Effect of Vaginal Hygiene Module to Attitudes and Behavior of Pathological Vaginal Discharge Prevention Among Female Adolescents in Slemanregency, Yogyakarta, Indonesia

PubMed Central

Sumarah, Sumarah; Widyasih, Hesty

2017-01-01

Objective: To determine the effect of vaginal hygiene module to attitudes and behavior of pathological vaginal discharge prevention in adolescent girls in Sleman Regency, Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Materials and methods: This present study is a quasi experiment with pretest and post-test control group design. A total of 80 female students was selected randomly from two secondary schools at the study site and then distributed equally to control and experimental group. Only participants in the experimental group were given self-learning vaginal hygiene module to maintain vaginal cleanliness. A questionnaire was used as an instrument to measure the attitudes and behavior of vaginal discharge prevention. Paired and independent sample t-tests with significance level (p value) at 0.05 and Confidence Interval (CI) of 95%were employed to compare the mean difference. Results: There is a significant difference in the students’ attitude and practice of pathological vaginal discharge prevention between intervention and control group. The students who have been exposed to vaginal hygiene module for six months showed better attitudes and practice in pathological vaginal discharge prevention compared to their counterpart in control group who do not receive any module. Conclusion: The present study implied that vaginal hygiene module can be provided widely for female adolescents at their early puberty. District health officers may work closely with schools’ health promoter to reach the students and create a supportive environment for reproductive health discussion and forum in order to achieve better adolescents’ reproductive health status. PMID:29282418

Day/night changes in serum S100B protein concentrations in acute paranoid schizophrenia.

PubMed

Morera-Fumero, Armando L; Díaz-Mesa, Estefanía; Abreu-Gonzalez, Pedro; Fernandez-Lopez, Lourdes; Cejas-Mendez, Maria Del Rosario

2017-04-03

There are day/night and seasonal changes in biological markers such as melatonin and cortisol. Controversial changes in serum S100B protein levels have been described in schizophrenia. We aim studying whether serum S100B levels present day/night variations in schizophrenia patients and whether S100B levels are related to psychopathology. Sixty-five paranoid schizophrenic inpatients participated in the study. Psychopathology was assessed with the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) at admission and discharge. Blood was drawn at 12:00 (midday) and 00:00 (midnight) hours at admission and discharge. Sixty-five healthy subjects matched by age, gender and season acted as control group. At admission and discharge patients had significantly higher serum S100B concentrations at midday and midnight than healthy subjects. At admission, patients showed a day/night variation of S100B levels, with higher S100B levels at 12:00 than at 00:00h (143.7±26.3pg/ml vs. 96.9±16.6pg/ml). This day/night difference was not present in the control group. Midday and midnight S100B at admission decreased when compared to S100B at discharge (midday, 143.7±26.3 vs. 83.0±12, midnight 96.9±16.6 vs. 68.6±14.5). There was a positive correlation between the PANSS positive subscale and S100B concentrations at admission. This correlation was not present at discharge. acute paranoid schizophrenia inpatients present a day/night change of S100B serum levels at admission that disappears at discharge. The correlation between serum S100B concentrations and the PANSS positive scores at admission as well as the decrease of S100B at discharge may be interpreted as an acute biological response to the clinical state of the patients. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Quantifying the Uncertainty in Discharge Data Using Hydraulic Knowledge and Uncertain Gaugings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Renard, B.; Le Coz, J.; Bonnifait, L.; Branger, F.; Le Boursicaud, R.; Horner, I.; Mansanarez, V.; Lang, M.

2014-12-01

River discharge is a crucial variable for Hydrology: as the output variable of most hydrologic models, it is used for sensitivity analyses, model structure identification, parameter estimation, data assimilation, prediction, etc. A major difficulty stems from the fact that river discharge is not measured continuously. Instead, discharge time series used by hydrologists are usually based on simple stage-discharge relations (rating curves) calibrated using a set of direct stage-discharge measurements (gaugings). In this presentation, we present a Bayesian approach to build such hydrometric rating curves, to estimate the associated uncertainty and to propagate this uncertainty to discharge time series. The three main steps of this approach are described: (1) Hydraulic analysis: identification of the hydraulic controls that govern the stage-discharge relation, identification of the rating curve equation and specification of prior distributions for the rating curve parameters; (2) Rating curve estimation: Bayesian inference of the rating curve parameters, accounting for the individual uncertainties of available gaugings, which often differ according to the discharge measurement procedure and the flow conditions; (3) Uncertainty propagation: quantification of the uncertainty in discharge time series, accounting for both the rating curve uncertainties and the uncertainty of recorded stage values. In addition, we also discuss current research activities, including the treatment of non-univocal stage-discharge relationships (e.g. due to hydraulic hysteresis, vegetation growth, sudden change of the geometry of the section, etc.).

Design of micro-second pulsed laser mode for ophthalmological CW self-raman laser

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mota, Alessandro D.; Rossi, Giuliano; Ortega, Tiago A.; Costal, Glauco Z.; Fontes, Yuri C.; Yasuoka, Fatima M. M.; Stefani, Mario A.; de Castro N., Jarbas C.; Paiva, Maria S. V.

2011-02-01

This work presents the mechanisms adopted for the design of micro-second pulsed laser mode for a CW Self-Raman laser cavity in 586nm and 4W output power. The new technique for retina disease treatment discharges laser pulses on the retina tissue, in laser sequences of 200 μs pulse duration at each 2ms. This operation mode requires the laser to discharge fast electric pulses, making the system control velocity of the electronic system cavity vital. The control procedures to keep the laser output power stable and the laser head behavior in micro-second pulse mode are presented.

Studies of the Electrohydrodynamic Force Produced in a Dielectric Barrier Discharge for Flow Control. Report no. 2, Phase 3

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-02-01

applied between the electrodes at a repetition rate of a few kHz (for spanwise as well as streamwise configurations of the DBD actuators with respect to...the electronic version) 1. Introduction Surface dielectric barrier discharges ( DBDs ) at atmospheric pressure can generate a flow or modify the...to the momentum transfer from charged particles to neutral molecules in a gas discharge. In recent papers [7–9], we presented studies of surface DBDs

Stability analysis of ELMs in long-pulse discharges with ELITE code on EAST tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Y. F.; Xu, G. S.; Wan, B. N.; Li, G. Q.; Yan, N.; Li, Y. L.; Wang, H. Q.; Peng, Y.-K. Martin; Xia, T. Y.; Ding, S. Y.; Chen, R.; Yang, Q. Q.; Liu, H. Q.; Zang, Q.; Zhang, T.; Lyu, B.; Xu, J. C.; Feng, W.; Wang, L.; Chen, Y. J.; Luo, Z. P.; Hu, G. H.; Zhang, W.; Shao, L. M.; Ye, Y.; Lan, H.; Chen, L.; Li, J.; Zhao, N.; Wang, Q.; Snyder, P. B.; Liang, Y.; Qian, J. P.; Gong, X. Z.; EAST team

2018-05-01

One challenge in long-pulse and high performance tokamak operation is to control the edge localized modes (ELMs) to reduce the transient heat load on plasma facing components. Minute-scale discharges in H-mode have been achieved repeatedly on Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) since the 2016 campaign and understanding the characteristics of the ELMs in these discharges can be helpful for effective ELM control in long-pulse discharges. The kinetic profile diagnostics recently developed on EAST make it possible to perform the pedestal stability analysis quantitatively. Pedestal stability calculation of a typical long-pulse discharge with ELITE code is presented. The ideal linear stability results show that the ELM is dominated by toroidal mode number n around 10–15 and the most unstable mode structure is mainly localized in the steep pressure gradient region, which is consistent with experimental results. Compared with a typical type-I ELM discharge with larger total plasma current (I p = 600 kA), pedestal in the long-pulse H-mode discharge (I p = 450 kA) is more stable in peeling-ballooning instability and its critical peak pressure gradient is evaluated to be 65% of the former. Two important features of EAST tokamak in the long-pulse discharge are presented by comparison with other tokamaks, including a wider pedestal correlated with the poloidal pedestal beta and a smaller inverse aspect ratio and their effects on the pedestal stability are discussed. The effects of uncertainties in measurements on the linear stability results are also analyzed, including the edge electron density profile position, the separatrix position and the line-averaged effective ion charge {Z}{{e}{{f}}{{f}}} value.

Light sensitive memristor with bi-directional and wavelength-dependent conductance control

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

Maier, P.; Hartmann, F., E-mail: fabian.hartmann@physik.uni-wuerzburg.de; Emmerling, M.

2016-07-11

We report the optical control of localized charge on positioned quantum dots in an electro-photo-sensitive memristor. Interband absorption processes in the quantum dot barrier matrix lead to photo-generated electron-hole-pairs that, depending on the applied bias voltage, charge or discharge the quantum dots and hence decrease or increase the conductance. Wavelength-dependent conductance control is observed by illumination with red and infrared light, which leads to charging via interband and discharging via intraband absorption. The presented memristor enables optical conductance control and may thus be considered for sensory applications in artificial neural networks as light-sensitive synapses or optically tunable memories.

Expression of Geochemical Controls on Water Quality in Loch Vale, Rocky Mountain National Park

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Podzorski, H.; Navarre-Sitchler, A.; Stets, E.; Clow, D. W.

2017-12-01

Relationships between concentrations of rock weathering products and discharge provide insight into the interactions between climate and solute dynamics. This concentration-discharge (C-Q) relationship is especially interesting in high alpine regions, due to their susceptibility to changes in the timing and magnitude of snowmelt. Previous studies looking at C-Q relationships have concluded that concentrations of conservative solutes remain relatively constant as discharge varies; however, these results may be due to relatively small sample sizes, especially at higher discharge values. Using water chemistry data collected regularly by the U.S. Geological Survey from Loch Vale, a high-elevation catchment in Rocky Mountain National Park, C-Q relationships were examined to determine possible geochemical controls on stream solute concentrations. A record of over 20 years of C-Q data resulted in a pattern that shows little variation in conservative solute concentrations during base flow and larger variations in concentrations around peak discharge. This observed pattern is consistent with accumulation of solutes in pore water during base flow, which are then flushed out and diluted by snowmelt. Further evidence of this flushing out mechanism is found in patterns of hysteresis that are present in annual C-Q relationships. Before peak discharge, concentrations of weathering products are higher than after peak discharge at similar values of discharge. Based on these observations, we hypothesize that the geochemical processes controlling stream chemistry vary by season. During the winter, solute concentrations are transport-limited due to slow subsurface flushing resulting in concentrations that are effectively constant and close to equilibrium. During the spring and summer, concentrations drop sharply after peak discharge due to a combination of dilution and reaction-limited processes under conditions with faster subsurface flow and continued snowmelt. This study provides insight into seasonal geochemical controls on conservative solute concentrations that can be overlooked with small, or seasonally biased, data sets.

Radioactive liquid wastes discharged to ground in the 200 Areas during 1976

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

Mirabella, J.E.

An overall summary is presented giving the radioactive liquid wastes discharged to ground during 1976 and since startup (for both total and decayed depositions) within the Production and Waste Management Division control zone (200 Area plateau). Overall summaries are also presented for 200 East Area and for 200 West Area. The data contain an estimate of the radioactivity discharged to individual ponds, cribs and specific retention sites within the Production and Waste Management Division during 1976 and from startup through December 31, 1976; an estimate of the decayed activities from startup through 1976; the location and reference drawings of eachmore » disposal site; and the usage dates of each disposal site. The estimates for the radioactivity discharged and for decayed activities dicharged from startup through December 31, 1976 are based upon Item 4 of the Bibliography. The volume of liquid discharged to the ponds also includes major nonradioactive streams. The wastes discharged during 1976 to each active disposal site are detailed on a month-to-month basis, along with the monthly maximum concentration and average concentration data. An estimate of the radioactivity discharged to each active site along with the remaining decayed activities is given.« less

Stability of backwater-influenced river bifurcations: A study of the Mississippi-Atchafalaya system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Edmonds, D. A.

2012-04-01

In this paper I use numerical modeling to show that the hydraulic backwater profile creates a feedback that may stabilize river bifurcations. The numerical model simulates flow and sediment transport in the Mississippi-Atchafalaya River system without the Old River Control Structure. The results show that bifurcation evolution strongly depends on the discharge upstream of the bifurcation. At upstream discharges greater than 12600 m3 s-1 the Atchafalaya River discharge increases through time at the expense of the Mississippi River. Interestingly, at upstream discharges lower than 12600 m3 s-1 the opposite occurs and the Mississippi River discharge increases at the expense of the Atchafalaya River. The capture direction changes because the backwater profile of each river varies enough at high and low discharge to invert the water surface slope ratio. These results suggest that the capture direction would change at high and low flow, which would have a stabilizing effect by preventing the runaway growth of one channel. Accounting for this, I calculate that in the absence of the Old River Control Structure capture would not happen catastrophically, but rather the Atchafalaya River would capture the Mississippi River in ˜300 years from present day.

Hydrological versus biogeochemical controls on catchment nitrate export: a test of the flushing mechanism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ocampo, Carlos J.; Oldham, Carolyn E.; Sivapalan, Murugesu; Turner, Jeffrey V.

2006-12-01

Deciphering the connection between streamflows and nitrate (NO-3) discharge requires identification of the various water flow pathways within a catchment, and the different time-scales at which hydrological and biogeochemical processes occur. Despite the complexity of the processes involved, many catchments around the world present a characteristic flushing response of NO-3 export. Yet the controls on the flushing response, and how they vary across space and time, are still not clearly understood. In this paper, the flushing response of NO-3 export from a rural catchment in Western Australia was investigated using isotopic (deuterium), chemical (chloride, NO-3), and hydrometric data across different antecedent conditions and time-scales. The catchment streamflow was at all time-scales dominated by a pre-event water source, and the NO-3 discharge was correlated with the magnitude of areas contributing to saturation overland flow. The NO-3 discharge also appeared related to the shallow groundwater dynamics. Thus, the antecedent moisture condition of the catchment at seasonal and interannual time-scales had a major impact on the NO-3 flushing response. In particular, the dynamics of the shallow ephemeral perched aquifer drove a shift from hydrological controls on NO-3 discharge during the early flushing stage to an apparent biogeochemical control on NO-3 discharge during the steady decline stage of the flushing response. This temporally variable control hypothesis provides a new and alternative description of the mechanisms behind the commonly seen flushing response. Copyright

Plasma Diagnostics For The Investigation of Silane Based Glow Discharge Deposition Processes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mataras, Dimitrios

2001-10-01

In this work is presented the study of microcrystalline silicon PECVD process through highly diluted silane in hydrogen discharges. The investigation is performed by applying different non intrusive plasma diagnostics (electrical, optical, mass spectrometric and laser interferometric measurements). Each of these measurements is related to different plasma sub-processes (gas physics, plasma chemistry and plasma surface interaction) and compose a complete set, proper for the investigation of the effect of external discharge parameters on the deposition processes. In the specific case these plasma diagnostics are applied for prospecting the optimal experimental conditions from the ic-Si:H deposition rate point of view. Namely, the main characteristics of the effect of frequency, discharge geometry, power consumption and total gas pressure on the deposition process are presented successively. Special attention is given to the study of the frequency effect (13.56 MHz 50 MHz) indicating that the correct way to compare results of different driving frequency discharges is by maintaining constant the total power dissipation in the discharge. The important role of frequency in the achievement of high deposition rates and on the optimization of all other parameters is underlined. Finally, the proper combination of experimental conditions that result from the optimal choice of each of the above-mentioned discharge parameters and lead to high microcrystalline silicon deposition rates (7.5 Å/sec) is presented. The increase of silane dissociation rate towards neutral radicals (frequency effect), the contribution of highly sticking to the surface radicals (discharge geometry optimum) and the controlled production of higher radicals through secondary gas phase reactions (total gas pressure), are presented as prerequisites for the achievement of high deposition rates.

Motivational aftercare planning to better care: Applying the principles of advanced directives and motivational interviewing to discharge planning for people with mental illness.

PubMed

Kisely, Steve; Wyder, Marianne; Dietrich, Josie; Robinson, Gail; Siskind, Dan; Crompton, David

2017-02-01

Improving the input of people with mental illness into their recovery plans can potentially lead to better outcomes. In the present study, we evaluated the introduction of motivational aftercare planning (MAP) into the discharge planning of psychiatric inpatients. MAP is a manualized intervention combining motivational interviewing with advance directives. We measured changes in the level of patient input into discharge planning following training staff in the use of MAP. This included the following: (i) documentation of early relapse signs along with successful past responses; (ii) evidence of aftercare planning; and (iii) the use of the patients' own words in the plan. We used a ward-level controlled before-and-after design comparing one intervention ward with two control wards. We used anonymized recovery plans, with a goal of 50 plans per ward before and after the intervention, to look for evidence of patient input into care planning with a standardized checklist. There were also qualitative interviews with individuals discharged from the unit. We reviewed 100 intervention ward plans and 197 control ones (total n = 297). There were no significant differences in recovery plans from intervention and control wards at baseline. Following MAP training, the intervention ward improved significantly (e.g. identification of triggers increased from 52 to 94%, χ 2  = 23.3, d.f. =1, P < 0.001). This did not occur in the control wards. The qualitative data (n = 20 interviews) showed improvements in participants' experiences of discharge planning. MAP increased inpatient input into discharge planning and was valued by participants. The effect on subsequent health service use needs evaluation. © 2016 Australian College of Mental Health Nurses Inc.

Economics of electron beam and electrical discharge processing for post-combustion NO(x) control in internal combustion engines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Penetrante, B. M.

1993-08-01

The physics and chemistry of non-thermal plasma processing for post-combustion NO(x) control in internal combustion engines are discussed. A comparison of electron beam and electrical discharge processing is made regarding their power consumption, radical production, NO(x) removal mechanisms, and by-product formation. Pollution control applications present a good opportunity for transferring pulsed power techniques to the commercial sector. However, unless advances are made to drastically reduce the price and power consumption of electron beam sources and pulsed power systems, these plasma techniques will not become commercially competitive with conventional thermal or surface-catalytic methods.

Experimental Investigation of the Induced Airflow of Corona Discharge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Yong; Zhang, Xin; Wang, Xun-Nian; Wang, Wan-Bo; Huang, Zong-Bo; Li, Hua-Xing

2013-09-01

In order to improve the acceleration effect of corona discharge acting on air, we present an experimental study on the induced airflow produced by corona discharge between two parallel electrodes. The parameters investigated are the type of electrodes, actuation voltage and the distance in the absence of free airflow. The induced flow velocity is measured directly in the accelerated region using the particle image velocimetry technology. The results show that if corona discharge is not developed into arc discharge, the induced airflow velocity increases nearly linearly with the applied voltage and the maximum induced airflow velocity near the needle electrode reaches 36 m/s. It is expected that in the future, the result can be referred to in the research about effect of active flow control to reach much higher induced airflow speed.

Fast repetition rate (FRR) flasher

DOEpatents

Kolber, Zbigniew; Falkowski, Paul

1997-02-11

A fast repetition rate (FRR) flasher suitable for high flash photolysis including kinetic chemical and biological analysis. The flasher includes a power supply, a discharge capacitor operably connected to be charged by the power supply, and a flash lamp for producing a series of flashes in response to discharge of the discharge capacitor. A triggering circuit operably connected to the flash lamp initially ionizes the flash lamp. A current switch is operably connected between the flash lamp and the discharge capacitor. The current switch has at least one insulated gate bipolar transistor for switching current that is operable to initiate a controllable discharge of the discharge capacitor through the flash lamp. Control means connected to the current switch for controlling the rate of discharge of the discharge capacitor thereby to effectively keep the flash lamp in an ionized state between Successive discharges of the discharge capacitor. Advantageously, the control means is operable to discharge the discharge capacitor at a rate greater than 10,000 Hz and even up to a rate greater than about 250,000 Hz.

An experimental system for symmetric capacitive rf discharge studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Godyak, V. A.; Piejak, R. B.; Alexandrovich, B. M.

1990-09-01

An experimental system has been designed and built to comprehensively study the electrical and plasma characteristics in symmetric capacitively coupled rf discharges at low gas pressures. Descriptions of the system concept, the discharge chamber, the vacuum-gas control system, and the rf matching and electrical measurement system are presented together with some results of electrical measurements carried out in an argon discharge at 13.56 MHz. The system has been specifically designed to facilitate external discharge parameter measurements and probe measurements and to be compatible with a wide variety of other diagnostics. External electrical measurements and probe measurements within the discharge show that it is an ideal vehicle to study low-pressure rf discharge physics. Measurements from this system should be comparable to one-dimensional rf symmetric capacitive discharge theories and may help to verify them. Although only a few results are given here, the system has been operated reliably over a wide range of gas pressures and should give reproducible and accurate results for discharge electrical characteristics and plasma parameters over a wide range of driving frequency and gas components.

Phase control of a Zeeman-split He-Ne gas laser by variation of the gaseous discharge voltage.

PubMed

Shelton, W N; Hunt, R H

1992-07-20

Zeeman-split lasers are useful for precise positioning or motion control. In applications that employ such a laser to control closely the position of a moving system, phase noise in the Zeeman frequency is a serious problem. Control of low-frequency phase noise can be obtained through variation of the external magnetic field by way of a solenoid wound around the laser tube. It is the finding in this work that control of the residual higher-frequency noise of a He-Ne laser can be obtained through small variations of the high voltage that is used to effect the gaseous discharge in the laser tube. The application of the present system is to the control of the path difference in a Fourier-transform interferometric spectrometer.

Advanced hybrid particulate collector and method of operation

DOEpatents

Miller, Stanley J [Grand Forks, ND

2003-04-08

A device and method for controlling particulate air pollutants of the present invention combines filtration and electrostatic collection devices. The invention includes a chamber housing a plurality of rows of filter elements. Between the rows of filter elements are rows of high voltage discharge electrodes. Between the rows of discharge electrodes and the rows of filter elements are grounded perforated plates for creating electrostatic precipitation zones.

Design and development of a low cost, high current density power supply for streamer free atmospheric pressure DBD plasma generation in air.

PubMed

Jain, Vishal; Visani, Anand; Srinivasan, R; Agarwal, Vivek

2018-03-01

This paper presents a new power supply architecture for generating a uniform dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma in air medium at atmospheric pressure. It is quite a challenge to generate atmospheric pressure uniform glow discharge plasma, especially in air. This is because air plasma needs very high voltage for initiation of discharge. If the high voltage is used along with high current density, it leads to the formation of streamers, which is undesirable for most applications like textile treatment, etc. Researchers have tried to generate high-density plasma using a RF source, nanosecond pulsed DC source, and medium frequency AC source. However, these solutions suffer from low current discharge and low efficiency due to the addition of an external resistor to control the discharge current. Moreover, they are relatively costly and bulky. This paper presents a new power supply configuration which is very compact and generates high average density (∼0.28 W/cm 2 ) uniform glow DBD plasma in air at atmospheric pressure. The efficiency is also higher as no external resistor is required to control the discharge current. An inherent feature of this topology is that it can drive higher current oscillations (∼50 A peak and 2-3 MHz frequency) into the plasma that damp out due to the plasma dissipation only. A newly proposed model has been used with experimental validation in this paper. Simulations and experimental validation of the proposed topology are included. Also, the application of the generated plasma for polymer film treatment is demonstrated.

Design and development of a low cost, high current density power supply for streamer free atmospheric pressure DBD plasma generation in air

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jain, Vishal; Visani, Anand; Srinivasan, R.; Agarwal, Vivek

2018-03-01

This paper presents a new power supply architecture for generating a uniform dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma in air medium at atmospheric pressure. It is quite a challenge to generate atmospheric pressure uniform glow discharge plasma, especially in air. This is because air plasma needs very high voltage for initiation of discharge. If the high voltage is used along with high current density, it leads to the formation of streamers, which is undesirable for most applications like textile treatment, etc. Researchers have tried to generate high-density plasma using a RF source, nanosecond pulsed DC source, and medium frequency AC source. However, these solutions suffer from low current discharge and low efficiency due to the addition of an external resistor to control the discharge current. Moreover, they are relatively costly and bulky. This paper presents a new power supply configuration which is very compact and generates high average density (˜0.28 W/cm2) uniform glow DBD plasma in air at atmospheric pressure. The efficiency is also higher as no external resistor is required to control the discharge current. An inherent feature of this topology is that it can drive higher current oscillations (˜50 A peak and 2-3 MHz frequency) into the plasma that damp out due to the plasma dissipation only. A newly proposed model has been used with experimental validation in this paper. Simulations and experimental validation of the proposed topology are included. Also, the application of the generated plasma for polymer film treatment is demonstrated.

Subnanosecond breakdown in high-pressure gases

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Naidis, George V.; Tarasenko, Victor F.; Babaeva, Natalia Yu; Lomaev, Mikhail I.

2018-01-01

Pulsed discharges in high-pressure gases are of considerable interest as sources of nonequilibrium plasma for various technological applications: pollution control, pumping of laser media, plasma-assisted combustion, etc. Recently, attention has been attracted to the use of subnanosecond voltage fronts, producing diffuse discharges with radii of several millimeters. Such plasma structures, similar to pulsed glow discharges, are of special interest for applications due to quasi-uniformity of plasma parameters in relatively large gas volumes. This review presents the results of experimental and computational study of subnanosecond diffuse discharge formation. A description of generators of short high-voltage pulses with subnanosecond fronts and of discharge setups is given. Diagnostic methods for the measurement of various discharge parameters with high temporal and spatial resolution are described. Obtained experimental data on plasma properties for a wide range of governing factors are discussed. A review of various theoretical approaches used for computational study of the dynamics and structure of fast ionization waves is given; the applicability of conventional fluid streamer models for simulation of subnanosecond ionization waves is discussed. Calculated spatial-temporal profiles of plasma parameters during streamer propagation are presented. The efficiency of subnanosecond discharges for the production of reactive species is evaluated. On the basis of the comparison of simulation results and experimental data the effects of various factors (voltage rise time, polarity, etc.) on discharge characteristics are revealed. The major physical phenomena governing the properties of subnanosecond breakdown are analyzed.

FLUSHING FOR SEWER SEDIMENT, CORROSION, AND POLLUTION CONTROL

EPA Science Inventory

This presentation overviews causes of sewer deterioration and heavy pollutant discharges caused by rain events together with a discussion of their control methods. In particular, it covers in-sewer- and combined sewer overflow- (CSO-) storage-tank-flushing systems for removal of ...

Structure and markers of appropriateness, quality and performance of drug treatment over a 1-year period after hospital discharge in a cohort of elderly patients with cardiovascular diseases from Germany.

PubMed

Harder, Sebastian; Fischer, Philipp; Krause-Schäfer, Markus; Ostermann, Klaus; Helms, Gottfried; Prinz, Helge; Hahmann, Mike; Baas, Horst

2005-01-01

In a group of elderly patients over 65 years of age with at least two cardiovascular diagnoses requiring chronic medication (n=424), drug therapy at hospital discharge and at home thereafter was followed for a 1-year period. Two home visits took place at 3 months and 12 months after initial discharge. A median of six prescriptions had already been given at the time of discharge; this number increased slightly during ambulatory follow-up. After 1 year, about 30% of the patients had to take more than ten dosing units per day. After discharge, about 50% of all prescriptions were subject to changes in the choice of the preparation (brand-generic) or the agent used [within a class of similar agents, e.g. angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACIs)]. The prescription of some problematic agents (benzodiazepines, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents) increased during the ambulatory follow-up, but pivotal medications for cardiovascular indications (e.g., ACI) given at discharge were maintained. Over-the-counter (OTC) drugs-which were not part of the discharge medication-contributed to 12% of all drugs taken at V4. The majority of the prescriptions (95% of about 2,000 prescriptions surveyed at each visit) was in agreement with the drug's approval status and was appropriate in terms of absence of contraindications. At home visits, therapy with ACI or beta-blocking agents was in agreement with clinical guidelines, although under-dosing was obvious. Blood pressure control (<140/90 mmHg) was achieved in 61% of the patients at discharge and deteriorated to 45% after 1 year; international normalized ratio control in patients with oral anticoagulation also declined (control rate 57% at discharge, 46% after 1 year). Statins as secondary prevention were given at discharge in only 60% of suitable patients, declining to about 50% in ambulatory visits. Diabetic control was not present in 35% of the patients at discharge or at home. Properties of or reason for their medication could be given for the majority (70-80%) of the prescriptions; these quotations were, however, cursory and almost nothing was known about medication risks. At home visits, non-compliance was admitted for approximately 8% of the prescriptions. In conclusion, for pivotal indications, family doctors widely followed the discharge recommendations, but deficits in ambulatory prescriptions and poor performance of the medication were in part already employed at the time of discharge from the hospital. The lack of a patient's knowledge about their own medication is precarious.

40 CFR 1700.4 - Discharges requiring control.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 34 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Discharges requiring control. 1700.4 Section 1700.4 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY AND DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE... FOR VESSELS OF THE ARMED FORCES Discharge Determinations § 1700.4 Discharges requiring control. For...

40 CFR 1700.4 - Discharges requiring control.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 33 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Discharges requiring control. 1700.4 Section 1700.4 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY AND DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE... FOR VESSELS OF THE ARMED FORCES Discharge Determinations § 1700.4 Discharges requiring control. For...

40 CFR 1700.4 - Discharges requiring control.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 33 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Discharges requiring control. 1700.4 Section 1700.4 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY AND DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE... FOR VESSELS OF THE ARMED FORCES Discharge Determinations § 1700.4 Discharges requiring control. For...

40 CFR 1700.4 - Discharges requiring control.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 34 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Discharges requiring control. 1700.4 Section 1700.4 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY AND DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE... FOR VESSELS OF THE ARMED FORCES Discharge Determinations § 1700.4 Discharges requiring control. For...

40 CFR 1700.4 - Discharges requiring control.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 32 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Discharges requiring control. 1700.4 Section 1700.4 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY AND DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE... FOR VESSELS OF THE ARMED FORCES Discharge Determinations § 1700.4 Discharges requiring control. For...

Control system for 5 MW neutral beam ion source for SST1

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Patel, G. B.; Onali, Raja; Sharma, Vivek; Suresh, S.; Tripathi, V.; Bandyopadhyay, M.; Singh, N. P.; Thakkar, Dipal; Gupta, L. N.; Singh, M. J.; Patel, P. J.; Chakraborty, A. K.; Baruah, U. K.; Mattoo, S. K.

2006-01-01

This article describes the control system for a 5MW ion source of the NBI (neutral beam injector) for steady-state superconducting tokamak-1 (SST-1). The system uses both hardware and software solutions. It comprises a DAS (data acquisition system) and a control system. The DAS is used to read the voltage and current signals from eight filament heater power supplies and 24 discharge power supplies. The control system is used to adjust the filament heater current in order to achieve an effective control on the discharge current in the plasma box. The system consists of a VME (Verse Module Eurocard) system and C application program running on a VxWorks™ real-time operating system. A PID (proportional, integral, and differential) algorithm is used to control the filament heater current. Experiments using this system have shown that the discharge current can be controlled within 1% accuracy for a PID loop time of 20ms. Response of the control system to the pressure variation of the gas in the chamber has also been studied and compared with the results obtained from those of an uncontrolled system. The present approach increases the flexibility of the control system. It not only eases the control of the plasma but also allows an easy changeover to various operation scenarios.

Fast repetition rate (FRR) flasher

DOEpatents

Kolber, Z.; Falkowski, P.

1997-02-11

A fast repetition rate (FRR) flasher is described suitable for high flash photolysis including kinetic chemical and biological analysis. The flasher includes a power supply, a discharge capacitor operably connected to be charged by the power supply, and a flash lamp for producing a series of flashes in response to discharge of the discharge capacitor. A triggering circuit operably connected to the flash lamp initially ionizes the flash lamp. A current switch is operably connected between the flash lamp and the discharge capacitor. The current switch has at least one insulated gate bipolar transistor for switching current that is operable to initiate a controllable discharge of the discharge capacitor through the flash lamp. Control means connected to the current switch for controlling the rate of discharge of the discharge capacitor thereby to effectively keep the flash lamp in an ionized state between successive discharges of the discharge capacitor. Advantageously, the control means is operable to discharge the discharge capacitor at a rate greater than 10,000 Hz and even up to a rate greater than about 250,000 Hz. 14 figs.

Integration Tests of the 4 kW-class High Voltage Hall Accelerator Power Processing Unit with the HiVHAc and the SPT-140 Hall Effect Thrusters

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kamhawi, Hani; Pinero, Luis; Haag, Thomas; Huang, Wensheng; Ahern, Drew; Liang, Ray; Shilo, Vlad

2016-01-01

NASAs Science Mission Directorate is sponsoring the development of a 4 kW-class Hall propulsion system for implementation in NASA science and exploration missions. The main components of the system include the High Voltage Hall Accelerator (HiVHAc), an engineering model power processing unit (PPU) developed by Colorado Power Electronics, and a xenon flow control module (XFCM) developed by VACCO Industries. NASA Glenn Research Center is performing integrated tests of the Hall thruster propulsion system. This presentation presents results from integrated tests of the PPU and XFCM with the HiVHAc engineering development thruster and a SPT-140 thruster provided by Space System Loral. The results presented in this paper demonstrate thruster discharge initiation, open-loop and closed-loop control of the discharge current with anode flow for both the HiVHAc and the SPT-140 thrusters. Integrated tests with the SPT-140 thruster indicated that the PPU was able to repeatedly initiate the thrusters discharge, achieve steady state operation, and successfully throttle the thruster between 1.5 and 4.5 kW. The measured SPT-140 performance was identical to levels reported by Space Systems Loral.

Discontinuous submarine groundwater discharge in a tidally influenced coastal aquifer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abarca, E.; Karam, H.; Hemond, H.; Harvey, C. F.

2011-12-01

Ocean forces have a critical impact on the magnitude and temporal evolution of Submarine Groundwater Discharge (SGD). Here, we analyze the groundwater discharge response to changes in the tidal signal at Waquoit Bay, Cape Cod, Massachusetts. We present a conceptual and numerical model that predicts that both fresh and saltwater components of SGD are interrupted by rising tides. During that period, saltwater infiltration pushes freshwater down and landward. Freshwater is stored in the aquifer, increasing the groundwater head, and is released during the receding tide. Discontinuous freshwater discharge occurs during both neap and spring tidal cycles even though the total discharge is higher during a neap tidal cycle. Evidence of this interruption of SGD can be found in geophysical and temperature measurements of the intertidal subsurface zone at Waquoit Bay. The long-term temporal and spatial evolution of fresh and saltwater fluxes shows that freshwater discharge tracks the mean and minimum tide elevation. The intertidal saltwater discharge is controlled by the high tide elevation whereas the deep saltwater discharge increases with falling low tide elevation.

Hydrologic control of carbon cycling and aged carbon discharge in the Congo River basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schefuß, Enno; Eglinton, Timothy I.; Spencer-Jones, Charlotte L.; Rullkötter, Jürgen; de Pol-Holz, Ricardo; Talbot, Helen M.; Grootes, Pieter M.; Schneider, Ralph R.

2016-09-01

The age of organic material discharged by rivers provides information about its sources and carbon cycling processes within watersheds. Although elevated ages in fluvially transported organic matter are usually explained by erosion of soils and sedimentary deposits, it is commonly assumed that mainly young organic material is discharged from flat tropical watersheds due to their extensive plant cover and rapid carbon turnover. Here we present compound-specific radiocarbon data of terrigenous organic fractions from a sedimentary archive offshore the Congo River, in conjunction with molecular markers for methane-producing land cover reflecting wetland extent. We find that the Congo River has been discharging aged organic matter for several thousand years, with apparently increasing ages from the mid- to the Late Holocene. This suggests that aged organic matter in modern samples is concealed by radiocarbon from atmospheric nuclear weapons testing. By comparison to indicators for past rainfall changes we detect a systematic control of organic matter sequestration and release by continental hydrology, mediating temporary carbon storage in wetlands. As aridification also leads to exposure and rapid remineralization of large amounts of previously stored labile organic matter, we infer that this process may cause a profound direct climate feedback that is at present underestimated in carbon cycle assessments.

33 CFR 157.12 - Oil discharge monitoring and control system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 2 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Oil discharge monitoring and... CARRYING OIL IN BULK Design, Equipment, and Installation § 157.12 Oil discharge monitoring and control system. (a) Each vessel must have an oil discharge monitoring and control system (monitoring system) that...

33 CFR 157.12 - Oil discharge monitoring and control system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 2 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Oil discharge monitoring and... CARRYING OIL IN BULK Design, Equipment, and Installation § 157.12 Oil discharge monitoring and control system. (a) Each vessel must have an oil discharge monitoring and control system (monitoring system) that...

33 CFR 157.12 - Oil discharge monitoring and control system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Oil discharge monitoring and... CARRYING OIL IN BULK Design, Equipment, and Installation § 157.12 Oil discharge monitoring and control system. (a) Each vessel must have an oil discharge monitoring and control system (monitoring system) that...

33 CFR 157.12 - Oil discharge monitoring and control system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 2 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Oil discharge monitoring and... CARRYING OIL IN BULK Design, Equipment, and Installation § 157.12 Oil discharge monitoring and control system. (a) Each vessel must have an oil discharge monitoring and control system (monitoring system) that...

33 CFR 157.12 - Oil discharge monitoring and control system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 2 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Oil discharge monitoring and... CARRYING OIL IN BULK Design, Equipment, and Installation § 157.12 Oil discharge monitoring and control system. (a) Each vessel must have an oil discharge monitoring and control system (monitoring system) that...

Systems and methods for distributing power using photovoltaic resources and a shifting battery system

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

Mammoli, Andrea A.; Lavrova, Olga; Arellano, Brian

The present invention is an apparatus and method for delivering energy using a renewable resource. The method includes providing a photovoltaic energy source and applying energy storage to the photovoltaic energy source via a battery storage unit. The energy output from the photovoltaic energy source and the battery system is controlled using a battery control system. The battery control system predicts peak load, develops a schedule that includes when to begin discharging power and when to stop discharging power, shifts power to the battery storage unit when excess power is available, and prioritizes the functionality of the battery storage unitmore » and the photovoltaic energy source.« less

Controlling the net charge on a nanoparticle optically levitated in vacuum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frimmer, Martin; Luszcz, Karol; Ferreiro, Sandra; Jain, Vijay; Hebestreit, Erik; Novotny, Lukas

2017-06-01

Optically levitated nanoparticles in vacuum are a promising model system to test physics beyond our current understanding of quantum mechanics. Such experimental tests require extreme control over the dephasing of the levitated particle's motion. If the nanoparticle carries a finite net charge, it experiences a random Coulomb force due to fluctuating electric fields. This dephasing mechanism can be fully excluded by discharging the levitated particle. Here, we present a simple and reliable technique to control the charge on an optically levitated nanoparticle in vacuum. Our method is based on the generation of charges in an electric discharge and does not require additional optics or mechanics close to the optical trap.

REGULATOR FOR CALUTRON ION SOURCE

DOEpatents

Miller, B.F.

1958-09-01

Improvements are described in electric discharge devices and circuits for a calutron and, more specifically, presents an arc discharge regulator circuit for the ion source of the calatron. In general, the source comprises a filament which bombards a cathode with electrons, a griid control electrode between the filament and the cathode, and an anode electrode. The control electrode has a DC potential which is varied in response to changes in the anode current flow by means of a saturable reactor installed in its power supply energizing line having the anode current flowing through its control winding. In this manner the bombardment current to the cathode may be decreased when the anode current increases beyond a predetermined level.

Trend analyses of sediment data for the DEC project

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rebich, Richard Allen

1995-01-01

Daily stream discharge, suspended-sediment concentration, and suspended-sediment discharge data were collected at eight sites in six watersheds of the Demonstration Erosion Control project in the Yazoo River Basin in north-central Mississippi during the period July 1985 through September 1991. The project is part of an ongoing interagency program of planning, design, construction, monitoring, and evaluation to alleviate flooding, erosion, sedimentation, and water-quality problems for watersheds located in the bluff hills upstream of the Mississippi River alluvial plain. This paper presents preliminary results of trend analyses for stream discharge and sediment data for the eight project sites. More than 550 stream discharge measurements and 20,000 suspended-sediment samples have been collected at the eight sites since 1985.

Influences of rainfall variables and antecedent discharge on urban effluent concentrations and loads in wet weather.

PubMed

Xu, Zuxin; Xiong, Lijun; Li, Huaizheng; Liao, Zhengliang; Yin, Hailong; Wu, Jun; Xu, Jin; Chen, Hao

2017-04-01

For storm drainages inappropriately connected with sewage, wet weather discharge is a major factor that adversely affects receiving waters. A study of the wet weather influences of rainfall-discharge variables on storm drainages connected with sewage was conducted in the downtown Shanghai area (374 ha). Two indicators, event mean concentration (EMC) and event pollutant load per unit area (EPL), were used to describe the pollution discharge during 20 rain events. The study showed that the total rainfall and discharge volume were important factors that affect the EMCs and EPLs of the chemical oxygen demand, total phosphorus, and especially those of NH 4 + -N. The pollutant concentrations at the beginning of the discharge and the discharge period were also major factors that influence the EMCs of these three pollutants. Regression relationships between the rainfall-discharge variables and discharge volume/ EPLs (R 2 = 0.824-0.981) were stronger than the relationships between the rainfall-discharge variables and EMCs. These regression equations can be considered reliable in the system, with a relative validation error of less than ±10% for the discharge volume, and less than ±20% for the EPLs. The results presented in this paper provide guidance for effectively controlling pollution in similar storm drainages.

Long-term survival following in-hospital cardiac arrest: A matched cohort study☆

PubMed Central

Feingold, Paul; Mina, Michael J.; Burke, Rachel M.; Hashimoto, Barry; Gregg, Sara; Martin, Greg S.; Leeper, Kenneth; Buchman, Timothy

2016-01-01

Background Each year, 200,000 patients undergo an in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA), with approximately 15–20% surviving to discharge. Little is known, however, about the long-term prognosis of these patients after discharge. Previous efforts to describe out-of-hospital survival of IHCA patients have been limited by small sample sizes and narrow patient populations Methods A single institution matched cohort study was undertaken to describe mortality following IHCA. Patients surviving to discharge following an IHCA between 2008 and 2010 were matched on age, sex, race and hospital admission criteria with non-IHCA hospital controls and follow-up between 9 and 45 months. Kaplan–Meier curves and Cox PH models assessed differences in survival. Results Of the 1262 IHCAs, 20% survived to hospital discharge. Of those discharged, survival at 1 year post-discharge was 59% for IHCA patients and 82% for controls (p < 0.0001). Hazard ratios (IHCA vs. controls) for mortality were greatest within the 90 days following discharge (HR = 2.90, p < 0.0001) and decreased linearly thereafter, with those surviving to one year post-discharge having an HR for mortality below 1.0. Survival after discharge varied amongst IHCA survivors. When grouped by discharge destination, out of hospital survival varied; in fact, IHCA patients discharged home without services demonstrated no survival difference compared to their non-IHCA controls (HR 1.10, p = 0.72). IHCA patients discharged to long-term hospital care or hospice, however, had a significantly higher mortality compared to matched controls (HR 3.91 and 20.3, respectively; p < 0.0001). Conclusion Among IHCA patients who survive to hospital discharge, the highest risk of death is within the first 90 days after discharge. Additionally, IHCA survivors overall have increased long-term mortality vs. controls. Survival rates were varied widely with different discharge destinations, and those discharged to home, skilled nursing facilities or to rehabilitation services had survival rates no different than controls. Thus, increased mortality was primarily driven by patients discharged to long-term care or hospice. PMID:26703463

Flow control of an elongated jet in cross-flow: Film cooling effectiveness enhancement using surface dielectric barrier discharge plasma actuator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Audier, P.; Fénot, M.; Bénard, N.; Moreau, E.

2016-02-01

The case presented here deals with plasma flow control applied to a cross-flow configuration, more specifically to a film cooling system. The ability of a plasma dielectric barrier discharge actuator for film cooling effectiveness enhancement is investigated through an experimental set-up, including a film injection from an elongated slot into a thermally uniform cross-flow. Two-dimensional particle image velocimetry and infrared-thermography measurements are performed for three different blowing ratios of M = 0.4, 0.5, and 1. Results show that the effectiveness can be increased when the discharge is switched on, as predicted by the numerical results available in literature. Whatever the blowing ratio, the actuator induces a deflection of the jet flow towards the wall, increases its momentum, and delays its diffusion in the cross-flow.

The effect of early postnatal discharge from hospital for women and infants: a systematic review protocol.

PubMed

Jones, Eleanor; Taylor, Beck; MacArthur, Christine; Pritchett, Ruth; Cummins, Carole

2016-02-08

The length of postnatal hospital stay has declined over the last 40 years. There is little evidence to support a policy of early discharge following birth, and there is some concern about whether early discharge of mothers and babies is safe. The Cochrane review on the effects of early discharge from hospital only included randomised controlled trials (RCTs) which are problematic in this area, and a systematic review including other study designs is required. The aim of this broader systematic review is to determine possible effects of a policy of early postnatal discharge on important maternal and infant health-related outcomes. A systematic search of published literature will be conducted for randomised controlled trials, non-randomised controlled trials (NRCTs), controlled before-after studies (CBA), and interrupted time series studies (ITS) that report on the effect of a policy of early postnatal discharge from hospital. Databases including Cochrane CENTRAL, MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL and Science Citation Index will be searched for relevant material. Reference lists of articles will also be searched in addition to searches to identify grey literature. Screening of identified articles and data extraction will be conducted in duplicate and independently. Methodological quality of the included studies will be assessed using the Effective Practice and Organisation of Care (EPOC) criteria for risk of bias tool. Discrepancies will be resolved by consensus or by consulting a third author. Meta-analysis using a random effects model will be used to combine data. Where significant heterogeneity is present, data will be combined in a narrative synthesis. The findings will be reported according to the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews (PRISMA) statement. Information on the effects of early postnatal discharge from hospital will be important for policy makers and clinicians providing maternity care. This review will also identify any gaps in the current literature on this topic and provide direction for future research in this area of study. PROSPERO CRD42015020545.

RF assisted Glow Discharge Condition experiment for SST-1 Tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raval, Dilip; Khan, Ziauddin; George, Siju; Dhanani, Kalpeshkumar R.; Paravastu, Yuvakiran; Semwal, Pratibha; Thankey, Prashant; Shoaib Khan, Mohammad; Kakati, Bharat; Pradhan, Subrata

2017-04-01

Impurity control reduces the radiation loss from plasma and hence enhances the plasma operation. Oxygen and water vapors are the most common impurities in tokamak devices. Water vapour can be reduced with extensive baking while in order to have a significant reduction in oxygen it is necessary to use glow discharge condition (GDC). RF assisted glow discharge cleaning system will be implemented to remove low z impurities at PFC installed SST-1 vacuum vessel. A RF assisted Glow discharge conditioning is studied at laboratory to find the optimum operating parameters in a view to implement at SST-1 tokamak. Helium is used as a fuel gas in the present experiment. It is observed that the ultimate impurity level is reduced significantly below to the accepted level for plasma operation after RF assisted GDC. The experimental findings of RF assisted Glow discharge conditioning is discussed in details in this paper.

Optimization of gas-filled quartz capillary discharge waveguide for high-energy laser wakefield acceleration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qin, Zhiyong; Li, Wentao; Liu, Jiansheng; Liu, Jiaqi; Yu, Changhai; Wang, Wentao; Qi, Rong; Zhang, Zhijun; Fang, Ming; Feng, Ke; Wu, Ying; Ke, Lintong; Chen, Yu; Wang, Cheng; Li, Ruxin; Xu, Zhizhan

2018-04-01

A hydrogen-filled capillary discharge waveguide made of quartz is presented for high-energy laser wakefield acceleration (LWFA). The experimental parameters (discharge current and gas pressure) were optimized to mitigate ablation by a quantitative analysis of the ablation plasma density inside the hydrogen-filled quartz capillary. The ablation plasma density was obtained by combining a spectroscopic measurement method with a calibrated gas transducer. In order to obtain a controllable plasma density and mitigate the ablation as much as possible, the range of suitable parameters was investigated. The experimental results demonstrated that the ablation in the quartz capillary could be mitigated by increasing the gas pressure to ˜7.5-14.7 Torr and decreasing the discharge current to ˜70-100 A. These optimized parameters are promising for future high-energy LWFA experiments based on the quartz capillary discharge waveguide.

Interplay between discharge physics, gas phase chemistry and surface processes in hydrocarbon plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hassouni, Khaled

2013-09-01

In this paper we present two examples that illustrate two different contexts of the interplay between plasma-surface interaction process and discharge physics and gas phase chemistry in hydrocarbon discharges. In the first example we address the case of diamond deposition processes and illustrate how a detailed investigation of the discharge physics, collisional processes and transport phenomena in the plasma phase make possible to accurately predict the key local-parameters, i.e., species density at the growing substrate, as function of the macroscopic process parameters, thus allowing for a precise control of diamond deposition process. In the second example, we illustrate how the interaction between a rare gas pristine discharge and carbon (graphite) electrode induce a dramatic change on the discharge nature, i.e., composition, ionization kinetics, charge equilibrium, etc., through molecular growth and clustering processes, solid particle formation and dusty plasma generation. Work done in collaboration with Alix Gicquel, Francois Silva, Armelle Michau, Guillaume Lombardi, Xavier Bonnin, Xavier Duten, CNRS, Universite Paris 13.

An investigation of the use of discharge valves and an intake control for improving the performance of N.A.C.A. Roots type supercharger

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schey, Oscar W; Wilson, Ernest E

1929-01-01

This report presents the results of an analytical investigation on the practicability of using mechanically operated discharge valves in conjunction with a manually operated intake control for improving the performance of N. A. C. A. Roots type superchargers. These valves, which may be either of the oscillating or rotating type, are placed in the discharge opening of the supercharger and are so shaped and synchronized with the supercharger impellers that they do not open until the air has been compressed to the delivery pressure. The intake control limits the quantity of air compressed to engine requirements by permitting the excess air to escape from the compression chamber before compression begins. The percentage power saving and the actual horsepower saved were computed for altitudes from 0 to 20,000 feet. These computations are based on the pressure-volume cards for the conventional and the modified roots type superchargers and on the results of laboratory tests of the conventional type. The use of discharge valves shows a power saving of approximately 26 per cent at a critical altitude of 20,000 feet. In addition, these valves reduce the amplitude of the discharge pulsations and increase the volumetric efficiency. With slow-speed roots blowers operating at high-pressure differences even better results would be expected. For aircraft engine superchargers operating at high speeds these discharge valves increase the performance as above, but have the disadvantages of increasing the weight and of adding a high-speed mechanism to a simple machine. (author)

78 FR 38591 - National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Regulation Revision: Removal of the Pesticide...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-06-27

... application of the pesticide is made directly to waters of the United States to control pests that are present in the water, and when the application of the pesticide is made to control pests that are over... irrigation ditches requiring pest control. 113110 Timber Tract The operation of Operations. timber tracts for...

Prospects for Practical Applications of a Discharge Chemical HF Laser as a Coherent Source for IR Holography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fedotov, O. G.; Fomin, V. M.

2018-02-01

Preliminary experimental results on recording of phase and amplitude holograms using the radiation of electric-discharge HF lasers are presented, and prospects for applications of such lasers in diagnostics of various objects are discussed. It is shown that lasers with homogeneous working medium may generate coherent radiation with a coherence length of greater than 6 m in the absence of mode selection. Methods for control of spatial distribution of electron concentration in excimer and discharge chemical HF (DF) lasers and distributions of the main combustible components are considered. Deposition of holographic identification marks on artworks is studied.

2D laser-collision induced fluorescence in low-pressure argon discharges

DOE PAGES

Barnat, E. V.; Weatherford, B. R.

2015-09-25

Development and application of laser-collision induced fluorescence (LCIF) diagnostic technique is presented for the use of interrogating argon plasma discharges. Key atomic states of argon utilized for the LCIF method are identified. A simplified two-state collisional radiative model is then used to establish scaling relations between the LCIF, electron density, and reduced electric fields ( E/N). The procedure used to generate, detect and calibrate the LCIF in controlled plasma environments is discussed in detail. LCIF emanating from an argon discharge is then presented for electron densities spanning 10 9 e cm –3 to 10 12 e cm –3 and reducedmore » electric fields spanning 0.1 Td to 40 Td. Lastly, application of the LCIF technique for measuring the spatial distribution of both electron densities and reduced electric field is demonstrated.« less

Variation of froude number with discharge for large-gradient steams

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wahl, Kenneth L.; ,

1993-01-01

Under chemical-control conditions, the Froude number (f) for a cross-section can be approximated as a function of the ratio R2/ 3/d 1/2 , where R is the hydraulic radius and d is the average depth. For cross sections where the ratio increases with increasing depth, F can also increase with depth Current-meter measurement data for 433 streamflow gaging stations in Colorado were reviewed, and 62 stations were identified at which F increases with depth of flow. Data for four streamflow gaging stations are presented. In some cases, F approaches 1 as the discharge approaches the magnitude of the median annual peak discharge. The data also indicate that few actual current meter measurement have been made at the large discharges where velocities can be supercritical.

Experimental characterization of plasma formation and shockwave propagation induced by high power pulsed underwater electrical discharge.

PubMed

Claverie, A; Deroy, J; Boustie, M; Avrillaud, G; Chuvatin, A; Mazanchenko, E; Demol, G; Dramane, B

2014-06-01

High power pulsed electrical discharges into liquids are investigated for new industrial applications based on the efficiency of controlled shock waves. We present here new experimental data obtained by combination of detailed high speed imaging equipments. It allows the visualization of the very first instants of plasma discharge formation, and then the pulsations of the gaseous bubble with an accurate timing of events. The time history of the expansion/compression of this bubble leads to an estimation of the energy effectively transferred to water during the discharge. Finally, the consecutive shock generation driven by this pulsating bubble is optically monitored by shadowgraphs and schlieren setup. These data provide essential information about the geometrical pattern and chronometry associated with the shock wave generation and propagation.

ELECTRICAL PROTECTIVE DEVICE

DOEpatents

Baker, W.R.

1958-05-01

A protective system for high-energy resonant cavities is described. It is particularly directed to the discharging of resonant cavities for preventing energy back flow through associated equipment as a result of faults. The invention in general provides means defining a spark gap communicating with the interior of a cavity or waveguide adapted for high-power energization or an evacuated chamber containing an electrode having a large power differential from the wall or other electrode. A control or trigger circuit is connected between a power supply energizing the cavity and the spark gap whereby reverse current flow in the power supply circuit instantaneously triggers the spark gap to initiate discharge within the cavity, whereupon cavity energy discharges across the gap, or with an electrode present the electrode discharges to one of the spark gap elements.

Heat recovery system employing a temperature controlled variable speed fan

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

Jones, W.T.

1986-05-20

A heat recovery system is described for use in recovering heat from an industrial process producing a heated fluid comprising: a source of inlet air; a housing coupled to the source and including a heat exchanger; means for passing the heated fluid through the heat exchanger; the housing including means for moving a variable volume of air adjustable over a continuous range from the source through the heat exchanger; air discharge means communicating with the housing for discharging air which has passed through the heat exchanger; a control system including first temperature sensing means for sensing the discharge temperature ofmore » the discharge air moving through the discharge means and a control circuit coupled to the first temperature sensing means and to the moving means for varying the volume of air moved in response to the sensed discharge temperature to control the temperature of discharge air passing through the discharge means at a first predetermined value; and the control system including second temperature sensing means for sensing the temperature of the source of inlet air and valve means coupled to and controlled by the control circuit to cause liquid to bypass the heat exchanger when the inlet air temperature rises above a second predetermined value.« less

Quantifying the uncertainty in discharge data using hydraulic knowledge and uncertain gaugings: a Bayesian method named BaRatin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Le Coz, Jérôme; Renard, Benjamin; Bonnifait, Laurent; Branger, Flora; Le Boursicaud, Raphaël; Horner, Ivan; Mansanarez, Valentin; Lang, Michel; Vigneau, Sylvain

2015-04-01

River discharge is a crucial variable for Hydrology: as the output variable of most hydrologic models, it is used for sensitivity analyses, model structure identification, parameter estimation, data assimilation, prediction, etc. A major difficulty stems from the fact that river discharge is not measured continuously. Instead, discharge time series used by hydrologists are usually based on simple stage-discharge relations (rating curves) calibrated using a set of direct stage-discharge measurements (gaugings). In this presentation, we present a Bayesian approach (cf. Le Coz et al., 2014) to build such hydrometric rating curves, to estimate the associated uncertainty and to propagate this uncertainty to discharge time series. The three main steps of this approach are described: (1) Hydraulic analysis: identification of the hydraulic controls that govern the stage-discharge relation, identification of the rating curve equation and specification of prior distributions for the rating curve parameters; (2) Rating curve estimation: Bayesian inference of the rating curve parameters, accounting for the individual uncertainties of available gaugings, which often differ according to the discharge measurement procedure and the flow conditions; (3) Uncertainty propagation: quantification of the uncertainty in discharge time series, accounting for both the rating curve uncertainties and the uncertainty of recorded stage values. The rating curve uncertainties combine the parametric uncertainties and the remnant uncertainties that reflect the limited accuracy of the mathematical model used to simulate the physical stage-discharge relation. In addition, we also discuss current research activities, including the treatment of non-univocal stage-discharge relationships (e.g. due to hydraulic hysteresis, vegetation growth, sudden change of the geometry of the section, etc.). An operational version of the BaRatin software and its graphical interface are made available free of charge on request to the authors. J. Le Coz, B. Renard, L. Bonnifait, F. Branger, R. Le Boursicaud (2014). Combining hydraulic knowledge and uncertain gaugings in the estimation of hydrometric rating curves: a Bayesian approach, Journal of Hydrology, 509, 573-587.

Partial discharge measurements on 110kV current transformers. Setting the control value. Case study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dan, C.; Morar, R.

2017-05-01

The case study presents a series of partial discharge measurements, reflecting the state of insulation of 110kV CURRENT TRANSFORMERS located in Sibiu county substations. Measurements were performed based on electrical method, using MPD600: an acquisition and analysis toolkit for detecting, recording, and analyzing partial discharges. MPD600 consists of one acquisition unit, an optical interface and a computer with dedicated software. The system allows measurements of partial discharge on site, even in presence of strong electromagnetic interferences because it provides synchronous acquisition from all measurement points. Therefore, measurements, with the ability to be calibrated, do render: - a value subject to interpretation according to IEC 61869-1:2007 + IEC 61869-2:2012 + IEC 61869-3:2011 + IEC 61869-5:2011 and IEC 60270: 2000; - the possibility to determine the quantitative limit of PD (a certain control value) to which the equipment can be operated safely and repaired with minimal costs (relative to the high costs implied by eliminating the consequences of a failure) identified empirically (process in which the instrument transformer subjected to the tests was completely destroyed).

A Bayesian geostatistical approach for evaluating the uncertainty of contaminant mass discharges from point sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Troldborg, M.; Nowak, W.; Binning, P. J.; Bjerg, P. L.

2012-12-01

Estimates of mass discharge (mass/time) are increasingly being used when assessing risks of groundwater contamination and designing remedial systems at contaminated sites. Mass discharge estimates are, however, prone to rather large uncertainties as they integrate uncertain spatial distributions of both concentration and groundwater flow velocities. For risk assessments or any other decisions that are being based on mass discharge estimates, it is essential to address these uncertainties. We present a novel Bayesian geostatistical approach for quantifying the uncertainty of the mass discharge across a multilevel control plane. The method decouples the flow and transport simulation and has the advantage of avoiding the heavy computational burden of three-dimensional numerical flow and transport simulation coupled with geostatistical inversion. It may therefore be of practical relevance to practitioners compared to existing methods that are either too simple or computationally demanding. The method is based on conditional geostatistical simulation and accounts for i) heterogeneity of both the flow field and the concentration distribution through Bayesian geostatistics (including the uncertainty in covariance functions), ii) measurement uncertainty, and iii) uncertain source zone geometry and transport parameters. The method generates multiple equally likely realizations of the spatial flow and concentration distribution, which all honour the measured data at the control plane. The flow realizations are generated by analytical co-simulation of the hydraulic conductivity and the hydraulic gradient across the control plane. These realizations are made consistent with measurements of both hydraulic conductivity and head at the site. An analytical macro-dispersive transport solution is employed to simulate the mean concentration distribution across the control plane, and a geostatistical model of the Box-Cox transformed concentration data is used to simulate observed deviations from this mean solution. By combining the flow and concentration realizations, a mass discharge probability distribution is obtained. Tests show that the decoupled approach is both efficient and able to provide accurate uncertainty estimates. The method is demonstrated on a Danish field site contaminated with chlorinated ethenes. For this site, we show that including a physically meaningful concentration trend and the co-simulation of hydraulic conductivity and hydraulic gradient across the transect helps constrain the mass discharge uncertainty. The number of sampling points required for accurate mass discharge estimation and the relative influence of different data types on mass discharge uncertainty is discussed.

Cardiac arrhythmias from a malpositioned Greenfield filter in a traumatic quadriplegic.

PubMed

Bach, J R; Zaneuski, R; Lee, H

1990-10-01

A case study is presented of premature Greenfield filter discharge with intracardiac migration and resulting life-threatening arrhythmias. These arrhythmias also interfered with the patient's transition from ventilatory support via orotracheal intubation to noninvasive positive airway pressure ventilatory support methods. The patient's arrhythmias were controlled by a demand cardiac pacemaker and cardiac glycoside therapy. No anticoagulants were used. She had no further filter migration nor significant complications for 16 months after hospital discharge.

Development Status of the NSTAR Ion Propulsion System Power Processor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hamley, John A.; Pinero, Luis R.; Rawlin, Vincent K.; Miller, John R.; Cartier, Kevin C.; Bowers, Glen E.

1995-01-01

A 0.5-2.3 kW xenon ion propulsion system is presently being developed under the NASA Solar Electric Propulsion Technology Application Readiness (NSTAR) program. This propulsion system includes a 30 cm diameter xenon ion thruster, a Digital Control Interface Unit, a xenon feed system, and a power processing unit (PPU). The PPU consists of the power supply assemblies which operate the thruster neutralizer, main discharge chamber, and ion optics. Also included are recycle logic and a digital microcontroller. The neutralizer and discharge power supplies employ a dual use configuration which combines the functions of two power supplies into one, significantly simplifying the PPU. Further simplification was realized by implementing a single thruster control loop which regulates the beam current via the discharge current. Continuous throttling is possible over a 0.5-2.3 kW output power range. All three power supplies have been fabricated and tested with resistive loads, and have been combined into a single breadboard unit with the recycle logic and microcontroller. All line and load regulation test results show the power supplies to be within the NSTAR flight PPU specified power output of 1.98 kW. The overall efficiency of the PPU, calculated as the combined efficiencies of the power supplies and controller, at 2.3 kW delivered to resistive loads was 0.90. The component was 6.16 kg. Integration testing of the neutralizer and discharge power supplies with a functional model thruster revealed no issues with discharge ignition or steady state operation.

Feedback model of secondary electron emission in DC gas discharge plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saravanan, ARUMUGAM; Prince, ALEX; Suraj, Kumar SINHA

2018-01-01

Feedback is said to exist in any amplifier when the fraction of output power in fed back as an input. Similarly, in gaseous discharge ions that incident on the cathode act as a natural feedback element to stabilize and self sustain the discharge. The present investigation is intended to emphasize the feedback nature of ions that emits secondary electrons (SEs) from the cathode surface in DC gas discharges. The average number of SEs emitted per incident ion and non ionic species (energetic neutrals, metastables and photons) which results from ion is defined as effective secondary electron emission coefficient (ESEEC,{γ }{{E}}). In this study, we derive an analytic expression that corroborates the relation between {γ }{{E}} and power influx by ion to the cathode based on the feedback theory of an amplifier. In addition, experimentally, we confirmed the typical positive feedback nature of SEE from the cathode in argon DC glow discharges. The experiment is done for three different cathode material of same dimension (tungsten (W), copper (Cu) and brass) under identical discharge conditions (pressure: 0.45 mbar, cathode bias: -600 V, discharge gab: 15 cm and operating gas: argon). Further, we found that the {γ }{{E}} value of these cathode material controls the amount of feedback power given by ions. The difference in feedback leads different final output i.e the power carried by ion at cathode ({P}{{i}}{\\prime }{| }{{C}}). The experimentally obtained value of {P}{{i}}{\\prime }{| }{{C}} is 4.28 W, 6.87 W and 9.26 W respectively for W, Cu and brass. In addition, the present investigation reveals that the amount of feedback power in a DC gas discharges not only affect the fraction of power fed back to the cathode but also the entire characteristics of the discharge.

A Review of Control Strategy of the Large-scale of Electric Vehicles Charging and Discharging Behavior

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kong, Lingyu; Han, Jiming; Xiong, Wenting; Wang, Hao; Shen, Yaqi; Li, Ying

2017-05-01

Large scale access of electric vehicles will bring huge challenges to the safe operation of the power grid, and it’s important to control the charging and discharging of the electric vehicle. First of all, from the electric quality and network loss, this paper points out the influence on the grid caused by electric vehicle charging behaviour. Besides, control strategy of electric vehicle charging and discharging has carried on the induction and the summary from the direct and indirect control. Direct control strategy means control the electric charging behaviour by controlling its electric vehicle charging and discharging power while the indirect control strategy by means of controlling the price of charging and discharging. Finally, for the convenience of the reader, this paper also proposed a complete idea of the research methods about how to study the control strategy, taking the adaptability and possibility of failure of electric vehicle control strategy into consideration. Finally, suggestions on the key areas for future research are put up.

Response of lead-acid batteries to chopper-controlled discharge: Preliminary results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cataldo, R. L.

1978-01-01

The preliminary results of simulated electric vehicle, chopper, speed controller discharge of a battery show energy output losses up to 25 percent compared to constant current discharges at the same average discharge current of 100 amperes. These energy losses are manifested as temperature rises during discharge, amounting to a two-fold increase for a 400-ampere pulse compared to the constant current case. Because of the potentially large energy inefficiency, the results suggest that electric vehicle battery/speed controller interaction must be carefully considered in vehicle design.

Response of lead-acid batteries to chopper-controlled discharge

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cataldo, R. L.

1978-01-01

The preliminary results of simulated electric vehicle, chopper, speed controller discharge of a battery show energy output losses at up to 25 percent compared to constant current discharges at the same average discharge current of 100 A. These energy losses are manifested as temperature rises during discharge, amounting to a two-fold increase for a 400-A pulse compared to the constant current case. Because of the potentially large energy inefficiency, the results suggest that electric vehicle battery/speed controller interaction must be carefully considered in vehicle design.

Early changes of left ventricular filling pattern after reperfused ST-elevation myocardial infarction and doxycycline therapy: Insights from the TIPTOP trial.

PubMed

Cerisano, Giampaolo; Buonamici, Piergiovanni; Parodi, Guido; Santini, Alberto; Moschi, Guia; Valenti, Renato; Migliorini, Angela; Colonna, Paolo; Bellandi, Benedetta; Gori, Anna Maria; Antoniucci, David

2017-08-01

Metalloproteinases inhibition by doxycycline reduces cardiac protein degradation at extracellular and intracellular level in the experimental model ischemia/reperfusion injury. Since both extracellular cardiac matrix and titin filaments inside the cardiomyocyte are responsible for the myocardial stiffness, we hypothesized that doxycycline could favorably act on left ventricular (LV) filling pressures in patients after reperfused acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Seventy-three of 110 patients of the TIPTOP trial underwent a 2D-Echo-Doppler on admission, and at pre-discharge and at 6-month after a primary PCI for STEMI and LV dysfunction. From admission to pre-discharge, LV filling changed from a high filling pressure (HFP) to a normal filling pressure (NFP) pattern in 91% of the doxycycline-group, and in 67% of the control-group. Conversely, 1% of the doxycycline-group, and 37% of the control-group changed the LV filling from NFP to HFP pattern. Overall, a pre-discharge HFP pattern was present in 4 patients (11%) of the doxycycline-group and in 13 patients (36%) of the control-group (p=0.025). The evaluation of metalloproteinases and their tissue inhibitors plasma concentrations provide possible favorable action of doxycycline. On the multivariate analyses, troponine I peak (p=0.026), doxycycline (p=0.033), and on admission to pre-discharge LVEF changes (p=0.044) were found to be associated with pre-discharge HFP pattern. Independently of their baseline LV filling behavior, the 6-month remodeling was less in patients with pre-discharge NFP pattern than in patients with HFP pattern. In patients with STEMI and LV dysfunction doxycycline can favorably modulate the LV filling pattern early after primary PCI. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Characterizing Long-term Contaminant Mass Discharge and the Relationship Between Reductions in Discharge and Reductions in Mass for DNAPL Source Areas

PubMed Central

Matthieu, D.E.; Carroll, K.C.; Mainhagu, J.; Morrison, C.; McMillan, A.; Russo, A.; Plaschke, M.

2013-01-01

The objective of this study was to characterize the temporal behavior of contaminant mass discharge, and the relationship between reductions in contaminant mass discharge and reductions in contaminant mass, for a very heterogeneous, highly contaminated source-zone field site. Trichloroethene is the primary contaminant of concern, and several lines of evidence indicate the presence of organic liquid in the subsurface. The site is undergoing groundwater extraction for source control, and contaminant mass discharge has been monitored since system startup. The results show a significant reduction in contaminant mass discharge with time, decreasing from approximately 1 to 0.15 kg/d. Two methods were used to estimate the mass of contaminant present in the source area at the initiation of the remediation project. One was based on a comparison of two sets of core data, collected 3.5 years apart, which suggests that a significant (~80%) reduction in aggregate sediment-phase TCE concentrations occurred between sampling events. The second method was based on fitting the temporal contaminant mass discharge data with a simple exponential source-depletion function. Relatively similar estimates, 784 and 993 kg, respectively, were obtained with the two methods. These data were used to characterize the relationship between reductions in contaminant mass discharge (CMDR) and reductions in contaminant mass (MR). The observed curvilinear relationship exhibits a reduction in contaminant mass discharge essentially immediately upon initiation of mass reduction. This behavior is consistent with a system wherein significant quantities of mass are present in hydraulically poorly accessible domains for which mass removal is influenced by rate-limited mass transfer. The results obtained from the present study are compared to those obtained from other field studies to evaluate the impact of system properties and conditions on mass-discharge and mass-removal behavior. The results indicated that factors such as domain scale, hydraulic-gradient status (induced or natural), and flushing-solution composition had insignificant impact on the CMDR-MR profiles and thus on underlying mass-removal behavior. Conversely, source-zone age, through its impact on contaminant distribution and accessibility, was implicated as a critical factor influencing the nature of the CMDR-MR relationship. PMID:23528743

The efficacy of computer-enabled discharge communication interventions: a systematic review.

PubMed

Motamedi, Soror Mona; Posadas-Calleja, Juan; Straus, Sharon; Bates, David W; Lorenzetti, Diane L; Baylis, Barry; Gilmour, Janet; Kimpton, Shandra; Ghali, William A

2011-05-01

Traditional manual/dictated discharge summaries are inaccurate, inconsistent and untimely. Computer-enabled discharge communications may improve information transfer by providing a standardised document that immediately links acute and community healthcare providers. To conduct a systematic review evaluating the efficacy of computer-enabled discharge communication compared with traditional communication for patients discharged from acute care hospitals. MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane CENTRAL Register of Controlled Trials and MEDLINE In-Process. Keywords from three themes were combined: discharge communication, electronic/online/web-based and controlled interventional studies. Study types included: clinical trials, quasiexperimental studies with concurrent controls and controlled before--after studies. Interventions included: (1) automatic population of a discharge document by computer database(s); (2) transmission of discharge information via computer technology; or (3) computer technology providing a 'platform' for dynamic discharge communication. Controls included: no intervention or traditional manual/dictated discharge summaries. Primary outcomes included: mortality, readmission and adverse events/near misses. Secondary outcomes included: timeliness, accuracy, quality/completeness and physician/patient satisfaction. Description of interventions and study outcomes were extracted by two independent reviewers. 12 unique studies were identified: eight randomised controlled trials and four quasi-experimental studies. Pooling/meta-analysis was not possible, given the heterogeneity of measures and outcomes reported. The primary outcomes of mortality and readmission were inconsistently reported. There was no significant difference in mortality, and one study reported reduced long-term readmission. Intervention groups experienced reductions in perceived medical errors/adverse events, and improvements in timeliness and physician/patient satisfaction. Computer-enabled discharge communications appear beneficial with respect to a number of important secondary outcomes. Primary outcomes of mortality and readmission are less commonly reported in this literature and require further study.

Performance documentation of the engineering model 30-cm diameter thruster

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bechtel, R. T.; Rawlin, V. K.

1976-01-01

The results of extensive testing of two 30-cm ion thrusters which are virtually identical to the 900 series Engineering Model Thruster in an ongoing 15,000-hour life test are presented. Performance data for the nominal fullpower (2650 W) operating point; performance sensitivities to discharge voltage, discharge losses, accelerator voltage, and magnetic baffle current; and several power throttling techniques (maximum Isp, maximum thrust/power ratio, and two cases in between are included). Criteria for throttling are specified in terms of the screen power supply envelope, thruster operating limits, and control stability. In addition, reduced requirements for successful high voltage recycles are presented.

Experimental verification of Space Platform battery discharger design optimization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sable, Dan M.; Deuty, Scott; Lee, Fred C.; Cho, Bo H.

The detailed design of two candidate topologies for the Space Platform battery discharger, a four module boost converter (FMBC) and a voltage-fed push-pull autotransformer (VFPPAT), is presented. Each has unique problems. The FMBC requires careful design and analysis in order to obtain good dynamic performance. This is due to the presence of a right-half-plane (RHP) zero in the control-to-output transfer function. The VFPPAT presents a challenging power stage design in order to yield high efficiency and light component weight. The authors describe the design of each of these converters and compare their efficiency, weight, and dynamic characteristics.

Experimental verification of Space Platform battery discharger design optimization

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sable, Dan M.; Deuty, Scott; Lee, Fred C.; Cho, Bo H.

1991-01-01

The detailed design of two candidate topologies for the Space Platform battery discharger, a four module boost converter (FMBC) and a voltage-fed push-pull autotransformer (VFPPAT), is presented. Each has unique problems. The FMBC requires careful design and analysis in order to obtain good dynamic performance. This is due to the presence of a right-half-plane (RHP) zero in the control-to-output transfer function. The VFPPAT presents a challenging power stage design in order to yield high efficiency and light component weight. The authors describe the design of each of these converters and compare their efficiency, weight, and dynamic characteristics.

Engineering and Abuse Testing of Panasonic Lithium-Ion Battery and Cells

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jeevarajan, Judith A.; Bragg, Bobby J.

2000-01-01

This viewgraph presentation reviews the performance testing of Lithium Ion batteries and cells under different conditions of charge and discharge. The tests show that the 0.5 C rate of charge and discharge might be the ideal condition for long term cycling. It reviews the issues of overcharge and overdischarge of the cells. The cells and the battery have adequate protection under both conditions to prevent any catastrophic occurrences. Temperatures above 150 C are required to vent the cells or cause a thermal runaway, Since this situation is non-credible in the cabin of the Space Shuffle or ISS this should not pose a problem. The presentation includes graphs and charts showing the charge and discharge capacities of the battery and also the current and voltage profiles. A view of a circuit board which contains the controlling mechanism for the battery is also shown.

Dissipated power and induced velocity fields data of a micro single dielectric barrier discharge plasma actuator for active flow control☆

PubMed Central

Pescini, E.; Martínez, D.S.; De Giorgi, M.G.; Francioso, L.; Ficarella, A.

2015-01-01

In recent years, single dielectric barrier discharge (SDBD) plasma actuators have gained great interest among all the active flow control devices typically employed in aerospace and turbomachinery applications [1,2]. Compared with the macro SDBDs, the micro single dielectric barrier discharge (MSDBD) actuators showed a higher efficiency in conversion of input electrical power to delivered mechanical power [3,4]. This article provides data regarding the performances of a MSDBD plasma actuator [5,6]. The power dissipation values [5] and the experimental and numerical induced velocity fields [6] are provided. The present data support and enrich the research article entitled “Optimization of micro single dielectric barrier discharge plasma actuator models based on experimental velocity and body force fields” by Pescini et al. [6]. PMID:26425667

Early discharge with tube feeding at home for preterm infants is associated with longer duration of breast feeding.

PubMed

Meerlo-Habing, Z E; Kosters-Boes, E A; Klip, H; Brand, P L P

2009-07-01

Mothers of preterm infants are more likely to discontinue breast feeding early than mothers of term infants. We evaluated the effect of early discharge with tube feeding of preterm infants under close supervision by paediatric nurse specialists on the duration of breast feeding. Case-control study. Medium/high-care neonatal unit of a large district general hospital. Preterm infants (<37 weeks' gestational age). Early discharge with tube feeding under close supervision by paediatric nurse specialists or regular follow-up of preterm infants discharged with oral feeding. Duration of breast feeding assessed by telephone interview 6 months after birth. There were 50 preterm infants in the early discharge group and 78 in the control group. Mothers in the early discharge group continued to breast feed longer than mothers in the control group (log rank test, p = 0.028). Four months after discharge, 63% of preterm infants in the control group were fed formula compared to 36% in the early discharge group (95% CI for difference 9% to 43%, p = 0.04). The relative risk of breast feeding cessation 6 months after birth in the early discharge group compared to the control group was 0.63 (95% CI 0.41 to 0.96). After adjustment for smoking, gestational age and birth weight, this relative risk was 0.67 (95% CI 0.43 to 1.05). Close supervision and follow-up by paediatric nurse specialists of preterm infants discharged early with tube feeding appears to increase duration of breast feeding. A randomised controlled trial to confirm these findings is warranted.

Cylindrical stationary striations in surface wave produced plasma columns of argon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Rajneesh; Kulkarni, Sanjay V.; Bora, Dhiraj

2007-12-01

Striations are a good example of manifestation of a glow discharge. In the present investigation, stationary striations in the surface wave produced plasma column are formed. Physical parameters (length, number, etc.) of such striations can be controlled by operating parameters. With the help of bifurcation theory, experimental results are explained by considering two-step ionization in the surface wave discharge mechanism in argon gas. It is also observed that the bifurcation parameter is a function of input power, working pressure, and tube radius.

Uncertainty in low-flow data from three streamflow-gaging stations on the upper Verde River, Arizona

USGS Publications Warehouse

Anning, D.W.; ,

2004-01-01

The evaluation of uncertainty in low-flow data collected from three streamflow-gaging stations on the upper Verde River, Arizona, was presented. In downstream order, the stations are Verde River near Paulden, Verde River near Clarkdale, and Verde River near Camp Verde. A monitoring objective of the evaluation was to characterize discharge of the lower flow regime through a variety of procedures such as frequency analysis and base-flow analysis. For Verde River near Paulden and near Camp Verde, the uncertainty of daily low flows can be reduced by decreasing the uncertainty of discharge-measurement frequency, or building an artificial control that would have a stable stage-discharge relation over time.

Measurements of sulfur compounds in CO 2 by diode laser atomic absorption spectrometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Franzke, J.; Stancu, D. G.; Niemax, K.

2003-07-01

Two simple methods for the analysis of the total concentration of sulfur in CO 2 by diode laser atomic absorption spectrometry of excited, metastable sulfur atoms in a direct current discharge are presented. In the first method, the CO 2 sample gas is mixed with the plasma gas (Ar or He) while the second is based on reproducible measurements of the sulfur released from the walls in a helium discharge after being deposited as a result of operating the discharge in pure CO 2 sample gas. The detection limits obtained satisfy the requirements for the control of sulfur compounds in CO 2 used in the food and beverage industry.

Advances in the Remote Glow Discharge Experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dominguez, Arturo; Zwicker, A.; Rusaits, L.; McNulty, M.; Sosa, Carl

2014-10-01

The Remote Glow Discharge Experiment (RGDX) is a DC discharge plasma with variable pressure, end-plate voltage and externally applied axial magnetic field. While the experiment is located at PPPL, a webcam displays the live video online. The parameters (voltage, magnetic field and pressure) can be controlled remotely in real-time by opening a URL which shows the streaming video, as well as a set of Labview controls. The RGDX is designed as an outreach tool that uses the attractive nature of a plasma in order to reach a wide audience and extend the presence of plasma physics and fusion around the world. In March 2014, the RGDX was made publically available and, as of early July, it has had approximately 3500 unique visits from 107 countries and almost all 50 US states. We present recent upgrades, including the ability to remotely control the distance between the electrodes. These changes give users the capability of measuring Paschen's Law remotely and provides a comprehensive introduction to plasma physics to those that do not have access to the necessary equipment.

Effectiveness of a discharge education program in reducing the severity of postpartum depression: a randomized controlled evaluation study.

PubMed

Ho, Shiao-Ming; Heh, Shu-Shya; Jevitt, Cecilia M; Huang, Lian-Hua; Fu, Yu-Ying; Wang, Li-Lin

2009-10-01

The effectiveness of a hospital discharge education program including information on postnatal depression was evaluated to reduce psychological morbidity after childbirth. A randomized controlled trial (RCT) was conducted in a regional hospital in Taipei. Two hundred first-time mothers agreed to take part and were randomly allocated to an intervention group (n=100) or control group (n=100). The intervention group received discharge education on postnatal depression provided by postpartum ward nurses. The control group received general postpartum education. The main outcome measure was the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) administered by postal questionnaire at six weeks and three months after delivery. Women who received discharge education intervention on postnatal depression were less likely to have high depression scores when compared to the control group at three months postpartum. A discharge educational intervention including postnatal depression information given to women during the postpartum stay benefits psychological well-being. A postpartum discharge education program including information on postnatal depression should be integrated into postpartum discharge care in general practice. 2009 Elsevier Ireland Ltd.

Automatic classification of canine PRG neuronal discharge patterns using K-means clustering.

PubMed

Zuperku, Edward J; Prkic, Ivana; Stucke, Astrid G; Miller, Justin R; Hopp, Francis A; Stuth, Eckehard A

2015-02-01

Respiratory-related neurons in the parabrachial-Kölliker-Fuse (PB-KF) region of the pons play a key role in the control of breathing. The neuronal activities of these pontine respiratory group (PRG) neurons exhibit a variety of inspiratory (I), expiratory (E), phase spanning and non-respiratory related (NRM) discharge patterns. Due to the variety of patterns, it can be difficult to classify them into distinct subgroups according to their discharge contours. This report presents a method that automatically classifies neurons according to their discharge patterns and derives an average subgroup contour of each class. It is based on the K-means clustering technique and it is implemented via SigmaPlot User-Defined transform scripts. The discharge patterns of 135 canine PRG neurons were classified into seven distinct subgroups. Additional methods for choosing the optimal number of clusters are described. Analysis of the results suggests that the K-means clustering method offers a robust objective means of both automatically categorizing neuron patterns and establishing the underlying archetypical contours of subtypes based on the discharge patterns of group of neurons. Published by Elsevier B.V.

33 CFR 151.10 - Control of oil discharges.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 2 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Control of oil discharges. 151.10...) POLLUTION VESSELS CARRYING OIL, NOXIOUS LIQUID SUBSTANCES, GARBAGE, MUNICIPAL OR COMMERCIAL WASTE, AND... Treaty as it Pertains to Pollution from Ships Oil Pollution § 151.10 Control of oil discharges. (a) When...

33 CFR 151.10 - Control of oil discharges.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 2 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Control of oil discharges. 151.10...) POLLUTION VESSELS CARRYING OIL, NOXIOUS LIQUID SUBSTANCES, GARBAGE, MUNICIPAL OR COMMERCIAL WASTE, AND... Treaty as it Pertains to Pollution from Ships Oil Pollution § 151.10 Control of oil discharges. (a) When...

33 CFR 151.10 - Control of oil discharges.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 2 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Control of oil discharges. 151.10...) POLLUTION VESSELS CARRYING OIL, NOXIOUS LIQUID SUBSTANCES, GARBAGE, MUNICIPAL OR COMMERCIAL WASTE, AND... Treaty as it Pertains to Pollution from Ships Oil Pollution § 151.10 Control of oil discharges. (a) When...

Quantifying Construction Site Sediment Discharge Risk and Treatment Potential

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferrell, L.; Beighley, R. E.

2006-12-01

Dealing with soil erosion and sediment transport can be a significant challenge during the construction process due to the potentially large spatial and temporal extent and conditions of bare soils. Best Management Practices (BMP) are commonly used to eliminate or reduce offsite discharge of sediment. However, few efforts have investigated the time varying risk of sediment discharge from construction sites, which often have dynamic soil conditions and the potential for less than optimal BMP installations. The goal of this research is to improve the design, implementation and effectiveness of sediment and erosion control at construction sites using site specific, temporal distributions of sediment discharge risk. Sediment risk is determined from individual factors leading to sediment expert, such as rainfall frequency, the adequacy of BMP installations, and the extent and duration of bare soil conditions. This research specifically focuses on quantifying: (a) the effectiveness of temporary sediment and control erosion control BMPs in preventing, containing, and/or treating construction site sediment discharge at varying levels of "proper" installation, and (b) sediment discharge potential from construction sites during different phases of construction, (ex., disturbed earth operations). BMPs are evaluated at selected construction sites in southern California and at the Soil Erosion Research Laboratory (SERL) in the Civil and Environmental Engineering department at San Diego State University. SERL experiments are performed on a 3-m by 10-m tilting soil bed with soil depths up to 1 meter, slopes ranging from 0 to 50 percent, and rainfall rates up to 150 mm/hr (6 in/hr). BMP performance is assessed based on experiments where BMPs are installed per manufacture specifications, potential less than optimal installations, and no treatment conditions. Soil conditions are also varied to represent site conditions during different phases of construction (i.e., loose lifts, stock piles, temporary roads, finished grade, others). Preliminary site monitoring, experimental results, and a conceptual model for estimating the time depend risk of sediment discharge over the duration of a construction project are presented.

Pressure Fluctuations in a Common-Rail Fuel Injection System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rothrock, A M

1931-01-01

This report presents the results of an investigation to determine experimentally the instantaneous pressures at the discharge orifice of a common-rail fuel injection system in which the timing valve and cut-off valve were at some distance from the automatic fuel injection valve, and also to determine the methods by which the pressure fluctuations could be controlled. The results show that pressure wave phenomena occur between the high-pressure reservoir and the discharge orifice, but that these pressure waves can be controlled so as to be advantageous to the injection of the fuel. The results also give data applicable to the design of such an injection system for a high-speed compression-ignition engine.

Growth and body composition of human milk-fed premature infants provided with extra energy and nutrients early after hospital discharge: 1-year follow-up.

PubMed

Aimone, Ashley; Rovet, Joanne; Ward, Wendy; Jefferies, Ann; Campbell, Douglas M; Asztalos, Elizabeth; Feldman, Mark; Vaughan, Jennifer; Westall, Carol; Whyte, Hilary; O'Connor, Deborah L

2009-10-01

Human milk (HM) is the optimal source of nutrition for premature infants; however, it is unclear whether HM alone is sufficient to meet their elevated nutritional requirements early after hospital discharge. We previously reported that premature infants (750-1800 g birth weight) fed HM containing extra nutrients for 12 weeks after discharge had dietary intakes closer to recommended levels and grew more rapidly than those fed HM alone. The objectives of the present article are to examine the impact of this intervention on bone mineralization, body composition, and HM use up to 1 year. Data are also presented on general developmental level at 18-month corrected age (CA). At discharge, predominantly HM-fed infants were randomized to receive for 12 weeks either approximately half of their feedings containing a multinutrient fortifier (intervention, n=19) or all of their feedings as HM alone (control, n=20). Intervention infants remained longer (P<0.001) and had greater whole-body bone mineral content (P=0.02) until 12-month CA compared with controls. Intervention infants born less than or equal to 1250 g continued to have a larger mean head circumference throughout the first year of life (P<0.0001). Human milk feeding (mL.kg(-1).day(-1)) differed between groups at 6- (P=0.035), but not 12-month CA. No statistically significant differences were found between groups in the mental, motor, or behavior rating scale scores of the Bayley II at 18-month CA. Adding a multinutrient fortifier to HM provided to predominantly HM-fed premature infants early after discharge results in sustained differences in weight, length, and whole-body bone mineral content, and in smaller babies, head circumference for the first year of life.

A solar charge and discharge controller for wireless sensor nodes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dang, Yibo; Shen, Shu

2018-02-01

Aiming at the energy supply problem that restricts the life of wireless sensor nodes, a solar energy charge and discharge controller suitable for wireless sensor nodes is designed in this paper. A Microcontroller is used as the core of the solar charge and discharge controller. The software of the solar charge and discharge controller adopts the C language to realize the program of the main control module. Firstly, the function of monitoring solar panel voltage and lithium battery voltage are simulated by Protel software, and the charge time is tested in cloudy and overcast outdoor environment. The results of the experiment show that our controller meets the power supply demand of wireless sensor nodes.

Chapter 8: Plasma operation and control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

ITER Physics Expert Group on Disruptions, Control, Plasma, and MHD; ITER Physics Expert Group on Energetic Particles, Heating, Current and Drive; ITER Physics Expert Group on Diagnostics; ITER Physics Basis Editors

1999-12-01

Wall conditioning of fusion devices involves removal of desorbable hydrogen isotopes and impurities from interior device surfaces to permit reliable plasma operation. Techniques used in present devices include baking, metal film gettering, deposition of thin films of low-Z material, pulse discharge cleaning, glow discharge cleaning, radio frequency discharge cleaning, and in situ limiter and divertor pumping. Although wall conditioning techniques have become increasingly sophisticated, a reactor scale facility will involve significant new challenges, including the development of techniques applicable in the presence of a magnetic field and of methods for efficient removal of tritium incorporated into co-deposited layers on plasma facing components and their support structures. The current status of various approaches is reviewed, and the implications for reactor scale devices are summarized. Creation and magnetic control of shaped and vertically unstable elongated plasmas have been mastered in many present tokamaks. The physics of equilibrium control for reactor scale plasmas will rely on the same principles, but will face additional challenges, exemplified by the ITER/FDR design. The absolute positioning of outermost flux surface and divertor strike points will have to be precise and reliable in view of the high heat fluxes at the separatrix. Long pulses will require minimal control actions, to reduce accumulation of AC losses in superconducting PF and TF coils. To this end, more complex feedback controllers are envisaged, and the experimental validation of the plasma equilibrium response models on which such controllers are designed is encouraging. Present simulation codes provide an adequate platform on which equilibrium response techniques can be validated. Burning plasmas require kinetic control in addition to traditional magnetic shape and position control. Kinetic control refers to measures controlling density, rotation and temperature in the plasma core as well as in plasma periphery and divertor. The planned diagnostics (Chapter 7) serve as sensors for kinetic control, while gas and pellet fuelling, auxiliary power and angular momentum input, impurity injection, and non-inductive current drive constitute the control actuators. For example, in an ignited plasma, core density controls fusion power output. Kinetic control algorithms vary according to the plasma state, e.g. H- or L-mode. Generally, present facilities have demonstrated the kinetic control methods required for a reactor scale device. Plasma initiation - breakdown, burnthrough and initial current ramp - in reactor scale tokamaks will not involve physics differing from that found in present day devices. For ITER, the induced electric field in the chamber will be ~0.3V· m-1 - comparable to that required by breakdown theory but somewhat smaller than in present devices. Thus, a start-up 3MW electron cyclotron heating system will be employed to assure burnthrough. Simulations show that plasma current ramp up and termination in a reactor scale device can follow procedures developed to avoid disruption in present devices. In particular, simulations remain in the stable area of the li-q plane. For design purposes, the resistive V·s consumed during initiation is found, by experiments, to follow the Ejima expression, 0.45μ0 RIp. Advanced tokamak control has two distinct goals. First, control of density, auxiliary power, and inductive current ramping to attain reverse shear q profiles and internal transport barriers, which persist until dissipated by magnetic flux diffusion. Such internal transport barriers can lead to transient ignition. Second, combined use poloidal field shape control with non-inductive current drive and NBI angular momentum injection to create and control steady state, high bootstrap fraction, reverse shear discharges. Active n = 1 magnetic feedback and/or driven rotation will be required to suppress resistive wall modes for steady state plasmas that must operate in the wall stabilized regime for reactor levels of β >= 0.03.

Preliminary design study of astronomical detector cooling system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Norman, R. H.

1976-01-01

The preliminary design of an astronomical detector cooling system for possible use in the NASA C-141 Airborne Infrared Observatory is presented. The system consists of the following elements: supercritical helium tank, Joule-Thomson supply gas conditioner, Joule-Thomson expander (JTX), optical cavity dewar, optical cavity temperature controller, adjustable J-T discharge gas pressure controller, and vacuum pump.

Cruise Ship Plume Tracking Survey Report

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2002-09-01

The U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is developing a Cruise Ship Discharge Assessment Report in response to a petition the agency received in March 2000. The petition requested that EPA assess and where necessary control discharges from cruise ships. Comments received during public hearings, in 2000, resulted in the EPA agreeing to conduct a survey to assess the discharge plumes resulting from cruise ships, operating in ocean waters off the Florida coast and to compare the results to the Alaska dispersion models. This survey report describes the daily activities of August 2001 Cruise Ship Plume Tracking Survey, and provides a synopsis of the observations from the survey. It also provides data that can be used to assess dispersion of cruise ship wastewater discharges, while in transit. A description of the survey methods is provided in Section 2. Survey results are presented in Section 3. Findings and conclusions are discussed in Section 4.

Design of a Microwave Assisted Discharge Inductive Plasma Accelerator

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hallock, Ashley K.; Polzin, Kurt A.

2010-01-01

A new plasma accelerator concept that employs electrodeless plasma preionization and pulsed inductive acceleration is presented. Preionization is achieved through an electron cyclotron resonance discharge that produces a weakly-ionized plasma at the face of a conical theta pinch-shaped inductive coil. The presence of the preionized plasma allows for current sheet formation at lower discharge voltages than those found in other pulsed inductive accelerators. The location of an electron cyclotron resonance discharge can be controlled through the design of the applied magnetic field in the thruster. A finite-element model of the magnetic field was used as a design tool, allowing for the implementation of an arrangement of permanent magnets that yields a small volume of preionized propellant at the coil face. This allows for current sheet formation at the face of the inductive coil, minimizing the initial inductance of the pulse circuit and maximizing the potential efficiency of the new accelerator.

Preliminary report on the CTS transient event counter performance through the 1976 spring eclipse season

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stevens, N. J.; Levell, R. R.; Klinect, V. W.

1976-01-01

The transient event counter (TEC), senses and counts transients having a voltage rise of greater than five volts in three separate wire harnesses: the attitude control harness, the solar array instrumentation harness and the solar array power harness. The operational characteristics of TEC are defined and the preliminary results obtained through the first 90 days of operation including the spring 1976 eclipse season are presented. The results show that the Communications Technology Satellite was charged to the point where discharges occurred. The discharge induced transients did not cause any anomalous events in spacecraft operation. The data indicate that discharges can occur at any time during the day without preference to any local time quadrant. The number of discharges occurring in the one second sample interval are greater than anticipated. The compilation and review of the data is continuing.

Wind tunnel experiments on flow separation control of an Unmanned Air Vehicle by nanosecond discharge plasma aerodynamic actuation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kang, Chen; Hua, Liang

2016-02-01

Plasma flow control (PFC) is a new kind of active flow control technology, which can improve the aerodynamic performances of aircrafts remarkably. The flow separation control of an unmanned air vehicle (UAV) by nanosecond discharge plasma aerodynamic actuation (NDPAA) is investigated experimentally in this paper. Experimental results show that the applied voltages for both the nanosecond discharge and the millisecond discharge are nearly the same, but the current for nanosecond discharge (30 A) is much bigger than that for millisecond discharge (0.1 A). The flow field induced by the NDPAA is similar to a shock wave upward, and has a maximal velocity of less than 0.5 m/s. Fast heating effect for nanosecond discharge induces shock waves in the quiescent air. The lasting time of the shock waves is about 80 μs and its spread velocity is nearly 380 m/s. By using the NDPAA, the flow separation on the suction side of the UAV can be totally suppressed and the critical stall angle of attack increases from 20° to 27° with a maximal lift coefficient increment of 11.24%. The flow separation can be suppressed when the discharge voltage is larger than the threshold value, and the optimum operation frequency for the NDPAA is the one which makes the Strouhal number equal one. The NDPAA is more effective than the millisecond discharge plasma aerodynamic actuation (MDPAA) in boundary layer flow control. The main mechanism for nanosecond discharge is shock effect. Shock effect is more effective in flow control than momentum effect in high speed flow control. Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 61503302, 51207169, and 51276197), the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (Grant No. 2014M562446), and the Natural Science Foundation of Shaanxi Province, China (Grant No. 2015JM1001).

33 CFR 157.43 - Discharges of clean and segregated ballast: Seagoing tank vessels of 150 gross tons or more.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... an approved oil discharge monitoring and control system or, if discharged before the required oil... mixture in the ballast. Use of an oil discharge monitoring and control system is not required. This... OF THE MARINE ENVIRONMENT RELATING TO TANK VESSELS CARRYING OIL IN BULK Vessel Operation § 157.43...

33 CFR 157.43 - Discharges of clean and segregated ballast: Seagoing tank vessels of 150 gross tons or more.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... an approved oil discharge monitoring and control system or, if discharged before the required oil... mixture in the ballast. Use of an oil discharge monitoring and control system is not required. This... OF THE MARINE ENVIRONMENT RELATING TO TANK VESSELS CARRYING OIL IN BULK Vessel Operation § 157.43...

33 CFR 157.43 - Discharges of clean and segregated ballast: Seagoing tank vessels of 150 gross tons or more.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... an approved oil discharge monitoring and control system or, if discharged before the required oil... mixture in the ballast. Use of an oil discharge monitoring and control system is not required. This... OF THE MARINE ENVIRONMENT RELATING TO TANK VESSELS CARRYING OIL IN BULK Vessel Operation § 157.43...

33 CFR 157.43 - Discharges of clean and segregated ballast: Seagoing tank vessels of 150 gross tons or more.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... an approved oil discharge monitoring and control system or, if discharged before the required oil... mixture in the ballast. Use of an oil discharge monitoring and control system is not required. This... OF THE MARINE ENVIRONMENT RELATING TO TANK VESSELS CARRYING OIL IN BULK Vessel Operation § 157.43...

33 CFR 157.43 - Discharges of clean and segregated ballast: Seagoing tank vessels of 150 gross tons or more.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... an approved oil discharge monitoring and control system or, if discharged before the required oil... mixture in the ballast. Use of an oil discharge monitoring and control system is not required. This... OF THE MARINE ENVIRONMENT RELATING TO TANK VESSELS CARRYING OIL IN BULK Vessel Operation § 157.43...

Investigation and control of the {{\\rm{O}}}_{3}- to {NO}-transition in a novel sub-atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bansemer, Robert; Schmidt-Bleker, Ansgar; van Rienen, Ursula; Weltmann, Klaus-Dieter

2017-06-01

A novel flow-driven dielectric barrier discharge concept is presented, which uses a Venturi pump to transfer plasma-generated reactive oxygen and nitrogen species from a sub-atmospheric pressure (200{--}600 {mbar}) discharge region to ambient pressure and can be operated with air. By adjusting the working pressure of the device, the plasma chemistry can be tuned continuously from an ozone ({{{O}}}3)-dominated mode to a nitrogen oxides ({{NO}}x)-only mode. The plasma source is characterized focusing on the mechanisms effecting this mode change. The composition of the device’s output gas was determined using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. The results are correlated to measurements of discharge chamber pressure and temperature as well as of input power. It is found that the mode-change temperature can be controlled by the discharge chamber pressure. The source concept is capable of generating an {{NO}}x-dominated plasma chemistry at gas temperatures distinctly below 400 {{K}}. Through mixing of the processed gas stream with a second flow of pressurized air required for the operation of the Venturi pump, the resulting product gas stream remains close to room temperature. A reduced zero-dimensional reaction kinetics model with only seven reactions is capable of describing the observed pressure- and temperature-dependence of the {{{O}}}3 to {{NO}}x mode-change.

Evaluation of clinically significant adverse events in patients discharged from a tertiary-care emergency department in Taiwan

PubMed Central

Wang, Lee-Min; How, Chorng-Kuang; Yang, Ming-Chin; Su, Syi

2013-01-01

Objective To investigate the reasons for the occurrence of clinically significant adverse events (CSAEs) in emergency department-discharged patients through emergency physicians' (EPs) subjective reasoning and senior EPs' objective evaluation. Design This was a combined prospective follow-up and retrospective review of cases of consecutive adult non-traumatic patients who presented to a tertiary-care emergency department in Taiwan between 1 September 2005 and 31 July 2006. Data were extracted from ‘on-duty EPs' subjective reasoning for discharging patients with CSAEs (study group) and without CSAEs (control group)’ and ‘objective evaluation of CSAEs by senior EPs, using clinical evidences such as recording history, physical examinations, laboratory/radiological examinations and observation of inadequacies in the basic management process (such as recording history, physical examinations, laboratory/radiological examinations and observation) as the guide’. Subjective reasons for discharging patients’ improvement of symptoms, and the certainty of safety of the discharge were compared in the two groups using χ2 statistics or t test. Results Of the 20 512 discharged cases, there were 1370 return visits (6.7%, 95% CI 6.3% to 7%) and 165 CSAEs due to physicians' factors (0.82%, 95% CI 0.75% to 0.95%). In comparisons between the study group and the control group, only some components of discharge reasoning showed a significant difference (p<0.001). Inadequacies in the basic management process were the main cause of CSAEs (164/165). Conclusion The authors recommended that EP follow-up of the basic management processes (including history record, physical examination, laboratory and radiological examinations, clinical symptoms/signs and treatment) using clinical evidence as a guideline should be made mandatory. PMID:22433586

Novel high-frequency energy-efficient pulsed-dc generator for capacitively coupled plasma discharge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mamun, Md Abdullah Al; Furuta, Hiroshi; Hatta, Akimitsu

2018-03-01

The circuit design, assembly, and operating tests of a high-frequency and high-voltage (HV) pulsed dc generator (PDG) for capacitively coupled plasma (CCP) discharge inside a vacuum chamber are reported. For capacitive loads, it is challenging to obtain sharp rectangular pulses with fast rising and falling edges, requiring intense current for quick charging and discharging. The requirement of intense current generally limits the pulse operation frequency. In this study, we present a new type of PDG consisting of a pair of half-resonant converters and a constant current-controller circuit connected with HV solid-state power switches that can deliver almost rectangular high voltage pulses with fast rising and falling edges for CCP discharge. A prototype of the PDG is assembled to modulate from a high-voltage direct current (HVdc) input into a pulsed HVdc output, while following an input pulse signal and a set current level. The pulse rise time and fall time are less than 500 ns and 800 ns, respectively, and the minimum pulse width is 1 µs. The maximum voltage for a negative pulse is 1000 V, and the maximum repetition frequency is 500 kHz. During the pulse on time, the plasma discharge current is controlled steadily at the set value. The half-resonant converters in the PDG perform recovery of the remaining energy from the capacitive load at every termination of pulse discharge. The PDG performed with a high energy efficiency of 85% from the HVdc input to the pulsed dc output at a repetition rate of 1 kHz and with stable plasma operation in various discharge conditions. The results suggest that the developed PDG can be considered to be more efficient for plasma processing by CCP.

Novel high-frequency energy-efficient pulsed-dc generator for capacitively coupled plasma discharge.

PubMed

Mamun, Md Abdullah Al; Furuta, Hiroshi; Hatta, Akimitsu

2018-03-01

The circuit design, assembly, and operating tests of a high-frequency and high-voltage (HV) pulsed dc generator (PDG) for capacitively coupled plasma (CCP) discharge inside a vacuum chamber are reported. For capacitive loads, it is challenging to obtain sharp rectangular pulses with fast rising and falling edges, requiring intense current for quick charging and discharging. The requirement of intense current generally limits the pulse operation frequency. In this study, we present a new type of PDG consisting of a pair of half-resonant converters and a constant current-controller circuit connected with HV solid-state power switches that can deliver almost rectangular high voltage pulses with fast rising and falling edges for CCP discharge. A prototype of the PDG is assembled to modulate from a high-voltage direct current (HVdc) input into a pulsed HVdc output, while following an input pulse signal and a set current level. The pulse rise time and fall time are less than 500 ns and 800 ns, respectively, and the minimum pulse width is 1 µs. The maximum voltage for a negative pulse is 1000 V, and the maximum repetition frequency is 500 kHz. During the pulse on time, the plasma discharge current is controlled steadily at the set value. The half-resonant converters in the PDG perform recovery of the remaining energy from the capacitive load at every termination of pulse discharge. The PDG performed with a high energy efficiency of 85% from the HVdc input to the pulsed dc output at a repetition rate of 1 kHz and with stable plasma operation in various discharge conditions. The results suggest that the developed PDG can be considered to be more efficient for plasma processing by CCP.

Electrostatic discharge control for STDN stations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mckiernan, J.

1983-01-01

This manual defines the requirements and control methods necessary to control the effect of electrostatic discharges that damage or destroy electronic equipment components. Test procedures for measuring the effectiveness of the control are included.

Microneurography as a tool in clinical neurophysiology to investigate peripheral neural traffic in humans.

PubMed

Mano, Tadaaki; Iwase, Satoshi; Toma, Shinobu

2006-11-01

Microneurography is a method using metal microelectrodes to investigate directly identified neural traffic in myelinated as well as unmyelinated efferent and afferent nerves leading to and coming from muscle and skin in human peripheral nerves in situ. The present paper reviews how this technique has been used in clinical neurophysiology to elucidate the neural mechanisms of autonomic regulation, motor control and sensory functions in humans under physiological and pathological conditions. Microneurography is particularly important to investigate efferent and afferent neural traffic in unmyelinated C fibers. The recording of efferent discharges in postganglionic sympathetic C efferent fibers innervating muscle and skin (muscle sympathetic nerve activity; MSNA and skin sympathetic nerve activity; SSNA) provides direct information about neural control of autonomic effector organs including blood vessels and sweat glands. Sympathetic microneurography has become a potent tool to reveal neural functions and dysfunctions concerning blood pressure control and thermoregulation. This recording has been used not only in wake conditions but also in sleep to investigate changes in sympathetic neural traffic during sleep and sleep-related events such as sleep apnea. The same recording was also successfully carried out by astronauts during spaceflight. Recordings of afferent discharges from muscle mechanoreceptors have been used to understand the mechanisms of motor control. Muscle spindle afferent information is particularly important for the control of fine precise movements. It may also play important roles to predict behavior outcomes during learning of a motor task. Recordings of discharges in myelinated afferent fibers from skin mechanoreceptors have provided not only objective information about mechanoreceptive cutaneous sensation but also the roles of these signals in fine motor control. Unmyelinated mechanoreceptive afferent discharges from hairy skin seem to be important to convey cutaneous sensation to the central structures related to emotion. Recordings of afferent discharges in thin myelinated and unmyelinated fibers from nociceptors in muscle and skin have been used to provide information concerning pain. Recordings of afferent discharges of different types of cutaneous C-nociceptors identified by marking method have become an important tool to reveal the neural mechanisms of cutaneous sensations such as an itch. No direct microneurographic evidence has been so far proved regarding the effects of sympathoexcitation on sensitization of muscle and skin sensory receptors at least in healthy humans.

Oak Ridge Reservation annual site environmental report for 1995

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

Koncinski, W.S.

1996-09-01

This report presents the details of the environmental monitoring and management program for the Oak Ridge Reservation. Topics discussed include: site background, climate, and operations; environmental compliance strategies; effluent monitoring; environmental management program including environmental restoration, decontamination and decommissioning, technology development, and public involvement; effluent monitoring of airborne discharges, liquid discharges, toxicity control and monitoring, biological monitoring and abatement; environmental surveillance which encompasses meteorological monitoring, ambient air monitoring, surface water monitoring, soils monitoring, sediment monitoring, and contamination of food stuffs monitoring; radiation doses; chemical exposures; ground water monitoring; and quality assurance.

Deflagration-to-Detonation Transition Control by Nanosecond Gas Discharges

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-04-07

Report 3. DATES COVERED (From – To) 1 April 2007 - 18 August 09 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Deflagration-To- Detonation Transition Control By Nanosecond...SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES 14. ABSTRACT During the current project, an extensive experimental study of detonation initiation by high{voltage...nanosecond gas discharges has been performed in a smooth detonation tube with different discharge chambers and various discharge cell numbers. The chambers

When can I go home? A prospective case control study to improve communication with patients regarding their diagnosis, treatment plan and likely discharge date.

PubMed

Murphy, David; Crowley, Rebecca; Spencer, Anthony; Birch, Mark

2015-04-17

This study aimed to improve our ability to communicate with patients with regard to four key issues. Their diagnosis, treatment plan, clinical criteria for discharge and estimated discharge date. This was a prospective case control study. It involved 200 general medical patients admitted to Christchurch Public Hospital. Each day there were two general medical admitting teams. One team formed the control group and the other team the intervention group. The 100 patients in the control group had their consultant ward round as normal. The 100 patients in the intervention group had a consultant ward round and were provided with additional written information answering the following four points: (1) their diagnosis (2) management plan for the day (3) clinical criteria for discharge and (4) estimated date of discharge. This was a laminated sheet that remained attached to their bedside locker. At four or more hours after the ward round every new patient would undergo a questionnaire based interview addressing their ability to correctly answer the points listed above. A comparison was then made between the intervention and control groups. A subgroup (n=30) were selected to obtain feedback on the initiative. 90% of respondents from the intervention group knew their diagnosis versus 59% of the control group (p<0.01). 76% knew their treatment plan for the day versus 41% (p<0.01). 76% knew some of the clinical criteria for safe discharge versus 25% (p<0.01) and 83% of the intervention group knew their estimated discharge date versus 52% of the control group (p<0.01). The median age of the patients in the intervention group was 78 years of age and 74 for the control group (p>0.05). Of those that gave feedback 70% believed the intervention was helpful in helping them understand their diagnosis and 70% believed knowing their likely discharge date was useful. The use of a card with written information for the patient regarding their diagnosis, treatment plan, clinical criteria for safe discharge and estimated discharge date at the bedside helped improve the patients understanding of their care and aided effective communication.

[Study on Accurately Controlling Discharge Energy Method Used in External Defibrillator].

PubMed

Song, Biao; Wang, Jianfei; Jin, Lian; Wu, Xiaomei

2016-01-01

This paper introduces a new method which controls discharge energy accurately. It is achieved by calculating target voltage based on transthoracic impedance and accurately controlling charging voltage and discharge pulse width. A new defibrillator is designed and programmed using this method. The test results show that this method is valid and applicable to all kinds of external defibrillators.

An experimental study of atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) in argon

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

Subedi, D. P.; Tyata, R. B.; Shrestha, R.

2014-03-05

In this paper, experimental results on atmospheric pressure argon dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) have been presented. The discharge was generated using a high voltage (0 to 20 kV) power supply operating at frequency of 10 to 30 kHz and was studied by means of electrical and optical measurements. A homogeneous and steady discharge was observed between the electrodes with gap spacing from 1 mm to 3 mm and with a dielectric barrier of thickness 1.5 mm while argon gas is fed at a controlled flow rate of 2liter per min. The electron temperature (T{sub e}) and electron density (n{sub e})more » of the plasma have been determined by means of optical emission spectroscopy. Our results show that the electron density is of the order of 10{sup 16} cm{sup −3} while the electron temperature is estimated to be ∼ 1 eV. The homogeneity and non-thermal nature of the discharge were utilized in the investigation of the change in wettabilty of a polymer sample subjected to the treatment by the discharge. Contact angle analysis showed that the discharge was effective in improving the wettability of low density Polyethylene (LDPE) polymer sample after the treatment.« less

PONDCALC - A Tool to Estimate Discharge from the Alviso Salt Ponds, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Shellenbarger, Gregory; Schoellhamer, David H.; Lionberger, Megan A.

2007-01-01

Former commercial salt ponds in Alviso, California, now are operated by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to provide habitat for birds. The USFWS has modified the operation of the ponds to prevent exceedingly high salinity. Ponds that were formerly hydraulically isolated from South San Francisco Bay and adjacent sloughs now are managed as flow-through ponds, and some are allowed to discharge to the Bay and sloughs. This discharge is allowed under a permit issued by the Regional Water Quality Control Board. As a requirement of the permit, the USFWS must estimate the amount of discharge from each discharge pond for the period May through November of each year. To facilitate the accurate estimation of pond discharge, a calculation methodology (hereafter referred to as 'calculator' or PONDCALC) for the discharging Alviso ponds has been developed as a Microsoft Excel file and is presented in this report. The presence of flap gates on one end of the discharge culverts, which allow only outflow from a pond, complicates the hydraulic analysis of flow through the culverts. The equation typically used for culvert flow contains an energy loss coefficient that had to be determined empirically using measured water discharge and head at the discharge structure of one of the ponds. A standard weir-flow equation is included in PONDCALC for discharge calculation in the ponds having weir box structures in addition to culverts. The resulting methodology is applicable only to the five Alviso ponds (A2W, A3W, A7, A14, and A16) that discharge to South San Francisco Bay or adjacent sloughs under the management practices for 2005.

Integration Tests of the 4 kW-Class High Voltage Hall Accelerator Power Processing Unit with the HiVHAc and the SPT-140 Hall Effect Thrusters

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kamhawi, Hani; Pinero, Luis; Haag, Thomas; Huang, Wensheng; Ahern, Drew; Liang, Ray; Shilo, Vlad

2016-01-01

NASA's Science Mission Directorate is sponsoring the development of a 4 kW-class Hall propulsion system for implementation in NASA science and exploration missions. The main components of the system include the High Voltage Hall Accelerator (HiVHAc), an engineering model power processing unit (PPU) developed by Colorado Power Electronics, and a xenon flow control module (XFCM) developed by VACCO Industries. NASA Glenn Research Center is performing integrated tests of the Hall thruster propulsion system. This paper presents results from integrated tests of the PPU and XFCM with the HiVHAc engineering development thruster and a SPT-140 thruster provided by Space System Loral. The results presented in this paper demonstrate thruster discharge initiation along with open-loop and closed-loop control of the discharge current with anode flow for both the HiVHAc and the SPT-140 thrusters. Integrated tests with the SPT-140 thruster indicated that the PPU was able to repeatedly initiate the thruster's discharge, achieve steady state operation, and successfully throttle the thruster between 1.5 and 4.5 kW. The measured SPT-140 performance was identical to levels reported by Space Systems Loral.

Monthly sediment discharge changes and estimates in a typical karst catchment of southwest China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Zhenwei; Xu, Xianli; Xu, Chaohao; Liu, Meixian; Wang, Kelin; Yi, Ruzhou

2017-12-01

As one of the largest karst regions in the world, southwest China is experiencing severe soil erosion due to its special geological conditions, inappropriate land use, and lower soil loss tolerance. Knowledge and accurate estimations of changes in sediment discharge rates is important for finding potential measures to effectively control sediment delivery. This study investigated temporal variation in monthly sediment discharge (SD), and developed sediment rating curves and state-space model to estimate SD. Monthly water discharge, SD, precipitation, potential evapotranspiration, and normalized differential vegetation index during 2003-2015 collected from a typical karst catchment of Yujiang River were analyzed in present study. A Mann-Kendal test and Morlet wavelet analysis were employed to detect the changes in SD. Results indicated that a decreasing trend was observed in sediment discharge at monthly and annual scale. The water and sediment discharge both had a significant 1-year period, implying that water discharge has substantial influence on SD. The best state-space model using water discharge was a simple but effective model, accounting for 99% of the variation in SD. The sediment rating curves, however, represented only 78% of the variation in SD. This study provides an insight into the possibility of accurate estimation of SD only using water discharge with state-space model approach. State-space model is recommended as an effective approach for quantifying the temporal relationships between SD and its driving factors in karst regions of southwest China.

Chopper-controlled discharge life cycling studies on lead-acid batteries

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kraml, J. J.; Ames, E. P.

1982-01-01

State-of-the-art 6 volt lead-acid golf car batteries were tested. A daily charge/discharge cycling to failure points under various chopper controlled pulsed dc and continuous current load conditions was undertaken. The cycle life and failure modes were investigated for depth of discharge, average current chopper frequency, and chopper duty cycle. It is shown that battery life is primarily and inversely related to depth of discharge and discharge current. Failure mode is characterized by a gradual capacity loss with consistent evidence of cell element aging.

The effects of a home-visiting discharge education on maternal self-esteem, maternal attachment, postpartum depression and family function in the mothers of NICU infants.

PubMed

Ahn, Young-Mee; Kim, Mi-Ran

2004-12-01

A quasi-experimental study was performed to investigate the effects of a home visiting discharge education program on the maternal self-esteem, attachment, postpartum depression and family function in 35 mothers of neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) infants. Twenty-three mothers in the intervention group received the home visiting discharge education while 12 mothers in the control group received the routine, hospital discharge education. Baseline data was collected in both groups one day after delivery. The intervention group received the home visiting discharge education while the control group did the routine hospital-based discharge education. The questionnaire including the data on maternal self-esteem, attachment, postpartum depression and family function were collected within 1 week after the discharge by mail. The scores of maternal self-esteem, and attachment were significantly increased, and the postpartum depression and the family function score were decreased after the home visiting discharge education in intervention group. There were no changes in these variables before and after the routine hospital-based discharge education in control group. These results support the beneficial effects of home visiting discharge education on the maternal role adaptation and family function of the mothers of NICU infants.

Transition Control with Dielectric Barrier Discharge Plasmas

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-10-01

AFRL-AFOSR-UK-TR-2011-0007 Transition Control with Dielectric Barrier Discharge Plasmas Cameron Tropea Technische...Discharge Plasmas 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER FA8655-08-1-3032 5b. GRANT NUMBER Grant 08-3032 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 61102F 6. AUTHOR(S...is to control natural boundary-layer transition through the use of plasma actuators. Transition delay or even suppression has its merits not only in

Effects of post-discharge nurse-led telephone supportive care for patients with chronic kidney disease undergoing peritoneal dialysis in China: a randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Li, Juan; Wang, Huizhen; Xie, Hongzhen; Mei, Guiping; Cai, Wenzhi; Ye, Junsheng; Zhang, Jianlin; Ye, Guirong; Zhai, Huimin

2014-05-01

Patients with end-stage renal failure (ESRF) need integrated health care to maintain a desirable quality of life. Studies suggest that post-discharge nurseled telephone support has a positive effect for patients suffering from chronic diseases. But the post-discharge care is under-developed in mainland China and the effects of post-discharge care on patients with peritoneal dialysis have not been conclusive. The purpose of this study is to test the effectiveness of postdischarge nurse-led telephone support on patients with peritoneal dialysis in mainland China. A randomized controlled trial was conducted in the medical department of a regional hospital in Guangzhou. 135 patients were recruited, 69 in the study group and 66 in the control group. The control group received routine hospital discharge care. The study group received post-discharge nurse-led telephone support. The quality of life (Kidney Disease Quality of Life Short Form, KDQOL-SF), blood chemistry, complication control, readmission and clinic visit rates were observed at three time intervals: baseline before discharge (T1), 6 (T2) and 12 (T3) weeks after discharge. Statistically significant effects were found for symptom/problem, work status, staff encouragement, patient satisfaction and energy/fatigue in KDQOL-SF and 84-day (12-week) clinic visit rates between the two groups. The study group had more significant improvement than the control group for sleep, staff encouragement at both T2 and T3, and pain at T2 and patient satisfaction at T3. No significant differences were observed between the two groups for the baseline measures, other dimensions in KDQOL-SF, blood chemistry, complication control, readmission rates at all time intervals and clinic visit rates at the first two time intervals. Post-discharge nurse-led telephone support for patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis is effective to enhance patients' well-being in the transition from hospital to home in mainland China. Copyright © 2014 International Society for Peritoneal Dialysis.

Reducing falls after hospital discharge: a protocol for a randomised controlled trial evaluating an individualised multimodal falls education programme for older adults.

PubMed

Hill, Anne-Marie; Etherton-Beer, Christopher; McPhail, Steven M; Morris, Meg E; Flicker, Leon; Shorr, Ronald; Bulsara, Max; Lee, Den-Ching; Francis-Coad, Jacqueline; Waldron, Nicholas; Boudville, Amanda; Haines, Terry

2017-02-02

Older adults frequently fall after discharge from hospital. Older people may have low self-perceived risk of falls and poor knowledge about falls prevention. The primary aim of the study is to evaluate the effect of providing tailored falls prevention education in addition to usual care on falls rates in older people after discharge from hospital compared to providing a social intervention in addition to usual care. The 'Back to My Best' study is a multisite, single blind, parallel-group randomised controlled trial with blinded outcome assessment and intention-to-treat analysis, adhering to CONSORT guidelines. Patients (n=390) (aged 60 years or older; score more than 7/10 on the Abbreviated Mental Test Score; discharged to community settings) from aged care rehabilitation wards in three hospitals will be recruited and randomly assigned to one of two groups. Participants allocated to the control group shall receive usual care plus a social visit. Participants allocated to the experimental group shall receive usual care and a falls prevention programme incorporating a video, workbook and individualised follow-up from an expert health professional to foster capability and motivation to engage in falls prevention strategies. The primary outcome is falls rates in the first 6 months after discharge, analysed using negative binomial regression with adjustment for participant's length of observation in the study. Secondary outcomes are injurious falls rates, the proportion of people who become fallers, functional status and health-related quality of life. Healthcare resource use will be captured from four sources for 6 months after discharge. The study is powered to detect a 30% relative reduction in the rate of falls (negative binomial incidence ratio 0.70) for a control rate of 0.80 falls per person over 6 months. Results will be presented in peer-reviewed journals and at conferences worldwide. This study is approved by hospital and university Human Research Ethics Committees. ACTRN12615000784516. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

Reducing falls after hospital discharge: a protocol for a randomised controlled trial evaluating an individualised multimodal falls education programme for older adults

PubMed Central

Hill, Anne-Marie; Etherton-Beer, Christopher; McPhail, Steven M; Morris, Meg E; Flicker, Leon; Bulsara, Max; Lee, Den-Ching; Francis-Coad, Jacqueline; Waldron, Nicholas; Boudville, Amanda; Haines, Terry

2017-01-01

Introduction Older adults frequently fall after discharge from hospital. Older people may have low self-perceived risk of falls and poor knowledge about falls prevention. The primary aim of the study is to evaluate the effect of providing tailored falls prevention education in addition to usual care on falls rates in older people after discharge from hospital compared to providing a social intervention in addition to usual care. Methods and analyses The ‘Back to My Best’ study is a multisite, single blind, parallel-group randomised controlled trial with blinded outcome assessment and intention-to-treat analysis, adhering to CONSORT guidelines. Patients (n=390) (aged 60 years or older; score more than 7/10 on the Abbreviated Mental Test Score; discharged to community settings) from aged care rehabilitation wards in three hospitals will be recruited and randomly assigned to one of two groups. Participants allocated to the control group shall receive usual care plus a social visit. Participants allocated to the experimental group shall receive usual care and a falls prevention programme incorporating a video, workbook and individualised follow-up from an expert health professional to foster capability and motivation to engage in falls prevention strategies. The primary outcome is falls rates in the first 6 months after discharge, analysed using negative binomial regression with adjustment for participant's length of observation in the study. Secondary outcomes are injurious falls rates, the proportion of people who become fallers, functional status and health-related quality of life. Healthcare resource use will be captured from four sources for 6 months after discharge. The study is powered to detect a 30% relative reduction in the rate of falls (negative binomial incidence ratio 0.70) for a control rate of 0.80 falls per person over 6 months. Ethics and dissemination Results will be presented in peer-reviewed journals and at conferences worldwide. This study is approved by hospital and university Human Research Ethics Committees. Trial registration number ACTRN12615000784516. PMID:28153933

40 CFR 63.10010 - What are my monitoring, installation, operation, and maintenance requirements?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... that emissions are controlled with a common control device or series of control devices, are discharged... parallel control devices or multiple series of control devices are discharged to the atmosphere through... quality control activities (including, as applicable, calibration checks and required zero and span...

40 CFR 63.10010 - What are my monitoring, installation, operation, and maintenance requirements?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... that emissions are controlled with a common control device or series of control devices, are discharged... parallel control devices or multiple series of control devices are discharged to the atmosphere through... quality control activities (including, as applicable, calibration checks and required zero and span...

Flywheel Charge/Discharge Control Developed

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Beach, Raymond.F.; Kenny, Barbara H.

2001-01-01

A control algorithm developed at the NASA Glenn Research Center will allow a flywheel energy storage system to interface with the electrical bus of a space power system. The controller allows the flywheel to operate in both charge and discharge modes. Charge mode is used to store additional energy generated by the solar arrays on the spacecraft during insolation. During charge mode, the flywheel spins up to store the additional electrical energy as rotational mechanical energy. Discharge mode is used during eclipse when the flywheel provides the power to the spacecraft. During discharge mode, the flywheel spins down to release the stored rotational energy.

Continental patterns of submarine groundwater discharge reveal coastal vulnerabilities.

PubMed

Sawyer, Audrey H; David, Cédric H; Famiglietti, James S

2016-08-12

Submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) delivers water and dissolved chemicals from continents to oceans, and its spatial distribution affects coastal water quality. Unlike rivers, SGD is broadly distributed and relatively difficult to measure, especially at continental scales. We present spatially resolved estimates of fresh (land-derived) SGD for the contiguous United States based on historical climate records and high-resolution hydrographic data. Climate controls regional patterns in fresh SGD, while coastal drainage geometry imparts strong local variability. Because the recharge zones that contribute fresh SGD are densely populated, the quality and quantity of fresh SGD are both vulnerable to anthropogenic disturbance. Our analysis unveils hot spots for contaminant discharge to marine waters and saltwater intrusion into coastal aquifers. Copyright © 2016, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

[Effect analysis on the two total load control methods for poisonous heavy metals].

PubMed

Fu, Guo-Wei

2012-12-01

Firstly it should be made clear that implementation of source total load control for the first type of pollutants is necessary for environmental pollution control legislation and economic structure regulation. This kind of surveillance method has been more practical to be implemented since the Manual of the Industry Discharge Coefficient of First National Pollution Sources Investigation was published. The source total load control and water environment total load control are independent of each other and none of them is redundant, on the other side they can be complementary to each other. In the present, some local planning managers are blurring and confusing the contents and styles of the two surveillance methods. They just use the water total load control to manage all the pollutants, and source total load control is discarded, which results in the loss of control for the first type of pollutants especially for the drinking water source surveillance. There is a big difference between the water quality standards and the water environmental background concentration values for the first type of pollutants in the Environmental quality standard for surface water (GB 3838-88), which means that there are problems such as "relaxing the pollutant discharge permit" and "risk induced by valence state change". Taking an enterprise with 10t electrolytic lead production capacity as an example, there is a big difference between the allowable lead discharged loads by the two total load surveillance methods. In summary, it will bring a lot of harmful effects if the water total load control is implemented for the two types of pollutants, so the source total load control and water environmental total load control should be implemented strictly at the same time.

User's manual for computer program BASEPLOT

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sanders, Curtis L.

2002-01-01

The checking and reviewing of daily records of streamflow within the U.S. Geological Survey is traditionally accomplished by hand-plotting and mentally collating tables of data. The process is time consuming, difficult to standardize, and subject to errors in computation, data entry, and logic. In addition, the presentation of flow data on the internet requires more timely and accurate computation of daily flow records. BASEPLOT was developed for checking and review of primary streamflow records within the U.S. Geological Survey. Use of BASEPLOT enables users to (1) provide efficiencies during the record checking and review process, (2) improve quality control, (3) achieve uniformity of checking and review techniques of simple stage-discharge relations, and (4) provide a tool for teaching streamflow computation techniques. The BASEPLOT program produces tables of quality control checks and produces plots of rating curves and discharge measurements; variable shift (V-shift) diagrams; and V-shifts converted to stage-discharge plots, using data stored in the U.S. Geological Survey Automatic Data Processing System database. In addition, the program plots unit-value hydrographs that show unit-value stages, shifts, and datum corrections; input shifts, datum corrections, and effective dates; discharge measurements; effective dates for rating tables; and numeric quality control checks. Checklist/tutorial forms are provided for reviewers to ensure completeness of review and standardize the review process. The program was written for the U.S. Geological Survey SUN computer using the Statistical Analysis System (SAS) software produced by SAS Institute, Incorporated.

Experimental Discussion on a 6-kW, 2-kWh Battery Energy Storage System Using a Bidirectional Isolated DC/DC Converter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abe, Takahiro; Tan, Nadia Mei Lin; Akagi, Hirofumi

This paper presents an experimental discussion on a 6-kW, full-bridge, zero-voltage switching bidirectional isolated dc/dc converter for a 53.2-V, 2-kWh Li-ion battery energy storage system. The combination of high-frequency switching devices, 600-V/200-A IGBTs and 100-V/500-A MOSFETs with a high-frequency transformer reduces the weight and physical size of the bidirectional isolated dc/dc converter. The dc voltage on the high-voltage side of the converter is controlled in a range of 300V to 355V as the battery voltage on the low-voltage side varies from 50V to 59V. Experimental verification of bidirectional power flow into (battery charging) or out of (battery discharging) the Li-ion battery bank is also presented. The maximal efficiency of the dc/dc converter is measured to be 98.1% during charging and 98.2% during discharging, excluding the gate drive loss and control circuit loss.

Prevalence of Inadequate Blood Pressure Control Among Veterans After Acute Ischemic Stroke Hospitalization: A Retrospective Cohort

PubMed Central

Roumie, Christianne L.; Ofner, Susan; Ross, Joseph S.; Arling, Greg; Williams, Linda S.; Ordin, Diana L.; Bravata, Dawn M.

2011-01-01

Background Reducing blood pressure (BP) after stroke reduces risk for recurrent events. Our aim was to describe hypertension care among veterans with ischemic stroke including BP control by discharge and over the 6 months post stroke event. Methods and Results The Office of Quality and Performance Stroke Special Study included a systematic sample of veterans hospitalized for ischemic stroke in 2007. We examined BP control (<140/90 mmHg) at discharge excluding those who died, enrolled in hospice, or had unknown discharge disposition (N=3640, 3382 adjusted analysis). The second outcome was BP control (<140/90 mmHg) within 6-months post-stroke, excluding patients who died /readmitted within 30 days, lost to follow-up or did not have a BP recorded (N=2054, 1915 adjusted analysis). The population was white (62.7 %) and male (97.7%); 46.9% were <65 years of age; 29% and 37% had a history of cerebrovascular or cardiovascular disease, respectively. Among the 3640 stroke patients 1573(43%) had their last documented BP prior to discharge >140/90 mmHg. Black race (adjusted OR 0.77 [95% CI 0.65, 0.91]), diabetes (OR 0.73 [95% CI 0.62, 0.86]) and hypertension history (OR 0.51 [95% CI 0.42, 0.63]) were associated with lower odds for controlled BP at discharge. Of the 2054 stroke patients seen within 6 months from their index event, 673 (32.8%) remained uncontrolled. By 6 months post event, neither race nor diabetes was associated with BP control; whereas history of hypertension continued to have lower odds of BP control. For each 10 point increase in systolic BP > 140 mmHg at discharge, odds of BP control within 6 months post discharge decreased by 12% (95% CI (8%, 18%)). Conclusions BP values in excess of national guidelines are common after stroke. Forty three percent of patients were discharged with an elevated BP and 33% remained uncontrolled by 6 months. PMID:21693725

Leading edge vortex control on a delta wing with dielectric barrier discharge plasma actuators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shen, Lu; Wen, Chih-yung

2017-06-01

This paper presents an experimental investigation of the application of dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma actuators on a slender delta wing to control the leading edge vortices (LEVs). The experiments are conducted in a wind tunnel with a Reynolds number of 50 000 based on the chord length. The smoke flow visualization reveals that the DBD plasma actuators at the leading edges significantly modify the vortical flow structure over the delta wing. It is noted that symmetric control at both semi-spans and asymmetric control at a single semi-span leads to opposite effects on the local LEVs. Particle image velocimetry (PIV) indicates that the shear layer is deformed by the actuators. Therefore, both the strength and the shape of the LEV cores are deeply affected. The six-component force measurement shows that the DBD plasma actuators have a limited effect on lift and drag while inducing relatively large moments. This suggests that the DBD plasma actuator is a promising technique for delta wing maneuvering.

Considering the summation of the effect of harmful substances during the calculation of the environmentally safe waste water discharge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sokolov, A. K.

2017-09-01

This article presents the technique of assessing the maximum allowable (standard) discharge of waste waters with several harmful substances into a water reservoir. The technique makes it possible to take into account the summation of their effect provided that the limiting harmful indices are the same. The expressions for the determination of the discharge limit of waste waters have been derived from the conditions of admissibility of the effect of several harmful substances on the waters of a reservoir. Mathematical conditions of admissibility of the effect of wastewaters on a reservoir are given for the characteristic combinations of limiting harmful indices and hazard classes of several substances. The conditions of admissibility of effects are presented in the form of logical products of the sums of relative concentrations that should not exceed the value of 1. It is shown that the calculation of the process of wastewater dilution in a flowing water reservoir is possible only on the basis of a numerical method to assess the wastewater discharge limit. An example of the numerical calculation of the standard limit of industrial enterprise wastewater discharges that contain polysulfide oil, flocculant VPK-101, and fungicide captan is given to test this method. In addition to these three harmful substances, the water reservoir also contained a fourth substance, namely, Zellek-Super herbicide, above the waste discharge point. The summation of the harmful effect was taken into account for VPK-101, captan, and Zellek-Super. The reliability of the technique was tested by the calculation of concentrations of the four substances in the control point of the flowing reservoir during the estimated maximum allowable wastewater discharge. It is shown that the value of the maximum allowable discharge limit was almost two times higher for the example under consideration, taking into account that the effect of harmful substances was unidirectional, which provides a higher level of environmental safety for them.

Computation of peak discharge at culverts

USGS Publications Warehouse

Carter, Rolland William

1957-01-01

Methods for computing peak flood flow through culverts on the basis of a field survey of highwater marks and culvert geometry are presented. These methods are derived from investigations of culvert flow as reported in the literature and on extensive laboratory studies of culvert flow. For convenience in computation, culvert flow has been classified into six types, according to the location of the control section and the relative heights of the head-water and tail-water levels. The type of flow which occurred at any site can be determined from the field data and the criteria given in this report. A discharge equation has been developed for each flow type by combining the energy and continuity equations for the distance between an approach section upstream from the culvert and a terminal section within the culvert barrel. The discharge coefficient applicable to each flow type is listed for the more common entrance geometries. Procedures for computing peak discharge through culverts are outlined in detail for each of the six flow types.

Control of dangerous substances in discharges and microbiological abatement: European framework and a case study of an ozone disinfection system.

PubMed

Ostoich, M; Serena, F; Falletti, L; Fantoni, A

2013-01-01

Directive 2000/60/EC requires the achievement of a 'good chemical status' for surface water within pre-established dates. Disinfection is needed to achieve compulsory final microbial limit values (in Italy for wastewater discharges the parameter Escherichia coli - EC - is imposed by law with a maximum limit value of 5,000 cfu/100 mL). Liquid waste and disinfection by-products must be considered when designing appropriate monitoring of dangerous substances; the specific classes of substances must be investigated according to the typology of received wastewaters and liquid wastes (where applicable) and specific analytical techniques, with Limit of Detection (LOD) lower than the limit values, must be applied; the difficulties faced by national and regional environmental control Agencies is that these techniques have to be applied during ordinary activity and not only for research purposes. The study aims to present the control of dangerous substances, as a screening view, in wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) discharges in the province of Venice (Northern Italy) for the period 2007-2010 based on available data from institutional controls. In addition, the wastewater disinfection process with ozone applied to a medium size WWTP (45,000 Population Equivalents) is presented as a case study, with a view to assessing the microbiological abatement efficacy and the presence of dangerous substances. Discharge quality of the WWTPs in the province of Venice presented mean values that were higher than the LOD, but only for certain metals. For the Paese plant, zinc and chloroform were the only micro-pollutants detected with a higher level than the LOD. From microbiological data in the period 2006-2011 the disinfection abatement efficiency for Paese was, in most cases above 99% for EC, faecal coliform (FC), faecal streptococci (FS) while efficiency was slightly lower for total coliform (TC); however, the proposed criterion aimed at respecting 99.99% abatement was not completely satisfied. Therefore, despite the high organic and industrial load of the considered plant and the need to find an alternative system for chlorine, as chlorine disinfection has been banned in the Veneto region since December 2012, ozone efficiency is not completely satisfactory and other systems such as peracetic or performic acids and UV systems must be considered.

Event and Pulse Node Hardware Design for Nuclear Fusion Experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fortunato, J. C.; Batista, A.; Sousa, J.; Fernandes, H.; Varandas, C. A. F.

2008-04-01

This article presents an event and pulse node hardware module (EPN) developed for use in control and data acquisition (CODAC) in current and upcoming long discharges nuclear fusion experiments. Its purpose is to allow real time event management and trigger distribution. The use of a mixture of digital signal processing and field programmable gate arrays, with fiber optic channels for event broadcast between CODAC nodes, and short length paths between the EPN and CODAC hardware, allows an effective and low latency communication path. This hardware will be integrated in the ISTTOK CODAC to allow long AC plasma discharges.

Pulse Repetition Frequency Effects In A High Average Power X-Ray Preionised Excimer Laser

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fontaine, Bernard L.; Forestier, Bernard M.; Delaporte, Philippe C.; Canarelli, Patrick

1989-10-01

Experimental study of waves damping in a high repetition rate excimer laser is undertaken. Excitation of laser active medium in a subsonic loop is achieved by means of a classical discharge, through transfer capacitors. The discharge stability is controlled by a wire ion plasma (w.i.p.) X-rays gun. The strong acoustic waves induced by the active medium excitation may lead to a decrease, at high PRF, of the energy per pulse. First results of the influence of a damping of induced density perturbations between two successive pulses are presented.

Assessment of grass root effects on soil piping in sandy soils using the pinhole test

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bernatek-Jakiel, Anita; Vannoppen, Wouter; Poesen, Jean

2017-10-01

Soil piping is an important land degradation process that occurs in a wide range of environments. Despite an increasing number of studies on this type of subsurface erosion, the impact of vegetation on piping erosion is still unclear. It can be hypothesized that vegetation, and in particular plant roots, may reduce piping susceptibility of soils because roots of vegetation also control concentrated flow erosion rates or shallow mass movements. Therefore, this paper aims to assess the impact of grass roots on piping erosion susceptibility of a sandy soil. The pinhole test was used as it provides quantitative data on pipeflow discharge, sediment concentration and sediment discharge. Tests were conducted at different hydraulic heads (i.e., 50 mm, 180 mm, 380 mm and 1020 mm). Results showed that the hydraulic head was positively correlated with pipeflow discharge, sediment concentration and sediment discharge, while the presence of grass roots (expressed as root density) was negatively correlated with these pipeflow characteristics. Smaller sediment concentrations and sediment discharges were observed in root-permeated samples compared to root-free samples. When root density exceeds 0.5 kg m- 3, piping erosion rates decreased by 50% compared to root-free soil samples. Moreover, if grass roots are present, the positive correlation between hydraulic head and both sediment discharge and sediment concentration is less pronounced, demonstrating that grass roots become more effective in reducing piping erosion rates at larger hydraulic heads. Overall, this study demonstrates that grass roots are quite efficient in reducing piping erosion rates in sandy soils, even at high hydraulic head (> 1 m). As such, grass roots may therefore be used to efficiently control piping erosion rates in topsoils.

Red blood cells of the lizards Ameiva ameiva (Squamata, Teiidae) display multiple mechanisms to control cytosolic calcium.

PubMed

Beraldo, F H; Sartorello, R; Gazarini, M L; Caldeira, W; Garcia, C R S

2002-02-01

We have previously reported that lizard red blood cells control their cytosolic calcium concentration by sequestering calcium ions in pools, which could be discharged by thapsigargin, by the Na+/H+ ionophore, monensin, by the K+/H+ ionophore, nigericin and by the proton pump inhibitor, bafilomycin A1 [1]. We have now demonstrated, with the aid of confocal microscopy, the presence in these cells of organelles, which accumulate the dye acridine orange and are thus by inference the sites of proton pools. We have found, moreover, that monensin, nigericin and bafilomycin all act to discharge these pools. We further show that calcium release ensues when the calcium ionophore, ionomycin, is added after thapsigargin and monensin; this implies the existence of a third pool, besides the acidic pool and the Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER), which participates in calcium homeostasis. The ER calcium pool can de discharged by the addition of the second messenger, IP3, and we present evidence, based on confocal microscopy, that the IP3 receptors are located in or close to the nucleus. Copyright 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Pore structures in an implantable sol gel titania ceramic device used in controlled drug release applications: A modeling study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peterson, Aaron; Lopez, Tessy; Islas, Emma Ortiz; Gonzalez, Richard D.

2007-04-01

Several process variables, which may be helpful in optimizing the rate at which drugs are released from implantable, sol-gel titania devices have been identified in this study. The controlled rate of drug release is compared for two different anticonvulsant drugs, valproic acid and sodic phenytoin. Contrary to what one might expect, when the concentration is increased in the titania reservoir the rate of initial drug delivery decreases. This is a desirable result, because it may reduce the danger of a high initial discharge, which may harm the epileptic rat. The structure of the porous structure within the titania network has been studied using a generalized form of the BET equation which considers only n layers. In general, following an initial discharge, the rate at which the drug is released will increase with the increasing concentration. Pore mouth blocking can present a problem. However, this problem tends to disappear following the initial discharge. The extent of drug loading is a useful variable parameter, which can be adjusted in order to deliver the amount of drug required in a given application.

Modeling sediment supply of the Congo watershed since the last 23 ka.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Molliex, Stéphane; Kettner, Albert J.; Laurent, Dimitri; Droz, Laurence; Marsset, Tania; Laraque, Alain; Rabineau, Marina

2017-04-01

The Congo River is the world's second river in term of drainage area (3.7 millions of km2) and water discharge (42,000 m3.s-1). Located in equatorial Africa, the basin extends over the two hemispheres, leading to an annual homogeneous repartition of climatic parameters and modest variation in intra-annual discharge. Monitored for decades, a large dataset is available for both the hydrology and sediment load for the Congo system. Moreover, the Quaternary Congo turbidite system geometry has been widely studied and an abundance of paleo-environmental parameters have been inferred from chemical proxies analyzed from offshore cores. These numerous data, both onshore and offshore, allow for accurate calibration of numeric modeling and for efficient comparison between observed and simulated data. This study aims (i) to quantify the evolution of sediment supply leaving the Congo watershed during the last 23 ka; (ii) to decipher the forcing parameters controlling the sediment supply over glacial/interglacial stages. HydroTrend is a model that simulates water discharge and sediment load leaving a hydrologic system. It is based on morphologic, climatic, hydrologic, lithologic, land cover and anthropogenic factors. After calibrating the present-day discharge and sediment load, we simulated discharge and sediment supply over 23 ka, integrating the changes in environmental conditions during this period. Results show that present-day simulations fit the observed data well if a significant part of sediments is being trapped by the catchment, in the floodplain. The long-term simulations show that the changes in climatic conditions (temperature and precipitations) between glacial and interglacial stages only account for a maximum variation of about 20 % of the sediment supply. The resulting land cover changes are most likely a more significant factor controlling the sediment supply; the loss of forest during colder and dryer stages can be responsible for up to 50 % of sediment supply increase.

Control of Reactive Species Generated by Low-frequency Biased Nanosecond Pulse Discharge in Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Effluent

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takashima, Keisuke; Kaneko, Toshiro

2016-09-01

The control of hydroxyl radical and the other gas phase species generation in the ejected gas through air plasma (air plasma effluent) has been experimentally studied, which is a key to extend the range of plasma treatment. Nanosecond pulse discharge is known to produce high reduced electric field (E/N) discharge that leads to efficient generation of the reactive species than conventional low frequency discharge, while the charge-voltage cycle in the low frequency discharge is known to be well-controlled. In this study, the nanosecond pulse discharge biased with AC low frequency high voltage is used to take advantages of these discharges, which allows us to modulate the reactive species composition in the air plasma effluent. The utilization of the gas-liquid interface and the liquid phase chemical reactions between the modulated long-lived reactive species delivered from the air plasma effluent could realize efficient liquid phase chemical reactions leading to short-lived reactive species production far from the air plasma, which is crucial for some plasma agricultural applications.

Electron heating and the Electrical Asymmetry Effect in capacitively coupled RF discharges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schulze, Julian

2011-10-01

For applications of capacitive radio frequency discharges, the control of particle distribution functions at the substrate surface is essential. Their spatio-temporal shape is the result of complex heating mechanisms of the respective species. Enhanced process control, therefore, requires a detailed understanding of the heating dynamics. There are two known modes of discharge operation: α- and γ-mode. In α-mode, most ionization is caused by electron beams generated by the expanding sheaths and field reversals during sheath collapse, while in γ-mode secondary electrons dominate the ionisation. In strongly electronegative discharges, a third heating mode is observed. Due to the low electron density in the discharge center the bulk conductivity is reduced and a high electric field is generated to drive the RF current through the discharge center. In this field, electrons are accelerated and cause significant ionisation in the bulk. This bulk heating mode is observed experimentally and by PIC simulations in CF4 discharges. The electron dynamics and mode transitions as a function of driving voltage and pressure are discussed. Based on a detailed understanding of the heating dynamics, the concept of separate control of the ion mean energy and flux in classical dual-frequency discharges is demonstrated to fail under process relevant conditions. To overcome these limitations of process control, the Electrical Asymmetry Effect (EAE) is proposed in discharges driven at multiple consecutive harmonics with adjustable phase shifts between the driving frequencies. Its concept and a recipe to optimize the driving voltage waveform are introduced. The functionality of the EAE in different gases and first applications to large area solar cell manufacturing are discussed. Finally, limitations caused by the bulk heating in strongly electronegative discharges are outlined.

The effect of a clinical pharmacist discharge service on medication discrepancies in patients with heart failure

PubMed Central

Lenderink, Albert W.; Widdershoven, Jos W. M. G.; van den Bemt, Patricia M. L. A.

2010-01-01

Objective Heart failure patients are regularly admitted to hospital and frequently use multiple medication. Besides intentional changes in pharmacotherapy, unintentional changes may occur during hospitalisation. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of a clinical pharmacist discharge service on medication discrepancies and prescription errors in patients with heart failure. Setting A general teaching hospital in Tilburg, the Netherlands. Method An open randomized intervention study was performed comparing an intervention group, with a control group receiving regular care by doctors and nurses. The clinical pharmacist discharge service consisted of review of discharge medication, communicating prescribing errors with the cardiologist, giving patients information, preparation of a written overview of the discharge medication and communication to both the community pharmacist and the general practitioner about this medication. Within 6 weeks after discharge all patients were routinely scheduled to visit the outpatient clinic and medication discrepancies were measured. Main outcome measure The primary endpoint was the frequency of prescription errors in the discharge medication and medication discrepancies after discharge combined. Results Forty-four patients were included in the control group and 41 in the intervention group. Sixty-eight percent of patients in the control group had at least one discrepancy or prescription error against 39% in the intervention group (RR 0.57 (95% CI 0.37–0.88)). The percentage of medications with a discrepancy or prescription error in the control group was 14.6% and in the intervention group it was 6.1% (RR 0.42 (95% CI 0.27–0.66)). Conclusion This clinical pharmacist discharge service significantly reduces the risk of discrepancies and prescription errors in medication of patients with heart failure in the 1st month after discharge. PMID:20809276

Wall conditioning by ECRH discharges and He-GDC in the limiter phase of Wendelstein 7-X

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wauters, T.; Brakel, R.; Brezinsek, S.; Dinklage, A.; Goriaev, A.; Laqua, H. P.; Marsen, S.; Moseev, D.; Stange, T.; Schlisio, G.; Pedersen, T. Sunn; Volzke, O.; Wenzel, U.; the W7-X Team

2018-06-01

Wendelstein 7-X (W7-X) relies on wall conditioning to control the density and the impurity content of the plasma. Wall conditioning in the first operation campaign of W7-X consisted of baking at 150 °C during 1 week prior to operation, glow discharge conditioning (GDC) in helium (He) and electron cyclotron resonance heating (ECRH) discharges. Additionally, the usage of He-GDC was limited to avoid sputtering and migration of metallic plasma facing components. This presented a unique opportunity for studying the applicability of ECRH discharges for initial wall conditioning on a stellarator, albeit in the carbon limiter configuration. A single envelope curve is observed in the normalised outgassing data that takes into account all ECRH discharges. This illustrates that the majority of discharges operates at the limits of a radiative collapse. Hydrogen recycling dominated the fuelling of ECRH discharges throughout while CO outgassing was found strongest at the start of the campaign. A reduction of recycling was observed throughout the campaign. Temporarily depleting the walls from H and impurities was possible by He-GDC. It was shown that the recycling coefficient in -ECRH plasmas could be reduced and the pulse duration significantly extended by He-’recovery’ ECRH plasmas. Good wall conditions were defined by normalised outgassing values below mbar kJ‑1. In absence of -GDC, more than 311 cumulated discharge seconds of ECRH discharges are needed for obtaining lasting low outgassing levels. A release model with two trapping reservoirs could reproduce the normalised outgassing trend, including ECRH and GDC plasma wall interactions.

Response of nickel to zinc cells to electric vehicle chopper discharge waveforms

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cataldo, R. L.

1981-01-01

The preliminary results of simulated electric vehicle chopper controlled discharge of a Nickel/Zinc battery shows delivered energy increases of 5 to 25 percent compared to constant current discharges of the same average current. The percentage increase was a function of chopper frequency, the ratio of peak to average current, and the magnitude of the discharge current. Because the chopper effects are of a complex nature, electric vehicle battery/speed controller interaction must be carefully considered in vehicle design to optimize battery performance.

Modelling river discharge and precipitation from estuarine salinity in the northern Chesapeake Bay: Application to Holocene palaeoclimate

USGS Publications Warehouse

Saenger, C.; Cronin, T.; Thunell, R.; Vann, C.

2006-01-01

Long-term chronologies of precipitation can provide a baseline against which twentieth-century trends in rainfall can be evaluated in terms of natural variability and anthropogenic influence. However, there are relatively few methods to quantitatively reconstruct palaeoprecipitation and river discharge compared with proxies of other climatic factors, such as temperature. We developed autoregressive and least squares statistical models relating Chesapeake Bay salinity to river discharge and regional precipitation records. Salinity in northern and central parts of the modern Chesapeake Bay is influenced largely by seasonal, interannual and decadal variations in Susquehanna River discharge, which in turn are controlled by regional precipitation patterns. A power regressive discharge model and linear precipitation model exhibit well-defined decadal variations in peak discharge and precipitation. The utility of the models was tested by estimating Holocene palaeoprecipitation and Susquehanna River palaeodischarge, as indicated by isotopically derived palaeosalinity reconstructions from Chesapeake Bay sediment cores. Model results indicate that the early-mid Holocene (7055-5900 yr BP) was drier than the late Holocene (1500 yr BP - present), the 'Mediaeval Warm Period' (MWP) (1200-600 yr BP) was drier than the 'Little Ice Age' (LIA) (500-100 yr BP), and the twentieth century experienced extremes in precipitation possibly associated with changes in ocean-atmosphere teleconnections. ?? 2006 Edward Arnold (Publishers) Ltd.

Safety and feasibility of same-day discharge for uncomplicated appendicitis: A prospective cohort study.

PubMed

Gee, Kristin; Ngo, Sandra; Burkhalter, Lorrie; Beres, Alana L

2018-05-01

Appendicitis is the most common gastrointestinal pediatric surgical emergency. With the introduction of laparoscopic techniques in the 1990s, recovery, pain, and hospital stay after laparoscopic procedures have been significantly reduced. While many laparoscopic procedures are performed as outpatient surgeries, pediatric appendectomy patients continue to be hospitalized for postoperative observation. Our goal was to evaluate the safety and feasibility of same day discharge after laparoscopic appendectomy for uncomplicated appendicitis. After IRB approval, all pediatric patients undergoing laparoscopic appendectomy during 2016 for noncomplicated appendicitis were eligible for the study. Decision for same day discharge was based on surgeon preference and parental agreement. Data regarding demographics, admission and discharge times, outcomes of complications, readmissions, return to the ED, and nonscheduled clinic visits were collected. A total of 1321 appendectomies were performed during the study period, of which 849 were uncomplicated and 382 were discharged same day. There were 2 readmissions, 4 superficial surgical site infections, 10 patients with nausea or vomiting, and 33 patients with pain control issues, 9 of whom presented to the ED. Same day discharge for laparoscopic noncomplicated appendectomy is a safe and feasible alternative to postoperative admission and observation. This has the potential to yield significant healthcare cost savings. Level II, Prospective Cohort Study. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Rate versus rhythm control and outcomes in patients with atrial fibrillation and chronic kidney disease: data from the GUSTO-III Trial.

PubMed

Williams, Eric S; Thompson, Vivian P; Chiswell, Karen E; Alexander, John H; White, Harvey D; Ohman, E Magnus; Al-Khatib, Sana M

2013-01-01

Atrial fibrillation (AF) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) have both been shown to portend worse outcomes after acute myocardial infarction (MI); however, the benefit of a rhythm control strategy in patients with CKD post-MI is unclear. We prospectively studied 985 patients with new-onset AF post-MI in the GUSTO-III trial, of whom 413 (42%) had CKD (creatinine clearance < 60 mL/min). A rhythm control strategy, defined as the use of an antiarrhythmic medication and/or electrical cardioversion, was used in 346 (35%) of patients. A rhythm control strategy was used in 34% of patients with CKD and 36% of patients with no CKD. At hospital discharge, sinus rhythm was present in 487 (76%) of patients treated with a rate control strategy, vs. 276 (80%) in those treated with rhythm control (p = 0.20). CKD was associated with a lower odds of sinus rhythm at discharge (unadjusted OR 0.56, 95% CI 0.38-0.84, p < 0.001). However, in multivariable analyses, treatment with a rhythm control strategy was not associated with discharge rhythm (HR 1.068, 95% CI 0.69-1.66, p = 0.77), 30-day mortality (HR 0.78, 95% CI 0.54-1.12, p = 0.18) or mortality from day 30 to 1 year (HR 1.00, 95% CI 0.59-1.69, p = 0.99). CKD status did not significantly impact the relationship between rhythm control and outcomes. Treatment with a rhythm or rate control strategy does not signifi cantly impact short-term or long-term mortality in patients with post-MI AF, regardless of kidney disease status. Future studies to investigate the optimal management of AF in CKD patients are needed.

Radio frequency discharge with control of plasma potential distribution.

PubMed

Dudnikov, Vadim; Dudnikov, A

2012-02-01

A RF discharge plasma generator with additional electrodes for independent control of plasma potential distribution is proposed. With positive biasing of this ring electrode relative end flanges and longitudinal magnetic field a confinement of fast electrons in the discharge will be improved for reliable triggering of pulsed RF discharge at low gas density and rate of ion generation will be enhanced. In the proposed discharge combination, the electron energy is enhanced by RF field and the fast electron confinement is improved by enhanced positive plasma potential which improves the efficiency of plasma generation significantly. This combination creates a synergetic effect with a significantly improving the plasma generation performance at low gas density. The discharge parameters can be optimized for enhance plasma generation with acceptable electrode sputtering.

40 CFR 63.10010 - What are my monitoring, installation, operation, and maintenance requirements?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... emissions are controlled with a common control device or series of control devices, are discharged to the... devices or multiple series of control devices are discharged to the atmosphere through more than one stack... control activities (including, as applicable, calibration checks and required zero and span adjustments...

Liposomal membrane disruption by means of miniaturized dielectric-barrier discharge in air: liposome characterization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Svarnas, P.; Asimakoulas, L.; Katsafadou, M.; Pachis, K.; Kostazos, N.; Antimisiaris, S. G.

2017-08-01

The increasing interest of the plasma community in the application of atmospheric-pressure cold plasmas to bio-specimen treatment has led to the creation of the emerging field of plasma biomedicine. Accordingly, plasma setups based on dielectric-barrier discharges have already been widely tested for the inactivation of various cells. Most of these systems refer to the plasma jet concept where noble gases penetrate atmospheric air and are subjected to the influence of high electric fields, thus forming guided streamers. Following the original works of our group where liposomal membranes were proposed as models for studying the interaction between plasma jets and cells, we present herein a study on liposomal membrane disruption by means of miniaturized dielectric-barrier discharge running in atmospheric air. Liposomal membranes of various lipid compositions, lamellarities, and sizes are treated at different times. It is shown that the dielectric-barrier discharge of low mean power leads to efficient liposomal membrane disruption. The latter is achieved in a controllable manner and depends on liposome properties. Additionally, it is clearly demonstrated that liposomal membrane disruption takes place even after plasma extinction, i.e. during post-treatment, resembling thus an ‘apoptosis’ effect, which is well known today mainly for cell membranes. Thus, the adoption of the present concept would be beneficial for tailoring studies on plasma-treated cell-mimics. Finally, the liposome treatment is discussed with respect to possible physicochemical mechanisms and potential discharge modification due to the various compositions of the liquid electrode.

Laboratory alluvial fans in one dimension.

PubMed

Guerit, L; Métivier, F; Devauchelle, O; Lajeunesse, E; Barrier, L

2014-08-01

When they reach a flat plain, rivers often deposit their sediment load into a cone-shaped structure called alluvial fan. We present a simplified experimental setup that reproduces, in one dimension, basic features of alluvial fans. A mixture of water and glycerol transports and deposits glass beads between two transparent panels separated by a narrow gap. As the beads, which mimic natural sediments, get deposited in this gap, they form an almost one-dimensional fan. At a moderate sediment discharge, the fan grows quasistatically and maintains its slope just above the threshold for sediment transport. The water discharge determines this critical slope. At leading order, the sediment discharge only controls the velocity at which the fan grows. A more detailed analysis reveals a slight curvature of the fan profile, which relates directly to the rate at which sediments are transported.

Superfund Record of Decision (EPA Region 8): California Gulch, Operable Unit 10, Leadville, CO, August 8, 1997

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

NONE

1998-01-01

This decision document presents the Selected Remedy for Oregon Gulch OU10 within the California Gulch Superfund Site in Leadville, Colorado. The Selected Remedy includes active management of the seep currently discharging at the toe of the Oregon Gulch Tailing Impoundment during the interim period from implementation until the seep does not negatively impact surface water quality. Active management of the seep discharge will be performed during non-freezing conditions and will include collection and either pumping or transport of the collected flow to the Yak Tunnel Treatment Plant or other suitable treatment options. Design of the Selected Remedy will include amore » drain system at the toe of the embankment to allow the seep discharge to flow unrestricted and to be collected in a controlled manner.« less

Electric double-layer capacitor based on zinc metaphosphate glass-derived hydrogel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akamatsu, Takafumi; Kasuga, Toshihiro; Nogami, Masayuki

2006-04-01

The present work reports the electrochemical characteristics of an electric double-layer capacitor (EDC) cell with an electrolyte consisting of a glass-derived zinc metaphosphate hydrogel (ZP gel) or H3PO4 solution. The EDC cell showed specific discharge capacities of 2.06 and 3.21F/g using the ZP gel and H3PO4 solution, respectively. The EDC cell performed higher voltage retentionability for self-discharge behavior after constant voltage using the ZP gel (0.83V after 24h) than using H3PO4 solution (0.45V after 24h). Self-discharge behaviors of the ZP gel and H3PO4 solution were controlled by a diffusion and current leakage process, respectively. These results show that the ZP gel has a great potential for practical use as an EDC electrolyte.

Biogeochemical alteration of dissolved organic material in the Cape Fear River Estuary as a function of freshwater discharge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dixon, Jennifer L.; Helms, John R.; Kieber, Robert J.; Avery, G. Brooks

2014-08-01

This study presents the first extensive examination of the controls on optical properties of chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) within the Cape Fear River Estuary (CFRE) utilizing spectral slope ratios (SR). The application of SUVA254 values, absorption spectral slopes (S) and SR values has presented a distinct opportunity to observe compositional changes in CDOM in the CFRE that was not possible using bulk DOC and aCDOM(350) values alone. By comparing estuarine trends in CDOM spectral shape during both normal and historically low flow conditions, we found that diagenetic processing of CDOM in the CFRE is controlled primarily by riverine discharge rates. These findings suggest that the chromophoric fraction of DOM is altered during estuarine transport under low flow regimes but reaches the coastal ocean relatively unaltered under higher flow conditions. This highlights the tendency for autochthonous sources of DOC to offset photochemical losses and indicates that in situ DOC production can significantly contribute to the overall carbon load if discharge is low or sufficient biogeochemical alteration of the terrestrial DOM end-member occurs. This provides new insight into the usefulness of these optical properties into understanding the cycling, fate and transport of CDOM to the coastal ocean. SR values provide a simple but potentially powerful tool in understanding the flux, transport and impact of terrestrially derived organic material deposited in the coastal ocean.

Multimedia based health information to parents in a pediatric acute ward: a randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Botngård, Anja; Skranes, Lars P; Skranes, Jon; Døllner, Henrik

2013-12-01

To determine whether multimedia based health information presented to parents of children with breathing difficulties in a pediatric acute ward, is more effective than verbal information, to reduce parental anxiety and increase satisfaction. This randomized controlled trial was conducted in a pediatric acute ward in Norway, from January to March 2011. Parents were randomly assigned to a multimedia intervention (n=53), or verbal health information (n=48). Primary outcome measure was parental anxiety, and secondary outcome measures were parental satisfaction with nursing care and health information. Parental anxiety decreased from arrival to discharge within both groups. At discharge the anxiety levels in the intervention group were no lower than in the control group. There was no difference in satisfaction with nursing care between the groups, but parents in the intervention group reported higher satisfaction with the health information given in the acute ward (p=.005). Multimedia based health information did not reduce anxiety more than verbal information, among parents to children with breathing difficulties. However, after discharge the parents were more satisfied with the multimedia approach. More research is needed to recommend the use of multimedia based information as a routine to parents in pediatric emergency care. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Treatment outcomes for inpatients with obsessive-compulsive personality disorder: An open comparison trial.

PubMed

Smith, Ryan; Shepard, Christopher; Wiltgen, Anika; Rufino, Katrina; Fowler, J Christopher

2017-02-01

The current case-control study compared rates of clinically significant and reliable change in psychopathology and global functioning, prevalence of clinical deterioration, and rates of symptom remission among adult patients with obsessive compulsive personality disorder OCPD (n=52) and well-matched inpatients with any other personality disorder (n=56) and no personality disorder (n=53). Propensity score matching (PSM) was utilized to select patients matched on specific criteria present in the OCPD group. Multivariate analysis of variance models measured differences in admission functioning and RCI change across depression and anxiety severity, emotion dysregulation and suicidal ideation. Patients diagnosed with OCPD admit to treatment with higher rates of depression, anxiety, difficulty with emotion regulation and non-acceptance of emotional experience than inpatient controls. Furthermore, OCPD patients respond to treatment at a similar rate to inpatient controls, but experience lower rates of anxiety remission upon discharge. Post-hoc analyses indicate individuals meeting stubbornness and rigidity (OCPD Criteria 8) were nine times more likely to report moderate to severe anxiety at point of discharge. Limitations include a predominantly Caucasian, inpatient sample, use of self-report measures and a non-manualized treatment approach. Overall, OCPD inpatients benefit from an intensive multimodal psychiatric treatment, but experience more anxiety than non-PD patients upon discharge. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Amazon River dissolved load: temporal dynamics and annual budget from the Andes to the ocean.

PubMed

Moquet, Jean-Sébastien; Guyot, Jean-Loup; Crave, Alain; Viers, Jérôme; Filizola, Naziano; Martinez, Jean-Michel; Oliveira, Tereza Cristina; Sánchez, Liz Stefanny Hidalgo; Lagane, Christelle; Casimiro, Waldo Sven Lavado; Noriega, Luis; Pombosa, Rodrigo

2016-06-01

The aim of the present study is to estimate the export fluxes of major dissolved species at the scale of the Amazon basin, to identify the main parameters controlling their spatial distribution and to identify the role of discharge variability in the variability of the total dissolved solid (TDS) flux through the hydrological cycle. Data are compiled from the monthly hydrochemistry and daily discharge database of the "Programa Climatologico y Hidrologico de la Cuenca Amazonica de Bolivia" (PHICAB) and the HYBAM observatories from 34 stations distributed over the Amazon basin (for the 1983-1992 and 2000-2012 periods, respectively). This paper consists of a first global observation of the fluxes and temporal dynamics of each geomorphological domain of the Amazon basin. Based on mean interannual monthly flux calculations, we estimated that the Amazon basin delivered approximately 272 × 10(6) t year(-1) (263-278) of TDS during the 2003-2012 period, which represents approximately 7 % of the continental inputs to the oceans. This flux is mainly made up by HCO3, Ca and SiO2, reflecting the preferential contributions of carbonate and silicate chemical weathering to the Amazon River Basin. The main tributaries contributing to the TDS flux are the Marañon and Ucayali Rivers (approximately 50 % of the TDS production over 14 % of the Amazon basin area) due to the weathering of carbonates and evaporites drained by their Andean tributaries. An Andes-sedimentary area-shield TDS flux (and specific flux) gradient is observed throughout the basin and is first explained by the TDS concentration contrast between these domains, rather than variability in runoff. This observation highlights that, under tropical context, the weathering flux repartition is primarily controlled by the geomorphological/geological setting and confirms that sedimentary areas are currently active in terms of the production of dissolved load. The log relationships of concentration vs discharge have been characterized over all the studied stations and for all elements. The analysis of the slope of the relationship within the selected contexts reveals that the variability in TDS flux is mainly controlled by the discharge variability throughout the hydrological year. At the outlet of the basin, a clockwise hysteresis is observed for TDS concentration and is mainly controlled by Ca and HCO3 hysteresis, highlighting the need for a sampling strategy with a monthly frequency to accurately determine the TDS fluxes of the basin. The evaporite dissolution flux tends to be constant, whereas dissolved load fluxes released from other sources (silicate weathering, carbonate weathering, biological and/or atmospheric inputs) are mainly driven by variability in discharge. These results suggest that past and further climate variability had or will have a direct impact on the variability of dissolved fluxes in the Amazon. Further studies need to be performed to better understand the processes controlling the dynamics of weathering fluxes and their applicability to present-day concentration-discharge relationships at longer timescales.

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

Coony, F.M.; Howe, D.B.; Voigt, L.J.

The purpose of this report is to fulfill the reporting requirements of US Department of Energy (DOE) Order 5484.1, Environmental Protection, Safety, and Health Protection Information Reporting Requirements. Quantities of airborne and liquid wastes discharged by Westinghouse Hanford Company (Westinghouse Hanford) in the 200 Areas, 600 Area, and 1100 Area in 1987 are presented in this report. Also, quantities of solid wastes stored and buried by Westinghouse Hanford in the 200 Areas are presented in this report. The report is also intended to demonstrate compliance with Westinghouse Hanford administrative control limit (ACL) values for radioactive constituents and with applicable guidelinesmore » and standards for nonradioactive constituents. The summary of airborne release data, liquid discharge data, and solid waste management data for calendar year (CY) 1987 and CY 1986 are presented in Table ES-1. Data values for 1986 are cited in Table ES-1 to show differences in releases and waste quantities between 1986 and 1987. 19 refs., 3 figs., 19 tabs.« less

40 CFR 265.403 - Inspections.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

...), at least weekly, to detect erosion or obvious signs of leakage (e.g., wet spots or dead vegetation... must inspect, where present: (1) Discharge control and safety equipment (e.g., waste feed cut-off..., to ensure that it is in good working order; (2) Data gathered from monitoring equipment (e.g...

40 CFR 265.403 - Inspections.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

...), at least weekly, to detect erosion or obvious signs of leakage (e.g., wet spots or dead vegetation... must inspect, where present: (1) Discharge control and safety equipment (e.g., waste feed cut-off..., to ensure that it is in good working order; (2) Data gathered from monitoring equipment (e.g...

40 CFR 265.403 - Inspections.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

...), at least weekly, to detect erosion or obvious signs of leakage (e.g., wet spots or dead vegetation... must inspect, where present: (1) Discharge control and safety equipment (e.g., waste feed cut-off..., to ensure that it is in good working order; (2) Data gathered from monitoring equipment (e.g...

40 CFR 265.403 - Inspections.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

...), at least weekly, to detect erosion or obvious signs of leakage (e.g., wet spots or dead vegetation... must inspect, where present: (1) Discharge control and safety equipment (e.g., waste feed cut-off..., to ensure that it is in good working order; (2) Data gathered from monitoring equipment (e.g...

40 CFR 265.403 - Inspections.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

...), at least weekly, to detect erosion or obvious signs of leakage (e.g., wet spots or dead vegetation... must inspect, where present: (1) Discharge control and safety equipment (e.g., waste feed cut-off..., to ensure that it is in good working order; (2) Data gathered from monitoring equipment (e.g...

Design of a switch matrix gate/bulk driver controller for thin film lithium microbatteries using microwave SOI technology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Whitacre, J.; West, W. C.; Mojarradi, M.; Sukumar, V.; Hess, H.; Li, H.; Buck, K.; Cox, D.; Alahmad, M.; Zghoul, F. N.;

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

Mendoza-Lopez, M.L.; Centro de Fisica Aplicada y Tecnologia Avanzada, Departamento de Nanotecnologia, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Campus Juriquilla, Apdo. Postal 1-1010, Queretaro Qro. C.P. 76230; Perez-Bueno, J.J.

This paper presents a complete methodology for the characterization of silver alloys used in modern coin production. Mexican coins with a nominal silver concentration from 10% to 99.99% were used in this study. Calibrated Glow Discharge Optical Emission Spectrometers were used to determine the chemical composition of the alloys as a function of the depth, while inductively coupled plasma was used to determine the total element composition in bulk. Scanning Electron Microscope was used to study the phase distributions in the different silver coins. According to Glow Discharge Optical Emission Spectrometers and inductively coupled plasma, the silver content found inmore » the studied samples was consistently greater than that of the nominal silver content reported by the Mexican mint. This may lead to a review of the new methods of analysis used nowadays in contemporary coin minting. This result is very important because silver is increasing in value as metal and, considering the volume of production of silver coins, this may increase further as a consequence of a growing popular confidence in silver currency. In the case of silver studies, an advantage of the absence of silver detector in the Glow Discharge Optical Emission Spectrometers system is that it allows for the recalibration to have a better range of detection of other metals present in the alloys. A calibration curve using the copper content obtained by inductively coupled plasma (bulk) and Glow Discharge Optical Emission Spectrometers (depth profile) was performed. The relevance of control in modern silver coin minting was clarified, especially in minimizing the discrepancy between the nominal and the core fineness. The physical and chemical properties of the alloys studied are defined, revealing important variations in silver and copper contents. A new methodology and metrology for the control of coinage are suggested.« less

Control of plasma-liquid interaction of atmospheric DC glow discharge using liquid electrode

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shirai, Naoki; Aoki, Ryuta; Nito, Aihito; Aoki, Takuya; Uchida, Satoshi; Tochikubo, Fumiyoshi

2014-10-01

Atmospheric plasma in contact with liquid have a variety of interesting phenomena and applications. Previously, we investigated the fundamental characteristics of an atmospheric dc glow discharge using a liquid electrode with a miniature helium flow. We tried to control the plasma-liquid interaction by changing the plasma parameter such as gas species, liquid, and applied voltage. Sheath flow system enables another gas (N2, O2, Ar) flow to around the helium core flow. It can control the gas species around the discharge. When liquid (NaCl aq.) cathode DC discharge is generated, Na emission (588 nm) can be observed from liquid surface with increasing discharge current. Na emission strongly depends on the discharge current and liquid temperature. However, when Ar sheath flow is used, the intensity of Na becomes weak. When liquid anode DC discharge is generated, self-organized luminous pattern formation can be observed at the liquid surface. The pattern depends on existence of oxygen gas in gap. By changing the oxygen gas ratio in the gap, variety of pattern formation can be observed. The discharge in contact with liquid also can be used for synthesis of metal nanoparticles at plasma-liquid interface. Size and shape of nanoparticles depend on discharge gases. This work was supported financially in part by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Innovative Areas (No 21110007) from MEXT, Japan.

Power Plant Bromide Discharges and Downstream Drinking Water Systems in Pennsylvania.

PubMed

Good, Kelly D; VanBriesen, Jeanne M

2017-10-17

Coal-fired power plants equipped with wet flue gas desulfurization (FGD) systems have been implicated in increasing bromide levels and subsequent increases in disinfection byproducts at downstream drinking water plants. Bromide was not included as a regulated constituent in the recent steam electric effluent limitations guidelines and standards (ELGs) since the U.S. EPA analysis suggested few drinking water facilities would be affected by bromide discharges from power plants. The present analysis uses a watershed approach to identify Pennsylvania drinking water intakes downstream of wet FGD discharges and to assess the potential for bromide discharge effects. Twenty-two (22) public drinking water systems serving 2.5 million people were identified as being downstream of at least one wet FGD discharge. During mean August conditions (generally low-flow, minimal dilution) in receiving rivers, the median predicted bromide concentrations contributed by wet FGD at Pennsylvania intake locations ranged from 5.2 to 62 μg/L for the Base scenario (including only natural bromide in coal) and from 16 to 190 μg/L for the Bromide Addition scenario (natural plus added bromide for mercury control); ranges depend on bromide loads and receiving stream dilution capacity.

Large-volume excitation of air, argon, nitrogen and combustible mixtures by thermal jets produced by nanosecond spark discharges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stepanyan, Sergey; Hayashi, Jun; Salmon, Arthur; Stancu, Gabi D.; Laux, Christophe O.

2017-04-01

This work presents experimental observations of strong expanding thermal jets following the application of nanosecond spark discharges. These jets propagate in a toroidal shape perpendicular to the interelectrode axis, with high velocities of up to 30 m s-1 and over distances of the order of a cm. Their propagation length is much larger than the thermal expansion region produced by the conventional millisecond sparks used in car engine ignition, thus greatly improving the volumetric excitation of gas mixtures. The shape and velocity of the jets is found to be fairly insensitive to the shape of the electrodes. In addition, their spatial extent is found to increase with the number of nanosecond sparks and with the discharge voltage, and to decrease slightly with the pressure between 1 and 7 atm at constant applied voltage. Finally, this thermal jet phenomenon is observed in experiments conducted with many types of gas mixtures, including air, nitrogen, argon, and combustible CH4/air mixtures. This makes nanosecond repetitively pulsed discharges particularly attractive for aerodynamic flow control or plasma-assisted combustion because of their ability to excite large volumes of gas, typically about 100 times the volume of the discharge.

Effect of polaprezinc on oral mucositis, irradiation period, and time to discharge in patients with head and neck cancer.

PubMed

Suzuki, Akio; Kobayashi, Ryo; Shakui, Toshinobu; Kubota, Yukimasa; Fukita, Masaharu; Kuze, Bunya; Aoki, Mitsuhiro; Sugiyama, Tadashi; Mizuta, Keisuke; Itoh, Yoshinori

2016-09-01

The purpose of the present study was to determine whether polaprezinc suspension in sodium alginate (P-AG) reduces the irradiation period and time to discharge after completion of radiotherapy in patients with head and neck cancer. The incidence and severity of oral mucositis, the irradiation period, and the time to discharge in patients who received radiotherapy with head and neck cancer were investigated retrospectively from the medical records. The incidence of grade 3 oral mucositis was significantly lower in the P-AG group than in the control group (16.5% vs 52.0%; p = .0003). P-AG also significantly reduced median duration of radiotherapy (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.557; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.357-0.871; p = .0149) and median time to discharge after completion of radiotherapy (HR = 0.604; 95% CI = 0.386-0.946; p = .028). P-AG reduced the irradiation period and the time to discharge after completion of radiotherapy by preventing oral mucositis in patients with head and neck cancer. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 38: 1387-1392, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Effect of residence times on River Mondego estuary eutrophication vulnerability.

PubMed

Duarte, A S; Pinho, J L; Pardal, M A; Neto, J M; Vieira, J P; Santos, F S

2001-01-01

The south arm of the Mondego estuary, located in the central western Atlantic coast of Portugal, is almost silted up in the upstream area. So, the water circulation is mostly driven by tides and the tributary river Pranto discharges. Eutrophication has been taking place in this ecosystem during last twelve years, where macroalgae reach a luxuriant development covering a significant area of the intertidal muddy flat. A sampling program was carried out from June 1993 to June 1994. Available data on salinity profiles and on nutrients loading into the south arm were used in order to get a better understanding of the ongoing changes. River Pranto flow discharges, controlled by a sluice, were also monitored. Integral formulations are typically based on assumptions of steady state and well-mixed systems and thus cannot take into account the space and time variability of estuarine residence times, due to river discharge flow, tidal coefficients, discharge(s) location and time of release during the tidal cycle. This work presents the hydrodynamics modelling (2D-H) of this system in order to estimate the residence times variability and to assess their effect on the estuarine eutrophication vulnerability, contributing to better environmental management strategies selection.

Effects of intensive glucose control on platelet reactivity in patients with acute coronary syndromes. Results of the CHIPS Study ("Control de Hiperglucemia y Actividad Plaquetaria en Pacientes con Sindrome Coronario Agudo").

PubMed

Vivas, David; García-Rubira, Juan C; Bernardo, Esther; Angiolillo, Dominick J; Martín, Patricia; Calle-Pascual, Alfonso; Núñez-Gil, Iván; Macaya, Carlos; Fernández-Ortiz, Antonio

2011-05-01

Hyperglycaemia has been associated with increased platelet reactivity and impaired prognosis in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Whether platelet reactivity can be reduced by lowering glucose in this setting is unknown. The aim of this study was to assess the functional impact of intensive glucose control with insulin on platelet reactivity in patients admitted with ACS and hyperglycaemia. This is a prospective, randomised trial evaluating the effects of either intensive glucose control (target glucose 80-120 mg/dl) or conventional control (target glucose 180 mg/dl or less) with insulin on platelet reactivity in patients with ACS and hyperglycaemia. The primary endpoint was platelet aggregation following stimuli with 20 μM ADP at 24 h and at hospital discharge. Aggregation following collagen, epinephrine and thrombin receptor-activated peptide, as well as P2Y₁₂ reactivity index and surface expression of glycoprotein IIb/IIIa and P-selectin were also measured. Of the 115 patients who underwent random assignment, 59 were assigned to intensive and 56 to conventional glucose control. Baseline platelet functions and inhospital management were similar in both groups. Maximal aggregation after ADP stimulation at hospital discharge was lower in the intensive group (47.9 ± 13.2% vs 59.1 ± 17.3%; p=0.002), whereas no differences were found at 24 h. Similarly all other parameters of platelet reactivity measured at hospital discharge were significantly reduced in the intensive glucose control group. In this randomised trial, early intensive glucose control with insulin in patients with ACS presenting with hyperglycaemia was found to decrease platelet reactivity. Clinical Trial Registration Number http://www.controlledtrials.com/ISRCTN35708451/ISRCTN35708451.

Desalination Brine Discharge Impacts on Coastal Biology and Water Chemistry - A Case Study from Carlsbad Southern California

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petersen, K. L.; Heck, N.; Potts, D. C.; Paytan, A.

2017-12-01

Fresh water demand is increasing world-wide due to on-going droughts, climate change and increasing human population and associated demand for food and water. Desalination of seawater is a reliable source of potable water; however the effects of byproduct brine discharge from desalination plants on coastal areas have not been thoroughly assessed. Here we report results from in-situmeasurements of the effects of brine discharge on water chemistry and coastal biology from a desalination plant in Carlsbad, Southern California. We compared select parameters in the coastal zone around the discharge site before and after operation began and conducted additional controlled laboratory incubations with key coastal species and brine effluent. Our in-situ data shows differences in salinity and temperature between the discharge area and a control site both before and after the desalination plant started operation. The discharge water is warmer by 3-5 Co than the ambient seawater and a temperature gradient is seen around the discharge channel. This is likely a result of mixing of the desalination brine with power plant cooling water for dilution prior to discharge and the higher temperatures are not directly attributed to the desalination. Our post-discharge results show a decipherable salinity plume at the bottom of the water column ( 6 m depth) reaching up to 600 m offshore from the discharge site. This indicates inefficient mixing of the brine in the coastal discharge zone. No significant differences are found in nutrient levels, organic carbon or chlorophyll a concentrations around the discharge. The benthic biology assemblage post-discharge is significantly different from the pre-discharge organisms' assemblage. However, the role of seasonal changes in temperature may also have impacted the data as the sampling was conducted during different seasons. Controlled incubation experiments of brittle stars (Ophiothrix spiculata) shows no significant difference in growth or survival rates when held in water collected at the discharge site ( 6% salinity increase of ambient) for 5 weeks. Our results signifies the importance of proper dilution of discharge brine at desalination plants and underlies the need for continuous monitoring around discharge areas to constrain the impacts on the coastal ecology.

Significant improvements of electrical discharge machining performance by step-by-step updated adaptive control laws

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Ming; Wu, Jianyang; Xu, Xiaoyi; Mu, Xin; Dou, Yunping

2018-02-01

In order to obtain improved electrical discharge machining (EDM) performance, we have dedicated more than a decade to correcting one essential EDM defect, the weak stability of the machining, by developing adaptive control systems. The instabilities of machining are mainly caused by complicated disturbances in discharging. To counteract the effects from the disturbances on machining, we theoretically developed three control laws from minimum variance (MV) control law to minimum variance and pole placements coupled (MVPPC) control law and then to a two-step-ahead prediction (TP) control law. Based on real-time estimation of EDM process model parameters and measured ratio of arcing pulses which is also called gap state, electrode discharging cycle was directly and adaptively tuned so that a stable machining could be achieved. To this end, we not only theoretically provide three proved control laws for a developed EDM adaptive control system, but also practically proved the TP control law to be the best in dealing with machining instability and machining efficiency though the MVPPC control law provided much better EDM performance than the MV control law. It was also shown that the TP control law also provided a burn free machining.

Response of lead-acid batteries to chopper-controlled discharge. [for electric vehicles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cataldo, R. L.

1978-01-01

The results of tests on an electric vehicle battery, using a simulated electric vehicle chopper-speed controller, show energy output losses up to 25 percent compared to constant current discharges at the same average current of 100 A. However, an energy output increase of 22 percent is noticed at the 200 A average level and 44 percent increase at the 300 A level using pulse discharging. Because of these complex results, electric vehicle battery/speed controller interactions must be considered in vehicle design.

Level of anxiety in parents of high-risk premature twins.

PubMed

Zanardo, V; Freato, F; Cereda, C

1998-01-01

We attempted to define parental anxiety in a population of parents of high-risk premature twins (mean birth weight 1,493 +/- 227 kg; mean gestational age 33 +/- 3.5 weeks), admitted to III level NICU. We specifically examined the following factors; gestational age of the twins, whether or not the twins had ventilatory support, pulmonary sequelae, major malformations or intra-ventricular hemorrhage, parental gender and highest level of education obtained by the parent. In the immediate pre-discharge period and a month later, a questionnaire (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory) was given to all parents of premature twins presenting for the discharge. The parents of 30 twins entered the study twice, at the discharge of their first twin (mean postnatal age 40 +/- 32 days), and one month later. They included 15 mothers and 11 fathers, aged 33 +/- 5.5 and 33 +/- 4.2 years, and at the second evaluation 11 mothers and 10 fathers, respectively. As case-controls we examined parental anxiety of fifteen consecutive singleton high-risk prematures, with equal gestational age, discharged immediately after. Our results indicate that the parents of high-risk twin and singleton prematures present an elevated, lasting state-trait anxiety level. Pre- and post-discharge parental anxiety is more elevated (not significant) in twinning with respect to the prematurity alone. When assessed separately by parental gender, in both these groups an increased (not significant) anxiety was persistently found in the mothers. We recommend that, although neonatologists generally define the discharge of the high-risk premature based upon the acquired stabilization of vital parameters, they pay special attention to the twin group we have identified which is at increased risk for predischarge parental anxiety.

Visualization by discharge illumination technique and modification by plasma actuator of rarefied Mach 2 airflow around a cylinder

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leger, L.; Sellam, M.; Barbosa, E.; Depussay, E.

2013-06-01

The use of plasma actuators for flow control has received considerable attention in recent years. This kind of device seems to be an appropriate means of raising abilities in flow control thanks to total electric control, no moving parts and a fast response time. The experimental work presented here shows, firstly, the non-intrusive character of the visualization of the density field of an airflow around a cylinder obtained using a plasma luminescence technique. Experiments are made in a continuous supersonic wind tunnel. The static pressure in the flow is 8 Pa, the mean free path is about 0.3 mm and the airflow velocity is 510 m s-1. Pressure measurements obtained by means of glass Pitot tube without the visualization discharge are proposed. Measured and simulated pressure profiles are in good agreement in the region near the cylinder. There is good correlation between numerical simulations of the supersonic flow field, analytical model predictions and experimental flow visualizations obtained by a plasma luminescence technique. Consequently, we show that the plasma luminescence technique is non-intrusive. Secondly, the effect of a dc discharge on a supersonic rarefied air flow around a cylinder is studied. An electrode is flush mounted on the cylinder. Stagnation pressure profiles are examined for different electrode positions on the cylinder. A shock wave modification depending on the electrode location is observed. The discharge placed at the upstream stagnation point induces an upstream shift of the bow shock, whereas a modification of the shock wave shape is observed when it is placed at 45° or 90°.

Satellite Monitoring of Oil Spills in the Mediterranean Sea For 1999-2004

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Topouzelis, Konstantinos; Muellenhoff, Oliver; Tarchi, Dario; Ferraro, Guido

2008-01-01

Besides accidental pollution caused by ships in distress, different types of routine ship operations lead to deliberate discharges of oil in the sea. Accidental pollution at sea can be reduced but never completely eliminated. On the other hand, deliberate illegal discharges from ships can indeed be reduced by the strict enforcement of existing regulations and the control, monitoring and surveillance of maritime traffic. Operational discharges are the greatest source of marine pollution from ships, and the one which poses a long-term threat to the marine and coastal environment.The present activities of the Joint Research Centre (JRC), in the field of monitoring sea-based oil pollution using space-borne radar imagery are described. The results obtained for the period 1999-2004 for the Mediterranean Sea are presented. This analysis is of special interest due to the lack of a regular aerial surveillance as that in the North and Baltic Sea. This action helped to reveal what the dimension of the oil pollution problem is, thus stressing the need for more concerted international actions.

The variable magnetic baffle as a control device for Kaufman thrusters.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Poeschel, R. L.

1972-01-01

The variable magnetic baffle described in this paper aids in control of electron flow from the hollow cathode plasma into the main discharge region by augmenting the fringe magnetic field which impedes this electron flow in conventionally baffled Kaufman thrusters. A passive, low loss, and automatic control device is obtained by using the discharge current to excite the control winding. Used in conjunction with typical thruster control loops, stable operation has been obtained over a 10:1 throttling range with a 30 cm thruster. Discharge ignition and overcurrent recycling is also facilitated through use of this device in a permanent magnet thruster.

Consolidation of materials by pulse-discharge processes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Strizhakov, E. L.; Nescoromniy, S. V.

2017-07-01

The article presents the research and the analysis of the pulse-discharge processes of capacitor discharge sintering: CD Stud Welding, capacitor discharge percussion welding (CDPW), high-voltage capacitor welding with an inductive-dynamic drive (HVCW with IDD), pulse electric current sintering (PECS) of powders. The comparative analysis of the impact parameter is presented.

32 CFR 513.5 - Procedures governing nonactive duty or discharged personnel.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... control. (See AR 140-1, para 1-6.) (iii) ARPERCEN for nonunit soldiers assigned to Control Groups of the... control the personal affairs of nonactive duty personnel. These personnel usually are in a civilian status.... (iii) That the Army no longer has control or authority over the discharged personnel. Therefore, the...

Dynamics of near-surface electric discharges and mechanisms of their interaction with the airflow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leonov, Sergey B.; Adamovich, Igor V.; Soloviev, Victor R.

2016-12-01

The main focus of the review is on dynamics and kinetics of near-surface discharge plasmas, such as surface dielectric barrier discharges sustained by AC and repetitively pulsed waveforms, pulsed DC discharges, and quasi-DC discharges, generated in quiescent air and in the airflow. A number of technical issues related to plasma flow control applications are discussed in detail, including discharge development via surface ionization waves, charge transport and accumulation on dielectric surface, discharge contraction, different types of flow perturbations generated by surface discharges, and effect of high-speed flow on discharge dynamics. In the first part of the manuscript, plasma morphology and results of electrical and optical emission spectroscopy measurements are discussed. Particular attention is paid to dynamics of surface charge accumulation and dissipation, both in diffuse discharges and during development of ionization instabilities resulting in discharge contraction. Contraction leads to significant increase of both the surface area of charge accumulation and the energy coupled to the plasma. The use of alternating polarity pulse waveforms accelerates contraction of surface dielectric barrier discharges and formation of filamentary plasmas. The second part discusses the interaction of discharge plasmas with quiescent air and the external airflow. Four major types of flow perturbations have been identified: (1) low-speed near-surface jets generated by electrohydrodynamic interaction (ion wind); (2) spanwise and streamwise vortices formed by both electrohydrodynamic and thermal effects; (3) weak shock waves produced by rapid heating in pulsed discharges on sub-microsecond time scale; and (4) near-surface localized stochastic perturbations, on sub-millisecond time, detected only recently. The mechanism of plasma-flow interaction remains not fully understood, especially in filamentary surface dielectric barrier discharges. Localized quasi-DC surface discharges sustained in a high-speed flow are discussed in the third part of the review. Although dynamics of this type of the discharge is highly transient, due to its strong interaction with the flow, the resultant flow structure is stationary, including the oblique shock and the flow separation region downstream of the discharge. The oblique shock is attached to a time-averaged, wedge-shaped, near-wall plasma layer, with the shock angle controlled by the discharge power, which makes possible changing the flow structure and parameters in a controlled way. Finally, unresolved and open-ended issues are discussed in the summary.

Optimal Ventilation Control in Complex Urban Tunnels with Multi-Point Pollutant Discharge

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2017-10-01

Zhen Tan (ORCID ID 0000-0003-1711-3557) H. Oliver Gao (ORCID ID 0000-0002-7861-9634) We propose an optimal ventilation control model for complex urban vehicular tunnels with distributed pollutant discharge points. The control problem is formulated as...

Nonpoint Source Discharge Control on Non-Builtup Military Lands: Compliance Background Analysis Through October 1999

DTIC Science & Technology

2000-08-01

management for NPS. The State nonpoint Source Task Force coordinates joint watershed management efforts with SCS, USFS, BLM. Intense grazing and...nonpoint source water pollution discharges from unimproved lands, particularly military lands. Increasing emphasis at national and state levels on...lands, particularly military lands. Increasing emphasis at national and state levels on controlling pollutant discharges from nonpoint sources and

Spill Prevention and Countermeasures Plan

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-08-01

THE DISCHARGE OF OiIL AND HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES AT RMA. THE SPCC PLAN IDENTIFIES POTENTIAL SOURCES OF OIL AND HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES AND THE MEASURES...Control and Countermeasure (SPCC) Plan is to prevent and control the discharge of oil and hazardous sub- stances at Rocky Mountain Arsenal (RYA). The...SPCC Plan identifies potential sources of oil and hazardous substances and the measures required to prevent an accidental discharge resulting from

Comparing Growth Rates after Hospital Discharge of Preterm Infants Fed with Either Post-Discharge Formula or High-Protein, Medium-Chain Triglyceride Containing Formula.

PubMed

Ekcharoen, Chanikarn; Tantibhaedhyangkul, Ruangvith

2015-12-01

To evaluate whether a high energy, high-protein, MCT-containing formula (HPMCT) is as appropriate as a post-discharge formula (PDF) for feeding preterm infants after hospital discharge by comparing growth, adverse effects, and cost per gram of bodyweight gain. The present study was a randomized controlled trial. The calculated sample size was 20 infants for each intervention group. After the consent procedure, preterm infants who had postconceptional age (PCA) 35⁺¹ to 36⁺⁰ weeks and weight between 1,800 and 3,000 g at hospital discharge were randomly enrolled to receive either PDF or HPMCT starting from the discharge day. Intervention period lasted at least 28 days and until the infant's weight was at least 3,000 g or PCA was at least 40⁺⁰ weeks. Body weight, length, and head circumference were measured on days 0, 14, 28, 56, and 84 after hospital discharge. Formula intakes and adverse symptoms (abdominal distension, diarrhea, and constipation) were recorded by parents before each visit in diaries provided by the study group. Cost was calculated from estimated actual formula intakes. There were six and five infants enrolled into PDF and HPMCT group, respectively. Demographic data were not different between the two groups. There were no significant differences of growth rates in both groups at days 28, 56, and 84 after hospital discharge. Adverse effects and costs were not different either. PDF and HPMCT might be comparably appropriate for feeding catching-up preterm infants after hospital discharge, as noted from growth rates, adverse effects, and costs. However, further studies involving biochemical and neurodevelopmental evaluation, with long-term follow-up in larger populations are needed to clearly compare both formulas.

Surface Charge at the Oxide/Electrolyte Interface: Toward Optimization of Electrolyte Composition for Treatment of Aluminum and Magnesium by Plasma Electrolytic Oxidation.

PubMed

Nominé, Alexandre; Martin, Julien; Noël, Cédric; Henrion, Gérard; Belmonte, Thierry; Bardin, Ilya V; Lukeš, Petr

2016-02-09

Controlling microdischarges in plasma electrolytic oxidation is of great importance in order to optimize coating quality. The present study highlights the relationship between the polarity at which breakdown occurs and the electrolyte pH as compared with the isoelectric point (IEP). It is found that working at a pH higher than the IEP of the grown oxide prevents the buildup of detrimental cathodic discharges. The addition of phosphates results in a shift in the IEP to a lower value and therefore promotes anodic discharges at the expense of cathodic ones.

40 CFR 1700.5 - Discharges not requiring control.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... Blowdown: the water and steam discharged when a steam boiler is blown down, or when a steam safety valve is tested. (b) Catapult Wet Accumulator Discharge: the water discharged from a catapult wet accumulator, which stores a steam/water mixture for launching aircraft from an aircraft carrier. (c) Cathodic...

40 CFR 1700.5 - Discharges not requiring control.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... Blowdown: the water and steam discharged when a steam boiler is blown down, or when a steam safety valve is tested. (b) Catapult Wet Accumulator Discharge: the water discharged from a catapult wet accumulator, which stores a steam/water mixture for launching aircraft from an aircraft carrier. (c) Cathodic...

40 CFR 1700.5 - Discharges not requiring control.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... Blowdown: the water and steam discharged when a steam boiler is blown down, or when a steam safety valve is tested. (b) Catapult Wet Accumulator Discharge: the water discharged from a catapult wet accumulator, which stores a steam/water mixture for launching aircraft from an aircraft carrier. (c) Cathodic...

40 CFR 1700.5 - Discharges not requiring control.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... Blowdown: the water and steam discharged when a steam boiler is blown down, or when a steam safety valve is tested. (b) Catapult Wet Accumulator Discharge: the water discharged from a catapult wet accumulator, which stores a steam/water mixture for launching aircraft from an aircraft carrier. (c) Cathodic...

40 CFR 1700.5 - Discharges not requiring control.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... Blowdown: the water and steam discharged when a steam boiler is blown down, or when a steam safety valve is tested. (b) Catapult Wet Accumulator Discharge: the water discharged from a catapult wet accumulator, which stores a steam/water mixture for launching aircraft from an aircraft carrier. (c) Cathodic...

Riparian Vegetation: Controls on Channel Planform in Noncohesive Beds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tal, M.; Paola, C.; Gran, K.

2001-12-01

Riparian vegetation has strong consequences for the channel planform and dynamics. An understanding of this role is key to accurate modeling of river systems, and may provide answers to fundamental questions concerning stream dynamics as well as bridge the various approaches to modeling channel evolution. Vegetation on the flood plain works to constrain the flow of the river to a single channel by stabilizing banks and offering resistance to overbank flow. These controls were recently established through a set of controlled experiments at the St. Anthony Falls Laboratory. The runs were designed to determine how addition of vegetation affects channel form and flow dynamics. This was achieved by holding water discharge, sediment discharge, grain size, and slope constant, while making vegetation density the only variable between runs. Plants were grown while water discharge was half its channel-forming value. This work showed that as vegetation density increased there was a decrease in braiding intensity, lateral mobility, and width to depth ratios, and an increase in maximum scour hole depth, and channel relief. While producing braiding experimentally has proven simple, no one has yet produced true dynamic meanders (i.e. high-amplitude bends that grow, cut off, and grow again). Present experimental studies at St. Anthony Falls Laboratory aim to investigate the role of vegetation in the development of a meandering river in otherwise insufficiently cohesive sand that would favor a more stable braided river system. The experiments begin with an unseeded bed into which a straight channel has been carved. Each cycle comprises a period of low discharge during which the bed is seeded with alfalfa seeds. The discharge is raised to a higher discharge only after the plants have grown to a height of about 20 mm (approximately 7 days). The duration of the high-flow stage is such that not more than 10-20% of the channel width is eroded. In addition to offering insight as to the several possible states that a river might be in, the experimental studies are intended to provide an understanding of how vegetation stabilizes single-thread channels, identify the nondimensional parameters that measure the stabilizing effects of vegetation, and realize the role of discharge variation in allowing plant colonization.

Mass-controlled capillary viscometer for a Newtonian liquid: Viscosity of water at different temperatures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Digilov, Rafael M.; Reiner, M.

2007-03-01

The operation principle of the mass-controlled capillary viscometer is presented for a Newtonian liquid. The derived equation for the temporal changes of the mass in a liquid column draining under gravity through a discharge capillary tube accounts self-consistently for the inertial convective term associated with the acceleration effect. The viscosity of water measured at different temperatures using the new approach is in good agreement with literature data.

Gothenburg very early supported discharge study (GOTVED) NCT01622205: a block randomized trial with superiority design of very early supported discharge for patients with stroke

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Stroke is the disease with the highest costs for hospital care and also after discharge. Early supported discharge (ESD) has shown to be efficient and safe and the best results with well-organised discharge teams and patients with less severe strokes. The aim is to investigate if very early supported discharge (VESD) for stroke patients in need for on-going individualised rehabilitation at home is useful for the patient and cost effective. Methods/design A randomized controlled trial comparing VESD with ordinary discharge. Inclusion criteria: confirmed stroke, >18 years of age, living within 30 min from the stroke unit, on day 2 0–16 points on the National institute of health stroke scale (NIHSS) and 50–100 points on the Barthel Index (BI), with BI 100 then the patient can be included if the Montreal Cognitive Assessment is < 26. Exclusion criteria are: NIHSS >16, BI < 50, life expectancy < 1 year, inability to speak or to communicate in Swedish. The inclusion occurs on day 4 and in block randomization of 20 and with blinded assessor. Primary outcome: levels of anxiety and depression. Secondary outcomes: independence, security, level of function, quality of health, needs of support in activities of daily living and caregiver burden. Power calculation is based on the level of anxiety and with a power of 80%, p-value 0.05 (2 sided test) 44 persons per group are needed. Data is gathered on co-morbidity, re-entry to hospital, mortality and a health economic analysis. Interviews will be accomplished with a strategic sample of 15 patients in the intervention group before discharge, within two weeks after homecoming and 3 months later. Interviews are also planned with 15 relatives in the intervention group 3 months after discharge. Discussion The ESD studies in the Cochrane review present hospital stays of a length that no longer exist in Sweden. There is not yet, to our knowledge, any study of early supported discharge with present length of hospital stay. Thus it is not clear if home rehabilitation nowadays without risks, is cost effective, or with the same patient usefulness as earlier studies. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01622205 PMID:23800106

Do measures of reactive balance control predict falls in people with stroke returning to the community?

PubMed

Mansfield, A; Wong, J S; McIlroy, W E; Biasin, L; Brunton, K; Bayley, M; Inness, E L

2015-12-01

To determine if reactive balance control measures predict falls after discharge from stroke rehabilitation. Prospective cohort study. Rehabilitation hospital and community. Independently ambulatory individuals with stroke who were discharged home after inpatient rehabilitation (n=95). Balance and gait measures were obtained from a clinical assessment at discharge from inpatient stroke rehabilitation. Measures of reactive balance control were obtained: (1) during quiet standing; (2) when walking; and (3) in response to large postural perturbations. Participants reported falls and activity levels up to 6 months post-discharge. Logistic and Poisson regressions were used to identify measures of reactive balance control that were related to falls post-discharge. Decreased paretic limb contribution to standing balance control [rate ratio 0.8, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.7 to 1.0; P=0.011], reduced between-limb synchronisation of quiet standing balance control (rate ratio 0.9, 95% CI 0.8 to 0.9; P<0.0001), increased step length variability (rate ratio 1.4, 95% CI 1.2 to 1.7; P=0.0011) and inability to step with the blocked limb (rate ratio 1.2, 95% CI 1.0 to 1.3; P=0.013) were significantly associated with increased fall rates when controlling for age, stroke severity, functional balance and daily walking activity. Impaired reactive balance control in standing and walking predicted increased risk of falls post-discharge from stroke rehabilitation. Specifically, measures that revealed the capacity of both limbs to respond to instability were related to increased risk of falls. These results suggest that post-stroke rehabilitation strategies for falls prevention should train responses to instability, and focus on remediating dyscontrol in the more-affected limb. Copyright © 2015 Chartered Society of Physiotherapy. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Influence of HbA1c levels on platelet function profiles associated with tight glycemic control in patients presenting with hyperglycemia and an acute coronary syndrome. A subanalysis of the CHIPS Study ("Control de HIperglucemia y Actividad Plaquetaria en Pacientes con Síndrome Coronario Agudo").

PubMed

Vivas, David; García-Rubira, Juan C; Bernardo, Esther; Angiolillo, Dominick J; Martín, Patricia; Calle-Pascual, Alfonso; Núñez-Gil, Iván; Macaya, Carlos; Fernández-Ortiz, Antonio

2013-02-01

Patients with hyperglycemia, an acute coronary syndrome and poor glycemic control have increased platelet reactivity and poor prognosis. However, it is unclear the influence of a tight glycemic control on platelet reactivity in these patients. This is a subanalysis of the CHIPS study. This trial randomized patients with hyperglycemia to undergo an intensive glucose control (target blood glucose 80-120 mg/dL), or conventional glucose control (target blood glucose <180 mg/dL). We analyzed platelet function at discharge on the subgroup of patients with poor glycemic control, defined with admission levels of HbA1c higher than 6.5%. The primary endpoint was maximal platelet aggregation following stimuli with 20 μM ADP. We also measured aggregation following collagen, epinephrine, and thrombin receptor-activated peptide, as well as P2Y12 reactivity index and surface expression of glycoprotein IIb/IIIa and P-selectin. A total of 67 patients presented HbA1c ≥ 6.5% (37 intensive, 30 conventional), while 42 had HbA1c < 6.5% (20 intensive, 22 conventional). There were no differences in baseline characteristics between groups. At discharge, patients with HbA1c ≥6.5% had significantly reduced MPA with intensive glucose control compared with conventional control (46.1 ± 22.3 vs. 60.4 ± 20.0%; p = 0.004). Similar findings were shown with other measures of platelet function. However, glucose control strategy did not affect platelet function parameters in patients with HbA1c < 6.5%. Intensive glucose control in patients presenting with an acute coronary syndrome and hyperglycemia results in a reduction of platelet reactivity only in the presence of elevated HbA1c levels.

Controlled cytotoxicity of plasma treated water formulated by open-air hybrid mode discharge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, P.; Boehm, D.; Cullen, P.; Bourke, P.

2017-06-01

Plasma treated liquids (PTLs) provide a means to convey a broad range of effects of relevance for food, environmental, or clinical decontamination, plant growth promotion, and therapeutic applications. Devising the reactive species ingredients and controlling the biological response of PTLs are of great interest. We demonstrate an approach by using an open-air hybrid mode discharge (HMD) to control the principal reactive species composition within plasma treated water (PTW), which is then demonstrated to regulate the cytotoxicity of PTW. The cytotoxicity of HMD produced PTW demonstrates a non-monotonic change over the discharge time. Although hydrogen peroxide and nitrite are not the sole effectors for cell death caused by PTW, using them as principal reactive species indicators, cytotoxicity can be removed and/or enhanced by formulating their concentrations and composition through adjusting the discharge mode and time on-line during PTW generation without the addition of additional working gas or chemical scavengers. This work demonstrates that a hybrid mode discharge can be employed to generate a PTW formulation to control a biological response such as cytotoxicity. This provides insights into how plasma treated liquids may be harnessed for biological applications in a specific and controllable manner.

A note on supersonic flow control with nanosecond plasma actuator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, J. G.; Cui, Y. D.; Li, J.; Khoo, B. C.

2018-04-01

A concept study on supersonic flow control using nanosecond pulsed plasma actuator is conducted by means of numerical simulation. The nanosecond plasma discharge is characterized by the generation of a micro-shock wave in ambient air and a residual heat in the discharge volume arising from the rapid heating of near-surface gas by the quick discharge. The residual heat has been found to be essential for the flow separation control over aerodynamic bodies like airfoil and backward-facing step. In this study, novel experiment is designed to utilize the other flow feature from discharge, i.e., instant shock wave, to control supersonic flow through shock-shock interaction. Both bow shock in front of a blunt body and attached shock anchored at the tip of supersonic projectile are manipulated via the discharged-induced shock wave in an appropriate manner. It is observed that drag on the blunt body is reduced appreciably. Meanwhile, a lateral force on sharp-edged projectile is produced, which can steer the body and give it an effective angle of attack. This opens a promising possibility for extending the applicability of this flow control technique in supersonic flow regime.

Evaluation of syndromic patient management algorithm for urethral discharge.

PubMed

Djajakusumah, T; Sudigdoadi, S; Keersmaekers, K; Meheus, A

1998-06-01

To determine feasibility, validity, and cost effectiveness of the syndromic approach to male patients with urethral discharge in Bandung, Indonesia. The WHO algorithm on urethral discharge with no microscopy available was evaluated. Patients presented with a complaint of urethral discharge and if discharge was confirmed the algorithm was applied. Treatment covered gonococcal and chlamydial infection (ciprofloxacin 500 mg single oral dose plus doxycycline 100 mg, twice daily orally for 7 days). The gold standard for validation was gonococcal culture and chlamydia antigen detection. 140 male patients with a complaint of urethral discharge were enrolled; 119 had confirmed discharge and entered the decision tree: 107 were followed and 104 (97%) were clinically cured. Of the three patients with persistent discharge, one had a purulent urethral discharge, diagnosed as gonococcal urethritis and he was probably reinfected; two patients had a serous discharge and microbiological tests were negative. Overall, 106 out of 107 patients (99%) were microbiologically cured. Sensitivity of the algorithm is 100% and its positive predictive value (PPV) is 75% or 97% if validated against gold standard microbiological tests or Gram stain, respectively. Cost per patient is rupiah (Rp)5.894 ($US2.56) for the algorithm compared with Rp43.024 ($18.70) for full microbiological diagnosis. The cost estimate for an algorithm of urethral discharge with microscopy available is Rp6.432 ($2.80) The "symptom and sign" algorithm is fully adapted to the prevailing situation in primary healthcare settings, is acceptable to healthcare workers and patients (who are effectively treated at their first visit), is highly cost effective, is 100% sensitive (no false negatives, which is not the case with microbiological diagnosis), and has a high PPV, between 75% and 97%. It is an excellent patient management tool and a sound basis for partner notification so that it should have a major impact on STD/HIV control and prevention in both men and women.

Hydrologic drivers and controls of stream biofilm-grazer interactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ceola, S.; Bertuzzo, E.; Mari, L.; Botter, G.; Hödl, I.; Battin, T.; Rinaldo, A.

2012-04-01

Understanding the dynamics of fluvial ecosystems linked to hydrology is one of the most important challenges of ecohydrology. In fact, streamflow, which chiefly relies on rainfall, climate, land use and geomorphologic properties, plays a fundamental role in sustaining and regulating fluvial ecosystem integrity. To analyze possible implications of hydrological fluctuations on the biofilm-grazer interaction, an experimental campaign has been conducted between June and September 2011 at the Wasser Cluster Lunz, in Lunz am See (AU). 36 flumes have been used to perform biofilm growth and grazing activity under two distinct discharge conditions (i.e., constant and stochastic discharge regimes) and four different light regimes (from natural light conditions to nearly 70% attenuation). Experimental results concerning (i) dynamics of biofilm growth, (ii) grazing effect, and (iii) grazing rate will be presented. Results of performed statistical analysis for testing the effects of discharge treatment and light regime on the grazing rate will be also discussed.

Climate and floods still govern California levee breaks

USGS Publications Warehouse

Florsheim, J.L.; Dettinger, M.D.

2007-01-01

Even in heavily engineered river systems, climate still governs flood variability and thus still drives many levee breaks and geomorphic changes. We assemble a 155-year record of levee breaks for a major California river system to find that breaks occurred in 25% of years during the 20th Century. A relation between levee breaks and river discharge is present that sets a discharge threshold above which most levee breaks occurred. That threshold corresponds to small floods with recurrence intervals of ???2-3 years. Statistical analysis illustrates that levee breaks and peak discharges cycle (broadly) on a 12-15 year time scale, in time with warm-wet storm patterns in California, but more slowly or more quickly than ENSO and PDO climate phenomena, respectively. Notably, these variations and thresholds persist through the 20th Century, suggesting that historical flood-control effects have not reduced the occurrence or frequency of levee breaks. Copyright 2007 by the American Geophysical Union.

The relation between invertebrate drift and two primary controls, discharge and benthic densities, in a large regulated river

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kennedy, Theodore A.; Yackulic, Charles B.; Cross, Wyatt F.; Grams, Paul E.; Yard, Michael D.; Copp, Adam J.

2014-01-01

1. Invertebrate drift is a fundamental process in streams and rivers. Studies from laboratory experiments and small streams have identified numerous extrinsic (e.g. discharge, light intensity, water quality) and intrinsic factors (invertebrate life stage, benthic density, behaviour) that govern invertebrate drift concentrations (# m−3), but the factors that govern invertebrate drift in larger rivers remain poorly understood. For example, while large increases or decreases in discharge can lead to large increases in invertebrate drift, the role of smaller, incremental changes in discharge is poorly described. In addition, while we might expect invertebrate drift concentrations to be proportional to benthic densities (# m−2), the benthic–drift relation has not been rigorously evaluated. 2. Here, we develop a framework for modelling invertebrate drift that is derived from sediment transport studies. We use this framework to guide the analysis of high-resolution data sets of benthic density and drift concentration for four important invertebrate taxa from the Colorado River downstream of Glen Canyon Dam (mean daily discharge 325 m3 s−1) that were collected over 18 months and include multiple observations within days. Ramping of regulated flows on this river segment provides an experimental treatment that is repeated daily and allowed us to describe the functional relations between invertebrate drift and two primary controls, discharge and benthic densities. 3. Twofold daily variation in discharge resulted in a >10-fold increase in drift concentrations of benthic invertebrates associated with pools and detritus (i.e. Gammarus lacustris and Potamopyrgus antipodarum). In contrast, drift concentrations of sessile blackfly larvae (Simuliium arcticum), which are associated with high-velocity cobble microhabitats, decreased by over 80% as discharge doubled. Drift concentrations of Chironomidae increased proportional to discharge. 4. Drift of all four taxa was positively related to benthic density. Drift concentrations of Gammarus, Potamopyrgus and Chironomidae were proportional to benthic density. Drift concentrations of Simulium were positively related to benthic density, but the benthic–drift relation was less than proportional (i.e. a doubling of benthic density only led to a 40% increase in drift concentrations). 5. Our study demonstrates that invertebrate drift concentrations in the Colorado River are jointly controlled by discharge and benthic densities, but these controls operate at different timescales. Twofold daily variation in discharge associated with hydropeaking was the primary control on within-day variation in invertebrate drift concentrations. In contrast, benthic density, which varied 10- to 1000-fold among sampling dates, depending on the taxa, was the primary control on invertebrate drift concentrations over longer timescales (weeks to months).

Environmental Impacts of China's Urbanization from 2000 to 2010 and Management Implications.

PubMed

Tao, Yu; Li, Feng; Crittenden, John C; Lu, Zhongming; Sun, Xiao

2016-02-01

Rapid urbanization in China during the first decade of the twenty first century has brought about profound environmental changes at citywide and regional scales. In this paper, we present a comprehensive set of indicators and put forward a new evaluation method for measuring environmental impacts of urbanization from 2000 to 2010. We compared these impacts among 286 cities in mainland China and found that the overall quantity of pollutant discharge decreased as cities became more economically developed during the years 2000-2010. However, larger and denser cities, and wealthier cities in the eastern part of China tended to have larger quantities of pollutant discharge, resource consumption, and changes in land use (i.e., expansion of the built environment). The discharge increase occurred despite these cities having increased their investment in pollution control and construction of municipal environmental infrastructure. The negative impact from the intensity of pollutant discharge (i.e., discharge per unit of economic output) was generally less in more developed cities, although this was not always the case. Some cities, such as resource-based cities and old industrial cities, had both larger quantities of pollutant discharge and greater pollution intensity compared to other types of cities, indicating that environmental impacts did not necessarily decrease with increasing urbanization. The results of this study provide a promising basis for decision-making to reduce the impacts for different types of cities in the decades to come.

On the use of pulsed Dielectric Barrier Discharges to control the gas-phase composition of atmospheric pressure air plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barni, R.; Biganzoli, I.; Dell'Orto, E.; Riccardi, C.

2014-11-01

We presents results obtained from the numerical simulation of the gas-phase chemical kinetics in atmospheric pressure air non-equilibrium plasmas. In particular we have addressed the effect of pulsed operation mode of a plane dielectric barrier discharge. It was conjectured that the large difference in the time scales involved in the fast dissociation of oxygen molecules in plasma and their subsequent reactions to produce ozone and nitrogen oxides, makes the presence of a continuously repeated plasma production unnecessary and a waste of electrical power and thus efficiency. In order to test such suggestion we have performed a numerical study of the composition and the temporal evolution of the gas-phase of atmospheric pressure air non-equilibrium plasmas. Comparison with experimental findings in a dielectric barrier discharge with an electrode configuration symmetrical and almost ideally plane is briefly addressed too, using plasma diagnostics to extract the properties of the single micro-discharges and a sensor to measure the concentration of ozone produced by the plasma.

Parts, Materials, and Processes Control Program for Expendable Launch Vehicles

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-05-21

CSAM, thermal shock, voltage burn-in, electrical tests (DWV, room and hot IR, partial discharge when in corona region); perform DPA with SEM/EDX...controls to eliminate dielectric defects; proper voltage derating. Partial discharge testing, corona inception testing up to 60% of rated voltage...voltage burn-in; DWV; room and hot IR; life test; partial discharge when in corona region B-7 Table B-5. Metallized Plastic Capacitors

Spectroscopic study of bipolar nanosecond pulse gas-liquid discharge in atmospheric argon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sen, WANG; Dezheng, YANG; Feng, LIU; Wenchun, WANG; Zhi, FANG

2018-07-01

Atmospheric gas-liquid discharge with argon as a working gas is presented by employed nanosecond pulse power. The discharge is presented in a glow-like mode. The discharge powers are determined to be less than 1 W, and remains almost constant when the discharge duration time increases. Bountiful active species are determined by capturing optical emission spectra, and their main generation processes are also discussed. The plasma gas temperature is calculated as 350 K by comparing the experimental spectra and the simulated ones of {{{N}}}2({{C}}{}3{{\\Pi }}{{g}}\\to {{B}}{}3{{\\Pi }}{{g}},{{Δ }}{{ν }}=-2). The time resolved vibrational and rotational temperature is researched to present the stability of discharge when pulse voltage and discharge duration vary. The electron density is determined to be 1016 cm‑3 according to the Stark broadening effect of the H α line.

Improving stress testing compliance following chest pain presentations to the emergency department.

PubMed

Chung, Kevin; Playford, David; Macdonald, Stephen P J

2012-10-01

To determine whether a booked appointment time improves early outpatient exercise stress testing (EST) guideline adherence in patients discharged from the ED following assessment for possible acute coronary syndrome (ACS). In this pre and post study with a historical control group, patients classified as intermediate risk after negative ECG and serial troponin work-up for possible ACS were referred for EST. The intervention group were given an appointment time for EST at discharge, and the control group were given a referral but asked to book their own appointment. The primary outcome measure was the proportion in each group who attended for EST. Secondary outcomes were time to EST and rates of death, myocardial infarction and coronary revascularisation within 30 days in both groups. In addition, we explored reasons for non-attendance for EST for the intervention group. There were 96 participants in the intervention group (mean age 55 ± 3 years) and 121 controls (mean age 62 ± 3 years). Seventy-two (75%) of the intervention group attended for EST compared with 38 (31%) of the control group, P < 0.001 after adjustment for differences in baseline variables. A poor understanding of the rationale for EST was a significant factor in patient non-attendance. Pre-booked appointment times for EST improve timely attendance among patients discharged from the ED with intermediate-risk ACS. Compliance might improve further with patient education. © 2012 The Authors. EMA © 2012 Australasian College for Emergency Medicine and Australasian Society for Emergency Medicine.

Uniform National Discharge Standards (UNDS): Rulemaking Process

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The EPA and Department of Defense used a batch rulemaking process for establishing the discharge standards for vessels of the Armed Forces. They identified and evaluated the discharges and determined which require marine pollution control devices.

Gas turbine engine exhaust diffuser including circumferential vane

DOEpatents

Orosa, John A.; Matys, Pawel

2015-05-19

A flow passage defined between an inner and an outer boundary for guiding a fluid flow in an axial direction. A flow control vane is supported at a radial location between the inner and outer boundaries. A fluid discharge opening is provided for discharging a flow of the compressed fluid from a trailing edge of the vane, and a fluid control surface is provided adjacent to the fluid discharge opening and extends in the axial direction at the trailing edge of the vane. The fluid control surface has a curved trailing edge forming a Coanda surface. The fluid discharge opening is selectively provided with a compressed fluid to produce a Coanda effect along the control surface. The Coanda effect has a component in the radial direction effecting a turning of the fluid flow in the flow path radially inward or outward toward one of the inner and outer boundaries.

Role of poloidal flows on the particle confinement time in a simple toroidal device : an experimental study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Umesh; Ganesh, R.; Saxena, Y. C.; Thatipamula, Shekar G.; Sathyanarayana, K.; Raju, Daniel

2017-10-01

In magnetized toroidal devices without rotational transform also known as Simple Magnetized Torus (SMT). The device BETA at the IPR is one such SMT with a major radius of 45 cm, minor radius of 15 cm and a maximum toroidal field of 0.1 Tesla. Understanding confinement in such helical configurations is an important problem both for fundamental plasma physics and for Tokamak edge physics. In a recent series of experiments it was demonstrated experimentally that the mean plasma profiles, fluctuation, flow and turbulence depend crucially on the parallel connection length, which was controlled by external vertical field. In the present work, we report our experimental findings, wherein we measure the particle confinement time for hot cathode discharge and ECRH discharge, with variation in parallel connection length. As ECRH plasma don't have mean electric field and hence the poloidal rotation of plasma is absent. However, in hot cathode discharge, there exist strong poloidal flows due to mean electric field. An experimental comparison of these along with theoretical model with variation in connection length will be presented. We also present experimental measurements of variation of plasma confinement time with mass as well as the ratio of vertical field to toroidal magnetic field.

Singlet oxygen generation in gas discharge for oxygen-iodine laser pumping

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lopaev, D. V.; Braginsky, O. V.; Klopovsky, K. S.; Kovalev, A. S.; Mankelevich, Yu. A.; Popov, N. A.; Rakhimov, A. T.; Rakhimova, T. V.; Vasilieva, A. N.

2004-09-01

The possibility of development of effective discharged singlet oxygen (SO) generator (DSOG) for oxygen-iodine laser (OIL) is studied in detail. Researches of kinetics of oxygen atoms and oxygen molecules in the lowest metastable singlet states have been carried out in the different discharges and its afterglow (DC discharges, E-beam controlled discharge and RF discharges) in both CW and pulsed mode in a wide range of conditions (pressures, gas mixtures, energy deposits etc.). The models developed for all the discharges have allowed us to analyze SO generation and loss mechanisms and to find out the key-parameters controlling the highest SO yield. It is shown that in addition to spatial plasma uniformity at low E/N and high specific energy deposit per oxygen molecule, DSOG must be oxygen atom free to avoid fast three-body quenching of SO by atomic oxygen with increasing pressure and thereby to provide pressure scaling (in tens Torrs) for applying to real OIL systems.

Differential pressure pin discharge apparatus

DOEpatents

Oakley, David J.

1987-02-03

Disclosed is a discharge assembly for allowing elongate pins to be discharged from an area of relatively low pressure to an area of relatively greater pressure. The discharge assembly includes a duck valve having a lip piece made of flexible material. The flexible lip piece responds to a fluctuating pressure created downstream by an aspirator. The aspirator reduces the downstream pressure sensed by the duck valve when the discharge assembly is in the open position. This allows elongate pins to be moved through the duck valve with no backflow because the aspirator pressure is less than the pressure in the low pressure area from which the pins originate. Closure of the assembly causes the aspirator static pressure to force the flexible duck valve lip piece into a tightly sealed position also preventing backflow. The discharge assembly can be easily controlled using a single control valve which blocks the flow of aspirator gas and closes the pin passageway extending through the assembly.

Differential pressure pin discharge apparatus

DOEpatents

Oakley, D.J.

1984-05-30

Disclosed is a discharge assembly for allowing elongate pins to be discharged from an area of relatively low pressure to an area of relatively greater pressure. The discharge assembly includes a duck valve having a lip piece made of flexible material. The flexible lip piece responds to a fluctuating pressure created downstream by an aspirator. The aspirator reduces the downstream pressure sensed by the duck valve when the discharge assembly is in the open position. This allows elongate pins to be moved through the duck valve with no backflow because the aspirator pressure is less than the pressure in the low pressure area from which the pins originate. Closure of the assembly causes the aspirator static pressure to force the flexible duck valve lip piece into a tightly sealed position also preventing backflow. The discharge assembly can be easily controlled using a single control valve which blocks the flow of aspirator gas and closes the pins passageway extending through the assembly.

Differential pressure pin discharge apparatus

DOEpatents

Oakley, David J.

1987-01-01

Disclosed is a discharge assembly for allowing elongate pins to be discharged from an area of relatively low pressure to an area of relatively greater pressure. The discharge assembly includes a duck valve having a lip piece made of flexible material. The flexible lip piece responds to a fluctuating pressure created downstream by an aspirator. The aspirator reduces the downstream pressure sensed by the duck valve when the discharge assembly is in the open position. This allows elongate pins to be moved through the duck valve with no backflow because the aspirator pressure is less than the pressure in the low pressure area from which the pins originate. Closure of the assembly causes the aspirator static pressure to force the flexible duck valve lip piece into a tightly sealed position also preventing backflow. The discharge assembly can be easily controlled using a single control valve which blocks the flow of aspirator gas and closes the pin passageway extending through the assembly.

The Effect of Flow Distribution on the Concentration of NO Produced by Pulsed Arc Discharge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, Hui; Bao, Bin; Wang, Heli; Liang, Haiyan; He, Junjia; He, Zhenghao; Li, Jin

2007-12-01

As a new method to cure acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), high blood pressure and some illnesses related to the lung, NO has recently received more attention. Thermal plasmas produced by arc discharge can create medical NO, but the concentration of NO2 produced by arc discharge must be controlled simultaneously. This paper investigates the characteristics and regulations of NO production at different flow distribution by pulsed arc discharge in dry air with a special pulsed power. The experimental results show that the flow distribution has a considerable effect on the NO concentration, the stabilization of NO. The production of NO2 could be controlled and the ratio of NO2/NO was decreased to about 10% in the arc discharge. Therefore, the arc discharge could produce stable inhaled NO for medical treatment by changing the flow distribution.

Spike-train acquisition, analysis and real-time experimental control using a graphical programming language (LabView).

PubMed

Nordstrom, M A; Mapletoft, E A; Miles, T S

1995-11-01

A solution is described for the acquisition on a personal computer of standard pulses derived from neuronal discharge, measurement of neuronal discharge times, real-time control of stimulus delivery based on specified inter-pulse interval conditions in the neuronal spike train, and on-line display and analysis of the experimental data. The hardware consisted of an Apple Macintosh IIci computer and a plug-in card (National Instruments NB-MIO16) that supports A/D, D/A, digital I/O and timer functions. The software was written in the object-oriented graphical programming language LabView. Essential elements of the source code of the LabView program are presented and explained. The use of the system is demonstrated in an experiment in which the reflex responses to muscle stretch are assessed for a single motor unit in the human masseter muscle.

Lateral and vertical distribution of downstream migrating juvenile sea lamprey

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sotola, V. Alex; Miehls, Scott M.; Simard, Lee G.; Marsden, J. Ellen

2018-01-01

Sea lamprey is considered an invasive and nuisance species in the Laurentian Great Lakes, Lake Champlain, and the Finger Lakes of New York and is a major focus of control efforts. Currently, management practices focus on limiting the area of infestation using barriers to block migratory adults, and lampricides to kill ammocoetes in infested tributaries. No control efforts currently target the downstream-migrating post-metamorphic life stage which could provide another management opportunity. In order to apply control methods to this life stage, a better understanding of their downstream movement patterns is needed. To quantify spatial distribution of downstream migrants, we deployed fyke and drift nets laterally and vertically across the stream channel in two tributaries of Lake Champlain. Sea lamprey was not randomly distributed across the stream width and lateral distribution showed a significant association with discharge. Results indicated that juvenile sea lamprey is most likely to be present in the thalweg and at midwater depths of the stream channel. Further, a majority of the catch occurred during high flow events, suggesting an increase in downstream movement activity when water levels are higher than base flow. Discharge and flow are strong predictors of the distribution of out-migrating sea lamprey, thus managers will need to either target capture efforts in high discharge areas of streams or develop means to guide sea lamprey away from these areas.

Microwave-Assisted Synthesis of Silver Vanadium Phosphorus Oxide, Ag 2VO 2PO 4 : Crystallite Size Control and Impact on Electrochemistry

DOE PAGES

Huang, Jianping; Marschilok, Amy C.; Takeuchi, Esther S.; ...

2016-03-07

We study silver vanadium phosphorus oxide, Ag 2VO 2PO 4, that is a promising cathode material for Li batteries due in part to its large capacity and high current capability. Herein, a new synthesis of Ag 2VO 2PO 4 based on microwave heating is presented, where the reaction time is reduced by approximately 100× relative to other reported methods, and the crystallite size is controlled via synthesis temperature, showing a linear correlation of crystallite size with temperature. Notably, under galvanostatic reduction, the Ag 2VO 2PO 4 sample with the smallest crystallite size delivers the highest capacity and shows the highestmore » loaded voltage. Further, pulse discharge tests show a significant resistance decrease during the initial discharge coincident with the formation of Ag metal. Thus, the magnitude of the resistance decrease observed during pulse tests depends on the Ag 2VO 2PO 4 crystallite size, with the largest resistance decrease observed for the smallest crystallite size. Additional electrochemical measurements indicate a quasi-reversible redox reaction involving Li + insertion/deinsertion, with capacity fade due to structural changes associated with the discharge/charge process. In summary, this work demonstrates a faster synthetic approach for bimetallic polyanionic materials which also provides the opportunity for tuning of electrochemical properties through control of material physical properties such as crystallite size.« less

What controls the location of sediment cover in bedrock-alluvial channels?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hodge, R. A.; Hoey, T.

2016-12-01

The extent of sediment cover in a bedrock alluvial channel is a key factor in understanding the processes within these channels, and hence how they evolve over time. However, sediment cover is typically quantified as a single value, with little consideration as to where that sediment is located on the bed. The spatial location of the cover is important because sediment grains typically move between sediment patches, hence sediment transport lengths are controlled by inter-patch distances. Furthermore, the location of sediment cover affects its stability, with patches in deep hollows likely to be more stable that isolated grains on flat bedrock surfaces. We present data that attempts to identify the key factors affecting the location and stability of sediment cover. Field data were collected from rivers with c.10-30% sediment cover. Froude-scaled flume experiments were undertaken using a 3D printed 1:10 scale replica of one of the field sites, Trout Beck. In the flume, we undertook two sets of experiments: 1) spatially-distributed hydraulic measurements at a range of discharges; and 2) pulses of sediment input at a constant discharge, and the subjected to an increasing discharge in order to identify the discharge needed to remove the sediment patches. We found that local topography was an important control on sediment patch location, but that the additional influence of hydraulics means that sediment patches do not just fill the bed from the lowest elevations. The extent to which topography was important also depended on the size of the sediment pulse, with larger sediment pulses being stabilised by grain-grain and grain-flow interactions and less influenced by the bed topography. These results are consistent with field data where the geometry of the patches reflects bed topography.

DC Bus Regulation with a Flywheel Energy Storage System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kenny, Barbara H.; Kascak, Peter E.

2003-01-01

This paper describes the DC bus regulation control algorithm for the NASA flywheel energy storage system during charge, charge reduction and discharge modes of operation. The algorithm was experimentally verified with results given in a previous paper. This paper presents the necessary models for simulation with detailed block diagrams of the controller algorithm. It is shown that the flywheel system and the controller can be modeled in three levels of detail depending on the type of analysis required. The three models are explained and then compared using simulation results.

IEEE 1990 International Symposium on Electromagnetic Compatibility, Washington, DC, Aug. 21-23, 1990, Record

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

The present conference discusses topics in EM shielding effectiveness, system-level EMC, EMP effects, circuit-level EMI testing, EMI control, analysis techniques for system-level EMC, EMP protective measures, EMI test methods, electrostatic-discharge testing, printed circuit-board design for EMC, and EM environment effects. Also discussed are EMI measurement procedures, EM spectrum-management issues for the 21st century, antenna and propagation effects on EMI testing, EMI control in cables, socioeconomic aspects of EMC, systemwide EMI controls, and EM radiation and coupling.

Design and testing of 45 kV, 50 kHz pulse power supply for dielectric barrier discharges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharma, Surender Kumar; Shyam, Anurag

2016-10-01

The design, construction, and testing of high frequency, high voltage pulse power supply are reported. The purpose of the power supply is to generate dielectric barrier discharges for industrial applications. The power supply is compact and has the advantage of low cost, over current protection, and convenient control for voltage and frequency selection. The power supply can generate high voltage pulses of up to 45 kV at the repetitive frequency range of 1 kHz-50 kHz with 1.2 kW input power. The output current of the power supply is limited to 500 mA. The pulse rise time and fall time are less than 2 μs and the pulse width is 2 μs. The power supply is short circuit proof and can withstand variable plasma load conditions. The power supply mainly consists of a half bridge series resonant converter to charge an intermediate capacitor, which discharges through a step-up transformer at high frequency to generate high voltage pulses. Semiconductor switches and amorphous cores are used for power modulation at higher frequencies. The power supply is tested with quartz tube dielectric barrier discharge load and worked stably. The design details and the performance of the power supply on no load and dielectric barrier discharge load are presented.

Design and testing of 45 kV, 50 kHz pulse power supply for dielectric barrier discharges.

PubMed

Sharma, Surender Kumar; Shyam, Anurag

2016-10-01

The design, construction, and testing of high frequency, high voltage pulse power supply are reported. The purpose of the power supply is to generate dielectric barrier discharges for industrial applications. The power supply is compact and has the advantage of low cost, over current protection, and convenient control for voltage and frequency selection. The power supply can generate high voltage pulses of up to 45 kV at the repetitive frequency range of 1 kHz-50 kHz with 1.2 kW input power. The output current of the power supply is limited to 500 mA. The pulse rise time and fall time are less than 2 μs and the pulse width is 2 μs. The power supply is short circuit proof and can withstand variable plasma load conditions. The power supply mainly consists of a half bridge series resonant converter to charge an intermediate capacitor, which discharges through a step-up transformer at high frequency to generate high voltage pulses. Semiconductor switches and amorphous cores are used for power modulation at higher frequencies. The power supply is tested with quartz tube dielectric barrier discharge load and worked stably. The design details and the performance of the power supply on no load and dielectric barrier discharge load are presented.

Suicide Mortality of Suicide Attempt Patients Discharged from Emergency Room, Nonsuicidal Psychiatric Patients Discharged from Emergency Room, Admitted Suicide Attempt Patients, and Admitted Nonsuicidal Psychiatric Patients

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Choi, Jae W.; Park, Subin; Yi, Ki K.; Hong, Jin P.

2012-01-01

The suicide mortality rate and risk factors for suicide completion of patients who presented to an emergency room (ER) for suicide attempt and were discharged without psychiatric admission, patients who presented to an ER for psychiatric problems other than suicide attempt and were discharged without psychiatric admission, psychiatric inpatients…

Effective partnership working: a case study of hospital discharge.

PubMed

Henwood, Melanie

2006-09-01

The process of discharging patients from hospital provides a critical indicator of the state of partnership working between health and social care agencies. In many ways, hospital discharge can be seen to epitomise the challenges which beset partnership working. For patients who have care needs which continue following their discharge from hospital, how well health and social care partners are able to coordinate their policies and practice is critical. Where arrangements work well, patients should experience a seamless transition; where things go wrong, patients are all too often caught in the middle of contested debate between health and social care authorities over who is responsible for what. In 2002, growing concerns over the numbers of mainly elderly people who were experiencing delays in being discharged from hospital led to the announcement that a system of 'cross-charging' would be introduced to target delayed discharges which were the responsibility of local authority social services departments. The government's proposals were widely criticised and were the focus of much antagonism. The intervention of the Change Agent Team (an agency with responsibility for providing practical support to tackle delayed discharges) marked a turning point in the presentation of the policy and in supporting local implementation efforts. This paper examines partnership working between health and social care by exploring the specific issues which this case study of hospital discharge provides. The analysis highlights the importance of understanding the dynamics of partnership working on the ground. It also underlines the need for a new relationship between central government and local agencies when old-style models of command and control are no longer fit for purpose. A new approach is required that addresses the complex and multiple relationships which characterise the new partnership agenda.

Phrenic and intercostal nerves with rhythmic discharge can promote early nerve regeneration after brachial plexus repair in rats.

PubMed

Rui, Jing; Xu, Ya-Li; Zhao, Xin; Li, Ji-Feng; Gu, Yu-Dong; Lao, Jie

2018-05-01

Exogenous discharge can positively promote nerve repair. We, therefore, hypothesized that endogenous discharges may have similar effects. The phrenic nerve and intercostal nerve, controlled by the respiratory center, can emit regular nerve impulses; therefore these endogenous automatically discharging nerves might promote nerve regeneration. Action potential discharge patterns were examined in the diaphragm, external intercostal and latissimus dorsi muscles of rats. The phrenic and intercostal nerves showed rhythmic clusters of discharge, which were consistent with breathing frequency. From the first to the third intercostal nerves, spontaneous discharge amplitude was gradually increased. There was no obvious rhythmic discharge in the thoracodorsal nerve. Four animal groups were performed in rats as the musculocutaneous nerve cut and repaired was bland control. The other three groups were followed by a side-to-side anastomosis with the phrenic nerve, intercostal nerve and thoracodorsal nerve. Compound muscle action potentials in the biceps muscle innervated by the musculocutaneous nerve were recorded with electrodes. The tetanic forces of ipsilateral and contralateral biceps muscles were detected by a force displacement transducer. Wet muscle weight recovery rate was measured and pathological changes were observed using hematoxylin-eosin staining. The number of nerve fibers was observed using toluidine blue staining and changes in nerve ultrastructure were observed using transmission electron microscopy. The compound muscle action potential amplitude was significantly higher at 1 month after surgery in phrenic and intercostal nerve groups compared with the thoracodorsal nerve and blank control groups. The recovery rate of tetanic tension and wet weight of the right biceps were significantly lower at 2 months after surgery in the phrenic nerve, intercostal nerve, and thoracodorsal nerve groups compared with the negative control group. The number of myelinated axons distal to the coaptation site of the musculocutaneous nerve at 1 month after surgery was significantly higher in phrenic and intercostal nerve groups than in thoracodorsal nerve and negative control groups. These results indicate that endogenous autonomic discharge from phrenic and intercostal nerves can promote nerve regeneration in early stages after brachial plexus injury.

Effects of health education intervention on negative emotion and quality of life of patients with laryngeal cancer after postoperative radiotherapy.

PubMed

Han, J; Nian, H; Zheng, Z-Y; Zhao, M-M; Xu, D; Wang, C

2018-02-01

The study aimed to explore and analyze the effects of health education intervention on patients with laryngeal cancer and evaluate negative emotions and quality of life after receiving postoperative radiotherapy. Furthermore the relationship between health education intervention methods and its correlation to complications and relapse rates require greater understanding. Patients with aryngeal cancer receiving surgery and postoperative radiotherapy were randomly divided into observation and control groups. A quality of life questionnaire was used to evaluate patients' current life quality as well as negative emotions experienced. The collected data was evaluated using the Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) as well as the Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS). At the time of discharge, patients' satisfaction on nursing and perception of health knowledge was assessed. Three and six months after discharge, patients were given follow-up visits and questionnaire surveys to evaluate their rehabilitation. This was done in relation with the Morningside Rehabilitation Stats Scale (MRSS), incidence of complications and recurrence. The scores of negative emotions, exhibited during the study, were lower in the observation group than in the control group. A month after discharge had a positive correlation to improved quality of life. This was highlighted in the observation group in comparison with the control group. The data collected following discharge revealed an improvement in quality of life, compared with that at the time of admission. Compared with the control group, the SAS and SDS scores in the observation group were decreased a month after discharge. Compared with the scores on admission, the SAS and SDS scores in both groups were decreased one month after discharge. The observation group had a lower incidence of complications than that of the control group. Six months after discharge, in the observation group, the MRSS score was lower than before discharge while in the control group, the MRSS score was higher than before discharge. Health education intervention can significantly improve the quality of life and reduce experiences relating to negative emotion in patients with laryngeal cancer. This improvement was seen following surgery and radiotherapy. Additionally effective reduction rates in the incidence of postoperative complications and recurrence were exhibited following methods of health education intervention. Copyright © 2017 Société française de radiothérapie oncologique (SFRO). Published by Elsevier SAS. All rights reserved.

OH radical kinetics in hydrogen-air mixtures at the conditions of strong vibrational nonequilibrium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Winters, Caroline; Hung, Yi-Chen; Jans, Elijah; Eckert, Zak; Frederickson, Kraig; Adamovich, Igor V.; Popov, Nikolay

2017-12-01

This work presents results of time-resolved, absolute measurements of OH number density, nitrogen vibrational temperature, and translational-rotational temperature in air and lean hydrogen-air mixtures excited by a diffuse filament nanosecond pulse discharge, at a pressure of 100 Torr and high specific energy loading. The main objective of these measurements is to study kinetics of OH radicals at the conditions of strong vibrational excitation of nitrogen, below autoignition temperature. N2 vibrational temperature and gas temperature in the discharge and the afterglow are measured by ns broadband coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering. Hydroxyl radical number density is measured by laser induced fluorescence, calibrated by Rayleigh scattering. The results show that the discharge generates strong vibrational nonequilibrium in air and H2-air mixtures for delay times after the discharge pulse of up to ~1 ms, with a peak vibrational temperature of T v  ≈  1900 K at T  ≈  500 K. Nitrogen vibrational temperature peaks at 100-200 µs after the discharge pulse, before decreasing due to vibrational-translational relaxation by O atoms (on the time scale of several hundred µs) and diffusion (on ms time scale). OH number density increases gradually after the discharge pulse, peaking at t ~ 100-300 µs and decaying on a longer time scale, until t ~ 1 ms. Both OH rise time and decay time decrease as H2 fraction in the mixture is increased from 1% to 5%. Comparison of the experimental data with kinetic modeling predictions shows that OH kinetics is controlled primarily by reactions of H2 and O2 with O and H atoms generated during the discharge. At the present conditions, OH number density is not affected by N2 vibrational excitation directly, i.e. via vibrational energy transfer to HO2. The effect of a reaction between vibrationally excited H2 and O atoms on OH kinetics is also shown to be insignificant. As the discharge pulse coupled energy is increased, the model predicts transient OH number density overshoot due to the temperature rise caused by N2 vibrational relaxation by O atoms, which may well be a dominant effect in discharges with specific energy loading.

Continuous pressure letdown system

DOEpatents

Sprouse, Kenneth M.; Matthews, David R.; Langowski, Terry

2010-06-08

A continuous pressure letdown system connected to a hopper decreases a pressure of a 2-phase (gas and solid) dusty gas stream flowing through the system. The system includes a discharge line for receiving the dusty gas from the hopper, a valve, a cascade nozzle assembly positioned downstream of the discharge line, a purge ring, an inert gas supply connected to the purge ring, an inert gas throttle, and a filter. The valve connects the hopper to the discharge line and controls introduction of the dusty gas stream into the discharge line. The purge ring is connected between the discharge line and the cascade nozzle assembly. The inert gas throttle controls a flow rate of an inert gas into the cascade nozzle assembly. The filter is connected downstream of the cascade nozzle assembly.

A thermal profile method to identify potential ground-water discharge areas and preferred salmonid habitats for long river reaches

USGS Publications Warehouse

Vaccaro, J.J.; Maloy, K.J.

2006-01-01

The thermal regime of riverine systems is a major control on aquatic ecosystems. Ground water discharge is an important abiotic driver of the aquatic ecosystem because it provides preferred thermal structure and habitat for different types of fish at different times in their life history. In large diverse river basins with an extensive riverine system, documenting the thermal regime and ground-water discharge is difficult and problematic. A method was developed to thermally profile long (5-25 kilometers) river reaches by towing in a Lagrangian framework one or two probes that measure temperature, depth, and conductivity. One probe is towed near the streambed and, if used, a second probe is towed near the surface. The probes continuously record data at 1-3-second intervals while a Global Positioning System logs spatial coordinates. The thermal profile provides valuable information about spatial and temporal variations in habitat, and, notably, indicates ground-water discharge areas. This method was developed and tested in the Yakima River Basin, Washington, in summer 2001 during low flows in an extreme drought year. The temperature profile comprehensively documents the longitudinal distribution of a river's temperature regime that cannot be captured by fixed station data. The example profile presented exhibits intra-reach diversity that reflects the many factors controlling the temperature of a parcel of water as it moves downstream. Thermal profiles provide a new perspective on riverine system temperature regimes that represent part of the aquatic habitat template for lotic community patterns.

Application of Bayesian geostatistics for evaluation of mass discharge uncertainty at contaminated sites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Troldborg, Mads; Nowak, Wolfgang; Lange, Ida V.; Santos, Marta C.; Binning, Philip J.; Bjerg, Poul L.

2012-09-01

Mass discharge estimates are increasingly being used when assessing risks of groundwater contamination and designing remedial systems at contaminated sites. Such estimates are, however, rather uncertain as they integrate uncertain spatial distributions of both concentration and groundwater flow. Here a geostatistical simulation method for quantifying the uncertainty of the mass discharge across a multilevel control plane is presented. The method accounts for (1) heterogeneity of both the flow field and the concentration distribution through Bayesian geostatistics, (2) measurement uncertainty, and (3) uncertain source zone and transport parameters. The method generates conditional realizations of the spatial flow and concentration distribution. An analytical macrodispersive transport solution is employed to simulate the mean concentration distribution, and a geostatistical model of the Box-Cox transformed concentration data is used to simulate observed deviations from this mean solution. By combining the flow and concentration realizations, a mass discharge probability distribution is obtained. The method has the advantage of avoiding the heavy computational burden of three-dimensional numerical flow and transport simulation coupled with geostatistical inversion. It may therefore be of practical relevance to practitioners compared to existing methods that are either too simple or computationally demanding. The method is demonstrated on a field site contaminated with chlorinated ethenes. For this site, we show that including a physically meaningful concentration trend and the cosimulation of hydraulic conductivity and hydraulic gradient across the transect helps constrain the mass discharge uncertainty. The number of sampling points required for accurate mass discharge estimation and the relative influence of different data types on mass discharge uncertainty is discussed.

Bivariate analysis of floods in climate impact assessments.

PubMed

Brunner, Manuela Irene; Sikorska, Anna E; Seibert, Jan

2018-03-01

Climate impact studies regarding floods usually focus on peak discharges and a bivariate assessment of peak discharges and hydrograph volumes is not commonly included. A joint consideration of peak discharges and hydrograph volumes, however, is crucial when assessing flood risks for current and future climate conditions. Here, we present a methodology to develop synthetic design hydrographs for future climate conditions that jointly consider peak discharges and hydrograph volumes. First, change factors are derived based on a regional climate model and are applied to observed precipitation and temperature time series. Second, the modified time series are fed into a calibrated hydrological model to simulate runoff time series for future conditions. Third, these time series are used to construct synthetic design hydrographs. The bivariate flood frequency analysis used in the construction of synthetic design hydrographs takes into account the dependence between peak discharges and hydrograph volumes, and represents the shape of the hydrograph. The latter is modeled using a probability density function while the dependence between the design variables peak discharge and hydrograph volume is modeled using a copula. We applied this approach to a set of eight mountainous catchments in Switzerland to construct catchment-specific and season-specific design hydrographs for a control and three scenario climates. Our work demonstrates that projected climate changes have an impact not only on peak discharges but also on hydrograph volumes and on hydrograph shapes both at an annual and at a seasonal scale. These changes are not necessarily proportional which implies that climate impact assessments on future floods should consider more flood characteristics than just flood peaks. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Surgical decision making and factors determining a diagnosis of breast carcinoma in women presenting with nipple discharge.

PubMed

Cabioglu, Neslihan; Hunt, Kelly K; Singletary, S Eva; Stephens, Tanya W; Marcy, Sylvie; Meric, Funda; Ross, Merrick I; Babiera, Gildy V; Ames, Frederick C; Kuerer, Henry M

2003-03-01

There is no consensus about the use of the various diagnostic tests and surgical procedures available to confirm or rule out breast cancer in patients presenting with nipple discharge. This study was designed to identify patient and nipple-discharge characteristics associated with the diagnosis of breast cancer and to determine the utility of mammography, sonography, ductography, and cytology in surgical decision making in patients presenting with pathologic nipple discharge. We reviewed the medical records of all patients who presented with nipple discharge at our institution between August 1993 and September 2000. Patient and nipple-discharge characteristics and findings on imaging studies and cytologic examination were analyzed. A total of 146 patients presented at our institution with nipple discharge during the study period. Of these, 52 had clinically benign discharge and were managed without surgical intervention; 94 patients had pathologic discharge and underwent a biopsy procedure for histologic diagnosis, treatment, or both. Logistic regression analysis identified mammographic (relative risk [RR] = 10.47, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.36 to 46.39, p = 0.0002) and sonographic (RR = 5.54, 95% CI 1.27 to 25.40, p = 0.028) abnormalities as independent factors associated with a malignant diagnosis. Nineteen cancers, 62 papillomas, and 13 other benign lesions were identified among the patients with pathologic discharge. In 3 patients with cancer (15.8%) and 30 patients with a papilloma (48.4%), ductography was the only means of identifying lesions to be resected. Patients who underwent ductography-guided operation (n = 42, 50%) or any surgical procedure including a localization study (n = 66, 78.6%) were significantly more likely than patients who underwent central duct excision alone to have a specific underlying lesion identified (p = 0.045 and p = 0.033, respectively). Abnormalities on mammography and sonography in patients with nipple discharge should alert physicians to the possibility of a breast cancer diagnosis. In patients with pathologic discharge with normal findings on physical examination and other imaging studies, ductography might be the only means of localizing and resecting breast lesions associated with nipple discharge. Copyright 2003 by the American College of Surgeons

Lunabotics Mining: Evolution of ARTEMIS PRIME

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bertke, Sarah; Gries, Christine; Huff, Amanda; Logan, Brittany; Oliver, Kaitlin; Rigney, Erica; Tyree, Whitney; Young, Maegan

2010-01-01

This slide presentation reviews the development of Amassing Regolith with Topper Engineers eMploying Innovative Solutions (ARTEMIS) in a competition to develop robotic lunar mining capabilities. The goal of the competition was to design, build and operate a remotely controlled device that is capable of excavating, transporting and discharging lunar regolith simulant in a lunar environment over a 13 minute period.

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

Galechyan, G.A.; Anna, P.R.

One of the main problems in low temperature plasma is control plasma parameters at fixed values of current and gas pressure in the discharge. It is known that an increase in the intensity of sound wave directed along the positive column to values in excess of a definite threshold leads to essential rise of the temperature of electrons. However, no less important is the reduction of electron temperature in the discharge down to the value less than that in plasma in the absence external influence. It is known that to reduce the electron temperature in the plasma of CO{sub 2}more » laser, easily ionizable admixture are usually introduced in the discharge area with the view of increasing the overpopulation. In the present work we shall show that the value of electron temperature can be reduced by varying of sound wave intensity at its lower values. The experiment was performed on an experimental setup consisted of the tube with length 52 cm and diameter 9.8 cm, two electrodes placed at the distance of 27 cm from each other. An electrodynamical radiator of sound wave was fastened to one of tube ends. Fastened to the flange at the opposite end was a microphone for the control of sound wave parameters. The studies were performed in range of pressures from 40 to 180 Torr and discharge currents from 40 to 110 mA. The intensity of sound wave was varied from 74 to 92 dB. The measurement made at the first resonance frequency f = 150 Hz of sound in the discharge tube, at which a quarter of wave length keep within the length of the tube. The measurement of longitudinal electric field voltage in plasma of positive column was conducted with the help of two probes according to the compensation method. Besides, the measurement of gas temperature in the discharge were taken. Two thermocouple sensors were arranged at the distance of 8 cm from the anode, one of them being installed on the discharge tube axis, the second-fixed the tube wall.« less

Flow measuring structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boiten, W.

1993-11-01

The use of flow measuring structures is one of the various methods for the continuous measurement of discharges in open channels. In this report a brief summary of these methods is presented to get some insight in the selection of the most appropriate method. Then the distinct functions of water control structures are described. The flow measuring structures are classified according to international rules. The fields of application are dealt with and the definitions of weir flow are given. Much attention is paid to the aspects of how to select the most suitable flow measuring structure. The accuracy in the evaluation of the discharge has been related to the different error sources. A review of international standards on flow measuring structures concludes the report.

Non-isothermal electrochemical model for lithium-ion cells with composite cathodes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Basu, Suman; Patil, Rajkumar S.; Ramachandran, Sanoop; Hariharan, Krishnan S.; Kolake, Subramanya Mayya; Song, Taewon; Oh, Dukjin; Yeo, Taejung; Doo, Seokgwang

2015-06-01

Transition metal oxide cathodes for Li-ion batteries offer high energy density and high voltage. Composites of these materials have shown excellent life expectancy and improved thermal performance. In the present work, a comprehensive non-isothermal electrochemical model for a Lithium ion cell with a composite cathode is developed. The present work builds on lithium concentration-dependent diffusivity and thermal gradient of cathode potential, obtained from experiments. The model validation is performed for a wide range of temperature and discharge rates. Excellent agreement is found for high and room temperature with moderate success at low temperatures, which can be attributed to the low fidelity of material properties at low temperature. Although the cell operation is limited by electronic conductivity of NCA at room temperature, at low temperatures a shift in controlling process is seen, and operation is limited by electrolyte transport. At room temperature, the lithium transport in Cathode appears to be the main source of heat generation with entropic heat as the primary contributor at low discharge rates and ohmic heat at high discharge rates respectively. Improvement in electronic conductivity of the cathode is expected to improve the performance of these composite cathodes and pave way for its wider commercialization.

A descriptive study of urethral discharge among men in Fiji.

PubMed

Gaunavinaka, Lavenia; Balak, Dashika; Varman, Sumanthla; Ram, Sharan; Graham, Stephen M

2014-10-17

Urethral discharge is a common presentation of sexually transmitted infection (STI) in men and known pathogens include Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Chlamydia trachomatis. There are no published data of the burden of urethral discharge among men in Fiji. To evaluate urethral discharge among men to determine the incidence, the frequency of recurrence and reported at-risk behaviour. We conducted a retrospective, descriptive study of clinical records of all men presenting with urethral discharge to two major reproductive health clinics. Data collected included self-reported at-risk behaviours, results of abnormal syphilis serology and antibiotics prescribed. The frequency of recurrence in the following 1-2 years of initial presentation was determined along with microbiological findings from urethral swab in this group. A total of 748 males presented with urethral discharge to the clinic in one year. This represents an incidence rate of at least 295 per 100,000 adult males per year in the study population. Within the next 1-2 years of the initial presentation, 102 (14%) of these re-presented out of which 42 had urethral swab taken for etiological diagnosis. The commonest isolate was Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Results of syphilis tests were available for 560 (75%) of patients and 29 (5%) were positive. Recurrence was not associated with self-reported at-risk behaviours. The incidence of urethral discharge among males in Fiji is very high and prevention strategies are urgently needed.

Discharging patients earlier in the day: a concept worth evaluating.

PubMed

Kravet, Steven J; Levine, Rachel B; Rubin, Haya R; Wright, Scott M

2007-01-01

Patient discharges from the hospital often occur late in the day and are frequently clustered after 4 PM. When inpatients leave earlier in the day, quality is improved because new admissions awaiting beds are able to leave the emergency department sooner and emergency department waiting room backlog is reduced. Nursing staff, whose work patterns traditionally result in high activity of discharge and admission between 5 PM and 8 PM, benefit by spreading out their work across a longer part of the day. Discharging patients earlier in the day also has the potential to increase patient satisfaction. Despite multiple stakeholders in the discharge planning process, physicians play the most important role. Getting physician buy-in requires an ability to teach physicians about the concept of early-in-the-day discharges and their impact on the process. We defined a new physician-centered discharge planning process and introduced it to an internal medicine team with an identical control team as a comparison. Discharge time of day was analyzed for 1 month. Mean time of day of discharge was 13:39 for the intervention group versus 15:45 for the control group (P<.001). If reproduced successfully, this process could improve quality at an important transition point in patient care.

6. CLOSEUP VIEW OF THE PUMP DISCHARGE CHANNEL, THE FLAP ...

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

6. CLOSEUP VIEW OF THE PUMP DISCHARGE CHANNEL, THE FLAP VALVES OF THE PUMPING UNITS 8, 6, AND 7 (L TO R) AND PART OF THE DISCHARGE WEIR OF THE INDIVIDUAL DISCHARGE CHAMBER OF PUMP NO. 5, LOOKING NORTHEAST. - Wyoming Valley Flood Control System, Woodward Pumping Station, East of Toby Creek crossing by Erie-Lackawanna Railroad, Edwardsville, Luzerne County, PA

Hydrogeologic controls on groundwater discharge and nitrogen loads in a coastal watershed

USGS Publications Warehouse

Russoniello, Chrtopher J.; Konikow, Leonard F.; Kroeger, Kevin D.; Fernandez, Cristina; Andres, A. Scott; Michael, Holly A.

2016-01-01

Submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) is a small portion of the global water budget, but a potentially large contributor to coastal nutrient budgets due to high concentrations relative to stream discharge. A numerical groundwater flow model of the Inland Bays Watershed, Delaware, USA, was developed to identify the primary hydrogeologic factors that affect groundwater discharge rates and transit times to streams and bays. The distribution of groundwater discharge between streams and bays is sensitive to the depth of the water table below land surface. Higher recharge and reduced hydraulic conductivity raised the water table and increased discharge to streams relative to bays compared to the Reference case (in which 66% of recharge is discharged to streams). Increases to either factor decreased transit times for discharge to both streams and bays compared to the Reference case (in which mean transit times are 56.5 and 94.3 years, respectively), though sensitivity to recharge is greater. Groundwater-borne nitrogen loads were calculated from nitrogen concentrations measured in discharging fresh groundwater and modeled SGD rates. These loads combined with long SGD transit times suggest groundwater-borne nitrogen reductions and estuarine water quality improvements will lag decades behind implementation of efforts to manage nutrient sources. This work enhances understanding of the hydrogeologic controls on and uncertainties in absolute and relative rates and transit times of groundwater discharge to streams and bays in coastal watersheds.

Caregiver Integration During Discharge Planning for Older Adults to Reduce Resource Use: A Metaanalysis.

PubMed

Rodakowski, Juleen; Rocco, Philip B; Ortiz, Maqui; Folb, Barbara; Schulz, Richard; Morton, Sally C; Leathers, Sally Caine; Hu, Lu; James, A Everette

2017-08-01

To determine the effect of integrating informal caregivers into discharge planning on postdischarge cost and resource use in older adults. A systematic review and metaanalysis of randomized controlled trials that examine the effect of discharge planning with caregiver integration begun before discharge on healthcare cost and resource use outcomes. MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library databases were searched for all English-language articles published between 1990 and April 2016. Hospital or skilled nursing facility. Older adults with informal caregivers discharged to a community setting. Readmission rates, length of and time to post-discharge rehospitalizations, costs of postdischarge care. Of 10,715 abstracts identified, 15 studies met the inclusion criteria. Eleven studies provided sufficient detail to calculate readmission rates for treatment and control participants. Discharge planning interventions with caregiver integration were associated with a 25% fewer readmissions at 90 days (relative risk (RR) = 0.75, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.62-0.91) and 24% fewer readmissions at 180 days (RR = 0.76, 95% CI = 0.64-0.90). The majority of studies reported statistically significant shorter time to readmission, shorter rehospitalization, and lower costs of postdischarge care among discharge planning interventions with caregiver integration. For older adults discharged to a community setting, the integration of caregivers into the discharge planning process reduces the risk of hospital readmission. © 2017, Copyright the Authors Journal compilation © 2017, The American Geriatrics Society.

The influence of attention deficits on functional recovery post stroke during the first 12 months after discharge from hospital.

PubMed

Hyndman, D; Pickering, R M; Ashburn, A

2008-06-01

Attention deficits have been linked to poor recovery after stroke and may predict outcome. We explored the influence of attention on functional recovery post stroke in the first 12 months after discharge from hospital. People with stroke completed measures of attention, balance, mobility and activities of daily living (ADL) ability at the point of discharge from hospital, and 6 and 12 months later. We used correlational analysis and stepwise linear regression to explore potential predictors of outcome. We recruited 122 men and women, mean age 70 years. At discharge, 56 (51%) had deficits of divided attention, 45 (37%) of sustained attention, 43 (36%) of auditory selective attention and 41 (37%) had visual selective attention deficits. Attention at discharge correlated with mobility, balance and ADL outcomes 12 months later. After controlling for the level of the outcome at discharge, correlations remained significant in only five of the 12 relationships. Stepwise linear regression revealed that the outcome measured at discharge, days until discharge and number of medications were better predictors of outcome: in no case was an attention variable at discharge selected as a predictor of outcome at 12 months. Although attention and function correlated significantly, this correlation was reduced after controlling for functional ability at discharge. Furthermore, side of lesion and the attention variables were not demonstrated as important predictors of outcome 12 months later.

Paraelectric gas flow accelerator

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sherman, Daniel M. (Inventor); Wilkinson, Stephen P. (Inventor); Roth, J. Reece (Inventor)

2001-01-01

A substrate is configured with first and second sets of electrodes, where the second set of electrodes is positioned asymmetrically between the first set of electrodes. When a RF voltage is applied to the electrodes sufficient to generate a discharge plasma (e.g., a one-atmosphere uniform glow discharge plasma) in the gas adjacent to the substrate, the asymmetry in the electrode configuration results in force being applied to the active species in the plasma and in turn to the neutral background gas. Depending on the relative orientation of the electrodes to the gas, the present invention can be used to accelerate or decelerate the gas. The present invention has many potential applications, including increasing or decreasing aerodynamic drag or turbulence, and controlling the flow of active and/or neutral species for such uses as flow separation, altering heat flow, plasma cleaning, sterilization, deposition, etching, or alteration in wettability, printability, and/or adhesion.

International Space Station Attitude Motion Associated With Flywheel Energy Storage

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Roithmayr, Carlos M.

1999-01-01

Flywheels can exert torque that alters the Station's attitude motion, either intentionally or unintentionally. A design is presented for a once planned experiment to contribute torque for Station attitude control, while storing or discharging energy. Two contingencies are studied: the abrupt stop of one rotor while another rotor continues to spin at high speed, and energy storage performed with one rotor instead of a counter rotating pair. Finally, the possible advantages to attitude control offered by a system of ninety-six flywheels are discussed.

Discharge in Long Air Gaps; Modelling and applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beroual, A.; Fofana, I.

2016-06-01

Discharge in Long Air Gaps: Modelling and applications presents self-consistent predictive dynamic models of positive and negative discharges in long air gaps. Equivalent models are also derived to predict lightning parameters based on the similarities between long air gap discharges and lightning flashes. Macroscopic air gap discharge parameters are calculated to solve electrical, empirical and physical equations, and comparisons between computed and experimental results for various test configurations are presented and discussed. This book is intended to provide a fresh perspective by contributing an innovative approach to this research domain, and universities with programs in high-voltage engineering will find this volume to be a working example of how to introduce the basics of electric discharge phenomena.

Performance of a High-Fidelity 4kW-Class Engineering Model PPU and Integration with HiVHAc System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pinero, Luis R.; Kamhawi, Hani; Shilo, Vladislav

2016-01-01

The High Voltage Hall Accelerator (HiVHAc) propulsion system consists of a thruster,power processing unit (PPU), and propellant feed system. An engineering model PPU was developed by Colorado Power Electronics, Inc. funded by NASA's Small Business Innovative Research Program. This PPU uses an innovative 3-phase resonant converter to deliver 4 kW of discharge power over a wide range of input and output voltage conditions.The PPU includes a digital control interface unit that automatically controls the PPU and a xenon flow control module (XFCM). It interfaces with a control computer to receive high level commands and relay telemetry through a MIL-STD-1553B interface. The EM PPU was thoroughly tested at GRC for functionality and performance at temperature extremes and demonstrated total efficiencies a high as 95 percent. It was integrated with the HiVHAc thruster and the XFCM to demonstrate closed-loop control of discharge current with anode flow. Initiation of the main discharge and power throttling were also successfully demonstrated and discharge oscillations were characterized.

Performance of a High-Fidelity 4kW-Class Engineering Model PPU and Integration with HiVHAc System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pinero, Luis R.; Kamhawi, Hani; Shilo, Vlad

2016-01-01

The High Voltage Hall Accelerator (HiVHAc) propulsion system consists of a thruster, power processing unit (PPU), and propellant feed system. An engineering model PPU was developed by Colorado Power Electronics, Inc. funded by NASA's Small Business Innovative Research Program. This PPU uses an innovative 3-phase resonant converter to deliver 4 kW of discharge power over a wide range of input and output voltage conditions. The PPU includes a digital control interface unit that automatically controls the PPU and a xenon flow control module (XFCM). It interfaces with a control computer to receive highlevel commands and relay telemetry through a MIL-STD-1553B interface. The EM PPU was thoroughly tested at GRC for functionality and performance at temperature limits and demonstrated total efficiencies a high as 95 percent. Integrated testing of the unit was performed with the HiVHAc thruster and the XFCM to demonstrate closed-loop control of discharge current with anode flow. Initiation of the main discharge and power throttling were also successfully demonstrated and discharge oscillations were characterized.

Paradigm Shifts in Voluntary Force Control and Motor Unit Behaviors with the Manipulated Size of Visual Error Perception

PubMed Central

Chen, Yi-Ching; Lin, Yen-Ting; Chang, Gwo-Ching; Hwang, Ing-Shiou

2017-01-01

The detection of error information is an essential prerequisite of a feedback-based movement. This study investigated the differential behavior and neurophysiological mechanisms of a cyclic force-tracking task using error-reducing and error-enhancing feedback. The discharge patterns of a relatively large number of motor units (MUs) were assessed with custom-designed multi-channel surface electromyography following mathematical decomposition of the experimentally-measured signals. Force characteristics, force-discharge relation, and phase-locking cortical activities in the contralateral motor cortex to individual MUs were contrasted among the low (LSF), normal (NSF), and high scaling factor (HSF) conditions, in which the sizes of online execution errors were displayed with various amplification ratios. Along with a spectral shift of the force output toward a lower band, force output with a more phase-lead became less irregular, and tracking accuracy was worse in the LSF condition than in the HSF condition. The coherent discharge of high phasic (HP) MUs with the target signal was greater, and inter-spike intervals were larger, in the LSF condition than in the HSF condition. Force-tracking in the LSF condition manifested with stronger phase-locked EEG activity in the contralateral motor cortex to discharge of the (HP) MUs (LSF > NSF, HSF). The coherent discharge of the (HP) MUs during the cyclic force-tracking predominated the force-discharge relation, which increased inversely to the error scaling factor. In conclusion, the size of visualized error gates motor unit discharge, force-discharge relation, and the relative influences of the feedback and feedforward processes on force control. A smaller visualized error size favors voluntary force control using a feedforward process, in relation to a selective central modulation that enhance the coherent discharge of (HP) MUs. PMID:28348530

Paradigm Shifts in Voluntary Force Control and Motor Unit Behaviors with the Manipulated Size of Visual Error Perception.

PubMed

Chen, Yi-Ching; Lin, Yen-Ting; Chang, Gwo-Ching; Hwang, Ing-Shiou

2017-01-01

The detection of error information is an essential prerequisite of a feedback-based movement. This study investigated the differential behavior and neurophysiological mechanisms of a cyclic force-tracking task using error-reducing and error-enhancing feedback. The discharge patterns of a relatively large number of motor units (MUs) were assessed with custom-designed multi-channel surface electromyography following mathematical decomposition of the experimentally-measured signals. Force characteristics, force-discharge relation, and phase-locking cortical activities in the contralateral motor cortex to individual MUs were contrasted among the low (LSF), normal (NSF), and high scaling factor (HSF) conditions, in which the sizes of online execution errors were displayed with various amplification ratios. Along with a spectral shift of the force output toward a lower band, force output with a more phase-lead became less irregular, and tracking accuracy was worse in the LSF condition than in the HSF condition. The coherent discharge of high phasic (HP) MUs with the target signal was greater, and inter-spike intervals were larger, in the LSF condition than in the HSF condition. Force-tracking in the LSF condition manifested with stronger phase-locked EEG activity in the contralateral motor cortex to discharge of the (HP) MUs (LSF > NSF, HSF). The coherent discharge of the (HP) MUs during the cyclic force-tracking predominated the force-discharge relation, which increased inversely to the error scaling factor. In conclusion, the size of visualized error gates motor unit discharge, force-discharge relation, and the relative influences of the feedback and feedforward processes on force control. A smaller visualized error size favors voluntary force control using a feedforward process, in relation to a selective central modulation that enhance the coherent discharge of (HP) MUs.

[Relationships between pollutants discharge and red tide occurrence in Shenzhen eastern coast].

PubMed

Jiang, Tian-jiu; Niu, Tao; Ying, Wen-ye

2007-05-01

The study on the effects of pollutants discharge on red tide occurrence in eastern sea area of Shenzhen showed that the occurrence frequency of dinoflagellate red tide had significant positive correlations with the net discharge of total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorous (TP) as well as the N/P ratio of the discharge. The thresholds of net discharged TN and TP were estimated to be 3.917 x 10(3) t and 2.123 x 10(4) t, respectively. No significant correlation was observed between diatom red tide and alongshore pollutants discharge. An example was given to illustrate the means of pollutants discharge control.

From plasma to nanoparticles: optical and particle emission of a spark discharge generator.

PubMed

Kohut, A; Ludvigsson, L; Meuller, B O; Deppert, K; Messing, M E; Galbács, G; Geretovszky, Zs

2017-11-24

The increased demand for high purity nanoparticles (NPs) of defined geometry necessitates the continuous development of generation routes. One of the most promising physical techniques for producing metal, semiconductor or alloy NPs in the gas phase is spark discharge NP generation. The technique has a great potential for up-scaling without altering the particles. Despite the simplicity of the setup, the formation of NPs in a spark discharge takes place via complex multi-scale processes, which greatly hinders the investigation via conventional NP measurement techniques. In the present work, time-resolved optical emission spectroscopy (OES) was used to provide information on the species present in the spark from as early as approximately 100 ns after the initiation of the discharge. We demonstrate that operando emission spectroscopy can deliver valuable insights into NP formation. The emission spectra of the spark are used to identify, among others, the main stages of material erosion and to calculate the quenching rate of the generated metal vapour. We demonstrate that the alteration of key control parameters, that are typically used to optimize NP generation, clearly affect the emission spectra. We report for Cu and Au NPs that the intensity of spectral lines emitted by metal atoms levels off when spark energy is increased above an energy threshold, suggesting that the maximum concentration of metal vapour produced in the generator is limited. This explains the size variation of the generated NPs. We report a strong correlation between the optical and particle emission of the spark discharge generator, which demonstrate the suitability of OES as a valuable characterization tool that will allow for the more deliberate optimization of spark-based NP generation.

Note: A phase synchronization photography method for AC discharge.

PubMed

Wu, Zhicheng; Zhang, Qiaogen; Ma, Jingtan; Pang, Lei

2018-05-01

To research discharge physics under AC voltage, a phase synchronization photography method is presented. By using a permanent-magnet synchronous motor to drive a photography mask synchronized with a discharge power supply, discharge images in a specific phase window can be recorded. Some examples of discharges photographed by this method, including the corona discharge in SF 6 and the corona discharge along the air/epoxy surface, demonstrate the feasibility of this method. Therefore, this method provides an effective tool for discharge physics researchers.

Note: A phase synchronization photography method for AC discharge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Zhicheng; Zhang, Qiaogen; Ma, Jingtan; Pang, Lei

2018-05-01

To research discharge physics under AC voltage, a phase synchronization photography method is presented. By using a permanent-magnet synchronous motor to drive a photography mask synchronized with a discharge power supply, discharge images in a specific phase window can be recorded. Some examples of discharges photographed by this method, including the corona discharge in SF6 and the corona discharge along the air/epoxy surface, demonstrate the feasibility of this method. Therefore, this method provides an effective tool for discharge physics researchers.

Differential pressure pin discharge apparatus

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

Oakley, D.J.

Disclosed is a discharge assembly for allowing elongate pins to be discharged from an area of relatively low pressure to an area of relatively greater pressure. The discharge assembly includes a duck valve having a lip piece made of flexible material. The flexible lip piece responds to a fluctuating pressure created downstream by an aspirator. The aspirator reduces the downstream pressure sensed by the duck valve when the discharge assembly is in the open position. This allows elongate pins to be moved through the duck valve with no backflow because the aspirator pressure is less than the pressure in themore » low pressure area from which the pins originate. Closure of the assembly causes the aspirator static pressure to force the flexible duck valve lip piece into a tightly sealed position also preventing backflow. The discharge assembly can be easily controlled using a single control valve which blocks the flow of aspirator gas and closes the pins passageway extending through the assembly.« less

Collective phenomena in volume and surface barrier discharges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kogelschatz, U.

2010-11-01

Barrier discharges are increasingly used as a cost-effective configuration to produce non-equilibrium plasmas at atmospheric pressure. This way, copious amounts of electrons, ions, free radicals and excited species can be generated without significant heating of the background gas. In most applications the barrier is made of dielectric material. Major applications utilizing mainly dielectric barriers include ozone generation, surface cleaning and modification, polymer and textile treatment, sterilization, pollution control, CO2 lasers, excimer lamps, plasma display panels (flat TV screens). More recent research efforts are devoted to biomedical applications and to plasma actuators for flow control. Sinusoidal feeding voltages at various frequencies as well as pulsed excitation schemes are used. Volume as well as surface barrier discharges can exist in the form of filamentary, regularly patterned or diffuse, laterally homogeneous discharges. The physical effects leading to collective phenomena in volume and surface barrier discharges are discussed in detail. Special attention is paid to self-organization of current filaments and pattern formation. Major similarities of the two types of barrier discharges are elaborated.

Twenty-five years of ecological recovery of East Fork Poplar Creek: review of environmental problems and remedial actions.

PubMed

Loar, James M; Stewart, Arthur J; Smith, John G

2011-06-01

In May 1985, a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit was issued for the Department of Energy's Y-12 National Security Complex (Y-12 Complex) in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA, allowing discharge of effluents to East Fork Poplar Creek (EFPC). The effluents ranged from large volumes of chlorinated once-through cooling water and cooling tower blow-down to smaller discharges of treated and untreated process wastewaters, which contained a mixture of heavy metals, organics, and nutrients, especially nitrates. As a condition of the permit, a Biological Monitoring and Abatement Program (BMAP) was developed to meet two major objectives: demonstrate that the established effluent limitations were protecting the classified uses of EFPC, and document the ecological effects resulting from implementing a Water Pollution Control Program at the Y-12 Complex. The second objective is the primary focus of the other papers in this special series. This paper provides a history of pollution and the remedial actions that were implemented; describes the geographic setting of the study area; and characterizes the physicochemical attributes of the sampling sites, including changes in stream flow and temperature that occurred during implementation of the BMAP. Most of the actions taken under the Water Pollution Control Program were completed between 1986 and 1998, with as many as four years elapsing between some of the most significant actions. The Water Pollution Control Program included constructing nine new wastewater treatment facilities and implementation of several other pollution-reducing measures, such as a best management practices plan; area-source pollution control management; and various spill-prevention projects. Many of the major actions had readily discernable effects on the chemical and physical conditions of EFPC. As controls on effluents entering the stream were implemented, pollutant concentrations generally declined and, at least initially, the volume of water discharged from the Y-12 Complex declined. This reduction in discharge was of ecological concern and led to implementation of a flow management program for EFPC. Implementing flow management, in turn, led to substantial changes in chemical and physical conditions of the stream: stream discharge nearly doubled and stream temperatures decreased, becoming more similar to those in reference streams. While water quality clearly improved, meeting water quality standards alone does not guarantee protection of a waterbody's biological integrity. Results from studies on the ecological changes stemming from pollution-reduction actions, such as those presented in this series, also are needed to understand how best to restore or protect biological integrity and enhance ecological recovery in stream ecosystems. With a better knowledge of the ecological consequences of their decisions, environmental managers can better evaluate alternative actions and more accurately predict their effects.

Twenty-Five Years of Ecological Recovery of East Fork Poplar Creek: Review of Environmental Problems and Remedial Actions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Loar, James M.; Stewart, Arthur J.; Smith, John G.

2011-06-01

In May 1985, a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit was issued for the Department of Energy's Y-12 National Security Complex (Y-12 Complex) in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA, allowing discharge of effluents to East Fork Poplar Creek (EFPC). The effluents ranged from large volumes of chlorinated once-through cooling water and cooling tower blow-down to smaller discharges of treated and untreated process wastewaters, which contained a mixture of heavy metals, organics, and nutrients, especially nitrates. As a condition of the permit, a Biological Monitoring and Abatement Program (BMAP) was developed to meet two major objectives: demonstrate that the established effluent limitations were protecting the classified uses of EFPC, and document the ecological effects resulting from implementing a Water Pollution Control Program at the Y-12 Complex. The second objective is the primary focus of the other papers in this special series. This paper provides a history of pollution and the remedial actions that were implemented; describes the geographic setting of the study area; and characterizes the physicochemical attributes of the sampling sites, including changes in stream flow and temperature that occurred during implementation of the BMAP. Most of the actions taken under the Water Pollution Control Program were completed between 1986 and 1998, with as many as four years elapsing between some of the most significant actions. The Water Pollution Control Program included constructing nine new wastewater treatment facilities and implementation of several other pollution-reducing measures, such as a best management practices plan; area-source pollution control management; and various spill-prevention projects. Many of the major actions had readily discernable effects on the chemical and physical conditions of EFPC. As controls on effluents entering the stream were implemented, pollutant concentrations generally declined and, at least initially, the volume of water discharged from the Y-12 Complex declined. This reduction in discharge was of ecological concern and led to implementation of a flow management program for EFPC. Implementing flow management, in turn, led to substantial changes in chemical and physical conditions of the stream: stream discharge nearly doubled and stream temperatures decreased, becoming more similar to those in reference streams. While water quality clearly improved, meeting water quality standards alone does not guarantee protection of a waterbody's biological integrity. Results from studies on the ecological changes stemming from pollution-reduction actions, such as those presented in this series, also are needed to understand how best to restore or protect biological integrity and enhance ecological recovery in stream ecosystems. With a better knowledge of the ecological consequences of their decisions, environmental managers can better evaluate alternative actions and more accurately predict their effects.

33 CFR 157.02 - Incorporation by reference: Where can I get a copy of the publications mentioned in this part?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... Item 11, Guidelines and Specifications for Oil Discharge Monitoring and Control Systems for Oil Tankers... Monitoring and Control Systems for Oil Tankers (“A.586(14)”), incorporation by reference approved for § 157... 1983, Guidelines for Plan Approval and Installation Survey of Oil Discharge Monitoring and Control...

33 CFR 157.02 - Incorporation by reference: Where can I get a copy of the publications mentioned in this part?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... Item 11, Guidelines and Specifications for Oil Discharge Monitoring and Control Systems for Oil Tankers... Monitoring and Control Systems for Oil Tankers (“A.586(14)”), incorporation by reference approved for § 157... 1983, Guidelines for Plan Approval and Installation Survey of Oil Discharge Monitoring and Control...

33 CFR 157.02 - Incorporation by reference: Where can I get a copy of the publications mentioned in this part?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... Item 11, Guidelines and Specifications for Oil Discharge Monitoring and Control Systems for Oil Tankers... Monitoring and Control Systems for Oil Tankers (“A.586(14)”), incorporation by reference approved for § 157... 1983, Guidelines for Plan Approval and Installation Survey of Oil Discharge Monitoring and Control...

33 CFR 157.02 - Incorporation by reference: Where can I get a copy of the publications mentioned in this part?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... Item 11, Guidelines and Specifications for Oil Discharge Monitoring and Control Systems for Oil Tankers... Monitoring and Control Systems for Oil Tankers (“A.586(14)”), incorporation by reference approved for § 157... 1983, Guidelines for Plan Approval and Installation Survey of Oil Discharge Monitoring and Control...

Long-term changes in flood event patterns due to changes in hydrological distribution parameters in a rural-urban catchment, Shikoku, Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mouri, Goro; Kanae, Shinjiro; Oki, Taikan

2011-07-01

This article describes the principal control parameters of flood events and precipitation and the relationships between corresponding hydrologic and climatologic parameters. The long-term generation of runoff and associated processes is important in understanding floods and droughts under changes in climate and land use. This study presents detailed analyses of flood events in a coastal amphitheatre catchment with a total area of 445 km 2 in western Japan, followed by analyses of flood events in both urban and forest areas. Using long-term (1962 to 2002) hydrological and climatological data from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Japan, the contributions of precipitation, river discharge, temperature, and relative humidity to flood events were analysed. Flood events could be divided into three types with respect to hydrologic and climatologic principal control parameters: the long-term tendency; medium-term changes as revealed by hydrographs and hyetographs of high-intensity events such as the relative precipitation, river discharge, and temperature; and large events, as shown by the flow-duration curve, with each cluster having particular characteristics. River discharge showed a decreasing tendency of flow quantity during small rainfall events of less than 100 mm/event from the 1980s to the present. An approximately 7% decrease from 44.8 to 37.3% occurred in the percentage of river water supplied by precipitation in the years after the 1980s. For the medium-term changes, no marked change occurred in the flow quantity of the peak point over time in event hydrographs. However, flow quantities before and after the peak tended to decrease by 1 to 2 m 3/s after the 1980s. Theoretical considerations with regard to the influence of hydrologic and climatologic parameters on flood discharge are discussed and examined in terms of observational data. These findings provide a sound foundation for use in hydrological catchment modelling.

Determination of discharge during pulsating flow

USGS Publications Warehouse

Thompson, T.H.

1968-01-01

Pulsating flow in an open channel is a manifestation of unstable-flow conditions in which a series of translatory waves of perceptible magnitude develops and moves rapidly downstream. Pulsating flow is a matter of concern in the design and operation of steep-gradient channels. If it should occur at high stages in a channel designed for stable flow, the capacity of the channel may be inadequate at a discharge that is much smaller than that for which the channel was designed. If the overriding translatory wave carries an appreciable part of the total flow, conventional stream-gaging procedures cannot be used to determine the discharge; neither the conventional instrumentation nor conventional methodology is adequate. A method of determining the discharge during pulsating flow was tested in the Santa Anita Wash flood control channel in Arcadia, Calif., April 16, 1965. Observations of the dimensions and velocities of translatory waves were made during a period of controlled reservoir releases of about 100, 200, and 300 cfs (cubic feet per second). The method of computing discharge was based on (1) computation of the discharge in the overriding waves and (2) computation of the discharge in the shallow-depth, or overrun, part of the flow. Satisfactory results were obtained by this method. However, the procedure used-separating the flow into two components and then treating the shallow-depth component as though it were steady--has no theoretical basis. It is simply an expedient for use until laboratory investigation can provide a satisfactory analytical solution to the problem of computing discharge during pulsating flow. Sixteen months prior to the test in Santa Anita Wash, a robot camera had been designed .and programmed to obtain the data needed to compute discharge by the method described above. The photographic equipment had been installed in Haines Creek flood control channel in Los Angeles, Calif., but it had not been completely tested because of the infrequency of flow in that channel. Because the Santa Anita Wash tests afforded excellent data for analysis, further development of the photographic ,technique at Haines Creek was discontinued. Three methods for obtaining the data needed to compute discharge during pulsating flow are proposed. In two of the methods--the photographic method and the depth-recorder method--the dimensions and velocities of translatory waves are recorded, and discharge is then computed by the procedure developed in this report. The third method?the constant-rate-dye-dilution method--yields the discharge more directly. The discharge is computed from the dye-injection rate and the ratio of the concentration of dye in the injected solution to the concentration of dye in the water sampled at a site downstream. The three methods should be developed and tested in ,the Santa Anita Wash flood control channel under controlled conditions similar to those in the test of April 1965.

40 CFR 263.31 - Discharge clean up.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... hazardous waste discharge no longer presents a hazard to human health or the environment. ....31 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) SOLID WASTES (CONTINUED) STANDARDS APPLICABLE TO TRANSPORTERS OF HAZARDOUS WASTE Hazardous Waste Discharges § 263.31 Discharge clean...

40 CFR 263.31 - Discharge clean up.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... hazardous waste discharge no longer presents a hazard to human health or the environment. ....31 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) SOLID WASTES (CONTINUED) STANDARDS APPLICABLE TO TRANSPORTERS OF HAZARDOUS WASTE Hazardous Waste Discharges § 263.31 Discharge clean...

40 CFR 263.31 - Discharge clean up.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... hazardous waste discharge no longer presents a hazard to human health or the environment. ....31 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) SOLID WASTES (CONTINUED) STANDARDS APPLICABLE TO TRANSPORTERS OF HAZARDOUS WASTE Hazardous Waste Discharges § 263.31 Discharge clean...

40 CFR 263.31 - Discharge clean up.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... hazardous waste discharge no longer presents a hazard to human health or the environment. ....31 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) SOLID WASTES (CONTINUED) STANDARDS APPLICABLE TO TRANSPORTERS OF HAZARDOUS WASTE Hazardous Waste Discharges § 263.31 Discharge clean...

40 CFR 263.31 - Discharge clean up.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... hazardous waste discharge no longer presents a hazard to human health or the environment. ....31 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) SOLID WASTES (CONTINUED) STANDARDS APPLICABLE TO TRANSPORTERS OF HAZARDOUS WASTE Hazardous Waste Discharges § 263.31 Discharge clean...

Determinants of hemoglobin A1c level in patients with type 2 diabetes after in-hospital diabetes education: A study based on continuous glucose monitoring.

PubMed

Torimoto, Keiichi; Okada, Yosuke; Sugino, Sachiko; Tanaka, Yoshiya

2017-05-01

We investigated the relationship between blood glucose profile at hospital discharge, evaluated by continuous glucose monitoring (CGM), and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) level at 12 weeks after discharge in patients with type 2 diabetes who received inpatient diabetes education. This was a retrospective study. The participants were 54 patients with type 2 diabetes who did not change their medication after discharge. The mean blood glucose (MBG), standard deviation, coefficient of variation, mean postprandial glucose excursion, maximum blood glucose, minimum blood glucose, percentage of time with blood glucose at ≥180 mg/dL (time at ≥180), percentage of time with blood glucose at ≥140 mg/dL, and percentage of time with blood glucose at <70 mg/dL were measured at admission and discharge using CGM. The primary end-point was the relationship between CGM parameters and HbA1c level at 12 weeks after discharge. The HbA1c level at 12 weeks after discharge correlated with MBG level (r = 0.30, P = 0.029). Multivariate analysis showed that MBG level and disease duration were predictors of 12-week HbA1c level. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was carried out considering goal achievement as a HbA1c level <7.0% 12 weeks after discharge. Disease duration and time at ≥180 were associated with goal achievement. The present results suggested that blood glucose profile at discharge using CGM seems useful to predict HbA1c level after discharge in patients with type 2 diabetes who received inpatient diabetes education. Early treatment to improve MBG level, as well as postprandial hyperglycemia, is important to achieve strict glycemic control. © 2016 The Authors. Journal of Diabetes Investigation published by Asian Association for the Study of Diabetes (AASD) and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

Plasma spark discharge reactor and durable electrode

DOEpatents

Cho, Young I.; Cho, Daniel J.; Fridman, Alexander; Kim, Hyoungsup

2017-01-10

A plasma spark discharge reactor for treating water. The plasma spark discharge reactor comprises a HV electrode with a head and ground electrode that surrounds at least a portion of the HV electrode. A passage for gas may pass through the reactor to a location proximate to the head to provide controlled formation of gas bubbles in order to facilitate the plasma spark discharge in a liquid environment.

33 CFR 151.10 - Control of oil discharges.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... Federal Water Pollution Control Act (FWPCA), section 311(b)(3) and 40 CFR part 110 govern all discharges...) POLLUTION VESSELS CARRYING OIL, NOXIOUS LIQUID SUBSTANCES, GARBAGE, MUNICIPAL OR COMMERCIAL WASTE, AND BALLAST WATER Implementation of MARPOL 73/78 and the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic...

Impact of comprehensive insurance parity on follow-up care after psychiatric inpatient treatment in Oregon.

PubMed

Wallace, Neal T; McConnell, K John

2013-10-01

This study assessed the impact of Oregon's 2007 parity law, which required behavioral health insurance parity, on rates of follow-up care provided within 30 days of psychiatric inpatient care. Data sources were claims (2005-2008) for 737 individuals with inpatient stays for a mental disorder who were continuously enrolled in insurance plans affected by the parity law (intervention group) or in commercial, self-insured plans that were not affected by the law (control group). A difference-in-difference analysis was used to compare rates of follow-up care before and after the parity law between discharges of individuals in the intervention group and the control group and between discharges of individuals in the intervention group who had or had not met preparity quantitative coverage limits during a coverage year. Estimates of the marginal effects of the parity law were adjusted for gender, discharge diagnosis, relationship to policy holder, and calendar quarter of discharge. The study included 353 discharges in the intervention group and 535 discharges in the control group. After the parity law, follow-up rates increased by 11% (p=.042) overall and by 20% for discharges of individuals who had met coverage limits (p=.028). The Oregon parity law was associated with a large increase in the rate of follow-up care, predominantly for discharges of individuals who had met preparity quantitative coverage limits. Given similarities between the law and the 2008 Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act, the results may portend a national effect of more comprehensive parity laws.

Correcting acoustic Doppler current profiler discharge measurement bias from moving-bed conditions without global positioning during the 2004 Glen Canyon Dam controlled flood on the Colorado River

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gartner, J.W.; Ganju, N.K.

2007-01-01

Discharge measurements were made by acoustic Doppler current profiler at two locations on the Colorado River during the 2004 controlled flood from Glen Canyon Dam, Arizona. Measurement hardware and software have constantly improved from the 1980s such that discharge measurements by acoustic profiling instruments are now routinely made over a wide range of hydrologic conditions. However, measurements made with instruments deployed from moving boats require reliable boat velocity data for accurate measurements of discharge. This is normally accomplished by using special acoustic bottom track pings that sense instrument motion over bottom. While this method is suitable for most conditions, high current flows that produce downstream bed sediment movement create a condition known as moving bed that will bias velocities and discharge to lower than actual values. When this situation exists, one solution is to determine boat velocity with satellite positioning information. Another solution is to use a lower frequency instrument. Discharge measurements made during the 2004 Glen Canyon controlled flood were subject to moving-bed conditions and frequent loss of bottom track. Due to site conditions and equipment availability, the measurements were conducted without benefit of external positioning information or lower frequency instruments. This paper documents and evaluates several techniques used to correct the resulting underestimated discharge measurements. One technique produces discharge values in good agreement with estimates from numerical model and measured hydrographs during the flood. ?? 2007, by the American Society of Limnology and Oceanography, Inc.

Collective Phenomena In Volume And Surface Barrier Discharges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kogelschatz, U.

2010-07-01

Barrier discharges are increasingly used as a cost-effective means to produce non-equilibrium plasmas at atmospheric pressure. This way, copious amounts of electrons, ions, free radicals and excited species can be generated without appreciable gas heating. In most applications the barrier is made of dielectric material. In laboratory experiments also the use of resistive, ferroelectric and semiconducting materials has been investigated, also porous ceramic layers and dielectric barriers with controlled surface conductivity. Major applications utilizing mainly dielectric barriers include ozone generation, surface cleaning and modification, polymer and textile treatment, sterilization, pollution control, CO2 lasers, excimer lamps, plasma display panels (flat TV screens). More recent research efforts are also devoted to biomedical applications and to plasma actuators for flow control. Sinu- soidal feeding voltages at various frequencies as well as pulsed excitation schemes are used. Volume as well as surface barrier discharges can exist in the form of filamentary, regularly patterned or laterally homogeneous discharges. Reviews of the subject and the older literature on barrier discharges were published by Kogelschatz (2002, 2003), by Wagner et al. (2003) and by Fridman et al. (2005). A detailed discussion of various properties of barrier discharges can also be found in the recent book "Non-Equilibrium Air Plasmas at Atmospheric Pressure" by Becker et al. (2005). The physical effects leading to collective phenomena in volume and surface barrier discharges will be discussed in detail. Special attention will be given to self-organization of current filaments. Main similarities and differences of the two types of barrier discharges will be elaborated.

The effect of including a 'psychooncological statement' in the discharge summary on patient-physician communication: a randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Book, Katrin; Dinkel, Andreas; Henrich, Gerhard; Stuhr, Claudia; Peuker, Mareike; Härtl, Kristin; Brähler, Elmar; Herschbach, Peter

2013-12-01

The objective of this study is to determine whether the inclusion of a 'psychooncological statement' (PO-statement) in the discharge summary enhances patient-physician communication about psychosocial issues across the inpatient and outpatient sector. A total of 1416 cancer patients were randomly assigned to the intervention (with PO-statement in the discharge summary) or control group (discharge summary without PO-statement). Shortly before discharge from the hospital (T1), patients from the intervention group were screened for psychosocial distress. Based on the electronic clinical documentation system, screening results were subsequently integrated into the discharge summary, which automatically generated a PO-statement. To determine the effect of the PO-statement, patients as well as their primary care physicians (n = 596) were asked during follow-up care (T2) whether psychosocial distress was discussed during the last consultation. Including a PO-statement in the discharge summary did not result in more frequent discussions about psychosocial issues compared with the control group from the patients' and physicians' perspectives. Instead, discussions about psychosocial well-being were significantly associated with women of the patient (p = <0.001) and the physician (p = 0.011), medical discipline (gynecologists; p = 0.002), cancer diagnosis (gynecological cancer; p = 0.002), metastases (p = <0.001), professional training of patients (none, p = 0.026), and psychosocial qualification of physicians (p = 0.018). Written information on psychosocial distress in the discharge summary alone does not affect communication. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Controlling the emission profile of an H2 discharge lamp to simulate interstellar radiation fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ligterink, N. F. W.; Paardekooper, D. M.; Chuang, K.-J.; Both, M. L.; Cruz-Diaz, G. A.; van Helden, J. H.; Linnartz, H.

2015-12-01

Context. Microwave discharge hydrogen-flow lamps have been used for more than half a century to simulate interstellar ultraviolet radiation fields in the laboratory. Recent discrepancies between identical measurements in different laboratories, as well as clear wavelength dependent results obtained in monochromatic (synchrotron) experiments, hint at a more elaborate dependence on the exact discharge settings than assumed so far. Aims: We have investigated systematically two lamp geometries in full dependence of a large number of different running conditions and the spectral emission patterns are characterized for the first time with fully calibrated absolute flux numbers. Methods: A sophisticated plasma lamp calibration set-up has been used to record the vacuum-ultraviolet emission spectra with a spectral resolution of 0.5 nm and bandwidth of 1.6 nm in the 116-220 nm region. Spectra are compared with the output of a calibrated D2-lamp which allows a derivation of absolute radiance values. Results: The general findings of over 200 individual measurements are presented, illustrating how the lamp emission pattern depends on i) microwave power; ii) gas and gas mixing ratios; iii) discharge lamp geometry; iv) cavity positioning; and v) gas pressure.

Optimization of PECVD Chamber Cleans Through Fundamental Studies of Electronegative Fluorinated Gas Discharges.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Langan, John

1996-10-01

The predominance of multi-level metalization schemes in advanced integrated circuit manufacturing has greatly increased the importance of plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) and in turn in-situ plasma chamber cleaning. In order to maintain the highest throughput for these processes the clean step must be as short as possible. In addition, there is an increasing desire to minimize the fluorinated gas usage during the clean, while maximizing its efficiency, not only to achieve lower costs, but also because many of the gases used in this process are global warming compounds. We have studied the fundamental properties of discharges of NF_3, CF_4, and C_2F6 under conditions relevant to chamber cleaning in the GEC rf reference cell. Using electrical impedance analysis and optical emission spectroscopy we have determined that the electronegative nature of these discharges defines the optimal processing conditions by controlling the power coupling efficiency and mechanisms of power dissipation in the discharge. Examples will be presented where strategies identified by these studies have been used to optimize actual manufacturing chamber clean processes. (This work was performed in collaboration with Mark Sobolewski, National Institute of Standards and Technology, and Brian Felker, Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.)

Advanced space propulsion thruster research

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilbur, P. J.

1981-01-01

Experiments showed that stray magnetic fields can adversely affect the capacity of a hollow cathode neutralizer to couple to an ion beam. Magnetic field strength at the neutralizer cathode orifice is a crucial factor influencing the coupling voltage. The effects of electrostatic accelerator grid aperture diameters on the ion current extraction capabilities were examined experimentally to describe the divergence, deflection, and current extraction capabilities of grids with the screen and accelerator apertures displaced relative to one another. Experiments performed in orificed, mercury hollow cathodes support the model of field enhanced thermionic electron mission from cathode inserts. Tests supported the validity of a thermal model of the cathode insert. A theoretical justification of a Saha equation model relating cathode plasma properties is presented. Experiments suggest that ion loss rates to discharge chamber walls can be controlled. A series of new discharge chamber magnetic field configurations were generated in the flexible magnetic field thruster and their effect on performance was examined. A technique used in the thruster to measure ion currents to discharge chamber walls is described. Using these ion currents the fraction of ions produced that are extracted from the discharge chamber and the energy cost of plasma ions are computed.

Jellyfish Stings and Their Management: A Review

PubMed Central

Cegolon, Luca; Heymann, William C.; Lange, John H.; Mastrangelo, Giuseppe

2013-01-01

Jellyfish (cnidarians) have a worldwide distribution. Despite most being harmless, some species may cause local and also systemic reactions. Treatment of jellyfish envenomation is directed at: alleviating the local effects of venom, preventing further nematocyst discharges and controlling systemic reactions, including shock. In severe cases, the most important step is stabilizing and maintaining vital functions. With some differences between species, there seems to be evidence and consensus on oral/topical analgesics, hot water and ice packs as effective painkillers and on 30 s application of domestic vinegar (4%–6% acetic acid) to prevent further discharge of unfired nematocysts remaining on the skin. Conversely, alcohol, methylated spirits and fresh water should be carefully avoided, since they could massively discharge nematocysts; pressure immobilization bandaging should also be avoided, as laboratory studies show that it stimulates additional venom discharge from nematocysts. Most treatment approaches are presently founded on relatively weak evidence; therefore, further research (especially randomized clinical trials) is strongly recommended. Dissemination of appropriate treatment modalities should be deployed to better inform and educate those at risk. Adequate signage should be placed at beaches to notify tourists of the jellyfish risk. Swimmers in risky areas should wear protective equipment. PMID:23434796

Statistical summaries of selected Iowa streamflow data through September 2013

USGS Publications Warehouse

Eash, David A.; O'Shea, Padraic S.; Weber, Jared R.; Nguyen, Kevin T.; Montgomery, Nicholas L.; Simonson, Adrian J.

2016-01-04

Statistical summaries of streamflow data collected at 184 streamgages in Iowa are presented in this report. All streamgages included for analysis have at least 10 years of continuous record collected before or through September 2013. This report is an update to two previously published reports that presented statistical summaries of selected Iowa streamflow data through September 1988 and September 1996. The statistical summaries include (1) monthly and annual flow durations, (2) annual exceedance probabilities of instantaneous peak discharges (flood frequencies), (3) annual exceedance probabilities of high discharges, and (4) annual nonexceedance probabilities of low discharges and seasonal low discharges. Also presented for each streamgage are graphs of the annual mean discharges, mean annual mean discharges, 50-percent annual flow-duration discharges (median flows), harmonic mean flows, mean daily mean discharges, and flow-duration curves. Two sets of statistical summaries are presented for each streamgage, which include (1) long-term statistics for the entire period of streamflow record and (2) recent-term statistics for or during the 30-year period of record from 1984 to 2013. The recent-term statistics are only calculated for streamgages with streamflow records pre-dating the 1984 water year and with at least 10 years of record during 1984–2013. The streamflow statistics in this report are not adjusted for the effects of water use; although some of this water is used consumptively, most of it is returned to the streams.

[Outcome of cataract surgery in patients with pigmentary retinal degeneration].

PubMed

Grześk, Magdalena; Kałuzny, Józef; Malukiewicz-Wiśniewska, Grazyna

2007-01-01

To evaluate the results of cataract surgery in patients with RP because retinitis pigmentosa is one of the disease entities that belongs to tapeto-retinal degenerations. The occurrence of RP appearance is 1:4000 to 1:3000. Twenty patients with RP (7 women and 13 men, 33 eyes), who underwent cataract surgery were examined retrospectively. Average age in our group was 46.6 years. Visual acuity, intraocular pressure, slip lamp examination, fundus examination, cataract morphology, visual field were taken before surgery and on discharge, on the basis of medical documentation. Control examination was taken, on average, eighty one months after cataract surgery. Nine eyes were operated by phacoemulsification, 24 eyes by means of extracapsular cataract extraction. In the same way control group of 18 patients who underwent cataract surgery without RP (33 eyes) was examined. In RP group in 63.6% patients on discharge from the hospital and in 60.6% patients during the control examination, improvement of visual acuity was revealed. Deterioration was noted in 18.2% of patients on discharge from hospital and in 24.2% of patients during the control examination. In the control group improvement of visual acuity was revealed in 90.9% of patients on discharge and in 97% patients during the control examination, whereas deterioration of visual acuity occurred in 6.1% patients on discharge and in 3% patients during the check examination. In patients with retinitis pigmentosa cataract occurs earlier then in the control group. Cataract surgery for relatively minor opacities is beneficial in patients with RP, and causes improvement of visual acuity in most of eyes undergoing surgery.

Spool-type control valve assembly with reduced spool stroke for hydraulic belt-and-pulley type continuously variable transmission

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

Itoh, H.; Akashi, T.; Takada, M.

1987-03-31

This patent describes a hydraulic control system for controlling a speed ratio of a hydraulically-operated continuously variable transmission of belt-and-pulley type having a variable-diameter pulley and a hydraulic cylinder for changing an effective diameter of the variable diameter-pulley of the transmission. The hydraulic control system includes a speed-ratio control valve assembly for controlling the supply and discharge of a pressurized fluid to and from the hydraulic cylinder to thereby change the speed ratio of the transmission. The speed-ratio control valve assembly comprises: a shift-direction switching valve unit disposed in fluid supply and discharge conduits communicating with the hydraulic cylinder, formore » controlling a direction in which the speed ratio of the transmission is varied; a shift-speed control valve unit of spool-valve type connected to the shift-direction switching valve unit. The shift-speed control valve unit is selectively placed in a first state in which the fluid supply and discharge flows to and from the hydraulic cylinder through the conduits are permitted, or in a second state in which the fluid supply flow is restricted while the fluid discharge flow is inhibited; an actuator means for placing the shift speed control valve unit alternately in the first and second states to control a rate of variation in the speed ratio of the transmission in the direction established by the shift-direction switching valve unit.« less

Sentinel visits in emergency department patients with diabetes mellitus as a warning sign for hyperglycemic emergencies.

PubMed

Yan, Justin W; Gushulak, Katherine M; Columbus, Melanie P; Hamelin, Alexandra L; Wells, George A; Stiell, Ian G

2018-03-01

Patients with poorly controlled diabetes mellitus may have a sentinel emergency department (ED) visit for a precipitating condition prior to presenting for a hyperglycemic emergency, such as diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) or hyperosmolar hyperglycemic state (HHS). This study's objective was to describe the epidemiology and outcomes of patients with a sentinel ED visit prior to their hyperglycemic emergency visit. This was a 1-year health records review of patients≥18 years old presenting to one of four tertiary care EDs with a discharge diagnosis of hyperglycemia, DKA, or HHS. Trained research personnel collected data on patient characteristics, management, disposition, and determined whether patients came to the ED within the 14 days prior to their hyperglycemia visit. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the data. Of 833 visits for hyperglycemia, 142 (17.0%; 95% CI: 14.5% to 19.6%) had a sentinel ED presentation within the preceding 14 days. Mean (SD) age was 50.5 (19.0) years and 54.4% were male; 104 (73.2%) were discharged from this initial visit, and 98/104 (94.2%) were discharged either without their glucose checked or with an elevated blood glucose (>11.0 mmol/L). Of the sentinel visits, 93 (65.5%) were for hyperglycemia and 22 (15.5%) for infection. Upon returning to the ED, 61/142 (43.0%) were admitted for severe hyperglycemia, DKA, or HHS. In this unique ED-based study, diabetic patients with a sentinel ED visit often returned and required subsequent admission for hyperglycemia. Clinicians should be vigilant in checking blood glucose and provide clear discharge instructions for follow-up and glucose management to prevent further hyperglycemic emergencies from occurring.

Optimized ECR plasma apparatus with varied microwave window thickness

DOEpatents

Berry, Lee A.

1995-01-01

The present invention describes a technique to control the radial profile of microwave power in an ECR plasma discharge. In order to provide for a uniform plasma density to a specimen, uniform energy absorption by the plasma is desired. By controlling the radial profile of the microwave power transmitted through the microwave window of a reactor, the profile of the transmitted energy to the plasma can be controlled in order to have uniform energy absorption by the plasma. An advantage of controlling the profile using the window transmission characteristics is that variations to the radial profile of microwave power can be made without changing the microwave coupler or reactor design.

Iceberg discharges of the last glacial period driven by oceanic circulation changes

PubMed Central

Alvarez-Solas, Jorge; Robinson, Alexander; Montoya, Marisa; Ritz, Catherine

2013-01-01

Proxy data reveal the existence of episodes of increased deposition of ice-rafted detritus in the North Atlantic Ocean during the last glacial period interpreted as massive iceberg discharges from the Laurentide Ice Sheet. Although these have long been attributed to self-sustained ice sheet oscillations, growing evidence of the crucial role that the ocean plays both for past and future behavior of the cryosphere suggests a climatic control of these ice surges. Here, we present simulations of the last glacial period carried out with a hybrid ice sheet–ice shelf model forced by an oceanic warming index derived from proxy data that accounts for the impact of past ocean circulation changes on ocean temperatures. The model generates a time series of iceberg discharge that closely agrees with ice-rafted debris records over the past 80 ka, indicating that oceanic circulation variations were responsible for the enigmatic ice purges of the last ice age. PMID:24062437

The real time multi point Thomson scattering diagnostic at NSTX-U

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Laggner, Florian; Kolemen, Egemen; Diallo, Ahmed; Leblanc, Benoit; Rozenblat, Roman; Tchilinguirian, Greg; NSTX-U Team Team

2017-10-01

This contribution presents the upgrade of the multi point Thomson scattering (MPTS) diagnostic for real time application. As a key diagnostic at NSTX-U, the MPTS diagnostic simultaneously measures the electron density (ne) and electron temperature (Te) profiles of a plasma discharge. Therefore, this powerful diagnostic can directly access the electron pressure of the plasma. Currently, only post-discharge evaluation of the data is available, however, since the plasma pressure is one important drive for instabilities, real time measurements of this quantities would be beneficial for plasma control. In a first step, ten MPTS channels were equipped with real time electronics, which improve the data acquisition rate by five orders of magnitude. The commissioning of the system is ongoing and first benchmarks of the real time evaluation routines against the standard, post-discharge evaluation show promising results: The Te as well as ne profiles of both types of analyses agree within their uncertainties. This work was supported by the US Department of Energy under DE-SC0015878 and DE-SC0015480.

Effects of a Structured Discharge Planning Program on Perceived Functional Status, Cardiac Self-efficacy, Patient Satisfaction, and Unexpected Hospital Revisits Among Filipino Cardiac Patients: A Randomized Controlled Study.

PubMed

Cajanding, Ruff Joseph

Cardiovascular diseases remain the leading cause of morbidity and mortality among Filipinos and are responsible for a very large number of hospital readmissions. Comprehensive discharge planning programs have demonstrated positive benefits among various populations of patients with cardiovascular disease, but the clinical and psychosocial effects of such intervention among Filipino patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) have not been studied. In this study we aimed to determine the effectiveness of a nurse-led structured discharge planning program on perceived functional status, cardiac self-efficacy, patient satisfaction, and unexpected hospital revisits among Filipino patients with AMI. A true experimental (randomized control) 2-group design with repeated measures and data collected before and after intervention and at 1-month follow-up was used in this study. Participants were assigned to either the control (n = 68) or the intervention group (n = 75). Intervention participants underwent a 3-day structured discharge planning program implemented by a cardiovascular nurse practitioner, which is comprised of a series of individualized lecture-discussion, provision of feedback, integrative problem solving, goal setting, and action planning. Control participants received standard routine care. Measures of functional status, cardiac self-efficacy, and patient satisfaction were measured at baseline; cardiac self-efficacy and patient satisfaction scores were measured prior to discharge, and perceived functional status and number of revisits were measured 1 month after discharge. Participants in the intervention group had significant improvement in functional status, cardiac self-efficacy, and patient satisfaction scores at baseline and at follow-up compared with the control participants. Furthermore, participants in the intervention group had significantly fewer hospital revisits compared with those who received only standard care. The results demonstrate that a nurse-led structured discharge planning program is an effective intervention in improving perceived functional health status, cardiac self-efficacy, and patient satisfaction, while reducing the number of unexpected hospital revisits, among Filipino patients with AMI. It is recommended that this intervention be incorporated in the optimal care of patients being discharged with an AMI.

Early discharge with home support of gavage feeding for stable preterm infants who have not established full oral feeds.

PubMed

Collins, Carmel T; Makrides, Maria; McPhee, Andrew J

2015-07-08

Early discharge of stable preterm infants still requiring gavage feeds offers the benefits of uniting families sooner and reducing healthcare and family costs compared with discharge home when on full sucking feeds. Potential disadvantages of early discharge include increased care burden for the family and risk of complications related to gavage feeding. To determine the effects of a policy of early discharge of stable preterm infants with home support of gavage feeding compared with a policy of discharge of such infants when they have reached full sucking feeds.We planned subgroup analyses to determine whether safety and efficacy outcomes are altered by the type of support received (outpatient visits vs home support) or by the maturity of the infants discharged (gestational age ≤ 28 weeks at birth or birth weight ≤ 1000 grams). We used the standard search strategy of the Cochrane Neonatal Review Group, together with searches of the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL; 2015, Issue 3), the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) (1982 to March 2015), EMBASE (1980 to March 2015) and MEDLINE (1950 to March 2015). We found no new trials. We included all randomised and quasi-randomised trials among infants born at < 37 weeks and requiring no intravenous nutrition at the point of discharge. Trials were required to compare early discharge home with gavage feeds and healthcare support versus later discharge home when full sucking feeds were attained. Two review authors independently assessed trial quality and extracted data. We conducted study authors for additional information. We performed data analysis in accordance with the standards of the Cochrane Neonatal Review Group. We included in the review data from one quasi-randomised trial with 88 infants from 75 families. Infants in the early discharge programme with home gavage feeding had a mean hospital stay that was 9.3 days shorter (mean difference (MD) -9.3, 95% confidence interval (CI) -18.49 to -0.11) than that of infants in the control group. Infants in the early discharge programme also had lower risk of clinical infection during the home gavage period compared with those in the control group spending corresponding time in hospital (risk ratio 0.35, 95% CI 0.17 to 0.69). No significant differences were noted between groups in duration and extent of breast feeding, weight gain, re-admission within the first 12 months post discharge from the home gavage programme or from hospital, scores reflecting parental satisfaction or overall health service use. Experimental evidence on the benefits and risks for preterm infants of early discharge from hospital with home gavage feeding compared with later discharge upon attainment of full sucking feeds is limited to the results of one small quasi-randomised controlled trial. High-quality trials with concealed allocation, complete follow-up of all randomly assigned infants and adequate sample size are needed before practice recommendations can be made.

33 CFR 151.10 - Control of oil discharges.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

...) POLLUTION VESSELS CARRYING OIL, NOXIOUS LIQUID SUBSTANCES, GARBAGE, MUNICIPAL OR COMMERCIAL WASTE, AND BALLAST WATER Implementation of MARPOL 73/78 and the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty as it Pertains to Pollution from Ships Oil Pollution § 151.10 Control of oil discharges. (a) When...

33 CFR 155.450 - Placard.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... of durable material fixed in a conspicuous place in each machinery space, or at the bilge and ballast pump control station, stating the following: Discharge of Oil Prohibited The Federal Water Pollution Control Act prohibits the discharge of oil or oily waste into or upon the navigable waters of the United...

33 CFR 155.450 - Placard.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... of durable material fixed in a conspicuous place in each machinery space, or at the bilge and ballast pump control station, stating the following: Discharge of Oil Prohibited The Federal Water Pollution Control Act prohibits the discharge of oil or oily waste into or upon the navigable waters of the United...

33 CFR 155.450 - Placard.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... of durable material fixed in a conspicuous place in each machinery space, or at the bilge and ballast pump control station, stating the following: Discharge of Oil Prohibited The Federal Water Pollution Control Act prohibits the discharge of oil or oily waste into or upon the navigable waters of the United...

33 CFR 155.450 - Placard.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... of durable material fixed in a conspicuous place in each machinery space, or at the bilge and ballast pump control station, stating the following: Discharge of Oil Prohibited The Federal Water Pollution Control Act prohibits the discharge of oil or oily waste into or upon the navigable waters of the United...

33 CFR 155.450 - Placard.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... film or discoloration of the surface of the water or causes a sludge or emulsion beneath the surface of... pump control station, stating the following: Discharge of Oil Prohibited The Federal Water Pollution Control Act prohibits the discharge of oil or oily waste into or upon the navigable waters of the United...

[Influence of WeChat platform on the compliance of continuous treatment of scar in adult burn patients].

PubMed

Wang, F; Zhang, H L

2018-03-20

Objective: To explore influence of the WeChat platform on the compliance of continuous treatment of scar in adult burn patients. Methods: A total of 124 adult burn patients, conforming to the study criteria, admitted in the Department of Burns of our hospital from January 2015 to January 2016 were divided into WeChat group ( n =63) and control group ( n =61) according to the random number table. Patients in control group only received regular discharging rehabilitation guide, while patients in WeChat group received regular discharging rehabilitation guide and joined WeChat platform after being discharged from hospital. Through pushing rehabilitation plan and rehabilitation related knowledge, organizing support discussion of burn patients, answering the patients' questions, members of WeChat platform intervention group conducted continuous treatment for 6 months on patients of WeChat group. The compliance of functional exercise of patients in two groups in one week before discharge and 3 and 6 months after discharge was evaluated by using the self-made functional exercise compliance log sheet. The compliance of using anti-scar drug and appliance of patients in two groups in 3 and 6 months after discharge was evaluated by using self-made anti-scar drug and appliance usage log sheets. Data were processed with chi-square test, independent sample t test, non-parametric rank sum test of independent sample, and Wilcoxon rank sum test. Results: (1) The compliance ratio of functional exercise of patients in WeChat group (95.24%, 60/63) was close to 93.44% (57/61) in control group in one week before discharge ( χ (2)=0.188, P >0.05). The compliance ratios of functional exercise of patients in WeChat group were respectively 93.65% (59/63) and 87.30% (55/63) in 3 and 6 months after discharge, which were higher than 68.85% (42/61) and 65.57% (40/61) in control group ( χ (2)=12.615, 8.166, P <0.01). (2) The compliance of using anti-scar drug of patients in WeChat group was significantly better than that in control group in 3 and 6 months after discharge ( Z =-4.150, -4.563, P <0.01). (3) The compliance of using anti-scar appliance of patients in WeChat group in 3 and 6 months after discharge was obviously better than that in control group ( Z =-4.242, -4.301, P <0.01). Conclusions: By using WeChat platform to provide guide for scar rehabilitation continuous treatment, adult burn patients have better compliance to functional exercise and usage of anti-scar drug and appliance.

Resource Utilization and Safety of Outpatient Management Following Intensive Induction or Salvage Chemotherapy for Acute Myeloid Leukemia or Myelodysplastic Syndrome: A Nonrandomized Clinical Comparative Analysis.

PubMed

Vaughn, Jennifer E; Othus, Megan; Powell, Morgan A; Gardner, Kelda M; Rizzuto, Donelle L; Hendrie, Paul C; Becker, Pamela S; Pottinger, Paul S; Estey, Elihu H; Walter, Roland B

2015-11-01

Adults with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) or myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) typically remain hospitalized after induction or salvage chemotherapy until blood cell count recovery, with resulting prolonged inpatient stays being a primary driver of health care costs. Pilot studies suggest that outpatient management following chemotherapy might be safe and could reduce costs for these patients. To compare safety, resource utilization, infections, and costs between adults discharged early following AML or MDS induction or salvage chemotherapy and inpatient controls. Nonrandomized, phase 2, single-center study conducted at the University of Washington Medical Center. Over a 43-month period (January 1, 2011, through July 31, 2014), 178 adults receiving intensive AML or MDS chemotherapy were enrolled. After completion of chemotherapy, 107 patients met predesignated medical and logistical criteria for early discharge, while 29 met medical criteria only and served as inpatient controls. Early-discharge patients were released from the hospital at the completion of chemotherapy, and supportive care was provided in the outpatient setting until blood cell count recovery (median, 21 days; range, 2-45 days). Controls received inpatient supportive care (median, 16 days; range, 3-42 days). We analyzed differences in early mortality, resource utilization including intensive care unit (ICU) days, transfusions per study day, and use of intravenous (IV) antibiotics per study day), numbers of infections, and total and inpatient charges per study day among early-discharge patients vs controls. Four of the 107 early-discharge patients and none of the 29 control patients died within 30 days of enrollment (P=.58). Nine early-discharge patients (8%) but no controls required ICU-level care (P=.20). No differences were noted in the median daily number of transfused red blood cell units (0.27 vs 0.29; P=.55) or number of transfused platelet units (0.26 vs 0.29; P=.31). Early-discharge patients had more positive blood cultures (37 [35%] vs 4 [14%]; P=.04) but required fewer IV antibiotic days per study day (0.48 vs 0.71; P=.01). Overall, daily charges among early-discharge patients were significantly lower than for inpatients (median, $3840 vs $5852; P<.001) despite increased charges per inpatient day when readmitted (median, $7405 vs $5852; P<.001). Early discharge following intensive AML or MDS chemotherapy can reduce costs and use of IV antibiotics, but attention should be paid to complications that may occur in the outpatient setting.

Improved communication in post-ICU care by improving writing of ICU discharge letters: a longitudinal before-after study.

PubMed

Medlock, Stephanie; Eslami, Saeid; Askari, Marjan; van Lieshout, Erik Jan; Dongelmans, Dave A; Abu-Hanna, Ameen

2011-11-01

The discharge letter is the primary means of communication at patient discharge, yet discharge letters are often not completed on time. A multifaceted intervention was performed to improve communication in patient hand-off from the intensive care unit (ICU) to the wards by improving the timeliness of discharge letters. A management directive was operationalised by a working group of ICU staff in a longitudinal before-after study. The intervention consisted of (a) changing policy to require a letter for use as a transfer note at the time of ICU discharge, (b) changing the assignment of responsibility to an automatic process, (c) leveraging positive peer pressure by making the list of patients in need of letters visible to colleagues and (d) provision of decision support, through automatic copying of important content from the patient record to the letter and email reminders if letters were not written on time. Statistical process control charts were used to monitor the longitudinal effect of the intervention. The intervention resulted in a 77.9% absolute improvement in the proportion of patients with a complete transfer note at the time of discharge, and an 85.2% absolute improvement in the number of discharge letters written. Statistical process control shows that the effect was sustained over time. A multifaceted intervention can be highly effective for improving discharge communication from the ICU.

Plasma Processing with a One Atmosphere Uniform Glow Discharge Plasma (OAUGDP)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reece Roth, J.

2000-10-01

The vast majority of all industrial plasma processing is conducted with glow discharges at pressures below 10 torr. This has limited applications to high value workpieces as a result of the large capital cost of vacuum systems and the production constraints of batch processing. It has long been recognized that glow discharges would play a much larger industrial role if they could be operated at one atmosphere. The One Atmosphere Uniform Glow Discharge Plasma (OAUGDP) has been developed at the University of Tennessee Plasma Sciences Laboratory. The OAUGDP is non-thermal RF plasma with the time-resolved characteristics of a classical low pressure DC normal glow discharge. An interdisciplinary team was formed to conduct exploratory investigations of the physics and applications of the OAUGDP. This team includes collaborators from the UTK Textiles and Nonwovens Development Center (TANDEC) and the Departments of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Microbiology, Food Science and Technology, and Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Science. Exploratory tests were conducted on a variety of potential plasma processing and other applications. These include the use of OAUGDP to sterilize medical and dental equipment and air filters; diesel soot removal; plasma aerodynamic effects; electrohydrodynamic (EDH) flow control of the neutral working gas; increasing the surface energy of materials; increasing the wettability and wickability of fabrics; and plasma deposition and directional etching. A general overview of these topics will be presented.

Discharge permit market and farm management nexus: an approach for eutrophication control in small basins with low-income farmers.

PubMed

Imani, Somaye; Niksokhan, Mohammad Hossein; Jamshidi, Shervin; Abbaspour, Karim C

2017-07-01

The economic concerns of low-income farmers are barriers to nutrient abatement policies for eutrophication control in surface waters. This study brings up a perspective that focuses on integrating multiple-pollutant discharge permit markets with farm management practices. This aims to identify a more economically motivated waste load allocation (WLA) for non-point sources (NPS). For this purpose, we chose the small basin of Zrebar Lake in western Iran and used the soil and water assessment tool (SWAT) for modeling. The export coefficients (ECs), effectiveness of best management practices (BMPs), and crop yields were calculated by using this software. These variables show that low-income farmers can hardly afford to invest in BMPs in a typical WLA. Conversely, a discharge permit market presents a more cost-effective solution. This method saves 64% in total abatement costs and motivates farmers by offering economic benefits. A market analysis revealed that nitrogen permits mostly cover the trades with the optimal price ranging from $6 to $30 per kilogram. However, phosphorous permits are limited for trading, and their price exceeds $60 per kilogram. This approach also emphasizes the establishment of a regional institution for market monitoring, dynamic pricing, fair fund reallocation, giving information to participants, and ensuring their income. By these sets of strategies, a WLA on the brink of failure can turn into a cost-effective and sustainable policy for eutrophication control in small basins.

Sometimes processes don't matter: the general effect of short term climate variability on erosional systems.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deal, Eric; Braun, Jean

2017-04-01

Climatic forcing undoubtedly plays an important role in shaping the Earth's surface. However, precisely how climate affects erosion rates, landscape morphology and the sedimentary record is highly debated. Recently there has been a focus on the influence of short-term variability in rainfall and river discharge on the relationship between climate and erosion rates. Here, we present a simple probabilistic argument, backed by modelling, that demonstrates that the way the Earth's surface responds to short-term climatic forcing variability is primarily determined by the existence and magnitude of erosional thresholds. We find that it is the ratio between the threshold magnitude and the mean magnitude of climatic forcing that determines whether variability matters or not and in which way. This is a fundamental result that applies regardless of the nature of the erosional process. This means, for example, that we can understand the role that discharge variability plays in determining fluvial erosion efficiency despite doubts about the processes involved in fluvial erosion. We can use this finding to reproduce the main conclusions of previous studies on the role of discharge variability in determining long-term fluvial erosion efficiency. Many aspects of the landscape known to influence discharge variability are affected by human activity, such as land use and river damming. Another important control on discharge variability, rainfall intensity, is also expected to increase with warmer temperatures. Among many other implications, our findings help provide a general framework to understand and predict the response of the Earth's surface to changes in mean and variability of rainfall and river discharge associated with the anthropogenic activity. In addition, the process independent nature of our findings suggest that previous work on river discharge variability and erosion thresholds can be applied to other erosional systems.

Analysis of the high water wave volume for the Sava River near Zagreb

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trninic, Dusan

2010-05-01

The paper analyses volumes of the Sava River high water waves near Zagreb during the period: 1926-2008 (N = 83 years), which is needed for more efficient control of high and flood waters. The primary Sava flood control structures in the City of Zagreb are dikes built on both riverbanks, and the Odra Relief Canal with lateral spillway upstream from the City of Zagreb. Intensive morphological changes in the greater Sava area near Zagreb, and anthropological and climate variations and changes at the Sava catchment up to the Zagreb area require detailed analysis of the water wave characteristics. In one analysis, maximum annual volumes are calculated for high water waves with constant duration of: 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 and 60 days. Such calculations encompass total quantity of water (basic and surface runoff). The log Pearson III distribution is adapted for this series of maximum annual volumes. Based on the results obtained, the interrelations are established between the wave volume as function of duration and occurrence probability. In addition to the analysis of maximum volumes of constant duration, it is interesting to carry out the analyses of maximum volume in excess of the reference discharge since it is very important for the flood control. To determine the reference discharges, a discharge of specific duration is used from an average discharge duration curve. The adopted reference discharges have durations of 50, 40, 30, 20 and 10%. Like in the previous case, log Pearson III distribution is adapted to the maximum wave data series. For reference discharge Q = 604 m3/s (duration 10%), a linear trend is calculated of maximum annual volumes exceeding the reference discharge for the Sava near Zagreb during the analyzed period. The analysis results show a significant decrease trend. A similar analysis is carried out for the following three reference discharges: regular flood control measures at the Sava near Zagreb, which are proclaimed when the water level is 350 cm (Q = 2114 m3/s), extraordinary flood control measures taken when the water level is 450 cm (Q = 2648 m3/s), and the discharge at the deterministic inlet into the Odra Canal of approximately Q = 2300 m3/s. The results of these analyses have shown that water wave volumes higher than the reference discharges occurred in a comparatively small number of years, and that their duration was one to two days.

78 FR 34431 - Effluent Limitations Guidelines and Standards for the Steam Electric Power Generating Point...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-06-07

...EPA is proposing a regulation that would strengthen the controls on discharges from certain steam electric power plants by revising technology-based effluent limitations guidelines and standards for the steam electric power generating point source category. Steam electric power plants alone contribute 50-60 percent of all toxic pollutants discharged to surface waters by all industrial categories currently regulated in the United States under the Clean Water Act. Furthermore, power plant discharges to surface waters are expected to increase as pollutants are increasingly captured by air pollution controls and transferred to wastewater discharges. This proposal, if implemented, would reduce the amount of toxic metals and other pollutants discharged to surface waters from power plants. EPA is considering several regulatory options in this rulemaking and has identified four preferred alternatives for regulation of discharges from existing sources. These four preferred alternatives differ with respect to the scope of requirements that would be applicable to existing discharges of pollutants found in two wastestreams generated at power plants. EPA estimates that the preferred options for this proposed rule would annually reduce pollutant discharges by 0.47 billion to 2.62 billion pounds, reduce water use by 50 billion to 103 billion gallons, cost $185 million to $954 million, and would be economically achievable.

Space platform power system hardware testbed

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sable, D.; Patil, A.; Sizemore, T.; Deuty, S.; Noon, J.; Cho, B. H.; Lee, F. C.

1991-01-01

The scope of the work on the NASA Space Platform includes the design of a multi-module, multi-phase boost regulator, and a voltage-fed, push-pull autotransformer converter for the battery discharger. A buck converter was designed for the charge regulator. Also included is the associated mode control electronics for the charger and discharger, as well as continued development of a comprehensive modeling and simulation tool for the system. The design of the multi-module boost converter is discussed for use as a battery discharger. An alternative battery discharger design is discussed using a voltage-fed, push-pull autotransformer converter. The design of the charge regulator is explained using a simple buck converter. The design of the mode controller and effects of locating the bus filter capacitor bank 20 feet away from the power ORU are discussed. A brief discussion of some alternative topologies for battery charging and discharging is included. The power system modeling is described.

Comparative Analysis of Resource Utilization and Safety of Outpatient Management Following Intensive AML Induction/Salvage Chemotherapy

PubMed Central

Vaughn, Jennifer E.; Othus, Megan; Powell, Morgan A.; Gardner, Kelda M.; Rizzuto, Donelle L.; Hendrie, Paul C.; Becker, Pamela S.; Pottinger, Paul S.; Estey, Elihu H.; Walter, Roland B.

2016-01-01

Importance Adults with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) typically remain hospitalized after induction or salvage chemotherapy until blood count recovery, with resulting prolonged inpatient stays being a primary driver of healthcare cost. Pilot studies suggest that outpatient management following chemotherapy might be safe and could reduce cost for these patients. Objective To compare safety, resource utilization, infections and cost between adults discharged early following AML induction or salvage chemotherapy and inpatient controls. Design Non-randomized phase 2 study. Setting Single center study conducted at the University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle, WA. Participants Over a 43-month period (January 1, 2011 – July 31, 2014), 178 adults receiving intensive AML chemotherapy were enrolled. After completion of chemotherapy, 107 met pre-designated medical and logistical criteria for early discharge (ED), while 29 met medical criteria only and served as inpatient controls. Interventions for Clinical Trials ED patients were discharged from the hospital at the completion of chemotherapy, and supportive care was provided in the outpatient setting until count recovery (median 21 days, range 2–45 days). Controls received inpatient supportive care (median 16 days, range 3–42 days). Main Outcome Measures 1) differences in early mortality 2) differences in resource utilization (ICU days, transfusions/study-day and IV antibiotics/study-day) 3) numbers of infections and 3) total and inpatient charges/study-day between early discharge patients and controls. Results Four patients discharged early (4%) but no controls died within 30 days of enrollment (p=0.58). Nine patients discharged early (8%) but no controls required intensive care unit-level care (p=0.20). No differences were noted in the average daily number of red blood cell (p=0.55) or platelet (p=0.31) transfusions. Patients discharged early did have more positive blood cultures (p=0.04) but required fewer days of IV antibiotics (p=0.007). Overall, daily charges among discharged patients were significantly lower (median $3,840 vs. $5,852; p<0.001) despite increased charges per inpatient day when readmitted (median $7,405 vs. $6,267; p<0.001). Conclusions and Relevance Early dischargefollowing intensive AML chemotherapy can reduce cost and use of IV antibiotics, but attention should be paid to complications that may occur in the outpatient setting. This study was registered at www.ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT01235572). PMID:26355382

49 CFR 178.338-11 - Discharge control devices.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... devices. (a) Excess-flow valves are not required. (b) Each liquid filling and liquid discharge line must... tank that is used to transport argon, carbon dioxide, helium, krypton, neon, nitrogen, xenon, or mixtures thereof, each liquid filling and liquid discharge line must be provided with an on-vehicle...

40 CFR 63.1543 - Standards for process and process fugitive sources.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... lead metal produced) from the aggregation of emissions discharged from the air pollution control... CATEGORIES National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for Primary Lead Smelting § 63.1543... reconstructed primary lead smelter shall discharge or cause to be discharged into the atmosphere lead compounds...

Does adding a dietician to the liaison team after discharge of geriatric patients improve nutritional outcome: a randomised controlled trial.

PubMed

Beck, A; Andersen, U T; Leedo, E; Jensen, L L; Martins, K; Quvang, M; Rask, K Ø; Vedelspang, A; Rønholt, F

2015-11-01

The objective was to test whether adding a dietician to a discharge Liaison-Team after discharge of geriatric patients improves nutritional status, muscle strength and patient relevant outcomes. Twelve-week randomized controlled trial. Geriatric patients (70 + years and at nutritional risk) at discharge. Participants were randomly allocated to receive discharge Liaison-Team vs. discharge Liaison-Team in cooperation with a dietician. The dietician performed a total of three home visits with the aim of developing and implementing an individual nutritional care plan. The first visit took place at the day of discharge together with the discharge Liaison-Team while the remaining visits took place approximately three and eight weeks after discharge and were performed by a dietician alone. Nutritional status (weight, and dietary intake), muscle strength (hand grip strength, chair-stand), functional status (mobility, and activities of daily living), quality of life, use of social services, re-/hospitalization and mortality. Seventy-one patients were included (34 in the intervention group), and 63 (89%) completed the second data collection after 12 weeks (31 in the intervention group). Odds ratios for hospitalization and mortality 6 months after discharge were 0.367 (0.129; 1.042) and 0.323 (0.060; 1.724). Nutritional status improved and some positive tendencies in favour of the intervention group were observed for patient relevant outcomes, i.e. activities of daily living, and quality of life. Almost 100% of the intervention group received three home visits by a dietician. Adding a dietician to the discharge Liaison-Team after discharge of geriatric patients can improve nutritional status and may reduce the number of times hospitalized within 6 months. A larger study is necessary to see a significant effect on other patient relevant outcomes. © The Author(s) 2014.

An experimental study of the role of subsurface plumbing on geothermal discharge

USGS Publications Warehouse

Namiki, Atsuko; Ueno, Yoshinori; Hurwitz, Shaul; Manga, Michael; Munoz-Saez, Carolina; Murphy, Fred

2016-01-01

In order to better understand the diverse discharge styles and eruption intervals observed at geothermal features, we performed three series of laboratory experiments with differing plumbing geometries. A single, straight conduit that connects a hot water bath (flask) to a vent (funnel) can originate geyser-like periodic eruptions, continuous discharge like a boiling spring, and fumarole-like steam discharge, depending on the conduit length and radius. The balance between the heat loss from the conduit walls and the heat supplied from the bottom determines whether and where water can condense which in turn controls discharge style. Next, we connected the conduit to a cold water reservoir through a branch, simulating the inflow from an external water source. Colder water located at a higher elevation than a branching point can flow into the conduit to stop the boiling in the flask, controlling the periodicity of the eruption. When an additional branch is connected to a second cold water reservoir, the two cold reservoirs can interact. Our experiments show that branching allows new processes to occur, such as recharge of colder water and escape of steam from side channels, leading to greater variation in discharge styles and eruption intervals. This model is consistent with the fact that eruption duration is not controlled by emptying reservoirs. We show how differences in plumbing geometries can explain various discharge styles and eruption intervals observed in El Tatio, Chile, and Yellowstone, USA.

Postoperative rehabilitation for chronic subdural hematoma in the elderly. An observational study focusing on balance, ambulation and discharge destination.

PubMed

Carlisi, Ettore; Feltroni, Lucia; Tinelli, Carmine; Verlotta, Mariarosaria; Gaetani, Paolo; Dalla Toffola, Elena

2017-02-01

Chronic subdural hematoma (CSDH) can have a negative impact on autonomy of the elderly. Ambulatory and functional status may remain limited despite successful surgical evacuation. To evaluate the outcome of a postoperative assisted rehabilitation program. Single-institution short-term observational study. Inpatient (Neurosurgery Unit of a University Hospital). Thirty-five patients, aged 65 or older, who underwent burr-hole drainage for chronic subdural hematoma. Postoperatively all participants underwent a rehabilitation program, described in details, aimed at recovering standing position and gait as soon as possible. The program involved daily 30-minute individual sessions assisted by a physiotherapist, until discharge from hospital. The Markwalder's Grading Scale was used to assess the neurological status preoperatively and at discharge. The Trunk Control Test, the Standing Balance by Bohannon Scale and the Modified Rankin Scale were used to evaluate balance and general function (primary outcome) in the immediate postoperative and at discharge. We also recorded the rate of pre-CSDH walking patients who maintained ambulation at discharge and the discharge destination (secondary outcome). Total scores of Markwalder's Grading Scale, Trunk Control Test, Standing Balance by Bohannon Scale and Modified Rankin Scale improved (P<0.05), indicating a global favorable outcome, especially for balance. Excluding the patients who were dependent pre-CSDH, the others maintained gait function in 74.2% of cases. Only 45.7% of the patients were discharged home, the others being divided between inpatient medical settings and rehabilitation. The rehabilitation program was well tolerated by the patients. Our study showed a clear improvement in trunk control and standing balance and an overall favorable outcome for neurological and ambulatory status at discharge. Despite an assisted postoperative rehabilitation program, the residual impairment in general function was the main factor that prevents us to discharge more elderly patients home rather than to assisted settings. The results of this descriptive study suggest that an assisted rehabilitation program may be helpful in improving short-term postoperative balance and ambulatory status (more than functional status), but further studies, with a randomized controlled design, are certainly justified to understand the efficacy of rehabilitation in this context.

Design of a variable width pulse generator feasible for manual or automatic control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vegas, I.; Antoranz, P.; Miranda, J. M.; Franco, F. J.

2017-01-01

A variable width pulse generator featuring more than 4-V peak amplitude and less than 10-ns FWHM is described. In this design the width of the pulses is controlled by means of the control signal slope. Thus, a variable transition time control circuit (TTCC) is also developed, based on the charge and discharge of a capacitor by means of two tunable current sources. Additionally, it is possible to activate/deactivate the pulses when required, therefore allowing the creation of any desired pulse pattern. Furthermore, the implementation presented here can be electronically controlled. In conclusion, due to its versatility, compactness and low cost it can be used in a wide variety of applications.

An atmosphere protection subsystem in the thermal power station automated process control system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Parchevskii, V. M.; Kislov, E. A.

2014-03-01

Matters concerned with development of methodical and mathematical support for an atmosphere protection subsystem in the thermal power station automated process control system are considered taking as an example the problem of controlling nitrogen oxide emissions at a gas-and-oil-fired thermal power station. The combined environmental-and-economic characteristics of boilers, which correlate the costs for suppressing emissions with the boiler steam load and mass discharge of nitrogen oxides in analytic form, are used as the main tool for optimal control. A procedure for constructing and applying environmental-and-economic characteristics on the basis of technical facilities available in modern instrumentation and control systems is presented.

ECR apparatus with magnetic coil for plasma refractive index control

DOEpatents

Berry, L.A.

1994-04-26

The present invention describes a technique to control the radial profile of microwave power in an ECR plasma discharge. In order to provide for a uniform plasma density to a specimen, uniform energy absorption by the plasma is desired. By controlling the radial profile of the microwave power transmitted through the microwave window of a reactor, the profile of the transmitted energy to the plasma can be controlled in order to have uniform energy absorption by the plasma. An advantage of controlling the profile using the window transmission characteristics is that variations to the radial profile of microwave power can be made without changing the microwave coupler or reactor design. 9 figures.

ECR apparatus with magnetic coil for plasma refractive index control

DOEpatents

Berry, Lee A.

1994-01-01

The present invention describes a technique to control the radial profile of microwave power in an ECR plasma discharge. In order to provide for a uniform plasma density to a specimen, uniform energy absorption by the plasma is desired. By controlling the radial profile of the microwave power transmitted through the microwave window of a reactor, the profile of the transmitted energy to the plasma can be controlled in order to have uniform energy absorption by the plasma. An advantage of controlling the profile using the window transmission characteristics is that variations to the radial profile of microwave power can be made without changing the microwave coupler or reactor design.

Spontaneous intraperitoneal rupture of a postpartum rectus sheath haematoma.

PubMed

Elmoghrabi, Adel; Mohamed, Mohamed; McCann, Michael; Sachwani-Daswani, Gul

2016-03-09

A 35-year-old woman presented to the emergency department (ED) with acute severe abdominal pain at 4 days postpartum. CT of the abdomen revealed a type II rectus sheath haematoma for which she was initially treated conservatively and discharged. A few hours later, she returned to the ED with a picture suggestive of peritonitis. Exploratory laparoscopy was performed and revealed haemoperitoneum and a ruptured area on the posterior rectus sheath. Approximately 2 L of blood was aspirated. Haemostatic control was achieved and closed suction drains secured in position. The patient was discharged in stable condition on postadmission day 6. She continued to follow-up on an outpatient basis and was doing well 3 months postoperatively. 2016 BMJ Publishing Group Ltd.

Spontaneous intraperitoneal rupture of a postpartum rectus sheath haematoma

PubMed Central

Elmoghrabi, Adel; McCann, Michael; Sachwani-Daswani, Gul

2016-01-01

A 35-year-old woman presented to the emergency department (ED) with acute severe abdominal pain at 4 days postpartum. CT of the abdomen revealed a type II rectus sheath haematoma for which she was initially treated conservatively and discharged. A few hours later, she returned to the ED with a picture suggestive of peritonitis. Exploratory laparoscopy was performed and revealed haemoperitoneum and a ruptured area on the posterior rectus sheath. Approximately 2 L of blood was aspirated. Haemostatic control was achieved and closed suction drains secured in position. The patient was discharged in stable condition on postadmission day 6. She continued to follow-up on an outpatient basis and was doing well 3 months postoperatively. PMID:26961567

Low levels of serum total antioxidant capacity and presence at admission and absence at discharge of a day/night change as a marker of acute paranoid schizophrenia relapse.

PubMed

Morera-Fumero, Armando L; Díaz-Mesa, Estefanía; Abreu-Gonzalez, Pedro; Fernandez-Lopez, Lourdes; Cejas-Mendez, Maria Del Rosario

2017-03-01

An oxidant-antioxidant system dysregulation has been described as a schizophrenia pathophysiological base. The total antioxidant capacity (TAC) is one measure of the antioxidant capacity of a system. Day/night concentration changes is a biological characteristic of hormones such as melatonin or cortisol. There is no information about TAC day/night changes in schizophrenia. Studying the existence of a day/night TAC change in schizophrenia. Forty-three DSM-IV paranoid schizophrenia inpatients participated in the study. Thirty healthy subjects matched by age and gender acted as control group. Blood was sampled at 12:00 and 00:00h the day after admission and the day before discharge. Serum TAC was measured by the ABTS radical cation technique and expressed in Trolox mmol/L. Patients had significantly lower TAC levels at admission and discharge (12:00 and 00:00) than controls. At admission patients had a TAC day/night change, with higher day-time than night-time levels (0.66±0.14 vs 0.60±0.15) as well as healthy subjects (0.83±0.07 vs 0.77±0.11). At discharge patients had a similar TAC level at 12:00 and 00:00 (0.64±0.15 vs 0.63±0.14). Schizophrenic patients present a deficit of the antioxidant system. The initial presence and the later absence of a day/night change deserves future studies. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effects of gas temperature in the plasma layer on RONS generation in array-type dielectric barrier discharge at atmospheric pressure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yoon, Sung-Young; Yi, Changho; Eom, Sangheum; Park, Seungil; Kim, Seong Bong; Ryu, Seungmin; Yoo, Suk Jae

2017-12-01

In this work, we studied the control of plasma-produced species under a fixed gas composition (i.e., ambient air) in a 10 kHz-driven array-type dielectric barrier atmospheric-pressure plasma discharge. Instead of the gas composition, only the gas velocity was controlled. Thus, the plasma-maintenance cost was considerably lower than methods such as external N2 or O2 injection. The plasma-produced species were monitored using Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy. The discharge properties were measured using a voltage probe, current probe, infrared camera, and optical emission spectroscopy. The results showed that the major plasma products largely depend on the gas temperature in the plasma discharge layer. The gas temperature in the plasma discharge layer was significantly different to the temperature of the ceramic adjacent to the plasma discharge layer, even in the small discharge power density of ˜15 W/cm2 or ˜100 W/cm3. Because the vibrational excitation of N2 was suppressed by the higher gas flow, the major plasma-produced species shifted from NOx in low flow to O3 in high flow.

Patent vitellointestinal duct as paraumblical abcess: A rare presentation

PubMed Central

Rekhi, Harnam Singh; Mittal, Sushil; Singh, Gurtej; Rekhi, Balwinder Kaur; Dugg, Pankaj

2015-01-01

Introduction Umbilical and paraumblical abscess can occur in children with presenting complaint of discharge from umbilical region. However, patent vitello intestinal duct presenting as paraumblical abscess is rare phenomenon. Presentation of case One year old male child presented with complain of discharge from umbilical region since birth. Incision & drainage done twice thinking it to be paraumblical abscess. Discussion Vitellointestinal duct as abscess is rare presentation but it should be considered as a differential diagnosis of discharging umbilicus as management of abscess and patent duct are different. Conclusion Patent vitellointestinal duct can present as paraumbilical abscess, and it should be kept in differential diagnosis specifically in children. PMID:26301682

[Effect of electromagnetic radiation on discharge activity of neurons in the hippocampus CA1 in rats].

PubMed

Tong, Jun; Chen, Su; Liu, Xiang-Ming; Hao, Dong-Mei

2013-09-01

In order to explore effect of electromagnetic radiation on learning and memory ability of hippocampus neuron in rats, the changes in discharge patterns and overall electrical activity of hippocampus neuron after electromagnetic radiation were observed. Rat neurons discharge was recorded with glass electrode extracellular recording technology and a polygraph respectively. Radiation frequency of electromagnetic wave was 900 MHZ and the power was 10 W/m2. In glass electrode extracellular recording, the rats were separately irradiated for 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 and 60 min, every points repeated 10 times and updated interval of 1h, observing the changes in neuron discharge and spontaneous discharge patterns after electromagnetic radiation. In polygraph recording experiments, irradiation group rats for five days a week, 6 hours per day, repeatedly for 10 weeks, memory electrical changes in control group and irradiation group rats when they were feeding were repeatedly monitored by the implanted electrodes, observing the changes in peak electric digits and the largest amplitude in hippocampal CA1 area, and taking some electromagnetic radiation sampling sequence for correlation analysis. (1) Electromagnetic radiation had an inhibitory role on discharge frequency of the hippocampus CA1 region neurons. After electromagnetic radiation, discharge frequency of the hippocampus CA1 region neurons was reduced, but the changes in scale was not obvious. (2) Electromagnetic radiation might change the spontaneous discharge patterns of hippocampus CA1 region neurons, which made the explosive discharge pattern increased obviously. (3) Peak potential total number within 5 min in irradiation group was significantly reduced, the largest amplitude was less than that of control group. (4) Using mathematical method to make the correlation analysis of the electromagnetic radiation sampling sequence, that of irradiation group was less than that of control group, indicating that there was a tending to be inhibitory connection between neurons in irradiation group after electromagnetic radiation. Electromagnetic radiation may cause structure and function changes of transfer synaptic in global, make hippocampal CA1 area neurons change in the overall discharge characteristic and discharge patterns, thus lead to decrease in the ability of learning and memory.

Parametric investigation of enclosed keeper discharge characteristics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sheheen, T. W.; Finke, R. C.

1973-01-01

Volt-ampere discharge characteristics of an enclosed keeper hollow cathode discharge were measured as a function of the mercury flow rate and external circuit impedance. Discharge currents were varied from 0 to 1 ampere and voltages were 7 to 39 volts. Batteries and a vacuum tube control circuit were used to obtain characteristics curves that were independent of power supply impedance. Variation of the neutral flow results in changes in the discharge which interact with the impedance of the external circuit, and under some conditions, give rise to multiple operating points.

Association between group A beta-haemolytic streptococci and vulvovaginitis in adult women: a case-control study.

PubMed

Bruins, M J; Damoiseaux, R A M J; Ruijs, G J H M

2009-08-01

Guidelines for the management of vaginal discharge mention Candida albicans, Trichomonas vaginalis, bacterial vaginosis, Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae as causes and do not recommend full microbiological culture. The role of non-group B beta-haemolytic streptococci in vaginal cultures is unclear, except for group A streptococci that are known to cause vulvovaginitis in children. In a case-control study, we investigated the association between non-group B beta-haemolytic streptococci and vulvovaginitis in adult women. Cases were women with recurrent vaginal discharge from whom a sample was cultured. Controls were asymptomatic women who consented to submitting a vaginal swab. Group A streptococci were isolated from 49 (4.9%) of 1,010 cases and not from the 206 controls (P < 0.01). Isolation rates of group C, F and G streptococci were low and did not differ statistically between cases and controls. Group A beta-haemolytic streptococci are associated with vaginal discharge in adult women. The other non-group B streptococci require more study. For the adequate management of vaginal discharge, culturing is necessary if initial treatment fails. Guidelines should be amended according to these results.

Evaluating the combined effects of source zone mass release rates and aquifer heterogeneity on solute discharge uncertainty

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Barros, Felipe P. J.

2018-07-01

Quantifying the uncertainty in solute mass discharge at an environmentally sensitive location is key to assess the risks due to groundwater contamination. Solute mass fluxes are strongly affected by the spatial variability of hydrogeological properties as well as release conditions at the source zone. This paper provides a methodological framework to investigate the interaction between the ubiquitous heterogeneity of the hydraulic conductivity and the mass release rate at the source zone on the uncertainty of mass discharge. Through the use of perturbation theory, we derive analytical and semi-analytical expressions for the statistics of the solute mass discharge at a control plane in a three-dimensional aquifer while accounting for the solute mass release rates at the source. The derived solutions are limited to aquifers displaying low-to-mild heterogeneity. Results illustrate the significance of the source zone mass release rate in controlling the mass discharge uncertainty. The relative importance of the mass release rate on the mean solute discharge depends on the distance between the source and the control plane. On the other hand, we find that the solute release rate at the source zone has a strong impact on the variance of the mass discharge. Within a risk context, we also compute the peak mean discharge as a function of the parameters governing the spatial heterogeneity of the hydraulic conductivity field and mass release rates at the source zone. The proposed physically-based framework is application-oriented, computationally efficient and capable of propagating uncertainty from different parameters onto risk metrics. Furthermore, it can be used for preliminary screening purposes to guide site managers to perform system-level sensitivity analysis and better allocate resources.

Variable partitioning of flow and sediment transfer through a large river diffluence-confluence unit across a monsoonal flood pulse

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hackney, C. R.; Aalto, R. E.; Darby, S. E.; Parsons, D. R.; Leyland, J.; Nicholas, A. P.; Best, J.

2016-12-01

Bifurcations represent key morphological nodes within the channel networks of anabranching and braided fluvial channels, playing an important role in controlling local bed morphology, the routing of sediment and water, and defining the stability of the downstream reaches. Herein, we detail field observations of the three-dimensional flow structure, bed morphological changes and partitioning of both flow discharge and suspended sediment through a large diffluence-confluence unit on the Mekong River, Cambodia, across a range of flow stages (from 13,500 m3 s-1 to 27,000 m3 s-1) over the monsoonal flood-pulse cycle. We show that the discharge asymmetry (a measure of the disparity between discharges distributed down the left and right branches of the bifurcation) varies with flow discharge and that the influence of upstream curvature-induced cross-stream water surface slope and bed morphological changes are first-order controls in modulating the asymmetry in bifurcation discharge. Flow discharge is shown to play a key role in defining the morphodynamics of the diffluence-confluence unit downstream of the bifurcation. Our data show that during peak flows (Q 27,000 m3 s-1), the downstream island complex acts as a net sink of suspended sediment (with 2600 kg s-1 being deposited between the diffluence and confluence), whereas during lower flows, on both the rising and falling limbs of the flood wave, the sediment balance is in quasi-equilibrium. We propose a new conceptual model of bifurcation stability that incorporates varying flood discharge and in which the long term stability of the bifurcation, as well as the larger channel planform and morphology of the diffluence-confluence unit, are controlled by the variations in flood discharge.

The influence of flow discharge variations on the morphodynamics of a diffluence-confluence unit on the Mekong River

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hackney, Christopher; Darby, Stephen; Parsons, Daniel; Leyland, Julian; Aalto, Rolf; Nicholas, Andrew; Best, Jim

2017-04-01

Bifurcations represent key morphological nodes within the channel networks of anabranching and braided fluvial channels, playing an important role in controlling local bed morphology, the routing of sediment and water, and defining the stability of the downstream reaches. Herein, we detail field observations of the three-dimensional flow structure, bed morphological changes and partitioning of both flow discharge and suspended sediment through a large diffluence-confluence unit on the Mekong River, Cambodia, across a range of flow stages (from 13,500 m3 s-1 to 27,000 m3 s-1) over the monsoonal flood-pulse cycle. We show that the discharge asymmetry (a measure of the disparity between discharges distributed down the left and right branches of the bifurcation) varies with flow discharge and that the influence of upstream curvature-induced cross-stream water surface slope and bed morphological changes are first-order controls in modulating the asymmetry in bifurcation discharge. Flow discharge is shown to play a key role in defining the morphodynamics of the diffluence-confluence unit downstream of the bifurcation. Our data show that during high flows (Q 27,000 m3 s-1), the downstream island complex acts as a net sink of suspended sediment (with 2600 kg s-1 being deposited between the diffluence and confluence), whereas during lower flows, on both the rising and falling limbs of the flood wave, the sediment balance is in quasi-equilibrium. We propose, therefore, that the long term stability of the bifurcation, as well as the larger channel planform and morphology of the diffluence-confluence unit, is therefore controlled by annual monsoonal flood pulses and the associated variations in discharge.

240 nm UV LEDs for LISA test mass charge control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Olatunde, Taiwo; Shelley, Ryan; Chilton, Andrew; Serra, Paul; Ciani, Giacomo; Mueller, Guido; Conklin, John

2015-05-01

Test Masses inside the LISA Gravitational Reference Sensor must maintain almost pure geodesic motion for gravitational waves to be successfully detected. LISA requires residual test mass accelerations below 3 fm/s2/√Hz at all frequencies between 0.1 and 3 mHz. One of the well-known noise sources is associated with the charges on the test masses which couple to stray electrical potentials and external electromagnetic fields. LISA Pathfinder will use Hg-discharge lamps emitting mostly around 254 nm to discharge the test masses via photoemission in its 2015/16 flight. A future LISA mission launched around 2030 will likely replace the lamps with newer UV-LEDs. Presented here is a preliminary study of the effectiveness of charge control using latest generation UV-LEDs which produce light at 240 nm with energy above the work function of pure Au. Their lower mass, better power efficiency and small size make them an ideal replacement for Hg lamps.

Influence of Plasma Jet Temperature Profiles in Arc Discharge Methods of Carbon Nanotubes Synthesis

PubMed Central

Raniszewski, Grzegorz; Wiak, Slawomir; Pietrzak, Lukasz; Szymanski, Lukasz; Kolacinski, Zbigniew

2017-01-01

One of the most common methods of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) synthesis is application of an electric-arc plasma. However, the final product in the form of cathode deposit is composed of carbon nanotubes and a variety of carbon impurities. An assay of carbon nanotubes produced in arc discharge systems available on the market shows that commercial cathode deposits contain about 10% CNTs. Given that the quality of the final product depends on carbon–plasma jet parameters, it is possible to increase the yield of the synthesis by plasma jet control. Most of the carbon nanotubes are multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). It was observed that the addition of catalysts significantly changes the plasma composition, effective ionization potential, the arc channel conductance, and in effect temperature of the arc and carbon elements flux. This paper focuses on the influence of metal components on plasma-jet forming containing carbon nanotubes cathode deposit. The plasma jet temperature control system is presented. PMID:28336884

Influence of Plasma Jet Temperature Profiles in Arc Discharge Methods of Carbon Nanotubes Synthesis.

PubMed

Raniszewski, Grzegorz; Wiak, Slawomir; Pietrzak, Lukasz; Szymanski, Lukasz; Kolacinski, Zbigniew

2017-02-23

One of the most common methods of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) synthesis is application of an electric-arc plasma. However, the final product in the form of cathode deposit is composed of carbon nanotubes and a variety of carbon impurities. An assay of carbon nanotubes produced in arc discharge systems available on the market shows that commercial cathode deposits contain about 10% CNTs. Given that the quality of the final product depends on carbon-plasma jet parameters, it is possible to increase the yield of the synthesis by plasma jet control. Most of the carbon nanotubes are multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). It was observed that the addition of catalysts significantly changes the plasma composition, effective ionization potential, the arc channel conductance, and in effect temperature of the arc and carbon elements flux. This paper focuses on the influence of metal components on plasma-jet forming containing carbon nanotubes cathode deposit. The plasma jet temperature control system is presented.

Detecting frontal ablation processes from direct observations of submarine terminus morphology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fried, M.; Carroll, D.; Catania, G. A.; Sutherland, D. A.; Stearns, L. A.; Bartholomaus, T. C.; Shroyer, E.; Nash, J. D.

2017-12-01

Tidewater glacier termini couple glacier and ocean systems. Subglacial discharge emerging from the terminus produces buoyant plumes that modulate submarine melting, calving, fjord circulation and, in turn, changes in ice dynamics from back-stress perturbations. However, the absence of critical observational data at the ice-ocean interface limits plume and, by extension, melt models from incorporating realistic submarine terminus face morphologies and assessing their impact on terminus behavior at tidewater glaciers. Here we present a comprehensive inventory and characterization of submarine terminus face shapes from a side-looking, multibeam echo sounding campaign across Kangerdlugssuaq Sermerssua glacier, central-west Greenland. We combine these observations with in-situ measurements of ocean stratification and remotely sensed subglacial discharge, terminus positions, ice velocity, and ice surface datasets to infer the spectrum of processes sculpting the submarine terminus face. Subglacial discharge outlet locations are confirmed through observations of sediment plumes, localized melt-driven undercutting of the terminus face, and bathymetry of the adjacent seafloor. From our analysis, we differentiate terminus morphologies resulting from submarine melt and calving and assess the contribution of each process to the net frontal ablation budget. Finally, we constrain a plume model using direct observations of the submarine terminus face and conduit geometry. Plume model simulations demonstrate that the majority of discharge outlets are fed by small discharge fluxes, suggestive of a distributed subglacial hydrologic system. Outlets with the largest, concentrated discharge fluxes are morphologically unique and strongly control seasonal terminus position. At these locations, we show that the spatiotemporal pattern of terminus retreat is well correlated with time periods when local melt rate exceeds ice velocity.

Evaluation of functional independence after discharge from the intensive care unit

PubMed Central

Curzel, Juliane; Forgiarini Junior, Luiz Alberto; Rieder, Marcelo de Mello

2013-01-01

Objective 1) To evaluate the functional independence measures immediately after discharge from an intensive care unit and to compare these values with the FIMs 30 days after that period. 2) To evaluate the possible associated risk factors. Methods The present investigation was a prospective cohort study that included individuals who were discharged from the intensive care unit and underwent physiotherapy in the unit. Functional independence was evaluated using the functional independence measure immediately upon discharge from the intensive care unit and 30 days thereafter via a phone call. The patients were admitted to the Hospital Santa Clara intensive care unit during the period from May 2011 to August 2011. Results During the predetermined period of data collection, 44 patients met the criteria for inclusion in the study. The mean age of the patients was 55.4±10.5 years. Twenty-seven of the subjects were female, and 15 patients were admitted due to pulmonary disease. The patients exhibited an functional independence measure of 84.1±24.2. When this measure was compared to the measure at 30 days after discharge, there was improvement across the functional independence variables except for that concerned with sphincter control. There were no significant differences when comparing the gender, age, clinical diagnosis, length of stay in the intensive care unit, duration of mechanical ventilation, and the presence of sepsis during this period. Conclusion Functional independence, as evaluated by the functional independence measure scale, was improved at 30 days after discharge from the intensive care unit, but it was not possible to define the potentially related factors. PMID:23917973

Generator and Setup for Emulating Exposures of Biological Samples to Lightning Strokes.

PubMed

Rebersek, Matej; Marjanovic, Igor; Begus, Samo; Pillet, Flavien; Rols, Marie-Pierre; Miklavcic, Damijan; Kotnik, Tadej

2015-10-01

We aimed to develop a system for controlled exposure of biological samples to conditions they experience when lightning strikes their habitats. We based the generator on a capacitor charged via a bridge rectifier and a dc-dc converter, and discharged via a relay, delivering arcs similar to natural lightning strokes in electric current waveform and similarly accompanied by acoustic shock waves. We coupled the generator to our exposure chamber described previously, measured electrical and acoustic properties of arc discharges delivered, and assessed their ability to inactivate bacterial spores. Submicrosecond discharges descended vertically from the conical emitting electrode across the air gap, entering the sample centrally and dissipating radially toward the ring-shaped receiving electrode. In contrast, longer discharges tended to short-circuit the electrodes. Recording at 341 000 FPS with Vision Research Phantom v2010 camera revealed that initial arc descent was still vertical, but became accompanied by arcs leaning increasingly sideways; after 8-12 μs, as the first of these arcs formed direct contact with the receiving electrode, it evolved into a channel of plasmified air and short-circuited the electrodes. We eliminated this artefact by incorporating an insulating cylinder concentrically between the electrodes, precluding short-circuiting between them. While bacterial spores are highly resistant to electric pulses delivered through direct contact, we showed that with arc discharges accompanied by an acoustic shock wave, spore inactivation is readily obtained. The presented system allows scientific investigation of effects of arc discharges on biological samples. This system will allow realistic experimental studies of lightning-triggered horizontal gene transfer and assessment of its role in evolution.

Controlling the dynamics of electrons and ions in large area capacitive radio frequency plasmas via the Electrical Asymmetry Effect

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schuengel, Edmund

2014-10-01

The processing of large area surfaces in capacitive radio-frequency plasmas is a crucial step in the manufacturing of various high-technological products. To optimize these discharges for applications, understanding and controlling the dynamics of electrons and ions is vitally important. A recently proposed method of controlling these dynamics is based on the Electrical Asymmetry Effect (EAE): By driving the capacitive discharge with a dual-frequency voltage waveform composed of two consecutive harmonics, the symmetry of the discharge can be varied by tuning the relative phase. In this experimental study, the EAE is tested in hydrogen diluted silane discharges. The electron dynamics visualized by Phase Resolved Optical Emission Spectroscopy depends on the electrical asymmetry, the heating mode, and the presence of dust particles agglomerating in the plasma volume. In particular, a transition from the α-mode (heating by sheath expansion and field reversal) to the Ω-mode (heating by drift field in the bulk) is observed. The ion dynamics are strongly affected by the sheaths electric fields, which can be controlled via the EAE: Separate control of the flux and mean energy of ions onto the electrodes is possible via the EAE. Furthermore, investigations of the spatially resolved ion flux in the electromagnetic regime, i.e. using higher driving frequencies, reveal that the ion flux profile is controllable via the phase, as well, allowing for a significant improvement of the uniformity. Thus, it is demonstrated that the EAE is a powerful tool to control the properties of large area capacitive discharges in the volume and at the surfaces in various ways. Funded by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature conservation, and Nuclear Safety (0325210B).

Evaluation of stormwater micropollutant source control and end-of-pipe control strategies using an uncertainty-calibrated integrated dynamic simulation model.

PubMed

Vezzaro, L; Sharma, A K; Ledin, A; Mikkelsen, P S

2015-03-15

The estimation of micropollutant (MP) fluxes in stormwater systems is a fundamental prerequisite when preparing strategies to reduce stormwater MP discharges to natural waters. Dynamic integrated models can be important tools in this step, as they can be used to integrate the limited data provided by monitoring campaigns and to evaluate the performance of different strategies based on model simulation results. This study presents an example where six different control strategies, including both source-control and end-of-pipe treatment, were compared. The comparison focused on fluxes of heavy metals (copper, zinc) and organic compounds (fluoranthene). MP fluxes were estimated by using an integrated dynamic model, in combination with stormwater quality measurements. MP sources were identified by using GIS land usage data, runoff quality was simulated by using a conceptual accumulation/washoff model, and a stormwater retention pond was simulated by using a dynamic treatment model based on MP inherent properties. Uncertainty in the results was estimated with a pseudo-Bayesian method. Despite the great uncertainty in the MP fluxes estimated by the runoff quality model, it was possible to compare the six scenarios in terms of discharged MP fluxes, compliance with water quality criteria, and sediment accumulation. Source-control strategies obtained better results in terms of reduction of MP emissions, but all the simulated strategies failed in fulfilling the criteria based on emission limit values. The results presented in this study shows how the efficiency of MP pollution control strategies can be quantified by combining advanced modeling tools (integrated stormwater quality model, uncertainty calibration). Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Enhanced reproducibility of L-mode plasma discharges via physics-model-based q-profile feedback control in DIII-D

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schuster, E.; Wehner, W. P.; Barton, J. E.; Boyer, M. D.; Luce, T. C.; Ferron, J. R.; Holcomb, C. T.; Walker, M. L.; Humphreys, D. A.; Solomon, W. M.; Penaflor, B. G.; Johnson, R. D.

2017-11-01

Recent experiments on DIII-D demonstrate the potential of physics-model-based q-profile control to improve reproducibility of plasma discharges. A combined feedforward  +  feedback control scheme is employed to optimize the current ramp-up phase by consistently achieving target q profiles (Target 1: q_min=1.3, q95=4.4 ; Target 2: q_min=1.65, q95=5.0 ; Target 3: q_min=2.1, q95=6.2 ) at prescribed times during the plasma formation phase (Target 1: t=1.5 s; Target 2: t=1.3 s; Target 3: t=1.0 s). At the core of the control scheme is a nonlinear, first-principles-driven, physics-based, control-oriented model of the plasma dynamics valid for low confinement (L-mode) scenarios. To prevent undesired L-H transitions, a constraint on the maximum allowable total auxiliary power is imposed in addition to the maximum powers for the individual heating and current-drive sources. Experimental results are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the combined feedforward  +  feedback control scheme to consistently achieve the desired target profiles at the predefined times. These results also show how the addition of feedback control significantly improves upon the feedforward-only control solution by reducing the matching error and also how the feedback controller is able to reduce the matching error as the constraint on the maximum allowable total auxiliary power is relaxed while keeping the plasma in L-mode.

Development of a Power Electronics Unit for the Space Station Plasma Contactor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hamley, John A.; Hill, Gerald M.; Patterson, Michael J.; Saggio, Joseph, Jr.; Terdan, Fred; Mansell, Justin D.

1994-01-01

A hollow cathode plasma contactor has been baselined as a charge control device for the Space Station (SS) to prevent deleterious interactions of coated structural components with the ambient plasma. NASA LeRC Work Package 4 initiated the development of a plasma contactor system comprised of a Power Electronics Unit (PEU), an Expellant Management Unit (EMU), a command and data interface, and a Plasma Contactor Unit (PCU). A breadboard PEU was designed and fabricated. The breadboard PEU contains a cathode heater and discharge power supply, which were required to operate the PCU, a control and auxiliary power converter, an EMU interface, a command and telemetry interface, and a controller. The cathode heater and discharge supplies utilized a push-pull topology with a switching frequency of 20 kHz and pulse-width-modulated (PWM) control. A pulse ignition circuit derived from that used in arcjet power processors was incorporated in the discharge supply for discharge ignition. An 8088 based microcontroller was utilized in the breadboard model to provide a flexible platform for controller development with a simple command/data interface incorporating a direct connection to SS Mulitplexer/Demultiplexer (MDM) analog and digital I/O cards. Incorporating this in the flight model would eliminate the hardware and software overhead associated with a 1553 serial interface. The PEU autonomously operated the plasma contactor based on command inputs and was successfully integrated with a prototype plasma contactor unit demonstrating reliable ignition of the discharge and steady-state operation.

Application of surface electrical discharges to the study of lightning strikes on aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Boulay, J. L.; Larigaldie, S.

1991-01-01

Considered here is the characterization of surface discharges which provide a facility complementary to that of artificially triggered lightning. General characteristics of a simplified surface discharge, including current waveforms and the constitution of a surface discharge are outlined, and the application of this approach to the study of aircraft lightning strikes is considered. Representations of leader-streamer and return-stroke phases are discussed, and the application to the two-dimensional discharge phase is covered. It is noted that the fact that the initiation times of surface discharges could be controlled, and the path followed by the discharge channels could be predetermined, indicates that it is possible to produce a highly dedicated high performance instrumentation system.

Quasi-Experimental Evaluation of the Effectiveness of a Large-Scale Readmission Reduction Program.

PubMed

Jenq, Grace Y; Doyle, Margaret M; Belton, Beverly M; Herrin, Jeph; Horwitz, Leora I

2016-05-01

Feasibility, effectiveness, and sustainability of large-scale readmission reduction efforts are uncertain. The Greater New Haven Coalition for Safe Transitions and Readmission Reductions was funded by the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to reduce readmissions among all discharged Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) patients. To evaluate whether overall Medicare FFS readmissions were reduced through an intervention applied to high-risk discharge patients. This quasi-experimental evaluation took place at an urban academic medical center. Target discharge patients were older than 64 years with Medicare FFS insurance, residing in nearby zip codes, and discharged alive to home or facility and not against medical advice or to hospice; control discharge patients were older than 54 years with the same zip codes and discharge disposition but without Medicare FFS insurance if older than 64 years. High-risk target discharge patients were selectively enrolled in the program. Personalized transitional care, including education, medication reconciliation, follow-up telephone calls, and linkage to community resources. We measured the 30-day unplanned same-hospital readmission rates in the baseline period (May 1, 2011, through April 30, 2012) and intervention period (October 1, 2012, through May 31, 2014). We enrolled 10 621 (58.3%) of 18 223 target discharge patients (73.9% of discharge patients screened as high risk) and included all target discharge patients in the analysis. The mean (SD) age of the target discharge patients was 79.7 (8.8) years. The adjusted readmission rate decreased from 21.5% to 19.5% in the target population and from 21.1% to 21.0% in the control population, a relative reduction of 9.3%. The number needed to treat to avoid 1 readmission was 50. In a difference-in-differences analysis using a logistic regression model, the odds of readmission in the target population decreased significantly more than that of the control population in the intervention period (odds ratio, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.83-0.99; P = .03). In a comparative interrupted time series analysis of the difference in monthly adjusted admission rates, the target population decreased an absolute -3.09 (95% CI, -6.47 to 0.29; P = .07) relative to the control population, a similar but nonsignificant effect. This large-scale readmission reduction program reduced readmissions by 9.3% among the full population targeted by the CMS despite being delivered only to high-risk patients. However, it did not achieve the goal reduction set by the CMS.

Corollary discharge provides the sensory content of inner speech.

PubMed

Scott, Mark

2013-09-01

Inner speech is one of the most common, but least investigated, mental activities humans perform. It is an internal copy of one's external voice and so is similar to a well-established component of motor control: corollary discharge. Corollary discharge is a prediction of the sound of one's voice generated by the motor system. This prediction is normally used to filter self-caused sounds from perception, which segregates them from externally caused sounds and prevents the sensory confusion that would otherwise result. The similarity between inner speech and corollary discharge motivates the theory, tested here, that corollary discharge provides the sensory content of inner speech. The results reported here show that inner speech attenuates the impact of external sounds. This attenuation was measured using a context effect (an influence of contextual speech sounds on the perception of subsequent speech sounds), which weakens in the presence of speech imagery that matches the context sound. Results from a control experiment demonstrated this weakening in external speech as well. Such sensory attenuation is a hallmark of corollary discharge.

Using a Classic Paper by Bell as a Platform for Discussing the Role of Corollary Discharge-Like Signals in Sensory Perception and Movement Control

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cecala, Aaron L.

2014-01-01

Decades of behavioral observations have shown that invertebrate and vertebrate species have the ability to distinguish between self-generated afferent inputs versus those that are generated externally. In the present article, I describe activities focused around the discussion of a classic American Physiological Society paper by Curtis C. Bell…

Effects Of Moisture On Zinc Orthotitanate Paint

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mon, Gordon R.; Gonzalez, Charles C.; Ross, JR., Ronald g.; Wen, Liang C.; O'Donnell, Timothy

1991-01-01

Report presents results of tests of electrical conductivity and resistance to corrosion of zinc orthotitanate (ZOT) paint. Measured effects of temperature, humidity, and vacuum on ceramic paint. Used as temperature-control coating designed to have low and stable ratio of absorptance to emittance for heat radiation. Helps to prevent buildup of static electric charge and helps to protect electronic circuitry from potentially damaging static discharges.

[Leprosy reactions in discharged patients following cure by multidrug therapy].

PubMed

Souza, Linton Wallis Figueiredo

2010-01-01

Reactional states are the main cause of nerve lesions and incapacities provoked by leprosy. Retrospective study aimed at verifying the frequency of leprosy reactions in discharged patients following cure by multidrug therapy (MDT). Among patients who presented reactions during treatment, 35.5% continued after MDT; of those that did not present during treatment, only 12.7% presented after discharge; 63.4% multibacillary patients presented during and 31.7% after; 27.7% paucibacillary patients presented during and 8.3% after. A direct proportional relation exists between the presence of reactions during and after treatment. Multibacillary clinical forms present a greater frequency of reactions during and after cure.

Repetitively Pulsed Nonequilibrium Plasmas for Plasma-Assisted Combustion, Flow Control, and Molecular Lasers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adamovich, Igor

2006-10-01

The paper presents results of three experiments using high voltage, short pulse duration, high repetition rate discharge plasmas. High electric field during the pulse (E/N˜500-1000 Td) allows efficient ionization and molecular dissociation. Between the pulses, additional energy can be coupled to the decaying plasma using a DC field set below the breakdown threshold. While the DC sustainer discharge adds 90-95% of all the power to the flow, it does not produce any additional ionization. The pulser and the sustainer discharges are fully overlapped in space. Low duty cycle of the pulsed ionizer, ˜1/1000, allows sustaining diffuse and uniform pulser-sustainer plasmas at high pressures and power loadings. The first experiment using the pulsed discharge is ignition of premixed hydrocarbon-air flows, which occurs at low pulsed discharge powers, ˜100 W, and very low plasma temperatures, 100-200^0 C. The second experiment is Lorentz force acceleration of low-temperature supersonic flows. The pulsed discharge was used to generate electrical conductivity in M=3 nitrogen and air flows, while the sustainer discharge produced transverse current in the presence of magnetic field of B=1.5 T. Retarding Lorentz force applied to the flow produced a static pressure increase of up to 15-20%, while accelerating force of the same magnitude resulted in static pressure rise of up to 7-8%, i.e. a factor of two smaller. The third experiment is singlet delta oxygen (SDO) generation in a high-pressure pulser-sustainer discharge. SDO yield was inferred from the integrated intensity of SDO infrared emission spectra calibrated using a blackbody source. The measured yield exceeds the laser threshold yield by about a factor of three, which makes possible achieving positive gain in the laser cavity. The highest gain measured so far is 0.03%/cm.

Floating Gate sensor for in-vivo dosimetry in radiation therapies. Design and first characterization.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Faigon, A.; Martinez Vazquez, I.; Carbonetto, S.; García Inza, M.; G

2017-01-01

A floating gate dosimeter was designed and fabricated in a standard CMOS technology. The design guides and characterization are presented. The characterization included the controlled charging by tunneling of the floating gate, and its discharging under irradiation while measuring the transistor drain current whose change is the measure of the absorbed dose. The resolution of the obtained device is close to 1 cGy satisfying the requirements for most radiation therapies dosimetry. Pending statistical proofs, the dosimeter is a potential candidate for wide in-vivo control of radiotherapy treatments.

Levels at Streamflow Gaging Stations--A CD-ROM Based Training Class

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nolan, K. Michael; Jacobson, Nathan; Erickson, Robert; Landon, Stanley

2003-01-01

Streamgages record the elevation of the water surface above some reference surface, or datum. This datum is assumed to remain unchanged throughout the life of the gage. However, the elevation of gages and their supporting structures often change over time as a result of earthmovement, floods, ice, and debris. The surveying practice of leveling is used to establish datum for new gage structures and to check for vertical movement of those structures over time. Vertical changes in gage structures can affect stage-discharge relations and, thus, could result in incorrect discharge determinations. Datum checks are used to correct stage-discharge relations and allow the USGS to document gage datum throughout the life of a gage. This training presentation describes methods currently used by the U.S. Geological Survey to run levels at gaging stations. The presentation is narrated, but you control the pace of the presentation. If the computer you are using can view 'MPEG' videos you will be able to take advantage of videos found within the presentation. A test, found at the end of the presentation, can be taken to assess how well you understood the training material. The class is registered as class SW1307 with the National Training Center of the U.S. Geologcial Survey. The presentation was developed using Macromedia Director 8.5(1) and is contained in the file 'WRI-4002.exe', which should auto-launch after the CD-ROM is inserted in the PC. The program only runs on a windows-based personal computer (PC). A sound card and speakers are necessary to take advantage of the narration that accompanies the presentation. Text of narrations is provided, if you are unable to listen to the narrations. Instructions for installing and running the presentation are included in the file ' Intro.html'. The file 'Intro.html' is on the CD-ROM containing the presentation and is available from the presentation's help menu.

40 CFR 265.404 - Closure.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

..., Physical, and Biological Treatment § 265.404 Closure. At closure, all hazardous waste and hazardous waste residues must be removed from treatment processes or equipment, discharge control equipment, and discharge...

40 CFR 265.404 - Closure.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

..., Physical, and Biological Treatment § 265.404 Closure. At closure, all hazardous waste and hazardous waste residues must be removed from treatment processes or equipment, discharge control equipment, and discharge...

40 CFR 265.404 - Closure.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

..., Physical, and Biological Treatment § 265.404 Closure. At closure, all hazardous waste and hazardous waste residues must be removed from treatment processes or equipment, discharge control equipment, and discharge...

40 CFR 265.404 - Closure.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

..., Physical, and Biological Treatment § 265.404 Closure. At closure, all hazardous waste and hazardous waste residues must be removed from treatment processes or equipment, discharge control equipment, and discharge...

40 CFR 265.404 - Closure.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

..., Physical, and Biological Treatment § 265.404 Closure. At closure, all hazardous waste and hazardous waste residues must be removed from treatment processes or equipment, discharge control equipment, and discharge...

Premenarchal, recurrent vaginal discharge associated with an incomplete obstructing longitudinal vaginal septum.

PubMed

Hansen, Keith A; DeWitt, Jason

2005-12-01

To describe an unusual, premenarchal presentation of an obstructive vaginal anomaly. Case Report. University Medical Center. Premenarchal subject Vaginogram, vaginal septum resection. Vaginal septum resection with resolution of vaginal discharge. This case demonstrates some of the typical features of uterus didelphys bicollis with incomplete obstructing hemivagina, but had a unique presentation with premenarchal, recurrent vaginal discharge. Typically, patients with an obstructing mullerian anomaly present after menarche with pelvic pain and a mass. The vaginogram assists in the preoperative definition of abnormal anatomy which allows the surgeon to develop the most appropriate surgical approach. Resection of this incompletely obstructing vaginal septum resulted in resolution of the recurrent vaginal discharge.

The effect of sex counselling in the sexual activity of acute myocardial infarction patients after primary percutaneous coronary intervention.

PubMed

Xu, Feng; Ming, Qiang; Hou, Lei

2015-08-01

Primary percutaneous coronary intervention has improved the outcome of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients. Counsel-guided sex rehabilitation efficacy in acute myocardial infarction patients receiving percutaneous coronary intervention remains unknown. The aim of the study was to study counsel-guided sex rehabilitation efficacy in AMI patients receiving percutaneous coronary intervention. 240 AMI patients who received percutaneous coronary intervention were randomly divided into a control and a counselling group. Control group patients were given written sex rehabilitation instruction before discharge, while counselling group patients were given written instruction before discharge and monthly counselling with healthcare providers. Before discharge, the first evaluation was performed for frequency of and satisfaction with sexual activity before AMI. At one year of follow-up, the time of resuming, frequency of and satisfaction with sexual activity was evaluated. The main adverse event rates were also investigated. No significant differences in age, sex, smoking status, hypertension, diabetes, PVD (peripheral vascular disease), EF (ejection fraction) or GRACE (Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events) score were found between the groups. Both groups suffered reduced frequency of and satisfaction with sexual activity after AMI as compared with prior to presentation with AMI. However, compared with controls, the counselling group had higher scores for frequency of and satisfaction with sexual activity after AMI. The time to resume sexual activity after AMI in the counselling group was significantly shorter than was found for the control group.There were no significant differences between the groups for recurrent AMI, non-fatal stroke, admitting the patient for angina, all-cause death or adverse events. Intermittent discussions between healthcare providers and AMI patients improved resumption of sexual activity. Encouraging patients who received complete coronary revascularization to resume sexual activity shortly after AMI was safe.

Refrigeration system with a compressor-pump unit and a liquid-injection desuperheating line

DOEpatents

Gaul, Christopher J.

2001-01-01

The refrigeration system includes a compressor-pump unit and/or a liquid-injection assembly. The refrigeration system is a vapor-compression refrigeration system that includes an expansion device, an evaporator, a compressor, a condenser, and a liquid pump between the condenser and the expansion device. The liquid pump improves efficiency of the refrigeration system by increasing the pressure of, thus subcooling, the liquid refrigerant delivered from the condenser to the expansion device. The liquid pump and the compressor are driven by a single driving device and, in this regard, are coupled to a single shaft of a driving device, such as a belt-drive, an engine, or an electric motor. While the driving device may be separately contained, in a preferred embodiment, the liquid pump, the compressor, and the driving device (i.e., an electric motor) are contained within a single sealable housing having pump and driving device cooling paths to subcool liquid refrigerant discharged from the liquid pump and to control the operating temperature of the driving device. In another aspect of the present invention, a liquid injection assembly is included in a refrigeration system to divert liquid refrigerant from the discharge of a liquid pressure amplification pump to a compressor discharge pathway within a compressor housing to desuperheat refrigerant vapor to the saturation point within the compressor housing. The liquid injection assembly includes a liquid injection pipe with a control valve to meter the volume of diverted liquid refrigerant. The liquid injection assembly may also include a feedback controller with a microprocessor responsive to a pressure sensor and a temperature sensor both positioned between the compressor to operate the control valve to maintain the refrigerant at or near saturation.

Early hyperbaric oxygen treatment for nonarteritic central retinal artery obstruction.

PubMed

Menzel-Severing, Johannes; Siekmann, Ullrich; Weinberger, Andreas; Roessler, Gernot; Walter, Peter; Mazinani, Babac

2012-03-01

To compare hyperbaric oxygen treatment combined with hemodilution with hemodilution only in central retinal artery obstruction. Retrospective, nonrandomized case series. We reviewed records of all our patients diagnosed with central retinal artery obstruction between 1997 and 2010. In these patients, hyperbaric oxygen and hemodilution therapy had been administered routinely (oxygen group). Where hyperbaric oxygenation could not be performed, patients were underwent hemodilution only (control group). Patients with presenting visual acuity (VA) of up to 20/200 within 12 hours of onset were included in our analysis. Exclusion criteria included cilioretinal vessels or arteritic occlusion. The oxygen group comprised 51 patients, and the control group comprised 29 patients. Mean baseline VA was counting fingers (oxygen group) and 20/1000 (control group; P = .1). Most other potential confounders, including duration of symptoms, also did not differ significantly at baseline. In the oxygen group, mean VA improvement was 3 lines (P < .0001). This was sustained over a follow-up of 3 months (P = .01). In the control group, mean improvement was 1 line (P = .23 at discharge, P = .17 at follow-up). Differences between both groups were not significant (P = .07 at discharge, P = .26 at follow-up). The number of patients gaining 3 lines or more was 38.0% versus 17.9% at discharge (P = .06) and 35.7% versus 30.8% at follow-up (P = .76). We saw significant VA improvement after the combined treatment, but not when using hemodilution only. Confirming superiority of the combination treatment requires a randomized, prospective trial. A high number of nonresponders highlights the need to improve our understanding and treatment of hypoxia-related metabolic insults after central retinal artery obstruction. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Treating hepatic encephalopathy in cirrhotic patients admitted to ICU with sodium phenylbutyrate: a preliminary study.

PubMed

Weiss, Nicolas; Tripon, Simona; Lodey, Marion; Guiller, Elsa; Junot, Helga; Monneret, Denis; Mayaux, Julien; Brisson, Hélène; Mallet, Maxime; Rudler, Marika; Imbert-Bismut, Françoise; Thabut, Dominique

2018-04-01

Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) influences short-term and long-term prognoses. Recently, glycerol phenylbutyrate (PB), that lowers ammonia by providing an alternate pathway to urea for waste nitrogen excretion, has shown that it was effective in preventing the occurrence of HE in RCT. The aim was to assess the benefits of sodium PB in cirrhotic patients admitted to ICU for overt HE, in terms of ammonia levels decrease, neurological improvement, and survival. Cirrhotic patients who presented with overt HE, ammonia levels >100 μmol/L, and did not display any contra-indication were included. Sodium PB was administered at 200 mg/kg/day. Control group included historical controls treated by standard therapy, matched for age, sex, MELD score, and severity of HE. Eighteen patients were included and treated with sodium PB (age: 59 [45-68], male gender: 15 [83%], Child-Pugh B: 8 [44%], Child-Pugh C: 10 [56%], and MELD score: 16 [13-23]). Ammonia levels significantly decreased in the PB as compared to the control group from inclusion to 12 h and from inclusion to 48 h (P = 0.0201 and P = 0.0230, respectively). The proportion of patients displaying neurological improvement was only higher in the PB-treated group as compared to controls at ICU discharge (15 [83%] vs. 9 [50%], P = 0.0339). ICU discharge survival was significantly higher in patients treated with PB (17 [94%] vs. 9 [50%], P = 0.0017). In cirrhotic patients with overt HE, sodium PB could be effective in reducing ammonia levels and might be effective in improving neurological status and ICU discharge survival. More extensive data, especially a RCT, are mandatory. © 2017 Société Française de Pharmacologie et de Thérapeutique.

Community-based InterVentions to prevent serIous Complications (CIVIC) following spinal cord injury in Bangladesh: protocol of a randomised controlled trial.

PubMed

Hossain, Mohammad S; Harvey, Lisa A; Rahman, Md Akhlasur; Muldoon, Stephen; Bowden, Jocelyn L; Islam, Md Shofiqul; Jan, Stephen; Taylor, Valerie; Cameron, Ian D; Chhabra, Harvinder Singh; Lindley, Richard I; Biering-Sørensen, Fin; Li, Qiang; Dhakshinamurthy, Murali; Herbert, Robert D

2016-01-07

In low-income and middle-income countries, people with spinal cord injury (SCI) are vulnerable to life-threatening complications after they are discharged from hospital. The aim of this trial is to determine the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of an inexpensive and sustainable model of community-based care designed to prevent and manage complications in people with SCI in Bangladesh. A pragmatic randomised controlled trial will be undertaken. 410 wheelchair-dependent people with recent SCI will be randomised to Intervention and Control groups shortly after discharge from hospital. Participants in the Intervention group will receive regular telephone-based care and three home visits from a health professional over the 2 years after discharge. Participants in the Control group will receive standard care, which does not involve regular contact with health professionals. The primary outcome is all-cause mortality at 2 years. Recruitment started on 12 July 2015 and the trial is expected to take 5 years to complete. Ethical approval was obtained from the Institutional Ethics Committee at the site in Bangladesh and from the University of Sydney, Australia. The study will be conducted in compliance with all stipulations of its protocol, the conditions of ethics committee approval, the NHMRC National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research (2007), the Note for Guidance on Good Clinical Practice (CPMP/ICH-135/95) and the Bangladesh Guidance on Clinical Trial Inspection (2011). The results of the trial will be disseminated through publications in peer-reviewed scientific journals and presentations at scientific conferences. ACTRN12615000630516, U1111-1171-1876. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

Operation of Direct Drive Systems: Experiments in Peak Power Tracking and Multi-Thruster Control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Snyder, John Steven; Brophy, John R.

2013-01-01

Direct-drive power and propulsion systems have the potential to significantly reduce the mass of high-power solar electric propulsion spacecraft, among other advantages. Recent experimental direct-drive work has significantly mitigated or retired the technical risks associated with single-thruster operation, so attention is now moving toward systems-level areas of interest. One of those areas is the use of a Hall thruster system as a peak power tracker to fully use the available power from a solar array. A simple and elegant control based on the incremental conductance method, enhanced by combining it with the unique properties of Hall thruster systems, is derived here and it is shown to track peak solar array power very well. Another area of interest is multi-thruster operation and control. Dualthruster operation was investigated in a parallel electrical configuration, with both thrusters operating from discharge power provided by a single solar array. Startup and shutdown sequences are discussed, and it is shown that multi-thruster operation and control is as simple as for a single thruster. Some system architectures require operation of multiple cathodes while they are electrically connected together. Four different methods to control the discharge current emitted by individual cathodes in this configuration are investigated, with cathode flow rate control appearing to be advantageous. Dual-parallel thruster operation with equal cathode current sharing at total powers up to 10 kW is presented.

Slope seeking for autonomous lift improvement by plasma surface discharge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Benard, Nicolas; Moreau, Eric; Griffin, John; Cattafesta, Louis N., III

2010-05-01

The present paper describes an experimental investigation of closed-loop separation control using plasma actuators. The post-stall-separated flow over a NACA 0015 airfoil is controlled using a single dielectric barrier discharge actuator located at the leading edge. Open-loop measurements are first performed to highlight the effects of the voltage amplitude on the control authority for freestream velocities of 10-30 m/s (chord Re = 1.3 × 105 to 4 × 105). The results indicate that partial or full reattachment can be achieved and motivate the choice of the slope seeking approach as the control algorithm. A single-input/single-output algorithm is used to autonomously seek the optimal voltage required to achieve the control objective (full flow reattachment associated with maximum lift). The paper briefly introduces the concept of slope seeking, and a detailed parameterization of the controller is considered. Static (fixed speed) closed-loop experiments are then discussed, which demonstrate the capability of the algorithm. In each case, the flow can be reattached in an autonomous fashion. The last part of the paper demonstrates the robustness of the gradient-based, model-free scheme for dynamic freestream conditions. This paper highlights the capability of slope seeking to autonomously achieve high lift when used to drive the voltage of a plasma actuator. It also describes the advantages and drawbacks of such a closed-loop approach.

Export fluxes of geochemical solutes in the meltwater stream of Sutri Dhaka Glacier, Chandra basin, Western Himalaya.

PubMed

Singh, Ajit T; Laluraj, C M; Sharma, Parmanand; Patel, Lavkush K; Thamban, Meloth

2017-10-12

The hydrochemistry of meltwater from the Sutri Dhaka Glacier, Western Himalaya, has been studied to understand the influence of the factors controlling the weathering processes of the glaciers during the peak ablation period. The high solar irradiance prompted intense melting, which has raised the stream flow of the glacier. The meltwater has been observed as slightly alkaline (mean pH 8.2) and contains the major anions (HCO 3 -  > SO 4 2-  > NO 3 -  > Cl - ) and cations (Ca 2+  > Mg 2+  > K +  > Na +  > NH 4 + ) with Ca 2+ (78.5%) and HCO 3 - (74.5%) as the dominant species. The piper diagram indicates the category of stream meltwater as Ca 2+ -HCO 3 - type. In addition, it is evident from the Gibbs diagram that the interaction between the meltwater and bedrock controls the ionic concentrations of the glacial meltwater. The high ratio value (~ 0.75) of HCO 3 - /(HCO 3 -  + SO 4 2- ) indicates that the carbonate weathering is dominant. Fe and Al followed by Mn, Sr, and Ti are the most dominant trace elements present in the meltwater. The significant negative correlation exhibited by the major ions and Sr with the discharge is recommended for the enrichment of these solutes during the lean discharge periods. However, the insignificant correlation of Fe, Al, Mn, and Ti with discharge suggests their physicochemical control. The principal component analysis (PCA) carried has highlighted three dominant composites, i.e., the water-rock interaction, atmospheric dust inputs, and physicochemical changes in the meltwater. Hence, the present study elucidates the export of geochemical solutes from Sutri Dhaka Glacier and factors governing the water chemistry, which helps in the better understanding of hydrochemical processes of the Himalayan glaciers and substantial improvement of our understanding about the glacio-hydrological environments and their response in the scenario of global warming.

Kinetics and Chemistry of Ionization Wave Discharges Propagating Over Dielectric Surfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petrishchev, Vitaly

Experimental studies of near-surface ionization wave electric discharges generated by high peak voltage (20-30 kV), nanosecond duration pulses (full width at half-maximum 50-100 ns) of positive and negative polarity and propagating over dielectric surfaces have been performed. A novel way to sustain diffuse, reproducible, ns pulse surface plasmas at a liquid-vapor interface is demonstrated at buffer gas pressures ranging from 10 to 200 Torr. Generation of surface ionization waves well reproduced shot-to-shot and sustaining diffuse near-surface plasmas is one of the principal advantages of the use of ns pulse discharge waveforms. This makes possible characterization of these plasmas in repetitively pulsed experiments. Numerous applications of these plasmas include low-temperature plasma assisted combustion, plasma fuel reforming, plasma flow control, plasma materials processing, agriculture, biology, and medicine. The objectives of the present work are (i) to demonstrate that surface ionization wave discharge plasmas sustained at a liquid-vapor interface can be used as an experimental platform for studies of near-surface plasma chemical reaction kinetics, at the conditions when the interface acts as a high-yield source of radical species, and (ii) to obtain quantitative insight into dynamics, kinetics and chemistry of surface ionization wave discharges and provide experimental data for validation of kinetic models, to assess their predictive capability. Generation of the initial radical pool may trigger a number of plasma chemical processes leading to formation of a variety of stable product species, depending on the initial composition of the liquid and the buffer gas flow. One of the products formed and detected during surface plasma / liquid water interaction is hydroxyl radical, which is closely relevant to applications of plasmas for biology and medicine. The present work includes detailed studies of surface ionization wave discharges sustained in different buffer gases over solid and liquid dielectric surfaces, such as quartz, distilled water, saline solution, and alcohols, over a wide range of pressures. Specific experiments include: measurements of ionization wave speed; plasma emission imaging using a ns gate camera; detection of surface discharge plasma chemistry products using Fourier transform infrared absorption spectroscopy; surface charge dynamics on short (ns) and long (hundreds of mus) time scales; time-resolved electron density and electron temperature measurements in a ns pulse surface discharge in helium by Thomson scattering; spatially-resolved absolute OH and H atom concentration measurements in ns pulse discharges over distilled water by single-photon and two-photon Laser Induced Fluorescence; and schlieren imaging of perturbations generated by a ns pulse dielectric barrier discharge in a surface plasma actuator in quiescent atmospheric pressure air.

Turbulence, intermittency, and transport in the limiter shadow in LAPD and ET

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carter, Troy

2002-11-01

Turbulence in the scrape-off-layer (SOL) of tokamaks is often found to be intermittent, a tendency which has been attributed to the presence and transport of coherent structures (``blobs''). A recent theory [S.I. Krasheninnikov, shape Phys. Lett. A series 283, 368 (2001)] suggests that transport of these structures is controlled by nabla B and curvature drift driven polarization. I will present a study of turbulence and intermittency in limited discharges in the Large Plasma Device (LAPD) (where rotation may substitute for nabla B drift) and in the Electric Tokamak (ET) at UCLA. In LAPD, strongly intermittent turbulence in the 1-50 kHz range is observed localized to limiter produced gradients. A detailed study of these fluctuations will be presented, focusing on transport, dependencies on magnetic field, plasma density, and the presence of flows or rotation. A comparison with initial probe and imaging measurements of fluctuation characteristics in the SOL of the Electric Tokamak, in discharges with either an axisymmetric belt limiter or a toroidally localized limiter, will also be presented.

The Role of Frozen Soil in Groundwater Discharge Predictions for Warming Alpine Watersheds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Evans, Sarah G.; Ge, Shemin; Voss, Clifford I.; Molotch, Noah P.

2018-03-01

Climate warming may alter the quantity and timing of groundwater discharge to streams in high alpine watersheds due to changes in the timing of the duration of seasonal freezing in the subsurface and snowmelt recharge. It is imperative to understand the effects of seasonal freezing and recharge on groundwater discharge to streams in warming alpine watersheds as streamflow originating from these watersheds is a critical water resource for downstream users. This study evaluates how climate warming may alter groundwater discharge due to changes in seasonally frozen ground and snowmelt using a 2-D coupled flow and heat transport model with freeze and thaw capabilities for variably saturated media. The model is applied to a representative snowmelt-dominated watershed in the Rocky Mountains of central Colorado, USA, with snowmelt time series reconstructed from a 12 year data set of hydrometeorological records and satellite-derived snow covered area. Model analyses indicate that the duration of seasonal freezing in the subsurface controls groundwater discharge to streams, while snowmelt timing controls groundwater discharge to hillslope faces. Climate warming causes changes to subsurface ice content and duration, rerouting groundwater flow paths but not altering the total magnitude of future groundwater discharge outside of the bounds of hydrologic parameter uncertainties. These findings suggest that frozen soil routines play an important role for predicting the future location of groundwater discharge in watersheds underlain by seasonally frozen ground.

Cost-effectiveness of 'Program We Care' for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: A case-control study.

PubMed

Wong, Eliza Mi Ling; Lo, Shuk Man; Ng, Ying Chu; Lee, Larry Lap Yip; Yuen, T M Y; Chan, Jimmy Tak Shing; Chair, Sek Ying

2016-07-01

To evaluate the effectiveness of a discharge program for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients on discharge from an emergency medical ward on discharge home rate, hospital length of stay (LOS), inpatient admission rate and cost. Frequent visits to the emergency department (ED) and subsequent hospital admission are common among patients with COPD, which adds a burden to ED and hospital care. A discharge program was implemented in an ED emergency medical ward. The program consisted of multidisciplinary care, discharge planning, discharge health education on disease management, and continued support from the community nursing services. A retrospective case-control study was used. Data were retrieved and compared between 478 COPD program cases and 478 COPD non-program cases. No significant difference was found in age, gender, and triage category, LOS in ED, and readmission rate between the program and non-program groups. The program group demonstrated a significantly higher discharge home rate from the ED (33.89% vs. 20.08%) and fewer medical admissions (40.59% vs. 55.02%) compared with the non-program group, resulting in lower total medical costs after the program was implemented. The program provides insight on the strategic planning for discharge care in a short stay unit of emergency department. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The role of frozen soil in groundwater discharge predictions for warming alpine watersheds

USGS Publications Warehouse

Evans, Sarah G.; Ge, Shemin; Voss, Clifford I.; Molotch, Noah P.

2018-01-01

Climate warming may alter the quantity and timing of groundwater discharge to streams in high alpine watersheds due to changes in the timing of the duration of seasonal freezing in the subsurface and snowmelt recharge. It is imperative to understand the effects of seasonal freezing and recharge on groundwater discharge to streams in warming alpine watersheds as streamflow originating from these watersheds is a critical water resource for downstream users. This study evaluates how climate warming may alter groundwater discharge due to changes in seasonally frozen ground and snowmelt using a 2‐D coupled flow and heat transport model with freeze and thaw capabilities for variably saturated media. The model is applied to a representative snowmelt‐dominated watershed in the Rocky Mountains of central Colorado, USA, with snowmelt time series reconstructed from a 12 year data set of hydrometeorological records and satellite‐derived snow covered area. Model analyses indicate that the duration of seasonal freezing in the subsurface controls groundwater discharge to streams, while snowmelt timing controls groundwater discharge to hillslope faces. Climate warming causes changes to subsurface ice content and duration, rerouting groundwater flow paths but not altering the total magnitude of future groundwater discharge outside of the bounds of hydrologic parameter uncertainties. These findings suggest that frozen soil routines play an important role for predicting the future location of groundwater discharge in watersheds underlain by seasonally frozen ground.

Polonium-210 accumulates in a lake receiving coal mine discharges-anthropogenic or natural?

PubMed

Nelson, A W; Eitrheim, E S; Knight, A W; May, D; Wichman, M D; Forbes, T Z; Schultz, M K

2017-02-01

Coal is an integral part of global energy production; however, coal mining is associated with numerous environmental health impacts. It is well documented that coal-mine waste can contaminate the environment with naturally-occurring radionuclides from the uranium-238 ( 238 U) decay series. However, the behavior of the final radionuclide in the 238 U-series, i.e., polonium-210 ( 210 Po) arising from coal-mine waste-water discharge is largely unexplored. Here, results of a year-long (2014-2015) field study, in which the concentrations of 210 Po in sediments and surface water of a lake that receives coal-mine waste-water discharge in West Virginia are presented. Initial measurements identified levels of 210 Po in the lake sediments that were in excess of that which could be attributed to ambient U-series parent radionuclides; and were indicative of discharge site contamination of the lake ecosystem. However, control sediment obtained from a similar lake system in Iowa (an area with no coal mining or unconventional drilling) suggests that the levels of 210 Po in the lake are a natural phenomenon; and are likely unrelated to waste-water treatment discharges. Elevated levels of 210 Po have been reported in lake bottom sediments previously, yet very little information is available on the radioecological implications of 210 Po accumulation in lake bottom sediments. The findings of this study suggest that (Monthly Energy Review, 2016) the natural accumulation and retention of 210 Po in lake sediments may be a greater than previously considered (Chadwick et al., 2013) careful selection of control sites is important to prevent the inappropriate attribution of elevated levels of NORM in lake bottom ecosystems to industrial sources; and (Van Hook, 1979) further investigation of the source-terms and potential impacts on elevated 210 Po in lake-sediment ecosystems is warranted. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Prehospital therapeutic hypothermia after cardiac arrest: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

PubMed

Diao, Mengyuan; Huang, Fenglou; Guan, Jun; Zhang, Zhe; Xiao, Yan; Shan, Yi; Lin, Zhaofen; Ding, Liangcai

2013-08-01

Therapeutic hypothermia has been recommended for the treatment of cardiac arrest patients who remain comatose after the return of spontaneous circulation. However, the optimal time to initiate therapeutic hypothermia remains unclear. The objective of the present study is to assess the effectiveness and safety of prehospital therapeutic hypothermia after cardiac arrest. Databases such as MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane Library were searched from their establishment date to May of 2012 to retrieve randomized control trials on prehospital therapeutic hypothermia after cardiac arrest. Thereafter, the studies retrieved were screened based on predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Data were extracted and the quality of the included studies was evaluated. A meta-analysis was performed by using the Cochrane Collaboration Review Manager 5.1.6 software. Five studies involving 633 cases were included, among which 314 cases were assigned to the treatment group and the other 319 cases to the control group. The meta-analysis indicated that prehospital therapeutic hypothermia after cardiac arrest produced significant differences in temperature on hospital admission compared with in-hospital therapeutic hypothermia or normothermia (patient data; mean difference=-0.95; 95% confidence interval -1.15 to -0.75; I(2)=0%). However, no significant differences were observed in the survival to the hospital discharge, favorable neurological outcome at hospital discharge, and rearrest. The risk of bias was low; however, the quality of the evidence was very low. This review demonstrates that prehospital therapeutic hypothermia after cardiac arrest can decrease temperature on hospital admission. On the other hand, regarding the survival to hospital discharge, favorable neurological outcome at hospital discharge, and rearrest, our meta-analysis and review produces non-significant results. Using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation methodology, we conclude that the quality of evidence is very low. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Variation in flow and suspended sediment transport in a montane river affected by hydropeaking and instream mining

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Béjar, M.; Vericat, D.; Batalla, R. J.; Gibbins, C. N.

2018-06-01

The temporal and spatial variability of water and sediment loads of rivers is controlled by a suite of factors whose individual effects are often difficult to disentangle. While land use changes and localised human activities such as instream mining and hydropeaking alter water and sediment transfer, tributaries naturally contribute to discharge and sediment load of mainstem rivers, and so may help compensate upstream anthropogenic factors. The work presented here aimed to assess water and the sediment transfer in a river reach affected by gravel extraction and hydropeaking, set against a backdrop of changes to the supply of water and sediment from tributaries. Discharge and suspended sediment transport were monitored during two average hydrological years at three cross-sections along a 10-km reach of the upper River Cinca, in the Southern Pyrenees. Water and sediment loads differed substantially between the reaches. The upper reach showed a largely torrential discharge regime, controlled mainly by floods, and had high but variable water and sediment loads. The middle reach was influenced markedly by hydropeaking and tributary inflows, which increased its annual water yield four-fold. Suspended sediment load in this reach increased by only 25% compared to upstream, indicating that dilution predominated. In the lowermost section, while discharge remained largely unaltered, sediment load increased appreciably as a result of changes to sediment availability from instream mining and inputs from tributaries. At the reach scale, snowmelt and summer and autumn thunderstorms were responsible for most of the water yield, while flood flows determined the magnitude and transport of the sediment load. The study highlights that a combination of natural and human factors control the spatial and temporal transfer of water and sediment in river channels and that, depending on their geographic location and effect-size, can result in marked variability even over short downstream distances.

Bayesian analysis of stage-fall-discharge rating curves and their uncertainties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mansanarez, Valentin; Le Coz, Jérôme; Renard, Benjamin; Lang, Michel; Pierrefeu, Gilles; Le Boursicaud, Raphaël; Pobanz, Karine

2016-04-01

Stage-fall-discharge (SFD) rating curves are traditionally used to compute streamflow records at sites where the energy slope of the flow is variable due to variable backwater effects. Building on existing Bayesian approaches, we introduce an original hydraulics-based method for developing SFD rating curves used at twin gauge stations and estimating their uncertainties. Conventional power functions for channel and section controls are used, and transition to a backwater-affected channel control is computed based on a continuity condition, solved either analytically or numerically. The difference between the reference levels at the two stations is estimated as another uncertain parameter of the SFD model. The method proposed in this presentation incorporates information from both the hydraulic knowledge (equations of channel or section controls) and the information available in the stage-fall-discharge observations (gauging data). The obtained total uncertainty combines the parametric uncertainty and the remnant uncertainty related to the model of rating curve. This method provides a direct estimation of the physical inputs of the rating curve (roughness, width, slope bed, distance between twin gauges, etc.). The performance of the new method is tested using an application case affected by the variable backwater of a run-of-the-river dam: the Rhône river at Valence, France. In particular, a sensitivity analysis to the prior information and to the gauging dataset is performed. At that site, the stage-fall-discharge domain is well documented with gaugings conducted over a range of backwater affected and unaffected conditions. The performance of the new model was deemed to be satisfactory. Notably, transition to uniform flow when the overall range of the auxiliary stage is gauged is correctly simulated. The resulting curves are in good agreement with the observations (gaugings) and their uncertainty envelopes are acceptable for computing streamflow records. Similar conclusions were drawn from the application to other similar sites.

Multiplex electric discharge gas laser system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Laudenslager, James B. (Inventor); Pacala, Thomas J. (Inventor)

1987-01-01

A multiple pulse electric discharge gas laser system is described in which a plurality of pulsed electric discharge gas lasers are supported in a common housing. Each laser is supplied with excitation pulses from a separate power supply. A controller, which may be a microprocessor, is connected to each power supply for controlling the application of excitation pulses to each laser so that the lasers can be fired simultaneously or in any desired sequence. The output light beams from the individual lasers may be combined or utilized independently, depending on the desired application. The individual lasers may include multiple pairs of discharge electrodes with a separate power supply connected across each electrode pair so that multiple light output beams can be generated from a single laser tube and combined or utilized separately.

Giving greater consideration to cross-drainage discharge from forest roads

Treesearch

Pamela J. Edwards; Gregory L. Evans

2004-01-01

Erosion below the outlets of cross drains (e.g., culverts'and broad-based dips) on forest roads in the central Appalachians is common but controllable. Erosion control below cross drains must take the form of reduced water discharged through each cross-drainage structure, slowed release of water, and/or adequate roughness for energy dissipation and water...

Optimized ECR plasma apparatus with varied microwave window thickness

DOEpatents

Berry, L.A.

1995-11-14

The present invention describes a technique to control the radial profile of microwave power in an ECR plasma discharge. In order to provide for a uniform plasma density to a specimen, uniform energy absorption by the plasma is desired. By controlling the radial profile of the microwave power transmitted through the microwave window of a reactor, the profile of the transmitted energy to the plasma can be controlled in order to have uniform energy absorption by the plasma. An advantage of controlling the profile using the window transmission characteristics is that variations to the radial profile of microwave power can be made without changing the microwave coupler or reactor design. 9 figs.

Estimates of ground-water discharge as determined from measurements of evapotranspiration, Ash Meadows area, Nye County, Nevada

USGS Publications Warehouse

Laczniak, R.J.; DeMeo, G.A.; Reiner, S.R.; Smith, J. LaRue; Nylund, W.E.

1999-01-01

Ash Meadows is one of the major discharge areas within the regional Death Valley ground-water flow system of southern Nevada and adjacent California. Ground water discharging at Ash Meadows is replenished from inflow derived from an extensive recharge area that includes the eastern part of the Nevada Test Site (NTS). Currently, contaminants introduced into the subsurface by past nuclear testing at NTS are the subject of study by the U.S. Department of Energy's Environmental Restoration Program. The transport of any contaminant in contact with ground water is controlled in part by the rate and direction of ground-water flow, which itself depends on the location and quantity of ground water discharging from the flow system. To best evaluate any potential risk associated with these test-generated contaminants, studies were undertaken to accurately quantify discharge from areas downgradient from the NTS. This report presents results of a study to refine the estimate of ground-water discharge at Ash Meadows. The study estimates ground-water discharge from the Ash Meadows area through a rigorous quantification of evapotranspiration (ET). To accomplish this objective, the study identifies areas of ongoing ground-water ET, delineates unique areas of ET defined on the basis of similarities in vegetation and soil-moisture conditions, and computes ET rates for each of the delineated areas. A classification technique using spectral-reflectance characteristics determined from satellite images recorded in 1992 identified seven unique units representing areas of ground-water ET. The total area classified encompasses about 10,350 acres dominated primarily by lush desert vegetation. Each unique area, referred to as an ET unit, generally consists of one or more assemblages of local phreatophytes. The ET units identified range from sparse grasslands to open water. Annual ET rates are computed by energy-budget methods from micrometeorological measurements made at 10 sites within six of the seven identified ET units. Micrometeorological data were collected for a minimum of 1 year at each site during 1994 through 1997. Evapotranspiration ranged from 0.6 foot per year in a sparse, dry saltgrass environment to 8.6 feet per year over open water. Ancillary data, including water levels, were collected during this same period to gain additional insight into the evapotranspiration process. Water levels measured in shallow wells showed annual declines of more than 10 feet and daily declines as high as 0.3 foot attributed to water losses associated with evapotranspiration. Mean annual ET from the Ash Meadows area is estimated at 21,000 acre-feet. An estimate of ground-water discharge, based on this ET estimate, is presented as a range to account for uncertainties in the contribution of local precipitation. The estimates given for mean annual ground-water discharge range from 18,000 to 21,000 acre-feet. The low estimate assumes a large contribution from local precipitation in computed ET rates; whereas, the high estimate assumes no contribution from local precipitation. The range presented is only slightly higher than previous estimates of ground-water discharge from the Ash Meadows area based primarily on springflow measurements.

7. CLOSEUP VIEW OF THE PUMP DISCHARGE CHANNEL, AND THE ...

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

7. CLOSEUP VIEW OF THE PUMP DISCHARGE CHANNEL, AND THE DISCHARGE WEIR OF THE FOR PUMPS NO. 2 AND 3, LOOKING NORTHEAST. THE SERVICE BRIDGE PROVIDED ACCESS TO THE LEVEE OVER TOBY CREEK. - Wyoming Valley Flood Control System, Woodward Pumping Station, East of Toby Creek crossing by Erie-Lackawanna Railroad, Edwardsville, Luzerne County, PA

40 CFR 112.9 - Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure Plan Requirements for onshore oil production...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... oil that may have resulted from any small discharge. You must promptly remove any accumulations of oil...-through process vessels (excluding discharges that are the result of natural disasters, acts of war, or... discharges that are the result of natural disasters, acts of war, or terrorism) then you must, within six...

40 CFR 112.9 - Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure Plan Requirements for onshore oil production...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... oil that may have resulted from any small discharge. You must promptly remove any accumulations of oil...-through process vessels (excluding discharges that are the result of natural disasters, acts of war, or... discharges that are the result of natural disasters, acts of war, or terrorism) then you must, within six...

40 CFR 112.9 - Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure Plan Requirements for onshore oil production...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... oil that may have resulted from any small discharge. You must promptly remove any accumulations of oil...-through process vessels (excluding discharges that are the result of natural disasters, acts of war, or... discharges that are the result of natural disasters, acts of war, or terrorism) then you must, within six...

40 CFR 112.9 - Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure Plan Requirements for onshore oil production...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... oil that may have resulted from any small discharge. You must promptly remove any accumulations of oil...-through process vessels (excluding discharges that are the result of natural disasters, acts of war, or... discharges that are the result of natural disasters, acts of war, or terrorism) then you must, within six...

40 CFR 112.9 - Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure Plan Requirements for onshore oil production...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... oil that may have resulted from any small discharge. You must promptly remove any accumulations of oil...-through process vessels (excluding discharges that are the result of natural disasters, acts of war, or... discharges that are the result of natural disasters, acts of war, or terrorism) then you must, within six...

40 CFR 112.8 - Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure Plan requirements for onshore facilities (excluding...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... drainage from diked storage areas by valves to prevent a discharge into the drainage system or facility... facility drainage systems from undiked areas with a potential for a discharge (such as where piping is... pumps. Whatever techniques you use, you must engineer facility drainage systems to prevent a discharge...

On-line Monitoring Device for High-voltage Switch Cabinet Partial Discharge Based on Pulse Current Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Y Tao, S.; Zhang, X. Z.; Cai, H. W.; Li, P.; Feng, Y.; Zhang, T. C.; Li, J.; Wang, W. S.; Zhang, X. K.

2017-12-01

The pulse current method for partial discharge detection is generally applied in type testing and other off-line tests of electrical equipment at delivery. After intensive analysis of the present situation and existing problems of partial discharge detection in switch cabinets, this paper designed the circuit principle and signal extraction method for partial discharge on-line detection based on a high-voltage presence indicating systems (VPIS), established a high voltage switch cabinet partial discharge on-line detection circuit based on the pulse current method, developed background software integrated with real-time monitoring, judging and analyzing functions, carried out a real discharge simulation test on a real-type partial discharge defect simulation platform of a 10KV switch cabinet, and verified the sensitivity and validity of the high-voltage switch cabinet partial discharge on-line monitoring device based on the pulse current method. The study presented in this paper is of great significance for switch cabinet maintenance and theoretical study on pulse current method on-line detection, and has provided a good implementation method for partial discharge on-line monitoring devices for 10KV distribution network equipment.

[Study on the discharge properties of xeon flash lamp and experimental measurement].

PubMed

Zhao, You-Quan; Miao, Pei-Liang; He, Feng; Gu, Jian; Zhai, Rui-Wei

2014-07-01

The Xenon flash lamp is a new type of light source for analytical instrument. The present paper analyzed the discharge process of xenon flash lamp, presented the discharge test system, and conducted experimental measurement of the voltage, current and optical pulse signal in the process of discharge. The results show that in the preliminary discharge, the free electron concentration was at a low level, so the energy was at a low level, then following the gas discharge, numerous free electrons formed in the lamp, resultin in the increase in the concentration of free electrons, therefore discharge current rised rapidly and voltage reduced. The lamp released photons to generate light pulse in the moment of ionic recombination, The pulse xenon lamp light energy output and spectral characteristic is related to electron energy in recombination and combination level of xenon, if the input energy and the energy consumption of the xenon lamp is inconsistent, it will lead to repeated capacitor charging and discharging and produce oscillation waveform. This paper is very useful for understanding the process of xenon lamp discharge, optimizing the driver circuit and the production of xenon flash lamp.

Three-electrode low pressure discharge apparatus and method for uniform ionization of gaseous media

DOEpatents

McLellan, Edward J.

1983-01-01

Uniform, transverse electrical discharges are produced in gaseous media without the necessity of switching the main discharge voltage with an external device which carries the entire discharge current. A three-electrode low pressure discharge tube is charged across its anode (1) and cathode (2) to below breakdown voltage using a dc voltage source (3). An array of resistors (4) or capacitors can be made to discharge to the wire screen anode by means of a low energy high voltage pulse circuit (5) producing sufficient preionization in the region between the anode and cathode to initiate and control the main discharge. The invention has been demonstrated to be useful as a CO.sub.2 laser oscillator and pulse-smoother. It can be reliably operated in the sealed-off mode.

Discharge ratings for control gates at Mississippi River lock and dam 12, Bellevue, Iowa

USGS Publications Warehouse

Heinitz, Albert J.

1986-01-01

The water level of the navigation pools on the Mississippi River are maintained by the operation of tainter and roller gates at the locks and dams. Discharge ratings for the gates on Lock and Dam 12, at Bellevue, Iowa, were developed from current-meter discharge measurements made in the forebays of the gate structures. Methodology is given to accurately compute the gate openings of the tainter gates. Discharge coefficients, in equations that express discharge as a function of tailwater head , forebay head, and height of gate opening, were determined for conditions of submerged-orifice and fee-weir flow. A comparison of the rating discharges to the hydraulic-model rating discharges is given for submerged orifice flow for the tainter and roller gates.

Application of the removal of pollutants from textile industry wastewater in constructed wetlands using fuzzy logic.

PubMed

Dogdu, Gamze; Yalcuk, Arda; Postalcioglu, Seda

2017-02-01

There are more than a hundred textile industries in Turkey that discharge large quantities of dye-rich wastewater, resulting in water pollution. Such effluents must be treated to meet discharge limits imposed by the Water Framework Directive in Turkey. Industrial treatment facilities must be required to monitor operations, keep them cost-effective, prevent operational faults, discharge-limit infringements, and water pollution. This paper proposes the treatment of actual textile wastewater by vertical flow constructed wetland (VFCW) systems operation and monitoring effluent wastewater quality using fuzzy logic with a graphical user interface. The treatment performance of VFCW is investigated in terms of chemical oxygen demand and ammonium nitrogen (NH4-N) content, color, and pH parameters during a 75-day period of operation. A computer program was developed with a fuzzy logic system (a decision- making tool) to graphically present (via a status analysis chart) the quality of treated textile effluent in relation to the Turkish Water Pollution Control Regulation. Fuzzy logic is used in the evaluation of data obtained from the VFCW systems and for notification of critical states exceeding the discharge limits. This creates a warning chart that reports any errors encountered in a reactor during the collection of any sample to the concerned party.

NPDES (National Pollution Discharge & Elimination System) Minor Dischargers

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

As authorized by the Clean Water Act, the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program controls water pollution by regulating point sources that discharge pollutants into waters of the United States. The NPDES permit program regulates direct discharges from municipal and industrial wastewater treatment facilities that discharge directly into surface waters. The NPDES permit program is part of the Permit Compliance System (PCS) which issues, records, tracks, and regulates point source discharge facilities. Individual homes that are connected to a municipal system, use a septic system, or do not have a surface discharge do not need an NPDES permit. Facilities in PCS are identified as either major or minor. Within the major/minor classification, facilities are grouped into municipals or non-municipals. In many cases, non-municipals are industrial facilities. This data layer contains Minor dischargers. Major municipal dischargers include all facilities with design flows of greater than one million gallons per day; minor dischargers are less that one million gallons per day. Essentially, a minor discharger does not meet the discharge criteria for a major. Since its introduction in 1972, the NPDES permit program is responsible for significant improvements to our Nation's water quality.

Diagnostics and control for the steady state and pulsed tokamak DEMO

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Orsitto, F. P.; Villari, R.; Moro, F.; Todd, T. N.; Lilley, S.; Jenkins, I.; Felton, R.; Biel, W.; Silva, A.; Scholz, M.; Rzadkiewicz, J.; Duran, I.; Tardocchi, M.; Gorini, G.; Morlock, C.; Federici, G.; Litnovsky, A.

2016-02-01

The present paper is devoted to a first assessment of the DEMO diagnostics systems and controls in the context of pulsed and steady state reactor design under study in Europe. In particular, the main arguments treated are: (i) The quantities to be measured in DEMO and the requirements for the measurements; (ii) the present capability of the diagnostic and control technology, determining the most urgent gaps, and (iii) the program and strategy of the research and development (R&D) needed to fill the gaps. Burn control, magnetohydrodynamic stability, and basic machine protection require improvements to the ITER technology, and moderated efforts in R&D can be dedicated to infrared diagnostics (reflectometry, electron cyclotron emission, polarimetry) and neutron diagnostics. Metallic Hall sensors appear to be a promising candidate for magnetic measurements in the high neutron fluence and long/steady state discharges of DEMO.

Preliminary Performance Data on Westinghouse Electronic Power Regulator Operating on J34-WE-32 Turbojet Engine in Altitude Wind Tunnel

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ketchum, James R.; Blivas, Darnold; Pack, George J.

1950-01-01

The behavior of the Westinghouse electronic power regulator operating on a J34-WE-32 turbojet engine was investigated in the NACA Lewis altitude wind tunnel at the request of the Bureau of Aeronautics, Department of the Navy. The object of the program was to determine the, steady-state stability and transient characteristics of the engine under control at various altitudes and ram pressure ratios, without afterburning. Recordings of the response of the following parameters to step changes in power lever position throughout the available operating range of the engine were obtained; ram pressure ratio, compressor-discharge pressure, exhaust-nozzle area, engine speed, turbine-outlet temperature, fuel-valve position, jet thrust, air flow, turbine-discharge pressure, fuel flow, throttle position, and boost-pump pressure. Representative preliminary data showing the actual time response of these variables are presented. These data are presented in the form of reproductions of oscillographic traces.

Direct-current cathodic vacuum arc system with magnetic-field mechanism for plasma stabilization.

PubMed

Zhang, H-S; Komvopoulos, K

2008-07-01

Filtered cathodic vacuum arc (FCVA) deposition is characterized by plasma beam directionality, plasma energy adjustment via substrate biasing, macroparticle filtering, and independent substrate temperature control. Between the two modes of FCVA deposition, namely, direct current (dc) and pulsed arc, the dc mode yields higher deposition rates than the pulsed mode. However, maintaining the dc arc discharge is challenging because of its inherent plasma instabilities. A system generating a special configuration of magnetic field that stabilizes the dc arc discharge during film deposition is presented. This magnetic field is also part of the out-of-plane magnetic filter used to focus the plasma beam and prevent macroparticle film contamination. The efficiency of the plasma-stabilizing magnetic-field mechanism is demonstrated by the deposition of amorphous carbon (a-C) films exhibiting significantly high hardness and tetrahedral carbon hybridization (sp3) contents higher than 70%. Such high-quality films cannot be produced by dc arc deposition without the plasma-stabilizing mechanism presented in this study.

A Model of Anode Sheath Potential Evolution in a Transverse Magnetic Field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Foster, John E.; Gallimore, Alec D.

1996-11-01

It has been conjectured that the growth in the magnitude of the anode fall voltage with changing transverse magnetic field is a function of the ratio of available transverse current to the discharge current. It has been postulated that at small values of this ratio, the anode fall voltage and thus the near-anode electric field increases in order to assure that the prescribed discharge is maintained.footnote H. Hugel, IEEE Tran. Plas. Sci., PS-8,4, 1980 In this present work, a model is presented which predicts the behavior of the anode fall voltage as a function of transverse magnetic field. The model attempts to explain why the anode fall voltage depends so strongly on this ratio. In addition, it is further shown that because of the current ratio's strong dependence on local electron number density, ultimately it is the changes in near-anode ionization processes with varying transverse magnetic field that control the anode fall voltage.

Exercise rehabilitation following intensive care unit discharge for recovery from critical illness: executive summary of a Cochrane Collaboration systematic review.

PubMed

Connolly, Bronwen; Salisbury, Lisa; O'Neill, Brenda; Geneen, Louise; Douiri, Abdel; Grocott, Michael P W; Hart, Nicholas; Walsh, Timothy S; Blackwood, Bronagh

2016-12-01

Skeletal muscle wasting and weakness are major complications of critical illness and underlie the profound physical and functional impairments experienced by survivors after discharge from the intensive care unit (ICU). Exercise-based rehabilitation has been shown to be beneficial when delivered during ICU admission. This review aimed to determine the effectiveness of exercise rehabilitation initiated after ICU discharge on primary outcomes of functional exercise capacity and health-related quality of life. We sought randomized controlled trials, quasi-randomized controlled trials, and controlled clinical trials comparing an exercise intervention commenced after ICU discharge vs. any other intervention or a control or 'usual care' programme in adult survivors of critical illness. Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online (MEDLINE), Excerpta Medica Database, and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature databases were searched up to February 2015. Dual, independent screening of results, data extraction, and quality appraisal were performed. We included six trials involving 483 patients. Overall quality of evidence for both outcomes was very low. All studies evaluated functional exercise capacity, with three reporting positive effects in favour of the intervention. Only two studies evaluated health-related quality of life and neither reported differences between intervention and control groups. Meta-analyses of data were precluded due to variation in study design, types of interventions, and selection and reporting of outcome measurements. We were unable to determine an overall effect on functional exercise capacity or health-related quality of life of interventions initiated after ICU discharge for survivors of critical illness. Findings from ongoing studies are awaited. Future studies need to address methodological aspects of study design and conduct to enhance rigour, quality, and synthesis.

Lasting effect of an oral hygiene care program for patients with stroke during in-hospital rehabilitation: a randomized single-center clinical trial.

PubMed

Kim, Eun-Kyong; Park, Eun Young; Sa Gong, Jung-Whan; Jang, Sung-Ho; Choi, Youn-Hee; Lee, Hee-Kyung

2017-11-01

Because the oral hygiene is poorly prioritized in the immediate post-stroke period, we implemented an oral hygiene care program (OHCP) for stroke in-patients and evaluated its persistence after discharge. In all, 62 patients with stroke who were admitted to the rehabilitation ward were randomly assigned to two groups: 33 patients to the intervention group and 29 to the control group. The OHCP, including tooth brushing education and professional tooth cleaning, was administered to the intervention group twice a week six times during in-hospital rehabilitation. Oral health status was examined both at baseline and three months after discharge from the hospital. Oral hygiene status was examined at three- to four-day intervals five times during the hospitalization period. After OHCP, oral hygiene status including the plaque index, calculus index, and O'Leary plaque index improved significantly in the intervention group, compared to the control group (p < 0.05). In the intervention group, after administration of the OHCP for the fourth time, the O'Leary index improved significantly, and remained high when checked three months after discharge (p < 0.001). An OHCP conducted during in-hospital rehabilitation was effective in improving oral health and plaque control performance among patients with stroke, with effects still seen three months after discharge from the hospital. Implications for Rehabilitation Initial oral hygiene status and plaque control performance were poor in stroke patients who were in rehabilitation center. An oral hygiene care program during in-hospital rehabilitation was effective in improving oral hygiene status and plaque control performance among stroke patients at three months after discharge. Repeated tooth brushing education and professional tooth cleaning were necessary to improve plaque control performance of stroke patients.

Low current plasmatron fuel converter having enlarged volume discharges

DOEpatents

Rabinovich, Alexander; Alexeev, Nikolai; Bromberg, Leslie; Cohn, Daniel R.; Samokhin, Andrei

2005-04-19

A novel apparatus and method is disclosed for a plasmatron fuel converter (""plasmatron"") that efficiently uses electrical energy to produce hydrogen rich gas. The volume and shape of the plasma discharge is controlled by a fluid flow established in a plasma discharge volume. A plasmatron according to this invention produces a substantially large effective plasma discharge volume allowing for substantially greater volumetric efficiency in the initiation of chemical reactions within a volume of bulk fluid reactant flowing through the plasmatron.

Low current plasmatron fuel converter having enlarged volume discharges

DOEpatents

Rabinovich, Alexander [Swampscott, MA; Alexeev, Nikolai [Moscow, RU; Bromberg, Leslie [Sharon, MA; Cohn, Daniel R [Chestnut Hill, MA; Samokhin, Andrei [Moscow, RU

2009-10-06

A novel apparatus and method is disclosed for a plasmatron fuel converter ("plasmatron") that efficiently uses electrical energy to produce hydrogen rich gas. The volume and shape of the plasma discharge is controlled by a fluid flow established in a plasma discharge volume. A plasmatron according to this invention produces a substantially large effective plasma discharge volume allowing for substantially greater volumetric efficiency in the initiation of chemical reactions within a volume of bulk fluid reactant flowing through the plasmatron.

Investigation of Nonstationary Modes of Atmospheric Pressure Needle-to-Plane Gas Discharge and Streamer Propagation

DTIC Science & Technology

2003-07-20

known, that at atmospheric pressure in oxygen- I" - contained gases a various modes of discharge can be realized in the needle -to-plane electrode geometry... needle -to-plane electrode system was located in the discharge chamber (volume I dmi3) with controlled gas feeding. The gas pressure was an atmospheric...The 3. Experimental results positive DC voltage was applied to the needle electrode . The discharge voltage was varied from 3 to 15kV. The analysis of

MHD control experiments in the Extrap T2R Reversed Field Pinch

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marrelli, L.; Bolzonella, T.; Brunsell, P.; Cecconello, M.; Drake, J.; Franz, P.; Gregoratto, D.; Manduchi, G.; Martin, P.; Ortolani, S.; Paccagnella, R.; Piovesan, P.; Spizzo, G.; Yadikin, D.; Zanca, P.

2004-11-01

We report here on MHD active control experiments performed in the Extrap T2R device, which has been recently equipped with a set of 32 feedback controlled saddle coils couples. Experiments aiming at selectively exciting a resonant resistive instability in order to actively induce Quasi Single Helicity states will be presented. Open loop experiments have in fact shown that a spectrum with one dominant mode can be excited in a high aspect ratio device like T2R. In addition, evidences of controlled braking of tearing modes, which spontaneously rotate in T2R, have been gathered, allowing the determination of a threshold for mode wall locking. Different feedback control schemes have been implemented. In particular, mode suppression schemes proved successful in delaying resistive wall modes growth and in increasing the discharge duration: this suggests a hybrid mode control scenario, in which RWM are suppressed and QSH is induced. Radiation imaging and internal magnetic field reconstructions performed with the ORBIT code will be presented.

Impacts of ocean acidification on coral calcification: experimental results from a field study around submarine springs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paytan, A.; Martínez Fernández, A.; Varona, N.

2017-12-01

Reef building corals are facing the effects of ocean acidification on calcification. Atmospheric carbon dioxide dissolves into the oceans and decreases the pH and the availability of carbonate ions in seawater. Carbonate ions are used by calcifying corals to create their calcium carbonate exoskeletons in the form of aragonite. As carbon dioxide emissions increase, corals may have problems precipitating their aragonite skeleton in low carbonate saturation seawater. Natural submarine groundwater springs discharge low pH seawater into the Caribbean Sea, in the Yucatan Peninsula (Mexico). These submarine springs serve as a natural laboratory to study the effects of low aragonite saturation water on coral growth. Here we show the skeletal growth parameters of three coral species under an in situ ocean acidification experiment. Nubbins of Porites porites, Porites astreoides and Siderastrea radians were collected at low pH springs and control sites and reciprocally transplanted into a low pH discharge site and into a control site not impacted by discharge. After two years, the nubbins were collected and linear extension, density and calcification rates were analyzed. Preliminary results show that coral skeleton density is significantly lower in corals transplanted into the low pH than in corals transplanted in control sites. Infaunal bioerosion is present in corals deployed at low pH sites. In contrast, linear extension and hence calcification rates do not seem to show a significant difference among sites. However, the coral species show diverse calcification responses under ocean acidification conditions, suggesting some species may be more vulnerable than others to a change in water chemistry.

Feedback control impedance matching system using liquid stub tuner for ion cyclotron heating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nomura, G.; Yokota, M.; Kumazawa, R.; Takahashi, C.; Torii, Y.; Saito, K.; Yamamoto, T.; Takeuchi, N.; Shimpo, F.; Kato, A.; Seki, T.; Mutoh, T.; Watari, T.; Zhao, Y.

2001-10-01

A long pulse discharge more than 2 minutes was achieved using Ion Cyclotron Range of Frequency (ICRF) heating only on the Large Helical Device (LHD). The final goal is a steady state operation (30 minutes) at MW level. A liquid stub tuner was newly invented to cope with the long pulse discharge. The liquid surface level was shifted under a high RF voltage operation without breakdown. In the long pulse discharge the reflected power was observed to gradually increase. The shift of the liquid surface was thought to be inevitably required at the further longer discharge. An ICRF heating system consisting of a liquid stub tuner was fabricated to demonstrate a feedback control impedance matching. The required shift of the liquid surface was predicted using a forward and a reflected RF powers as well as the phase difference between them. A liquid stub tuner was controlled by the multiprocessing computer system with CINOS (CHS Integration No Operating System) methods. The prime objective was to improve the performance of data processing and controlling a signal response. By employing this method a number of the program steps was remarkably reduced. A real time feedback control was demonstrated in the system using a temporally changed electric resistance.

Contraction et filamentation des decharges micro-ondes entretenues a la pression atmospherique: Application a la detoxication des gaz a effet de serre

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kabouzi, Yassine

The remediation of greenhouse gases, such as perfluorinated compounds (PFCs), constitutes a major environmental concern. Plasmas operating at atmospheric pressure offer an efficient technology for the control of toxic and greenhouse gas emission. The two main objectives of the thesis were to investigate the mechanisms of contraction and filamentation in atmospheric-pressure microwave discharges, and to examine their influence on the plasma abatement process of PFC gases in these discharges. The finite thermal conductivity of the gas discharge is responsible for the gas nonuniform heating leading to a contracted discharge column. The gas thermal conductivity and the penetration depth of the microwave electric field in the plasma are shown to set the value of the plasma radius. The degree of contraction and filamentation of microwave discharges can be controlled, and even reduced, by modulating adequately the incident microwave power. The relaxation times of heat conduction and heat release are actually observed to be of the same magnitude, and correspond to the modulation period for which the discharge shows less contraction. PFC molecules are eliminated through their fragmentation by inelastic collisions with electrons and the subsequent oxidation of these fragments. Reformation of PFC molecules is the main process limiting the abatement efficiency in atmospheric-pressure microwave discharges. As a result of discharge radial contraction, a relative "colder" space between the plasma filament and the discharge tube wall favors PFC reformation and, therefore, lowers the destruction efficiency. The PFC destruction efficiency is found to increase with absorbed microwave power. Surface-wave microwave discharges sustained at atmospheric pressure prove to be an efficient and ecological solution for emission reduction of greenhouse gases.

Ground water recharge and discharge in the central Everglades

USGS Publications Warehouse

Harvey, Judson W.; Krupa, Steven L.; Krest, James M.

2004-01-01

Rates of ground water recharge and discharge are not well known in the central Everglades. Here we report estimates of ground water recharge and discharge at 15 sites in the Everglades Nutrient Removal Project and in Water Conservation Area 2A (WCA-2A), along with measurements of hydraulic properties of peat at 11 sites. A simple hydrogeologic simulation was used to assess how specific factors have influenced recharge and discharge. Simulations and measurements agreed that the highest values of recharge and discharge occur within 600 m of levees, the result of ground water flow beneath levees. There was disagreement in the interior wetlands of WCA-2A (located > 1000 m from levees) where measurements of recharge and discharge were substantially higher than simulated fluxes. A five-year time series (1997 to 2002) of measured fluxes indicated that recharge and discharge underwent reversals in direction on weekly, monthly, and annual timescales at interior sites in WCA-2A. Ground water discharge tended to occur during average to moderately dry conditions when local surface water levels were decreasing. Recharge tended to occur during moderately wet periods or during very dry periods just as water levels began to increase following precipitation or in response to a pulse of surface water released from water-control structures by water managers. Discharge also tended to occur at sites in the wetland interior for ∼1 week preceding the arrival of the surface water pulse. We conclude that ground water recharge and discharge vary cyclically in the interior wetlands of the central Everglades, driven by the differential responses of surface water and ground water to annual, seasonal, and weekly trends in precipitation and operation of water-control structures.

Long-term outcomes of patients with Streptococcus suis infection in Viet Nam: A case-control study.

PubMed

Huong, Vu T L; Long, Hoang B; Kinh, Nguyen V; Ngan, Ta T D; Dung, Vu T V; Nadjm, Behzad; van Doorn, H Rogier; Hoa, Ngo T; Horby, Peter; Wertheim, Heiman F L

2018-02-01

Streptococcus suis is a zoonotic cause of severe meningitis and sepsis in humans. We aimed to assess the long-term outcomes in patients who survived S. suis infection, in particular the progress and impact of vestibulocochlear sequelae. This case-control study evaluated outcomes of S. suis infection at discharge and 3 and 9 months post-discharge for 47 prospectively enrolled cases and at 11-34 months for 31 retrospectively enrolled cases. Outcomes in patients were compared to 270 controls matched for age, sex and residency. The prevalence ratio (PR) of moderate-to-complete hearing loss was 5.0(95%CI 3.6-7.1) in cases at discharge, 3.7(2.5-5.4) at 3 months, 3.2(2.2-4.7) at 9 months, and 3.1(2.1-4.4) in retrospective cases compared to controls. Hearing improvement occurred mostly within the first 3 months with a change in hearing level of 11.1%(95%CI 7.0-15.1%) compared to discharge. The PR of vestibular dysfunction was 2.4(95%CI 1.7-3.3) at discharge, 2.2(1.4-3.1) at 3 months, 1.8(1.1-2.5) at 9 months, and 1.8(1.1-2.6) for retrospective cases compared to controls. Cases also indicated more problems with mobility, self-care and usual activities. Both hearing and vestibular impairment were common and persist in cases. Appropriate patient management strategies are needed to reduce the incidence and impact of these sequelae. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

40 CFR 230.77 - Other actions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... Effects § 230.77 Other actions. (a) In the case of fills, controlling runoff and other discharges from... Engineers, maintain desired water quality of the return discharge through agreement with the Federal funding...

40 CFR 230.77 - Other actions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... Effects § 230.77 Other actions. (a) In the case of fills, controlling runoff and other discharges from... Engineers, maintain desired water quality of the return discharge through agreement with the Federal funding...

40 CFR 436.185 - Standards of performance for new sources.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... provisions of this subpart after application of the best available demonstrated control technology. (1) Discharges of process generated waste water and mine dewatering discharges, shall not exceed the following...

40 CFR 436.185 - Standards of performance for new sources.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... provisions of this subpart after application of the best available demonstrated control technology. (1) Discharges of process generated waste water and mine dewatering discharges, shall not exceed the following...

40 CFR 436.185 - Standards of performance for new sources.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... provisions of this subpart after application of the best available demonstrated control technology. (1) Discharges of process generated waste water and mine dewatering discharges, shall not exceed the following...

Form of presentation, natural history and course of postoperative venous thromboembolism in patients operated on for pelvic and abdominal cancer. Analysis of the RIETE registry.

PubMed

Bustos Merlo, Ana Belén; Arcelus Martínez, Juan Ignacio; Turiño Luque, Jesús Damián; Valero, Beatriz; Villalobos, Aurora; Aibar, Miguel Ángel; Monreal Bosch, Manuel

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) represents a serious complication after oncologic surgery. Recent studies have shown that the risk of VTE persists several weeks after surgery. This study assesses the form of presentation and time course of VTE after abdominal and pelvic cancer surgery. Prospective, multicenter, observational study that analyzes data from an international registry (RIETE) that includes consecutive patients with symptomatic VTE. Our study assesses the form and time of presentation of postoperative VTE, as well as main outcomes, in patients operated for abdominopelvic cancer 8 weeks prior to VTE diagnosis. Variables related to the presentation of VTE after hospital discharge are identified. Out of the 766 analyzed patients with VTE, 395 (52%) presented pulmonary embolism (PE). Most VTE cases (84%) were detected after the first postoperative week, and 38% after one month. Among patients with VTE in the first postoperative week, 70% presented PE. VTE presented after hospital discharge in 54% of cases. Colorectal, urologic, and gynecologic tumors, the use of radiotherapy, and blood hemoglobin levels were independently associated with VTE diagnosis after hospital discharge. Complications (thrombosis recurrence, bleeding, and death) occurred in 34% of patients with VTE detected before hospital discharge, compared to 24% in VTE after hospital discharge (P<0.01). VTE occurs after hospital discharge in most patients, particularly in those operated for colorectal, urologic, and gynecologic cancer. Pulmonary embolism is more frequent in patients who develop early VTE, who also have worse prognosis. Copyright © 2017 AEC. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Day-of-Surgery Mobilization Reduces the Length of Stay After Elective Hip Arthroplasty.

PubMed

Okamoto, Taro; Ridley, Ryan J; Edmondston, Stephen J; Visser, Mariet; Headford, Julie; Yates, Piers J

2016-10-01

To determine the effect of mobilization on the day of surgery on the readiness for discharge and length of stay after elective total hip arthroplasty (THA). We devised a randomized control trial with concealed allocation and intention-to-treat analysis. Overall, 126 patients who underwent THA and met the criteria for mobilization on the day of surgery were randomly allocated into 2 groups; the intervention group was mobilized on the day of surgery, n = 58 and the control group was mobilized on the day after surgery, n = 68. Apart from timing of mobilization, both groups received the same postoperative management. The primary outcome measures were length of hospital stay and time to readiness for discharge. The early mobilization group was ready for discharge 63 hours (standard deviation [SD] = 15 hours) after surgery, compared to 70 hours (SD = 18 hours) for the control group (P = .03, 95% CI, 0.7-12.8). There was no significant difference in hospital stay in the early mobilization group (77 hours [SD = 30 hours]), compared to the control group (87 hours [SD = 35 hours]; P = .11, 95% CI, -2.1 to 21.6). Despite this at any point in time after the surgery, the intervention group was 1.8 times (P = .003, 95% CI, = 1.2-2.7) more likely to have been discharged. Mobilization on the day of THA surgery significantly increases the probability of discharge at any singular point in time compared with mobilization on the day after surgery and decreases the time to readiness for discharge. Crown Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Calorie and protein-enriched formula versus standard term formula for improving growth and development in preterm or low birth weight infants following hospital discharge.

PubMed

Henderson, G; Fahey, T; McGuire, W

2005-04-18

Preterm and low birth weight infants are often growth-restricted at hospital discharge. Feeding infants post-hospital discharge with calorie and protein-enriched formula milk might facilitate "catch-up" growth and improve development. To review the evidence from randomised controlled trials that feeding following hospital discharge with calorie and protein-enriched formula compared with standard term formula improves growth and development for preterm or low birth weight infants. We used the standard search strategy of the Cochrane Neonatal Review Group. This included searches of the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL, The Cochrane Library, Issue 4, 2004), MEDLINE (1966 - December 2004), EMBASE (1980 - December 2004), CINAHL (1982 - December 2004), conference proceedings, and previous reviews. Randomised or quasi-randomised controlled trials that compared the effect of feeding preterm or low birth weight infants post-hospital discharge with calorie and protein-enriched formula compared with standard term formula. We extracted data using the standard methods of the Cochrane Neonatal Review Group, with separate evaluation of trial quality and data extraction by two authors, and synthesis of data using weighted mean difference and a fixed effects model for meta-analysis. We found six trials that were eligible for inclusion. These recruited a total of 424 infants and were generally of good methodological quality. These trials found little evidence that feeding with calorie and protein-enriched formula milk affected growth and development. Because of differences in the way individual trials measured and presented outcomes, data synthesis was limited. Meta-analysis of data from two trials found a statistically significant effect on crown-heel length at 18 months post-term (weighted mean difference 9.7 millimetres (95% confidence interval 3.2 to 16.2)), but not on weight or head circumference. Meta-analysis of data from the two trials that assessed neurodevelopment at 18 months post-term did not reveal a statistically significant difference in either Bayley Mental Development Index (weighted mean difference 0.23 (95% confidence interval -2.99 to 3.45)) or Psychomotor Development Index (weighted mean difference 0.56 (95% confidence interval -1.95 to 3.07)). There are not yet any data on growth or development through later childhood. The limited available data do not provide strong evidence that feeding preterm or low birth weight infants following hospital discharge with calorie and protein-enriched formula compared with standard term formula affects growth rates or development up to 18 months post-term.

Chronic suppurative otitis media in children of Luanda, Angola.

PubMed

Taipale, Anni; Pelkonen, Tuula; Taipale, Marko; Bernardino, Luis; Peltola, Heikki; Pitkäranta, Anne

2011-08-01

Evaluation of clinical characteristics, bacteriology and hearing in paediatric patients with and without chronic suppurative otitis media (CSOM) in Luanda, Angola. Interview, clinical examination, ear-discharge culture, open air pure-tone audiometry and brainstem auditory-evoked potentials of 23 outpatients with CSOM and 23 controls in a paediatric hospital. Of the CSOM vs. control children, 35% vs. 26% had running water, 70% vs. 70% electricity, 64% vs. 0% HIV (p<0.0001) and 36% vs. 0% tuberculosis in history (p=0.002). Ten (43%) children had bilateral CSOM. The major ear-discharge pathogens were Proteus spp. (44%) and Pseudomonas (22%). Hearing impairment of >25 dB was present in 52% of CSOM-affected ears and bilateral hearing loss in 7 (30%) CSOM children vs. zero control child (p=0.009). Only one hearing-impaired child's family had previously detected the handicap. CSOM occurred in children with high co-morbidity. Persistent otorrhoea was usually caused by Proteus spp. or Pseudomonas, and often suggestive of either HIV or hearing impairment. In the developing countries, prompt diagnosis and treatment of CSOM would enhance the children's linguistic and academic development. © 2011 The Author(s)/Acta Paediatrica © 2011 Foundation Acta Paediatrica.

The Influence of Relative Humidity on Dielectric Barrier Discharge Plasma Flow Control Actuator Performance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wicks, M.; Thomas, F. O.; Corke, T. C.; Patel, M.

2012-11-01

Dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma actuators possess numerous advantages for flow control applications and have been the focus of several previous studies. Most work has been performed in relatively pristine laboratory settings. In actual flow control applications, however, it is essential to assess the impact of various environmental influences on actuator performance. As a first effort toward assessing a broad range of environmental effects on DBD actuator performance, the influence of relative humidity (RH) is considered. Actuator performance is quantified by force balance measurements of reactive thrust while RH is systematically varied via an ultrasonic humidifier. The DBD plasma actuator assembly, force balance, and ultrasonic humidifier are all contained inside a large, closed test chamber instrumented with RH and temperature sensors in order to accurately estimate the average RH at the actuator. Measurements of DBD actuator thrust as a function of RH for several different applied voltage regimes and dielectric materials and thicknesses are presented. Based on these results, several important design recommendations are made. This work was supported by Innovative Technology Applications Company (ITAC), LLC under a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II Contract No. N00014-11-C-0267 issued by the U.S. Department of the Navy.

Effect of bottles, cups, and dummies on breast feeding in preterm infants: a randomised controlled trial

PubMed Central

Collins, Carmel T; Ryan, Philip; Crowther, Caroline A; McPhee, Andrew J; Paterson, Susan; Hiller, Janet E

2004-01-01

Objective To determine the effect of artificial teats (bottle and dummy) and cups on breast feeding in preterm infants. Design Randomised controlled trial. Setting Two large tertiary hospitals, 54 peripheral hospitals. Participants 319 preterm infants (born at 23-33 weeks' gestation) randomly assigned to one of four groups: cup/no dummy (n = 89), cup/dummy (n = 72), bottle/no dummy (n = 73), bottle/dummy (n = 85). Women with singleton or twin infants < 34 weeks' gestation who wanted to breastfeed were eligible to participate. Interventions Cup or bottle feeding occurred when the mother was unable to be present to breast feed. Infants randomised to the dummy groups received a dummy on entry into the trial. Main outcome measures Full breast feeding (compared with partial and none) and any breast feeding (compared with none) on discharge home. Secondary outcomes: prevalence of breast feeding at three and six months after discharge and length of hospital stay. Results 303 infants (and 278 mothers) were included in the intention to treat analysis. There were no significant differences for any of the study outcomes according to use of a dummy. Infants randomised to cup feeds were more likely to be fully breast fed on discharge home (odds ratio 1.73, 95% confidence interval 1.04 to 2.88, P = 0.03), but had a longer length of stay (hazard ratio 0.71, 0.55 to 0.92, P = 0.01). Conclusions Dummies do not affect breast feeding in preterm infants. Cup feeding significantly increases the likelihood that the baby will be fully breast fed at discharge home, but has no effect on any breast feeding and increases the length of hospital stay. PMID:15208209

Effect of bottles, cups, and dummies on breast feeding in preterm infants: a randomised controlled trial.

PubMed

Collins, Carmel T; Ryan, Philip; Crowther, Caroline A; McPhee, Andrew J; Paterson, Susan; Hiller, Janet E

2004-07-24

To determine the effect of artificial teats (bottle and dummy) and cups on breast feeding in preterm infants. Randomised controlled trial. Two large tertiary hospitals, 54 peripheral hospitals. 319 preterm infants (born at 23-33 weeks' gestation) randomly assigned to one of four groups: cup/no dummy (n = 89), cup/dummy (n = 72), bottle/no dummy (n = 73), bottle/dummy (n = 85). Women with singleton or twin infants < 34 weeks' gestation who wanted to breastfeed were eligible to participate. Cup or bottle feeding occurred when the mother was unable to be present to breast feed. Infants randomised to the dummy groups received a dummy on entry into the trial. Full breast feeding (compared with partial and none) and any breast feeding (compared with none) on discharge home. prevalence of breast feeding at three and six months after discharge and length of hospital stay. 303 infants (and 278 mothers) were included in the intention to treat analysis. There were no significant differences for any of the study outcomes according to use of a dummy. Infants randomised to cup feeds were more likely to be fully breast fed on discharge home (odds ratio 1.73, 95% confidence interval 1.04 to 2.88, P = 0.03), but had a longer length of stay (hazard ratio 0.71, 0.55 to 0.92, P = 0.01). Dummies do not affect breast feeding in preterm infants. Cup feeding significantly increases the likelihood that the baby will be fully breast fed at discharge home, but has no effect on any breast feeding and increases the length of hospital stay.

Low-Power Operation and Plasma Characterization of a Qualification Model SPT-140 Hall Thruster for NASA Science Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Garner, Charles E.; Jorns, Benjamin A.; van Derventer, Steven; Hofer, Richard R.; Rickard, Ryan; Liang, Raymond; Delgado, Jorge

2015-01-01

Hall thruster systems based on commercial product lines can potentially lead to lower cost electric propulsion (EP) systems for deep space science missions. A 4.5-kW SPT-140 Hall thruster presently under qualification testing by SSL leverages the substantial heritage of the SPT-100 being flown on Russian and US commercial satellites. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory is exploring the use of commercial EP systems, including the SPT-140, for deep space science missions, and initiated a program to evaluate the SPT-140 in the areas of low power operation and thruster operating life. A qualification model SPT-140 designated QM002 was evaluated for operation and plasma properties along channel centerline, from 4.5 kW to 0.8 kW. Additional testing was performed on a development model SPT-140 designated DM4 to evaluate operation with a Moog proportional flow control valve (PFCV). The PFCV was commanded by an SSL engineering model PPU-140 Power Processing Unit (PPU). Performance measurements on QM002 at 0.8 kW discharge power were 50 mN of thrust at a total specific impulse of 1250 s, a total thruster efficiency of 0.38, and discharge current oscillations of under 3% of the mean current. Steady-state operation at 0.8 kW was demonstrated during a 27 h firing. The SPT-140 DM4 was operated in closed-loop control of the discharge current with the PFCV and PPU over discharge power levels of 0.8-4.5 kW. QM002 and DM4 test data indicate that the SPT-140 design is a viable candidate for NASA missions requiring power throttling down to low thruster input power.

Control of Transitional and Turbulent Flows Using Plasma-Based Actuators

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-06-01

by means of asymmetric dielectric-barrier-discharge ( DBD ) actuators is presented. The flow fields are simulated employ- ing an extensively validated...effective use of DBD devices. As a consequence, meaningful computations require the use of three-dimensional large-eddy simulation approaches capable of...counter-flow DBD actuator is shown to provide an effective on-demand tripping device . This prop- erty is exploited for the suppression of laminar

Core Scientific Effort for Biosurfaces Studies. Task 1

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-08-30

Intraoral Environment by Glow Discharge-I Treatment (GDT) Techniques, Transactions of the Academy of Dental Materials, 1:6-29, 1990. Vrolijk, N.H., Targett... Dental Materials, D. Williams, ed., Pergamon Press, New York, pp 24-27, 1990. I Baier, R.E., Control of Bioadhesion by the Zebra Mussel, in...and Interdisciplinary Sciences, School of Dental Medicine, State University of New York at Buffalo, 1987-Present. I Senior Member, Undergraduate

Battery Energy Storage State-of-Charge Forecasting: Models, Optimization, and Accuracy

DOE PAGES

Rosewater, David; Ferreira, Summer; Schoenwald, David; ...

2018-01-25

Battery energy storage systems (BESS) are a critical technology for integrating high penetration renewable power on an intelligent electrical grid. As limited energy restricts the steady-state operational state-of-charge (SoC) of storage systems, SoC forecasting models are used to determine feasible charge and discharge schedules that supply grid services. Smart grid controllers use SoC forecasts to optimize BESS schedules to make grid operation more efficient and resilient. This study presents three advances in BESS state-of-charge forecasting. First, two forecasting models are reformulated to be conducive to parameter optimization. Second, a new method for selecting optimal parameter values based on operational datamore » is presented. Last, a new framework for quantifying model accuracy is developed that enables a comparison between models, systems, and parameter selection methods. The accuracies achieved by both models, on two example battery systems, with each method of parameter selection are then compared in detail. The results of this analysis suggest variation in the suitability of these models for different battery types and applications. Finally, the proposed model formulations, optimization methods, and accuracy assessment framework can be used to improve the accuracy of SoC forecasts enabling better control over BESS charge/discharge schedules.« less

Battery Energy Storage State-of-Charge Forecasting: Models, Optimization, and Accuracy

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

Rosewater, David; Ferreira, Summer; Schoenwald, David

Battery energy storage systems (BESS) are a critical technology for integrating high penetration renewable power on an intelligent electrical grid. As limited energy restricts the steady-state operational state-of-charge (SoC) of storage systems, SoC forecasting models are used to determine feasible charge and discharge schedules that supply grid services. Smart grid controllers use SoC forecasts to optimize BESS schedules to make grid operation more efficient and resilient. This study presents three advances in BESS state-of-charge forecasting. First, two forecasting models are reformulated to be conducive to parameter optimization. Second, a new method for selecting optimal parameter values based on operational datamore » is presented. Last, a new framework for quantifying model accuracy is developed that enables a comparison between models, systems, and parameter selection methods. The accuracies achieved by both models, on two example battery systems, with each method of parameter selection are then compared in detail. The results of this analysis suggest variation in the suitability of these models for different battery types and applications. Finally, the proposed model formulations, optimization methods, and accuracy assessment framework can be used to improve the accuracy of SoC forecasts enabling better control over BESS charge/discharge schedules.« less

Quality improvement through implementation of discharge order reconciliation.

PubMed

Lu, Yun; Clifford, Pamela; Bjorneby, Andreas; Thompson, Bruce; VanNorman, Samuel; Won, Katie; Larsen, Kevin

2013-05-01

A coordinated multidisciplinary process to reduce medication errors related to patient discharges to skilled-nursing facilities (SNFs) is described. After determining that medication errors were a frequent cause of readmission among patients discharged to SNFs, a medical center launched a two-phase quality-improvement project focused on cardiac and medical patients. Phase one of the project entailed a three-month failure modes and effects analysis of existing procedures discharge, followed by the development and pilot testing of a multidisciplinary, closed-loop workflow process involving staff and resident physicians, clinical nurse coordinators, and clinical pharmacists. During pilot testing of the new workflow process, the rate of discharge medication errors involving SNF patients was tracked, and data on medication-related readmissions in a designated intervention group (n = 87) and a control group of patients (n = 1893) discharged to SNFs via standard procedures during a nine-month period were collected, with the data stratified using severity of illness (SOI) classification. Analysis of the collected data indicated a cumulative 30-day medication-related readmission rate for study group patients in the minor, moderate, and major SOI categories of 5.4% (4 of 74 patients), compared with a rate of 9.5% (169 of 1780 patients) in the control group. In phase 2 of the project, the revised SNF discharge medication reconciliation procedure was implemented throughout the hospital; since hospitalwide implementation of the new workflow, the readmission rate for SNF patients has been maintained at about 6.7%. Implementing a standardized discharge order reconciliation process that includes pharmacists led to decreased readmission rates and improved care for patients discharged to SNFs.

Life cycle of a geyser discharge apron: Evidence from Waikite Geyser, Whakarewarewa geothermal area, North Island, New Zealand

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jones, Brian; Renaut, Robin W.; Owen, R. Bernhart

2011-05-01

Waikite, a geyser located in the Whakarewarewa geothermal area on the North Island, New Zealand, has a history of eruptive-dormancy cycles that have been attributed to natural and anthropogenic causes. The last cycle involved an active period from ~ 1932 to 1968/69 that was followed by a period of dormancy that continues today. Such cycles are important because they control the temporal development of the discharge apron. When the geyser is active, growth of the discharge apron is dictated by the precipitation of opal-A, which is controlled by factors such as discharge patterns, water chemistry, pH, temperature, rate of cooling, and the resident microbiota. With dormancy, conditions change radically because water no longer flows down the discharge apron. Instead, the discharge apron lapses into a phase of degradation that, on Waikite, is evident from (1) deflation of the apron surface, (2) blocks splaying off the apron margins along margin-parallel fractures, (3) tension fractures, (4) saucer-shaped collapse zones, (5) increasingly unstable surfaces resulting from subsurface opal-A dissolution, (6) fractures, from which steam and other gases emanate, and (7) incursion of native vegetation around the edge of the apron and on the distal parts of the discharge apron. When the geyser becomes active again, silica precipitation will resume and the discharge apron will once again accrete vertically and expand laterally. Analysis of the Waikite system shows that successions that develop on geyser discharge aprons are formed of unconformity-bounded packages of sinter that reflect the eruptive-dormancy history of the parent geyser.

Risk factors for disability discharge in enlisted active duty Army soldiers.

PubMed

Piccirillo, Amanda L; Packnett, Elizabeth R; Cowan, David N; Boivin, Michael R

2016-04-01

The rate of permanent disability retirement in U.S. Army soldiers and the prevalence of combat-related disabilities have significantly increased over time. Prior research on risk factors associated with disability retirement included soldiers retired prior to conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. To identify risk factors for disability discharge among soldiers enlisted in the U.S. Army during military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. In this case-control study, cases included active duty soldiers evaluated for disability discharge. Controls, randomly selected from soldiers with no history of disability evaluation, were matched to cases based on enlistment year and sex. Conditional logistic regression models calculated odds of disability discharge. Attributable fractions estimated burden of disability for specific pre-existing condition categories. Poisson regression models compared risk of disability discharge related to common disability types by deployment and combat status. Characteristics at military enlistment with increased odds of disability discharge included a pre-existing condition, increased age or body mass index, white race, and being divorced. Musculoskeletal conditions and overweight contributed the largest proportion of disabilities. Deployment was protective against disability discharge or receiving a musculoskeletal-related disability, but significantly increased the risk of disability related to a psychiatric or neurological condition. Soldiers with a pre-existing condition at enlistment, particularly a musculoskeletal condition, had increased odds of disability discharge. Risk of disability was dependent on condition category when stratified by deployment and combat status. Additional research examining conditions during pre-disability hospitalizations could provide insight on specific conditions that commonly lead to disability discharge. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Optical emission spectroscopy of point-plane corona and back-corona discharges in air

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Czech, T.; Sobczyk, A. T.; Jaworek, A.

2011-12-01

Results of spectroscopic investigations and current-voltage characteristics of corona discharge and back discharge on fly-ash layer, generated in point-plane electrode geometry in air at atmospheric pressure are presented in the paper. The characteristics of both discharges are similar but differ in the current and voltage ranges of all the discharge forms distinguished during the experiments. Three forms of back discharge, for positive and negative polarity, were investigated: glow, streamer and low-current back-arc. In order to characterize ionisation and excitation processes in back discharge, the emission spectra were measured and compared with those obtained for normal corona discharge generated in the same electrode configuration but with fly ash layer removed. The emission spectra were measured in two discharge zones: near the tip of needle electrode and near the plate. Visual forms of the discharge were recorded with digital camera and referred to current-voltage characteristics and emission spectra. The measurements have shown that spectral lines emitted by back discharge depend on the form of discharge and the discharge current. From the comparison of the spectral lines of back and normal discharges an effect of fly ash layer on the discharge morphology can be determined. The recorded emission spectra formed by ionised gas and plasma near the needle electrode and fly ash layer are different. It should be noted that in back arc emission, spectral lines of fly ash layer components can be distinguished. On the other hand, in needle zone, the emission of high intensity N2 second positive system and NO γ lines can be noticed. Regardless of these gaseous lines, also atomic lines of dust layer were present in the spectrum. The differences in spectra of back discharge for positive and negative polarities of the needle electrode have been explained by considering the kind of ions generated in the crater in fly ash layer. The aim of these studies is to better understand the discharge processes encountered in electrostatic precipitators.

Battery charging and discharging research based on the interactive technology of smart grid and electric vehicle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Mingyang

2018-06-01

To further study the bidirectional flow problem of V2G (Vehicle to Grid) charge and discharge motor, the mathematical model of AC/DC converter and bi-directional DC/DC converter was established. Then, lithium battery was chosen as the battery of electric vehicle and its mathematical model was established. In order to improve the service life of lithium battery, bidirectional DC/DC converter adopted constant current and constant voltage control strategy. In the initial stage of charging, constant current charging was adopted with current single closed loop control. After reaching a certain value, voltage was switched to constant voltage charging controlled by voltage and current. Subsequently, the V2G system simulation model was built in MATLAB/Simulink. The simulation results verified the correctness of the control strategy and showed that when charging, constant current and constant voltage charging was achieved, the grid side voltage and current were in the same phase, and the power factor was about 1. When discharging, the constant current discharge was applied, and the grid voltage and current phase difference was r. To sum up, the simulation results are correct and helpful.

Computational Model Tracking Primary Electrons, Secondary Electrons, and Ions in the Discharge Chamber of an Ion Engine

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mahalingam, Sudhakar; Menart, James A.

2005-01-01

Computational modeling of the plasma located in the discharge chamber of an ion engine is an important activity so that the development and design of the next generation of ion engines may be enhanced. In this work a computational tool called XOOPIC is used to model the primary electrons, secondary electrons, and ions inside the discharge chamber. The details of this computational tool are discussed in this paper. Preliminary results from XOOPIC are presented. The results presented include particle number density distributions for the primary electrons, the secondary electrons, and the ions. In addition the total number of a particular particle in the discharge chamber as a function of time, electric potential maps and magnetic field maps are presented. A primary electron number density plot from PRIMA is given in this paper so that the results of XOOPIC can be compared to it. PRIMA is a computer code that the present investigators have used in much of their previous work that provides results that compare well to experimental results. PRIMA only models the primary electrons in the discharge chamber. Modeling ions and secondary electrons, as well as the primary electrons, will greatly increase our ability to predict different characteristics of the plasma discharge used in an ion engine.

Active control of multiple resistive wall modes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brunsell, P. R.; Yadikin, D.; Gregoratto, D.; Paccagnella, R.; Liu, Y. Q.; Bolzonella, T.; Cecconello, M.; Drake, J. R.; Kuldkepp, M.; Manduchi, G.; Marchiori, G.; Marrelli, L.; Martin, P.; Menmuir, S.; Ortolani, S.; Rachlew, E.; Spizzo, G.; Zanca, P.

2005-12-01

A two-dimensional array of saddle coils at Mc poloidal and Nc toroidal positions is used on the EXTRAP T2R reversed-field pinch (Brunsell P R et al 2001 Plasma Phys. Control. Fusion 43 1457) to study active control of resistive wall modes (RWMs). Spontaneous growth of several RWMs with poloidal mode number m = 1 and different toroidal mode number n is observed experimentally, in agreement with linear MHD modelling. The measured plasma response to a controlled coil field and the plasma response computed using the linear circular cylinder MHD model are in quantitive agreement. Feedback control introduces a linear coupling of modes with toroidal mode numbers n, n' that fulfil the condition |n - n'| = Nc. Pairs of coupled unstable RWMs are present in feedback experiments with an array of Mc × Nc = 4 × 16 coils. Using intelligent shell feedback, the coupled modes are generally not controlled even though the field is suppressed at the active coils. A better suppression of coupled modes may be achieved in the case of rotating modes by using the mode control feedback scheme with individually set complex gains. In feedback with a larger array of Mc × Nc = 4 × 32 coils, the coupling effect largely disappears, and with this array, the main internal RWMs n = -11, -10, +5, +6 are all simultaneously suppressed throughout the discharge (7 8 wall times). With feedback there is a two-fold extension of the pulse length, compared to discharges without feedback.

Streamflow characteristics for selected stations in and near the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre, and Gunnison National Forests, southwestern Colorado

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kuhn, Gerhard

2002-01-01

The U.S Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre, and Gunnison National Forests, began a study in 2000 to develop selected streamflow characteristics for 60 streamflow-gaging stations in and near the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre, and Gunnison National Forests. The study area is located in southwestern Colorado within the Gunnison River, Dolores River, and Plateau Creek Basins, which are tributaries of the Colorado River. In addition to presenting the compiled daily, monthly, and annual discharge data for the 60 stations, the report presents tabular and graphical results for the following computed streamflow characteristics: (1) Instantaneous peak-flow frequency; (2) flow duration for daily mean discharges on an annual (water year) basis and on a monthly basis, and flow duration for the annual and monthly mean discharges; (3) low-flow and high-flow frequency of daily mean discharges for periods of 1, 3, 7, 15, 30, 60, 120, and 183 consecutive days; and (4) annual and monthly mean and median discharges for each year and month of record, and frequency of the annual and monthly mean and median discharges. All discharge data and results from the streamflow-characteristics analyses are presented in Microsoft Excel workbooks on the enclosed CD-ROM.

Nano-Enabled Technologies for Naval Aviation Applications

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-06-05

4. Reduced self- discharge DEW 1. Active materials (silicon based/anode only); 2. Active materials coated on CNTs surface; 3...polymer film capacitors have the potential to provide higher energy density, higher power density, reduce weight, improve duty cycles (fast discharge and...dependent excess of 200C) 4. Nano-particle dispersion 5. Understanding discharge rate 6. Design and control of the interface 1. Increased

A pulser-sustainer carbon monoxide electric-discharge supersonic laser

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Monson, D. J.; Srinivasan, G.

1977-01-01

Operation of a CW CO electric-discharge supersonic laser with a pulser-sustainer discharge is described. High-power operation as well as independent control over electron energy and density are demonstrated. Maximum input power achieved to date is 100 kW. The maximum output power is 6 kW or 10% of the sustainer positive-column power. Much improved performance appears possible.

Area scaling investigations of charging phenomena. [discharge pulse characteristics of Teflon thermal control tape

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Aron, P. R.; Staskus, J. V.

1979-01-01

The charging and discharging behavior of square, planar samples of silvered, fluorinated ethylene-propylene (FEP) Teflon thermal control tape was measured. The equilibrium voltage profiles scaled with the width of the sample. A wide range of discharge pulse characteristics was observed, and the area dependences of the peak current, charge, and pulse widths are described. The observed scaling of the peak currents with area was weaker than that previously reported. The discharge parameters were observed to depend strongly on the grounding impedance and the beam voltage. Preliminary results suggest that measuring only the return-current-pulse characteristics is not adequate to describe the spacecraft discharging behavior of this material. The seams between strips of tape appear to play a fundamental role in determining the discharging behavior. An approximate propagation velocity for the charge cleanoff was extracted from the data. The samples - 232, 1265, and 5058 square centimeters in area - were exposed at ambient temperature to a 1- to 2-nA/sq cm electron beam at energies of 10, 15, and 20 kilovolts in a 19-meter-long by 4.6-meter-diameter simulation facility at the Lewis Research Center.

40 CFR 230.72 - Actions controlling the material after discharge.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... and disposal sites where the potential for erosion, slumping or leaching of materials into the... containment areas to reduce leaching where leaching of chemical constituents from the discharged material is...

40 CFR 230.72 - Actions controlling the material after discharge.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... and disposal sites where the potential for erosion, slumping or leaching of materials into the... containment areas to reduce leaching where leaching of chemical constituents from the discharged material is...

40 CFR 230.72 - Actions controlling the material after discharge.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... and disposal sites where the potential for erosion, slumping or leaching of materials into the... containment areas to reduce leaching where leaching of chemical constituents from the discharged material is...

40 CFR 230.72 - Actions controlling the material after discharge.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... and disposal sites where the potential for erosion, slumping or leaching of materials into the... containment areas to reduce leaching where leaching of chemical constituents from the discharged material is...

40 CFR 230.72 - Actions controlling the material after discharge.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... and disposal sites where the potential for erosion, slumping or leaching of materials into the... containment areas to reduce leaching where leaching of chemical constituents from the discharged material is...

Atmospheric-pressure electric discharge as an instrument of chemical activation of water solutions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rybkin, V. V.; Shutov, D. A.

2017-11-01

Results of experimental studies and numerical simulations of physicochemical characteristics of plasmas generated in different types of atmospheric-pressure discharges (pulsed streamer corona, gliding electric arc, dielectric barrier discharge, glow-discharge electrolysis, diaphragmatic discharge, and dc glow discharge) used to initiate various chemical processes in water solutions are analyzed. Typical reactor designs are considered. Data on the power supply characteristics, plasma electron parameters, gas temperatures, and densities of active particles in different types of discharges excited in different gases and their dependences on the external parameters of discharges are presented. The chemical composition of active particles formed in water is described. Possible mechanisms of production and loss of plasma particles are discussed.

[Isolation of Gardnerella vaginalis from vaginal discharge specimens].

PubMed

Köksalan, H; Esen, N; Cağatay, M; Tülek, N; Mert, A

1993-07-01

In this study specimens taken from 93 patients who admitted to outpatient clinics of SSK Ankara Gynaecology and Obstetrics Hospital with vaginal discharge were examined for G. vaginalis, T. vaginalis, C. albicans and N. gonorrhoeae. We evaluated the smell, pH, direct microscopic examinations, stained preparations and specific culture results of the discharges which were taken from posterior fornix. We isolated G. vaginalis from 13 patients (13.9%), T. vaginalis from 5 patients (5.3%) and C. albicans from 19 patients (20.4%). N. gonorrhoeae could not be isolated from any of the specimens. In our control study, we isolated G. vaginalis in three out of 50 patients (6%) without vaginal discharge. We observed T. vaginalis in specimens of 3 control patients. C. albicans and N. gonorrhoeae could not be isolated in this study in this study.

Alterations in Neural Control of Constant Isometric Contraction with the Size of Error Feedback

PubMed Central

Hwang, Ing-Shiou; Lin, Yen-Ting; Huang, Wei-Min; Yang, Zong-Ru; Hu, Chia-Ling; Chen, Yi-Ching

2017-01-01

Discharge patterns from a population of motor units (MUs) were estimated with multi-channel surface electromyogram and signal processing techniques to investigate parametric differences in low-frequency force fluctuations, MU discharges, and force-discharge relation during static force-tracking with varying sizes of execution error presented via visual feedback. Fourteen healthy adults produced isometric force at 10% of maximal voluntary contraction through index abduction under three visual conditions that scaled execution errors with different amplification factors. Error-augmentation feedback that used a high amplification factor (HAF) to potentiate visualized error size resulted in higher sample entropy, mean frequency, ratio of high-frequency components, and spectral dispersion of force fluctuations than those of error-reducing feedback using a low amplification factor (LAF). In the HAF condition, MUs with relatively high recruitment thresholds in the dorsal interosseous muscle exhibited a larger coefficient of variation for inter-spike intervals and a greater spectral peak of the pooled MU coherence at 13–35 Hz than did those in the LAF condition. Manipulation of the size of error feedback altered the force-discharge relation, which was characterized with non-linear approaches such as mutual information and cross sample entropy. The association of force fluctuations and global discharge trace decreased with increasing error amplification factor. Our findings provide direct neurophysiological evidence that favors motor training using error-augmentation feedback. Amplification of the visualized error size of visual feedback could enrich force gradation strategies during static force-tracking, pertaining to selective increases in the discharge variability of higher-threshold MUs that receive greater common oscillatory inputs in the β-band. PMID:28125658

Medication coaching program for patients with minor stroke or TIA: a pilot study.

PubMed

Sides, Elizabeth G; Zimmer, Louise O; Wilson, Leslie; Pan, Wenqin; Olson, Daiwai M; Peterson, Eric D; Bushnell, Cheryl

2012-07-25

Patients who are hospitalized with a first or recurrent stroke often are discharged with new medications or adjustment to the doses of pre-admission medications, which can be confusing and pose safety issues if misunderstood. The purpose of this pilot study was to assess the feasibility of medication coaching via telephone after discharge in patients with stroke. Two-arm pilot study of a medication coaching program with 30 patients (20 intervention, 10 control). Consecutive patients admitted with stroke or TIA with at least 2 medications changed between admission and discharge were included. The medication coach contacted intervention arm patients post-discharge via phone call to discuss risk factors, review medications and triage patients' questions to a stroke nurse and/or pharmacist. Intervention and control participants were contacted at 3 months for outcomes. The main outcomes were feasibility (appropriateness of script, ability to reach participants, and provide requested information) and participant evaluation of medication coaching. The median lengths of the coaching and follow-up calls with requested answers to these questions were 27 minutes and 12 minutes, respectively, and participant evaluations of the coaching were positive. The intervention participants were more likely to have seen their primary care provider than were control participants by 3 months post discharge. This medication coaching study executed early after discharge demonstrated feasibility of coaching and educating stroke patients with a trained coach. Results from our small pilot showed a possible trend towards improved appointment-keeping with primary care providers in those who received coaching.

Dynamics and density distributions in a capillary-discharge waveguide with an embedded supersonic jet

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

Matlis, N. H., E-mail: nmatlis@gmail.com; Gonsalves, A. J.; Steinke, S.

We present an analysis of the gas dynamics and density distributions within a capillary-discharge waveguide with an embedded supersonic jet. This device provides a target for a laser plasma accelerator which uses longitudinal structuring of the gas-density profile to enable control of electron trapping and acceleration. The functionality of the device depends sensitively on the details of the density profile, which are determined by the interaction between the pulsed gas in the jet and the continuously-flowing gas in the capillary. These dynamics are captured by spatially resolving recombination light from several emission lines of the plasma as a function ofmore » the delay between the jet and the discharge. We provide a phenomenological description of the gas dynamics as well as a quantitative evaluation of the density evolution. In particular, we show that the pressure difference between the jet and the capillary defines three regimes of operation with qualitatively different longitudinal density profiles and show that jet timing provides a sensitive method for tuning between these regimes.« less

Recall of discharge advice given to patients with minor head injury presenting to a Singapore emergency department.

PubMed

Heng, K W J; Tham, K Y; How, K Y; Foo, J S; Lau, Y H; Li, A Y K

2007-12-01

Most patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) with minor head injury (HI) can be discharged, provided a caregiver is present and careful discharge instructions are given. The study ED uses an advice leaflet with verbal reinforcement to patients and caregivers detailing post-discharge instructions and warning symptoms of worsening HI. We aim to evaluate local patients' and caregivers' compliance to discharge instructions and their ability to recall HI advice. A prospective study was conducted in an adult ED between April 10, 2006 and May 1, 2006. All patients with minor HI discharged from the ED or its 24-hour observation ward were included in the study. A telephone survey was conducted within 48 hours of discharge using a standardised questionnaire. During the study period, 292 patients had HI, of which 182 were eligible for the study. 71 were uncontactable and one refused to participate, leaving 110 patients in the study. Patients' age ranged between 7 and 109 years (median 41 years). 100 confirmed receiving HI advice (57 percent received by patients, 26 percent caregivers, 16 percent both patients and caregivers). 29 percent of respondents reported non-compliance to discharge advice. Mean HI-symptom recall score was 1.9 (SD 1.6) (total 9 symptoms). 30 percent cited other symptoms not part of the HI advice, which they believed necessitated a return to the ED. Recall scores were not statistically different, regardless of mode of instruction (verbal or printed) or the recipient (patient, caregiver or both). Our study raises concerns about the reliability of discharge advice for minor HI patients.

The DIII-D Plasma Control System as a Scientific Research Tool

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hyatt, A. W.; Ferron, J. R.; Humphreys, D. A.; Leuer, J. A.; Walker, M. L.; Welander, A. S.

2006-10-01

The digital plasma control system (PCS) is an essential element of the DIII-D tokamak as a scientific research instrument, providing experimenters with real-time measurement and control of the plasma equilibrium, heating, current drive, transport, stability, and plasma-wall interactions. A wide range of sensors and actuators allow feedback control not only of global quantities such as discharge shape, plasma energy, and toroidal rotation, but also of non-axisymmetric magnetic fields and features of the internal profiles of temperature and current density. These diverse capabilities of the PCS improve the effectiveness of tokamak operation and enable unique physics experiments. We will present an overview of the PCS and the systems it controls and interacts with, and show examples of various plasma parameters controlled by the PCS and its actuators.

Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma presenting as a wound with discharging sinus tracts in a wild African lion (Panthera leo).

PubMed

Mwase, M; Mumba, C; Square, D; Kawarai, S; Madarame, H

2013-11-01

A female wild African lion (Panthera leo) was presented with an 8-month history of a wound with multiple discharging sinus tracts on the left paw. Microscopical examination revealed squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of cutaneous SCC in an African lion. Cutaneous SCC presenting as discharging sinus tracts lined by neoplastic squamous cells has not been reported previously in animals. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

State of charge modeling of lithium-ion batteries using dual exponential functions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuo, Ting-Jung; Lee, Kung-Yen; Huang, Chien-Kang; Chen, Jau-Horng; Chiu, Wei-Li; Huang, Chih-Fang; Wu, Shuen-De

2016-05-01

A mathematical model is developed by fitting the discharging curve of LiFePO4 batteries and used to investigate the relationship between the state of charge and the closed-circuit voltage. The proposed mathematical model consists of dual exponential terms and a constant term which can fit the characteristics of dual equivalent RC circuits closely, representing a LiFePO4 battery. One exponential term presents the stable discharging behavior and the other one presents the unstable discharging behavior and the constant term presents the cut-off voltage.

Overview of recent experimental results from the Aditya tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tanna, R. L.; Ghosh, J.; Chattopadhyay, P. K.; Raj, Harshita; Patel, Sharvil; Dhyani, P.; Gupta, C. N.; Jadeja, K. A.; Patel, K. M.; Bhatt, S. B.; Panchal, V. K.; Patel, N. C.; Chavda, Chhaya; Praveenlal, E. V.; Shah, K. S.; Makawana, M. N.; Jha, S. K.; Gopalkrishana, M. V.; Tahiliani, K.; Sangwan, Deepak; Raju, D.; Nagora, Umesh; Pathak, S. K.; Atrey, P. K.; Purohit, S.; Raval, J.; Joisa, Y. S.; Rao, C. V. S.; Chowdhuri, M. B.; Banerjee, S.; Ramaiya, N.; Manchanda, R.; Thomas, J.; Kumar, Ajai; Ajay, Kumar; Sharma, P. K.; Kulkarni, S. V.; Sathyanarayana, K.; Shukla, B. K.; Das, Amita; Jha, R.; Saxena, Y. C.; Sen, A.; Kaw, P. K.; Bora, D.; the ADITYA Team

2017-10-01

Several experiments, related to controlled thermonuclear fusion research and highly relevant for large size tokamaks, including ITER, have been carried out in ADITYA, an ohmically heated circular limiter tokamak. Repeatable plasma discharges of a maximum plasma current of ~160 kA and discharge duration beyond ~250 ms with a plasma current flattop duration of ~140 ms have been obtained for the first time in ADITYA. The reproducibility of the discharge reproducibility has been improved considerably with lithium wall conditioning, and improved plasma discharges are obtained by precisely controlling the position of the plasma. In these discharges, chord-averaged electron density ~3.0-4.0  ×  1019 m-3 using multiple hydrogen gas puffs, with a temperature of the order of ~500-700 eV, have been achieved. Novel experiments related to disruption control are carried out and disruptions, induced by hydrogen gas puffing, are successfully mitigated using the biased electrode and ion cyclotron resonance pulse techniques. Runaway electrons are successfully mitigated by applying a short local vertical field (LVF) pulse. A thorough disruption database has been generated by identifying the different categories of disruption. Detailed analysis of several hundred disrupted discharges showed that the current quench time is inversely proportional to the q edge. Apart from this, for volt-sec recovery during the plasma formation phase, low loop voltage start-up and current ramp-up experiments have been carried out using electron cyclotron resonance heating (ECRH). Successful recovery of volt-sec leads to the achievement of longer plasma discharge durations. In addition, the neon gas puff assisted radiative improved confinement mode has also been achieved in ADITYA. All of the above mentioned experiments will be discussed in this paper.

A mobile phone text message program to measure oral antibiotic use and provide feedback on adherence to patients discharged from the emergency department.

PubMed

Suffoletto, Brian; Calabria, Jaclyn; Ross, Anthony; Callaway, Clifton; Yealy, Donald M

2012-08-01

Nonadherence to prescribed medications impairs therapeutic benefits. The authors measured the ability of an automated text messaging (short message service [SMS]) system to improve adherence to postdischarge antibiotic prescriptions. This was a randomized controlled trial in an urban emergency department (ED) with an annual census of 65,000. A convenience sample of adult patients being discharged with a prescription for oral antibiotics was enrolled. Participants received either a daily SMS query about prescription pickup, and then dosage taken, with educational feedback based on their responses (intervention), or the usual printed discharge instructions (control). A standardized phone follow-up interview was used on the day after the intended completion date to determine antibiotic adherence: 1) the participant filled prescription within 24 hours of discharge and 2) no antibiotic pills were left on the day after intended completion of prescription. Of the 200 patients who agreed to participate, follow-up was completed in 144 (72%). From the 144, 26% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 19% to 34%) failed to fill their discharge prescriptions during the first 24 hours, and 37% (95% CI = 29% to 45%) had pills left over, resulting in 49% (95% CI = 40% to 57%) nonadherent patients. There were no differences in adherence between intervention participants and controls (57% vs. 45%; p = 0.1). African American race, greater than twice-daily dosing, and self-identifying as expecting to have difficulty filling or taking antibiotics at baseline were associated with nonadherence. Almost one-half (49%) of our patients do not adhere to antibiotic prescriptions after ED discharge. Future work should improve the design and deployment of SMS interventions to optimize their effect on improving adherence to medication after ED discharge. © 2012 by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine.

Morpho-physiological Characteristics of Dorsal Subicular Network in Mice after Pilocarpine Induced Status Epilepticus

PubMed Central

He, De Fu; Ma, Dong Liang; Tang, Yong Cheng; Engel, Jerome; Bragin, Anatol; Tang, Feng Ru

2010-01-01

The goal of this study was to examine morpho-physiological changes in the dorsal subiculum network in the mouse model of temporal lobe epilepsy using extracellular recording, juxtacellular and immunofluorescence double labeling, and anterograde tracing methods. A significant loss of total dorsal subicular neurons, particularly calbindin, parvalbumin (PV), and immunopositive interneurons, was found at 2 months after pilocarpine-induced status epilepticus (SE). However, the sprouting of axons from lateral entorhinal cortex (LEnt) was observed to contact with surviving subicular neurons. These neurons had two predominant discharge patterns: bursting and fast irregular discharges. The bursting neurons were mainly pyramidal cells, and their dendritic spine density and bursting discharge rates were increased significantly in SE mice compared to the control group. Fast irregular discharge neurons were PV-immunopositive interneurons, and had less dendritic spines in SE mice when compared to control mice. When LEnt was stimulated, bursting and fast irregular discharge neurons had much shorter latency and stronger excitatory response in SE mice compared to the control group. Our results illustrate that morpho-physiological changes in the dorsal subiculum could be part of a multilevel pathological network that occurs simultaneously in many brain areas to contribute to the generation of epileptiform activity. PMID:19298597

A multi-frequency investigation of the influences of groundwater discharge on hydrocarbon emission and transport in the Baltic Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weidner, E. F.; Jakobsson, M.; Nycander, J.; Mayer, L. A.

2017-12-01

In nearshore coastal regions submarine groundwater discharge is a major component of the hydro-geological cycle: transporting nutrients and pollutants to the ocean, producing up-welling currents through buoyancy effects, and acting as an erosional force at discharge sites. In nearshore regions where biogenic gas production is high, groundwater discharge could potentially act as a control on hydrocarbon emission and transport from the seafloor though the water-column. In the southern Stockholm Archipelago of the Baltic Sea, terraces and semi-circular depressions on shallow (<20 meters) seafloor have been linked to the discharge of ground water, traveling along the permeable layers in glacial clay deposits (Söderberg and Flodén 1995; Jakobsson et al., 2016). Sub-bottom profiles over the same region have identified widespread areas of subsurface blanking, commonly attributed to gas, as well as water-column seep features, both in spatial proximity to the groundwater discharge sites. High-resolution multibeam bathymetry and chirp sub-bottom profiles were combined with water-column data sets collected at multiple frequencies (300 kHz, 45-90 kHz, 160-260 kHz) to map the spatial distribution of seeps and investigate their relationship to localized groundwater discharge as determined by seafloor and subsurface morphology. The spatial extent of seep sites appears closely tied to regions of suspected groundwater discharge, suggesting direct or indirect controls on gas emission pathways. Additionally, seep morphology in the broadband data hints at the possibility of groundwater and gas flow mixing.

Impact of urinary incontinence on medical rehabilitation inpatients.

PubMed

Mallinson, Trudy; Fitzgerald, Colleen M; Neville, Cynthia E; Almagor, Orit; Manheim, Larry; Deutsch, Anne; Heinemann, Allen

2017-01-01

To determine the prevalence of urinary incontinence (UI) and its association with rehabilitation outcomes in patients receiving inpatient medical rehabilitation in the United States. A retrospective, cohort study of 425,547 Medicare patients discharged from inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRFs) in 2005. We examined prevalence of UI at admission and discharge for 5 impairment groups. We examined the impact of demographics, health, and functional status on the primary outcome, change in continence status, and secondary outcomes of discharge location and 6-month mortality. Approximately one-quarter (26.6%) of men were incontinent at admission compared to 22.2% of women. In all diagnostic groups, continence status remains largely unchanged from admission to discharge. Patients who are older, have cognitive difficulties, less functional improvement, and longer lengths of stay (LOS), are more likely to remain incontinent, compared to those who improved, after controlling for patient factors and clinical variables. UI was significantly associated with discharge to another post-acute setting (PAC). For orthopedic patients, UI was associated with a 71% increase in the likelihood of discharge to an institutional setting after controlling for patient factors and clinical variables. UI was not associated with death at 6 months post-discharge. UI is highly prevalent in IRF patients and is associated with increased likelihood of discharge to institutional care, particularly for orthopedic patients. Greater attention to identifying and treating UI in IRF patients may reduce medical expenditures and improve other outcomes. Neurourol. Urodynam. 36:176-183, 2017. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Assessment of the application of an ecotoxicological procedure to screen illicit toxic discharges in domestic septic tank sludge.

PubMed

López-Gastey, J; Choucri, A; Robidoux, P Y; Sunahara, G I

2000-06-01

An innovative screening procedure has been developed to detect illicit toxic discharges in domestic septic tank sludge hauled to the Montreal Urban Community waste-water treatment plant. This new means of control is based on an integrative approach, using bioassays and chemical analyses. Conservative criteria are applied to detect abnormal toxicity with great reliability while avoiding false positive results. The complementary data obtained from toxicity tests and chemical analyses support the use of this efficient and easy-to-apply procedure. This study assesses the control procedure in which 231 samples were analyzed over a 30-month period. Data clearly demonstrate the deterrent power of an efficient control procedure combined with a public awareness campaign among the carriers. In the first 15 months of application, between January 1996 and March 1997, approximately 30% of the 123 samples analyzed showed abnormal toxicity. Between April 1997 and June 1998, that is, after a public hearing presentation of this procedure, this proportion dropped significantly to approximately 9% based on 108 analyzed samples. The results of a 30-month application of this new control procedure show the superior efficiency of the ecotoxicological approach compared with the previously used chemical control procedure. To be able to apply it effectively and, if necessary, to apply the appropriate coercive measures, ecotoxicological criteria should be included in regulatory guidelines.

Characterization of electrical discharges on Teflon dielectrics used as spacecraft thermal control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yadlowsky, E. J.; Hazelton, R. C.; Churchill, R. J.

1979-01-01

The dual effects of system degradation and reduced life of synchronous-orbit satellites as a result of differential spacecraft charging underscore the need for a clearer understanding of the prevailing electrical discharge phenomena. In a laboratory simulation, the electrical discharge current, surface voltage, emitted particle fluxes, and photo-emission associated with discharge events on electron beam irradiated silver-backed Teflon samples were measured. Sample surface damage was examined with optical and electron beam microscopes. The results are suggestive of a model in which the entire sample surface is discharged by lateral sub-surface currents flowing from a charge deposition layer through a localized discharge channel to the back surface of the sample. The associated return current pulse appears to have a duration which may be a signature by which different discharge processes may be characterized.

Three-electrode low pressure discharge apparatus and method for uniform ionization of gaseous media. [CO/sub 2/ laser oscillator and pulse smoother

DOEpatents

McLellan, E.J.

1980-10-17

Uniform, transverse electrical discharges are produced in gaseous media without the necessity of switching the main discharge voltage with an external device which carries the entire discharge current. A three-electrode low pressure discharge tube is charged across its anode and cathode to below breakdown voltage using a dc voltage source. An array of resistors or capacitors can be made to discharge to the wire screen anode by means of a low energy high voltage pulse circuit producing sufficient preionization in the region between the anode and cathode to initiate and control the main discharge. The invention has been demonstrated to be useful as a CO/sub 2/ laser oscillator and pulse-smoother. It can be reliably operated in the sealed-off mode.

Current Trends in Discharge Disposition and Post-discharge Care After Total Joint Arthroplasty.

PubMed

Tarity, T David; Swall, Marion M

2017-09-01

The purpose of this manuscript is to review published literature over the last 5 years to assess recent trends and influencing factors regarding discharge disposition and post-discharge care following total joint arthroplasty. We evaluated instruments proposed to predict a patient's discharge disposition and summarize reports investigating the safety in sending more patients home by reviewing complications and readmission rates. Current literature supports decreased length of hospital stay and increased discharge to home with cost savings and stable readmission rates. Surgeons with defined clinical pathways and those who shape patient expectations may more effectively control costs than those without defined pathways. Further research is needed analyzing best practices in care coordination, managing patient expectations, and cost-effective analysis of home discharge while at the same time ensuring patient outcomes are optimized following total joint arthroplasty.

Electron-impact ionization and electron attachment cross sections of radicals important in transient gaseous discharges

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, Long C.; Srivastava, Santosh K.

1990-01-01

Electron-impact ionization and electron attachment cross sections of radicals and excited molecules were measured using an apparatus that consists of an electron beam, a molecular beam and a laser beam. The information obtained is needed for the pulse power applications in the areas of high power gaseous discharge switches, high energy lasers, particle beam experiments, and electromagnetic pulse systems. The basic data needed for the development of optically-controlled discharge switches were also investigated. Transient current pulses induced by laser irradiation of discharge media were observed and applied for the study of electron-molecule reaction kinetics in gaseous discharges.

Base flow recession from unsaturated-saturated porous media considering lateral unsaturated discharge and aquifer compressibility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liang, Xiuyu; Zhan, Hongbin; Zhang, You-Kuan; Schilling, Keith

2017-09-01

Unsaturated flow is an important process in base flow recessions and its effect is rarely investigated. A mathematical model for a coupled unsaturated-saturated flow in a horizontally unconfined aquifer with time-dependent infiltrations is presented. The effects of the lateral discharge of the unsaturated zone and aquifer compressibility are specifically taken into consideration. Semianalytical solutions for hydraulic heads and discharges are derived using Laplace transform and Cosine transform. The solutions are compared with solutions of the linearized Boussinesq equation (LB solution) and the linearized Laplace equation (LL solution), respectively. A larger dimensionless constitutive exponent κD (a smaller retention capacity) of the unsaturated zone leads to a smaller discharge during the infiltration period and a larger discharge after the infiltration. The lateral discharge of the unsaturated zone is significant when κD≤1, and becomes negligible when κD≥100. The compressibility of the aquifer has a nonnegligible impact on the discharge at early times. For late times, the power index b of the recession curve -dQ/dt˜ aQb, is 1 and independent of κD, where Q is the base flow and a is a constant lumped aquifer parameter. For early times, b is approximately equal to 3 but it approaches infinity when t→0. The present solution is applied to synthetic and field cases. The present solution matched the synthetic data better than both the LL and LB solutions, with a minimum relative error of 16% for estimate of hydraulic conductivity. The present solution was applied to the observed streamflow discharge in Iowa, and the estimated values of the aquifer parameters were reasonable.

Effects of rainfall events on the occurrence and detection efficiency of viruses in river water impacted by combined sewer overflows.

PubMed

Hata, Akihiko; Katayama, Hiroyuki; Kojima, Keisuke; Sano, Shoichi; Kasuga, Ikuro; Kitajima, Masaaki; Furumai, Hiroaki

2014-01-15

Rainfall events can introduce large amount of microbial contaminants including human enteric viruses into surface water by intermittent discharges from combined sewer overflows (CSOs). The present study aimed to investigate the effect of rainfall events on viral loads in surface waters impacted by CSO and the reliability of molecular methods for detection of enteric viruses. The reliability of virus detection in the samples was assessed by using process controls for virus concentration, nucleic acid extraction and reverse transcription (RT)-quantitative PCR (qPCR) steps, which allowed accurate estimation of virus detection efficiencies. Recovery efficiencies of poliovirus in river water samples collected during rainfall events (<10%) were lower than those during dry weather conditions (>10%). The log10-transformed virus concentration efficiency was negatively correlated with suspended solid concentration (r(2)=0.86) that increased significantly during rainfall events. Efficiencies of DNA extraction and qPCR steps determined with adenovirus type 5 and a primer sharing control, respectively, were lower in dry weather. However, no clear relationship was observed between organic water quality parameters and efficiencies of these two steps. Observed concentrations of indigenous enteric adenoviruses, GII-noroviruses, enteroviruses, and Aichi viruses increased during rainfall events even though the virus concentration efficiency was presumed to be lower than in dry weather. The present study highlights the importance of using appropriate process controls to evaluate accurately the concentration of water borne enteric viruses in natural waters impacted by wastewater discharge, stormwater, and CSOs. © 2013.

Wall ablation of heated compound-materials into non-equilibrium discharge plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Weizong; Kong, Linghan; Geng, Jinyue; Wei, Fuzhi; Xia, Guangqing

2017-02-01

The discharge properties of the plasma bulk flow near the surface of heated compound-materials strongly affects the kinetic layer parameters modeled and manifested in the Knudsen layer. This paper extends the widely used two-layer kinetic ablation model to the ablation controlled non-equilibrium discharge due to the fact that the local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) approximation is often violated as a result of the interaction between the plasma and solid walls. Modifications to the governing set of equations, to account for this effect, are derived and presented by assuming that the temperature of the electrons deviates from that of the heavy particles. The ablation characteristics of one typical material, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) are calculated with this improved model. The internal degrees of freedom as well as the average particle mass and specific heat ratio of the polyatomic vapor, which strongly depends on the temperature, pressure and plasma non-equilibrium degree and plays a crucial role in the accurate determination of the ablation behavior by this model, are also taken into account. Our assessment showed the significance of including such modifications related to the non-equilibrium effect in the study of vaporization of heated compound materials in ablation controlled arcs. Additionally, a two-temperature magneto-hydrodynamic (MHD) model accounting for the thermal non-equilibrium occurring near the wall surface is developed and applied into an ablation-dominated discharge for an electro-thermal chemical launch device. Special attention is paid to the interaction between the non-equilibrium plasma and the solid propellant surface. Both the mass exchange process caused by the wall ablation and plasma species deposition as well as the associated momentum and energy exchange processes are taken into account. A detailed comparison of the results of the non-equilibrium model with those of an equilibrium model is presented. The non-equilibrium results show a non-equilibrium region near the plasma-wall interaction region and this indicates the need for the consideration of the influence of the possible departure from LTE in the plasma bulk on the determination of ablation rate.

Toward mHealth Brief Contact Interventions in Suicide Prevention: Case Series From the Suicide Intervention Assisted by Messages (SIAM) Randomized Controlled Trial.

PubMed

Berrouiguet, Sofian; Larsen, Mark Erik; Mesmeur, Catherine; Gravey, Michel; Billot, Romain; Walter, Michel; Lemey, Christophe; Lenca, Philippe

2018-01-10

Research indicates that maintaining contact either via letter or postcard with at-risk adults following discharge from care services after a suicide attempt (SA) can reduce reattempt risk. Pilot studies have demonstrated that interventions using mobile health (mHealth) technologies are feasible in a suicide prevention setting. The aim of this study was to report three cases of patients recruited in the Suicide Intervention Assisted by Messages (SIAM) study to describe how a mobile intervention may influence follow-up. SIAM is a 2-year, multicenter randomized controlled trial conducted by the Brest University Hospital, France. Participants in the intervention group receive SIAM text messages 48 hours after discharge, then at day 8 and day 15, and months 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. The study includes participants aged 18 years or older, who have attended a participating hospital for an SA, and have been discharged from the emergency department (ED) or a psychiatric unit (PU) for a stay of less than 7 days. Eligible participants are randomized between the SIAM intervention messages and a control group. In this study, we present three cases from the ongoing SIAM study that demonstrate the capability of a mobile-based brief contact intervention for triggering patient-initiated contact with a crisis support team at various time points throughout the mobile-based follow-up period. Out of the 244 patients recruited in the SIAM randomized controlled trial, three cases were selected to illustrate the impact of mHealth on suicide risk management. Participants initiated contact with the emergency crisis support service after receiving text messages up to 6 months following discharge from the hospital. Contact was initiated immediately following receipt of a text message or up to 6 days following a message. This text message-based brief contact intervention has demonstrated the potential to reconnect suicidal individuals with crisis support services while they are experiencing suicidal ideation as well as in a period after receiving messages. As follow-up phone calls over an extended period of time may not be feasible, this intervention has the potential to offer simple technological support for individuals following discharge from the ED. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02106949; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02106949 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6wMtAFL49). ©Sofian Berrouiguet, Mark Erik Larsen, Catherine Mesmeur, Michel Gravey, Romain Billot, Michel Walter, HUGOPSY Network, Christophe Lemey, Philippe Lenca. Originally published in JMIR Mhealth and Uhealth (http://mhealth.jmir.org), 10.01.2018.

Toward mHealth Brief Contact Interventions in Suicide Prevention: Case Series From the Suicide Intervention Assisted by Messages (SIAM) Randomized Controlled Trial

PubMed Central

Mesmeur, Catherine; Gravey, Michel; Billot, Romain; Walter, Michel; Lemey, Christophe; Lenca, Philippe

2018-01-01

Background Research indicates that maintaining contact either via letter or postcard with at-risk adults following discharge from care services after a suicide attempt (SA) can reduce reattempt risk. Pilot studies have demonstrated that interventions using mobile health (mHealth) technologies are feasible in a suicide prevention setting. Objective The aim of this study was to report three cases of patients recruited in the Suicide Intervention Assisted by Messages (SIAM) study to describe how a mobile intervention may influence follow-up. Methods SIAM is a 2-year, multicenter randomized controlled trial conducted by the Brest University Hospital, France. Participants in the intervention group receive SIAM text messages 48 hours after discharge, then at day 8 and day 15, and months 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. The study includes participants aged 18 years or older, who have attended a participating hospital for an SA, and have been discharged from the emergency department (ED) or a psychiatric unit (PU) for a stay of less than 7 days. Eligible participants are randomized between the SIAM intervention messages and a control group. In this study, we present three cases from the ongoing SIAM study that demonstrate the capability of a mobile-based brief contact intervention for triggering patient-initiated contact with a crisis support team at various time points throughout the mobile-based follow-up period. Results Out of the 244 patients recruited in the SIAM randomized controlled trial, three cases were selected to illustrate the impact of mHealth on suicide risk management. Participants initiated contact with the emergency crisis support service after receiving text messages up to 6 months following discharge from the hospital. Contact was initiated immediately following receipt of a text message or up to 6 days following a message. Conclusions This text message–based brief contact intervention has demonstrated the potential to reconnect suicidal individuals with crisis support services while they are experiencing suicidal ideation as well as in a period after receiving messages. As follow-up phone calls over an extended period of time may not be feasible, this intervention has the potential to offer simple technological support for individuals following discharge from the ED. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02106949; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02106949 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6wMtAFL49) PMID:29321126

On the shape of the glow discharge channel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dmitriev, A. L.; Nikushchenko, E. M.

2017-05-01

Examples of the shapes of the glow discharge channel are presented. The discharge has been initiated in air at a pressure of 0.1 atm. The effective value and frequency of the discharge current are 30-70 mA and 50 Hz, respectively. It has been shown that, for these values of the current and pressure, thermal convection in a vacuum chamber and buoyancy (Archimedes force) are not major reasons for the specific parabolic shape of glow discharge.

Streamflow characteristics at streamgages in northern Afghanistan and selected locations

USGS Publications Warehouse

Olson, Scott A.; Williams-Sether, Tara

2010-01-01

Statistical summaries of streamflow data for 79 historical streamgages in Northern Afghanistan and other selected historical streamgages are presented in this report. The summaries for each streamgage include (1) station description, (2) graph of the annual mean discharge for the period of record, (3) statistics of monthly and annual mean discharges, (4) monthly and annual flow duration, (5) probability of occurrence of annual high discharges, (6) probability of occurrence of annual low discharges, (7) probability of occurrence of seasonal low discharges, (8) annual peak discharges for the period of record, and (9) monthly and annual mean discharges for the period of record.

Enhanced reproducibility of L-mode plasma discharges via physics-model-based q-profile feedback control in DIII-D

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

Schuster, Eugenio J.; Wehner, William P.; Barton, Joseph E.

Recent experiments on DIII-D demonstrate the potential of physics-model-based q-profile control to improve reproducibility of plasma discharges. A combined feed forward + feedback control scheme is employed to optimize the current ramp-up phase by consistently achieving target q profiles (Target 1: q min = 1.3,q 95 = 4:4; Target 2: q min = 1.65,q 95 = 5.0; Target 3: q min = 2.1,q 95 = 6:2) at prescribed times during the plasma formation phase (Target 1: t = 1.5 s; Target 2: t = 1:3 s; Target 3: t = 1.0 s). At the core of the control scheme ismore » a nonlinear, first-principles-driven, physics-based, control-oriented model of the plasma dynamics valid for low confinement (L-mode) scenarios. To prevent undesired L-H transitions, a constraint on the maximum allowable total auxiliary power is imposed in addition to the maximum powers for the individual heating and current-drive sources. Experimental results are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the combined feed forward + feedback control scheme to consistently achieve the desired target profiles at the predefined times. Here, these results also show how the addition of feedback control significantly improves upon the feed forward only control solution by reducing the matching error and also how the feedback controller is able to reduce the matching error as the constraint on the maximum allowable total auxiliary power is relaxed while keeping the plasma in L-mode.« less

Enhanced reproducibility of L-mode plasma discharges via physics-model-based q-profile feedback control in DIII-D

DOE PAGES

Schuster, Eugenio J.; Wehner, William P.; Barton, Joseph E.; ...

2017-08-09

Recent experiments on DIII-D demonstrate the potential of physics-model-based q-profile control to improve reproducibility of plasma discharges. A combined feed forward + feedback control scheme is employed to optimize the current ramp-up phase by consistently achieving target q profiles (Target 1: q min = 1.3,q 95 = 4:4; Target 2: q min = 1.65,q 95 = 5.0; Target 3: q min = 2.1,q 95 = 6:2) at prescribed times during the plasma formation phase (Target 1: t = 1.5 s; Target 2: t = 1:3 s; Target 3: t = 1.0 s). At the core of the control scheme ismore » a nonlinear, first-principles-driven, physics-based, control-oriented model of the plasma dynamics valid for low confinement (L-mode) scenarios. To prevent undesired L-H transitions, a constraint on the maximum allowable total auxiliary power is imposed in addition to the maximum powers for the individual heating and current-drive sources. Experimental results are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the combined feed forward + feedback control scheme to consistently achieve the desired target profiles at the predefined times. Here, these results also show how the addition of feedback control significantly improves upon the feed forward only control solution by reducing the matching error and also how the feedback controller is able to reduce the matching error as the constraint on the maximum allowable total auxiliary power is relaxed while keeping the plasma in L-mode.« less

Efficacy of a Low-Cost Bubble CPAP System in Treatment of Respiratory Distress in a Neonatal Ward in Malawi

PubMed Central

Kawaza, Kondwani; Machen, Heather E.; Brown, Jocelyn; Mwanza, Zondiwe; Iniguez, Suzanne; Gest, Al; Smith, E. O'Brian; Oden, Maria; Richards-Kortum, Rebecca R.; Molyneux, Elizabeth

2014-01-01

Background Respiratory failure is a leading cause of neonatal mortality in the developing world. Bubble continuous positive airway pressure (bCPAP) is a safe, effective intervention for infants with respiratory distress and is widely used in developed countries. Because of its high cost, bCPAP is not widely utilized in low-resource settings. We evaluated the performance of a new bCPAP system to treat severe respiratory distress in a low resource setting, comparing it to nasal oxygen therapy, the current standard of care. Methods We conducted a non-randomized convenience sample study to test the efficacy of a low-cost bCPAP system treating newborns with severe respiratory distress in the neonatal ward of Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital, in Blantyre, Malawi. Neonates weighing >1,000 g and presenting with severe respiratory distress who fulfilled inclusion criteria received nasal bCPAP if a device was available; if not, they received standard care. Clinical assessments were made during treatment and outcomes compared for the two groups. Findings 87 neonates (62 bCPAP, 25 controls) were recruited. Survival rate for neonates receiving bCPAP was 71.0% (44/62) compared with 44.0% (11/25) for controls. 65.5% (19/29) of very low birth weight neonates receiving bCPAP survived to discharge compared to 15.4% (1/13) of controls. 64.6% (31/48) of neonates with respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) receiving bCPAP survived to discharge, compared to 23.5% (4/17) of controls. 61.5% (16/26) of neonates with sepsis receiving bCPAP survived to discharge, while none of the seven neonates with sepsis in the control group survived. Interpretation Use of a low-cost bCPAP system to treat neonatal respiratory distress resulted in 27% absolute improvement in survival. The beneficial effect was greater for neonates with very low birth weight, RDS, or sepsis. Implementing appropriate bCPAP devices could reduce neonatal mortality in developing countries. PMID:24489715

Efficacy of a low-cost bubble CPAP system in treatment of respiratory distress in a neonatal ward in Malawi.

PubMed

Kawaza, Kondwani; Machen, Heather E; Brown, Jocelyn; Mwanza, Zondiwe; Iniguez, Suzanne; Gest, Al; O'Brian Smith, E; Oden, Maria; Richards-Kortum, Rebecca R; Molyneux, Elizabeth

2016-09-01

Respiratory failure is a leading cause of neonatal mortality in the developing world. Bubble continuous positive airway pressure (bCPAP) is a safe, effective intervention for infants with respiratory distress and is widely used in developed countries. Because of its high cost, bCPAP is not widely utilized in low-resource settings. We evaluated the performance of a new bCPAP system to treat severe respiratory distress in a low resource setting, comparing it to nasal oxygen therapy, the current standard of care. We conducted a non-randomized convenience sample study to test the efficacy of a low-cost bCPAP system treating newborns with severe respiratory distress in the neonatal ward of Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital, in Blantyre, Malawi. Neonates weighing >1,000 g and presenting with severe respiratory distress who fulfilled inclusion criteria received nasal bCPAP if a device was available; if not, they received standard care. Clinical assessments were made during treatment and outcomes compared for the two groups. 87 neonates (62 bCPAP, 25 controls) were recruited. Survival rate for neonates receiving bCPAP was 71.0% (44/62) compared with 44.0% (11/25) for controls. 65.5% (19/29) of very low birth weight neonates receiving bCPAP survived to discharge compared to 15.4% (1/13) of controls. 64.6% (31/48) of neonates with respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) receiving bCPAP survived to discharge, compared to 23.5% (4/17) of controls. 61.5% (16/26) of neonates with sepsis receiving bCPAP survived to discharge, while none of the seven neonates with sepsis in the control group survived. Use of a low-cost bCPAP system to treat neonatal respiratory distress resulted in 27% absolute improvement in survival. The beneficial effect was greater for neonates with very low birth weight, RDS, or sepsis. Implementing appropriate bCPAP devices could reduce neonatal mortality in developing countries.

Investigation of airfoil leading edge separation control with nanosecond plasma actuator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, J. G.; Cui, Y. D.; Zhao, Z. J.; Li, J.; Khoo, B. C.

2016-11-01

A combined numerical and experimental investigation of airfoil leading edge flow separation control with a nanosecond dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma actuator is presented. Our study concentrates on describing dynamics of detailed flow actuation process and elucidating the nanosecond DBD actuation mechanism. A loose coupling methodology is employed to perform simulation, which consists of a self-similar plasma model for the description of pulsed discharge and two-dimensional Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations for the calculation of external airflow. A series of simulations of poststall flows around a NACA0015 airfoil is conducted with a Reynolds number range covering both low and high Re at Re=(0.05 ,0.15 ,1.2 ) ×106 . Meanwhile, wind-tunnel experiment is performed for two low Re flows to measure aerodynamic force on airfoil model and transient flow field with time-resolved particle image velocimetry (PIV). The PIV measurement provides possibly the clearest view of flow reattachment process under the actuation of a nanosecond plasma actuator ever observed in experiments, which is highly comparable to that predicted by simulation. It is found from the detailed simulation that the discharge-induced residual heat rather than shock wave plays a dominant role in flow control. For any leading edge separations, the preliminary flow reattachment is realized by residual heat-induced spanwise vortices. After that, the nanosecond actuator functions by continuing exciting flow instability at poststall attack angles or acting as an active trip near stall angle. As a result, the controlled flow is characterized by a train of repetitive, downstream moving vortices over suction surface or an attached turbulent boundary layer, which depends on both angle of attack and Reynolds number. The advection of residual temperature with external flow offers a nanosecond plasma actuator a lot of flexibility to extend its influence region. Animations are provided for baseline flow and that subjected to plasma control at two typical Reynolds numbers.

Efficacy of a low-cost bubble CPAP system in treatment of respiratory distress in a neonatal ward in Malawi.

PubMed

Kawaza, Kondwani; Machen, Heather E; Brown, Jocelyn; Mwanza, Zondiwe; Iniguez, Suzanne; Gest, Al; Smith, E O'Brian; Oden, Maria; Richards-Kortum, Rebecca R; Molyneux, Elizabeth

2014-01-01

Respiratory failure is a leading cause of neonatal mortality in the developing world. Bubble continuous positive airway pressure (bCPAP) is a safe, effective intervention for infants with respiratory distress and is widely used in developed countries. Because of its high cost, bCPAP is not widely utilized in low-resource settings. We evaluated the performance of a new bCPAP system to treat severe respiratory distress in a low resource setting, comparing it to nasal oxygen therapy, the current standard of care. We conducted a non-randomized convenience sample study to test the efficacy of a low-cost bCPAP system treating newborns with severe respiratory distress in the neonatal ward of Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital, in Blantyre, Malawi. Neonates weighing >1,000 g and presenting with severe respiratory distress who fulfilled inclusion criteria received nasal bCPAP if a device was available; if not, they received standard care. Clinical assessments were made during treatment and outcomes compared for the two groups. 87 neonates (62 bCPAP, 25 controls) were recruited. Survival rate for neonates receiving bCPAP was 71.0% (44/62) compared with 44.0% (11/25) for controls. 65.5% (19/29) of very low birth weight neonates receiving bCPAP survived to discharge compared to 15.4% (1/13) of controls. 64.6% (31/48) of neonates with respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) receiving bCPAP survived to discharge, compared to 23.5% (4/17) of controls. 61.5% (16/26) of neonates with sepsis receiving bCPAP survived to discharge, while none of the seven neonates with sepsis in the control group survived. Use of a low-cost bCPAP system to treat neonatal respiratory distress resulted in 27% absolute improvement in survival. The beneficial effect was greater for neonates with very low birth weight, RDS, or sepsis. Implementing appropriate bCPAP devices could reduce neonatal mortality in developing countries.

Numerical modelling of the effect of dry air traces in a helium parallel plate dielectric barrier discharge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lazarou, C.; Belmonte, T.; Chiper, A. S.; Georghiou, G. E.

2016-10-01

A validated numerical model developed for the study of helium barrier discharges in the presence of dry air impurities is presented in this paper. The model was used to numerically investigate the influence of air traces on the evolution of the helium dielectric barrier discharge (DBD). The level of dry air used as impurity was in the range from 0 to 1500 ppm, which corresponds to the most commonly encountered range in atmospheric pressure discharge experiments. The results presented in this study clearly show that the plasma chemistry and consequently the discharge evolution is highly affected by the concentration level of impurities in the mixture. In particular, it was observed that air traces assist the discharge ignition at low concentration levels (~55 ppm), while on the other hand, they increase the burning voltage at higher concentration levels (~1000 ppm). Furthermore, it was found that the discharge symmetry during the voltage cycle highly depends on the concentration of air. For the interpretation of the results, a detailed analysis of the processes that occur in the discharge gap is performed and the main reaction pathways of ion production are described. Thanks to this approach, useful insight into the physics behind the evolution of the discharge is obtained.

Effective discharge analysis of ecological processes in streams

USGS Publications Warehouse

Doyle, Martin W.; Stanley, Emily H.; Strayer, David L.; Jacobson, Robert B.; Schmidt, John C.

2005-01-01

Discharge is a master variable that controls many processes in stream ecosystems. However, there is uncertainty of which discharges are most important for driving particular ecological processes and thus how flow regime may influence entire stream ecosystems. Here the analytical method of effective discharge from fluvial geomorphology is used to analyze the interaction between frequency and magnitude of discharge events that drive organic matter transport, algal growth, nutrient retention, macroinvertebrate disturbance, and habitat availability. We quantify the ecological effective discharge using a synthesis of previously published studies and modeling from a range of study sites. An analytical expression is then developed for a particular case of ecological effective discharge and is used to explore how effective discharge varies within variable hydrologic regimes. Our results suggest that a range of discharges is important for different ecological processes in an individual stream. Discharges are not equally important; instead, effective discharge values exist that correspond to near modal flows and moderate floods for the variable sets examined. We suggest four types of ecological response to discharge variability: discharge as a transport mechanism, regulator of habitat, process modulator, and disturbance. Effective discharge analysis will perform well when there is a unique, essentially instantaneous relationship between discharge and an ecological process and poorly when effects of discharge are delayed or confounded by legacy effects. Despite some limitations the conceptual and analytical utility of the effective discharge analysis allows exploring general questions about how hydrologic variability influences various ecological processes in streams.

Advanced Concepts Research Initiative

EPA Science Inventory

This initiative is investigating various approaches to controlling and treating wet-weather flow (WWF) discharges in the urban watershed. WWF, including combined sewer overflow (CSO), sanitary sewer overflow (SSO) and stormwater discharges are leading causes of receiving water q...

Some Results from Studies of Microwave Discharges in Liquid Heavy Hydrocarbons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Averin, K. A.; Lebedev, Yu. A.; Shakhatov, V. A.

2018-01-01

Some results from studies of microwave discharges in heavy hydrocarbons are presented. Microwave energy was introduced into liquid hydrocarbon via a coaxial line. The pressure above the liquid surface was equal to the atmospheric pressure. The discharge was ignited in a mixture of argon and hydrocarbon vapor. Argon was supplied through a channel in the central conductor of the coaxial line. The emission spectra of discharges in different liquid hydrocarbons were studied. It is shown that the emission spectra mainly consist of sequences of Swan bands, while radiation of other plasma components is on the noise level. Spectra of plasma emission are presented for discharges in liquid n-heptane, nefras, and C-9 oil used to produce chemical fibers. The rotational (gas) and vibrational temperatures are determined by processing the observed spectra.

Numerical investigation of dielectric barrier discharges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Jing

1997-12-01

A dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) is a transient discharge occurring between two electrodes in coaxial or planar arrangements separated by one or two layers of dielectric material. The charge accumulated on the dielectric barrier generates a field in a direction opposite to the applied field. The discharge is quenched before an arc is formed. It is one of the few non-thermal discharges that operates at atmospheric pressure and has the potential for use in pollution control. In this work, a numerical model of the dielectric barrier discharge is developed, along with the numerical approach. Adaptive grids based on the charge distribution is used. A self-consistent method is used to solve for the electric field and charge densities. The Successive Overrelaxation (SOR) method in a non-uniform grid spacing is used to solve the Poisson's equation in the cylindrically-symmetric coordinate. The Flux Corrected Transport (FCT) method is modified to solve the continuity equations in the non-uniform grid spacing. Parametric studies of dielectric barrier discharges are conducted. General characteristics of dielectric barrier discharges in both anode-directed and cathode-directed streamer are studied. Effects of the dielectric capacitance, the applied field, the resistance in external circuit and the type of gases (O2, air, N2) are investigated. We conclude that the SOR method in an adaptive grid spacing for the solution of the Poisson's equation in the cylindrically-symmetric coordinate is convergent and effective. The dielectric capacitance has little effect on the g-factor of radical production, but it determines the strength of the dielectric barrier discharge. The applied field and the type of gases used have a significant role on the current peak, current pulse duration and radical generation efficiency, discharge strength, and microstreamer radius, whereas the external series resistance has very little effect on the streamer properties. The results are helpful in further understanding the ozone generation and pollution control process in a dielectric barrier discharge.

Aerospace Thematic Workshop (4th): Fundamentals of Aerodynamic Flow and Combustion Control by Plasmas

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-04-01

Supersonic Flow Control by Microwave Discharge and Non-equilibrium Processes in Viscous Gas Flows Elena Kustova (Saint Petersburg State University...implying new technologies (direct injection, turbocharging, exhaust gas recirculation, ...) and introducing new physics ( liquid films, flame propagation...combustion  Discharges physics and kinetics A visit was also organized in the afternoon of April 10 to the supersonic and hypersonic wind tunnels

CF6 Jet Engine Performance Improvement: High Pressure Turbine Active Clearance Control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rich, S. E.; Fasching, W. A.

1982-01-01

An active clearance control system was developed which reduces fuel consumption and performance degradation. This system utilizes compressor discharge air during takeoff and fan discharge air during cruise to impinge on the shroud structure to improve the thermal response. The system was evaluated in component and engine tests. The test results demonstrated a performance improvement of 0.7 percent in cruise SFC.

The course of fatigue after acute spinal cord injury.

PubMed

Anton, H A; Miller, W C; Townson, A F; Imam, B; Silverberg, N; Forwell, S

2017-01-01

Prospective cohort study. To determine the prevalence and course of fatigue following acute spinal cord injury (SCI) during rehabilitation and after discharge. Tertiary spinal cord rehabilitation facility. Fifty-two patients with traumatic SCI were assessed after admission to rehabilitation and followed until 6-months post discharge into the community. Fatigue was measured using the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) and the Modified Fatigue Impact Scale for Spinal Cord Injury (MFIS-SCI) at admission, discharge and 6 months after discharge. Clinically significant fatigue was defined as FSS scores ⩾4 or MFIS-SCI scores ⩾24.5. The mean (s.d.) age of our mainly male (78.8%) sample was 46.3 (17.8) years of age. Half had cervical and 61.6% had complete injuries. Mean (s.d.) FSS scores were 3.7 (1.6) at baseline, 3.4 (1.5) at discharge and 3.7 (1.7) post discharge. Mean (s.d.) MFIS-SCI scores were 24.4 (16.1) at baseline, 23.4 (16.3) at discharge and 27.8 (17.5) post discharge. Fatigue on the FSS was present in 51.9% at baseline, 38.3% at discharge and 48.1% post discharge. Fatigue on the MFIS-SCI was present in 44.2% at baseline, 44.7% at discharge and 51.9% post discharge. There was no relationship between fatigue and injury level or completeness. Fatigue is common in SCI patients admitted to rehabilitation. Fatigue remained stable during rehabilitation and after discharge into the community. Clinicians should consider early screening for fatigue and interventions to reduce the consequences of fatigue in people with SCI. The British Columbia Medical Services Foundation funded our study.

[Short term evaluation of quality of life in patients with chronic rhinosinhsitis by using Chinese version of the inonasal outcome test-22].

PubMed

Li, Chengwen; Tian, Jun

2014-12-01

To evaluate short term quality of life of patients with chronic rhinosinusitis by using Chinese version of the sinonasal outcome test-22 (SNOT-22) and to formulate an ideal therapy system for patients with chronic rhinosinusitis. Using prospective randomized controlled design,we chose the SNOT-22 to evaluate and compare 78 CRS patients' quality of life (QOL) before surgery, at 1-month,3-month, 6-month and 9-month after functional endoscopic sinus surgery(FESS). At the same time, we randomly chose 100 healthy controls to compare their QOL with those of CRS patients after FESS. We found that except for 5 items (cough, ear expanding, otalgia, facail pain and weary ), the grade of 17 other items of CRS patients were significantly higher than those of the healthy controls (P<0. 05). There was no significant difference in 7 items (olfactory sensation, hypogeusis, backflow of nasal discharge, difficult to fall asleep, bad sleep, bad work efficiency, depression, embarrassment ) at 3 months after FESS between chronic rhinosinusitis patients and healthy controls (P>0. 05). There was no significant difference in 9 items (blow noses, sneeze, rhinorrhea, nasal discharge thickness, dizziness, night wake, tired of wake, attention deficit, sense of loss) at 6 months after FESS between chronic rhinosinusitis patients and healthy controls (P>0. 05). There was no significant difference in nasal obstruction at 6 months after FESS between chronic rhinosinusitis patients and healthy controls (P>0.05), at this time the totle grade was normal (P>0. 05). The recovery period of QOL in patients was about 9 months (P>0. 05). The 5 great items were nasal obstruction, olfactory sensation, hypogeusis, nasal discharge, nasal discharge thickness and blow noses. There was no difference in items except for bad sleep replacing nasal discharge thickness between 1-month and 9-month after surgery. The Chinese vesion of SNOT-22 could evaluate QOL of CRS patients in this area. The recovery of QOL of CRS patients needs about 6 months after FESS, but problems of olfactory sensation, hypogeusis, nasal discharge and difficult to sleeep still needs to be resolved.

Pulsed plasma processing for control of diesel engine emissions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vogtlin, G. E.; Freytag, E. K.; Bardsley, J. N.; Wallman, H.

1993-02-01

Electrical discharges can be used as an after treatment for diesel exhaust. We are presently involved in research to determine the feasibility of this process. These discharges have been shown to remove nitric oxide, sulfur dioxide, particulates, and many organic compounds. A key issue is the efficiency of this removal since it effects both capital and operating costs. These discharges must be of short duration, less than one microsecond, to avoid energy losses due to heating of bulk gas molecules. The voltage must be kept below the voltage breakdown limit where ion heating creates an arc discharge. The basic process is the acceleration of electrons which then collide with gas molecules to form radicals such as O and OH. These radicals then react with and eliminate pollutants. Two basic electrode geometries are used to generate these discharges. The barrier discharge is when one or both of the electrodes is insulated and the pulse length is limited by charging of the insulator. This discharge must be driven by alternating current to permit alternating charging of the insulator. The other geometry is when one electrode has a peak voltage stress five or more times the average stress. We have been investigating the high stress geometry which uses a small wire inside a pipe. The principal experimental apparatus utilized by this effort uses a closed loop gas system. This system permits the production of various gas combinations prior to testing. Analysis can be conducted during or after these tests. The recirculated gas can be heated up to 400 F. This system can measure the energy used and the pollutant removal to determine efficiency. Our primary goal is the simultaneous removal of nitric oxide and particulates typical of diesel exhaust.

N Vibrational Temperatures and OH Number Density Measurements in a NS Pulse Discharge Hydrogen-Air Plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hung, Yichen; Winters, Caroline; Jans, Elijah R.; Frederickson, Kraig; Adamovich, Igor V.

2017-06-01

This work presents time-resolved measurements of nitrogen vibrational temperature, translational-rotational temperature, and absolute OH number density in lean hydrogen-air mixtures excited in a diffuse filament nanosecond pulse discharge, at a pressure of 100 Torr and high specific energy loading. The main objective of these measurements is to study a possible effect of nitrogen vibrational excitation on low-temperature kinetics of HO2 and OH radicals. N2 vibrational temperature and gas temperature in the discharge and the afterglow are measured by ns broadband Coherent Anti-Stokes Scattering (CARS). Hydroxyl radical number density is measured by Laser Induced Fluorescence (LIF) calibrated by Rayleigh scattering. The results show that the discharge generates strong vibrational nonequilibrium in air and H2-air mixtures for delay times after the discharge pulse of up to 1 ms, with peak vibrational temperature of Tv ≈ 2000 K at T ≈ 500 K. Nitrogen vibrational temperature peaks ≈ 200 μs after the discharge pulse, before decreasing due to vibrational-translational relaxation by O atoms (on the time scale of a few hundred μs) and diffusion (on ms time scale). OH number density increases gradually after the discharge pulse, peaking at t 100-300 μs and decaying on a longer time scale, until t 1 ms. Both OH rise time and decay time decrease as H2 fraction in the mixture is increased from 1% to 5%. OH number density in a 1% H2-air mixture peaks at approximately the same time as vibrational temperature in air, suggesting that OH kinetics may be affected by N2 vibrational excitation. However, preliminary kinetic modeling calculations demonstrate that OH number density overshoot is controlled by known reactions of H and O radicals generated in the plasma, rather than by dissociation by HO2 radical in collisions with vibrationally excited N2 molecules, as has been suggested earlier. Additional measurements at higher specific energy loadings and kinetic modeling calculations are underway.

An analysis of clinical outcomes and costs of a long term acute care hospital.

PubMed

Votto, John J; Scalise, Paul J; Barton, Randall W; Vogel, Cristine A

2011-01-01

Compare clinical outcomes and costs in a study group of long-term acute care hospital (LTCH) patients with a control group of LTCH-eligible patients in an acute care hospital. LTCHs were created to provide post-acute care services not available at other post-acute settings. This is based on the premise that these patients would otherwise have stayed at acute care hospitals as high-cost outliers. The LTCH hospital is intended to deliver care to patients more efficiently, however, there are little documented clinical and financial data regarding the comparative clinical outcomes and costs for patients. Retrospective medical and billing record review of patients from the following groups: (1) LTCH study comprising patients admitted directly from an acute care hospital to the study LTCH and discharged from the LTCH from September 2004 through August 2006; (2) a control group of LTCH-eligible, medically complex patients treated and discharged from an acute care hospital in FY 2002. The control group was selected from approximately 500 patients who had at least one of the ten most common principle diagnosis DRGs of the study LTCH with >30-day length of stay at the referring hospital and met NALTH admitting guidelines. Discharge disposition is an important outcome measure of the quality of care of medically complex patients. The in-hospital mortality rate trended lower and home discharge was 3 times higher for the LTCH study group than for the control group. As a possible result, SNF discharge of LTCH patients was approximately half that of the control group. Both mean patient cost per day and mean total cost per patient were significantly higher in the control group than in the LTCH study group. The patients in the LTCH study group had both better clinical outcomes and lower cost of care than the control group.

Sediment traps with guiding channel and hybrid check dams improve controlled sediment retention

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schwindt, Sebastian; Franca, Mário J.; Reffo, Alessandro; Schleiss, Anton J.

2018-03-01

Sediment traps with partially open check dams are crucial elements for flood protection in alpine regions. The trapping of sediment is necessary when intense sediment transport occurs during floods that may endanger urban areas at downstream river reaches. In turn, the unwanted permanent trapping of sediment during small, non-hazardous floods can result in the ecological and morphological degradation of downstream reaches. This study experimentally analyses a novel concept for permeable sediment traps. For ensuring the sediment transfer up to small floods, a guiding channel implemented in the deposition area of a sediment trap was systematically studied. The bankfull discharge of the guiding channel corresponds to a dominant morphological discharge. At the downstream end of the guiding channel, a permeable barrier (check dam) triggers sediment retention and deposition. The permeable barrier consists of a bar screen for mechanical deposition control, superposed to a flow constriction for the hydraulic control. The barrier obstructs hazardous sediment transport for discharges that are higher than the bankfull discharge of the guiding channel without the risk of unwanted sediment flushing (massive self-cleaning).

CT Angiography and Presentation NIH stroke Scale in Predicting TIA in Patients Presenting with Acute Stroke Symptoms.

PubMed

Karaman, Bedriye; Selph, James; Burdine, Joselyn; Graham, Cole Blease; Sen, Souvik

2013-11-08

Patient candidacy for acute stroke intervention, is currently assessed using brain computed tomography angiography (CTA) evidence of significant stenosis/occlusion (SSO) with a high National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) (>6). This study examined the association between CTA without significant stenosis/occlusion (NSSO) and lower NIHSS (≤ 6) with transient ischemic attack (TIA) and other good clinical outcomes at discharge. Patients presenting <8 hours from stroke symptom onset, had an NIHSS assessment and brain CTA performed at presentation. Good clinical outcomes were defined as: discharge diagnosis of TIA, modified Rankin Score [mRS] ≤ 1, and home as the discharge disposition. Eighty-five patients received both an NIHSS at presentation and a CTA at 4.2 ± 2.2 hours from stroke symptom onset. Patients with NSSO on CTA as well as those with NIHSS≤6 had better outcomes at discharge (p<0.001). NIHSS ≤ 6 were more likely than NSSO (p=0.01) to have a discharge diagnosis of TIA (p<0.001). NSSO on CTA and NIHSS ≤ 6 also correlated with fewer deaths (p<0.001). Multivariable analyses showed NSSO on CTA (Adjusted OR: 5.8 95% CI: 1.2-27.0, p=0.03) independently predicted the discharge diagnosis of TIA. Addition of NIHSS ≤ 6 to NSSO on CTA proved to be a stronger independent predictor of TIA (Adjusted OR 18.7 95% CI: 3.5-98.9, p=0.001).

Parts, Materials, and Processes Control Program for Expendable Launch Vehicles

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-07-31

burn-in, electrical tests (DWV, room and hot IR, partial discharge when in corona region); perform DPA with SEM/EDX analysis of dielectric...life test; x-ray and vicinal illumination inspection; electrical tests (DWV, room and hot IR, partial discharge when in corona region) Termination...defects; proper voltage derating. Partial discharge testing, corona inception testing up to 60% of rated voltage; CSAM screening; voltage burn

Thermal management of batteries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gibbard, H. F.; Chen, C.-C.

Control of the internal temperature during high rate discharge or charge can be a major design problem for large, high energy density battery systems. A systematic approach to the thermal management of such systems is described for different load profiles based on: thermodynamic calculations of internal heat generation; calorimetric measurements of heat flux; analytical and finite difference calculations of the internal temperature distribution; appropriate system designs for heat removal and temperature control. Examples are presented of thermal studies on large lead-acid batteries for electrical utility load levelling and nickel-zinc and lithium-iron sulphide batteries for electric vehicle propulsion.

An Inductorless Self-Controlled Rectifier for Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting

PubMed Central

Lu, Shaohua; Boussaid, Farid

2015-01-01

This paper presents a high-efficiency inductorless self-controlled rectifier for piezoelectric energy harvesting. High efficiency is achieved by discharging the piezoelectric device (PD) capacitance each time the current produced by the PD changes polarity. This is achieved automatically without the use of delay lines, thereby making the proposed circuit compatible with any type of PD. In addition, the proposed rectifier alleviates the need for an inductor, making it suitable for on-chip integration. Reported experimental results show that the proposed rectifier can harvest up to 3.9 times more energy than a full wave bridge rectifier. PMID:26610492