer students direct laboratory and field experiences, build skill sets, and provide a small source of revenue assisting financially-challenged students to stay on campus rather than seeking off-campus employment. For a much lower investment in time and grant resources (500-1500 per student per experience), participant graduation rates exceeded 80%, well above the university 27-34% graduation rate during the same time period. Relatively small infusions of research dollars targeting undergraduate experiences in the field and laboratory could significantly impact long-term student outcomes in STEM disciplines. These findings supported by NSF OCE-1460457, OCE-1156525, GEO-0914680; ONR N00014-12-1-0969.

Towards the development of laboratory methods for studying drinking games: Initial findings, methodological considerations, and future directions

PubMed Central

Silvestri, Mark M.; Lewis, Jennifer M.; Borsari, Brian; Correia, Christopher J.

2014-01-01

Background Drinking games are prevalent among college students and are associated with increased alcohol use and negative alcohol-related consequences. There has been substantial growth in research on drinking games. However, the majority of published studies rely on retrospective self-reports of behavior and very few studies have made use of laboratory procedures to systematically observe drinking game behavior. Objectives The current paper draws on the authors’ experiences designing and implementing methods for the study of drinking games in the laboratory. Results The paper addressed the following key design features: (a) drinking game selection; (b) beverage selection; (c) standardizing game play; (d) selection of dependent and independent variables; and (e) creating a realistic drinking game environment. Conclusions The goal of this methodological review paper is to encourage other researchers to pursue laboratory research on drinking game behavior. Use of laboratory-based methodologies will facilitate a better understanding of the dynamics of risky drinking and inform prevention and intervention efforts. PMID:25192209

Challenges in Transgender Healthcare: The Pathology Perspective

PubMed Central

Gupta, Sarika; Imborek, Katherine L.; Krasowski, Matthew D.

2016-01-01

Background: The transgender community is one of the most marginalized sections of our society. The literature is scarce regarding the pathology and laboratory medicine challenges associated with caring for transgender patients. Objective: To summarize the available gender-transitioning options and to discuss healthcare challenges, from a pathology/laboratory medicine perspective, in the care of transgender patients. Method: We reviewed the current terminology and epidemiology relevant to the transgender population in preparing our analysis. Conclusions: The main transgender healthcare challenges in pathology/laboratory medicine practice include the inflexibility of electronic medical records in documenting affirmed gender, unfamiliarity among medical and laboratory professional with the needs of and terminology related to the transgender population, lack of reference ranges for laboratory tests, unclear guidelines regarding gender classification for blood donation eligibility criteria, and paucity of experience in handling and interpreting surgical and cytologic specimens from gender-transitioning individuals. Directed efforts to overcome these shortcomings, coupled with a more welcoming posture, are essential to achieving the highest standards of care for the transgender population. PMID:27287942

Gaseous Electron Multiplier (GEM) Detectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gnanvo, Kondo

2017-09-01

Gaseous detectors have played a pivotal role as tracking devices in the field of particle physics experiments for the last fifty years. Recent advances in photolithography and micro processing techniques have enabled the transition from Multi Wire Proportional Chambers (MWPCs) and Drift Chambers to a new family of gaseous detectors refer to as Micro Pattern Gaseous Detectors (MPGDs). MPGDs combine the basic gas amplification principle with micro-structure printed circuits to provide detectors with excellent spatial and time resolution, high rate capability, low material budget and high radiation tolerance. Gas Electron Multiplier (GEMs) is a well-established MPGD technology invented by F. Sauli at CERN in 1997 and deployed various high energy physics (HEP) and nuclear NP experiment for tracking systems of current and future NP experiments. GEM detector combines an exceptional high rate capability (1 MHz / mm2) and robustness against harsh radiation environment with excellent position and timing resolution performances. Recent breakthroughs over the past decade have allowed the possibility for large area GEMs, making them cost effective and high-performance detector candidates to play pivotal role in current and future particle physics experiments. After a brief introduction of the basic principle of GEM technology, I will give a brief overview of the GEM detectors used in particle physics experiments over the past decades and especially in the NP community at Thomas Jefferson National Laboratory (JLab) and Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL). I will follow by a review of state of the art of the new GEM development for the next generation of colliders such as Electron Ion Collider (EIC) or High Luminosity LHC and future Nuclear Physics experiments. I will conclude with a presentation of the CERN-based RD51 collaboration established in 2008 and its major achievements regarding technological developments and applications of MPGDs.

Lab Experiments Probe Interactions Between Dilute Pyroclastic Density Currents and 3D Barriers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fauria, K.; Andrews, B. J.; Manga, M.

2014-12-01

We conducted scaled laboratory experiments of unconfined dilute pyroclastic density currents (PDCs) to examine interactions between three - dimensional obstacles and dilute PDCs. While it is known that PDCs can surmount barriers by converting kinetic energy into potential energy, the signature of topography on PDC dynamics is unclear. To examine the interplay between PDCs and topography, we turbulently suspended heated and ambient-temperature 20 μm talc powder in air within an 8.5 x 6.1 x 2.6 m tank. Experimental parameters (Froude number, densimetric and thermal Richardson number, particle Stokes and Settling numbers) were scaled such that the experimental currents were dynamically similar to natural PCS. The Reynolds number, however, is much smaller than in natural currents, but still large enough for the flows to be turbulent. We placed cylindrical and ridge-like objects in the path of the currents, illuminated the currents with orthogonal laser sheets, and recorded each experiment with high definition cameras. We observed currents surmounting ridge-like barriers (barrier height = current height). Slanted ridges redirected the currents upward and parallel to the upstream face of the ridges (~45° from horizontal). Down stream of the slanted ridges, ambient-temperature currents reattached to the floor. By comparison, hot currents reversed buoyancy and lifted off. These observations suggest that obstacles enhance air entrainment, a process key to affecting runout distance and the depletion of fine particles in ignimbrites. Moreover, we observed vortex shedding in the wake of cylinders. Our experiments demonstrate that barriers of various shapes affect PDC dynamics and can shorten PDC runout distances. Understanding the effects of topography on PDCs is required for interpreting many deposits because processes such as vortex shedding and topographically-induced changes in turbulent length scales and entrainment likely leave depositional signatures.

Testing Nonclassical Theories of Electromagnetism with Ion Interferometry

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

Neyenhuis, B.; Christensen, D.; Durfee, D. S.

2007-11-16

We discuss using a tabletop ion interferometer to search for deviations from Coulomb's inverse-square law. Such deviations would result from nonclassical effects such as a nonzero photon rest mass. We discuss the theory behind the proposed measurement, explain which fundamental, experimentally controllable parameters are the relevant figures of merit, and calculate the expected performance of such a device in terms of these parameters. The sensitivity to deviations in the exponent of the inverse-square law is predicted to be a few times 10{sup -22}, an improvement by 5 orders of magnitude over current experiments. It could measure a nonzero photon restmore » mass smaller than 9x10{sup -50} grams, nearly 100 times smaller than current laboratory experiments.« less

Obtaining off-Hugoniot equation of state data on solid metals at extreme pressures via pulsed-power driven cylindrical liner implosions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lemke, Raymond

2015-06-01

The focus of this talk is on magnetically driven, liner implosion experiments on the Z machine (Z) in which a solid, metal tube is shocklessly compressed to multi-megabar pressure. The goal of the experiments is to collect velocimetry data that can be used in conjunction with a new optimization based analysis technique to infer the principal isentrope of the tube material over a range of pressures. For the past decade, shock impact and ramp loading experiments on Z have used planar platforms exclusively. While producing state-of-the-art results for material science, it is difficult to produce drive pressures greater than 6 Mbar in the divergent planar geometry. In contrast, a cylindrical liner implosion is convergent; magnetic drive pressures approaching 50 Mbar are possible with the available current on Z (~ 20 MA). In our cylindrical experiments, the liner comprises an inner tube composed of the sample material (e.g., Ta) of unknown equation of state, and an outer tube composed of aluminum (Al) that serves as the current carrying cathode. Internal to the sample are fielded multiple PDV (Photonic Doppler Velocimetry) probes that measure velocity of the inner free surface of the imploding sample. External to the composite liner, at much larger radius, is an Al tube that is the return current anode. VISAR (velocity interferometry system for any reflector) probes measure free surface velocity of the exploding anode. Using the latter, MHD and optimization codes are employed to solve an inverse problem that yields the current driving the liner implosion. Then, the drive current, PDV velocity, MHD and optimization codes, are used to solve another inverse problem that yields pressure vs. density on approximately the principal isentrope of the sample material. Results for Ta, Re, and Cu compressed to ~ 10 Mbar are presented. Sandia National Laboratories is a multiprogram laboratory managed and operated by Sandia Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lockheed Martin Corporation, for the US DOE's National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-AC04-94AL85000.

A MASSive Laboratory Tour. An Interactive Mass Spectrometry Outreach Activity for Children

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jungmann, Julia H.; Mascini, Nadine E.; Kiss, Andras; Smith, Donald F.; Klinkert, Ivo; Eijkel, Gert B.; Duursma, Marc C.; Cillero Pastor, Berta; Chughtai, Kamila; Chughtai, Sanaullah; Heeren, Ron M. A.

2013-07-01

It is imperative to fascinate young children at an early stage in their education for the analytical sciences. The exposure of the public to mass spectrometry presently increases rapidly through the common media. Outreach activities can take advantage of this exposure and employ mass spectrometry as an exquisite example of an analytical science in which children can be fascinated. The presented teaching modules introduce children to mass spectrometry and give them the opportunity to experience a modern research laboratory. The modules are highly adaptable and can be applied to young children from the age of 6 to 14 y. In an interactive tour, the students explore three major scientific concepts related to mass spectrometry; the building blocks of matter, charged particle manipulation by electrostatic fields, and analyte identification by mass analysis. Also, the students carry out a mass spectrometry experiment and learn to interpret the resulting mass spectra. The multistage, inquiry-based tour contains flexible methods, which teach the students current-day research techniques and possible applications to real research topics. Besides the scientific concepts, laboratory safety and hygiene are stressed and the students are enthused for the analytical sciences by participating in "hands-on" work. The presented modules have repeatedly been successfully employed during laboratory open days. They are also found to be extremely suitable for (early) high school science classes during laboratory visit-focused field trips.

[Reduction of animal experiments in experimental drug testing].

PubMed

Behrensdorf-Nicol, H; Krämer, B

2014-10-01

In order to ensure the quality of biomedical products, an experimental test for every single manufactured batch is required for many products. Especially in vaccine testing, animal experiments are traditionally used for this purpose. For example, efficacy is often determined via challenge experiments in laboratory animals. Safety tests of vaccine batches are also mostly performed using laboratory animals. However, many animal experiments have clear inherent disadvantages (low accuracy, questionable transferability to humans, unclear significance). Furthermore, for ethical reasons and animal welfare aspects animal experiments are also seen very critical by the public. Therefore, there is a strong trend towards replacing animal experiments with methods in which no animals are used ("replacement"). If a replacement is not possible, the required animal experiments should be improved in order to minimize the number of animals necessary ("reduction") and to reduce pain and suffering caused by the experiment to a minimum ("refinement"). This "3R concept" is meanwhile firmly established in legislature. In recent years many mandatory animal experiments have been replaced by alternative in vitro methods or improved according to the 3R principles; numerous alternative methods are currently under development. Nevertheless, the process from the development of a new method to its legal implementation takes a long time. Therefore, supplementary regulatory measures to facilitate validation and acceptance of new alternative methods could contribute to a faster and more consequent implementation of the 3R concept in the testing of biomedical products.

An Additional Approach to Model Current Followers and Amplifiers with Electronically Controllable Parameters from Commercially Available ICs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sotner, R.; Kartci, A.; Jerabek, J.; Herencsar, N.; Dostal, T.; Vrba, K.

2012-12-01

Several behavioral models of current active elements for experimental purposes are introduced in this paper. These models are based on commercially available devices. They are suitable for experimental tests of current- and mixed-mode filters, oscillators, and other circuits (employing current-mode active elements) frequently used in analog signal processing without necessity of onchip fabrication of proper active element. Several methods of electronic control of intrinsic resistance in the proposed behavioral models are discussed. All predictions and theoretical assumptions are supported by simulations and experiments. This contribution helps to find a cheaper and more effective way to preliminary laboratory tests without expensive on-chip fabrication of special active elements.

Implementation of a successful on-call system in clinical chemistry.

PubMed

Hobbs, G A; Jortani, S A; Valdes, R

1997-11-01

Successful practice of clinical pathology depends on a wide variety of laboratory, clinical, and managerial decisions. The skills needed to make these decisions can most effectively be learned by residents and fellows in pathology using a service-oriented on-call approach. We report our experience implementing an on-call system in the clinical chemistry laboratory at the University of Louisville Hospital (Ky). We detail the guidelines used to establish this system and the elements required for its successful implementation. The system emphasizes a laboratory-initiated approach to linking laboratory results to patient care. From inception of the program during late 1990 through 1995, the number of beeper calls (including clinician contacts) steadily increased and is currently 8 to 20 per week. The on-call system is active 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, thus representing activity on all three laboratory shifts. Types of responses were separated into administrative (12%), analytical (42%), clinical (63%), quality control or quality assurance (12%), and consultation (13%) categories. We also present 6 case reports as examples demonstrating multiple elements in these categories. In 23% of the calls, clinician contact was required and achieved by the fellow or resident on call for the laboratory. The on-call reports are documented and presented informally at weekly on-call report sessions. Emphasis is placed on learning and refinement of investigative skills needed to function as an effective laboratory director. Educational emphasis for the medical staff is in establishing awareness of the presence of the laboratory as an important interactive component of patient care. In addition, we found this program to be beneficial to the hospital and to the department of pathology in fulfilling its clinical service and teaching missions. Our experience may be helpful to other institutions establishing such a program.

Normalizing the environment recapitulates adult human immune traits in laboratory mice.

PubMed

Beura, Lalit K; Hamilton, Sara E; Bi, Kevin; Schenkel, Jason M; Odumade, Oludare A; Casey, Kerry A; Thompson, Emily A; Fraser, Kathryn A; Rosato, Pamela C; Filali-Mouhim, Ali; Sekaly, Rafick P; Jenkins, Marc K; Vezys, Vaiva; Haining, W Nicholas; Jameson, Stephen C; Masopust, David

2016-04-28

Our current understanding of immunology was largely defined in laboratory mice, partly because they are inbred and genetically homogeneous, can be genetically manipulated, allow kinetic tissue analyses to be carried out from the onset of disease, and permit the use of tractable disease models. Comparably reductionist experiments are neither technically nor ethically possible in humans. However, there is growing concern that laboratory mice do not reflect relevant aspects of the human immune system, which may account for failures to translate disease treatments from bench to bedside. Laboratory mice live in abnormally hygienic specific pathogen free (SPF) barrier facilities. Here we show that standard laboratory mouse husbandry has profound effects on the immune system and that environmental changes produce mice with immune systems closer to those of adult humans. Laboratory mice--like newborn, but not adult, humans--lack effector-differentiated and mucosally distributed memory T cells. These cell populations were present in free-living barn populations of feral mice and pet store mice with diverse microbial experience, and were induced in laboratory mice after co-housing with pet store mice, suggesting that the environment is involved in the induction of these cells. Altering the living conditions of mice profoundly affected the cellular composition of the innate and adaptive immune systems, resulted in global changes in blood cell gene expression to patterns that more closely reflected the immune signatures of adult humans rather than neonates, altered resistance to infection, and influenced T-cell differentiation in response to a de novo viral infection. These data highlight the effects of environment on the basal immune state and response to infection and suggest that restoring physiological microbial exposure in laboratory mice could provide a relevant tool for modelling immunological events in free-living organisms, including humans.

Toward laboratory torsional spine magnetic reconnection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chesny, David L.; Orange, N. Brice; Oluseyi, Hakeem M.; Valletta, David R.

2017-12-01

Magnetic reconnection is a fundamental energy conversion mechanism in nature. Major attempts to study this process in controlled settings on Earth have largely been limited to reproducing approximately two-dimensional (2-D) reconnection dynamics. Other experiments describing reconnection near three-dimensional null points are non-driven, and do not induce any of the 3-D modes of spine fan, torsional fan or torsional spine reconnection. In order to study these important 3-D modes observed in astrophysical plasmas (e.g. the solar atmosphere), laboratory set-ups must be designed to induce driven reconnection about an isolated magnetic null point. As such, we consider the limited range of fundamental resistive magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) and kinetic parameters of dynamic laboratory plasmas that are necessary to induce the torsional spine reconnection (TSR) mode characterized by a driven rotational slippage of field lines - a feature that has yet to be achieved in operational laboratory magnetic reconnection experiments. Leveraging existing reconnection models, we show that within a 3$ apparatus, TSR can be achieved in dense plasma regimes ( 24~\\text{m}-3$ ) in magnetic fields of -1~\\text{T}$ . We find that MHD and kinetic parameters predict reconnection in thin current sheets on time scales of . While these plasma regimes may not explicitly replicate the plasma parameters of observed astrophysical phenomena, studying the dynamics of the TSR mode within achievable set-ups signifies an important step in understanding the fundamentals of driven 3-D magnetic reconnection and the self-organization of current sheets. Explicit control of this reconnection mode may have implications for understanding particle acceleration in astrophysical environments, and may even have practical applications to fields such as spacecraft propulsion.

The effects of extinction-aroused attention on context conditioning.

PubMed

Nelson, James Byron; Fabiano, Andrew M; Lamoureux, Jeffrey A

2018-04-01

Two experiments assessed the effects of extinguishing a conditioned cue on subsequent context conditioning. Each experiment used a different video-game method where sensors predicted attacking spaceships and participants responded to the sensor in a way that prepared them for the upcoming attack. In Experiment 1 extinction of a cue which signaled a spaceship-attack outcome facilitated subsequent learning when the attack occurred unsignaled. In Experiment 2 extinction of a cue facilitated subsequent learning, regardless of whether the spaceship outcome was the same or different as used in the earlier training. In neither experiment did the extinction context become inhibitory. Results are discussed in terms of current associative theories of attention and conditioning. © 2018 Nelson et al.; Published by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press.

Laser experiments to simulate coronal mass ejection driven magnetospheres and astrophysical plasma winds on compact magnetized stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Horton, W.; Ditmire, T.; Zakharov, Yu. P.

2010-06-01

Laboratory experiments using a plasma wind generated by laser-target interaction are proposed to investigate the creation of a shock in front of the magnetosphere and the dynamo mechanism for creating plasma currents and voltages. Preliminary experiments are shown where measurements of the electron density gradients surrounding the obstacles are recorded to infer the plasma winds. The proposed experiments are relevant to understanding the electron acceleration mechanisms taking place in shock-driven magnetic dipole confined plasmas surrounding compact magnetized stars and planets. Exploratory experiments have been published [P. Brady, T. Ditmire, W. Horton, et al., Phys. Plasmas 16, 043112 (2009)] with the one Joule Yoga laser and centimeter sized permanent magnets.

First Iron Opacity Experiments on the National Ignition Facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Perry, Theodore; Dodd, Evan; Cardenas, Tana; Devolder, Barbara; Flippo, Kirk; Johns, Heather; Kline, John; Sherrill, Manolo; Urbatsch, Todd; Heeter, Robert; Ahmed, Maryum; Emig, James; Iglesias, Carlos; Liedahl, Duane; London, Richard; Martin, Madison; Schneider, Marilyn; Thompson, Nathaniel; Wilson, Brian; Opachich, Yekaterina; King, James; Huffman, Eric; Knight, Russel; Bailey, James; Rochau, Gregory

2017-10-01

Iron opacity experiments on the Sandia National Laboratories Z machine have shown up to factors of two discrepancies between theory and experiment. To help resolve these discrepancies an experimental platform for doing comparable opacity experiments is being developed on the National Ignition Facility (NIF). Initial iron data has been taken at a temperature of 150 eV and an electron density of 6x1021/cm3, but higher temperatures and densities will be required to address the discrepancies that have been observed in the Z experiments. The plans to go to higher temperatures and densities and how to deal with current issues with instrumental backgrounds will be discussed. Performed under the auspices of USDOE LANL Contract DE-AC52-06NA25396.

THE MATERIALS ON INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION EXPERIMENT (MISSE): FIRST RESULTS FROM MSFC INVESTIGATIONS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Finckenor, Miria

2006-01-01

Marshall Space Flight Center worked with the Air Force Research Laboratory, Naval Research Laboratory, Langley Research Center, Glenn Research Center, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Johnson Space Center, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, TRW, the Aerospace Corporation, Triton Systems, AZ Technology, Alion (formerly IITRI), ENTECH, and L'Garde to bring together the first external materials exposure experiment on International Space Station (ISS). MISSE re-uses hardware from the MEEP flown on the Russian space station Mir. MISSE has returned a treasure trove of materials data that will be useful not only for ISS but also for programs as diverse as the new Crew Exploration Vehicle, the James Webb Telescope, the Lunar Surface Access Module, the Robotic Lunar Exploration Program, High Altitude Airships, and solar sails. MISSE-1 and -2 (Figure 1) were attached to the Quest airlock on ISS for 4 years and were retrieved during STS-114. MISSE-3 and -4 were bumped fr-om STS-114 and are currently slated for deployment during STS-121. MISSE-5 (Figure 2) was deployed during STS-114.

Command-line cellular electrophysiology for conventional and real-time closed-loop experiments.

PubMed

Linaro, Daniele; Couto, João; Giugliano, Michele

2014-06-15

Current software tools for electrophysiological experiments are limited in flexibility and rarely offer adequate support for advanced techniques such as dynamic clamp and hybrid experiments, which are therefore limited to laboratories with a significant expertise in neuroinformatics. We have developed lcg, a software suite based on a command-line interface (CLI) that allows performing both standard and advanced electrophysiological experiments. Stimulation protocols for classical voltage and current clamp experiments are defined by a concise and flexible meta description that allows representing complex waveforms as a piece-wise parametric decomposition of elementary sub-waveforms, abstracting the stimulation hardware. To perform complex experiments lcg provides a set of elementary building blocks that can be interconnected to yield a large variety of experimental paradigms. We present various cellular electrophysiological experiments in which lcg has been employed, ranging from the automated application of current clamp protocols for characterizing basic electrophysiological properties of neurons, to dynamic clamp, response clamp, and hybrid experiments. We finally show how the scripting capabilities behind a CLI are suited for integrating experimental trials into complex workflows, where actual experiment, online data analysis and computational modeling seamlessly integrate. We compare lcg with two open source toolboxes, RTXI and RELACS. We believe that lcg will greatly contribute to the standardization and reproducibility of both simple and complex experiments. Additionally, on the long run the increased efficiency due to a CLI will prove a great benefit for the experimental community. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Improving extreme-scale problem solving: assessing electronic brainstorming effectiveness in an industrial setting.

PubMed

Dornburg, Courtney C; Stevens, Susan M; Hendrickson, Stacey M L; Davidson, George S

2009-08-01

An experiment was conducted to compare the effectiveness of individual versus group electronic brainstorming to address difficult, real-world challenges. Although industrial reliance on electronic communications has become ubiquitous, empirical and theoretical understanding of the bounds of its effectiveness have been limited. Previous research using short-term laboratory experiments have engaged small groups of students in answering questions irrelevant to an industrial setting. The present experiment extends current findings beyond the laboratory to larger groups of real-world employees addressing organization-relevant challenges during the course of 4 days. Employees and contractors at a national laboratory participated, either in a group setting or individually, in an electronic brainstorm to pose solutions to a real-world problem. The data demonstrate that (for this design) individuals perform at least as well as groups in producing quantity of electronic ideas, regardless of brainstorming duration. However, when judged with respect to quality along three dimensions (originality, feasibility, and effectiveness), the individuals significantly (p < .05) outperformed the group. When quality is used to benchmark success, these data indicate that work-relevant challenges are better solved by aggregating electronic individual responses rather than by electronically convening a group. This research suggests that industrial reliance on electronic problem-solving groups should be tempered, and large nominal groups may be more appropriate corporate problem-solving vehicles.

In-Situ Anode Heating and Its Effects on Atomic Constituents in the A-K Gap in Self-Magnetic Pinch (SMP) Experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Simpson, Sean; Renk, Timothy; Johnston, Mark; Mazarakis, Mike; Patel, Sonal

2015-11-01

The RITS-6 inductive voltage adder (IVA) accelerator (3.5-8.5 MeV) at Sandia National Laboratories produces high-power (TW) focused electron beams (<3mm diameter) for flash x-ray radiography applications. The Self-Magnetic Pinch (SMP) diode utilizes a hollowed metal cathode to produce a pinched focus onto a high-Z metal anode converter. There is not a clear understanding as to the effects various contaminants such as C, CO, H, H2O, HmCn, O2, and N2, on the anode surface or in the bulk may have on impedance dynamics, beam stability, beam spot size, and reproducibility. Heating pure Ta anodes with and without a thin Al coating have been investigated using temperatures ranging from 400 °C to 1000 °C. Initial experiments indicate a significant reduction in H and C as seen in high-speed spectral analysis of plasmas at the converter and a reduction in the back-streaming proton current. Experiments are ongoing, and latest results will be reported. Sandia National Laboratories is a multi-program laboratory managed and operated by Sandia Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lockheed Martin Corporation, for the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-AC04-94AL85000.

Laboratory Facilities and Measurement Techniques for Beamed-Energy-Propulsion Experiments in Brazil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Oliveira, Antonio Carlos; Chanes Júnior, José Brosler; Cordeiro Marcos, Thiago Victor; Pinto, David Romanelli; Santos Vilela, Renan Guilherme; Barros Galvão, Victor Alves; Mantovani, Arthur Freire; da Costa, Felipe Jean; dos Santos Assenção, José Adeildo; dos Santos, Alberto Monteiro; de Paula Toro, Paulo Gilberto; Sala Minucci, Marco Antonio; da Silveira Rêgo, Israel; Salvador, Israel Irone; Myrabo, Leik N.

2011-11-01

Laser propulsion is an innovative concept of accessing the space easier and cheaper where the propulsive energy is beamed to the aerospace vehicle in flight from ground—or even satellite-based high-power laser sources. In order to be realistic about laser propulsion, the Institute for Advanced Studies of the Brazilian Air Force in cooperation with the United States Air Force and the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute are seriously investigating its basic physics mechanisms and engineering aspects at the Henry T. Hamamatsu Laboratory of Hypersonic and Aerothermodynamics in São José dos Campos, Brazil. This paper describes in details the existing facilities and measuring systems such as high-power laser devices, pulsed-hypersonic wind tunnels and high-speed flow visualization system currently utilized in the laboratory for experimentation on laser propulsion.

Electron Pressure Anisotropy in the Terrestrial Reconnection Experiment and the Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Myers, Rachel; Egedal, Jan; Olson, Joseph; Greess, Samuel; Millet-Ayala, Alexander; Clark, Michael; Nonn, Paul; Wallace, John; Forest, Cary

2017-10-01

The NASA Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) Mission seeks to measure heating and motion of charged particles from reconnection events in the magnetotail and dayside magnetopause. MMS is paralleled by the Terrestrial Reconnection Experiment (TREX) at the Wisconsin Plasma Astrophysics Laboratory (WiPAL) in its study of collisionless magnetic reconnection. In the regimes seen by TREX and MMS, electron pressure anisotropy should develop, driving large-scale current layer formation. MMS has witnessed anisotropy, but the spatial coverage of the data is too limited to determine how the pressure anisotropy affects jet and current layer creation. Measurements of pressure anisotropy on TREX will be presented, and implications for reconnecting current layer structure in the magnetosphere, as measured by MMS, will be discussed. This research was conducted with support from a UW-Madison University Fellowship as well as the NSF/DOE award DE-SC0013032.

Consideration of some fundamental erosion processes encountered in hypervelocity electromagnetic propulsion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buckingham, A. C.; Hawke, R. S.

1982-09-01

Experimental and theoretical research was conducted jointly at the Livermore and Los Alamos National laboratories on dc electromagnetic railgun Lorentz accelerators. Pellets weighing a few grams to tens of grams were launched at velocities up to better than 11 km/s. The research is addressed to attaining repeated launches of samples at hypervelocity in target impact experiments. In these experiments, shock-induced pressure in the tens of megabars range are obtained for high pressure equations of state research. Primary energy sources of the order of several hundred kJ to a MJ and induction currents of the order of 1 or more MA are necessary for these launches. Erosion and deformation of the conductor rails and the accelerated sample material are continuing problems. The beating, stress, and erosion resulting from simultaneous imposition of rail induction current, dense plasma (armature) interaction, current distribution, magnetic field stresses and projectile/rail contact friction are examined.

Complexities in Ferret Influenza Virus Pathogenesis and Transmission Models

PubMed Central

Eckert, Alissa M.; Tumpey, Terrence M.; Maines, Taronna R.

2016-01-01

SUMMARY Ferrets are widely employed to study the pathogenicity, transmissibility, and tropism of influenza viruses. However, inherent variations in inoculation methods, sampling schemes, and experimental designs are often overlooked when contextualizing or aggregating data between laboratories, leading to potential confusion or misinterpretation of results. Here, we provide a comprehensive overview of parameters to consider when planning an experiment using ferrets, collecting data from the experiment, and placing results in context with previously performed studies. This review offers information that is of particular importance for researchers in the field who rely on ferret data but do not perform the experiments themselves. Furthermore, this review highlights the breadth of experimental designs and techniques currently available to study influenza viruses in this model, underscoring the wide heterogeneity of protocols currently used for ferret studies while demonstrating the wealth of information which can benefit risk assessments of emerging influenza viruses. PMID:27412880

Complexities in Ferret Influenza Virus Pathogenesis and Transmission Models.

PubMed

Belser, Jessica A; Eckert, Alissa M; Tumpey, Terrence M; Maines, Taronna R

2016-09-01

Ferrets are widely employed to study the pathogenicity, transmissibility, and tropism of influenza viruses. However, inherent variations in inoculation methods, sampling schemes, and experimental designs are often overlooked when contextualizing or aggregating data between laboratories, leading to potential confusion or misinterpretation of results. Here, we provide a comprehensive overview of parameters to consider when planning an experiment using ferrets, collecting data from the experiment, and placing results in context with previously performed studies. This review offers information that is of particular importance for researchers in the field who rely on ferret data but do not perform the experiments themselves. Furthermore, this review highlights the breadth of experimental designs and techniques currently available to study influenza viruses in this model, underscoring the wide heterogeneity of protocols currently used for ferret studies while demonstrating the wealth of information which can benefit risk assessments of emerging influenza viruses. Copyright © 2016, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Capsule physics comparison of different ablators for NIF implosion designs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clark, Daniel; Kritcher, Andrea; Yi, Austin; Zylstra, Alex; Haan, Steven; Ralph, Joseph; Weber, Christopher

2017-10-01

Indirect drive implosion experiments on the Naitonal Ignition Facility (NIF) have now tested three different ablator materials: glow discharge polymer (GDP) plastic, high density carbon (HDC), and beryllium. How do these different ablator choices compare in current and future implosion experiments on NIF? What are the relative advantages and disadvantages of each? This talk compares these different ablator options in capsule-only simulations of current NIF experiments and proposed future designs. The simulations compare the impact of the capsule fill tube, support tent, and interface surface roughness for each case, as well as all perturbations in combination. According to the simulations, each ablator is impacted by the various perturbation sources differently, and each material poses unique challenges in the pursuit of ignition. This work performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344.

Weak decays and double beta decay

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

Nicholson, H.W.

1983-08-01

Work to measure the ..sigma../sup +/ 0 degree differential cross section in the reaction K/sup -/p ..-->.. ..sigma../sup +/..pi../sup -/ at several incident K/sup -/ momenta between 600 and 800 MeV/c as well as the asymmetries in the decays of polarized ..sigma../sup +/'s into protons and neutral pions and of polarized ..sigma../sup -/'s into neutrons and negative pions in collaboration with experimenters from Yale, Brookhaven, and the University of Pittsburgh (Brookhaven experiment 702) has been completed. Data from this experiment is currently being analyzed at Yale. Work is currently underway to develop and construct an experiment to search for neutrinolessmore » double beta decay in thin foils of Mo/sup 100/ in collaboration with experimenters from Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory. Development work on the solid state silicon detectors should be complete in the next six months and construction should e well underway within the next year.« less

Filling box stratification fed by a gravity current

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hogg, Charlie; Huppert, Herbert; Imberger, Jorg

2012-11-01

Fluids in confined basins can be stratified by the filling box mechanism. The source of dense fluid in geophysical applications, such as a cold river entering a warmer lake, can be a gravity current running over a shallow slope. Filling box models are often, however, based on the dynamics of vertically falling, unconfined, plumes which entrain fluid by a different mechanism to gravity currents on shallow slopes. Laboratory tank experiments of a filling box fed by a gravity current running over a shallow slope were carried out using a dye attenuation technique to investigate the development of the stratification of the ambient. These results demonstrate the differences in the stratification generated by a gravity current compared to that generated by a plume and demonstrate the nature of entrainment into gravity currents on shallow slopes.

Influence of a non-copper algicide on the cyanobacterium, Nostoc spongiaeforme, and the green alga, Hydrodictyon reticulatum, in field and laboratory experiments

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Cyanobacteria grow in California rice fields where they form large mats that may smoother seedlings or cause them to dislodge, resulting in yield loss. The most troublesome species is Nostoc spongiaeforme. It is very difficult to control using currently accepted methods, i.e., aerial applications of...

A Laboratory Experiment to Measure the Built-In Potential of a P-N Junction by a Photosaturation Method

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ikram, I. Mohamed; Rabinal, M. K.; Mulimani, B. G.

2009-01-01

Here, we propose a simple method for measuring the built-in potential and its temperature dependence of a photodiode by a photosaturation technique. The experimental design facilitates both current-voltage and null voltage measurements as a function of white light intensity. This method gives the built-in potential directly; as a result its…

Measuring Turbulence Mixing in Indonesian Seas Using Microstructure EM-APEX Floats

DTIC Science & Technology

We developed scientific plans for collaborative observational programs with Indonesian,Taiwanese, and Japanese researchers. We worked with Taiwanese...and Japanese researchers to plan and execute turbulence experiments using autonomous platforms in the SCS and Kuroshio Current. Our primary platform...and the Applied Physics Laboratory, University of Washington. We are working closely with Japanese collaborators to develop a turbulence observation

The implementation of tissue banking experiences for setting up a cGMP cell manufacturing facility.

PubMed

Arjmand, Babak; Emami-Razavi, Seyed Hassan; Larijani, Bagher; Norouzi-Javidan, Abbas; Aghayan, Hamid Reza

2012-12-01

Cell manufacturing for clinical applications is a unique form of biologics manufacturing that relies on maintenance of stringent work practices designed to ensure product consistency and prevent contamination by microorganisms or by another patient's cells. More extensive, prolonged laboratory processes involve greater risk of complications and possibly adverse events for the recipient, and so the need for control is correspondingly greater. To minimize the associate risks of cell manufacturing adhering to international quality standards is critical. Current good tissue practice (cGTP) and current good manufacturing practice (cGMP) are examples of general standards that draw a baseline for cell manufacturing facilities. In recent years, stem cell researches have found great public interest in Iran and different cell therapy projects have been started in country. In this review we described the role of our tissue banking experiences in establishing a new cGMP cell manufacturing facility. The authors concluded that, tissue banks and tissue banking experts can broaden their roles from preparing tissue grafts to manufacturing cell and tissue engineered products for translational researches and phase I clinical trials. Also they can collaborate with cell processing laboratories to develop SOPs, implement quality management system, and design cGMP facilities.

Cold Stowage Flight Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Campana, Sharon E.; Melendez, David T.

2011-01-01

The International Space Station (ISS) provides a test bed for researchers to perform science experiments in a variety of fields, including human research, life sciences, and space medicine. Many of the experiments being conducted today require science samples to be stored and transported in a temperature controlled environment. NASA provides several systems which aid researchers in preserving their science. On orbit systems provided by NASA include the Minus Eighty Laboratory freezer for ISS (MELFI), Microgravity Experiment Research Locker Incubator (MERLIN), and Glacier. These freezers use different technologies to provide rapid cooling and cold stowage at different temperature levels on board ISS. Systems available to researchers during transportation to and from ISS are MERLIN, Glacier, and Coldbag. Coldbag is a passive cold stowage system that uses phase change materials to maintain temperature. Details of these current technologies are provided along with operational experience gained to date. This paper discusses the capability of the current cold stowage hardware and how it may continue to support NASA s mission on ISS and in future exploration missions.

Current Collection in a Magnetic Field

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Krivorutsky, E. N.

1997-01-01

It is found that the upper-bound limit for current collection in the case of strong magnetic field from the current is close to that given by the Parker-Murphy formula. This conclusion is consistent with the results obtained in laboratory experiments. This limit weakly depends on the shape of the wire. The adiabatic limit in this case will be easily surpassed due to strong magnetic field gradients near the separatrix. The calculations can be done using the kinetic equation in the drift approximation. Analytical results are obtained for the region where the Earth's magnetic field is dominant. The current collection can be calculated (neglecting scattering) using a particle simulation code. Dr. Singh has agreed to collaborate, allowing the use of his particle code. The code can be adapted for the case when the current magnetic field is strong. The needed dm for these modifications is 3-4 months. The analytical description and essential part of the program is prepared for the calculation of the current in the region where the adiabatic description can be used. This was completed with the collaboration of Drs. Khazanov and Liemohn. A scheme of measuring the end body position is also proposed. The scheme was discussed in the laboratory (with Dr. Stone) and it was concluded that it can be proposed for engineering analysis.

Elementary Particle Physics and High Energy Phenomena: Final Report for FY2010-13

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

Cumalat, John P.; de Alwis, Senarath P.; DeGrand, Thomas A.

2013-06-27

The work under this grant consists of experimental, theoretical, and phenomenological research on the fundamental properties of high energy subnuclear particles. The work is conducted at the University of Colorado, the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), the Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex (J-PARC), Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (FNAL), SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC), Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), and other facilities, employing neutrino-beam experiments, test beams of various particles, and proton-proton collider experiments. It emphasizes mass generation and symmetry-breaking, neutrino oscillations, bottom particle production and decay, detector development, supergravity, supersymmetry, superstrings, quantum chromodynamics, nonequilibrium statistical mechanics, cosmology, phase transitions,more » lattice gauge theory, and anomaly-free theories. The goals are to improve our understanding of the basic building blocks of matter and their interactions. Data from the Large Hadron Collider at CERN have revealed new interactions responsible for particle mass, and perhaps will lead to a more unified picture of the forces among elementary material constituents. To this end our research includes searches for manifestations of theories such as supersymmetry and new gauge bosons, as well as the production and decay of heavy-flavored quarks. Our current work at J-PARC, and future work at new facilities currently under conceptual design, investigate the specifics of how the neutrinos change flavor. The research is integrated with the training of students at all university levels, benefiting both the manpower and intellectual base for future technologies.« less

OPERA neutrino oscillation search: Status and perspectives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gornushkin, Yu.

2016-07-01

OPERA is a long-baseline neutrino experiment at the Gran Sasso laboratory (LNGS) designed to search for ν_{{μ}}^{} → ν_{{τ}}^{} oscillations in a direct appearance mode on an event by event basis. OPERA took data in 2008-2012 with the CNGS neutrino beam from CERN. The data analysis is ongoing, with the goal of establishing ν_{{τ}}^{} appearance with a high significance. Complementary studies of the ν_{{μ}}^{} → ν_{{e}}^{} oscillations and atmospheric muons fluxes were performed as well. Current results of the experiment are presented and perspectives discussed.

Status report of the GERDA experiment phase I

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Riboldi, Stefano; Gerda Collaboration

2013-08-01

Phase I of GERDA, aimed at investigating neutrino-less double beta decay of 76Ge is in the active phase since November 2011 at the Gran Sasso National Laboratory of INFN-Italy. GERDA Ge detectors are non-encapsulated and operate immersed in liquid argon, equipped with a front-end readout electronics consisting of cryogenic charge sensitive preamplifiers designed and manufactured to cope with the characteristics of the GERDA experiment (radio-purity, long and resistive cables, etc.). The presentation will report on the current status of the GERDA experiment phase I, focusing on Ge detectors performance in terms of energy resolution, stability over time, counting rate and related issues.

Summary of the Workshop on Molten Salt Reactor Technologies Commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Startup of the Molten Salt Reactor Experiment

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

Betzler, Benjamin R; Mays, Gary T

2016-01-01

A workshop on Molten Salt Reactor (MSR) technologies commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Molten Salt Reactor Experiment (MSRE) was held at Oak Ridge National Laboratory on October 15 16, 2015. The MSRE represented a pioneering experiment that demonstrated an advanced reactor technology: the molten salt eutectic-fueled reactor. A multinational group of more than 130 individuals representing a diverse set of stakeholders gathered to discuss the historical, current, and future technical challenges and paths to deployment of MSR technology. This paper provides a summary of the key messages from this workshop.

Evidence-Based Biosafety: a Review of the Principles and Effectiveness of Microbiological Containment Measures

PubMed Central

Kimman, Tjeerd G.; Smit, Eric; Klein, Michèl R.

2008-01-01

We examined the available evidence on the effectiveness of measures aimed at protecting humans and the environment against the risks of working with genetically modified microorganisms (GMOs) and with non-GMO pathogenic microorganisms. A few principles and methods underlie the current biosafety practice: risk assessment, biological containment, concentration and enclosure, exposure minimization, physical containment, and hazard minimization. Many of the current practices are based on experience and expert judgment. The effectiveness of biosafety measures may be evaluated at the level of single containment equipment items and procedures, at the level of the laboratory as a whole, or at the clinical-epidemiological level. Data on the containment effectiveness of equipment and laboratories are scarce and fragmented. Laboratory-acquired infections (LAIs) are therefore important for evaluating the effectiveness of biosafety. For the majority of LAIs there appears to be no direct cause, suggesting that failures of biosafety were not noticed or that containment may have been insufficient. The number of reported laboratory accidents associated with GMOs is substantially lower than that of those associated with non-GMOs. It is unknown to what extent specific measures contribute to the overall level of biosafety. We therefore recommend that the evidence base of biosafety practice be strengthened. PMID:18625678

Evidence-based biosafety: a review of the principles and effectiveness of microbiological containment measures.

PubMed

Kimman, Tjeerd G; Smit, Eric; Klein, Michèl R

2008-07-01

We examined the available evidence on the effectiveness of measures aimed at protecting humans and the environment against the risks of working with genetically modified microorganisms (GMOs) and with non-GMO pathogenic microorganisms. A few principles and methods underlie the current biosafety practice: risk assessment, biological containment, concentration and enclosure, exposure minimization, physical containment, and hazard minimization. Many of the current practices are based on experience and expert judgment. The effectiveness of biosafety measures may be evaluated at the level of single containment equipment items and procedures, at the level of the laboratory as a whole, or at the clinical-epidemiological level. Data on the containment effectiveness of equipment and laboratories are scarce and fragmented. Laboratory-acquired infections (LAIs) are therefore important for evaluating the effectiveness of biosafety. For the majority of LAIs there appears to be no direct cause, suggesting that failures of biosafety were not noticed or that containment may have been insufficient. The number of reported laboratory accidents associated with GMOs is substantially lower than that of those associated with non-GMOs. It is unknown to what extent specific measures contribute to the overall level of biosafety. We therefore recommend that the evidence base of biosafety practice be strengthened.

Dedicated Laboratory Setup for CO{sub 2} TEA Laser Propulsion Experiments at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

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

Salvador, Israel I.; Kenoyer, David; Myrabo, Leik N.

Laser propulsion research progress has traditionally been hindered by the scarcity of photon sources with desirable characteristics, as well as integrated specialized flow facilities in a dedicated laboratory environment. For TEA CO{sub 2} lasers, the minimal requirements are time-average powers of >100 W), and pulse energies of >10 J pulses with short duration (e.g., 0.1 to 1 {mu}s); furthermore, for the advanced pulsejet engines of interest here, the laser system must simulate pulse repetition frequencies of 1-10 kilohertz or more, at least for two (carefully sequenced) pulses. A well-equipped laser propulsion laboratory should have an arsenal of sensor and diagnosticsmore » tools (such as load cells, thrust stands, moment balances, pressure and heat transfer gages), Tesla-level electromagnet and permanent magnets, flow simulation facilities, and high-speed visualization systems, in addition to other related equipment, such as optics and gas supply systems. In this paper we introduce a cutting-edge Laser Propulsion Laboratory created at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, one of the very few in the world to be uniquely set up for beamed energy propulsion (BEP) experiments. The present BEP research program is described, along with the envisioned research strategy that will exploit current and expanded facilities in the near future.« less

Combustion, Complex Fluids, and Fluid Physics Experiments on the ISS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Motil, Brian; Urban, David

2012-01-01

From the very first days of human spaceflight, NASA has been conducting experiments in space to understand the effect of weightlessness on physical and chemically reacting systems. NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) in Cleveland, Ohio has been at the forefront of this research looking at both fundamental studies in microgravity as well as experiments targeted at reducing the risks to long duration human missions to the moon, Mars, and beyond. In the current International Space Station (ISS) era, we now have an orbiting laboratory that provides the highly desired condition of long-duration microgravity. This allows continuous and interactive research similar to Earth-based laboratories. Because of these capabilities, the ISS is an indispensible laboratory for low gravity research. NASA GRC has been actively involved in developing and operating facilities and experiments on the ISS since the beginning of a permanent human presence on November 2, 2000. As the lead Center both Combustion, Fluid Physics, and Acceleration Measurement GRC has led the successful implementation of an Acceleration Measurement systems, the Combustion Integrated Rack (CIR), the Fluids Integrated Rack (FIR) as well as the continued use of other facilities on the ISS. These facilities have supported combustion experiments in fundamental droplet combustion fire detection fire extinguishment soot phenomena flame liftoff and stability and material flammability. The fluids experiments have studied capillary flow magneto-rheological fluids colloidal systems extensional rheology pool and nucleate boiling phenomena. In this paper, we provide an overview of the experiments conducted on the ISS over the past 12 years. We also provide a look to the future development. Experiments presented in combustion include areas such as droplet combustion, gaseous diffusion flames, solid fuels, premixed flame studies, fire safety, and super critical oxidation processes. In fluid physics, experiments are discussed in multiphase flows, capillary phenomena, and heat pipes. Finally in complex fluids, experiments in rheology and soft condensed materials will be presented.

Stratospheric controlled perturbation experiment: a small-scale experiment to improve understanding of the risks of solar geoengineering

PubMed Central

Dykema, John A.; Keith, David W.; Anderson, James G.; Weisenstein, Debra

2014-01-01

Although solar radiation management (SRM) through stratospheric aerosol methods has the potential to mitigate impacts of climate change, our current knowledge of stratospheric processes suggests that these methods may entail significant risks. In addition to the risks associated with current knowledge, the possibility of ‘unknown unknowns’ exists that could significantly alter the risk assessment relative to our current understanding. While laboratory experimentation can improve the current state of knowledge and atmospheric models can assess large-scale climate response, they cannot capture possible unknown chemistry or represent the full range of interactive atmospheric chemical physics. Small-scale, in situ experimentation under well-regulated circumstances can begin to remove some of these uncertainties. This experiment—provisionally titled the stratospheric controlled perturbation experiment—is under development and will only proceed with transparent and predominantly governmental funding and independent risk assessment. We describe the scientific and technical foundation for performing, under external oversight, small-scale experiments to quantify the risks posed by SRM to activation of halogen species and subsequent erosion of stratospheric ozone. The paper's scope includes selection of the measurement platform, relevant aspects of stratospheric meteorology, operational considerations and instrument design and engineering. PMID:25404681

Payload Planning for the International Space Station

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnson, Tameka J.

1995-01-01

A review of the evolution of the International Space Station (ISS) was performed for the purpose of understanding the project objectives. It was requested than an analysis of the current Office of Space Access and Technology (OSAT) Partnership Utilization Plan (PUP) traffic model be completed to monitor the process through which the scientific experiments called payloads are manifested for flight to the ISS. A viewing analysis of the ISS was also proposed to identify the capability to observe the United States Laboratory (US LAB) during the assembly sequence. Observations of the Drop-Tower experiment and nondestructive testing procedures were also performed to maximize the intern's technical experience. Contributions were made to the meeting in which the 1996 OSAT or Code X PUP traffic model was generated using the software tool, Filemaker Pro. The current OSAT traffic model satisfies the requirement for manifesting and delivering the proposed payloads to station. The current viewing capability of station provides the ability to view the US LAB during station assembly sequence. The Drop Tower experiment successfully simulates the effect of microgravity and conveniently documents the results for later use. The non-destructive test proved effective in determining stress in various components tested.

Hidden in the light: Magnetically induced afterglow from trapped chameleon fields

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

Gies, Holger; Mota, David F.; Shaw, Douglas J.

2008-01-15

We propose an afterglow phenomenon as a unique trace of chameleon fields in optical experiments. The vacuum interaction of a laser pulse with a magnetic field can lead to a production and subsequent trapping of chameleons in the vacuum chamber, owing to their mass dependence on the ambient matter density. Magnetically induced reconversion of the trapped chameleons into photons creates an afterglow over macroscopic timescales that can conveniently be searched for by current optical experiments. We show that the chameleon parameter range accessible to available laboratory technology is comparable to scales familiar from astrophysical stellar energy-loss arguments. We analyze quantitativelymore » the afterglow properties for various experimental scenarios and discuss the role of potential background and systematic effects. We conclude that afterglow searches represent an ideal tool to aim at the production and detection of cosmologically relevant scalar fields in the laboratory.« less

The VASIMR[registered trademark] VF-200-1 ISS Experiment as a Laboratory for Astrophysics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Glover Tim W.; Squire, Jared P.; Longmier, Benjamin; Cassady, Leonard; Ilin, Andrew; Carter, Mark; Olsen, Chris S.; McCaskill, Greg; Diaz, Franklin Chang; Girimaji, Sharath;

Development of improved amorphous materials for laser systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Neilson, G. F.; Weinberg, M. C.

1974-01-01

Crystallization calculations were performed in order to determine the possibility of forming a particular type of laser glass with the avoidance of devitrification in an outer space laboratory. It was demonstrated that under the homogenuous nucleating conditions obtainable in a zero gravity laboratory this laser glass may be easily quenched to a virtually crystal-free product. Experimental evidence is provided that use of this material as a host in a neodymium glass laser would result in more than a 10 percent increase in efficiency when compared to laser glass rods of a similar composition currently commercially available. Differential thermal analysis, thermal gradient oven, X-ray diffraction, and liquidus determination experiments were carried out to determine the basics of the crystallization behavior of the glass, and small-angle X-ray scattering and splat-cooling experiments were performed in order to provide additional evidence for the feasibility of producing this laser glass material, crystal free, in an outer space environment.

The VASIMR® VF-200-1 ISS Experiment as a Laboratory for Astrophysics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Glover, T.; Squire, J. P.; Longmier, B. W.; Carter, M. D.; Ilin, A. V.; Cassady, L. D.; Olsen, C. S.; Chang Díaz, F.; McCaskill, G. E.; Bering, E. A.; Garrison, D.; Girimaji, S.; Araya, D.; Morin, L.; Shebalin, J. V.

2010-12-01

The VASIMR® Flight Experiment (VF-200-1) will be tested in space aboard the International Space Station (ISS) in about four years. It will consist of two 100 kW parallel plasma engines with opposite magnetic dipoles, resulting in a near zero-torque magnetic system. Electrical energy will come from ISS at low power level, be stored in batteries and used to fire the engine at 200 kW. The VF-200-1 project will provide a unique opportunity on the ISS National Laboratory for astrophysicists and space physicists to study the dynamic evolution of an expanding and reconnecting plasma loop. Here, we review the status of the project and discuss our current plans for computational modeling and in situ observation of a dynamic plasma loop on an experimental platform in low-Earth orbit. The VF-200-1 project is still in the early stages of development and we welcome new collaborators.

Status and test report on the LANL-Boeing APLE/HPO flying-wire beam-profile monitor. Status report

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

Wilke, M.; Barlow, D.; Fortgang, C.

1994-07-01

The High-Power Oscillator (HPO) demonstration of the Average Power Laser Experiment (APLE) is a collaboration by Los Alamos National Laboratory and Boeing to demonstrate a 10 kW average power, 10 {mu}m free electron laser (FEL). As part of the collaboration, Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) is responsible for many of the electron beam diagnostics in the linac, transport, and laser sections. Because of the high duty factor and power of the electron beam, special diagnostics are required. This report describes the flying wire diagnostic required to monitor the beam profile during high-power, high-duty operation. The authors describe the diagnostic andmore » prototype tests on the Los Alamos APLE Prototype Experiment (APEX) FEL. They also describe the current status of the flying wires being built for APLE.« less

A semiempirical correlation between enthalpy of vaporization and saturation concentration for organic aerosol.

PubMed

Epstein, Scott A; Riipinen, Ilona; Donahue, Neil M

2010-01-15

To model the temperature-induced partitioning of semivolatile organics in laboratory experiments or atmospheric models, one must know the appropriate heats of vaporization. Current treatments typically assume a constant value of the heat of vaporization or else use specific values from a small set of surrogate compounds. With published experimental vapor-pressure data from over 800 organic compounds, we have developed a semiempirical correlation between the saturation concentration (C*, microg m(-3)) and the heat of vaporization (deltaH(VAP), kJ mol(-1)) for organics in the volatility basis set. Near room temperature, deltaH(VAP) = -11 log(10)C(300)(*) + 129. Knowledge of the relationship between C* and deltaH(VAP) constrains a free parameter in thermodenuder data analysis. A thermodenuder model using our deltaH(VAP) values agrees well with thermal behavior observed in laboratory experiments.

[Building and implementation of management system in laboratories of the National Institute of Hygiene].

PubMed

Rozbicka, Beata; Brulińska-Ostrowska, Elzbieta

2008-01-01

The rules of good laboratory practice have always been observed in the laboratories of National Institute of Hygiene (NIH) and the reliability of the results has been carefully cared after when performing tests for clients. In 2003 the laboratories performing analyses related to food safety were designated as the national reference laboratories. This, added to the necessity of compliance with work standards and requirements of EU legislation and to the need of confirmation of competence by an independent organisation, led to a decision to seek accreditation of Polish Centre of Accreditation (PCA). The following stages of building and implementation of management system were presented: training, modifications of Institute's organisational structure, elaboration of management system's documentation, renovation and refurbishment of laboratory facilities, implementation of measuring and test equipment's supervision, internal audits and management review. The importance of earlier experiences and achievements with regard to validation of analytical methods and guarding of the quality of the results through organisation and participation in proficiency tests was highlighted. Current status of accreditation of testing procedures used in NIH laboratories that perform analyses in the field of chemistry, microbiology, radiobiology and medical diagnostic tests was presented.

Empirical insights and considerations for the OBT inter-laboratory comparison of environmental samples.

PubMed

Kim, Sang-Bog; Roche, Jennifer

2013-08-01

Organically bound tritium (OBT) is an important tritium species that can be measured in most environmental samples, but has only recently been recognized as a species of tritium in these samples. Currently, OBT is not routinely measured by environmental monitoring laboratories around the world. There are no certified reference materials (CRMs) for environmental samples. Thus, quality assurance (QA), or verification of the accuracy of the OBT measurement, is not possible. Alternatively, quality control (QC), or verification of the precision of the OBT measurement, can be achieved. In the past, there have been differences in OBT analysis results between environmental laboratories. A possible reason for the discrepancies may be differences in analytical methods. Therefore, inter-laboratory OBT comparisons among the environmental laboratories are important and would provide a good opportunity for adopting a reference OBT analytical procedure. Due to the analytical issues, only limited information is available on OBT measurement. Previously conducted OBT inter-laboratory practices are reviewed and the findings are described. Based on our experiences, a few considerations were suggested for the international OBT inter-laboratory comparison exercise to be completed in the near future. Crown Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Magnetic field line reconnection experiments. V - Current disruptions and double layers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stenzel, R. L.; Gekelman, W.; Wild, N.

1983-01-01

An investigation is conducted of the stability of a large laboratory plasma current sheet, which has been generated in the process of magnetic field line reconnection, with respect to local current increases. Magnetic flux variations in regions remote from the current sheet generate an inductive voltage in the current loop that drops off inside the plasma in the form of a potential double layer, leading to particle acceleration with velocities much larger than those expected from the steady state electric fields in the plasma. A model for the mechanism of the current disruptions is formulated in which the potential structure leads to ion expulsion, creating a localized density drop. The associated current drop in an inductive circuit drives the potential structure, providing feedback for the disruptive instability. Similarities to, and differences from, magnetospheric substorm phenomena are noted.

Experiments Investigating the Generation and Transport of 10--12 MeV, 30-kA, mm-size Electron Beams with Linear Inductive Voltage Adders.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mazarakis, M. G.; Poukey, J. W.; Maenchen, J. E.; Rovang, D. C.; Menge, P. R.; Lash, J. S.; Smith, D. L.; Halbleib, J. A.; Cordova, S. R.; Mikkelson, K.; Gustwiller, J.; Stygar, W. A.; Welch, D. R.; Smith, I.; Corcoran, P.

1997-05-01

We present the design, analysis, and results of the high-brightness electron beam experiments currently under investigation at Sandia National Laboratories. The anticipated beam parameters are the following: energy 8-12 MeV, current 35-50 kA, rms radius 0.5 mm, and pulse duration 30-60 ns FWHM. The accelerators utilized are SABRE and Hermes-III. Both are linear inductive voltage adders (IVA) modified to higher impedance and fitted with magnetically immersed foilless electron diodes. In the strong 20-50 Tesla solenoidal magnetic field of the diode, mm-size electron beams are generated and propagated to a beam stop. The electron beam is field emitted from mm-diameter needle-shaped cathode electrode and is contained in a similar size envelope by the strong magnetic field. These extremely space charge dominated beams provide the opportunity to study beam dynamics and possible instabilities in a unique parameter space. The SABRE experiments are already completed and have produced 30 kA, 1.5-2.5 FWHM electron beams, while the Hermes-III experiments are currently under way. Results and analysis of the SABRE experimentation and a progress report on Hermes-III experiments will be presented.

Using the Computer as a Laboratory Instrument.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Collings, Peter J.; Greenslade, Thomas B., Jr.

1989-01-01

Reports experiences during a two-year period in introducing the computer to the laboratory and students to the computer as a laboratory instrument. Describes a working philosophy, data acquisition system, and experiments. Summarizes the laboratory procedures of nine experiments, covering mechanics, heat, electromagnetism, and optics. (YP)

Exploratory study of the acceptance of two individual practical classes with remote labs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tirado-Morueta, Ramón; Sánchez-Herrera, Reyes; Márquez-Sánchez, Marco A.; Mejías-Borrero, Andrés; Andujar-Márquez, José Manuel

2018-03-01

Remote lab experiences are proliferating in higher education, although there are still few studies that manage to build a theoretical framework for educational assessment and design of this technology. In order to explore to what extent the use of facilitators of proximity to the laboratory and the autonomy of the experiment makes remote laboratories a technology accepted by students, two remote labs different yet similar educational conditions in laboratories are used. A sample of 98 undergraduate students from a degree course in Energy Engineering was used for this study; 57 of these students ran experiments in a laboratory of electrical machines and 41 in a photovoltaic systems laboratory. The data suggest using conditions that facilitate the proximity of the laboratory and the autonomy in the realisation of the experiment; in both laboratories the experience was positively valued by the students. Also, data suggest that the types of laboratory and experiment have influences on usability - autonomy and lab proximity - perceived by students.

Novel circuits for energizing manganin stress gauges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tasker, Douglas G.

2017-01-01

This paper describes the design of a novel MOSFET pulsed constant current supplies for low impedance Manganin stress gauges. The design emphasis has been on high accuracy, low noise, simple, low cost, disposable supplies that can be used to energize multiple gauges in explosive or shock experiments. The Manganin gauges used to measure stresses in detonating explosive experiments have typical resistances of 50 mΩ and are energized with pulsed currents of 50 A. Conventional pulsed, constant current supplies for these gauges are high voltage devices with outputs as high as 500 V. Common problems with the use of high voltage supplies at explosive firing sites are: erroneous signals caused by ground loops; overdrive of oscilloscopes on gauge failure; gauge signal crosstalk; cost; and errors due to changing load impedances. The new circuit corrects these issues. It is an 18-V circuit, powered by 9-V alkaline batteries, and features an optically isolated trigger, and single-point grounding. These circuits have been successfully tested at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in explosive experiments. [LA-UR-15-24819

Zero-gravity cloud physics laboratory: Experiment program definition and preliminary laboratory concept studies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Eaton, L. R.; Greco, E. V.

1973-01-01

The experiment program definition and preliminary laboratory concept studies on the zero G cloud physics laboratory are reported. This program involves the definition and development of an atmospheric cloud physics laboratory and the selection and delineations of a set of candidate experiments that must utilize the unique environment of zero gravity or near zero gravity.

The metallic sphere in a uniform ac magnetic field: A simple and precise experiment for exploring eddy currents and non-destructive testing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Honke, Michael L.; Bidinosti, Christopher P.

2018-06-01

We describe a very simple experiment that utilizes standard laboratory equipment to measure the electromagnetic response of a metallic sphere exposed to a uniform ac magnetic field. Measurements were made for a variety of non-magnetic and magnetic metals, and in all cases the results fit very well with theory over the four orders of frequency (25 Hz to 102 kHz) explored here. Precise values of magnetic permeability and electrical conductivity can be extracted from fits to the data given the sphere radius only. The same apparatus is also used to explore the effects of geometry on eddy current generation as well as to demonstrate non-destructive testing through measurements on coins of different composition.

The formation of the doubly stable stratification in the Mediterranean Outflow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bormans, M.; Turner, J. S.

1990-11-01

The Mediterranean Outflow as it exits from the Strait of Gibraltar can be seen as a gravity current flowing down the slope and mixing with Atlantic Water until it reaches its own density level. Typical salinity and temperature profiles through the core region of a Meddy show that the bottom of the core is colder and saltier than the top, leading to a stably stratified core with respect to double-diffusive processes. The bottom of the core is also more enriched with Mediterranean Water than the top, and this behaviour can be explained by a reduced mixing of the source water with the environment close to the rigid bottom. Although the mechanism involved is different from the actual case, we have successfully produced these doubly stable gradient in some laboratory experiments which incorporate the "filling-box" mechanism. Salt and sugar were used as laboratory analogues of temperature and salt, respectively. The laboratory experiments consisted of supplying a dense input fluid at the surface of a linearly salt stratified environment. We suggest that req, the ratio of the initial volume flux at the source to the volume flux at the equilibrium level, is an important parameter, and that in our experiments this must be in general smaller than 0.1 in order to produce a doubly stable region of salt and sugar. The most relevant experiments had a mixed sugar/salt input which is the analogue of the Mediterranean Outflow as it mixes with Atlantic Water outside the Strait of Gibraltar.

Software and hardware infrastructure for research in electrophysiology

PubMed Central

Mouček, Roman; Ježek, Petr; Vařeka, Lukáš; Řondík, Tomáš; Brůha, Petr; Papež, Václav; Mautner, Pavel; Novotný, Jiří; Prokop, Tomáš; Štěbeták, Jan

2014-01-01

As in other areas of experimental science, operation of electrophysiological laboratory, design and performance of electrophysiological experiments, collection, storage and sharing of experimental data and metadata, analysis and interpretation of these data, and publication of results are time consuming activities. If these activities are well organized and supported by a suitable infrastructure, work efficiency of researchers increases significantly. This article deals with the main concepts, design, and development of software and hardware infrastructure for research in electrophysiology. The described infrastructure has been primarily developed for the needs of neuroinformatics laboratory at the University of West Bohemia, the Czech Republic. However, from the beginning it has been also designed and developed to be open and applicable in laboratories that do similar research. After introducing the laboratory and the whole architectural concept the individual parts of the infrastructure are described. The central element of the software infrastructure is a web-based portal that enables community researchers to store, share, download and search data and metadata from electrophysiological experiments. The data model, domain ontology and usage of semantic web languages and technologies are described. Current data publication policy used in the portal is briefly introduced. The registration of the portal within Neuroscience Information Framework is described. Then the methods used for processing of electrophysiological signals are presented. The specific modifications of these methods introduced by laboratory researches are summarized; the methods are organized into a laboratory workflow. Other parts of the software infrastructure include mobile and offline solutions for data/metadata storing and a hardware stimulator communicating with an EEG amplifier and recording software. PMID:24639646

Software and hardware infrastructure for research in electrophysiology.

PubMed

Mouček, Roman; Ježek, Petr; Vařeka, Lukáš; Rondík, Tomáš; Brůha, Petr; Papež, Václav; Mautner, Pavel; Novotný, Jiří; Prokop, Tomáš; Stěbeták, Jan

2014-01-01

As in other areas of experimental science, operation of electrophysiological laboratory, design and performance of electrophysiological experiments, collection, storage and sharing of experimental data and metadata, analysis and interpretation of these data, and publication of results are time consuming activities. If these activities are well organized and supported by a suitable infrastructure, work efficiency of researchers increases significantly. This article deals with the main concepts, design, and development of software and hardware infrastructure for research in electrophysiology. The described infrastructure has been primarily developed for the needs of neuroinformatics laboratory at the University of West Bohemia, the Czech Republic. However, from the beginning it has been also designed and developed to be open and applicable in laboratories that do similar research. After introducing the laboratory and the whole architectural concept the individual parts of the infrastructure are described. The central element of the software infrastructure is a web-based portal that enables community researchers to store, share, download and search data and metadata from electrophysiological experiments. The data model, domain ontology and usage of semantic web languages and technologies are described. Current data publication policy used in the portal is briefly introduced. The registration of the portal within Neuroscience Information Framework is described. Then the methods used for processing of electrophysiological signals are presented. The specific modifications of these methods introduced by laboratory researches are summarized; the methods are organized into a laboratory workflow. Other parts of the software infrastructure include mobile and offline solutions for data/metadata storing and a hardware stimulator communicating with an EEG amplifier and recording software.

ACTS mobile SATCOM experiments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Abbe, Brian S.; Frye, Robert E.; Jedrey, Thomas C.

1993-01-01

Over the last decade, the demand for reliable mobile satellite communications (satcom) for voice, data, and video applications has increased dramatically. As consumer demand grows, the current spectrum allocation at L-band could become saturated. For this reason, NASA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory are developing the Advanced Communications Technology Satellites (ACTS) mobile terminal (AMT) and are evaluating the feasibility of K/Ka-band (20/30 GHz) mobile satcom to meet these growing needs. U.S. industry and government, acting as co-partners, will evaluate K/Ka-band mobile satcom and develop new technologies by conducting a series of applications-oriented experiments. The ACTS and the AMT testbed will be used to conduct these mobile satcom experiments. The goals of the ACTS Mobile Experiments Program and the individual experiment configurations and objectives are further presented.

Evaluation of modeled cloud chemistry mechanism against laboratory irradiation experiments: The HxOy/iron/carboxylic acid chemical system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Long, Yoann; Charbouillot, Tiffany; Brigante, Marcello; Mailhot, Gilles; Delort, Anne-Marie; Chaumerliac, Nadine; Deguillaume, Laurent

2013-10-01

Currently, cloud chemistry models are including more detailed and explicit multiphase mechanisms based on laboratory experiments that determine such values as kinetic constants, stability constants of complexes and hydration constants. However, these models are still subject to many uncertainties related to the aqueous chemical mechanism they used. Particularly, the role of oxidants such as iron and hydrogen peroxide in the oxidative capacity of the cloud aqueous phase has typically never been validated against laboratory experimental data. To fill this gap, we adapted the M2C2 model (Model of Multiphase Cloud Chemistry) to simulate irradiation experiments on synthetic aqueous solutions under controlled conditions (e.g., pH, temperature, light intensity) and for actual cloud water samples. Various chemical compounds that purportedly contribute to the oxidative budget in cloud water (i.e., iron, oxidants, such as hydrogen peroxide: H2O2) were considered. Organic compounds (oxalic, formic and acetic acids) were taken into account as target species because they have the potential to form iron complexes and are good indicators of the oxidative capacity of the cloud aqueous phase via their oxidation in this medium. The range of concentrations for all of the chemical compounds evaluated was representative of in situ measurements. Numerical outputs were compared with experimental data that consisted of a time evolution of the concentrations of the target species. The chemical mechanism in the model describing the “oxidative engine” of the HxOy/iron (HxOy = H2O2, HO2rad /O2rad - and HOrad ) chemical system was consistent with laboratory measurements. Thus, the degradation of the carboxylic acids evaluated was closely reproduced by the model. However, photolysis of the Fe(C2O4)+ complex needs to be considered in cloud chemistry models for polluted conditions (i.e., acidic pH) to correctly reproduce oxalic acid degradation. We also show that iron and formic acid lead to a stable complex whose photoreactivity has currently not been investigated. The updated aqueous chemical mechanism was compared with data from irradiation experiments using natural cloud water. The new reactions considered in the model (i.e., iron complex formation with oxalic and formic acids) correctly reproduced the experimental observations.

Pulsed Energy Systems for Generating Plasmas

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rose, M. Franklin; Shotts, Z.

2005-01-01

This paper will describe the techniques needed to electrically generate highly ionized dense plasmas for a variety of applications. The components needed in pulsed circuits are described in terms of general performance parameters currently available from commercial vendors. Examples of pulsed systems using these components are described and technical data from laboratory experiments presented. Experimental data are given for point designs, capable of multi-megawatt power levels.

Planetary atmospheric physics and solar physics research

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1973-01-01

An overview is presented on current and planned research activities in the major areas of solar physics, planetary atmospheres, and space astronomy. The approach to these unsolved problems involves experimental techniques, theoretical analysis, and the use of computers to analyze the data from space experiments. The point is made that the research program is characterized by each activity interacting with the other activities in the laboratory.

Mars Oxidant and Radical Detector

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yen, A. S.; Kim, S. S.

2003-01-01

The Mars Oxidant and Radical Detector is an instrument designed to characterize the reactive nature of the martian surface environment. Using Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) techniques, this instrument can detect, identify, and quantify radical species in soil samples, including those inferred to be present by the Viking experiments. This instrument is currently funded by the Mars Instrument Development Program and is compatible with the Mars Science Laboratory mission.

Calcium addition at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest reduced winter injury to red spruce in a high-injury year

Treesearch

Gary J. Hawley; Paul G. Schaberg; Christopher Eagar; Catherine H. Borer

2006-01-01

Laboratory experiments have verified that acid-deposition-induced calcium (Ca) leaching reduces the foliar cold tolerance of red spruce (Picea rubens Sarg.) current-year foliage, increasing the risk of winter injury and crown deterioration. However, to date no studies have shown that ambient losses in soil Ca have resulted in increased winter injury...

Structure of Dilute Pyroclastic Density Currents During Transport, Buoyancy Reversal and Liftoff

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andrews, B. J.

2014-12-01

Scaled laboratory experiments provide insight into structure, entrainment and liftoff in pyroclastic density currents (PDCs). Experiments are conducted in a 8.5×6.1×2.6 m air-filled tank and comprise turbulently suspended mixtures of heated 20-μm talc particles introduced to the tank at steady and sustained rates; the tank is large enough that the currents are effectively unconfined. Experiments are scaled with bulk (densimetric and thermal Richardson numbers, Froude number) and turbulent (Stokes and settling numbers) parameters dynamically similar to natural currents. The Reynolds numbers of experiments are smaller than those of natural PDCs, but analysis of the experiments demonstrates that they are fully turbulent. Red, green, and blue laser sheets illuminate orthogonal planes within the currents for imaging and recording with HD video cameras; those data are reprojected into cross-sectional and map-view planes for analysis of turbulent velocity fields and fluctuations in particle concentration. A green laser sheet can be swept through the tank at 60 Hz and imaged with a high-speed CCD camera at up to 3000 fps; sequences of 60-300 images are used to make 3D volumetric reconstructions of the currents at up to 10 Hz. Currents typically comprise a lower "bypass" region and an upper entraining region that turbulently mixes with the ambient air. The bypass region is generally about half of the total current thickness and moves faster than the overlying, entraining region. The bypass region controls runout distance and steadiness of currents. If turbulent structures in the entraining region penetrate through the bypass region, the trailing portion of the current can stall before resuming forward progress; thus a single, "steady" current can generate multiple currents. When a current lifts off, it focuses along a narrow axis beneath the rising (coignimbrite) plume. At that time, ambient air entrainment occurs primarily through the lateral margins of the narrow bypass region. Eddies that entrain air through the lateral margins grow in size with transport distance such that at the maximum runout distance, eddies have lengthscales comparable to the current width. The largest structures within the rising plumes have lengthscales comparable to the cross-stream plume width.

Millie Hughes-Fulford, Scientist and Prior Astronaut

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-03-13

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Researcher and former NASA payload specialist Millie Hughes-Fulford, of the Hughes-Fulford Laboratory, San Francisco, Calif., accepts the European Space Agency ESA T-cell experiment flight units being handed over in a Space Station Processing Facility laboratory at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. From left are Raimondo Fortezza of ESA, Hughes-Fulford, and Pier Luigi Ganga and Fabio Creati of Kayser Italia, manufacturer of the hardware. The immunology experiment will launch on SpaceX-3 and focus on the effects of microgravity on early T-cell signaling pathways. Current work aims to identify and compare the gene expression of microRNAs miRNAs during T-cell activation under normal gravity and in microgravity, and compare those patterns to changes seen in aging populations. The experiment will be the first flown on SpaceX funded by the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Hughes-Fulford flew aboard space shuttle mission STS-40 in June 1991, the first Spacelab mission dedicated to biomedical studies. For more information on the T-cell experiment, visit http://hughesfulfordlab.com and http://www.nasa.gov/ames/research/space-biosciences/t-cell-activation-in-aging-spacex-3/. Photo credit: NASA/Cory Huston

Millie Hughes-Fulford, Scientist and Prior Astronaut

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-03-13

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Researcher and former NASA payload specialist Millie Hughes-Fulford, of the Hughes-Fulford Laboratory, San Francisco, Calif., accepts the European Space Agency ESA T-cell experiment flight units being handed over in a Space Station Processing Facility laboratory at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. From left are Raimondo Fortezza of ESA, Hughes-Fulford, and Pier Luigi Ganga, Marco Vukich and Fabio Creati of Kayser Italia, manufacturer of the hardware. The immunology experiment will launch on SpaceX-3 and focus on the effects of microgravity on early T-cell signaling pathways. Current work aims to identify and compare the gene expression of microRNAs miRNAs during T-cell activation under normal gravity and in microgravity, and compare those patterns to changes seen in aging populations. The experiment will be the first flown on SpaceX funded by the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Hughes-Fulford flew aboard space shuttle mission STS-40 in June 1991, the first Spacelab mission dedicated to biomedical studies. For more information on the T-cell experiment, visit http://hughesfulfordlab.com and http://www.nasa.gov/ames/research/space-biosciences/t-cell-activation-in-aging-spacex-3/. Photo credit: NASA/Cory Huston

Millie Hughes-Fulford, Scientist and Prior Astronaut

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-03-13

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Researcher and principal investigator Dr. Millie Hughes-Fulford, of the Hughes-Fulford Laboratory, San Francisco, Calif., discusses her laboratory's T-cell experiment and the impact the research may have on aging adults and their immune systems with an interviewer in the Space Station Processing Facility. From left, T-cell science team members Miya Yoshida, Emily Martinez and Tara Candelario are at work preparing for launch in the background. The immunology experiment will launch on SpaceX-3 and focus on the effects of microgravity on early T-cell signaling pathways. Current work aims to identify and compare the gene expression of microRNAs miRNAs during T-cell activation under normal gravity and in microgravity, and compare those patterns to changes seen in aging populations. The experiment will be the first flown on SpaceX funded by the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Hughes-Fulford flew aboard space shuttle mission STS-40 in June 1991, the first Spacelab mission dedicated to biomedical studies. For more information on the T-cell experiment, visit http://hughesfulfordlab.com and http://www.nasa.gov/ames/research/space-biosciences/t-cell-activation-in-aging-spacex-3/. Photo credit: NASA/Cory Huston

Millie Hughes-Fulford, Scientist and Prior Astronaut

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-03-13

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Researcher and former NASA payload specialist Millie Hughes-Fulford, of the Hughes-Fulford Laboratory, San Francisco, Calif., accepts the European Space Agency ESA T-cell experiment flight units being handed over in a Space Station Processing Facility laboratory at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. From left are Hughes-Fulford shaking hands with Pier Luigi Ganga of Kayser Italia, manufacturer of the hardware, with Raimondo Fortezza of ESA looking on. The immunology experiment will launch on SpaceX-3 and focus on the effects of microgravity on early T-cell signaling pathways. Current work aims to identify and compare the gene expression of microRNAs miRNAs during T-cell activation under normal gravity and in microgravity, and compare those patterns to changes seen in aging populations. The experiment will be the first flown on SpaceX funded by the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Hughes-Fulford flew aboard space shuttle mission STS-40 in June 1991, the first Spacelab mission dedicated to biomedical studies. For more information on the T-cell experiment, visit http://hughesfulfordlab.com and http://www.nasa.gov/ames/research/space-biosciences/t-cell-activation-in-aging-spacex-3/. Photo credit: NASA/Cory Huston

Capillary Discharge Soft X-ray Laser Experiments at Air Force Research Laboratory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ruden, E. L.; Gale, D. G.

1997-11-01

The Air Force Research Laboratory (previously Phillips Laboratory) is presently attempting to reproduce the high gain laser results of J.J. Rocca's capillary discharge z-pinch pumped 46.9 nm Ne-like Ar laser. This poster presents progress to date at measuring our laser's intensity and gain. The capillary circuit consists of a low inductance 3 nH water capacitor discharged by a coaxial spark gap into a 12 cm long, 4 mm ID plastic capillary. The capillary is supplied with 39 kA of current with a 20 ns risetime. The principle radiation diagnostic consists of a VUV monochrometer coupled to a custom high speed vacuum X-ray diode with an aluminum cathode. The signal is recorded on a fast transient digitizer (Tektronix SCD 5000). The total detector system's analog bandwidth is about 3 GHz.

Environmental regulation of plant gene expression: an RT-qPCR laboratory project for an upper-level undergraduate biochemistry or molecular biology course.

PubMed

Eickelberg, Garrett J; Fisher, Alison J

2013-01-01

We present a novel laboratory project employing "real-time" RT-qPCR to measure the effect of environment on the expression of the FLOWERING LOCUS C gene, a key regulator of floral timing in Arabidopsis thaliana plants. The project requires four 3-hr laboratory sessions and is aimed at upper-level undergraduate students in biochemistry or molecular biology courses. The project provides students with hands-on experience with RT-qPCR, the current "gold standard" for gene expression analysis, including detailed data analysis using the common 2-ΔΔCT method. Moreover, it provides a convenient starting point for many inquiry-driven projects addressing diverse questions concerning ecological biochemistry, naturally occurring genetic variation, developmental biology, and the regulation of gene expression in nature. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

A 3D unstructured grid nearshore hydrodynamic model based on the vortex force formalism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, Peng; Li, Ming; van der A, Dominic A.; van der Zanden, Joep; Wolf, Judith; Chen, Xueen; Wang, Caixia

2017-08-01

A new three-dimensional nearshore hydrodynamic model system is developed based on the unstructured-grid version of the third generation spectral wave model SWAN (Un-SWAN) coupled with the three-dimensional ocean circulation model FVCOM to enable the full representation of the wave-current interaction in the nearshore region. A new wave-current coupling scheme is developed by adopting the vortex-force (VF) scheme to represent the wave-current interaction. The GLS turbulence model is also modified to better reproduce wave-breaking enhanced turbulence, together with a roller transport model to account for the effect of surface wave roller. This new model system is validated first against a theoretical case of obliquely incident waves on a planar beach, and then applied to three test cases: a laboratory scale experiment of normal waves on a beach with a fixed breaker bar, a field experiment of oblique incident waves on a natural, sandy barred beach (Duck'94 experiment), and a laboratory study of normal-incident waves propagating around a shore-parallel breakwater. Overall, the model predictions agree well with the available measurements in these tests, illustrating the robustness and efficiency of the present model for very different spatial scales and hydrodynamic conditions. Sensitivity tests indicate the importance of roller effects and wave energy dissipation on the mean flow (undertow) profile over the depth. These tests further suggest to adopt a spatially varying value for roller effects across the beach. In addition, the parameter values in the GLS turbulence model should be spatially inhomogeneous, which leads to better prediction of the turbulent kinetic energy and an improved prediction of the undertow velocity profile.

Plasma MRI Experiments at UW-Madison

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Flanagan, K.; Clark, M.; Desangles, V.; Siller, R.; Wallace, J.; Weisberg, D.; Forest, C. B.

2015-11-01

Experiments for driving Keplerian-like flow profiles on both the Plasma Couette Experiment Upgrade (PCX-U) and the Wisconsin Plasma Astrophysics Laboratory (WiPAL) user facility are described. Instead of driving flow at the boundaries, as is typical in many liquid metal Couette experiments, a global drive is implemented. A large radial current is drawn across a small axial field generating torque across the whole profile. This global electrically driven flow is capable of producing profiles similar to Keplerian flow. PCX-U has been purposely constructed for MRI experiments, while similar experiments on the WiPAL device show the versatility of the user facility and provide a larger plasma volume. Numerical calculations show the predicted parameter spaces for exciting the MRI in these plasmas and the equilibrium flow profiles expected. In both devices, relevant MRI parameters appear to be within reach of typical operating characteristics.

Understanding Solar Coronal Heating through Atomic and Plasma Physics Experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Savin, Daniel Wolf; Arthanayaka, Thusitha; Bose, Sayak; Hahn, Michael; Beiersdorfer, Peter; Brown, Gregory V.; Gekelman, Walter; Vincena, Steve

2017-08-01

Recent solar observations suggest that the Sun's corona is heated by Alfven waves that dissipate at unexpectedly low heights in the corona. These observations raise a number of questions. Among them are the problems of accurately quantifying the energy flux of the waves and that of describing the physical mechanism that leads to the wave damping. We are performing laboratory experiments to address both of these issues.The energy flux depends on the electron density, which can be measured spectroscopically. However, spectroscopic density diagnostics have large uncertainties, because they depend sensitively on atomic collisional excitation, de-excitation, and radiative transition rates for multiple atomic levels. Essentially all of these data come from theory and have not been experimentally validated. We are conducting laboratory experiments using the electron beam ion trap (EBIT) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory that will provide accurate empirical calibrations for spectroscopic density diagnostics and which will also help to guide theoretical calculations.The observed rapid wave dissipation is likely due to inhomogeneities in the plasma that drive flows and currents at small length scales where energy can be more efficiently dissipated. This may take place through gradients in the Alfvén speed along the magnetic field, which causes wave reflection and generates turbulence. Alternatively, gradients in the Alfvén speed across the field can lead to dissipation through phase-mixing. Using the Large Plasma Device (LAPD) at the University of California Los Angeles, we are studying both of these dissipation mechanisms in the laboratory in order to understand their potential roles in coronal heating.

Understanding Solar Coronal Heating through Atomic and Plasma Physics Experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Savin, Daniel Wolf; Arthanayaka, Thusitha; Beiersdorfer, Peter; Brown, Gregory V.; Gekelman, Walter; Hahn, Michael; Vincena, Steve

2017-06-01

Recent solar observations suggest that the Sun's corona is heated by Alfven waves that dissipate at unexpectedly low heights in the corona. These observations raise a number of questions. Among them are the problems of accurately quantifying the energy flux of the waves and that of describing the physical mechanism that leads to the wave damping. We are performing laboratory experiments to address both of these issues.The energy flux depends on the electron density, which can be measured spectroscopically. However, spectroscopic density diagnostics have large uncertainties, because they depend sensitively on atomic collisional excitation, de-excitation, and radiative transition rates for multiple atomic levels. Essentially all of these data come from theory and have not been experimentally validated. We are conducting laboratory experiments using the electron beam ion trap (EBIT) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory that will provide accurate empirical calibrations for spectroscopic density diagnostics and which will also help to guide theoretical calculations.The observed rapid wave dissipation is likely due to inhomogeneities in the plasma that drive flows and currents at small length scales where energy can be more efficiently dissipated. This may take place through gradients in the Alfven speed along the magnetic field, which causes wave reflection and generates turbulence. Alternatively, gradients in the Alfven speed across the field can lead to dissipation through phase-mixing. Using the Large Plasma Device (LAPD) at the University of California Los Angeles, we are studying both of these dissipation mechanisms in the laboratory in order to understand their potential roles in coronal heating.

Mid- and far-infrared spectroscopic studies of the influence of temperature, ultraviolet photolysis and ion irradiation on cosmic-type ices.

PubMed

Moore, M H; Hudson, R L; Gerakines, P A

2001-03-15

Infrared (IR) studies of laboratory ices can provide information on the evolution of cosmic-type ices as a function of different simulated space environments involving thermal, ultraviolet (UV), or ion processing. Laboratory radiation experiments can lead to the formation of complex organic molecules. However, because of our lack of knowledge about UV photon and ion fluxes, and exposure lifetimes, it is not certain how well our simulations represent space conditions. Appropriate laboratory experiments are also limited by the absence of knowledge about the composition, density, and temperature of ices in different regions of space. Our current understanding of expected doses due to UV photons and cosmic rays is summarized here, along with an inventory of condensed-phase molecules identified on outer solar system surfaces, comets and interstellar grains. Far-IR spectra of thermally cycled H2O are discussed since these results reflect the dramatic difference between the amorphous and crystalline phases of H2O ice, the most dominant condensed-phase molecule in cosmic ices. A comparison of mid-IR spectra of products in proton-irradiated and UV-photolyzed ices shows that few differences are observed for these two forms of processing for the simple binary mixtures studied to date. IR identification of radiation products and experiments to determine production rates of new molecules in ices during processing are discussed. A new technique for measuring intrinsic IR band strengths of several unstable molecules is presented. An example of our laboratory results applied to Europa observations is included.

Validating Experimental Bedform Dynamics on Cohesive Sand-Mud Beds in the Dee Estuary

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baas, Jaco H.; Baker, Megan; Hope, Julie; Malarkey, Jonathan; Rocha, Renata

2014-05-01

Recent laboratory experiments and field measurements have shown that small quantities of cohesive clay, and in particular 'sticky' biological polymers, within a sandy substrate dramatically reduce the development rate of sedimentary bedforms, with major implications for sediment transport rate calculations and process interpretations from the sedimentary record. FURTHER INFORMATION Flow and sediment transport predictions from sedimentary structures found in modern estuaries and within estuarine geological systems are impeded by an almost complete lack of process-based knowledge of the behaviour of natural sediments that consist of mixtures of cohesionless sand and biologically-active cohesive mud. Indeed, existing predictive models are largely based on non-organic cohesionless sands, despite the fact that mud, in pure form or mixed with sand, is the most common sediment on Earth and also the most biologically active interface across a range of Earth-surface environments, including rivers and shallow seas. The multidisciplinary COHBED project uses state-of-the-art laboratory and field technologies to measure the erosional properties of mixed cohesive sediment beds and the formation and stability of sedimentary bedforms on these beds, integrating the key physical and biological processes that govern bed evolution. The development of current ripples on cohesive mixed sediment beds was investigated as a function of physical control on bed cohesion versus biological control on bed cohesion. These investigations included laboratory flume experiments in the Hydrodynamics Laboratory (Bangor University) and field experiments in the Dee estuary (at West Kirby near Liverpool). The flume experiments showed that winnowing of fine-grained cohesive sediment, including biological stabilisers, is an important process affecting the development rate, size and shape of the cohesive bedforms. The ripples developed progressively slower as the kaolin clay fraction in the sandy substrate bed was increased. The same result was obtained for xanthan gum, which is a proxy for biological polymers produced by microphytobenthos. Yet, the xanthan gum was several orders more effective in slowing down ripple development than kaolin clay, suggesting that the cohesive forces for biological polymers are much higher than for clay minerals, and that sedimentological process models should refocus on biostabilisation processes. The first results of the field experiments show that the winnowing of fines from developing ripples and the slowing down of current ripple development in mixed cohesive sediment is mimicked on intertidal flats in the Dee estuary. In particular, these field data revealed that current ripples in cohesive sediment are smaller with more two-dimensional crestlines than in non-cohesive sand. The wider implications of these findings will be discussed. COHBED Project Team (NERC): Alan Davies (Bangor University); Daniel Parsons, Leiping Ye (University of Hull); Jeffrey Peakall (University of Leeds); Dougal Lichtman, Louise O'Boyle, Peter Thorne (NOC Liverpool); Sarah Bass, Andrew Manning, Robert Schindler (University of Plymouth); Rebecca Aspden, Emma Defew, Julie Hope, David Paterson (University of St Andrews)

Project 8, Phase III Design: Placing an eV-Scale Limit on the Neutrino Mass using Cyclotron Radiation Emission Spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oblath, Noah; Project 8 Collaboration

2016-09-01

We report on the design concept for Phase III of the Project 8 experiment. In the third phase of Project 8 we aim to place a limit on the neutrino mass that is similar to the current limits set by tritium beta-decay experiments, mν < 2eV . From the first two phases of Project 8 we move to a novel design consisting of a 100cm3 cylindrical volume of tritium gas instrumented with two 30-element rings of inward-facing antennas. Beam-forming techniques similar to those used in radioastronomy will be employed to search for and track electron signals in the fiducial volume. This talk will present the quantitative design concept for the phased-array receiver, and illustrate how we are progressing towards the Phase IV experiment, which will have sensitivity to the neutrino mass scale allowed by the inverted mass hierarchy. This work is supported by the DOE Office of Science Early Career Research Program, and the Laboratory Directed Research and Development Program at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.

Accommodation requirements for microgravity science and applications research on space station

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Uhran, M. L.; Holland, L. R.; Wear, W. O.

1985-01-01

Scientific research conducted in the microgravity environment of space represents a unique opportunity to explore and exploit the benefits of materials processing in the virtual abscence of gravity induced forces. NASA has initiated the preliminary design of a permanently manned space station that will support technological advances in process science and stimulate the development of new and improved materials having applications across the commercial spectrum. A study is performed to define from the researchers' perspective, the requirements for laboratory equipment to accommodate microgravity experiments on the space station. The accommodation requirements focus on the microgravity science disciplines including combustion science, electronic materials, metals and alloys, fluids and transport phenomena, glasses and ceramics, and polymer science. User requirements have been identified in eleven research classes, each of which contain an envelope of functional requirements for related experiments having similar characteristics, objectives, and equipment needs. Based on these functional requirements seventeen items of experiment apparatus and twenty items of core supporting equipment have been defined which represent currently identified equipment requirements for a pressurized laboratory module at the initial operating capability of the NASA space station.

Organic Carbon Mobilisation Mechanisms: Evidence from Globally Distributed Stalagmite Records

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baldini, J. U. L.; Fairchild, I. J.; Wynn, P.; Bourdin, C.; Muller, W.; Hartland, A.; Perrette, Y.; Worrall, F.; Bartlett, R.

2017-12-01

Identifying the cause of widespread increases in surface water dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations in recent years is the subject of a contentious debate. Although DOC trends may partially reflect climate change, in many catchments they may also result from increased soil carbon solubility associated with decreases in acid rain due to lower atmospheric sulphur emissions. However, the lack of long-term DOC records hampers constraining climate's role in modulating DOC trends versus that of recovery from acidification. Here we help clarify the causes of recent DOC increases by using a combination of laboratory soil experiments and new stalagmite geochemical data. Laboratory experiments with soils sampled from above several key caves simulate the effect of acidity, temperature, and soil microbial processes on DOC release. These experiments are used to inform records of DOC encoded within several stalagmites from currently acidified, previously acidified, and unacidified sites, and which collectively yield insights into the timing of DOC change in the past. These records of stalagmite DOC concentration and composition are discussed within the context of the ongoing debate regarding the mechanism responsible for DOC release.

Growth and reproduction of laboratory-reared neanurid Collembola using a novel slime mould diet

PubMed Central

Hoskins, Jessica L.; Janion-Scheepers, Charlene; Chown, Steven L.; Duffy, Grant A.

2015-01-01

Although significant progress has been made using insect taxa as model organisms, non-tracheated terrestrial arthropods, such as Collembola, are underrepresented as model species. This underrepresentation reflects the difficulty in maintaining populations of specialist Collembola species in the laboratory. Until now, no species from the family Neanuridae have been successfully reared. Here we use controlled growth experiments to provide explicit evidence that the species Neanura muscorum can be raised under laboratory conditions when its diet is supplemented with slime mould. Significant gains in growth were observed in Collembola given slime mould rather than a standard diet of algae-covered bark. These benefits are further highlighted by the reproductive success of the experimental group and persistence of laboratory breeding stocks of this species and others in the family. The necessity for slime mould in the diet is attributed to the ‘suctorial’ mouthpart morphology characteristic of the Neanuridae. Maintaining laboratory populations of neanurid Collembola species will facilitate their use as model organisms, paving the way for studies that will broaden the current understanding of the environmental physiology of arthropods. PMID:26153104

Challenges in Transgender Healthcare: The Pathology Perspective.

PubMed

Gupta, Sarika; Imborek, Katherine L; Krasowski, Matthew D

2016-08-01

The transgender community is one of the most marginalized sections of our society. The literature is scarce regarding the pathology and laboratory medicine challenges associated with caring for transgender patients. To summarize the available gender-transitioning options and to discuss healthcare challenges, from a pathology/laboratory medicine perspective, in the care of transgender patients. We reviewed the current terminology and epidemiology relevant to the transgender population in preparing our analysis. The main transgender healthcare challenges in pathology/laboratory medicine practice include the inflexibility of electronic medical records in documenting affirmed gender, unfamiliarity among medical and laboratory professional with the needs of and terminology related to the transgender population, lack of reference ranges for laboratory tests, unclear guidelines regarding gender classification for blood donation eligibility criteria, and paucity of experience in handling and interpreting surgical and cytologic specimens from gender-transitioning individuals. Directed efforts to overcome these shortcomings, coupled with a more welcoming posture, are essential to achieving the highest standards of care for the transgender population. © American Society for Clinical Pathology, 2016. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

EPOS-WP16: A coherent and collaborative network of Solid Earth Multi-scale laboratories

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Calignano, Elisa; Rosenau, Matthias; Lange, Otto; Spiers, Chris; Willingshofer, Ernst; Drury, Martyn; van Kan-Parker, Mirjam; Elger, Kirsten; Ulbricht, Damian; Funiciello, Francesca; Trippanera, Daniele; Sagnotti, Leonardo; Scarlato, Piergiorgio; Tesei, Telemaco; Winkler, Aldo

2017-04-01

Laboratory facilities are an integral part of Earth Science research. The diversity of methods employed in such infrastructures reflects the multi-scale nature of the Earth system and is essential for the understanding of its evolution, for the assessment of geo-hazards and for the sustainable exploitation of geo-resources. In the frame of EPOS (European Plate Observing System), the Working Package 16 represents a developing community of European Geoscience Multi-scale laboratories. The participant and collaborating institutions (Utrecht University, GFZ, RomaTre University, INGV, NERC, CSIC-ICTJA, CNRS, LMU, C4G-UBI, ETH, CNR*) embody several types of laboratory infrastructures, engaged in different fields of interest of Earth Science: from high temperature and pressure experimental facilities, to electron microscopy, micro-beam analysis, analogue tectonic and geodynamic modelling and paleomagnetic laboratories. The length scales encompassed by these infrastructures range from the nano- and micrometre levels (electron microscopy and micro-beam analysis) to the scale of experiments on centimetres-sized samples, and to analogue model experiments simulating the reservoir scale, the basin scale and the plate scale. The aim of WP16 is to provide two services by the year 2019: first, providing virtual access to data from laboratories (data service) and, second, providing physical access to laboratories (transnational access, TNA). Regarding the development of a data service, the current status is such that most data produced by the various laboratory centres and networks are available only in limited "final form" in publications, many data remain inaccessible and/or poorly preserved. Within EPOS the TCS Multi-scale laboratories is collecting and harmonizing available and emerging laboratory data on the properties and process controlling rock system behaviour at all relevant scales, in order to generate products accessible and interoperable through services for supporting research activities into Geo-resources and Geo-storage, Geo-hazards and Earth System Evolution. Regarding the provision of physical access to laboratories the current situation is such that access to WP16's laboratories is often based on professional relations, available budgets, shared interests and other constraints. In WP16 we aim at reducing the present diversity and non-transparency of access rules and replace ad-hoc procedures for access by a streamlined mechanisms, objective rules and a transparent policy. We work on procedures and mechanisms regulating application, negotiation, evaluation, feedback, selection, admission, approval, feasibility check, setting-up, use, monitoring and dismantling. In the end laboratories should each have a single point providing clear and transparent information on the facility itself, its services, access policy, data management policy and the legal terms and conditions for use of equipment. Through its role as an intermediary and information broker, EPOS will acquire a wealth of information from Research Infrastructures and users on the establishment of efficient collaboration agreements.

Laboratory evaluation and application of microwave absorption properties under simulated conditions for planetary atmospheres

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Steffes, Paul G.

1988-01-01

In the first half of this grant year, laboratory measurements were conducted on the millimeter-wave properties of atmospheric gases under simulated conditions for the outer planet. Significant improvements in the current system have made it possible to accurately characterize the opacity from gaseous NH3 at longer millimeter wavelengths (7 to 10 mm) under simulated Jovian conditions. In the second half of the grant year, it is hoped to extend such measurements to even shorter millimeter-wavelengths. Further analysis and application of the laboratory results to microwave and millimeter-wave absorption data for the outer planets, such as results from Voyager Radio Occultation experiments and earth-based radio astronomical observations will be continued. The analysis of available multispectral microwave opacity data from Venus, including data from the most recent radio astronomical ovservations in the 1.3 to 3.6 cm wavelength range and newly obtained Pioneer-Venus Radio Occulatation measurements at 13 cm, using the laboratory measurements as an interpretative tool will be pursued.

Comparison of Laboratory Experimental Data to XBeach Numerical Model Output

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Demirci, Ebru; Baykal, Cuneyt; Guler, Isikhan; Sogut, Erdinc

2016-04-01

Coastal zones are living and constantly changing environments where both the natural events and the human-interaction results come into picture regarding to the shoreline behavior. Both the nature of the coastal zone and the human activities shape together the resultants of the interaction with oceans and coasts. Natural extreme events may result in the need of human interference, such as building coastal structures in order to prevent from disasters or any man-made structure throughout a coastline may affect the hydrodynamics and morphology in the nearshore. In order to understand and cope with this cycle of cause and effect relationship, the numerical models developed. XBeach is an open-source, 2DH, depth average numerical model including the hydrodynamic processes of short wave transformation (refraction, shoaling and breaking), long wave (infragravity wave) transformation (generation, propagation and dissipation), wave-induced setup and unsteady currents, as well as overwash and inundation and morphodynamic processes of bed load and suspended sediment transport, dune face avalanching, bed update and breaching (Roelvink et al., 2010). Together with XBeach numerical model, it is possible to both verify and visualize the resultant external effects to the initial shorelines in coastal zones. Recently, Baykal et al. (2015) modelled the long term morphology changes with XBeach near Kızılırmak river mouth consisting of one I-shaped and one Y-shaped groins. In order to investigate the nature of the shoreline and near shore hydrodynamic conditions and morphology, the five laboratory experiments are conducted in the Largescale Sediment Transport Facility at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center in order to be used to improve longshore sand transport relationships under the combined influence of waves and currents and the enhancement of predictive numerical models of beach morphology evolution. The first series of the experiments were aimed at generating data sets for testing and validation of sediment transport relationships for sand transport in the presence of waves and currents. In these series, there is no structure in the basin. The second and third series of experiments were designed to generate data sets for development of tombolos in the lee of detached 4m-long rubble mound breakwater that is 4 m from the initial shoreline. The fourth series of experiments are conducted to investigate tombolo development in the lee of a 4m-long T-head groin with the head section in the same location of the second and the third tests. The fifth series of experiments are used to investigate tombolo development in the lee of a 3-m-long rubble-mound breakwater positioned 1.5 m offshore of the initial shoreline. In this study, the data collected from the above mentioned five experiments are used to compare the results of the experimental data with XBeach numerical model results, both for the "no-structure" and "with-structure" cases regarding to sediment transport relationships in the presence of only waves and currents as well as the shoreline changes together with the detached breakwater and the T-groin. The main purpose is to investigate the similarities and differences between the laboratory experimental data behavior with XBeach numerical model outputs for these five cases. References: Baykal, C., Sogut, E., Ergin, A., Guler, I., Ozyurt, G.T., Guler, G., and Dogan, G.G. (2015). Modelling Long Term Morphological Changes with XBeach: Case Study of Kızılırmak River Mouth, Turkey, European Geosciences Union, General Assembly 2015, Vienna, Austria, 12-17 April 2015. Gravens, M.B. and Wang, P. (2007). "Data report: Laboratory testing of longshore sand transport by waves and currents; morphology change behind headland structures." Technical Report, ERDC/CHL TR-07-8, Coastal and Hydraulics Laboratory, US Army Engineer Research and Development Center, Vicksburg, MS. Roelvink, D., Reniers, A., van Dongeren, A., van Thiel de Vries, J., Lescinski, J. and McCall, R., (2010). XBeach Model Description and Manual. Unesco-IHE Institute for Water Education, Deltares and Delft University of Technology. Report June, 21 2010 version 6.

Indicators for the use of robotic labs in basic biomedical research: a literature analysis

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

Robotic labs, in which experiments are carried out entirely by robots, have the potential to provide a reproducible and transparent foundation for performing basic biomedical laboratory experiments. In this article, we investigate whether these labs could be applicable in current experimental practice. We do this by text mining 1,628 papers for occurrences of methods that are supported by commercial robotic labs. Using two different concept recognition tools, we find that 86%–89% of the papers have at least one of these methods. This and our other results provide indications that robotic labs can serve as the foundation for performing many lab-based experiments. PMID:29134146

Chromatographic Separations Using Solid-Phase Extraction Cartridges: Separation of Wine Phenolics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brenneman, Charles A.; Ebeler, Susan E.

1999-12-01

We describe a simple laboratory experiment that demonstrates the principles of chromatographic separation using solid-phase extraction columns and red wine. By adjusting pH and mobile phase composition, the wine is separated into three fractions of differing polarity. The content of each fraction can be monitored by UV-vis spectroscopy. When the experiment is combined with experiments involving HPLC or GC separations, students gain a greater appreciation for and understanding of the highly automated instrumental systems currently available. In addition, they learn about the chemistry of polyphenolic compounds, which are present in many foods and beverages and which are receiving much attention for their potentially beneficial health effects.

The chemistry teaching laboratory: The student perspective

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Polles, John Steven

In this study, I investigated the Student/learner's experiences in the chemistry teaching laboratory and the meaning that she or he derived from these experiences. This study sought to answer these questions: (1) What was the students experience in the teaching laboratory?, (2) What aspects of the laboratory experience did the student value?, and (3) What beliefs did the student hold concerning the role of the laboratory experience in developing her or his understanding of chemistry? Students involved in an introductory chemistry course at Purdue University were asked to complete a two-part questionnaire consisting of 16 scaled response and 5 free response items, and 685 did so. Fourteen students also participated in a semi-structured individual interview. The questionnaire and interview were designed to probe the students' perceived experience and answer the above questions. I found that students possess strong conceptions of the laboratory experience: a pre-conception that colors their experience from the outset, and a post-conception that is a mix of positive and negative reflections. I also found that the learner deeply holds an implicit value in the laboratory experience. The other major finding was that the students' lived experience is dramatically shaped or influenced by external agencies, primarily the faculty (and by extension the teaching assistants). There is much debate in the extant literature over the learning value of the science teaching laboratory, but it is all from the perspective of faculty, curriculum designers, and administrators. This study adds the students' voice to the argument.

The Sanford Underground Research Facility at Homestake (SURF)

DOE PAGES

Lesko, K. T.

2015-03-24

The former Homestake gold mine in Lead, South Dakota is being transformed into a dedicated laboratory to pursue underground research in rare-process physics, as well as offering research opportunities in other disciplines. A key component of the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF) is the Davis Campus, which is in operation at the 4850-foot level (4300 m.w.e) and currently hosts three projects: the LUX dark matter experiment, the Majorana Demonstrator neutrinoless double-beta decay experiment and the Berkeley and CUBED low-background counters. Plans for possible future experiments at SURF are well underway and include long baseline neutrino oscillation experiments, future dark mattermore » experiments as well as nuclear astrophysics accelerators. Facility upgrades to accommodate some of these future projects have already started. SURF is a dedicated facility with significant expansion capability. These plans include a Generation-2 Dark Matter experiment and the US flagship neutrino experiment, LBNE.« less

First Materials Science Research Rack Capabilities and Design Features

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schaefer, D.; King, R.; Cobb, S.; Whitaker, Ann F. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

The first Materials Science Research Rack (MSRR-1) will accommodate dual Experiment Modules (EM's) and provide simultaneous on-orbit processing operations capability. The first international Materials Science Experiment Module for the MSRR-1 is an international cooperative research activity between NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) and the European Space Agency's (ESA) European Space Research and Technology Center. (ESTEC). This International Standard Payload Rack (ISPR) will contain the Materials Science Laboratory (MSL) developed by ESA as an Experiment Module. The MSL Experiment Module will accommodate several on-orbit exchangeable experiment-specific Module Inserts. Module Inserts currently planned are a Quench Module Insert, Low Gradient Furnace, Solidification with Quench Furnace, and Diffusion Module Insert. The second Experiment Module for the MSRR-1 configuration is a commercial device supplied by MSFC's Space Products Department (SPD). It includes capabilities for vapor transport processes and liquid metal sintering. This Experiment Module will be replaced on-orbit with other NASA Materials Science EMs.

Development of a Shipboard Remote Control and Telemetry Experimental System for Large-Scale Model’s Motions and Loads Measurement in Realistic Sea Waves

PubMed Central

Jiao, Jialong; Ren, Huilong; Adenya, Christiaan Adika; Chen, Chaohe

2017-01-01

Wave-induced motion and load responses are important criteria for ship performance evaluation. Physical experiments have long been an indispensable tool in the predictions of ship’s navigation state, speed, motions, accelerations, sectional loads and wave impact pressure. Currently, majority of the experiments are conducted in laboratory tank environment, where the wave environments are different from the realistic sea waves. In this paper, a laboratory tank testing system for ship motions and loads measurement is reviewed and reported first. Then, a novel large-scale model measurement technique is developed based on the laboratory testing foundations to obtain accurate motion and load responses of ships in realistic sea conditions. For this purpose, a suite of advanced remote control and telemetry experimental system was developed in-house to allow for the implementation of large-scale model seakeeping measurement at sea. The experimental system includes a series of technique sensors, e.g., the Global Position System/Inertial Navigation System (GPS/INS) module, course top, optical fiber sensors, strain gauges, pressure sensors and accelerometers. The developed measurement system was tested by field experiments in coastal seas, which indicates that the proposed large-scale model testing scheme is capable and feasible. Meaningful data including ocean environment parameters, ship navigation state, motions and loads were obtained through the sea trial campaign. PMID:29109379

Chemistry Graduate Teaching Assistants' Experiences in Academic Laboratories and Development of a Teaching Self-image

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gatlin, Todd Adam

Graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) play a prominent role in chemistry laboratory instruction at research based universities. They teach almost all undergraduate chemistry laboratory courses. However, their role in laboratory instruction has often been overlooked in educational research. Interest in chemistry GTAs has been placed on training and their perceived expectations, but less attention has been paid to their experiences or their potential benefits from teaching. This work was designed to investigate GTAs' experiences in and benefits from laboratory instructional environments. This dissertation includes three related studies on GTAs' experiences teaching in general chemistry laboratories. Qualitative methods were used for each study. First, phenomenological analysis was used to explore GTAs' experiences in an expository laboratory program. Post-teaching interviews were the primary data source. GTAs experiences were described in three dimensions: doing, knowing, and transferring. Gains available to GTAs revolved around general teaching skills. However, no gains specifically related to scientific development were found in this laboratory format. Case-study methods were used to explore and illustrate ways GTAs develop a GTA self-image---the way they see themselves as instructors. Two general chemistry laboratory programs that represent two very different instructional frameworks were chosen for the context of this study. The first program used a cooperative project-based approach. The second program used weekly, verification-type activities. End of the semester interviews were collected and served as the primary data source. A follow-up case study of a new cohort of GTAs in the cooperative problem-based laboratory was undertaken to investigate changes in GTAs' self-images over the course of one semester. Pre-semester and post-semester interviews served as the primary data source. Findings suggest that GTAs' construction of their self-image is shaped through the interaction of 1) prior experiences, 2) training, 3) beliefs about the nature of knowledge, 4) beliefs about the nature of laboratory work, and 5) involvement in the laboratory setting. Further GTAs' self-images are malleable and susceptible to change through their laboratory teaching experiences. Overall, this dissertation contributes to chemistry education by providing a model useful for exploring GTAs' development of a self-image in laboratory teaching. This work may assist laboratory instructors and coordinators in reconsidering, when applicable, GTA training and support. This work also holds considerable implications for how teaching experiences are conceptualized as part of the chemistry graduate education experience. Findings suggest that appropriate teaching experiences may contribute towards better preparing graduate students for their journey in becoming scientists.

Integration of the CLS doctorate into the healthcare organization.

PubMed

Montoya, Isaac; Kimball, Olive

2009-01-01

A review of how the doctorally prepared CLS fits into the healthcare organization. Literature review. Numerous national studies have called for a reshaping of the health care delivery system and the need to improve patient outcomes. Because of unprecedented advances in laboratory related technology as well as the need for economic retrenchment strategies in health care, with its significant influence on patient care, the laboratory has become the subject of intensive study. It has been concluded that the traditional organizational structure of the laboratory information process and the required personnel skills both need rethinking. In order to foster change in the laboratory, an advanced degreed CLS laboratory professional is needed, one already equipped with a broad scientific base developed via a baccalaureate/masters level of education. With the addition of advanced technical expertise, basic medical skills, data interpretation skills and patient interaction abilities, and medical research experience, this laboratory professional can enhance the effective and efficient use of laboratory information and ultimately improve patient care. The clinical doctorates in CLS are educationally and experientially prepared to recommend support and enhance appropriate testing. They translate and transform complex laboratory data into an understandable product necessary for clinicians to be able to assess the validity of current and new assays to ensure better patient care. In addition, they assist in reducing questionable test usage, thereby reducing costs for both the patient and the laboratory.

Opportunities for Multidisciplinary Research in Partnership with Rock Engineers at the Deep Underground Science and Engineering Laboratory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Laughton, C.

2008-12-01

For the last half century the physics community has increasingly turned to the use of underground space to conduct basic research. The community is currently planning to conduct a new generation of underground experiments at the Deep Underground Science and Engineering Laboratory (DUSEL). DUSEL will be constructed within the footprint of the defunct Homestake Gold Mine, located in Lead, South Dakota. Physics proposals call for the construction of new caverns in which to conduct major new experiments. Some of the proposed laboratory facilities will be significantly larger and deeper than any previously constructed. The talk will highlight possible opportunities for integrating multi-disciplinary research in to the cavern construction program, and will stress the need to work closely with design and construction contractors to ensure that research goals can be achieve with minimal impact on project work. The constructors of large caverns should be particularly receptive to, and encouraging of geoscience research that could improve the engineering characterization of the rock mass. An improved understanding of the rock mass, as the host construction material, would result in a more reliable cavern design and construction process, and a reduced construction risk to the Project.

Ion source issues for the DAEδALUS neutrino experiment

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

Alonso, Jose R., E-mail: JRAlonso@LBL.gov; Barletta, William A.; Toups, Matthew H.

2014-02-15

The DAEδALUS experiment calls for 10 mA of protons at 800 MeV on a neutrino-producing target. To achieve this record-setting current from a cyclotron system, H{sub 2}{sup +} ions will be accelerated. Loosely bound vibrationally excited H{sub 2}{sup +} ions inevitably produced in conventional ion sources will be Lorentz stripped at the highest energies. Presence of these states was confirmed at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and strategies were investigated to quench them, leading to a proposed R and D effort towards a suitable ion source for these high-power cyclotrons.

R&D Toward a Neutrino Factory and Muon Collider

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

Zisman, Michael S

2011-03-20

Significant progress has been made in recent years in R&D towards a neutrino factory and muon collider. The U.S. Muon Accelerator Program (MAP) has been formed recently to expedite the R&D efforts. This paper will review the U.S. MAP R&D programs for a neutrino factory and muon collider. Muon ionization cooling research is the key element of the program. The first muon ionization cooling demonstration experiment, MICE (Muon Ionization Cooling Experiment), is under construction now at RAL (Rutherford Appleton Laboratory) in the UK. The current status of MICE will be described.

Gamma-ray astronomy with a large muon detector in the ARGO-YBJ experiment

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

Di Sciascio, G.; Di Girolamo, T.; Megna, R.

2005-02-21

The ARGO-YBJ experiment, currently under construction at the YangBaJing Laboratory (Tibet, P.R. China, 4300 m a.s.l.), could be upgraded with a large ({approx} 2500 m2) muon detector both to extend the sensitivity to {gamma}-ray sources to energies greater than {approx} 20 TeV and to perform a cosmic ray primary composition study. In this paper we present an evaluation of the rejection power for proton-induced showers achievable with the upgraded ARGO-YBJ detector. Minimum detectable {gamma}-ray fluxes are calculated for different experimental setups.

The search for sterile neutrinos at reactors and underground laboratories

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Langford, Thomas

2017-01-01

From the initial discovery of neutrinos to the observation of neutrino oscillations, unexpected results have lead to deeper understanding of physics. However, as experiments and theoretical predictions have improved, new anomalies have surfaced that could point to beyond the Standard Model physics. Leading hypotheses invoke a new form of matter, sterile neutrinos, as a possible resolution of these outstanding questions. New experimental efforts are underway to probe short-baseline neutrino oscillations with reactors and radioactive sources. This talk will highlight developments in current and next generation experiments and present possible outcomes for the next few years.

Walter B. Cannon's World War I experience: treatment of traumatic shock then and now.

PubMed

Ryan, Kathy L

2018-06-01

Walter B. Cannon (1871-1945), perhaps America's preeminent physiologist, volunteered for service with the Army Expeditionary Force (AEF) during World War I. He initially served with Base Hospital No. 5, a unit made up of Harvard clinicians, before moving forward to the front lines to serve at a casualty clearing station run by the British. During his time there, he performed research on wounded soldiers to understand the nature and causes of traumatic shock. Subsequently, Cannon performed animal experimentation on the causes of traumatic shock in the London laboratory of Dr. William Bayliss before being assigned to the AEF Central Medical Laboratory in Dijon, France, where he continued his experimental studies. During this time, he also developed and taught a curriculum on resuscitation of wounded soldiers to medical providers. Although primarily a researcher and teacher, Cannon also performed clinical duties throughout the war, serving with distinction under fire. After the war, Cannon wrote a monograph entitled Traumatic Shock (New York: Appleton, 1923), which encapsulated the knowledge that had been gained during the war, both from direct observation of wounded soldiers, as well as laboratory experimentation on the causes and treatment of traumatic shock. In his monograph, Cannon elucidates a number of principles concerning hemorrhagic shock that were later forgotten, only to be "rediscovered" during the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. This paper summarizes Cannon's wartime experiences and the knowledge gained concerning traumatic shock during World War I, with a comparison of current combat casualty care practices and knowledge to that which Cannon and his colleagues understood a century ago.

Developing an online chemistry laboratory for non-chemistry majors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Poole, Jacqueline H.

Distance education, also known as online learning, is student-centered/self-directed educational opportunities. This style of learning is expanding in scope and is increasingly being accepted throughout the academic curriculum as a result of its flexibility for the student as well as the cost-effectiveness for the institution. Nevertheless, the introduction of online science courses including chemistry and physics have lagged behind due to the challenge of re-creation of the hands-on laboratory learning experience. This dissertation looks at the effectiveness of the design of a series of chemistry laboratory experiments for possible online delivery that provide students with simulated hands-on experiences. One class of college Chemistry 101 students conducted chemistry experiments inside and outside of the physical laboratory using instructions on Blackboard and Late Nite Labs(TM). Learning outcomes measured by (a) pretests, (b) written laboratory reports, (c) posttest assessments, (d) student reactions as determined by a questionnaire, and (e) a focus group interview were utilized to compare both types of laboratory experiences. The research findings indicated learning outcomes achieved by students outside of the traditional physical laboratory were statistically greater than the equivalent face-to-face instruction in the traditional laboratory. Evidence from student reactions comparing both types of laboratory formats (online and traditional face-to-face) indicated student preference for the online laboratory format. The results are an initial contribution to the design of a complete sequence of experiments that can be performed independently by online students outside of the traditional face-to-face laboratory that will satisfy the laboratory requirement for the two-semester college Chemistry 101 laboratory course.

Cost of gentamicin assays carried out by microbiology laboratories.

PubMed Central

Vacani, P F; Malek, M M; Davey, P G

1993-01-01

AIMS--To assess the current range of prices charged for gentamicin assays in United Kingdom laboratories; and to examine the laboratories' likely response to increases or decreases in the demand for the service. METHODS--A postal survey of the 420 members of the Association of Medical Microbiologists was used to establish the range of prices charged for aminoglycoside assays. Additionally, eight private institutions were contacted to determine what the private sector was charging for aminoglycoside assays. Reagent costs in the NHS laboratories were calculated by dividing the total cost of all aminoglycoside assay kits by the number of samples analysed. RESULTS--The NHS and the private institutions both showed a wide price variation. Prices charged to an in-hospital requester for a peak and trough assay ranged from 5.00 pounds to 68.20 pounds (n = 44), and to an external private hospital, under a bulk service contract, from 5.00 pounds to 96.00 pounds (n = 47). Prices charged by private laboratories ranged from 49.00 pounds to 84.00 pounds (n = 8). There was a log linear correlation in the NHS laboratories between the reagent costs per assay and the number of assays performed per year, and most laboratories thought that their price per assay would be sensitive to increases or decreases in demand. Laboratories which had purchased their assay machines had lower reagent costs per assay but higher repair and maintenance costs. Overall, number of assays performed and method of payment for assay machinery only accounted for 44.8% of the observed variation in assay kit costs. CONCLUSIONS--The price range for gentamicin assays in the United Kingdom is wide and is only partially explained by the number of assays performed. Most laboratories believe that they would experience a reduction in unit cost as output increases. The currently offered range of prices is, in part, due to variation in the laboratories' approach to costing the service provided and some laboratories charge prices which do not even cover the cost of assay kits. Overall, we believe that prices charged should be as close as possible to the marginal cost of the tests performed. PMID:8227402

Electrocoagulation of wastewater from almond industry.

PubMed

Valero, David; Ortiz, Juan M; García, Vicente; Expósito, Eduardo; Montiel, Vicente; Aldaz, Antonio

2011-08-01

This work was carried out to study the treatment of almond industry wastewater by the electrocoagulation process. First of all, laboratory scale experiments were conducted in order to determine the effects of relevant wastewater characteristics such as conductivity and pH, as well as the process variables such as anode material, current density and operating time on the removal efficiencies of the total organic carbon (TOC) and the most representative analytical parameters. Next, the wastewater treatment process was scaled up to pre-industrial size using the best experimental conditions and parameters obtained at laboratory scale. Finally, economic parameters such as chemicals, energy consumption and sludge generation have been discussed. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

High peak current acceleration of narrow divergence ions beams with the BELLA-PW laser

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Steinke, Sven; Ji, Qing; Treffert, Franziska; Bulanov, Stepan; Bin, Jianhui; Nakamura, Kei; Gonsalves, Anthony; Toth, Csaba; Park, Jaehong; Roth, Markus; Esarey, Eric; Schenkel, Thomas; Leemans, Wim

2017-10-01

We present a parameter study of ion acceleration driven by the BELLA-PW laser. The laser repetition rate of 1Hz allowed for scanning the laser pulse duration, relative focus location and target thickness for the first time at laser peak powers of above 1 petawatt. Further, the long focal length geometry of the experiment (f\\65) and hence, large focus size provided ion beams of reduced divergence and unprecedented charge density. This work was supported by Office of Science, of the U.S. Department of Energy under Contract No. DE-AC02-05CH11231 and Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) funding from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

The Master level optics laboratory at the Institute of Optics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adamson, Per

2017-08-01

The master level optics laboratory is a biannual, intensive laboratory course in the fields of geometrical, physical and modern optics. This course is intended for the master level student though Ph.D. advisors which often recommend it to their advisees. The students are required to complete five standard laboratory experiments and an independent project during a semester. The goals of the laboratory experiments are for the students to get hands-on experience setting up optical laboratory equipment, collecting and analyzing data, as well as to communicate key results. The experimental methods, analysis, and results of the standard experiments are submitted in a journal style report, while an oral presentation is given for the independent project.

Multiple-Scale Physics During Magnetic Reconnection

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

Jara-Almonte, Jonathan

Magnetic reconnection is a key fundamental process in magnetized plasmas wherein the global magnetic topology is modified and stored energy is transferred from fields to particles. Reconnection is an inherently local process, and mechanisms to couple global-scale dynamics are not well understood. This dissertation explores two different mechanisms for cross-scale coupling during magnetic reconnection. As one example, we theoretically examine reconnection in a collisionless plasma using particle-in-cell simulations and demonstrate that large scale reconnection physics can couple to and drive microscopic instabilities, even in two-dimensional systems if significant scale separation exists between the Debye length and the electron skin depth.more » The physics underlying these instabilities is explained using simple theoretical models, and their potential connection to existing discrepancies between laboratory experiments and numerical simulations is explored. In three-dimensional systems, these instabilities are shown to generate anomalous resistivity that balances a substantial fraction of the electric field. In contrast, we also use experiments to investigate cross-scale couplings during reconnection in a collisional plasma. A leading candidate for coupling global and local scales is the hierarchical breakdown of elongated, reconnecting current sheets into numerous smaller current sheets -– the plasmoid instability. In the Magnetic Reconnection Experiment (MRX), recent hardware improvements have extended the accessible parameter space allowing for the study of long-lived, elongated current sheets. Moreover, by using Argon, reproducible and collisional plasmas are produced, which allow for a detailed statistical study of collisional reconnection. As a result, we have conclusively measured the onset of sub-ion-scale plasmoids during resistive, anti-parallel reconnection for the first time. The current sheet thickness is intermediate between ion and electron kinetic scales such that the plasma is in the Hall-MHD regime. Surprisingly, plasmoids are observed at Lundquist numbers < 100 well below theoretical predictions (> 10,000). The number of plasmoids scales with both Lundquist number and current sheet aspect ratio. The Hall quadrupolar fields are shown to suppress plasmoids. Finally, plasmoids are shown to couple local and global physics by enhancing the reconnection rate. These results are compared with prior studies of tearing and plasmoid instability, and implications for astrophysical plasmas, laboratory experiments, and theoretical studies of reconnection are discussed.« less

Capabilities of the Large-Scale Sediment Transport Facility

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-04-01

experiments in wave /current environments. INTRODUCTION: The LSTF (Figure 1) is a large-scale laboratory facility capable of simulating conditions...comparable to low- wave energy coasts. The facility was constructed to address deficiencies in existing methods for calculating longshore sediment...transport. The LSTF consists of a 30 m wide, 50 m long, 1.4 m deep basin. Waves are generated by four digitally controlled wave makers capable of producing

Wakata in JPM

NASA Image and Video Library

2009-06-01

ISS020-E-005881 (1 June 2009) --- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Koichi Wakata, Expedition 20 flight engineer, conducts the current periodic humidity check on the Cell Biology Experiment Facility (CBEF) in the Saibo Rack in the Kibo laboratory of the International Space Station. Wakata opened the facility’s door for wiping up any condensation inside the micro-G & 1G section, if present, and also secured floating fan mesh with Kapton tape.

Clock Technology Development for the Laser Cooling and Atomic Physics (LCAP) Program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Klipstein, W. M.; Thompson, R. J.; Seidel, D. J.; Kohel, J.; Maleki, L.

1998-01-01

The Time and Frequency Sciences and Technology Group at Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) has developed a laser cooling capability for flight and has been selected by NASA to support the Laser-Cooling and Atomic Physics (LCAP) program. Current work in the group includes design and development for tee two laser-cooled atomic clock experiments which have been selected for flight on the International Space Station.

Shock-and-Release to the Liquid-Vapor Phase Boundary: Experiments and Applications to Planetary Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stewart, Sarah

2017-06-01

Shock-induced vaporization was a common process during the end stages of terrestrial planet formation and transient features in extra-solar systems are attributed to recent giant impacts. At the Sandia Z Machine, my collaborators and I are conducting experiments to study the shock Hugoniot and release to the liquid-vapor phase boundary of major minerals in rocky planets. Current work on forsterite, enstatite and bronzite and previous results on silica, iron and periclase demonstrate that shock-induced vaporization played a larger role during planet formation than previously thought. I will provide an overview of the experimental results and describe how the data have changed our views of planetary impact events in our solar system and beyond. Sandia National Laboratories is a multiprogram laboratory managed and operated by Sandia Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lockheed Martin Corporation, for the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration under Contract No. DE-AC04-94AL85000. This work was performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344. This work is supported by the Z Fundamental Science Program at Sandia National Laboratories, DOE-NNSA Grant DE- NA0002937, NASA Grant # NNX15AH54G, and UC Multicampus-National Lab Collaborative Research and Training Grant #LFR-17-449059.

Investigation of dust transport on the lunar surface in laboratory plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, X.; Horanyi, M.; Robertson, S. H.

2009-12-01

There has been much evidence indicating dust levitation and transport on or near the lunar surface. Dust mobilization is likely to be caused by electrostatic forces acting on small lunar dust particles that are charged by UV radiation and solar wind plasma. To learn about the basic physical process, we investigated the dynamics of dust grains on a conducting surface in laboratory plasmas. The first experiment was conducted with a dust pile (JSC-Mars-1) sitting on a negatively biased surface in plasma. The dust pile spread and formed a diffusing dust ring. Dust hopping was confirmed by noticing grains on protruding surfaces. The electrostatic potential distributions measured above the dust pile show an outward pointing electrostatic force and a non-monotonic sheath above the dust pile, indicating a localized upward electrostatic force responsible for lifting dust off the surface. The second experiment was conducted with a dust pile sitting on an electrically floating conducting surface in plasma with an electron beam. Potential measurements show a horizontal electric field at the dust/surface boundary and an enhanced vertical electric field in the sheath above the dust pile when the electron beam current is set to be comparable to the Bohm ion current. Secondary electrons emitted from the surfaces play an important role in this case.

Experimental approaches to assessing the impact of a cesium chloride radiological dispersal device

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lee, S.; Gibb, Snyder E.; Barzyk, J.; McGee, J.; Koenig, A.

2008-01-01

The US EPA, as a part of the Chemical, Biological, Radiological-Nuclear, and Explosives (CBRNE) Research and Technology Initiative (CRTI) project team, is currently working to assess the impacts of an urban radiological dispersion device (RDD) and to develop containment and decontamination strategies. Three efforts in this area are currently underway: development of a laboratory-scale cesium chloride deposition method to mimic a RDD; assessment of cesium (Cs) penetration depth and pathways in urban materials using two dimensional (2-D) mapping laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS); and experimental determination of distribution coefficients (kd) for Cs in water-building material systems. It is critical that, when performing laboratory-scale experiments to assess the fate of Cs from an RDD, the Cs particle deposition method mimics the RDD deposition. Once Cs particles are deposited onto urban surfaces, 2-D mapping of Cs concentrations using LA-ICP-MS is a critical tool for determining Cs transport pathways through these materials. Lastly, distribution coefficients are critical for understanding the transport of Cs in urban settings when direct measurements of its penetration depth are unavailable. An assessment of the newly developed deposition method along with preliminary results from the penetration experiments are presented in this paper.

Executive functions in adults with developmental dyslexia.

PubMed

Smith-Spark, James H; Henry, Lucy A; Messer, David J; Edvardsdottir, Elisa; Zięcik, Adam P

2016-01-01

Executive functioning (EF) deficits are well recognized in developmental dyslexia, yet the majority of studies have concerned children rather than adults, ignored the subjective experience of the individual with dyslexia (with regard to their own EFs), and have not followed current theoretical perspectives on EFs. The current study addressed these shortfalls by administering a self-report measure of EF (BRIEF-A; Roth, Isquith, & Gioia, 2005) and experimental tasks to IQ-matched groups of adults with and without dyslexia. The laboratory-based tasks tested the three factors constituting the framework of EF proposed by Miyake et al. (2000). In comparison to the group without dyslexia, the participants with dyslexia self-reported more frequent EF problems in day-to-day life, with these difficulties centering on metacognitive processes (working memory, planning, task monitoring, and organization) rather than on the regulation of emotion and behaviour. The participants with dyslexia showed significant deficits in EF (inhibition, set shifting, and working memory). The findings indicated that dyslexia-related problems have an impact on the daily experience of adults with the condition. Further, EF difficulties are present in adulthood across a range of laboratory-based measures, and, given the nature of the experimental tasks presented, extend beyond difficulties related solely to phonological processing. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Development of Accessible Laboratory Experiments for Students with Visual Impairments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kroes, KC; Lefler, Daniel; Schmitt, Aaron; Supalo, Cary A.

2016-01-01

The hands-on laboratory experiments are frequently what spark students' interest in science. Students who are blind or have low vision (BLV) typically do not get the same experience while participating in hands-on activities due to accessibility. Over the course of approximately nine months, common chemistry laboratory experiments were adapted and…

Do-It-Yourself Experiments for the Instructional Laboratory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Craig, Norman C.; Hill, Cortland S.

2012-01-01

A new design for experiments in the general chemistry laboratory incorporates a "do-it-yourself" component for students. In this design, students perform proven experiments to gain experience with techniques for about two-thirds of a laboratory session and then spend the last part in the do-it-yourself component, applying the techniques to an…

A teaching intervention for reading laboratory experiments in college-level introductory chemistry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kirk, Maria Kristine

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects that a pre-laboratory guide, conceptualized as a "scientific story grammar," has on college chemistry students' learning when they read an introductory chemistry laboratory manual and perform the experiments in the chemistry laboratory. The participants (N = 56) were students enrolled in four existing general chemistry laboratory sections taught by two instructors at a women's liberal arts college. The pre-laboratory guide consisted of eight questions about the experiment, including the purpose, chemical species, variables, chemical method, procedure, and hypothesis. The effects of the intervention were compared with those of the traditional pre-laboratory assignment for the eight chemistry experiments. Measures included quizzes, tests, chemistry achievement test, science process skills test, laboratory reports, laboratory average, and semester grade. The covariates were mathematical aptitude and prior knowledge of chemistry and science processes, on which the groups differed significantly. The study captured students' perceptions of their experience in general chemistry through a survey and interviews with eight students. The only significant differences in the treatment group's performance were in some subscores on lecture items and laboratory items on the quizzes. An apparent induction period was noted, in that significant measures occurred in mid-semester. Voluntary study with the pre-laboratory guide by control students precluded significant differences on measures given later in the semester. The groups' responses to the survey were similar. Significant instructor effects on three survey items were corroborated by the interviews. The researcher's students were more positive about their pre-laboratory tasks, enjoyed the laboratory sessions more, and were more confident about doing chemistry experiments than the laboratory instructor's groups due to differences in scaffolding by the instructors.

Measuring meaningful learning in the undergraduate chemistry laboratory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Galloway, Kelli R.

The undergraduate chemistry laboratory has been an essential component in chemistry education for over a century. The literature includes reports on investigations of singular aspects laboratory learning and attempts to measure the efficacy of reformed laboratory curriculum as well as faculty goals for laboratory learning which found common goals among instructors for students to learn laboratory skills, techniques, experimental design, and to develop critical thinking skills. These findings are important for improving teaching and learning in the undergraduate chemistry laboratory, but research is needed to connect the faculty goals to student perceptions. This study was designed to explore students' ideas about learning in the undergraduate chemistry laboratory. Novak's Theory of Meaningful Learning was used as a guide for the data collection and analysis choices for this research. Novak's theory states that in order for meaningful learning to occur the cognitive, affective, and psychomotor domains must be integrated. The psychomotor domain is inherent in the chemistry laboratory, but the extent to which the cognitive and affective domains are integrated is unknown. For meaningful learning to occur in the laboratory, students must actively integrate both the cognitive domain and the affective domains into the "doing" of their laboratory work. The Meaningful Learning in the Laboratory Instrument (MLLI) was designed to measure students' cognitive and affective expectations and experiences within the context of conducting experiments in the undergraduate chemistry laboratory. Evidence for the validity and reliability of the data generated by the MLLI were collected from multiple quantitative studies: a one semester study at one university, a one semester study at 15 colleges and universities across the United States, and a longitudinal study where the MLLI was administered 6 times during two years of general and organic chemistry laboratory courses. Results from these studies revealed students' narrow cognitive expectations for learning that go largely unmet by their experiences and diverse affective expectations and experiences. Concurrently, a qualitative study was carried out to describe and characterize students' cognitive and affective experiences in the undergraduate chemistry laboratory. Students were video recorded while performing one of their regular laboratory experiments and then interviewed about their experiences. The students' descriptions of their learning experiences were characterized by their overreliance on following the experimental procedure correctly rather than developing process-oriented problem solving skills. Future research could use the MLLI to intentionally compare different types of laboratory curricula or environments.

The Effect of Guided-Inquiry Laboratory Experiments on Science Education Students' Chemistry Laboratory Attitudes, Anxiety and Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ural, Evrim

2016-01-01

The study aims to search the effect of guided inquiry laboratory experiments on students' attitudes towards chemistry laboratory, chemistry laboratory anxiety and their academic achievement in the laboratory. The study has been carried out with 37 third-year, undergraduate science education students, as a part of their Science Education Laboratory…

UNDULATOR-BASED LASER WAKEFIELD ACCELERATOR ELECTRON BEAM DIAGNOSTIC

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

Bakeman, M.S.; Fawley, W.M.; Leemans, W. P.

to couple the THUNDER undulator to the LOASIS Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) laser wakefield accelerator (LWFA). Currently the LWFA has achieved quasi-monoenergetic electron beams with energies up to 1 GeV. These ultra-short, high-peak-current, electron beams are ideal for driving a compact XUV free electron laser (FEL). Understanding the electron beam properties such as the energy spread and emittance is critical for achieving high quality light sources with high brightness. By using an insertion device such as an undulator and observing changes in the spontaneous emission spectrum, the electron beam energy spread and emittance can be measured with high precision.more » The initial experiments will use spontaneous emission from 1.5 m of undulator. Later experiments will use up to 5 m of undulator with a goal of a high gain, XUV FEL.« less

Geophysical Properties of Hard Rock for Investigation of Stress Fields in Deep Mines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tibbo, M.; Young, R. P.; Schmitt, D. R.; Milkereit, B.

2014-12-01

A complication in geophysical monitoring of deep mines is the high-stress dependency of the physical properties of hard rocks. In-mine observations show anisotropic variability of the in situ P- and S-wave velocities and resistivity of the hard rocks that are likely related to stress field changes. As part of a comprehensive study in a deep, highly stressed mine located in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada, data from in situ monitoring of the seismicity, conductivity, stress, and stress dependent physical properties has been obtain. In-laboratory experiments are also being performed on borehole cores from the Sudbury mines. These experiments will measure the Norite borehole core's properties including elastic modulus, bulk modulus, P- and S-wave velocities, and density. Hydraulic fracturing has been successfully implemented in industries such as oil and gas and enhanced geothermal systems, and is currently being investigated as a potential method for preconditioning in mining. However, further research is required to quantify how hydraulic fractures propagate through hard, unfractured rock as well as naturally fractured rock typically found in mines. These in laboratory experiments will contribute to a hydraulic fracturing project evaluating the feasibility and effectiveness of hydraulic fracturing as a method of de-stressing hard rock mines. A tri-axial deformation cell equipped with 18 Acoustic Emission (AE) sensors will be used to bring the borehole cores to a tri-axial state of stress. The cores will then be injected with fluid until the the hydraulic fracture has propagated to the edge of the core, while AE waveforms will be digitized continuously at 10 MHz and 12-bit resolution for the duration of each experiment. These laboratory hydraulic fracture experiments will contribute to understanding how parameters including stress ratio, fluid injection rate, and viscosity, affect the fracturing process.

Propagation of a turbidity current in confined geometries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Silvestre, Nuno; Salgueiro, Dora; Franca, Mário J.; Ferreira, Rui M. L.

2017-04-01

Sedimentation in reservoirs due to turbidity currents originates problems of loss of storage capacity as well as clogging of outlets/intakes. These currents are driven by the difference in specific weight between the current itself and the surrounding fluid, due to the presence of particles in suspension. As a gravity current, the main properties of these phenomena has been investigated by several authors since the 1970´s. Despite driven by a simple mechanism, the propagation of these currents can become more complex owing to the influence of factors such as geometry, bed roughness and other non-uniform elements. However, the majority of conducted studies has been focused in characterising only the influence of density imbalance. The propagation of a density current in confined geometries and the influence of bed roughness is herein investigated, through laboratory experiments carried out at the Laboratory of Hydraulics and Environment of Instituto Superior Técnico, Lisbon. The density currents were generated with brine to allow for visualization and velocity measurement. The laboratory experiments comprised point and continuous release of a dense NaCl mixture with a tracer (Rhodamine WT), with a density equal to 1028 g/L, into a tank with resting freshwater (1000 g/L). The transport and the mixing processes were recorded with high-speed video. The mass distribution was obtained through a photometric methodology and the Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) technique was used to measure the instantaneous flow velocity fields and the depth of the density current. Both methodologies were used to measure different plan views of the phenomena, including profile and top views, for different regions, near-field and far-field. Different bed roughness were studied, including smooth and rough bed. The facility was designed with the objective to generate a complex 2D flow with an advancing wave front but also shocks reflected from the walls. As the image analysis technique provided high-resolution images, the front velocity in the far field was tracked with an algorithm that captured its geometry with great accuracy (including, for instance, the lobe and cleft formation). The temporal analysis of the velocity signal revealed great "oscillations" that are beyond the scale/influence of the irregularity of lobes and clefts. This sloshing effect is assessed and discussed. The results obtained provide data with high spatial and temporal resolution that can lead to a better understanding of the mechanisms involved in such flows. Thus, these results can be used for a proper modelling and the development of mitigation measures against the adverse effects of density currents. This research was partially supported by Portuguese and European funds, within programs COMPETE2020 and PORL-FEDER, through project PTDC/ECM-HID/6387/2014 granted by the National Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT).

Plasma heating and current drive using intense, pulsed microwaves

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

Cohen, B.I.; Cohen, R.H.; Nevins, W.M.

1988-01-01

The use of powerful new microwave sources, e.g., free-electron lasers and relativistic gyrotrons, provide unique opportunities for novel heating and current-drive schemes in the electron-cyclotron and lower-hybrid ranges of frequencies. These high-power, pulsed sources have a number of technical advantages over conventional, low-intensity sources; and their use can lead to improved current-drive efficiencies and better penetration into a reactor-grade plasma in specific cases. The Microwave Tokamak Experiment at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory will provide a test for some of these new heating and current-drive schemes. This paper reports theoretical progress both in modeling absorption and current drive for intense pulsesmore » and in analyzing some of the possible complications that may arise, e.g., parametric instabilities and nonlinear self-focusing. 22 refs., 9 figs., 1 tab.« less

Direct Reactions at the Facility for Experiments on Nuclear Reactions in Stars (FENRIS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Longland, Richard; Kelley, John; Marshall, Caleb; Portillo, Federico; Setoodehnia, Kiana

2017-09-01

Nuclear cross sections are a key ingredient in stellar models designed to understand how stars evolve. Determining these cross sections, therefore, is critical for obtaining reliable predictions from stellar models. While many charged-particle reaction cross sections can be measured in the laboratory, the Coulomb barrier means that they cannot always be measured at the low energies relevant to astrophysics. In other cases, radioactive targets make the measurements unfeasible. Radioactive ion beam experiments in inverse kinematics are one solution, but low beam intensities mean that cross sections plague these attempts further. Direct measurements, particularly particle transfer experiments, are one tool in our inventory that provides us with the necessary information to infer reaction cross sections at stellar energies. I will present an overview of one facility: the Facility for Experiments on Nuclear Reactions in Stars (FENRIS), which is dedicated to performing particle transfer measurements for astrophysical cross sections. Over the past few years, FENRIS has been fully upgraded and characterized. I will show highlights of our upgrade activities and current capabilities. I will also highlight our recent experimental results and discuss current upgrade efforts.

A Transition from a Traditional to a Project-Like Physical Chemistry Laboratory via a Heterogeneous Catalysis Study.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goldwasser, M. R.; Leal, O.

1979-01-01

Outlines an approach for instruction in a physical chemistry laboratory which combines traditional and project-like experiments. An outline of laboratory experiments and examples of project-like experiments are included. (BT)

Performance Evaluation of Peer-to-Peer Progressive Download in Broadband Access Networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shibuya, Megumi; Ogishi, Tomohiko; Yamamoto, Shu

P2P (Peer-to-Peer) file sharing architectures have scalable and cost-effective features. Hence, the application of P2P architectures to media streaming is attractive and expected to be an alternative to the current video streaming using IP multicast or content delivery systems because the current systems require expensive network infrastructures and large scale centralized cache storage systems. In this paper, we investigate the P2P progressive download enabling Internet video streaming services. We demonstrated the capability of the P2P progressive download in both laboratory test network as well as in the Internet. Through the experiments, we clarified the contribution of the FTTH links to the P2P progressive download in the heterogeneous access networks consisting of FTTH and ADSL links. We analyzed the cause of some download performance degradation occurred in the experiment and discussed about the effective methods to provide the video streaming service using P2P progressive download in the current heterogeneous networks.

Sub-ion scale plasmoids during collisionless reconnection on TREX

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Olson, Joseph; Egedal, Jan; Myers, Rachel; Greess, Sam; Clark, Mike; Wallace, John; Forest, Cary; Wisconsin Plasma Astrophysics Laboratory Collaboration

2016-10-01

The Terrestrial Reconnection Experiment (TREX), operating at the Wisconsin Plasma Astrophysics Laboratory, is able to explore a collisionless regime inaccessible to previous reconnection experiments. To date, TREX has already achieved Lundquist numbers up to 104 where kinetic effects, such as electron pressure anisotropy, become important to the reconnection dynamics. During a recent run campaign in this collisionless regime, the spontaneous formation of magnetic islands (plasmoids) inside the ion diffusion region was observed. It is known that long current layers are susceptible to tearing, leading to the formation of plasmoids, and that these plasmoids have strong effects on the reconnection rate and particle energization. However, contrary to theoretical and numerical predictions, the TREX experiments show that the plasmoid instability is active even when the current layer is less than one di long. Analysis of these events shows that smaller plasmoids occur at a higher rate than larger ones, suggesting that magnetic islands could be seeded in plasmas more effectively than previously thought.

Fuel-Air Mixing and Combustion in Scramjets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Drummond, J. P.; Diskin, Glenn S.; Cutler, A. D.

2002-01-01

Activities in the area of scramjet fuel-air mixing and combustion associated with the Research and Technology Organization Working Group on Technologies for Propelled Hypersonic Flight are described. Work discussed in this paper has centered on the design of two basic experiments for studying the mixing and combustion of fuel and air in a scramjet. Simulations were conducted to aid in the design of these experiments. The experimental models were then constructed, and data were collected in the laboratory. Comparison of the data from a coaxial jet mixing experiment and a supersonic combustor experiment with a combustor code were then made and described. This work was conducted by NATO to validate combustion codes currently employed in scramjet design and to aid in the development of improved turbulence and combustion models employed by the codes.

Using Microwave Sample Decomposition in Undergraduate Analytical Chemistry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Griff Freeman, R.; McCurdy, David L.

1998-08-01

A shortcoming of many undergraduate classes in analytical chemistry is that students receive little exposure to sample preparation in chemical analysis. This paper reports the progress made in introducing microwave sample decomposition into several quantitative analysis experiments at Truman State University. Two experiments being performed in our current laboratory rotation include closed vessel microwave decomposition applied to the classical gravimetric determination of nickel and the determination of sodium in snack foods by flame atomic emission spectrometry. A third lab, using open-vessel microwave decomposition for the Kjeldahl nitrogen determination is now ready for student trial. Microwave decomposition reduces the time needed to complete these experiments and significantly increases the student awareness of the importance of sample preparation in quantitative chemical analyses, providing greater breadth and realism in the experiments.

Micromachined probes for laboratory plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chiang, Franklin Changta

As we begin to find more applications for plasmas in our everyday lives, the ability to characterize and understand their inner workings becomes increasingly important. Much of our current understanding of plasma physics comes from investigations conducted in diffuse, outer space plasmas where experimenters have no control over the environment or experimental conditions and one measures interesting phenomena only by chance when the spacecraft or satellite passes through them. Ideally, experiments should be performed in a controlled environment, where plasma events can be deliberately and reliably created when wanted and probes placed precisely within the plasma. Unfortunately, often due to their size, probes used in outer space are unsuitable for use in high-density laboratory plasmas, and constructing probes that can be used in terrestrial plasmas is a considerable challenge. This dissertation presents the development, implementation, and experimental results of three micromachined probes capable of measuring voltage and electric field, ion energies, and changing magnetic fields (B-dot) in laboratory plasmas.

Integrating research into operational practice

PubMed Central

Ross, Alastair

2015-01-01

Research and development can be classified into three categories: technology adoption, technology extension, and knowledge and technology creation. In general, technology adoption is embedded in operational forensic science laboratory practice but the latter two categories require partnerships with industry and/or academia both to conduct the research and implement the outcomes. In a 2012 survey, Australian and New Zealand forensic science laboratories identified a number of ‘roadblocks’ to undertaking research and operationalizing research outcomes. These included insufficient time and funding, a lack of in-house research experience and the absence of a tangible research culture. Allied to this is that, increasingly, forensic science research is conducted in a ‘commercial in confidence’ environment and the outcomes are not readily or cost-effectively available to be integrated into operational forensic science laboratories. The paper is predominantly reflective of the current situation in Australia and New Zealand PMID:26101286

Ferrets as Models for Influenza Virus Transmission Studies and Pandemic Risk Assessments

PubMed Central

Barclay, Wendy; Barr, Ian; Fouchier, Ron A.M.; Matsuyama, Ryota; Nishiura, Hiroshi; Peiris, Malik; Russell, Charles J.; Subbarao, Kanta; Zhu, Huachen

2018-01-01

The ferret transmission model is extensively used to assess the pandemic potential of emerging influenza viruses, yet experimental conditions and reported results vary among laboratories. Such variation can be a critical consideration when contextualizing results from independent risk-assessment studies of novel and emerging influenza viruses. To streamline interpretation of data generated in different laboratories, we provide a consensus on experimental parameters that define risk-assessment experiments of influenza virus transmissibility, including disclosure of variables known or suspected to contribute to experimental variability in this model, and advocate adoption of more standardized practices. We also discuss current limitations of the ferret transmission model and highlight continued refinements and advances to this model ongoing in laboratories. Understanding, disclosing, and standardizing the critical parameters of ferret transmission studies will improve the comparability and reproducibility of pandemic influenza risk assessment and increase the statistical power and, perhaps, accuracy of this model. PMID:29774862

Forward Technology Solar Cell Experiment (FTSCE) for MISSE-5 Verified and Readied for Flight on STS-114

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jenkins, Phillip P.; Krasowski, Michael J.; Greer, Lawrence C.; Flatico, Joseph M.

2005-01-01

The Forward Technology Solar Cell Experiment (FTSCE) is a space solar cell experiment built as part of the Fifth Materials on the International Space Station Experiment (MISSE-5): Data Acquisition and Control Hardware and Software. It represents a collaborative effort between the NASA Glenn Research Center, the Naval Research Laboratory, and the U.S. Naval Academy. The purpose of this experiment is to place current and future solar cell technologies on orbit where they will be characterized and validated. This is in response to recent on-orbit and ground test results that raised concerns about the in-space survivability of new solar cell technologies and about current ground test methodology. The various components of the FTSCE are assembled into a passive experiment container--a 2- by 2- by 4-in. folding metal container that will be attached by an astronaut to the outer structure of the International Space Station. Data collected by the FTSCE will be relayed to the ground through a transmitter assembled by the U.S. Naval Academy. Data-acquisition electronics and software were designed to be tolerant of the thermal and radiation effects expected on orbit. The experiment has been verified and readied for flight on STS-114.

75 FR 15675 - Professional Research Experience Program in Chemical Science and Technology Laboratory...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-03-30

... in physics, chemistry, mathematics, computer science, or engineering. Institutions should have a 4..., mathematics, computer science, or engineering with work experiences in laboratories or other settings...-0141-01] Professional Research Experience Program in Chemical Science and Technology Laboratory...

Transmission of Rift Valley fever virus from European-breed lambs to Culex pipiens mosquitoes.

PubMed

Vloet, Rianka P M; Vogels, Chantal B F; Koenraadt, Constantianus J M; Pijlman, Gorben P; Eiden, Martin; Gonzales, Jose L; van Keulen, Lucien J M; Wichgers Schreur, Paul J; Kortekaas, Jeroen

2017-12-01

Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) is a mosquito-borne bunyavirus of the genus Phlebovirus that is highly pathogenic to ruminants and humans. The disease is currently confined to Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, but globalization and climate change may facilitate introductions of the virus into currently unaffected areas via infected animals or mosquitoes. The consequences of such an introduction will depend on environmental factors, the availability of susceptible ruminants and the capacity of local mosquitoes to transmit the virus. We have previously demonstrated that lambs native to the Netherlands are highly susceptible to RVFV and we here report the vector competence of Culex (Cx.) pipiens, the most abundant and widespread mosquito species in the country. Vector competence was first determined after artificial blood feeding of laboratory-reared mosquitoes using the attenuated Clone 13 strain. Subsequently, experiments with wild-type RVFV and mosquitoes hatched from field-collected eggs were performed. Finally, the transmission of RVFV from viremic lambs to mosquitoes was studied. Artificial feeding experiments using Clone 13 demonstrated that indigenous, laboratory-reared Cx. pipiens mosquitoes are susceptible to RVFV and that the virus can be transmitted via their saliva. Experiments with wild-type RVFV and mosquitoes hatched from field-collected eggs confirmed the vector competence of Cx. pipiens mosquitoes from the Netherlands. To subsequently investigate transmission of the virus under more natural conditions, mosquitoes were allowed to feed on RVFV-infected lambs during the viremic period. We found that RVFV is efficiently transmitted from lambs to mosquitoes, although transmission was restricted to peak viremia. Interestingly, in the mosquito-exposed skin samples, replication of RVFV was detected in previously unrecognized target cells. We here report the vector competence of Cx. pipiens mosquitoes from the Netherlands for RVFV. Both laboratory-reared mosquitoes and well as those hatched from field-collected eggs were found to be competent vectors. Moreover, RVFV was transmitted efficiently from indigenous lambs to mosquitoes, although the duration of host infectivity was found to be shorter than previously assumed. Interestingly, analysis of mosquito-exposed skin samples revealed previously unidentified target cells of the virus. Our findings underscore the value of including natural target species in vector competence experiments.

Computerized approaches to enhance understanding of organic reaction mechanisms: CAN reaction mechanisms and CPLEX prelaboratory methodology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Al-Shammari, Abdulrahman G. Alhamzani

2008-10-01

Two approaches to enhance the understanding of organic reaction mechanisms are described. First, a new method for teaching organic reaction mechanisms that can be used in a Computer-Assisted Instruction (CAI) environment is proposed and tested (Chapter 1). The method concentrates upon the important intermediate structures, which are assumed to be on the reaction coordinate, and which can be evaluated and graded by currently available computer techniques. At the same time, the "curved arrows" that show the electron flow in a reaction mechanism are neglected, since they cannot be evaluated and graded with currently available computer techniques. By allowing student practice for learning organic reaction mechanisms using the Curved Arrow Neglect (CAN) method within a "Practice Makes Perfect" CAI method, student performance in the drawing of traditional reaction mechanisms, in which students had to include the "curved arrows" on their written classroom exams, was significantly enhanced. Second, computerized prelaboratory experiments (CPLEX) for organic chemistry laboratory 1 & 2 courses have been created, used, and evaluated (Chapters 2 and 3). These computerized prelabs are unique because they combine both "dry lab" actions with detailed animations of the actual chemistry occurring at the molecular level. The "dry lab" serves to simulate the actual physical manipulations of equipment and chemicals that occur in the laboratory experiment through the use of drag-and-drop computer technology. At the same time, these physical actions are accompanied on a separate part of the computer screen by animations showing the chemistry at the molecular level that is occurring in the experiment. These CPLEX modules were made into Internet accessible modules. The students were allowed to access the CPLEX modules prior to performing the actual laboratory experiment. A detailed evaluation of students' perception of the modules was accomplished via survey methodology during the entire implementation process over the course of three semesters. Results of the survey data indicate that students thought that they better understood the chemical principles and procedures of the laboratory experiment. Interestingly, students prefer the CPLEX prelaboratory materials, compared to the traditional textbooks, by a wide margin (Chapter 2). The utility of CPLEX was further demonstrated by enabling a study of the effectiveness of animated reaction mechanisms to promote student learning. While most instructors believe that animated mechanisms aid student understanding of reactions, there has been no quantitative data to-date to support this view. In this work, a quantitative study, using an experimental/control group study, was conducted to provide data on the effectiveness of animated reaction mechanisms to promote student learning. Analysis of student answers, using an appropriate rubric, demonstrated that there was a statistically significant improvement in students' scores in the mechanistic question of a pre-laboratory quiz in the post-treatment results of the experimental group which had had access to the animated reaction mechanisms (Chapter 3).

Neutron star matter equation of state: current status and challenges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ohnishi, Akira

2014-09-01

Neutron star matter has a variety of constituents and structures depending on the density; neutron-rich nuclei surounded by electrons and drip neutrons in the crust, pasta nuclei at the bottom of inner crust, and uniform isospin-asymmetric nuclear matter in a superfluid state in the outer core. In the inner core, the neutron Fermi energy becomes so large that exotic constituents such as hyperons, mesons and quarks may emerge. Radioactive beam and hypernuclear experiments provide information on the symmetry energy and superfluidity in the crust and outer core and on the hyperon potentials in the inner core, respectively. Cold atom experiments are also helpful to understand pure neutron matter, which may be simulated by the unitary gas. An equation of state (EOS) constructed based on these laboratory experiments has to be verified by the astronomical observations such as the mass, radius, and oscillations of neutron stars. One of the key but missing ingredients is the three-baryon interactions such as the hyperon-hyperon-nucleon (YYN) interaction. YYN interaction is important in order to explain the recently discovered massive neutron stars consistently with laboratory experiments. We have recently found that the ΛΛ interaction extracted from the ΛΛ correlation at RHIC is somewhat stronger than that from double Λ hypernuclei. Since these two interactions corresponds to the vacuum and in-medium ΛΛ interactions, respectively, the difference may tell us a possible way to access the YYN interaction based on experimental data. In the presentation, after a review on the current status of neutron star matter EOS studies, we discuss the necessary tasks to pin down the EOS. We also present our recent study of ΛΛ interaction from correlation data at RHIC.

Experimental study of current loss and plasma formation in the Z machine post-hole convolute

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gomez, M. R.; Gilgenbach, R. M.; Cuneo, M. E.; Jennings, C. A.; McBride, R. D.; Waisman, E. M.; Hutsel, B. T.; Stygar, W. A.; Rose, D. V.; Maron, Y.

2017-01-01

The Z pulsed-power generator at Sandia National Laboratories drives high energy density physics experiments with load currents of up to 26 MA. Z utilizes a double post-hole convolute to combine the current from four parallel magnetically insulated transmission lines into a single transmission line just upstream of the load. Current loss is observed in most experiments and is traditionally attributed to inefficient convolute performance. The apparent loss current varies substantially for z-pinch loads with different inductance histories; however, a similar convolute impedance history is observed for all load types. This paper details direct spectroscopic measurements of plasma density, temperature, and apparent and actual plasma closure velocities within the convolute. Spectral measurements indicate a correlation between impedance collapse and plasma formation in the convolute. Absorption features in the spectra show the convolute plasma consists primarily of hydrogen, which likely forms from desorbed electrode contaminant species such as H2O , H2 , and hydrocarbons. Plasma densities increase from 1 ×1016 cm-3 (level of detectability) just before peak current to over 1 ×1017 cm-3 at stagnation (tens of ns later). The density seems to be highest near the cathode surface, with an apparent cathode to anode plasma velocity in the range of 35 - 50 cm /μ s . Similar plasma conditions and convolute impedance histories are observed in experiments with high and low losses, suggesting that losses are driven largely by load dynamics, which determine the voltage on the convolute.

Multidimensional Screening as a Pharmacology Laboratory Experience.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Malone, Marvin H.; And Others

1979-01-01

A multidimensional pharmacodynamic screening experiment that addresses drug interaction is included in the pharmacology-toxicology laboratory experience of pharmacy students at the University of the Pacific. The student handout with directions for the procedure is reproduced, drug compounds tested are listed, and laboratory evaluation results are…

Laboratory Diagnosis and Characterization of Fungal Disease in Patients with Cystic Fibrosis (CF): A Survey of Current UK Practice in a Cohort of Clinical Microbiology Laboratories.

PubMed

Boyle, Maeve; Moore, John E; Whitehouse, Joanna L; Bilton, Diana; Downey, Damian G

2018-03-02

There is much uncertainty as to how fungal disease is diagnosed and characterized in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). A 19-question anonymous electronic questionnaire was developed and distributed to ascertain current practice in clinical microbiology laboratories providing a fungal laboratory service to CF centres in the UK. Analyses of responses identified the following: (1) current UK laboratory practice, in general, follows the current guidelines, but the scope and diversity of what is currently being delivered by laboratories far exceeds what is detailed in the guidelines; (2) there is a lack of standardization of fungal tests amongst laboratories, outside of the current guidelines; (3) both the UK CF Trust Laboratory Standards for Processing Microbiological Samples from People with Cystic Fibrosis and the US Cumulative Techniques and Procedures in Clinical Microbiology (Cumitech) Guidelines 43 Cystic Fibrosis Microbiology need to be updated to reflect both new methodological innovations, as well as better knowledge of fungal disease pathophysiology in CF; (4) there is a need for clinical medicine to decide upon a stratification strategy for the provision of new fungal assays that will add value to the physician in the optimal management of CF patients; (5) there is also a need to rationale what assays should be performed at local laboratory level and those which are best served at National Mycology Reference Laboratory level; and (6) further research is required in developing laboratory assays, which will help ascertain the clinical importance of 'old' fungal pathogens, as well as 'emerging' fungal pathogens.

Current Landscape and New Paradigms of Proficiency Testing and External Quality Assessment for Molecular Genetics

PubMed Central

Kalman, Lisa V.; Lubin, Ira M.; Barker, Shannon; du Sart, Desiree; Elles, Rob; Grody, Wayne W.; Pazzagli, Mario; Richards, Sue; Schrijver, Iris; Zehnbauer, Barbara

2015-01-01

Context Participation in proficiency testing (PT) or external quality assessment (EQA) programs allows the assessment and comparison of test performance among different clinical laboratories and technologies. In addition to the approximately 2300 tests for individual genetic disorders, recent advances in technology have enabled the development of clinical tests which quickly and economically analyze the entire human genome. New PT/EQA approaches are needed to ensure the continued quality of these complex tests. Objective To review the availability and scope of PT/EQA for molecular genetic testing for inherited conditions in Europe, Australasia and the United States; to evaluate the successes and demonstrated value of available PT/EQA programs; and to examine the challenges to the provision of comprehensive PT/EQA posed by new laboratory practices and methodologies. Data Sources The available literature on this topic was reviewed and supplemented with personal experiences of several PT/EQA providers. Conclusions PT/EQA schemes are available for common genetic disorders tested in many clinical laboratories, but are not available for most genetic tests offered by only one or a few laboratories. Provision of broad, method-based PT schemes, such as DNA sequencing, would allow assessment of a large number of tests for which formal PT is not currently available. Participation in PT/EQA improves the quality of testing by identifying inaccuracies that laboratories can trace to errors in the testing process. Areas of research and development to ensure that PT/EQA programs can meet the needs of new and evolving genetic tests and technologies are identified and discussed. PMID:23808472

Negative cognitive style and cortisol recovery accentuate the relationship between life stress and depressive symptoms.

PubMed

Quinn, Meghan E; Grant, Kathryn E; Adam, Emma K

2018-03-01

When exposed to stressful life events, a significant number of adolescents will experience depressive symptoms. One model of depression suggests that individuals with a negative cognitive style are most vulnerable to depression following life stress. Alternatively, altered activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis may explain vulnerability to depression following life stress. Each of these models plausibly explains the emergence of depressive symptoms during adolescence and have been investigated largely independently. The current study recruited a sample of urban adolescents (N = 179) to evaluate whether cortisol response to a laboratory stress induction and negative cognitive style are related and whether they independently interact with exposure to stressful life events to predict symptoms of depression. Negative cognitive style was not associated with cortisol response to the laboratory stressor. Rather, negative cognitive style and cortisol recovery independently interacted with stressful life events to predict current symptoms of depression. Results support a heterogeneous etiology of depression.

A Laboratory Study of Slope Flows Dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Capriati, Andrea; Cenedese, Antonio; Monti, Paolo

2003-11-01

Slope flows currents can contribute significantly in the diurnal circulation and air quality of complex terrain regions (mountains, valleys, etc.). During the daytime, solar heating warms the valley sides, causing up-slope (or anabatic) winds. In contrast, radiative cooling of the valley sides results in cold down-slope (drainage or katabatic) flows, characterized by small vertical extensions (usually 10-200 m) and with the typical features of dense gravity currents. In this paper, some preliminary results on slope flows obtained by means of a series of experiments conducted in the laboratory using a temperature controlled water tank are shown. Rakes of thermocouples are used to determine the temperature structure and particle tracking velocimetry is used for the velocity measurements. A simple slope consisting of a plate in which the temperature is forced via a set of Peltier Cells is used. The analysis is performed considering different slope angles, background thermal stratifications and surface heat fluxes as well. Comparisons with theoretical and empirical laws found in literature are reported.

A new ion-beam laboratory for materials research at the Slovak University of Technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Noga, Pavol; Dobrovodský, Jozef; Vaňa, Dušan; Beňo, Matúš; Závacká, Anna; Muška, Martin; Halgaš, Radoslav; Minárik, Stanislav; Riedlmajer, Róbert

2017-10-01

An ion beam laboratory (IBL) for materials research has been commissioned recently at the Slovak University of Technology within the University Science Park CAMBO located in Trnava. The facility will support research in the field of materials science, physical engineering and nanotechnology. Ion-beam materials modification (IBMM) as well as ion-beam analysis (IBA) are covered and deliverable ion energies are in the range from tens of keV up to tens of MeV. Two systems have been put into operation. First, a high current version of the HVEE 6 MV Tandetron electrostatic tandem accelerator with duoplasmatron and cesium sputtering ion sources, equipped with two end-stations: a high-energy ion implantation and IBA end-station which includes RBS, PIXE and ERDA analytical systems. Second, a 500 kV implanter equipped with a Bernas type ion source and two experimental wafer processing end-stations. The facility itself, operational experience and first IBMM and IBA experiments are presented together with near-future plans and ongoing development of the IBL.

Spectroscopic Analysis and Thomson Scattering Diagnostics of Wire Produced Plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Plechaty, Christopher; Sotnikov, Vladimir; Main, Daniel; Caplinger, James; Wallerstein, Austin; Kim, Tony

2014-10-01

The Lower Hybrid Drift Instability (LHDI) in plasma is driven by the presence of inhomogeneities in density, temperature, or magnetic field (Krall 1971, Davidson 1977), and occurs in systems where the electrons are magnetized and the ions are effectively unmagnetized. The LHDI is thought to occur in magnetic reconnection (Huba 1977), and has also been investigated as a mitigation technique which can allow for communications to take place through the plasma formed around hypersonic aircraft (Sotnikov 2010). To further understand the phenomenology of the LHDI, we plan to carry out experiments at the Air Force Research Laboratory, in the newly formed Plasma Physics Sensors Laboratory. In experiment, a pulsed power generator is employed to produce plasma by passing current through single, or dual-wire configurations. To characterize the plasma, a Thomson scattering diagnostic is employed, along with a visible spectroscopy diagnostic. This work was performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Defense by Riverside Research under Contract BAA-FA8650-13-C-1539.

Microgravity Effects on Microbiology In Space Laboratories

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nelson, Emily S.; Juergensmeyer, Elizabeth; Juergensmeyer, Margaret

2000-01-01

Here we present a review of the effects of residual acceleration on microorganisms in space Laboratories. Residual acceleration in the microgravity environment is frequently ignored by microbiologists, although their experiments may be as sensitive to this acceleration as those designed by materials scientists and fluid physicists. Furthermore, analysis to date has been largely empirical and/or based on very simple theoretical models. As a result, the responses of single cells to the space environment are widely assumed to be taking place in "pure" microgravity. These responses vary widely and are not well understood. Some of this variation may be due to the range of microgravity conditions experience by organisms. In the future, as we move from visiting orbital environments to living and working there, we will undoubtedly bring microorganisms with us. It is also quite likely that the first extraterrestrial life we encounter will be single-celled organisms. Therefore, we would like to present a summary of the current knowledge base, and to challenge the space community to develop new approaches in understanding this important field.

Modular Digital Course in Undergraduate Neuroscience Education (MDCUNE): A Website Offering Free Digital Tools for Neuroscience Educators.

PubMed

Grisham, William

2009-01-01

We are providing free digital resources for teaching neuroscience labs at http://mdcune.psych.ucla.edu/. These resources will ultimately include materials for teaching laboratories in electrophysiology of neuronal circuits (SWIMMY), a Neuroinformatics/Bioinformatics module, and two modules for investigating the effects of hormones on early CNS development-one focusing on the development of the song system and one focusing on sex differences in spinal cord motor neurons. All of these modules are inquiry based-students gain from genuine experiences in doing actual studies rather than just simulations. These materials should provide instructors the ability to provide good quality laboratory experiences regardless of resource limitations. Currently, modules on sex differences in the spinal cord and virtual neural circuits (SWIMMY) are available on our website. More will be available in summer 2009 and 2010. SWIMMY was demonstrated at the Faculty for Undergraduate Neuroscience (FUN) Workshop-The Undergraduate Neuroscience Education: Interactions, interdisciplines, and curricular best practices at Macalester College in July 2008.

Paying for performance: Performance incentives increase desire for the reward object.

PubMed

Hur, Julia D; Nordgren, Loran F

2016-09-01

The current research examines how exposure to performance incentives affects one's desire for the reward object. We hypothesized that the flexible nature of performance incentives creates an attentional fixation on the reward object (e.g., money), which leads people to become more desirous of the rewards. Results from 5 laboratory experiments and 1 large-scale field study provide support for this prediction. When performance was incentivized with monetary rewards, participants reported being more desirous of money (Study 1), put in more effort to earn additional money in an ensuing task (Study 2), and were less willing to donate money to charity (Study 4). We replicated the result with nonmonetary rewards (Study 5). We also found that performance incentives increased attention to the reward object during the task, which in part explains the observed effects (Study 6). A large-scale field study replicated these findings in a real-world setting (Study 7). One laboratory experiment failed to replicate (Study 3). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Designs and Plans for MAIZE: a 1 MA LTD-Driven Z-Pinch

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gilgenbach, R. M.; Gomez, M. R.; Zier, J.; Tang, W.; French, D. M.; Hoff, B. W.; Jordan, N.; Cruz, E.; Lau, Y. Y.; Fowler-Guzzardo, T.; Meisel, J.; Mazarakis, M. G.; Cuneo, M. E.; Johnston, M. D.; Mehlhorn, T. A.; Kim, A. A.; Sinebryukhov, V. A.

2007-11-01

We present designs and experimental plans of the first 1 MA z-pinch in the USA to be driven by a Linear Transformer Driver (LTD). The Michigan Accelerator for Inductive Z-pinch Experiments, (MAIZE), is based on the LTD developed at the Institute for High Current Electronics, utilizing 80 capacitors and 40 spark gap switches to deliver a 1 MA, 100 kV pulse with <100 ns risetime. Designs will be presented of a low-inductance MITL terminated in a wire-array z-pinch. Initial, planned experiments will evaluate the LTD driving time-changing inductance of imploding 4-16 wire-array z-pinches. Wire ablation dynamics, axial-correlations and instability development will be explored. *This work was supported by U. S. DoE through Sandia National Laboratories award number 240985 to the University of Michigan. Sandia is a multiprogram laboratory operated by Sandia Corporation, a Lockheed Martin Company, for the United States Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration under Contract DE-AC04-94AL85000.

Photon-photon scattering at the high-intensity frontier

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gies, Holger; Karbstein, Felix; Kohlfürst, Christian; Seegert, Nico

2018-04-01

The tremendous progress in high-intensity laser technology and the establishment of dedicated high-field laboratories in recent years have paved the way towards a first observation of quantum vacuum nonlinearities at the high-intensity frontier. We advocate a particularly prospective scenario, where three synchronized high-intensity laser pulses are brought into collision, giving rise to signal photons, whose frequency and propagation direction differ from the driving laser pulses, thus providing various means to achieve an excellent signal to background separation. Based on the theoretical concept of vacuum emission, we employ an efficient numerical algorithm which allows us to model the collision of focused high-intensity laser pulses in unprecedented detail. We provide accurate predictions for the numbers of signal photons accessible in experiment. Our study is the first to predict the precise angular spread of the signal photons, and paves the way for a first verification of quantum vacuum nonlinearity in a well-controlled laboratory experiment at one of the many high-intensity laser facilities currently coming online.

Wellbore Completion Systems Containment Breach Solution Experiments at a Large Scale Underground Research Laboratory : Sealant placement & scale-up from Lab to Field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goodman, H.

2017-12-01

This investigation seeks to develop sealant technology that can restore containment to completed wells that suffer CO2 gas leakages currently untreatable using conventional technologies. Experimentation is performed at the Mont Terri Underground Research Laboratory (MT-URL) located in NW Switzerland. The laboratory affords investigators an intermediate-scale test site that bridges the gap between the laboratory bench and full field-scale conditions. Project focus is the development of CO2 leakage remediation capability using sealant technology. The experimental concept includes design and installation of a field scale completion package designed to mimic well systems heating-cooling conditions that may result in the development of micro-annuli detachments between the casing-cement-formation boundaries (Figure 1). Of particular interest is to test novel sealants that can be injected in to relatively narrow micro-annuli flow-paths of less than 120 microns aperture. Per a special report on CO2 storage submitted to the IPCC[1], active injection wells, along with inactive wells that have been abandoned, are identified as one of the most probable sources of leakage pathways for CO2 escape to the surface. Origins of pressure leakage common to injection well and completions architecture often occur due to tensile cracking from temperature cycles, micro-annulus by casing contraction (differential casing to cement sheath movement) and cement sheath channel development. This discussion summarizes the experiment capability and sealant testing results. The experiment concludes with overcoring of the entire mock-completion test site to assess sealant performance in 2018. [1] IPCC Special Report on Carbon Dioxide Capture and Storage (September 2005), section 5.7.2 Processes and pathways for release of CO2 from geological storage sites, page 244

A new high current laboratory and pulsed homopolar generator power supply at the University of Texas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Floyd, J. E.; Aanstoos, T. A.

1984-03-01

The University of Texas at Austin is constructing a facility for research in pulse power technology for the Center for Electromechanics at the Balcones Research Center. The facility, designed to support high-current experiments, will be powered by six homopolar generators, each rated at 10 MJ and arranged to allow matching the requirements of resistive and inductive loads at various voltage and current combinations. Topics covered include the high bay, the power supply configuration and parameters, the speed and field control, and the magnetic circuit. Also considered are the removable air-cooled brushes, the water-cooled field coils, the hydraulic motor sizing and direct coupling, the low-impedance removable field coils, and the hydrostatic bearing design.

INEL BNCT Research Program, March/April 1992

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

Venhuizen, J.R.

1992-09-01

This report presents summaries for two months of current research for the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL) Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT) Program. Information is presented on development and murino screening experiments of low-density lipoprotein, carboranyl alanine, and liposome boron containing compounds. Pituitary tumor call culture studies are described. Drug stability, pharmacology and toxicity evaluation of borocaptate sodium (BSH) and boronopheoylalanine (BPA) are described. Treatment protocol development via the large animal (canine) model studies and physiological response evaluation in rats are discussed. Supporting technology development and technical support activities for boron drug biochemistry and purity, analytical and measurement dosimetry, andmore » noninvasive boron quantification activities are included for the current time period. Current publications for the two months are listed.« less

Engineering design of a high-temperature superconductor current lead

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Niemann, R. C.; Cha, Y. S.; Hull, J. R.; Daugherty, M. A.; Buckles, W. E.

As part of the US Department of Energy's Superconductivity Pilot Center Program, Argonne National Laboratory and Superconductivity, Inc., are developing high-temperature superconductor (HTS) current leads suitable for application to superconducting magnetic energy storage systems. The principal objective of the development program is to design, construct, and evaluate the performance of HTS current leads suitable for near-term applications. Supporting objectives are to (1) develop performance criteria; (2) develop a detailed design; (3) analyze performance; (4) gain manufacturing experience in the areas of materials and components procurement, fabrication and assembly, quality assurance, and cost; (5) measure performance of critical components and the overall assembly; (6) identify design uncertainties and develop a program for their study; and (7) develop application-acceptance criteria.

[The current clinical laboratory in the public health system and medical science: a lecture].

PubMed

Men'shikov, V V

2011-11-01

The analytic and diagnostic possibilities of current clinical laboratories are discussed. The roles of laboratory information in the formation of new research directions are characterized. The proposals on the development of economic basics of the development of laboratory medicine.

Reference earth orbital research and applications investigations (blue book). Volume 3: Physics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1971-01-01

The definition of physics experiments to be conducted aboard the space station is presented. The four functional program elements are: (1) space physics research laboratory, (2) plasma physics and environmental perturbation laboratory, (3) cosmic ray physics laboratory, and (4) physics and chemistry laboratory. The experiments to be conducted by each facility are defined and the crew member requirements to accomplish the experiments are presented.

Simulation of the 3-D Evolution of Electron Scale Magnetic Reconnection - Motivated by Laboratory Experiments Predictions for MMS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buechner, J.; Jain, N.; Sharma, A.

2013-12-01

The four s/c of the Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission, to be launched in 2014, will use the Earth's magnetosphere as a laboratory to study the microphysics of three fundamental plasma processes. One of them is magnetic reconnection, an essentially multi-scale process. While laboratory experiments and past theoretical investigations have shown that important processes necessary to understand magnetic reconnection take place at electron scales the MMS mission for the first time will be able to resolve these scales by in space observations. For the measurement strategy of MMS it is important to make specific predictions of the behavior of current sheets with a thickness of the order of the electron skin depth which play an important role in the evolution of collisionless magnetic reconnection. Since these processes are highly nonlinear and non-local numerical simulation is needed to specify the current sheet evolution. Here we present new results about the nonlinear evolution of electron-scale current sheets starting from the linear stage and using 3-D electron-magnetohydrodynamic (EMHD) simulations. The growth rates of the simulated instabilities compared well with the growth rates obtained from linear theory. Mechanisms and conditions of the formation of flux ropes and of current filamentation will be discussed in comparison with the results of fully kinetic simulations. In 3D the X- and O-point configurations of the magnetic field formed in reconnection planes alternate along the out-of-reconnection-plane direction with the wavelength of the unstable mode. In the presence of multiple reconnection sites, the out-of-plane magnetic field can develop nested structure of quadrupoles in reconnection planes, similar to the 2-D case, but now with variations in the out-of-plane direction. The structures of the electron flow and magnetic field in 3-D simulations will be compared with those in 2-D simulations to discriminate the essentially 3D features. We also discuss the influence of guide fields, as in the magnetopause case and show how the 3-D evolution of an electron current sheet is influenced the strength of the guide field. This is unlike the 2-D case where reconnection takes place only in a plane. This work was partially funded by the Max-Planck/Princeton Center for Plasma Physics and the National Science Foundation.

Bilogical effects of ionizing radiation: epidemiological surveys and laboratory animal experiments. Implications for risk evaluation and decision processes

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

Fabrikant, J.I.

1981-04-01

General background is given for an understanding of the potential health effects in populations exposed to low-level ionizing radiations. The discussion is within the framework of the scientific deliberations and controversies that arose during preparation of the current report of the committee on the biological effects of ionizing radiation of the National Academy of Science - National Research Council (1980 Beir-III Report). (ACR)

Annotated Bibliography of the Air Force Human Resources Laboratory Technical Reports - 1978

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-06-01

selection of incentives for classroom use. Grade-related and non -grade-related incentives were described in this experiment in a manner designed to...information monitoring- feedback. The current piractice= materials and methods are an outgroiuth of experimental aJpproache-s to the design . dev...operated in a stand- alone mode, the R & M model can be utilized to analyze the impact of various avionics design configurations on system support

Commerce Lab: Mission analysis and payload integration study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1984-01-01

The needs of an aggressive commercial microgravity program are identified, space missions are defined, and infrastructural issues are identified and analyzed. A commercial laboratory, commerce lab, is conceived to be one or more an array of carriers which would fly aboard the space shuttle and accommodate microgravity science experiment payloads. Commerce lab is seen as a logical transition between currently planned space shuttle missions and future microgravity missions centered around the space station.

A Knowledge-Base for Rehabilitation of Airfield Concrete Pavements

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-01-01

pavement engineer is located at a Major Command which oversees the operation of several Air Force bases. The five largest commands are the Strategic Air... Strategic Air Command (SAC) pavement engineer at Offutt AFB, NE 1980 - 1982: COE Materials & Concrete Division (MRD) Laboratory engineer 1976 - 1980...LaFrenz TITLE OR POSITION: Strategic Air Command Pavement Engineer PHONE: MAIL ADDRESS: HQ SAC/DEM Offutt AFB, NE YEARS IN CURRENT ASSIGNMENT: 2 EXPERIENCE

Remote access laboratories in Australia and Europe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ku, H.; Ahfock, T.; Yusaf, T.

2011-06-01

Remote access laboratories (RALs) were first developed in 1994 in Australia and Switzerland. The main purposes of developing them are to enable students to do their experiments at their own pace, time and locations and to enable students and teaching staff to get access to facilities beyond their institutions. Currently, most of the experiments carried out through RALs in Australia are heavily biased towards electrical, electronic and computer engineering disciplines. However, the experiments carried out through RALs in Europe had more variety, in addition to the traditional electrical, electronic and computer engineering disciplines, there were experiments in mechanical and mechatronic disciplines. It was found that RALs are now being developed aggressively in Australia and Europe and it can be argued that RALs will develop further and faster in the future with improving Internet technology. The rising costs of real experimental equipment will also speed up their development because by making the equipment remotely accessible, the cost can be shared by more universities or institutions and this will improve their cost-effectiveness. Their development would be particularly rapid in large countries with small populations such as Australia, Canada and Russia, because of the scale of economy. Reusability of software, interoperability in software implementation, computer supported collaborative learning and convergence with learning management systems are the required development of future RALs.

Photocatalytic air purifiers for indoor air: European standard and pilot room experiments.

PubMed

Costarramone, N; Cantau, C; Desauziers, V; Pécheyran, C; Pigot, T; Lacombe, S

2017-05-01

At the European level (CEN/TC386), some efforts are currently devoted to new standards for comparing the efficiency of commercial photocatalytic material/devices in various application fields. Concerning prototype or commercial indoor photocatalytic air purifiers designed for volatile organic compounds (VOC) abatement, the methodology is based on a laboratory airtight chamber. The photocatalytic function is demonstrated by the mineralization of a mixture of five VOCs. Experimental data were obtained for four selected commercial devices and three commercial materials: drop of VOC concentration, but also identification of secondary species (with special attention to formaldehyde), mineralization rates, and Clean Air Delivery Rate (CADR). With two efficient air purifiers, these laboratory experiments were compared to the results in two experimental rooms (35-40 m 3 ) where air pollution was introduced through wooden floor and furniture. The systems' ageing was also studied. The safety of the commercial products was also assessed by the determination of nanoparticle release. Standardized tests are useful to rank photocatalytic air purifiers and passive materials and to discard inefficient ones. A good correlation between the standard experiments and the experimental room experiments was found, even if in the latter case, the concentration of lower weight VOCs drops less quickly than that of heavier VOCs.

Majorana zero modes in superconductor-semiconductor heterostructures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lutchyn, R. M.; Bakkers, E. P. A. M.; Kouwenhoven, L. P.; Krogstrup, P.; Marcus, C. M.; Oreg, Y.

2018-05-01

Realizing topological superconductivity and Majorana zero modes in the laboratory is a major goal in condensed-matter physics. In this Review, we survey the current status of this rapidly developing field, focusing on proposals for the realization of topological superconductivity in semiconductor-superconductor heterostructures. We examine materials science progress in growing InAs and InSb semiconductor nanowires and characterizing these systems. We then discuss the observation of robust signatures of Majorana zero modes in recent experiments, paying particular attention to zero-bias tunnelling conduction measurements and Coulomb blockade experiments. We also outline several next-generation experiments probing exotic properties of Majorana zero modes, including fusion rules and non-Abelian exchange statistics. Finally, we discuss prospects for implementing Majorana-based topological quantum computation.

A Two-Week Guided Inquiry Protein Separation and Detection Experiment for Undergraduate Biochemistry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carolan, James P.; Nolta, Kathleen V.

2016-01-01

A laboratory experiment for teaching protein separation and detection in an undergraduate biochemistry laboratory course is described. This experiment, performed in two, 4 h laboratory periods, incorporates guided inquiry principles to introduce students to the concepts behind and difficulties of protein purification. After using size-exclusion…

Wiki Laboratory Notebooks: Supporting Student Learning in Collaborative Inquiry-Based Laboratory Experiments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lawrie, Gwendolyn Angela; Grøndahl, Lisbeth; Boman, Simon; Andrews, Trish

2016-01-01

Recent examples of high-impact teaching practices in the undergraduate chemistry laboratory that include course-based undergraduate research experiences and inquiry-based experiments require new approaches to assessing individual student learning outcomes. Instructors require tools and strategies that can provide them with insight into individual…

Green Fluorescent Protein-Focused Bioinformatics Laboratory Experiment Suitable for Undergraduates in Biochemistry Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rowe, Laura

2017-01-01

An introductory bioinformatics laboratory experiment focused on protein analysis has been developed that is suitable for undergraduate students in introductory biochemistry courses. The laboratory experiment is designed to be potentially used as a "stand-alone" activity in which students are introduced to basic bioinformatics tools and…

An Example of a Laboratory Teaching Experience in a Professional Year (Plan B) Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, P. J.; And Others

1978-01-01

A laboratory teaching experience (L.T.E.) was designed to focus on three teaching behaviors. It was recognized that a behavioral approach to teaching simplified its complexity by isolating specific teaching behaviors. Discusses the development and evaluation of the laboratory teaching experience. (Author/RK)

Capillary Electrophoresis Analysis of Cations in Water Samples: An Experiment for the Introductory Laboratory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pursell, Christopher J.; Chandler, Bert; Bushey, Michelle M.

2004-01-01

Capillary electrophoresis is gradually working its way into the undergraduate laboratory curriculum. Typically, experiments utilizing this newer technology have been introduced into analytical or instrumental courses. The authors of this article have introduced an experiment into the introductory laboratory that utilizes capillary electrophoresis…

An Undergraduate Laboratory Experiment in Bioinorganic Chemistry: Ligation States of Myoglobin

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bailey, James A.

2011-01-01

Although there are numerous inorganic model systems that are readily presented as undergraduate laboratory experiments in bioinorganic chemistry, there are few examples that explore the inorganic chemistry of actual biological molecules. We present a laboratory experiment using the oxygen-binding protein myoglobin that can be easily incorporated…

Consumer-Oriented Laboratory Activities: A Manual for Secondary Science Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anderson, Jacqueline; McDuffie, Thomas E., Jr.

This document provides a laboratory manual for use by secondary level students in performing consumer-oriented laboratory experiments. Each experiment includes an introductory question outlining the purpose of the investigation, a detailed discussion, detailed procedures, questions to be answered upon completing the experiment, and information for…

Circular dichroism spectroscopy: Enhancing a traditional undergraduate biochemistry laboratory experience.

PubMed

Lewis, Russell L; Seal, Erin L; Lorts, Aimee R; Stewart, Amanda L

2017-11-01

The undergraduate biochemistry laboratory curriculum is designed to provide students with experience in protein isolation and purification protocols as well as various data analysis techniques, which enhance the biochemistry lecture course and give students a broad range of tools upon which to build in graduate level laboratories or once they begin their careers. One of the most common biochemistry protein purification experiments is the isolation and characterization of cytochrome c. Students across the country purify cytochrome c, lysozyme, or some other well-known protein to learn these common purification techniques. What this series of experiments lacks is the use of sophisticated instrumentation that is rarely available to undergraduate students. To give students a broader background in biochemical spectroscopy techniques, a new circular dichroism (CD) laboratory experiment was introduced into the biochemistry laboratory curriculum. This CD experiment provides students with a means of conceptualizing the secondary structure of their purified protein, and assessments indicate that students' understanding of the technique increased significantly. Students conducted this experiment with ease and in a short time frame, so this laboratory is conducive to merging with other data analysis techniques within a single laboratory period. © 2017 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 45(6):515-520, 2017. © 2017 The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

Dense Gravity Currents with Breaking Internal Waves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tanimoto, Yukinobu; Hogg, Charlie; Ouellette, Nicholas; Koseff, Jeffrey

2017-11-01

Shoaling and breaking internal waves along a pycnocline may lead to mixing and dilution of dense gravity currents, such as cold river inflows into lakes or brine effluent from desalination plants in near-coastal environments. In order to explore the interaction between gravity currents and breaking interfacial waves a series of laboratory experiments was performed in which a sequence of internal waves impinge upon a shelf-slope gravity current. The waves are generated in a two-layer thin-interface ambient water column under a variety of conditions characterizing both the waves and the gravity currents. The mixing of the gravity current is measured through both intrusive (CTD probe) and nonintrusive (Planar-laser inducted fluorescence) techniques. We will present results over a full range of Froude number (characterizing the waves) and Richardson number (characterizing the gravity current) conditions, and will discuss the mechanisms by which the gravity current is mixed into the ambient environment including the role of turbulence in the process. National Science Foundation.

Interactive virtual optical laboratories

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Xuan; Yang, Yi

2017-08-01

Laboratory experiences are essential for optics education. However, college students have limited access to advanced optical equipment that is generally expensive and complicated. Hence there is a need for innovative solutions to expose students to advanced optics laboratories. Here we describe a novel approach, interactive virtual optical laboratory (IVOL) that allows unlimited number of students to participate the lab session remotely through internet, to improve laboratory education in photonics. Although students are not physically conducting the experiment, IVOL is designed to engage students, by actively involving students in the decision making process throughout the experiment.

Experimental study on the evolution of Peregrine breather with uniform-depth adverse currents

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liao, B.; Ma, Y.; Ma, X.; Dong, G.

2018-05-01

A series of laboratory experiments were performed to study the evolution of Peregrine breather (PB) in a wave flume in finite depth, and wave trains were initially generated in a region of quiescent water and then propagated into an adverse current region for which the current velocity strength gradually increased from zero to an approximately stable value. The PB is often considered as a prototype of oceanic freak waves that can focus wave energy into a single wave packet. In the experiment, the cases were selected with the relative water depths k0h (k0 is the wave number in quiescent water and h is the water depth) varying from 3.11 through 8.17, and the initial wave steepness k0a0 (a0 is the background wave amplitude) ranges between 0.065 and 0.120. The experimental results show the persistence of the breather evolution dynamics even in the presence of strong opposing currents. We have shown that the characteristic spectrum of the PB persists even on strong currents, thus making it a viable characteristic for prediction of freak waves. It was also found that the adverse currents tend to shift the focusing point upstream compared to the cases without currents. Furthermore, it was found that uniform-depth adverse currents can reduce the breather extension in time domain.

The Timing of an Experiment in the Laboratory Program Is Crucial for the Student Laboratory Experience: Acylation of Ferrocene as a Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Southam, Daniel C.; Shand, Bradley; Buntine, Mark A.; Kable, Scott H.; Read, Justin R.; Morris, Jonathan C.

2013-01-01

An assessment of the acylation of ferrocene laboratory exercise across three successive years resulted in a significant fluctuation in student perception of the experiment. This perception was measured by collecting student responses to an instrument immediately after the experiment, which includes Likert and open-ended responses from the student.…

Training strategies for laboratory animal veterinarians: challenges and opportunities.

PubMed

Colby, Lesley A; Turner, Patricia V; Vasbinder, Mary Ann

2007-01-01

The field of laboratory animal medicine is experiencing a serious shortage of appropriately trained veterinarians for both clinically related and research-oriented positions within academia, industry, and government. Recent outreach efforts sponsored by professional organizations have stimulated increased interest in the field. It is an opportune time to critically review and evaluate postgraduate training opportunities in the United States and Canada, including formal training programs, informal training, publicly accessible training resources and educational opportunities, and newly emerging training resources such as Internet-based learning aids. Challenges related to each of these training opportunities exist and include increasing enrollment in formal programs, securing adequate funding support, ensuring appropriate content between formal programs that may have diverse objectives, and accommodating the training needs of veterinarians who enter the field by the experience route. Current training opportunities and resources that exist for veterinarians who enter and are established within the field of laboratory animal science are examined. Strategies for improving formal laboratory animal medicine training programs and for developing alternative programs more suited to practicing clinical veterinarians are discussed. In addition, the resources for high-quality continuing education of experienced laboratory animal veterinarians are reviewed.

Forsterite and Enstatite Shock Temperatures: Implications for Planetary Impact Melting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Davies, Erik; Root, Seth; Kraus, Rick; Spaulding, Dylan; Stewart, Sarah; Jacobsen, Stein; Mattsson, Thomas; Lemke, Ray

2017-06-01

We present experimental results on enstatite and forsterite to probe extreme conditions in the laboratory in order to examine melting and vaporization of rocky planet mantles upon shock and release. Flyer plate impact experiments are carried out on the Z-Machine at Sandia National Laboratory. Planar, supported shock waves are generated in single crystal samples, permitting observation of both compressed and released states. Shock velocity of the sample is measured using laser interferometry, and the pressure and particle velocity are derived through impedance matching to the aluminum flyer. Temperature of the shocked state is measured with a streaked visible spectrum and calibrated with a quartz standard, mounted downrange from the sample. Preliminary analysis shows that current equation of state models underestimate the entropy gain, which suggests that for shock pressures above 250 GPa, a higher degree of impact vaporization will be reached. Sandia National Laboratories is a multiprogram laboratory managed and operated by Sandia Corporation for the U.S. DOE's National Nuclear Security Administration under Contract No. DE-AC04-94AL85000. This work was performed under the auspices of the U.S. DOE by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344.

ANITA (Advanced Network for Isotope and TArget laboratories) - The urgent need for a European target preparation network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schumann, Dorothea; Sibbens, Goedele; Stolarz, Anna; Eberhardt, Klaus; Lommel, Bettina; Stodel, Christelle

2018-05-01

A wide number of research fields in the nuclear sector requires high-quality and well-characterized samples and targets. Currently, only a few laboratories own or have access to the equipment allowing fulfilling such demands. Coordination of activities and sharing resources is therefore mandatory to meet the increasing needs. This very urgent issue has now been addressed by six European target laboratories with an initiative called ANITA (Advanced Network for Isotope and TArget laboratories). The global aim of ANITA is to establish an overarching research infrastructure service for isotope and target production and develop a tight cooperation between the target laboratories in Europe in order to transfer the knowledge and improve the production techniques of well-characterized samples and targets. Moreover, the interaction of the target producers with the users shall be encouraged and intensified to deliver tailor-made targets best-suited to the envisaged experiments. For the realization of this ambitious goal, efforts within the European Commission and strong support by the target-using communities will be necessary. In particular, an appropriate funding instrument has to be found and applied, enabling ANITA to develop from an initiative employed by the interested parties to a real coordination platform.

"DIANA" - A New, Deep-Underground Accelerator Facility for Astrophysics Experiments

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

Leitner, M.; Leitner, D.; Lemut, A.

2009-05-28

The DIANA project (Dakota Ion Accelerators for Nuclear Astrophysics) is a collaboration between the University of Notre Dame, University of North Carolina, Western Michigan University, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory to build a nuclear astrophysics accelerator facility 1.4 km below ground. DIANA is part of the US proposal DUSEL (Deep Underground Science and Engineering Laboratory) to establish a cross-disciplinary underground laboratory in the former gold mine of Homestake in South Dakota, USA. DIANA would consist of two high-current accelerators, a 30 to 400 kV variable, high-voltage platform, and a second, dynamitron accelerator with a voltage range of 350 kV tomore » 3 MV. As a unique feature, both accelerators are planned to be equipped with either high-current microwave ion sources or multi-charged ECR ion sources producing ions from protons to oxygen. Electrostatic quadrupole transport elements will be incorporated in the dynamitron high voltage column. Compared to current astrophysics facilities, DIANA could increase the available beam densities on target by magnitudes: up to 100 mA on the low energy accelerator and several mA on the high energy accelerator. An integral part of the DIANA project is the development of a high-density super-sonic gas-jet target which can handle these anticipated beam powers. The paper will explain the main components of the DIANA accelerators and their beam transport lines and will discuss related technical challenges.« less

Laboratory experiments on plasma contactors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilbur, Paul J.; Williams, John D.

1990-01-01

Experimental results describing the operation of hollow cathode plasma contactors collecting and emitting electrons from and to an ambient plasma at current levels of the order of one ampere are presented. The voltage drops induced between a contactor and an ambient plasma are shown to be a few tens of volts at such current levels. The development of a double sheath and the production of substantial numbers of ions by electrons streaming across it are associated with the electron collection process. The development of a complex potential structure including a high potential hill just downstream of the cathode orifice is shown to characterize typical contactor emitting electrons.

Diastereoselective Synthesis of a Strawberry Flavoring Agent by Epoxidation of Ethyl trans-b-Methylcinnamate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pageau, Gayle J.; Mabaera, Rodwell; Kosuda, Kathryn M.; Sebelius, Tamara A.; Ghaffari, Ali H.; Kearns, Kenneth A.; McIntyre, Jean P.; Beachy, Tina M.; Thamattoor, Dasan M.

2002-01-01

The diastereoselective synthesis of ethyl (E)-3-methyl-3-phenylglycidate, a strawberry flavoring agent, is carried out by epoxidizing ethyl trans-b-methylcinnamate with m-chloroperbenzoic acid. This epoxidation is appropriate for the introductory organic laboratory and augments the small number of such experiments currently available for undergraduate education. In the course of performing this exercise, students are exposed to many important facets of organic chemistry such as synthesis, reaction mechanism, stereochemistry, chromatography, quantitative analysis, spectroscopy, and computational chemistry. The 1H NMR spectrum of this compound is especially interesting and presents instructive examples of diastereotopic protons and shielding effects of the aromatic ring current.

A comparison of traditional physical laboratory and computer-simulated laboratory experiences in relation to engineering undergraduate students' conceptual understandings of a communication systems topic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Javidi, Giti

2005-07-01

This study was designed to investigate an alternative to the use of traditional physical laboratory activities in a communication systems course. Specifically, this study examined whether as an alternative, computer simulation is as effective as physical laboratory activities in teaching college-level electronics engineering education students about the concepts of signal transmission, modulation and demodulation. Eighty undergraduate engineering students participated in the study, which was conducted at a southeastern four-year university. The students were randomly assigned to two groups. The groups were compared on understanding the concepts, remembering the concepts, completion time of the lab experiments and perception toward the laboratory experiments. The physical group's (n = 40) treatment was to conduct laboratory experiments in a physical laboratory. The students in this group used equipment in a controlled electronics laboratory. The Simulation group's (n = 40) treatment was to conduct similar experiments in a PC laboratory. The students in this group used a simulation program in a controlled PC lab. At the completion of the treatment, scores on a validated conceptual test were collected once after the treatment and again three weeks after the treatment. Attitude surveys and qualitative study were administered at the completion of the treatment. The findings revealed significant differences, in favor of the simulation group, between the two groups on both the conceptual post-test and the follow-up test. The findings also revealed significant correlation between simulation groups' attitude toward the simulation program and their post-test scores. Moreover, there was a significant difference between the two groups on their attitude toward their laboratory experience in favor of the simulation group. In addition, there was significant difference between the two groups on their lab completion time in favor of the simulation group. At the same time, the qualitative research has uncovered several issues not explored by the quantitative research. It was concluded that incorporating the recommendations acquired from the qualitative research, especially elements of incorporating hardware experience to avoid lack of hands-on skills, into the laboratory pedagogy should help improve students' experience regardless of the environment in which the laboratory is conducted.

Post-Cure Studies on Solid Silicone Elastomer: DC745U

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

Ortiz-Acosta, Denisse; Janicke, Michael T.; Yoder, Jacob

DC745U is a silicone elastomer originally manufactured by Dow Corning under the name of Silastic® DC745U at their manufacturing facility in Kendaville, Indiana. Currently DC745U is available through Xiameter® or Dow Corning’s distributor R. D. Abbott Company. This silicone elastomer is used in numerous parts of weapon systems, including outer pressure pads, aft cap support in W80 and pressure pad in the B61. DC745U is a proprietary formulation and limited information about its composition and properties is provided to the customer. Thus, Los Alamos National Laboratory and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory have performed a variety of characterization experiments on thismore » material.« less

[Therapeutic drug monitoring in epileptology and psychiatry].

PubMed

Brandt, C; Baumann, P; Eckermann, G; Hiemke, C; May, T W; Rambeck, B; Pohlmann-Eden, B

2008-02-01

Experts from epileptology and psychiatry reviewed the current significance of therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) of antiepileptic drugs and psychiatric drugs in a workshop at Bethel Epilepsy Centre in December 2005. TDM has been essential in epileptology for about 30 years, and it is also increasingly important in psychiatry, in which consensus recommendations were published recently. With regard to cost-cutting in the health system, there are discussions about the financial effect of TDM and outsourcing it to bigger laboratories. In psychiatry it has however been shown that sensibly used TDM may lead to reduced costs. Many issues in TDM require the knowledge and experience of specialised laboratories. The use of TDM data for scientific purposes was discussed at the workshop as well.

A useful demonstration of calculus in a physics high school laboratory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alvarez, Gustavo; Schulte, Jurgen; Stockton, Geoffrey; Wheeler, David

2018-01-01

The real power of calculus is revealed when it is applied to actual physical problems. In this paper, we present a calculus inspired physics experiment suitable for high school and undergraduate programs. A model for the theory of the terminal velocity of a falling body subject to a resistive force is developed and its validity tested in an experiment of a falling magnet in a column of self-induced eddy currents. The presented method combines multiple physics concepts such as 1D kinematics, classical mechanics, electromagnetism and non-trivial mathematics. It offers the opportunity for lateral as well as project-based learning.

Survey Result of the Engineering Undergraduate Student's “Human Performance”

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nakayama, Minoru; Takahashi, Hideaki; Kusakabe, Osamu; Ohtaguchi, Kazuhisa; Mizutani, Nobuyasu

Development of engineer's “Human Performance” is being required to respond to various changes. “Human Performace” is defined as an ability of putting own knowledge and skill to a practical issue. Current engineering undergraduate education promotes to learn this ability. To examine effectiveness of the educational program, a questionnaire consisting of 66 items was developed and the survey was conducted across eight universities. As results, most students recognize importance of the ability, but their achievement is lower for English communication skill and adaptation of cultural difference. They learned the ability on laboratory experience for their thesis, experiment class, club activities, part-time jobs and other activities.

First laboratory insight on the behavioral rhythms of the bathyal crab Geryon longipes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nuñez, J. D.; Sbragaglia, V.; García, J. A.; Company, J. B.; Aguzzi, J.

2016-10-01

The deep sea is the largest and at the same time least explored biome on Earth, but quantitative studies on the behavior of bathyal organisms are scarce because of the intrinsic difficulties related to in situ observations and maintaining animals in aquaria. In this study, we reported, for the first time, laboratory observations on locomotor rhythms and other behavioral observations (i.e. feeding, exploring and self-grooming) for the bathyal crab Geryon longipes. Crabs were collected on the middle-lower slope (720-1750 m) off the coast of Blanes (Spain). Inertial (18 h) water currents and monochromatic blue (i.e. 470 nm) light-darkness (24 h) cycles were simulated in two different experiments in flume tanks endowed with burrows. Both cycles were simulated in order to investigate activity rhythms regulation in Mediterranean deep-sea benthos. Crabs showed rhythmic locomotor activity synchronized to both water currents and light-darkness cycles. In general terms, feeding and exploring behaviors also followed the same pattern. Results presented here indicate the importance of local inertial (18 h) periodicity of water currents at the seabed as a temporal cue regulating the behavior of bathyal benthic fauna in all continental margin areas where the effects of tides is negligible.

Astromaterials Research Office (KR) Overview

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Draper, David S.

2014-01-01

The fundamental goal of our research is to understand the origin and evolution of the solar system, particularly the terrestrial, "rocky" bodies. Our research involves analysis of, and experiments on, astromaterials in order to understand their nature, sources, and processes of formation. Our state-of-the-art analytical laboratories include four electron microbeam laboratories for mineral analysis, four spectroscopy laboratories for chemical and mineralogical analysis, and four mass spectrometry laboratories for isotopic analysis. Other facilities include the experimental impact laboratory and both 1-atm gas mixing and high-pressure experimental petrology laboratories. Recent research has emphasized a diverse range of topics, including: Study of the solar system's primitive materials, such as carbonaceous chondrites and interplanetary dust; Study of early solar system chronology using short-lived radioisotopes and early nebular processes through detailed geochemical and isotopic characterizations; Study of large-scale planetary differentiation and evolution via siderophile and incompatible trace element partitioning, magma ocean crystallization simulations, and isotopic systematics; Study of the petrogenesis of Martian meteorites through petrographic, isotopic, chemical, and experimental melting and crystallization studies; Interpretation of remote sensing data, especially from current robotic lunar and Mars missions, and study of terrestrial analog materials; Study of the role of organic geochemical processes in the evolution of astromaterials and the extent to which they constrain the potential for habitability and the origin of life.

Investigating Student Perceptions of the Chemistry Laboratory and Their Approaches to Learning in the Laboratory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berger, Spencer Granett

This dissertation explores student perceptions of the instructional chemistry laboratory and the approaches students take when learning in the laboratory environment. To measure student perceptions of the chemistry laboratory, a survey instrument was developed. 413 students responded to the survey during the Fall 2011 semester. Students' perception of the usefulness of the laboratory in helping them learn chemistry in high school was related to several factors regarding their experiences in high school chemistry. Students' perception of the usefulness of the laboratory in helping them learn chemistry in college was also measured. Reasons students provided for the usefulness of the laboratory were categorized. To characterize approaches to learning in the laboratory, students were interviewed midway through semester (N=18). The interviews were used to create a framework describing learning approaches that students use in the laboratory environment. Students were categorized into three levels: students who view the laboratory as a requirement, students who believe that the laboratory augments their understanding, and students who view the laboratory as an important part of science. These categories describe the types of strategies students used when conducting experiments. To further explore the relationship between students' perception of the laboratory and their approaches to learning, two case studies are described. These case studies involve interviews in the beginning and end of the semester. In the interviews, students reflect on what they have learned in the laboratory and describe their perceptions of the laboratory environment. In order to encourage students to adopt higher-level approaches to learning in the laboratory, a metacognitive intervention was created. The intervention involved supplementary questions that students would answer while completing laboratory experiments. The questions were designed to encourage students to think critically about the laboratory procedures. In order to test the effects of the intervention, an experimental group (N=87) completed these supplementary questions during two laboratory experiments while a control group (N=84) performed the same experiments without these additional questions. The effects of the intervention on laboratory exam performance were measured. Students in the experimental group had a higher average on the laboratory exam than students in the control group.

Photovoltaic module reliability improvement through application testing and failure analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dumas, L. N.; Shumka, A.

1982-01-01

During the first four years of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Photovoltatic Program, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory Low-Cost Solar Array (LSA) Project purchased about 400 kW of photovoltaic modules for test and experiments. In order to identify, report, and analyze test and operational problems with the Block Procurement modules, a problem/failure reporting and analysis system was implemented by the LSA Project with the main purpose of providing manufacturers with feedback from test and field experience needed for the improvement of product performance and reliability. A description of the more significant types of failures is presented, taking into account interconnects, cracked cells, dielectric breakdown, delamination, and corrosion. Current design practices and reliability evaluations are also discussed. The conducted evaluation indicates that current module designs incorporate damage-resistant and fault-tolerant features which address field failure mechanisms observed to date.

Bacteriophage Procurement for Therapeutic Purposes

PubMed Central

Weber-Dąbrowska, Beata; Jończyk-Matysiak, Ewa; Żaczek, Maciej; Łobocka, Małgorzata; Łusiak-Szelachowska, Marzanna; Górski, Andrzej

2016-01-01

Bacteriophages (phages), discovered 100 years ago, are able to infect and destroy only bacterial cells. In the current crisis of antibiotic efficacy, phage therapy is considered as a supplementary or even alternative therapeutic approach. Evolution of multidrug-resistant and pandrug-resistant bacterial strains poses a real threat, so it is extremely important to have the possibility to isolate new phages for therapeutic purposes. Our phage laboratory and therapy center has extensive experience with phage isolation, characterization, and therapeutic application. In this article we present current progress in bacteriophages isolation and use for therapeutic purposes, our experience in this field and its practical implications for phage therapy. We attempt to summarize the state of the art: properties of phages, the methods for their isolation, criteria of phage selection for therapeutic purposes and limitations of their use. Perspectives for the use of genetically engineered phages to specifically target bacterial virulence-associated genes are also briefly presented. PMID:27570518

Development and construction of a comprehensive set of research diagnostics for the FLARE user facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yoo, Jongsoo; Jara-Almonte, J.; Majeski, S.; Frank, S.; Ji, H.; Yamada, M.

2016-10-01

FLARE (Facility for Laboratory Reconnection Experiments) will be operated as a flexible user facility, and so a complete set of research diagnostics is under development, including magnetic probe arrays, Langmuir probes, Mach probes, spectroscopic probes, and a laser interferometer. In order to accommodate the various requirements of users, large-scale (1 m), variable resolution (0.5-4 cm) magnetic probes have been designed, and are currently being prototyped. Moreover, a fully fiber-coupled laser interferometer has been designed to measure the line-integrated electron density. This fiber-coupled interferometer system will reduce the complexity of alignment processes and minimize maintenance of the system. Finally, improvements to the electrostatic probes and spectroscopic probes currently used in the Magnetic Reconnection Experiment (MRX) are discussed. The specifications of other subsystems, such as integrators and digitizers, are also presented. This work is supported by DoE Contract No. DE-AC0209CH11466.

Judgements of relative noisiness of a supersonic transport and several commercial-service aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Powell, C. A.

1977-01-01

Two laboratory experiments were conducted on the relative noisiness of takeoff and landing operations of a supersonic transport and several other aircraft in current commercial service. A total of 96 subjects made noisiness judgments on 120 tape-recorded flyover noises in the outdoor-acoustic-simulation experiment; 32 different subjects made judgments on the noises in the indoor-acoustic-simulation experiment. The judgments were made by using the method of numerical category scaling. The effective perceived noise level underestimated the noisiness of the supersonic transport by 3.5 db. For takeoff operations, no difference was found between the noisiness of the supersonic transport and the group of other aircraft for the A-weighted rating scale; however, for landing operations, the noisiness of the supersonic transport was overestimated by 3.7 db. Very high correlation was found between the outdoor-simulation experiment and the indoor-simulation experiment.

A preliminary study of a cryogenic equivalence principle experiment on Shuttle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Everitt, C. W. F.; Worden, P. W., Jr.

1985-01-01

The Weak Equivalence Principle is the hypothesis that all test bodies fall with the same acceleration in the same gravitational field. The current limit on violations of the Weak Equivalence Principle, measured by the ratio of the difference in acceleration of two test masses to their average acceleration, is about 3 parts in one-hundred billion. It is anticipated that this can be improved in a shuttle experiment to a part in one quadrillion. Topics covered include: (1) studies of the shuttle environment, including interference with the experiment, interfacing to the experiment, and possible alternatives; (2) numerical simulations of the proposed experiment, including analytic solutions for special cases of the mass motion and preliminary estimates of sensitivity and time required; (3) error analysis of several noise sources such as thermal distortion, gas and radiation pressure effects, and mechanical distortion; and (4) development and performance tests of a laboratory version of the instrument.

A review of active learning approaches to experimental design for uncovering biological networks

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

Various types of biological knowledge describe networks of interactions among elementary entities. For example, transcriptional regulatory networks consist of interactions among proteins and genes. Current knowledge about the exact structure of such networks is highly incomplete, and laboratory experiments that manipulate the entities involved are conducted to test hypotheses about these networks. In recent years, various automated approaches to experiment selection have been proposed. Many of these approaches can be characterized as active machine learning algorithms. Active learning is an iterative process in which a model is learned from data, hypotheses are generated from the model to propose informative experiments, and the experiments yield new data that is used to update the model. This review describes the various models, experiment selection strategies, validation techniques, and successful applications described in the literature; highlights common themes and notable distinctions among methods; and identifies likely directions of future research and open problems in the area. PMID:28570593

Safety in the Chemical Laboratory: The Selection of Eyewash Stations for Laboratory Use.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walters, Douglas B.; And Others

1988-01-01

Evaluates and compares common eyewash stations currently being used in laboratories. Discusses types available, installation, water supply needs, and maintenance. Lists current OSHA eyewash station standards. (ML)

Radiochemical Solar Neutrino Experiments - Successful and Otherwise.

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

Hahn,R.L.

2008-05-25

Over the years, several different radiochemical systems have been proposed as solar neutrino detectors. Of these, two achieved operating status and obtained important results that helped to define the current field of neutrino physics: the first solar-neutrino experiment, the Chlorine Detector ({sup 37}Cl) that was developed by chemist Raymond Davis and colleagues at the Homestake Mine, and the subsequent Gallium ({sup 71}Ga) Detectors that were operated by (a) the SAGE collaboration at the Baksan Laboratory and (b) the GALLEX/GNO collaborations at the Gran Sasso National Laboratory. These experiments have been extensively discussed in the literature and in many previous Internationalmore » Neutrino Conferences. In this paper, I present important updates to the results from SAGE and GALLEX/GNO. I also review the principles of the radiochemical detectors and briefly describe several different detectors that have been proposed. In light of the well-known successes that have been subsequently obtained by real-time neutrino detectors such as Kamiokande, Super-Kamiokande, SNO, and KamLAND, I do not anticipate that any new radiochemical neutrino detectors will be built. At present, only SAGE is still operating; the Chlorine and GNO radiochemical detectors have been decommissioned and dismantled.« less

Experimental Demonstration of Magnetic Reconnection in a Laboratory Scale with Guide Field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Hyunsue; Egedal, Jan; Olsen, Joe; Endrizzi, Douglass; Wallace, John; TREX Team

2017-10-01

Through a process called magnetic reconnection, the opposing solar wind and Earth magnetic fields annihilate and allow energetic solar particles to enter the magnetosphere. This energetic plasma can cause major disturbances to satellite communication networks and navigation systems, as well as electrical power grids. To better understand this process and prevent significant economic losses, NASA has launched the MMS Mission in 2015, a cluster of spacecraft which directly probes the reconnection sites in the magnetosphere. Though in situ measurements of reconnection in space are essential to our understanding of the process, the mission comes at a cost of over 1 billion. Thus, smaller laboratory experiments become essential to compliment the data acquired by MMS at relatively low cost. The Terrestrial Reconnection Experiment (TREX) currently aims to probe a similar configuration to dayside reconnection by adding a toroidal guide magnetic field, where under the right conditions, high frequency turbulent fluctuations are expected. Using a set of fast Langmuir probes to diagnose the fluctuations, the global structure of the plasma turbulence can be reconstructed. In this poster, an overview of the upgraded experiment and design progress of the fast Lprobe will be provided. NSF/DOE award DE-SC0013032.

Data acquisition for the new muon g-2 experiment at Fermilab

DOE PAGES

Gohn, Wesley

2015-12-23

A new measurement of the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon, a μ ≡ (g - 2)/2, will be performed at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. The most recent measurement, performed at Brookhaven National Laboratory and completed in 2001, shows a 3.3-3.6 standard deviation discrepancy with the Standard Model predictions for a μ. The new measurement will accumulate 21 times those statistics, measuring a μ to 140 ppb and reducing the uncertainty by a factor of 4. The data acquisition system for this experiment must have the ability to record deadtime-free records from 700 μs muon spills at a rawmore » data rate of 18 GB per second. Data will be collected using 1296 channels of μTCA-based 800 MSPS, 12 bit waveform digitizers and processed in a layered array of networked commodity processors with 24 GPUs working in parallel to perform a fast recording and processing of detector signals during the spill. The system will be controlled using the MIDAS data acquisition software package. Lastly, the described data acquisition system is currently being constructed, and will be fully operational before the start of the experiment in 2017.« less

Rocket and laboratory studies in astronomy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Feldman, Paul D.

1994-01-01

This report covers the period from September 1, 1993 to August 31, 1994. During the reporting period we launched the Faint Object Telescope to measure the absolute flux of a hot white dwarf star in the spectral range below 1200 A. This experiment was not successful due to a failure of an electronics unit in the onboard TV acquisition system. The source of the failure has been identified and corrected and is described in detail below. The payload was recovered in excellent condition and we are planning to refurbish it for flight during the November 1995 Australia campaign. We have continued our laboratory studies of the ultraviolet performance of charge-coupled-detector (CCD) arrays and plan to include a UV-sensitive CCD in a new payload that was assembled during the current period. The objective of the experiment is the ultraviolet imaging of Jupiter and we are scheduled to launch the payload, 36.115UG, in May-June 1995. We have also begun the design of a high-resolution FUV spectrograph for a future flight of the FOT and have just recently received a high line density grating fabricated by Jobin-Yvon, S.A. (France) for evaluation. Work has continued on the analysis of data from previous rocket experiments.

Construction and Initial Tests of MAIZE: 1 MA LTD-Driven Z-Pinch *

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gilgenbach, R. M.; Gomez, M. R.; Zier, J. C.; Tang, W.; French, D. M.; Lau, Y. Y.; Mazarakis, M. G.; Cuneo, M. E.; Johnston, M. D.; Oliver, B. V.; Mehlhorn, T. A.; Kim, A. A.; Sinebryukhov, V. A.

2008-11-01

We report construction and initial testing of a 1-MA Linear Transformer Driver (LTD), The Michigan Accelerator for Inductive Z-pinch Experiments, (MAIZE). This machine, the first of its type to reach the USA, is based on the joint HCEI, Sandia Laboratories, and UM development effort. The compact LTD uses 80 capacitors and 40 spark gap switches, in 40 ``bricks'', to deliver 1 MA, 100 kV pulses with 70 ns risetime into a matched resistive load. Test results will be presented for a single brick and the full LTD. Design and construction will be presented of a low-inductance MITL. Experimental research programs under design and construction at UM include: a) Studies of Magneto-Raleigh-Taylor Instability of planar foils, and b) Vacuum convolute studies including cathode and anode plasma. Theory and simulation results will be presented for these planned experiments. Initial experimental designs and moderate-current feasibility experiments will be discussed. *Research supported by U. S. DoE through Sandia National Laboratories award document numbers 240985, 768225, 790791 and 805234 to the UM. MRG supported by NNSA Fellowship and JCZ supported by NPSC Fellowship / Sandia National Labs.

Alternative Fuel Research in Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Surgenor, Angela D.; Klettlinger, Jennifer L.; Yen, Chia H.; Nakley, Leah M.

2011-01-01

NASA Glenn Research Center has recently constructed an Alternative Fuels Laboratory which is solely being used to perform Fischer-Tropsch (F-T) reactor studies, novel catalyst development and thermal stability experiments. Facility systems have demonstrated reliability and consistency for continuous and safe operations in Fischer-Tropsch synthesis. The purpose of this test facility is to conduct bench scale Fischer-Tropsch (F-T) catalyst screening experiments while focusing on reducing energy inputs, reducing CO2 emissions and increasing product yields within the F-T process. Fischer-Tropsch synthesis is considered a gas to liquid process which reacts syn-gas (a gaseous mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide), over the surface of a catalyst material which is then converted into liquids of various hydrocarbon chain length and product distributions1. These hydrocarbons can then be further processed into higher quality liquid fuels such as gasoline and diesel. The experiments performed in this laboratory will enable the investigation of F-T reaction kinetics to focus on newly formulated catalysts, improved process conditions and enhanced catalyst activation methods. Currently the facility has the capability of performing three simultaneous reactor screening tests, along with a fourth fixed-bed reactor used solely for cobalt catalyst activation.

Data Acquisition for the New Muon g-2 Experiment at Fermilab

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gohn, Wesley

2015-12-01

A new measurement of the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon,aμ≡ (g - 2)/2, will be performed at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. The most recent measurement, performed at Brookhaven National Laboratory and completed in 2001, shows a 3.3-3.6 standard deviation discrepancy with the Standard Model predictions for aμ. The new measurement will accumulate 21 times those statistics, measuring aμ to 140 ppb and reducing the uncertainty by a factor of 4. The data acquisition system for this experiment must have the ability to record deadtime-free records from 700 μs muon spills at a raw data rate of 18 GB per second. Data will be collected using 1296 channels of μTCA-based 800 MHz, 12 bit waveform digitizers and processed in a layered array of networked commodity processors with 24 GPUs working in parallel to perform a fast recording and processing of detector signals during the spill. The system will be controlled using the MIDAS data acquisition software package. The described data acquisition system is currently being constructed, and will be fully operational before the start of the experiment in 2017.

Perceptions about Training during Endocrinology Residency Programs in India over the Years: A Cross-sectional Study (PEER India Study)

PubMed Central

Khandelwal, Deepak; Dutta, Deep; Singla, Rajiv; Surana, Vineet; Aggarwal, Sameer; Gupta, Yashdeep; Kalra, Sanjay; Khadgawat, Rajesh; Tandon, Nikhil

2017-01-01

Background: Residents' perception on quality of endocrinology training in India is not known. This study aimed to evaluate the perceptions about endocrinology residency programs in India among current trainees as compared to practicing endocrinologists. Methods: Trainees attending a preconference workshop at the annual conference of Endocrine Society of India (ESI) were given a questionnaire designed to evaluate their perceptions on their training. These evaluated the reasons for choosing endocrinology, their experiences during residency, and career plans. Practicing endocrinologists attending ESICON with at least 5-year experience were evaluated as controls. Results: Questionnaires from 63 endocrine trainees and 78 practicing endocrinologists were analyzed. Endocrinology is perceived to be the super-specialty with the best quality of life (QOL) but fair with regard to financial remuneration. Among current trainees, 61.89%, 31.74%, and 34.91% are satisfied with training in clinical endocrinology, laboratory endocrinology, and clinical/translational research, respectively. The corresponding figures for practicing endocrinologists are 71.78%, 25.63%, and 30.75%, respectively. Exposure to national endocrinology conferences during their endocrinology residency was adequate. However, exposure to international endocrinology conferences, research publications, project writing, and grant application are limited. Laboratory endocrinology is rated as the most neglected aspect during endocrine residency. Most of the trainees want to establish their own clinical practice in the long run. Very few trainees (17.46%) wish to join the medical education services. Conclusion: There is a good perception of QOL in endocrinology in spite of average financial remuneration. There is dissatisfaction with the quality of training in laboratory endocrinology and clinical research. Very few endocrine trainees consider academics as a long-term career option in India. PMID:28459024

Asking the Next Generation: The Implementation of Pre-University Students' Ideas about Physics Laboratory Preparation Exercises

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dunnett, K.; Bartlett, P. A.

2018-01-01

It was planned to introduce online pre-laboratory session activities to a first-year undergraduate physics laboratory course to encourage a minimum level of student preparation for experiments outside the laboratory environment. A group of 16 and 17 year old laboratory work-experience students were tasked to define and design a pre-laboratory…

Chemical Remediation of Nickel(II) Waste: A Laboratory Experiment for General Chemistry Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Corcoran, K. Blake; Rood, Brian E.; Trogden, Bridget G.

2011-01-01

This project involved developing a method to remediate large quantities of aqueous waste from a general chemistry laboratory experiment. Aqueous Ni(II) waste from a general chemistry laboratory experiment was converted into solid nickel hydroxide hydrate with a substantial decrease in waste volume. The remediation method was developed for a…

A Laboratory Experiment on the Statistical Theory of Nuclear Reactions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Loveland, Walter

1971-01-01

Describes an undergraduate laboratory experiment on the statistical theory of nuclear reactions. The experiment involves measuring the relative cross sections for formation of a nucleus in its meta stable excited state and its ground state by applying gamma-ray spectroscopy to an irradiated sample. Involves 3-4 hours of laboratory time plus…

Redefining Authentic Research Experiences in Introductory Biology Laboratories and Barriers to Their Implementation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Spell, Rachelle M.; Guinan, Judith A.; Miller, Kristen R.; Beck, Christopher W.

2014-01-01

Incorporating authentic research experiences in introductory biology laboratory classes would greatly expand the number of students exposed to the excitement of discovery and the rigor of the scientific process. However, the essential components of an authentic research experience and the barriers to their implementation in laboratory classes are…

Synthesis and Biological Testing of Penicillins: An Investigative Approach to the Undergraduate Teaching Laboratory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Whitaker, Ragnhild D.; Truhlar, Laura M.; Yksel, Deniz; Walt, David R.; Williams, Mark D.

2010-01-01

The development and implementation of a research-based organic chemistry laboratory experiment is presented. The experiment was designed to simulate a scientific research environment, involve students in critical thinking, and develop the student's ability to analyze and present research-based data. In this experiment, a laboratory class…

A Laboratory Experiment for Rapid Determination of the Stability of Vitamin C

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Adem, Seid M.; Lueng, Sam H.; Elles, Lisa M. Sharpe; Shaver, Lee Alan

2016-01-01

Experiments in laboratory manuals intended for general, organic, and biological (GOB) chemistry laboratories include few opportunities for students to engage in instrumental methods of analysis. Many of these students seek careers in modern health-related fields where experience in spectroscopic techniques would be beneficial. A simple, rapid,…

Development, Evaluation and Use of a Student Experience Survey in Undergraduate Science Laboratories: The Advancing Science by Enhancing Learning in the Laboratory Student Laboratory Learning Experience Survey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barrie, Simon C.; Bucat, Robert B.; Buntine, Mark A.; Burke da Silva, Karen; Crisp, Geoffrey T.; George, Adrian V.; Jamie, Ian M.; Kable, Scott H.; Lim, Kieran F.; Pyke, Simon M.; Read, Justin R.; Sharma, Manjula D.; Yeung, Alexandra

2015-07-01

Student experience surveys have become increasingly popular to probe various aspects of processes and outcomes in higher education, such as measuring student perceptions of the learning environment and identifying aspects that could be improved. This paper reports on a particular survey for evaluating individual experiments that has been developed over some 15 years as part of a large national Australian study pertaining to the area of undergraduate laboratories-Advancing Science by Enhancing Learning in the Laboratory. This paper reports on the development of the survey instrument and the evaluation of the survey using student responses to experiments from different institutions in Australia, New Zealand and the USA. A total of 3153 student responses have been analysed using factor analysis. Three factors, motivation, assessment and resources, have been identified as contributing to improved student attitudes to laboratory activities. A central focus of the survey is to provide feedback to practitioners to iteratively improve experiments. Implications for practitioners and researchers are also discussed.

Design and Implementation of Instructional Videos for Upper-Division Undergraduate Laboratory Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schmidt-McCormack, Jennifer A.; Muniz, Marc N.; Keuter, Ellie C.; Shaw, Scott K.; Cole, Renée S.

2017-01-01

Well-designed laboratories can help students master content and science practices by successfully completing the laboratory experiments. Upper-division chemistry laboratory courses often present special challenges for instruction due to the instrument intensive nature of the experiments. To address these challenges, particularly those associated…

A 13-Week Research-Based Biochemistry Laboratory Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lefurgy, Scott T.; Mundorff, Emily C.

2017-01-01

Here, we present a 13-week research-based biochemistry laboratory curriculum designed to provide the students with the experience of engaging in original research while introducing foundational biochemistry laboratory techniques. The laboratory experience has been developed around the directed evolution of an enzyme chosen by the instructor, with…

Inducing Mutations in "Paramecium": An Inquiry-Based Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Elwess, Nancy L.; Latourelle, Sandra L.

2004-01-01

A major challenge in teaching any college level general genetics course including a laboratory component is having the students actively understand the research part of an experiment as well as develop the necessary laboratory skills. This laboratory experience furthers the students' knowledge of genetics while improving their laboratory skills.…

A protocol for rat in vitro fertilization during conventional laboratory working hours.

PubMed

Aoto, Toshihiro; Takahashi, Ri-ichi; Ueda, Masatsugu

2011-12-01

In vitro fertilization (IVF) is a valuable technique for the propagation of experimental animals. IVF has typically been used in mice to rapidly expand breeding colonies and create large numbers of embryos. However, applications of IVF in rat breeding experiments have stalled due to the inconvenient laboratory work schedules imposed by current IVF protocols for this species. Here, we developed a new rat IVF protocol that consists of experimental steps performed during common laboratory working hours. Our protocol can be completed within 12 h by shortening the period of sperm capacitation from 5 to 1 h and the fertilization time from 10 to 8 h in human tubal fluid (HTF) medium. This new protocol generated an excellent birth rate and was applicable not only to closed colony rat strains, such as Wistar, Long-Evans, and Sprague-Dawley (SD), but also to the inbred Lewis strain. Moreover, Wistar and Long-Evans embryos prepared by this protocol were successfully frozen by vitrification and later successfully thawed and resuscitated. This protocol is practical and can be easily adopted by laboratory workers.

The Effects of Four-Week Multivitamin Supplementation on Mood in Healthy Older Women: A Randomized Controlled Trial

PubMed Central

Rowsell, Renee; Cox, Katherine H. M.; Reddan, Jeffery; Meyer, Denny; Scholey, Andrew; Pipingas, Andrew

2016-01-01

Objective. Nutritional deficiencies have been associated with cognitive decline and mood disturbances. Vitamin intake can influence mood and randomized controlled trials have demonstrated that multivitamin supplements are capable of reducing mild symptoms of mood dysfunction. However, few studies have focussed on healthy older women. Methods. This study investigated the effects of four weeks' multivitamin supplementation on mood in 76 healthy women aged 50–75 years. Mood was assessed before and after intervention in the laboratory using measures of current mood and retrospective experiences of mood over the past week or longer. Mobile phones were used to assess changes in real-time mood ratings, twice weekly in the home. Results. There were no multivitamin-related benefits identified for measures of current mood or reflections of recent mood when measured in the laboratory. In-home assessments, where mood was rated several hours after dose, revealed multivitamin supplementation improved ratings of stress, with a trend to reduce mental fatigue. Conclusions. Over four weeks, subtle changes to stress produced by multivitamin supplementation in healthy older women may not be detected when only pre- and posttreatment mood is captured. In-home mobile phone-based assessments may be more sensitive to the effects of nutritional interventions compared to traditional in-laboratory assessments. PMID:27974902

Validation of a multi-layer Green's function code for ion beam transport

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walker, Steven; Tweed, John; Tripathi, Ram; Badavi, Francis F.; Miller, Jack; Zeitlin, Cary; Heilbronn, Lawrence

To meet the challenge of future deep space programs, an accurate and efficient engineering code for analyzing the shielding requirements against high-energy galactic heavy radiations is needed. In consequence, a new version of the HZETRN code capable of simulating high charge and energy (HZE) ions with either laboratory or space boundary conditions is currently under development. The new code, GRNTRN, is based on a Green's function approach to the solution of Boltzmann's transport equation and like its predecessor is deterministic in nature. The computational model consists of the lowest order asymptotic approximation followed by a Neumann series expansion with non-perturbative corrections. The physical description includes energy loss with straggling, nuclear attenuation, nuclear fragmentation with energy dispersion and down shift. Code validation in the laboratory environment is addressed by showing that GRNTRN accurately predicts energy loss spectra as measured by solid-state detectors in ion beam experiments with multi-layer targets. In order to validate the code with space boundary conditions, measured particle fluences are propagated through several thicknesses of shielding using both GRNTRN and the current version of HZETRN. The excellent agreement obtained indicates that GRNTRN accurately models the propagation of HZE ions in the space environment as well as in laboratory settings and also provides verification of the HZETRN propagator.

Laboratory Diagnosis of Zika Virus Infection.

PubMed

Landry, Marie Louise; St George, Kirsten

2017-01-01

-The rapid and accurate diagnosis of Zika virus infection is an international priority. -To review current recommendations, methods, limitations, and priorities for Zika virus testing. -Sources include published literature, public health recommendations, laboratory procedures, and testing experience. -Until recently, the laboratory diagnosis of Zika infection was confined to public health or research laboratories that prepared their own reagents, and test capacity has been limited. Furthermore, Zika cross-reacts serologically with other flaviviruses, such as dengue, West Nile, and yellow fever. Current or past infection, or even vaccination with another flavivirus, will often cause false-positive or uninterpretable Zika serology results. Detection of viral RNA during acute infection using nucleic acid amplification tests provides more specific results, and a number of commercial nucleic acid amplification tests have received emergency use authorization. In addition to serum, testing of whole blood and urine is recommended because of the higher vial loads and longer duration of shedding. However, nucleic acid amplification testing has limited utility because many patients are asymptomatic or present for testing after the brief period of Zika shedding has passed. Thus, the greatest need and most difficult challenge is development of accurate antibody tests for the diagnosis of recent Zika infection. Research is urgently needed to identify Zika virus epitopes that do not cross-react with other flavivirus antigens. New information is emerging at a rapid pace and, with ongoing public-private and international collaborations and government support, it is hoped that rapid progress will be made in developing robust and widely applicable diagnostic tools.

An interlaboratory transfer of a multi-analyte assay between continents.

PubMed

Georgiou, Alexandra; Dong, Kelly; Hughes, Stephen; Barfield, Matthew

2015-01-01

Alex has worked at GlaxoSmithKline for the past 15 years and currently works within the bioanalytical and toxicokinetic group in the United Kingdom. Alex's role in previous years has been the in-house support of preclinical and clinical bioanalysis, from method development through to sample analysis activities as well as acting as PI for GLP bioanalysis and toxicokinetics. For the past two years, Alex has applied this analytical and regulatory experience to focus on the outsourcing of preclinical bioanalysis, toxicokinetics and clinical bioanalysis, working closely with multiple bioanalytical and in-life CRO partners worldwide. Alex works to support DMPK and Safety Assessment outsourcing activities for GSK across multiple therapeutic areas, from the first GLP study through to late stage clinical PK studies. Transfer and cross-validation of an existing analytical assay between a laboratory providing current analytical support, and a laboratory needed for new or additional support, can present the bioanalyst with numerous challenges. These challenges can be technical or logistical in nature and may prove to be significant when transferring an assay between laboratories in different continents. Part of GlaxoSmithKline's strategy to improve confidence in providing quality data, is to cross-validate between laboratories. If the cross-validation fails predefined acceptance criteria, then a subsequent investigation would follow. This may also prove to be challenging. The importance of thorough planning and good communication throughout assay transfer, cross-validation and any subsequent investigations is illustrated in this case study.

Development, Evaluation and Use of a Student Experience Survey in Undergraduate Science Laboratories: The Advancing Science by Enhancing Learning in the Laboratory Student Laboratory Learning Experience Survey

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barrie, Simon C.; Bucat, Robert B.; Buntine, Mark A.; Burke da Silva, Karen; Crisp, Geoffrey T.; George, Adrian V.; Jamie, Ian M.; Kable, Scott H.; Lim, Kieran F.; Pyke, Simon M.; Read, Justin R.; Sharma, Manjula D.; Yeung, Alexandra

2015-01-01

Student experience surveys have become increasingly popular to probe various aspects of processes and outcomes in higher education, such as measuring student perceptions of the learning environment and identifying aspects that could be improved. This paper reports on a particular survey for evaluating individual experiments that has been developed…

Professional behaviors, sense of belonging, and professional socialization of early career clinical laboratory scientists

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schill, Janna Marie

Professional socialization is a process that individuals experience as members of a profession and consists of the knowledge, attitudes, and experiences that influence and shape their professional identity. The process of professional socialization has not been studied in the clinical laboratory science profession. Clinical laboratory science is an allied health profession that is faced by a workforce shortage that has been caused by a decrease in new graduates, decreased retention of qualified professionals, and increased retirements. Other allied health professions such as nursing, athletic training, and pharmacy have studied professional socialization as a way to identify factors that may influence the retention of early career professionals. This mixed method study, which quantitatively used Hall's Professionalism Scale (1968) in addition to qualitative focus group interviews, sought to identify the professional attitudes and behaviors, sense of belonging, and professional socialization of early career clinical laboratory scientists. Early career clinical laboratory scientists were divided into two groups based upon the amount of work experience they had; new clinical laboratory science graduates have had less than one year of work experience and novice clinical laboratory scientists had between one and three years of work experience. This study found that early career clinical laboratory scientists have established professional identities and view themselves as members of the clinical laboratory science field within four proposed stages of professional socialization consisting of pre-arrival, encounter, adaptation, and commitment. New CLS graduates and novice clinical laboratory scientists were found to be at different stages of the professional stage process. New CLS graduates, who had less than one year of work experience, were found to be in the encounter stage. Novice clinical laboratory scientists, with one to three years of work experience, were found to be in the adaptation stage. In order for early career clinical laboratory scientists to successfully transition from student to committed professional, increased support from more experienced colleagues needs to be provided for this group of laboratory professionals. This study provided an initial examination of the professional socialization process in the CLS profession and adds to existing professional socialization studies in allied health.

Reactive control and reasoning assistance for scientific laboratory instruments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thompson, David E.; Levinson, Richard; Robinson, Peter

1993-01-01

Scientific laboratory instruments that are involved in chemical or physical sample identification frequently require substantial human preparation, attention, and interactive control during their operation. Successful real-time analysis of incoming data that supports such interactive control requires: (1) a clear recognition of variance of the data from expected results; and (2) rapid diagnosis of possible alternative hypotheses which might explain the variance. Such analysis then aids in decisions about modifying the experiment protocol, as well as being a goal itself. This paper reports on a collaborative project at the NASA Ames Research Center between artificial intelligence researchers and planetary microbial ecologists. Our team is currently engaged in developing software that autonomously controls science laboratory instruments and that provides data analysis of the real-time data in support of dynamic refinement of the experiment control. the first two instruments to which this technology has been applied are a differential thermal analyzer (DTA) and a gas chromatograph (GC). coupled together, they form a new geochemicstry and microbial analysis tool that is capable of rapid identification of the organiz and mineralogical constituents in soils. The thermal decomposition of the minerals and organics, and the attendance release of evolved gases, provides data about the structural and molecular chemistry of the soil samples.

The Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory Mission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lehman, David H.; Hoffman, Tom L.; Havens, Glen G.

2013-01-01

The Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) mission, launched in September 2011, successfully completed its Primary Science Mission in June 2012 and is currently in Extended Mission operations. Competitively selected under a NASA Announcement of Opportunity in December 2007, GRAIL is a Discovery Program mission subject to a mandatory project cost cap. The purpose of the mission is to precisely map the gravitational field of the Moon to reveal its internal structure from crust to core, determine its thermal evolution, and extend this knowledge to other planets. The mission uses twin spacecraft flying in tandem to provide the gravity map. The GRAIL Flight System, consisting of the spacecraft and payload, was developed based on significant heritage from previous missions such an experimental U.S. Air Force satellite, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) mission, and the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) mission. The Mission Operations System (MOS) was based on high-heritage multimission operations developed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Lockheed Martin. Both the Flight System and MOS were adapted to meet the unique challenges posed by the GRAIL mission design. This paper summarizes the implementation challenges and accomplishments of getting GRAIL ready for launch. It also discusses the in-flight challenges and experiences of operating two spacecraft, and mission results.

Value-added benefits and utilization of pathologists' assistants.

PubMed

Vitale, John; Brooks, Reed; Sovocool, Michael; Rader, W Rae

2012-12-01

The role of pathologists' assistants (PAs) in terms of surgical and autopsy prosection has been well established; however, the role of PAs in areas beyond surgical and autopsy pathology, such as laboratory administration and management, education, and research, is not so well understood. To determine the scope and extent of ancillary duties (value-added benefits) performed by PAs. A self-administered, electronic survey was disseminated to all members of the American Association of Pathologists' Assistants with fellowship status to analyze the ancillary duties PAs provide in laboratory administration and management, education, and research. Respondents were from 44 states and most had 6 or more years of experience in various work settings: community hospitals (50%), academic hospitals (30%), private pathology laboratories (15%), and "other" settings (5%). Most were involved in quality assurance programs (64.0%), laboratory accreditation inspections (56.2%), and a large percentage (44.4%) also had direct supervisory experience. Roughly 36% of respondents reported training residents in prosection skills in a clinical setting, while a small percentage reported teaching for-credit courses in a classroom setting (4.9%). The primary research responsibility was fresh tissue procurement for tumor banking (52.7%). Pathologists' assistants currently are involved in ancillary duties beyond surgical and autopsy prosection. Our findings indicate that PAs have a desire to become more involved in these duties, and there is opportunity for pathologists to benefit further by using PAs to the full extent of their knowledge, skills, and interests.

Lessons learned from implementing a wet laboratory molecular training workshop for beach water quality monitoring.

PubMed

Verhougstraete, Marc Paul; Brothers, Sydney; Litaker, Wayne; Blackwood, A Denene; Noble, Rachel

2015-01-01

Rapid molecular testing methods are poised to replace many of the conventional, culture-based tests currently used in fields such as water quality and food science. Rapid qPCR methods have the benefit of being faster than conventional methods and provide a means to more accurately protect public health. However, many scientists and technicians in water and food quality microbiology laboratories have limited experience using these molecular tests. To ensure that practitioners can use and implement qPCR techniques successfully, we developed a week long workshop to provide hands-on training and exposure to rapid molecular methods for water quality management. This workshop trained academic professors, government employees, private industry representatives, and graduate students in rapid qPCR methods for monitoring recreational water quality. Attendees were immersed in these new methods with hands-on laboratory sessions, lectures, and one-on-one training. Upon completion, the attendees gained sufficient knowledge and practice to teach and share these new molecular techniques with colleagues at their respective laboratories. Key findings from this workshop demonstrated: 1) participants with no prior experience could be effectively trained to conduct highly repeatable qPCR analysis in one week; 2) participants with different desirable outcomes required exposure to a range of different platforms and sample processing approaches; and 3) the collaborative interaction amongst newly trained practitioners, workshop leaders, and members of the water quality community helped foster a cohesive cohort of individuals which can advocate powerful cohort for proper implementation of molecular methods.

Biogasification products of water hyacinth wastewater reclamation

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

Chynoweth, D.P.; Biljetina, R.; Srivastava, V.J.

1984-01-01

This paper describes the results of research in progress to evaluate the use of water hyacinth for wastewater treatment and subsequent conversion of hyacinth and sludge to methane by anaerobic digestion. Laboratory studies have been directed toward evaluating advanced biogasification concepts and establishing a data base for the design and operation of an experimental test unit (ETU) located at the water hyacinth wastewater treatment facility at Walt Disney World (WDW) located in Kissimmee, Florida. Laboratory-scale kinetic experiments have been conducted using continuously-stirred tank reactors (CSTR) and a novel non-mixed upflow solids reactor (USR) receiving a hyacinth/sludge blend at retention timesmore » of 15 down to 2.1 days. The data suggest that best performance is achieved in the USR which has longer solids and organism retention. A larger-scale ETU (160 cu ft) was designed and installed at WDW in 1983 and started up in 1984. The purpose of this unit is to validate laboratory experiments and to evaluate larger-scale equipment used for chopping, slurry preparation, mixing, and effluent dewatering. The ETU includes a front end designed for multiple feed processing and storage, a fully instrumented USR digester, and tanks for effluent and gas storage. The ETU is currently being operated on a 2:1 blend (dry wt basis) of water hyacinth and primary sludge. Performance is good without major operational problems. Results of laboratory studies and start-up and operation of the ETU will be presented. 7 references, 4 figures, 1 table.« less

Lessons Learned from Implementing a Wet Laboratory Molecular Training Workshop for Beach Water Quality Monitoring

PubMed Central

Verhougstraete, Marc Paul; Brothers, Sydney; Litaker, Wayne; Blackwood, A. Denene; Noble, Rachel

2015-01-01

Rapid molecular testing methods are poised to replace many of the conventional, culture-based tests currently used in fields such as water quality and food science. Rapid qPCR methods have the benefit of being faster than conventional methods and provide a means to more accurately protect public health. However, many scientists and technicians in water and food quality microbiology laboratories have limited experience using these molecular tests. To ensure that practitioners can use and implement qPCR techniques successfully, we developed a week long workshop to provide hands-on training and exposure to rapid molecular methods for water quality management. This workshop trained academic professors, government employees, private industry representatives, and graduate students in rapid qPCR methods for monitoring recreational water quality. Attendees were immersed in these new methods with hands-on laboratory sessions, lectures, and one-on-one training. Upon completion, the attendees gained sufficient knowledge and practice to teach and share these new molecular techniques with colleagues at their respective laboratories. Key findings from this workshop demonstrated: 1) participants with no prior experience could be effectively trained to conduct highly repeatable qPCR analysis in one week; 2) participants with different desirable outcomes required exposure to a range of different platforms and sample processing approaches; and 3) the collaborative interaction amongst newly trained practitioners, workshop leaders, and members of the water quality community helped foster a cohesive cohort of individuals which can advocate powerful cohort for proper implementation of molecular methods. PMID:25822486

A case study of magnetotail current sheet disruption and diversion

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lui, A. T. Y.; Lopez, R. E.; Krimigis, S. M.; Mcentire, R. W.; Zanetti, L. J.

1988-01-01

On June 1, 1985 the AMPTE/CCE spacecraft (at a geocentric distance of about 8.8 earth radii at the midnight neutral sheet region) observed a dispersionless energetic particle injection and an increase in magnetic field magnitude, which are features commonly attributed to disruption of the near-earth cross-tail current sheet during substorm expansion onsets. An analysis based on high time-resolution measurements from the magnetometer and the energetic particle detector indicates that the current sheet disruption region exhibited localized (less than 1 earth radius) and transient (less than 1 min) particle intensity enhancements, accompanied by complex magnetic field changes with occasional development of a southward magnetic field component. Similar features are seen in other current disruption/diversion events observed by the CCE. The present analysis suggests that the current disruption region is quite turbulent, similar to laboratory experiments on current sheet disruption, with signatures unlike those expected from an X-type neutral line configuration. No clear indication of periodicity in any magnetic field parameter is discernible for this current disruption event.

Engaging undergraduate students in hadron physics research and instrumentation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Horn, Tanja

2017-09-01

Nuclear physics research is fundamental to our understanding of the visible universe and at the same time intertwined with our daily life. Nuclear physics studies the origin and structure of the atomic nuclei in terms of their basic constituents, the quarks and gluons. Atoms and molecules would not exist without underlying quark-gluon interactions, which build nearly all the mass of the visible universe from an assembly of massless gluons and nearly-massless quarks. The study of hadron structure with electromagnetic probes through exclusive and semi-inclusive scattering experiments carried out at the 12 GeV Jefferson Laboratory plays an important role in this effort. In particular, planned precision measurements of pion and kaon form factors and longitudinal-transverse separated deep exclusive pion and kaon electroproduction cross sections to the highest momentum transfers achievable play an important role in understanding hadron structure and masses and provide essential constraints for 3D hadron imaging. While a growing fraction of nuclear physics research is carried out at large international laboratories, individual university research groups play critical roles in the success of that research. These include data analysis projects and the development of state-of-the-art instrumentation demanded by increasingly sophisticated experiments. These efforts are empowered by the creativity of university faculty, staff, postdocs, and provide students with unique hands-on experience. As an example, an aerogel Cherenkov detector enabling strangeness physics research in Hall C at Jefferson Lab was constructed at the Catholic University of America with the help of 16 undergraduate and high school students. The ''Conference Experience for Undergraduates'' (CEU) provides a venue for these students who have conducted research in nuclear physics. This presentation will present the experiences of one of the participants in the first years of the CEU, her current research program in hadronic physics, and her current and former students who have been participating in more recent CEU events. Supported in part by NSF Grants PHY1714133, PHY1306227 and PHY1306418.

Optimization of current waveform tailoring for magnetically driven isentropic compression experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Waisman, E. M.; Reisman, D. B.; Stoltzfus, B. S.; Stygar, W. A.; Cuneo, M. E.; Haill, T. A.; Davis, J.-P.; Brown, J. L.; Seagle, C. T.; Spielman, R. B.

2016-06-01

The Thor pulsed power generator is being developed at Sandia National Laboratories. The design consists of up to 288 decoupled and transit time isolated capacitor-switch units, called "bricks," that can be individually triggered to achieve a high degree of pulse tailoring for magnetically driven isentropic compression experiments (ICE) [D. B. Reisman et al., Phys. Rev. Spec. Top.-Accel. Beams 18, 090401 (2015)]. The connecting transmission lines are impedance matched to the bricks, allowing the capacitor energy to be efficiently delivered to an ICE strip-line load with peak pressures of over 100 GPa. Thor will drive experiments to explore equation of state, material strength, and phase transition properties of a wide variety of materials. We present an optimization process for producing tailored current pulses, a requirement for many material studies, on the Thor generator. This technique, which is unique to the novel "current-adder" architecture used by Thor, entirely avoids the iterative use of complex circuit models to converge to the desired electrical pulse. We begin with magnetohydrodynamic simulations for a given material to determine its time dependent pressure and thus the desired strip-line load current and voltage. Because the bricks are connected to a central power flow section through transit-time isolated coaxial cables of constant impedance, the brick forward-going pulses are independent of each other. We observe that the desired equivalent forward-going current driving the pulse must be equal to the sum of the individual brick forward-going currents. We find a set of optimal brick delay times by requiring that the L2 norm of the difference between the brick-sum current and the desired forward-going current be a minimum. We describe the optimization procedure for the Thor design and show results for various materials of interest.

Optimization of current waveform tailoring for magnetically driven isentropic compression experiments.

PubMed

Waisman, E M; Reisman, D B; Stoltzfus, B S; Stygar, W A; Cuneo, M E; Haill, T A; Davis, J-P; Brown, J L; Seagle, C T; Spielman, R B

2016-06-01

The Thor pulsed power generator is being developed at Sandia National Laboratories. The design consists of up to 288 decoupled and transit time isolated capacitor-switch units, called "bricks," that can be individually triggered to achieve a high degree of pulse tailoring for magnetically driven isentropic compression experiments (ICE) [D. B. Reisman et al., Phys. Rev. Spec. Top.-Accel. Beams 18, 090401 (2015)]. The connecting transmission lines are impedance matched to the bricks, allowing the capacitor energy to be efficiently delivered to an ICE strip-line load with peak pressures of over 100 GPa. Thor will drive experiments to explore equation of state, material strength, and phase transition properties of a wide variety of materials. We present an optimization process for producing tailored current pulses, a requirement for many material studies, on the Thor generator. This technique, which is unique to the novel "current-adder" architecture used by Thor, entirely avoids the iterative use of complex circuit models to converge to the desired electrical pulse. We begin with magnetohydrodynamic simulations for a given material to determine its time dependent pressure and thus the desired strip-line load current and voltage. Because the bricks are connected to a central power flow section through transit-time isolated coaxial cables of constant impedance, the brick forward-going pulses are independent of each other. We observe that the desired equivalent forward-going current driving the pulse must be equal to the sum of the individual brick forward-going currents. We find a set of optimal brick delay times by requiring that the L2 norm of the difference between the brick-sum current and the desired forward-going current be a minimum. We describe the optimization procedure for the Thor design and show results for various materials of interest.

The manned space-laboratories control centre - MSCC. Operational functions and its implementation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brogl, H.; Kehr, J.; Wlaka, M.

This paper describes the functions of the MSCC during the operations of the Columbus Attached Laboratory and the Free Flying Laboratory as part of the In-Orbit-Infrastructure Ground Segment. For the Attached Laboratory, MSCC payload operations coordination for European experiments within the Attached Laboratory and elsewhere on the Space Station Freedom will be explained. The Free Flying Laboratory will be operated and maintained exclusively from the MSCC during its 30 years lifetime. Several operational scenarios will demonstrate the role of the MSCC during routine - and servicing operations: of main importance are the servicing activities of the Attached Laboratory and the Free Flyer at the Space Station as well as servicing of the Free Flyer by the European Space Plane Hermes. The MSCC will have complex operational-, communications-and management interfaces with the IOI Ground Segment, the Space Station User community and with the international partners. Columbus User Support Centres will be established in many European member states, which have to be coordinated by the MSCC to ensure the proper reception of the scientific data and to provide them with quick access to their experiments in space. For operations planning and execution of experiments in the Attached Laboratory, a close cooperation with the Space Station control authorities in the USA will be established. The paper will show the development of the MSCC being initially used for the upcoming Spacelab Mission D-2 (MSCC Phase-1) and later upgraded to a Columbus dedicated control centre (MSCC Phase-2). For the initial construction phase the establishing of MSCC requirements, the philosophie used for the definition of the 'basic infrastructure' and key features of the installed facilities will be addressed. Resulting from Columbus and D-2 requirements, the sizing of the building with respect to controlrooms, conference rooms, office spare and simulation high-bay areas will be discussed. The defined 'basic infrastructure', consisting of standardized controlroom consoles, intercom system, video system, simulation system, timing system, public address system, office communications system and the associated networks will be presented with their main performance data. The D-2 data processing concept and associated interfaces is presented as well; although this portion of the MSCC facilities is unlikely to be used in later IOI operations activities the experience gathered during D-2 operations will be relevant for defining the Columbus (MSCC - Phase 2) configuration. A summary of the available budget and the allocation to the discussed MSCC Phase-1 facilities will be given. One chapter of the paper will present the current status and objectives of the Detailed Definition Phase (DDP) contract with industry. The last part of this presentation will address the planned implementation integration and test approach for the MSCC as a facility suitable for Columbus operations.

Tested Studies for Laboratory Teaching. Proceedings of the Workshop/Conference of the Association for Biology Laboratory Education (ABLE) (12th, Springfield, Missouri, June 4-8, 1990). Volume 12.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goldman, Corey A., Ed.

The focus of the Association for Biology Laboratory Education (ABLE) is to improve the undergraduate biology laboratory experience by promoting the development and dissemination of interesting, innovative, and reliable laboratory exercises. This proceedings volume includes 13 papers: "Non-Radioactive DNA Hybridization Experiments for the…

The NRL (Naval Research Laboratory) Phase-Locked Gyrotron Oscillator Program for SDIO/IST

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-07-11

are neglected as are space - charge effects . The cold cavity eigenfrequency for the TE6 2 1 mode is 35.08 GHz. The calculated efficiency, output power...improved beam quality on the gyrotron operation, and to eliminate the unknown space charge effects present in the original experiment, in which a...substantial fraction of the diode current is reflected before reaching the gyrotron cavity and may cause space charge problems before being collected on

An affordable optically stimulated luminescent dosimeter reader utilizing multiple excitation wavelengths.

PubMed

Kearfott, Kimberlee J; West, W Geoffrey

2015-10-01

A lower-cost optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) reader with increased flexibility for pursuing laboratory research into OSL theory and application was designed and constructed. This was achieved by using off-the-shelf optical components and higher-power light emitting diodes. The resulting reader includes more wavelengths of excitation light than current commercial readers, as well as the ability to swap out filters and other components during an experiment. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Design of the next generation target at Lujan center, LANSCE.

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

Ferres, Laurent

2016-07-27

This is a presentation given at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) on the design of the next generation target at Lujan center, LANSCE. The motivation for this design is to enable new nuclear physics experiments (defense program applications (DANCE)) that are currently limited by neutron intensity or energy resolution available at LANSCE. The target is being redesigned so that the Flight Paths in the upper tier provide a higher intensity in the epithermal and medium energy ranges.

The Airborne Visible / Infrared Imaging Spectrometer AVIS: Design, Characterization and Calibration.

PubMed

Oppelt, Natascha; Mauser, Wolfram

2007-09-14

The Airborne Visible / Infrared imaging Spectrometer AVIS is a hyperspectralimager designed for environmental monitoring purposes. The sensor, which wasconstructed entirely from commercially available components, has been successfullydeployed during several experiments between 1999 and 2007. We describe the instrumentdesign and present the results of laboratory characterization and calibration of the system'ssecond generation, AVIS-2, which is currently being operated. The processing of the datais described and examples of remote sensing reflectance data are presented.

The HEAO A-1 X Ray Source Catalog (Wood Et Al. 1984): Documentation for the Machine-Readable Version

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Warren, Wayne H., Jr.

1990-01-01

The machine-readable version of the catalog, as it is currently being distributed from the Astronomical Data Center, is described. The catalog is a compilation of data for 842 sources detected with the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory Large Area Sky Survey Experiment flown aboard the HEAO 1 satellite. The data include source identifications, positions, error boxes, mean X-ray intensities, and cross identifications to other source designations.

Toward a Rb MOT for Undergrad Research and Advanced labs at Bridgewater State University

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deveney, Edward

2015-03-01

The seminal paper for the undergraduate MOT appeared in AJP (63 (4), 1995) by C. Wieman, G. Flowers and S. Gilbert; `Inexpensive laser cooling and trapping experiment for undergraduate laboratories'. They wrote: ``Because of this visual appeal and the current research excitement in this area, we felt that it was highly desirable to develop an atom trapping apparatus that could be incorporated into the undergraduate laboratory classes.'' From our observations, it seems that while there are extraordinary examples of MOTs thriving in a few undergraduate labs, MOT experiments have yet to be widely incorporated into the undergraduate curriculum - likely because they are, in fact, not trivial to make. With the benefit of 20 years evolution since this 1st undergraduate MOT paper, we report the progress at BSU of constructing a 85Rb MOT that incorporates significant simplifications and straightforward techniques that include: using a single ECDL laser for both trapping and re-pumping (using an EOM to add FM sidebands) and combining a purchased stabilized HeNe with the ECDL in a Fabry-Perot Interferometer to correct and sufficiently stabilize the ECDL for trapping. When completed we will revisit the question of do-ability for the undergraduate research/advanced lab. The BSU MOT was planned with and is currently being built with the help and guidance of David DeMille and his research group at Yale University [including J. Barry Thesis, Yale].

Microphysics of Magnetic Reconnection: Experiments on RSX and Simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Intrator, T. P.; Furno, I. G.; Hsu, S. C.; Lapenta, G.; Ricci, P.

2003-12-01

Using a unique LANL laboratory facility, the Reconnection Scaling Experiment (RSX), and a state-of-the-art LANL numerical code, CELESTE3D, we are beginning an experimental and numerical study of the microphysics of 2D and 3D "fast magnetic reconnection". RSX at Los Alamos National Laboratory is already operational and producing research plasmas. In RSX, the radial boundaries and thus the reconnection geometry are not constrained to two dimensions. It is capable of investigating 3D magnetic reconnection occurring in a free-boundary 3D linear geometry during the coalescence of two parallel current plasma channels, which are produced by using plasma gun technology. RSX can also scale the guide field (ion gyroradius) independently of other reconnection parameters. Frontier reconnection research invokes (1) `anomalous' microinstability-induced resistivity, which enhances dissipation rates inside the reconnection layer and (2) terms of the two-fluid generalized Ohm's law which introduce whistler and kinetic Alfvén wave dynamics. The two-fluid approach predicts (a) a two-spatial-scale spatial structure of the reconnection layer, with outer (inner) thickness equal to the ion (electron) skin depth and (b) Hall currents in the reconnection plane and out-of-plane magnetic field on the electron scale. We will show spatially resolved RSX experimental measurements of the dynamics of the reconnection layer, and take advantage of our scaling capabilities to address the applicability of the two-fluid approach.

Electromagnetic earthquake triggering phenomena: State-of-the-art research and future developments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zeigarnik, Vladimir; Novikov, Victor

2014-05-01

Developed in the 70s of the last century in Russia unique pulsed power systems based on solid propellant magneto-hydrodynamic (MHD) generators with an output of 10-500 MW and operation duration of 10 to 15 s were applied for an active electromagnetic monitoring of the Earth's crust to explore its deep structure, oil and gas electrical prospecting, and geophysical studies for earthquake prediction due to their high specific power parameters, portability, and a capability of operation under harsh climatic conditions. The most interesting and promising results were obtained during geophysical experiments at the test sites located at Pamir and Northern Tien Shan mountains, when after 1.5-2.5 kA electric current injection into the Earth crust through an 4 km-length emitting dipole the regional seismicity variations were observed (increase of number of weak earthquakes within a week). Laboratory experiments performed by different teams of the Institute of Physics of the Earth, Joint Institute for High Temperatures, and Research Station of Russian Academy of Sciences on observation of acoustic emission behavior of stressed rock samples during their processing by electric pulses demonstrated similar patterns - a burst of acoustic emission (formation of cracks) after application of current pulse to the sample. Based on the field and laboratory studies it was supposed that a new kind of earthquake triggering - electromagnetic initiation of weak seismic events has been observed, which may be used for the man-made electromagnetic safe release of accumulated tectonic stresses and, consequently, for earthquake hazard mitigation. For verification of this hypothesis some additional field experiments were carried out at the Bishkek geodynamic proving ground with application of pulsed ERGU-600 facility, which provides 600 A electric current in the emitting dipole. An analysis of spatio-temporal redistribution of weak regional seismicity after ERGU-600 pulses, as well as a response of geoacoustic emission recorded in the wells at a distance of 7-12 km from the emitting dipole to the ERGU-600 pulses confirmed the effects of an influence of electromagnetic field on the deformation processes in the Earth crust and the real existence of electromagnetic triggering phenomena. For verification of results of field observations laboratory studies of behavior of rock samples under critical stress-strain state and external electric actions were carried out at the spring and lever presses, as well as at the stick-slip models simulated the seismic cycle (stress accumulation and discharge) in the seismogenic geological fault. Various possible mechanisms of weak electrical stimulation (electric current density 10-7-10-8 mA/cm2 at a depth of earthquake epicenters of 5 to10 km) of deformation processes in the Earth crust, including increased fluid pore pressure, electrokinetic phenomena, magnetostriction, electrical stimulation of fluid migration into the fault area are considered. However, the mechanism of electromagnetic earthquake triggering phenomena is still open. Based on the field observations of electromagnetic triggering of weak seismicity resulting in a partial safe release of stresses in the Earth crust a possibility of control of seismic process is considered for risk reduction of catastrophic earthquakes. The results obtained from field and laboratory experiments on electromagnetic initiation of seismic events allow to consider a problem of lithosphere-ionosphere relations from another point of view. Keeping in mind that the current density generated in the Earth crust by artificial electric source is comparable with the density of telluric currents induced during severe ionospheric disturbances (e.g., magnetic storms) it may be possible under certain favorable conditions in lithosphere to initiate earthquakes by electromagnetic disturbances in ionosphere. A possibility of application of these triggering phenomena for short-term earthquake prediction is discussed.

Measuring the Bed Load velocity in Laboratory flumes using ADCP and Digital Cameras

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Conevski, Slaven; Guerrero, Massimo; Rennie, Colin; Bombardier, Josselin

2017-04-01

Measuring the transport rate and apparent velocity of the bedload is notoriously hard and there is not a certain technique that would obtain continues data. There are many empirical models, based on the estimation of the shear stress, but only few involve direct measurement of the bed load velocity. The bottom tracking (BT) mode of an acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) has been used many times to estimate the apparent velocity of the bed load. Herein is the basic idea, to exploit the bias of the BT signal towards the bed load movement and to calibrate this signal with traditional measuring techniques. These measurements are quite scarce and seldom reliable since there are not taken in controlled conditions. So far, no clear confirmation has been conducted in laboratory-controlled conditions that would attest the assumptions made in the estimation of the apparent bed load velocity, nor in the calibration of the empirical equations. Therefore, this study explores several experiments under stationary conditions, where the signal of the ADCP BT mode is recorded and compared to the bed load motion recorded by digital camera videography. The experiments have been performed in the hydraulic laboratories of Ottawa and Bologna, using two different ADCPs and two different high resolution cameras. In total, more then 30 experiments were performed for different sediment mixtures and different hydraulic conditions. In general, a good match is documented between the apparent bed load velocity measured by the ADCP and the videography. The slight deviation in single experiments can be explained by gravel particles inhomogeneity, difficult in reproducing the same hydro-sedimentological conditions and the randomness of the backscattering strength.

Does the Lack of Hands-On Experience in a Remotely Delivered Laboratory Course Affect Student Learning?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abdel-Salam, Tarek; Kauffman, Paul J.; Crossman, Gary

2006-01-01

Educators question whether performing a laboratory experiment as an observer (non-hands-on), such as conducted in a distance education context, can be as effective a learning tool as personally performing the experiment in a laboratory environment. The present paper investigates this issue by comparing the performance of distance education…

Expression, Purification, and Characterization of a Carbohydrate-Active Enzyme: A Research-Inspired Methods Optimization Experiment for the Biochemistry Laboratory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Willbur, Jaime F.; Vail, Justin D.; Mitchell, Lindsey N.; Jakeman, David L.; Timmons, Shannon C.

2016-01-01

The development and implementation of research-inspired, discovery-based experiences into science laboratory curricula is a proven strategy for increasing student engagement and ownership of experiments. In the novel laboratory module described herein, students learn to express, purify, and characterize a carbohydrate-active enzyme using modern…

Asking the next generation: the implementation of pre-university students’ ideas about physics laboratory preparation exercises

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dunnett, K.; Bartlett, P. A.

2018-01-01

It was planned to introduce online pre-laboratory session activities to a first-year undergraduate physics laboratory course to encourage a minimum level of student preparation for experiments outside the laboratory environment. A group of 16 and 17 year old laboratory work-experience students were tasked to define and design a pre-laboratory activity based on experiments that they had been undertaking. This informed the structure, content and aims of the activities introduced to a first year physics undergraduate laboratory course, with the particular focus on practising the data handling. An implementation study showed how students could try to optimise high grades, rather than gain efficiency-enhancing experience if careful controls were not put in place by assessors. However, the work demonstrated that pre-university and first-year physics students can take an active role in developing scaffolding activities that can help to improve the performance of those that follow their footsteps.

The Effect of Chemistry Laboratory Activities on Students' Chemistry Perception and Laboratory Anxiety Levels

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aydogdu, Cemil

2017-01-01

Chemistry lesson should be supported with experiments to understand the lecture effectively. For safety laboratory environment and to prevent laboratory accidents; chemical substances' properties, working principles for chemical substances' usage should be learnt. Aim of the present study was to analyze the effect of experiments which depend on…

Lab experiments are a major source of knowledge in the social sciences.

PubMed

Falk, Armin; Heckman, James J

2009-10-23

Laboratory experiments are a widely used methodology for advancing causal knowledge in the physical and life sciences. With the exception of psychology, the adoption of laboratory experiments has been much slower in the social sciences, although during the past two decades the use of lab experiments has accelerated. Nonetheless, there remains considerable resistance among social scientists who argue that lab experiments lack "realism" and generalizability. In this article, we discuss the advantages and limitations of laboratory social science experiments by comparing them to research based on nonexperimental data and to field experiments. We argue that many recent objections against lab experiments are misguided and that even more lab experiments should be conducted.

Large-scale laboratory testing of bedload-monitoring technologies: overview of the StreamLab06 Experiments

USGS Publications Warehouse

Marr, Jeffrey D.G.; Gray, John R.; Davis, Broderick E.; Ellis, Chris; Johnson, Sara; Gray, John R.; Laronne, Jonathan B.; Marr, Jeffrey D.G.

2010-01-01

A 3-month-long, large-scale flume experiment involving research and testing of selected conventional and surrogate bedload-monitoring technologies was conducted in the Main Channel at the St. Anthony Falls Laboratory under the auspices of the National Center for Earth-surface Dynamics. These experiments, dubbed StreamLab06, involved 25 researchers and volunteers from academia, government, and the private sector. The research channel was equipped with a sediment-recirculation system and a sediment-flux monitoring system that allowed continuous measurement of sediment flux in the flume and provided a data set by which samplers were evaluated. Selected bedload-measurement technologies were tested under a range of flow and sediment-transport conditions. The experiment was conducted in two phases. The bed material in phase I was well-sorted siliceous sand (0.6-1.8 mm median diameter). A gravel mixture (1-32 mm median diameter) composed the bed material in phase II. Four conventional bedload samplers – a standard Helley-Smith, Elwha, BLH-84, and Toutle River II (TR-2) sampler – were manually deployed as part of both experiment phases. Bedload traps were deployed in study Phase II. Two surrogate bedload samplers – stationarymounted down-looking 600 kHz and 1200 kHz acoustic Doppler current profilers – were deployed in experiment phase II. This paper presents an overview of the experiment including the specific data-collection technologies used and the ambient hydraulic, sediment-transport and environmental conditions measured as part of the experiment. All data collected as part of the StreamLab06 experiments are, or will be available to the research community.